#i would just be at the desk while someone else was rifling the palette and i’d be like hi. you should use this one

[tackminyard]

not beating the grout fiend allegations

[peaceoutofthepieces]

chapter 17.5

When We Eclipse

I found it a little weird doing two of these so close together, but just so everyone knows where Lucas is at ❤️ and yes...this really is a slow burn huh

~^~

Jens unlocks the door with a little more care than usual, slightly worried about startling Lucas or waking him from a sleep. Kes had worried him with his warnings, and he isn’t sure what exactly to expect. Especially finding the door locked in the first place. Lucas hasn’t answered any of his texts. Jens isn’t even sure if he’s seen them. Either way, he knows Jens should be back around this time. Should be expecting him. Jens considers the possibility that he is, and left the door locked anyway, and thanks about maybe bunking somewhere else for the night. Then he considers the possibility that Lucas hasn’t even realised what time it is, that something’s over-occupying his brain, and that he needs Jens. 

Or well, not Jens. But someone. Jens isn’t in a safe enough position to allow himself to think Lucas would need him specifically. 

The room is dark, and oddly silent, when he enters. He almost expects to hear the scratch of pencil on paper, or at least the quiet murmurings of a laptop, but there’s nothing. His keys make a seemingly deafening clatter on his desk in comparison as he sets them down alongside his bagged takeaway. The curtains are drawn, and the room falls into even more darkness as Jens shuts the door behind him. He has to wait for his eyes to adjust before he can make out the lump on one of the beds. 

His bed. 

This is entirely uncharted territory, and if Jens were a weaker man, he’d turn and thump his head against the wall, or better yet, run. Instead, he’s able to pull himself under control with a few deep breaths. He can’t think about those particular thoughts right now. No matter how much harder it is, considering his recent revelations. 

He’s assuming Lucas is curled up on his bed for a reason, and it probably isn’t good. 

He approaches carefully, shrugging off his jacket as he goes. He lays it at the end of the bed while murmuring a soft, “Luc?” 

The lump doesn’t move. 

Okay. Jens can deal with this. Jens can totally deal with this. This is perfectly fine. Maybe Lucas is just...asleep. Asleep in Jens’s bed, at eight in the evening. With the covers pulled right up over his head. That’s possible, right?

The covers move, slipping down slightly to reveal a bundle of curls. Purposefully shifted. Not asleep, then. 

“Hey,” Jens tries again, adding a little volume to his voice while maintaining that same soft tone. “I brought back some food. Ordered a side of bitter balls, just for you.” Lucas stays quiet. “Or...did you already eat?”

At this point, he isn’t expecting an answer, and he’s not surprised to be met with silence. He’s disappointed, however, and even more worried than he had been when he’d come in. He gingerly sits on the edge of the bed, careful not to situate himself too close to Lucas, not wanting him to retreat further. “Luc. Hey. Can you talk to me? I’ll leave you alone if you want, but just let me know you’re okay.”

“Don’t leave.”

The reply is almost inaudible, muffled by the duvet, but it’s enough for Jens. It’s something. Even though that something seems fearful, he’ll take it. “Okay. I’m here.” Lucas is once again silent, so Jens tries returning to the questions. “Is it okay if I turn on the lamp?” 

A pause, then a nod. Jens shifts up the bed a little and leans over to reach the lamp on the locker between their beds, flicking it on. Lucas doesn’t react to the change, and Jens only has to blink a few times to readjust. After that he tries to go for something more. “Do you want some food?”

There’s a hesitation this time, but also an eventual answer. “I’m not hungry.”

Jens can’t really do anything about that. The concerned tug in his chest doesn’t matter. “Okay. If you want I can save it for you, heat it up later?”

Again, Lucas doesn’t give a response. Jens takes it as a go ahead and decides the food will be kept for later. He takes his own from the bag and migrates to Lucas’s bed, sitting criss-cross in the center and staring at his roommate’s back as he eats. 

At some stage, Lucas speaks up again, voice scratchy. “I’m sorry, I’ll give you back your bed, I just…”

He trails off, and Jens doesn’t know what he just, but it doesn’t matter. “It’s okay. You can stay there, if you want.”

This drops them into silence again. Jens gets up to deposit his takeaway container in the bin, then hesitantly approaches Lucas again. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“...I’m okay.”

“Do you want to talk? I missed you, the pass few days.”

