#meanwhile penny is so confused after she gets back home

[protagaster]

I really hope Ares is just "when your dad was a better grandparent than he was a parent"

Penny was arguably Ares' first time mentoring a mortal that was not related to him. What do you mean mortals CANNOT slice at a training dummy all night and be expected to spar the morning after?

Meanwhile, he's cheering Tele on just for being able to wear armor without tipping over like a turtle.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1095: Sunflower Trio (Persona 5 x Mother 3 X SSBU)

12:10 p.m. at Ann and Shiho's Apartment............

Lucas: (Brushes One Side Ann's Hair) You're going to participate in the upcoming runway show in the next few weeks, Ann?

Ann: (Happily Nodded) Yep-yep. Its gonna be my very first debut as a rookie model and my once and a lifetime chance to leave a lasting impression tofrw of the biggest names in the modeling scene, so.....no pressure! (Chuckles Lightly as it Starts to Noticeably Slow Down and Turns into a Nervous One)

Lucas: (Gives Ann a Reassuring Smile on his Face) I'm sure you'll do great out there. You are the second prettiest girl I know after all.

Ann: Awwwwww- Wait. Second? (Raises an Eyebrow at Lucas) Who's the first?

Lucas: (Smiles Brightly and Proudly) My girlfriend Ashley!~

Ann: ('Sigh') Of course.

Meanwhile at the Smash Mansion's Living Room..........

Penny: (Sitting Next to a Reluctant Ashley While Talking)...So I believe the closest method into creating a black hole according to my many, many research-

Ashley: (Suddenly Felt Something in her Heart as She Clenches her Chest) ('Ngh') Not again!

Penny: ('Gasps') Ashley! (Quickly Scooches Over to her Best Friend's Side) What's wrong? Are you having chest pain? Heart burns? A potential stroke!!?

Ashley: ('Sigh') No. I just felt a disturbance is all. (Starts Blushing) A sweet, complimentary disturbance.

Penny: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) You're overreacting to someone complimenting you out of nowhere?

Ashley: (Quickly Glares at her Friend) It's not JUST any compliment, Penny! (Looks Up at the Ceiling as Ger Eyes Begins to Sparkle) It's a compliment given to be by my darling Lucas~

Penny: (Puts on a Deadpinned Look on her Face) Why do I feel like I'm not surprised by that answer to detail?

Back at the Apartment

Ann: (Raised an Eyebrow at her Little Sunflower) So your witch girlfriend's prettier than me, huh?

Lucas: (Smiles Dreamingly at the Thought of Ashley) Yeah......(Immediately Comes Back to Reality) No! Yes! I-I mean, at least to me, she is. (Frantically Starts Flailing his Hands Side to Side) B-But I still think you way prettier than every runway models I can think! Honest!

Ann: Hmmmmmmm..... (Stares at Lucas for a Brief Second Before Sighing in Defeat) Alright, I'll take your word for it. (Forms a Playful Grin on her Face Before Tickling Lucas) But ONLY because you're the most precious Little Sunflower ever!~ Yes you are!~

Lucas: (Giggles Ticklishly by Ann's Playful Attack) HeheheAnn!~ Quit ithehehe!~

'Door Open'

?????: I'm hoooooome!

Lucas/Ann: (Stops Everything They Were Doing and Looks Up at the Familiar Face of.....) Shiho!~

Ann: Welcome home, babe!~

Shiho: Yeah. (Closes the Door Behind Her Before Letting Out a Sigh and Making her Way to the Living) It's good be back home..(Sits and Slouches Down on the Middle of the Sofa While Letting Out an Exhausted Groan) Sooooooooo glad......

Ann: I take it your day at the gym was less than desirable today.

Shiho: (Turns to Ann) Ohhh you have no idea...There was this girl I was assigned to train and all she did throughout the whole session was complain about how hard our exercises, even the very simple ones, and kept getting on her phone when I specifically told her NOT to! Like, I get it! Workouts are a challenge and they're not for everyone, but for God sake! The least you can do is try putting some actual EFFORT towards our routine instead of sitting there whine every five seconds. You did hired me to TRAIN YOU after all! I'm not here to waste TIME, ya know!? (Stops Herself from Ranting Some More Before Taking a Very Deep Breath) But even still, I digress....I guess.

Lucas: (Frowns at Shiho as He Gives her a Hug on one Side) We're sorry you had a rough time, Shiho.

Ann: (Hugs her Girlfriend on the Other Side) Yeah, that girl sounds like a real pain in the neck to deal with.

Shiho: ('Sigh') Tell me about it. (Smiles Softly as She Places her Arms Around Ann and Lucas's Shoulders) But at the very least, I now get to spend the rest of the day with my two favorite people in the world.

Ann: (Smiles Brightly) You hear that, Lucas? We're her two favorite people in the globe.

Lucas: (Happily Snuggles onto Shiho) I know, I'm so honored~

Lucas felt his phone buzzing at the inside of his pants pocket as he pulls away fromShiho, takes it out of his pocket, and checks out the recent message he received before letting out a short gasps

Lucas: It's here!.....(Quickly Gets Up From his Seat) I-I have to get going!

Ann: (Raised an Eyebrow in Confusion) To where exactly?

Shiho: Is everything okay, sweetie?

Lucas: Yeah, I'm okay. Great even! (Takes Out a Dimension Ring and Toss it Behind Him to Expand into a Giant One) I-I just have to get something right quick is all. Be right back! (Quickly Runs into the Giant Ring)

Ann/Shiho: Okay, be careful! (Watches the Ring Disappears in Thin Air)

Shiho: (Turns to Ann) He'll be done on his own, right?

Ann: Oh yeah, our Little Sunflower's a Trooper!.....Buuuut if he doesn't come back here in the next few minutes or so, THEN we'll go after him, just in case.

Shiho: (Nodded in Agreement) Right.

Meanwhile at Tazmily Village: Duster's Home.......

Duster: (Gives Lucas a Bonquet of Flowers) Here you go, son. Freshly grown sunflowers ready to be given.

Lucas: (Smiles Brightly) I can't thank you enough for this, dad. These look so pretty!

Duster: (Smiles Back at his Son) Hey, it's the least I can do for my own boy. I reckon they're for those two sisters you've been telling me about?

Lucas: (Happily Nodded) Yep! Ann and Shiho. I really wish you have the time to met them in person, they're both amazing.

Duster: I bet they are. But unfortunately, I've gotten lot more busy as of late, looking after the village and whatnot. It'll take a while, but I'll find a free day for us to properly meet.

Lucas: (Nodded in Understanding) Take all the time you need. I know how this village means to you.

Duster: You're right 'bout that. It's been my home since the day i first came into this world. (Smiles Down at his Son) But even still, you're a lot more important to me than all the stars combined.

Lucas: (Heart Begins to Melt as He Hugs his Father) Thank, dad. You're important to me.

Duster: (Gently Ruffles the Top of Lucas's Hair) You're welcome, son. Now, I do hope you're not planning on keeping those sisters of yours waiting.

Lucas: Right! I have to get going! (Quickly Pulls Away from his Embrace and Tosses the Ring onto the Ground, Expanding to it's Giant Size Before Running Towards and Waving Goodbye) Take care, dad!!

Duster: (Waves Back to his Son as the Giant Ring Begins to Disappear in Thin Air Again) You too, son. You too.

Back at Ann and Shiho's Apartment

Ann: (Already up from the Sofa) Alright, you got everything you need?

Shiho: Pepper spray in my pocket. (Holds Up the Fighting Gloves She's Wearing on Both her Hands) And combat gloves put on.

Ann: (Simply Nodded) Good. Now let's go out there and bring our boy back hom- (Suddenly Sees Lucas Lucaa Running Out of the Giant Ring While Holding Something in his Hand)

Lucas: I'm back- W-Woah! (Accidentally Trips Himself Towards the Ground) Ow.

Ann/Shiho: Lucas! (Quickly Rushes Towards the Boy's Side)

Ann: You okay, kiddo?

Lucas: (Gets Himself Up While Sighing) Yeah. I think I'll be fine. I-In the meantime....(Presents the Couple Their Gift) Surprise!!

Shiho: (Gasps along with Ann) Lucas.....you went out of your way to get us a bonquet of flowers?~

Lucas: It's a bonquet of sunflowers actually and my dad helped grew and took care of them for me. (Smiles a Bit Shyly While Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) I noticed you two have been taking a liking to them as of late, so I figured I give a few of them to you as of token of our bond together and how glad i am to have you two in my life. I-I hope you like them.......

Ann: Like them? (Smiles Brightly ) Lucas, we love them already!~ Picks Lucas Up and Twirls Him Around Before Hugging Him Very Lovingly) And we love you so freaking much too!~ (Starts Giving a Barrage of Kisses on his Cheek)

Lucas: (Giggles Ticklishly Once More) A-Ann!~ Why do you always have to find ways to tickling mehehehehehe!~

Shiho: (Smiles Sheepishly) She isn't called the "Tickling Queen" for a reason, you know? (Smile Turns into a Softly) But still, we can't thank you for this, Lucas. You mean the world to us too.

Lucas: Y-Your welcome!~ Hehehehe I'm glad hehehe you liked it!~

Shiho: We love it as much as we love you, sweetie (Forms a Playful, Slightly Evil Smirk on her Face) Now let me show you how much in this tickling-kiss fest~

Ann: Atta girl, Shiho-Kins!~ (Continues Kissing Lucas's Cheeks)

Lucas: Noooo!~ I'm out numbered! No faheheheirrr!~ (Gets Even More Ticklish with Shiho Joining in on the Kiss Fest)

Shiho: (Giggles Softly) Sorry, Lucas~ Life isn't quite fair when love and affection is involved~

Ann: Best you can do now is give in and embrace it~

Lucas: (Ease Down on the Giggling For Now) I'm a PSI Fghter!....A Sunflower Trooper!....(Wipe a Tear Off From his Eyes) I'm not giving up without a fight, so do your worst!

Ann and Shiho looks at each other for a brief second before turning back to Lucas with playful, mischievous smirks on both of their faces..

Ann: If you insist~

Shiho: Don't say we didn't warn you~

Lucas: (Raises his Fists Up into the Air) SUNFLOWER TROOPERRRRhehehehehehehe!~

Lucas's giggles begins to escape his mouth once more as his two big sister figures, Ann and Shiho, continues to tickle him effortlessly with their barrage of kisses and cuddles, not that he mind it truly. His love fand care for the both of them has gotten a lot stronger than even he could realize

They may not be related by blood, but he still considers them and everyone else in his life as his very own family. A family whom he will love and cherish for as long as he shall continue to live in this world.

@bestpony666

@caleb13frede

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@keyenuta

[abyssal-ali]

Marinette "Valkyrie" Wayne

Masterlist Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Valkyrie's suit ao3 link (completed)

Pairing: Marijon, but the first bit's just family-oriented.

Rating: G

WC: 1.7k

A/N: I wrote this a couple years ago and decided to edit a bit for MariJon Week 2023/SuperMari May 2023. Fills prompts from day 1, 2, 4, and 7 for Marijon Week.

Marinette and Jon are 17-ish here and Damian is (I believe) a year older than Jon, making him 18.

The other Bats are in their early to mid-twenties and live at the Manor for plot convenience.

Also, when I wrote this a couple years ago I did not know a ton about Kon, so he's not part of this fic. I do love him, though; he wasn't excluded out of hate.

Summary: Marinette is adopted by Bruce Wayne after her parents died in a car crash. She figures out her new family are the Bats, but she also has a secret.

Meanwhile, Bruce is looking for Ladybug, who retired and disappeared into thin air.

Disclaimer: I do not know anything about the American/French fostering/adoption systems; we'll just pretend everything works out fast because it's Bruce Wayne. If there's anything in here that's confusing, drop a comment!

Please ignore any and all plot holes such as why a random American billionaire was ahead of her grandparents, Chinese side of the family, or even Jagged and Penny o adopt her. 🙂

Beta'd by the wonderful @sarcasticbambi. Enjoy!

1007 Mountain Drive was in a tizzy.

Why?

Well, Bruce “Serial Adopter” Wayne was bringing home yet another black-haired, blue-eyed child with a traumatic past.

Fostering with intent to adopt: Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Age: 16.75 years. Orphan; Tom Dupain & Sabine Cheng died in a car crash 15 months ago.

Marinette had been to a couple foster homes, but her foster parents claimed she kept sneaking out at odd times and acted very coldly to everyone, only warming up to animals. Marinette’s peers told stories upon stories of Marinette’s cruel actions toward them, specifically one Lila Rossi.

Her social worker, Genevieve Lemieux, dug a little and found some proof of Lila’s lies, but Marinette wouldn’t talk and wouldn’t explain her absences. Finally, Genevieve decided that the girl needed a new perspective, and called her college best friend’s brother– a policeman, if she remembered correctly.

“Oh, Genevieve Lemieux! Yes, I know someone who would love to foster her, I’m sure. Does she have blue eyes and/or black hair, by any chance?”

“As a matter of fact, she has both. Why?”

“I just wondered. I’ll talk to Bruce right away and get back to you.”

“Merci beaucoup, James.” (A/N: Jim Gordon)

“No problem, ‘Eve. Talk to you soon.”

“Au revoir.”

He called back a little later, saying the family would love to have Marinette come. Several of the other children were adopted, so they knew the process well. Bruce was currently in Paris doing business, actually. He could bring Marinette back with him if the paperwork went through quickly and smoothly.

Thus, Marinette landed in Gotham in the Waynes’ private jet. It was gray, drizzly, and gloomy, the antithesis of Paris.

She smiled inwardly.

Perfect.

~~~~~

Bruce Wayne eyed the dark-haired girl beside him. She appeared quiet and withdrawn when Genevieve Lemieux introduced them, didn’t startle or appear impressed or scheming at his name, though Mme. Lemieux was a little awed.

She appeared indifferent to the luxurious accommodations on the flight back to the States, plopping in her seat, fastening the safety belt, putting her earbuds in, and drifting off.

[She stopped the music whenever Bruce spoke so she could eavesdrop better. She also eyed him through her lashes, appraising his body language.]

All of her things fit in one large suitcase and a duffle bag. Her polished black nails were filed short and her hair was in a pixie cut with a crimson streak running through it. She was shorter, appeared fit and maybe even muscular, and walked with a distinctive tread. Faded lines were around her eyes and mouth, suggesting that she used to laugh and smile regularly. She didn’t seem cold like Mme. Lemieux had warned, though she did display some of every foster child’s apprehension on new people and situations.

Now she was dozing, almost curled into him, though the seats didn’t really allow that. He figured she wouldn’t like waking up like that, so he moved to the opposite seat and pulled out some documents that needed reviewing and signing.

When they landed, she headed straight for the Rolls, though several other cars were nearby.

Bruce frowned. How did she know which car to approach?

Alfred politely introduced himself as he loaded her baggage, then drove to Wayne Manor.

Inside, five people were waiting to meet the new arrival: Cass, Steph, Dick, Tim, and Damian.

Jason was who-knows-where and Babs was at her own house.Marinette nodded briefly at each introduction, then Alfred showed her to her room.

Everything was white, except for where bare wood showed through.

~~~~~

Marinette carefully and neatly unpacked her things, then pulled out her phone and took pictures so she could compare if anything was disturbed. She also set several quick safeguards in place (e.g. a strand of hair across the door) and portalled to outside her room. S

he walked noiselessly downstairs to Bruce’s study, where she found everyone gathered.

Well, Mr. Wayne had passed test #1. Onto #2.

“Will you tell her about the family business?” Dick asked. Mari paused just outside the door.

“Not yet, we don’t know her well enough. Her school friends say she is a bully, a liar, and a troublemaker. Previous foster families say she is cold and a sneak. Her social worker thinks there is some reason for the other’s statements, but she isn’t sure. For now, we act normally and say nothing suspicious. Please try and actually keep this a secret,” Bruce pleaded.

He suddenly sounded like an exhausted parent tired of corralling a pack of wild toddlers.

“She has a tread like this,” Bruce crossed the room in a demonstration, “so no giveaways if you hear her.”

Marinette tiptoed back down the hall, then walked to the study in her faked stride and knocked.

“Come in,” someone called.

Cass smiled at her, Damian glared [stared normally], Tim and Dick assessed her, and Steph continued texting someone.

“We have a few house rules I’d like to go over,” Bruce stated, and she nodded.

“No weapons, specifically at the dinner table; no alcohol, drugs, or smoking allowed if you’re underage; respect each other’s boundaries; if you’re going out, tell someone the general area and expected return time in case of a Rogue attack or kidnapping; tell Alfred ahead of time if someone is staying the night or for a meal; and take care of yourself.”

This last item seemed to be directed at Tim, who shrugged and slurped from a mug of coffee.

“Monday nights are alternating game nights or movie nights with the family. Sunday evening is family dinner.”

“Got it.”

“Do you have any allergies or sensitivities to anything?”

“No. I have a friend in New York. Do you think I could see her sometime?”

“Of course. In the fall, Gotham Academy–”

“I already graduated,” Marinette cut in. “I skipped Grade 3 and did 11 & 12 in one year.”

“Oh. Okay, then. Do you have an idea of what secondary school you’d like to attend?”

“I’m working on a course online. I’m good, thanks.”

Everyone stared at her. “Uh, Mme. Lemieux said you like animals. Damian has several you can meet later.”

“Thank you. Is there anything else?”

“No. Thank you for your time, Marinette. Dinner will be at six-fifteen. Cass can give you a tour of the manor later if you’d like.”

Marinette nodded at Cass. “Okay.”

After dinner, Cass gave Marinette a tour of the main rooms in the manor. They both preferred body language and signs to communicate over words.

She also met Titus, Alfred the Cat, Jerry the Turkey, and Batcow. They all liked her, and she was thrilled to meet all of them. She told Cass she used to want a hamster, but now she was thinking about a dog.

Cass told Marinette that she could personalize her room how she wanted, and Steph would love to take her shopping. Marinette said she’d think about that too.

~

Steph ended up spending the whole day at the mall with Marinette and Bruce’s credit cards.

Marinette thanked her and Bruce, then retreated to her room with her arms full of bags.

No one had seen the inside of her room since she arrived except Alfred once when he called her for breakfast. He said it was clean and orderly, and Bruce was satisfied with that.

When a social worker came to check up on Marinette, the family saw the setup for the first time in the month that she’d been there.

The walls stayed white, but everything else was different. The queen bed had a red and black poofy duvet, the sheets were white, and the throw pillows were black & grey and red & white. The curtains were black, the rug grey and white, the fluffy chair was white, and the pillow navy. The desk was white, the chair was red, the row of jars was red glass.

A gold Eiffel Tower lamp matched the strings of lights crisscrossing the ceiling. Two picture frames were on the nightstands. The black bookcase opposite the bed was full of various book genres.

The worker approved it and everyone left.

Marinette kept a close eye on the worker and the Waynes.

After the worker left, she turned to her foster family. “I know you’re hiding something, and I’ve almost figured out what it is. Would you like to simply tell me?”

Bruce crossed his arms and raised a brow.

“Suppose I call your bluff. What have you almost figured out, with what evidence?”

“Well, when I heard I was going to be fostered with intent for adoption, I hacked the orphanage’s database and found your name. When I looked you up, I discovered you adopt a black-haired, blue-eyed child every few years. I hacked into your family’s file, but to my surprise, it was very hard to access. It wasn't easy to crack like other files -- only people with something to hide would make their files so difficult to get at. But when I got in, there was really nothing to see. So I watched the video clips and noticed some trimming and cropping of some places in the Manor. In real life, there doesn’t appear to be anything there, either. A clock, a piano… nothing unusual.

