#i miss the pretty golden stag but listen

[feuer-bluete]

My first time playing low honor and he sure is a beauty in his own way.

[acciowests]

From Lorcan With Love

WORD COUNT: 1707

SUMMARY: A "From Lukov With Love" inspired ice hockey x figure skating AU featuring Lorcan Salvaterre and Elide Lochan from "Throne Of Glass"

Lorcan and Rowan arrive early for training and walk in on a figure skater finishing her session. It isn't until she falls that Lorcan rushes forward, helping up the woman he learns is called Elide and immediately begins to fall for her charms.

"You know, you didn't have to wake me up this early, right?" Rowan drawled as they pulled into the Orynth Rink parking lot. With their first game of the season taking place next Friday, Lorcan Salvaterre - Goalkeeper of the Terrasen High Hawks - had booked out the rink for three whole hours of practice. Along with being Lorcan's best friend, Rowan Whitethorn was also the captain of the Hawks, their school's ice hockey team. Despite having napped for most of their journey, Rowan's brows were furrowed in a tired frown, his lips in a thin line as he stretched in his seat.

The capital's Ice Rink mainly housed ice skating: including singles figure skating, pairs ice dancing, as well as the annual sectional competitions and sometimes the national one also. None of that meant much to Lorcan, he just knew the Orynth Rink also showcased professional Hockey Teams, such as the Orynth Stags; a team he had dreamt of being a part of since he started his ice hockey journey at seven-years-old.

"Stop complaining, old man," Lorcan chuckled, smirking at the silver-haired boy. "Get the bags from the trunk will you?"

Sticking up his middle finger noncommittally, letting it fall into his lap, Rowan climbed out of the car, rounding toward the back of the vehicle. Lorcan switched off the engine and stepped outside. Grabbing the gym bag full of their gear, Rowan hauled it over his shoulder as Lorcan locked the car, the two boys walking through the parking lot and toward the rink.

The changing room was empty, as Lorcan expected, and the two boys changed in comfortable silence. They pulled on their team jerseys: deep green with silver writing that displayed their name and number. Paired with sweatpants and their elbow and shoulder pads, as well as their shin guards, the boys shoved their bags into the lockers, along with their phones, and headed out to the rink. Walking off the ice with skates on had always felt weird, even with the skate guards that protected the blade. Heading down into the stadium, Lorcan's eyes locked onto the lone figure skater within the rink. The clock overhead told him she still had fifteen minutes left, which meant he and Rowan had fifteen minutes of waiting.

Slumping down into a seat, Lorcan set his elbows against his knees, leaning forward and watching the petite, raven-haired girl dance across the ice. Beside him, Rowan drummed his feet lazily, Lorcan ignoring him completely as he listened to the sound of her blade across the ice.

When, and if, he saw figure skaters, they were always wearing glittery costumes in shades of reds, purples and blues. And though he was sure most skaters did dress down for practice, the girl before him looked like she dressed in the dark. Which, if she had booked a three hour practise, she just might have. Ignoring the grey leggings and burgundy sweater showing a Perranth Skating Club logo, she skated as though she was in front of thousands. Each turn was sharp but smooth, each of her jumps or leaps landing perfectly - to Lorcan's untrained eye, anyway.

"I was thinking we could do some new drills. As captain, I reckon we have a good shot this season. I think we could rank high, come out on top," Rowan started, interrupting Lorcan's gaze.

"Right, yeah. If the others even get here," Lorcan sighed, not that he minded. He was much enjoying his time watching the beautiful skater.

"Chill out, Lor. There's still five minutes, they'll be here," Rowan insisted, nudging Lorcan's shoulder.

Shrugging, Lorcan turned to face the rink, just in time to watch the skater turn back into a jump. She took off from the back outside edge of her skate, using her toe pick to help her spin twice, and just as her foot hit the ice, her ankle gave way. An echoing thud rang out around them as she hit the floor, her thigh and butt slamming down onto the ice as she fell.

Before he even realised what he was doing, Lorcan stood, rushing down the rows of seats and towards the rink. Removing his skate guards and tossing them to the side, Lorcan stepped onto the ice, skating over to the girl who was now curled up, a hand against her thigh and stretching a leg out before her.

"Hey, you okay?" Lorcan called, coming to a stop beside her and offering her a hand, "That looked like a pretty nasty fall."

The girl chuckled, rubbing her thigh once more and taking his hand. Her palm was surprisingly soft, cold enough to send a shiver through him as she gripped tightly. Hoisting her up, Lorcan didn't miss the wince that slipped between her lips. Before he could say anything, she shook her head, "It's fine, it's just my ankle."

As she stood before him, Lorcan tried not to smirk at the immense height difference between them. At least a whole foot. Instead, he just nodded, "Well, that jump looked pretty hard. From what I've seen you're a pretty good skater. You shouldn't let one fall get you down."

"Not good enough. I should be able to do that jump in my sleep. There's no way I'm going to win sectionals like this," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her left hand, Lorcan realised, was still in his. She hadn't put her ankle back down onto the ice, instead, she rested it against her other foot, off the ground where there was no pressure on it.

"What happened? Is it just a strain?" Lorcan asked, hoping he wasn't being too curious. His eyes were drawn to the flush of her cheeks, bright red against the pale shading of the rest of her face. With her mop of black hair against glowing skin, she looked ethereal.

"I wish," she scoffed, "No, I broke it a few years ago and it never healed properly. I lost my axel completely, had to relearn my entire program and make all the moves easier. I already lost regionals, I can't afford to lose sectionals too," she explained, her chest rising and falling.

"Well, how long until sectionals? Maybe with some assistance, and physiotherapy on your ankle, you might be able to win?" Lorcan suggested, watching the girl's eyebrows slowly furrow as she looked up at him. They were thick and black, arching over her face and defining it fiercely.

"You don't know when sectionals are?" she asked, as though it was the most obvious question in the world.

Lorcan chuckled, shaking his head, "Oh, no. I'm not a skater. I play ice hockey."

The girl blinked, her eyes widening, "Oh... Oh my god, I'm so sorry. You probably have no idea what I was just talking about, do you?"

Lorcan couldn't help but laugh, loving the way the girl's lips curled into a smile as he did so, "No, but it's fine. I can tell you're very dedicated. I'm Lorcan, by the way, Terrasen High Hawks."

"Terrasen High? Wait, Lorcan as in Lorcan Salvaterre?" she asked, brows raising. Lorcan knew he recognised her. He could have sworn she was in the year below him, he would remember her face anywhere.

"The one and only. You're a junior, right?" he replied, helping her skate back across the rink and toward the entrance. She reached for her skate guards as he remained on the ice. Slipping his hand to her elbow, he helped her balance as she stepped back onto the stone ground.

"Right. Elide Lochan, Perranth skating club," she smiled, sticking her hand out. Lorcan shook it happily, loving the warmth that radiated from her like electricity.

"Perranth is lucky to have you represent them," Lorcan smirked, biting down on his bottom lip. There was something about the girl before him, something that made him feel completely giddy inside. If his teammates saw him like this...

Elide rolled her eyes. Chocolate, Lorcan noticed, the perfect shade of swirly hazelnut. "Now you're just being kind!" she laughed, a melodic sound that he wished he could capture forever, "Thanks, by the way, for helping me up. I probably would have just laid there until my session was over."

Lorcan grinned, something he didn't do too often, "Well, you're lucky I was here. Couldn't have you catching a cold, can we?  I heard hypothermia is a killer."

Pressing her lips together, Elide shook her head slowly, "No, I suppose we can't."

With an obnoxious slam, the doors to the rink swung open. The remainder of his team poured out, dressed and ready for their training session. A blur of green and silver, plus the grey, black and navy blue of Adidas sweatpants. Gavriel was at the front, the oldest on the team, his golden hair tied back in a bun and a grin on his face as he reached Rowan.

Rowan stood, patting Gavriel's shoulder and moving down the rows of chairs. "Lorcan," he called, heading toward the equipment cupboard in the corner of the rink, "Help me get the stuff out!"

They always borrowed sticks and pucks from whatever rink they were training at. Lorcan only used his own stick for final games, an object of good luck. They would also have to drag the goals out, setting them up to actually have something to shoot at.

Offering Lorcan a smile, Elide stepped back, rocking on her good foot, "So, I guess I'll see you around then?"

If he had his phone to hand, he would have asked for her number right there and then. But, he didn't. As she turned to walk up the steps toward the changing rooms, Lorcan called, "We have a game next Friday, will you be there?"

Elide stopped, looking over her shoulder and smirking, "Depends, are you inviting me?"

Pushing down the chuckle that tickled his throat, Lorcan nodded, "I am, and maybe we could hang out afterwards... Just the two of us?"

"Sure, sounds fun. See you Friday, then," Elide confirmed, turning almost immediately and rushing up the stairs.

Lorcan watched until she completely disappeared from view. He could smell the cinnamon and elderberries scent that lingered in her wake. Elide Lochan. Friday couldn't come sooner.

* * *

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@amswritings​ @thegoddessofyou​ @dayanna-hatter​

[nyrator]

some more ny life updates, feat. MBTI stuff, dreams, financial decisions, ACNH checklists, and Radiohead opinions

incredibly depressed lately to be honest, but trying not to be too depressed for this post- basically a place to vent without being super negative because it be public and stuff, helps calm me down, maybe

helping other people with depression is too hard for me, I think. Feels bad to distance myself, but I think avoiding rumination is all I can do when it gets to that point

decided to re-take one of those personality things recently because why not, friends were doing it. I don’t hold much weight to them personally but at least I seem to be consistently this result every few years

for reference, an earlier test:

https://www.16personalities.com/istp-personality

reading through the weaknesses and romantic parts, it almost eerie how it describes me. It’s wrong on the sex part, but feels right just about everywhere else. They even quote me on saying this at the end part. The nice thing is, apparently Kresna’s personality result is my ideal match, which is fitting.

I tend to think my personality is a very flawed one, unfortunately, at least when it comes to social relationships. I don’t like being flattered or praised, nor do I tend to show appreciation to those that deserve it, I feel. Feeling people are slighted by my lack of attention or affection for them more and more.

Energy in general is such a hard thing to grasp. Lately I just can’t seem to do or focus on anything, nor do I have any strong desires to do anything. Feels hard to draw or make anything, and I’m wondering how I’ll finish up that Artfight thing. All I want to do is lay in bed and sleep, maybe just change my sleep schedule and only be awake when no one else is, and just keep to myself

been laying in bed a lot lately, and I’ve noticed a trend in actually having dreams when I’m taking a nap- or at least, that weird “trying to take a nap but keeping eyes half-open basically because I don’t actually want to fall asleep” zone

both dreams I had this week involved different things that I forget, but the core part was basically my family assaulting me, pinning me to the wall, and speaking my darkest secrets into my ear.

First one was my late sister being a prick and possibly uncovering my secret and me trying to get rid of her, while her boyfriend grabs me by the throat and lifts me off the ground into the wall as she mocks me. Second one that I just had earlier tonight, I don’t even remember the context, but basically had my mother disgusted by me, forcefully pinning my arm behind my back and slamming me face first into a wall, telling me she’s aware and disgusted by all my secrets.

Earlier this month, I also had one of my first dreams in months, but it was one of my reoccurring humiliation dreams. Except this time, there was blood. It was a very uncomfortable dream.

I wonder if these dreams mean anything about my psyche or whatever lately.

but yeah, have a lot of money lately, yet still feels sickening to spend money on myself still. I feel like I’ve spent too much on myself lately, and it feels bleh. I like spending money on Kresna, but he doesn’t let me do it often, but it’s always appreciated when he does.

ended up setting up an eye exam in three weeks- decided to order my own frames this time, but shopping for frames is hard. Ended up buying these two (since I always seem to have to buy two pairs for some probably insurance-related reason), but frames are extremely hard to shop for, at least for me, and that lavender look I like is extremely hard to come by

I wonder if I show my appreciation for lavender too much- I think I want to go for thicker frames like the top one, though the bottom ones are like my old frames (same company), and have that metallic lavender look that I love. If I ever had a dream car, it’d be in that color, honestly.

speaking of cars, my neighbor is trying to sell us her old 1997 Saturn for $250, but I’m not sure if I want it, to be honest- One, it’s so old, two, it’s a stick, which I only have basic knowledge on how to drive, and three, I don’t like driving. I think my mother told her yes, which is unfortunate, but we’ll see how it goes.

some other financial decisions lately- bedding, bottles, and slippers (not shown- the more convenient backless purple slippers I now regularly wear, as well as more personal items)

throw pillows are good for holding while sleeping and for preventing my arms from waking up entirely numb sometimes

been thinking about buying more clothes and furniture, but now that I probably won’t be getting the extra $1000 with my unemployment, it’s even harder to justify buying anything. I’d like a new desk, at least- something able to display things would be nice. My boss told me I’ll be going back to work soon hopefully, so that would be nice, especially since this virus is a good excuse to not bring back my coworker and to give me full-time hours, but even then, spending money is hard. Been thinking about a new mousepad since I’ve had this old one for longer than I can remember (probably a college gift), but even something simple like that is tough.

in other random news, slowly trying to make progress in ACNH still- and by that I mean I’ve finally started keeping a checklist for items (had Bugs/Fish already, but now have DIYs and man there’s so many DIYs I’m missing, also Dresses - Umbrella tabs of clothing, basically everything but Tops and Bottoms so far, and mannn, there’s a lot of stuff, but I basically have almost every accessory/sock/shoe in purple/pink at least, now just grinding my way through the rest of the colors I skipped. Also caught a Golden Stag today, only three beetles left (Giraffe, Hercules, and Elephant, I believe)

should probably start saving my extra bugs/fish for making models for Justin Beaver and Hot Topic, I realize- collecting those models really doesn’t interest me much, but at the same time, I have a weird obsession with trying to 100% Animal Crossing games (at a reasonable speed, of course- figure I’d wait until next year to worry about those two)

haven’t tried dreaming yet and honestly my island is still a mess that I’m still hesitant because I still have no idea what to fill it with or how to organize it

one last thing I did buy is the rest of the Radiohead albums though- I now own all their albums, except disc 2 of In Rainbows, though. Should probably listen to that on Youtube, not sure where to find a physical release of it. Decided to rank them, because I like ranking things apparently, even though overall it doesn’t mean much since my tastes shift constantly, and every album is good to listen to in my opinion (honestly more of a way of solidifying a future “best of” playlist)

Personal feelings of ranking at the moment:

Hail to the Thief (every song is top tier, I just want to shout them all out, but in particular I think “A Punchup at a Wedding“, “Myxomatosis“, “2+2=5″, and “Sit down. Stand up” are my favorites)

In Rainbows (my old favorite before HttT blew it away, though I think ”Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” is still my favorite Radiohead song, also shout outs to “Videotape” and “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”)

Kid A (I was lukewarm to the album at first, but it has a lot of tunes that stand out to me, “Idioteque” is also one of my favorite Radiohead songs, also shout outs to "Everything in Its Right Place" and "How to Disappear Completely")

OK Computer (this is where placings start getting fuzzy, “Paranoid Android” was their first song I ever listened to and loved back in high school, thanks to Ergo Proxy, great song, though I think I’ve oversaturated myself to this album by having it play as my driving music when I still had a car. Shout outs to “Exit Music (For A Film)” and “Let Down”. “Karma Police” is also up there but feels a bit less than those I suppose)

A Moon Shaped Pool (I’d place this higher when I’m looking for a more somber/reflective album to listen to, otherwise about tied with OK Computer. My favorite on the album, “Daydreaming”, is what reintroduced me to Radiohead and got me obsessed with them- this album was my first album, though it’s definitely softer compared to their usual stuff. Also driving music so a bit oversaturated, and it feels harder to shout out specific songs, but shout outs “Ful Stop”, “Glass Eyes”, and heck, basically most of the later songs on the album)

Amnesiac (Some good songs, but just not to the levels of the others. “Knives Out” is a great song though, and I tend to like the first half of the album more than the last half, last half is pretty weak to me honestly- though I got it fairly recently, so may require more listenings)

Pablo Honey (the latest album I got, so it’s still fresh in my head and thus nothing is permanent with it compared to the others, but mannn, people undersold this album, it feels solid front to back. I honestly want to put it higher, I think. Hard to identify individual songs, but shout outs to “Blow Out” in particular, “I Can’t” as well- but again, every song is great, so might say it’s close to A Moon Shaped Pool levels in rankings)

The Bends (one of their first albums I got, also a car album, but definitely didn’t click with me like the others. I have warmed up to it more than I originally did at least- I mainly got the album because heck yeah “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” is a great track, also shout outs to “The Black Star”, that’s like, one of my random “mouth out the chorus in the car” songs. I also tend to have “High and Dry” in my head a lot for some reason, but yeah, good car music, but not much else going for it I think)

The King of Limbs (the second-latest album I own and also the least listened to album I own, but it feels very... non-standout-ish. Like it’s almost too simple-sounding, or repetitive, or something, definitely the weakest album in my personal opinion. Can’t even think of a song to shout out, so I guess “Lotus Flower”, honestly, but again, I need to listen to the album more. Good background noise but just nothing that jumps out at me)

but yeah radiohead is definitely my favorite music group, I’d say, and also realize almost every album has a bonus disc, so hm, more music to find it seems (admittedly I’m not a fan of live music in general, which seems to fill up a lot of these bonus discs)

[kd-holloman]

Untitled Fantasy Story

Here's a small tidbit of a fantasy story that I have yet to know much about except for the characters. I couldn't get this particular scene out of my head. Enjoy!

