#random comment: weaponized incompetence

[moch-ila]

at this point, if you really think your husband is NOT weaponizing their incompetence, do not post him on tiktok

[rainbowolfe]

All About the Fanatic

I’ve been mulling this over since Sins of the Flesh dropped, but now I finally have the time to make a formal post about it. It’s about the identity of the Fanatic.

First things first, who is the Fanatic? Like as a person (beast).

The Fanatic was deemed worthy of a Crown by Chemach after surviving some sort of conflict. They are someone who is incredibly devoted to the First Gods/Great Ones even after ascension. And before receiving their own Crown, they too were just a Follower worshipping a Crown Bearer for protection. Timeline-wise, this probably places the start of Fanatic’s story shortly after the Great Ones leave this realm/world (though haven’t completely abandoned it yet. Maybe).

Right off the bat, we get confirmation that Crowns are living things. “I will nourish this Crown and be worthy of this power.” Crowns are something that have to be fed, and in exchange, the wearer gets to use its powers.

Fanatic has deemed themselves judge, jury, and executioner in the name of the Great Ones. If their weapon-set didn’t come with the Crown, then I believe that’s what they’re asking for in the second tablet. (“I seek your understanding.”) Though they’re being vague about what it is they want, they’re asking for something. And they’re offering further dedication/sacrifice in exchange.

Alternatively, they feel they’ve done something wrong and are asking for forgiveness. Either way, their weapons allow them to (effectively) convert Fervour into Devotion. They have a direct incentive to kill as much as possible. They technically don’t need Followers to feed their Crown either, putting them in a very unique position.

While they seem to start in Silk Cradle (they make mention of seeing the weapons used by the Great Ones), when they grow older they go on a pilgrimage that lands them in Spore Grotto. This may be a point in the “did something wrong and now they feel guilty” category, cause no one goes on a pilgrimage just because. The Mushroomos are present but don’t reveal themselves. Maybe they just haven’t evolved to the point of mobility at this time, but they can speak (to each other). And they can see.

Fanatic comments on how the air smells sweet, which could be a few different things, but it all relates back to either illness or decay. It could be the scent of the menticide mushrooms/Mushroomos. It could be the bacteria thriving in the dead carcass of a god. Or it could be a sign of what killed the God in the first place. Certain illnesses make the body give off a sweet smell in death, such as cancer, sepsis, or diabetes.

Loosely off-topic, but I believe this dead carcass of a Great One is why the rest of them ditched this realm. It’s one thing for First Gods to kill First Gods. It’s another for a Beast, an Idol, or even some random monster to do so.

“Hatched beneath the First, they crave no power, seek no other fulfillment, for it is not in their nature. And it is by nature that we must abide.”

The Fanatic values nature above all. It is the thing they’re most concerned with when they see the state of Chemach a hundred years later. Whatever cult they were originally apart of most likely worshipped a nature-oriented idol (which is one of the Aesthetics we can take on in SotF). For as much as they praise the Great Ones and seek their favor, they don’t actually value them. Not more than themselves. (as we see later)

As Fanatic passes the triple digits in age, they’re more inclined to keep a better record of the world around them. It seems that, post whatever happened to Chemach, Crowns are distributed randomly at any time. Some are hidden away to be found, others are taken by force. With no real “benefactor” save for the Crown itself, many probably just. Died from their own incompetence. And some other Beast was there to scoop up their Crown.

“Rise and fall like tides cut free from the moon” loosely implies (to me) that either a major Ocean deity or Moon deity has died. It’s weird wording you wouldn’t ever use unless something has happened to your moon. The tides are explicitly controlled by the moon. So if they’re cut free from it…

Fanatic is approached by what’s presumed to be a war god. And it most likely is. But technically, it could be any of the surviving five, as they’re all apart of this purge. The new faith that calls themselves the Old Faith. Fanatic isn’t interested in turning on their peers or worshipping… whatever it is the Old Faith worships.

It is very funny that Fanatic is on a first name basis with exactly one god. Hundreds of them. Hundreds. They name one. And it’s interesting that their domain is tied to “change”, much like Shamura claims Knowledge is.

Yngya is a made up name, as far as I can tell, so it’s not obvious what their domain was. What we do know is that they were responsible for changing the color of the leaves. So, some sort of season-based god, if not specifically Fall.

I suspect they’re a Death God. The Blood Moon Ritual is associated with the changing of seasons, and with it souls are allowed to pass on peacefully. If their domain specifically has to do with Fall, they’re most likely a Harvest God and those are often Death Gods.

I do wonder what it is Haro did that allowed her to keep her life and her Crown. There’s something off about her Crown, sure, but she still has it. She’s still powerful/capable based on the bodies you can find in her room. And she’s in a close enough range of the Bishops to have a pretty good idea of what happened between them.

The Fanatic may not recognize it, but there is/was some sort of relationship between them and the war god. Some sort of history. Maybe it’s a Mr. Incredible-Buddy thing. Where the Fanatic was the war god’s idol, but the war god was nothing to Fanatic. Regardless of the details. Every other God (save for Haro) was completely wiped from the record. They weren’t just killed. Their Crown, their Domain, and their Shrines are gone.

And though Fanatic is forced to revoke their Crown, they’re spared. (“How easily pain made a defector of me.”) I don’t believe it’s possible that none of the other hundreds of Gods were unwilling to defect in exchange for their lives. I think it’s that Fanatic was the only one given that choice.

From the beginning, the War God sought out Fanatic to give them a chance to join their new cause/religion. They were turned away… but came back near the end of the purge. Not to kill Fanatic, but to torture them into submission. “No” was never an option. The game implies that re-education is a painful process. If you reeducate someone at night, Followers will wonder about the screams they heard in their sleep.

*insert segue here*

Sozo was worshipped by Mushroomos, but also held deeply rooted contempt for them that manifested through cannibalism. I spent a bit of time stalking Sozo in my playthrough, and I noticed that he hates Mushroomo. Rightfully so, considering what happened to him. Under the influence of the menticide mushrooms, his true feelings bubble to the surface. But that’s not the important part for this. The point is, when we complete the requirements of Sozo’s quest, it’s not an ant follower form we’re granted. It’s a Mushroomo.

Therefore, I don’t think the serpent skin we get represents the form the Fanatic took. It represents the being the Fanatic has unfinished business with. Business we somehow resolve by learning/seeking “the truth”. Which is what the Ancient Tablets represent. The tab you read the Ancient Tablets (and the extra notes) in is explicitly called “Knowledge”.

 Shamura is the only character we’ve encountered that has two domains. Knowledge and War. Something more had to have happened behind the scenes for them to acquire their second domain. The Bishops killed hundreds of gods, but the Bishops didn’t acquire those domains. They were lost. When Yngya is killed, the Bishops don’t inherit the ability to change the seasons, it just doesn’t happen anymore.

So the question is, was Shamura the God of War first? Or the God of Knowledge? Based on how everyone in the game speaks about them, I’m inclined to believe it was Knowledge.

What Shamura is praised for most is their mind. Narinder reminisces about the strength of their mind and how they were once the wisest out of all of them. What’s taken from them is their intelligence—the information they’ve acquired over the years. (“I may no longer be wise, but I am no fool”). Their followers give offerings to them to ask for knowledge and guidance. And it’s also the domain they tell Lamb about first.

In fact, if Lamb doesn’t challenge them and instead bows when they request it, Shamura doesn’t share that they’re also a God of War.

Even the status effect they’re afflicted with (Dissenting) is more related to Knowledge than it is War. When Dissenter’s dissent, there’s the chance you get dialogue from them. And in that dialogue, they speak of knowing the truth. The truth and knowledge are inherently connected in this world. Dissenter’s don’t encourage violence or fighting, but a mass exodus. Dissenters steal, but they don’t destroy anything.

The Fanatic admits to relinquishing their blessing, aka their Crown. BUT, we see with Narinder/TOWW that giving up your Crown doesn’t mean giving up your godhood or the abilities that came with it. He was still the God of Death (and had complete control over that domain) until Lamb defeated him. Even after his defeat, he’s still immortal (unless you have Mystic Seller put him through the godly washing machine).

Therefore, even after giving up their crown so they would be spared, they would still be the God of Knowledge. Just without a cult or any real power to wield.

“Five becomes… becomes… Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Even pre sins of the flesh, I thought it was an interesting detail that Shamura doesn’t include themselves in their countdown. When you go to fight Shamura, they consider themselves not as ‘one’ but as ‘nothing’.

Then, there’s their final line before you fight them. Lifted straight from the Fanatic’s chronicles. These ancient tablets aren’t, like. Laying around, free for anyone to read. Lamb gets to see them because they’re the chosen one. And they have to sacrifice a full heart to have it (a pound of flesh, in Fox’s terms).

And if Shamura was the one who subjugated/killed the Fanatic, I don’t think they’d be allowed access to these tablets by the higher power guarding them. If they are the one who purged all the other gods to hide the fact that they started a new, fake religion, then they’re not exactly someone who “values truth over all else”. They have to be the one who came up with this little rhyme.

“He of havoc, he of blight; she of hunger, they of might.”

It would be weird for anyone to refer to themselves in the third person, but people gave Shamura a pass because their brain isn’t completely contained within their skull. But I have to wonder if Shamura actually is that kind of crazy. They struggle with memory and the wide-eyed stare makes them look incredibly lost at any given moment. And it seems like they have trouble tending to the needs of their followers as a cult leader. But they aren’t insane. When they’re speaking to Lamb, they seem very aware, actually.

Shamura’s issue seems to be that they spend so much time trying to remember the past, that they’re not reliably “present”. They’re effectively day-dreaming, even when they don’t mean to. Off in their own head. But they’re not like Chemach. They aren’t giggling at inside jokes they share only with themself, or talking to inanimate objects. They just aren’t as smart as they once were, because they can’t retain information.

Even when left without their Crown, it’s still just memory they struggle with—just more so than before. They still don’t speak in third person. They speak in rhymes to help them remember distant things (which they did with their Crown too). Which like. That is a thing. Mnemonic devices are known to be useful for boosting memory for everyone, not just people who struggle with memory loss.

I posit: Shamura was never speaking in the third person. There were five siblings. Five Gods. Five bringers of the end. And Shamura was a sixth, an outsider looking in. Shamed and conquered, and indoctrinated into this group unwillingly.

We see in-game, that there’s something about indoctrinating someone that makes them incredibly… complicit? Passive? Narinder explicitly did not want to join Lamb’s cult, but if you spare and indoctrinate him, he doesn’t leave. (Excluding various game mechanics that apply to all followers) He’s very critical of Lamb and the cult, but even that fades into a begrudging acceptance. He never expresses that he wants to leave. Same with all the Bishops.

The brief memory Shamura has when you give them Spider Silk would reinforce the idea that they weren’t exactly a willing participant in the Old Faith.

“In my silk, I snared a Crown… to their faith, irrevocably bound…”

The Crown given to the Fanatic by Chemach was clearly very revocable. There were no strings attached to their faith in the Great Ones. In fact, their devotion was given by choice. They offered it up. There’s also this decoration:

Of a Red Crown trapped in a web. This seems pretty connected to the memory they’re reciting.

Shamura, still a God of Knowledge just without Crown, would eventually kill and usurp the then-God of War. Granting them two domains. One granted to them by the Great Ones, the other granted to them by another force. Again, whatever force the Old Faith serves. Turua, I suspect.

All with the help of Narinder, the one they love the most.

“Bond forged by the spilling of blood… I know you hear me, God of Death.”

Whatever brought these two together was the death of another. They killed someone. And there are not a lot of options for beings that would require two gods (well, a god and a half) to take them out. Thus it would be really fitting if who they killed was the God of War that made Shamura revoke their Crown in the first place.

In that scenario, of course Shamura would love Narinder the most. They would not only appreciate the gesture and favor him over the others, but they would feel indebted to him. They would do anything for him, as he did for them.

Which includes doing whatever the hell it was that got their brain squashed and Narinder imprisoned, despite their best judgment.

[whumpster-fire]

/r/AmITheAsshole comments are a truly incredible microcosm of the most deranged and awful people on the internet validating each other's shittiness. Today I saw a thread from a 21 year old woman whose boyfriend got her a pair of gold earrings in a romantic gift-giving moment and she reacted like "Why would you get me gold earrings? Don't you know I only wear silver?" And, predictably, has probably blown up her relationship now. So, the kind of absurd probably-bullshit ragebait that's pretty much par for the course on AITA.

...And then half the comments section proceeded to take her side and go all "How dare he, what a horrible, thoughtless gift, I can't believe they dated for three years and he somehow 'didn't notice' she only wears silver, women are really expected to show gratitude to men for not even doing the bare minimum" with one comment even saying it was a "red flag" about how the boyfriend didn't care enough about his partner to know she only wore silver. I didn't see the "weaponized incompetence" buzzword before I stopped scrolling but it was probably down there somewhere.

It's breathtaking how AITA commenters can take a reasonable and well intentioned idea like "You don't have to show performative gratitude for shitty half-assed gifts from someone who's clearly not trying" and take it to the most ludicrous extreme of "Treat people like shit for giving you a gift they put thought and effort into if it's not the exact thing you wanted. Basic tact is emotional labor which you don't owe anyone." This isn't a fucking Homer Simpson Bowling Ball Gift, it's a guy who knew his girlfriend liked jewelry buying jewelry as a gift and probably not realizing all her stuff being silver was for reasons of taste and not affordability. There are ways to handle this situation and communicate that gold jewelry is not a great gift going forward that do not involve literally behaving like a cartoon villain. Like that exchange is something I would unironically expect to see in the opening 20 minutes of a Disney movie as a ham-fisted way of establishing to the audience that someone is a total spoiled piece of shit. This is the kind of shit Cruella De Ville would pull if she got a date.

I love that subreddit so much, it's like watching a series of fiery car crashes (the original posts) where sometimes one comes to rest on a railroad crossing and then gets hit by a runaway train full of toxic chemicals (the comments section sometimes deciding to defend the most appalling behavior seemingly at random)

[independentzaun]

Testing Pow-pow

Drabble for Jinx. General concept is the first "real" job she pulled for Silco after making Pow-pow. Death, murder, Jinx being Jinx, and so on CW.

It was perhaps a month after her birthday which had been a fantastic one as Silco had given her all the final bits, and pieces for Jinx to finish her biggest project yet. A minigun she had named Pow-pow. However she hadn’t fully tested it out yet in a combat situation, and Jinx really wanted to. All the same pulling out pow-pow just to gun down one random person seemed rather anticlimactic. Such a big project deserved better than that, but she hadn’t figured out just what yet. Until she heard the comment Silco muttered angrily while working on one thing or another as she relaxed on the rafters above him. Head turning a bit Jinx looked vaguely contemplative as her adoptive father practically growled.

“I wish this idiot would drop dead how can someone from Zaun be this stupid, and useless? I don’t even care about getting my money back at this point, I just don’t want to have to deal with him anymore.” A long irritated sigh came from Silco as he reached for a cigar before a question drifting from the rafters half caught his attention, and he glanced up. “What was that Jinx?”

Jinx rolled over, and leaned down peaking out at him. “I said what about the people around that “idiot” as you called him?” Silco raised his eyebrows than grumbled although it wasn’t directed at Jinx, but the people she was asking about. “They can all drop dead as well for being stupid enough to not make the man realize how incompetent he is.” Jinx tilted her head a bit than rolled back over as one last comment came from her. “Okay.” Silco too caught up in his irritation, and work didn’t think about her question or the last comment as he returned to figuring out how to fix the problem that had been dropped into his lap.

((Cut for length))

Later that night Jinx had dropped down, and gone through some of Silco’s papers getting a name and an address before heading to her workshop to grab supplies and pow-pow. Not long after that Jinx was up on a rooftop looking down at a particular house in what could be considered the “nicer” part of The Lanes, and had two guards in the front and one in the back. Those guards weren’t the problem so much as the extra two she could see through a window that were in the kitchen. Frowning for a second Jinx crouched down pulling out her spyglass examining the guards in question. They all looked capable enough by average Zaun standards, and had your expected assortment of melee weapons. One man had something that looked like a pistol stolen from an Enforcer and modified to suit him. Singularly none of them were an issue, and as a group even she had no doubt she could handle them. The problem was handling them, and than getting to the man Silco wanted killed as well as the man’s family. Checking the time Jinx just nodded to herself, and headed to a corner of the rooftop and curled up there. Head on top of Pow-pow she yawned and pulling her legs in close to herself simply took a nap looking for all the world like some wild dog or a coyote in the wild sleeping before it went for a hunt.

A couple of hours later in the darkest part of the night her eyes snapped open, and she stood going to check the status of the house with her spyglass once more. The guards were all still there, but they all also looked more tired and the house seemed dimmed and darker. If she had to make a guess it seemed as though the real Target of the evening had gone to bed, and now was likely the best time to make her move. Reaching down to her belt Jinx unclipped a mask she’d made for herself that was canine shaped, and slipped it on hiding her face. Walking back to grab Pow-pow she stretched, and slung it over onto her back before turning and running. Across one roof top, and than the railing of a building than up onto a street sign and a long jump out into empty space before landing on the roof of the building she’d been waiting to visit for hours now.

Pausing there for a second, and listening for any movement Jinx crept down the roof, and leaning over it swayed back and forth idly as her hands reached out working at a window. It was locked of course, but reaching into a pocket she pulled out a glass cutter and a moment later had just enough glass cut out to let her fingers slip through and undo the lock. Window pulled slowly upwards Jinx swung herself down, and into the building landing quietly before tugging the window back down. One guard outside looked up with a puzzled expression on his face before shrugging. It was just an office with no one inside, and Jinx quickly moved out of it than downstairs rather than up. One guard in the kitchen now rather than two, and near as she could tell it was only that one guard that was inside now. No doubt because of how late it had gotten. It was a fatal mistake however as she moved forward, and with no warning grabbed him by the back of his shirt slamming him into a counter top. Dropping him onto the floor afterwards one of her heavy boots came down on his neck crushing it, and leaving the guard twitching on the floor as his hands dug at his neck trying desperately for air as he suffocated. Turning around Jinx tilted her head for a second listening before moving to the back door, and locking it followed up by a chair tucked under it so no one could get in. The front door she flipped one lock on so they could likely bash their way through it, but it’d slow them down. Along with that Jinx positioned a couple of smoke chompers so that when the door opened who ever came through would be immediately caught up in, and confused by a wave of smoke.

Heading upstairs Jinx glanced through the last couple of remaining rooms, and saw what seemed like a happy small family. Two teenage boys in their room, mother and father in another. It didn’t bother her in the slightest, and deciding to handle the boys first she pulled out another recently crafted weapon pulling the pin and tossed in a knock out gas chomper closing the door behind her. Shifting back and forth on her feet she waited a few seconds, before going into the room, and dragging both boys out of their bedroom down into the kitchen. Humming softly to herself Jinx sat each of them up at the table, and took a moment to rip up the sofa with a knife so she could use strips from the covering of it to tie the boys to their chairs. Heading back upstairs Jinx went into the master bedroom, and stood there for a second watching the man and his wife sleep. Picking the man simply because he was the closest to the door of the bedroom Jinx put a hand over his mouth pulling out that same knife she’d used to rip out the sofa with, and plunged it into his chest three or four times until he stopped struggling. The knife had been stolen from the kitchen, and her own knife Silco had gifted her a couple of years ago was still sheathed so she decided to just leave the knife in question in the mans chest.

Canine mask still on her face she leaned over, and shook the wife before quickly moving backwards and down the stairs. The wife predictably enough awoke, rolled over, and screamed as loud as possible. Shaking her now very dead husband with tears streaming down her cheeks she shook her head before remembering her two teenage sons, and leaving the bed via the foot of it rather than climbing over her husbands body went to check on them. Seeing them missing she started praying, and whimpering as she rushed downstairs. Getting to the kitchen only to see a blue haired, and masked woman standing behind the table that her sons were placed at still tied to their chairs once again she screamed. This time however she screamed for the guards, and as she did so Jinx moved to one side not saying anything. The back door held shut against the heavy thump of a shoulder, and a boot before that guard ran around to the front of the house. The front door opened more easily albeit still with a heavy application of force, and as the two guards ran in drawing their weapons both stopped coughing and wheezing waving their hands to try to clear the smoke away that suddenly erupted around them.

That should have been their signal to leave, and if not that the sudden noise of a minigun spinning up however they never had the chance. A moment later Pow-pow was firing, and unseen under her mask Jinx was grinning wildly as bullet after bullet went through the teenagers and the mother and the guards trying to get into the house. Not stopping until every person was bleeding, and either dead or dying she giggled softly letting go of the trigger. “That worked so well.” Glancing around Jinx hummed softly before pulling an explosive chomper out, and triggering it she headed out the front door stepping over the bodies of the guards while tossing the chomper at the ripped up sofa which quickly caught on fire.

Heading home she would smell of smoke, gunpowder, and be quite obviously pleased with herself should anyone be awake to notice. However Jinx had no real intention of waking anyone. Silco would no doubt find out in the morning from someone or another delivering a report as to the family being killed, and than she should tell him all about her evening adventure!

He’d be happy, and proud of her...right? Right!

[mariacallous]

BELGRADE, Serbia—On a rainy Saturday evening in late May, the city center of Serbia’s capital was transformed into a sea of umbrellas. Amid the crowd, two protesters propped up a sign emblazoned with the words “Promoters of Violence,” featuring a large photo of the populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic surrounded by images of other top government officials. Amid chants of “Vucic, leave!” and the shrill sound of people blowing whistles, the crowd surged past Serbia’s National Assembly building and through central Belgrade.

The stormy weather didn’t keep tens of thousands of people from turning up for the same reason they have every week since Serbia was rocked by back-to-back mass shootings in early May: to protest against the country’s culture of violence and, by extension, Vucic’s government. 

The “Serbia against violence” protests began as a commemorative act to honor the shooting victims but have morphed into a broader critique of the Serbian government. They have become some of the largest protests since those that helped oust the strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. As a result, they’re putting Vucic, who on Wednesday announced early parliamentary elections for later this year, under unprecedented political pressure at home—and they come just as renewed tensions in Kosovo are putting the Balkan country back in the international spotlight.

Just over a month ago, Serbian society was shocked by the two mass shootings: On May 3, a 13-year-old boy used his father’s gun to shoot and kill 10 people, mostly fellow students, at his Belgrade school. A day later, a 20-year-old man shot people at random in a different part of the country, killing eight and injuring 14 others. Mass shootings are exceedingly rare in Serbia, despite the country being awash in guns left over from the wars of the 1990s, and the school shooting was unprecedented in the region.

Protesters initially showed up to register their shock and grief at the senseless acts of violence, calling for a better approach to violent speech in a country where leading politicians spew vitriol against political opponents and convicted murderers are featured on reality TV shows. 

Vucic, who has served as Serbia’s populist, nationalist president since 2017 (and as its prime minister starting in 2014), responded to the shootings by announcing a one-month amnesty for anyone turning in unregistered weapons; in the first week of the program, government officials said 13,500 weapons had been surrendered. The protesters, however, say it will take more than a government amnesty program to prevent mass shootings in the future: their demands include the resignation of key government officials and the revocation of broadcasting licenses for television channels that show violent content.

