#the skeletons in my closet aren’t on open display

[yourlocalmissingtexture]

“Ah, sorry if I’m prying too much” hon, given the opportunity I’d relay my entire life story to anyone who gave me the time and understanding, I could literally speak for years if I was physically able to, trust me you’re fine

[stonefreeak]

I hope everyone is doing well in these times. My hands are still giving me trouble, and life never seems to calm down, but at least I have this! I hope this fic can bring you all some joy in these times! <3

The Senate may have been a bust, and unfortunately the scene of the crime isn't shaping up to be much better. Quinlan had hoped that he'd stumble upon something his fellow Jedi had missed, however unlikely, but no such luck materialises as they move through the damaged rooms in the roped off area.

Quinlan hates not finding anything new. He doesn't like the way the whole investigation is slowing down. Even though they found the assassin, she's already been killed. Even though her guild is helping with the investigation... Their primary weapon, so to speak, has yet to bring any sort of results.

Not that Quinlan wasn't already aware that finding a single person in a sea of people like the Senate would be difficult, especially considering all the aides and extra personnel moving about, but he'd still had some hopes. As it is, he'll just go bother Kenobi a bit to get his mind off of everything.

Besides, it'll be good to see him up and about. Last Quinlan saw him, he was in a bacta tank and entirely unresponsive.

"Where are we going now, Van?" La says, anxiety bleeding into the Force around her.

Quinlan gives her a lazy grin. "I'm going to go visit an old friend of mine. You're just coming along."

She rolls her eyes, but Quinlan doesn't pay that any mind. He's got Kenobi to bother.

~~~~

"By the Force, what are you doing here?" Obi-Wan looks extremely tired, but in a good way. In a way that's not "dying or close to death".

"Well, you know, La and I decided to get investigating, but we didn't find much. So I figured I'd pay you a visit!" He gives Kenobi a huge smile and takes more than a little pleasure in the arch look he receives in turn.

"Pleasure to meet you, La," Obi-Wan says, no doubt ignoring Quinlan now.

La, of course, is discomfited and anxious. No doubt she doesn't want to be anywhere near the Supreme Chancellor and all of his Clone Trooper bodyguards. Especially not when she's out in the open and they can see her.

"Pleasure," she says, voice faint.

Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, Obi-Wan sighs. "Well, I hate to be a bad host, but I'm afraid I'm swamped. I'm sure you can find some ways to enjoy yourself on your own. Please don't make a nuisance of yourself and let me get on with my work."

Quinlan grins. "I'm sure we can. Especially considering all the plants you've got here. Want me to see if I can tell who sent them to you?"

"Plausible deniability, thank you." Kenobi doesn't even look up from his datapad.

Quinlan shrugs and turns his attention to the rest of the room instead. There's sure to be some interesting things to be found in here, especially since some of it is left-over from when Palpatine was still the Supreme Chancellor. Maybe there is some dirt to dig up from his stuff!

Quinlan closes his eyes and stretches out his senses with the Force, seeking anything of interest. Sometimes you can find stuff like that just through the Force before you even touch it at all.

There's a sense of.. chill in the room, and a sense of danger from farther inside. Frowning, Quinlan opens his eyes and starts moving towards the direction of the cold first.

It's... a chalice, of some sort. Not especially pretty to look at, and with not much in the way of distinguishing features.

"What is it, Van?" La murmurs, stepping in closer.

"There's something about this thing..." Quinlan isn't sure how to explain it to someone who doesn't have the Force. The fact that this thing feels cold in a way that isn't in the temperature sense is... Well, if Quinlan didn't have the Force he would probably think someone trying to explain it was crazy. After all, most people can't feel the way this thing seems to make you feel cold in your spirit because most people, people who aren't Force Sensitive, simply can't feel their own spirit. Can't feel their connection to the Force and the galaxy around them.

"Is it some Force mumbo-jumbo that I can't hope to understand?" La does the togrutan equivalent of a raised eyebrow and Quinlan lets out a small laugh. Despite the fact that she's a frustrating and closed-mouthed assassin, Quinlan finds himself liking La. He tries not to think too much about it, because they're hardly going to be able to be friends...

Then again, she'll most likely be a useful contact to have in the galactic underworld. And if he helps her find the person who hired and murdered her colleague, she and the Hissleet Endai might become very useful allies in the future... If... Not exactly the kind of allies you speak about in polite company.

But Quinlan is pretty much never in polite company anyway, so it hardly matters to him.

"If I say that this thing makes me experience a chill in my spirit, as if it's cold in a way that has nothing to do with temperature... Does that make sense to you or do I sound nuts?"

La makes a face. "I mean... I suppose it makes sense, in a way, but you also sound crazy."

Quinlan throws his head back in a laugh and shakes his head. Fair enough, he thinks. That's not so bad, it could be far worse than that.

Still... There's something about this thing. Where has Kenobi gotten it? Of course, considering Obi-Wan is sitting right over there, Quinlan can just ask him. Sure, Obi-Wan might have asked him to not make a bother of himself, but eh, this seems important. Even if it's possibly only important in the way of settling Quinlan's curiosity.

"Hey, Kenobi!" he calls out, leaning back slightly to try and see him from behind a large bush. Seriously, the number of plants in this office is ridiculous. Quinlan always thought it was Master Jinn who was crazy about plants, not Obi-Wan.

"What is it?" Man, Kenobi doesn't have to sound so tired and put upon.

La looks torn between amusement and horror. She's probably still not sure how to react to Quinlan's very much casual relationship with the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

"This chalice thing! Where did you get it?"

As Quinlan watches, Obi-Wan freezes. Well now, isn't that an interesting reaction?

"What about it? It was here when I took over the office, it's part of the objects confiscated from former Chancellor Palpatine."

Well now, isn't that just a most delicious little morsel of information. Quinlan grins.

"Well, you've felt it, haven't you?" He's not going to let Kenobi play dumb about this. There's no way Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the youngest Masters of the High Council in recent times and a well regarded Jedi Master hasn't been able to feel the weird vibes this thing is sending out.

"... I have. I wasn't sure if I was only imagining it, and I have no idea where it comes from. There are no records of information about it to be found, I'm afraid."

So it was Palpatine's before Obi-Wan commandeered his offices and that's all they know about it. That really is interesting. How does a regular man, no more Force Sensitive than any other random person, somehow get his hands on something as interesting as this? Not just that, but also decides to place them in a prominent position in their offices to boot. It's not exactly pretty or valuable looking, it’s not made from precious metals and there are no valuable stones...

Why did Palpatine have something like this on display?

Quinlan's not going to ask him, because if Palpatine is hiding something then he doesn't want to tip his hand... Well, he'll need to look into Palpatine more. Well, as soon as the investigation results come in and they know how well off he's gotten on the whole deal with the corruption charges. Because even if he gets off easy, that doesn't mean that he doesn't have other skeletons in his closet. It just means that whatever bodies remain, they're very well buried indeed.

Of course, there's nothing that says for sure that investigating Palpatine will be worth his time. After all, an investigation into his conduct was just concluded and is going to trial in just a few days' time. He doesn't think that they could have missed that much, could they?

Unless... Well, the investigation was into his professional conduct, not his personal business, wasn't it?

It's an interesting food for thought if nothing else. He'll run it by the council later when he gives his report. That way they'll know the outcome of the already ongoing investigation and they can take some time to consider whether or not another investigation would be worth it. Better have them make the decisions than Quinlan. At least that way, they can't blame him if it blows up in their faces!

Rolling his shoulders, Quinlan starts looking around the office again. Maybe he should go search for whatever is giving off that warning feeling. Though again, he doubts Kenobi has missed it, and if he hasn't done anything about it yet...

Eh, he'll have to see when he finds it. Maybe he'll get something through his psychometry.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

[chris-evans-indian-fanfic]

Halloween Shenanigans

One-Shot

Description: Thanks to COVID-19, your plans for Halloween are ruined, until Steve surprises you with the help of Tony and Bruce.