They rode through the western mountain ranges of Follwaird and into the boggy marshland of Jifllair, then into an overgrown stretch beyond that. 

“We walk in from here,” Fletcher said. 

Toby exhaled in relief and swung his leg over the side of his chestnut mare. His legs had gone stiff hours ago. He gave her sweaty neck a pat and loosened the cinch to his saddle. He’d never ridden a horse before Fletcher had gotten him out of that dank cell in Rethan, and even though he had cursed the testy mare at the start, he was starting to grow fond of her. 

“Pack light,” Fletcher grumbled, slinging the belt to his sword and scabbard across hips. 

“Where are we going?” Gia asked. “We’ve nearly crossed the entire country. At least, it feels like we have.”

“Hahnnen Glask is the last man on my roster before we meet the rest of your lot on the Roddy Flats.” 

“What kind of crime has he committed?” She asked. 

Fletcher chose to ignore her, ducking beneath a low-hanging branch draped in moss. 

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Geo told her. “Let’s follow him before he gets too deep into the woods without us. They’re pretty thick. I can’t imagine what kind of creatures are in here.” 

“Lots,” Shirra supplied. She sniffed the air, her golden eyes scanning the dense grove of massive gnarled trees. Her footsteps were silent as she followed Geo into the thicket. 

“Come on, boy,” Agron grumbled. “I’m not saving your little arse if you get snatched up by some hungry beast.”

Toby followed behind the towering man. 

They trekked down a tortuous path littered with knotted roots, mud holes, and slime covered rocks. Toby almost fell more than once and for the first time he found himself envious of Shirra and her feline mannerisms. 

Toby jerked to a halt when he heard crashing in the underbrush behind him. He whirled, dagger drawn. Fear sending a prickle down his spine. He looked for the source of the sound, but found none. I must be imagining it. He stuck his dagger back in its sheath and hurried after Agron. 

“Fletcher, how much further?” Gia complained. “I have bug bites on my bug bites.” 

“If you spent half as much energy walking instead of whining we would be there by now,” Fletcher shot back, irritably. 

“That wasn’t very nice of you.”

Toby tuned her out when her heard the snapping of twigs in the dense brush next to him. “Wh-What was that?” 

“What was what?” Geo asked. 

“I thought I heard something moving over there.” 

Shirra sniffed the air again, the M-shaped scar on her cheek wrinkling as she did. “Wolf,” she snarled in disgust. 

“A-A wolf? Out here? How many of them? Don’t they travel in a pack?” 

She cocked her head, listening to the forest around them. “Just one.” 

“Good,” Agron said, rolling his mighty shoulders. “We can fight off one wolf, but a pack of them would kill us without a doubt.” 

“How comforting.” 

Toby disagreed. He kept one hand on the handle of his dagger just in case he needed it.

Eventually, the thick trees and limbs opened up to a sizeable field with a cottage sitting in the middle of it. A few goats grazed on the tall grass, bleating to one another. There was a small garden, surrounded by a rickety wood fence. There were chickens scratching and pecking among the rows of vegetables. 

The smell of woodsmoke from the chimney gave Toby a faint homesick pang. He missed his mother, his home. Both were gone. 

As they approached the cottage, the sturdy wooden door swung open with a bang. 

A massive wolf bounded out, hackles raised and lips drawn back in a savage snarl, revealing large pointed teeth. 

Shirra hissed and crouched, looking like she was ready to transform into her feline form.

Geo nocked and arrow and drew back. 

A whistle sounded from inside the cottage. 

The massive black and grey beast gave them one last predatory look before turning and trotting to the front door. 

A young man slowly came into view, walking with a staff nearly as tall as he was. He reached deftly for the doorframe before stepping onto well-trodden path in front of his cottage. His fingers curled into the mane of the wolf with familiarity, his head tilted slightly. “I wasn’t expecting company.” 

“Are you Hahnnen Glask?” Fletcher asked. 

“Most people call me Hahn, but that sounds about right.” He started forward, swinging his staff in front of him slightly as he walked. He prodded at particular spots in the grass and walked with car, but he didn’t bother to look down to see where he was stepping. 

“Hahnnen Glask, you’ve been summoned to fight in the Nine-Year War by decree of His Majesty, King Albert Rothwell III. His Majesty declares that if you fight in the war until it is brought to an end, you will be free of any crimes you have committed.” 

He paused and pursed his lips in consideration. “Hmm...and what if I tell you no?” 

“Then you are to hang by the neck until dead.”

“Or?” 

Fletcher blinked at him like he thought he was thick. “Or what? You either fight for the king or you die.” 

The man considered that for a moment, his brows drawn down in a scowl. “This is what they have you doing, soldier? They have you rounding up misfits, rapists, and murderers to fight for a king who doesn’t even know your name? Do you know who I am?” 

“Hahnnen Glask.” 

“That’s my name, yes.” He moved closer to him, but he wasn’t making eye contact. “But, do you know who I am?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then you should be rightfully angry that they sent you here with a pretty girl and a child to retrieve me. You know of the innumerable dangers of this particular visit.” 

Toby puffed out his chest in indignation. “Excuse you! I’m--” 

“He sounds like he doesn’t even have hair on his chin.” 

In a flash of anger, Toby pulled his dagger. I’ll show him! I’ll show him I’m just as good of a fighter as Geo!

Hahnnen moved much faster than Toby thought possible. He pressed his chest right against the tip of the dagger. The milky white film over his blue eyes explained why he had the staff. He must have heard the slide of the blade in the sheath. “Do it,” he hissed. 

Toby felt his hand shake as he stared into those sightless eyes. 

“There is something you don’t know about me, boy. I do not fear death. Death and I have an understanding. So, when the time comes I will walk with him into the Otherworld without fear. Now, tell me, is that going to be today?” 

He stared at the ‘X’ carved into the blind man’s cheek and wondered what crime he committed that wasn't theft or murder. 

“That’s enough, Hahn,” Fletcher commanded. 

Hahn pressed against the blade for a moment longer before he took a step back and turned away from Toby. “Know that I am not coming with you because I am afraid to hang. I’m coming with you to get this wretched war over with so I can come back and forget the rest of the world.”

Agron snorted. “This has to be a joke. We’re going to drag a cripple back to Roddy Flats? We’re going to hand him a sword and hope that when he gets killed it’s a quick death, then?” 

The blind man stopped, a cold smile tugging at his pale lips. “Mind your step,” he said. “Around here, you never know whose bones you’re standing on.” 

Toby didn’t have much time to wonder what he meant by that, because the ground beneath his feet started to pitch and roll. He stumbled one way and Agron stumbled the other. 

Bones pulled themselves from from the ground, scrabbling over one another, taking shape until a massive stag made of cracked and filthy bone reared up. It tossed its magnificent antlers back before charging after Agron. 

The man scrambled out of the way as quickly as he could, but he wasn’t fast enough. The stag drove its horns into the earth on each side of his body. 

“As concerned as you are for me, mate,” Hahn said, amused, “I think I’ll be okay.” With a wave of his hand, the deer fell apart until it was nothing but a pile of bones once more. 

Toby stared after him as he made his way back into the cottage, his stomach a tangle of knots. He touched his fingertips to the nearly healed ‘T’ beneath his right eye. 

Hahn hadn’t been marked with an ‘X’ for trespassing, threatening the crown, or desertion. He was marked with an ‘X’ because he was a witch.

[disneyprinceronweasley]

can we talk about some of the funny moments that happen in DH for a change?

That ‘Skeeters book contains less fact than a Chocolate frog card’  - In Memoriam 

Harry’s favourite moment had been the one when Uncle Vernon, unaware that Dudley had added his dumb-bells to his case since the last time it had been unpacked, had attempted to hoist it back into the boot and collapsed with roars of pain and much swearing. - The Dursleys Departing 

‘Are you actually as stupid as you look?’ Harry to Vernon.  - The Dursleys Departing

‘Don’t you want to remember all the good times? I mean, look at this doormat. What memories...Dudley punked on it after I saved him from the dementors’ - The Seven Potters

‘Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry,’ said Fred earnestly. ‘imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever’  - The Seven Potters

‘Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry’  - The Seven Potters

Fred and George turned to each other and said together, ‘Wow - were identical!’ -  The Seven Potters

Mrs Weasley reappeared carrying a bottle of brandy, which she handed to Hagrid. He uncorked it and drank it straight down in one. - Fallen Warrior 

‘Saint-like,’ repeated George opening his eyes and looking up at his brother. ‘you see...I’m holy. Holey, Fred, geddit’ 

‘Pathetic,’ he told George, Pathetic! With the whole world of ear-related humour before you, you go for Holey’ 

‘Ah well,’ said George Grinning at his tear-stroked mother. ‘you’ll be able to tell us apart now, anyway, Mum’  - Fallen Warrior

‘We are holding your brother’s wedding here in a few days’ time, young man -’

‘Are they getting married in my bedroom?’ asked Ron furiously. ‘No! So why in the name of Merlin’s saggy left-’ - The Ghoul in Pyjamas 

‘I’m doing it, I’m doing -! Oh, it’s you,’ said Ron in relief, as Harry entered the room, Ron lay back down on the bed, which he had evidently just vacated.  - The Ghoul in Pyjamas

‘Oh, of course,’ said Ron, clapping a hand to his forehead. ‘I forgot we’ll be hunting down Voldermort in a library’  - The Ghoul in Pyjamas

‘Oh, well, lucky we’ve got such a large supply of Basilisk fangs, then,’ said Ron, ‘I was wondering what we were going to do with them.’ -  The Ghoul in Pyjamas

‘I think dating opportunities are going to be pretty thin on the ground, to be honest’ - The Ghoul in Pyjamas

‘How’s Norbert doin’?’

‘Norbert?’ Charlie laughed. ‘The Norwegian Ridgeback? We call her Norberta now.’

‘Wha-Norbert’s a girl?’ - The Will of Albus Dumbledore 

‘No I’m not,’ retorted Hermione, ‘I’m hoping to do some good in the world!’   - The Will of Albus Dumbledore

‘Has anyone ever tried sticking a sword in Voldermort’ - The Will of Albus Dumbledore

‘We heard Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Cinderella-’ 

‘What’s that, an illness?’ asked Ron. - The Will of Albus Dumbledore

Hagrid was causing a certain amount of disruption. Having misunderstood Fred’s directions, he had sat himself not upon the magically enlarged and reinforced seat sat aside for him in the back row, but on five seats that now resembled a large pile of golden matchsticks. - The Wedding 

‘She lingered in that charming little garden to say hello to the gnomes, such a glorious infestation! How few wizards realise how much we can learn from the wise little gonmes - or, to give them their correct name, the Gernumli gardensi.’ 

‘Ours do know a lot of excellent swear words,’ said Ron, ‘but I think Fred and George taught them those’ - The Wedding 

‘But I must say, Ginevra’s dress is far too low-cut.’

Ginny glanced around, grinning, winked at Harry. - The Wedding 

Krum was pointing at Ginny, who had just joined Luna. ‘She is also a relative of yours?’ 

‘Yeah, said Harry, suddenly irritated, ‘and shes’ seeing someone. Jealous type. Big bloke you wouldn’t want to cross him.’  - The Wedding

‘You there! Give me your chair, I’m a hundred and seven!’ - The Wedding

‘God, that’s revolting, Ron added, after one sip of the foamy, greyish coffee. The waitress had heard; she shot Ron a nasty look as she shuffled off to take the new customers orders. - A Place to Hide 

‘It’s no wonder I can’t get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans, they’re too tight.’

‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ hissed Hermione as she dragged the waitress out of sight of the windows. Harry heard her mutter a suggestion as to where Ron could stick his wand instead. -  A Place to Hide

‘You got in all right, then?’ Hermione whispered to Harry.  - A Place to Hide

‘No, he’s still stuck in the bog,’ said Ron. - Magic is Might

‘NO!!’ roared Ron, causing Harry to jump into a hedge.- Xenophilius Lovegood

‘I think we should vote on it,’ said Ron. ‘Those in favour of going to see Lovegood -’ His hand flew into the air before Hermione’s.  - Xenophilius Lovegood

‘Sorry, I just think it’s a bit spookier if it’s midnight!’ said Ron. ‘Yeah, because  we really need a bit more fear in our lives,’ said Harry, before he could stop himself. - Tale of the Three Brothers

‘Death’s got an invisibility cloak?’ Harry interrupted again. ‘So he can sneak up on people,’ said Ron. ‘Sometimes he gets bored of running up at them, flapping his arms and shrieking...’  - Tale of the Three Brothers 

‘For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That’s a Basilisk, listeners. One simple test: check weather the thing glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it’s safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that’s still likely to be the last thing you ever do.’ - The Deathly Hallows 

‘Well, who wouldn’t want a nice little holiday after all the hard works he’s been putting in?’ asked Fred. - The Deathly Hallows

‘The fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to’  - The Deathly Hallows

‘Well, I don’t know how to break this to you,’ said Ron, ‘but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts.’  - The Final Hiding Place

‘Stag!’ roared the barman, and he pulled out a wand. ‘Stag! You idiot - expecto patronum!’ - The Missing Mirror 

‘Aberforth’s getting a bit ratty,’ said Fred, rasing his hand in answer to several cries of greeting. ‘He wants a kip, and his bar’s turned into a railway station’ - The Lost Diadem 

The aged caretaker had just come into view, shouting, ‘Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!’ 

‘They’re supposed to be, you blithering idiot!’ shouted McGongall. - The Sacking of Severus Snape 

Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph.  - The Sacking of Severus Snape

‘Hello, Minister!’ bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. ‘Did I mention I’m resigning?’  - The Battle of Hogwarts

Draco was on the upper landing, pleading with another masked Death Eater. Harry stunned the Death Eater as they passed: Malfoy looked around, beaming, for his saviour, and Ron punched him backwards on top of the Death Eater, his mouth bleeding, utterly bemused.

‘And that’s the second time we’ve saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!’ Ron yelled. - The Elder Wand

‘Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!’ and pointed out of the window. Everyone who heard looked around. - The Flaw in the Plan

‘As a matter of fact, I did Confund him,’ Ron whispered to Harry, as together they lifted Albus’ trunk and owl on to the train. ‘I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let’s face it, I can use a Supersensory charm for that.’ - Nineteen Years Later

‘Don’t get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood’ - Nineteen Years Later

‘No,’ said Harry firmly, ‘you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished.’  - Nineteen Years Later

‘Outside, yeah, but at school he’s Professor Longbottom, isn’t he? I can’t work into Herbology and give him love...’ - Nineteen Years Later

‘Why are they all staring?’ demanded Albus, as he and Rose craned round to look at the other students. 

