#someone needs to avoid stabbing at the daycare

[mo-mo-ru-art]

The talent to trigger the romance scenes in the worst possible condition Tav is

[neuvetoile]

Do You Think Something Would Really Happen?: OCD and Shame.

I remember sitting at the dinner table with my parents after coming home from school, pushing my food around with my fork. Steak, potatoes, and corn. It was late at night, my parents having picked me up from daycare after their 9-to-5s, and we sat in a collectively exhausted silence. Half of the table was taken up by mail, flyers, and my old homework sheets.

I analyzed my plate. My corn touched my steak, my steak touched my potatoes, and my potatoes touched my corn. As I’d start with the corn, I’d have to grimace as I came to the conclusion that whatever touched the steak and potatoes would need to be left on my plate. It was contaminated. I’d cut around the edge of the steak that touched my potatoes and corn, and ate around the mashed potatoes that also touched the steak and corn. 

My parents would raise their brows and dismiss the quirk until it became a constant habit of mine. Any food on my plate that touched was suddenly contaminated and therefore, inedible. They’d occasionally scold me for leaving so much food on my plate, not because I was full, but ‘because my food touched’. 

They would eventually learn that it was easier to divide the food so it didn’t touch in the first place, in which case I’d be able to clean my plate.

It eventually became a joke at the table.

“You know, it all touches in your stomach.” I’d nod, “It’s different on my plate.”

And, they’d laugh. My face would flush, and I’d very quickly learn to be ashamed of my little rules, despite the accommodations both me and my parents made to enforce them.

Underwear, and then socks. It was always the right sock. Then I could put my pants on, and then my shirt. Any other way was incorrect. I’d restart if I did it wrong, and everything had to feel right. I can’t wear those jeans because they don’t feel right. Not today, maybe tomorrow. I’d become ashamed of how long it would take me to get ready. When I went to a uniform school, it became much easier.

Forks all go in the dishwasher, facing the same direction. They can only take up two rows. All big spoons go together, and all little spoons go together, only taking up a row each. All of the bowls faced inward on the top rack … I think you get the idea.

My parents would tease me by putting a dish in the dishwasher improperly. I would feel violently ill as I was forced to fix it before turning the dishwasher on. I would get caught doing this, and my parents would let out a little laugh.

Someone at daycare named the dog on their DS game after a phallic body part. I felt like I was going to be ill. I had to tell the caregiver. I tattled. I felt even worse when she was punished for it. It was my fault. 

I had to punish myself too.

I never realized that all of these little events were textbook symptoms of OCD. Nobody in my life did. A lot of my compulsions were mental, and because of it, I thought everyone did them. I thought everyone felt a duty to report when someone broke the rules, because if they didn’t, something bad would happen to them. I thought everyone avoided the cracks in the sidewalk, just to make sure nothing bad would happen. I thought everyone put the knife in their hand back down until everyone left the kitchen to be sure they wouldn’t stab someone. 

Saying it out loud makes a lot of sense. However, the inherent shame that would follow my sudden realization that I had OCD was never something I expected. I had gotten through C-PTSD treatment easily, but the grip of embarrassment that coiled around my stomach, up my spine and around my mind would be unbearable from these new symptoms. The shame has done nothing but make my symptoms spike. As someone who has been mentally ill their whole life, I have never felt worse.

OCD is a disorder often attributed with two symptoms: obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behaviours. However, OCD is such a broad disorder that it’s impossible to truly understand its breadth through this two-symptom definition. Obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours can take on dozens, if not hundreds of different themes, and can be difficult to pinpoint without the appropriate knowledge and understanding.

And, there’s an inherent shame that comes associated with these obsessions and compulsions. An inherent knowledge that they’re foolish, unreasonable, and illogical. And yet, I lock the door anyway. I put the knife down anyway. I isolate myself anyway.

Nobody talks about the shame associated with OCD. There’s such a medicalized view of OCD, focused on treatment and eradication, that I find early on a distinct lack of care from medical professionals on the symptoms I experience. So easily do people brush off my distressing thoughts, ones that leave me isolated to my bed, ruminating about what I could have done better. And yet, reassurance is bad for OCD.

I was scared when I had to tell my doctor about my symptoms. I was more petrified to even tell my therapist who I had grown to. I remember trembling as I typed out the obsessions and compulsions I engaged in, once on notepad and again on my phone. I remember feeling violently ill as I convinced myself I was insane, that I was going to engage in these horrible acts. That I was a monster pretending to be a good person. They would lock me up when they heard all of the horrible things I had done in my head. I could never be the ‘good’ person I needed to be. That this wasn’t OCD; this was just me.

I remember getting a psychiatric appointment set up with my doctor as she seemed relatively unphased by my symptoms. The reassurance I so desperately craved, some sort of absurd reaction that embodied the illness and distress I felt, was nowhere to be found. I’m so desperate for the claws of adoration to tear deep into my skin, so deep that I bleed before I realize how much this love hurts. I needed her to cry for me. I needed more.

I needed more validation. I needed more love. Love so much it stings.

I remember having to find a new therapist, because I needed someone who knew about OCD. I remember thinking I found a good one, and I disclosed some of my more taboo symptoms. I was, instead, dismissed outright. I was told that I could be schizotypal. That I could have commanding hallucinations.

“You should tell the psychiatrist about your commanding hallucinations,” she said,

“they could get dangerous if you act on them.”

She spent so much time trying to understand and dissect these ‘commanding hallucinations’, trying to understand the ‘source’ of my intrusive thoughts, that she forgot I was a person. Maybe it was tied to my cat dying in grade 7, or the way I was raised as a kid. How did my dad treat me? When did I learn to speak? How was my birth? When did I learn to read? Did I grow up with friends?

She dug her claws of ‘care’ so deep into my body that I became nothing more than a cadaver in her eyes. I was in so much pain that I can’t remember the rest of that therapy session. I fauned. And yet, I still tried to convince myself that she was just caring for me. That, this was the affection I hungered, right?

Still, I know that everything is fine. That I am personally loved by so many people around me. I have a supportive partner who would do anything to make sure I’m okay. I have amazing friends by my side. I’m successful and beautiful and wonderful and optimistic.

Yet I still crave that violent, awful reassurance and care. There’s a shred of doubt that I could secretly be a murderer, a rapist, a liar. I have to make sure I’m not. I have to.

As I filled out the YBOCS with my new therapist, I made it to the last question. A question where the score didn’t matter. It wouldn’t impact what the clinical severity of my OCD was. I don’t really even know why it was there. It read: “Do you think something would really happen?”

No. But I ashamedly do the compulsions anyway. How am I supposed to feel loved without reassurance?

[pigeonwhumps]

Sarita and Oscar

Bug and Company masterlist

Taglist: @littlespacecastle @flowersarefreetherapy @whumplr-reader @whumpinggrounds @den-of-whump @painful-pooch @i-eat-worlds @a-funeral-romance @rainydaywhump

When Sarita doesn't venture out of her room for a while after arriving, Oscar goes to check on her.

988 words

CW: BBU, pet whump, lady whump, mentions of rape, past betrayal, fear of betrayal, past bad caretaker, mention of death

Someone knocks on Sarita's door.

"Come in," she snaps, scrambling out of her blanket cocoon and shoving her notebook and pencil under her mattress. She's not showing vulnerability to anyone.

She quite likes this room, much as she hates to admit it (it'll hurt all the more when it's ripped away). She has clothes and toiletries and a full rucksack. She hasn't looked in that properly yet but there's a simple phone with Alix and Maria's numbers on speed dial, and a note stuck to the top of the bag that reads in wonky letters, In case you decide to run.

She wishes they'd just betray her now.

A man she hasn't seen before comes inside. He has light brown skin and heart-shaped glasses, a light flannel falling off one shoulder. He walks with an awkward ease that's similar to Alix's.

"I'm Oscar, fae/faer. You're Sarita, right?" She nods. "Want me to leave the door open or..."

"You can shut it." Fae does so, and stays standing awkwardly. Well, fae can keep doing that if fae wants. "What the fuck do you want?"

"To see how you're doing. No-one's seen you since Alix showed you your room. I wanted to make sure you're okay, that you're in here because you want to be, not because think you have to."

Sarita shrugs. "Nobody wants me around, so I fucked off. I'm fine in here."

"I mean. If you're sure about it."

"I stabbed Alix."

"Nobody's perfect."

"Nobody likes me, fuck off with your bullshit."

Oscar sighs and leans back against the wall. "Has anyone told you how I joined pet lib?"

Probably some inspirational bullshit. Sarita snorts.

"Course not. I haven't spoken to anyone, remember?"

"True. Alix wouldn't share it." Fae shoves faer hands in fae's pockets, looking unaccountably apprehensive. What does fae have to be apprehensive about?

"I worked in a company that made pet accessories. Collars, beds, leashes, things like that. I don't think we made accessories designed to punish but... I turned a blind eye to a lot of things. Avoided the rest. So I don't actually know. I didn't want to listen to my instincts. It was a job, I needed the money and it paid well, and everyone needs work, right? It didn't mean my colleagues actively supported the pet industry. I didn't listen to their views. And then... then, we had a Bring Your Pet To Work Day." Fae pauses and swallows. Sarita balls her fists. No wonder no-one fucking mentioned it. "I had a friend, when I was a child. I knew him intimately. In every sense of the word. I knew him happy, sad, drunk as a skunk. I knew his eyes. And now... now I know what he looks like with cosmetic surgery and a designer collar." Fae's trembling now. "If I'd just... if I hadn't turned so much of a blind eye, if I'd taken a look in the pet daycare just once, if I'd just listened to his owner, then I don't know. Maybe I could've done something before he was brought in and my colleague boasted about how good he was, how much he... never mind. Just... it wasn't just that colleague who had a go." Fae sighs shakily. "I ran. Gave him my phone number in case of emergencies and resigned. He's never called. That's when I joined pet lib. Adalia still doesn't trust me, but some of the others do."

"Oh, fuck off," says Sarita half-heartedly. Not as pure inspirational bullshit as she thought then. "I stabbed Alix. It's not the same. Why the fuck would you tell me that?"

"Because you're still blaming yourself for stabbing Alix, even though you were panicking and betrayed at the time. And y'know. Some of us are worse. It doesn't mean you have to hide away. I want to make sure you're not doing it because Christians Against Pets guilted you and made you do it."

"Maybe I just don't want to know them. Other people who were treated like me but not quite. You have your only friend die in your arms and see how much you want to make more."

She didn't mean to say that. She's not sure why she did. She is insulted by the insinuation she'd actually listen to the fuckers who betrayed her though.

Oscar looks sad. "I'm sorry. You don't have to come down when we're around, anyway. I just thought I'd remind you it's an option. Your test came back clean, by the way. Also, we're doing a clothing order, and I want to know if there's anything you want."

"Get whatever the fuck you want, I don't care." There's a lump in Sarita's throat, and then she adds quietly, for no reason that she can decipher, "Hair ribbons. Red ones if they have them. Please."

It might come with a price. She doesn't care. She's never wanted much, but these she does. Her hair... doesn't feel right without them. Even though the person who gave her the original ones hurt and betrayed her she still doesn't feel right.

These will be a different colour. So they're not the original ones, and she's fine.

Besides, these ones will be hers. No-one else's. And at the very least they'll be from someone who hasn't assaulted or betrayed her.

Not yet, anyway.

"I'll see what we can do."

"Thank you."

[autisticandoddlyspecific]

It's 2:40am and I just imagined a bunch of shit about Sun and Moon in the world of fuckin Hazbin Hotel of all things, specifically to build up to the dumbass ship of DCA/Alastor. So yea here are my notes.

Sun suddenly wakes up in like an alleyway or something in hell. The sound of the city – including the anguished screams, drunk arguments, and the occasional distant gunshot or explosion – overwhelms him. Sun, dazed and confused, is probably harassed by somebody lying around in that same alleyway and quickly darts off to avoid further issue. He’s immediately horrified by the grimy and gore-stained state of the streets, and decides to just keep running. Still in shock, he notices a few posters scattered about on the ground. One’s a very worn and barely legible one drawn in what used to be a fun handmade drawing of the “Happy Hotel”. He figures based off the name and the art that it might be in a cleaner state than his current location. He finds his way to the hotel, noticing it’s new name, “Hazbin Hotel”. He wonders for a bit if they went under some kind of rebrand, and if this change means it isn’t the happy place he was hoping for, but he decides to knock anyway just to see. He’s greeted by Charlie, who welcomes him in. 

At some point, he gets a moment to sit down, and starts coming out of shock. Probably whilst talking with Charlie. He starts to break down, crying he doesn’t know where he is or how he got here. He learns he’s in hell fairly quickly, and is unsure as to why. Does that mean he has a soul? Upon being asked, he simply answers that he is not human, that he never was. Just created as a theater robot, then a daycare attendant, and suddenly he was here with no warning. Charlie takes compassion on him in his distressed state, and assures him that the hotel is safe, and he is welcome, soul or not. Based off what we see in the end of the first season of the show, Lucifer probably lives at least part time in the hotel to be part of his daughter’s life and all, so it could be this soon that Lucifer is prompted to take a look at Sun, revealing a sort of soul, not quite like the human souls or the smaller sparks of life in beings such as Razzle and Dazzle(r.i.p). Also it’s a sort of dual-soul thing going on where it’s like two cells not quite done with cytokinesis. Sun isn’t sure yet that he’s okay with people knowing about Moon, so he doesn't give that away. The exact moment is pretty flexible and I could also hc that Charlie possesses the same ability so it doesn’t really matter if Lucifer actually stays there lol.

Sun gets along with Charlie, and is given a room despite his insistence that he doesnt need to sleep. She’s all like “You still need a place to yourself to relax!” so he relents. He’s pretty amazed at having his own fully furnished room. Even in its best state, Sun and Moon’s room in the ‘plex was just storage basically. Boxes.

I also imagine that he’d clash a little with Niffty, as they both have their own ideas of how things should be done to keep an establishment in working order, and neither likes their work being interfered with. Sun is also both disturbed and disgruntled at the fact that Niffty hunts down bugs with needles, intending to stab them, rather than use anything like bug traps or poisons.

Even more, Sun’s put off by Alastor, as he literally cannot look at him with his robotic eyes without visual distortion and glitches. At some point he’s gonna ask if Alastor can make it stop and he will, but I don’t know how long that’d take.

Before long, some unexpected event occurs, and the lights go out. Until this, he’d never been in any area too dark. He’s in some room alone at this time, and someone hears odd noises or something and either checks on him or just runs into Moon. Moon is immediately ready to fuck shit up, and unable to think clearly. He causes some drama and mild property damage, but fails to seriously hurt anyone before being trapped by at least one of the powerful magic users in the building. Charlie probably summons a light source, which upon realizing Moon reacts negatively to, brightens it enough to bring Sun out. Sun is probably nearly inconsolable and at least half-expects to be thrown our or decommissioned for what just happened, and Charlie asserts she wouldn’t, immediately understanding that Sun is suffering and unable to control what happens when it's dark, and offers to help. During this conversation, Sun either intentionally or accidentally lets it slip that something is wrong with Moon, and that he isn’t supposed to be like this.

This is the latest possible moment the existence of some sort of soul-like essence in Sun and Moon can be discovered, as Charlie asks to see what’s inside them to make Moon act this way. Sun is hesitant, as it requires turning off the lights to get a good look, but is assured by those present that now that they’re not being caught off guard and already have their weapons/magic at the ready that they will be able to handle it. Sun also needs to be reminded that Charlie genuinely wants and likes to help people, and Sun is gonna be a little caught off guard by being indirectly referred to as a person. He probably hugs Charlie, and asks her to be careful. Moon is like a rabid animal, but ultimately helpless with Alastor there, keeping him in like a barrier or whatever. Charlie examines the infection on Moon’s half of the dual-soul thing, and Vaggie and Angel taunt Moon with anything that triggers more aggression to make the infection more apparent/distinct and easy to remove without collateral damage. Vaggie just points her spear more aggressively at Moon, awkwardly shouting that she’ll hurt him and other people, and Angel goes like “OoOoOh I have a gun! And drugs!” Which sets moon tf off. "And sex toys!" and Moon isn’t having it and does more rabid animatronic shit which is funny as hell tbh, and was the intended effect. Charlie starts separating the infection from Moon, causing him to screech, flail around like that slug that touched the salt in that one tiktok, and claw at his face before going still. His red eyes fade as he goes quiet, before his hands slowly twitch, and his eyes light up blue. 

Moon is free from the parasite in his head, and falls to his knees. As the magical barrier recedes, he has no idea what to feel. He also just isn't sure what’s going on because he hasn’t had much of a coherent thought of his own since arriving in hell, but he has the vaguest idea. Moon’s like “How could I ever repay you” And Charlie’s like “All you have to do here is try your best.” and I think now’s a good time for Moon to get his turn to cry into her shoulder.

Over the course of the first few weeks at the Hotel, Sun, and eventually Moon, realize they are doing things they never were built or programmed to do. They learn they can emote with their faces much more than they ever could’ve before. They can cry with tears. They can get sleepy, and sleep like human sleep. They can even eat and drink somehow.

The first few interactions with Alastor are brief, most likely, the few words they do exchange being somewhat frustrating. Alastor doesn’t have any interest in associating with Sun and Moon, mainly as an extension of the general distaste he has for modern technology, partly because Sun said some passive aggressive things about/to Niffty. But a few taunting words with a thin veil to sound like a mockery of encouraging words is totally on the table still. 

Yea idk im going to bed.

[hansolmates]

jjk; angel’s trumpet [03]

summary; one second, your life is flashing before your eyes and the next, you’re transported into a world exactly like your own. but the jungkook you meet in this world isn’t a renowned singer or your former almost-lover, in fact he has no clue who you are and why you know him so well. as you work to find your way home lost and confused, you conclude that you’re either dead or in the middle of the most wicked drug trip of your life. pairing; idol!jk x reader (f), alternatively film producer!jk x reader genre/warnings; fluff, angst, supernatural, idol!au, non-idol!au, alternate universes, themes of fate, language, alcohol consumption, mentions of smut in future chapters w.c; 5k a/n; we’re finally getting into some traction with the main plot! who are we liking more so far, w1!jk or w2!jk?? 

[02] [03] [04]-> masterpost

Instead of going to the doctor, you take a trip to the library. If Namjoon thinks your ideas are  supernatural, you’re going to find someone who believes in the supernatural. 

He calls you in the morning just to make sure you’re going to his recommended doctor.  You fabricate a lie that the doctor friend he recommended is busy so you’re going to go find another one in the meantime. Just in case Namjoon decides to ask said doctor about your current mental and physical state, you want to make sure you cover your tracks. As much as you want to give it another go and help Namjoon understand your precarious situation, you weren’t up for another possibility of rejection. 

You wanted to avoid Namjoon’s rejection so much that you’d rather turn to unconventional alternatives to finding your answer. 

Unfortunately, Tony Stark and Steven Strange do not exist in this universe, and therefore you need to turn to more practical measures. 

Seoul University has a zillion libraries, and you decide to go to the general library in the hopes you’ll find something in the subject of world-hopping. Unfortunately you haven’t been in a huge library since you were a senior in college, and the smell of paper, sad students and ink all but overwhelms you. 

You’re about to start wandering when a young voice snatches your attention. “Miss,” you feel a tug at your belt loop, and you notice a little boy looking up at you with a pout. “I lost my way after using the bathroom and I can’t find the daycare.”

A little part of you wonders who on earth could’ve let a boy no older than five out of their sights, especially in such a spacious building. Alas, you smile and offer him your hand, suggesting that the two of you look for a map. 

“Well it’s a good thing we found each other!” you say brightly, encouraging the kid to follow you to the kiosk, “I was just about to look for a map because I’m a little lost too, we can read it together.” 

The boy tells you his name is Bogum, and you respond with yours and explain that it’s okay to get lost, especially when this library is so big. He listens to you with rapt attention, wide eyes as you spell out the words “daycare” using the little paper map you brought with you from the lobby. 

Bogum and you stop in front of a plain room with a cheap powder blue baby gate, deep in the children’s section of the library. It’s there that you spot five or so children huddled over the flatscreen television, ‘oh’ and ‘ah’-ing over whatever film’s prattling on. You’re not surprised that Frozen 2 remains a sensation in both worlds. 

Bogum opens the door first, and you make eye contact with the only adult in the room. He’s lean and friendly-looking, holding a child in their lap as they sing along to “Into the Unknown”. Your heart is caught in your throat, begging to be released as your eyes widen in surprise. 

“Hobi!” you blurt instinctively, but you immediately clamp your mouth upon realizing. You really need to get used to this, but honestly how can anyone get used to this kind of situation? Hoseok will definitely be the fourth person you’ve alarmed in the past five days. 

Hoseok’s jaw drops slightly, head tilted as the rest of the mini-crew train their eyes on you. You shrink in the presence of children, knowing from experience nothing gets by them. 

“Is that your girlfriend, Hobi-ah?”

“Do you know her, Mr. Hoseok?” 

“She looks scared, what did you do?” 

The affronted man presses his lips in a thin line, “Dunno,” he answers vaguely. He seems unperturbed, hands settling in his traffic cone orange sweatpants. He gestures to the snacks in the middle of the room, releasing the children’s inner fire for food, “but it’s fruit snack time! Go ahead and grab your water from the cubbies, you can eat while you watch.” 

The babies cheer, and you smile fondly as the kids rip open their packets and giggle over Olaf. You wish you could go back to simpler times. 

“So,” Hoseok stands up, and gestures for you to sit at the small kids table in the back, “Do I know you? I don’t know if I know you, but I feel like I know you. Because you know me.” 

Deciding you need to sit down for his bombardment you squeeze your legs into the worn Fisher-Price desk, running your nails over the crayon stains and pencil shavings. “Uh, no?” 

“Did we have a class together? Hook-up? Friend’s hook-up that I tried to coerce into a threesome?” 

“Ohmygod, there are children here!” you hiss, but Hoseok just smiles plainly, offering you a bag of fruit snacks that he snagged before the children emptied his bowl. You accept the gesture, unable to make eye contact. 

Seeing the members out of their clan of seven is still jarring to you. You can’t imagine a world without the seven of them together. Like they always say, Bangtan is fate. 

“I just wanted to return Bogum,” you say, crinkling the foil bag in your grasp, “and I’m actually looking for a professor who has her office hours here. I have uh, questions on my thesis on alternate universes.” 

“Ah, are you referring to Professor Song?” you nod, “she cancelled her office hours for today, if you bothered to email her. And anyways, she doesn’t take kindly to questions on supernatural phenomena. Not since her latest book on paranormal channeling tanked.”

Your face visibly falls, dejected. You probably should’ve tried to schedule an appointment. “O-oh.” 

“But as a non-judgemental soul, I would be happy to assist you on your ‘thesis’.” Hoseok  air-quotes, noting that the kids are only in the very beginning of Frozen 2 and they have a whole hour and a half to their own devices. “And in exchange, I want to know the real reason as to why you’re looking for her, especially because you referred to me so excitedly as Hobi, and not Hoseok,” he crosses his arms, “and only my mother and sister have the right to call me that.” 

You feel like a kid sent to the time-out corner, inevitably forced to fess up. It didn’t work out as well as you hoped with Namjoon, and you feared to be disappointed when Hoseok disagreed with you as well. Of course, you can’t blame them. If Hoseok came up to you and said he came from an alternate universe, you’d run for the hills. 

But Hoseok is sweet and sincere, and he’s definitely not letting you go. In fact, he’s empathetic, already distressed from seeing you sweating and wringing the poor fruit snack packet. 

He drags over a mini chalkboard cart, poised to take notes. “C’mon, I won’t bite.” 

You frown, “Promise you won’t laugh at me until the very end?” 

“Promise.” 

Forty minutes later and in the turning point of Frozen 2, Hoseok has drawn up what looks like a convoluted flowchart detailing every single thing you’ve said up until this point. It reminds you of a child’s drawing, symbolizing all the dead-ends and turns of your life, but you’re sure Hoseok doesn’t want to hear that. 

Within the first ten minutes of your story, Hoseok is shaking his head. “That’s crazy. C’mon, prove it. If we’re really friends in an alternate universe, how much do you know about me?” 

Hoseok's face falls farther and farther into his lap as you respond with a straight face. His birthday, favorite foods, hobbies, music taste, and even feelings towards melodramatic movies are laid out in your words like a personal diary. 

He crosses his arms, narrowing his eyes. “Tell a secret that you know about me.” 

That stumps you. You make a face, stuffing a strawberry gummy in your mouth as you think about any conversation you could’ve possibly had with Hoseok in the past year. There’s a possibility that whatever happened to Hoseok in your world hasn’t happened in this one, but you have to at least try. 

With as much confidence as you can muster you say, “When you were in the 3rd grade, your older sister was playing with sticks in your backyard and accidentally stabbed you.” 

He narrows his carmine eyes, “Where?” 

“Left breast,” you chirp, “under the nipple.” 

Hoseok’s face twists like he’s in the 8th dimension, and he clutches his left breast comically. “You’re either psychic or telling the truth,” he marvels, nearly cracking the bud of chalk in his fingertips. 

You fight the urge to sigh in relief, running a hand through your hair. You can’t believe that actually worked. 

“Okay so obviously because I need to know my alter-self, what’s Jung Hoseok like in World One?” 

“World One?” you snort. 

“Yeah, since it’s your home world. This is World Two, because this is your second reality.” He says as if it’s the most obvious thing, waving his hands in the air. 

“You’re a rapper and incredible dancer in the world’s top boy band.” and Hoseok doesn’t know whether to think you’re an impeccable actor or really telling the truth by the way you smile so tenderly. “And you managed to get your mom the barbeque restaurant she always wanted. Best place for pork belly wraps.”  

