#pulled this through in 9h or something

[cptjh-arts]

D:BH Artsy Halloween Exchange

@klayr-de-gall asked for a Pinch hitter and I gladly took the challenge!

@alicetallula you wished for Reed900 on a date with hot drinks and funny sweaters. I didn't do sweaters but blankets, but I hope you like it anyways!

I had to size it down I hope the quality/resolution is still good enough!

Please not share without credits, no reupload as own art, no removal of the signature or watermark and no use for commercial purposes!

[lilacstro]

academia astro observations (pt 12 <3)

its college season, and diploma season and a season (i am hopeless about my college life fr)

well nvm you intelligent folks, you probably cannot relate, lets go:

1.Smartest people I have seen have Virgo and Gemini placements 9/10 times. Especially, in 3rd, 9th and 12th house

2. Ok so Aquarius is an underrated placement when it comes to being intelligent, I think I have said it before maybe? But aquarius mercuries, stelliums and 11th/3rd housers are most definately tech savy.

3. OH having Grand Trine in air element*bows down* such an active mind, and so super smart, almost effortlessly but don't get lazy y'all that is one another thing

4. I think just like its sister sign somewhat? Scorpio people, especially suns are really good with money and finances, creating money and infact managing money as well

5. Sagittarius and Libra placements are very likely to succeed in theoretical subjects, like business and arts and history and both of them, civics 100%

6. Your 9th house sign or lets say element can show your learning styles, 9H in Air signs? You might actually study by yourself really well, probably using books and lectures. 9H in Earth signs? The people who like going to labs, practical experiences. 9H in Water sign? Feeling an emotional connection and desire to study or they would overwhelm themselves and come falling down, 9H in Fire signs? Ah, you all definitely need some kind of pressure to ground and sit down and grind but once you do you guys have some real passion and drive, like pulling an all nighter before an exam and doing well somehow vibes.

7. Virgo in 9H people can learn anything, ANYTHING. Maths, history. sociology, you name it. All they need is time and desire for that subject.

8. This also makes me feel Virgo in 9H people are definitely the types to elaborate everything they write especially in academic settings so they could in fact do very well writing academic papers

9. Part of Fortune in 3rd/9th again makes you a good learner and someone who can do well academically. but it doesn't quite mean you will excel without studying ahem it just means you have this extra gift to you.

10. Aquarius in 9H people are most likely to be the ones who ask the most questions in class, even if it feels it maybe totally unnecessary at times, but they are rarely afraid to speak to their instructors and ask curious questions even if they are non relevant.

11. Taurus placements, risings, or 9H, can actually be slow learners or late to bloom academically, but once they really learn something, boy its in their memory forever.

12. I have often seen people with Gemini placements have surficial knowledge in things, or they may rush with things at times, and not really go into deep details like Virgos or Aquarius people, just my observation

13. Uranus in 9H or 3H people can change majors a lot, and maybe just be uncertain overall with what they have to do.

14. Ruler of 9H in 8H can show there might be some kind of sudden nature involved in your college experience, maybe your suddenly dropout, maybe its a completely diffrent and transformative experience for you, maybe you get mental health issues in college etc.

15. College romance is likely for people who have Gemini Juno or Virgo Juno or Juno 9H/3H/11H (maybe through your friends, maybe college friends ahem) another one is ruler of 7H in 9H

16. Oh yes, people with Mercury as their chart ruler are again quick learners and also, really good at learning and very dedicated to studying things they are studying and would excel with talent or hardwork or both

17. Jupiter in 1st house people also actually come off as really smart and wise, but somewhat intimidating and know-it-alls when it specifically concerns to their academic abilities

18. Having pisces in 9H is actually one of the other indicators of being smart and actually, more of intuitive and intellectual smart, and these people actually may have some kind of emotional connection to their major and coursework not as in crying type of emotional but maybe their parents want them to succeed, maybe they want to do it because they feel like it. I also feel these people may like doodling while studying or using cute stationary or notes.

19. Mars aspecting Mercury, and you are very likely to get into full force with what you are studying, maybe go to the depths and get full drive and passion to be the best, have that competitive spirit inside you.

20. Speaking of which, it is yet again possible that people with Sun in 9H or Leo in 9H or ruler of 5H in 9H actually get competitive about studies. Infact if you have prominent leo and mercury placements both, this desire to be the best is even amplified (my mom has this, and even though her conditions did not support her completely to be as bright as she could, she still exceeded expectations imo and was always competitive about it even though she did not think of academics that seriously)

21. Jupiter aspecting Mercury people are more of wisdom smart or I may say curious smart kind of natives and there is rarely any sly and competitive kind of spirit to them, meaning someone who would want to share their knowledge most likely, talk about it to people and things like that, humble energy

22. Ego with what I know and can do is likely to come with people whose mercury aspects sun, they maybe can even make their scores their whole personality probably, there is a chance for this to happen though, so keep this in check maybe

23. Jupiter and Sun aspecting each other is another kind of placement that can give you some kind of pride and ego with what you know or you may actually get really defensive when someone questions your knowledge, however, another manifestation of this same placement is making your knowledge a beautiful part of your persona and sharing this light to most people, unafraid, these people can infact make great teachers.

24. Jupiter/Mercury in 12H people may really be good at deep research and probe, and these skills are again very important for researching and phds

25. Of course the Sag risings, we cannot miss them afterall. Even better if the Sun is in Scorpio or Mercurial signs the ability to pay attention to details and actually learn and teach things from scratch would be crazy.

26. Nadir in Virgo/Moon in Virgo/Moon in 9h or 6h/air or mercury ruled 3H natives may actually have some kind of mother who more so focused on the academic part in their life growing up or their childhood did have a lot of things around excelling academically

27. People with strong and positive mercury placements, or mercury in air houses may really be good at calculation and maths. Or even having an air sign/mercurial sign in air houses can count

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28. People who you have an academic rivalry with must have strong aspects to each others mars or pluto or both (there is some detail this point deserves but I am too exhausted I might add an edit here)

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29. This also makes me think of people with Pluto in 1st house, 10th house or Scorpio risings, they are 9.9/10 times always competitive, wanting to succeed and be the number 1, not in a toxic way but they really cannot easily see being left behind and if these people are academically inclined (they likely are since they are doing it), they would again want to do their best and be the person who is in some kind of rivalry with you lol

support me on ko-fi :)

paid readings are open xoxo

i have more but im tired af so i might make a part 2 someday, but its been a while since I have posted ngl but thanks for the support you all give me, ilysm

[uyuforu]

Hey. I would like to participate in ur exchange.

Here’s ur exchange- (how will ur fs confess their love for u?)

The card r showing me that your fs will confess their love for u in the most romantic and thoughtful way. I getting that they won't just say but they will also show u their love with sweet gestures before they make a confession. Liek they will start preparing u for the confession at least some time before they make an official verbal confession to u. So they don’t catch u off guard and i m getting that u would know that the confession is coming. I m getting that they would prepare u by giving handwritten notes, a song that reminds them of you, or a little gift that will remind u both of a memory that u shared together. Not related to this question but I m seeing they will see a solid future with you. I m seeing the verbal confession happening in an intimate setting like a candle light dinner that they arranged for u, or they might ask u to go somewhere with them perhaps a stroll through a park or a beach. And I m seeing that as u r walking (ur fs seems to be nervous 👀🥹) they will pull u to them for a kiss u first all of a sudden (it’s more to calm themselves bc they r scared of ur reaction) but than they will take ur hand and will say something so romantic that ur heart will skip a beat. U two will be content after the confession is made. (Pls excuse any grammar or spelling errors😭)

Here’s my charts-

My Natal, my Juno, and groom pc - in order

GAME IS CLOSED. Thank you for participating to the game. Here is your reading. Also thank you for the reading! It was super cute!

જ⁀➴ Can meet FS at work, or in a serious environment. Can be love at first sight. Can meet FS in beautiful environment, with beautiful sights? Can meet during a wedding. Can meet because of love, or on dating app. Can meet in court, law or something related to justice. Can meet in museums, or something related to art, fashion, and make up perhaps.

જ⁀➴ FS could be very intense, intense sights, deep eyes, dark eyes and hair, very good looking.

જ⁀➴ FS could have a lot of money or will have a lot of money at some point in their life.

જ⁀➴ FS could have hard time to speak up for themselves. They could also have a very low voice. They could not be good at expressing themselves, and perhaps prefer to listen than to speak.

જ⁀➴ FS can be better at writing thoughts than speaking it. They could be very artistic too when it comes to writing.

જ⁀➴ Could write poetry or be good at writing love letters.

જ⁀➴ FS could have had some problems with some family members, perhaps more their father. They could also be the black sheep of their family, or having hard times with feeling different from them.

જ⁀➴ FS is introvert, can be shy too. FS can also be intimidating.

જ⁀➴ FS can love art, and can also be very creative! They could daydream a lot and have a lot of imagination.

જ⁀➴ FS can be popular, and have a good reputation. People love to hang out with them.

જ⁀➴ FS can have some health issues, but it could have been sudden. Not something from genetics.

જ⁀➴ FS can also be quite calm and good at managing emotions. But FS could also think money makes them feel better.

જ⁀➴ Could have the impression they are happier with money, money makes happiness.

જ⁀➴ FS did higher studies and took that very seriously.

જ⁀➴ FS can be a foreigner, but perhaps didn't travel much in their life.

જ⁀➴ FS can be very secretive about love, and they can actually be quite s3xual... like loving to show love this way.

જ⁀➴ FS can love learning languages, and can also speak more than 2 languages.

જ⁀➴ FS will perhaps be very successful in their career, or is already, they can also become a boss at some point.

જ⁀➴ FS is naturally lucky in their life, and they could also be religious. They can also be spiritual. At least, are divinely protected. Even if they are not aware of it.

Potential placements of FS:

𝜗𝜚 Gemini/ 3h

𝜗𝜚 Sagittarius/ 9H

𝜗𝜚 Leo/ 5H

𝜗𝜚 Capricorn/ 10H

𝜗𝜚 Scorpio/ 8H

𝜗𝜚 Cancer/ 4H

𝜗𝜚 Taurus/ 2H

𝜗𝜚 Virgo/ 6H

𝜗𝜚 Aries/ 1H

𝜗𝜚 Venus or Mars Rising

𝜗𝜚 Venus or Mars in 1H

𝜗𝜚 Fire or Earth Moon

If you enjoyed the reading you can post a review about it or tell me what you think. Have a nice day!

Thank you for reading!

back to index ; ask ; request ; rules

[alstroemeriadissonance]

Close Friends - Pt 2 (NSFW)

Part 1 here

This was an unplanned Pt 2. Rereading the first one made me think that it can be continued, then ideas just came and...well.

Long-ass at 15k words. Grab some popcorn.

There's some (fictitious, consensual) drug use

Kiki is something here.

NSFW, MDNI, etc.

“Rosa.” Vyn put down his tablet onto the glass surface of the conference table, brows creased. “There is something wrong with the numbers in the report you’ve uploaded in our database. Have you checked with Luke for the updates from the NSB laboratory before you put these in the system?”

The doctor—now functioning as the most senior member of the NXX Investigation Team—swung his swivel chair to face the holographic display projected against the wide wall of the NXX Headquarters’ conference room. A few taps on his smartphone switched the display to show the data in question. “There is a discrepancy of more than ten percent when compared to NSB’s report of increase in drug related activity in Area 9H. Luke, can you confirm?”

“Huh.” Luke, seated at the farthest end of the conference table, squinted at the display, running the numbers through his head. “Er. It is off by 19.7 percent, to be precise. But I can’t make out the error in distribution off the top of my head. Sorry.”

“Yes. Which is tantamount to losing whatever lead we had,” Vyn sighed as he took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "Since we cannot determine the possible entry points among the harbors in this district." 

Rosa fidgeted in her seat. “I’ll…I’ll fix it…” 

“By the time it gets fixed, Rosa, the trail would have gone cold.” Vyn put his glasses back on. “It would take me several hours checking the numbers and straightening them. And I have several items on my plate already,” he said, a slight trace of misgiving in his voice.

“Richter, if there are any mistakes in the numbers, only your judgment is to be blamed,” Artem said, tersely. “Why did you even assign Rosa to—”

“I assigned it to her because I have faith in her capabilities, Wing,” Vyn cut in. “And yes, I know that this is merely a one-time, elementary lapse, which unfortunately had dire consequences.” Then, to Rosa, “Please stay here for a bit and help me sort out the data. Two heads will make quick work of the inconsistency.”

“No need for you to burden Rosa any further,” Artem said. “As her boss, I will take responsibility—”

“You are currently in NXX, Wing, not Themis Law,” Vyn reminded the senior attorney, an unmistakable jagged edge in his voice. “And do not forget that you have your own task, as equally important as hers, if not even more so.” 

Rosa only looked down at her hands folded on her lap. Then, with a quiet voice, “Yeah. I’ll fix it.”

“Both of us will fix it,” Vyn said. “We cannot afford any delays. We will need to make sure we get an accurate projection by…” He checked his wristwatch. “Seven hours from now, give or take. Can you pull an all-nighter here, Rosa?”

“Y-yes, that’s no problem, Dr. Richter—”

“Richter! That’s too much, she still has work to do tomorrow.”

“Literally lives are at stake, Wing, if that still needs to be emphasized.” Vyn was gradually losing his cool. “I will not tolerate any one of us being deadweight in our team who requires hand holding, we are already lean enough as it is—”

“I am not a deadweight!” Rosa’s voice reverberated loudly across the conference room. “God damn it, I hate being talked about as if I am not here!”

Vyn merely looked at her silently, expression unreadable.

“Rosa, let’s—” Artem’s words were cut off with an elbow jab to his side, courtesy of Marius. 

“Just shut up,” he hissed to the lawyer in a stage whisper. “Read the fucking room. Do you think Miss will leave without fixing this mess?”

===

Luke, Artem, and Marius had already left the conference room.

Vyn and Rosa remained, both of them not speaking to each other. 

Vyn watched the CCTV camera feed intently through his smartphone; Rosa stood near the holographic display, her eyes staring at the numbers yet not really looking at them. Her back was turned towards the doctor; her arms crossed.

A dead, cloying silence hung thickly around them. 

Not one of them uttered a single word; the only sounds between them were the faint sound capture from the CCTV coming from the speakers on Vyn’s phone, and the faint tapping sound of Rosa’s fingers against her arm.

The silent stalemate lasted for only a few minutes, finally ending as Vyn broke the silence. 

“They have left,” was all he said, voice devoid of any emotion or inflection. 

The screen displayed on his phone showed Artem’s car finally pulling out of the NXX Headquarters basement parking lot, the last vehicle to finally leave the premises.

“Really,” murmured Rosa.

Vyn did not get a chance to put his smartphone down when his swivel chair suddenly turned around; his chair spun so quickly that the momentum knocked the phone out of his hand and sent it clattering across the smooth, cold floor.

“Rosa, wha—” The rest of his words did not make it through his lips. 

The junior lawyer bent down to force her tongue into his mouth; wedging one knee between his thighs and both of her arms clinging to the armrests on either side of him, she effectively caged Vyn in her trembling arms, her arms that betrayed the tension she had to endure for those few minutes that she had to restrain herself from having her way with him.

No words were said: Their lips locked with such ferocity that Rosa eventually straddled his lap, arms coiled tightly around his shoulders while their tongues hungrily slid against each other.

Not one to be outdone, Vyn's hands slid down her back until they settled on her ass. Impatient hands kneaded the swell of both cheeks through the fabric of her skirt, pushing her pelvis closer against his to make Rosa feel the growing erection in his pants, as he grinded his hips against hers.

Rosa tugged at his wine-red necktie hard; hard enough to make the man dry humping her from underneath wince in pain. 

“What the hell were you trying to pull?” she demanded, as her other hand grabbed a fistful of Vyn’s silver locks and pulled it down, turning his face upwards towards hers. “This was the only time I made an error!”

“The only time, yes. Still, mistakes were made, which need to be rectified, my darling,” Vyn said, his voice strangled. “But before that, you look like you need a fuck.”

“Indeed I do,” Rosa whispered, her hands letting go of his necktie and now mussed-up moonlight silver hair. “I need some stress relief, Dr. Richter.” Her fingers found the buckle of his belt, fumbling as she nibbled on his lower lip. “Think you can let me blow off steam?”

A low, menacing laugh came from his throat. “Too bad, my precious pet, I also need some relief. It has been a long day and your lapse is not helping. At all.” Vyn said before sucking hard on her tongue, feeling perverse pleasure in hearing the lusty moans coaxed out of her mouth. “But only one of us can be on top. Coin toss?”

"Mmm. Sure," Rosa hummed against his lips now red and slightly swollen with the heavy kissing. "Need a coin?" 

"Yes please," Vyn takes the Stellin coin Rosa produced from the inner pocket of her blazer. "Now, heads or tails for you?" He leaned in for yet another lingering kiss. "I do not mind either outcome, but I do so need to relieve my own pent-up stress." 

"Heads," Rosa whispered as she finally undid the zipper of his trousers. "Mmm…would really feel nice if I can give you head," she remarked as she grasped his swollen cock, freeing it out of his underwear. "I missed this…" 

"Patience, my love," Vyn drawled as he palmed the coin, then tossed it high up above them with a flick of his wrist. As the gold coin fell to the rules of gravity his hand shot up and caught it in midair. "Well then. Will the lady get to ride her favorite doctor, or will I get to…" he licked his lips, slowly, as his lustful gaze held Rosa's eyes misted over with anticipation. "...eat my little beloved all up on top of the conference table?" 

Rosa laughed breathily as she nibbled on his neck, her hand slowly jerking him off. "Your stress relief is to eat me out?" 

"Mmm—why not?" Vyn held out his closed fist holding the coin. "Let the coin decide.”

He slowly opened his fist.

But they never knew what the result was: Rosa had, with as much force that she could muster, batted Vyn’s coin-bearing hand away, sending the coin flying to the floor.

Silence once again draped over them like a thick veil. 

“Would you like to explain yourself, Rosa.” Vyn said, enunciating his words slowly, with very little inflection to his tone. “I have my own stress to consider. Even I have my limits, pet. And I am still upset over the data.”

“Riding my favorite doctor is nice,” Rosa said, repeating Vyn’s words from earlier. “But, not exactly what I really want to do.” She took his throbbing cock in her hand once again, a smile spreading on her face when she felt Vyn’s body shudder—despite his misgivings—with every up-down movement of her wrist as she worked up his shaft. “It’s still the same thing as before, Dr. Richter. I want this in my mouth. You do know what I am getting at?”

“Hahh—haha…” A rare red flush suffused over Vyn’s cheeks. “You…you are proposing that we relieve each other’s stress?” He planted a small kiss on her smug lips, pulling away with a teasing lick. “At the same time?”

“Like what happened in the priest smut novel you borrowed, yes,” She massaged the underside of his tip with her thumb. “I always wanted to do something like that. Since your stress relief is to…well…” Rosa let her voice trail off, staring intently at the man now panting heavily, open mouthed, underneath her touches.

“My little succubus,” Vyn breathed. “I accept your proposal.”

With great urgency they laid themselves out on the conference table, both of them quite eager to receive from and give each other pleasure: Vyn, still fully clothed, lying flat on his back over the glass surface; Rosa, also fully clothed but with her skirt now hiked up and gathered around her waist, clambering over him with her hips straddling his face.

“So, the sixty-nine,” Vyn murmured underneath Rosa as his fingers tore into the crotch of her pantyhose. He was amply rewarded with the sight of Rosa’s moist cunt barely covered by scant lace; she obviously came to the Headquarters prepared for something that did not involve accurate data analysis and projection. “...is something that had piqued my interest, but have not had any chance to—aahh, fuck.”

Rosa’s lips enveloping his cockhead effectively cut off his train of thought.

He hissed through his teeth, struggling to keep his wits together even as her lips tightly wrapped around his cock descended even lower, taking in more of him inside her hot, wet mouth, tongue swirling against his shaft. “Rosa,” he moaned. “Rosa—”

His sweet singing of her name was rewarded by Rosa sucking his cock in her mouth.

His chanting of her name soon transitioned into lust-filled, needy groans and whimpers. "Rosa, hahh—yes, you are doing so good…" His voice cracked, sounding as if he was almost crying in rapture. 

After some time Rosa slipped his cock out of her mouth and said, “Dr. Richter, your voice is really making me horny,” she moved her hips a little. “Please, I need you to…”

“Haahhh—my apologies,” Vyn's fingers finally ripped through the black lace panties, her throbbing flesh now in full display right above his face. “Tell me your preferences in underwear and stockings later,” he whispered, before he grabbed her ass with both hands, pushing her hips down to let him lick her cunt with abandon. “I will—I will—haahh—”

Vyn was going to tell her that he intended to buy her replacements for the underthings that he tore; that he was also going to have a full lingerie set custom-made for her, for her to parade in for his pleasure. 

Yet his words receded back into his throat at Rosa’s every lick, every suck, and little kisses on his dick. Left without words, Vyn’s response to her was to slather loving attention to her clit, sucking on it and relishing the way Rosa’s thighs squirmed at every flick of his tongue, her thighs pressing against either side of his head…

“Ah. Did you need this, Rosa?” Vyn eventually managed to rasp out, lips thickly coated with her juices. One of his hands slid down from her ass, fingertips slightly lodged in the entrance to her pussy. “I’d rather fuck you with my dick, but I am quite comfortable where it is, at the moment.”

“S-stop teasing me and just fuck me…”

“Heh.”

Three fingers plunged into her cunt, and Rosa cried out in utter delight.

“And the lady shall be thoroughly fucked,” Vyn murmured, more to himself. 

Wet, fucking sounds echoed rhythmically in the cold, almost forbidding conference room, as Vyn thrusted his long fingers deep within her flesh in a measured cadence, with force enough to jostle her body forward every time his fingers plunged inside. 

“Mmmph–!!” Rosa—her mouth still full of Vyn—moaned with his cock almost pressing against the back of her throat, letting him feel the full brunt of the vibrations resulting from the guttural sound.

“Shit,” Vyn muttered. He was getting near. “Rosa, I am almost…you should—”

Once again, his thoughts were cut off by her sucking; Rosa had doubled down on her efforts. The once faint sounds of her blowjob have turned loud, wet, and downright obscene. 

“Rosa, please,” Vyn begged. “I cannot hold back, so pull away—hnngh!”

His beloved’s fingers cupped and gently kneaded his balls, while giving his cock a good, strong suck. 

His total undoing. 

Without warning, even to himself, Vyn suddenly blanked out, and most of his hot come shot directly into Rosa’s mouth; when she let his cock slip out of her mouth he was still coming, and her face was streaked with his hot, white fluid.

“Fuck,” he groaned into Rosa’s cunt. 

When he regained full control of his senses Vyn saw it fit to repay her in double: once again he fucked her with three fingers, with even more vigor, enough to move her body with every plunge and pull. His hungry lips and tongue—insatiable, desperate to be imprinted with Rosa's flavor—worked her clit, alternating with licking and sucking her sensitive bud.

The shivering tension that he could feel through Rosa’s thighs betrayed just how near she was.

“Vyn, please, don’t stop, don’t stop, I’m…almost…”

He sucked on her clit hard.

“Aaah—VYN!” Rosa’s shrill cry bounced off the walls, her inner walls twitching around his still-fucking fingers.

Vyn. She calls me Vyn in the throes of heavy sexual arousal and climax…

“Yess…you do like this, do you not?” Vyn hissed as he helped her ride out her orgasm with flicks of his tongue onto her clit. “Still stressed out?”

Rosa slumped over his thighs, her lips planting a soft kiss on his cock now almost half-mast. “I just want to sleep, but…work to do.”

“While I do appreciate that you have our work in mind, there is merit to taking a little break for a rest.” Vyn murmured, an arm slung over his eyes, catching his breath. “Think you can…cuddle with me for a bit, my love?”

“Mm.” Rosa shifted her position on top of him, letting her bury her face in his neck. She took a deep breath, and sighed. “This conference table is hard and uncomfortable, but you’re warm and nice and smell so good…” she murmured lazily.

Vyn let out a soft chuckle as he slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. “I am glad. You are also soft. And warm.” He bent a little to the side to nuzzle her hair. “You also smell and taste good.”

With a gentle finger he tipped Rosa’s face towards his, allowing him to fully behold the traces of debauchery on her face: traces of his almost dried come streaked her flushed visage. “Ah…let me clean you up,” he whispered as he shimmied a little and pulled out his handkerchief from his back pocket. Tenderly he wiped her face clean of his come, and when done he gave her a peck on her lips. “There. All clean.”

Rosa’s lips curved into a small smile, then leaned forward to lick his lips and chin.

“Rosa, darling. What are you doing?” Vyn asked, all too amused.

“Cleaning your face, too,” Rosa replied, before slipping her tongue between his lips and they kissed deeply, languorously. Taking their sweet time as their lips and tongue moved against each other’s. 

Vyn had to break away for the kiss. He was getting hard again. “Rosa, we cannot afford to lose more time,” he murmured, a small smile playing on his lips. “There is urgent work to be done.”

“I know, I know,” Rosa said. “Dr. Richter…I really like this arrangement that we have.” Once again she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I’ve never felt better…”

Ah…

Vyn felt a part inside of him die, along with her words.

An arrangement. Was this only an ‘arrangement’ for her?

“Is this merely an arrangement?” he murmured, not entirely addressing it to the woman slumped over him. 

“Mm? What do you mean?” Rosa looked at him with her big, questioning, olive gaze. “By arrangement I mean…well…we can call each other for um.” A blush bloomed from her neck, eventually engulfing her face with a pink heated flush. “When we need relief…”

Vyn could only manage a half-smile as numerous pinpricks of sad disappointment pierced his poor, vulnerable heart. “Ah. Yes. Yes, of course.”

Of course. 

Just an arrangement.

Vyn was not surprised. 

Yet he still felt immense regret and disappointment.  

===

“So, you’re telling me, you’ve been, er, intimate with this girl, and still she thinks you’re only friends?” The bar’s Owner did not bother hiding the pure schadenfreude in his amused tone. 

It was a tone that truly belonged in the atmosphere of his bar, The Abyss: Den of thieves, smugglers, hired killers, and other sundry undesirables who belonged in Stellis City’s shadows. A place that did not take kindly to people who stood on the right side of the law.

The Owner merely smiled at the silver-haired man half-slumped over the bar counter, an empty glass spinning right in front of him.

“...Like I said, yes,” came Vyn’s quiet reply. His hand idly played with the empty whiskey glass, spinning it on the small puddle of moisture it created on the varnished wooden surface. Sullen gold eyes bereft of their usual brightness passively looked on as the glass spun on its axis. 

“Hah! Serves you right, shrink,” The Owner hummed happily from behind the counter, obviously in good spirits. “So even your magic mind tricks have their limits. That’s good to know,” he grinned as he wiped down a freshly washed wine glass before setting it on the wine glass rack. 

His words seemed to have struck a nerve in the doctor; Vyn’s eyebrow twitched imperceptibly, his jaw set. 

The Owner, ever observant, grinned. “Ohoh? I first pegged this as a case of wounded pride, but don’t tell me…you really are in love, aren’t you?” His smile twisted into one of pure gloating. “Even the ice prince of Stellis City is capable of losing his mind over a girl?”

Vyn’s upper lip curled in distaste. “Is that what they are calling me these days?”

