#the its getting dark message and we got spooked a bit but it was new and exciting and whenever i join right before night and see that

[rendoa-blog]

Was yapping to a friend about something I was really obsessed with as a kid and am still really passionate about when he fell asleep mid rant

He woke up 5 minutes later when I was writing this and how sad I was

He listened a bit more to me yapping because I was excited to get back into it

And them he fell asleep again mid another rant about the same thing but I kept yapping because there was one other person in the call

But then that other person had to gi do the dishes and now I'm happier than I was at first because yay someone actually wanted to listen (... even if one fell asleep. The other one didn't have any complaints, though, and I am happy about it :D) but also I didn't get to finish my yapping session :(

[whumpofdory]

More Than You Bargained For, Part 2

CW: BBU and everything that comes with it, tics, noncon touch (very brief and non sexual)

They continued kneeling and watched as the man in front of them twitched. Tics, he’d called them. They would remember that, it could be important later. The tics slowed and the man took a deep breath. “Do either of you have names?”

“No Sir. You can choose to call us whatever pleases you best.” The one with dark hair spoke up. His body language suggested to Warren that he’d be the more dominant personality between his newly purchased pets. He sat up straighter, at perfect attention. The one with dirty blond hair nodded his assent. Warren’s head snapped forward and he whistled loudly, making both pets jolt.

“Oh. I see.” They say in awkward silence for a moment, only a whistle and a few clicks of the tongue to break the think quiet. “Can you go get the boxes you came in, please?” Warren inwardly cringed at the words. The boxes you came in. Not even animals were usually shipped that way. What have I gotten myself into? But he needed the help and there were no caretakers in his area for someone with his needs.

They each got up and retrieved their respective boxes, bringing them in to set in front of him; first the dark haired one (Darius, maybe? Dolten? He definitely felt like a D name), then the blond. As the latter set down his box, Warren’s hand snapped forward, his hand latching onto the boy’s wrist. Instantly the pet whimpered and dropped to his knees where he was, too afraid to speak.

What did I do wrong? He had done just as the other pet did, and Master had not seen his actions worthy of punishment. It is not my duty to think. Only to serve my Master. He sat on his knees waiting diligently as the tight grip on his arm released. He winced, waiting for the inevitable slap across his face.

“Sorry, kid.” Master said. “You’re not in trouble. It’s just a tic.” Just a tic? Was he supposed to know already how to distinguish them? Would he be punished for not understanding? Was he already the least favourite pet? He was the defective one, after all. “No worries. You can go sit by your buddy, I just want to look at these papers for a bit.” The boy crawled the few feet to kneel beside the dark haired pet and watched intently as Master began to unpack the rest of the box.

Warren pulled out the booklet first. He’d already read it online, but he skimmed through it anyway. His mind was occupied with other things. He’d really spooked the pet (Paxton? Harley? Hampton?) when he’d grabbed him. He read up on pet ownership on the internet and the biggest thing to it seemed to be punishment, something he never intended to implement. The pets obviously expected it though, and he was definitely worried about some of his more aggressive tics giving them the wrong idea. His head snapped and he hummed as he caught a verbal tic in his mouth. He felt like he owed it to them to try to hold the outbursts in, at least for the first few days.

He leaned forward and found everything he’d been told to expect: vouchers for collars once he picked names, two leashes, and two canes. He found something in the blond one’s box he hadn’t been expecting. It read:

Dear Valued Customer of WRU,

Thank you for your purchase during our BOGO sale. We regret to inform you that this pet is a bonus item because it is slightly defective. Due to a negligent staff member, it developed blemishes during training that could not be removed. The staff member has been removed from our team. Please note there is nothing defective about its behaviour; each pet has gone through rigorous testing to ensure it meets the WRU’s high quality standard. Please enjoy your deal and remember to recommend the WRU to your friends and family.

The generic note was signed by the CEO in the usual printed way corporate messages were always signed. Warren wrinkled his nose at it, which unfortunately became another tic. New one to add to the list. He looked over the paper at the defective pet and then back to the note. Nothing seemed wrong with him so far. And what had someone done to the kid to make him “blemished”?

The defective pet shrunk in on himself under Master’s gaze. He knew what the man was reading, and felt the shame screaming from his cheeks. It wasn’t his fault. He tried to reassure himself. Not that that matters, his mind shot back. These thoughts were interrupted by Master.

“So, let’s get you boys clean. I read that’s important.” Warren looked around for his crutches before realising he’d left them in the kitchen when the delivery had come. “Can you go get the crutches from the kitchen, please?” He looked at the dark haired pet. “They’re leaning up against the table. It’s the doorway right behind me.”

The pet looked from Master to the wide pocket doors behind him. They were slid open and he could see red metal poles with cushioned areas at the top and handles halfway down. He stood as gracefully as he could and quickly brought them to Master.

“Follow me.” Warren said before setting the crutches under his arms and walking toward the stairs.

Taglist: @maracujatangerine @hardleyquinnn

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Osborn’s 5✩ Inspiration: Interdigital Heartbeat [指间心音] Date Translation (END 2 + 3 + 4: Call Out)

“C'mon. It's a choice they've made on their own terms. You don't have to feel sad for them.“

*Light and Night Master-list | Osborn’s Personal Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *This 5✩ Inspiration has 6 Endings!! *Osborn’s tag will be #For Night, For Freedom

✥ Choice: Call Out [呼唤] ⊹Speak⊹

Do I want to join the band's celebration?

⊹ I'd rather not intrude ⊹

Although I was very interested in Seed, we were still outsiders at the end of the day.

MC: I think we shouldn't intrude on them…

Osborn nodded in assent. He turned to Liyuu.

Osborn: Go on ahead with your get together. I'll send her home early.

Liyuu smiled, giving us a knowing nod in farewell. Osborn pulled me along with him once more, following the crowd that was leaving the venue and exiting the bar.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

The roads outside were deserted and silent, much unlike how it was inside the bar. The faint breeze was refreshing as we mutually slowed our footsteps.

Osborn: I saw Liyuu's SNS that day. They're actually going to disband.

MC: Huh? But why…?

Osborn: Maybe they have more important things to focus on.

I froze, stunned, as I slowly digested this shocking piece of news. I suddenly understood why Liyuu had shedded tears earlier atop the stage.

It felt as if I'd just bore witness to the end of someone's youth. My heart filled with an overwhelming sense of loss and regret that I couldn't do anything about.

Then, Osborn ruffled my hair with a vengeance, bringing me out of my regretful musings.

Osborn: C'mon. It's a choice they've made on their own terms. You don't have to feel sad for them.

I nodded, rubbing at my own wrist in a moment of sadness… only to gradually realize that something wasn't quite right.

MC: Huh? My bracelet's gone.

MC: ...It might have fallen off at the bar.

Osborn: Let's go back and fetch it then.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

However, when we got back to the entrance of the bar, we saw that it was pitch-black inside through the unlocked doors. All the lights inside were off.

Osborn: Wait here for a bit, I'll go look for it.

Then, he turned to enter the bar. I hurriedly called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

MC: Wait, how do you know what my bracelet looks like?

Osborn: I saw it earlier on.

MC: Is that so…

Never thought that he'd notice even something so tiny on my person...

MC: Um! It'll be faster if we have two people searching for it, so it'll be better if I come along!

Osborn: Sure. Stick close then.

I pushed open the door, the "closed" sign that hung off it swaying at the motion.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

The door slowly closed behind me as I entered the bar. The only lights here we're the sporadic lights that shone in from the street outside, passing through the wine bottles and glasses alike.

All I could see was his wide back, standing tall in the dimly-lit environment. I followed closely behind him, almost as if he was the embodiment of my predetermined direction.

After walking for a while, I suddenly caught sight of something glimmering on the ground. I quickly knelt down to see what it was. However, after getting a closer look at it, I realized that it wasn't my bracelet.

Standing up again, I realized that Osborn had vanished before me.

A wave of panic overwhelms me. I decided to call out to him…

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

⊹ E2: If you fail to call him ⊹

Osborn: Calling for me?

A faint voice called out from behind, spooking me.

MC: AHHH!!!!

I hurriedly whipped around, only to see Osborn frowning with his fingers stuffed into his ears.

Osborn: Hey! Overreacting much?

MC: Who asked you to suddenly appear behind me like that!?

Osborn: But, you're clearly the one going round in circles.

Osborn: I've found your bracelet. Let's get back outside.

I breathed a sigh of relief, trailing after him as we left the dark bar together.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

⊹ E3: If you call him OSBORN (萧逸) ⊹

Osborn: I'm here. Scared? There's a tremor in your voice.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar voice. I turned and ran in the direction of the voice when I bumped right into someone's chest.

MC: Ah!

I'd only gone two steps before a hand shot out to hold my shoulder, steadying me.

A feeling of safety suddenly envelops me, further clarifying the fact that this was really Osborn. I couldn't help but clutch lightly at him.

MC: Where did you go? You scared me there!

Osborn: About two steps away from you. Saw you circling on the spot.

MC: Hey! Meanie!

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Even if all I could hear was his voice, I could still imagine the playful look that must be on his face right now. I was beyond pissed, but the ceiling lights had suddenly flickered on.

Footsteps sounded not too far away from us as a staff walked towards us, looking at us with utter suspicion.

Staff: Hey, who are you lot? Event's over.

I only realized in hindsight that I was still completely plastered to Osborn and quickly pushed him away in embarrassment.

Osborn: Do you know that if you have such a big reaction to it, it just makes you look like you're hiding something?

MC: ...Shut up, you.

Osborn raised his head and loudly replied to the staff.

Osborn: Sorry, we came here to find a lost item.

Staff: We're about to lock up, so I'll give you guys another two minutes.

MC: Okay. Sorry about that!

Searching was much easier after the lights came on, but I still turned out empty-handed from the search.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Our two minutes soon passed. I walked out of the door together with Osborn, feeling slightly regretful about it as we returned to the brightly lit street outside.

MC: *Sigh* Looks like I really did lose it.

MC: And I bought it when I went for a vacation abroad last year, at the market of a small village last year too…

Osborn: You remember it so clearly? Do you always get something as a souvenir whenever you do something that leaves an impression?

MC: Yeah.

Osborn: Have you got one for today?

MC: Uh… Not yet…

Osborn raised a hand, waving it before me. A glimmer of light fell from his fingertips just like magic before he brought it before my eyes.

Focusing my eyes, I realized something. Isn’t that my silver daisy bracelet!?

Osborn: Surprise! Now you do.

It was a pleasant surprise. Then, he lifted my wrist, lowering his eyes as he carefully returned the surprise, lost and regained, to its rightful position around my wrist. With the soft light spilling from the street lamps above, I couldn't help but feel that it appeared more exquisite than ever before.

MC: Thank you. It has not changed from being “a bracelet bought from a market overseas”, to “a bracelet that Osborn gave me”.

Osborn: Then don’t go losing it so easily anymore.

MC: Yessir~

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

⊹ E4: If you call him HUBBY (老公) ⊹

Perhaps it was the impenetrable darkness around us that gave me an unusual surge of courage, but I grew thick-skinned and yelled the one title that I’d usually never even dream of uttering.

Alas, the embarrassing name-call echoed, reverberating through the room for a long while; perhaps due to the area being too empty and quiet….

A familiar chuckle sounds from the dark.

Osborn: Hey, hey. That's a pretty nice manner of address.

Osborn: How about you yell your support to me like this during my competition? Deal? Deal.

MC: You… I'm only looking fun at you! Where'd you go? Come here. I'm scared.

Osborn: Are you? I thought you were plenty brave.

Osborn: Call me that again and I'll come right over.

MC: You—

Osborn: Be good now, dearest~

His purposefully lowered voice sounded enchanting in the dark. It rippled towards me, inciting a pleasant tingle within my being.

MC: You… Shut up, you. Enough of that already…

Osborn: But you were the one who called me that first!

Osborn quietly waited for the call to come. He didn’t seem like he was going to let up on this matter. However, the impenetrable darkness only increasingly unnerved me. I hesitated for a good three seconds before I gathered my courage and called out once more...

??: Are you guys quite done yet?

An unfamiliar voice suddenly cut in, making me freeze dead on the spot. Then, the lights above us flickered to life.

A member of the staff stood atop the stage, glaring vehemently at us with his hands on his hips.

Staff: I’m sick of seeing all you couples! Are you that bored that you’ve gotta come here just to be all lovey-dovey for kicks!?

Wha… There was a 3rd party here all along? He heard everything…

My eyes immensely darkened as I felt utterly embarrassed, wanting to disappear on the spot if I could.

I could hear the sound of Osborn’s footsteps come from behind. So he hadn’t been all that far away from me after all. Unfazed, he calmly walked up to the stage to explain the situation to the staff.

Staff: Huh. A bracelet? Is it this one?

It was only at the mention of a bracelet that I snapped back to my senses. I buried my face in my hands as I slowly made my way over, peering through the gap between my fingers.

MC: Uh… Yes. Thank you.

Staff: Take it and go; stop being all lovey-dovey in here!

Flushed red, I lowered my head in embarrassment. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even make out a word. Osborn only smiled as he placed his hand around my shoulders and led me out of the bar.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Another two weeks passed after that.

One night, Osborn and I were having dinner at a place near Warson when his phone suddenly lit up with a message.

He took one look at it, his face gradually morphing into one of suspicion.

Osborn: It’s a number I’ve never seen before, telling me to go to “Chimes Piano Shop”. They say I have something there.

MC: Oh? How curious.

MC: But, Chime’s Piano Shop? That’s just nearby. Won’t you know if it’s a scam or not if you just drop by and pay them a visit?

Osborn: Okay, Miss Directionless. How about you lead the way this time?

MC: Hey! This place is around my workplace! Don’t you underestimate me!

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

After we’d finished our meal, I easily led Osborn to Chime’s Piano Shop, a place that was located deep inside an alley.

Peering through the glass windows of the shop, we could see that it was brightly lit inside. Its interiors were tastefully furnished with a mix of retro and trendy, and there were a variety of brand-new instruments scattered around, being displayed out on the floor.

No matter how we looked at it, it was nothing more than an ordinary piano shop. Hence, we pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

The bell hanging from the door made a pleasant jingle, alerting the clerk to our presence. The uniformed clerk raised his head, smiling as he made his way towards us.

Clerk: Oh. You must be Mr. Osborn, right? I was the one who sent you the message earlier. I’m a friend of Liyuu’s.

Clerk: He left Guangqi City a couple of days ago and placed his electronic keyboard here before he left. He said that he hopes to entrust it to your care.

Osborn: ...An electronic keyboard?

Clerk: Over here.

Following the clerk, we stopped before an electric keyboard that was placed in a corner.

It was clean, but old, considering its slightly outdated style. It stuck out like a sore thumb despite having been placed in a corner, like an old man that possessed a good many stories.

Osborn: He wants to put something this huge in MY house? Gee, he sure knows how to trouble someone.

Clerk: He’d also said that you can give it to someone else or even leave it here for sale if it’s inconvenient for you to take it.

Osborn wearily rubbed his temples before he turned to question me.

Osborn: Do you know how to play?

MC: Oh… Just a little.

Osborn: How about I give it to you then? It's your idol's beloved keyboard.

MC: Don't want it.

He was teasing. I glared at him in dissatisfaction, taking a serious tone with him.

MC: This is the keyboard that Liyuu has used for many years, it must mean an awful lot to him.

MC: I think maybe he doesn’t intend to give up on music.

MC: You’re the one who gave him the motivation to do it, so I think that he’s hoping that you can take it under your wing. To protect and take care of this important dream of his.

MC: Who knows, maybe he’ll come back one day to reclaim it from you!

Osborn: That guy… He’s still as whimsical as ever even after all these years, huh.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Osborn glanced at the keyboard, helplessly shaking his head, as if what stood before him wasn’t his friend’s keyboard, but rather, his friend himself.

After a while, he sat down on the sofa before the electronic keyboard, slowly lifting the heavy black cover that had hidden the keys of the keyboard from view.

The keyboard had been maintained well, but the keys all shone brightly from years of wear and tear, inflicted by years of practising.

His slender, yet strong, fingers slid across the keys, gently pressing on a few.

The black and white keys played a series of pleasant-sounding notes. He lowered his eyes in thought as the sound reverberated in the air.

Osborn: "Take care of his dream for him"? ... I'm not all that noble.

His tone was reminiscent of a sigh. I shook my head and walked up, standing before him.

MC: You don’t have to bear any responsibility for this, Osborn.

MC: You might not understand, but…

MC: Some people just have to exist and do whatever it is that they wish to do. That in itself is something that those who do matter will find solace in.

You fixed your gaze firmly onto him as the thought ran past your mind.

And you, Osborn; you are that existence.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

After a while, Osborn sighed, seemingly having come to a compromise about it. He covered the keyboard and stood back up once more.

Osborn: Alright. I'll take it for your sake.

He looked me up and down playfully, his dashing eyes slowly curving upwards in joy.

Osborn: But, you've got something wrong here.

MC: Huh?

Osborn: How could I ever "not understand"?

Osborn: I’ve already long since found the one who’ll safeguard my dreams and aspirations for me.

I froze. I was just about to ask just who this person was when he bent down slightly, his piercing pale green eyes staring deeply at me.

Just as I took notice of the little figure being reflected within his orbs, I heard the notes of a keyboard ringing out in the air, resonating with my heart.

It was then, at that moment, that the answer to the underlying question hanging in the air was self-evident.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

✥ Choose your Ending:

END 1 | Choice: Do Nothing [都不做]

END 2 + 3 + 4 | Choice: Call Out [呼唤] ⊹Speak⊹

END 5 | Choice: Listen [倾听] ❖ASMR

END 6 | Choice: Heart-throb [心动] ★Night★

❖☆————— ⊹ For Night, For Freedom⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: Prologue

[wasted-headspace-98]

Unforgiven: Part III

Summary: After Order 66, everything was destroyed. The Empire left death and destruction in its wake. But one choice could change everything forever. The question is…is it the right one? Maul x Ahsoka 18+ For Eventual Chapters Warnings: Nonexplicit sexual content, slow burn, PTSD TW, inappropriate use of the force Collab fic with @lordofthenerds97

TW FOR THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES:

Panic Attacks

PTSD Flashbacks/Nightmares

Survivor’s Guilt

Descriptions of Mental Illness

Ships flew in and out, entering and exiting the atmosphere of Dantooine. J’has had set up a base of sorts, one in the Outer Rim territories that the Empire hadn’t managed to get ahold of yet. She’d been in contact with both Ahsoka and Obi Wan. They had helped her create the base as a safe haven where people oppressed by the Empire could be left alone. While it was true Palpatine had a large and wide reach, there were still some systems that were fighting Imperial occupation. And thankfully, the Raioballo system was one of them.

Early on after the Empire had taken control of the galaxy, J’has had reached out to Ahsoka. She was a contact of Bo’Katan’s. The Togruta had been more than willing to help her. She’d been one of the clones’ targets during Order 66. She’d managed to throw them off her tail for a little bit, but she needed to lay low to continue the guise that she was gone. During that time, she’d spent several months with J’has on Dantooine.

She was surprised to find that J’has was a force-wielder as well, but it wasn’t long after that she’d learned the backstory of the bounty hunter.

Jerked out of her thoughts, J’has looked up when she heard her name called. She turned to find Paxtn, one of her closest allies and friends, approaching her. He held a datapad in one hand and his glasses in the other with a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” J’has asked.

He sighed and shook his head. “We got word from one of the Sentries on the rim of the sector. There’s Imperial Star Destroyers headed this way. We can hide beneath the cloak for a while, but it’s only a matter of time until they send scouting parties to the surface of each planet.”

The woman sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “That’s not good.”

“No,” he agreed. “But in good news, we’ve received an encrypted transmission from Ahsoka.”

J’has perked up at the sound of her friend’s name. “What did she say?”

“It took a while to decipher. She used a complex code to hide it. And it was buried deep in subspace, deeper than most of our transmissions. The woman knows how to cover her tracks.”

She chuckled. “That tends to happen when the Empire thinks you’re dead. I’m sure she wants to keep it that way.”

Paxtn nodded. He understood the want to stay under Imperial radar. “She’s interested in the message you sent her, that much was clear. She kept asking if you were sure he was alive. Not sure what that means, but she seemed spooked by it.”

J’has frowned. It took her a minute to remember exactly what it was that she’d said. The message had been sent a long time ago. Then it hit her.

Oh, she thought. Well, at least that got her attention.

“Then she asked when you got the intel and how old it was. And she said she would be here within a week.”

She blinked in surprise. She wasn’t sure what it would take to get Ahsoka back to Dantooine, but she was quite interested in the fact that it was simply the mention of the Dark sider’s name. Regardless, she would be happy to have to Togruta’s help. Their numbers had been dwindling. The Empire was sending spies to every sector in the galaxy and rooting out any seed of rebellion that they found. The Shadow squadron was quickly losing numbers. And they needed Ahsoka to keep them on their feet.

“How long ago did we receive the message?”

Paxtn scrolled through a few more lines of code with a frown as he tried to find the date of the transmission. “It was sent about three days ago.”

J’has nodded. “Good. Make some arrangements and make sure that she has a suitable place to stay. If you can, see if you can get one of the cavern apartments ready. She’s going to need time to recuperate. I know Ahsoka, and I know she probably hasn’t been taking as good of care of herself as she should.”

And little did she know, she was more right than she ever wanted to be.

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka glared at the Devaronian in front of her. “Excuse me?” she snapped.

He smirked at her, his eyes glinting devilishly in the dim light of the bar. “You heard me, he said. “If you are who you say you are, then this wouldn’t be a problem. And you’ll have as much fuel as you need.”

“Are you trying to blackmail me?”

He chuckled. “On the contrary, my dear. I’m simply trying to see if your reputation is truly deserved or not.”

Her eyes darkened as she continued to glare at him. “I’m not here to do your bidding, Kolt.”

The Devaronian raised an eyebrow at her. “It appears you are,” he said. “You’re on my planet, looking for my fuel. I don’t think you’re in a position to deny my form of payment.”

She could practically feel her montrals hum with the tension in the air. Kolt had draped himself across the chair, with one leg hooked over the arm. He lazily swirled his drink around as he stared at her.

Suddenly, the image of the Manda’lor Zabrak flashed in front of her.

His form confidently and carelessly laid across the throne as he stared at her from across the room. He tilted his head as he motioned to her with his cup, inviting her to come closer.

“Ahsoka,”

His horns practically shone under the lights of the throne room. His voice was deep and gravelly as he spoke to her.

She blinked rapidly, trying to force the image out of her mind.

“Do we have a deal, Ashla?”

Ahsoka almost paled at the name, but she kept her composure. He had referred to her as Ashla before. She figured it had been a jab at her loyalties, but it had grown to a term of respect. At least, she thought it had.

She ground her teeth and sighed. “Fine.”

Kolt grinned and raised his glass. “Wonderful.” He motioned for one of his men to step forward. “This is Darilan. He’ll make sure you have everything you need. Starting with a drink!”

The other Devaronian raised his lip sightless before handing her a glass. She took it with a skeptical look. The liquid smelled as if it could strip the paint off a speeder. It took everything she has not to gag at the smell. Kolt leaned forward, his twisted horns and crooked smile making him look even more devilish than he already appeared. He extended his cup, expecting her to toast.

Cautiously, Ahsoka tapped her glass against his before bracing herself and lifting it to her lips. She drained it in one gulp, opening her throat and allowing all of the burning liquid to scald her throat as it cascaded down.

She handed the glass back to Darilan, managing to keep a straight face and not flinch at the after effects of the alcohol that felt like it was still eating away at her throat. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was raw later. “I’ll take that information now.” she said.

Kolt chuckled. “Straight to business. I like you, Ashla. Darilan, as the Lady says.”

Darilan looked at Kolt before turning his attention to Ahsoka. “This way,” he said.

~*~*~*~

The more Ahsoka learned about what Kolt wanted her to do, the more disdain she held for the man.

She didn’t have time to be sent on wild bantha chases. It frustrated her to no end that she was being pulled down the rabbit hole of Kolt’s crime family.

If Anakin could see me now, she thought to herself.

Oh believe me, Snips. I can see you. What have you done?

She winced at the voice in her head. Ahsoka knew she should have been used to it by now, but every time she heard the scathing tone in his voice, it cut her to the core. “What I have to do…” she said aloud. “J’has asked for my help. She needs me.”

But that’s not the only thing that’s motivating you, is it?

She froze in her tracks. “Excuse me?” She hissed lowly.

You heard me. There’s another reason that you’re putting yourself in harm’s way. And it’s not just because a small group of rebels asked for your help. She promised you information.

Ahsoka shook her head and continued with a rough sigh, trying to shove Anakin’s nagging voice out of her mind.

You can’t just shut me out, Snips. I’m in your head.

“I know that,” she snapped. “But it would help considerably if you would so kindly shut up.”

He snorted. Not a chance.

She growled under her breath and stalked up the ramp to her ship. If she was going to go through with this, she needed to do her research.

Quit ignoring me, Ahsoka. You know this isn’t right. Is he really worth this?