‘Don’t let it worry you,’ said Ron. ‘It’s me. I’m extremely famous.’  - Nineteen Years Later

[staygoldsunshine]

Lumen: Under the Hollow Hill

(Yeah, so as I promised, here’s a snippet from Lumen since I now finally have a chapter one!)

Chapter One

    It was a cold autumn night when Mary Kate Forsythe drove into the town of Hollow Hill, a cloud of despair and anxiety hanging over her blue Volkswagen Beetle that crawled along that winding, forest road. The pine trees leaned in to watch her pass, and Mary Kate felt their presence pressing in. She was acutely aware that she did not belong here.

    Then again, few people could truly claim that they belonged within the tenuous limits of Hollow Hill. With a population of barely a thousand, Hollow Hill was tucked into those dark pines like a well-kept secret. And Mary Kate was an invader. So maybe that’s why a deer stepped into her path that fateful night, turning its shining eyes towards her.

    The car swerved to avoid the creature with the black antlers glistening in headlights, and Mary Kate crashed into the ditch running alongside the road. It was a sudden burst of noise and then silence. Aside from the crackle of her car radio, Clarke Keller on the local station talking about the unexpected power outage last Thursday, the forest fell into perfect quiet as it held its breath. The deer wandered over to the wheezing machine where Mary Kate was slumped against her steering wheel. It seemed curious as to whether the monster would come back to life.

    And if it had not been for another emergency happening somewhere else in the small town of Hollow Hill, Mary Kate might’ve stayed there for the rest of the night. But a speeding truck just so happened to drive by that way on its way to the Hollow Hill Clinic, and the driver, Alexander Smoak, saw the crashed car smoking in the ditch. Coincidences like that aren’t rare in Hollow Hill. The rare, in fact, can be quite common.

    There are, however, a few interesting rules that apply to this little, forgotten place. Namely one unspoken rule that most residents have believed for all their lives: strangers do not come here without serious consequences. So Mary Kate was already on borrowed time, an invader in enemy territory. But Mr. Smoak had other things to worry about that night than just the strange laws of his hometown. Somewhere else his son was dying.

    It started earlier that very same evening. A pink sun set on an increasingly dark blue horizon as twilight descended and the heat of the day lifted like a sweater from the shoulders of the city. Liam Smoak was on his way to everyone’s favorite local joint, the Limen Lime. The little chrome diner sat not far from the railroad tracks which Liam would follow back into town from the Barrow Woods each afternoon. Fresh rain shimmered and reflected the green neon sign in pools.

    Garra Price, owner of the Limen Lime and the entire town’s unofficial “Aunt Garra,” treated Liam to his favorite. A bacon cheddar burger with pickles, easy on the mayo. Things seemed normal as Liam cleaned his short sword. “How was the hunting today, honey?”

    Liam looked up at Garra and smiled. He was nothing if not charming and polite, just as his mother had raised him. “It was great, Garra.”

    “Too bad you’ll be off to school again soon. The boys will miss having you around, I’m sure.” Then, seeing the look of subtle dread on his face, she amended herself. “Just a minute, darling, and I’ll be out with some coffee for you.” Garra turned on her heel and disappeared back into the greasy kitchen, and Liam went with shaking hands to choose a song on the jukebox in one corner of the restaurant.

The jukebox was, as always, pristine, just about the only thing in the diner that wasn’t perpetually covered in the stickiness or the smell of Liminal Lime’s signature barbeque. Liam was pretty sure, as most residents were, that there was something more to that machine, especially since it would sometimes mysteriously crackle to life and sing a medley of its favorite tunes if ignored for too long by any patrons present. For some reason, it was oddly partial to “What’s New Pussycat.”

           Liam then took a seat at one of the bright red, faux leather booths to wait on the other Knights to show up. With a sigh, he leaned his head back and shut his eyes to relax for a moment, letting the scents from the kitchen and the anticipation of his favorite meal wash away the day’s problems. Melancholy, however, settled into the pit of his stomach against his will. An unwanted shadow cast over his evening.

When Liam opened his eyes again, unsure of whether he actually fell asleep or not, the sun was good and gone. A few stars were gleaming through the thinning clouds that framed little windows into the night sky, and everything was still, for a brief moment anyway.

Just then, Bailey and Nash burst in through the door, barely able to get inside before Garra was already on top of them asking for their orders. Since the Knights made the Limen Lime their Round Table of sorts while shoveling down barbeque and drinking grape sodas and listening to Bob Dylan, Garra had to stay on her toes to churn out enough food to satisfy the raucous gang.

           “Four hellhounds all in one afternoon,” Nash said with a distinct curl to his garish red lips framed in a shadow of sparse facial hair. “Beat that, Golden Boy.”

    There was a growing crowd of young men filing into the cramped diner by that time, all jockeying for attention or lining up quarters along the edge of the jukebox’s face, and while they kept at a semi-respectful distance from his table, Liam noticed several of them leaning towards him in anticipation for what his response to Nash’s challenge would be.

Meanwhile, Bailey, a large and mostly silent young man the size of a small minotaur, picked the best of what was left of that day’s cherry pie from the display at the counter and dropped it onto an empty plate. Heath and Jerry were already about their nightly arm-wrestling ritual. Pop was asleep in a booth with his baseball cap drawn down over his eyes. Liam felt a sort of warmth settle in his chest as he leaned back with a sigh. To him, this was home.

“Try a Black Stag,” he grunted finally, once Bailey was again in ear-shot. Liam then pulled the severed antlers from a leather satchel at his side, dropping them onto the table between him and Nash.

           The antlers gleamed a deep onyx in the warm light of the diner as Nash leaned his long nose forward to enviously inspect the dark prize. He was about to say something snide when Bailey pulled up a chair, set down his plate, and expertly speared a maraschino cherry the color of blood. “Kill that on your own now?”

But as Liam was about to launch into his grand tale of taking down the Black Stag, something else caught his attention. A slight movement in the corner of his eye seemed out of place. Studying the darkness more closely, he could pick out the disheveled, beastly form of an Obscura. It turned the corner of the last house at the end of the road and lifted its head in the direction of the restaurant. Liam stood. His mouth fell wide open in shock as the beast lumbered down the street and sniffed at the ground where Liam had been walking mere minutes ago. It was tracking him.

The other boys crowded around to look out the windows, and gasps and worried whispers wove between their heads as Liam’s heart pounded out a steadily quickening beat. When Garra came back with a full pot of black coffee, Liam snatched up his sword, planted a quick kiss on her cheek, and ran out of the diner. “Sorry, Aunt Garra, I’ll pay you back later!” He vaulted over the railing to the diner’s small front porch and stopped dead when his feet hit the pavement.

This was impossible. Gooseflesh covered his arms as he drew his sword, the metal on metal sound of it raising the hairs on the back of his neck. Obscura didn’t just walk into town. The Knights had kept them confined to the Barrow Woods on the eastern side of the city for over a century since Lumen was founded, and never once in the town’s collective memory, had one of them crossed the threshold.

Until now.

The creature turned its hulking body toward Liam and stood up on its hind legs to a staggering height of at least seven feet. It’s face was a mask of exposed bone, like the skin had been peeled away. Black fur was littered with twisted tree limbs that grew out from its spine, and curling thorns glinted red in the streetlights that flickered to life. Liam twirled his sword in his hand. The light from the moon swept over him as a passing cloud pulled away from the silver eye looking on. And then the creature charged.

On all fours, it galloped towards Liam headlong, and the young Knight braced himself, hoping that his friends would jump in soon. Or else.

It was less than an hour later that Alexander Smoak received the call that changed Hollow Hill forever--Liam was bleeding out after an Obscura attack, but Mr. Smoak didn’t come to the hospital alone. He’d brought another surprise with him: one slightly damaged Mary Kate Forsythe.

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 85

from new sturm members, to etta’s past, to the agency’s sympathies

also Fyodor continues to be a dick

[cont from part 84]