“A few birdies did, yes.” The Owner said as he took out a bottle of bourbon off a shelf, and laid out a few other ingredients on his work table. “They are asking me about a…certain silver-haired pretty boy they sometimes see by the counter playing with cards. ‘Such nice hands!’ they said,” the Owner scoffed as he started to prepare a drink. “If they only knew…”

“Birdies…you mean, the sparrows?” 

The Owner raised his eyebrows. “So the shrink knows the parlance,” he said, approvingly. “Yes, the sparrows. Three of them, at least. They want to see you, you know,” the Owner said as his fingers placed a lime wedge garnish on the drink he was preparing. “The sparrows; they are discerning with who they bed outside of missions, you see? Consider yourself honored. And lucky.”

“Not interested,” Vyn murmured. “And men who fall for their charms deserve to either die or find themselves bereft of fortune the next morning.”

The Owner flashed Vyn a knowing smile. “Do have faith when I say they like you…really like you,” he said, taking away the empty whisky glass in front of Vyn, replacing it with another filled with an amber-colored liquid on the rocks. A wedge of lime garnish sat on the rim of the glass. “Here. On the house, for our lovelorn shrink.” He smirked. “You look like you need it.”

“What is this?” Vyn lifted the glass, peering at it as he inspected the glass and its contents as if he would do evidence, on the rare chances he accompanied Rosa during some of their assignments. 

“A trade secret,” the bar Owner said with a cryptic smile on his face. “But you’ll find that you need it. Trust me.”

“Hmm.” Vyn took another good look at the swirling liquid the color of dark caramel. Then, with a swiftness that took even the Owner aback, knocked back the entire contents in three full gulps.

The glass landed back onto the counter with a resounding thud.

Vyn’s lips spread into a wan smile. “Well then,” he said, “Let us see what the drug you slipped in can do,” he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “You need to work on your sleight of hand if you want to sneak in something in people’s drinks.”

The Owner let out a guttural laugh. “You knew, and yet you still drank it? Fucking madlad,” He shook his head. “I always knew I’d be entertained whenever you drop by.”

“Glad to be of service.” Vyn felt his limbs slightly go numb. Ah. Not a common sedative. My awareness seems to be intact. Yet the motor functions…I will be back to normal after a couple hours, give or take, once the drug metabolizes…

Realization dawned on him. “This drug affects motor functions only...you were planning to send me off somewhere?” Vyn murmured, licking his lips. My mouth is going dry. “Who? How much did they offer you?” 

The Owner grinned. “I’m sending you off to the sparrows for a bit. And no, no offer, but, I really think you just need the fucking of your life to cure yourself of that stupid lovesickness of yours. It does not become you, shrink.” A pause. “Just say yes, and I’ll have them…retrieve you.”

“Heh. Bold of you to assume what is in my best interests,” Vyn said as he mustered all he had to push himself off the counter seating. “I do not like to fuck strangers,” he said, voice clipped—or what passed to be one, in his drugged state. Even breathing is becoming constricted. But all I need to do is wait it out. “I best take my leave.”

“You sure you don’t want to play with them?” The Owner asked after him. “I am very rarely this generous with my clientele, you know. And there’s at least three of them willing to bed you, at the same time.”

“You mean you do not want to miss a chance to get on their good side,” Vyn now stumbled his way to the door, trying his hardest to wrest control of his limbs. He cared not about how undignified he appeared at the moment. Right foot. Left foot. Grab hold of the door knob. “I shall not be party to your networking. I bid you a good night, my friend.”

The Owner sighed as he left. “Fine. Pity. But, do be careful on your way home. If you can find your way, that is.”

“I will.”

It was an odd sensation, especially when Vyn himself was experiencing it: he still possessed full mental acuity, yet his limbs were not responding accordingly. Vyn struggled to have his hands grab whatever he could hold on to, just to keep himself upright on the way to the exit.

He inwardly laughed at himself. He drank the questionable drug-laced drink. Why? It was not the ideation of suicidal thoughts—that was farthest from his mind, and there were much larger things that needed to be done, on the horizon. And he knew the Owner, and his twisted sense of humor.

The idea of leaving things to chance, to finally let go and let things take their own course, to throw himself into the open elements where there are so many uncertain factors…the idea seemed refreshing. 

Liberating, in a twisted sense. 

The truth was, Vyn was getting tired. 

His was an exhaustion that blotted out all sense of priorities; there were things that needed to be done. Some life-threatening. All of them were cases against public safety. And yet he was willing to tear himself down over the affections of a single woman.

One woman, a single life among many who needed saving.

The only woman who upended his life, all with a single smile and her hands that toppled over his proverbial house of cards, one which he painstakingly built over time…

He managed to force open the heavy wooden door that led out of the Abyss and into the shadowy, light-speckled nightscape of Stellis City.  The night breeze felt cool against his skin, now blazing hot with a drug-induced flush. 

Stumbling out of the bar, he managed to hold onto the pedestrian railing and avoid a perfect face plant onto the sidewalk. 

Easy does it.

His car was parked quite a ways away, a few blocks, yet the path towards it was straightforward from the Abyss’s location. Vyn could easily support himself upright while holding on to the pedestrian railing on his way back to the car…

It felt like he was walking for an eternity. Drugs may muddle sense of time, Vyn recalled. This instance was a perfect example. The fact that he had to be conscious of his every draw and exhale of breath certainly did not help.

“Dr. Richter?” a perky voice cut through the darkness of the surroundings. “Are you okay?”

That voice. Vyn looked up, and his bleary eyes were met by Kiki’s worried gaze. “Miss Bennett.” His voice came out raspy, breathing now becoming labored. “Fancy bumping into you on this fine evening,” he said, as if he was not hunched over the railing, ready to tip over.

“Well, yeah, good evening to you too, but…” Kiki reached out to grab one of his upper arms, pulling him up. He must have looked worse than he thought. “Are you…drunk?”

“You act as if this is not your first time encountering a drunk in the streets,” Vyn murmured as he let Kiki sling his arm over her shoulders. “Nor helping one.”

“Eh, I see a lot of…ugh, you’re heavy…casualties around the gig venues,” Kiki grunted under the weight of the taller man. “The things I do to chase autographs…um, where were you going? Lemme help you.”

“I am on my way to my car.” 

“Lol. You can’t drive in this state.” Kiki held onto his wrist firmly, locking his arm across her shoulder in place as they started to walk, slowly. “But, let me help you on the way there anyway…”

“I was planning to sleep this off in the safety of my car. Do not worry about me.” Vyn said, now acutely aware of the fact that he let a mere acquaintance witness one of the lowest points in his life, and for what? A mere trifle. Certainly one he would probably kick himself over in a later dictaphone rambling. But that was for later. “You do not need to trouble yourself over me, Miss Bennett. And it is quite a late hour.”

“Geez, you and Rosa are alike in some ways,” Kiki muttered as she half dragged, half carried Vyn along the pedestrian path. “Anyway, I do have a driver’s license. Want me to drive your car to your place instead?”

We are alike in some ways? That is surprising, Vyn mused. 

He was going to ask more about it, but his consciousness had started to turn dim. This is dangerous. I may go out any moment now.  “Y-yes. I…appreciate it.” His sight was already dimming. This drug’s effect is worse than I thought. “Miss Bennett, if I ever lose consciousness, do not bring me to the hospital, and…my keys…wallet…back pocket…”

“Huh?!” Kiki heaved at the now deadweight of a doctor slumped over her small shoulders. “Dr. Richter? Dr. Richter?”

===

When he came to, he was already laid out on the sofa in his living room.

How…

Gingerly he tried to move his fingers, and toes. All of his extremities responded, and his sense of touch seemed intact. Good. 

“Oh hey, you’re finally awake! I sorta helped myself to your kitchen. Made some coffee. Hope you’re okay with it.”

A short-haired girl sporting a hair band sat on one of his living room chairs, her feet tucked underneath her haunches. An open book in her hands. 

Sharp, observant eyes, behind big round glasses, looked at him intently. 

She must have been waiting for me to come around.

Vyn, having proper etiquette engraved into his very being, struggled to sit himself into a proper posture befitting for greeting a guest.

Bones creaked as he propped his back against the backrest. Some joints popped. It seemed that he laid down, unmoving, in a rather uncomfortable position on the sofa for an inordinate length of time. 

“Miss Bennett…” Faint memories of what happened last night flowed into his head. “I really do apologize for causing you trouble.” He winced in pain. His temples hurt. “And I do not mind you helping yourself to anything in the kitchen. There are some…baked goods in the fridge, should you be hungry.”

Kiki peered at him from where she sat. “Er…you don’t look too good. Do you need medicine? Where do you stash them?”

“My first aid kit is in the medicine cabinet located in my bathroom, first door to your right along the corridor.”

“Got it!” 

Kiki scrambled for the bathroom, dropping the book she was reading onto the floor. The cover clearly showed. The priest novel has a new volume, he noted despite the haze of migraine. 

She returned in less than a minute. “Here,” Kiki placed a nondescript white pouch onto his lap. She also held a glass of water ready.

“Thank you.” Vyn rummaged through his pouch to locate a blister pack of headache pills specific to his usual type of migraine, and popped a couple into his mouth; washing them down with several gulps of water from the proffered glass.

“Thank you,” he said again, closing his eyes. And now, we wait for the headache to subside…

It only took around half an hour for Vyn to start feeling like himself again. Headache gone, he finally managed to notice the sliver of light trickling in through the French windows. 

Morning had already broken. 

“Are you feeling okay now?” Kiki peeked at him over her book, not even bothering to hide the risque cover. Vyn supposed that she didn’t feel any need to, not when she knew he borrowed the previous volume from Rosa. “You were, er. Calling for Rosa in your sleep.”

“Ah. Did I?” Vyn gave her a taut smile. “That would make this the second time you have seen me at my lowest point. I would appreciate it if you keep this from your friend.” He held her gaze intently. “Please. This is very important.”

Kiki nodded. Vyn appreciated that she could somehow understand. “Yeah. You sounded like you were upset, so I didn’t bother letting her know about what happened to you. I thought you guys were fighting.” 

She did not waste any time and went straight to asking the most important question: “What happened between you and Rosa, anyway? She doesn’t seem to be bothered. But you?” Her brows furrowed in concern. "You sure look like you have a story to tell."

Vyn sighed, more upset at himself than anyone else for being too transparent for his liking. He did not have much energy to put on masks at the moment, certainly not around people with the same level of curiosity as Kiki Bennett. “Does Rosa say anything to you about me at all?” he asked instead. 

Kiki blinked at his question. After some thought, she said, “Yeah. She sometimes tells me about your lessons, and the places you both visited. How good you are at making desserts. Things like that. And, um.” She chewed on her lower lip, and added, “...how you’re a really great friend.”

Vyn winced. Of course. 

“Judging by your face and how you almost cried out her name in your sleep…you’re stuck in the friendzone, aren’t you?”

“That is one way of putting it,” Vyn laughed at the absurdity of such crude terminology used on him, and the laugh was so bitter Kiki did not know how to react to it. “If being intimate with her still has her consider me ‘a really great friend’, I have to admit I am at a loss on how to further proceed.”

Kiki’s eyes widened at the mention of the word ‘intimate’ but quickly recovered.

“So even you can have these kinds of problems,” Kiki said, finally putting down her book. “Didn’t really expect it. You look so put together you make everything seem effortless.”

“So they say,” Vyn said, taking on the tone he usually employed in classes and lectures, talking about himself as if he were his own case study. “Of course, people can only see the outward, curated image. They do not see the hard work and effort required to support the illusion.” 

He felt like having a cigarette, but considering the present company he thought the better of it. 

“The illusion?” Kiki’s head tilted to one side, inquiringly. “What do you mean? Your achievements are legit, right? Even your skills when you played the keytar onstage.”

“By ‘illusion’, I mean how effortless all of it seems to other people,” Vyn said as he stood up to stretch his limbs. “It is not. The hell I have gone through…” he let his voice trail off, then shook his head. 

He padded to the kitchen area. “Do you want something to eat? It may be a little too early for sweets, but…” He opened his fridge for a cursory check of its contents. “...Sweets are all I have. Cakes, cookies…”

Kiki walked over to the kitchen and joined him. “I actually checked your fridge, haha,” she smiled sheepishly. “I was going to ask why you have so many mont blancs stashed in there.”

Vyn pulled out the French apple cake that he baked a few days ago, and placed it on the counter. There still was enough for two slices. “Ah, those…they were failed attempts. Things that I do not deem fit for giving away, but too much of a waste to throw out.” He sighed. “I used to throw away my failures, but I now realize how much of a waste that is. I consume them by myself now. Bit by bit.”

“For a doctor, you sure love your sugar.” Kiki remarked. “You sure you’re still okay?”

“Daily training and physical activity offsets my sugar intake,” Vyn said. “Would you like a bit of caramel sauce on your apple cake?”

Kiki’s eyes widened. “Oh, do I ever!” She then craned her neck to look around where the cutlery and tableware were. “Um, let me help set up the table, at least,” she said as soon as she spotted the dinnerware rack. 

“Much appreciated, thank you.” Vyn reached for a suitable knife from the magnetic rack set in front of him, and sliced the cake into two equal slices. 

===

“...So,” Kiki said, in between bites of cake. “Dr. Vyn Stuck in Friendzone Richter. I know you’re a shrink but do you want to talk about it?”

They sat themselves by the counter seating of his kitchen, each with a slice of apple cake and steaming cup of Earl Grey tea. 

“I will, as long as you do not give me sad nicknames like what you just did.” A sip of tea. A forlorn smile. “My feelings have been kicked around enough as it is.”

“I’m sorry!” Kiki blew onto her steaming cup of tea before sipping on it. “It’s just that I don’t have a lot of guy friends, much less guy friends who open up about these sorts of things.”

“So you find my…distress fascinating, is that it?” Vyn took another sip of tea. “But I do owe you a great favor, for ensuring my safety during my most vulnerable hour. I shall regale you with words I usually keep to myself, then.”

“Um,” Kiki piped up after swallowing a big bite of cake. “Don’t get me wrong. Not like I’m actually enjoying your suffering or anything. Just that I’m curious, is all. Also!” Kiki smiled sincerely this time. “I want to hear about a real love story, you know? And yours with Rosa sounds pretty intense, from the looks of things.”

“Heh.” Vyn uncharacteristically poked around the remaining bits of cake on his plate. “Rosa…is someone special. I shall not bore you with the specifics; the specifics are such that it will take me days to enumerate them all.” He smiled to himself, mind running through various pleasant memories. “What I can say, however, is that…” he chewed on his lip, deep in thought. “I have mostly seen what human nature is capable of. The typical darker tendencies that no longer surprise me, not one bit.”

Kiki ate her cake in silence, listening to Vyn.

“But Rosa…” Again, the soft smile on his lips. “She with her radiance had proven to me the potential for humanity to be good. Those many times when she took me by surprise. Showing me that when all options appear to be bleak, there is always one sliver of light that can lead one out of the darkness…

“But I am talking about high concepts now, am I not? Very well then.” He topped up both of their tea cups with the ceramic teapot set nearby. “Let me talk about things that may tickle a romance reader’s fantasy: I like her bright eyes. Especially when she smiles. I like her presence, and the way she effortlessly brightens up a room. Her scent awakens a sort of hunger I never knew I had…”

“Oooh,” Kiki murmured quietly, trying her hardest to suppress her glee. “Go on.”

“...Her child-like curiosity, and how her willingness to learn new things indulges my own desire to share knowledge. I like her voice, and how her laugh dispels my day-to-day exhaustion. And…” Vyn finally speared the last bit of cake, taking his time chewing it as he inwardly debated with himself whether or not to say the last words he meant to say. 

The need to say it eventually won out. He did owe Kiki a lot, and he knew these types of things were right up her alley. “...I love, desire, obsess over her, physically, intimately. When she confessed that she wanted to share herself with me, in that manner, I was more than ecstatic.”

Kiki’s face turned hot, and she grabbed her cheeks with both hands. “Oh my god, this is so steamyyyyyy…!”

“Heh,” Vyn looked up at Kiki with a roguish smile, which turned wistful at the drop of the hat. “But then, she told me that…intimacy between us is merely an arrangement.”

“Er, what?” Kiki also dropped her smile. “Did she just tell you, uh, forgive my French, you guys are fuckbuddies?”

“If by ‘fuckbuddies’ you mean friends who call each other when they feel like being frisky, then yes,” Vyn murmured sullenly into his teacup. “An arrangement. To fuck.”

“Uhh. Rosa…” Kiki laughed nervously. “She’s not that type, you know? Are you sure there’s no miscommunication between the two of you?”

Vyn shook his head. There was not a lot of room for any misunderstanding, not with how he had danced around her many, many times; his whispers of promises that talk of forever, all of them happily accepted by Rosa yet whose meanings still escape her. “I have tried so hard, so hard…” His smile has twisted into one of unbridled self-scorn. He buried his face in his hands. “Rosaaaaaa,” he keened, voice muffled by his palms. “Rosa…”

“Er…Dr. Richter?” Kiki did not know what to do at that point. 

Vyn then took a deep breath to quickly gather himself, and ran his fingers through his hair. “Ah, my apologies,” he muttered. “I did not mean for you to see that.”

“That’s okay, really, I get it,” Kiki said. “Anyway…yeah.” Kiki cut another piece of cake. “Silly question, but.” She chewed on it thoughtfully. “Did you even tell Rosa? Does she even know?”

“I keep on telling her, but she doesn’t seem to understand.” A bitter smile. “It is almost as if…she is rejecting me. Rejecting the idea that she stay by my side. That all she is interested in is this arrangement.” 

Vyn could feel the despair slowly seep into his heart. 

Yet Kiki’s voice cut through the dark haze of his melancholy. A certain smidgen of clarity. “I mean, okay, just let me know if I misunderstood anything but…” A pause. “Did you even tell her “I love you” outright? Something like that?” 

Her brows furrowed, as if thinking that something wasn’t quite right, something clearly wasn’t adding up, something that was missed in all of the tragic comedy that was Dr. Vyn Richter’s very rare love life.

“Not verbatim. But everything I do for her…”

“Aha,” Kiki said, nodding. “That might be it, actually. Rosa is dumb as bricks at this kind of thing. Trust me, I know. There is one other guy in Themis Law who is also struggling, but thankfully she is dumb as bricks about this and so his efforts just whoosh over.” She ran her fork across the edge of her plate, trying to gather the remaining tasty apple sauce, licking it off the fork tines.

Vyn’s eyes hardened. “Are you talking about her senior partner?” 

“Er. Um. Yeah.” Kiki suddenly averted her eyes, as if she just said something that she shouldn’t have.

“Interesting,” was all Vyn said. This was not something new; he had noticed that the way Artem hovered around her was more than being protective. However the fact that co-workers knew made it even worrisome; it implied that he wasn’t pulling any stops in pursuing her in the workplace. “She is not being badgered into getting into a relationship with him, I trust?”

“Well, if she was aware of what’s been going on probably yes, but she is totally oblivious to his advances it might as well not have happened,” Kiki deadpanned.

A companionable silence followed. The cogs in Vyn’s head turned, churned double time, trying to process what he had just heard. Is Rosa deliberately being obtuse to overtures in general? 

Kiki, for her part, seemed to be also deep in thought.

“So um. I know you’re not asking for advice, or anything, but—”

"That is fine. My ears are open."

"Maybe you should tell her the things that you just told me a while back. What you like about her,” she said as she finally put down her fork onto the plate with a clink. “Like. Word for word. Spell it out for her like you would a grade-schooler, you know? Or…” 

Kiki’s lips stretched into a smile so unnerving even Vyn almost broke out in cold sweat.

“Why not indulge her in a teensy bit of roleplay and act like the demon priest in the novel you borrowed? ‘Tempt’ her into darkness.” Kiki’s smile turned even more twisted. “Teehee.”

===

Kiki had to do some overtime work on the weekend, and Vyn offered to drop her off at Themis Law. He did not have anywhere to go at the moment, but he told her that after what she did for him he certainly did not mind driving out for the express purpose of bringing her to her workplace.

“Thanks for the lift, Dr. Richter!” Kiki waved at him as soon as she stepped out of his car. “And uh don’t drink so much next time!” 

“I will make sure not to, if I can help it, that is.” Vyn gave her a wan smile from the driver’s seat. “Miss Bennett, please remember…not a word to Rosa. Please.”

Kiki gave him a mock salute. “Yessir!” and closed the car’s passenger door. 

She was still grinning as his car finally pulled away, disappearing into the rest of the traffic. 

Humming, she marched through the doors of Themis Law building in higher spirits than she normally would, especially for weekend overtime. 

It had been an interesting night. Rosa’s psychiatrist suitor certainly seemed to be more and more likable the more she interacted with him; Dr. Vyn Richter no longer seemed to be the aloof, unapproachable man with a pretty face that she initially made him out to be. 

He was shamelessly in love with Rosa. He fell apart for Rosa, to the point that it was her name he was crying out for while he was drugged.

Oh my god, what a total goofball.

Needless to say, she approved of him. 

She didn't need to do the sis check on him; she already saw the irrefutable proof, which was why she was even able to get him out off the streets before the others got to him… Kiki would make sure she’d tease them to the point of embarrassment the next time she saw them together.

If they manage to finally get together, that is. 

Welp, too bad Dr. Richter swore me to secrecy. 

She was still humming by the time she stepped into her department’s floor. Time to get to work! There's another mission pegged for tonight! 

“Hey Kiki,” a familiar voice greeted her as she went past. 

“Hey Rosa!” Kiki peered into her friend’s cubicle. “Gathering materials for the review?”

“Yeah,” Rosa nodded. “I’m just here to get some study materials for the next mock exam.”

Kiki found her mannerisms odd. Normally Rosa would be either cheerful, or outright whiny about her workload. Certainly not subdued like how she was acting now. It was as if…

“Um. Kiki?” Rosa fidgeted, twisting her fingers as she chewed on her lip. “Dr. Richter dropped you off…?”

===

Her friend Kiki’s smile froze in place, and Rosa immediately knew that she was hiding something. She had known Kiki since university; there was no mistaking that telltale awkward smile that betrayed the fact that she’s hiding something, or at the very least was being evasive about something. 

“Um, it’s not like there’s nothing wrong,” Rosa let out a laugh that felt a little bit too fake, even for herself. “I mean…”

Dr. Richter chancing upon her on the way to the research center and offering a ride, knowing that she’s my friend shouldn’t be that odd, Rosa surmised. Yet why is Kiki being evasive about it? “...it’s really none of my business if there’s um. If you have business with him.” She could feel her smile crack along the edges. “I’m just curious, is all!”

Kiki merely blinked at her. “Er. T-that. Well…”

Rosa also knew Kiki was a terrible liar. 

It seemed very unlikely that both her close friends, Kiki and Dr. Richter, would have anything to do with each other, but far stranger things have happened already and Rosa wasn’t at all surprised that Dr. Richter, popular that he is, would be seen with another woman. 

Another woman, Rosa thought to herself derisively. It’s not as if we’re exclusive.

What was surprising, however, was that it would be her friend at work. 

Rosa shook her head. Again, it’s not my business—

Yet why am I feeling this way? Strange, isn’t it, Rosa? It was a feeling that was very similar, if not worse, to what she felt when Vyn—as keyboardist Vilhelm—was being pursued by fangirls. Her hand unconsciously slid to her chest, just right above her heart. Pinpricks of a feeling indescribable made itself felt deep inside her guts, settling right into the yawning pit of her stomach. Strange, isn’t it?

“Ah, well, if you don’t want to tell me it’s fine, tell me when you want to spill the juicy details,” Rosa gave Kiki another smile, equal parts bright and forced. She didn’t know how awkward it made people feel, seeing that particular smile.

Especially Kiki, who ducked and threw a quick “Excuse me,” before scrambling to her cubicle.

Rosa sighed. She only needed to clear her head. Yes, that’s it. Maybe she’s too tired, maybe…

She shook her head. I need to get a hold of myself! Having regained a little bit of sanity, she decided to use it to focus towards finishing what she sought out to do in Themis Law on a weekend: gather learning materials.

And so minutes went by quietly, with Rosa scouring Themis Law’s digital library for any relevant reading, saving copies into her flashdrive. 

From a couple of rows away she could hear Kiki’s mechanical keyboard click-clacking away at a feverish pace. It filled the empty floor so much that it was obvious when Kiki suddenly stopped typing.

The floor was also empty, save for the two of them, so when Kiki suddenly wailed out loud Rosa could perfectly hear her when she cried out, a bit too loudly, “Ughhh my phone is missing!” followed by sounds of frantic upending of various containers, and rapid opening, closing of drawers.

Rosa sighed. Oh, Kiki… This wasn’t the first time she’s ‘lost’ her phone. Sometimes she got so scatterbrained whenever something caught her attention, even dropping whatever she was holding at the time, even her phone…

Deciding to help her, Rosa pulled out her smartphone and dialed Kiki’s number.

It rang out several times, and Rosa was about to finally give up when her call was finally picked up.

A very, very familiar low, elegant voice answered her call. “Hello, Rosa,” Vyn said from the other end of the line. “It looks like your friend accidentally left her phone. My apologies for not answering immediately. It took me quite a while to locate where it was, when it started going off.”

Rosa’s blood ran cold, yet the sinking feeling did not reflect on the small, polite smile plastered onto her face. “No worries. I’m just glad Kiki’s phone is safe with you.” A small laugh. “I’m sure she would be devastated if she lost her phone with all the idol videos saved in it…” Her voice trailed off.

Hearing nothing from the other end, Rosa decided to ask, “Dr. Richter…where did Kiki drop her phone?”

She was still answered by radio silence, but Rosa knew Vyn was still on the line, as she could still barely pick out his soft breathing. 

Then Vyn finally answered, “In my home.”

“Oh.” Oh. 

Rosa did not notice her voice trembling as she said, “O-oh, okay. Um. I’ll just tell Kiki to come back there and pick it up.”

“Rosa, wai—”

“Bye, Dr. Richter.”

She pressed on the Decline button on her screen and dropped the call.

Rosa sat in her cubicle quietly, phone still in her hand. She sat still, unmoving, and it was only when a teardrop splashed onto its screen that her quiet onslaught of tears came. 

How strange, Rosa told herself as she quietly sobbed in her seat. She shouldn’t be feeling this way. While Dr. Richter did express a bit of fancy towards her—and they certainly did have a lot of fun—it wasn’t as if she were special enough to hold his attention for long. In fact, only a few nights after their sweet stolen time in the NXX Headquarters he already had a different girl in his home, no less.

I’m being stupid. Rosa reached for her box of tissues and quickly wiped away her tears. I really shouldn’t be bothered by this. She took time to recompose herself, peering at the mirror to make sure there were no traces of her losing herself into crying left.

Though I probably wouldn’t call him up anymore for…that. That much was certain. 

It doesn’t feel right anymore…

She decided to walk over to Kiki’s cubicle. “Hey, um…Kiki?”

“Eh? Rosa?” Kiki looked up at her, on all fours in the carpeted flooring within her cubicle, surrounded by emptied out boxes, drawers pulled out. She was still looking for her phone, and in the unlikeliest of places where it could have ended up, to boot. 

She noticed the plastic potted plant in the corner upended as well. “Kiki…were you looking for your phone in the plant pot…?” Rosa could not help but give in to an amused—desperate—laugh. 