Jens worries, even before he says it, that it’s an overstep. Lucas’s lack of reaction does nothing to tamper down his panic. Then suddenly, before his thoughts convince him into saying something even more stupid, Lucas is rolling over and looking at him. 

It’s a sight Jens hadn’t been prepared for. His hair is messier than usual, falling over his forehead and tickling the tops of his ears—not immaculately styled out of the way, as usual. His lips are turned down in a pout, cheeks rosy and damp. But it’s the dullness of his light blue eyes, the exhaustion and moisture there, that tugs painfully at Jens’s heart. 

“Luc,” is all he manages to say, sorrowful, and Lucas turns his face into the pillow and hides himself away again. “What’s going on, huh?”

Lucas just shrugs his shoulders up to his ears, shaking his head, and it’s the most gutting gesture Jens has ever witnessed. 

“Can I sit with you, for a little while? Would that be okay?”

Jens has to wait just a moment before Lucas nods, and then he quickly moves to slide into the small bit of space next to him. Lucas shifts back towards the wall, leaving as much space as he can, and it stops Jens from settling as close as he’d like. He sits propped against the pillows, looking down at Lucas and wondering what he should do. He doesn’t know how to help. He doesn’t know what Lucas needs. He doesn’t know what happened—what left Lucas in this state, what’s going through his mind. All he knows is that his friend is upset and he’ll do anything he can to make it better. Lucas had asked him to stay, so he’s staying. 

After a lengthy consideration, he sifts his hand through Lucas’s curls once, testing. Lucas closes his eyes, expression pinched, even tenser than before, but he tilts his head towards Jens. So Jens repeats the gesture. Once, then once more, picking up a light rhythm as Lucas presses into his touch. 

God, he could not have chosen a worse time to figure out just how much he likes him. 

His plan had been to take care with Lucas from now on, to keep their interactions on a more casual level until his feelings could pass. All he could have hoped is that it would be easy to avoid Lucas with their increasing workloads and Lucas wouldn’t notice a thing, and by the time he was forced into returning to normal he would have returned to normal. He hadn’t prepared for this possibility. He hadn’t even considered this being a possibility. He can’t ignore Lucas like this. He couldn’t even bear to move a few feet away. 

The way Lucas’s hand comes to clench in his sweater certainly isn’t helping him get over anything. He wants to bundle Lucas up in his arms and kiss whatever pain he’s feeling away. 

Which really isn’t where his mind should be at. 

“I’m sorry,” Lucas mumbles. 

Jens frowns down at him. “What are you apologising for?” Lucas just shifts to press his head to Jens’s hip, not answering. “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s okay.” He waits a minute before asking, “You sure you don’t want to eat anything?”

Lucas shakes his head. 

“Okay. Well, I brought you something else back, if you want to see it?”

At that, Lucas pauses, shifting up and away to look at Jens. “You brought me something?”

“Yeah. You basically demanded it, didn’t you?” Jens teases, raising a brow. Lucas doesn’t react as he usually would, doesn’t clap back with some sarcastic comment or even roll his eyes. He does, however, let his hand slide from Jens’s sweater. Jens takes that as the permission it is and rises to retrieve his bag from next to the door. He hunkers down, rifling through it until he can procure the small gift before rising with it tucked behind his back. Lucas watches him through heavy lids, still mostly unresponsive. Jens waits until he’s settled next to him again before offering the item to Lucas: a small, ‘artistic’ teddy bear, complete with paintbrush in one hand and a pallet in the other. There’s even a tiny black beret adorning his fluffy head, and he’s wrapped carefully in a mini white t-shirt. 

“A mini you.” Jens nudges the bear towards his chest, and Lucas slowly reaches up to grab it. He holds it carefully as he examines it, running his thumb over the splashes of ‘paint’ on the palette. Jens isn’t sure what to make of this silent reaction, until Lucas’s eyes feel with tears and he decides to be horrified. 

“Hey, hey, shit, sorry, it was dumb, I just thought that—I can just take it back and—“

“Shut up, Jens, you’re not taking him,” Lucas protests, and it’s so surprising to hear him say so many words at once that Jens does, in fact, shut up. Lucas clutches the little bear close to his chest and closes his eyes again, shaking his head as his face scrunches up, as if in pain. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

Jens realises it for the hidden compliment it is and laughs quietly, brushing his hand through Lucas’s hair again and murmuring, “You’re welcome.” 

Lucas releases a shaky sigh. It takes a moment before he speaks, barely a whisper. Jens isn’t even sure he’s supposed to hear him, but he does. “Please don’t hate me.”