“When I came to your office the first day, I overheard your warning to not let me know about the ‘family business’. And why is the first rule 'no weapons'?! So I hacked into your financial records, but apparently, everything is aboveboard there, too. You do spend a lot of money on the Justice League, though. Mr. Queen doesn’t spend nearly that much. I do have a question about that, though: why does Green Lantern #2 break so much stuff?”

The Wayne children burst into laughter at the question (Bruce blamed a lot of stuff on Hal Jordan.).

“He’s a clumsy, egotistical member with no sense of professionalism or appropriateness,” grumbled Bruce.

“A-ha! You're Batman! Only Batman dislikes GL#2 that much!”

“...”

“Oh come on, just admit it.” She strolled to the piano. “What's the tune Dick’s always humming?”

She played the first couple of bars.

“No-” everyone gasped.

Too late, the secret passage opened.

"Hah!” Marinette crowed. “I said I’d find out.”

~

Babs adopted the new hacker into the fold; Marinette became known as Delphi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Mari learned hacking from Max.)

[hoe4hotchner]

Words will be words

Pairing: Luke Alvez x Penelope Garcia x Platonic!reader

Word count: 956

A/N: Look at me making non Hotch content. Not gonna lie, the ending doesn’t really have any closure, but the fic is a fluff piece soo.... enjoy :)

“Newbie! Shut up... Anyways, I will be saying the exact same thing Alvez was about to, but with a little more charm.” Garcia was quick to shoot Luke down as he opened his mouth.

You had been stuck with the two for weeks now, recovering from an injury from a previous case. You were not quite in the clear yet, and everyone had agreed that it would be better that you not take a risk, and stay back at Quantico with Garcia, and now Luke.

After going rogue, Luke had been put on probationary status, forced to stay back too. And although he was supposed to consult the team from afar, he acted more like a glorified personal assistant to the tech wiz.

You could help but shake your head with a smile on your lips, you had seen the signs way too many times before. Maybe not at the BAU, but definitely in school. High School or the Academy, it did not matter. The human psyche was still the same.

Maybe they could hide it from each other, maybe they were both oblivious to the other. One thing they couldn’t hide was the way that Luke smiled every time Garcia was around, every time he spoke to her on the phone. A smile he didn’t even use when he was talking about his most prized possession Roxy.

Garcia on the other hand, she was snarky in her remarks, on the brink of being hostile. That was her tell. Garcia was not good at responding to change, she hated it in fact, but the day Alvez had walked into the office, something in her had changed. You were not sure how many had picked up on it, but you surely had.

With a crutch in hand, you hobbled out of the conference room, slowly making your way to the kitchen in search of not only a cup of coffee but the brownies that you knew Garcia had brought into the building earlier that morning. One step at a time, it took you a while to get down there.

“Why did you leave me all alone with that... that... that she-devil?” Luke asked as he came up to you. He folded his arms over his chest, carefully leaning against the countertops.

“You know she doesn’t hate you as much as you think she does.” You said while pouring yourself a cup to your liking. Your eyes stayed locked on the beverage, however, feeling looks gaze locked on you.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You could tell that he was confused from his tone, the slightly judging strain to his voice pushed to the forefront of his words.

“You’re smart enough to figure that out yourself, Alvez.” You shifted your attention, giving him a single pat on his shoulder before hobbling back towards the conference room. 

Luke followed you, offering to carry the scalding hot mug filled to the brim with delicious coffee. You agreed, knowing that at some point you’d probably end up spilling it all over yourself.

“Why can’t you just tell me, since you already know. It’ll make it a lot easier on me.”

“I thought you already knew. Profilers don’t have it easy.” Garcia was not in the room as you entered, figuring that she had probably returned to her bat cave.

Caught the guy, heading home in an hour or so. Great work!

It was like a lightbulb appeared over your head as you read the text from Emily and meanwhile also spotted the two keycards of both agents laying on the table amongst files and papers.

“If you must know, let’s go to the cave of wonders.” Luke steadied you, making the trip faster and shorter. True enough, Garcia was in her office, closing down the last few tabs on the case as you entered.

“What’s the newbie doing in here?” She was quick to greet the two of you, spinning around in her chair.

“Listen to me! Because I’m only saying this once! You two need to figure this out. Penny, you don’t hate Luke, that’s very clear, maybe not to you guys, but it is to everyone else. And Luke, you’re not bothered at all by her comments, you think she’s feisty for it. It only makes you love her more. I’m sorry that I just profiled you guys, but you need to figure this out. Now.” You ordered, the pair of them not having noticed how you’d made your way further out of the room and leaving them before you closed the door and quickly scanned your keycard.

They were trapped for good now. You heard the banging of their fists against the door as you returned to the conference room, only to be disturbed by your phone going off.

“Yeah?” You smirked putting the call on speaker.

“If you don’t let us out right this instant, I will... I will... I will banish all cute and cuddly kitten goodness from your life so every cat you meet will hiss at you and try to scratch your couch to shreds.”

“Well, then I suggest that you start getting along, cause I’m not letting you out until you admit that you like each other.” You ended the call. Or at least until the rest of the team got back and the workday was over, but they didn’t have to know that.

As you started gathering the files and cleaning up your mess, you occasionally felt the vibrations of your phone buzzing in your back pocket, knowing fully well that it was Garcia or Luke trying to persuade you. But you did not give in. They needed to learn how to deal with their emotions, whether they liked it or not. 

[ananicoleta]

I’ll Always Be Here

Summary: Penelope makes a last second decision that she does not want to be in Space Jam 2 without Pepe, and she quickly goes home to comfort him.

Hello, everyone! I’m back with a new fic about Space Jam 2, this time focusing on Pepe and Penelope. This fic was inspired from and ask, submitted by anonymus on @thebrownssociety 's account. They said they didn't want to write it, however, so I did instead (with their permission of course).

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Warner Bros.

Enjoy!

“Ms. Le Pew, filming starts in ten!” The voice of a staff member reached Penelope’s ears, muffled by the door of her changing room.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” She called back. Then, there was the sound of footsteps walking away, meaning that she was all alone again.

Penelope sighed and looked at the scrip in her hands. She had tried memorizing the lines all morning, but with no result. Her brain just couldn’t process the text, the words danced in front of her eyes and the letters all became hieroglyphs with no meaning. No matter how much she tried to concentrate, her mind always drifted away, far from the Warner Bros. lot, far from the film set and the film itself, traveling all the way back to her home, where she knew there was her husband, alone.

It was so unfair. 

Pepe didn’t deserve all the hate and backlash he had gotten. Her beloved had done nothing wrong ever! All those people that claimed Pepe was encouraging a deviant behaviour had no idea what they were talking about. They didn’t know him, so why were they speaking like that?! Her Pepe, was the kindest, most romantic and gentle soul she had ever met. He would never hurt a fly, let alone do those kind of things.

But people didn’t seem to understand. No matter how many times Pepe and the other Looney Tunes tried to clarify this misunderstanding, how many times they told people those were just cartoons and they were just actors, how many times she tried to explain she had not been assaulted, their narrow minds just couldn’t comprehend it. In the end, the descision to remove Pepe from the movie and from the future Looney Tunes productions was made and, despite all the protests, no one had been able to do anything.

Those news had terribly depressed Pepe. Every single one of them knew how much the skunk liked acting and how fond he was of cartoons, so naturally, the whole situation was like a punch in the gut. He isolated himself from the rest of the world, which deeply worried both her and the rest of their family. At least Speedy, who knew better than any of them what it felt like to go through all that, had tried to cheer him up and comfort him, and to some extent, he succeded. Everytime Speedy talked to Pepe, he always felt better afterwards and acted a bit more like his usual self.

Still, concern always seemed to pull on Penelope’s heart strings, now more than ever, considering Pepe was all by himself at home, feeling lonely and depressed that he couldn’t be with them and do what he loved. And oh, how she wanted him to be near her right now! She wanted to hold his hand, as they walked on the film set, she wanted to hear him whisper romantic things in her ear, and then scold him because “it’s nor the time nor the place!”, but both of them knowing she liked it a lot. She wanted him to make her laugh and smile and fill her stomach with butterflies. She wanted...

Suddenly, she noticed a wet spot on her page and wondered what could that be. Then she noticed another. And another. Bringing her hand towards her face she realized that her fur was wet. She was crying.

Tossing the script aside, she buried her face in her hands and cried, and cried, and cried, letting all of her frustration out.

Knock, knock

Penelope jumped. “Who is it?”

“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Le Pew, but filming is starting now.”

“Yeah, s-sure, I’ll be out immediately.” She said, trying not to sound disstressed.

She got up and checked her reflection, making sure there were no clues that she had cried, then exited her trailer and marched towards the set, desperately whishing that Pepe was by her side.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Ms. Le Pew, are you even listening?” 

That sentence snapped Penelope out of her thoughts. She quickly realized that no, she had not been listening. Instead, she kept galncing at the empty spot, where Pepe should have been...

“I am sorry, Mr. Lee.” She apologised. “Please, continue.”

So, the man went on about how he wanted that specific scene acted and all that blah, blah, blah that Penelope, again, did not, could not, listen too. What was Pepe doing right then, as her and the others were filming? Was he feeling lonely or had he found something entertaining to do? At least that was what he had promised her that morning. I promise you, ma cherie, I will be fine. 

Those were his exact words. But the question was, did he mean them? Or they were just pretty lies, meant to chase away all her worries? Knowing how much Pepe loved her, she wouldn’t put it past him to hide his sadness just so she could have a good time...

Finally, Mr. Lee finished his rant and they were ready to film.

It should have excited Penelope. Ever since the first Space Jam released, she had dreamed of filming a sequel. Back then it seemed so exciting and fun to relive all that. Now, however, it was different. Suddenly, she realized that she didn't want to film at all.

“Okay, people, places!”

Just then, a thought blossomed in her mind. What if...? But no, she couldn’t do that. People were counting on her. She couldn’t possibly... Or could she? Truth was she didn’t play a big part and did not have that many lines, so it wouldn’t really be a problem if she left... would it? 

She looked around frantically. She had very little time to make a decision and she needed to make it right then!

“Ready! Actio-”

“Wait!” The word had left her mouth before she could even stop them. 

Everyone looked at her.

“Is there a problem, Ms. Le Pew?” Lee asked, confused.

“Yes, it is.” Penelope said. “I do not want to be in this movie anymore.” 

For a moment, silence engulfed the set. Then, the director’s voice rang clear, stuttering and, as Penelope had expected, trying to convince her against it.

“Ms. Le Pew, p-please, reconsider- I mean, you can’t- you can’t possibly-”

“Oh, I can. And I have.” She said confidently, ready to leave.

But Mr. Lee was not finished. Getting up, he marched right after her.

“Ms. Le Pew, why? Why do you want to leave production? Is there something wrong?”

“Yes, there is. My husband is not here and I don’t want to do this without him. Good day Mr. Lee.” And with that, she turned around and left, leaving behind a shocked director and a bunch of rather happy Looney Tunes.

“Guys, can’t you do something?” Mr. Lee said to the rest of the cast. “Convince her to come back?”

“For Warner’s sake, leave her alone, Doc.” Bugs said casually, munching on his carrot. “Even if we tried to convince her to retoin she’d refuse. Besides, we don’t wanna.” The other looneys nodded in agreement. “Now how ‘bout we get back ta filmin’?” The rabbit smiled (a bit) smugly at the director.

Mr. Lee sighed, realizing he had lost the battle, and yelled at everyone to get to their places again.

Meanwhile, Peneople was already out in the parking lot, unlocking her car, desperate to get to her beloved. As she drove back to Toon Town, not for one second did she regret her decision.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Pepe sat in his armchair, quietly reading.

It had been a long day. A long, boring day. His wife and friends had left in the morning to film Space Jam 2 and he had been alone ever since.

First, he tried taking a walk through Toon Town. Usually, a breath of fresh air, hearing the birds sing, the perfume of flowers and even the sight of other toons, going about their day, cheered Pepe up. It was so normal, so simple, yet he enjoyed it, and it reminded him to be grateful and take pleasure in the smallest things in life.

That day, however, it was different. The cent of flowers didn't smell as good as it did, the song of birds faded into obscurity, mixing with other sound and becoming insignificant, and the mere image of toons hurryig to work, filled him with depression. It reminded him he had no job anymore, no purpouse...

So he had returned home, picked his favorite romance book, Gone With The Wind, and sat down to read. But even that wasn't able to cheer him up.

He had truly lied to Penelope that morning. He was far from being fine. But, what else was he supposed to say? That he was sad and needed her there? How could he?! Penny had wanted to film that movie for so long. He couldn't take that away from her.

Just then, he heard the front door open and shot his head up in alarm. For a split second he thought someone had broken into his house (maybe some backround character thief that would be stupid enough to try to rob a house by walking through the fromt door?)

But, all his fears were cast aside and replaced with confusion when he saw his beautiful wife standing in front of him.

"Penny? What are you doing here?"

"I quit the movie." She said in an unaffected tone.

Pepe jumped on his feet. "Tu as fait quoi?!”

"I already told you. I don't want to film Space Jam 2 anymore." Her voice was, again, emotionless, showing absolutely no regret.

Walking towards her, he cupped her face in his hands. "But why?"

Pepe wasn't stupid. He had a hunch why she would do it. Yet, still he wanted to make doubly sure.

"Because I don't want to be in it, if you are not in it."

There it was.

Pepe sighed and caressed her face. "Ma cherie, don't let me spoil your fun-"

"But you're not! You never spoiled anything for me! Those bastards did when they kicked you out!"

"But you were so excited, Penny. You wanted this, so don't let me get in the way. Please, go back."

"But I don't want to!" Her voice now was hoarse and her eyes were filling with tears. "True, I was excited in the begining, but that changed when you were out. I don't want to do it without you, so don't ever feel guilty or say you are getting in the way. You are never getting in the way. It was my choice to leave, and I regret nothing, got it?" She was basically clinging to him now, gazing into his hazel orbs.

Looking into those beautiful eyes of hers and, seeing her passion, love and sincierity, filled Pepe with a strong emotion. Lifting her chin up a bit, he kissed his wife deeply. Penelope reciprocated this gesture, warping her arms tightly around his neck.

They stayed like that for a while, completely lost in their bliss. When they finally broke apart a few inches, Pepe had tears rolling down on his cheeks.

"Thank you for being here, my angel. Je t'aime beaucoup."

Penelope smiled. "I’ll alway be here, love. Et je t'aime aussi."

THE END

Translations: Ma cheire = my dear 

Tu as fait quoi?! = You did what?!

Je t'aime = I love you

Beaucoup = very much

Et = and

Aussi = as well

Thank you everyone for reading!

[yelenasdog]

my girlfriend is a witch (spencer reid x witchy! fem reader)

INSPIRED BY THE SONG “My Girlfriend Is a Witch” BY October Country

genre: fluff w like maybe two seconds of angst

summary: he could feel she was hiding something, but she didn’t mean for him to find out like this.

words: 2.6k 

warnings: i cannot think of any for the life of me other than crying. also, disclaimer at the end of fic.

a/n: pls listen to “my girlfriend is a witch” by october country and “john barleycorn (must die)” by traffic, while u read. i’ve been meaning to get this fic out for ages, so i hope this is good! enjoy lovies!

🂦∙🂦∙🂦

It was hot, humid, and sticky under the Malibu sun.

Rubber soles from both boots and sandals alike, most likely the cheap ones you can buy at any tourist-targeted shops surrounding the vacationer heavy area, stuck to the asphalt streets, leaving a sticky tar in its wake.

SSA Y/n Y/l/n was not a fan, to put it lightly.

Her arm hung limp against her forehead as she leaned back against the black leather seats of the car she resided in, the material burning her bare arms. Literally.

And even if she were to be exaggerating, she still strongly felt that welts would be left where she had placed her limb for far too long.

She long ago had abandoned her blazer in the backseat of her vehicle due to the excruciating heat, the cotton material feeling heavy on her arms, so she turned up the AC with one hand, while slicking back the baby hairs that had managed to fall onto her forehead with the other. It was graced with beads of sickly sweat, not unlike the rest of her body.

Some repetitive song played on the stereo that she couldn’t quite figure out how to operate in the outdated FBI issued vehicle she was using, adding to her annoyance of what seemed to be to no end. 

The unfortunate ride was the result of her normal vehicle being in the shop, and rather than pay for a rental, she took whatever was left in the garage, however horrible it may be.

After sitting in hours of tiresome traffic, enduring the aforementioned reptititive song, and the entire John Barleycorn Must Die album later, (hey, it was in the glovebox, and it beat whatever had been on the radio) she finally had arrived at her destination.

She stepped out of the car, huffing at the sight in front of her. She took her black RayBans off, sliding them into her pocket of her slacks before slamming the silver door. Y/n then winced at the cracking sound that rang out. She walked forward, not wanting to look at the damage she had caused.

“That’s coming out of my paycheck.” She muttered, chewing on her chapped bottom lip, feeling the sting shoot through her nerves.

The door to the PD office she had been approaching swung open by a very frustrated officer. He breezed past her and she leaned back, placing a hand onto the warm concrete of the establishment behind her. She barely was missed by him in all his rage.

Y/l/n squinted her eyes, the rays of light clouding her vision. She began to regret taking her glasses off earlier, but disregarded the thought and continued into brick building.

The first person that she saw when she entered was the local sheriff. He was medium build, bald, and there was a bright grin that covered his face, far too bright for the current atmosphere, in her humble opinion.

“Ah, Agent, It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She reached forward offering a self-manicured hand, still slightly sweaty from the car ride.

“Pleasure’s all mine. So,” she began, walking over to where the rest of the team was examining what seemed to be a yellowed piece of parchment.

“What are we looking at?” She questioned, doing her best to get a look at whatever it was at the center of attention.

Almost like clockwork, or perhaps like a dog who was able to sense their favorite person arriving home, Spencer appeared from the back of the precinct, coffees in hand. 

He passed the one is his right hand to his girlfriend, leaning forward for a kiss on the cheek that Y/n had almost ignored. She rolled her eyes at the needy man, muttering “thank you, Spencer” In a sarcastic tone, placing a quick peck on his cheek. He pouted, and she rolled her eyes once more.

As she walked forward and took a sip of the hot drink, the rest of the BAU parted, allowing her to observe the sheet. After looking at it for a few moments, she spoke up, her words overlapping with Hotch’s.

“We have no idea what it is, Penelope did a search and couldn’t find anything of use, it doesn’t translate to anything-“

“These are runes and glyphs. Horribly written, not by someone who’s an expert in the craft. The corner of the page looks like there’s-“ she paused, leaning forward. Her eyes slimmed, scanning over the page, the necklace around her neck dangled, catching Spencer’s eye.

“Yeah, this looks like a sigil. If you give me some time I could try to work out what it was for.”

She looked up, meeting the confused glancing of everyone, including her boyfriend. Prentiss was the next to speak, albeit very cautiously.

“Alright, well, do you have any ideas about what the other symbols mean?”

“Off of the top of my head?” She turned towards the paper once more, “To reiterate, this person mixed multiple different kinds of glyphs, so it might be difficult to collectively translate them, but so far I’m getting life, death-“

“Very original of them.” Morgan joked, resulting in a smile and the signature eye roll of Y/n.

“Power, fear, balance. That’s the first line.”

“Reid, are you writing that down?” Aaron questioned. Spencer nodded, not even looking up from his clipboard where he was writing the info. “Y/n, continue.”

She bobbed her head once, bringing her attention back to the 2nd line. She was silent for a bit, at one point grabbing around for a sticky note and pen. When she didn’t find what she was looking for, she was carefully handed one by a reluctant Spence. 