And because you know he’s a softie for his mother, you already have a tissue stretched out for him, confirming that you have him convinced. Seeing it all laid out terrifies him, not because he’s scared of someone infiltrating his reality, but because you’re lost. You’re lost and you can’t go home and he can feel like he’s known you all this time. Not because you know every single fact about him under the sun, but something tells him you were meant to find him today. 

“So, you got hit by a truck in World One, and end up in World Two just like that?” you nod again, and Hoseok starts to line up whatever code he’s created on the blackboard. “What were you doing before that?” 

“I went drinking with my friend Sehlyung.” 

“Uh-huh, and before that?” 

“Got into a fight with the guy I love.” 

“Oh, sorry.” 

“Even worse, he ended up being the first person I met once I entered your world.” 

Hoseok blinks, “That’s gotta count for something, right?” 

Your face sours, “Impossible. Jungkook didn’t recognize me either.” 

“Anything else happened that day? Perhaps something to do with the both of you? It can’t just be coincidence,” Hoseok insists, and you almost see the potential theories looming over his head. 

Wishing you bought some aspirin on your way, you pinch your brows together. You’ve recollected that night one too many times that it’s been starting to overwhelm you. You hate thinking back to how harshly Jungkook rejected you. How much his words pierced you clean like you were soft and breakable. The twist in the knife was seeing him again in this world, only for him to reject you again for an entirely different reason. 

“Wait,” you bite your lip, the final memory from your last conversation with Jungkook resurfacing. 

“Maybe in another world, we’d work out. But not this one.”

“He said maybe we’d be together in another world,” you say slowly, the words sinking in your form like a key to a lock. 

Hoseok snaps his fingers, a huge white grin beaming on his face. “Shit, this is straight out of the Twilight Zone or something. Cool!” 

It’s then that the credits roll for Frozen 2, and the children are pouncing on him like leeches to a sweet treat. They laugh and beg for his attention, teasing him because he said the s-word. 

“I’m sure this Jungkook kid has something to do with why you’re here—ow, Haneul! My hair is precious!” Hoseok is busy fending off kids and trying to continue your conversation. He gets up from the tiny chair to prevent them from reaching, and you follow suit. “In the meantime,” he reaches for your phone, typing something, “here’s some books Professor Song recommended to me when I was fascinated in alternate universes. Maybe they’ll help, I don’t know. But good luck, update me when you get a chance! I work here most days.” 

“Thanks Hoseok,” and before you can second guess yourself, you find space between the children to wrap your arms around him. Thankfully, he doesn’t push you away, and hugs you back just as tightly. You can’t help it, and bury your face into his shoulder, trying to conceal your sobs. He even smells like World One Hoseok. You miss them. 

The rest of your afternoon is spent in the library, searching for book after book regarding the supernatural and other phenomena. A little part of you hoped Hoseok would join you in your navigation, but he had a job and you had yours. He already offered you an ear and much, much more. 

You feel a little stir-crazy, despite the fact that these books could contain important information, only Jungkook’s words seem to register in your brain. 

“Maybe in another world, we’d work out. But not this one.”

You groan, stretching out your back so you could reach the final book out of Hoseok’s recommendations. You blush when your joints complain about your lack of exercise and sudden exertion of physical activity. This last one just so happens to be on the highest possible shelf. There’s really no need to have more than five books on supernatural phenomena, but you’re already here and it’s vermillion red cover is taunting you like a bull to its matador. 

Fuck it. Making sure no librarians are watching, you hop on the first shelf, heels dangling in the air. You could climb trees like it was nothing when you’re a child, but ten years later you can feel all the joints in your body protest at the sudden bout of athleticism. 

Alas, even with the added height you can barely reach the top, fingers brushing over the hardcover. You’re starting to sweat with nerves, thankful for the whirring of the icy air conditioner. With a sigh you attempt to climb on the next highest shelf, until the familiar smell of detergent and florals invades your personal space. Even his scent is the same. 

“Y’know, there’s a help desk for a reason.” 

Your shoulders slump as Jungkook wordlessly instructs you to get down from the shelf. You feel the warmth of his palm shadow your back, not touching you but prepared to in the event you slip and fall. With a cross of your arms, you hug your books to your chest, refusing to make eye contact as he retrieves the book for you. Call it being petty, or overly defensive because of past events, but you’re not ready to talk to Jungkook right now. 

Conversely, Jungkook is piqued. He’s lived here for the past six years and it’s the first time he’s seen you in this library. Twice in the span of two weeks is definitely something worth noting, especially when his new co-worker just so happens to be friends with you. 

In fact he’s excited, curious. He just entered the library, dropping off some proofs for his graduate school’s office when he spotted you in the corner of one of the shelves, determined. Something warm and light brings a smile to his face when he sees how endearing you look trying to get that too-high book. Despite the fact that he’s still on the fence about your sanity, he wants to make sure you don’t almost-die a second time from head injury. 

“Here ya go,” He easily grabs the book and Jungkook is prepared to plop the book in your pile, but you’re hugging the others so tightly that he has to wedge it between two other ones. 

You press your lips together as Jungkook goes into your personal space, miffed that you’re being a little defensive. After all, you’re embarrassed from the last time you saw him and you’re heart is beating wildly, confused over the man in front of you. It takes a wiggle before you concede, letting him tuck the red novel between two other larger books. 

“Thanks,” you mumble, nodding at him once before swiftly turning the corner, skirt swishing. 

The smile on his face is wiped clean when you don’t even bother to spare him a little eye contact. 

“Hey, wait up!” he exclaims, and he’s immediately shh’ed by at least five students and an angry librarian. He deflates, giving sheepish bows as he walk-runs after you. 

He feels like the tables have turned, now he’s the one chasing after you. Should he apologize for leaving you on the sidewalk two weeks ago? Should he offer to hold your books, or drive you home? Maybe not drive you home, because he brought his bike today and he fears that you may be traumatized by the fact that you almost ate pavement under his wheels. If he has to ease into it, maybe he could offer his phone number up as compensation for accidentally almost-killing you? Suggest that his number is for you to contact him as an IOU. Smooth. 

You look over your shoulder briefly, suppressing a groan as Jungkook makes it painfully obvious that this is not the end of your interaction. He’s boring into you, looking past you and his eyes are dark with information. As much as you want to know what’s going on in his mind, seeing Hoseok and Jungkook within the same hour is wholly overwhelming, especially when you just laid your whole life story out to Hoseok in a daycare. 

He’s now staring holes in your back as you hand over your books and work identification to the unsuspecting librarian, who chalks up your awkwardness between two friends toeing around a relationship. To the unsuspecting eye, it’s not out of the ordinary. You can’t just tell Jungkook to “kindly fuck off because I’m still processing your existence” because he’s really done nothing wrong. Inevitable, you let him heat your skin with his imploring eyes until he starts to squirm like a garden snake. He’s waiting for you, silently begging you to turn your head and acknowledge how hard his brain is working right now. This boy is always after attention. 

Finally, you spare him. “Yes?” you say softly, keeping your focus on the bookkeeper checking you out as Jungkook hovers over your form. 

“Uh,” he scratches his head, searching for words, “are you hurt? Y’know, from the other day?” 

“Judging from the way I was prepared to climb the shelves, no,” you stuff the books in your tote bag, “are you hurt?” 

“Uh, no.” 

“Okay. That’s good.” You brush past him, making it a blatant point to stride out the first door you see. 

Even with all the telltale signs, Jungkook continues to feel something. An urge, a bell, something. He doesn’t know what, but he’s compelled to follow you. For a small thing you sure know how to walk, and he has to pump his legs a little to catch up with your speedy form. 

He follows you to the middle of the campus courtyard, where students are lounging about and studying or playing football. It’s already starting to turn dark, and the orange sky sits impatiently on your bodies as you try to walk as fast as possible to your apartment. 

“Hey—hey, c’mon!” his long legs manage to get close enough to you, but he has to halt as soon as you stop, whipping around to glare at him. 

Jungkook stumbles as you’re centimeters away from him, visibly annoyed. You’re super close, impossibly close to him. He holds his breath, fearing he’d fan your face and you wouldn’t appreciate his chicken-salad breath. He doesn’t understand why you’re upset, but he wants to jab a thumb between your brows and even out the adorable expression that pinches your visage. 

“What, do you need something from a stranger?” you bite icily, and he doesn’t understand the pang in his chest when you refer to each other as strangers. It’s true, you are, but you don’t have to be so harsh about it. 

“I, I just want to know why you knew my name,” he replies weakly, hands going up as if he committed a crime. “Back then, I’ve been confused ever since,” it’s wholly innocent, and genuine, “I just wanted to know if you’re okay, I guess?” 

It’s then you soften, melting like the yolk in the sky. The strap of your bag digs in your palm, the leather probably indenting your skin. 

“I got really drunk last night,” you concede, and at the very least it’s the truth, “probably woke up drunk too. I stumbled outside and when I saw you, and mistook you for another Jungkook I know.” 

You’re pulling this excuse out of your ass, and you hope that someone watching you from above (or below) will give you a reprieve on this one. He seems to believe this notion, probably used to one too many drunk girls fawning over him half-sane. 

“Another Jungkook?” he balks, mouth parting like a baby kitten, “a Jungkook with the same name and face?” 

“Uh kinda, like Mario and Wario?” you say, and you know Jungkook will get the reference if he remains a video game lover, “what’s that called, doppelgangers?” 

“I’m partial to Luigi and Waluigi, but I get it.” he replies with a small smile, proud to have gotten you to open up, even a little. “That’s cool. I’m sorry for freaking out back there.” 

“Understandable,” you look at the grass crunching at your feet. You definitely understood, but it still hurt recollecting the way he pushed you off of him like a bug. “I’m sorry for mistaking you, I just kinda stumbled out of an apartment and got walking, I thought I was in a dream or something.” 

“So uh, where’s this other Jungkook?” and it’s an innocent enough question, and he’s almost boyish about it, rocking back and forth with his hands in his jeans. “I’ve always wanted to meet my own twin, I just didn’t expect them living in Korea and having the same name. That’s like a two for one deal!” 

You wince, avoiding the way Jungkook tries to bend down to match your eyes. “He’s uh, not around anymore. Completely gone,” you mutter. 

Completely gone? Did that mean the person you were worrying about on the streets, the person who you worried over so thoughtfully in place of Jungkook, is dead? 

Jungkook puffs out a breath of air, running a hand through his hair. Boy, does he feel like a piece of shit for bringing up tough memories. “I’m so sorry,” he gushes, voice cracking as he tries to get you to lift your head, “I was just being nosy, alright? The fact that you knew my name freaked me out and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And when I saw you in the library I pounced but I realize that this is such a huge mistake and—”

“Jungkook,” you hold up a hand, a twinge of a smile barely grazing your lips, “I already told you, it’s understandable you would’ve been freaked out. Don’t blame yourself,” you size him up a little, looking up and down and he automatically straightens his back. He feels his ears heat beneath his hair, “but you look like the type of guy to be too hard on himself.”

He laughs, nodding profusely, “So I’ve been told.” Feeling lighter at the assurance of your feelings, he sticks out his hand, “then can we call a truce?” 

It’s then you see it. 

“Tiger lilies,” you marvel, hands reaching out instinctively to touch the tattoo adorning his arm. It’s the same design, same position, the dark ink vibrant as ever. 

“It’s my birth flower,” he puffs out his chest a bit, feeling elated that someone appreciates the fine art he spent weeks drafting. Tattoos aren’t particularly popular in this area, so he can’t help but feel a little cheeky that someone’s attracted to them. He watches the way your eyes sparkle over the black ink, the most positive emotion he’s gotten out of you since meeting. “Tiger lilies, they mean—”

“Please love me,” you finish, letting go of his arms so it drops to his side. You finally look up at him, and your eyes prick. 

He looks so much like him, it hurts. Seeing Hoseok and Namjoon also pained you considerably, but nothing compared to how much it ached to have Jungkook around, vying for your attention. How well you knew his body, and how much you wish you could hug him. Today he’s even dressed a little similarly to how you’re used to, soft and comfortable in black sweats and a Carhartt hoodie. But this Jungkook isn’t scarred by the industry, and it fills the curiosity that plagued you for days on end. Your Jungkook is always vibrant, but the one in front of you is radiant. He’s young, eager, and ready to take on the world. 

Jungkook grins, impressed by your knowledge. He wonders about your birth flower, and whether you have it tattooed somewhere on your body. “Is that your birth flower too?” he asks, debating on whether or not it’s too late to ask you out for coffee because evening is approaching. Maybe dinner was more appropriate? But it would be like a date? Maybe pizza or McDonalds to keep it casual? 

You see the gears turning in his head, and you feel like you’ve wasted too much time thinking. “Ah, no,” you flounder, rapidly shaking your head, “just some random information I’ve picked up.” 

“Are you into flower meanings?” he tilts his head. 

“Not particularly,” you say ominously, and you try not to ache when he seems disheartened at your lack of elaboration, “but I will be. I’ll see you around, Jungkook.” 

You can tell he has more to say, especially because Jungkook is one to finish what he starts. But you can’t give him that satisfaction now, not when you’re onto something. You spare him a wave over your shoulder, not wanting to see the disappointment in his face when you leave him in the dust for a second time. 

And with that unpromised promise, you go back into the direction of your apartment. You have some extensive research to do tonight. 

•━━━━━━»•»💮💮💮«•«━━•••

W1.

Jungkook wakes up to the sun, and he bolts up in his bed. 

“Hey!” he yells to no one in particular, knowing his voice is loud enough to echo throughout the dorm. “Why did no one call me? We had practice!” 

Instead of passing out in the studio he’s wrapped up in his sheets, bundled comfortably as if he’s been in bed for hours. He’s almost disoriented, looking around the room and waiting for someone to barge in and tell him to hurry up and get somewhere. 

After working on his music, the seven of them were supposed to meet up. The plan was to take a nap from ten to eleven, and be at the studio to go over some modifications to a new setlist. However, those plans evidently did not go through, because he had a full night’s sleep for the first time in weeks and that only happens if there’s a schedule cancellation or vacation. 

He feels particularly antsy because he couldn’t work on anything last night. His mind was like tunnel vision, completely filled by visions of you and last night’s fight. It’s frustrating, especially when there’s so much he’s behind on already. 

But today’s a new day. He takes his time in his room, popping out all his joints and doing leg and arm stretches on his mattress. For once, no one’s ushering him away to do the nth task. He mindlessly scrolls his phone, taking note of the insistence for him to return to social media but pins it away for yet another promise of next time. 

Mindlessly clicking his phone button on and off, his wallpaper shows a picture of your back facing the sunset. An old, innocent picture that could be mistaken for a random shot Jungkook stole on an empty night in Dongdaemun. With a sigh he throws his phone somewhere between the sheets, rubbing his eyes. There’s nothing he can do now but move forward, and he takes that in stride. 

But when he walks out of his room, the air feels terse. It’s strange, as if he could cut through the tension in the room with a butterknife. 

He looks on in confusion to see all the other members settled in the living room, hovered over their phones. They’re all still in their clothes from last night as well, grave expressions on their faces. 

Someone’s choked sobs are echoing from a corner of the room, and Jungkook is worried when he sees Taehyung sobbing in Hoseok’s arms. 

“What happened?” he asks, brows knitting together as he walks over to Namjoon, looking over his phone. 

Namjoon immediately presses his phone to his chest, concealing whatever is on the screen. Jungkook’s heart pangs at his block, because Namjoon isn’t one to hide things.  He’s feeling cut out of a secret so deep that it must be either a secret, or something he shouldn’t see. “It’s,” he takes a deep breath, and Jungkook feels it. He feels that whatever Namjoon has to say is going to be hard. 

Seokjin speaks up for the leader, bright eyes that always spark like fireworks now dim. “We got a call from Sehlyung early this morning. Before it got light out she—she was frantic. She said Camille wasn’t answering her calls after they went drinking.” 

No. No. 

“Then BigHit got a call from the hospital. They said a truck hit the curb, knocking her clean,” it doesn’t even sound like Seokjin’s speaking, just the shell of him, regurgitating information. “She’s alive, but it’s critical, no one’s allowed to see her until she’s stable. We don’t know when,” Seokjin bites his lip, choosing his words carefully, “or if, she’ll wake up.” 

Jungkook doesn’t even register that he’s crying until Seokjin pulls him into his arms. 

[shadowedoracle]

Fractured Lullabies - Chapter 1

Summary: Season 7 Woven Beauty AU. The Gold family has been separated by Drizella's dark curse. Now Detective Weaver, a widowed father to baby triplets, hires single mother Clarabelle French as his children's nanny.

Rating: E (For eventual smut)

A/N: So @moonlight91 left a comment on my Fluffapalooza fic last year about Rumbelle ending up with triplets. That sparked a vague idea that somehow morphed and finally grew into this whole Season 7 Woven Beauty AU.

Many thanks to the lovely @jackabelle73 for beta reading this.

If you spot any typos/ errors do let me know. Any other comments are always appreciated.

[AO3]

***

Weaver stared down at the pale yellow business card he’d been holding for over half an hour, wishing he had already gotten the energy together to call the number on it. But he couldn’t even seem to remember how to enter a phone number into a cell phone -- let alone remember how to hold a phone conversation. He ran his thumb along the navy lettering in a fancy old fashioned font on the business card reading: “Clarabelle French: Nanny”.

He felt moisture prick his eyes as he recognized it as the font Lacey used to use on her business cards. He groaned and tossed the card down onto the countertop, pacing the apartment’s small kitchenette trying to keep it together. He was not about to fall apart over a font, for fuck’s sake.

He knew he had been procrastinating, that he should have called the number immediately after Roni had handed him the business card. He knew too that this was not just a case of delaying the inevitable, but rather by waiting, he was sabotaging his chances of success and digging himself into a deeper hole. But despite that knowledge he hadn’t been able to persuade himself to make the call. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Roni’s judgment -- he did (her taste in partners aside). Indeed, she could read people better than many cops he could name. No, it wasn’t her recommendation that had him hesitating, had had him stuck in this loop for days now. No, he just didn’t want to have to accept that his wife was gone. Or that now his children only had him, a royal fuckup of a man without Lacey. He wanted to be able to stay here and look after them himself, but he’d used up all his leave and couldn’t afford to quit his job. Therefore he needed a nanny. But he didn’t want to need one, didn’t want to have a stranger in his home seeing what a terrible job he was doing of raising his children by himself. All week he’d been using variations of that fear and the accompanying paralysis to avoid calling. On the first day he’d been annoyed at himself, but had told himself it had been a long busy day and that if he rung first thing the next morning it’d all work out fine. Except he hadn’t called the next day either. He’d given himself a stern talking to that night and had resolved to call the following day. But again he’d failed to call. While it was true yesterday had been busy and exhausting, and that he hadn’t had a single quiet moment to himself until nearly midnight, that still didn’t excuse his delay. The situation was getting more urgent by the day, and it wasn’t as if he couldn’t have taken a few seconds to type out a quick text message. But he just hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it -- because to do that would be to admit he needed this woman’s help. He knew that thought was ridiculous. He and Lacey had been talking about hiring a nanny for a while. They just hadn’t gotten around to making a final decision about whether to go down that path before she died. But now, instead of being able to talk all this through with her --  to discuss what they both wanted, to interview the candidates and agree on who to hire, together -- he had to navigate this all. Alone. What did he know about nannies? Even after reading countless articles online, he still felt like the answer was “fuck all”. He still had no idea what he needed, beyond someone reliable and trustworthy to look after his children while he worked. But how the hell could he be sure he’d make the right choice? He trusted his judgment when it came to suspects and witnesses -- he was excellent at spotting bullshit and dealing with scumbags. But unless this woman was totally unsuitable, how could he be certain she was not just alright, but that mystical “right fit” that he’d read so much about online? He wished he could have the reassurance of Lacey’s opinions to make sure he made the right decision. No, he couldn’t to do this -- not by himself.

He paced the kitchen restlessly without seeing where he was going and stubbed his toe against a cabinet and swore. Maybe he should just not call this woman, or not today anyway. He’d just continue using the daycare centre, that’d be simpler at least. But even as he thought it, he knew that was only a temporary measure, at best. The triplets hadn’t been doing well in daycare even before Lacey’s death. Plus even with the daycare discount the Seattle PD gave him, a nanny would probably work out cheaper in the long term. So he ought to just knuckle down and get started.

Yes, it’d so be easy for him to put off this decision for another day, until he was “ready” (a word that suddenly seemed to be used around him all the time since Lacey had died). But this wasn’t about him, he reminded himself, limping back to sit on a stool at the kitchen island once more. It wasn’t about what was easiest for him; it was about what was best for his children. He was their father and just because this phone call seemed hard wasn’t a good enough reason for him not to do it.

Sure, they’d probably be all right in the daycare for a little while longer, it wouldn’t do them untold damage or anything. But eventually the same issues would come up again and he’d decide they needed a nanny. But then he’d have to try to hire one and do all the calls and interviews -- and whatever the hell else you had to do when hiring a nanny -- while juggling a full caseload and dealing with whatever was ailing the triplets that week. Anyway even if he didn’t hire a nanny, he’d need to find a babysitter for after daycare because his schedule was too variable. Even with the flexibility the force was offering him now, he couldn’t guarantee a case wouldn’t require him to work unsociable hours. Lacey’s schedule had been much more predictable and so she’d done the bulk of the picking the children up, as well putting them to bed when he was back late. He’d need someone who’d be able to do that on nights when his cases ran into the evening anyway. So he might as well hire someone who could be there all day and offer more consistency for the triplets. Plus it’d be a relief not to have to get all three of them ready for daycare and into the car each morning. . But even reminding himself why hiring a nanny was a good idea, didn’t help him pick up the phone because it didn’t change the truth: he didn’t want his wife to be dead and to have to make this big decision without her input. It wasn’t that he didn’t know some of what her thoughts would have been on the matter. She’d mentioned some things when she proposed the idea a few weeks -- or was it months? -- back. But they’d never discussed concrete specifics. Sure, some would say he was lucky to be free to make this decision independently: he wouldn’t have to compromise with her over something she valued more than he did or vice versa.  But he wanted to do just that, to discuss the details and argue over different candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. There was no way he could do this right without her. He was just an old cop who apparently still knew next to nothing about childcare, and even less about nannies. He trusted Lacey’s judgment and knew that, even though she didn’t know much about nannies either, together they’d have been able to work it all out and make the correct decision. Although... perhaps it wouldn’t matter anyway. Perhaps this whole call would be a dead end. It wasn’t likely that this woman would be free and able to take on his children at such short notice. So he was likely working himself up over nothing. Yesterday, the idea that this was likely a lost cause had made it easy for him not to pick up the phone. It had been so easy to convince himself that there was no point wasting either of their time -- even just inquiring -- given how improbable it was that she’d be available. But it had taken even more whiskey than usual for him fall asleep last night, and this morning he’d had to admit to himself that his cowardice yesterday was partially responsible. He couldn’t let that happen again. He didn’t want to be an alcoholic fuckup of a father. He knew what it was like to have one of those and he would never put his children through that. He took some deep calming breaths, and tried to focus on the fact that needing help with his children didn’t make him a failure as a father. Instead hiring a good nanny for them was actually him fulfilling his duty to do his best for them. He picked up his phone and found his favourite picture on it: Lacey, fresh out of the hospital, sitting in their bed cradling the triplets on her lap.  He stared down at the image of her smiling tiredly up at him and felt tears prick his eyes once more. The fact that Lacey, so full of life (even at her most exhausted), was gone was still unbearable. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the hole in his heart, or the feeling that he was missing a limb without her. A nanny was no substitute for a mother and, at the thought of everything his children and Lacey would miss out on, he felt a now familiar stabbing pain in his chest. She had believed and trusted in his ability to be a good father though, and he didn’t want to prove her wrong. He focused on the image of his children’s tiny scrunched up faces. They needed him to do this for them, Lacey needed him to do this for them. He couldn’t let any of them down.

Keeping those last thoughts in the front of his mind, he tapped open the phone call app. If she said ‘no’ that would be that. What did he have to lose? Maybe she’d even have some ideas who else he could try. He swiftly typed in her number and hit call before he could reconsider.

“Hello, Clara speaking.” A bright Australian voice answered.

Weaver swallowed hard, his practiced opening script slipping from his mind at the sound of a voice so like Lacey’s and sat in silence for a few moments, not even remembering to breathe.

“Hello?” The Australian voice said again.

For a moment an absurd hope that his wife wasn’t dead, but instead just had amnesia and had forgotten her family, bloomed in his mind and took root in his heart. He was just about to say her name, when the voice spoke again.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” It sounded so much like her and yet, the memory of Lacey on that cold slab in the morgue flashed before his eyes and pierced the bubble of his fantasy. His wife was dead, hoping otherwise didn’t change that. But if he didn’t reply now, he’d lose this nanny merely because she had the same accent as Lacey.

He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Yes, sorry. Hi...” He cleared his throat again, “Is this Clarabelle French, the nanny, speaking?” he managed, this time sounding a bit more like his usual self.

“Yes, speaking. Are you a parent looking to hire a nanny?”

With those extra words, he began to hear the differences between the voices. The nanny’s accent was almost identical to Lacey’s, that was true -- but it wasn’t Lacey’s voice. It was off somehow. The cadence was wrong, for a start, and there was some other dissonance that he couldn’t quite place. The train of thought sobered him, bringing him down from his fantasy. He remembered how to speak, how to call upon that air of confidence he used when dealing with suspects and witnesses. “Yes, I was given your business card by a mutual friend... Roni. I need to hire a nanny for my young kids quite urgently, and she mentioned you might be available.”