Warning: Mentions of clit stimulation, hinting at sex, drinking alcohol.

Prompt requested by @donutloverxo . This woman is adamant to turn the whole of Tumblr into thirsty hoes for Steve! I hope you like what I did with your request 😅

My Main Masterlist

I don’t consent to have any of my work published or featured on any third party app, website or translated. If you are seeing this fanfiction anywhere but Tumblr and AO3, it has been reposted without my permission. In that case, please do share the link and let me know.

…

"This is the first time in 20 years that there's going to be a full moon night on Halloween!" you jumped with excitement, "Steve! Stevie?! Steven Grant Rogers are you listening to me?" You placed your hands on your hips, standing in front of the man who was the literal reincarnation of a Greek God.

He looked up from his computer, "Yes dear?"

You huffed, "What are you doing baby? Why aren't you with me?"

"I am with you, right here," Steve furrowed his eyebrows.

"No you are not! You are here with me physically," your fingers traced his unholy biceps bulging from his t-shirt, "but your mind is somewhere else. What is it baby?" you asked him, gently cupping his face.

"I am worried," he admitted, pulling you on his lap, "I am worried about the rising number of COVID-19 cases. And with Halloween around the corner, I am afraid it will spread more rapidly, especially amongst the kids and the youth."

With a heavy heart you realised he was right, "I am sorry… I was just too excited to celebrate Halloween because it's my favorite holiday," you admitted in a small voice, "We have stayed at home for such a long time that I," you sighed, "I just wanted to step out for sometime. But you are right, we will stay inside," your voice was laced with disappointment as you agreed with him.

Steve narrowed his eyes and looked at you, a plan forming in his head.

👻🎃👻

T'was the night of Halloween. The bright, full moon peeked from behind the clouds as you ruefully looked out the window. Lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice Steve sneak up behind you. "BOO!" he screamed, earning a jump and a loud yelp in response. 

"Jesus! Steve you scared me!" you admonished him half-heartedly with a scowl. It didn't last long on your face as Steve's contagious laughter turned your frown upside down.

"For a person who loves Halloween, you sure do get scared easily babe," he said, kissing your forehead. 

"Here," he kept a box on your lap, "Put this on and meet in the garage in 20 minutes. I have a surprise."

"Garage?," you gasp, "Are we going somewhere? What is the surprise?" Your eyes widen with excitement as you beam. 

Steve caressed your chin and placed a soft kiss on your nose, "Would it be a surprise if I told you what it was? You have 19 minutes and 15 seconds, baby."

You nodded, immediately heading into the closet to change into whatever Steve had gotten for you. It was a beautiful emerald green witch's robe with elegant crystal buttons in the front closing the robe from top to bottom. Underneath it, you were supposed to wear a short skirt and a comfortable top with a collar. However, it was the panty which confused you. It seemed simple, but there was a lump almost in the middle of the panty so that when you wore it, it would be right near your clit. You shrugged, thinking it might be an anti-stealing tag that was forgotten inside. The typical witch's hat and a wand completed the look.

You bounced towards Steve in the garage, almost tripping over the robe in the process. Amused, Steve shook his head and drove for a few minutes, finally reaching a two-storeyed house in the middle of an empty, isolated street. From the roof to the front gate, the house was covered in Halloween decorations. Flimsy spiderwebs, spooky skeletons, carved pumpkins, bright and dark lighting complimented the faux smoke from the dry-ice machine. 

You put your hands together and squealed, "Steeeeeve!!! Is this… really? Is this a haunted house?" 

His heart swelled at your excitement, "All for you my love," he cooed.

You started running towards the structure but were caught midway by your Super-Soldier boyfriend. "Where do you think you are going?" he asked you, his arms wrapped around your waist.

"Steeeve!" you whined, "I want to go in!" 

"Happy Halloween!" you heard a cheery voice greet the two of you. Bruce and Tony exited the house with tablets and scanners in their hands. 

"Capsicle!" Tony's voice boomed with wickedness, "Where's your costume?"

"Don't need one Tony," Steve replied. 

"Right, because you are a large, scary guy on steroids even in normal clothes. Got it," Tony teased him further.

"Tony," said Bruce in a warning tone. "We have sanitized the entire house and have scanned every object. It is completely safe to enter," Bruce smiled.

"OoooOOoooooo now can I go? Please please please?" you gave your best puppy eyes to Steve. Of course he had to agree, as if he could ever say no to you. "Yes but I am coming with you. I can't have you going in alone after what happened last year" he declared. 

"What?! Noooo! You never get scared in a haunted house!" you complain.

"Oh he will this time," Tony smirked, "I installed some top-of-the-line gadgets that use modern technology to open every door in the house. It will terrify him."

Steve scowled at Tony's shit-eating grin as Bruce chuckled with you. "What are the two of you going to be doing the whole time?" Steve asked the scientist duo.

Bruce looked at Tony pointedly, "We will play around with an Ouija board. Tony has a theory."

"Yes! You see I came across an ancient belief which states that every human being has been reincarnated on this planet. I want to get in touch with my past selves to see if I have always been a rich, brilliant playboy," he smirked as Steve rolled his eyes.

Pulling at his deliciously-firm bicep, you urged him, "C'mon Steve let's go!"

👻🎃👻

Once inside, you realised that Tony had pulled all the stops to make the house as haunted as possible. Even though there was an absence of hired performers who usually dressed as zombies and mummies, somehow, the experience was a whole lot scarier because of their absence. Even Steve was impressed by the set-up.

They soon crossed one portion of the house and reached the door which would lead them to the next part. Only, they were met with a message tapped to the door- "Blood turns gore beyond this door. Be careful, or you might slip on the floor. To go further Captain, you will have to solve, a puzzle on the sidewards wall. Erase all the cookies that you may have baked while browsing, or forever be stuck in this place, as the ghosts go hunting!"

You grinned as you saw the tablet stuck on the wall besides the door, the solution simple in your head. You looked at Steve, wondering why was he frozen in place. 

Steve kept looking at the tablet and turned to you with a confused expression, "What are we supposed to do?"

Despite where you were, you chuckled, "My Stevie!" you cooed, "Honey you are supposed to delete your browser cookies."

Steve's expression soon changed from confused to slightly scared, "What?! What are browser cookies? Do they bake cookies inside the tablet? Do I have to bake and eat all of them? How do I bake something on this tiny tablet? I don't even have the recipe!!"

You laughed loudly at his reaction as at the other end of the house, Tony and Bruce were setting up their entertainment for the evening. Bruce looked amused as Tony unwrapped an Avengers themed Ouija board. 

"What are you hoping to find?" asked Bruce as he took a seat. 

"Ummm, I am hoping to be a badass crime-solving detective, or maybe have the ability to speak to animals? Because frankly speaking, that's the only thing that's missing from my life right now," Tony tried his best to be humble.

Bruce smiled, shaking his head, "Do you know how to use this?" he nodded towards the Ouija board. 

"Meh," shrugged Tony, "how hard can it be?"

👻🎃👻

You were unable to get scared in the next portion of the house as you kept laughing at Steve's reaction. His terrified expression as he tried to delete his browser cookies was still fresh in your mind. 

Safe to say that the 100-year-old something Captain did not take this lightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the door to the control room of the haunted house. Grabbing your arm, he led you towards it, much to your surprise. 

The lock easily crumpled beneath his fingers and he opened the door. Making you sit on one of the two chairs, he looked at the complex overlay of numerous computer screens displayed in front of him. "J.A.R.V.I.S?" he called out to the AI. "Yes Mr Rogers?" came the prompt reply. 

"What is the location of Bruce and Tony?" as Steve asked in his Captain America voice, you rubbed your thighs against one another in need. The action didn't miss his sharp eyes and he looked at you with a smirk.

"They are in the other section of the house Mr Rogers."

"And are there loud speakers in that room?"

"Yes," confirmed the AI.