“What?” Jens’s brow furrows. He slides down in the bed so he’s in a more reclined position, so his head is a little closer to Lucas’s. “Why would I hate you?”

Lucas just shrugs helplessly. 

“Luc,” Jens pokes at his cheek before taking his chin in hand and directing his gaze up at him. “I could never hate you. For whatever dumb reason your head is telling you. You’re the best, okay? I could never hate you,” he repeats. 

It takes a moment. But eventually, Lucas nods, even as a few stray tears begin dampening his cheeks. He reaches up to harshly wipe them away, until Jens catches his hand and gently pushes it away, catching the tears himself before tugging Lucas into his chest. 

He’s still, at first, letting his fingers curl in Jens’s sweater, before his shoulders are shaking in earnest and Jens wraps him up tighter. There are so many things he wants to ask. 

What’s tormenting you? How long have you been feeling this way? How often do you feel this way? Have I missed it, before? How can I make it stop?

It reminds him of Sander, the one time he’d shown up at Robbe’s house to find himself barred from the boy’s room when the blonde showed up looking exhausted and lost. Jens had offered to go, but Sander had insisted he stay, so he and Robbe had moved their study to the kitchen while Sander holed up with his sketchbook and the reassurance of Robbe’s nearby presence. It wasn’t until Robbe had gone to join him when Jens was packing up to leave, when he’d taken a quick trip to the bathroom and paused outside Robbe’s door, that he saw how Sander waited before allowing himself to break down. 

He doesn’t know if Lucas has done the same, and doesn’t really want to allow himself to make the comparison. He can’t possibly be of comfort to Lucas the way Robbe is to his boyfriend. 

But he can do his best. 

He slips on down, lying out fully next to Lucas in the cramped space, suddenly glad he hadn’t chosen to wear jeans. He adjusts his hold on the other boy, moving his hand back into his hair as Lucas tucks his face into his neck. Jens draws him in, closer, closer, until Lucas is clinging to his back instead with the arm around his torso and his shoulders have stopped shaking. He continues letting out little trembling breaths, however, brushing lightly over Jens’s skin, and Jens remembers what he’d asked of him. 

“I’m here, Luc. I’m not leaving.”

Lucas presses closer, crushing his little bear between their chests. But when Jens goes to remove it, Lucas only clings tighter, so Jens wraps his arm back around him without a word. 

The arm he has tucked under Lucas’s head is already starting to go dead, but it doesn’t bother him as much as it probably should. Not even as Lucas’s weight turns heavier, sinking into the mattress and curling impossibly closer as his breaths finally even out, falling into a light sleep. 

Jens knows he shouldn’t follow him. That allowing himself to have this, to stay like this through the night when Lucas isn’t in a state to argue, isn’t going to be good for either of them. But Lucas’s tiny breaths against his collarbone and the tight grip he has on Jens even in his sleep is really working to counteract that clap. He thinks, for some reason, that Lucas does need this. Is scared in a very true sense of Jens leaving. 

So Jens stays. 

He’ll have plenty of time to regret it in the morning. 

[theunredeemable]

Stealing the Rich Chapter three: The First Petal

The stars twinkled in the endless void, the celestial bodies light years away from the unoccupied space, though it didn't remain unoccupied for much longer as The Nevermore appeared in a flash of blue light. The engines responsible for such transportation slowly whirred down, immense heat radiating as the engineers in hazmat suits rushed to perform maintenance checks on the complex systems. Officer Flynt Coal watched from his office on the walkway above. Keeping an eye on his crew working he made notes on his data-slate as the information appeared on one of the holographic screens before him. On the other he could see a projection of Winter and Emerald, still on the bridge. “The jump engines are in good nick, and luckily too. Best not take any chances and let them chill before we perform another long-distance jump.”

Winter nodded, elbows on the arms of her throne as she rested her chin on her interlocked fingers, leaning forward as she examined the information in front of her. “As always, Officer Coal, I defer to your expert judgement. How long until we can jump again?”

“Seeing as this is their first real jump since our fight with The Sunset Dreams, I'd give them the full hour and a half to recover.”

Winter nodded again, now leaning back and drumming her fingers. She looked to her Second-in-command out of the side of her eyes. “Thoughts, Sustrai?”

