#i really hated the grif i drew before

[iababa]

[rubykgrant]

(I’ve posted bits of this before, but I’ve changed things slightly, so I figured what the heck- here is the entire dancing in the park chapter of Grif and Simmons trying to have a real date like normal people~)

“So, where are we going?” Simmons asked, unsure of what to expect.

“It’s right over there…” Grif nodded in the direction he wanted them to go.

This was an interesting park; it had different areas, some flat and open grass for people who wanted to start a game where they kicked a ball around, some filled with flower beds surrounding fountains and benches, some almost like taking a walk in the woods under towering pine and oak trees.

Grif’s destination was down a little brick walkway, where there was a courtyard that overlooked a ledge, with hanging plants growing up metal garden arbors.

Simmons came right along, letting Grif lead the way. As they passed under the arch of leaves and flowers, Grif glanced at his boyfriend’s face, and was satisfied to see an expression of bright interest (he was hoping for this reaction, because this area of the park was like stepping into a scene from a fairytale… it was easier to let yourself get all sentimental and romantic when the person you were with appreciated it).

Together, they walked to the stone railing, and looked down. Far below them was a field with several small gazebos, and one large amphitheater. It was there that drew Simmons’ attention, because a group of musicians and performers had gathered. Grif’s attention was still on him… the way he looked in the soft evening light, the way the gentle breeze was sweeping his hair across his forehead, the way he was smiling like an excited kid. All kinds of fond feelings twisted in Grif’s chest… he was starting to enjoy having butterflies so often.

“How did you find this place?” Simmons asked.

“Well, while you were off having your family crisis, and I was dealing with being super extra depressed, um… Sarge actually started forcing me to go on walks with him in the morning,” now that WAS a little embarrassing, but Grif’s done trying to put up a front anymore. “And don’t start apologizing again, I’m not telling you this to guilt-trip you. Anyway, he was making me walk around outside with him, something about how I’d get bed-sores and start growing fungus if I just stayed in bed forever, and one time we found this little corner of the park. I started coming back here on my own in the evenings, because it’s kind of a cool spot. Back then I thought about how, like… if I got to hang out with you again, I’d want to show it to you… so yeah. Here we are,”

Simmons listened intently as Grif talked, and held back his urge to say how sorry he was… he still hated himself a little for the way things happened. This moment wasn’t about all that, though; this was about Grif wanting to share something with Simmons, and he was NOT going to ruin it with left-over shame. Instead, he gave Grif’s hand a gentle squeeze with his own organic one. All that stressful crap was over. He wasn’t going to let his family hurt him again. He wasn’t going to leave Grif like that again, either. They were finally together, they were on their first real date, and Grif was being so sweet…

All those feelings about regret fell away, and Simmons leaned against the railing, a helpless dreamy expression on his face as he smiled at Grif. He couldn’t do anything to stop it, so he didn’t even try. Grif smiled back, and seemed to understand that they were BOTH absolutely stupid for each other… they always had been, but now they could do something about it. Simmons tilted his head forward, and Grif met him halfway for a soft kiss.

“Thanks for bringing me here. This was a really great day, Grif…” Simmons said when they leaned apart.

“Oh, we’re not done just yet,” Grif told Simmons as he blinked his eyes open. “Wait a sec…”

It had finally gotten dark enough, here in the shadows of nearby tall buildings, for the lights to flicker on; several lamp posts began to glow around them, and down at the amphitheater, music started to play. It was an unknown tune, but something grand and soothing, slow without being like a lullaby.

“This is why I wanted to bring you here for a first date,” Grif elaborated, slowing stepping backwards from the railing and into the middle of the courtyard, bringing Simmons with him. “You never got to have an awkward date at a lame school dance. So, that’s what’s happening dude. We’re dancing!”

“Haha, oh my GOD! You- you really planned this?” Simmons stumbled as Grif yanked him closer, laughing the whole time.

“That’s right! I told you, I wanna be all your first-date-experiences, and that includes doing the slow-dance-shuffle,” Grif grinned.

“What, exactly, is the slow-dance-shuffle?”

“It’s the thing little middle-schoolers do when they don’t know how to dance yet, they just kinda hug and shuffle their feet, so they rock in a circle. Don’t worry, it’s easy…” Grif wrapped his arms around Simmons as the music swelled, growing louder. “And unlike middle-schoolers, we don’t have to worry about teachers and chaperones telling us to leave room for Jesus while we dance!”

Simmons almost fell down from laughing, leaning all his weight into Grif. A moment passed with them both giggling before they finally managed to compose themselves.

Now, Grif settled his hands on Simmons’ waist, warm and comforting. Simmons loved it whenever he felt Grif touch him… on his back, his arms, his chest… the times Grif affectionately holds his face… Simmons can’t believe he spent so many years NOT feeling Grif’s hands all over him. He can’t get enough.

Simmons slipped his own hands up to rest on Grif’s shoulders, and Grif pressed their bodies together. This wasn’t going to be a fancy waltz or anything complicated… just the slow-dance-shuffle. Unlike most REAL first-date dances, this was intimate and comfortable, close and cozy. It also wasn’t taking place in a school gym decorated with balloons and streamers; they were in their own little corner right here, flowers draped above them, pleasant lights illuminating the area, and beautiful music playing… it was utterly ROMANTIC, and Grif was very proud of himself for pulling it all together.

“You know, one of the schools I went to, they made us do dancing for PE,” Simmons said as they shuffled.

“Ha, so did mine. It was square-dancing for some reason,” Grif replied.

“Me too, but they also made us do ballroom dancing. Which looks stupid as hell in gym clothes,” Simmons grimaced at the memory.

“Oh shit, like actual proper ballroom dancing?” Grif winced as well. That sounded emotionally painful.

“Yep. It was so ridiculous, because we’d do it after running laps, so the kids were all sweaty, and nobody wanted to touch each other. Not exactly fun,”

“What about this? Right now?” Grif asked with a smile.

“Yeah… this is fun,” Simmons agreed.

“Good. I wanted today to be fun, but y’know, special too. That’s why I said we should dress-up a little nice, and why I wanted to do all the things we like together. We don’t get a lot of chances for special things to happen to us, so I decided I was going to MAKE this happen. We deserve to have a goddamn LOVELY TIME at least once in our lives, right?” Grif gave Simmons an extra little squeeze around his waist.

“I’m so lucky to have you with me…” Simmons sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head rest against Grif’s.

“Excuse you, I’m the lucky one,” Grif responded, nuzzling his face closer.

“Nuh-uh, I’M the lucky one!” Simmons argued.

“No, Me!”

“No, Me!”

They attempted to drown each other out by both shouting “ME ME ME ME ME!” before dissolving into laughter once again, which then slowly faded as they kissed. They hummed and continued to sway, moving slowly in a circle… dancing. Simmons was dancing with his boyfriend. They were boyfriends, and they were dancing. What an extraordinary thing. People did things like this every day, but that didn’t lessen the feeling that it was special. Perhaps it even confirmed it.

Eventually, they heard the music end and the crowd below applaud. They stopped dancing then, just hugging and holding each other for a while. A gust of wind made the flowers and leaves rustle pleasantly around them, and brought the sweet floral scent from other areas of the park in the air; some mixture of lilacs, honeysuckle, daffodils, roses, iris, pink ladies, wisteria, and more. This was, undeniably, a lovely time.

Without speaking out loud, the two seemed to decide to walk back to the car. Because of the tall trees and surrounding buildings from the city, the park was now a patchwork of dark shadows and warm light; the setting sun was still burning brightly in the sky, and wherever it's glow touched, the world turned to gold and deep shades of red. Where the light was blocked, everything became cooler colors, a combination of blues/greens/purples. As both men walked, in and out of the sun and shadows, it was almost like stepping through different seasons at different times of day (summer in the late afternoon, winter just before dawn).

Once back in the car, Grif explained that he had just one more little surprise before their date was over.

[jokerfan99]

Insult to Injury (RWBY/RVB) by Necroceph

*RVB Opening Theme*

On the Blue Base's roof

Church: The fuck are they doing over there?

He's right, what on Earth are the Red's doing. Through his rifle's scope, he sees the Reds building something on their roof what appears to be, a signboard?! First the stink formula, now this? Who's giving them these stupid ideas anyway? Hey don't look at me, I'm just the narrator!

Caboose: Hello!

Out of the blue, no pun intended, Caboose pops up into Church's view.

Church: Aaaaah! Goddammit, don't scare me like that! Caboose: Sorry. Whatcha watching? Church: Check this out.

Church gives Caboose a peak through the scope.

Church: I don't know what they're building, but it looks like a signboard. Caboose: Signboard? Aww, not another highway advertisement! Church: Who knows what they're using it for. My guess is Sarge just wanted to write something to mock us, that's for sure. Caboose: Or maybe they're planning to advertise their products so that they can earn a quick profit. Church: What? Who the fuck would be buying their junk? Not us of course. Caboose: Maybe Sangheili's passing by in the atmosphere? Church: Guess we'll have to find out ourselves. By the way, what are you doing up here? Caboose: Oh right! I'm here to tell you that Weiss is awake! Hooray! Church: It's about time that Ice Queen wakes up. Here take the rifle, I'm going to have word with her. Caboose: Uhm, Church, what about me? Church: I don't know just... spy on the Red's construction I guess. Call me out if anything new comes up.

At the Blue Base, Weiss' Room

I'm never going near another trash bin for a week. Weiss thought to herself as she takes another sip of her coffee, specially prepared by none other than Kaikaina. Weiss gotta hand it to the Grif, this is one hell of a caffeine.

Kaikaina: You want Dr. Kai to get you some meds? Weiss: No no, I'm perfectly fine. No need to concern yourselves over me. I've been through worse situations before. Tucker: Schnee, you passed out since yesterday! I doubt you're still fine. Kaikaina: Yeah. Plus you even puke while you slept. Weiss: I beg your pardon? Kaikaina: Nothing!

The door opens as Church enter to see Weiss fully recovered from her sixteen hour coma.

Church: Good to see the Snow White has awaken from her deathly slumber. Tell me, did the 'Prince of the Holy Sword' kiss you? Tucker: Wha-? No way I wouldn't do that while a chick's old cold! Though I would if she wants to... do you, baby?

SMASH!!!

Weiss hits Tucker with her mug, shattering it in the process. Even with his helmet on, he somehow felt the pain in the side of his head.

Tucker: OW! I was just saying! Weiss: At least learn how to shut that perverted mouth of yours, Lavernius! Hmph. Church: Not as perverted as suggesting a tight bikini wrestling match yesterday. Weiss: *shiver* Don't bring up that idea again. Tucker: So, Church. I'm guessing this isn't just to check up on her, is it? Church: Nope. In fact I'm here to talk about her fight with the Red yesterday. Tucker: Oh that one. Man it was awesome! Church: I'm not talking about that! From what I saw, she and that Red seem know each other. Is that right, Schnee?

Everybody turn their heads to Weiss.

Weiss: I don't want to talk about it. Church: Well too bad, we are going to talk about it whether you like it or not. So what were you two before, best friends? Tucker: Rivals? Kaikaina: Lovers?

Everybody looks at Kai.

Kaikaina: What, was I really the only one thinking that when they were fighting? Tucker: Speaking of lovers, were you two bisexu- Church: Shut the fuck up Tucker! Look just explain from the beginning, don't care how long, just say it. Weiss: ... Fine if that's to prevent you guys from asking me again and again in the future, so be it. Did I told you guys about the a military academy I studied at before I came to Blood Gulch? Everyone: No. Weiss: Of course. Anyways, me and... that girl, were for a lack for a better word, partners. Kaikaina: Hell yeah, I knew you guys were lovers! Church: She's not referring to that kind of 'partnership'! Weiss: Our relationship was somewhat great if you could say that. Not the brightest girls I know, but she was alright once you get to know her more. Kaikaina: Kinda reminds me of this girl I knew before coming here. Tucker: She a friend? Kaikaina: Nah we fucked, literally. Tucker: Woo baby! Weiss: Would you mind? Tucker: Sorry. Church: So how did your relationship go downhill? Weiss: Oh you would not believe what I've been through. One day, we were posted at this base on a planetoid as part of our final assignment. I think it's called Amity. Anyways the job was simple, follow your superior's orders and make sure no unathorized personal gets in. Everything was fine for the first week. Soldiers talking around, complaining about the weather, you name it. Tucker: Is it me, or does this story sounded familiar? Church: Shh! Weiss: Me and my partner weren't together most of the time there cause we were given two different orders. She patrols around the base while I sit in the server room, keeping away not only unauthorized intruders but 'undisciplined' hands as well. I mean who would be watching porn in a state of the art archive machine? Not only are they disgusting like Tucker,- Tucker: Hey! Weiss: -but they have arrogantly ignore their duties and- Church: Schnee? Hate to remind you but, this isn't a therapy session. Weiss: Sorry. Anyway, I kept away undisciplined hands from the server room.

Transition fade to flashback

Amity guard 01: Oh come on honey, just one download. Pleeeeaaaassee! Weiss: No. Amity guard 02: Look kid. There's nothing to do but standing around here and talk all day. Some of us have already died of boredom! Weiss: And since when did that happen, 'sir'? Amity guard 02: Uhm... last Tuesday. Weiss: That incident? He didn't die of boredom! He just slipped and broke his neck upon impact. Plus he's still alive! I can't believe you all here. You're supposed to be soldiers fighting for your government and still you act like conscripts from the past! Amity guard 01: Hey don't blame us, blame human nature.

And that's when the base shooked. Space pirates. One of the guards I talked to started panicking.

Amity guard 02: OH MY GOD, WE'RE BEING ATTACKED! WE'RE DOOMED!!!

Every guard in the room rushed out until the commander called me. He ordered me to collect all the data to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, so I did what I was told. Once I got the data, I was to rendezvous at the landing bays to be evacuated. On the way to the bay, I came across my partner along with some guy she's carrying over he shoulders.

Weiss: Ruby, what's going on? Ruby: I don't know! Some guys just came out of nowhere and start blowing up the place. Command ordered us to fight back before reinforcements arrive. Weiss: Well go and stop them. Ruby: We can't! These guys are heavily armed and we're loosing a lot of men! Our top priority now is getting everybody out of here! Weiss: Command's new orders? Ruby: Nope. Weiss: Then who's order is that? Ruby: Uhm... mine? Weiss: WHAT?! Ruby: Look just help us out and we'll explain to command later. Weiss: I can't, I have to get out of here! I'm carrying the base's data and is highly important that I evacuate immediately. Ruby: What?! What about everyone here? We can't just leave them to die here!

That's when I got shot in the arm. My partner started fighting the intruders back while I run off to the landing bays to keep the data safe. It was miracle the landing bay wasn't attacked yet and so I manage to escape safely. The data was secured but the base, not so much. We've lost half our men that day and everything stored there was either looted or destroyed.

Transition slide out of flashback

Tucker: So... what happened afterwards? Did you get a medal? Weiss: I did. They gave me a Colonial Cross for my bravery. But after what happenedback there... sigh... I didn't manage to get the scores I needed. THANKS TO HER THAT IS! Church: Is that why you're pissed at her? The scores? Weiss: You have no idea how important it was to get those scores and our pride! If she hadn't just followed her orders and stop those pirates. Things would've gone smoothly! But nooooooooooooo! She just had to disobey her orders and started evacuating people as many as possible. If she had rally them to fight instead, everything would've gone different! DAMN HER! I'M GLAD SHE DIDN'T GET A MEDAL OF HONOR! AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S WORST? SHE CALLED ME A DESERTER. DESERTER! I WAS ONLY DOING MY DUTY! ARRRGH! I'm sorry I got carried away again. Once I recovered my wounds, she renounced our partnership right at my face! Well that's good for me. Hmph! Church: *whistle* This is a lot like my relationship with Tex. So what will you do now that you and her saw one another? Weiss: Something I've should have done long after we split. DESTROY HER!

Weiss pulls off her most angry face, but not as fierce Ruby's demonic anger but still... *Suspenseful stinger music*

Weiss: Nonono, that method is just too simple. Hmmmmm... or maybe!... nonono, torture's too barbaric. Tucker: Wow she really is pissed with that Red. Church, if you're still pissed at Tex, would you guys try to forgive each other? Church: Yeah right! That bitch isn't the type of girl to say 'sorry' to anyone, even me! Kaikaina: Plus she's a Red. Tucker: And your brother? Kaikaina: Wha? I won't kill him. Weiss: But he's a Red. Caboose: Psst! Church?

Church hears Caboose's voice as everyone else were busy talking to each other. He turns to see the private peeking behind the door. Wonder why he isn't coming inside, no matter at least he may have some update on the Red's construction. He leaves the room and hears what Caboose has got to say.

Church: What's the update on the Reds? Caboose: Oh it's fine, but it's just... let's not let Weiss see it. Church: Why? Caboose: Well the thing is... do you know those times when teenagers drew something about their teacher just to mock them? Church: Yeah kids have become total assholes these days. Wait what does this got to do with the sign... Caboose:... Church: ...You're not saying what I think you're saying? Caboose: Weiss won't like it! She'll cry if she sees it! Church: Why would she cry... look wait here and give me back my sniper rifle. I'm going to take a look at it myself.

Church leaves Caboose and heads straight to the roof. With him gone, it's time for our beloved Caboose to check on Weiss.

Caboose: Hi, Weiss! Weiss: Hey, Michael. Where's Church? Caboose: Oh he just needed to take a potty. A potty! Hehehe. Weiss: At least he should tell before he left... so you're saying you won't kill your brother? Kaikaina: Duh we're family! If Mom finds out I shot him, I'd be in serious trouble. Tucker: How is she gonna find out? It's not like she's can hear her son's scream light years away, that's physically impossible. Kaikaina: Actually she can. Tucker: Wait she can- Caboose, you okay buddy? Caboose: What? Tucker: Dude, you're staring at the ceiling. Is there something wrong? Caboose: Nothing! Nothing involving the Reds and Weiss won't have to be devastated. Church from the roof: Pfft-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Caboose: Uh oh. Kaikaina: Holy shit! What is that?! Tucker: Giant hyenas? Weiss: As if! Get out, I need to change immediately!

On the Blue Base's roof

The Blues arrived to the scene to see Church collapsed on the floor. He is laughing uncontrollably like a madman from an asylum, why is he laughing? This put a lot of confusion to the Blues, except Caboose who knows what Church has seen at the Red Base.

Weiss: Church, what are you laughing at? Church: Oh Schnee, you're here. Hehehe... nothing to worry about, there's totally nothing to see... pfft! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HOHOHOHAHAAAAA!!! Tucker: Is Church alright? Caboose: Oh yes, he's alright! He's... uh... infected with laughing disease. Very contagious but not lethal. Tucker: Laughing disease? I've never heard of it before. Caboose: That's cause you're dumb!

Weiss, curious to see what's on the enemy base, take out her binos and see this signboard. To her disgust, the first thing she sees through the binos was a familiar red colored rifle and brunette hair look straight at her. Ruby is looking back at her. She lowers her gun to reveal her angry expression before pointing at something out of the bino's vision. Weiss zooms out and finally sees the 'so-called' signboard and something drawn on it. The first sight of it widened her eyes. It was a drawing her except... it doesn't match her beautiful petite physique. The drawing of her is an ugly round doodle with the writing, 'BIG FAT MEANIE' next atop. As if she really looks like that! Then there's another drawing of three stickmen with stink-lines above them, still being drawn by Donut, with the title friends is added above them. This must be represent Ruby, and her two other teammates. Oh my she's gone too far.

Caboose: Oh no. Weiss seen it. Tucker: Seen what? Church: Hahaha! Take a look.

Tucker looks through the sniper's scope and starts to instantly laughing upon seeing the signboard.

Tucker: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Big fat meanie! HAHAHAHAHA, that's priceless! Kaikaina: Big fat meanie? Let me see.

Kaikaina gets the same results.

Kaikaina: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Tucker: I know right? HAHAHAHA! Caboose: Uhm, guys? Weiss is still here. Church: HAHAHA- Son of a bitch. Tucker: HA- Oh fuck me. Kaikaina: HAHA- Whoops.

Weiss was standing still. She may have heard the commotion behind. The first thing that came in the Blues' head is Weiss screaming at them like the banshee she is till their ears popped and bleed. However to their relief she still keeps her composure.

Caboose: Weiss? Are you okay? Weiss: Get the rocket launcher. Caboose: Okay. Church: Hold on, what are you doing? Weiss: Giving her an example not to mess with me.

At the Red Base

Grif: Will you hurry up? This isn't Ancient Renaissance! Donut: Patience. Art need to be clean and refine, so you can't rush it. Grif: I doubt that's art. Sarge: This ought to give that psychological attack to that Blue. Once she sees this, the guilt will force into her and break her from the inside. Ruby: Thanks, Sarge. You didn't have to do this for me. Sarge: Ah don't mention it. And besides, what that Blue did is UNACCEPTABLE! Hehehe, I wonder what kind of reaction that Blue's going to get when she see this. Simmons: Sir. I think you take a look a this. Sarge: Looks like she's pissed off already.

Ruby and Sarge approached Simmons who had been looking at the Blue base. Simmons hand the rifle to Sarge and the rough Sargeant looks through the scope to see the results of the deserter. To his disappointment, Weiss hasn't gone barmy and it looks like she just fired a rocket... A ROCKET?!

Sarge: CRAZY COWBOY ON A NUCLEAR BOMB, GET DOWN!!!

Everybody ducked following a loud WHOOSH passing them by. That was close! Had that rocket hit the concrete, it would've cause a lot of dama- never mind. The drawing, which Donut had worked so much on, is now a large ripped hole!

Donut: NOOOOOOO!!! I haven't painted it yet! Ruby: GGRRRR... WEISSSS!!! Sarge: Dagnabbit, you destructive vandals! You may have spared the signboard but you should never have taken out the drawing!

Back at the Blue Base

That shot put a smile on Weiss. Sure the rocket didn't exploded as predicted, but at least the rocket got rid of the tarp.

Weiss: That's what you get, Rose. Okay so who's up for breakfast? Everyone but Church: Me!

Caboose, Tucker and Kaikaina rush down the stairs, leaving Weiss and Church alone on the roof.

Weiss: Did I just provoked the Reds and caused another attack? Church: Kind of, though I doubt most of them have the mood to attack today. Heh, you know you sure kinda remind me of Tex. Weiss: Who? Church: My girlfriend. The way you acted and talked is somewhat like her, except she more of a crazy bitch than you. Weiss: Girlfriend huh? I don't hear you talking to anyone through the lines. Church: That's cause she's dead. Weiss: Oh... I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to. Church: Nah it's alright. We broke up a long time ago. Sigh, I still miss our arguments. But enough of that, let's get some grub. So you can cook? Weiss: A bit. My butler back home taught me a thing or two about making steak. If you got the meat of course. Church: Well hate to break it you, but we only have canned food. Wait you're rich?! Weiss: Yeah but not the life you'd expect.

A/N: That's the end of this story arc, now that you know why Ruby and Weiss now hate each other. Sorry it couldn't be longer.

[bad-draft-stuff]

c. AU 10

look at this rate im just gonna caption every goddamn draft as ‘spoopy’