"J.A.R.V.I.S do not record the footage of what's about to happen in this room," commanded Steve, his hands on his belt as his straightened, his full height on a glorious display in front of you. He looked at you with hunger, blue eyes dark with passion. Taking his belt, he tied your hands behind your back. 

"St-Steve?" you barely managed to squeak, the sudden change in his behavior igniting a fire within you. 

He took your head in his hands, and placed a fierce kiss on your lips. "Sshhhh," he whispered in his dark voice, "I only want to hear your moans when you are at my mercy." You could only nod, your panty dampening at his command.

Picking up your wand from the table, he waved it in front of you. "You didn't notice this button at the bottom?" he cocked his eyebrow when you shook your head.

He stood between your legs, stretching them apart. "It's Trick or Treat time baby," he grinned wickedly as he pressed the button, making the small tag in your panty vibrate against your clit. 

Your cries of "ooooohh"s and "aahhhh"s filled the room as the familiar warmth spread to your core. Steve asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to broadcast your cries in Tony's and Bruce's portion of the house, but with a slight twist.

👻🎃👻

"Give up maaahn!" Bruce urged Tony with a slightly slurred voice, his glass with the Halloween Blood Punch loosely held in his hands. Struggling with the Ouija board, Tony whined loudly, "But I want to meet me!! Who was I? How was I? I need answerssss!"

Bruce laughed at Tony's reaction, "We can't handle one of you, how can we keep up with multiple 'you's? Call old Pepper too! Ooooooo yes call Pepper!"

"PEPPER!" Tony screamed at the board, "Wherrrre are you? I love you!"

Just then, they heard a sound from somewhere above them.

"OoooOOoooooo" 

Both of them stopped. 

"AaaaAhHhhhh" 

Tony looked up, "Pepper?" he asked in a hopeful voice. 

"OOOHHHHH OHHHH AAHHHHHHHHHH" they jumped as moans increased, the voice trembled, resembling that of a stereotypical ghost's. "You called someone!!" Bruce shrieked, pointing at the board, "SOMEONE IS HERE!" he looked around him fearfully, waving his arm around as if meaning to catch the spirit.

"AAAHHHH AHHHHH AHHHHHH GGRRRAAAHHHH"

"Run run run!!" Tony shouted. They ran towards the door and just before exiting, Tony stopped, "Wait!! What about Cap?"

Bruce looked at him with wide eyes as the haunted moans continued to fill the room. He touched his head, feeling around for something, "I wasn't wearing a cap dude!"

Tony blinked twice, "Oh right, sorry."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

They sprinted out of the room as if being chased by hungry wolves. They sat in the car just as Pepper called on Tony's cell. "Hey where are you?" she gently asked.

"Pepper! "PEPPER!" Bruce and Tony shouted together. "Where are you?" "Why were you screaming?" "Did you haunt us?" a series of jumbled questions left their mouths as J.A.R.V.I.S. drove them safely back to the Avengers' compound, leaving you and Steve behind to your sexy shenanigans.

👻•°🎃°•👻•°.°•👻•°🎃°•👻•°.°•👻•°🎃°•👻

Chris Evans and his characters taglist: @onetwo3000

Taglist open! Just comment, send an ask or a message!

[dontasktheradiodemon]

Library #1 (12/31/2020)

Click here if you’re like “what the heck is this about?”

Alastor a.k.a. Rhedd @sackreligion hangs out in the library, and invites Alastor a.k.a. The Engineer @it-only-hurts-when-i-smile over to the party. (They also teleported a chunk of kitchen into the library. Radio Demons are a menace to your home.)

Rhedd

You know, this place probably shouldn't be quite so *messy.* Under usual circumstances, it was probably kept rather spotless!

But Rhedd was here and that meant he couldn't keep things spotless. He was rummaging, rummaging around for stuff to play with, to eat, and to generally occupy his time.

And as he did, he was singing *It's All Over But the Crying* by The Ink Spots to himself, occasionally caressing the microphone hooked to his hoodie with a finger. A wire was attached to the mic, and it seemed to slither into his shirt at the collar. His satchel bag still hung from his shoulder, and the radio inside joined in on the singing of the chorus.

Engineer

The microphone chuckled, an ominous upward-ascending click. It was sudden, jarring; up until now the thing had been dark and silent but for the occasional whistle of feedback, as though it had been placed in a desert to catch nothing but the sound of wind. It hadn't been clear if the connection was even viable, but it was obvious now that the Presence was Here.

Red light blasted through the teardrop-shaped vents encircling the carbon center, illuminating the contents of a cabinet that sat slightly ajar. The laugh replayed itself, but backward, and then the smooth voice with its cultivated accent harmonized in triplicate.

"ᴘᴏᴏʀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴇ..."

Rhedd

Oohh-HO! Look at THAT cabinet! Rhedd's ears lift up--his expression was indiscernible, as he was wearing that paper bag over it, but when his ears moved, the tag jingled.

Because he forgot to take off the bell! Or maybe he liked the sound. Who could tell with Rhedd.

He throws open the cabinet, grabbing a can of beans, and he starts looking around for an opener.

"BEANS and RICE--OH, that's not how THAT number goes!"

Engineer

The lights converged into a single beam to make it easier to read the labels, and a chime vibrated from the mic to mimic the bell's jingle.

"ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴏꜰ ʙᴇᴀɴꜱ... ᴘʟᴀɴɴɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɴꜱ ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʟʟ? ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡʜʏ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴀʟʟ 'ᴇᴍ ꜱᴄᴀᴛᴍᴇɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ! ʜᴀ ʜᴀ ʜᴀ ʜᴀ ʜᴀ--"

The grating laugh rang off the ceiling tiles and converged into a sibilant crackle.

Rhedd

"OHHH HO HO HO!" Rhedd joined in on the cackling, pulling books off of shelves, opening them up until he pulled a can opener from one of the larger glossaries.

"Why, THAT dirty joke simply REEKS!"

Engineer

The searchlight aimed itself at something metallic that glinted for a few seconds, a *pile* of somethings, before it trucked away quickly as though it had thought better of drawing attention to what it had illuminated. The the thudding snicker from the voicebox shifted, and then it was Rhedd's own laugh exiting the thing for a few seconds before it dropped an octave or two lower again.

"ʜᴇʜ ʜᴇʜ, ꜱᴏ ꜰᴏᴜʟ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴀ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴜꜱɪɴ' ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ ᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ--ᴏɴʟʏ ᴊᴏᴋᴇꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴᴡɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ--ꜱᴀʏ, ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ʟɪᴍʙᴜʀɢᴇʀ--"The searchlight aimed itself at something metallic that glinted for a few seconds, a *pile* of somethings, before it trucked away quickly as though it had thought better of drawing attention to what it had illuminated. The the thudding snicker from the voicebox shifted, and then it was Rhedd's own laugh exiting the thing for a few seconds before it dropped an octave or two lower again.

"ʜᴇʜ ʜᴇʜ, ꜱᴏ ꜰᴏᴜʟ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴀ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴜꜱɪɴ' ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ ᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ--ᴏɴʟʏ ᴊᴏᴋᴇꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴᴡɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ--ꜱᴀʏ, ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ʟɪᴍʙᴜʀɢᴇʀ--"

Rhedd

*GLINTING HAS BEEN NOTICED,* Rhedd literally drops everything (his shadow catches both the can of beans and the opener), and he YANKS open the drawer.

8) knifes.

Engineer

The clatter echoes down the hall. A laugh track marred by an effect that's the aural equivalent of thick liquid dripping downward issues from the two-way speaker. It turns to dismayed screams, and the next sound is a real laugh again.

A quick mental image pops into Rhedd's head. It's a decaying metal carnival feature; the front of a little monorail trolley in the form of a massive clown's face with blacked eyes, rust-streaked cheeks, overgrown and surrounded by grass. It blips away as quickly as it came.