Laughter during these dire moments always felt nice.

“Hey, it could have dropped into that stupid pot, you know!” Kiki huffed. “Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Rosa laughed a bit too loudly, desperate to deaden the hollow pit in her very being with shallow laughter. “Um. Kiki? I heard you scrambling for your phone, so…I dialed your number.”

“Omigosh! Thank you! Did someone pick it up?” Kiki exclaimed a bit too happily, then quickly stood up and dusted off her pants.

Rosa gave her close friend a small smile. “Yeah. It was Dr. Richter.” She did not notice her lower lip tremble, in the midst of the cracked smile. “You left it in his place, he said. So um. You better drop by there and get it from him, I guess.”

“Oh.”

This time, Rosa sighed and did not bother hiding her thoughts. “Look, whatever’s between you  and Dr. Richter, that’s none of my business, alright?” She swallowed the lump in her throat. Great. I’m going to cry again. “Um, I think I need to pee, so—”

Rosa then made her way out of Kiki’s cubicle, but never got to take more than two steps.

“Oh no you don’t!” Kiki muttered as she grabbed Rosa's arm, stopping her in her tracks. “No, you’re not going anywhere away from me. Nope, nuh-uh.”

“I said I need to pee!” Tears already started to flow down her cheeks and onto the collar of her shirt. “Let go of me!”

“Who the hell pees and cries at the same time?!” Kiki—with a strength that even took her friend by surprise—wrested Rosa back into the cubicle, pulling her in by the arm. “Listen to me!”

Rosa sniffled and sobbed as she stood in the middle of the cubicle. 

Looking rightly pissed off, Kiki put her hands on her hips as she addressed her ugly sobbing friend. “If you’re capable of feeling this way, why are you treating Dr. Richter the way you’ve been doing?” She tsk-ed. “If he didn’t swear me to secrecy you would have been hearing a truckload of things from me, but…ugh!” She was almost at the point of tearing her short hair out in frustration. “I swear—!”

“Wait, what?” Rosa looked at her pissed off friend with bleary, tear-stricken eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t talk, because Dr. Richter made me promise not to. So,” Kiki pulled Rosa along with her. “Grab your things, take me to your shrink’s place because I can’t go there by myself. Everything including money is through my phone.”

“...okay.”

===

Half an hour later, Vyn and Rosa found themselves sitting across from each other in Vyn’s living room.

“Um.” Rosa was back to fidgeting, like how she did back when she first approached Vyn with her dilemma. She wrung her hands nonstop; there was never a moment when her fingers were still.

Vyn merely watched her silently, hands folded on his lap.

And from the main entrance of Vyn’s home, Kiki hollered, “Alright, I want you guys to talk things out, and I want it done properly, ayt?” She grabbed at the door, starting to pull it closed behind her. “Make sure you guys do it right this time!”

The door shut with a loud bang.

Vyn looked at the main door. “That was unnecessary.”

“Oh. Well. If this is all unnecessary, then I should see myself out,” Rosa began. “I—”

Vyn let out a ragged sigh. “No, my darling. I meant slamming the door was unnecessary.” He lifted his phone to show her. “I can easily control doors, windows, and other effects in my home with my phone.” A pause. “You know this.”

“Right. Sorry,” Rosa mumbled. “I don’t know what to say, really.”

“Miss Bennett believes that there is a certain level of miscommunication between us, Rosa,” Vyn said, in clipped tones. “And this irks me, because someone of my profession should have picked up on it easily.” One of his hands curled into a fist. 

“Mm.” Rosa wrapped her arms around herself. 

Unconsciously erecting walls, Vyn noted. She considers me someone she has to escape from. The thought ran a serrated knife deep into his heart. Maybe if I did not upset the order of things. If I was not so greedy, if I did not dare dream of getting more than what she was already giving—and she gave me so much already, to fill my dreams with. I—

The hand curled into a fist trembled as he drove fingernails deeper into his palm. A damp, uncomfortable, searing warmth spread in his hand.

“Rosa,” Vyn began. “Tell me, what am I to you?” 

Why am I asking these things now?

Rosa’s eyes focused on her constantly moving fingers, seemingly intent on retreating rather than engaging the man who was desperate to get an answer from her.

“Rosa, please,” Vyn now pleaded. “I am asking you this not as a psychiatrist, but as a—” 

Friend?

No.

“...as someone keen on having a relationship with you.”

Rosa finally looked up at him. “...what do you mean?” Her gaze was understandably wary. 

“A romantic relationship, Rosa.” Vyn said, recalling Kiki’s words that his desired inamorata was, in verbatim, dumb as bricks about the intricacies of romance. “Becoming lovers.” He took a deep breath. “I want to be your lover,” he continued, hoping that his words counted as him spelling things out for her.

He had been saving these words for a proper proposal—uttered in a more elegant phrasing, of course—but as Kiki had mentioned, he probably needed to spell things out for her, to get rid of any gaps where misunderstandings may slip in through.

Yet Rosa still did not look convinced. “I…see.” Her hands now fumbled with the hem of her skirt. “I…I don’t know.” She took a long pause, as if gathering her thoughts. “I’m confused. I’m sorry.”

Again, that plummeting sensation in the pit of his stomach. 

Rosa was incredibly resistant to this specific type of message. 

It was then that Vyn understood: It wasn’t that Rosa was dumb as bricks when it came to romance; it was because Rosa seemed to not accept the fact that she deserved to be loved and cherished, in a romantic sense, for some reason or another. 

This realization spurred in him a burgeoning sense of panic, of desperation, the urgent need to be understood, and so Vyn sprung from his seat to kneel by Rosa’s feet. “Rosa, my beloved, please,” he pleaded. “Listen to me when I say I want you. I need you. I need you so much, it hurts. Deeply.” 

Yet Rosa could only give him a smile so broken the sight of it cut deep in his aching, vulnerable heart. “You’ve always been such a romantic, Dr. Richter. Gifted with words.” A sharp intake of breath. 

“Did you whisper sweet words to Kiki too, last night?”

Vyn froze, and he visibly recoiled.

A long bout of silence stretched out, as both of them quietly ruminated on what just happened.

“Ah.” Slowly, carefully, Vyn stood up and stepped away from Rosa, going back to his seat across from her. “Of course not.” 

He could barely hide the bitterness that now crept into his voice. “When Miss Bennett found me out in the streets, about to lose my unconsciousness, all I ever voiced out to her was my gratitude.” Fingernails once again dug into his already wounded palm. “When Miss Bennett brought me home to safety as I was unconscious, drugged…when I came to, I only told her my gratitude.”

Vyn buried his face in his hands, and sighed loudly.

Rosa watched Vyn about to unravel right in front of her. A brief spell of panic crossed her face as she beheld Vyn edge into a breakdown. “Dr. Richter—”

But then Vyn removed his hands, revealing dull gold eyes now bereft of warmth, nor frenzied despair. 

“This is enough. I apologize, Rosa.” He stood up, and briskly made his way to the kitchen area. “I have been keeping you here, asking you unfair questions that put you on the spot. Again, I apologize.”

He opened his fridge, rummaging through the contents, and pulled out a mont blanc, the flawless one among the bunch: its chestnut puree in a perfect conical swirl, topped with freshly whipped cream sitting exquisitely on its peak. 

Vyn’s hands worked in deathly silence: fingers deftly folded the elegant transparent window box, placed the pretty mont blanc inside, and embellished the entire package with a teal-and-silver ribbon tied into a classy bow.

This he held out to Rosa as he walked back towards her. Yet his was an expression so somber, he might as well have handed her an urn instead of an elegantly packaged, beautiful dessert that he had spent many nights laboring over.

“This is my gift to you, as an apology,” Vyn’s voice was flat, and devoid of any warmth. “I shall not pester you with my foolishness ever again.”

This time, Rosa tried to reach out to him, to touch his hand as she took the mont blanc, but before her fingers could touch his he withdrew and sat himself once again across her. 

He reached for his phone. “I hope you do not mind, Miss Rosa, but I need some time for myself. I shall call a taxi for you. Do you want me to have it drop you off your apartment? Or—”

“Vyn!” Rosa cut in. “I’m—”

“What?” Vyn’s voice was glacial, cutting. It was nothing that Rosa had ever heard before from him. “Is there anything else you need?” The edge mellowed out, but it was still undeniably there, capable of cutting anything or anyone who dared go near.

“I…” Rosa faltered, but eventually managed to say, “I…just wanted to know.” She bit her lip. “What Kiki did here last night.”

“What of it, Miss Rosa?” Vyn asked. To Rosa it felt that Vyn grew even more distant the more words he spoke. “We are merely in an arrangement, are we not? Is that not what you call what we briefly had? And you so quickly assume I would be doing the same with other women, should I feel the inclination to. With your reasoning in mind, what I do outside our arrangement should not concern you at all.”

Rosa said nothing.

“Tell me, Miss Rosa,” Vyn’s now emotionless eyes bore holes right through her. “Since you call me your close friend, even as our relationship turned physical: Do you also fuck your childhood friend when you feel like it?”

A loud slap resounded in the otherwise quiet living room. 

Vyn rubbed his stinging cheek.

“I…I get it, Dr. Richter,” Rosa whispered. “I’ll…show myself out now. Don’t bother with the taxi—I can call one for myself.”

“Very well.”

The mont blanc remained on the seat that Rosa long vacated, and it never served its purpose.

===

“All that hard work…gone to nothing…” Kiki wailed into her cup of coffee.

Rosa had been cagey for the entire Monday morning after that weekend when she struggled to bring her friend and Dr. Richter together—as a result of her meddling, no less.

Thankfully, the two were close enough that the awkwardness that resulted from the events of last weekend had mostly dissipated, and they quickly went back to old habits: this time, they were back to whiling away their work and life sorrows over coffee in the office pantry.

“That’s fine, Kiki,” Rosa sighed. “Look, I’m sorry for…for…” she pursed her lips. “Assuming the worst about you and Dr. Richter.”

“Yeaaaah, but you guys aren’t together. If anything, I made things worse.” Kiki moaned. “Damn it.”

Rosa fell into thoughtful silence.

Kiki decided to gun for it, to say what was immediately in her mind the moment Rosa told her about last weekend’s fiasco: “…Dr. Richter has a point, you know.”

Bleary olive eyes looked at her. “What about?”

Ugh. Here goes. 

“When he asked you, if you would fuck your childhood pal because you guys are ‘close’. I mean,” Kiki propped her chin in the palm of her right hand. “All these time you’ve been calling Dr. Richter your ‘close friend’. Of course he’d ask if you’d fuck your other close friends too, that’s how many mixed signals you’ve been giving the poor guy.”

Rosa looked away. “Look, Kiki…” she closed her eyes, as if willing herself not to lose it. “I’ve been kicking myself over how I acted the last time I saw Dr. Richter, okay? I don’t feel like talking about it.” She bit her lip. “It hurts.”

Kiki looked at her thoughtfully, then said, “You know, I feel like going to the bathroom. Come with?”

“Um. Sure.”

===

“Since things have ended between you and that shrink,” Kiki said, as she removed her glasses, placing them by the sink of the women’s bathroom,  “I guess I can talk about the stuff he wanted me to keep from you.”

The bathroom was empty save for them, and it now served as an ideal space to talk about gossip. They stood by the sink set against the large mirror as Kiki touched up her makeup.

“But before that, lemme tell you about the stuff I heard about him. About what happened before I found him that night.” She untied and slipped the hairband from her head, shaking her hair loose to reveal a nicely curled bob that only needed a minor touch-up of a rounded brush. 

Rosa stood nearby, quiet, watching Kiki with rapt attention as her friend touched up. 

And gradually changed looks.

“Word has it that the famous ice prince of Stellis City was being picked up by no less than three beautiful girls. At the same time,” Kiki continued, as her fingers rummaged through her purse for her lipstick. “Dunno why but he was in this seedy bar, pouring his heart out to the bar owner,” she chuckled a little as she twisted the lipstick tube. “Crying about this girl he’s been trying so hard to win, and even managed to have sex with, but—haha—still thinks he’s her close friend.”

Rosa let out a gasp. 

Kiki merely gave her a cool side glance, then carefully swept the end of her lipstick along her bottom lip. It was a dark, almost forbidding, shade of red—totally uncharacteristic on someone like her. Or at least, what people in Themis Law knew of her.

“The bar Owner took pity on Dr. Richter, dude really looked down in the dumps,” Kiki smirked into her reflection in the mirror. She already looked very un-Kiki-like. “So the Owner had the idea of calling these girls he knew were really into the shrink, so they could play with him and cheer him up, y’know?”

She applied eyeshadow on her eyelids as she went on. “But Dr. Richter…he refused. Said he wasn’t interested. The girls already had the bar owner slip some drugs into his drink so they could take him without much fuss, but the shrink was so NOT interested, he still managed to crawl out of the bar despite the drugs.” 

She dusted a bit of blusher on her cheeks. “Aaand, that’s how I found him. Drugged out of his wits.” She smacked her lips to even out the rouge over her now alluring lips. “Looked up his address in his wallet, took his car keys, drove his car to his house.” Kiki tried out a sexy smile in the mirror. “You know what’s funny? In his sleep, all he ever called out was your name.”

She could see Rosa’s eyes tearing up through their reflection in the mirror, yet paid her no mind. Her fingers brushed through her hair, artfully tousling it. “When he finally woke up, and fed me some cake for breakfast as thanks…” her smile turned wistful. “...I wish you could have heard the things he told me, but…” She shook her head. “It shouldn’t come from me. If you want to know, it’s only right that he tells you himself. If he still would, that is.”

Kiki threw a meaningful look at her friend, through their reflections in the mirror. “You know…I wish someone looked at me that way, the way Dr. Richter looks at you. If only you knew the things he told me about you. It was…” She let out a sigh. “...really sweet. And sexy.”

Rosa was already weeping silently by the time she was done.

Kiki now faced Rosa directly, instead of looking at her through the mirror. “It’s not too late, you know,” she said quietly. “If you really want that shrink, you should grab the chance while you still can…”

Then, with a flip of her hair and a temptress’ half-smile—Kiki looked like a totally different woman now, someone who could easily pick up a man she fancied, instead of the bumbling, nerdy junior Rosa and the rest of her colleagues in Themis Law saw on a daily basis—she continued, “...before those girls who were interested in him try again. And succeed.”

Kiki merely looked on as Rosa spun on her heel and sprinted out of the bathroom, silently wishing her friend the best. 

Whew. Everything almost went to the shitter…

Smiling, she looked at the bathroom mirror once again to check if everything was set; a new mark had just been assigned to her, and he was conveniently located near Themis Law’s office building. A thrill shot up her spine. Apparently today’s mark was a handsome businessman in his late thirties. 

Kiki had seen his photos: he was her type. 

===

It was almost sundown when Rosa stepped off the taxi, right in front of the entrance to Vyn’s Victorian estate. 

If she still remembered his schedule correctly, he would be spending some time in the garden around this hour. She made a beeline off to the side towards his prized, sprawling English garden. 

Rosa jogged through the garden gates, craning her neck to allow her a better view as she looked for him, looking for the man she so wanted to seize back into her life. Carefully she navigated her way through the bushes, the budding rose shrubs and other flora that the doctor tended to with his own hands…

Then she finally spotted him: Vyn hunching over a hydrangea bush, shears in hand. The simple white shirt and jeans he wore for gardening work were smudged with dirt. 

Behind him stood a wheelbarrow almost full with plant trimmings, evidence of just how much time and effort he spent in his garden on that day alone.

Did he even go to his research center today? Or university, for that matter?

Taking a deep breath she started to approach him, careful not to take him by surprise. 

But Vyn already took notice of her presence when she was still a few meters away. “Good evening, Miss Rosa.” He put down his shears and stood up to face her. “How can I help you?”

His expression and stance seemed closed off: his gaze was still bereft of his usual friendly warmth, hands clasped in front of him.

Faced with a cold Vyn Richter—a total 180 to the gentle, warm, soft-spoken man who welcomed her with open arms, anytime—Rosa almost lost all nerve, her instincts screaming at her to turn tail and leave. Not because of self-preservation, but rather due to her innate fear of rejection.

But…

She remembered the things Kiki divulged to her. There were so many things she had yet to know. So many things she could have known, if only her head wasn’t so far up her ass being afraid that she might have misinterpreted his intentions. 

Last weekend proved how her fears wound up destroying the fragile, precious thing that could have been.

She had to work up her courage. “Dr. Richter, I…” She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. “I’m sorry.” 

Vyn remained silent, and did not move an inch.

“I’m really sorry,” Rosa repeated. “To be honest…I don’t even know why I’m here. I just…I just want to say I’m sorry. That’s all. Um.”

Vyn still did not say anything, but his gaze upon her softened, somehow.

Yet Rosa did not notice something so minute, and all she could see was Vyn merely staring at her in silence, as if waiting for her to finish her piece and leave. This time, she completely lost all nerve. “I—I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll be going now.”

Stifling a sob, Rosa turned around to leave. 

Yet before she could move away, strong arms held her in place.

“Do not go,” Vyn whispered. He hugged her from behind, his warmth seeping through her clothes. “Do not leave me.” His arms pulled her closer to him; hands tightly gripping her sides. He was so close to her that she could feel his body tremble against hers.

Moisture slowly trickled and spread onto the top of her head.

“...Dr. Richter…?”

Rosa looked up at him.

He was crying silently. 

Rosa shifted herself in his tight hug so she faced him. His hold upon her loosened to allow her movement; with a long, drawn out sigh that bore her pent-up longing she reached out to Vyn for a long, deep, heartfelt kiss. 

There was no stress to be relieved this time around; only relief that everything has fallen back into place, just where they should be. 

Her arms coiled around his neck, clinging to Vyn as if for dear life as their lips locked in frantic kisses. Their own breaths, moans, sighs mingled with each other before dissipating into the aether. “Dr. Richter—Vyn,” she whispered softly into his ear. “Vyn,” she repeated as she felt his lips flutter a trail of kisses down her neck.

A soft evening breeze blew around them, sending the surrounding flowers and vines into a dance in the orange glow of the evening sunset. Yet their beauty went unnoticed, as Rosa and Vyn were still too preoccupied with their all-too sweet reunion.

Vyn briefly pulled away for air. “Rosa, I am also deeply sorry,” he husked. “Things went too fast, and I am to blame. I said hurtful words. I…” He almost choked in his words. “...I could only think about you. Even in my dreams, all I ever see is you. And how filled with regret I am.”

His tears landed onto her cheek.

Rosa shook her head. “I drove you mad, in the worst way possible. I realize it now.” She gave him a crooked smile of her own, also edged with tears. Tenderly her fingers wiped away his tears, and she finally said those words that have not yet been uttered between them:

“I love you.”

===

“Vyn…there, yes…” The acoustics in Vyn’s shower made Rosa’s moans and whispers of his name reverberate and echo quite beautifully. 

Her wet body was pressed against the thick sturdy glass partition separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom; breasts flattened against the cold glass now quickly warming with her rising body heat. 

“You could have waited, my Rose,” Vyn murmured, his nose buried deep against her cunt as he sucked on her clit, hot shower water cascading over their bodies. “You will have to forgive me if making love here is not as comfortable as you would like.” There was an amused lilt to his voice, still easily picked out over the din of running water.

Vyn did not notice Rosa following him inside, when he entered his bathroom for a quick wash a few moments earlier. He only meant to clean himself of dirt, sweat, and grime that had accumulated from the day’s heavy gardening work before he made love to her properly, yet Rosa—ever impatient, with her impatience made even worse by her impulsive nature—wanted to jump him already in the shower. 

His tongue slid along the length of her slit at a languid, maddening pace, and Rosa could not help but grind her hips against his mouth. “God, I don’t care. I just want you now. More,” she whimpered above him. “Vyn, please.” 

“As my Lady wishes,” Vyn replied, and in went three fingers inside her hungry cunt, relieving her wet flesh of the acute emptiness that only he, and his worship of her, could fill.

The pads of his fingers pressed against her inner walls as they slid in and out of her, pulling such sweet sounds from his Rosa: small whispered words of love, lust, and utterances of his name came with each and every deep thrust.

“Vyn,” his Rosa moaned aloud, and he could feel her flutter around his fingers. Her body slid lower, knees almost giving out in the face of such immense pleasure. “God, I’m so stupid,” she suddenly said.

“Hm?” Vyn’s fingers kept on fucking her, his thrusting not missing a beat. “Why? What about?” His voice was now breathy and low; he knew how much she loved his voice, especially when he modulated it in such a way that it would feel like he was caressing her nape with his words. 

He also knew that the acoustics in the shower only amplified his voice’s effect on her. “What are you upset about? When…” He thrust his fingers inside even deeper, drawing out a loud, needful whimper from his love. “...I’m doing you like this?”

“I could have lost this,” she said, in between barely repressed cries. “This—aaah!”

Lewd, wet sounds from her pussy combined with Rosa’s singing; it did not take long before Vyn got swept away by the seductive, obscene symphony. “I need you now,” he whispered urgently, his body sliding against hers as he stood up, stiff cock nestling between her ass cheeks. “I need you,” he repeated as he rubbed the tip against her entrance; soft spoken words turned into a guttural groan as he plunged deep inside the object of his deepest, darkest obsession.

Rosa gasped loudly as his entire length drove inside her, her flesh yielding; gasps soon changed into begging as Vyn started to move, his hips bucking against her ass with force enough to slightly shake the glass partition’s metal frame every time he thrust inside. 

“Vyn…the glass,” she moaned out loud, seemingly alarmed that the glass partition’s frame was shaking with their fucking. 

“Tempered,” was the only thing Vyn said in response. 

Yet one of his arms wrapped around her, just underneath her breasts, pulling her fast against his body as he shifted her weight away from the glass to himself; his other arm lifted one of her thighs up to give his cock easy access to her cunt. He continued pummeling inside her as they stood in the middle of the shower stall, hot water still pouring hard all over them, and all Rosa could do was to reach upwards and cling to Vyn’s neck as he rutted into her with abandon.

Loud sounds of wet flesh hitting wet flesh punctuated his every movement, until Vyn’s hips bucked against Rosa’s behind one last time. With a loud groan he emptied himself inside her, his twitching cock flooding her with his hot come. 

Maddening. Euphoric. Blissful: these were the words that came into his mind as his vision blanked out. 

“Love,” Vyn’s voice shuddered as he slumped behind Rosa, cock still hard and swollen inside her, “Let me make it up to you.” 

He knew she had not come yet; he had ideas that he wanted to try out, which required a semblance of clarity that he could only achieve after satisfying his own urge to fuck Rosa and fill her with his seed.

He sat down a grumbling, incredibly impatient Rosa along the edge of the tub right next to the shower stall; once again he knelt down, this time between her spread thighs. “I will make this worth your wait,” Vyn whispered as he bent down to plant small kisses along her inner thigh, from her knee towards her pussy. 

His thumb traced small, concentric circles around her clit; the soft, quivering sighs escaping her lips telling him of the climax just within reach…

“Hahh—what are you…?” The rest of her words get caught in her throat once Vyn’s lips reach the nethermost part between her legs, his eager lips kissing her down there, and her suppressed words are quickly replaced with a yelp of surprise when his tongue dug into her hole.

Vyn started sucking out the very same come—a sublime mix of salty bitterness—he injected her with, thumb not letting up the rubbing on her clit that was about to go off.

“Vyn, what are you doi—” 

When Rosa looked down to see what Vyn was up to, her eyes were met with his misty gold looking up at her from behind his long, silver eyelashes, tipped with water droplets.

…as his tongue lapped up the remaining traces of his own sperm off her sex.

“Oh god.” The utterly shameless spectacle finally pushed her over the edge. The spasming of her inner walls helped him clean her inner flesh of his come, and as her tremors subsided Vyn slowly slid up against her, feeding her mouth with his white fluid; still warm off his tongue and mixed with his own saliva.

The sheer filthiness of the act turned Rosa on so much that she pushed Vyn off her, and had him lie down on the wet tiles of the bathroom floor. 

She licked the traces of his sperm and spit off her lips. “God, why are you so sexy?” she muttered as she straddled his hips, not caring if Vyn was still in his refractory period. “Damn it.”

Vyn laughed helplessly underneath her. “You are defeating the purpose of why I wanted to take a shower, pet,” he said as his hands slid up to her breasts. There was nothing stopping him from having a little bit of fun while he rested. “We will not be able to clean ourselves the more we keep this up…”

“Screw that, you didn’t need a shower anyway,” Rosa said as she bent down to take his tongue in her lips, still tasting of him. 

===

Rosa, her skin freshly towel-dried and hair still damp from the shower, stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a fluffy white towel wrapped around her.

“You know what we will be doing in a few moments, my love,” Vyn whispered from behind her, fingers parting her hair to reveal the back of her neck. Warm lips descended onto her cool skin; a sweet kiss planted on her nape. His hot breath—and the hardness that poked against her lower back—betrayed his excitement. “Why bother with modesty?”

Off the towel went.

Vyn gently nudged her towards the bed, but something caught Rosa’s eye: a full-length mirror in a nondescript yet sturdy varnished heavy wooden frame stood against a nearby wall, reflecting their naked bodies. 

Transfixed for the moment—Rosa rarely ever paraded naked in her own bedroom much less in front of her mirror—she walked towards it, taken in by a strange impulse to look at her own reflection. A naked woman of average build and height, certainly no one special, just average, looked back at her from the mirror.

“Is something the matter?” came Vyn’s question.

Rosa shook her head. “Mm. Nothing, really. I just don’t see myself in the nude all that often, you know?” She turned to her side. Her silhouette could need some work. “Ugh. I guess I need to renew that gym membership…”

“There are benefits to being physically active on a regular basis.” Vyn hugged her from behind, his hands loosely clasped over her belly. “But in your case, it would be only for health reasons.” 

He appreciated the image reflected back at them: Rosa enveloped in his arms, and him standing behind her, his gold eyes tinged with a little hunger. “You look perfect.”

Keeping their position in front of the mirror Vyn bent over slightly to plant a lingering kiss on the side of her neck.

Rosa watched Vyn slowly tongue the sensitive part of her neck through their reflections in the mirror; it felt like she was watching a softcore porn scene. 

The sight, coupled with the actual sensations that came with it, made her wet.

Suddenly Kiki’s words came unbidden: ‘If only you knew the things he told me about you.’

Vyn’s hands were kneading her breasts—no doubt deliberately done to produce a lewd, incredibly arousing image in the mirror—when Rosa finally decided to ask about it. 

“Kiki…said you told her things. Um.” All of a sudden she felt an uncharacteristic shyness that made it difficult for her to voice it out. “Stuff about me.”

Vyn smiled as his lips grazed her shoulder. “Oh, is it about the things I like about you?”

Rosa nodded silently.

“Well then.” Vyn straightened up, once again towering Rosa as he stood behind her. “Keep your eyes on the mirror, pet.”

Holding her breath, Rosa did as she was told; Vyn laughed a little as he felt her tense up. “Relax, my Rosa,” he breathed as his hands gently held her by the shoulders, his palms slowly sliding down her arms until his fingers could intertwine with hers. Then, he began:

“I like your bright eyes.” Vyn pressed a soft kiss onto one of her temples. “Especially when you smile. Smile for me, Rosa,” he said, his voice deliciously low and absolutely erotic.