Arsé-kun: -Friday, November 5th- Sheepy: Bedi: Fou, did you know that you weren't anywhere in this cat book I read? You must be a unique cat! Doesn't that make you feel special? Arsé-kun: *Fou sniffs the book. Rubs against it. Sheds on it some more.* Sheepy: Bedi: Well... I suppose that's your way of saying you do. Sheepy: Bedi: I think you're the best kitty. But the mystery is... what kind of cat are you? Did you know other Fous before you met me? Arsé-kun: Fou: maow? Sheepy: Bedi: Thinking that you may have been all alone out there... It really makes me sad.. Arsé-kun: *Bedi gets headbutted* Sheepy: *Bedi pets Fou* Arsé-kun: *Fou approves* Sheepy: Bedi: I wonder... Maybe Aru's teacher knows what kind of cat you are. Maybe he'd be willing to answer. Arsé-kun: *Fou makes a cat sound. Great talk.* Arsé-kun: *Fou then does the cat thing where he just stares at nothing across the room. What'd you see, lil buddy?* Sheepy: *Bedi follows his gaze* Arsé-kun: *What'd I just say?? It's fuckin' nothing.* Sheepy: Bedi: There's nothing there... creepy. Sheepy: Bedi: Oh, King Arthur's a ghost. Maybe he can figure out what you're looking at...? Arsé-kun: *Fou cocks his head, stares, and then jumps off the sofa to investigate the wall behind the tv. Fou you don't belong back there* Sheepy: Bedi: F-Fou...?! Arsé-kun: Fou: Hao! Sheepy: *Some DVDs fall off the table! But nobody touched them...* Sheepy: Bedi: Um, Fou, you shouldn't be back there! Arsé-kun: *Fou was alarmed by the falling objects and hightailed it out of there. He knocked more dvds off the table getting back to Bedi. Thanks bud* Sheepy: Bedi: ?! Arsé-kun: *Fou is staring at the dvds like they were gonna bite him. Loud* Sheepy: Bedi: Um, it's okay, Fou! The DVDs won't hurt you! Arsé-kun: Fou: Mrrrrp. Sheepy: *The DVDs are moving by themselves and going back to their original spot...* Arsé-kun: Arthur: Pardon my intrusion, but what was that sound...? Sheepy: Bedi: You're very quick moving... The DVDs fell. I appreciate you picking them up. Sheepy: Bedi: Thank you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: .... I still struggle lifting solitary objects. Do not thank me-- I did not do that. Sheepy: Bedi:....?! Sheepy: Bedi: Then... Do you see anything by the TV? Arsé-kun rolled a die with 20 sides. The die showed: 20 Arsé-kun: Arthur: .... *he squints* There is definitely something there. I cannot make it out clearly... Sheepy: Bedi: I see... How unfortunate... Sheepy: *Whoever, or whatever, it is didn't like that revelation. The entity knocks over the DVDs again before leaving bloody claw marks on the wall! Pay attention to me!!* Arsé-kun: *Arthur "steps" back, briefly startled.* Arsé-kun: Arthur: If you can speak, it would be much more preferred if you did. Sheepy: *The entity pauses before beginning to scribble things on the wall!* Sheepy: Entity: [LOOK LooOk look LOOK] Arsé-kun: Arthur: We are looking. Go on. Sheepy: Entity: [YOU DIED YOU DIED YOU DIED YOU DIED] Sheepy: Entity: [YOU ALL DID] Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... I would disagree, as there is a living person in this room. Unless this is about something else. Do continue anyway. Sheepy: Entity: [YOU ABANDONED ME] Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... ... *he looks to Bedi* Sir, please leave for the time being. Take the cat. This may be personal. Sheepy: Bedi: Right. Sheepy: Bedi: Good luck. *He picks up Fou and leaves!* Sheepy: Entity: [YOU ALL ABANDONED ME] Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... I did not expect to die when I did. Sheepy: Entity: [LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR] Arsé-kun: Arthur: So you are suggesting I died intentionally? Why would I do such an inane thing, good sir? Sheepy: *There's a long pause before he starts to write again* Sheepy: Entity: [YOU KILLED THE QUEEN] Arsé-kun: Arthur: Pardon! I did have a lapse in judgement, but as far as I was aware, she was brought to safety! If something happened after my death, then how could I have done anything? Sheepy: Entity: *They pause before slowly beginning to write again* Sheepy: Entity: [GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY] Sheepy: Entity: [IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT] Sheepy: Entity: [I LOST MY EVERYTHING] Arsé-kun: Arthur: Fine! You may charge me as guilty all you like! But am I allowed to know the identity of my judge?? Sheepy: Entity: *They pause once more, before slowly writing out, letter by letter...* Sheepy: Entity: [T R A I T O R] Arsé-kun: Arthur: ...! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Are.... Are you.....? Sheepy: Entity: [I BETRAYED YOU] Arsé-kun: *Arthur pales, but is fighting to keep his poker face.* Sheepy: *The entity doesn't seem to notice, and if they did, they don't comment on it.* Sheepy: *...The entity, while waiting for a response from Arthur, has begun doodling something on the wall. It looks like... Fou?* Arsé-kun: Arthur: .... ....... I won't have traitors in my territories. Sheepy: Entity: *they suddenly stop doodling* Sheepy: Entity: [NO NO NO IM SORRY IM SORRY] Arsé-kun: Arthur: I can thank you for coming to seek me out, but I most certainly c-cannot allow you to stay within the perimeter..! Sheepy: Entity: [DONT ABANDON ME AGAIN] Arsé-kun: Arthur: You aren't staying here, Mordred! Out with ye! *Arthur throws a hand out and casts a warding spell!* Sheepy: *There's no response from the entity. Arthur successfully got rid of them!* Sheepy: *There's briefly some clawing noises at the door that get deeper and more desperate before finally stopping all together. Maybe the entity didn't go so far after all.* Arsé-kun: *Arthur stares towards the door for a few moments, before outright bailing.* Arsé-kun: *... To under the kitchen table, throwing his cape over himself as if it'd protect him.* Sheepy: Aru: *She enters with a basket of flowers. She's very cheerful!* Merlin~! Your ward is really decent for a first try! If you try again, it should work out really well! Arsé-kun: *Several beats of silence. The lack of immediate Merlin answer tells Aru that hey, he isn't here. Also, the vibes are rancid* Sheepy: Aru: ....Um... Hello? *She looks around* ...? Arsé-kun: *Fou chirps from the kitchen* Sheepy: Aru: Oh, Fou! *She rushes over to him* Did you see the wall out there? Be careful, or you might get that red stuff on your fur! Arsé-kun: Fou: ? Sheepy: Bedi: Ah... Something was out there with King Arthur. It may have done that. Arsé-kun: *Fou wants to investigate. Fou is gonna investi- Fou turns around and comes back in* Sheepy: Aru: Something?... It must've liked Fou a lot, because it drew him. Sheepy: Aru: But Arthur wasn't there... Where did he go...? Arsé-kun: *Fou looks at Aru, and then goes under the table.* Sheepy: *Aru looks under the table* Arsé-kun: *Arthur is still there.* Sheepy: Aru:...! Arthur...! It's just like that dream... Sheepy: *Aru goes under the table* Sheepy: Aru: Are you okay, Arthur...? Arsé-kun: Arthur: .... Mor... 'dred was, they were..... *he's very rattled* Sheepy: Aru:....? Sheepy: Aru: Mordred...? He was here? But how? I didn't touch the ouija board. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I don't... I don't know. I don't know how they found me. Sheepy: Aru: But, but...! Don't worry! I'll protect you! Maybe I can't fight very well, but I have other things in my arsenal! Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... How silly of me to require this.. I was under the belief it was a one time event... Sheepy: Aru: It's not silly! You're human! You're allowed to have fears and trauma just like anyone else! Arsé-kun: Arthur: How king-like of me. Arsé-kun: Arthur: But I suppose you're right. *he raises some cape to peer out at Aru* If a modern king is permitted, then so is everyone else. Sheepy: Aru: Yes! I'll be with you as long as you need, okay? *She gives him a bright smile* Arsé-kun: Arthur: I appreciate the aid. Arsé-kun: Kay: *from his room* What the FUCK happened out there?! Sheepy: Bedi: Ah. Kay! Don't come out! The wall is covered in blood! Arsé-kun: Kay: YEAH I FUCKIN' NOTICED. Sheepy: Bedi: There's a second ghost! Arsé-kun: Kay: WOW THEN HE'LL HATE GAWAIN'S KID SIBLINGS HUH. Sheepy: Aru: Oh, I hope not... They're my friends... Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... They're just named that way. This is not about them. Sheepy: Aru: Yes... Um... Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... If it was not actually... Them, then I made an error.. But.... Sheepy: Aru: Are they the one who left claw marks on the door? Arsé-kun: Arthur: Possibly. Sheepy: Aru: Scary... Really scary... Arsé-kun: Kay: What a goddamn mess. I ain't cleanin' that up. *he drops into a seat* This sucks. Sheepy: Aru: Sorry, Kay... Arsé-kun: Kay: It don't smell like blood, so as far as I'm concerned, it ain't. Sheepy: Aru: I got a gift for both Arthur and you, if that cheers you up! Arsé-kun: Kay: Is it you going offpath alone again? Sheepy: Aru:......*She gives him a sheepish grin*....Um... Arsé-kun: Kay: I don't even do that... Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... Lets talk about something else. Sheepy: Aru: Sorry, Arthur! I wanted to surprise you! Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... I'll permit it this time. I'd have liked to see things again. Sheepy: Aru: *She pulls something out of her basket. It's a flower crown!* I made this for you! It's a surprise gift! If I'd brought you along, you would've known about it... Arsé-kun: *Arthur carefully takes it from her hands to inspect it.* Sheepy: Aru: I made it from the flowers off the path. That's where you find the best ones! Arsé-kun: Kay: Remember to do somethin' with those. Grif WILL eat them. Sheepy: Aru: I made one for you, too, Kay! Arsé-kun: Kay: Oh, goodie. Sheepy: *Aru pulls a second one out and gives it to Kay* Arsé-kun: *Kay plops it on. He's mildly bemused.* Sheepy: Aru: You look pretty! Arsé-kun: Kay: Definitely the image I want. Sheepy: Aru: Don't you? Arsé-kun: Kay: Eh. Arsé-kun: Kay: Can't hear you over the crown. Sheepy: Aru: I'm happy you like it! Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... You commented on my ward. I suppose I am wildly out of practice, but I'm glad I retained it. Sheepy: Aru: You did a good job, Arthur! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Thank you. Those were something I was once good at. Sheepy: Aru: Really? I didn't know that! I want hear more about it. Arsé-kun: Arthur: A king had the responsibility of keeping his territory safe. Merlin taught me an extra way to do so. That's all. Sheepy: Aru: Wow! I never really thought of that... You know a lot! Sheepy: Aru: But... How did Sir Mordred find you? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I do not know. I do not want to know. Sheepy: Bedi: Whoever the ghost is, they cleaned up after themselves when they knocked the dvds over. Arsé-kun: Arthur: .. Like I stated: I could have been mistaken. That is not something they would do, and yet.. Sheepy: Aru: Everything else? Sheepy: Aru: Did anyone else betray you? Arsé-kun: Arthur: Listing that would take all afternoon. Sheepy: Aru: ....... Sheepy: Aru: We can parse from it, um... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Caring about the queen narrows it down.. Sheepy: Aru: They like Fou, implying they like small, fuzzy animals. Arsé-kun: Kay: And they made a goddamn mess. Sheepy: Aru: And despite betraying you, they seem incredibly attached to you... Sheepy: Aru: Knights of the Round Table are professionals at making messes! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I cannot deny this statement. Arsé-kun: Kay: So who wants to clean that mess? I ain't doin' it. Sheepy: Aru: Right... That has to be done... Sheepy: Aru: Let's take a picture first. Arsé-kun: Kay: Why?? Sheepy: Aru: Well, it's evidence! Sheepy: Aru: We have a mystery culprit on our hands who we don't know the identity of, nor how they got in. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Through the wall, presumably. Sheepy: Aru:.....W-well, yeah, but... Arsé-kun: Kay: Send that shit to Merlin. He'll bust a whole fireball on seeing that. *saved it!* Sheepy: Aru: Okay, I will! Sheepy: *Aru goes and takes a picture of it!* Sheepy: Bedi: Worry not. I will clean it. Sheepy: *Aru sends Merlin the pic!* Arsé-kun: Kay: Cool. I gotta deal with Artair later, and possibly Grif if he finds anything. Sheepy: Aru: Maybe we should send it to the Merlin chat, too. Sheepy: Bedi: Artair... he has a wisdom teeth extraction today, right? Arsé-kun: Kay: He does. It's his turn to be made fun of. Sheepy: Bedi: Good luck to both of you. Sheepy: Aru: I want to help watch over Artair! Arsé-kun: Kay: Sure. Sheepy: Aru: Arthur, you can come, too! Arsé-kun: Merlin: [text: to Aru] WHAT heepy: Aru: I'll make up to you not bringing you out to find flowers, okay? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I suppose it'll do. Sheepy: Aru: Great! Happy to hear it! Arsé-kun: Merlin: [text: to Aru] I WANNA SEE THAT AFTER CLASS DONT CLEAN IT THATS EVIDENCE Sheepy: Aru: Merlin says not to clean it, Bedi! Sheepy: Bedi: Ah... How unfortunate. It might stain... Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Merlin] I told Bedi not to clean it! Arsé-kun: Merlin: [text: to Aru] THANKS. ILL CLEAN IT AFTER I INVESTIGATE IT Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Merlin] Thank you, Merlin!! They left claw marks on the front door, too, just so you know. Arsé-kun: Merlin: [text: to Aru] Why's the cool shit gotta happen when I'm not here?!! Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Merlin] Sorry! I'll ask them to stay the next time they visit until you get back. Sheepy: Aru: Poor Merlin... He never gets to see anything. Arsé-kun: Kay: Wish I was that lucky. Sheepy: Aru: Huh? Isn't it exciting? Arsé-kun: Kay: It's more threatening than anything. Sheepy: Aru: That's too bad to hear! Arsé-kun: *Aru gets a message!* Sheepy: *She reads it* Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] PLEASE SEND MORE IMAGES OF THE HAUNTING. I AM INTRIGUED Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] One sec! The ghost left this on the front door. Sheepy: *She goes to the front door snd takes a pic of the claw marks on the door! She sends it to Morne.* Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] FASCINATING. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] The ghost knew Arthur! Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] NOT TO BE RUDE BUT I DO NOT CARE. WAS GHOST MALEVOLENT Y/N Sheepy: Aru: Arthur, was the ghost malevolent? Arsé-kun: Arthur: No. Upset and angry sure, but no violence. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Arthur says no! Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] POLTERGEIST? DO NOT USUALLY HAVE FAKE BLOOD UNLESS THEY ARE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE THEMSELVES, I CANNOT PIN IT DOWN FROM A DISTANCE. IS ASSISTANCE NEEDED Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Weirdly enough, no one but Arthur could see the ghost, and even then, it was blurry to him. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Assistance may be needed! It's concerning that we don't know how it got in, nor who it is! Victim of violence is highly likely due to being a KOTR member most likely. Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] THAT'S A STEALTHY BASTARD. VICTIMS CAN BECOME MALEVOLENT. I WILL SEE IF I CAN MANAGE AN EXPDITION. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Thank you!! The ghost was upset and angry apparently so it may become malevolent... right? Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] POSSIBLY. ALWAYS A CHANCE. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Scary. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] But okay, I'll show you around!! Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] I WOULDNT MIND THT WHEN I DO GET THERE. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Great! I'm looking forward to it!!! Arsé-kun: Morne: [text: to Aru] CANNOT SAY WHEN I WILL ARRIVE. NEED TO STORE ENERGY BEFORE I GO. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] Okay, that's fine! I'll wait for when you do! Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Morne] In the meantike, I'll keep an eye out for anything weird! Arsé-kun: *Morne sends a single thumbs up cat image in reply. Definitely got that pic from Memrys* Sheepy: Aru: Morne will visit eventually! Sheepy: Aru: You know Morne, right, Arthur? He's the 12th Merlin! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I only do from watching your letters. Sheepy: Aru: Well, now you can meet him for the first time. Arsé-kun: Arthur: It's still strange thinking there are so many of him now. Sheepy: Aru: Well, he's had a lot of time. Arsé-kun: Arthur: More surprised he found someone willing. Sheepy: Aru: Really? Teacher is very kind, so it's no surprise that he would find someone... Sheepy: Aru: After all, Beddy has been living with him for a while, right? So it's not too much of a stretch to imagine someone going one step further and dating him... Arsé-kun: Arthur: So where are they now, then? Sheepy: Aru:.......Ummm.... Sheepy: Aru: If he dated a human, the human wouldn't be alive anymore, right? Arsé-kun: Arthur: If they were human, then that would be correct. Sheepy: Aru: And based on how much weaker each proceeding Merlin is, it's safe to say, I think, that they were probably human. Sheepy: Aru:....But we could ask Teacher! Sheepy: Aru: Beddy's response was, "I don't have any interest in romance. I wouldn't know his love life". Arsé-kun: Arthur: But will we get a simple answer? Sheepy: Aru: Probably not.. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Then what is the point of asking? Sheepy: Aru: If you get enough unclear answers, you can use them to find the true answer! Arsé-kun: Arthur: This is true.. But is it our business? Sheepy: Aru:...Well, I did ask Beddy for info in the past! I just had no luck! By the way, about his own love life, his response was, "I don't remember anything about Amhren and Eneuwag's mother. There's nothing about her in the stories." Sheepy: Aru: So he's a dead end for information about Teacher's love life. Sheepy: Aru: And it may not be our business, but it can't hurt to ask! Arsé-kun: Kay: Why the hell is an old man's sex life anyone's business? Why is that even important right now? Sheepy: Aru: That's not it! Sheepy: Aru: Teacher's really kind! So if he's ever pursued love, I really hope he's found it! Sheepy: Aru: And if he never has, that implies the Merlins afterwards aren't really descended from the original... But I guess Teacher has a habit of hooking people up and then taking their children for his own. Arsé-kun: Kay: Like a witch? Ooooh, give me your firstborn for this small magical feat you can't be assed to learn. Sheepy: Aru: That's how Arthur came to be! Arsé-kun: Arthur: It's a bit more than that... Sheepy: Aru: So by extension, that's how I came to be! Arsé-kun: Kay: .... Eugh. I feel really dirty all of a sudden thinking about it. Sheepy: Aru: Eh? Sheepy: Aru: Don't worry! Teacher probably didn't meddle to make us come to be! Maybe. ...Did he? Sheepy: Aru:....Although, I really don't remember our parents at all... All I remember is Teacher... Arsé-kun: Merlin: *bashing into the room* come on and SLAM Sheepy: Aru: Merlin! You're back! Morne's going to visit us! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Sick! I've got like half an hour! Hold on I gotta get my camera! Sheepy: Aru: You're goin to take a selfy in front of the ghost graffiti? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I wasn't going to, but now I will! Sheepy: Aru: That's how you can impress your twitter followers! Arsé-kun: Merlin: How am I supposed to get oldie camera pictures onto twitter??? Sheepy: Aru:....? Arsé-kun: *Merlin goes and gets his ghost camera. ... It's an instant camera. It's seen a lot of dust and dirty in its time and it's boutta see more dirty* Sheepy: Aru: Wow! That looks neat! Arsé-kun: Merlin: I could use a normal camera, but where's the fun in that? *he takes a picture of the wall. the photo pops out right afterwards* Sheepy: Aru: So fast...! Sheepy: Aru: Did you see the claw marks on the front door, Merlin? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Sure did! That's next! But let's give this a hot minute to develop, see if anything's in the picture that shouldn't. Sheepy: Aru: Like the ghost? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Especially that! Sheepy: Aru: Well, Arthur kicked the ghost out, so I doubt we'll be seeing it on the photo. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Aww. Sheepy: Aru: Unless a ward won't stop it! Who knows! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Hmm. *he studies the picture* Nope. No ghost here. Sheepy: Aru: Thank goodness. It'd be scary if the ghost could get past a ward so easily. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Okay, hallway one now! Sheepy: Aru: Okay! Arsé-kun: *Merlin goes out to take more pictures* Sheepy: *There's now drawings in blood on the wall! They're of Fou mostly. Elyan's staring at them blankly.* Arsé-kun: Merlin: Well, someone likes Fou, huh? Good art, too. Can't say I'm a fan of the medium or canvas, though. *snaps pic* Sheepy: Aru: He accidentally scared Fou earlier! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Tragic. That isn't hard to do, though. Sheepy: Aru: Ttrue... Fou is scared of a lot. Arsé-kun: Kay: *in the doorway, looking out at them* Aru, get whatever you're bringing. We gott' go. Sheepy: Aru: Okay! I'll go grab Caliburn so Arthur can come, too! *She rushes to get Caliburn* Arsé-kun: Arthur: I wonder what strange thing I'll have to see today.. Sheepy: *Aru returns with Caliburn* Sheepy: Aru: Post wisdom tooth extraction behavior! You know what a wisdom tooth is, right, Arthur? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I may? But not by that name. Sheepy: Aru: Another set of molars that used to be useful due to how the diets people used to eat would damage their molars, but now they grow in improperly due to people mostly eating soft foods. Sheepy: Aru: Now we extract them so they don't cause damage by growing in wrong! Arsé-kun: Arthur: That sounds.. Tedious. Sheepy: Aru: Soft diets are tedious? Arsé-kun: Arthur: No, removing teeth. Sheepy: Aru: Well, you're asleep when it's happening. Sheepy: Aru: You just wake up to your wisdom teeth being gone! Arsé-kun: Arthur: How? Absinth? Whiskey? Arsé-kun: Arthur: .... A hammer? Arsé-kun: Arthur: ..... Opium??? Sheepy: Aru: General anaesthesia! It puts you to sleep so you some feel anything. There's also local anaesthesia, which just dulls the pain in one place. Sheepy: Aru: But you have to be careful, or you can be put to sleep... Forever. Scary! Sheepy: Aru: General makes you act strange and potentially recklessly while local makes the area feel fuzzy and weird. Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... So not that different, perhaps? Sheepy: Aru: Huh? They're associated, but different.. Arsé-kun: Kay: He'll realize it when we get there. He's seen Artair already before. Sheepy: Aru: Okay, that works! Sheepy: Aru: You'll be surprised! Sheepy: Aru: Eventually I'll have to do it, too, but maybe by then it'll be less bad. Who knows! Arsé-kun: Kay: You don't get to cheat out of it with magic. You suffer like all of us do. Sheepy: Aru: No fair! I don't want to suffer! Sheepy: Aru: Just this once, I want to use magic for selfish reasons! Getting a clean, safe, painless wisdom teeth extraction with no after effects! Arsé-kun: Kay: And what, magic can't fuck up your jaw? Sheepy: Aru: Mmm... Well... I guess it can. Teacher wouldn't mess up, though, would he? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I will not answer that. Sheepy: Aru: Arthur, did Teacher try to remove yours? Didn't you need them thanks to the lack o modern dental care? Arsé-kun: Arthur: He did not. But he has messed up spells before, and I doubt that would be the last time. Sheepy: Aru: Oh... I guess even Teacher can make mistakes.... So to be like Teacher, I need to remember that. Sheepy: Aru: Where are we meeting Artair, Kay? Arsé-kun: Kay: Now, where do you think? Sheepy: Aru: The hospital? Arsé-kun: Kay: Yep. Sheepy: Aru: Okay! So we aren't far then! Sheepy: Aru: I'm looking forward to seeing him! Arsé-kun: *They get there? hooray?* Sheepy: Lucan: Took you long enough. Sheepy: Lucan: I'd comment about it being weird that you bring a sword into a hospital, but Okita accidentally slipped one into me while we were messing around the other day. I guess catching tuberculosis is the least of my concerns... ehehe. Arsé-kun: Watson: Don't lie to them. It only went through your clothes, if it'd entered you, we wouldn't be here right now. Sheepy: Lucan: Ahahaha... And yet, one must wonder... Arsé-kun: *Arthur peers into a nearby doorway. Watson looks unfazed by this* Sheepy: Lucan: For a butler, is his appearance not second only to his capabilities...? Arsé-kun: Watson: Not when the butler is not supposed to be working. Sheepy: Lucan: And yet! Even in moments of weakness, it's important to keep a sleek look! Sheepy: Lucan: Without the suit and smile, well... Arsé-kun: *Here comes Artair, stumbling out of the room Arthur was looking into, still absolutely stoned out of his mind from anesthesia.* Sheepy: Aru: Oh! Artair's here! Arsé-kun: Artair: Aruuu, 'turia said I got'go back t'kindergardnnn 'cause I los' my wisdommm *he seems very upset by this, unreasonably so* Sheepy: Aru: It's okay, Artair! You're still really smart! Arsé-kun: Kay: Which means we better send you to preschool. Arsé-kun: *Artair looks horrified briefly* Sheepy: Aru: What would he learn from preschool? Arsé-kun: Kay: I dunno. I thought it sounded good. Sheepy: Lucan: Hey, at least you don't have to wear an ugly hospital gown, Artair. Think about how lucky you are! Arsé-kun: Artair: *clearly unfocused* Wh'...? I wasn' wearin' gowns today, was I..? Sheepy: Lucan: No, you weren't. That's why you're lucky! Sheepy: Lucan: Even if you didn't keep your wisdom, you kept your dignity! Arsé-kun: Artair: I don' wanna go ta kindergarden.... Sheepy: Lucan: Then you want to go to class and not know anything? Arsé-kun: Artair: I don' wanna go to school today... Sheepy: Lucan: Well, what if you've got an exam? Arsé-kun: Artair: ... A wha'? Sheepy: Lucan: Wouldn't that stink? Imagine yourself, having an exam on the very day of your wisdom teeth extraction... Arsé-kun: Watson: Please stop trying to distress the patient. Sheepy: Lucan: You should have fun sometimes, Watson. Arsé-kun: Watson: I do. There is a time and a place. Not now. Sheepy: Lucan: Well, if I was Okita... My way of riling up the patient would be threatening to stab them. Sheepy: Lucan: So if you think about it, my methods are innocent! Arsé-kun: Artair: *confidently* I can't be stabbed... Everyone knows you can't stab a dead man. *and he promptly collapses. Watson was expecting this and caught him quickly.* Woooow.. St. Peter... Sheepy: Lucan:....Wow. Sheepy: Lucan: Do you need a hand with that? Arsé-kun: Artair: *drowsily* a hand and a side of fries please Arsé-kun: Watson: I can handle it, thank you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: *wot* Sheepy: Aru: Are you sure I can't be selfish and ask Teacher for help, Kay? Arsé-kun: Kay: Suffer like the rest of us have. *he's smirking* Sheepy: Aru: Are you enjoying yourself? Arsé-kun: Kay: You know it. Sheepy: Aru: You're really mean sometimes! Arsé-kun: Kay: Not new information. You know I'm an asshole. Sheepy: Aru: But not to me! Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Why don't you go on ahead? I'll bring Mr. Artair as soon as he's stabilized. Sheepy: Aru: Thank you, Mr. Holmes's Friend! Arsé-kun: Watson: *what.* Sheepy: Lucan:...Ouch. Sheepy: Lucan: Always a sidekick, huh? Even at your own job... Arsé-kun: Artair: *mumbling incoherently* absolutely lambasted, buh whys bast got lambs.... Sheepy: Aru: I saw you with Mr. Holmes once! I like him! I gave him some flowers I picked earlier. Did he make sure to give one to you, too? Arsé-kun: Watson: He looked at me with confusion. I wasn't sure how to explain, so you'd better do that. Sheepy: Aru: He didn't give one to you? That's too bad. Sheepy: Aru: It's okay, I'll give you one directly next time, as thanks for taking care of Artair! Arsé-kun: Watson: Now then. Your brother is leaving you. Sheepy: Aru: Right! I should follow him! Thanks!! *She follows Kay* Arsé-kun: Kay: Byeeee, Lucan! I'm gonna trash your room! Sheepy: Lucan: Ugh, fine! *He goes to his room* Arsé-kun: *Artair is eventually brought in, mumbling something about correlating contents and mercy. Very, uh. Very nice, Artair.* Sheepy: Arturia: So! You've finally returned! I thought you'd run away! Arsé-kun: Artair: Why...? We're not meant to voyage so far... Sheepy: Arturia:....Well, you disappeared for so long, I thought you were upset about my joke. Arsé-kun: Kay: Did you forget where he was, you little shitty gremlin? Arsé-kun: Artair: Joke....? Sheepy: Arturia: Well, if he slipped and fell in his state, even with all the doctors around, if nobody was right there to catch him, he could hit his head. Arsé-kun: Kay: He almost did before we got here. Sheepy: Arturia: You see! Arsé-kun: *Artair sinking into the sofa like putty into quicksand in the background. because that makes sense* Arsé-kun: Artair: .... Luuuuke I got a questionn Sheepy: Lucan: What is it? Arsé-kun: Artair: what happened to plan five..? why'd they skip to nine? Sheepy: Lucan: There aren't any plans before nine because they tried them all offscreen. Arsé-kun: Artair: How do we know..? What do we know... of the world and the universe about us? Arsé-kun: Kay: alright Socrates give it a rest Sheepy: Lucan: The movie was meant to be Grave Robbers from Outer Space originally, but the church didn't like that title very much, so it was renamed Plan Nine from Outer Space.... Arsé-kun: Artair: What graves are in space...? Who died? Sheepy: Lucan: Anyway, there's dialogue saying that they tried the other plans without success. Sheepy: Lucan: Well, the plot is about aliens that come from outer space and steal dead bodies from graves! As for who died... Sheepy: Lucan: Bela Lugosi! Tor Johnson! ... Others, but none of are importance to the point that you'd remember their names. Sheepy: Lucan:...Wait, why am i explaining this to you? You're the one who's watched it a bunch of times! Sheepy: Aru: Wow... He really did lose his wisdom... Arsé-kun: Artair: I don't wanna go to kindergarden!!! Sheepy: Aru: Don't worry! You're too old for kindergarten! Arsé-kun: Artair: Preschool?! Sheepy: Aru: Too old for that, too! Sheepy: Aru: You'll get it back soon, don't worry! Sheepy: Lucan: We can watch it again and bring it back! Sheepy: Aru: It's a Beddy kind of movie... Sheepy: Lucan: No, Bedi's not interested in things like this. For him, the more dinosaurs, the better. Arsé-kun: Kay: Bedi's the guy who watches Jurassic Park and points out the problems with it. Sheepy: Lucan: He is! And don't get me started on the sequels! Sheepy: Aru: Really? Beddy likes it... Arsé-kun: Kay: A real sight is watchin' both Bedi and Merlin get upset at a movie. A real circlejerk. Sheepy: Lucan: That's a frightening thought! Sheepy: Aru: Beddy says, "those are some itty-bitty dragons. Sir Lancelot could take two of those and they'd be at a disadvantage". Arsé-kun: Kay: Damn. Sheepy: Aru: But is it an exaggeration...? Sir Lancelot has killed many dragons before. Arsé-kun: Kay: What's a dinosaur but a shitty dragon? Sheepy: Aru: Nowadays, we think of them as mythological creatures, but could it be... they were just hunted to near extinction? Dove never met his biological parents because they were slain before he ever hatched out. Without Teacher, he never would've survived, I think... Arsé-kun: Arthur: They were not seen often in my own time. They were already rare by that point, and the ones we saw were generally hostile. Sheepy: Aru: That's why Sir Lancelot went around killing them, right? Arsé-kun: Arthur: Knights were ordered to take down hostile wildlife if it was an active threat, and not... Say, a random bear we saw that morning. Sheepy: Aru:....Ehhh.... Arsé-kun: Arthur: As in, most certainly going to attack us or peasantry. Sheepy: Aru: You say that, but you ordered Sir Gawain to hunt down a white hart for the trophy aspect of it, right...? That's what Le Mort D'Arthur says, anyway! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Is that a bad thing? Sheepy: Aru: It wasn't hurting anyone, was it? Arsé-kun: Arthur: It was not. The head was used for a trophy, the fur was used, the meat was used, the bones were used. Like regular hunting, except I kept part of it. Sheepy: Aru: Ah... Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... Right. Humans don't hunt anymore. Sheepy: Aru: So really, the one who goes against the whole, "don't kill non-hostiles except for hunting" is... Sheepy: Aru: Sir Jaufre, the old lady bully! Sheepy: Aru: Although, I suppose all the knights did it. No one's perfect... Sheepy: Aru: But it's difficult for humans to hunt now with the restrictions of the path. There's still people who enjoy hunting and fishing. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Fishing... Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... But yes, things like that were why Jaufre was... Sometimes intolerable. Arsé-kun: Arthur: But that's just how he was. Stupidly violent, but stupidly loyal. Also, the old lady was cannibalizing orphans with her family. Arsé-kun: Arthur: That was most certainly a thing that was happening. More than once. Sheepy: Aru: Sounds like a handful... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Three handfuls worth of trouble. Sheepy: Aru: Being a king must be really hard... In a way, part of your job is babysitting grown men with swords and no sense of self control. Arsé-kun: Arthur: At least it wasn't children. Sheepy: Aru: Well, now you're babysitting a kid with a sword! Arsé-kun: Arthur: It's only one. I can handle that. Arsé-kun: *they watch a bad horror movie. it's bad and stupid. it's so bad and stupid Artair falls asleep in the first ten minutes. Even Kay can tolerate it* Sheepy: *Lucan is enjoying himself! Aru just seems confused. Arturia is questioning why they're watching it.* Arsé-kun: *Arthur is visibly confused. Kay doesn't actually care. Artair wakes up twice to quote a line exactly on time, and then went back to sleep. Raw fucking talent* Arsé-kun: Artair: ... *on time with the ending narration* "Can you prove that it didn't happen?" Sheepy: Lucan: I can't! Arsé-kun: Artair: I don' wanna. Arsé-kun: Artair: *yawns* Sooo.. Where are we..? Sheepy: Lucan: My room. Arsé-kun: Artair: hhuh. Sheepy: Lucan: In the hospital. Arsé-kun: Artair: oh. yeah. thatd make sense Sheepy: Lucan: Thought I returned to the dorms? Nope! Arsé-kun: Artair: You? Dorms? You'd be dead in the week. Sheepy: Lucan: I used to stay in one! Sheepy: Lucan: But my health, well... Arsé-kun: Kay: Sucks dick Sheepy: Lucan: And yet! Arsé-kun: Kay: You're alive somehow. Sheepy: Lucan: I get free food! Sheepy: Lucan: Of course, it's tasteless. Sheepy: Lucan: Really, they should leave the cooking up to me. Although, that Il guy broke glass in there the other day so it's dangerous. Arsé-kun: Kay: What, they didn't fuckin' clean it? Sheepy: Lucan: It's cleaned up by now, of course! But that doesn't mean he doesn't go in there still. Everything he touches in the kitchen breaks. Sheepy: Lucan: And if I had a dizzy spell while using the oven... Arsé-kun: Kay: Then you sit down! On your ass! Sheepy: Lucan: Sometimes the fastest way down is falling! Sheepy: Lucan: So cooking alone isn't necessarily safe. Arsé-kun: Artair: At least a quarter of horror movie deaths are in the kitchen Sheepy: Lucan: Yes! You see! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I have a question. Sheepy: Aru: Yes? Arsé-kun: Arthur: What, and pardon my swearing, the fuck did I watch? Sheepy: Lucan: The worst movie ever made. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Understandable. Have a great evening, sir. Sheepy: Lucan: The director thought it was a masterpiece, I'm sure. Sheepy: Aru: Sometimes Bors makes bad movies for fun. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I can understand Sir Bors doing that. He would tell silly tales whenever he thought of them. heepy: Aru: Now he has the medium to do it best! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Good for him. Sheepy: Aru: Beddy's in them sometimes. Sheepy: Aru: He doesn't even wear his helmet for them sometimes. Did you know... Sheepy: Aru: He's secretly incredibly handsome underneath his helmet? Or is the word beautiful? Hmmm... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Of course I know. But now I am intrigued. Sheepy: Aru: About what? Arsé-kun: Arthur: How Sir Bedwyr looks without his helmet is something I already knew. But I would like to see him without it now. Sheepy: Aru: Maybe he's changed since your time! If nothing else, he smiles more, probably! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Oh, I certainly hope so. Sheepy: Aru: I have pictures of him, but Teacher told me not to show Merlin... Sheepy: Aru:...Maybe you'd be an exception...? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I am not Merlin. Sheepy: Aru: Okay! One sec! Sheepy: Aru: *She hunts through her phone for a bit before showing Arthur a picture! It's of Beddy, smiling brightly, with an arm wrapped around Bors's shoulders! His hair is neat and pulled back into a ponytail. What a change!* Arsé-kun: *Arthur looks delighted!!* Sheepy: Aru: He's always really happy when Bors shows up. They're good friends! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Well, that's the best thing I've seen this month! I would pay in gold to have that framed. Arsé-kun: *Kay starts cha cha sliding in real smooth to take a peek* Sheepy: Aru: I'm sure that's a thing we can do! But would Beddy mind? Hmm... Sheepy: Aru: He's with Teacher, but maybe he can visit us. I think he'd be really happy to see you, too. Arsé-kun: *A little discord notification pops up on Aru's phone! It's from the merlins chat!* Sheepy: *Aru checks it* Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] HELKP Sheepy: Aru: [chat] Are you okay?! Where are you? Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] I FJVKD U P REAL BAD ILL TURN LOCATION ON BUT UH. WET. LOT OF WATR Sheepy: Misyr: [chat] i'm in flavortown right now Sheepy: Aru: [chat] Wet? You're in a swimming pool? Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] I HJOP[E THS ISNT AN OCEN BUT I JUSAT WANMTRED T FGO SEE ARTAIR HPW DID THIS HAPPN Sheepy: Aru: [chat] Can you swim? Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] YS BUT ITS V COLD Sheepy: Misyr: [chat] i can help but let me finush eating first Arsé-kun: Malleus: [chat] @Misyr You better do that NOW. Arsé-kun: Malleus: [chat] @Magnus Get your ship moving! Sheepy: Misyr: [chat] you're good at ordering people around but not actyally going to help yourself, you know thar? I'll go but don't be surprised if you hear yhat a volcano has gone off or skmething. I don't mesh well with the outside world! Arsé-kun: Malleus: [chat] You KNOW what happens when I go to help! I've already killed Morne, I'm not doing that again! Arsé-kun: Malleus: [chat] But fine! If you end up overboard I don't wanna hear it! Sheepy: Misyr: [chat] I can't swim... heepy: Misyr: [chat] anyway don't get mad when I don't respind, I'm going to help 14 Arsé-kun: Malleus: [chat] I'm going as well. Sheepy: *Misyr goes to help Merlin.* Arsé-kun: *It's dark. I don't know what Misyr expected. The ocean isn't very onpath, like, ever.* Sheepy: Misyr: Hmhmhm... A little darkness can't stop a demon lord! Sheepy: Misyr: Heeee~eeeyyy, Merlin! Sheepy: Misyr: There you are...! *He approaches Merlin* You couldn't have chosen a worse spot if you'd tried! Sheepy: *Misyr pulls Merlin out of the ocean!* Arsé-kun: *Merlin tries to grab onto him, but he's so cold that he can't manage it* Sheepy: Misyr: Sheesh, you're freezing. I'd warm you up, but I'd probably set a fire in the process. Sheepy: Misyr: Wow...I've got bad news for you. Sure, I came here, but I suddenly realized that I have no clue how to get back! Arsé-kun: *VERY SUDDEN, VERY LOUD SHIP HORN. Followed by howling?* Sheepy: Misyr: *He looks around* Oho... A ship! Sheepy: Misyr: Heeeyyyy! We're over here! Arsé-kun: Malleus: *presumably on a loudspeaker* Port side, Captain! Sheepy: Misyr: Sheesh, you're loud...! Arsé-kun: *The ship approaches Misyr's left!* Sheepy: Misyr: Ah! You found me! Arsé-kun: Malleus: *throwing down a rope ladder to him* Grab on, Misyr! We'll haul you two up! Arsé-kun: *The rope ladder gets pulled up!* Sheepy: Misyr: Aaahahahaha! As you can see, the rescue is a success! All thanks to this demon king! Sheepy: Misyr: Ah, I suppose you two were helpful too. Ah... but hold on. *He puts Merlin down, takes off his own robes, and puts them on Merlin. They're warm! Just like a hug.* Arsé-kun: Malleus: Get that ego down to reasonable levels or so help me. Sheepy: Misyr: Ahahaha! I'm a final boss, so I should act like one, right? Have you ever met one wjth self confidence problems? Arsé-kun: *Malleus just sighs* Arsé-kun: Malleus: It's hard to believe you're my elder sometimes. Sheepy: Misyr: Well, perhaps the "elder Misyr" isn't the "current Misyr"! Simply... Sheepy: Misyr: I grew bored of all that! Arsé-kun: Malleus: Fine. Can you be serious for the next two minutes? Sheepy: Misyr: Of course. Arsé-kun: Malleus: 14 shouldn't have been able to get this far from where he was. So how did this happen? Sheepy: Misyr: I'm not 14. How should I know? (...Is this super far away?) Sheepy: Misyr: Maybe it dragged him here? Arsé-kun: Malleus: But how..? Sheepy: Misyr: Well, I don't know where we are, so I can't tell you. Sheepy: Misyr: However! I can say...! Sheepy: Misyr: It's an ocean! Arsé-kun: Malleus: .... Yes, thank you. Sheepy: Misyr: That's whay my demon lord senses are telling me. Arsé-kun: Primo: *appearing very suddenly* Ah. I see, I was a bit slow on the uptake. Sheepy: Misyr: Aaahahahaha! You'll have to move faster to outspeed this demon king! Arsé-kun: Primo: Perhaps I will! Sheepy: Misyr: Impressive! I'd like to see! However... one question. Sheepy: Misyr:...Where are we? Arsé-kun: Primo: We're in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Somewhere around... 47, 125? I'm no good at coordinates! Sheepy: Misyr:.... *blank stare*... I still don't really understand! Arsé-kun: Primo: We're too close to R'yleh for my tastes. Arsé-kun: Primo: Please tell me you can manage a teleport back to where you were before. I need to be here for... Reasons! Arsé-kun: Primo: And take 14 with you. I saw the message and I know what went wrong. I'll deal with that myself, don't you worry! Sheepy: Misyr:...... *He's struggling to keep his smug grin*..... Sheepy: Misyr: Ahaha... Yes, I totally can return. (Now what exactly is the way back...?) Sheepy: Misyr:.........Hey, one quick question. Sheepy: Misyr: Where was I before? Sheepy: Misyr: Don't laugh. This isn't my home world! I know my home to the ends of the world, so don't think I'm bad with directions! Arsé-kun: Malleus: ... ... How did you survive this long? Sheepy: Misyr: Ouch... Even demon lords have feelings, you know? Arsé-kun: Primo: [text: to Aru] 14 has been recovered! No harm done, just ended up a bit further than a normal misfire!~~ Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Primo] Thank you for helping him, Teacher!! Arsé-kun: Primo: [text: to Aru] I didn't do it! Thank Malleus and Misyr! I just happened to be here~ Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Primo] Okay!! I'll thank them, too! Arsé-kun: Primo: 6, I could give you a straight path back and you'll end up at the end of the world anyway! Sheepy: Misyr: E-ehhh?! Sheepy: Misyr: Ahahahaha! You underestimate me! Arsé-kun: Primo: Ah, perhaps! You'd see a straight line and go perpendicular. Sheepy: Misyr:?! Sheepy: Misyr: That really hurts! Why's everyone attacking this demon king, huh? Arsé-kun: Primo: For fun. For glory. For the knowledge.. Ah, never mind! Sheepy: Misyr: You should be grateful I'm so laid back! Arsé-kun: Primo: Here, I'll give you a hand this time, coup de'mon. Sheepy: Misyr: After all, I'm a final boss! I could just cause mass destruction in response to getting insulted if I wasn't such a good guy! Arsé-kun: Primo: Yes, of course. Arsé-kun: Primo: I'm going to send you back now!~ Arsé-kun: Primo: Failure to reach the destination will end in termination!~ Sheepy: Misyr: Eh?! Arsé-kun: Primo: I don't make the rules! Sheepy: Misyr: You can't just kill me! Arsé-kun: Primo: This is true! You'd need at least three exorcisms and a holy water bomb, and even then, it would be unlikely unless 13 stayed with you for a week! Arsé-kun: *Malleus looks insulted. Because he is insulted.* Sheepy: Misyr: Are you plotting my death?! Arsé-kun: Primo: I can plot all I'd like, but it doesn't mean it'll work on you! I'd need a bunch of deez anyway.. Sheepy: Misyr: These what? Arsé-kun: Primo: Deez nuts! *Without giving Misyr time to respond, he sends 13 and 14 back to campus! Whoosh.* Sheepy: Misyr:?! Arsé-kun: *Merlin quietly chuckles. he's still dead exhausted and wilted, but deez nuts is always funny* Sheepy: Misyr:....I don't even know what he was referring to... Arsé-kun: Merlin: Deez nuts. Sheepy: Misyr: Eh...Whatever. Are you better now? Arsé-kun: Merlin: ehhh Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Unfortunately for me and my business, you're back. How tragic. Sheepy: Misyr: Ouch! Sheepy: Misyr: Everyone's so cruel today! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: I'm awful every day. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Now shut up and sit down. I already know the order. Does the mop you're carrying want one too? It'll go on your tab. Sheepy: Misyr: Is he even alive? Arsé-kun: Merlin: nope Sheepy: Misyr: Ehhhh? I put my robes on a dead guy? Arsé-kun: Merlin: ... ... I'm talking to you, grampa! Sheepy: Misyr: Yes? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I'm alive! I'm tired but I'm alive! Sheepy: Misyr: Oh, good! If you weren't, well... Sheepy: Misyr: Grandpa'd kill me! ... Not that he can, of course! A final boss always comes back, no matter how many times he's put down! Ahahahaahahaa! Arsé-kun: Merlin: He even said he couldn't! Sheepy: Misyr: Yeah, exactly! Sheepy: Misyr: That's the strength of a demon lord! Sheepy: Misyr: Anyway, do you want anything, Merlin? I'm going to pick up the tab just this once! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah. I'll take the same thing you get. Sheepy: Misyr: Great! I'll get the usual! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Right. *he turns to the side and turns on a coffee pot. its purple.* Sheepy: Misyr: How are you feeling, Merlin? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I feel like if I tried to cast a spell, I'd probably die. Sheepy: Misyr: Oof. Why don't you take the day off and relax? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah, I'm gonna. Still don't get why that happened, though.. Sheepy: Misyr: No clue! Sheepy: Misyr: I'm no fancy wizard! Sheepy: Misyr: I'm a demon lord! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Then what'd you teach Max?? Sheepy: Misyr:....Eh? Sheepy: Misyr:.... Sheepy: Misyr: Uhhhh... Sheepy: Misyr: W....well. You know. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Did you at least teach more than Malleus? Sheepy: Misyr: Yeah, of course! Sheepy: Misyr: I taught the basics and stuff! But you know how it is. Demon kings don't exactly have much they can teach to wizards. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Eh? You were a demon even back then? Sheepy: Misyr: I was always a demon... Arsé-kun: Merlin: Huh. Sheepy: Misyr: I mean, it'd be weird if I wasn't! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Would it?? Sheepy: Misyr: What, have you ever heard of someone becoming a demon before? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I mean, I know a dude turned into an angel once... It's probably similar? Sheepy: Misyr:...Eh? Humans can just turn into angels? That's really weird. Arsé-kun: Merlin: I said once! I'm not sure if it's happened more than that. Sheepy: Misyr: Man, I wonder if he ever turned back? …No, I don’t think something like that is possible… Arsé-kun: Merlin: I doubt it... But I wouldn't know. Sheepy: Misyr: Oh well. Sheepy: Misyr: Hey, Wilbur, do you know anything about that? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Yes. I read the Bible once for school. One prophet was turned into an angel instead of dying. Sheepy: Misyr: Scary... Arsé-kun: Wilbur: As for turning back from something else, well, you need research. Sheepy: Misyr: Research... Well, it's not something that affects me, but what if I die and become an angel? I'd need it then. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: I said what I said. Sheepy: Misyr: I'm not so good at research... Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Can you read? Or do they not have books in hell? Sheepy: Misyr: Eh... the latter! Real hard to get your hands on one. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: You must not get a signal in hell either. Sheepy: Misyr: I don't. That's why I leave my phone here! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: If it gets stolen, I don't want to hear about it. Sheepy: Misyr: Hey, hey! Don't let it get stolen! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: It isn't my responsibility. Sheepy: Misyr: But you're my friend! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: What have I said about being informal on my work hours? Sheepy: Misyr: Being formal is tough for demon kings like me! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: I'm going to borrow another professor's lie detector and plug you into it just to see how fast it catches on fire. I'll give it twenty seconds. Sheepy: Misyr: Eh?! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: But yes, fine. I'll make sure it isn't stolen by anyone malevolent. Sheepy: Misyr: Thanks! Sheepy: Misyr: By the way, don't worry if I get any calls. Sheepy: Misyr: I don't need to answer them! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Sure. Arsé-kun: *Enter two children and the ugliest bug you've ever seen in your life.* Sheepy: Misyr:......... Arsé-kun: Wilbur: ........... Sheepy: Satoru: Hi, Wilbur. We found a bug. Sheepy: Misyr:.....B-....B...Big... Arsé-kun: Duncan: It's real big! What'd we do wit it? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: .... Hand it over please. Sheepy: Satoru: If you let go of it, it'll fly away, so be careful, okay? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: I will be careful. It won't escape. Sheepy: Satoru: Okay. Arsé-kun: *Wilbur gets +1 bug. awful* Sheepy: Misyr:...It's..so... Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Misyr, come outside with me. I need you for this. Sheepy: Satoru: Do you know what it is? I think it's a fruit fly. Sheepy: Misyr: Y-yeah, I can do that... Arsé-kun: Wilbur: It's a Shan, and it is very dangerous. Don't let them near your head if you can help it. Sheepy: Satoru: Okay. I won't. Sheepy: *Misyr hesitantly heads outside* Arsé-kun: *Wilbur also goes outside, with the Shan* Sheepy: Misyr:..Yeah? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: When I let go, send it into orbit. Sheepy: Misyr: Can do! Arsé-kun: *Wilbur throws the bug into the air!* Sheepy: *Misyr slams his magic piano and nukes the bug! Where there was once a bug is now a pile of dust and nothing more.* Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Beautiful. Destroyed without grandfather needing to get involved. Sheepy: Misyr: That was disgusting...! Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Very. I need to wash ten times over now. Sheepy: Misyr: And don't touch me for a while, alright? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Can do. Your coffee should be ready, so you can handle that. Arsé-kun: Duncan: ---And that's why I think spoder minecraf should be in smash bros! Sheepy: Satoru: What's Smash Bros? Sheepy: *Misyr heads over to the coffee pot and obtains his coffee!* Sheepy: Misyr: Gosh... Bugs should never be allowed to grow that big.... Arsé-kun: Duncan: It's a game! Fight people! Sheepy: Satoru: Do I have to? Arsé-kun: Duncan: No? Sheepy: Satoru: Oh. Sheepy: Satoru: I won't, then. Sheepy: Satoru: Why do you want to fight? Arsé-kun: Duncan: I don't! It's in the game! You asked what it was! Sheepy: Satoru: Oh. Okay. I understand now. Sheepy: Satoru: By the way, Wilbur. We found that Shan in my dad's flowers. Is that concerning? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: That is concerning. Was it just the one? Sheepy: Satoru: No, we just chose to only take one. Sheepy: Satoru: After all, if you take every bug, they'll eventually go extinct. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: .... ..... Duncan, run the shop for me. I have to report that to Carter. *and he leaves before Duncan can finish processing that sentence* Arsé-kun: Duncan: ? ??? Huh? I get the tall chair now? Welp, bokay! *and he clambers onto Wilbur's behind-counter stool* I'm the cappytain now! Sheepy: Satoru: We should have menrioned that sooner, I guess. Sheepy: Misyr: There's more than one....? Hrk... I hate bugs... Arsé-kun: Merlin: And we can't just nuke 'em... Sheepy: Misyr: We can, but the damages will be expensivw. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Carefully! Sheepy: Misyr: Careful and Misyr don't go together! Arsé-kun: Duncan: Who's Care-full?? Sheepy: Misyr: Not me! Sheepy: Misyr: Three is overly so, though. Arsé-kun: Merlin: You and Makenna.. I at least try to be! Sheepy: Misyr: Isn't that boring for you? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Sometimes... But I'd rather not hurt someone for no reason. Sheepy: Il: --It's just too bad that otome game creators don't seem to truly understand the demand for merch, so they produce small quantities and it's bought up almost instantly. Arsé-kun: Raph: *looking fucking dead inside* Just make your own. Sheepy: Il: It's not the same! Arsé-kun: Raph: Yeah, yeah... *he spots Misyr* Well! Good morning, america! Sheepy: Il: Part of the value of merch is the hunt for it. I hunted down every piece of Lupin merch. My Lupin shrine would feel empty without them. Sheepy: Misyr: Oh, you've arrived! Arsé-kun: Raph: I'm here, I'm queer, lets get this shit in gear! *fingergun x2* Sheepy: Misyr: Hey, I learned something scary today from Merlin! Arsé-kun: Raph: Horrible! Lay it on me! Arsé-kun: Raph: Oh, him! Why would he? He liked the upgrade. Sheepy: Misyr: Eh? Arsé-kun: Raph: "You can't get a sore wrist from writing when you're not human!" Or so he said. Sheepy: Misyr: You mean he never looked down at himself and thought he was hideous? Or mourned the loss of his humanity? Hmmm... A demon lord like me can't really understand... Arsé-kun: Raph: Can't answer that! Confidentiality and all that! Arsé-kun: Raph: One day I'll see you as a demon lord! And it'll be cool! Sheepy: Misyr: Eh? Arsé-kun: Raph: Demons always look cool... So you gotta look cool! Sheepy: Misyr: This is how I always look... Arsé-kun: Raph: Cool! Sheepy: Misyr: Ahahaha! Of course! I am a demon lord, after all! Arsé-kun: Duncan: Doc Watsin says you're full of trash! I've heard it! Sheepy: Misyr: Well, I eat other things too! Arsé-kun: Duncan: You eat trash??? Sheepy: Misyr: Well, the sweets that go with coffee are basically trash, right? Arsé-kun: Duncan: They're oaky... Sheepy: Misyr: Nutritionally, they're trash! Arsé-kun: Raph: I can confirm that. Doesn't stop most people. Arsé-kun: Duncan: Well, uh, umm! I bet you're... Nutty-ally bad too! Sheepy: Misyr: Yes, I am! Sheepy: Misyr: No time to eat when I'm back in my home world. Arsé-kun: Duncan: Wh! You weren' supposed to agree! Wil gets paid for being sassy! I can't do his jowb if you jus' let me say it! Sheepy: Misyr: So whatever I eat when I'm here is what I get for the day! Sheepy: Misyr: But it's true... Arsé-kun: *Raph staring at Misyr.jpeg* Sheepy: Misyr: Yes? What is it? Arsé-kun: Raph: So you're barely eating at all? Sheepy: Misyr: Well... Sheepy: Misyr: You could say that! Arsé-kun: *Hard, doctorly staring* Arsé-kun: Raph: You gotta do something about that. Sheepy: Misyr: You know how work is! Arsé-kun: Raph: You're here during the day. You can get food! Sheepy: Misyr: I don't really stray very far.... Sheepy: Misyr: But if you insist! Arsé-kun: Raph: And don't make me turn it into doctor's orders! Sheepy: Misyr: Scary... Arsé-kun: Merlin: Man.... All this talk's making me hungry, but I can't be bothered. Sheepy: Misyr: You should eat! You nearly drowned. Arsé-kun: Merlin: I want to! But I don't wanna go all the way to the pizza place... Arsé-kun: Raph: he What Sheepy: Misyr: Nearly drowned in the ocean. Arsé-kun: Raph: Wha'?! How? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Sounds like you've done that before, doc. *he decides to order a pizza anyway. fuck it!* Sheepy: Misyr: I did it and was fine. Arsé-kun: Raph: You're not most. You're a demon lord. Sheepy: Misyr: Yes, true! Arsé-kun: *in the background, a wrecked toaster gets dunked into the trash by Duncan. this is not important* Sheepy: Misyr: That's why I'm so dangerous! Ahahaha! Arsé-kun: *Raph starts to say something, but stops himself. There are kids here!* Sheepy: Misyr: Oh, pizza, huh. I've never really tried it. Arsé-kun: Merlin: What the Fuck. Sheepy: Misyr: What? Arsé-kun: Merlin: How? Sheepy: Misyr: They don't have it in my home world! Arsé-kun: Merlin: That sucks! Sheepy: Misyr: Yeah, it does! Arsé-kun: *duncan and satoru defeat a minor eldritch thing in the kitchen using kitchen utensils. this is also completely irrelevant* Sheepy: Misyr: I feel like I can't stray too far from the cafe in case something comes up. Arsé-kun: Raph: That's fair. I've done work down there.. Sometimes things happen the second you stop looking. Sheepy: Misyr: Yeah, exactly! Sheepy: Misyr: And I've gotta be a good influence, so being late would look bad. Sheepy: Misyr: Hey, what was your experience? Arsé-kun: Raph: Hm? Sheepy: Misyr: Working there. Arsé-kun: Raph: It wasn't bad. I only really did stuff at the higher levels. Brought souls down sometimes, y'know. But occasionally I had to make sure one demon was still chained up. Didn't enjoy that. Sheepy: Misyr: Eh? Chained up? Why would they chain up demons down there? Arsé-kun: Raph: That's what I thought, but nooo. Humanity learning science was too big a sin back then or something. Arsé-kun: Raph: I still got half a mind to break in and ruin the jail. Sheepy: Misyr: Wow... Too big of a sin even for there... Arsé-kun: Raph: But since we're all fallen angels now... I really wanna commit a break-out crime. Sheepy: Il: Lupin does that a few times. Arsé-kun: Raph: yes thank you Il Sheepy: Il: I think I've learned from him how to do it... Sheepy: Il: No jail nor chains could ever hold me. Sheepy: Misyr: Well, I have to pass on that. That'd be a bad look for me! Arsé-kun: Raph: Fair enough! Sheepy: Il: What would Lupin do in this situation... Sheepy: Misyr: As a fictional character, not much. Sheepy: Il: ...One moment. *he pulls out his phone* Arsé-kun: *Il was sent a text message!* Sheepy: *Il checks it!* Arsé-kun: *It's a selfie from someone we've only seen on Il's merch! Big grins and peace signs from on top of a fence. Someone thinks they're hot shit.* Sheepy: Il: What a coincidence... Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Il's #2 Favorite Ikemen] Do you see it? The ghost behind you? Arsé-kun: *A minute or two passes before he gets a reply* Arsé-kun: Lupin: [text: to Il] Don't do that, please. I genuinely believed there was a ghost present when there is not! Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] The selfie you sent has one. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] It looks like campus security. Arsé-kun: Lupin: [text: to Il] That's because it is. The poor man has been waiting for a new arrival all afternoon. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] So it isn't a ghost. I see. By the way, how do I break someone out of jail? Arsé-kun: Lupin: [text: to Il] Is this information you genuinely need, or are you asking based on situational context? Sheepy: Il: Raphael. Sheepy: Il: Is information on jailbreaking needed? Arsé-kun: Raph: What? No. I could break it myself if I really wanted to. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] Raphael says it's not needed. Arsé-kun: Lupin: [text: to Il] Well, good. Each jail is different. I'd need to look into it to make useful suggestions. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] I know nothing about it either. Sheepy: Il: Lupin says he can't make useful suggestions. Arsé-kun: Raph: ...? Sheepy: Il: What? Arsé-kun: Raph: I'd assume so. It's in Hell anyway. Sheepy: Misyr: I mean... Him being fictional may have something to do with it...! Arsé-kun: Raph: Perhaps. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] Are you fictional? Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] Misyr says you're fictional, even though he's friends with Holmes and Watson. Arsé-kun: Lupin: [text: to Il] Have you informed him that I am not? Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] No. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] Should I? Arsé-kun: Lupin: [text: to Il] You may want to remedy that. I've got to get back to travelling, I'll text when I'm in a safe zone. Sheepy: Il: [Text: to Lupin] I will. Good luck. Stay safe. Sheepy: Il: Lupin says to tell you that he's real. Sheepy: Misyr:...Hold on. Were you not referring to the otome guy? Sheepy: Misyr: The otome guy isn't real... Sheepy: Il:....But if Holmes and Watson are real, Lupin is real, too. Sheepy: Misyr: Ehh. I'll just ask Watson later... Sheepy: Misyr: Anyway, Merlin, maybe you should try going home to relax after what happened. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Y'mean I gotta move? Sheepy: Misyr: Well... You can't sleep here, right? Arsé-kun: Merlin: ..... Fair. Bedi would have my head if I did.. Sheepy: Misyr: Right. Exactly. Sheepy: Misyr: So go on home before you sleep here on accident! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Awww, fine.. Here. *he throws Misyr's cloak to Misyr. kobe* Sheepy: *Misyr puts his cloak back on. He no longer looks like a wetted down fluffy cat.* Arsé-kun: *WYM, according to Raph he looked hot. Not that he'll say it* Sheepy: *Eventually, Merlin ends up home!* Arsé-kun: *With pizza. because of course he does* Sheepy: Bedi: Ah, Merlin, you're back... Arsé-kun: Merlin: I'm back. The ocean's cold this time of year! Sheepy: Bedi:...Ocean? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Anyway, it's pizza time! Hope you guys haven't eaten yet! Sheepy: Bedi: I haven't. However... Griflet is in a bad mood. Please be wary of him. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Eh? Somethin' happen? Sheepy: Bedi: According to him, the problem is that he can't swim. Arsé-kun: Merlin: That IS problematic. Arsé-kun: Kay: *coming out of his own room* Sounds like shit. Arsé-kun: Kay: *he knocks on Grif's door* You want help, Moron? Sheepy: Bedi: He's looking for a long stick. Arsé-kun: Kay: What's he need a stick for when he's got a party member with longer arms? Sheepy: Grif: *He opens the door, holding a stolen lance* Worry not, Kay. I found it. Arsé-kun: Kay: .... I'm still gonna join you. I don't trust you not falling in like a dumbass. Sheepy: Grif:....Uh. Arsé-kun: *Kay forced himself into the party without your consent!* Sheepy: Grif: Don't slow me down, then. My charge is currently drowning. Arsé-kun: Kay: Why didn't you say so?! Sheepy: Grif: I would never interrupt someone when they're speaking. Arsé-kun: Kay: Learn to! And get going! Sheepy: *Grif drags Kay out* Arsé-kun: Merlin: ... Huh. So I guess I'm not the only one to bone myself over today. Sheepy: Bedi: So it seems.... Are you okay, Merlin? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah. Tired as hell, but I'll live. I got some things to reconsider. Sheepy: Bedi: You do? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah. Sheepy: Bedi: I can help. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah you can! ^^ Sheepy: Bedi: What are you mulling over? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I always thought Malleus didn't care. I've said it a bunch of times- Bastard that couldn't be assed to teach me anything. Sheepy: Bedi: Did he subvert expectations? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I called for help and he was the first or second one there.. I dunno if he or Misyr got there first. Sheepy: Bedi: So that's good news! Arsé-kun: Merlin: And if I take chat messages into consideration! We get stuff like... *he pulls out his phone and checks the chatroom* "You KNOW what happens when I go to help! I've already killed Morne, I'm not doing that again!"... Arsé-kun: *Merlin thinks about this* Arsé-kun: Merlin: ...Huh. Sheepy: Myrrdin: [chat] @Merlin Are you still drowning or do you not need help anymore? If you're dead don't worry about responding Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] What help you were!! Sheepy: Myrrdin: [chat] I was sleeping, also I was working Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] Anyway, you're interrupting me reconsidering my life views, do you want anythin' else while I'm here, gramps? Sheepy: Myrrdin: [chat] The next time you drown, can you do it while I'm awake so I can rescue you? Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] o yea ill make sure to schedule it next time for you. Sheepy: Myrrdin: [chat] By the way, I don't like going too far from home, so you can drown in my wife's lake next time, okay? Arsé-kun: Merlin: [chat] :V Sheepy: Bedi: Wow... The saddest part is, it doesn't seem like anyone else has commented on it. Perhaps they haven't seen it until now. Although, I'm left with the mystery how one can sleep and work at the same time... Arsé-kun: Merlin: Well, yeah. They got lives too. I was hoping more would comment, though.. Sheepy: Bedi: Well... I'm very happy you're safe! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Me too! We'll figure out the mystery of how I ended up in buttfuck nowhere from teleporting later! Sheepy: Bedi: I hope so. Arsé-kun: Merlin: I just wanted to pop up next to Artair... What went so wrong? Sheepy: Bedi: Hmm... That is troubling... Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah! I've backfired before, but not like that! Sheepy: Bedi: Maybe something is happening in the environment around you that's affecting magic generally. Arsé-kun: Merlin: I hope not! Arsé-kun: *I think it's been long enough now for Kay and Grif to get to where they need to go!* Sheepy: Grif: Here's where he was drownibg. Sheepy: Grif: As you can see, he's still drowning. Dr. Romani, Kay will get you out. Worry not. Unfortunately, you have entered a domain that I cannot cross with my current stats, and therefore you are, as they say, "up a creek without a paddle". However, if you need a paddle, you can have this lance. Arsé-kun: *Kay doesn't give a shit that Grif was speaking, and has already jumped into the water to help.* Arsé-kun: *The next part goes swimmingly well, pun fully intended. Kay is able to grab onto and help this Dr. Romani, who fortunately had not actually drowned yet.* Arsé-kun: *And then Kay stares up at Grif because how the FUCK does he climb out of this lake hole with another human being* Sheepy: Grif: .... Sheepy: Grif: *He holds out the lance into the water* Here. Arsé-kun: Kay: Thanks for noticing! *he grabs onto it with his free hand* Sheepy: Grif: Good job, Kay. Sheepy: Grif: Are you okay, Dr. Greece? Arsé-kun: Romani: ... .... What? Sheepy: Grif: I asked if you were okay. Sheepy: Grif: My swimming stat is 1. Therefore, I needed to get help to rescue you. Arsé-kun: Kay: Shut up and let the man speak, dumbass. Sheepy: Grif: Yes... I will. Arsé-kun: Romani: I should be okay. I've been through worse! Sheepy: Grif: I see. Let's go to the campus together. Arsé-kun: Romani: Yes please! I'd like to make it this time! Sheepy: *Grif guides Romani to the campus!* Sheepy: Grif: Here we are. Arsé-kun: Romani: Wow! This place looks great!! *he's genuinely impressed* Sheepy: Grif: Uh.... If you say so. I don't really pay much attention to that. Sheepy: Grif: The staff here who are in charge of such things work hard to make it look nice. Sheepy: Grif: The janitor is Nyarlathotep - my dad's uncle. The gardener is named Eiji. Arsé-kun: Romani: Your... A janitor?? How? Sheepy: Grif: No. I'm a guard. Nyarlathotep is the janitor. I break things and he cleans up the shards. Sheepy: Grif: He takes great pride in his work. Arsé-kun: Romani: Um, I guess I wasn't very clear. Let me try again. Sheepy: Grif: Go ahead. Arsé-kun: Romani: He's okay with being a janitor for mortals? Sheepy: Grif: Well, of course. If people litter enough, they'll get sick and die, right? Sheepy: Grif: If the humans all died off, he wouldn't have anyone to torment. Uncle loves humans. He is probably the most human of any of us. Sheepy: Grif: Anyway, Randy probably wouldn't let him stay here if he didn't do some work around here. So, he takes multiple jobs, but the one he focuses on the most is his janitor job. Arsé-kun: Romani: That makes sense... Guess I shouldn't judge. Sheepy: Grif: No, judge him heavily. Arsé-kun: Romani: I'm getting mixed messages here! Sheepy: Grif: Well, he's the most human of any of us. Sheepy: Grif: It's not as though he's driven by a sense of duty or a twisted sense of kindness. Arsé-kun: Romani: Huh. I guess that makes sense. Arsé-kun: *Grif gets a quest update!* Sheepy: *Grif looks at the quest update* Arsé-kun: Yog: *from Paimon, popup* Complete the mission by finishing the escort! Target location: Hospital. No enemies are detected. Sheepy: Grif: Dad says to bring you to the hospital. Arsé-kun: *Romani decides to stop asking questions.* Arsé-kun: Romani: That's where I'll be working, so that'd be ideal! Sheepy: *Grif leads him to the hospital!* Sheepy: Grif: ...Here we are. Arsé-kun: Romani: Thank you! Sheepy: Grif: Just be careful. Sheepy: Grif: There's some patients who live there who are.......... Sheepy: Grif: Well, you'll see. Arsé-kun: Romani: Thanks for the warning. Um. I'll pay you next time I see you! Sheepy: Grif: Uh. This is my job. But okay. Arsé-kun: Romani: I'll tip you when my wallet isn't totally soaked through. Sheepy: Grif: Okay, thanks. Sheepy: Grif: Have fun. See you later. Arsé-kun: *Romani waves to Grif and drags himself inside the hospital. Finally. He made it.* Sheepy: *There's a young girl there to greet him!* Sheepy: Girl: Are you a patient? Arsé-kun: Romani: I may as well be at this rate, but no, I'm just really late. Sheepy: Girl: ... Oh! You're the new doctor? You look like you could blend in with the patients. I'm sure that'll make them feel more at home! Arsé-kun: Romani: *sheepish* I'm not usually this bad. I might've fell in a lake on the way. Sheepy: Girl: Lake? Well, that explains a lot... Sheepy: Girl: Well, it looks like Daddy's busy right now, so he can't greet you! Don't worry, I can show you around. I'm Iris Watson, by the way! Arsé-kun: Romani: That'd be great. I'm Romani Archiman. Look forward to working with you and your dad. ^^ Sheepy: Iris: Looking forward to working alongside you, too, Archie! ... Oh, Holmsies will visit on occasion to harass you, but it's because he's lonely. Don't push him away too harshly or he'll mope in the corner and think everyone hates him, okay? Arsé-kun: Romani: I wouldn't mind the company! Sheepy: Iris: Well, I hope that'll be true. Sheepy: *Something, or someone, suddenly launches at Romani! A sword whizzes past his head, cutting off a bit of his hair!* Arsé-kun: *Romani yelps and jumps to the side a little late* Sheepy: *Okita tilts his head some and puts his sword over his shoulder. There's blood on his face mask.* Sheepy: Okita: You're really slow, aren't you? I could've taken your head off in a flash. Wouldn't that be a sight! Arsé-kun: Watson: Don't torment the new hires, Okita! Sheepy: Iris: We keep telling you you can't do that, Kitty! Sheepy: Okita: Ahhh, you never let me have any fun, do you? "Don't stab people, Okita"... "Take your medicine, Okita"... Ah, meddlers like you.. What a pain in the- *he starts coughing* Arsé-kun: Watson: Meddlers like us are keeping you alive, you walking TB timebomb. Sheepy: Okita: I've had worse. I would've recovered by myself if that demon hadn't caught on to my symptoms and dragged me here. Arsé-kun: Watson: ... Look, just let us speak. If we're here speaking, we're not there to watch you. Sheepy: Okita: You're right. I can go cause all sorts of problems. Sheepy: Okita: Well, see you! *he heads off* Arsé-kun: Watson: ... I'm very sorry about that. Sheepy: Iris: He's always like that. He's the physical bully and Lucan's the emotional bully! Arsé-kun: Watson: And unfortunately for us, they're friends. Sheepy: Iris: Yes... Arsé-kun: *brief pause for romani and watson to introduce themselves to each other, bt thats a monologue so heck u* Sheepy: Iris: Oh, the other doctors are... Sheepy: Iris: Raphie, Vicky, Westie, and Griffy. Griffy's on hiatus. Sheepy: Iris: You might not see him. Arsé-kun: Romani: I have a question. Sheepy: Iris: Yes? Arsé-kun: Romani: Where can I find a drier? *he kinda holds out his very wet coat* Sheepy: Iris: Oh! I can show you! Arsé-kun: Romani: That'd be appreciated! Sheepy: *Iris leads him there!* Sheepy: Iris: Here it is! Arsé-kun: Romani: Thank you! Sheepy: Iris: I'll leave you to that! Arsé-kun: Romani: Appreciate that! Sheepy: *Iris leaves to rejoin Watson* Arsé-kun: *Romani starts chucking everything into the drier, and then remembers he has stuff in his pockets. ggwp* Sheepy: *RIP* Arsé-kun: *This takes a while. Romani passes the time by replacing his bandages and checking his various wounds. None of ya business* Sheepy: *Worry not, Romani! Holmes is occupying his own time by sitting in the corner, moping.* Arsé-kun: Raph: *kazoo* We got a new staff member! Sheepy: Holmes: *He looks up at Raphael, looking extremely depressed* It's a beautiful day to die, isn't it, my friend? Arsé-kun: Griffin: *from who fucking knows where* DO YOU WANT ASSISTANCE?! Sheepy: Holmes: Ah... I couldn't make you waste your time on such a worthless task... If you avert your eyes, I'll fade into nothingness anyway. No friends. No life... Just a sad little trash heap, destined to be blown away by the wind. Arsé-kun: Watson: If I buy you a cinnamon roll, will that help? Sheepy: Holmes: You wouldn't do that. Not for me. Arsé-kun: *Watson leaves the scene. In the background, Kay is dragging Artair out with one hand, and holding a mass of moss with the other. Irrelevant* Arsé-kun: Raph: While we wait, pop those wings out if you can manage it. I wanna look 'em over. Sheepy: Holmes: *He pops his wings out!