#i still havent given up on my dream its just been on pause | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

literaila · 3 years ago

Text

always, kitchen floor

loki x gn! reader

summary/request: reader is tony’s sibing, they’ve had a fight with him. loki just happens to be there... and again, a while later.

content warning: alcohol, fighting, sibling things, murder.

so you weren’t expecting the crash.

so you weren’t exactly the picture of grace on the floor.

so you weren’t supposed to be in here.

it’s not like he knew that. but what he did know was that as soon as he bashed into the room, you were falling towards the floor.

the small chuckle you could hear from behind the cabinet did not soothe any anger you were feeling. it was just digging itself a deeper hole in your chest, just making itself a home while whoever had scared you laughed along. it might’ve made you angrier.

“it’s alright,” an unrecognizable voice said, low and sour. someone was moving around. you didn’t even attempt to get up off the floor. you didn't care.

“i’ve been told i have that effect,”

an audible sigh from you made the movement stop.

you closed your eyes, rapped your head against the floor softly. this was only one of the many things you couldn't deal with right now. a human interaction, a conversation. an effort. maybe you’d drunk a bit too much, maybe this was a dream.

you really didn’t want to get up. you were hoping for a hallucination. anything non-real.

“do i know you?” you croak out instead of crying. at least, if you’re going to die, you’ll get to know who killed you. at least, if you have to do this now, you can call the bastard by their name.

“probably,” the voice sings out. perfect.

probably.

you stop your head, squeeze your eyes until they sting. you’re not sure why you’re not supposed to be in here again, but maybe it has something to do with this.

meeting perfect strangers you probably know.

“do you have a name?” you croak— again —your patience gone from every trace of your body. your effort extinguished from the fire that is building in your chest. the fire that's been there a while.

“the god of mischief.”

you sit up. only a little. just enough to lean your head towards the voice.

it’s not like you were expecting that response.

“excuse me?” you say in your half-deflated, half surprised voice. your neck is straining from the glance you’re trying to get at the voice, but you keep attempting to lift your head

the footsteps start again, and it’s only a moment before the person comes into view.

before you see them, you hear the bells ringing in your head. this isn’t your house, this isn’t their house. you don’t know this person, and you’re acting completely sane.

it’s honestly not that bad of a situation.

it only takes one more pinch of your ligaments for your eyes to meet their face.

for your brain to touch them with all the memories you have.

probably.

yeah, well, probably was right.

maybe you’re starstruck for a moment, maybe your eyes widen, and maybe you’re staring at this giant person in front of you for way too long.

it doesn’t matter, because in what seems like a second to you, you lay back down. close your eyes.

“i’ve seen you on the news,” you say, a nonchalant mention, a passing sentence.

you were wrong, then. an alien interaction.

the god of mischief— actually, if the news anchor from earlier had anything to say about it —is standing right next to you. right next to your practically dead body, and you don’t move an inch.

you’re sure you can feel his eyes on you, but you don’t check. who cares, anyway? hes going to kill you soon.

“have you?” he asks, an annoying disruption to your wallowing.

you grunt, don’t say anything else.

it’d be nice not to die in your own home. at least then no one will have to clean up any blood. they can sell the apartment again. it’d be nice to watch your brother's face as a ghost when he realizes. it’d be nice to get your revenge in the form of a bloodstain on the hardwood. it's a terrible thought that almost fills you with glee.

loki, who moves past you, opening cabinets and carrying around a ridiculous scepter (?) does not turn to look at you when he asks

“you’re not supposed to be here, are you?”

your snort is nothing more than a yes. is it really that obvious? i mean, yes, you look pretty bad, but that shouldn’t indicate to him that you’re in the wrong place.

he shouldn’t know that already.

“what makes you say that?”

loki puts down the bottle he’d been messing with, some expensive thing your brother would kill him for touching. not that you’re going to tell him that, you don't really mind. he turns and bangs his scepter against the ground, not completely on accident. “this countertop is engraved ‘tony stark’”

you roll your eyes, but he doesn’t notice.

“and, from what i’ve seen on the news” he teases the unfamiliar word around his lips “you aren’t him”

“ha,” you say, voice void of any emotion. it must really be that obvious, even to a god who has only been on earth for a few days and has never met you before. even to you, who’s been trying to catch up to tony for so long. “you’ve got me,”

you grab the bottle you have next to you, the bottle you’ve been cradling all night in your hands like its some childhood blanket you dont want to let go of, and take a sip. its hard on the floor, and that fact is maybe the only thing that could actually convince you to sit up at this moment.

so you do, and you look loki straight in the eyes while taking another sip.

theres still half a bottle left, you dont really need to slow down.

loki looks amused, looks so much less threatening than you would’ve thought after watching him get a group of well over a hundred people to kneel before him. so much less threatening without his words to back him up. or maybe, thats what makes him a villain.

he looks kind of cute.

“can i help you?” you say then, looking him in the eyes, bottle in hand. its your best impression of a salesperson, but he doesn't know that. hes just a god, after all, hes just a murder, definitely.

“actually yes,” he moves towards you, scepter banging, his voice a slow river. “i was looking for someone-”

“if its tony, you’re fresh out of luck, mr. mischief,” you sigh and stand up, pretending not to notice the substantial difference in heights between the two of you. “it would seem i’ve run him off,” you pause, take a sip, hold your finger up in a gesture for him to wait. “must’ve been my ceaseless charm.”

loki doesnt say anything, just watches you with irritating eyes and waits for you to take another drink. you do, but not because of him. you’re thirsty, obviously.

you hate that hes already predicting your movements, you hate that he looks so calm. you hate that if you werent still in your right mind you would probably tackle him without a moments notice.

still, you watch him anyway. this isnt scary. nothing is scary right now, not even the prospect of death and the murderer in the room. not when you’ve just been left alone in this stupid building while tony runs off to do something else.

not when your voice still hurts from screaming at him.

“when will he be back?” loki asks, interrupting your thoughts and looking you up and down. any other day, you might’ve taken it as a compliment, might’ve smiled at him.

“never, if i had anything to say about it.”

loki doesnt hesitate. “you seem awfully angry for such an angelic-looking person,”

you snort, turn around to go searching through the cupboards again. “and you seem awfully murdery for a god,”

“you’d be surprised,” he moves forward, leans his scepter against a chair, and continues to watch you. something about this, something about him is easing that feeling in your chest. the annoyance is almost gone, you know, if it werent for the fact that hes still certainly going to kill you.

you know that he’d brainwashed other people, maybe thats what was happening now.

you grunt instead of answer and grab a glass. its strange, this need you feel to keep him from murdering you. loki watches with curious eyes as you poor some of your bottle in the glass, then offer it to him.

in fact, his eyes almost bludge out of his head as soon as you lift it towards him.

“you’re giving this to me?”

you smirk instead of scoffing, as a peace offering. “is it really that obvious?”

he doesnt acknowledge the snide but takes the glass with careful hands. maybe he thinks humans have murderous cups. maybe hes just very untrusting. it doesnt matter, it makes you smile anyway.

you grab the bottle, now more than half gone, and take a sip as loki thinks deeply about this drink you’ve given him. at least he isnt asking you why you’re angry anymore.

“is it good?” he asks while staring at the contents of the glass.

“you could just try it, you know.”

he quirks a brow. sets the glass down on the counter. takes a step back. “how do i know you havent poisoned it?”

you set your bottle down, lean your hands on the counter, and lean closer to him in a challenge. “you, quite literally, just watched me pour it.”

loki considers this, tilts his head, and then steps forward and takes the glass. you laugh when he sniffs at it, but watch with hopeful eyes as he finally takes a sip.

then promptly gags.

“humans are disgusting creatures,” he says while gagging, moving far away from the glass.

“and thats why you’ve come to conquer us, right?” you’re still smirking, still sipping, and still wondering what the hell this god is doing here.

“think of it as a favor,” hes wincing, opening his mouth in what looks like an effort to get the taste out of his mouth. but still, he doesnt threaten you, doesnt curse you out, doesnt accuse you of poisoning him again. but then, he looks up. “in return, you might tell me where stark is?”

there. thats it. no threatening, no murdering, no accusation. but still, he just wants something. your brother, of course.

whats different from usual?

“i dont know,” you answer, smile gone, moving away. you make sure to take the bottle with you, wherever you turn to go. wherever you want to run away to.

you dont know, you’re not sure. this place is so big, and all of it is a prison you’ll never actually leave. the curse of blood relations.

loki though, stops you before you can even attempt to leave, before you can make your escape before you start sobbing to this god who isnt even here for you.

really, you should be thankful, really, you shouldnt care this much. really, you should’ve left ten minutes ago. you’re not even supposed to be here.

the thought fills you with dread. effort, effort and pain.

“you dont know?” he asks, doubtful. as if he knows you, as if he can already tell you’re lying. you scoff, then scoff again. damn the god of mischief, and damn your brother. arrogance does not look good on anyone.

you try to push past him, shaking your head with hurt eyes that arent really for him. you try to move forward, but hes so much bigger than you, and hes got the upper hand. he knows you wont try to murder him, no matter what he wants to do to everyone on earth.

“you are related to him, are you not?” another question, another shot of fuel to the fire that you thought had burned out. to the flame inside of you that doesnt seem to leave.

“i dont like that you know that,” you say it softly, much softer than you mean to, and without noticing take a step back. put up the walls, so to say. get away from this alien that knows more about you than you do him. guard yourself before you actually get hurt.

dont give him yet another reason to yell at you.

“its not hard to guess. you have...erm” he pauses, looking small, looking more nervous, looking anything but godly. “the same mannerisms. and you talk a bit like each other.”

you frown. dammit.

“also, the way you talk of him reminds me of my brother.”

you look up then, look up and see this god, this alien, this murderer that you dont even know. is he drunk now? you wouldnt have thought him to be such a light-weight.

“okay...” maybe you’re weirded out, or maybe you’re tired, but you try to move away from him anyway. this is effort, and you dont need it.

“you really dont know?” loki says, before moving out of your way. he sighs, looks defeated now. you’re not lying, but something in you kind of wants you to be. just so he’ll leave you alone, of course. just for some peace.

just so he stops frowning at the floor. god, you dont even know him.

and you, you just dont understand. hes the villain, hes evil, so why is he looking so innocent? why arent you scared of him? why havent you run in terror yet?

maybe you’re about to ask something, but loki moves first. he steps back, or forward, and grabs the glass you gave him, again. takes another sip. he doesnt gag this time, doesnt change his expression at all.

“i thought you hated it?” you ask, shocked by this small thing, hurt still, by his words. maybe by his defeated look.

loki sighs, smirks, does something with his face you cant comprehend. “its better with disappointment.”

now its your turn to sigh. you cant leave this alien alone in tony’s kitchen. that’d be rude, plus, curiosity is human.

its not his fault, really, that he needs to murder your brother.

you go back, back to the counter, back to the floor, back to loki with his sad eyes and your bottle. you just go back, sitting down on the floor, where you were when he came in, and waiting for him to join you.

it doesn’t take long, you can feel his cool from the five feet of distance between the two of you.

its a moment before you ask. “do you really need my brother? i can probably call him.” an olive branch, so to say.

loki laughs, chortles, something. maybe you’re feeling the effects of the alcohol now. he doesnt speak for a moment, just looks around, observing the room once again. you look with him, wait for his answer, hope its “no”.

“no, not really.” he pauses, sighs. “well, yes. but, you seem very opposed to seeing him, so i’m guessing talking isnt on the table?”

“you’d be right,” you take another sip, give him a smile you dont really mean.

you’re not even sure why you’re here now. this is surreal. this is stupid of you. its in the name.

“is he really as bad as he seems?” loki asks, tracing something on the floor. maybe gods are similar to humans, because you think you’ve seen this somewhere else.

you laugh, though, anyway, and forget everything. “not really. hes sort of a good person, he just.. doesnt come off well.” to say the least.

never has. never liked you much in the first place, but you have memories of him gifting you toys when you were kids. you have laughs, smiles. you had a family, once upon a time.

you dont tell loki that though, you have enough sense not to.

“i wonder if my brother would say the same thing about me?”

and something about the way he says it, something about his face, about his words on the news, all of it. all of it reminds you of where you are, reminds you of who you are, and who you’re trying so hard not to be.

emotionally compromised, you’re sure. this is a stupid thing to be doing.

“well, you were going to murder me.” its a joke, but its better than what you wanted to say. its better than the truth you want to tell to this stranger you’ve just met. this god who feels peaceful somehow, behind all the terror.

loki scoffs, so you know its okay, so you know you havent said the wrong thing yet. you know you havent gone insane, not yet, not now.

“i would never murder someone so beautiful,”

and maybe its the alcohol, maybe its your fight with your brother, maybe its loki’s kind words, maybe its everything. maybe you really are insane. maybe you’re angry enough for this to seem okay. maybe you’re stronger than you think, than tony thinks, to be here. maybe it’ll turn out okay.

it doesnt matter, because the next thing you say, changes lots of things.

“i guess you’re not so bad.”

“i’m old enough-”

“you’re a child.”

“tony, you dont get to decide whats best for me! in case you forgot, you’re only my brother. not my dad, he already died-”

“in case you forgot, i’m in charge. you’re the most irresponsible, reckless person, and you’re not leaving here until i say so.”

“you dont just get to decide-”

“you will stay here. try not to mess anything else up.”

2 years later.

the hallway is cold while you speed through it.

you’re not actually moving that fast, but everyone else insists on keeping the air conditioning on at all times, so even the slightest of movements invites the goosebumps to attack your arms.

maybe you’ll complain some more about it today. its a trivial thing you care about. it matters.

what else matters? well, theres a meeting-- one you’re late to, who cares? theres a meeting and you were supposed to be there over a half an hour ago.

but, to be fair, you were sleeping, everyone knows you were sleeping-- what else do you do during the days when they dont invite you anywhere? so why, honestly, would they schedule a meeting for now? why would they expect you to be awake?

why are you so goddamn late.

these are the irritating thoughts that get you moving faster to the conference room. these are the things you can think about while you prepare your excuse out loud, and hope that no one is listening.

and these are the thoughts that you’re thinking as you crash through the door.

literally.

“oops,” you mutter before looking up. this is normal for you, but, you could’ve picked a better time to fall on the floor, or any other time rather. you’re already in enough trouble as is, you dont need the shame on top of that.

it takes a moment, but your eyes glance forward, cautious. they scan the windows, the chairs you can barely see, and hesitantly, they look at the people sitting in them.

tony, of course, is the first one you see. head of the table as usual. arrogant and staring at you like only a brother can.

and then, with one more tilt of your head, you see someone else. you see him, sitting next to thor, next to all of these people who are staring at you-- most of them with amusement, all of them with amusement. you see him.

hes here.

but, you... you thought? you cant even get up-- now. because now you’re on the floor, and now those memories are flooding back and now, oh god, your brother is coming over to you and you’re still on the floor.

this is ridiculous, this is impossible, and this is so so embarrassing.

“loki,” tony starts as he reaches a hand out to you, throwing you a glance that is completely rude and not necessary. “this is y/n, our clumsiest avenger.” you’re sure you can hear him mutter something after that, and judging by the snickers across the room, you’re guessing it wasnt good. none of this is good.

as soon as you’re standing next to him, you elbow him. small enough no one could see. he deserves it, and honestly, you need it. at least, you can get this shock, these pricks of pain on your heart, out somehow.

“sorry,” you say, maybe to everyone, maybe to yourself. but you’re still looking at him, and hes still looking at you. you cant stop staring, cant stop, wont stop.

you wonder if hes thinking the same thing you are. if he remembers like you do.

loki stands then, presence of a god, smile of a bastard, lips that you’re sure you recognize. is this the same person? the same god of mischief? is this him? really?

“hi, loki, lovely to meet you.”

and, hes definitely got to be kidding you. hes definetly got to be joking, right now.

you dont reach out to grab his hand, you dont move away from tony, and you dont even try to hide the glare from your eyes. you dont even attempt to make an effort.

really? i mean, really? hes going to just..

okay, fine. fine. breathe, smile, breathe, yell.

theres nothing you want more than to scream at him, in so many ways, for so many reasons.

“yes, sorry, i dont shake hands. just bodies.”

theres a chorus of clearing throats across the room. you pretend not to notice. instead, you smile at loki, pretend to also not to notice the threatening eyes tony is trying to throw you. pretend, again and again, that you dont know who this is.

loki’s hand slowly falls, and he glances toward his brother worriedly, but even that couldnt annoy you more than his face does at this moment.

“i’ll let you decide how, my prince.” you snide, smile, hate.

and then, you walk to your sit and promtly sit down. you dont bother to look up from where your glance has landed on the floor.

and you remain like that for the rest of the meeting. its fine, you’ve already missed half of it anyway.

who cares?

“no, but really, where’d you get that?”

“its asgardian,” loki leans forward, teasing you with his raised eyebrows.

“i want it. how much?” you lean forward as well, completely serious. alcohol be damned, his scepter will be yours. you’re not one to kid.

“you cant bargain with me, tiny human. you have nothing i want.”

“im sure i could think of a few things... you dont even know how to be a proper villain!” you exclaim with a smirk of your own “you’re gonna want money when you’re thrown in jail.”

“ill just take it off of you when i’ve decided im bored and offed you. plus, i’m a prince. and a god. i dont need money for anything.”

“ha! like i could ever bore you. you seem awfully interested in me, prince loki.”

you’re both closer, faces inches apart. really, its just the alcohol talking, but still.

you’re smiling pretty big.

you’re not sure how you got here again. how you ended up on this floor, in this kitchen, with this bottle, with these thoughts. not sure, but still. you cant really bring yourself to care too much.

at least your throat doesnt hurt this time. at least you’re older, smarter, and most definitely not drunk. at least its not exactly the same.

it takes more than that, now. it takes more than anything to make you angry, now. it takes a lot more to push you over the edge. you’ve grown, at least, in that aspect.

but, you’ve been thinking of this for two years, you’ve been watching and waiting with hopeful eyes and this... this just isnt it. this isnt the dream, this isnt anything like what you’ve wanted.

you’re still brainwashed and you’re still angry. you’ve been on the edge of the cliff for years now.

it doesnt take much to fall off.

you dont even know why, why you’re here, why this is happening, and its making it worse.

you havent even seen him in two years, so why do you care so much if he wants to pretend that you’ve never met? you havent so much as spoken of him in two years, so why does it matter now that hes here? why is it so significant that he doesnt seem to care?

you’re a fool. immature, idiotic. you’ve known this, you know this. you could’ve mentioned it every time you sat with hopeful eyes when an alien showed up, when a certain god of a certain storm appeared and you thought that maybe this time, he might’ve taken someone with him.

you could’ve told yourself this every time you thought of him, every day you’ve thought of that night. you’re ridiculous, hopeless, and drunk.

you’re drunk now, and you were drunk then. so why does it matter this much?

you’re drunk.

and really, this time you really arent expecting it when he walks in.

its different from last time, different because you were already on the floor. different because now you’re mad at him, and because now for some reason you cant even explain, you know that its him. you can feel him from across the room.

and this time, you’ve drunk a lot more. you’ve downed more than half a bottle, and you’re angrier. you’re happier, but so mad.

still, his quiet “hello” into the kitchen leaves your flame sparking. the lights are on, so he knows someone is in here. he knows you’re in here.

you’re not going to answer though, why would you?

he doesnt repeat it, but his footsteps are clear, not accompanied with the banging of a gold scepter this time, no horns in sight. this is different, but you know exactly whats happening. you know exactly how he looks, now.

these two years have felt like nothing, these two years of making up with your brother, of dreams of a certain god’s lips, of hoping that one day he might appear again, all of it means nothing now. there are too many memories, and you have known you’re insane for years.

the footsteps stop again, and you know this time, hes waititng for you to answer.

you’re drunk. that explains this feeling. you’re drunk now, you were drunk then. loki should leave because you really dont have the energy for fake pleasantries.

“can i help you?” you ask, and try and breathe while you wait. you’re different now.

“actually yes,” he says and its quiet.

it leaves your stomach aching.

“i’m looking for someone,”

“no! never, i will never ever-”

“technically, you just did,”

“i hate you.”

loki laughs, throws his head back in a motion that is unnecessarily attractive to you. “you dont even know me, darling.”

“i can hear your thoughts, actually.”

you’ve been leaning on him for maybe the past five minutes. you’ve been sharing this second bottle for the last half an hour. somehow, it tastes better when he’s put his lips on it.

“is this a human trait i’m unaware of?” he sounds so serious you giggle.

“no, just me. you picked the wrong person to drink with,”

“and what am i thinking about now, then, since you can hear it?”

you turn to him, you turn and theres something different in your eyes.

“exactly what i’m thinking,” you whisper, staring down, staring at him in the same way hes staring at you.

what are you thinking of? well, thats simple.

“fresh out of luck, prince. theres no one here.”

your voice is quiet, your head is pounding, but you cant have a hangover already. you cant be sick now, in this moment.

its not pounding because of that, and you cant even pretend.

its dark outstide, which you know, considering that its the middle of the night and you shouldnt even be awake. you shouldnt even be in here, considering tony banned you from stealing from his cabinets. considering, you’ve been here before. considering, all of it.

arent you only supposed to make the same mistake once?

“really?” he asks in an amused voice you recognize. hes closer now, you can feel it. you can hear it, the goosebumps are all over you. the buzzing started minutes ago.

you lay down, on the floor, breathing in and out, feeling your stomach clench with every step he takes. this is ridiculous, you should be asleep, he should be on a different planet.

“its late. go to bed, loki.” your voice is still quiet, but theres a warning in it.

“i have a vague inkling that you arent strict with bedtime,”

his voice is stupid, you’re stupid. why are you just sitting on the floor?

“no, but i am strict about lying. in that, i hate it. go away.”

maybe he wasnt expecting the sharpness in your voice, or for you to be laying on the floor. but his eyes when he stands over you, his eyes are almost how you remember them.

“did you brainwash me?”

you’re breathless. you cant breathe. and you cant be drunk now, because you never want to forget this, you never want him to move away.

he tastes alien, he tastes different than anything you’ve ever tasted before, and you just cant stop.

you lean in again, let your mouth be filled with the sweet cold of his. hes cooling you down in only the best kind of way.

“not yet,” he says, he says and lets his hands roam across your hips, across your skin in a completely tantalizing way. you cant be drunk now, because you’d never feel like this if you were.

you’re both breathless. you both cant breathe.

“are you going to?”

another kiss, another moment, another taste. you want to smile, but that would require you to move away from him, and you just cant do that.

“i dont need to,” he says, he promises. he smiles, and its evil. evil in how much it stops your heart. this cant be happening. “you’ve been dreaming of this.”

you’re sure, he knows something you dont. hes done something to you, but you cant complain.

you really can’t stop.

“are you upset?” he asks. its nothing he would’ve said before, its not a question that would’ve crossed his mind two years ago. this isnt him.

you dont know how you know that, but you do. you know. you’ve met him before, and you’ve known him since then. in case he forgot.

you laugh at the thought, laugh and laugh. you’re drunk. “is that sympathy i detect in the god of mischief’s voice?” you ask, and laugh.

maybe he’ll leave just because you’re laughing so much. wouldnt that be nice? wouldnt that break your heart again, off you for good, finally?

“well, you’re definitely intoxicated.” its sarcastic, its serious, and it makes your blood boil. who is he to judge you? who is he to say anything to you? to be here now, and expect you to answer questions?

you sit up, stare at him for too long, and then your face is a scowl hotter than the sun. you hope hes terrified, but you feel so small. you hope hes terrified, but you know hes not. how could he be, when you’re sure you look like a mess, worse than last time?

“you would know a lot about that, wouldnt you loki? considering you were so drunk that you’ve forgotten all about me?” its rhetorical, its cruel, and it makes his eyes falter the tiniest bit.

this. this is what you dont need. this is an emotion you never want to feel again, because you’re tired of the anger. you’ve been living it all your life, and you’e tired of it. but maybe thats what drew loki to you, maybe thats what he likes best. maybe thats why hes still standing in front of you.

maybe thats what makes him a bad guy.

he doesnt answer, and so you continue. you continue and you should just stop speaking. “excuse me, your highness, but i really just want to be alone right now. so, if you wouldnt mind, i’ve already claimed the kitchen floor.” you laugh, gesture somewhere you dont know. “tony has plenty of other spaces for you to infiltrate.”

you think maybe its enough. you think hes going to leave, you think you’ll get to be alone for the rest of the night, maybe drink enough to forget that you ever met him, but then hes still standing there. he doesnt move an inch.

you dont know what hes still doing here. you can see the light reflecting on his face, you can see his blank eyes, you cant see anything in him that you want anymore. of course, except everything.

“loki,” you groan and stand up. you set the bottle on the counter next to you, and cross your arms. waiting. for anything, for everything.

“i didnt forget you, and i wasn’t drunk.”

oh, really? you scoff, scoff and take another sip before answering.

“well, thats lovely for you, but-”

“i was trying to be considerate, in case you didnt want your brother to know we’d already met.”

some part of you, one you left behind two years ago when you woke up all alone, some part of you thinks thats sweet. some part of you wants to smile just because he said it. some part of you.

the other part, just wants to scream.

“well, thanks loki, but ‘considerate’ would’ve been, maybe, not leaving me to wake up alone in the morning.”

really, its time for bed now, so, promptly, you try to past him, you try and try and.

you’re back in the past again. goddamn, him.

“we shouldnt be-” you gasp before you can finish. you gasp and loki laughs against your skin. “this is a kitchen-”

“there are worse places,” he promises in an awfully smooth voice, a voice you think you’ve maybe been dreaming of for years, a voice you want to drink. you’re intoxicated, and its not the alcohol.

“loki, i’m drunk, you’re drunk.”

“i am not drunk,”

“okay, mr. god, but this is still a kitchen.”

he smiles up at you, kisses your skn again.

“shh,” he says.

you gasp again.

“..i had to leave. i didnt think it would...” he stops, stares at you for a moment before looking down. hes standng in front of you, not letting you move, not letting you think. “i didnt think it would worry you. i’m terribly sorry,”

it sounds sincere, but then again, so did his promises before.

“okay, loki.” you relent, you sigh, you take a step back and smile at him. none of it is real. “cool, thats nice. i’ll be going to bed now-”

“i’ve wanted to see you for two years,”

your mouth drops open. your eyes buldge, and you almost want to smack him. this, this is really all grand.

this is so unfair. this is a cruel reminder you never wanted. this is a nightmare, come true.

“i’m drunk. i’m leaving,”

but again, he stops you, he stops you and you dont know why. why he wont just let you go, why he sought you out tonight, why this matters, why you care.

why you got so goddamn attached to him that night, why you’d felt like a new person when you woke up the next morning and he was gone.

you take a breath in. you smile again, you push down the flames burning at your throat. “we can both forget it, if you’d prefer. i promise i wont tell anyone, and we can just move on.”

the words, the words you’re trying to offer him as a method of peace, those words, they send loki away from you. they make his face shift, they make him move back.

he looks angry now. he looks how you feel.

“you want to forget it?” he asks, even though you just said it, even though you’ve already answered that question. even though, he knows what you meant.

you arent slurring your words.

“i just want to...” you cant finish that sentence though, and instead you nod. its enough, it doesnt take effort and its nothing special. it’s the truth, so, he’ll have to accept it.

you’ll go to bed now, you’ll forget that you’ve wanted to talk to him, that you still want to kiss him now. you’ll forget, and so will he.

it will be easy. nothing more than a piece of cake.

“i’m sorry,” he whispers later, later when you cant remember your name, when you’ve remembered that you still havent even told him.

“for what?”

he kisses your neck instead of answering.

‘you’re beautiful,” he says, you cant breathe, and hes still speaking. “i didn’t tell you before,” he breathes in and you can feel it in your stomach, can feel that sweet swirling deep inside. “i’m sorry”

“don’t worry about it..”

its late now, too late. you dont want to go to sleep. you never want to fall asleep again, not when you’ve just..

not with him.

the kitchen floor is awfully comfortable. your eyes are falling, faster than you want them to.

“just want to what?” hes not hearing the words, and no matter what you might’ve said, you cant read his mind.

“loki,” its another warning, because hes moving closer, because you can feel him again, because you still remember how he tastes. because that buzzing, the buzzing you’ve felt for so long, its digging itself deeper into your skin.

“i dont want to forget,” he saiys, and no matter how much you want to believe it, it just sounds like another empty promise. sounds like something you’ve already heard.

its not enough, but its just want you want. what you want is just there..

“i was drunk that night, i was sick. i was...”

angry is the word you’re thinking of, but his lips are the ones you can feel. but his smile is the one you want, but his eyes, but his face, but his skin.

his lips, his face, his skin, his touch. its been in your mind since then. its been glued to your thoughts. its stuck, and you want to peel it off.

you arent supposed to be here, you arent supposed to be in this room, you arent supposed to be drinking this liquor, and you arent supposed to kiss him.

you’ve gone insane for sure now. you aren’t supposed to do this.

and so, you do.

you’re on the floor when you wake up. your head is pounding, your eyes are glued shut, but somehow they’re open.

you dont remember where you are, you dont remember why you’re here.

but you do remember... loki. loki, murderer, god, thief. he was here, you’re in the kitchen.

his eyes, his lips, his peace, his lips, his skin, oh god.

he was here.

you look, you look around, you feel the pain in your body, you feel the anger piling up, you feel the ache in your neck, you feel it all and you look around.

hes gone. he is.

your head is pounding and hes gone. you cant remember why.

masterlist here.

#loki imagine #loki spoilers #loki x you #loki #loki x gender neutral reader #loki x gn!reader #loki x reader fluff #loki x reader #loki layfeyson x reader #loki layfeyson x you #loki layfeyson imagine #loki laufeyson #marvel fanfic #loki (marvel)

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squeakadeeks · 3 years ago

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I live for oversharing on the internet but deadass everytime I pause and reflect on this past year I'm just mind boggled by how absolutely horrendous it was.

gonna pop this under a read more if you want to know the goings on or if you want to have a break in the onslaught of everyone posting their W's to simply revel in the absolute cringe state of my life. going to even out the W to L ratio for a spell-

like ?? i mean to be fair, its not limited to 2021 or a "cursed year", the past few years have been extremely hard and getting harder- but right out the gate 2021 was just misery. Stuck working two awful jobs, one of which was social media based and exposed me to extreme levels of harassment for months and was given no protections by my employer (arguably even the opposite, we were forbidden from turning off comments) and then my other desk job had my boss suddenly do a personality 180 and go from absolutely lovely to excessively hostile without reason to the point where I had to quit.

so then i was just aimlessly floating for a while, before BOOM getting hit with rejection after rejection from grad schools, including both my dream schools in a manner that was exceptionally cold.

