#she trusted her the same way she used to blindly trust joker

[dandelionandkrindle]

HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES 1x01 | 3x09

joker choosing batman over harley vs. ivy choosing harley over her utopia.

[savkhari]

Missing Piece

Chapter one: Despair.

Hello! First of all this is my first work in english, so there might be some errors and mispells so be patient while I get comfy. I will include art, minimum one artscene per chapter. Important note here, I am not an artist, I barely know how to draw and I use picrew me and a lot of references to do my art. This doesn't mean it's easier, I have to change a lot of things and edit them a lot. I will be switching povs between Shepard and Liara, but I think I'll be using mostly Shepard. In my mind, Shepard likes to joke around a lot and has a dark edge too, but she knows when to get serious and she cares a lot for her friends. In general, there will be a bit of humor here and there but also serious matters. Without further ado, enjoy my story. This story is on ao3 too.

Summary: The crucible is almost finished, but there's a missing piece! No one was expecting this, so the council sends Normandy's crew to find this artifact. The crew is surprised when instead of finding an object, they find a human! Shepard was Cerberu's prisioner for months and is finally rescued. But who is really Jane Shepard? Why was she on an abandoned Cerberus base? Will Liara find a way to earn her trust and her heart? Will they survive?

Log/Zhu’s Hope; 10:42 am/Alert: life signs detected; unstable weather.

Zhu’s Hope. A human colony supposedly deserted. Except it really wasn't, and there were no humans. Husks, creatures that once had dreams, hopes, families, were now simply echoes. Monstrous beings that sought only blood and destruction.

In the end that's all the reapers brought to this universe. When an Alliance admiral, Hackett he called himself, contacted me, I knew he was serious. Humans are not famous for working with other aliens, but they were desperate. We all are.

The Crucible, a large weapon supposedly capable of destroying the Reapers, was almost complete. Except for one piece. No one noticed this detail until the last instant. We call it a 'piece' because it's easier to refer to it that way. But it really could be anything. An energy beam, a base, a star, a sun... . The possibilities are endless, but our time is not. Everyone started blaming each other, until they decided to take action and contact the 'best in the galaxy' to carry out this seemingly impossible mission.

And here we were, five completely different individuals. We had known each other for a few weeks, but we were already forced to put our lives in each other's hands. This blind trust had created tensions. It's like walking down a dark hallway and jumping blindly to the void when you reach the end, waiting for someone to rescue you. We were all terrified. Some admitted it, some got angry and lashed out at everyone, and some said nothing. But that doesn't matter now, nothing matters. When an alien race that’s millenniums old threatens to destroy everything you know, you must bury the hatchet. It was easier said than done though.

Our mission on this planet is to retrieve this ‘mysterious artifact'. A few hours ago, on the ship, I found a radar signal on a planet that was supposed to be deserted; Feros. Everyone was hesitant at first, coming here was a big gamble. With enough conviction, I managed to persuade most of them and got our pilot, Joker, to land despite the weather conditions, which were not in our favor either. Doubts remained in the air, until after a few minutes of walking and killing husks that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a large base began to loom through the sandstorm. We all assumed it was the source of the signal, and the mutants.

I checked the omni-tool on my wrist to confirm that we were indeed in the right place. I shifted uncomfortably from the cold sweat running down my temple to the base of my neck and disappearing into my tight armor.

 

"I feared I was right, but at the same time I wasn’t. After so long being empty-handed, we finally found something. But... what does this entail?"

 

I turned to my companions. The same question plastered on their faces. Was this just another random base? There was no doubt that Cerberus had numerous hidden facilities on the various planets of the galaxy. And the husks only confirmed their presence.

"Well, we've come this far, I guess we have no choice but to go in there and destroy everything." Vega approached towards the door of the base while cracking his knuckles, until Tali stepped in his way.

 

"I think we'd better find a cliff and jump off; it'll be a more pleasant death" we couldn't make out Tali's facial features very well through her helmet, but we all caught a glimpse of her rolling her eyes.

 

"We can't leave empty-handed either. We've spent a lot of resources and time finding this planet." Garrus interjected. "But Tali is right, we can't go in blind. I can't use my sniper well in close quarters."

 

"Sorry, Mr. Perfect Aim, but you're not the only one capable here. Besides, you could use the stick up your ass-"

 

"Enough" Ashely separated the two men who had come face to face. "I don't care how fragile your macho pride is. I don't care what weapon you use to get in, but the point is, we're going to do it-" Vega's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to enter the base and cause the destruction he fantasized about "-stealthily."

 

The two deflated, still having things to say to each other. They pulled themselves together the next second, looking into each other's eyes in what seemed to be a silent agreement to continue this absurd conversation later.

 

"Aye Aye, captain" James gave Ashley a military salute.

 

"I'm not the boss this time, James." Ashley looked at me in disgust. Hackett and Anderson had agreed that I would be the leader of this mission, and she didn't take it well at all, used to always being the one running the operations.

 

"Do you really care about that? There are more important things than your pride, Ashley." The lieutenant tensed even more, pointing a finger at me.

 

"Watch your tone Liara, you don't even know me."

I bit my tongue to stop the potential argument. The soldier must have sensed it, as her shoulders slumped and she turned away from me, putting her professional mask back on.

 

The lieutenant sighed and looked at me tentatively "Are you sure this is it? We can't waste any more time."

 

"I'm sure, the scanners don't lie. We're lucky. The signal seems to be coming from one floor above. We won't have to go too far in, but we must be careful. That means no shotguns, grenades, c4, drones-" I started listing off with my fingers until Tali interrupted me.

"Liara! How can you exclude Chatika like that!" the quarian ran her fingers through her omni-tool and a small pink drone started floating in front of our faces.

 

"Chati... Tali, it makes too much noise." I tried to reason with her "It's just a drone."

 

Tali gasped dramatically and put a hand on her chest, turning towards the base and stomping the ground loudly "How dare you talk about Chatika vas Paus like that!"

 

"But it's just a drone... isn't it?" they all shook their heads no, following Tali.

 

"So much for being quiet" the soldier sighed again.

"Liara, I wish you luck fixing this problem." Garrus squeezed my shoulder lightly. "It's been a pleasure meeting you."

 

"But it's only a drone!" I said desperately, a little louder than I wanted to.

 

"Keep digging your grave, blue!" James laughed, followed by an 'Ouch' when Ashley punched his arm for being so outrageous.

 

This is going to be harder than I expected....

 

I thought resignedly, following my companions.

__________________________________

"So... instead of destroying a Cerberus base that's probably causing our main problem, we're going to kidnap this one..."

 

James gestured vaguely to the redhead who was looking at us curiously from the floor where she was sitting on.

We arrived at some sort of control room, probably designated for Cerberus higher-ups. Resistance was weak, surely all the husks had fled through a large hole we found in one of the walls, probably produced by one of the soldiers that tried to escape the base. Something definitely went wrong. But to our surprise, there was a cell and a person in the same room.

"That way we won't get her to cooperate! Keelah, some people, and even drones, have feelings!" - Tali scolded James and looked over her shoulder at me, turning her head with a small 'mmf' when she realized she caught my attention.

 

"Tali, I'm sorry! But it's still a drone. If you'd let me open it up, you could see that it's just a set of circuits and-"

 

This time Tali didn't make a sound. She turned to me with both hands on her chest and walked a few steps away from me, approaching the control panel and starting to hack it so she could open the cells door. "Don't talk to me or Chatika ever again!"

James let out a loud laugh as he slapped Garrus a little too hard on the back, causing him to lose his balance and almost fall flat on his face.

 

"Wow, you turians don't seem to have much balance. Seems normal to me, you're practically like a plucked chicken."

 

"Say that again asshole!" Garrus stood up quickly, invading Vega's personal space.

 

"That's enough you idiots, what do you think you're doing!" Ashley grabbed the two by the collars of their armor, trying to pull them apart as if they were two small children.

 

'Clank!'

I opened my mouth to try to stop the fight, but the bickering of my companions became a faint murmur in the back of my mind as the cell door opened, revealing the redhead much better.

Her intense green eyes suddenly met mine. I felt her gaze analyzing me up and down, not even trying to hide it. I couldn't help the faint blush that rose to my cheeks, even in this violent situation. As quickly as it started, it ended.

 

"You call your partner 'chicken' but you're the one with the Chicken Little hairstyle. Who cut your hair, a pyjak?"

 

We were all surprised by the sound of her voice, kind of low and husky, surely she hadn't spoken in a long time. Perhaps she hadn't been fed or given anything to drink either.

Garrus was the first to react to the absurd comment, letting out a big laugh. James released the turian from the collar of his armor and stalked angrily over to the cell, locking his eyes on the mysterious woman’s.

"You're in no position to joke, ketchup head! I could blow your head off with one move and we could get on with our mission."

 

"Uh-huh, I knew it. That hairstyle goes hand in hand with a lack of wit." - She grinned mischievously, spitting at Vega's feet.

 

"We need her alive." In one swift movement I grabbed James' arm, who was about to pull his gun out of the holster.

 

"We don't need another asshole on our ship!" he jerked his arm roughly to free himself from my grip.

 

"Be careful who you’re referring to!" Garrus protested.

"ENOUGH!" my voice echoed throughout the room. A pulse of biotics burst from my body, throwing a chair near me into the air and forcing Tali to duck to dodge it. Everyone froze, wide-eyed and gawking at me.

 

"James, you can't just blow everything in front of you out of the air, some missions require stealth! And stop provoking Garrus!" The turian started nodding his head, proud that I was defending him.

 

"And you!" he was surprised that I was suddenly addressing him. "Stop being offended by everything! When we were introduced, I thought you were the most capable of us, but it seems I was wrong!" I turned to Tali.

