#listen the whole no kill pass thing is like undeniably the bigger betrayal here I wont pretend it isn't

[jovialknave]

There's something very interesting and very sad to me about the leadup to the cactus ring fight. Like, the way Scar's the one who gets nervous when he realizes Grians still yellow, the way Grian follows this by basically going "hey guys you should let me kill you both" and then tries the appeal to team loyalty when it doesnt work and, okay honestly I feel like the no kill pass thing could be a whole post of its own (undeniably still a betrayal no matter how you look at it but the choice of leaving it up to chance basically is interesting) but what it comes down to, I think, is that like.

In that moment, even if JUST for that moment, the partnership kind of falls apart, right? Like yeah, they come back together after. Bdubs dies, Scar lowers his sword and Grian says I cant kill you. They beg for a double victory and then insist on calling it that even when they have to fight anyway.

But even so there's that moment before. That moment where Scar gets nervous, where Grian tries to talk his way to winning, where Scar throws down the pass and then kills him.

The thing about the cactus ring fight is that it's still kind of a victory, at least as much as you can get in this situation. They go home together. They build the ring together, near Pizzas grave like Scar wanted. They remove their weapons and armor to make it as fair a fight as possible, and they declare it a double victory in spirit. They fight each other to the death, but they do it as friends, as partners.

In contrast, in that leadup with Bdubs, for a moment the partnership just, doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that when Scar first went red, the only thing he wanted was for Grian to stay. It doesn't matter that Grian stayed even after he died. It doesn't matter that they spent the entire game together up to that point.

In that moment, the only thing that matters to Scar is that Grian still has an extra life, and it makes him dangerous. The only thing that matters to Grian is that Scar has backup, and it makes him dangerous.

[whipped-for-kpop-fics]

Jessie 4

Essie has a habit of forgetting things including but limited to her very personal belongings. Usually, she notices her mistake pretty quickly but not this time. This time, someone finds her phone on a table outside of a restaurant and finds their face as the home screen.

AKA

Jackson Wang finds a phone with his face as the home screen.

Jessie Masterlist

Essie giggled down at her phone. Being a fan of Jackson meant she knew at least a little of his personality so she knew he was worried that she was genuinely upset and believed he had called her such a thing. She decided to let him suffer for a little bit as punishment for putting his number into her contacts wrong in the first place.

Only ten minutes later, her phone started to ring. Usually, only Jisoo ever called her so she answered without even looking.

“Yo.” She answered chewing on a cookie.

“Oh..I didn’t expect you to answer like that.” A voice that was certainly not Jisoo and undeniably male spoke softly.

Essie choked on her food and pulled the device from her ear to look at the caller ID.

Jackson

“Oh fuck!” She exclaimed through her coughing, dropping the cookie onto her desk to grip her drink and gulp down enough until she had stopped choking.

When her attention returned to her phone, she saw that the call was still running.

“I didn’t look at the ID, I assumed it was Jisoo, I’m so sorry.” She apologised desperately.

“No no no, it’s okay.” Jackson chuckled lightly. “Are you okay though, it sounded like you were choking or something?”

“Uh yeah...I’ve never been betrayed by a cookie like that before.” Essie glared down at the offending food and almost picked it back up to continue eating but remembering who she was talking to, she decided against it.

“The worst betrayal is betrayal by food,” Jackson replied dramatically earning a giggle to spill from her lips. “So, I don’t usually randomly call people like this but I was worried you thought I was the one that sent that message.”

“I never thought you had, I don’t imagine you’d call someone you just met shithead.”

“Ah good, you didn’t reply but you had read it so I thought you were upset.”

“No...I’m just a terrible person.” Essie sighed, deciding honesty was best. “It was I guess payback for giving me the wrong number in the first place.”  

“That wasn’t intentional, I promise. Honestly, I only stopped waiting for your text today. I thought you didn’t want to meet me.”

“You waited this long?” He hummed and Essie couldn’t help but smile dopily down at her desk. “Ah, that...that’s kind of you. No-one’s waited so long for me before. Thank you.”

“What? Why not? I haven’t stopped thinking about you-oh shit uh sorry, that was...I shouldn’t have said that.” Jackson started to ramble out apologises and it took everything in Essie to not shriek with excitement and joy at his words as her heart attempting to burst from her chest. She physically had to clamp her hand down over her mouth to stop her noises reaching Jackson.

“...Essie?” Jackson asked nervously when she had stayed silent for his whole rambling. “Are you still there? Ah fuck, I scared her off-”

“No no! I’m here! It takes a lot to scare me off.”