AND THEN- things at home popped the fuck off, and i dont want to get into too much detail publicly but we dealt with downright haunting situations involving comorbid substance abuse, borderline, and schizophrenia that again, without getting into details- was the most traumatic period i've had in my life (AND LADS i'm a CSA survivor; shit was fucked up. shit fucked me up.)

AND THEN- my ED spiralled out of control ?? to the point where a bitch got scurvy ?? ? ? in 2021 ??? followed by a cancer scare ??? AND THEN i had to move away from home, abandoning Wiggins, Tudball, and everyone who's ever given a rat's ass about me to cali in august during a 119 degree heatwave.

AND THEN the place i moved for had an atrociously hostile work environment, 80+ hour work weeks, insulting and belittling department heads that bullied at least one student out of the program already as working conditions caused my health to decline so bad I couldnt lift drinking cups. For the past 3-4 months we've had problem sets that would take 15+ hours to complete due every 48 hours every single week, on top of teaching our own classes and getting research started....while living alone for the first time and dealing with all the depression that comes with that. my BMP increased by 20 beats since october from stress.

AND THEN- i got hit with academic probation on my first quarter of grad school. now you might think "well gee those working conditions you listed above sound awful, i'm sure others were in the same boat" NO SIR- im pretty sure im one of only 2 students that were placed on probation...like cha boy went from being top of their class with a 3.99 GPA to being potentially the worst student in the cohort and a sub-3.0 GPA in grad school. girlboss behavior.

A N D T H E N- when i came home for the holidays i discovered that e v e r y s i n g l e c o s t u m e I have made in my career except for the two i took with me had been destroyed, thrown away, or damaged beyond repair while i was gone. like i can't even emphasize to all how fucked up this is hitting me. hypnos is destroyed. lif is SUPER destroyed. Joker, akechi, and aigis had most of their parts thrown away; just to name a few specifically. all of this was news to me and i only discovered it when checking on them to see what i could bring back with me. through the screen i am grabbing you by the shoulders to emphasize that every single godddamn cosplay i have made in my life save for robin and nekomancer have been made completely unwearable. this happened yesterday and i still havent even processed it tbh its just 👁👄👁

and on top of it all, like a goddamn insult cherry on an injury sundae, i watched many of my good friends get engaged or form loving happy relationships while cha boy will likely become a 25 yr old virgin soon bc i continue to struggle to develop relationships/no one irl is interested, my acne is popping tf off, i keep gaining weight for no reason, got a string of terrible haircuts, still cant seem to connect with anyone solidly in cali/have a painfully dilapidated and isolated social life with only a few acquaintances, GOT INTO TWO CAR ACCIDENTS IN ONE DAY, broke my hand during a midterm that i then failed, like!!! tell me that isnt girlboss behavior ✨💅

to conclude this internet overshare; thats the year ive had up until now. i keep thinking 2022 will be better but i also fully know that theres no reason for any of this stuff to abide by a calendar and that realistically when dec 31st becomes jan 1st its just hell and pain and misery and suffering forever actually

#shockingly most of the bad things that happened had fuckall to do with covid #BUT LADS IM TELLING YOU THERES STILL TIME I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF AT THE LAST MINUTE GOD THROWS THAT ONE AT ME #also wouldnt be shocked if i forgot some stuff #like hopefully yall will agree with me when i just say #goddamn

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pit-and-the-pen · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 4

Just a short chapter to kick off my ideas for this series! Hope you enjoy!

A knock on Fred’s door interrupted him from a rather pleasant dream, the smell of apples faintly being chased away as he stirred awake. “Go away” He grumbled as loudly as he could muster before pulling a spare pillow over his head and rolling over onto his stomach.

“You’re late for training.” George calls from the other side of the door. Fred just groaned loudly and swore. He’d never hear the end of this from the guys. Trudging out of bed, he threw on whatever clothes he touched first. Deciding he could put together a better outfit later. His training gear would cover it anyways.

Walking out of the door, George whistles lowley when Fred passes him. A cup of warm coffee was shoved into his hands by George. Fred’s not normally a coffee drinker, but grimaces and downs the small cup anyways. “Boy, you would think you stayed up the whole night.” George laughed at Fred’s disheveled appearance. “She even got you home at a reasonable time and everything.” He laughs a little louder at the slightly starstruck look that takes over his brother's face at the mention of last night. He claps his brother over the shoulder. “Look at you, losing sleep over a pretty face.”

Fred winds up to argue back before George holds his hands up. “Mate, it’s a good look on you. Well not right now obviously but overall.” George winks at his brother as they start to walk down the pathway outside to the training arena. “I haven’t seen you that lively since Bill was crowned.” Fred really wants to argue but he can’t, he knows he became a stiff the moment he became next in line.

He remembers how him and George used to run rampant through the castle, pulling as many pranks as they possibly could. Minerva or even their mother yelling after them. The thought brings a smile to Fred’s face. How much of a simpler time that was. Back before they were looking face down at a war. Before his father’s problems we’re thrown into his lap because, in all reality, Bill wants nothing to do with them. The same way that Charlie had wriggled out under the guise of helping peace relations in Romania. The same way that Percy left the weight on Fred’s shoulders by being a royal face on the front and getting so good at raising morale that they decided to keep him exactly where he was.

Plus, as much as everyone loved Percy, he cared too much about how he was perceived to make a great king. He would be too powerful in the wrong hands and the family had its fair share of people that would take full advantage of that fact before the crown even touched his head. He. realized he had been silent for a little too long and just sighed.

“Sorry George. I know I’m no fun anymore.” His brother nudged him in the ribs.

“Whoever said you were fun in the first place eh?” George said in such a serious tone it made Fred pause. He saw the look on his brother's face and realized the joke had gone right over his head. I really do need to lighten up. He thought to himself and chuckled at his brother.

Running a hand through his hair a small pang of sadness hits him harder than he thought it would’ve. He’s really just lost so much of himself by the prospect of being king someday. And he really knows it’s just a matter of time. The entire family is waiting with baited breath for Bill to finally run off with Fleur. They keep getting closer every day and it’s only a matter of time until the couple run off to the hills of France. Fred mentally curses at the thought. Bill isn’t doing it to be selfish, he knows that but Fred will be damned if he lets George suffer through everything he’s going through. If it becomes Fred’s turn he’s bringing them through a war and he’s never been more terrified at that idea.

Fred walks down to the arena in a bit of haze. His thoughts run all over the place. Worse case scenario, one after the other, plays in his mind. How they don’t have enough bodies to fight a war. About how everyone will hate him when he has to draft. The kingdom falling because Fred couldn’t make the important calls at the right time. It’s enough to make him wish that he had stayed in bed.

Before he realizes it, he’s stepping onto the gravel rink of the training arena. Trying to clear his head with a small shake, he realizes he can spiral later. Right now, he’s doing what he can. Everything else for now can wait. This is what he needs to do to play his part. Keep an eye out for who has leadership potential.

With the Triwizard tournament coming up, currently being worked up and finalized as he stands here, he needs to keep a clear head. Does he think that right now is not the time for all the usual pageantry? Of course, but for now, it’s not his call to make and he’s grateful for that. He just falls in line and takes his orders when they are given. George gives him a firm pat on his back as he takes his usual spot on the bleachers, pulling out a large book and a quill. Ready to take notes down to report back to Bill. As he expected, there are a few lears and teases about his tardiness, comments he brushes off with a shrug. A few comments on seeing him with someone last night and he quickly shuts down that line of thinking.

He pairs the men off into their small sparing groups. Deciding that he didn’t trust his own reflexes today, he informs them he wants to work on non-wand fighting.

“Why would we do that when we have wands?” A voice calls out from the crowd. He sighs heavily. Of course these knob heads would think that.

“What are you going to do if your wand gets lost, or heaven forbid, were to break in the middle of a fight?” He squints at the man that questioned him. “Are you going to run in the middle of a fight because of that? No. That’s why this is just as an important skill as dueling.” Fred pats the longsword currently resting on his hip. A few people from the crowd chuckle. They just assume it’s for show. He notices a few of the men looking behind him as he’s speaking. He sends a glance over his shoulder and he wants to curse from the sight in front of him. None other than Draco Malfoy. Loud and proud, standing like he owns the damn place.

He bites back the eye roll and gestures to his men. “Work amongst yourselves for a moment.” He looks at the defiant faces. “With wands if it’s that damn important to you.” He says dismissively but with a tone that says this isn’t the last of that conversation.

The relationship with the Malfoy family and the Royal family is rocky to say the least. They were part of the group that broke off and tried to become important in the Dark Lord's personal court, before it crumbled, of course. They were also some of the loudest opponents for the Weasley family to become the ruling family and decided to let that little detail fuel every one of their actions for the last fifty years. They did all of this while trying to worm their way into the most powerful positions. Much to Fred’s displeasure to admit, Lucius had managed to redeem himself quite well and from that Draco grew up just as good as a prince would have.

“To what do I owe the displeasure of your presence Draco?” Fred sighed out. Not bother to care about diplomacy. There was something about the boy that just made his blood boil, too many smart comments aimed at his fathers competency when they were in school together he reckons. Malfoy just scoffs, pointing his head high in the air as he always does.

“I was sent from the castle to come and get you. Important meeting apparently.” His voice full of discontent, obviously not liking being sent to run errands.

“And why are you even in the kingdom again?” Fred taunts. “Front line too scary for you?”

Once again Malofy scoffs. “They pulled Potter and I both out last week. That’s all that I know. Sent in replacements and everything.” Draco raises an eyebrow at Fred’s shocked expression. “Do you not even know what’s going on in your own kingdom? I thought they would be filling you in before him at this point.” He laughs and Fred lunges forward. Grabbing the shiny armor that Draco is wearing. Proof of how little he actually had seen of battle.

“Woah. Not here Freddie” George says, coming to pry Malfoy out of Fred’s grip. Fred looks back at the group of men currently inspecting every detail of this interaction.

“Better watch that temper, your majesty.” Malfoy spits out before Fred lets him go, giving him a large shove to get some distance between the two of them. He watches with a small smirk as the blond stumbles back and takes a second to regain his footing.

Fred turns to the crowd, not even bothering to pretend they haven't just seen the interaction. “Well looks like you have been saved from a boring day.” Fred addresses them. “You’re dismissed but we’re doing double training to make up for this interruption.” He calls and claps his hands, letting everyone know they’re dismissed.

There are a few groans from among the crowd but after the little show Fred put on no one thinks it smart to try to test his patience at the moment.

I’ve tried to get this up three times and tumblr has decided to hate me so sorry if the formating is a little off. I tried to fix it but I’m terrible at editing if you havent noticed already.

Taglist: (some wont tag so if you changed urls and still want to be tagged please let me know!) @they-write-once-in-a-while @magical-spit @birdie-writes @ickle-ronniekins @heart-of-tempered-steel @wand3ringr0s3 @thoseofgreatambition @things-that-start-with-f @elf-punk @bitchywhisperswizard @a-little-too-much @izzytheninja @kpopgirlbtssvt @shadowsinger11 @harrysweasleys

#dont underestimate me #royal harry potter #ROYAL AU #royal!au #oc character #harry potter oc #fred weasley #george weasley

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pinkykitten · 5 years ago

Text

The time in Summervale: 2

Warning: none

Specifics: y/n=your name, oc, oc fic, comedy, fluff, angst

People: athela (your mother), edward (your father), ruthy (maid), jakob (duke of linwyn), christopher (prince of linwyn)

Words: 3,560

Summary: In the fictional land of Summervale, 1700, you, the Duchess are made into an arranged marriage.This is the dream of your parents but certainty not the dream of a longing inventor like yourself. You are taught to be a lady but who wants to be a primp and proper lady when you can have fun and be yourself. You need to try to convince your parents this is not what you want or is it? How will it be seeing the Prince of Linwyn? Will you finally change your mind and side with your parents?

Authors Note: sorry if i havent posted in a while or posted this in a while ive just been very busy but im glad i found the time to write this cuz this is like my bby. i worked hard on this idea and the writing. i love how this is going the pace and everything lol this reminds me of the choice game. i hope u guys like this and im sorry if this sucks as always i got my inspiration from this story “the austrian suitor” by @headoverhiddles

“Come again I think I misheard you.” You gulped as you wish this was a nightmare and soon you would wake up.

“I think you heard me right. Today you are meeting your future husband. Prince Jakob, Duke of Linwyn. You met him before.”

“When? Wait that doesn’t even matter-”

“When you were about six years of age. I understand that was when you were a very young girl but you and him played for ages and you both looked so lovely together. This has been my dream ever since that day.”

“It may be your dream but not mine,” you muttered under your breath.

“Oh well please do speak up y/n you know I hate the mumbling.”

“I don’t even remember him! You never even asked me if this is what I wanted. Never got my input on the matter.”

“That is where you are wrong. I did too ask you. A few months ago during dinner I had asked you about him and you seemed to agree to the marriage.”

“Blast my stupid mind. Why must I always day dream?” You probably were thinking about inventions at the time of this conversation and did not remember it.

“Besides it is not your decision whether you marry or not and to whom you marry. It is your parents. That is how me and your father came together. It was an arranged marriage but as you can see me and your father are very happy and we love each other.”

“You two were the lucky ones. I know how this ends mother, and it is heart ache and despair. It is pain and sorrow. To put two people together that know nothing about each other is wrong. It will end in failure.”

“That is why your job as a woman and future wife is to make sure this marriage stays in place and lasts. You do what it takes.”

“So if this marriage fails it is my fault? And the whole world sees it that way?” You were flabbergasted to hear such horrid rules as a woman in royalty.

“Please sit my dear.” You did as your mother said and sat back in your vanity chair. “I know you are frightened as I was too but when you meet him you are going to never be apart. He is a good man and I know he is going to love you unconditionally.”

You felt like weeping right there. You didn’t want a husband. Maybe later but not in the prime of your life. You were still deciding on what purpose do you have in this life. It was too much. Your lips quivered, “mother I don’t want to get married. I do not know this person can’t you understand my side and let me choose who I want. Can’t you wait and let it be my decision. Please.”

Athela kissed your cheek, “I’m sorry but what’s done cannot be undone. He will be here any minute so please get ready. Ruthy make sure you cover those scars on her face, they are very ugly. Y/n, why have you not been using the creams I have given you?”

A tear fell down your cheek, you felt miserable. “I am not sure mother.” Your voice came out almost like a whisper.

“Well make sure you use it 3 times a day now that Prince Jakob is coming, we do not want him running away now.” She chuckled as she left your room.

You were used to this treatment and feeling unloved. You kept things bottled up inside never letting it spill. Your emotions were always hidden. You built a dam for your tears.

“My apologies your grace,” Ruthy said.

“I tried my hardest and did not succeed. That will forever be my greatest regret.” You stared at your reflection, hating what you saw. You were starting to feel disgust when you looked at your scars and bumps that littered your face. Not only that but you were hating what you were. You were being forced into something you did not want to do. You were letting yourself be dragged into this mess and you didn’t even put up a fight. This is your life, you were going to be stuck with a stranger for the rest of your life and there was nothing you could do. You - like many other times - hated your name and the royalty and wished it would all disappear.

“Why don’t I run you a bath? Maybe that will relax you a little,” Ruthy suggested.

As she was finished with that you got undressed and stepped inside. Goosebumps ghosted up your thighs, your stomach, breasts and arms. Even though you did enjoy a good bath it still didn’t make things any better. You sank yourself into the water, forgetting - just for a second - about all your worries. Ruthy washed out your hair and assisted you in getting dried. Again you sat on the vanity chair and Ruthy put powder all over your face adding extra to make sure everything was covered like your mother said. Your skin looked flawless and although you wished you looked like that it was not the truth.

“Now what to do with this hair?” Ruthy thought for a moment then snapped her fingers. “I have just the thing.” She brought back a diamond clip to scrunch up your hair. She put your hair up. Trying to cover the fact that a piece of your hair was shorter than the rest. “There we go. Good as new.”

“It looks beautiful Ruthy. Thank you.” You had wished Ruthy was doing your hair for maybe a cake ball or a convention about flowers but instead this was for meeting your future husband.

“Now, this is the dress her royal highness wanted you to wear.” Ruthy picked up a voluptuous dress that laid on your bed. It was silky and the color of baby pink. To your mother it was angelic, to you it was ghastly.

“Oh dear what an ugly looking dress.”

“Your Grace, maybe you should give it a try. Everything on you looks beautiful even if it is ugly.”

“Thank you Ruthy, you always know what to say about a terrible situation.” With the help of Ruthy you managed to slip the dress on. Everything was tight and in place. It looked as if you were to be married today.

You heard trotting of a horse and carriage nearby and you looked out your window. “Here they are.” You said in a monotone voice not even a little excited about your demise.

“Oh alright now remember your Grace to stand straight with your head held high! This is your moment to shine. You are going to remember this for the rest of your days!” Ruthy panicked but you can tell she was ecstatic for you. It seemed like this was for her rather than you. “Let us go!”

Ruthy walked out the room in a haste while you paused to take a look at your mixer on your desk. “You could of been my ticket out...”

“Y/n! Y/n! Where are you?” Edward, your father called out. His head looking every which way.

“I’m here father.” You walked behind Ruthy to finally greet your parents after the morning fiasco.

“Look at you my dear angel. How is your hair?”

“Well the mixer took one piece away but the rest is there.”

“Oh look at her Edward doesn’t she just look like a gem,” your mother gasped in awe. “I knew this dress would be perfect for this occasion.”

“I am very happy you all are having fun,” you said sarcastically.

“Aw cheer up dear,” Edward rubbed your cheek. “I hear this lad is very smart and a charmer. All the ladies fall for him.”

You rolled your eyes as the servants opened the door to your residence. It moved slowly because of its length. It was an enormous door that when closed sounded like thunder. It was a cream color with gold engraved in it. The large door opened and your parents walked with you in the middle.

“Smile or else,” Athela gritted through her teeth. She along with your father wore big smiles. You faked yours. Seeing the norm in this facade.

You all stood by the carriage awaiting.

“Are they ever going to come out?” You whispered in turn getting a slap on your arm from your mother.

The valet hopped out of the carriage and held onto the door but first he had to announce them. “Prince Jakob, Duke of Linwyn.” The valet opened the door and out came a tall, young man with brown hair. He came out of the carriage, buttoned his coat and looked up into your eyes. His eyes were light and looked so young and full of life. His lips were full as they formed into a smile. He had these boyish charms and a look of innocence yet sexuality. He was handsome! You were a bit taken back.

“See I told you he was cute,” Athela chuckled.

“Christopher Friss, Prince of Linwyn.”

“His father? I did not know his father was coming here too.”

“Of course. He needs to see if you are a good match for his son. Besides we have been friends with him forever.” Athela nodded her head forward.

Out came this taller man that was thicker in size. His hand that grasped onto the size of the carriage was big and had veins that were visible from working hard. His clothing style was impeccable. His hair was a light blonde but also with a hint of salt and pepper colors, slicked back and in a pony tail. His neck was thick like bark and his face was obviously older than his son. His strong, brown eyes looked at you and you were blown away. You could barely breathe and you didn’t know if this was from your corset or how he was looking at you. Your eyes widened and your lips were parted. You were bashful at seeing how handsome this man was. In that moment you wondered what his lips would feel like since you never kissed any one before. You were so innocent compared to him. He looked like he had been through war, he’s been through life, through the challenges. His tall body loomed over his son and the rest. You pushed back your hair as it became very hot in that moment. The Prince smiled as well. It was like floating on a cloud but then reality was setting in and you hated this moment. Your smile died and became a frown. In no way did you want this!

“Welcome, welcome old friends! You remember me and my wife?” Edward pointed to his wife. Jakob and Christopher greeted Athela. “And here is my daughter, Princess y/n, Duchess of Summervale.”

You took a step forward. “Hello your Grace, your Royal Highness. Please forgive me that I do not remember a lot of you two, but I hope we can make fond memories here.”

Jakob took a bow and kissed your hand, “pleasure to meet you after so long.”

“Welcome.”

Next came Christopher, the father. He was a tower compared to you. You had to look up to meet his eyes. Christopher took a bow and kissed your hand. It sent sparks coursing through your veins. He looked like a beast amongst you. You on the other hand looked like a little, fragile bird. You curtsied. “My, you have grown y/n.”

“Hopefully better but who knows,” you giggled at your own joke knowing you were much more prettier in the youth than now.

Christopher smiled, “you have grown into a beautiful young lady. Thank you for letting us into your home.”

You bit your lip as your eyes met the floor, too shy to greet his. He noticed this and his smile grew wider to something sincere.

“It is a great honor to have you here, Sir,” your voice sounded like a song to Christopher’s ears. A spark was sent off within him as well hearing you call him sir. It was your duty and his title but coming from you meant more to him. The time away from your mother and father was getting to become too long and the quiet seconds went away silent and very awkward.

“Y/n?” Your mother, Athela, called.

“Yes mother,” you twirled back to your place beside your two strict parents.

“Sweetheart,” Athela’s eyes kept going back and forth between Christopher’s, Jakob’s, and Edward’s. “Address our guests.”

Your father, Edward, grumbled, “yes, yes, yes. Please let us have lunch in the dining room.”

“We would gladly love that,” Jakob grinned whilst looking at you.

Athela made you stand by Jakob so you two lingered behind the group while the ‘adults’ talked.

“My, it really is a great pleasure to meet you after all these years.”

“Please Jakob my name is not my its y/n. Do remember who you are going to have lunch with,” you joked. Sending him into a fit of laughter.

“You have not changed one bit.”

“Sh*t! Do I still look like a 5 year old?”

Jakob’s eyes widened with you cursing. It was not in a duchess nature to curse.

“Please do not tell my mother, she would practically kill me.”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

What you didn’t notice though was the way Christopher lit up with hearing you curse.

“I’m glad we have many days to be together. I want to know all about you.” Jakob played nervously with his fingers.

“I do not think so.”

“Of course I do. I want to know your hobbies. What makes you smile? What’s your favorite book? I want to know everything about you, I mean you are to be my wife. We should know our deepest, darkest secrets.”

“Oh dear you are not going to be amused with my answers. I am really normal and plain once you scrub off the whole duchess thing.” You passed the huge statue of your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, phew. Passed the many, wide stairs that led to all the different types of rooms. Passed by the ginormous chandelier that looked like you grasped onto stars from the sky and planted them in your house. And walked onto the soft, dark red carpet leading into the dining room.

Jakob sat beside you while Christopher sat in front of you and your mother sat beside you while your father sat beside Christopher. He gave you a half smile as you sat. You were too busy looking at his perfect, handsome complexion you knocked the cup of water that was left for you. The coldness dripped down your dress and soaked it. You tried your napkin but it was soaked as well. Athela rolled her eyes at your clumsiness. You were terribly embarrassed!

“Here let me help you with that,” Jakob picked up your drenched napkin and started dabbing away at your dress. No one has touched you there before. Your face was becoming hot. You looked to see Christopher walking to the situation, angrily snatching the wet napkin from his son and giving you his dry, napkin.

“What was that about? I was only trying to help.”

Christopher glared at his son and with a low voice said, “you don’t ever touch her like that without her permission. She is a lady, you show her respect.”

You kept quiet and pretended you didn’t hear a thing. “Thank you,” you whispered to both men. Christopher handed you sweetly his cup of water.

“I am very sorry, your Royal Highness.” Edward said. “My daughter is very clumsy. Why this morning she was trying to-”

“Bread!” You yelled.

Everyone looked at you oddly but you were trying to dodge the morning fiasco.

People were eating, talking, getting down to business but all you wanted to do was think of a new invention. There has to be something out there that you could invent that could change someone’s life.

“Sweetheart, sweetheart,” Athela snapped her fingers to disrupt your day dreaming. “Tell them that one time you matched your best friend and that handsome very tall prince together. You were a match maker.”

“That was only one time mother. They were all over each other even before I suggested the thought of them being together.”

“But you still purposed it. Our daughter loves that stuff. Loves love and romance and marriage.”

You felt like shouting and disagreeing with your mother but what was done was done. You didn’t understand love since you didn’t truly feel it and you for one did not want to get married.

“Don’t you dear?”

You nodded as you played with your food.

“Tell them what you like, my love,” Athela tapped your shoulder.

With excitement running through your veins you almost squealed at that question, “oh where do I start! I love inven-”

Athela stomped on your toes and frowned at you. She hated when you talked about your love for inventing. She thought it was a waste of time and very unattractive.

Christopher looked worried as he knitted his brows.

“I love...makeup and beauty. My hobbies are shopping and buying,” you said with a drag.

“Oh my dear y/n you are just a doll,” Athela tapped your chin to sit up straight so as not to have a double chin.

“Jakob why don’t you tell duchess y/n about your love for traveling?” Christopher said while dabbing his mouth.

Jakob sipped his tea, “yes, indeed. My hobbies are traveling. I love going to different places, its like going to new worlds. Its so unique and inspiring others cultures.”

Your eyes lit up hearing his adventurous life style, wishing it was you. “Really? I never knew this. Where have you been?”

“I’ve been to Africa, China and many more. Every place I’ve been to has been so beautiful.”

“Wow.” You leaned your head against your palm. “What a life. I wish I could go.”

“Oh don’t be silly dear those places are so far away from here why would you want to leave?” Your mother wiped her mouth like a lady.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you one day,” Jakob whispered as he winked.

“And what about you, Sir. What do you like to do?” You raised your brow, asking Christopher.

“Me? I did not know you would be interested to know about an old man like me.”

“I want to know the most about both of you. You are our guest.”

“Well I enjoy books. I have a whole collection of books in my library.”

“Wait? You have a library? How big?” You were like a child in a candy shop.

“Bigger than a ship,” Christopher motioned closer to you.

“Oh my. Who is your favorite author?”

“Terry P. Whilliams, he wrote-”

“The Way of the World. I enjoyed the book so much and he is one of my favorite authors. He is just so-”

“Real.”

“And very truthful.” You clutched your dress.

“He wrote that passage that said how the sun and moon cannot live without each other. Without the sun there is no light, no morning. Without the moon there is no darkness, no night. He compared humans to that. Humans cannot live without each other. Humans love.”

You held your breath. Yes you read the passage but hearing it come out of his mouth made it so much more dramatic and moving. “Yes, I do remember that.”

Jakob scoffed, “boring! Sorry my father is such a bore.”

“Oh no he is very not that. I am a reader as well. I love reading about everything.”

“Remember what I told you,” Athela gritted through her teeth.

Christopher saw that and saw how sad your whole demeanor became. Your smile faded as well as your enthusiasm and you pardoned yourself quietly.

“I am excited for today’s masquerade ball. I haven’t been to one in a while and I feel as if I do need to let off some steam and enjoy the ambiance of,” Jakob inhaled, “my people.”

He was a party animal. Liked the setting, drinking, the ladies why of course, that was every young, single, mans dream and happy place. To you though it made you less attracted to him. You were an outsider, anti-social. Somebody who chose the comforts of her sad, pampered room rather than dance the night away with people who didn’t care about her.

“I’m glad, my dear.” Athela ate a piece of her salad. “You deserve it. Besides it is for you and y/n.”

“May I ask who will be attending?”

“A couple of y/n’s friends. Jamila-”

“Jamila will be going?” You asked.

Your mother nodded.

You wanted to shoot up from your seat. Jamila Hassan, Princess of Saad. She was your best friend. She was the only person you felt that understood you. She was like a sister to you.

“And also Lilo, Meera-”

You groaned hearing Meera. She was royal, snotty and spoiled. She loathed your guts. She was a hypocrite, and a liar. She was a terrible person. “Why mother-” You said no more when your mother glared at you again for what felt like the 50th time that evening. This ball was going to be way harder than you ever imagined.

Tag list: @harrington-lover, @angelgl16, @perfectlybeautifulsuit, @hyehoney, @haven-prelude (wont let me tag), @leasly, @totally-alexa21, @creamy-pasta-boi, @multireese, @fanfictionrecommendations-com, @prentisskelley, @malereaderforkpop (wont let me tag), @guardian-of-cookies, @justafangirl-97, @teenageshitposts (wont let me tag), @dippergravity (wont let me tag), @some-booty, @fromfoolishpeopletodeadpeople, @collectiveyou, @wtfisalltherandoms, @dirbel, @eastcoasthaven, @fangirl-4-life415 (wont let me tag), @melonreblogsstories, @reginalinettis

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dgsurfers · 6 years ago

Text

(two people in an apartment living room, standing in the kitchen, talking to each other, and eating cereal. it is 9:16 am)

2: hey wait whats that sound?

1: what sound?

\*building explodes and they both get incinerated*

2: \*wakes up* ..huh? where am i? \*looks around*

2: i'm in my closet... what just happened... was i just dreaming?

2: \*peers through the closet shades* holy shit... that's me, sleeping in my bed... what the fuck? am i asleep now, dreaming, or did i just wake up from a dream? i know i am asleep now, over there, but am i dreaming now?

2: oh... im getting up... this must be this morning, because it's 8:30 now, i can see it on the clock, and i remember this morning because i woke up and was surprised that i happened to wake up at exactly 8:30...

2: i left the bedroom... \*gets out of the closet*

2: i remember at 8:35 i left to chase down the paper boy because he forgot my paper... and i came home around 10 minutes later... i have to wait a couple minutes and then i have 10 minutes to leave the house.

2: \*exits down the stairs and through the back doors*

2: thankfully i woke up in the clothes i dressed up in before i woke up in the closet. i guess i must have encountered some phenomenon, or i'm hallucinating...

2: wait .... what am i supposed to do... i just woke up here randomly, what the hell? am i supposed to start living my life again as a second me? i cant even live in my own house?!?!

2: i guess i could go talk to myself if that was the case. i think i wouldnt mind living with me.

1: hey… hey… hey!!!! what are you doing over here? i thought that i just saw you running the opposite direction… after the paper boy…

2: huh? um… uh… oh, well i got my paper. he gave it to me, and i got it. im just taking a stroll now. i heard it isn’t good to be sedentary after you run, so i’m just cooling down now.

1: oh okay.

2: are you still trying to sell packs of hot dogs on the street?

1: heh, yep. no but seriously, i’ve sold so many. I don’t need a summer job at all, people really love me.

2: i understand doing it at night… when people are drunk, or hungry, or something… but it’s so early in the morning… what kind of people are you trying to sell them to? 1: well, i keep seeing people barbequing, mostly old people, right? so i figure, the only people who are up at this time are old people. and you… and if they want to save a trip to the store later, they can just buy a pack from me.

