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#poor logie needs new friends
kenobivirgin69 · 4 months
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*mansion-sitting for Gustavo*
Logan: have friends, they said. it'll be fun, they said.
*couch on fire*
Carlos: PUT IT OUT!! PUT IT OUT!!
James: IT'S TOO BIG TO SMOTHER! GET THE ANTI-FLAMETHROWER!!!
Kendall: it's called a FIRE EXTINGUISHER. A FIRE EXTINGUISH-
*glass breaks, more furniture catches fire, Carlos, James and Kendall scream*
Logan: *fire extinguisher in hand* i gotta get new friends.
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78. Plenty of Kills in the Sea
After a long time of waiting, Aureolin plushie has finally shipped and is already in my state.
I will scream
0 updates on plush irratino though, even though I ordered him a month before...
goat lord I need you I'm not in a good space T-T
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Boss Charcoal, pretty basic design but I thought making him a beefy mouse would be funny. He looks a lot less cursed than I imagined imo. Not sure what the shirt is supposed to be though... Anyway, Charcoal tries so painfully hard to be 'tough' and 'manly' that he literally starts crying every time he speaks. Someone help this poor man
DON'T READ THE EPISODES UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK!!
Logi goes to a sushi restaurant that’s on the shore. Classy! Irratino would love it.
LOGICO: NOOOOOOO! DONUT THINK ABOUT IRRATINO.
At the ‘straunt, there are Celadon, Silverton, Rose (who has taken to cheating in chess! For shame), some new beef guy named ‘Boss Charcoal’, and a dead sushi chef. 
CHARCOAL: I’m tough. [sniff] I really am!!
All right. Silverton is delighting in whiskey, and his good friend Grandmaster Rose would love to join him. 
CHARCOAL: I’m so tough, I have a dead fish with me always! LOGICO: All RIGHT, no one even said anything. ROSE: Don’t neglect your theory: Secretary Celadon brought an award. LOGICO: What theory? ROSE: The theory… of playing you, in chess!  LOGICO: [facepalm]
He repeatedly sits down in a little chair over and over until he ‘accidentally’ butt-dials Irratino.
IRRATINO: I’ve been looking at the stars above us, Logico. Th-through the sunroof. And they tell me that the chess player was near a classic car. Hah. [snort] Classic car. Ahh <3
Logico wobbles. He shouldn’t keep calling. No no no, it was an ACCIDENT, he never would call that stupid boy on purpose, ahahaha. 
IRRATINO: Call me :3 LOGICO: FUCK.
Logico solves the murdle!
CHARCOAL: I… I’m tough, okay! I’m really [cry] Really tough! LOGICO: There there. Maybe, try push-ups or boxing lessons or… something. Don’t murder some poor chef.
Silverton then breaks a glass on Rose’s head, just because he can.
CELADON: Why am I even here. [flies away]
The end!
Ah well
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MOCHI LOAFGICO JUMPSCARE
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The power of Goat Lord compels you!
See you next time murdlers!
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mushrooms-empire · 3 years
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I feel like writing some little head cannons about Sander Sides. Rn it’s about some pets they’d most likely have.
Asks/requests are open but no set dates on completions or if I’ll even do em lol.
Patton/Morality:
• I feel like, despite all the talk about cats and dogs, of all other things. This guy would rather have a bird, maybe even a fish on the side lines? First bird he’d take would more than likely be a rescue, maybe a little finch that flown into Virgils window? (Giving the poor man a great scare)
• Patton, once calming Virgil and himself down, runs to the injured finch. Definitely the one to absolutely scream and cry while asking (pleading) Logan to help the little birdy.
• once Logan assessed said bird, proving there was only a broken wing and sore muscles. Patton has to start his pleads and begs to keep the little finch,
• “…Nurse her back to health!��� Was the line that got the other sides to relent.
• Oh how they regretted that soon after.
•Burds are one noisemakers. Especially this little girl, nights are her preferred time to be singing and hopping around Pattons room.
•That was the one catch they others gave him, bird has to stay in his room.
•That was soon forgotten.
•The sides can’t exactly pinpoint when said catch was forgotten, they all found out at different times.
Roman found out when he collapsed onto the couch after a long day of helping Thomas remember his lines in a musical he promised to help with. All he wanted to do was rest, barely hanging onto the last thread of consciousness he hardly noticed the soft feathery touches.
Didn’t even bother with the slight weight on his body, bouncing along until reaching his chest where it stopped and settled.
Only when hearing the small trademark gasp of Patton seeing something he positively loved got him to crack open his eyes.
A tiny little finch with a makeshift popsicle stick splint on its wing. Settled down nuzzled into the fur of Romans jacket from the play.
As much as he was annoyed at Patton for bringing the bird outside of his room, he couldn’t deny with he thought. “Oh my lands! This little being is positively the most adorable being I’ve even laid eyes on! Despite myself of course-“
Logan knew Patton was going to break the request sooner rather than later.
He must admit though, Patton lasted longer than he first expected.
But still, he wasn’t at all surprised when he wondered into the living room early in the morning, expecting to be the only one up at this ungodly hour. Only to find Patton curled up on the couch in his favorite onesie, little dastardly finch nestled in the crook of Pattons neck. Sitting perfectly on his shoulder, occasionally pecking at the many golden strands of hair. (Patton stated he’d like to grow out his hair, no one took him seriously at first. That only made him want to do it more.)
The right brain side didn’t even mention the tweeting bird, choosing to make his much needed morning tea to even comprehend what’s going on.
Steaming cup of green tea,  two sugar cubes just how he likes it, plopping down on the opposite corner of the sofa with book in hand. “Good morning Patton, Fringillidae.”
Patton was half way through his usual cheerful greeting before pausing, glancing at his land locked feather friend, then back to Logan. “…what did you call her?”
Logan, never glancing up from his book, responds with a small grin. “Fringillidae, it is the science name of the finch species. Take from that what you will, does not mean we are keeping it.” The last part scurries in there after seeing how fast the left brain side eyes light up. “Ooo Logie! That’s such a long name but I think the end would work for her! Dae…I like that!”
Virgil, already hated that little glorified feather duster for spinning him into an even deeper anxiety attack. (Flew into his window, remember folks?)
Then finding out the awaiting to be a new feather filled couch pillow likes to sing, at one and till seven in the morning? Oh oh oh your time is limited, Dae.
Just flat out didn’t come anywhere near Pattons new little play thing for at least two weeks. Two weeks after the others properly meet her.
When he eventually had yet another, admittedly very bad, anxiety attack one night. He completely forgotten his stubborn streak, the last thought in his worry filled mind was about the dastardly cunning finch.
Pattons door was always open for anything, at anytime, for anyone. Until now Virgil never openly came in, sure he confided in the fatherly side countless times before, everyone has. Though he never expected himself to be walking into the kindest sides room teetering on the edge of a full blown breakdown.
Patton, with his sleep schedule completely thrown out the window thanks to some little feather being. Was still up when his self proclaimed spooky son walked in, shaking legs barely managing to hold himself up with a hand over his mouth and a cold sweat drenching his blank tank top.
You better bet Patton was on his feet in an instant, leading the panicking, mumbling side to his bed. Knocking the countless stuff animals and pillows to the floor, laying Virgil down on the soft comforter, grabbing the black fuzzy body pillow he bought purely for this more and more common scene.
Managing to sit down and pull the creepy loving purplettes head into his lap just before the full effect of the attack came crushing down. Hugging the body pillow as close to him as physically possible, shakes and sobs racking his pale body..
Neither takes notice of the bouncing birdy slowly making her way to the two. Dae had a mission.
Said mission came to an abrupt halt as soon as she reached the bed. Even so, she was determined.
Patton, just cooing and threading his slim finger through Virgils soft hair. Noting he’d have to bother Thomas about more dye soon. Virgils sobs and shakes, twitches along with occasional hiccups broke Pattons too big of a heart.
Wrapped up in separate thoughts, they didn’t notice the tiny beats of wings, sound of a popsicles stick splint sliding across the floor and as faster than they could comprehend there is a little ball of feathers nuzzling Virgils neck. Settling down on the fluffy black pillow, resting her wing  over Virgils cheek. Slow lying rubbing the soft feathers across the over heated skin, helping ground the anxiety ridden man back to earth.
Needless to say, after that night no one complained of early morning singing and the smell of bird seed in the kitchen.
That was my first go at any of these head cannonsc might do the others later. It’s 10:06 now and I have school tomorrow, started this at like, eight. So yeah, sleepy time. 🥱
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youtuberswithalex · 4 years
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PRVL Vol. 3, Ch. 2: New Challengers...
(A/N:  "I'm not gonna update every week" I said, before I proceeded to scramble to finish this chapter today so it could go up one week after the first chapter)
Summary: On their way back to their dorm, Team PRVL meets a couple of interesting characters that teach them a little more about one of their teammates.
Word Count: 4,168
Warnings: Fighting (in a tournament), cursing
Taglist: @haikyuupaladin @an0therrand0 @isabel3710 @ilia-a-isms (Let me know if you want to be added or removed!)
Masterpost – Volume 1 -- Previous -- Next
—–
Stepping off of the airship, Virgil wrapped his arms around himself. “You guys really don’t have to come, if you don’t want,” he said. “Seriously, I’m fine.”
“It’s okay, Virgil,” Patton insisted. “We could all use a break. Maybe we can even go to the fair grounds to get something to eat!”
Roman gasped as he jumped to hover in front of them. “Ooh, doesn’t Simple Wok have a booth?! We should check that out at some point!”
“Ah, yes, over-priced and over-salted noodles,” Logan grumbled. “What a wise use of our Lien.”
“There’s more than just noodles in them, Logan,” Roman shot, crossing his arms. “Have you ever had the seafood special? The fish is cooked to perfection!”
Patton paled, and his voice cracked. “What?!”
“Uhh, I mean…”
Virgil grunted and took a step away from them. “Look, you guys go wherever you want. I’m going back to our room.”
“It would be beneficial for you to eat something,” Logan pointed out.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You may not feel like it, but after a panic attack like that—”
“Logan, I’m not eating!”
The other three froze, and the air around them grew tense; other students passing by shot them a look, to which Virgil curled away from. He let out a huff and frowned, rubbing his face.
“Look, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I’m just…”
“Overwhelmed,” Patton softly finished.
Virgil slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
Roman let out a hum and landed. He placed a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, but when he ripped away, he settled for placing it on his own hip instead. “Maybe taking a break isn’t such a bad idea.”
Letting out a slow, shaky breath, Virgil let his arms relax a bit. “Yeah, that… That sounds good. I just don’t want to keep you guys from anything.”
“Personally, I don’t know of anything that would require our presence immediately,” Logan said. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“Logan! Logan!!”
“Logie!!”
Logan froze, eyes widening as he spun around. The others followed suit.
“Uh, Lo?” Patton asked. “Do you know them?”
Further down the path, and man and a woman were sprinting towards them. The man’s face was mostly covered by a dark blue cloak and medical mask, and the woman’s head by a hijab, but Logan didn’t need those details to know exactly who they were.
He blinked.
“Ah,” he said. “It’s my parents.”
“Your parents?!”
Before he could respond, the two tackled him to the ground.
The other three let out yelps and jumped to get them off, but were stopped by the sound of laughter. Logan wasn’t cringing or trying to get away; instead, his arms wrapped awkwardly around theirs, and he was laughing softly.
“Father, Esther, please!” he chuckled. “You’ll draw attention!”
“Oh, who’s gonna care?! All they’re seeing is a family that’s been separated for too long!” the man laughed.
Regardless, they pulled apart and climbed to their feet, pausing when they saw the wide eyes of the other three. The man gasped and pointed at them.
“You’re his teammates!” he exclaimed. “Patton, Roman, and Virgil, right?! You kids were fantastic today!”
The woman beamed and nodded, holding up a pair of balled fists. “A set of promising Huntsmen for sure! You’re the perfect team for our Logie!”
Virgil raised an eyebrow, smirk forming. “’Logie’?”
“Yes, it’s a term of endearment Esther has attributed to me,” Logan explained.
Patton smiled, leaning out just a bit from where he was hidden behind Roman. “Aw, that’s sweet.”
“You know what else is sweet?! That knock out you made!” his father laughed, punching Logan’s shoulder. “What a hit!”
“That Sanders kid really had no idea what was coming!” Esther added. She pulled him into a headlock. “Way to beat the competition!”
He grabbed him from the other side before pecking Esther on the lips and ruffling Logan’s hair. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?!”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Oh, I may have gotten a few tips over the years from a couple of exquisite Hunters…”
“You two are Hunters, aren’t you?” Roman asked. “What in the world are you doing here? I thought Logan said you were on a mission in Vacuo of some sort!”
Logan’s father scoffed and waved his hand. “And miss the chance to watch our son in his first big league tournament? Never!” He yanked the medical mask down to his neck and beamed a bright, white grin. “You can call me Virtus. Really, it’s so great to meet you guys! Thanks for taking care of our son!”