Everyone watched in amazement, amusement, and a little bit of confusion, as she wrote on the paper, scribbling what looked like nonsense next to some dates. After what seemed like hours (but was really just minutes) she pulled away, looking towards her significant other.

“When were all the victims killed?”

“September 29th, November 6th, November 9th, and that’s it.”

“And how did each of the victims thus far die?”

Hotch cut in, his arms crossed and his glance careful. “How are you certain there will be more killings?”

She ignored him, turning to Reid.

“Reid, how did they die?”

“First victim, stab wound, 2nd victim drowned, 3rd victim-“

“Burned alive?”

As this was the first time she had been made aware of the case (she had been attending to other business back in Quantico and had to fly commercial with no wifi, meaning no access to Penny to catch her up), her knowledge bewildered them greatly.

Seeing their concern spread on their faces, she picked up the photocopy, bringing it to where they were huddled. She stood in the center, pinky pointing and following along with what she was speaking of.

“This symbol here,” she pointed, making sure she held everyone’s attention”, is a rune for “New Moon”.  She then went on to describe how each of the days correspond with the Moon phases, as well as the matching rune and glyphs left on the page.

“I still don’t understand how that explains more killings?” Spencer spoke, his usual high IQ seemingly not working, a problem he had whenever he was around his beloved.

She walked over to him and smiled, shaking her head. She then explained the rest of the runes in detail, how they each had a meaning that applied to the way they were killed, and how there was still one more moon phase left and one more element as well.

The pair was separated once more as Spencer nodded in understanding, his mouth left agape. She admired him for a brief moment, the way his eyes were like large stones of sparkling tiger eye, his lips the color of a rose. 

Interrupting her, Hotch pulled her into a meeting room where Morgan was already waiting. Spencer stared, following her movements.

“Spence? Let’s go work on the geographical profile?” Emily asked, already on her way. He nodded, slanting his eyes briefly through the blinds of the glass. He blinked a few times, feeling like grains of sand had sunk to his waterline. He shook his head like a wet dog, ridding blooming thoughts from his mind, then continuing on from where he stood, doing his best to turn his focus elsewhere completely.

Meanwhile, Hotch was questioning her, Y/n’s knowledge about how the runes and glyphs themselves were written coming in handy for what that meant about the unsub, as well as building a profile. She was surprisingly educated on the subject, which the unit chief had decided to ignore all together, staying focused on the case. 

By the end of the work day, the profile was ready to be delivered, she had figured out the presumably intended use of the sigil, and the geographic profile was nearly finished. 

Satisfied with the day's work, she happily bid her goodbyes and exited the horribly boring meeting room, finding Spencer waiting by the door, coffee still in hand. He looked around the area, his eyes wandering over the portraits that hung on the walls of former officers.

“Spence, you ready?” She quipped, taking the coffee out of his hand and taking a sip. Spencer huffed, taking it back from her and throwing it away, no longer craving the warm beverage once it had touched her lips.

Spencer nodded, wrapping a hand around her waist and starting the long walk to the SUV from the building. They were quiet for most of the miniature journey, listening to the chirps of the cicadas, and the hot summer wind blowing in the branches of the palm trees. Y/n hummed quietly, finding herself in a peaceful state as she walked along with Spencer.

Spencer, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. His mind was running, trying to process the day’s happenings. 

As maybe it was the obsidian that hung around her neck on a sterling silver chain, or perhaps the selenite she kept on her desk and the amethyst she made Penny keep in her batcave, claiming they were “just very pretty!”

It could have been the way she was seemingly always busy on full moons, or even the peculiar deck of “playing cards” that she keeps in her 2nd drawer of her desk, pushed far to the left.

Not to mention the jars of seemingly normal water that he wasn’t allowed to drink from or empty, and the odd combinations of what seemed to be shapes and letters that she had stitched on the inside of Spencer’s satchel (it took quite the convincing, but to her it was seemingly important, so he allowed it reluctantly).

Possibly most convincing of all was the events of the day, her enlightenment on the subjects at hand leaving an uneasiness in the genius’ stomach.

Spencer wasn’t sure how he couldn’t have figured it out sooner.

His girlfriend was a witch.

The realization made him stop suddenly in his tracks, causing her to briefly trip over her own feet. She gave him a conflicted look, concern also present within the glance.

“Spencer? What’s wrong, are you alright?”

He opened his mouth and then shut it again, whatever he had to say not completely ready to be put out in the world. He simply made a line with his lips before continuing on, leaving her where she stood. She cocked her head, confused noises leaving her throat. 

She jogged to catch up with the man, his long legs making him walk awfully fast. Usually, Spencer would slow down so she could walk beside him in harmony, occasionally holding hands. But as of now, she was struggling to stay in pace with him, and she was beginning to feel fairly annoyed.

“Spencer Walter Reid! What is going on!?”

He looked behind his shoulder, only slowing his pace rather than coming to a complete stop. She managed to fall back into step with him, her gaze never leaving his form.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She bit her tongue, then ran it over her front teeth unaware of what he was referring to. “Tell you what, Reid?”

He shook his head, once more allowing his lips to turn into a straight line, slightly puffing up at his cupid's bow. “You know, about being a witch, or whatever.” He was much quieter when saying the second part of the sentence, his voice quite low.

The statement had shocked Y/n to some degree, but she kept walking, still trying to stay in step with the doctor. She wasn’t quite sure how to go about this, if she should lie and tell him he was being silly, if she should come clean about her “hobbies”. She simply didn’t know.

She decided to just not speak until much later. 

It was after the car ride with the rest of the team (which was quite awkward, considering they could tell something was off between the two lovers), and after they both had eaten and showered before getting ready for bed. Y/n was sitting on one twin sized bed, while Spencer was sitting on the other, reading something from his laptop, which was very unlike him.

Y/n on the other hand couldn’t keep her mind off of the question he had asked earlier. I mean, she had an answer, that much was true. But if she wanted to give it to him, she could not bear to decide. She was staring at the cheesy hotel art on the beige wall, heat still radiating in from the open window that was cracked in the first place to combat the lack of AC.

Her gaze never faltered from the painting of the vase of flowers, the colors seemingly muted. She began to speak, slowly, cautiously.

“I didn’t tell you, because I honestly didn’t think you would care. I mean, maybe you would, but I thought that your whole science thing would make you think I was nuts…” She shook her head, looking to the ceiling. She could feel her boyfriend burning holes into the side of her head, staring.

“Although there’s plenty of science to back it up, and even if there wasn’t, science accepts or rejects ideas based on the evidence; it doesn’t-”

“-Prove or disprove them.”

She looked over and met Spencer’s sad hazel eyes, suddenly feeling very, very guilty.

His voice was quiet as a mouse, he was unable to keep eye contact for long, feeling the need to turn away.

“Metaphysics is an interesting form of philosophy that i’ve done a fair amount of research on, and the CIA has done extensive research on astral projection among other things widely considered to be nonsense phenomena, discarded by most otherwise.”

Her heart sunk and sang all at once, an inexplicable emotion rising like the tide, all the way up to her eyes, a tear slipping out and rolling down her cheek.

“If it’s important to you, it’s important to me. I would have listened, Y/n. I still will, if you care to tell me about it.” 

She looked up from the beige comforters of the motel room bed, feeling an almost magnetic pull tugging her towards Spencer. So she stood and he opened his arms, allowing her to find comfort in his embrace.

“I’m sorry Spence.”

“It’s alright, I just want you to know how much you mean to me, Y/n/n. I will respect and handle anything and everything you throw my way, okay? Nothing could change how much I love you.”

She nodded, a muffled “okay” leaving her lips. He chuckled, pulling her closer. They stayed in that position for some time, savouring each other’s warmth. After she collected herself, feeling rejuvenated, she pulled away, a bright grin creeping its way onto her features.

“So,” she smirked, Spencer raised an unruly brow. 

“Where do you wanna start?”

🂦∙🂦∙🂦

kinda hate it ngl. but i hope someone out there enjoyed it. for sure not my best writing and it’s a bit confusing but whatever.

DISCLAIMER: my mother and i both regularly participate in metaphysical practices, such as tarot, oracle, the usage of incense and crystals, sigils, spirit guide communication, etc. as well as several practices drawn from hinduism but regularly (and wrongly) culturally appropriated by the west, (chakras, manifestation) while also identifying with and following the methodist faith. i understand and appreciate the origins of it within hinduism, and this is in no way meant to offend anyone whatsoever and is simply for entertainment purposes. no closed practices should be participated in unless invited or born into said practice, and none have been, nor will be. (:

(also ty to roo for educating me on hinduism and how it’s been morphed and appropriated by the west, mwah ur the best)

 love u, xx hj

[firstfrostfall]

A Cold Lament - Chapter Three

a tommy shelby fanfiction

In the winter of 1918, the Shelby brothers returned home from a war-torn France. In the winter of the following year, the middle brother, Tommy, recognizes an opportunity for his family to move up in the world, and it came in the shape of a misplaced crate of weapons.

In the meantime, per the request of his aunt, he gives a struggling young woman a job.

Little did he know, that like the smell of snow on the wind in late autumn, everything was going to change, and it wasn’t just because of some stolen guns.

Takes place during Season One.

It was cold and dark by the time he reached The Garrison. The air was painfully frigid, so much so, that each inhale he took felt like a whip cracking to his chest. The year would soon be coming to a close, and winter was just beginning.

He needed a drink, and someplace to drown out the quiet before settling in for the night with his pipe. It was almost midnight, and Harry would be closing down the pub soon.

Tommy spent the better part of his day at Charlie Strong’s Yard, doing yet another once over of the stock inside of the crate that they found. They counted each item once, twice, three times- just to make sure it was real after all, and not some sort of fever dream.

Oh, and it was fucking real all right. 25 automatic machine guns, 10,000 rounds of ammo, and a plethora of pistols.

The next order of business was figuring out what they were going to do with them, or rather, where they were going to put them. What a headache. One thing he knew for certain was that someone was going to realize this cargo had gone missing soon enough, and when that happened, he needed a plan.

Stolen guns aside, he had also spent a great deal of time trying to track down his brothers so they could purchase another horse for the upcoming races. Normally, he could do this on his own, but he had bigger ideas in mind. Bigger ideas that he needed his brothers for.

Now, getting the two of them in the same place at the same time was another hassle within itself, not to mention an additional headache.

Harry was behind the bar, humming to himself and organizing the racks of booze against the back wall, label facing front. At the sound of the door jingling, the barkeep lazily glanced over his shoulder with a yawn. Upon realizing who walked through the doors, he cleared his throat and sheepishly wiped his hands on his apron.

“Ah, Mr. Shelby, good evening,” His voice wavered. “How can I help you?”

Tommy nodded his head toward a particular bottle while shrugging off his coat.

He leaned against the bar then, waiting for his hands to warm up while Harry prepared his drink. He listened to the sounds of glasses clattering together, a bottle being uncorked, Harry’s hurried footsteps on the floor, the buzzing of the lights above. No factory machinery whirring in the background, no, it was far too late for that.

“Today was her first day, you know.”

Tommy raised an eyebrow, unsure of who Harry was speaking about until it clicked. The favor for his aunt, that’s whose first day it was.

Truthfully, he hadn’t given the girl a second thought since he last spoke to her, and that was a few days ago now. Codwell? Coldwell? He couldn’t remember her surname. Her first name, on the other hand, was simple enough to recall. Anna. It was Anna.

“Miss Caldwell, that is.” Harry continued, clearly recognizing the confusion on his face.

Caldwell. Well, he was close.

“Is she still here?”

“Yes,” The barkeep jerked his chin toward the back room. “In the back.”

Tommy retrieved his cigarette case from his coat and placed it on the bartop, perching an unlit stick between his lips. “How’d she do?”

“She did fine,” Harry shrugged mid-pour, with a small smile growing on his face. It made the corners of his eyes crinkle. “It’ll take some getting used to, I’d reckon. I’m not sure if she’s ever handled liquor in her life, but she’s a hard worker.” His tone was light, jovial almost.

Tommy sighed heavily through his nostrils while lighting the cigarette. A hard worker. Polly said the same damn thing.

Harry left him alone then and went about tidying up the bar. Sweeping the floor, cleaning soap scum from glasses. Meanwhile, Tommy switched between smoking and drinking, each vice warming his chest. He listened to all of the sounds, broom bristles against the floor, Harry humming, glass colliding with the bartop.

Amidst this, he saw a figure step into the room from the corner of his eye. He didn’t bother to look over, because it could have only been her, Anna. It wasn’t until Harry cleared his throat that he finally turned his head toward her.

She stood there, looking more diminutive than he initially realized. And tired. Her hair fell in loose waves around her, certainly not as neat as it had been before. No lipstick, either. Her blouse stuck out the most to him- it was covered in stains, each splotch in varying sizes and colors. A stark contrast to how buttoned up and proper she looked the other day. A rough first day, he imagined. It was almost comical.

He turned away to hide the smirk that grew on his lips while taking a slow sip from his drink. He hoped Polly was happy, he got the girl a job.

After a bit of small talk (he fucking hated small talk), it was time for him to take his leave. He got what he came for, a drink and some time to think.

He stubbed out the remnants of his dwindling cigarette on the cobblestone ground when he walked outside, deciding that he would light a fresh one almost immediately. Something to keep his mind busy while he walked home. It was far too cold for anything else.

He reached a hand into his jacket, fumbling for the cigarette case when his fingers brushed against something unfamiliar, a piece of cardstock. Confused, he pulled it out, and upon a further glance, it was her crumpled-up resume.

That was when the snow started falling. He stopped walking, barely flinching when the first few snowflakes hit the exposed part of his neck.

Her hands. He thought of her hands. He didn’t look at her hands this time.

He tucked the paper back into his coat and sighed, his breath fogging the air in front of him. He turned over his shoulder, and he saw her. The flickering street lights cast a warm glow over her as she stood there, bundled up in a coat far too big for her frame, staring right back at him.

They both looked at each other for a moment, possibly minutes, before he turned away and kept walking.

She was just another investment for the business and based on her appearance tonight, she’d be a poor one at that.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The snow from a few nights ago melted just as quickly as it came, leaving nothing but muddy puddles in its wake. Earlier in the day, Tommy had managed to track his brothers down, which was no simple task.

The three of them were on their way to The Garrison to drink, no surprise there, and to discuss plans for acquiring a new racehorse. An Appaloosa, to be exact. A young, flighty, and fast mare. With enough training, it would be perfect for the tracks. Tommy was almost certain of that.

The seller was from one of the riverside camps outside of the city, someone Polly had known from a long time back. This led Tommy to believe that the horse was no doubt stolen, especially since there weren’t many Appaloosas around these parts, which made it all the better deal. He’d probably be able to buy the damned thing at a discount.

“You hear? There’s a new girl working at The Garrison.” Arthur’s voice, loud and gruff, interrupted his thoughts. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Some posh bitch, yeah?” John asked.

“She’s posh?” Arthur raised his eyebrows. “What’s she doing here?”

“Dunno,” John shrugged. “Heard some people say she sounds posh. Haven’t seen her yet myself.”

Tommy was walking a few steps ahead of them, rolling his eyes. They were fucking stupid.

“You think she’s pretty?” John quipped with a grin.

“I’d bet she is,” Arthur replied.

“You wanna put a wager on it?”

“Oh, I’ll put a fuckin’ wager on it.”

He glanced over his shoulder at his brothers, watching as they spit and shook hands on it. Stupid.

It appeared to be a slow afternoon at the pub, with only a few men at the bar and a tiny handful of people scattered around various tables. Harry stood behind the bar, raising a hand to him in greeting while he spoke to other patrons. His brothers all but stumbled into the snug, laughing about who would win the wager. Tommy shook his head.

Anna, however, was nowhere in sight. He thought she’d be attached to the hip with Harry, like a dutiful trainee. It had been a few days since he was last at The Garrison, since the last time he saw her with the stained blouse, and almost a little over a week since he first met her. Maybe she quit. A pity, he supposed, Polly said she was struggling. But it was no skin off his nose. If she couldn’t handle the work, then maybe it was for the best.

He caught Harry’s attention and motioned with his head toward the private room. “We’ll be in the snug.”

His brothers were already lounging in the booth. John chewing on a toothpick and Arthur slinging his arms over the back of the seat.

“I’d bet- not pretty. I heard she sounds like one of those London girls who get too drunk at the clubs and take a cab here by accident.” John grinned, emphasizing each word with a point of his finger.

“No, no,” Arthur shook his head. “If people are talking, she has to be pretty.”

“You wanna place a bet, Tommy?” John turned toward him, still grinning with the pick between his teeth.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” His younger brother huffed.

“Already seen her,” Tommy answered from over his shoulder as he hung his winter coat on the rack.

“And?” They asked in unison. “Is she pretty or not?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think,” Tommy shook his head. “It would ruin the bet.”

“When did you see her?”

“Who do you think hired her?” Tommy deadpanned.

“When were you going to tell us?” John retorted.

“She’s a fucking barmaid. They’re two a penny around here,” Tommy rolled his eyes, taking his cap off and shoving it into the pocket of his tweed jacket. He finally slid into the booth beside Arthur with a sigh. “It’s not important.”

The shutters to the bar above flew open, and Harry’s head popped through.

“A round of beers for us,” Tommy waved a hand at the barkeep. “Is she here?”

“Miss Caldwell?” Harry blinked. “Uh, yes, she’s in the back.”

Didn’t quit, then.

“ Miss,” John scoffed under his breath, elbowing Arthur in the side. “She’s a Miss .” Arthur started laughing too.

“Have her serve us. Consider it part of her training.”

John particularly seemed to get a kick out of that line.

Harry slowly nodded and closed the shutters.

Soon enough, there was a brisk knock at the main door to their private room. Tommy sat closest to the door and reached for the knob to open it.

Anna stood there, gripping a steel pail filled with beer. She looked at him first, a small smile on her lips. Still no lipstick. Her hair was neatly arranged with curls to her collarbone, just as it was when he first saw her. She was dressed head to toe in dark green, save for the worn cotton apron tied around her waist. No stains on her blouse this time, either.

“ Miss,” John tipped the brim of his cap to her. Arthur chuckled beside him.

“Good afternoon,” She gently placed the pail on the table, smoothing her hands over her apron after doing so. “I’ll be right back with your glasses.”

The way she spoke, crisp and clean, each word clipped and flowing. Something wasn’t right.

When she returned, she dunked each glass into the pail and wiped the remaining droplets from the sides with a fresh cloth before serving each of them. Tommy had to stifle a laugh. What a neat and careful touch.

“Can I get you anything else?”

Tommy shook his head, still smirking, and waved a hand at her. “That will be all.”

She gave them a curt nod and stepped out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Tommy tilted his head toward his brothers. “Who won?”

John shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh, sliding a few bills across the table toward Arthur.

“I bloody knew it,” Arthur grinned, tucking his winnings into his jacket. He clicked his tongue against his teeth and pointed a finger at his brother. “ This is your comeuppance for cheating at cards the other day.”

“Oh, shut up,” John rolled his eyes and flicked the toothpick to the floor. “I’m paying you your dues. She’s pretty enough.”

“How’d you find her anyway, Tom?” Arthur turned his attention to him, beer in hand.

“I didn’t find her,” Tommy brought his own glass to his lips and shrugged. “Polly did. She asked me to give her a job.”

“How the hell did she find her?” John’s eyes darted between the two of them. “She must be from London or something.”

“Something about a woman from church, I’m not a fucking psychic.” Tommy rolled his eyes. He could feel another headache coming on. “Ask her yourself.”