“Well Captain, there is a space station nearby in this quadrant.” Emerald swiped through her data-slate, before sending the information to the holo-screens, creating a new holographic projection. It detailed the space station in its entirety as she continued to speak. “It's run by a man named Tukson, with no apparent last name. It stands as a neutral port between the Empire, the Regime, and the Expanse. Could be a good place to farm for intel, as information is another form of payment there.”

“Or...perhaps plant a spy into the Expanse.” Winter fell silent as she thought this over, before nodding once again. “Thank you, Mr Coal. Keep up the good work.”

“Aye Captain. I'll have a follow-up report sent to you soon.”

“Very good. Dismissed.” The Chief Engineer offered a informal salute, and the holo-feed between the three cut off. “Miss Sustrai, would you be so kind as to summon Operative Amitola to the bridge.”

“It shall be as you command.” Emerald quickly typed up a message onto her data-slate, and sent it off.

Ilia was just stepping out of the shower when her own personal data-slate beeped at her, indicating the message had arrived. With a sigh she did her best to read the message while drying off her hair. With a confused hum she sat down at her desk and quickly typed out her response, stating that she would arrive as soon as she was presentable. With that sent, she quickly brushed out her hair while putting together her uniform, the white and blue of the Schnee Dust Corporation replaced with black and grey. Thoughts raced across her head, wondering why the captain had summoned her in particular, and what it meant for her.

As soon as she was dressed she rushed out her door, tying up her hair as she went and ignoring the sound of the last droplet of water falling and hitting the metal beneath her feet. She silently thanked the old gods for the fact that being an operative granted her quarters so close to the bridge, else she would have never made it good time. Within ten minutes she was stood before the throne and her captain, doing her best to keep her Faunus traits under control. “Operative Amitola reporting as summoned, Captain Schnee.”

Winter looked up from the information Emerald was showing her on the data-slate, and nodded towards the brunette. “Miss Amitola, welcome. I have an assignment for you.” With Ilia tilting her slightly to side quizzically she carried on. “We will soon be temporarily docking at a trading station. Officially, the reason is to trade for supplies we...forgot...to restock on back at Mandolin. The truth however is that we are dropping you off.”

Ilia's brows furrowed as she felt her heart jump in fear. “Ma'am, have I done something wrong?”

“On the contrary, you are the one I trust most to get this task done. I need you to infiltrate a crew originating from the Expanse, a pirate crew.”

Nodding, feeling relieved that she wasn't being marooned, Ilia thought through the information given so far. “After I have done so?”

“Keep a log of their targets, their motives. Find out their movements and where they have been. And when you visit neutral ports, leave a dead drop and send a message to Miss Sustrai.” Winter paused a moment, letting the task sink in. “Are you capable of this task?”

Ilia thought for a moment, before looking straight into the piercing blue eyes of her captain, almost losing herself in their intensity. Not trusting herself to use her voice, she nodded and saluted.

“Good, I knew I could count on you. Go pack the essentials and change into something less...uniformed. We will be docking in thirty minutes.”

Turning on her heel, the Faunus quickly retreated from the bridge. She managed to keep her composure until the door to her quarters slid shut behind her. As soon as it clicked shut the scales on her body turned a bright pink as she softly screamed into her hands. “By Jinn...she's too damn hot and her eyes too pretty for her to be mortal.” After taking a minute to compose herself she began to pack the essentials for her mission. Sorting through her wardrobe she took off her uniform shirt, mumbling to herself. “My bottoms will do in general, as will the boots. But what about the rest?” Humming to herself she placed several items of clothes into her pack, before slipping on a short grey top. Over this she slid on a short black jacket, rolling up the sleeves and zipping it halfway closed. Looking at herself in the mirror she nodded, satisfied. “Now I look more the part and less secret spy.” Smiling, she picked up her pack and began to leave the room, pausing when she saw a framed picture on her desk.

Picking it up she couldn't help but smile at the old physical picture within. She was much younger in it, a little girl of 5 years. Holding up her missing tooth young Ilia's eyes were wide and bright, her smile even more so with pure joy. Her arm was wrapped around her best friend, a black-haired cat Faunus who also held up a missing tooth with pride. “I wonder how she's doing.” She ran a hand over the glass pane, smiling wistfully at the way amber and grey eyes shone with youth. Carefully, she placed it into her pack and finally left her room behind and made her way towards the docking port.

There she found Emerald waiting for her, leaning against the wall with a confident smirk. “Hey there Freckles, you done being a mess?”

“I have no idea what you mean, Mint Leaf.”