“Oh, we’re not—”
“We aren’t really—”
Virtus let out a loud laugh and threw his head back. “Humble kids, huh? Reminds me of my days back at Haven!”
His hood tipped over, causing long, dirty blond hair to spill out and over his shoulders. Logan ripped away and scrambled to snatch it up, stuffing it back into place without missing a beat.
“Father!” he hissed. “You must keep your hood up! What if someone saw?!”
Grimacing, Virtus clung tight to his hood and spun his head wildly; as soon as he was sure no one was looking, he let out a breath.
“That was a close one,” he muttered. He reached up and ruffled Logan’s hair. “Thanks, kid.”
Logan pulled away and fixed it, but not without a small smile. “Just be careful.”
“Hey, that’s our line!” Esther laughed. She ran a quick hand through his hair, as well; he sighed and let it remain mussed.
“Um,” Roman said, “Why, exactly, is it, that you have you keep yourself hidden at all times?”
Virtus winked. “Well, when you’re Hunters like us, you gotta keep your potential enemies on their toes in case they’re searching for you!”
Virgil paled. “What?”
“You never know who’s after you,” Esther added, leaning forward and waving her fingers. “Someone could be right here, hiding in the shadows, just waiting for their moment to strike!”
“Please, you two. We aren’t children,” Logan said. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at them. “We know the dangers that come with being Hunters. I would appreciate it if you didn’t attempt to frighten my friends, especially considering the fact that we’ve already had a few encounters with people trying to kidnap us.”
Virtus grinned. “How can you be kidnapped if you’re not kids anymore?”
“Father.”
Patton let out a giggle and slammed his hand over his mouth; Logan shot him a sharp glare.
“Do not encourage him, Patton,” he huffed.
He coiled back further behind Roman. “Sorry…”
Roman paused, glancing over his shoulder as Logan’s parents went back to doting all over him. Patton had his arms wrapped around himself as tight as the film that he could still practically feel yanking the sword out of his hands. He was chewing on his lip hard enough that Roman feared he was about to draw blood; his brows were furrowed, and his eyes wide, glued to Virtus’s boots.
Ah, Roman thought.
He pushed his wing back to cover Patton’s field of vision, and then he let out a wail, throwing a hand over his forehead.
“Oh, how parched I am after all that fighting! And how foolish I am for having left my water bottle in our dorm!” he cried. He fell back against Patton, light enough to keep them from falling over. “Please, Patton, I beg of you, go fetch it for me before I perish!”
Virgil raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “Roman, you can fly.”
“I beg thee, Patton!” he repeated. “And please, take our dear Virgil on this perilous journey! It could take weeks! Or months! Or however long it will take for a nap to replenish your energy!”
“Aw, you poor thing!” Patton exclaimed, muffled by the wing pressed against his face. “Of course we’ll go! Where’d you leave it?”
“I’m afraid I can’t remember! My mind is far too gone to recall! You’ll just have to spend however much time is needed to search for it!”
Logan rolled his eyes.
Patting Roman on the shoulder, Patton peered around and gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t you worry, kiddo. Virgil and I will find it!” he declared. “Where can we find you? You probably need to sit somewhere…”
“Oh, thank you!” Roman stood up straight and turned, keeping a wing out between Patton and Virtus. “Just contact me on my scroll, I’ll let you know! You are a saint, dearest Patton!”
He nodded and grabbed Virgil by the hand, dragging him off without another word. As soon as they were out of sight, Roman smiled and turned back to the Lyceums.
“I hear Team AMBR is about to have their match,” he said. “Would any of you like to join me in watching what is sure to be an almost flawless victory from two skilled students, one handsome boyfriend, and their wonderful yet irritating leader?”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were dying of dehydration?”
“Oh, no! That was just a ploy to get those two to go take a nap!” Roman admitted. “I don’t even own a water bottle, truthfully!”
“Roman, you realize that Patton is just going to spend his whole afternoon searching for that nonexistent water bottle instead, right?” Logan pointed out.
He paused, and then he shrugged. “I’m sure Virgil will figure it out and explain it to him.”
Logan sighed. He turned to face his parents and placed his hands behind his back. “Well, if it’s alright with you two, I would like to watch some more matches and evaluate the students of the other schools. I know you’ve probably seen more than enough fighting out in the field and aren’t too excited to watch more—”
“Are you kidding?! I was worried you were gonna say no!” Virtus exclaimed.
Logan and Roman blinked. “What?”
Esther laughed. “Oh, come on, you think it’s like this out in the field? It’s life or death out there!” she said. “Here, there are rules! You can root against your favorite team without worrying about the danger!”
“And your partner getting knocked out doesn’t mean they’re going to be killed,” Virtus added, shooting a wink at Roman.
“Besides, we’re not going to be here for the whole competition. As long as we’re spending time with you and your friends, Logie, we’d love to do whatever you guys want while we’ve got the time!”
“Oh. Um, well,” Logan stuttered, “Then I suppose we’d better get back to the colosseum before we miss many more matches.”
Esther and Roman cheered; she held up a hand, which he gave a high five with a twirl in the air. As he shot off back towards the airships, she grabbed Logan’s hand and dragged him along, pressing a rough kiss into his hair. He let out a noise of protest, but followed along anyway.
Virtus stayed still for a moment and crossed his arms, watching them go with a soft smile. A warmth settled in his chest; he glanced up at the clouds before looking back at Logan.
A flash of magenta caught his eye. His smile dropped.
A woman with a long ponytail was stepping off the ship just in front of his family. Her back was turned, but her tattered, pink cloak revealed enough armor and ammo for him to take note.
She looked to the side. Sunlight glinted off of the metal guard over her mouth.
“Father?”
Virtus blinked, glancing to where Logan stood, raising his eyebrows at him. By the time he looked back to where she was, the woman was gone.
Narrowing his eyes, he pulled the medical mask back over his mouth and headed towards the ship.
----
New Message from: [Deleted]
Hey!
New Message from: [Deleted]
How have you been?
New Message from: [Deleted]
I hope you’ve been good. We’ve been doing alright here!
New Message from: [Deleted]
We love and miss you a lot
New Message from: [Deleted]
Call me sometime, okay?
Delete Messages?
>YES< >NO<
----
“And that’s it! Team SVIJ wins the match for Haven Academy!”
Nila leapt out of her seat, throwing her arms out. “What?! No way! He totally had her cornered!”
“Were we watching the same match?!” Roman shot back. “She wiped the floor with him!”
“Um, did you see his use of Fire Dust?!”
As the stage began to reset, Logan slid down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “At this rate, the two of you are going to start attracting Grimm…”
“Oh, it’s all in good fun! Haven’t you ever placed your bets on a match?” Virtus asked.
“Considering you never allowed me to go to matches by myself, no, I haven’t.”
On the other side of Logan, Thamir laughed. “We can bet on this one, if you’d like.”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we both rooting for the same team?”
“Eh, like your dad said, it’s all in good fun. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Thamir replied. “Wanna wager… a cup of coffee?”
Logan smiled. “That sounds adequate.”
Thamir grinned and looked back at the field. “Good,” he said, “Cause I happen to know a nice little coffee shop down in Vale that’s got some pretty good stuff.”
“Oh? Which shop would that be?”
“Up next, we have Team SAMM of Atlas versus Team AMBR of Beacon!”
Roman screamed and shot into the air, gesturing wildly at the teams coming onto the field. “That’s my boyfriend!” he screeched. “That’s my boyfriend!”
“And your brother,” Lloyd called.
“Right, right, of course—Oh, look at how the light just accentuates his eyes! Look how handsome he is!”
“No wonder Anole doesn’t like them dating,” Thamir muttered.
Esther snorted and snuggled into Virtus’s arm. “That’s just young love.”
Riad turned around and waved up at Roman; in return, he beamed and shot a kiss. Grinning, Riad moved to give one back, but Anole grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around to face the other team before he got the chance.
“C’mon, dude, focus,” he huffed.
Riad let out a soft laugh and got into a fighting position. “Right. I’m all ears.”
“No, you’re not,” Marjani giggled, pulling her swords out of their sheaths. “You’re a whole body!”
“Babe, please,” Bora sighed.
Across the way, one of the four girls in front of them laughed.
“Thank the gods you clarified. I would have shifted my whole strategy to fighting a giant ear if you hadn’t have said something,” the girl in pink said, pointing to her faded, cloudy eyes. She raised her eyebrows and smirked. “Might’ve just ruined your chances of winning, though.”
Anole returned the look. “Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that.”
The one in the long, purple dress chuckled. “I certainly wouldn’t, either. We’re practically guaranteed to win, regardless of what Sakiz thinks she’s dueling against.”
The smaller screens popped up around the stage and began to spin, and the two teams turned to watch them slow to a stop.
“What do we got?” Sakiz asked.
“They’ve got the Volcano Fields,” the girl with feathers poking out of her scalp answered. “We’ve got… Shit.”
“What?”
“The pirate ship,” the one in purple said. “In a pool.”
As the floor began to recede, the girl with feathers looked down at her metal arm and leg. “Shit,” she repeated.
The girl in all black turned to glare at AMBR, but kept her face towards her teammate. “Don’t worry, Myrtille,” she said, “we’ll keep you out of the water.”
As soon as the stages were set in place, the two teams jumped into their battle stances.
“What’s the plan, Anole?” Bora asked.
“Operation Four Square,” he answered. “Let’s knock these girls out as quick as we can.”
“In three… two… one…”
Myrtille looked to their leader. “Sakiz?”
“BEGIN!”
“Mauve, Ash, go!”
The girl in black shoved her chain into the hands of the girl in purple, who wrapped it around an arrow and fired it into the birds’ nest at the top of the mast. Ash spun her arm around Mauve’s waist and lifted her into the air just as the chain sent them flying after it.
“Don’t let them get the high ground!” Anole shouted.
Bora and Marjani sprinted towards the ship, each going in a wide arc on opposite sides of the remaining members of Team SAMM. Sakiz and Myrtille drew their weapons—a pair of machetes and an ice saw, respectively –and charged towards the boys.
Riad lifted his mace. “Plan?”
“Keep Myrtille out of the water and Sakiz out of the lava,” Anole ordered.
“That’s it?!”
Myrtille threw her saw down between them, and the two leapt apart.
“Do you have a better idea?!” Anole shot back.
Riad opened his mouth to respond, but Sakiz swung her machetes at Anole, drawing his attention away to dodge. Myrtille shot towards him just a second later, and Riad had to throw up his mace to block.
In the stands, Roman punched the air. “That’s right, don’t you touch my boyfriend!”
“Roman, this fight couldn’t continue if there was no contact,” Logan pointed out.
Calanthe let out a yell and began to repeatedly smack Lloyd’s arm, grinning as she pointed towards the ship. “Look! Look! They’re about to do that—that bounce-board thing they do!”
“Bounce-board thing?” Virtus repeated.
As Bora and Marjani made it to the bottom of the mast, Bora held out her scythe, and Marjani hopped onto the blade; she swung as hard as she could at an angle, and Marjani leapt off at the peak, sending her flying to about the height as the bird’s nest. As she began to descend again, she drew her swords and wedged one in between the planks.
Marjani glanced up just in time to see Mauve aiming an arrow directly at her face; she gasped and flung herself under the post, digging her other blade into the wood of the mast. The arrow slammed into the sand, just barely missing Bora as she sprinted her way up the mast. As soon as she was close enough, the girls latched hands, and Marjani pulled Bora up to stand next to her.
“What do you think, should we pull a ‘Bi-Bi’ on them?” she asked.
“You read my mind,” Bora replied.
She swung to the other side of the mast and threw her scythe up to the edge of the bird’s nest while Marjani jumped back and stuck both of her blades back between the boards. The two launched themselves into the air…
…Only to find Ash and Mauve standing back to back with their weapons already pointed towards them.
Mauve fired a black arrow, to which Marjani spun and sliced in half as Mauve hopped onto the edge and flipped backwards; she twisted to shove Marjani’s head into her bow and held it tight against her neck.
At the same time, Ash flung her chain to wrap around Bora, the sudden pinning of her arms causing her to drop her scythe. She yanked, and Bora went flying around the other side of the mast, slamming into Marjani just as Mauve leapt off of her, kicking her forward in the process. The chain continued its momentum, and within just a few seconds, the girls were wrapped tight around the mast.
“This is homophobic,” Marjani grunted.
Anole dove backwards and rolled as one of Sakiz’s blades swooped by, just barely tweaking the tip of his nose. As he slid to his feet and ground to a stop, he felt one of his shoes crunch at the very edge of the lava field. He shot it a glance and cursed, moving to raise his bow to push Sakiz back, but she slammed both of her machetes down and pushed him further onto the rock.
She gave him one final shove before spinning and raising her weapons; Anole took this chance to snap his bow apart, and he flung one half around her wrist just before she could strike.