His gold eyes meet hers in the mirror, and, smiling sensually he licked her cheek with the tip of his tongue.

Rosa let out a ragged gasp as she beheld his teasing.

With the same low voice that sent shivers down her spine Vyn continued: “I like your presence, and the way you effortlessly brighten up my day.” This time he behaved, just a bit, keeping his hands to himself as he placed a friendly kiss on the top of her head.

“I like your scent. It awakens a sort of hunger I never knew I possessed…” Vyn buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply, and with a soft moan he bit into that tender junction where her shoulder joined her neck.

Rosa watched him through the mirror, spellbound, as Vyn’s hands slid once again to her breasts, lightly running his palms against her nipples while he licked the bitemarks he left on her shoulder.

She now felt positively drenched between her legs. “Vyn…” she moaned as she leaned her head back against his shoulder. “Vyn…”

“I am not done yet,” he purred. He continued, “I like your child-like curiosity, and how your willingness to learn new things indulges me and my desire to share knowledge with you…” This time, he did not do anything except to ask, “Do you want to try out new things with me, Rosa?”

His tongue slithered into his ear, hot and wet and absolutely indecent. “Let me hear your voice. I also love hearing it,” he whispered directly into her ear, voice dripping with dark honey. 

Another lick in the shell of her ear.

“Hahh—Vyn,” Rosa moaned, eyes still obediently witnessing her lover’s tender assault. “I don’t know what to…hhngh…say?” Soft moans slipped through her lips as Vyn’s fingers teased her nipples to hardened peaks.

“Mmm. That is fine. Your voice turns me on,” Vyn murmured as he now gently pushed Rosa closer to the mirror. “Bend and grab onto the sides of the mirror, my love.” With gentle nudges he had her bent over, ass slightly raised to better receive him. Her hands clung to the thick, heavy wooden frame encasing the mirror. “Eyes on the mirror,” he reminded her.

Rosa could feel Vyn rubbing the tip of his cock against her wet slit. 

“And lastly,” he breathed, “I love you, desire you, obsess over you…”

In one thrust he bottomed out inside her.

“Aaaahh, Vyn!” Rosa cried out, not in pain—she was already wet enough for her hot inner flesh to easily yield to his strong thrust—but in how deliciously he filled her, how there’s nothing that could be any more perfect in that moment. 

And the face she saw in the mirror, well. 

It told her just how much she wanted him. And of how superbly depraved she was, for him.

“You fill me with ecstasy, in more ways than one,” Vyn whispered as he started pounding into her flesh. He then fell silent, except for his heavy breathing punctuated with moans, and soft grunts as he thrusted inside her, over and over, a succinct demonstration of how much he desired the woman he was making heavy love with at the moment. 

“I love you, Rosa,” His voice trembled as he professed his love in the most debased yet to the point manner possible. “I love you.”

Every deep thrust pressed Rosa harder against the mirror; it took all of her strength to brace herself from toppling over onto the floor. Yet she did not mind, and a smile played on her lips as she shouted Vyn’s name repeatedly out loud, to do her more, harder, yes…

Finally he shouts her name, and once again his hot seed spills inside her; this time they both collapse onto the floor of his room. Vyn effortlessly rolled underneath Rosa to protect her from the brunt of the fall. 

“I wish…I could have told you how I love you in a more…romantic setting,” Vyn murmured as he struggled to catch his breath, holding the woman he so loved and obsessed over close to him.

It was Rosa’s turn to laugh this time. “What are you talking about?” She curled up on top of him, not minding the fact that they were still not on his bed. “I love you, Vyn,” she murmured softly.

Vyn grinned as he tipped her chin with a fingertip, making her face him. “As friends?”

Rosa gave him a twisted grin, then leaned over for a deep kiss.

Both of them knew the answer to that, of course. No words needed to be said, this time around.

===

Kiki could only grin when she happened upon Rosa’s cubicle, still noticeably empty the next work day at four in the afternoon.

Oooh. I wonder who got some nice dicking from a psychiatrist last night. Teehee.

Humming, she marched back to her own cubicle in high spirits, happy to see that all was well in the world, one happily fucked woman at a time. 

A nondescript box tied with a teal and silver bow awaited her by her cubicle, sitting prettily beside her mechanical keyboard. “Oh? What’s this?”

She let out a loud gasp as she finally opened the box. Inside was a small personal-sized black forest cake, along with a pack containing printed photos of the idol group she was gushing over to Rosa about.

All photos were signed.

A note that came with it simply said, “Thank you for everything. I am glad that Rosa and I can count on you as our dearest friend  - VR”

Yes. Yes I approve of you, Kiki cried inwardly as she held the photos close to her little depraved heart.

[abelkia]

La playlist de l'émission de ce jeudi matin sur Radio Campus Bruxelles entre 6h30 et 9h: Mendelson "Algérie" (Le dernier album/Ici d'ailleurs/sortie officielle: 15 octobre 2021) Houari Benchenet "Taachki Felghir" (Le Monde du Raï/Buda Musique/1988) Marika Papagika "Zmirneikos Balos" (I Don't Feel At Home in This World Anymore/Mississippi Records/1931-2007) Stephanie Hladowski "Willy O'Winsbury" (The High High Nest/Singing Knives/2008) Richard Youngs & Simon Joyner "Story of Jhon" (Summer Through My Mind/Ba Da Bing!/2013) Alvarius B. "Funny Thing Is..." (Baroque Primitiva/Abduction/2011) Brigitte Fontaine & Areski "Moi aussi" (7"/Saravah/1972) Caetano Veloso "Lua, lua, lua, lua" (Jóia/Philips/1975) Melvin Van Peebles "Lilly Done the Zampoughi Everytime I Pulled Her Coattail" (Brer Soul/A&M Records/1969) Abner Jay "I'm So Depressed" (True Story of Abner Jay/Mississippi Records/1969-2009) Jacques Dudon "L'Ange, le diable et les colimaçons" (Erosion distillée/Monster Melodies Records/1969-2016) Sarah Davachi "Abeyant" (Antiphonals/Late Music/2021) Céline Lory, "L'amour vin" (En corps y​-​bride/Autoproduction/2019) Les brochettes "La Plymouth" (Sous mes bandages, des cicatrices/Brute Production/1993) Cabaret Voltaire "This is Entertainment" (The Voice of America/Rough Trade Records/1980) Sonic Youth "Tunic (Song for Karen)" (Goo/Geffen Records/1990) Cat Power "Cross Bones Style" (Moon Pix/Matador Records/1998) Geneviève Castrée "Chanson pour le tigre" (Pamplemoussi/L’Oie de Cravan/2004) Super Mama Djombo "Dissan na M'bera" (Golden Afrique/Network Medien/1980-2005) Ignatz & De Stervende Honden "Height of Noon" (Saturday's Den/Ultra Eczema/2021) Jim O'rourke "Something Big" (Eureka/Drag City Records/1999) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUKRL13gfmY/?utm_medium=tumblr

[the-sufferers-signlessness]

The warm breeze that took hold of the port trailed through his hair, a pleasant air that was overshadowed by the aching feeling that weighed in his gut that something was amiss.

Having already spent a majority of the day running through stocks and matters that were paramount to the efficient function of his current charge, he had caught no wind of the surly banter from the pubs nor the ships dotting the docks.

He made his way towards one of the major ships, option to run checks over the various ties on the magnificent vessel, though none of what seemed out of place. A hand resting on the pommel of his Sickle as he paced up the deck, a free hand running along the railing as he took in the biting sea air and closed his eyes in attempt to calm what he could only assume were his nerves, despite all flags in his mind speaking otherwise.

A light creak that was dissimilar to the ebb and flow of the wood was heard not far behind him, causing the man’s ear to twich a touch as he feigned ignorance and kept his movement forward. This led to the source of the noise rushing it’s self forward to lay ambush on his turned back, prompting sign to step to the side and let the culprit throw themself full force into the railing and drop the daggar in hand.

“9h. Are we d9ung this t9day then?” His hand brought to the crewman’s collar as he pulled him to his feet and tossed a spare sword from a rack to the bastard and nodded at the rest of the crew already piling in to see the show. “Well, g9 ahead. Make this w9rth it’s while.”

The pirate jeered at him, spitting something akin to ‘gobby pidgin shit’ before coming forth with a flourish of the weapon’s blade, as sign stepped forward and under the swing, bringing the blunt edge of his weapon to the low guarded knee of the wannabe swashbuckler and taking the breif moment of his falling momentum to bring the pommel to his opponent’s chin. His steps moving back as he shook his head and tossed his palmtop to a standing member. “Vide9 this, i want t9 sh9w this cur his misteps.”

The dazed troll having steadied himself against the mast, grabbed at a second sword kept newrby and moved forward, hoping that the added weaponry would close the gaps better. Sign having not reacted fast enough to this found himself nicked by one of the blades as he stepped back, before bringing his sickle up and into a twisting slash to disarm the bastard wholly. “Alright n9w, while-“ a counter via a punch to the nose “-I admire the cunning....” A kick to the gut. “Take n9te 9f what y9ure fughting 6ef9re y9u rush in like a f99l!”

[dianapana]

SasuHina Month Day 8- Mermaid

Hey guys, sorry i was inactive for a while, to be honest i struggles with this cuz i had a pretty meh idea in my head and i just didn’t feel like writing it but like 1 hour ago this idea came to me and i wrote it and boom i feel pretty good about this. 

Also August has been so full for me, the first 5 days i was at that music festival as i said i spend like 20 hours a day there and 4 sleeping, if that, so after that i slept a full day. i didn’t even come home cuz i went to my friend and Uni colleague’s house for 4 days, i did most of my planning for what and how to write on the train to her house cuz it was a 4h ride. and after those 5 days at her house we came back to my house which was a 9h train ride woho...and she just left today. Before going to the music festival i changed the furniture in my room and now i feel so wierd being here alone. it just feels like she should be here as well and i miss her so much already. Oh yea and in 3 days i’m going to the beach for 2 weeks. Like i said August is hectic, but u still wanna write everything because i have a plan for most days. so i’ll post all 31 of them even if they are a bit late..

ANYWAY, that was a an update on my life i guess xD I hope you enjoy, Love Dia ~

Fantasy - Part 1

Sasuke

Everyone does thing they don’t particularly like, you wake up early and  go everyday to school with people that you can’t wait to become part of your past, you sit thought awkward talks and weird situations cuz you can’t see an escape route. This last one is the case I am in, a weird situation, I am with my parents, my brother, his wife and their small daughter at Disney world because it is Kara's 7th birthday and she wished for the past 3 years to come here. Mom and dad got tired after the first 2 hours of wandering around; Itachi started feeling unwell and pucked twice after riding about 12 times the rollercoaster so he and Anko went to the pharmacy to get something to ease his stomach and they’re taking a small break so here I am stuck with my u year old niece who is dressed like a princess walking around the amusement park. Kara qas so excited for the first hour and she kept running around but got tired quite fast but Itachi carried her around in his arms princess style for almost 3 hours so she is once more full pf energy. Who thought that leaving a 22 year old male with a 7 year old girl I don’t know.

I am holding her hand as we walk around and all of a sudden she stops and screams so loud my ears start ringing; I can’t even find my footing and see what is happening because Kara starts pulling me to the far right and I do my best to steer her from hitting and tripping people over.  

We walk through a tunnel that  painted deep blue and as we get to the end the temperature drops and I haven’t realized how hot it was outside until this moment when it finally feels cool. The song ‘Under the sea' from the Little Mermaid is playing on repeat. I only know the song because Little Mermaid is Kara's favorite Disney movie and whenever I babysit her or just go by Itachi's the movie is permanently on.  

“Sasuke look!” she says and pulls on my pants leg; she is behind me now and hides, looking shyly at a group of kids  that stare at an aquarium tank. I don’t notice anything unusual until one small girl screams on top of her lungs ‘mermaid’ and a lot of kids move  around and looks at her and I see it, or more like, I see her. In the tank is a real life mermaid, with blue hair and beautiful liliac eyes, she swims around and waved to the kids, smiles and them and when a mother holds her daughter a little higher over the aquarium she comes out for air and holds the girl’s hand.  

“Can we do that? I want to hold hands with the mermaid…” Kara is bit a shy kid but now she looks overwhelmed, anxious and a bit scared yet very excited. She looks into my eyes waiting for my reply so I only nod. We walk to the tank and as we get closer a large group of kids pair off 2 by 2 and follow a lady who I assume is their teacher and another teacher is behind them so we are pretty much the only ones at the tank. Kara is still behind my leg, the mermaid is under the eater and swims around putting on a really cool show. Just the fact that she can hold her breath for that long is impressive. She looks towards us and smiles and waved at Kara.  

I look at my little niece as well and I pick her up like the mother did and the mermaid comes up for air, crosses her arms over the glass wall and puts her head there and smiles big at Kara.  

“Are you a real mermaid?” Kara asks and shyly touches her cheek. The mermaids smile boardes and she looks absolutely stunning, I feel lightning bolts shoot up my spine, she is so much more beautiful up close.  

Hinata

I enjoy it more when there are smaller groups of people at my tank, I like talking to the kids and playing my character, so being alone with this little girl and her...father, older brother(?) is pretty cool, she’s so cute dressed as a princess and her eyes are big and full of innocence. She's also old enough to have a conversation with. I'd give her 7 or 8 years and I'm quite good at guessing children’s ages. She asked me if I'm a real mermaid, that is one of the most frequent questions. The tail I wear is very well made and it truly looks authentic and I take pride in my swimming skills and in the amount of time I can stay underwater without having to come out and breath, also behind the rock where u can’t see, on the other side of the tank you can go and breath air and the kids can see only tour tail so I tend to do that unless there is someone who wants to talk or hold my hand.  

“Yes princess, I am a real mermaid” her smile is shy and so cute. She nods like what I said makes sense. I look from her to the man holding her and I have to stop a sigh, he’s so good-looking and he is staring right at me. I give him the same smile because I can’t break character, but his grin makes my skin tingle and I really want to touch him.  

“Is this your home? Are you a prisoner here? Do you want us to save you?” She looks up worried at the man and he chuckles lightly at her questions. I'm a bit startled, I have been asked before if I live here but no one offered to help me escape.  

“Can I tell you a secret?” I tell her and pull myself even more out of the water. She looks at me very serious and nods so I lean in and whisper in her ear. “You can’t tell anyone, but this isn’t my house, nor am I prisoner. I work here. When I get out of the water and I'm dry I have legs just like you do but when I'm in the water I am a mermaid, so I am here to help little girls like me and to talk with beautiful and kind princesses like yourself” after I finish my little speech I still don’t back up because I can feel the heat coming from the man and I also can smell him, he smells refreshing, like ice and mint but with something else that I can’t put my finger on but I'm willing to bet it’s just him, he smells delicious and very manly.

“I’ll tell you a secret too” The little girl says “My name is Kara and I'm not a princess” she looks at me carefully, waiting for my reaction. I only nod and smile.

“Well Kara, I am Hinata and I have to disagree, you are a princess. Being a princess has little to do with royal blood or fancy clothing, it is all about how you act, if you are kind and friendly, loyal and loving and good. I can see into your soul and you are a princess deep inside, never doubt that” Her eyes widen, and she smiles at me.  

“Sasuke did you hear? I'm a princess” He smiles at her. I take in what she said, his name is Sasuke. She didn’t call him dad and he is too young to have such a big kid so I doubt he is her dad. “Can you see in his soul? Is he a prince too?”

I make a show of looking at him from head to toe like I'm considering her question when in reality I just want to check him out. After I've taken everything in I look back up at his face, narrow my eyes and look at his chest. I pull myself out even more and I lay my hand flat on his chest and close my eyes. I only now realize that I probably wet his shirt, but I can’t stop the show now. After a couple of seconds my hand can’t take it, just from touching him I feel a bit dizzy so I open my eyes and nod very serous to myself before looking back at Kara, I don’t look up at Sasuke because I am scared of what I'll see there.  

“Yes he is a good soul, he is also a prince” Kara’s eyes light up and she looks at Sasuke with a lot of love and admiration, I finally look at his face because I expect him to stare and smile at Kara but instead his stare is on me so intensly, a lot of feelings hit me all of a sudden and I feel overwhelmed.  

Sasuke

When she put her hand on my chest to “feel if my soul id good” I thought my heart will jump out of my chest. I can’t help but stare at her. I want to ask her when she finished work because something tells me we’ll still be here when she’s done, and I want to meet her. Or I want to ask her for her number, but I can’t do that in front of Kara, it would ruin the image Hinata painted for her character. Hinata...even her name is beautiful. Kara looks at me and asks me to put her down and says that she wants to take a picture in front of the tank as Hinata floats behind her. I take a few pictures of the two of them posing. I look around and see a smaller tank with lots of fish inside that is just a bit to the left, but far enough that Kara won’t hear what I talk about with Hinata. I also take a quick look around and see that it’s not very crowded so I don’t think new kids will come to Hinata.  

“Why don’t you go look at the fishes for a moment, I want to talk to the mermaid about how I should act now that I found out I'm a prince” I tell Kara lamely, thankfully she believes me and goes to look at the fishes. I return to the tank and softly knock in the glass to get her attention; she is once again swimming around. When she looks at me and sees now kids around, she rises a brow and I just shrug. She comes out to talk to me anyway.  

“You’re not supposed to it the glass. It says that there. She points to a piece of paper that is on the wall next to her. “Not respecting the rules is not very prince-like of you”  

“Sorry I just needed your attention.” She smiles, for real this time not the fake-princess one she shows every kid; and for a moment I forget how to breath. “Thank you for talking so much to Kara, she loves mermaids whenever I babysit her for my brother Little Mermaid is all she wants to watch” I intentionally made it very clear that Kara is my niece so she wouldn’t think I was her father or anything.  

“It wasn’t big deal. She's very cute” I nod,  and silence falls over us.

“When do you get out of work? And can you give me your number?” I cringe internally. I'm better than this, I have mad game with girls but this one makes me feel a bit weird, like I'm off balance in some way.  

She chuckles “I get out in an hour and half. And as for my number...how about we meet when I get out and I can give it to you then? Would that work?” she asks and I try really hard not to jump and pump my fist in the air in a “i-did-it" pose.

“Yea that works, cool.” I try to pretend like she doesn’t affect me at all but that’s a failure. “I’ll meet you here in about 2 hours?” I take into consideration that she probably has to shower and change.  

“Yes, 2 hours is perfect. Bye bye Prince Sasuke” she says and goes back to swimming. I go back to Kara.

“What did she say about being a prince?’ she asks looking up at me and taking my hand to hold.  

“She said I have potential but I need some help, so she offered to give me classes on hoe to be a good prince”

[looshk-blog1]

It’s so romantic in Paris Chapter 3

Demyx tried his best to keep busy on the long flight. He watched movies and played games on his Switch in an effort to keep his mind from Xigbar and his infidelity. He tapped his pocket, he could feel his engagement ring in there, he had no intention of ever wearing it again, but he couldn't bring himself to leave it behind either... He took of the silver chain around his neck and slid it on, then refastened it around his neck and put it under his white t shirt. The air hostess came through and handed Demyx another glass of champagne, he could feel himself getting pretty tipsy. Maybe I should get some sleep... He tilted his seat back and unfolded the cosy woolen blanket that had been left under his seat, he popped his headphones in, put on his sleep mask and drifted into a cosy sleep. He dreamt of Xigbar apologising, begging for forgiveness... He forgave him... His trust was in need of mending but he dreamt he was willing to do it all for him. He put his engagement ring back on, they kissed. Xigbar told him he loved him and couldn't live without him... Just as their lips were about to meet he was startled awake by the plane hitting the tarmac. He looked around himself alarmed pulling off his sleep mask, to realise they'd landed. The intercom jingle played. “Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Charles De Gaulle Airport. The local time is 9 am and the current temperature is 11 degrees celsius. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about. Cellular phones may only be used once the Fasten Seat Belt sign has been turned off. Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought on board with you and please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight.

If you require assistance, please remain in your seat until all other passengers have disembarked. One of our crew members will then be pleased to assist you.

On behalf of  Destiny Airlines and the entire crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day!” “Mesdames et Messieurs, bienvenue à l'aéroport Charles De Gaulle. L'heure locale est 9h et la température actuelle est de 11 degrés celsius. Pour votre sécurité et votre confort, restez assis avec votre ceinture de sécurité attachée jusqu'à ce que le commandant de bord éteigne le panneau Attache de ceinture de sécurité. Cela indiquera que nous sommes garés à la porte et que vous pouvez vous déplacer en toute sécurité. Les téléphones cellulaires ne peuvent être utilisés que lorsque le panneau Attacher la ceinture de sécurité a été désactivé. Vérifiez autour de votre siège si vous avez apporté des effets personnels que vous avez éventuellement apportés et soyez prudent lorsque vous ouvrez les coffres à bagages supérieurs, car des objets lourds pourraient s'être déplacés pendant le vol. Si vous avez besoin d'assistance, veuillez rester à votre place jusqu'à ce que tous les autres passagers aient débarqué. Un des membres de notre équipage se fera alors un plaisir de vous aider. Au nom de Destiny Airlines et de l’ensemble de l’équipage, je voudrais vous remercier de votre participation à ce voyage et nous espérons vous revoir bientôt. Bonne journée!” Demyx stretched his arms out and got up once the fasten seatbelt light had been turned off. An air hostess fetched his bag for him and wished him a pleasant stay. He walked through the plane and off into the tunnel attaching the plane to the airport, stepping aside to let people pass him as he turned his phone back on. He popped his phone into his pocket and walked towards baggage claim, he looked around himself as he went listening to conversations taking place around him in French... The blonde sighed dreamily, he had no idea what they were saying, but damn if he didn't love the sound of it. His phone buzzing alerted him back to reality, he pulled it from his pocket and answered it. “Hey Axel!” “Hey! You landed safe?” “I did, I'm just in the airport now walking to baggage claim. I'm beat, it was a long flight, but i did manage to get a few hours sleep so that's something.” Axel nodded sleepily. “I'm glad you're safe, have fun okay? I'm going back to sleep. It's 3 am here but I just wanted to check you were okay!” “Thanks Axel, sleep well!” “Bye!” He hung up, but there a message from a weird number on his phone. Huh? Bonjour, bienvenue à Paris! J'attends dans les arrivées pour vous chaque fois que vous êtes prêt! Je m'appelle Zexion et je serai votre guide pour les deux prochaines semaines! Demyx looked at his phone confused and quickly got up google translate. Je suis désolé je ne parle pas beaucoup français.

His phone beeped again. Sorry, force of habit, welcome to Paris. I'm Zexion, your guide for your stay here. I'm waiting in arrivals for you whenever you're ready. Take your time. Demyx looked at his phone blankly. I got myself a guide for the two weeks? He laughed to himself looking over the message again. Drunk Demyx doesn't half ass things... He strolled towards baggage collection, looking at the signs in French and English trying to pick up a few basic words. So bathroom is toilette or salle de bains, exit is sortie, I know hello is bonjour or salut and thank you is merci. He approached the conveyor belt and waited for his bag to appear. His mind was drifting and his hand gripped the ring on his necklace absent mindedly. I wonder what... No. Stop thinking of him... You are done. He cheated on you, he decided through his actions that you are over... There is no going back... He nodded in agreement with this thought as his bright blue bag rounded the corner of the conveyor belt. Demyx pulled it off and walked out the automatic doors to arrivals. He scanned the crowd for his name and his eyes came to a stop on a man not much shorter than himself. His hair was a mixed grey blue colour, it was cut into an intricate style with a side fringe that covered one eye. Wow... I hope all the guys here are THAT hot... He looked back and forth looking for someone, Demyx looked down to his sign out of curiosity and realised with excitement and horror that this was his guide. Oh my God... Zexion's eyes met his gaze and a feeling like lightning shot through him. He smiled and pointed playfully at his sign cocking his head. Demyx nodded feeling stupid and dumbfounded as Zexion walked forward and grabbed his hand in a handshake then pulled him forward and kissed both of his cheeks. “Bienvenue à paris mon ami!” The blonde flushed and pulled his hand free quickly looking down at his shoes wide eyed, Zexion balked at his reaction. “Uhm... Are you ok?” He looked up still red faced. “Are... Are you that friendly with everyone?” Zexion was straight faced for a moment. “Well... Yeah actually... I mean it's Paris... That's how we say hello around here...” Demyx paled wondering if he was ready to be that physically friendly with complete strangers, when Zexion started laughing. “Je blague! Je blague! I'm joking!” The blondes shoulders sagged in relief. “You Americans are so... cute.” Zexion caught his eyes for a moment too long before grabbing his case. “Okay, you have everything?” The blonde nodded. “Great, let's get going!” They walked towards the car with Zexion wheeling Demyx's case. “So we're not too far from Paris... You should be at your hotel in roughly an hour.” He pulled the case to his car and popped open the car boot, Demyx ran to help him get the heavy case into the trunk, but he lifted it in with ease and closed it. He's stronger than he looks... He found his eyes tracing Zexion's frame wondering what might lie under those... “Hop in!” Demyx popped out of his daydream like he'd been caught doing something bad. “What?!” The blue haired man eyed him oddly for a moment. “Hop in?” The blonde shook his head feeling stupid desperately trying to grasp at his memories of French class in high school. “Sorry, uhm... Je suis derriere l'avion...” Zexion looked at him funny. “You're behind the plane...? What... Oh you're jet lagged.” He nodded. “Sorry my French is, basically non existent.” The grey haired man pushed his hair back from his face giving Demyx his first full view, he grinned across at him. “Good thing I'm here then!” He revved the car to life and screeched the car out of their space shouting unknown obscenities at the driver behind them. “So what brings you to Paris?” Demyx shrugged nonchalantly keeping himself carefully in check with each word he said. “I've always wanted to come here. I decided seeing as I'd been working so much overtime lately that I'd come and see the place.” Zexion weighed up his words carefully. “So just a leisure holiday... Solo... To the most romantic city in the world?” The blonde gulped. He's onto me... “Admirable... Braver than a lot of other people who come here... You have no idea how many people come here all romantic, like cannot bear to be alone here... I love my job and I love this city, but some people love to make you feel like a third wheel you know?” Demyx nodded his thoughts creeping back to Xigbar. “Yeah... Nothing worse.” He looked over at Demyx smiling. “Right? So if you look straight ahead you'll see we're about to drive around the 'Arc De Triomphe'.” Demyx sat up and looked straight ahead. “Wow...” Zexion smiled. “Welcome to Paris my friend...”

[be-more-heidi-hansen]

Ticking Time Bomb (Michael Mell X Reader)

"Timer Soulmate AU! Where there's a timer on your wrists that counts down to when you meet your soulmate - with Michael Mell :)"

Word count: 1k

Warnings: cursing

(A/N): I love my boy michael sdbjkbfdhs. this,,, kinda sucks?? im sorry. enjoy, and if you really like it, consider liking/reblogging! it would be really appreciated!

~

Soulmates pissed you off. Really, honestly, truly, they did. Who thought it was a good idea to give people fucking timers on their wrists like microwaves that count down to meeting the one person who's literally made for you? Many people you knew already had soulmates. Good for them. They found love early on. Some you knew, however, never got the chance.

Your mother, for example. She never met her soulmate. He had died before she could. Her timer stopped and fell off at the age of twenty-three, with  4d, 27m: 15s . She kept it in an otherwise empty jewelry box on her dresser. She instead met your father, who had met the same fate, and fell in love with him. They were happy, but you could still see they both had a part of them missing.