“Well that’s good because I can’t seem to help saying weird things when you’re involved, it’s like I can’t think straight.” Jackson laughed lightly.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” Essie admitted before she could think. “I mean I say a lot of weird things anyway but my mouth works before my brain so I’m probably going to say really embarrassing and awkward things and confess to too much because I can’t seem to stop myself. Like right now. Fuck, I need to shut up.”

“No no no. Keep talking. Don’t stop. I’d happily listen to you talk nonsense all night.” Essie blushed. “Ah but you probably have things to do. Sorry, I’ll let you go.”

“I’m not particularly busy,” Essie mumbled, looking around her office. “Just some things for work but there’s no rush to do it now. I can take as long as I want.”

“Won’t your boss be mad?”

“No, not at all.” Essie laughed like there was a joke that Jackson wasn’t in on. Really, there was.

Essie was her own boss. She owned her own bakery/sweet store that was growing more successful by the week especially since opening the bigger store in Seoul.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

“Trust me, Jackson, I won’t.” She laughed again.

“So, where do you work?”

“A bakery/sweets store.”

“Oh! Do you do the baking?”

“Not as often as I like.” She confessed with a sigh. “I’ve not had the chance recently.”

“Can’t you ask your boss to put you on baking more?”

“It’s not really an option, I have more important jobs to do.”

“Sounds to me like you don’t enjoy those jobs much,” Jackson observed.

“They’re necessary for the bakery to survive. Of course, I’d rather be baking than in the office doing paperwork and the boring crap but, without the boring crap, it’ll fall apart.”

“Hm, you sound important to the business. Paperwork and such is a vital job. I hope you get paid enough for your hard work.”

“I do.” She giggled. “So don’t worry about me. At the end of the day, I love my job even with all the shit I have to deal with. I’ve been dreaming about it for years and now it’s a reality. I’m happy here.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re happy.”

They both smiled into their phones and for a few minutes it was quiet but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward.

The silence broke when suddenly there was a lot of commotion on Jackson’s end.

“Yah! Be quiet! I’m on the phone!” He yelled, holding the phone away from his mouth as to not hurt Essie’s ears.

She heard voices in the background and from their tones, they sounded teasing. She could make out Jackson’s voice trying to scold them but they others carried on.

Eventually, he returned to the device with a heavy sigh.

“I’m sorry, Yugyeom and BamBam just barged into my room and refuse to leave because they want to know what we’re talking about.”

“Oh.” Essie giggled in amusement. “I’m glad Jisoo isn’t here or she’d be doing the same.”

“I would’ve never thought your friend Jisoo is the choreographer and dancer Jisoo. She’s really good, one of the best in Seoul if not Korea.”

“She is yet she can’t teach me how to dance.” Essie mused. “She gave up a long time ago.”

“Ah I’m sure you’re not that bad.”

“I look like a drunk octopus.” Jackson snorted out a laugh. “Hey! Don’t laugh at my dance skills!”

“I’m sorry! I’ve never heard someone refer to their dancing as a drunk octopus, I’ll have to remember that to use.”

“I certainly hope you don’t mean in relation to your own dancing, Jackson.”

“Why not?”

“Because...you’re one of my favourite dancers.” Jackson giggled shyly. “Only after Jisoo of course.”

“Yah! Leave me alone!” Jackson suddenly exclaimed and Essie heard laughing. “I’m not blushing! Go away! Go annoy someone else!”

“Sounds like you have your hands full, I should let you go so you can deal with them.”

“No!” Jackson yelled making Essie jump. “I uh mean, it’s okay I can just leave...if they move out my way.”

“Jackson, it’s okay, this isn’t the only time we can talk...plus...you owe me coffee, remember?”

“You still want to go on a date with me?”

“...A date?”

“Uh...yeah?”

“But...I thought...you said...really?” Jackson made a noise of confirmation that sounded suspiciously nervous not that Essie really noticed. “I’ve never been on a date before.” She confessed. Jackson choked on a shriek.

“What?! No way! I don’t believe you!”

“Ask Jisoo, she knows my entire relationship history.”

“I can’t believe it, you must be picky, huh?”

“I can be but I’ve just never been asked on a date before.”

“Okay you clearly have been surrounding yourself with idiots because I wanted to ask you out the second I saw you.” He confessed thoughtlessly. The shrieking in the background told Essie that Yugyeom and BamBam were still in the room. “I’m seriously going to kill these two.” He confessed in English and she giggled.