Rather than engage with those demands, Vucic responded to the protests by announcing his own pro-government rally in late May and criticizing those involved with the opposition as “hyenas” and “vultures,” intent on using the dead for their own political purposes. Those comments added fuel to the fire for the protesters, helping the weekly demonstrations take on a distinctly anti-Vucic, anti-government direction. 

“The protests were initially not at all against Vucic nor against the government: the motive was different,” Aleksandra Tomanic, the executive director of the European Fund for the Balkans, told FP. “And then they turned into protests against him and against the government when people saw how the government and he personally reacted to them.”

Florian Bieber, the director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, said Vucic’s “ham-fisted and incompetent” response to the protests is part of what has helped them take on the broader air of political opposition. The protests, he added, differ from previous large-scale demonstrations in Serbia in recent years in two important ways: first, they’re larger; and second, they were organized not by the political opposition but from a broader, more grassroots movement.

The opposition parties “are here, they’re present, but they’re not the drivers,” Bieber said. “And so that indicates that there’s a much broader social basis for [the protests] than for previous protests—it really seems to capture a much wider sense of frustration of the citizens with their government.”

The protests also come—perhaps not entirely coincidentally—as tensions flare again in Kosovo. Kosovo, an autonomous province that unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 but is not recognized as its own state by the Serbian government, has long been a source of conflict within the region.

The day before the rainy Belgrade demonstration in May, protests and violent clashes broke out after Kosovo’s government in Pristina installed ethnic Albanian mayors in four predominantly Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo. The mayors had been chosen in local elections in April that were boycotted by ethnic Serbs and had a turnout rate of just 3.5 percent. In the days that followed, the clashes between Serb protesters and NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping mission left dozens of KFOR soldiers and more than 50 protesters injured, prompting the alliance to send additional troops to the region. Vucic, in response, put the Serbian Armed Forces on high alert.

For Vucic, the tensions in Kosovo serve multiple purposes: They fit neatly into his nationalist rhetoric, and they allow him to play the statesman on the European and international levels. What’s more, they have served as a way of diverting attention and momentum from the anti-government protests. Vucic “has been using the Kosovo issue as a perfect way to distract from domestic challenges right now,” Bieber said. “It just remains one of the rabbits he can pull out of a hat when it’s useful for him.”

Thus far, the events in Kosovo don’t seem to have detracted from the momentum of the protests: The most recent Serbia against violence gathering, on the sunny first Saturday of June to mark one month since the first shooting, was the biggest one yet. But with summer approaching and school holidays starting this week, it’s an open question whether the protests will be able to sustain the momentum they’ve built. 

Even if they do continue, experts say Vucic’s support is too entrenched for the protests to translate into short-term political change. Vucic has stepped down as head of his party, the Serbian Progressive Party, but this move was largely expected before the protests; early elections now loom on the horizon, but a real movement to challenge the increasingly authoritarian leader remains difficult.

“There’s still a long way to go to any kind of unified opposition or political path for the opposition,” Tomanic told FP. “The elections here are neither free nor fair, and to change things, it will take more than street protests.”

[frankhightower]

Weaponized Incompetence

You've no doubt heard of Robert The Otter. Since launching in 2017, his little comics taking a serious look at modern life have been reshared on just about every form of social media. On November 11, I found he had a twitter account. And he had just posted a new comic on Weaponized Incompetence. I usually have a lot of thoughts when I read his comics, most of which I just have to keep to myself because the resharer wouldn't get it, but here I was, a direct channel to the author, and there were no replies yet. I wrote out my thoughts... and ended up creating my most popular comment ever in 11 years on twitter. I knew I couldn't just leave it at that, so I decided to turn my thoughts into a Robert-the-Otter-style comic. The hard thing was coming up with these random characters. Most of my characters don't have a "real life" analogue (and vice-versa) so I had to come up with them on the fly. I made the first one a bird because I wanted to show a character that was definitely not related to me, but was still definitely "my size". I looked at my 'sona refs, and while I had a design for "teenage me", I didn't have anything for "child me". A design for "mom" was also surprisingly difficult, since she had to be distinct from Jane and Susan. I decided third on the defensive cat, again to show "as different from the bird as possible". I made my boss an otter because I thought the bodyshape fit my boss more (she's a plump yet agile woman who is likeable enough but tends to confound her responsibilities with her assistants). And I made the dishwashing couple raccoons hoping to make the viewer do a double take: raccoons like to wash everything and this one doesn't?!

Posted using PostyBirb

[gnbrkrs]

After looking at the lore, I think a lot of my feelings towards it can be summed up as either "it should have been in the actual game because it adds a lot of necessary context" and "it should have been more elaborated on". I don't think the favourable light is as much of a problem due to, as you mentioned, it tracking with his previous characterization. However, a lot of the added lore provides the context that was missing in the actual game that otherwise would have actually made the story more rounded if it was included. I really wish Gaius's entry (as well as the game itself) wrote more about certain things, such as the mention that the revival of the Weapon project was what spiraled his disillusionment in his homeland. We barely go into his feelings on it both in the game and here, we know that he regrets his past actions and the consequences they brought, but that's it. And while he is not the type to spill his soul onto any random person, I feel like this is where they either should have found some circumstances to pressure him into speaking or gave him an inner voice bubble like they gave to Gaia, because hearing his account would have helped one understand his train of thought better.

After reading the entries on the Weapons, however, I can only half-agree with the statements on him (at least as far as lorebook content goes, the way he is in game is still pretty cartoonish). I think that Valens could have been a way better character if they didn't focus as much on his cruelty (which provided no new facts or knowledge at all) and instead focused more on his motives and abilities based on the bits presented here, which is why I cannot completely agree with the "he is only there to make Gaius look better" sentiment. The weapon entries describe him as someone who managed to come up with a replacement for the Heart of Sabik and hoped to gain favor by succeeding where his predecessor failed (which also tracks with one thing Yoshi-P said about Werlyt being a story of what happens when someone cuts off the head, leaving a power vacuum). This shows his more cunning side and that for all of his cruelty, he was far from incompetent. But what we are shown in the game is more the former than the latter, causing him to fall flat as an antagonist. And considering that the majority of the Empire are (or at least were before they got nuked) pureblood supremacists, I don't feel like his views come as that much of a surprise, only the extreme to which he takes them. Which is also another reason why I feel that they should have focused more on other sides of him instead of just trying to make him scary and unhinged.

Valens being shown as cunning and quickly gaining favor with the other Empire leadership would have also made him a nice contrast to Gaius, as this would have meant he was walking the same road while also being worse, and would have added more context to him asking Gaius whether he thinks he is better at the end. Which also would have been a way to sow some doubt in Gaius, potentially also fleshing out his relationship with Allie, the one person he managed to save. One person commented on Twitter that they suspect some of the stuff that made it to Werlyt was cut from the MSQ (which would kind of make sense, given that they originally planned an Ilsabard expansion before a final one), which, along with the information put out makes me suspect that this particular arc was originally supposed to be a lot longer than it ended up being. We see from the EE3 entries that there is potential for a good story, the seeds are there, but a lot of them just never surface in the actual game because so much context is missing. Makes me wonder what they originally had in plan for Gaius...

Werlyt in Lorebook 3

So Werlyt gets a page expanding on its location and history a bit, to be expected as the new Encyclopaedia Eorzea 3 goes over both Shadowbringers and Endwalker content. What they do with its history as an Imperial province again paints Gaius in a better light...in ways we already knew were IC for him as established in earlier content, while also being straight up out of Machiavelli's The Prince in a way that makes complete sense for the Empire when dealing with conquered provinces, and how we've even heard before how some of them are ruled very much like native Garlean regions.

See, one of the oldest tricks in the literal book is you conquer a province, and especially if it proves unruly, you give it a nasty governor. Use them to root out the rebellious factions, while also tearing apart the old systems, stripping resources, crushing the populace, etc. THEN you send in a Reasonable Guy to take over who ousts the bad vicious leader, restores order, treats the people well, and so on. Now that new governor--and by extension his emperor for sending him--looks better in the eyes of the people, a problematic political/military rival has been killed/broken politically, the unruly elements have already been culled, and the people are just grateful for a reprieve from their misery. More acquiescent and "this isn't so bad after all."

Another famous literary example (and with a new movie a few months out) is Dune; once Harkonnen takes back Arrakis, he sends one nephew, Raban, who is literally nicknamed "the Beast", to be a horrible bully of a governor. His job is to root out the remaining loyal Atreides and quash the local Fremen. Then once Raban's atrocities were at their peak, Harkonnen meant to send in his heir, Feyd-Ruatha, to be the golden prince who would get rid of the problematic Raban (lethally if needed) and be accepted by the people as a decent leader. Of course, Dune's story rolls out differently, but the play is the same.

The Garlean Empire did the exact same thing in Werlyt.

For 30 years the subjugated nation was oppressed and stripped of resources. When the Empire's attention moved toward Othard and the military presence thinned enough a rebellion rose up, it was still crushed, but not before the previous viceroy was killed in the revolt.

Then Gaius van Baelsar came in and restored order. We already knew Gaius had a habit of appointing the right people for the job, regardless of race and social standing; he continued that in Werlyt, and was otherwise a good governor, working to ensure the populace was cared for, administered properly, even improved education and literacy rates. So after a few decades of crushing abuse...now Werlyt had a "reasonable governor" who treated them like people and took care of them, if still under the auspices of the Empire. They made it look like a better deal, and the previous guy was a mistake that shouldn't have happened.

This also tracks with pre-Praetorium Gaius as the "true believer" of Garlemald's Imperial mission of taming the "savage" lands and ushering them into the "civilized" ways of the Empire and adding those peoples' knowledges, cultures, skills, and might to the Empire to make everyone better. That "unity" aspect he and other leaders like Quintus van Cinna spouted while missing the hypocrisy. Gaius was a good governor because he thought that was the entire point--and then also led to his opposition of the Meteor Project. He never wanted to wipe Eorzea out, he wanted to bring it under Imperial control and govern it as he had Werlyt.

So for twenty years, Gaius was the reasonable governor getting good grades in cultivating Werlyt as a respectable and flourishing province of the Empire. Then he was sent to Ala Mhigo to conquer that, and through it the rest of Eorzea.

...And then Valens van Varro took over Werlyt and pretty much overnight undid everything reasonable a decent governor would do because of his jealousy over Gaius and his own ambitions for power, especially after the civil wars left the Imperial throne vacant. Also cuz again, they have to spend this branch of story making Gaius look better by making Valens cartoonishly bad at everything. Rather than trusting what they already wrote about a complicated man who truly believed in his mission until forced to see how he had been a pawn sowing misery his whole life. But they've tended to rewrite Gaius and his on screen characterization a lot as it is, and with Garlemald not getting an expansion of its own (they had considered it but ultimately worked its fall into ShB and EW), it feels like they hammer this point in Werlyt to speed run what was supposed to be an actual rehabilitation arc for the character.

And then it once again frames the quintent as rebellious heroes who thwarted Valens plans to use them and the Weapons project for his own ends and sure we'll let that go cuz the folks in Werlyt need something. They do have a named leader (Talbot Hunte) and a government set up and none of it really mentions Gaius, though we know they put him in charge of their military. Cuz yeah, he was one of their conquerers--but they also know that they can work with him and that he knows how to run an army effectively.

Also all the quintet are literally named "aan Baelsar" in their entries, though the main thing I noticed there was that Milisandia did in fact dye her hair red to account for the discrepancy in her child appearances in the various flashbacks. Apparently it was cuz she noticed Alfonse seemed very fond of one of their caretakers at the orphanage, and so Milisandia changed her hair to be the same color to try and get his attention, quietly pining for him for years but never letting him know about her not-quite-sisterly affections.

[luninosity]

Okay, so, some Falcon and the Winter Soldier thoughts (will have some spoilers) for episodes two and three. General non-spoilery comment first: I feel like these were both *okay* episodes - neither as good as the first, but I didn’t dislike them, either. I’m still really curious to see how we’re going to wrap this all up in three more episodes; it doesn’t feel like we’re halfway done yet!

Okay, more spoiler-y notes below the Read More, not in any real order, just as I think and type. I’ll probably forget some things, but for now, here’re some thoughts...

--I like ep 3 slightly more than ep 2, mostly because of Zemo!

--I actually really love Zemo here (I liked him in Civil War, too): complex, sardonic, enjoying poking at people, a villain we do feel sympathy for even as he’s still sharp enough to remind us that he is a villain. Daniel Bruhl has always done a fantastic job flipping between calculated cruelty, wry humor - the whole “I am a Baron” moment was great - and pain that for him is still raw, about the loss of his family. (Some things’re awfully cliche - look, the supervillain’s playing chess and reading Machiavelli in his cell? really? - but, y’know...sure. Why not. We expect some cliches in the superhero genre, and this is an inoffensive one.)

--also Zemo dancing. That’s it. That’s everything.

--moving on from that: I’m also really liking how they’re writing John Walker. He does have charm, and there’s a certain amount of sympathy - especially as we see him worrying about filling the Captain America shoes, in ep 2 - but we’re also getting this really subtle sense of wrongness about him. He’s clearly vindictive and angry when things (and people) don’t act according to his mental script for them, and he’s willing to use his name and power to do things like get Bucky released...which in context and given our sympathies for Bucky is a good thing, but...it’s also an indicator of his willingness to do what he wants, because he can. (To be fair, Steve Rogers also often did that! - but Steve earned our trust, both in narrative and character. From his first introduction to WWII leadership experience to all the Avengers stuff, Steve consistently acts to protect people, and he’ll also listen if someone else has a good idea or if someone needs to talk, like with Wanda.) So I’m really liking this slow-fuse character development.

--mixed feelings about Sharon. I love that the show’s acknowledging how much she sacrificed for our main heroes, with no reward. On the other hand, she also clearly knew the consequences that could happen; she said as much at the time. The level of bitterness seems like a lot. But I’m also interested in everything we still don’t know about her - if she’s not the Power Broker herself, she’s obviously Up To Something. So that should be fun.

--hey, look at that X-Men location, with Majipoor! Also a nod to Wolverine’s favorite bar there, I think?

--I love heist and disguise plots!

--I also really like Bucky’s having to revert to the Winter Soldier - Sebastian Stan does it so brilliantly, with so many layers of emotion: not wanting to, loathing it, recognizing the necessity, shutting off all emotion and just coldly doing it, hurting but covering it up...just fantastic, and you know I love some hurt/comfort, and this seems like such a great set-up for emotional hurt

--but! this also seems like...a weird plot hole, kind of? Bucky’s pretty famous at this point, right? I imagine the criminal underworld knows he’s been pardoned and deprogrammed, right? or do they assume Zemo, with his knowledge of Hydra, still has some special control over him?

--along the same “this seems like someone didn’t think this through” path, Sam, you’re a professional, turn off your phone on a mission. Oh my god. Face-palmingly stupid - and I think somewhat lazy writing, as the writers plainly needed a giveaway, and went for the first idea they had. Even if it made a main character look incompetent.

--the Flag Smashers and Karli are...fine. They feel very Generic Marvel Villain - not the big space alien type, but the other type, the “I have a personal loss and motivating pain so I’m a little sympathetic but also Clearly Evil, watch me kill civilians so the audience won’t ever find me TOO sympathetic” type. Meh. Fine. Zemo’s more interesting, but...fine.

--Anthony Mackie is such a fantastic actor - every bit of his reaction to the Isaiah Bradley reveal is so good. The anger, pain, frustration, ferocity...heartbreaking. Actually that whole scene is so good - his emotions at discovering this secret history are palpable, and it’s so painful, because we also understand why Bucky would keep the secret - as someone who knows about pain and trauma and being experimented on, and knowing Isaiah wants to be left alone - we feel really deeply for both characters here, and it’s great.

--I actually liked the abrupt swing from the Isaiah Bradley encounter to the casual everyday racism of the cops on the street - is it subtle, no. But it’s not meant to be: it’s meant to be standing up and shouting about how not that much has really changed, and about how pervasive racism is. I know some reviews were all, “this was just too much!” or “too forced!” but...look, it needs to be shouted sometimes for people to hear.

--Bucky’s notebook being Steve’s, oh, ouch, my feelings. If I had the time and energy to write fic...

--(also, if I had the time and energy to write dark!fic: where’re my fics in which Zemo’s implication about the Winter Soldier “doing anything you want” gets played with? what or who does Bucky have to do to keep the undercover charade going? so many Bad Wrong Kinky power dynamics and explorations of consent and what this would do to Bucky’s head, here, and honestly I’d totally read them all, just saying.)

--Sam and Bucky together...I don’t know. This is one of the elements that I’m not actually a huge fan of, but I think it’s partly a personal genre / sense of humor thing that’s not clicking for me, personally, again. Like...

--I don’t find people shouting aggrievedly at each other to be funny? I’m not sure why it is.

--I mean, I get that they’re doing, like, eighties buddy cop movies, but...it got old really fast then, and it’s not something we needed to bring back. It’s not clever, and it’s...well, shouty and annoying.

--(I say this as someone who genuinely likes the first two Lethal Weapon movies...but the significant difference is, I think, we’re also shown in both those movies that Riggs and Murtaugh care about each other. They don’t want to be partners initially, and they don’t get along initially, and they do argue over tactics**...but they immediately feel responsible for each other and act to protect each other even as they argue, because it’s the right thing to do and we’re shown moments of them awkwardly trying to connect, because they both have that deep sense of...protectiveness...that makes them Good People - like, if they learn something that the other person needs to know, they tell each other. They protect each other’s families / love interests. So by the end of the second movie, with that fabulous character death fake-out, Murtaugh’s initial shock and grief is real and powerful and painful, and so is his genuine relief when the worst isn’t true - and it’s all earned.) (**however, they tend to argue tactics *before* jumping in - “is it 1, 2, 3, go on 3? or 3, then go?” And then once that’s established, they go ahead. That makes a difference as far as...well...competence and teamwork!)

--(Sam and Bucky, as far as I can tell, don’t do the above, and just...maybe shouldn’t be working together?)

--I also don’t find grown men acting like my youngest nephew, when he’s having a temper tantrum, to be funny. Staring contests? Random insults? Sulking in silence? Oh, grow up.

--(Also, yes, writers, we see you with the “couples therapy” and “get closer and make your legs touch” and “landing on top of each other as they hit the ground” moments. I, at least, personally, am very tired of...I don’t know that I’d call it queerbaiting exactly, but this idea that we’re supposed to find these moments funny...because why? Because, ooh, they’re two men getting close to each other, physically or emotionally? Why is this a thing we need to draw attention to? Do you think you’re doing some sort of fan service? Please either make Sam/Bucky happen or stop doing this.)

--both Sam and Bucky are highly competent and professional agents, or they should be. They should know how to work in the field - even with people they may not like - and adapt to shifting strategy, make best use of available assets, include people in the plan, etc. I can’t help but compare this to something like, say, Leverage, which also has a team who mocks each other and makes jokes but clearly absolutely respects each other’s capabilities, has a plan going in and tells everyone what the plan is, and adapts (and trusts each other to adapt) on the fly as necessary, and does it all without random insults about someone’s (PTSD-related) staring and “robot brain”.

--one of the very specific moments that bothers me a lot is the ending of the therapy scene (yay for showing heroes in therapy! but also I’m pretty sure she’s...not a great therapist?). Bucky finally opens up and says something real, about his own self-doubt and wondering whether Steve was wrong about him....and Sam just...brushes it off and goes, “we’re done here,” basically. Not only does that feel wildly out of character for former counselor Sam, it feels cruel. I really deeply dislike that moment the more I think about it. Makes me want to scream.

--Sam insults Bucky way more than the other way around. It’s starting to feel very one-sided (it’d be better if more clearly reciprocal, though it’s still not a dynamic that’s my favorite), and again, feels out of character - maybe this is Anthony Mackie’s sense of humor, but Sam isn’t Mackie, and Bucky isn’t Seb, and it reads as...a weird unbalanced power-trip thing to me. And also out of character for Sam, who can be sarcastic (”If you guys eat that sort of thing,” about breakfast, when Steve and Nat have randomly shown up at his door) but that’s not the same as just throwing unprovoked insults at a person who’s trying to recover from trauma, and a lot of those insults seem to center on things that were done to Bucky, that he had no choice in (the staring, the arm, etc), and that feels....it just feels mean, to me. Make fun of things he’s had a choice in / can do something about, if you have to - hair, clothes, liking ��old people’s games” like gin rummy or pinochle, not knowing who Beyonce is, I don’t know, there are so many options that aren’t cruel! Do that instead. Let Bucky have a good comeback for once, too!

--the action scenes are action scenes. Also fine.

--Sam might be right about destroying the shield, and the show may even be (unintentionally?) setting that up as the best outcome, but that’s a problem for the future, Sam; get it back first. Also it’s a problem you caused by giving the shield up - did you really trust the government to leave it unused in a museum? You’re not that naive.

--overall, it’s...a perfectly fine show, so far, I think? Solid, and interesting, but not great. I think some of what doesn’t work for me is because it doesn’t work for me personally, as far as the shouty insult-heavy action “comedy” bits that I’m not enjoying, but I think they’re doing what they aimed for with it, so in that sense, I guess it’s working? There’s a lot of really cool stuff around the edges - John Walker, Isaiah Bradley, that Dora Milaje stinger, the bigger world of a history interwoven with racism and superpowers, the chillingly effective use of Bucky’s past - but I wish I liked the central Sam-Bucky relationship more. Individually they’re wonderful - they’ve both had such powerful scenes dealing with family, trauma, and consequences - but I feel like, in the effort to do the buddy comedy dynamic, the writing has just made me really sure that they actually genuinely don’t like each other? To such an extent that if they show any affection / caring / interest in each other in the last three episodes, it won’t be believable. (I mean Sam and Bucky, not Mackie and Seb. Mackie and Seb’re adorable.)

--I just want to think about Zemo dancing some more.

[akimmito]

They thought they won #1

 "Ok. So, this is a fanfic that follows the directions posted by @chocolate1721​. I liked it and wanted to write it, so here it is.

I divided it into two parts because it had 7546 words and I had only written about Gotham, I was still missing Paris. So, to allow a more pleasant reading I separated it.

This is a Timinette fanfic because I think there are very few of them and I want more content from these two.

So, let's get started.

--------------------------

Taggued: @elmokingkong​

-------------------------

A trip to Gotham did not go as badly as Marinette thought it would. And they were talking about Gotham, a city so dangerous that you cannot set foot on the streets without suffering an attempted assault. She can only think that Ladybug's luck allowed them to pass the two weeks of the trip without any incident that attempted against the life of any of their companions (although the class screamed to be attacked with Lila spreading scandalous lies). So everything was fine ... Until his last night in the city.

A quiet night, if they could ignore the screams that were occasionally heard (Damn it, Bustier, why so close to the Crime Alley?). The class dined as if there was not a three-front war brewing between the students, it was a time when Lila's lies were hardly heard. It was a great night for Marinette... but then again, why so close to the Crime Alley?

As soon as they left the small restaurant they met two well-known Gotham villains, causing panic in almost all the members of the French class. Only two girls saw that there really is no danger, too many injuries to pose a threat. Harley and Ivy barely  can see the students, they can't even stop.

Marinette, sweet Marinette, approaches them to see their wounds. She's not going to let someone bleed to death in front of her, not if she can help it.