“You think she’s a whore?” John asked, earning a clap on the shoulder from Arthur. “How much, do you think?”

Another headache was definitely coming on now.

“Let’s talk about the fucking horse, and then we can speculate if she’s a whore or not, yeah?”

His brothers were fucking stupid, gawking over something new and shiny.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Tommy was the last to leave the snug, insisting that he wanted to finish another cigarette. When he was finally alone, he stepped out into the pub. The afternoon was rolling into the evening, and the sinking sun cast a gilded orange glow over the room. Upon his first glance, it looked like he was the last person left in the pub. The last person except for her.

Anna was behind the bar, her face still and serious while she wiped down a glass. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that she looked up.

“Mr. Shelby,” She set down the glass on the bartop. “Can I get you anything?”

He shook his head. “I was looking for Harry.”

“He had to step out for a moment, there’s no more ice.”

“Ah,” He placed his cap on his head. “I’ll come back another time then. Good day.”

Tommy turned on his heel toward the door but stopped short when he heard her speak again. He glanced at her from over his shoulder.

“You can call me Anna, by the way.” She was smiling. “It’s been hard enough trying to get Harry to use my name. Always ‘ miss’ around here.”

“Noted.”

He noticed her face drop at his response, or lack thereof, rather. But just as quickly, she started smiling again. She looked away from him and smoothed all of her hair over one shoulder, not a single red ringlet out of place. She reached for the rag she was cleaning with before and went back to work.

He wasn’t sure what came over him, a sudden sense of good nature perhaps, but he decided he’d throw her a bone. He adjusted his cap on his head and turned to fully face her now.

“Harry says you’re a hard worker.”

She laughed at that. Honestly laughed. He knew it was real because it was soft at first, the sound rich and gentle until it ended with a snort. Her cheeks started to tinge pink, at the snort, he guessed. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head.

“Excuse me for laughing. He’s too kind, really.” Her eyes darted from him to the rag in her hands, and then back to him. “I’ve been trying my best, but I think I’m making a mess of things. I’m sure the sorry state of my apron can attest to that.” She took a step back and tugged on the hem of the apron.

“Nothing on the blouse this time.”

Her lips parted slightly, no doubt surprised. And then she started laughing again. “You noticed that from the other day?”

He shrugged, the ghost of a smirk quirking at the corner of his mouth. “Hard not to.”

“I hope you’ll never have to see me in such a mess again. For both of our sakes.”

Tommy glanced at her hands. Still smooth.

Clearing his throat, he tipped the brim of his cap to her. “Anna.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

That night, while he sat awake in bed, staring at the wall, he thought of her laugh. It was unbecoming for her, he thought.

John was right, she did seem like one of those London girls who got too drunk and mosied on up here by accident. She certainly spoke like one and carried herself like one, too.

The whole thing was unbecoming.

He did think she was pretty, though. He wouldn’t tell his brothers that.

[randomly-a-fan]

When MJ First Encountered IT (Finale)

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Pt. 4

Pt. 5

As morning came, Pennywise has sensed his Sr. genre Papawise, so he got up carefully as he saw MJ snoozing on the couch sitting up. So he carefully lied her down and gave her a blanket to keep her warm. He then did something that he is going to regret a little later, he actually kissed his entrée by the forehead. 

That sort of affectionate act made him feel all groggy. However, he needed to meet with his Papawise, so he left MJ alone, what could possibly happen? it’s not like she’ll runaway, after all, she owes him for saving her life.

Down into the sewers, he met with Papawise at his clown-cave. “Well bucko, how’s Junior-wise been doing huh?” Papawise greeted. “I told you not to call me THAT.” Pennywise snapped. Then the system from the kiss made him hurl. “What happen, boy? had too many German kids again? I warned you that German food doesn’t agree with you.” Papawise chuckled with a smirk. “No... I didn’t... Actually... There’s something you should know about this human girl...” So Pennywise explained to his Papawise about MJ and how it started and possibly ended.

***

Meanwhile, Aaron was at the front of the Neibolt house. “Alright sir, we’ll have a look...” The chief said before he signals the squad to check the house. In the Neibolt House, MJ was laying peacefully on the sofa, she felt safe with Pennywise... Not a good sign. That is until she heard the pitter-patter. “Penny?” MJ said in confusion. The squad saw the girl and carried her outside. “Wait, what are you doing? Let me go!” MJ begged. She was going to scream until she saw her dad with happy tears. “Dad!” MJ cried. “Makayla! Thank goodness.” Aaron said as he hugged his daughter tight. “ALRIGHT GENTALMEN LET’S MOVE,” The Chief called out.

Meanwhile in the sewer, Pennywise and Papawise were going up on the well so Papawise can get a glance at her. “So you really think she’s the one, huh?” Papawise asked, to be double sure. “Sure I’m sure, I told you before, she doesn’t want to leave me, so it makes sense that she looks into my deadlights, so she can gain some immortality and become my forever mate.” Pennywise expressed. “I don’t want to feast on her fears anymore... She’s sweet as honey... Thanks to her phobia of bees.” Pennywise added with a wink. Papawise laughed with a gurgle sound. “I’ll bet she refuses and runs off, let’s say... five months doing one’s hunt?” Papawise offered. “Deal!” Pennywise said as he shook his hand. 

Papawise’s handshake was awkward, he raised his arm high and goes Wah-Hah, Wah-Hah, Wah-Hah, “Okay okay, stop that, I get it!” Pennywise said as he pulled his arm away. 

As they both got out of the well and into the house, Pennywise made a big excited grin. “MJ, I hope you’re up, because I have a little surprise to tell--” When Pennywise looked from behind the couch, she wasn’t there. “You’ve never told me that MJ was a blanket...” Papawise snickered. Pennywise checked her bedroom, she wasn’t there either. “I don’t understand... Where could she have gone?” Pennywise asked himself while tearing up. Pennywise then decided to sniff the blanket and see if he can sense her whereabouts. 

Pennywise has sensed that MJ was getting on the train with her dad for home, where the train will pass the border. “The train station... I’ll get her back!” Pennywise said as he speeds on to get MJ back, while Papawise laughs from the background; knowing that he’s getting five months off from hunting. 

At the train station, MJ and her dad have boarded the train before Pennywise could reach her. He rushed and pasted his face on the glass window, giving MJ a startled fright. Her dad covered her eyes and pulled her closer as the train moves. Pennywise watches as the train moves. “The world isn’t big enough for you to hide, I’ll find you... And I’ll use you for satisfaction!!!” Pennywise yelled as his eyes turned red with anger with a hint of tear floating up. 

***

Even though the train passed the border, she’s still hearing his threats, so it’s going to take a long time to forget all that. Just like Kate, she too lost her voice, but not forever. MJ has to spend a whole year at the mental institute for the treatment for Stockholm Syndrome and trauma. MJ could not help but think about... Penny--something; her memory back in Derry is slowly perishing, so she’s also forgetting about the clown abductor as well. 

As the months passed, MJ slowly recuperates and is starting to talk again. Well, most of the time. Also like her niece Kate, she has the case of Selective Mutism; meaning that even though she can talk, but she doesn’t always talk to people she doesn’t know, which affected her life and her previous careers.

[Present]

Pennywise invited MJ over for a so-called visit since MJ can trust him, she’s willing to take the risk. “You know MJ, when I promised myself years ago that I’ll find you and use you for my satisfaction; I always keep my word... So let’s get down to some unfinished business.” Pennywise said in a serious tone. MJ grew nervous, as her memory from that time slowly grew. 

***

“NO, you just killed me!” MJ exclaimed with a laugh as the two were playing Mario Kart, Pennywise used a lightning bolt cheat to make her small and then ran over her to squish her. “Don’t be-little yourself,” Pennywise laughed. “Well look at that, I’ve won again!” Pennywise cheered. “Good game, Penny.” MJ congratulated as she was giving him a handshake. “Well, I had a pretty good teacher back in the day... She wasn’t a sore loser like I expected her to be.” Pennywise responded. 

They were taking a break from playing Nintendo just so they can relax and talk. “You know... Back then, I was going to make you my eternal mate, but then you’ve left with your dad... I didn’t know what else to think during that moment.” Pennywise explained. “Actually, I think what happen was that the squads found me and carried me out; I did try to get away and yell for help, but then I saw my dad with happy tears... I can’t be apart from my dad, even if it hurts me to leave you.” MJ replied with her side of the explanation. Pennywise was surprised to what he just heard. “So you didn’t run away on purpose? huh... Who ever thought I’d be so relieved?” Pennywise said to himself. “What do you mean?” MJ asked with a questionable look. 

Pennywise looked over at MJ with a chuckle. “I’m just saying that if you and I were in a committed relationship, I wouldn’t have ever met my true love of my life...” Pennywise said with a smile. “And I would never meet my true love of my life... Whoever thought that something so tragic could turn out so great for the both of us?” MJ said. “Well of course it wouldn’t turn out so great in the end, if our children hadn’t become friends; you would try to hurt my family.” MJ added. “And I would've lost my wife’s love if she sees me as a monster... which obviously I am...” Pennywise sighed in relief at the end. 

The universe truly made a strange path for the both of them, and they both hope that it would not end. “Well... I should be heading out to make supper for my family...” MJ said. “Same here, better go on my hunt for my family... You will come back next weekend and help me defeat Wiz Pig from Diddy Kong Racing, right?” Pennywise reminded. “Of course, you have my word.” MJ said as she was patting his shoulder; that’s when she remembered. “Oh Penny, I just remembered, how’s that wound on your shoulder of yours? back when you saved me from the dogs.” MJ reminded. “Oh yes, I’ve forgotten about that... You want to have a look see?” Pennywise asked before he took off his top. “Wow Penny! I can’t even see the scars, it healed good,” MJ said with amazement. “All thanks to you...” Pennywise said before he paused to think, then he made his move to hug MJ goodbye. “I’ll see you next weekend sug’.” MJ said as she blew a kiss. While MJ wasn’t looking, Pennywise gagged from the air kiss; which is not as bad as actually kissing a meal.

The End

[spahhzy]

A Better Tomorrow-Chapter 1. Secure the keys.

Finally time to start this story.

.

.

It was a nice house, a nice little two story red brick home down nestled somewhere in the country side. A bed of flowers out front that led to a staircase out on to one of the dirt roads.

The sun that would gleam down on it gave it such a holy aesthetici too it but it is in the night, when the moon is full that you are able to truly appreciate its beauty.

Small candle lights lit up the window giving it the cozy warm feeling from the inside.

All was quiet in this little house except for one room.

"Do you have to go?" A small child's voice asked from inside this room the voice sounded sad.

"Yes...I do" came an older male voice as a sniffle could be heard.

"I know it's going to hurt now but what I do...I'm doing fo-" the older man started but was cut off.

"A better tomorrow yeah" came the child too which earned a chuckle from older man.

"Come...I'll read you your favorite story hm?" He asked and the sadness that laced the child's voice was gone. Replaced only with excitement.

"You mean the one about the eight warriors who defeated the grimm in the Great War!?" The child asked to which the older man hummed in agreement.

A creaking of a bed could be heard before boots clanked the hard wood floor.

" It began long ago...on the battlefields of the Great War..."

"If the first step doesn't happen, neither does the journey"-Craig D. Lounsbrough

Winter stared at the small strike team before her. Nothing was said in the bullhead as it flew towards the outskirts of Ansel.

-Bullhead, Journeying towards Ansel

She looked to her right to see a red head girl staring intently at a photograph, peeking over her shoulder it was a photo of six people.

A girl with black hair with red tips, silver eyes shined brightly she was smiling riding on the back the man in the photo, followed up by a blonde girl with lilacs eyes, she too was smiling as she held onto the man's left hand, she was flanked by another black haired girl with hazel eyes a bow was ties in her hair a small smile was featured on her face as well and she was close by the male rounded up by a girl with white hair, her sister, she was to the right of the male clutching his right hand a smile present on her face as well.

Finally their was the red head herself ...before finally in the center giving a big hug to everyone she could.

The man in the center had blond hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes, he gave a gentle smile to the camera as he looked content and happy.

Everyone was smiling in that photo but it was his smile that shined the most.

"When did you take that photo penny?"

The girl now revealed to as Penny looked at Winter with a sad smile.

"Before Salem attacked mantle it was a very brief moment of peace for all of us..." Penny said her voice full of sadness as she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I miss them Winter...so very much" as she turned to her general whomst gave her a look of sympathy.

"Me too Penny...but we accomplish this then we could possibly get answers" She told her to which brings some comfort to the younger red head to nod.

"General"

The Bullhead shook as Winter looked to the team.

"Its time to go over the briefing once more" said one of the soldiers said as Winter nodded.

"Right alright squad...our mission is of the utmost importance!" She told them as she stood up from her seat.

"We succeed here then we succeed for mankind!" All the soldiers nodded.

"Now the mission is to infiltrate, locate and retrieve this artifact"

She pressed a button and up popped up the Relic of Creation.

"Our Intel confirms this relic is too be located at the heart of Ansel...located at this location pricesly"

Another image this time it was a three story home.

"It is the old Arc Chateau"

A soldier raised his hand.

"Wasn't this area destroyed during the event now coined 'Destruction of Ansel'? " He looked to the rest of the squad.

"Our last reports said that it was all scorched and now only the grimm inhabit the area" he said to which Winter nodded.

"Yes you are true right since the queens attack on Ansel the grimm have been their ever since" She confirmed to him.

"So why bother with 'infiltrate' if the area is all but a breeding ground" the solider argued.

"Because me and agent Penny here will be leading a diversion to spring forth the grimm, while you, strike team, will grab the relic" Winter told them which caused chatter amongst the soldiers.

"That's a suicide mission General if what the Intel reports theirs about 2000 grimm in the surrounding area ALONE!" the soldier spoke to Winter who remained unfazed at the numbers.

"We don't know how many more are at the center guarding the staff!"

"It doesn't matter" said the voice next to Winter.

Penny looked at them all confidence radiating clearly in her eyes.

"We will succeed...we must...we must" She said to them to which got the soldiers to chatter once more.

"Gents we got the Maiden and former Maiden on our side...we can do this" a older soldier spoke out as he looked towards Winter.

"When do we jump ma'am"

Winter smirked

"One hour"

-----

Far away in a castle shrouded in darkness the queen of grimm was in a particularly good mood as she could be seen hummimg a song while looking into her crystal ball.

Tyrian while happy to see his mistress in such a joyful mood couldn't help but wonder why?

"Uh mistress not that I don't like that you are happy but why are you happy" he asked her to which she didn't acknowledge but only continued to hum the same song.

"I mean I haven't seen you this happy since when we rescued the bo-"

"Tyrian"

That shut him up quickly as Salem looked up from her crystal ball at him.

"Yes mistress?" He asked obediently.

"Take a Bullhead to Ansel it seems we have...unwelcomed guests coming" She told him to which Tyrian growled at such rudeness! who would dare!?

"And do what when I find these rude fiends?" He asked to which Salem flashed a smile at him.

"Nothing"

Baffled, he asked.

"Nothing Mistress?" He asked not understanding.

" that is correct...some one will be handling our little guests himself" She told him which only further confused him as he let the information sit and sit and sit.

Before suddenly realization hit his face and an twisted smile made its way to his face as he lept out of his chair in joy.

"Right away mistress!" He said before running out to do his task set before him.

Salem smiled as she looked back into the crystal ball.

---

A terrifying roar filled the skies as up in the clouds a dragon whose size rivaled that of Beacon academy and whose scales were the darkest of night, it's red eyes glowed blood red as it traveled at break neck speeds.

As the monster sped through the blue sky a figure could be seen riding on its back.

The figure stroked the dragons sides before the dragon let out another roar before going even faster.

-----

After the briefing was over, every one was going over the final preparations.

Strike team will be dropped four hundred kilometers away from Ansel right outside the dubbed 'exclusion' zone and will proceed to Ansel on foot.

Meanwhile once within two hundred kilometers General Winter and Agent Penny will leave the ship, Winter will cause a distraction in the air and Penny will provide the assault on the ground.

The two will reconvene where the old Arc Chateau used to be and defend thst position.

Strike team would be on-site and should be looking for the package.

The Intel states the old building was destroyed from the blast but ever since the grimm begun inhabiting they had started rebuilding it for its own end.

The package is located on the third floor second room to the left. That room if what the data shows used to belong to occupant one Jaune Arc.

Previous data collected shows that the staff could act as a power source so extrema caution is advised upon removing the relic.

It is not know how many or what kind of grimm exactly could be here but precaution is needed.

"Captain may I speak?" Asked a soldier to which the Captain nodded.

"What do we do if...he were to show up" Asked the soldier to which the rest of the group just looked at him.

"Listen gents imma say this once and only once do NOT let him get within arms reach of you" He told them grimly.

"If he so much as gets within hands reach of you do whatever you can to separate yourself from him...if you don't your dead" he said to which earned some gulps from the soldiers.

"The reports said that monster can literally use our own aura against us...i-is that true?" Said the soldier asked to which the captain just stared at him before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"All the more reason to keep a distance aye?" Before walking past him towards the hangar door.

"Squad this is it...this is where we fight to secure hope!" Which elicited a cheer from the group.

A buzzer sounded and all of a sudden the doors open as air rushed in.

The captain looked to Winter whomst nodded as he gave her a salute before jumping out of the Bullhead the rest of his squad following suit.

Winter looked behind her as she saw Penny looking at the photo once more before giving it a kiss five times and tucking it away.

"You ready Penny?" She asked as she held out her hand to which Penny gave a bright smile.

"I am one hundred percent combat ready!"

She grabbed Winters hand.

"Genreal you are clear for drop!"

Penny and Winter nodded to each other and looked out to the sea of clouds before them before them.

"See you on the battlefield" Penny said and Winter nodded before finally the two took a great leap forward.

[theprodigypenguin]

Percy and Oliver were each others only roommates for seven years because they had no gryffindor boys in their year (the war so kids died or were never born) and like they absolutely had something going on put Percy fell for Penny and they still had this weird thing and then Percy and Audrey happened and then the divorce and Percy and Oliver were still friends and then became even closer and still ha this thing which just like turned into them being married even if they didn’t realize it at first

First of all it took me forever to confirm that Oliver and Percy were the same age. It seems like they are, I remember that in GoF Oliver had been put on the National Quidditch League Reserve while Percy had JUST started working for Barty Crouch. Okay yes, they’re the same age NOW, please forgive my following Perciver rant! Because I have some THOUGHTS!

So I never even considered they might be the ONLY boys in their room, but I love it so much wow! But here’s my canon of their relationship: Oliver is gay, Percy is bisexual, but Oliver was more comfortable with his sexuality. Percy went through a lot of anxiety about his sexuality, mixed with his stress at trying to be perfect. I mean why else would he take 12 OWLs? He’s trying to be everything for his family, for his mum, prove that he’s as good as Bill and Charlie, but he doesn’t take any time for himself. He focuses so much on being perfect that he doesn’t realize it’s practically killing him.

Oliver is way more laid back and chill, he’s very calm, and Percy would probably take a lot of comfort from Oliver being there. I definitely see them NOT getting along at first, because Percy is all neat and put together, he probably folds his socks, meanwhile Oliver is the kind of guy to sleep on top of the blankets and throw his clothes and books all over the floor. Percy would want to strangle him most days, but after mmmmaybe halfway through their second year? Percy starts to get used to Oliver, even looks forward to seeing him at school.