2: okay.

1: it works because i look very clean.

2: well that… oh crap.

1: what? 2: \*dashes behind a bush* 2 (1): \*walks up behind 1* hey dude 1: huh? \*turns around* you totally disappeared for a second... 2 (1): what?

2 (2): (that’s me… that was me this morning, when i came back from getting my paper i saw 1 outside in the back and went to say hi… and then i asked if i could come over…) 2: ok that doesn’t make any sense because this is the first time i’ve seen you this morning. anyways… do you want to hang out in your apartment and eat breakfast or something together…

1: eat breakfast together? yea… why not.

2: okay, let’s go. \*leaves* 2 (2): oh, shit, i probably shouldn’t follow them or anything, i’d just have to be hiding the whole time because i don’t want to have to explain anything… frick... wait, but…

2 (2): oh, my god! they’re going to get to the apartment and it’s going to explode! i remember now! is this a second chance? have i been sent… i’ve been sent from another timeline to save another version of myself…

2 (2): but i’m completely the same… you know i always thought that me from another timeline would be different slightly… oh well.

2 (2): i have to save myself… i’ve been given a task by the universe, or god, or the clouds! i have to go after them to warn them!

2 (2): \*runs in the street and gets hit by a car*

2 (2): ahh.. what the fuck happened? i’m in the closet again? i forgot what happened… why...

2 (2): oh shit… i got hit by a car… i was going to save myself… my task… my task… my task…

2 (2): it’s 8:29, i can still see myself sleeping in my bed. i got another chance? i really have to save this timeline. it must be important, for some reason.

…

2 (2): okay, i left the house finally… \*runs out through the back doors to outside*

1: hey… hey… hey!!!! what are you doing over here? i thought that i just saw you running the opposite direction… after the paper boy…

2 (2): \*at the same time* after the paper boy, i know.

1: huh? what? how did you know i was going to say that…

1: well, i guess you were the one running after him, so you would know i would say something like that

2 (2): well that’s the more likely answer but this is the truth: i’m me, but another version. the other version of me, the one you know, is going to come around the corner in a couple minutes, and ask to hang out.

1: what???? 2 (2): it’s true. i woke up in my closet, after we were hanging out in my apartment, and it exploded, it literally exploded, and i woke up this morning, because that happens later… you havent had it happen yet, it’s going to happen…

1: WHAT?

2 (2): i’m explaining this bad! i have to say it right, see, it’s going to happen when i come around the corner in a couple minutes, the other version of me is going to ask if you go to the apartment and then you’ll go and eat cereal and talk about anime or something and then the building just EXPLODES!!! i’m serious, and then that happened to me but i WOKE UP in my closet and i’m being given a chance to save myself in this timeline!! it’s a task given to me by god or the universe or something!

1: AAAAHHH THAT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE YOUR CRAZY!!!!!! \*STABS YOU TO DEATH WITH A HOT DOG SKEWER*

2 (2): oh god, i messed up, i’m in the closet again… what happened? i can’t remember at first...

2 (2): i saw 1… i was trying to explain it, i got stabbed to death i remember now… that’s so scary…

2 (2): and, i get a third chance? i just really have to do this. it feels like a really simple task but i just keep getting killed…

2 (2): maybe, i should just keep living here. and i should just be able to keep living. because what’s going to happen to me after i fulfill this task? 2 (2): but … i have to … i love the universe, and the sky… i never thought like this before but i know that i love series of events, and i will serve my duty. it’s justice…

2 (2): i’m already out of bed now… i’ll head down in just a couple minutes. i’m just going to head over to the apartment first thing, i’m not even going to try and interact with anyone this time.

...

(two people in an apartment living room, standing in the kitchen, talking to each other, and eating cereal.)

2: where did you get this cereal? it’s not english right, it’s a japanese product. where did you get it? 1: there is a store nearby that has a section that is imported products from japan

2: why did you go?

1: well i've been really into slightso flife anime recently… so i wanted to really... “immerse myself in the culture.” you know, i go on the forums right. a lot of people say it’s good to do that.

2: what?

1: huh?

2: why did you say it like that... you said "slice of life" but with like a weird pause... and a "t"... what?

1: what is it supposed to be?

2: it's slice - of - life. like, like a slice of someones life

1: oh... i see now... i thought it was "slightso, flife".

2: why??

1: i thought it was japanese words

2: hey wait whats that sound?

1: what sound?

2 (2): \*runs in* YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!

1: what? why?

2: holy shit- this guy looks exactly like me?!

2 (2): we don't have time guys, this building... is about to explode!

1: WHO ARE YOU? WHAT?

2: what?

2 (2): yes, and we have to leave. i have to make sure you don’t get hurt.

2: you’re me, right?

1: WTF????

2: no, dude, relax. i trust this guy. i think we have to trust this…

1: okay… i trust you...

2 (2): i am you, but i don’t want to explain it all, i need you to get outside!

\*all run outside*

\*building explodes moments after they are distanced from the apartment*

1: whoa!

2 (2): we made it... thank god… i did it, i fulfilled my task...

2: how did you get here?

2 (2): i don’t want to get into it... its for the better... something is happening to me now… i’m fading away…

2: you're going already? but you're me... i want to know more...

2 (2): sorry... it's too late...

2 (2): (to 1) goodbye... \*smiles as a tear rolls down cheek*

1: what?

2 (2): \*fades away*

1: okay. weird.

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thegurlbehindthesmile · 4 years ago

Text

Head Storm.

If i don't take minute to write these things down they just weigh so heavy. where do i begin.

i'm frustrated.

sometimes its like a repeating nightmare. Its me and brian and we are on a 13 hour flight to Germany. this double decker plane is huge and filled with strangers and i cant see their faces. i know our destination is a long way away. im tired. and there we are in the middle row. u next to me and me on the isle. We're sharing your blue ipod with music i never really listen to and this is the moment im stuck in.

for a minute my body goes into drive. at first you think the dream would play out as i remember, but this isnt a memory its a dream and now that im more aware- more awake within the dream; im always asking myself.

why am i here? wheres juan? wheres julian? (thats right this is a dream/ im sleeping)

and i realize im meant to doo something. and i go and look at brian and its not the same. i can barely see his face and i no longer remeber the sound of his voice. its as if im stuck in my seat.

the dream is almost paused- as i struggle to put these pieces of the real memory back together. its like im waiting. im waiting for brian to speak first. im just sitting here. on this plane.

i went to russia in 2005. the trip was from philly airport to germany than germany to russia.

it was for a youth peace team mission. we met up with kids our age over there and talked about religion and life. it wasnt just us two- we had a team of our friends and it was amazing.

It was the first time i had left the country- it was the first time i had flown without my mom. first time i felt homesick. the first time i saw how big the world really is. how there is so much to see and so much going on. it was an experience.

i never knew Demisexual was a thing. (The term 'demisexual' comes from the concept being described as being "halfway between" sexual and asexual. ... The gray-A spectrum usually includes individuals who very rarely experience sexual attraction; they experience it only under specific circumstances.)

i didnt even know what sexual was- i was young naive and anything i did know about sex and beauty most likely came from the wrong place. i managed to get all the way to freshman year of highschool without really relationships that included sexual and non sexual.

freshman year was horrible. i was the new girl becuase i didnt attend the same middle school as the other kids and my prior school was MUCH smaller than the highschool i went to. but i was excited for the change. i asked for the change.

its easy to say "well idk?" when u have lack of experience. Idk why i was single so long. idk why i never wanted a bf. idk why i have never kissed anyone idk? idk? idk? (...now i know) my first thoughts were always like omg maybe noone wanted to kiss me? maybe im the weird one. less desired. not wanted. i was the problem. i imagined my body was less than perfect and i guess my attitude and demenor wasnt the dating type (lies) i just felt weird and alone.

sometimes people cant make a sexual connection unless they have an emotional connection with someone as well. it isnt prude it isnt wierd its just how it works (literally) the better and more i get to know you i can finally start feeling any real connection at all especially sexually.

this new demisexual wasnt even a thing until i was half way through my twenties...THAT and pansexual (not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity.) people would ask "well whats ur type?!" idk id say?? i didnt even realize internally i found both sexs appealing. not even just sexs just ANYone. hearts not parts we say now.

i was basiclly lost ,frustrated and didnt understand a damn thing about myself.

brian and i were friends. we went to the same church- we lived in the same town. our families knew each other. it was a very safe space for me. i didnt think brian liked me. ( i didnt think ANYONE liked me; that way anyway) i had guy friends i had girl friends i just felt like we were all at the same level. most my girl friends had kissed people, most had bfs; same with the guys. i just didnt... it wasnt that i didnt like brian- i just had no idea what any of this stuff was. how to even begin "liking someone" i wasnt stupid - i was scared? i felt scared. worried that becase i hadnt had the experiences - that i wasnt good at ANY of it. i got to know brian because he was around. youth group trips and church events ; school- we were always hanging around each other.

i was never a physical person. honestly self pleasure was the only pleasure i knew and i thought id be going to hell for masturbating so theres that complex. a secret i held tight forever.

i didnt know the more i talked and was around brian i would fall inlove with him. people SAYYY that- but in my world it was a must. it was inevitable. as long as he was open with me and vulnerable- i began to want him.

he was my first kiss. and he let me kiss him. it might of seemed innocent ( i mean it was really) but it was big for me. the only person in the world i had let in. and he was ready to reak havoc on my new world. kisses lead to make outs- making out lead to sex- and that was that. id say i was his or he was mine but i guess we were each others. i wasnt ready to do this with anyone else. i didnt think i even could. it took so long for brian to become this person for me. i was..postive; id make this love last a life time. but that wasnt the case it was a rocky 3 years but at the end of it i personally learned alot.

i still didnt know all that i said above. on my rocky one relationship road... i was frustrated. i didnt know these things existed and while life seemed easy for brian- it was not for me. i struggled and argued with myself resulting in very poor communication with brian leading to only end in sight. if i wasnt making an emotional connection with my person then it had to be the opposite; i wasnt interested at all. almost the opposite- i felt nothing.

i let the hurt find its way in- i let it block any form of fix. the emotions were turned off. and the result was sexless.

i went on a rampage and found a random lover. Peter was ..peter. i didnt know him prior to meeting him- i barely knew much about him at all. all i knew was i was numb and needed to feel again. ( now if only i had known who i was i would of tried to build and talk through these emotions, break some walls down. reopen the lines. reconnect and succeed. but i didnt know that. all i knew was i was hurting and i nolonger had my person- i wanted to feel again.) i wouldnt even say i was attracted to peter. i really wasnt "looking" at all. i wasnt looking with my eyes or my heart.

i was already pretty good at hurting myself just plain jane. but this was a whole different world. what if i could just have sex and not care. just do it and live. just feel something. and i did it. i found peter and yeah we had sex. i was postive i didnt want a relationship ( i was heading down the wrong road in the wrong direction WITH no directions) it was a mess. a mess that didnt last long (thankfully)

i look back at it now and would like to have lunch with peter. although im sure im a spek of nothing in his life stream; he was a pretty big rock in mine. mainly to say sorry. sorry for using him. more sorry that i had no intentions at all. i was a shell of person and im sorry he never got the chance to meet the true me. cuz im not that person at all. and i think he was geniune and we could of learned alot from each other.

i am 30 years old now and still to this day brian and peter are the only people ive slept with except my current husband.

ive trusted 2 (brian and juan) of those souls with my heart. my whole heart. ive been with them to the extent i lost myself. my body has craved them and known them. and they will forever have a piece of me. they took with them what insecurities i had and threw them out the window. i was engulfed and loved and it didnt stop. i had alot of sex with brian as i currently have alot of sex with juan (my husband)

if i had known who i was then i would of talked to more people. resulting in more meaningful connections. resulting in more stories and experiences to tell about. girls guys gays all different kinds of souls i would of touched and danced with. but i didnt know what i know now.

time has given me the learning ive neeeded and now i know alot.

as my nightmare continues its me and brian sitting on a 13 hour plane. i want to ask him how he is, and what hes doing. what other souls hes experienced and what life is like for him now. we would laugh and joke and unerstand that life goes on and although we are not lovers any longer we wouldnt be who we are without having known each other. on this plane its noone but us. reality doesnt hit because its just a distraction and we just want to catch up.

its like a clock is ticking and were anxious. as if he too knows this is a dream, a mear astroprojection into a memory. and noone talks. we both stay silent. its almost like i cant breathe.. its almost like im drowning.

i havent spoken to brian in atleast 10 years possibly. not a single word. across the universe is a soul i once loved wholefully and now were strangers. i think a piece of me hurts still today. like a lost limb. how can i go through life and succeed at only making connections that count when my first connection is fried and dead.

how do i begin to process the things i now understand when one small piece of me is gravitating through space.

i was told not to long ago that you are infact alive. simply living- trying to stay to urself.

as this new person i am. as i am learning and growing. you were a big part of who i was- i wish u could see who ive become. my soul acknowledges your absence and i am aware of it.

i hope love and light find you on ur dark days. and that you follow that light to become whoever you are meant to be.

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elliotthezubat · 7 years ago

Text

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 101

more dead apple stuff and others

ango: .....

*footsteps*

murakoso: um...ango-

*Chuuya emerges from the shadows, glaring*

ango: chuuya. i suppose you know why i called you here?

Chuuya: "You have to be pretty desperate to call in this debt."

ango: indeed. perhaps it's our folly for allowing shibusawa to live.

Chuuya: "You think? If it wasn't for you and that bastard, they wouldn't be dead!"

ango: .....we thought that by bringing shibusawa in, we could prevent an ability user war amongst the gangs of death city, and possibly beyond, but we didnt expect-

Chuuya: "That your precious tool Shibusawa would kill 6 of my people at Dragon's Head?! That Shibusawa would go on to kill all these ability users, you sick fuck?!"

ango: we were trying to do what we thought was best for death city-

Chuuya: "They're dead!" *slams his fist into Ango's jaw*

ango: GRK-

murakoso: ANGO! *draws sword from it's holster*

Chuuya: "The Sheep. Six at Dragon's Head. Rain...This mess that Shibusawa created allowed Mori to escape...with my daughter!" *slams his foot into Ango's side*

ango: NGH-

murakoso: *aims sword at chuuya's neck* beating ango up isnt going to make it any better!

takeuchi: worst case scenario, we can try and locate mori and your child.

Chuuya: *glares at them all* "...How?"

takeuchi: this is the special abilities department, and mori _is_ an ability user, we can locate him and bring your daughter back.

ango: please. if you help us, we'll do anything you ask of us.

Chuuya: "...Anything?"

ango: yes, if not for our sakes, then for the sake of the city, and your child.

Chuuya: "...If it wasn't for Sonia...this city could burn for all I care..."

ango: .....

Chuuya: *holds up fingers, counting down* "First, you will pardon all crimes, alleged and otherwise, by the members of the Port Mafia."

ango:.....very well.

Chuuya: "And second...You get Sonia back safely."

ango:....it will be done.

Chuuya: "Then get me to where Shibusawa is."

-elsewhere-

Dazai: *looks at the crystals* "..."

Fyodor: "All according to your plan."

Dazai: “Yes...So, why did you go along with me on this?”

Fyodor: “In the end, I want a world without Abilities.” *grins* “That doesn’t mean I don’t want an entertaining interlude first.” *holds out two crystals* "One brings all visible Ability users to one location. The other crystallizes Abilities."

Dazai: *pauses* "..." *touches both*

-FWOOOOM-

-a vortex forms in the center of the room, sucking up all the crystals in the process-

Dazai: “Now to touch this vortex, and it’ll be the end of all of this--”

-SHRK-

Dazai: "URK!" *coughs*

shibusawa: *has stabbed dazai literally in the back* didnt i tell you, mr dazai? there's nothing that surpasses my expectations~

Dazai: “But the door--”

Fyodor: *small laugh* *twirls a key on his finger*

Dazai: *trying to sigh, but in pain* *in Russian* <Typical…Heh...This is new...>

Fyodor: <Cliche, but still--entertaining.>

Dazai: *collapses, struggling to breathe*

shibusawa: in the end, there was only one target, mr dazai~

Fyodor: *smiling*

shibusawa: tell you what, i'll let you in on a little secret. that knife was laced with a slow acting poison. so now you can savor your death, like you've wanted for so long.

Dazai: *opens his mouth, but can't talk, coughing blood*

Fyodor: *slowly approaches behind Shibusawa*

Dazai: *passes out*

-something begins to appear, a clear crystal-

shibusawa: *huge grin as they reach out*

-however, the crytal joins the others in the vortex, creating a singularity-

shibusawa: !!!! WHAT?!

Fyodor: *searching through his coat* “Unfortunate. Even if you acquire Dazai’s ability, Shibusawa, it won’t help you regain what you lost: your memories.”

shibusawa: ?!?!?!? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, DOSTOYEVSKY?!

Fyodor: “Let me jog your memory--”

*SLICE*

shibusawa: GRK- *their throat begins bleeding*

Fyodor: “--of the time when you died.” *holds up a knife*

shibusawa: *collapses* fa....ther....

{shibusawa: *a young child* ....}

{Shibusawa's Father: *reviewing notes*}

{shibusawa: ....}

{draconia member: hey, isnt that shibusawa's kid?}

{draconia member 2: yeah, the one with that ability, right?}

{draconia member 3: just a tool for daddy's work. can that thing even think for itself?}

{-that's right. for as long as i could remember, i had always been in my father's shadow. i was nothing more than a tool-}

{Shibusawa Father's: "Come here."}

{shibusawa: yes, father?}

{Shibusawa's Father: "Follow me...We have to discuss the next step in this research."}

{-of course. my father's research. my _father's_ legacy...-}

{shibusawa: .....}

{Shibusawa's Father: "You will carry on after me...Find what I have not."}

{-even after he died, i carried _his_ burden. i never truely had anything to call my own....and yet.....the feeling of death.....feels familiar...-}

-elsewhere-

atsushi: *facing a door in his mind*

odasaku: you sure you want to do this?

atsushi: (i have to.)

odasaku: ...you know once you see it, you wont be able to unsee it again.

atsushi:...(i know.....) *he opens the door*

-...-

{shibusawa: so, mr nakajima, was it? how are you feeling?}

{*tied to a chair is seven-year-old Atsushi*}

{Young!Atsushi: *paralyzed*}

{shibusawa: from whay i heard, you have quite the unusual ability. and i havent been able to obtain it like normal. curious. very curious. nothing a little shock therapy cant fix, right? ^^}

{Young!Atsushi: "N-No...Please...Stop..."}

{shibusawa: now, this may hurt quite a bit. *hits the switch*}

{Young!Atsushi: *convulses, too stunned to make any noise but a small squeak, his body twisting under the electricity*}

{-a small blue crystal begins to form-}

{shibusawa: *wide grin* yes, that's it, come on...}

{Young!Atsushi: *SCREAMS*}

{*some light shines out of Atsushi's head*}

{shibusawa: ??}

{*the tiger forms out of Atsushi--and slaps Shibusawa's hand away from the crystal*}

{shibusawa: *holding their hand, yelling out in pain* GAH! w-WHAT?!}

{*The tiger takes the crystal in its jaws--and bites down onto it*}

{shibusawa: NO!!}

{*The tiger faces Shibusawa--and brings down its claws--*}

{shibusawa: !!!!!!!!}

{*SLASH*}

shibusawa:....i......i died......

atsushi: i.........i killed them.......

shibusawa: im...dead? no...nonononono that's not possible! i returned to the castle that day! i know it!

{shibusawa: *stumbling into the castle* ......}

shibusawa: it was that day that-....that....

{lux: *freaking out* MASTER SHIBUSAWAAAAA! t-t-the witch!}

{shibusawa: ??}

{Lux: "Th-The Witch...Master..." *shaking*}

{nox: the witch...the witch has given birth.}

{shibusawa: ?! }

{-in a room, a young woman with white eyes is holding a small infant-}

{shibusawa:.........}

{woman: *looks up and smiles* look tatsuhiko, it's our daughter, miyuri.}

{miyuri: *opens her eyes and smiles at shibusawa*}

shibusawa:....ha...hahaha....so that's it.....that damn witch....she put a curse on me...

-meanwhile, in the draconia room-

Fyodor: *picks up a skull from a bowl of apples* *grins* "Now, for the finale..."

-the skull is sucked up into the singularity, causing the fog to turn red and the singularity to mutate-

-the vortex seems to pull dazai in as well-

Fyodor: "How selfish of you...Even in death, you wish to watch the city go right to hell..." *turns away, smiling*

-the vortex seems to be mutating into...a dragon?!-

Fyodor: "Had you considered, in the midst of the Dragon’s Breath, my ability never once tried to do me harm?"

-a figure appears, resembling fyodor, with a light purple tone to its coloration appears, a red crystal on it's hand and holding an apple-

Fyodor: "I am crime."

CP: i am punishment.

-the ability shatters the red crystal and returns to fyodor slowly-

Fyodor + Crime and Punishment: "And crime and punishment, are quite good friends..."

dragon: *ROOOOAR*

Fyodor: "Soon, the fog will expand and consume this world. The dragon of the fog that consumes all abilities...like a dead apple..."

-elsewhere-

miyuri: *walking along and humming* hmmmmm......are we there yet, sana? Owo

Sonia: "I'm not certain..." *looks around*

miyuri: hmmm, i remember she lived in a tall building....but i dont remember which one. ^^;

onia: "Who was this person?"

miyuri: oh right! it was a while back when miyuri got lost in the outside the first time. everything looked so big and scary, and she couldnt find tacchan anywhere.

{miyuri: *sitting in an alley in the rain, crying*}

{-but then, the nice lady found me!-}

{???: um....e-excuse me?}

[miyuri: *looks up*}

{*a young woman in a yellow sweater jacket, red hair and glasses is there*}

{rain: are you alright?}

{miyuri: uhh....WAAAAAA! MIYURI'S SCAAAARED!}

{rain: wah! i-it's alright! i-i wont hurt you! i promise!}

{miyuri: *sobbing* TACCHAN! TACCHAAAAAN!}

{rain: o-oh goodness....umm...oh! here! *hands her a cracker packet from her bag*}

{miyuri: *sniffles*....}

{rain: you can eat that.}

{miyuri:.....*tiny nom*...*hic* t-thank y-you miss nice lady...}

{rain: *smiles* please, call me rain.}

miyuri: miss rain let me stay with her for a while until tacchan found me again.

Sonia: *stunned*

miyuri: she was really nice and had yummy food. miyuri really wants to thank her for being so nice. ^^

Sonia: "You can't."

miyuri: *head tilt* miyu?

Sonia: "...Mama is dead."

miyuri: ??

Sonia: "The woman you saw...She is dead."

miyuri:........where's she sleeping?

Sonia: "...H-Hook Cemetery..."

miyuri: yay! let's go there! ^^

Sonia: "Would you stop?!"

miyuri: hm?

Sonia: "She's not asleep--she's dead! She is no longer alive! She is not coming back! She is dead! Dead means you don't come back! You're gone forever! She died! She's gone!"

miyuri:....does your mama visit you in your dreams?

Sonia: "..." *nods, her eyes stinging*

miyuri: miyuri's mommy visits her too. so they're not gone completely, right?.....do you think our mommies became friends where they are?

Sonia: "...I hope so."

miyuri: *holds sonia's hands and smiles* then they can be friends like us, sana!

Sonia: "..." *too stunned to respond...just crying*

miyuri:....sana? why's water coming out of your eyes?

-elsewhere-

-a plane is now flying to where the dragon is. the hanger door swings open as if to let something, or someone, out-

Chuuya: *stands at the door*

ango: *over earpiece* chuuya, are you sure about this? your daughter-

Chuuya: "If I don't survive...Find Sonia. Bring her back to Kouyou. If you can't...make sure she has a good home."

ango: i understand, and dazai isnt there, so-

Chuuya: "He is. I can feel it..." *holds up his fist*

ango:....

Chuuya: "And even if he isn't responsible for this mess...I have to punch him in his goddamn face."

-high heels can be heard clicking along the floor of the hangar-

tsujimura: this is insane! ability users, we're human beings, and that things a damn monster! it's suicide!

Chuuya: "I'm not about to let a little thing like fear make me run away scared. When would be the best time to back out?"

tsujimura: i dont know, when?

Chuuya: "There's never a time." *leaps out the door*

dragon: *ROOOOOOAR*

Chuuya: ("If this does kill me, at least….then I'll see you again...") “Oh grantors of dark disgrace….do not wake me again.” *his eyes widen as rocks around the Dragon start to glow*

dragon: *FIRE BREATH*

Chuuya: *dodges, flinging rocks and other debris at the Dragon*

dragon: *ROOOOOOAR*

*something is shaking the ground at the foundation of the castle*

dragon: ?!?

*is that...a building rising?*

dragon: *ROOOOOOOOOOOAR*

Chuuya: "AAAAAAAARG!" *slams the building down onto the dragon*

dragon: *mouth fulla building and trying to release a fire blast, but it's stuck inside and causes the dragon to explode*

Chuuya: "..." *starts falling...*

-in the remnants of the dragon and rubble, dazai is floating peacefully-

Chuuya: *growling *falls towards Dazai* GRAAAH!! *punches him in the face*

-the pill in dazai's mouth breaks, letting its contents release in his mouth-

Chuuya: *growls...coughs up blood*

-please......dont scare me like that anymore!-

Chuuya: "Rrrr...Ra...in......" *closes his eyes...the dark energy around him dissolves, as he regains control* *he opens his eyes, drawing Dazai down carefully with control over his gravity abilitie sand lands with Dazai...then collapses onto the ground, panting*

rain: *letting him rest his head on her lap, gently stroking his cheek* you did so well.

Chuuya: "??? Rain? How..."

-she wasnt there...-

Chuuya: "..." *cries*

???: come on, it should be this way...

Chuuya: *struggling to hear* "Wh-What..."

???: ok sana! hehe.

???: and i told you, it's _sonia_ -.-;

Chuuya: *his eyes open wide* "S-Sonia!"

sonia: ??? papa?

Chuuya: "I'm coming..." *gets up, running towards her*

Dazai: "Zzz..." *smiles lightly*

miyuri: oh, that's your papa?

sonia: yes. hi pap-

Chuuya: *tight hug*

sonia: !!!!

Chuuya: "Thank God...Thank God..."

sonia: papa? are you alright?

Chuuya: *nods* "I am...Where were you?!"

sonia: i'm sorry. it's a bit of a long story, but i was with miyuri.

miyuri:...sana....why's water coming from _my_ face now? *she's got tears in her eyes*

Chuuya: "...Sonia...Where did you find her? Where are her parents?"

miyuri: miyuri's mommy is gone, and tacchan's back at the castle.

Chuuya: " 'Tacchan'? I don't understand--"

miyuri: oh no! the castle's all broke! tacchan might be hurt!

Chuuya: *looks at the castle's remains* "..."

Dazai: *sniff* "That was so touching back there..."

Chuuya: -___-#

sonia: -.-#

miyuri: ??

Dazai: "Did I inspire you to overcome Corruption, Chuu-Chuu--"

Chuuya: *slams his fist into Dazai's face*

miyuri: OxO

Dazai: *knocked down*

Chuuya: "Do not compliment yourself. You made this mess, you piece of shit...I should've figured you can't die that easily."

miyuri: sana? who's that?

sonia: a good-for-nothing mackerel.

Dazai: *sits up, with a black eye* "My, my...Such a violent way to awaken Snow White~"

miyuri: *giggle* he doesnt look like a fishy! silly sana! ^^

Chuuya: "Go back to sleep!" *starts trying to stomp Dazai's head, but he keeps dodging*

Dazai: "Fufu~ I suppose it's good Ango approached you~"

Chuuya: "?!"

miyuri: *notices something* hey! that pin looks like miyuri's necklace and hair pin!

Dazai: "..." *looks* "..."

Chuuya: "...Dazai...Whose are those?"

miyuri: are you friends with tacchan?

Dazai: "...Just wait. This isn't over yet...It's up to Atsushi now."

Chuuya: "..." *looks at the castle*

-meanwhile-

Fyodor: *sets a crystal to the skull--*

-the skull glows and summons shibusawa, now in a somewhat more monstrous form-

shibusawa: so. i've become a lich, eh? damn that witch.

Fyodor: "Welcome back.”

???: "So, that's it. An ability user who regains their ability..."

shibusawa: oh? and who's this?

*Akutagawa steps forward*

Akutagawa: "Evidently, the support team."

shibusawa: so, you've regained your ability? i must say, i'm quite impressed.

Akutagawa: "I suppose I have you to thank for this ordeal..."

*SHNICK*

shibusawa: hmm?

*a kunai passes Shibusawa's face*

Kyoka: *steps out*

shibusawa: well, _that_ was quite rude.

-meanwhile-

ango: damn, the fog's beginning to spread outside city limits.

murakoso: we got a phone call coming in from london!

ango: oh dont tell me-

agatha: good evening, dearies~ i see you're having a tad bit of trouble~

Ango: "What do you want?"

agatha: it would be problematic if the fog spread to other parts of the globe, so i've sent reinforcements to nip it at the bud as it were. there's a plane flying over with an ability user with an incineration ability. i'm afraid the city will have to be evacuated if you wish to survive.

Ango: "Evacuate an entire city at this rate?!"

agatha: but im sure you'll find a way to do so, cheers love~ *switches off* *on phone* how's everything on your end, franny dear?

frances: quite well. the pistol comes quite in handy.

agatha: indeed. i'll be sending a teleporting ability user to collect you and bring you back.

frances: you'd go to that trouble for lil old me, aggy?

agatha: *nods* if i let you be killed, i would never forgive myself.

-elsewhere-

vita sexualis: *slashing at mori* huhuhu~ *taking on shizuka's face* i love you, rintarou~

Mori: *sneers* "Hard to believe that--seeing as you're dead and all..."

vita sexualis: *opens its mouth to bite his head off*

-SLICE-

fukuzawa: ...

Mori: "...Well, hello."

fukuzawa: *chop* you've gotten sloppy. what ever happened to the doctor mori i know and at best, tolerate?

Mori: T_T "It's been a rough patch..."

fukuzawa: so i've noticed...

*SLASH*

-KICK- *SHATTER*

fukuzawa: ...

???: jeez rintarou, i swear. you're really helpless without me.

Mori: "...Elise."

elise: *in a sailor dress with heart-shaped sunglasses* well DUH, who else _would_ it be, genius?