Chloe follows her closely; each taking one of the women to identify the wounds and see how to get them to the hospital. However, Marinette believes that if she lets them bleed freely it won't do to take them anywhere; She began tearing her clothes to make makeshift bandages with the pieces for the most bleeding wounds ... That was until the class stopped being a bunch of screaming and inconsistency.

"Oh, I didn't want to believe it, but you're working with villains!" Lila's comment sparked the class hostility, Chloe just huffs mockingly.

"Damn it, Marinette. Don't you get tired of being such a bitch? "

"Joining Chloe, what did they expect? If they both work for Hawkmoth, obviously they would for the villains here." Someone, Marinette doesn't want to identify the voice, accuses them (again) of working with the Parisian villain, when clearly the man has put a target on her back to corrupt her and turn her into an Akuma. Anyway, idiots.

"You suck, Marinette!"

"What a disappointment, Marinette, you would know better that you must be a good example for class."

"Fools. " Chloe curses under her breath at her teacher's comment.

"I'm. No matter who the person is, I'm not going to see them die if I can help avoid it. ”Marinette frowns at the teacher. There was a time when she thought it was amazing, but those were childish thoughts of a thirteen year old girl who thought the world was divide in black and white. The world is more than that.

Everyone is so engrossed in the uproar that they are not alert enough, Marinette gets mad at herself for not being more careful. The Joker, FUCKING JOKER, is in front of them with a stuffed animal? Marinette isn't going to question it, as far as she knows, it could be a bomb. Even so…

The class doesn't wait a second when they run away, Joker just laughs at the reaction. Chloe stands in front of the two wounded women, waiting for any sign of her best friend, whether to flee or fight.

Marinette scans her surroundings without taking her attention from the madman in front of her. Her first option would be to run, but she's not going to leave Harley and Ivy helpless in the face of the brutal clown-themed killer (all fully justified childhood fears). A moment of silence when the class screams are lost in the streets, it almost seems like a dramatic moment from an action movie.

Joker is excited. The two girls stayed behind to protect their toy and the redhead. He might be impressed; not just anyone would stay to face it. No one is so crazy. His gaze falls on the dark-haired girl, she looks too calm and in ambient. He smiles when he sees her walking to face him and bends down to grab a lever too convenient in the middle of the sidewalk. She's a fun girl! Before she does, he lunges for her. It will be a fun game between the two.

Chloe watches Marinette fight the Joker with a crowbar, take and hit. She can tell he wants to knock him out, but, well, he's not doing it. Brutal would be a good word to describe the little Parisian drawing blood from the man as he laughs as if he had been given the top prize in the lottery (Chloe firmly believes he really feels that way). And it seems he really likes Marinette, a shiver running down her spine at the thought. Chloe bends quickly towards the two women trying  to get up, the more time passes the more possibilities there are for that crazy man to become obsessed with her friend and she will not allow it (Kagami will dismember her with her katana if she allows it).

Harley and Ivy barely manage to stand up, but lean heavily on Chloe. It does not bother her, her training has allowed her to support a little extra weight and as long as she does not have to carry them, there's no problem.

"If you don't hit harder, you won't win," Joker laughs with each comment, wanting to force the girl to be more brutal, even though she is too calm and his comments don't seem to reach her.

"Who said something about winning?" It's the first time she've answered him, he smiles. Marinette bites her tongue to containing any other comment, if she opens her mouth she will get the maniac to follow her to Paris and a madman behind her is enough.

Somehow, while fighting, he has cornered the group in a corner. Marinette berates herself for worrying too much about useless things and now she must win, but give him that satisfaction. Her hair stands on end, a bad blow and her weapon goes in the opposite direction and away from her. Now she only has a clean fist. She can work with it, even though her brain screams at her to run. She swallows thick when he lunges at her again. His mind is a constant alarm of: there's no cure, there's no cure, there's no cure.

But at that moment dark figures leap from the surrounding buildings and confront him, Marinette backs down without letting her guard down until her mind focuses enough to recognize them. The city vigilants.

From there everything is a whirlwind of thoughts and Marinette does not realize when the Joker has been placated and has them close, to the surprise them, she launches herself towards one totally random and remains in the arms of Nightwing who only smiles kindly at the agitated girl about to cry with relief.

"I, help ... them, yes ... wounds, that." Marinette can't hold a coherent sentence toward Nightwing.

"What he meant is that they are injured and need immediate medical attention." Chloe stands firm and will never admit that her legs are shaking, or that being held by Red Hood was welcome help. First dead than looking vulnerable.

Marinette lets herself slip into Nightwing's arms as all the adrenaline leaves her. It's been a long time since she felt this way helpless towards some danger, but she was just Marinette and there was no chance of Ladybug showing up. Thank heaven for the arrival of the vigilants.

"Robin has already alerted the police, he should be here soon." Batman looks at both girls for a moment, but turns to watch the unconscious Joker.

"Everything is fine. " Nightwing whispers to the little girl in his arms, he feels her tremble against him and he is no longer sure if it is the fear  or has another origin.

In a short time the police are there and the two Parisian girls have to give a statement (unfortunately the loss of blood left the two women out of action).

"How it happend?" Chloe takes the initiative, Marinette doesn't seem to be ready to leave Nightwing or say something more coherent than a barely audible babble, clearly struggling to stay together between anxiety and guilt, because yes, Marinette Dupain-Cheng can't help blame herself. Sometimes, Chloe thinks,  want to shake her until she regains her senses (but that doesn't work, Luka's melodies, on the contrary. Oh, they're magical).

"To begin with, this is the fault of our teacher's incompetence to choose a restaurant so close to the Crime Alley. Second, I am very surprised that it did not happen before because our companions were struggling to get the attention of a madman. They said so many stupid things." The vigilants raise an eyebrow at the girl's words, if they didn't know better they could believe that the girls didn't  suffer a close encounter with the Joker. "And third, Dupain-Cheng is too good to let someone bleed to death in front of her and I too good a friend to see her jump into danger alone. This leaves me with the experience of never going on a trip with that band of incompetents. "

"Can you relate the incident?" Commissioner Gordon is tired, with each passing day new characters appear in the city and he is never ready. The girl hiding in Nightwing's arms and her friend who seems ready to declare war to anyone.

"They appeared bleeding, our companions being stupid, the madman appears and they all flee leaving us behind. Ha, surely they would have thrown us towards him if they had not been so afraid" Chloe doesn't miss the opportunity to make a dismissive comment to her class, Marinette is out of combat to reprimand her for being too cruel with her sincerity. "Dupain-Cheng being so sweet as an acid candy defends us, is done with a lever and gets into a fight with the madman. Somehow we ended up in this horrible place and well, they came along and Dupain-Cheng falls apart in her standard nervous form. It will be fine, it just tends to over-think. The only thing recorded is the split lip, the rest is her realizing a thousand possible scenarios where everything went wrong. "

That said, the four women are rushed to the hospital (Nightwing accompanies them because the young woman in his arms refused to release him and also didn't have the heart to leave her alone when it was obvious that she needed comfort). As soon as they arrive they are checked and Nightwing leaves, giving the girls a brief look before leaving.

"We will stay here, we want to make sure they are okay." Chloe takes control of the situation, refusing to abandon the women. Anyway, after the act on the street, he doubts that they will be well received by the class. She is sure they are not worried and can almost hear their irritating voices speaking nonsense about it.

The doctors allow it stay there with the endorsement of the police, they fall asleep on a sofa in the room where Harley and Ivy are locate. Marinette calmed down throughout the trip to the hospital, muttering apologies to the caretaker who accompanied her for sticking like a koala to his person. And her rest is very calm, without nightmares or anything; Maybe it's the emotional exhaustion of the experience, but there are no dreams riddled with deaths or with the Joker, there is only a deep black who embraces her like a good friend.

The next morning they are awakened by the voices of Harley and Ivy talking to the doctor, Chloe also recognizes the voice of the officer who took the statement yesterday.

"They were very daring and their classmates abandoned them, even the adult with them. "

"You should do something, Jimmy!"

Gordon notices the looks of the two girls and approaches to talk to them, being much more rested can better appreciate the mettle of the two young girls. Especially the dark-haired one, last night was a bunch of inconsistencies and today she looks completely calm, looking towards Harley and Ivy looking for confirmation of their health.

"Good morning, ladies. "

"Good morning, Officer. " Marinette greets with a friendly smile, focusing her attention on the officer. She knows that they must return to their class and return to Paris.

"No one reported two girls missing, but you mentioned they are on a class trip. Can I know the name of the person in charge to call them?"

"Claine Bustier from Paris, France. College Françoise Dupont, we stayed at the Gotham Royal Hotel. Our room is the 155. "Marinette enters all her data, but she also decides that it is better that she has absolutely all of them. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, 17 years old. My parents are Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain, they have a bakery. Tom & Sabine Boulangerie."

"Chloe Burgeois, I reside at the Hotel Le Grand Paris. My father is the mayor, André Burgeois, and my mother is Audrey Burgeois, the Queen of Style. "

Gordon takes note of all the information they have given him, if he cannot contact her teacher he has two pairs of parents to call for their daughters. And for them to be giving that contingency, he can intuit that they know that perhaps they imagine that it will be the case.

He immediately retires and leaves them alone with the two women. He has a job to do.

Gordon spent the whole morning trying to locate the teacher, according to the hotel they left him early in the morning and they have no idea about anything. He doesn't want to alarm the girls' parents yet, so he will first talk to them to find out if they know where they could be, he sends them to bring to the police station to facilitate the whole process, and he also asks for food for the girls. It's almost lunch time.

"Welcome, sit down." The two girls obey with slightly worried expressions, they seem to be fearing the worst. "I have been unable to locate their teacher or class, according to the hotel, they left early in the morning. "

Marinette holds her breath, reality hit her in the face. Chloe's not much better. It was their last night in Gotham, today they had to take a flight to Paris... they didn't it because they are sure that they abandoned them. They start muttering in French at Gordon's confusion, they look alarmed.

"Sir, we are supposed to go back to Paris today. And... well, lately our teacher hasn't been taking roll. Also, she take what our comrades say as fact." Marinette panics again, but this time there are no saviors and they are trapped in another country. "I just hope they didn't go to Paris without us..."

"Don't be innocent, Maribug." Chloe addresses her with her friend's loving nickname, sees her on the verge of panic and hopes to remind her that they are in this together. "Of course they left without us, she didn't count for a visit to the museum. What will be different today? A word from Lie-la and everything goes under her will."

There was a small second of surprise that gave way to panic interspersed with fury in Gordon's features, he turns to pick up the phone and call the airport in a frenzy. He began to demand passengers on flights to Paris, but was repeatedly denied and his patience goes overboard.

"Ladies, would you mind waiting outside?" "Marinette and Chloe obey. They stay near the door because they don't know where to go and catch the officer's scream." THERE ARE TWO CHILDREN WHO COULD HAVE BEEN ABANDONED BY THEIR TEACHER IN THE CITY! NOW TELL ME IF CALINE BUSTIER BOEARDED THE FUNCKING PLANE WITH HER STUDENTS OR NOT! "

Boiling with anger and after a few more screams, Gordon has the information. But he's still so furious that he could commit murder on the spot. Worst of all, he also has video evidence of a student tearing up two airline tickets that, if you have to guess, are those of the girls they left behind. What do those people have in mind? He already feel the migraine coming.

He drops into his chair, counts to ten, and decides to call Bruce. Technically, being a Wayne Foundation sponsored trip, he's responsible for the two girls and with him in charge it will be easier to deal with the parents.

"Hey, Bruce. I have a situation, the Wayne Foundation sponsored a class trip for the Françoise Dupont School and the teacher in charge left two of his students abandoned in the country; I have video evidence of their negligence and I am sure that in every place they went to there is has least one camera that must have caught something. " He massages his forehead, it's not his jurisdiction, but when doing it in his territory he can form a case and send it to the Paris police for follow. "You should come and take care of them while we resolve to take them home, one of her classmates broke their tickets and I'm not even sure if their belongings are in good condition. "

"I understand, Jim. I'll take over, I'll be there soon. "

Gordon is relatively more relieved, but no less angry. He gets up to ask them to come back in and tell them what will happen, so they won't be surprised to see Bruce Wayne coming for them.

"Bruce will take care of you, make all the preparations for your return trip to Paris. And while you come, how normal is the situation with your teacher and your classmates?" He watches the silent interaction and the blonde is the one talking.

"We are the only two people in our class who do not believe Lie-la's lies. Maribug earned her hatred by trying to expose her stories for what they are: lies. And I, well, I was never going to let myself be bowed down by someone like her. "Marinette denies because of the choice of words.

"She considers us an obstacle in her reign. When she arrived, I never believed her because the stories were too unrealistic even for our  standards in the class, considering that we all know a fair amount of celebrities and we all form a very diverse group with a promising future, I mean we have Max, he create an AI capable of feeling emotions. So when I didn't believe her and tried to make my friends  see reason, she swore that she would take everything away from me ... And she did, it wouldn't have been so bad if it were just that, I realized who my true friends are and that I shouldn't trust anyone. The real problem is the way in which he influenced them all, I cann't longer recognize Alya, she is even worse than Chloe years ago. "Marinette sighs, remembering the last years is exhausting in many ways. "So they have marginalized us, they attack us only because Lila says that we did something to her even when we were not there and we have witnesses who can confirm our stories..."

"Seeing them is like seeing a surreal work with abstract tendencies, impossible to believe what you are seeing. The worst is Bustier, she's a facilitator. I hadn't seen the problem before, but now that I'm in Maribug's place too, well, we were clearly wrong about what kind of teacher she was. She believes all her lies and even congratulates her on them! She let use everyone to her holy whim and antagonize those who don't. ”Chloe gets up indignant and ready to continue ranting, not many adults stop to listen to them. "I'm tired of hearing the same speech from her must be the best person, Marinette. Be a good example! Someone should teach him didactics, she obviously doesn't know what she's doing. And now she leaves us in another country! Negligent, stupid, facilitator ..."

"Chloe, stop it. He understood your point. "Marinette is the voice of reason and tries to appease her friend's overflowing anger. It's true that having someone willing to listen is cathartic, but they should not take so many liberties.

"It's not fair, Maribug, not with you. Always ready to help others and they simply attack you when you decide to think about yourself and your future. They think you owe them something and it's totally the other way around because without you, that class wouldn't be half as good as it's ... because when you took the class presidency they all  grew in their areas..."Chloe sits down again, her brow furrowed and still very angry. "They don't deserve you. "

"Miss Bustier often asks me to help her with different tasks, before it meant an additional workload… I became her disappointment when I told her that I would not do more work outside of my duties as class president, it dictated by the rules of the institution. She lectured me that I should not be selfish, that it's for the benefit of the class ... and well, I told him that if she gave me half her salary I would gladly continue doing her job. She punished me, but it was the truth. "Marinette looks at her hands, that conversation was before the trip to Gotham and her punishment would start as soon as they returned to Paris, a pity that left her abandoned.

Surprised is a word that falls short, Gordon doesn't understand how an adult woman can be so irrational. What kind of alternate dimension does that class live in? A person with at least two functioning neurons would not be so ridiculous; At least, he thinks, perhaps the lies are well crafted as unrealistic as they may have seemed, correct?

"All this arose from the lies of that girl, how are those lies? "He feels like asking was a bad idea and the looks of the two girls are confirmation.

"She has tinnitus because she saved Jagged Stone's kitten from being run over by an airplane." Marinette replies completely blank.

"She knows half of Hollywood and recently said that she knows the whole Wayne family and that Damian Wayne has been her friend since she was five years old. "Marinette snorts not holding her stoic expression, they only said some lies, but it is that the others border on the delirium that they do not they want to end up in Arkham just for repeating it. That last one, of course, was very close. "I wish someone would warn her that the boy lived with his mother until he was ten years old. "

From there, Chloe gives more details and there is no longer Marinette who can stop her. By the time Bruce arrives with two of his boys, Gordon is on a call with the French police for a case to be brought to the French Board of Education about the school and its unethical methods of education, citing Marinette's unfair expulsion which looks  it's still on the school record.

Bruce looks at the two girls in Gordon's office, the blonde looks ready for war and the other girl is sitting quietly. Dick and Tim walk behind him; Richard couldn't resist seeing the girl who hung on him as a koala baby again and Tim is there for exactly the same as Bruce, taking charge because is also his responsibility.

"Good afternoon." Bruce greets, catching the attention of the two Parisian girls. They return the greeting and Gordon only makes a gesture of recognition, the police chief reviews the video he sent and the evidence he has of the case, he can hear him muttering indignantly and something about his daughter being part of all that circus.

"Hey!" Richard greets as well, being friendlier than his adoptive father. "I'm Richard, but you can call me Dick and this is Tim, my little brother. ”Tim gives him a contemplative look and just nods at them. His eyes fixed on everything but the two girls.

"I'm Marinette and she's Chloe, nice to meet you." Marinette smiles brightly. Dick can't believe he's the same girl of last night, but apparently she is.

Gordon ends the call at that time, the police said to initiate a police investigation and to involve the Board of Education.

"Well, ladies. When they get home they will ask for your formal statement and the presentation of the charges, although it seems that the prosecution will take care of that. ”He smiles at the girls, who agree with his words. Chloe celebrates, of course it will involve her father too. "Hi Bruce, thanks for coming."

"Of course. And since you mentioned the investigation, Tim collected all of the security camera files from the past two weeks. Every place they were in is in the file. " Tim hands the memory over to the commissioner, he still has a copy on the computer to review in detail himself.

"Thanks, I will review it and send the parts of interest to France."

After that, the five retreat to the Wayne Manor. The suitcases, or what is left of them, awaits they there. Any impression they might have on seeing the mansion falls short because of the disgust of seeing its things ruined.

"Well, Maribug, can I take this as evidence for my theory?" The hosts are still close enough to hear his words, even though they were about to leave them alone.

"Lila's being a meta or the Akuma's?" Marinette rummages in the secret compartments of her suitcase to make sure it was not raped, fortunately it's intact. It's safe to say that none of them thought that it would have a false base with a secret content, the place where the box of miracles rests. Ever since Hawkmoth decided to target her, she has been a little paranoid, or well, very paranoid. She has two secret compartments inside a secret compartment in her room, to store it, but being so far away she didn't feel calm and decided to carry it with her. Maybe it should include some riddle like firewall.

"Akuma, but Lie-la's also fits."

"I think it's the second one, only the class behaves this stupid so we can't blame Hawkmoth, half Paris continues to maintain it's logical reasoning. "Marinette shrugs and classifies the clothes that still serve and the clothes which inevitably must Discard.

Chloe just hums in agreement, it's a valid point. Long nights of conversation with Kagami and Luka (Marinette's small notes) to determine the motives of the class being so incoherent and violent without a truly logical reason led to those two theories.

"You have to call home, Chloe. You already heard Mr. Wayne. "

"Yeah yeah, I'm going to. At least I brought the least glamorous clothes for this trip. "

That's a ground call for Tim, who had overheard their conversation upon hearing something curious. He must prepare the trip to Paris with Wayne's private plane, Bruce wants to take charge of the situation and speak in person with the parents of both girls. Every hour he knows they won't be leaving until the next day, giving them time to spend time with their unexpected guests.

The call is quick and enough for Marinette to fear that her mother will become Akuma. A message from her father confirms that her fears were unfounded, that her mother's anger is cold and will not fall into Hawkmoth's hands.

When the two girls relax and take a breather, knowing that they will sleep in that mansion, they don't even have time to think twice when Jason drags them into a room full of weapons, Marinette can barely contain her surprise and Chloe glows with excitement.

"Ready to learn how to shoot a gun?" Chloe jumps with badly contained enthusiasm, Marinette is not so enthusiastic about it, but learning to remove a weapon considers that it is something useful for what she asks to start there. "Okay, pixie-pop, I'll teach you how to take apart and lock a weapon."

They spend an entire two hours immersed in the world of weapons, Chloe going through each type as Marinette confronts Jason to disarm him, showing off her quick learning, though not good enough to beat her temporary master.

When Marinette leaves, claiming she doesn't want to shoot, she bumps into Damian and asks him for directions to get out of there.

"Because I should?"

"If I get lost it will be your fault." He snorts, but accepts. He doesn't want a stranger sniffing around the mansion and sticking his nose where it shouldn't. They walk in silence when she notices he is carrying a sword. "Is it a katana?"

"What else would it be?"

"An umbrella." She laughs at the boy's annoyed expression when he turns to look at her as if he thinks she's crazy. "There is a design inspired by katanas, a friend decided it was a good idea to scare us with it..."

"Pff. And why did you believe it?"

"She really tried to cut off someone's hand one day, it was with a saber, but ... we really believed her capable of attacking someone with a katana" Damian only raises an eyebrow with a curiosity that he refuses to admit even to himself. "And she's deadly with a sword, we vowed never to face her again with real swords unless we somehow became Superman. "

"Can you fight with swords?" He was being tolerant by allowing her to speak at first, but the latter did catch his attention. It may not be a good one, but having someone who won't cut its finger on themselves in a workout can be helpful, and if he can get her better, a decent opponent to practice with.

"I avoided she cutting my arm with a katana, does that count?"

It changes course and they head to another room, similar to the weapons room, but this time it is full of swords and knives. She respects people's hobbies, she does, but the amount is over the top and she has a slight suspicion that there is more somewhere in the big mansion. Will there be a pump room? She wouldn't be surprised if one of the other two brothers suddenly came out claiming fanaticism about the explosives.

"I want to see how bad you are."

Ouch, Marinette thinks. She has been ruled out immediately, but will not decline now that she's surrounded by so many weapons. She does feel more excited about a sword than a gun, they can't blame her for preferring close combat.

"We will fight with katana, take whatever you want. They are all polished and sharp. ”She feels something dark when she mentions the sharp, as well as pride in the perfect maintenance of her weapons. She smiles confidently, the boy reminds her of Kagami (albeit much more somber and clearly hostile).

Having chosen, the two are placed in position. And he begins to criticize hard and coldly.

"Your posture is very loose, you will only get him to cut your throat with the first blow. Your friend is an idiot, she must has corrected you since he saw you. ”Mariette nods. "Imitate me. ”She obeys, reflecting her posture. "But be firmer, this is not a dance, it's a fight and if you don't stand up fine. Well, you will dead. "

After several minutes in the same position, they begin. A couple of movements and he correct her again.

"The movement must be strong and fluid, you will cause a fracture on your own if you allow the elbow to continue flexing like this. You must be precise in the movements, you cann't start to experiment if you don't have dominated the base. Again. "

With each criticism and correction the girl makes, she becomes more excited. Damian is relentless with his comments, openly insulting her for her mistakes, but gives the correct and fair corrections for the problem she presents.

"You are agile and flexible, use it to your advantage. Put aside unnecessary movements, sword fighting is offensive and deadly." Marinette notices that she is having fun, if the smile says anything (however mischievous it is when she mocks her mistakes). At least until he stumbles over his own feet and falls flat on his face in front of Damian. "You're an idiot?! You almost stabbed yourself, you can't fall like this! Get up and regain the dignity you have left. Again and don't fall or I’ll stab yourself. "

Marinette has a good time, she doesn't even notice the time she spends training with Damian. Alfred interrupts them by announcing that dinner has been served since fifteen minutes.