“How urgently are we talking?” She replied, crisp and businesslike.

“Ideally next week, Monday, if possible. But I understand if that’s too short notice for you.”

“I see...” She paused, thinking, “Well, I am available in theory, but it seems quite a short timescale to get through the whole hiring process.” He felt a thread of hope, perhaps this wasn’t a dead end after all and sat up straighter (even though she couldn’t see him). “I know it’s probably unusual. But I need to be back at work then and I don’t have anyone else to look after my children while I’m there.”

“Ah, so it sounds like you are looking for a live-out nanny, if you only want me there when you’re working. Is that correct? I’d need to give you the names of some colleagues if you’re looking for a live-in nanny, I’m afraid. And is your job full or part-time, may I ask?”

“Yeah, it’s a live-out position. It’d be full-time too but my own hours can be somewhat variable. Is that a problem?”

“No. Well... at least not in theory,” she said. “Also is this just a temporary arrangement you’re looking for, or a longer-term one? Because I only work longer term contracts.” “Well, ideally, it’d be a long-term arrangement, but that’d obviously depend on your availability as well as how well the children adjust to the new arrangements.” “That’s reasonable. Luckily for you, the client I had lined up recently moved away from the Seattle area so I could take on a longer-term contract right away -- assuming you decide I’m the right fit for your family. We can then assess how it’s going after 30 days, which is the standard trial period.” He nodded, remembering a second later she couldn’t see him and calling himself an idiot, said, “Yeah, that sounds fine.” “And can I ask what ages the children are?” “Right, of course. They’re triplets actually, 10 months old next week. Is that something you think you can handle?” She laughed. “Wow, baby triplets! Definitely must keep you on your toes.” “Yeah.” He smiled. “And triplets aren’t a problem for me -- I’ve worked with multiples before.” He could feel relief beginning to churn through him. This might just work out. “So would you be able to meet me later today to discuss the role in-person?” “I can’t do later today, at such short notice, I’m afraid.” She did sound genuinely apologetic. “But I could do any time tomorrow morning or early afternoon?” He nodded. “Sure, say tomorrow at noon?”

“That sounds perfect.” He could hear the vague sounds of her making a note of the time.

He tapped his fingers against the countertop, what was he supposed to say next? Right, meeting time and place.

“How about we meet at Roni’s? It’ll be quiet at midday. Then if we think things’ll work out, take it from there?”

He supposed it was probably an odd look to interview a potential nanny at a bar. But he didn’t have a sitter he could call on, and at that time of day the bar would be quiet enough he could probably persuade Roni to watch the children for a while, if necessary. “That sounds great!” She said brightly, not giving any indication she thought a bar was a strange place for an interview. Was that a good sign of her professionalism or a bad one? “But I, er, didn’t catch your name?” “Right!” He forced a laugh, even as he called himself a fucking idiot for forgetting to introduce himself. “I’m Detective Weaver…” He paused as he tried to think of what he’d read online about hiring a nanny. Was he forgetting anything major? He didn’t think so. “And now you have my number, in case you need to contact me about anything.” “Great! I’ll see you noon tomorrow at Roni’s. I look forward to meeting you,” she said.

They finished off the conversation and he hung up, dropping his phone onto the counter with a thud. He gripped the counter edge tightly as he tried to steady his breathing. After he’d gotten over the initial shock of her accent, that hadn’t been so bad. She might actually be available, so this might all work out despite how long he’d put off calling.

He looked around the kitchen to the sink full of dirty dishes, he ought to do those now he supposed. But just then a cry came from down the hall, so he pushed away from the counter and hurried to the nursery.

Brandon, the youngest of the three and furthest from the door, seemed to be working his way up to a big screaming cry. His face was red and crumpled and if Weaver didn’t quieten him quickly, the other two would wake up too. He picked up his youngest son, rocking him and crooning softly, “There, there now. Daddy’s here. What seems to be the trouble, lad?

But Brandon’s cries just continued and grew even louder and Weaver’s hopes of this being quick were dashed when heard a grumbling cry from Melissa, the oldest. It was going to be another one of those afternoons, he already could tell.

[swanqueeneverafter]

The Once & Future Queen Pt.23

Smuggler's Camp. (Having woken both Ella and Henry, Lancelot is searching for answers.) Lancelot: "Has anyone heard from Guinevere?" Henry: (Shaking his head:) "No, the last I saw of her was after we freed Merlin." Lancelot: "Damn. We were set upon by Morgana. I told Guinevere to run while I tried to hold her off, but she got by me." Henry: "I'm sorry, Lancelot. Did you manage to get anything useful from your mother?" Lancelot: "Yes, but Morgana's already retaken Camelot. I'm afraid all is lost." Ella: "You can't know that. You mustn't give up hope." Lancelot: “Agravaine and his men have been sent to find me. In all the confusion I got turned around. Where are we now?” Henry: “We’re heading north towards Lot’s kingdom." Lancelot: (Nods:) “With Camelot in Morgana’s possession, that’s as good a safe haven as we’re likely to find. I can only hope the knights who escaped will meet us there. (Looks around the camp:) Who are these people?” Henry: “They’re, er…smugglers.” Lancelot: “Smugglers?!” Henry & Ella: “Shhh!” Ella: (Whispered:) “Yes and they’re not too thrilled about Camelot’s laws either. So if I were you I’d try and keep my true identity a secret.” Lancelot: (Nods:) “I spent years moving from place to place avoiding those who’d like nothing better than to see me dead. Compared to them, these smugglers shouldn’t be a problem.” Henry: (Pats him on the back:) “I wouldn’t count on that.” Elsewhere In The Woods. (Agravaine rides along the forest path, the soldiers bearing torches follow behind him on foot.) Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. Morning. (Emma pads downstairs towards the kitchen. Hearing Regina speaking to someone on the phone, Emma leans on the door frame and waits patiently for Regina to finish her conversation.) Regina: (Agitated:) "Oh all right. But if they ask my opinion on you, don't expect me to hold anything back!” (Regina tosses her phone across the counter.) Emma: "Wrong number?" Regina: (Scoffs:) "I wish. Your mother, in her infinite wisdom, has agreed to allow that idiot reporter to cover the search for Storybrooke’s next Mayor." Emma: "Well, I guess it would be in the public interest?" Regina: "Really? And what do you call agreeing to have that same reporter follow us around all day? Because I call it bullsh-" (The doorbell rings.) Emma: "That'll be them now, I guess?" Regina: "So much for enjoying a nice lazy morning, huh?"

Emma: "I'll get the door, you go upstairs and take Maria her bottle." Regina: "All right." (She leaves.) Emma: (Calling after her:) "And change into your happy pants while you're up there! (Attempting to put on a brave face, Emma walks across the hall and opens the front door. However, upon being blinded by the Reporter's camera flash and bombarded with questions before she can even manage to fully open the door, Emma's relatively good mood falters. Forcing a smile, she stands aside:) Won't you come in?" (The Reporter enters and continues to chatter excitedly as Emma rolls her eyes and closes the door.) Smuggler's Camp. (Lancelot stands talking with Henry when he's spotted by Tristan.) Tristan: “You. (Lancelot turns around:) Do I know you?” Henry: (Thinking on his feet:) “Er... this is our friend... Jack. We were supposed to meet up yesterday but he got lost.” Tristan: “Simpleton are you, Jack? (Before Lancelot can reply:) We leave as soon as the horses are watered. Explain it to the simpleton, would you? (Tristan walks away while Lancelot looks at Henry who smiles sheepishly. Lancelot readjusts the sword he acquired from the Lady of the Lake and this catches Tristan and Isolde’s attention:) Simpleton.” Henry: “He’s talking to you.” Lancelot: “I don’t answer to that name.” Henry: “You’re not you, remember?” (Tristan looks down at the sword.) Tristan: “Impressive piece.” Lancelot: (With a slight accent:) “Thank you, sir.” Tristan: “May I? (Lancelot allows Tristan to handle the sword. He examines the blade. Scoffs:) Magnificent. Usually the only place you find workmanship of this quality is the royal forge of Camelot. (Tristan puts the sword to Lancelot’s throat:) Tell me, how did you come by it?” Lancelot: (Without flinching:) “I won it in a card game.” (Tristan narrows his eyes suspiciously then hands the sword back to him.) Tristan: “I hope for your sake that’s true. (Lancelot takes the sword:) I’d hate to think that I was riding with a knight of Camelot.” (Isolde giggles.) Isolde: “Knight of Camelot? Look at him.” (Henry chuckles as Lancelot plays along and pretends not to know how to put the sword in his belt.) Tristan: “You’re right. Their knights may be stupid, but they’re not that stupid.” (Lancelot puts on a big smile and chuckles with the rest of them until suddenly a man walking past them gets shot with an arrow. They turn and see soldiers charging the camp. Henry grabs Ella and pulls her out of harms way. An arrow lands in the tree next to Lancelot’s head and they run to take cover behind the wagon with Tristan and Isolde. Lancelot takes charge.) Lancelot: “Head for those trees, we’ll cover you. (Tristan and Isolde exchange a confused look:) Do you want to live or not?” (Tristan steps forward to question Lancelot, but Isolde grabs his arm and they run off. Lancelot, Ella and Henry fire crossbows at the soldiers through the wagon. Henry tosses Lancelot another bolt and reloads his own crossbow.) Henry: “Now what?” Lancelot: “Now it’s our turn.” Henry: “Who’s going to cover us?” Lancelot: (Smirks:) “Don’t be a simpleton, Henry.” (They take aim and hit another three soldiers, but more keep coming. Lancelot grabs the sword from the wagon and they run off. They take cover behind a fallen tree with Tristan and Isolde. Agravaine directs the soldiers by the wagon.) Isolde: “They haven’t found the cargo.” Tristan: “They will. Besides, they weren’t after the cargo. They were after you. Who the hell are you?” Lancelot: “My name is Lancelot.” Tristan: “The bravest knight in all of Camelot!” Lancelot: “At least I was.” Tristan: “I’ve lost everything I’ve worked for because of the Queen’s good for nothing consort!” Lancelot: “That’s quite something coming from a smuggler.” Tristan: “Well, I wouldn’t have to be a smuggler if it wasn’t for your damn taxes, would I?!” Lancelot: “Those taxes help protect the people of this land.” Tristan: “My people are dead. You call that protection?”

Ella: “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but…” (Ella directs their attention to the soldiers charging them from behind. Lancelot and Tristan charge the soldiers and fight side by side. Ella, Henry and Isolde fight more soldiers. One soldier elbows Isolde in the head and slashes her sword arm, kicking her to the ground. The soldier poises for the final blow, but crumples as Lancelot stabs him in the back. Tristan runs to Isolde and holds her. Henry and Ella watch over them ready to defend them from attack.) Tristan: (Whispered:) “Isolde. We had a deal. Partners for life, remember?” Isolde: “When have I not kept my promises?” (Tristan kisses her forehead.) Lancelot: “We need to keep moving. There’ll be more coming soon.” Tristan: “Then go. There’s nothing stopping you.” (Lancelot rolls his eyes.) Henry: “We’ll be safer if we stick together.” Tristan: “I’m choosy about the company I keep.” Isolde: “He saved my life, Tristan. (To Lancelot:) Thank you.” Tristan: “None of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for them.” (Isolde sighs at his stubbornness.) Lancelot: “She’s injured. She needs shelter and rest.” (Tristan sighs, looks at Lancelot, then back at Isolde. Isolde nods.) Tristan: “Very well. But know this, Lancelot, I do this for her. You and your kind bring nothing but misery to this land.” Camelot. Council Chamber. (Soldiers shove Xena into the middle of a fighting circle where Morgana stands. She smiles at their rowdy enjoyment.)

Morgana: “Behold! Xena, the Warrior Princess. Famed as the greatest warrior to ever live. (Morgana grabs Xena’s face:) Let’s see if that fame’s deserved, shall we?” (Xena scoffs with a smirk and glares at Morgana who walks to sit on the throne. A soldier steps forward, brandishing a couple of weapons while Xena looks around at the braying mob.) Storybrooke. Daycare Centre. (Speaking with the Reporter, Regina talks about a typical day in the life for herself and Emma.) Regina: "Aside from the occasional witch or warlock attempting to take over the world, our days are pretty normal. As Mayor, one of my duties is to ensure that all aspects of the community are catered for. Luckily, we have some very conscientious people in this town. A prime example of that can be found here, at Ashley's Daycare Centre. Now Ashley's story is one you should definitely take the time to explore. A young mother herself, Ashley saw a need within the community and brought people together to share their experiences. What you see here today is all down to her hard work and dedication. Ashley's joy for what she provides to the community really shines through." Reporter: "Are Emma and yourself members?" Regina: "We were for a short time. Emma thought it would be a good idea to get opinions from other 'first time' mothers. Of course, while Maria isn't Emma's first child, she did miss out on raising Henry herself." Reporter: "That's interesting. Having raised Henry alone, did you see the need to attend Ashley's classes?" Regina: (Smiles:) "Initially I didn't quite see the point, having already been there and done it, but I knew it was important to Emma. So we came for the first few weeks and it was actually a lot of fun." Reporter: "So what happened after those first few weeks?" Regina: (Hesitates:) "Apparently I was a little too forthright in giving my own opinions on how to raise a child and I was quietly asked to leave." Reporter: "I see." (Writing some notes.) Regina: (Hastily:) "But, during Emma’s absence, I made a request to return for Maria’s sake. And for myself, if I’m being honest. So today is the first time all three of us are attending in quite some time.” Reporter: “So you would recommend the daycare centre?” Regina: “Absolutely. I highly recommend the centre for all first time mothers." (Regina smiles, a little uncomfortable at how much she’s just shared.) Camelot. Council Chamber. (Xena fights one of the soldiers, dodging blow after blow until finally she is shoved backwards into the surrounding circle of soldiers. Upon being pushed back towards her opponent, Xena is knocked to the floor. Spinning her legs in the air to gain momentum, Xena jumps to her feet and avoids catching a mace to the face. Disarming her opponent of one of his weapons, Xena taunts him.) Xena: “That all you got? I was promised a decent fight. (The man pulls out another weapon from his belt and disarms Xena:) You’re a very angry man, I can see that. Must be hard being so ugly. (The man swings wildly at Xena as she continues:) Children crying, women screaming. (The man attacks again with an overhead swing but misses:) Come on, you can do better than that.”

(Completely unarmed, Xena knocks the soldier to the ground. Her opponent rises to his feet with one weapon left. Xena lets out her battle cry and climbs on his back after punching him in the stomach. The soldier rams Xena into a column, but she dismounts, punches and kicks the soldier against the column. Xena picks up the mace and knocks out her opponent with it in the now silent council chamber. Morgana stands, clapping slowly.) Morgana: “Congratulations, Xena. An admirable display. You’ve earned your reward. (She indicates to someone and they toss a half-loaf of moldy bread at Xena’s feet:) But you’re going to have to do better if you want some more.” (The gathered soldiers chuckle darkly and Morgana motions for two more warriors to step forward. The chanting begins again as Xena prepares for their attack.) Storybrooke. Daycare Centre. (At the end of the day's session, Ashley talks with Emma.) Ashley: "So it's true, you and Regina are really retiring?" Emma: (Nods:) "As soon as we can find a candidate for Mayor, yeah. Maybe you should think about it?" Ashley: "Me? Mayor? I wouldn't know where to start." Emma: "I don't know, look at what you've done with this place. I think you'd make an excellent Mayor." Ashley: (Smiles:) "Thanks, Emma. But I don't think people see me as the City Hall type." Emma: "Hey, remember what I told you the day we met?" Ashley: (Nods:) "People are going to tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, 'No, this is who I am.' I remember. (Considers:) All right, I'll think about it." Emma: (Smiles:) "You'd get my vote."

Abandoned Farmhouse. Village. (Ella checks on Isolde who is sleeping on the bed while Tristan and Lancelot eat.) Ella: “I’ve cleaned the wound. There’s no sign of infection. So as long as she gets plenty of rest, she’ll be fine.” Tristan: “Thank you, Ella, for everything you’ve done for her.” (Ella nods and leaves.) Lancelot: “I’m sorry I brought this…misfortune upon you.” Tristan: “Well, I may have lost my cargo, but I still have my beloved Isolde.” Lancelot: “Then you’re richer than you know.” (Tristan considers Lancelot and then looks to Isolde. Lancelot watches them sadly, his thoughts turning to Guinevere. In another room, Ella tends to Henry's injuries.) Henry: (Watching her:) “Where did you learn that?” Ella: “Ah, books. I read a lot about medicine in my father's library as a little girl. The books would always stress that a good bedside manner was very important, so whenever some of the local bards would visit the castle, I'd try and remember some of their stories." Henry: (Smiles:) "A writer and a storyteller huh? Well aren't we the pair?" Ella: (Laughs:) "I wouldn't go that far, but there is one story I do remember." Henry: "I'd love to hear it." Ella: "Hmm, okay. Once upon a time, a young woman went into the woods to hunt, but lost her way. For days she wandered in the forest, disorientated and confused, desperately trying to find her way out. She was hopeless. After some time, she saw a man approaching in the distance. At last, she thought to herself, ‘Someone who knows how to get out of this forest.’ When they met, she asked the man, ‘Kind sir, can you please tell me the way out of this forest? I have been wandering for days, but have been unable to find the way.’ But the man answered, ‘I’m sorry. I do not know the way out either. I, too, have been wandering about these woods for days. Let us journey on together. Perhaps, side by side, we can figure a way out.’ After that, the woman was no longer hopeless.” (Timing her story to finish with her ministrations, Ella looks up at Henry who is smiling at her in complete adoration.) Storybrooke. Daycare Centre. (Emma sits down with the Reporter.) Reporter: "How does it feel to be back here after what you went through? I suspect there were times when you thought you'd never attend one of these sessions again?" Emma: "It feels great. That's what most people don't understand about the seemingly mundane aspects of their lives. To be able to have a routine, to have that consistency is something people take for granted. Growing up in the foster system, I was constantly trying to follow someone else's rules or guidelines in order to fit in with the latest family. Now that I have a family of my own, I realise that having that stability is what we're all searching for. Regina and I have always been the outsiders, that's part of the reason we get each other so well. But now that we have everything we've ever wanted, it's time to really enjoy it." Reporter: "My sources tell me that retirement was your idea. Is this true and was there a particular moment that lead you to your decision?" Emma: "Well I don't know who your supposed sources are but yeah, it was my idea. As far as one particular moment goes? I think what really made me decide was watching Regina in situations like this. I mean, look at her. (Emma and the Reporter turn to watch Regina talking and laughing with the other mothers in the group:) A few years ago, that would never have happened. Regina would never have felt comfortable enough to just sit and chat with people without feeling as though they were saying one thing to her face and something completely different behind her back. I love that she's finally at peace and is able to open herself up to new friendships. That's why I suggested we step back and let someone else take the reigns. So that last remaining barrier can come down and she can just be herself. Not Madam Mayor. Not the Evil Queen. Just the woman I love, Regina."

Abandoned Farmhouse. Village. Night. (Henry and Ella hear screams as they sit talking. Henry stands and sees the soldiers’ torches surrounding the village.) Henry: “Agravaine. He’s found us.” (Lancelot, Henry, Ella, Tristan and Isolde watch as Agravaine and the soldiers harass the villagers.) Tristan: “Any suggestions?” Henry: “I might have something. Ella, you with me? (Ella nods:) Everyone else, round the back.” (Henry waits for the others to leave, then he and Ella run towards a cart at the top of the hill. Grabbing a torch and holding against the cart, they start rolling it towards Agravaine. Turning, Agravaine and the soldiers dash out of the way of the flaming cart just in time, but Agravaine looks up to see Lancelot’s party escaping.) Agravaine: “There! Get them!” Forest. (Soldiers chase Lancelot’s group through the woods, Tristan supporting Isolde as they go.)

[pullingthroughthefog]

Finally worked up the strength and the introspect to do this. I have been needing to put pen to paper for so long, and somehow I have continued to avoid it for more than 2 years. 2 years of silently suffering through what has been the biggest personal crisis in my life thus far. I am 34 years old. I was 32 when my husband made the decision to have an emotional affair. At that point, we had been married for 2 years only, and had a 1 year old daughter. Barely.  Our love story is a classic one. We knew each other for years, but both had different partners. And again. And again. Until one time we both found ourselves single and we instantly got together. It was crazy and passionate and fantastic. We were together for a year when we popped the question, and almost 2 years after that, we got married. 3 Months after our wedding, I became pregnant with our daughter. 

My pregnancy was a tough one. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I had a lot of aches, I gained an enormous amount of weight, and I was supremely unhappy. Tie that to a shitty birthing experience, and being severely sleep-starved for the first couple of months after having her, we were definitely going through our first crisis as a married couple. I certainly was on a personal level. I was not able to cope with night wakeups and feeds after spending the entire day looking after my crying colicky baby. I was destroyed. My husband recognized this, and soon took over all the night duties relating to our baby, and then catching up on his sleep in the wee morning hours when I would get up with the little one. Then he would go to work. And rinse and repeat. This went on for months. I’m not sure how many. 4-6 months. 

I hated being on maternity leave. I took care of my baby’s needs and made sure she was well-fed, diapered and never needed for anything, but I was restless. I absolutely loathed being at home, never getting the opportunity to take a shower, to decompress, to be just by myself without having to constantly put another persons needs over my own. Being selfish and ego-centered for so many years beforehand doesn’t exactly leave you with the best foundation to suddenly become another person’s servant 24/7. My needs were non existent. Well that’s not true. My needs were many, but in the grand scheme of things, they didn’t matter.

In the weekends though, we thrived. Taking shifts to be with the little one, spending family time together, going out for walks, taking her with us to the café. Everything was working in the weekends, and it was a huge weight off my shoulders. It reminded me of what we could be, and who we were, aside from the people who incessantly kept track of whose turn it was to suffer with a baby related issue, and how unfair certain things were to each of us. Having a baby makes you a nitpicky monster, and keeping score was number one activity.

When we were nearing the end of my maternity leave which lasted for 9 months, my husband was supposed to take over for 8 weeks. He would start the baby in daycare, and get her used to being there little by little, while also taking time to get to know his daughter, outside of the two hours they got to spend together before her bedtime every day.

I was happy to be back at work. I thrived. I enjoyed being back in the swing of things, washing my hair, putting on makeup and having a sense of purpose. I know that having children for a lot of people is THE biggest sense of purpose, and I guess I can agree to that post the baby stage, but back then, I was just happy to be of service in real world-  where it mattered. I felt like my entire quality of life improved, and I felt my relationship with my husband take a turn for the better as well.

One day when I came home from work, my husband’s phone was on the sofa. He was in the next room changing the baby. A text ticked in from someone called Sara. It said “are you ready to trade in the older model for a new wife”. 

I was absolutely astonished. I showed my husband, and asked him what this was about. He instantly said it was a joke with a co-worker and it meant nothing. He promised that was the end of those conversations, he was going to be appropriate with his colleagues, and that he cherished and appreciated me and our life far too much to ever risk anything.

I made him call her, with me present but without mentioning I was there. He called. And said the reason he was calling was to tell her that, just in case there were any misunderstandings, he wanted her to know that there is nothing between them, they are just colleagues, and they will stay that way. She was hesitant and awkward. She knew i was listening in on it. She said “of course not, I understand”, and they ended the call. 

This was supposed to be the end of it. We decided to shelf it, and that he was going to make better judgements in the future. I decided that he was innocent, but this young girl might have gotten mixed signals, which was an issue, and his problem to correct, which he had done. He went on his knees and promised to never put me in a position to doubt his love and loyalty to our relationship again. 

A few days after, it was my husband’s birthday. I had ordered him a very expensive watch, even against my better judgment from the discovery a few days later. It was the type of expensive that you could buy a car for. 

 I wanted to thank him for being such a great support during my maternity leave, and I knew this watch was something he had dreamed of. He was very happy and I felt even more thrilled and privileged that I was able to buy it for him.

That evening, when the baby was asleep, and we were sitting on the balcony eating dinner, all hell broke loose. He put his phone down on the table, and a Snapchat from Sara rolled in. I was fuming. He continue to reiterate that it was nothing to worry about, just friendly conversations, which completely set me off. We had just agreed to NO private contact with any female coworkers in his off time, and here were were again. He deleted her from Snapchat immediately. Probably as a way to save face, without having to show me their conversation, but he presented it as a favor to me.

Instantly, she messaged him on facebook messenger asking why he had deleted her on snapchat. This raised more flags for me. Why did she notice so quickly that he had deleted her? Was it because she was spending enormous amounts of time writing him? You could delete me off of any social media, and I promise you that unless you are a very close friend, I wouldn’t notice. Years could go by, and I’d be none the wiser. I asked him to give me his phone. I was not backing down. I wanted to get to the bottom of this. He was hesitant and fought me on it, which only spurred me on more. Why was he denying it? Surely he had nothing to hide if she was just a co-worker. He had been diligent on deleting texts, so I went into his work email, and searched for her name.

My heart broke. He was anxiously sitting opposite from me while I had his phone, and looking for any reaction I might have. I tried to hide my facial reactions, while I took all the instant messaging records, and sent them to myself on email to read. I knew it was only a matter of time before he took his phone back out of sheer anxiety and fear. I was right. He took his phone back before I could finish reading and sending everything, in fact I think I only saw a fraction. 

Sara and my husband had been IM’ing each other intimately for weeks. While he was still at work, and after he went on parental leave as well. They were extremely flirty. She was asking him about his wife. He was telling her that we weren’t going to last. That we were only together for the baby. He was asking her to come sit by him in the office. She was asking him to accompany her to parties and concerts. She was confiding in him about personal matters. And he was throwing me under the bus, for this 21 year old intern at his job, where he was a manager and a person who should behave much better than this. 

