#i was channeling the same energy she gives off at the end of v's route where she's very much spiraling

[natasha-in-space]

Picrew link

Rika/cmc Chaewon Lee

A vignette I wrote on a whim after playing around in Picrew! Basically the aftermath of Ray's and Natasha's (Saeran's MC) escape from Mint Eye. Rika doesn't take it too well. Chaewon offers comfort. Do they come to a healthy and reasonable resolution? Of course not :)

Exhaustion weighed heavily upon Chaewon's shoulders as her legs carried her up the many winding stairs to the top floor of Magenta, many thoughts plaguing her mind. Things have been a mess in the last week. That cursed traitor showing up out of the blue, Natasha's apparent betrayal that she always knew was brewing somewhere under the surface, and now... Ray's completely unforseen escape, to top it all off.

She expected Natasha to turn tail the moment the opportunity arose, but Ray? Chaewon wouldn't admit it, but even she felt somewhat betrayed by his rather selfish decision to leave them all behind like that. Guess a pretty girl was all it took for him to abandon the same people who cared and protected him for these past few years.

He left Magenta completely defenseless. Didn't even have the courage to face the Savior head-on before disappearing. Just left in the middle of the night with that joke of an assistant of his.

...They should have never let him keep her.

While wandering through the hallway, Chaewon saw the open door to Rika's chambers. Rika's voice caused her to pause and her eye widened as she heard the obvious distress in her voice, muffled sniffs and sobs reaching her ears through the door. She immediately felt a sense of concern, and she frowned slightly as she paused in the doorway.

"Rika?" as she entered the chambers without invitation, she whispered softly and closed the door behind her. Only she was allowed to come and go as she pleased. Not to mention call her by her name. She preferred not to do that, usually, but... Right now, it just felt right. The state Rika was in caused her eyes to widen. There she was, her small form curled up on her bed, her head tucked away into her knees. A sight not befitting of a Savior that the believers were made to love and adore. But a sight she knew too well, "Are you alright? I've ordered our Security Unit to replace Ray in the meantime, but it's... challenging."

Rika was seemingly so focused on her internal conflicts and negative thoughts that she didn't even realize the door was opening behind her. Another worrying sign that Chaewon did not like to see. When she heard her bodyguard's soft voice, she raised her head quickly. As she looked at her, her expression grew more depressed and she closed her eyes.

"...No, I'm not... I'm not okay," she murmured while lowering her head and placing her hands on her face.

As Chaewon heard Rika's words, her frown deepened, and the sight of her with her head down made her chest ache. She moved closer until she was in front of her bed and crouched down, gently grasping Rika's wrists and carefully removing her hands from her face.

"Hey, look at me," her tone was soft and full of concern, accompanied by gentle words. So very different from the firm and cold voice she would use with everyone else. Much like Rika would only let her see her like this, Rika was the only one who would bring out that caring side of her that was seemingly long gone by this point. They both knew sides of each other no one else was allowed to see. She kept holding Rika's wrists as she waited for her to look down at her.

As if the soft voice and gesture had a strange influence on her, Rika slowly raised her head to look at Chaewon who was kneeling at her bedside, like a loyal knight would for the one they've sworn to serve. Her eyes were slightly red, giving her an expression of being at her limit.

It was just as unusual to see her with a soft and vulnerable gaze. Rika Kim, the one who was leading Mint Eye into the eternal paradise, now felt so lost and alone...

How pathetic, is what she probably thought.

The state that Rika was in caused Chaewon's breath to hitch. Rika's eyes caught her gaze, making her chest ache and heart skip a beat. At that moment, all she wanted was to wrap the woman sitting in front of her in her arms and hold her close, but she had to resist the sudden urge. She exhaled, gently squeezing Rika's wrists.

"Come here," her voice was quiet and soft as she spoke faintly. Without waiting for a response, she leaned up and pulled Rika into her arms, holding her tightly.

Rika was clearly taken by surprise when she suddenly found herself in Chaewon's embrace, but she didn't put up any resistance. Be it by her genuine desire, or her desperate need for comfort, she couldn't help but lean into her, letting her emotions carry her weight. She was so tiny like this. Especially next to Chaewon who could rival V in height, the broadness of her stature carrying with itself a rather intimidating appearance. A stark contrast to Rika's smaller and softer figure. However, in reality, Chaewon was never the one in control. Rika hid her face in her chest, her body trembled slightly and tears began to fall down her cheeks again.

"Ray was right to choose her over me. I'm a monster..." she whispered as she sobbed.

"No, you're not," Chaewon responded immediately, her voice firm but soft, as she held Rika close to her. Her heart broke when she saw her like this and heard how Rika thought of herself. Rika was held tight by her arm, while the other one gently rubbed her back in a comforting manner, "You're not a monster, Rika."

Her chin rested on top of Rika's head as she gently repeated herself.

Chaewon's shirt was stained by tears that continued to run down Rika's cheeks. It's like she tried to escape her inner torment by pressing herself against her bodyguard that was sworn to protect her. The sobs continued to escape her mouth, causing her body to tremble slightly. In one smooth movement, Chaewon laid them both down onto the soft covers, with them now laying on their sides, facing each other.

"Yes, I am..." Rika whispered softly. For once, her guilt and remorse were like a heavy burden on her shoulders, and she couldn't shake off the feeling of being a bad person she always knew she was. She was consumed by her own self-destructive thoughts, believing that she deserved all the suffering she was currently experiencing.

But she was a weak willed person. Not at all like Ray or Natasha. She was still scared of the pain, of the loneliness, of being left behind. She couldn't accept her mistakes. Not fully.

Accepting them meant facing every single thing she had done wrong in all the years of her life.

And that was terrifying.

Rika's tears were making Chaewon's shirt fully wet now, but she didn't care. She only cared about providing Rika with the comfort she needed at that moment. She remained close to her while slowly running her hand up and down her back in an effort to calm her.

"Stop it," she spoke with a gentle tone, her voice still a bit gruff, but soft. Hearing Rika talk about herself in that way was unbearable to her, "You're not a monster. You're a good person, Rika."

When Chaewon contradicted her, Rika felt a strange sense of comfort blooming in her chest ever so faintly. Her body was shaking in her arms while she buried her wet and tear-stained face in her bodyguard's chest.

"How can you say that so easily...?" she spoke in a shaky manner, "How can you say that... after everything... I've done...?"

Her sobs grew louder once more and she tightened her grip on her former friend's shirt.

Chaewon's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't heard Rika speak like that in years. Sure, she had her moments of vulnerability, and even breakdowns, but... This was no longer the Savior of Mint Eye, she realized. This was Rika just like she knew her prior to their new lives here in Magenta.

This was her friend just like she remembered her.

But this feeling was a bittersweet one, not a joyous one. Even Chaewon knew that they crossed a point of no return a long while ago. They both did so willingly. And they both now had sins to bear. Sins that Chaewon could not take away from Rika, even if she wanted to.

Still...

In an effort to comfort her, she allowed Rika to hold on to her shirt slightly tighter while still rubbing her back. Rika's words caused her heart to hurt as she replayed them in her head again.

"Because I know you," her voice was quiet and gentle as she replied softly. She slowly slid her hand up and gently ran her fingers through Rika's hair. She kept her close by leaning her chin on top of her head again, "I know you're a good person, Rika."

Rika felt like she was floating on air thanks to Chaewon's words and the soft touch of her hand through her hair. She felt less alone and isolated from the world when she was comforted in this way. She always did. Inhaling deeply, she tried to calm the sobs that still shook her body.

"Ray chose her over me. A girl he knew for less than a year. He chose to leave, to abandon me for... for her," her voice was broken and full of remorse, as she whispered. Though, there were clear hints of resentment seeping through there as well, "What did she whisper in those ears of his? What promises did she make? I-"

A silent pause followed.

"...It's my fault," in a way, Rika wasn't making any sense. Her tone switched from hurt and angry to remorseful in an instant. She couldn't even understand herself, "I shouldn't have punished her. That drove him away from me, didn't it...? He cared so much for her, of course he would see me as a heartless monster after I... after I did that to her."

Chaewon pulled back from their embrace, laying on her side as she gazed at Rika, her hand still running through her hair. Rika's voice was filled with sorrow and remorse, and it was painful to listen to her talk about herself like that. In an effort to comfort her, she pulled her closer and massaged her back in a soothing way.

"-But you've helped people, Rika. You saved so many lives," she spoke softly, her voice now growing a tad firmer. She wanted Rika to see all the good she had done, not just focus on the bad, "Ray and Saeran were just fine with you before she came along. I always knew she wasn't truly one of us. That little thing. Trembling in her shoes whenever her precious boss wasn't there to protect her."

Chaewon shook her head briefly, a slow steady breath leaving her lips. Her gaze hardened as it settled back on Rika.

That's right.

None of this was her fault.

Rika wouldn't have acted out in the first place, if it wasn't for Natasha.

It was all that girl's fault. Not Rika's.

"Ray is a gullible fool who still believes in his fairytales. It wouldn't be hard to fill his head with promises of a happy future," she muttered, her fingers still running through Rika's curls, twirling them around absentmindedly, "-And Saeran is far too impulsive for his own good. I should've put him in his place when he screamed at you last week. We weren't prudent enough, you and I. But it isn't our fault."

Rika was quiet as she stared back at her, her expression unreadable. Chaewon reached out to wipe her thumb under her eye, wiping the salty moisture off her delicate skin.

"...We will fix this. I will fix this. For you."

"You will...?" Rika murmured, sounding both hopeful and somehow doubtful.

Chaewon nodded: "I will. I promised you that I would stay by your side until you reach your dream. And I will abide by my promises to you. In whatever form it will take."

[capricornus-rex]

For your muse! :D “How about making me vice president in charge of cheering you up?”

“Two Sides of the Coin” | Chapter 16: Memory in a Shallow Grave | Jidné Sheedra x Cal Kestis

Summary: Hell-bent on exacting revenge and retrieving the Holocron, the dreaded Darth Vader is now on the hunt for the young Jedi Knight, Cal Kestis. Under the assumption that he still possessed the artifact, while fueled by the intrigue of the boy’s strength and skill with the Force, the dark lord hires the bounty hunter, Jidné Sheedra, to track him down and have him delivered alive. However, the task becomes a trial for young Jidné, as she faces a conflict that tests her beliefs of a scarred past she had hidden for so long.