"Thanks Alfred." She smiles kindly.

Damian reluctantly guards the sword, his brothers always choose other weapons when training. It was satisfying to have someone willing to fight him in his area, especially for his quick learning, he only had to correct twice about posture and movement; he also noticed that she was imitating his movements to correct himself as they fought. Less useless than his brothers, he will give she that.

When they enter, everyone is eating or so it seems. Tim looks at his plate as if he is going to speak to him at any moment, Dick talks more than he eats (with Stephanie who came interested in the two girls who could be victims of Bruce's adoption), Jason has not even touched the plate and in change is arguing over the theory of how to disassemble a grenade launcher with Chloe. Bruce is the only one who eats in silence, at least until he sees his youngest son arrive with Marinette.

"Excuse me." Marinette sits in the empty seat next to Tim, who barely registers the movement. She worries a little, she seems to be in her bad weeks (say Hawkmoth and her Akuma at three in the morning).

Dinner passes unceremoniously, past Damian demanding they shut up, almost stabbing Marinette's hand with his fork. And contrary to what anyone might think, she just laughs, the whole situation seemed so refreshing, so many people at a table and the familiarity with which they were received. She feels comfortable, even with Damian's passive-aggressive attitude.

Somehow, an hour later, they are dragged back into another room. This time both Chloe and Marinette want to scream, and Mari feels she can be relieved because it didn't result in bombs or anything more dangerous than the other two. He gets them comfortable clothes so they can get on, knowing that they have been sweating and going in normal clothes.

Chloe does not hesitate to climb on the trapeze after warming up, but Marinette sits on the parallel bars, not that she is not willing to do the same as Chloe, but she flies often enough as Ladybug to look for something calmer, although she should take advantage and she would like to have a private gym like that, because there are also weights and a punching bag.

Dick is in cloud nine watching how the two girls look like fish in the water, he imagined that it would be so. Especially when she saw Marinette training with Damian and the movements she made, she is clearly a gymnast. And being there, well, that the two of them are so enthusiastic only makes it better. Unlike his brothers, he just wants them to have fun.

At some point in the time they take turns between the bars and the trapeze, Dick and Chloe end up competing. While Marinette is happy on the uneven bars until Damian re-monopolizes her and they move to the weapons room; leaving the other two doing jumps and twists in the air (Dick wins, of course).

Of course, Marinette enjoys the workout and is glad she didn't end up hurt in any way. It would be funny to explain to her parents that they ended up fighting with swords with a boy four years younger and that he did not have the mercy to avoid hurting her.

"Better than a few hours ago, you're not that horrible anymore. "

"Decent, right?"

"That is too favorable for you, you still trip over the air and almost take your eye out." Damian frowns in disappointment at the incompetence of maintaining a decent balance when he has both feet on the ground. When he saw her on the uneven bars, it was almost believed that the jumps that ended in disaster were fake, but no, she really stumbled into nothingness itself.

"Uh, sorry. I will do it better.

"You better, I won't admit any more stupid mistakes."

Damian would have preferred to go on patrol, but he won't complain about the training either. He had fun at the girl's expense and, above all, he knows that if he sees her again and she keeps practicing (he will make sure of that) he will be a better rival than today. She can even introduce that friend of her to measure levels, he's better of course but it never hurts to re-confirm.

At ten at night they go to bed, Alfred shows the room to the two girls and lets them settle down. Marinette can't sleep, after four hours of tossing and turning, she resigns herself and leaves, looking at Tikki on her pillow sleeping comfortably, she can't help envying her good rest. Pick up your phone and it's 2:15.

She curses her insomnia and wanders around the mansion, somehow miraculously ends up in the kitchen. It is a dim light that directs her there, since everything else is dark, she didn't even feel when went downstairs.

In the kitchen, Tim is leaning against the table with his computer on and a steaming coffee. Suddenly he gets up and turns to her with a surprised (and very confused) expression, but more surprised Marinette is when he does that.

"Oh Im sorry…"

"No, no ... Uh, can't you sleep?"

"Usually not. What are you doing?" Marinette knows that she is taking, perhaps, too much liberties when curious about what Tim is doing, but she is not sleepy and there is nothing else to do.

"Work, Wayne Industries is developing a new model of heavy machinery for moving cargo containers, much more resistant to be located on the coasts for the rainy seasons… I am reviewing all the designs, suggested materials and profitability of each project to present to the board in three weeks. There are seven different models, and none are tailored to it needs. " Tim shows the blueprint of the last model he has reviewed, flipped it over several times, and revised the materials, but they are not entirely satisfactory for what he is seeking to present.

"It looks complicated, how do you know if it adapts to it needs or not?" Marinette sits next to him, interested in the project. She know he is the CEO of  Wayne Enterprise and every division in the company, but seeing the work he does is something different. "If you have to go through those kinds of projects and take care of other tasks, i'm not surprised that you're so sleep deprived"

"Well, the demand is analyzed first." Open another file of the works of the sector where the new project is directed.  "Here, the work of the machinery must meet the standards in relation to the pace of work and the climate, considering that it wants to deliver a specific model for working on coasts. This is only to increase efficiency and allow a slightly longer time frame between maintenances. Metals corrode with greater speed and, sometimes, the weather is so bad that it avoids correct maintenance; storms in mid-spring flood the ports. fairly frequently and parts need to be replaced more frequently This new model should allow greater resistance to these conditions. "

"Interesting, and are you always watching projects?"

"Not all projects, Wayne Biotechnology projects do not review this way, it is not my area. It's usually the manager of the division who presents new projects to the board. However, I still have to review other aspects of all the divisions of the company and that includes them all…"

"It's still a lot of work, is it that heavy or do you overload yourself?" Marinette inquires with playful curiosity, Tim shifts nervously.

"A little of both?"

"Oh.So, you need a better coffee. ”She takes the liberty of trying the one she is drinking. "It's still very light. I will share with you my winning recipe, it has kept me up for an entire week with one hour of daily sleep. "

Marinette gets up and moves in the kitchen as if she were the owner of the place, looking for what she needs. Seeing the coffee, she is surprised.

"Black Insomnia?"

"I can only have one cup a week, Alfred thinks it's going to kill me if I drink it every day. I have made an agreement, he doesn't tell me anything about not sleeping and I comply with taking it once a week."

"It's totally valid. " Marinette laughs and puts the coffee back in its place. "Whiskey. It will come handy. "

"What?" Tim watches the girl open the bottle to smell her, it's one of the ones Alfred confiscated from Jason a week ago. "Why Whiskey?"

"Other flavor, vodka is better, but I can work with this. Do you have mint?"

Tim remains dubious as he watches her work with the most random ingredients he could think of for a coffee, also yogurt? He won't question it, but was France so strange?

A few minutes later Marinette hands him a cup.

"It has less caffeine than a regular cup, but the energy it provides is much greater. If you drink one cup per hour, with this you only need one to run at least four. It's magical, come on, don't see it like that. ”She pouts and he decides to take it.

"It is safe? I don't think Alfred is happy that you murder me with coffee."

"I think Damian would have a party."

"Oh, the demon's ally. Since I didn't see it coming, I gave you my trust and that's how you pay me. "

They both laugh, Tim finally trying the coffee. He will give she points for the taste, he don't even feel that it has alcohol and ultimately he feel more alive than a moment ago. He can continue working.

They both stay in the kitchen, Tim works until five in the morning. Marinette fell asleep at one point in that time and he settled her in such a way that when he falls asleep she is his pillow. The sad thing is that not even putting together the hours of sleep of both can they add up to three.

Alfred enters deciding to wake up the teenagers, the plane will leave in two hours and they must prepare. Tim looks for his cup of coffee and has finished it, he doesn't want to move.

"Now, Master Tim. Be a responsible boy and they'll go change. ”Marinette is barely aware of her surroundings as she is dragged into the rooms by Tim, but neither is he does.

Neither of them fully records what happens, except getting to a bed and going back to sleep. Totally out of combat. When they are close to leaving, Bruce doesn't even know what think on seeing the two young sleeping like corpses, dressed exactly the same as the day before.

"Chloe, help Marinette get ready. Dick, help Tim. We're leaving in ten minutes. ”The two mentioned only look at each other in panic before running to wake up the dead.

Marinette barely registers, feeling terribly drained now that all the effort from the day before is building up. He could sleep a thousand years if he were allowed to. They get ready in record time and move to the airport, for the only thing Marinette is aware of is to her luggage, being that she hugs it and when she asks, she murmurs: I love this suitcase, but don't tell my other suitcases, they get angry. No one says anything except for Jason's small laugh and a snort from a more sleepy than awake Tim who responds: who will tell them? No one knows them. Jason breaks down after that and laughs out loud.

Richard regrets not having recorded the most hilarious conversation he has ever witnessed, he has heard his little brother say inconsistent things in his sleep deprivation, but seeing an exchange is something very different. And it's so funy.

And they spend hours on the plane, Marinette basically asleep on Tim while he seems to melt in the seat. Richard took lots of photos every time they moved. By the time they get to Paris, they are both more awake.

Chloe smiles at her city, excited for what awaits all the bastards who left them behind. Maybe it is justice for everyone else, but for her it's revenge and she wants to see them suffer for hurting them both.

------------

Thanks for reading!

[hongism]

mists of celeste ➻ fifteen

➻ pairing: ot8 x fem!reader ➻ genre: space au, pirate au, space pirate!ateez, angst, eventual smut ➻ Word Count: 4.0k ➻ Rating: M ➻ Warnings: language, violence, guns and weaponry, blood, future warnings tba ➻ summary: Sneaking aboard the ship of a renowned space pirate may not have been the best idea, but you’ll have to make do with what fate has handed to you

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mists of celeste act two ➻ part five

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He stands in the middle of the street with two pistols out and at the ready, a body at his feet that must have fallen victim to the random gunshot that echoed through the streets. Hongjoong isn’t alone though; he’s surrounded by eight thugs who seem to have the same idea. All have their own weapons pointed at Hongjoong’s head.

Hongjoong’s whole body is rigid and straight. Both arms are extended at ninety-degree angles, and the captain is ready to fire at any second. The silence is palpable, you can taste the tension on the back of your tongue, and no one moves. You are still at a far enough distance to be out of sight and out of mind. It leaves an opportunity. San’s little dot is still moving on your wristband, and there is a narrow alleyway off to your left that could grant you a shortcut if you decided to take it. Slowly, your right hand creeps down to the holster where your pistol sits. You drag two fingers over the metal with a hesitant touch.

You shouldn’t even have to hesitate. It’s Kim Hongjoong – The Scourge of the Black Sea. He should be more than capable of handling himself and yet. And yet. Your feet refuse to move towards the alleyway. Leaving doesn’t sit right with you, especially after Seonghwa specifically asked you to make sure Hongjoong stays safe. You exhale a huff of air, nearly rolling your eyes at your internal debate, then tug the pistol out.

You slip into view, gun lining up with the head of one of the thugs in an instant. He catches sight of you with ease, and his own weapon shifts to aim at you.

“Fuck!‌ Scourge brought back up,” he curses, jerking his head in your direction. It prompts a few of the other men to glance over at you, but Hongjoong remains rigid and unmoving. He’s almost like a statue in his stillness. Even with so many guns pointed at him, he’s stoic and unnerved. Then the dynamic shifts.

Hongjoong fires his right pistol, sending a thug cascading to the ground with a thud and quick death. In the same motion, he ducks down and sweeps his leg under the bandit next to the fallen one. As he falls, Hongjoong fires both pistols into his chest. You take the opportunity to dash forward, feet skidding across the dirt-covered road. The thug directly before you whips around and aims at you, but you drop to the ground, using your momentum to swing for his legs. He slams against the cobblestone with a grunt of pain, and you straddle his chest to put a bullet between his eyes. Your hand snaps up to fire again at the soldier above you, his gun midway to aiming for your head.

Hongjoong matches your haste, not even bothering to glance at you as you move, and the two of you dance around each other as though locked in a dangerous dance of death. Metal flashes across your vision. A blade comes close to sweeping over your chest, but you crack the flat of your hand against the owner’s wrist, and the weapon falls away uselessly. Your fingers close around that wrist and yank the body forward. You don’t have to turn to know that another thug is preparing to fire at you; his curses and shouts are indication enough. You duck behind the one you’ve got in your grasp just before the shot resounds.‌ The bullet buries itself in the chest of the thug before you, and you knock the limp body away to face the one who shot at you.

However, you don’t have the chance to fire back because Hongjoong beats you to it. Two bullets find a new home in the bandit. Then a thick arm locks around Hongjoong’s throat, yanking him back and causing one of his pistols to fall to the ground. You don’t hesitate or wait to line up a shot. Instead, you fire with confidence that you won’t hit Hongjoong, and your confidence isn’t misplaced because you hit the thug in the temple.

The shot leaves one man left standing. He doesn’t seem to know who to aim at first, glancing between you and Hongjoong with eyes blown in fear. The gun trembles in his hands, a grating rattling resounding from the weapon, and he settles on aiming at Hongjoong. Said man tilts his head to the side as he looks over the thug.

“Run,” he commands, tone icy and flat. “Before I change my mind.”

The mercy is enough for the man, and he nods hastily. His gun falls to the ground alongside the bodies. He takes off running down the street. You watch his retreating back with little interest. Then, a gunshot echoes through the street. The thug collapses facefirst into the dirt. You jerk to glance back at Hongjoong. He doesn’t speak, nor does his blank expression shift in the slightest. All he does is holster his gun in silence, then bends down to collect his fallen pistol and holster it as well.

You shouldn’t be surprised by the action.‌ The Scourge has a reputation for being cruel, but you still feel shock down in your bones at the image of Hongjoong’s lack of expression or remorse. Dangling freedom before a man like that then yanking it away in the blink of an eye. It’s almost worse than cruel.

You busy yourself by fiddling with your wristband. San’s dot has ceased its slow movements, and you tap at the screen a few times to make sure the device isn’t frozen.

“Hongj–”

“Why are you here?” Hongjoong cuts you off before you can inform him of San’s status. “And why the fuck are you here with Seonghwa’s equipment?”

“I-I, uh, Seonghwa – he gave it to me,” you stutter. “I n-needed to come.”

“Why?” The captain shifts at last to look at you directly. “I understand why you stayed last night. Your resolve is weaker than you think it is. But disobeying direct orders? Again? That’s not betrayal; it’s straight-up incompetence. Is there something wrong with your head? Is that why you can’t follow orders?”

“I have a debt to repay,” you snap back. Fists clench at your sides. A wave of heat rushes through your veins, the sensation sears a path to your fingertips. The distinct desire to punch Hongjoong in the nose rises, but you push it down by biting down hard on the tip of your tongue. “Aren’t you aware of that? You shouldn’t question why‌ I’m here when you know that.”

Hongjoong clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. His head shakes ever so slightly.

“I am not surprised that you came. My question is why are you not with San? Why didn’t you go straight to San? I could have handled a few petty thugs with shitty aim. Yet you decide to come to me first and not San. Why is that?”

The tightness in your throat stings as you attempt to swallow.

“Seonghwa, h-he asked me to make sure you stayed safe.”

A laugh tears through‌ Hongjoong’s chest. You see the whites of his eyes clearly as he rolls them back before dipping his chin towards his chest.

“Of course Seonghwa said that.” He mutters the words moreso to himself than to you, and thus you don’t respond. “He worries too much.” Hongjoong lifts his head again and looks over to where you’re standing. “Hopefully Seonghwa’s worry doesn’t cost us any more time. San has stopped moving. He must be near the warehouse already, or worse.”

Hongjoong strides off, increasing the distance between the two of you, and you merely watch him walk with head tilted to the side for a few moments. Then, his voice rings clear again.

“Are you going to pull it together or not?”

You take the words as an invitation, pressing your gun back against your thigh then chasing after Hongjoong’s retreating form on quick feet.

“Are you okay with this? I mean… me coming along with you.” You ask after a second of silence. You fall into step with the captain, and your eyes trail over his platinum hair. It is nearly blinding in the sunlight, creating something of a halo around Hongjoong’s head as he walks across the cobbles.

“I don’t have a choice. Waiting for Seonghwa and Mingi will take hours, but they’ll do the best they can. I expect the same from you as well. This is an emergency recovery mission. Get in, recover San, leave no survivors.”

You inhale sharply. Hongjoong doesn’t seem to see an issue with what he said, and you shouldn’t either. It’s a command similar to ones you’ve heard in the past – leave no survivors. Kill them all. No one left standing. Brutal, cruel, heartless.

“It isn’t your place to decide who lives and who dies,” you say, voice barely above a whisper. “That should be up to San.”

Hongjoong shifts to glare at you out the corner of his eye.

“If they hurt San, then it isn’t a choice. It’s a responsibility. For each finger they lay on him, they will earn themselves five deaths. I can only hope they have enough men for that punishment.” You can’t bring yourself to respond. Eyes wide, your steps falter and you nearly trip over your own feet.

“A-And what happens if they don’t? Uh, have enough men?”

A sinister smirk covers Hongjoong’s lips.

“I will drag out their miserable lives as long as possible so that I can exact my punishment properly.”

You answer with a few shaky nods. It’s hard to swallow around the lump in your throat, but you manage to do so despite the pain it brings. Looking at Hongjoong again is out of the question; those cruel words leave a bad taste in your mouth, taking you back to memories that are not fond in the slightest. You aren’t proud of your past, you aren’t proud of the person you used to be – and still are sometimes – and you certainly are not proud of the orders you followed without question or complaint. Yet you do the same thing now; walk alongside Hongjoong without complaint or comment. You wonder if this is any different than back then, if following these orders is just a bad as it was back then. At least you aren’t being asked to murder anyone. Yet.

Hongjoong leads the way, glancing down at his wristband every once in a while until he comes to a complete halt. His head doesn’t lift, eyes still tracking the wristband without cease, and you opt to look around your surroundings in the hopes of finding at least some sign of San.

You get your wish, but the sight of it only causes the pit in your gut to grow deeper and deeper. Realization settles in, the anxiety spikes, and your only hope now is that San is alive. A wristband that can’t belong to anyone other than San lies in the middle of the cobbled streets. Hongjoong glares at the device without moving, staying several feet away. Then the force of his body hits yours without warning. You slam against the stony ground, pain radiates through your whole form, and Hongjoong crashes down on top of you. A grunt of pain leaves you as all the air in your lungs does. He doesn’t look at you, however; he instead glances back over his shoulder towards where San’s wristband is. You follow his line of sight for a moment before there is a loud explosion and dust swirls across your vision. You duck behind Hongjoong’s form to shield yourself from the blast.

“Fuck,” Hongjoong curses under his breath. A sigh follows, and he glances down at your widened eyes. “I should’ve seen that coming. They rigged mines under the wristband. Must’ve noticed the track system and seen us coming. Are you alright?”

“Y-Yea, just fine. Not the first time I’ve had to dodge mines.” The heat of the blast and Hongjoong’s proximity causes sweat to bead on your forehead. He pulls back and sits on his heels, but he doesn’t move off of you quite yet. His eyes scan the surroundings.

“They must’ve dug up the ground some to get the mines in,” he explains as his fingers run over the pale dirt between the cobblestones. His weight disappears as he rolls off of you. A moment later, he has flattened himself against the ground and pressed his ear to the dirt. You pull yourself up into a sitting position.

“What are yo–”

“Shush.”

You snap your lips back together at the command. It goes completely quiet for several minutes. By the time Hongjoong pulls up again, your patience is wearing thin and you wish he would just move already.

“There are seven more mines,” he says, breaking the silence at last. “We’ll need to go around to avoid them. No doubt they heard the first mine go off, and they set them up along the path to the warehouse. Must’ve gotten hold of San already.”

“Or maybe he got away,” you reason. “Dropped the wristband?”

Hongjoong’s eyes find yours.

“Do you really think that’s true?” He asks.

“I have to believe it is.”

Hongjoong doesn’t answer. He just gets to his feet and stares up at the surrounding buildings. You move to do the same. As you’re halfway up, Hongjoong extends an arm to you. You take it as a signal to stop moving at first, but he wiggles his hand before your face. You take it in yours and let him tug you up, and he motions to one of the shorter buildings on the left as he helps you to your feet.

“We should climb up and move around on the rooftops to get closer to the warehouse. They’ll most likely have some sort of defense system. Maybe some snipes or turrets along the rooftops.” Hongjoong pauses, and his hand falls limply by his side. “How good of a shot are you?”

“I – what?” You blink at the side of his head with confusion painting your features. “I, well, I was the best in my unit.”

“I thought you were the best in the whole damn military,” Hongjoong says through a small smile.

“It pays to be humble sometimes,” you laugh. There is a small break of levity between the two of you, one that you eat up while you can. Hongjoong heaves a grunt as he begins to scale the building he pointed towards not too long ago. You hop up behind him, following his path up the side of the building. Your right arm is still a tad weak from not using it as much when you had your injury, but it doesn’t bother you too much and you’re able to join Hongjoong on the roof within a minute.

“Have you climbed a lot of building in your day?”

You answer with a roll of your eyes.

“Is there any sign of San?” You ask as you approach the edge of the roof. There is nothing in your view as you glance over. Just a bit of dirt and sand across the ground, buildings of varying heights, and nothing else. There aren’t any bodies in sight – certainly no sign of San. It’s a stark difference compared to the part of the city you were in earlier that held bustling streets and numerous people regardless of how early or late it was. “Why is this part so empty when all the others have been completely filled to the brim?”

“Because Cara’s crew owns this part of the city,” Hongjoong answers in a matter of fact tone. “If you’re caught in it, you die. Even criminals and pirates won’t take that risk.”

“Then why aren’t there any patrols or people looking for intruders?”

“There are, there are. The patrol in this area must’ve taken San back to the warehouse without leaving anyone behind because of the mines. That’s why no one is nearby, but we should move quickly before a new patrol comes or one returns.” Hongjoong drums his fingers along the lip of the roof. “How good of a shot are you? You never answered my question.”

“With a sniper or a pistol?” You inquire, lips drawing together.

“The latter.”

You take a moment to ponder over the question, eyes scanning the rooftops ahead of you. “With clear air and no breeze, I could hit someone between the eyes from around 300 meters.”

“And you call yourself humble.” When you shift to look at Hongjoong, he’s smirking.

“That was me being humble. Would you like for me to tell you the truth? The real distance would be around 700 meters.” A laugh escapes you, and you continue speaking with a small smile playing at your lips. “With the proper holder, any weapon can be made into a long-distance one. Typical pistol bullets will travel around 2200 meters before falling to the ground. A typical sniper could go as far as 3600 meters although the sweet spot is between 600 and 1200 meters. Though that’s just a typical sniper rifle. A higher grade one with an excellent shooter behind it could shoot a bullet and it would travel around 9700 meters before hitting the ground.”

You pause to motion out at the rooftops, and Hongjoong follows the motions with his eyes.

“From up here, the distance to the ground is increased. Depending on the height between you and the ground, as well as the angle from which you’re firing the weapon, the exact angles and calculations change. 45 degrees is the sweet spot for angles of firing. It gives the best parabolic arc – the rise and fall – of the projectile. Of course, that’s all just to determine how far a bullet goes. In order to actually hit a target, the shooter has to be in prime condition, the weather needs to be clear because even the slightest breeze will disrupt the shot. Need to be steady, of course, handle kickback of a weapon with ease, and your target should obviously not be moving or else there’s no way you’re hitting it. Is that all you wanted to know or would you like some more exact calculations and lessons?”