I was absolutely heartbroken. I read everything through, and completely fell apart. My husband was sitting in the living room, just watching me cry and turn into a shell of a human being. I was weeping. Screaming, Absolutely gut wrenching pain and experiencing the feeling of being stabbed in my heart. He wasn’t going to talk until I calmed down, so he just sat there, listening to me sob and cry until I didn’t have a single tear left.  What completely broke me, was the realization that they day after his birthday, the very morning after we had “solved everything” and he has apologized to me, sincerely, on his knees, he had taken our daughter to daycare, and called her right after. I knew this, because in the messages, he was telling her that another coworker had overheard him talking to her on the car speaker system, and had asked him what that was about. 

I can’t explain how crushing it is to realize that your doting, loving husband is not only having an emotional affair, but he also had the audacity and the heart to promise me that it was NEVER going to happen again, only for it to have happened again, the very next day as soon as he stepped out of the house.

What followed is a long period of sorrow, feeling of loss, emptiness, feeling of despair, anger, complete humiliation and desire to end my marriage, but neither having the strength or the willingness to do so.

2 years after, we are still married. Our marriage has developed into something so broken and awful, that I’ve recently had to look  in the mirror and ask myself where I had gone wrong. Because make no mistake, my husband is the one who screwed up a loving home, but what followed and what has transpired in the 2 years after, is just as much my fault. This is the first time I have found the courage to face myself, and to accept that I also have a huge part to play in the destruction of my marriage in recent years. What was meant to be a period of rebuilding trust and love, has been nothing but a struggle and a mission impossible on both ends. And from where I am standing, this is a last ditch resort at salvaging our marriage and our relationship, or finally coming to accept what is irretrievably broken and finding the courage within me to walk away. 

I will recount the following time in later entries. 

[bleepblopbloop56]

The Murder in the Dressing Room

Chapter 6: Blood and Tears

Warnings:abusive deceit, murder mention, throwing up, some stalker-like things

Specail thanks to @pathos-logical this fic is litterally our baby im not even kidding, weve both poured alot into this.

Also on ao3

"Logan? Logan, slow down- what are you saying?" Emile had just put Patton to bed after a long day of playing in the park, eating more ice cream than Logan probably would've allowed, and binging cartoons. As long as you kept Patton nearly constantly busy, he wouldn't cry for his dada too often, and overall it seemed like he was having fun. He knew Logan took being separated from Patton about as well as Patton did, so he hadn’t been surprised from the call that came almost as soon as Patton had gone to sleep. He’d expected for Logan to immediately ask about how Patton was doing when he picked up, but instead he'd been greeted with nearly incoherent panic from his brother.

"Logan- Logan, you're scaring me," he cut in, knowing it would get Logan to stop speaking. "Deep breaths, and when you can talk, start again,” he said firmly, not giving him a chance to try to continue. He heard an audible gulp of air over the line. Emile could instinctively tell Logan was still panicking, but there was barely a pause as Logan started to talk again.

"Virgil," Logan choked out "He- he's been murdered, I… I need you to keep Patton for a while longer." He forcefully kept his breathing as steadily as he could, hands shaking. He was standing in the hallway to his apartment, trying to rationalize what he’d seen there.

At first he’d almost thought it was some sick prank, simply because Virgil didn't look like the others did. The first two victims had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest, the crime scenes left a blood-splattered, sickening sight. But Virgil would seem to be merely asleep if it weren’t for the blood trickling from his throat onto Logan's pillow. It wasn't until he had checked for Virgil’s pulse for the fourth time and found nothing there he’d believed he was gone. Touching a body before pictures were taken and a medical examiner was in sight was a big no-no, but he didn't care about any of that. 

"Murdered?" Picani gasped, stepping into his own room away from Patton resting on the couch. "Logan, are you okay?”

Logan rarely took deaths this hard- he had become desensitized after seeing so much of it in his profession. And yet these three murders had stripped away his usual professional sense of detachment from him. Like they hit too close to home to keep a straight face.

Logan sunk to the ground, voice shuddering. "Emile, what would've happened if you didn't take Patton away? What if he was in the house, or if I picked him up from daycare before I came home?" He was rambling now, clutching the phone with both hands to keep it steady. A police officer walked by, and Logan kept his eyes on the ground.

"That didn't happen, Logan. He's safe, he's here with me," Emile said softly. He had known Virgil well, but now wasn't the time to break down in front of his little brother.

"Will you check?" Logan whispered. It was irrational, he knew that Emile would never lie to him and that his kid was safe and sound, but…

Emile paused for a second before softening. "Of course I will, Logan," he whispered, strolling into the living room and looking at the sleeping child snuggling a Tweety Bird plushie nearly as big as he was on Logan’s spare crib. "He's safe, Logan. Everything's going to be fine." 

Logan wanted to say "no it's not," he wanted to say "I haven't heard from Roman in two days and I don't know if he's safe," he wanted to say his life was rapidly dissolving into a bloodbath of innocent lives who had nothing to do with any of the pain and suffering this murderer was causing. But he just stayed silent, sniffling and trying to keep his breathing even.

"I know," he said finally, nodding despite knowing Emile couldn't see him. Remy stuck his head out into the hallway, motioning for him to come in the room before popping back through the doorway. "Emile, I need to go… Tell Patton I love him when he gets up, okay?" 

It wasn't that Roman didn't want to return any of Logan's calls, it was that he couldn't. Successively losing his friend and then his brother, so quickly and in such a gruesome way to boot, had left him practically incapable of leaving bed. He had rented a room in some shitty hotel to avoid having to move in with anyone again, although with his luck whoever the murderer was would just burn down the entire fucking hotel after locking all the doors.

Roman couldn't stop feeling like it was all his fault, and he guessed it was in a way. Someone was after him. He only wished that they'd just kill him and be done with it, not grossly terrorize his friends and family. 

He wished Logan was here. He knew he'd come if he was asked, but he didn't want to make him a target… Roman wished things were back like they used to be. The days when he was the only person who could get Logan to dance around the bedroom in boxers and a t-shirt, music from his phone blaring some slow song Logan didn't recognize. The days he'd sleep over at Logan's and laugh off the glares from his roommate about their lack of shirts. He missed the times like snowball fights outside the apartment and how the snow would get stuck in Logan’s hair and complement the flush on his face.

Roman missed the days before the young man with a scar on his face had tempted him away with the promise of money and love and the perfect life, before Ethan had convinced Roman to leave Logan for him. He'd phrased it like forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet, when really all it was was the biggest mistake of his life. 

He'd tried, he really had, to make it work with Dee. He'd accepted his early proposal. He'd done everything he once did with Logan with Dee and ignored the ache in his heart. Ignored the blackmailing and threats Dee would spit any time he so much as thought about Logan. Ignored how Dee had told Roman to quit his job, to stop talking his to friends, to focus on him and him alone… 

His phone buzzed again. It was probably another message from Logan asking where he was.

He pulled himself up by the headboard and grabbed the half-empty water bottle on the nightstand, chugging it all and tossing it on the floor. He glanced over at his phone just in time to see 3 new messages flashing before fading into darkness. 

Logan: Where are you? How are you feeling after all of this? I know this must be hard on you. 

Logan: Roman? I would appreciate a response soon. Now is not the time to be "playing hard to get," as Remy says.

Logan: Roman, although a text might not be the best way to figuratively "break the news," it seems my roomate Virgil has become the next victim… Please call me when you are able.

Roman felt his bottom lip begin to tremble. Even locking himself away from everyone wouldn't keep them safe. He felt like his entire chest was caving in on himself, that awful feeling of being so anxious and scared he needed to puke rising in his stomach and chest. 

He dropped his phone and ran to the bathroom, nearly bruising his knees as he collapsed in front of the toilet. But the nausea would only come back stronger when Roman saw the next messages he'd just received.

Dee😘😘: *sent a photo* 

Dee😘😘: uh oh! :(

When Roman clicked the notifications with trembling fingers, a photo of Roman and Logan kissing against Logan's car would light up his screen, the bad angle and quality unable to hide how Logan's hands were under Roman's shirt and how Roman was pulling Logan's face into his… 

And Roman's stomach would sink, all the pieces slotting together into one, horrible, picture.

The murder in the dressing room taglist:

@cataclysm-al @theteenagetrickster @intrurality-fusion @katie-the-noble-fangirl @whizzie72 @grayson-22 @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing @winterwonderland7669 @missieluvsmurder @sign-from-god-complex @dragonindigo245 @angryfanboyscreaming @ninja-wizard101 @sombraookami @crystalistrappedintheinternet @imtooaromanticforthis @why-should-i-tell-youu2 @dragon-hair @satanblessi @spookilyfingergunsoutofexistence @skruffy901 @selectivereality @nonbeenary-enbee @imbasicallyshakespear @cats-vetal-miking-vomit @incoherentfangirl @oofmood @nonbianary-pineapple @royalnerd829 @unicornlogansanders

[fightevilandthengetblownup]

CHAT: Anna+Ruby ALL

#1 - Anna and Ruby post Grey and Anna fighting in the alleyway; starts with Ruby and Lilith arguing, followed by Ruby targetting Anna

<Anna> *Lilith smirks at her leaning back against the wall* “You know it was cute seeing you trapped like that and by that fallen angel no less.”

<Jo> “What can I say, I learnt cockiness from somewhere not altogether bright, Lilith.” *Ruby gives a silent sigh* “What are you doing here?”

<Anna> “Oh nothing just watching you huff about. What’s the matter can’t find her?”

<Jo> “Why do I truly not believe that? And as a matter of fact I can’t. Seemingly the angel or whatever is left in her has disappeared.”

<Anna> *In a sing song voice* “I know where she isssss.” *Lilith smirks even more at Ruby.* “Infact I know that right now, the angel is laying in the emergency room of hospital after someone found her laying in an alley.”

<Jo> *Tilting her head to the side, Ruby looks at Lilith skeptically* “You’re saying that that scheming little bitch of an angel is lying useless and vulnerable in some hospital without that crazy watchdog keeping guard and you just happen to know where? That sounds almost too good to be true, Lilith.”

<Anna> “Gray’s twin found her and she mouthed off to him. It was an amusing show, very much a bonus since I was only after him.”

<Jo> “The other shadow? Mr. Weak-Monster-Eater himself took out the angel.” *Ruby smirks slightly, pondering to herself that she didn’t end up with a complete weakling on her blackmal cards* “What were you after him for? I would have thought you’d be after some Heavenly revenge after Gabriel had you pinned for so long.”

<Anna> “Oh I’ve taken care of Gabriel. I was celebrating and going to have some fun with the monster. Instead I got to watch him drain that little angel and kick her around a bit.”

<Jo> “Uh huh. …Any chance you’ll tell me where I could go kick her around myself?”

<Anna> “Normally I wouldn’t but since Grey said he wouldn’t feel bad if you killed her, I want to see if that’s true.” *Smiling Lilith tells Ruby the town name and the hospital, that the nurses had contacted Jo and they were waiting for the hunter to get there*

<Jo> “Of course you do. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go see what amounts of revenge I can get out before the little blonde slut shows up. And if I’m walking into a trap Lilith…” *Ruby shoots the other a look even though she can sense the other is back up and fighting, before zapping away to Anna’s bedside*

<Anna> *Lilith chuckles leaving, there was a daycare near by and she felt like having a snack*

<Anna> (So cute Ruby is paranoid of traps now)

<Jo> *Ruby comes in easily to find Anna in an empty semi-private room, something hunters seemed to try and get a hold of so it was understandable whatever Anna was covered with would do the same* “Wake up angelbitch. Or maybe I’ll try out my defibulator skills.” *Ruby flicks through the chart saying Anna wasn’t in a coma at least, as she waits for the other to react*

<Jo> (Lol she is just a tad. Damn Anna)

<Anna> *Anna remembers when someone found her, she had tried to get them to not call 911 but she was slurring and the fact she couln’t stand up and walk made it useless, a few hours later and a few shots of sedation she had been cleaned, changed into a gown and examined..she was simply waiting for the last shot to wear off enough she could run when she heard Ruby, reaching weakly for the call button*

<Jo> “Uh uh uh, not this time.” Ruby moves around to catch her wrist, noticing the slight purplish bruising and giving it a nasty tug before jerking the bed rail down and the bed away from the other option* “You and I need to have a little conversation about just where you think you are on the food chain. And I mean that literally.”

<Anna> *Swallowing Anna pushes herself up, the drugs still in her system to numb her she blinks at Ruby..* “You’re trapped..” *She says slowly like she hasn’t fully figured it out that Ruby is actually here and this isn’t some after effect of Grey feeding*

<Jo> “And down came the rain and washed the fires out, so then incy wincy demon came out the devils trap.” *If she were Lilith she would have been singing, but Ruby just speaks boredly, leaning her forearms on the end of the bed now Anna cant call for help* “Now, it’s your chance to get a little taste of your games.”

<Anna> “Jo..they called her, she’ll be here any moment.” *Anna isn’t sure when Jo will be here, she moves to try and stand up wincing as they braced her ankle where she twisted it trying to get away from Grey.* “Nurses and doctors will be in soon too.”

<Jo> “Unlikely. See, I, unlike a lot of demons, happen to know the score between you two and I don’t think Barbie will be rushing any time soon to help you Kelley.”

<Anna> “Go back to hell” *Anna looks around for her bag, reaching to pull the IV out of her arm.*

<Jo> *Ruby shakes her head, barely containing a cruel laugh at Anna’s attempts to move before going to the side not tugged down and reaching for the velcro straps holding the mattress to the bed frame and quickly rips them off and straps down Anna’s wrists together to the railing* “Not so fast. Like I say, its your chance to realise what you do to others. Or maybe the little monster did that for you

<Jo> already, hmm?”

<Anna> *Anna struggles are weak as Ruby forces her back down and she can’t help but feel her heart race as she straps her arms down, the heart monitor giving away her fear as it beeps faster.* “I don’t do anything, you all get what you deserve..demons..monsters..”

<Jo> “Angels.” *Ruby snaps back at her, whipping out a hand automatically to hit the other woman across the face before turning to the heart monitor and pulling the back out of it to avoid a passing nurse hearing for the time being, expecting one to come in soon enough to find out the issue* “Maybe we wouldn’t treat you so bad if you’d learn /you’re/ place and what /you/ deserve.”

<Anna> *Anna’s head jerks to the side feeling the blow, she can taste blood in her mouth and takes a deep breath* “My place? Even at it’s lowesst is above you.” *Twisting her wrists she tries to get the velcro to come loose but it isn’t and she looks around the room for anything she can use, kicking out with her leg, knocking over a table, hoping to make enough noise to get someone’s attention*

<Jo> *Giving a sigh, Ruby snaps out her hand again to grab Anna’s chin and cheeks with one hand, looking blankly at her* “That’s right, I’m just a demon. Which means any human that comes in here to check on you will be dead before they can let a scream out, because I just don’t care. But that doesn’t mean I’m below an abomination like you.”

<Anna> “Just kill me, get it over with.” *Anna glares at Ruby, her head more clear now as she jerks again at the straps* “Angels are pure, humans are pure..you’re the abomination, a perversion of everything God made. Filth, trash..” *Anna thinks that if she can talk long enough she will be able to provoke Ruby to killing her*

<Jo> “And yet you’re neither an angel or a human. You’re /nothing/.” *Looking blankly back at the other, Ruby moves around to open and shut the draws of the little medical cart in the room, obviously looking for something in particular* “And that’s worse than what I am.” *Turning back to the redhead, Ruby approaches, pulling the safety cap off of a scalpel and pressing her thumb against it to test it*

<Anna> <Jo> “And yet you’re neither an angel or a human. You’re /nothing/.” *Looking blankly back at the other, Ruby moves around to open and shut the draws of the little medical cart in the room, obviously looking for something in particular* “And that’s worse than what I am.” *Turning back to the redhead, Ruby approaches, pulling the safety cap off of a scalpel and pressing her thumb against it to test

<Anna> (woops, making a fan mail lol)

<Jo> (LOL its cool)

<Anna> *Anna watches Ruby, breathing deeply, trying show herself as calm like an angel would be.* “I’m still better than you, I’ve been greater than you. Remember what Alastair called you, just a slut, a whore.. Even demons think you are nothing.”

<Jo> “And yet I’m alive, and he is dead. Funny the way the world works.” *Pulling her thumb off when it starts bleeding, she presses the pad of it against Anna’s forehead before dragging it along her nose in a disjointed line much like a surgical marker* “You play the angel card, but really you’re closer to something worse than I am these days. Fuck enough beasts you’ll start acting like one.”

<Anna> *The touch of a demon is digusting but the feel of the blood is worse, the corruption of the human the demon is in and it makes Anna shudder* “Already an abomintion according to you.” *Kicking out she bites her lip, her ribs sore from Grey kicking her as she tries to kick Ruby* “How many years did you last in hell before you started throwing yourself at your torturers to get free?”

<Jo> *The second Anna kicks out, though it lands against her hip bone in a way that /would/ have hurt if it werent for the awkward angle and lacking force, Ruby spins the blade to poin downwards in her fist before stabbing it into the top of Anna’s thigh and twisting, as she continues to dot blood line down her chin and onto her neck* “You are indeed. And much longer than you lasted against the

<Jo> weakling monsters. And seemingly Crowley if your neck means anything.”

<Anna> *Anna screams  as the scalpel enters her leg and it gets louder as Ruby twists it. She hates Ruby bringing up hte marks Crowley made on her as she pants through the pain, feeling Ruby making her trail of blood dots, her skin crawling with each one.* “Crowley has never touched me like that.”

<Jo> “Maybe not like that, but I’m sure he’s touched you. Not as thoroughly as that monster has, but then again, I doubt anyone has.” *Jerking the scalpel out of Anna’s leg, Ruby vanishes only to appear on the opposite side of Anna’s bed where the railing was down and she could see the neck mark clearer* “How about I do you a little favor and fix that up for you, hmm?” *Without waiting, she grips onto

<Jo> Anna’s jaw and presses the blade against her neck cutting lightly in three lines across the word, just enough to break up and scar over the scars rather than cut a vein*

<Anna> *Anna tries to jerk her head, to drive the blade deeper, still believing if she was dead it would be better.* “Fucking bitch, I hope Crowley knows you are breaking them and comes to kill you. Maybe I’ll call for him, sure he would want to know that some trash demon is messing with his favorite pet!” *Blinking Anna glares up at Ruby through tears that are starting to run down the side of her face*

<Jo> *That finally gets a chuckle out of the demon, shaking her head as she works and gives the ‘angel’ a cold grin* “I think you vastly over estimate his interest in worn out toys. If his last little pet was able to break you so bad, I doubt he’s going to really care about a few scratches here and there. 'Course, trying to kill yourself isnt going to help either.”

<Anna> *Anna jerks again hard, Ruby’s expression starting to make her angry and she pulls at the straps holding her wrists before starting an exorcism, maybe this she thinks will provoke the demon to killing her*

<Jo> *The second she starts up with the exorcism again, Ruby slaps her hand out again and again across the others face before pausing a second and reaching to grab the others tongue* “Stop those infernal attempts to exorcise me or I will make it so whatever your little monster likes using you for will be a waste of his time.”

<Anna> *Anna stops long enough to bite as hard as she can onto the fingures Ruby has in her mouth to grab her tongue, the moment she can she begins again, it’s not the fast exorcism but it’s the most painful she knows and she glares up at Ruby*

<Jo> *Ripping her fingers away, she lets out a snarl as the exorcism starts again, having been ignoring it last time before she jerks her hand down and stabs the scalpel into Anna’s stomach with a painful jerk from the attempts* “I’d shut up before.. I carve you like.. Lilith does babies on Thanksgiving. You’re in a hospital, you’ll get help before you could die.”

<Anna> *The pain in her stomach stops her as Ruby screams at her about Lilith and she chokes some gasping as she wants to put her hands down to stop the bleeding feeling the blood soak into the grown, adding to the blood that’s already on the gurney from her leg* “Did..you fuck Lilith too? Or just Alastair?”

<Jo> “Demons lie, you fucking bitch.” *Ruby shakes her other arm to get rid of the pain from the exorcism before pulling the scalpel out of the other with a slick noise.* “Make up your mind, you want me gone or you want me to talk about Lilith and Alastair?” *She reaches out for Anna’s hospital gown, wiping as much blood off the blade as she can*

<Anna> *Anna whimpers feeling the blade slide out of her stomach, she’s shaking now and she swallows looking at Ruby.* “Want you to kill me. Course listening to you talk is a slow death and torture combined. When you were manipulating Sam, was it to free Lucifer or did you enjoy making him into a fool?”

<Jo> “I’ll think about it, though slow and tortuous is soundly lovely.” *Ruby sneers down at her for a moment before setting the scalpel just out of Anna’s reach, as though testing her to see if she’d try to attack her or try to kill herself first second she gets to escape* “I did what I did because it kept me alive. I’m not Lilith or Alastair, or Azazel or even his Golden Girl Meg, or any of the other

<Jo> big namers. I’m just a demon whose the best at staying /alive/ through any means necessary and who could outwit, outlast, out-you know the rest any of the other demons on the island that is Earth alongside the hunters. I was the only one who would live through it, and it was the only way I was going to continue living.”

<Anna> *Anna gives a painful laugh* “So your'e nothing..just..doing whatever you can to survive. A useful piece of trash that knew how to get into a desperate human’s pants. Pathetic..” *Anna smirks weakly at Ruby eyeing the scalpel and she pulls on the straps seeing if she can reach her fingers out to it.*

<Jo> “I’m better than all of them though, don’t you get it? I was the best, I /am/ the best. Because I’ll keep existing while they all drop like flies. I win the game, which you’re going to join the pile of losers soon enough.” *Ruby gives a shake of her head, zapping across the room to the medical cart again, digging through it for a few items, stashing them in her coat, before zapping to the bed end*

<Anna> “Best who gloated and got herself killed with her own blade.” *Anna breathes slowly through the pain in her middle, she coughs and it hurts, she can’t tell if the blood she tastes is her own or Ruby’s where she bit her, the taste of demon hasn’t left her mouth yet.* “You should have did your duty and enjoyed the victory from a distance.”

<Jo> “Learn from your mistakes, also, like I gave a fuck. I’d already outlasted all but Meg - and that little viper is likely to see the next Apocalypse come and go with the way she spreads herself about. Course, I’ll see it with her this time around.” *Sighing, Ruby crosses her arms and slides a hand out to catch one of Anna’s ankles and jerks her towards her as a way to twist the others wrists*

<Anna> *Whimpering as Ruby jerks her down, leaving her in a awkward position, painful as the stab wound in her stomach is pulled on.* “You’re still boasting…didn’t learn the lesson well enough, you need to be taught it again”

<Jo> “Maybe, but you’re not going to be the one to teach it.” *Giving the other a small glare, Ruby digs into her pocket, pulling out another scalpel and driving it into the side of Anna’s uninjured ankle, right towards the back behind the ankle socket and bone, with a small look of glee*

<Anna> (did she just cut the tendon??)

<Jo> (I believe so yeah.)

<Anna> (ILU RUBY)

<Jo> (LOL WHY?!)

<Anna> (she’s making lilith all warm and dewy)

<Anna> *The pain explodes up the back of her leg, Anna tries to jerk her foot away but it doesn’t move, hanging limp as Ruby stands there holding it off the bad, the scalpel scraping against the bone.* “I hope you live..I hope that when everyone is done with you they keep you in an eternity of agony!” *

<Jo> “I hope you live too, angelface. I hope you live through your monster being torn apart by Crowley and his dogs, I hope you live through every friend you know getting burnt alive to a crisp by Lilith in a jealous rage that she didn’t get to finish your prized possession off, I hope you live through your siblings being summoned and slaughtered like the dumb sheep they are, and I hope, more than

<Jo> anything that when this is all over and you have nothing left, that somebody keeps you alive and breathing so you’ll never know the sweet nothingness and escape of death again. Just like you want to get right now.” *Ruby speaks calmly to begin with, her face twisting and voice getting harsher as she goes on, digging and twisting the scalpel in Annas ankle against the bone and what muscle was left*

<Anna> *Anna is twisting, on the bed, her body jerking everytime Ruby digs the blade into her leg.* “Kill myself first..” *She can’t speak, her breath catching as she screams when Ruby digs the tip of the scapel in between the bones, finding the nerves, her leg jerking as she tries to get it away*

<Jo> *Giving the metal another sharp twist, she jerks it out before moving around the side of the bed, running a hand up Anna’s calf as she does until she’s at her knee, gripping it tightly and angling the scalpel just against the gap between the join and her knee cap* “You say that like you’ll be allowed to die.”

<Anna> *Shaking her head Anna closes her eyes, fighting down the feeling of being sick. She wonders if this is what it would ahve been like had the demon ever captured her the first time as she feels Ruby’s hand run over leg, picking it up* “No one cares about me enough to bring me back..”

<Jo> *Trailing the edge of the scalpel around her knee cap, pressing hard enough to break the skin, Ruby gives Anna a withering look* “Some of us hate you enough to.”

<Anna> *Trying to move her leg away from the blade she looks at Ruby* “Good thing you can’t..demons don’t work that way. Get in line behind Crowley if you want to keep me to torture.” *Her breathing is fast as the pain radiates up her leg the muscles spasm as she tries to move her foot*

<Jo> “Careful, careful. You might damage yourself, and that wouldn’t be good at all.” *Ruby gives something which would look like a smile on anyone elses face as she continues to circle Anna’s knee even as her leg jerks, cutting out of the line occasionally like a child’s very focussed attempts at drawing* “As for that - who do you think would keep you alive long enough for that all to happen?”