"ʜᴀʜ! ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴍʏ ꜰᴀᴜʟᴛ. ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ--"

Rhedd

Oh-- he was in the middle of pilfering the knives when he'd been given SUCH A SIGHT! Radio dials behind the bag, Rhedd begins juggling the blades.

"Always PRUDENT to keep the mind SHARP! HAHA! *Knife* night for it!!"

<<Why, these jokes were BLADE for you!>>

Engineer

The little microphone *thumped* with vibration. Oh, it had never done *that* before. It buzzed against Rhedd's collarbone and radiated down his chest, and he felt the words in his head, a special delivery sent straight through his skeleton.

"ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴀʟᴇɴᴛ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴋɪʟʟ! ᴏʜ ɪ ꜱᴡᴏᴏɴ, ᴏʜ ɪ'ᴅ *ᴋɪʟʟ*--ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ;  

ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ, ɪ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ, ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ AREN'T ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟ ᴛᴏɴɪɢʜᴛ... ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀʀᴇ, ʜᴇʜ--

ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ *ɢʟᴀᴅɪᴜꜱ* ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ᴍʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴘᴏʀᴄᴜᴘɪɴᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ᴀꜰʀᴀɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟʏ *ꜱᴛᴀʙ* ᴛᴏ *ᴄᴜᴛ* ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ, ᴏʀ ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛʏ *ꜱᴡᴏʀᴅ!* ʜᴀ *ʜᴀʜ*!"

Rhedd

Oh-- *oh.* OH! The *buzz* was mind numbing, and quite effectively so. Rhedd's shadow catches the blades as he just drops them altogether, his fixed grin hidden under the bag but the dials have swapped back to his regular eyes. Right, right, always gets a little too manic on an empty stomach.

The blades are returned to the proper drawer, though his ears have *drooped* considerably........... Goodbye..................

"Why, YES, my dear, too true.... You are RIGHT, I should cut it out, I always get a bit STABBY before DINNER! HAHA!......" :(

Engineer

The concentrated red light follows the little slender hands while they put the cutlery away, and then the light disperses a bit so it's softer. It feels like something is dripping from the ceiling onto Rhedd's head, but there's nothing up there.

The light's gone, suddenly. All of it. There's a flash of a single bulb overhead, buzzing, and the backdrop to the room is changed. There's ice everywhere; the swinging illumination glances off the stained interior of a meat locker hung with gently swaying wrapped bundles of a *particular* shape.

One of them shudders and breaks from clear plastic; unfurls into a familiar form in a red suit, red hair dripping redder and sticking to its face, and the hollow-eyed figure with the spidery hands drops to all fours and clicks just close enough to reach out, stretch the terrible spindly fingers, *nearly* touch Rhedd's little face before it's gone in a detuned crackle of voices.

The lights are off and then on again. The backdrop glitches away, the surroundings still consistent with the palace, the search for food, and the dear lad's silly rummaging. The drawer is now closed. It was just a dream, just a little high-frequency tickle to the posterior cortical hot zone, but Rhedd can still see his breath for a second.

The "laugh track" chortles warmly from the speaker again, and the teardrop-shaped red lights dance on the wall.

"ɴᴏᴡ, ɴᴏᴡ, ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ *ʟɪᴋᴇ* ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢ, ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴅᴀɢᴇꜱ... ᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ... ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏ ꜰʟᴀᴛ ᴛɪʀᴇ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴅᴇꜰʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴀʏ, ʜᴀʜ!

ʏᴏᴜ'ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɴɪᴄᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴘʟᴀɪɴ ʙᴇᴀɴꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛɪᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ, ꜱᴀɪʟᴏʀ? ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙʀɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ᴘᴇɴᴀɴᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄʀᴀꜱʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ, ʜᴀʜ, ᴏʀ ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏꜱᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪᴛᴄʜᴇɴ--

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏ--ᴘᴇᴄᴜʟɪᴀʀ--ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴄᴏʟ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴜʀᴇ ᴀ ꜰᴜʟʟ-ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱʜɪɴᴅɪɢ? ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ *ɪᴍᴘᴏꜱᴇ*, ʜᴀ ʜᴀ ʜᴀ ..."

Rhedd

Oh what a sight-- a sight that might drive anyone *else* to madness. Tears run down Rhedd's cheeks--this always happened when he experienced any of hallucinations gifted to him by The Engineer. His way of his mind decompressing after being so wonderfully overloaded by the display. Not afraid, but oh so feeling of every sensation within him after such a vision. His breath still cold to the room that was now not cold at all, Rhedd's hand moved to his throat which he stroked absently.

Just a dream. None of that happened--none of the juggling, none of the ice. He turns on a heel...ie, and hums as he begins scooting across the floor, "I was THINKING of something more FLESHY! MEATY, you KNOW! I had the most PECULIAR DREAM, just now, MY! DEAR! And OH! How HUNGRY I am just THINKING ABOUT IT!" He draws the shape of hanging carcasses in a butcher's freezer, "Something to SINK my TEETH! INTO! Beans are MERELY an APPETIZER!"

At the notion that Engi wouldn't be naturally invited, Rhedd pulled the mic from his lapel just so, the cable straining just a touch, cradling it in both hands. "WhatEVER do you MEAN? Why, you're with ME! My PLUS ONE! If you want to COME OUT, why, NO CLOSET could ever HOLD YOU! HAHA!"

Engineer

The mic buzzed softly, and the back of it slowly began to warm. It was a little metal disc that was smooth on the other side, and it felt nice in Rhedd's palms, both for warmth and heft.

The red lights dragged their little teardrops down Rhedd's sack-face in a display that would have been lost on the recipient if this were anyone else, but The Engineer provided a point-of-view vision of it, a gentle nudge to that hypersensitive mind's eye. The laugh that blasted from the mic produced a quick burst of air that made the bag crackle, and Rhedd's nose nearly poked a hole in the paper.

"ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴇᴠᴏᴋᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴜɢꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ꜱᴛʀɪɴɢꜱ--

ᴀʜ, ʜᴍ, ʜᴀ ʜᴀ, ᴡᴇʟʟ, ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀꜱᴇ, ᴏʜ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ! ʜᴍᴍ, ʜᴇʜ-ʜᴀʜ, ʏᴇꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ʟʟ ʙʀɪɴɢ--ᴍʏ ᴇᴛɪQᴜᴇᴛᴛᴇ'ꜱ ᴇʀᴏᴅᴇᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇᴛ, ʜᴀʜ! ᴏʜ, ᴍʏ ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇɴɢᴇʀ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ, ʜᴀ! ʜᴍᴍ... ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ, ɪᴛ'ᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ--

ɪ'ʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴇᴇ, ꜱᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴘʀᴇ-ᴄɪꜱᴇ-ʟʏ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɪ'ʟʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ--"

A curl of fragrant red vapor like burning autumn leaves rose from the carbon interior of the little microphone and burst into the shape of a blocky flower, which disintegrated tidily into fluttering pixels, and then it was cold and silent, but there was still a little pinpoint dot of red light deep inside the thing. Of course... he would never be *completely* gone.

It was like some infernal game of hide and seek... where would he materialize, and what would happen when Rhedd found him? *Or when he found Rhedd...*

Rhedd

How OMINOUS! Rhedd beamed behind the crinkled bag, enjoying the excited voice of his cosmic boyf.

Well! Then! Hide and seek was it? The canideer replaced the mic on his lapel, pulled the bag from his head (in order to fold it into his pocket) and touched his palms to the floor.

Sniff, sniff. Radio dial eyes barely hidden behind shutter shades, he stands back mostly upright and begins sliding out into another corridor, a horrible ***shunk*** of a sound as the piece of the kitchen he'd teleported in... Relocated itself.