A/N: This has got to be the longest reply (in the guise of a fic chapter) I’ve ever written! ;A; I hope you don’t mind the 4000+ or so word count, honey... because this is the part where Order 66 angst kicks in T^T

Also tagging @silver-is-in-too-many-fandoms @calsponchoemporium @stellar-trinity @queen-destenie @calgasm @cal-jestis @justtinfoley @peterwandaparker @sweeetteaa @ayamenimthiriel @superwarsofthrones @fallenjedii

Also in AO3

Tags: Fem OC, Jidné Sheedra, Force-Sensitive! Fem OC, Bounty Hunter! Fem OC, Jedi! Fem OC | Special tags: Order 66, Nomara Anesh, Togruta! Fem OC, Jedi Master! Fem OC

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 | Previous: Part 15 | Next: Part 17 | Masterlist

16 of ?

23 BBY

Jidné passed the time by studying the Holocrons she borrowed from the Archives, she came across Master Kit Fisto’s Holocron wherein he has discovered the ancient lightsaber modification that allows one’s saber to function underwater as it would on dry land. The little Padawan was intrigued and fascinated, so she set aside the other datacrons to listen to this particular one.

For the rest of the afternoon, she whiled away in reviewing the instructions and carefully studied the cross-sections. She realized that in order for this modification to work, she will need a second kyber crystal for the energy channels to route one another—since a single kyber would short-circuit if submerged or activated underwater.

“That would mean going to Ilum again,” Jidné thought out loud in the solace of her dorm. “I wonder if I could ask Master Anesh. I bet she’d allow me.”

“Jidné?” the disembodied voice of her master beckoned her.

The girl’s head jerked to the direction where she found the voice, she seals the Holocron shut using the Force with promptness and sees Master Anesh walking into the garden square. Jidné set aside the artifact on the bench along with her leather-bound journals where she copied the things she liked page after page, she landed on her feet as Nomara approached her little Padawan.

“I’m here, Master Anesh,”

Nomara peeked over the child’s shoulder and saw the Holocron sitting atop a small pile of notebooks.

“Have you been busy?”

“Just studying, I have something to tell you as well, Master Anesh!”

“Later, after today’s practice,”

Jidné nodded in agreement, then the master noticed the four turquoise beads adorning the end of her Padawan braid.

“Did you do something with your braid?”

“Hmm? Oh, remember our mission back in Alderaan? A peddler sold these beads. I thought the color’s pretty and they resembled the ones on your headband, so I thought of decorating my braid with it—to make it look like yours!” the Padawan girl beamed.

The radiance of her innocence endeared her master, the gesture warmed Nomara’s heart that she had to clutch her chest out of impulse.

“How sweet of you. I think it made your braid twice as prettier,”

“Thank you, Master!”

“You’re welcome. Come now, my little one, we’ve much to do for today’s practice,”

Jidné timed the moment where she can ask Master Anesh if she’ll permit to go to Ilum for that one requirement of the modification. Outspoken and carefree as ever, the Padawan girl decided to speak it out anyway before they could commence the training session.

“Master, if I may ask,”

“Yes, what is it, Jidné?”

“About your saber. Is it waterproof? I mean, can you use it underwater?” the Togruta slighted her head to the side, shooting the girl an attentive look.

“Yes, I can use it underwater. Why the sudden interest?”

“I came across a Holocron that shows how to modify the saber to make it work while in the water,”

The Togruta smiled, clearly recalling and knowing what the little Padawan is referring to.

“Ah, so that Holocron over there must be a copy of Master Fisto’s,”

“Yes, well, I was wondering if…” she trailed off rather bashfully, almost too shy to speak. “I could ask permission to go to Ilum—with you, of course! To get that second crystal to make it work,”

Nomara smiled, her response to Jidné’s request birthed a wide grin across the little ten-year-old’s face. The girl sprang up and down from the floor out of sheer excitement, her ecstatic “Yes!” echod across the emptiness of the gardens.

“But first, we still have instruction. We’re going to need to work on your Force Shroud. Remember when you told me that you still had trouble in using it? Well, we’ll work on that, okay?”

The girl flashed a small smile, “I’d like that very much.”

“We’ll begin when you’re ready,”

The Padawan did a series of stretches for warm-ups, as well as her spinning exercises for her lightsaber handling. Nomara’s teaching methods were similar to how Master Caius trained her—he didn’t rely on drones and droids, he personally sparred with Nomara during her days as an apprentice as well as enemies in the battlefield.

Nomara shed off her long, brown robes—making it easier for her to engage in combat against her Padawan. In between strikes and dodges, the Jedi Master bantered with the Padawan—giving her words of affirmation or extra tips to better the girl’s combat style. Jidné showed the same amount of promise that she demonstrated in the Initiate Trials; her skill with the lightsaber amplified with Anesh’s rather hands-on method of training, motivated by the aspiration to master Form V: Shien & Djem So—which the master can clearly see in the Padawan’s pattern of movement.

“Steel your nerves, Jidné, that way your Force Shroud doesn’t falter in the slightest scare!” Nomara coached, and the sharp-witted girl took that into mind.

In the next move, Jidné did steel her nerves while cloaked within her Force Shroud, she evaded Nomara’s line of sight and studied her master’s watchfulness until she could find the window of opportunity to strike. Jidné jabbed at Nomara’s direction—to which she flexibly deflected—but immediately pulled away to mislead her master’s eyes; again, she observed the Togruta’s expression and quickly realized that Nomara is still searching for the invisible Padawan.

“Very good, Jidné!” Master Anesh commended albeit incapable to find her Padawan.

Perhaps Jidné didn’t notice it—she didn’t turn visible when she landed that jab and only found out after Master Anesh affirmed her. The child was satisfied and proud of herself, continuing in that same rhythm, the instruction carried on until dusk.

—–

22 BBY

A year has passed since the Clone Wars began.

Members of the Jedi Council were, by default, appointed as generals, much to their chagrin and great contrast to the principles of their Order. A handful of Jedi were also dispatched as an auxiliary military group to aid the clones in fighting the war against Separatist and the droid army.

Seeing that it couldn’t be helped, Nomara—along with her little Padawan—has been named a general. She made peace with the fact that she can never keep a protective umbrella above Jidné’s head—away from all sorts of harm and violence—given that this was the life that her mother preferred for her than digging the earth to live back in her homeworld of Eshyn.

At the disposal of the Jedi General are the 304th Battalion of clones commanded by the trooper captain—CT-7462 or Captain Gat—and a fleet spearheaded by the Venator-class cruiser named Wayward Patriot. The Patriot became the pair’s second home after the Jedi Temple, Jidné’s only consolation and company aside from her master were the clones—which greatly fascinated her. She talked their way into their hearts with her curious questions and playful nature.

“Is training hard for you guys?” Jidné inquired.

The clone chuckled, “Well, it gets a bit tricky sometimes. I mean, it can’t be any different from your training, eh, kiddo?”

“Nah, I have it hard too, I guess,” Jidné shrugged one shoulder, then slowly breaks down into little chuckles. “Who doesn’t get their nerves worked up when they’re fighting another youngling with tons of masters and other kids watching you?”

“Ooh, that does sound tough!” the second clone played along while being genuinely bemused by the girl.

Despite the war, Nomara and Jidné continued their usual days for practice and instruction. The Padawan has made progress in utilizing her Force Shroud until she can now manipulate and bend it to her will. The eleven-year-old also found it thrilling and frightening at the same time—to be exposed to such degree of violence at this early a stage of her life.

“Run along now, little Jid,” the first clone tussled the girl’s head. “General Anesh is waiting for you. Best not to keep her waiting,”

“Right, see you guys later in my free time!”

Jidné hopped and skipped through the corridors of the Patriot until she found the specific room where she usually has her physical lessons with Master Anesh. She walked in on her master conversing with the clone accompanying them on the control room. The Padawan cleared her throat politely to call Nomara’s attention.

“Ah, Jidné, just in time,” Master Anesh cooed, gingerly dismissing the clone with a slow wave of the hand. “Are you ready for today’s practice?”

“Yes, Master Anesh,”

“Very good,” the Togruta turned to the terminal to press a pattern of buttons and then beckoned her Padawan. “Come now, my little one.”

The two of them descended from the control room for the ground level of the room via a turbolift. When they walked to the center of the room, Nomara held up a small remote in hand—with the single touch of a button, the tiles of the floor started to rise, take shape, hover and stick to the walls. The shifting and changing of the environment startled Jidné at first, but she got the hint.

“I didn’t know this room has that!” she beamed.

“It’s very conducive for using skills that you’ll often be utilizing in the battlefield,”

“I’m ready, Master!”

“I like your enthusiasm, Jidné,” Nomara smiled back. “Alright then, whenever you’re ready.”

Beginning with the physical exercises, little Jidné did her personalized set of stretches, she also studied the room—how it looked like, where the blocks are for her to take cover or use to her advantage—with a single passing glance before signaling her master to commence.

“Remember what I taught you, little one,”

“I always do, Master!”

The tile where Master Anesh elevated her until she stands in the same level as the control room, her pedestal remotely stayed in that height. Meanwhile, Jidné remained in the ground, her senses keening as she continues to study the structure of the room—given that the tiles and blocks can change at any given moment of Nomara’s command—while anticipating for her master’s starting signal.

Turrets unfolded from the ceiling of the room, their loud whirring alerted the girl, Nomara forewarned the girl that the guns were configured with non-lethal projectiles set for a training setting.

“Shall we begin, Jidné?”

The girl buckled, “Ready when you are, Master!”

Observing the Padawan scamper across the room, evading blaster fire here and there, Nomara can’t help but ponder to herself in her mind as she watched the girl skillfully evade and deflect the projectiles.

She has become more adept than I either hoped or imagine. That’s good. She’s learned to be strong and willful with the Force.

Her thinking led her to become off-guard of other thoughts. Out of the blue, the whistling noise the turrets made whenever they fire stimulated blurry images and incoherent sounds ringing in Nomara’s drums. She brought her hand to her head, massaging the base of her montral as she struggled to ease the sudden heaviness that she feels within her but couldn’t find.

—–

20 BBY, THE DAY OF THE JEDI PURGE

Jidné joined her master in the conference at the bridge comprised of the admiral manning the Patriot, real-time hologram projections of the Jedi Generals Plo Koon, Depa Billaba and her Padawan Caleb Dume joining the transmission. Jidné recognized Caleb as she has met him during a joint campaign with their masters; the two children smiled at one another upon finding each other in the conference.

The masters concurred in giving each other reinforcement if the need arises. Jidné intently studied the projections flashing in the holotable, reading the inscriptions and data numbers floating beside the diagrams of the weapons and map.

“May the Force be with us all,” Plo Koon bade, not out of custom but out of heart before his projection fizzled out of existence, followed by the other Jedi Masters and the other Padawan.

Nomara released a long sigh, she remained leaning by the edge of the table, her hand brought to her lip as she spaced out into deep thought. Jidné noticed this and didn’t disturb her until she opened her eyes again. The little girl wondered if the Togruta had the same thoughts she’s been having of late, she meant to disclose it to her master but they’ve been piled with tons of transmissions as the tension of the war rages on.