Percy tutors Oliver in some subjects, probably helps him pass his OWLs and NEWTs even, and Oliver teaches Percy to let loose a bit. I think Percy would immediately stiff up and go back to his usual self around his family/siblings, because he thinks he NEEDS to. He thinks he’s required to be the adult, he thinks he needs to be another parents. Probably because of Molly always going “why can’t you be more like percy” or “percy i’m glad you’re so easy, not like your trouble making brothers” or something like that.

Around Oliver he can be genuinely himself, and I can see Oliver offering to give him flying lessons (though Percy suuuuuucks at flying and that is funny to me).

Anyway, Oliver has always known how he felt about Percy, but Percy never really came to terms with it (though he definitely felt the same way, he couldn’t fully accept it). He’s definitely attracted to Oliver in every way, but he also likes girls, and it’s confusing to him because he’s never been educated about bisexuality, so he thinks there might be something wrong with him.

I think Oliver was his first kiss, but I also thing Percy completely rejected the fact he enjoyed it. I think when Ginny wasn’t herself (when she was possessed by Tom Riddle), he cried like a baby and was stressed beyond belief, to the point of not sleeping, so Oliver would lie in bed with him and let him vent. Even though Percy would never confide in anyone else, not even Charlie or Bill, he could always talk to Oliver.

Then they kissed, probablyyyyy at the end of their fourth year, and that’s when things get awkward between them. Percy doesn’t respond to any of Oliver’s letters over the summer, he starts seeing Penelope Clearwater, Oliver is heartbroken but “it was just a kiss anyway, it didn’t mean anything”. He says he’s happy for Percy, and Percy is angry because part of him unconsciously was hoping Oliver would fight him on it, say he should break up with Penelope and date him instead (Percy secretly wants Oliver to fight for him, yknow?).

Remember that’s the year Percy starts getting a “big head”, but I headcanon it’s because that’s the year he really starts being at odds with Oliver, and starts struggling so much with his sexuality as well as his studies, the stress to be everything. When he graduates he doesn’t think he’ll see Oliver again and it crushes him, so he buries himself in his work to the point of being near impossible for his family to deal with. He’s not pompous, he’s just hiding his grief and confusion by trying to succeed and gain the approval of the family he loves so FUCKING much.

And when he has his fight with Arthur and walks out, that’s it, that’s the final nail in the coffin. He stops thinking, really. Stops caring. Just goes through the motions and tries to survive, even though he doesn’t know why he’s working at the Ministry anymore. He doesn’t remember what his ambitions are anymore. He doesn’t remember why he’s supposed to care so much. He broke up with Penelope years ago, so what is he even DOING anymore?

At the Battle of Hogwarts, he runs into Oliver again after YEARS of not speaking, and Oliver is older now and super handsome and Percy is flustered but he can’t pay attention because he’s fighting Death Eaters. Then Fred is killed and Percy is beyond devastated. He turns entirely hollow, and when the war is over he just sits outside where it’s quiet and he stares out at the wreckage and ruins of the battle.

Oliver sits down with him and they’re alone, and they talk, and they talk about Fred, and Percy cries, and for a moment they both think there’s something, maybe, but then Percy gets swept back into the crowd of his family, and there’s no more time to think about maybes, because there’s so much to do.

Percy stays in the Ministry under Kingsley, because he wants to make things right, but he doesn’t enjoy it. He hates the work, it’s stagnant and boring and eating at him day by day. He meets Audrey after a few years (after everyone else has gotten married and had kids). They get along, they like being around each other, Molly makes a quip about Percy not being married yet, so Percy proposes to Audrey and they get married (because that’s what’s expected of him, right?).

The bit of life he feels when he gets married doesn’t last. Oliver isn’t invited to the wedding of course, though George asks Percy if he should send and invitation. Percy says no, and he feels guilty and uncomfortable. Doesn’t know why.

Molly is born first. Lucy is born shortly after. Percy is so focused on his girls that he starts to neglect his wife. He does it unconsciously, avoiding her and not meeting Audrey’s eye. He makes an offhand note about wanting to be a stay at home dad when Lucy is a few months old, and Audrey goes off. It’s a huge fight, and Audrey storms out. They divorce a few months later, and after that, for a while, Percy is a single dad working full time at the Ministry to take care of his tiny daughters.

He runs into Oliver by chance. I think it would be cute if they met at the Quidditch store in Diagon Alley. Percy is getting something for Ginny’s birthday, Oliver is picking something up for himself (he’s single and still playing Quidditch professionally, he’s very accomplished and successful). They hit it off like old friends who’d never stopped talking, they start hanging out more, Oliver takes to the girls immediately and the girls absolutely ADORE Oliver (Lucy especially has a special bond with him).

They don’t start dating till a few months later, and after that they date for several years. Oliver moves in with Percy and the girls, and they get married when Lucy is five. Percy FINALLY quits his job at the Ministry, Oliver retires from Quidditch and takes over Ludo Bagman’s job at the Ministry. Percy goes to therapy once a week and Oliver is insanely supportive and loving. It takes Molly a bit of time to accept that Percy is marrying a man, but Oliver is so charming, and Percy has never, ever, in his entire life, been so happy QwQ

Percy Weasley marries Oliver Wood who encourages him to quit a toxic job and become a stay at home dad while Oliver takes over as breadwinner because Percy has been through so fucking much and Oliver just wants the chance to take care of him and he does. He does take care of him. And their two precious daughters as well.

I love they.

[shadowsfiguresfigments-blog]

A good place to die Chapter 25

Warning: Harsh language, violence

His jaws closed around me, swallowing me whole. Powerful muscles moved me further down his throat, driving my body against the myriad of teeth that sliced my skin. Pitch black darkness consumed me. As I was moved further and further down that fleshy tube, it didn’t stay dark, though; through the pain I noticed some sort of light slowly approaching me. In the emerging twilight I could see the little tentacles sprouting around me, eagerly sucking up the blood gushing from my open wounds. After several heartbeats, the light source finally came into my view, and I forgot everything around me, even the pain.

Three fiery, rotating orbs slowly approached me. They circled around each other in a mesmerizing dance, spinning faster and faster as they came closer. Their glow reflected off the yellowish teeth and the slimy pink flesh, casting a whirlwind of dancing shadows and rainbow reflections along their path.

It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever beheld.

The orbs radiated an incomprehensible otherworldliness that would have certainly frightened the living shit out of me if I had been able to be afraid. Distant cries and screams echoed all around me; however, I only perceived peace – it reminded me so much of my dream, when I had been engulfed in that warm, glowing bubble.

Finally.

I didn’t even notice the grin spreading across my face, nor the taste of my own blood in my mouth. Meanwhile the orbs where spinning so fast they melted into a fiery ring, ever growing before me, until it was big enough to fit all around me. When they reached me, I closed my eyes, perfectly at peace for the first time. I felt their touch on my face, an electric jolt of enormous proportions, and gave myself up as they flowed through the tears in my skin, burning their way into my core.

_____________________________________________________________

Of course, it wasn’t over – why would it ever be? The sensation only lasted for a heartbeat; then I was violently jerked backwards. The lights disappeared from my sight with superhuman speed, whilst the iron hard muscles crushed me as they pushed me backwards through the tube of flesh and teeth. That also meant the pain was back, the teeth not only slicing my skin, but digging deeper and further into me, slashing into my muscles, whilst the tentacle-like suckers writhed as if in extreme agony.

Fortunately it didn’t last long – it could only have been a few seconds – and I was spat out unto the cold concrete. The sensation of the hard ground and the freezing air came as an utter shock after the tranquility before.

A familiar wail filled the air. Disoriented and half-blind with blood and saliva, I crawled towards it, until my hands found the silk ruffles. I buried myself in them and felt them close around me, engulfing me in cool softness. Nestled deeply in the fabric, I was dimly aware of being moved at a ridiculous speed.

My eyes were still crusted with fluids, and the shock of what had happened left me only half aware of my surroundings. My nostrils and my ears worked just fine, however; and a familiar scent soon filled my nose. Together with the sloshing sounds it told me where I was – back in the Derry sewer system.

Home at last.

My broken body was gently lowered on a soft surface, and something warm and very wet washed over my face. Again and again it touched me ever so gently, until I could feel the grime and crust dissolve. Simultaneously the pain lessened and lessened, until it became more of distant thumping rather than a sharp burning.

The licking sensation now extended to my entire body, washing away all discomfort. I sighed and opened my eyes.

Penny loomed over me, his clown features barely recognizable beneath layers of my blood. His eyes had turned the deepest shade of orange I’d ever seen, but he didn’t radiate any aggressive energy. He was quite busy licking every inch of me, and his saliva had already closed most of the wounds, leaving only pink lines criss-crossing all over my skin. The tattered, crusty remains of my clothes were the only left-overs from his attempt to eat me.

I was still very much in shock – not from fear, but from being exposed to the unforgiving world after that tranquil place. Being born must feel the same way, I thought to myself. My hands reached out on their own, cradling Penny’s cheeks against them. His face slowly spilled out from between my fingers, and I sat up to pull him closer to me, to contain his melting form between my thin limbs. He was so big and there was so much of him; how could I possibly succeed? Still, I couldn’t NOT try to; even if I did my body wouldn’t have listened to me either way.

Between the aftereffects of the shock, the numerous substances I was covered in and Penny not having a solid form, I only realized after a while that the liquid running over my hands was neither saliva nor blood.

Penny was crying.

So was I, I discovered.

Like so many times before, I couldn’t tell in hindsight how long we stayed like this. Only when the feeling in my body was back to somewhat normal I dared to speak again.

“Are you alright?” It was a poor, pathetic attempt to tell him how worried I was, how much he meant to me, how sorry I was.

“I don’t know.” His voice echoed the same confusion I felt, somehow magnifying it because it was Pennywise who said it.

“Why… Why didn’t you eat me?”

No answer, though I felt it was because he truly didn’t know.

I tried a different approach.

“What were those lights?” Since Penny remained silent, I added: “They were so beautiful.”

His huge frame started twitching, and I realized he tried to get his form together. At last his eyes focused on me.

“Those lights… They are me. My true form.”

I traced my finger across his cheeks, gently stroking them.

“Well, I always thought you were handsome. So when they… when you touched me… What happened?”

Penny’s gaze drifted away, but I was sure he was only gathering his thoughts. After a while he sat up and cradled me against his chest.

“I don’t understand it, little one. Normally, seeing me… my true self… would kill you. You’d die of fear, and I’d absorb you soul and digest your flesh. But when I touched you, I couldn’t absorb you. I don’t know why, I just couldn’t; physically, if you will. And then all your emotions flooded into me.”

It took me a while to process that new information. I had always thought my lack of fear only meant he wouldn’t enjoy my taste, that eating me would be equivalent to forcing down some disgusting vegetables or something; not that it would make him throw up. What had been the most wonderful experience for me had made him sick.

I had made him sick.

“Am I… dangerous for you?”

“I don’t know, little one. Are you?” Though he cackled at the question, I could tell he was honestly wondering.

“I could never intentionally hurt you. I’m sorry for what I said before. I was frustrated.”

Penny reply was slow, as if he was testing out the words that left his mouth.

“I believe so was I, little one. I’ve never, in all the eons I’ve lived, ever experienced anything like this.”

“So, no one has ever seen your true self… and lived?”

“No…” Penny stopped, and his eye color changed once again, turning dark red.

“There once was a girl… She and her friends nearly killed me.”

I sat up and stared at him. Penny appeared to be just as shocked as I was, though perhaps for other reasons.

“You mean, a human did that to you? That a human was the reason you were so wounded when we first met?”

He nodded, looking away. He’s embarrassed, I realized.

“Wow.” I slouched back against him, wrapping his arms around myself. “No wonder you’d think of me as a threat. But Penny, I love you.” Again, the English language failed me in trying to convey my feelings. Still, he seemed to understand, because he rested his head on top of mine and sighed heavily.

“I love you too, little one. And I don’t want to eat you. Not because you’re not delicious, but because I don’t want to you to not be around.”

I chuckled at his curious way to express himself. Fortunately I wasn’t the only one struggling with words.

“So, where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know.”

We sat in silence, both pondering what had happened between us. Finally, I found I couldn’t stand the uncertainty any longer.

“So, we need to address three things, right? Firstly; your hunger – you haven’t fed since you woke up, right? Secondly, my life and my schedule – I got the opening coming up, I got Bee moving in and I need to finish school. Thirdly, our future together – whether you’ll go into hibernation again, and what I’ll do then.”

I could feel his nod, and finally, it was accompanied by merry bells jingling again. I had my Penny back.

“Until then, let’s take it one day at a time, okay?”

Again, he nodded; again, the bells jingled. I twisted around and pulled his head towards me. “In the meantime, why don’t we enjoy each other?” His low purr was answer enough. I closed my eyes and opened myself to him.

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes 22: Ground Zero

Part 21 -> here! <-

Bad luck has been a part of Qrow’s life for as long as he could remember. It manifested in a variety of ways but there was one in particular that was absolutely the worst, travel. Flat tire on a road trip, inconvenient. Plane delay, well that one was probably not his fault, but it felt like it! Certain cases like that were always a little iffy on if it was him or life. As the veteran huntsman stood on the deck of his son’s boat in the pouring rain with a Kraken raising from the depths, Qrow was sure of one thing. This one had to be his fault.

“I didn’t think grimm this big were still around. We’re in the middle of the ocean for crying out loud.” Qrow sighed, grabbing harbinger.” It’s cases like this he’d usually leave. Two big problems though. Problem number one, Sparrow was already firing cannons at it. Problem number two, it was waving Oscar around like a toy. He seemed okay though.

“CAN I HAVE SOME HELP HERE!?” He screamed, louder than the roaring winds and rough seas. “THIS GUY IS REALLY SLIMY!!”

“Slip out then!” Sparrow shouted in earnest. Oscar might’ve been far away but Sparrow could tell the man was not amused by that response. “What!? Do you want me to shoot that arm with you in it!? Penny will have a fit if I shot you!”

“PENNY WILL HAVE A FIT IF I'M EATEN!!!” Oscar wiggled and squirmed before finally managing to create an orb to push the tentacle off, then dispelling the orb to drop straight down. Cannon fire rained down on the center mass like grand finale fireworks, but only angered the beast. More tentacles cut through the air to reclaim its lost hostage.

“Give me a break.” The rain continued to pour down and sting against Oscar’s skin. He paid no mind to the whirlpools forming or the ship deck quickly approaching. Oscar simply closed his eyes. “Hey it’s been awhile. Mind lending a hand?” He called, subconsciously to his old friend.

“Hehe Oscar, do you even have to ask?”

Oscar smiled, opening his eyes and seeing Oz smile back through the reflection of the rain drops before seeing his own again, complete with white hair and golden eyes. “Let’s get to it shall we?”

xxxx

Nick remained quiet as Weiss drove back home from school. He was happy he made it back in time. A gigas dragging him away after his fight with Valerie would’ve made the entire incident worse. Though if he was being honest, fighting a gigas sounded cathartic in a way. He gently pulled up the window switch over and over, repeatedly.

Weiss took note of her son’s unusually sad demeanor. “Alright, wanna tell me what happened in there? You were full of energy before getting your work, and I doubt the workload has spooked you.”

“Nothing I’m not used to.”

“Ah, Valerie troubles.” Weiss glanced over and saw Nick glare at his own reflection. Looks like she was right on the money. “Take it from me, I’m sure whatever happened had more to do with her own personal feelings and not the feelings you have for her.”

“You say that with such confidence.”

“I was a teenage girl once too, you know? One with plenty of personal hurdles I tried to associate with other people instead of myself. It doesn’t ever really stop truthfully. You just get better at accepting the fact the problems fix itself when you decide to change how to respond to it.”

“Do you think I have a problem I should change? Loving a girl who pushes me away, it probably makes me look like a joke.” He tried rolling down the window again but found the switch had been locked. Yet another thing to make him sad.

“I think it’s not the wisest thing you’ve done, but it’s definitely the most normal teenage thing about you. Joke or not, feelings are feelings. They’ll work themselves out. Just don’t force anything and before you know it, you’ll see things a lot clearer.” Weiss reached over and ruffled his shaggy hair. “Who knows, maybe you’ll see this dew of yours needs to finally change.”

“As if!” Nick laughed, “I look too much like uncle if I cut it, and any longer makes me look like dad.”

“Not if you style it. Oh, or grow it out even longer. Like when you’re little! “Weiss cooed, “You and Summer were really hard to tell apart then.”

“Yeah, and people kept calling me ‘she’ and stuff. Nooooo thank you!” He folded his arms in protest.

“That won’t happen now that you got your father’s looks. You’ll just be a pretty boy. Then if you get facial hair!? Nick, let me make you gorgeous! I have Coco on speed dial!”

“This is why you had a boy and a girl, mom! So I can escape this torture.”

Weiss pouted, “Summer likes doing her own makeup and hair. I should be proud considering it’s my old look from waaaaay back, but I still wanna change things up. I’d give this entire family a makeover if you all weren’t so whiny about it.” Weiss looked in the mirror at neck length hair. She remembered how free she felt the first time she cut it. Having twins meant twice the hair pulling, three times if she counted the one person she wanted to pull her hair. Thinking back, there was a good chance it was one of times Jaune pulled it that gave way to the discussion of kids in the first place.

“Hmmm, maybe I should grow my hair out. I miss the old length sometimes.”

“Summer would be so upset.”

“Good, then she’ll change it. That’s one family member down.”

Nick playfully rolled his eyes. A makeover didn’t sound too annoying actually. Maybe after the tournament? He’d think about it. “Hey, mind if we train again today? I got a lot of pent up energy and new ideas.”

“I suppose. Someone has to make sure you don’t overdo it. Winter is coming over too, so it’s for the best I warm you up anyways. I’m positive after your recent school events that she has a few words for you.”

Nick gulped, knowing he was in for a workout. “Well now…guess I’m dying today.” He could already feel his muscles ache.

xxxx

Meanwhile in the woods, Summer and Veronica had crossed into unfamiliar territory, casual conversation. It wasn’t going well. They both agreed to chat but neither of them were actually talking! They were just walking with Veronica taking the lead, leaving Summer awkwardly following a few steps behind.

The girl had finally pulled herself together after her little episode. In truth, she was a little embarrassed to say anything after it. She hated looking weak, especially in front of Veronica, a girl who manages to look strong against even the harshest of critics and peers. It was quite envious, her attitude. Summer would give just about anything to have it. Summer looked down at her scroll for what must’ve been the tenth time. Still no missed messages.

“Expecting a call?” Veronica finally said, noticing the Schnee’s gaze consistently drifting. “Got a boyfriend or something I don’t know about?”

Summer felt like that might’ve been a jab but chose to ignore it. “Nick always calls me if Shiva gets out or nearly escapes. He’s always had a sixth sense for knowing her moves. It’s unlike him to not immediately call, even if he’s doing something urgent.” Summer put her scroll away. “Him not calling is odd.”

“Are you telling me she almost got out earlier? I didn’t really smell anything.” Veronica looked back to see the girl look at her confused. A fitting look honestly. “The one time Shiva was out and even when we argued yesterday, I smelled peppermint, a disgusting amount of it. The diamond dust smells the same.” Veronica pointed to her nose, “I didn’t smell that earlier.”

“Oh.” was all Summer could say. It should’ve been a relief, but it wasn’t. “Great, my panic attack was just unhinged. Even when she’s quiet, she’s ruining my day.”

“Are you saying Shiva tries escaping when you’re hysterical?”

“Apparently not, or at least not all the time? Agh, it’s impossible for me to tell.” Summer was even more perplexed than before. “Just when have I been talking to her? They’re not all fake, but...they’re not all real either? I can’t afford not knowing the” Her train of thought was broken when a snowball thrown by Veronica hit her coat. “Hey! Wh-”

Veronica quickly covered Summer’s mouth. “Shhh! Grimm.” She pointed several yards into the distance where two sabertooth grimm were roaming. “Alright, do your thing.”

