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blitzendoggo · 2 years ago

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Together Again

In Backspace, Emerald has set up a meeting that will make both groups happier because they have what the other needs. Emerald forgot to mention one key difference.

Callisto/Prophis (1195 words)

“It’s not exactly common for a Callisto-”

“I’d prefer if you stopped referring to me as ‘a Callisto’.”

“To arrive without his respective Prophis, if they were romantically involved that is.”

“What are you suggesting?” Callisto asks hotly, internally seething at the suggestion that he did not care for Prophis.

Emerald stops walking before slowly turning to the man. “I’m implying nothing, only stating that your group is stranger than we previously thought.”

“Where are you taking us again?” Glib asks before Callisto can lob a fireball at the shadowed man.

Emerald glances down at Glib before resuming his walk. “The group that arrived here before you was odd in a similar fashion. It is rare for those romantically involved to not appear together, no matter those in the relationship, and believe me,” Emerald casts a glance over their shoulder at the group trailing behind them, “I have seen some odd pairings.”

The party gives each other questioning looks, minds wandering to the worse outcomes of these romantic pairings before Emerald draws their attention back. “But it is not only the romantic loss that sets your group dynamic apart.” They stop in front of a bulkhead door and the raspy-voiced individual turns to them, an almost optimistic look on their dark face. “You are also missing a close friend.” Although none of the group says anything, the mood of the room dampens as they separately grieve S.G.

Without another word, Emerald slides a card across a scanner, a green light blinks rapidly, and the door opens as the sound of air decompressing echoes through the quiet corridor. The heavy door slowly opens, and Emerald steps through followed closely by Callisto, Glib, and Goodbid.

Standing in the middle of the room is a group of three people, two of which talk in hushed almost aggressive voices while the third stands to the side of one, face obscured but posture uncomfortable.

“I’m just saying, don’t get your hopes up,” the S.G. variant hisses. They look identical to their S.G. except for a jagged, lightning-strike-shaped scar that runs the length of their face, fanning over the majority of it. If the changeling had facial features, the scar would have horribly distorted them or made them unusable.

“And I’m saying that there is nothing wrong with a bit of optimism,” Prophis says. His hair is braided loosely and pulled to the side, strands of chaos magic glistening in the light. He is dressed identically to the other Prophis, but his eyes are tired, more so than their Prophis’.

“Um, guys?” the third figure speaks up, though his face is obstructed as he half hides behind Prophis, his nervous tone is clear. “They’re here.”

Callisto stands slack-jawed as the other two men step in around him. Emerald shuts the door and walks to the center of the room, allowing the two groups to stare at each other for a moment before he speaks, “Considering your backgrounds are extremely alike, with only a few notable differences,” he nods to the figure still hiding behind Prophis, “the council and I decided that it would be in both parties best interest to combine your groups.” He looks between them before nodding to himself, satisfied. “I’ll leave you to get orientated.” The room goes dark followed by heavy footsteps and the lights come back to an Emerald-less room.

A heavy silence permeates the room before Goodbid takes off his hat and steps forward. “Ain’t no reason to beat around the bush,” he says bluntly before his smile softens at the edges. “We know who you are, and you know who we are, but I gotta ask, who is that hidin’ behind ya?”

S.G. and Prophis give each other uncomfortable glances but the person behind Prophis slowly steps out. He is an air genasi with long white hair, tied back in a similar way that Prophis used to wear his hair. He is wearing a tight black long-sleeved shirt, simple black cargo pants, and work boots. Sticking out of random pockets are numerous tools and the genasi’s face is streaked with oil and soot, making it clear that he was working on a machine before coming to this meeting. On his back is a sword that strikes the party as familiar, but they can’t place where they’ve seen it before.

“Hi,” his voice shakes as he throws a glance at Prophis, making sure the man is still there before gaining more confidence and making eye contact with Callisto. “I’m Reylias, and I’m your son.”

The dark-haired man stares at Reylias, mouth agape before Glib starts laughing.

“God, I wish S.G. was here to see your face!” he gasps, doubling over as his entire body convulses.