 

"I've worked most of my life with dead beings, studying their culture with almost no contact from anyone else! I'm sorry if I can't see your drone as anything more than... a drone!"

 

"And Ashley!" the lieutenant was surprised to get her turn, assuming she'd done nothing wrong. But all the times we'd fought over simply not accepting me being in command for once had worn me down quite a bit.

 

"I know you think you're the only one capable of being in charge, but you're not! You have to trust us more, we're a team, it doesn't matter who leads the mission, but that we come out victorious!" I lost my breath, my whole body shaking from the accumulated anger and frustration.

A few seconds of silence passed; everyone absorbing the information I had said. I thanked the goddess that none of them had the courage to argue with me, accepting my words with more maturity than they had shown these past few weeks. Still, I sensed it was going to be a long road.

 

"Well, that was hot." Again, the stranger interrupted everyone's thoughts. I blushed again at her boldness but recomposed myself swiftly.

 

"What's your name?" I approached her gently, though there was an edge to my voice from my recent outburst.

 

"And why should I tell you? I remind you that your friend almost killed me." She pointed her chin toward James, and I realized her hands were tied behind her back.

 

"We're all at our limit. There's a war going on and our planets are being destroyed, including Earth." I stopped James with one hand before he responded. He snorted but obeyed my command.

 

To our surprise, the redhead chuckled, completely disinterested in the information I had just given her. I was a little surprised, but quickly regained my composure. It was hard to read her.

"And what am I supposed to do- cry? Get angry?" throughout the conversation there was a dangerous smile plastered on her face, but suddenly she became serious. "This world- this universe, it's rotten. The sooner it ends, the better."

 

"We're offering you a fighting chance, so you can change it and survive-" Tali interjected.

 

"You are here because something has brought you to me." She cut the engineer off with a cold tone. I could feel Tali shift uncomfortably in her seat by the look she was giving her. "You're here for your own fucking self-interest, don't play hero on me. Who assures me you won't dissect me on your ship? No thanks, I'd rather die here." She turned her head, losing what little intrigue she felt towards us. We all flinched at her harsh words, but nobody dared to talk, too taken aback to handle this situation.

"You're right. We have been lured by a signal here; to you. And I wondered why a ‘human’ could emit a signal on a radar that supposedly detects electrical fields." This time I got close enough to touch her. I bent down and put my hand on her shoulder, noticing how she instantly tensed and snapped her head in my direction, looking surprised by my touch or words, I wasn’t sure. "Our intentions are good. I can't begin to imagine the nightmare you've been through here. Maybe you have something we're interested in, yes, I admit that. But we also want to save you. We all deserve a chance. This galaxy too, don't you think?"

 

Silence fell again in the room. I smiled softly, looking deep into her eyes. She looked like a fish out of water, until her expression hardened again. I thought I had failed, until her voice came one more time, very faintly.

 

"My name is Shepard." Her eyes moistened slightly, but her expression remained serious. "Jane Shepard." We all let out a small sigh of relief.

 

"Jane, we want to help you-" The question died in my mouth as Shepard nodded and began to stand up. We were surprised by her sudden cooperation. I mimicked her movement and was surprised when she fell forward, crushing her body into mine.

 

"Keelah!" Tali was at my side in a moment, putting a hand on my shoulder to steady me so I wouldn't fall to the ground with Shepard in my arms.

"She has a fever and is malnourished and dehydrated. Shepard, how long have you been here?" The orange light from Ashley's scanner briefly flashed across the redhead's body.

 

“I think… a few months? I can’t really remember.” Her breath was hot against my neck. I felt her weak muscles tense when she tried to stand again, failing miserably. "We have to get out of here, a patrol is on its way."

 

"And you're telling us now?!" James exclaimed and walked over to Shepard, surprised when he realized she was unconscious.

 

"Vega, Garrus, take the lead and eliminate any threats. Tali and Ashley with me, in case we get ambushed from behind." I adjusted my grip on Jane, grimacing as when I felt her ribs as I slipped my arm around her waist.

 

Everyone nodded and started moving. The guys took the lead, but Ashley put a hand on my shoulder before I could move forward. I looked at her with annoyance.

 

"I can carry her on my back, if you drag her that way you can damage her and it will only slow us down." She held up her hands in a sign of peace, showing she just wanted to help.

 

"Okay, thank you." I nodded regretfully. Shepard was slightly taller than me, and although her weight was worryingly light, it was a bit tricky to manage her body.

Ashley grabbed her in a swift movement, putting her on her back like a sack of potatoes and gripping her arms and legs so she wouldn't fall off her shoulders.

Once we were ready, we quickly headed out the door. Tali already had her drone ready, which flew over our heads. Ashley grabbed her handgun, unable to get a proper grip on her assault rifle.

James and Garrus were not far up ahead. I saw a pile of dead husks, smoke still billowing from their bodies. Seeing us, they waved at us, and we continued on our way to the ship, wary of our surroundings.

 

"There they are, kill them, but watch out for the Lazarus Project!"

 

"What do they mean by 'Project Lazarus'!" Garrus shouted so that his voice could be heard above the gunfire.

 

"Maybe you should stop and ask them!" James shouted back.

"Now is not the time!" Tali, Ashley and I screamed at the same time, fed up with their childish behavior.

 

Finally, the Cerberus squadron caught up with us, firing blindly in our direction.

 

"Good thing they want her alive!" James said, running towards us to cover our backs.

 

We started running as fast as we could. I could feel my leg muscles on fire, screaming from the extreme exertion. My companions were in a similar situation, grunting and maneuvering awkwardly to get some covering fire. Cerberus was on our heels, they had special helmets for sandstorms, while we were going blindly stumbling over corpses and rocks. At the last moment, just when we thought this was as far as our mission had gone, a cheerful voice rang out over our comm channel.

"Need me to save your asses again?" Joker laughed mischievously.

 

A combat shuttle appeared over our heads, firing at the enemy behind us and successfully annihilating them within seconds. I grimaced a bit, hearing the flesh explode and the screams of pain. We stopped running, all breathing heavily. We looked back to confirm they were dead, their lifeless corpses on the ground with a pool of blood around them. The shuttle landed next to us, kicking up more and more dust and dirt the closer it got to the ground. EDI stepped out the door, her expressionless face a relief to behold.

 

"Technically I saved their asses, Jeff." EDI scolded Joker, waving at us and gesturing for us to enter the shuttle.

 

“I love it when you are on charge.” Joker made kiss noises and we all cringed.

 

“Well, you are pretty useless since you sometimes ask me to wipe your-“

 

“EDI!” Joker shrieked, cutting the call abruptly and leaving EDI clueless of what she did wrong.

 

“I think I need a raise.” Garrus facepalmed and put his sniper rifle away.

 

“Oh, they pay you? Good to know because I think I will ask for both James and your paycheck since you like to act like children.” Tali told them off.

 

Garrus and James blushed slightly, the soldier quickly changing the subject.

 

"It was about time you got here, a little more and the Normandy would have been left with just the two of you." James said.

 

"We would have been able to handle them." Ashley shifted uncomfortably, adjusting Jane in her lap, and comically failing.

 

"Yeah, you still could have killed them by swinging Shepard's body violently. I would have at least freaked out." James scoffed at her as he realized her effort.

 

"Or I could have shot you in the leg, so you'd be bait, at least then you'd be useful for something." The lieutenant gave him a hard look as he looked away, suddenly finding the shuttle wall very interesting.

 

I put a hand on Ashley's shoulder, indicating her to let me carry Shepard since I had less heavy armor and it was going to be less awkward. She gently placed her in my lap, her head resting like dead weight on my shoulder. I secured my hands on her bony waist to keep her from flying off in the turbulence of flight. I touched her forehead and frowned. The fever was worse, we didn't have much time.

 

"EDI, tell Karin Chawkas to prepare the med bay, it's an emergency." My companions looked at me, a look of concern plastered on their faces.

 

“Of course.” EDI was still a bit taken aback for the sudden reaction of Joker a few minutes ago.

 

“EDI, he was just a bit… surprised. You don’t usually tell anyone about your private time in the bathroom.” I tried to soothe her worries, and my companions chuckled.

 

“I see. I will ask you further questions about this topic when we are secure if you don’t mind, doctor.”

 

“I-“ Her eyes began to glow, communicating with Karin at the ship and completely shutting my answer off. I noticed Garrus switching uncomfortably on his seat and looked at him, giving him a chance to speak his mind.

 

"Why would Cerberus do that to her? I hope when she recovers, she gives us answers." Garrus looked at Jane's face, as if by magic she was going to wake up and unveil all the doubts we had.

"They called her 'Project Lazarus' - do you think it has something to do with the piece we're missing?" Tali commented.

 

"Cerberus may create armies of the undead, but they don’t act without purpose. She may be the key, or she may be another mystery we don't have time to solve. We should communicate our discovery to Hackett. The council is still panicking and if we continue without answers, they will stop supplying us with resources." I replied.

 

“They panic over a fly but yeah, you are right.” James assured, laying his head on the shuttle wall, and closing his eyes.

 

The rest nodded, agreeing with me for the first time in a long time. A comfortable silence fell between us, only interrupted by the soft sound of the wind hitting the shuttle.

I looked out the window and saw the Normandy looming over the horizon with the door open, ready for our landing. I sighed and looked back at Jane, she was looking paler with each passing second.

 

"The sooner this rotten world is gone, the better."

 

Her words echoed in my head. A dark part of me agreed with her. Is a universe that is ruled by wars and death worth saving?

Only time will tell.

[thr-333]

Mismatch- Part 20

Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

The Batman hiding behind a corndog stall from a teenage girl: are you sure this is necessary? Twins: yes

First < Previous > Next

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They arrive at the fair without being followed by Harley, at least she hopes so. Bruce somehow being able to convince Marion to not eat before going on the rides. In return Marion takes them straight to the most intense ride they have.