“There seems to be no end, does it, little one?”

“I suppose so, Master, but… We are doing a big help, aren’t we?”

The Togruta noticed the little girl’s tone to have mellowed but there’s a tinge of concern to it. Nomara places her hand gingerly on her dear Padawan’s head, stroking her hair down to her beaded Padawan braid.

“Yes, we are. It’s our job as peacekeepers to stop this kind of destruction from disturbing the planets who don’t deserve and need chaos,”

The master’s words did little to console the girl, despite managing a smile at the Togruta, the feeling of being downtrodden persisted within the young learner. Nomara then shepherded the child to the hangar where their starships await them. Along the way, Jidné didn’t seem to be herself lately.

“Your silence says a lot on your mind, child,”

Jidné jumped a bit, startled that her master pointed out her silence.

“Master, something doesn’t feel right. Please tell me you feel it, too,” it was unusual for Jidné to speak in a hushed tone, Nomara sensed the pang of worry that rung between the words of her Padawan.

She thought she had fully buried that worry into the recesses of her mind, but she was proven otherwise when the same heavy feeling returned to her—clutching and wrenching at her core. It was a bothersome feeling that she can’t exactly pinpoint… at least not yet.

“Yes, I have, my little Padawan. Although, much like yourself, I cannot seem to place my finger where it originates,”

Deploying from the underbelly of the Patriot, Nomara and Jidné’s starfighters led on a squadron of fighter pilots to the surface. The vessels dotted the sky in a crisp V-formation and circled the perimeter of the city in Modala, where thousands—if not hundreds—of battle droids were marching in organized blocks and columns, with the superweapon guarded in the middle of the formation.

“Cleaver, make sure you charge and prepare your ion cannons. We’re going to put that superweapon completely out of commission before it could reach the legislative building!” Nomara barked through her radio.

The fleet of fighters closed in on the surface, getting more range at the enemy by the minute. The droid army was alerted when their radars and scanners picked up a multitude of signatures coming from the Jedi’s fleet and their clones. The sight of their ships caused panic among the sentient, metal beanpoles that are the battle droids.

Nomara forewarned the entire fleet to disperse once the high-intensity ion cannon is fired. When the signal was given, all of the ships flew away from the blast radius that could disable their ships’ auxiliary and main power grids and made a running pass around the perimeter to find a safe landing spot.

“Prepare to continue this on land!”

Jidné licked her lips, a smug smirk curled on her face, “This is where the fun begins!”

The ground assault was tense. The flock of LAAT gunships assisted Nomara from the air, amplifying their firepower against the approaching droids and their superweapon.

Lightsaber in hand, both master and apprentice charged through the line of battle, deflecting blaster fire and cutting down the battle droids by the numbers until they could reach the building in the heart of the city.

The battle was won, but not the war. What seemed to be only hours felt like days, the Jedi and her Padawan have secured the legislative building as the Separatist general who hid in it willingly relinquished it after being arrested. Despite their victory today, Master Anesh could not shake the dark feeling that lingered within her heart.

“General Anesh,” a clone approached the pair to report, standing just behind Jidné. “We’ve made a sweep in the building. The captives and the guards have been freed and are taken to a medical ward in the city.”

“Very good news, please relay that to me later for my report to the Council,”

“Understood, General,” the captain erected his posture and saluted at the Togruta. He excused himself and was about to return to his post by the door, but in the middle of his walk, he answered an incoming transmission labeled as urgent.

Execute Order 66. Groaned an ancient, raspy voice through the muffled feedback of the clone trooper’s comlink.

The Togruta turned her attention to her little Padawan, overlooking the city through the window of the office space.

“Now that Modala’s been freed, are we going to give Master Plo or Master Billaba some reinforcements?”

“That still depends, my little one, we have yet to expect their transmiss—” Nomara abruptly left her sentence hanging, her hand instinctively went to the base of her montral, her fingers curling around the fullness of the horn to alleviate the aching but to no avail.

“Master, are you okay?” Jidné’s voice shuddered.

At the corner of her eye, Nomara spotted the clone aiming his rifle straight at the child’s head; the Padawan noticed the steely look in her master’s eyes and followed its direction, looking over her shoulder only to be face-to-face with the hole of a blaster’s barrel. Everything seemed move in slow motion, her heartbeat was the only thing ringing in her eardrums; the adrenaline sharpened her reflexes and senses, the Togruta brandished her saber, pushed the girl out of the line of fire and then cut down the clone. Jidné registered everything when the deed was done.

“Wha—what was that!? Was he gonna shoot me?! What’s going on?!” Jidné bombarded her master with question who was still recovering from the nausea.

“Jidné, something’s not right. Something’s very wrong,” Nomara panted. “Our clones have betrayed us. We need to leave this place. Now!”

“They’re in here!” the shout of a clone roared through the door, muffling his voice.

Nomara thought fast, she locked the door using the Force and laid out the escape plan to the girl as concisely as possible. However, they were cut short when one of the clones planted a sticky bomb to the door. The master and apprentice quickly cut down the clones that were coming after them, even after that run-in, neither of them withdrew their sabers.

“Where do we go from here?” Nomara thought out loud.

The Padawan peeked over the window again and saw that their starfighters were still intact.

“Master! Our starfighters!”

Both of them vaulted over the desk where they took cover, but before they could leave the room and run out into the open—with the risk of being chased by their clones—the Togruta grabbed Jidné by the shoulder and knelt to her Padawan’s height. Her plan was to split up—making herself live bait to lure out the clones so that Jidné can get to the ships safely. Of course, Jidné preferred sticking close with her master as much as possible, but Nomara tried to talk her into it.

“Whatever happens, you run. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jidné shuddered. Unable to contain her fear, she threw herself into Nomara’s arms and the Togruta embraced her Padawan in the tightest she could.

Master Anesh held the girl’s small face in her elegant hands, “Now, be brave. Don’t look back. I’ll be right with you. I promise.”

Jidné nodded, in turn, her master mouthed “Go” and the little Padawan girl bolted through the halls. Her legs carried her fast as they could, evading the clones whose senses are now on high-alert for both Jedi and Padawan. As much as she wanted to use her Force Shroud, the sheer levels of stress intervened with her focus—being able to only use it for a few minutes’ worth of running—when she felt that she’s re-materializing, she hugged the walls before turning around a corner to see if the coast was clear.

What went wrong? What changed? These questions screamed and ricocheted on the walls of her skull, and were answered by missed blaster fire and angry shouts of the clones, claiming that they’ve spotted the Jedi running.

“Where’s the little girl!?”

“She’ll come around, get the Jedi!”

Jidné crept to another path in the intersection, she was too busy focusing on the two clones who were in the corner that she didn’t notice the clone in the path where she’s heading into and bumped into his side. The clone was understandably startled, but upon sight of the Padawan, he swung his rifle and struck her across the face, a portion of the weapon had scraped the skin—producing a cut on her cheekbone.

The young Padawan was too frightened and confused to think fast, she crawled backwards—away from the Stormtrooper who was already aiming the barrel at her heart, until an indigo beam of light flew his way, cutting through his torso forward and then another when the lightsaber was spinning back to the direction of its owner.

“Jidné! Are you alright?!”

“Yes, Master Anesh!”

A clone appears out of the corner at the end of the hallway, “The Jedi and the little girl are here! Don’t let them escape!!!”

“This way, child! Come on!”

“Coming, Master!”

The two bolted through the grand, luxurious hallways now strewn with bodies of clones—both from the siege and their betrayal against the Jedi. The closer they think they’re getting to the exit where their starships are, the farther the clones push them in—cornering them into the building like mice in a maze.

Eventually, the clones have led them into the central foyer of the legislative building where they surround the master and her Padawan in a circle. This wasn’t part of Nomara’s plan, so she collected all of her might in her body—while praying to the Force to be with her—and then invisible yet torrential ripples exploded out of her hands, throwing the clones off of their feet and disorienting them. While there’s still a chance, before any of the clones could get back up on their feet again, both Jedi returned to following their original path.

“Keep up with me, Jidné!”

“I’m trying, Master!”

Finally! After losing their breath from evading the clones, the starships were in sight. The hope they thought was lost was regained. The two of them dashed out of the main entrance, the wake of destruction from the siege still ran fresh as smoke pillared to the heavens.

Just when they thought they’ve finally secured their escape, a line of troopers with an ARC Trooper in the middle stood in their way between the starships.

“Get behind me, little one!”

Jidné literally went back-to-back with Master Anesh, lightsaber in hand, and faced the direction of the main entrance anticipating the clones that the Togruta had disoriented using the Force. Not a moment later, the same clones from inside had reached them in the outer lobby.

“Jidné, I want you to do exactly as I say, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Master…”

Nomara spoke in the calmest of voices that Jidné has ever heard amidst the chaos, “Use your Shroud. Now.”

The Padawan’s eyes widened, partially with confusion and immense horror, she had a clue of what her master’s plan is. She didn’t like it—not a single bit.

“Jidné,” Nomara spoke calmly again, but the tone of her voice was hard and strict, so as to not give away their bluff to the troopers. The Togruta’s eye glanced to the side, looking at the frightened Padawan. “Now.”

The ARC Trooper, already trigger-happy, barked at his brothers, “Blast her!!”

“JIDNÉ, NOW!!”

“NOOOOOOOO….!!!!”

In the blink of an eye, Jidné felt like she was flying—and flying she was, Nomara had used the Force on the Padawan to send her out of the line of fire. Jidné only landed a feet away from the circle of clones with the Jedi in the center, deflecting and banking away their shots with the remainders of her strength. Obviously, it was too much for one exhausted Jedi to overpower a ring of fifteen or so clone troopers shooting at her from all directions. The little girl, unaware that she had absentmindedly activated her Force Shroud, witnessed the clone troopers—the other people she called her friends ever since this war began—pelt her master’s body with blaster fire.

Nomara, her body riddled with bullet holes through her armor and clothes, spotted little Jidné—in this instance, she was surprised to be able to see Jidné while the child was under the influence of the Force Shroud, she didn’t sought for the explanation, she was glad that her dear Padawan is unseen and unharmed, although it saddened her when their eyes met; never have Nomara ever seen the little girl so stricken with terror upon what she’s seeing.

As the final fulfillment of her promise—not to the mother anymore, but to the child albeit unspoken—Nomara called upon the Force, amplifying her the nearly-fluctuating energy within her. She pulled her arm back, fist clenched in the tightest that she could hold, and struck the soil hard—this wave was very much stronger than the last, the seismic magnitude of Nomara’s Force ability sent the clones literally flying. Some of the clones caught in the shockwave have died from a shattered spine or a cracked skull upon impact of a rock or the stone ground when they landed.