[haileybeehappy]

Grayson Dolan, Coachella

summary . reader upcycles clothes for the twins Coachella outfits

word count . 1579

warnings . none

type . fluffffff (and like .002 angst)

    Grayson was livid but was playing it down for the camera and for Ethan’s feelings. He put so much effort into making his brothers outfit and got an expensive toddler shopping spree as a result. He said that it looked like someone gave a child a credit card and let them buy the outfit. Ethan was basically a child so this was kinda true, so now you were left with the task of buying the boys outfits while they were visiting family. Gray wanted you to come but you decided that staying would be best due to your elevation sickness. You didn’t want to fly across the country for a few days only to end up sick for a week, the boys understood.

    You were at some expensive store where a plain black t-shirt cost almost six hundred dollars. You were shuffling through the stores looking through the half filled racks. The girls behind the counter were looking at you like ‘you won’t be able to pay for any of this’ look that you get all the time when you come into these stores. You would much rather go to a thrift store and find a piece to upcycle than spend two thousand dollars on one outfit. But because of the boys style and budget you decided to come to some big fancy store and buy some new coachella clothes for the preppy brats. Of course they didn’t know so whatever you bought them would be a surprise but a good one unlike what the boys got for each other.

    “Ma’am? Would you like any help?” one of the workers asked.

    “No, I’m okay. I’m just, browsing,” She smiles at you. Somehow making a smile condescending. You find a pair of sunglasses you know Ethan will love so you snag them and bring them to the counter. The lady rings you up and looks at you smugly.

    “That will be two hundred and fifty six dollars ma’am. Will that be in cash or credit?” You pull out three hundred dollar bills from your ‘loui’ wallet that was tucked in your two dollar purse from a store on Melrose and place them on the counter, her face shifts and you smile. She quickly gets you your change and thanks you, saying ‘come again soon,’ while you leave the store with the small matte box in hand.

    You decide that the snobby people aren’t worth it and head to your favorite thrift store on the edge of town. An older couple owns it and you have come to know them very well.

    “Hey beautiful lady,” Margo says as you walk through the doors,

    “Hello Margo,” You smile and walk to the counter. “Got anything new for me?” she nods and pulls a small basket from her little cabinet.

    “These came in with a big donation and Bill almost set them out for sale,” she says jokingly shaking her head. Inside the small straw basket were multiple pins and buttons. You collected them and displayed them on a three by three foot cork board in your filming room. You picked through the small metal pieces and found a few that you loved. Two little planets with hanging charms one orange red and blue with an astronaut, the next was a little more morbid it was a red skull that looked like it was melting. It kinda reminded you of a candy apple. One of your favorites, a mix between cute and creepy was lilo from lilo and stitch in her traditional dance skirt and headdress but half of her body was a skeleton. And the last three were a set, figures of girls from Hamilton. A present for your best friend who is obsessed with the play and music and everything about Hamilton.

    “Thank you so much margo, I have a few things for you. I’ll bring them in tomorrow,” She smiled.

“Are you sure you don’t want anymore?” You glanced over the selection one more time a pin caught your eye. It was a heart, an anatomically accurate heart. You picked it up and ran your fingers across it. It was perfect for Gray. You nodded.

“All good now,” You smiled and she packed the pins for you in a small box. You slipped the box in your purse and went to explore the store. They had a small mens section but it would make due. You found a pair of camo pants that might fit one of the boys so you plopped that into your small basket. You found a pair of pretty plain red shorts and those went in too. An army green shirt. You worked into the women's section and found a mesh shirt that you could work into a piece. After some more searching you finally found the last piece you would need, from this store at least. A few iron on roses. You paid for your items and headed home. The house was strangely quiet. You grabbed the few items of clothing you needed from the boys closets and moved to the guest house to finish the outfits. You settled in your filming/craft room in the guest house and got to work on the items on hand. You cut the camo pants into short like things, hemming them, cutting some mesh from the shirt and sewing them on the pants, you sewed the legs back on under the mesh. Some fabric was cut off the ends and you left it unhemmed and rough looking. You were proud of the finished look but weren’t sure if the twins would like it. You moved to the shorts which didn’t take longer than ten minutes and then you piled the two outfits into bags. The red shorts paired with a plain white tee and a red fanny pack. Lastly you put both the outfits into boxes and stored them under the table until the boys arrived.

They were finally back from their trip and came home with many expensive shopping bags in hand. You should have known, of course they would go out and buy outfits when they ‘had no time’. You were kind of upset but they didn’t know what you were doing but it still kinda hurt. You of course greeted them and were still happy to see them.

“Babe, where’s the glue gun?”

“In my craft room, why?”

“Ethan broke something and I need to glue it back together,”

“I didn’t break it!” you heard Ethan scream from his room.

“It’s in a box under my work table,” You heard Gray leave the main house and work his way to the guest house. Gray entered your filming room door and began looking for the glue gun. Under your work table there was many bins but only three boxes he opened the first one and in there sat his outfit you made him.

“Babe!” Gray screamed walking through the door two boxes in hand.

“Seriously it’s not that hard…” you looked up from your phone. There he was, two boxes in hand.

“These are really good,”

“Why were you looking through my stuff?”

“Because you told me to.. But babe. These are so good,” He stopped for a second. “Ethan!” You went to snatch the boxes but he held them above his head.

“Are these for us?” He held them up higher as you tried to get them.

“Yeah, they were for coachella but you already got outfits so you don’t need them,” Ethan had come from his room. Gray tossed him the red black box. “No that one is yours,” you told gray, giving up on trying to get the box from him and they switched.

“I would take your outfits over whatever we bought anyday,” Gray said pulling you into a hug.

“But they’re not expensive shit from balenciaga, it a two dollar shirt from the thrift store,” He just rolled his eyes.

“So, I’d rather wear this than a fifty dollar plain white t-shirt,” You backed off in submission and let them do their thing.

They went and got dressed in their new outfits. They walked out and they both looked better than you thought they would.

“Babe, these are amazing,”

“Seriously these are great Y/n,”

“They’re nothing compared to what you guys probably bought,”

“Hey, you need to stop doubting yourself. These are amazing If I walked into some snobby store saw these I wouldn’t think for a second that they were anything else but expensive as hell. Okay?” As much as a child that E could be he could be smart if he wanted to be. You pulled him in for a hug. Gray joined in behind you.

“Thank you guys, it means a lot. I love you both,”

The boys had just posted their pictures of them wearing the outfits that you made for them. They got almost an overwhelming responses of people appreciating their outfits and asking where they got them, and so on and so forth. They had only responded with your instagram handle and nothing else. The fans had not known you and Gray were together, which was really hard to hide since you lived with them and filmed in your shared house. But there was a lot of shipping and suspicion from the fans. This put them over the edge, they were freaking out and you and Gray decided to expose yourselves..

    “What’s up guys? We’re back! And today we have a very special guest…”

[liketolaugh-writes]

[Context: Sebastian is a LetsPlayer in modern times. He is still a demon and the events of Kuroshitsuji happened over a hundred years ago as appropriate. He does not currently have a master, having finished with his last some five to ten years ago. Because he enjoys human pastimes on occasion, he decided to amuse himself with this for a while. It’s set in the Marvel universe, insofar as metas are known to exist and he is known as a lightly closeted one. He is currently playing Undertale, and because of who he is as a person, has accidentally stumbled onto the Genocide route on his first playthrough.]

The character avatar walks down the purple hallway. In the top-left corner, Sebastian’s brows are furrowed. He looks unsettled, but is attempting to appear merely bored.

Sebastian: This is quite an unusual take on an RPG game, I’ll admit. I’ve never encountered one that attempted to make me feel guilty for progressing before. Toriel’s last words in particular were… well. I expect this is going to be quite an interesting letsplay.

The avatar reaches the hallway exit and goes through. On the other side, Flowey is sitting in a spotlight.

Sebastian: Oh, it’s you again. Now, you, I would not feel bad for killing at all.

Flowey: Hahaha… You’re not really human, are you?

Sebastian’s eyebrows lift as he reads the dialogue. For a moment, he looks amused.

Flowey: No. You’re empty inside. Just like me. In fact… You’re Ciel, right? We’re still inseparable, after all these years…

Sebastian’s brows furrow, and he pauses in reading the dialogue.