A laugh rips through Hongjoong’s chest. He throws his head back as he all but cackles, shoulders quaking a bit.

“If Seonghwa were here, he would certainly get a rise from hearing you talk like that.” The smile coating the captain’s lips is coy, and there’s a different meaning to his words. You pick up on it after a few delayed seconds.

“O-Oh, ha, does he… does he have a kink for talking about guns?”

“You can ask him that yourself.”

You scoff at his response and turn away from the man, eyes returning to analyze the streets below. Something darts across your vision. You draw closer to the edge of the building when you spot it. Whatever it is, it’s moving quickly through the shadows, and because of your height from the ground, you can’t make out whether it’s a person or not. Your gaze hardens on the moving figure, and it darts out of the shadows just long enough for you to catch sight of a strip of white hair.

“It’s San!” You exclaim, lurching forward to jump down from the roof. Hongjoong catches you by the collar and yanks you back. The pressure against the fresh bruises along your neck burns and stings, and you cry out in pain as he tugs you. You ignore his obvious attempts to keep you quiet and open your mouth to call out to San. “Sa–”

Hongjoong claps a hand over your mouth. His lips brush the shell of your ear as he hisses his next words.

“Are you fucking trying to get us killed?”

You tear at his fingers, prying them back just enough for you to be able to spit back at him. “I’m trying to keep San from getting killed!”

“You’ll get everyone killed if you do anything now,” Hongjoong sneers. He maintains his grip on you as he leans forward and glances down to where San is darting by. His gaze starts out with unprecedented softness, but it quickly hardens as he continues to watch San move. “What the hell are you doing, Choi San?” He mutters the question to himself. The anger melts away from his expression and unveils something almost akin to sadness. He brushes it to the side though before you can comment on it. “We should get moving.”

His hand falls away from your collar and he stands up again. You mimic his movements, keeping close to the edge of the building and trying your best to keep San in view, but you lose track of him quickly.

“No,” you say, stopping in your tracks before you go any further. “We should get San and get out.”

Hongjoong opens his mouth to fire back a response, but nothing comes out. He resorts to just looking at you with a stuttering jaw and wide eyes. He genuinely seems to be at a loss for words, and you almost lose yourself in the shock of his lack of response. You manage to reach out, taking hold of his bicep, and lean close to utter further words.

“You need to protect San, don’t you? Make sure no one lays a finger on him?”

Hongjoong tugs his arm out of your grasp. His jaw clenches, and the lost expression morphs back into a stern one.

“I’m going to do that. I can’t stop San from doing this though. If it is what he wants, then I ca–”

“You don’t know what San wants! Did you hear him specifically tell you what he wanted? Just last night San didn’t know what he wanted! How could he know now? You can’t just sit back and let this happen. I’m certain this isn’t what San really wants, there’s no wa–”

Hongjoong reels on you, and the murderous rage in his eyes causes you to cut off and shut your mouth within a millisecond.

“You don’t know San the way I do, you don’t know any of us, and you can’t pretend as though you do. The only thing you should do is learn to keep your damn mouth shut.”

The sudden shift of mood sends you reeling, and you step back from Hongjoong. You drop the expression from your face immediately, not giving him the pleasure of seeing you upset by the words.

“Right, weapons aren’t supposed to speak.”

You pull yourself over the edge of the rooftop, glancing down as you begin to make a quick descent to the ground again. Whether Hongjoong wants you to or not, you don’t know. He doesn’t join you right away, and when you glance up at the edge, you can’t see his form either.

Your feet hit the ground with a thud, and you brush the front of your shirt down before turning to look out over the streets. When you stand up straight, pressure wraps around your neck. You nearly roll your eyes, thinking that it’s Hongjoong trying to pull you back or something and you didn’t notice him come down, but a sharp pain blossoms across the side of your head. It’s a distinct feeling, and you recognize it to be the butt of a gun. Unless Hongjoong suddenly decided to get rid of you for good, it can’t be him. You swing an elbow back and hit your attacker in the ribs. In response, the person tightens the pressure on your neck. You hiss out at the sensation. You thrash under the person’s grip in attempts to spring free, but the butt of the gun hits the side of your head one more time. Your vision grows fuzzy, black spots blossoming, and your attacker only has to squeeze your throat a little tighter before you fall unconscious.

✧✧✧ a/n: eek a bit of an action chapter i was literally rushing to format asodifjiosdfj bc im getting close to 5 ahhh omg sdoifjodisfjio anyways i hope you all enjoyed this part! we’ve got a bit more action to get through before the Angst hits and i gotta apologize in advance bc it gonna hurt asodfiji

taglist: @faeriewoobin @sugarrimajins @atinyinwonderland @2504-life @lil7bluedragon @sparklychangbin @jeong-uwu @jeonartemis @anothershorthuman @xxbluestrifexx @yayhei​ @haotheheckk @noonawriter

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

[bowl-of-shortness]

I’m doing it, because I have no self control I’m doing it.

Here we goooooo this is what I’m going to name the Recurring AU.

So some basic info to put out on the table:

- Ozpin is still immortal, still reincarnates, etc.

- Qrow, in a certain way, is also immortal. But it’s a bit interesting so bear with me.

- Qrow owns a sword, The Decaying Future. In order to use magic with it however, he has to use his own life force to do so. Decaying future has a direct connection to Qrow and his soul.

- Qrow’s soul, goes from person to person, much like Ozpin’s soul does. But where as Ozpin looks different each time he reincarnates, Qrow looks near identical to what he originally looked like and also, even more apparent, doesn’t remember anything from his previous lives.

- Qrow, each time, is still just as he was before he died the previous time and he always seems to show up when Oz needs help. But doesn’t have his memories, and can never quite place when he got Decaying Future or where he got his countless scars.

- so in a way, he’s still mortal, at least he thinks he is. And acts as a sort of protector of Oz, in one way or another. That being a good friend, royal guard, coworker, or spouse.

- The Decaying Future acts as an opposite to The Long Memory. Where as Long Memory stores magic to use for later, Decaying Future takes magic to use immediately. This is how Qrow has died in the past and why he can’t just use magic now, because Decaying Memory constantly takes Qrow’s magic (and life force) whenever it uses magic.

Now let’s get into the fun stuff!

- Oz doesn’t realize that Qrow is the same person he knew in the past for a few of Qrow’s reincarnates. Thinking he’s hallucinating, Oz ignores it.

- When Oz finds out about Qrow reincarnating he’s understandably overjoyed, finally! A familiar face. And the face of his former spouse nonetheless!

- this excitement would soon fade when Oz comes to the sad and horrifying realization that Qrow, does not remember him at all.

- this of course makes things difficult, because Oz desperately wants to catch up with him like old times. Desperately wants to talk to him about things that have happened but knows he can’t because of Qrow not remembering him.

- and it becomes even more painful for Oz when Qrow does what he had previously done, protect Oz. At any cost.

- No matter where he was, no matter what time period, no matter if Oz tried to make SURE that Qrow would come nowhere near him, he was there. Constantly. Protecting him, bonding with him, laughing with him.

- and Oz couldn’t help but keep falling for him, every. Single. Time. Which made it hurt even more when Qrow did do everything in his power to protect Oz, at any cost.

- it was a curse to Oz. To have to see the man he loved not remember him, to have to bond with him all over again, to have to see him get killed over and over and over and over again just because he wanted to protect him.

- but he kept going with it. Because it would be inevitable, their first meeting. Oz had tried, tried to do everything in his power to make sure Qrow wouldn’t find him or come near him, and yet always he found a way. So he tried to make the best of it.

- cherished every moment with Qrow, made every single moment up until his inevitable death worth it in the end.

- Qrow always has this feeling of deja vu when he sees certain photos from completely different times, like he was there almost, but he can’t quite place it.

- Qrow struggles with remembering things already of remembering things wrong, so he never truly quite thought about it.

- He did find it strange that Oz seemed to recognize him though. He had never met Oz before so how could he know?

- Oz is, well, a strange but interesting man. One who Qrow finds it quite enjoyable to be around, never a dull moment.

- Decaying Future, ah his ever so cherished sword. It wasn’t like the other swords you’d see other hunters wielding, it didn’t have any sort of fancy transformation. But Qrow was ok with that, ok with simplicity.

- it’s funny, he feels like he’s had it for lifetimes. But unfortunately due to his bad memory, even if you asked him where he got it from, he could never tell you. Sucks to have a bad memory I guess.

- he knows he got it from somewhere, somewhere familiar, and he knows he named it, but it’s too foggy for him to actually tell you.

- He gets a similar feeling with Oz, that feeling of vague familiarity. But he tends to brush it aside.

- even though Oz may be considered crazy, strange, or even scary to some people, he wasn’t anything like that to Qrow. He was nice, caring, and a pretty funny guy!

- Qrow would do anything to protect that kindness from whoever may hurt Oz. Like his life depended on it. He always was outcasted from his family, his tribe, his fellow classmates, even strangers. There was no way he’d let the one person who actually cares, die, because of his incompetency.

- and so he did, signing up and being accepted to be Oz’s personal protective hunter (fancy way of saying guard in Qrow’s eyes). It wasn’t hard to find that position, Oz was a highly respected council member, he needed to be protected anyway.

(We going lighthearted in this bc I need to stop being angsty for 2 seconds djfndndnnd)

- these two, no matter what lifetime, are the ultimate power couple

- sass(tm) from both of them

- any cuddles from my other headcanons but like 10x because Oz doesn’t wanna let go of his bird husband ever

- Qrow has to bribe or pry Oz off of him. It doesn’t always work.

- Qrow likes to call Oz a nerd when in reality he’s a huge hypocrite cuz there’s only so much you learn in history and he seems to know a lot more than that.

- Oz will say random things in a loving tone to Qrow, literally he mentioned something about bread in Mistralian and made Qrow laugh incredibly hard.

- Oz was embarrassed the rest of the day because he didn’t know that Qrow could speak Mistralian. He has made a few other comments in a dead language that he is very glad Qrow does NOT understand because there’s no way he could say that to Qrow in a language he understands without getting flustered (take that for what you will. It’s up to interpretation, personally I think its really sappy stuff but hey, imagine whatever)

- bookworms, they read to eachother

- both will give each other their weapon to fight with, even sometimes trading.

- during a small war that Oz was involved with in a previous life, Qrow gave him Decaying Future as a means to defend himself in the war.

- they normally have their weapons near one another.

- they both are normally near one another. You can’t find one without the other.

- both mischief makers, quiet, but still mischief makers.

[starshine583]

Crossing a Line

(SUPER late to do this, but I finally decided to name the fic lol anyay, here’s part 16 of Le Paon! Sorry it’s a day late, but I hope you all enjoy!)

Part 1 / Part 15 / Part 17

Le Paon landed on a chimney top and frantically searched the city streets. The akuma was probably being formed at that very minute. He needed to find Marinette and get her off the streets before the battle started. If something happened to her because he was floundering around for some pieces of jewelry-

“PEOPLE OF PARIS!”

Le Paon jerked in the direction of the booming voice, where a woman stood in the middle of the street. Or, at least, he assumed it was a woman. The person’s figure was too covered in a dripping, green slime to really tell.

“YOU ALL WANTED A MONSTER.” They bellowed. Yes, that shrieking was definitely on the feminine side. “I GAVE YOU ONE, PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO IT, BUT DID YOU ALL THANK ME? NO! YOU TOLD ME IT NEEDED TO BE SCARIER, MORE REALISTIC!”

The green slime ball aimed her arms towards the sky. “HOW’S THIS FOR REALISTIC?!”

The akuma thrust her arms forward, causing slime to shoot off in random directions. The slime covered the building and the cars, sticking to them like glue. A few people tried to escape, but within seconds, the akuma had them pinned to the cement with her goo. So far, struggle appeared to be futile.

Le Paon started looking faster.

He passed over the alleyways of the entire street, then jumped to a few other streets and searched through those too. Panicked citizens were running and screaming everywhere, but Marinette was nowhere to be found. Where could she have gone? Why couldn’t he see her? What if she’d gotten hit already, and he missed it?

In a newfound panic of his own, Le Paon rushed back to the akuma, only to find Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting it head on.

The heroes were using their weapons to avoid the slime balls, while the akuma kept shooting. Underneath the akuma’s feet, though, slime was slowly seeping off of her body and climbing up the building wall that the heroes were on. A trap.

She looks like she’s got this. Le Paon thought, continuing to look around for Marinette.

It was then he spotted her. Well, not Marinette, but Allegra. She was filming him from behind a slimmed car not too far away. Le Paon ran towards her. The two girls had run off together, so Marinette had to be close by.

Allegra gasped slightly at his sudden approach, but didn’t back up. She merely stared at him with a mix of awe and a slight bit of worry.

“Where’s Ma- uh- your friend?” He asked quickly. There was no time to play games.

Allegra blinked. “You mean Marinette? I don’t know. She said we’d get better coverage if we split up.”

Le Paon let out a frantic laugh. Of course she did. Of course she did.

“Alright, alright, um..” He looked around for a moment, before pushing the camera until it was facing down. “First of all, no pictures. Second, get to safety and tell your friend to do the same.”

Allegra went to reply, but Le Paon spun on his heel and sprinted back towards the fight. He didn’t have any more time to look for Marinette. So he’d have to win- or end -this fight swiftly to make sure she didn’t get hurt. (If she wasn’t already.)

Ladybug threw her yo-yo at the akuma, easily tying them up to stop the blasts. Le Paon used the akuma’s excess sludge to slide forward and grab the yo-yo string. He caught a glimpse of Ladybug’s surprise before he yanked on the yo-yo, causing the hero to fly forward.

Unfortunately, Chat Noir managed to grab her arm in time, but the yo-yo did slip off the akuma when Ladybug lost her balance, so Ladybug’s being saved wasn’t a total loss. 

With the akuma free, Le Paon took off towards another alleway. They needed to surround the heroes, make them sweat. If he could coax their powers out of them prematurely, he might be able to figure out Ladybug’s identity when her time ran out. 

Le Paon jumped back and forth between the alley walls until he was back on the rooftops. Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting two roofs away. What the heroes didn’t see, however, was the sludge that was ever so quietly creeping onto the rooftop. Le Paon didn’t know how they were missing it, since it was almost covering the front of the building they were standing on.

Pushing that thought aside, He charged forward and spread out his fans. It didn’t matter why they missed the sludge. The point is that they did miss it, and it would be their fatal mistake.

“Incoming!” Chat yelled as Le Paon landed on their rooftop.

Ladybug glanced behind her, briefly catching Le Paon’s gaze. “I see him! Cover me-”

Her orders were cut off with a gasp when the slime finally crawled around their ankles. 

“C-Chat!” She yelped, foolishly trying to pull herself out of it as it continued up her legs.

“I got it!” Chat Noir said, raising his hand in the air. “Cataclysm!” 

Le Paon watched the familiar, dark magic swirl around his brother’s palm. As soon as he thought about stopping the use of the power, though, Chat Noir already had his hand on the slime, and it was disintegrating.

Along with the rest of the roof.

Le Paon stumbled back as the black decay spread across the plastered rooftop. He’d seen Cataclysm a few times in action, but he’d never dared to get so close. His paranoia was proven justified too when the roof caved in on itself, bringing Le Paon with it.

A shocked cry escaped him as he grappled at the air. Debri smacked him from all sides, and his vision clouded with the dust of it. 

When his back hit the top floor, he couldn’t even gasp a second time, as the hit ripped all of the air from his lungs. He did, however, find the time to shield himself with his forearms in the two second span it took for the rest of the debri to fall on top of him.

That’s when the floor caved below him for the second time.

~~~~~~

Ladybug tried not to gag as she dug through the akuma’s slime to grab the akumatized object. She thought that cinema monster was bad, but now she almost missed him.

“There!” Chat Noir spoke up, pointing towards a small object around the akuma’s neck.

Ladybug yanked it off and promptly smashed it to the ground. As expected, an akuma fluttered out of the object.

She used her yo-yo to catch it and stood up with a relieved sigh. “I’m glad that fight’s over. I’m pretty sure I still have some slime left in my ears.”

“I couldn’t agree more, M’Lady.” Chat Noir commented. “Mind using your miraculous cure so I won’t have to take five showers when I get home?”

Ladybug chuckled and threw her Lucky charm into the air. It burst into a million, tiny ladybugs before sweeping over the city- them included -and putting everything back to the way it was.

Chat Noir shuddered. “Oh, finally! That goo was starting to find its way into uncomfortable places.”

Ladybug scrunched up her nose with a laugh. “Ew! Don’t tell me that.” 

Chat Noir gave a shrug. “It’s true.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes playfully. “Anyway, where do you think Le Paon went?” Her eyes swept over the city street they were on. “Usually, he’d come out to fight some more or we’d see him running away.”

Chat looked around as well, but he obviously wasn’t as interested- or worried -as she was. “He probably ran back to his little boss, the coward. As long as he’s out of our way now, I don’t care.”

Ladybug frowned. Chat Noir had always been more firm in his belief that Le Paon was pure evil, not that she could blame him. She’d thought the same thing until he saved her, until she found out he was actually Felix. She wanted to help him give up peacefully, but would Chat Noir allow it? 

“Chat..” She began hesitantly. “Do you think it’s possible to end all of this peacefully?”

Chat furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Well, what if Le Paon decides to surrender? What do you think we should do?”

“Le Paon? Surrender?” Chat Noir snorted. “Come on, M’Lady, we both know that’s not going to happen. Le Paon is an incompetent criminal with no remorse. He’s not going to ‘surrender’ until he’s gotten the miraculous or we have him in handcuffs.”

Ladybug held back a grimace. That didn’t sound like a good start to Felix’s redemption.

“But what if he did? What if he decides to stop working for Hawkmoth and turn himself in?” She prompted.

Chat stared at her for a moment, then sighed. “If he really had a change of heart and decided to give up his miraculous, then maybe I could see myself being fine with him. But the fact is, that’s never going to happen Bugaboo.” 

Ladybug’s miraculous took that moment to start beeping.

She touched a hand to her earrings. “Yeah.. maybe..”

Chat Noir offered her a smile and patted her shoulder. “Hey, everything’s gonna be alright. Even if he doesn’t surrender, we’ll catch him.”

Ladybug bit her lip and nodded. What was she going to do if they did catch him? Would she have to convince Chat Noir to let him go? She couldn’t see him letting a terrorist run off without consequences if he didn’t know them.

She threw out her yo-yo, letting it wrap around a nearby chimney. There was no use in worrying about something that might not happen. “I’ll see you later, Chat.”

Chat gave a small wave and pulled out his baton. “Later, Lb.”

The two ran off in opposite directions, Chat Noir in the direction of the school, Ladybug in the direction of Master Fu’s Massage Parlor.

~~~~~~

A gasp tore itself from Le Paon as his eyes snapped open. He jolted upright and gripped his chest, hard. Where was he? Was the battle over? How did he get back onto the rooftops? Le Paon was sure he’d been…

He shook his head. The miraculous cure must have healed him, which meant the battle was over. Ladybug and Chat Noir must have taken out the akuma while he was- ahem -out. 

Le Paon started to scramble to his feet. He had no way of knowing where the heroes were now. They might have left, or they might be searching for him. Neither situation sounded pleasant. 

Just as he was wondering whether he should go home or back to school, Ladybug’s yo-yo strung out across the air, and she sailed forward a second later, her earrings beeping the whole way.

Le Paon’s eyes widened, even more so when he saw Chat Noir using his staff to volt off in the completely opposite direction. This was it. This was his chance. He could finally figure out who Ladybug was.

Le Paon was on his feet and running in moments, his thoughts of what just happened during the battle lost in the back of his mind. If he could figure out Ladybug’s identity, he could take her miraculous and convince Adrien to give up his. The battles and endless fights would be over, their mother would be alive again, and, most importantly, Marinette would be safe. 

It only took a good minute for Ladybug to land in another alleyway, as she was clearly out of time. Le Paon slid up behind a chimney from the rooftop across the street, holding his breath. Any sudden movements and this whole plan would fall apart. He couldn’t let that happen, not when he was so close. 

“Tikki, spots off.” The magic words tumbled from her lips, and Le Paon peeked a bit further around the chimney. His nerves were buzzing with anticipation as the shimmering magic melted off of her body. He’d never thought much about Ladybug’s identity, but now he couldn’t help wondering who it might be. This girl had been spoiling his Father’s plans for months, after all. She must be special somehow. 

The flash of light faded.

Le Paon’s heart stopped.

Though her pigtails had remained, the light replaced Ladybug’s spotted suit with an outfit of pink capris and a white t-shirt under a black, half-sleeved jacket. An outfit that Felix would recognize anywhere.

Oh no.

All hopes of him seeing things was dashed away when a red kwami zipped around the ravenette, chirping, “That was a close one, Marinette!”

Marinette- why Marinette?-chuckled, giving a small nod of agreement. “That it was, but I made it just in time.”

Le Paon hid behind the chimney again as she turned to jog out of the alley. Of all the people in all of Paris in all of the world- it just had to be Marinette. Then again, who else could it be? The cleverness, the strength, the agility- of course it was her. Felix honestly couldn’t imagine anyone else being Ladybug, and that made him sick to his stomach.

They were on opposing sides. Not only was he fighting his little brother, he was also fighting the woman he’d fallen in love with. Gosh, what kind of sick joke was this?

Le Paon sank to the ground, thumping his head against the chimney bricks. Marinette’s pleas to talk with Ladybug made sense now. She wanted him to talk to her as Ladybug, but she couldn’t say that outright without giving her identity away. What would she have said as Ladybug that she couldn’t as Marinette? Their positions were the same either way. Felix needed the miraculous. She wasn’t giving them to him. That was it.

Le Paon blew out a sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. Maybe.. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. If Ladybug was Marinette, he could get the miraculous easily, right? All he had to do was visit her again and take them. It’s certainly something she wouldn’t expect.. He would have the earrings. Then he could talk to Adrien and get the ring. Father would make the wish, Mother would be returned to them, and Felix could give the miraculous back to Marinette in one piece. No harm done..

Except Marinette would be betrayed.

Le Paon finally stood. Doing this might make her hate him forever, but it was necessary. Even if Felix decided to give up and surrender, he couldn’t say that his father would share the sentiment. Then what? Hawkmoth gets a new partner, and Marinette is still in danger, probably more than before? He couldn’t stand that, yet he couldn’t fight her himself anymore either! Getting the miraculous was the only option. It would hurt her, yes, but it was in everyone’s best interest. She would have to find it in herself to forgive him, and if she didn’t.. well.. 

Le Paon started the run home. 