“Oh darn Mari,” Marinette says being dragged in line, “I don’t think we can go on this one without our disguises falling off,”

“Don’t worry I’ve been on plenty of rides like this and my glasses have never fallen off,”

You have magic glasses you twat! Marinnette glares, getting only a grin, telling her Marion knows exactly what he is doing. She's about to say as much when she notices an unfortunately familiar pair of pigtails in the crowd.

“Mari-” She looks over to her grinning twin.

“You know Nette if you really don't want to go on you don't have to,” Marion teases, Harley Quinn getting way too close to escape.

“On second thought let's go,” Marinette pushes Marion towards the ride, ignoring Bruce's surprise and Marion's taunting.

They get pulled onto the ride, Marinette coming off ghostly pale. Thankfully no Harley Quinn in sight.

“Let’s go again,” Marion starts pushing Marinette back in line, too light headed to stop him.

“How about we try some of the food, instead,” Bruce offers, looking over at her with concern.

“Sure, we can go on the rides later then,” Marion calls cheerfully, skipping off to a cotton candy stand.

“I got played didn’t I?” Bruce asks, watching Marion join the line.

“Like a fiddle,” Marinette starts to get some of the color back in her cheeks, “Don’t worry happens to everyone,”

“Yeah, he’s like his Mom,” Bruce mutters under his breath, but she still hears, “I mean…”

“It’s alright,” Marinette shrugs, walking towards the stand “Cotton candy?”

“Do I have to eat it?” Bruce grimaces, following her.

“Marions going to find a way to make you try it one way or another,”

Marion somehow manages to convince them all to get cotton candy. Bruce being thoroughly confused by it.

“It’s easy, all you do is pull a piece off,” Marinette demonstrates pulling off a piece.

“Or you can just bite it,” Marion faceplants into it.

“And get it all over your face,” Marinette deadpans, sneaking some to Tikki.

“Exactly,” Marion grins, coming back up with pink sugar all over his face.

“And you’re sure I don’t need any utensils,” Bruce says, looking quite out of place with the oversized pink cloud.

“No!” They both shout.

‘Alright then,” He pulls off a piece, cringing as he eats it, “This is just sugar,”

“Precisely,” Marion grins, biting off a big chunk.

“You're going to make yourself sick,” Bruce looks like he’s about to yank it away from him.

“ Precisely ,” Marion says, muffled by the dissolving sugar, “We should try funnel cake next!”

“Dear god, he’s just like Dick,” Bruce frets, watching as Marion bounces to the stall.

“I’m willing to bet Mari’s worse,” She watches as he eyes up the powdered sugar, “he’s a bottomless pit,”

“I think you might me right,” Bruce winces as Marion receives an oversized funnel cake, “that's terrifying,”

“You should see him around cheese,” Marinette suggests innocently, “Especially camembert,”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,”

Please do

They follow Marion around the food stalls. Marinette is able to keep up by feeding most of her sweet treats to Tikki. Bruce is not so lucky. They come across a mirror maze Marinette points out to give Bruce a break.

“Ah yes the mirror maze the best place to make sure no one recognises you,” Marion recites theatrically.

“The reflections are distorted,” Bruce walks past a mirror making him comically short

“Yeah that guy looks kind of like the Joker,” Marinette looks over to where Marion is pointing.

“Ah Mari,” She hesitates looking over the group of clowns reflected in the mirror that should definitely not be holding guns, “I think that is him,”

“Not again,” Marion mutters, backing up.

She tries to form a plan, they have to make a break for it to change into costumes or people could get hurt. But how are they supposed to so that with Bruce hovering over them. He looks like he’s trying to find an escape route, they have to find a way to protect them and-

“Is that Harley Quinn?” Marion whispers.

Sure enough they watch a reflection of the group making out from the stretched image as Harley walks over to the group and hits the Joker right over the head with a mallet.

“We should leave,” Bruce whispers, herding them in the direction they came.

“Will she be alright?” Marinette asks, watching the fight through a different mirror and gunshots echo.

“Yeah I think she’ll be fine,” Bruce says, as Harley knocks the gunmen's weapons away while hyenas chase after them through the maze.

They exit the maze in record time, Bruce being able to lead them through it easily.

“Do you think we should tell someone?” Marinette asks, there doesn't seem to be any more people going into the maze, maybe it's a Gotham six sense.

“We should,” Bruce agrees, less than enthusiastically.

“Or, or,” Marion dances in front of them, “We could go play some games,”

“We were almost attacked by the Joker and you think that's a good use of time?” Marinette can tell Bruce is thinking the same.

“Exactly! We were almost, so it doesn't count now does it?” Marion doesn't wait for an answer as he rushes off further into the fair.

They have no choice but to sigh and follow after him. Well they do but that's beside the point.

“Oh how awful it is, to not get to partake in the joys of a rollercoaster, unlike yourself whom screams with delight and fear every time-” Marinette uses the water gun to spray in the clown's face, “Hey!”

Unfortunately the clown that is related to her, not the carnival game. Marion tries to grab the water gun and they start fighting over it. Somehow they still manage to get a high score, enough for the big prize. Whether it was her good luck or Marion's bad luck projecting onto the stall runner is unclear.

“Unbelievable,” Marinette sighs as they walk away from the stall.

“Sorry, Nette there's just no love for the bugs,” Marion grins, hugging the giant black cat to his chest.

“I will find a Ladybug, just watch me,” She promises, this was never a problem in Paris, they have tonnes of Ladybug plushies.

“Sure you will,” Marion hums, Bruce just looks amused at their antics.

“If not I’m sewing spots onto the cat,” Marinette threatens, walking between rows of stalls none having a Ladybug plush.

“Nooooo,” Marion cowers, hugging the cat close.

“I think I saw a Ladybug prize somewhere back there,” Bruce points in the opposite direction.

“Where?” Marion runs where Bruce is pointing, Cat raised above his head, “We must go to save Dough boy!”

“Dough boy?” Marinette jogs slightly to keep up.

“From your disproving tone I can tell you approve,” Marion turns on his heel walking backwards.

“You know I technically won that game,” She pokes the cat toy in the chest.

“Please you were losing without me,” Marion grins, people moving out of his way.

“No I wase- look out!” Marinette pushes them both into the gap between stalls.

“What’s wrong?” Bruce asks, on guard looking out for the Joker, Marinette can feel him scanning the area.

“The devil has arrived,” Marion whispers, noticing Lila, “Her dark shadow always follows us,”

“... Pardon?” Bruce relaxes taking it for a joke, which it is most certainly not,  Marinette tenses as Lila sends Kim right to the stall they are hiding behind.

“Girl at school we really don’t like, who really doesn't like us,” Marinette summarises, shallowling inhaling the smell of greasy batter.

“Which one?” Bruce analyses the group of teens near them.

“Sausage hair over there,” Marion nods to her, watching as Kim comes back with a corn dog, “Gasp, cannibalism!”

“Are you telling me Lila wouldn’t eat another human?” Marinette crouches down further keeping to the shadows.

“Are you telling me Lila is human?” Marion mutters back, both keeping their voices down.

“Good one,”

“Thanks,”

“Who’re we spy’n on?”

They all jump at the new voice. Marinette twisting to come nose to nose with Harley Quinn.

“De ja vu,”

“What?” Bruce turns to Marion.

“Nothing!” Marion very smoothly avoids eye contact.

“Spy’in on another date are we?” Harley asks, squeezing in next to the group.

“Another?” Bruce looks between them confused.

The twins frantically shake their heads behind Bruce's back. Harley makes a ‘o’ face and gives a nod.

“We’re spying on the devil,” Marion points at Lila, grateful she could at least serve as a distraction, “Bless whatever unfortunate soul has the displeasure of dating her,”

“Sounds to me like you have some strong opinions,” Bruce says, with slight disbelief, probably thinking they are overreacting.

“Trust me they’re founded,” Marinette whispers, cringing at the shrill laugh Lila gives.

Bruce gives her an expectant look and wedged together between a corn dog stall and who knows what else isn’t the best place to pick a fight.

“That’s a grade A psychopath right there,” Harley finally whispers to them.

“You can tell?” Marinette asks, ignoring Marion giving Bruce a smug look.

“Well from what I can see she’s a manipulative Liar-”

“To put it lightly, I don’t think she’s told the truth once in our years of knowing her,” Marion scowls, as Lila animatedly tells another tale, “Not even her name, don’t you think Lila and liar is a bit too convenient?”

“Anyway, she has pretty much all the class wrapped around her finger,” As if to prove her point Sabrina runs off to fetch her a drink, “Makes up rumours about anyone that doesn't follow her blindly and turns the rest against them,”

“I’m taking it you didn’t follow her blindly?” Bruce guesses, what on earth would give him that idea?

Harley seems to be studying Lila like she is a particularly interesting bug.

“Oh no we just love Lila so much we hide in joy every time she comes near,” Marion retreats further into the shadows, a hair away from actually hissing.

“You went toe to toe with scarecrow are you honestly telling me you're hiding from her,” Bruce studies Lila, as if looking for some sign of danger.

“If it helps she literally appeared in my fear toxin… illusions?” Marion looks for confirmation, Bruce giving a nod, Marinette shrugs he had already told her and didn’t feel like a stretch, “As the devil, soooo…”

“What did that meanie do to you!” Harley cries wrapping Marion in a hug, its alright Bruce only looks very concerned.

“Then I suggest we retreat rather than wait for them to leave,” Bruce offers, Marinette gives a nod but Harley has other plans.

“Not until I fuck that girl up!” Harley stands brandishing a mallet.

“Harley no!” Marinette hisses the three of them trying to pull her back out of the stalls.

“Let me go!” Harley struggles but not with any real strength, making sure not to hit them with the mallet, “She needs to pay,”

“Harley if we wanted her gone we could have done it already,” Marion placates, trying to push her away.