He whipped her around, realizing a second too late that they’d been standing mere feet away from a bubbling lava pit. Holding back a yelp, he fired a shot of Gravity Dust and yanked her back just as her foot scraped against the drop. She slammed into his chest with a high-pitched yelp, and he held her tight. A plume of lava shot into the air.
“Watch yourself!” he exclaimed.
Sakiz slammed the top of her head into his chin; as he stumbled back, she slammed a punch into his stomach, and a knee into his face.
“Don’t make those jokes,” she growled.
Guilt and heat shot up his spine, and he waved his hands.
“I—N-No, that—That wasn’t what I meant!”
Letting out a yell, she whirled around and kicked him in the head, knocking him to the ground.
Metal clinked and clanked as Myrtille and Riad parried, inching their way back and forth into each other’s space with each hit. They glared and kept their eyes close on the other’s, neither daring to look away. The strain and the autumn heat mixed into sweat dripping down their foreheads; a drop fell into Riad’s eye, but he forced himself to ignore the intense stinging.
Myrtille suddenly reached way back and spun her ice saw before gripping it tight with two hands and stabbing it towards Riad. He twisted just out of reach; while she readied another attack, he pressed a button on his mace and slammed it into the ground. She jumped just in time to avoid the sheet of ice spreading, but slipped as soon as she landed, hitting the ground with an Oomph!
Riad took a second to glance up at the scoreboard, and then over towards the bird’s nest; eyes widening, he whirled around towards their leader.
“Anole, the girls!”
He snapped his head up to follow his teammate’s gaze, letting out a curse as soon as he spotted them. Sakiz let out a yell as she slammed her machetes down; he rolled out of the way just as they made contact with the floor. Anole used the momentum to slide to his feet and sprinted forward, tackling her just long enough to wrap his bow string around her waist. Firing another Gravity Dust bullet, he leapt into the air, dragging her with him, and twisted.
As soon as he unwrapped his weapon, he put his feet on her stomach and kicked her, sending her into the Volcano Field and him towards the water. He watched close to make sure she landed safely—if roughly —on one of the rocky hills.
“Don’t move!” he yelled, before he sunk into the water.
Riad threw his hands out, glancing back at Sakiz before shooting a glare towards where Anole had disappeared. “Bro!”
His legs were suddenly swept out from underneath him, and he and Myrtille slid across the field, him struggling to get his calves out of her grip while she kept pushing them towards the edge of the ice. He dug the spikes of his mace down to try to slow them, using a bit of Fire Dust to help the cause, but she punched it away with her metal arm. The force ripped the handle from him, and he watched with an outstretched hand as it slid out of reach.
They finally made it to tile; the rough tiles burned Riad’s bare arms as they skidded across. He moved to kick Myrtille away, but she held him firm stood, pressing a foot onto his chest.
“Ha! Gotcha!” she exclaimed.
Movement caught his eye; he looked over to watch Sakiz as she carefully felt her way around and tried to find a way down.
“Don’t move,” she mockingly said under her breath, using her foot to search for a good place to put it. “How about you don’t tell me what to—”
A shriek slipped out of her throat as a rock crumbled; she slid down a steep edge, digging her fingers into the ground as her legs and torso began to dangle in mid-air, right over a bubbling pool of lava.
Riad let out a yelp of his own and snapped his head to look at Myrtille. “Dude, your leader—!”
“What, do you think I’m an idiot?!” she snapped. “I might be a starling, but that doesn’t make me a birdbrain! You can’t trick me into looking away as I’m going for the kill!”
Sakiz tried to pull herself up, only to lose her grip and fall another few inches. A pebble dropped and bounced off of her foot at just the right angle, landing on a loose boulder that was just out of her reach.
Myrtille lifted her ice saw like a golf club; Riad refused to look, forcing himself to try to remember anything and everything from those seemingly pointless math classes they’d all been forced to take.
Roman jumped to his feet. “Riad, get out of there!”
With a deep breath, Riad summoned as much aura into his fist as he possibly could and slammed it against the floor.
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heavenly-roman · 5 years
Text
Bait
Plot: Remus has a plan. He just needs the perfect bait - Logan seems to be the answer
Warnings: kidnapping (and everything that comes along with that), unsympathetic remus, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of abandonment and inadequacy, one (1) ‘swear’, one (1) kiss
Pairing(s): logince, platonic dlamp
Word Count: 1955
if you like this, consider buying me a coffee?
inspired by this gorgeous artwork by @sandy-sides !!! thank u for letting me write this story based on your work!!!
(ao3 link!!)
+++
It’s late. Logan knows it’s late. Does that stop him from hunching over his desk to finish his work that could very well be done in the morning? Absolutely not. 
The thumping footsteps in the hallway alert him to someone’s presence, calling, “come in!” before they could even knock. 
“You’re no fun,” Remus pouts, opening and closing the door rather quietly for the chaotic side. Logan looks him over once, the rope in his hand not alarming him as much as it should - classic Remus to have some sort of unsettling item in his hand. What does alarm him, however, is the sinister grin on Remus’ face. 
Attempting to overlook it, Logan asks, “Is there something you needed, Remus?”
The grin on his face grows, as does his grip on the rope. Logan’s eyes widen, something unfamiliar panging in his chest - fear.
“Bait.”
+++
Logan awakes, his head spinning and muscles aching. He tries to adjust his glasses but finds he is unable to. His shoulders scream in protest of his movements, and Logan connects the dots. That must be what the rope Remus was carrying was for. Surveying the area, albeit slightly blurry, the logical side quickly assumes he is in a basement of some sort - whether it was created in the imagination or is attached to the mindscape, he is unaware.
He hears the thumping footsteps again, and feels his body freeze in fear. He concludes he doesn’t quite like this new feeling. 
The chair he is sat on creaks as he tries to examine his area a bit more, as well as find the source of the footsteps. Before he can get a good look behind him, a cold hand jerks his head to face forward, sending his glasses further down his nose.  Another hand adjusts his glasses to their rightful spot, and a sickly sweet voice whispers in his ear, “can’t have you too incapacitated, now can we darling?”
“Where are we, Remus? And why am I here? I have work to do and-” Logan’s questioning is cut off by Remus’ hand slapping over his mouth, the other one still holding his chin.
“That’s quite enough from you, Logic,” he spits the title like it’s poison on his tongue, throwing Logan’s head to the side. ”Keep it up and I might have to put that pretty little tie to better use.”
Remus circles Logan’s chair, and Logan briefly considers sticking his leg out to trip his captor - his better judgement and his incapacitated leg decide otherwise. The creative side stops his pacing directly in front of the chair and leans down, coming face to face with his prisoner.
Remus tugs on Logan’s tie, pulling him uncomfortably closer and causing the rope to bite into his skin some more. “You’ll make the perfect bait for everyone, little Logic.”
Logan scoffs, “you honestly believe anyone will come looking for me?”
Remus’ smirk falters slightly, and Logan almost, almost, believes the look on his face could be mistaken for pity, sympathy, understanding. But he plasters it back on and leans impossibly closer, practically touching noses now, and whispers, “you’d better hope so.”
+++
Logan doesn’t know how long it’s been since Remus left him before his thoughts start running wild. 
They’re not looking for you. 
The feeling of the rope grows familiar. 
They would’ve found you by now, if they really cared. 
He notices the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. He never took Remus for a lover of cliches. 
They’re better off without you. 
He starts to believe his thoughts. 
You’re useless. 
He’s useless. 
+++
The next time he hears footsteps, they’re softer. He knows it’s still Remus, the tell-tale sound of his clunky boots are always there, no matter how quiet Remus tries to be. Despite his best efforts, Logan still hopes it’s one of the others coming for him.
“Poor Logan.”
Despite his best efforts, Logan is still disappointed.
“Still expecting your friends, are we?” Remus’ pout is fake, taunting Logan. “Or can we still call them friends?” 
When he doesn’t respond, Remus continues, “You know, my original plan was to lure them all here to save you, but this? Breaking down sweet little Logic into realising that he really isn’t one of them? That they don’t truly love him? That they’re better off without him? This is much better than the original plan.”
“Unfortunately for you, your secondary plan is not working, as I do not believe any of the things you mentioned,” Logan replies, looking forward and avoiding eye contact. Maybe if he lies enough, Deceit will appear and he’ll be saved.
Please, he’s probably just as happy as the rest of them that you’re gone. Remus did them all a favour.
“Whatever you say, Logi Bear.” Remus begins walking out again, footsteps resuming their heaviness. He flicks the light switch off, leaving Logan in complete darkness. “Whatever you say.”
+++
Logan awakes to his tie being shoved in his mouth, and shouting echoing from outside the door.
“It seems my plan has worked, albeit a little late,” Remus whispers in his ear. “If you so much as make a sound, I will tear off your fingers and make you eat them. Got it?”
Logan nods, whimpering when Remus pulls his hair for good measure. “Good boy.” Remus pats Logan’s cheek and crouches near the door. 
The shouting and banging is getting louder, when the door bursts open. A flash of purple blurs passed Logan before he shuts his eyes, the bright light from the hallway a sharp contrast to the dim lighting he has grown accustomed to in the time he has been here.
His eyes open when hands gently cup his face and Roman, horrified, whispers, “Logan?” 
Logan tries to respond, forgetting Remus’ threat and the tie in his mouth, when he spots Remus rising from his crouched position and brandishing his morning star. He curses his inability to warn Roman, when someone - Deceit? It can’t be - yells, ‘Roman, look out!”
Roman startles and unsheathes his sword, swiftly moving and blocking his brother’s strike from now hitting Logan. The clanging of the metal causes Logan to close his eyes again, and he feels deft fingers carefully untying his wrists. Another pair of hands tug on the ropes around his ankles, cursing when they won’t come undone. Logan hears a victorious cheer and winces as he hears heavy footsteps move towards him.
“Logan? It’s just me, you’re okay,” Roman speaks softly, trying his best as to not scare the other. Logan slowly opens his eyes and watches Roman’s worried expression turn into a small smile. He looks down and sees Deceit finally free one leg, just as Virgil comes to assist with the other, and his hands fall to his side. Patton rubs up and down Logan’s arms, presumably trying to get feeling back into them. Roman gently pulls the gag from Logan’s mouth and the latter gasps in a full breath, earning sympathetic looks from his friends. Logan glances around Roman and sees Remus on the ground, knocked out cold.
Roman crouches to his eye level and wipes his cheek, swiping away the tears he didn’t know were falling. They silently agree to talk about that some other time, and Roman pulls him into a bone-crushing hug. It’s not something Logan would’ve usually appreciated, but he squeezes back, and if Roman sheds a tear or two at that, Logan doesn’t need to know.
“Did-” Logan speaks as he reluctantly pulls away from Roman. His voice is hoarse, he clears his throat before he continues. “Did you guys seriously use Virgil as a door ram?”
Logan smiles as he hears his friends laugh, a sound he so dearly missed. Patton rounds the chair and nudges Roman out of his way, helping Logan stand and acting as a support. “Are you okay, kiddo?” Logan pauses to think for a moment. 
Are you okay? Well, that’s a loaded question. Physically, yes, you are okay. Mentally? How does one tell their friends that they thought they didn’t care about you, and left you tied to a chair with one of their deranged brothers? How can you-
“I’m fine, I suppose,” Logan cuts off his thoughts after a few seconds, sick of those words being the only ones he has heard for a while. “However, I really have to piss.” 
+++
It’s late. Logan knows it’s late. Does that stop him from reading over the abandoned work on his desk that he very well could have done in the morning? Absolutely not.
There are thumping footsteps in the hallway again, and Logan feels his blood run cold. He cautiously locks the door and grabs the closest thing to him to use as a weapon, which happens to be a letter opener. It won’t match against Remus’ onslaught of weapons, but he hopes that the element of surprise will be in his favour. Still, the knock on the door startles him.
“Logan?” His shoulders slump at the voice. “Can I come in?
Logan lowers his makeshift defence, but doesn’t put it away just yet - after all, he could be tricked. He unlocks the door and opens it a crack, peeking out to see Roman’s features scrunched up in concern. Letting out a breath, Logan fully opens the door and lets Roman in. 
“Talk to me.”
They sit beside each other on the bed, Logan leaning on Roman’s shoulder as the creative side holds him in a side hug. Logan visibly relaxes into Roman’s embrace. “I don’t know how to express my feelings, Roman.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking, then. I’m here to listen.”
“I’m scared, Roman. I’m so… I can’t sleep, did you know that? I can’t sleep because everytime I close my eyes I’m afraid that I’ll open them and he’ll be staring at me and this will have all been a cruel dream and you still haven’t found me because you don’t want to. It’s illogical, I know, but I can't help but just be so damn afraid.” Logan doesn’t mean to blurt it all out, but he does, and he ignores the tears rolling down his face.
“Not everything you do has to be completely logical,” Roman tilts Logan’s chin up so they’re looking into each others eyes. He smiles sadly and wipes a tear from Logan’s cheek. “You went through something traumatic, Logan, and that’s okay.”