* Sheepy: Holmes: It's the only interesting thing about me anyway... Arsé-kun: Raph: It's not! It's just the newest one, and I'm concerned for your health. Arsé-kun: Griffin: AM I BEING IGNORED Sheepy: Holmes: Ah... To step in a puddle and wet your pants leg... To tear the paper towel in half on accident... Are there worse feelings? Arsé-kun: Raph: Oh, those are the worst! Sheepy: Holmes: Go ahead and look them over. They aren't that interesting, but life is all about settling. Arsé-kun: Raph: Have you eaten today, pal? Sheepy: Holmes: No. Sheepy: Holmes: Ahhh... What's the point... It's dark and cloudy, just like my heart... Arsé-kun: *Iris has been lifted into the air by an invisible force. thanks griffin* Sheepy: *Iris isn't surprised because this is normal for her.* Arsé-kun: *Watson comes back, and tosses Holmes a cinnamon roll.* Sheepy: Holmes: *Siiiiiigh* Have you experienced it, Watson? Arsé-kun: Watson: Yes. You need energy. Sheepy: Holmes: The feeling of a day where everything goes wrong.. *He opens the cinnamon roll package and starts eating it* *between bites* Dropping your important pages in a puddle. *munch, munch* Tripping over a rock... Sheepy: Holmes:...Now that I think of it, that puddle seemed to be with me, every step ot the way. Sheepy: Holmes: Did it rain today...? *chew, chew* Arsé-kun: Raph: Nope. You'd better investigate that next time. I wanna see it too. Sheepy: Holmes: Even nature is against me... Sheepy: Holmes: It almost seemed like the puddle was laughing at me... Arsé-kun: *Romani is peering out, still replacing bandages, but clearly watching all this. Do Not Notice Me* Sheepy: Holmes: .......Wait. Puddles don't laugh. Arsé-kun: Watson: Are you sure it wasn't the security guards pet? Sheepy: Holmes:....... Sheepy: Holmes: I got bullied... By a pet puddle. Arsé-kun: Watson: Almost as bad as the janitor. Sheepy: Holmes:........ Arsé-kun: Raph: If you want good news, your wings have healed quite a bit already! Sheepy: Holmes: What? Oh, have they? Arsé-kun: Raph: Yep! When the feathers grow in, you might be able to take off! No guarantees and no roof jumping. Sheepy: Holmes: ...Roof...jumping? Arsé-kun: Raph: Well, it's easier to glide than to take off from the ground! That takes way more work. Sheepy: Holmes: Uh...Yes. I wouldn't want to fall, though. Arsé-kun: Raph: Understandable and have a nice day! Sheepy: Holmes: That's what would drive me not to do roof jumping. Sheepy: Holmes:....Thank you for the cinnamon roll. I feel better now. Arsé-kun: Watson: Please eat at LEAST once a day. I'm begging you. Sheepy: Holmes: I remembered something important and couldn't focus on food. Sheepy: Holmes: Yes... The important contents are on these documents... Oh, yes, I forgot. Sheepy: Holmes: The documents fell into the puddle. Arsé-kun: Watson: We have established this. Hand them over. Sheepy: Holmes: No... I mean... Sheepy: Holmes: The pages fell into the puddle. Sheepy: Holmes: They went into the puddle. Arsé-kun: Watson: Please tell me you made photocopies prior. Sheepy: Holmes:........ Arsé-kun: Watson: ..... ..... Sheepy: Holmes: Hmhmhm... Look at the time. Arsé-kun: *Iris has been put down. Fun's over* Arsé-kun: Griffin: This sounds like fun, but I'm going to go outside and yell at the sun for being here! And then throw knives at it when that doesn't work, because that makes sense. Sheepy: Holmes: How unfortunate! Wonder where the time went! Too bad! What documents? Did I mention documents? There's no documents! Sheepy: Iris: ...Oh, you're right! Why is the sun out? Arsé-kun: Watson: .... It's ten pm. Sheepy: Holmes: ...I don't have anything I need to do around this time. No, I mean... Arsé-kun: Kay: *from very far away* OY, FUCK OFF, YEW BIG BALL OF SHIT! Sheepy: Iris: Looks like someone else found it first! Arsé-kun: Watson: I wonder what it was. Sheepy: Holmes: Hmhmhm... Wouldn't you like to find out? Sheepy: Holmes: Lucky for you, I have photocopies... In my brain. Arsé-kun: Griffin: *taking Fran's glasses after noticing Fran was present, and then putting them on* What's the delete button? A 2 by 4? Sheepy: Fran: M-My glasses...! Sheepy: Holmes: It'll take more than a 2 by 4 to wipe my memories. Sheepy: Fran: I can't see very well without them, Dr. Griffin...! Arsé-kun: Griffin: Yes! That's what glasses are for. Sheepy: Fran: Yes, yes, you understand! So please return them! Arsé-kun: Griffin: You're going to need new ones by next month. *he puts them back on fran's face. Upside down.* Sheepy: Fran: Wh-what's that supposed to mean? Sheepy: *Fran fixes them* Arsé-kun: Griffin: What do you think it means? Sheepy: Fran: You'll be breaking them by messing with them? Arsé-kun: Griffin: Well! Now I want to! Sheepy: Fran: Or... Could my vision be getting worse?! Oh no, oh no... What a frightening thought.. Sheepy: Fran:...Or is it something else...? Arsé-kun: Griffin: You've worn them down so much that if I punched you, the lens would come out. Sheepy: Fran: Eh?! Sheepy: Fran: Well, you know... Arsé-kun: *Please disregard the Very Large Man carrying Okita like a football.* Sheepy: Fran: When you're focused on other things, it's hard to pay attention to how you treat your glasses. Sheepy: Okita: Adam...! Adam! How come you have to be so strict about the rules...? *Cough, cough* Arsé-kun: Adam: Because you would try to fight the fireball, and it would kill you. Sheepy: Okita: I'd kill it first. Arsé-kun: Adam: This is why I am not letting you. Sheepy: Okita: You're no fun, Adam! Arsé-kun: Adam: You have called me fun several times, and not fun several times. Arsé-kun: Romani: *what a group.* Sheepy: Okita: Ehhh.... Sheepy: Okita: Well, gee. That is a pickle, isn't it. Which are you? Arsé-kun: Adam: If I knew, I wouldn't comment. Sheepy: Okita:..... Sheepy: Okita: Well, you're fun! Sheepy: Okita: Bur sometimes you do unfun things. Arsé-kun: Adam: This makes sense. Arsé-kun: -Saturday, November 6th- Arsé-kun: *Good morning America! Kay's cooking. And there's a ball of moss just on the kitchen counter nearby. Unexplained natural phenomena.* Sheepy: Bedi: Oh, you don't have to do that... *he spots the moss on the kitchen counter*... New ingredient? Arsé-kun: Kay: Nah. I wanna see somethin' after I can clarify some info with Grif. And fuck off, I'm cooking. Sheepy: Bedi: Really? It is edible. Arsé-kun: Kay: Hhhhuh. I wouldn't eat it. It came from off the path. Sheepy: Bedi: Hm.... Arsé-kun: Kay: Eh, whatever. I got more questions, like why there was a goddamn sun in the quad yesterday. Sheepy: Bedi:....? Arsé-kun: Kay: It was bright as day at like! Ten pm! Sheepy: Bedi: Strange... Arsé-kun: Kay: I told it to fuck off and didn't get lit on fire! I dunno, though. Arsé-kun: Kay: Kinda surprised Grif didn't fight it. He definitely had to see that. Sheepy: Grif: Of course I didn't. Sheepy: Grif: I don't chase death. Arsé-kun: Kay: Could've fooled me. Sheepy: Grif: Make sure to work on that, then. Arsé-kun: Kay: That wasn't... Okay, never mind. Sheepy: Grif: She won't hurt intentionally you if you leave her alone. Sheepy: Grif: She despises Uncle. Arsé-kun: Kay: Oh, good to know. Maybe she wanted to blast him into space. Sheepy: Grif: Maybe? Likely. Arsé-kun: Kay: Okay, next question. Sheepy: Grif: Yes? Arsé-kun: Kay: What can your dad do again? Sheepy: Grif: Time and space things. Arsé-kun: Kay: Great. Does that include rewinding? Sheepy: Grif: Yes. Arsé-kun: Kay: Sick. See... *he picks up the moss ball. there's a bit of red metal at the bottom, and a very watered-down sticker* This is definitely my phone. Sheepy: Grif:.......Looks tasty... Arsé-kun: Kay: If you want moss, go back to the shitty slug crater and get some! Arsé-kun: Kay: Anyway! *he knocks on and opens the microwave, and then shoves the moss ball inside. Then he slams the door shut.* Oy, orb dad! Rewind this so it's useable again! Thanks! Sheepy: Grif:....? Arsé-kun: Kay: I want my phone working! Sheepy: Grif: I see... Sheepy: *In the background, Elyan is eating Kay's food. Chaotic/evil puddle* Arsé-kun: Kay: .. Hey!!! Sheepy: Elyan: *honk* Sheepy: Grif: Hm. Now that I think if it, Elyan separated from me yesterday while I was waiting for Dr. Roman. I wonder what he was up to. Arsé-kun: Kay: Dumb bird shit, probably. Sheepy: Grif: He's a water. Arsé-kun: Kay: But imitating a bird. Sheepy: Grif: By the way, did you see the claw marks in the door? It looked satisfying. Maybe I'll try that sometime. Arsé-kun: Kay: Please don't. Fou is bad enough. Sheepy: Bedi: Speaking of Fou, I'm going to the library to look at cats today. Arsé-kun: Kay: Again? Sheepy: Bedi: I never found Fou in any of the books. Sheepy: Bedi: You know how sometimes people will take in baby foxes or other wild animals thinking they're stray puppies? Arsé-kun: Kay: So do you finally accept that Fou isn't a goddamn cat? Sheepy: Bedi: I think he's a cat! Arsé-kun: Kay: What kind of fuckin' cat looks like a rejected squirrel? Sheepy: Bedi: But... there are big cats and small cats... Sheepy: Grif: Don't cats go... Sheepy: Grif: *He lifts his hands up in the nya style* Meooow, meoooowww. Arsé-kun: Kay: .... *he just wordlessly goes back to cooking* Sheepy: Grif: Myaaa. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Y'know, like, Nya! Sheepy: Grif: Yes, yes. Like... Nyaaa. Sheepy: Bedi:.... Sheepy: Bedi: Well, maybe Fou just never learned cat very well. We can't fault him for that. Arsé-kun: Fou: Aaaa! Sheepy: Grif: Aaaaa! Arsé-kun: Fou: o.o Arsé-kun: Merlin: Myaaa~ Sheepy: Grif: Ah... I see. It's like "myaaaa". Sheepy: Grif: Myyaaaaa. Arsé-kun: Fou: Nyaow! Sheepy: Grif: It all changes so fast. Sheepy: Bedi: Anyway, if you saw a baby lion, you'd think it was a kitten, right? Sheepy: Grif: They look nothing alike. Sheepy: Bedi:.......If you saw a baby tiger, you'd think it was a kitten, right? Sheepy: Grif: Those also look nothing alike. Arsé-kun: Merlin: We'll find out! I can ask Mewlin if he knows, too. Sheepy: Bedi: Basically, it's possible that Fou is some cat species that normally lives off the path... It'd explain why there's only one Fou that we've seen. Sheepy: Bedi: Hopefully he does. Arsé-kun: Merlin: But that'd still be a cat. Arsé-kun: *Kay is suffering between all the meowing, Elyan trying to eat his food, Fou being here at all, and general stupid* Sheepy: Bedi: Exactly. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Who knows until we find out? *he goes to pet Fou. Fou bites him. Merlin doesn't care* Sheepy: Grif: The pawsibilities are endless. Arsé-kun: Kay: I want to commit hearing loss. Sheepy: Grif: I can help. Arsé-kun: Kay: Not literal. Sheepy: Grif: Wow... so picky. Arsé-kun: *Arthur enters scene through the wall, still half-asleep and looking kinda irritated* Arsé-kun: Arthur: Can you sirs keep it down please..? Sheepy: Bedi: My apologies... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Thank you. *and he leaves again* Sheepy: Grif: Wow. I never knew that ghosts needed to sleep. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Me neither! Sheepy: Grif: Oh. Maybe he's catching up on his beauty sleep. Arsé-kun: Merlin: That's still the same thing. Sheepy: Grif: Wrong. Sheepy: Grif: A need for beauty sleep is born when uou grow low on beauty. Arsé-kun: Kay: Two birds, one stone. Who goddamn cares. Sheepy: Grif: Hmmm.... Sheepy: Grif: I don't think so. Sheepy: *Eventually, Grif heads out to do his job.* Arsé-kun: *Another day of making sure nothing bad happens! Lets gooo!* Sheepy: Grif: Hmhm... It's feeling like a boring day... Arsé-kun: *Nothing unusual spotted yet!* Sheepy: Grif: How unfortunate... Arsé-kun: *Where is Grif going to start?* Sheepy: *The coffee shop, I guess* Arsé-kun: Duncan: Hi, Grif! Welcome to shop! Sheepy: Grif: Wow, Wil... You look just like Duncan today. Arsé-kun: Duncan: That's becauz I AM Duncan!! Sheepy: Grif:.... Sheepy: Grif: Are you sure? Arsé-kun: Duncan: Grif, stop bullying me! Sheepy: Grif: I'm not bullying you. I'm confused that Wil isn't here. Arsé-kun: Duncan: Me too! I dunno where he is! Sheepy: Grif: Concerning. Sheepy: Grif: Did he head out somewhere? Arsé-kun: Duncan: He tex'ed me yest'day and said he had somethin' to do! Okay but what about Now?? Sheepy: Grif: If I were Wil... what would I need to do... Arsé-kun: Duncan: Maybe Uncle Randy gave him sumthin super cool secret to do? Sheepy: Grif: We could ask Randy. Arsé-kun: Duncan: I wanna! But I can't leave! Then no one watchin' shop! Sheepy: Grif: I should tell him that Dr. Roman is safe anyway. Arsé-kun: Duncan: Bokay! Then do it! Sheepy: *Grif heads off to meet Randy!* Sheepy: Grif: Randy? Arsé-kun: Randy: Hmmm? *he's got the lights off in his office* Yes, Griflet? Sheepy: Grif: I safely escorted Dr. Roman here with only one minor incident. Arsé-kun: Randy: Good, good! Great work. Sheepy: Grif: Yes. One other thing. Sheepy: Grif: Wil went missing. Have you seen him? Sheepy: Grif: If you don't remember what he looks like, he has glasses. Arsé-kun: Randy: I know how he looks! I did see him yesterday. He reported the Shan infestation to me personally. Sheepy: Grif: Wow... I wonder how Shans taste... Arsé-kun: Randy: Why don't you find out? Or maybe don't. That's up to you. Sheepy: Grif: I saw a butterfly and I ate it. The math professor is a good source for a snack. Sheepy: Grif: Oh, but I wouldn't want to take away from you the chance to try a Shan. You can take the first bite. Arsé-kun: Randy: I'd prefer not to! Sheepy: Grif: Don't be shy, Randy. Arsé-kun: Randy: Actually, no matter what you say, I... am NOT doing that. Sheepy: Grif: *He slams his hand down on the desk* So you just want to starve and DIE? Sheepy: Grif: By the way, speaking of death, Cthugha was outside yesterday. Arsé-kun: Randy: wHAT?! Sheepy: Grif: Worry not. I let her be. Arsé-kun: Randy: She's the one who burnt down the nearby university and left it a mess! Why would anyone want her here?! Sheepy: Grif: I'm sure she's still hunting for Uncle at this very moment, so you'll be free of him for a while. But what will we do without a janitor... Arsé-kun: Randy: I'm sure we can be fine without a janitor for a few days. Yes, I'm sure it'll be okay. Sheepy: Grif: Maybe you shouldn't judge her so harshly, Randy. Sheepy: Grif: I'm sure she was just trying to help them save on their heating bills. Arsé-kun: Randy: ..... Arsé-kun: Randy: Please take this seriously. She could very easily kill a large population of students by virtue of being here. Sheepy: Grif: Let's send Uncle out to bait her away. Arsé-kun: Randy: And kill my janitor? Germain would be heartbroken. Sheepy: Grif: He can come back. Sheepy: Grif: He's like a cockroach. He never dies. Arsé-kun: Randy: I'm sure you could convince her some other way to leave. Sheepy: Grif: ....... Sheepy: Grif: Hm.... Sheepy: Grif: I know. Sheepy: Grif: "In return for leaving, I'll give you Uncle". Arsé-kun: Randy: Good luck making him agree with that! Sheepy: Grif: No need for agreement. Sheepy: Grif: Well. Any better ideas? Arsé-kun: Randy: Oh, why not lead her to Hast--- He causes problems as well. They can combat each other instead. Sheepy: Grif:...... Sheepy: Grif: But I like Uncle. Arsé-kun: Randy: He can't mess with your friends if he is dead. Sheepy: Grif: I can either send her after a troublesome uncle I like or a troublesome uncle I dislike... Arsé-kun: Randy: I only have bad ideas remaining, but you're getting them anyway. Sheepy: Grif: Go on. Arsé-kun: Randy: She doesn't like any Outer God. So any older than good ol' Cthulhu are targets. So if the big guy decides to show up, let him deal with it. Sheepy: Grif: Wow... You're so much less formal when it involves trying to convince me to do things you very easily can do yourself. Arsé-kun: Randy: I am... Not personally approaching her or Aza. I'm only human. Sheepy: Grif: You approach me and I could dismember you with ease. Arsé-kun: Randy: You came into my office... Sheepy: Grif: Because I work for you. Arsé-kun: Randy: So you won't dismember me. You'd lose your job and you'd be kicked out. Sheepy: Grif: You approach Uncle despite him being generally chaotic. Arsé-kun: Randy: He approaches me. Sheepy: Grif: Then have Grandpa and Cthugha approach you. Arsé-kun: Randy: I'd prefer not to! Sheepy: Grif: And I'd rather not fight her. I know I'll lose. Arsé-kun: Randy: Then don't! Just talk to her! Ask what she wants! Just don't tell her not to do anything, because that's basically an invitation on a silver platter! Sheepy: Grif: I suppose I have to... Arsé-kun: Randy: Too demanding? I'm... That's on me. I've been working awfully late lately. Arsé-kun: Randy: You don't have to do it immediately, but please find time to at least find out why she was here. Sheepy: Grif: Well, I'll think abour dealing with Cthugha. Finding Wil is more important. Arsé-kun: Randy: Yes, right. Him. Sheepy: Grif: You've seen him, haven't you? Where is he? Arsé-kun: Randy: He was with me for a bit after his report, and then he left my office. I can't exactly give more than that. Sheepy: Grif: Wow... Demanding and useless... Arsé-kun: Randy: If I knew where he was, I would tell you. Sheepy: Grif:.......If I were Wil, where would I be... He's not in the coffee shop... Arsé-kun: Randy: That's a concern. Was Duncan there at least? Sheepy: Grif: Of course. Arsé-kun: Randy: He could rebrand it to Duncan Donuts. Sheepy: Grif: We aren't just forgetting about Wil. Sheepy: Grif: I'll let Cthugha burn the campus down if I can't find him before she acts. Arsé-kun: Randy: .... I really did say that out loud. Yes, yes, he tends to spend time with Dr. West when he isn't there. Arsé-kun: Randy: I just told you where he probably is! Sheepy: Grif: Dr. Herb... Hm... And yet... Sheepy: Grif: If he were, he would have texted Duncan by now to ease his concerns. Arsé-kun: Randy: ... That's true. I do hope nothing bad has happened. Sheepy: Grif: If I talk to Herb, he might know where Wil went.. Arsé-kun: Randy: I recommend it. He'd know more of Wilbur's habits than I do. Sheepy: Grif: I'll be back with the information I find. Arsé-kun: Randy: I'll look forward to your return. I'll reach out and see if I can find anything. Sheepy: *Grif heads to Herb's office!* Sheepy: Grif: Herb? Arsé-kun: Herb: *from a different room* Oh, hold on, Griflet! Sheepy: *Grif waits* Arsé-kun: *Herb comes out and takes his safety glasses off* Arsé-kun: Herb: What can I do for you? I've got time to kill while I wait for my test results to come up. Sheepy: Grif: Wil disappeared. Have you seen him? Arsé-kun: Herb: Huh? Wilbur's missing? That does explain why he missed our appointment. I figured Duncan was just being stubborn. Sheepy: Grif: ...What? He never came here? Sheepy: Grif: ........... Sheepy: Grif: So where is he...? The last person who saw him then was Randy... Arsé-kun: Herb: He was supposed to. But he hasn't shown up. He's only an hour late, but still.. And Carter would have definitely sent him directly here. Sheepy: Grif: By the way. Have you had problems with your lights? Arsé-kun: Herb: Not that I'm aware of. Why? Sheepy: Grif: Randy's lights were all off. Sheepy: Grif: And yet, he was just sitting there... Arsé-kun: Herb: Nyar was probably there with him. Sheepy: Grif: I see. That must be why he was so insistent on me not sacrificing Uncle to Cthugha. Arsé-kun: Herb: I would insist on not doing it too if Nyar was breathing down my neck. Sheepy: Grif: Yes....true. Arsé-kun: Herb: Lets do this the easy way. Arsé-kun: Herb: Vual, anything? Arsé-kun: Yog: I was hoping I wouldn't be asked! Grandfather has been lurking around Randy's place, so I missed anything happening there!! I can't see through Eligor, so it must be nearby? Arsé-kun: Yog: Now don't ask me anything until my son is found, thank you!! Arsé-kun: *Synonyms: Panic, worry, OH NO.png,* Sheepy: Grif: I know where one is. Arsé-kun: Yog: I know where Duncan is as well. Sheepy: Grif: Well, I did my best. Arsé-kun: Yog: Please investigate the area around where Randolph lives. This includes off the path. Sheepy: Grif: Good idea. I'll do that. See you later, Herb. Sheepy: *Grif heads to the area around where Randy lives* Sheepy: Grif:....Wiiiiil? Sheepy: *Grif looks around* Arsé-kun: *Nothing unusual* Sheepy: Grif:.... Sheepy: *Grif starts looking off the path* Arsé-kun: *Grif finds one of Yog's orbs! It's purple, so it must be Eligor.* Sheepy: Grif: Huh. Dad, you really adventured far from Wil. Sheepy: Grif: Wil must be nearby. Sheepy: *Grif looks around* Sheepy: Grif: Wiiiiillll.... Sheepy: Grif: You can't run forever.... Sheepy: *Grif continues looking around* Arsé-kun rolled a die with 20 sides. The die showed: 1 Arsé-kun: *Grif steps on something Suspiciously Squishy* Sheepy: *He looks down* Arsé-kun: *That's a tentacle he stepped on. It belongs to Wilbur.* Sheepy: Grif: How careless of you. *He picks Wilbur up like a sack of potatoes* Don't you know you shouldn't take a nap out here without a blanket? You'll catch a cold. Arsé-kun: *Wilbur fights back as much as the average bag of potatoes- That is to say, not at all.* Sheepy: Grif: You'll be late to your meeting with Herb. With how much life you're showing, he may dissect you by accident. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: ...... *he raises his head slightly* Grif... Shut up. Sheepy: Grif: Are you ready, Wil? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: ..... No. Let me die in peace. Sheepy: Grif: I'll bring you to Herb so he can do an autopsy. *He starts walking to Herb's office (?)* Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Cause of death: I don't know, and I don't care. Sheepy: Grif: Why were you sleeping out here? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: ... um Arsé-kun: Wilbur: ... ...... oh no. Sheepy: Grif: Yes? Arsé-kun: Wilbur: I don't remember.. At all. That can't bode well... Sheepy: Grif: Let's ask Herb for help, then. *He heads to Herb's office!* Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Have fun with that. *he puts his head back down for a few moments, and then jolts back up* Wait, are my..?! Sheepy: Grif: What? Arsé-kun: *One of Wil's tentacles lightly smacks Grif's cheek. That.* Sheepy: Grif: Oh. Yes. I stepped on one. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: They're out in public.... ... Well, if anyone not in the know asks, I got attacked. Sheepy: Grif: I feel so lacking, not having any myself... I bear no resemblance to Dad (dragon)... no wings, no horns, no tail... Yet, nothing to resemble Dad, either. Arsé-kun: Wilbur: Sucks. Wake me up when you get there. Sheepy: Grif: Right. I will. Sheepy: *Grif finally arrives at Herb's officr!* Arsé-kun: *Herb is sewing his coat collar when Grif comes in. He drops the needle* Sheepy: Grif: Hello. Arsé-kun: Herb: I'm glad you found him, but please explain? Sheepy: Grif: He was sleeping off the path. Dad even rolled away from him. How careless. Arsé-kun: Herb: He's hurt?? From what?? Sheepy: Grif: He doesn't remember. Arsé-kun: Herb: That's even more concerning..! Sheepy: Grif: It is? Arsé-kun: Herb: You're not bothered that your know-it-all brother was hurt and doesn't know what caused it? Sheepy: Grif: Hmmm...I didn't notice he was hurt. Arsé-kun: Herb: You're hopeless. I would suggest we immediately bring him to get medical care, but not in this state, and especially not in broad daylight... Sheepy: Grif: You're a doctor, aren't you? Arsé-kun: Herb: I'm a biologist! Sheepy: Grif: Do an autopsy to see how he's hurt and then cure him. Arsé-kun: Herb: None of those things work that way!! Sheepy: Grif: Where should I put him? Arsé-kun: Herb: Right here, on the table. Sheepy: *Grif puts Wil down*. Sheepy: Grif: When I find who hurt him... I'll TEAR THEM TO SHREDS! Sheepy: Grif:...Yes. Arsé-kun: Herb: Yes, please. I'd love to study whatever shreds you leave behind..! Sheepy: Grif: Okay, I can do that. Arsé-kun: *[Quest added: R.I.P. and Tear! Find who- or what-ever injured Wilbur and DESTROY THEM!]* Arsé-kun: Herb: That does nothing to clarify the whodunit. *he puts a cushion under Wilbur's head and goes to check out the damages* Sheepy: Grif: Well, it gives me one idea. Sheepy: Grif: I'll just pummel Uncle until he tells me who he thinks it is. Arsé-kun: Herb: And if he lies? Sheepy: Grif: I'll pummel him more? Arsé-kun: Herb: What a waste of time that would be. Sheepy: Grif: Do you have an idea on where I should start? Arsé-kun: Herb: Where was he found? Start there. Sheepy: Grif: I was already there. Sheepy: Grif:.......... Arsé-kun: Herb: You're bound to find out eventually even if you don't try. Sheepy: Grif: Wow... You're a natural born detective, Herb. Sheepy: Grif: I'll try it. I did find Wil's orb around there. It must've fallen when he was attacked. Sheepy: *Grif eventually ends up at the coffee shop after searching and finding nothing* Arsé-kun: Duncan: Griiif! Didja find Wil?? Sheepy: Grif: Yes. Arsé-kun: Duncan: Okay! Good!! Sheepy: Grif: He was attacked. I don't know by whom. He's with Herb right now. Arsé-kun: *Duncan makes a Noise. He isn't happy* Sheepy: Grif: Did you want to check on him? Sheepy: Grif: I can stay here while you do. Arsé-kun: Duncan: Yes! We got food in the back, don't eat it all! We close the shop at nine! Sheepy: Grif: Close the shop.... Sheepy: Grif: Hm, it's a bit big to do it, but I'll try. Arsé-kun: Yog: He means flipping the sign on the door, Griflet. People are not allowed in once it is closed. Sheepy: Grif: I understand now. I'll eviscerate anyone who tries to enter or leave. Arsé-kun: Yog: ... We'll work on it. Arsé-kun: *Duncan has left during this time. He wasn't seen, but the door did open and shut. Bye bud.* Sheepy: *Grif waits.* Arsé-kun: *not much happens. people that are usually at the shoppe are there. no oddities. none have any idea what happened to Wil. tragic* Sheepy: *Grif waits there, bored, and eating uncooked coffee beans.* Arsé-kun: *Grif thats how you get overcaffinated. You stop that* Sheepy: *Grif is bored and doesn't know that* Arsé-kun: *he fuckin gonna if he keeps this up* Sheepy: *To him they're just weird beans. If beans are good enough for Howard Philips Lovecraft they're good enough for Grif* Arsé-kun: *Duncan eventually returns around 9:30 pm. He remembered the human form this time* Sheepy: Grif: How is he? Arsé-kun: Duncan: He's okay! You can tell becuz the buildin's still up! :3c Sheepy: Grif: Well, that's good to hear. Sheepy: Grif: I closed fhe shop, so now you don't need to... Wait, I failed because I let you in. Arsé-kun: Duncan: I live here, dat's okay! Sheepy: Grif: Oh, okay. Sheepy: Grif: I'll head home then. Good night. Arsé-kun: Duncan: G'night! Bye! Sheepy: *Grif heads home!* Arsé-kun: *Grif gets back. Kay put a movie on and is doing homework during commercials.* Sheepy: Grif: Hi. I'm back. Arsé-kun: Kay: Hey. How'd work go? Sheepy: Grif: Wil got attacked. Sheepy: Grif: I don't know who did if. Sheepy: Grif: He's fine now. Arsé-kun: Kay: Yeesh. Sheepy: Grif: Yes. It's distressing. Arsé-kun: Kay: I'll join you tomorrow and you can beat up whoever caused it. Sheepy: Grif: That works. Sheepy: Grif: Thanks. Good luck on your homework. Arsé-kun: Kay: Mmmmhm. Sheepy: *Grif goes to bed* Arsé-kun: *So early? Guess he and Arthur think alike. Anyway, nothing else fuckin happens.* Arsé-kun: -Sunday, November 7th- Sheepy: Aru: *She's hunting around the dorm room* Arsé-kun: Fou: ? *he starts following her around and getting in the way, as cats do* Sheepy: Aru: Maybe he's checking out something... Sheepy: Aru: Fou, have you seen Arthur? Arsé-kun: Fou: Nyao? Sheepy: Aru: I haven't seen him. I'm concerned. Arsé-kun: Fou: Foumm. Sheepy: Aru: What if he got lost? Arsé-kun: Fou: Mrrp? Sheepy: Aru: You're right. I should ask the others. Arsé-kun: *Fou headbutts her ankle. pet me* Sheepy: *Aru pets him!* Arsé-kun: *happy cat noise* Sheepy: Aru: Aaaarthuuuuur? Are you here? Arsé-kun: *... No answer. Maybe he went out. Maybe he's napping. Who knows?* Sheepy: Aru:....Well, I guess he has a life... It's not because I've disappointed him, right? Sheepy: Aru: Maybe I should look again later... Arsé-kun: Kay: The hell are you yellin' about? Sheepy: Aru: I can't find Arthur... Sheepy: Aru: Have you seen him? Arsé-kun: Kay: Nope. Sheepy: Aru: Where could he have gone...? Sheepy: Aru: What if he's lost somewhere? Arsé-kun: Kay: Ain't he supposed to be near the sword all the time? He's probably bein' a lazy bitch again. Sheepy: Aru: So he's just sleeping? Arsé-kun: Kay: Probably? Sheepy: Aru: It must be tiring work, keeping a ward up... Arsé-kun: Merlin: *mid-consuming more junk food* What ward? Sheepy: Aru: To keep the ghost out. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Oh yeah! I forgot about that! Sheepy: Aru:....Although... I don't feel it for some reason... Sheepy: Aru: Maybe he gave up with it? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Right! Riiight! I had pictures! Hold on! *he puts his junk food down and runs out* Sheepy: Aru: Oh! Wonderful! Arsé-kun: *Merlin comes back with the photographs he took a few days ago and shuffles through them* Sheepy: Aru: Oh, neat! They're physical! Arsé-kun: Merlin: Apparently so! I forgot about it in favor of being in the ocean... I forgot about literal ghost pictures. I'm so upset *he said, upset* Sheepy: Aru: Can I see? Arsé-kun: *Merlin hands the pics over* Sheepy: Aru: Oh! Is that Mordred there? He... looks less like Arthur than I do. Sheepy: Aru: He's kinda scary... Too bad Arthur isn't awake to see this. Sheepy: Aru: Merlin, have you seen Arthur today? Arsé-kun: Merlin: I haven't! Sheepy: Aru: So maybe he is sleeping... Arsé-kun: Merlin: I got no idea! *he sits back down and... Realizes some of his food has been stolen and replaced with Kay's phone. Thanks Yog. You Bastard* Sheepy: Aru: Huh.... I don't think that's food, Merlin! Arsé-kun: *Kay takes it and checks his phone* Arsé-kun: *Upon activation, Kay's phone gets every single notification it missed. At once. That sure is a hell noise* Sheepy: Aru: What is that noise...? Arsé-kun: Kay: Hell itself. *he turns off the phone* Sheepy: Aru:...Oh! Kay! We could trade numbers now! Arsé-kun: *Kay turns it back on and it resumes regular behavior outside of having a bajillion notifs* Arsé-kun: *Clear all notifications* Arsé-kun: Kay: Oh, yeah, we can! Sheepy: Aru: *She pulls up her number* Here's mine! Arsé-kun: Kay: Got it. Here. *he sends Aru a picture of Fou trying to eat Merlin's hair.* Sheepy: *Aru adds him as a contact* Sheepy: Aru: Wow... They really don't get along, do they? Sheepy: Aru: But they look so similar. Sheepy: Aru: If Merlin was an animal, he'd be a Fou. Or an axolotl. Arsé-kun: Merlin: I'd be a fluffy ass raccoon! Sheepy: Aru:.......*she stares at Merlin for a bit*..... Sheepy: Aru: With bunny ears, you'd just be Fou! Sheepy: Aru: There's something about humans and their pets looking like each other after a while, right? But I don't see Bedi in him at all. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah, I don't know. Sheepy: Aru: That means you're Fou's real human! Arsé-kun: Merlin: I don't want it! Sheepy: Aru: Really? I think Fou's cute.... Arsé-kun: Merlin: He loves terrorizing me! All the time! Sheepy: Aru: Maybe that's why you look like him. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Absolutely not! *he goes to eat again... And gets nothing this time.* Sheepy: *Where did his food go? Well, Bedi is eating something that suspiciously looks like his food...* Arsé-kun: Merlin: Guess I'll starve. Sheepy: Bedi: My apologies. You hadn't touched it for a few minutes so I assumed you were done. Arsé-kun: *Merlin lays down on the floor miserably. Fou starts attacking his hair* Sheepy: Aru: I wonder if Fou can sniff out Arthur… Arsé-kun: *Fou looks at Aru, and then looks at the window. Ominous* Sheepy: Aru: …? Sheepy: Aru: He’s out? Arsé-kun: Fou: Fou! Sheepy: Aru: Hmmm… Sheepy: Aru: I hope he comes back soon. Sheepy: *Meanwhile... A skilled pianist plays relaxing music on a large piano, sitting in an expansive ball room. The yellow-white walls are adorned with paintings. On the table is sitting a collection of fancy food fit for a king. A large dance floor is in the middle of the room, with a floor shiny enough one could see their own reflection.* Arsé-kun: *In the back of the large room, there is a set of stairs, lined with white ribbons and a powder-pink mink carpet. Here, there is a single young woman in a ball gown, watching over everything. She seems pleased with all the people who have come to her party.* Sheepy: *And her guests seem so happy, too! They're chatting by the food table, dancing on the dance floor, inspecting the paintings, and listening to the nice music. How fun!* Arsé-kun: *Whatever this party is for, it seems unaffected by the outside world. This genuinely seems to be a ball with no eldritch tendencies. A real rarity these days.* Arsé-kun: *And look! The participants are even all wearing proper suits and dresses for this event! This must have taken forever to plan.* Sheepy: *The pianist focuses entirely on his work, not stopping to interact with the guests. How devoted.* Arsé-kun: *The girl on the stairs seems pleased by the status of everything. She starts to descend down the stairs, and a nearby gentleman decides to assist her. She gratefully accepts, despite a very brief moment of confusion.* Arsé-kun: *The Princess Descends! Will she find her Prince? Stay tuned for more [EXPUNGED] on MNC!* Sheepy: *Perhaps! There's many potential princes to choose from!* Arsé-kun: *There are so many! Who here will catch her eye? Who knows?* Sheepy: *Maybe the redheaded punk with a heart of gold? Or the shy glasses wearing purple haired man? Or the sunglasses-wearing blond with a prickly personality? Maybe even someone else...* Arsé-kun: *The white-suited blond man? The tall gray man? The energetic brunette? What a hard decision..* Arsé-kun: *Maybe the long haired man that's performing magic? He's kinda cute..* Sheepy: *The energetic brunette is currently pouting because he lost something important to him. He's looking under the table. Good luck.* Arsé-kun: *...Oooh, but the musician is also pretty handsome.* Sheepy: *Perhaps the right greeting could tear his attention from his piano.* Arsé-kun: *The princess stops to think of a proper greeting.* Arsé-kun: *Perhaps she'll walk up to him and say...-* Arsé-kun: *A bloodcurdling scream rings out! For a moment, everyone- and everything- completely stops.* Sheepy: *The man who helped the princess rushes to her side! He'll protect her from the cause of the scream!* Arsé-kun: *She grabs onto his arm in abject horror. What happened?!* Arsé-kun: princess: ... You there! Tall sir noble! May I make a request for you to investigate pretty please? Sheepy: *The vanity's mirror is shattered and the bookcases are knocked over. On the walls are claw marks and bloody text, stating various messages such as "LOOK AT ME" and "TRAITOR". In the middle of the room is a bloody body.* Sheepy: Tall Man: A dead body... That's right... It's my job to reap its soul. Ah, I was having so much fun it slipped my mind. Arsé-kun: *The Tall Man is unaware of the growing shadow behind him...* Sheepy: Tall Man: Ahahaha...Ahahahaha! To think you'd just throw yourself into Death's lap... Truly, you're as foolish as M-- Arsé-kun: **BANG!** Sheepy: *Back at the ballroom, the pianist is clearly frightened!* Arsé-kun: *A few moments of silence pass... Before the chatter starts up again, seemingly unfazed by the turn of events.* Arsé-kun: princess: Let's continue on, dear nobles..! *she sounds confident, but she's very worried* Sheepy: *The pianist seems unsure.* Sheepy: *The helpful man is more interested in staying by the princess's side than returning to his original place.* Arsé-kun: princess: Musician? Music, please. Sheepy: *The pianist hesitantly returns to playing again.* Arsé-kun: *And the party resumes as if nothing had ever happened!* Arsé-kun: princess: ... Well, in any case! I suppose that tall, noble man was able to shoot down the intrud-- Sheepy: *Bloody shoeprints appear, accompanied by heavy footsteps, as though someone just walked in. The entity glitches in and out of visibility, disappearing too quickly to be able to focus on its features.* Arsé-kun: princess: ... ....... Arsé-kun: *... The party ignores this event, mostly.* Arsé-kun: princess: ... I see you. I don't know what you want, but I'm not letting you ruin my party! Guard! We're leaving the area! Sheepy: *The helpful man runs in the opposite direction of the entity, dragging the princess along by her hand!* Arsé-kun: *They're escaping!* Sheepy: *The entity chases after them! It's surprisingly fast.* Arsé-kun: *They weave through the crowd easily, trying to lose it!* Sheepy: *It, too, weaves with ease, until... It nearly smacks into one of the blond guests, and pauses in front of him.* Arsé-kun: *The partygoer ignores it entirely. He doesn't even seem to be aware that it's present.* Sheepy: Entity:....A.....Aaa.... *it reaches for him* Sheepy: Entity: *...It grabs him!* Arsé-kun: *The man turns to look at him, but seems to be looking straight through him with glazed-over eyes.* Sheepy: Entity: Aaa...AaaaaaaAA!! A...rthur.... A-aaaarthhhuuuuur....! Arsé-kun: suit: ... ... *a few moments pass with his silence, before twitching slightly and promptly bolting out of the room, frightened but still rather unfocused* Sheepy: *The Entity bolts after him, much faster than when he pursued the princess! He's really interested now!