Mori: "..." *hug*

elise: !!! HEY! LET GO'A ME YOU OLD CREEP! DX<

Mori: "I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK! AND NOT A CREEPY KILL-BOT!"

fukuzawa: *sigh* i guess some things never change.

-elsewhere-

Plague Doctor:

pushkin: *hiding on the roof, holding a cinderblock* (come on, just a liiiittle further now.)

Plague Doctor:

pushkin: *lets go of the cinderblock*

Plague Doctor: *looks up* <...Oh, fu-->

-CRASH-

-shatter-

pushkin: <SUCCSESS!> *victory dance*

zhanna: *over talkie* <alexsey, how's everything on your end?>

pushkin: <victory!>

-elsewhere-

10 Seconds: *TICK TICK TOCK*

katya: *hiding, gun in hand* .....

*WHOOSH*

-she's...not there?-

katya: *has slid herself up with the grappling hook* *aims her gun at the ability's face with a murderous grin on her face*

-BANG-

*HEAD-SHOT*

10 Seconds: *goes down...*

katya: hehe~

-elsewhere-

leo: .......

*A woman in a maid outfit appears*

leo: ........

Woman: <Hello.> *holds up a gun*

leo: ............you're.....

Resurrection: <Yes.> *aims the gun--at her own head* <It hurts...>

leo:.....it does.......being unable to die......

Resurrection: *crying* <It's never going to stop, is it?>

leo:.....<no....no it's not....>

Resurrection: "..." <But if you lack your ability...I could end this now.> *aims at Leo*

leo:....you could....

Resurrection: <Then...why aren't you stopping me?>

leo: ....it's strange.

Resurrection: <What is?>

leo: for so long, i've wanted to die. to be free from my loneliness and sorrow, to see my mother, father, and siblings again....but im _not_ alone. i have friends, a wonderful fiance, and small baby inside me. i finally found something to live for. *smiles*

Resurrection: "...It's not fair..."

leo:.....*hugs her* the world can be truly cruel and frightening. but i've learned it can also be so beautiful.

Resurrection: *holds onto her, as she puts the gun away* "..." *sobs and shoots the crystal off herself*

-elsewhere-

atsushi:..........

???: *soft growl*

atsushi:....i killed them.......i just wanted to live....and i killed them.....*sniff*

*the tiger walks slowly, never taking its eyes off Atsushi as it approaches*

atsushi: *not even looking* no matter where i go, you're always right there....arent you?

Tiger: "..." *sits in front of him*

atsushi: you're like a part of me, like blood, a lung, my brain....right?

Tiger: "..." *slaps a paw across his head*

atsushi:...*weak chuckle* you're more than my ability....you're my will to live....

Tiger: "..." *nuzzle*

atsushi: ....*smiles and hugs* come on, buddy. we got a job to do.

-elsewhere-

Akutagawa: *pants, wiping blood from his mouth* "Damn you..."

shibusawa: AHAHAHA! is this really the best you have?! a shadow beast and a samurai ghost?!

rashomon: *snarls*

demon snow: *blade out*

Kyoka: "And all you have is conditioned hair." *assumes battle pose with her own blade*

shibusawa: tch-, cute. now die. *charges at them*

*ROAR*

shibusawa: hn? *looks up*

*It's Atsushi, now in tiger-man form, as he swipes his claw at Shibusawa, putting some distance from them and Akutagawa and Kyoka*

shibusawa: *knocked back* well! isnt _this_ a pleasant surprise! will you really kill me again, atsushi nakajima?

Kyoka: *eyes widen*

Akutagawa: *raises an eyebrow*

Atsushi: "..." *shakes his head* "I just have to bring back a thing where it’s supposed to be.”

shibusawa: very well, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!!

Atsushi: "..." *rushes*

Kyoka: "..." *leaps with blade* "Demon Snow!"

Akutagawa: *sends Rashomon to create a ring around them all*

shibusawa: *attacking them, slashing and blocking*

*Rashomon grows spikes, closing in on the three...*

Kyoka: "Demon Snow--slash them!"

Demon Snow: *rushes at Shibusawa from above*

shibusawa: *PUNCH*

Demon Snow: X_X *knocked back*

Kyoka: "?!"

Akutagawa: "Damn it..."

Atsushi: "...We can't do this alone..."

Demon Snow: *collapses on the floor--dissolving*

Kyoka: "Demon Snow!"

atsushi: you're doing good, kyouka. use your phone!

Kyoka: *dials* "Demon Snow... ... ...Sh-She's not appearing..."

shibusawa: *smirks*

Akutagawa: "What's wrong with you? Summon your ability--"

Kyoka: "I can't!"

atsushi: you dont _want_ to hate her, do you?

Kyoka: "..." *shudders* "What I saw..."

{mrs izumi: demon snow, please.....protect kyouka}

Kyoka: "I'm conflicted...But I know this power is mine...And I want it to protect others..."

atsushi: then im sure the demon snow you dont want to hate will respond to your feelings.

Kyoka: "..." *inhales, shivering* "..." *calls into her phone* "Demon Snow...I need you."

demon snow: ~i am here.~

Kyoka: *smiles* "Then let's stop this."

demon snow: *charges and stabs shibusawa down*

shibusawa: *laughing* YOU THINK _THAT'S_ ENOUGH TO STOP ME?!

atsushi: AKUTAGAWA, NOW!

Akutagawa: *smirks* "No." *stabs Rashomon into Shibusawa* "I think you need to suffer _more_..."

shibusawa: AHAHAHAHA! I'M ALREADY DEAD! THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN POSSIBLY-

*a sphere forms around Shibusawa*

shibusawa: -eh?

*the only other one in the sphere is--*

Atsushi: "..."

shibusawa: *laughing* well, isnt _this_ ironic?!

Atsushi: "How so?" *flexes a tiger claw, practicing crouching with tiger legs*

shibusawa: you're trying to kill me again, and im already dead! break me all you please, it doesnt mean a goddamn thing to me!!

Atsushi: *slams his fist into Shibusawa's jaw*

shibusawa: *laughing and bleeding* oh to hell with it! to hell with it all~ nothing matters! nothing! i have nothing of my own! ALWAYS MY FATHER'S FUCKING PUPPET! IM NOT EVEN CONSIDERED A HUMAN BEING BY THEM!

Atsushi: "...Yes. I know..."

shibusawa: im dead! dead, dead, dead, dead, deeeead~! *intensly focusing, blood, dripping from their mouth, nose and eyes*

Atsushi: "..." *sighs sadly...* *rushes at Shibusawa, punching repeatedly* "Just stay down...Stop...Please..."

shibusawa: just give me your ability, then i'll have something to call 'mine'!

Atsushi: "IT'S NOT 'MY ABILITY'--IT'S ME!"

shibusawa: ah-ahaha....AHAHAHA! so that's what dazai meant.....an angel that would save me....an angel of death....the one who killed me....that's....really ironic....

Atsushi: *his fist charges with energy--his mouth grows fangs as the tiger's power overwhelms him--* "I'm so sorry..."

-the skull appears in front of shibusawa-

shibusawa: …no…..i...i cant die here again.....miyu-

*SLAM*

-shatter-

-meanwhile-

-the red gems on lux and nox's foreheads shatter-

nox: lu- *fades to dust*

Lux: "No--!"

-meanwhile-

ayla: *gem shatters as she fades to dust*

lydia: <what the hell?!>

Ivan: <?!!!!>

zoey: oh?

-elsewhere-

ango: the singularity just...it vanished!

tsujimura: the fog is receding!

murakoso: we just got an update from the clock tower, they're turning the plane around!

-cheering-

-meanwhile-

agatha: *sips tea* hm. a real shame. the smell of a burning city always goes so nicely with tea.

-elsewhere-

shibusawa: ah......im....still here?.....but how? you- *slowly fading* oh.....its not for long.....how am i still alive?

Atsushi: "I thought that perhaps there's something you wanted to live for."

shibusawa: what could i have-......*eyes widen as tears fall* ryoko.....our baby.....i....our child was born that day......perhaps....i wanted to see them....

{miyuri: tacchan! ^^}

shibusawa: *small pathetic laughter* that damn child....even with how cold i was to her. even with faked affection, even with how i rarely spent any time with her, she would still always greet me with a smile on her face....*laugh crying* i dont get it....

Atsushi: "..." *tenses his jaw*

shibusawa: if it wasnt an ability that kept me alive? then what was it?......perhaps it was sheer willpower? but why?

Atsushi: " 'Faked affection'? That doesn't sound 'fake.'"

shibusawa:.....i see......that willpower, the will to keep living......it wasnt the result of a curse, or an ability, it was something stronger. a power much stronger than any curse......it was love.

Atsushi: *clenches* *nods*

shibusawa: *laugh-crying* i'm a real damn fool, arent it? just as i finally realize that, i had something of my own; my child....my family....and now, i have no time left to spend it with her....im a real damn fuck up, huh?

miyuri: TACCHAAAAAAN! *TACKLE HUG*

shibusawa: !!!! m-miyuri!

Atsushi: "??" *looks up* "!!"

miyuri: miyuri's sorry she went out without telling you, but she wanted to thank the nice lady and-

-chuuya, and sonia arent far behind either-

shibusawa:...^^; child, child, please. settle down.

miyuri: *INHALES* okaaay. are you hurt, tacchan?

shibusawa:.....*hugs* miyuri...im afraid i cant stay long.

miyuri: what do you mean, tacchan?

shibusawa: im going to where your mother is...and im afraid i wont be able to come back.

miyuri: !!!! no! you cant go, tacchan! *clings*

shibusawa: *sad smile* i wish i didnt have to...*strokes her head* but im afraid i have no choice in the matter...

miyuri: but if you go away, then so will lux and nox and ayla, miyuri will be all alone! *sobbing* mi-miyu-miyuri doesnt wanna be alone!!!

Chuuya: "..."

shibusawa: *pats her back* it'll be ok....im truly sorry....i wasnt a better parent to you, miyuri....i just hope, you forgive me for being selfish.

miyuri: b-bu-but you arent selfish, tacchan! y-yo-you're my favoritist person in-in the whole world!

shibusawa:...i appreciate that, little one...

Dazai: "..."

Chuuya: "..." *rests a hand on Sonia's back*

miyuri: b-bu-but where will miyuri go, tacchan? *sniffle*

Chuuya: "Sonia...This child..."

sonia: if she really wont have anyone left....we can take her in.

miyuri: ?? y-y-you'd do that, sana?

sonia: *nods* we're friends, right? and friends look after each other.

Chuuya: "Of course."

shibusawa: .....would you...really be willing?

Chuuya: *nods* "Yes."

shibusawa:....then i'm happy......please....for miyuri's sake....be a better parent for her than i was.....*small kiss to miyuri's forehead*

miyuri: *sniffles*

shibusawa: it's ok now....even if you cant see me, i'll still be with you....always.

-with that, shibusawa fades to dust-

Chuuya: "..." *lowers his head*

miyuri:....*hic*...

Chuuya: ("...This one took too much from me...") *approaches Miyuri* "..."

miyuri: *hic* a-are you....n-nice?

Chuuya: *stares at her* "I...don't think it's fair for me to make that judgment myself."

sonia: it's ok, he's nice, even if he has his moments.

miyuri: *sniffle* t-that's good. m-miss rain was really nice.

Chuuya: "...What did you say?"

miyuri: oh! t-that's the lady miyuri and sana were looking for! *sniff* she had red hair and glasses and she was really nice! she fell over lots though.

Chuuya: "..." *nods*

miyuri:.....*hugs*

Chuuya: "..." *pat pat*

atsushi: ......*watching the sun rise*

Dazai: *limps over* "Hey there."

atsushi: dazai!

Dazai: *in his old suit* "Hello...I'm missing a shoe. Have you seen it?"

atsushi: .....*hug*

Dazai: "..." *blink* "..." *pat pat*

atsushi: ....crazy night, huh? Haha

Dazai: "Yes...Look, Atsushi, I was only--"

atsushi: you were trying to protect death city, right?

Dazai: "...More than a city..."

atsushi: yeah.....being able to live with everyone here.....it's really wonderful, huh?

Dazai: "Well, there are some people who aren't all bad. I could take or leave a few of them--"

atsushi:.....hey.....dazai?.....can i tell you something?

Dazai: "Oh?"

atsushi: now, i need you to promise you wont freak out on me.

Dazai: "Okay?"

atsushi: you see, it's-

*TIGER ROAR*

atsushi: FJNKDJIJIPVLNDLJIK! oh right! phone, phone! *picks up* h-hello?

Kunikida: "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Dazai: "..."

atsushi: >x< a-at the castle ruins by the abandoned high-rise? ^^;

Kunikida: "DID YOU DISABLE THE GPS ON YOUR PHONE?! YOU COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED ON OUR RADAR--"

???: "YOU IDIOT!"

atsushi: ??

Dazai: *turns, looks behind him* "..." *takes the phone* "Kunikida. They already found us."

*Lucy, her dress torn and scuffed...looking pissed*

atsushi: O-O l-l-lucy!!

sylvia: *peeeeeks from behind lucy* Q~Q;;;

Lucy: "WHAT DID YOU DO HERE?!"

Kyoka: "!!! Sylvia!"

Tanizaki: *limping up the debris* "Wow...Doctor! Up here! We got injured."

yosano: lovely! *cleaver out* line up everyone~ ^^

Kunikida: *yelling into the phone* "--WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE I'M HEARING THAT YOU WERE WORKING WITH THE ENEMY TO--"

Dazai: =_=;

atsushi: um....i can explain-

Lucy: "I WAS TRAPPED IN ANNE'S ROOM AND I WAS SO SCARED AND I THOUGHT I'D BE STUCK FOREVER AND NEVER SEE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE EVER AGAIN, AND HERE YOU ARE--Oh, hello, Kyoka--" *smiles* *turns back to Atsushi* "--AND YOU COULD'VE BEEN DEAD FOR ALL I KNOW, YOU STUPID, STUPID--Why is Dazai missing a shoe?"

atsushi: im sorry, things came up. if it makes you better, you can punch me in the face as hard as you want to.

Dazai: "..." ("I am so thankful Yosano can't heal me...") *smiles* "Kunikida, I'm going to turn you over to my assistant--" *shoves the phone back to Atsushi, walks past Akutagawa*

Akutagawa: "..."

Lucy: "..." *blushing, puffed cheeks* "I'M GOING TO DO MORE THAN THAT!" *grabs his arm*

atsushi: O_O *gulp*

Lucy: *pulls back an arm--then wraps it around him* "I DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND!"

atsushi: !!!....*hugs her back*

sylvia: m-m-miiiss k-k-kyoukaaaaa! *hugs* Q~Q;;;;

Kyoka: *pat pat* "I'm so glad you're safe."

Lucy: *sniff* "I'm going to catch up..."

sylvia: it was so scary i just hid in the closet the whole time and i peeked out once and my ability was hiding in the kitchen all scared and i ended up panicking and hitting it with a frying pan.

Akutagawa: "Chuuya. We need to run before we are caught--"

Chuuya: *hand up* "I took care of it. We're no longer under threat of arrest."

Akutagawa: "??? How did you strike that kind of a deal?"

Kyoka: ^^; "Congratulations?"

sonia: papa. *holding up chuuya's hat* you almost lost this.

Chuuya: "!!!" *pats her head* "Thank you."

miyuri: *GLOMP HUG* PAPAAAAAAAA!

Chuuya: ^^; "Miyuri..."

miyuri: *spots everyone* *GAAAASP* WOOOOOOOOOOOOW! ARE THESE ALL PEOPLE FROM THE OUTSIDE?! THERE'S SOOOO MANY OF THEM!! *shiny eyes*

sonia: oh boy.

Tanizaki: ._.; "Who’s the small child?"

miyuri: *GAAAAAASP* WOOOOAH! SANA! THE SKY! THE SKY'S ALL DIFFERENT!

Lucy: *shiny eyes* "D'aw..." *grabs Atsushi in a neck hold* "DID YOU TRY TO HURT THAT CHILD?!"

sonia: that's because it's morning.

atsushi: I WOULDNT DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT ^^;

miyuri: more-ning? what's thaaaat?

Akutagawa: "...How are you going to do this?"

Chuuya: -_-;

sonia: *pap pap* it's ok papa, i'll help out with her.

Akutagawa: "...Sonia, where were you this entire time?"

sonia: it's a very long story. we'll tell you on the way home.

-meanwhile, with mori-

Mori: ^w^

elise: where the heck are we even going? -3-;

Mori: "Home, of course~"

elise: home's the other way, you dummy!

-footsteps running up-

Mori: "Hmm?" *turns around*

-KICK TO THE FACE-

Mori: *knocked down*

katya: *holding a knife to his neck* ALRIGHT YOU NABAKOV WANNABE, WHERE'S THE GIRL?!

Mori: Q_Q *points at Elise* "There?"

katya: *looks*... ._. who the FUCK are YOU?!

elise: who the fuck are YOU?

katya: i asked you first brat!

elise: well _i_ asked you second!

Mori: "This is my ability, Elise~" ^w^

katya:......<what the everloving fucking shit?>

pushkin: *pant pant* oh...thank goodness....*phew* um...wait, you arent sonia.

elise: who the hell is HE?!

zhanna: alexsey? are these two...friends of yours?

pushkin: well...you see-

zhanna: KATYA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!

katya:...oh yeah, about that-

elise: he's a lolicon.

zhanna:....*dialing 911*

pushkin: OwO;;;;;

Mori: "I AM NOT A LOLICON!" >~<

zhanna: then what are you?

Mori: "The leader of the Port Mafia, Ougai Mori!"

zhanna:.....yes, i'd like to report that i've found the mafia boss, ougai mori?.....wait....what do you mean 'all port mafia crimes pardoned'?

pushkin: *gasp* YOU HEAR THAT KATI?! OUR CRIMES ARE PARDONED!

katya: FUCK YEAH!

elise: wait, these two are mafia? SINCE WHEN?!

zhanna:.........*hangs up phone*

pushkin: OwO;;;;;;

zhanna:.....aleksey.....may i have a moment with you, dear little brother~? ^^#

pushkin:....*gulp*

zhanna: *drags him into the alley*.....<THE MAFIA?! YOU JOINED THE MAFIA?!?! HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY?!>

Mori: "???" *looks at Katya* "...Wait, who are you again?"

katya: new mafia recruits. now tell us where the fuck sonia is-

Mori: "??? I have no idea?"

katya: THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU- *talkie buzzes* WHAT IM IN THE MIDDLE OF-....oh....wait really?.....huh.....*hangs up*....*KNEE TO THE FACE* you got off easy today.

Mori: *knocked down*

elise: you got knocked the FUCK out, rintarou!

-elsewhere-

Fyodor: *at a cafe, sipping tea*

tsujimura: *in a waitress uniform* enjoying your drink sir? ^^

Fyodor: "Very much so. I find it tastes best when you know you have only that short period when it's not too hot, not too cold."

tsujimura: would you like me to recommend our special of the day?

Fyodor: "I'm listening."

tsujimura: today's special is....*snaps fingers*

-several government officers posing as staff and customers pull out their guns, including one popping his gun out of a baby stroller-

tsujimura: you're under arrest. again.

Fyodor: "..." *smiles* *puts his hands up*

officer: you know the drill, let's go.

Fyodor: *stands, keeping his hands up* *smiles* ("All according to plan...")

-elsewhere-

higuchi:......!!!!!!!!! they're back!

leo: *patching up kajii's injuries* that's wonderful!

leroux: hello all~ ^^

hans: leroux! walter, etta, kafka! you're ok!

Motojiro: ^^;

Walter: "Yep! Guess what? I won at Smash!"

Kafka: *guiding Etta* "We need medical..." *he's bruised but healing*

george: *running back, covered in twigs and drenched* *cough cough cough*

hans: oh-oh goodness! right this way!

Gin: "??? George? Where were you?"

george: lost in the woods, wandered for a bit, got attacked by some crazy homeless kids in the woods.

Gin: "...Oh."

george: strange bunch...

sonia: *wave*

higuchi: SONIA! you're ok!

Q: ~?

Chuuya: *following*

miyuri: WOOOOOAH! WHAT A BIG HOUSE!

kouyou: ??? who's this?

Chuuya: "Everyone. This is Miyuri."

miyuri: hiiiiyaaaa! miyuri's super happy to meet everyone!! ^w^

higuchi: so i take it she's staying with us?

Chuuya: "She's staying with me. Now, let's get out of here."

higuchi: ??? chuuya, we cant exactly-

Chuuya: *hands over a piece of paper*

higuchi:..... !!!!!!!!

kouyou: my stars.....

Gin: "...H-How?"

Chuuya: "I cut a deal."

naoya: well hot damn!

Tachihara: "We get to leave here? Damn. Just when I was getting used to it..."

Motojiro: QwQ "...My teaching..."

hans: hey, you're always welcome to visit any time. our home is your home, whenever you need it.

Tachihara: "Cool. Could save on rent that way--"

sonia: *smiles*

Gin: *ear tug*

mito: *mew*

sonia: *picks her up* ^^

miyuri: WOOOOOOOOW! A KITTY!

mito: o^o mii?

Chuuya: *yawns* "Let's rest...I could use some sleep."

*footsteps*

sonia: *yaaaawn* yeah....

higuchi: !!! ryuunosuke!

Akutagawa: *waves* "Hello--"

Gin: *hug*

Akutagawa: "..." *pat pat*

higuchi: *wipes her eyes*

naoya: say, let's have a party!

Akutagawa: =_= "Okay...Could I rest first?"

naoya: by all means. *pap pap*

katya: ooooi, look what we found!

pushkin: *waves, a bit disheveled* (big sis is real scary when she's mad) TTuTT;

Akutagawa: "...!"

Mori: *waves* "Hello~"

Gin: "..." *glaring*

higuchi: -_- yaaaaaay.

katya: OI! WE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF FUCKING BULLSHIT TO FIND THIS BASTARD! AT LEAST SHOW _SOME_ ENTHUSIASM!

Akutagawa: "Yay."

higuchi: pushkin, katya, we apprecate your heard work, but, it's mori.

Mori: "Now, I need you all to get ourselves packed. We'll also need to begin repairs on the building--"

katya:....i guess. he's a fucking loser.

Mori: ^^;;;

higuchi: um, about that, you technically arent the boss again yet.

Mori: "Oh? Says who?"

hirotsu: out of bed, i see.

Mori: "Hello, good sir. Thanks for watching over things while I was indisposed."

elise: wow. lamest, welcome back party, eveeer.

Q: ELISE!

elise: Q! *HUGS*

Q: hehe! ^^ we have so much to tell you!

miura:.....if it's any comfort, _i_ was worried about you.

Mori: "I knew you would, my dear~"

miura: just 'miura' is fine, sir.

elise:....who're those guys?

Q: oh, those other people are part of 'sturm', they're cool. and that's miss leo, she's kajii's new fiancee!

elise:.....WHAT?!?! HIM?! ENGAGED?!?!

Motojiro: *waves* "Hello, Elise!"

elise: IS Q BEING SERIOUS?!?!?

leo: w-why yes.

Motojiro: "Isn't it great?"

elise: D8

leo: *rubs her stomach*

Motojiro: ^^ *snuggle*

Mori: ._.; "...Man, I was really out of it."

elise:....what....is- is she really....

Motojiro: "We're expecting!"

elise:.............NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I MUST HAVE SLIPPED INTO SOME WEIRD ALTERNATE DIMENTIOOOOOOON AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHFEKDLHFJLDKHD!!!!!!!

leo: ._.;

Motojiro: "D'aw, she's back to normal!"

naoya:...hey kid, have a candy bar.

elise: AHHHHHHHHH- *nom*

Mori: "Where's my candy bar?"

higuchi: *puts her hand into her pocket, then pulls her hand out, flipping him off*

Mori: ._.; "...When I am back in control, I'll reprimand you for that."

higuchi: just dont forget what got you into this mess.......i guess you really _do_ take after your father.

Mori: "...I think I'll retire for a few hours. Come, Miura, Elise."

miura:...

-elsewhere-

frances: well, all's well that ends well, aggy.

agatha: *over phone* indeed.

frances: im glad none of my babies had to be burnt up! ^^

agatha: speaking of your babies, listen to your one violet a moment.

frances: *doing so*..... !!!! O/////O >////< a-a-aggy! please!

barrie: ???? jack, any idea what she's talking about?

Jack: *sipping from a flask* "I don't want to know."

-elsewhere-

ranpo: *sipping ramune* ah.......(i wonder if oguri's alright where he is....)

mii: *meow*

ranpo: oh, there ya are. *pets* guess the incident's over. *opens his safe full of snacks* cheers.

-elsewhere-

blair: wow, the hospital's sure full today, isnt it katai~? ^w^

Katai: .\\\\\. "..." *nod nod* "Th-Th-Thanks for treating me..."

blair: any time, hun~ ^^ *cheek smooch*

Katai: O\\\\\\\o "Nyaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

cervantes: ah, young love, aint it beautiful?

Katai: *not responsive*

Dumas: *grunts*

marquis: so luckyyyy~! fuwaaa~ i hope i get some intimate healing too~<3

Dumas: -_-# "Stop bothering the nurse and her patient--you'll be treated when they're ready for you, you weirdo."

twain: ayyy! marquis!

marquis: marky!

twain: *waves* you guys in the hospital too?

Steinbeck: *shifting uncomfortably* "Ah...Ah..." *struggling to walk, like a toddler*

oscar: poor ebie, dear. i hope she'll be alright. she got a lot of spider bites...

Hemingway: "I once bathed in spiders. I do not recommend it..." *bandaged all over*

emily:....how are you even alive. ._.;

Hemingway: "Perseverance. Calisthenics. Protein."

marquis: hehehe, your friends are so funny, marky!

Steinbeck: T~T "So many vines...I'm still picking out leaves..."

Dumas: -_-; *thumbing through his phone*

nurse: mr steinbeck? you have visitors.

lavinia: *staaaaare*

Steinbeck: "..." ^^; *waves*

lovecraft: we brought....flowers. *hands him an entire bush*

Steinbeck: "Lovely!!!"

lovecraft: lavinia, dont you have a present for uncle john?

lavinia:....*her eyes roll back in her head as her jaw unhinges and she coughs up a tree stump*

emily: ._____________________.

marquis: o,o

Steinbeck: "Thank you, dear." *pats Lavinia's head*

oscar: Q_Q

Dumas: "...WHAT THE ACTUAL F--"

lavinia:....i wassss.....hungryyyyy....

cervantes: how thoughtful!

Dumas: *grumbles*

-elsewhere-

stocking: alright, let's get searching.

Rin: "Right! We need to follow Shura's path. Fortunately, we got her GPS signal--"

Computer: *SIGNAL LOST*

Rin: "...OH, SCREW YOU!"

gilda: *signing and pointing to a picture of shura*

Rin: "???"

salaryman: <what on earth is with her hair? is she some kind of subculture girl? what are they called, 'gyaru'?>

Salaryman 2: <Wait--she looks familiar...>

stocking: <you've seen her?>

Salaryman 2: *nods* <Yes--she got into a cab after me.>

stocking: <do you know where she went?>

Salaryman 2: <She said she was going to Lake Towada.>

Yukio: "Which matches what we already know..."

stocking: <thank you very much sir.>

Rin: "So we're cabbing it to the Lake?"

*A nearby electronics shop has weather reports*

stocking: guess so.

Yukio: "Except the roads are covered in ice."

stocking: hmmm....

Rin: "Maybe a taxi has snow-chains or something--"

*IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOUD ENGINE*

gilda: OxO;;

Taxi Driver: "Taxi? Need a taxi?!" *they've modified their cab with monster wheels and a plow*

stocking:....huh...

Rin: "Cool! You take credit card?"

Taxi Driver: "Sure thing, kid! Hop in."

-elsewhere-

kirika: *grumbles and sits up* =~=

lord death: *pokes head in* hey there, sweetie! just checking in on ya!

kirika: well, im better than yesterday....i guess.....

lord death: well, nygus will be here later to check up on you, since the hospital's rather busy today.

kirika: *grunt*

lord death: oh, and your boyfriend is here to visit.

Gopher: Q^Q "..."

kirika: hey....y'know, after yesterday's shitshow, you being here is actually an improvement, goph.

Gopher: >~< "I was so worried!" *hug*

kirika: h-hey now, you're gonna get sick too, moron.

lord death: *exits*

Gopher: "I don't care--I take plenty of vitamin C and want to share my good health through my hug!"

kirika:...*chuckle* you're one weird kid, y'know?.......*sigh*

Gopher: "Do you feel better?"

kirika:.....i feel drained....a lot's happened this week....

Gopher: "Are you eating and sleeping? Did you see a doctor?"

kirika: -_-; yeah, a doctor was here...but yeah, i've been eating and sleeping and shit....

Gopher: *nods* "Yes, digestive health is also important."

kirika: *chuckle*.......*sigh*.....mind if i talk about everything? might help, i guess....

Gopher: "I'm all ears."

-she explains what all happened in shirase town-

Gopher: "Jeez...That's a lot for you to deal with. That punk didn't hurt you, did she?"

kirika: pssh, like i'd get owned by some rookie kid, haha!

Gopher: ^w^ "Good. As for the town itself...Will your sister be okay?"

kirika:...she seems to be doing well....it's so weird....everything feels...different now....it's nice but.....it's scary......

mocha: *nuzzle* ^w^

Gopher: *smiles* "...A lot has changed..."

kirika: yeah.....*hugs* thanks for being consistent, you little weirdo.

Gopher: O\\\\w\\\\O "Al-Always..."

kirika: *smug grin* now dont go getting any ideas. *tiny chop*

Gopher: O\\\\\\O "Wh-What on earth do you mean?"

kirika:.... 737;

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Hello! Two donuts, please!"

clerk: coming right up!

lukas: ._.;;;

Saria: ^^ "Anything else you want, Lukas?"

Clerk 2: "--and then the cake was gone! And five bucks was left!"

lukas:......im good, thanks....

clerk 3: i think your sleeping meds are messing with you again, dave.

Dave: "Shut up, Stewart--I know what you do with the leftover muffins!" >_<#

-elsewhere-

ochako: *playing some fantasy quest online with some other UA students* so then i saw like this big plane flying towards death city, and then it turned around! i guess they're doing flight practices or something.

jirou: could be.

eijiro: that does make sense.

kinako: dude, that's rad.

Aoyama: "Oui. They must not be revealing the reasons so not to alarm residents."

ochako: maybe. still, it was pretty cool to see. i would have taken a picture, but my camera was charging. would have made for a pretty cool background.

jirou: you could always ‘shop one up.

ochako: that's true.

eijiro: also wtf was that fog last night?

ochako: oh ya, that was pretty weird.