“You want her around?”  Harley stops in her tracks, tilting her head to look like a confused child.

“If we wanted her gone violently ,” Marinette specifies, guiding Harley out the alley.

“So you’ll accept a non violent way?” Bruce speaks up surprisingly.

“Yeah… I guess?” Marinette hesitates, Bruce and Harley share a glance then a nod, whatever just happened it might be better to remain ignorant.

“Well, glad we avoided that disaster,” Marion sighs, as he stretches out.

“What disaster, those outfits? Because you look utterly ridiculous,” They all turn to see Chloe scowling down at them.

That's right they said they would be with their aunt today and had turned down her invitation to the fair.

“Chloe! Hi great to see you,” Marion cringes, backing up under the blondes glare, “And everyone else, what a pleasant surprise,”

“Who were you hiding from?” Kagami asks, or rather demands staring suspiciously at Bruce. She gives a simple nod at the waving Harley.

“Would you believe Lila is here?” Marinette sighs, pointing back at the gap they escaped from.

“I suspected she was after Adrien threw up,” Chloe shrugs, Marinette's concern pushes into overdrive, overlooking Adrien for any signs of damage.

“I think that was more the rides combined with this food,” Kagami informs, looking down at a deep fried hotdog with disgust.

“Guys, please…”  Adrien blushes, glancing at her for some reason.

“Who is this?” Kagami demands, definitely demands this time.

“Harley Quinn-”

“Yes we know that,” Chloe huffs, cutting off Bruce.

“Oh.. um,” Marion exchanges a hesitant glance with both of them, “Bruce Wayne?"

“Right, and why is he here with you two?” Chloe doesn't look impressed at Marion's awkward chuckle.

“Um well… uh,” Marinette tries, glancing at Bruce who doesn't meet her look, “We just happened to be in the area?”

“Bzzt! Wrong! Try again,” Chloe makes and ‘x’ with her fingers.

“Publicity stunt?” Marion says, in the most unconvincing tone conceivable.

“Rion, if you were planning a publicity stunt there  would be confetti glitter and fireworks,”

Marinette tries not to laugh remembering a publicity stunt involving MCD that features exactly that.

“What do you want from me,” Marion whines, hiding behind his large plushie.

“The truth,” Kagami snaps, scowling.

“You don’t have to lie to us,” Adrien says gently, half reaching out to them.

“The truth is…” Marinette trails off, completely weak for the boy but it’s clear Bruce doesn't want them to know.

“... I am their biological Father,”

They all look at him in shock. Marinette’s is a happy shocked, but their friends...

“What?!”

“I knew it!” Harley cheers, jumping up and down.

“But you- there was- you said-” Kagami stutters, a rarity for her.

“You, me,” Chloe points at Marion then at herself, “Words, now ,”

“Someones in ~trouble~,” Marinette whispers over to him.

“You too Marinette Dupain Cheng,” Chloe points right in her face.

“Ohh full name,” Marion returns the favour, “It’s been awhile,”

“Careful Cheng Dupain,” Chloe glowers, Marion chuckles uncomfortably.

“I’m in danger,” Mario gets dragged to the side, Marinette following, leaving Bruce behind.

“You’re in trouble ,” Kagami scolds, as they stop out of earshot from Bruce and Harley who is buzzing around asking a million questions, “If you don’t explain right now,”

“You owe us an explanation,” Chloe lets go of Marion's arm, “You were in the hospital and we were all worried trying to control these rumors and now you tell us its the truth and I-”

“Chlo, I’m sorry Selina only just told us,” Marion cuts off her rant, bordering on tears, he adds, “In the hospital,”

“You’re Aunt told you, but how would she-” Adrien puzzles, realisation dawning, “ No ,”

“Yes?” Marinette backs up a step, everyone realising the same.

“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous,” Chloe stomps her foot, “How can someone do that?!”

“Chlo, we’re not mad,” Marion tries to placate, Chloe turning on him.

“Of course you're not!” She explodes, “You two are perfect and forgiving which is why I have to be mad for you,”

“I think it would be nicer if you weren't mad and just supportive,” Marion smiles, Chloe's anger crumbling around her.

“... but it’s so much easier to be mad,” She whines, “Can’t I be angrily supportive?”

“I feel like you're going to be anyway,” Marion grins, one of whom they both know Chole is powerless against.

“So what are you doing now?” Adrien asks, looking back at Bruce who is now arguing wiht Harley, or rather getting yelled at.

“Trying to figure things out I guess?” Marinette looks over to confirm with Marion, “Bruce wants us to be sure we want, this,”

She gestures around herself, not sure what she means either.

“Do you want it?” Kagami asks carefully.

“... We want to try,” Marion gets a nod from Marinette.

“Very well, I will make sure he is worthy of you,” Kagami stomps off towards Bruce.

“Kags, you really don’t have to do that!” Marion calls, chasing after her.

“And she’s gone,” Marinette sighs, turning to the others, both smiling, “Adrien, Chloe can you do something?”

“We sure can,” Chloe walks over next to Kagami who is chewing out Bruce with Harley, “So, what do you want with my friends?”

“Not what I meant!” Marinette yells, getting a pat on the shoulder from Adrien.

“Quite you, the adults are talking,” Chloe waves her off.

“I’m older than you!”

“You should know they already have amazing parents that you can't replace,” Adrein adds to the onslaught of demands from the girls, a lot less threatening.

“I know, I’m not trying to,” Bruce answers evenly, still looking concerned at their guard dog like friends.

“Very well, you should know they are both amazing, and if you show anything less than a hundred percent support I will slice you in half,” Kagami threatens, and if she had her sword she would be holding it to his throat.

“Kagami no,” Marion tries to calm her down.

“You’re right, I will make it far more painful,” She growls.

“~Nooo~,” Marion backs down, hugging the cat to his chest.

“That's right, and don’t you dare think that just because your a billionaire your money will cut it,” Chloe scoffs, “Trust me the twins aren't that superficial, in fact they aren't superficial at all, it's frustrating,”

“She said twins,” Marion whispers to her as the demands continue.

“Package deal,” She hisses back, Bruce looking more and more overwhelmed by the pushy teens.

“Good friends you got there,” Harley whispers, content to let the chew out Bruce.

“What were you yelling at him for?”

“Oh nothin, he said some crap about not wanting to put you in danger, so I calmly explained the psychology behind it,” She crosses her arms smugly, “I think I got through to him,”

“If you're worried you should know Mari- they are really strong and can protect themselves,” Adrein says, Bruce starts to agree but is cut off.

“Hey! You were going to say Marinette! Weren’t you?” Marion demands, distracting the three from their onslaught.

“Both your names start with Mari,” Kagami points out, turning to him.

“Are you so insecure you immediately thought he meant Marinette?” Chloe taunts, inspecting her nails.

“No-I,”

“Geeze Rion I know Marinette awesome but your, you know… ok,” Adrien joins her teasing, muttering, “I guess,”

“That’s it, I’m disowning every one of you,” Marion points at each of them before turning to Bruce, “By the way, these are my ex-friends we used to be quite close, then they made the decision to humiliate me and I cut them out of my life forever,”

“Don’t be like that Rion,” Chloe grins, leaning against him.

“Yeah just because Marinette probably won that prize,” Adrien takes his other side, poking at the cat.

“She did not!”

“I did,” Marinette grins, Marion rolls his eyes.

“It was a team effort,”

“Heavily leaning on Marinette,” Kagami adds.

“Alright, let's settle this,” Marion looks at Bruce, “Where did you see that Ladybug?”

“Follow me,” Bruce smiles minutely leading the way.

“Ohh, Ladybug, maybe I should get one,” Chloe gushes, as if she didn’t have a hundred Ladybug plushies already.

“Yeah I can win it for you,” Marinette smirks, flexing her muscles.

“That does it! I’m winning that prize and sewing on cat ears,” Marion pouts, getting cooed at as they point out Marinette is the better seamstress.

“So how’ve you two been doin?” Harley asks, walking in between Chloe and Kagami.

The two start blushing, spluttering denial; which does nothing to convince Harley, or anyone else for that matter. Bruce follows them through the fair on their search for the Ladybug. If Marinette saw him taking pictures as they fought to win the Ladybug first, she wasn't going to say anything.

---------

Hi sorry I missed a few days life got busy>-< Also sorry if I don’t respond to messages or likewise I’m still trying to figure out Tumblr I’ll get there eventually... hopefully.

Taglist:

@technicallyburninggarden @fusser90  @misslenamooney @superbwhispersconnoisseur @biodad-bruce-month @nalu-ismyjam @the-one-woman-army @rosesandsailboats @blackmagicforever @zeneralla @ivymala07 @tired-butterfly @tired-butterfly @Ranger-gothamite @A-star-with-a-human-name @enchanted-nerd

[shadowtarot]

Tii - Those laser gates from madarames palace and everyone has to slide under them but not everyone can so some awkward crawling ensues.

Thieves in Inaba Part 82

Footsteps of the user group echo through the mostly empty halls. Metallic clangs of Agis and Labrys’ feet mix in with the steps of the humans. The air had grown unnervingly tense since their take down of the Strega duo. Garbled muttering from shadows seemed to be much too far off to be a threat. 

But Ren is unfocused, as if a sound was constantly playing in his head. Shrugging it off upon realizing no one else was reacting, he chalks it up to stress. A faint humm sounds not to far away. 

“Yo, are those the trip lasers from Madarame’s?” Ryuji points out, causing the others to stop in their tracks. 

“This is familiar, yes.” Yusuke nods, looking closely at the device.”But why would this be here?”

“Well regardless, it’s blocking our way to the stairs.” Minato points out. “But we can’t see where the triggers are so we’ll be going in this blindly.”