Roman takes a deep breath before continuing, “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner. We were searching everywhere, I promise. Patton even went down into the basement, you know how much he hates it down there and - and I’m sorry. About everything. About Remus.”
“You don’t have to apologize for him,” Logan sniffles and inches his face closer to his companion’s. His voice quiets to a whisper. “You didn’t do anything wrong, you- Roman you saved me. You’re… my hero.”
Roman leans down ever so slightly, lips barely brushing Logan’s. “Is this okay?” he asks, moving his hand to hold the back of Logan’s neck. The latter nods, and Roman connects their lips in a gentle kiss. Logan’s hands move to hold Roman’s face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs.
Logan pulls away and smiles, the first real smile Roman has seen since they found him. Roman returns the smile, and Logan feels metaphorical butterflies in his stomach.
“As your hero,” Roman starts, “It is my sworn duty to protect you, from monsters and evil twin brothers alike. So I’ll be here, I’ll be your hero, whenever you need me to be.”
“Do you think you could start by being my hero tonight?” Logan asks. He adds, sheepishly, “Stay?”
Roman smiles, and kisses Logan on the top of the head. “It would be my honour.”
165 notes · View notes
re-side-this · 5 years
Note
If you don't mind, logince for the musical otp thing?
🔀 Song- How Long by Charlie Puth
Logan slammed the door, ignoring Remy's pleading for him to listen. No, not pleading, excuses. Excuses for the horrible act against him, the coffee addict had committed.
I'll admit, I was wrong, what else can I say, girl?
Roman looked up in surprise as Logan stalked up to his room, tears rolling down his face but anger rolling off of him in waves.
"Um, what happened?" He got his answer not even two seconds after asking from outside the apartment door.
"Logan, babes, please! I was drunk, please listen to me!" Roman watched in horror as Logan collapsed to the floor, sobbing as Remy kept on begging to be let in.
Can't you blame my head and not my heart?
I was drunk, I was gone, that don't make it right, but
Roman got up, scooping Logan into his arms, making the older male jump at the sudden contact before he burrowed his face in Roman's neck, face now red from rage and tears. "Don't worry Lo. I'll get Remy to leave."
A small flinch at the mention of the name pleading behind the door was the only indication that Logan had even listened to him. Putting him gently on the couch and wrapping him in his jacket did Roman actually start to piece together what was going on with Remy's screams of guilt.
That prick cheated on the very man Roman was hopelessly in love with. That twit cheated on the most amazing, intelligent and kind person he had ever met and his poor excuse is that he was drunk!
Promise there were no feelings involved, mmh
Rage coursed through Roman as he saw that even as Logan was calming down tears where pouring down his beautiful face.
Stalking towards the door, he swung it open to see Remy crying tears of guilt, looking at the floor on his knees before his head snapped up to meet his enraged gaze.
She said, "Boy, tell me honestly
Was it real or just for show?", yeah
"Remy, why the hell would you hurt him. Why the hell did you stab him in the back in the worst way possible. Did you ever even love Logan at all." They weren't questions but accusations, Roman was done, for months he had to watch from the sidelines as how his best friend lost the sparkle in his eyes, how he became more insecure the longer he was with Remy.
He will not watch the fire that he has known all his life fade just to keep an idiot warm.
She said, "Save your apologies”
Baby, I just gotta know
"I'm, I-Please Roman, I need to talk to Logan, I know your his best friend. I know he'll listen to you, so please let me apologize to—"
"Save it, I don't want to hear it, you hurt him, now you're going to pay. Oh I'm not going to hurt you," Roman said as he saw how Remy started to pale. "No, this is your punishment, you will not go near Logan until he is ready, if you get close to him at all when he doesn't want to see you let's just say my brother may be a little crazy but he did teach me how to use my fists and a knife. Got it."
Remy started to shake at the rage in the normally warm hazel eyes that were now cold golden bullets glaring at him.
How long has this been goin' on?
You've been creepin' 'round on me
While you're callin' me "baby"
How long has this been goin' on?
You've been actin' so shady (shady)
I've been feelin' it lately, baby"
Roman stayed quiet as fear was getting to Remy's head. "How long?"
Remy snapped his head back towards the enraged man. "Wh-what?" An eye twitch was the only indication of annoyance in his face, neither noticing Logan getting up and walking towards them, soft hiccups in between his soften sobs.
"How long has your cheating act been going on. Don't think I'm oblivious, you have stopped looking at Logan with love since the second month of your relationship, it has been three years, Remy, that the two have been together and you have the nerve to tell me that didn't cheat when, from what I gathered from your senseless blabber, that Logan caught you in the act of your affair and you are playing the victim when Logan still looks at you like if you hung the stars up?"
Remy stayed quiet, what was he supposed to say to the truth, that it never happened, please he may had been drunk but cheating was still cheating.
I'll admit, it's my fault, but you gotta believe me
When I say it only happened once, mmm
I try, and I try, but you'll never see that
You're the only one I wanna love, oh, yeah
"I love Logan, he is my everything! I was drunk, please you have to believe me this only happened once, please Roman, let me talk to him."
Logan frowned as he remembered walking in on Remy kissing Nate, going close to taking off their clothes. Nate actually looked horrified when Logan yelled that he was kissing his boyfriend, it seemed the boy he thought was loyal was only playing them both.
She said "Boy, tell me honestly"
"Was it real or just for show?", yeah
She said, "Save your apologies"
"Baby, I just gotta know
"You didn't answer the question, Remington." Remy flinched at both his name and the broken voice using it.
"Was I nothing but a toy to you? I thought. . . nevermind, get out."
"But Logibear—" "OUT!"
"Logan please, I love you!" Roman went towards Logan, pulling him into a hug ignoring Remy's confession.
"Then I should have been enough for you, we're through." With that Logan slammed the door once more before locking it and returning to Roman's arms.
"I am so sorry, Logie." Roman whispered as Logan started to cry against him again. "No one deserves to go through what happened to you."
Whimpers, sobs and hiccups where the only heard in the apartment (ignoring the ones outside the apartment) before Roman got annoyed at Remy's noise.
How long has this been goin' on?
"I'm calling Virgil and Remus, they can get rid of Remy, if you want." Logan nodded at the suggestion, knowing that Virgil, being a lawyer can give Remy charges of trespassing, disturbance of peace and harassment and knowing that Remus being a police officer can arrest Remy if things get more heated.
"You deserve the world Logan, never forget that. That guy is an idiot for letting someone like you go." Logan went pink as Roman let go of him to call the chaotic duo that was his brother and his brother in law.
"At least I know you will always be by my side Roman." Logan whispered as he played with his tie, his heart slowly but surely getting healed by the love his best friend and later boyfriend was giving him.
I tried, I have never written Logince so this is new. I was originally going to make Roman the cheater but then I though nah. Hope this is good though.
27 notes · View notes
prettytoxicrevolver · 7 years
Text
Drunk | Jonah Marais
Requested? Yes! @boomboomboomwayhoo I hope you like it! Also I love your username 
Warnings? Swearing, drunk jonah, mentions of sex 
Word Count: 3,003
“She’s gonna kill you.” Corbyn whispers to Jonah. “It’s her fault for sleeping so late.” Jonah replies. “Can’t you leave the poor girl be?” Daniel asks. Jonah shakes his head no with an evil smile causing Daniel to roll his eyes. Corbyn follows behind Jonah into their shared room and spots (Y/N) sleeping peacefully on Jonah’s bed. “She’s gonna kill you.” Corbyn reminds him once more. Jonah ignores his blonde haired friend and walks over to (Y/N) quietly. He slips one arm around her waist and one under her knees. She instantly curls into Jonah’s chest causing his cheeks to redden. He carefully lifts her up, making sure she doesn’t wake up in the process. Once she’s secured in his arms, he makes his way out of the bedroom and downstairs, with Corbyn still following behind. He makes his way out to the back yard and stands by the edge of the pool. “Hey (Y/N)?” Jonah says while nudging her a bit. Her eyes slowly flutter open and meet Jonah’s bright green ones. “I’m sorry.” Before you can comprehend what’s going on, Jonah swings his arms back and forward before letting go of you. You quickly brace yourself to hit the pool and when you do you quickly resurface. “Jonah!!!” You yell angrily. You get out of the pool lightning quick while Jonah runs away from you. You chase after him and are able to corner him near the edge of the pool. You take a few slow steps forward until you're only an inch away. Your breath quickens as you look up into his captivating green eyes. You regain your thoughts before making your next move. “You’re so dead.” You say with a wicked smile on your face. You go to push him into the pool but he quickly grabs your hands in his, pulling you down with him. You brace yourself to hit the pool for the second time that morning, but this time when you resurface you turn to Jonah. “You’re such a jerk.” You say before splashing your best friend with water. Jonah smiles at you once again and you both slowly get out of the water. You wring out your clothes as best as possible before heading back into the Why Don’t We house. “Damn what happened to you?” Jack asks as you walk into the living room. “Ask the jackass that threw me into the pool.” You respond gesturing to Jonah. “So worth it.” Jonah responds from across the room. You simply roll your eyes and head upstairs to Jonah’s room to steal some clothes for the day. You had stayed over at the compound last night which definitely wasn’t a rarity. You were there almost every weekend to spend time with your best friend and his band mates before they head off for tour once again.You and Jonah had been best friends for quite sometime now. Neither of you could really remember how this came to be but one day you started to hangout and you hadn’t stopped since. After changing you head into the boys bathroom to look for shaving cream. Once you find some you head back downstairs so you can get revenge on Jonah properly. You hear his voice coming from the kitchen and you quickly pour some shaving cream into your hand. Suddenly Zach emerges from the kitchen and you quickly signal him to stay quiet. He simply smirks at you and watches as you sneak into the kitchen. “Are those my clothes?” Jonah asks when he spots you. “Maybe.” You respond. “What are you hiding?” He asks as you walk closer to him. Instead of responding you quickly reach up and land a smack on his left cheek, causing shaving cream to go everywhere. Jonah sits there stunned causing you to laugh loudly. “Oh you’re so gonna get it.” Jonah finally says before chasing after you.
You quickly run away but you’re sadly not fast enough and Jonah catches you by the waist. He drags you towards him and wipes a bit of excess shaving cream onto your cheek. You gasp loudly and shove Jonah away from you.
“You’re such a jackass this morning.” You say in disbelief but with a smile still stuck on your face.
“A jackass in need of a shower because of you.” He points out. “Wanna join me?” He adds on with a wink.
“In your dreams.” You smirk at him and push him towards the stairs.
When Jonah leaves you turn to walk into the bathroom downstairs to shower quickly when you run into Daniel.
“Indeed, in your dreams.” He says smiling widely at you.
“Oh shut it.” You say and jokingly push him as you walk away. After you shower and get all cleaned up you and the rest of the boys head over to Logan's to film. When you get there Logan greets you with a bear hug.
“(Y/N)!!” He yells out loudly with a smile on his face.
“Hey Logie bear.” You say while reflecting his smile.
As the boys pile into Logan’s apartment and set up for their new mashup you and Logan catch up a bit.
“So, have you told Jonah?” He asks almost instantly.
“What do you think?” You respond sarcastically.
He holds his hands up in defense before continuing. “I still say you should just go for it.” He advises.
Instead of responding you look over at Jonah. He’s completely in the zone, listening to the other boys harmonies to get his right. He closes his eyes as he hums along in concentration. When he opens them again he looks over at you and smiles causing you to blush.
“Or maybe I’m wrong.” Logan says from next to you.
He walks over to the boys and you watch the process of them filming their new mashup. Once they’re done the boys decide that they want to go out for dinner.  
“(Y/N/N), you coming?” Daniel asks snapping you out of your small trance.
“Nah. I think I’m just gonna head back home.” You respond as you suppress a small yawn.
“I’ll drive you.” Jonah offers and stands up next to you.
Together in a comfortable silence you and Jonah head out in his car back to your place. He walks you to your apartment floor and when you get to your front door you turn to face him. As you stare into his familiar green eyes you remember what Logan said and one of your favorite quotes.
Twenty seconds of insane courage.
“I’m in love with you.” You blurt out.
“What?” Jonah asks instantly.
“I’m in love with you. And it sucks because we’re best friends and you leave for tour soon and-”
Jonah cuts you off by carefully taking your face in his hands. Without a word he places his lips on yours in a kiss that makes you go weak in the knees. As if Jonah can tell, he carefully lifts you into his arms and you wrap your legs around his waist.
The kiss is slow and steady as he carries you to your bedroom. He places you on your bed and attaches his lips to your neck. He trails up and down your neck and your hands find his hair. You tug and pull slightly causing Jonah to lift his head and reattach your lips.
You tug at his shirt and he quickly takes it off. You admire him for a second, carefully running your hands over his chest. He takes your hands and places them above your head before attaching your lips, getting lost in each other for the first of many times that night.
You wake up the next morning to an empty bed. You slowly get out of bed and walk into your living room. When you don’t find Jonah there you check the kitchen. Pain slowly fills your heart as you realize Jonah had left you.