Mina: "Yeah, really--it came out of nowhere. It's not even fall."

Monoma: "I SAW WEIRD FOG DURING MY TRAVELS OVERSE--"

jirou: probably one of those weird death city things.

Aoyama: *holds up a hand* "Begone."

-elsewhere-

kirako: morning everyone. ^^

Kyoka: *yawns*

Tanizaki: Q_Q

fukuzawa: indeed.

Dazai: *sips tea* "Hello~"

atsushi: i'm so exhausted T-T;;

Kunikida: "--YOU WERE BELLIGERENT, OUT OF COMMUNICATION, PUT THIS CITY AND WORLD AT RISK--"

aya: what's biting _his_ butt?

Dazai: *puts headphones on*

Kyoka: "Things were rather violent last night, Aya."

aya: did you guys do some super cool detective stuff and i totally missed out?! boooo. =3=

-knocks-

atsushi: ?? oh! l-lucy!

Lucy: *dramatic finger point* "Doppo Kunikida! I'm calling you out!"

atsushi: huh?

aya: eh?

Kunikida: -_-# "...Atsushi, get your girlfriend out of here. We have important business to deal with and no time for--"

Lucy: *grabs Kunikida by his tie, pulling him until his forehead slams into hers*

atsushi: D8

Kunikida: O_O;

yosano: oh shit.

aya: WHAT THE HECK, LADY?!

Lucy: "LISTEN UP! I just spent hours trapped by my own ability in a whimsical psychedelic world of my own making, so I'm only asking this once..."

Kunikida: O_O;

Lucy: "..." *gets on her hands and knees* "PLEASE ACCEPT ME AS YOUR STUDENT!"

atsushi:.....wait what?

aya:.....*blinks*

Kunikida: ._.;;; "...I have a lot of work to do today--"

Lucy: *looks up, glaring*

atsushi: lucy?

Kunikida: "!!!" *backs up* "Two-Two o'clock?"

Lucy: *bounces up, smiling* "Yes, thank you, sir." *bows* *smiles at Atsushi* ^^

atsushi:...^^ congrats!

Lucy: "...AND YOU! Did you get enough sleep?!"

atsushi: well....i dont think _any_ of us did.

sylvia: .~.

ranpo: dazai just snuck out.

Lucy: "Then get home early to catch up! ..." T~T "Because I didn't either...I'm going back to Anne's Room..."

*the window is open*

-elsewhere-

Dazai: "Ow...Ow..." *takes a step* "This was easier when I was younger..."

-on the roof of a building-

Dazai: "??? Oh. Am I late?"

???: took ya long enough.

Dazai: "Sorry--had something important to discuss."

-yana turns back and looks at him-

yana: rough night?

Dazai: "You would know." *sits on the ledge, kicks up his feet* "It was a real killer~"

yana: you dont look too dead to me. guess you took my advice and kept an antidote in your mouth. im surprised.

Dazai: "Yes, thank you. But next time, find one with better flavor and fewer side-effects--I've been itchy all morning."

yana: *chuckles* no promises......so you brought the info you promised?

Dazai: *holds up the file, fanning himself with it* "Of course~"

yana: *examining it* thanks........Olivia Wallace....she looks just like me....

Dazai: "Neat, huh? So, that's your DNA donor?"

yana: yeah...that's mom.....*smiles* thanks for doing this for me....

Dazai: "You're welcome. Thanks for letting me live."

yana: *chuckles* sure fam, sure....

Dazai: "Why do you want to leave?"

yana:....the rats.....it's a toxic environment. me being one 8th of dos, means i'm often compared to him...he's my DNA dad, yet he's never been a 'dad' for me.....i've only existed as a pawn for his own goals. i guess....i want to find something to live for, for me.

Dazai: "..." *nods* "Better than the alternative, huh?"

yana:..yeah....i guess....*takes her glasses off* you know......the sunlight...feels kinda nice.

Dazai: "Warm summer light..." *looks at her* "You're kinda pale."

yana: to be fair, i've spent way too much time underground.

Dazai: "Makes sense...But you're heading back there?"

yana: ....*shakes head* i had you look my mom up for a reason.

Dazai: "And how are you getting there?"

yana: i'll find a way.

Dazai: "Got it. Don't get yourself killed."

yana: hehe.....shame im leaving. i feel we could be real good friends...

Dazai: *smirks* "Don't sell me so short." *stretches--then winces* "Ah...You know how to reach me."

yana: yeah.....one more thing. if you ever meet a girl named Anya Hepburn. tell her that im sorry, and that i hope she meets someone who makes her happy.

Dazai: "??? What, that princess?"

yana:...yeah....we-...almost kinda had something....didnt work out.

Dazai: "...Relatable. Cursed?"

yana:...maybe, maybe it's just shit luck....but at the very least, she deserves some closure. she's a good person.

Dazai: *looks down to the street, where Atsushi is following Lucy* "Rare to find those kind of people..."

yana:....yeah....best of luck to you then.

Dazai: "Same to you, kid."

-elsewhere-

Fitzgerald: *his hand is bandaged* "Sorry for my lateness..."

louisa: Q_Q;;;;

daisy: what on earth happened to you?!

bram: *collapsed on the floor* *muffled groans*

Fitzgerald: "Evidently someone caused Abilities to turn against their owners." *frowns* "No amount of money could assuage my 'other half.'"

Toby: *nudges Louisa*

mary: marinara pop tarts were a mistake.

louisa: *pet pet*

Fitzgerald: "Any appointments?"

daisy: yes, you have a meeting with a mr danglars coming up later this month.

Fitzgerald: "Ah, from the shipping company. Any dirt you find on him?"

daisy: i beg pardon? ._.;

Fitzgerald: "Blackmail material. Illegal activities. Failed marriages. Children born out of wedlock. Unpaid parking tickets. Has Eckleburg been falling down on the job?"

daisy: -_-; i'll get right on it.

-elsewhere-

erina: .......

Jordan: "Zzz..."

erina:.....alli?

Allison: "Hey, roomie!" *holding her phone* "Now, this may be triggering, but it's good news."

erina: .....?

Allison: "...Dostoyevsky has been arrested."

erina: !!!! r-really!?

Allison: "Really really!"

erina: that's great i-...i.....*shaking*

Allison: "..." *smiles, hugs*

Jordan: *yawns* "Hmm? Oh, hey, Allison. Erina, what's up?"

erina: w-w-what if he gets o-out again?! w-what if he comes after me?! ................*staring off into space*

Jordan: "...Allison?"

erina: ...........................

Allison: "He's not out now. He's locked up. So...Are you going to stay here forever?"

erina:..............................

Jordan: "...Erina..." *holds her hand*

erina:....*blinks* hu-huh? w-what....what just happened? j-jordan?

Jordan: "...Let's get you home."

erina:.....im never going to get better from this....am i?

Jordan: "You don't know what the future has in front of you."

Allison: "You're going to get better--I promise!"

erina:....i....i need help.....

Allison: "..." *nods*

Jordan: "We'll call up a doc today."

-elsewhere-

Sansa: "Color of the vehicle?"

garage owner: kind of a navy blue?

Sansa: "I see. Let me check the datab--" O_O;;;;;; "...Um...I found a car matching your description."

-there is a car completely on fire-

-meanwhile-

yosano: .________.

naomi: holy shit kyouka.

Kyoka: "It was the most logical solution."

Tanizaki: "..." *sighs* "I'll get a gift basket ordered..."

fukuzawa:....................

ranpo: certified chaotic good.

Kyoka: "...Am I to be punished?"

fukuzawa: *walks up to kyouka....*head pat* everyone makes mistakes. try not to do it again.

Kyoka: ^^ "Thank you, sir."

-elsewhere-

-audience cheering-

audience: LILISA! TSURURI! YAMAMIN! LILISA! TSURURI! YAMAMIN!

audience dude: UWOOOOOOOOOO! YAMAMIN-CHAN IS BEST GIRL WUOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

creepy dude:.....

Announcer: "And now to perform 'Shabon Song'--you know them, you love them--Misa Yamamura, Ruri Tsubomi, and Lisa Iori!"

-cheering intensifies-

-the girls do their performance-

Announcer: *watching*

audience member: TSURURI BE MY WIFE!

audience: LISA IORI FOR THE WIIIN!!

creepy dude:....*slips into the shadows*

-the girls finish their song-

-MASSIVE CHEERING-

lisa iori: *waves*

misa: ^^

lisa iori: thanks for coming today everyone!

guy in audience: I LOVE YOU LILISA!

lisa iori: and i love _you_ random side character!

-in the backstage-

lisa iori: uuuuuugh, fuuuuuck, my heels are goddamn killing me. *chewing gum*

misa: wow, full house today, huh miss producer? .w.;;

Producer: "Not bad, kiddos."

lisa iori: swear, im getting too old for this shit....

ruri: ^^;

misa: i'm gonna get some sodas for us, ok?

lisa iori: bring me a morning rescue, ok?

misa: *nods and heads to the vending machines* ^^

creepy guy:....hello....yamamin.

misa: eep! oh, um...hi there. ^^ im almost done with the machine now-

creepy guy: im not here for soda...

misa: eh?

creepy guy: *approaching* sing for me...

-text on producer's phone-

Producer: "???" *checks*

misa: [hi miss producer! ^^ there was a creepy guy here @ the machines. scary! >~< ]

Producer: "..."

ruri: did something happen?

Producer: "Yes." *marches to the door--*

-text message-

Producer: *looks*

misa: [btw i think i have powers now]

Producer: "... ... ...What?"

misa: [what do i do??? D8> ]

Producer: "..." *texts* [scare the creep away with these powers]

misa: *trembling as vines have come out of the ground with dark purple flowers, which have drained the life from the creepy guy* m-m-miss p-producer? w-what do i do? *she's crying*

Producer: "..." *looks at the creep* "...First, can you reverse this? Second, we'll get you help."

misa: i-i dont know, i-it just happened! i-is is he...is he..

Producer: *checks* "...No pulse."

misa:....*screaming* ah. ah.....*throws up*

ruri: what's-? !!!!! misa!

lisa iori: what the fucking shit?!

-elsewhere-

tsugumi: and luck with fani?

mio: not that i see, no.

Meme: "She's...taking her time to get used to things. You know, new city, new school...New terms of imprisonment."

mio: pretty stubborn too. =3=

tsugumi: sounds like she's...a tough nut to crack. *finger guns*

mio:...no. you did not. you seriously did not.

Meme: ^^; "Ha."

mio: please dont encourage her. -_-;

tsugumi: ^^;

Meme: "For now, we just have to keep trying to reach her...I'm sure she'll come around."

-elsewhere-

sonia: *snoozing*

miyuri: zzzzzzz

mito: *sleep purring*

Chuuya: "Zzz..." *has his arms out, the kids sleeping on them*

kouyou:....*small smile and slowly closes the door*

Gin: *standing outside the door on guard duty* "..."

kouyou: they're all tuckered on out....

higuchi: yeah....its just.....hard to believe....*wipes her eyes* this is wonderful....we can finally go home.

etta: im super happy for you all! ^^

hans: i'd be lying if i said i wouldnt miss your company.

Gin: "We appreciate what you have done. I'm sure Hirotsu and the others would like to repay you."

hans: we're just helping out, from one group of ability users to another.

higuchi: goethe still drinking in his room?

hans: yes. *sigh*

-in his room-

goethe: *sips wine* ah....strange.....an ability that can turn abilities against the user...how strange.....ah...i wonder what you'd think about that, you crazy old genius...

-elsewhere-

preston: well, aint this just a predicament?

Yafeu: "WHAT EVEN ARE THOSE THINGS?! DEMONS?"

Patty: "I think they're masks? They still have tags on them..." *grabs one by the face*

Demon 1: "OW!"

Patty: "Nope--this one is real."

preston: *aims and shoots*

Patty: "Sis!" *transforms*

Demon 2: *dodging* "I just wanted the money--not this shit!"

liz: *shooting*

Demon 3: *somehow has a stick in the air with a white flag...no...a white shirt?...waving it* "We surrender!"

liz:...

-BANG-

liz: *phew*

preston: mission accomplished.

Yafeu: "IS THIS NORMAL? THEY JUST GAVE UP THIS EASILY."

Patty: *counting stolen money from the bank*

-elsewhere-

Kazue: *ribbon hanging off of sword form* <Tighten your grip, or I'll go flying.>

amelia: *holding on* right. *SLASH SLASH*

Black Star: *blocking with Tsubaki's Uncanny Sword* "Watch your right." *about to kick at her right*

-BLOCK-

Black Star: "Nice! Now your left!" *swings*

-BLOCK-

Black Star: *smirks* "Good work. What do you think, Tsubaki?"

tsubaki: she's really good at this.

Black Star: "Like she's used a blade before..."

amelia:.....

Black Star: "Well, let's take a break. We'll get some tea."

amelia: thank you.

-elsewhere-

Soul: "...So...When's Spirit getting married, Izumi?"

izumi: i think sometime in june? i'll have to ask again....

Soul: "Hmm...Glad for him and your mom..."

Asher: "..."

izumi: yeah......

Asher: "...So, what're we doing?" *looks around the trees*

Soul: *points at Izumi* "You can't read souls, right?"

izumi:....*shakes head no*....

Soul: "Which puts you at a disadvantage for soul resonance."

Asher: "?!"

Soul: "I could knock Asher out of your hand, and they'd revert to human form like that--" *snaps fingers*

izumi:.......

Soul: "So, you two needs to strengthen that bond." *puts on boxing punch mitts* "Aim the tonfa for my mitt, and keep striking. I'm going to try to break your bond."

izumi: o-ok then.....*gulps*

Asher: *groans, turns into tonfa*

Soul: *pats the mitt* "Right here."

izumi: *AIMS*

Asher: "Let's do it!"

izumi: HAAAH!

Soul: *absorbs the blow* "Harder."

izumi: HUOOOOOO!

Soul: *absorbs the next blow* "Is that all you got? I can't even feel it. What's your weapon even doing?"

izumi: grk-....HAAAAAAA!!!!

Asher: "We'll show you what we got!"

*Asher's tonfa glows*

Soul: "?!!!"

*POW*

Soul: "AH!" *holds his arm*

izumi: ah-!

Soul: "Stop! Ah..."

izumi:....is your arm alright?

Soul: "Y-Yeah...Just numb. You struck a nerve..."

Asher: "...Sorry."

izumi:........s-sorry....

Soul: "Hey, it's fine. I told you to hit harder...And that glow shows something."

izumi: you did really great, asher!

Asher: "...I didn't do anything..." >_>;

izumi: neither did i, really ^^;

Soul: "You had a stronger resonating rate than usual. So now you need to figure out what you did differently...You either really got into it, or you both just got really pissed at the right moment together."

izumi: hmm.....

Asher: "...I was pretty annoyed with you, Death Scythe...But I felt something else coming off of Izumi...I don't know."

Soul: -_-;

izumi: really? i didnt feel anything come from me though... ^^;

Soul: "Well, I need to put ice on this...Ah...Go over to that dummy over there and keep hitting its mitts until I get back."

*The dummy has Stein's face drawn onto it*

izumi: *sweatdrop*

Asher: "...You could've taken one of that bear's masks?"

Soul: "I'd like _not_ to have Tezca talk to me. Ever." *walks away*

izumi:......*sigh*

Asher: "..." *human form* "We need a break, too. How are you?"

izumi: ok, i guess..........did i make the right choice?

Asher: "...You want a new partner?"

izumi: no, im not saying that! i mean...did i make the right choice, coming to the DWMA?

Asher: "...What's making you think that?"

izumi: i mean, i dont really have any talent as a meister, and i barely know how to fight. i dont even have any real skills or soul perception or anything.

Asher: "Yeah, but did every student who came here know how to fight?"

izumi: i guess _some_ did? ......

Asher: "...Well, they aren't letting us do heavy-duty combat classes until we get through physical stuff..." *pokes her forearm* "Build up muscles, I guess."

izumi: =3=;

Asher: *smirks* "Maybe ask Death Scythe for a training regiment?"

izumi: can i even do that?

Asher: "Of course you can--you're Izumi Albarn."

izumi:............

Asher: "...So, ready to bash that dummy and build up some muscle?"

izumi:....y-yeah....

-elsewhere-

Tezca: "How're your charges holding up, Esther?"

esther: quite well i'd think. and yours~? ^^

Tezca: "Super! We got them on espionage training."

esther: oh, and how's that been for them?

Tezca: "I think they're taking well to the horse suit."

-elsewhere-

naho: *humming*

???: hiya miss naho!

naho: ?? !! ame!

ame: *HUG* hehe! ^^

Ame's Father: "Oh, hello." *smiles*

naho: hiya mr isawa!

ame: lookie lookie! my hair's growing longer again, see? *holds up her pigtails*

naho: oh that's great! you look so cute!

ame: ^w^

Mr. isawa: "Is that a school uniform, Naho?"

naho: oh this? well sorta, i thought i'd wear a more stylized uniform today. ^^

mrs isawa: oh right! you were in that fashion show recently werent you?

Mr. Isawa: "How did it go?"

naho: it was super fun, and i even got to meet yamamin in person! she's an idol singer btw.

Mr. Isawa: "I see." ^^; "We were taking Ame out to the park."

naho: oh that sounds nice. have fun! ^^

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Just focus on your aim..."

lukas:...*inhales*

Saria: *smiles in her weapon form, closes her eyes, trying to resonate with him*

lukas:...*aims and strikes*

*Perfect hit*

lukas: !!! YAY! ^u^

Saria: "Great work! We were in sync there!" ^^

lukas: yeah...

-elsewhere-

higuchi: *knocks*

Chuuya: "Hmm?" *opens the door*

higuchi: hey, the party's just about ready. how're the girls?

Chuuya: "Getting ready. Thanks for finding a dress for Miyuri."

miyuri: WOOOOW it's so soft!

Chuuya: ^^; "Ready to head out, Miyuri?"

miyuri: *nod nod*

sonia:...yes papa.

Chuuya: *pats Sonia's head* "That dress looks great."

sonia: *smiles*

Chuuya: "Let's get going..."

-in the party room-

miyuri: *shiny eyes* WOOOOAH!

Walter: *turns on the remote for the disco ball*

miyuri: *GASP* WHAT IS THAT?!

Walter: "A mirror ball! Perfect for getting down to boogie!"

miyuri: oooooooh.

sonia: ^^;

Motojiro: *putting snacks onto a plate*

miyuri: *sniff sniff* !!! *looking at the snacks* *drools*

Motojiro: "Anything you want, Miyuri?"

miyuri: *staaaaaring at the snacks* *spots wasabi* what's that?

Motojiro: "Wasabi. It's kind of spicy?"

miyuri: *nom*.... OuO ...... QuQ;;;;;

Chuuya: "!!!" *hands Miyuri some punch*

miyuri: >XP the green stuff is yucky!

sonia: *sweatdrop*

Motojiro: "Maybe something sweet?"

miyuri: yes please!

Chuuya: *offers a cupcake*

miyuri: *nom* MMMMM!! >w<

Chuuya: ^^;

sonia: uncle kajii, if it's not too much to ask, do you think you can come over sometimes to help tutor miyuri?

Motojiro: QwQ "Of course! I was hoping someone would want me to help..."

sonia: thank you.

higuchi: ^^; (from terrorist bomber to teacher. this mafia sure is something else...)

Gin: "Ichiyo. May I speak with you?"

higuchi: um s-sure! whats up?

Gin: *pulls her aside*

higuchi: ah-

Gin: *they are in a separate room* "We need to speak privately about something important."

higuchi: ._.;;;

Gin: "While we are now pardoned of previous actions, the threat we faced also exposed our previous residences."

higuchi:...yeah...it did....

Gin: "Since we are all finding new places to live, I do not want you and your sister to be unprotected..."

higuchi: gin...

Gin: "..." *reaches into her purse, and removes a key*

higuchi: oh!

Gin: "I'm sorry for not asking you first...but I found a place for Ryu and me. We would be happy to have both of you live with us."

higuchi: i would love to!

Walter: "How's it going, Etta?"

etta: doing better. my wrists are a little sore still, so i'm taking it easy.

Walter: "Yeah. That was crazy...Good thing you and Kafka survived it."

etta: yeah....im glad franzy was there...

Walter: ^w^ "You told him that?"

etta: hm?

Walter: "I think he'd like to hear it--he was really concerned for you."

etta: *nods* ok! ^^

Walter: "Speak of the devil!" *flips over the couch, sneaking away*

Kafka: *walks into the room, looking around*

etta: *waves* ^^

Kafka: "!!! ..." *wave*

Q: and this is elise!

elise: hi everyone!

tom: hi!

bessy: your hair is pretty!

elise: ^^

Wilhelm: "Where are you from?"

elise: well it's a bit of a long story.

higuchi:...hey gin? how big is the new house?

Gin: "1 master room, 1 bedroom each for our siblings, 1 guest room..."

higuchi: do you think the guest room can be for a 5th person?

Gin: "Someone you have in mind?"

higuchi: ...i think we should adopt Q.

Gin: "...I see."

higuchi: he's been through enough, maybe we could rehabilitate him in a loving home?

Gin: "..." *small smile* " 'Loving'?"

higuchi: .////.;

Gin: "I would be happy to...if it's with you." *holds her hand*

higuchi: =///////=

Gin: "Let's speak with Q."

katya: speakin of loving homes, dont you and lev have a wedding to plan, kajii?

Motojiro: "..." O_O;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

leo: ^^;

Motojiro: "My mind just reeled from the expanded options now that we are no longer confined to this location--so many more options for the ceremony, reception, honeymoon--Too much--"

leo: *pats his shoulder* it's ok, <love>.

Motojiro: ^\\\\^;

-elsewhere-

atsushi: *passed out on the futon* =~= longest.....day.....ever......sleep has never been more needed.

Kyoka: =_= *yawns*

sylvia: *asleep*

Kyoka: "..." *tucks Sylvia in* "I think we all need sleep..." *yawns*

atsushi: yeah....

Kyoka: *lies down...* "Zzz..."

atsushi:...

Odasaku: Still not sleeping?

atsushi: (trying to...)

Odasaku: (Sorry--I didn't mean to interrupt.)

atsushi: (it's fine...)

Odasaku: (...I know Dazai appreciated what you did.)

atsushi:...*nods*

Odasaku: (What will you do now with what you have learned?)

atsushi: (nothing i really _can_ do but move forward.)

Odasaku: (...I suppose you're right.)

atsushi:.....(should i wait to tell dazai about...you know..?)

Odasaku: (...This is your body. I don't think I have a say in your decision.)

atsushi:... (good point.) *sigh* (maybe i shouldnt say anything for now.)

Odasaku: (I'm sure he'll understand.)

atsushi: yeah.....night.

Odasaku: (Good night.)

-elsewhere-

Poe: "..." *lying in bed, staring at the wall*

lana: feeling better, edgar?

Poe: "..." *shakes his head*

lana: ...*hug*

Poe: *shivers, quiet sob*

lana: i love you, you know that?

Poe: "Y-Yes...It was knowing that fact that kept me living..."

lana: *kiss on the cheek*

Poe: T\\\\\T *hug*

lana: say, why dont i invite rowena and ranpo over for tea tomorrow?

Poe: "...Okay. Yes."

-elsewhere-

naomi: hey bro? still cant sleep?

Tanizaki: "Sorry...Was I keeping you awake?"

naomi: *shakes head* i brought hot cocoa if that helps.

Tanizaki: *nods* "Sounds good...Marshmallows?"

naomi: mmhmm ^^ how about tomorrow you, me, and kirako visit one of the cat cafe's in the shopping street?

Tanizaki: "Gr-Great." ^^;

-elsewhere-

kenji: hey yosano? my friend nankichii's gonna be sleeping over tonight, is that ok?

nankichii: *holding onto kenji's sleeve, crying*

Yosano: "Sure. Hello, Nankichii."

nankichii: *hic* s-scary, this place is scary! i-i wanna go back to ihatov! *sobs*

kenji: *rubs his back* it's ok, nankichii, gon wont bully you anymore.

gon: kon kon! i said i was sorry! >3<

Yosano: ^^; "I see you had your own experience..." *stretches* "I'm done from hospital work, so just keep it down."

kenji: ok. come on nankichii. we'll make a blanket fort!

Yosano: ^^ *yawns* *grabs a glass*

-elsewhere-

Dumas: "..." *staring at a laptop screen*

marquis: *sleeping, holding his pillow* mama....papa...dont go...

Dumas: "..." *sighs* *searches online for a name*

-some results come up-

-there are photos of a woman named 'Mercedes'-

Dumas: "..." *clicks a social media profile*

-one page is Mercedes Mondego, she's holding a young toddler boy-

Dumas: "... ... ..." *buries his face into his hands, lets out something between a groan and a sob*

emily: hnn? hullo? =.= *still half asleep*

Dumas: "..." *wipes his eyes* "Hey."

emily: is everything ok with you?

Dumas: "...Just looking up someone."

emily: ah.

Dumas: "...How are your comrades recovering?"

emily: well, they're doing well. they managed to get all the poison out of ebie, so she's resting right now too.

Dumas: "Hmm...Good. ...Did you have a similar experience?"

emily: well...

Dumas: "???"

emily:.. *shakes head* it's nothing.

Dumas: "...It's none of my business, but that doesn't sound like 'nothing.'"

emily: ....

Dumas: "...You like dogs?"

emily: i suppose so.

Dumas: "This is mine." *shows his laptop*

emily: aw, how cute!

Dumas: "That's Haydee. I adopted her."

emily: she's so sweet. ^^

Dumas: *nods* "Very affectionate..." *points at Marquis* "Even to this goof."

emily: ^^;

Dumas: "Your people have pets?"

-elsewhere-

stocking: here we are.

Rin: "Looks kinda empty..."

gilda:.....*knocks*

manager: yessss?

Yukio: <Hello. We are interested in rooms for the night.>

stocking: <room for 4 please>

manager: <right this way please.>

Rin: *looking at the decor* "Looks pleasant enough. How're the baths here?"

manager: <quite nice. the young lady that was here asked the same thing.>

Yukio: "???" <With striking hair?>

manager: <yes, quite unusual for this area>

Rin: "As our map said..."

manager: <well, here's your room. and feel free to reserve a private bath if you need to.>

gilda: *smiles*

Rin: "Cool! I'll take one--"

Yukio: "Sit down and help me review these maps."

Rin: -3-

manager: <enjoy your stay.> *exits*

*there's another room, locked up*

gilda:......*pokes the lock*

???: "OUCH!" *thump*

gilda: !!!!! *startled jump*

stocking: ?!? what the heck?!

Yukio: "???" *pulls out his gun, aims for the door--*

gilda: D8

stocking: yukio, you're gonna get us thrown out!

Yukio: *to the neighbor* "Exit right now, or I'm giving you a failing grade and reporting you to Pheles."

Rin: "...Yuki, in the real world, no one caves into bad grades from people who aren't their teachers--you'd have better luck with the gun."

stocking: *sweatdrop* let me handle this. *ahem* excuse me, are you alright over there? sorry my friend poked you in the eye. ^^;

???: *struggling to change their voice* "It-It's fine! You're a very nice lady, and I know you're sincere in your apology..."

stocking: not a problem. ^^; (hmm....) why dont you guys go check the baths out? im gonna see if there's a vending machine.

???: *small annoyed groan* -_-;

Yukio: "But we have maps to review--"

Rin: *already dragging Yukio away* ^w^

stocking: ^^ .......

-elsewhere-

lydia: *packing boxes*

Ivan: *shaking* <Wh-Where is Master? And Young Master?>

lydia: it's ok, vanya. fyodor did mention this being part of the plan, remember?

Ivan: *sniffles*

lydia:....*pats his back*

Gogol: *looking outside* "..."

elizaveta: *hug*

Gogol: ^^; *hugs her*

elizaveta: *holds up leila* *wrrr* *different voice* it's ok, kolya! you still have us!

Gogol: *nods* "I know--and I appreciate you both." *head pat*

elizaveta: ^w^

lydia:......*sigh* <our numbers are dwindling more and more....>

Ivan: <And we have to move quickly out of here.>

lydia:

Ivan: <So, what, we leave her?>

lydia: <if we bring her, it'll take up time and risk us getting caught. just one of those sacrifices we have to make.......>

Ivan:

lydia:.....*nods* (it hurts looking at her......it reminds me of-...) *bites her lip* <r-right.>

Ivan: <I'll get the prisoners...I'll need help since we lack the previous servants.>

lydia: <right.> ...... <perhaps we should contact our base back in st petersburg to send recruits?>

Ivan: <Shall I?>

lydia: *nods*

-elsewhere-

Inka: O_O;;;;;; "..." *rubs her eyes*

sasori: *asleep*

Inka: "..." *lies next to her*

sasori:...mmn....mama....

Inka: "..." *hug*

-morning-

Chuuya: "Zzz..."

mito: *paws at his hair*

Chuuya: *grumbles, turning*

miyuri: zzzzzz

sonia: *yaaawn*

Chuuya: =_= *yawn* *looks*

miyuri: zzzzzzz....

Chuuya: "..." *carefully getting up to go to the kitchen*

sonia: miyuri, its time to wake up now.

miyuri: *yaaaaawn*

sonia: papa, can we have pancakes?

miyuri: ??

Chuuya: *nods* "Coming right up."

miyuri: *looking around*

*there's a window facing the forest*

miyuri: *peeeeeek*

*looks like Akutagawa is outside, looking at the woods*

miyuri: *knocks*

Akutagawa: *turns*

miyuri: *waving* hiya! ^^

Akutagawa: "..." *nods*

miyuri: ^^

sonia: come on miyuri. the kitchen's this way.

Akutagawa: "..." *waves*

miyuri: *takes a seat* what's all that stuff?

sonia: that's the refrigerator, it keeps things cold. and that's the oven. it makes things warm.

miyuri: oooooh!

Chuuya: *at the stove, flipping the pancake*

miyuri: *sniffs* mmmm~ smells yummy. =w=

Chuuya: "Any fruit with it, kids?"

miyuri: *looking at everything*

Chuuya: "...I guess take it slow..." *sets down a glass of orange juice*

sonia: maybe start with just syrup and butter first.

miyuri: okaaay.

Chuuya: "Okay..." *sets out the syrup and butter before plating the pancakes*

miyuri: *nom*...*WIDE EYES* .......

sonia: ._. miyu-

miyuri: MIYURI CAN SEE ETERNITY!!! 8D

Chuuya: .___. "..." *takes back the syrup bottle--*

sonia: *sweatdrop*

Chuuya: "Sonia, make sure she packs...and keep her away from sugar."

sonia: noted.

miyuri: miyuri doesnt have anything to pack though.