When the wave died down, Jidné is unscathed, though she’s left with the unfathomable degree of fear that her thirteen-year-old mind couldn’t wrap around. Nomara was still standing—however she’s clinging onto the last threads of dear life as she knows it. The Padawan scrambled up to her feet and caught her master before she could fumble near-dead to the soil.

“Master…” Jidné sobbed, cradling Nomara’s head on her lap.

“Jidné…” Nomara gasped, her vision already blurring and a black ring bordered her eyes.

“I’m here, Master…!”

The master hoists her weak hand to the Padawan’s cheek, her thumb ran across a tear streaming down the girl’s face. She choked as she struggled to speak.

“Jidné… you have to go…”

“No, I can’t leave you here!”

“Please… Jidné, more of them will be coming for you,” coughed Nomara, a tear rolled over her cheek. “Save yourself… Run!”

And with that final word, the bright, sparkling teal of Nomara’s eyes have turned milky and lifeless. Jidné couldn’t yet accept the reality of her master’s death, she shook the Togruta in a hopeless plea to wake up and there was no response. Nomara’s head bobbed limply in Jidné’s scrawny arms, the strand of beads fell from the montral headband and clattered to the dust. The girl picked it up and kept it in her pocket, regretting her decision of setting up a pyre for the deceased Jedi, seeing that this would alert the other clones who might still be looking for her.

Following her master’s final request, Jidné did run. Eventually, her running has brought her into the dense urban area of Modala, the entrance of her new life while leaving behind the one she has always known.

——————————————————��

CURRENT TIMELINE

“And ever since then, I survived Modala… somehow. But it still haunts me up to this day, I can’t seem to let go of it even if I wanted to,”

“We all have lost someone during the Jedi Purge. I know how hard it is to overcome the sadness,”

“Yeah… It’s just difficult to find more ways to cope,”

“How about making me vice president of cheering you up?”

Jidné turned her head to the boy. She chuckled, endeared by his child-like purity, a similar trait she has buried within the depths of her core, though she doesn’t realize that.

“Here, I got something for you,”

Cal produced a trinket strand similar to Jidné’s: a chain of Featherfern and Royal Fluzz buds—two for each—encased in transparent, glass beads. The Jedi girl admired the handiwork with wonderment.

“It’s a saber tassel like yours, I made it myself. My first gift as vice president of cheering you up,”

“It’s beautiful,” Jidné sighed, not wasting a second in tying it up along with her original tassel at the pommel.

She secured it with a tight double-knot, the new addition to her pommel dangled with the turquoise beads as she held it up in front of her and Cal. Finally, her tassel got prettier with the variety in color. She turned to the redhead and smiled warmly at him.

“Thank you… so much,”

“C’mere, you must be cold,” Cal cooed, lifting up his arm to open the sleeve of his poncho to offer his side to Jidné.

The girl scooted closer to the redhead’s side until his arm could wrap around her shoulder. She released what ought to be the biggest sigh to date, she felt her entire body soften up the moment Cal held her close, nuzzling his cheek against her head and curling his fingers tighter around her arm. For the first time in years, she felt safe.

[emile-hides]

YouWatch

This is a conversation topic that came up playing Overwatch last night; What if the Overwatch cast all has YouTube channels?

And while we voiced our opinions and debated to eachother, I feel the need to share all of my own takes as well.

Now, there’s 32 of these assholes so I’ll put it under the cut. Cause it’s long

Ana

Her channel is called “Grandma reacts”

Her viewers send her videos or shows to react to

She likes to have Jack, Gabe, Rein, and Torb on sometimes for some of the funnier videos

Hates daredevil compilations of people on high places with no safety gear

She swears at jump scares

Ashe

Daily vlogs

She calls her viewers part of the gang

BOB is the camera man and the crowd favorite

She mostly just likes to chat about nothing while wandering around the hide out

BOB makes really cool time lapses of them riding her bike down Route 66

Baptiste

Runs an advice channel

Mostly does Q&A live streams 

All of his ad revenue goes to local charities and hospitals

People sometimes donate to him and that also goes to charity

There’s a very slim chance he got overnight famous because he’s so pretty

Bastion

One 12 minute video of him playing with Ganymede in Torbjorn’s backyard

Torbjorn recorded it for him

Brigitte

Tried to do a make-up channel

Eventually devolved into a “How to” builder’s channel

Can put together an Ikea bookshelf in 15 minutes without even glancing at the instructions

Ikea furniture speed runs are her most popular videos

D.Va

Canonically already has a gaming channel

Also has a daily vlog channel where she hangs out with Lucio and Junkrat a lot

Takes requests on what games she plays

Despite mainly being an online PvP gamer, she adores playing story games and voice acting

She cried on live stream when she finished Undertale

Doomfist

Runs Talon’s official YouTube channel

All the videos are join Talon adds

Echo

Her channel is a mash

Will play or do any kind of video that’s popular at the moment

There’s three episodes of a Minecraft LP left to die

Seven vlogs all recorded almost 3 months apart

Two animations she made herself

A couple of reaction videos

And a Pachimari unboxing

She has a lot of sponsors

Genji

Also, canonically, has a gaming channel

Sometimes does videos of sick ninja tricks in his backyard

Has the same channel from before his fight with Hanzo, so there’s a 4-5 year gap between two videos

“So my brother tried to kill me” is the first video he makes when he finally comes back

Occasionally makes “Master reacts to (anime)” videos with Zenyatta

Hanzo

The show off channel

It’s mostly just target practice with his bow and arrow Genji recorded for him

90% of his comments are telling him to put a shirt on and cover the nipple

His channel also went dead after he killed Genji

Might start recording and uploaded unscheduled vlogs during his hobo days

Also does movie reviews

Junkrat

If I may defer your attention to this post

Yeah he just runs a demolition channel

Roadhog makes sure the camera doesn’t get damaged

Junkrat really loves the slow motion effect 

Lucio

Like Hana, he has two channels

One is his official music channel with music videos and concert clips

The other is also a vlog channel where he hangs out with Hana and Jamie

He’ll also talk about serious issues and his opinions on them on his second channel

McCree

Much like Hanzo, runs a show off channel

His is more popular because he’s straight up a cowboy though

People think it’s a gimmick for the channel. They have no idea he looks and sounds like that all the time

Mei

Has a scientific fact of the day Podcast with Winston

Talks about big issues

Her channel is very kid friendly and she explains things like global warming in a way they can understand

A lot of her videos will be watched by kids in science class

Mercy

“What to do encase of an emergency” tutorial videos

Gives basic medical training, like how to do CPR

Her videos are short and to the point so they can be played in an actual emergency

Genji is usually the person she uses as an example

Moira

Her channel is like Junkrat’s but more contained(?)

She does dangerous shit with chemicals but somehow it always ends wholesomly

The last minute of the video she speaks in a soothing Bob Ross voice as the lab is on fire behind her

The videos typically end with Angella coming back from her break

Orisa

It’s technically Efi’s channel

It’s a vlog to record Orisa’s progress tword becoming Numbani’s protector

Very popular, everyone loves how wholesome Orisa is

The money from the ads goes to fixing whatever Orisa breaks while trying to be helpful

All rude comments are deleted

Pharah

Show off channel

“99 dunks in a row” and such types of videos

They’re typically sped up with relaxing music

Lucio has appeared to play soccer with her a few times

Reaper

As Gabriel Reyes he ran a prank channel around the Overwatch base

He didn’t do any pranks that hurt or scared people though

Just recorded himself eating vanilla pudding out of a mayo jar to get people’s reactions

His favorite people to prank were Jesse and Genji because they had the most over the top reactions

Reinhardt is unprankable

The channel died with the fall of Overwatch

Reinhardt

Advice channel but louder than Baptiste

He’s full of energy in every one of his videos

Calls himself his viewer’s Grandpa

If anyone comes to him for advice on how to handle abuse of any kind he will adopt them on the spot

Also does meme reactions, sometimes has to have Brigitte explain what makes it funny

Has one video where he speaks quietly called “Grandpa reads a bedtime story” and it’s literally just him reading a bedtime story with soft music in the background

Roadhog

Toy unboxings

All of his videos are silent aside from the cute music he puts of them

The only part of him that’s ever on camera are his hands

Sigma

All his videos devolve into rambles about the universe

Other than that his channel doesn’t have a real theme

He tries to explain scientific principals but quickly turns into a shouting mess about the universe and gravity

Moira is the one to stop recording in the middle of his breakdowns

Soldier 76

Use to run a tutorial channel

Gabe called it “Dad Teaches you” and Jack hates that he’s not your father

He teaches you to cook basic meals and do simple repairs on a car

He talks in a very fatherly voice

Begrudgingly, he became his veiwers father

His channel died with Overwatch as well

Sombra

Gaming channel, but hacked

Does glitched speedruns on live stream

Clickbait thumbnails and titles

“How to get 1,000,000,000 free V-Bucks in Fortnite”

Steals kid’s Fortnite accounts

Symmetra

Stim channel

All of her videos focus on satisfying visuals

Someone asked her to do ASMR once and she hated it. The video existed for less than 24 hours

Torbjorn

Like Brigitte, runs a builder channel

It also doubles as a story time channel as he tends to ramble about the good old days

All his videos are 30+ minutes long

Somehow adds “and that’s how I lost my eye” to every story so no one knows how it actually happened

Bastion guest appears in a lot or Torb’s videos but only because he’s bored and wants attention

Tracer

Animated story telling

Makes animations of their missions and her day-to-day life

Thanks to her chronal accelerator animations take half as long

Still only uploads like two videos a month

Widowmaker

Food review videos

Hates everything, nothing gets high marks

Gets view ship cause she’s hot and very snarky

Winston

His channel is exactly like Mei’s

It’s more popular though because he’s a monkey and thus draws kid’s attention better

All of his viewers are elementary school science teachers and their class

Wrecking Ball

Tried to do a builder channel but all the comments were on how cute he is

Hates being called cute so he made his mech say swear words

He’s very popular with little boys

Also loves destruction and may destroy things for fun

“5000lbs wrecking ball VS Junkrat’s house”

Zarya

Vlogs but like... Work out vlogs.