If she didn’t forgive him, at least she’d be hating him in the safety of her home, without the heroic duties that he and Hawkmoth currently gave her.

~~~~~~

Marinette closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, silencing her thoughts. She needed to focus on healing, on life, on every breath she took that represented both.

“Your connection to your kwami is sacred and rare.” Master Fu explained, sitting across from her. “Many wear the miraculous, but few are completely compatible with them. When one is compatible, though, they are able to unlock unique abilities, with practice.”

“In this case, you are connected to the miraculous of creation. That means you have extended abilities towards life itself. If your powers are nursed properly, you will be able to heal others by restoring life to them, or, in other words, recreating their life force.”

“So.. I can bring people back from the dead?” Marinette asked curiously.

“No.” Fu answered. “Bringing people back from the dead doesn’t work, because there is no original life force to restore or recreate. If you did manage to bring someone back, they wouldn’t be the same.”

Marinette cracked open an eye, worry flickering across her face. “Then what happens to the people that don’t make it during akuma attacks?”

Fu gave a small smile. “Tikki’s powers can bring others back to life, or rather, recreate them properly, under the proper circumstances, such as akuma attacks. Right now, we are talking about your powers.”

“Right, right. Sorry.” Marinette said, closing her eyes again.

Master Fu continued. “Now, to access this bond, you need to concentrate on the connection with your kwami, along with magic that has now been infused with your soul. You need to feel it glowing from within and transfer it to the object you are hoping to recover. Clear your mind of everything but Tikki and try to heal this plant.”

Marinette nodded and inhaled. Healing.. What did that mean? Restoring the health of a living being, she supposed. Fixing things that are broken. But it also meant washing away all of the bad that rotted the thing in the first place. 

Marinette touched a hand to the drooping plant in front of her, focusing on the magic within her, feeling it wash away the corruption in the stems and leaves. 

She didn’t have to open her eyes to know that a soft, pink glow was spreading over the plant, but she opened them anyway to watch the wilting leaves slowly rise and regain their bright green color. 

“I’m doing it!” She exclaimed. “Look, it’s being healed!”

Unfortunately, the excitement at her success caused her to lose her concentration, and the pink glow faded, which in turn left the plant drooping again. 

“Don’t worry.” Master Fu told her as her shoulders dropped with disappointment. “This was an excellent first try. I have no doubt that you’ll get the hang of it with more practice.”

Marinette bit her lip, staring down at the lifeless leaves.

“.. What if.. What if I can’t heal her.” She asked, her fingers tangling together nervously. A human being had to be immensely complicated compared to a small plant. How could she revive Emilie if she could hardly hold up a fern for more than three seconds?

Master Fu put a comforting hand on hers. “You can do it, but even if you can’t, I’m sure Felix will understand.”

Will he though? Marinette couldn’t help thinking. She’s always known Felix as a sensible person, but would he give up his mother for a random person he might not even know? Further more, will he betray Hawkmoth to surrender?

“Let’s try again.” Master Fu spoke up, taking her from her thoughts.

Marinette nodded her head and closed her eyes to clear her mind. No Felix. No Hawkmoth. Only life and healing.

She held out her hand to restart the magical process.

~~~~~~

The familiar clang of metal resonated across the secret garden with each step Felix took. He’d come down here a scarce few times since he accepted the peacock miraculous to help his Father. Most of the time it was to grieve, or to restore his determination to get the miraculous. Today, it was for courage.

Marinette was Ladybug. Adrien was Chat Noir. The two people he held most dear were against him and Father. Now he had to choose what meant more to him: Their opinion or Mother’s health.

Felix touched a hand to the glass of his Mother’s coffin. It was cold against his skin, the same way he imagined her to be during her current, sleeping state.

“Duusu, can you heal her like you did me?” He asked.

The kwami shook her head. “I’m sorry, but the peacock miraculous doesn’t work like that.”

Felix sighed. “So, I do need the wish to heal her.” 

Why was he hesitating? Wasn’t this the thing he’s been working towards for months now? Adrien had the ring, and Marinette had the earrings. They were both so close that Felix would barely need to do anything to get them. The wish was at his fingertips, right there in front of him. All he had to do was act.

Felix took his hand off the glass. “Duusu, spread my feathers.”