Sebastian: That’s an interesting plot twist, this early in the game. I thought I’d just fallen down. Perhaps I have escaped the Underground before? But then, why is it that I fell in again? To take revenge?

Flowey: Listen. I have a plan to become all powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen soul.

Sebastian scowls, but does not remark on the dialogue.

Flowey: Let’s destroy everything in this wretched world. Everyone, everything in these worthless memories. Let’s turn ‘em all to dust.

Flowey [computer-generated voice]: That’s a wonderful idea!

Flowey disappears into the ground, and Sebastian continues to frown at the screen. His scowl has eased.

Sebastian: That was… odd. This game is obviously not what it first appears. Is that my goal, then? To conquer the Underground? It seems frivolous and unnecessary, but it’s quite the take on the traditional RPG mechanic of slaughtering everything you come across.

The avatar begins to move forward again and soon encounters the door out.

The screen fades to black and then displays the title screen, UNDERTALE. It then switches to By Toby Fox, and then to black. Sebastian smiles.

Sebastian: As I said, quite an interesting game. I’m looking forward to continuing it. I expect it has some interesting lessons to teach, and perhaps some remarks on human nature as well. It’s a surprising contrast with the rather cute aesthetic.

Sebastian chuckles, and as the screen reforms on a snowy forest, the avatar begins walking right, and then pauses and interacts with the bush nearby.

[…!? There’s a camera hidden in the bushes.]

Sebastian: …Interesting.

The avatar continues right. The avatar passes a branch, and a handful of steps after the avatar passes, it breaks unexpectedly. Sebastian rolls his eyes.

Sebastian: The music is appropriately ominous for such a setting. I do hope I have an encounter worthy of it soon.

The avatar starts to cross a bridge, and then stops on the left edge. A shadow begins to approach from where the avatar came from.

Sebastian: Speak of the devil.

Sebastian chooses a creaky, deep voice for the new character.

?: H u m a n.

The avatar turns around. The shadow sticks out its hand, and the avatar takes it. The shadow is suddenly lit, revealing itself to be a grinning skeleton in a blue hoodie, and a fart sound plays. Sebastian snorts, visibly surprised.

Sebastian: Well, that was rather anticlimactic.

?: heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it’s ALWAYS funny.

Despite the change of font, Sebastian sticks with the original voice, raising one eyebrow and smiling in obvious amusement.

?: …that’s, uh. your cue to laugh. or, uh, to emote at all…?

Sebastian chuckles again.

Sebastian: They really are pushing the inhumanity of this character, aren’t they? They ought to be careful not to go heavy-handed, but it’s amusing as it is, and somewhat unsettling as intended.

?: …(gee, lady, you really know how to pick ‘em, huh…?) OK, that’s fine. everyone’s got their own sense of humor. i’m sans. sans the skeleton. im actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but… you know… i dont really care about capturing anybody.

Sebastian grins.

Sebastian: Perhaps you should, Mr. Skeleton. It looks like letting this one go will be bad for your health.

Sans: now my brother, papyrus… he’s a human-hunting FANATIC.

Sebastian: Ah, so is that the interesting battle I’m promised? Or- no. No, given the nature of the last boss, I don’t suppose any of these bosses are going to be truly terrible people. Hm. Does that mean I won’t be able to dispose of Flowey?

Sans: hey, actually, I think that’s him over there.

Sebastian: Another boss battle already? That seems unlikely, so I suppose this Sans character is going to help me as well.

Sans: i have an idea. go through this gate thingy. yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.

Sebastian chuckles, head dipping as he smirks. The avatar and Sans rush right, quickly arriving at a small area containing a lamp shaped precisely like the profile view of the avatar, two rocks, and a shop stand.

Sans: quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp.

The avatar does not move. Sebastian raises his eyebrows.

Sans: …uh, okay, i guess you don’t have to.

Sebastian [softly]: …Strange.

From the right, a tall skeleton in red zooms in, stopping in front of Sans and the avatar. Sebastian chooses a high, crackly voice for this character.

Papyrus: SANS!!! HAVE YOU FOUND A HUMAN YET!??!

Sans: yeah

Sebastian: From any other game I would expect betrayal, but…

Papyrus: REALLY!?!? WOWIE!!!

Sebastian: Goodness, two lines and I already cannot wait for this character to be gone.

Papyrus: GUESS THAT’S SETTLED!!

The skeleton leaves out the right side. Sebastian snorts.

Sebastian: My wish has been granted.

Sans: that worked out, huh?

The avatar wanders around the screen and interacts with the lamp.

[Just a conveniently-shaped lamp.]

Sebastian chuckles.

Sebastian: I’ll admit, this game is quite funny when it isn’t resorting to bodily humor.

The avatar moves to the stand and interacts.

[It’s some sort of checkpoint or sentry-station. But there are bottles of ketchup, mustard, and relish sitting inside…]

Sebastian: I hope they don’t belong to the skeletons. I imagine that would be quite messy, and what a waste.

The avatar begins to move right but is stopped at the exit.

Sans: well, i’ll be straight-forward with you. my brother’d really like to see a human… so, y’know, it’d really help me out… if you kept pretending to be one.

Sebastian pauses, staring at the screen with an unreadable expression as Sans exits left.

Sebastian: Again with this, hm…? If not a human, then I wonder what I’m meant to be.

Sebastian smiles.

Sebastian: Perhaps a demon? Well, I suppose I’ll find out in time. …If I find out that the playable character is a metahuman, however, I’m going to be deeply disappointed in not only the game’s creator, but also every person who recommended this game to me. That would be an utterly pathetic plot twist.

The avatar exits right, and the approaches the nearby sparkling save point.

[16 Left]

Sebastian: Quite handy. But why is the text red…?

The avatar explores the area for a while, and then encounters a monster. The monster is identified as Snowdrake.

[Snowdrake flutters forth!]

Sebastian: Though I may come to regret it, given the odd ‘but nobody came’ encounters, I believe I’ll handle all of these now. I’ll clip in the images and dialogue of each new monster, however – for your amusement, yes?

The screen skips through several images without remark and resettles on the same stretch of path.

Sebastian: That didn’t take too long, did it?

Sebastian smiles.

Sebastian: Now we can progress the story without interference. I could do without the skeleton characters, myself, but they’re a necessary evil. Never mind- they’ll be gone soon enough.

Sebastian laughs, and the avatar exits right.

Sebastian: I did explore the top path, but there was nothing of interest. Ah, here we are.

Papyrus: SO SANS! WHEN’S THE HUMAN SHOWING UP???

Sebastian: Mr. Papyrus’ enthusiasm is amusing, but I’ve known enough people like him to be quite glad that his dialogue is text-only. Goodness knows how loud it would be.

Papyrus: I WANT TO LOOK MY SUNDAY BEST… OR AT LEAST MY TUESDAY PRETTY-GOOD.

Sebastian laughs again and shakes his head slightly.

Sebastian: A game with a sense of humor more sophisticated than a grade schooler, what a rarity.

Sans: don’t you only have one outfit?

Papyrus: YEAH, BUT I COULD STYLE MY HAIR!

Sebastian covers his mouth with the back of his hand. He is grinning, and his eyes glitter with amusement.

Sans: oh. right. good idea. say, why don’t you look over there?

Papyrus looks at the avatar. An exclamation mark appears briefly over his head. He turns back at Sans, who turns to the human, and then back to the human, while Sans looks back at Papyrus. This process repeats itself several times, rapidly speeding up, and Sebastian lowers his hand to smile in open amusement. Eventually, both skeletons stop, and then turn right.

Papyrus: SANS!!! OH MY GOD!!!!

Sebastian: That is entirely too many exclamation points, and I can picture the volume perfectly.

Papyrus: I’M DIZZY. WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?

Sebastian snorts, apparently caught by surprise.