You pace throughout your living room as your brain goes into overdrive. Did you do something wrong? Did Jonah not feel the same way as you? Instead of wracking your brain by yourself you call Logan and ask him to come over. Logan had always been like an older brother to you and knew about your love for Jonah. Hell, he was the one that convinced you to tell Jonah.
“Yo, (Y/N) are you okay?” Logan asks when he steps into your apartment. Your phone call with him had been short and a bit frantic causing Logan to worry about his young friend.
“I told Jonah last night and we uh-” You say trailing off. “And when I woke up he was gone. Did I do something wrong? Do you think he hates me?” You ramble with questions that have been wracking your brain.
“Hey, hey, come here.” Logan says pulling you into a tight hug. You sigh quietly as you push your face further into his chest.
“It’s going to be okay, just talk to him.” Logan advises.
You stand outside of the Why Don’t We house less than an hour later. You decided to take Logan’s advice and talk to Jonah about last night. You finally take a deep breath and reach forward to ring the doorbell. 
“Hey (Y/N/N).” Daniel says, greeting you with a smile. “What’s wrong?” He asks noticing your serious expression. “Is Jonah here? I need to talk to him.” “He’s in his room.” He says and before he can ask you anything else you walk past him and towards Jonah’s room. When you get to his door you square your shoulders before knocking. You hear him call out for you to come in and you slip inside his room before shutting the door behind you. “Can we talk?” Jonah’s head snaps up at the sound of your voice and you can see the worry in his eyes. He nods his head and you sit down at the end of his bed. “Why did you leave?” You ask quietly. “Because-” He begins but stops and sighs frustratedly. He runs a hand through his hair before finishing his sentence. “Because last night shouldn’t have happened.” You could feel your heart shatter immediately. You gave this boy your all and he didn’t even feel the same way. You push back your ever growing tears and sit up straighter. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship (Y/N/N).” When you don’t say anything Jonah takes your hand in his making you look at him. You quickly pull your hand from his causing his face to fall. “Are we okay?”
“Yeah Jonah.” You snap standing up. “We’re perfect.” You speed walk out of his room unable to look at him anymore. You run down the stairs as tears begin to blur your vision. When you hit the last stair you run straight into someone. “(Y/N)? Are you okay? What happened?” Daniel asks holding onto your shoulders to look at you. “I have to go.” You choke out before pushing past him and heading to the front door. You run to your car and start it instantly driving far away from the boy that broke your heart. When you finally get to Logan’s, you head up to his apartment and ring the doorbell. As you wait for him you cross your arms and try to hold back the tears. Right when Logan sees your face he immediately pulls you towards him. For the second time today you wrap your arms around his torso and push your face into his chest. With his arms still around you, Logan walks you inside his apartment and shuts the door. He leads you over to his couch and you sit down. Suddenly you feel tears on your cheeks and you go to wipe them away only to have Logan stop you. He carefully wipes away your tears with the pad of his thumb before holding your face in his hands. “What happened?” He asks finally. Through many more tears you explain to Logan the events of the past hour. He listens intently and once you're finished he pulls you into his arms once again. “I’m gonna murder him.” Logan decides after a moment. “Logan don’t.” You say sitting up to face him. “You don’t deserve that bullshit.” Logan says standing up. He turns towards the door and as if on cue the doorbell rings. “I swear to God.” Logan mutters under his breath before answering the door. You hear him sigh in relief causing you to let go of the breath you were holding. You peek around Logan to spot Daniel walking through the doorway. “Listen, even though I’m not mad at you, I am mad at your bandmate so where is he?” Logan snaps at Daniel. Daniel ignores Logan and rushes over to you. “What happened with Jonah?” He asks with worry written all over his face. “He’s a dick. That’s what happened.” Logan retorts from behind Daniel. “I know you mean the best,” You begin slowly. “But I really can’t be around you or any of the guys right now.” “But-“ “You heard her Daniel.” Logan says placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder. With one last worried glance, Daniel leaves and you collapse against Logan’s couch with a sigh. Logan makes his way back over to you and pulls you into his arms for what felt like the billionth time that night. “It’ll be okay.” He whispers. It had been about two weeks since the Jonah incident and you were trying to push it to the furthest part in your brain. If you didn’t think about it you could make it through the days with your heart still intact. The boys had gone on tour making it a bit easier on you. Today was a bit harder because for some reason everything reminded you of him. The coffee you had this morning, the song playing on the radio was one he loved, a sweatshirt you saw in a shop that he owned, everything. You were finally home for the day and you were extremely relieved. You kicked off your shoes at the front door and dropped your bag on the couch in your living room. Just as you start to walk away towards your bedroom your phone rings loudly. You fish your phone out of your bag and answer it without looking to see who called you. “Hello?” “(Y/N)?” You hear from the other line. “Jonah?” You ask as the voice registers in your head. “(Y/N), I-i love you.” He slurs out. “Are you drunk?” “M-maybe.” He says and you can almost see the smirk on his face. “Jonah.” You start sighing annoyedly. “I still remember the way you taste.” He continues and you can feel yourself blush. “Where are you?” You asks as you start to pace the room. “Canada.” “Oh my-“ You say as worry floods you. “Are you with the boys?” “Maybe?” Jonah says uncertainly. “Shit.” You curse quietly. “Jonah stay where you are okay?” You hang up the phone before hearing Jonah’s response and quickly dial Daniel's number. He picks up in two rings and you could already hear the worry in his voice. “(Y/N)? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” “Are you with Jonah?” You ask ignoring his questions. “He’s in his hotel room.” Daniel says as his tone of worry changes to confusion. “Can you go check on him? He just called me and he sounds pretty drunk.” You explain quickly. You hear silence on the other end and then Daniel opening and closing a door. You hear a voice and then a response before Daniel begins talking once more. “He’s okay. Drunk as all hell but he’s okay.” You sigh in relief and thank Daniel but not before telling him to keep you updated. Throughout the night you had gotten many drunk texts from Jonah and a few updates from Daniel. Jonah’s texts mostly stayed along the lines of “I miss you” or “I’m in love with you” but you ignored them. You knew when Jonah wakes up the next morning he’ll forget everything. The texts didn’t mean a damn thing and you weren’t gonna sit here and get your hopes up. The next morning you woke up to an apology text from Jonah causing you to roll your eyes. You continued your Saturday per usual, slowly waking up and making breakfast. As you begin to mix the batter for your biscuits your doorbell rings. You walk over to the front door and swing it open not caring who sees you in your shorts and t-shirt with messy hair. When your eyes lock with the strangers at the door you recognize them immediately. “Jonah?” You exclaim. “What the hell are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Canada?” “Well I was in Canada.” He states as he walks into your apartment and shuts the door behind him. “But I needed to see you.” “Jonah what the hell you can’t just-“ Before you can finish your sentence Jonah places a hand on your cheek. Your eyes snap to his and you can feel yourself melting in his gaze. “I meant what I said last night.” He whispers. “I’m in love with you. And I was scared to admit it because I couldn’t believe that you loved me too.” “Jonah I-“ You’re cut off once again by Jonah’s other hand coming up to cup your other cheek. His eyes flicker from yours to your lips before he speaks once more. “What happens if I do this?” He asks uncertainly. “Why don’t you find out?” You whisper. With those few words Jonah’s lips are on yours and you immediately feel weak at the knees. Your hands find their way to his neck as his hands slip to your waist, pulling you closer. When you break apart you’re absolutely breathless. You loved this boy with all your heart. And you now knew he loved you too.
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Peep the We Bought A Zoo reference because I’m in love with that movie
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Hands Of Gold Part 2
Pairing: Jaime Lannister x Reader
Request:  wow, I love Hands Of Gold, can you make a second part please ?
A/N: So this takes place during both 6x07. I’m splitting the scenes up so I can give each of them the development they deserve, I know that there’s not much reader Jaime interaction in this, because it’s mainly just setting up the next part, but part three is going to have a lot more in it.
Wordcount: 1556
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Part One
You arrived home to no fanfare, there was no one there to embrace you after all the time you had spent away. It was a long ride from Kingslanding to Riverrun. The first time you had traveled the distance most of it had been done in a carriage with your two siblings it tow, it seemed different on horseback somehow. Still the feeling of fear was ever your companion though admittedly for a different reason, once it had simply been the Kingslayer on your mind, now Jaime was the one certainty that you could count on. Edmure and the Blackfish had not seen you in such a long time who knew what they would think of you. You had to remind yourself that you belonged to House Tully no longer, you were a lion now not a fish. 
You stayed quiet as Jaime and Bronn spoke, far too distracted by the sight of such a familiar castle in front of you. When you married Jaime you weren't sure you would ever see the red bricked castle or the river again, and yet here they were as if you'd never left. It took everything you had not to ride straight up to the castle there and then, but you didn't. 
Instead you stayed by your husband's side knowing that he had to make an important impression of the Fray forces that were currently doing such a poor job of laying siege to the castle, and a disobedient wife who belonged to the enemy family would probably not have helped.
Still it was an odd experience seeing the fields you used to play in as a child, the ones you would laugh in as a child as you giggled and dipped your toes into the river, now dug with trenches, home to pigs and Fray men alike, though it was hard for you to see the difference. They may have been Lannister allies but that didn’t mean you had to like them. The Fray’s had imprisoned your brother and murdered your sister and your nephew, they were no friends of yours.
There was mud everywhere in the camp, you couldn’t help but notice as the three of you moved through the camp. You were grateful for the riding boots you had thought to wear but the hem of your skirts were now ruined. It was a shame, you were starting to like this dress, you could hear your husband in your mind telling you that you had the money to buy dresses three times over if that was what you wanted. Even then it was easier to keep your eyes on the mud rather than see the the same shocked look on a man's face over and over again at the sight of the Lannister lion.
When you reached the other side of camp you attention was drawn by two soldiers who were stood on what looked like makeshift gallows.
“Come out and face us Blackfish!” they cried. “We have Lord Edmure. Yeild this castle or we’ll hang him!”
You immediately felt your whole body tense, as well as Jaime’s gaze on you. That was your older brother, the one who used to play with you and read to you as you fell asleep stood up there with a rope around his neck. You felt your husband reach out, and place his hand to your middle, in between you and the castle, half as act of comfort, half to prevent you doing something stupid.
“This is your last warning!” They yelled as your uncle became clear on the ramparts. Much to the confusion of the men, your Uncle said nothing. Then in a move you didn’t expect, they pulled the rope from around Edmure’s neck and replaced it with a knife. 
“You think I won’t do it old man,” the one threatened. “I sliced your niece’s throat from ear to ear, and where were you, running and hiding like a fucking coward!”
It was those words that had you moving passed Jaime up to where the soldiers were standing though they payed little attention to a woman like yourself. You had no idea whether they really would kill your brother, but it was not something you wanted to risk after finally being so close to him after all this time.
"Go on then," you heard your Uncle speak for the first time in years "Slit his throat,"
It was that that gave you the extra drive you needed and you soon found yourself stood on the grass in clear view of the man who had murdered your sister and the brother he was now clutching all too tight.
"Stop!" You yelled surprised at your own composure. "I Lady Y/n of house Lanister and Casterlyrock command you to remove that knife from lord Edmure,"
"What?" the man replied "why should I listen to you?"
You were about to give him what was admittedly not the best reason, before Jaime took his place standing beside you, a visual show of support in front of men who were far more likely to listen to him anyway.
"Lothar is it?" He asked calmly.
The man nodded, seemingly shocked that such a highborn man could know his name, as if he had forgotten that he was the commander in charge of the very operation.
"Come down here, I want a word. This siege is now under my control,"
You didn't busy yourself with anything that was said after that, you simply made your way up the stairs so that you could pull Edmure into an embrace as they let him go.
"Y/n?" you hear him choke out as you wrap your arms around his middle wishing for once that you weren't so much smaller than him.
"Hush," you quieten. "It's alright brother, I'm here,"
The two of you move back towards Jaime and Bronn, in time to hear your husband bickering with the two Fray men about how it was your brother was going to be treated. They were fools for even attempting to disagree with him you noted, he could have had them killed in an instant and the world would not have missed them. The sound of an insult aimed at you catches your ear then, you should have expected it you supposed, but Jaime backhand's the man quickly reaffirming who it is that is in control. It was funny, that Jaime could care so little for his own honor but then be so be careful with yours.
You do not hear whatever it is that is said next, as with one last look over your shoulder to your husband, you lead Edmure to a place you knew he could at least be comfortable for a while.
The tent that you and Jaime shared was nothing if not lavish with bright red walls, a real bed and extra furs for you to keep you warm at night, you knew it was a lot nicer than what most of the soldiers had. A statement of power, you could almost hear the lion telling you. Still there was one item of particular importance to you in that moment, the tin bath. You gathered up what hot water you could and poured it in, all the while keeping an eye on your brother who was being rather quiet though you supposed it was understandable in the circumstances. There was soldiers posted outside the tent, in case he tried to escape, but you tried not to think about it.