“You’re the one always telling me that I should have listened to him!” she exclaimed as she dropped into the pilots chair. She flipped a few switches and the holonet appeared in front of her. Her slim fingers did their work precisely as she tapped in a few lines of code that she needed to hide her signal from any prying eyes.

The past is the past, Ahsoka. You can’t amend that mistake by trying to look for him now.

“Shut up,” she hissed. “You don’t know what’s going on inside my head.”

That’s where you’re wrong, Ahsoka. As much as you don’t want to admit it, we are all a part of you.

She paled at the sound of Obi Wan’s voice. It had been a long time since she heard his soothing Couriscanti accent. He was right, she knew. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.

“You’re just a figment of my imagination,” she said. Obi Wan sighed and she could picture him shaking his head.

Think, Ahsoka. You can feel our signatures. They’re a part of you.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

I beg your pardon?

“I might be able to feel yours, Obi Wan. But Anakin? He’s dead. If his Force would be with anyone, it would be Padme. And she’s dead too.”

So then that just makes me the more reasonable part of your conscience, Anakin said. And a part of you.

Ahsoka growled. “Enough,” she said. “I have a job to do and I can’t do it with you two constantly bickering with me.”

She could feel the discontent in the back of her mind, but she paid it no attention. She didn’t have the luxury of time to dwell on what they’d said to her.

“If there’s a chance I can do something to make this right, I need to take that chance.” she said to herself. She’d fingers gripped the edge of the dash in front of her, squeezing until she could feel her nails breaking beneath the pressure.

After a few intense seconds of holding her breath, she slowly let it out. She could feel the raging storm in her mind calm slightly.

“Alright. Let’s get to work.”

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka hissed as she prodded the ribs on her right. She grimaced when she saw the blackening bruise that was spreading across her side. There wasn’t a lot she could do about the discoloration of the orange skin, but she figured she could do something about the pain.

More than likely, she’d fractured a few of them. Even more likely was the fact that she probably split them in half.

She cursed as she held the hem of her battledress in her teeth and reached for the bacta cream that was dwindling in supply. She groaned with the pain as she rubbed it across her damaged bones, sighing after a moment as the cream began to work its magic and spread a pleasant cooling sensation through her body.

Ahsoka shimmied out of her leggings, checking her lower body for damage. She glowered as she thought about the events that led to her injuries.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to find a better deal anywhere else, especially considering where she was. So after a few days, she went back to them. But as expected, their price had gone up.

A tremor ran down her spine and she closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the blood still staining her hands.

Oh, Snips…

Ahsoka raised her lip in a snarl. “I thought I told you to leave me alone?”

She felt something move inside her. If she didn’t know better, she would have said it was Anakin’s Force. But, she did know better.

Ahsoka, what have you done?

Obi Wan’s voice was clear beside Anakin’s and she bristled.

“What both of you taught me. I’m surviving. Staying alive.”

Yes, but are you really living, Snips?

“Don’t patronize me, Anakin!” she snapped.

I’m not patronizing you, Ahsoka! I’m asking a legitimate question.

She slammed her fist down on the sink of the fresher, her eyes burning into the mirror. If she looked hard enough, she could practically see Anakin and Obi Wan beside her. “I’ve lived through enough goddamn shit these past years, Anakin. Every time I did it with both you and Obi Wan criticizing my every move. Now that I’m actually trying to do something about the mistakes I made in the past, you’re degrading that too!”

Ahsoka, he’s not-

“And you have no right to talk either, Obi Wan!” she snarled. She could feel the anger pulsing within her as she addressed the Force signature she could feel. She knew Obi Wan was paying attention to what she did, whether the Obi Wan in her head agreed or not. “You left me! I needed you in one of the darkest times in my life, and you left me! What the hell was I supposed to do? I don’t think you understand…either of you! I spent almost my whole life in the middle of a war zone! How was I supposed to deal with everything that happened without my closest friends?!”

Because I taught you how!

Ahsoka felt tears of anger flood her eyes as she listened to what Anakin said. “No! You taught me to push everything aside and never acknowledge my problems! Anakin, I don’t know how to do this!”

Letting out a sob, Ahsoka sank to her knees. Injuries be damned right now. Her chest heaved as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She had no idea how to make sense of the chaos that was going on inside her head. She could feel herself succumbing to the darkness once again. But in the back of her mind, there was something pulling her back towards the light.

You can do this, Ahsoka. I know you can. Fight it. Stay strong.

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to figure out who’s voice it was. It didn’t sound like Rex. The accent was wrong for it to be Obi Wan.

Stand up, Ad’ika.

Everything seemed to stand still. Her heart slowed, but she could still hear the pounding in her ears. She focused in on the voice, listening it what it said.

Good. Stand.

Taking a shaky breath, Ahsoka pulled herself to her feet.

Ignore them, Ahsoka. You are stronger than they are.

She did as the voice asked, repeating the mantra that it kept saying to her.

Whoever or whatever that voice was, it was right. She knew it was.

~*~*~*~

“Do you really think you’re better off on your own, Lady Tano?”

Ashoka ignored him and continued shoving things into the back back she’d found a week ago while scavenging on one of Couruscant’s moons. It was a dangerous task, but one that Maul had insisted on. At the time, Ahsoka hadn’t understood his desire to do something she considered so foolish. It was only later that she understood how important it was.

He didn’t offer an explanation, regardless of how many times she’d asked for one. He would simply tell her that they needed to take what they could while they still had the chance.

Just trying to keep herself alive, she followed his lead.

Later, she understood how important it was for them to get their hands on what they could while Palpatine was busy trying to keep his new Empire under his thumb.

“Talk to me, Ahsoka,” he growled quietly.

Ahsoka let out an exasperated sigh and practically threw her hands up. “Being with you is dangerous, Maul. Palpatine knows you’re alive. But as far as he’s concerned with me, I’m dead. And I would very much like to stay that way in the Empire’s eyes.”

Maul sighed and shook his head. He knew she had a point, but he also had a selfish reason for wanting her to stay with him. As long as she was there, he had the chance to try to make up for his own wrongs. But she apparently wasn’t having any of it.

“Be that as it may, you’re hardly strong enough to fend for yourself.” he said with a frown.

That gave her pause. He had a point; her wounds had just barely healed. They hadn’t even scarred over yet. She still had difficulty with her shoulder, and she knew if she wasn’t careful she would injure it even more.

If she was being honest with herself, being with Maul made her extremely uncomfortable. While it was true he was no longer a Sith, he still followed the Dark Side of the Force. Being near any darksider made her skin crawl. But Maul was a special case.

Even so, she couldn’t overlook the fact that he’d saved her life.

“Look, Maul.” she said, looking up at him. Her expression softened when she saw the genuine concern on his face. It was quickly masked when she looked at him. But Ahsoka saw it nonetheless. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I really do.”

“But?”

She sighed and hugged her middle, trying to figure out what to say so as to not offend him. “But we both have completely different morals. You’re a Sith, for Gods’ sake.”

He frowned at her. “Excuse me?”

Realizing what she’d said, Ahsoka continued, not realizing she was rambling almost incoherently. “I mean, you serve the Dark Side, Maul. I’m a Jedi. Or…at least I was. Not anymore. But the morals I learned still stand with me. They’re a part of me. I’m supposed to represent the light…everything good within the Force. You’re the exact opposite! Everything you know is anger and hate…the kindness you’ve showed me these last few months has amazed me to know end, but still-“

“Ashla, please. Stop talking.”

Ahsoka promptly shut her mouth at hearing the name he’d taken to calling her.

“As you so graciously pointed out, I follow the Dark Side. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everything I do is to cause pain and suffering. And you are hardly a Jedi now. Just because we follow different paths, that doesn’t mean we are exactly the opposite. We have more in common than you might think.”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to interject, but he held up a hand. She could tell that his demeanor had changed. Over the six months she’d spent with him, she’d come to know a different side of Maul. Everything that she saw while she was still a Jedi was what he showed everyone. And she was starting to realize that there was more to him than he let on. And while she was sure he wasn’t showing her his full self, she’d learned that he wasn’t only a warrior full of hate. He had a surprising amount of compassion for a former Sith Lord. But she decided not to dwell on it.

“Be that as it may…you have made your choice. And I will honor your right to choose. I’ll do what I can to make sure you stay alive, but I can’t guarantee to do so once we part ways.”

Ahsoka blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that. And it robbed her of words.

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka sighed and leaned her head back against the pilots chair. Her eyes closed briefly as the memory faded from her mind. She’d been feeling something lately, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But she knew it rubbed her the wrong way.

She hadn’t thought about the time she spent with Maul in a very long time. Honestly, she preferred not to. Over the past several years, she allowed both herself and the voices in her head to continually beat herself up over the fact that she hadn’t listened to him when she had the chance. It made her more angry at herself than anything. She realized now that she could have prevented so many things if she had just listened.

But she didn’t.

Her Jedi training was still ingrained in her at the time, much as she tried to ignore it. They wouldn’t admit it, but the Council was willing to do just about anything to capture Maul. And while she was working with Bo-Katan, she thought she understood why. Even being out of the Order for almost two years at that point, she was still seeing only what the Council wanted her to see.

She was still seeing Maul as the enemy.

As a Sith.

A beeping caught her attention and dragged her out of her thoughts. Ahsoka blinked a couple times, frowning at the red light that was pulsing.

“Incoming transmission.”

She rolled her eyes at the obvious statement the ship’s computer made. Her fingers tapped a few buttons that lit up the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who was staring back at her.

“Ahsoka?”

“Obi Wan,” she gasped quietly. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she stared at the shaky image in front of her.

He let out a sigh of relief. “It’s good to see you.”

She let out a laugh and a sob all in one. “That’s really the first thing you say to me in years?”

Obi Wan chuckled. “Fair point.”

“Gods, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Obi Wan.”

He smiled gently at the crying Togruta. “I’m sorry, Ahsoka.” he said softly. “I know I have a lot of explaining to do. And I’m sorry I couldn’t do it before now.”

She frowned, tears still streaming freely down her cheeks. “What?”

Obi Wan sighed. “There’s a few things I haven’t told you, Ahsoka.”

The Togruta rolled her eyes. “I gathered as much,” she said. “Let’s start with why I haven’t heard from you in two years.”

He nodded. “When I last saw Anakin on Mustafar, Padme had followed him. I found her lying unconscious on the ground and…pregnant.”

That made Ahsoka’s eyes go wide. “What?”

“I knew there was obviously a forbidden relationship between them, but I didn’t realize how intimate it was.”

“What happened to the child?” Ahsoka asked quietly. She was almost afraid to know the answer.

“You mean children. Padme was carrying twins.” She gasped, and Obi Wan nodded. He could understand her surprise. It had shocked him as well. “The children are fine. Leia has been adopted by a royal family. And Luke is taken care of as well.”

“Where are you?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could tell you, Ahsoka. I really do. But it’s for the boy’s protection that I keep our location secret.”

“Our? So you’re with him?”

Obi Wan nodded. “Yes. I trust the people that Leia is with. But Luke…I made a promise to Padme that I would keep him safe. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Ahsoka sighed. “Good. Keep him safe, Obi Wan. I wish there was something I could do to help you.”

“You’re doing it right now.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You’re keeping yourself alive, Ahsoka. You are my closest friend. I need you to make sure nothing happens to you.”

Ahsoka let out a mirthless laugh. If he only knew, she thought. “I can’t make any promises, Master.” she said quietly.

His keen eyes searched her features and examined her quietly. “I can feel your turmoil, Ahsoka. And I wish there was something I could do to take it away.”

She shook her head and felt tears spring to her eyes once again.

He’s lying. You’re just as pathetic now as you were when you were a child.

Ahsoka clenched her jaw and forced herself to look him in the eye. “With all respect, Master, you have no idea the kind of hell I’ve lived for the last several years.” Something along the lines of hurt flashed across his face, and he opened his mouth to say something. But Ahsoka cut him off. “While you were safe and hidden away on whatever world you found yourself on, I was here. I was the one trying to avoid the bloodhounds that Sidious sent after the Jedi. I watched my closest friends die, Obi Wan. I’ve spent Gods know how long trying to just stay alive. That’s hard to do when everything in the world tells you that you should be dead.”

She angrily wiped the tears from her face and glared at him. By the surprise on his face and the wince in his shoulders, she knew he could feel her energy rippling through the Force. She didn’t mask it. Instead, Ahsoka let herself feel. And she made sure Obi Wan knew exactly what it was she was feeling.

Easy, Snips. He knows you’re upset. Try not to overwhelm him.

Why shouldn’t I?! She snapped back. He doesn’t know what I’ve been through!

He might not. But he understands.

How?!

Because he knows war. He saw countless friends die. He understands your pain.

They weren’t just my friends! They were my brothers! Obi Wan might have known war. But I lived it! I was born into it and raised to fight. Anakin, I was fourteen when I became your Padawan! I was three years old when I started training as a Jedi. Normal children grow up learning language and history. I grew up learning saber techniques and how to kill a droid.

The Anakin inside her head quieted, but she could feel him wriggle with discomfort as he settled back into the darkness.

Obi Wan noticed the pain in her expression and he reached out to her. “I’m so sorry, Ahsoka. I didn’t realize how hard this was for you.”

She sighed and wiped her eyes again before righting herself. “As much as I would love to believe that you called to catch up, there’s got to be another reason, Obi Wan.”

He had the decency to look ashamed. “You’re right,” he said. “I have a few contacts on the Outer Rim. I heard you’re responding to a rebellion request for aid?”

She stiffened. So that’s what this was about. “What of it?”

“I just want you to be careful. I feel a disturbance in the Force. It’s strong.”

Ahsoka furrowed her eyebrow markings. That concerned her. She allowed herself to open to the Force, searching for whatever Obi Wan was feeling. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, her consciousness gently floating into the Force. Only when she was fully open to it did she immediately close herself off and recoil.

The inky blackness of the dark side was intertwining itself with the light of the Force. It wound itself around the light and seeped into every aspect of it. Two golden eyes flashed before her, blinking out of existence almost as quickly as they had appeared.

Her breathing came in ragged gasps as she stumbled backwards, colliding with her chair and falling to the floor.

“Ahsoka?!”

“It’s him,” she gasped quietly. “It’s him.”

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[lilyofthesword-writes]

Kokkuri-san (Loki Oneshot)

Summary: You are on your way back to the Tower when you sense a strange energy emanating from it. Loki is there to help.

Pairing: Loki x F!Reader (established relationship)

Word Count: 1,718

Warnings/Disclaimers: Opens with description of being unable to breathe.

A/N: I tried to provide enough information for this to be a stand alone, but it does still act like a follow-up to Sorceress. And if you would like more information on the game Kokkuri-san, I highly recommend checking out the podcasts Kowabana and Toshiden both created by Tara A. Devlin at Kowabana.net. Just a heads up, this is NOT sponsored by anyone. I just enjoy listening to scary stories, and this became one of my favorites.

Masterlist

Molasses had seeped past your skull, compressing your brain uncomfortably. Or at least that’s what it felt like. A wavering darkness flowed around you as if you were underwater. Your lungs were sluggish to take in air, and it was getting worse. The longer you were forced to endure this pressure, the harder it was for you to focus, to breathe.

-up...

A voice muddled through the inky blackness.

Wa- up...

It sounded so familiar...

Wake up...

Nat, maybe? Were you asleep?

WAKE UP!

Your eyes shot open, unwillingly taking in the light of the Quinjet. The air you sucked in felt like gravel in your throat. Nat’s steely grip on your shoulders were beginning to ground you in reality.

“Wha- What happened?” Your throat burned as you spoke.

“Some kind of dream.” Her concerned eyes bored into you as you tried to blink yourself to full consciousness. “You were breathing heavily before you just stopped altogether. You okay?”

“Y-yeah,” you half lied. You didn’t feel nearly as bad in the dream but it still felt like sludge was creeping across your mind. Whatever energy you were getting close to was some kind of nasty. “How far are we from the Tower?”

Nat released you from her hold. “About an hour out.”

The pressure on your head was only growing worse the closer you all got.

“Okay...” you sucked in a deep breath.

Sitting in the seat across from you, Nat eyed you wearily. “You sure you’re good?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, pulling out your phone. “Just going to break one of Fury’s rules. Something is going on at the Tower.”

An eyebrow shot up her forehead. “One of those sixth sense things, again?”

“You could say that...”

You pulled up Loki in the messenger app. You could astral project yourself to talk with him, but that could be more dangerous with whatever energy was infecting the Tower.

You: Hey. We’re almost back. What’s going on there?

Loki: Good evening to you as well, Darling. You can feel the energy from where you are?

You: Yes, it’s very... Palpable. ☹️

Loki: Well, we could use the extra help. It seems that the Ant-Man’s daughter played some spirit summoning game before joining him here for the summer.

You: And it followed her... Great... Is she at least okay?

Loki: She is unharmed. More spooked than anything.

You: Good, good. Did she mention any specifics? Like which game?

Loki: She did, yes. Although, she is unsure if she remembers it correctly. I believe she said it was Kakariko.

You: That can’t be right... That’s a village from a video game series.

Loki: So I learned recently with the Spiderling’s assistance.

You: Did she mention anything else?

Loki: She spoke of strange symbols as well as numbers being written in rows on a piece of paper. A coin was used as a conduit to pick each symbol.

You huffed and smacked your head in realization.

Kokkuri-san

Similar to a Ouija board in nature, missing or mucking up a step could be dangerous. Summoning spirits really should not be a game, something you concluded after cleaning up several messes on campus caused by the students who believed themselves master magicians despite their lack of experience. You couldn’t blame them too much for wanting to try since you had played a variety of those games in traveling with your family as a child. In Japan, Kokkuri-san was all the rage in schools.

Bumping your head on the back of the seat impatiently, you checked the time on your phone for the millionth time. You were about twenty minutes away now. Estimating the physical distance, you debated on just teleporting to the Tower instead of waiting in agony during the small amount of time.

Your phone pinged with a new message.

Loki: How are you faring?

You: Better than before. Energy barrier helps. How’re things there?

Loki: I have Lang and Cassie in her room with protection. The spirit cannot reach her there. However, it is lurking about. Stark is none too pleased.

You: He’s not blaming you, is he?

Loki: He tried. It did not last long.

You: Good. We should be there shortly.

Loki: I’ll be waiting, Dove.

Placing the phone in your pocket, you huffed.

“You know,” Nat chimed in, “We should be pretty close now. Just go already.”

Contemplating a moment, you answered, “I don’t know... I’ve only practiced long distance teleportation a few times.”

“And you were successful. Count this as extra practice. Now get out of here.” The harsh sound of her words was mitigated by an encouraging smile.

With a nod, you took a deep breath and teleported to the landing pad. You were about a foot away from the floor when you reappeared. Loki was already there to catch you. The god knew you too well.

“I dare say you might be getting the hang of this.” He held you close like he was making up for lost time.

You reached up and cupped his face to pull him in for a kiss. “Only because I have a very patient teacher.”

“I have missed this,” he breathed, his lips brushing against yours. “But I believe there is a young girl waiting for our help.”

Aside from Stark’s ranting about how ghosts weren’t real, setting up the library went off without a fuss. Between the salt, candles, charms, your spells and Loki’s seiðr, there was no way this could go wrong.

After confirming with Cassie that she had indeed played Kokkuri-san with a new friend who had recently moved to the States from Japan, you had coaxed the whole story out of Cassie. At their slumber party, they had started to play and were spooked by a sudden power outage and strange noises, causing them to let go of the coin used to slide over each symbol. With their connection to the conduit broken before properly closing the game, the kami/spirit latched onto Cassie and followed her here. The best bet was to re-summon the kami in a more secure environment and properly close the game. Luckily for all of you, she had kept the 10 yen coin her friend accidentally left behind, something you needed for all this to work.

You were quadruple checking the last set of charms when Loki snuck up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and nuzzling your hair. “Everything ready, my little sorceress?”

“As ready as it will ever be,” you huffed before turning on your heel to face him. “This always makes me a bit nervous.”

He pulled back to look at you while he spoke. “Everything will go according to plan. Besides, you have me here. Nothing could possibly go wrong,” he chuckled, a teasing grin painted his face.

“What an ego,” you exclaimed and lightly smacked his chest. You couldn’t help your own smile. “Just go get Scott and Cassie so we can get this over with.”

“As you wish,” he relented, teleporting away after stealing a kiss to leave you flustered. It was certainly one way to lighten the mood.

The summoning had gone well enough. Both you and Loki knew for sure just by the feel of the energy the right kami had come. It was getting it to leave that was the problem.

“Kokkuri-san, please return.”

The coin slid to いいえ/iie no matter how many times you all reset it to the middle of the board.

No.

While you and Loki both grew in frustration, Scott was busy keeping Cassie calm. As level headed and clever this girl could be, the repetition was getting to her. Loki decided another tactic was in order. A few unintelligible words under his breath that you barely heard and the kami was visible on the table.

A tall kitsune clad in white and red robes hissed and glared at Loki, but made no move to attack. It knew it had no chance with all the preparations you two had done. Its four tails flicked in annoyance and its white, almost silvery ears pressed back. You held back a sigh of relief. This kitsune was not as strong as it could be, having not lived long enough to acquire its maximum nine tails and its full power.

“What is it you desire, Spirit?” Loki spoke loud and unwavering.

“Same as Mischief God. Fun,” it growled through its broken English. Despite the ability to hear it now, none of you dared remove your fingers from the coin.

“Well, you certainly have had your fill. Now begone! Return to your realm,” he challenged.

The kitsune’s tails waved wildly as it contemplated its next move. Its eyes flitted to Cassie, softening almost apologetically as it gazed upon her. Similar to its Western Fae counterparts, it did not fully understand that its version of fun was not the same as it was for mortals.

“分かりました。/Wakarimashita,” it huffed, bowing as it turned its attention back to you and Loki.

Understood.

You felt the coin move again. This time it was to the top left of the paper to hover over はい/hai. Yes.

It then promptly glided to the torii gates drawn in the top center. The kitsune vanished from the table, the energy it left behind dissipating rather quickly. You all said, “Thank you,” in unison before pulling away from the coin.

“So... Is that it?” Scott asked with a mixture of confusion and the need to ensure his daughter was safe.

“Not quite,” you mused while picking up the paper.

“What do we do?” Cassie chirped.

Your raven-haired god looked to you curiously. You didn’t tell him about the next part.

“You don’t have to do anything,” you grinned, “The next two parts are easy.”

Picking up the paper, you began tearing it. You counted as you went until you hit forty-eight.

You held up the coin for all to see. “Now. Part two is going to be more interesting.”

“Do tell,” Loki purred.

“We have to spend this within three days.” Your grin slipped into a more mischievous smirk.

Cassie’s eyes sparkled with hope. “So does that mean...”

“Uh-huh. It’s time for a vacation. Who wants to go to Japan?”

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Rose Red’s All Hallows Eve: Ticket Please?

Summary- 4.2k Curtis Everett x You. Your boyfriend got you tickets to a charity Haunted House, and the special features include immersed scenes from the movie of your choice. Once you hear that the one and only Curtis Everett from Snowpiercer is a part of the choices, you just have to go. Prepare for a night of apocalyptic fun! 

Warnings- Blood/Gore, brutal killings, swears. 

A/N- Written for @jtargaryen18 Haunted House 2020. This is a 3 chapter story that will be posted within a few days of one another. Be sure to read the warnings for each chapter. The page dividers were made by @firefly-graphics​ , I highly suggest checking out her work, its really excellent and a bit of everything to choose from. The manor described in this story, Rose Red, is a piece of work from Stephen King, and I highly suggest watching the tv mini series, if you can find it. Perfect for this time of year. Special thanks to @what-is-your-plan-today​ for being my Beta in this project. Happy Reading and Haunting! 😈🎃

“What do you mean Bryce that you can’t come? You promised you would! When is New York State ever going to open Rose Red to be explored like this again Bryce?” You spoke into your cell phone while looking in the mirror, currently doing a french braid to keep your hair out of your face. Your expression reflected back at you was a mixture of fury and disbelief. You had only been talking about this charity for 6 months, and here was your boyfriend backing out after he’d promised to come with you numerous times.

“Something came up with Maya, okay? You know my sister can’t do anything without fucking it up. Besides it's just a house” 

“Bryce, don’t talk about your sister that way.” You sighed exasperatedly before your voice dropped slightly conveying your disappointment “And it's not just a house, it's just the most haunted manor and grounds in New York. They had it condemned supposedly just for that reason! You really can’t come?” 

“You know that shit isn't real. Sorry Baby, but why don’t you take one of your friends? How about that Karen chick?” 

You gave a sigh and roll of the eyes, Bryce never bothered to get to know any of your friends, not like you did with his friends. “You mean Stacey? Her name isn’t Karen.” 

“Well, she’s like a Karen.” He retorted with a condescending tone. 

“Whatever Bryce, I’m hanging up now.” you snapped out, he was being an ass especially considering this entire night had actually started out as a treat to him from you.  