<Anna> *Ruby’s chiding tone makes Anna cringe, she bites her tongue to stop herself from telling the demon to go fuck herself. The blade is still tracing around her kneecap and everytime  Ruby presses down her leg jerks* “No one would..like you said..not that interesting”

<Jo> “Good thing I have friends in high corrupt places then. I could even convince it was for your own good, I mean, who wants their siblings to die when they could stop it from happening?” *The look on Ruby’s face turns into the widest smirk thus far, the scalpel not leaving Anna’s skin as she moves the blade back down Anna’s calf - pressing deeper the further she gets down*

<Anna> *biting her lip Anna can feel more tears running down ehr face as Ruby runs the blade her leg, feeling it going deeper and deeper but she can’t help but give a broken laugh as Ruby suggests she has an angel on her side.* “Now I know you’re lying..you can’t corrupt an angel, not that good.”

<Jo> “And yet a no-talent monster corrupted you. It’s amazing what you can do when you know how.” *Smiling coldly, Ruby pulls the scalpel away before dropping it on the side of Anna’s bed not near her bound hands before moving towards the heart monitor and turning it back on, the blaring beeping making her scowl*

<Anna> “He didn’t. Wanted him, was tired of trying to live like I was still an angel, wanted to just live.” *Anna is laying back on the bed, her eyes half closed now, her leg where Ruby dropped it not moving as she flinches from the blaring of the heart monitor*

<Jo> *Ruby walks around the head of Anna’s bed, pushing it forward a few inches from the wall as she bend forward over the pillow to look Anna directly in the eye, smile still in place though a little more ferral* “Sound like any brothers of yours we know? Give it time, you’ll see.”

<Anna> *Glaring at Ruby with as much anger as she can summon Anna spits in the face of the demon as Ruby leans over her head* “Gabriel ..you are delusional if you think that.”

<Jo> *Wiping her face, Ruby’s face contorts for a moment before she smirks back at her* “Maybe. But then again, there are plenty of angels in the sky. And you saw how far big brother Lucifer fell, how had do you think it would be to drag another one down, hmm? I think grandly, not delusionally, though like I say - give it time, Anna. Give it time.” *With a flick of her wrist the velcro holding Anna

<Jo> captive vanishes and the rail on the other side of the bed pops up, as there seems to be something the pushed the nurses button* “Good luck, bitch, you’re going to fucking need it.” *And as the nurses start heading in, Ruby vanishes away*

<Anna> *Anna’s nearly unconcious from blood loss on top of the feeding from Grey. She doesn’t fight when the nurses come in only weakly protesting with they start yelling at her, asking her what she had done, how had she managed to go it. She felt them grab her wrists, pads going around them, attaching them to the bed again. She won’t remember the doctors coming in or them taking her off to surgery*

#2 - Anna decided to target Ruby for entertainment and got more than she expected.

<Anna> *smacks Ruby*

<Jo> LOL She’s giving you a grumpy look

<Anna> lol

<Anna> *smacks her again*

<Jo> “….What do you want?”

<Anna> “I’m bored and I figured after you fucked up my leg you owe me some entertainment.”

<Jo> “I figure otherwise. You brought that on yourself, Anna, don’t try to get me into more hit list with your moronic counter part or big brother, okay?”

<Anna> “if I wanted you on a hit list I would have already done it and I don’t have a counter part.”

<Jo> “Oh really? That’s news to me.”

<Anna> “Next time I break up with someone I’ll make sure to tell you first..”

<Jo> “Glad to hear it. What’d you end up doing this time, huh? Did you screw around on this one too? Or was it a case of getting a little too broken the last time we spoke?”

<Anna> “Try none of the above. The honeymoon ended is all.”

<Jo> “So you finally screwed your brain back in the right way? Maybe that little drug spell I heard about actually recorrected that mind of yours”

<Anna> “He was the one that decided it needed to end, I just tossed him out.”

<Jo> “Role reversal then, Anna? What really happened that broke the magic spell, hmm.”

<Anna> “Oh geez you sound like Jo, just more bitchy and that is hard to do.”

<Jo> “Guess that means you’ll be falling in love with me next then. But aside from that, I’m going to go ahead and guess that Prince Charming really was you dressing the toad in a crown and cape yourself before fucking him.”

<Anna> “You know I could just send you back to hell now..”

<Jo> “But you won’t. Because you’re bored and you’ve alienated anyone who even remotely likes you so all that’s left is blind hatred.”

<Anna> “I’m starting to rethink that bored thing..”

<Jo> “No you’re not. You’re enjoying this, and you know it. We used to get along, if you don’t remember, before you joined me in sleeping with a Winchester that is.”

<Anna> “You mean when you were still fooling Sam and feeding him blood to set lucifer free which led to my death.”

<Jo> “When i was still fooling everyone, get it right.”

<Anna> *Anna rolls her eyes*

<Jo> “Oh whatever Anna, either way you don’t want me to go and leave you to be bored and alone once again. You’ll take whatever kind of interest someone can give you. /What ever/ kind.”

<Anna> “You know that I’m not that desperate, I’m going to assume that you’re sticking around because Gabe is through with your skank ass.”

<Jo> “Gabriel has had nothing to do with my ass, I’m sticking around because it’s way too amusing to watch you suffer.”

<Anna> *Anna says the first few words of an exorsicm* “Careful, while you can blow hot air, I can actually make my words sting”

<Jo> *Cringing, Ruby glares at Anna* “Yeah, maybe, but I can make your body hurt much much worse” *With that she directs a kick to the underside of Anna’ foot, right over the ankle*

<Anna> *Anna breathes in as the pain radiates out* “Get in line behind Crowley.”

<Jo> “Crowley? Whats the big bad wolf doing skulking about now, Anna? Did he like my handiwork in slowing down his pets running?”

<Anna> “Oh he wants to thank you specially.”

<Jo> “Well thats just super. Next time you see him, let him know that if he wants something to be his, he should piss on it first, just like the rest of nature. Not sure you’d enjoy that though”

<Anna> *Anna begins to say more of hte exorcism* “"or maybe you should think twice before going around and pissing off the demon with all the souls.”

<Jo> *Giving Anna a look, Ruby kicks at her foot again before stomping her boot down across the top of Anna’s foot as well* “Keep the exorcisms up and I’ll see what fun I can have with the other leg, you get me? As for pissing off demons, he hasn’t caught me yet.”

<Anna> *Anna moves back, stumbling till she’s sitting on her bed, rubbing her hand over the cast.* “Right, like you would be stupid enough to try and break me further knowing Crowley is already unhappy over this”

<Jo> “Who knows, maybe he’s just upset there isn’t any symetry..” *Ruby smirks slightly, following after Anna and quickly jerking her hand up, pulling at Anna’s unharmed leg with her powers before catching her ankle in her hand*

<Anna> *Anna glares at Ruby* “Or maybe I’m just going to  use you as present to him when he comes back.” *She tries to pull her leg away from Ruby, keeping her expression calm even though she can feel her heart racing*

<Jo> *At Anna’s jerking, Ruby digs her fingers into each side of her ankle, fingernails popping the skin with the force as she looks down at the other’s glare with a smirk* “Maybe. But I’m thinking this might be to your advantage as well.”

<Anna> *Anna hisses as Ruby digs her fingers in, she’s starting to shake and she can’t hide it* “How is this to my advantage?”

<Jo> *Her smirk widens at Anna’s shaking, running her other hand up her calve and back down, knowing just how much the angel hated touch from a demon* “Easy. If you’re broken, then Crowley isn’t going to want to play until you’re back to better. It gives you some time from his highness.”

<Anna> *Her skin crawls as Ruby runs her hand over her leg, swallowing as the demon talks about being broken and Crowley’s idea to simply remove her leg.* “Somehow I don’t think it realy matters to him if i’m broken or not.”

<Jo> “Oh but it does. Unlss he really doesn’t care who plays with his toys and how.”

<Anna> “Why don’t you ask him yourself if he cares then?”

<Jo> “Because, you’re more fun to play with, of course.” *Ruby grins back at Anna, digging her fingers in again after relaxing them as she gives the small apartment a once over with a frown*

<Anna> *Anna stiffens as Ruby digs her nails into the skin again.* “You don’t like the decore? You should get comortable, you’re going to be seeing it for a while till Crowley comes back.”

<Jo> “I don’t think so, Anna.” *Ruby gives the ankle in her grip a firm twist before moving back towards the small kitchenette area, flicking through some drawers* “Whatever trap you made, you made a deal with me to break it.”

<Anna> *Anna gasps as Ruby twists her leg and then drops it to go rummaging through the drawers. She doesn’t think anything is in them since she hasn’t stocked the kitchen* “I did agree to break it. I never said when though.”

<Jo> “I can make you agree.” *Ruby slams the drawer back in when nothing shows up, turning around to approach her again instead, clenching one hand* “I could make you agree to let me out easier than anyone has ever made you agree to anything. I will be allowed out of here before any of your little plans to trap me with Crowley work and theres nothing you can do but let me.”

<Anna> *Anna sitting on the bed she’s pushed herself back to lean against the wall.* “Why are you so special? You think that i’ll agree to you faster than I would Crowley who is a real threat? You really do think high of yourself.”

<Jo> “Oh I do. And do you know why? Because if you don’t, whatever little plans you have going to stop that bastard are to waste. I am the /only/ one who knows about the barbie hunters plan to find that little spell of Crowleys that can get into and out of Hell without capture, and if you keep me here for Crowley to waste then you’ve just fucked over your one chances of stopping this whole ordeal”

<Anna> *Anna tilts her head to the side and she smirks* “What makes you think I want him stopped? That I haven’t said screw all of you and have decided to go with the side that is the sure side to win. I made that mistake before, fighting against the Winchesters, maybe I have learned.”

<Jo> “Because, you wouldn’t have that little broken leg still”

<Anna> “Your logic amazes me.” *Anna shrugs at Ruby.* “Crowley enjoys the suffering but just maybe the more I turn to him the less I suffer and the more you do in my place.”

<Jo> “My logic is correct though. Because you wouldn’t be this nonchalant, and you certainly wouldn’t be speaking as though the whole world is screwed including yourself if you were Team Crowley all of a sudden.” *Ruby sneers down at her, catching her ankle again and twisting sharply* “Though you do seem to jump sides when you jump from cunt to cock … to cock?”

<Anna> *Biting her lip hard as Ruby grabs her again she breathes slowly.* “You’re the only one that sleeps with your enemies whore.” *She’s learned more from Ruby right now though than she’s learned from anyone else about what the plan is and she keeps prying. “So if you’re so important why are you doing the lap dogs work fetching spells?”

<Jo> “That’s true, I still /remember/ they’re my enemy.” *Ruby smirks slightly, usign her other hand to force Anna’s foot back at a bad angle as she looks about for something with enough force for some blunt trauma* “Who do you trust to get the important information? Not the stupid sheep or drones. If you want something done right, do it yourself or get someone better than you to.”

<Anna> *Anna can’t help but yelp as Ruby pushes her foot back and she kicks trying ot get her leg free, the only thing in the apartment is the bed, her bag and the table Jo kicked and broke* “So your the head sheep, the one that goes running off a cliff first in blind panic or who stands there bleeting while you’re stabbed to death.” *Anna refers to her gloating as Dean killed her*

<Jo> *Letting her foot go, Ruby notices the broke table leg, snapped off underneath the rest of it and grins widely* “No, I’m the wolf hanging around with the rest of the bleeters, but unlike the fairy tale, I’m not trying to hide it and I’m not going to get shot again.”

<Anna> “Sure you’re not, you’re going to help do away with Crowley and everyone is going to throw you a parade..” *Anna shakes her head, wondering if ego is a part of every demon or just the type of person that becoems one.* “I’m sure you’ll be dead as soon as Crowley is.”

<Jo> “Who says I will be around then? I’ll drop barbiedoll or your big brother the memo of what they need, and then disappear as always. And by then, they’ll have to watch out for /someone else/ instead from what I’ve heard.”

<Anna> “What do you mean..someone else?”

<Jo> “I mean, why do you think I’m not siding with Crowley?”

<Anna> *Anna starts another part of the exorcism* “What do you know Ruby that you aren’t telling the others?”

<Jo> *Ruby hisses at the exorcism starting again, lunging for the broken chair leg before spinning around and slamming the piece down on Anna’s uninjured knee with a snarl* “What makes you think I’m going to tell you?”

<Anna> *The pain stops her leaving her laying back gasping as Anna blinks trying to breath through the pain.* “Because if you don’t I will give you over to Crowley and this time I’m not bluffing!”

<Jo> *Ruby grins, swinging the makeshift bat with one hand into the other, watching Anna writhe and choke on her breath before shaking her head* “Lets just say, big brothers spells don’t work so well when they’ve been destroyed. And somebody is going to pay for it, sure I might be up there, but I’m too useful to be killed - at least those smart enough to realise it know it.”

<Anna> “Who is going to pay for it? What is this spell Gabe has you looking for?” *Anna is breathing hard, she hadn’t heard anything about this from anyone and she’s feeling even more bitter about being kept in the dark by everyone.*

<Jo> “Completely unrelated, Anna.  Gabriel tried to trap my old boss, and thanks to your master that’s broken again, and while everyone thinks its safe once Crowley is gone - she’ll strike.  And hard.   I personally plan to stay out of her way.” *Ruby swings the wooden leg down on Anna’s leg between sentences, before sighing and giving the other a look* “Barbie has me looking to stop Crowley. So does

<Jo> Gabe, but /he/ wouldn’t pass on any other information like huntress did.”

<Anna> *Anna screams as Ruby hits her leg again and she’s confused, it’s not just the pain making her blury* “Lilith has been free, why would things change once Crowley is gone?” *Her knee is on fire,  she can feel it throbbing with her heart beat as she tries to move away from Ruby*

<Jo> “Because, Lilith was trapped in her meatsuit for /months/.  She’s not going to be happy but isn’t stupid enough to act while Crowley’s around, of course.” *Ruby grins at Anna’s twitching, when she shifts away startng to hit along her calfbone instead* “Or! Maybe I’m just talking out of my ass for the fun of it?”

<Anna> *Anna screams with each hit, she moves her leg in the cast over her other leg in a desperate attempt to protect it.* “Lilith is just a demon, she can be dealt with, Gabe can deal with her.” *Laying on her side she can feel the tears run down her face, she’s not sure if Ruby has broken a bone yet or not, there’s nothing but a radiating pain going up and down her leg*

<Jo> “Just a demon, maybe. But your brother is just an angel, at the end of everything.” *Ruby snorts at Anna’s attempt to protect her leg, smashing the wood on edge down on her casted toes before jerking that leg to the side and instead giving a hard hit to Anna’s ribs instead* “I havent heard any cracks yet, be thankful.”

<Anna> *The blow to her ribs steals her breath as she lays there, her arms wrapping around her gasping for breath. Curling up, her leg starting to show an impressive bruising she breathes hard.* “Angel none of you can kill, angel who you are beating up on his little sister..”

<Jo> “Do I /seem/ frightened?” *Ruby leans in over Anna, grinning widely at her as she presses the end of the leg leg harshly against her ribs*

<Anna> *Gasping Anna quickly starts to say the last of the exorcism, trying to get Ruby to back off* “No but you do seem stupid.”

<Jo> *Ruby gives her a sharp look, bringing the leg down on Anna’s mouth as the painful prickling from the exorcism grows and wracks through her, before throwing caution to the wind and trying to vanish, almost surprised to find she could*

<Anna> *Anna jerks her head back seeing Ruby aim for her head as she feels the wood slam into her mouth just as her head hits the wall. She watches a blury Ruby vanish and she sags down, the taste of blood filling her mouth*

#3 -  Anna tries to sic Ruby on Grey. Ruby plays along...and then does nothing to Grey because #demonyo

<Anna> Anna is thinking about seeing if Ruby wants to go kick Grey’s ass

<Jo> LOL Ruby would prefer kicking Gray’s ass to Grey.  Grey’s on her payroll in contrast. Though she’d not be completely against ruffling his feather’s a little, but she doubts thats what Anna wants

<Anna> no she wants pain and suffering

<Jo> “That I can do. Death however, I won’t be handing out. I might need him”

<Anna> “Whatever, I just want him as useless as he think I am.”

<Jo> “So pretty much like he is now? That’s not asking much”

<Anna> “No I want him suffering.”

<Jo> “…Can I go through Barbie? No I don’t suppose you’d like that. Suffering though, what scale are we talking, your invalid foot for the forseeable future suffering or I no longer have the will to truly live suffering?”

<Anna> “No you can’t touch Jo or anyone else..and will to live, he thinkings hurting now sucks, he hasn’t suffered yet.”

<Jo> “Well thats going to be fun then.. …Any messages I should pass along or just say their from the redheaded witch who can’t stand to do it herself?”

<Anna> “Tell him that Crowley isn’t the one he should be afraid of.”

<Jo> “Speaking of, I’m not going to have him on my tail about breaking both his toys, am I?”

<Anna> “No I’ll make sure Crowley doesn’t go after you.”

<Jo> “Well then. What am I getting in return, Anna?”

<Anna> “I’ll owe you a favor.”

<Jo> “… …/Any/ favor?”

<Anna> “Within reason. What are you thinking?”

<Jo> “Oh, I don’t know. I just like having them up my sleeve. I’ve got a few favors still owed from your brother as it is.”

<Anna> “Well good for you.”

<Jo> “So… a favor if I ask it in future is my end?”

<Anna> “What?”

<Jo> “Did someone knock you around the head? Oh wait, yes I did. In return for making the little monster cry for the next however long until he’s as well suffered as you, I get to ask a favor some day, correct?”

<Anna> “Yes.”

<Jo> “Well then.. Sign me up.”

<Anna> *Anna smirks*

<Jo> “We done here? I have tasks to take care of and you’ve got a bed to be ridden in.”

<Anna> “Oh screw you the bruises hurt but not that bad.”

<Jo> “Oh yes? How about you stand up then? Give us a twirl”

<Anna> *Rolling her eyes Anna stands up looking at Ruby with a raised brow.* “Happy?”

<Jo> *Ruby considers her, stepping back a few paces* “Walk across the room and I’ll leave you be. Even organise someone to.. look out for things for you if you like.”

<Anna> *Anna glares at Ruby, taking several steps, the more she takes the more shakey she becomes but she does it.* “I don’t need anyone. I’m fine..”

<Jo> *Letting out a laugh, Ruby circles around her before pressing a finger right between her collar bones with a smirk* “Okay, back into bed with you. Damage yourself and whatever favor you might be able to do will go bye bye. How about I fetch that knucklehead researcher to keep you company? Or just round up some dumb monster to do so.. I think thats easier.”

<Anna> *Anna turns around and goes back to the bed, sitting on the foot of it, her legs aching now* “Jo’s been coming by, I’m fine.”

<Jo> “Call it insurance.” *Ruby grins a little too wickedly, before holding out her hand* “So, we’ll shake on it this time, okay?”

<Anna> *Anna rolls her eyes again reaching out and shaking Ruby’s hand.* “Fine, we’ve shook on it. Now go make the runt suffer.”

<Jo> “Gladly.” *Ruby lets out a laugh, vanishing away*

#4 - Anna and Ruby making a deal...

<Anna> *Anna spent the morning getting over her hangover at the hospital, she thought the sound of the saw they used to cut the cast off was something they created in hell but then everything seemed better once they looked at the wounds, they had healed but not how they had hoped. She suspected that was Crowley’s doing and she just nodded as they worked with her and fitted a plastic piece around the fron

<Anna> of her leg that would let her walk almost normally. They had set up appointments she wouldn’t go back too and when she left she breathed out, walking slowly. When she got home she thought about Ruby and Jo and she set everything up to summon the demon*

<Jo> *Ruby had been sleuthing about finding just the right pawns for the rest of her plan, double checking everything in such a way she could get this plan to unfold with her seeming innocence in tact when she feels the pull of a summoning. Staring at Anna when she arrives, she gives the other’s worse appearance a look* “So.. want to add another person to your little revenge route now?”

<Anna> *Anna is leaning against the wall when Ruby appears, she’s spent enough time in bed now that the cast is off and she shakes her head.* “No I want you to not go after Grey. I’m going to assume you haven’t because Jo hasn’t screamed at me.”

<Jo> “But, angelcake, I’ve already got everything set up. Ready to go. And I doubt Barbie would be screaming at you about it.” *Ruby almost sulks, not enjoying the idea of being told she needs to abort another game before her eyes flash back to Anna* “Would I still get my favor from you?”

<Anna> *Anna rolls her eyes as Ruby seems to sulk.* “Yes you still get your favor. Just things have changed and it’s for the best right now if you don’t go after him.”

<Jo> *Ruby smiles widely at the confirmation she still gets something, now out of doing nothing, before giving Anna a quizical look, moving around the small space to look out the tiny window* “So… just what has changed that sparked this change of heart? Not fucking the little monster now instead?”

<Anna> *Anna glares pushing off the wall walking away from Ruby.* “No I am not. I was asked to not do anything to him for right now and at risk of loosing hte last person willing to talk to me right now I’m doing what she asks.”

<Jo> “Jo, then. Interesting.” *Ruby lets Anna get a few feet away before disappearing and reappearing in front of her with a smirk* “You know.. my plan was going to include her. Just enough that she’d be a little too shaken up to even think about where this all came from. You’d have been free as a bird, and she might even prefer your company again over that of men.” *Sliding past and around her, Ruby

<Jo> adds quietly, her chin hooked over Anna’s shoulder and whispering in her ear* “Sure you want this over?”

<Anna> *Anna stops wincing as Ruby appears and she listens she breathes deeply..the idea that Jo wouldn’t want Grey around is what she wants and she’s thinking hard about letting Ruby do it but then  she feels Ruby’s chin on her shoulder and the demon is whispering in her ear and she’s snapped out of it.* “Yes I’m sure.” *Shoving Ruby away from her she crosses her arms*

<Jo> *Ruby laughs at the reaction, stepping back with her hands on her waist, smiling widely* “Absolutely sure? Because it’s costing you either way”

<Anna> “Yes I’m sure. Jo has made it clear that the first one of us that does anything else is going to be shot and so far that’s the one thing I’ve never experienced and I would like to keep it that way.”

<Jo> *That answer surprises her, raising an eyebrow at the redhead before nodding her head once* “Okay, sure, I won’t start my little plan. But if you change your mind.. your going to have to pay again”

<Anna> “And what would be the price for next time?” *Anna sighs wishing she had put down traps as she walks back towards the kitchenette, running a glass of water*

<Jo> *Ruby moves freely about the apartment, moving to sit down on the small bed, crossing her knees as she watches Anna* “Protection. From you. Forever.”

<Anna> *Anna laughs as she comes back sitting in the chair that goes to the broken table.* “I think I need more protection from you.”

<Jo> “True, but who knows. Big brother might give you a reboot if you ask him and then maybe you’ll want to get revenge for those little legs of yours. Which I’d rather a gaurantee that that’s not going to happen.”

<Anna> “That won’t happen. Angel isn’t in my future and as for my legs..I’ll get my revenge on you in time.” *Anna takes a sip from the glass*

<Jo> *Ruby smirks slightly, her lip curling up wider as she runs an eye across Anna;s little plastic tubing sticking out from her jeans* “I was just worried about your legs actually. Gabriel would be unlikely to want to make his sister so upset about the whole Grace and falling thing /again/. As for the revenge.. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

<Anna> “I’ve already cashed in all my favors with Gabe. And as far as everything else..well..”*Anna shrugs taking another sip of the water.* “You can try but unless I want to make another deal with you. You won’t get protection from me.”

<Jo> “Glad to hear it then.” *Ruby sighs at Anna’s confirmation that she’d need the other to make another arrangement with her, but figures it was only a matter of time before she’d be interested in starting her little plan on the monster again* “We’ll see then, Anna.”

<Anna> “I’ve already warned Jo to watch out for you so don’t think about doing it anyway Ruby.” *Anna raises an eyebrow at Ruby with a bit of a smirk*

<Jo> “She wouldn’t know it was me if I did anyway, Anna.” *Ruby sneers back at her with a laugh*

<Anna> “Well she would now since I warned her.” *Anna counters right back*

<Jo> “What makes you so sure I was even going to be around when it hapened?”

<Anna> “What makes you so sure Jo wouldn’t summon you and I wouldn’t be around to let you out of that trap. Have you seen what Jo does to monster’s when she’s pissed?”

<Jo> *Ruby stands up, approaching the other and leaning down to look the seated woman straight in the eye with a smirk* “Again, what makes you think she’d know it was me?”

<Anna> “Because I’ll tell her.” *Anna raises a brow not understanding how Ruby is this stupid.*

<Jo> “And I’ll tell her it’s because you asked me to. Otherwise, what reason would I really have to fuck with her and her little boytoy since both are on my payroll?” *Ruby continues smirking, raising an eyebrow in response*

<Anna> “Jo already knows idiot that I started something.” *Anna stands dumping the water she blessed over Ruby’s head.*

<Jo> *Ruby lets out a shout at the water, jerking away from Anna with a scowl before scratching and shaking at her head to get it off before grabbing the corner of the sheet on the bed and using it to dry at her hair* “Doesnt mean you know what you started. And trust me, you wouldn’t like her knowing it was on your original incentive that that was going to happen.”