"I write to Roslin," You tell him as your pour in the last of the water, your back to him so that you cannot see his reaction. "she says that your son is well, and that she finds herself missing you,"
There are a few more beats of silence as you put down the bucket to turn back to face him.
"The Kingslayer is treating you well then," Your brother comments with enough bitterness to make you cower.
"Jaime treats me as well as he is able," you respond gently
"That's good, considering the part he played in murdering the rest of our family,"
"We were married before Robb ever rowed south you know that," you replied "I would not be alive today if it weren't for my husband, so I suggest you show him the respect he deserves, at least in that regard," You can understand your brother's anger of course, you were certain that if it was the other way around you probably would have had the same amount of distaste for all the Lannisters, but at the same time your brother was a prisoner and for that reason alone he should have known to be careful with his word choice. You were not interested in the idea of having to defend Jaime yet again even to your brother, so instead you turn your back to him and begin to make your way into one of the other rooms of the tent, before speaking to him once more over your shoulder. "Enjoy that, I'll be back in a while with some clean clothes and some food,"
You step through the rest of the tent not bothering to stay within it and move outside just in time to see Bronn dashing towards you.
"What is it?" You ask already bracing yourself for what was most likely going to be bad news.
"His highness says if you want to speak to the Blackfish then you have to come now,"
Tagging: @elenawrit @poruchik-logy @not-alexachung
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fahye · 7 years
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CP bachelor AU: part 13
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12
***
Laurent bends his legs, pulling his ankles out of direct sunlight and back into the shade of the poolside umbrella. He's had sunburned feet once in his life, and never plans to repeat it. He throws an annoyed glance at Damen, who is stretched out on the adjacent lounge chair. Damen has spent the last three days turning steadily browner while being very lax about sunscreen.
The villa they've rented on the west coast of Santorini has its own pool as well as its own tiny courtyard complete with mosaic floor and fountain. Sunshine off white stone and white paint makes it feel overbright and otherworldly during the day, shimmering with heat and light. Laurent tried for an hour this morning to go over his notes on the Theran eruption and the formation of the caldera, but the heat snuck into his brain, and he can't make himself mind. He feels looser, and happier, than he ever imagined he could.
The ratings for the show's finale were unprecedented. With the story of Erasmus and Kallias under their belts, the finale was marketed as an even more shocking twist, and Laurent and Damen have become the new faces of unexpected romance. They've been asked to present at the Logies, and to appear on every morning show in the country.
Laurent has never been a celebrity in his own right, nor wanted to. He's... adjusting.
The most obvious benefit is that Damen's stock in the eyes of his PR department has shot way, way up, and his father has--after a long talk with both Damen and Laurent, which left Laurent feeling like he'd run a marathon--agreed that Damen will assume control of the company as planned. Theomedes looked like a man who'd already planned the first three years of his luxury retirement and had one impatient foot out the door; he was ready to throw Damen the reins immediately.
Damen promptly turned around and declared that he was leaving the company in the care of his brother Kastor for six months, extending the leave of absence he'd taken to come on the show.
"To do what?" Theomedes demanded.
"This and that," said Damen, eyes dancing at Laurent. "Expand my horizons. Travel."
Laurent has only met Kastor once. He has a feeling that Damen's decision will come back to bite them later, but right now he can't bring himself to care too much if it means that Damen is here, with him, holding his hand in airports and telling him stories over lunches of bread and olive oil and fava and sun-wilted tomatoes, and kissing Laurent in the night breezes that sweep gladly through the open doors of the villa.
Tomorrow, filming begins in Fira for Laurent's new show.
Two of Laurent's major potential investors pulled out, after the season went to air. They cited various vague reasons but Laurent knew what they meant: that Laurent's uncle had managed to leverage the finale against Laurent, frame it as his unfortunate, inexperienced nephew being selfish; impetuous; unstable and untrustworthy.
Laurent's new network, however, looked at the ratings. They agreed to take the chance on his show.
And Laurent has another investor, now, even though he's been arguing about this with the investor in question for at least six months. And also for the last twenty minutes that they have been lounging here, poolside.
"I should make you take all the money back," he says now.
"What," Damen says, "I can't invest in my own fiancé's company?"
"Don't call me that," Laurent says, automatic.
Damen lifts his hand, and looks pointedly at Laurent's. The ring that had been donated to the show was some enormous, hideous diamond, which Laurent wore for publicity photos and promptly returned to the sponsor. Instead, he wears a plain gold band, and Damen has a matching one. They look like wedding bands, but for the hand they wear them on.
"Trappings," Laurent says, blithely insincere. "We're not engaged. You can't get engaged before you start dating, that's absurd."
"I seem to remember that's what I told someone when they approached me about being on a reality show."
Laurent throws a towel, with precision, at Damen's face.
Damen sets the towel aside and climbs off his lounge chair. He says, grinning, "Let's call it business. I expect a good return on my investment."
"Is that so," says Laurent.
"I'll settle for dividends, in the meantime."
Damen bends down over Laurent and kisses him with sun-chapped lips. Laurent hooks a finger in Damen's shirt and tries to drag him down further, but Damen pulls away and takes off his shirt, instead, ready to dive into the pool.
Laurent waits until Damen is down to just a clinging pair of board shorts, and then snaps a picture on his phone. After a moment's thought he sends the picture to Jokaste.
just sharing the wealth, he adds.
Her answer comes almost at once. just showing off, you mean.
It's late evening in Sydney. Jokaste is probably out somewhere, being sharp and sparkling. She's already been approached to do Dancing with the Stars, has booked a small part on a new TV drama, and appears near-weekly in gossip magazines, paired with various radio personalities and football players.
Three dots resolve themselves into another message.
btw I had coffee with kashel yesterday. do you know who she's seeing??
yes, laurent says.
you're bluffing.
he IS damen's best friend, Laurent points out.
stop being a smug asshole and go peel your bf out of those shorts.
Damen is in the pool by now, swimming aimless half-laps. Laurent watches him, feeling a pleasant heat of anticipation at the thought. Damen swims up to the edge and rests his elbows there; water gleams on the muscles of his arms and plasters his hair to his neck in thick strands. He sweeps a palm through the water, making waves, in an obvious threat.
"I will fucking destroy you," Laurent says. He picks up his phone, to serve as a shield of sorts--their phones are sacred and not to be endangered--then blinks as it starts to vibrate in his hand.
"What is it?" Damen says.
Laurent leans forward and holds out the phone so that Damen can see the name on the screen.
Damen mimes throwing it into the pool, and Laurent smiles. He leans back in his lounge chair. The phone keeps buzzing in his hands. After a moment, he picks up.
"Hello, uncle," he says.
"Laurent," his uncle says. "I'm pleasantly surprised. I thought you'd be buried in work, not taking calls from family."
"I can always make time for you," Laurent says.
"Producing a new format from scratch is a lot more work than taking over an existing show. You must be feeling stretched."
"It's kind of you to worry," Laurent says, "but there's really no need. After all, I learned from the best."
Since Laurent was seventeen, he and his uncle have spoken in code; everything they say aloud to one another, every email or text, is benign and deniable. Everything happens beneath the surface. Laurent imagines how pleased his uncle would be to report to his friends in the industry that he'd spoken to Laurent and the poor boy had sounded so stressed, and admitted to being in over his head.
He'll probably report it anyway. At least it he’ll know it to be a lie.
"I have to say it is a little disappointing, Laurent, that you were so desperate for capital you felt the need to attach yourself to the nearest bank account on legs. It doesn't look good, you must see that. I'm concerned that people won't take this little show of yours seriously."
Laurent lets himself smile. He enjoys arguing this topic with Damen himself, but he won't let anyone else question it. And if his uncle's skirting around calling Laurent a whore, he must be running low on inspiration.
He could come back with the obvious answer that it's hardly any better than everyone thinking he's no more than his uncle's pet project. But it's too obvious to bother saying aloud.
"I think I'll let the finished product speak for itself," he says. "Besides, there are some benefits. Now that everyone knows I'm off the market, there are far fewer people trying to wrangle an AD job by making indecent offers. I know how people gossip in this industry. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I make my personnel decisions in bed."
That is met with silence. Laurent meets Damen's eyes and makes a small face, and Damen starts to laugh.
Nicaise will be having lunch with Aimeric this week. An olive branch, of sorts, and perhaps an offer. Nicaise is far too untrusting to let Aimeric get away with anything; if they can avoid strangling one another in a Potts Point restaurant, Laurent's told Nicaise to extend the hand anyway. Responsibility ends where Laurent decides it ends.
"I'll be following your project with great interest," his uncle says, finally.
Laurent has friends, money, and manpower. He's not struggling just to maintain his footholds any more. This year, they're going on the offensive; if you're going to fight, you might as well do it from a position of strength. He and Damen have two companies between them, and all the influence that comes with a narrative that's grown bigger than them both. Damen is made for it, born to it, expanding and inhabiting the largeness of his life. And Laurent… well, Damen was right. Laurent enjoys a challenge, if he gets to set the terms.
"I'm sure you will," he says pleasantly, and hangs up.
He puts his phone on the table and pulls off his own shirt. Damen sends an inviting splash in his direction, droplets prickling coolly at his ankles.
Laurent dives in to join Damen, and the water folds over him like a second skin.
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crystalelemental · 7 years
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Atelier Shallie Plus Opinions
Anyone paying attention to the overall rankings, and more importantly paid attention to each of the other run-downs, has noticed I am a Dusk Trilogy fanboy in the extreme.  The series has had such a wonderful shift in art direction, and the emphasis on the environmental impact and history for the setting has been nothing short of divine.  The series also boasts some of the best casts of characters, and have changed the battle and alchemy systems to be far more engaging.  And yet, Shallie is among my least-favorites in the series.  It's still an excellent game, like all Atelier games, but it ranks near the bottom for a single reason: disappointment.  For all the excellent buildup of this trilogy has to offer, boy is the conclusion just...among the worst this trilogy could've had.
CHARACTERS On the whole, I think the characters of Shallie are good.  I wouldn't necessarily say that they're on par with the previous Dusk games, but they're still solid, and the returning characters are, once again, some of the best possible picks.
Shallistera - The better Shallie, I say.  She's your more down-to-earth character, whose village is suffering from the water drying up.  She comes to Stellard to find a way to save her village.  She's definitely the more serious of the two, but she has some charming quirks as well.
Shallotte - Shallotte is the goofier of the two, and is high energy and kind of a dunce.  I'm reminded slightly of Rorona, just in terms of those qualities.  She works out as a character, and has her own thing going on with her sick mother.  I just have a preference for mostly serious with quirks over quirk master supreme only calm in certain situations.
Kortes - I was on board for Kortes initially.  But he's an idiot.  His general stance is that, after being in the city and learning other customs, some of the things the village does seem odd or unnecessary to him.   It's fine as a character, but the reason I don't like him is one scene with Wilbell, in which she mentions spirits, and he's like "Yeah, too bad those aren't real."  Like...Kortes, buddy...we have fought spirits. Constantly.  What are you talking about?  I just hate that character in high-fantasy that's "science-minded" but rejects easily observable facts because they wouldn't exist in our reality.  That's not how science works, asshole.
Jurie - Jurie is a treasure hunter who is out to make a lot of money, mostly for her younger sister.  Jurie is also quite the writer, apparently, and uses her adventures to create stories for others about them.
Miruca - Miruca is Jurie's younger sister, and the best girl of this game.   Miruca is flat-affect and very direct with her thoughts, particularly in regards to Central. She hated it there.  Education in Central seems to be based largely on connection and conformity rather than development of new ideas or creativity, and as a result she never really fit in and was bullied by many in the program. Central itself is thus something she hates for their philosophy on how things should work, and with good reason.  Miruca's storyline is also one of the reasons I came away not liking Shallotte that much.  Miruca clearly disdains Central and what it's like there, and Shallotte spends most scenes with her talking about how great Central is and how Miruca's dream was once to go there to become a great alchemist.  I know Shallotte's all about quirk and being gung-ho, but she kinda comes across as the type who is energetic to the point she's oblivious to the feelings of others, and that is something I really don't like.  Not to mention, it’s one thing to support your friend’s dreams, and entirely another to ignore their very clear current stance and change in life goals to keep prattling on about what they wanted to do in the past.
Wilbell - Return of the best witch.  Wilbell gets a lot in this.  She has a vulnerable moment with her attempts at contracting with the Lord of Water, takes on Shallotte as an apprentice to help in what way she can, and is finally accepted as a proper witch by her great grandmother.  It's a nice resolution for her character all-around.
Homura - Homura is a homunculus.  Homura, unlike the other homunculi, has a taste for adventure and a desire to be a great treasure hunter, instead of being...more of a follower.  When it comes to his attention that homunculi are all man-made, the little guy has a crisis of identity, and has a really striking scene with Solle and the Shallies about whether his quirks are because he was made that way, or if there's something unique to him as an individual.  Honestly, he's the most emotionally significant character in the crew, I feel.  I guess the name "Homura" is one just destined to be associated with emotional devastation.