Chuuya: "...Well, you have that new dress?"

miyuri: ^^

Chuuya: ^^;

-elsewhere-

shinra: *YAAAAAWN*

Relan: "Morning..."

shinra: morning. *streeeeetch*

lisa: oh hey, your up.

shinra:.....hey rel, when did we get a new recruit?

-CHOP-

lisa: -_-# its me, lisa.

Relan: ^^; "I love the new hair."

shinra: >3<; im sorry! i didnt recognize you cuz of the hair!

lisa: yeah, decided to try something new.

Vulcan: ^^ "It's great." *passes a hand on the back of her neck*

lisa: *blush* thanks vul.

Vulcan: ^\\\\^

-elsewhere-

Lucy: *knock knock knock* "I'm ready to begin my training! ...Hello? Open up!"

Kunikida: =_= *pulls blankets over himself*

aya: kunikida, lucy's here!

Kunikida: "It's not even 7 AM. Tell her to come back--"

*PUNCH*

*the door is knocked down*

aya: she's in.

Lucy: *the doorway now seems to show Anne's room behind her* ^w^ "I'm ready to train!"

Kunikida: =_= "...We'll begin with morning exercises. Aya, show her the usual stretching exercises...I need to get replacement hinges..." *writing in his notebook, summoning hinges*

aya: yes sir! *salutes*

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: *holding up Konro's medicine, looking over its manufacturer* "..."

kabuki: been quite a lot of excitement these past few days, hasnt there?

Benimaru: "Uh huh..." *sets it down* *groans*

kabuki: sir?

Benimaru: "...I have to do it."

kabuki: ??

Benimaru: "..." *writes something down* "Go to the Fifth and drop this off. Make sure only the Commander there sees it. I have to do something at home."

kabuki: *examines* very well sir.

Benimaru: *nods* *walks towards home*

*two sets of eyes watch from the alley*

???: "..."

-elsewhere-

Kyoka: "Feeling better?"

atsushi: yeah.

Kyoka: "..." *head pat* "You're doing good."

atsushi: *smiles* thanks

Kyoka: "Want to go out today?"

atsushi: sure!

sylvia: o-ok..

Kyoka: "We can get lunch, shop..."

atsushi: why dont we visit the museum today?

Kyoka: "Oh, good."

sylvia: t-that sounds nice.

Kyoka: "Any new exhibits?"

atsushi: i think there's one on robots and aliens. ^^

Kyoka: "...'Aliens'?"

atsushi: like in the movies.

Kyoka: "Ah. We should watch some movies, too--maybe this weekend."

atsushi: sounds good. ^^ maybe i'll even invite lucy, if she's not busy.

Kyoka: "Like training."

-elsewhere-

sayaka: welp, got my stuff packed, and i leave for hoozuki first thing tomorrow.

ouya: ^^ you be safe, you hear?

sayaka: i will, mom.

Mr. Miki: "And call home."

sayaka: will do!

-elsewhere-

Spirit: ._.; "You both look exhausted..." *sets down breakfast*

sachiko: no kidding. *sigh* -~- *takes coffee mug* come to mama, sweet brown medicine.

Spirit: ^^; *hands an ice pack to Izumi*

izumi: thanks dad.

Spirit: "How's training?"

izumi:...it's been good.

Spirit: "Well, if you're sore, that may indicate you're strengthening...And if Soul gives you any trouble--" *summons a blade* "--_you let me know~_..."

izumi: ^^;;; will do.

-elsewhere-

Rin: =w= *curled up in the bed*

stocking: [morning, kiddo <3]

Kid: [good morning. miss u, love 💗 ]

stocking: [u get the pics i sent? *winky emoticon*]

Kid: [oh yes .\\\. very much appreciated. have fun?]

stocking: [so far. dinner was delish last night.]

Kid: [oh? fancy?]

stocking: [it was interesting. mission work will begin today. secondary mission is to try some traditional japanese sweets]

Kid: [^^ of course. be safe--and enjoy!]

-elsewhere-

Viktor: "I'm heading out." *picks up a file folder labeled "Hajima"*

nozomi: good luck. ^^

Viktor: *smiles* "Thanks!" *turns around...looks a bit grimmer as he exits the Eighth's church*

Petra: "Come along--purification needs to be finished on time..."

rita: *nods* *signing* <ok!>

Vulcan: "--and the new garbage disposal should be quieter." *flips a switch...nothing happens* "???"

-BOOM-

tamaki: AGH! WHY?!?

Vulcan: ._.;;; *runs away*

Petra: "...Well, you were going in for purification anyway..."

tamaki: =_=

-elsewhere-

Sakuya: O_O;

naho: ._.

Higan: "What up, young people? I'm your substitute teacher. Call me Higan."

naho: *tries to slump in her seat to hide*

Higan: "Now, I want to get to know all of you--starting with an important question...What's the subject of this class?"

izumi:.....*face desk*

-elsewhere-

Walter: "How's packing?"

higuchi: coming along.

Gin: "Not like we brought much..."

higuchi: we still need to move the stuff from our old homes to the new house.

Walter: "Never fear--I kept security tabs on your old places to deter visitors--" *looks at his phone*

*tiny shrieks are heard*

Walter: "...I may have scared some Death Scouts who were stopping by to sell you cookies."

higuchi: ._.;

Gin: "...The pardon wasn't for _you_."

Walter: ^^;

Tachihara: *laughs* "Ever think of being tech support for the Mafia?"

Walter: "Um...Thanks, but no thanks. I like not getting shot at."

goethe: *staaaares* besides, he's under contract~

Walter + Tachihara: QwQ;;;;;;;;

-elsewhere-

rin: *relaxing in the bath* =w=

Yukio: *yawns* =_= "So much to review..."

rin: ....so when are you gonna tell shiemi you like her?

Yukio: "...You don't understand."

rin: what's not to understand? you busted a dinner date for her!

Yukio: "...If she knew the real me, she'd hate me."

rin: you dont know that. she's seen me at my most fucked up, and she still considers me her friend. ^^

Yukio: "..." *gets up to leave* "She'd hate me..."

rin:.....*pouts* *grumble grumble* stupid stubborn yukio.

Yukio: "..."

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: "More tea?"

kirei: *nods*

Benimaru: "Right away." *heats up water* "How has your sleep been?"

kirei: it's been alright for the most part.

Benimaru: *nods* "You're appointment is tomorrow?"

kirei: *nods* konro offered to bring me.

Benimaru: *smiles* "I'm glad...Please remind him to pick up his medicine."

kirei: i will....do you want to say hello? *rubs her stomach*

Benimaru: "..." *leans his ear to her stomach*

kirei: ^////^ *head pats*

Benimaru: =\\\\= "Hello, small one... Your father is here...He's not going anywhere."

-elsewhere-

axel: *checking his phone* yes! just caught a growlithe!

Zeke: "Sweet!" *looking at his phone* "...Nothing."

-elsewhere-

Steinbeck: "Good to be home..." *scratching his bandages*

ebie: ^^

baum: *hugging dorothy* Q~Q

dorothy: =A=;

Hemingway: "Held down the fort for us, then? Good lad."

baum: not a problem. oh sweet dorothy, the doctors didnt try to do shock therapy on you did they? TT~TT

dorothy: no, im fine. please stop, brother, you're only embarrassing yourself.

Steinbeck: "...Dark. Let's get going on our next heist--" *shifts--and winces* T~T

emily: are you sure you're ok, john?

Steinbeck: "I-I'm sure I'm fine." *smiles...then falls over* "Zzz..."

emily:...*sigh*

-elsewhere-

Dumas: *pets Haydee*

haydee: ^w^ *licks his hand*

Dumas: ^^ "Miss me, Haydee? I missed you, too."

haydee: *nuzzle* ^w^

cervantes: good doggo!

Dumas: "..." *sighs*

cervantes: ah *lays on couch* good to be back! ^^ .....you ok, dumas?

Dumas: "...Fine."

marquis: you've been gloomier than usual since this morning.

Dumas: "...It's nothing."

marquis: *huuug* would cuddles make it better~? 💗

Dumas: -_-; "...It's not hurting, but it's not helping either."

cervantes: huzzah! group hug! ^^

Dumas: "..." *sighs* "A regular trio..."

-elsewhere-

Poe: *sips tea* "Ah...Thank you for this..."

rowena: ^^

ranpo: *nomming on scones*

Poe: "Any work coming up for you all?"

lana: well, there's gonna be some fundraisers held at the hotel's restaurant.

Poe: "Oh? Charity or politics or investors?"

lana: pharaon shipping company, if memory serves.

Poe: "Ah, so courier service?"

lana: *nods*

Poe: "Hmm...Invitation only?"

-elsewhere-

Hibana: *opens the blinds to her luxury office--* "..."

kabuki: hello. ^^

Hibana: "...Look, if you want an autograph, you mail a form, my secretary sorts it, then I have my gopher do it for me. Now, beat it, before I call security."

kabuki: um actually, i have some questions to ask. ^^;

Hibana: "Interviews also go through my secretary--"

kabuki: *hands her a paper*

Hibana: "..." *looks* "Seal of the 7th..." *takes it, opens it* "..." *looks up* "You read this?"

kabuki: *shakes head*

Hibana: *snaps fingers* "Angels."

angels: yes princess?

Hibana: *writes a prescription* "Get him this for his captain. He'll be back to pick up more." *stares at Kabuki* "No one is to see you coming or going to pick up your captain's medicine--is that understood?"

-elsewhere-

Kepuri: "Okay, try this on..." *holding some mechanical contraption that looks like a travel pillow*

mana: *doing so* now what?

Kepuri: "Stand perfectly still..." *gets behind a metal barrier* *presses a button on a remote--*

*the metal collar on Mana's neck shakes--before metal juts out of it*

mana: ._.;;;;

*the collar has formed a suit of knight-like armor around Mana*

mana: woah!

Kepuri: "Now, try to move your right foot forward 3 centimeters."

mana: *step*

Kepuri: "Okay, releasing the weight--"

*a panel in the ceiling opens, as a weight falls towards Mana*

mana: O_O;;;

*the weight knocks Mana's helmet, but no obvious damage*

mana: huh. impressive.

Kepuri: "Yep! Newest in combat equipment! There's just one problem..."

mana: and that would be?

Kepuri: "I haven't figured out how to get someone _out_ of the suit."

mana: ._______. CHIE! HELP.

-elsewhere-

*a lighter goes off, as someone puffs on a cigarette*

izzy: ....

Joker: "We're all here--minus our newest partner."

izzy: so what's the plan?

Joker: "The Holy See has only one entrance--through the front gates."

nailfile: oh, so we just waltz right in?

Joker: "Not without some extra muscle..."

benimaru: ...

nailfile: oooh, he's cute.

benimaru: i'm also married. -_-#

Joker: "That's where the Strongman comes in to clear the path."

izzy: *whistle* im amazed you convinced a battalion commander to help us.

benimaru: and you want _my_ help in particular because...?

Joker: "You aren't curious what the Church is hiding? Or have you forgotten what the Church has done to your people? Or how they drafted you as their latest firefighter, their latest mutt?"

benimaru:.....

Joker: "And you're here-- even with a suspicious guy like me."

izzy: well then. *holds up her dice* shall we get this party started~?

-and so-

*inside the Church*

Raffles III: *praying*

-BOOOOOOOOM-

priest: !?!?

izzy: good evening, padres and madres. hope you dont mind us dropping in~

Raffles III: "W-Who are you?!"

izzy: well, i suppose you can call us 'renegades'.

Raffles III: "...Get me out of here." *grabs a priest's arm*

izzy: aww, leaving so soon, gramps?

*an open palm lands on Priest 2's chest*

priest 2: !!!

Benimaru: "Back off." *with the tiniest press of the open palm, the Priest is knocked back*

izzy: well fuck me gently with a chainsaw.

Benimaru: *staring off in the direction of Amaterasu* "..."

Joker: "Quite the entrance--as suited to this brand of justice."

nailfile: ....*glances in the same direction* yeah. that thing always creeped me out. something feels....evil 'bout it. i dunno.

Benimaru: "I feel blood coming off of it, like it's in the air..."

Joker: *smiles*

priest 3: and just what are you, smiling about?!

Joker: *turns* "Because I'm going to kick your ass."

priest 3: LANGUAGE!

Joker: *slams his fist into the Priest's face* "Fuck you."

???: please. allow me.

Joker: "???"

bowl-cut priest: ....

Joker: "You're new..."

Benimaru: "I'll handle this." *approaches--*

-POW-

Benimaru: *gasps...collapses*

Joker: O_O;

izzy:....well shit.

Joker: "So much for a strongman...Well, guess we need to run." *looks up at Bowl-Cut* "What'd you do to him?"

bowl-cut priest: so much for 'strongest firefighter'. nothing more than a dumb animal.

Joker: "..." *sniffs* "What's burning?" *looks down*

bowl-cut priest: ??

Benimaru: *he's on fire*

bowl-cut: oh?

Benimaru: *climbs up* "I'm not finished..."

bowl-cut: but- but that's impossib-

Benimaru: *leaps with a punch to Bowl-Cut's stomach*

bowl-cut: GRK-

*something drops from Bowl-Cut's hand*

Joker: "??? A blow-pipe?"

nailfile: and not the drug kind.

izzy: -_-;

Joker: "How did you survive that poison from this pipe, Strongman?"

Benimaru: "...I have too much to live for."

Joker: "..." -_-# "Fine. Be a dick and don't bother explaining things."

izzy: (is he even human??)

-more priests charge-

izzy: ...*smirks* alright chucklefucks. let's get this party lit.

-elsewhere-

gilda: *sleeping*

stocking: *asleep*

Yukio: *turned away from the others*

rin:...hey, you awake?

Yukio: "..."

rin:...you never really talk to us.....i get it, sometimes i like my space and privacy too, so i wont dig too much...but you've been acting more distant lately. from me, kyouko, dad, shiemi.....just- if things get bad for you, you can rely on us, ok?

Yukio: *clenching his jaw, eyes open*

rin: i really mean it....we- i worry about you......not saying anything?....*sigh* love you too, bro. night.

Yukio: "..." *holding back tears*

-elsewhere-

izzy:.....well where the fuck is everyone?!

Benimaru: "Did I blow up _everyone_?"

Joker: "No." *points to the altar* "We have to go underground."

nailfile: underground? you dont mean-

Joker: "The Nether."

izzy: well shit....

Joker: "Just lift the top--"

nailfile: waiiit, how do _you_ know this?

Benimaru: *kicks the entire altar away*

nailfile: OxO

Joker: ^^; "I grew up in darkness. I acclimated to darkness. I love darkness~"

nailfile: ooookay. (weirdo)

izzy:....you knoooow, we _do_ have an open position for the oni of wrath, mr shinmon.

Benimaru: "Hell no."

izzy:....eh, worth a shot. oh well. into the rabbit hole we go.

Benimaru: "You know this path? Then you should go first."

Joker: "More so you know I won't stab you in the back?"

-and so-

nailfile: ugh, this place gives me the creeps. my grandma used to tell me stories about this place...

Joker: "Good things?"

nailfile: what do _you_ think?

Joker: *shrugs*

izzy: .... so joker, what's your story?

Joker: "Hmm...I don't like talking about the past. If we survive this, I'll tell you another time."

izzy: hmph 737

Benimaru: "..." *grabs Joker by the collar, slamming him into a wall*

Joker: ^^;

Benimaru: "Do not test my patience. I've followed you this far without answers. I have put my home--my family--at risk for your bullshit. Spill, or I spill your blood."

Joker: "..." *smacks away his hand* "Don't test my patience, either. ...Let's just say, I was in the Church."

izzy: really? didnt take you for the religious type.

Joker: "I wasn't a willing member."

nailfile: the hell does _that_ mean?

Benimaru: "Wait a minute...Were you..."

Joker: *smirks* "Oh? Asakusa's God of Destruction has his interest piqued? Very well--I'll answer your question."

Benimaru: "...You had a bowl cut?"

izzy: *snerk* *stiffled laughter*

nailfile:.....<so gross.>

Joker: O_O; "No! I was working for the Church's dark side!"

izzy: ....huh. who'da thought.

Benimaru: "I don't understand."

Joker: "Just keep moving forward--you'll get it soon enough."

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *scrolling through real estate listings on a web site*

sonia: *showing flash cards to miyuri* and this one is called a 'rectangle'

miyuri: oooooh.

Chuuya: *smiles* *marks down 3 listings*

miyuri: and what's this one?

sonia: that's a 'triangle'.

Chuuya: *writes down a number* "Hey, kids--I'm going to be making some calls."

sonia: ok papa. come on, miyuri. i'll show you our room.

miyuri: YAAAY! ^o^

Chuuya: *smiles* *dials*

lady: HHA homes, this is carly speaking, how can i help you tonight?

Chuuya: "Hello. I'm looking through your listings...I'm interested in a house?"

carly: ah i see.

Chuuya: "In fact, you had one listing in the suburbs--the one on Dorper Avenue?"

carly: ah yes, two story, three bedroom, two bathroom?

Chuuya: "And the backyard."

carly: yes, yes.

Chuuya: "I was thinking...I have 2 children and a cat. I think they'd like the yard. Maybe a treehouse..."

carly: well, there is a park and a school nearby, as well as a few small shops.

Chuuya: "Excellent. Could I schedule a tour?"

carly: of course! what day works for you?

Chuuya: "As soon as possible."

carly: alright.

-elsewhere-

nailfile: so this is the place, eh?

Joker: "The Nether."

nailfile: ....

Benimaru: "What is the Church hiding here?"

-the lights go out-

nailfile: *flame claws*

Joker: "They're here..." *lights up a cigarette*

izzy: _who's_ here?

*...Are those...eyes in the shadows?*

izzy: the hell?

seven: ......

Benimaru: "...Clowns? Your people?"

Joker: *smirks*

izzy: oooi, who the hell are you shitheads?

Joker: "The Shadows of the Holy Sun."

izzy:....the uniforms look stupid AF.

Joker: "Yes...This is a group of assassins, operating in secret on behalf of the Church."

commander: halt, interlopers. leave this sacred ground or else.

Joker: " 'Leave'? But this is my grand return!"

commander: what?

Joker: *smiles* "52."

commander:...after all these years.....

{*A small boy knocks a taller person down*}

{???: jeez, he's tough for a kid.}

{???: well done, 52}

{52: "It was no big deal...It's what a 'child of the sun' should do, yes?"}

{???: indeed. your next opponent is me.}

{????: he's not really gonna do it, is he? it's suicide!}

{52: "..."}

{commander: COME AT ME!}

{52: "..." *side-steps, swinging his fist at the Commander's head with a gazelle punch*}

{commander: *grabs his wrist and punches him* you're nothing. we are all children of the sun, abandoned by society and taken in by god. dont go thinking you're so special.}

{52: *stunned...acting on instinct, bites the Commander's wrist*}

{commander: GRK- why you insolent little- *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*}

{???: h-hey, knock it off, you're gonna kill him!}

{commander:...heh. if i killed him now, it would be merciful.}

{52: *gasping, choking on blood..his nose is broken*}

{-...-}

{52: *bandaged...staring at a pocket watch* "..." ("This was all they found on me...'3:32'...Was that when I was abandoned? This world...is such shit. I don't think I'm special--I don't think anyone is. I just want to survive this madness...")}

{commander: again with that watch?}

{52: "!!!"}

{commander: *takes it and crushes it, burning it* this way. now.}

{-...-}

{*a house is on fire*}

{-cries can be heard-}

{???: the demon made off with the child, we must find them and destroy them at all costs!}

{???: "Sir! 52!}

{???: what about him?}

{-...-}

{*someone tosses a mask down onto the cement bottom of an alley*}

{52: *huff puff* ("The fire distracted them...Good...Can I get away? Can I escape?") "..." *takes a step forward, leaning on the alley wall for support* ("The sun should shine on all, yes?") *clutches his eye* ("...So...It happened again...Burns...")}

{-...-}

{girl: *humming* hm? ?!?! what the-}

{*52 is passed out in the street*}

{girl: ._.;; *nudges his head with her foot* umm....hey, uh....are...are you ok?}

{52: *groans, panting, like he's dehydrated*}

{girl: oh, um... *takes water bottle from her bag and gives it to him* hey, you alright?}

{52: *opens his eye* "..." *takes the bottle, guzzling like his life depends on it*}

{girl: feeling better?}

{52: *looks, his vision blurred* "...An angel..."}

{girl: e-eh?? O////O oh i-im not-}

{52: "Save me...I don't want to go back to Hell..."}

{girl: ._.; um....daaaad?}

{-...-}

{52: *nom nom nom nom* >3< }

{woman: my my, he's got quite the appetite hasnt he?}

{girl: i guess...}

{woman: kinda cute too, and around your age~}

{girl: >///< mom! its not like that! jeez.}

{woman: fufu, just teasing. ^^}

{52: *stops...sips water* "...Ma'am...Young lady...Thank you both. I promise, I will repay you."}

{woman: oh, it's quite alright, really. right dear?}

{Man: *nods* "You looked pretty roughed up out there, son. Are you...in some kind of trouble?"}

{52: "..."}

{-...-}

{52: *standing on a balcony, looking up at the Moon* "..."}

{woman: *inside* is this really the right thing for us to do? letting him stay here? for all we know he could be some drug addict or a felon...it worries me.}

{Man: "I know...So far, he hasn't caused any problems...But he won't tell us where he's from."}

{woman: do we call the police?}

{girl: *walks out onto the balcony* hey, just thought i'd check up on you. ^^}

{52: "Ah...Hello, angel."}

{girl: 7//7; ...s-so whats up?}

{52: "I was admiring the Moon...It looks so happy..."}

{Moon: "HAA HAA HAA..."}

{girl: ^^; yeah.....they say people once lived on the moon.}

{52: "Wait, really? That's amazing!"}

{girl: yeah. maybe one day, i'll become an astronaut and walk on the moon. i think that'd be pretty cool......ah, look at me, spilling my dreams to a stranger. ^^;}

{52: "No, that's great--dreams are what keep us motivated. You know a lot about astronaut stuff?"}

{girl: yeah. see that constellation up there?}

{52: *looks up...nods*}

{girl: that's called 'orion's belt'.}

{52: "??? 'Orion'? 'Belt'? Like those...what are they called...'asteroids'?"}

{girl: hehe, close.}

{-...-}

{52: *tying his shoelaces*}

{Dad: "And here's the list. The grocery is 2 blocks north, 6 blocks west."}

{52: *nods* "Okay..."}

{Dad: "Don't forget my smokes either."}

{52: "??? Um..."}

{girl: ugh, dad, those are seriously gonna kill you someday.}

{Dad: "It's just when I'm stressed..."}

{girl: -_-; still...}

{-...-}

{52: *reading the list on his way back* ("That's everything...Even got the extra money back...")}

{-two figures in suits exit the house-}

{52: "!!!" *ducks back around the corner*}

{-the two figures leave-}

{52: "..." *sneaks back into the house--* "!!!"}

{-the girl and her parents lay dead on the floor-}

{52: "..." *drops the groceries* ("This is...They're dead...There--There's nothing I can do for them...Oh God...")}

{-...-}

{???: sir, the family 52 was staying with has been terminated.}

{commander: good. now he has nothing to return to. he's nothing more than a stray dog.}

{-...-}

{Joker: *puffing away on a cigarette, standing on an incomplete building*...This world sucks."}

Joker: "You taught me a lot..." *points his cigarette at the Commander* "Time to teach you the truth of this world."

commander: so you came running back like a little puppy? *draws sword* how pathetic.

Joker: *throws off his coat, revealing playing cards on fire* "Eat shit."

commander: thou who hast forsaken the sunlight, shall be left to rot in the dark.

Joker: "Which book of scripture is that, asshole?" *to his team* "I'll fight the Commander. You take care of the rest."

commander: seven. consider this your chance to prove your worth to us. kill them.

seven:....*CHARGES*

Benimaru: "??? How old is this brat?"

seven: *SNARLS and spin kick*

shadows: *charging*

nailfile: *SLICE SLICE*

Benimaru: *sighs* *struggling with one Shadow* "Fast...but reckless." *trips them*

shadow: grk-

izzy: tch- what a hassle. *pulls out a pistol* guess it's time to pull out this bad boy.

Shadow: *growls, swinging their blade towards Izzy*

izzy: *BANG*

-BOOM-

Shadow: *silent, falling down*

izzy: *smirks*

Shadow: *bear hug from behind*

izzy: ?!?

nailfile: *SLASH*

Shadow: *sliced across the chest--but even as they're bleeding profusely, punches at Nailfile's face*

nailfile: *dodge* hey! <watch the hands, buddy!>

izzy: hey! little help here!

nailfile: *SLICE*

*WHOOSH*

izzy: pah- thanks.

nailfile: anytime, girl. ^^

Benimaru: "Their breathing...They intend to kill."

commander: *attacking joker*

Joker: *dodges* "You haven't changed...The mask still looks the same."

commander: you'd be best going back into hiding.

Joker: "I just came here to play. Interested?" *flips cards over his head in a half-circle path*

-SLASH SLASH-

Joker: *charges his cards with flames, sending them to go around the Commander's sword swings--*

commander: you think you can honestly stop me? You think you're the underdog in this heroic tale--but, really, you're not the hero. You're just a mutt, who shook off his leash--and needs to be put down.

~TEN THOUSAND WILD BLADES OF THE WHIP~

Joker: "!!!" *screams in pain, before collapsing*

commander: giving up so soon? pathetic.

Joker: *tries to climb up--*

-STOMP-

Joker: *face slammed into the cement floor*

commander: *grins*

Joker: "..." *his head starts to rise*

commander: ??

Joker: *lifting his head up--with his tongue against the floor*

commander: ?!

Joker: *slides his tongue along the floor--backing up enough to push himself up, swinging his fist back at the Commander's face*

commander: *knocked back*

Joker: *spits* "I'm through with games...I need to take this more seriously..." *smiles wickedly* "A fight to the death."

commander: oh?

Joker: *puffs* "52...I'll end your life, with 52 cards."

commander: heh.

Joker: *shows his remaining cards* "Let's count!" *begins flinging cards*

commander: pah! we are as a group! you may cut us down as many times as you wish, but we shall always regroup. and those that remain solitary die alone! so tell me 52, how many cards will remain before you die?!

Joker: "Tch..." *continues his attack...but he's running out of cards*

commander: you thought you would be free if you left, but you're a weakling who couldnt survive without our help! a failure is a failure, simple as that! and a failure like you cant win on your own!

seven: ....

Joker: *pants...he's holding 2 cards in-between his fingers...as he clutches his bleeding left arm*

commander: i know all your moves, 52. im the one who taught them to you!

Joker: "..." *smiles widely* "I'm the Dreamer of the Dawn..."

commander: hn?

Joker: "I am the Smoker..."

commander: ?!

Joker: "I'M THE JOKER!"

commander: ?!?

*multiple Jokers appear around the Commander*

commander: WHAT IS THIS?!

Joker: "I learned...how to clone myself."

commander: ?!?!

Joker: *snort laugh* "Nah, I'm just kidding you." *waves his cigarette* "I smoke the good shit."

izzy: WELL THAT EXPLAINS THE SHIT SMELL!

Joker: "This is a rare breed I cultivate. I had to figure out how to make sure it only affects certain people. I'm kind of surprised my comrades today aren't seeing melting eyeballs, humanoid roaches on walls, or talking animals..."

commander: what the hell?!

Joker: "What sucks is that it kind of screws up your perception of time. Helps me to escape in the blink of an eye--but it can be disarming if you aren't used to it."

commander: damn you!

*something drops with a PLOP noise*

commander: ?!?

*The Commander's forearm is already sliced off, lying on the floor*

Joker: *smiles* "What's wrong? You're always talking about teamwork. So pull your 'team' together..."

commander: ?!?!?!?

Joker: "Now, I know what you're thinking--'But 52 used up all of his cards'! So, I need to remind you: I AM NOT 52!" *holds up a Joker card* "I always had one more..."

commander: you-

Joker: *lets out a maniacal laugh, swinging the one card, decimating the Commander's body*

seven: !!!!!

izzy: so, whadda ya want us to do about the rugrat?

seven: my name is seven.

Joker: "...Nah, that's not a name...We need to change that."

seven: thats not you-

Joker: "Nana. That works. 'Nah-nah.' Easy to say, rhymes with itself. Nana. Come, Nana..."

seven: shut up! im seven! se-ven! child of the sun! i'll cut you all to ribbons! i'll make you all pay for this!

Benimaru: *reaches out a hand, patting her head*

seven: ?!?!?!?

Benimaru: "Children should listen to their elders...But since your elders were screwed up in the head, listen to us, now, or I'll show you something to fear."

seven: *growls*

Joker: -_-; ("As if Shadows didn't have enough abusive guardians...") "You kind of suck at this parenting thing, Strongman."

Benimaru: *glare*

izzy: well, we cant take her. we got enough brats to deal with in the hell blaze. like mantis.

Joker: "..." *smiles* "What about it, Nana? Want to come home with a fellow former Shadow~?"

seven: dont touch me, traitor! the minute your back is turned, i'll stab you in the throat!

Joker: ^^; "..." *picks Nana up, slings her over his shoulder*

seven: *pounding on his back* UNHAND ME! I'LL BURN YOU ALL ALIVE! DX<

???: "As much as I would like to see that, I can't allow it."

izzy: ?!

*Burns walks in*

nailfile: aw hell.

Burns: "...Commander Shinmon. 52. 7. Miss Godfrey. Random other person."

izzy: ?!?!?! *her tone is murderous* how the hell do you know that name?

Burns: "Haijima Industries has long associated with the Church."

izzy: *hateful glare*

seven: how do you know about us? who even are you?

Joker: "Commander Burns of the 1st Brigade--your handler in the Church, Nana."

seven: my name isnt nana!

nailfile: wait, you mean commander goodie-two-shoes burns is in on this whole thing?!

Burns: *crosses his arms* "So, you're associating with common thugs, 52? I trained you better than this."

Benimaru: "... ... ..." *lightbulb* "So, you're the one who gave this clown a bowl hair-cut?"

Joker: "!!! I'LL GIVE YOU A BOWL HAIRCUT!"

izzy: we dont have time for...whatever _this_ is. we're here for-.......wait, why are we here? i forgot in all the excitement.