“Hey, Hey, I was kidding. Take Stacey. You know I wouldn’t be any fun, I never liked Snowpiercer, remember?”

“That’s not the point Bryce…” you sighed again. 

“Look, go have fun with Stacey, and tomorrow morning I will pick you up, we can go for a drive down the coast, just the two of us. Maybe have a long weekend in Hampton. How does that sound? I will even take you to that hotel you like. That one right on the beach with the view we stayed at last summer. We had fun there, didn’t we Sweetness.” now his tone was a hint of teasing and promise, and although you were still mad that he ditched you again, you felt a warmth bloom in your chest that he was trying to make it right. 

You bit your lip remembering, it had been a fantastic vacation, and Bryce really showed you a good time without ever having to leave the room. At your silence he gave a chuckle of triumph. “That’s what I thought, I'm gonna call them right now. Have fun tonight baby.” 

“Okay, but you better be here bright and early Bryce. Love-” Before you could even say the words, he hung up, and you hit the end call button, trying to get over the feeling of disappointment before you called Stacey. You could already hear what she would say, but as your best friend, she would be there. She always was. Dialing her number, you pulled out the tickets from your purse, allowing yourself a smile. 

What could you say, you were a fangirl. Snowpiercer was such an intricate dark story, you had fallen in love with it the first time you watched it on Netflix. So when Bryce mentioned his grandfather was helping sponsor a haunted house charity at the town's resident creepy manor, and it was featuring several film sets. Including none other than Snowpiercer, you just had to have all the details. It even went as far as Bryce having his grandfather putting in a good word of how much of a fan you were to get you in. You scrimped and saved, Bryce as well helped you with paying for the tickets. You had really wanted to do this with him too. No, he didn’t share your love for the story, but he was your boyfriend and Halloween was your favorite holiday. It was something you two could have shared. 

Oh well, next year we will do what he wants to do, you thought to yourself waiting for Stacey to pick up her phone. 

A familiar voice answered, jerking you from your thoughts. “What’s up? I thought you would have already left for the charity function?” Stacey questioned. 

“Slight change of plans, something came up with Maya, and Bryce can’t make it.” 

“Big surprise.” the answer made you wince, cause this wasn’t the first time you called Stacey about Bryce. “You want some company? I can be ready by the time you get here?” 

“Please?” you already had your purse over your shoulder and were heading out the door as she answered. 

“Don’t worry girl, I got you. See you in a few.” 

The line to get into the grounds was long, cars piled up as the two of you pulled to a stop. Stacey leaned forward to look out the windshield, giving a soft whistle. “Damn, they pulled out all the stops for this charity, didn’t they? Isn’t that the Rose Red Manor?” 

“Yea, they were able to get it for the night from the Governor. Pretty crazy since this place has been condemned, they were supposed to demolish it back when Ellen Rimbauer’s grandson sold it to New York. You know the stories here, don’t you? Men die, Women disappear never to be seen again. The house somehow has random room built on out of nowhere. No one actually knows how many rooms Rose Red has, and the grounds are much larger then the records state.” You let your foot off the brake, easing forward. 

“Shut up, that’s not true.” Stacey gave a shudder and you laughed, winking in a teasing manner. “How does a house keep getting bigger? I say bullshit.” 

“It’s all just for spooks, the place is safe or else they wouldn’t let us on the grounds.” 

“If I die Y/N, I’m haunting you.” Stacey jibed back, pulling up to the concession stand, and you rolled down your window. 

“How many, and what set are you here to visit?” a tired voice sounded at you while you pulled the tickets out of your purse and handed them out the window. 

“2, for the Snowpiercer, Curtis Everett set.” 

The redhead took your tickets, her green eyes flickering to check them before she gave a slight smirk of perfectly painted ruby lips. She leaned forward, to look into the car. “Curtis Everett you say? A personal favorite of mine, the set reminds me a bit of home.” Your eyes flickered to her name tag, reading Natasha Romanoff, it sounded Russian, where it is assumed the train derailed at the end of the film. “Curtis is a bit intimidating, but don’t get scared, it's all a part of the show.” She stamped your tickets and collected bracelets, handing them back to you which you and Stacey both snapped onto your wrists. “Enjoy, and make sure you have those tickets on you. The Wilford on set will be looking to collect them. Bozhe, pomiluy tebya.” God have mercy on you.

Your brows came together in confusion at the foreign launguage and gave a nod. “Thanks?” 

The woman smiled and snapped her window shut, ending the conversation. Pulling the car away to continue to park, Stacy wrinkled her nose. “What was that about?” 

“You got me. I don’t even know what language that was, I’m guessing Russian?” You watch and follow the people directing you to park and are soon in your designated spot. “Whatever, you ready?” The uneasiness slipped away as you got excited, cause lets face it, Curtis Everett had been a crush for you since you saw the movie. And now you were going to see him, well the actor in the role, once again. From what you could tell this charity was an a-list kind of deal, cause after hours of scouring online, you found nothing talking about Chris Evans doing this function. Maybe Bryce was good for something, you thought as you got out of the car, and then chided yourself for being so cruel to your boyfriend. After all, if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be seeing Curtis or the Snowpiercer set. While you two were walking, apparently the last ones in the queue, you pulled out your phone to send him a message.

Hey, Stacey, and I just got here. Miss you and Love you.

 It wasn’t even a few minutes till your phone pinged back 

Have a good time and don’t get too scared. 

Smiling to yourself at the glowing screen, you stuffed your phone back in your purse and proceeded towards the front where you showed your bracelets. 

“Ahh Snowpiercer, you actually go around back. Follow me.” Your host said as he led you around the side of the building, away from the last of the people disappearing inside. 

“We're not going into the house?” you couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the idea, it was supposedly one of the most famous haunted houses in New York State. The well-dressed host turned, looking at you for a moment before putting on a suave smile. 

“Since you are special guests, I’ll wait for you after your tour with Curtis Everett on Snowpiercer. Give you a proper tour of Rose Red. But I assure you, that you’re in for a better treat, this is a truly exclusive walk though as hardly anyone gets to explore this much of Rose Red. Did you know that Ellen Rimbauer also had a private train on the grounds? It’s not documented as extensively as the house is, but many strange occurrences have happened here as well. It’s rumored that a single match light can be seen running up and down the aisles. Workers will be glimpsed from the corner of your eye in the darkest shadows. The ones that have visited the train claim to feel extensive chills, and in the engine, ramblings and whispers of madness can be heard. Most assume it's the conductor, looking for his replacement.” Your host continued, while out of the darkness a massive ominous train loomed, vines all over it, and it almost had a skeletal appearance as windows were busted out of it, and it looked pitch black in all the openings. 

“The workers used the train to bring in materials from the harbor to the construction site. And in 1903, a riot happened on the train, the crew claimed that they weren’t being compensated for the conditions, and they demanded better wages. When W. Rimbauer refused them, they put a stop to the train for good. Resulting in many deaths.” Your host led you to the front car, in which a pale man stood with a lantern and a single red rose he was twirling in his fingers, and upon seeing the trio of you, he promptly slipped the delicate flower into his robe and smoothed down his outfit. Giving a wave, he stepped down and you noticed that oddly he was wearing what looked like a luxurious robe, his bald head shining in the glow of the lamp. The more you studied him, the more you thought he looked exactly like Ed Harris in his Wilford role. You were about to ask, when he interrupted you with his own question to the host. 

“Blackwood, this the Curtis couple? We were a bit worried you wouldn’t show up tonight. Which is a shame, as Curtis has been waiting for you.” He seemed to direct his answer solely at you, his pale blue eyes glinting gleefully at you, it was the only way you could describe it, but they still sent a shiver down your back. Ed Harris or not, he was a good Wilford, you thought to yourself as you tried not to let his act give you the creeps. Stacey pulled in closer to you, hooking her arm through yours and whispering. 

“You sure we should go on this train? It’s pretty fucking creepy back here. And where is everyone else?” 

Blackwood cleared his throat with a smile. “Now ladies, the Curtis scene was very exclusive. In fact, only you two were able to get tickets. Seeing how it’s away from the main house. But I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of Wilford here as I must return for the next group. I will be back soon to give you a house tour afterward. You ladies enjoy the fully immersed experience.” 

Your host left you with Wilford, who lifted his lamp to show a path that led down the side of the train. “It’s just a way down here, Curtis will meet you inside, and take you on the tour of Snowpiercer. Now, remember, he will not be breaking character as is per his instructions. We want this to be as authentic as possible.” 

You and Stacey follow along behind his seemingly smooth stride, both of you tripping up a bit although Wilford seemed to have no issues with the uneven ground. Both of you were panting a bit when he came to a stop, and held a hand up to a ladder, leading into the darkest opening you’ve ever seen. 

“There are no lights inside?” You drawled out and Stacey braced her hand against the train to catch her breath.

“How the hell are we supposed to see? And climb in with heels? No one told us that this was going to be an expedition just to see a movie set.” the woman snapped out, and Wilford turned that gaze from you to Stacey, giving a cold smile. 

“It will all come on once you're inside, everything is in its preordained place in Snowpiercer and we are allowing you to really see it all come to life. But before you two go on, can I have your tickets please? No one goes onto the snowpiercer without one.” His grin turned eerie in the shadows on the lantern he had brought with him, and you were quick to look away from it, 

Fuck he is weird. You shudder, while searching your bag and handing over both tickets. He immediately put them in his robe and held the lantern up so you could see a bit better to get inside. Grasping the ladder, you start to climb in, Stacey following right behind, holding onto the back of your shirt. One you stumbled in, and Stacey did too, you both turned to look back out, expecting Wilford to follow you in, but the door slammed shut, and a shudder went through the train, hard enough so you both yelped, falling into each other. 

“Y/N! What the fuck is this? We have to get out of here.” You could feel Stacey digging into your arms in a panic, and you stumbled back to where the door was, your hands slamming against freezing cold metal, your palms pounding on the vibrating metal. 

“Why is it vibrating? WHY IS THE TRAIN MOVING?” You started to yell, and Stacey moved up next to you, also slamming her palms against the metal walls. Blinding light made you both yelp and cover your eyes, stumbling to land in a heap when you pulled your arm away from your face, blinking to get your pupils to focus. It was an empty train cart, windows that appeared to be filled with bright natural light lined the walls, and at each end, metal doors that have yet to be opened. Stacey takes the first tentative moves to stand up, pulling herself to look out a window and her eyes widened in disbelief. 

“What is it?” You ask as you start to push yourself up to a stand, and she shakes her head as if to shake whatever she was seeing away, muttering over and over. 

“What the fuck?” 

You make your way over, and all you can see is snow. Snow and ice, speeding past like this train were actually able to run on a track. Buildings encased in snow, making way to nothing but white, everywhere. Even the windows had frost encasing around the edges, your breaths fogging the glass. 

“How? What?” you question, beyond confused and rubbing at your face to look again. How the hell could this be? You go to reach in your bag for your phone, and look down to see it is gone. And not just your phone, your bag. Scanning the train, there was no sign of it. Panic settled in a little more now that you didn't have a way to call for help should you need it.

Stacey pressed her fingers to the glass, her tone a bit shrill as if she was trying to convince herself it was make believe. “Gotta be like we're watching a screen right? Just supposed to look like the trains moving.” Although the train gave another shudder, swaying back and forth. 

You never got an answer, as one end the doors swung open and people wearing all black spilled into the train, all carrying axes, faces masked so you couldn’t see anything discernible about them. Except for flashing teeth among happy grins. Each one hefting their ax like it was a toy. Your confused addled brain screamed at you to pay attention. Danger. But you were in too much of a shock to really focus. 

Another whoosh and you spin around to see who was coming out the other side, Stacey whimpering in fear next to you, still staring at the first group. But your eyes raked over these men, dirty and worn looking. The one in front had a wide stance, his feet braced against the rocking of the train like he was familiar with it. A black trench coat swept around him, ragged sweaters piled over a broad chest and your gaze fell onto a familiar hard face, scanning his opponent, drawing himself into a more fighting stance. Curtis Everett. 

“Oh shit” it dawns on you what scene this was and you draw Stacey closer to you, and back against a wall. 

“What? Oh god, I don’t understand what is happening.” Stacey said in a panicked voice, and you shook her a bit. 

“I don’t know either, but stay out of everyone’s way, okay? Those axes are not fakes!” The weapons they held were clearly not props, the heavy blade handles slapped in palms, and gleamed in the winter sun streaming through the windows. A touch would easily slice into anything. And these two groups look ready to hack into each other.

“Shouldn’t they help us get out?” Stacey’s eyes rolled wildly, and you gulped, seeing the large trout get passed up, and just as you guessed, the ax easily sliced into the fish’s flesh, drizzling blood down to see  along the edge, dripping down the handle and to the floor. 

“I don't think so Stace…” You whipped back to look at the opposing group, feeling Curtis’s gaze seeking yours with a glimmer of hatred and confusion behind them. For half a second, then it was back on their enemies. You could see it, the taunting lunges each group made, and just when they both broke for each other, you screamed and yanked Stacey down onto the ground as they all collided. Attempting to avoid stomping feet and falling blades, you two tried to stick to the wall, screaming and covering your heads, blood splattering everywhere above you in hot sticky sprays that rained down on your two. 

Stacey wouldn’t stop screaming, her voice piercing above the noise of the fighting, bodies started to litter the floor, and you tried to make your way towards one of the exits, your hands and knees slipping in warm fluid. Over bodies you dragged yourself when Stacey’s screaming changed to one of pain and panic. Looking over your shoulder, she was getting dragged away by her ankles, her fingers trying to find a hold in the floor, nails raking through the blood to create long rakes through all the red. 

“Y/N! Y/N! Help!” she continued to scream, and you twisted to go back for her when she was whipped to her back and her arms came up in defense, trying to cover her face or neck. 

“No!” 

Whump! This is when you lost all your control and started to scramble back for her. There was so much screaming and you never realized it was coming from you. 

Whump! The ax planted in Stacey’s chest and she jerked upwards, trying to push the blade away, and the militants foot planted on her stomach, yanking her loose. You would still see her moving, still alive. You were closer. 

Whump! this one landed on her skull, blonde hair turning stringy red and his boot planted on her face this time, crushing in her forehead and nose as he yanked it out, once more red spray flew through the air. 

Several whacks fell on her, over and over, spraying you with each yank the axe gave off Stacey's body, the militant man grinning as her blood sprayed all over him, you, any nearby person. 

You were in shock, your hands to your mouth, as you saw Stacy's body collapse into broken pieces, blood spurting out of her mouth and she went limp right in front of you. His gaze fell to you and his wide bloody grin looked like he just won the prize, his axe lifting when he was suddenly thrown back and slaughtered himself. You didn't pay attention to who took him out, only catching sight of a whipping coat snapping in the person's actions, you turned towards your best friend's body, convinced she might still be alive. This was all just for fun, pretend after all, right? Snowpiercer and the Revolution did not exist. 

“Sss-Stacey?” you crawled over to her, your hands cupping her broken face and leaning over her still warm form, doing your best to hold what remained of her face together, as if you could just piece it back together like a puzzle. You kept shaking her, although she had several gaping holes in her body. 

“Come on Stacey, we got to move.” you sobbed over her, unaware once more of what was going on. 

You didn’t notice the fighting stop or the survivors rush to look out the windows in a panic, but you did feel a hand yank the back of your shirt to slam you into the wall and keep you pinned in place. Even as you struggled to get back to Stacey’s body, lying lifeless. You didn’t notice any of these things till a growl snarled in your ear. “Girl, stop it! What’s wrong with you?” A vicious shake thudded your head against the wall, and the crack against the back of your skull made your eyes roll back in pain. The world tipped upside down, Curtis’s scowling cut face tipped around, and you went under, the blackness welcomed from the hell you just experienced. 

“Hey Curtis, she’s awake.” was the first thing you heard, your head pounding and when you started to pry your lids open, figures were blurry, moving around, flashes of light blinding you till they were blocked back out by bodies. You gave a moan and lifted your hand to your face when the larger one slapped it away, and the cold slick hand grasped your throat, dragging you forward. “Focus Bitch, we don’t have all day.” Your eyes snapped obediently to Curtis, fearful and wide-eyed as you took him in. 

In the movie, he was large, towering over others. Here, as he was staring you down, face contorted to semi-controlled rage, and leaning over you so you could feel his hot breath wash over his face, how the blood dried to crack along his cheek, and eyes that you swore were debating snapping your neck.

“I don’t understand what is going-” 

“Shut the fuck up, you’re not asking questions here. Wilford sent you?” 

“Wilford? Yes, yes.” You stutter, his fingers squeeze further and you can feel the hot tears streaming down your face, landing on his filthy hands. “He put Stacey and I in here, m-m-my friend. She was…” Your eyes rolled to where her body was twisted strangely, smeared in gore from where she slid around, or someone tripped over her. All you knew is her eyes started up at nothing now. Her wounds were gaping and bled out. 

Curtis gave you a shake, his snarl brought you back to him. “She was what? What did Wilford send you two back here for?” 

“We were here for a charity! I was supposed to meet Chris Evans, You as Curtis Everett.” your voice started to rise in a panic, your hands grasping his wrist at your neck. “That’s it, why is the train moving? Why are you all using real axes, fuck I just want to get off.” You sobbed, the survivors looked at you with disgust, shaking their heads. 

“Once you’re on the Snowpiercer, there is no getting off.” Curtis leaned back a bit, looking you up and down as if inspecting you curiously. “You’re such a fragile little thing. Just like a baby bird, all brittle bones and helpless.”  

“No getting off? What are you even talking about?” your tears started to sting your eyes, the panic settling deep in your chest like your heart was about to explode.

Curtis ignored your question, his free hand tugging at your thin sweater and shaking his head. “Fucker didn’t even send you back here properly dressed.” 

You tried to struggle and Curtis slammed you back hard enough to make you stop.

“She’s fucking whacked out of her gourd. Gotta be a kronole head someone spouting that shit.” A young man said behind Curtis, and he got in your face, tapping your cheek smartly. “Girl snap out of it, that shite fucking rotted your brain.” 

“No Edgar, this is different, she's lying. Good at it, but lying.” Curtis made to stand, dragging you up with him. You stumble in his hold, falling against his body before he dragged you along, hissing in your ear. 

“I don’t know what Wilford was thinking Little Bird, sending you back to me with this innocent act of yours. But don’t worry I will make you sing.”

[votederpycausemufins]

I promise you by the end of this chapter, both of the bots are being held in the arms of someone. who those people are... uhhh well you better read the chapter. it is definitely no one bad.

@petrichormeraki @helleborusangel

Tubbo struggled against the ropes that tied them to a chair. He had been put in a room with someone else, but it was still too dark to see. He wasn’t sure if Ranboo was still there, but Tubbo was face to face with the screen that matched Dream’s mask. With the bright light, it was hard to distinguish the rest of the form from the dark room, but Tubbo could just make out the shape of the body. 

From the short time he had known the pair of bots, he was pretty sure this was Grumbot. He tried to say something, but the cloth in their mouth made it tough. Still, he watched as the screen tilted from the robot tilting its head, so Tubbo tried again. He kept repeating a single word over and over until it was understood, then the robot moved and suddenly Tubbo was squinting their eyes as the room filled with light.

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, but when they did, he finally got a good look at the robot. A large crack was on the screen with a dent near it on the monitor. There were also similar dents on other places of the robot’s body. The buttons that had been on the robot’s chest had been torn out and the light next to them was also cracked. There were three holes in a line on the robot’s side where something had pierced it, sparks occasionally appearing through them. Finally, the normally clean body was covered with burn marks and mud and other things.

Tubbo couldn’t help but feel sad for him. Obviously he’d been stuck with Dream and the admin hadn’t been caring for the bot. And that made Tubbo’s heart hurt. He had listened to Dream and ended up exiling Tommy just when they had all come up with a different plan. He had been so upset at Techno for what he had done that he ended up leaving Tommy to something like this. It was a miracle he was even willing to still be around Tubbo.

The sound of a snort made Tubbo look around. He couldn’t tell the source, but there was the sound of cloven hooves lightly clopping on the ground and moving closer. Tubbo smiled sadly when Michael finally came into view, then tilted his head as the ziglin grabbed Grumbot’s arm. Grumbot turned to look at Michael, who was spooked a little and pulled away with a squeal to hide behind the chair Tubbo was stuck in.

Tubbo wanted to comfort Michael, but couldn’t really move to do that. He tried pulling against the ropes again, but then paused as the light from the screen flickered in front of him. He watched as the image was changing to how the bot’s face normally looked, like he was trying to get back to normal, but eventually the screen was back to just a smile. Still, that alone gave Tubbo some hope for the bot. He tried a bit more, and it started to feel like one of the bindings was coming a little loose. He started focusing on that one arm, but then froze when something touched it. A small snort then came from the same area and Tubbo was able to watch out of the corner of his eye as Michael used a toy sword to help cut the ropes. Since it was a toy and not that sharp, it took a bit, but finally the rope snapped.

Tubbo was glad to have their arm free and pulled out the fabric gagging their mouth. Once it was gone, he pulled Michael into a one armed hug. “Good job Michael! I’m sorry I was gone so long. I’m sure you missed me.”

Tubbo talking seemed to get someone’s attention, because now the person in the other chair was moving, muffled noises coming from them. “Can you try to help them out too?”

Michael nodded and went over to the other person as Tubbo continued to free themself. Once he was, he went over to help Michael with the other person, who Tubbo instantly recognized. They were easily able to get the ropes off Tommy, but instead of a cloth or rope preventing him from speaking, a metal shackle of sorts was covering his mouth. “Sorry, I don’t think we can easily get that off.”

Tommy nodded in understanding before looking over to Grumbot, Tubbo following his gaze. The robot was still just standing there, having done nothing to prevent them escaping. “Tommy, I don’t want to leave Michael here and I’m not sure I can lift Grumbot. Can you carry him?”

Tommy nodded and attempted to pick the robot up, but he was met with it pulling an axe out and attacking him. A muffled yell came from Tommy and Tubbo pulled him back. “Okay, not picking him up then. But I don’t want to just leave him here.”

Tommy held up some of the discarded rope and formed it into a lead. He held it up to Tubbo as a suggestion, making Tubbo reluctantly nod. “I guess that could work, though I wish we had a better option.”

Tubbo helped tie the rope around Grumbot’s waist and then let Tommy have the other end of the rope before picking Michael up. “I’ll message the others that we have him.”

Tommy nodded and Tubbo pulled out their communicator to send a message. He was almost done with it when someone spoke, making him pause. “I. W-w-w-want. M-my. D-bzzt.” Tubbo looked up, seeing that the voice had been Grumbot, whose face was currently back to it’s mustachey self.

“Your dads? We’re trying, don’t worry.” Tubbo attempted to comfort the bot by patting him, but Grumbot just flinched away and Tubbo pulled their hand back. He then finished up the message and sent it. “Let’s go. I’m sure Grian will see it in a moment.”

Dead plants were strewn about and anything the red plants weren’t touching were instead coated in a thin layer of mycelium. Everyone was injured enough that they lay on the ground from the wounds. The person who got them to that state was currently staring up at the red egg-shaped plant in the corner of the cavern, blade in hand. “Were it under any other circumstance, I may have said yes, but a mother protects her children.”

The sword was stabbed into the egg a multitude of times until the attacker was absolutely sure it was dead. Around them, the people who had been affected by the egg seemed to be coming out of a bit of a daze. Bad sat up, rubbing his head and opened an eye to see the egg killer in front of him. They bent down and then stood back up holding Jrumbot. “This is mine.”

“Wh-Hey! You still can’t just take him like that!”

“Hmm, I assumed your care for him was simply due to the control of the plant. I see I assumed wrong.” They brushed a hand over the remaining vines on Jrum. “Hmm, these will be removed after he has woken up and I can see how he is doing. I wouldn’t want them to have taken a host.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There is a chance the plant may try keeping itself alive through the plants growing within this child. It should not be too much of a problem to remove once they have awoken. But that will require waiting.”

“Wait, so are you one of Jrum’s parents?” The demon spoke and slowly stood up. “Why are you only getting here now?”

“As far and the child is concerned, I am not, and yet am. The one I use as a host is one of their parents. We have a reluctant alliance as we both want to protect. However, I cannot do much more than this, so the spores from my mycelium will not cause you any trouble.”

The demon looked over at the dead egg. “How did you kill it without getting yourself killed?”

“It was weak. The host I have taken is very strong. A lineage of death and Watchers trained as admin among other things. It is disappointing to see a child of such a person fall to an organism such as this. Now, the previous question of the delayed arrival. Time has been distorted and what was a few days has become a few months.” 

“That’s a thing that can happen?”

“Yes. It is more common of an occurrence than one may think.”

Then Jrum stirred before waking up with a slight yawn. “Dad?”

“Almost.”

Jrum looked up at the one holding him then frowned. “Oh… I was asking for my new dad.” And he crossed his arms.

“You must answer some questions first. First of all, are you able to change the color of your screen?”

“Yeah, but why would I?”