Emerald let out a laugh and her smirk grew into a full blown smile. “Please. You might have had others convinced, but I know you well enough that you were trying your hardest not to turn bright pink in front of the captain.”

“What? No. Pffft. How...how do I know that you weren't going to turn bright pink huh?” Emerald just kept up her smirk, causing Ilia to sigh. “Ok fine. It's not my fault our boss is hot. Did you come all this way just to tease me?”

Emerald patted Ilia on the shoulder. “No. That's just a bonus. I came to say be careful. Once you're on that station, you're on your own for quite some time.”

“This isn't the first time I've masqueraded as someone else, Em. You know that.”

“I can still worry about my closest friend.” Lightly punching Ilia on the arm, she stepped away as the door hissed and slowly slid open. “Well, we're here. Be safe out there Ia. Don't do anything stupid.” Giving the Faunus a quick hug, she stepped away once more and saluted the operative. “Want me to send the captain your undying love?”

“Ah ha, ah ha. You're hilarious. Keep my room warm for me.” Shouldering her pack she made her way down the walkway and into Tukson's Station, leaving behind The Nevermore which had served as her home for nearly three years.

As the door hissed shut again behind her, she was unable to hear the soft whisper from the CCO. “Wish you'd look at me like that....”

Weiss slowly turned off the water, reluctant to finally leave the warmth the shower had provided. With a content sigh she looked around the bathroom, finding black and brown towels folded and hanging off a metal bar. Smiling softly she wrapped the black towel around her body, and the brown around her hair. Slowly stepping out back into the quarters of her saviours, she looked around to see if they had returned yet. Finding herself alone she contemplated waiting for them to return before going rifling in their drawers. Then she realised that would mean either getting back into her old clothes which were coated with dust kicked up when The Steel Parasol crashed into the bridge, or waiting for the two practically naked.

The thoughts of getting into dirty clothes was repulsive, and the idea of waiting around naked caused blood to rush to Weiss's cheeks. The two had shown such kindness to her, and she was afraid that doing so would either insult Velvet and Blake, or else send across the wrong message. Determined, she nodded to herself and opened up one of the drawers underneath the bed. It was neatly organised into undergarments, trousers, and shirts. She quickly looked through the items, finding many of them to be black, or otherwise very dark blues and purples. She decided on taking a simple matching pair of underwear from this drawer, placing them on the bed, and opened up the other one. It was organised much the same way, but the colour palette shifted more to lighter colours, focused heavily on warm shades of browns. From here she selected a pair of warm brown sweatpants, and a grey tank top.

Slowly getting dressed, she relished the feel of wearing something that gave her such freedom of movement. The last time she had been permitted to wear something like this was during her last sparring match with her sister. Jacques had never approved of Weiss's training normally, but always allowed the two siblings to spar on the rare occasions Winter and Weiss were on the same planet.

Stretching her arms out she grunted as she heard her joints click and groan. Looking around once more, confirming that she was still alone, she began to go through a routine to stretch out her body. Closing her eyes she marshalled her breathing, bringing her hands together. As she breathed in she reached up above her head, stretching her arms and ribs in one go. With her breath out she bent over to touch the floor without allowing her knees to bend. She allowed a satisfied smile to grace her features as her palms touched the floor. Next up were her legs. Still barefoot from her shower, she stood on just her left leg as her right went behind her. Using her right hand to help with the exercise, she brought her right foot to her back, before lowering her leg and repeating with the left.

She continued these stretching exercises for a while longer, feeling herself regain control of both her body and mind. When she opened up her eyes again she jumped slightly, seeing Blake leaning against the open door frame. “I'm impressed. Here I thought the Schnees were uptight.”

“H-how long were you standing there?”

“From about halfway through your exercises.” Blake smiled kindly as she entered the room fully, the door closing behind her.

“And you didn't say anything?”

“And miss seeing how flexible you are? No thanks.” Blake's smile turned into more of a smirk as she walked over to the small kitchen. “Besides, you looked like you were lost in the moment.”

Weiss tilted her head up indignantly, then let out a sigh and looked to the floor next to her. “Thank you...for saving me. And letting me borrow your clothes.”

Blake took this moment to glance over Weiss's form, followed by a second longer look over, appreciating the way the shorter woman looked in her partner's workout clothes. “It's...no problem. You look good in Velvet's clothes, they suit you.” Blake's eye drifted to the subtle musculature of Weiss's arms and shoulders. “Much, much better than that fancy dress did.”