Sans: behold.

Sans turns to his brother. The screen pans left to center on the avatar and reveal a rock.

Papyrus: OH MY GOD!!!

The screen shunts right again as Papyrus turns back to Sans.

Papyrus: WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME TO LOOK AT A ROCK.

Sebastian closes his eyes and covers his mouth with a gloved hand. A muffled snort escapes anyway and the corners of his eyes are crinkled. After a second, he removes his hand and shakes his head.

Sebastian: This game is entirely too much.

Sans turns back to the avatar.

Sans: hey, what’s that in front of the rock?

An exclamation mark appears above Papyrus’ head.

Papyrus: OH MY GOD!!!

Sebastian takes a deep breath.

Papyrus: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS.

Sebastian lets it out in a huff, closes his eyes, and tilts his head back briefly. After two seconds, he opens them again, and then continues without comment.

Sans: well. it’s not a rock.

Sebastian: A pair of geniuses, these two.

Papyrus: NOT A ROCK…? OH NO!!! BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION!!! THAT MEANS IT’S A HUMAN!!!

Sebastian closes his eyes again, presses his palm to a forehead, and for a moment, laughs helplessly, quiet and breathy.

Sebastian: What an imbecile.

Sebastian opens his eyes and continues on, shaking his head.

Papyrus: AHEM!! HUMAN!! PREPARE YOURSELF!! FOR HIGH JINKS! FOR LOW JINKS! DANGERS! PUZZLES! CAPERS! JAPERS! BEING CAPTURED!! AND OTHER SORTS OF FUN ACTIVITIES.

Sebastian rolls his eyes.

Sebastian: If I have any say in the matter, I will not be participating in a single one of those things, Mr. Skeleton. Particularly not with someone as obviously loud as yourself – my ears hurt and you’re not even speaking aloud.

Papyrus: REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED… IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!

Sebastian wrinkles his nose as Papyrus exits right.

Sebastian: Is that his laugh? How awful. I shall give him as little cause to do that as possible.

Sans turns to the avatar.

Sans: …and you don’t even bat an eye, huh?

Sans exits right.

Sebastian: Well, I wouldn’t want to give that moron any form of encouragement. That’s your job, is it not? Really, this Sans character is… quite suspicious, I’d say. Though not as suspicious as the playable character, naturally… Given that they seem to be on a warpath. Now, let’s see-

The avatar moves right and interacts with the stand nearby.

[There’s some narration on this cardboard box.]

[YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION. WHO COULD HAVE BUILT THIS, YOU PONDER… I BET IT WAS THAT VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN!]

Sebastian rolls his eyes again and sighs, muttering something inaudible before speaking.

Sebastian: Goodness, he does get into everything, doesn’t he? And self-congratulatory, too. I’d bet anything he isn’t a royal guardsman at all.

[(NOTE: NOT YET A VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN.)]

Sebastian pinches the bridge of his nose.

Sebastian: Ridding the Underground of this idiot will be a service.

The avatar moves right. An encounter appears.

[but nobody came.]

Sebastian: Ah yes, there it is. Very ominous… the first few times, at least.

The avatar continues right and crosses into the path of another station, this one sporting a bell. When the avatar reaches it, a dog emerges from behind the counter.

?: D-did something move? Was it my imagination? I can only see moving things. …hey! I can’t stop shivering all of a sudden. …Who’s there!?

An encounter overtakes the screen.

[Doggo blocks the way!]

Sebastian: Why would you announce your biggest weakness to the world immediately before initiating a fight? Really, now… I’ll take many things at face value in a PC game, but some of these habits are simply absurd.

Sebastian continues to mutter as the fight progresses, looking bored. Doggo is easily defeated, and the avatar moves on, exiting right.

Sebastian: I might have been more sympathetic if it had been a cat. Of course, a cat likely wouldn’t have announced its only weakness so easily, hm?

The avatar continues to travel.

[but nobody came.]

[but nobody came.]

[but nobody came.]

Sebastian: Yes, yes, I understand, everyone is dead. I am aware of that. I actually made that happen. It doesn’t appear to have decreased the amount of trouble I go to just to move, unfortunately.

The avatar reaches an intersection, pauses briefly, and exits top. A snowman appears onscreen and the avatar approaches and interacts with it.

?: Hello. I am a snowman. I cannot move. Traveller, if you could…

[(You got the Snowman Piece.)]

Sebastian: Well, that was simple foolishness.

Sebastian checks the Snowman Piece in his inventory.

[“Snowman Piece” – Heals 45 HP. Please take this to the ends of the earth.]

Sebastian smirks with too many teeth.

Sebastian: 45 HP, hm? I think I’d like more of that, if at all possible.

The avatar interacts with the Snowman again.

Snowman: Oh me, oh my. What are you doing? Soon there won’t be any of me left…

Sebastian: I’m taking your flesh for sustenance, isn’t it obvious?

[(You got the Snowman Piece.)]

The Snowman shrinks dramatically. Sebastian smirks, and the avatar interacts with the Snowman again.

Snowman: Stop… Please…

The Snowman collapses into a small puddle of snow. Sebastian chuckles, raising an eyebrow.

Sebastian: Well, what did you expect, giving pieces of yourself to a stranger? Quite foolish, as I said. You should never give of yourself, really – even those you trust can easily turn their backs on you.

The avatar interacts with the pile of snow again.

[A useless pile of snow.]

Sebastian: Only three, then. Well, that’s quite enough to be getting on with. I won’t need that many, with a small amount of luck and a fair bit of skill. And I like to think I have both in spades, don’t you?

The avatar exits bottom, and heads toward the right exit. An encounter spawns.

[but nobody came.]

Sebastian pauses, frowning.

Sebastian: …An interesting choice of mechanic.

Sebastian ends the encounter and the avatar exits right. Sans and Papyrus are waiting by a bridge on the other side.

Papyrus: YOU’RE SO LAZY!! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!

Sans: i think that’s called… sleeping.

Sebastian: Regretfully, I’m actually on Mr. Papyrus’ side on this one.

Papyrus: EXCUSES, EXCUSES!

Sans and Papyrus turn to look at the avatar.

Papyrus: OH- HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES!

Sebastian rolls his eyes.

Sebastian: Well, at least they bothered to come up with an in-universe reason for gratuitous puzzle-solving, I suppose. Once again, that’s better than most games do.

Papyrus: I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!!!

The avatar starts to walk across the patch of bare ground, and Sebastian blinks, and then frowns, and then laughs, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement.

Sebastian: I think I could get along with this character.

Papyrus: FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS… THE, INVISIBLE… UHHHHHHH…?

Sebastian: Yes, Mr. Skeleton, not everyone is willing to play along with your foolish and pointless antics. I see this character’s attitude is going to save me quite a bit of time.

Sebastian actually looks slightly put-out by the notion.

Papyrus: HMMM… YOU MUST BE HAVING CULTURE SHOCK. YOU SEE, WHERE I COME FROM, IT’S A LOVING TRADITION. TO SUFFER THROUGH HORRIBLE PUZZLES FOR NO REASON.

Sebastian sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

Sebastian: This feels oddly familiar, for some reason… Though of course, as the playable character is the one visiting here, they are indeed being rather rude. It saves me time, but not that much time, I suspect.

The avatar continues to approach the skeletons.

Papyrus: SO, UH, JUST WALK BACK THERE, AND…

The avatar does not move. Both skeletons turn south.

Papyrus: SIGH… WHY COULDN’T WE GET A HUMAN THAT LIKES PUZZLES???

Papyrus exits right.

Sebastian: My amusement at the character’s attitude aside, I would have preferred to be allowed to play the puzzles as I wished. They are a fundamental part of this sort of game, after all.

The avatar moves towards Sans and interacts.

Sans: it would make my brother happy if you played along.