* Arsé-kun: *the suit realizes rather quickly that he doesn't actually know where he's going, and ends up in a dead end! oh no!* Sheepy: *The Entity catches up and closes in on him. Closer, and closer... Slowly...* Sheepy: Entity:....Aaaa....Aaaarthur.... Arthuuuur.... ..... Arsé-kun: suit: Wh-who are you talking about..? I'm.. ... *he trails off, suddenly unsure of himself* I...... Sheepy: Entity: Arthur...Arthuuuur...! Stop running from me, Arthur! Arsé-kun: *the life comes back to the suit's eyes with additional terror, stepping back from the entity hastily* Arsé-kun: suit: N-no, not you, not now..! Sheepy: Entity: How could you have forgotten... How could you have forgotten that you're the greatest king to have lived? And then... And then you... Sheepy: Entity: How dare you call me Mordred! At least get the names of your traitors straight, my King! If you're going to get my name wrong, at least call me Sir Lancelot instead. Sheepy: Entity: *he looks up* ...Ah, sorry, Sir Lancelot... To compare myself to your greatness... Arsé-kun: *... the suit doesn't seem to hear any of this, staring at the floor and looking rather faint* Sheepy: Entity: My King would never cower in fear! Sheepy: Entity: You...! Are you going to be just a coward bearing his face, or will you live up to his legacy? Arsé-kun: *... The suit silently faints into the Entity's arms. Well said, Sir.* Sheepy: Entity:.......My King... Ah, can I call you that if this is what you have become...? Sheepy: Entity: To think, he'd even fear me... Perhaps I should have never revealed my betrayal... Arsé-kun: ?: Maybe you should've started with your name, blood man! Sheepy: Entity: Isn't it obvious? Arsé-kun: *The white haired man approaches. It's Merlin, holding his camera!* Arsé-kun: Merlin: Obviously not, since this happened twice now! Sheepy: Entity: No, I suppose my King wouldn't remember someone as simple as me... Arsé-kun: Merlin: Aw, c'mon. He's talked about his knights a couple times. He's definitely mentioned you by now! Sheepy: Entity:...He has? Sheepy: Entity:..........I could have been a little gentler. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Yeah, that probably would have helped... Mordred scares the hell out of him, and even I can barely see you! *Merlin takes another picture. SNAP* Sheepy: Entity: Le Fise de Dieu, Sir Jaufre of the Round Table. ...He's mentioned me? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Oh, several times, Mr. Jaufre! How you were scary loyal and effective! Sheepy: Entity: Really... But I'm a traitor. I committed a horrible crime. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Ehhh... You? I can't see it. Or you. How can someone that loves cats and cute stuff be evil? Sheepy: Entity: My King made me guard the execution of my Queen... Ah, but I loved her so much, just as much as I love my King. I couldn't devote myself to his orders. I allowed Sir Lancelot to defeat me, although he would have won with ease anyway. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Man, if I came here for drama, I'd have stayed in the ball room and watched someone get their wig sliced clean off. Arsé-kun: Merlin: We'll talk in there. You tell my team what's going on, we tell you what's going on. At least I'm getting good pictures! *snap!* Sheepy: Jaufre:........You speak so cryptically. Tell me what's going on? I am not lost or confused. Sheepy: Jaufre: I came here because I felt that there was a problem to be fixed. Ah, but now that I have discovered the source... *He inhales* ... Sheepy: Jaufre: *Berserker-esque shouting* Am I not handsome enough for you?! How dare you, how dare you! Everyone was invited but me! Let me guess, *sarcastic imitation of the princess* "it got lost in the mail!" I'll get YOU lost in the mail! Arsé-kun: princess: *very far away from here but still audible* You were invited! You just ignored the correspondence, you awful ruffian! You ruined everything, are you proud of yourself?! Arsé-kun: Merlin: ... Wait, you know what's going on?? Do you wanna explain that at all? Sheepy: Jaufre: What? Of course I do. Arsé-kun: Arthur: *sounding miserable, not making any attempts to pry himself from Jaufre* Could you then care to explain, Sir Jaufre, for both the crown and the peasantry? Sheepy: Jaufre: She abducted different handsome or beautiful ghosts to find a prince or princess. I'm not a ghost, but I was in the area! I never got an invitation! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I would like to make a very self-centered comment about that statement, fully aware that I do not normally do such things. Sheepy: Jaufre: ...? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I am suggesting that I am, as apparently said now, "Hot shit". I will regret this statement later. Sheepy: Jaufre: I do not know this term... However, it sounds to be positive, so I am sure it is accurate! Arsé-kun: *Arthur pulls back from Jaufre and tries to look him over. Observation 100* Sheepy: *Jaufre is still a glitchy mess. It's hard to focus on any specific feature of his.* Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... Have you changed your hair? Sheepy: Jaufre: I have tended to it less than I used to. Arsé-kun: Arthur: It shows. I'm glad to know it was you, and not. Someone else. I would say it is good to see you, but part of that statement is inaccurate. Arsé-kun: Arthur: It is not me being disappointed in seeing you, as you suggested. Sheepy: Jaufre: You should be. I betrayed you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I should not have made the order to begin with. It was my own error, not yours. Sheepy: Jaufre: Is that so... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Why would you have been a chief advisor if you tended to be wrong? Sheepy: Jaufre: ?!... There is a logic to that. Sheepy: Jaufre: So all this time, I have been guilting myself over nothing. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Knights still died... We all have a portion of the fault, but it is primarily my own. Sheepy: Jaufre: I refused to die so I could admit my guilt to you, among other things. How awkward that in the end, it was all pointless... Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... You say this, but I get the feeling you're as dead as I am. Sheepy: Jaufre: I never died. Arsé-kun: *Merlin has left the scene so they can talk* Arsé-kun: Arthur: When have you eaten last? Sheepy: Jaufre: After a while, I did stop being hungry. Ah, but I am good at not eating for long periods of time. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Sir Jaufre, you cannot survive this long without assistance if you aren't dead. Sheepy: Jaufre:........... Arsé-kun: Arthur: The only exceptions to this rule seem to be the half-demons, Sir Calogrenant the unkillable, and apparently Sir Bors. You are none of these. Sheepy: Jaufre: Could Lady Morgan have given me this gift...? Arsé-kun: Arthur: Doubtful. Sheepy: Jaufre: She's given me gifts in the past... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Something like this would be outside of her capabilities . Sheepy: Jaufre: You should not underestimate her. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Too late. Sheepy: Jaufre:.....*he crosses his arms*.... Well, I have no answer for why I am still alive, then. Arsé-kun: Arthur: But the ward I used to repel.. You? Was specifically for the dead. Sheepy: Jaufre: Ah! I was so dumbfounded that my King would kick me out that I did not just break back in...! I would have clawed at that door until it was gone, but I realized you had to leave eventually, so I waited. Sheepy: Jaufre: A ward like that cannot stop me for very long. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I was unaware it was you. Perhaps please identify yourself for future visits. Sheepy: Jaufre: I did. Arsé-kun: Arthur: You did not use your name. Sheepy: Jaufre: Do you know of another traitorous knight who loved the queen as much as I? *he...sounds pleased with himself?* Sheepy: Jaufre: My love for her rivalled even my love for my King...! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I'm not going to challenge that statement. Sheepy: Jaufre: But are they tied, or is my love for my King even greater...? Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... *he just sighs* It's good to have you back, Jaufre. Sheepy: Jaufre: You won't kick me out again? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I will try my best not to. You caught me at a very bad time. Sheepy: Jaufre: Run faster next time. Sheepy: Jaufre: If you do not, I will catch you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I'm not afraid of you. You would never do anything to your king. Sheepy: Jaufre: Of course! I never would! fSheepy: Jaufre: Although... in a fight, you would certainly best me. After all, you are my king. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I would. I am capable of reining in my anger, unlike you, so I am less predictable than you. Sheepy: Jaufre: How like my king to know his knights so well! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I would certainly hope I do. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Shall we return to the festivities? I suppose we should be more free to enjoy ourselves now. Sheepy: Jaufre: Yes, of course. Arsé-kun: *They return to the ballroom. Much of the attending crowd is understandably lost and confused. Merlin is still taking 100 pictures* Sheepy: *The musician is still playing the piano...* Arsé-kun: Morne: Welcome back. You haven't missed much more than a reaper doing their job. Sheepy: Jaufre: Reaper? Sheepy: Jaufre: Hmmm... Arsé-kun: Morne: Well, I guess two. Sheepy: Jaufre: They've bothered me before. Arsé-kun: Morne: I would suppose so. They do tend to bother anyone that's stuck around quite often. Sheepy: Jaufre: How foolish of them... Arsé-kun: Morne: It's a living, I suppose. Pun intended. Sheepy: Jaufre: Not for long. Arsé-kun: Morne: Primo wasn't joking when he said you were intimidating. Sheesh. Sheepy: Jaufre: I am not intimidating. Sheepy: Jaufre: I always act like this. Arsé-kun: Morne: I'll let you have that one. Sheepy: Jaufre: Well, thank you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: Would anyone like to answer where I got this from? *he holds up a sheathed katana* I thought it was a walking stick initially. Sheepy: Okita: You plan on giving it back? If you don't... I'll-- *cough, cough, cough* Arsé-kun: Arthur: My apologies. Take it back, before you join us. Sheepy: *Okita takes it back* Sheepy: Okita: It's just a little tickle in my throat. Arsé-kun: Arthur: You're dying. Sheepy: Jaufre: A tickle in your throat causes you to cough up blood... Sheepy: Okita: I've had worse. I'm not dying. Sheepy: Jaufre: A tickle in your throat causes you to cough up blood... Sheepy: Okita: I've had worse. I'm not dying. Arsé-kun: Arthur: *stares* Sheepy: Okita: What is it, old man? Arsé-kun: Arthur: How is that not a sign of an immanent demise? Sheepy: Okita:..... Sheepy: Okita: Eh... Sheepy: Okita: Not for me. Sheepy: Okita: I'm not dying. Just ask my doctors. Arsé-kun: a nearby blond: *passing by* They all think you'll be dead by 30. Sheepy: Okita: But I'm not 30 yet. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: That's the upper limit. The lower limit is next week. Stop skipping your medication. Sheepy: Okita: It tastes bad. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: Too bad, too sad. Sheepy: Okita: Hahaha... You're difficult, you know that? Arsé-kun: Yomiel: Glad to hear it. I'll consider adding stipulations into your file. Maybe. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: .. And Toa, go home. Sheepy: Toa: How did I end up here...? Sheepy: Toa: A-and how do I get back...? Arsé-kun: Yomiel: ... That is a good question. Sheepy: Jaufre: Oh. It's simple. Sheepy: Jaufre: I wandered here because I felt it. Just ree Arsé-kun: Arthur: That would be logical if any of us were able to recall coming here to begin with. Sheepy: Jaufre: You don't remember... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Not one bit. I personally may be able to return easily, but many of these ghosts may not. Sheepy: Jaufre:.... Sheepy: Jaufre: This must be a quest... Arsé-kun: Arthur: Here's what we can do. I will direct one group back to where we came from. You, good knight, can escort some of the others back to where they came from. So yes. I am giving you a quest. Sheepy: Jaufre: I can do that. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I know you can. Sheepy: Crow: Not so fast!! Arsé-kun: princess: Get away from me!! I'm not going! Sheepy: Crow: You are. You're on my list! Arsé-kun: princess: I am not! Get out of my house, creep! Sheepy: Crow: You sure are! Sheepy: *Rider has pulled out a weapon. Menacing* Arsé-kun: princess: I don't care what you say! I'm going to get what I want! Sheepy: Crow: Celeste Chambers, you're under ghost arrest for abduction and resisting passing on! Arsé-kun: Celeste: Well, you're under ghost arrest for trespassing! Sheepy: Crow: I'm not a ghost, so there! Now, come quietly or I'll have to use my Red Tomahawk to gather your soul! Arsé-kun: Celeste: At least wait until the guests have left! They shouldn't have to see this place for what it is! Sheepy: Crow: Take off your rosy colored glasses and face the truth! ...Heh! That sounded pretty cool! Arsé-kun: Celeste: Fine! *she takes off a pair of glasses... and flings them at Crow, followed by her crown, and then her entire dress. Thankfully she has another one on under it.* Sheepy: Crow: Ouch, ouch, ouch! Arsé-kun: Merlin: If this is what death looks like, we're gonna be immortal, huh? *he elbows Okita* Sheepy: Crow: Man! You stink! Why don't you ghosts come willingly for once?! Sheepy: Okita: Hehehe. If he actually swung that weapon of his, he might actually do something of use. Arsé-kun: Celeste: You crashed my party, you ruined me trying to find love, and you're asking why I'm upset with you?? Sheepy: Crow: Ehhhh.... Sheepy: Crow:.......Okay, let's start over! Sheepy: Crow: You're on my list! Now come with me willingly! Arsé-kun: Celeste: Guard, could you escort this lunatic outside please? Sheepy: *Rider grabs Crow and starts dragging him* Sheepy: Crow: Heyheyheyhey!!! Let go, let go! Arsé-kun: Celeste: ... ... *she's clearly upset, but isn't letting that stop her* I suppose that is it for this. I suggest everyone leaves so you don't see how disappointing this really is. Sheepy: Jaufre: I already know how disappointing it is. Arsé-kun: Celeste: Not you! Sheepy: Salieri: I didn't believe something like this existed. ...Really, you would have been better off getting Mozart for this... Arsé-kun: Yomiel: I'm more surprised you came willingly. Sheepy: Salieri: Of course. I had to. There's a ghost here I have responsibility for. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: I now have additional questions. Sheepy: Salieri: The tall gray one. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: I now have one less question. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: The next is asking why you aren't shocked that I am still around. Sheepy: Salieri: I already live with a ghost who tries to steal my body every time I lower my guard in order to kill Mozart. Sheepy: Salieri: This doesn't bother me. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: And given the lack of fart sound effects over loudspeakers, he hasn't succeeded. Sheepy: Salieri: Of course not. Mozart is crafty and resourceful. Sheepy: Salieri: I would hope he never gets caught. It'd mean he's getting rusty. Arsé-kun: Yomiel: I wish the both of you the best of luck. Sheepy: Salieri: Thank you. Arsé-kun: *.... The surroundings suddenly change, and quite drastically, keeping the architecture but losing the... Everything else. Everything is broken, covered in all sorts of stains and cobwebs, and dusty. It's kinda dark in here. Also, everyone's actually wearing whatever they had on before. Celeste has given up keeping everything looking nice.* Sheepy: Salieri: I would've liked to play in a fancy mansion one day... but as long as people enjoyed it, it was still worth it. Arsé-kun: *Merlin turns on a flashlight* Sheepy: *There's creaking behind him...* Arsé-kun: Merlin: ..? Sheepy: *There's a pause before suddenly, something cold and wet like ice gets shoved down the back of his shirt!* Arsé-kun: *Merlin yells! ... The ghosts don't really care.* Sheepy: *Rider pulls his tendril back to himself, points at Merlin, and laughs. No sound comes out* Arsé-kun: Merlin: Okay, you got me! *he takes it well, laughing a bit too* I''ll get you back one day! Sheepy: Rider: *He seems as pleased as a headless man can be!* Sheepy: *Rider then returns to Celeste's side. Hello!* Arsé-kun: *Celeste is pouting in the floor. Literally. She's half-sunk into the floor.* Sheepy: *Rider offers her a hand to help her up* Arsé-kun: *She accepts it, but she's still pouting* Sheepy: Rider: "I enjoyed myself." Arsé-kun: Celeste: That's what... Two people? Sheepy: Rider: "But isn't it good you made two people happy? That's more than zero." Arsé-kun: Celeste: I guess so. At least a few people stuck around this time. Sheepy: Rider: "If we work on it, maybe people will come willingly." Arsé-kun: Celeste: uhhuh. And you'll sprout a horse head. Sheepy: Rider: "We can try befriending people and then inviting them." Arsé-kun: Celeste: Why, so it turns into a ghost frathouse? No thanks. Sheepy: Rider:.......*he's thinking* Sheepy: Rider: "Let's work on it together. We might find a solution that way." Arsé-kun: Celeste: I'd rather anything but having to charge up power for a whole 24 hours. It's awful... But not as awful as nobody showing up! Sheepy: Rider: "I'll show up." Arsé-kun: Celeste: Would you...? Sheepy: Rider: "Of course." Arsé-kun: *Celeste is thinking* Sheepy: *Rider lets her continue thinking* Sheepy: *Crow has arrived once more! He's wagging his tail in the same way a cat does when it's mad* Sheepy: *This time, Lobo has come with him! He's sniffing everything. Everything smells like ghosts!* Arsé-kun: Celeste: ...! Sheepy: Crow: You guys really embarrassed me big time... Now everybody's gonna think I'm a pushover... Sheepy: Crow: Man, this stinks... I was just feeling really out of my groove. So don't think I'm lame or something! Arsé-kun: Morne: But you only missed one out of a crowd. You're still death. Sheepy: Crow: Hey, that's the nicest thing I've heard all day! Arsé-kun: Morne: I'm not going to be rude to death. You're higher than me on the scale of things, even if you're a junior. Sheepy: Crow: Yeah! Yeah, I guess I am! But also... I guess part of the job of a reaper is to figure out what's binding a ghost to this world to begin with and help fix it, right? Sheepy: Crow: Something about beating them senseless with my Red Tomahawk doesn't feel quite right... Arsé-kun: Morne: Please reserve that for violence. Sheepy: Crow: So if a ghost is being rough, I can smack them into the crimson stratosphere with my Red Tomahawk! Arsé-kun: Morne: Sure. I'm no reaper, but I've seen enough operating or chasing me. Sheepy: Crow: Gee, you sure know a lot from observation alone! Arsé-kun: Morne: I would hope so. I'm still a Merlin. Sheepy: Crow: No clue what that is. Arsé-kun: *Merlin looks downright offended in the background* Arsé-kun: Morne: Wizards. I'm the only ghost of the group. Because, of course, I'm exceptionally deceased. Sheepy: Crow: Wizards are real? Arsé-kun: *Crow can feel judgement crawling on his back. Only a little.* Sheepy: Crow: I kinda thought they were like Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny... or maybe even like, eh... Sheepy: Crow: Armadillos. Sheepy: *Lobo barks and rushes over to the sourcs of the judging. Helloooo* Arsé-kun: *The reaper lurking in the shadows reaches out to pat Lobo. Hello.* Sheepy: Crow: Oh, Boss! Y-you didn't see me stalling or anything!! Arsé-kun: Thanatos: ... This one is not yet ready to be taken. Move on with your list. Arsé-kun: *it's hard to speak seriously with a dog shoving his snoot in ur face* Sheepy: Crow: …Eh? Move on with my list… Sheepy: Crow: Alright, that simplifies things! I didn’t want to deal with ‘em anyway! Arsé-kun: Thanatos: ... None left here are worth our time. However. Arsé-kun: *he points to Okita menacingly* Arsé-kun: Thanatos: At the current rate, this one will be mine personally. Sheepy: Okita: That's ominous. Sheepy: Okita: You threatening me? *He puts his hand on the hilt of his sword* We can settle this quickly-- *cough, cough, cough* Arsé-kun: Thanatos: You're running out of time. If you wish to remain alive... Well, you know what you should be doing. Arsé-kun: Thanatos: ... Crocell? Shall we demonstrate the end result, or will we be merciful this one evening? Sheepy: Crow: This way he'll take us seriously! Arsé-kun: Thanatos: You've lost that chance for this crowd, Crocell. Sheepy: Crow: Yeah, now that you've used that dorky name in front of everyone! Arsé-kun: *something heavy gets dropped on the floor. Lads, that's a whole coffin. Scary!* Arsé-kun: *A chain comes from Thanatos' direction and wraps around Okita before dragging him towards the coffin! Scary!!* Sheepy: Okita:?! Sheepy: Okita: Let go... or I'll let you have it. Arsé-kun: Thanatos: You cannot kill what is already dead. This is a kind version of your fate if you do not change your ways. Arsé-kun: *Okita gets dunked into the coffin so hard that it slams shut. Goodbye Okita* Sheepy: Rider: "So Death abducts the living now." Arsé-kun: Thanatos: He does not take other warnings seriously. Sheepy: Rider: "And if you accidentally kill him, what then?" Arsé-kun: Thanatos: I will not. Sheepy: Rider: "But if you do?" Arsé-kun: Thanatos: You are far too worried, dullahan. How can I? Arsé-kun: *he opens the coffin. Okita is gone! SCARY!* Arsé-kun: Thanatos: When he is not even here? Sheepy: Rider: "He's gone." Sheepy: Crow: *clapping* Nice job, Boss! What a trick! Arsé-kun: Thanatos: ... He's gone straight to his living hell. That is, where he belongs. He won't get such liberties next time. Arsé-kun: *Everyone else is rightly horrified to various degrees, which is the correct reaction when presented with Death.* Sheepy: *Even if Lobo is chewing on him.* Arsé-kun: *Lobo does not fear death. Lobo fears being hit with a newspaper* Sheepy: *Rider is trying to call Lobo over so he doesn't ruin Thanny's image. However, Lobo doesn't want to leave Thanny. How sweet!* Arsé-kun: *Thanny is powerful. He is scary even with the wolf chewing on him- He is unfazed by it entirely* Sheepy: Crow: Hey, if he dies, am I gonna have to reap his soul? Arsé-kun: Thanatos: No. Sheepy: Crow: Good. Great! He scares me! Arsé-kun: *Merlin starts raising his camera. Thanatos LOOKS at him. Camera put back down* Sheepy: Crow: You can't take pics of Boss, but you can get good pics of me at my next concert! I'll even autograph them! I'm ShinganCrimsonZ's guitarist, singer, and mascot! Sheepy: Rider: "Don't plug your band while Death is trying to intimidate people." Arsé-kun: Thanatos: ... More importantly, the living best be going. Something is coming. Sheepy: Rider: "The Gray Man has already left with the human he's attached to." Arsé-kun: Morne: I believe I can handle the rest. Group together, everyone. Sheepy: *Rider joins the group heading back.* Arsé-kun: *Celeste is Still attached to Rider by the arm. This doesn't seem to be changing.* Sheepy: *Rider doesn't mind. In fact, it appears to be making him a little happy? He feels needed!* Arsé-kun: *Morne makes a magic circle, and teleports everyone out of the old, shitty building! Thanny can be heard sighing at the absolute last second.* Sheepy: Aru: *Sob, sob* He's definitely gone...! D-Did he leave because he didn't like me...? Was I too overbearing...? Arsé-kun: Kay: Cut it out, will'ya?? Sheepy: Aru: *whimper* But, but... Arsé-kun: *Arthur SLAMS the door open so hard it bounces back through him. He doesn't give a shit right now.* Sheepy: *Aru jumps. What was that?!* Arsé-kun: Arthur: Everything is awful and today I learned ghosts can abduct other ghosts. Who knew. Sheepy: Aru:....? Sheepy: Aru:......?! Arsé-kun: Arthur: .... Oh no. Sheepy: *Aru covers her face. You can't see she's been crying, Arthur!* Arsé-kun: Arthur: Oh, Aru... *he floats over to her and puts an arm around her shoulders* If I'd had the resistance, I wouldn't have gone. I wouldn't leave because of you. Sheepy: Aru: *She uncovers her face and looks up at him* ...R-really? You really wouldn't...? Arsé-kun: Arthur: I wouldn't. I have no reason to. Sheepy: Aru: I-I thought... ...So, so you were abducted...? By whom?! Are you okay?! *Her upset has turned to panic* Arsé-kun: Arthur: Another ghost. I'm fine, thank you. I suppose as a ghost, I have far less resistance to mind bending and illusions than when I was alive... I'll have to work on that. Sheepy: Jaufre: You could not see that it was just an illusion, my King? It was obvious to me. Arsé-kun: Arthur: No, Jaufre. I was too distracted by having recently been manipulated to really consider it. Sheepy: Jaufre: My King has really gone downhill after his death! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Unlike you, Sir Jaufre, I've primarily been unaware of time passing, so I am still not used to this. Please do shut up. Sheepy: Jaufre: Unlike my King, I am not dead! Surely I will degrade even more than you once I die. Arsé-kun: Yog: *from... 3 places at once?* Jaufre, you're exceptionally dead. I have told you this numerous times. Sheepy: Jaufre: I never died. People are dead once they die. Arsé-kun: Yog: Fine. Correction: Your body has stopped being of use, and you're only alive in terms of spirit. Sheepy: Jaufre: But my body could be of use once I need it again, could it not? Arsé-kun: Yog: Even your bones are wasting away, you narration-snatching git. There's barely anything left to use. Sheepy: Jaufre: I can just use the other one then. Arsé-kun: Yog: You are not using my son as your meatsuit, Jaufre! Sheepy: Jaufre: But if I need a body for some reason? Arsé-kun: Yog: Then Suffer. Arsé-kun: *Yog will remember this.* Sheepy: Jaufre: If I need it for my King, no one will stand in my way. However... I would rather not him. He and I do not mesh well. Arsé-kun: *Morne settles down next to Aru. Kay pops a Kthanid's Respite so he can actually observe this and be sober. Fou.* Sheepy: Jaufre: His face is almost exactly like mine when I was a squire. I suppose everyone feels embarrassed at their past selves, just a bit... but his own, independent actions are what embarrass me more than anything. Sheepy: Jaufre: Simply... I want to scream... "Stop doing and saying those things while wearing a knockoff of my own face!" Arsé-kun: Yog: I'm not apologizing. You allowed it. Also, there is a wide berth of difference and you are projecting. Sheepy: Jaufre: I allowed it because of our friendship... Sheepy: Jaufre: I did not realize he would have no wisdom to speak of. Arsé-kun: Yog: I'm teasing you, Joofy. And it takes time. Sheepy: Jaufre: If he simply invested into wisdom, I could be a little less embarrassed by his actions... Arsé-kun: Kay: What, you saying you were a genius at twenty? Fuck off. Sheepy: Jaufre: That is not what I am saying. I did reckless things when I was a teen and in my twenties. One of them cost me my life, although temporarily... However, I was following my King's orders, so it was worth it. My King would not knowingly and pointlessly send me out to defeat the strongest knight in the area and to my death! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Let's go with that. Arsé-kun: *Kay wonders where Grif is* Sheepy: Grif: *He's looming and watching this. How does he impress the new cool knight? Is he too weak? Maybe he should grow stronger before meeting him. Is that even a choice?* Arsé-kun: *It's easy! Just sound like you own brain matter, Griflet!* Sheepy: *He's gonna try--* Sheepy: Grif:...Wow...Very cool... Arsé-kun: Kay: There you are. I was wondering where you were. Sheepy: Grif: I was here. Sheepy: Grif: I'm not good at stopping people from crying. I just left it to you. But wow... the greatest at it is King Arthur... Arsé-kun: Kay: It sure ain't me. We learned that today. Sheepy: Grif: He appeared and she instantly stopped crying. Amazing... Arsé-kun: Yog: ... So I see what you meant, Jaufre, but my response in summary is "If you had children, they'd have sounded similar." Sheepy: Aru: That's... I was crying because I was worried he'd left forever, so the fact he was back would make me stop crying. I'm sorry for the disturbance... Arsé-kun: Arthur: My apologies. I will work on my personal resistances to prevent a repeat. Sheepy: Aru: It's not your fault. You're the victim of this. Sheepy: Aru: While you were gone, Merlin gave me a picture of the ghost... but it seems like it was Sir Jaufre all along. Sheepy: Jaufre: You sound disappointed... Sheepy: Aru: I heard "traitor" and really was hoping to see Sir Lancelot instead... Arsé-kun: Merlin: And boy do I got pics for you today! *he says, dumping a shitton of photos on the table* The illusions were picked up on camera! Hey, you wanna see Arthur in a nice suit? Arsé-kun: *Arthur wants to see the suit from an outside perspective. He liked that suit... He notes to figure out if ghosts can acquire new clothes* Sheepy: Aru: Arthur... in a suit? Sheepy: Aru: Wow! He looks nice! Arsé-kun: Arthur: I do quite like it, actually.. Sheepy: Jaufre: You could have one made for you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: As a ghost? Sheepy: Jaufre: Even ghosts need to change clothes sometimes. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I suppose that makes sense... Arsé-kun: *Arthur does not understand what so ever* Sheepy: Jaufre: For example, if you died in armor, sleeping can be uncomfortable. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I haven't thought about it once *he says, in armor, looking at another man in armor* Sheepy: Jaufre:...My King, you wear it in your sleep? Arsé-kun: Arthur: Please tell me we get our sense of touch back. Mine is sorely lacking. Sheepy: Jaufre: I have mine. Arsé-kun: Arthur: It will take some time, then. I see. Sheepy: Jaufre: I am incomplete, so certainly my King will pick it up faster than I did. However... Unlike you, I never died. My body simply wasted away, awaiting your return... Arsé-kun: Yog: Death is defined as "an individual who has sustained either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brainstem". That is to say, the body has stopped functioning. You are dead, Jaufre. Sheepy: Jaufre: So you say. But I say I am not dead! Ah... If only I were as loyal as Sir Bedwyr... Sheepy: Jaufre: If I were, I would have never lost my body. Arsé-kun: Arthur: ... .... Stubborn Sir Jaufre. Our bodies are both dead. The difference is our level of activity until this point. Sheepy: Jaufre: Losing my body is a temporary inconvenience. Arsé-kun: Yog: Don't make me beat your death into you. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I seem to be best at handling things when I am not really trying, I see. *he's started looking at the pictures again* Sheepy: Aru: And earlier you hugged me. Arsé-kun: Arthur: I'm glad you were able to feel that. Sheepy: Aru: Yes! It was very comforting! Arsé-kun: Arthur: Glad to hear it. Arsé-kun: Merlin: Oh, here's the lady that caused it with a headless ghost! And here's a reaper trying to catch up, and here's Okita being a shit, Sheepy: Aru: Oh! Crow! He's my friend! Arsé-kun: Merlin: I'd have gotten pics of his boss, but he didn't let me. I got some cell pics too, but they're not as good. Sheepy: Aru: By the way, if you ask the Merlins, maybe they'll know how you can change clothes. Arsé-kun: Merlin: :3c Arsé-kun: Morne: Like this? *his outfit changes without prompting, and then changes back* Sheepy: Aru: Uhuh! Arsé-kun: Morne: Practice. It's essentially part of your being as a spirit, so it's as simple as any other self-shifting magics once you get the hang of it. Sheepy: Jaufre: At night... I, too, change into other outfits. Arsé-kun: Morne: What I am personally most interested in knowing.. Is about you as well. Arsé-kun: Morne: How are you capable of hiding yourself even from other ghosts..? And furthermore, why you you look like... That, sometimes? Sheepy: Jaufre: Sir Jaufre of the Round Table... Le Fise de Dieu... One of the knights of the greatest king, King Arthur. What a great king, to even give an incomplete man like myself a position...! My King even gets mistaken for a handsome prince... How incredible! Of course, it stings fhat I did not receive an invitation as well... Although, it seems that I was sent it. Perhaps I never got it due to a glitch in the system... Ah, but perhaps I AM the glitch in the system...Hmhmhm... Arsé-kun: *Aru gets a single text. Thanks Primo* Sheepy: *Aru checks it* Arsé-kun: Primo: [text: to Aru] Haha, Fart of God. Absolutely nothing has changed. Sheepy: Aru: [text: to Primo] He really is proud of Arthur... Arsé-kun: Primo: [text: to Aru] So I saw! Arsé-kun: *merlin takes advantage of a silent moment and no one knowing how to reply to jaufre* Arsé-kun: Merlin: But if the ghost princess is with the headless dog owner, then we can bitch at her anytime! For free! Sheepy: Jaufre: Brave ghost to stay with a dullahan. He could reap her soul at any time if he wanted to. Arsé-kun: Morne: She was afraid of the reapers. I don't see the logic behind that decision. Sheepy: Aru: She's scared of Crow? Arsé-kun: Morne: Well, she ran from even him, so yes. Sheepy: Aru:....But... He's so harmless. Arsé-kun: Morne: The threat was there, and she had no defenses. Silly or not, a reaper is a reaper. Sheepy: Aru: Well, that is true... Poor Crow... I'm sure it made him sad for her to run from him. Sheepy: Jaufre: That is similar to saying that you worry for a wolf's feelings when their prey runs away... Arsé-kun: Kay: That's my sister all right. Sheepy: Aru: Eh? Kay? You don't feel that way? Arsé-kun: Kay: Why the fuck..? Sheepy: Aru: He's only a little older than me and he struggles to make friends. I'm sure people running from him hurts, just a little. Sheepy: Aru: You can understand! Arsé-kun: Kay: ... So anyway! Sheepy: Aru:?! Sheepy: Jaufre: I see... Caliburn's new wielder kills with her words instead of her actions. Arsé-kun: Kay: No violence, only blunt honesty and sucker punching me in the gut with statements I'm not paid to deal with! Sheepy: Aru: You're paid to take care of me? Wow, Teacher really is kind...! Arsé-kun: Kay: That is absolutely not what I said!! Sheepy: Aru: "I'm not paid to deal with [sucker punches]"... So you're paid to deal with other things? Arsé-kun: Merlin: Aaaaaand here we have some clown on clown violence! Stunning, folks! Arsé-kun: Kay: I'm not paid, so I shouldn't have to get sucker punched by statements I don't wanna deal with! Sheepy: Bedi: Kay, a clown...? i suppose I can see it... Arsé-kun: Kay: I'm going to drunkenly berate everyone in this room! Sheepy: Aru: You should try being paid. Arsé-kun: *Kay gives her a Look™ and then resumes drinking. Nope.* Sheepy: Aru: He might say yes. Although... You should never expect much from Teacher. Arsé-kun: Morne: It'd be best if you didn't expect much. He only shows up when something is genuinely wrong, and even then he tells you nothing. Sheepy: Aru: Yes... He's on vacation right now, and that's why I'm here. Even Teacher needs to go on vacation from saying cryptic things and leaving you to your own devices... Sheepy: Aru: I hope he's having fun. Arsé-kun: Merlin: I wonder how fun riding a giant ship is... Sheepy: Aru: I bet the ocean is really cool... Sheepy: Aru: Beddy went, too. He thinks it's neat. It has octopi that you can't see well but can painlessly bite you and kill you within minutes with full body paralysis. Arsé-kun: Morne: That makes me glad I'm already dead. Sheepy: Aru: There's also a fish that can cause necrosis. Sheepy: Aru: They blend in with rocks, so you can step on one on accident and in response it'll kill you. Sheepy: Aru: The beach sounds really exciting! Sheepy: Aru: People fear sharks, but the more dangerous things are those you can't see! Like flesh eating bacteria in the water... or box jellyfish... Arsé-kun: Yog: *just as cheerfully* The star vampires... Sheepy: Aru: Star vampires? Arsé-kun: Yog: Well, we're talking about dangerous things that are normally hard to spot, yes? Sheepy: Aru: Yes. Sheepy: Aru: What's a star vampire? Arsé-kun: Yog: In short? An invisible jellyfish that sucks blood and laughs the entire time. Sheepy: Aru: Oh! That's neat! Arsé-kun: Kay: T-T Sheepy: Aru: But don't they get dry being out of the water? Arsé-kun: Yog: They do not. Sheepy: Aru: I guess there's no way to ever see one. Too bad... Sheepy: Grif:..........They taste good....... Arsé-kun: Yog: Only after it feeds can you see it- Griflet please. Sheepy: Aru: Like the invisible man! Arsé-kun: Yog: In a way, yes. Sheepy: Aru: I heard that there's one on campus. Arsé-kun: Yog: Which? You'll have to be more specific. Sheepy: Aru: An invisible man. Arsé-kun: Yog: Oh. Yes. Sheepy: Grif: I keep the star vampires out... usually. ... They taste good when I can get them... Arsé-kun: Yog: Would you like to get one now? Sheepy: Grif: Yes. Arsé-kun: Yog: North entrance. Hasn't entered yet. You have about ten minutes. Sheepy: Grif: Thank you. *he gets his stuff and exits*