It’s just time lapses of her at the gym

Insanely popular with lesbians for very obvious reasons

Encourages her viewers to take care of themselves and start slow

Blew a kiss at the camera once, became the most used image of her on the internet

Zenyatta

Most of his videos are relaxing music over beautiful visuals he recorded

The other half of his videos are meditation leadings and yoga

He’s also done videos on the omnic crisis and talked in length on his belief for the future

Has one video of him pranking Genji

[mao-s-mess]

Pulling tides ~Mystic Messenger Saeran/Saeyoung/MC fanfiction

A lot has happened after the MintEye incident and Saeyoung is reunited with Saeran but will Saeran ever open up to his brother again? (also on Fanfiction.net )

Pulling tides ~Mystic Messenger Saeran/Saeyoung/MC fanfiction 

I have not played V's or Ray's route (at the time I wrote this) so this is basically some time after the after ending. I didn't describe MC in detail so it could be any of the 5 MCs or your very custom ones! Disclaimer: do not own any characters. Characters belong to Cheritz

A shrilling sound pierced the night. Saeran Choi screamed, waking him from his sleep, his mint coloured eyes widening in terror.

The door to his bedroom flung open as his brother Saeyoung and MC rushed in.

"Saeran! Saeran, is it happening again?" Saeyoung asked obviously flustered.

It hasn't been long since Saeran left the hospital but the damage from MintEye was still in his system. He'd often wake up screaming from nightmares and would react violently to himself or Saeyoung as his "hatred" for his brother was still so strong.

Saeyoung's journey to help rehabilitate his brother was a long one but MC and the rest of the RFA were determined to help out, although Saeyoung only allowed MC to physically helps, the other RFA members support came in other channels especially Jumin Han's with the help of Jaehee Kang thorough research and resources.

Saeyoung's room was pretty much empty except for the bed and heavy to lift furniture and hidden security cameras the walls were also padded, like those in a music studio or an asylum. He had a tendency to self harm or destroy items, if it got too violent, he'd had to be tranquillized but Saeyoung and MC didn't want to resort to that as that would mean more drugs in his system.

Saeyoung wrapped his arms around his brother as Saeran hissed, cough, cussed and screamed. He clawed at Saeyoung's back like an angry cat.

MC saw Saeyoung winced, it wasn't the first time this happened but it was the best way to hold Saeran back as countless of times he lunged at Saeyoung's neck, wanting to choke him.

Saeyoung may not look it but his training at the "agency" made him physically stronger than how he looks, he kept his arms tight around his twin, awaiting the time where Saeran would tire from his fit.

"Ssshhh… It's okay..i'm here. I won't leave you again.. I promise" Saeyoung repeatedly says.

After some time, the screaming turned to crying then occasional sobbing as Saeran's strength faded, tired from his tantrum.

His eyes glazed here and there switching from pain, hatred and just dazed and lifeless. His dark circles clearly visible on his porcelain skin, hot tears stained his face.

His arms slowly released from Saeyoung and just fell on either side of the redheaded Choi.

Saeyoung's shirt had tears and rips from Saeran's clawing, nothing new really.. Sometimes there were blood, either from Saeyoung's back or Saeran's fingers.

His breathing heavied but a slower pace now but Saeyoung didn't let go. Not just yet as Saeran might act up again.

According to the doctors, the trauma have resulted him having split or possibly multiple personalities and he can't control them.

The demons inside him felt like an endless cycle trying to surface and gain control. Ray, Unknown, Saeran and God knows what other personas he have, it hurt him but it hurt for Saeyoung and MC seeing him like this.

"I hate you… Saeyoung"

MC didn't need to see his face but for Saeyoung even though he has heard it hundreds of times by now still felt the same hurt as the first time he heard those words.

"I know. I'm sorry Saeran.. I'm so sorry" his grip around his brother tightened. "I don't mind that you do but i am here.. Always now."

He patted Saeran's back whilst still holding him tight as the slow sobs finally turned to whimpers and breathing.

"Get …away ..from me" Saeran hissed but there was hardly any strength from him to push his brother away. He was more tired than anything now.

MC slowly made her way towards the brothers. Saeyoung usually keeps MC away when the fits happened, initially she wasn't even allowed into Saeran's room when it occurs but she finally convinced Saeyoung especially when she knew he was getting hurt.

Sometimes she gets bruises or cuts as well but Saeyoung made sure that is kept to a minimal but they both knew that Saeran would do more harm to Saeyoung than to MC.

"Let… Go…" Saeran's words blended with his heavy breathing.

Saeyoung reluctantly released his brother but he knew Saeran was tired and won't do much harm, if anything his supplies were just outside the door.

MC cautiously made her way to Saeran as close as Saeyoung was, she didn't want to alarm the silver haired with pink tips boy at all.

"Saeran.. It's me" she whispered. "Is it okay if i stay next to you for a while?"

There wasn't any response but that was practically an "OK" from him as he wasn't asleep yet and he didn't reacted in a hostile way.

Still MC raised her hand to stroke his silver-pink locks gently as precaution and reassurance and waited for his reaction. He flinched but accepted her touch.

Saeyoung held his breath during this. He watched as MC sat down next to his brother and stroke his hair a bit more. She flashed Saeyoung a smile and that's when he could somewhat relax a little.

Despite everything that has happened and all the truth that came into light, MC accepted everything. Everything that has happened to the Choi brothers in the past, everything related to the RFA and MintEye, what is happening in this very moment as well as what might happen in the future.

Saeyoung or 707 or Luciel has tried pushing her away but despite it all she stayed true to her words and proving it with her actions.

He thanked the Lord for her, he thanked all possible Gods in all forms of religion and belief for her.

"Saeran, do you want to try sleeping again?" She asked.

He looked down a bit and sank himself into the bed but nodded. He was afraid to sleep but he was just too tired.

"We'll stay with you okay.. Saeyoung will keep his distance a bit but we'll be here" she told him gently.

His eyes flared a bit at the sound of his brother's name but that took him more energy so he just scoffed and lay down in bed, defeated and ready to surrender to the Sandman.

Saeyoung kept a distance but kept watch as MC covered Saeran with a blanket and sat beside him in bed, she faced him and started stroking his hair again.

She instructed him some breathing exercises to calm himself down

"Inhale.. Hold for 1..2..3..4 then exhale slowly.."

This was done repeatedly with MC counting until his breathing was normal again. Saeyoung did this too to help himself, you could feel the atmosphere at peace now as Saeran seemed to have relaxed a bit.

"Saeran…?" MC asked looking into his glazed mint eyes now.

"What." He said as blinked at her.

"Whenever i feel chaotic, there is a song i'd listen to or sing to help myself feel better. Can i share it with you?"

"You? ..Chaotic?"

Saeyoung listened in. He was surprised she could manage a word or two out of him. But this is MC after all, she had always manage to get people to communicate be it via messaging, talking or by body language.

MC gave a small smile and nodded.

"i do get like that. When everything feels overwhelming I feel like I'm a small fish in the ocean when a storm hits causing the waves to be violent and turbulent. No matter how hard i swim, the tides would be against me not allowing me to go with the current."

"…"

Saeran only listened and nodded. He knew those feelings too well.

"Your singing better not suck."

She giggled and he could see Saeyoung smiled a and relaxed a bit.

She stroked his hair again with one hand while the other hand drummed to the beat of the song, a few seconds in she started to sing a slow song she felt dear to herself.

The artist was known but the song wasn't particularly famous. Just one off their album that wasn't on the radio or had a music video but that particular song resonated with her.

Saeyoung heard of this song somewhere, it wasn't the first time he heard of it but the first time he heard MC sang. He was enchanted for a bit.

He then looked at Saeran, his twin looked like a child fighting off sleep. He wanted to listen intently to the song but almost like hypnotism he slowly drifted to sleep as if being lulled to sleep by the sound of waves or falling rain.

His face no longer twisted in pain or rage. His breathing slowed down as he went to sleep. MC could see the resemblance of the twins so clearly now even though Saeran is a lot frail looking than Saeyoung.

Saeyoung came and buried his face in MC's back before wrapping his arms around her tightly. He then let go of MC and came closer to Saeran to pat his head.

"I won't give up on you even if you hate me. I will not." he vowed again. His words were loud and clear.

He then looked at Saeran, his twin looked like a child fighting off sleep. He wanted to listen intently to the song but almost like hypnotism he slowly drifted to sleep as if being lulled to sleep by the sound of waves or falling rain.

His face no longer twisted in pain or rage. His breathing slowed down as he went to sleep. MC could see the resemblance of the twins so clearly now even though Saeran is a lot frail looking than Saeyoung.

Saeyoung came and buried his face in MC's back before wrapping his arms around her tightly. He then let go of MC and came closer to Saeran to pat his head.

"I won't give up on you even if you hate me. I will not." he vowed again. His words were loud and clear.

MC clutched Saeyoung's free hand and leaned against him. Saeyoung then looked at her with a smile.

"Thank you for being here" he whispered to her.

They both turned to leave when Saeyoung felt a tug on the back of his shirt.

"Brother.. Don't..go…"

Saeyoung looked back and saw Saeran looking at him, not asleep or sleep talking but using up whatever strength he had in him to stop Saeyoung from leaving.

Pretty sure the three of them had tears in their eyes at that very moment as Saeyoung hugged his brother tightly.

"I don't want you to sleep next to me tho" Saeran huffed.

You could probably see a broken heart emoji flutter out of Saeyoung at that moment but he got over it quick.

So MC was in between the two brothers, her hands holding each one of theirs.

"Also.. that song made me want to go see the ocean.." Saeran said slowly

MC smiled

"Then let's promise to go together"

That night all of them slept together in Saeran's bedroom. For the first time in a while for Saeyoung and MC and for the longest time for Saeran; peacefully and together sharing the same wish for hope for better things to come.

-End-

[lyra-rey]

The Alternative || Lyra

i.

She was at an underground lab when the sirens were blaring. Her mind was on the new gauntlet she made to help a young pyrokinetic control his powers at Hyperion and the disappointment that she wouldn’t be able to share it with her mentor. She had tried to reach out to Professor Berners several times since his wife passed away, but he has ignored her efforts. Still, she wanted to call him, her finger hovering over his name when she was told they were under lock down.

Scientists and engineers ran regardless of where they were told to go, but Lyra stayed put. Their underground research facility was made to survive worse than whatever emergency was going on above ground.

She was correct, of course. The lab was untouched and the engineers who remained were perfectly fine. After several hours, she volunteered to see what was going on. She climbed up the steps to the surface, hoping that whatever happened had passed and that first responders were already at the scene to help with the damage.

What she found was a battleground and creatures she’s never seen before pouring onto the streets.

ii.

They stayed underground for as long as they could survive, but given their shortage or resources, they had to leave eventually. Lyra had plans already written down, ideas and safe areas that might still be accessible to them. She assumed that there are places outside of the city for them to escape to, but she didn’t want to run without knowing where she was going. A few others decided to stay with her, more so because she had a plan than because they believed in her.

When they surface, it was a lot worse than Lyra had thought. Buildings were decimated, whole blocks turned into rubble. Her plans went out the window.

iii.