“Why is that?” S.G. asks, voice clearly skeptical.

“Because when we met Reylias, S.G. gaslit him into thinking that his dad was Callisto!” Glib explains as he straightens back up. “He almost believed it too.” Goodbid and S.G. cackle as Callisto, Prophis, and Reylias still look at each other like anxious animals.

“Father was never fond of hugs,” Reylias says quietly, “but I had to watch him die without the chance to tell him goodbye.” He looks back to Prophis who nods encouragingly. “And I know that I am not your son, but.” he takes a deep breath and rushes out, “I was hoping to get a hug from you.”

Callisto stands stock still as the room waits for his reaction. Callisto suddenly surges forward and draws the genasi into a tight hug, burying one hand into his hair to pull his head down. Reylias collapses most of his body weight onto the smaller man as he wraps his arms tightly around him. Callisto rubs a soothing hand down the taller’s back as they both breathe raggedly.

Callisto laughs as he pulls Reylias’ face away and cradles it into his hands.

“We always wanted a child,” he says with more emotion than anyone -other than Prophis- has ever heard from him. He kisses Reylias’ temple as tears streak down his cheeks. “I’m glad I finally have one.” He releases the taller’s face and pulls him into his side as he turns his attention to Prophis who has begun to silently cry. “Come here, my dear.” He holds out a hand which Prophis takes. “There are many stories that need to be shared.” Callisto kisses Prophis -which Reylias jokingly gags at- before they devolve into giggles and tears.

S.G. sneaks past the family reunion and joins Glib and Goodbid whose jaws are sitting on the floor.

“That was weird, yes?” the changeling says in their heads to which the boys nod. “Do you want to go to the cafeteria and let them have their moment?”

Glib doesn’t respond, but Goodbid slowly turns his head and nods. They quietly sneak out the door as the happy family tells stories from their respective timelines.

“Happy Callisto is the weirdest thing I think I've ever seen,” Glib says once they’ve reached the hallway, “And I saw a Frankie Goodbid making out with a pastel-colored Zalkas while riding a black Warhorse Friday in the breakfast hall.”

#d&dorks #Symmetry: Backspace #Callisto #prophis #Callisto/Prophis #eldritch gays #glib #Mr. Goodbid #reylias #s.g. iguess #Emerald #they/them Emerald #fanfic #repost

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blitzendoggo · 2 years ago

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Organized Chaos

Minerva is sent to speak to Reylius. It goes better than expected.