[onwardsmynoblesteve]

Bark vs Bite

The stray dog au that literally no one but me asked for

When a very lost St Bernard named Doc comes across two squabbling stray dog packs, shenanigans ensue. As well as other, less whimsical-sounding things...

ok so dog breeds and stuff

Reds

One of the stray dog packs, that live in an old abandoned jeep

Sarge: American bulldog. Confident and lively, it seemed to suit him. The leader of the pack. No one knows how he ended up a stray, the story he gives is completely different each time. Not that anyone would notice, as it goes on so long that nobody dares to listen to all of it.

Simmons: Dobermann. Can’t entirely remember why I made him a dobie, it just seemed to work. Is missing his left foreleg, which has been replaced by a scrap prosthetic. Was abandoned as a pup, and latched onto Sarge immediately.

Grif: Chow Chow mix. Do not ask me what he is mixed with, because tbh I don’t know, it’s just that whenever I drew him he never seemed full Chow. Anyway, chose Chow because they’re less active than other dogs, have ‘cat-like’ personalities (AKA seem like a lazy asshole at first) and have a predisposition to put on weight easily. Was born to a pure bred champion chow and fathered by some rando vagabond who got in through a hole in the fence. As his litter wasn’t pedigree, Grif and his siblings were chucked out by their mother’s haughty breeder owner. Grif’s the best of the reds at getting food, because what can I say, people love fluffy dogs.

Donut: Poodle. It felt mandatory. I haven’t come up with anything else for him so yea

Lopez: A random raccoon that sticks around with the reds for easy meals and shelter. Decided to make him a raccoon because that was the only way I could come up with so none of the dogs would understand him.  Made Simmons’ shoddy scrap leg using his tiny raccoon hands.

Blues

They live in an old abandoned train caboose on some defunct railway tracks, not too far from the reds

Church: Norwegian Black Elkhound/Husky/???. Tucker swears the last part’s cat, it accounts for Church’s asshole personality. The others all feel like something about him is off. I mean, what’s the deal with his paws? Ah, if only they knew. Actually, it’s probably better if they don’t.

Caboose: Labrador/Springer Spaniel/Staffy mix. The most affectionate, attention-seeking, obnoxiously sprightly dog I could think of. Had been living in the caboose for a good time before the others came along, hence his name. Really, really hates fleas.

Tucker: Some sort of terrier mix. ...Um yeah that’s about all I got here.

Sheila: Newfoundland dog. There is literally nothing else I could will her to be except a Newfie.

Freckles: Anatolian Shepherd. Big ol’ guard dog; the actual breed can scare off even big predators such as cheetahs. Anatolians have that typical personality you think of when you think guard dog. Freckles has put all that guarding instinct into protecting Caboose. Instead of the full black muzzle that most Anatolians have, Freckles has scattered dark spots that give him his name.

Freelancers

A group of mysterious dogs that pop up from time to time. They’re too well groomed and healthy looking to be strays, so why are they out in the sticks? It’s almost like they’re trying to get away from something...

Can’t put a lot of detail here because spoilers

Tex: Rhodesian ridgeback. These things were bred to fight off lions and I’ve seen one chase after a full-grown stag; how could they not be suitable for Tex? Seems to know Church, but the specifics are...fuzzy, to say the least.

Carolina: Carolina dog, because what else could I make her when the breed has a name like that?

York: Australian shepherd. They’re an intelligent, playful and loving breed, so I thought it suited him.

North and South: Borzoi mixes. They both superficially resemble borzoi, however it seems only North has inherited their typical temperament. Instead, South has more exaggerated ‘sighthound’ (the group borzoi are part of) instincts, and so has a very high prey drive. North has this as well, he just has a slightly better hold on it and it’s mostly hidden by his calm demeanour.

Wyoming: English setter. I had two criteria for choosing Wyoming’s breed: 1. it must be obnoxiously english, and 2. it must have markings that are able to form some kind of mustache equivalent. English setters fulfill both of these, and their temperament is often described as gentlemanly, but mischievous. So yeah, perfect dog for ol’ Reginald.

CT: Australian cattle dog. They’re intelligent dogs with a strong independent streak, so it fitted well.

Florida: Bedlington terrier. Described by wikipedia as “both good with children and ‘fit to kill any other dog of his weight’”. Yay!

There’s also ideas for other characters but I have no clue how they fit into the story yet so yeah

[simplifyingforces]

Prepare to Interface [AO3 link]

Rating: Explicit Fandom: Red vs. Blue Characters: Dexter Grif, Dick Simmons Relationships: Dexter Grif/Dick Simmons

The Temple of Procreation has an algorithm. Simmons doesn’t understand it.

Simmons' HUD vitals flashed ominously at the edge of his vision as he stumbled down the hallway toward the base's storage wing. It wasn't supposed to end this way. Years of waiting, hoping, wishing -- all undone by something as monumentally stupid as this.

He stopped for a second to catch his breath, slamming his hands against the wall. If he could just make it to those sweet, solitary, air conditioned storage units, everything would be fine. Perfectly, forgettably fine. Like he wasn't about to lose his virginity courtesy of an alien-made, planet-wide aphrodisiac fine.

God, he hated Blue Team sometimes. Stupid Tucker and his stupid alien sword, casually activating temples without even entertaining the possibility of something so minor as actual, real life consequences.

Statistically, the number of pregnancies alone would put the planet under a level of strain so severe that it could cripple the entire infrastructure before they even had a chance to rebuild. He'd said that at least twice, along with a lot of other good, solid reasons backed up by peer-reviewed empirical data. He just couldn't remember them all at the moment.

"Never thought I'd see someone so set against losing their virginity," Simmons whispered to himself mockingly. That had been Tucker's only response to his perfectly sensible objections. Like it was all personal for him.

Like anyone wanted their first time to be someone coerced into wanting them.

And there it was. The other main reason for his concern, otherwise known as consent and immediate impact on individual, familial, and communal dynamics! Just because it sounded like the subtitle to a scientific study didn't make it any less true.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t open to the potential merits of the temple. He’d conceded that Chorus might benefit from a jump start to the reconciliation process, and it made some kind of weird sense on a macro level to give everyone 24 hours of ”ravenous sexual frenzy” as a means to accomplish it. He supposed.

But his own micro level life didn't need that bullshit.

Forget what Santa had said about sensitivity to the intricacies of consent as plotted into the temple's algorithm, too; if someone had been interested, they would have spoken up by now, what with him being a war hero and all. Tucker had made that perfectly clear. Tucker had also been much more of an asshole than usual lately.

Simmons absently rubbed at his collarbone. Even with the slightest pressure from the armor bearing down on it, he imagined the stitches pulling against his skin and drew his hand away. They'd been so lucky, again. Again and again, and hopefully they would no longer need to be. Church wouldn’t need to, at least.

He violently pulled his thoughts away from the Staff of Charon and started back down the hall. The heart rate monitor in his HUD placed him at 142 BPM and rising. What would happen if he didn't fuck? Santa hadn't even talked about that. He could already see the headline: War Hero Dies, Determined to Remain a Virgin.

Grif would love it at least; assuming Grif wasn't also dead from a decided lack of temple-induced fucking. He hadn't even been there to know that there was temple-induced fucking to worry about. Grif had shown zero interest in showing up at the temple today -- or for any other mission lately, for that matter. Maybe if he had been there, they wouldn't be in the position they were currently in. Grif could have-- could have-- well, probably not done anything at all, if Simmons was being perfectly honest, but at least he'd have been aware. At least he wouldn't be on his own, wondering what was happening to him right now and why.

And how would Grif be taking all this, exactly? His physical fitness had always been notably well below par. The effects of the temple already felt like the slow grip of imminent death to Simmons and he was at least ten times healthier.

It was also impossible to forget just how much Grif had completely disregarded his own safety on the Staff of Charon. His chest had absorbed countless hits of enemy fire, just because he’d insisted on taking point with the Grif Shot halfway through. The exact sound of Grif’s small grunts of pain had played in surround sound via comm as Simmons bled out through his armor. It wasn’t until the end -- Tucker surrounded by dead and dying and the room suddenly horribly quiet -- that Grif had stepped down, armor burned black and smoking.

He didn't need to contact Grif. Grif was probably absolutely fine. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Usually. At least forty percent of the time. When they weren't in a crisis situation.

It wouldn’t hurt to check on him. Just a casual hello, maybe a little update on the temple.

Simmons switched over to their private channel and signaled in. Grif almost always picked up there.

No answer.

He swallowed drily and started walking faster. What if Grif was with someone? What if he wasn't and was already dead? What would Sarge say if sex (or lack thereof) literally killed half of the Glorious Red Team?

Anxiety roiled in his gut, and he groaned in irritation. Ugh, he couldn't think about Grif right now! It wasn't like he could do anything for him anyway.

The storage wing doors came up on his left and he keyed in the entry code. A couple of lieutenants ran past him as he went through the doorway, completely oblivious to his presence as they giggled and tripped over one another on the way out. His eyes followed them as they passed, face warm and heartbeat racing as he took in their roaming hands. Jealousy was stupid. Who would he even want to fuck on this planet, anyway?

He closed his eyes as a deep shudder ran through his entire body. Fucking someone, anyone, right now sounded incredible. He was actually amazed at how good it sounded. He'd put a lot of effort into not thinking about sex for so long, circumstances being what they were.

Did it matter if he thought about one person over another? Say, Tucker versus Donut, or Carolina versus Kimball?