Summer looked at the grimm, then back at Veronica, who gave a casual thumbs up. “Wait, you’re not helping?”

“Nope.”

“Whhhhyyyyyy exactly?” Summer questioned.

Veronica sighed, because one of the reasons I wanted to be out here is to better see you in action. Why else would I tell you to bring your blade?”

“You lead me here under the assumption of a fight…” Summer deadpanned, “Couldn’t you have looked up old videos of me? I didn’t see you drag Nick off to fight grimm so you can make his outfit.”

“Nick has double the videos of him fighting, as well as him figure skating. Also, I pay more attention to him than I do you.” It might’ve been rude, but it was the honest truth. Summer didn’t even seem surprised. She just looked at Veronica with judgment. “What?”

“Nothing, much.” Summer drew her blade and put a glyph at her feet. “Any requests for data purposes?” She could not believe this was happening.

“Just handle them how you would normally, oh huntress in training.” Veronica teased lightly.

Summer pointed her sword out with her right hand and her right foot forward, then took off. The distance between her and grimm was closed in a matter second. She leaped over one, slicing it’s head off through the back of its neck. Another glyph formed midair behind her. Summer used it to kick off right after the attack and thrust her blade through the second grimm’s eye socket. Not even a snarl was heard before it died instantly.

Summer looked back at Veronica. “Cake walk. You’d get more data out of a video than th-”

“BEHIND YOU!” Veronica shouted.

Summer looked over her shoulder to see a third one already pouncing. With a subtle breath, Summer slowed its approach and then back stepped to safety. One more glyph was put under the paws of the beast and pulled out like a rug to trip it. Summer spun the chamber of her Myrtenaster and threw into its ribs like a javelin. The chamber landed on flame dust, setting it ablaze.

“Phew! That was...unexpected.” Summer said, coming down from a surge of adrenaline.

Veronica ran over to Summer, surprised. “How did you do that, the breath thing?” Veronica asked, “That’s a trick I’ve never seen.”

“ Oh that? Well…” Summer took her left glove off and focused. Little snowflakes started floating upward from it in place like a snow globe. “I’m not too good at it, but I can control a bit of Shiva’s powers. Only when I’m cold though, or freaked out, but that second one is more involuntary.” Summer put back on her glove, “considering the potential risks and conditions, I don’t use it in fights. Explaining it to officials would be a pain anyways.”

That made sense. Veronica could smell a hint of peppermint coming off Summer. That was Shiva’s power alright. This also explained the mass amount of ice she saw Summer create in her video fighting the Paladin. “Permission to touch you?” Veronica asked, like she always did. Summer nodded. Veronica reaches out and places two fingers against the pulse in Summer’s neck. “Any other Shiva related tidbits to share?”

“Ummm, we share a subconscious, sort of? More like a neutral ground.”

Veronica paused momentarily, “what?” She said, annoyed by all this cookie cutter information. “Gonna need more tidbits?”

“It’s hard to explain. I don’t understand it either.” Veronica looked at Summer, unblinking. Apparently that wasn’t a good enough answer. “Look, imagine something like...an ocean, just water and the sky above. Now flip it upside and make that ocean completely frozen. That’s more or less what the subconscious looks like. There’s ground to stand on, but I can’t really see. Depending if I’m actually dreaming or in a certain place, then that’s what the subconscious can look like. The only constant is that ice ceiling.”

Every sentence from this girl felt like a fever dream to Veronica. “Summer, I doubt you're lying to me, but do you by any chance also do drugs? You know, the hard kind.”

“As if!” Summer swatted Veronica’s hand off her neck. “First of all, drugs and I don’t mix. Second, be serious!”

“It was a valid question. Rich kids do a lot of things. If Nick told me he tried it before I wouldn’t be surprised. Saddened, but not surprised.”

“While I would be hounded by you no doubt?”

Veronica crossed her arms, “I’d berate anyone who would do drugs.” Her tone was stern and cutthroat, “It’s an ugly slope that goes down fast.”

The way she spoke about it was rather serious compared to what Summer was used to. “Have...you done drugs?” Summer asked cautiously.

Veronica thought about her answer carefully for a moment. “For a brief time, yes. I’m past it however, totally clean. I thought it might help control my instincts.” Veronica slouched over with a sigh, “Unfortunately, noooo dice. Come on. Let’s keep moving.” Veronica continued to walk.

Summer stood quietly for a moment, then followed as well. She wasn’t expecting to get to the topic of Veronica’s genetics in such a personal way. Then again, someone’s very birth is nothing but personal. Curiosity began to get the better of her. They did make a deal after all.

“V-Veronica…?” Summer stuttered, “I held up my end of the bargain. The only other thing that may be worth mentioning is Shiva only knows what I know when she tries escaping, and I only know what she does if I’m conscious. Other than that I think all the dribble about the state of mind would make you snore. So…..”

Veronica could tell where this was going. “Relax, I’m not about to break a deal that I proposed in the first place.”

She reached for a nearby branch and plucked a silver flower off of it. It’s five petals were spread wide Veronica placed it in her own hair. “I take it that even your school isn’t bold enough to ignore basic faunus knowledge and history, despite their…questionable place in said history?”

Summer nodded, “Hey, Atlas isn’t the kind of place to bury the leads. Older society and its people simply do what they want, how they want.” Summer cringed, “Not that doing so is exactly better in the long run. Besides, you think rich tycoons wouldn’t tell their heirs and shady dealers how they amassed their fortune? Atlas’s people might know too well the benefits and contributions the faunus play in our history and in a work capacity.” Summer felt sick saying that. “It’s disgusting really.”

“Couldn’t agree more. With all that said, how much do you wanna bet there’s aspects glossed over?” Veronica wagered.

“I could’ve sworn you made it clear that you have no interest in money?” Summer quipped.

Veronica let out a humorous breath, “Tah, a girl can change her mind can’t she?” Veronica watched Summer reach in her pocket and pull out a hundred lien casually, giving it up. Veronica was surprised. “We didn’t even make the bet yet.”

“If I knew everything, then I wouldn’t be curious about this in the first place. Odds of you teaching me something new about your people is a given.”

Maybe it was the fact that Summer was made of money, or had good intentions for learning more, but Veronica couldn’t take the money. She could only waved it away. “Geez it was a joke. Making you pay would look bad.” She said, in a forest with nobody but themselves around. “Qualities Like night vision and other adaptations aren’t the only animals traits given. It’s fundamentally built into everything about us. Disposition, personality traits, social skills, everything; the animal you are influences all of these in a variety of ways in varying amounts.”

“Like how faunus with nocturnal animal traits tend to take night jobs?”

“Veronica nodded, “Yes. A bird faunus might choose a home at high elevations, even if they don’t have wings. A deer or rabbit faunus may have to work harder at public speaking than let’s say a wolf faunus. The subtles can get even tinier; or as obvious as a feline faunus loving fish.”

Summer never really thought about it, but that made sense.“What you’re basically telling me is for a faunus, nature vs nurture takes on an entirely different level of complexity? Nothing stops a rabbit faunus from being a motivational speaker, but it would be more work, unless their parents or even their environment had predisposed them to be apart of a more vocal and outgoing lifestyle?” Summer’s eyes lit up. “That’s actually really fascinating, sowhere do you fit in with all of this?” She asked, wanting to learn more.

Veronica was taken off gaurd by how interested Summer was. “For a person who apparently hates school as much as I do, you look eager to learn.”

“School sucks because of social pressure and redundant information.” Summer deadpanned, “Anyone would get bored of learning material that is forced upon them and is as quickly discarded.”

“Well, I guess that’s true. I wouldn’t say I’m in love with any aspect of school, but learning is the least problematic part of what I had to think about it. Anyways, what I’ve told you so far applies to all faunus. With the way the world is and all the kinds of possible traits, finding a place to fit in isn’t difficult. Those animal instincts are very much submissive compared and don’t hinder our ability. Like you said, a rabbit faunus can do public speaking. A bat faunus can absolutely walk around in broad daylight. However, there’s a minority among faunus that have their animal gene act way more dominant than the majority. Roughly 13 to around 18 percent of the faunus population, if I remember correctly. This group, my group, are easily recognized by having exaggerated or extra features. Extra large wings, skin more animal than human, cold blood-”

“Ears and a tail?” Summer interjected, “appearance wise, you seem to have gotten off easy. You covered in fur or having whiskers would be a little distracting. Not gonna lie.”

“Externally, I’m just a tick higher on date lists for everyone with disturbing cat girl fantasies. Make no mistake though, I’m not the average faunus. Super faunus, the minority, have their animal qualities cranked up and deformed. I can’t see in the dark, but my nose is keener than any dog I’ve encountered. All those little traits I mentioned before? They tend to manifest in my people aggressively and often. To put into perspective, I have more in common with my grandpa than I do my mom, on an animal level.”

“Wow, that’s…intense. Your grandpa roars and gets all apex predator on people when he’s pissed- oh! Wait, your temper is shit because of your genes!?”

Veronica inhaled, ignoring the insult for the sake of conversation. “To a degree, yes. I cannot pin the blame entirely on my DNA, unfortunately…” she added that last bit quietly. “Despite what people write online about my family, we aren’t just cats. We are big cats. I’m a panther for crying out loud.”

Summer squinted, “Well, seeing how you’re mostly blonde, aren’t you technically more of a jaguar or a leopar-”

“Panther.” Veronica said, this time with feeling. “I could dye my hair red and that doesn’t change my DNA, Summer.”

For her own safety, Summer wisely chose not to make a very easy pink panther joke. She thought about it, but this conversation didn’t need to fall apart for the sake of Summer wanting to be a smartass to Veronica for once. “Fair enough, continue.” She said, still thinking about the joke.

“My athletic ability is exceptional, hearing too. My tail gives me balance more than other faunus. Despite the term super, anyone with the mutation would tell you how daunting it is. The type of animal, like everything else, determines what the faunus might deal with. For me it boils down two major things that contradict each other. Problem number one, not eating enough meat.”

“What happens?”

“Same thing that happens to any starved predator. I become impulsive, irritated easily, confrontational, my senses get...sensitive, adrenaline makes me dizzy-”

“So you’re super hangry?” Summer said without thinking. She immediately tucked her lips in and accepted the “you are an idiot” look that Veronica gave her without mercy. “Why the hell did I say that?”

Veronica groaned, “Minutes ago I heard you bring up nature vs nurture for comparing and explaining what I’ve said. Now you compare things to being hangry? It’s not even about how full I am, it’s the nutritional and instinctual part of devouring meat that my brain wants. It’s no different than your body craving milk for calcium. If I’m not careful and reach my limit, I tend to lose sense of reason and even blackout into a haze of instinct. Essentially, I go feral. Your brother can tell you that it’s not a pretty thing.” Veronica frowned.

The bruises on his face that day after school started to make a little more sense. No way he’d just let Max and Darren get clean hits in! He was dealing with an enraged Veronica. It actually put a lot of things in perspective. Summer couldn’t count how many times Veronica looked like she wanted to actually claw a person’s eyes out. She might’ve actually been thinking it over! That...was a scary thought. “What’s problem number two?” There was no way it could be just as bad.

“Eating too much meat. That’s when I’m an apex.” Veronica said, giving a thousand yard stare. Summer immediately took her statement back. That sounded way more problematic. “My attitude shifts. My fuse isn’t as short as when I’m starved but let’s say I can be very...demanding. Yeah, let’s go with that.”

Summer raised a brow, skeptical of that statement. “Are you saying-”

“Better think twice before saying I’m already demanding. Neither you or Nick has seen me when I’m caught up in the euphoria of being what I am. I’d put that girl Amber to shame, and my physical prowess are even better. I’m wild in a completely different way. Filter, broken. Can’t even put that state into words. So yeah, that’s my genetic mishap in a nutshell.”

“You being a food snob and all of your diets make a lot more sense now. Why keep this to yourself for so long.”

“Simple, it’s not anybody’s business what I’m dealing with. It’s handled, and doesn’t need to be explained among faunus. Living normally isn’t hard when you know what you’re dealing with, which is why I’m shocked every resource hasn’t been poured into figuring out your problem.”

That stung a bit. “Oscar is currently crossing the sea to potentially find answers, I have you know.” Summer said defensively.

A scoff came from Veronica. “No offense, but that sounds like a waste of energy.”

“Saying no offense doesn’t make me feel less hurt.” Summer folded her arms. “How would you know? Unlike you, my affliction has no prior information to go off of, and isn’t a genetic thing at birth. Any move could be closer to the truth, or a shot in the dark. For all intended purposes, you were born and live normally like anyone else.”

“Hate to make you sound stupid, but a test tube baby isn’t normal in most circles. Two moms, remember?” Veronica said, coldly.

Summer stopped walking. For some reason, that didn’t sit right with her. “Isn’t that name...an insult?”

“Yep.” Veronica kept walking, “Keep up. I’ll leave you out here.”

Summer listened. Maybe it was her imagination, but that atmosphere between them felt like it changed again. They had both held up their end of the bargain. Now things felt cold between them like before. Summer wasn’t expecting to learn as much as she did. Many things were answered today, so why did it feel like she knew less about Veronica. Blanks were filled into a picture she never knew the true size of, and still didn’t. One of those pieces felt out of place. The piece that helped put build up to this situation in the first place.

“Veronica…?” Summer uttered, “By any chance, does any of what you told me having anything to do with the torn pages in your-” suddenly, Summer’s words were stuck in her throat. Veronica had turned around to look her dead in the eyes, coldly and without care. Summer felt herself become small and beneath Veronica yet again, inferior.

“Never bring this topic up again, got it?” Veronica had to stop herself from balling up her hands, or she’d cut them with her nail. “Got it?” She said again, doing her best not to blow a fuse.

“S..sorry. I just...thought-”

“You thought wrong.” Veronica said. She turned around and kept walking. “We’re not friends.”

Heat rose to Summer’s face. It was impossible to know if she was feeling embarrassed, upset, or anything. All she knew was for a moment, she felt tears well up before vanishing. She breathed through her nose and bit back. “Yeah, I’m well aware.”

xxxx

“Sloppy!!!” The commanding voice of Weiss’s sister cried, knocking her nephew into a bush for the tenth time today. “You’re unfocused! Surely you can do better?”

Weiss witnessed her child stumble back to his feet, hair messed up and panting. He stabbed his sword into the ground to brace himself momentarily. His aura was still high, and yet… “Winter, he’s still under the weather. Ease up.”

“This is me easing up. You simply coddle him too much. Nick is more than capable of continuing. I don’t remember going as easy on you when you asked for training all those years ago. You turned out fine.”

“I wouldn’t exactly use our relationship as a standard.” Weiss mumbled.”

Nick raised his sword quickly. He channeled a fire ball to the tip of his blade as fast as he could, but was still too slow. Winter had already rushed towards his left. He had no choice but to abandon the fire attack for a block that barely withstood his Aunt’s blade. Nick slid backwards on the stone ground.

Winter shook her head. “Once again, you waste aura and energy not because the attack was a bad choice, but because you simply cannot use your semblance fast enough.”

Winter shot off a fire ball not even a second later. She waited closely for Nick to raise his block, then used a standard glyph to propel herself forward. Her speed surpassed the fireball, and Winter was able to position her blade behind him as the flame made contact with his.

Nick looked over his shoulder at her, frustrated, but not willing to yield. He pivoted around with his blade held out to direct hers away, then put a glyph between them. By the time he did so, Nick already knew she was on the move again. “Don’t count me out!” His left hand pulled a summoned sword from the glyph. Nick swung it out to the left and around to his back while his actual blade was swung right. The weight to Winter’s attack came from back and was blocked, perfect. He leaned his body left with his blade as he felt Winter shift that direction to his opened side.

Winter could only smile as she went in to strike. Nick just played her and she knew it. Her blade still clashed with the summon weapon, leaving his right blade free to use the momentum from the lean and make a clean stab with no chance for her to block. Winter did the wise thing and jumped back, abandoning her assault. His left side was never really opened. It was bait. Both swords were used to block wherever she came from. The right one only stopped short because the left one did the job of making sure she aimed for his back by swinging outward. Winter would have either been hit or blocked if she immediately attacked left or right, and the glyph protected the front. By making her attack his back, he all but ensured she would aim left next because it was the only unguarded spot, a spot he was ready to defend and attack from simultaneously. It was this kind of quick thinking and reckless style that separated Nicholas from anyone else. Even his sister. Especially his sister. Winter loved Summer to death, but the girl was quick to panic if plans fell apart.

Normally Winter would hear him say something self-indulgent. Nope. Just a quiet stare and a fireball he had to fire off thanks to the distance between them. Still…

“Nice effort.” Winter said, knocking it away with ease. “But no. The simple fact you can summon the sword of an Arma Gigas so easily yet remain sluggish with more basic functions of your semblance is a baffling talent. If it wasn’t for your unconventional swordplay that you somehow make work, I’d say getting a gold medal would be impossible. Still might be. It only does so much.”

“Well it’s a little late to change my style now. This is what I know best.” He dropped his sword and slowly let out a breath, filled with irritation. “I know I’m lacking.”

Winter raised a brow. She looked at Weiss confused, “What’s wrong with him? The usual?”

“No. Well, yeah, but he’s been stretched thin in general recently.”

“I’m not stretched thin. I just...nothing feels like it’s enough. Training in particular. Like you said, I can make swords in my sleep. All the other things our family is supposed to be good at, I’m average!”

Winter turned off mentor mode for a moment. Clearly this is more than about training, but she’ll play along. It was time to be an aunt. “Nick, you are in a class of your own. Sixteen and this skilled by no means is average. In regards to us, your family, no one here was perfect. Nobody here is perfect. Your mother still over extends her strikes from time to time and your father definitely wasn’t a genius by any means.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes, “Hey, I’m free game but be nice to my husband. You’re right, but be nice.”

“Like me, you choose to wield two blades. Unlike me, it’s your go to stance.” Winter informed, “Our semblance works best when we have a free hand. That’s why shields aren’t a good option for us. The choice to use two blades isn't bad by normal standards. I’ve faced many foes that pressured me with similar tactics, even beat me. Though only one is real, another sword has made it harder for you to use glyphs. At least it should be, but summoning and a video of your exam says otherwise.”

Nick looked at his summoned blade in frustration. “I still don’t know what I did differently that day. I was faster and more in control than I have ever been. Not only did I actually make a gigas, but even all my other glyphs felt on par with Summer’s.”

“Remember Nick, You and Summer excel at different things.” Weiss reminded him. “Yes, her fundamentals and use of dust are better, but she has a knack for it. That’s her edge. In a fight, Summer’s wide range of dust and glyph combinations always means she’s never out of range to attack or control a fighting space. You may not have that but your speed, stamina, and reflexes make up for it. In close quarters, no one your age matches you in Atlas.”

“That merit just so happens to have made you neglect the need to sharpen your other talents. Do you know how dangerous you could be with-”

“Time dilation? Yeah, mom told me.” He interjected, “something about those other things simply don’t click in my head. Can’t even get a fireball right.”

He sat down on the ground and took another breath. “The way I fight, it isn’t like I built it to be the most versatile. My offense is my defense. The use of momentum to add power behind my strikes helps keep in moving. It’s why my stamina and speed is good, to push my body for relentless attacks.”

He didn’t say it out right, but he didn’t have to. Nick made a style that didn’t make him good against a variety of people in mind. No, Nick thought of style against Shiva. In the end, that’s the only fight that matters. Beating others with it was a way to refine it for the moment it mattered. Abandoning it was not an option. Only improving.