“Not really, I can see them.” Ren smirks. “It’s…one of my own personal perks. Third Eye and all.” 

“What? So some of you wild cards have special skills that only you can do? Okay that’s so unfair…” Yosuke shake his head before refocusing. “Well regardless, we’ll need to follow your lead.”

Ren concentrates and nods. “Crawl, but keep as low to the ground as you can.” 

With that he and the Thieves go through easy. But the others are a bit wary. Koromaru goes in, crawling as low as a shiba could. But Labrys realizes she can’t crawl and have her axe with her at the same time. 

“Well great…how am I gonna get by? My axe is too big.” She shakes her head. 

“Just watch and learn.” Sho laughs, crawling with no trouble. 

Pretty soon everyone figures out a way, more or less… until only Yosuke remains. 

“Okay, if Teddie could get by I should have this easy!” He starts to go, only for Ren to hold up a hand.

“You’re close to triggering it Hanamura be careful and don-” But he suddenly pauses again. The sound in his head becomes just a bit louder…and it sounds like a church bell sounding off in a ominous manner. 

Yosuke looks worried by his sudden pause. “D-Did I set it off?!”

The Phantom shakes his head. “N-No…it’s just…my head…” 

Yosuke gets low and makes it across, going over to check him. “You don’t look so hot man…”

Akechi holds his head slightly, seemingly trying to keep his own pain hidden to save face. “Do any of you…hear that ringing at all?”

The group shakes their heads…except for Ren. 

“Just the two of us then…” 

Making it through the lasers, the group soon finds them selves at a stair well…with footsteps heard above. A whole group. 

But the ringing…Ren and Akechi can’t stop hearing it. And it’s now started to be heard by Yu and Minato as well. 

Sho being the only one out of the five to not be affected, looks at them with confusion. “You guys aren’t all wimping out right now are you?”

“Guys…stay on guard.” Yosuke states, drawing his kunai. “Our foe might be trying to pull something again…”

The Maze of the Holding Block

Ryoji calmly leads the captives through the maze, but as they walk his posture depicts reluctance and frustration. He’s got something on his mind, but doesn’t wish to speak it aloud. 

This doesn’t go unnoticed by Sojiro however. Despite still being wary of the young man, he felt he had to ask. So with a quiet nod, he decides to. “Say, everything alright kid? You’ve been a bit quiet for about twenty minutes now.”

“Me?” Ryoji asks, seemingly snapping out of his thoughts. “Yeah I’m fine, don’t worry. Just trying to stay on guard in case a shadow attacks us.”

“But they haven’t, not since you’ve been guiding us.” Hifumi points out, arms crossed. 

Ryoji is silent once again, which only creates more questions about him for the group as a whole.

The Fox sniffs Ryoji, growling slightly. 

“Not a very friendly Fox are you?” Ryoji states in a slightly glum yet hushed tone. “Believe me, I get why..”

Stair Well To Next Block

“Can you all describe what’s going on?!” Mitsuru asks, worry pouring into her voice like water. 

“It’s like…bells.” Yu states, trying his best to focus on the conversion despite the sound’s increasing volume in his and the other’s heads.

“It has the same feeling as….in the Castle.” Minato winces. “But is he trying to take control…or just madden us?”

“B-Both..I’d wager.” Akechi adds. “When you two stabbed us…it must have…passed on something to-” 

But his statement is cut short by Ren drawing his pistol on him. The air is suddenly cold, as it seems Ren subccomed to it first.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, the fortune teller checks Ren’s fate again and gasps. 

“The Chariot…he will take a risk…and it may prove bad..”

“Didn’t you mention him before? He’s connected to Ren right? What’ll happen?” Ohya looks worried. 

“He will take another shot…fired by his own friend.” 

Joker smirks, reading his gun. Ryuji moves to push Akechi out of the way. He wouldn’t do this normally, not to a person who’d killed so many. But he just felt he had to…no he must. His death means the real villain wins…

“Revenge is sweet.” The controlled Ren laughs. 

A gasp is heard from the teller. “The cards feel wrong suddenly!”

She re does the fortune. “It still feels off. Fool is here yes…but it feels like…there should be more…”

“Then he has like minded people among him.” An older man’s voice states, walking up to the do. 

“You’re Yoshida! But what is a politician doing out here?” Ohya asks, confuesed.

“Checking up on the people who are still out..” He nods. “Ren aided me as well. So I figured I’d help once more…by placing my trust that he will make it through this.” 

Yu and Minato try their hardest to fend off the frenzied Ren, blocking gunshots and knife swipes. 

“They’re fighting him and the control?! That’s gonna put a lot of strain on them!” Rise points out. “At that rate…they won’t be able to use their Persona.”

Sho nods, parrying attacks as Akechi too subcomes to the control. “I think that’s the point. They’re gonna brute force it.”

“It’s all they can do really..” Yosuke shakes his head. “Weaken Ren and Akechi! Toss as many debuffs as you can! Slow their impact.”

The training center feels heavy with the same air. Sae looks around. “I have a bad feeling suddenly…” She looks out a window to notice a faint glow from the tower. “That can’t be good…” 

“Snap out of it Ren!” Yu yells, trying to parry his strikes. “You know what’s going on!”

The fortune shifts again. 

“The fool…will be hurt.” 

“PARTNER!” Yosuke pushes Yu out of the way, taking the hit himself. 

“Yosuke! NGH! …no…you won’t win… I refuse!” Yu shakes off the pain in his head and goes to attack Ren. 

Yosuke holds his stomach. “Keep the debuffs going! It’s working!”

Sho and Akechi exchange strikes. “For a bird brain with a toy sword you sure have some skill, I’ll give you that. But I still call myself the better between us.”

“Don’t buff the wild cards.” Mitsuru states, drawing her evoker. “Should they fall under control it won’t be good.”

Minato nods. “Mitsuru, now would be a good time to try Mari Karin. It might shake off the control.” 

Ohya and Yoshida observe as the fortune is checked again very carefully. 

“The outcome keeps switching between positive and negative.”

“Yo! If they’re moving too much to get it off, I can try paralyzing them!” Ryuji suggests. 

“Are you sure? You’d be attacking Ren��” Futaba states, worried. 

“I know…but if it saves him in the end then I can deal with the guilt later.”

Kanji steps up and places a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. “Let me help then. We only have a slight chance of doing it right?” 

“Yeah. Let’s do it.” 

They stand shoulder to shoulder. 

“Seiten Taisei!”

“Takeji Zaiten!”  

[reversalsun]

If you do end up writing your own analysis please send it to me!! I would love to read it. I'm such a sucker for good analysis. ~AskPrinceAkechi

I’ll just go ahead and write some stuff out right here since that will be easiest!

I really enjoyed your analysis, you hit on some great points (and i might end up saying some of the same stuff, so sorry in advance!

Anyway, this is all about comparing Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena to Goro Akechi from Persona 5. The similarities are more numerous than many my think. I’ll also reference @ricebirdie​ ‘s analysis, which you can read here!

There will be major MAJOR spoilers for both stories, so the rest will be under the cut!(Seriously, these are huge spoilers for both stories and its really not worth it to read unless you’ve seen and understand everything. To all my friends currently playing p5/watching Utena, please dont do this to yourselves. I love you.)

There are a lot of surface level comparisons to be made about Akechi and Anthy, and even more once you start to peel back the layers of each character and their part in the story.

RiceBirdies said a lot already, but one major thing I want to address is the strange relationship both Akechi and Anthy have with their abusers. In both cases there is a very palpable disdain (Akechi’s is very much louder and more active), but there’s also another more esoteric sort of connection. I wouldn’t call it love, more like a self defeating codependency. Both harbor some dangerous positive feelings toward their abusers.

In Anthy’s case, we see this manifest mainly in her jealousy over Utena’s relationship with Akio. Despite everything, she still felt possessive over him. She still felt like Utena was intruding on their relationship, even though she knew how wrong that relationship was. I wouldn’t say Anthy loves Akio, but she did love Dios, and she loves the idea of Dios still, despite Akio’s only being a warped shadow of him.

Akechi suffers from something similar, but ultimately different in form. By the end of everything, he is quite vocal and clear about his hate for Shido. He’s blindly following his revenge scheme, without truly looking at himself or the situation. What becomes clear to the audience, though, is that he has an utter craving for praise and for being needed. Being useful is the best feeling in the world to Akechi. He tells himself that he takes joy in slowly enacting his revenge on Shido, and this is partially true. But there’s another part of him that is in utter delight at Shido placing trust in him. The praise may have been light, but it was still there, and Akechi was hanging on to that. This only becomes harsher upon realizing that Shido didn’t actually care about or trust Akechi at all, despite how the kid thrived on being such a vital part of his plans.

Neither of them are in denial that their situation and the things they are doing are wrong, yet they put up with it, each in part to strike back at their abuser. Akechi all but spells out how he plans to do this - When Shido reaches the peak of his power, he’s going to reveal his identity and make clear that he has the power to ruin everything and will gladly do so.

Anthy’s bits of malice towards Akio are much more subtext and easy to miss. Throughout the series, we see her strike him in tiny, passive aggressive ways. This ability to hit Akio’s weak spot, to know him well enough to know what will really hurt, is Anthy’s alone and she quietly revels in it. There’s a great essay that talks about this and a lot of other cases of Anthy showing her distaste for just about everyone in little, invisible ways here.

They’re both seething with range below layers of facades. Anthy only shows it in tiny bits, while Akechi has his breakdown all at once. Despite this, their emotions are extremely similar and each at their climax lashes out and betrays the one person who they’d ever truly bonded with.

Both scenes are extremely intense and focus on the final truth of the characters in question, though they differ in vital (and tragic) ways.