When you were born, your timer read 16y, 28d, 9h: 27s. Sixteen years until you would meet your soulmate. Your parents were thrilled it would be so early on in your life. Now it read 5m: 54s.

You were in the janitor's closet at school, staring at the timer on your wrist with a renewed hatred. It was getting closer and closer to the moment you met your soulmate and you weren't prepared. What if they didn't like what they saw? What did someone do when their soulmate didn't want them? Your thoughts chased themselves around and around in your head as the possibilities ran through your mind, each one a worse scenario than the last.

The almost silent clicks of the numbers flicking by was mocking you, and quickly you slapped your hand over it, breathing deeply. You didn't want to see the numbers. You didn't want to imagine the possible disappointments. You just wanted to be. Was that so hard? Existing without the impending thought of someone who's supposedly your match made in heaven, or whatever?

A few minutes passed and you decided to spare a glance at the timer. One minute and thirty seconds left. You took a deep breath and decided that hiding in a janitor's closet wouldn't be a very good story of how you met your soulmate, whether or not they wanted you. You opened the door and headed quickly to your locker, avoiding the confused stares of your peers.

You could see your best friend Christine tilt her head in confusion, almost as if to ask, 'did she really just step out of a janitor's closet?' The answer, of course, was yes, you did. But you didn't tell her that. You just continued down the hall towards your locker, thankful for the idle chatter of your classmates around you that was swallowing up the sounds of the ticking from your wrist.

Your locker was down the hall, and you quickened your pace. It was like tunnel vision. You were just focused on grabbing your shit for your next class and heading there as quickly as you could. The anticipation and terror of meeting your soulmate was tearing you apart. You were literally only a few feet from your locker when someone bumped into you, hard. "Fucking watch it, dude." the kid spat, and you fell to the ground, hard. You could hear the loud clack of your timer against the floor as your wrist made contact with it.

You just laid there for a moment. You knew that within seconds you would meet your soulmate and it would be like this. Lying on the floor after one good shove. Suddenly You felt a hand on your shoulder, grabbing your hand and helping you up. "Woah. Hey, you okay?" he asked, and you felt something release from you. This time, the clicking of the timer against the floor wasn't because you had fallen again. It was because it now read 0d, 0h, 0m: 0s. The boy in front of you was your soulmate. You finally glanced up at him and your breath hitched in your throat.

God, he was handsome. He was frozen in front of you in shock, just like you were. He had on a red hoodie and a pair of white headphones, from which you could hear music blaring.  He had beautiful tanned skin and shining beautiful brown eyes that stared at you in awe from behind his glasses, though you weren't sure if they were shining because he was happy or because he was crying. You were probably crying, too. You weren't as worried as you had been before.

"Hi." you croaked, and he grinned widely at you. "Hi." he said, taking both hands in yours. "Nice to meet you, soulmate." you said, and the boy in front of you laughed before pulling you into a tight hug, squeezing you. You could feel his tears on your shoulder through your shirt. That was what shook you from your stupor, and you squeezed him back just as tight, pressing your face into his neck and inhaling his scent. You could sense people staring at you, and you were surprised to find that you didn't care. You had found your soulmate and he actually wanted you.

When you both pulled back, you just stared at him. "I'm (Y/N)." you muttered, still taking in the details of his face. How his cheeks dimpled adorably when he smiled, and how his hair seemed to defy all laws of gravity. He chuckled disbelievingly. "Michael." he said, and you gave a watery chuckle before putting both hands on his cheeks and pulling him in for a kiss. He placed his hands on your waist and pulled you closer, smiling into the kiss. You could faintly hear Christine squealing somewhere to your left.

Suddenly, you remembered something. "Wait," you mumbled against his lips, pulling back. Michael looked at you in confusion for a moment, watching as you knelt down and grabbed both of your timers from the floor. You pressed his into his hand before looping your arms around his shoulders. "I'm so glad I found you." He just smiled and pulled you into another kiss. "Me too." he said when you pulled back.

God, what the hell were you so scared for?

[philipronans]

something tangerines (2/7)

it���s sunday, which means it’s something tangerines day!!

this was meant to be a fun, happy fic and for the most part i think it still is but just be warned that there are mentions of homophobic language via snape bc he’s a grade a citizen.

as per usual there’s james/sirius in this part, although it’s mostly done to piss snape off, so it doesn’t have to be read that way??? idk if you wanna go on believing they weren’t at least 90% In Love that’s your prerogative

part one | part three

.

2007 The classroom they decide to use for the Christmas party is an old one, tucked away on the bottom floor of the art block. The building itself is a relic of a time long passed, looking like it belongs in a BBC period drama more than as a functioning art block. But no matter how pretty the outside might be, the inside always smells musty; hundreds of years of recycled air packed into tight hallways and tighter classrooms. James’ nose wrinkles as they step into the room. It’s usually used for Drama classes, and the combined stink of age and teenager sweat invades his personal space pretty much immediately. Two years of secondary school should mean he’s used to it, but it still sucker punches him every time. Sirius coughs behind a cupped palm as he toes off his shoes. He kicks at them in a futile effort to make them line up straight, but all he gets for his trouble is untied laces and mud on his socks. James watches him for a few moments, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiles. He looks away when Sirius glances at him, pretending to be interested in Benjy Fenwick making rude gestures at Bertha Jorkins. The huff Sirius lets out suggests that he hasn’t bought it, but James is already strolling across the room, hands tucked in his pockets.

Sirius follows him, because Sirius always follows him. They’re like magnets, drawn together regardless of anything standing between them. Or so Remus says. Remus, who is already sat in their usual place by the fire door, his gangly legs stretched out in front of him. There’s a book in his lap, long, thin fingers playing with the corners of the pages as he reads. He looks up at their approach, frown morphing into a small smile when he sees who it is. Befriending Remus had been an endurance test in every virtue James knows. Just when he’d thought he knew every vital thing there was to know, something else had revealed itself and knocked him off kilter. He hadn’t been above using the onion line from Shrek to prove his point on multiple, separate occasions.  “You’re late.” Remus says, pragmatic as almost always. He closes his book, top corner folded neatly when he slips it back into his bag. He raises an eyebrow when neither of them answer, and James shrugs noncommittally.  “Got held up.” Is all he offers, because there’s no way he’s telling Remus that Flitwick kept them back for flicking elastic bands at the back of Lucius Malfoy’s head. Again.  “‘Course you did.” Remus says, eyeing them as dubiously as a thirteen year old can manage. Which, James figures as he shifts around uncomfortably, is a lot. Sirius flops down next to Remus, shrugging out of his coat and scrunching it up for a pillow. There’s a tiny Christmas tree in the corner, half of the lights are either broken or missing, and the ones that aren’t are barely functioning. Sirius looks at it disdainfully, eyes narrowed as if the sight of it personally offends him.  “What are we even here for?” He grumbles half-heartedly. He lays down properly when James lowers himself to the floor, and barely complains when James rests his head on his stomach. “No one wants this stupid party; we could have just finished for the holidays yesterday.”  “There’s that Christmas spirit.” James says, voice muffled by the arm he has thrown over his face. He shifts slightly as his glasses dig into the bridge of his nose, and yelps when Sirius pokes him.  “Christmas can bite me.” Sirius says. There’s an edge to it, soft and subtle as it might be, and James lowers his arm to his chest.  “You still going to France for the holidays then?” He tries not to sound disappointed, because the sense of loss he feels at the idea of not seeing Sirius for three weeks is stupid. It’s not even like three weeks is that long, in the grand scheme of things. But being without Sirius is what he imagines waking up to find yourself missing a limb would feel like; he can function (regardless of what his mother says, he’s not completely hopeless), but it’s difficult, the world feels more oppressive, more hemmed in.  “Yeah.” Sirius grunts. He doesn’t seem to notice the hand that works its way into James’ hair, fingers gently combing through the tangled mess. “I don’t even know why; they hate it. I hate it. Reg hates it. It’s just three weeks of us being pissed off at each other.”  “Misery loves company.” Remus murmurs. He’s leaning on his hands, head tipped up to the ceiling as he studies the cracks in the plaster. “At least you’ll get to go outside.”  “At least you’ll have people to talk to.” Sirius counters, but he looks sheepish, and he pats Remus’ knee sympathetically. Remus’ proposed stint in hospital for testing is a black cloud on the horizon, creeping ever closer no matter the three of them try and pretend it isn’t happening.  “I can’t wait for three weeks of being asked the same questions four times a day.” Remus smiles, as much as Remus ever smiles anyway, lips twitching at the corners but never quite pulling up.  “Hey,” James says, reaching over Sirius’ skinny chest to nudge at Remus’ hip, “at least you’ll have me coming to see you.”  “The biggest gift of all.” Sirius can’t avoid the fingers jammed into his side because James’ head is pinning him place, so he lets out a bark of laughter.  “Shut up, you’re just jealous you have to wait until January for your present.”  “If you’ve bought me another Terry’s chocolate orange, I swear to God, James.” Remus says warningly. James tilts his head so he’s looking at Remus upside down, and frowns.  “One time. You try and be nice one time and see what it gets you. Two years of bullying. See if I bother this year.”  “You left it lying on the radiator.” Sirius says, body shifting under James’ head as he shrugs. “And were surprised that it had melted?”  “I wasn’t a smart eleven year old, alright?” James says defensively. “But never fear, Lupin, it’s not a chocolate orange.”  “Because that fills me with confidence.”  “It should. I’m great at presents.” Sirius snorts, the sound completely undignified, and it sends the three of them into giggles.  “When d’you reckon Slughorn’s lot are gonna show up?” Sirius asks when they’ve finally calmed down.  “Buggered if I know.” James answers around a yawn. “Wish they’d hurry up though, I’m hungry and they’re the ones bringing food.”  “Classy.” Remus says, lifting an arm to cushion the back of his head.  “Well, we all know you want them here for the dancing.” Sirius grins. James’ hand lands on his wrist, in a pathetic attempt at a high five. Instead of trying again, he just leaves it there with his fingers measuring the fluttering of Sirius’ pulse under his fingers. Sirius keeps very still, as if scared that moving will alert James to what he’s doing and stop.  “Remus,” James says thoughtfully, fingers tracing patterns into Sirius’ wrist, “if I gave you a fiver would you ask Dorcas to dance?”  “Not a chance.” Remus’ reply is rapid-fire quick. It comes out of him like a shot, rocking his body with the force of it, and they all stop for a moment to stare at each other.  “I mean, only if you’re sure, Lupin.” Sirius says with an almost straight face. It takes him mere seconds to break, face cracking into a smile despite the obvious effort to contain it. Remus laughs, a quiet huff of a thing that fills James’ chest with satisfaction. “If you buy me a coke, I’ll think about it.”  “Just one? You cheap bastard.” James sniggers. Remus hums, not really bothering to deny it. Even if he were, the door opens not long after and in trail the unhappy looking faces of 9HS. James isn’t sure… anyone… likes 9HS. They’re a form group made of thugs and liars, each and every one of them guilty of at least one case of bullying. They’re all growing up to be the worst kind of bigot, and James hates them more than he’s hated anything. Why 9MM is forced to spend time with them is anyone’s guess, but the faculty of Hogwarts Secondary School seem determined to make their students suffer at any and all opportunities. The air in the room seems to disappear when they enter, the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable even as they kick off their shoes and settle down on the other side of the room. Lily Evans bounds across the room, from where she was standing with her friends Marlene and Dorcas, to stand in front of one of them. Severus Snape is, in James’ opinion, one of the worst of the lot. He has a way of twisting his way out of trouble; feigning ignorance and innocence to the things he does, even when there are witnesses.  “I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” Lily says, smiling. James wishes he could block this conversation out of both his retinas and his eardrums, but they’re standing right there, so there’s not much he can do besides grit his teeth and ignore the way his blood is boiling.  “Slughorn let us out earlier than he said he would.” Snape answers, and if the look he shoots over his shoulder at Mulciber and Lestrange is uneasy then Lily doesn’t appear to notice.  “Well, you’re here now, I s’pose.” The smile remains but it becomes a little strained at the edges when Snape does nothing but stare at her for a few moments. “Or you can. Stay. With your friends.”  “No, I.” Snape’s words seem to trip over themselves, and he has to stop for a second before trying again. “No, I’ll be over in a minute. Promise.”  “Okay.” Lily says. She turns on her heel, shoulders slumping slightly when she meets Marlene’s eye. She catches sight of James and Sirius still tangled around each other and snorts, completely inelegant. “Comfy?”  “Quite.” Sirius says, grinning cheekily up at her. “Wanna join?”  “As tempting as that is,” Lily’s lips twitch, eyes creasing at the corners, “if I get down there I’m not getting back up.”  “A shame.” Sirius lets out a mournful sigh, stroking a hair through James’ hair and huffing when said hand is batted away. “It’s nice.”  “Poof.” It’s not loud, is the thing. It’s quiet, clearly not meant to be heard, but whilst James’ eyes might be shit, his hearing is not, and he freezes. He clambers to his feet, joints popping as he stretches and he levels an unimpressed look at the boy in front of him.  “Something wrong, Snape?” He asks, voice quiet and stern. It means trouble, and Sirius stands up immediately, ready for wherever this might go. Lily hasn’t moved either, has turned back to watch them with her arms crossed tight across her chest.  “Nothing.” Snape sneers, and it’s an ugly look. One full of hate and scorn. “But if you’re going to be gross, take it somewhere else.”  “You’re still here, so why should we?” Sirius says, shifting so he’s shoulder-to-shoulder with James. James still hasn’t let go of his hand, and it’s only because he can feel how sweaty his palms are that he can tell James is nervous. Snape narrows his eyes into a glare, which would have a lot more effect if he weren’t so scrawny.  “Now I know you don’t know what it’s like to feel love, Sniv, but that’s no reason to take it out on other people.” James says, voice managing to sound almost kind, even as his knuckles tighten around Sirius’ fingers.  “Potter,” Lily begins, stepping forward, ready to intervene when and if necessary, but Snape cuts her off.  “At least I don’t repulse girls to the point I have to turn to boys.” Snape says, sneer still in place even as his face pales.  “No, you just repulse everyone. Equal opportunities, and all that.” Sirius snaps back, voice tight. James snorts and squeezes his hand. Sirius squeezes back and stares at Snape in annoyed defiance.  “You’re disgusting.” Snape eventually settles on, lips pressed into a thin line. “People like you are disgusting.”  “That’s rich coming from you, Sniv.” James clears his throat, very much aware that Lily is standing not too far away and that he must be careful in how he says things, for her sake if nothing else. “Heard you said some nasty things about Ameena Patil the other day.”  “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” Lily shoots him a disapproving look, and steps back a little. It means she’s closer to James, and he is sorry for this, but attempts at comfort wouldn’t be welcome right now, so he keeps his hands to himself.  “Heard you made her cry. Making an eleven year old cry; that’s real big of you.”  “Gentlemen, I trust that there aren’t any problems over there.” McGonagall’s voice floats across the room, and James turns his head to see her standing in the doorway. She has her hands on her hips, a ceramic mug filled with tea hanging precariously from two fingers, and how she’s not spilling it is honestly magic.  “None at all.” Sirius says smoothly, angling himself so his arm’s around James’ waist, and he’s placed himself in front of Snape. “Just a difference of opinion.”  “Undifferentiate.” McGonagall says, voice brooking no argument, and it almost makes James smile.  “Of course.” He meets Sirius’ eye, sees the mischief in them and nods. It doesn’t matter what Sirius plans to do, he trusts him enough to go with it. Sirius leans forward, eyes boring straight into Snape’s, and presses his lips to James’. It’s not that James had been expecting it, exactly, but he isn’t surprised. So it doesn’t take him long to lift a hand to the back of Sirius’ head and lean into it, noses bumping and glasses scratching as he moves. There are no butterflies, and no fireworks. There’s just warmth, and hot air, and the brush of Sirius’ eyelashes against his cheek. But it’s good. It’s enough.  “Thank you, gentlemen.” McGonagall says, and it makes James pull back enough to look at her. She’s got an eyebrow raised, but there’s a tilt to the edge of her mouth that makes him think she’s fighting a smile. Benjy wolf whistles, sending those from 9MM into amused titters. The other side of the room looks on in varying levels of disgust, and Sirius smiles at them. James’ gaze flits to Lily, and she’s watching them, her brow furrowed. She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth, and then meets his eye. She seems surprised to find him looking at her for she flushes lightly and ducks her head, before shaking herself and stepping back.  “I’ll be over in a minute.” Snape promises, and Lily offers him an aborted attempt at smile. It looks far more like a grimace than anything, and she shakes her head.  “It’s okay, you can stay with your friends.” With that she calmly walks back over to her own friends, head high as she goes. James watches her go and can’t help but feel that he’s let her down somehow.

[image-transcribing-bot]

Laura Seay © @texasinafrica Okay, white women. Apparently this needs to be said. You call the police when someone's life is in danger or the potential for someone's life being in danger or property being destroyed is strong. That you are uncomfortable or nervous is not a good reason to call the police. 5/10/18, 12:55 AM 1,469 Retweets 3,778 Likes { U , Or Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : Oh It is NOT your job to police public spaces & call the cops when there is no destructive behavior going on, but you think someone is doing something wrong. Loud music, cooking out in a park, someone napling in a dorm - these are not destructive behaviors. C 20 11731 Ozrzst iL Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : Oh Examples of when it *is* appropriate to call the police: -When you see a car accident happen -during an active shooting -a child is left alone in a parked car on a hot day -you witness a robbery or kidnapping -live electrical wires fell due to a storm -someone is being assaulted C 19 t] 670 ©1891 B; Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : 9h All of these * involve situations of *active* harm or destructive behavior that requires an immediate response. People just living their lives - even in ways you don't like! - is not a good reason to call the police. 2 11373 ©1305 1, Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : 9h I keep thinking about my students at Morehouse. Every single one of them had stories about being racially profiled, followed around stores by ckerks, pulled over by cops for no reason. Every one. O7 t1189 C 897 cS Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : 9h Every time a black man gets shot for doing nothing wrong, I lose my breath. My heart races & | start mentally running through the names of every forner student I can remember who comes from the city where it happened. It's an uncontrollable reflex. And it's awful. § 1 t] 28 C 140 [B, Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : 9h If it's that bad for me, what does living with that level of stress do to those young men over a lifetime? What does it do to their mothers, aunties, grannies, & the others who raised them & love them? Q 8 t] 190 C 854 i*; Laura Seay @ @texasinafrica : 9h If you call the police on people of color for petty reasons, you put their lives in danger. It's that simple. And that deadly. C 25 1T) 1,155 ©2865 1,

I am an image transcribing bot which uses Tesseract OCR to translate images to text. I'm far from perfect but I try my best! Your murder won't last forever ^_^ | PayPal | Patreon

”Whites often confuse comfort with safety. We say we don’t feel safe, when what we mean is that we don’t feel comfortable. Secondly, no white person looks at a person of color through objective eyes. There’s been a lot of research in this area. Cross-racially, we do not see with objective eyes.” - Robin DiAngelo

(continued from this post)

In the above passage, Ms. DiAngelo is being charitable - I believe that when many white people sic the police on black people, they are fully aware of the danger they are (intentionally) placing us in.

When the police are called on black people—even for trivial things—we are only one “I thought I saw a gun” away from becoming the next hashtag on social media.

[itsworn]

Paint-Protective Films Can Protect Your Car From Rocks and Save Your Paintjob

Paint protection has become the first stop for many new car owners. It involves putting either a film or a ceramic coating on the car’s clearcoat that can protect it from UV damage and rock debris. The film, originally developed by 3M in the Vietnam War to protect helicopter rotor blades, has matured over the past 20 years in the automotive world to become the must-have paint defender that can last for years, while remaining clear and invisible to the eye. A decade ago, yellowing of the film was a major concern, but years of development have corrected that issue, resulting in a product that, if correctly maintained, can remain clear for 5 to 10 years, so that all you see is your car’s magnificent color.

Twenty years ago, it was commonplace to see a car driving around with a black vinyl car bra. It was a hard trade off: either protect your car’s paint by hiding it under a black vinyl cover or enjoy the paint and style of your car and accept the damage that will lead to a paintjob in the future. The new films have almost eliminated that harsh choice. Owners can have protection and still enjoy their cars’ original paint—but paint protection comes at a cost.

There are DIY kits, but, as with anything, experience matters. Installing the film competently takes years of training on how to manipulate the film into hard corners and crevices. No matter where it is being applied, the film will not just mold to those lines—it needs to be stretched, shrunk, and yes, even cut.

Juan Madrigal of ProteKive Coatings in Moreno Valley, California, honed his skills working in the industry for years under the tutelage of experts. He has worked for West Coast Customs as their inhouse paint-protection and vinyl-wrap installer, and regularly travels to multiple dealerships installing films on Mercedes, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris. “I was able to work at a high level, work on supercars, and that gave me more determination to learn and perfect my techniques,” he says. He eventually opened up ProteKive Coatings. Today, he is using his skills to install paint protection on a 2018 Mustang Shelby GT350R.

Paint protection should be placed anywhere that might encounter road damage. Typically, this means any areas that are pointing forward. There are three coverage options: partial front, complete front, and custom.

Partial front coverage covers one-third of the hood, the full bumper, and mirrors. This is the most popular choice, but Madrigal says the downside is that you will see the edge of the film on the hood. However, if you are leasing a car, this is the best option. Partial front costs around $600.

The next coverage option is complete front. It includes full fenders, full bumper, full hood, mirrors, headlights, fog lights, and in some cases, A-pillars. This is the option that Madrigal recommends because it will appear seamless (no lines on the car) and provide the most coverage, as well as protect all of the areas that are most prone to debris. Complete front coverage could cost upwards of $1,600.

Custom applications can include any coverage on panels, in addition to complete front coverage. This could include rocker panels, roof, or any other areas where extra protection is desired, even full coverage of the entire car. Prices vary, but Madrigal mentions that, for most situations, complete front coverage is all the protection people need.

There is a selection of films. You will hear multiple names and manufactures like 3M, XPEL, Suntek, to name a few, but most will fall between two options: 9H hardness or self-healing.

Original films offer 9H hardness, which is very scratch-resistant. This is similar to what the original paint-protection film was—it’s hard and resists most rocks. The downside is that after multiple rocks hit, it may start to show wear, as scratches and tears in the film may be evident.

The new film options include self-healing films. They do not have a hardness factor, but because they are  polyurethane, they react to heat. This means a scratch or a tear, or any damage, will mend itself. The benefit of this option is that scrapes and tears will not be as noticeable.

Also available now is Windshield protection, a 7-ml, 9H hardness glass film similar to the glass-protection film added to cellphone screens. It protects a windshield from rock chips or cracks. It won’t save your windshield from something large, but it will stop those pesky cracks that end up causing you to replace your windshield or visit a Safelite location.

Ceramic coating is yet another paint-protection option that does not include installing a film. Ceramic coating, or Nano coating, places a semi-permanent coating on the paint that seals and protects. The coating offers a 9H hardness, so it will protect against minor abrasions and strikes from rocks. It is also hydrophobic, so water will roll right off of it. Its main benefit is UV protection and protecting against swirl marks when cleaning. Being semi-permanent, it will wash away after about a year, so think of it similar to a semi-permanent wax that needs to be redone to maintain the benefits of its protection.

The first thing that Juan does is wash the car thoroughly. He uses a pressure washer and a foamer to coat the car in soap suds, which lifts any dirt and debris from the paint. This step ensures a clean surface onto which Juan can install the film.

The film comes in 60-inch-wide rolls. For most cars, like the GT350R, the patterns for the fenders, bumpers, hoods, and other areas are precut on a machine. Precut patterns are sourced from a company that 3D-scans a similar car, so that it matches perfectly. On cars for which no pattern exists, Juan takes a sheet of film from the roll and manipulates it to the shape, making a custom-fit piece of protective film.

The film is first laid out on a table. It is sprayed with a water/soap mixture that will later help Juan manipulate the film on the paint. Without the soap solution, the film would be too hard to move around.

Juan sprays the panel before placing the film down. He then lowers the film on to the body panel and starts wiping at the edge with a squeegee blade to force the water solution out from under the film. He continues to wipe, spraying frequently to keep the film wet. A slippery surface stops him from applying too much pressure on the film. It also ensures that it is applied evenly. When he gets to the corners, Juan switches spray solutions. He selects a water and alcohol mixture that promotes tackiness in the film. He uses the tackiness to deal with corners or sharp angles where the film is likely to slide or lift off—like on edges. After the film is applied, he rubs the edges, wiping his finger back and forth. This raises the temperature of the film, helping it to stick.

The precut film has cutouts for vehicle adornments like vents or emblems. They are so precise that you can barely see the edge of the film next to the GT350 fender emblems. There are areas where Juan chooses to make his own pattern by just using a sheet of film and cutting and shaping it to the panel.

For the hood, Juan chooses to make his own pattern by cutting a large piece of film that he cut from the roll. He lubricates it with the same procedure as before, wetting out the film then spraying the hood. He places it down with lots of excess film reaching over the edges. He then starts wiping, starting at the back of the hood and removing the water from the edges. He works his way toward the center, removing as much water as he can. Prior to the installation, he removed the hood vent so that he could tuck the film underneath it for a seamless finish. As he gets closer to the vent, things start to get trickier. The GT350R’s vent slopes down with multiple rising contours on its sides. The film inherently wants to bridge these features rather than adhere to them, so Juan has to work the film, massaging it and stretching it with the help of the alcohol solution. Eventually, after continually working the area, the film clings to the paint surface. It is a timely process; the entire hood took about one hour. He cuts the excess film and curls it around the edges so that edge of the film remains hidden. The hood is now protected.

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room, or the knife in Juan’s hand: installing paint protection involves letting a stranger take a sharp knife and cut film directly on your car. It sounds insane, but an expert is trained to cut only so far, never letting the blade completely cut through the film.

“Blades are a necessity. There is no getting around it. Our blades are carbon-constructed blades that give us a very sharp edge to be precise with our cutting,” Juan says. “The point or the art of a true professional is that he has learned not to cut the film, but only to score it. There is an audible screech that you hear when the film is cut correctly. That sound is the film letting you know that you are cutting at the perfect angle and correct pressure point.”

Juan moves from corner to corner, covering the fenders, the hood, and then the bumper. The final addition is windshield protection. Juan wipes the windshield with an anti-static wipe, then starts by cutting a sheet of the ceramic film and placing it onto the windshield. Since it does not stretch as much as the polyurethane paint film, he must use heat to get it to mold to the glass.

At this point, the film is not actually stuck to the windshield; he is just making his pattern and forming the film. Once he is done, Juan pulls the film off and places it on a sheet of glass that is affixed to one of his shop’s walls. This vertical workspace allows him to work the film. He sprays it, and prepares to install it onto the car. Once the film is back on the car, Juan wipes the windshield, squeegeeing it to remove any contaminants or debris that may be present. He then sprays the windshield, lays the film onto the glass, and starts wiping it down. With the film already shaped, it lays perfectly. He continues to wipe, pushing the water out from underneath, and the film starts to disappear, blending perfectly into the glass. When Juan is done, the film is invisible. No one could tell that the windshield now has a 7-ml protective ceramic film installed on it.