Solle - Solle comes back, and continues to be his deadpan snarker self.  I love this guy.  He's actually playable this time, and apparently his attacks are based on using the Homunculi.  Which is neat.  Most of his best moments are in him becoming more like Marion with his disdain for protocol, and his interactions with Homura which are really sweet.
Escha - Alchemist return #1.  Escha continues to be bubbly and fun, and is just great to have around.  There isn't a whole lot of development for her character, unfortunately.  She's just here to help out Solle as he establishes the new branch in this town, and to bring the seed entrusted to her by Flameu, as Flameu has stated this is where the seed should go.  Mysterious.
Logy - Similarly, he doesn't get a lot of development, he's just around to help out Solle.  I really have nothing significant to comment on, though I hear he's really good in combat.
Ayesha - BEST ALCHEMIST RETURNS!  Ayesha comes back, and is as delightful as ever.  My only real complaint is that, given her actions before she's officially added and the fact that her ultimate attack is effectively summoning the Yggdrasil monster she defeated, I had hoped this meant she took over the powers of Yggdrasil as sort of a manager of the cradle of life.  She did not. She's just eccentric.  Which still works, but you know.  Mild letdown.
Keithgriff - He's not as critical as he was in Ayesha, unfortunately, and is part of the reason the ending is so dull.  He really just doesn't shine like in Ayesha, where his role was more solidified and significant.  Here, they kinda just use his character in the same role, but with no real deviations.  He just shows the Shallies the dark past of alchemy and already seems to know everything, even though the emphasis on finding a solution to the Dusk should mean he’s roughly as clueless as the others.  It was nice to see the scenes of how he's responding to traveling with Ayesha, and how he's changing the things he smokes to maintain good health like Ayesha wants.  The game kinda implies a romance thing at one point, which I'm not a fan of, but the scenes are sweet.
Odelia - Actual best girl.  She's back, and as wonderful as ever.  She's just not playable, which is a sin.  She gets one scene with Homura that's pretty good, as both of them have a moment about being man-made entities.  But really, Odelia stands out in comedy.  Her role in the sweets-eating contest as the eater of the sweets is great, and her shooting down Albert is just about the best thing.
Raoul - This guy is the head of the organization that manages the lower classes, essentially.  He's a bit rough around the edges, but cares deeply for the town, and feels the government is only looking out for the wealthy while the poor immigrants from villages where water is disappearing are left to fend for themselves.  He attempts to create order by establishing a system where people can find work through him to manage their needs.  He's pretty swell, and works with Solle and Central to ensure things are going well in the city.
Perriend - By comparison, the guy in charge of the government cares significantly for the city's autonomy, and refuses to cooperate with Central.  He's not a bad person, he just feels very strongly that sacrifices need to be made for the common good, and sometimes those sacrifices mean that not everyone is happy.  He can come off as really abrasive, way more so than Raoul, but he does care for the city itself.  I'm not a fan of his.
Linca - A different one this time.  We meet Linca Seven, whereas the one with Marion is Linca Eight.  This Linca works as a secretary for Perriend, and in terms of personality, is fairly similar to Linca 8, if a bit more serious and better at paperwork.
Nady - Shallotte's mom.  She's apparently the former secretary of Perriend, and generally sweet.  She's just also apparently really bad with money.  She spends a virtual fuckton on literal garbage that Katla sells, making Katla look awful and Nady look like an idiot.  She's cute, but eh.
Albert - This guy is a robot-fucker with excellent taste.  He gets a look at Odelia, is instantly smitten, and starts collecting automatons to figure out how they work. He's a complete doofus who doesn't do his job, but gets away with things by being the rich son of Perriend.  As a result, I am not the biggest fan of this guy, but boy does he have good taste in robots.
Teo - The older one from Shallistera's village.  He's an occasionally helpful source of knowledge for some of the major events around town when you're looking for alchemy information, but otherwise doesn't do a whole lot.  He does call Kortes out on being a know-it-all who doesn't know anything at one point, which I adored.  But otherwise, kinda forgettable.
Rosemia - If ever there were a time I was disappointed in not having DLC for a new playable shopkeep character, it is now.  Rosemia is awesome.  She’s a former witch who was shunned largely by society, but found love with a man who cared for her despite her status as a witch.  Unfortunately, he was a sea-faring man and wound up dying at sea, leaving her alone.  She continues to travel, scavenging items from the dead to sell off.  I really wish she was a playable character...
Katla - Oh, and Katla’s here.  Hooray.
STORY Let's first review the past two games.  In Ayesha, the background setting is all about the Dusk, and how humans used alchemy for bad purposes that messed up the world really badly.  The devastation was so significant that oceans dried up, and the beings that were created with alchemy were let loose in the collapse of civilization, with the slags running haywire more as weapons than entities for work.  The devastation was so extreme that locations like the Zweiteturm and the Cradle of Life were established to re-build the entirety of society and the world's ecosystem if they couldn't turn things around.  It establishes the problem of the Dusk as something that has a global impact, and introduces the idea that there's a cyclic problem that people just have to endure.
In Escha and Logy, the problem is further explored as we learn that humans banded together to confront the threat, but ultimately came up short-handed. Even with the establishment of Geosis and its centuries-long study of the environmental impact the Dusk had, they still came up with little more than a single seed that offers a presumably temporary solution to an environmental problem.  We're also given more indication that the Dusk may have been a human-created problem, and that the suggestion for certain farming techniques from Flameu may have caused problems for the soil's ability to sustain production until it all collapsed.  It introduces a somewhat alternative theory for how humans responded to the crisis, but even with the implication that civilizations worked together, they still all died out and were unable to sufficiently fix the problem the world faced.
In Atelier Shallie, the basic plot concept was bringing in a resolution and solution to the problem of the Dusk.  Already, I hope what you see wrong.  "Solution." This should have been a band-aid at best; something that allows humans to consistently survive the Dusk, but not fix it.   But it's super fixable in ways it should not be.  You see, apparently the cause of the Dusk here is that a machine made ages ago for water purification broke down, and is now taking in a bunch of drinking water, failing to purify it, and instead spitting out contaminated water, which removes the water supply from the world.  This is the Dusk.  Now, it fits with "humans did this to themselves," but if it's a broken down machine, how exactly is this a re-occurring cycle?  But to make matters worse, when you defeat the administrator of this facility, the machine turns off then back on again, and Keith just adjusts the intake a bit and the problem is immediately solved. They talk about "oh, not everything will go back to normal right away," but there's drinking water in the smaller villages again, so problem is literally solved entirely, with no adverse effects.  It's too clean, and conflicts with so much we know about the Dusk.  You really mean to tell me the ancient civilization was so incapable of figuring out the most basic of technology rules to turn it off and on again that they all died from it?  You really mean to tell me that a machine breaking down was the cause of them building an entire facility to store all knowledge, another to preserve all life, and a third to study the phenomenon and develop countermeasures?  No one saw the water drying up and went "Hey, maybe we should check the machine that monitors this stuff?"  None of it fits with the elements that have come before, and considering we've spent so much time expressing that the ancient civilization was far more technologically advanced than the current era, there's no excuse for the problem to just be a faulty machine.
Then there's the issue of the Lord of Water, whose memories showcase that humans were in fact at war with each other as part of the reason she's so pissed about things.  But that directly conflicts with Threia's findings, so either war happened prior to the Dusk and humans banded together to confront a larger problem after their own conflicts, or this game just forgot about that tidbit and did whatever it wanted.  Personally, I kinda wonder if it's the latter, though I'm accepting the former.  There are just pieces that do not tie together well, and considering how well Escha & Logy fit together with Ayesha despite having almost no connections in geography or characters, this is a little sad.
SETTING I feel like the discussion above is sufficient.  The locations in this area are all drying up from the Dusk, and it all feels very connected to the rest of the trilogy up until they make the reveal of the answer.   It really just knocks both the story and the setting components flat on their ass, and turns something with an incredible amount of potential into a massive disappointment.
ALCHEMY SYSTEM There have been changes.  Many changes.  For instance, quality goes up to 999.  There's also a chaining process, where you can put skills on materials. Some skills are one slot, some are two, and materials all have different amounts of slots, up to 4 at a time.  Your goal now is to improve materials to apply traits, and if you use the same element skills in a row on items that share that elemental trait, your chain bonus goes up, and this is entirely irrelevant barring Chain Attribute and Chain Effect, both of which are Earth skills.  Earth and Wind skills are the only ones that can chain up to 9999 chain value, and if this is done, Chain Effect will bring your final product up to effect 999.   It's honestly a little roundabout, and while I don't inherently dislike it, it doesn't feel as organic as Escha & Logy's system did.  This game also does a super cool thing where a lot of optimal effects exist as the middle value, rather than the highest, so a lot of times your attribute-increasing skills aren't that necessary, so Fire and Water are barely ever used late-game.  It just feels like an incredibly wasted aspect of the game when half your skills are never used, and the remainder are used almost exclusively to build up the Chain gauge without any regard to their effect.
Synthesis level has also been upgraded to 99, which is way higher than 50.  So high that it's honestly hard to reach.  You definitely want to, as you get more Cost involved for being higher level, which reduces the number of needed Water skills, which is great because now you can get back to just spamming Earth or Wind skills like you ought to be.  The best way is to just gather a ton of Clay and Junk, and just synthesize 200 Brother Call items.  It's a little slow, but manageable.
Ultimately though, I think it's an interesting idea that didn't play out too well. Synthesis is fun for most of the game, as it always is, but the conclusion kinda falls flat as everything becomes about optimizing quality by chaining skills. Because skills don't matter anymore beyond just keeping the same element going and ending with Chain Effect, your skills just feel irrelevant and the whole system becomes less complex.   It would have made chaining to maximum easier, but I almost wish chain just built solely through matching an element skill to an element the material had.  That way, you can apply a bunch of different traits as needed, while still getting a good chain together.  Instead, it spends a majority of the game allowing for a bunch of traits as needed, but ends with "Just chain what you need and be done with it."
BATTLE SYSTEM Damage is really high in this game.  HP values are also really high.  Moreso than any other game, I think.  I really don't know how I feel about it. The result is that you spend a lot of time just trying to implement a system where your characters will instantly get to do follow up attacks, because that's the basis of all damage.  Equipment is significant, and you maintain the equip items from Escha and Logy, though items are apparently very nerfed from Escha & Logy, and the alchemists play a support and healing role more than anything.  Which is odd.   Shallistera's ability lets her duplicate items, which is completely worthless in this kind of setup where you equip items and they re-stock when you return to town.  Shallotte's ability is to mix two items together to have effects, and I hear it's really good, but the damage options I worked with don't seem to be even remotely on par with the damage output of follow-up attacks.  The combat isn't bad.  It is a lot more difficult in the early-game, I feel, but very simple with late-game equipment, considering I beat the DLC boss on accident.
Fortunately, equipment continues the way it did in Escha & Logy, allowing you to use previous phases of equipment to transfer up.  The difference is, you may want to use smaller items at some point, because a weaker item may get more skill slots, which is way more vital than anything else.   Nothing matters like the ability to chain skills.  Sadly.
In actual combat, there's a new Break mechanic.  If you keep up the offense, enemies will reach a "Break" state, where they lose their turn and cannot act. This is a valuable mechanic, in that relentless offense can cause enemies to lose turns, but your characters also suffer from it.  It's not a bad inclusion, I just am not its biggest fan.  I'd rather we play combat as simple as possible, and this extra layer feels wholly unnecessary.
Then there's your Burst Gauge.   Not gonna lie, I don't even understand all the mechanics of this.  When you attack or use skills, your burst gauge goes up. When it reaches 100% or more, you enter the burst state.  During this time, you can gain a boost to damage output, and even more depending on the skills on your weapon.  The damage can be as significant as like 5-10x damage from the non-burst state.  It also allows you to perform consistent chain attacks.  Outside of burst, you can get one follow-up.  In Burst, you can get all three reserve characters, but I guess you need all three of your front-line fighters alive to use all three back-row members?  Which is honestly a stupid limitation.  If you activate the burst under certain, very mysterious conditions, you can activate field effects based on your back row units.  Some will allow for HP regen, some increase damage output, etc.  They all have different effects, and it can be really helpful, I just have no idea what the rules are for activation, if I'm being entirely honest.  Sometimes I can enter burst state right away in a match and get three field effects automatically, and other times it takes the entire match to get there and I only get one.  I couldn't find an indication of where on the battle screen this information was, either.  Some may say I should've paid more attention during the tutorial piece.  I, however, say that this is an unnecessary layer of complexity.
OTHER MECHANICS When I started this game, I was convinced it would be the best, because there was no time limit anymore.  This is fantastic, and definitely great to make sure you have time to make all the items and catch all events, even in one playthrough.  However, this game attempts to keep some sort of fire lit by introducing motivation.  When you complete life tasks (which is your indirect way of having ideas of what to work on), your motivation goes up, which in turns allows you to move faster on the map and gather more materials.  However, if you putz around and don't accomplish things, motivation goes down, and you move slower and get fewer materials at gathering points.  It's...honestly just a frustrating and irrelevant system, I think.  I have all the time in the world and can gather as much as I want, you're just slowing down the process for the sake of trying to keep things moving.  It's not a terrible idea, but I don't think it was implemented very effectively.