Winter could only look upon the boy's face and see someone who only ever has the best intentions for others slowly begin to waver. Her teenage years were long gone, but no one ever truly forgets the confusion they went through during that time. Winter walked over to her young nephew and sat in front of him, legs crossed. “Why is it always the most caring of people who can never give themselves the break they give others? Nicholas Schnee, you are a kind, hardworking young man that never doubts himself often. Much like your mother, you take hold of what you want and clench it tight.”

“Lately holding on seems to hurt more than letting go. Nothing...feels right. Not just in training either. I feel like a gap between me and everyone else has been growing, like I’m out of a very important loop. Val, Vee, even Summer.”

“This time of year gets people stressed. It’s possible every one just needs a breath. I can speak much on a gap, but I’m positive time will mend it. Despite my feelings towards the young Belladonna, it is pretty clear the two of you get along. Confide in her.”

Weiss and Nick went bugged for a moment. They both looked at each other and then back at Winter.

“Wow.” Weiss spoke, “That’s pretty big, coming from you. Anytime you see that girl, you have nothing but disappointing looks.”

“Yeah Auntie, I’m shocked.”

Winter turned a little red, “I don’t see why. I may find her a bad influence on you and your sister, but my opinion is one of many. With you, Veronica is a welcome distraction to break up your daily routine. I’ll give her that much.”

“How generous,” Nick said sarcastically. Veronica was starting to sound more like a battle tactic than a person. Though she probably wouldn’t mind if it meant spending time with him. Regardless, “I appreciate the suggestions, but my time is better spent training at the moment. If I can be half as capable as I was during my exam, then I chalk that up as good progress.”

Winter hit his head. “Fool, you’re not getting it!”

“Ow! What!? All I said was- Ow!” Weiss also hit his head, much lighter though. “Stop hitting me! I thought this was a pep talk!?”

“It is.” Winter stated, “It’s also a lesson. The way you are now, you can’t progress much further. I urge you to really think about what made that day different from now; what made your last attack against me different even. That is all the hints I will provide to him. I do hope your mother keeps quiet as well.”

“Hey! I get I’m a little...lenient with him, but I would never skip an opportunity to watch him grow. Besides, telling him wouldn’t mean he could do it any faster anyways.” Weiss teased. She could hear Nick’s ears practically buzzing.

“If that’s the case then say it!” He asked eagerly. He was given no answer. Winter and Weiss walked away from him like they didn’t peak his curiosity. He assumed training was about to resume like normal. However, it didn’t. A look of shock came to him when both of his elders faced him, blades drawn.

“What, both of you at once.” He said nervously, grabbing his sword and rising quickly to his feet. “What happened to me being under the weather, mom!?”

Weiss smiled, “Hey, you wanted fast results. Until you find the answer to your glyph problem, we’ll double down or swordsmanship. Brace yourself. I’ll hold back.”

“I will not!” Winter smiled.

Nick didn’t even get a chance to blink before the two of them came after him. He gulped, “Should’ve stayed in bed.” Nick prepared himself when suddenly, a cold chill went down his spine. Weiss and Winter immediately recognized the look of fear on his face and stopped their approach while he pulled out his scroll to call his sister. “Pick up. Come on Summer, pick up!” He muttered.

xxxx

Summer felt like an idiot. Of course nothing has changed. Why would it? A talk didn’She walked faster, out pacing Veronica.

“Hey, slow down. I haven’t told you where we’re going.” Veronica said, but Summer didn’t listen. “Hey!”

“Leave me alone! I may not come here often but I live here. I’ll find my way without you.” Summer said, grunting as she forced her way through dense branches and bushes.

“Can you not act like a child for once!?” Veronica yelled, running after her. “And stop ignoring me!” Veronica was near her wits end.

“.........”

And then she reached it. Veronica’s tail and tensed up. “Summer!” Veronica yelled again, going through the bushes. “I said stop ignoring-” the potent odor of peppermint invaded her senses out of nowhere. Veronica looked around the area, seeing nothing. Nothing, but a frozen lake, shimmering with diamond dust below the surface; and Summer standing in place, shivering.

“Summer…?” She said, concerned this time. Her words didn’t reach, not immediately. The scent wasn’t only coming from the lake. Veronica didn’t dare to move as she watched a finger point across the water. Her eyes looked in that direction to see nothing but scared trees and large rocks that had been chipped rather deep.

“A fight?” Veronica thought. She looked closer. All the markings looked to be going outward and from one spot. A spot several feet off the lake. Even with all the dust, it was clear that spot smelled the most foul. “No, an explosion.” Her attention went back to Summer. “A dust explosion.” Veronica yelled again. “Hey! Summer! Answer me, please!?” She could no longer be calm. Veronica ran to the girl screaming her name.

Summer might as well have been deaf to Veronica’s voice. All she heard was laughter. Her laughter, coming from Shiva skating on the ice.

“Hahahahaha! Oh wow! We haven’t been here in ages Summer!!!” Grinning and filled with joy, Shiva extended her hand, “Summer, come join me!” The glow of her eyes grew more dazzling, as well as her smile. “Just like before….”

[kingangelrose]

RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 3 Recap

“Strings” -----------

Ruby’s Team manage to travel through the tubes from Snowshoe Shipping to the Schnee Dust Company. Nora apologized to Weiss for accidentally pushing the button and putting her through the tubes first, all while Weiss pinches and pulls Nora’s ear, Nora also told Weiss that it was a once in a lifetime experience, Blake, while being the last to make it through the tube, says that’s a good thing, because she never wants to do it again.

May asks Penny, calling her “robogirl”, which way they should go, Penny uses her robotics eyes to zoom and scan the area and automatically get the directions, she tells the team that they need to go. Penny says that they need to cross the bridge then go left, straight, right, straight, left, up, up, right, straight, right, right, straight, left and left, all while gesturing the directions, getting the rest of the team confused, Penny then tell May that he name is Penny and not “robogirl”, Ruby looked smug at May afterwards.

May turns the team and herself invisible as they were on the elevator, two Atlas guards entered the elevator while the team was in it, but they couldn’t see them, May puts her finger on the mouth, to signal the team to stay quiet. The guards have a conversation about the situation outside the kingdom, the female guard says that the Grimm situation is creepy and they might get attacked, the male guard tells her to not say that, and to not cause a jinx on them, Penny slowly lead the team out of the elevator when the door opened, Nora quietly pressed all the buttons to the elevator floors on the way out with a mischievous smile on her face.

The team made it to a door that needed hand authorization, Penny turned her finger tip into a port, placing into the scanner port, she managed to get the scan authorized as Pietro and got the door to open. May asked Penny where to go next, and when Penny pointed to Central Command, there were a lot of people in the area.

May says that she can’t maneuver the team through that crowd, but Penny says they won’t have to, explaining that Ruby can use semblance on herself and the team to maneuver them all through the crowd without being detected, Ruby was confused and surprised on how she knew, Blake asked Ruby did Penny figure that out before she did, Ruby then said to Blake that Penny knew that she was a faunus before she did.

Meanwhile, Ironwood entered a room where he apologized for being late, and says today was “busy”, that someone was Arthur Watts who was assisting Ironwood against his will, Ironwood walked towards him and asked how was the progress going and that he would hate to have to “motivate” him again if he told him otherwise. Watts says that given what they’re after, he has all the motivation he needs, he says it doesn’t make taking down Penny any more cumbersome, Ironwood says that he trusts that Watts will come up with something, Watt sarcastically says that the trust is palpable, all while four guards point their guns at Watts.  Watts sees an alert on the screen and asks Ironwood that if he knows that Pietro is gallivanting around his military compound, or someone else using his credentials, Ironwood then announces an intruder alert in the compound, that any personal to use lethal to handle the “threat”. 

Penny says that the tubes have been shut off due to the lock down, trapping them, May says that she can hijack one of the airships for them to escape, Penny says that they can still succeed, saying that they are so close, Nora then gets an idea, using May’s invisibility, she trips an intern with hot coffee in his hand, causing him to fall and trip, and drop the hot coffee on an Atlas workers lap, as well as the keyboard, this distraction gave Ruby a chance to use her semblance to fly past the workers and upstairs, doing a Sailor Moon type pose at the end, Blake, a bit scared says that this is another thing that she doesn’t wanna do again.

Ruby’s team made to the area where the terminal is, Penny walked over to the computer, then contacted Pietro, saying that she was ready, she then took a deep breath and he eyes changed color, Pietro was speaking through Penny herself saying to Ruby, who was surprised by this, that this was a little complicated process, so he would be remote Penny in from Amity Coliseum, Pietro then began the process as Ruby watched on.

While waiting, Blake says that she hopes the others are okay, that being Team Yang, and that she’s never seen Ruby and Yang fight like they did at the hideout, Weiss tells Blake to not worry , saying that they are sisters, and sometimes sisters have very different ideas about what’s right, Nora agrees, saying that they’ll be fine, saying that Jaune is a great leader, Oscar has grown a ton and Yang is more than capable of protecting them in fight. Weiss and Blake both notice that Nora left out Ren, Nora goes on to say that she doesn’t know what Ren is, saying that they’ve been together their whole lives, yet she thinks understands him less more than ever, and she doesn’t know if its his fault or hers. “When you’ve been at someone’s side for so long, after a while, they become a part of you, but that’s just it, they’re apart of you, don’t forget about the rest” - Blake Belladonna Nora responds by saying she doesn’t know who she is without Ren, Weiss says to Nora that she can take this opportunity to find out and do something only she can do, Nora asked if that was to be strong and hit stuff.

Pietro was downloading the code imprint, saying to the team that when Penny makes it to Amity, they can run the launch sequence, and Amity computer will find a connection to the generals terminal, but get Penny instead, Penny switches back and says that after the launch, she’ll return to help Ruby and the others with the evacuation, however, Pietro suggested that she should stay with him and Maria after the launch, Penny says that they need her there, she then asks Ruby if that was the case, Ruby says that if Penny stays far away from Salem’s reach than she can’t open the vault or get to the relics, Weiss says that maybe it is for the best, as they were going to the hanger, Penny says that maybe they all have to do things that they rather not do, but then when Penny opened the door, they were greeted by Aces Ops, confronting them.

Harriett says to Penny that it’s time to come home, Weiss asks the Ops if their first time losing to them wasn’t enough, Marrow responds by saying that they were holding back, Vine then steps forward, trying to reason with Penny, saying that he knows he was doing the right thing when you obtained the maiden power, but with Salem here, things have changed, Penny responds by saying if Ironwood plans to leave Mantle behind, then nothing has changed, Vine says that he thought was supposed to protect the people, and not hurt them, Penny says that she would never hurt anyone, Elm tells her that Winter is in critical condition because of her, Harriett then tells Penny that she repays Winter by stealing the power that she was meant to obtain and if she keeps refusing to do the right thing, everyone in Atlas and Mantle will die, Marrow then says to Penny that she can stop all of this and save Atlas, if she just opens the gate and hands over the relic to them. Ruby says that it won’t save Atlas, saying that Salem will find her way to the relic, no matter where they go, Harriett, irritated says that if she says another word, she’ll throw her in jail with Qrow, that angered Ruby, Penny stepped in front of Ruby, telling Harriett to leave her alone, then ready to fight, Harriett asked what she was going to do about it, calling her a tin can, and when Penny walked away from the door, Harriett used her scroll to close the door and barricading it with an electric field, locking Ruby’s Team in and Penny out, but Penny was ready for a fight.

Penny used her maiden powers to emit an wind like aura and pushes back the Ace Ops with a gale force wind, Harriett used her speed to push forward while Vine used his aura vines to hang on to the railing, Penny told the Aces that they won’t hurt her friends as she summoned her Floating Array against Vine, Harriet used her quick speed to attack Penny, left and right, until Penny stopped her in tracks countering it, Penny was blasted from behind by Elm’s rocket, then gets up quick to fight against both Marrow and Harriett, managing to hold her own against them both for the time being, Penny used her powers to form a hail storm, forcing Marrow to block it and giving her the chance to kick him away, almost off the platform, until Vine grabbed him for the save. Vine signaled Harriett to go in for another attack, for extra pressure, Harriett hopped onto Elm’s hammer head and used her speed and the swing power of Elm to charge at Penny, delivering a fury of punches, Penny tosses the arrays at Harriett, only for Harriett to dodge out of the way and bait her into getting struck by a powerful hammer toss by Elm, Vine swooped down for an attack, but Penny dodged it all while parrying Harriett’s attacks with her arrays, but then suddenly, Elm uses her brute strength to grab Penny from behind, making it seem like she was stopped as the gale force winds and lowering her arrays down, but then Penny used her maiden powers to break free from Elm’s grip and pushes the Ops back with a energy wave of wind, Harriett gave the order to Marrow to toss his boomerang sword at Penny, knocking her off the platform, but then floated right back, attempting to hit a blast attack, however, Marrow used his Freeze Command to stop Penny in her tracks, giving Vine the chance to pull her down to the ground with his Aura vine.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Ruby’s Team tried to break through the electric fielded door, even using Weiss’ giant summon knight to help, but it had no effect, Weiss called the Ops cowards for facing Penny four on one. However, Nora said that they had to get out there and help Penny.

“Be strong and hit stuff....” - Nora Valkyrie

Weiss tells Nora to wait, but Nora didn’t listen as she placed her hammer onto the electric field, Nora can absorb electricity, so she could take it through her body and turn it into power, but in this case, her body was being overcharged as it made her hair stand up and electricity lit up all around her body, and all that energy gave her the boost she needed to break down the door open in an explosive force, pushing back the Ace Ops as well, with an overcharged hammer strike, the power started fade as a tired and spent Nora said that was awesome before her aura was depleted and she fell to the ground, Penny went to check on her afterwards, as Ruby, Weiss and Blake were ready to fight.

Ironwood was about to call for backup after looking on at the fight, but Watts says that he wants to send a message to his operatives, The Ops are given the orders from Ironwood, Harriett wanted him to change his mind, but Marrow said that he understood and the Ops carried out their new objective, Penny, Ruby, Weiss and Blake charge at the Ops, then Vine used his aura vines to know the three off the platform, only for Ruby to use her scythe to hang on the edge with Weiss and Blake holding on below her, Penny and Harriett faced off once more, but then as Penny parried Harriett’s attack with the arrays, Harriett uses her speed to grab one of  the array that was hanging by a threat and tore it off of Penny’s back, Ruby managed to use her semblance to pull Weiss, Blake and herself back on the platform, only for the Ace Ops to retreat with one of the arrays, Marrow looked back at Ruby’s Team, distraught. Penny went to check on Nora, she was still unconscious, and her hammer was so overcharged, not even Penny could grab it.

Ruby’s Team, with an unconscious Nora in Penny’s arm, meet up with May in the hangar, where she had the airship in her invisibility cloak field, Penny then blasted a hole in the wall, giving the team a way out they all flew in the airship away from the Coliseum, Penny laid Nora down on the floor of the airship and apologized, Ruby and Penny had one last hug as they had to part ways for the time being, Penny said that she had to go, Ruby responds by saying that they will see each other again real soon, she promises. May then opens the ceiling of the airship, and after give one last salute to the team, Penny flies away.

Meanwhile, Ironwood says good work to the Ace Ops for retrieving the array, Harriett says that “good work” would’ve been capturing Penny, Ironwood then hands the array to Watts. “Well, you know what they say, if you can’t beat them, then make them join you...” - Arthur Watts ---------- No doubt about it, Penny is getting hacked for sure.

How will the heroes deal with that?

Did that overcharge give Nora a new power? I wonder.

[mcheang]

The most popular girl in school

I’ll admit this was inspired by High School Musical 2. For those of you who have watched it, do you remember on the last day of school before summer, Sharpay asked Ryan who is East High’s most primo boy. Answer: Troy, obviously. And East High’s most primo girl? Ryan glances after Gabriella but answers Sharpay, when she slaps him to answer the question. Sharpay then goes off on a dreamy recitation of her name and Troy’s. When Ryan snaps her out of it, she says it makes sense.

As Adrien happily helps Marinette with a bake sale, the girls all coo over this.

Chloe and Sabrina arrives and scoff at their Adrienette.

When the girls defend Marinette, Chloe raises an eyebrow and asks Sabrina who is the most popular boy at school.

The answer is Adrien, duh. Everyone knows that.

Chloe then asks, “And the most popular girl is...”

Before can Sabrina can answer, Alix responds. “Not you.”

Chloe is insulted but the girls follow up and declare Chloe as being the most infamous.

Chloe scoffs at that and then demands to know who else could be the most popular girl. After all she is the prettiest and richest girl in all of school.

Nobody wants a repeat of the golden rose incident. So Mylene suggests they let Markov judge since he is the most logical of all.

Markov tallies the components of what makes a girl popular: beauty, wealth, number of admirers, fame, social circle...

The results are in. The finalists are Lila, Marinette, and Aurore.

Chloe is infuriated that she didn’t even make the top 3. She got fourth because she does have some mean girl popularity but even Regina held her kingdom in awe of her.

Aurore and Lila she can understand with their fame and celebrity connections. But Dupain-Cheng?

Markov reminds Chloe that Marinette is sponsored by Jagged Stone, is a friendly and sociable class President, and actually holds the record for most male admirers.

Chloe accuses Marinette of tampering with the bot but Max defends her and Markov.

Chloe is upset but decides to sabotage the competition.

First is Aurore. That’s easy enough. Her daddy kicks Manon off that lousy game show and replaces her with his Daughter for the new judge. Luckily Nadja finds a regular role for her Daughter on one of her favourite kid shows. So Manon doesn’t get akumatized. The mayor also arranges for Chloe to star in one of the episodes of a celebrity reality tv series show.

Next is Marinette. Chloe doesn’t do nice, but she can throw awesome parties and become known as the party queen of the school. Slowly, she sends bouquets and love letters to herself and pretends they are from several secret admirers who don’t want to reveal their identities after Dark Cupid.

The last is the one that involves the most work. Chloe has to outshine Lila’s celebrity connections.

First is Jagged Stone because he stays at her daddy’s hotel. Chloe asks if he would be willing to write a new song about her and put it in his next album. She promises to pay him handsomely. Of course Jagged and Penny refuse because who would write a song about a minor? Chloe sulkily reminds him about Lila but Jagged is confused. Lila who?

Chloe realizes she has unwittingly stumbled across a gold mine and gets Sabrina to record this.

Chloe: So, are you saying you don’t know who Lila is? And of course, you’ve never written a song about her?

Jagged: Like I said before, Lila who?

Penny: Is this girl, this Lila, spreading rumors about Jagged writing a song for a minor?

Sabrina: it’s on the Ladyblog!

Chloe: so I’m guessing you’ve never had a kitten

Jagged: I’m allergic to fur, so no.

Chloe: Thank you so much, Jagged!

She and Sabrina leave. Jagged and Penny just stare at each other.

Jagged: Penny, what just happened?

Penny sighs and flips open her phone. “We need to call your lawyer.”

Chloe and Sabrina, of course, pounce on this new info about Lila and decide to start gathering evidence to disprove her.

Getting Ali to talk on FaceTime is hard with his busy schedule but he makes time when Chloe promises to donate to his charity. It’s a short interview but yes, Ali has no idea who Lila is and why should he?

Rose is going to freak.

Getting Ladybug is going to be tricky since she doesn’t answer the Bee signal. But Chloe and Sabrina act like Alya. Basically throw themselves into danger with their phones on record mode.

They get lucky on their first try, Ladybug shrieks with frustration that she is not best friends with that liar and that they should get to safety now!