Joker: *composes himself* "...To get to the Secret Holy Scriptures, I have to fight the old man now?" *sighs* *looks at his one card* "Still, this should be enough for you, gramps."

Benimaru: "Great. I wanted a real challenge."

seven: ?!

Burns: *stares at Benimaru* "...I just realized...Now's not the time to fight."

Joker: "HUH?!"

Burns: "If you're here for information about the Church, I can help."

izzy: oh? and here i thought the 1st was so loyal to the church, like dogs.

Joker: -_-; "Could everyone stop with the 'dog' insults--I'm feeling self-conscious."

Benimaru: "I think we have another question to ask: you two know each other, don't you? What's going on? We've already had an extended fight sequence--time to know what your goals are and whether I can trust you."

Joker: "...Burns was the intermediary between the Church's light and dark sides. He was one of the people who trained me..."

nailfile: wait, seriously?

Joker: "Yes...Until he formed that Adora Link."

izzy: so wait, are you guys....adora bursts?

Burns: *sighs* "No. Forming an Adora Link is connecting _to_ Adora."

Joker: "And those with the Burst get a power-up from the Link. We just lose our fucking eyes."

izzy:........ .___.

Burns: "The Burst is what a handful of people possess to withstand linking to Adora, to that other world. We were not so 'blessed.'"

Benimaru: "When did you see it? When Arg or Kusakabe did?"

Joker: "No. When Amaterasu released a bunch of Infernals."

nailfile: WHAT?!

Benimaru: "I never heard of this."

Joker: "Of course not: people have to believe Amaterasu is absolutely safe...So, that's when the Shadows are called in to do the dirty work to cover it up. And Burns led that mission."

{Burns: "Where are the others?"}

{52: "Knocked down."}

{Burns: "One more target...Straight ahead?"}

{52: as far as i know, yes. just leave it to me.}

{*footsteps are heard...like crackling fire*}

{Burns: "Here it comes..."}

{infernal: GRRRK-KRAAAAAA!!}

{Burns: "AH!" *falls to his knees, covering his ears*}

{52: what the hell is this?!}

{Burns: *looks up* "!!!"}

{It's a hellscape...Are those eyeballs in the sky?}

{52: is this...hell?.....grk- GAAH! m-my eye!!}

{*A figure hovers in the sky, cloaked in white, looking down on them*}

{*The ground is burning under them*}

{52: ?!?!?!}

{???: "Mathematics. Truth. Insect. Hell. God..."}

{52: what?}

{*something is burning under 52's hand*}

{52: *looks*}

{*the entire ground is on fire!*}

{52: ?!?!?!?! *screaming*}

{Burns: *struggles to stand...before he rushes at the Infernal*}

{52: where is this?!}

{???: "Hell..."}

{Burns: *screams, as he charges his arm, putting it through the Infernal*}

{-...-}

{Burns: "52! Wake up!" *clutching his burning eye*}

{52: !??!!? w-what....what was....}

{Burns: "The Infernal...must have had the ability to cause illusions..."}

{52: no...hell...hell exists...}

Burns: "That stone you brought still burns, even in vacuum."

Joker: "Which proves your Church is hiding the existence of Hell--or Adora, or whatever you're calling it. That's what I want to prove--what Hell you're hiding here."

Burns: "..." *reaches into his jacket*

Benimaru: *fighting stance*

Burns: *pulls out a notebook* "Here is your clue."

izzy: and what's that?

Burns: "A notebook, belonging to the wife of the founder of the Church of the Holy Sun, Raffles I."

nailfile: ?!?!

Benimaru: "His wife?"

Joker: "That thing must be ancient...You took it from an archive or something?"

izzy: is it even real?

Burns: "It is. I verified the records, the paper, even the handwriting."

nailfiles: then what about the holy scriptures we came here for?

Burns: "They don't exist. Ever since the Adora Link, what I saw has not matched what I knew to be true about this world. I've used my position in the First and my association with the Church to get access to archives--research from around the world." *taps the notebook* "This was hidden away. I can't say where without revealing sources and the original location, but I assure you, this is real. This investigation led me to this book." *hands the book to Joker* "Her journal begins with the Great Diaster, the founding of the Church--and is a rare firsthand account about who Raffles I really was."

Joker: *opens* "...Her handwriting is atrocious."

Burns: "Raffles lead a team to see where the Great Disaster first happened...He was the only one to survive the trip."

nailfile: *reading* 'still, i was relieved that he had returned safely, but something seemed different about him, like he had become a different person. even though he looks the same, his habits and behavior is that of someone else. is he truly the same man i've been married to for three years?'

Joker: "I mean, when you go through something traumatizing..." *stares at his cigarette* "...it's expected you go through some changes..."

Benimaru: "...Wait...This happened in Asakusa, too."

izzy: really now?

Benimaru: "Someone who was able to change their appearance--to impersonate people from the Eighth, people from my home..."

Joker: "Yeah, but that only happened, what, months ago? We're talking 250 years ago!"

Burns: "Yet you've seen how durable Infernals are. Who's to say there isn't one that's immortal? Someone else from that higher plane, someone as long-lived as that Preacher..."

Joker: "..."

nailfile: so then...

Burns: *nods* "The Church may have been founded by Infernals, by the Preacher."

nailfile: so how do we confirm this is real?

Burns: "Aside from what I've told you--that the evidence all points to this fitting into the other facts we can confirm, such as the coincidence of Raffles being the only survivor, that he changed so much, that there are Infernals who can impersonate others...Beyond all of that, I've been thinking about how to verify this with outside-sources for a long time..."

izzy: so what now?

Joker: "Who else in the Church knows about this?"

Burns: "No one."

-elsewhere-

*A bald bearded man walks through the halls in a cloak*

guruna:...hey haumea, who's that old dude?

Haumea: "You don't know~?" *smirks*

guruna: noooope~@ OwO

Man: *makes a sign* "Bless you, child."

Man: *moaning out a religious hymn* "Bless the Sun, whose light shines upon us all, conferring its blessing onto us on our mission to convert the masses, to bring them to the light."

sasori: ......

Inka: "Wait a minute...That energy around him... ..." *grabs the beard, tugging hard* "How the hell are you doing that, Jonah?!"

Jonah: *the beard is pulled so hard it is stretching his face into a grotesque form* "OW OW OW OW!!!" T~T

sasori: WAIT WHAT?!

guruna: oh! they do that.

Jonah: T~T "You and your bodyguard have gotten so mean since you got those new outfits..." *sniff* "How dare you treat the founder of the Church of the Holy Sun like that! I, Raffles I, will not stand for such treatment! Guruna, prepare the boiling Holy Water!"

guruna: *salutes* aye aye!

arrow: -_-

sasori: suuure, and im the goddamn queen of sheba.

Inka: "I think Jonah's serious, Queen--I mean, think about it: disguises like this, never dies no matter how much you beat them--" *punching Jonah repeatedly in the head*

Jonah: "OW OW OW OW!"

dahlia: it is the truth.

sasori: GAH! jeez....so creepy.

Jonah: -3- *changes their face--into Inka's, then changes their voice to hers* "You're so mean, Sasori!"

sasori: .... -_-;

Inka: "...Is it wrong to say I look damn good?"

sasori: *facepalm*

-elsewhere-

Burns: "Raffles III must have been kept in the dark..."

Benimaru: *raises an eyebrow* "How do you know Raffles III is actually the grandson of the first one? What if he's some imposter, too?"

Joker: "Or, what if his DNA has Infernal DNA in it? Trippy..."

nailfile: gross.

Joker: "And we leave here without knowing the Preacher's plans..." *looks at the mess they left behind*

seven: ..........

Benimaru: "At least we didn't kill your Shadows. I mean, except that one." *gestures to the body pieces of the Commander*

seven:.........................

nailfile: brutal.

Burns: "Since they're from the Shadows, no one will miss them."

izzy: so do we tell everyone in the church that everything they know is a lie?

Joker: "That's my plan!"

Burns: -_-# "And ignite chaos that undermines a large segment of the world?"

Joker: "That's my plan!"

Burns: -_-# "And ignite chaos that undermines a large segment of the world?"

Joker: *crazy grin* “And yet you gave me this.” *holds up the notebook* what do you suggest?"

Burns: "More evidence. You take this to the public, they won't believe you, and the Church will not believe the word of some clownish terrorist--"

Joker: "Hey!"

Burns: "--and a commander who attacked the Church. In public."

Benimaru: -_-;

izzy: we could always blame that shapeshifter impersonating him, if that helps.

Joker: "Works for me!" ^^

Benimaru: -_-; "Maybe we should look outside of the Church...Someone else with something to gain from all of this."

izzy:....haijima.

Joker: "Makes sense."

Benimaru: "...They're the ones who give medicine to my home..."

izzy:....

Joker: "Well, you should've thought about that first."

Burns: "Get out of here--I'll clean up."

seven:....

Joker: "What'll it be, Strongman? Not too late to back out."

Benimaru: "...The Great Disaster almost destroyed this world. If anyone is going to rip things apart, it’s me--to rebuild a better world for my child. Lead the way."

Joker: "..." *smiles* "Very well. Come along, Nana."

seven: i told you, my name is seven! and who said i was going with _you_?!

Joker: *stares at her, no longer smilng* "I said."

seven: i'll kill you first!

Joker: *shows off a playing card* "Come at me, then."

seven: *bites her finger, causing it to bleed...the blood then catches fire?!*

Benimaru: "..."

Burns: *watching*

Joker: "...Oh, I get it--hot-blooded. Ha."

seven: *lunges*

Joker: *swings his card at her, dodging the hot-blood as best he can* "You're quick."

seven: *spin kick*

Joker: *catches her kick, feeling the impact* "Grk!"

seven: *GLARES*

Joker: "Very well, then..." *lifts her up by her foot--*

seven: *flailing* LET ME GO! DX<

Joker: *holding her by her foot* "...Burns, I'm taking the child."

seven: MAKE HIM UNHAND ME!

Burns: "...I'm debating which is the worst option..."

seven: *GROWLING*

Joker: "Hey, come on, Burns! You know you can trust me." *smiles*

Burns: "..." *shrugs* "Go ahead. Maybe if I'm lucky she'll keep you in line. Or kill you. Has to be better than leaving her here in the Nether to go as crazy as you did."

seven: D8<

Joker: >w# "Yay!" *carries her by her foot, upside down* "Onto Haijima, Strongman!"

Benimaru: "...This lowers the bar on parenting..." *follows*

seven: *flailing and screeching*

izzy: yeah....haijima........

-elsewhere-

man: hmmm, any reports on the dolls?

Scientist 2: "Yeah--my samples suck."

blonde man: quite unfortunate.

scientist 3: go stuff it, godfrey.

godfrey: .....and how about you?

Scientist 2: "You got an S-class--I'm so jealous. Swap with me!"

godfrey: indeed. and how about _you_. that boy...

Scientist 4: "Rekka's boy? He's coming along just perfectly."

-morning-

scarlet: ......

Joker: *whistling as he climbs in through the window*

seven:.....

scarlet:....what. did you do.

Joker: "Say 'hi' to Mommy, Nana!"

scarlet: *grabs joker by the neck* WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?

Joker: Ow# "...It was either this, or she'd stay underground as a child soldier."

scarlet:......

seven: .........

Joker: ^w#; "Can I keep her?"

seven:.........*punches joker in the nuts*

scarlet:...huh. i think she might grow on me.

seven: let me go back.

Joker: QW# "..." *collapses* *higher pitch* "I-I promised not to send you back to that...I lived there, and look how I turned out..."

seven:.....

Joker: "Red, back me up on this--tell Nana how good we have it here!"

scarlet: -_-; well, it's better than nothing i guess.

Joker: "The standard by which I live my life!"

seven:.....

scarlet:...*sniffs* ugh, you both smell terrible.

Joker: "You can give Nana her bath."

seven: ?!?!

scarlet: come on-

seven: noooo!

scarlet: ...*picks her up*

seven: *screeching and flailing*

Joker: "I'll just nap here..." *stays collapsed on the floor*

ivy: ahhhh-CHOO!

Joker: "??? Sick?"

ivy: were you smoking those fucking drugs again??!

Joker: ^w# "Daddy had to calm someone down--I promise, I'll quit tomorrow~"

ivy: you know those trigger my allergi-*ACHOO*............wait, 'daddy'. WHAT THE FUCK?!?!

Joker: "I'm just getting into the parental mindset. Nana will need her own bed. Want to share a bunkbed with her?"

scarlet: *getting the water running* come on...

seven: *SCREAMING* NO! NOOO!!! DX<

ivy:....who the FUCK is nana!?

Joker: "That loud hot-blooded screaming child is Nana. Isn't she delightful?"

ivy:......................................

Joker: ^w^;

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: *hiding in the shadows on his way to his home*

kirei: *asleep*

Benimaru: "..." *carefully enters*

kirei: zzzz

Benimaru: "..." *just looks at her* "..."

-she seems peaceful-

Benimaru: "..." *lies next to her*

kirei: mnn....

Benimaru: *hugs her*

kirei: *yawn*

Benimaru: "..."

kirei: *opening her eyes* good morning...

Benimaru: *smiles* "Good morning..." *kiss*

kirei: ^////^

Benimaru: "How are you?"

kirei: doing well. you?

Benimaru: "...Some difficulty sleeping."

kirei: mm...

Benimaru: *yawns* "Let me make us some breakfast..."

kirei: *nods*

Benimaru: *gets up, goes to the kitchen, filling the kettle with water

*knock knock*

Benimaru: "???" *slides open the door--* "..."

Konro: *eyes wide open, staring* "..."

benimaru: ah, konro. what bri-

Konro: "WHERE. WERE. YOU?"

benimaru: ... i wasnt drinking or anything like that.

Konro: "..." *pushes the door open, revealing...priests from the Church*

benimaru:...oh...

Priest 1: *bandaged* "That's the guy who punched me!"

Priest 2: *face wrapped like a mummy* "He slammed me into the side of the Church!"

Priest 3: *looking a little scuffed up* "I lost the nail on my pinky toe!"

benimaru: .....

Konro: "...Well?! Say something! Say you didn't do it!"

benimaru: i didnt have anything to do with this.

Priest 2: "YOU HERETIC LIAR! Then where were you?!"

???: "We can tell you where he was."

benimaru: ??

*It's Tsukiyo and Fang-Hua*

fang-hua: ...

Benimaru: ._.;

Tsukiyo: "Yes, we can tell you where he was! Beni-Hottie was in my bed--"

-CHOP-

Tsukiyo: T3T

fang-hua: ^^; he was helping mr owada with making dinner.

Tsukiyo: "Yeah, sure, go ask him--he'll back it up..."

Konro: "He is an older gentleman, so perhaps check when he wakes up later this morning--"

Priest 3: *screams, pulling his hair* "How are we to believe this nonsense?! They could all be lying! He can't have been in two places at the same time--"

???: *ahem* "What did I tell you three about coming here?"

fang-hua: c-commander burns!

dia:...

Priest 2: "?! S-Sir! Why are you here?"

Burns: *holds up a file* "Finally looked over fingerprints left on your clothes. They don't match Commander Shinmon. It's as I told you when I found you all unconscious: when I caught up to the suspect, I discovered he was actual one of those imitators who came through Asakusa a while ago. Obviously they got enough of a view up-close to the Commander to perfectly imitate him."

benimaru: ....

dia: indeed.

Priest 1: "Oh, you have to be kidding--"

Burns: "You doubt me?" *intense stare*

Priests 1, 2, and 3: O_O; "..." *shake heads 'no'*

dia: that's what we thought.

Burns: "Dia, bring them home. I have to check with the Commander on coordinated training exercises."

dia: yes sir. come along you three.

Priests: T_T "Yes, captain..." *follow Dia*

Burns: "..." *stares at Konro, Benimaru, Tsukiyo, and Fang-Hua*

fang-hua: um....

benimaru:....thanks.

Tsukiyo: ._.;

Burns: "..." *nods* "You're welcome. Be less sloppy next time."

fang-hua: ??

Konro: "...Do you have time for tea?"

Burns: "No, I have to return to the church." *nods to them* "Keep your commander in check." *turns*

fang-hua:.....

Benimaru: "..." *looks at the others* "...Well, that was completely unexpected and I have no idea what he was talking about--"

Konro: *staring wide-eyed* "Are you kidding me?"

Benimaru: "..." *looks at the others* "...Well, that was completely unexpected and I have no idea what he was talking about--"

Konro: *staring wide-eyed* "Are you kidding me?"

Tsukiyo: "We were worried sick!"

fang-hua: oh jeez, what would kirei think?

Benimaru: "...None of you have any idea..."

Konro: "...Young Master..."

Benimaru: "?"

*SLAM*

fang-hua: !!!!!!!!

*Konro's fist collides with Benimaru's face*

Tsukiyo: "?!"

Benimaru: *has not moved...absorbing the blow* "..."

Konro: *shaking* "...When are you going to grow up..."

Benimaru: "...If you heard what I found--"

Konro: "You kept us all in the dark! You told us nothing! You left with some maniac and his thugs! Is this how little you trust--"

Benimaru: "I WANTED NO ONE ELSE TO GET HURT!"

kirei: beni? what's going on?

Benimaru: "..." *enters the house* "...Get inside. All of you. You too, Kabuki."

kabuki: *pokes head out* nyoron .w.;

Tsukiyo: "Oh, hey, Kabuki!" *waves*

Konro: "..." *sighs, follows inside*

-elsewhere-

Yukio: *eating breakfast, thumbing through his tablet*

stocking: jeez, the blizzard's really getting bad....so weird....

Yukio: "Hmm..." *a file with Shura's photo is on the tablet*

manager: how was your sleep?

stocking: GAH! oh jeez...

Yukio: "..." *looks up* "It was fine. Thank you. And the food is excellent--thanks."

manager: you're welcome.

gilda: *nudging rin awake*

Rin: *groans* "No, Madoka--you need to add cinnamon to the muffins..." *turns over*

stocking: *sweatdrop*

Yukio: "...Rin."

Rin: *yawns, sits up* =_= "...Oh, hey. What's up, gang?"

stocking: morning.

Rin: *stretches* *sniffs* "Smells good..." *nom* "What're we doing today?"

Yukio: *to the manager* "Pardon. I wanted to ask again about that woman who came by?"

manager: ah, yes.

Yukio: "Could you tell me more where she was heading?"

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: "I'll be back at 1--just checking the house with the real estate agent."

sonia: ok.

Chuuya: *pats her head* "You're going to keep an eye on your sister?"

sonia: *she nods*

miyuri: *doodling butterflies, which come to life and flutter around* ^^

Chuuya: "...Keep her from drawing big or violent animals*

Mito: *paws at one*

sonia: noted.

Chuuya: *looks around* "Thanks for babysitting*

higuchi: any time.

Gin: *nudges Q* "Go play."

Q: ok! ^^

Chuuya: ^^; "How's your move going?"

higuchi: pretty busy.

Gin: "Having to buy some new furniture and sheets."

-elsewhere-

Kanin: *hands Amelia her lunchbag* "Here you go!"

amelia: thank you.

Kanin: ^^ "How's your mentor-mentee training going?"

amelia: ok, i think.

Kanin: "Is your weapon working out well?"

amelia: *nods*

Kanin: "That's good--they always seem kind of quiet--" *TRIPS*

amelia: ah!

*He tripped over...a sleeping Kazue*

Kanin: @_@ "Wh-When did they get there..."

-elsewhere-

Spirit: "..."

izumi:...um....hey sis...h-happy birthday....

Spirit: *sets down a wrapped box*

izumi:....i really wish i could have met you.

Spirit: *closes his eyes, kneeling...wipes his eyes*

*footsteps*

sachiko:.....

izumi: ??

Damon: *hiding behind Soul's legs*

becky: ....

Spirit: "...Hello, Soul."

Soul: "..." *nods*

izumi:....*small wave*

Soul: *small wave back...he's holding flowers*

becky:....hi mom.

Damon: "..." *sniffles*

Soul: *gulps, sets down the flowers, hugs Damon*

izumi:......

Spirit: "..." *leans down, pats Soul's back*

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Morning, Dad."

saria's dad: morning, bugbear. *forehead kiss* dad's makin waffles~

saria's father: ^^

Saria: "Yay! Smells great!"

-elsewhere-

fuyumi: *doing laundry*

???: "Need any help?"

fuyumi: sure sho-...!!! natsuo!

Natsuo: *waves* "What's up?"

fuyumi: *hugs* it's so good to see you! how's uni?

Natsuo: "Alright..." ^^; "...I kinda brought laundry to do, too."

fuyumi: ^^ glad to hear. im sure shouto will be surprised when he gets home today.

Natsuo: "Oh, he's around? Where is he?"

fuyumi: he's at school right now. but he'll be home this afternoon.

Natsuo: "Ah..." *rubs his arm* "...How's he doing?"

fuyumi: ...he's doing better, i think.

Natsuo: "..." *nods* "...Um, I'll bring my laundry in when you're done. Want me to make something? Tea?"

fuyumi: sure thing.

-elsewhere-

Bakugo: -_- "Too hot out..."

Todoroki: "Feels cool enough."

Bakugo: >_<#

tsuyu: *casually swimming in the canal*

jirou: *stiffling* the sun is mocking us.

Tokoyami: =~= "There is no joy here."

Dark Shadow: *whimpering*

momo: maybe try to wear something other than black?

jirou: no, we live by aesthetic, even if we have to suffer for it.

Tokoyami: *fist bump*

kaminari: *sniff* so brave.

mina: TT_TT you two are martyrs of our time.

jirou: thanks babe.

Eijiro: "See, this is why I go shirtless for my super-suit...except in winter, because that would be impractical and lead to frostbite."

momo:...*writing down notes*

Iida: "Hmm...Perhaps sports drinks...Hm? Momo?"

momo: !!! i was just, um...writing poetry! OwO;;;

Iida: "...Oh!" *taps his fist into his open palm* "Creative writing can help change one's focus from the heat around them! Excellent idea! Let's try haikus--"

Bakugo: "Oh, that's just stupid! Why not write short stories, too?! So fucking dumb..."

Eijiro: "..." *counting*

Todoroki: "You're one syllable short on the third line--"

Bakugo: *GLARE*

momo: yeah...ahaha... .///.; (STUPID ME! HOW DID I NOT ACCOUNT FOR COLD WEATHER?! but how do i keep warm and still have access to my quirk? GRAAAH HOW FRUSTRATIIIING! >~< !! midnight! maybe she has a winter uniform! i could ask her!)

Iida: "We're not going to handle this heat well at this rate in our training...Perhaps we need to seek an alternate location to assist us."

ochako: how about the water park?

Eijiro: "Kinda pricy--and probably packed with people."

Todoroki: "We could pick a non-busy day."

mezou: we could check out the aquarium.

Iida: "It's air-conditioned, and seeing aquatic life may be cooling..."

ochako: yeah! maybe we'll see gang orca!

jirou: but the ushimitsudoki aquarium is in a different town...

Todoroki: "...Well, that's disappointing."

ochako: we could still go to death city's aquarium.

tsuyu: *nods*

Iida: "Then let's schedule it! Bakugo, when are you avail--"

Bakugo: "Go to Hell."

Iida: "...Momo, when are you available?"

momo: r-ru-ri-right now? OwO;;

Eijiro: "I'm up for it!"

Todoroki: "Sounds good."

ochako: heck yeah! i'll dial up the others to see if they're game.

Tokoyami: =_= "Yay..."

mineta: *duct taped to a pole* hey, you guys are gonna come back for me right?....RIGHT?! GUYS?!

Iida: "..." *walking away faster*

mineta: D8> GUYS COME OOON!

-elsewhere-

Twice: *sitting in a smoking jacket, sipping tea...that falls down his face because he won't lift his mask*

fang: *nomming on blocks*

himiko: *giggle* ^^

Dabi: *scanning the painting with UV light* "Hmm..." *draws a path on a separate sheet of paper*

Twice: "That kiddo sure seems pleased. IT'S MAKING ME JEALOUS HOW HAPPY THAT BABY IS."

fang: dada. ^o^

Dabi: "..." *keeps staring at his paper*

kurome: whatcha doin?

Dabi: "Finding what's hidden in this painting for the next search...The painter was someone with a talented Quirk for cryptography."

kurome: creep-to-graffy? what does that mean?

Twice: " 'Cryptography.' Noun. From the Greek for 'hidden writing.' ...I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!"

Dabi: -_-# "It means hiding messages..."

kurome: oooooh. why's it hidden?

Dabi: "That's what the boss wants to find out...Kirby had access to a lot of hidden info, plus served as a secret keeper for the weaknesses of multiple Heroes."

kurome: ooooooh.

Mustard: "And yet it's taking you so long to find the answer. What's wrong--not smart enough?"

Dabi: -_-#

banshee: hmm...perhaps it's a riddle?

Dabi: "We'll know as soon as the de-coding finishes..." *types something into the computer* "Any of you good at riddles?"

banshee: i suppose. just thinking outside the box i guess.

*The computer 'BINGS'*

Twice: "*GASP* The machine that goes 'bing'!" *looks at the screen* "...I don't get it."

banshee: *sweatdrop*

*The computer now shows nine dots, arranged 3 by 3*

Message: "Connect all dots with no more than 4 straight lines to reveal the next message."

Mustard: "..."

Twice: "..."

Dabi: "..." *rips up his sheet of paper*

*The painting under UV light shows 9 larger dots glowing on it...*

Twice: *growls* "I don't know who this Kirby fool is, but I want to break every bone in their body!"

Dabi: "They're already dead."

Twice: "THEN I'LL FOLD THEIR CORPSE IN HALF TO MAKE IT EASIER TO BREAK EVERY BONE IN THEIR BODY."

Mustard: "THEY'RE DEAD."

Twice: "I'LL SNAP YOU IN HALF, STRING-BEAN!" *strangles Mustard*

banshee: hmm. *connecting the lines to form an arrow, with two points ending outside of the dots*

Twice: "Hey, wait! That painting is priceless! WE WON'T BE ABLE TO RETURN IT WITHOUT A RECEIPT!"

Mustard: X_X

*It looks like something is showing up when the painting is folded...*

himiko: oooooh!

Twice: "Numbers?"

Mustard: X_X "Coordinates..."

himiko: sweet!......to where?

Dabi: *types* "Looks to be...New York."

himiko: ooooh!

Twice: "Great! Let's take in some off-Broadway! WILLIAMSBURG HAS GOTTEN TOO BOUGIE!"

tomura: and new york is home to one of the biggest hero schools on the east coast; Silverwings Academy.

Dabi: "Hmm...Something you have in mind?"

tomura: this is where the coordinates lead.

Dabi: "Ah..." *checks the map* "On Yancy Street."

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: "It's lovely..."

carly: ^^ the main floor has the den, the kitchen, dining room, sunroom, back room and the first bathroom. upstairs is the two bedrooms, two spare rooms, and the second bathroom. there's also an attic and a basement.

Chuuya: "Could I see the backyard?"

carly: it's right this way.

Chuuya: *follows, looking at the walls* "Lots of room..."

-elsewhere-

Wes: *cooking*

liz: smells delicious.

Wes: "Thanks...I hope the kids like it." *sighs*

-elsewhere-

shura: jeez, what's with all the damn snow up here anyway...

*it sounds like something is shifting through the snow alongside her*

shura: *glances*...tch- some homecoming _this_ is, hachirou.

*a snake pokes out through the snow*

Snake: *hisses* "You've taken too long to return..."

shura: yeah yeah, i know. and what's with all the snow in the middle of may?

Snake: "I'm afraid my associate..."

shura: ??

*wind blows in Shura's face, more snow landing on her*

shura: ?!?!

*a figure emerges from the snow-covered trees*

shura: *draws sword*

*it's a woman, cloaked in white...another snake slithers onto her shoulder*

shura: so a yuki onna, huh? i thought they'd all be in hibernation by now...

Yuki Onna: *grumbles* "Can't sleep..."

shura: well this sure is strange.

Snake: "I was so impatient waiting for you that some company was appreciated..."

shura: =3= well _that's_ rude.

Yuki Onna: *grumbles* "Damn them...Lucifer..."

shura: ??!!

Snake: "The Illuminati have been encroaching on my land...If you were here, this would not be happening...Those interlopers are upsetting everything."

shura: -_-# oh sure, put all the blame on me.

Snake: "You were off gallivanting with the humans...and their weaponry. What have you learned?"

shura:....bazookas are heavier than they look. 737 also the recoil on those things is crazy.

Snake: "Hmmm...Helpful information. How many weapons are you now proficient with?"

-elsewhere-

Rin: *sneezes* =_=

stocking: find out anything helpful?

Yukio: "This is where Father located Shura before..." *tapping a temple on the map*

stocking: that's great!

Rin: *sniff* "So, we're heading there?" *grabbing a blanket*

stocking: yep. better get bundled up.

Rin: *grabs a sweater and a jacket and a scarf--*

Yukio: *checks his bullets*

-elsewhere-

Joker: "How you like the dress, Nana?"

nana: -_-####

Viktor: ._.; "...Is there anything else I need to pick up for you all?"

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: "..." *kneels down* "I ask for your forgiveness."

Tsukiyo: ._.;

Konro: "..."

fang-hua: ....this is....a lot to take in....

kirei: benimaru.....

Benimaru: "I did what I thought was best, to remove the rest of you from this, in case of culpability..."

kirei:.....*hugs*

Benimaru: "..." *holds onto her*

kirei: if you ever go on one of these excursions again, please at least tell me first.

Benimaru: "I will."

Tsukiyo: Q_Q

-elsewhere-

#death city days

1 note · View note

heavyscottishaccent · 8 years ago

Text

Friends on the Other Side

The Isle had many quirks that most would find pretty disturbing if not outright disgusting. The way the sun never seemed to shine through the dense fog or the fact that the air always tasted slightly of iron; may it be from the exposed pipes or from the "questionable" dark stains that sometimes covered the walls in the small island. On good days, it reeked slightly of sweat and hot garbage. On the bad, well, there's really no point on wasting time talk about literal waste, is there?

All these little details made the Isle an endearing home for those who lived there. Like the fungus that grew on almost every surface, it grew on its inhabitants. Forcefully. With a sledge hammer. Or a wand if you want to be technical.

In the twenty-some years that the Isle had first come to be, no one had managed to escape. Not even the toughest or the scariest of the lot could find a way to stick a single toe across the barrier that kept them trapped inside. It wasn't until six months ago when the new king of the United States of Auradon proclaimed a new "project" of sorts to integrate the children of villains into their high society of pampered poodles. Only after the first four, no word had come back about taking in any more kids. Figures.