There's also the weather patterns.  Certain environmental conditions will result in more or less of enemies or materials in certain areas.  Again, it's an interesting idea, but it ultimately doesn't really change a whole lot.  Reduced material gathering just becomes frustrating, while increased gathering is just great to unlock a lot of extra life tasks.   More or less enemies is also irrelevant because...well...
Experience gained in this game is meaningless from battle.  You will almost always be gaining shit for XP, and the real benefit is from the bonuses for completed life events.  When you complete most of the goals around synthesizing specific items, you can get around 2500 XP.  This can happen incredibly early in the game, resulting in a weird difficulty curve where the game is incredibly hard at the outset due to low XP, then incredibly easy mid-game when you can make better equipment and are like 25 levels above the enemies in the areas, followed by it getting really difficult again late-game as levels even out and you struggle to get the best equipment traits.  I really am not a big fan of how the experience system works in this game at all.  I guess the idea is, again, to keep that fire lit under your ass so you work hard at accomplishing tasks, but it's just a really awkward way to handle combat.
There is, however, one mechanic that I absolutely adore: skill points.  When you hit level 40, you start gaining one skill point every level.  Points are allocated to different skills for your character, such as improving their special attacks, or increasing stats.  I am all about skill points, so I absolutely adore this system's inclusion...I just don't think it's all that interesting in how it's handled.  Every character is essentially a carbon copy.  You have the skill to increase attack, defense, speed, all stats, crit rate, crit damage, and the few to improve attacks to different forms.   There isn't a whole ton of variance between them.  I think one character (Escha, I think?) got two copies of boost all stats, which is great, and Ayesha got something to reduce the amount of break gauge damage you take. There's just not enough differentiation for my taste.  I know that's kind of asking a lot, but that's the entire point of a skill point system; hyper-customization of characters.  Having everything be so similar feels like it invalidates a lot of the purpose of such a system.  The increase in stat points especially could just as easily be done through increasing the amount you gain at level ups.  It's also hard to truly appreciate when you carry over accumulated skill points to NG+, so at the end of your second playthrough getting to level 99 (which is really easy), you can max out all skills instantly upon reaching level 40, so there's nothing left to work for.  I do like the inclusion, and I hope they keep a similar system in upcoming games, but I would really like more specialization for characters, and for skill points to not carry over in NG+ so there's still something to work for.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Okay, remember in Escha and Logy, how the ultimate traits were found pretty much through luck in relic searches with a boost Relic rarity effect on and the Dowsing Rod improving traits?  Their solution to this was to instead make them based on random drops from boss enemies.  I hope you see the issue.  While Escha and Logy is a little stressful in that it's hard to actually know where to find things without incredible luck or fore-knowledge, Shallie's method is WAY more obnoxious to farm for.  Relics have all the properties, and with a quick building of the gauge and use of Dowsing rod, you get three searches in like 15 seconds. It's incredibly quick to get what you need.  When getting traits off of drops, though, it's completely random, there are like ten billion traits in the pool to choose from, and they seem to only show up consistently on higher difficulties. Add to it, the base game has the optimal farming option through the Silver Dragon, while in Shallie Plus there was a minor change that makes it so Silver Dragon doesn't drop anything of value, and you have to wait for it to transform into a way stronger version to drop anything worthwhile.  This creates a system where the best farming method for non-weapon traits (the first DLC boss drops two weapons, generally with excellent traits) takes a solid 5 minutes per run, with low trait drop chance, on a difficulty that may result in your death when you start out.  It's the first time that I've looked at what was happening in an Atelier game and said it wasn't fun, which was devastating.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS If I had to think of a word to describe the entirety of this game, it would be "Experimental."  Atelier Shallie introduces a ton of new mechanics, and while some are interesting in theory, very little feels like it's handled well in practice. I've cleared the game in its entirety, and I'm still not sure how some of the battle mechanics work. Alchemy, while different from previous games, seems to invalidate a lot of the creative process when all you ever do late-game is spam Wind or Earth skills to get chain effect maxed to then maximize the effect meter of your item, making it feel very mechanical and, honestly, not particularly fun. The story is a mess, and actively harms the setup from the previous two games that made this trilogy stand out so significantly from Arland's games.  The characters can be engaging and fun, and for the majority of the game things are generally great, but it really feels like the ending of the game dropped the ball for both itself and for the trilogy as a whole.
I made a mention back in the review of Rorona, that a game doesn't necessarily need a good, complex plot.  Something simple yet serviceable can be just as effective, if played correctly.  However, if you go for a plot, you really have to make it count, because nothing will hinder the impact of a game quite like having a plot that's either nonsense or just poorly constructed.  Atelier Shallie is the perfect example of this.  Between the poor conclusion for the trilogy and the game mechanics that are interesting but not implemented particularly well...it's hard to say Shallie shouldn't be the least favorite.  The only thing really saving it from being at the bottom is that Totori's problems feel so much more significant, and the fact that, until the last chapter, Shallie was doing extremely well.  By virtue of a strong and engaging beginning and middle, and the fact that I think there's a flat 0 in terms of really uncomfortable scenes, Shallie manages to barely outrank Totori on personal preference alone.
If you enjoyed this (for some reason), consider checking out the write-ups for the other games in the series as well!
Atelier Rorona Plus Atelier Totori Plus Atelier Meruru Plus Atelier Ayesha Plus Atelier Escha and Logy Plus Atelier Shallie Plus Atelier Sophie Atelier Firis
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Falsely Accused || Isla and Quinn
Isla was feeling the heat. Any day now that fucking DNA test was coming back, and while her fingerprints weren't a match for anywhere in that forsaken house, Caplan's news about her DNA having matched was making Isla more uncomfortable by the day. Now she'd looked up the Edinburgh figure she could see the resemblance, so much so it was uncanny. Like looking at herself but there was something in the other woman's gaze that just wasn't quite right. She held herself wrong. But Isla knew no one here knew herself like she did, and she'd lived on the scraps and tins in her house until she'd run completely out of food and was forced to go for a shop. She'd just gotten out of the car when she saw a blonde woman staggering, holding her neck, her pockets turned inside out. "Ma'am, what happened?" Isla asked, hurrying over in concern. A mugging, a young man had wrapped his arm around her neck until she'd let go of her handbag. Helping her to her car, Isla handed her her phone to call the police before running in the direction the woman had pointed. Unlike Avon Edinburgh, Isla gave a damn, and if there was one thing she could do, she could run down a perp. It didn't take long to spot him, sauntering down the road as if he was innocent. Quinn Durne, one of a nasty family they'd never been able to pin anything on. Not this town. "Durne, stop right there!" She yelled, easily catching up to him.
Quinn had once more decided that going for a walk to clear his head was a good idea. He certainly needed it after Valentine's Day and his time with Dustin. Ricky said it was a date, and even his sister thought it was to. But was that really what it was? Quinn wasn't sure himself what his feelings were, so he couldn't even just go to ask Dustin about that. With a sigh, he took a sip of the tea he had made for his walk, looking around town. The snow was far more picturesque when it wasn't trying to kill you. Lost in thought, Quinn didn't notice someone shouting out his old last name. Then it registered that it was someone calling to him. No one used that name though, most people, although they knew generally he was adopted and that his parents were in jail, didn't know his last name. Frowning, he turned around just in time to spot a woman he didn't know rushing towards. "How do you know that name?"
Isla came to a stop, drawn to her full height, but also aware she didn't have the power to match it. No cuffs, no badge, no team of friends and colleagues behind her, but Durne was probably a murderer, and just because everyone thought she was evil didn't mean she had to stand by as real criminals walked the streets. "Don't play dumb, alright?" Civilian arrests were a thing, sorta, and that lady had been calling the police when she'd left. There'd be someone here soon. "I've seen you around the station before," ​found some of your family's victims​, "and you just mugged some perfectly innocent lady, so you're gonna wait here with me."
Quinn blinked, cocking his head to the side the moment the woman started speaking. He had no clue who she was. "Dumb?" he asked, crossing his arm and huffing, careful not to spill his drink. The only time he'd ever been to the police station was after his parents arrest. The only other time he was remotely connected to it was when he was hacking into them. "What?" he asked, incredulously before laughing. "Why the hell would I mug someone?" he asked. "Listen, I've just been walking and having my tea. Haven't done anything wrong, so get off my back," Quinn shot back, turning and starting to continue down the sidewalk.
Isla matched his pace as he started walking again, but the certainty was starting to fade the more she looked at him. He sauntered, but there was a drink in his hands, and this was a slimmer boy than she'd seen smirking in and out of the stations, meeting his parents even when they were the ones being interrogated. Sure, people lost weight, but... Shit. Right. In the heat of the moment, she'd forgotten this whole damn insanity. Same way she wasn't Avon Edinburgh, too, and she had been getting pissy at people for jumping to conclusions. "You're not Quinn Durne?" She asked, a defeated look in her eye. She glanced around, but her window had gone, there wasn't anyone else in sight. Fuck. That poor lady.
Quinn noticed that the woman was still following him, much to his frustration. Couldn't he just have a walk in peace. With a frown, he continued sipping his tea, glancing out of the corner of his eyes. It looked like she was eyeing him up. She had the same look in her eyes that he got when he was evaluating someone's code or a firewall, trying to figure it out. He bristled again when his actual last name was mentioned. "I haven't used that name since I was eight," he said simply with a shrug. "It's Mann. Quinn Mann."
Isla stared. He was like Marley, like Kavanagh claimed to be. "Goddamn Ashkent Creek," she muttered, not as quietly as she'd intended. Her hands shook, half with frustration and with more guilt, more anger at the situation. If she'd made this mistake a few weeks ago the whole damn station would have berated her, but since then, her desk had disappeared, her house was only half her own, Caplan had taken up playing Jesus, Kavanagh was an ME and Isla was a suspect in a damn murder. "My mistake, sir. You look a lot like... A lot like someone I thought I recognised." It was a bad lie and they both knew it. "I apologise."
Quinn paused in his walk, frowning and looking over the woman. Something was definitely up with her. For one, she knew his real name, before he was adopted. That was weird. So how could he have thought he was someone else when he was just him? There weren't any other's of him. "Right, well," he mumbled, frowning still. "You know who I am, obviously. You're a pretty shit liar you know that?" he asked. "So how do you then? If I don't know you?"
Isla didn't quite bristle at his comments, but it was a close call. Of course she was a shit liar when every Tom, Dick and Harry had a different self she had never known. Hell, for all she knew, this Quinn Mann was just as big of a suspect, but how the hell was she susposed to know? Or even lie her way out of this? She crossed her arms. "I'm from a town called Ashford River. There's a guy there that pretty darn similar looking to you, his name's Quinn Durne. It was an honest mistake, sir." Which it was. And had let that poor woman's mugger get away. "I don't know any Quinn Mann."
Quinn frowned when she spoke again. What the hell was going on here? "I've heard of Ashford River," he said, briefly. Someone had mentioned it at some point to him, but that was a while ago. "But there can't be anyone named that there because I'm Quinn Durne," he said. "Well I used to be. I got adopted," he explained, probably giving more than he should to some random person. "So if you know him you know me,"
Now that was interesting, if he'd heard of it. Made it likelier he was perhaps who ​Isla​'d mistaken him for after all. Just not much. Even if his logi was a little faulty - most people had names in common with someone else in the world, depending on what their name was like. Isla Stirling wasn't an uncommon one, even she knew that. Now, the chances of Quinn Mann looking like someone else called Quinn Durne were much smaller, but... "The Quinn Durne I knew still lives with his parents, they're quite the family. Not people you want to be associated with, trust me."
Quinn hummed softly to himself, sipping his tea. Well that wasn't him then. He hadn't lived with his parents in nearly ten years. "Not me then," he said, giving her an odd look. His name wasn't very common though, and what were the chances she approached him with his real name anyway? Something was up. "I'm adopted so...," he bit his lower lip, not wanting to give much more information than that.
Isla pressed her lips together, watching him carefully. She wasn't going to talk about this bullshit anymore than she had to, especially explain something she didn't have a clue on to some kid she barely knew. If he was who he claimed he was. It was hard to see him as anything other than the potential killer she was sure he was, and harder still to trust anything in this new world. Harder yet to convey that to someone who didn't have a clue. "I see. Like I said, my mistake. There's a woman back aways who was mugged who I need to get back to. Do you mind?"
Quinn frowned again. He felt he'd been doing that this entire conversation. This woman was weird, and saying weird shit to boot. "Yeah, you should probably make sure she's okay," he said softly, shrugging and turning away. "Just... ugh... I guess don't use my wrong name anymore. I hate it," he said simply, going back to where he was headed before the interruption.
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