Anthy betrays Utena in the duel of revolution. Without warning she pierces Utena from behind with her own sword, leaving her to bleed out and giving her parting words: “Oh stubborn and reckless hero, you let me have a small taste of true friendship.” This is her confession, her blatant way of stating that she really did feel a bond with Utena, and that it made her happy. This is assumedly the first true friendship that Anthy has ever experienced. Soon after, the horrific punishment that Anthy has endured for centuries is revealed.

Akechi’s betrayal is less a single swift action and more its own ark. It begins with his attempt at assassination and ends with a final showdown in Shido’s balance. As he wildly spills his guts, the depth of his pain is revealed. After haphazardly attempting to take Joker’s life again, he’s defeated, and Morgana brings up the one thing that could hurt him most at the time - He didn’t hate Joker. His reaction is all the confirmation we need. Their bond is unorthodox but true. Unlike Adachi, the Justice arcana doesn’t break into something else. It stays until the end and soon maxes out, because even if Akechi did take every step to try to deceive Joker, his true feelings still got through. Joker, much like Utena to Anthy, is the first true bond he has ever experienced.

The ending Anthy receives is one full of hope and the final breaking of a cycle. Utena’s feelings reach Anthy, and the two meet as their true selves for a fleeting, beautiful moment before Utena sacrifices herself to pull Anthy from her coffin and allow her to escape.

Both scenes are tearjerkers, but Akechi’s is for different reasons. His end is one that is, fittingly, full of rebellion. By sacrificing himself to save Joker and the rest of the thieves, his confidant maxes with Joker. In a sense, this is Joker seeing a brief glimpse of the truest Akechi. Like Utena, in this scene he comes to fully understand Akechi, but he is not the one that determines the outcome. Akechi chooses the sacrifice himself - an act that not only defies Shido, but also defies the fate and role he was dealt by Yaldabaoth. Akechi leaves his coffin for only a brief moment to display a single act of heroic rebellion before meeting his end.

The scenes share so many elements that I could go on for much longer - Even the parallel of Akio/Cognitive Akechi as a symbol of the power held over them, and as the one spurring on their betrayal of their one true bond.

I may very well write more in the future if any of you want me too, but I’ve got chemistry lecture early tomorrow morning so I’ve gotta sleep! Thank you for reading and I’d love to hear any feedback or thoughts!

[thelastofthecrazypeople]

After having jumped directly from ME1 into ME2 I had some feels about my Shepard and Kaidan and I needed to put them somewhere, so here we are.

I’m gonna tag @pineapplemountain because they said they might want to read it. Everyone else is also invited to read it of course.

The truth is I'm too tired to play pretend

I never thought coming back to life would be like this. Then again, I never really thought about what being reborn might be like before now, you know.

On the other hand, I also didn’t picture dying like this. Floating out in space, the wreck of my ship – my home – in front of me, terrified and alone.

And then nothing for a long while.

Until I woke up – I woke up from death – terrified and disoriented, with strangers looming over me, just to be put back to sleep and woken up again with sirens blaring in my ears.

This part though, was the easiest of them all. Snapping back into action, arming myself and moving through a foreign base while taking out things out to harm me, was more a reflex than a conscious action, something I’d done so many times before that I clicked into it seamlessly.

It didn’t leave me time to think about, well anything, either. That would come later, after fighting through the shooting mechs and meeting Jacob and Miranda. After my first meeting with the Illusive Man.

The foolish thing was that for a moment - a brief second - when I stepped foot into the new Normandy and greeted Joker and hadn’t really had time to process anything; a small part of me thought, hoped that it could be like before.

I could gather my old crew together, as much of it as was still alive.

I could finally see Kaidan again. That thought - finding Kaidan, making sure he was alright with my own eyes - stole my breath for a tic and almost blinded me with want, before I could remind myself that more important things were at stake.

Duty comes first - the golden rule of any good soldier. The word of the Illusive Man that Kaidan - any of my crew really - was alive and well would have to be enough until I had taken care of some of the more imminently pressing matters.

Of course, hoping things would return to the way they were was a foolish thought to have. As much as I declined working for Cerberus, I was still to some extent a part of them. I still used their resources and their money and their people to further the mission. I still owed them my life.

And a big part of me knew that that was something Kaidan could never forgive. Not after what we’d seen them do. Not after what we’d fought against.

Settling into the Normandy was strange and uncomfortable.

I can’t count how many times I walked into Miranda’s office deep in thought and ready to sit down at my desk, before seeing her face and remembering that this wasn’t my office anymore. She took it gracefully, let me fumble through an excuse or a hastily thought of question before allowing me to excuse myself.

How often I almost reflexively walked to the space where Kaidan’s workstation used to be just to find myself faced with the kitchen and a puzzled cook.

It was disorienting in a way how the ship was familiar and just different enough to make me feel vertigo whenever I searched for the stairs up to the CIC, just to find myself facing the observation deck and remembering that the stairs are no longer part of this ship – were never part of this ship.

It’s the same with the crew in a way, people manning stations I expect somebody else to stand behind leaving me distracted and disoriented.

Of course I put effort into getting to know my new crew, I’m still the CO of this ship.

Their lives are still mine to protect.

It is still my duty to support them in any way I can.

And me knowing my team, knowing what makes them tick and where their strengths and weaknesses lie, what their hopes and dreams are is still the most integral part of securing the success of our mission.

Yet it still feels lonely sometimes - with things so achingly familiar and yet so foreign.

Then there’s Garrus. Where I spent two years healing, my body knitting itself back together, he had time to grieve and to try to cut out a new living for himself. He - like this ship - is the same and yet changed.

Of course he is; I wouldn’t blame him if I could and I hardly can. But his presence is a strange reminder of everything we were and everything we could have been. It feels like we are both walking wounded and neither really knows how to help the other but damn are we trying.

Things look up for a bit, we recruit talented new people and I can feel the crew - myself included - growing closer. I feel like I’m making progress.

I don’t stumble into Miranda’s office quite as often or startle the cook by searching for a workstation that has never been there. I use my cabin more, even if I still don’t like how it isolates me from the crew just by being too far out of the way of everyone else.

I can feel myself getting back into the rhythm of an active ship.

I can feel myself adjust to new routines.

And then Horizon happens.

The whole mission is a clusterfuck of immeasurable dimension and yet at the end of it, after living through it all, the biggest hit lands.

After every way I tried and failed to find him, Kaidan Alenko walks right up to me.

That hug was the best thing in a while, even sweaty and bloodstained and exhausted as I was after that battle.

Maybe especially after that battle.

But I let my guard down too soon. I should have known Kaidan wouldn’t take my alliance - however tentative - with Cerberus lightly. And I did know. The logical part of me knew all along that he wouldn’t be okay with it. Even if we saved him and as many colonists as we could - not enough by any margin.

Even if he still loved me.

But my heart - foolish as it was - yearned for him with a wordless hunger and it hoped without hope.

I wasn’t prepared for his words. I’m ashamed to admit that I took them badly, replied angrier than I wanted to instead of explaining calmly, trying to make him understand why I did what I did. Why I had to do what I had done. Why he could still trust me and believe that I was the same Shepard he knew before, not some cruel copy.

In the shuttle back to the Normandy, his words still reverberated through my brain. I was sure it would be the last thing I ever heard from Kaidan.

I spent hours that night tossing and turning, mourning something that had barely begun to be; a promise given before a suicidal mission, a light to cling to in dark times.

Our time together haunted me worse than before I’d seen him. Not just that night before Ilos; we had been friends long before starting to become something else. The silent conversations, knowing looks and easy silences left just as big a hole as the physicality of our night together. Maybe even a bigger hole.

Morning arrives too soon and not soon enough and I revel the fact that I have to get up and face the day as much as I curse it.

I’m well into my daily routine when Kelly Chambers notifies me of a received message. I get until the word “sorry” before I have to log out of the message and excuse myself from the CIC. I practically flee into the elevator and for once I’m actually grateful for the fact that my quarters are well away from everyone else.

The message is like a punch in the gut - even just those first few words: “Shepard, I’m sorry”

The fact that my crew doesn’t see me like this - ragged and barely keeping it together, blinking away tears - is a godsend right now.

They don’t deserve a commanding officer like that. They deserve a CO that is level-headed and calm not crumbling at the edges.

I make sure to seal my quarters after entering them – I don’t want any of them accidentally walking in on me like this.

I hesitate before walking to my desk and the private terminal set up on it, try to take steadying breaths, to steel myself for whatever else the message might entail.

Part of me wants to delete it unread and unseen, run from everything it could mean for me and him.

Part of me wants to desperately cling to every single thing still connecting me to the man I love.

In the end, I can’t quite bring myself to stay away, so I sit down and open the message to read what else Kaidan has to say:

“Shepard, I’m sorry for what I said back on Horizon. I spent two years pulling myself back together after you went down with the Normandy. It took me a long time to get over my guilt for surviving and move on. I’d finally let my friends talk me into going out for drinks with a doctor on the Citadel. Nothing serious, but trying to let myself have a life again, you know? Then I saw you, and everything pulled hard to port. You were standing in front of me, but you were with Cerberus. I guess I really don’t know who either of us is anymore. Do you even remember that night before Ilos? That night meant everything to me… maybe it meant as much to you. But a lot has changed in the last two years and I can’t just put that aside. But please be careful. I’ve watched too many people close to me die – on Eden Prime, on Virmire, on Horizon, on the Normandy. I couldn’t bear it if I lost you again. If you’re still the man I remember I know you’ll find a way to stop these Collector attacks. But Cerberus is too dangerous to be trusted. Watch yourself. When things settle down a little… maybe… I don’t know. Just take care. –Kaidan“

All the air in my lungs rushes out of me with that last line. It’s too vague and too full of maybes and just hopeful enough to hurt like a dagger buried between my ribs. My next inhale shudders through my lips and I can feel the tears I’ve been holding back dislodging without my permission.