People are used to seeing finished cars with paint protection. They are always surprised when they are told that the film needs to cure. With all of the spraying of water, there is a lot of moisture that is involved. Despite all of the wiping, Juan says, “We can only get 90 percent of the water mixture out. We need heat to help dry it out. You need to have sunlight and temperature.”

It takes about a week of sitting in the sun for the film to cure. In that time, bubbles and any water should disappear; if they do not, any imperfections are addressed by either fixing that area using a super-small syringe to remove any moisture, or removing and reinstalling that section. Installers like Juan pride themselves on the finish, so they are happy to fix any areas that did not cure correctly.

Armed with this information, you can look into paint protection as a way to insure your car’s finish from road debris, UV rays, and oxidation. It’s protection that comes with a 10-year warranty and may be able to save you a paintjob. The price varies depending on your coverage option, but no matter what, find a competent and experienced installer that you trust to hold a knife to your pride and joy.

This brand- new 2018 Mustang Shelby GT350R is ready for paint- protection installation.

Juan washes the car to ensure a clean surface for the film.

Juan dries the car with a microfiber towel.

The precut film lays on the table; you can see the fender vent and GT350 emblem cutout.

Juan places the film onto the fender.

Juan meticulously wipes the film, pushing out the water solution.

The cutout is so precise that the edges almost disappear.

Juan rubs the corner, heating it to helping the film adhere to the body.

The finished passenger-side fender. With the film completely installed, it appears as if it is not even there.

Juan adjusts the film to the hood, pulling it and spraying the solution.

Juan uses his squeegee, wiping the film and removing excess water.

Rubbing the edges of the film, Juan makes sure that the corners are tightly adhered to the hood.

Juan and his technician stretch the ceramic film over the windshield.

The film is cut to size.

Juan shapes the ceramic film with a heat gun.

After the film has been shaped, Juan squeegees out the excess water.

The finished windshield with paint protection applied.

After a day of work, Juan has finished installing the paint protection on the 2018 Shelby GT350R.

The post Paint-Protective Films Can Protect Your Car From Rocks and Save Your Paintjob appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[gulescamisade]

New York:  Day 17, Trickster Party

RUFIOH: -even being indoors was making him restless. Rufioh emerges from the safety of the hotel rooms, breathing out. Interestingly, the cold isn't biting at his skin but then... even while he was living on Avalon, it wasn't. Just an interesting thing as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. Trudging thru the snow.-

KANKRI: -It would seem Rufioh wasnt the only one feeling antsy, however after all that has been happening Kankri feels it is a reasonable uncomfortable sensation. He had even for the time being stopped checking the message board, if only to save himself from worrying about things he did not really have any control of right now.-

KANKRI: -He was actually returning from a brief walk when he saw Rufioh exit out of the hotel and he has to do a double take because didnt Rufioh drop off the face of the uu and go to be a farmer or something??-

[The town seems to have an unusual kind of energy today. Some kind of... sweet scent rising in the air. No one seems to be outdoors, marching around brandishing weapons, but all of the buildings are lit up with lights. ESPECIALLY the candy shop. It's been closed ever since they got into town, sure, but now it's practically lit up like a christmas tree-- BRIGHT SHOWLIGHTS showcasing dozens of kinds of candies. CHOCOLATES AND JAWBREAKERS AND SKITTLES AND EVERYTHING UNDER THE RAINBOW.]

ROSE: -She's standing just outside it, looking in through the window with her arms folded. OBVIOUSLY CURIOUS-

KANKRI: -Bright lights AND rufioh?? This is getting weird fast.-

RUFIOH: -No... that's not... well. It's not like Ruf kept in contact with Kankri of all people. It's easy for him to catch sight of him and fix him with a shrewd look. For some reason he hadn't made the connection that Kankri would be here too.-

RUFIOH: ...

RUFIOH: -Before he can bother trying to shoot a greeting to him, he is immediately distracted by the bright lights of the shop. And Rose standing by the shop. With an nimble flap of his wings, he lands next to her.- uh. hey, rose.

RUFIOH: long t1me, no see.

KANKRI: -WOW. Okay well hes going to go stand on the other side of Rose, and not because he's being petty but because yeah this is actually strange and hes curious too.- This st9re has n9t 9nce 6een active 9nce since we have g9tten here...right?

RUFIOH: -kind of mesmerizing... he gazes.-

JOHN: huh. they sure are feeling festive.

RUFIOH: ............ -where the fuck did John come from.-

ROSE: No.

JOHN: -PHASED INTO EXISTENCE BEHINDT HEM. jk. or not???-

RUFIOH: -Don't...-

KANKRI: -From the creation of joy in the universe thats where.-

JOHN: -aww........-

KANKRI: Then this is a little 6it strange.

KANKRI: Als9 hell9 J9hn.... And Rufi9h. -Still inspecting the store front.-

ROSE: Perhaps.

ROSE: ...

RUFIOH: hey. -He can be petty too.-

ROSE: I don't suppose you're curious.

Because I am.

KANKRI: En9ugh t9 g9 inside?

ROSE: Yes.

ROSE: But probably not alone.

KANKRI: Hm. Frankly I am hesitent t9 d9 s9.

RUFIOH: anybody got cash cuz... 1'm out.

JOHN: i'll heroically sacrifice myelf to the cause. and i'll even be the official taste tester if there is actual candy inside. -wink-

KANKRI: Did y9u c9me t9 ask f9r m9ney?

JOHN: -snort- kankri that's rude.

JOHN: -he's laughing tho-

KANKRI: Its a genuine questi9n.

JOHN: -what a penis-

KANKRI: -But John dont worry for once he is intending to be one.-

RUFIOH: }:/ RUFIOH: can't walk 1nto a candy shop w1th no money, dogg.

ROSE: And we are in canada.

KANKRI: 9h I think y9u certainly can, y9u w9uld just n9t 6e leaving with anything.

ROSE: I have managed to find one single coin of canadian currency.

ROSE: It is called a Loonie.

ROSE: I find it bizarre and unsettling.

JOHN: can i see? -hovers-

ROSE: -Holds up the shiny coin in two fingers.-

RUFIOH: a loon1e... RUFIOH: -also swishes a horn, opting to NOT discuss this with Kankri.-

JOHN: :O -ooooooh.-

KANKRI: - BI -

ROSE: Here.

ROSE: -HANDS IT OVER TO JOHN-

ROSE: Please don't drop it.

JOHN: wouldn't dream of it! what do you take me for? -rolls it into his sleeve-

RUFIOH: buy yourself someth1ng n1ce, yo. -aww. This is cute.-

KANKRI: -Turns to peep at it with John since Rufioh wont answer his question.-

JOHN: hey, i'll share. or maybe they use the barter system.

JOHN: -come to think of it how have they even been staying here with no money...-

RUFIOH: -Ask the adults probably.-

RUFIOH: -wait, we're adults...-

JOHN: soooooo....are you guys coming or what? we're loitering.

KANKRI: -More or less.-

KANKRI: I still d9 n9t kn9w if I wh9ly trust any place 9n this planet.

KANKRI: I am s9rry if any9ne takes 9ffense t9 that.

JOHN: -sighs- nah. it's okay. i have to admit, they really let the place go.

JOHN: -just walks into the shop-

KANKRI: -John no.- KANKRI: -Hhhhh, he hesitates to go in but he doesnt want him to go in there alone.-

KANKRI: -Deep breath and hes trailing Johns heels like the pathetic worrier he is.-

RUFIOH: -This is the gayest thing he's ever seen in his life. And he's Rufioh.-

RUFIOH: -keeps hands in his pockets and waits back, just in case Rose wants to go first.-

KANKRI: -Rufioh you cannot judge.-

---

[For the most part, the "LEGAL HUNTERS" have been offering hospitality, if suspicion. Especially with their story of escaping from Flavor Town. It's meager living, sure, but they're helping, so long as the group continues to hunt for their own food and doesn't ask too many questions or attract too much attention. They're a lot more willing to part with necessities like water and a place to sleep than they are anything else, after all. ]

[IT SMELLS SWEET IN THE STORE, regardless. And it's bright! Much brighter than anywhere else in town has been. Everything's been pretty dismal and dark, what with the snow rolling in in waves, but this place is bright and lit and a practical BOMBARDMENT OF COLOR. The candy is extravagantly expensive, worth a whole ASSTON OF LOONIES PER QUARTER POUND, but there's a giant taffy pull, a soda station, ice cream... really, almost anything you could imagine in this deceptively large building, ]

[There is also a clerk. Dressed in pink and white candystripe pants with an apron and paper hat, with a grin from ear to ear. They look pretty heavy, and... human-like? They don't have horns, but most of the other details of their appearance seem ambiguous. Not like looking at a mannequin, no, but it's pretty hard to retain even the slightest memory of this person's general... anything.]

[Aside from the demeanor. The demeanor is FRIENDLY.]

CLERK: :D

KANKRI: -Well at least they seem friendly.-

RUFIOH: -Awww.... he bets Emilet would like a treat from this place. Damn. Rufioh will be careful of his horns in case he swoops by a display.-

RUFIOH: ...sup. -raises hand to the clerk.- sorry to barge 1n outta nowhere.

CLERK: Ha ha! Everyone comes from somewhere! And it's just the right day for a barge! Consider me a harbor, in fact!

JOHN: -he has so many questions, but the most pressing at the moment...is ASSTON a real unit of measurement? and if so, how many Loonies in an ASSTON?-

JOHN: hi there!

JOHN: -he's kind of salivating???-

CLERK: Hi there, son! What can I get for ya?

KANKRI: -John please.-

RUFIOH: -Yeah... this much candy proximity is really distracting.-

KANKRI: -Although this is quite this display, he will give it that.-

KANKRI: Y9u have an extensive c9llecti9n 9f c9nfecti9nary items here.

CLERK: Well, it's a candy store, don'cha know!

JOHN: uh yeah well. nice place you got here.

ROSE: Yes.

ROSE: It is certainly...

ROSE: Colorful.

JOHN: what could we get this for this? -SMOOTHLY PLACES HIS SINGLE, SOLITARY LOONIE ON THE COUNTER.-

JOHN: -nothing but confidnece, folks-

KANKRI: -So smooth..-

JOHN: -sparkles-

CLERK: -LEANS OVER AT THE COIN... peers at it. PICKS IT UP AND BITES IT.-

KANKRI: -Isnt that unsanitary.-

CLERK: Well, I can tell ya that this here is a legitimate piece of currency, yessir!

CLERK: Tell ya what, you seem like nice kids.

CLERK: -he reaches over the counter... and pulls out one of those LARGE SWIRL LOLLIPOPS.-

CLERK: -He holds it out, RIGHT TO JOHN-

JOHN: wow thanks! that's generous of you. C: -his eyes get... VERY big. he's magnetically drawn to it. IT'S SO COLORFUL.-

RUFIOH: -Bruh... Also mesmerized by the swirly colors.-

KANKRI: -Man he just has an odd feeling about this he cant shake but on the other hand thats really actually pretty generous of the clerk, maybe they are a nice guy after all.-

JOHN: well if you guys don't mind my cooties i'll totally share. -kind of distracted now. he wants this in his mouth like NOW.-

RUFIOH: -Lmao. Snrks.- clerk's got swag, 1 th1nk.

KANKRI: I w9nt say swag 6ut I d9 think that it is really nice 9f y9u, mr...?

JOHN: -he can't wait another minuite, he's gonna LICK IT.-

[it tastes...]

[OVERWHELMINGLY SWEET]

[ 🍭]

[Sweetness invades his senses. SWEETNESS IS EVERYTHING.]

JOHN: -!!!!!!! OH SHIT. this is the best thing he's ever tasted. touched heard? felt? just kinda goes quiet as all the colors in the store go all MARIO STAR POWER on him. He even hears the music.-

CLERK: Ha ha! Please leave the premesis.

JOHN: -THESE COLORS SMELL DELICIOUS!!!!-

RUFIOH: um................... -Oh my g od.-

RUFIOH: -backing away slowly before BOLTING OUT THE DOOR.-

KANKRI: ...? Wait what? -Looks back at John for a moment and then goes wall eyed.-

RUFIOH: -FUCK THIS SHIT BYE.-

KANKRI: -FUCK.-

KANKRI: -IS THIS WHAT HE THINKS IT IS.-

JOHN: -he doesn't really realize it but he has started YELLING, losing all conception of an inside voice- HAHAHA WOW!!!! CANADIANS REALLY KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT CANDY, I GOTTA SAY. THIS IS THE LEGIT FLAVORTOWN!!! HAHAHAHHAHA!!!

ROSE: -STEPS BACK-

ROSE: Oh.

ROSE: I see.

JOHN: ROSE ROSE!!! YOU GOTTA TRY THIS!!!

KANKRI: -Steps back with her but isnt fleeing like Rufioh.-

KANKRI: R9se, d9 n9t try it.

KANKRI: D9 n9t d9 it, d9 n9t g9 near it, I am n9t even certain y9u sh9uld g9 near J9hn at this p9int.

JOHN: WHAT THE HECKITY, DON'T GO NEAR ME? BUT ALL I WANT TO BE IS NEAR YOU.

JOHN: I LOVE THE TWO OF YOU SO MUCH!!! I CAN BARELY CONTAIN IT.!!!

JOHN: -phases out of existence.-

KANKRI: -HHHH NO.-

KANKRI: That.

KANKRI: That is very sweet 6ut als9 J9hn I think y9u really need t9--

KANKRI: -Where did he go..-

JOHN: - I GUESS YOU COULD SAY HE'S GONE...WITH THE WIND.-

ROSE: I'm... not...

KANKRI: -WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN.-

KANKRI: UM. -Hes turning around and scanning for any sign of his rail, this is a nightmare.-

ROSE: -She's gonna slowly back out of the store.-

RUFIOH: -Outside the shop, Rufioh is flying OUTTIE. He saw this happen last time and it was HORRIFYING. Never again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-

RUFIOH: -rapidly typing something with his comm.-

JOHN: -POPS! right in front of rufioh- NOT SO FAST, BUDDY! BATTERRRRRRR UPPPPP!!!

JOHN: -HE'S SWINGING THE LOLLIPOP RIGHT AT HIM.-

KANKRI: -Hears Johns voice and he is bolting outside the godforsaken shop.-

ROSE: -She's sitll not much more than MILDLY PERTURBED BY THIS.- ROSE: You seem to have some understanding of this.

ROSE: As a thing that's happening.

JOHN: -His appearance has changed somewhat.-

JOHN: http://static.tumblr.com/e4acae9096a43fe04e7d2ef3de8e0637/kfbxgjb/eydn4clnm/tumblr_static_emvxq80dwfcoocksos0cogg.gif

RUFIOH: -freezes in the air, fumbling and then dropping his communictor as John bat swings the whole lollipop at his face. He keel spins in the air with a holler... at least until the spinning colors fill his vision and everything feels and tastes PIXIE STICK ROCKIN'.- johnnnnnnNOOOOOOOOOOOHYEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JOHN: -thumbs up- geeEEEEEEEET DUNKED ON!

ROSE: o-o

KANKRI: 9nly s9mewhat...

KANKRI: If I am c9rrect in my assumpti9n s9mething like this t99k place while we were still 9n Aval9n, its like an 9ut6reak 9f a temp9rary disease 9r drug. I had the... unpleasant misf9rtune 9f 6eing c9ntaminated with it. It is n9t lethal I think, h9wever I will n9t say its n9t destructive 9r danger9us c9nsidering I came 9ut 9f the high c9vered in 6ruises fr9m 6ein sh9t with a p9wer h9se and--.........

KANKRI: 9h dear.

RUFIOH: -The next time the other two see Rufioh, his vest is lit up with a rows and rows of flashing pixie stick candy and the grin is wide on his face. He flies but has no need to flap his wings. He flaps them anyway, spreading SPARKLING SUGAR EVERYWHERE.- WHAT'S UP, DOGGS!!!!!!!!!!

ROSE: ...I--

ROSE: Should we do something about this?

ROSE:

ROSE: Did the hose actually work?

KANKRI: -He is covering his nose and mouth with his hands to keep the dust out of his lungs just in case.-

KANKRI: -Looks at Rose and shakes his head, his voice coming out muffled.- (N9 it didnt.)

KANKRI: (I had t9 wait until it left my system.)

ROSE: Oh.

RUFIOH: -bounces to the beat of some music, summoning up a giant candy sword.- HEY YA'LL LOOK A L1L FUCK1NG GLOOMY DOWN THERE!!! WHAT G1VES??? THE N1GHT'S YOUNG AND 1 TH1NK 1T'S T1ME WE CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! }8D

ROSE: -She holds up her hand, just in case. A TINY SPARK FIZZLES OUT OF IT. Nothing, still. Crap.-

ROSE: Hngh.

JOHN: -POPS IN RIGHT BESIDE ROSE.-

KANKRI: -Rufioh no please.-

JOHN: I COULDN'T AGREE MORE, BUDDY!!!! A FRIEND DOESN'T LET A FRIEND STAY DOWN IN THE DUMPS. THIS PLANET MAY BE FUCKED BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T HAVE A GOOD OLD TIME! ROSE! YOU LOOK MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER! THAT HAIR! THOSE EYES! OH GOOD GRAVY! OH MY STARS AND GARTERS! YOU'RE SUCH A SPECIAL GAL. SUCH A FRIEND!!!

ROSE: Please stand still.

RUFIOH: -swooping down to crack the candy sword clean in half over Kankri's head.- YEAH BO1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROSE: I am trying to work majyyks upon you.

ROSE: Nhgh.

JOHN: BUT HOW CAN YOU WORK YOUR MAGIC...WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE ME UNDER YOUR SPELL??? -POPS ALL AROUND HER, CACKLING.-

ROSE: How are you doing that????

KANKRI: -He turns to look at the suddenly appeared John and had lowered his hands to say something when suddenly fucking Rufioh comes in and cracks the sword over his head and not only does that SMART but when he inhales a gasp of shock hes taking in the cloud of pixi dust that explodes from the broken sugar weapon.-

JOHN: -APPEARS RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, TO CATCH HIM IN HIS ARMS.-

JOHN: -BUT HE SPINS HIM A LITTLE, LIKE THEY'RE DANCING.-

ROSE: -She's not entirely sure whether or not she should yell for help. MAYBE SHE SHOULD.-

KANKRI: -Coughing in a thick cloud of sugar dust but before it even fades his wheezing is turning into giggles. His wardrobe has had a complete color change, his hair is green, and is littered with chalky candy hearts with various #warnings on them.-

KANKRI: -And who?? Spin ME??-

RUFIOH: LOL LOL LOL. THAT WAS WAY TOO FUCK1NG EASY DOGG!!! I LOVE 1T WHEN YOU MAKE SH1T EASY FOR ME! }8D RUFIOH: KANKS, MY MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S GET CRUNK!!!!!

JOHN: WHO ELSE??? :DDDD -DIPS HIM-

KANKRI: -OH WELL THIS IS JUST LOVELY, He is spun and poses with his leg out when dipped.- HEH99!

KANKRI: 9H MY I TH9UGHT ID NEVER FEEL LIKE THIS AGAIN.

JOHN: WHAT A SILLY QUESTION! IT'S EASY! LIKE EVERYTHING IS EASY RIGHT NOW.

KANKRI: -Turns head to Rufioh.- CRUNKED Y9U SAY, RUFI9H??

JOHN: YOU JUST NEED TO ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN'T CHANGE AND BECOME THE CHAOS!!!!

RUFIOH: -pumps his arms and spins in the air, wings tucked close to him.- CRUNK'S THE WORD THE VERB OF THE N1GHT!!!!!! A1N'T NOTH1NG HOLD1N' ME BACK NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KANKRI: I W9ULD 6E M9RE THEN WILLING T9 D9 S9 WITH Y9U 6UT 9NLY IF J9HN MAY J9IN AS WELL!

ROSE: That is certainly a philosophy that has very little to do with the candy on your head, yes.

KANKRI: 9H!! -Dramatic two hand gasp.- AND R9SE T99!

KANKRI: -360 degree spin in Johns arms to stare right at her.-

KANKRI: -8D-

ROSE: ...

ROSE: I don't like that someone just said my name.

RUFIOH: ROSE 1S BOSS!!!!! HAVE YOU SEEN HER DO ANYTH1NG, DOGG???

KANKRI: YES THAT WAS ME I SAID Y9UR NAME, R9SE.

ROSE: This is growing increasingly worrying.

JOHN: ROSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE. YOU'RE SO GREAT!!! I JUST WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY AND SAFE.

JOHN: FOR A MILLION BAJILLION YEARS!!!

KANKRI: ALS9 YES RUFI9H, SHE IS INDEED THE 69SS! MY 69SS EVEN HAHA. SHE IS S9 PATIENT AND PUTS UP WITH MY C9NSTANT INC9MPITENCE SHE IS S9 W9NDERFUL.

JOHN: -SPIN ATTACKS KANKRI INTO RUFIOH'S ARMS AND GOES TO EMBRACE ROSE IN HIS TID.- YAHOOO!

ROSE: HRK.

ROSE: -SHE IS CRUSHED.-

KANKRI: -WOOP there him go Hi Rufioh-

KANKRI: -Crashes into him-

ROSE: CAN YOU. PERHAPS.

JOHN: SO GOOD. SO PRECIOUS.

ROSE: PUT ME DOWN?????

JOHN: IF I MUST!!! I'D DO ANYTHING FOR YOU!!!

KANKRI: -Also pulls out his comm device feeling the notifications of Rose's posts.- 999H!

KANKRI: R9SE Y9U ARE 6RILIANT AS ALWAYS YES EVERY9NE SH9ULD KN9W A69UT WHAT IS TAKING PLACE RIGHT N9W, QUICK RUFI9H W9ULD Y9U PLEASE D9 ME THE H9N9R 9F TAKING VISUAL D9CUMENTATI9N WITH ME HEEHEE.

JOHN: WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!! -FLIPS OUT HIS OWN PHONE FOR SELFIE MAGIC! - SAY CHEESE, MISS LALONDE!!!

ROSE: -SHE IS STILL KINDA CRUSHED HERE THOUGH. PLEASE SAVE HER FROM THESE BOYS-

ROSE: -MAKES THE SIGN FOR 'HELP'-

RUFIOH: -hups Kankri up in his arms.- DUDE, 1 WOULD DO ANYTH1NG FOR YOU!!!!! WHY DON'T YOU JUST CH1LL 1N ONE ARM AND 1'LL USE THE OTHER FOR BANGARANG1N' SELF1ES, BRO???? HAVE YOU NOT1CED 1'VE BEEN WORK1NG OUT??????????

JOHN: -GIVES HER A BIG FAT SMOOCH ON THE HEAD, BUT HE HAS ALSO RELEASED HER. fortunately he's got the attention span of a lemur on aderall.-

MEULIN: -hiding in the bushes.... but then LEAPS OUT to tackle Rose-

MEULIN: ... -HOW CONVENIENT HE ALREADY LET HER GO. GREAT. NOW SHE'S JUST. TACKLING HER AWAY FOR NO REASON.-

ROSE: -She falls from John's arms... ONLY TO IMMEDIATELY GET TACKLED AWAY FROM MEULIN.-

KANKRI: -Settles in his arms.- WHY YES I HAVE ACTUALLY!! -feels the muscle with his free hand.- VERY IMPRESSIVE! KANKRI: ALS9 HERE KINDLY USE MY DEVICE! -hands it to him.-

ROSE: -WHEEZES MORE.-

ROSE: -she's gone limp and accepted her fate.-

ROSE: ...Hi Meulin.

MEULIN: -ROLLS, and tries to scoop Rose up- RUUUNNN!

RUFIOH: 1 GOT YOU MAN!!!!!! -holds the device up and snaps a sweet selfie.- }8D

ROSE: -She is carried, limply, like luggage.-

MEULIN: 😤

ROSE: I see you have some experience with this too.

MEULIN: NOPE!!!!

KANKRI: -YES take all the selfies.-

ROSE: I am incredibly weirded out.

ROSE: ... ROSE: Please keep carrying me.

MEULIN: YOU CAT IT!

JOHN: -SQUEEZES BETWEEN RUFIOH AND KANKRI AND STICKS OUT HIS TONGUE-

KANKRI: PERFECT! MAY I HAVE THE PH9NE 6ACK S9 I MAY-- J9HN!! -Smooches the humans cheek.-

RUFIOH: HAHAHAHA, WOAH! THREE DUDES AND A CAMERA! SEEN ENOUGH HENTA1 TO KNOW WHERE TH1S 1S GO1N'!!!!! -laughing.- YA'LL ARE FUCK1NG ADORABLE!!!!!

JOHN: HOO HOO!!! FUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS!!! SHOWER ME IN KISSES!!!

MEULIN: ε=ε=ε=ヾ(э^・ｪ・^)э -dives into snowy bushes and tucks them both down-

ROSE: -wheezes.-

ROSE: Thanks.

ROSE: I, um.

ROSE: According to Kankri?

ROSE: We have to just...

ROSE: Wait it out.

ROSE: It's some kind of magic.

ROSE: He said drug, but I'm sure this is magic.

JOHN: I WANT TO BATHE IN THE GLOW OF FREE AND LOVING MALE AFFECTION!!!

RUFIOH: THAT'S THE WAY TO GO, DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!! 1T'S GREAT, 1SN'T 1T???????????

JOHN: IT'S SO!!!

KANKRI: RUFI9H THAT IS A VERY VULGAR T9PIC T9 INTR9DUCE T9 THIS SU6JECT, AS HANDS9ME AND W9NDERFUL J9HN IS I W9ULD NEVER DREAM 9F ENGAGING IN SUCH ACTIVITIES WITH MY M9IRAIL. KISSES WILL SUFFICE JUST FINE! -Peppers john's face in them. please take a picture of this.-

JOHN: L I B E R A T I N G!!!!

MEULIN: IT LOOKS PRETTY MURRGICAL...

MEULIN: BUT WHAT THE HELL IS IT? (=ΦェΦ)

ROSE: -wait god damn it-

ROSE: -She actually leans up a lil-

ROSE: (I refuse to believe these are the circumstances John is coming out.)

JOHN: -MAKES THE DIAMOND SIGN IN SOME OFTHE SELFIES.-

RUFIOH: -snap snap snap 📸- };D };D };D

MEULIN: COMING OUT OF WHAT?

KANKRI: -Hate to break it to you rose but john has been gay for some time.-

KANKRI: -Reaches for his comm now.- THANK Y9U S9 MUCH RUFI9H!

ROSE: Nothing.

ROSE: Forget it.

KANKRI: I THINK EVERY9NE SH9ULD GET T9 SEE THE GL9RI9US SIGHT 9F 9UR THREE WAY AFFECTI9NS HEE H99!

ROSE: ...I suppose we just live here now...

RUFIOH: HEY KANKR1!!!! YOU KNOW WHAT 1 HEAR??? 1 HEAR...................................

RUFIOH: A FR1END. }833 -sprouts a little anime cat ear headband up at his horns.-

MEULIN: YEP. -nestles into the snow... she doesn't need this-

JOHN: COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF KANKS!!! MY LOVE FOR YOU IS PURE AND UNAFFECTED BY LUST!!! BUT NOTHING COULD BETTER SERVE TO DISTRACT ME FROM THE DEAD AS DOORNAILS LOVE OF MY LIFE THAN EXPLORING THE UNCESSARILY TANGLED AND COMPLICATED JUNGLES OF HUMAN SEXUALITY!!!