3 celebrities should be enough. Now, maybe they should look into where Lila has really been for all these months if not at Achu.

Chloe waits until Lila has an entourage before walking smugly up to her and saying, “So Lila, tell us again about Ladybug is up to now. As her BFF, you must know that.”

Lila assumes Chloe wants to talk to Ladybug again and makes up some lie about how she is working on charity cases.

Cue Sabrina playing the recording of Ladybug disproving Lila’s claim.

Chloe narrows her eyes and her smile widens gleefully. “You pathetic little liar. You never knew Ladybug. Or any other celebrity for that matter.”

Lila pales but quickly follows up that Ladybug is just trying to protect her and that Lila had gotten a reprimand from Ladybug about publicizing their friendship.

Chloe raises an eyebrow. “Some friend you must be, to hang off the coattails of a celebrity when they asked you not to.”

Lila’s entourage begins to back away.

Before Lila can spin another excuse, Prince Ali’s voice is heard next and his face is on Sabrina’s phone.

Rose hears what her prince has to say and looks at Lila tearfully. “How could you?”

Lila is panicked. “I didn’t lie.”

Jagged Stone is seen next.

Lila runs away as the crowd glares at her.

Adrien and Marinette are present and run after her to prevent another akuma. It’s a waste of effort because it isn’t Lila who is akumatized, but Rose.

There is a fight yada yada yada. Ladybug admits the truth but also revealed her method of exposing Lila had been harsh so she decided to give her a chance on telling the truth herself.

Alya feels guilty for not checking her sources. She is actually on the verge of being sued but Marinette pleads for to Uncle Jagged to show some leniency. He does so condition Alya make a new video apologising for that Lila interview.

Marinette is relieved about the exposure because, “About time!”

Nino scolds Adrien and teaches him the importance of standing up for the truth and to know what is causing harm (like friends being manipulated).

Lila is confronted by her classmates before she can run away from school (Princess Fragrance made sure she couldn’t escape before). She is backed into a corner, playing the victim when the principal calls her to her office.

Lila takes her chance and heads there. She soon wishes she hadn’t. Donna Rossi is there and she is furious with her daughter.

Donna Rossi had been at work when she received word that Jagged Stone is suing her daughter. At first, Donna wondered if she was being pranked but then the principal called next with a grim voice, asking for an emergency meeting.

How dare her Daughter turn truant? How dare she forge her signature and change her parent contact info? How dare she lie to her face day after day.

Yeah, Lila is suspended and will be repeating a year.

To make certain this doesn’t happen again, Donna hires a full-time Nanny to follow Lila. Her Daughter will also be receiving counselling from a trained professional who won’t be swayed by her glamorous lies.

Meanwhile, Chloe’s plan works. Markov tells her she is now the most popular girl in school. Not only is she a TV personality, the well-known Party queen, but she saved the school from that liar.

Chloe is happy and brags about it, even hosting a party to celebrate it.

Of course, what she doesn’t realize is that in wake of Nino’s lecture, Adrien has gone to Marinette to ask for forgiveness and even offers to treat her to a meal. Marinette accepts this Friend date.

And of course, Markov doesn’t tell Chloe she is tied with Marinette in popularity when Jagged actually writes a song about his adopted family, the Dupain-Chengs, called “Home away from home.” They even film the music video at the bakery.

But then, popularity is so fleeting. It always is.

P.S. Does this count as salt fic? Also, I left a link for the golden rose for those of you who haven’t read it yet.

https://mcheang.tumblr.com/post/189539626035/the-golden-rose

[jacquiesims]

Viper Canyon - Chapter Seven

‘Elijah McLain turned over his shoulder to the wagon party members that had followed him to Viper Canyon. 

“We’ll arrive in town soon. No longer than an hour’s ride, I’d say.”’

TW: Violence, Death

October 1852

Elijah McLain turned over his shoulder to the wagon party members that had followed him to Viper Canyon. 

“We’ll arrive in town soon. No longer than an hour’s ride, I’d say.” 

The three passengers that remained exchanged glances of relief. They were exhausted and starving – the journey had not been an easy one like the last. The party had seen illness, death, attacks from the natives, injured animals that Elijah was forced to put down, and worse.

Jacob and Alice Sawyer were siblings from Pennsylvania who had travelled westward with Jacob’s business partner, Harry Dunn. The two men had been barbers back east and Alice helped run the home they all had shared. 

It seemed strange to Elijah that the three of them would come together to Viper Canyon, most men wanting to make a name for only themselves, but stranger things had happened. Most of the bachelors that Elijah escorted came by themselves but it wasn’t unheard for siblings to travel together. 

And yet he was still thankful for the skills the men brought along with them – they’d treated Elijah to a haircut and the occasional shave on the trail, and even he had to admit that the prospect of a proper trim and clean shaven face by a trained hand was appealing. He wondered absentmindedly how long it would take for the men to open their barber shop.

Jacob, Alice, and Harry waved goodbye at Elijah as he forged on home, leaving the party behind at their selected plot of land. 

He would be back to check on them, certainly, but at the moment, he was eager to get home and rest in a proper bed in a clean set of long johns.

Meanwhile…

The Yates Bank had been open on Main Street for two months exactly. 

Mr. Yates, a benevolent man, had made his fortune several times over in foreign trade and decided to move westward with his family in hopes of enriching his coffers in a new economy. He had done just that – many who came across the country needed loans to see their visions of frontier life to fruition, and the Yates Bank had nearly made back its upfront costs of construction in interest already.

John Williams had finally settled into his position as teller at the bank. He’d tried his luck in the mines, but after several weeks with no luck he opted for the safer option of a salaried job under Mr. Yates and his son, who were both fair employers. 

John smiled as a young woman came through the front door. The wind behind her carried in the subtle smell of her perfume and his heart skipped a beat. He was instantly struck by her beauty – he’d never seen her around Viper Canyon before, and he would’ve certainly remembered if he had. 

“Good day, miss,” he said pleasantly. “How can I help you?”

The woman seemed to have not heard him. She looked around the lobby, eyes lingering on the expensive drapes and well-crafted furniture. 

“Madam?” 

She blinked her large brown eyes, finally turning towards John. 

“Lovely waiting area,” she remarked flatly. 

John’s brows knit together. “Yes. It is. Mr. Yates has very fine taste. Can I help you with something, ma’am?”

“Especially fond of the draperies,” she said, taking slow strides toward the teller’s desk. “Do you know who happened to make them?” 

“Er…” John was confused, but he tried his best to oblige the woman. “I believe Mr. Yates had them commissioned from an interior designer in Aridia, miss.” 

She scoffed. 

“Is there anything I can help you with today? We provide loan and investment services, money conversions, and we have some lovely iron safes in the back for sale if you’d like to have one of your very own at home…”

“Well, what about the money?” She asked. “I’m interested in keeping my savings in this bank. They’re much safer here than at my home. Where do you keep it?” 

John was relieved, glad the woman was actually interested in doing business. “Our money is kept on the top floor in an extremely secure vault, miss. Only Mr. Yates, his son, and I know the combination,” He added with pride. 

“Lovely,” she said. “Could I see the vault?”

“Well,” John fidgeted, “We don’t really allow customers on the second floor unless they have a meeting with Mr. Yates, for security reasons, you see.” 

The woman narrowed her eyes. “I have to see the vault before I know if I want to keep my money here.” 

John felt put on the spot. He’d been explicitly trained by Mr. Yates to never let someone up on the second floor unless he was expressly informed that the individual was allowed up there. But if he let the woman go without seeing the vault, then he would almost certainly lose her business. Surely Mr. Yates would praise him if he secured another customer for the bank – by the looks of her frock, she was well-off indeed. 

“I’m sure a little peek won’t hurt,” John said with a smile. “Mr. Yates and Mr. Morris are out for the afternoon, and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. If you would follow me, miss.” 

“Thank you,” the woman said gratefully, following John as he unlocked the door towards the back room.

John stood in front of the vault door. 

“Here it is, ma’am. As you can see, it’s an absolute stronghold of security. No one is getting in here without the combination.” 

The woman looked the door up and down. “There isn’t any security? No one watching the door?” 

John waved his hand dismissively. “There’s no need, really. The vault door is state of the art. Mr. Yates had it brought all the way from New SimCity – and it cost a pretty penny, I might add. I assure you, this door can withstand a blast from dynamite, even!”

“Dynamite, you say?” 

John beamed, turning towards the door and giving it a firm knock. “Yes, the manufacturers assured us – AH!” 

He turned back around to see the woman brandishing a revolving pistol, the barrel pointed squarely in his face. 

“Open it.” 

“Miss! Is this really necessary?” 

She sighed, growing impatient. “Open the damned door.” To make her point even more painfully clear, she pulled back the hammer of the gun with her thumb, resounding a sinister click. 

Cold sweat began to pour down John’s pallid face.

“If you open the vault and let my men take what we like, I’ll spare your life. If you don’t, I’ll have to settle for…” 

The woman swirled the gun around in her hand, making up her mind, before pointing it at the tip of John’s shoe. 

“Making due with a few of your toes.” 

John struggled to speak. “I…miss, please – I can’t…” 

“I said open the door, you idiot!”

At the rage in her voice, John’s trembling hands opened the vault door. Horrible, icy guilt swept over him as the woman stepped inside, never letting the barrel of her gun stray. 

“That’s more like it,” she smiled. “Nobody needs to get hurt. Just do as you’re told.” 

They stood there for a moment, John trembling with fear, until he heard the door downstairs open and heavy feet rush into the waiting area.

“Fantastic work, Rose!” 

John was suddenly in the company of several terrifying looking – yet cheerful – men. They began to fill their bags with all the cash and finery in the vault. The woman watched, hand steady as she kept John at gunpoint. 

“Don’t take it all, boys,” she said. “Leave the people with a little.” 

One of the men piped up. “Can I take the vase? It’d look lovely in the parlor, Rosie.”

“Oh, sure, love. Don’t get too greedy, though.” 

John’s blood moved in his veins like slush as the men carried their bloated bags downstairs, leaving the vault nearly entirely empty. The woman’s eyes never left his pallid face. 

“Jimmy?” She called. 

The smallest of the men – if he could even be called a man, John thought he was more of a boy if anything – strolled over to his mistress. 

“What do you need, Rose?” 

She smirked. “Take care of this one for me, will you? You know how I feel about witnesses.”

“But-but!” John choked. “You said if opened the door!” 

“Don’t be a fool,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “You really believed the word of an outlaw?” 

The boy cracked his knuckles, looking at the cowering teller fiercely in the eyes. John’s gaze drew along the deep, dark scar that marred the boy’s face. 

“What’re you lookin’ at?” He spat. 

John tried to swallow the painful lump in his throat to no avail. “Nothing! I, er…” 

“Ugly scar, ain’t it? Got it from a man…who kind of looked like you.”

“What’re you going to do to me?” John whimpered. 

The boy grinned darkly. “I reckon I’ll strangle you with my bare hands. I like feeling the struggle.” 

“Please!” John cried. “Please, don’t do this!” 

The woman scoffed again. “Do you really want to spend the last moments of your life begging for mercy like a coward? You sad little man.” 

James reached out with both hands, but before he could grab John’s neck, the man threw up his hands in surrender. 

“Please, just shoot me,” he sobbed. “Let me die an easy death, please at least grant me that!”

The woman considered John for a moment. An odd expression crossed her face before she chuckled. 

“A lady never dirties her own hands.” She nodded towards the dark-haired boy. “Jimmy.” 

The boy grabbed John’s taut neck was a terrible force, tackling him to the ground. The teller thrashed horribly against the brick floor, choking for breath. Stars appeared in John’s eyes, he clawed at the boy’s hands for relief but his grip was like steel – blood vessels began to crack open in his eyes as his vision grew black and distorted. 

Rose stood back and watched, sliding her pistol back into her skirts.

John’s body lay limp on the vault floor. 

“Lovely work,” she said to the boy. 

He stared at John’s unmoving corpse on the floor, expression unchanging. 

The woman approached him from behind, resting a gentle hand on the boy’s back. 

“Let’s get back home,” she said quietly. 

The boy nodded and followed her out of the bank to the waiting getaway coach outside.

To Be Continued 

Previous Chapter | Viper Canyon Index | Chapter Eight

(More characters introduced! There are so many...I know the plot seems a bit all over the place but things will all come full circle eventually. Thanks for reading!)

[fanfic-corner]

Sabriel

I genuinely have no idea where this ship came from, but it is pretty cute, and I was curious to read a couple fics of them. Besides, I’m currently on season 13 and we deserve more Gabriel content in this time of stress. All of these also have Destiel in them, but which one the fic is focused on varies. I hope you enjoy them!

Rewriting the Book by MonPetitTresor on AO3. (37,224 words).

Tags: Dimension Travel, Alternate Universe, Gabriel in the Bunker, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sam Remembers Hell, PTSD, Post-Gadreel, Mark of Cain, Hurt Sam, Scared Sam, Emotionally Repressed, Sam Has Panic Attacks, The Cage.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: When Sam gets a little too close to stopping Metatron’s plans, the angel decides to use some of his extra juice to get Sam out of his way by sending him to a completely different reality. He never could’ve predicted what Sam might find there – or what he might bring back home with him.

Notes: The trauma in this was written so well, and it is part of what made this amazing. It was really respectful, realistic, and clearly well researched. And, as a bonus, an excellent plot!

In All Your Borrowed Finery by vanishingact on AO3. (67,950 words).

Tags: Winged Dean Winchester, Winged Sam Winchester, Winged Castiel, Winged Gabriel, Spells & Enchantments, Hunters & Hunting, Case Fic, Harpies, Canon-Typical Violence, Major Character Injury, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor and Smut and Angst, Wingfic, Fan art. 

My Rating: 5 stars. 

Description: Dean finds an interesting symbol in Kevin's angel tablet notes and, against Sam's counselling, uses it in the heat of battle with a pair of angelic assassins. Side effects include pain, disorientation, and uncontrollable new appendages for the Winchesters. A disgruntled Castiel and a delighted Gabriel show up to help. Hunting (and life) gets interesting when wings are involved.

Notes: Okay this was literally adorable and you can not convince me otherwise. Every time I read a fic with everyone’s favourite archangel, I miss him just a bit more.

Black Swans by omphalos and Wolfling on AO3. (66,455 words).

Tags: Post-Apocalypse, Road Trip, Blasphemy.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: A post-apocalyptic road trip with a still recovering archangel wasn't how Sam had envisioned the aftermath of their big plan, but it sure beat a lot of the alternatives.

Notes: This was absolutely brilliant, so well written, and the plot was phenomenal! The misunderstanding was painful, and the original characters were great.

omni gladio ancipiti by lifevolutionary on AO3. (10,892 words).

Tags: Wingfic, Telepathy, Psychic Bond.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: The archangel Gabriel had never chosen a Bearer for his sword. Until now.

Notes: This was so freaking sweet, and I love the idea of Sam just casually having a flaming sword.

Dies Irae, or Something by AlchemyAlice on AO3. (51,223 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Blasphemy, Alternate Universe - Canon, Biblical References.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: It starts with headaches, and it ends in a clusterfuck. So, business as usual, Apocalypse-wise.

Notes: I know it says Good Omens as well, but it is just a brief mention of Aziraphale and Crowley, so you don’t need to know anything about it! And this fic was written beautifully. Is it bad that I miss the apocalypse days?

That One Time Sam Winchester Googled Something Weird and It Had Pretty Awesome Results by quitepossiblyjanuary on AO3. (2,587 words).

Tags: Romantic Fluff, First Kiss, Stars, Humor, Courtship, Short & Sweet.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: In which Sam Googles something and his curiosity doesn't kill the cat. Or him. Or anyone. It's a pretty awesome feeling.

Notes: This was so adorable! Gabe was so sweet, and his mind reading skills made me laugh.

Bing Crosby’s Pennies From Heaven by twentysomething on AO3. (9,613 words).

Tags: Castiel, Dean Winchester, Gabriel, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer, Death.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: Sam always asks inappropriate, poorly-timed questions, so what comes out of his mouth doesn't exactly surprise himself. "Where were you?"

Notes: This was brilliant - the little gifts that Gabe left for Sam were adorable, and I burst out laughing at the image of trying to get Bobby’s wheelchair on top of a toilet.

‘Star Wars is Overrated’ by leftdragonpainter on AO3. (38,186 words).

Tags: Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Pining, Drinking, Writer Castiel, Mechanic Dean, Neighbours, Swearing, Winchester Logic, Big Brother Gabriel, Clueless Dean, College Student Sam, Awkward Dates, Pie, Dean Cooks, Slow Burn, Injured Sam, Fixing Cars, Emotional Constipation, Angst, Confessions, Smut, Love Confessions, Temporary Amnesia, Star Trek References, Star Wars References, Angst with a Happy Ending.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description:  When Dean Winchester turned sixteen he was disappointed by the words that appeared on his chest. He never expected that it would take so much to find his soulmate. He never expected to not remember meeting them…

Notes: Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it either went in the complete opposite direction or something totally different happened, and I loved it.

Start Quoting Shakespeare and We’re Done by pyrebi on AO3. (15,579 words).

Tags: Romantic Comedy, Misunderstanding, Banter, Libraries, Food, Ridiculousness, Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Human.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: In which Dean has the hots for a librarian named Cas, Cas may or may not have the hots for a mechanic named Dean, and Gabriel joins Sam in the peanut gallery in the hopes that he might just get to do a horizontal tango of his own.

Notes: Damn, the misunderstandings in this were so unbelievably painful. Overall, though, it was very funny and quite cute. Also, I love the idea of Gabe owning a sweet store.

Bring it On Home by lilyleia78 on AO3. (34,482 words).

Tags: Romance, Alternate Universe, Drama, Bonding, Angelic Soulbond, Angels, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale.

My Rating: 3 stars.

Description: When John sells his sons to Heaven in exchange for the Colt, Dean and Sam find themselves separated from each other and in the care of two very different angels. Dean and Cas work together to find out why Heaven wants Sam and how they can reunite the brothers - all the while growing closer every day. Meanwhile Sam should hate Gabriel and his endless string of conquests, but Gabriel's twisted sense of humor and attractive smile inspire something much more complicated.

Notes: First of all, I would like to say that John absolutely does not deserve any redemption or forgiveness in this fic, but okay. The idea - especially the Sabriel side - was a little creepy, but it was executed fairly well.

Our Mornings by entanglednow on AO3. (2,155 words).

Tags: Morning After.

My Rating: 3 stars.

Description: That would be the sound of his brother having sex with an angel three rooms away.

Notes: This was fairly cute, but a bit short for my tastes.

And, for all the Sabriel fans who don’t ship Destiel:

Highway of Love (Or: How Sam Winchester Learned to Stop Worrying and Relax Already) by Jassy on AO3. (24,536 words).

Tags: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, The Trickster.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: AU. Sam noticed a few things weren't quite right after they killed the Trickster. After going back to check things out, his life will never be the same.

Notes: This was probably the first Sabriel fic I ever read, and honestly I just didn’t understand it. I mean, not complaining, because I’ve read Mystrade fics before and we all know they don’t even share a scene, but I was still confused. Then, I read a really nicely done thing on Instagram explaining it, and I kind of got it. So I read this, and I really enjoyed it, and now I ship Sabriel. 

So, they may be this fandom’s crack ship, but I hope you enjoyed this edition of Destiel + other ships. I’m thinking that I might do a Saileen one in the future, because she may have only been in one episode I have watched but oh boy she was an icon, and it’s good for my heart to ship things that actually happen (I think. No one tell me otherwise. I will cry).