-the next day- kyouko: *making breakfast* Rin: =______= *yawn* "Gouda mornin'..." kyouko: mornin' Rin: "How's breakfast goin'?" *looks around* kyouko: just started. Rin: "Hmm..." *opens the fridge, pours orange juice* "Where's everyone?" kyouko: yukio's at the school already. Rin: O________O; *looks at the clock* "AM I LATE?!" kyouko: yeah. Rin: "OH, FUDGE!" *grabs his school jackets, and runs--in pajama bottoms and slippers* kyouko:....*grin* -elsewhere- Mephisto: *pours tea* "Here you are, lovelies~" *he's wearing...glasses* felisia: thank you. (niiiice) -elsewhere- Damon: "...Is he still asleep?" becky: yeah. but the room looks cool. Damon: "Yeah!" *opens the toy chest* becky: wooah. *shiny eyes* Damon: "..." *takes out a doll* "..." *smiles* "Cool!" -elsewhere- Lucy: "??? You look exhausted." *sets down a cola and some chips* atsushi: busy running errands the other day. *The restaurant is pretty much empty* Lucy: *sits down* "Secret hush-hush stuff?" atsushi: more or less, i guess. *nom* Lucy: "Ah...Atsushi? You like this?" atsushi: ?? Lucy: "The work you do?" atsushi:...yeah. Lucy: "It's still dangerous...With the news..." atsushi: .....*holds her hand* of course it's scary, but someone has to do it, right? Lucy: "..." *small squeeze, nods* "I still worry. After what I've seen in the Guild, there's a lot out there." atsushi:...yeah... Lucy: "...Be careful. And if you need help...would you ask?" atsushi:...i will. Lucy: *smiles, nods* -elsewhere- shiori: *walking and drinking from her sippy cup* Kid: *following* shiori: *looks up at the cookie jar* Kid: "Oh? See something you like, Shiori?" shiori: that. *points to the jar* can i? Kid: "How about I bring it down for you? Sound good?" shiori: yes peas! Kid: "That's the magic word!" *brings down the cookie jar, sets it on the floor, opens the top* "Take one." shiori: *takes one and eats it* ^u^ Kid: ^^ *takes one as well* "Good, right?" *nom* "Chocolate!" shiori: hehehe! ^u^ Kid: "Maybe we can make some tomorrow--like oatmeal--" shiori: >Xp Kid: ._. "...I mean, it's healthy? What would you want?" -elsewhere- Chuuya: "How did class go?" sonia: it was nice. im glad Q's here now... Chuuya: "You are?" sonia: *nod* maybe we can help him not be as broken. Chuuya: "...I...suppose we can." ("...Rain...Just listen to her...") sonia:....is the demon broken too? Chuuya: "...I don't know what he is..." sonia:...oh..... Chuuya: "He...may not recover." sonia:.....i cant forgive him for what he did to mama......but at the same time, i pity him...the young boy i mean.... Chuuya: " 'Young boy'?" sonia: i see him in my dreams too sometimes. he always seems so sad, and he's trapped inside the demon... Chuuya: "..." *hug* sonia: ..... Chuuya: "You're very kind-hearted." sonia:.....*hug* Chuuya: "I just don't want you to...ignore all of a person...what they are capable of." *as he talks, he sees himself in a mirror* corruption?: *smiles at him* Chuuya: "..." *shudders* sonia:......*pap pap* Chuuya: "I-I'm sorry..." sonia: its ok.... Chuuya: "I-I want to be a good father to you..." sonia: .... Chuuya: "...Sorry. I don't mean to put that pressure on you." sonia: its alright.... Chuuya: "...Let me...see if someone can talk to...him." sonia:....*nod* -elsewhere- Magaki: *sits on the couch, reading* "..." tsubaki: how was school? Magaki: "...Fine. A lot of reading..." *looks away* -elsewhere- Kuro: "...They make us...do work from home. ...Monsters." mahiru: well get used to it. Kuro: >_< "I don't wanna...Can't I copy yours?" -elsewhere- Joker: *passed out at the bar* scarlet: of course. -_-; Joker: "Fluffernutters..." -elsewhere- Anya: "...'Trust exercises'?" EF: *she nods* you'll fall back and the person behind you will catch you. Anya: "I feel like we did this before--and it didn't turn out well. Why do we need this?" EF: ao and tsugumi said they'd be willing. Anya: "..." *sighs* "Okay...Who's catching me?" ao: *wave* Anya: -____- "...Don't drop me." ao: i wont.. Anya: "..." *turns...closes her eyes* "Say when to fall back..." ao: now. Anya: … *falls back* -nice catch- ao: see? no ulterior motives here. Anya: "..." *nods* "F-Fine...Thanks." tsugumi:...*smile* Meme: "Tsugumi, how about you next?" tsugumi: ok! -elsewhere- Emine: "--and that's pretty much what happened when we were kids." mana: wow... Shotaro: *nods* "...Rough." mana: ..... Emine: "..." *sniff* lin-kimpur: *hug* Emine: "..." *hug* Shotaro: TwT -elsewhere- Konro: *humming as he puts together flowers* kabuki: ^^~ Konro: "There! Good practice for the big day." -elsewhere- Walter: "Yo, G.E.! How you fitting in?" george: alright i guess. still trying to find out what the heck my ability is. also i have this weird tattoo on my stomach? Walter; "Yep! Part of the contract. Goethe didn't mention that, huh?" george: no. no he did not. Walter: "I mean, it'll make swimsuit season a little bad, but you can work it...You see everyone else's abilities?" george: not really. Walter: "Well, I can make an illusion of myself, Etta can control people's movements..." george: i see.... Walter: "The twins show you theirs?" george: no. Walter: "Wilhelm can make animals appear--" george: huh. *two children pop up beside George* george: GWEH! wilhelm: that sure startled him, eh bro? Jakob: "Indeed, bro." Hansel: *griiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin* gretel: hehehe~ george:....yeeeah totally not creepy in the slightest... -elsewhere- Rin: *sitting in an empty classroom* *tick tick tick* Rin: "...Son of a gun!" shura: hn? rin? the heck're you doing? Rin: "I thought it was a school day!" >_< shura: well as you can see, it isnt. but on the bright side, no one has to see you in your pjs and slippers. Rin: "..." .\\\\~\\\\. "Ah, nut-butter." -elsewhere- Justin: *opens the window, looks outside* -seems like a nice day out- Justin: "..." *smiles* "Time for a walk." oriko: *nod* -elsewhere- Kunikida: "You know I want you to be safe, yes?" aya: of course i know, dad. Kunikida: "... ... ..." aya:..... *realizing what she just said* t-that was a slip of the tongue, really! Kunikida: "..." *nods* "...Although..." aya: ? Kunikida: "...I may not be your father, but I am concerned for you." aya:...t-thanks. Kunikida: "..." *pat pat* "Let's make sure you stay protected out there." -elsewhere- Patty: *spies over the back of the couch* OwO kirika: .... *staring at homework* uuugh, how am i still in school yet? Patty: "Need help?!" kirika: HIUFIUIHSJBHIFLHJBKBJ Patty: OwO "...So, yes?" kirika:... -elsewhere- Allison: "Hey, welcome back!" erina: hey... Allison: "Settling into work?" erina: i think so. Allison: "Well, you got tonight off, right? Any plans?" erina: not sure... Allison: "I got some leftover pasta..." erina: cool.... Allison: *smiles* "Any interesting things happen?" *places meal in the microwave* erina: usual work stuff. Allison: "...That sounds like an improvement." *small smile* erina:...yeah... Allison: "I'm happy you got away from the prison..." erina:.......*stares at the floor* Allison: "..." *shoulder pat* erina: t-thanks... Allison: *smiles* "Any time, buddy." erina: .........*looks at her phone* *A phone number is on the screen* Allison: "??? Missed call?" erina:......*dials a number* -elsewhere- Jordan: *shifting the joystick on his 3DS* "Just a bit more..." *LOUD RING* Jordan: "!!!" *The Golden Stag is lost* Jordan: Q___Q *looks at the phone* "...!!!" *answers* "H-H-Hello?" erina: hey jordan...is this a bad time to call? Jordan: "Erina! N-Nah, not at all! What up?" erina: did you...want to come over at all? Jordan: OWO "Yeah. Sure. Wh-Where at?" Allison: *shiny eyes* -she tells him where the apartment is- Jordan: "That'll be about 20 minutes. C U then!" erina: see ya....*hangs up* .... Allison: :3 erina:....did i...do the right thing? Allison: "Depends--just looking for some company?" erina:....i guess.... n-not that i dont like you here or anything like that, thats not what im saying- Allison: "But wanting to have something a little more intimate?" erina: *blush* a-alli! Allison: "I meant just one-on-one relationshipping--wherever that goes." ^w^ erina: 7////7;;; Allison: "So, what you going to wear? Casual? Spruced up?" erina:....too tired to change into clothes. Allison: "Well, it's an informal visit--I'm sure your attire suits it." *opens the fridge* "I'll get another plate." -elsewhere- Yumi: *sets Shiori into bed* "All tuckered out?" shiori: *yaaaawn* Yumi: *tucks her in* "We'll see you in the morning, sweetie." -morning- Takehisa: *rotate his shoulder* "Sore..." komori: [lots of training today?] Takehisa: "Yes. Continuing from yesterday. The Commander expects something big will happen..." komori: [i see.] Takehisa: "Sorry to ask, but can you keep an eye for any injuries today?" komori: [that is my job, isnt it?] Takehisa: *nods* "Thank you." -elswhere- sayaka: it's been like, forever since we saw you last, hitomi! hitomi: it sure has, hasnt it? sayaka: so what brings you to the DWMA hitomi: i've heard a lot about your's and madoka's adventures, and i felt...a bit lonely, for lack of a better comparison. madoka: aw, hitomi... sayaka: well we have lots to tell you. and lots of cool people to introduce you to! madoka: that reminds me, how's kyousuke doing? hitomi: oh, that... sayaka: something wrong? hitomi: not to bring the mood down but, kyousuke and i actually broke up. sayaka:.... madoka:.... sayaka + madoka: *feeling awkward* madoka: well, there's a nice cafe not far from school. maybe we can go there? hitomi: ^^; sound nice. -elsewhere- erina: *looking around* *panting and running is heard* erina: ?? Jordan: "I-I'm here! I'm here! I'm--" *trips--and falls on his face* "..." erina: oh, hey jordan. come to visit me at work? Jordan: *lifts up his head--his nose is bleeding* "I wanted to return the container from the leftovers your roommate gave me!" *holds it up* erina: oh, thanks. Jordan: "How's work going?" erina: alright. Jordan: ^w^ "...Well, while I'm here, I'm gonna use my lunch break for a pretzel and an amiibo." erina: well, you do that, ok? Jordan: .w. "...You had lunch?" erina: in a few minutes. Jordan: "Ah..." *scratches his cheek* erina:....sooooo..... Jordan: "...Well, um, I'll...leave you to it!" erina: you too. *small wave* Jordan: ^w^; *wave* -elsewhere- etta: *brushing her hair* {???: "Perfection."} etta: ?! *turns.....nothing*... {etta: *whimper*} {???: "Now, now...You know pretty girls don't cry like that. Look at your eyes..."} {etta: *sniff* my feet hurt, papa...} {Mr. Hoffman: "That is to be expected. After all, you cannot reach beauty without pain."} {etta: .....} -my life, is a cruel one- {etta: *looking out the window*} {*There are children playing in the snow*} {etta:....*goes to get her coat*} {*Mr. Hoffman is sitting at the fireplace, his chair facing it...There's no way he can see behind him where she walks, and there's no way he can see the door leading outside...He is so still he sounds like he's asleep*} {etta:....*slowly creeping, trying to keep silent*} {*Mr. Hoffman reminds silent*} {etta:...*reaches for the doorknob*} {*heat hits her ankle, like a flaming coal*} {etta: AH!} {*There are tiny embers on the floor, having just left a quick touch on her ankle*} {Mr. Hoffman: *stands, turns...he holds a hot poker from the fireplace...* "Can't have that perfect skin blemished..."} {etta: *trembling, trying to reach for the door*} {Mr. Hoffman: "Etta, really?" *marches forward* "You cannot. Unclean urchins outside. Failure to keep to a schedule. This is not the perfection I imagined for you..." *holds the poker more tightly* "Do you need...to be punished?"} {etta: *trembling, crying*} {Mr. Hoffman: "...No tears. They will ruin those eyes..."} -i was a prisoner of my own home- {etta: can i do to school?} {Mr. Hoffman: "...Why would you need school?"} {etta: maybe i could....make friends?} {Mr. Hoffman: "Etta...You have friends. What about Mr. and Mrs. Coppelius? Or Mr. Gaiman?"} {etta: but they're grown ups. i want friends my age...} {Mr. Hoffman: "And children are fools. You do better without them."} {etta:....} -im not your doll- {etta: *collapses from exhaustion*} {Mr. Hoffman: "Imperfect. Again."} {etta: *pant* p-please...may i stop now?} {Mr. Hoffman: "Other dancers practice nine hours daily. Again."} -i want to get out- {etta: *heads back into the dressing room and sits down, weeping* i dont want to go home....*looks at a nutcracker doll on the desk....hugs it*} {*it sounds like someone is pacing outside*} {etta:......*shaking*} {???: "...Zzzzz..."} {*is that...snoring?*} {etta: ?? *looks out the door*} {*Down the hall is...a vagrant? Collapsed asleep?*} {etta:....*pokes him with her foot*} {???: *grunts* "Quit it...Let me sleep."} {etta: the hallway isnt a place to sleep, sir.} {???: "..." *opens his eyes* "I'm tired. _Anywhere_ is a place to sleep if you do it right."} {etta: ....} {???: *yawns* "Man...When does that darn play start, anyway?"} {etta: it just finished.} {???: "..." <Dammit.>} {etta: ......} {???: "...Wait...You were in the play?"} {etta:...yes, i was.} {???: "How you think it went?"} {etta:....alright i guess....*rubs her eyes*} {???: "...And it looks like it took a lot out of you."} {etta:....whats it to you?} {???: *shrugs* "Passes the time. My ride isn't here."} {etta: .....right...} {???: "How about you? Someone waiting to pick you up?"} {etta:....just my f-...my father...} {???: "...He didn't attend your performance?"} {etta: i'm rather happy he didnt...not that it would satisfy him...} {???: "...What, you're not good at this?"} {etta: i-its not that im not good, but even if i do 100%, he'd _still_ want me to do better and look pretty doing it. *tears up* im only a human being, im not some doll...} {???: "...That's a lot of pressure to put onto a kid."} {etta: ...it's not fair! i wasnt allowed to have a normal childhood like the other kids. i wasnt allowed to go to school or have a pet, all he wanted was a perfect doll for a daughter. i hate him!} {???: "...I'm sorry."} {etta:....*sniff* s-sorry....i was just....i guess i lost it there, huh? and do someone i dont even know....} {???: "Goethe."} {etta: ??} {Goethe: "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe."} {etta: i see. well, i assume you know who i am then, given the posters.} {Goethe: "Etta Hoffman, right? The sugar plum fairy of the stage?"} {etta: yes. that would be correct} {Goethe: "...You have another performance tomorrow or next week?"} {etta:...most likely....} {Goethe: "...Then I'll have to stay awake that time."} {etta:......right...} -I was given that chance- {etta: ......} {*knock knock*} {etta: its open...} {Goethe: *opens the door* "Hey." *he's holding flowers*} {etta: oh... thank you....} {Goethe: "You're welcome. It was deserved--you've gotten better."} {etta: ....} {Goethe: "I mean it. That was a tremendous performance."} {etta: ...... *she seems drained*} {Goethe: "...Need some water?"} {etta:....it's getting worse and worse....am i going to be trapped this way forever?} {Goethe: "Nothing is forever--it has to end, one way or another."} {etta: maybe if i just drank this ink and poisoned myself...} {Goethe: "Stop."} {etta: *looks at him*} {Goethe: *deadly serious* "Don't do that."} {etta: then what should i do then, huh? im tired of being controlled by him!} {Goethe: "...That dancing has made you stronger than you think..."} {etta: what do you mean?} {Goethe: "Stamina. Flexibility. Speed. Strength. You have enough in you to accomplish anything--but your greatest skill is your willpower."} {etta: .....} {Goethe: "And all you need...is the opportunity to take that willpower to the next level...to exert control over _others_ for a change."} {etta: ?? what do you mean?} {Goethe: "Well...I haven't been entirely honest. How do I put it...I have an ability."} {etta: an ability?} {Goethe: *nods* "I have this power to give people powers..."} {etta: ...are you offering me an ability then?} {Goethe: *nods*} {etta:...whats the catch?} {Goethe: "Well, you'd be under my employ..."} {etta: so then i'll have to retire early then, huh?} {Goethe: "I know it's a lot to juggle multiple jobs--but nothing would stop you from performing on stage. I'd make sure of that."} {etta:...and if i do so, i'll be freed from my father?} {Goethe: "Yes."} {etta:...alright, i'll do it.} {Goethe: "Then let's get the contract done." *holds out his hand*} -and I took it without hesitation- {etta: ......} {*a crash is heard downstairs*} {etta: ?? *heads downstairs* ??} {Mr. Hoffman: "That lying tramp!"} {etta: f-father?} {Mr. Hoffman: *turns, holding the card attached to Goethe's flowers* "How dare you!"