Reylius/Minerva (1884 words)

~~~

Minerva is going to murder someone, and at this point, she does not care who.

The loud music, the flashing lights, and the drunk screaming people make her head hurt, but she is on a mission and she’ll be damned if she lets something as minor as a nightclub stand in her way.

“Minnie? That you?” A voice shouts over the loud music and the woman turns to see a familiar armored man weaving through the crowd, approaching her quickly.

“It’s Minerva, Captain Minerva to you,” she growls at him once he gets close.

“Potato, potato,” he dismisses, waving his hand before his voice takes a manic lilt. “What can I do you for? Finally realize that Chaos is superior?”

She glowers at him. “Of course not, you imbecile.”

“Merow,” Reylius teases, swiping his hand like a cat with its claws out.

“I’m here because the council has decided that Order and Chaos must work together on the latest development to ensure the least number of causalities, despite my numerous complaints that our factions do not play well together,” she explains bluntly.

“‘Latest Developments’ huh?” Reylius parrots. “And what would those be?”

She makes a pinched expression. “I would rather not discuss it in the middle of a Chaos nightclub.”

“Easy, Minnie-”

“Minvera,” she growls.

“-No one can hear you, the music’s too damn loud,” Reylius dismisses easily, not acknowledging the correction.

“Fine, but if word gets out about this, it will be your job to silence them,” the Captain states, leaving no room for argument.

“Fine by me,” Reylius sing-songs. “Now, what’s the issue?”

“Recent surveys of the rift to insure its stability have revealed something incredibly concerning. Residing under Riftreach is a colony of Mind Flayers. We believe they are responsible for the increases in disappearances from the lower levels.”

Reylius goes still. “What?”

“Mind Flayers. Under Riftreach. Kidnapping people,” she restates bluntly, practically growling out each word.

“Shit,” he murmurs, glancing around. “Do you want to talk it over in my office?”

Minerva takes a deep, steadying breath. “That would be helpful, yes,” she says with as neutral of an expression as she can manage.

Reylius nods and begins to move through the crowd, greeting some people as he passes.

“Rey! My man!” A drunkard says clapping the Chaos leader on the shoulder. “Got yourself a new girl I see!”

“I’m not-” Minerva begins to correct only for Reylius to talk over her.

“You know me, man! Got ‘em comin’ in droves!” he jokes, elbowing the guy before grabbing the Captain’s arm and pulling her along. Once they are away from him, Reylius mutters, “Sorry, I don’t normally do business during party hours, I had to lie before he got suspicious.”

Minerva sighs, deciding that he is probably telling her the truth. She has several questions, but she decides to first ask, “Party hours?”

Reylius nods. “Order’s sleeping hours are Chaos’ party hours,” he explains easily as he stops in front of a door and gestures her inside.

The room is suitably chaotic for the leader of the Chaos Faction. Papers are strewn everywhere, books are open or floating in random places and there is not a single space that does not have something on it. Despite the mess, it is far quieter once the door closes, so Minerva can manage this.

“Does Chaos never sleep then?” she asks as she walks to a desk and glances at the papers. At first, she believes them to be coded, but she quickly realizes that the handwriting is simply illegible.

“Sleep is for the weak,” Reylius dismisses as he sits in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk. “People sleep when they want, where they want, and with who they want.” He sends the Captain a wink which is received with a glare.

“This is precisely why Order is better,” Minerva says, crossing her arms across her chest.

Reylius mimics her movements. “I’d argue it's why Chaos is better.”

Her eye twitches but she takes a deep breath. “We are not here to argue about which side holds more power-”

“Because you know you’d lose,” the genasi says coyly.

“-We are here to discuss the best way to allocate our collective resources to dispose of the Mind Flayers that are under Riftreach,” she continues, not rising to his bait.

He tsks, removing his helmet, white hair pouring from it and cascading down his shoulders, and putting it down on top of several papers before sitting up. “Yeah, I guess.”

“The council has suggested that we combine our best fighters, debrief them on the situation, and send them in, us clearly in the lead,” Minerva explains as Reylius fiddles with his hair.

The Air Genasi laughs. “Are they fucking stupid?”

The captain raises an eyebrow at him, waiting on him to elaborate.

“They want the best of Chaos and Order to work together?” he reiterates. “I hate to break it to you, Minnie, but if they suggested that, and can’t see the flaw in it, then I think the Mind Flayers already got to them.”

Minerva sighs. “That was the exact reason I protested. I tried to explain to them that our forces have a long history of disagreeing, but they argued that the only way to drive out a full colony of Mind Flayers is with the full force of Symmetris, consequences be damned.”

“Do they not know that we will try to kill each other?” Reylius asks, leaning forward to put his elbows on his desk.

“They are too mentally deficient to understand that, yes,” Minerva says tightly.