For a while I stare at the screen blindly, still trying to comprehend what this means for me. What it means for us.

But answers aren’t forthcoming – the screen gives me nothing more than what I already know and so I turn away from it – my gaze gliding half-heartedly over the model ships over my desk, the armour locker next to my bed, before coming to a halt on the fish tank.

The deep blue of the water and the movements of the fish inside have always calmed me down, helped me ground myself and I hope they will do the same for me this time around as well.

I don’t know how long it has been since I fled the CIC, how long I’ve been staring at the fish – just that I’m not crying anymore and the dutiful part of my mind has been screaming at me to get up and go back to work for a while.

Usually I’m unable to turn that part of, ticking away inside of me, aware of every minute, every second and how I could make more of it.

Usually it’s one of my favourite parts of myself, constantly driving me to be better, to do more.

Usually I’m not drowning in my own feelings with a suicidal mission looming ahead.

Usually I’m not playing with the idea that dying for real might not be such a bad thing this time.

Now it’s just an empty howl in the back of my mind – overshadowed with by a lethargic detachment in the rest of my body.

It’s not until EDI chirps in her corner and informs me – with more tact and professionalism I’d expect from an AI – that my presence is required in the CIC, that I finally gather myself enough to get up.

“I’ll be down shortly” I reassure her, before turning to my bathroom to splash some water in my face. It’s bad enough that I just abandoned them in the middle of the day – my crew doesn’t have to know how emotional this whole thing has made me.

I take care to rinse my face thoroughly, hiding any evidence of ever having cried – carefully putting myself back together as I work with methodical, precise movements. Once the person staring back at me from the mirror looks suitably presentable - looks mostly like myself – I straighten out my uniform one last time before heading back to the bridge.

I still feel like there’s a hole in my stomach, threatening to swallow me whole – but right now is not the time to indulge in it.

My crew needs me.

And I will be there for them.

[kierantc-blog]

DC Comics Week in Review - July 5th 2017

I’m going to try something new, review the week as a whole as i do ramble when i do my normal review posts. So here we go....

Batman #26

Part 2 of Tom King’s “War Of Jokes And Riddles” gathers pace, with Bruce explaining how Joker took over the Falcone operation and how the newly scarred Riddler started recruiting meta-humans, starting with Poison Ivy.

The plotting of the story is quite nice, King builds the armies of both sides while Batman is on the sidelines not being able to do much but remember the names of the dead.

My only problem with this story is how The Riddler is being portrayed as a serial killer of sorts. Sure he’s killed before but now he’s carving his own body with a question mark and writing them in other people’s blood? Come on, this is a bit much.

Mikel Janin once again slays all dragons with his wonderful artwork, capturing the tone of the story and the body language apparent in each character. Tom King couldn’t ask for a better partner on this story.

Overall Rating - 8/10

Deathstroke #21

“Defiance” picks up where “The Lazarus Contract” left us, Slade Wilson had been exposed to the Speed Force and saw something that changed his mind about how he works. Now he’s going to become a hero in the new Defiance team, which is government funded and ran by his ex-wife but he picks the missions and the team.

Christopher Priest hasn’t abandoned the threads from his previous stories, in fact they remain quite strong in this issue. Slade’s son Joey AKA Jericho only joins the team to investigate the murder of his bride-to-be Etienne, and Wally West II only joins because the Teen Titans have kicked him out and he doesn’t trust Barry Allen anymore. Slade is still Slade though and manipulates events for the team’s first mission.

At its core this story sounds ridiculous but it fits so well with how Priest has been writing the Deathstroke series. It is must read material right now. The surprising re-appearance of Terra at the end sets up an intriguing story given her link to Deathstroke is quite a controversial one, but i can’t imagine Priest fumbling at this junction.

Overall Rating - 9/10

Green Arrow #26

The newest arc in Benjamin Percy’s series “Hard Travelling Hero” sees Oliver Queen take to the roads in an effort to find answers to stop the Ninth Circle from ruling over Star City and infecting the rest of the world with their corporate city structure. In this first issue, Ollie hasn’t even left the state yet when he comes across a strange phenomenon; animals with super speed. 

Enter The Flash! Barry is on the case himself, and it turns out that the Black Hole group from Joshua Williamson’s run on The Flash are being funded by the Ninth Circle into experimenting with Speed Force related things. The two heroes reluctantly team up and take them on. Eventually Barry realises that Oliver isn’t the same man he knew before and agrees to join him on his road trip when he learns that the Ninth Circle are targeting Washington D.C.

The great thing about this story from my perspective is that this isn’t some loved up team up that you would expect from the TV shows Arrow and The Flash, but there is actually a lot of animosity between the heroes. In the past, Oliver hasn’t exactly been the shining example of heroics and has fumbled with Justice League membership in the New 52, so it would make sense that they’re not exactly the best of buds. Percy overcomes that over the course of the issue and it feels like this arc might be one of redemption for Oliver in the eyes of the League as well as his own city.

Oh and Stephen Byrne is rocking it with the artwork. Kudos!

Overall Rating - 10/10

Justice League #24

This issue is a fill in issue, Bryan Hitch is busy working on his final Justice League arc and Dan Abnett takes the reigns for this issue by continuing his Aquaman story. This issue shows Mera trying to break into barrier that is covering Atlantis, desperate to get to Arthur, but not realising that she’s causing massive tsunamis up and down the coast. The Justice League is dispatched to stop the rising water and try to calm Mera.

This does not go well. Mera won’t stand down and in one of the most bad ass moments of DC Rebirth she takes down the Justice League on her own, using stories and conversations she had with Arthur about his team mates to her advantage. In the end the League manages to get through to her, but realising that sometimes Arthur is alienated from the group they make an effort to show Mera that he is one of them, and so is she, all she has to do is ask.

In terms of the Aquaman story, this issue leads us to believe that the League will be helping Tula and Mera to break the barrier but i also hope that this means the League is also expanding their membership a little too, because Mera on the Justice League just makes SO MUCH SENSE.

Also i think this issue acts as a sort of audition for Abnett to eventually take over from Hitch. He nails the team dynamic and the heart of the group quite well and he proves that he’s not afraid to team them up with other characters. I know he does both Titans and Aquaman, but personally i think he could drop Titans to Sam Humphries and do both Justice League and Aquaman.

Either way this was a solid issue, the only downside being that it felt rather short but it was a fill in so it does make sense.

Overall Rating - 8.5/10

Superman #26

Writer Michael Moreci and artist Scott Godlewski take the reigns for this issue of Superman while Tomasi and Gleason prepare for their next arc, and it’s a story that reflects on the theme of fathers and sons that Tomasi and Gleason have been using to drive this series.

The story starts with a flashback to Smallville and Clark being given the reigns of the Kent Farm by his father. The only rule is that he can’t use his powers, and this of course annoys Clark no end and he eventually rebels by harvesting the wheat field at super speed, and realising that afterwards he actually destroyed the crops by doing so.

Meanwhile in the present day, Clark and his son are fighting a horde of drones and Clark notices that Jon is ignoring his instructions and blindly causing destruction. Clark decides that in order to teach Jon a lesson, he will make him Superman for the day and that they will do things his way. When the drones return and things start to go wrong, both Clark and Jon realise that they’re going about things the wrong way. For Clark, he realises that the lessons he learnt from Pa Kent are not transferable to others, and like with the wheat field the learning process is something they have to go through together. For Jon, he realises that the recent battle with Manchester Black has had a real effect on him and he vows to do better by his father.

The father-son dynamics we see over the course of this issue make it a wonderful read and really tells us that Moreci gets what Jonathan Kent was all about. He was a man out of his element with a God-like child but it didn’t stop him from trying to raise him right, and i think we can all agree that he nailed it.

I also liked that Moreci takes a beat from Super Sons and shows Jon learning from Damian and having it actually take hold. I would like to see if the same is happening for Damian, is he learning from Jon at all? Maybe we’ll see that in Teen Titans or Super Sons.

Overall Rating - 8/10

Thanks for reading my shortened review post. I haven’t been posting more regularly these days due to family and work commitments but i’ll be back in the saddle more often soon enough.

[writing-royza]

Two Hundred and Sixteen - Reaching Voice/Unreachable With a Voice, 3.0

A/N: Happy Monday, folks. I’m sorry about yesterday; I’ve been battling a cold (much better now) while doing some serious deep-cleaning of my place, so I was pretty tired last night. Luckily, this story is worth the wait. :)

I do not own FMA.

Two Hundred and Sixteen - Reaching Voice/Unreachable With a Voice, 3.0

Havoc watched her walk into the office, her eyes on the floor and her brows set in a frown that said she was absorbed in her thoughts. Her uniform was clean and wrinkle-free, not a hair out of place, her boots shined subtly… but something about Riza Hawkeye was just wrong.

His eyes followed her as she crossed the room, pausing only to shrug out of her coat and hang it from the rack against the wall. As she opened her desk drawer to put her keys inside, he quietly cleared his throat. “Morning.”

When she looked up, he finally got it. The tip of her nose was reddened, more so than it would have been by the early autumn chill outside, those brown eyes looking almost guilty. She hesitated… then nodded acknowledgement, before dropping her eyes back to her desk.

Havoc checked to make sure the Colonel hadn’t come breezing through the door before he got up, moving across to her desk. “He’s not here yet,” he murmured, stopping beside her chair and bending to eyes level, his hands braced on the wooden surface. “It’s just you and me. What’s up?”

She regarded him a moment with that calculating look so common to firearms specialists — he should know, he did it too — before she gestured mutely to her throat. Havoc grimaced sympathetically. “Lost your voice again, huh?” A nod. “Chief isn’t going to like that you’re here. How long as this been going on?”