She stayed in the lab, surfacing only to grab supplies. Only two engineers chose to stay with her, Lydia and Caesar. They don’t particularly like each other but Lyra figured that they want the company. Someone is better than no one. She figured out how to make a small garden down there, but she knew it won’t last. Through a radio and a lot of tinkering, she found a list of the people pronounced dead. She couldn’t breathe when she saw her parents’ names on the list.

Lydia kept track of the Unity attack while Lyra found things to keep her mind busy. She thought of inventions and ways to rebuild the city. Her thoughts went to the electromagnetic levitation theory she had mulled over but never got around to finishing. She did her best to not think about her parents, her friends, and all the people who were dead several feet above them. The pain in her chest when she thought about them always brought her to tears and if this was even a fraction of what Professor Berners felt, she understood why he was so distant.

Still, she worked. Working was better than thinking about what was going on above them.

iv.

Lydia was taken by Unity when she went to look for supplies. Caesar knew it immediately and forced Lyra to leave. “Unity will be there to take them next. We have to run!”

She didn’t want to, but she did. She left the safety of the underground bunker and ran. She didn’t know where she was going, but she ran as fast as she could anyway.

She found a hole to hide in and hoped Caesar got away.

In her hole, there was nothing for her to occupy her mind with, nothing except the pain that was overtaking her. She wanted her mother to tell her that she could get out of this. She yearned to have her father pull her into a hug. She wanted to quit so badly, to go to Unity and accept whatever fate they would give her.

But she saw Lydia. She saw what they had done to her. She didn’t want to be a mindless drone. She was the smartest person in the city. Lyra was determined to maintain that.

v.

She survived. Surviving alone is easier than in a group. You find what you need and hide out until you have to find more. She had never fashioned herself a thief, but she was smart enough to figure it out. She busied herself with whatever books she could find, occasionally making notes the way she used to--plans for a counteroffensive the world was in no shape to make. Planning it made her feel a little better, as if she could get the revenge she wanted if she made it perfect enough.

From her hiding places, she observed her enemy. She noted the way they walked, how silent they seemed. It wasn’t difficult to recognize their hive mind, but combating it was another issue. She worked with frequencies, hoping that there was one that might cause some discomfort. There were a few that triggers a reaction, but none sufficient enough to keep them away. Regardless, they were a unit that could see everything and anything all at the same time.

She wondered what it would take to break down that connection. She saw the people taken by Unity, their walks not quite human even if they did their best to appear so.  Sometimes, she saw Lydia among them.

Her mind focused on her research to the point where she forgets how long she had been working on it. Years? Months? Days? Lyra wouldn’t know. But she had her theories and her notebooks full of Unity and ways to combat them. She was never quite the tactician, but she found a couple books since then. Now, she put herself to sleep at night, dreaming of how she would take them down.

Being alone had never bothered her before, but she felt it at night, when there was no one else to talk to or bounce ideas off of. On those nights, she looked to the stars, imagining that there was something out there better than the aliens that invaded her home.

vi.

They called themselves the Resistance, which Lyra thought was a stupid name. They were a small group in Newhaven, composed of the few survivors left in the city. She was grateful to see Caesar among them.

For a group called the Resistance, they didn’t do much. Lyra shared her research with them, but they had already come to similar conclusions, albeit without the technical terms she had used. Nothing changed that there was little they could do other than take Unity down one alien at a time.

Lyra saw the impracticality of that plan, but she didn’t argue with them. She didn’t want them to toss her out so she played their game.

Along with Caesar, they made their living situations livable with water and a reasonable amount of electricity. They built tunnels and escape routes in case of an emergency and tried to make themselves useful. She used the alien technology to make new things. Weapons came by easily, but she studied the way they are run and came up with a more efficient form of energy for their power generators.

For once, Lyra’s heart wasn’t in rebuilding. It was in the work the scientists were doing, inspecting and figuring out how the aliens worked. Whenever she could, she found herself talking to the duo of scientists, Mackenzie and Yoshi, although, Yoshi was more of a physicist than biological scientist. Regardless, they talked and discussed theories and it almost felt like old times for her.

viii.

It might not have been Lyra’s idea to bring in the alien body for a proper dissection, but she was vocal about her approval. She stressed that they couldn’t fight something they didn’t know about and it shouldn’t be too hard to drag back a body of an alien they already killed.

No one else liked the idea of bringing an alien into their base of operations, but they compromised. Lyra prepared a building for the experimentation far away from the base and they got to do their experiments.

The alien had clearly been dead a long time before it reached the table, but Lyra still made sure to use extra force when cutting it open. She made thorough notes as Yoshi drew out anatomy as best as he could. The three of them talked little as they worked, almost as if they were afraid the alien would come back to life on the table. Lyra just wanted to make sure she wasn’t missing anything.

ix.

Their research sent them to dead ends. They understood some of their basic organs, but their brains were too complicated for them to figure out how the hive brain works. Yoshi wanted to call it quits, but Mackenzie was adamant that there has to be a way to break the connection. Words were whispered about her husband and daughter who were unified, but Lyra paid them no mind.

Lyra came up with an idea.

They called her insane. The Resistance called the plan ridiculous and claimed it definitely wouldn’t work. Caesar told her personally that she should let it go.

She didn’t.

A few gunho soldiers agreed to her foolish plan. They memorized the routes Unity took and cornered one. Their unified came for the attack, but Lyra was already there, stabbing Unity with enough electricity to burn an average human alive. The unified screamed along with their master, but then they attacked, despite the pain. The unified took out the soldiers and Lyra was forced to run with whoever survived.

She was reprimanded when she returned to the base and they threatened to throw her out. Lyra couldn’t bring herself to argue otherwise, but they let her stay, if only because she was the only one who could fix the generator.

Mackenzie asked if it worked, but Lyra refused to tell her. Even if it did, she vowed to never do something like that again.

x.

A boy nearly blew up the entire base when his powers came in and they were forced to move to a more secure location. The leaders questioned their safety and his parents begged them not to throw him out. Lyra offered an alternative.

Her equipment was rudimentary at best, but with alien technology, she managed to figure out how his power worked biologically. From there, she only needed to create a way for him to channel his powers. They manifest in a pair of gloves that absorbed the heat he created and converted it into energy that could be distributed back into his body. He was much more hyper than normal, but otherwise completely safe.

The success with him resulted in others going to her for help. Lyra did what she could for them. Not everyone had a gift that she could create something for, but she tried anyway.

Her name made its rounds through the underground resistance and those with powers began to seek her out. A teleporter named Percy offered his assistance to her after she figured out a way to stop him from teleporting in his sleep and she went wherever she was needed.

xi.

Lyra has all but given up on the world by the time she meets the young man by the name of Royland B. Giver. The resistance was almost completely dead, most of the friends she had made having been unified or killed. The only way she was still alive was through Percy.

Royland’s powers are different than everyone else’s and she finds herself obsessed with them. She feels like a child again when she asks him questions and tries to figure out a way to help him recall the abilities that he learns. It’s through the research done by her long dead friend, Mackenzie, that she begins to put things together.

If she can replicate the hive mind, she can save the powers.

The hive mind was beyond Lyra’s ability in her youth and she had given up her attempt to understand Unity when the remaining super people asked for her help. But Mackenzie continued her research up until her own death. Through her notes she saw theories of how the hive mind worked, more than enough for Lyra to play with.

xii.

She comes to the conclusion that she needs fresh Unity bodies if she is going to make this happen and she can’t bring herself to do so. The Resistance asks her what her next move is and she keeps evading their questions. She knows the only way she might be able to help him would be brain fluid, but how can she ask for soldiers to die for one man.

She tells Royland and he says he understands.

He returns a few weeks later with a body of Unity in tow. Lyra is furious at him, but he assures her that no one was hurt too bad. He promises that he was careful and that no one followed him back. When her anger dies down, she asks him why. He insists it is because she needed it.

xiii.

The first suit is rudimentary, but it works. He keeps two powers in it and it is more than enough to keep them safe at the least. Lyra tells him how it works but he only gives her a smile. She figures it doesn’t matter if he knows how it works as long as it does work.

She is working on improvements to it when he asks her why he can’t understand what she’s doing.

“It’s not a power, kid. It’s just stubbornness and lots of reading.”

She is able to add two more powers.

xiv.

He becomes more powerful than anyone of the Resistance can imagine. She receives praises for her work, but she keeps saying that it isn’t finished yet. There is more to be added.

No one says anything when she begins coughing too much. She claims it is a cold, but she recognizes the signs. Mackenzie had been coughing a lot too after a while. She takes a break from researching, but the cough stays. She is technically an old woman now, older than her mother ever was. It’s normal for her to be getting sick, possibly even dying. She’s trained a few to follow in her footsteps, though none are quite what she was at their age.

After several months, her cough remains and Lyra works on his suit again. If she was going to die, she wanted to at least get his suit working properly before then. By the time she finishes it off, he is no doubt the soldier they need to take on Unity.

If only he wasn’t so outnumbered.

xv.

The Resistance has a plan and Royland volunteers to go.

Lyra is already bedridden, not the spry young woman she once was. But she adds him another slot anyway. Her hands are too shaky to complete and she has her protegee build it into the suit for her. She can see the defects her protegee has created as she installs it and is incredibly annoyed that she can’t fix it herself.

“It’s a one way ticket. There’s no way her horrible work will be able to maintain the power for you to use it twice.”

Royland is grateful anyway.

xvi.

She is there when he poofs back to 2018. She wonders if he would see her there, a woman with a million ideas and not enough time to put them together.

She’s confident that he will fix it, that there will be a timeline somewhere where they are happy.

She hopes she did her part to save the world.

[bongaboi]

Revons Plus Grand, Chapter 9

Revons Plus Grand

Chapter 9:

Go West!

"Sometimes," said Georgette Lemare in an adult tone as she and Sadako Shimohara were on the shuttle back to Boulogne, an old tune of a famous rock band from Australis (Australia as it was called in this dimension) called 'Live Wire' blaring out, "work is taxing, especially when it's in the pouring rain. Dealing with these guys who just don't get any rest after tough matches, this is...in a way, as strenuous as the miltary, you would imagine. Right, Sada?"

"But without the mental trauma. The only mental part is deploying the game plan and preparation and determining if you've executed the game plan properly, as seen by the outcome. Sports, Jose, sports!" Sadako said, piercing the heavens with her finger, touching the roof of the coach in the process. "Owww..."

"You all right?"

"My finger, owww." She cracked it back into place. Thumbs up. "#FeelsGreatMan."

A facefault. "Sada, really...?"

"But still though," said Sadako as they got off the shuttle and went back into their suite, "missing the Super Bowl live is unfortunate, but we're aren't in America. This is France."

"Different time zones and all that. I don't think we really need to worry about that, Sada. Our job taking care of-no, protecting these players-is our utmost priority."