<Anna> “I’m not sure you understand how beyond caring I’m starting to be right now Ruby. Grey already wants to kill me and that’s fine and if Jo ends up hating me, well that’s just my luck and I haven’t even got to how bad things are with Crowley.” *Anna can’t help but enjoy watching Ruby smoke for a moment as the water burns the demon.*

<Jo> “Well then princess, how bout you tell me and I’ll see if I can’t actualy help out. What with our mutual hatred of that demonic pain in the ass.”

<Anna> “And what is the price for your help with that?”

* STATUS: Online

-

<Jo> “The same price I said, protection from you.”

<Anna> “No, I’m no threat and you know it.”

<Jo> “Doesn’t mean I dont think you may be in the future.” *Ruby shoots her an almost nice smile, though her snide tone betrays it*

<Anna> “I think it’s flattering that you think I have a future.” *Anna sits back down rolling the empty glass in her hands*

<Jo> *Shrugging a shoulder, she sits back down on the end of the bed, continuing to dry her hair and head with a sneer* “What can I say? I think you’d give the guy a good enough kick out of ruining you that he won’;t kill you yet.”

<Anna> “Oh you mean like you tried to do?” *Watching Ruby using her sheets she rolls her eyes* “There’s a towel in the bathroom.”

<Jo> “I tried to what? Kill him? Not likely, I’m not that dumb. Or ruining you? I think you’ve got your papers mixed up, Anna.” *She shoots the other a look at the suggestion, continuing to use the sheet with a smirk*

<Anna> *Anna gets up walking to the bathroom, she can’t believe she’s making small talk with the demon..this is a new level of low for her. Grabbing the towel she throws it at Ruby as she comes back into the room* “I’m refering to the hospital. I assume that one reason you just didn’t kill me. More fun for you to watch me.”

<Jo> *Ruby laughs at Anna fetching the towel, catching it with one hand and looking temptedly at the sheet still before using the towel instead to just triple check she wasn’t going to continue smoking* “Ah. Well, that is true. But more it was a case of your being more useful while still alive.”

<Anna> *Anna shakes her head, the demon thinks she’s still useful. She’s sighs as she sits back down* “So soon as my use is gone then you kill me?”

<Jo> “Why would I bother wasting my time doing that? I just wont talk to you, easy enough.”

<Anna> “True though you’re the one that can be summoned.”

<Jo> *Ruby sighs, tossing the towel behind she’s sure she’s not still got any water on her, giving Anna a sharp look before laughing* “But then you would be annoying. And worth killing.”

<Anna> “Not if you are trapped. I said I would let you out of them, I never said when.” *Anna smirks at Ruby*

<Jo> “I..” *Ruby frowns, staring at her for a second before laughing* “Well well well, you worked out the loophole. Here I thought those drugs might have scrambled your brain enough that it wouldnt have”

<Anna> “Why do you think I agreed to that to begin with?” *Anna glares at her just a  bit for thinking her that stupid.*

<Jo> “Sheer need? Either that or maybe you just wanted a kiss.” *Ruby smirks, leaning back on her hands as she looks about the room again* “So, any reason your face is all rearranged, angelcake?”

<Anna> *Anna reaches up touching one of the bruises from where Gray kicked her and she shrugs.* “Gray and I aren’t talking right now.”

<Jo> *Ruby’s brow shoots up, looking at her interestedly* “Really really? Well. That’s an interesting way to decide upon that type of thing.”

<Anna> “It’s better than the first date you might say. Sorry your weren’t the first to try and take my leg off.” *Anna chuckles some*

<Jo> “Well, looks like we’re well on the way to your being my willing bitch, right?” *Ruby smirks back at her, trying not to laugh again*

<Anna> *Anna glares and crosses her arms* “Keep talking and I’ll start exorsing you just to cause you pain.”

<Jo> “Oh, exorcisms. I like it when you talk dirty to me.” *Her tone is completely flat, looking back at the other*

<Anna> *Tilting her head Anna smiles sweetly and starts to talk to her in Enochian*

<Jo> *Ruby snarls, twitching and holding up a hand* “No. Okay, no thank you. I can’t understand you and that really hurt to listen to.”

<Anna> “It’s Enochian, listen closer” *Anna chuckles*

<Jo> “Doesnt mean it doesn’t hurt, good lord is that what you guys pass off as a language?” *Ruby laughs, shaking her head, not dropping her hand*

<Anna> “What, you never heard your daddy speak it? Alastair and Lilith know it, I guess you weren’t important enough to learn it.” *Anna keeps speaking in the angelic tongue*

<Jo> *Ruby rolls her eyes at her, shifting her hands and lying back, pressing the palms of her heels against her ears at the others talking, getting a few words here and there but little else* “That whole thing is archaic. I’d think if Lilith knew how annoying that damn well sounded she’d be turning all of Hell into a giant sound system playing that gibberish.”

<Anna> “Archaic but effective for sending demons back to hell.” *Anna grins as she speeds up, talking faster now, hoping to reach the end of it before Ruby realizes*

<Jo> *Ruby jerks upwards, looking at her with a snarl* “You want me back in Hell? Fine. I’m going.” *She sneers at the redhead for a second, calling her bluff and wondering to herself what she’s going to do with the broken shell of a girl she was sticking inside of if she continues*

<Anna> *Anna shrugs as she keeps speaking* “Call this payback for the leg.” *She can deal with the body, she’s got used to cleaning up after Gray and resumes her speaking*

<Jo> “Don’t bury the bitch will you? I like this one.” *She shudders slightly as Anna keeps talking, struggling to stay in her body now more than before as the other gets closer to fully springing her out, before Ruby feels the final tug and lets out a scream as she’s pulled out in her true form and sent back down with a burst of lightglobes*

<Anna> *Anna watches the body fall and she wonders how long it will take Ruby to find her way from the bottom pit she sent ehr too. Grabbing a hand she checks the body to see if she’s dead and she sighs barely finding a pulse..dragging the body out to the parking lot Anna calls 911 saying she found the girl coming back from dinner*

#5 - Anna and Ruby discussing collars

<Jo> *Getting out of Hell was getitng both more and less difficult as time went by, Ruby finding more paths blocked but new gaps popping up all the time, and while it took her what could be considered a few weeks to fight and sneak her way out, the time it took to locate her current prefered body ‘up top’ was more frustrating. Smoking out of the intensive care ward, she finds her way back to the

<Jo> angel’s apartment, hell-bent on getting a bit of revenge. The redhead is laying passed out on the bed when she arrives, an occurance Ruby hadn’t had the fortune of seeing yet and kicking her foot sharply against the heel of Anna’s feet she snaps nastily* “Rise and shine, bitch, I wanted to let you know how bad your little plan worked out.”

<Anna> *Anna getting home had went back out after hours of trying to work out a way to get the collar off, coming home again with a bottle she drank until she passed out, shutting her mind off from everything. The kick to her foot barely phased her and the sound of someone’s voice in the room with her has her blinking slolwy as she pushes herself up on her elbows.* “What?”

<Jo> *Ruby frowns at the slow reaction, before noticing the mostly-drunk bottle beside the bed and the blurry reaction, smirking slightly* “Oh I’m sorry, did you not hear me?” *Her voice gets louder as she speaks, a sneer on her face as she moves around near to Anna’s head, almost shouting* “I said, rise and shine you fucking whore.” *She spots the shiny metal around the other’s neck almost instantly

<Jo> once she was closer, though holds off questioning it as she starts tapping the others temple with a finger harshly*

<Anna> *The screaming in her ears is enough to sober her quickly and she tries to push Ruby away, her movements uncordinated and sloppy.* “Go back to Hell, leave me alone Ruby.” *Anna doesn’t want to deal with the demon, she can still hear Grey’s words from last night and she squeezes her eyes shut trying to bat Ruby’s hand away*

<Jo> “Hmmm, only if you come with me too, angelcake.” *Ruby smirks, volume still slightly higher than normal as she avoids the others attempts to avoid her easily* “Now I wonder what sent you to the bottle, Anna. Maybe the shiny new neck piece?”

<Anna> *Anna groans hearing Ruby’s loud tone and she tries to shove the demon away* “Crowley, there happy? Please leave.” *Sitting up she rubs her eyes trying to clear them, she’s not sure if still isn’t a bit drunk as the room sort of spins slowly*

<Jo> “Not in the slightest. You sent me back to fucking /Hell/!” *She shouts again, even if the redhead’s actions worked in her favor, she had no intention of letting her know that, reaching out to slip a finger into the very thin gap between metal and skin, pressing harshly back into Anna’s neck rather than actually being able to fit it, and tugging her forward*

<Anna> “Your the idiot that set there and let me!” *Anna snaps as her head throbs with every word Ruby shouts. She grabs Rubys wrist trying to push her hand away as the demon reaches for the collar, wincing as Ruby’s fingers dig into her skin, nearly falling off the bed at the tug.* “Leave me the hell alone!”

<Jo> *Ruby laughs cruelly at Anna’s flailing, smirking as she catches her with her other hand, twisting the metal ring slightly in curiosity* “But I want to know what’s so interesting about you that crazy fucker gave you a ring. Is your tongue action really that good?”

<Anna> *Anna winces as the collar twists her head leaning to the side* “Crowley is an ass. I’m not that interesting. He did this to Grey too so it’s nothing special!” *Digging her nails into Ruby’s wrist she tries to pry teh demon’s hands off of the collar*

<Jo> “Oh? I’d have to disagree given he kept that monster for quite some time - must be something of use that you both have.” *She smirks slightly, brow raised, beforeshe digs her finger back towards Anna’s throat* “I wonder just what this collar does..” *Ruby’s eyes widen in amusement as she decides to test it, scratching at the inside of the collar with her finger and powers alike*

<Anna> *Whatever Anna is about to say stops as the collar does exactly what Grey said it would do and she tries to scream as her body arches, the shock running down her spine, leaving her seeing stars for a moment in her hungover state*

<Jo> *The second she feels the jolt, Ruby’s tugging her hand away, watching Anna tense and bend as she lets out a strangled scream. Waiting a second, she laughs loudly* “Well. /That/ looks like something /fun/.”

<Anna> *Sitting on the bed, she holds onto the edges as she breathes hard, it only lasted a second but it felt like someone hit her hard and she looks up glaring at Ruby* “Fuck off”

<Jo> “I wouldn’t be getting angry with me right now, angelcake. I could set that off again in a second” *Ruby laughs again*

<Anna> “Fine, what do you want?” *Anna resists the urge to rub her temples, her head is throbbing now and her throat feels sore, like she’s starting t come down with something from the shock*

<Jo> “Well, I was coming for a little revenge, so…” *Ruby doesn’t so much trail off as reach out to press a finger against the metal again, pulling and scratching at it with her powers again, a dark grin on her face*

<Anna> *Anna tries to move away and the next thing she knows is she’s laying on her back blinking up at the ceiling breathing hard* “Fuck you Ruby* "Wincing her throat hurts even more and she glares up at the demon*

<Jo> "No, Anna, thats what that collars supposed to symbolise. Youre the concubine and you’re going to give one hell of a blow job seiving like that in the middle.” *The glare and words basically roll off, Ruby smirking down at Anna almost gleefully* “Your going to be even worse than that little monster ever was, arent you? Cause he delluded himself while youre going to get off in reality, am I right?”

<Anna> *Anna rolls over getting to her feet trying to shove past Ruby unsteadily.* “I’m not listening to you.” *She tries to block Ruby out, to not listen but she can’t and she tenses.* “That’s right I’m going to be a good fallen angel and I’m going to lay on my back and spread my legs because that’s the only way that I know how to keep people safe. There? Happy?”

<Jo> “Is that what you were doing with the other monster all this time?” *Ruby looks at Anna almost knowingly, smile twitching to show as she shoves her back down on the bed with one hand*

<Anna> *Anna looks up at Ruby before looking away* “What other monster?”

<Jo> “Don’t play coy, it’s not befitting” *Leaning down, pinning Anna with a stare, Ruby grins cruelly before speaking as though to a child* “Was that what you were doing with Gray all this time? Laying back and spreading to keep your little friends safe. I’ll bet that was part of it, wasn’t it? If he didnt hurt your pals, you’d let him fuck you til morning light.”

<Anna> *Anna’s fist comes up as Ruby leans down over her and she hits the demon in the mouth* “Shut up! You don’t know anything about what went on with Gray and I. It was never ever like that! *Anna’s pissed, she closes her eyes wiping them as she thinks about Gray.*

<Jo> *Jerking back, she rubs at her mouth before laughing* "I think I hit a nail hard on the head. Even if you can’t admit it. But oh well, I think I’ll leave you to your moping, angelcake, you’ve still got a fair bit of a bottle there” *Smirking, Ruby touches at Anna’s collar again, powers attacking harder this time before she vanishes away*

<Anna> *The pain hits Anna and she lays gasping, glad Ruby is gone and hating everything at the moment. Her hand reaches up feeling the collar and she crawls up into bed, crying herself back to sleep*

#6 - Anna and Ruby make another agreement, this is when Ruby discovers Jo’s knife

<Anna> *Anna sat in her apartment, she had the meds that Jo told her to get for Gray but she hadn’t gone back yet and she hadn’t seen Crowley again. She rubs her hand around the collar and she wonders if Crowley is as powerful as God or if there was a true limit to his power. Standing up she salts off an area and she summons Ruby.*

<Ruby> *Ruby was hoping the further away from Anna the less her collar would shock her - sadly that theory didn’t work, but the people in South Africa were dull enough given she couldn’t understand a word that she didn’t particularly mind staying there. Right up until the summons which has her snarling at Anna the second she appears hissing at the salt line across the part of the room she was in* “What.”

<Anna> *Anna looks at Ruby, she’s openly hostile and she  starts to question it but then she doesn’t, it doesn’t matter.* “I want to talk about finding a limit to Crowley’s power and I need a demon.”

<Ruby> “And I want to fry your ass for whatever bullshit you’ve been doing recently. If I let you do yours, can I do mine?” *Ruby glares back at the other woman, crossing her arms as she tries to work out what on earth she was doing there. if she needed a demon, she could have called endless faceless masses in all honesty*

<Anna> “What is your problem? I haven’t called you in ages.” *Anna stands at the salt line, arms crossed as she stares at Ruby. “Do you want to keep Crowley around? If so I’ll leave you here.”

<Ruby> “My problem is the cat and mouse you’ve been playing with someone - be it Crowley or Sparky or the other one. Quit getting your ass shocked to kingdom come.” *Ruby shrugs a shoulder, not answering as to whether she wanted the supposed king around*

<Anna> “What? What does my being shocked have to do anything? I haven’t talked to you because last time you decided to try it. Why do you think I’m behind a salt line?” *Anna rolls her eyes at Ruby, the demon had worst moodswings than her she thinks. Whatever Ruby’s been doing it’s not her issue.* “Now do you want to work on Crowley or do you want to stay here for a while?”

<Ruby> “Because it’s annoying and painful as all hell that’s what. You can get rid of the salt though, I’m not going to shock you any time soon. Or at all.” *Glaring still, Ruby pokes her foot as close to the salt line as possible, giving Anna a glare* “What did you want, Anna?”

<Anna> “Crowley didn’t like you playing with his toy did he?” *Anna smirks for a moment as Ruby talks about it hurting.* “Crowley once told Dean that deals can do practically anything, it’s basically the most power tool a demon has. I want to know if you can deal away his work.”

<Ruby> *Ruby raises an eyebrow at Anna’s suggestion about her not enjoying the playing, automatically lifting a hand to her neck before dropping it like she’d burnt herself even thinking about the collar around it. The question about deals makes her pause, staring at the other* “Deals /can/ do practically anything, it’s all in the wording and knowing your way around it. What did you want?”

<Anna> *Watching Ruby raise her hand to her neck and she tries to not smile, it’s the first thing in weeks that’s made her actually feel amused about anything.* “Did Crowley give you a presant Ruby?” *She doesn’t elaborate anymore about her idea, if Ruby was wearing a collar then maybe things changed in her original idea.*

<Ruby> *The look of smug amusement sets her teeth on edge, glaring across at the other woman with a heavy sigh* “What did you want, Anna? Anything to fuck over that pompous waste of energy is good in my books.”

<Anna> “Answer the question first Ruby? Are you wearing a collar?” *Anna raises a brow, still smiling as Ruby avoids the question. Bending over she tries to look at Ruby’s neck closer.*

<Ruby> *Anna’s approach just makes the demon step backwards, away from the other woman as the idea her interest might get the better of her little salt lines* “You answer mine.”

<Anna> “I can find out for myself, all I have to do is try and remove mine..” *Anna threatens tapping her collar, she’s not above it and she lifts her chin up as she waits for Ruby to call her bluff.*

<Ruby> “Touch it and I will never help whatever deal plan you have going on. And trust me, other demons won’t touch you with a ten foot pole. I’m your best shot, angelcake, and if you do that I guarantee I will do everything in my power to screw you and your little bitch over.”

<Anna> “So you are wearing one. Interesting.” *Anna smirks as she wonders just how many time Ruby has been shocked. It made having woke up the floor a few times a bit more bearable, the only times she didn’t think it was ever worth it was when Crowley had started her training.* “Do you think deals can undo what he’s done. Angel magic and brute force hasn’t worked on these, I tried for about a week”

<Ruby> “Oh, I know you did.” *Ruby mutters darkly, thinking it over but thinking it would probably end up not working, at least on the collars* “Collars, no. Probably not.”

<Anna> “What about unlocking them? Or giving us the way to unlock them?” *Anna wants to look at Ruby’s to see if it’s different but she can’t se it.* “Let me see yours.”

<Ruby> “No way in Hell, Anna. Mine’s just a little less… possessive than yours.” *Stepping away further until she’s as far as she can go, Ruby hisses the words out, crossing her arms under her chest* “And again, probably not. These are blocked from my abilities, otherwise I would have cracked it off before now. During whatever crazed attempt to kill yourself you were going through.”

<Anna> “So then you’re a coward not even willing to see if we can deal you’re collar off.” *Anna feels herself growing agitated at Ruby’s reluctance, if she can deal these collars off and get Ruby to break the deal she can try again to break what Crowley did to Gray.*

<Ruby> “I’m just not stupid like you. I’ve checked in with the leading expert on getting to walk about looking like a trained monkey, and the only way these things come off is through Crowley. Deal with it.” *Ruby raises an eyebrow at the other, not quite getting how thick the other must be to not understand what she was saying - it’s not going to work*

<Anna> “So you’re great demon powers can give people the ability to find Death, get his scythe but you can’t even try to unlock a piece of metal? Or was that it Crowley was just better than you even as a demon?” *Anna stands at the edge of the salt line as she tries to provoke Ruby into trying.*

<Ruby> “In case you haven’t realised from these babies..” *Ruby points towards her eyes, flashing them black and keeping it that way as she steps closer towards Anna again* “I’m not a crossroads. Sure I can make deals, but I don’t have to - and I sure as hell already know you’re little idea WONT FUCKING WORK ON MY COLLAR SO WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I!” *That Anna was still pushing her was pissing her off enough to scream into the other’s face, glaring darkly as her face flushes in anger*

<Anna> *Anna runs her hand through her hair and she huffs.* “Fine then you’re no use. You won’t even try and to deal for a way to unlock them then get out. Oh wait, you can’t and Crowley will be back eventually.”

<Ruby> “Hold up a second missy. You were trying to suggest to deal /off/ these, not a way /to/ get them off.” *She’s still frowning, voice lowering back down again as she heard the change in proposition, though it also set off another round of anger through her* “Learn to fucking speak and suggest your ideas, angelcake, because to get a way /to/ unlock them, not unlocking them themselves..”

<Anna> *Anna shrugs at Ruby, stepping back from the salt line* “I did speak, getting them off instantly or getting a way to get them off all end in the same result, the collars off. There’s not guarantee that if Crowley dies these come off, if you want to live with them for eternity, go for it.”

<Ruby> “You… you have no fucking clue about deals do you? It’s all in the words. Getting them off is not something I can do, I told you that. And that’s not the same as getting a way to then get them off - which is something I /can/ do. Fucking Lucifer, I thought you angels were supposed to be /smart/.” *Ruby glares back at her, shaking her head in something between exasperation and amusement*

<Anna> *Anna chuckles, she’s amused at Ruby’s frustration. She knows very well about deals and how the wording works.* “So are you willing to work with me on a way to get them off? Or should I get you a chair to get comfortable and while I’m out I’ll leave the tv on infomercials for you.”

<Ruby> “Maybe you should make yourself absolutely clear as to what /your/ end of the deal will be, Anna. Given I can choose to completely ignore you and get some more unknowing creature to do it for me..”

<Anna> “The collars and something else I don’t want to talk about yet till I see if we can remove the collars. Of course, I make the deal and you break the contracts right away since I know you can do that.” *Anna gets serious as she walks back over to the salt line, she’ll break it once Ruby agrees.*

<Ruby> “What do /I/ get?” *Ruby just stares back at her, not sure Anna even understands how little she has to deal with* “I don’t get your soul, you don’t have one - and from what I can tell you’ve sold basically everything else. What do I get for helping you, rather than just finding some schmuck and getting them to ask for whatever will break these?”

<Anna> “I don’t turn you over to Crowley and tell him you came to me with this idea.” *Anna smiles at Ruby*

<Ruby> *That makes her laugh, shaking her head* “No deal. I highly doubt he’d be anything but amused at my trying to escape, he probably already knows I went to ask his little shadow toy about it. That’s not a good enough incentive.”

<Anna> “What do you want then Ruby? How about you tell me that instead.” *Anna can feel the frustration creeping back up, she’s so close to getting a real chance of finding a way around all of this and Ruby’s being greedy, she thought getting the collar off would be good enough.*

<Ruby> “Your sword.” *Rubys says it plainly, smirking slightly at the frustration showing up on Anna’s face* “Your angelblade.”

<Anna> “Why would you want that? And if you haven’t noticed, I don’t have one anymore.” *Anna doesn’t trust the demon with something that can wound and kill angels.*

<Ruby> “Oh really? You don’t have yours stashed away somewhere? You go and get it, and bring it back - and I will come with whatever it is that will get us out of these things. Deal?” *Ruby continues to smirk knowingly, quite sure that Anna would decide it was worth it in the end* “This is the point where we kiss and take off.”

<Anna> “No I don’t have one, haven’t had one in a while.” *Anna rolls her eyes at Ruby, she never expected Ruby to want an angel blade and she just isn’t sure that she can give her one even though she knows there are some at the bar.*

<Ruby> “Quit lying, Anna. You want that collar off, don’t you?” *The hesitance was making up for much more than it wasn’t, as Ruby waits for Anna to just agree*

<Anna> *Anna sighs kicking the salt line* “Fine, I can get one more than likely, why do you want it. Only angles can kill another angel.”

<Ruby> “Again with the lies. Or at least, it will be. So we have ourselves a deal - an angelblade for the way to unlock these.” *Ruby doesn’t bother waiting, keeping the words as short and untwistable as possible, before reaching over the broken salt line for the other getting more enjoyment out of the way the sharp kiss will probably freak out the other*

<Anna> *Anna would have been freaked out months ago but after everything recently, kissing Ruby isn’t even close to the top of her list of horrible experiences and she breaks it looking back at Ruby.* “Now get out.”

<Ruby> *Frowning for a second, Anna’s reaction brings out a mean laugh - realising that whatever must have been happening to the other must be pretty bad that she didn’t get more than a bland reaction* “Yeah yeah, you just get that blade” *Giving another laugh, Ruby vanishes away, searching the way the deal was tugging at her to try and find her end of the bargain*

<Anna> *Anna turns once Ruby is gone heading back to Gray’s hotel. She didn’t tell the demon that she had one in ehr bedroom at the bottom of her bag. She didn’t use it and hadn’t used it in a long time but it was a still a comfort to have.*

#7 - Ruby tells Anna about how to get her collar off from Jo, and Ruby gets her ARCHANGEL BLADE!!!! 

<Anna> *Anna has been to see Gray and she’s come back, she doesn’t trust staying for long for a number of reasons, Crowley mostly but it’s hard to be around him like he is and she’s almost the point of praying for something to help him. She still hasn’t heard back from Ruby and she’s getting close to summoning the demon to find out what she knowns.*

<Ruby> *It had taken a few days before the blonde hunter had left her house, but Ruby had caught her the second she stepped outside, explaining the situation, their own joint efforts and garnering an agreement and test on the demon’s own collar before getting the other to agree to help the angel. She’d found a way to get rid of the collars, and now she was set on getting payment. Appearing in the same corner as before, Ruby smirks as she announces* “Where’s my angelblade Anna?” *Her own collar was dangling, open and useless, from her hand*

<Anna> *Anna looks over hearing Ruby’s voice and she looks at the collar hanging in her hand.* “How did you get it off?” *Walking over to Ruby she moves the demons hair, looking at her neck to make sure that it isn’t a trick, she’s having to push down the hope that she can soon get Gray back to normal.*

<Ruby> “Our little hunter friend has a very special knife. She won’t hand it over, understandably - but as per our arrangement I just had to find a way to get these off.” *Ruby smirks, not reacting at all to the invasion of her space, tossing the collar far off to the other side of the room* “Barbie said she’d get yours off for you too, just so long as she keeps her little toy.”

<Anna> *Anna steps back blinking as Ruby tells her how she got it off.* “Jo..has a way to remove them?” *She wonders if her hearing has gone out on her because Jo hasn’t been in contact since she ran into her at Grays and nothing was said then to her about a knife.*

<Ruby> *Nodding, the demon leans back against the wall behind her, tilting her head to a said as she takes in the other’s shock* “She didn’t seem aware that she could, but I knew as soon as we made our little deal.”