Hawkeye winced. “First noticed… three days ago.” What voice was left to her was less than a whisper, the sound forced and almost strangulated. “Was sore then, not so much now. Just gone.”

Blue eyes rolled. “Sheesh, Hawk, why are you even here?! The Colonel’s just going to send you home anyway, so —“

Her hand grasped his wrist, brown eyes glaringly hotly. “Don’t tell him,” she rasped, teeth gritted. “You’ll regret it.”

For a long moment, he was simply too scared of that stare, the deceptively delicate fingers wrapped around his arm in a grip like iron, to even consider moving. Finally, he cautiously pried himself free, easing back toward his own desk. “Okay, okay. My lips are sealed. But you know he’s going to figure it out sooner or later.”

Reaching for the folder for the morning reports, Hawkeye visibly let her anger subside. “Let me worry about that….”

———————-

She had managed to avoid him for the entire morning, leaving his usual coffee on his desk with a note that she would be in the Archives with a box of files that should have been delivered there two weeks ago. Riza had half-expected him to seek her out anyway, since they would be practically guaranteed to be alone among the near-endless shelves, and had been relieved when he didn’t.

Until, halfway through the lunch break, Fuery skidded to a stop from a dead run beside her table. The time in between then and now was something of a blur, but it was how she had found herself crouched behind the front end of a military police vehicle outside a downtown bank, her gun held in both hands.

A man stood in the doorway, partially obscured by the terrified and tear-streaked faces of two civilian women, a pistol held to his left side in plain view. “I will only speak to a State Alchemist!” he shouted, making himself heard over the running engines and murmuring of the gathered, onlooking crowd. “I only want to talk. No harm will come to any hostage, as long as my demands are met!”

From the next vehicle over, Roy glanced her way. Riza shook her head firmly. He couldn’t possibly think she would agree that it was a good idea for him to show himself! No matter what the man said, he couldn’t be trusted. Even at this distance, she could see that Roy had come to the same conclusion… but the grim, resigned look on his face added that he felt he didn’t have a choice.

He shot her an apologetic look before he lifted one hand into view, showing the white glove, the back of his hand and the red transmutation circle facing the bank’s front doors. “You’re in luck!” he yelled over the rumble of vehicle engines, the background noise of field radios. “There’s one right here!”

The man inside the bank hesitated, hardly daring to believe his luck. “…The Flame Alchemist?”

“That’s me.”

“…I don’t want to talk to you.” Riza heard the soft thump! as the back of Roy’s head hit the wheel well of his chosen barricade in exasperation. She fought down a tingle of humour as she saw those dark eyes roll in conjunction with his silent “are you kidding me?!”

“May I ask why?” he called instead, forcing the patient tone into his voice.

“Everyone knows that you use ranged combat,” the thief yelled back. “I’m not getting myself roasted because I was stupid enough to stand around talking to you! Get me someone else!”

“Look, if it’ll make you feel better….” Pulling the gloves off his hands, he held them up into view, then tossed them out onto the ground in front of the trucks. “There, see? Totally disarmed. I’m sorry — all the others were busy or out of the city. I’m who you’ve got, so you’d might as well deal.”

Looking across to her position, Roy made a circling motion with one finger, before pointing beside himself. A silent “get over here.”

“All right, fine,” the robber was saying. “But you need to have everyone else stand down; I don’t want to talk while there are a bunch of guns pointed at me. Human shields are only good for so much!” This drew a pair of distressed whimpers from the women, but he ignored them. “Either the rest of your soldiers stand down, or we’re done here!”

“Sure.” Lowering his voice to normal volume, he spoke to the nearest officer. “You heard him. Tell the men to drop out of sight, but keep their weapons ready to fire. Code word is ‘hailstorm.’ Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Riza worked her way from her original holding point back behind the barricades where she could move while hidden. She passed Havoc, who paused in double-checking the sights on his rifle. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he murmured. “Make sure you can see this guy; if he’s a few puppies short of a pet shop, there’s no telling what he might do.”

“Tell me about it,” she said, her voice even harder to hear with all the surrounding noise. “I’ll take care of it. Just make sure everyone stays out of sight.”

By the time she reached Roy’s side, the bank robber was listing his demands. “And since my application for a State alchemy license was rejected before they even looked at it, you’re going to make sure they grant it to me! I’ve got a lot of good research I can offer, but those idiots at the licensing office can’t seem to see that!”

“Half a million cenz and State license; that’s all he wants,” Roy muttered as she passed him his spare set of gloves. “This joker has no idea what kind of fire he’s playing with.” Raising his voice again, he turned his attention back to the bank. “Shouldn’t be too hard to make them see the error of their ways,” he commented. “One quick question, though… the half-million. Is that in addition to the research funds they would grant you, or do you intend that to be your research grant?”

The man was quiet, considering. Rising onto her knees, neck craned to bring her eyes just over the bottom of the vehicle windows, Riza froze, feeling her blood go cold. One hand left the grip of her gun, feeling blindly for a moment before it touched Roy’s shoulder. She shook it for his attention, pointing toward the bank as she heard his head turn. He rose up beside her, and went still just as quickly.

From this angle, unlike her previous position, she could still see the gun in the man’s right hand. But just out of sight behind the doorframe, visible from the new vantage point was a shaking, quietly crying child with the gun muzzle no more than a foot from her head.

“… All right. That tears it.” Pulling on his gloves with probably more force than necessary, Roy shifted to a crouch, ready to stand. “I’m going to move back behind the main barricades, but I’ll keep him talking. I’ll only have one shot, so I need a clear line of sight. Stay here.”

“The half-million is in addition to the research grants,” the man was saying, having taken a moment to decide. “But I’m still not leaving here without it or my license! You’re going to have to get it for me and bring it here.”

Roy gritted his teeth, his temper flaring visibly behind his eyes as he shot a glare full of hatred in the bank’s direction. It was the little girl, Riza knew. A little girl only a few years older than Elicia…. “Oh, I’ve got something for you, all right,” he muttered darkly. Then, louder, “You’ll have to tell me exactly what your research entails. I mean, I can hardly convince the licensing office to hand over a certification for something that they don’t know anything about.”

The man hesitated again. “Okay, that makes sense.”

Riza was ignoring what he said now; that look in Roy’s eye could mean nothing good. His anger was winning out again; he was giving in to that reckless streak. Reaching over as he shifted to turn away, she caught his forearm, squeezing once to get his attention back.

His head whipped back around, his frown puzzled. “Hawkeye, what? We can’t waste any —“

She shook her head, mouthing the words ‘bad idea.’

The frown deepened. “Hawkeye, he has a kid at gunpoint. If we wait much longer, he just might pull the trigger. And neither you nor I could live with ourselves if that happened, you know that as well as I do.”

Riza shook her head again, more firmly this time, then tapped one finger to her temple, urging him to just think. About what he was planning on doing, about what the man was doing, about what could happen if he missed by so much as a hair….

Irritation flashed across Roy’s expression, his voice dropping low enough for her ears only. “Riza, if you’ve got something to say, spit it out. We don’t have time for this.”

“Too dangerous,” she rasped, and had the strange satisfaction of seeing his eyebrows shoot upward in surprise. “Kid is the final bargaining chip. Not ready to use her yet. Still time.”

“What’s wrong with your —“ He shook his head, clearing the momentary shock. “Never mind. Riza, it doesn’t change the fact that that kid has a gun pointed at her, and if we don’t do something now, then —“

He never finished the sentence. Glancing quickly around to make sure they were still unobserved, Riza caught a fistful of his jacket and pulled him close, in the one gesture she knew would shut him up instantly, without fail. Her lips pressed hard against his.

When he pulled away, staring at her in disbelief, she knew she had finally broken through. “Think,” she said firmly. “Has to be another way. Force won’t work. Too dangerous.”

“What’s it going to be, Flame Alchemist?” the man called. “You’ve been quiet for too long; not a good sign when alchemists get quiet.”

Roy grimaced; he’d lost track of what the man was saying. “Sorry, just trying to remember where the nearest licensing office is,” he lied. He paused, his gaze straight ahead and far away… and then she saw the spark. That instant realization of an idea, of plan that was going to work. “Look, in the meantime, while I’m getting the license for you, I’m going to need a good faith gesture.”

He looked at her, though his words were still directed at the robber. “You’ve got a little girl there, just inside the door. Send her out, as a sign that you’re someone we can trust.” There was a pause, but the man said nothing. “State alchemists have to prove they can be trusted. They carry around some pretty heavy secrets.”

“…All right, but you’ve got one hour to bring me my license!”

Letting his shoulders relax in relief, Roy closed his eyes. Riza let herself lean against the body of the car. One down, several more to go….

———————-

It was nearing two in the morning before she was woken by weight descending on the other half of the bed. She turned over, smiling when she saw he hadn’t even bothered to change out of his uniform. His boots and black overcoat were gone, and his jacket was undone and open, but that was it.

“Hey.”

Roy opened one eye at the soft squeak of her voice, one corner of his mouth tugging upward into a tired smirk. “You sound ridiculous.”

“Don’t I know it. It’s better than it was, though.” Brown eyes studied him carefully. “How are you?”

“I’m great, I love midnight paperwork.” He settled deeper into the pillow, eye closing again. “Once we took him down, that’s all there was to it, was just getting him booked.`’

“You shouldn’t have sent me home once we had him,” she admonished gently. “I could have gotten through the paperwork in half the time and you know it.”

“And I also know that if you push yourself while you’re sick, you’ll end up being sick for longer.” His arm reached out to drape itself around her waist. “You should’ve told me, you know. Can’t help you if I don’t know.”

Smiling fondly as his words started to slur from drowsiness, Riza edged closer, returning this embrace as she tucked the top of her head underneath his chin. “Next time.”

His laugh was minimal, the barest stuttered exhale, and lasted only a second. “Liar.”

“Go to sleep.”