As if on cue, images started flowing in. Very graphically.

He slapped a hand against his helmet hard enough to sting.

Focus, Simmons. Keep moving.

Around the next corner, he finally spotted the individual unit doors and let out a sigh of relief. One of them had to be available.

He yanked on the handle of the first one and let out an angry noise when it didn't budge. It wasn't like he wanted to fuck all over the canned vegetables! He just needed space and time alone, where he didn't have to worry about running into anyone and embarrassing himself for the rest of his military career. The thought of actually seeing Carolina, Kimball, Tucker, or Donut right now made him want to throw himself off a cliff.

"Let me in, come on, one of you, any of you," he demanded as he went down the line, pulling at each handle. Locked, locked, motherfucking locked. Sweat was starting to form on his brow. Heart rate at 155. He was steadily ignoring anything below his waist.

Focus.

His eyes finally lit on a door wedged open with a broom handle in the far right corner. "Thank you, god," he whispered as he bolted in, kicked the broom away, and let the door swing shut, darkening the unit almost completely. He unclasped his helmet and let it fall to the floor as he leaned back against the wall. Cool air blasted from the ceiling vent onto his sweaty hair, pushing it downward.

If Simmons had been himself, he would have checked his surroundings on entry. As it turned out, intense manufactured arousal made it incredibly difficult to focus on anything other than...well, being aroused.

And in that time, someone else in the unit had noticed him.

"Simmons?" that someone else called out from behind a wall of opened, empty cans of food. "I think there's something wrong with me." The voice paused. "Like, really, really wrong, dude."

Simmons' eyes shot open in panic.

"What the -- Grif?!"

Most of the people Simmons had met over the course of his enlistment held the same ideas about the existence of a higher power. Sim troopers, freelancers, and the people of Chorus had no reason to believe some omnipotent being looked after them from behind the scenes. Not with everything they'd been through.

Simmons had never been in that camp. No, he was confident that God existed -- in fact, God had always had it out for him specifically. He'd known that since his fifth birthday, when his dad made him cry in front of his entire kindergarten class for getting last place in Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Moments like this just continued to confirm it for him.

"Why are you in here?!" He pushed off the wall and gestured angrily at Grif's canned food wall. Grif was just on the other side of it. Close enough to touch, if he just took a few steps forward. Not that he wanted to or anything.

"I've been coming here for weeks, dumbass! Why are you in here?!" Grif responded in kind, and maybe if Simmons had been thinking straight, he would have thought about the likelihood of Grif holing up here with endless amounts of food and dark space and silence. He would have just assumed Grif's laziness for not answering a comm instead of being dead or in the middle of orgasm. But he didn't, because half of his blood was no longer in his brain.

"God damn it, Grif!" He kicked his helmet away and slid to the floor. If he held his arms against his cheeks, he could cool himself slightly off the armor metal. It helped him focus well enough to hear Grif's indignant, irritating response.

"What the hell, dude? I tell you I'm sick -- after you barge into my space, by the way -- and you get mad at me?" Grif began to haul himself up and make his way over to Simmons' side of the room.

"Stay back!" Simmons scooted away hurriedly, slamming his back against the door. Grif didn't know. He didn't know anything, and that was dangerous as hell.

"Okay, chill," Grif said, taking an exaggerated step backward. Simmons saw his head tilt down slightly, taking him in. "Wait. You look like how I feel, which, by the way, is really, really shitty. What's going on?" Grif picked Simmons' helmet up off the floor, sweaty skin shining off the dim light of the HUD as he peered into it. He clicked the headlamp on and set the helmet on a shelf so that they could see each other more clearly.  

Simmons slightly hated him for that.

"Well, if you had bothered to come to the meeting today, you would know." Simmons rubbed his temples, looking away. Of course Grif would hang out in the storage closet in his undersuit -- why wear full scale armor anymore? The war was over, and Grif's bruises probably felt a lot better that way. Unrestricted beneath breathable fabric and open to the cool, cool air. Simmons swallowed thirstily.

Silence reigned for a moment, until --

"Seriously, that's all you're going to give me? I'm trying not to die of heat exhaustion and--and-- whatever this is," Grif said as he flailed his arms in confusion, "and you're going to hang missing a meeting over my head? Cut the shit, Simmons."

"I am trying," Simmons said measuredly through ragged breath, "to focus." He clenched his fists tightly before setting them to work on his own armor. Grounding himself in simple tasks could work. Plus, he was just so hot. Maybe if he could cool off a bit, he could warn Grif. Grif needed to know.

"Focus here then, Simmons, and tell me what's going on," Grif said shortly. Simmons could see his fingers tapping against his folded arms in stiff, agitated motions in the lamplight. It was very un-Grif-like. Simmons could grab them, just for a second, put them where they'd be of better use, and --

With shaking hands, he pulled his chest piece off and placed it on the floor. Santa's algorithm was clearly bullshit. He took a knee and started methodically working on a leg, staring intently at the ground. Cool down, Simmons. Cool. Down.

"Simmons," Grif ground out impatiently, and fuck his voice, honestly, for sounding so beautifully gravelly deep.

"Grif," he said hoarsely, fumbling with the clasp on his calf. "Stop." He'd never thought of Grif's voice as beautiful before. Once he got out of this mess, he was going to write these reactions down just to prove how right he'd been.

"Stop what? You stop! No, wait; you start! Tell me why I woke up feeling like I have the biggest case of blue balls known to man!"

"Fine!" Simmons yelled, and it felt good to do it, like the smallest, greatest release. He stood and pelted the wall with the rest of his armor, satisfaction growing with each loud rattle to the floor.

"If you had gone to any of our meetings since the battle, you'd have known that conducting alien tech research is a top priority for Chorus right now." He paced as he drew on his anger to maintain his train of thought. "And Tucker's sword makes us the perfect candidates to do it. Not like you care, since you've been MIA for every mission." He paused for a second to let that truth bomb sink in, a bomb so full of truth that he actually wanted to hear Grif's inevitable excuse-laden reaction.

Instead, he got nothing but silence. "Are you even listening to me?"

And then, he made the stupid, stupid mistake of looking at Grif's face. It was unnerving how intently Grif was staring at him. Grif's body had lost all of its usual studied calmness and looked ready to spring. At him. Imminently.

Simmons let out a long, shaking breath and felt himself sway slightly, the room closing in on him and Grif in the small beam of light. Was he getting lightheaded? What was his heart rate right now?

"Forget it." Grif's voice cut through the quiet, hurried and high-pitched. "You're totally right, Simmons. I don't care enough, so you should just go ahead and take your nerd explanation somewhere else. Yeah."

"Um," Simmons responded eloquently. His anger had dissipated, leaving nothing but wanting in its wake. He should turn around and walk out. He should stop staring at Grif. He should move his ass, immediately. Right now. Any moment --

"Look," Grif continued, completely unaware of his inner turmoil. "You can tell me later, okay? I can't do this right now, with you -- I mean things! Being, you know --" He trailed off and fluttered his hands in Simmons' general direction.

The thing was, Grif had never really been the type to tell Simmons what to do. That had always been more of a Simmons-to-Grif dynamic. So Simmons should definitely go. It would be reasonable to leave. If he could bring his body back online, he would honor Grif's request, because he was someone who did the right thing. Really, he was. He didn't want to do this to Grif. He didn't. He just needed a second. Just a second to --

Without warning, Grif lurched towards him. Simmons fell backwards as Grif gave him a graceless shove, almost as if he were undecided between pushing Simmons or falling down himself. And then, inexplicably, Grif's hand clamped down hard on contact, and he pulled Simmons back towards him, making their heads bump together in the whiplash.

Simmons hissed through his teeth. Grif's touch burned through the fabric of the undersuit, and Simmons felt every part of himself radiate toward it.

"What the hell," Grif whispered, wide-eyed and half-shadowed from the narrow beam of the headlight. This close, Simmons could see one iridescent eye, and it was the clearest he'd seen Grif maybe ever. As long as Simmons had known him, he'd been awed and slightly jealous of Grif's uncanny ability to maintain the most dull and uninterested stare, regardless of person or situation. To add insult to injury, Grif's eyes were so dark that his pupils were practically invisible, giving him an added layer of immunity from the betrayal of any instinctual reactions.

Simmons had actually thought for an embarrassingly long time that Grif's eyes were black. It hadn't been until after the surgery, when Sarge had shined a flashlight in Grif's face during an implant check-up, that he'd finally realized they were a deep, warm brown. Hidden depths, he'd thought ridiculously at the time, but it didn't make it not true.

Now, Grif's closeness had let Simmons see everything, and it was so much. Too much.

"Grif," he said, and it was whiny as fuck, so annoying, he hated everything about it. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't equipped to handle this. Grif didn't know. It wasn't his fault. It definitely will be Simmons' fault if he lets this happen.

Grif released a heavy breath through his nose before releasing his grip. The loss of contact felt like losing a piece of Simmons’ own self, and it was...sad? How could a body be sad? What was the temple doing to him?

"Simmons, just...leave." Grif paused. "Please." His hand was now running through his hair, fingers agitatedly pulling at the strands as if to keep it from flying forward onto Simmons again. But he looked more at ease now. That was good. Safe.

"Well," Simmons tried to say lightly, "if you're going to bust out the niceties." He fumbled blindly for the door handle behind him.

"It might help to turn around," Grif said absently. He dragged his hand down to rub at his cheek. "Just a...just a thought."

Simmons tore his eyes away from Grif's hair, which now looked really well-tousled instead of like its usual greasy tangle. "Right." He spun around clumsily, banging his shoulder against the door.

"Fuck," he breathed, jiggling the handle. His arm still burned where Grif had touched him. "It's locked." He paused. "Wait. Why is it locked from the inside?"

Realization hit him like a lightning bolt. I've been coming here for weeks, dumbass. Weeks in which Chorus leadership had noted in meetings -- meetings Grif had skipped! -- a concerning drop in food supplies and begun creating fail-safes against smuggling. Grif's exceptional fatassery had finally gone a step too far. Why hadn't he thought for one second about the purpose of that goddamned broom handle.

Simmons stared at the door as if he could will it to open. There was nothing else to do. If he turned around, though -- if he looked at Grif -- his body sang at the thought, and he pushed down on it, hard.

"Simmons," a voice suddenly whispered against his neck, because Grif was shorter than him and holy fuck when had he gotten so close? "Simmons." Grif's exhaled breath tickled his skin, and he shivered. All he could think about was Grif touching him again. Why hadn't Grif touched him again? Grif couldn't touch him again, or it would all be over.

Simmons braced his hands against the door to stop his knees from shaking. There had to be another way out of here; all he needed to do was find it. Then he wouldn’t even have to explain the temple. It would be the most sound, practical solution to this...problem. For the best, really.

"Something's wrong with me," Grif muttered against his neck. "Talk to me, Simmons, come on, you always talk, say something, give me anything--"

Okay, Simmons, think. No other exits, no windows, nothing but Grif and his helmet’s headlight shining on their backs.

Wait. His helmet?

"I'm sorry," he said to the wall, and then pushed back hard, sending Grif sprawling with a yelp of surprise.

Simmons turned and leapt forward, fumbling for the helmet, the light careening wildly against the walls. "Come in, hello? We're stuck!" he cried out as he jammed it on his head. His hands itched to touch Grif's skin. "In here. Alone. Anybody?"

Comms couldn't be down, not for all of Chorus. That was impossible. He scrolled frantically through his HUD until he got to the alerts screen and read:

COMMS SHUT OFF FOR DURATION OF TEMPLE EFFECTS BY ORDER OF PRES. KIMBALL

"Right," he sighed, shoulders drooping. "Of course. Privacy is important, and," he let out a short, defeated laugh, "who'd be able help us right now anyway?"

He pulled the helmet off and dropped it on the floor. The light faced somewhere left of them, leaving them in semi-darkness. Below him, Grif was concerningly silent.

“Grif?” He looked down, heart pounding. “Did I kill you?”

“No. Not yet at least,” Grif muttered. Unlike the unnerving panic attack from earlier, he’d seen Grif like this before. You know, relatively calm, but also bright-eyed, slightly flushed and...wriggly, for lack of a better term. It had never been personally directed at him. Some things you just couldn’t avoid after sharing a room for long enough. Especially when your roommate decided to look at porn with you in the room.

This still wasn’t personally directed at him, Simmons reminded himself firmly.

“Look,” Grif said from the floor, "can we be real for a second?" He bit his lip and let out a soft, frustrated noise as he shifted restlessly. "I need to get off. Like, now."

Simmons could actually feel the flush that spread across his cheeks as he took Grif’s words in. This is happening. This is happening. This is happening, his brain supplied helpfully. His body stepped in to painfully remind him that it was completely and totally on board.

Grif glared up at him. "Come on, dude. Throw me a bone here.”

Simmons swallowed. Grif was proposing it, so it was fine, right? Or the algorithm made it okay for Grif to propose it. And for him to accept it, if he was understanding it correctly. "Me...me too. I guess.”

Grif nodded in satisfaction, and squirmed on the floor for a bit longer before settling on an apparently slightly more comfortable position. "So, obviously neither of us are happy about it or anything. But I -- we -- gotta do it, man."

"Right, okay.” Simmons paused. “Do what exactly?"

Visions swam in his mind of what Grif could say. What he wanted Grif to say. Correction: what the temple wanted him to want Grif to say. Obviously.

"Uh, the bare fucking minimum. Also, losing your virginity like this would be pretty awful, so. Win-win."

"Win-win," Simmons echoed, voice cracking slightly.

He was going to touch Grif, and they were going to get off. Together. Grif was going to touch him and he wanted him to. He could admit that, right? It was the temple, after all.

"Okay," he said, heart in his throat.

"Okay," Grif repeated, and it was so anxiously giddy, Simmons felt himself grimace. It wasn't Grif's fault. It wasn't Grif at all actually, so Simmons might as well make it easier.

He knelt down next to Grif. "Uh." What came next, exactly? He made an aborted motion towards Grif's chest. “Should I...?”

Grif reached out and pulled Simmons on top of him by his undersuit.

The effect was immediate. "Oh god," Simmons breathed, eyes squeezed shut. He could smell Grif's sweat. Only two layers of undersuit separated his suddenly embarrassingly hard dick from Grif's leg.

Grif let out a pained sound before his hand landed on the back of Simmons' head, sifting through his hair in a way that would have been soothing under literally any other circumstance. He reflexively bucked against Grif instead, scalp tingling from Grif's fleeting touch.

When Grif pushed back, he felt hardness against his hip and moaned. Actually moaned, like a horny teenager. Jesus Christ. The sound of it rang out disgustingly in the almost silence.

Almost, because of Grif's loud breathing, which Simmons had attributed to Grif's general state of health until he actually listened to it. He'd never made anyone respond like Grif, not in almost thirty years of living. It's the temple, his mind whispered at him, as he hitched a thigh between Grif's legs, craving another breath, another sigh, another anything at all.

"Fuck," Grif choked out, chest vibrating against Simmons. He slid his hand down to rest on Simmons' neck. The heat of it felt like jumping into a hot tub on a cold day, scalding water that made his skin break out in goosebumps.

He clenched his jaw tightly to suppress a new wave of noises from escaping into the room.

And now he sounded like a duct taped hostage. How incredibly sexy. The temple was a miracle worker if Grif’s libido survived all of that intact.

Wait, why did he even need to sound sexy? Simmons shook his head, planted his hands on either side of Grif, and pushed up and away for better leverage. It was so much easier to remember how things stood from here. They had been forced into this, Grif was the least intimidating person he knew, and so if it had to happen, who better? Just two guys helping each other out in their time of need, totally casual and mutually rewarding. So what if Simmons could still feel everything: Grif's fingers digging into his wrist and Grif’s stomach expanding outward to brush against his arms and Grif’s dick grinding on his leg, gradually making his undersuit wet? That was fine. He was just the most convenient option.

Simmons closed his eyes and concentrated on the steady, agonizing slide of pleasure until it began to lead to a rhythm that made his mind go hazy. Below him, Grif kept taking in long, shuddering breaths. It was the perfect spot, perfect pressure, more euphoric than any jerk-off session.

And then Grif did the worst possible thing. An unforgivable thing. He started fucking talking.

"Holy shit, Simmons," Grif whispered frantically, bringing him completely out of the moment. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit." Simmons felt Grif's hands on his hips, patting him as if to convince himself that Simmons was actually there.

"Simmons, ah --" His breath hitched and he arched up, hands gripping tightly. "That's good, so good, it's perfect -- you're perfect --"

Simmons jerked forward roughly enough to move both of them a good foot across the floor. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.

"Simmons? Do you like it?" Grif babbled beneath him. "Does it feel okay, or good, or --"

"Shut up," Simmons said tightly as he pressed down against Grif's leg. He desperately fixated on Grif's Adam's apple, ears prickling. It wasn't Grif. It wasn't him. It felt so good, though, hearing his name that way.

From Grif. His mind stuttered and came to a halt.

The lazy back-and-forth that had been so mind-numbingly good before was now woefully inadequate. He felt impatient with need. It burned him from the inside out, and he leaned into it.

“Okay.” Grif’s voice broke and wavered. Simmons jumped slightly at the sensation of Grif’s fingers running against his stitches. It was a weirdly gentle gesture. “Good.”

Simmons sniffed loudly as the pressure mounted under his skin. Grif’s irritating, insistent touch made him want to scream. Why were his eyes watering?

And then, Grif’s soft, shaking fingers slid away and upward to stroke his cheek, less delicate than clumsy. He could look up; it would be easy enough. Grif swallowed hard, the Adam's apple slid downward, and Simmons felt his stare, but kept holding on and away, grinding down hard and fast and panting. He was close, so close, fuck.

If Grif would just stop talking, they could finish getting off and forget this ever happened. But Grif had never listened to Simmons, not once in all their years together.

"You -- your face -- Simmons," Grif stuttered, and it was wobbly and wanting and full of unspeakable things. Grif pushed up hard and let out a startled sound from deep in his throat before falling limp, chest heaving.

"Goddamnit, Grif," Simmons gasped. "I'm gonna -- gonna --" He went taut as he shuddered into climax. "Nnnngh."

He let himself lay on top of Grif for a moment and tried to catch his breath. He had never even hugged Grif before, and now he felt like he was falling into a chasm, dark and terrifying.

He needed to get up.

"Uh, Grif, about the temple," he started haltingly, before he lost his nerve. "It causes --"

A rumbling snore interrupted him.

Simmons sighed and shifted slightly over to Grif’s side. There was come drying in his undersuit and Grif shouldn't have this much pressure on his bruises. But he was warm, and there was nowhere else to go. Also, sex with another person had been a lot more tiring than Simmons had thought it would be.

For awhile, he lay in a state of sleepy semi-panic. Should he get up? Would Grif think it was weird that he hadn’t gotten up earlier? Who cared what Grif thought anyway? Did he care? The algorithm had clearly been all wrong -- it had made two people who couldn't even procreate fuck, hadn't it? So neither of them should care about any of it, least of all some post-coital napping.

But what if Grif did?

"Shut up," he murmured to himself as he concentrated on Grif's even breathing. Eventually, he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Simmons woke to bright light flooding behind his eyelids.

"Oh look, Freckles, we have found more best friends laying down together in the dark!" Caboose's helmet stared down at them, framed by fluorescent light. "Santa says you can come out now."

Simmons pulled away from Grif so fast, his head hit the floor. "Caboose! Uh..." He looked up from the ground and groaned when he saw pink armor.

"Heyyyyy, guys! I can't believe it! I mean, I can believe it -- well, we all can, really --"

"Fuck. Off. Everyone," Grif's flat, tired voice came from behind Simmons. Simmons sat up abruptly and discreetly checked himself for decency. Somehow, Grif had found the time to put his own helmet back on. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Fine, Mister Grumpy Pants," Donut pouted. "And here I'd thought you'd be a little more happy." He stared meaningfully at Simmons before following Caboose down the hall, leaving Simmons scrambling to catch the door before it closed.

He cleared his throat as Grif made his way back behind his canned food wall. "Do you, uh, want to talk about it?"

"Did you or did you not hear me the first time, Dick?" Grif said, voice devoid of anything beyond irritation.

"Oh, thank god." Simmons grabbed his armor and fled, propping the long-forgotten broom handle in the doorway on his way out.

Simmons never directly tells Grif about the temple. He knows Grif knows when he joins Simmons at the lunch table the next day and says, "Fucking Santa and fucking Tucker," and they leave it at that.

When Donut and Tucker come in and ask for a million details, Grif threatens to gut them with the Grif Shot, and Simmons is infinitely grateful. It’s honestly better than any other conversation they could have mustered up on their own.

Simmons is also infinitely grateful that Grif doesn’t bring up his terrible sex noises or his pathetic almost-tears.

No one mentions the algorithm at all.

Simmons sees Grif in the showers later and locks eyes with the wall until he leaves. No one says anything to anyone, really, since most of the room's got their own horror stories and the scars to prove it. Thank god he has his own quarters. He has no desire to see anyone else out of armor for the foreseeable future.

That night, he jacks off and thinks of Grif's voice, just to see. Simmons, you're so good, Grif-in-his-mind says, you're perfect. He thinks of how Grif's open face might have looked, his gasps, all the things the temple made him do.

It fucking sucks.

[secretlystephaniebrown]

Time’s Running Out: Echo

SUPER LATE NIGHT UPDATE BUT AT LEAST I GOT THIS THING OUT BEFORE ANGST WAR STARTS. Thanks everyone who's been sticking this out! It really means a lot you're sticking with this wild thing.

Summary: The Reds and Blues; and their respective Freelancers, find themselves stranded on a strange planet named Chorus. Secrets, lies, and the unexpected seem to lie around every corner, and there might be even larger threats looming over the horizon.

They’re possibly even less ready for Chorus than Chorus is for them.

Pairings: Lots of friendships, Suckington, Yorkalina, Chex, eventual Yorkimbalina, possible others.

Start

Previous

Next

Ao3

Tucker woke up, and Wash and Kai were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there was fucking Felix, and some lady named Kimball who seemed to be in charge around here.

She told him his friends were there, and he went off to find them.

The last one he expected to see was York.

For a second, resentment crashed over Tucker like a fucking tsunami. Why was it him? Why did he make it here? Where was Wash? Fuck, where was Tex? Even Carolina would be better than him, because at least she could help him kick Locus’s ass and get the others back. Of all of the Freelancers, why was it York?

He tried to push it aside, because they had been worried about the guy.

“You’re alive,” Tucker said, and at least he sounded relieved instead of angry or resentful.

“I am,” York said, but his posture was slumped and miserable. “The others were just filling me in.”

Tucker looked around, absorbing the maroon, orange, and dark blue. And the distinct lack of highway grey or bright yellow.

“We’re really all that made it?”

“The Feds have the others,” York said. “No word from Carolina or Tex either.”

“What, they didn’t find you?” Tucker said, alarmed. He’d figured that at least the two of them had dropped York’s ass here before they’d taken off, hopefully to beat Locus to death with his own skull or something.

“No,” York said. “Ah, Felix did.”

Irritation hit Tucker hard. “And you didn’t come with him? We could have used your help!”

York’s hands clenched into fists. “I know,” he said, and there was a ragged edge to his voice that told Tucker that he felt it physically. “I was injured after the crash. I didn’t make it back to the base until Felix had already come and gone—” He paused, looking at Tucker almost expectantly.

But for once, Tucker really wasn’t in the mood. Locus had Kai and Wash. Sex was the furthest thing from his mind, let alone taking a joke that York had just handed him.

York shook his head. “Anyways. He was gone looking for you guys before I’d made it here. He moves fast. The guy’s a scout for a reason.”

Tucker wanted to punch him. He wanted to hate him, because he could have helped. If he’d been there, at the very least Tex and Carolina would’ve stayed. And with four Freelancers, maybe they could have turned the tide. Maybe they could have kept their family together, instead of half of them being off in a prison somewhere.

But he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. Maybe he’d find the energy later. Right now, he just felt numb.

Later, there would be a buzzing tenseness that filled his whole body. Later, he would push his squad as hard as Wash had ever pushed him. Later, he would scream and fight with York, over every last fucking detail, from the way they lead their squads, to the way York insisted on maintaining his stupid fucking cover as Harris, instead of telling Kimball that he was a Freelancer.

Later, he would punch York in his good eye, and not even remotely feel bad about it, because the guy fucking had it coming for making fun of Wash that way. Wash could tell the story about the grappling hook being stuck to his balls. York wasn’t allowed.  

But now, he looked at the guy, and moved right along, because at least, at least he still had this. Caboose and Grif and Simmons and York and a way forward. Captains in an army they didn’t belong to for a war they didn’t believe in, just for a chance to save their friends.

Tucker could work with that.

The New Republic sucked dicks. And not in the fun way.

The hot doctor fixed up Kai’s leg promptly enough, but Kai would rather have her leg still be broken if it meant that Tucker was there.

Wash was terrified for him, even if he didn’t like to say it. He was all tense and stuff and Kai didn’t know how to help him, because every time she even kissed him, it felt like they were both waiting for Tucker to turn the corner, pretty teeth flashing brightly as he commented on how fucking hot they looked, even though the last time they’d been kissing Kai had been all snotty and gross from crying and Wash hadn’t slept in a week.

She hated it; Sarge was all worried about Dex and Simmons and Donut was worried about everyone and even Church was being more of an asshole than usual, worried out of his goddamn mind.

She shared a room with Church and Wash and Church didn’t even snarl threats at them to keep it down, instead just spending the nights either staring blankly at the ceiling or prowling the base. He didn’t need sleep, he told her when she asked. He was a mother-fucking-AI, they didn’t sleep, shut up Kai.

Church was a lot like Dex. Kai left him alone after that.

He was trying to establish radio contact with Tex and Carolina, constantly fiddling with tiny little sets that he’d made out of broken helmets and scavenged parts, trying to boost the signal enough to get through.

He hadn’t succeeded yet. All he got was static. And it was infuriating him,  Kai could tell. He was supposed to be the Alpha, he was supposed to keep them all safe, and it got to him when he couldn’t, when he didn’t know where they were.

The teams were split and the Freelancers who weren’t Wash were nowhere to be found.

Church was fraying around the edges, snapping at everyone and everyone, even Donut. Donut never took it seriously, but even Donut had his limits. Donut hadn’t approached Church in two whole days. Kai didn’t know what it was that he’d said, but whatever it was had Donut quiet and subdued and hurt.

Kai was pretty sure it had something to do with Doc.

Church was trying with her. He kept calling her stupid, accusing her of not caring about Tucker being gone when they both knew it’s fucking not true. Kai yelled back, calling him every name she could think of, accusing him of being happy Caboose was gone, that Epsilon was gone.

Their fights unsettled Wash. But everything unsettled Wash these days. Locus didn’t help; the guy was constantly skulking around corners, way too focused on Wash for it to be comfortable. Kai didn’t mind sharing (duh) but she drew lines and creeps who gave Wash brain damage were one of them. Plus, Wash wasn’t interested, which meant that Locus would have to get his dick wet elsewhere, as far as Kai was concerned.

“I don’t think it’s like that, Kai,” Wash said tiredly to her one day after she’d finished ranting. “He’s… he’s interested in Freelancer, that’s all.”

“Don’t care,” Kai said. “He can fuck off.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Wash’s lips, and Kai beamed. Deciding that was enough Locus talk, she threw herself forward, tackling Wash to the bed. That earned her an honest to god laugh as Wash rolled with it, so that he ended up on top of her, his eyes sparkling brightly before he leaned down to kiss her.

Fuck, Kai had missed this; missed the weight of him, the way his hair felt beneath her fingers, the taste of his coffee, the scent of that shitty military-regulation soap he always used…

Afterwards, when clothes have awkwardly been sorted out again to avoid Church’s screams, when Wash has stopped blushing, and the cuddling has resumed, Kai stared at the ceiling, hoping that Tucker could still feel safe, even if Wash’s biceps aren’t there to be a pillow.

“You really think he’s okay?” Kai said.

She didn’t need to say who he was.

“He is,” Wash whispered. “He has to be.”

Kai clenched her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, and buried her face in his chest. They still had each other at least.

Tucker was missing both of them, wherever he is. He didn’t even have this; the crowded bunk they technically weren’t sharing but were sharing anyways, with Church’s projects scattered all across the room, Sarge and Donut and Lopez next door.

“We’ll find him,” Wash said, like a mantra, a prayer.

Kai closed her eyes and took deep breaths, and fell to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

Working with Tex was… remarkably easy in some ways. They both learned quickly. Tex could keep up with her at least, and carried her own weight… and then some, Carolina was loathe to admit. Her active camouflage gave her advantages that Carolina lacked. And having a partner was always useful.

She missed York and Wash; fighting with the two of them was as easy as breathing, like a well-memorized dance. Tex was different. Even now they still bumped against each other and scraped. Tex wouldn’t use her radio or both of them would get impatient or Carolina would see something important to their objective and go off course. They were still learning, and it was painful sometimes.

They still hadn’t talked about what went down in the Director’s bunker. Carolina didn’t know if she could talk about it. Every time she thought about it she wanted to rip her hair out, wanted to scream, wanted to throw things, wanted to hurt Tex.

But she couldn’t. Because they were partners. They needed to work together to beat this, to unravel whatever strange conspiracy it was that they had stumbled upon; one full of armor enhancements and a mysterious shipment and a mercenary named Locus.

And because… because maybe Texas hadn’t been entirely wrong, when she’d claimed her own right to make that call, even if Carolina had disagreed with it.

They’d listened in on a message between Locus and “Control”. Now, they knew the crash was not an accident. Something had been on the ship.

Something worth killing an entire ship full of people over.

None of this boded well for the others, they knew, but radio contact was still impossible, and now they were in too deep. They needed to be sure exactly what was going on before they could get them out. They knew from intercepted reports and overheard gossip that everyone was alive, and unhurt. Split up and probably not happy, sure, but they were okay.

“This planet doesn’t make sense,” Tex said, looking up from the pieces of scavenged equipment she’d been poking at for the past few hours.

Carolina looked up at her, irritated. “What about it?”

“I’m just thinking about that communication we picked up. So this Locus guy is working for the pirates, sure, okay. But why?”

“Double the paycheck?” Epsilon offered.

“I don’t think so,” Tex said. She drummed her fingers against the table. “Look. You know I did the merc circuit for a while. I remember hearing whispers a while ago. About a guy called Locus.”

Carolina looked up. “You didn’t mention this before?”