“Thank you.” Weiss looked over her own form, smiling slightly. “It's been so long since I was able to wear anything so...freeing.”

Blake took a small sip from her glass of water, still appreciating the other woman's form. “So, Weiss, what are you planning to do once we reach Beacon?” She paused when the runaway heiress looked at her in confusion. Smiling kindly she poured another glass of water and held it out to Weiss. “Beacon's a place where everyone can be free. If you want, you could get a shuttle to any planet within the Expanse, start a new hidden life. Or perhaps you hunger for adventure and want to join a crew.”

“A crew like yours?” Weiss took the glass and sipped its contents, before nearly draining it in one go after realising how long it had been since she had drunk anything.

“Well, we certainly wouldn't say no, provided you can pull your weight.”

Weiss simply smiled, looking down at one of her open palms. “Pull my weight? I think I could do that. After all I need to repay yo-” She stopped suddenly as she felt a wave of maliciousness and dread ripple out from an unknown source, her eyes going wide. “Something's wrong.”

Blake looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Before she could receive an explanation a klaxon started wailing and Penny's voice filtered through the coms system. “Warning, hostile extraterrestrial life form on board. Scans indicate the lost sector as the origin point. Potential Grimm incursion.”

“What in the name of Jinn...” Blake looked shocked, turning to face Weiss once more with a question on her lips, but found the shorter woman halfway out the door, racing off towards the danger. “Wait, Weiss!” She quickly followed suit, trying to catch up with the impossible pace Weiss was moving.

Ilia weaved her way through the crowds of the trading station, keeping a close eye on her personal belongings. She had no doubt that there were numerous pickpockets and thieves running rampant throughout the decks and corridors, just waiting to catch an unaware mark. Readjusting her pack she paused for a moment, looking around at the various stalls and built-in stores set up on the mercantile deck, searching for one in particular. Squinting her eyes trying to read in the dim light, she eventually found her target.

Tukson's personal bar, The White Fang. The best source of information on the entire station, and the operative’s best bet of infiltrating a pirate crew.

Pushing through the mass of bodies she made her way to the bar. Located dead in the middle of the station, Tukson was able to watch all that happened on the deck from his position, and on all others through security cameras and screens set into the interior of the bar. As such he was unsurprised when Ilia sat down at the counter, gently placing her pack onto the floor next to her. Grunting a greeting, he placed down the glass he was cleaning and moved over to greet the other Faunus. “Welcome to The White Fang Miss, what can I get for you?”

“Hopefully, a drink, and definitely some information.”

Tukson nodded at this, humming slightly in response as he placed a small, clean glass in front of her and filled it with amber liquid. “Straight to business then. And what information might an Atlesian desire?”

Ilia looked surprised for a moment, before shaking her head and sipping her drink. “Not Atlesian any more. I need to get out. Looking for a crew who could help me with that.”

“Hmm. Well, lots of crews visit me here. Smugglers, merchants, pirates.” He paused as he wiped down the counter, looking up suspiciously at the woman before him. “Military. Better not be up to funny business, Miss. We're a peaceful port here, and we'll protect that peace.” He glanced upwards, and Ilia followed his gaze, feeling her blood run cold as she spied the hidden walkways above them, and the guards that patrolled their length.

Swallowing nervously, she took another sip of the drink, grimacing as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. “I promise you, no funny business. Just need out. They don't look too fondly on Faunus, and I'm tired of hiding.”

The man grunted again, though a small smile came to his face. “So you're looking for a Faunus-friendly crew. I think I can help out there, though whether you're taken aboard is up to them.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tukson, but we both know how you run this station. What's the payment?”

Tukson's smile grew a little wider. “You're straightforward. I like that. I grow tired of duplicity all the time. Tell you what, you're a nice girl. All it'll cost you is a story.”

“A...story?”

“That's right. Any story, any book. I don't get out much, as you can probably tell, and during my downtime I like to read. One day might open up a bookshop instead of a space station. So, you give me a book, I'll get you a crew.”

Ilia thought on this for a moment, then nodded, reaching down into her pack and fishing out her data-slate. Scrolling through her personal files she looked for one book in particular. “I don't have any physical books with me; I travel light. But I did download one off the system a few years back, a rather forbidden book.” She noted the way the proprietor's eyes sparkled with interest when she mentioned that. “A book about the Sages.”