"I can't argue with you on that dear. Frankly, Jose, my dear, I just can't."

"Imitating Clark Gable all of a sudden?"

"Great film." Gone With The Wind.

"As God as my witness, I will never make you feel lonely again!" Georgette said, striking a pose similar to a determined Scarlett O'Hara.

"I also noticed something."

"Eh?"

"Your hair got at long as Takami's."

"Wha...?" she held up her locks. They locked exactly the same, save for the color. "Fiddle dee dee, guess I won't have to cut these things."

"You do need to take care of it though. The bath has everything you need and it looks like all the products are used by the best salons in the world. Mainly because..."

"We bought it from Carrefour," they both said.

Sadako nodded. "So put it to good use. The world's most beautiful maidens are counting on you."

"And you," Jose replied with a wink.

"Voulez-vous!" They both had a laugh out of that as they settled into their bed, clad in just, as usual, their undergarments.

"But I do wonder," Jose said, looking at the ceiling, "if only we could at least dream we saw history beyond the sea. It's February, the month of love, and love is a battlefield." She looked at Sadako, who was dead as doornail, fast asleep, her right hand and head snuggling her breasts as she snored quietly. With a sigh, Jose also closed her eyes and let the tide of time carry both of them away to somewhere in particular. Somewhere, beyond the sea. Somewhere, waiting for them...

"I also wanted to give you more information on the tracker we developed," said Ursula Hartmann to Gundula Rall, Waltrud Krupinski, Edytha Rossmann and Sanya V. Litvyak as Erica continued to much on her popcorn from her seat. "It is also able to download, or acquire, updates from our base in Karlsland. So this means that it is programmed to not film anything that is unremarkable or not worth mentioning, such as conducting routing tasks, or work, as prescribed by the team's management to Pilot Officer Lemare and Pilot Officer Shimohara. Sister."

"Now this device becomes a television that can broadcast live transmission feeds from all of the major free-to-air and terrestrial network from all of the countries in the world in the 2017 timeline and dimension," Erica added. "This remote here can allow you to watch sports events, dramas, comedy programs, news programs, other presentations, Japanese animation shows going on at that time...and even pornography programs."

"Hmm, Erica, the latter category is something we can opt out of, all things considered," Commander Rall said with a slight blush.

"Now this I gotta see," said the Countess.

She grabbed the remote. "Flying Officer Krupinski, no!" Edytha protested. But she did change the channel to a network based out of Liberion called Playboy TV. "Dear me..." Simulated copulation scenes between a man and woman, the penetration in the manner referred to informally, if crudely, as "doggystyle." She had to cover her face in shame, blushing. "Oh goodness..."

"So this is how the new generation of humanity is created," the Countess mused.

"Flying Officer Krupinski, please change the channel before you face action yourself," Commander Rall said, her right hand discreetly on her crotch.

"My apologies, Commander." A few button presses, and the feed turned to that of a network also based out of Liberion called the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, or ESPN. A number of commentators were previewing Super Bowl LI. "Ah, there must be a major event going on over on the other side in that timeline."

"The Super Bowl," said Edytha. "This must be the sport of American football that Flight Lieutenant Yeager was talking about and touting. But this field is slightly different in terms of marking, though not too much."

"Current scoring rules show six points for a touchdown, conversion attempts of one point for a kick and two points for a touchdown, three points for a field goal through the posts and two points for a safety, or an opponent being tackled in his own end zone," said the Countess, reading from the side marquee explaining the rules. "There in also an extensive list of infractions that can be made, which could also see players expelled from the game based on severity."

"The two teams playing are from the Liberion cities of Boston (via the suburb of Foxborough) and Atlanta and the venue is in the city of Houston with the name of NRG Stadium, a clever play on the word energy and in turn, the Karlslander word energie," said Ursula. "A highly-touted and celebrated entertainer from the New York City borough of Manhattan named Dame Stefani Germanotta who performs under the name Lady Gaga will perform during the intermission of the contest."

"Lady Gaga, huh?" said the Commander with a smirk on her face. "Maybe if I was to consider singing I should call myself Lady Gundula or something."

"Are you having ideas again, Gundula?" Edytha wondered.

"Dame Stefani just seems to be a very progressive advocate and shares the same type of personality I maintain. It's a good, positive image that I assume has been her calling card for many years."

"That we can confirm," the Hartmann sisters chorused, shrugging Gallic-style.

"The power of inside information is very compelling," mused the Countess to the congregation.

Ursula spoke again. "Also, we have developed a new device building on our Konso prototype. Sister." Erica wheeled in what would resemble a Sony PlayStation 4 and plugged and connected some wires.

"What could this be?" asked the Commander.

"Another version of our Konso prototype, but bigger and designed to be similar to the regular large game consoles as distributed and popularized on the other side. We call it..."

"The Konso Grande Ein!" they both said, doing the fusion pose.

"Konso Grande Ein?" Edytha asked.

"Big Console Number One, it means in Karlslander and Hispanian."

"Have you come up with a way to market this device?"

Erica said, "We have been busy designing and testing this system..."

Ursula spoke. "...made with information and expertise procured from our X-11..."

"...that we had no time to find a marketing strategy," they both said, sucking their right index fingers in guilt.

"How do you expect to go far that way!?" exclaimed the Commander, stunned. Quickly, she composed herself. "Anyway, you do need to find a way to market this device. If you abbreviated this, it becomes KG1. Prospective customers Brittania will see this as a pun on the phrase 'cagey one,' a feisty companion that is ready when the user is. Marketing example would be, 'Had a very KG1 on your side, mate? Go on... Konso. Very.' And that is your slogan for this brand. Very. Simple, one word, iconic. How's that."

The Hartmann sisters were in tears, Ursula even sniffling profusely as if she was about to get a cold. "Commander Rall," Erica cried.

"Please accept our offer to be the head of marketing for Hartmann Technologie AG, ma'am!" the sisters said, groveling with their ears and tails popping out in anticipation of what they thought would be the answer from Gundula's benevolent lips.

"With all due respect, I will have to decline your offer," she said with a disappointed yet sympathetic tone on her face.

"NOOOOOO!" cried the Hartman sisters as they went to the Commander, begging like stray dogs.

"Please reconsider your decision, we have no one on our marketing team, we are only a startup, Commander," Ursula said with urgency.

"I'll even let you have dinner with Trude and Chris for free so you can talk to them about what's happening out here!" wailed Erica, tears falling out of her face.

"Commander!"

"Commander!"

"AWOOOOOOOOO~!" howled the sisters to the heavens as Gundula continued to pet their heads while watching their tails wag.

"I guess you may want to rethink that choice, Gundula," Waltrud said with a wink.

"I hear you loud and clear, Countess," she said with a wink.

Edytha looked out the window and saw a lone wolf standing up in a bipedal pose, howling like a teenage werewolf on Xanax. "To think I have seen everything out of the ordinary here in Petersburg," she said with a chuckle.

"All right, both of you, I will be a personal consultant to your concerns but do find other people to help promote and develop this system, okay?" Commander Rall said to the two of them.

The Hartmann sisters were in heaven. So wunderbar. "COMMANDER RALL, WE LOVE YOU!" they cried as Gundula gave the two sobbing entrepreneurs a motherly embrace.

Waltrud gave Gundula a thumbs up. "Nice work, Commander." She gave a knowing wink. Sanya returned to her piano to play an instrumental rendition of a rap standard called "Black Beatles," made famous by scenes of people standing still on the other side, followed by an arrangement of a light, energetic, uplifting piece from the Neatherlands called "No Limit" which included some Liberion jazz-style ad libbing.

"So what games are included in this catalog?" asked the Commander, grabbing a controller.

"All published titles from the years 2014-16 were successfully replicated for use on this system," Ursula said. "Spanning all categories, not just restricted to military strategy simulation or first-person shooter games, as they are called on the other side. Game controls are shown on the screen to reduce the need for manuals and to be environmentally sound."

"So this title is called Madden NFL 17," Gundula said. "Ah, this is the American football simulation game of record."

"Would you like me to join, Commander?" asked Edytha.

"Please."

She took a seat and grabbed a controller. "Perhaps we can see how this game is played as I assume it includes some sort of strategy to score points. Maybe some tactical formations here and there." With some calibration, the settings were made to exactly simulate the actual weather conditions, time of day, and opponents for Super Bowl LI. All achievements were unlocked beforehand by the original testers, the Hartmann sisters. "What team will you choose, Gundula?" Edytha asked.

"I will take the Patriots because their team name is full of pride and nod to Liberion's roots."

"Falcons for me then."

"Settled."

"This is going to be exciting to watch," the Countess mused. She noticed that the two sisters were eating even bigger tubs of popcorn. "Dear me, will you finish that?"

"We will, Flying Officer Krupinski," assured Ursula. "What flavor is this, sister?"

"This is a combination of cheddar and caramel made famous in the Liberion city of Chicago and surrounding areas," Erica replied.

They both took handfuls and munched in exact synchronization, the combination of sweet and salty melting them. "Mmmmmm, heaven," they both said.

"Sometimes," said the Countess as Yoshika Miyafuji's pet Kuji Kanesada, the grey mameshiba with the cap, jumped on to her laugh to be petted while watching the pregame festivities leading to the simulation, "I wonder if they are scripting their routines."

The dog looked at her with a look as if to say, "Countess, you know their secret, but don't let those two know or their clothes will explode before you know it!"

"That reminds me...where did Sasha go?"

"She apparently will be helping with overseeing the production of our prototypes for consumer use," Ursula said. "Nine plants in Orussia and two in Suomus will be used to mass-produce our new creations. Production will start next month."

"Good to hear. But when can we expect her back here?"

"Her arrival date...Valentine's Day," Erica said with a smile.

"Did you have to ask that question, Countess?" asked Commander Rall with a confused look on her face.

"A need-to-know," she replied.

Sanya decided to then change music and do a solemn, but optimistic adaptation of an old Liberion air called "The Battle Cry Of Freedom," with the lyrics changed.

"On an early morning flight,

I'll be coming home tonight

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

I've got nothing left to hide.

Gotta fuel the love inside

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

Oh here's to you, Paris!

Allez! Here's to you!

A city of dreamers

In red, white and blue.

Turn the water into wine.

Live it up and hold the line

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

Come on now and take my hand.

Be with me, my lady friend

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

We will sing and we will dance

In the heart of Ile-de-France

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

Oh here's to you, Paris!

Allez! Here's to you!

A city of bright lighta

And red, white and blue.

Turn the water into wine.

Live it up and hold the line

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

At the Eiffel we will meet

And I'll sweep you off your feet

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

Let the church bells ring and peal.

Life is magical and real

Walking the lonely streets of Paris!

Oh here's to you, Paris!

Allez! Here's to you!