Most grew angry, bitter at the small speck of hope they offered before brutally crushing the dreams of the few handful of kids who wanted nothing more than to be chosen next. It was all they showed on tv or played on the radio stations in the Isle. Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos getting everything; all the food and clothes they could want and even a damned education that didn't involve a basic how to on spiking a stranger's drink. They were supposedly the worst of the new generation of villains yet they were the first to be rewarded refuge?

The hate and resentment that laid dormant for so long within the children festered. Gangs regrouped and violence resurfaced tenfold. At first it was a ploy to get attention from the other side to remind them there were still kids here, waiting. But still nothing came out of it. Even after a short outbreak of a terrible illness that swept through the Isle did nothing to hurry them along. But even then, it was the people in the Isle who were called cold hearted and vicious.

And yet, seeing three of the four traitors did nothing but bring a cold smile on Frank's face.

"Well I'll be damned," Frank laughed. The teen leaned against the wall, relishing as the four turned their heads every which way searching for her. Besides the slight tan and a little weight gain, the three seemed to have gained, they looked just about the same as before they left.

They looked good. "Out of all the fun surprises I expected today, this was not one of them! And Carlos, my boy! Did you grow an inch?"

"I'm not your anything," Carlos called out on reflex.

"Show yourself," Jay said at the same time. Frank laughed but did as he asked anyways. She smiled when the four turned in her direction, looking perplexed as the shadows seemed to move with her.

"Frankie," Evie greeted with a hesitant nod.

"Oh none of that sugar, we old friends aren't we?" Frank extended her arms, an invitation for a hug but soon dropped them when no one moved to embrace her. "Well, that's a bit rude. Woulda thought them Auradonians or whatever would have taught you all a speck of kindness."

"Frank," Jay said with an irritated sigh. The teen cocked her head to the side, wondering what has got them so wound up before her attention settled on the one boy she did not completely recognize. His clothing screamed Isle but his stance said something entirely different. At first Frank waved him off as one of Uma's quieter lackys. She seemed to gain a new one every minute so Frank gave up on trying to remember who's with who. It wasn't until the bra shifted closer into the light that it hit Frank why he looked so familiar.

"Hold the phone, boo," Frank said, her tone dropping from her almost warm tilt to an icier one. "This whole time I've been thinking the King would take us little folk to his side of town, not the otha' way around."

"Not by choice, I assure you—" the King tried to say before Frankie lifted one hand to stop him.

"It be nobodies choice to come here, I assure you," she mocked. "What, here to handpick the next little ones for your project? If so, I can point my finger at any direction for you to start looking."

"U-um no, that won't be needed, thank you. We are actually here for—"

"My mistake then, however, if I may ask, when exactly will the next group be chosen. Forgive me but some people have grown… impatient as you could imagine." The King looked pained at her question. The tension between the five thickened as the other four shifted uncomfortably. A moment of silence passed before Frankie nodded in understanding. "I see."

"No, no! I swear I was planning on crossing more kids over! It's just—"

"Your majesty," Frankie sneered, effectively cutting off the boy once again. The other three Isle kids looked about ready to jump to his defense but a quick look from Frank had them backing off. "I knew I shouldn't 'ave gotten excited about yous new decree but I did. Same with plenty a other children down here on this island. You know we got about six working telly and radio channels here and all of them is about you. About yous and Mal going on dates, fining and dining the most luxurious of meals with them heroes we youngins have somehow wronged just by being born. Even planning a fabulous party with every last one of them; we heard all about that too. Well, you can imagine we have grown a little sour at being forgotten."

Frankie relished in the shame that crossed on each of their faces. She had grown with the idea of revenge tasting as sweet as the southern tea her father told her about once. Though as quick as that feeling came, it didn't last long. This particular flavor of tea turned out more bitter than sweet. She shook her head and stepped back away from the King. She didn't even notice herself advance towards him in the first place.

"You should go," Frankie whispered. "Before Uma or one of hers figures out y'all are here."

"We can't leave without Mal," the King bravely said, though Frankie did catch a slight quiver in his voice. Good, he got the message.

"Mal is here too, huh," Frankie mused. "Figures all that commotion would be her."

"What do you mean? Did you see where she went?" Evie asked. Frankie sighed and crossed her arms. She definitely saw where Mal went. She hadn't known or cared much on who the devil on the purple steed was before and she couldn't care less now. She gave them an unimpressed stare before rolling her eyes and turning her back.

"That information is something I cannot give."

"Cannot or will not?" Carlos asked for clarification.

"Either? Both? Take your pick." Frank knew she was being petty but the last thing she wanted to do was help them. The more she heard their voices the more she wanted to shout and scream, however, she wasn't inclined to have the sort of attention that usually attracted after making too much noise.

"That's fine," the King said quickly before calling the former three Isle kids back. "That's fine. Thank you, Frankie." The sincerity in the King's voice made Frank pause. That kind of kindness is something you could not fake plus, Frankie had never had anyone thank her before. Frank inwardly groaned as she turned to the four as the made their way down the alley, carefully sidestepping anything that would make a sound. It's been months since Evie, Carlos, and Jay were on the Isle. They definitely wouldn't know about the new traps that laid around these parts.

On one hand, if they were caught, Frankie knew they wouldn't blab on her for not alerting anyone of their arrival. Which would be bad. They would be out of her hair and none of her concern but even Frankie wasn't mean enough to let a stray puppy get itself killed, especially one with such a sweet face. That and if they, more so the King, left the Isle soon and went back to Auradon, her chances of being chosen may raise if the King owed her a favor or two.

"Wait," she called, her face pulled as though in pain. The four turned to her in confusion and, to Frank's displeasure, slight smugness. Those turds. "Don't go that way."

"Frankie?" The King asked unsurely.

"Yall havent seen the type of things hidden in the darker corners of this rat trap. They built some fancy new do dabs that almost ripped off my pa's leg once. Some bastardized contraptions built from things found in De Vil's tree home." Carlos winced noticeably at that to which Frankie nodded. She gestured towards the opposite direction before walking away. Frank didn't have to turn around to know the others were following her.

Despite the King never living on the Isle like the rest of them, he did a rather good job in staying as incognito as any other thug in training. Though there were a couple of times Frank or Jay had to push and pull him in the right direction. Nonetheless, the King would had made a fine henchman given the chance. That's to say, if he worked a little on his arms. Damn noodles seemed sway in every direction when he moved.

"Your purple demon was lucky," Frankie finally whispered.

"Mal? What do you mean?"

"She sped past here so fast, nothing had a chance to even nip at her ankles. That bike of hers sure is something."

As they made their way towards the center of the Isle, Frank couldn't help but notice how the four other teens moved together in sync. She was impressed with how the King was able to fit in with them as flawlessly as if he were Mal herself. It was no wonder why these guys were quick to warm up to him. Again Frankie stamped down the jealousy that arose in her. She never was one to accept or be accepted quickly. Even on the Isle where friends was a no-no there was still some type of camaraderie within the masses. Frankie, however, didn't have that. Even Dizzy, the friendliest kid in the Isle acted weird around her.

She only had herself and her shadows for company and that was fine with her. Sorta.

"So Frankie," Evie huffed as she hurried over to run beside her. "Anything new happen while we were gone?" Frankie considered the question for a moment. There was a lot she could say. She just didn't know how to say it.

"You bet it did," Frankie muttered. "You three changed the game."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked. Frankie scowled back at him; she hadn't noticed him approach.

"I mean what I say. After yous four gave up the wand, people back home got antsy. Saying they was gonna be the next ones to go and do your jobs. Pa told me if I got picked and did what you four did, he'd find a way to cross that barrier just to throttle me one last time before he got our friends to finish the job." Frankie shuddered. She had no doubt that her pa would figure something out given the chance. "It's a free for all now, people joining any gang just to stay alive."

"That's terrible," the King muttered, horrified. The change of rhythm their feet made as they criss crossed around the dark alleys quickened. No doubt the others, including Frankie herself, wanting to put as much distance from others as fast as possible.

"I heard talk of Yen Sid getting worried too," Frankie said thoughtfully. "He be sending messages every week now instead of once a month. Don't think he be getting any replies either though." Frankie didn't expect for the King to reply to that. Which was the point of mentioning that last bit as the boy had the horrible knack of fraying her nerves. Just because he was cute and nice meant that Frankie was going to forgive the fool so quickly. Or at all for that matter.

"What about our parents?" Carlos hastily asked. That question made Jay and Evie stop in their place, causing the King to run straight into their backs. Frank looked back at the sudden noise and quickly shushed them all before pulling them into a dark corner when she thought she heard someone walk towards them. Frank bit her lip once the coast was officially cleared. She didn't know how to answer that question either.

"Well," Frankie started awkwardly. "With the big bad dragon gone, her goons just kinda linger around, not knowing what to do. I don't see much of Miss De Vil but I heard from others that she doesn't leave Hell Hall much but when she does… well, you could say mister Hook needed a new hook."

"As for Jafar, he and my pa were on not good terms before because Jafar been taking things from his shop and vice versa. A few days after the wand fiasco Jafar comes over like his ass was on fire and destroyed my pa's shop thinkin we took some of his. No one bothers him much nows."

"And the Queen," here Frankie paused for a moment. She glanced at the four kids staring at her intently before looking down at the ground. She hated playing messenger. "She don't do nothing."

"My mom? What do you mean she 'doesn't do anything'?" Evie pressed.

"She don't do nothing," Frankie stressed out. "She won't come out or even talk no more. Like a ghost. No one mess with her either. No fun when there's no fight I hear."

Evie looked close to tears as Jay pulled her into a tight hug. Even Carlos looked upset which was more than a bit shocking as Frank heard stories of Cruella treating her boy like nothing more than a slave. The girl looked away from the three teens. Showing this much emotion was another no no on the Isle but she figured they needed a little time to get a hold of themselves without a judging eye. Instead she looked at the King who merely appeared shocked at the news. Seeing as he wasn't going to say anything to lighten up the frustration, Frankie quickly suggested they move again less they be caught by someone who held a grudge; which, honestly, was pretty much everyone on the island.

"That's why we're going through the back streets," Jay concluded angrily. "So you don't get caught with us. Or maybe you're just leading us straight into the thick of the mob, huh?" Frankie's eyes flashed with vindication. This is what she gets for helping? She snarled and moved to slam her fist in Jay's stupid face but a someone pulled her back.

"Stop," the King yelped. "I'm sure that's not true, Jay."

"You don't know her like we do, Ben," Jay hissed. "She's Facilier's kid. I thought it was weird she'd help us out without making some sort of deal. We shouldn't have trusted her in the first place. She's jealous we made it out and she didn't. She's nothing more than a con with a plan. Just. Like. Her. Dad."

"Fuck you, man," Frankie spat. She jerked her arm out of the King's grip before shoving Jay as hard as she could. Jay didn't look affected as he swung out his arm to catch Frank on the side of her head but the girl merely ducked and body tackled the taller teen onto the ground. Frankie heard the other three yelp and move out of their way as they rolled around the cobblestone ground, landing as many hits as they could before Frankie felt herself being lifted off the thief, or former thief now, entirely.

"That's enough," the King growled at them both. Frankie tried to pull herself out of his hold but the other teen kept a tight grip against her arms. It took both the effort of Evie and Carlos to hold back Jay. Frankie growled but eventually stopped struggling. This wasn't worth the effort. Ben held her for another minute, making sure she was calm enough before letting go. He kept his hands hovered over the smaller teen for a moment just to be sure before stepping back completely.

"This was a mistake," Frankie spat before turning her heel and walking away.

"Yeah," Jay responded just as viciously. "It was."

Frankie shook her head angrily. Just as she was about to turn the corner, she stopped. She wasn't going to let Jay have the last words. She had genuinely tried, but even then it wasn't enough. What made it worse was that Jay, someone who had been in her exact position for the last six months couldn't put past his own prejudices.

"The way you four was heading was directly in the path of Jafar's shop. His regulars hang out around that alley and no doubt would have told your pa for a quick buck. There's also Uma's gang you need to worry about. Her gang has grown, about a quarter of Shan Yu's old troop, all armed with swords. The traps are real and are about the size of the palm of my hand. Tiny things can blow your arm off, I told you. That and not to mention nearly everyone on this island would love to get back at you all for the wand fiasco couple months back," Frankie cast one last angry look at the four before pointing at a dented sign hanging above them. "We're here by the way. I'm sure you remember how to use it."

"Frankie!" The teen stopped mid step and turned her head towards the King, a deep frown still on her face. "Thanks."

A few hours had passed since Frankie had seen the King and the three Isle traitors. Frank could feel bruises blossoming across her body. Luckily most could be hidden under her clothes however she still had to come up with an excuse for the one on her cheek bone. That is, if her father even cared to ask.

The teen huffed as she expertly shuffled a deck of cards in her hands. She glanced around the not too busy street for someone to play a game of cards with. There weren't too many people on the Isle who chose to play with her. Everyone claimed she cheated; which was completely true but so did they, not as good as her obviously but they still did.

Frankie frowned down at her cards. Her deck of fifty-two were compiled from three different decks. She merely covered the backs with a thin layer of duct tape to hide their differences. The edges were frayed and the ink was faint but for the life of her, Frankie could not find good enough replacements. Looking at her shabby cards now and thinking about the group she had helped earlier left a acidic taste in her mouth. Life sucked.

"Hello, Frankie," A voice drawled above her. Frankie glanced up with her eyes before looking back down at her deck. She shuffled the cards before dealing them out; two face up, two face down.

"Harry," she greeted disinterestedly before looking up at the boy with a slight smirk. "Up for a game?" Harry shrugged before lifting the cards slightly with his hook.

"Hit." Frankie placed a card face up. Harry smirked down at the cards before looking straight into Frankie's eyes. "Twenty."

"Natural," Frankie replied immediately as she flipped all the cards face up to show the other the game.

"Cheater."

"Always," she dralwed. "What brings you over to my casino, Hook?"

"Uma want's to see you," Harry replied. He crouched down so he was face to face with the girl, a devilish smirk still playing on his lips. "And I'm afraid this time she won't take no for an answer."

"I ain't interested in joining her crew, Hook."

"We know. This is different and I'm sure you'd love to hear about it. We gained a new friend today. A royal friend." Frankie's mouth twitched into a frown before she could stop herself. Inwardly she screamed at herself for the tell as she saw Hook's smirk grow into a wide grin. She shrugged, hoping for Harry to catch on that she didn't care. If they really had the King and he squealed to them about her, she'd kill him herself. Though she didn't worry too much, the King looked like a smart boy. He'd know better than to talk.

"Harry," Frankie finally said. "You seem to be under the impression that I care."

"Oh, of course not," He practically sang. "Except that you should."

Shit.

"See, we know Mal is back on the island. We also know her crew is here too and guess who Gil saw leaving them in front of Maleficent's old home?"

Double shit. Frankie huffed as Harry used his hook to trace the dark bruise on her cheek, the metal cold against the throbbing heat on her face. The fight must have been loud enough for someone to find them and of all people it had to be Gil to see it. The little shit would do anything to get on Uma and Harry's good side.

"Let's go," Harry ordered as he pulled Frankie up from the old crate she used as a seat, the cards in her hand clattered on the floor. He held her arm at a vice grip as he dragged her down to the wharf, not caring if his hand left a mark or if Frankie was literally tripping over things and people to follow him. Luckily the trip wasn't too far. They had used the main streets to get there after all. Frankie glared at everyone who looked at them; she should have stayed inside the shop today.

The crew laughed and cheered as they climbed onto the deck of the ship, Uma standing proudly in front of them all with her arms crossed against her chest. Frankie rolled her eyes at the power display before quickly glancing around for the King. Seeing him tied up on the ship's mast did little to ease Frankie's anxiety. He would be no help whatsoever in his current predicament.

"Frankie," Uma called, her lips turned down into a little pout. "I thought we were friends."

"Uhh, no," Frankie said playing innocent. "I don't got any of those. Fresh out."

"Obviously, I mean look at you," Uma said with a laugh. "Though to be fair I did offer you a spot on my crew."

"You sure did. I also remember saying no," Frankie leaned her top half towards Uma as though telling her a secret. "To tell you the truth, I get sea sick."

"Well if we are telling each other the truth, how about you tell us another," Uma shouted, hyping up the rest of her crew. The gang laughed and started to tap their swords on the deck. The ominous sound made Frankie inwardly cringe. This was bad. "You can trust us. Do you know him?"

Uma pointed at the King and Frankie begrudgedly turned to look at the teen tied to the mast. The crew were still stabbing their swords against the deck, taunting her to speak but Frankie kept her mouth shut. The King didn't seem to know who to look at; her, Uma, or Harry's hook that rested against her neck.

"Ok," Uma finally said with an understanding nod. "I see you're a shy one. I'll just ask… King Ben." the King looked startled at being named outright and jerked to attention. His eyes were blown wide as he frantically looked back and forth between the two girls.

"Ben, do you know this girl?" Uma asked kindly. "It's ok to tell us. Making friends is a good thing, right?"

"No," Ben finally said, his voice full of determination. "I don't know her." Uma nodded thoughtfully before looking back at Frankie. She stepped forward and gently twirled a piece of Frank's curly hair in her finger.

"Well that wasn't so hard, was it? I heard telling the truth to a group of friends made you feel good," Uma said she yanked her hand away roughly and sneering at Frankie. "And since you don't know her, then you wouldn't be bothered if she went for a little swim! Harry!"

Harry sighed contently before he bellowed out a loud laugh. The hook against her neck was removed but before Frankie could so much move, a pair of arms hugged her from her middle, trapping her own arms against her sides.

"Aye, Aye Captain!"

Frankie's eyes widened, her heart leapt to her chest as she fought against the other's hold. She kicked her legs out and beat her arms against Harry's chest but mourned internally as nothing seemed to affect him. The crew cheered them on, stepping aside as Harry walked towards the plank with her still captive in his arms. The teen grunted in pain as she was unceremoniously dropped on top of the plank, the bruises on her knees throbbing from the sudden collision. She shakily stood on her two feet and carefully turned towards the crew and Uma.

"Uma!" Ben shouted over the noise. "Don't do this!"

"I don't understand, your majesty," Uma responded innocently as she inspected her nails uncaringly. "I thought you said you didn't know her. Why do you care?"

"I do care! She's still a person!"

"She's from the Isle," Uma said, finally looking at the King. Ben turned his focus on Frankie and watched as tears gathered in her eyes however she held them back as she glared hatefully at every one of the crew members jabbing their swords toward her. "People from Auradon don't care about people from the Isle."

"I do! I do care! I messed up! Forget this and I'll fix everything!" Ben shouted. Harry jumped onto the railing of the ship expertly. The sudden movement making the plank and consequently Frankie wobble precariously He pointed his sword at Frank, forcing the girl to take a hesitant step back. "UMA!"

"Can't hear you," Uma sang.

"I know her!" Ben finally shouted. "I know Frankie!" Uma smirked down at her hand before loudly snapping her fingers once. Immediately all the noise the crew was making died down, well all except one.

"Gil!"

"Sorry!"

Harry growled as he sheathed his sword and roughly pulled Frankie off the plank. The girl couldn't catch herself in time from the sudden movement and fell onto the deck with a loud thud. She gave a shuddering breath as she looked back at the King, her face contorted in pain.

"Now was that so hard?" Uma cooed as she looked down at Frankie's falled form. She stared down at her for a moment, ignoring the downright murderous expression the other girl sent her before snapping her fingers twice and pointing at the mast. There was no hesitation in following her silent order as three kids managed to roughly tie Frankie to the mast besides the boy King. Frank didn't bother trying to squirm away this time.

"I'm so sorry," the King whispered to her. Frankie didn't look at him and stared at the barely visible barrier that flickered occasionally in the horizon. "Frankie."

"Stop," she whispered back harshly. "Just stop."

"I didn't mean for this to happen," the King forcefully continued. He leaned his head back, exposing his neck for everyone around him. He didn't try to speak much after that. The two watched as the crew walked around the deck, most impatient for some reason or another. It wasn't until the King had enough of waiting when he finally brought Uma's attention back on himself. Frankie let the two of them speak; She had nothing to say to the sea witch's daughter. The King, however, was a different story.

"She's right, you know," Frankie finally said after Uma had turned her back. "Uma. She has the right to be mad."

"I know," the King replied hoarsely.

"They're all mad. Me too. I didn't think I could hate someone as much as I hate you and everyone else on the other side." Frankie gave a shuddering laugh and shook her head slightly. "I wanted to leave this place so bad. I wanted what Mal and the others had. I was so… excited— for such a long time. Waiting for my invitation. Or for anyones invitation for that matter but nothing ever came. I told myself that I didn't care no more. That I never cared, but who was I kiddin'? You tried to play Pan's shadow and let me tell you, boo, I left my window wide open and nothing came out of it! For all the bad they teach us down here, I don't think anyone here would be able to pull off something as vicious as what you did."

"I-I'm sorry," the King repeated, this time with more emotion. Frankie paused for a moment before finally looking up at the King beside her.

"Ain't no apology gon' fix this, your majesty." The two fell silent once more. Neither wanting to be the first to speak after something like that. Frankie even dozed off for a while but was rudely awakened when the ropes around her began to shift. Her head snapped up and quickly turned toward the King but Harry was already pulling him away. The ropes tightened around her once again, causing her to groan slightly from the force put behind it.

Frankie tried to ignore the crew's boisterous shouts as she looked around for whatever was causing all the commotion. She finally found it at the bridge to the ship in the form of the once all powerful, or at least the daughter of the "all powerful", standing toe to toe with Uma. The two squared off, Mal only sparing a single glance in the King's and, too Frankie's surprise, her direction. Frankie leaned forward as far as the ropes allowed in order to see what Mal was holding in her grasp. She couldn't make out what it was exactly but Frankie couldn't help but feel ridiculous knowing they were squaring off over a fancy stick.

"The wand," Uma said in lieu of greeting.

"Give me Ben first," Mal said. "And Frankie."

"What?" Frankie whispered in shock. No one heard her but no one needed to as almost every head swiveled towards her in surprise.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Uma laughed. "The wand for the King."

"Huh," Mal laughed, though there was no humor behind it. "You know me. I always want more."

"Ain't that the truth," Uma snarled. "Hand over the wand."

"Ben and Frankie first." Uma sighed in annoyance before snapping her fingers. Harry was quick to drag the King over to the two but Gil seemed to have a little trouble figuring out the ropes holding Frankie down.

"Watch it," Frankie yelped when the other teen's blade got too close to her arm.

"Whoops." Once free from the mast, Frankie was dragged forward, the squeaking from her boots as they dragged across the wooden floorboards awkwardly filling the silence that fell upon the whole group. Mal nodded contently once both teens were in her reach. Frankie felt Gil's hands slowly let go of her arms before a sudden shout from Uma made him pull her back once more.

"Wait!" the captain shouted. "Test it first."

"Always was one for dramatics," Mal muttered.

"And nothing big or Ben here gets to swim with the sharks," she warned. Mal didn't look at all worried as she quickly glanced behind her to her gang. Frankie was pleased to note she brought Jay, Evie, and Carlos with her; along with another girl she didn't recognize. However, the spell of relief shattered when she realized Uma's crew still outnumbered them nearly two to one. Frankie caught Jay's gaze and held it for a moment before subtly nodding in his direction. If there was going to be a fight, which she could feel that there was, their current bad blood would not help them in anyway. Luckily, Jay seemed to catch on and returned the gesture. Frankie then turned to Mal and watched as she toyed with the wand in her hand. The purplette turned and leaned on the railing, her eyes trained on some random mutt watching them from the ramp above. Frankie watched in bated breath as the other girl considered him for a second before pointing the wand at the pup.

"I know this sounds absurd, but turn this bark into a word," Mal chanted before flicking the wand in some fancy pattern. Frankie actually recognized her father doing a few times before when he was deep in thought. It must have been a reflex because she was sure he didn't even realize he was doing it. She never dared to ask him about it though. It was better to have some things unspoken in their household. Frankie and the rest of the teen's present watched, simultaneously holding their breaths as they waited for something to happen. After a few seconds of silence, Mal seemed to get agitated as she regarded the dog once more. "Talk, dog."

"Does this vest make me look fat?" Frankie blinked in shock, taken aback by the very human like voice that came out of the dogs mouth, er, muzzle. "Does anyone have any bacon?"

"Ha!" Uma laughed joyously before turning to Mal with a determined look on her face. "Give me the wand!" she demanded.

"Give me Ben!" Mal shouted back immediately afterwards.

"And Frankie!" the King was quick to add. Frankie couldn't hold back a snort at that. It was pretty awkward being involved in so much drama. It would have been funnier too if she hadn't almost been forced to walk the plank earlier; which was why she felt so awkward honestly.

"Cut him lose," Uma ordered, not once looking away from the wand still in Mal's hand.

"I never get to have any fun," Harry muttered as he did what he was told. Frankie held her breath for the second it took for them all to figure out how the trade was going down. Just as Mal thrusted her hand holding the wand forward towards Uma, Frankie felt Gil pushing her from behind her. The teen nearly tripped forward but managed to catch herself on the railing with a little help from Evie's steadying hand.

"Are you alright," she muttered as she quickly pulled Frankie off the ship's ramp.

"Never better," she gasped out. Evie nodded before pulling her towards the stairs quickly. Frankie followed without hesitation and only sped up when she heard Uma's shout of frustration behind her.

"Run now, Ben!" She heard Mal cry out. Unfortunately The teens didn't get too far before Uma's crew managed to escape the bright smoke that erupted in front of them before they were swinging their swords in their faces. Frankie yelped as on pirate swung their blade inches from her face. She would have been killed if not for the sudden instinct to duck her head at the last second.

"Frank!" The girl kicked her attacker in the chest before whipping around to face Jay. A short warning followed by a saber being thrown to her was all she got before she was suddenly stuck in a parry with one of Uma's mates. The teen growled in her face, causing Frankie to lean back in disgust when a bit of spit flew out of his mouth. The teen huffed in agitation as she then ducked under the boy, using his weight to throw him over her shoulder and over the docks railing.

Frankie had no chance to recover from the short fight before another one of Uma's goons was right on top of her. She quirked a quick smirk at the raging teenager, tossing her saber up before catching it in her left hand. Not one to be baited so casually, the new component rushed Frank with her sword extended to the sky. Frankie stood still, her saber posed upwards in front of her, right until the other girl reached her and swung down at Frankie's head. Frank spun around the other girl, landing behind her, before kicking the back of her knees. She didn't waste second after the other girl fell to the ground and slammed the hilt of her sabor on her attackers neck, knocking her out instantly.

"Hey! We gotta go!" Someone shouted from behind her. Frankie spun and gave the girl who came with Mal and the others a thoughtful look. The teen nodded and grabbed her extended hand, gasping in surprise as the other girl easily pulled her up to the next platform. Frank considered asking the girl her name but even she knew it probably wasn't the best time for introductions. Just as the two girls were about to leave the warp via industrial pipe, another mini pirate in training jumped out right in front of them. He growled at the two girls as he pointed a sword at each of them. In return, the girl and Frankie shared a bored look. Sure wielding two swords looked cool but even someone without any experience using them could tell that the weight was seriously throwing the other teen off.

"I got this," the girl muttered to Frankie. Frank only shrugged and took a step back, content with watching the new girl play with the pirate teen. She had to hand it to the princess, though. The way she moved and baited the guy was hilarious. The girl didn't bother using her saber besides blocking once or twice. Instead she stayed an inch out of the pirates swings, easily dodging every move he threw at her.

"Impressive," Frankie laughed.

"Thanks!" the girl said without missing a beat. "I'm Lonnie, by the way!"

"Frankie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Frankie."

"...Same to you, I guess." It didn't take very much conversation for the pirate to listen to before he grew agitated by the seemingly uncaring way Lonnie fought him. He finally abandoned one of his swords in favor of dealing heavier attacks. Now Frankie could see the fight was finally a fair one. Too bad no one cared about "fairness" on the Isle. With the guy's back turned toward her, Frankie used the opportunity to slink behind him and land a surprise blow to the side of his head. The teen dropped like a heavy sack of potatoes, garnering a surprised huff from Lonnie.

"Frankie!" Lonnie gasped in surprise.

"What?" she muttered. "You were taking too long." The two stared at eachother for a moment before laughter broke out between the two. Stepping over the unconscious male, Lonnie pulled Frankie into a side hug before walking stepping into the pipe side by side. Frank had stiffened under the sudden contact but didn't pull away from the embrace. Once they made it to the other end of the tunnel, the two broke away and made quick work with the tarp covering the limo. It wasn't long before the other teens made their way to them and began to move around the car.

"Let's go," Mal shouted at everyone. Frankie stood near the end of the tunnel entrance, her hands fisted in the tarp she helped pulled off, with a frown on her face. She knew the others expected her to go with them. It would have been the smart thing to do but Frankie's gut told her otherwise. A few hours ago she would have done anything to stow away in this car but now Frankie knew this wasn't the right time for her to leave. She had to make things right first.

"Frankie we have to go," the King said. Only instead of moving, the girl shook her head.

"I can't," she said. "Not yet."

"We don't have time for this," Evie cried.

"I'll be fine," Frankie said. The others looked dubious, no one besides the dog moving to get inside the car. Frankie smiled before turning to the King with a slight incline to her head. "Let's make a deal. I'll go when I get a real invitation but only after you take the kids who really deserve to go as well."

"Come with us and make sure it happens!" the Lonnie pleaded.

"No," Frankie shook her head with a miserable laugh. "I don't deserve to go. Not yet, at least. Take the kids who deserve it first then I'll consider it. Until then, I'll do my best around here to help get them ready. And Ben? Don't make us wait too long."

"...I won't," he swore. "I promise."

"Good," Frankie nodded. "Now go! It won't be much longer before Uma and her crew get's here!"

Frankie smiled at the group, waving off their concerned looks with a determined one of her own. Things were going to change around here and she was damned sure she was going to help it along herself; Even if it meant braving a pirate crew on her own. Though thinking about it, Frankie did know a few people who would be more than willing to help her cause if it meant getting off the Isle. Some persuasion would be needed but she was sure she could do it.

"Be careful out there, Frankie," Evie told her from inside the car. "And don't get into too much trouble!"

"No promises."

I’m pretty new to Tumblr but I’m hoping on taking on some requests! (This is cross-posted on fanfiction.net)

#cross posted on fanfiction #descendants 2 #disney descendants #Disney #one shot #descendants imagine #taking requests #mal descendants #evie descendants #ben descendants #jay descendants #carlos de vil #harry hook #uma descendants #gil descendants #lonnie descendants

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