} {etta: f-father, i can explain-} {*SLAP*} {etta: AH! *stumbles*} {Mr. Hoffman: "No wonder your dancing has been off! You have made yourself impure!"} {etta: b-but i havent-} {Mr. Hoffman: "These silly notions! They infest your head! Just fantasies of men doing...doing..." *shudders* "It's awful! Who would ever put those notions into--" *spots the Nutcracker* "..." *looks at the poker by the fireplace*} {etta: you're wrong! t-they were from a fan! i havent been with anyone!} {Mr. Hoffman: "...I knew it was a mistake to let you have this...Men...They are all that's on your mind." *picks up the poker, raises it over the Nutcracker*} {etta: !!! STOP IT! *holds hand out*} {Mr. Hoffman: *brings the poker down at the Nutcracker--before his hand stops in mid-motion* ??!!} {etta: !!!....(so this is........) *cold glare at her father*} {Mr. Hoffman: "...Etta--"} {etta: *moves her hand*} {Mr. Hoffman: *his hand moves on its own* "!!!"} {etta:..... *glances at the fire*} {Mr. Hoffman: "Etta! For the love of God--"} {etta: shut up. you dont have the right to beg for mercy! after all the misery and pain you put me through, IM SICK! AND TIRED! OF BEING YOUR PUPPET!} {Mr. Hoffman: "I'm begging you! Don't--"} {etta: i will give you one last thing.......an early preview of hell.} {Mr. Hoffman: "No--"} {-she makes him get onto his knees at the fireplace and then....-} {Mr. Hoffman: "No! I--"} {etta: *she ignores him......and makes him stick his head in*} {Mr. Hoffman: *screams, unable to move*} {etta: *just stares*} etta:....(right...im not his to control...) *smiles* (if i am to dance, then i dance for myself.) *Music can be heard...* etta:....*dancing along* Walter: *in the living room, turns it up a bit louder* etta: *smiles* Kafka: "..." *taps his foot* -elsewhere- Damon: "Wow...We can see the whole city!" becky: woah... soul: awesome view, right? Damon: *nods* "It's the biggest city ever!" soul: *smiles* Damon: *points to a ferris wheel* "What's that?" soul: that's a ferris wheel. you can see from really high up. becky: cool. Damon: "It's a ride? Like a park?" soul: sort of. there's lots of parks in the city. Damon: "...Are they scary?" soul: not all of them. Damon: "...Some of this city is." soul: sure, some of the things people say here can be a bit scary, but its normal for the locals. the people who lived their whole lives here are often called 'death children', but dont let that scare you, they're pretty nice most of the time. becky: ... Damon: "Like that 'Kid' guy?" soul: *nods* yep. Damon: "...Why does everyone here talk about 'death'?" soul: well this is 'death city'... Damon: *pouts, crosses his arms* soul: owo;;; becky: *raises a brow at him* Damon: "I don't like hearing about it..." soul:...i know, its scary, but you two are going to be safe....this is a city of second chances... Damon: "??? What do you mean?" soul: in death, there comes new life. becky: like in nature? soul: like that. *nod* Damon: "??? I don't understand..." soul: take flowers for example. they bloom, and then they wilt and leave seeds, which then become new flowers....sometimes its bulbs instead of seeds, but thats beside the point. Damon: "...And then the seeds...?" soul: they become new flowers...new life, and the cycle starts over again. Damon: "..." *reaches for Soul's hand* soul:...*small squeeze of both their hands* Damon: *small smile* -elsewhere- Vulcan: "Hold up--you're a nun, too?" tamaki: *step step step* *faceplant* ow...frick. Vulcan: "...You're a _clumsy_ nun?" tamaki: where do i get this thing hemmed? -_-; Relan: "..." *takes out a sewing kit* tamaki: thank you. TTATT -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "..." *looks up* "Need to run an errand." higuchi: it'll be risky... Akutagawa: "..." *takes his coat, and--* *FWOOP* *The coat is now more of a hoodie, hiding his face...He slumps forward* Akutagawa: "I'll disguise myself well enough..." higuchi:....be careful... Akutagawa: *nods* "Thank you." *steps into the tunnels...* -elsewhere- Spirit: *lying on the couch* "Ug..." sachiko: *puts washcloth on his forehead* Spirit: "Th-Thanks...This migraine..." sachiko: *pats his head* Spirit: "Mmmm..." *smiles* -elsewhere- Kunikida: "Anything interesting you saw?" atsushi: well......*remembers the mysterious person on the train*....just the usual stuff... Kunikida: "...Have you been practicing?" atsushi: yes sir. Kunikida: "...Let's see about that--" *opens the desk drawer, reaches for something--* atsushi:....*DODGE* Kunikida: "..." -_-; *he's holding a deck of cards* atsushi:...*takes a seat* .w.;;; Kunikida: *cuts the deck, shuffles* "Keep an eye on the cards...Memorize them..." *spread out five cards* "Let me know when you have them memorized." *The cards even match different members of the Agency...with Dazai as the Joker* atsushi: are these custom? Kunikida: "I assume so. And it answers the odd item on the budget Dazai charged..." atsushi: ah.. Kunikida: "Got them memorized?" atsushi: i think so... Kunikida: "Then keep your eye on the cards..." *with one flip, the cards are face-down, and he slides them along the table, slowly at first--then faster and faster at blinding speed* atsushi: ._.;;; yosano: oh, poker night already? Kunikida: *finishes passing the cards around, looks at Yosano* "No, that'll be tomorrow. Now we're trying to see whether Atsushi can find the Jack." atsushi: ._.;;; hmmmm..........is it.. this one? Kunikida: *flips, revealing the Jack* atsushi: (success!) Kunikida: "And how did you do that?" atsushi:...by the smell? Kunikida: "...Interesting. You trusted your smell more than your sight?" atsushi: in that case, yeah. Kunikida: "...Doctor, could you get a blindfold and the leftover curry?" atsushi: ._.;; -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *scrounging in a dumpster* lucy: *walking back to the agency apartments* Akutagawa: *pulls out a loaf of bread, wrapped, just one day past the "best buy" date--and tosses it behind him into a basket below* lucy:....*sympathetic glance* Akutagawa: *pops up again--turns* "..." lucy:.... !!! Akutagawa: "...Oh. You." lucy: *whispers* what are you doing? Akutagawa: "We're low on supplies. And this food is still good." lucy:....is it...has it really gotten that bad? Akutagawa: *shrugs* "Just a daily routine." lucy:..... Akutagawa: "...If you want what's in this trash receptacle, forget it--I've already claimed it." lucy:....*sigh* i'll see if i can talk to the others to arrange something... Akutagawa: "...You would do so?" lucy: yeah...it's just pitiful looking at you like this. Akutagawa: -____-; "...Thanks." -elsewhere- twain: so who's next on our list of former guild members to search for? Steinbeck: "Irving, in Terrytown." emily: according to rumors, his residence has a lot of traps in it, so be careful... Hemingway: "??? Like 'Home Alone'? Or 'Home Alone 2'?" emily: more or less. Hemingway: "...I hate those movies." *grabs a harpoon* emily: ._.;;; Steinbeck: "Let's save the threats until after we determine how cooperative Mr. Irving will be..." -elsewhere- Poe: *shivers, looking around the room* lenore: *watches from her perch* something bothering you? Poe: "Th-The room feels cold, and just trying to find a book I misplaced..." lenore: i see. Poe: "It was a book on cosmology, for a poem I had wanted to finish..." -elsewhere- Damon: *asleep on the couch* "Zzz..." soul:....*picks him up and carries him to the kid's room* Damon: "Zzz..." *sleep-hug* soul:.... *smiles and tucks him in* Becky: "???" *walks in* soul:...hey kiddo. Becky: "..." *whispers* "He's really tired." soul: yeah...you doing alright? Becky: "...I don't know." soul:...you want something to eat? Becky: "...Okay. What can I have?" soul: lets see, we got ourselvesss....cereal, chips, etc....what do you like? Becky: "..." -___-; "Cereal, then." soul: sounds good. Becky: "...Do you have a girlfriend?" soul:...........*he seems sad* Becky: "...Oh. Sorry." soul: ....guess i'll take it from the top. -he tells her the whole story- Becky: "...So Mr. Spirit's daughter?" soul:...yeah...*wipes his eyes* Becky: "Is-Is that why y-you took us?" soul:...*hug* sort of...but i knew you and your brother needed a home, someone to care for you. so i decided to do it. Becky: "..." *cries, hugs him* soul: i want to be a good dad for you guys... Becky: "..." *shakes her head* soul: ..... Becky: "Can you...just take care of us?" soul: ok. i will. Becky: "...Thank you..." -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "All this?" atsushi: *nod* *hands him two bags of groceries* Akutagawa: "...You didn't have to." atsushi: well, lucy told us about your situation and we felt kind of bad for you. Akutagawa: "I don't need your pity." *small pout* atsushi: ^^; Akutagawa: "...Tell the ill-tempered girl I appreciate it. I'll make sure the Mafia don't break her leg." atsushi: sure thing, akutagawa. Akutagawa: "..." *nods* "And thank you...Atsushi." atsushi:...*awkward smile* Akutagawa: "..." .\\\\. atsushi:....see ya then? Akutagawa: "...Right." -\\\\- *takes the bags, turns, walks* -elsewhere- Jordan: *crying into his glass of Mountain Dew at the bar* louisa: did...something happen? Jordan: *blubbers* "I don't know how to flirt..." louisa: ? Jordan: "She seems so nice--but I can't get with her! Look at me!" louisa: um... *pat pat* m-maybe we could speak with her? Jordan: "L-Like a group activity?" louisa: sure! Jordan: QwQ *whimper whimper* "Thank you!" *snot comes out his nose* louisa: ._.; Jordan: "Wh-What should it be? Smash tournament? Or hit up the manga shop? Or ramen?" -elsewhere- Yumi: "..." *smiles* lord death: *napping on the couch* Yumi: *keeps his head on her lap, strokes his head* lord death: =w= *purr* Yumi: ^\\\^ ("Kitten...") -elsewhere- Yukio: *packs his books into his satchel, opens the door out of the school* ???: good to see you, mr yukio~ Yukio: "...It's been a long time." *holds his bag close* pazuzu: whatcha got there, cutie~? Yukio: "My readings, of course. What are you doing here?" pazuzu: im here to make an offer of course....we've taken quite an interest in you~ Yukio: "...The Illuminati?" pazuzu: indeed. your flames has mr lulu quite intrigued~ Yukio: "!!! What?" pazuzu: dont you want a family reunion~? Yukio: "...I have enough of that as it is." pazuzu: pweeease~? Yukio: "Why? I have no interest in him, or his organization...And you can tell him..." *his glasses reflect light...or is it a reflection?* pazuzu: tell him what~? Yukio: "...Tell him I don't want anything..." pazuzu: *pout* the offer still stands~ *flies off* Yukio: "..." *takes off his glasses...his hand shakes...he rubs his eyes* shiemi: yuki? i heard a noise...is everything ok? Yukio: "..." *puts on his glasses, smiles* "It was just a squirrel." shiemi:...oh...*worried* Yukio: "...You were here at school as well?" shiemi: *nods* miss seiya asked me and izumo to help out with some things. Yukio: "How did it go?" -elsewhere- Kafka: *in the kitchen, pours himself some milk...and grabs a plate of cookies* =\\\\= wilhelm: *peeeek* OvO Kafka: *turns, walks* wilhelm: *stomach grumble* Kafka: "???" *turns* wilhelm: can i have one? OvO Kafka: "..." *sigh* "Just one." wilhelm: for real? *shiny eyes* Kafka: "I said yes, didn't I?" -_-# wilhelm: yay! can jakob have one too? Kafka: "Yes, yes..." wilhelm: thanks~! *takes the two cookies and walks off* jakob, i got you one too! Jakob: "Yay! What kind?" Kafka: "..." *sighs* hans:...*small smile* Kafka: *walks to his room* -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *walks inside* higuchi: woah! where did you get all this? Akutagawa: "...I'm not sure you would believe me, but the Agency." higuchi:...ah. Akutagawa: "It took me by surprise as well: that ill-tempered waitress helped." higuchi: *smiles* Akutagawa: "..." *clears his throat* "...I'll go shelve these and get dinner going." -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *packing* baum: isnt this exciting, dorothy? dorothy: yaaaaay =A= Steinbeck: "??? You never been to New York?" baum: once i think when i was younger, but dorothy hasnt. Steinbeck: *smiles* "It'll be quite an encounter. May need a guide there..." emily: *nod* Steinbeck: "How about you, Emily?" emily: m-me? Steinbeck: "Ever been to New York?" emily: a few times to visit family. Steinbeck: "Great! Then I hope you can help us." -elsewhere- stocking: TT~TT Kid: *holds the hot pad* stocking: thank you...*whine* Kid: *nods* "You're welcome..." *rests the pad onto her* "Like this?" stocking: *nod* Kid: *holds it there...lies with her* stocking: *smile* Kid: *strokes her back* -elsewhere- Motojiro: *looking in one room* "..." katya: ? Motojiro: "...Think this would be a good spot for the nursery?" katya:...i guess? Motojiro: "...I'll have to put something together to decontaminate this room before putting the baby here..." katya: i guess.... Motojiro: "..." *starts shaking, over-ventilating* katya: *pulls him down by the shirt and slaps him* GET A DAMN GRIP, MAN! Motojiro: Q____Q "What was that for?!" katya: you need to just breathe and focus right now. i know, im not the kind of person to be going on about being calm when i fly off the handle so easy, but you seem to have a better handle on things, especially given that lev and your kid are counting on you. Motojiro: "..." *nods* *inhales more calmly* leo: motojiro? Motojiro: *smiles at her...his eyes still look a little red* "Yes~?" leo: are you alright? *worried and strokes his cheek* Motojiro: "..." *holds her hand* "With you, yes." leo:...*smiles* Motojiro: "Katya and I were just looking at rooms for the nursery!" leo: ah. Motojiro: "And we can start prepping it!" -elsewhere- Tanizaki: "Here's dinner, all!" kenji: yay! Kyoka: *sniffs* "Smells good..." Tanizaki: "We got some quiche, some roasted vegetables--" sylvia: ... Tanizaki: "...Sylvia? Anything you wanted?" sylvia: um.... Kyoka: "Ever had quiche?" sylvia: *shakes head* not that i remember Kyoka: "Well, do you like cake?" sylvia: mr ted never let me- Kyoka: "...Well...It's like that. Only with spinach and cheese and maybe meat." Tanizaki: "..." *walks back to the kitchen, checking in the fridge for dessert* sylvia: um... Kyoka: "Well...What did you like to eat?" sylvia: i usually was given egg toast... Kyoka: "Oh. Quiche has egg and bread, so it's like egg toast." sylvia: oh... Kyoka: "Try it. For us?" sylvia: hmm....*nom*.. Kyoka: "...How is it?" sylvia:..it's alright. i-i didnt die at least... Kyoka: "...Yay." naomi: ^^ -elsewhere- Lucy: "...Think it was the right thing to do?" atsushi: i think so. Lucy: "...He just looked so...pathetic. Like feeding a stray." atsushi:...like a stray dog, i guess... Lucy: *nods* "Scrawny..." *looks at Atsushi's arm...and pokes* atsushi:... .-.; Lucy: "Have you been keeping to a diet to stay toned and fit?" atsushi: yes ma'am. *pulls up his shirt slightly to examine himself* .... Lucy: "..." .\\\\\\\\\. atsushi:.... .////. Lucy: >\\\\\< "Put it down--we're trying to have a meal!" atsushi: right! ^-^;;;; Lucy: -\\\\\- *picks up her water--and drinks* -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: "??? What's all this?" mary: jordan needed help asking a mall cop on a date. Fitzgerald: "I see...Well, fashion choices will be one improvement needed..." louisa: his hair could use some work too... ^-^; Jordan: Q____Q "I'm right here." Daisy: "We know." bram: ... -elsewhere- elizaveta: *humming* Gogol: <How's it going?> elizaveta: <ok. kinda bored though.> =3= Gogol: <Yeah, without Child 1 and Child 2.> elizaveta:.... <got anything cool in your cape?> Gogol: "..." *shiny eyes* <What did you have in mind?> lydia: <most likely anything a young child would have interest in.> elizaveta: =3= <he knooows thaaat.> Gogol: *nods* <I'm no fool.> *takes out a bottle marked with a skull on it* elizaveta: ...? lydia: ............. Gogol: "...Oh! Sorry. The poison was for someone else..." *puts it back, and takes out a pair of Nerf guns* elizaveta: YAY! ^o^ Gogol: "Search and destroy!" elizaveta: who's the target, sir? Gogol: "Hmm...Ivan?" elizaveta: yessir! Ivan: *walking down the hall with a cup of tea* -pew- Ivan: *suction cup dart at his forehead* O_o elizaveta: hehehe *runs* Ivan: "..." =_= "What even is--" -pew pew pew- Ivan: *darts on his head, chest, and butt* "..." elizaveta *giggle* Ivan: "CEASE THIS ABSURDITY--" Gogol: *leaps, slow motion, twin guns--and fires* Ivan: Q_____Q zoey:...*giggle* Gogol: ^_^ Ivan: "THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" *rips the darts off* lydia: now now, let him be. Gogol: -3- "Fine..." lydia: <you alright, vanya?