It will be the coward’s way out to hide under his mask while taking her miraculous, but at least the betrayal will be quick.

~~~~~~

The greenish brown leaves of Master Fu’s plant swayed mockingly as Marinette set the pot on her table. She’d managed to heal it somewhat during her training session, but it was still susceptible to illness. So Master Fu sent her home with the plant and advised that she practice during her free time. 

“You did a great job today!” Tikki praised beside her.

Marinette smiled. “Thanks, Tikki. I’m gonna get this healing magic down if it’s the last thing I do.” 

She pulled up her rolling chair and took a seat in front of the plant. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she drew in a deep breath, the same way Master Fu taught her. 

Clear your mind. She reminded herself. Focus on the bond with your kwami.

Marinette reached out to touch her plant again when-

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A knocking sound came from the trapdoor above.

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat, recognizing the knock instantly. 

“Felix.” She whispered to herself. “Coming!” 

Marinette stood from her chair and swiftly hid the plant under her desk. He probably wouldn’t think anything of a half-dead plant being in her room, but it felt natural to hide something related to Ladybug.

She climbed the ladder and opened the trapdoor, and Le Paon dropped down into her room. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” He said in greeting.

Marinette smiled. “No, not really. I was just.. Uh.. sketching.”

Le Paon offered a small smile. “Oh? It wasn’t a picture of me again was it?”

Marinette pursed her lips, a soft blush swirling across her cheeks. “Well, no.. not this time.”

Le Paon’s smile widened slightly, and Marinette felt her heart rate pick up. The last time they were in her room along like this, they kissed. Would he kiss her again? Was it okay to admit that, despite the stress of him working for Hawkmoth, she really wanted him to?

“So.. what brings you here?” She inquired, horribly hoping he would simply say her name, that he would admit to missing her too.

Le Paon’s smile faltered. Not exactly the response she was looking for.

“I..” His gaze flicked to the left of her a moment, and his expression twisted with confliction. “Uhm..”

Marinette’s eyebrow knitted together. “Le Paon? Is everything okay?”

Le Paon met her eyes again, swallowing thickly. “Of course. I just.. I wanted to see you. You know, after last night.”

Marinette frowned. She might be wrong, but people don’t normally look conflicted when talking about a kiss.. unless..

Marinette’s stomach twisted. 

“Do regret it?” She hated to ask the question- What if he did regret it? Where would they go from there? -but she also needed to know. The last thing Marinette wanted to do was pressure Felix into spending time with her on a romantic basis. 

Le Paon’s eyes widened. “What? No, not all! I mean, I regret not asking permission first, but..” 

Relief flooded Marinette’s chest, though his answer still didn’t explain why he looked so conflicted a second ago. “But?”

Something flickered across his expression, but she didn’t have time to decipher it as he took a step forward. “But I could never regret kissing you. In fact, I..” his hand came up to cup her cheek again. “I was hoping to do it again.”

Marinette held back a smile as butterflies fluttered through her. “Is that your way of asking for permission?”

“Should I be on my knees begging instead?” He replied teasingly.

A giggle bubbled up her throat. “Maybe.”

Her leaned forward, capturing her lips in a soft kiss, and the rush of euphoria that came with the contact left her absolutely giddy. She should probably be practicing with her magic right now, or convincing Le Paon to go talk to her alter ego, but all she could think about was the touch of his lips on hers and the gentle strokes of his thumbs on her cheeks.

“I love you.” Le Paon mumbled against her lips, sending Marinette through the roof. He loved her! Albeit, he confessed to it as Le Paon, but still-

“And I’m sorry.”

Wait, what?

Marinette opened her eyes, only to wince when Le Paon quickly yanked out her earrings. As soon as he had them, he jumped back and started climbing up the ladder.

“Wait!” She yelled, pure, icy fear shooting through her veins. How did he know? When did he know? 

Le Paon threw himself out the trap door and slammed it shut. Marinette shot up the ladder after him and swung the trapdoor open again, but he was already two rooftops away. Without her miraculous, she had no way of going after him.

Marinette started hyperventilating. How was she going to explain this to Master Fu? Did Felix already have the ring? What if he made the wish? What if Hawkmoth decided to make a different wish? With both miraculous, they could do who knows what!

“Felix!” She shouted desperately. He didn’t hear her. If he did, he didn’t turn around.

She could only watch as he disappeared into the night.

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[kinetic-elaboration]

July 17: 2x26 Assignment: Earth

Finally finished up S2 of TOS yesterday. That was... a rough episode tbh. I’m just gonna say it: back door pilots are bad! They’re bad. If I wanted to watch that other show, I’d watch it.

Wow, they’re just really jumping right in, huh? “Here we are, on a routine mission into the past, using a time travel method that we invented nbd.”

Investigating desperate problems in the year 2020...2016.... no wait 1968.

Ooh, Spock in the transport room today. Does he have a whole extra random station there? That’s so weird; I’ve never seen that before. It’s like hidden in the corner.

Cat!! Cat!!

What a good actor. I’m still bitter that wikipedia has a whole section about the casting for “Isis the cat” that talks entirely about the human who played Isis for 2 minutes and nothing about the talented feline actor. Where did they find her? How did they teach her to act?

She has a lot of thoughts about Kirk.

I wrote down “Scully, you’ve got to see this” in my notes and I’ve already forgotten what it refers to lol. Some moment that I thought would fit well with my favorite x-files meme.

Change history, you say? Spock is intrigued. ...Admittedly, Spock is often intrigued.

“What if it turns out you’re an invading alien from the future?” Honestly...let him invade. You’re not supposed to be here anyway.

I’m pretty insulted by this. The aliens went through all this trouble to help in 1968...where are our alien helpers NOW?

The cat straight up attacked his face.

Kirk is so fond of Spock being fond of the cat.

“It’s a lovely animal. I feel myself strangely drawn to it.”

Kirk is way too confused by Seven--an allegedly human person with super-human abilities that he says come from aliens--and yet, he’s met Charlie X so??? Is this not the same?

Kirk’s got the whole crew checking in on zoom.

(I actually do like this sequence of him getting video calls from different parts of the ship.)

“Weren’t orbiting H-bombs a huge problem in 1968?” Looks at the camera like he’s on The Office. Not the subtlest bit of writing in the “social commentary” genre. I do say this with love, though. I always enjoy when they comment on contemporary problems.

“He has a totally perfect body.” Lol don’t distract these two bisexuals.

[soft meowing]

“The prisoner has escaped.” The way this is shot, it looks like he’s talking about the cat.

Hmm, I do love the decor. Very 60s. This honestly immediately feels like a different show, and a much more dated show; even when the Enterprise time travels, it tends not to time travel to... office space.

Love the little sounds the computer makes.

So is Isis supposed to be one of the fancy aliens? It’s never explained but one must assume she is.

Aw, he’s petting her paw.

So I assumed the cats sounds are real, but just dubbed. They’re not lol. Which I guess isn’t surprising: this cat makes a lot of noises! They were provided by a human voice actress.

Damn.... I want a secret bookshelf that turns around to reveal a super computer with a big screen. “Computer... play Netflix.”

That’s what Seven does in his spare time.

The computer is an AI. “Beta 5 snobbery” lol.

Where are OUR alien overlords to stop US from destroying ourselves before WE can mature into a peaceful society?

This is really masterful exposition lol. Not forced or awkward at all.

ST sure does love the snooty female computer trope.

“Get us the proper costumes.” Yes, get Spock his Requisite Hat.

Omicron IV....that’s one of the names they use in Futurama lol. Such nerds.

Another excellent Spock Hat.

I love Seven’s various IDs. Great style. I wish my driver’s license looked like those.

“Who do you think you are?” He hasn’t decided yet. That’s why he was shifting through his IDs.

Seven is not smart lol. Like, he should have figured out way faster that this lady isn’t one of the Alien Overlords. He asks her the code question, she doesn’t understand it, and he... assumes she’s just really in character? Dude, that’s what the code questions are for!!! To help you identify people! Otherwise you could just straight up ask: are you an alien?

Instead he’s like “oh, you silly alien, you’re playing with me,” and then is forced to trap her, reveal his whole mission, and ultimately ensnare her in his plan.

I want that typewriter. Voice recognition typewriter.

"My incompetence has made you aware of very secret devices." Well at least he knows.

Trained cat!

The alien overlords were killed in a random car accident. That’s ironic.

Oh look, a real rocket!

Brown pants + short sleeved shirt + tie is such a Classic 60s look.

This security guard doesn’t think it’s weird that this random dude has a cat with him? Is this part of Isis’s alien power?

Except for the part where it’s a weapon, it’s pretty cool to see all this build up to, like... launching stuff into space. Exciting.

Isis likes to be on shoulders. Just like Little Guy.

New hat for Spock. His outer wear hat, and now his fancy hat. There is something to be said for this ep, and that is Kirk and Spock in suits.

Amazing how they literally launched rockets with computers that old. Like seeing the big bank of primitive computers is totally wild. We put people on the moon that way! Amazing.

“Meow.” Lol, Isis is stressed so she’s speaking like a cat. That’s a pretty funny joke actually.

Seven is so incompetent. If he’d just let the Enterprise help, Scotty could have fixed that rocket issue in like 3 seconds.

Lol everyone’s just pulling Gary through space. Now on the Enterprise. Now in the office.

Why does this computer have a hug black screen if it only displays images on the small white circle?

"Spock and  I in custody. Main characters, doing nothing, knowing nothing, totally useless and irrelevant. I have never felt more helpless." Literally what is even the point of them today? Does Spock even have lines outside of “I like the cat”?

Isis is jealous of Roberta. Is she.. in a relationship with Seven lol?

Uhura is listening to everyone in the world. She probably has a universal translator on, but I do feel like this scene implies she just...understands all the languages.

So now the warhead is armed and heading to somewhere vague... in other words, everyone has collectively made the situation worse.

....Or this was Seven’s plan all along? To scare people into ceasing to be so careful with nuclear weaponry? As someone who knows humans better than this guy, I think this is a dumbass plan.

“That’s why so many people in my generation are kind of crazy and rebels.” Same, sweetheart.

Really this is just a story about bad communication. If Seven had told Kirk his plan upfront, Kirk would have helped him. And if Kirk weren’t so insistent on involving himself in something just because he happens to be somewhere he probably shouldn’t be, we wouldn’t have this issue either. The hubris of everyone.

Overall, just a really forced narrative imo.

Or that’s how it was supposed to be lol. The Irony of time travel. By it’s nature, everything has already worked out.

Kirk and Spock are like “You’re welcome. Peace out.”

Honestly... Isis was the only good part. Such a talented cat actor!! Or trio of cat actors, I guess. Had to do all those stunts and stuff.. .amazing. I also liked the concept of Isis. How she turned into a human later just to troll Roberta. How she’s never really explained--one must assume, an alien? Plus I pretty much never get tired of human + animal teams where the animal makes animal noises and the human just understands and answers in English.

As a stand alone sci fi concept...it was okay. Kinda dated by now. The alien tech was nifty and Roberta could have grown on me. Maybe even Seven, though he left a lot to be desire. That said, the narrative relied a lot on people getting in each other’s way for no reason, which I find very frustrating.

But as a Star Trek episode....no. The main characters were just nuisances on the side lines!! I’m not even sure what Kirk’s mission here was--to try to figure out what Seven was doing? And stop him if necessary? But he never really decided if it was or not, until the point where not trusting him would basically cause a nuclear war? I don’t know, I found it all very frustrating. The melding of the original show and the spinoff was not smooth.

If I were watching this in 1968, I’d feel very cheated. THIS was the season finale? That’s it? I don’t even get a real Star Trek episode and now I have to wait months for anything new?

And what I get after all that waiting is Spock’s Brain?? I’d be tempted to quit. If I had a tumblr in 1969 I’d be writing multi-paragraph rants about how the best show on television has completely nose-dived lol.

But then there’s The Enterprise Incident, which is one of the best episodes... I don’t know, man. It’s a conundrum. I’ve only seen maybe half of season 3 but from what I remember it’s very uneven: some of the best eps (The Enterprise Incident, For the World Is Hollow, Day of the Dove) mixed in with some of the worst (Spock’s Brain, The Paradise Syndrome), plus some that are good concepts but shoddily executed (The Way to Eden). So we’ll see what I think about it when I see it all in one piece, in air date order.

[just-absolutely-super]

The First Crack

@soulxmakaweek

Day 4, Laughter featuring baby (and by baby I mean they’re, like, 12) SoMa. Enjoy!

Summary: It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh like that... Maka, Soul, and a kitchen mishap

FF.net // AO3

Maka had only known Soul for a week and she was thoroughly convinced he was emotionally constipated.

Seriously, the only form of raw human emotion she saw out of him came in the form of his playing the piano. It was like he had opened a window into his soul, one she had peered eagerly into and accepted wholeheartedly. But then he had decided that she couldn't see any more and firmly shut the window before nailing a bunch of two-by-fours to it, making him impossible to read again.

It didn't help that all their interactions afterwards were in the form of arguments. She'd try to get to know her new partner only for him to make scathing, teasing comments about her appearance and her affliction for reading books. This would cause her to lose her temper, leading to a chop before they'd go back to their respective rooms to do their own thing.

It was rather frustrating. She wondered if all boys were like that. She dismissed that thought, though, when she remembered the other men in her life: her father and Black Star.

Her father had no trouble expressing himself. He often wore his heart on his sleeve (as well as a different woman every day), sobbing big fat tears whenever his darling daughter gave him the cold shoulder. Meanwhile, Black Star spent most of his time crowing about how awesome he was and how he'd surpass God while Professor Sid yelled at him to get off the school's roof before he hurt himself.

No, she deduced that all boys weren't as opposed toward expressing themselves. It must just be a Soul Eater thing.

She could have tried harder to get to know him, but her mother often told her that partnerships were so fragile during the beginning stages. Even if you clicked right away, there was always that risk of things becoming strained and awkward the more you got to know each other. The best plan of action was to always go slow and to not force yourselves on each other.

Maka didn't want to try and search for a new partner—one who was a scythe at least—so she hung herself back and allowed Soul to be his moody, closed-off self. If things worked in her favor, he'd open up to her sooner or later…

"Hey, Mama sent me a blender as a housewarming gift. I'm gonna make a smoothie, do you want one?" she asked him one afternoon, poking her head in his room.

Soul was in bed lying on his stomach, some magazine in his hands. He lifted his head up to acknowledge her, "Yeah, sure. You got strawberries?"

Maka nodded, "Of course! I'll let you know when I'm done."

Soul gave a grunt in reply as Maka bounced into the kitchen. She was excited. Excited because not only was she going to try out her newest appliance, but she and Soul would have another reason to bond with each other. Sure, it may end up as them drinking their cold drinks in the living room while aimlessly flipping channels, but it was better than nothing. Maka liked to think of the glass half-full during these occasions.

After setting the blender up, Maka hummed as she brought the ingredients onto the counter. Following the recipe she had looked up at the library, Maka put everything in the jar. Placing the lid onto the jar, she eagerly pressed the start button…only for nothing to happen.

"Huh?" she said, turning every which way to figure out why the appliance wasn't working. She thought she had everything in place. It should turn on!

After fiddling with it for a while with no results, she got frustrated. She yelled out, "Soul! Could you come in here and help me?"

"What's the matter?" she heard him ask from his bedroom.

"I can't get the blender to come on."

"Are you serious?" he complained. She heard his heavy footsteps. "It's a blender, Maka. It's not like they're hard to use."

She pouted at him when he rounded the corner into the kitchen, "I know that! But I can't get it to turn on!"

Soul rolled his eyes, "Move aside. Let me look at it."

He inspected it. She watched him take the lid off of the jar to look inside, probably making sure nothing was jamming the blades if Maka had to guess. Deducing that the blades were fine, he detached the jar from the base and set it on the counter before picking the base up to examine it. Maka was thankful he had done that; she didn't want to worry about him accidentally spilling the contents of their smoothie onto the floor. After a brief moment, he placed the appliance back on the counter before turning to his meister.

"Found the problem. It's battery operated. You didn't put the batteries in, genius." He said, letting out a chuff at her incompetence.

Maka flushed in embarrassment. She was torn between hiding her face in shame and punching that infuriating smirk off his face.

"I… I thought they were already put in!" she defended.

Soul snorted, "Obviously not." He checked the box Maka had opened when she received the package from her mother. "Oh good, your mom included some batteries. Let me install them then we can work it."

Maka watched him place the batteries in, her cheeks still burning from the shame of making an utter fool of herself in front of her weapon. She hoped this didn't give him second thoughts about agreeing to partner up with her.

"Alright, here we go," she heard Soul say. She looked back to him and saw he was about to hit the "on" button. What she also noticed was in his hurry to make smoothies he had forgotten to put the lid back on the jar.

"W-Wait, Soul! Don't—"

Too late. Soul pressed the button and Maka watched his red eyes widen comically at the realization of what he had just done. Both weapon and meister squealed in shock as the contents of what would have been their fruity drinks exploded over them and their kitchen.

"Shut it off! Shut it off!" Maka screamed, running over to the boy.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Soul screamed back, strawberry and yogurt and whatever else had gotten into his eyes, clouding his vision and inhibiting him from hitting the correct button.

"Let me!" she said, forcing the appliance closer to her and managing to find the "off" button. She sighed in relief at hearing the whirling blades die down.

"Man, so uncool!" Soul groaned, running a hand through his hair and grimacing in disgust when it came back covered in pink goop.

Maka blinked at his appearance. The pink tinge of the smoothie and random chunks of strawberry worked really well with his white hair. It practically dyed it. Before she could stop herself she gave an unattractive snort before bursting into uncontrollable giggles.

Soul scowled at her, watching as his meister leaned forward in laughter.

"It's. Not. Funny." He growled.

Maka said in between giggles, "Oh…yes it…is! Hahaha, you look ridiculous!"

"Yeah, like you're any better!" he fired back, gesturing to her own smoothie-covered appearance.

"Yeah, well…" giggle, "at least my hair isn't pink now. You look so uncool!" she then fell onto the floor. The comment might have been mean, but after a week of hearing him call her breasts tiny, it felt like a breath of fresh air to make fun of him for a change.

"We'll see about that…" she heard her weapon say. Maka stopped her giggling upon hearing the underlying threat in his words. Looking up to him, she saw he had a maniacal grin on his face, a handful of pink goop in his hands.

"Soul Eater, don't you dare—" Maka's attempt to threaten him turned into a squeal of shock as Soul dived onto her to rub strawberry smoothie into her pigtails.

"Who's got the pink hair now, huh?" Soul taunted, making sure to slather the chunks of strawberries onto her face for good measure.

"You are DEAD!" with a battle cry, Maka tackled Soul.

The two wrestled each other on the kitchen floor, using whatever they could find among the mess as their ammunition. Various noises coming out of their mouths—screaming, threats of bodily harm, and most of all, laughter.

The laughter was mostly consuming them, to the point they disentangled themselves from their brawl to spread themselves out onto the floor. Maka was clutching her stomach as her sides were starting to hurt.

"Ceasefire, ceasefire!" she pleaded, her guffaws too much for her.

"I can't believe I forgot to put the lid on!" Soul said, "That's like…the number one rule of a blender. You'd have to be a stupid cartoon character to make that mistake! And now I'm covered in all this crap!"

He then turned onto his side as he broke into more infectious laughter. Maka would have joined him if she weren't overcome by a sudden revelation.

This was the first time she had ever heard Soul laugh.

Sure, he would snicker at a crude joke Black Star would tell him, or chuckle if he heard a funny joke on television, but as for genuine bone-deep laughter? This was definitely the first.

She just marveled at the site. His sharp teeth fully on display; his deep red eyes closed tight, crinkling at the edges in his mirth; and if she looked closely, she could see tears forming in the corners because he was laughing so hard.

He looked so natural and carefree. Like he didn't have the world's biggest chip on his shoulder. Like he wasn't worrying about how he looked or presented in front of others.

He looked…happy.

"Hey, what's with that look on your face?" his voice drew her out of her musings. He was trying to glare at her, but it was offset by his still present grin, "If you think I look bad, you should see yourself, nerdbrain."

Maka stuck her tongue out at him, "I wasn't staring!" (She ignored how unconvincing that sounded.), "I was just thinking about what a pain this was going to be to clean up, is all!"

Soul sighed, rolling onto his back again before cringing as more of the smoothie substance seeped into his shirt. "Yeah, that's gonna suck… Well, I'll let you take care of it. I'm gonna hop in the shower."

Maka gave an indignant noise, "Oh no you don't! You're the one who caused the mess, I get the shower while you clean up!"

"It wasn't my idea to make the smoothies!" he shot back.

"Well, I'm a lady and ladies go first!"

Soul snorted, "Funny, I thought 'ladies' had more sex appeal—"

"MAKA CHOP!"

"OUCH!"

While Soul nursed his aching head, Maka used the opportunity to run to the bathroom. "I'll help once I'm done showering. Then you can shower and I'll finish what you started!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" she heard him grumble as she grabbed some clean clothes and shut the door.

As she peeled off her stained clothing, she thought she heard more of his distinct laughter from his place in the kitchen. She felt herself smile.

It may take some time, but she felt hopeful that she could crack the sturdy exterior that was Soul's metaphorical walls.

Hopefully it wouldn't take too many mistakes and messes for that to happen…

[eirist]

Little Bits and Pieces of Heaven

BOUTS OF JEALOUSY

One-shot #: 12

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: M (Not explicit but insinuations and wordings are)

Note: @zoronamiroronoa requested a jealous Zoro and a jealous Nami. I hope this will suffice for the long wait. I had real fun writing it so I hope you have fun reading it. This is by far the longest one-shot I’ve ever written. 

Summary: “Heh, got a taste of your own medicine?”

“Uhm, Zoro?”

Usopp settled on the wooden bench next to the green-haired swordsman. He took note of the rather piercing glare Zoro gave him before knocking back the tankard of beer he was holding.

“Are you alright?”

“Never been better,” Zoro answered, though a bit coldly for the sniper’s liking.

Usopp clamped his mouth shut as his eyes shifted towards the inn’s bar. Their navigator was sitting there surrounded by two attractive guys who were obviously hitting on her, laughing delightfully.

“Tch,” Sanji made a sound from across them. “You are so incompetent,” he remarked at the swordsman. He bit at his cigarette before taking a drag. “If I were her—”

“Shut up ero-cook,” Zoro snarled. “Her business is her business. She’s probably gonna rob those two for all we know.”

“Oh,” Robin murmured amusedly. “You may be right Zoro.” She lifted her lovely blue eyes from her book to gaze at the swordsman. “But then again, Nami IS quite beautiful,” she added and a ‘Hai, I agree Robin-chwan’ can be heard in the background. “She may also be enjoying their constant flattering of her very obvious assets.”  

Usopp felt the swordsman stiffened at that. “Way to go Robin,” he muttered under his breath. Trust the archeologist to manipulate her nakama for her own twisted entertainment. “But Zoro’s right. She’s probably taking advantage of those poor bastards as usual.”

“Yeah, probably,” Franky said in a doubtful tone. He had seen Nami trail a finger on one of the men’s jaw when he passed by the bar on his way to the Mugiwaras’ table. Thank heavens, Zoro had his back turned to them.

“Hmm… well those two are not bad looking,” Robin commented before taking a dainty sip on her coffee cup. “Would’ve been fun.”

“Robin-chwan?” Sanji almost choked when he realized the possible implication of her statement.

The older woman shrugged. “All I’m saying is that those two would be… pleasant drinking companions since they’re easy on the eyes.”

Franky laughed as he settled down beside the archeologist. “Right,” he said before gulping down his cola. Being older than most of their crewmates have its perks when it comes to deciphering double entendres.

“What Franky?” Robin glanced sideways at him… sharply.

There was something in her eyes and tone that made the cyborg shook his head and decided to change the subject. “Nothing. Where’s Mugiwara by the way?”

Usopp pointed towards the other end of the pub where a lot of noises were coming from. “Buffet battle. With Chopper and Brook.”

“Aww! That is super!”

Zoro, who was quiet all throughout the exchange, lifted a hand to signal one of the waitresses for another beer.

Usopp sighed. He gotta hand it to the swordsman. He admires the man’s tolerance with the cat burglar’s antics. Nami’s not above doing a good deal of flirting or using her womanly charms when it comes to getting what she wants.

Take their cook as a perfect example.

Though her tricks are not effective with the former bounty hunter. Nami cannot make Zoro succumb to her flirting or her seducing ways especially if he is aware that she’s trying to wheedle something out of him.

Sometimes Usopp thinks that Nami flirting with her ‘victims’ like crazy is somehow a sort of payback to Zoro being resistant.

Or it could also be a way to get the Supernova jealous.

Which is freaking scary knowing Zoro’s tendency to rampage without so much a thought to the consequences.

The long-nosed sniper sighed again and shifted his attention to the tankard in front of him. He’s overthinking things. Nami may just be getting chummy with her targets as usual and Zoro’s irritable countenance probably had nothing to do with that.

Which is purely bullshit. Even he doesn’t believe it.

“Hey! Why are they getting too close to Nami-san?” Sanji suddenly seethed. Everyone turned towards the bar and true enough the two men had shifted much closer to the orange-haired girl, almost sandwiching her between them. “If they so much touch a hair on her head—”

“Uh-oh,” Franky intoned. “Cannot keep their hands to themselves!” He said with a shake of his head. One of the pirates had reached out and started playing with a lock of Nami’s orange hair.

Sanji started spewing profanities and something about skewering.

“Yabe...” Usopp whispered nervously.

BANG!

Zoro suddenly slammed his tankard down on the table.

Everyone stopped talking at once and four pairs of eyes widened as he stood up and left without another word.

The rest of the Straw Hats raised their eyebrows at each other in astonishment.

-------------------------

Nami threw back her head and laughed at something the blond-haired guy on her left said. She made sure that she sounded so amused to make it appear like she was deeply interested with whatever they were telling her.

The navigator studied the two men discreetly. Both were tall, with excellent body structure and definitely attractive. From their looks, she could surmise that they are the kind who are suckers for pretty girls; those fascinated enough to fall for stories about their recent exploits and tussles.

She smiled sweetly when the blond winked at her. He was bragging about a recent island escapade where they managed to rip off a good deal of cash from some random pirate crew.

So that’s where the scent of money is coming from.

The guy on her right—with dark brown hair and beautiful green eyes—started boasting about their encounter with a rear navy admiral while they were escaping the island and how easily they were able to kick that officer’s ass.

Nami giggled. They are so… cute. And certainly gullible. Though she gotta applaud them for their rather convincing tales. If she was stupid and naïve, she’d definitely end up giving in to their charms.

But she’s not.

She’s not after a good time with these two crooks after all. No, no.

What she’s actually there for are the belis inside their pouches calling out her name. They might be exaggerating with their stories, but not the money. Nami had noticed it the moment they entered the place.

Besides, she already had her hands full with a surly swordsman. These two would look like babies beside Roronoa Zoro.

The brown-haired guy suddenly reached out and touched her hair, twirling the orange strands playfully around his fingers as he smiled at her teasingly.

Nami frowned inwardly. She didn’t like it when other people touch her hair. Zoro doesn’t like it when other men touch her hair—especially if it’s because she’s flirting to steal.

Good thing the swordsman was busy with his beer.

She forced herself not to flinch at the gesture. Instead, she returned the smile flirtatiously.

This nicking better be damn worth it.

Nami felt the blond guy on her other side sidled closer to her. The one playing with her hair did the same, effectively trapping her between them.

Her guard was up at once and she stealthily moved her hand near her Clima-tact’s hiding place.

Suddenly an arm wrapped itself around her waist. It tugged at her lightly, making her lean back towards a familiar strapping chest.

She tilted her head upwards and was surprised to see Zoro standing behind her.

“Playtime’s over.” His deep voice cut through their conversation, as sharp as his blades. She can feel his chest rumbling as he spoke lowly, almost threateningly.  

“Hey!” The one on Nami’s right protested and Zoro pinned him with a menacing glare.

“Hands off her hair.”

The guy promptly swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, before letting go of Nami’s hair. That was one hell of a frightening look.

The blond on her left simultaneously let out a small squeak at the sight of the scarred eye and three swords and hastily stepped away from the navigator.

Nami’s brows drew together and she frowned. What is he doing? “The hell Zor—” she began, but he immediately cut her off.

“I want you upstairs now.”

And despite the irritation she was feeling, a delicious shiver ran up and down her spine at his tone.

“But we saw her first!” The brown-haired man found the courage to loudly and stupidly protest. “Go get your own woman!” He snarled at the bounty hunter-turned-pirate, boldly resting a hand on Nami’s bare thigh.

His friend on the other side desperately tried to make him stop; waving both hands to get his attention and silently pointing at the swords on Zoro’s hips.

But the other guy was oblivious.

“Is that so?” Zoro cocked his head to the left so he can look at the idiot straight in the eye. The grin on his face promised nothing but pain. “That better not move another inch,” he barely glanced at the man’s hand. “Or you will lose it.”

Nami closed her eyes and sighed. The buffoon just had to go and do that. Zoro will make mincemeat out of him even without his swords.

“Oh real… ly…” The guy’s voice suddenly trailed off. He finally noticed his companion pointing at the weapons on Zoro’s side, holding three fingers up.

Three swords?

The young man almost choked. His eyes widened and it went from Nami to Zoro then back again.

And he went deathly pale.

“You’re…” he whispered and his friend on the other side nodded vigorously. His knees began to shake and it seemed to crawl up his body because Nami can actually feel the hand on her thigh trembling.

The blond darted towards his partner and pulled his hand away from the navigator. Without another word, he shoved his friend’s head forward and made him bow down in front of the swordsman.

He followed suit.

“Sumimasen deshita! Roronoa Zoro-san!” The blond shouted.

It was so unexpected that Nami and the other Mugiwaras, as well as some of the customers who were watching the scene, were surprised.

“We are really sorry!” The blond apologized again still keeping his head and his friend’s bowed low.

His brown-haired companion finally realized what he had gotten himself into. “Yes we are sooo sorry! So very sorry!” He suddenly cried in a pleading tone. “We didn’t know it was you! A master swordsman in the flesh!”

Nami swore she could hear snivels coming from him and are those teardrops wetting the floor?

“Yes! We should’ve realized it sooner!”

“Please don’t cut us!”

A sneer appeared on Zoro’s face. “I don’t know about that; you did piss me off.”

Now the two were visibly quivering.

Nami fought the urge to laugh out loud. Whatever happened to their tales of fearlessness? “But,” she spoke out of the blue. “I thought you two can best anyone in a fight?” The cat thief had an impish grin on her face that widened when she saw the two shook harder than before.  

“No! No!” The blond lifted his head slightly to look at Nami tearfully. Gone now was the confident, debonair air they exuded earlier. “We’re exaggerating of course!” He admitted and his eyes shifted back to Zoro and he hastily bowed his head again. “We would never think of fighting someone like Roronoa Zoro-san. Not in this life. Not in the next.”

“That’s true! We are really sorry Roronoa-san,” the other apologized again. “We didn’t know she was yours. If we did, and we do now, we would never have approached her. And we never will! You have our word!”

“Just please let us go!”

“Do not let them off just like that shitty swordsman!” Sanji shouted as he stood up from the Straw Hats’ table. “Cut the hand of that bastard who dared touch Nami-san! Or I will personally gut them like a fish and served them to the Kumate tribe.” He threatened as Usopp grasped him on both shoulders to prevent him from going berserk.

“Oi pipe down swirly!” Zoro growled towards the cook’s direction. Honestly, this is getting troublesome than it’s supposed to be. “You two,” he called out suddenly and the men stiffened.

“Hai…?” Both answered with quavering voices.

“Just get out of my sight.”