<Anna> *Anna just frowns as she walks away to the bedroom, wondering why Jo has something like that and why she hasn’t said anything to anyone.* “How did Jo react when you said something to her about it?” *She asks as she comes back into the front room a few moments later, blade in hand.*

<Ruby> “Surprised. Very surprised. And she seemed reluctant to get it out as it was.” *Ruby’s eyes catch straight onto the blade in the other’s hand, smirk growing on her lips* “Though was happy enough to agree to help you out provided her little monster isn’t around when she does.”

<Anna> “So Grey doesn’t know either..” *Anna shakes her head she doesn’t know whats going on but she wants to find out. Closing her hand tighter she doesn’t want to give the blade over to Ruby and she hesitates.*

<Ruby> “Either that or she doesn’t want you around him for some reason.” *Shrugging her shoulder, the demon pushes forward, holding her hand out for the blade* “My end’s been done, time to cough up or get your runners on, Anna.”

<Anna> *Anna flips the blade around and offers it to Ruby, she’s still frowning at the fact Jo hasn’t said anything to anyone.* “We know it works on collars, will it work on anything else Crowley’s done? Do we know that or did Jo say anything about why she had it?”

<Ruby> *Quickly snatching the weapon before Anna could take it off of her, Ruby vanishes and appears behind her, the point of the blad pointing directly into Anna’s back while her other hand grips tightly around Anna’s hair, jerking tightly* “Oh I don’t know, frankly I don’t care why the little hunter is getting /actual/ presents from Mr. Almighty - she seemed pretty shut up about it at the time though. What I care about is you thinking a pathetic, featherless ex-angel like yourself can push me around.”

<Anna> *Anna steps back as Ruby grabs it and leaves, she’s not surprised at the demon and she’s about to step back when she feels the sharp point press against her skin and then the pain of her head being jerked back suddenly by her hair makes her yelp in surprise as Ruby talks behind her.* “You got your part of the deal and out of the collar!”

<Ruby> “True, but that doesn’t make up for the other times - and trust me, track this back and you threw the first stone. I’m not trying to destroy the world any more, and yet you yelled against me the same thing you did. So.. what’s to stop me from just killing you here?” *Ruby hisses, twisting her hand at Anna’s head sharply* “Especially now the collar’s off.”

<Anna> *Anna reaches back trying to get Ruby’s hand out of her hair, gasping as the demon twists it harder. She’s not going to admit it but feeling the blade against ehr skin doesn’t unnerve her but the kind of blade is making her nearly panic. It’s an automatic response that she can’t control even though she’s sure that it would just be like any other stab wound now.* “Nothing..”

<Ruby> “And what’s going to stop me in future from not just whipping this out and driving it through you?” *The way Anna was struggling made her smirk, the control definitely back in her corner and for once the both of them knew it*

<Anna> “Means that you plan on not killing me now if you’re threatening to stab me later with it.” *Anna winces feeling it scrape against her skin, something ironic and humilating to die as a human to an angelblade she thinks.*

<Ruby> “It does, doesnt it. Or maybe this little thing won’t kill you if I aim it just right - stab now, kill later.” *She shifts the blade so it was pressing at an angle against Annas shoulder blade, so if Ruby felt inclined it would slide cleanly underneath and out without hitting anything vital* “But whats stopping me, Anna? What power will you have to stop me? Ill give you a hint, it starts with ‘n’”

<Anna> *Anna whimpers feeling her move the blade and she swallows* “What is it with you demons and listening to the sound of your own voice..” *She’s not sure she can get rid of Ruby with an exorcism before the demon stabs her or if that would just prompt Ruby to kill her and she shakes her head.*

<Ruby> “Let’s call it over compensating, or at least most of them are. I, on the other hand, just want to point out trying to hurt me to get some benefit or exorcising me, is not a good idea. Just for future reference.” *Giving Anna a sharp shake, the tip of the blade pushing into Anna’s shoulder almost half an inch before she smokes back to her previous spot, letting the other go. Ruby sneers at her* “Go talk to Jo. And don’t fuck with me in future, alright?”

<Anna> *Anna breathes in sharply feeling the blade sliding into her skin before it stops and she’s left nearly falling when Ruby lets her go and she staggers back, her hand reaching behind her as she can feel the blood flowing down her skin. Glaring at Ruby she smiles* “Wonder what Crowley’s going to have to say about you playing with me again and getting his collar off…”

<Ruby> “Wonder what he’ll say about your little blonde friend helping me. I’d guess /she’s/ putting more on the line helping both me and /you/ than I have.” *Ruby sneers back, crossing her arms as she tucks the blade into the belt loop of her jeans until she can find somewhere safer* “I guess we /both/ should keep our mouth shuts unless we want all three of us on the chopping block, hmm.”

<Anna> *Anna just glares at Ruby, her shoulder aching and she’s not sure she’s going to be able to reach the spot on her own.* “Leave.” *Anna waves a hand dismissing Ruby, turning to walk away from the demon.*

<Ruby> “Gladly. Go talk to Barbie.” *Ruby grins, running a hand over the hilt of her new weapon before she vanishes, set on hiding low again*

#8 - Ruby and Anna make an agreement about getting the brands off of Gray

<Anna> *Anna stands in the apartment..she’s debating putting down a salt like after the last time but she wants to get Ruby to agree and if she starts out hostile it may just make Ruby leave so she lights the match and throws it in the bowl.*

<Ruby> *She’d been enjoying the freedom without the regular shocks the redhead must have been causing, but when she feels the pull of a summonings, Ruby is surprised that there isn’t a line or trap as she looks about the apartment* “You ever think of going bacl to your little protective den, angelcake? Got to be better than here.”

<Anna> *Anna shrugs and moves back sitting down.* “One place is as good as another.” *She chews on her lip trying to decide how to word what she wants from Ruby.*

<Ruby> “Right..” *Ruby gives the other a scrutinizing look for a second before leaning back on the wall nearest to her, arms folded* “So, what did you want /this/ time?”

<Anna> “Jo has a way to free Gray but she won’t. I want to make a deal to unbind him now that we know there is away.” *Anna looks at Ruby and she takes a breath as she watches the demon, her eyes scanning the body of the woman she’s wearing to see if she can see her angel blade.*

<Ruby> “Oh really? Got any idea why she won’t, because Barbie seems to be pretty comfortable these days - maybe Crowley doesn’t want him unbinded and the princess is listening to daddy dearest.” *Ruby sneers slightly as she speaks, internally rolling her eyes that Anna seems to think that she has anything of use to her to deal with or that Ruby’ll just jump into them.*

<Anna> “I don’t know, I don’t care. Screw what Crowley told Jo and screw Jo’s reasons.”  *Anna stands up and she walks over to Ruby.* “Why do you care about protecting Crowley’s orders? You should enjoy the aspect of getting Barbie in trouble with him.”

<Ruby> “Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, Anna. You’re the begger here, not a chooser.” *Anna’s approach sets off alarm bells, especially with the words she was saying as Ruby looks at her. One hand reaching behind her, she makes as though she’s reaching for what’s now her angelblade, a warning heavy in the action* “I don’t care about it, I just need to think on how to actually get something /out/ of this.”

<Anna> *Anna doesn’t move, if she stabs her again stepping back won’t exactly stop her.* “I know I’m the begger and I’m willing to pay at this point whatever you want.” *She smiles at Ruby, wondering if the demon is willing to deal, she’s beyond caring what price the demon names, it can’t be worse than how things are now.*

<Ruby> “Well…” *Ruby rolls her neck, looking skywards as she runs through her mind what she might need. Letting loose the psychopath should be fun enough, and if she can cover her tracks then she’ll be able to get out with her agreement with the blonde still in tact. It’s just a case of working out how to fix this* “For your complete and utter silence on my participation, that should you reveal which demon dealt with you for this - your little monster will go back to being the powerless little twerp he is right now. Because that’s the only way I will get a single iota of worth out of this” *Or at least as much as she could right now.*

<Anna> “You’ll do this for my never mentioning your participation?” *Anna raises a brow at Ruby, this seems far to easy but if that’s why Ruby wants then she can easily never mention her to anyone about this.*

<Ruby> “Not to anyone, not at all. And I will.” *Ruby smirks back at Anna’s almost confused look* “Like you said, getting Barbie in trouble is fun enough.”

<Anna> “Fine I won’t mention a single word to anyone.” *Anna shakes her head but she can live with this deal. It’s simple enough and she can do this easily so she smiles.* “You have a deal.”

<Ruby> “Let’s just hope the little monster or the hunter doesn’t try to get it out of you.” *Ruby sneers, as she reaches out to grip the back of Anna’s head - barely taking the smallest amount of time necessary to make the deal official. The second she lets Anna go, the briefest flashes of the suggestion of what needs to be done -the image of Grey like the other currently and Gray’s back slashed across- left up for her to interpret fill her head, sneer shifting into a knowing grin* “Well, now we know why hunter barbie wouldn’t play ball. You’re going to have to move the iron on your monster’s room, angelcake, and for what I’m going to do you might want to put him under.”

<Anna> “What do you have to do?” *Anna nods, moving the iron won’t be a problem and she can probably get Gray to take some pills to help him sleep since Ruby seems all the pleased with what she’s going to have to do to him.*

<Ruby> “You might want to find him some proper food too, while you’re at it. He’s going to need to heal some things, but like you said - you’re willing to pay any price.” *Ruby is already trying to formulate the best way in and out for her, with as little damage control for her own image as possible - not really caring what it might do to the monsters*

<Anna> *Anna nods, not sure if she should let him fee from her or maybe pay prostitute to be waiting the the room for when he wakes up and let him take it out on her.* “You didn’t say what you had to do to free him?”

<Ruby> “What makes you think I’ll tell you?” *Ruby smiles vaguely, shifting her weight as she moves away from the other - thinking that jumping suit for the other monster might be the smartest move*

<Anna> “You’re right don’t tell me, that way as you said if people try and get it out of me, I won’t know.” *Anna walks off, picking up a bottle of water and rinsing her mouth out from the kiss.*

<Ruby> *Ruby laughs at Anna’s rationalising why she shouldn’t know, even if the curiousity and desperation rolling off her to know what might happen to her precious little monster said otherwise. Still laughing, the demon appears beside Anna and pins her with a look* “I’ll be ready the second you move that iron - so you better hop to it, angelcake. Boyfriend’s going to be back.”

<Anna> *Anna jumps when Ruby just appears and she glares at her now starting to understand why humans find it annoying from angels and demons* “Fine, it’ll be moved tonight.”

<Ruby> “Good. I’ll take care of the rest.” *With that Ruby disappears away, automatically heading to storage area Jo was keeping the dagger in - figuring on her way the easiest way to convince the middle aged, balding owner*

#9 - Ruby meets with mindwiped!Anna

<Anna> *Anna hadn’t got the nerve up to go see Grey again, she had walked halfway across town to where the house was he shared with Jo but then she changed her mind. She couldn’t shake the idea that Crowley had changed the minds of him and Jo and she really didn’t want to think about it with Gray. Turning around she starts down the side walk, keeping the sweater pulled up around her, hiding the bruises on the side of her face that Crowley had left her.*

<Ruby> *Ruby’d been meaning to go prod the blonde hunter about getting her ass into gear over Crowley, when she noticed the redhead walking away from the house. The demon didn’t think Anna would have known where they lived to be able to be there at all, and deciding to see how her little arrangement went, Ruby appears in front of her with a snarl and slam of the other woman back into a nearby tree* “So.. Little Miss Angel all happy now her dirty works been done?”

<Anna> *Anna doens’t pay attention to the people around her, she guesses she should but she’s not a hunter and she doesn’t think anything dangerous would be in a town where hunters come to rest and drink. The appearance of a woman infront of her makes her jump, her mind instantly jumps to Gray and before she can ask if the woman is a monster she finds herself against a tree, the breath knocked from her as the woman snarls something about  dirty work. Blinking as she see’s stars she gasps trying to form a solid thought.* “Who..what are..”

<Ruby> “Don’t play dumb with me, Anna, because I’m really not in the mood. Your little game has obviously set /my/ plans to get rid of that psychotic crazy calling himself the king of all back a few fucking weeks - which I didn’t realise at the time, so seriously.. don’t try to fuck with me right now, Anna.” *Ruby sneers back at her struggling and blinking, finding the reaction amusing even as the anger at how badly hell is going to shit for her with Crowley’s psychosis still happening rolls over her*

<Anna> *Anna doesn’t understand, she pushes back against the tree trying to get away from this woman. She doesn’t know what plans there are and she tries to move around the tree, if she can maybe she can run or someone will see what’s going on and help her.* “I don’t know you! I don’t know anything about a game. I’m not trying to mess with you, I promise!”

<Ruby> *When Anna struggles and keeps squirming it just makes Ruby sigh, focussing for once on using her powers to keep Anna in place and stop moving* “What the hell are you on about you crazy bitch? I though Barbie stopped forcefeeding you the magic pills.”

<Anna> *Anna shakes her head quickly, watching Ruby. She knew she was a demon that she had a history with her, that she tortured her and she tries very hard to not make the woman angry.* “I woke up in a hospital, thought I had been in a wreck that messed me up. I..I’ve been learning that wasn’t true from others like Gray and Jo. It’s some kind of training or something from Crowley.”

<Ruby> “And you’re still talking to Barbie and the Beast. Intruiging.” *Ruby smirks to herself looking at the other curiously* “So you’ve got no recollection whatsoever other than what they tell you?”

<Anna> *Anna shakes her head again. Barbie must be Jo and Gray..* “No, I was told that I knew you before but that’s all. I’m not a danger to you, I promise.”

<Ruby> “Youre right you’re not a danger. You’re just some shriveled up ex-power whose had her brain sucked drier than a wraith on a bender.” *Ruby laughs to herself at Anna’s reaction, shrugging a shoulder at the others promises - figuring a promise from the redhead meant next to nothing*

<Anna> “So just let me go then..” *Anna tries to pull away from the tree but the power keeps her there and she doesn’t understand so many things that people say now.* “I was never anything, just a college girl..I grew up in a church, I don’t know why everyone is so interested in me, I know I did things I don’t remember and I’m sorry!”

<Ruby> “You are far too amusing right now, Anna. Now tell me..what do you remember? Actually remember.” *Ruby grins widely, moving around to stand before Anna with a wicked grin*

<Anna> *Amusing is hte last thin she wants to be so she tries to make herself as boring as possible to the demon.* “I was in college,  my parents were killed and I had a break down at their murder. I dropped out of college and found myself working in this city at a bar.”

<Ruby> “Cute… I remember you when you were like that. So cute. So naive. Absolutely terrified of me until we became best buds.” *Anna recollecting what Ruby remembered sending Sam and Dean to go and pick up makes her laugh, tilting her head to the side* “And what have you been told?”

<Anna> *Anna doesn’t want to be cute, she doesn’t understand what Ruby means by what she was like that before and it makes her feel sick to her stomach.* “That I’ve done bad things, that I’ve had relationships with people..”

<Ruby> “Oh come on, don;t be coy.” *Ruby snickers, prodding the others shoulder to see if she’d react like she used to to her touch*

<Anna> *Anna flinches back at Ruby’s prodding.* “I don’t know what you want to know..I knew Jo, Grey hates me, you don’t like me, Gray doesn’t want to be with me because of Crowley and Crowley says I need retrained thanks to Grey telling him that we..slept together..and trying to make me believe that. So I don’t know what I’ve been told!”

<Ruby> “That’s all I wanted to know. …And who do you believe, red?” *Ruby grins wider, tilting her head to the side as she notices a few people wandering past and mutes Anna until theyre gone*

<Anna> *Anna starts to answer but then Ruby squeezes her throat, silencing her till the people are gone and once they are out of sight she’s allowed to speak.* “Gray..I believe him and Jo..I don’t know to believe Grey and Crowley..he can make me think whatever he wants me too if he wants..”

<Ruby> “You know the monsters can too, right? They can make you think things and do things that they want you to.” *Anna’s words about Crowley and obvious trust in Gray makes her want to cause trouble, especially after Ruby’s plans to debunk Crowley have taken their sweet time*

<Anna> *Anna didn’t know and she just stares at Ruby* “I..didn’t know. I..know about Gray, what he is and Grey. That one of them kills, one doesn’t..but they can’t do anything to your memories can they?”

<Ruby> “They can if they want to. Those boys are.. they’re very dangerous when you realise just /what/ they can do.” *She almost hisses the words out, moving around the tree and almost reappearing beside Anna’s other side, smirk still in place* “Why couldnt they do things to your memories if they wanted to? They give impulses, desires, ideas. They plant a thought in your head..”

<Anna> *Anna jumps when Ruby appears on her other side, she doesn’t like the expression on the demon’s face, it made her feel like mouse being played with before a kill and she bites her lip, speaking quietly.* “Gray..wouldn’t. I don’t know about Grey..he..really hates me and I could see him doing it.”

<Ruby> “What makes you think Gray hasn’t? He might have tampered so much you can’t remember that he hasnt.” *Ruby smirks wider, reaching out a hand to brush the other’s neck tauntingly* “I’ve known you longer than all of them, every single one of them. I knew you back in the hospital days, actually. And I never thought you’d ever want to be with a monster like that.”

<Anna> *Anna tries to move away from Ruby’s touch, closing her eyes as she tries to shut out the words, everyone is telling her that memories could have been messed with and she’s not sure what to believe from anyone now.* “How did we meet, why would I talk to you, you’re a demon..”

<Ruby> “I sent some friends of mine to get you out of the hospital. You were in danger there, and I sent them your way to save you. It’s..kind of their job. And don’t be such a racist.” *Ruby smirks to herself as she moves back from the other, still not releasing her*

<Anna> “Sent friends?..Danger? Why was I in danger.. I don’t even understand how I became involved in any of this, I’m nobody, I come from a simple family..why me?” *Anna watches as another couple walk by, biting her lip as she thinks about calling out but she doesn’t want to get them hurt.*

<Ruby> “Because Anna, you’re special. But no one is going to tell you why at all.” *Ruby lets out a loud laugh, staring back at the other as she seems to realise the predicament she’s in*

<Anna> “Why? Why won’t they tell me anything?” *Anna looks at Ruby, almost pleading. The fact that everyone is talking around subject with her is wearing her down.  Only Gray had been open and blunt but maybe Ruby would tell her.* “Please..”

<Ruby> *Ruby sighs, looking at the other before smirking again* “Well, think about what people have called you, Anna. Really think about it. Their nicknames, their taunts, or just greetings. Try and find the connection about what it is about /you/ that makes you so so special. Because trust me, no one can keep their mouth shut about it, and you never could either.”

<Anna> *Anna hits her head against teh tree in frustration, fighting the hold that Ruby has on her. She’s doens’t know what Ruby’s talking about she’s been called angelfish, Ruby greeted her with angel..* “I’ve been called everything from bitch to angelfish to angel..but that’s just names people use.. I don’t understand what you mean.”

<Ruby> “…really? You can’t understand at all when something is being repeated, and I’m guessing from different sources too. Did Crowley take awya that brain of yours as well, or was that your monster?” *Ruby shakes her head, rolling her eyes at Anna*

<Anna> “I’m just a human!” *Anna practically screams at Ruby, she’s nothing more than that, there’s no way she could be anything else, she passed all the tests the hunters did on her.* “I’m just human..I don’t understand, I don’t.. I hate this..I hate all of you knowing and I’m not the kind of person that tortures demons or monsters. I don’t do bad things to people!”

<Ruby> “If that’s what you want to believe, Anna, go for it.” *Ruby snickers, dropping down the forces holding Anna back*

<Anna> *Anna stumbles forward when the powers let her go and she looks at Ruby.* “When you appeared..you said dirty work, what dirty work? I want to know, why were we working together?”

<Ruby> “Oh no, we weren’t working together. You were threatening and blackmailing me to help you. Theres a difference. I /work with/ Barbie, but you /made/ me do your dirty deeds.” *Ruby sneers back at her, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow*

<Anna> “How could I make you do anything, you’re a demon..” *Anna shifts from foot to foot, something is screaming at her to stop but she can’t and she keeps asking questions.* “What dirty work Ruby?”

<Ruby> “Easily, you /really/ like being Crowley’s favored pet. It means you think you have liberties that the rest of us don’t.” *She snarls the words out, tilting her head to the side and shaking it with a laugh* “You’ve probably already heard about it, especially if you’ve spoken to Mr Grumpy Pants.”

<Anna> *Anna runs her hands through her hair in absolute frustration and she glares at Ruby* “If I knew would I be asking! If I’m dense it’s because someone’s messed with my brain, what’s your excuse?!”

<Ruby> “No, you’d be demanding that everyone bend over and do as you say. I don’t have an excuse though, I’m not dense. Infact, I’m possibly the greatest mastermind around. Who happens to be very busy, so if you’ll excuse me.” *Ruby sneers back at her, letting out a laugh as she disappears away*

<Anna> *Anna looks on where the demon was before making a sound of total frustration, walking back home as quickly as she can, really thinking about how she’s starting to dislike everyone.*

#10 - Ruby being Ruby

<Anna> *Anna hadn’t heard from Gray sincce they last talked, fought, whatever and her last conversation with Jo only helped her in her choice. She came home, took up the iron chains, swept up the salt and she tossed away everything but the cell phone from the bar. Everyone else could live like this stuff did exist, she could too. She went to scanning the paper for a new job and once she had one she would ditch teh cell phone she had from the bar, cutting the last ties she had to it.*

<Ruby> *Ruby’d been bored, Hell was a shambles and she wasn’t wanting to hang around down there or near any olther demons until she knew what was going on - what plays Lilith or the other demons were going to pull out next. So she went back to spying on those she had indebted or tied in some way to her - except the hunter-monster house was empty and that just spelt boredom, so she turned towards the redhead’s apartment, appearing over her shoulder and peering down at the newspaper* “You should give the seedy looking advert for ‘female assistants’ a call. You’re good at selling yourself, might as well be for money now, angelcake.”

<Anna> *Anna jumps at the sudden sound of a voice over her shoulder and she stands up quickly turning around, already turning red at what Ruby had said to her.* “Go away. I don’t want anything to do with you, any of you.” *She didn’t like what Ruby had said about selling herself and she just glares at the demon as she grabs the paper folding it back up quickly*

<Ruby> “Oh, don’t be a child. Let’s have a looksy.” *Ruby smirks back at Anna, reaching over her to yank the paper from her hands, opening it flat on the table in front of her, keeping the other woman pinned in her spot with a hand over either shoulder, scanning the paper* “Table dancer, not your style. Admin assistant, well - I’m sure you’d be /very good/ at getting your work done, lets circle that.”

<Anna> *Anna closed her eyes in sheer frustration. Shouldn’t demons be afraid of angels or whatever she was supposed to be.* “I said go away!” *She couldn’t stand up and the feel of Ruby standing over her was making her skin crawl*

<Ruby> “And I said, don’t be a child.” *She snaps back, flipping a page of the paper over far too gently for the angry tone, before turning her head to look at the other woman* “Or I’ll have to punish you like one. We’re looking for a bogus job for you, so lets try to behave like adults for a few seconds, okay?”

<Anna> “Punish..maybe you should go into the porn industry. I’m sure there’s plenty of girls there willing to sell their souls to you.” *Anna doesn’t look at that paper as Ruby turns the pages.“ "Why are you here?”

<Ruby> “Deano did want to see the both of us, so how about if you join, I join.” *The sarcasm comes easily as Ruby keeps flipping without looking away from the other, far too curious trying to work out what the other was thinking taking down the iron and salt, and looking for work* “What are you trying to do here, Anna?”

<Anna> “Find a job what does it look like.” *She doesn’t know who Deano is and she doesn’t care. She huffs slumping back in the chair not fighting Ruby’s hold. It’s like waiting out a child to get bored she realizes.*

<Ruby> “Why would you bother doing it /this/ way though? Why not try to sell off what you have instead of a shiney bright soul for whatever dream job you could make?” *Ruby smirks slightly as the other stops fighting to get rid of her*

<Anna> “Because there’s nothing to sell. You know that and I just want to go back and be normal. I’m done with this life and the people that come with it. I want..I want the life that I remember back.” *She’s aware of just how much she sounds like she’s whining and she crosses her arms.* “So just leave me alone.”

<Ruby> “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Dave.” *Anna’s petulance at wanting to ignore the bed she’d made before and forgot about amused the hell out of the demon, moving one hand from the table to ruffle at the other’s hair with a mocking smirk now that there was nothing to fear of Anna getting pouty and calling either of her big protectors* “You see, you’re not supposed to be normal. Never were.”

<Anna> *Anna slaps the hand away and runs her hand through her hair straightening it back.* “I can try. We control our lives. I just want to find a job, get away from the hunting.” *Glaring at Ruby she stands up crossing her arms.* “Why do you even care?”

<Ruby> “No actually, you don’t. Silly little humans think they do, and your trying to be a human makes you want to too. But really? You’re all just.. little clogs planned from birth until death.” *She speaks like she’s talking to a child, letting out a sigh, before continuing to talk as she turns her attention back to the paper* “Course, the whole Apocalypse being subverted kind of messed with that. But things always sort out - I’m sure one of your brother’s or sister’s will have started writing out a new book just so the whole place doesn’t go to anarchy. I should ask your brother next time I see him.”

<Anna> “I don’t have any siblings. I’m an only child.” *Anna reaches out grabbing the paper and ripping it in half before throwing it down. She feels childish right nowbut she just feels nothing but frustration and anger at Ruby’s taunting her.*

<Ruby> *Ruby lets out a laugh watching Anna tear up the paper, the reaction far quicker than she expected* “Don’t go pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about, featherless.”