“Change it to blue, then you may change it back. This is simply a test.” Jrum rolled his digital eyes, but shifted everything to a blue hue before changing back. “Good. Now you are to ignore this threat, but if you hear a response to the threat, please inform me. Is that understood?”

“Why should I?”

Bad leaned over to make sure he could be seen by Jrum. “They’re just making sure you’re doing okay. Can you please tell them if you do?”

Jrum nodded and then the threat came, the grayish-purple of their eyes spreading out from the sockets. “If you still hold any control, you will come to regret it as you are infected from the inside out and you experience every minute bit of pain that you caused others even unintentionally.” Then the growth receded and they spoke again in a calmer voice. “Did you hear anything?”

Jrum shook his head. “No. Is that good or bad?”

“Very very good.” Bad answered, which made Jrum smile.

“I will be able to remove these remaining plants with little harm, but it may take a while and I will need to go dormant once more while they are killed.” Bad opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. “I will return to remove the spores when they have completed their work. They would just cause more damage if they remained in a being such as this.”

“Alright, good to know.”

The main vines around Jrum’s antenna were pulled off and discarded to the floor. Then a kiss was pressed to the bot’s forehead before the grayish-purple color disappeared from the eyes and were replaced by Grian’s normal eyes. “Hoo boy, how much did I miss?” He looked around at all the dead flora. “My guess is a lot.”

“I’ve just gotten a message. Someone has found and recovered Grum. We should find them before the admin attempts to take him back once more.” Xannes spoke, having received the message with his helmet. “I’m attempting to as for- Hmm, that is concerning.”

Mumbo looked over to the hacker. “What’s wrong?”

“I received a message with their coordinates, but also their current predicted end coordinates. They were sent by a name of someone not in the group. Also their group includes Tommy, who is most definitely the one currently next to you in bed, meaning his hels version is there instead.”

“Can I ask who’s in the group?”

“The one to send the message is Tubbo. They say they are with Tommy, Grum, and someone by the name of Michael.”

“Can you stay here and watch over Tommy? One of us needs to stay and I-”

“Yeah yeah, go see your kid.”

Mumbo nodded and made sure Tommy was tucked in well before getting up and following the coordinates that had been messaged to him as well. He had absolutely no idea how much time he had, so he ran a bit before using his elytra to get into the air and hope to find the group.

He was getting to the point something had happened to them or he had missed them when Mumbo spotted the bright green of Tubbo’s shirt. He did his best not to crash while landing and then caught up to the group. “Hey! Tubbo! Grum!” Tubbo stopped walking to turn around meanwhile ‘Tommy’ started to move faster. “Hey! Get back here!”

Tubbo turned to look at Tommy trying to escape with Grumbot while the robot did nothing to struggle. He quickly set Michael down and ran forward to grab the rope around Grumbot and start pulling the other way. In a few moments, Michael was at Tubbo’s side attempting to help, though he had trouble actually grabbing the rope. When Mumbo reached them, he took his sword out and sliced the rope, causing everyone else to fall from the lack of tension.

“Tommy! Why were you trying to take Grum away?” Tubbo asked.

“Because that’s not Tommy. He’s currently unconscious in bed. This must be Theseus.”

“Oh.” Tubbo looked over at the copy whose eyes shifted back to a brown color. “Why were you trying to take Grum?” Theseus tapped the metal around his mouth. “Why didn’t you just ask earlier. Grum, are you able to take that off his mouth?”

Grum nodded and walked over to Theseus and hesitantly removed the shackle before his arm was grabbed by Theseus. “God that was easy. I’m trying to take him because I know Dream is after him, and this time I’m not letting any of you getting in the fucking way. Two times was enough.”

Mumbo started to move forward, but an axe was put to Grum’s neck. “Look, right now this is the only thing letting people respawn. If he dies, that won’t happen. So I wouldn’t move closer if I were you. Look, all I’m going to do is use this piece of scrap metal as bait and then get out of here with the admin, if you can even call him that anymore with this thing being the console. In fact, speaking of. I’m guessing it could just teleport him here. Can’t you?” Theseus looked down to Grumbot, who nodded. “Alright. Do it.”

Mumbo and Tubbo winced as some sparks flew out from Grumbot as he processed the request. In a few moments, Dream had appeared right in front of Theseus and he let go of the robot to grab him instead. “Finally! Took long enough!”

Mumbo immediately ran over to Grumbot and picked him up, holding him close. “Hey don’t worry. We’re going to get you home and fix you up.” Mumbo whispered comfortingly as the bot trembled in his arms.

Theseus smacked Dream with the dull part of his axe head, cracking the mask he wore and knocking the admin out. Theseus held Dream by the fabric of his hoodie, just letting him hang there. “Now I’m sure you want me out of here. Send me to the hels dimension of this place or else.”

Mumbo could feel as Grum stiffened up and some sparks shocked him, but a moment later Theseus and Dream were gone. The redstoner had hoped that once the admin and Grum were in different universes, it would help the bot, but he still looked the same, stiff and trying to remain emotionless. “Let’s get back to EX.”

[lordofthenerds97]

Unforgiven: Part III

Summary: After Order 66, everything was destroyed. The Empire left death and destruction in its wake. But one choice could change everything forever. The question is…is it the right one? Maul x Ahsoka 18+ For Eventual Chapters Warnings: Nonexplicit sexual content, slow burn, PTSD TW, inappropriate use of the force Collab fic with @wasted-headspace-98

TW FOR THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES:

Panic Attacks

PTSD Flashbacks/Nightmares

Survivor’s Guilt

Descriptions of Mental Illness

Ships flew in and out, entering and exiting the atmosphere of Dantooine. J’has had set up a base of sorts, one in the Outer Rim territories that the Empire hadn’t managed to get ahold of yet. She’d been in contact with both Ahsoka and Obi Wan. They had helped her create the base as a safe haven where people oppressed by the Empire could be left alone. While it was true Palpatine had a large and wide reach, there were still some systems that were fighting Imperial occupation. And thankfully, the Raioballo system was one of them.

Early on after the Empire had taken control of the galaxy, J’has had reached out to Ahsoka. She was a contact of Bo’Katan’s. The Togruta had been more than willing to help her. She’d been one of the clones’ targets during Order 66. She’d managed to throw them off her tail for a little bit, but she needed to lay low to continue the guise that she was gone. During that time, she’d spent several months with J’has on Dantooine.

She was surprised to find that J’has was a force-wielder as well, but it wasn’t long after that she’d learned the backstory of the bounty hunter.

Jerked out of her thoughts, J’has looked up when she heard her name called. She turned to find Paxtn, one of her closest allies and friends, approaching her. He held a datapad in one hand and his glasses in the other with a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” J’has asked.

He sighed and shook his head. “We got word from one of the Sentries on the rim of the sector. There’s Imperial Star Destroyers headed this way. We can hide beneath the cloak for a while, but it’s only a matter of time until they send scouting parties to the surface of each planet.”

The woman sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “That’s not good.”

“No,” he agreed. “But in good news, we’ve received an encrypted transmission from Ahsoka.”

J’has perked up at the sound of her friend’s name. “What did she say?”

“It took a while to decipher. She used a complex code to hide it. And it was buried deep in subspace, deeper than most of our transmissions. The woman knows how to cover her tracks.”

She chuckled. “That tends to happen when the Empire thinks you’re dead. I’m sure she wants to keep it that way.”

Paxtn nodded. He understood the want to stay under Imperial radar. “She’s interested in the message you sent her, that much was clear. She kept asking if you were sure he was alive. Not sure what that means, but she seemed spooked by it.”

J’has frowned. It took her a minute to remember exactly what it was that she’d said. The message had been sent a long time ago. Then it hit her.

Oh, she thought. Well, at least that got her attention.

“Then she asked when you got the intel and how old it was. And she said she would be here within a week.”

She blinked in surprise. She wasn’t sure what it would take to get Ahsoka back to Dantooine, but she was quite interested in the fact that it was simply the mention of the Dark sider’s name. Regardless, she would be happy to have to Togruta’s help. Their numbers had been dwindling. The Empire was sending spies to every sector in the galaxy and rooting out any seed of rebellion that they found. The Shadow squadron was quickly losing numbers. And they needed Ahsoka to keep them on their feet.

“How long ago did we receive the message?”

Paxtn scrolled through a few more lines of code with a frown as he tried to find the date of the transmission. “It was sent about three days ago.”

J’has nodded. “Good. Make some arrangements and make sure that she has a suitable place to stay. If you can, see if you can get one of the cavern apartments ready. She’s going to need time to recuperate. I know Ahsoka, and I know she probably hasn’t been taking as good of care of herself as she should.”

And little did she know, she was more right than she ever wanted to be.

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka glared at the Devaronian in front of her. “Excuse me?” she snapped.

He smirked at her, his eyes glinting devilishly in the dim light of the bar. “You heard me, he said. “If you are who you say you are, then this wouldn’t be a problem. And you’ll have as much fuel as you need.”

“Are you trying to blackmail me?”

He chuckled. “On the contrary, my dear. I’m simply trying to see if your reputation is truly deserved or not.”

Her eyes darkened as she continued to glare at him. “I’m not here to do your bidding, Kolt.”

The Devaronian raised an eyebrow at her. “It appears you are,” he said. “You’re on my planet, looking for my fuel. I don’t think you’re in a position to deny my form of payment.”

She could practically feel her montrals hum with the tension in the air. Kolt had draped himself across the chair, with one leg hooked over the arm. He lazily swirled his drink around as he stared at her.

Suddenly, the image of the Manda’lor Zabrak flashed in front of her.

His form confidently and carelessly laid across the throne as he stared at her from across the room. He tilted his head as he motioned to her with his cup, inviting her to come closer.

“Ahsoka,”

His horns practically shone under the lights of the throne room. His voice was deep and gravelly as he spoke to her.

She blinked rapidly, trying to force the image out of her mind.

“Do we have a deal, Ashla?”

Ahsoka almost paled at the name, but she kept her composure. He had referred to her as Ashla before. She figured it had been a jab at her loyalties, but it had grown to a term of respect. At least, she thought it had.

She ground her teeth and sighed. “Fine.”

Kolt grinned and raised his glass. “Wonderful.” He motioned for one of his men to step forward. “This is Darilan. He’ll make sure you have everything you need. Starting with a drink!”

The other Devaronian raised his lip sightless before handing her a glass. She took it with a skeptical look. The liquid smelled as if it could strip the paint off a speeder. It took everything she has not to gag at the smell. Kolt leaned forward, his twisted horns and crooked smile making him look even more devilish than he already appeared. He extended his cup, expecting her to toast.

Cautiously, Ahsoka tapped her glass against his before bracing herself and lifting it to her lips. She drained it in one gulp, opening her throat and allowing all of the burning liquid to scald her throat as it cascaded down.

She handed the glass back to Darilan, managing to keep a straight face and not flinch at the after effects of the alcohol that felt like it was still eating away at her throat. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was raw later. “I’ll take that information now.” she said.

Kolt chuckled. “Straight to business. I like you, Ashla. Darilan, as the Lady says.”

Darilan looked at Kolt before turning his attention to Ahsoka. “This way,” he said.

~*~*~*~

The more Ahsoka learned about what Kolt wanted her to do, the more disdain she held for the man.

She didn’t have time to be sent on wild bantha chases. It frustrated her to no end that she was being pulled down the rabbit hole of Kolt’s crime family.

If Anakin could see me now, she thought to herself.

Oh believe me, Snips. I can see you. What have you done?

She winced at the voice in her head. Ahsoka knew she should have been used to it by now, but every time she heard the scathing tone in his voice, it cut her to the core. “What I have to do…” she said aloud. “J’has asked for my help. She needs me.”

But that’s not the only thing that’s motivating you, is it?

She froze in her tracks. “Excuse me?” She hissed lowly.

You heard me. There’s another reason that you’re putting yourself in harm’s way. And it’s not just because a small group of rebels asked for your help. She promised you information.

Ahsoka shook her head and continued with a rough sigh, trying to shove Anakin’s nagging voice out of her mind.

You can’t just shut me out, Snips. I’m in your head.

“I know that,” she snapped. “But it would help considerably if you would so kindly shut up.”

He snorted. Not a chance.

She growled under her breath and stalked up the ramp to her ship. If she was going to go through with this, she needed to do her research.

Quit ignoring me, Ahsoka. You know this isn’t right. Is he really worth this?

“You’re the one always telling me that I should have listened to him!” she exclaimed as she dropped into the pilots chair. She flipped a few switches and the holonet appeared in front of her. Her slim fingers did their work precisely as she tapped in a few lines of code that she needed to hide her signal from any prying eyes.

The past is the past, Ahsoka. You can’t amend that mistake by trying to look for him now.

“Shut up,” she hissed. “You don’t know what’s going on inside my head.”

That’s where you’re wrong, Ahsoka. As much as you don’t want to admit it, we are all a part of you.

She paled at the sound of Obi Wan’s voice. It had been a long time since she heard his soothing Couriscanti accent. He was right, she knew. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.

“You’re just a figment of my imagination,” she said. Obi Wan sighed and she could picture him shaking his head.

Think, Ahsoka. You can feel our signatures. They’re a part of you.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

I beg your pardon?

“I might be able to feel yours, Obi Wan. But Anakin? He’s dead. If his Force would be with anyone, it would be Padme. And she’s dead too.”

So then that just makes me the more reasonable part of your conscience, Anakin said. And a part of you.

Ahsoka growled. “Enough,” she said. “I have a job to do and I can’t do it with you two constantly bickering with me.”

She could feel the discontent in the back of her mind, but she paid it no attention. She didn’t have the luxury of time to dwell on what they’d said to her.

“If there’s a chance I can do something to make this right, I need to take that chance.” she said to herself. She’d fingers gripped the edge of the dash in front of her, squeezing until she could feel her nails breaking beneath the pressure.

After a few intense seconds of holding her breath, she slowly let it out. She could feel the raging storm in her mind calm slightly.

“Alright. Let’s get to work.”

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka hissed as she prodded the ribs on her right. She grimaced when she saw the blackening bruise that was spreading across her side. There wasn’t a lot she could do about the discoloration of the orange skin, but she figured she could do something about the pain.

More than likely, she’d fractured a few of them. Even more likely was the fact that she probably split them in half.

She cursed as she held the hem of her battledress in her teeth and reached for the bacta cream that was dwindling in supply. She groaned with the pain as she rubbed it across her damaged bones, sighing after a moment as the cream began to work its magic and spread a pleasant cooling sensation through her body.

Ahsoka shimmied out of her leggings, checking her lower body for damage. She glowered as she thought about the events that led to her injuries.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to find a better deal anywhere else, especially considering where she was. So after a few days, she went back to them. But as expected, their price had gone up.

A tremor ran down her spine and she closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the blood still staining her hands.

Oh, Snips…

Ahsoka raised her lip in a snarl. “I thought I told you to leave me alone?”

She felt something move inside her. If she didn’t know better, she would have said it was Anakin’s Force. But, she did know better.

Ahsoka, what have you done?

Obi Wan’s voice was clear beside Anakin’s and she bristled.

“What both of you taught me. I’m surviving. Staying alive.”

Yes, but are you really living, Snips?

“Don’t patronize me, Anakin!” she snapped.

I’m not patronizing you, Ahsoka! I’m asking a legitimate question.

She slammed her fist down on the sink of the fresher, her eyes burning into the mirror. If she looked hard enough, she could practically see Anakin and Obi Wan beside her. “I’ve lived through enough goddamn shit these past years, Anakin. Every time I did it with both you and Obi Wan criticizing my every move. Now that I’m actually trying to do something about the mistakes I made in the past, you’re degrading that too!”

Ahsoka, he’s not-

“And you have no right to talk either, Obi Wan!” she snarled. She could feel the anger pulsing within her as she addressed the Force signature she could feel. She knew Obi Wan was paying attention to what she did, whether the Obi Wan in her head agreed or not. “You left me! I needed you in one of the darkest times in my life, and you left me! What the hell was I supposed to do? I don’t think you understand…either of you! I spent almost my whole life in the middle of a war zone! How was I supposed to deal with everything that happened without my closest friends?!”

Because I taught you how!

Ahsoka felt tears of anger flood her eyes as she listened to what Anakin said. “No! You taught me to push everything aside and never acknowledge my problems! Anakin, I don’t know how to do this!”

Letting out a sob, Ahsoka sank to her knees. Injuries be damned right now. Her chest heaved as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She had no idea how to make sense of the chaos that was going on inside her head. She could feel herself succumbing to the darkness once again. But in the back of her mind, there was something pulling her back towards the light.

You can do this, Ahsoka. I know you can. Fight it. Stay strong.

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to figure out who’s voice it was. It didn’t sound like Rex. The accent was wrong for it to be Obi Wan.

Stand up, Ad’ika.

Everything seemed to stand still. Her heart slowed, but she could still hear the pounding in her ears. She focused in on the voice, listening it what it said.

Good. Stand.

Taking a shaky breath, Ahsoka pulled herself to her feet.

Ignore them, Ahsoka. You are stronger than they are.

She did as the voice asked, repeating the mantra that it kept saying to her.

Whoever or whatever that voice was, it was right. She knew it was.

~*~*~*~

“Do you really think you’re better off on your own, Lady Tano?”

Ashoka ignored him and continued shoving things into the back back she’d found a week ago while scavenging on one of Couruscant’s moons. It was a dangerous task, but one that Maul had insisted on. At the time, Ahsoka hadn’t understood his desire to do something she considered so foolish. It was only later that she understood how important it was.

He didn’t offer an explanation, regardless of how many times she’d asked for one. He would simply tell her that they needed to take what they could while they still had the chance.

Just trying to keep herself alive, she followed his lead.

Later, she understood how important it was for them to get their hands on what they could while Palpatine was busy trying to keep his new Empire under his thumb.

“Talk to me, Ahsoka,” he growled quietly.

Ahsoka let out an exasperated sigh and practically threw her hands up. “Being with you is dangerous, Maul. Palpatine knows you’re alive. But as far as he’s concerned with me, I’m dead. And I would very much like to stay that way in the Empire’s eyes.”

Maul sighed and shook his head. He knew she had a point, but he also had a selfish reason for wanting her to stay with him. As long as she was there, he had the chance to try to make up for his own wrongs. But she apparently wasn’t having any of it.

“Be that as it may, you’re hardly strong enough to fend for yourself.” he said with a frown.

That gave her pause. He had a point; her wounds had just barely healed. They hadn’t even scarred over yet. She still had difficulty with her shoulder, and she knew if she wasn’t careful she would injure it even more.

If she was being honest with herself, being with Maul made her extremely uncomfortable. While it was true he was no longer a Sith, he still followed the Dark Side of the Force. Being near any darksider made her skin crawl. But Maul was a special case.

Even so, she couldn’t overlook the fact that he’d saved her life.

“Look, Maul.” she said, looking up at him. Her expression softened when she saw the genuine concern on his face. It was quickly masked when she looked at him. But Ahsoka saw it nonetheless. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I really do.”

“But?”

She sighed and hugged her middle, trying to figure out what to say so as to not offend him. “But we both have completely different morals. You’re a Sith, for Gods’ sake.”

He frowned at her. “Excuse me?”

Realizing what she’d said, Ahsoka continued, not realizing she was rambling almost incoherently. “I mean, you serve the Dark Side, Maul. I’m a Jedi. Or…at least I was. Not anymore. But the morals I learned still stand with me. They’re a part of me. I’m supposed to represent the light…everything good within the Force. You’re the exact opposite! Everything you know is anger and hate…the kindness you’ve showed me these last few months has amazed me to know end, but still-“

“Ashla, please. Stop talking.”

Ahsoka promptly shut her mouth at hearing the name he’d taken to calling her.

“As you so graciously pointed out, I follow the Dark Side. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everything I do is to cause pain and suffering. And you are hardly a Jedi now. Just because we follow different paths, that doesn’t mean we are exactly the opposite. We have more in common than you might think.”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to interject, but he held up a hand. She could tell that his demeanor had changed. Over the six months she’d spent with him, she’d come to know a different side of Maul. Everything that she saw while she was still a Jedi was what he showed everyone. And she was starting to realize that there was more to him than he let on. And while she was sure he wasn’t showing her his full self, she’d learned that he wasn’t only a warrior full of hate. He had a surprising amount of compassion for a former Sith Lord. But she decided not to dwell on it.

“Be that as it may…you have made your choice. And I will honor your right to choose. I’ll do what I can to make sure you stay alive, but I can’t guarantee to do so once we part ways.”

Ahsoka blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that. And it robbed her of words.

~*~*~*~

Ahsoka sighed and leaned her head back against the pilots chair. Her eyes closed briefly as the memory faded from her mind. She’d been feeling something lately, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But she knew it rubbed her the wrong way.

She hadn’t thought about the time she spent with Maul in a very long time. Honestly, she preferred not to. Over the past several years, she allowed both herself and the voices in her head to continually beat herself up over the fact that she hadn’t listened to him when she had the chance. It made her more angry at herself than anything. She realized now that she could have prevented so many things if she had just listened.

But she didn’t.

Her Jedi training was still ingrained in her at the time, much as she tried to ignore it. They wouldn’t admit it, but the Council was willing to do just about anything to capture Maul. And while she was working with Bo-Katan, she thought she understood why. Even being out of the Order for almost two years at that point, she was still seeing only what the Council wanted her to see.

She was still seeing Maul as the enemy.

As a Sith.

A beeping caught her attention and dragged her out of her thoughts. Ahsoka blinked a couple times, frowning at the red light that was pulsing.

“Incoming transmission.”

She rolled her eyes at the obvious statement the ship’s computer made. Her fingers tapped a few buttons that lit up the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who was staring back at her.

“Ahsoka?”

“Obi Wan,” she gasped quietly. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she stared at the shaky image in front of her.

He let out a sigh of relief. “It’s good to see you.”

She let out a laugh and a sob all in one. “That’s really the first thing you say to me in years?”

Obi Wan chuckled. “Fair point.”

“Gods, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Obi Wan.”

He smiled gently at the crying Togruta. “I’m sorry, Ahsoka.” he said softly. “I know I have a lot of explaining to do. And I’m sorry I couldn’t do it before now.”

She frowned, tears still streaming freely down her cheeks. “What?”

Obi Wan sighed. “There’s a few things I haven’t told you, Ahsoka.”

The Togruta rolled her eyes. “I gathered as much,” she said. “Let’s start with why I haven’t heard from you in two years.”

He nodded. “When I last saw Anakin on Mustafar, Padme had followed him. I found her lying unconscious on the ground and…pregnant.”

That made Ahsoka’s eyes go wide. “What?”

“I knew there was obviously a forbidden relationship between them, but I didn’t realize how intimate it was.”

“What happened to the child?” Ahsoka asked quietly. She was almost afraid to know the answer.

“You mean children. Padme was carrying twins.” She gasped, and Obi Wan nodded. He could understand her surprise. It had shocked him as well. “The children are fine. Leia has been adopted by a royal family. And Luke is taken care of as well.”

“Where are you?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could tell you, Ahsoka. I really do. But it’s for the boy’s protection that I keep our location secret.”

“Our? So you’re with him?”

Obi Wan nodded. “Yes. I trust the people that Leia is with. But Luke…I made a promise to Padme that I would keep him safe. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Ahsoka sighed. “Good. Keep him safe, Obi Wan. I wish there was something I could do to help you.”

“You’re doing it right now.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You’re keeping yourself alive, Ahsoka. You are my closest friend. I need you to make sure nothing happens to you.”

Ahsoka let out a mirthless laugh. If he only knew, she thought. “I can’t make any promises, Master.” she said quietly.

His keen eyes searched her features and examined her quietly. “I can feel your turmoil, Ahsoka. And I wish there was something I could do to take it away.”

She shook her head and felt tears spring to her eyes once again.

He’s lying. You’re just as pathetic now as you were when you were a child.

Ahsoka clenched her jaw and forced herself to look him in the eye. “With all respect, Master, you have no idea the kind of hell I’ve lived for the last several years.” Something along the lines of hurt flashed across his face, and he opened his mouth to say something. But Ahsoka cut him off. “While you were safe and hidden away on whatever world you found yourself on, I was here. I was the one trying to avoid the bloodhounds that Sidious sent after the Jedi. I watched my closest friends die, Obi Wan. I’ve spent Gods know how long trying to just stay alive. That’s hard to do when everything in the world tells you that you should be dead.”

She angrily wiped the tears from her face and glared at him. By the surprise on his face and the wince in his shoulders, she knew he could feel her energy rippling through the Force. She didn’t mask it. Instead, Ahsoka let herself feel. And she made sure Obi Wan knew exactly what it was she was feeling.

Easy, Snips. He knows you’re upset. Try not to overwhelm him.

Why shouldn’t I?! She snapped back. He doesn’t know what I’ve been through!

He might not. But he understands.

How?!

Because he knows war. He saw countless friends die. He understands your pain.

They weren’t just my friends! They were my brothers! Obi Wan might have known war. But I lived it! I was born into it and raised to fight. Anakin, I was fourteen when I became your Padawan! I was three years old when I started training as a Jedi. Normal children grow up learning language and history. I grew up learning saber techniques and how to kill a droid.