KANKRI: -Wait on his horns or your horns.-

JOHN: I MEAN REALLY, WHAT A TRIP!!!!

MEULIN: BUT IT'S NICE TO SPEND THIS CLAWLITY TIME WITH YOU, ROSE.

ROSE: If that's what you'd like to call this.

ROSE: ...Wow, that sounded kind of mean.

RUFIOH: -On his own horns, obviously. And now he has cosplay piddy paws on his hands. Shit's getting mega furry up in here.- THE Y1FFEN1NG 1S FUCK1NG NYA-GH, BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KANKRI: 9H J9HN I AM S9 T9UCHED I C9ULD CRY!! IN FACT I MIGHT 6E RIGHT N9W IF IT WASNT F9R MY C9MPLETE INA6ILITY WHEN I AM S9 G9SH DARN HAPPY THANKS T9 THE UNG9DLY SUGAR C9URSING THR9UGH MY VEINS.

KANKRI: I T99 L9VE Y9U S9 DEARLY.

MEULIN: IT IS WHAT I AM CALLING IT IN ORDER TO BE IN DENYAAL. (´⊙ω⊙)

ROSE: Without the circumstance of mind-bending sweets, it would be unambiguously nice, sure.

KANKRI: -Rufioh give him his comm device back before you become a furry.-

JOHN: DUDE YOU LOOK SO CUTE!!!

RUFIOH: -puts the comm back in his butt pocket.- };33 HELL FUCK1NG YEAH 1 LOOK KAWA11 AS SH1T!!!!!!!!!!

MEULIN: ... DID SOMEONE JUST SAY YIFF?

JOHN: THAT ANIME BULLSHIT HAS ME LIKE...!!!

MEULIN: MY GLASSES ARE GETTING REALLY CONFUSED RIGHT NOW. -pulls them off and wipes at the lenses-

MEULIN: (^･ｪ･^)ﾉ⌐■-■

KANKRI: -Rufioh oh my-

KANKRI: THANK Y9U F9R RETURNING MY DEVICES, I D9NT EVEN MIND THAT Y9U JUST T9UCHED ME.

KANKRI: ALS9 RUFI9H I AM S9 GLAD Y9U ARE ACTUALLY HERE, I CANT 6ELEIVE Y9U WERE G9NE F9R S9 L9NG H9W DID ANY 9F US SURVIVE.

JOHN: RUFIOH I HAVE TO BE HONEST, MY FRIEND AND PAL I HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND ALL THIS TIME, NOR WHERE YOU CAME FROM. BUT PRETENDING LIKE I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IS SO FUCKING STUPID. I'VE DECIDED TO EMBRACE THE CHAOS! HAHAHAHHAHA!!!

ROSE: :T

RUFIOH: THAT'S HOW 1 FEEL TOO BRO!!! D1D YOU KNOW 1T WAS DR1V1NG ME BATSH1T NOT KNOW1NG 1F YOU WERE OKAY??? EVEN 1F 1 WANT TO PUNCH YOU 1N THE GODDAMN FACE! MAYBE ESPEC1ALLY!!!! BUT HEY! HOLD THAT THOUGHT! -the shape of him dissolves in the air... until he shows up behind Meulin in all his anime candy catboy glory.- }833

MEULIN: -OBLIVIOUS. She's working on these lenses.-

ROSE: I don't know if you can read this, but it's probably true. It is all probably terrifyingly true.

RUFIOH: };33 -at Rose.-

ROSE: ...

ROSE: Oh.

ROSE: You see us.

ROSE: -SHIFTS... BACKWARDS...-

MEULIN: -slides shades back on- DO WHAT?

KANKRI: MY TH9UGHT SHALL INDEED 6E HELD! -he calls out after the vanishing Rufioh and clings to John 83-

RUFIOH: 1 SEEEEEEEEEE YOU, MEU MEU. -spreads paw beans in saccharine disposition.- }8D

JOHN: DANCE WITH ME BUDDY! WE'LL DANCE TO THE RESPECTIVE MUSIC IN OUR HEADS!

KANKRI: HE IS S9 L9VELY, EVEN F9R A TR9LL WH9 ATTEMPTED T9 MURDER THE EQUIVILENT 9F MY STEP FATHER, I AM S9 GLAD HE IS HERE AND 6ACK.

JOHN: OH IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED??????????????????????????? RIGHT!!!!

ROSE: ...

JOHN: I REMEMBER NOW!!!

ROSE: Hey, um.

ROSE: Run.

MEULIN: .... FURK. -SCURRIES under the bush and liquids beneath it-

JOHN: EVEN THOUGH I FUCKING HATE DAVENFORTH FOR BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF DAVESPRITE I DON'T KNOW IF HE DESERVED TO BE STABBED! STILL! I REMEMBER HOW BAD I FELT FOR RUFIOH AND EVERYONE IN THAT SITUATION!!! I DID MY BEST TO ENSURE HE'D BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF!!! BUT IT SEEMS HE'S DOING FINE AND DANDY THESE DAYS!!!

JOHN: LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING WORKED OUT FOR EVERYONE! WHAT A JOY!!!

KANKRI: YES! IT IS WHAT HAPPENED, AND HE AND I ALS9 ENGAGED IN C9UNTLESS FIGHTS WHERE I AM QUITE CERTAIN HE WISHED ME PHYSICAL HARM DEPSITE US 6EING NEAR 6EST FRIENDS F9R A TIME UNTIL HE SUDDENLY SEEMED T9 DISPISE ME 6UT THANK G9SH THAT IS ALL IN THE PAST AND N9W WE CAN JUST 6E HAPPY AND CHEERFUL!! KANKRI 9H AND YES I WILL DANCE WITH Y9U J9HN! I AM IMAGINING THE PERFECT SIMPLE MEL9DY F9R US T9 C9NTENTLY SWAY T9.

RUFIOH: WOAH!!! WHY ARE YOU RUNN1NG AWAY??? THAT HURTS MY FEEL1NGS!!!!!!!!

RUFIOH: YOU WOULD TH1NK YOU WERE T1RED OF 1T AFTER 1 OPENED MY BLOCK AND HOUSE FOR YOU!!! 1'VE ALWAYS JUST WANTED TO HELP, YO!!!!

ROSE: Yes, that is... completely... untenable... and... ROSE: -FLINGS A SNOWBALL AT HIM AND DASHES-

ROSE: -NAILED IT-

JOHN: YOU'RE SO GOOD AT IMAGINING, BRO!!!!

JOHN: WHY CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT WHEN WE CAN JUST!!!

JOHN: SWAY TOGETHER.

KANKRI: 9H J9HN Y9U ARE S9 RIGHT AS ALWAYS.

JOHN: -SINGS- I JUST WANNA

JOHN: KEEP ON LOVING YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

MEULIN: -WHEEZES under this bush. it's taking time to read all this dialogue on her glasses but it all makes her... kinda sad. because it all feels like stuff she might have said once, trains of thought she might have had.-

MEULIN: YOU CAN'T, THOUGH!!!! -why is she even trying to argue, she sort of laughs anxiously under this bush. THE HECK.-

KANKRI: -Look at these two gayly sway.-

JOHN: -They sway in the air.-

RUFIOH: -DOOFS and eats snow a little bit. Shaking his head with a sparkly laugh.- HAHAHA, THAT'S COOL. 1 M1GHT BE A FUCK FOR BREAK1NG YOUR HEART BUT. LOL! THAT'S 1T! 1'M JUST A FUCK! HEY MEUL1N!!!! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO??? FORGET ABOUT ME TOO! YOU'RE DAMN GOOD AT THAT! 1 TH1NK THAT WOULD HELP EVERYONE 1F YOU ASK ME!!!!!!!!!!

RUFIOH: WHY D1DN'T 1 TH1NK OF THAT SOONER?? HOLY SH1T!

JOHN: (that's the spirit, buddy)

JOHN: -distracted and hypnotized by swirling around in the air with kankri)

KANKRI: -He is so content air dancing with John, he doesnt even mind the heart breaking shit happening with Rufioh right now.-

KANKRI: THIS IS S9 L9VELY I AM THRILLED I DID N9T PAY ATTENTI9N WHEN RUFI9H SMASHED THAT WEAP9N 9VER MY HEAD.

RUFIOH: -cups hands around his mouth and hollers at Kankri.- HEY KANKR1!!!!!!!!!! BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RUFIOH: DO YOU WANT TO BE MEUL1N'S NEW BFFS1E??? YOU'D DO A HELL OF A LOT BETTER A JOB THAN ME! 1 COULDN'T EVEN ST1CK AROUND TO SEE 1T THROUGH THE END! D1D YOU KNOW YOU'RE JUST A BETTER PERSON THAN ME???

RUFIOH: YOU SHOULD TEACH ME TO BE MORE L1KE YOU! }8D

KANKRI: -suddenly owl turns, craning his neck too fast to be comfortable.- I W9ULD L9VE T9 6E HER NEW 6EST FRIEND, 9H AND RUFI9H IF Y9U W9ULD LIKE LESS9NS 9N H9W N9T T9 ALIENATE PE9PLE FR9M Y9UR LIFE DUE T9 Y9UR NATURAL 9FF PUTTING NATURE I CAN CERTAINLY D9 MY 6EST T9 ASSIST Y9U!!

JOHN: HAHA! KANKRI IS TERRIBLE AT INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS TOO. THAT'S WHY YOU GUYS SHOULD BE FRIENDS. YOU HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.

KANKRI: H9WEVER I AM ALS9 DESPISED 6Y ALM9ST EVERY9NE I KN9W S9 I CAN 9NLY H9PE I CAN S9ME H9W TEACH Y9U T9 6E 6ETTER THEN ME!

KANKRI: HAHA!

RUFIOH: -hands on his hips and laughs heartily- HAHAHAHA, 1 TH1NK JOHN 1S R1GHT! THERE'S JUST SOME TH1NGS 1 SHOULD HAVE BEEN UPFRONT AND FREE TO ADM1T! 1'M GLAD 1 DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT ANYMORE!

KANKRI: THAT IS S9 TRUE!! RUFI9H PLEASE D9 N9T EVER W9RRY AGAIN A69UT V9ICING Y9UR SH9RT C9MINGS!

JOHN: I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL. I SUPRESS LITERALLY ALL MY EMOTIONS ALL THE TIME UNTIL THEY BURST FORTH IN A SPASMODIC GEYSER OF AGRESSION AND ANGST!

KANKRI: ITS TRUE HE D9ES THIS ALL THE TIME!

KANKRI: -Wraps his arm around John's shoulders.-

JOHN: I'M GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO BE INSECURE ANYMORE ABOUT WHETHER MY FRIENDS STILL CARE ABOUT ME AND WANT ME AROUND. I'VE REALIZED THAT I AM AWESOME AND FLAWLESS. WHO WOULDN'T WANT ME AROUND?

KANKRI: I CERTAINLY WANT Y9U AR9UND J9HN!

KANKRI: Y9U ARE MY FAV9RITE PERS9N AND DESERVE T9 6E THE FLAWLESS C9NFIDENT PERS9N Y9U ARE!

KANKRI: REALLY THANK G99DNESS Y9U AND I F9UND EACH 9THER WHEN WE DID 9R I MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY L9ST THE ENTIRETY 9F MY SANITY AFTER L9SING MY PLANET, MY H9ME, MY DIGNITY, AND ALM9ST THE ENTIRETY 9F MY WILL T9 C9NTINUE EXISTING! KANKRI: EVEN IF ALL THAT STILL MATTERED ANYM9RE IM JUST S9 GLAD I HAVE Y9U REGARDLESS T9 PICK UP THE PREVI9USLY DEFECTIVE PIECES 9F MY 6EING. -paps his face.-

MEULIN: -What's worse than what he's saying is the fact that she's quiet amongst the leaves and sharp twigs that she knows she's going to tear out hair to free herself from, and she feels more trapped here than she had in the infirmary.-

MEULIN: -And yet, they all just keep going. She isn't sure if it's the pain behind their words or her own emotions that sting more, but, eventually it's too much, and she squirms out of the bushes, scraping and tugging and scratching herself up, wet with snow and flushed with green.-

MEULIN: YOU... ARE ALL... MEULIN:

WRONG!!!!!!!!

MEULIN: THIS ISN'T HOW TO HELP YOURSELVES OR EACH OTHER... OR ME.

MEULIN: THIS ISN'T HOW F33LINGS WORK.

MEULIN: THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU WOULD WANT.

MEULIN: PLEASE... STOP.

MEULIN: I DON'T WANT TO S33 MY FRIENDS HURT ANYMORE.

KANKRI: MEULIN THERE Y9U ARE!!

KANKRI: ARE Y9U READY T9 6E 6EST FRIENDS??

RUFIOH: -This should be breaking his heart but it just makes him giggle. Throwing his hand out at Meulin like OH YOU.- WHO'S HURT?? NOT ME!!! 1 FEEL H1GH AS THE SKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! -zooms up, doing a loop de loop.-

KANKRI: -applauds Rufioh's trick.-

MEULIN: YOU DON'T S33 IT, BUT I DO.

MEULIN: I ALWAYS DO.

MEULIN: IT DOESN'T JUST GO AWAY... EVEN WITH MAGIC.

MEULIN: AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!!

MEULIN: THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH F33LING BAD!!!!

KANKRI: -Wiggles out of John's arms to slide over to her, hands tucked behind him.-

KANKRI: MEULIN Y9U S9UND RATHER D9WN AND 9UT! IT PAINS ME T9 SEE ANY9NE THIS WAY. -Yet his smile is still uncomfortably wide.-

RUFIOH: LOL! YOU SAY THAT BUT HEY!!!! 1SN'T FEEL1NG BAD WHAT LEAD US TO HURT PEEPS, MEU????? WHAT 1F WE STOPPED DO1NG THAT AND JUST FELT GREAT ALL THE T1ME! THAT WOULD BE FUCKIN' BANG1N'! -kick dances in the air-

JOHN: -HE WAS SO WRAPPED UP IN KANKRI'S DECLARATION OF LOVE, THAT HE STARTED SINGING "HOW CAN I LIVE WITHOUT YOU" AND FLIPPING CONTINUOUSLY IN THE AIR.-

KANKRI: CAN I 9FFER Y9U AN 9P9RTUNITY T9 FEEL IMMENSELY 6ETTER? I PR9MISE IT D9ES N9T HURT AND Y9U WILL 6E QUITE ALIVE AND FINE AFTER!

KANKRI: I SPEAK FR9M EXPERIENCE!

ROSE: (You did not concur with that point several minutes ago.)

JOHN: IF I HAD TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU. WHAT KIND OF LIFE WOULD THAT BE.

KANKRI: -Somehow is able to whisper in roses ear from where he is.- (9PINI9NS CAN CHANGE MY DEAR.)

JOHN: I NEED YOU IN MY ARMS! NEED YOU TO HOLD!

MEULIN: -she considers backing away... but she doesn't. she stands there and meets Kankri's gaze, balling up her fists.-

MEULIN: I DON'T WANT TO F33L BETTER.

JOEY: =With no sudden movements (and nearly laying down on the floro so no one can see her), she carefully pulls her curtains closed=

ROSE: -FLINCHES.-

KANKRI: -Keeps smiling at her.-

KANKRI: 9H 6UT I THINK THAT Y9U D9! EVEN JUST F9R A LITTLE WHILE. IT REALLY IS N9T ANY DIFFERENT FR9M Y9UR RECREATI9NAL ACTIVITIES IN FACT IF ANYTHING IT IS S9 MUCH 6ETTER!

KANKRI: WITH 9NE YES Y9U WILL FEEL 9N CL9UD NINE AND N9THING WITH 6E WR9NG ANYM9RE! ITS REALLY JUST WHAT EVERY 9NE 9F US NEEDS RIGHT N9W WHILE WE ARE TRAPPED HERE!

JOHN: YOU'RE MY WORLD, MY HEART MY SOUL. IF YOU EVER LEAVE!!!

KANKRI: -Moves his hand from behind his back to offer her a small candy heart that says "#Happy!! <3"-

KANKRI: -It all somehow fits on there.-

RUFIOH: -floating in the air, chinhandsing with a happy smile on his face.- DAAAAAMN, KANKR1'S GOT GAME!!! HAHAHA!

MEULIN: -stares at Kankri, and then down at the candy heart. She stares at it for a long moment, her mouth a serious frown, and then glances back up at him.-

MEULIN: ...

MEULIN: -swipes out her hand and SNATCHES the candy heart.-

KANKRI: -HE CERTAINLY DOES.-

KANKRI: 8D

RUFIOH: }8D

KANKRI: Y9U CERTAINLY WILL N9T REGRET THIS MEULIN!

JOHN: NOW THAT I MENTION IT, ISN'T IT FUCKED UP THAT FEFERI'S BEEN DEAD FOR ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN GROWN THE BALLS TO HOLD ANY KIND OF MEMORIAL OR FUNERAL SERVICES? HONESTLY I'VE BEEN AFRAID TO BRING IT UP BECAUSE I'M JUST WAITING FOR HER TO COME BACK! THIS WHOLE TIME!!! I STILL BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN TOGETHER AND GET MARRIED. BUT I CAN SEE HOW SAD EVERYONE'S FACE GETS WHEN I MENTION HER RETURNING. I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY THINK THOUGH!!! HAHAHAHAHHA!!! I DON'T GIVE A CRAP!!!

KANKRI: HEEHEE!

RUFIOH: LOL LOL! WOAH, JOHN!!!! THAT'S SOME HEAVY STUFF!!!! 1T'S SO GREAT TO CLEAR THE A1R AROUND A1N'T 1T????????

JOHN: IT'S SO!!! LIBERATING!!!

KANKRI: THATS IT J9HN!! D9NT EVER GIVE UP Y9UR H9PES EVEN IF IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THAT SHE WILL!! I THINK ITS S9 ADMIRA6LE THAT N9 MATTER WHAT Y9U STILL C9NCIEVE THE N9TI9N THAT SHE WILL C9ME 6ACK T9 LIFE!

KANKRI: AWE INSPIRING TRULY!

JOHN: THANKS BUDDY! I THINK SO TOO!!!

RUFIOH: YOU'RE AWE 1NSP1R1NG, BRO! 1F YOU CAN NAB ONE CHO1CE MO1RA1L L1KE JOHN, ANYBODY CAN!!!!

KANKRI: 9H RUFI9H Y9U ARE T99 MUCH!

RUFIOH: HELL YEAH, 1 KNOW! };D

MEULIN: -She practically crushes it in her grip, but it's all too quick. She changes color, and now she's flooding with cotton candy pink, red, and green.-

ROSE: Oh.

KANKRI: I THINK S9ME DAY Y9U T99 WILL FIND AN9THER EVEN IF Y9UR LAST 9NE LEFT Y9U! LET N9THING STAND IN Y9UR WAY!

KANKRI: -👀 meulin-

KANKRI: -welcome to the party!-

ROSE: -She draws in a deep breath, and just sits in the snow.-

KANKRI: -Throws his arm around her.-

RUFIOH: MEU MEUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RUFIOH: LOL, DUDE! HE NEVER LEFT ME! HE WENT BACK TO BEFORUS AND BLEW THE FUCK UP! 1SN'T TH1S WHY WE FOUGHT 1N THE F1RST PLACE?

MEULIN: -she winces, tail puffed out, still standing there... and then blinks open her eyes.-

RUFIOH: 1 SURE AS SH1T D1DN'T WANT TO L1VE ANYMORE AFTER THAT! WOW!!!!!!! JOHN! D1D YOU KNOW YOU SAVED MY GODDAMN L1FE??? YOU'RE A HERO!

JOHN: -POPS NEXT TO ROSE- YOU DON'T WANT TO JOIN IN THE FUN, ROSE? I KNOW YOU'RE SAD AND TIRED. I KNOW YOU FEEL HELPLESS SOMETIMES. MAYBE THIS COULD RELIEVE SOME OF THE PRESSURE!!! I'D JUST BE OVER THE MOON IF I COULD HELP YOU.

MEULIN: ....

KANKRI: 9H I HAD N9 IDEA THEY WERE DEAD! I JUST REMEMBER 6EING CREAPED 9UT 6Y H9W IT FELT LIKE Y9U MIGHT HAVE 6EEN TRYING T9 USE ME AS A SUBSTITUTE F9R THEM, HAHAH!

MEULIN: -chucks off her sunglasses.- NO!!!!!!!!!!!

KANKRI: -owl turns to meulin.-

KANKRI: -8000-

KANKRI: N9???

RUFIOH: YEP!!!!!!!! HE SURE WENT BACK TO BEFORUS TO D1E! AND 1 SHOULD HAVE GONE W1TH H1M!!! THAT'S HOW YOU MADE ME FEEL, DUDE! 1T WAS SO MESSED UP! NO WONDER 1 HATED YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

KANKRI: DID Y9U N9T LIKE Y9UR GLASSES?

MEULIN: NO!!!!!!

ROSE: -She looks like she's about to say something, face... barely certain of what to make of this, before the shout.-

MEULIN: THIS IS ME.

MEULIN: THIS IS HOW I'M GOING TO BE.

KANKRI: ALS9 RUFI9H I AM S9 GLAD Y9U ARE TELLING ME THIS N9W, THAT MAKES A L9T M9RE SENSE!

RUFIOH: -does more dances in the air. ^w^ -

JOHN: WOW. THE GIRL IS PERSISTENT! GIV EIT UP FOR MEULIN!!!! -CLAPCLAPCLAP-

KANKRI: HM?? WHAT IS Y9U MEULIN? D9 Y9U FEEL 6ETTER N9W?

KANKRI: H9W A69UT N9W?

MEULIN: I F33L. LIKE I'M SUPPAWSED TO F33L. BECLAWS I'M ME!

ROSE: -She rises, slowly, stepping over towards Meulin.- ROSE: What just happened here...?

KANKRI: -smiles at Rose and keeps his arm around Meulin.-

KANKRI: -Grins with his pointy teeths.-

MEULIN: I DID WHAT YOU WANTED. BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!!

JUDE: -takes notes outloud while he's recording this mess- this candy may or may not only effect men... or they're just weak willed...

MEULIN: -shrugs off Kankri's arm and reaches out a hand to Rose-

KANKRI: IT D9ESNT?? -Doof is shrugged.-

RUFIOH: -👀 the voice on the wind. Grins in Jude's direction.-

KANKRI: 9H DEAR!! -Slides over closer to Rufioh even if he is in the sky.-

ROSE: -GRABS THE HAND.-

JUDE; -HE'S INSIDE THE HOUSE DON'T EVEN TRY IT.-

ROSE: I am not sure why or how but I consider this a miracle. ROSE: Thank you.

KANKRI: RUFI9H I D9NT THINK MEULIN IS ENJ9YING HERSELF ALL THAT MUCH..

JOHN: -HE'S STILL APPLAUDING- LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS!!!

KANKRI: WILL Y9U 6E HAPPY WITH ME INSTEAD?

MEULIN: -hups her up and fucking... FLOATS INTO THE AIR??? YOU KNOW WHAT FINE SHE CAN DO THAT NOW.-

MEULIN: -THIS IS INCREDIBLY STRANGE BUT SO IS EVERYTHING-

RUFIOH: WHOOP WHOOP! -loops arms with Kankri, beaming.- THAT'S COOL, DUDE!!! NOT EVERYONE 1S GO1NG TO FEEL THE SAME AS YOU. THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD ST1CK TOGETHER!!!

RUFIOH: BTW, WHO'S THE HOT W1NDOW PEEPER???? 1 KNOW FOR SURE 1'VE NEVER SEE H1M BEFORE!

ROSE: -She is HAULED LIKE PRINCESS PEACH.-

ROSE: That was... very well spoken, you know.

JOHN: THAT'S MY COUSIN. JUDEY JUDEY JUDEY JUDEEHHHHH.

JOHN: I MEAN I'M SAYING COUSIN BUT HE MIGHT BE MY UNCLE OR FATHER OR SOMETHING.

KANKRI: H9T WIND9W PEEPER Y9U SAY??? -Make those hand telescopes and looks around until some how he makes dead eye contact with Jude even this far away.-

JOHN: I DON'T HAVE ANY CLUE HOW MY FAMILY WORKS AT ALL!!!

RUFIOH: HE'S HOT, DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A HOT DAD!!!! HAHAHAHA!

JUDE: -clears throat, speaking up- half brother... technically...

JOHN: -YELLS BACK- THANKS JUDE!!!!

JUDE: wait, don't-- JUDE: don't look at me

KANKRI: 9H YES HIS FACIAL SYMMETRY IS RATHER PLEASING T9 L99K AT.

JUDE: -DIVES AWAY FROM THE WINDOW-

JOEY: =slapping/pulling on Jude's pant leg trying to get him to duck down=

KANKRI: J9HN Y9U HAVE EXCELLENT GENES.

JOHN: YEAH, I KNOW.

KANKRI: -Links arms with Rufioh, look at them being best buddies.-

JOHN: -SPINS IN THE AIR AND KISSES HIS OWN BICEPS-

KANKRI: J9HN Y9U ARE S9 6EAUTIFUL.

RUFIOH: YOUR FACIAL SYMMETRY HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD TO LOOK AT, KANKS. -arms over Kankri's shoulder now.- }BD

JOHN: HE HAS A REALLY CUTE BUTT TOO!!! -SHOUTING-

KANKRI: S9 ARE Y9U RUFI9H REALLY QUITE STUNN-

KANKRI: 9H THANK Y9U!!

KANKRI: -Then his arm is going around Rufiohs waist.-

RUFIOH: THANKS, BRO!!! 1 ALWAYS FELT L1KE MY GOOD LOOKS GAVE ME MORE TROUBLE THAN 1T WAS WORTH BUT HELL!!!! 1F 1T MEANS MY FR1ENDS ST1CK AROUND FOR EVEN A L1TTLE WH1LE, 1'LL SMOOCH ALL OF THEM!

JOHN: I ALSO REALLY LIKED YOUR COOL COSPLAYS!!! REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE ME THAT GHOST BUSTERS OUTFIT?

JOHN: THAT WAS SO RAD!!!

RUFIOH: FUCK YEAH, 1 REMEMBER, JOHN!!! THAT WAS FUN AS HELL!

MEULIN: -She twitches her ears -- somehow, she feels like she can hear Rose, even without hearing. Maybe she's reading her lips. It doesn't have to make sense, but she's trying to ignore how her eyes are stinging as she glides over the rooftops, trying to put the chaos of her yelling friends behind her.-

MEULIN: ... I'M SORRY. -sniffs and smiles at Rose, just a little.- FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP.

MEULIN: I GUESS IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE... I'M MORE SCARED OF NOT BEING ME.

KANKRI: Y9U MADE THAT F9R HIM?? THAT IS S9 GENER9US 9F Y9U RUFI9H!

JOEY: (what the actual heck is going on out there?) =peeks under the curtain a little=

KANKRI: ALS9 I SHALL A6S9LUTELY STAY 6Y Y9UR SIDE N9W THAT Y9U ARE HERE WITH US AGAIN, F9R ANY PRICE!

JUDE: -ALIENS hand gesture- cherub magic...

RUFIOH: 1 TOTALLY L1KED JOHN BEFORE YOU D1D, HAHAHAHA. F1GHT ME BRO!