A city of dreamers

In red, white and blue.

Turn the water into wine.

Live it up and hold the line

Walking the lonely streets of Paris.

So here's to you, Paris!

Allez! Here's to you!"

"Mmmmmmm," groaned Georgette as she woke up. She opened her eyes. "Eh? What the...Sada, wake up?"

"Eh, what is it?" Sadako said, waking up. The two of them looked around. "Where is this place?"

An old man with a white beard and white tuft of hair to go with a dark complexion and a weathered disposition walked to them. "You two seem lost," he said in his deep, scraggly voice.

"Who are you?" asked Sadako, speaking perfect English and sounding like she was from the Liberion territory of Hawaii.

"Sir, do you know where we are?" asked Jose, speaking perfect English and sounding like she was a native of the Faraway Land city of Montreal, Quebec. "I am from France, my friend here is from Japan, and somehow we woke up in this strange place. We do not know where this is!"

A chuckle from the old man. "I shall tell you. First off, I shall introduce myself to you wonderful young ladies. My name is Earl. You are in Houston, Texas, United States of America. This massive building in front of us is called NRG Stadium.

"NRG...Stadium?" they both exclaimed, stupefied.

"Don't tell me," gasped Jose, shocked.

Sadako's mouth was wavy. "Then that means..."

"Welcome to Super Bowl LI. You have purchased the most expensive VIP tickets," Earl said, pointing to the two lanyards that they were wearing over their coats, skirts and leg warmers. "The best seats in the house."

"Oh my God, we somehow got here...by waking up from our sleep," said Georgette to Sada. "Ah, I think I..." Her stomach growled. "Oh..."

"I brought some McDonald's," said Earl, holding a large plastic bag containing paper bags of sandwiches, fries and chicken nuggets. "Do you want to follow me to your assigned luxury box so we can eat?" The two girls nodded, their stomachs growling as one. "I'll take that as a yes."

Yoshika Miyafuji was drooling as her face was buried inside Takami Karibuchi's expansive developed chest. "Mmmmm, mmmmm, mommy, why do you have such soft boobs, I'm going to come so hard, I want mine's to be big too, not fair, I want squeeze them more, ahhhhh, lkxjff fgj dsklfsd..."

She did not realize that Takami's sister Hikari also had a decent chest as will and the two sisters chose to pull a lewd prank on their adopted confidante by forming an irresistable girl sandwich that turned the Mameshiba into mindless goo. "Is she like this all the time, onee-chan?" whispered Hikari.

"Sakamoto did say that Yoshika gets her energy and motivation by pleasuring the chests of those whose busts are bigger than hers," Takami whispered back, the softness of Yoshika's moist tongue causing her sensitive spot on her crotch to swell passionately, even throb.

"It's been documented that she loves to touch everyone in the 501st, huh?" HIkari said, her own chest stimulating the back of Yoshika's neck, causing her hairs to stand on end with excitement.

"With the exception of Erica, whose chest is compartively flat, as well as Francesca's, all the other girls in the 501st were fair game, especially Lynette and Shirley. Look at her, Hikari."

HIkari turned the still-sleeping Yoshika over. Her lewd, perverted face gave way to a calm, assertive demeanor, as if she was about to be buried following receiving her last rites and anointing. "So...this is what happens when she has felt enough of your chest to be satisfied."

"She is focused and ready to do work because even in her diminished role, she is supporting us, and that's a good thing," said Takami with a giggle.

"As expected of onee-chan! Look, she's waking up!"

"Mmmmmmmm..." Yoshika let out a massive yawn, arching her back and licking her lips. "Hikari, Takami, good morning," she cooed.

"It's actually night, Yoshika," said Hikari.

"Eh? Really?" Hikari pointed to the clock. "8:00 p.m.?"

"The big game the others are talking about won't start for another six and a half hours."

Yoshika looked around again. "And...we are naked..." She looked at Hikari's chest, then Takami's, then hers. Still flat as Ryuujou from Kantai Collection. "I can never win..."

"That's why onee-chan and I have to sandwich you to make you feel better," Hikari said.

"You seem to be comfortable resting on my cleavage, Yoshika," Takami said. "You're more lewder that my sister here."

"Excuse me, onee-chan, but I like touching your boobs too! I want them to be as big as yours as well so I can have a partner of my own!"

"But...aren't I?"

"Um, it's, uh..."

"Just like Barkhorn, you have a sister complex!" exclaimed Yoshika.

"Gertrud Barkhorn, right?" Hikari asked. "Commander Rall and Erica told me about her."

"Yes, that's who I am talking about. She has a younger sister named Christiane that she takes care of. Sometimes," said Yoshika as she put on a new clean one-piece and did calisthenics while the two sisters watched while still naked, "she even dresses in cute clothes to entertain Chris. Also, Barkhorn tells me I even look like Chris."

"Really? I didn't expect that from her," Takami said.

"I remember one time when Barkhorn and Shirley had a little rivalry regarding speed and stuff that got one-sided in a hurry. Even she likes the softness of Shirley's breasts. Shirley then said, 'Ahhh, Gertrud. Mein Trudie ist Super Auss!' That means, 'Oh Gertrud, you are amazing!' Something like that. So when Gertrud concedes losing to a peer, she atones by pleasuring the winner like a hostess at a beer hall during Oktoberfest in Bavaria."

"You're not making this up are you?" asked Hikari, overwhelmed by the lewd war story worthy of being melted all over by the postmodern concept of the male gaze.

"Nope. This has been recorded in the archives of the Karlsland Air Force in an entry entitled, 'The Boobs Will Set You Free.'"

The two sisters laughed. "That's the name?" Takami said.

"That is the name, Takami. Pretty cute story too. And I witnessed it first hand to tell it to you from my view."

"Nice view, Yoshika," the two sisters said in unison.

"Eh?" She was bending over and saw the two of them waving. "Ahahah, no I do this all the time before I do my housekeeping chores. If I don't stretch, I can't work."

"And I thought getting the squeeze was going to be enough," Hikari said to Takami in dead fear.

"Turns out it takes more," she replied.

"Much more," they both said, deep in thought. "Hmmmm..."

"You two are so alike it's like I'm taken in by twins!" Yoshika said, flailing.

"With age, height, bust, and hair length differences," Hikari added with a wink, sticking her tongue out playfully. "Eheh!"

"Are you two going to head back out to talk with the others or are you staying here?"

"Well, actually I see the console proto that Ursula was talking about," said Takami, noticing the KG1 wired to the television that was still talking about Super Bowl LI from the other side. "Let's play, shall we?"

"What game should we play?" asked Yoshika as the two girls donned some comfortable underwear. Hikari opted for a simple white two-piece.

Takami noticed something else on the dresser. "Hmmm..." A white jacket with blue markings, a sports team patch, a white spandex bra and blue spandex panties to go with a blue and red ribbon. "Ah, this looks nice," she said.

Hikari gasped. "How...onee-chan, how did you get that outfit?"

"I have no idea, it just appeared out of nowhere, I don't know who sent it in." They didn't realize that the X-11 had snuck the clothes inside the room, but they were adapted to accomodate to the current timeline.

"Stade...St. Germanois?" Yoshika said. "Stade St. Germain...this must be a precursor to Paris Saint-Germain. The equivalent!"

"Oh, really?" Takami adjusted her panties and felt her chest to see if they actually fit well without being uncomfortable. In the background, some naughty music from a saxophone was playing, the source unknown. "Seems to fit me very well, I imagine," she said, as Hikari also donned an open-chest sweater dyed deep indigo. "I have an idea!"

"What?" they both asked.

"Yoshika, can you check and see if there is, on this console, a game that simulates association football?"

Yoshika cycled through the titles as Kuji came in to greet her on the mattress. "Hey buddy," she said, petting her dog.

Kuji barked as if to say, "What are you up to, boss?"

"I'm taking a look at these titles and looking for the game Takami is looking for. Here it is!"

The dog tilted its head as if to say, "FIFA 17?"

"The game is called FIFA 17, Takami, Hikari," said Yoshika. "And all the achivements in this game have been cleared! Hikari, wanna give it a try?"

"It can't be helped," she said in a deep, manly voice, triggering some embarrassed chuckled. "Ha-ha~~~~!" She cycled through the teams. "Ah, here is my team!"

"Who is that?" Yoshika asked.

"Omiya Ardija! From Fusou! Their team name is apparently called the Squirrels and my familiar is a squirrel!"

"So their domestic league is in this game," said Takami, impressed. "Ara..."

"Onee-chan?"

"Hmmm?"

She pointed to her big sister, complete with foreshadowing effect. "I challenge you to a match. I will not lose this time to you! This time, I will get my revenge!"

"I like your feistyness," said Takami. She flipped her hair. "Then, I shall pick...this team."

Yoshika whistled. "Ooops."

Takami had chosen Paris Saint-Germain, causing Hikari to turn to stone. Kuji looked on, worried as if to say, “This won’t end well.”

He was right. Minutes later... "NOOOOOOOOOO!" wailed Hikari, crying like a baby whose had her candy stolen by a fat tourist from Kiwiland.

Takami had beaten her again. Paris Saint-Germain 50, Omiya Ardija 0. And Edinson Cavani, who was not a clinical finisher in real life, scored 15 goals, more than Archie Thompson of Australis did in an infamous international contest against Liberion Samoa in 2001.

"It's okay, at least you tried," Takami said.

"...!" Hikari took off her sister's jacket, lifted her top and sucked her breasts in frustration, her milk calming her down, although she was still made about losing to her sister again that she needed her liquid love to balance things.

"Sometimes you do take defeat a little bit too hard, but I guess it can't be helped," Takami whispered, petting her sister as their animal ears and tails popped out. "Shhhhh..."

"Oh, and this game also include a story mode that allows you to experience the life of a player in the major league in Brittania," said Yoshika, still in her casual blue skintight one-piece. She turned around. "Eh, Hikari, Takami?"

Takami laid a finger to her pink, pursed lips. Hikari was fast asleep and drooling after she had unknowingly breastfed her. Yoshika then turned to the monitor and decided to play through the career of a young man named Alex Hunter. After passing the exit trial without a single mistake, she needed to think about what team Alex would sign with.

Yoshika noticed that Takami, who put her top back in place, was casually reading a programme on a friendly that took place in the year 2016 between Paris Saint-Germain...and another club that was currently fighting to stay in the Premier League. "Leicester City, huh," said Yoshika.

Thoughts of her meetings with her peer and confidante Tomoko Anabuki came to mind, as well as that of Eila. That was all she needed. "Okay, Tomoko-chan, Eila-chan, this one's for you. Leicester to the top or bust!" In the distance, outside the frosty window, the strains of the Post Horn Galop could be heard.

END CHAPTER 9