The Anakin inside her head quieted, but she could feel him wriggle with discomfort as he settled back into the darkness.

Obi Wan noticed the pain in her expression and he reached out to her. “I’m so sorry, Ahsoka. I didn’t realize how hard this was for you.”

She sighed and wiped her eyes again before righting herself. “As much as I would love to believe that you called to catch up, there’s got to be another reason, Obi Wan.”

He had the decency to look ashamed. “You’re right,” he said. “I have a few contacts on the Outer Rim. I heard you’re responding to a rebellion request for aid?”

She stiffened. So that’s what this was about. “What of it?”

“I just want you to be careful. I feel a disturbance in the Force. It’s strong.”

Ahsoka furrowed her eyebrow markings. That concerned her. She allowed herself to open to the Force, searching for whatever Obi Wan was feeling. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, her consciousness gently floating into the Force. Only when she was fully open to it did she immediately close herself off and recoil.

The inky blackness of the dark side was intertwining itself with the light of the Force. It wound itself around the light and seeped into every aspect of it. Two golden eyes flashed before her, blinking out of existence almost as quickly as they had appeared.

Her breathing came in ragged gasps as she stumbled backwards, colliding with her chair and falling to the floor.

“Ahsoka?!”

“It’s him,” she gasped quietly. “It’s him.”

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[mistflyer1102]

moments

Summary: A quick moment before they have to part ways.

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

He almost missed the sound of her light footsteps approaching him.

Darman looked up from the makeshift table where he had spread out the pieces of the disassembled DC-17 to figure out where the rifle was jammed before they arrived to their next destination. It had given out on the last mission due to flying debris, and he was still annoyed from the resulting close call. He straightened though, when he saw Etain Tur-Mukan, her traditional Jedi robes wrapped tightly around herself like blankets, come to a stop in front of where he sat at the worktable. She looked as tired as Darman felt. “There's an empty stool over there,” he said quietly, nodding towards where the nearest stool sat by another workstation. “Couldn't sleep?” he asked as Etain moved to collect the stool and dragged it so she could sit across from him.

She mouthed ‘May I?’ as she gestured to the security camera in the corner. He nodded, and then watched as she used the Force to disable the camera. She then sighed, her shoulders slouching a bit. “Got new orders from Master Zey, I won’t be going with you guys to Thyferra after all. I’ve already messaged Niner,” she said quietly, readjusting her cloak around herself. “I'm scheduled to leave in a standard hour, I didn't think there was a point in trying to go back to sleep,” she said, studying the pieces of the rifle in front of her. She was quiet for a moment, and then said, “I wanted to say goodbye, before I left.”

Darman nodded, frowning at the dark circles under her eyes. “Where are you headed? Or is it classified?” he asked, setting down the pieces he had been holding.

“I actually don't know yet, it’s wherever the 337th is stationed. Master Krell is their commanding officer. Something spooked Master Zey and Captain Maze badly. I’m supposed to be discreet, I’ll receive further information when I get there,” she admitted, brows knitting together in confusion. She looked at Darman. “It was something that they couldn’t commit to comms, I’ll be meeting Captain Maze there. As long as I can remember, he has never left Master Zey’s side. Why now?”

Darman frowned, leaning back in his seat. “I think the only time I haven’t seen Captain Maze by General Zey’s side was the briefing before Qiilura,” he said, already thinking back to Omega Squad’s debrief earlier that evening. Maze hadn’t been visible in the holo, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been nearby on Zey’s end. “Does anyone else know?” he asked, already prepared to bet that one of the Nulls knew.

She shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of, Master Zey emphasized that no one else knows about this trip, which is another reason that I need to leave soon,” she said, looking down at her hands. She had folded them on her edge of the table, and Darman could see her knuckles were white.

Darman reached across the table and grasped one of her hands in his. “Hey, we’ll see each other when you get back,” he said, grinning. The corner of her mouth twitched, and he added, “Just try to be quick about it though, or we’re going to have all the fun without you.”

She laughed then, quickly lowering her voice a heartbeat later. “You always have plenty of fun without me, probably more so without annoying COs hanging over your shoulder.”

“Well, there’s always Niner.” Darman easily blocked her half-hearted swipe at his shoulder. He leaned forward then, squeezing her hand again gently. “Be careful, then. Even if it’s just busy work,” he said in a softer voice.

She nodded, turning her hand around to clasp his hand and squeeze it gently. He then leaned forward, and she pressed her forehead against his. “You be careful too,” she whispered back before he released her hand. It may have been late in the night cycle, but the armory still saw foot traffic regardless if the cameras were out or not. She gave him one last smile before standing up, and then moving the stool back to its original position. Then she left the armory.

Darman watched her leave, and then went back to work on the DC-17.

Perhaps one day, we won't have to keep saying goodbye like this.

[arthurjdrake]

Water Works : Notia & Arthur

TIMING: Present LOCATION: Drake Residence  PARTIES: @arthurjdrake and @humanmoodring SUMMARY: Notia needs tears and she’ll go to any lengths to get them. TW: Injury / Violence

The ride to Arthur’s wasn’t exactly comfortable, and Nadia ended up getting lost a bit along the way. Sue her, she’d only been there once, to go to a party full of people she didn’t know and didn’t care to, not really. She hadn’t meant to to tell the man that she didn’t exactly care to stick around town for much longer, but, hey, she could tell him she wanted to take a business trip and hope for the fucking best. She’d tell him anything he wanted to hear as long as he gave her some phoenix tears. She’d have to shmooze him for a bit, win him over again and promise to be a good little research assistant or whatever it was that Nadia did. She’d get the tears, sell a bottle or two, and be on her merry way, not looking back on the shitstain that was this town and everything that it had to offer. Every nosy medium and hunter and witch and banshee, every overly concerned zombie, could kiss her ass. She didn’t want to deal with them and their desires to take what was hers away from her. But she couldn’t show that, could she? Instead, Nadia put on a smile and hopped off her bike, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets and walking over to Arthur’s door. She gave it a knock and waited, hoping this wouldn’t last too long.

For once the house was absent of noise, save the soft whir of the fan oven as Arthur slouched on one of the countertops staring absentmindedly out the kitchen window. His phone lay open on the countertop, Nadia’s message left on read. A sticking point on which his focus was intently hooked. She needed to get out of town? It was strange. Ever since he’d first met her Nadia had seemed so keen to take up the job he’d offered her, eager to get a new start in a position that asked no questions. Which after hearing the horrific tale of everything that she had been through in her relatively short time on this earth was understandable. In a way partly influencing the reason why Arthur had continued to pay her position despite the time she’d taken for personal matters. They were on good terms but sometimes there were boundaries that needed to be respected. But leaving? Leaving the only place that might be able to provide a solution and modicum of safety to her? It didn’t make sense. Pulling his phone off the counter he peered at the message again, attempting to read between the lines to understand what would make Nadia bolt to this degree without asking for some kind of help. He was broken from his musings by the echo of the bell and quickly hurried to get the door. “Hey! Gees it’s been so long!” he greeted opening his arms and stepping out to wrap Nadia up in a warm and tight hug.

Of fucking course the bird man was a hugger. Nadia couldn’t help the way she tensed up as he grabbed her, his too warm body far too close for far too long. Fuck, the man was a desert. She’d thought she left that kind of heat behind in Arizona. She hadn’t expected to lose control of her body and watch as her host made friends with a literal fucking phoenix. She’d just have to deal with it. Plastering on a gentle, easy smile, she said, “Arthur! God, it really has been. Since your birthday.” Surrounded by people she didn’t know and could only hope didn’t know Nadia that well, it had been one of the more anxiety-inducing times here in White Crest. She hated intimate get-togethers. “I’m so sorry, I’ve been meaning to get in touch. I’ve just had a rough time of it, recently.” She flinched a bit, sighed. “I got kicked out of my apartment a few months ago, and it’s been a bitch finding a new place and I’m just... “ she ran a hand through her hair, a bit of genuine frustration showing through. “...tired.” She laughed self-deprecatingly, shaking her head. “But you! How have you been?” What had he and Nadia been working on, again? Nerdy school stuff, probably. “How’s the semester gone for you?”

Nadia tensed as she was pulled in, strange, on all the other occasions that he’d given her hugs she’d always reciprocated with appreciation and a joking remark of his space-heater nature being a reminder of home. So Arthur had made a mental note to always do his best to make her feel welcomed and comforted. “Uhuh, a long while back that- too long” he stepped back, but his attention lingered on her features head cocking ever so slightly as though trying to decipher something that just didn’t sit right. But he couldn’t pinpoint it and shook the feeling away for now, reading too much into it probably. “Rough time of it?” he echoed as he wandered down the corridor assuming she would follow while the empathetic nature of his concern quickly overtook any doubt for the time being though. “Kicked out of your apartment? The hell Nadia?” the words were a little incredulous stopping and turning back to her just inside the kitchen, more irritated by the thought of someone having the audacity to do something of the sort to a person he cared about “why didn’t you… You could’ve come to stay here. You know you’re always welcome. Granted… Things are a bit arctic right now...” The uncertainty about just what was going on lingered, it had been a week or that he’d first noticed the instance that he was sucking the very heat out of every room he walked into. It was fine for him, but it had left the house in a practically arctic state. “What the hell’s been going on?”

“Way too long,” Nadia said, giving the man a smile, though she didn’t necessarily mean it. She knew she had to keep up appearances, though, knew that he was observing her, sizing her up, though that wasn’t the right word for it. People didn’t size Nadia Diaz up because they just didn’t perceive her as a threat. She was a decent person, a weak person. He was simply trying to figure her out. And she couldn’t let him. “Yeah, just… things kind of, like, suck.” Nadia laughed and rubbed at the back of her neck, those kinds of self-deprecating actions that Nadia was known for. She just needed to act like Nadia long enough to get some tears, get this guy off her back, and then she could start planning a way out of town, out of this life. Start over in a new place where no one knew who the hell Nadia Diaz was. “I, fuck. I had a disagreement with some of my neighbors.” As in, she wanted them dead, and they disagreed. “They’d been living there longer, so of fucking course it didn’t matter who was right and who was wrong. I ended up getting kicked out.” She flinched a bit, wanting to lash out against his tone but knowing that was the wrong fucking move. He didn’t feel mad, just shocked, the spike of it working its way through her system in a way that she figured she could still make it out of this. “I know, Arthur, I know, but you’ve already done so much, and I just-- I didn’t want to bother you.” She smiled at him slightly. “It’s really not that bad, in here.” Truthfully, she hadn’t noticed the cold. She kind of always felt cold, liked feeling cold. It was better than his overwhelming heat. She sighed. “A lot. I don’t know. I don’t feel safe in this town anymore. I just want to get out. Not for-- Just for a bit, you know? Just a bit.”

More often than not Arthur found himself studying the people around him, sometimes unintentionally other times quite deliberately; an attempt to decipher ulterior motives or passive deceptions. The reasoning and understanding as to why often only came with an episode of hindsight, the realisation of just what set him into this strangely rational state of being. “Oh gees, in that case you need to tell me everything that’s been going on hm? Maybe we can see about making some amends… come, come” he waved her in encouragingly and set about moving some cups onto the counter and pouring out the hot-chocolate that had been simmering on the stove. His expression one of concern at the mention of disagreements. “You live near Regan don’t you? But what happened? Surely it can’t be bad enough to warrant getting evicted.” That didn’t make sense. Pushing the mug across the counter he returned to the oven and pulled out the tray setting the cookies to cool on the airing rack while he worked. “ Nadia,” there was a long and slightly drawn out sigh while he pushed his glasses up his nose with the tip of his thumb and leaned on the counter. “How many times do I have to tell you, you’d never bother me. Ever.” His eyes narrowed a fraction, the dark grey clouding in his eyes as he looked at her intently for a long moment. “You can’t keep running away from whatever’s bothering you. Now, how about you tell me about whatever’s going on. What’s got you so spooked?”

“It’s--” Nadia cut herself off, running a hand through her hair. “Where to even begin, you know?” She laughed and followed after Arthur, wrapping her arms tight around her. She didn’t want to sit down and drink hot chocolate and play act with this phoenix who didn’t really know shit at all. She just wanted to get some tears and be on her way, Maybe she could give him a sob story, and he’d cry. That’d be really fucking nice, wouldn’t it? She took the hot chocolate and wrapped her hands around it. “Yeah, yeah. Did. I just got into it with the landlord. You know how rent is. I felt like I was getting jipped, and I was, the fucker. So I packed up, moved somewhere nicer. Got a chill roommate. It’s all good, now.” She raised her mug to him in a salute and took a drink. The liquid burned on the way down. “I know, I know, but… I’ve just been trying to, like, find myself, these last few months. It’s been hard.” What was she running from? Nothing. Everything. A buncha charges and a buncha people that wanted her gone, vanished, destroyed. All so that some little bitch that had rolled over without fighting until it was far too late could have back a life that Nadia had made. No, thank you. Not gonna happen. “There are people here,” she said quietly. “People that knew the ghost that possessed me. People that want me to do things I’m just not fucking comfortable with, and-- and I just-- I don’t want to be that person. I can’t be her, don’t want to be the person that she was. I want my own fucking life.”

“Really?” for some reason Arthur found that hard to believe, considering the amount of incidents that had happened at that building, if anything the landlord seemed like a pretty fair guy by all accounts. “You know that’s weird - he seemed pretty forgiving considering the amount of glass incidents that I heard happened while other residents were there.” His head tilted a little, tightening his hands a fraction around the mug as he levelled her with a flat and searching look. Not the first that had come tonight because something about the weight of the conversation didn’t flow in the way they normally spoke. “Right, but those ghosts aren’t here are they? I mean they got exorcised you told me the story yourself and you’ve got all the protection you’d ever need to stop that from happening again. Heck, we’ve got enough people in this town that could keep you safe from that… Who are these people? What are they asking you to do?”

“Yes, really,” Nadia said, her eyes hard as steel. She could feel him doubting her, and she could tell this situation wasn’t going the way she wanted. She could still try to turn it around. She knew she could. She at least had to try. “Honestly, I’m just as surprised as you are. Thought he was a pretty cool dude until he spiked up my rent for no fucking reason. I wasn’t the one breaking all the glass. But, hey, it’s over now. I’m getting settled in somewhere else.” She smiled at him, despite his intense stare, with that easy, self-deprecating Nadia Diaz grin that she’d perfected over the years. The only thing that gave away her frustration was the slightest flickering of the lights. “Huh, that’s weird.” She wished she had a better handle on that shit, especially when she was trying to shmooze people, but what could a girl do? “They never got rid of them, not properly,” she said quietly, wrapping her hands around her mug and making herself small. “And I’m not safe, not here.” She made her eyes panicked. “They’re criminals, Arthur, and I’m not putting anyone else at risk because of me.” There. That was a pretty Nadia statement. “I just-- I’m so tired. I’m tired of what they want me to do. I’m tired of always looking over my shoulder. I’m fucking exhausted. I just need to get away.”

“That doesn’t really make any sense… And I mean you’re right, if you weren’t the one behind the glass and you were covering the cost of fixing it anyway then really he wouldn’t have any ground to stand on.” Nadia of all people was hardly a disruptive renter, it didn’t really track that Nadia had gotten herself kicked out of her apartment over something that was definitely not her fault. It wasn’t impossible, but the story didn’t entirely add up. Arthur looked at her, and the steeliness in her gaze struck him as strange. Nadia never typically looked at anything with such an intense level of seemingly calculated determination. Yet as he was about to ask another question, the lights flickered and his eyes tracked up quickly. “Uh… yeah.” Considering he’d changed those lightbulbs the week prior they definitely shouldn’t be on the way out. He tried to keep the level of his voice neutral, but even years of experience couldn’t entirely maintain his decorum. “You aren’t putting anyone at risk of doing anything they aren’t willing to do themselves, Nadia, you can’t control the decisions of every person in your life.” As much as it would have made life so much easier, that simply wasn’t how things went. “What do they want you to do?” Maybe then this sudden skittishness would make more sense. “How though? Tell me how running is going to help though? What’s to stop these people finding you somewhere that there aren’t people that in all honesty are pretty well equipped to keep you safe.” If anything despite the lurking dangers, there was more benefit to staying.

“It’s human nature, Arthur. Sometimes things don’t make sense.” Nadia raised an eyebrow at the man, wishing he’d just fucking let this drop. He was pushing her, and she hated being pushed. She watched him, getting as much of a read off of him as she could. He seemed unnerved. Good. Maybe this would stop him from digging too deep. She couldn’t even pull from Nadia anymore, something that was wonderful when she was working but was an absolute bitch when she was trying to deal with Nadia’s supposed friends. She sighed, looking away and biting her lip. “I know, but people shouldn’t have to do that. Not for me.” There, that was very Nadia Diaz of her. Devaluing herself was practically the little empath’s trademark. She’d get herself killed if it meant someone else didn’t have to get hurt. “I’ve-- I’ve had to start committing crime. Small robberies. Shit like that. And I don’t want to, but they’re-- they’ll rat me out to the-- I don’t want to go to jail, but they’ll turn me in if I don’t.” She sniffled a bit. “Sorry. It’s just… If I run, they’ll have a harder time finding me. White Crest just isn’t safe for me. Not with that ghost still hanging around. Not with these people breathing down my back.” Not with everyone wanting to bring Nadia back.

“Sometimes no, but when you’ve lived as long as I have you can often get a gauge on how a person’s going to act based on interacting with them.” So that didn’t entirely track, nor did Nadia’s current attitude towards the topic. “Bullshit,” Arthur interrupted without warning his frown deepening “that’s bullshit and you should know by now that’s now how this works. You don’t call the shots on what someone else wants or is going to do for you, you know why?” There was an ironclad sternness in his voice, “it’s because you’re deserving of people that give a shit about you. People might’ve let you down before - you’ve been through hell and come out the other side of it but this time you aren’t alone. So no more, no more saying people shouldn’t. They can and they will because you deserve people that care enough to step out and call time on the shit that you’re being put through.” His mind was turning over the information, processing and trying to come up with a plan that they could put into action. “Then we find evidence that you’re being blackmailed, there are plenty of people on the force who are in the know. Heck I even know an FBI agent that’s catching up on the run of this town… The law can work for you Nadia - there’s no need to run. A ghost is definitely something that we can handle.”

Nadia gritted her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt, and the lights flickered again. She took a deep breath in, let it out, and turned to Arthur, her face devoid of emotion. “Do you know what’s bullshit? This conversation. I’m not in the mood to play pretend anymore.” She stood up, leaving her mug. “I do call the shots, and I’m done here. Sorry, prof. But I don’t have time for this.” Even if he had tears, those fucking tears that she needed desperately. She almost wanted to stop, to backtrack and make try to get some of them out of him again, but she couldn’t keep this up. She’d admit it: she was losing her Nadia Diaz touch. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. Time for a reinvention, anyways. Nadia Diaz was a ghost, unimportant and useless. She didn’t matter. She laughed at him, though. “You’re funny. People ‘help,’” she made air quotes, “because they’re nosy, or because they want to make themselves look good. It’s not because they care. Not when there’s nothing worth caring about.” She started walking away. “The law is useless, but it’s fairly easy to evade, I won’t lie. I don’t want them to work for me. Me and the cops, we’ve never exactly seen eye to eye.” She stopped though, all smiles, all teeth as she turned to look at him. “Oh, I think this ghost is far more than you can handle, Professor Drake.”

The change was practically instantaneous and Arthur truly wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. Didn’t Nadia understand that he was just trying to help her see that her best option of getting out of this was staying right where she was. But the words were spoken with such a degree of scorn and intensity that in all honesty, Nadia wasn’t capable of. Not the Nadia he knew. So why was she acting this way? Things were bad but there was always some modicum of hope no matter how dark it might seem. He blinked, mind processing the information and strange behaviour and by the time he realised she was already halfway to the door. He shifted in an instant, hand going for the nearest iron implement on the countertop - a cast iron skillet and he barely noticed the rising warmth in his hand, starting to heat the iron in his grasp “rich talk coming from someone that that clearly doesn’t understand the meaning of caring for another person’s life… Especially her life.” His eyes narrowed at the threatening demeanor she adopted, it was jarring, to see someone you cared a great deal about acting in a way that was so out of character. His fingers tightened on the skillet, half torn between seeing Nadia and having to remind himself that this was some interloper hijacking his friend’s body. He advanced slowly reeling through his options, he didn’t want to hurt her, hell he didn’t want to hurt anyone but if this was for the greater good of getting that spirit out of her… Sometimes you had to suck it up and make the hard choices. “You’re hardly the first ghost I’ve ever had to deal with…” he paused half a metre or so away, studying and assessing her expression hoping to see some kind of recognition. Where his uncertainty lingered before a low burning anger steadied his voice and his hand, half tensed and ready to swing if she made any move he didn’t like. “Is she in there?”

“Oh, you caught me on a bad day,” Nadia said pleasantly, looking at the iron skillet in Arthur’s hands and flexing her fingers, the lights flickering again. “Or maybe a good one. See, I’m feeling a little unhinged.” The temperature in the room, already cold, lowered further still. “This is my life, capisce?” She moved in closer, completely unafraid of this man. He wouldn’t hit her because he wouldn’t hit Nadia. For all his righteous fury, there was still a part of him that was apprehensive, thinking that the young woman that he cared about was still bouncing around inside her, trapped and only a moment away from getting out. She softened her expression, schooled it into something hurt and unsure, taking long blinks and shaking her head. “Arthur?” Her voice came out in a quiver. She was close to him now, and she stumbled towards him, but instead of waiting for him to catch her, she grabbed his hand, felt his fragile bones under her fingers, and twisted his arm. She felt it snap. God, these bird people really do have shitty hollowed bones, don’t they? “You’ve never dealt with someone like me, prof. I can assure you of that.” She grinned at him savagely. “No, she’s not fucking in here. You wanna know where she is? Dead.” She laughed. “Some dumbass children playing at exorcists kicked her right out of her own fucking body. It’smine now, and I’m gonna leave this town, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“Bullshit,” Arthur retorted coldly as he advanced each step slow and calculated in its placement, an attempt to rotate and get himself between her and the door “you have no right to it. Get out, or I will make you.” Mercy wasn’t the only individual that lived under this roof capable of indecent acts. It had been a long time, several lifetimes in fact since a rage as frosty as this set in. It burned cold, under his control in the face of a friend turned foe. But she was also right, doubt lingered like a clinging thorn riding just beneath the flow of his anger.

Because Nadia was still in there. She had to be.

After all, that’s what ghosts did. They suppressed their hosts. Kept them hostage within their own body.

While he stood braced the logical part of his mind reminded him that this could all be an act, it was too fast, seemed too easy. But a moment’s hesitation was all it took. The opening presented itself and she seized it, yanking his arm with horrific force and the quiet kitchen echoed with the resounding snap of bone. An unforgettable, horrible sound accompanied by a cry of pain and debilitating wave of nausea. He stumbled, catching the counter and steadying himself, cradling his twisted arm close adrenaline pumping through his veins as he rounded on her. “That’s not how this goes,” he ground out flatly, she had the advantage of speed, but he had height and weight on his side. Anger fuelled his movement, hefting the skillet back and swinging hard until it connected with a sharp clang followed up by dropping his weight and charging her with the aim of slamming her back into the counter. If he had to incapacitate her at the risk of his own life then so be it. If it meant Nadia could get her life back, well, it was an easy trade to make.

Crying out as the metal connected with her cheek and caused more than just a physical pain to rip through her, Nadia felt something inside her surge, the light bulbs shattering around them. Her hand went up to touch where the skillet connected with her face, and she was completely caught off guard as the weight of him slammed into her. She kicked out against him. “Fuck you!” she snarled. “There’s no one to give the body back to. She’s dead. She’s dead. You make me leave, and this body becomes a corpse without a soul inside of it.” It didn’t matter, in the end, if Nadia Diaz was still hanging around or not. If Nadia left the body, it would die. Probably. She was sure somebody could put it on life support, but bodies didn’t last that long without a consciousness steering it around. Surely this fool knew that much.

“That’s exactly how this goes,” Nadia snarled. “I’m going to walk out of this house, and I’m going to walk out of this town, and there’s not a goddamn thing you can do to stop me.” She looked over to the sink where it was next to her, reached over, and turned the water on. She splashed a bit of it on Arthur to get him off of her, a threat. She’d drown this fucker if she had to. She knew all about how little birds just hated getting wet. With a shove, she said, “I guess this is a bad time to tell you I only came to get some tears, huh?”

“You’re lying,” Arthur hissed as he slammed her into the countertop not caring about the glass that littered the surfaces or the painful throb of his arm. He had one good hand and it was already going for her throat. He had no intent to kill, even if he knew how this was way more important than that he just needed to incapacitate her long enough to try and figure out what the hell the next step was. How they were going to get Nadia back where she belonged. So a choke until she passed out was the most rational option right now. The one thing he couldn’t allow was for her to get out of here. If she did… He didn’t want to even entertain the notion.