Reylius barks out a laugh. “I guess that's Minerva for ‘the stupidest dumbassses you ever had the misfortune of talking to won’t listen to you when you tell them they are sending us on a suicide mission and not just because of the damn Mind Flayers?”

She smiles a little against her will. “Precisely.”

“God this is gonna be a damn trainwreck,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, what’s the plan?”

“The plan?” Minerva asks.

Reylius shrugs. “I don’t think you woulda came here if you didn’t have an idea of what we are gonna do down there.”

“As of right now, there is no plan. The council wants us both present before any plans are made,” she answers dismissively.

He huffs. “Yeah, okay.” He waves his hand as if dismissing the thought. “The council is being the council.” He leans forward. “What’s your plan?”

Minerva preens under the comment. “While I would like to say it wouldn’t involve the help of any Chaos Symmetris, that would not be true. We would send in a scouting legion of mostly neutral soldiers, and, using their reports we divide, the cavern into equal sections so our soldiers aren’t forced to fight with each other. Obviously, we will stay in the lead and keep them from murdering one another anyway.”

Reylius smiles at her. “See, that’s why you should be on the council and not those old coots who haven’t worked with the factions in centuries,” he says with a nod. “You would get so much shit done while walking them like dogs.”

“While the flattery is nice, I assure you that it is unnecessary,” she says quickly, fighting to keep a blush from creeping inexplicably across her dark skin.

Reylius instantly picks up on her shift. He perks up and adopts a teasing smile. “What? Don’t like genuine compliments and not just someone jockeying for good favor from you?” He rests his chin on his hand as he looks at her.

She glares at him. “What’s your game, Reylius?”

The air genasi shrugs, still looking at her with that irritatingly fond expression. “I have the leader of one of the most powerful organizations standing in my office, might as well shoot my shot,” he says with a grin.

“Shoot your shot?” she echoes, arching an unamused eyebrow.

“Yeah, ya know, proposing something like ‘how about after we defeat the Mind Flayers and prove the council right by watching our troops try to kill each other, we go and get a cup of coffee’ to the beautiful woman who’s looking at me like if she stares hard enough, I’ll catch on fire,” he explains to her.

For a reason unfathomable to her, she nods slowly with a sly grin and softening gaze. “And this beautiful woman,” she begins slowly, talking about herself in the third person an odd feeling. “Aren’t you supposed to hate her? You lead the opposite organization.”

“Oh, for sure. I’ll be surprised if she says ‘yes,’ but every shot not taken is a shot missed,” he says with a nod. “Do you think she’ll say ‘yes’?”

Minerva studies him for a moment, calculating and considering as she does. He seems to be genuine, and even though it should be an easy no, something in her wants to say yes. “How about you ask after we defeat these Mind Flayers,” she settles on eventually.

“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me,” Reylius says smugly.

“Correction, it's not a ‘no’,” she reiterates with a surprisingly fond shake of the head.

He hums as he stands up, walking around the desk, not pushing into her personal space, but standing closer than they were standing before. “How can I make that ‘maybe’ into a ‘yes’?” he asks.

She considers him for a moment before saying, “Tuesday, arrive at 8 o’clock sharp, dressed in a nice suit -any dark color will do, within reason of course- leave all weapons at home, oh, and flowers -white roses or lilies if you can find them- would be a nice touch.”

“And if I do that? What will you do?” he asks, taking a half step closer to her.

“I’ll wear a nice black and green dress, with my make-up done, I’ll make reservations at the nicest restaurant in Riftreach and get us the best seats,” she answers, stepping slightly closer to him.

Reylius grins and moves forward until their chest plates touch. “Sounds orderly,” he teases.

“As all things should be.” Minerva has no clue why she is playing his game and why she hasn’t left yet.

“You have yourself a date,” Reylius says before tacking on, “On one condition.”

Minerva raises an eyebrow at him. “And what would that be?”

“I’ll be on my best behavior, a good little order boy, only if for our next date you let loose and come party Chaos style,” he proposes.

The Captain studies him for a long moment before a small grin crosses her lips. “Deal.”

Reylius makes a surprised face. “Really?!” he asks, his excitement similar to a puppy’s.

“Yes, but first, the Mind Flayers,” Minerva reminds.

“Yeah, yeah, Mind Flayers,” he dismisses, grinning like a madman.

“Yes, Mind Flayers.” She watches him for a moment. “I need to return to the office,” she says, taking a half step back.

Reylius pouts. “Already?”

“Yes, I have to make reservations now alongside plans of Mind Flayer removal,” she explains. And then Minerva does the first chaotic thing she has done in a long time. She dips forward and kisses him before backing off, looking in amusement as his jaw drops. “See you then.”

“Yep, uh huh, see- see you then,” he sputters out with a lopsided smile.

#d&dorks #somehow this is straight #thank my brother for this #Captain Minerva #reylias #minerva/reylius

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