> Ivan: <I have sore spots on my head, chest, and bottom...> lydia: <want me to patch you up?> Ivan: *nod nod* lydia: <ok> Gogol: "No one lets us have any fun..." yana: you will soon. Gogol: *shiny eyes* "Like a mission?" yana: *nod nod* time for number 3. Gogol: "..." *wide smile* -elsewhere- Yohei: "Okay, Akaderu has dishwashing tonight--" akaderu: *groooooan* Kepuri: ^^; "I'll help with that." *pat pat* akaderu: thanks babe... Yohei: "And that leaves Emine to take out the trash." Emine: "..." *looks at Mono* mono: boi you better not. Emine: "I said noth--" ((Mana, help her.)) mana: *gives emine the 'im watching you look'* Emine: "...Fine." *picks up the trash can* "I'm putting half of this into the recyclable can as my bad deed." Tool: "THE HELL YOU ARE!" -elsewhere- Tachihara: *arms crossed* Gin: *shakes her head* higuchi: what did mori do this time? Chuuya: "???" Gin: "Just...noises." Tachihara: -_______- higuchi: ....*listens*........eugh... WHY did i do that?! Gin: "We warned you." higuchi: TT___TT; Gin: *pat pat* Chuuya: "...In any case, don't let the noise distract you from the task." higuchi: right. Tachihara: "What, should we have someone sitting in there now?" Chuuya: "..." *looks at Higuchi* -elsewhere- minoura: alright, im only going to ask you this again, dostoevsky. *shows him a photo of zoey when she was still a nurse* do you know of her location? Fyodor: "Yes." minoura: where is she? Fyodor: "She is where Rats go." minoura: is that some kind of damn riddle or not? with you, we cant be certain... Fyodor: "Think about it. Rats scurry for whatever dark location they can find with sustenance and away from predators, yes?" minoura: ..... Fyodor: "...What, do I need to draw maps for you now?" -some noise is in the hallway- minoura: ??? officer: mr lewis, please calm down, this area is for authorized perso- Mr. Lewis: "Let me go! Let me go!" Fyodor: "???" officer: sir, please- *The door is kicked open, as Mr. Lewis tries to get inside the room* Mr. Lewis: "You bastard!" Fyodor: "..." officer: *holding him back* sir, please! calm down! Mr. Lewis: "Give her back! Give me back my daughter!" Fyodor: "Oh. I should have recognized you." *smiles* minoura: we're trying to find her now, we're _trying_ to get a location from him... Mr. Lewis: "He knows! Make him talk, damn it!" officer: sir, you arent allowed to be in here! Mr. Lewis: "Why?! You bastards can't even get a word out of him! Let me at him--I'LL KILL HIM!" Fyodor: *smiles* "Best be careful, sir. It would be horrible for you to not live long enough to meet your grandchild." officer: !!! minoura:....son of a- *A chair is tossed* officer: !!! *The chair slams into Fyodor's head* Mr. Lewis: *panting* "You son of a bitch!" *leaps* officer: *trying to hold mr lewis back* Mr. Lewis: *sobbing* "How dare you! How fucking dare you!" Officer #2: "Shit! He's bleeding!" minoura: i knew you were a sick fuck, but to r-...do _that_ to- Fyodor: *smiles, despite bleeding* "And she was quite good at it." Mr. Lewis: *not even struggling to move...just sobbing* minoura: that's going on the list of charges... Fyodor: "??? What? She seemed enthusiastic about it." officer: *trying to move mr lewis out of the room* Mr. Lewis: *sobbing, as he's practically carried away, his body limp* Fyodor: *smiles* "So long, 'Dad.'" minoura: i have half the mind to have you thrown in the chair right now... Fyodor: "Yet that would defy the very laws you hold yourself to. And the idea of such hypocrisy...Well, it makes my skin crawl." minoura: ......*hard glare* Fyodor: "But at least you provided something I've lacked for some time." *smiles* "Entertainment." minoura: ........... -elsewhere- Poe: "Lana? Are you okay?" lana: y-yeah. just old memories...*wipes her eyes* Poe: "..." *offers his handkerchief* lana: thanks edgar... Poe: *nods* "You're welcome..." *offers his hand* lana: *hug* Poe: "!!! ..." *pats, strokes her back* lana: ...... Poe: *hums lightly* -elsewhere- Rin: "Jeez...He's still locked up in there." momo sakura: is he sick? D8> Rin: "Nah, I don't think so--just really grouchy." momo sakura: ..... Rin: "...Want to help me make something to help him feel better?" momo sakura: ok! Rin: ^^ "I think this calls for cupcakes." momo sakura: yay! Rin: *walks with her to the kitchen* "And we can make some frosting..." -elsewhere- Magaki: *lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling* "..." -silence- Magaki: "..." *gets out of bed, walks downstairs* -...naho's door is open- Magaki: "???" *looks inside* -naho is asleep in her bed, with sakuya asleep next to her- Magaki: "..." *looks away* -one book is on the table- Magaki: "..." ("I am out of reading...Maybe Naho wouldn't mind...") *tip-toes inside* naho: zzzzz Sakuya: "Zzz..." Magaki: *looks at the cover* -it seems to be two guys- Magaki: "???" *flips it open* -too lewd to show- Magaki: "... ... ..." *closes the book carefully...sets it back exactly where they saw it* "......" *turns, carefully steps towards the exit...* naho: TuT *smug grin* Magaki: *gets outside into the hallway...* @_@ -morning- Kid: *making waffles* "..." stocking: *yaaaawn* Kid: *sets out a plate* "And I'll get the fruit..." -elsewhere- Panda: *poke poke* "Wakey-wakey..." inka: *snooooore* Panda: "..." *presses cold bag of frozen strawberries to her face* sasori: *asleep on the windowsill* inka: *SCREEEEEE* *PAWNCH* Panda: *K.O.* *collapses* XwX inka: =_= ...... ?? oh, she's asleep? Sancho: *runs into the room* "What happened?!" inka: cold strawberries. Sancho: "...He didn't put them on your feet this time, did he?" inka: -__- Sancho: " 'Cause I'm not having foot-tasting cereal again." *opens the fridge* *looks at Sasori* "...She's out like a light..." inka: yeah... Sancho: "...Huh. Well, I'll get the rest of breakfast going--then we can plan the day." -elsewhere- Motojiro: *rings a tiny set of bells* "Time for class~!" sonia: come on Q. Q: "..." *follows* -elsewhere- Damon: *asleep next to his bowl of cereal* "Zzz..." soul:...hey kiddo, sleep enough? Damon: "Hmph..." *looks up* "..." *shakes his head* "Bad dreams..." soul: *pats his back* Damon: "..." *hug* soul: *hug* -elsewhere- kirika: *nommin on pancakes* lord death: *hair ruffle* mornin, sport! kirika: *grunt of response* Yumi: "Shiori, sit still--" *splat* -_-; shiori: uups. lord death: *hands her a paper towel* Yumi: *wipes her face* "Thank you..." *sigh* "She'll need some more solids to try." shiori: sowy mama... Yumi: "..." *smiles* "It's okay, sweetie. Just watch where the food goes..." shiori: okaaay Yumi: *wipes Shiori's face* "Kirika, what's on your agenda today?" kirika: *shrug* is it the weekend yet? Yumi: "Yes, it is. Are you going out?" kirika: yep. Yumi: "With your boyfriend?" kirika: *noms on pancakes* Yumi: "..." *smiles* "And you will see your sister?" kirika:...yeah. Yumi: *nods* "Let us know if you need anything." kirika: kay... Yumi: "And make sure your phone is charged." kirika: yes mom. lord death: make sure it's on. kirika: i hear ya. -elsewhere- Tool: "And let's get your sweater on, kiddo." io: okay! ^o^ Tool: *slips it over Io's head and arms* "There you go...Ready to head to the park?" io: ya! saki: ^^ Tool: *opens the door for Io and Saki* "Then we're off!" io: ^o^ -elsewhere- Rin: *looking in a shop window* *shiny eyes* "LOOK AT THEM ALL!" kyouko: woooah. madoka: ^^; sayaka: neatooooo.... hitomi: oh wow. Rin: "That shirt with those jeans, then that badass necklace--I'd look choice!" madoka: ^///^ kyouko: lets remember why were here, ok? Rin: "..." *nods* "I mean, maybe he needs a new book..." -elsewhere- baum: so john, what was it like at home for you? Steinbeck: "Quite crowded, really." baum: *listening* oh? Steinbeck: "My younger brother and I had a room." baum: ah, i see. emily: was it nice? Steinbeck: "...You never felt alone." emily:..*smile* Steinbeck: "It's been a bit since I've heard from them...I did mail a bit of money after the treasure hunt." emily: that's nice. Steinbeck: "...How 'bout you, Em? How were things growing up?" emily: it was rather quiet. Steinbeck: "Peaceful kind of quiet?" emily: i suppose...a bit lonely though. Steinbeck: "...How about parents?" emily: it was decent enough, even if they did forget i existed sometimes. they're busy a lot. Steinbeck: "...You talk with them?" emily: sometimes. baum: what about you, ernest? Hemingway: "...Not much." dorothy:.... Steinbeck: "..." ^^; "At least Baum and Dorothy are here..." -elsewhere- goethe: ....... Kafka: "...Yes? What?" goethe: contact the agency, they live here, dont they? Kafka: "Yes, they do..." *sigh* *pulls up their number* "Am I supposed to speak with them?" goethe: tell them to bring their leader and the blonde guy with them. also tell that dazai guy to fuck off. Kafka: "..." *dials* *waiting for someone to pick up* naomi: armed detective agency. may i help you? Kafka: "Hello. I am calling to set up a meeting with your supervisor and the one named Kunikida." naomi: ah, yes. *writing this down* and may i ask who is calling? Kafka: "Kafka, with Sturm und drang." naomi: O_O y-you're calling all the way from germany?! Kafka: "No. And even if I was, we could afford it." naomi: wait, where are you calling from then?! Kafka: "Death City." naomi: ._____. kunikida? phone for you. Kunikida: "???" *takes it* "Who is it?" naomi: sturm. Kunikida: "..." ._. *answers* "Hello?" Kafka: "We need to talk." Kunikida: "..." Kafka: "Also, my boss wants the one named Dazai to be aware he should pleasure himself in an unfavorable manner." goethe: no, i didnt say it like that. i want him to simply 'fuck off', off he will fuck. atsushi:...? Kunikida: "...Understood. Who should be present?" Kafka: "You and your supervisor. Meet us at--One moment." *hand over the receiver* "First, I am not saying that. Second, where should they meet us?" goethe: kafka, you go pick them up and bring them here. Kafka: "Very well." *back on the phone* "I'll pick you up in-- ... ..." *turns, glares at Goethe* "NOT WALTER'S VAN--" atsushi: ?? -elsewhere- etta: *looking at a map* Leroux: "Which way?" etta: should be... ah! there it is! -the manhasset building is just ahead- Jordan: *seated on a bench outside* "And she's so pretty..." Assi: *nod nod* "I know, fam..." -the doors open- bram: hm? Daisy: *looks up* "...Are those...theater nerds?" etta: hello, we have an appointment with mr fitzgerald? ^^ Leroux: ^w^ Daisy: "...Name?" etta: hoffman and leroux. Daisy: "Hmm...I see...You're a bit early. Fitz's office is on the top floor." *gets up, takes out key card* "I'll let you in..." etta: ^u^ mary: who do you think they are? bram: not sure... Leroux: "???" *sees the children* "..." *actor persona* "Oh, joy! For we may meet with the glorious majesty of the occupant of this find edifice!" bram:....um....a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. mary:.....huh? Leroux: *sparkling eyes* "Lead us, young maiden!" Daisy: -____-# "Okay. Shut him up, or I'm tossing him out the 42nd story window." etta: ^^; bram: oh this should be just a thrill... *sigh* mary: yay! new friends! *drags bram along* Leroux: *follows Daisy* "What is the gentleman like~?" Daisy: "He spends his days counting money and clipping coupons. We all love him." -_- bram: have you heard the term 'upper class twit'? Leroux: "Ah...I know the role well!" Daisy: -_______- "He's still talking..." bram: thats mr fitzgerald in a nutshe-*COUGHING UP BLOOD* grk-... etta: O-O;;;;;; Leroux: D: Daisy: *sighs* *offers a tissue* bram:...im fine, just a side effect of my ability. *COUGH* dont mind me.... Leroux: "..." *looks at Etta* *practically squeeing* "Another ability user!" etta: that's why we're here. but lets save that for the meeting, ok? Leroux: ^w^ bram: ?? (ability users, huh? just what are they here for?) Daisy: *presses the top button, slides the key-card* -and so- Fitzgerald: *clipping coupons, humming* -knock- Fitzgerald: "??? Someone answer that..." *returns to clipping* louisa: yes? etta: hello~ Leroux: ^w^ Fitzgerald: "..." *looks at Louisa* "You hired circus performers?" etta: >3< Leroux: Q_Q "...We are the-at-er..." etta: easy roro. easy. we're here from sturm und drang to discuss business with you. you are ability users here. right? Fitzgerald: "...Among the remnants of former Guild associates, yes..." etta: in that case, we would like to make an offer. are you familiar with the rats in the house of the dead? Fitzgerald: "...They forced my giant whale ship to crash." etta: well as it would seem, the rats are an enemy of sturm, amongst other organizations. which brings us to why we are here. we would like to form an alliance. Fitzgerald: "Hmm...What does your organization have in terms of exterminating those Rats?" etta: while we have resources, we're small in numbers. our leader, goethe, wishes to bring together the ability user groups of this city as a task force to deal with the rats, as well as anyone who would be considered a threat to ability users as a whole. Fitzgerald: "I see what is it in for us ability users...but I also am a businessman. I need to know I am not footing the bill on my own." etta: as we said, we do have resources. Fitzgerald: "For example?" etta: we may be small in numbers, but we have ways of recruiting easily. Fitzgerald: "...Hm...Who's your recruiter? You?" etta: *looks at leroux* Leroux: ^^; "Our benefactor, actually. He's quite persuasive. And benevolent." Fitzgerald: "..." etta: soooo....please? OuO Fitzgerald: "I will have a contract for your supervisor's review--after I can meet with him." etta: of course. -elsewhere- Kuro: *in a baby bjorn* =\\\\= mahiru: *shopping* ???: "Oh, so cute!" mahiru: ?? Meme: "What a cute kitty!" >w< mahiru: thanks. ^^ Meme: *pet pet stroke* "Hee hee..." Kuro: =\\\\\= *purr* tsugumi: hehe. ^^ mahiru: you're sure popular, huh kuro? Kuro: -\\\\-; Anya: "You're the new student, aren't you? Mahiru?" mahiru: yeah. Meme: "How are you and your friend fitting in?" mahiru: pretty good. ^^; Anya: "Where is your friend? You seemed joined at the hip in classes." mahiru: oh, he's closer than you think. ^^;;;;; Anya: "...Oh, shopping elsewhere." mahiru: yeeeeah.... ^^;;;;;;;;; ao: say anya, i think your friend hyde works here~ mahiru: oh? *INTERNAL SCREAMING* Anya: "!!!" .\\\. "Oh...I wonder whether Licht is around, too..." Hyde: "MA-HI-RU! Yo! Over here!" *waves* mahiru: o_O;;;;;;;;;; licht: keep it down, shit rat. -_-; oh. hello princess. Hyde: ^^ "Hey, buddy! I see you enough at school, now you're here too--" *spots Licht and Anya* "..." Anya: "!!!!" .\\\\\. "It-It's Anast--Anya. Um...Hello." ao: 7u7 mahiru: um..hey hyde, licht. good to see you. ^^;;; (is something going on here?) Kuro: -_- *yawn* ("Too loud...") Hyde: *staring at Anya* "Yeah, hey, buddy. Cute bjorn." licht: .....? Hyde: "...New hair, Anya?" Anya: *voice cracks* "...Same hair..." mio: he means the ponytail. Anya: >\\\< "I know what he meant..." mahiru:....*looks at licht* am i missing something here? Licht: "I have no idea. That's because, when standing before my majesty, everyone gets nervous--" *dramatic pose* "--because I am an angel." Anya: "..." .\\\\\\. *steam comes off her head, as she falls back* tsugumi: *sweatdrop* *Anya lands in Tsugumi's arms* Hyde: -\\\\\-;;; ochako: *casually putting products on the shelves, blissfully unaware of what's going on* Meme: ^^; "So, Licht, what brings you here?" licht: due to a long boring story, im stuck with him. Meme: "Like a partner?" licht: to an extent. Meme: "Neat!" Death the Kid: Hyde: >\\\\> Anya: @\\\\@ mahiru: yeeeeah... ^^;;;;; Kuro: *yawns--and slight paw at Mahiru* ("Get a move on...") Hyde: "Oh, you brought Kuro out!" Kuro: O____O mahiru: yep. i sure did. licht: we meet again, mr kitty. *shiny eyes and paw hold* Kuro: >_> Meme: "...Isn't your classmate named 'Kuro'?" mahiru: what a coincidence. ^^;;;; Kuro: "..." *his paw grips him--with claws* mahiru: Qw<;;; Anya: *snaps back to attention* "Maybe declaw him?" Kuro: -_-# -elsewhere- Kunikida: "...You actually paid to have the van imported--" Kafka: "I SAID NOT TO BRING IT UP." >_<# goethe: *laying on the couch* greetings. masuji: hello ^u^ Fukuzawa: "Ah, Ibuse--this is a surprise." *looks at Goethe* "And you are our host?" goethe: that would be correct. thank you for your time gentlemen. masuji: of course. hoho! Kunikida: "This is surprising to see you now in this city. May I ask what prompted this move?" goethe: consider it instinct that the rats are planning something big. so we've decided to form an alliance with the ability user organizations in this city as a contingency plan. Fukuzawa: "...Which ones?" goethe: anyone who is an enemy of that prick dostoevsky, pretty much. masuji: that's be just about everybody, lad. Fukuzawa: "I had heard from my subordinates your offer to assist us, your promise to help. However, how do you imagine this alliance?" hans: *glances at kafka* goethe: we all share a common enemy, do we not? Kafka: *arms crossed* Fukuzawa: "We do..." goethe: then is that not reason enough? Fukuzawa: "Depends on methods...and additional goals you have in mind. Is that all you want, to stop Dostoyevsky?" goethe: well, do you know what he wants? Fukuzawa: "...It's rather oblique, a madness to destroy ability users." goethe: my goal over all is to make the world a better place for ability users, and to share those abilities with those who are less fortunate. all of the members of sturm had rather difficult situations that they were in, many on the verge of despair, i simply granted them their abilities and saved them from their suffering. im not trying some cliche 'take over the world' scheme, im just trying to be a good Samaritan. Fukuzawa: "And where did Ted Hughes fit into that?" goethe:..... 