“Don’t tell me about it! I’ll become an accomplice!” She whined also talking her native language. “I’m too young to go to jail for murder, at least wait a few years, I’ll help you plan it all.” Jackson was laughing loudly by the time she finished talking. The sound was like the music to Essie’s ears and she smiled fondly and sat silently, just enjoying the noise.

“Wow! Okay! You’re certainly something different, Essie.” He finally managed to say when his laughter subsided enough to let words pass through his lips even if he was still chuckling.

“Bad different?” She chewed her lip nervously.

“Good different.” Her lips curved up into a smile. “You didn’t answer if you really do want to go on a date with me or not. If you’d rather keep things just, casual, we can meet as friends.”

“A date sounds good.”

“Ah! Really?” Essie hummed in confirmation. “Great! Are you busy tomorrow? We can get lunch?”

“Hm, lemme check.” Essie pulled her diary out from her bag to flick through. “I’m free 12:30 up until 2. Is any time there okay?”

“Yes, that’s perfect. Where will you be? I can meet you then.”

“The bakery. It’s actually sort of near the JYP building.” Essie informed. “I don’t know if you’ll know it though, I can meet you at the building if that’s where you’ll be?”

“What’s the bakery called?”

“Something Sweet,” Jackson repeated the name and instantly one of the voices started to yell excitedly in the background.

“Yugyeom knows it, he said it’s his favourite bakery,” Jackson announced then spoke to the boy in Korean. “Oh, he brought us these amazing biscuits from there a few weeks ago, I can’t remember all the flavours but I really loved the lemon ones! They were so good!”

“Ah, thank you.” Essie beamed proudly. “Those are my favourites.”

“They were mine too but every time since, Yugyeom says he can’t find them.”

“Ah no, only I make them. Honestly, we don’t actually sell them but I had made a big batch at home and brought in the rest. One of the cashiers must’ve given him some, she said she wanted to give a regular a special treat and asked to give some out free.”

“Oh...do you think you can make some more one day?”

“Hm, maybe.” She teased with a giggle. “Depends how much you beg.”

“Ah! You’re like that?” She giggled again. “Pleaseee Essie. Make some lemon biscuits for your second favourite dancer. Pleasee. I’m your phone background I think I should get special treatment.”

“Don’t talk about that, that’s embarrassing.” She whined. “I changed it since anyway.”

“Change it back!” He demanded. “I like that you like me enough to pick me as your background. Who is it now?”

“A cat that’s always near the back door of the bakery.”

“A cute cat?”

“Of course.”

“Cuter than me?” Essie sucked in a breath as she considered it. “Oh wow! That gives me so much confidence!”

“Oh shut up, you know you’re attractive, you call yourself wild and sexy.” Essie scoffed and Jackson giggled.

“You just want your ego stroked.”

“By you, yes.” Essie tried not to giggle. “I’ll wear something extra nice tomorrow so you can have a new background picture.”

“Ah don’t do that, I’ll be in my work clothes, I won’t be able to even begin to look good next to you if you make more effort than a hoodie.”

“Shut up, you’re beautiful. You’ll definitely look better than me no matter what you wear.”

“Nu-uh.” Jackson started to argue so Essie quickly cut him off. “So, do you want to come by the bakery when you’re ready or shall I come to you or what?”

“I’ll come to you if that’s okay.”

“It is indeed.” Essie hummed, eyes sliding over to the email notification that popped up on her computer screen. Noticing it was from a company that wanted to buy out her bakery, she sighed heavily.

“Are you sure? You sound upset.”  Jackson spoke quietly, carefully. He was worried Essie was going to back out but he really didn’t want her to while at the same time, he didn’t want her to feel obligated to follow through on a plan she changed her mind about.

“Oh sorry, that wasn’t about you, I just received an email about work that I’d rather didn’t exist.” Another sigh left her lips. “I really do want to see you tomorrow,” Essie confessed shyly, her tone suddenly soft and anxious. “I’ll be glancing at the clock all morning.”

“Ah, you’re so cute!” He cooed excitedly. “But, so will I.”

“I should really deal with this email now before I lose the will and not so accidentally press delete and pretend I never received it.”

“Alright, I’ll hang up now. I don’t want you getting into trouble with your boss.” Essie sniggered quietly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Essie.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” There was a small pause before the call ended with a beep.

With a heavy exhale, Essie placed her phone down and picked up her previously discarded cookie to stuff as much into her mouth as possible to give her energy to deal with the most persistent and annoying company she had ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

Finally a new part! I know right? 

Hopefully, the length of this one makes up for the wait, even if the majority of it is pure dialogue

The next part will be the coffee date though, even if I have no idea when it’ll be up or when I will even write it I'm afraid

~Chee