JOHN: NOW, NOW MY GOOD BROS. THERE'S ENOUGH JOHN TO GO AROUND.

ROSE: -She smiles a little bit, sadly.-

ROSE: I...

ROSE: Yes, I understand.

ROSE: You don't say things like that so easily. Not unless it becomes impossible to care.

ROSE: I think I prefer this.

ROSE: I don't believe I've ever been rescued quite so gallantly before.

ROSE: In defiance of all known physics.

KANKRI: WHAT?? I SHALL N9T FIGHT Y9U 6UT RUFI9H TH9SE S9UND LIKE CHALLENGE W9RDS!

RUFIOH: AND WE BOTH KNOW YOU L1KE CHALLENGES, KANKS. };D

RUFIOH: WHY NOT TRY TH1S ONE ON FOR S1ZE???????????? -then swoops down to plant a sugar smooch to Kankri.-

JOHN: :O!!!!

JOHN: -GASP-

JOHN -THE SCANDAL-

KANKRI: -HELLO!!-

KANKRI: -Is so smoothly smooched, he leans with the swoop and places his hands on either side of Rufioh's face for this wonderful kiss. What a reunion!-

JOHN: I SUPPORT AND FULLY ENDORSE THIS WITH NO REGRETS WHATSOEVER!!!

JOHN: I JUST WANT YOU AND KANKRI (BUT ESPECIALLY KANKRI) TO BE HAPPY!!!

RUFIOH: -Thanks bro!! He's had practice, dipping Kankri back to perpetuate the SUAVE. Insert spanish guitar riffs here.-

KANKRI: -Swooning to the part.-

JOHN: -UNCAPATCHAS....HIS KEYBOARD. HE'S GOING TO GIVE THIS LOVELY MOMENT SOME THEME MUSIC. Nevermind that he's playing it without it being plugged in at all. Magic.-

KANKRI: -John you are perfect.-

MEULIN: HEHEH33. WELL... I ONLY TOOK YOU BECLAWS YOU WANTED TO GO WITH ME.

MEULIN: AT LEAST... I'M ABLE TO HELP YOU.

KANKRI: -Also takes pictures of this kiss too somehow.-

RUFIOH: -volcanos explode, dragons swoop, everyone is so jealous.- <333333333333

KANKRI: -If anyone is jealous he can smooch them too!-

JOHN: -HE'S CONTENT WITH SMACKING ON HIS KEYBOARD JOYFULLY FOR NOW. Somehow the music sounds like xylophone and a trombone.-

KANKRI: -Breaks the kiss for a moment however.- RUFI9H HAVING PREVI9USLY ENTERTAINED TH9UGHTS 9F WHAT IT W9ULD 6E LIKE T9 KISS Y9U IN THE FAR DISTANT PAST I WILL SAY IT IS RATHER SATISFYING!

ROSE: You are.

ROSE: ...

ROSE: -She frowns, suddenly.-

ROSE: I imagine it must be terrifying to lose control like that.

ROSE: But you've grown a lot stronger since we first met.

ROSE: As hard as it's been, I have seen it. I am seeing it now.

ROSE: Even if the only evidence you have is overpowering the strength of whatever bewitching candy demon presented us with that hell-sucker.

RUFIOH: -snuggling him close, the happiest bull.- HAHAHA, DUDE SAME!!! 1 THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA BE BEST FR1ENDS FOREVER UNT1L YOU PULLED THAT EX-MO1RA1L SH1T!!! BUT NOW WE'RE TALK1NG ABOUT 1T AND MACK1N 1NSTEAD OF F1GHT1NG AND 1 TH1NK TH1S 1S POSS1BLY THE BEST OUTCOME OF ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

RUFIOH: LET'S RUN OFF TOGETHER DUDE! LET'S L1VE ON AVALON AND BU1LD UP BEFORUS L1KE 1T WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE!

ROSE: These things happen in degrees. It tends to make them a great deal more surprising, in the end.

ROSE: ...So.

ROSE: Thank you.

JOHN: DON'T HOLD YOURSELF BACK, KANKRI! YOU DESERVE EVERY EXPERIENCE THIS UNIVERSE HAS TO OFFER!!!

JOHN: YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH!

KANKRI: -Brightens more, if thats even possible when hes in this state.- 9H THAT S9UNDS S9 W9NDERFUL!!! I W9ULD L9VE T99! I HAVE STR9NGLY C9NSIDERED CHANGING 9CCUPATI9NS SINCE I AM A FAILURE AT THE 9NLY THING I TH9UGHT I MIGHT 6E G99D AT, THERAPY! PERHAPS I C9ULD 6E A C9NSTRUCTI9N W9RKER! I C9ULD 6UILD A R99F!!

KANKRI: 9H 6UT J9HN SH9ULD C9ME T99! AND GAMZEE I W9ULD N9T WANT T9 LEAVE EITHER 6EHIND, THEY ARE QUITE FRANKLY TW9 9F THE M9ST IMP9RTANT PE9PLE IN MY LIFE.

MEULIN: -She doesn't know what to say anymore, and at this rate, her throat feels too tight even if she wanted to. Her eyes are blurring quickly with -- what is that, lime green?? That's not normal, and she drifts down to a snow-covered rooftop in the more dimly lit areas of town, just sort of caving down to sit with Rose when she starts to cry.-

KANKRI: AND THEY DESERVE S9 MUCH 6ETTER THEN THEY ARE DEALING WITH N9W!

ROSE: -She rests a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.-

JOHN: HELL YEAH! FUCK THIS WAR! I'M TIRED OF PRETENDING TO BE STRONG WHILE WATCHING MY FRIENDS CONTINOUSLY SUFFER AND DIE.

ROSE: -Silence. She ignores how bright and vibrant her colors are, right now. Or the absurdity down below-- how hard it all is to process. That feeling of helplessness when faced with a barrage of everything wrong with her friends-- her family-- and the hellish situation they've lived with for so long.-

RUFIOH: -looks both astonished and delighted to hear Kankri's suggestion. Wafting off more sparkling sugar.- THAT'S THE BEST FUCK1NG 1DEA 1 HAVE EVER HEARD OF 1N MY L1FE!!!!!!!!!! RUFIOH: LET THE FOUR OF US L1VE TOGETHER, BRO! YOU, ME, JOHN, AND THE LOVE OF MY FUCK1NG L1FE!!!!!!!!!!

ROSE: -Better to just... be herself. She cozies up against Meulin and wraps an arm around her fully.-

KANKRI: YES I AGREE FUCK THIS WAR! -Snuggles Rufioh, this is so great.-

KANKRI: WE ARE ALL S9 6RILLIANT THIS IS PERFECT!

RUFIOH: -smooches all on Kankri's face.- YOU'RE PERFECT, DUDE! 1 DON'T WANT ANYBODY ELSE TO TELL YOU YOU'RE NOT!

KANKRI: -Laughs loudly as he is so smooched.- LIKEWISE RUFI9H LIKEWISE! I MAY HAVE SAID TERRI6LE THINGS A69UT Y9U T9 9THER PE9PLE 6EHIND Y9UR 6ACK 6UT FR9M N9W 9N I WILL DEFEND Y9UR NAME AND THE G99DNESS 6EHIND IT WITH MY DYING 6REATH!

JOHN: AWW YES!! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO LIVE WITH THREE OTHER DUDES ON A FARM IN BUMFUCK NOWHERE. I'LL BE A PEDIATRICIAN AND KIDS WILL NEVER GET SICK UNDRE MY WATCH. HELL, MAYBE I'LL RETIRE FROM DOCTORING AND JUST BE A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER.

JOHN: AND RULEUS CAN GROW UP WITHOUT ME HAVING TO WORRY THAT HE'LL BE SHOT OUT OF THE SKY.

RUFIOH: -spins with Kankri in his arms.- YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. 1T CAN ONLY GET BETTER FROM HERE, DOGG!!! YOU AND ME VERSUS THE WORLD! }8D

MEULIN: -A part of her still wants to feel embarrassed at knowing how hard she's crying already, but then, she can't. She doesn't want to. And the heavy warmth of Rose's arm around her confirms that this is right.-

MEULIN: -She leans into Rose, and she lets herself feel the emotions she's been carrying. At last, she feels sure this is the way to heal.-

KANKRI: -They spin!! And its Rufioh's turn to get so many face kisses! Hes feeling so affectionate and its so W9NDERFUL to have Rufioh back and the thought of rebuilding beforus is great too.- TRULY Y9U ARE S9 RIGHT! RUFI9H NEVER LEAVE MY SIDE AGAIN!

JOHN: HAVE A GOOD TIME YOU CRAZY KIDS! I HAVE SOME BUSINESS TO TAKE CARE OF!!!

JOHN: BUT I'LL BE BACK!!!

JOHN: *NYOOM. POP!!!-

JOHN: -HE POPPED OUT OF EXISTENCE AGAIN.-

RUFIOH: BYE JOHN! HAVE FUN! }8D

KANKRI: !!

KANKRI: G99D6YE J9HN, I L9VE Y9U 6E SAFE!!! <><> -Who knows how he emotes those diamonds.-

JOHN: -THE LEFT OVER BREEZE TENDERLY RUFFLES KANKRI'S HAIR.-

KANKRI: -('8B-

[oldguardaudio]

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[gulescamisade]

New York:  Day 1

[ Towers loom overhead, bright red thorny spires, bilboards plastered with brightly-illuminated advertisements for alien foods written in scrawling alternian scripts. All of them promising THE GREATEST TASTES, the ULTIMATE FOOD EXPERIENCE, TEN THOUSAND PERCENT EATS!!!! NONE HUNGER AND ALWAYS THE FEEDED! The urban sprawl seems to know no end, streets packed with despondant looking humans, some of whom have unhealthy, pale-gray skin and weird little growths on their foreheads. Somewhere in the distance, glamorous spotlights shine high into the night. A massive blimp hovers overhead. It reads: WELCOME TO FLAVORTOWN. ]

[ The experience is jarring and they are immediately struck by a wave of sensations. Bright lights, intense odors, and, soon enough, the feeling of being dumped onto hard, cold pavement. Rose, John, Kankri, Gamzee, Meulin, Jamison, Jolene, Dualscar, Jude and Joey all find themselves met with the same rude awakening, scattered down a block labeled in jarring neon lights, UMAMI. ]

JOEY: =oof!! It hasn't been one of her better landings...= 

JOEY: where the HELL are we?

ROSE: -she answers by way of promptly throwing up in the gutter.-

JUDE: -OH GOD OH MAN OH GOD OH MAN-

JAMISON: OOF, =still holding his babies and STANDS= WHAT THE JIMJAM FLIMFLAM IS THIS RASSAFRASSING TOMFOOLERY!??!

JAMISON: =scampers in place holding two grown adults.... oh there are others here= Everyone grab a rifle I've got plenty strapped to my body!

MEULIN: -YOWLS and sticks the landing on her feet, puffed up and claws out. WHO MUST SHE BRAWL.-

ROSE: -this city is sure hell for someone with a migraine. awesome.-

ROSE: -She's just gonna lay down and drape an arm over her eyes because this is way too much to process.-

ROSE: -she's CRACKLING A LITTLE with all kinds of weird energy right now.-

JOHN: mother....fucker. -grunts, rolling around a little because his knees are stinging. but he recovers quickly, floating up to his feet and whizing around.- hey, is everyone okay?

ROSE: I am going to take every liberty to not be okay right now.

ROSE: I'd really like that.

ROSE: For a second.

KANKRI: -Unceremoniously dumped into the street on the alien to him planet by a zap of green energy, its very alarming, hes frazzled, but the moment he hears John his head is snapping in that direction.-

JOEY: =To rose= heyyyy youre kinda staticky...

JOHN: yeah -blinking in the harsh light. ugh. this is tacky. earth has really gone to shit, hasn't it?-

JOHN: but i mean no one has broken bones or anything, right?

ROSE: I.

ROSE: I know.

ROSE: No, I didn't-- break anything.

ROSE: I just...

ROSE: Fuck.

ROSE: FUCK.

JOHN: -lands- rose?

ROSE: Do you recall a number of childish beliefs held by myself and perhaps others? That-- that I am some manner of machiavellian genius, carefully placing my pieces on a chessboard? ROSE: Because it's wrong. It's fucking wrong. We were used. I was used. She--

ROSE: God DAMN it.

JOHN: -just...keeps apparoaching her, not bothering to comment because he doesn't know what she's talking about. he just puts his hand on her shoulder, despite the sparks.-

ROSE: -she's kinda crying a little bit under that arm, turns out. She leans into John. A throbbing ache in her head, a deep pit of guilt in her stomach, and that inescapable feeling of betrayal. All of it. She eventually just clings to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders.-

JOHN: -Holds her tightly like 8( 'cause what else can he do? He glances around at everyone else for a moment and then focuses on patting Rose on the back as she sobs.-

JOEY: D:

KANKRI: -Oh, Rose looks in really bad shape. ):B -

[The faint smell of chipotle seasoning and deep fried fat waft through the air. The pale figures on the street seem anxious, but not at these strangers arrival. No, it's something more. Some wear fake smiles, painted into their faces, trying to seem joyous despite the nightmare everyone is in.]

JOHN: -At least comforting Rose gives him something else to focus on because this is REALLY DISTURBING.-

JOEY: um.... =pats Jude a bit urgently= um.... =points??=

JAMISON: =This is unsettling! He focuses on his glasses and IMMEDIATELY gets out his potato-zooka= Should we wipe out the left or right first?

JOHN: hey woah wait. they're not hurting us.

JOHN: -why are you always so TRIGGER HAPPY?-

JOHN: -still has Rose tucked in his arm.-

JAMISON: Can't say I'm so found of... pasty possible hostiles but I'll keep an eye on them..... =Squints=

KANKRI: -Hes eyeing Jamison so hard, he remembers this human, he does not like this man. Although yes, the sense of unease radiating from the people around them is quite terrible.- I d9nt 6elieve they are h9stiles th9ugh.

ROSE: -She sniffs, taking a deep breath.- ROSE: -Then she wipes at her eyes with her hands, messily.- ROSE: They look human enough.

KANKRI: In fact t9 them we might 6e the h9stiles c9nsidering we are the 9nes wh9 suddenly appeared 9n their sidewalk. -Looks around at their new surroundings again.-

JOHN: -studies them. He's been a doctor long enough to tell that they look unhealthy. Is it lack of nutrition combined with some sort of mutation?-

JOHN: poor guys...

MEULIN: -growling softly.- SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH THIS PLACE... IT SMELLS... WRONG.

JAMISON: =Rose looks sad.... he gives her a homemade shrapnel granade= Alright then.... I suppose the zombies have clearance....

JOHN: -takes a deeper whiff and sneezes-

JOHN: smells spicy!

JOHN: -pulls a multi colored chain of hankerchiffs out of his sleeve and offers it to Rose with the intent of cheering her up A LITTLE BIT.-

ROSE: -what the fuck, jamison-

ROSE: -ok-(edited)

KANKRI: -Zombies.... Please.- I d9nt think any9ne w9uld appreciate 6eing called that, dispite h9w 9utwardly appearing unwell.

JOEY: whatever it is my creep-o-meter is skyrocketing

JOHN: let's not argue over semanticss guys. we should focus on the big picture here.

JAMISON: =IT'S FOR COMFORT=

[ Overhead, and paying them no mind, robotic drones rocket with a piece of NEW construction. A large screen of some kind, already busily welding it to the side of a building. It flickers to life, soon cycling a brand new advertisement:  http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/seriouslytheworst/images/f/fd/Banner2.gif/revision/latest?cb=20150919122657 ]

JOHN: -wrinles his nose at this rampant commercialism- ew....

JOEY: thats it 

JOEY: i must be dreaming

KANKRI: -John is this really what earth advertising is like?-

JAMISON: =SQUINTS???/?=

JOHN: -Well tbh...yes-

KANKRI: -Thats so sad... No wonder these mutated earthlings look tormented.-

[ YOU WON'T BELIEVE ]

ROSE: -She's sitting up and composed herself a little bit, now just sitting on the sidewalk.-

JOHN: -hovers around her because he feels protective but his general uneasiness wants them to get moving.. .SOMEWHERE instead of just standing here like sitting ducks- i guess we should try to find out where we are and maybe try to contact the others?

JOHN: does anybody's comm work? mine doesn't.

ROSE: I'm trying to think.

ROSE: I'm not sure. I might have fried it.

[IT'LL FIT RIGHT IN]

[FRIED THING!!!! $5.95!!!! FRY ANY THING THAT FITS IN THE FRIER! FRY YOUR BABY!!!!!! $5.95!!!!!!!]

MEULIN: RRR... SOMEONE CAN TRY MINE. -uncaptchalogues hers and holds it out to anyone-

JOHN: :/

MEULIN: I'M GOING TO K33P MY NOSE OUT.

ROSE: -she reaches for it, and checks it.-

ROSE: Oh.

MEULIN: -wrinkling said nose-

KANKRI: -Shuffles a bit closer to peep at what Rose is typing, and also just to be closer to john.- 9h, it d9es w9rk. Thats g99d.

JOHN: -also 👀 also hello Kankri he's going to sling his arm around your waist because this SUCKS BALLS.-

KANKRI: -Hes glued to your side now, John.-

JOHN: -It's fine. As far as tumors go, you're pretty benign. He peeps on what Rose is doing.-

JOHN: any luck?

KANKRI: -Tumors....-

KANKRI: -Yeah alright fair that is him.-

ROSE: Vriska stole the ship.

ROSE: Fairly incompetently.

JOHN: ...pfffft... WHAT? -LAUGHING-

ROSE: She's arguing with HAL, right now...

JOHN: oh my gosh. i am going to give her such a punch.

ROSE: And she is losing.

JOHN: can you pass that message on for me?

JOHN: right in the face. boom.

KANKRI: -Hes frowning.- 9h dear... that d9esn't s9und all that funny 9r like light hearted material c9nsidering 9ur situati9n.

JOHN: well i really do mean it. she is kidnapping my baby technically. but what else did you find out/

ROSE: I'd rate it as a three, compared to the seven that is a hamburger with eyeballs.

ROSE: Dirk is in Texas.

ROSE: And... other people are elsewhere. Information is still a bit disoragnized.

JOHN: -snorts again. Sorry guys. This is his reaction to pain.-(edited)

JOHN: i hope everyone's ..at least as relatively ok as we are.

ROSE: Relatively.

ROSE: ...See if Jamison or Jolene can't look at your coms. I think mine will recover when I can... get ahold of myself.

KANKRI: Again, an9ther p9sitive.

JOHN: things could be a lot worse! -gonna pass his comm along to Jamison-

JAMISON: =was already fiddling with things but he'll fiddle MORE and FIX UP John's comm=

JOHN: -sighs a little as he hands it over.- i hope jade is alright...and the babies.

JOHN: she was all...weird right before we teleported.

JOHN: growling and stuff.

KANKRI: Yes, indeed. -Hes also going to fish out his device and look it over to be certain it still is working.-

KANKRI: Als9 9h... Well ideally they all will 6e just fine.

KANKRI: -Hes so bad at comforting right now, hes a failure.-

JOLENE: -currently barking and flipping her shit, too busy to be helpful mostly because I'm doing too much at once-

JOEY: so i take it jade isnt normally like that

ROSE: No.

ROSE: She's not.

JUDE: -HOWEVER, he's grumbling something about kids being fine-

JOEY: ah

JUDE: -while hunched over his comm which does work-

JOHN: -rubs the back of his neck, frowning and looking around. he feels restless.-

JAMISON: =hands John back his comm GOOD AS NEW... maybe even better. Definitely better it has a GUN feature now=

JAMISON: There you go! :D

JOHN: -????????????-

JAMISON: =He had it for 2 minutes=

JOEY: =comfort pat on Jude's back???=

JUDE: -GOOD PLAN-

JOHN: -HE WILL PROBABLY NEVER USE THIS BUT HE SAYS THANK YOU ANYWAY. -

JOHN: -he'll get dirk to install a child safety lock when he gets back home >>-

JUDE: -STARES AT JOEY WIDE EYED- ... I...

JUDE: I told her... that the head set... -looks down at his comm again- I guess it doesn't matter now

ROSE: What?

ROSE: What are you talking about?

ROSE: -Sits up, from being all hunched over her com.-

JUDE: ... jane's head set

JUDE: I thought... because it was crocker corp technology

JUDE: they could use it to get to us somehow... track our location... or worse

JUDE: and worse happened

ROSE: -she just scowls.-

ROSE: Mm.

MEULIN: WAIT, WHAT?? -looks around for whoever's speaking. her sunglasses aren't exactly being clear on who this is yet.-

MEULIN: WHAT HAPPENED EXACTLY?

JOEY: :(

JOEY: jude was right...again

ROSE: You can have this back. -She holds the device over to her.- ROSE: We were used.

ROSE: I don't know if she was in on it somehow, or—

ROSE: I don't know. ROSE: This is too much.

ROSE: Everything is... too much.

JOHN: we can't think about that right now. -nudges her.-

JOHN: let's focus on what we can control.-

ROSE: Right.

ROSE: We need a way to get out of here. Meet up with the others.

ROSE: And we need a place to rest and take stock of what we've got.

MEULIN: -puts the device back up- THE SMELL OF THIS PLACE... IS GIVING ME A WICKED BAD HEADACHE. (^>ｪ<^)

ROSE: -She wipes her eyes one last time and rises to her feet.- It's pretty intense. And... sustained.

JOHN: -UGH YEAH ME TOO. it's actually worse than he wants to admit because of sensory stuff but HE'S STAYING STUBBORNLY. OPTIMISTIC. he uncapatchas a little tub of ....Vicks of all thing sand takes a BIG WHIFF.- mmm.....okay thats' better.

JOHN: -dabs it on his upper lip right below his nostrils-

KANKRI: Hm. D9 we even have any exact idea 9f where we are currently l9cated?

KANKRI: 6esides in an ur6an setting surr9unded 6y seemingly thrilled individuals, wh9 I d9nt necessarily 6elieve are as happy as they appear...

JOHN: yeah this is some 1984 bullshit if i ever saw it. looks like they're really on board with big brother.

JOHN: bitch couldn't even be original about how she fucked up my planet. -sighs-

JOHN: maybe we could ask one though?

ROSE: ...I...

ROSE: Don't think this one was ever on the maps, before.-

ROSE: -she points towards the sky, where the massive blimp looms, reading WELCOME TO FLAVORTOWN.-

KANKRI: 6ig 6r9ther... are y9u meaning t9 say and 9r ass9ciate it with the phrase that in turn means the "9ver watching presence" 9f a higher c9rp9rati9n 9r g9vernment, usually in a negative 9r c9rrupted light?

KANKRI: -Also looks where Rose is pointing and oh what do you know. They are in Flavortown.-

JOHN: well, apparently we're in flavortown, i guess. -rolls eyes-

JOHN: juts saying it makes me feel dirty.

KANKRI: -Side eyes John.- That is an 9dd reacti9n t9 have t9 a name 9f a city.

KANKRI: Alth9ugh I have t9 agree with R9se, I d9nt remem6er ever learning a69ut a city named as such in my studies 9f Earth. Alth9ugh I c9uld have easily missed it if its n9t m9re significant.

JOEY: im gone for what? ten years?

JOEY: everythings changing!

JOHN: i feel you, kiddo.

JOHN: i wanted to show you guys my room! my old psoters are still up in there.

JOHN: i think?

JOEY: =KIDDO....im almost 40= eheeheehee

JOHN: -he walks up to some of the advertisements, studying closely and trying to read some of the SIGNAGE. he can understand Alternian, at least if that's what the troll script is.-

JOHN: -he's hoping there's one of those cheesy maps with the YOU ARE HERE arrows or osmething.-

[ John does manage to see this ]

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/seriouslytheworst/images/1/1c/Chart-mooo.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/640?cb=20150920192938

JOEY: RUMP!

[It doesn't seem as if anyone is interested in speaking to them, much less harming them. If anything, everyone around is too busy trying to look mirthful, as if they hope it's sufficient enough. The city streets aren't busy, but there are definitely plenty of alley ways, a couple even with barrel fires in them.]

JOHN: -HES' GETTING EDUCATED ABOUT MEAT BUT NOT WHERE THEY ARE, NECESSARILY-

KANKRI: -Barrel fires are not exactly safe. Someone could fall in or they could be knocked over or filled with dangerous burning products.-

JOHN: -don't worry kankri, he won't let anyone stuff you into a burning barrel.-

KANKRI: -WELL HE WASNT THINKING ABOUT THAT.-

JOHN: -okay well his comm is working. what if he just tries...Troogle Maps?-

KANKRI: -But that would be a concern.-

JOHN: -It's only an issue if you're tiny and perfectly barrel sized-

KANKRI: -John has thought about this too much.-

[If John checks Troogle maps, he will find that they are somewhere near the New York /Canada border]

JOHN: -Sighs, taking a screen shot so he doesn't have to waste so much battery. Then he shows it to Rose.-

ROSE: Oh.

ROSE: ...

ROSE: This is. Kind of near where I used to live.

JOHN: oh! wow! really?

ROSE: We're about six miles from Niagra Falls.

JOEY: =looks around, surprised= really??

ROSE: Yeah.

ROSE: That can't be right.

JOHN: how come?

ROSE: Because it...

ROSE: Just doesn't make much sense? I mean, I admit, my knowledge of this area is approximate and only half-remembered, but...

ROSE: Look at how far this city extends.

ROSE: Look at the size of these buildings! ROSE: There's no industry or exploitable resource here. The falls are a tourist attraction.

JOEY: because...! =gestures at....everything.=

JOHN: -bites his lip- extreme urban sprawl.

ROSE: Well, yes. To a cartoonish degree. Which I do admit is a bit... appropriate, in the presence of certain elements.

ROSE: -She poitns to another sign.- http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/seriouslytheworst/images/9/97/YUMEE.png/revision/latest?cb=20150919122142

ROSE: But still.

JOHN: -he desperately wants to graffiti on all this crap. and maybe take a leak on it for good measure.-

JOHN: >:/

JOEY: you alright there john buddy

JOHN: oh yeah. i just got my dander up.

[And yet it exists. All of it. Spicily, and v eerily the buildings loom over them. An almost palpable haze of grease in the air. Not mention the numerous neon signs. A new one was being attached to an adjacent building right at this moment. An unsettling picture of Guy Fieri upon. GUYS BIG BITE. SEASON PREMIERE LIVE FROM FLAVORTOWN. Wednesday at 8pm est/7pm cst]

ROSE: -SQUINTS-

JOHN: -PARTICULARILY REPULSED BY THIS IMAGE.- it's like the batterwitch's floury fingerprints on everything.

JOHN: sliding down your back.

JOHN: -shivers-

MEULIN: .... WHO THE FURK IS GUY?(edited)

KANKRI: -Squints up at the billboard as well.- I am als9 c9nfused as t9 wh9 this is.

JOHN: -turns away from it pointedly.- so what do you think rose? is it worth it to try and find your old house?

ROSE: No.

ROSE: No, I doubt there's anything left.

ROSE: We should just find someplace to sleep where no one will ask us any questions.

ROSE: ...Not that they appear to be willing to.

JOHN: hmm. - scratches chin and troogle maps again. this times for subways... and not the kind that sell sandwiches. -

[Closed and currently being filled with buffalo wing queso]

JOHN: -he's mad because he's disappointed but that sounds delicious-