His fingers clamped down, squeezing tight against the tension in her neck his teeth gritted as he fought to hold her still. “And even if you’re not, then we’ll just figure out how to get her back. Either way your time’s up.“ But it was easier said than done, and with an arm out of action he couldn’t pin her as effectively as he would’ve liked. The intent was broken momentarily as he felt the scalding pain across his face; the skin blistering red and raw in seconds where the water had come into skin-contact. It wasn’t much and so he battled through the pain, resisting the shove and grimacing as he shoved her back just as hard going once more for the throat. “Fuck you. You’ll get what you deserve… One way or the other… She’s coming back.”

“I’m not,” Nadia snarled, though her words were cut off effectively by the hand wrapped around her throat. The water in the sink splashed about and the electrical appliances started going haywire, and she looked at him with other contempt. Her eyes stung as tears started to stream down them, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Again, she stuck her hand in the water, spots dancing around her eyes as she brought her fist up and punched him hard in the nose. There was no holding back. She would kill him if it meant that she walked out of that door and into freedom. She jerked her knee up, and, with Arthur well and truly distracted, punched him again for good measure. Gasping, she brought a hand to her throat, wiped at her nose a bit. “You think you can do what an exorcist couldn’t? Face it, bird brain, you’re as useless as your hollowed bones in this kinda situation. Just accept defeat.” She shook the remaining drops of water collecting on her fingers onto him and headed for the door. “I’ve already gotten what I deserve, and it’s this.” She shrugged, gave Arthur a shiteating grin. “She’s not. And you’re useless to me. If I see you again, you’re gonna get to see your next life a lot quicker than expected, pal.” She flipped him the bird (enjoy the pun, asshole), and left, still rubbing her sore throat. That was gonna bruise, wasn’t it?

[currentfandomkick]

Miraculous Team and Batboys, end of Damian Grasyon day 1

Here’s what i have for the update

--

Marinette wasn’t surprised to see Lilia trying to talk to Damian in her seat. Or that he looked ready to kill her.

“And then Damiboo—“

“Hey Lila, I need to do more official welcoming committee things with Damian before class starts. We wouldn’t want him to get caught unprepared for any attacks at Dupont, would we?”

Before Lila could speak up Alya grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her back to her lair in the back.

“C’mon, we don’t want him to get pancaked then miracle back—you know how much people that are used to it hate that.”

“But—“

“Oh sweet, no lecture today then,” Nino grinned.

Marinette almost rolled her eyes. “I know your haunts, I will get you on a semi-healthy sleep schedule.”

“I am an artist, we say screw sleep.”

“You can be nocturnal and have a sleep schedule Nino.” Marinette paused for a moment. “Or I will revoke morning delivery privileges.”

Nino stiffened.”Got it.”

She turned back to Damian, who held up his phone. “Did all of these really happen?”

Marinette looked at the attacks he had pulled up. “Yeah, just, don’t bring up that one,” Marinette pointed to the Siren video. “The survivors are in therapy and the victims don’t remember for a good reason.” She paused for a moment before saying, “And try not to bring up someone’s akumatazations, it’s a leading cause to re-akumatazation like with this one.” Marinette tapped the first entry on the page, Stone Heart.

Damian nodded, looking over at her once again before continuing his scroll.

“If you have any questions about this or school or classes, I can give you my number. No guarantees I’ll get back that moment, but usually that day. Commissions can eat up time… I’ll check with Sabrina if she’s willing to answer questions too.”

“The class deputy, correct?” Damian asked without looking up.

“Yeah, I’d ask Chloe but she’s in the middle of fighting the school on a few trip schedules for the class and well…”

“I cannot believe they want to cut our time in the gardens Adrikins, can you believe it! It’s ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”

Damian looked up at her as she sighed. “I’m pretty sure oil and water get along better than you two would.”

Damian nodded and—no she was imagining it. No way that expression happened.

“She’s more tolerable than the other one.”

Marinette hummed at that. “Chloe is the lesser of two evils at any point in time.”

“Oh shut up Dupain-Cheng.”

“Marinette, that isn’t very nice,” Adrien gently reprimanded.

Marinette rolled her eyes openly this time. “Its this or war.”

“Personally, I’d prefer war,” Chloe huffed. “But we have someone to dispose of first.”

“I mean, maybe she’s just got a condition? No need to jump down her throat dudette,” Nino added.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “So what did she screw up on her timeline this time?”

Chloe huffed this time. “The same summer she was with Ali doing “delegation things” she was apparently being wooed by Gotham’s elusive ice prince.”

Marinette snorted at that.

She missed Damian’s reaction, but she doubted it was anything important.

“Okay, so are you all now in agreement that she’s lying?”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Told you all Dupain-Cheng was right at the beginning, but did you listen? Nooo.”

Adrien sighed. “I really messed up at first, didn’t I?”

Marinette shrugged. She got why---rock, hard place, and really bad coping mechanisms but… “Kind of.”

“Dudette, thanks again for making sure we all still went into those competitions and stuff.”

Marinette nodded, watching others in the class check the document, minus those in Lila’s sight.

Alix looked ready to clock Lila from her place while Rose was a bit devastated on her end. She winced a bit at those responses. Lila still did deal some damage to the class over the years, even if she did mitigate most of the long term ones.

“Someone has to keep the class afloat.”

“Rude.” Chloe wasn’t glaring. Oh—Chloe was doing her brand of friendship with Marinette now. She’d need to be vigilant for possible Chloe-cling.

“We both know you’d sell most of us for a corn chip,” Marinette added, hoping it might put just the right amount of distance but…

“Obviously, only Sabrina and Adrikins are spared…” she was glad she wasn’t included. “though you’re a bag of corn chips.” Damnit.

“Settle down class, now…” with that class began and Marinette almost groaned because she had an impending civilian Chloe friendship, who is exactly the type to drag you around without listening to any objections.

Once classes were over Marinette checked her messages with Sabrina.

“Okay, so here’s my number and Sabrina’s, any questions you can message either of us. Sabrina is better for procedural things and responds a lot faster than me.”

Sabrina materialized out of thin air and puffed out her chest. “I am the superior organizer.”

Marinette mock-glared at the red-head for that. “You still mess up the joint class schedules.”

Sabrina huffed at her. “You’re the one that they tell everything to.”

“I listen, and follow up. You’re just lucky I forward you guys that monster schedule since you can’t be trusted without supervision.”

Sabrina pouted at that. “Its not my fault Adrien and Kim don’t update theirs.”

Marinette nodded along, wondering if she could escape soon. “Just talk to Kim—I know you hate his sport speak but just ask if he can show up and he’ll check his calendar—I made sure to train him on that before stepping down.”

Sabrina looked at her before going off to do just that, since he yelled something about a new competition and that meant an updated class schedule.

Marinette packed her things then, figuring that Damian was already gone.

“Have a good day Dupain-Cheng.”

If it wasn’t for Chloe being across the room, she would have rolled her eyes. However…

“You too Damian. Again, any questions and me or Sabrina can answer.”

He frowned at her as she stood to leave. Oh, the textbooks!

“The mint page in the orange folder should show you the easiest places to get the textbooks this late into term. I’m guessing you’re not the type to like having to hit the library for required materials, and you don’t look like the type to like sharing textbooks long term. If those don’t work, Sabrina has a pdf for transfers you can download once you get approval to use a laptop or phone in class from Bustier. The form is the second mint page I think, and don’t worry, she approves things like that in a few days.”

Damian nodded. Marinette wondered if she overwhelmed him as she left. Oh well, her classmates were busy and she still had to finish Ali’s commission before patrol or an akuma attack—it was too quiet.

She hoped Damian read over the safety procedures, and sent him a quick text to review those as an after thought as she sent him in English (She hoped she guessed right): It’s been too peaceful for Hawkmoth, and our attacks are usually once every two days.

He read it but didn’t respond. She rolled her eyes as she entered the bakery, noting that Zombie was gone.

“I’ll be upstairs!”

“Before you do, can you make more of your monstrosities? The daycare should be letting out soon…”

Marinette almost sighed. Almost. How much did Zombie have? Apparently all of it.

She rolled her eyes as she made her usual ‘sleep deprived’ set for the regulars and ran upstairs to finish up Ali’s commission. With any luck, she wouldn’t have to stay up all night.

She was almost done, just a few more details when the AkumaWatch went off.

Tikki gave her a look.

“I know, I know.” Marinette grabbed her things for school. “Maman, Papa, I’m going to the Library!”

“Don’t stay till closing this time!”

“No promises!”

She ran off a decent distance before ducking into an alleyway.

“Tikki, Spots on!”

--

Elsewhere Damian had escaped Bustier's "checking in" by taking refuge in the school's library and sent over the information he'd gathered from Dupont and the Ladyblog to Drake first. Who Todd located and then relocated at Dick's request to go over what they'd found and discuss possible investigation avenues into the miraculous and its users.

He didn't like the idea of the 'boogey-man' stories (according to Grayson) of the trinkets holding the power gods being a reality. Especially if the old stories from the League were anything to go by... According to legend, a pair of earrings were responsible for the Lazarus Pitts existence in the first place--and he was weary of the tales of the ring that wiped cities from existence, and the necklace that drove men to madness.

--

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks to everyone that’s been commenting and voting on this and the ao3 of the story. Sorry, but Damian getting intrigued beat out Lila exposure by Damian. Instead, we have Class Knows She Lies, but no action plan on that yet... May do various confrontations when we get back to school updates.

Here’s the question for the next update, since its battletime and I get stuck on those for a bit.

Two things: batboys invade the battle or show up at the end when the Miraculous Team are wrapping it up?

and any akuma ideas? I'm debating just having it be gigtitan or pigeonman if its light, or if we're going dark, then a little kid that's being starved for 'bad behavior' regularly possibly turning adults into food, and the Miraculous Team seen at the end both comforting the kid in turns while talking to the police.

light is just simple intro, dark is more a slap in the face for the batboys that this is not Gotham or the Justice League, and gets them to see the whole of the problem more.

@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @littleredrobinhoodlum @northernbluetongue @kceedraws @pirats-pizzacanninibles @theatreandcomicfreak @daminett4life @catthhay @weird-pale-blonde-person @amayakans @chocolatecatstheron

[perspective-series]

Kingdom Perspective (1)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, panic, kidnapping, keeping/treating people like pets, threats, and unwanted touching/grabbing

First Chapter (here) || Next Chapter

Summary: Roman has been pleading with his father for a pet human of his own ever since Logan received one a year ago. Now, the day has arrived that he’s worn his father out and agrees in giving him his own. Roman is far too excited about this new arrangement. Virgil, on the other hand, is less so.

—————————————————————————————————-

 Roman entered the throne room as the guard opened the door for him. His father sat atop his throne with a resigned and slightly annoyed expression. He already knew what Roman had come to ask. So, Roman didn’t waste any time. “Father, I feel as though I am responsible enough to take care of my own human.” The king sighed.

 “Roman-” He started but was cut off.

 “I am eighteen years old! I can take care of a simple creature!” Roman argued. The king ran a hand down his face.

 “Roman-” He was cut off once more.

 “Please, you gave Logan one!”

 “He is older than you.” The king spoke, trying not to out right glare at his son. Roman huffed.

 “But I’m still mature! You trusted me with being a knight, you can trust me with this too!” The king groaned, tired of having this conversation. It had been going on since Logan had gotten a human. 

 “Alright!” He finally said and Roman paused, blinking in confusion.

 “Wait, really?” As the king nodded, Roman grinned.

 “Thank you father! You won’t regret this, I’ll take good care of them!” Roman exclaimed, bouncing on the heels of his feet in sudden excitement. The king sighed once more.

 “I hope so. You will be in charge of training it after all.” Roman nodded and the king dismissed him, promising he would get his human in a few days. Once Roman left, he turned to a guard. “Send a message to Dee that we need a new human, as soon as possible.” The guard nodded and left to relay the message. 

Of course, Dee was not too happy to receive this message.

“Oh, get another human, Dee.” He mocked in a high-pitched tone, pulling spell books and ingredients off the shelves. “As if dimensional travel was as easy as a parlor trick. Hardly a worthy use of my powers, playing fetch for yet another stuck-up prince.”

Despite his grumbling, Dee got to work. He began to uncork bottles, pouring the contents into a large cauldron that sat in the middle of the room. With a puff of violet smoke the mixture began to bubble, the contents writhing around until all at once they stilled. Slowly, out of the darkness a vision emerged, the picture as clear as if Dee was looking through a window. Here was the human world, and the sorcerer could watch the little things scurry about their lives.

“Let’s see…” Dee drifted a finger through the image, causing the view to change as he swept over to another part of the human world. It was critical to find the right target, someone who wouldn’t put up much of a fight or alert others. Dee had made that mistake once. Good lord, the screeching was obnoxious. It was as though the tiny creatures had never seen magic before.

“Here we are.” Dee grinned, spotting a lone human past the edge of town. It was one wearing dark clothing, and seemed to be paying no attention to its surroundings. Perfect. 

Taking another vial in hand, Dee poured it on the surface of the image until the vision had a faint green glow. Having now opened the portal, Dee pushed up his sleeve and reached his arm into the depths.

For the human, of course, this was a very frightening sight. Virgil was just minding his business, walking home from class, when all of a sudden the sky above him seemed to glow green. 

“What the heck?” Virgil frowned up at the clouds, watching them twirl around the green glow in a circular formation. Had the aliens finally come for him? 

Virgil’s eyes widened when a giant hand began to appear out of the light, descending upon him.

“I was joking!” Virgil yelled, running away from it at top speed. He abandoned his backpack to try and gain speed, but with a whoosh Virgil felt himself get whisked up into the air. He screamed, watching the ground disappear beneath his feet as he rose 100 feet, 200, 300- 

Virgil blinked, momentarily blinded by the green light. As his vision came back, a giant humanoid face filled his vision, looking down at him with what was almost a predatory grin. Virgil opened his mouth to let out another scream, but just as he did the giant blew some red powder into his face.

“Shhh.” The Giant said, watching as Virgil began to choke down some of the powder on reflex. Whatever it was had to be some sort of drug, and within seconds Virgil passed out.

“There we go.” Dee purred, watching the human fall asleep. He placed it on his desk, closing the portal with another droplet from the vial and watching the contents turn back to their normal grey color. Satisfied, Dee placed the human into the cage that had been provided by the messenger and rang the bell for another servant boy.

“For Prince Roman.” Dee instructed, handing over the cage and noticing the way the boy gawked at the contents. “Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“Y-yes sir.” The servant boy nodded, hurrying down the hall.

 Roman paced back and forth in his chambers, wondering when his human would arrive. He was so excited. Finally, finally, he would get his own human! He had wanted one ever since the tiny race had been discovered by Dee and their father had given one to Logan. Roman, for whatever reason, had not been gifted one at the time. Making Roman angry and even more jealous of Logan.

 So not only will his brother be the king but he would be the only one with a pet human? Like Roman was going to let that happen. Thankfully, this last year of begging had finally gotten him what he had wanted. His own human.

 A knock on his door had him sprinting to open it. A servant boy appeared, holding out a cage towards him. Roman grinned as he spotted the tiny creature that lay within it. He took the cage, quickly thanked the servant boy and closed the door. He was much too excited to prolong this any longer.

 “My very own human!” Roman couldn’t help but say out loud. He set the cage on the desk, taking a closer look inside. It appeared the human was sound asleep, which Roman would have to fix here soon. But he also couldn’t help but notice the difference between this human and the one Logan had. The darker hair and clothes for one. He wondered if this human would act different?

 Well, only one way to find out.

 He opened the cage door and scooped the human up into his hand. He gently prodded its side. “Wakey wakey little human.”

Virgil let out a slight groan, his head pounding as though he had been drinking all weekend. The surface underneath him felt...strange, like some sort of weird heated leathery bed. The voice that had spoken vibrated through his head, sounding much too loud and only increasing his headache. 

Slowly Virgil sat up, cradling his head and feeling as though he had had a very strange dream. Something about aliens and giants. It was utterly ridiculous, and yet it had felt so...real.

Virgil opened his eyes, only to realize that it had been no dream. A different giant face filled his vision, looking much younger than the previous stranger.

“AHHH!” Virgil screamed, attempting to scramble backwards but finding he only bumped into fingers as large as himself.

 Roman frowned. “No, no, none of that.” Why was it screaming? Logan’s didn’t scream. Oh, wait, the poor little guy was probably a little spooked, waking up on his hand and all. Whoops. Roman gave his human a gentle smile. “It’s okay, you’re safe. There’s no reason to scream.” He pet the top of the human’s head with a finger.

Virgil ducked, feeling the Giant touch his head. “What? What the hell? What’s going on? Who the hell are you?” He felt his chest rising and falling rapidly as his breaths became shallower, his anxiety skyrocketing.

 Roman frowned at the human’s tone but grinned as he raised his free hand and did a little bow. “I am Prince Roman and you have the honor of being my human!” Roman grinned once more, unable to stop himself from looking over the human once more. These creatures were just so amazing. 

“I- your human?!” Virgil repeated incredulously, disbelief almost making it come out as a laugh.

 “Of course! My brother has his own pet human and now I have mine! You!” Roman explained. He pulled out his chair and sat at his desk, still holding his human in his hand. He used a finger to give the human a little poke in the side.

Virgil paled, feeling a bit ill at the idea of being this guy’s pet. 

“No!” Virgil exclaimed, flinching away from the poke. “No, you- you have no right to just rip me away from my home and- and imprison me like this! I don’t care how entitled you think you are, take me back!”

 Roman frowned, a bit shocked at how his human was talking to him. “Well, we’ll certainly have to work on that mouth of yours.” Roman said, they couldn’t have any of that while they were out and about. Training a human might be harder than he thought it was going to be.

 Roman placed the human in the cage and locked him in when he decided that getting food for the two of them would help. “I’ll be right back with some food, little guy. And then we can start training you.” Roman wanted to get training started right away, especially if it was going to take more work than he thought. He needed to prove he was responsible enough to keep this human. 

 He sent one last glance at the human before heading out of the room and towards the kitchen.

“NO!” Virgil screeched at the retreating figure. He wasn’t sure if the Giant could hear him, but it made himself feel better at least. Virgil ran over to the front of the cage, tugging on the lock as if it was going to make a difference. He tried sticking his hand in to pick the lock like he’s seen in movies, but all that happened was Virgil’s hand got scraped along the inner mechanisms. “Let me out of here, you stupid mother-!”

 Roman walked along the corridors happily. He was just so excited to spend time with his human, it was going to be great! Well, once they fixed the talking back problem at least. As he continued towards the kitchen, he noticed a familiar face walking in his direction. He grinned. Perfect, he had been wanting to gloat about this.

 “Why, hello there Logan.” Roman greeted, stopping him in the hall. 

“Roman.” Logan gave his brother a tert nod in greeting. “Where are you going this evening?”

 Roman smirked. “Just getting some food for me and my new human.” 

For once, Logan looked visibly startled by this news. “Your ...what?”

 Roman feigned surprise. “Oh, you haven’t heard? Father finally got me my own human.” Roman grinned smugly.

“I, no, I had not heard that.” Logan put a hand to his chin, concerned. “Are you quite certain you’re capable of caring for such a delicate creature? Subtlety has never been one of your strong suits.”

 Roman gasped in offense. “Of course I can! I am just as responsible as you, thank you very much.” Roman huffed, crossing his arms and turning his head. 

Logan gave his own huff, annoyed at Roman’s behavior. “Well, when you have any questions or concerns on the matter, my door is always open.” Logan pushed his glasses further up his nose. “After all, I am quite experienced in that department.”

 “I’m sure I won’t need any help.” Roman said but soon after he turned a little back towards his elder brother. “Though...just curious, did your human scream the first time you got him? Or talk back?”

“...oh no.” Logan groaned, shaking his head softly. “Roman, what did you do?”

 “I did nothing! He just started screaming as soon as he woke up! That’s hardly my fault.” Roman huffed once more. 

“Well, obviously you did.” Logan said, turning to leave. “Because mine certainly didn’t scream.”

 “I didn’t do anything!” Roman repeated. It was kind of disheartening to find out that Logan’s didn’t scream though. He’d have to figure that out on his own it looked like. “Whatever. You’ll see, my human will be so much better behaved than yours!”

“We shall see.” Logan’s reply was brief, the older brother not even sparing Roman one last glance before he disappeared behind the corner.

 Roman grumbled as he found his way to the kitchen. Stupid Logan, thinks he’s so much better than him. He’ll show him who’s really responsible. He grabbed a serving of dinner for himself and a smaller plate for his human before heading back up to his room.

 “I’m back!” Roman called out as he entered. The door shut behind him and he sent the human a smile as he placed the plates of food down on the desk next to the cage.

Virgil only glared at him, deciding to give him the silent treatment briefly since his voice still felt sore from all the screaming he had done in Roman’s absence. He looked at what the Giant had brought, noticing what seemed to be some kind of giant steaming bowl of rice and meat to accompany it. Virgil gulped, wondering how big a creature had to have been killed for that food. Certainly something far larger than Virgil.

 “Now, here is your portion.” He opened the cage and slid in the small saucer, full of a few pieces of rice and chicken that the cooks had made specifically for the human. “Eat up, you’re gonna need the energy.” Roman closed the cage door before digging into his own food.

Virgil shuddered at the noise of a Giant eating so close to him. Even if he were hungry, he wouldn’t be hungry now. Roman hadn’t even given him any silverware, just expecting him to eat out of the dish like a barn animal. With a grimace Virgil realized that was how he was currently being viewed. 

Virgil walked over to the provided dish, and with a slight grunt he pushed it over and spilled the contents on his cage floor. He turned to Roman with a glare. “I don’t want your stupid food, I just want to go home.”

 Roman’s eyes widened at what the human had done and he sighed, setting down his silverware. “Bad human.” He said, trying to sound harsh but not too harsh. “And you are home. Forget about wherever you came from, this is your new home now.” Roman spoke.

 He opened the cage door and picked up the fallen food to throw it away. He then filled up the plate once more with some food from his own plate before setting it back inside the cage. “Now eat. And if you do that again, I will have to resort to punishment.” Which Roman didn’t want to do but knew he would have to if his human kept acting like this.

Virgil’s eyes widened slightly, not exactly eager to find out what Roman meant by ‘punishment’. He remembered who he was talking to, and decided perhaps it might not be best to directly antagonize Roman. Still, if he just sat around being complacent there was no way he was getting out of here. Virgil vowed to be the worst ‘pet’ around.

“I’m not hungry.” Virgil insisted, stepping around the bowl and closer to the front of the cage. “And this will never be my home!”

 Roman sighed, rubbing his temples. This was definitely going to be harder than he thought. He turned towards the human, giving him a stern look. “Just eat.” He commanded.

“No.” Virgil stood strong, crossing his arms to hide the way his limbs had begun to tremble at the look Roman gave him. “I told you, I don’t want it. I don’t want any of this! I’m not just gonna let you sit there and try and treat me like some pet just because you’re some giant freak. I’m a human being, I have rights.”

 Roman slammed his hands against the table, the stern look now filled with annoyance. “Alright, we are setting up some ground rules. One, no talking back. You are not going back to your original world. This is your home now. And you have no rights here, seeing as you are a creature that is below my kind.” 

Virgil’s entire body shook when Roman hit the table, scaring him so profusely that he was startled back into silence.

 Roman was happy to see his scare tactic seemed to have worked. “Two, you are to listen to everything I say. I am your owner and therefore I know best.” Roman looked down at the human once more. “That being said, you need to eat.”

Almost mechanically Virgil reached down, plucking up one of the grains of rice in his hand. The entire thing was bigger than his palm. At the sight of such an abnormally large food Virgil’s stomach twisted even further, and he knew he couldn’t eat this. Virgil looked at Roman’s face, suddenly reminded of a school yard bully. Virgil’s grip around the rice tightened, his face twisting into a snarl.

I’m going to die for this. Virgil thought distantly, before disregarding this thought and flinging the grain of rice out of his cage at Roman.

 Roman sat there in shock as the grain of rice hit him in the face. He blinked and looked down at the human with disbelief. “Seriously?! What is wrong with you!?” Roman groaned, why was his human being so much more difficult than Logan’s!

 He suddenly sat up straight, looking at the human. “Fine, punishment it is then. I warned you.” He opened the cage door and grabbed the human within, taking him out.

Virgil’s eyes widened, his heart rate shooting through the roof as he began to imagine all the forms of torture Roman might have in mind for a ‘punishment’. Indeed, Roman’s grip was already tight around Virgil’s body, leaving it difficult to breathe as his elbow was crushed painfully into his side.

“Wait!” Virgil begged, all recklessness beginning to fade. “Wait, dude, I’m sorry, please I won’t do it again.”

 Roman paused, looking down at the human with narrowed eyes. “You won’t?” He knew he should probably just punish the human but he really didn’t want to do that. If he could get away with not, then Roman would count that as a win.

Virgil shook his head adamantly. “Promise.” He definitely didn’t plan on throwing rice at a Giant again any time soon.

 “...Alright. But this is your last chance. Next time there will be punishment.” The human wouldn’t learn any other way. He placed the human back in the cage, closing it once more. “Now, please eat something at the very least.”