Tukson let out a low whistle. “Well, by the Brothers that's a rare find. From what I hear the Schnee Dust Corporation isn't too fond of Sages. You got yourself a deal, send it over.” Placing his own data-slate onto the bar counter, he waited as Ilia sent the file over to him with a smile on his face. “Alright, let's see about getting you a crew huh?” He turned away from the chameleon Faunus and called out loudly. “HEY RED! Got a new hire for ya!”

Ilia jumped slightly at the loud proclamation, and once again followed his gaze to see who he was looking at. There she found a shorter woman making her way through the crowd, wearing her coat over her shoulders, leaving her arms out of the sleeves. Her black hair was styled into an undercut, with red streaks fading into it. She felt her heart skip a beat as the woman smiled adorably at her, waving over at Tukson and herself. Her eyes were drawn to the other woman's exposed arm and the muscles she found there, and she couldn't help her soft and quiet exclamation. “Oh fuck....she's hot.”

Tukson heard her, and simply smiled. “Play nice, and she'll treat you right.” Nodding to the woman as she came closer his smile grew. “Here you are, Red, fresh off the ship and looking to escape the empire. I'll let you two get introduced.

The woman sat down on the stool next to Ilia, silver eyes looking into grey as she spoke. “Hi there! I'm Ruby Rose.”  

(art by Spicy Bon)

[bittykimmy13]

Gallery Walk (GT) (Part 1/2)

This is prompt from the 100 (GT) Themes Challenge. Feel free to send a number/word from the list for me to write about, and a specific character to go along with it, if you like!

This is the 8th installment of An Extra Roommate! Introducing Zoe!

Here are the other prompts that I’ve filled for the challenge!

Cassandra's heart fluttered with a sense of trepidation that never quite eased when she was away from her nook. There was something particularly nervewracking about being in Zoe's room, though the borrower found herself returning to it for the third time that week.

The room was cluttered as ever--a borrower's dream, as far as hiding places and knickknacks to claim. The bed existed in a permanent state of unmade with the sheets tossed haphazardly atop it, and the desk was cluttered with sketchbooks and crumpled papers, which only left the floor free for art projects in need of drying.

Lily had been the one to suggest that Cassandra visit Zoe's room if she was bored--but only while the dorm was completely empty, of course. And bored Cassandra was. She was stocked up with plenty of supplies and food.

She would be picking way through perishables for the next few days, which meant she didn't have borrowing to occupy her time. She didn't want to read, either; it was much more enjoyable to share a novel with Lily.

So while the humans were away at their classes, Cassandra had taken to exploring--something she never would have seen herself doing for fun until Lily inspired the confidence in her.

"She's a great artist, you know," Lily had said offhandedly just last week. "If you're ever in the mood to stretch your legs, it'd be worth checking out her stuff. Just don't step on anything--she'll notice."

That wasn't surprising, as Zoe seemed quite protective of her projects. Even before noting Lily's warning, Cassandra had overheard commotion more than once: Zoe shooing her friends away from her bedroom and slamming the door shut, exclaiming that her paint was still wet, or her project was unfinished.

It almost felt like a particularly risky adventure, getting to see what the girls of the dorm were barred from.

It proved to be a nice distraction, too.

Cassandra returned to her home only once since discovering Vince had rifled through her storage, along with the note claiming he wanted to return to her. She wouldn't have returned if she could help it, but all her things were down there. There was no need to bring any food, Lily said. Only her other essentials--clothes, climbing gear, bags.

The hope was that if Vince returned, he would see her belongings gone and think she had abandoned the space in the walls for good. The food was all his if he wanted it. Though resolute in her decision, Cassandra's stomach did backflips while she had retrieved her things, terrified that Vince would be waiting for her or would show up while she was clearing the place out.

He didn't show, but that didn't stop her from thinking over and over what he would say if she found out she was moving her belongings to the bottom shelf of Lily's bookcase.

There was no telling how long the setup would last. Lily assured Cassandra that she was more than welcome to stay as long as Lily was still living in the dorm. With winter break months away, they had time to sort things out.

For now, Cassandra was content enough living behind a stack of books on the shelf. The space didn't feel quite as homey as she was used to. The books could be used to create barriers, she supposed--something to divide her makeshift bed from her storage area--but she felt embarrassed at the thought of asking Lily to accommodate her any further. She was doing Cassandra a kindness enough by sharing her room.

Cassandra shook those thoughts away and focused instead on seeing how Zoe's work was coming along.