<Anna> “That angel crap or whatever..I might have been one but I’m not now that’s obvious because you aren’t like running in fear or anything of me and I just don’t care. I’m done with it, I am. I’m done with Jo, with Gray..everyone can take their problems and just leave me out. I just want a life that I understand..” *Anna sits back down in the chair taking the pen on the table, fidgeting with the top*

<Ruby> “And that life would be, what, working in a crappy job all your life just because you don’t like being out of control of everything? For shame.” *She smirks down at the other woman* “And angels are only scary when you don’t know how to stop them. These days? I’ve learnt, so unlike the others of my kind, I’m not so fearful of the divine wrath. As for you… I’d suggest you take off your baby panties and go back to playing the big leagues with the squeaky little monster who might have a chance of scaring my kind off from bothering you.”

<Anna> “Yes I want a crappy job and crappy hours and maybe just the idea that nothing strange is going to come out of teh shadows at me or appear behind me! That monsters and demons are just not real!” *She hates that Ruby makes sense and she doesn’t want it to make sense.* “I’m not an angel, I’m not anything just a human and I don’t even know how to play with the monsters as you put it so what good would it do for me to stay in this life?”

<Ruby> “Oh please, you don’t want that. If you wanted that then the second you came back from the dead all free-willed and strong-willed up you would have regardless. You do what you want, Anna, always do - and you /don’t/ want to be a nine-to-five girl. Unless it’s pm to am.” *Ruby shakes her head at the others defense, moving around to lean her hip against the table* “You know how to play with the one monster you /actually/ like. The rest… are pretty much the same honestly. Such fickle, boring little things that lot. Not that demons are any better.”

<Anna> *Anna bristles at the continued jabs at her selling herself and she’s even more angry at Ruby’s attempt to talk about Gray.* “There’s no monster that I like, like that..not anymore and there won’t be another and you can go to hell with your continuing to call me a working girl!”

<Ruby> “Been there done that, lots of call girls down there.” *She snickers slightly at the other getting angry, the change in colouration on her face making it far more amusing than it would be otherwise* “I’ll quit with the working girl commentary when you stop lying. You wouldn’t get so angry if I wasn’t hitting a nerve.”

<Anna> “You’re very being here hits a nerve!” *Anna snaps throwing the pen at Ruby’s head.* “I’m not lyin about what I want! Everyone in this life is so screwed up including you and I just don’t want to deal with it!”

<Ruby> *Ruby catches the pen as it bounces off her cheek, twirling it between her fingers as she listens to Anna screeching thoughtfully before replying* “So, if your little old monster showed up at that door saying he was sorry for reacting like he did, and wanted to have a rational discussion about things, you wouldn’t want to deal with it? Even though you’re just as screwed up as all of the rest of them?”

<Anna> *Snorting she looks at Ruby before sitting down away from the demon* “It wouldn’t happen. Every is so stubborn and just I don’t know.” *Anna run her hand through her hair in frustration.* “I know I’m screwed up but I want to change, that’s why I want to be normal.”

<Ruby> “You’re really pathetic, you know that right?” *Ruby just stares at Anna as she moves about, obviously getting frustrated at the demons presence and questions, but that was all part of the point.* “You think being normal isn’t screwed up. That’s sheer idiocy I’d only expect… well.. of you.”

<Anna> *Anna just huffs.* “Right, I’m pathetic because I’m not runningback to the crazy that got me in this mess to start. Bite me Ruby. I’d be more pathetic if I spent all my time whining about Gray wanting to sleep around or the fact Jo’s supposed to be my friend but just mean.”

<Ruby> “Why don’t you just let him? Not like he’s going to revisit them. Or even actually do it if you don’t say no on request. Crazy thing about guys - put them on a leash and they’ll work out how to hang themselves with it to get off, leave them without a collar and they’ll stop growling at the other dogs, stick to their owners side - or failing that come bounding back when their master calls. And by their master, I mean their bitch.” *Ruby sneers back at Anna, shaking her head at the other’s assessment and honestly finding the chance to possibly screw about with the making up, again, to be worth the sappy talk now to see what happens after later down the track* “As for the bitchy hunter, unless she’s trying to roll you in oil and set you alight, she’s being nice. You both have all the right in the world to wanna kill one another.”

<Anna> *Anna doesn’t even know why she’s trying to justify herself to the demon but she feels defensive of the way Ruby makes her sound.* “I didn’t say he couldn’t! I just said that if he did I could as well..because it’s only fair. And then it just went down hill because it just seemed like all we had in common was sex and this is stupid, you need to leave. Just go !”

<Ruby> *Ruby lets out a louder laugh when Anna tries to shoo her offer, shaking her head shifting to sit atop the table rather than just lean on it, looking at the other* “Why should I? You can’t make me. Just a normal girl now, bet you don’t even have a gun lying around anywhere. So, I don’t think I will. Your hatred of practically everyone else but one another is another thing you have in common, Anna.”

<Anna> “I don’t hate anyone!” I just don’t like anyone. Everyone is stubborn and pig headed and just stupid!“ *Anna walks over to the kitchen grabbing the table salt, unscrewing the top.* "I don’t  a gun but I have salt..so you should go before things get uncomfortable for you.”

<Ruby> *When the other grabs the salt, Ruby lets out a laugh, disappearing only to reappear behind Anna, one hand grabbing the wrist holding the container* “And I can crack your wrist in an instant. Or see if the trick I did on your ankle would get the same reaction doing it to your hands as well.” *Tutting, she smirks back at the other* “You’re just as stubborn and pigheaded and stupid, Anna. it’s why you all really belong together. No one else sane enough would.”

<Anna> *Anna drops the salt container when Ruby grabs her wrist, she glad she doesn’t remember what Ruby did to her leg, the scars looked painful and the threat to do it to her wrist is enough to make her stand down.* “I don’t wnt to be like that! Why aren’t you listening? People can change, I want to change!”

<Ruby> “No they can’t. They just think they can. Delusion is one of the greatest parts of humanity, and you’re trying to very hard to be like them. Same as the other little monster - both decieve yourselves that playing human long enough will make you one of them, or that you can be like one.” *Ruby sneers at the other, pressing the front of her boot against the back of Ruby’s ankle with a growl before adding* “People don’t ever change. What they’ve done in their lives is what they’ll always be and will never be taken back. Why do you think even with the whole mumbo jumbo Sick Anointing that more and more people come and do the firey rumba? Get over your delusions Anna, you’re not changing again.”

<Anna> *Wincing Anna turns looking at Ruby* “What was your life like that you sold yourself to the pit. Is that how you know so much about being a whore? Just one more diseased girl, begging for pennies on their knees from men?”

<Ruby> “Not even in the slightest, and you don’t know a thing about the word diseased - least not any more. Don’t attempt to turn this mind game back on me, angelcake, we’re talking about you and how your dumb crusade to change yourself is pointless and futile beyond all else.” *Ruby grins darkly, twisting the others wrist*

<Anna> *Biting her lip she stares at Ruby* “So if people don’t change then you’ve always been a manipulative bitch. Coward that hides in the background. What did you get out of your deal Ruby?” *Anna hadn’t ever given much thought as to how old Ruby was but now she wondered about it.*

<Ruby> “I said we’re talking about you, Anna. Not me. I didn’t make a deal like you think, so if you’re that interested you can go snooping about for what it could have been.” *Ruby cocks an eyebrow back up at the other, looking blankly at her*

<Anna> “So you went down stairs through good old fashioned sin?” *Anna shrugs trying to pull her wrist away from Ruby.* “Did you kill your kids? Husband? How many times did you comit adultary like the town slut?”

<Ruby> *Anna’s attempts at narrowing down how se ended up downstairs makes her laugh, shaking her head in a fake sign of good nature before twisting harder* “D, none of the above. Really, you’re quite interested in what happened to a demon and with Hell for some normal girl, Anna.”

<Anna> *Anna yelps this time, her hand spasming as Ruby twists it.* “I..you won’t leave and if you’re going to hang out. Might as well get to know you. You enjoy knowing more about me than I know about myself.”

<Ruby> “This is true, I /do/ enjoy knowing more about people. I just don’t take kindly the the same being returned.” *Ruby hisses before dropping Anna’s hand, now that the salt was gone, before disappearing and reappearing back on the table top* “You don’t need to know anything about me. I’m not your /friend/. Maybe you should try turning that interest and 'get to know you’ attitude on people who actually /like/ you.”

<Anna> *Rubbing her wrists she can see the faint bruises already appearing she rolls her eyes.* “No one actually likes me. They tolerate me, it’s not the same as liking. And I tried to get to know people but all I keep getting is attitude. I’m sorry I don’t remember being a bitch..”

<Ruby> “If they didn’t like you, you’d be dead by now. No offense, people monsters or hunters don’t like tend to… disappear.” *Ruby smirks back at her, grinning widely when she notices Anna rubbing her wrists* “Let me put it like this, Red - your little friends, the ones you say you don’t like but for some reason feel like you do? If they didn’t like you, they’d have either killed one another or been fucking like rabbits for the last year long.”

<Anna> “Whatever Ruby.. Nothing that happens now matters. Everyone is just going to keep holding it over my head whatever I did before and I’m never getting past that with them.” *Anna sinks down into a chair, the fight going out of her as she shrugs her shoulders.*

<Ruby> “Maybe you should just try to find out difinitively what it is instead. Or tell them to shut the fuck up about the old Anna, because new Anna is here to stay and they should just suck it up that the numerous beatings and tearful screaming matches were all the renumeration they were going to get.” *She smiles cheerfully at the other, shifting to start picking at her nails now Anna’s not yelling*

<Anna> “Yea right..I don’t think any of tehm will let go of it and no one want to talk about it. Gray snapped finally and turned it back on me that I hurt him and I don’t even know what I did.”

<Ruby> “He got depowered, you reacted badly and treated him like his brother. It’s a point of pride for them /not/ to be one another, just so you know in future.” *Ruby continues cleaning at her nails, not caring whether sharing any bits of information for once aren’t getting her automatically something in return. She’s willing to wait for the profit later on.*

<Anna> “Treated him like his brother?” *Anna looks at Ruby, watching the demon cautiously.* “How did he get his powers back? Why did I react badly?”

<Ruby> “In case you didn’t get the memo - you and the little one hate one another. Another thing for you to know in future. And you made a deal with a demon for them to do what Barbie wouldn’t - cut up her little monster and free yours in exchange.” *She raises an eyebrow as she looks back at Anna, turning her attention to her other hand* “Dont know why you reacted weirdly though, probably because he got neutered power wise just to be able to be with you for a little while, and he wasn’t the same wanna be badass he usually tries to be. Freaked you out or something.”

<Anna> *Anna listens quietly, watching Ruby with her head tilted.* “So I made a deal, with Crowley? Is that why he says he owns my soul? or whatever I have?” *She’s not sure how much she can trust with what Ruby is saying but it goes back to what Gray said some and she feels bad for him.*

<Ruby> “Nah, you and Crowley had a different arrangement - bit fuzzy on the details of that actually. You don’t have a soul, you traded favors with whichever demon it was.” *Ruby carefully avoids mentioning which demon, shrugging a shoulder* “I found out because the damn thing couldn’t keep its mouth shut about torturing the other monster and waving about a super powered knife that belongs to Hunter Barbie.”

<Anna> “And what did we bargin for? What deals have we made? You keep talking about selling myself so I’m going to guess that we have made some kind of deal.” *Anna doesn’t trust Ruby and she wonders if this means she isn’t going to Hell then.*

<Ruby> “Us? We’ve had our exchanges. I’ve scratched your back, you’re required to free me from every Devil’s trap I find myself stuck in. Pretty good system, you and I.” *Ruby smirks back at Anna, not sure how she jumped to that conclusion that they’d made a deal but agreeing none the less*

<Anna> *Frowning she doesn’t like the idea that she has to let the demon out of a trap and she just nods.* “And what did I get out of it? What did you do for me?” *Anna wants to knock that smirk of Ruby’s face but she doesn’t know how.*

<Ruby> “I stepped into some.” *Ruby lets out a loud laugh at that, knowing that the other was never the most focussed on getting the words of a deal down and how much that one has come around to help her out*

<Anna> “No, what did you do for me?  There had to be something I wanted bad to make a deal to let you out of any trap you get into. You like talking so talk Ruby.” *Anna stands up walking closer to the demon looking at her as she dances around the subject.*

<Ruby> “I told you - I stepped into some traps for you. You needed a tester, I agreed on the condition you let me out of any trap I get stuck in.” *Ruby smirks widely at the other, not getting how the other didn’t understand her the first time* “You’re not very good at keeping track of the wording of things.”

<Anna> “Right.." *Anna sighs walking away, glancing back at the bedroom.* "Should I put you on the lease? Are you going to be moving in here or something?”

<Ruby> *She quirks an eyebrow at Anna’s looking about and comments, letting out another laugh as she shakes her head* “I thought you were done with the girly bits with your last landlady, angelcake. If we’re done playing Twenty Questions, I think I’ll leave you to your pathetic dellusion of normality for now.”

<Anna> *Anna rolls her eyes* “Please..don’t come back. You really don’t have to talk to me, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you’re the one person I never hear from again besides Crowley.”

<Ruby> “And here I thought you never wanted to talk to your friend and fuck again.” *Ruby snickers, before sending a glance about the house disinterestedly as Anna tries to shoo her off and gets impossibly boring now* “But I guess I’ll come back and annoy you in a few weeks. When you’ve finally either gotten drier than the Sahara desert or are back to being monster playfood.” *Ruby lets out another laugh\ before vanishing*

<Anna> *Anna sighs going and flopping down on the bed..she hates the whole ability of everyone to just randomly appear and disappear.*

[kat-hawke]

Wheels in Motion

Faint ticks filled the air as Kat stared down at the pocket watch in her hand. Less than twenty-four hours until she’d be on vacation, not even sure if Victoria was going to show, but she held out hope. This was something that was supposed to bring her ease and relaxation, yet there was a slight bit of stress still in the back of her mind. She hasn’t been away from the Unit for a full week before, to be disconnected from the on goings of the City. While she knew the Unit was in good hands, she still stressed a bit. She had learned to know nothing but this life.

With a soft sigh she slid the golden watch back into her pocket, staring ahead at the wall in her office that was covered in papers, pictures and reports. There were various pins of different colors stuck across the collage of papers and maps, some connected by corresponding colored string. Kat idly cracked her knuckles as her gaze drifted over each pin, following each thread. There was a sudden knock at her door, the first meeting before she left. 

“It’s open.” She called out, keeping her gaze on the wall. She knew who it was, her Head of Intelligence.

(Long read below the cut. Snippets and small details of the inner workings.)

A slight smirk touched Xylia’s lips as she slid into  the office and caught the collage upon the wall. “I see you’ve been decorating. Starting to look like my office in here.” She teased, moving over to lean against the desk beside the Director. “So what am I looking at?”

“A various collection of observations and reports I’ve seen. Things are gettin’ interestin’. Lots of names are overlappin’ in reports, the same people turnin’ up here and there when watchin’ others. Either sumone is pullin’ strings or things are linin’ up.” Kat moved to place a finger on the pin stuck into a map of the Blasted Lands. “There are several rumors that float around the Draconis name. I’ve watched her a bit, she’s an interestin’ woman to say the least. Surely ya’ve seen the flyers of her lookin’ fer sumone to train her? I pitty who she might end up with, she might just become sumone’s play thing. But-” The Director’s slender digit moved from the pin and followed the thread to another pin, lodged in a map of Old Town. “I over heard a conversation between her and Recke Stoutmantle. Talkin’ of ships and such. But why I wonder? Either way, it makes a possible connection between her and those at the Tea House. A while back I wus watchin’ a woman who said she lived in it, as strange as it is. She sat on the street with an elf talkin’ about railin’ drugs. Perhaps we can exploit that and see if she talks?”

“We have someone on payroll who might have answers as well. I’ll reach out and see what I can come up with. That particular group is coming up in a lot of reports, even if it’s just in passing. Something to keep and eye on, but we won’t engage without orders.” Xylia motioned to another pin, stuck into the Vale on a map of Pandaria. “That who I think it is?”

“Yes. Susan Gampre. I’ve had a few run-ins with her. She’s a bit of an...acquired taste. Pinkly seems to know her a bit though. For now she is a back burner, her name is scare in out papers compared to others and that date auction she hosted brought out some rather interstin’ folks. Still- we are blind and deaf in comparison to other operations. Let’s try to fix that, yes?”

“Of course. I’ll see who I can wrangle, almost everyone has a price tag these days.” Xylia’s fingers drummed on the side of the desk as her gaze drifted across the wall, taking in all the reports and pictures stuck up on the multiple maps of the lands. Eventually her eyes fixated on a black pin stuck in the northern reaches of the kingdom. “I see he has a pin now. He either pissed ya off or wanted something ya found very interesting.”

Kat chuckled as she paced in front of the wall, stopping so the pin was level with her eyes. “Warlund wanted the same as several others. An understandin’, a deal, a partnership. Woteva ya’ want to call it.” She let out a low hum as her amber gaze moved across a few files. “I’ll play nice fer now, but the only reason he has any sort of political clout right now is because of Josetta. I don’ doubt she’s a pawn in wot eva game he wants, or is, playin’.” Kat turned to return to her desk, sucking her teeth quietly. 

Xylia chuckled softly as she pushed away from the desk. “I know what ya be thinking, Kat. I'll get a plan in place. At least Farah isn’t a factor anymore, right?” She moved across the office to the door, looking back to the Dirctor before taking her leave. “I'm sure she'll turn up. Focus on ya vacation, not all this." She nods to the wall before exiting. "Consider it done, don't worry about it.”

A few hours passed, Kat moved about her office sorting and reviewing various files and reports. She set aside the few that had gone cold or were no longer relevant. Her pen scratching and scribbling across a few files, making notes and alterations here and there as she waited for her Chief of Staff.

Jess never bothered to knock, just opening the door wide and sauntering right in, bottle of rum in hand. The bottle gave a solid thud as it was set down on the desktop, the officer dropping down into the seat opposite the Director. “About time you took a vacation, you’ve been lookin' stressed as hell for the last month or two.” She eyed the collage of pins and papers on the wall before sitting up a bit to look at the files on the desk. “So what we got?”

Kat gave a small smirk at the bottle on her desk, though she preferred whiskey she wouldn’t complain, pushing her seat back a bit to collect a pair of glasses. “A few things. Our pool of competent agents is startin’ to lack again.” She slid back to the desk and motioned to the pile of files. “They need refresher courses, detailed trainin’, and a few specializations across the board. Sum of them are too eager just to stab shit and a few are nothin’ but egos and hot air. That needs correction.” Kat plucked the bottle from her desk and began to pour each glass.

Jess scoffed as she reached out for her glass, taking a healthy swig. “Well maybe if it wasn’t like runnin' a daycare for adults that half the time jus' want to stand around and flirt, they could actually get things done. That said, there are a couple in the group who are quiet and actually focus, I’ll start with them.”

Kat gave a small nod as she pushed the personnel files she had selected across her desk. “There are three in mind right now who have promisin’ potential. As for the rest? We’ll wait and see, sum of them are too reckless but that’s just the nature of the beast. Now, there is a woman, Lestia Ferth. I sent her to get with Agent Welgarde, to see if she’s as skilled as she claims to be. Keep an eye on that. Agent Sutton- is in a complicated position right now. I don’t trust the elf I’ve seen her lingerin’ with. Shorten her leash if we must, I don’t need anymore bodies, especially our own operatives.” 

Jess just stared blankly from behind her glass as she took a drink. “Another woman? Figures. You know we could really do with more men around here.” She let the glass rest in her lap for a moment, collecting the files offered to her. “Fine. I’ll get to it.”

“Good. Now, Operation Surge.” Kat pointed to the map of Uldum, a few small blue pins were stuck around the desert zone, taking a sip from her glass. “I believe I got everythin’ in order, but we aren’ equip or built to go on an expedition. Word through the grapevine is that Leora went off to create her own group, this might be a bit more up her alley. She can keep woteva she finds in the vault, we are only after the one thing. Reach out and see.” Kat eyed the wall a moment before taking a large gulp of the rum, settling back in her seat and crossing one leg over the other. “We will start the Reforge Initiative when I return.”

The med bay was quiet, still a bit of a mess from the excitement Saelkath had caused the other day. Kat’s amber gaze moved across the various shelves and the items that lined them, making mental notes as she approach Andie’s office. The Head of Medical was sometimes hard to pin down, often out and about in the city and socializing at the local taverns.

The officer door was already propped open, Kat gave it a single knock as she stepped inside, a few papers in hand that she held up briefly as she addressed the Draenei. “Andie. I got the requisitions to restock our supplies all approved fer ya’. I also added some different medications, a few that are non-habit formin’ so we can avoid any possible problems in the future. I’ve also looked over a few of the medical reports, let’s have the few that were injured in the...complication the other night double checked. I don’ need anyone runnin’ around with lingerin’ void energies in them.” She dropped the signed and approved forms onto the desk.

Andie's gaze traveled from the stack of papers dropped on the desk up to the Unit Director, "All medication is habit forming if ya try hard enough!”  she chortled through a grin.  She absentmindedly thumbed through a couple of the signed papers, "...and I think eliminating void tainted members is about as futile as trying to outlaw amber colored eyes..."

Kat just rolled her eyes at that. “Ya’ know wot I mean, Andie. There is a difference between bein’ tainted and usin’ the magic.” She turned to take her leave. “And don’ let people form a habit, we don’ need doped up operatives runnin’ amok.”

Only twelve hours left and one meeting to go. Kat drummed her fingers idly on her desk, waiting for her Deputy Director, peering at the wall that housed the collection of pins and threads. So many of each, various colors, stretching all over. Yet there was no clear web nor pattern formed. Perhaps it was all strange coincidences but Kat remained doubtful it was so.

There were a few short knocks as Jo entered the office space, the redhead closing the door behind her as she perked a brow. "I 'alf expected ya to bail on yer vacation plans, 'Awke. Are we goin' to discuss Cell Zero before ya go?" The redhead moved to settle into one of the chairs across form Kat's desk, making herself comfortable.

“No. We are no’.” Kat stated pointedly as she turned away from the wall to face her desk proper. “Nor do I want to hear any arguemen’ ya’ surely have. We can discuss it when I get back. Wot I do want to discuss is the few variables that have recently cropped up. One bein’ this Agent ‘Shadow’. Since Agent Cogwheel’s demise-” She tapped the purple stone around her neck. The gnome would likely take the chance to implant the image of a little gnomish middle finger in Kat’s mind’s eye. “-I haven’ seen any sign of that Unit. Keep a close eye and ear on that one, if there are other assets we can scoop up then we might as well.”

A snort escaped the Deputy Director, but she simply nodded her head. "Aye, I've got eyes an' ears out fer any more of 'em that migh' pop up. No sense in good material goin' to waste."

“Mhm. As for our other friends who have recently shown up and found me. The Warden, Elyza, has a bit of a complicated history.” Kat tossed the former commander’s file across her desk to Jo. “Valuable though. Good for intel and a possible Kalimdor connection. Just be cautious. I’m no’ entirely sure where her morals land these days and we don’ need the complication of her raiding the Labs. The other one, the Sparklesprocket gnome. She’s good at wot she does and she’ll help when needed. Just limit wot she sees- I don’ fully trust the company she frequents.” Kat rolls one shoulder as she leans back in her seat. “Well, more like the company her company keeps.”

Jo reached across and picked up the file, opening it and leafing through the information they had on The Warden. She nodded along as Kat continued to talk, taking it in as her eyes scanned the pages. "Nice to 'ave Kalimdor connections. An' I'll keep 'er out of the Labs." Shutting the folder, the redhead lifted her eyes, studying Kat. "An' wot company is she apart of again?" She had seen the Gnome in the building the other day, but had kept her questions quiet for the moment.

Kat just waved a hand dismissively. “No’ important. The person I don’ want to deal with is more of a distant connection anyways. Friend of a friend sort of deal. Don’ worry too much about it.” She clears her throat as she sits up a bit. “There are just a few things to tighten up here and there, a couple of lose ends and straggler operatives to rope in. OH! And I have an elf trapped in a cave up north, make sure Agent Sutton feeds her at least once a day.”

"An elf. Trapped in a cave up north." She blinked several times. "Is that all yer goin' to tell me about it?" She leaned back in the chair, the folder sitting closed in her lap. "Does it 'ave anythin' to do with the letter ya received the other day?"

Kat shook her head and slid a second folder over. “No, completely differen’ actually. Just don’ worry about it too much, I’m handlin’ it. When I get back we can discuss Project Exodus and the Lazarus Project. Fhay’lin already delivered the files on them to your office.”

"Alrigh'. If that's all, then I guess I'll wish ya a 'appy trip. Rest well an' I'll try to keep them all in line while yer gone." She gave a wry grin before pushing herself to her feet, tucking the folder under her arm. "Let me know when ya get back? I'm afraid I'll worry about ya until I 'ear from ya once ya return." She shrugged and shifted, taking several steps back toward the door.

Kat snorted with a slight grin. “Yeah, I’m sure everyone will know when I get back...”

Everything was packed and ready to go. Kat was sitting on the edge of her bed just staring at the luggage, several things running through her mind. Only a few hours left.

‘It’ll be fine. Wot could possibly go wron’?’

( Mentions: @astromancer-two @library-of-the-forgotten [Xylia] @strixena @recke-stoutmantle @evelynnblackmore [passing mention] @susan-gampre @miss-breakfast @warlund-blackfyre @jossetta @farahblackfyre @jesdena @lestiaferth @valoraegn [Malice Welgarde] @tristanasneak @leora-strauss @aundi @saelkath-alzarah @josetteklark @galfouhdiamond-eye [Cogwheel] @wardennerd @summysparklesprocket @quellys [passing mention] )