7_7 im only human, i can make mistakes sometimes. Fukuzawa: "...It takes an adult to admit to that. And our Agency hardly has perfect people in it." *looks to Masuji* "What do you think?" masuji: it's normal to make mistakes. it's a part of life, lad. such things do happen. goethe:...i appreciate that, i think. Fukuzawa: "Yet these can't be the only ability organizations you have contacted." hans: we're making contact with Manhasset, the guild remnants and the port mafia. as well as the special abilities department. masuji: hmm, all the major players, eh? Fukuzawa: "...Thorough." Kafka: ^^ *beaming with arrogance* hans: the mafia is a bit hard to track, however... Fukuzawa: "...We can present this proposal to them." -elsewhere- Poe: "Oh, you're having a meeting?" ranpo: yeah. fukuzawa is meeting with those guys the others met in europe. Poe: "Interesting...Even the roach man?" ranpo: yep. Poe: "Should be exciting--getting to see new abilities..." ranpo: yeah... sylvia: .~.;;; Poe: "Miss Sylvia, you were part of the group, yes?" sylvia: s-sort of...i just worked for m-mr ted, though.... Poe: "How was that?" sylvia:....*she looks down and begins to tear up, shaking* Poe: "!!! I-I'm sorry..." ranpo:...*pap pap* Poe: Q_Q -elsewhere- Justin: *opens the door* kirika: yo. oriko: *smiles* Justin: "Hello! Please, come in." kirika:...*takes a seat* oriko: shall i prepare some tea? Justin: "I would like some." *smiles* oriko: *smiles and goes to do so* kirika:...she's a lot more talkative now... Justin: *nods* "We've been talking about many topics during walks...and it seems a few memories are returning..." kirika:...*smiles* Justin: "I think you can ask her a few more questions...so she starts associating you less as just someone she knew...and as her sister." kirika:...right....*pulls something out of her bag, a rabbit doll* hey oriko? you remember this, right? oriko:...how cute. ^^ kirika: you gave this to me when i was taken in. oriko: i did?.... kirika: *nod* oriko: ......it feels....familiar.... Justin: "..." *nods* oriko:....ah..*she has tears falling down her cheeks* Justin: "!!!" kirika: y-you remember a little girl, right? {???: here, this is for you k#r##a.} oriko:....f-faintly... kirika: *HUG* a-at least that's something, right? Justin: "..." *goes to the kitchen* -elsewhere- Mr. Lewis: "..." *staring at the floor* mrs lewis: .....*hug*.... Mr. Lewis: "..." *shivering* mrs lewis: ...... *she doesnt know what to say* Mr. Lewis: "..." *voice cracking* "Z-Zoey...What did we do..." mrs lewis: ..... Mr. Lewis: "Where did we go wrong..." -elsewhere- stocking: *smile* Kid: *holds her hand* "Weather is warming up a bit." stocking: yeah. Kid: "Care to take a vacation trip soon?" stocking: sounds lovely~ Kid: "Great...Maybe somewhere scenic?" stocking: *nod* Kid: "Were you thinking the woods, or maybe the beach when it warms up more?" stocking: how about camping? Kid: *nods* "That would be good." -elsewhere- Tool: *pushing Io on the swing* io: *laugh* saki: *smiles* ^^ Tool: "Careful how high you go..." *smaller push* -elsewhere- Leroux: ^w^ hans: so how did it go? etta: i think it was more or less successful! Leroux: "They were enthralled by our performance." hans: i see. Leroux: "How did things go here?" hans: it went fairly well, i think. Kafka: "I thought they asked too many questions..." etta: ^^; hans: well, no one said it'd be easy.... the agency's leader said he would consider it, but he didnt seem to trust goethe... Leroux: "Maybe we can convince him?" hans: that man, kunikida said he and the other agency members would discuss it. Leroux: "Even that bandaged man?" hans: -_-; yes, even him. -elsewhere- Dazai: *walking past shops* *hums* atsushi:...hey, dazai? Dazai: "Hmm?" atsushi: are you sure you're alright? Dazai: "As good as I can be..." *false smile* atsushi:...things havent been going well for you recently, have they? Dazai: "...I suppose there have been setbacks..." atsushi:....is it still the incident with the rats that's bothering you? Dazai: "...Ever play Risk?" atsushi: *shakes head* Dazai: "Well, it's like chess or checkers, only you're trying to take over entire countries." atsushi: .....oh... Dazai: "And it requires a lot of careful attention to how you want to win. Which nations do you take over? Which alliances do you form? But if you want a strategy to bring the game to the end, there is one thing you can do..." atsushi: what's that? Dazai: "Blow it all up." atsushi: ...... Dazai: "There's an idea that, if you can't win, make sure no one else does. It's suicidal..." atsushi:....what does this have to do with the rats? Dazai: "Because when I think about what Dostoyevsky is capable of, if he is really losing, he wouldn't be locked up in a jail cell: he would be destroying everything right now." atsushi:....... Dazai: "And that's why I'm bothered." atsushi: ....*phone buzzes* ??....oh, we're being called back for a meeting. Dazai: "...Right." *looks around* "Walk it or cab it?" -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: "Miss Alcott." louisa: yes sir? Fitzgerald: "Have Eckleburg examine the security footage of those two guests through the facial recognition software." louisa: yes sir. Fitzgerald: *smiles* -elsewhere- Fukuzawa: "..." *walks forward* -inside- naoya:...we got someone coming... Chuuya: "...Well, would you look at that...Who wants to greet them?" hirotsu: i'll speak with them. higuchi: same. Chuuya: "And we'll monitor from here...And I want someone around the corner, in case we need protection." higuchi: *nod* Fukuzawa: "..." hirotsu: fukuzawa, what brings you here? Fukuzawa: "We wanted to check on you..." hirotsu: well we're doing alright, as you can see. higuchi: and we did appreciate the donation.. Fukuzawa: *nods* "Thank Miss Montgomery as well...We also had an offer from a third party to your benefit." higuchi: ?? hirotsu: oh? Kunikida: "Your colleagues remember their trip to Germany, and any encounters with a group called Sturm und drang?" higuchi: i.....think i've heard the name in passing? it's been a long time… Kunikida: "While we were in Germany, we had encountered a few of them: the dancer who can control people's movements, the swordsman, a giant cockroach-man--" hirotsu: hmm... Kunikida: "--and they are all ability users. And they want our assistance against a common threat." hirotsu: the rats? Kunikida: *nods* hirotsu: hmmm... higuchi: katya would be more than willing if it means going up against dostoevsky. Fukuzawa: "I can not ascertain the trustworthiness of their organization, yet having additional resources against the Rats cannot be a bad thing." hirotsu: that is a good point... Fukuzawa: "What should I say is your response?" hirotsu: we'd have to speak with them in person. Fukuzawa: "We will go about setting up a time and place." -elsewhere- Fyodor: "..." *smiles* -silence- Fyodor: "Guard?" guard: ..... Fyodor: "Have I any new visitors?" guard:.....*not answering* Fyodor: "No? What a shame. It gets so lonely here." guard: .... Fyodor: "...How is the nursing home treating your mother, Brian?" brian: *biting his lip* Fyodor: "Alzheimer's is awful. And her lungs...I hope she can get some good deep breaths." brian: shut up... Fyodor: "??? I'm just saying that to see your parent so elderly is a terrible situation for a young person--" brian: just stop, ok?! Fyodor: "Oh, I can stop at any time, Brian. But I like conversing...and you are not as good a conversationalist as the earlier guard, Erina." brian: .... Fyodor: "You know what I want to know." brian: *shakes his head* Fyodor: "Tell me where she is." brian: like you can do anything from inside your cell! Fyodor: *smiles* "Sure." brian: ..... Fyodor: *hums a song* -elsewhere- Kepuri: *looking through an old hard drive* nea: looking through some old stuff? Kepuri: *nods* "Wanted to see if there were any contacts I missed..." nea: oh? Kepuri: "You never know who is tracking and harassing old friends, and I haven't heard from some in a while." nea: ah, gotcha... Kepuri: "Ever see this one?" *pulls up a photo* nea: nah... Kepuri: "Damn it...More of us keep disappearing." -elsewhere- Gopher: "Oh! That looks really good!" kotone: *shiny eyes* Gopher: "Want one?" kotone: *nod nod* Gopher: *holds up two fingers* "Two cupcakes, please!" -elsewhere- Walter: ^^; "Kiddos...Um...Maybe you need to calm down a bit?" wilhelm: IM GONNA DIIIIIE!! DX> *he pinched his finger* george: ._.; Jakob: "GET ALL THE ICE!" *pushes George to the kitchen* george: -_-; Jakob: "Get a cold cloth! It's at the sink! Wet it!" *dragging a chair to the fridge* george: ok! ok! *turns on the sink and sticks a hand in....it vanishes into the water* ._. um... Jakob: *shoves frozen meat aside, then ice cream--* "...HOLD UP!" *takes the ice cream out* "For later~!" *goes back to pulling out ice cube trays* "Got the cloth, George?" george: *pulls out hand* um. yeah! Jakob: *grabs the ice cubes and ice cream carton* "Then let's go!" *heads back to Wilhelm* george:... (just now...what was....) -elsewhere- Yumi: "Any new black blood locations?" nygus: thankfully not. Yumi: "What about the earlier site?" nygus: it seems to have lessened... Yumi: "What caused it in the first place? Any potential kishins discovered?" nygus: it's still under investigation. Yumi: "I'll review the files, see if I can spot something..." -elsewhere- Magaki: "--so I want books. Other books." tsubaki: ok. what kind? Magaki: "Hmm...History?" tsubaki: ok. ^^ -elsewhere- Kyoka: "Feel better?" sylvia: *sniff* y-yeah.. Kyoka: *pats her back* "Did you...want to see any of them?" sylvia: i-i guess so...n-none of them were p-particularly cruel to me.... Kyoka: "..." ("But why would they let her be hurt so long...") "Even those kids?" sylvia: i-im s-s-sure they...meant no real harm... Kyoka: "Did you get to play with them?" sylvia: s-s-sometimes... Kyoka: "...That's good. It's important to get to play with people around your age...And Walter seemed nice." sylvia: y-yeah... Kyoka: "But that Kafka man seemed irritable. And Naomi was grossed out from the encounter." sylvia: .... Kyoka: "...Can this man, Goethe, be trusted?" sylvia: i-i think so... Kyoka: "...Then that's good enough for now." *smiles* sylvia:...*faint smile* r-right... Kyoka: "Want to play?" sylvia: w-what did you h-have in mind? Kyoka: "Whatever you want. We could play basketball." sylvia: i-i dont know how to play... Kyoka: "I can show you. You just have to toss a ball into the air to get it into a hole high up above." sylvia: o-ok.... Kyoka: "I'll get the ball from the closet--" *opens it...and it's a mess* "..." sylvia: ._. -elsewhere- sonia: *drawing* Q: *glances at her drawing* "Got any red crayon?" *drawing as well* sonia: *hands him one* here. -she's drawing several people in the mafia, including herself, Q, chuuya, gin, higuchi, motojiro, leo, and rain- Q: "Thanks." *he's drawing Zoey and Aya* "..." sonia:....she was the nurse, back underground, right? Q: *nods* "My new mommy." sonia: ....when i came out of the tube, she told me she was my mother....but i knew she was lying....*points to rain in the picture* this is my mommy. i see her in my dreams sometimes... Q: "The lady secretary?" sonia: *she nods* she died...the demon hurt her a lot. Q: "..." *nods* "I saw the damage..." sonia: ..... Q: "...Does Chuuya miss her?" sonia: *she nods* sometimes i can hear him crying at night because he misses her so much. Q: "...That's really sad." sonia:...*nod* Q: "Do you think he'll stay alone?" sonia:.... Q: "Like, date anyone else?" sonia:...i dont think so... Q: "..." *sad sigh* sonia:..... Q: "Love sucks." sonia:...*pap pap* Q: T~T "I haven't seen Aya, and I've been here for a whole, like, four days..." sonia:....do you like this person? Q: "With all my heart!" sonia: why do you like her? Q: =\\\w\\\= "She's pretty and feisty..." sonia: ....she kind of looks like grandma's photos of papa...he had the same kinda hair... Q: "...Huh...Really?" sonia: i can ask grandma to show us. Q: "Okay!" -elsewhere- Yukio: *wearing a party hat, seated in front of a tray of cupcakes and a wrapped gift* "..." Rin: *shiny eyes* kyouko: ta-dah! shiemi: ^^ Yukio: "...What's the occasion? It's not our birthday." kyouko: you've been working really hard, and we wanted to show our appreciation. Yukio: "..." *nods* "That is very kind..." -elsewhere- Black Star: "Hey, kids!" becky: hey uncle star. Black Star: "..." *looks at Soul, whispers* " 'Uncle'!" soul: *small smile* Damon: "..." Black Star: "What you two up to today?" becky: homework mostly. Black Star: "Oh, you started class?" Damon: "..." *looks down* becky: yeah. Black Star: "How's the teacher?" becky: she's nice. Damon: "..." soul:.... *pap pap* Damon: *shudders* "I-I don't know..." becky: *pap pap* Damon: "It-It's fine...I don't know..." -elsewhere- Kafka: *walking up the street, holing a stack of papers* ango: *also walking* Kafka: "...Hello." ango: *nod* Kafka: "You are Ango Sakaguchi, correct?" ango: who's asking? Kafka: "An ability user." ango: .... -elsewhere- Katai: *outside the door to the Agency* Q____Q naomi: oh, katai. come on in. Katai: "Is-Is it alright? We don't mean to impose..." *he's holding his futon* naomi: its fine. ^^ Katai: *enters* "Where is everyone?" naomi: doing work and stuff. -elsewhere- Rin: *pats his belly* "So good." =w= Yukio: *dabs his mouth with a napkin* "...Thank you." shiemi: ^^ kyouko: oh, and happy birthday, shiemi. Yukio: "..." ._. Rin: "..." .__. shiemi: thanks, kyouko. ^^; Yukio: "... ..." ("...Keep calm...You can still get a gift...") Rin: (*loud internal panic noises*) -elsewhere- Ivan: *whistling* lydia: <who has lunch duty?> Gogol: <What shall I prepare? Caviar? Pizza bagels? Flan?> lydia: <whatever we have on hand> Gogol: *opens the cupboard* "...Sardines and peanut butter." lydia: ..... *sigh* elizaveta: *raises hand* Gogol: ^w^ "Yes, Elizaveta?" elizaveta: can i go get some? Gogol: "Okay, but bring a weapon." -elsewhere- Kyoka: *holding ice to a basketball-shaped bruise* sylvia: Q____Q Kyoka: "It's okay. Games sometimes have injuries..." sylvia: i-im sorryyyy... Kyoka: "..." *pat pat* "Apology accepted." sylvia: *sniff* Kyoka: "..." *hands her a tissue* "It's okay..." -elsewhere- elizaveta: *returning with groceries and crashes out on the floor asleep* Gogol: "???" *looks at Lydia, quietly* <Put the groceries away...> *picks up Elizaveta carefully* elizaveta: zzzzz lydia: *nods* Gogol: *carries her to her bed* elizaveta: =w= Gogol: *tucks her in* elizaveta: ..... Gogol: *looks at the nightstand--and spots a doll* "..." *picks it up, tucks it with Elizaveta* elizaveta: *hugging leila* =w= Gogol: *smooths her hair away from her forehead* elizaveta: zzzz Gogol: *forehead kiss* <Good night...> -elsewhere- Kepuri: *staring at her screen* "..." {Kepuri: "What's on the agenda?"} {akaderu: *shrug* i dunno...} {Kepuri: *groans* "So boring...Hardly the best use of a genius mind like mine..."} {akaderu: *grunt of reply*} {Kepuri: "..." -3- "Anything going on with you?"} {akaderu: other than a general lack of motivation, not much} {Kepuri: "..." *pat pat* "Hang in there. It has to get better..."} {akaderu:....*tiny blush*} {Kepuri: "..." *looks away* "If you need motivation, I got a task for you." *shoves a file to him* "It-It's another Dokeshi Hunt thug to monitor..."} {akaderu: .....