Tex shrugged. “They were whispers. Nothing concrete. But they were connected with this other guy. Felix. They were partners or something. Didn’t we hear those New Republic kids talking about a Felix this morning?”

“Yes, but he was working with them—” A lightning bolt of clarity hit her, and she pushed herself upright and stared at Tex. “The war’s not real,” Carolina said, feeling sick and dizzy. Not again.

“Don’t know about that part,” Tex said. “But that seems like a great way to keep the paychecks coming, wouldn’t you say? Play both sides, extend the war?”

“Bastards,” Carolina said. “And then the war keeps both sides too busy to keep an eye on the alien tech, so they don’t notice what the pirates are up to.”

“Makes sense,” Tex said, nodding.

“But that still doesn’t explain Freelancer,” Carolina said. “We’re missing something.”

Tex hissed as the radio broke in her hands, smoking. “Damn it.”

“Nothing?”

“He’s reaching out, I can tell, but I can’t reach him.” Tex punched the nearest wall. “I need to warn him.”

“Warn him?” Carolina said, raising an eyebrow.

Tex pivoted, radiating fury. “Freelancer Tech, Carolina. What the fuck do you think Locus would do with the Alpha?”

Carolina felt as if her armor had locked down, and she struggled to breathe. “York has Delta,” she whispered. It was like she was back on the top of the cliff, the Meta’s fingers digging into her neck to pry Eta and Iota from her implants. She could see Locus pinning York down in her mind’s eye, could hear Delta’s screaming as he was ripped from York. She’d only seen the mercenary from a distance, but she could see it far too clearly—a knee pressed against his back, hand pressing the back of his unhelmeted head forward, exposing his neck.

Tex shook her head, pulling Carolina out of her waking nightmare, but her heart was still racing in her ears. “York will hide him. He’s not playing Freelancer, you’ve heard the reports. He’s going by Harris still—paranoid jackass.” There was a fond note in Tex’s voice at that. Carolina wanted to be offended at Tex’s lack of concern, but she knew she had a point.

Carolina closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. Epsilon buzzed in her mind, terrified by her own moment of fear, trying to soothe her.

“Will Church hide who he is?”

Tex looked at her, bleak and despairing. “He’d be gone if he hadn’t,” Tex said softly. It was always somehow wrong to hear Tex be quiet and subdued like this. Yet another reminder that even Tex had layers. “There’s no way Locus would let a… a full AI walk around if he knew. And if Church was missing, you know Kai would have kicked up a fuss, then Wash would, and then…”

The image was vivid. Wash trying to protect Kai, going down first, then Kai soon behind him, Sarge trying to avenge them, Donut following him without question.

All of them dead but Church, and Church might honestly be worse off. Carolina had heard his screams once, when he’d had a nightmare.

She never needed to hear it again.

No wonder Church and Tex both avoided sleep, if that was what they went through every time they tried.  

“We need to bring them down,” Carolina said softly.

“We need proof,” Tex said, spinning around, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. She radiated danger and power. This was the Tex she had witnessed back at Freelancer, who she had measured herself up against, but even more focused, terrifying, fierce. No one else stood a chance, and there was something… comforting about it, in a bizarre way. “We need… we need to know exactly what we’re dealing with here, we need to know how to rip them apart so that they won’t touch anyone again.”

Something uncoiled in Carolina at that—a solidarity, an agreement. To protect the others. This was no longer just a search mission, no longer just an attempt to right wrongs in the grand, vaguest sense.

Their family was in trouble.

Carolina and Tex would make sure that it wasn’t that way for much longer.

“Alright,” she said. “Epsilon. Can you narrow down their headquarters?”

It was time to take the fight to them directly.

Delta was greatly concerned about the planet Chorus.

His efforts to make contact with the missing members of the team were complete and utter failures. His previous success at pushing a connection through—between the young soldiers who had discovered him and York and the other survivors and General Kimball—appeared to be a one-time success. Delta’s current theory was that either they had been located at a weak point of the radiation fields which disrupted radios, or that it had been made possible by Kimball reaching out at the same time, effectively meeting Delta’s efforts halfway.

Unfortunately, his attempts to predict when any of the others would try to contact them had so far been failures. There were too many variables, with Alpha in custody of Locus and having no data on what Texas or Carolina were up to.

“Stop sulking, Dee,” York said quietly, picking his way around the edge of camp. It was a risk, speaking out loud when York was so determined to play it safe.

Delta did not appreciate such a risk. There were too many unknown quantities. He had agreed with York’s decision to not reveal his role as a Freelancer to anyone who was not already acquainted of the fact. It was a choice to protect them both, after all.

To risk such a thing as to scold was below York, and Delta told him so, using the message function of his HUD.

York laughed slightly. “We’ll find them,” York said, leaning against the railing.

Delta kept his own data on those odds to himself.

They both were aware of the dangers Locus posed to the others. It would do no good to point that out. York was clinging to hope that everyone was alright, that things would turn out fine. And Delta found himself joining him in that.

Tex’s words from ages ago, when York had been injured and Tex had chosen to take them to Blood Gulch echoed in his mind.

“That sounds like a human thing.”

York was influencing him. He had been for a long time. Delta projected that his younger self would be horrified by Delta’s current behavior patterns; at the way his code had evolved. He had once believed that enemies could be swayed by logical argument, that York would have been interchangeable with any other host. Delta had not cared for the safety, let alone the happiness, of people who were not designated as people of interest to Project Freelancer.

Now Delta joined York in staring out over at a field full of soldiers, most of whom were far too young to be holding guns, and felt the same intersecting feelings of guilt, fury, and sorrow.

Delta wondered if he would feel that way about his younger self, technically only a newborn yet being sent out to battle. He decided to dismiss that particular hypothetical, and instead alerted York to an incoming presence.

General Kimball had chosen to approach them.

Delta did not log off, but he curled himself tightly into the corner of York’s mind, awake but silent. York’s interactions with Kimball were always interesting to watch.

“How’s your head?” She asked.

York tapped his visor, grinning at her. “Better,” he offered. “That medic of yours knows her stuff.” Delta felt displeased at the erasure of his own part in York’s progress through the healing unit, although he knew that he couldn’t reasonably receive credit.

“I’m glad to hear it,” she said.

“Tucker’s off on that scouting mission with Felix?” York asked, trying to keep his voice light and casual. From Kimball’s body language, it was apparent that he was failing.

Kimball nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s hoping to find information on your friends.”

There was a swirl of emotions at that—nightmares, old and new rose to the surface. Predominant among them was the sound of a sniper rifle, cracking through the air.

Delta hated that he also had gained a dislike for that sound. It reminded him that once, in a world that never had been because of Tex, a sniper had killed York. Tex would not share the information, her memories of that world. But Delta had carefully rebuilt the scenarios from the hints that she had given. He had ascertained the most likely scenario.

York ignored Delta’s turmoil. “I’m sure. Tucker’s tough. Probably the toughest of all of us.”

“You pulled over a dozen people out of a freshly crashed ship and tried to lead them to safety while you had a concussion,” Kimball said, and Delta thought he detected a note of reproach.

“And promptly got taken out by an eighteen year old,” York laughed, but Delta could feel the guilt over the others coiling and twisting in York’s stomach. A guilt about the others, the ones who hadn’t made it back to the rebel encampment. The feeling was so physical, yet there was nothing Delta could do to help him, beyond a reiteration that he could not possibly have known about the Federal Army, or about Locus’s presence on the planet.

“Harris,” Kimball said quietly. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Both Delta and York were thrown off balance by that statement. “Well I mean, like you said, I did have a concussion,” York said.

Kimball did not allow York the exit he desired. “The others. You couldn’t have helped them, and you know it. All it would have done is get you killed too.”

York didn’t believe that, couldn’t believe that. He looked away. “I know that,” he said, but he was lying so transparently. He wasn’t even trying, Delta realized.

Kimball shook her head. “You’re a hero, Harris. You and the other Reds and Blues… do you understand what that means to my people? How long it’s been since they’ve had hope?” She gestured outwardly. “This war… we’ve been losing for so long. For the first time I can remember, it feels like we have a chance.”

Another wave of guilt hit York. “Well really, the others did all the work. I just came along for the ride.”

“I find that hard to believe.” There was a note of warmth to Kimball’s voice. Delta was surprised. He had realized that Kimball considered York a valuable asset, having recognized his skills, if not the full extent of them. But he had not realized that she might consider him a friend.

York shrugged, projecting an airiness and levity that Delta felt that he was distinctly lacking. “If you say so,” he said. “You’ll change your mind once you get to know me better.”

She shook her head, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “My office is always open, Harris. If you need to talk.”

York stared at her for a moment. His mouth was dry, Delta noted. He could almost feel the truth trying to force its way out of his mouth, to tell Kimball the single, damning statement.

“My name is Agent York.” He wanted to tell Kimball everything, wanted to explain what he had done, who he really was. Alarm flared in Delta—he did not trust Kimball, not to that extent. She would keep them safe as Private Harris, a war hero, but what would she do to Agent New York, a wanted war criminal, who harbored an illegal artificial intelligence in his mind?

But York didn’t say anything. He bit his tongue and instead nodded, giving Kimball a smile that she could not see, but that she seemed to know was there, given the way she inclined her helmet towards him. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

There was something fucking weird going on with York.

Look, Freelancers were weird at the best of times, Grif was aware of that. But York had reached like, whole new levels of weird.

First, Grif was like fifty-five percent sure the guy was hitting on Kimball, which was pretty damn weird, considering that he and Carolina had like, a thing. Sure maybe it was like, Basebook-status “it’s complicated” type thing, but still, it’s a thing, and Grif was fairly sure he was supposed to be offended on her behalf, since she was a Red, after all.

The second thing was that he was spending a lot of time with Felix. Which was weird, because York was also being super-insistent about them calling him “Harris” instead of “York”, and was basically not-so-much-pretending to be an idiot like them instead of a badass Freelancer.

Caboose fucked it up a lot, but he’d never managed to give away the game. Instead, York was currently “Harvard”, which was… surprisingly close for a Caboose misnomer, honestly.

But anyways. Felix had caught on that they were all idiots. He bantered with Tucker and shit, sure, but he spent weird amounts of time with York when he was on base, always chatting with him about dumb shit, like they were friends or something.

It didn’t sit right with Grif. The guy was a mercenary, after all. He was after something. And York was either playing along, or he genuinely liked the guy. Even though Felix was someone who Grif felt fairly safe as classifying as a Grade A “douchebag”.

Grif wasn’t quite sure how to handle either scenario.

All he did know was this; they really needed to fucking hurry and find the others, because shit was getting out of control. Tucker was going fucking crazy, worried about Wash (and Kai, but Grif considered that level of worry to be perfectly sensible, even if his sister was pretty much immortal). Simmons was worried sick about Sarge, and Caboose was so upset about Church (both of them, the fuckers) being missing that he’d ended up adopting half of the fucking Rebel Army.

So when Tucker suggested they take off on their own to try to get the others back, Grif doesn’t have any objections.

Grif was going to get his baby sister back.

[rubykgrant]

“It’s right over there...” Grif nodded in the direction he wanted them to go.

This was an interesting park; it had different areas, some of them flat and open grass for people who wanted to start a game where they kicked a ball around, some of them flower beds with fountains and benches, some of them almost like taking a walk in the woods. Grif’s destination was down a little brink walkway, where there was a courtyard that overlooked a ledge, with hanging plants growing up metal garden arbors.

Simmons came right along, letting Grif lead the way. As they passed under the arch of leaves and flowers, Grif glanced at his boyfriend’s face, and was satisfied to see an expression of bright interest (he was hoping for this reaction, because this area of the park was like stepping into a scene from a fairytale... it was easier to let yourself get all sentimental and romantic when the person you were with appreciated it).

Together, they walked to the stone railing, and looked down. Far below them was a field with several small gazebos, and one large amphitheater. It was there that drew Simmons’ attention, because a group of musicians and performers had gathered. Grif’s attention was still on him... the way he looked in the soft evening light, the way the gentle breeze was sweeping his hair across his forehead, the way he was smiling like an excited kid. All kinds of fond feelings twisted in Grif’s chest... and he was starting to enjoy having butterflies so often.

“How did you find this place?” Simmons asked.

“Well, while you were off having your family crisis, and I was dealing with being super extra depressed, um... Sarge actually started forcing me to go on walks with him in the morning,” no that WAS a little embarrassing, but Grif’s done trying to put up a front anymore.

“And don’t start apologizing again, I’m not telling you this to guilt-trip you. Anyway, he was making me walk around outside with him, something about how I’d get bed-sores and start growing fungus if I just stayed in bed forever, and one time we found this little corner of the park. I started coming back here on my own in the evenings, because it’s kind of a cool spot. Back then I thought about how, like... if I got to hang out with you again, I’d want to show it to you... so yeah. Here we are,”

Simmons listened intently as Grif talked, and held back his urge to say how sorry he was... he still hates himself a little for the way things happened. This moment isn’t about all that, though; this was about Grif wanting to share something with Simmons, and he was NOT going to ruin it with left-over shame. Instead, he gave Grif’s hand a gentle squeeze with his own organic one, lightly running his thumb across the knuckles. All that stressful crap was over, he wasn’t going to let his family hurt him again. He wasn’t going to leave Grif like that again, either. They were finally together, they were on their first real date, and Grif was being so sweet...

All those feelings about regret fell away, and Simmons leaned against the railing, a helpless dreamy expression on his face as he smiled at Grif. He couldn’t do anything to stop it, so he didn’t even try. Grif smiled back, and seemed to understand that they were BOTH absolutely stupid for each other... they always had been, but now they could do something about it. Simmons tilted his head forward, and Grif met him halfway for a soft kiss.

“Thanks for bringing me here. This was a really great day, Grif...” Simmons said when they leaned back apart.

“Oh, we’re not done just yet,” Grif told Simmons as he blinked his eyes open. “Wait a sec...”

It had finally gotten dark enough for the lights to flicker on; several lamp posts began to glow around them, and down at the amphitheater, music started to play. It was an unknown tune, but something grand and soothing, slow without being like a lullaby.

“This is why I wanted to bring you here for a first date,” Grif elaborated, slowing stepping backwards from the railing and into the middle of the courtyard, bringing Simmons with him. “You never got to have an awkward date at a lame school dance. So, that’s what’s happening dude. We’re dancing!”

“Haha, oh my GOD! You- you really planned this?” Simmons stumbled as Grif yanked him closer, laughing the whole time.

“That’s right! I told you, I wanna be all your first-date-experiences, and that includes doing the slow-dance-shuffle,” Grif grinned.

“What, exactly, is the slow-dance-shuffle?”

“It’s the thing little middle-schoolers do when they don’t know how to dance yet, they just kinda hug and shuffle their feet, so they rock in a circle. Don’t worry, it’s easy...” Grif wrapped his arms around Simmons as the music swelled, growing louder. “And unlike middle-schoolers, we don’t have to worry about teachers and chaperones telling us to leave room for Jesus while we dance!”

Simmons almost fell down from laughing, leaning all his weight into Grif. A moment passed with them both giggling before they finally managed to compose themselves. Now, Grif settled his hands on Simmons’ waist, warm and comforting. Simmons loves it whenever he feels Grif touch him... on his back, his arms, his chest... the times Grif affectionately holds his face... Simmons can’t believe he spent so many years NOT feeling Grif’s hands all over him. He loves it. He can’t get enough.

Simmons slips his own hands up on Grif’s shoulders, and Grif presses their bodies together. This isn’t going to be a fancy waltz or anything complicated... just the slow-dance-shuffle. Unlike most REAL first-date dances, this was intimate and comfortable, close and cozy. It also wasn’t taking place in a school gym decorated with balloons and streamers; they were in their own little world right here, flowers draped above them, pleasant lights illuminating the area, and beautiful music playing... it was utterly ROMANTIC, and Grif was very proud of himself for pulling it all together.

“I’m so lucky to have you with me...” Simmons sighed, closing his eyes and touching his forehead to Grif’s.

“Excuse you, I’m the lucky one,” Grif responded, nuzzling his face closer.

“Nuh-uh, I’M the lucky one!” Simmons argued.

“No, Me!”

“No, Me!”

They attempted to drown each other out by both shouting “ME ME ME ME ME!” before dissolving into laughter once again, which then slowly faded as they kissed. They hummed and continued to sway, moving slowly in a circle... dancing. Simmons was dancing with his boyfriend. They were boyfriends, and they were dancing.

“I love you, Grif... I’m glad your my first date, and my first dance... because you’re also the BEST,” Simmons said without opening his eyes, still pleasantly lost in all these tender feelings as he continued to rest his forehead on Grif’s brow.

“I love you too, Simmons. You’re the best for ME, I hope you know that...”

Clearly, they were both very lucky.

[secretlystephaniebrown]

Time’s Running Out: Alpha

Holy shit, here we are! The third story (I'm not counting the PWP snippet okay) in the BFF verse, and likely the grand finale! I'm really excited to get to share this with you guys, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

For those of you who are joining us for the first time... well, what you really need to know is this: York and Tex both survived Blood Gulch, are best friends forever, and Kai, Tucker, and Wash are all dating. And Alpha-Church is also still hanging around somewhere.

I keep coming back to the Chorus trilogy when I write it seems, so when I realized I was bringing this lot to Chorus, I knew I'd be seriously overhauling things. So. Be prepared. We've got four Freelancers here. Drastic measures are going to be taken. My apologies to Miles Luna.

Summary: The Reds and Blues; and their respective Freelancers, find themselves stranded on a strange planet named Chorus. Secrets, lies, and the unexpected seem to lie around every corner, and there might be even larger threats looming over the horizon.

They're possibly even less ready for Chorus than Chorus is for them.

Pairings: Lots of friendships, Suckington, Yorkalina, Chex, eventual Yorkimbalina, possible others.

Next

Also on Ao3

It didn’t matter how many times he did this, York thought he’d never tire of space travel. There was something calming about the way the ship glided through space, about the humming of the engines, about the spiraling patterns the stars formed. He leaned against the large observation window, fingers tapping his thigh in a nervous pattern. The journey back to Valhalla was a long one, and the cramped nature of The Hand of Merope had started to get to him on day three of their trip.

He saw Carolina out of the corner of his eye and tensed for a moment before forcing himself to relax. It was fine, he reminded himself. Things were okay. Sort of.

Carolina stood next to him, saying nothing for a long moment before admitting defeat and speaking first. “We should… talk, shouldn’t we?”

York stared out at the stars for a moment. “Probably,” he admitted. He stopped leaning against the window and turned to face her.

“Who starts?” He asked her, trying to keep his tone light but failing. They’d kissed twice since finding each other again, but York didn’t pretend that it had fixed things.

He wished he could smoke on the ship. Maybe that would make his hands feel less like shaking.

York sat down on one of the couches nearby. Hesitantly, she sat across from him. They were both in their full armor, and York had to stop himself from reaching out to try to remove her helmet, from trying to just see her expressions, so he could get a better idea of what he was dealing with.  

They remained in silence for long enough for Delta to start buzzing nervously.

York forced himself to speak first. “I’m sorry about the Director,” he said quietly.

Carolina looked away. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about,” she said tensely.

“Then talk,” he said. “I… Carolina... I don’t even know where to begin.”

“You picked her,” Carolina said harshly. “You sided with her.”

Of all the openings she had to pick, that was the one she went with? York closed his eyes, even though she couldn’t see what he was doing. “Yes.”

“Why?”

York shrugged. “She came to me. She had proof; proof of what the Director was doing. I couldn’t just… let it happen.”

She seemed prepared to say something so he plowed on. “You were still out, Carolina. And they were already talking about pulling Delta. Tex made her case. She made it, and I chose. Going to you wasn’t an option. We needed to leave if we were going to get anything done. If we were going to help anyone.”

“So that was why?” Carolina demanded. “You needed to ‘do the right thing?’”

York felt something rise in his chest but he shoved it aside. “I joined Freelancer to be a good guy,” he snapped. “We were supposed to help people. End the war! Experimental research, cutting edge technology, the best of the best, all in one place. That was the pitch, wasn’t it? But none of it was true. I couldn’t pretend anymore once Tex showed me Connie’s files. I couldn’t stay, not after that.”

Not even for you, he wanted to say. He didn’t. She had to know it was there. It had to be enough.

He pushed himself to his feet. “I need some air,” he said abruptly.

“York.” Her voice was warning.

“Hold it against me or don’t, Carolina,” he said quietly. “But it seemed like you made up your mind when you stayed away for years.”

Carolina looked away.

<York,> Delta said, disapproving as York strode towards the nearest hallway.

“I know Dee,” York sighed.

York shook his head. He needed nicotine; and Delta was being smug about the addiction too, because of course he was. How had this become his life?

“Found you,” Tex said, and York tried to pretend he hadn’t just jumped. Even without using her camouflage unit, Tex was still sneaky when she wanted to be.

“Hey Tex,” York said, grinning.

She knocked her shoulder against his. “Running again?”

“No!” He paused as she tilted her head, always able to tell when he was lying. The downside to being an awful liar, he supposed. “Okay, maybe a little.”

She huffed. “Do you two have to make everything complicated?” She asked, seeming curious.

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” York said, laughing slightly.

She shook her head. “Well, you’ll have lots of time to figure things out back at Valhalla, Private Harris.”

York couldn’t help but snicker at that. “Got to love Delta’s ability to fake paperwork, right?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a reference I should hit you for,” she told him. The two of them kept walking, side by side, and York felt himself relax in her presence. Tex would hate for him to ever tell her that, but she was a comforting person to be around, in her own way.

“Probably. Remind me to get Lopez to cue up some of those old earth shows when we get back. I bet you’ll like it.”

“We’ll see,” Tex said. There was a pause, before she added a quiet, “Sorry I broke your helmet.”

“Eh,” York tapped his fist against the cracked surface of his visor. “I’ll get a new one soon, probably.” He nudged her. “It’s fine. Much better than the last time you cracked my visor, right?”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Look I’m just saying, you could have taken my other eye, and you didn’t, so I’m grateful.”

Tex looked like she was considering saying something else, so York drew to a halt. “Look. Tex. It’s fine. No harm done.”

There was a long pause, but then Tex shook her head at him. “Grif’s right, isn’t he?”

“About what? I understand Grif to be right about most things.”

“You really are a masochist.”

York laughed. “Tex, we’ve been friends for how long?”

Tex paused, taking his question seriously. “Not sure.”

York wasn’t sure either; he’d be hard pressed to find a hard starting point; a single moment when he’d looked at Tex and thought of her as a friend. They hadn’t started there, sure. But they’d made it. And now, York honestly wasn’t sure if he could imagine his life without his prickly, awkward, brilliant best friend.

“Years!” York said. “Years, and you’ve only just figured that part out?”

Tex shoved him lightly. “You’re a pain in my ass, York.”

“And you wouldn’t have it any other way,” York said, nudging her back, harder this time.

Tex sighed. “I need to find Church. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” York said absently, before starting to continue his exploration of the ship.

He hadn’t been on his own for more than five minutes when he felt the ship shudder and the lights began to flash.

“Okay,” he told Delta. “This time, I swear it’s not our fault.”

<I believe that can be assumed, York.>

Tucker loved that he was getting used to this; waking up between the two of them. He could feel Wash’s heartbeat under his fingertips, and Kai’s hands were wrapped tightly around his waist, keeping him pressed up against the soft curves of her body.

No matter how many times it happened, it was still incredible. The bunk the three of them were sharing was small so that Kai was pressed against the wall and Wash was sometimes on the verge of nearly falling off the bed, but they made it work. And they’d be back to Valhalla soon enough; and Tucker’s head was filled with plans for how to renovate the room they all shared, so they’d have enough room. Not too much room though; Wash slept best when they were all close. No need to mess with a formula that worked.

“Morning,” Wash muttered sleepily.

“Mmm,” was Kai’s contribution. Both of them laughed slightly at that. Wash rolled onto his other side so he could press his forehead against Tucker’s.

“Almost home,” Wash said softly, pressing his lips all-to-briefly against Tucker’s.

“We’re war heroes now,” Tucker grinned, propping himself up as best he could manage without knocking Kai off. “That mean we don’t have to do leg day?”

Wash laughed, and Tucker grinned, savoring the sound, still all-too-rare. “Nope.”

Tucker pouted, but Wash paid no attention to that, instead just brushing Tucker’s hair out of his face, smiling dopily. If Tucker occasionally struggled to believe his luck, Wash almost never believed it. Weeks later and he was still like this, savoring every single touch, every moment, as if he believed it would be snatched away in an instant.

Kai sighed, finally sitting up to wipe at her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Late,” Wash smiled.

“Your-late or my-late?” Kai groused, but she leaned up to peck at Tucker’s cheek. Tucker turned and kissed her properly, tugging her into his lap so that she’d be able to kiss Wash as well once they were done. Sure enough, the second Kai pulled away she reeled Wash in by the straps of the tank top he’d worn to bed, and Tucker laughed as Wash somehow managed to be surprised.

“Come on,” Tucker said, once the two of them were done, because Kai was starting to get that look in her eye that meant “morning sex”, which, although Tucker would normally be all for, he was starving and needed food first. “Let’s go get food.”

“Mmm,” Kai was still eying Wash like she was planning on eating him, so Tucker had to change tactics.

“And coffee?” He added innocently, and there, he had both of their attentions. Their joint addiction to coffee was freaking hilarious.

“Fine,” Kai grumbled, moving off his lap to search for her bra. “But you’re boring.”

“We could always bring the food back—”

“You are not putting maple syrup on my abs,” Wash said blandly, having heard this pitch at least three times by now. “Put on your armor,” he told them. “You know regulations.”

Kai and Tucker both sighed, but grabbed their armor—apparently ships had strict rules about that, due to risks of decompression. They were just starting to head towards the mess hall when the lights started to flash and sirens started to shriek, worse than Donut when Sarge declared a Red Panic.

“I know my ping pong ball trick can move the earth,” Kai yelled, “but this is a seriously delayed reaction!”

“Wait. What?” Wash yelled.

“Well that went fucking horribly,” Epsilon said, hovering over her shoulder.

“Could have been worse,” Carolina said, staring after York. He was different now, so, so different, and she didn’t know how to handle that. She suspected he was the same about her. There was a… heaviness to him she’d never seen before.

There had been a time when being by his side had felt natural, felt normal. They’d fought back-to-back, bantering back and forth, a rare bright spot in the midst of everything else in the world.

But that was gone now. They’d both done their parts to scuttle it, ripping themselves apart just as surely as the Director had. Him by leaving, her by staying away. Carolina was never felt more keenly aware of how long it had actually been since Freelancer had fallen apart than when she looked at York and saw how much he’d changed.

Epsilon nudged her thoughts, trying to pull her out of her gloom, but she ignored him, getting to her feet and moving further down the hallway. It was odd, having another AI in her mind after Eta and Iota. Epsilon was different than them; his presence was steadier, fuller than the other two, who had been buzzing, infrequent, whispering in tandem or in contradictions, sometimes overwhelming her, other times helping her to hit new heights she’d never have been able to hit. It was odd; Epsilon was the last of the fragments, by all rights he shouldn’t be so real, so full, but he managed.

She let her eyes flicker to the side, irritated as she realized he’d succeeded in distracting her. He sent a vague wave of amusement at her, his avatar vanished from view as they moved into the general population of the ship.

<Why’s he so obsessed with being a good guy?> Epsilon demanded. He’d been waiting to ask for a while, she thought, amused. <It’s… really freaking weird.>

Carolina raised one shoulder in a shrug. “He’s always been that way.” Epsilon nudged her mind, asking for permission, and she did the mental equivalent of pushing open a door, letting him explore her memories of “before”. He sorted through them efficiently like he always did, processing things too quickly for her to even notice.

<Still weird,> Epsilon declared when he finished. <You don’t obsess with that stuff.> There was a long pause. <Do you?>

And what a reminder that was, how fresh this partnership was. There was still so much to learn about each other. Had it really only been a few weeks? Carolina drew to a halt, staring out the window as she tried to formulate her thoughts. She frowned, noticing they were drawing close to a planet, but it didn’t look like their destination. “After what I did? What we did?” Carolina shook her head. “Epsilon, I’m not sure if we can ever get all the way back to good. But, I think that we have a chance to do better. And if we wake up everyday and try to make things better, eventually, we might find that better is good enough.”

Epsilon appeared by her side, hovering just over her shoulder, and something stirred inside Carolina that told her that it was right.

“Good enough, huh?” Epsilon mused. “Guess that sounds alright.”

Carolina smiled.

“That was a good little speech there,” he said. “What, did you rehearse it?”

Carolina waved a hand through his projection, a small laugh building in her throat. He snickered, jumping to her other shoulder.

“Look, I’m just saying, I’m pretty sure these things run in the family,” he said, and Carolina felt as if a bolt of electricity had jolted right through her, because…

Carolina threw her hand out wide as the ship suddenly gave a lurch, nearly throwing her off balance. “Epsilon! What’s happening?”

“I—Cee!” Epsilon reappeared in front of her face. “We’ve got to find the guys! The ships crashing!”

Carolina took off at a run, Epsilon throwing the speed boost into full gear, leaving the question of family behind for another day.

The sight of ships crashing was unfortunately common on Chorus, these days. Whatever weapon it was that the Federal Army was using to bring them down was effective. It was incredibly unusual that Kimball would even notice it, but she was outside that day, working with a group of more promising cadets when she saw it.

It wasn’t like most crashes; they happened far away from the Rebel base, far enough away that Kimball wouldn’t know they happened until Felix came back with a few containers of supplies and another grim report of no survivors.

But this time there was a nova in the sky; and Kimball saw everyone’s attention go up as pieces began to fall. Ragged parts of a ship; a big one too.

“Shit,” she breathed.

“That’s new!” Felix said, also staring. “Think the Feds have a new toy?”

Kimball shivered at the idea of them having something that could do that. “God, I hope not,” she said softly. A large piece, still smoking landed nearby. Kimball moved forward to examine it, wondering if she’d be able to tell what had caused the explosion. She kneeled down to examine it, finding nothing particularly distinct, but then again, she didn’t know much about ships. “Do you have time to take a squad and find the crash site?” She asked, glancing up at Felix, who was still standing, helmet turned towards the sky.

“No problem Kimball,” he said lightly. “I’m sure I’ll be back soon. I’ll let you know if I find anything useful!”

Kimball nodded, and ordered her people to gather the fallen pieces. No need to waste perfectly good scrap metal.

She looked at the sky again, and pushed away any thoughts of survivors. There wouldn’t be any. Not from a crash like that.