“HAI!” The two dropped down their knees quickly. There was a ‘thud’ as their foreheads hit the floor as they bowed much lower, grateful that Zoro was letting them go without any injury.

“We’ll be on our merry way now. Sorry for the trouble!”

“It was nice to meet you Roronoa Zoro-san! Truly! We’re sorry and thank you!”

They both edged away from the two Straw Hats and headed towards the entryway while still crouched down the floor. They left in a crawling manner in the midst of laughter and hoots from some of the pub’s patrons.

The moment the two chaps disappeared outside, Nami huffed. She swiveled to face the green-haired man and pouted. “Really Zoro? What did we agree about this?” She chastised, not amused by his antic. “I haven’t even gotten their money yet!”

Zoro in turn, glared at her and threw something on the bar counter. It was the men’s money pouches.

Nami’s eyes widened.

“You must be losing your touch.” Zoro muttered, scowling at the navigator.

“Or she probably enjoyed flirting with them,” Robin casually commented as she passed by behind them.

“Robin!!!”

“Can’t blame you, they are quite cute.” The raven-haired woman let out a soft giggle as she leaned against the counter. She lifted a hand to get the bartender’s attention. The corners of her eyes crinkled in mirth when she saw the expression on Zoro’s face.

The swordsman looked absolutely livid.

Oh my, has Zoro always been this easy to rile up when it comes to Nami?

This is fun.

“Woman,” Zoro all but hissed in Nami’s ear, grabbing her arm. “Upstairs now!”

“Hey!” Nami protested. “I’m still…”

“Now!” A shadow seemed to cross Zoro’s face and his tone had lowered to the point that he was growling.

“…”

He moved away from her and headed towards the second floor where the Straw Hats rented rooms for the night. When Zoro starts using that tone on her, she’s in for trouble and she better do what he says.

Nami locked eyes with Robin, frowning as the older woman gave her a sly smile. She slid off her seat and followed him upstairs, but not before grabbing the pouches he surprisingly nicked from the two men earlier.

This is going to be a long and tiring argument… not to mention night. It can only end in two things: them not talking to each other tomorrow…

Or…

“NAMI!” Zoro’s voice almost thundered across the whole bar.

“Coming!”

Robin gave them a small wave before turning to the bartender to order her drink.

-------------------------

It was well into the afternoon when Nami slid on the bench opposite Robin, who was sitting alone in the half-filled bar enjoying her pre-dinner coffee and book.

The navigator slumped down the wooden table with a groan.

“And good afternoon to you too,” Robin greeted. “How was last night?”

Nami’s face immediately scrunched up into a frown. “Awful! My throat’s sore from screaming because apparently, Zoro’s deaf and could not understand what I’m saying!” She nestled her head on the hard surface of the table. ��My voice was not loud enough to penetrate that thick, stupid skull of his.”

“Surely it’s not that bad?” The older woman asked, sprouting a pair of hands on each side of Nami so she can massage her shoulders.

“Uggh. No thanks to your comment!” Nami responded with a glare at her friend.

That made Robin giggle. “You just say that.” She took a sip of her drink and smiled amusedly at the navigator. “But you’ve been holed up with Zoro in that room for almost the whole day. Do you honestly want me to believe that all that screaming is because the two of you were arguing? The inn has thin walls after all.”

Nami’s face heat up at that. Well there’s no use hiding anything to Robin. With a moan she pillowed her head on her arms. “I hurt all over. This is all your fault!”

The archeologist glanced at her. Nami might be complaining, but there was look of satisfaction on her face that tells her otherwise. “Well at least now you know he isn’t immune to your flirting… with other men that is.”

The cat thief laughed sardonically at that. “Zoro’s just in the mood to be an ass. He usually doesn’t care about this stuff.” Nami lifted her head off the table. “That’s why I can steal from gullible, good-looking men whenever we dock!”

“Maybe that’s where the problem is? You always choose good-looking men for your victims.” Robin pointed out, turning a page of her book.

Nami sat up straighter at that and Robin’s hands disappeared in a flurry of petals. “You’re not listening last night are you? Cause I swear that’s exactly what Zoro said.”

Robin chuckled and shook her head. “No. I wasn’t.”

“But good-looking men are the best victims Robin,” Nami retorted. “And you know that. Most of them are self-absorbed and easily manipulated. And they’re much easier to approach. Average-looking guys tend to be suspicious when a cute girl walks up to them.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” Robin stared straight in her eyes. “And not because you’re trying to make him… jealous?”

“Who’s making who jealous?”

Usopp’s voice cut into their conversation. The sniper plopped himself down beside Nami with an exhausted sigh, looking a bit worse for wear.

Nami stared at him in astonishment. “Why do you look like you just came out of a death match?”

“Long story,” Usopp replied wearily. “All I can say is, Luffy plus adventure… you do the math.”

“I see.”

“So who’s jealous?” He asked curiously. His eyes scrutinized Nami for a few seconds. “Did you just wake up?”

“You can say that.” Nami answered with a nod.

“Rough night?”

Franky, who just sat on the vacant seat beside Robin guffawed. “More like rough sex you mean.” He commented earning a loud laugh from the sniper.

“Franky!!!” Nami shrieked, horrified at his straightforwardness.

“Hey,” the cyborg retorted. “Not our fault! Is there anyone here who hasn’t heard all of that last night?”

Usopp clutched his stomach as he laughed harder. “I dunno… is there anyone here who slept a wink last night from all that?” He jested and Franky joined him in his laughter while Robin politely tried to hide her giggle behind her hand.

Nami reached out and pulled at Usopp’s ear. “You and you!” She hissed at Franky. “Perverts!”

“Aw! Thanks Nami-sis!” Franky’s grin was wide as he gave her a thumbs up.

“Hey ouch!” Usopp cried beside her, hand wrapping around her wrist to stop her from twisting his ear off. “Stop it!!!” He hollered. “Why am I the only getting assailed?”

Franky laughed at his expense.

“Shut it,” Nami snarled at him. “You’ll be getting your own due later.”

The shipwright grinned roguishly at her. “If Nami-sis. IF.”

“If what?!”

“If Zoro doesn’t lock you up in that room again like he did last night.”

“FRANKY!!!!” Nami’s scream can be heard within a one-mile radius from where they are.

Usopp‘s shoulders shook so hard from laughing too much.

“This is a whole new set of debts in my books you idiots!”

“Oi!”

“Franky,” Robin said. “That’s enough picking on Nami. She had been through… a really fierce battle.”

The mapmaker’s jaw dropped at that comment. “Not you too Robin!”

Franky shook his head while laughing. “You gotta admit, last night was gold. It’ll be a waste not make fun of it.”

"Tell that to Zoro," Nami challenged him. "I dare you two to tell and do that to Zoro."

“Are you kidding?” Franky stared at her in disbelief.

Usopp vehemently shook his head. "I refuse to die early! Thank you very much!"

“You are scared of Zoro more than of me huh, Usopp?” Nami grabbed the front of Usopp’s shirt, pulling his face near hers.

“Nami,” Usopp placed both of his hands on her shoulders. “Debts I can pay. But life? I only have one.”

“Girlie, you do realize what you are saying?” Franky raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t make that man the butt of jokes.”

“Except when it comes to his sense of direction,” Robin added her belis’ worth.

“Right,” Franky agreed. “Other than that, there are no other areas I want to tread. You do know how terrifying he is?”

“Especially when provoked.”

“Nico Robin’s supeeer right again,” Franky concurred. “I’m honestly surprised he did not unsheathed his swords yesterday and unleashed one of his attacks here.”

Usopp nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “I was half-afraid he would!”

“Only half?”

Nami rolled her eyes. “It’s not like he’s gonna slice and dice people all because I’m—”

“Flirting to steal?” Robin continued for her with a chuckle.

Nami pouted at her.

“Well he won’t ignore it all the time Nami. Just take yesterday for example.” Robin gave her a polite smile. “I just want to remind you of his tendencies to wreak havoc and cause destruction. Just don’t push him too much.”

“Wait,” Usopp moved back a little to stare at Nami. “Is this what you and Robin were talking about earlier? You ARE trying to make him jealous?”

“What? No!” Nami answered a bit defensively.

“That’s suuuper scary Nami-sis.” Franky frowned at that thought.

“I think she succeeded with no casualties.” Robin pointed out.

Usopp gawped at Nami with eyes wide. “Zoro is a monster once angered. And you want him jealous?” He asked incredulously. “What is wrong with you?” He glanced at Robin and Franky. “Did we tell her about Wano? We should tell her about Wano!”

“You already told me about Wano!”

“And you still want him jealous? Pissed off?  Enraged? Wrathful?” Usopp said in one breath. “Kami, I think I’m having a heart attack. Call Chopper!”

Nami lifted a fist and thumped the sniper at his head… hard.

“Look, we’ve already talked about this. I’m not gonna stop with what I’m doing just because we are together.” She explained, flicking her long hair behind her shoulder. “Now, if he has a problem with my stints then that’s his to deal with.”

The other three pirates exchanged glances. “Well,” Franky began. “You are lucky that Zoro’s not inclined to also flirt with other women to steal their purses.”

Robin laughed quietly at that.

“If that was the case, I’ll bet it’s you who will be having a hard time trying to rein in your jealousy.”

“Uh sorry,” Nami said smugly. “I’m not the jealous type.”

Both of Usopp’s eyebrows shot up at that. He doubts if that’s really the case knowing how greedy Nami can be.

“Oi!! Minna!!!”

They all turned their heads towards the direction of their captain’s voice. Luffy had just entered the pub with the other Straw Hats.

“Hi guys!” Luffy cheerfully greeted them as he bounded towards their table. He was grinning widely, even though his face and clothes were streaked with dirt. “You won’t believe what we have found!” He gushed excitedly. “Oh, hi Nami! I haven’t seen you… all day?”

Nami raised an eyebrow. “Kind of… yeah?”

“Where were you? Shishishi! And where’s Zoro? I also want to tell him what we found!”

“Upstairs? Asleep? Or lost. I’m not sure.”

Luffy tilted his head a little, studying Nami. “Are you two fighting? You sound so mad at him; you kept screaming his name last night.”

Nami turned to a fiery shade of red as the others who are in the know burst out laughing.

Zoro will get it later. She will fucking break all of his bones.

Chopper jumped on the bench next to Usopp and peered at the navigator. “Did Zoro do something to make you angry, Nami?” He innocently asked without any intention of prying in his friends’ lives. He didn’t hear them fighting last night, but he did wonder why Nami didn’t sleep in the room she was supposed to share with him and Robin.

“Because Zoro is an idiot.” Nami answered with a huff. “And you know how I always get mad and scream at idiots?”

“Uh-huh. I see.”

“Nami-swaaaan!”

There was a sound of running footsteps as they all flinched at the voice. Honestly, Sanji can really hit a high pitch whenever he’s calling out female names.

“Sanji-kun,” Nami smiled at their crew’s cook. She inhaled deeply and braced herself to the onslaught of questions that she knew would be coming.

Sanji skidded into a halt beside her. He immediately got down on one knee and grasped her hands. “Are you alright my love? I can hear you yelling last night! Did that stupid swordsman hurt you?"

"I'm ok Sanji-kun. Why is everyone suddenly asking about my well-being?”

Brook’s cool voice drifted from the other side of the table as he took a seat. “Might’ve something to do with what we heard last night… even if I have no ears to hear. Yohohoho!” Franky joined him in his laughter.

“Shut up you shitty skeleton!” Sanji roared at the musician. He turned to Nami again. “Are you ok Nami-san? Your face is so red! Hey Chopper! I think my angel is sick!” He yelled for the reindeer. “I knew it! That stupid marimo did something to you! I’m going to slaughter him like a pig.”

“He did not Sanji-kun, calm down!” She tried to pacify Sanji’s ranting while the others continued laughing; except for Chopper and Luffy who had no clue about what’s going on.

“But… but those were definitely cries of agony!” Sanji blubbered. In the background Usopp mouth the word ‘agony’ in a questioning manner as Franky and Brook laughed harder. “I was barely able to stop myself from kicking the door down and coming to your rescue and beating that second-rate swordsman’s ass!”

There was a choking sound coming from Usopp who was trying to bite back his laughter. He placed one hand on the chef’s shoulder and asked with faux innocence. “Uh… and see them going at it Sanji?”

“Eh?” Was all the blond could utter out, freezing as Usopp’s question began to sink in on him.

Franky and Brook were now laughing their asses off while Robin was giggling behind her hand. Luffy and Chopper where looking at each other still not fully comprehending what was happening.

Nami pulled her hands away from Sanji’s petrified grasp and grabbed Usopp’s neck, choking him. “You dolt! You just had to say that!”

“Arck! Can’t… breathe… Nami!”

“Aaah!” Chopper screamed when saw Usopp was turning blue. “Nami stop! Doctor! We need a doctor!”

Sanji suddenly stood up. His face had turned scarlet and seemed to darken to purple as seconds ticked by. Steam came out of his ears and he shouted. “Marimoooooooooooo!”

“What shitty cook?”

The commotion in their table immediately stopped at the sound of Zoro’s voice.

Sanji spun towards him and approached him with a growl. “YOU! Grrrrrrrrr…”

Zoro stared boredly at the blond cook. “Problem?”

“You! You! $#@#!!@#!!!”

“Tch. Use some damn words.” He walked past Sanji but not before deliberately bumping his shoulder.

“Oh hey Zorooo!” Luffy shouted, waving his hands. “Zoro!”

“Captain,” the swordsman greeted with a nod as Luffy ran towards him.

“You sure take the longest nap!” Luffy said with a pout. “We found something in the forest! I want to show it to you!”

Zoro nodded. “Just let me eat first Luffy.”

“Oh! Great idea!” Luffy’s face brightened at that and he turned towards Sanji. “Oi Sanji! I want meat!”

“Urusei shitty gomu!” The cook was practically rabid that Luffy took a step back, away from him. He was snarling and cursing.

“What’s with all the noise?” Zoro asked no one in particular, looking irritable. His gray eye flicked a glance at the table before reaching down and lifting the still squawking Chopper who was trying to make Nami release Usopp. “Stop that Chopper.”

“Zoro!!!” The reindeer cried out when he realized who was holding him. “Nami’s killing Usopp! Stop her!”

“Nami,” Zoro reached out and wrapped a hand around the navigator’s wrist. “Usopp’s probably dead now.”

“Zoro!” Chopper shouted horrified.

“You!” Nami pushed Usopp away and looked up at the idiot swordsman. “Why are you awake already?”

Zoro raised an eyebrow at her. “Bed’s a bit cold. Thought I should haul you up back there.”

Franky hooted and Brook slammed his hands on the table from laughing too hard. Even a choking sound akin to laughter was coming from Usopp.

Luffy made a face. “I don’t get it. What is happening? Why is everybody laughing?”

“It’s ok Luffy,” Robin said. “Don’t mind them.”

“I don’t get it too Luffy,” Chopper admitted, thoughtfully staring at his friends.

“Nevermind it Chopper,” Zoro said placing the reindeer down on an empty seat. He patted his head and moved to the vacant place beside Nami.

A growl came from behind him. Sanji has still yet to cool down. “Oi aho kenshin. What did you do to Nami-san? Huh?”

“Oi ahocook. None of your business.”

“Why you!!!”

“Are you seriously asking me what goes on behind closed doors?” Zoro inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Sanji’s lower lip trembled at that. The stupid moss-head had a really malicious grin on his face daring him to probe much more and he will get an answer.

Of course he doesn’t want to know! He knows but he doesn’t want to hear it! Argh!

Sanji let out a wild howl followed by the sound of explosion as he suddenly burst into angry flames.

“Aaah!” Chopper screamed again, jumping on top of the table. “Water we need water! Sanji’s burning!”

“Wait, wait!” Luffy yelled. “I think I saw a barrel near the entrance earlier.” Without another word, he bounded towards the entryway with Chopper in tow.

“Zoro!” Nami hissed, harshly pulling at his shirt. “Sit your ass down here.”

“Oi quit pulling woman,” Zoro complained, plopping down on the seat beside her. The others greeted him casually as if they weren’t making fun of last night’s occurrence.

“I’m not going to be the only one to suffer their teasing! This is all your FAULT!”

Nami’s eyes narrowed when a smirk appeared on Zoro’s face. He looked like he was about to say something…

“Do not say anything that would make me clobber you.” Nami threatened. She lowered her voice a little, grateful for the noise as the pub started to fill up with customers. “For someone who initially wants to keep our relationship quiet you sure don’t care if everyone here knows what’s going on!”

Zoro frowned. “I really don’t care if they know. As long as they don’t stick their noses in our business. Like ero-cook there.” He pointed with his thumb at the blond man behind them.

Sanji was still burning bright much to the amazement of everyone inside the tavern.

“If he keeps that up, we’ll be sweeping his ashes back to the Sunny.” Robin commented matter-of-factly while watching the cook.

“Robin!” Usopp gasped. “You and your morbid thoughts!”

The raven-haired beauty just shrugged.

“Good,” Zoro muttered. “Maybe we can throw his ashes overboard or something.” He turned towards Sanji. “Keep burning swirly. You’re doing a good job.”

He was answered with a string of expletives that would shame even the worst of the worst pirate in the New World.

Nami glowered at him.

“What?” Zoro scowled at her. “Is this still not settled? I already told you last night,” he dipped his head lower to whisper in her ear. “If that’s what it takes for everyone to understand that you are mine, then hell I don’t care if they all knew that I’m fuc—”

The navigator covered his mouth with her hand before he can finish what he was saying, making sure she was grasping his cheeks as firmly as she could with every strength she can muster. She can feel the corners of his lips twitched up beneath her palm. She stared at his lone grey eye, unexpectedly filled with amusement and she pouted.

“What a jealous brute.” She mocked him, retracting her hand away.

“Damn right.” Zoro sneered at her. “You want to pull one of your stealing stints here again?”

“Hmph.”

“Oi what’s with the whispering over there?” Usopp raised an eyebrow at them. A mischievous grin appeared on his face. “Go get a room you two!”

Nami glared daggers at him as loud laughs erupted from the table again. In the background Luffy and Chopper had successfully doused the cook with water, earning his ire as he started chasing them around the table.

Zoro merely snorted. “Tch. What should a man do to get some peace and quiet while drinking here?” He stood up and headed towards the bar, leaving the Mugiwara chaos behind.

“Aren’t you going to join Zoro-san, Nami-san?” Brook inquired.

Nami dismissed his question with a wave of her hand. “Zoro’s a big boy. He’ll be fine alone.”

“Uh-huh,” Franky nodded. “Had too much of each other?”

Usopp laughed and promptly shut his mouth when Nami looked at him menacingly.

“I wonder what you’ll do if some woman approaches Zoro while he is at the bar?” Robin suddenly murmured out loud with a thoughtful look on her face.

Nami raised an eyebrow at her. “Nothing? Zoro can handle it just fine.”

Usopp nodded. “Quite confident aren’t we?”

The navigator laughed. “Besides, who would dare approach him? Zoro can be scary. You said so yourself Usopp.”

“Well, Zoro has a scary face… when he is not in the mood.” The sniper agreed. “But only when he’s not in the mood.”

“But being the keyword,” Robin said with a smile. “Zoro is ruggedly handsome, I’m pretty sure a girl or two would have the guts to approach him.”

Usopp tilted his head a little and stared at Robin. She’s not doing what he thinks she’s doing, is she? He let his gaze travel back towards the orange-haired girl beside him. Nami was now frowning.

He gotta hand it to Robin. Talk about downright manipulation! This is a bit reminiscent of last night!

The scent of smoke wafted through the air as Sanji, now surprisingly dry and calm, approached the table with Luffy and Chopper, who were both sporting huge bumps on their heads. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Now sit yourselves down and do not move until the food is here on the table!”

“Hai…” The captain and the doctor intoned and obediently sat themselves on the available spots near Nami on the bench.

Sanji remained standing. “Where’s that baka marimo?”

“Bar. Drinking.” Franky answered.

“Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!” He suddenly chanted with a twirl. “Do you want something before we start dinner? Hors d’oeuvres? Aperitif? Anything?”

“I’ll have a refill of my coffee Sanji,” Robin requested.

“Orange juice please Sanji-kun,” Nami smiled sweetly at him.

“Coming mellorine!!!” The chef disappeared in a blink of an eye to cater to his two favorite ladies’ requests.

Usopp sighed. “So much for asking us if we also want something before dinner huh?”

Brook laughed softly. “Dream on Usopp-san. Dream on.”

The sniper laughed. He turned towards the bar to check on Zoro and stopped. He felt Franky nudged his feet under the table and they looked at each other. Stealthily, they stole a glance at Nami, who was now busy talking to Robin, then back at the swordsman.

They looked at each other again. This should be interesting.

Usopp sneakily motioned for him to be quiet. And the shipwright nodded. They both shifted their heads toward the bar and watched.

A rather pretty and busty woman with long, bluish-black hair had approached the swordsman and was engaged in a conversation with him. From their vantage point, they can see that the woman seems to be asking something and Zoro was nodding. Then the woman laughed, though a bit flirtily in Usopp’s opinion.

“Oh,” Brook suddenly said. “Looks like a beautiful woman is hitting on Zoro-san! Yohohoho!”

“What?!” Nami exclaimed. Usopp fought the urge to use kuro kabuto at the skeleton. Why can’t he keep that bony mouth of his shut?

“Aaah,” Brook hummed, calmly sipping his tea. “She’s just probably asking him something.”

Nami managed to throw a shoe at the stupid, old skeleton.

With a ‘hmph�� she settled back on her seat, folding her arms across her chest. She turned her attention back to the bar.

Heck, they all turned their attention towards the bar.

The woman had sidled closer to Zoro, her thighs nearly touching the green-haired man’s knee. She was saying something and it looks like Zoro was listening to her intently. The woman leaned towards the swordsman and placed a hand on his thigh, obviously showing him her generous... assets.

Beside Usopp, Nami bristled. The sniper’s eyes met the shipwright’s.

“Hmmm…” Robin murmured. “Safe to say she’s seducing him.” She looked at Nami and winked. “Oreja Fleur!”

“Robin!” Nami exclaimed.

“You don’t want to know what they are talking about?”

Nami inhaled sharply, gathering whatever pride was in her. “No.”

“Alright.”

Sanji appeared behind the navigator armed with the requested beverages. “Tch! Why is that marimo-head always attracting a beautiful woman?!” He grumbled disdainfully, placing the orange juice in front of Nami.

“I have no idea Sanji-kun.” Nami said through gritted teeth. “He’s not exactly the good-looking, approachable type.”

Usopp cleared his throat. “Talk about bad mouthing your boyfriend.”

“I beg to differ,” Brook interjected. “Zoro-san’s the kind that actually attracts women. Raw power and rock-solid muscles and…” he sighed.

“Alright! Enough!” Usopp stopped him, shivering. “That’s just creepy Brook!”

“Oh hey!” Luffy called out suddenly. “I think Zoro made a new friend! Let’s go meet her Chopper!”

“Yes!” Chopper agreed.

“Hold it aho captain,” Sanji hooked a finger behind Luffy’s shirt. “You too Chopper.”

“Why isn’t that moron pushing her away?” Nami growled. “See! This is how dense he is. He doesn’t know if a girl is outright flirting with him or seducing him!”

“Are you talking from experience?” Usopp queried.

“Shut it Usopp!”

“Oops another one who can’t keep her hands to herself!” Franky whistled as the woman reached out to play with the swordsman’s earrings.

“That idiot!” Nami snarled. 

“Thought you weren’t the jealous type girlie?” Franky raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m not!” Nami answered hotly. “But no one touches the earrings! No one!”

 Robin was trying to stifle her laugh.

“Nami, maybe she’s just asking him where he got it or something.” Usopp suggested, moving a lit-tle out of harm’s way.

Nami glowered at him. “Oh really Usopp? She can ask. Does she need to touch?”

This time even Luffy and Chopper was shuffling farther away from the orange-haired girl and closer to the cook.

“But Nami-san...”

“Shut up Sanji-kun!”

“Hey, who knows, maybe Zoro will be pickpocketing her also? That’s why he’s letting her slink closer. ” Franky queried in a jesting manner.

“Maybe he’ll do more than pick her pocket?” Brook said cheekily… even if he had no cheeks and was all bones.

Nami’s glare on them was icy enough to freeze the whole room. Her brown orbs shifted towards the bar again just in time to see the woman brazenly touch the pommel of Zoro’s red sword. She tapped a finger on it before completely wrapping her hand around the sword’s hilt.

“Oh?” Franky’s eyes widened.

“Oh?!” Usopp coughed at the display.

“Yohohoho! That was pretty suggestive…” Brook commented.

Nami slammed her hands down on the table. Her eyes were hidden underneath her orange bangs and she was emitting a rather strange and chilling aura.

Everyone saved for Robin backed away from the obviously enraged navigator.

“No one,” she whispered in a really cool and steady tone. Like the calm before the storm. “No one gets to touch the swords but me! No one!” She moved away from the table and marched towards where the idiot swordsman and that equally idiot woman are currently talking.

“Nami-san!” Sanji called out to stop her. But one look from Nami immediately made him shut his mouth.

“Oh shit,” Usopp was looking around his crewmates’ faces. ​It was just like last night. Only this time the tables have turned.

“And she said she’s not the jealous type huh?” Franky shook his head at the absurdity of it.

Nami confidently approached the bar with a flip of her orange locks, ignoring the looks and lewd eyes from the other pub patrons that followed her. It stopped once they saw that she was heading towards the green-haired man with three swords, who had a pretty woman cozying up to him… the lecherous gazes turning into curious stares.

The moment she was near enough, she suddenly closed her hand around the woman’s wrist with enough force to make her cry out. “Excuse me, do you mind?” Nami gave her one of her sassiest smiles, forcefully removing her grip from Zoro’s sword.

“Hey ouch!” The black-haired woman glared at her darkly. “Do YOU mind? I’m trying to—”

“I’ll ask nicely,” Nami cut her off, wedging herself between Zoro and the woman, forcing her to take a step back.  “Can please keep your hands to yourself?” She leaned against the bar counter, the smile never leaving her face. Nami silently gloated that the woman was a few inches shorter than her and that she can look at the bitch down her nose.

“Oi Nami,” Zoro began.

“Shut up,” she said through gritted teeth, still all smiles.

And Zoro promptly kept his trap shut at her tone. The whole bar seemed to fall into a hush as conversations dwindled and shouts turned to whispers.

The woman suddenly smirked, not the one to be deterred. She took a step forward and was face to face with Nami. “Why the hell would I do that when I have a finely toned man in front of me?”

The navigator sneered at that as one hand proceeded to pull out her Clima-tact. Zoro immediately noticed it and made a grab for her hand as stealthily as he could. They are not sure if this woman is alone or not. If Nami decides to fry her with thunderbolts, they might possibly engage in an unwanted scuffle.

“Because this finely toned man is mine!” Nami said with enough venom in her tone to kill a sea king. Her finger nails dug into Zoro’s skin painfully, and he fought the urge to wince. Nami is in a piss off mood and he can feel her clawing at his hand with enough force to draw blood. “Touch him again and I will rip you apart.”

The woman folded her arms across her chest. “I see no ring around his finger darling.” She smiled in an obnoxious manner. “And even if he did, that wouldn’t stop me from jumping him.” She reached out to touch Zoro but Nami’s hand closed around her wrist again, fast.

“I already said no touching.”

“And I’m not listening.”

There was a pause and the whole bar seemed to hold its breath, waiting…

Then everyone gasped in surprise when Nami’s other hand suddenly shot up and punched the living daylights out of the infuriating woman.

No one said a word for a minute as eyes widened and jaws dropped simultaneously. Everyone was looking at the woman who had toppled over one of the bar stools from the force of Nami’s fist.

“You bitch!” The woman managed to hiss as she woozily tried to stand, clutching her cheek.

Nami took a step closer to her and Zoro snapped to attention.

His arm snaked around the navigator’s slim waist stopping her from moving closer to the other female.

“Let me at her Zoro!” Nami’s voice cracked like a whip across the silent bar.

“Stop it Nami!”

The woman grab the edge of the bar counter to steady herself. The orange-haired girl can pack a punch despite her slim physique. She glared daggers at Nami.

Suddenly the whole bar erupted into cheers.

“Place your bets!!!” Usopp suddenly shouted on top of the hoots and roars. A choruses of ‘yeah’ filled the air.

“10,000 beli for that still woozy chick!”

“15,000 for that orange-haired gal!”

“Another 10,000 for—”

Robin giggled into her hand as all around her people chanted and shouted their bets. “Oh my!”

“Looks like Nami’s in for the kill,” Franky laughed as he watched the swordsman stepped between the two women to prevent them from attacking each other.

“U-weh!” Chopper had stars in his eyes. Nami was so cool!

“Nami-swaaaan!!!” Sanji was screaming himself hoarse. “Nami-swaan that was a lovely punch! I’m placing all my money on you my love!”

“Go Nami!!!” Luffy joined the cheers, pumping both fists into the air and accidentally knocking back a pirate who was passing by, drinking his rum.

“Hey! Why you…”

“Oops!”

“You little piece of shit!”

“Ah!”

“No captain don’t!!!” Somebody shouted from behind. Tables and chairs crashed as said captain tried to lunge at Luffy who promptly jumped at another table filled with drinking pirates.

“Oi!!!”

“Sumimasen!” The straw hat wearing captain apologized.

“Captain stop! That is straw hat Lu—”

“Let me at him!!!”

There was a crash as the captain’s subordinates doggy piled him to stop him from attacking Luffy.

Robin giggled again as she stood up, taking her coffee and book as she strolled away from their table. “This is so much better than last night.”

“I so agree Robin-san,” Brook nodded as he followed the archaeologist;s example, grabbing his teacup and sauntering away just as a brawny customer landed on their table, splitting it in half.

And just like that the whole pub erupted into chaos as pirate crews and random pub patrons brawled with each other; throwing tables, chairs, bottles and plates and anything they can get their hands on.

-------------------------

Zoro clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He managed to drag Nami away from the skirmish and the woman. They were now outside the inn watching the madness inside unfolding as Luffy’s laughter echoed all throughout the pub.

He turned to the still incensed navigator.

“Heh, got a taste of your own medicine?”

Nami's only response was a dirty look directed at him.

And he laughed. “Can’t say I’m not amused.” He reached out and ruffled her hair as she slapped his hand away. “No wonder you do it all the time.”

“Do it again and there’ll be hell to pay Zoro!”

“Hahaha!” He reached for her hand, the one she used to punch the annoying woman’s face. “Nice hit by the way.” He brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. Once the adrenaline passes Nami will be complaining endlessly about the pain in her hand.

He stared at her with a smirk. She was still scowling and fuming. It will take a lot to get her to stop sulking after this.

But it was probably worth it. Maybe this will taper down her flirting antics, if not put a stop to it.

He tugged at her hand, drawing her closer to him. He kissed her forehead, earning a small sigh from her. “Come on. Let’s just go back to the Sunny.”

“Wait. I’m still pissed off with all of these. That punch was not enough.”

“What are you planning?” He asked when she brought out her Clima-tact.

She gave him a mischievous smile.

“Zeus!”

[huntsman-ash]

RWBY: After The Fall Read and Comment (Literally the Rest of the Book, My God That Was Short)

(So yeah, I meant to do this more sequentially, but I finished the entire book about an hour ago...yeah, I read fast, especially when I dont have much else to do at the moment. So heres the rest of the jumbled random thoughts that I picked up while reading it)

People can have identical semblances if they aren’t genetically related. Carmine is telekinetic like Glydna is. 

On Carmine, as much as I hate to say it, the mention that she was from Atlas originally made me instantly think she would turn traitor, and surprise, she did. For once I’d like to see Atlas shown as something other than incompetent, bureaucratic, and evil. I know way too many real-life soldiers who are good people for this to be the entire thing. This is not the Imperial Guard people

On Carmine, you can tell its a young adult novel because team CFVY had at least four chances during their end of book fight with her to eliminate her, yet none of them took it. Admittedly, yes, they wanted her alive, but Yatsuhashi had a perfectly good opportunity to cut her hand or leg off and therefor make her effectively immobile. Also, Fox gets stabbed in the legs with Carmines sais and doesnt slow down. People on Remnant must heal stupidly fast. 

Coco gets eaten by a giant sandworm (wonder if they make Dust in the way the Dune worms make spice) and the inside is apperently soft and turgid. So thats my idea that Grimm dont have internal structure out the window. But maybe its only larger ones like Behemoths and Blind Worms. 

Two new interesting and possibly lethal semblances; emotional overdrive and semblance suppression. Unfortunately that latter one was given to the old guy and not someone who could use it to greater effect, but I suppose thats mostly balancing. 

SSSN shows up, meaning this book takes place after the end of Volume 6, by the time they’ve returned to Vacuo. So, by that logic, the time-gap between Vol 3 and Vol 7 is over a year. Solid proof for those confused.

More examples for the existence of Hunter-Killers; Carmine single-handedly fought off almost all of CFVY, this old dude, and her own partner. A rouge Huntsman is not an easily destroyed target. Overwhelming force is the only option. 

All of Team BRNZ is confirmed MIA. Roy Mustang is presumed KIA in a reference to a single shot during Vol 3 everyone but me seems to have forgotten. 

Neptune’s weapon is a railgun, except its spelled rail gun. How that works when Dust is a particle and not metallic is unknown to me. More than likely the author didn’t bother to figure out how railguns or magnetic acceleration works. 

Remnants gravity is the same as Earths as its terminal velocity is the same. 

Coco is claustrophobic. 

A Bullhead shows up and its mentioned its armed with...heavy artillery.  Yes. Thank you, E. C. Myers, I too know many other terms for LARGE GUN. How about telling us what it IS? 

Actually on that the almost textbook descriptions of some of the stuff in the book is both refreshing and frustrating. 

And we get a random plot hook that someone in Vacuo is kidnapping high-powered Semblance wielders. Which is both interesting and also kind of boring because it means that they will inevitably be pointless and uninterseting and NOT a new group that will make things more intense. I know it. I just known it. 

And...thats really it. Book wasnt long, not really a surprise, but worth the read. Dunno if I’ll pick it up again.