} Kepuri: *staring at the file...It's Yohei's* chie: whats up? Kepuri: "Not much." *switches windows, smiles at Chie* "Just looking through old stuff." chie: ah. -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *pulls over* "..." emily: zzzz twain: zzzzz -baum siblings are asleep as well- Steinbeck: *parks* "..." Heminigway: *sipping coffee* *whispers* "We staying here?" Steinbeck: *nods* Hemingway: *nudges Baum* baum: nghugh? Hemingway: "We're here. Help me get the others inside." -elsewhere- Jakob: "IS MY BROTHER GOING TO LIVE?!" Walter: ^^; "Of course." wilhelm: all better now. ^^ Jakob: *sad ugly tears as he hugs Wilhelm* T~T george: ^^;..... ....... Walter: "How you holding up, G?" george: f-fine...*looks at their hand* Walter: "...Oh! You stare at your hand, too?" george: i-im fine. just thinking.. ^^; Walter: "...About why we have ten fingers instead of 12?" george: um... Jakob: " 'Cause your hands would look bigger!" *playfully pats a hand on Wilhelm's cheek* wilhelm: =n=; bro please. george: ^^; -elsewhere- Kafka: "And that's what we can provide, for now." ango: hmm.. what do you think, mr taneda? Taneda: "..." *slides a paper to Ango* "Fukuzawa already had a similar discussion." ango: hmm... Taneda: "From all feedback, this sounds like an alliance worth considering. I will issue a recommendation above me." Kafka: *nods* ango: ? Taneda: "Ango, please see Mr. Kafka out." *holds out his hand to Kafka* "We'll speak soon." Kafka: *shakes his hand* Taneda: *turns, leaves* Kafka: "..." *whips out antibacterial wipes, wipes thoroughly* >_< ango: -_.-; Kafka: *finishes...sighs* "Aaah..." *looks at Ango* "...What? I like to be neat and tidy." ango: i get you there. *adjusts glasses* Kafka: "... ... ...Tell me. Did you encounter someone named Dazai?" ango: *tenses* yes. he's-....an old friend. why do you ask? Kafka: "Hmm. He does not seemed well liked. Even among his allies." ango: .... Kafka: "Why do people work with him?" ango: despite his many shortcomings, he has proven himself a skilled tactician. Kafka: "Ah. So, crafty." ango: precisely. Kafka: "Still, his behavior is erratic. He even approached one of our members for a suicide pact." ango: that sound like classic him. Kafka: "As for the other Agency members...they seem reliable. They are tending to one of our former members." ango: is that right? Kafka: "Yes...You have an ability?" ango: yes. Kafka: "Then you can imagine what it feels like to be under threat for who we are." ango:.... Kafka: "...There are those who would hurt us, even those who are ability users." ango: so i've heard... Kafka: "And what do you plan to do about it?" ango:....still figuring that out... -elsewhere- Kid: "We're home!" lord death: welcome back. ^^ kirika: yo. Kid: "How was your visit?" kirika:..it went well. *wipes eyes* Kid: "..." *pat pat* kirika: =//,//= Yumi: "..." *group hug* lord death: ^////^ Kid: ^\\\^; shiori: bubu! ^o^ Yumi: *picks up Shiori* "Hug your sister?" kirika *tiny awkward hug* shiori: yay! Yumi: ^w^ -morning- Sakuya: *yawns* *stretches* naho: zzzzz Sakuya: "..." *brushes a hand over her forehead* naho: =w= Sakuya: *forehead smooch* -at school- Kuro: *flipping mindlessly through the book* "..." mahiru: *taking notes* Stein: "As your guest lecturer, I'm here to introduce you to the challenges that await you at this academy." hitomi: *listening* Stein: "We begin with a serious one..." *takes out a cage, which has an aye-aye bat inside* Aye-Aye: OwO;;;; Stein: *sneers* "With vivisection..." Kuro: "!!!" mahiru: im sorry what? hitomi: O-O;;; -chop- nygus: no. Stein: >_< "Hmph. Fine, we'll save that for an extracurricular..." *puts the Aye-Aye away* Aye-Aye: =w=;;;;; mahiru: ._.; Kuro: "So annoying...What are we learning anyway?" Stein: "We can move onto a demonstration of battle..." hitomi: ... Stein: "Come in." *The door is kicked open* madoka: ^-^; Kuro: "??? A sailor scout?" hitomi *waves to madoka, smiling* madoka: *smiles back* Arthur: *holding his hilt* "Is this where warriors demonstrate their mettle in combat?" nygus: yes, this is battle demonstration, yes Arthur: *charges up Excalibur* "Then I will hold nothing back, mage [Madoka]." madoka: *nods and takes her bow out* -she also put a barrier up to keep the students from being harmed- Arthur: *swings his blade along the floor towards Madoka* madoka: *jumps up and fires 3 shots* Arthur: *dodges* "Impressive..." *runs past them, leaps up--and swings* madoka: *dodges to the left* Arthur: *swings his leg under her* madoka: *jump and kick to the face* Arthur: "UMPH!" *falls back, swinging his sword--slicing into the floor* hitomi: *watching, nervous* Arthur: "KNIGHTLY LIGHTNING STRIKE!" -elsewhere- Yohei: "Mono, you busy?" mono: *doing homework* Yohei: "??? Okay...Guess you're busy..." mono:..whats up? Yohei: "I wanted to check how things were going." mono:...alright i guess. Yohei: *nods* "Keeping up on homework even while working at the cafe?" mono: yeah. Yohei: "...Need any help with the homework?" mono: just this one. *points to a problem* Yohei: *reads it* "Oh. It's cosine's? I can help with that..." mono: *nod* Yohei: "So it's a right triangle...and the smaller angle is 60 degrees. That means you write the equation 'adjacent side divided by hypothenuse'..." mono: right... Yohei: "We know the adjacent side is 'x,' and the hypotenuse is 20, so we are solving for x...You got your scientific calculator?" mono: hold on... -elsewhere- Rin: ^^; "All forgiven?" shiemi: i wasnt exactly mad at you guys. but i do appreciate it. ^^ izumo: 7-7 Rin: "And you get to go with Stocking, Seiya, Shura--" *spots Izumo* "Polka Brows--" izumo: =_=# shiemi: and what are you guys gonna do? Rin: "Camping! Male bonding! Reaffirm the chains of friendship!" konekomaru: ^^; Bon: =^= "Who said I was going?" konekomaru: ? Bon: "Some of us have studying to do--" konekomaru: im sure it wouldnt hurt. izumo: yeah, letting loose wouldnt kill you, you know. Bon: -___- "You too, Kamiki? Don't you have work to catch up on?" izumo: i already did it. Bon: "D-Don't try to show me up!" >_< izumo: *smirk* Bon: "..." >\\\\> "I'm not getting roped up into any dumb during this camping--" Rin: "Super!" *arm around his shoulder* "We're doing so much stupid stuff!" Bon: -_____-# -elsewhere- Leroux: *hanging up paper lanterns* hans: *dusting shelves* Kafka: *re-enters--carrying a plastic shopping bag* "I have returned." hans: welcome back. Kafka: "Hello. I met with the governmental agency." hans: and how did it go? Kafka: "They seemed amenable. I expect we will receive confirmation within days." hans: ah... Kafka: *takes out a jar of jelly beans* *nods* *opens it* "..." *starts munching* *nom nom nom--* etta: hi guys~ Leroux: "Hello~!" Kafka: O\\\\O "GRK--" *swallows hard* hans: *gives him the Heimlich* Kafka: *coughs up a mess of jelly beans* "Th-Thanks..." etta: you ok, franzy? Kafka: "I AM NORMAL!" O\\\\O etta: ovo~? Leroux: ^w^; "Franz brought us candy!" Kafka: "?!!!" wilhelm: OuO Jakob: "Really?!" Kafka: *growling low at Leroux* "Who told you this was okay...?" Leroux: *smirks* "You'll thank me~" etta: aww, how sweet. ^u^ Kafka: "..." .\\\\\. "I was nothing..._IT_ was nothing..." >\\\< etta: *giggle* Leroux: ^w^ Jakob: *munching on a chocolate bar* "George, grab them!" Kafka: "..." *offers Etta chocolate* etta: *nom* george: um....thanks? Kafka: "..." *nods* "Of course..." goethe: ....at least share some with me. -elsewhere- Toby: *pawing at papers about Etta and Leroux* eckleburg: *picks him up and puts him in his little bed* *pet pet* Toby: -_-; *soft fox purr, before shifting under blanket* -elsewhere- tatsuya: *writing things down* Damon: "..." teacher:....mr evans? Damon: "...Wh-What?" teacher: is everything alright? Damon: "..." *nods* "I'm sorry." teacher: well, try to pay attention, alright? Damon: "..." *stares at a blank sheet of paper--moves his hand to grab his pencil--and accidentally knocks it to the floor* "..." boy: shhh. -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *sits up in bed...* twain: *halfway off his bed asleep* Steinbeck: "..." *sighs* *gets out, goes to Twain, tries to nudge him back into his bed* twain: *snore* thank you mr davis, you saved my life. again. Zzzzz Steinbeck: "??? ..." *tucks him in* dorothy: morning... Steinbeck: "???" *turns* "Hey..." dorothy: couldnt sleep. Steinbeck: "Sorry...Want to get some water?" dorothy:...*nods* Steinbeck: *opens the cooler they brought with them, takes out two bottles of water* "Cheers." dorothy: *siiiip* thanks mr steinbeck. Steinbeck: *smiles* "You're welcome. Were you hungry at all?" dorothy: i'll eat later. Steinbeck: "...Anything on your mind?" dorothy: *shrug* big bro's probably gonna want pancakes. Steinbeck: "Do you like pancakes?" dorothy: i guess. Steinbeck: "...What kind of foods do you like?" dorothy: ..... Steinbeck: "..." *sips water* "...I like a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” dorothy:.....sure. Steinbeck: *smiles* "I'm going to make one. I think we still have some bread left over..." dorothy: ok. Steinbeck: *gets to work* "..." ("Wonder why she's this quiet...") "Wish the rest of us could sleep as soundly as that guy..." *thumbs at Twain* twain: *leg twitch and dopey grin* dorothy: .... Steinbeck: *finishes, cuts it in half, holds up a half to her* dorothy:... *nom* Steinbeck: ^^ "I remember we used to make jelly...And preserves." dorothy: was it nice? Steinbeck: *nods* "Until one of the kids flung a spoonful of grape jelly at my face..." ^^; dorothy: yikes. Steinbeck: "It's all in fun--you know how kids are." dorothy: yeah, seeing as i still am one, sorta... Steinbeck: "...And a kid deserves to have fun, with whatever time they have." dorothy:....are they nice? Steinbeck: "Most part, yeah!" *takes out his wallet, holds up a photo* dorothy: *examines the photos* ... *The photographs show Steinbeck tending to the kids since babies...They look happy* dorothy:...you seem to be a good brother. Steinbeck: "...Thanks. That means a lot..." *studies her face* -she seems to be thinking about something- Steinbeck: "Still thinking?" dorothy: yeah... Steinbeck: "What about?" dorothy: my brother. our family. Steinbeck: "...How is he doing?" dorothy: right now he's still asleep. -elsewhere- Kid: *walking through the DWMA halls* kirika: *sneaking up* Kid: *comes to a stop* kirika: *ducks behind locker* Kid: *looks left to right...then keeps walking* kirika: *runs up and blows an airhorn at his ear* Kid: O_________O *leaps up--and doesn't descend* kirika: 8\ *looks up* *There is a Kid-shaped hole in the ceiling...and the floor above...and the floor above...all the way to the roof* kirika:.... *snaps a pic* Kid: *in the sky, clinging to Beelzebub like a cat to a ceiling fan* Q~Q -elsewhere- Justin: "I have to run an errand...Did you want to stay?" oriko: *nod* Justin: "Okay. Don't let anyone you don't know in..." oriko: ok. Justin: "And I can bring back something from the grocery if you want. Any requests?" oriko: im alright. Justin: *nods, grabs his tote bag and keys, opens the door* oriko: be safe. Justin: *smiles, nods* "Thank you." *closes and locks the door* -elsewhere- Steinbeck: "Zzz..." emily: *driving* Hemingway: "He seems really worn out." twain: he was up pretty early. Hemingway: "??? Must've been a good reason, I hope." -elsewhere- Kepuri: "Remember this?" akaderu: ?? Kepuri: One of the files we had while investigating..." *it's Yohei* akaderu: oh yeah... Kepuri: "...A lot has changed." akaderu: yeah...*hug* Kepuri: "!!! ..." *hug* =\\\\= akaderu: love you, babe. Kepuri: "Love you, too..." *squeeze* -elsewhere- Chuuya: *tapping the walls* naoya: ?? Chuuya: "...Which other surveillance devices did the Agency keep here?" naoya: hmm, my ability doesnt work on any cameras, just living beings. Chuuya: "After the last infiltration, I want to go through the building more carefully...May need some tech help." naoya: no dice with keek. she's pretty much cut ties with the mafia after...y'know. Chuuya: "..." *nods* "Kajii and his assistant?" naoya: *shrug* bleeeegh it sucks we cant go out hiring people right now. Chuuya: "Yeah... ..." *kicks the wall* naoya: 0-0 Chuuya: "This is awful...Just..." naoya:....*pap pap* Chuuya: "..." *sniff* naoya:.... Chuuya: "This shouldn't be like this..." naoya: yeah...damn those rats... Chuuya: "...When we find Fyodor...We're stopping this." naoya:...well we know he's in prison, but are we really about to break _in_ to prison? Chuuya: "If you think he's staying in there...No. He won't. So we need to find him as soon as he makes his escape." naoya:...right. -elsewhere- soul: have fun today? Becky: "It was alright. Kind of dull." Damon: "..." soul: i see....so, i made a call to the therapist today. Damon: "?!" Becky: "...Why?" soul: ...to help you feel better. *smile* Becky: *small frown* Damon: "...How? What would they want?" soul: they'd talk to you about how you're feeling, and maybe find a way to make you feel better. Damon: "Really?" Becky: "...That's all?" soul: yep. that's all. dont worry, i'll go with you. Damon: "...Okay." Becky: "..." *nods* -elsewhere- Walter: *reading emails* "Mom's doing well!" hans: glad to know. *smiles* Walter: ^w^ Kafka: *putting files away* "..." hans: ...so how about you, leroux? any news from your sister? Leroux: *sighs* "Little good, I'm afraid." etta: oh no! D:> Leroux: "..." *nods* "He keeps himself locked away..." etta: ... Leroux: "...He's incredibly morose." hans: i could imagine... Leroux: "...I don't know what help is available." hans: he is in psychiatric, isnt he? Leroux: *nods* "But is that enough?" hans: .... etta: *hug* TT^TT Leroux: *hug* T~T Kafka: "..." >_> *awkward pat on Leroux's shoulder* -elsewhere- Lily: "How are things?" mahiru: they've been well. Kuro: *nom nom nom* Lily: "Excellent! We'll have to celebrate your admittance before your have midterms~" mahiru: aww, thanks. misono: it's the least we can do. -elsewhere- Rin: "All packed!" kyouko: you guys be safe, you hear? Yukio: "...Right." Rin: "Not a problem! Even got bug repellent!" kyouko: *nod* Yukio: "What about the tent?" Rin: "...I'll be right back." *goes back to his room* kyouko: ...^^; Yukio: "You'll hold down the fort while we're out?" kyouko: you bet. Yukio: "And keep up with homework." kyouko: i know. Yukio: "And keep an eye on Father. And bring in the trash, water the plants, patrol the perimet--" kyouko: got it all in here. *points to her head* i've been doing this for years now. Yukio: "...Right. Sorry." Rin: "I got it!" *holds up his 3DS* Yukio: "...Rin. Tent." Rin: "...Oh!" *runs back* kyouko: *sweatdrop* Yukio: "Maybe I should put Post It Notes on him..." kyouko: *chuckles* -elsewhere- yana: *doing some browsing* Ivan: "???" yana: <just looking up some stuff.> Ivan: <Anything interesting?> yana: <i did find this one website. death city rumor file> Ivan: <Any juicy material?> yana: <well, i found a bit of info regarding that shibusawa person.> Ivan: <Best keep it away from Gogol, then...> ^^; yana: <well it wouldnt be much, because this only gives me like, three facts about them. number 1, do you recall the 'dragon's head rush' incident?> Ivan: *nods* yana: <apparently this shibusawa person was the mastermind behind that, at least according to this.> *shrugs* <number 2, they're called 'the collector'. not sure why that is. and number 3, and this is speculation mind you, they are theorized to have connection to the rumor of the white eyed princess of the mysterious tower.> Ivan: <That old tale?> yana: *nods* <wasnt that one of the rumors pushkin's sister and uncle were investigating? then again, they research a lot of urban legends and stuff like that, so...> Ivan: <...It was probably just a tall tale.> yana: <maybe> .... *updating the file* <but i at least have all the profiles up to date.> Ivan: <Master will be so pleased~> yana: *nod* ...... Ivan: <Any additional information?> yana: <at the moment, nothing...> *sigh* <actually, i did find something. info on one of the boss's subgroups, 'the angels of decay'. we know the boss and kolya are part of it, but the info on the other 3 members is password protected.> Ivan: <...Try 'Ivan'?> yana: <tried that, didnt work. i've asked the boss, and he told me to figure it out myself.> *grooooan* <dont get me wrong, i do respect him as our leader, but does he have to be so damn cryptic all the damn time?> Ivan: <Adds to the mystique~> yana: ... Gogol: <What you talkin' about?> yana: 0-0 *clicks out of the angels of decay file....which returns to the rumor file page on shibusawa* (SHIT) Gogol: O\\\\\\\O "..." *faints* yana:.... -_-; <unprofessional.> -elsewhere-