A thick sheet lay upon the carpet, along with several cups of all sizes containing murky water. Two sets of watercolor palettes lay beside the sheet, some pans still damp.

"Wow," Cassandra breathed, leaning over the painting while being careful not to disturb it.

Up close, it wasn't easy to distinguish the deep green forest that Zoe had painted, but even so, Cassandra was thoroughly impressed by the detail that had been added since she'd last visited. She needed a higher vantage point, and luckily the bed had proved to be perfect during her previous venture.

No sooner than she'd started unwinding her climbing rope, a noise came from the main area of the dorm that made her flinch back violently--straight into one of the smaller containers.

Water sloshed across the corner of the sheet, staining across the dark forest floor like an unexpected flood.

Cassandra clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes darting over the mess she'd made while a human voice floated from the front entrance of the dorm. It was Lily.

"Can't believe Jones let us out early!" There was an awkward tightness to Lily's voice. It was a warning to Cassandra to hide quickly if she was out and about in the kitchen or living room.

"Uh… yeah," came Zoe's reply, though she didn't pursue Lily's strange tone. "Anyway, naptime for me. Wake me when before noon, huh?"

"Sure thing," Lily answered as Cassandra scrambled to hide under Zoe's bed. There was no way she could sneak past, not with Zoe's footsteps already beginning to tremor through the floor as she approached her room.

Ducking behind the nearest leg of the bed, Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut. The door swung open, and the ground gave a particularly frightening shake as Zoe flung her bag carelessly to the corner. Before Cassandra could begin to hope that the human would simply lay down and fall asleep, Zoe gave a strangled gasp.

Cassandra dared to peek out from the shadows, her blood turning to ice when she saw Zoe's gaze was pointed in her general direction.

But she was looking at her ruined painting.

The human's short black hair seemed to curl at the tips as she stared, her burgundy-painted lips forming a perfect 'o'. Her eyes went from glazed with shock, to glowing like blue flames.

She whirled on her heel. "Who's been in my room!" Her shout made Cassandra cover her ears and whimper. The angrier the human got, the faster she spoke, sentences running into each other. "Who's been in--I'm going to kill--do you have any idea how long it took me to--Lily!"

Lily had already strode into Cassandra's view, standing just shy of the doorway and looking wide-eyed. "Shh! What's going on?"

"I left earlier than you," Zoe seethed. "Did you see Amelie or Nat go into my room? M-my painting--there's water all over--someone spilled--"

"Calm down!" Lily advised, stepping over to see what the fuss was about. She frowned at the painting, and perhaps it was because she had gotten so used to seeking out Cassandra, her eyes landed on the borrower peeking out from behind her hiding place almost immediately.

Even after weeks and weeks of knowing her, Cassandra felt a thrill of fear race through her veins when Lily spotted her on the ground.

They shared a brief look, Cassandra's heart pounding away while tears tickled the corners of her eyes. She ducked away swiftly in case Zoe followed Lily's line of sight.

"Well?" Zoe demanded. "Did you see--"

"I-I… I did it," Lily croaked.

"You… what--what were you doing in my room?" Zoe snapped, and Cassandra could just imagine her eyes widening furiously.

Lily stammered for a few seconds before settling on her story. "I c-couldn't find Slaughterhouse Five, I thought you had borrower--borrowed it, so I came in. I didn't see the cup. I thought it was just a few drops and that it would dry up without leaving a mark, I swear."

With a snarl, Zoe stalked off, maybe to calm down before she ripped her best friend limb from limb. Whatever the case, the ground shook with the approach of a human, making Cassandra nearly jump out of her skin.

"C'mon, c'mon, Cassie," Lily breathed.

The shadows around Cassandra darkened as a giant hand presented itself beside her. She didn't think twice about scrambling aboard, holding tight to Lily's ring finger as she swept her off the ground.

Before Lily got halfway through a whispered, "Are you okay?", Zoe's voice sliced through the air like a knife.

"Why are you still in here?" she demanded angrily, storming back into the room. "You're going to ruin something else--"

Lily let out a cry of surprise as Zoe gripped her shoulder and sharply tugged to turn her around. It left her no time to cover Cassandra or hide her away.

In an instant, the room was drenched with an awful silence. Though Cassandra had her head down while she cowered against Lily's fingers, she was very much aware that she was exposed. The room around her darkened as Lily's other hand draped over her, but it was too late.

The other human had seen her.