Virgil sat down next to the dish, rolling another grain of rice in between his hands. It felt a bit sticky, and Virgil really didn’t want to put it in his mouth. Regardless, it seemed he didn’t have a choice. Roman wasn’t going to let him skip this meal. So, with a grimace, Virgil bit off a chunk. He felt the rubbery texture with his tongue, wincing as it sank like a rock into his stomach.

 Roman smiled, happy to actually see his human listening to him. Finally. “That’s a good human!” He praised and turned back to finally finish his own meal.

Virgil closed his eyes, trying to block it all out as he quickly scarfed down the rest of the rice. He tucked his knees into his chest, hugging them tightly as a terrible aftertaste was left in his mouth from everything that was happening.

 Roman finished up and took the plate from the cage, piling it on with his own dirty dishes. He set it off to the side, knowing a servant would come in later to grab it. He then turned his full attention onto the human.

 “So, I almost forgot to ask but do you have a name? Because if you don’t I could always give you one!”

“Yes I have a name.” Virgil spat, loathing the idea of Roman trying to give him a new one. It’d probably be something stupid, like Princey or Spot. Virgil shifted slightly, turning away from the Giant. “...it’s Virgil.”

 “Virgil…” Roman repeated, getting a feel for the name. “Hmm, yes, I think that suits you perfectly!” How fortunate that the human already had a well fitting name. “Now! I think it’s time to do a bit of training before we have to head to bed.”

Virgil frowned, thrown off by the mention of training. He had thought that training would just be getting him to shut up. Was he going to actually be expected to do something? Virgil hated to work hard under any circumstances.

 “We’ll start with something simple.” Roman opened the cage door but didn’t reach in to grab Virgil this time. Instead, he tapped on the table in front of him. “Come here Virgil.” 

Virgil winced, the thud of Roman’s tap feeling like the sound of a gavel at a trail where Virgil had just been declared a dead man. 

Virgil shook his head, curling in on himself more to try and hide the way his chest ached. “Leave me alone.” 

 Roman frowned. “Virgil. Come.” He tried again, tapping once more. He had seen Logan do this with his human many times. Logan didn’t even have to say anything for his human to understand what he meant and come to him. So why wasn’t Virgil doing it?

“I said leave me alone.” Virgil growled, his voice breaking slightly as he placed his head on his knees.

 Roman sighed. “Fine, we’ll save that one for later.” He reached in and grabbed Virgil, setting him down in front of him. 

Virgil gasped, falling onto his back. He propped himself up onto his elbows. “What is your problem? I said I wanted to be left alone.” Of course, it didn’t seem Roman cared what he wanted.

 “You’ll be left alone once it’s bedtime. But I want to get training started at the very least, since it’s clear you’re going to need a lot of work.” And he needed to be able to do this. For his own sake. Roman helped Virgil to stand up.

“Let go of me!” Virgil pushed away from Roman’s fingers, standing on his own. “I don’t need your help.”

 “Right.” Roman muttered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes but otherwise ignored him. Now that Virgil was standing, he could give his command. The simplest trick in the book. “Now, sit.”

“I’m not a dog.” Virgil’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Stop trying to treat me like one. I know English, you know. You don’t have to be so rude and brash about your stupid ‘training’.”

 “Well, how else am I supposed to do this in a way you would listen?” Roman asked as he raised an eyebrow. “And what did I say about talking back?” Roman narrowed his eyes slightly, moving his hand a bit closer to Virgil to try and scare him.

“I wasn’t talking back.” Virgil quickly stepped away from Roman’s hand, looking nervous as he quickly tried to justify his words. “I was suggesting.”

 Roman hummed, taking his hand back. “Well, maybe when you actually start to listen, I will be more inclined to speak less ‘brashly’. But as of right now…” Roman pointed down. “Sit.”

“Well, maybe if you spoke less brashly, I’d be inclined to listen.” Virgil raised his voice into a mocking tone to imitate Roman. “Oh Virgil, would you be ever so kind as to please have a seat over here? But of course.” Letting his voice drop to its normal octave, Virgil took a seat with a smirk. He hadn’t dared to disobey again, but he figured his point still stood.

 Roman gave Virgil a deadpan look. “Okay, for one, I don’t sound like that.” He had made his voice much too high. “Second, that is far too many words for a simple command. My brother can tell his human to do something without even speaking words! I want you to be able to do that eventually as well.” At least Virgil had sat down, though Roman didn’t feel very proud of that fact.

“Well your brother sounds like a jerk.” Virgil pointed out. “I mean, c’mon, I can understand you perfectly fine. It’s just rude to not use your words.” Not to mention demeaning. “Even kids know to ask for something when they want it.”

 “Well, you aren’t wrong about my brother. He can be pretty jerky sometimes.” Roman said, thinking back to all the times Logan was indeed a jerk. “But see, here is the thing you don’t seem to quite understand.” Roman leaned forward.

 “You, Virgil, are my pet. You were caught in that silly world of yours and given to me to prove my responsibility by training a creature as strange as you. If I fail, not only will I be a disappointment to my father but you will be taken away from me. And you do not want that.”

“I think you and I have different ideas of what I want.” Virgil sneered, although he couldn’t help but lean back slightly when Roman got closer.

 “Look, I can tell that you currently do not like me. But you will learn to soon enough and get used to how things are. What you can’t get used to is death, which is what my father will do to you if I fail. That, or some experiment for our court sorcerer. Either option is bad though.”

Virgil paled, spooked by what Roman had threatened. “I...you’re bluffing.” Virgil tried, but inside Virgil knew this was no bluff. His knees knocked together slightly.

 “I wish I was.” Roman said solemnly. “Now, if you want to have a full and good life, I suggest you actually do as I say. Because I promise, I will take good care of you.” 

“I…” Virgil clutched his head in his hands, overcome by an existential crisis. Was that what he wanted? To live a long life as some Giant’s pet?? Constantly looked down upon, commanded, scolded for having an opinion.

“No.” Virgil’s groaned, shaking his head back and forth. “No no no no-”

 Roman sighed, running a hand down his face. Apparently, this was not happening today. “Alright. Looks like we’ll continue this tomorrow. Time for bed.” He grabbed Virgil and placed him back inside the cage. He then took the cage and placed it on his bedside table. Just in case.

Virgil felt himself flung about as the cage moved, coming to rest once more. He clambered to his feet, once again feeling desperate enough to ask.

“Please, just let me go home.” Virgil begged, sitting near the front bars. “Find another human, one who’s better than me.” Silently Virgil scolded himself for even suggesting someone else take this torture for him, but he’d do anything to get out of this prison. 

 Roman just shook his head. He did feel a little bad about it when Virgil begged like that but he knew with enough training and time that Virgil would grow used to him. Would probably even like it here! Just like Logan’s human. “Get some rest Virgil, we have a busy day ahead of us.” And with that Roman quickly went into his closet to get dressed before sliding into bed, blowing out the last candle and plunging the room into darkness.

“I hate you.” Virgil muttered, making sure he was loud enough to be heard.

 Roman hummed into his pillow. “You won’t for long.” Was all Roman said before his breathing evened out.

No. Virgil shook his head, glaring at the source of Roman’s breathing in the darkness. He would always hate Roman. Even if he was here for years, even if Roman broke him, even if he became a shell of the person he was now…

He would always hate Roman.

[sweetwritertanya]

A Halloween First (Original)

Summary: You convince your best friend to go with you to an abandoned house in your small town. And you two happen to be the first ones to go there during Halloween night.

Warnings: HORROR! Nothing graphic or violent in this one, just a spooky atmosphere if anything! Hope to spook you all a little!

Word Count: 1661

“This is not a good idea, this is not a good idea” your best friend keeps repeating like a mantra in a frightened voice, almost as if she didn’t even realize she was saying it.

“Relax, Catie. It’s gonna be fun” you assure her, patting the hands she had so tightly around your left arm that they were almost cutting off its circulation.

“I don’t find anything relating to dead people even remotely fun, Y/N! I don’t know how you even convinced me into coming here” she whined, sounding a bit angry amidst her dread.

“Because you love me and you know nothing bad will happen. I mean, do you really think we are going into this supposedly haunted house, visited by all our classmates multiple times, and we are the ones the ghosts will talk to?” you try and reason with her so she’ll relax.

“What? If you don’t think we’ll communicate with them, why even bothering coming here? Let’s just go back!”

Catie starts pulling at your arm just as you are about twenty feet from the porch. You stand your ground and gather her hands in yours, leveling your eyes with her as you speak, hopefully convincing her once and for all that it was going to be okay.

“Cate, it’s just a spooky abandoned house. Yeah, I don’t think there will be ghosts, but it’s still fun to explore! And it’s Halloween, what better day to go in a haunted house? We’ll talk about this day for years and years, I assure you! C’mon, you won’t regret this.”

“Don’t… Don’t you think others came around to explore too?” she conjectures, eyes looking around the secluded area around the house, the old woods that expanded to the next town over. “Like you said, it’s Halloween, we won’t be the only ones here, right?”

You cross your arms and roll your eyes as you sigh, feeing disappointed again as you thought about why you were so sure no one would come. Including the guy you asked to accompany you at first, only to get dumped a few days before.

“No, everyone must be at that stupid party on the other side of town. Only teenagers would want to come here and they would rather be at that party drunk. So, I’m pretty sure it’s just us.”

Not being that much into big parties anyway, besides not being invited in the first place, you tried to get your closest friends together for the day and celebrate. But only Catie wasn’t very interested in going to a big party like everyone else.

Either way, you figured it was for the best. Living in a small town, there was not much to do besides going to parties every weekend or driving out of town somewhere else. This abandoned house was pretty much old news to everyone else. You were sure there was not a person under the age of twenty-five who had yet to visit this place. Apart from you and Catie, since you two preferred to be left alone at home anyway. But, due to your sudden interest in the paranormal after coming across a show you binge-watched in about three days, going to this haunted house seemed really interesting, even if you were sure not much was going to happen.

“I don’t know, Y/N… Isn���t this trespassing or something?” Catie keeps avoiding going inside.

“Did you see any signs saying anything of the sorts? No, this house was left abandoned for years and the only owner must have died a long time ago. The state must be yet to discover it.”

“Ugrr… Fine, fine! We go inside but if anything happens, I’m running and leaving your deadass behind, hear me?” she declared, with puffy annoyed cheeks that resembled your chubby ones.

“That’s the spirit!” you compliment, choosing the ignore the last part.

Carefully, you climb the three steps to the porch and try to turn the nob of the front door. It must have been locked at some point, but the many visitor the house had, some not really caring about the destruction of property, must have broken in. The door swung open with the latch not really working anymore.

You entered right into what must have been a living room at some point, old ripped couches still in their places, a fireplace crumbling to pieces across from them, old ragged curtains hanging filled with dust. There was still some furniture, amazingly. A broken tv stand and an old-looking credenza with most drawers missing. To your right, next to the wall, you could see the first few steps of the staircase to the second floor before it got to dark. The sun had set and little to no moonlight was coming in through the rusty windows.

“It’s too dark, I don’t like this” your friend whispered, peaking her head through the door but unable to get her feet inside just yet.

“Good thing we have cellphones” you point out, taking yours from your back pack and turning on the flashlight.

You didn’t feel particularly freaked out or scared, exploring the house was much more exciting than anything else. It was a big house, with a ground floor, a second floor, a good-sized attic and even a basement, large rooms that people had trashed and filled the walls with graffiti and, of course, some obscenities and stupid messages. You actually laughed at some of them as you and your best friend walked around, both with the flashlights on your cellphones on, and actually recognized the handwriting of some people you knew.

“I have a pen, should we write something too?” you propose, already searching for the marker you had on your backpack.

“Why bother? It’s not like anyone will see it between all of this mess.”

“Catie, you’re so negative” you inform, already squatting down to a bare spot of white wall and writing something on it. “We’ll just leave a silly joke, you can draw something because you are good at that, and sign with today’s date. You know, I think we are the first ones to come here on Halloween.”

“Really? A Halloween first? With us?” she asks with incredibility, one eyebrow raised when you looked at her to hand her your pen. She hands you her phone for you to give her light as she draws next to your writing.

“Yeah. I mean, people found out about this place like five years ago, right? There was the town’s festival for the first three years, everyone went to that before it got cancelled; last year there was that ugly storm, remember? And this year everyone would rather go to that party instead.”

“What an achievement for two hermits like us” she laughs, standing back up.

You were about to agree when a creak from upstairs catches both yours and your friend’s attention, Catie’s face going pale rather quickly.

“Y/N, what was that?” she asks in such a low voice you almost can’t hear her.

“It… It must be the wood settling? Remember, old house” you try and comfort her, as well as yourself.

A moment in silent and no other suspicious creak or noise happens, supporting your theory. A bit more confident, you manage to convince Catie to keep going and you move to explore upstairs too. One of the windows was broken and cold wind kept blowing through, but other than that it was pretty much an uneventful floor, with all the bedroom completely empty and pilled off wallpaper.

“Should we try and find the entrance to the attic too?” you question your friend, half-expecting an absolute no from her.

“I think it’s getting late and we should go back, don’t you?” she notices. “Can you tell me what time is it?”

It is only then that you realize your friend was not holding her cellphone, like she had when you first came into the house. You frown and tilt your head.

“Where’s your cellphone, Catie?”

“What do you mean? That is my cellphone.”

She points at the one you were currently holding in your hand, using it as a flashlight, and you realize she was right. This was not your phone. You curse and give her the phone back, looking through your backpack to see if you had yours there, but no luck.

“Damn it. I must have left it here somewhere. Do me a favor and ring me so we find it, please?”

“Of course. Let me see… okay, I’m calling.”

She lets her phone continue the call in her hand as both of you strain your ears to try and listen for your ringtone. Sure enough, the faint music picks up and you sigh with relief. You must have left it downstairs.

You and Catie move down the hallway to the stairs, the ringing coming a bit louder now. However, once both of you reach the top of the staircase, you look at Catie with a bit of apprehension in your eyes, eyebrows pulled together with confusion.

“Cate… does… does it seem like the sound it’s coming from the basement?”

You friend gulps, visibly uncomfortable and equally if not more petrified than you.

“Y-yeah, it does…” she agrees.

“But we didn’t go to the basement…” you whisper.

Then it happens, so quickly you almost miss it. The ringing tone stops and the familiar sound of a call being picked up comes through your best friend’s phone. A short, eerie giggle is heard and the call ends. Catie’s hand that was holding her cellphone trembles as you two look at each other with wide scared eyes.

Screams leave your throats as you both automatically start running down the stairs in the direction of the open front door. A door that pointedly closes in your faces before you reach it, latch suddenly working fine, just in time for you to hear the knocks.

No, not a knock at the front door. A knock from the basement’s door.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ @sasuhinabigflash2020​​ || Day Twenty-One: A Dark and Stormy Night ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Catch ‘Em All ] [ AO3 Link ]

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It is, without any exaggeration, a dark and stormy night.

Sitting in the Pokémon center, Sasuke watches the rain pelt against the windows, the silhouettes of Fuchsia’s buildings blackened out every time a strike of lightning flashes. The rumble of thunder follows every fork.

So much for his visit back home being a smooth one.

He considered just heading straight for the house, but something convinced him otherwise. Maybe something about the weather just...feels like it would make arriving home a bit much right now. He’d rather handle the rush of his mother’s smothering and the interrogation by his father over his journey’s most recent leg during a calmer morning.

As he always does when resting for the night, he’s let his team out to stretch and sleep outside their pokéballs. The six of them are circled around his table...save for Jolteon, who’s currently curled up on his lap, ears flickering every time lightning strikes. The center is currently empty beyond himself and the nurses.

At least, it was.

With a mechanical hum, the automatic doors then slide open. For a moment, the storm seeps in with all its violence, rain and wind hurling through until the entryway closes.

Sasuke blinks at the sight of his father, brother, and cousin.

“Nurse!” Fugaku calls, already striding through the building as he seemingly ignores anyone else.

“Yes?”

“I need you to prepare for an influx of trainers.”

“O-of course! Is something wrong?”

“This storm came up at just the wrong time,” the gym leader growls. “A tour group is currently trapped in the Safari Zone. The staff are working on getting them back, but the lightning is making it dangerous. As soon as we get them out, they’ll be coming here for shelter.”

“Understood! We’ll be ready! And our Pikachu are prepared in case the power goes down, so don’t worry about that, Fugaku-sama!”

Nodding curtly, the man turns and finally notices his younger son. “...Sasuke?”

He just nods.

Shisui and Itachi both perk up in surprise.

“When did you get in?”

“Half an hour ago or so. Thought I’d wait out the weather and stop by in the morning. But it seems you guys need some help.”

Expression grave, his father nods. “Indeed. I take it you heard the news?”

“Enough of it.” Nudging his partner, Sasuke stands as Jolteon hops to the tiled floor and stretches. “We can help ground some of the lightning for the search party.”

“Excellent. I’ll let you head out, then - Itachi and Shisui are heading the effort. Follow their lead.”

Giving another nod, Sasuke orders the rest of his team to stay inside before running after the other Uchiha. “How’d the group end up in the park in this weather?”

“It came up fast from the sea!” Shisui calls back in reply. “By the time we knew what was happening, they were too far out in the park to make it back on their own. They’re currently in a small building out in the park itself, but the power’s out and there’s worries it’s not safe. The sooner we get them back into town, the better.”

Soon they reach the park’s entrance, a few staff in the building looking tense. Excused through as officers, the trio head out into the park proper.

“Do we know where they are?”

“Golbat came back with a message, they’re in the northeast quadrant. Once we get there, I’ve got a few pokémon that can help carry anyone that needs it. Otherwise, we’re relying on you and Jolteon to keep any lightning from hitting us.”

“Got it.”

With that, they head out along the main trail, veering northeast as Shisui leads them. Jolteon, ears swiveling, watches keenly for strikes. And the rain keeps falling, soaking them all to the bone within minutes.

“This way!”

Ahead of them, gesturing to be followed as her Rapidash rears, one of the park’s head rangers appears out of the din.

“Is everyone gathered up?”

“Yes, all are accounted for. Now we just need to get them -!”

“Jol!” Leaping into the air, Jolteon meets a lightning strike with an attack of their own, warding off the electricity.

“No time to lose!” Shisui then insists, following as they make the final stretch to the shack in the park’s corner.

Inside, a crowd of a dozen or so people huddle together, a few fire types providing light in the blackout. They turn as the door opens.

“Everyone! We’re evacuating the park - please follow us in a quick but orderly fashion. Anyone with electric types are encouraged to release them from their pokéballs and help keep lightning from the group. We’re heading to the Pokémon center so you’ll all have a warm, dry place to sleep tonight. Just keep calm, and we’ll be all right!”

The park ranger takes the lead, her Rapidash’s mane and tail a bright beacon, even through the rain. Shisui and Itachi flank either side, with Sasuke and Jolteon at the rear. The tourists stick closely together in the middle.

Of course none of them have any electric types, so it’s up to Sasuke and his partner to keep the group safe. The little Jolteon is clearly nervous at the prospect of failure and someone getting hurt.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Sasuke tries to reassure them.

“Are you o-okay?”

Glancing over, Sasuke spies one of the park’s guests, concern in her eyes. “Yeah. They’re just a little spooked. Never had to do this before.”

“Are you one of the Uchiha officers?”

“Not officially,” he replies vaguely. “Long story. But I’m here to help.”

“Thank you. Sadly me and my water types are a bit useless in all this.”

“It’s fine. Just focus on keeping up and getting out of here.”

As the group hurries on, Jolteon intercepts several strikes, redirecting them back to the clouds. And after several long, agonizing minutes...they make it back to the main building. Waiting for them is Fugaku with a small team of the Pokémon center’s Pikachu to help with the lightning.

“This way, everyone! We’re almost there!”

“Senpai!”

The park head turns as another ranger approaches, out of breath. “What’s wrong?”

“T-there’s a fire started along the west side of the park! The rain’s letting up and not enough to put out the flames!”

As one, the Uchiha glance to each other hesitantly - none of them have -?

“I have water types!”

The trainer from before steps forward, hand raised. “I can help!”

“As do I, there’s no need for you to put yourself in harm’s way,” the park head replies.

“The more pokémon we have, the less we’ll lose!” the other ranger insists. “Senpai, the park has been dry until now with the lack of rain. It might be slowed a bit from the earlier downpour, but it’s still dry enough to burn.”

Scowling, she turns to Sasuke. “Can you accompany us?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“...then let’s do this.”

The group splits - most heading out toward the center as the smaller portion heads back out to cut off the fire. Lightning still flies - if anything, it seems to intensify as the rain begins to pass.

“Of all the rotten luck,” the lead ranger mutters. “I’ll work on a burn line with Rapidash along the north side and head off what flames I can with my water types. You stay here in the south and work on this end!”

“But what about the lightning?” Sasuke calls as she heads off.

“We can handle it!”

...well all right then.

A scant minute later, they find the pluming smoke, a small wall of flames slowly spreading east.

“You sure you’ve got this?” Sasuke calls.

“Yes! Just focus on the lightning!” the trainer calls back, unleashing a team of Golduck, Dewgong, Seaking, and Lapras. At once, they all start targeting the fire with water attacks, loud hissing sounding with clouds of steam.

And Jolteon quickly goes to work rerouting the storm. Any strikes that loom too close are sent flying another direction with a jolt of their own.

Bit by bit, they extinguish the flames, and the charred remnants are all that’s left. The further north they move, the thinner it gets...until they meet back up with the head ranger. At her disposal is a Dragonair, Kingdra, and Gyrados.

“Excellent work!” she calls. “Seems it’s all out - we can head back, now! Thank you both for your efforts. I’ll see about getting you reimbursed.”

“No need,” Sasuke replies. “Just glad to help.”

“M-me too,” his companion agrees.

“Well, all right then. Can I have your names?”

“Uchiha Sasuke.”

“Hyūga Hinata.”

“Well, thank you both, Uchiha-san, Hyūga-san. Now, let’s get you back to the center and dried off.”

Packed with the stranded trainers, the Pokémon center is bustling as Sasuke returns to his team, who greet him excitedly after his absence. “We’re fine, we’re fine,” he assures them. “Just a little foul weather.” Still, he accepts a warm blanket and a hot meal from one of the nurses with a nod.

“So, this is your team?”

Glancing up, he spies Hinata similarly outfitted. “Mhm.”

“You must be quite the trainer.” She takes a seat on the opposite side of his table.

“Been at it since I was pretty young. Lots of time and effort, but it’s worth it. Your team was pretty impressive out there. Battling isn’t the only thing pokémon can do, after all.”

She blushes, head ducking shyly. “...true. I was happy to help. The park does a lot for conservation. Seeing it burn would have been h-horrible.”

“Mm…”

“Are you...staying here tonight?”

“I am. Heading home in the morning - my family lives here in Fuchsia.”

“Oh! I’m from Cerulean, myself. Wanted to visit the park and the beach. Hopefully the latter goes s-smoothly compared to the park.”

That earns a snort. “I doubt much can be worse than today. Glad everyone made it out safely.”

“And a lot of that is thanks to you.”

“Anyone could have done what we did.”

“True...but it was you this time.” Hinata smiles at him. “...hey, um...do you have Pokégear?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I just thought…” She fiddles slightly. “...maybe I could register you on mine?”

Sasuke blinks. “...sure.”

The pair exchange numbers before the nurses call for lights out in five minutes. Hinata glances over before giving a sheepish smile. “Well, I...guess I better get some sleep.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“If I don’t see you before you leave, I’ll just...say goodbye now. And thank you again for your help.”

Rather than a verbal reply, Sasuke just gives a nod and watches her retreat to an offered bedroll.

Well...it wasn’t how he planned his trip home to go. But at least it hasn’t been boring, right?

     Random piece is...very random, and a bit rushed, but I think it turned out all right! I do love me some pokémon verse. This isn’t the childhood friends version I had in the yearlong challenge - they’re strangers in this one. But it was neat to try a new angle in a previously-used verse.      Anyway, not...much else to say about it? I’m wiped and didn’t get as much done as I wanted today, so...time to just call it a night and try again tomorrow xD So I’ll see you guys then - thanks for reading!

[brn1029]

Get those tin foil hats ready to go!

The 10 greatest conspiracy theories in rock

By Emma Johnston

In a world where fake news runs rampant, rock'n'roll is not immune to the lure of the conspiracy theory. These are 10 of the most ludicrous

Conspiracy theories, myths and legends have existed in rock’n’roll for as long as the music has existed, stretching all the way back to bluesman Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for superhuman guitar skills, fame and fortune.

There are those who believe Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison live on, others who think the Illuminati control the world through symbolism in popular culture, and plenty of evangelical types with their own agendas trawling rock and metal songs for secret messages luring the innocent to the dark side.

Let us take a look, then, at rock’n’roll conspiracy theories ranging from the intriguing to the ludicrous, as we try to separate the truth from the codswallop.

Lemmy was in league with the Illuminati

Few men have ever been earthier than Lemmy, but one conspiracy theorist claims that the Motorhead legend didn’t really die in December 2015, instead “ascending into the heavenly realm” after making a “blood sacrifice pact” with the Illuminati.

A “watcher” of the mythical secret society some believe are running the world – despite evidence that is at best flimsy, at worst straight from The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s discarded notebooks – told the Daily Star: “Lemmy signed up for the ultimate pact – he signed his soul to the devil in order to achieve fame and fortune.”

While we can only imagine what the great man would have to say on the matter, there’s one word, in husky, JD-soaked tones, that we can just about make out coming across from the other side: “Bollocks.”

Paul McCartney died in 1966

As you might expect from the most famous band that has ever existed, there are enough crackpot theories about The Beatles to fill the Albert Hall. From John Lennon’s murder being ordered by the US government, who, led by Richard Nixon, suspected him of communism (the FBI actually did have a file on Lennon, but the story is spiced up by the man behind murderlennontruth.com, who apparently believes author Steven King was involved due to, uh, looking a bit like Mark Chapman) to Canadian prog outfit Klaatu being the Fab Four in disguise, there are plenty of tall tales more colourful than a Ringo B-side.

The most enduring, though, is the notion dreamt up by some US radio DJs that Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike. They came to this conclusion having studied the cover of Abbey Road – McCartney’s bare feet on the zebra crossing apparently symbolising death, while others found “evidence” in the album’s opaque lyrics. There were a lot of drugs in the 60s.

Gene Simmons has a cow’s tongue

It’s easy to see why all kinds of far-fetched stories sprung up when Kiss first took off in the 1970s. The fake-blood-spitting, the fire, the demon-superhero personas – middle America clutched its pearls and word spread that these otherworldly weirdos’ moniker stood for Knights In Satan’s Service. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

It was Gene Simmons’ preposterous mouth that got the nation’s less voluminous tongues wagging though. So long and pointy is his appendage, and so often waggled at his audiences (whether they asked for it or not), that eventually the rumour spread around the world’s playgrounds was that he’d had a cow’s tongue grafted onto his own. The bovine baloney is, of course, bullshit, but Simmons has admitted it's one of his favourite Kiss urban myths.

Supertramp predicted 9/11

The Logical Song may be Supertramp’s calling card, but one man in the US stretches common sense to the limit having come to the conclusion that the artwork for their 1979 album Breakfast In America gave prior warning of the terrorist attacks on New York on September 11, 2001.

Look at the album cover – painted from the perspective of a window on a flight into the city – in a mirror, and the ‘u’ and ‘p’ band’s name appears to become a 911 floating above the twin towers, while a logo on the back features a plane flying towards the World Trade Center.

So far, so coincidental, but when our intrepid investigator falls down a rabbit hole of Masonic interference, strained Old Testament connections (“The Great Whore of Babylon – Super Tramp”), and the title Breakfast In America reflecting the fact that the planes crashed early in the morning, things get really tenuous.

It’s fair to say it’s unlikely a British prog-pop band had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks 22 years before they happened. But maybe Al Qaida were really big fans.

Stevie Wonder can see

Stevie Wonder is a genius. That fact is not up for dispute. The soul/jazz/funk/rock/pop legend was born six weeks prematurely in 1950, and the oxygen used in the hospital incubator to stabilise him caused him to go blind shortly afterwards. But his love of front-row seats at basketball games, the evocative imagery in his songs, and the fact that he once effortlessly caught a falling mic stand knocked over by Paul McCartney (who, let us reiterate, did not die in 1966) has caused basement Jessica Fletchers to muse that he’s faking his blindness as part of the act.

Wonder himself, a known prankster, has great fun with his status as one of the world’s most famous vision-impaired musicians. In 1973, he told Rolling Stone: “I’ve flown a plane before. A Cessna or something, from Chicago to New York. Scared the hell out of everybody.”

Dave Grohl invented Andrew W.K.

When Andrew W.K. first broke through in the early 2000s, dressed in white and covered in blood, his mission was serious in its simplicity: the party is everything. He took his message of having a good time, all the time, to levels of political fervour. But rumours of his authenticity have been doing the rounds from the start.

Reviewing WK’s first UK show at The Garage in London, The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis wrote: “One music-biz conspiracy theory currently circulating suggests that Andrew W.K. is an elaborate hoax devised by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl.”

As time went on, the theory gained traction – Grohl was believed to be the mysterious Steev Mike credited on the debut album I Get Wet. And as W.K.’s style changed over subsequent records, and his own admission that there were legal arguments over who owns his name, whispers began that he wasn’t even a real person – he was a character, played by several different actors, an attempt to create the ultimate Frankenstein’s frontman.

"I'm not the same guy that you may have seen from the I Get Wet album," W.K. said in 2008. “I don't just mean that in a philosophical or conceptual way, it's not the same person at all. Do I look the same as that person?" The jury is out, but if this is a great white elephant concocted just for the sheer hell of it, we kind of want this one to be true.

Jimi Hendrix was murdered by his manager

An early victim of the 27 club, the death of Jimi Hendrix was depressingly cliched for a man so wildly creative: a bellyful of barbiturates led to him asphyxiating on his own vomit, according to the post-mortem. But in the years following the grim discovery at the Samarkand Hotel in London on 19 September 1970, a different theory was offered by the guitarist’s former roadie, James “Tappy” Wright.

In his book Rock Roadie, Wright claims Hendrix was murdered by his manager, Michael Jeffery, who he says force-fed his charge red wine and pills. The motive? He feared he was about to be fired and was keen to cash in on the star’s life insurance. One thing we do know for certain is Jeffery won’t be able to give his version of events, as he was killed in a plane crash over France in 1973.

The 50th anniversary of Hendrix's tragic passing was "celebrated" with the release of Hendrix and the Spook, a documentary that "explored" his death further and was described by The Guardian as "a cheaply made mix of interviews and dumbshow dramatic recreations by actors scuttling about flimsy sets in gloomy lighting." Sounds good.

Courtney killed Kurt

Courtney Love is no stranger to demonisation from Nirvana fans. When Hole’s second album, the searing, catchy, feminist, witty, aggressive, vulnerable and unflinchingly honest Live Through This was released, days after Kurt Cobain’s death, rumours almost immediately started up that Love’s late husband wrote the songs. That was insulting and sexist enough, but nowhere near as damaging as the conspiracy theory that Love hired a hitman to kill Cobain amid rumours they were about to divorce.

After Cobain’s first attempt to take his own life in Rome, the Nirvana frontman was eventually convinced to go to rehab following an intervention by his wife and friends. He ran away from the facility, and the private investigator hired by Love to find him, Tom Grant, eventually became the source of the idea that Love and the couple’s live-in nanny Michael Dewitt were responsible for Cobain’s death shortly afterwards.

His claims, made in the Soaked In Bleach documentary, include the notion that Cobain had too much heroin in his system to pull the trigger of the shotgun, and that he believed the suicide note was forged.

People close to Cobain (and the Seattle Police Department) have refuted the theory, including Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg: “It’s ridiculous. He killed himself. I saw him the week beforehand, he was depressed. He tried to kill himself six weeks earlier, he’d talked and written about suicide a lot, he was on drugs, he got a gun. Why do people speculate about it? The tragedy of the loss is so great people look for other explanations. I don’t think there’s any truth at all to it."

The CIA wrote The Scorpions’ biggest hit

Previously synonymous with leather, hard rock anthems and some very questionable album artwork, West Germany’s Scorpions scored big with Wind Of Change, a power ballad heralding the oncoming fall of the USSR, the end of the Cold War, and a new sense of hope in the Eastern Bloc.

In a podcast named after the 1990 song, though, Orwell Prize-winning US journalist Patrick Radden Keefe follows rumours from within the intelligence community that the song was actually written by the CIA, as propaganda to hasten the fall of the ailing Soviet Union via popular culture.

“Soviet officials had long been nervous over the free expression that rock stood for, and how it might affect the Soviet youth,” Keefe is quoted as saying. “The CIA saw rock music as a cultural weapon in the cold war. Wind of Change was released a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and became this anthem for the end of communism and reunification of Germany. It had this soft-power message that the intelligence service wanted to promote.”

It's a convincing theory, but one that is disputed by Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine: “I thought it was very amusing and I just cracked up laughing. It’s a very entertaining and really crazy story but like I said, it’s not true at all. Like you American guys would say, it’s fake news."

There are satanic messages in Stairway To Heaven

The great comedian Bill Hicks had something to say about people searching for evidence of devilry in rock’n’roll: “Remember this shit, if you play certain rock albums backwards there'd be satanic messages? Let me tell you something, if you're sitting round your house playing your albums backwards, you are Satan. You needn't look any further. And don't go ruining my stereo to prove a point either.”

The memo didn’t get through to televangelist and stylus ruiner Paul Crouch, who in 1982 attempted to scare the Christian right into believing Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven was stuffed with demonic meaning, and that played backwards it revealed the following message: “Here’s to my sweet Satan/The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan/He will give those with him 666/There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.”

Guitarist Jimmy Page, of course, is no stranger to the esoteric, making no secret of his interest in occultist Aleister Crowley and the attendant magick, and there were even rumours the band made a Faustian pact to achieve fame and fortune. But hiding messa

[mythicallore]

Bizarre Encounters with Pale Humanoids

Of all of the unsettling denizens of the paranormal that could pop out of the darkness, one of the odder has to be the pale face of a humanoid creature beyond description, eluding all attempts to categorize it. These gaunt, hunched over specters seem to haunt the fringe of reports of the mysterious and supernatural. Yet there are countless such reports coming from people from all walks of life and from all over. Here is a selection of various reports of spectral, deathly pale beings that are humanoid to some extent, but most certainly not human, circling out past the boundaries of the truly odd.

One witness brings us the story of an anonymous Reddit poster who says he had a very spooky encounter in 2006 in rural Arkansas, in the United States. He claims that this happened when he was only 12 years old, and that he had lived in a modest house nestled on around an acre of land out in the boondocks, surrounded by dim woods and its only tendril to the outside world an unpaved dirt road meandering off through the trees. Making the whole scene even spookier is the alleged fact that there was a big old abandoned slaughterhouse somewhere back in the wooded area, as well as the remnants of some burned down house owned by anonymous parties long since gone. Whether this had anything to do with what was to come or not, the witness describes the whole area as rather “mystical and special,” as well as “odd in general,” and that his encounter would happen one evening when he went out to lie down on the outside trampoline after an argument with his parents. It was just him and that big sky with a full moon framed within it, and he says of what happened next:

So I’m laying on the trampoline, and other than the moon there isn’t any light aside from the porch light which is a ways behind me. All of the sudden I vaguely see something move. Its coming from the lot across from the dirt road, and its coming towards me. We had a Boston terrier at the time and at first I figured it was him. But as it got closer I knew that’s not what it was.

 It was sickly pale. It walked on all fours with its hands but seemed to be able to walk upright. Its kind of galloping towards me on all fours and its a little bit aways at this point but getting closer. The light bounced off of its skin and it almost seemed to look wet. Its gait and color is pretty clear to me but I don’t remember anything distinct about its face except that it just seems to be whitewashed to me. It’s happening so fast and now it is right near me still running and then I can’t see it. It’s under the trampoline. And then I feel it, I feel it PUSH up on the trampoline. I didn’t even bother to look back as I ran to the house. I don’t remember my thought process at all past that point but my mom has told me that I came in the house hollering and absolutely terrified.

 I’ve thought about this consistently over the years and as I’ve gotten older have seen stories of similar creatures. I used to describe it as looking like Gollum from the LOTR. I think of the creature kind of fondly in a way. It would never have occurred to me at the time but it almost had a playful vibe to it, and it makes me sad to think that it’s just some lonely but semi-intelligent creature. Maybe a grotesque experiment or some off-kilter evolutionary line. I don’t think that’s impossible. I guess I like to let my imagination run wild with it though. I will always be curious about this and the place in general.

It is hard to know how much stock to put into Reddit reports, but there sure are a lot along the same lines. Another poster at Reddit /r/paranormal gives his own freaky encounter, for which he even supplies photographic evidence. This supposedly happened in 2012, at an undisclosed location at a close-knit friendly barn community in a rural area of the United States, surrounded by dim woods laced with small, scenic trails. The witness says that his two horses were kept on the property, which was near his home and which he would visit ever day to care for and ride around through the peaceful scenery. One evening he had a startling experience as he rode one of the horses, of which he would say:

One evening, around 5pm, I was sitting on her, letting her stand when she started snorting and backing up. I looked up and saw this white/grey creature crawling out of the woods towards us. It had a very small round head, it’s eyes were just pits. It had a very small mouth, not much detail there. It’s arms were very long and thin, fingers also like that. Its rib cage was very pronounced and defined, and it’s legs were long and lanky.

Its movements were very jerky, not smooth and fluid. It slowly jerked out to us, when my horse turned and bolted out of the arena. She’s a dead broke, calm, well manners horse who never spooked before this. Stubborn old mare, but not spooky. She would not go back into the arena that night. I walked her around the barn yard, staying near the main barn, put her up, and ran out to peek into the arena, to find nothing except some “foot prints” where I saw the thing.

This would not be the end of the sightings of this odd creature, as the witness says it would lurk around the dark periphery of the property all through that summer, often peeking around the gate that led out into the woods. On one occasion he saw it running along the other side of the fence, keeping up with him and the horse. It was eerie to be sure, and the witness continues:

I continued seeing it, mainly in the woods, but it was always around. Summer 2013, the barn shut down when the owner died. We moved the horses to a friends place for the time being, and I didn’t see it there. Late summer/fall 2013, I found a new barn. Woods directly behind the barn and arena. This place had lights and was much newer.

About a month later, when I was getting ready to leave I heard something in the woods, I looked down the barn aisle into the woods and saw the creature running down the road into the woods. I saw it much less frequently for a while, until later in fall 2014 I began seeing it in the back pastures woods, it darted in and out of the tree line.

I saw a second one sitting in a neighbors yard, it would sit in the same spot every day and watch me ride.

Started taking pictures, which are very poor and crappy, and sent them to a friend who claimed he and some others have seen it. Kept seeing it occasionally, but from a much greater distance than at the first barn. I went with this barn owner to another farm to get some stuff, when I saw a very very large version of this creature run out from the woods, right behind a tree I was 10 feet from, while I was alone by the trailer.

Last November, I house sat for the barn owners. I went out around 2am to fill water troughs and enjoy the full moon and cool night. I was sitting in the back pasture when 3 of the creatures began coming from the woods, one came up to the trees near the trough where I was, the other two were walking along the tree line. The horses were silently munching their hay, pretty far from where the creatures were. I messaged the guy from earlier and told him what was going on. Since that incident, I haven’t really seen them. Last summer, I did see one outside my house staring into the windows. A few weeks ago, one was outside my bedroom windows tapping and making a strange faint shrieking sound.

Unfortunately the pictures don’t really seem conclusive at all, and we are left to wonder just what was going on here, if anything at all. Another Reddit poster gave his own report of a strange occurrence at a rural country house when he was 15 years old. At the time he was apparently in his bedroom on a very dark night, and was about to close the blinds to the window when he caught a glimpse of a “pure white almost glowing man/thing” glaring at him from next to a nearby pine tree. He would describe what happened as follows:

It was crouched down kind of in a spider-man pose and I believe it had larger black eyes. Not like something you see from the greys but it was a feature that stood out to me. It was very muscular, I distinctly remember seeing well defined arm muscles, it seemed just very muscular in general. It wasn’t too thin it was just strong looking. I don’t know how tall it was because it was crouched down looking up at me. I don’t remember if it’s head appeared larger than an average humans head, but I remember it was very bald.

 When I saw this creature I screamed for my mom, she came to the window and saw something that startled her too and ran downstairs to our back porch and yelled “who’s out there! Come out!” I remember standing behind my mother nervous with fear. We went back to my room and looked out the window and it was gone. I have this weird feeling that someday I’ll see it again. I’m not sure why, I just feel it.

A very similar report was posted on The National Cryptid Society, and was given by a witness in the Midwest United States. The report again concerns pale, humanoid things wandering about the dark outside of windows in the middle of nowhere, and the witness says:

When I was in 6th grade, I looked out the living room window and saw a white reflection. My mom grabbed a flashlight and looked out the window, she could see some white animal crawling around on the ground in the clearing by our house. It was approximately raccoon-sized, but white and apparently able to get 3′ up to the window. The next morning, before sunrise, I was letting my dog outside. He ran out the garage door and began barking and growling (completely out of character for him). I stepped around the door frame and saw an approximately 5′ tall pale being with two huge, glowing eyes and some form of round glowing item where a mouth or neck might be. My sixth grade self screamed, turned, and ran back inside, leaving my mother and dog out to fend for themselves.

By the time my mom figured out what happened and I calmed down enough to come back out, the thing was gone. To this day, I’m terrified of the woods surrounding their house at night. When I visit, I leave before sunset or have someone walk me to my car. It has been over 15 years. I would also like to add that I don’t believe in “aliens” or “ghosts” or anything, but I have no clue what these things were.

What are these things and what do they want? Was this a ghost, an alien, some sort of unidentified animal, or what? Our next account was provided to the site Phantoms and Monsters, and supposedly happened at Big Bear Lake, California, in 2017. The witness claims she had just checked into a Best Western motel in the area at just after midnight, and was going to her car to get her luggage when she had the fright of her life. According to the witness, it was very dark and was cold and snowy, with her just wanting to get her stuff and get in out of the cold. She says:

It had been snowing and was extremely dark, my car was facing a country road. When I hit the unlock button on my car, the parking and interior lights came on. This allowed me to see two eyes reflecting in the middle of the road, about 10-15 ft from me. At first, I thought it was a deer, I have lived in Colorado and I’m accustomed to seeing wildlife.

 I instantly stopped and remained still as I didn’t want to scare off the what I thought was a deer. As my eyes glanced downwards, I noticed it wasn’t a deer, it looked like a white, hairless naked man on all fours. It was at least four feet in height, on all fours. Probably around 15 ft if it stood up. There was a brief moment as our eyes made contact. It then, as quickly as I have ever seen any animal, turned around, ran as fast as a cheetah away from me and then, straight up a tree. I was frozen in disbelief. I said out loud to myself, “you have to be flipping kidding me”. Just as I was going to convince myself that this couldn’t possibly be happening, it leapt from tree top to tree top and I could see it’s full outline as it did so.

The speed and strength it had is like nothing I’ve ever heard of before. The creature was definitely solid, it appeared as if it was coming toward me, possibly hunting me? I don’t know what stopped it. Was it the lights that went on? It had no visible genitalia. it had a very human like qualities. None of this makes sense to me, the speed, agility of the creature and there shouldn’t be anyway that the treetops should have been able to hold the weight of the creature. It appeared to be flashing like a TV going in and out of reception as it sprinted up the tree. It also didn’t appear to disrupt the foliage as it did so.

Besides hanging out in the shadows and woods of rural properties, similar pale humanoids have been encountered on roads as well, where the lane lines come flickering out of the gloom to go racing back into the night. In a report to the July 15, 2016 episode of Coast To Coast AM, a caller named “Nate” gave his experience while driving along a desolate road in rural Illinois. He says that he is a truck driver, a profession that has numerous brushes with the paranormal, and on this night he was heading east on I-80 through Illinois. He would tell Coast to Coast:

I had stayed the night, well, the afternoon in Des Moines to get some sleep and I got a fresh eight hours of sleep and I had just got on the road. It was about dusk and the sun was just about to set and I was driving and I seen a figure just ahead of me on I-80 and it was right on the side of the road. When I say right on the side of the road, I don’t mean in the grass. Its toes were right on the white line. I slowed down a little bit to kind of see what was going on there and maybe avoid it. When I got about fifty yards from it. I got down to about 50 miles per hour and I could see it clear. I had my brights on and everything. It was a man. Well, it looked like a man about maybe 5’9 or 5’10. Couldn’t have been more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. And when I got up to him he looked at me and George I kid you not, he had no eyes, no mouth, no nostrils. There was no orifice on his face. He was pale white. No hair. No features whatsoever. There was a… It looked like a skeleton with bleached white skin. He was just kind of standing there looking right at me. I slowed down and as soon as I seen his face, he looked up at me, boy, I flipped the hammer down from Illinois all the way to Chicago. I never looked back. My blood ran cold. My hair stood up. I was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen in my life.

Another such account was reported on Reddit by a witness who says his frightening encounter happened on Christmas Night of 2007, at a lakeside community in rural upstate New York. The festivities had worn down and at around 8 PM the witness took off in his car to a friend’s house. The place was only about a 10-minute drive away and the night was clear, so there would have been no reason to suspect that anything would happen in such a quiet and peaceful place, but things would quickly take a turn into the weird. He would say of his harrowing encounter:

As I drove, I noticed what looked like someone walking up ahead on the opposite side of the road, coming in my direction. Mind you, I was still going about 20 mph the whole time, so it was probably less than a minute by the time the “walker” came into clear view. I got a quick scan of it from my windshield before my car and it were exactly parallel.

 It was not a person. It stood on two long legs, with long arms hanging down from its shoulders. It was strong looking. Lean, muscular, but not beefy in stature. It looked thin at the same time. It stood at least 7 foot tall. It was light coloured: not sure whether it was white, tan, yellow or greyish. It didn’t appear to have fur but there was some texture to the skin- it wasn’t smooth. There appeared to be something coming down off its back. I don’t know what this was. All I can recall about it’s face is the small features it had but the mouth and jaw were notably large. And it had pointed things atop its head- 2 things going straight upward with something mingled between the two things. That’s what I got from a quick scan and from my observation of it as it neared my car and my car neared it.

 As my car became parallel to it within a split second, I went from looking out my windshield to looking at it from my drivers side window. In that moment, it’s face quickly peered down at me and all I remember was the mouth opened wide. Out came a remarkable scream that I’ll never forget. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. It consisted of a high-pitched shrill/shriek, enveloped by a deep guttural growl. Both sounds happened simultaneously in that scream.

 I kept driving all the while. This was all happening so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to be scared or shocked or anything. I continued driving and went past my friends house and drove home. Called him to tell him what happened and that I just needed to get back. I was probably running on adrenaline to get back home. Later on, I was in total shock after it sunk in. Had my drivers side window been opened fully, it would have touched me, or worse, taken me. I’m certain of it.

Another account from Phantoms and Monsters tells the story of a witness in Canada, who had at the time spent the evening laughing and talking with friends until the wee hours of the morning. At 4:45 AM he decided it was time to head home, and got into his truck to begin the 45 minute drive back to his place. In between his friend’s town and his own there was reportedly a pitch black forested area that took around 10 minutes to drive through, and after almost hitting a deer on his way in he decided to slow down and take his time getting through this tangle of trees. He would say of the series of bizarre events that would follow:

As I approached the exit of the forest there is a left curve in the road and an adjacent dirt road with a white wooden fence lining it going up a hill to what I would imagine would lead to someones property/home. As I was making the turn I seen something in my headlights (Brights) at the edge of the fence. It was a tall pale milky white creature with a bald head. It’s eyes reflected back. Clothes-less . It’s arms and legs just as white as its bald head. I seen it for a second or two as it made a move to dive behind the fence.

 I braked and backed up slowly and pointed my lights at the fence looking for any kind of movement. I was parked on the highway which was abandoned at 5 am. My heart was racing and I didn’t know why. I must have sat there for a minute before I calmed down, didn’t see any movement and decided I better not go and investigate or maybe I’d become a missing person and continued my journey home. So the only description I have of this “thing” is tall,pale, bald, and human like features, but no noticeable hair or eyebrows.

Such entities leave us wondering just what any of these people could have possibly seen. Are these ghosts, aliens, demons, or just the products of addled, tired minds? There are numerous encounters that cover a wide spectrum of such pale, humanoid beings, and as I have said I have covered such reports before, so are these related and what could we be dealing with here? Considering the very unearthly undertones of such reports, one might be inclined to think that this must surely be aliens. After all, how could something so innately bizarre as these pale, crouched monsters be anything of this world? One possible explanation for the pure outlandishness of these stories is that they are some sort of inter-dimensional entities or trickster spirits, that for whatever reasons find themselves here for unfathomable purposes and agendas. It was an idea championed by such esteemed paranormal researchers as Jacques Vallee and John Keel, and Keel himself would once say of such bizarre beings that seem to defy any conventional classification:

One basic fact should be obvious from the foregoing – these entities and things are not necessarily from some other planet. They are actually closely tied to the human race, are a part of our immediate environment in some unfathomable fashion, and to a very large extent are primarily concerned with misleading us, misinforming us, and playing games with us.

Is that what this is? Are there entities from beyond the fringe of the odd that are paying us a visit to taunt and manipulate us to inscrutable ends? How else can we explain these totally otherworldly reports and their crouched, pale denizens of our nightmares? How else can we possibly fit any of these accounts into our reality? Unless, of course, they are just pure fabrications? It is difficult to say what the case may be, as these are eyewitness accounts beyond the scope of out ability to verify or corroborate, but if they are in any sense real, then they leave a lot to question, and flitter about out in the domain of the truly strange.