Sebastian: Surprisingly, that is not my primary concern.

The avatar exits right, crosses the bridge on the other side, and passes by several trees and a snowball.

Sebastian: I’ve said it a few times already, but I’m continually fascinated by many of the stylistic choices this game makes. They all seem to be geared in a certain direction, but I’m not sure I understand what they’re trying to say as yet. I assume I will later.

The avatar exits top right, walks past both doghouses, and then returns left. Sebastian grimaces.

Sebastian: Dogs.

Eventually, the avatar exits bottom-right and emerges with the two skeletons again, and a piece of paper on the ground to their left.

Papyrus: HUMAN!!! I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR… SANS!! WHERE’S THE PUZZLE!!!

Sebastian: At this stage, what on earth makes him think I would complete a puzzle?

Sans: it’s right there. on the ground.

Sebastian: Somehow, I’m not surprised in the least.

Sans: trust me. there’s no way they’ll skip this one.

The avatar walks past the piece of paper. Sebastian looks pained.

Papyrus: SANS!!! THAT DID NOTHING!!!

Sans: whoops. knew i should have put down junior jumble instead.

Sebastian: Oh yes, I certainly would have been far more interested in that, rather than- whatever it is that’s on the ground there.

Papyrus: WHAT?!? JUNIOR JUMBLE!? FINALLY, SOMETHING WE CAN BOTH AGREE ON.

Papyrus exits right. The avatar moves to interact with Sans.

Sans: guess you don’t like word searches, huh? me neither. i’m more of a funny pages kinda guy.

Sebastian: Of course you are. They share your high-brow sense of humor, Mr. Skeleton.

The avatar exits right, finding a piece of paper, a table with spaghetti on top, and a microwave. The top wall has a small mouse hole. Sebastian smirks and the avatar goes to interact with the piece of paper.

[It’s a note from Papyrus…]

[HUMAN!! PLEASE ENJOY THIS SPAGHETTI. (LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, THIS SPAGHETTI IS A TRAP… DESIGNED TO ENTICE YOU!!! YOU’LL BE SO BUSY EATING IT… THAT YOU WON’T REALIZE THAT YOU AREN’T PROGRESSING!! THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!! NYEH-HEH-HEH, PAPYRUS)]

Sebastian chuckles.

Sebastian: Not much of an antagonist… or a human-hunter. And that laugh is still awful.

The avatar interacts with the save point, the spaghetti, and the microwave.

[10 left.]

[(It’s a plate of frozen spaghetti. It’s so cold, it’s stuck to the table…)]

[(It’s an unplugged microwave. All of the settings say “spaghetti.”)]

Sebastian rolls his eyes.

Sebastian: Idiot.

The avatar continues on until it reaches two dogs, which come up from the south exit.

?: What’s that smell? (Where’s that smell?) If you’re a smell… (…Identify yoursmellf!)

The two dogs wander the screen around the avatar for a few seconds before converging on it.

?: Hmmm… Here’s that weird smell… It makes me want to eliminate… (…Eliminate YOU!)

An encounter triggers.

Sebastian: God, when will I escape the dogs?

[Dogi assault you!]

Sebastian: The story of my life.

Sebastian swiftly kills Dogaressa, and then the depressed Dogamy.

Sebastian: When will I be free from the dogs…

The avatar continues to make progress, and passes by what appears to be a completed puzzle. Sebastian looks put-out again.

Sebastian: I actually would like to complete a puzzle at some point, please!

The avatar exits right, finding a grayscale board with Papyrus and Sans on the right side, standing by a machine.

Papyrus: HEY! IT’S THE HUMAN! YOU’RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE!

The avatar starts to cross the board, and Sebastian sighs, a look of resignation on his face as the avatar stops halfway across.

Sebastian: This is getting rather annoying.

Papyrus: IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT… ARE YOU SERIOUS? SANS!!! HELP!!!

A flicker of a smile crosses Sebastian’s face. He does not explain this.

Papyrus: THEY KEEP WALKING THROUGH MY PUZZLES! THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO LET ME EXPLAIN THEM. THEN THREATEN AND BAFFLE THEM WITH DANGEROUS JAPES.

Sebastian looks exasperatedly amused.

Sebastian: This character could not be less threatening if he wasn’t a skeleton. He can do as he likes, of course, but…

Sans: well, maybe they don’t like japes.

Papyrus: EVERYONE LIKES JAPES!!!

Sans: what about undyne? doesn’t she hate puzzles?

Papyrus: SHE HATES PUZZLES. BUT SHE LOVES JAPES.

Sebastian: The distinction is vital, of course- though I couldn’t tell you what it is.

Sans: that makes sense.

Papyrus: HUMAN!! WHAT DO YOU THINK!? PUZZLES OR JAPES? … … OKAY, THIS IS NORMALLY THE PART. WHERE YOU EITHER AGREE OR DISAGREE. AND DEPENDING ON YOUR ANSWER. WE SAY SOMETHING GREAT IN RESPONSE. …HERE, WHY DON’T YOU DO THIS PUZZLE YOURSELF.

Papyrus leaves a piece of paper on the ground and slowly exits right.

Sebastian: Well, he is attempting to be helpful. He would be meeting with more success, however, if he was remotely capable of comprehending the problem at hand. Perhaps being a skeleton is suppressing his self-preservation instincts?

The avatar ignores the paper and interacts with Sans.

Sans: hey… puzzles might be fun. if you tried them.

Sebastian looks irritated.

Sebastian: Yes, I actually happen to agree with that. If I was permitted to try them.

The avatar exits right, passes the dog house, and saves.

[6 left.]

Sebastian: Mini-bosses, I assume.

The avatar exits right again and encounters another puzzle, which Sebastian solves on the first try. He still smiles slightly as the avatar exits right.

Sebastian: Well, at least that wasn’t a complete waste.

The avatar exits bottom and finds Sans.

Sans: what’s up?

Sebastian: What, nothing else?

The avatar goes left and finds Sans on the other side unreasonably quickly. Sebastian smirks slightly and the avatar interacts with Sans.

Sans: say… are you following me?

Sebastian: Clearly, I have nothing better to do.

The avatar exits left, wanders around, and an encounter triggers. It is skipped without comment, and the avatar exits top again, and then right.

Sebastian: Quite a bit of fairly pointless wandering. Am I missing something, I wonder? Though that may be an engineered feeling.

The avatar continues on and finally encounters a number of small piles of snow, ending in a large, excitable armored dog which emerges from another. Sebastian pinches the bridge of his nose again.

[It’s the Greater Dog.]

Sebastian: My worst nightmare.

Sebastian defeats this foe easily.

Sebastian: There isn’t much challenge to this game, is there? Is that, too, deliberate?

Sebastian smirks.

Sebastian: Then again, I may simply be uncommonly good at it.

The avatar continues on, eventually coming to one end of a bridge. On the other, Papyrus and Sans waited.

Papyrus: HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!

Sebastian: I haven’t been given any challenges yet.

Papyrus: BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!

Six different weapons emerge from various parts of the screen, in between the avatar and the skeletons. Sebastian raises his eyebrows and smirks.

Sebastian: Why, Mr. Skeleton, I never would have attributed such viciousness to your character!

Papyrus: WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!!!

Sebastian looks unimpressed.

Papyrus: ARE YOU READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!

A pause. Papyrus turns away. Sebastian looks irritated.

Sans: well? what’s the holdup?

Papyrus: HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I’M… I’M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!

Pause.

Sebastian: Oh, for goodness’ sake.

Sans: that, uh, doesn’t look very activated.

Papyrus: WELL! …THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING TO WALK THROUGH IT. AND IT WON’T BE ANY FUN AT ALL.

Sebastian: You know, I’m not surprised in the least. And, of course, he doesn’t at all realize that once he activates it, ‘just walking through it’ is actually the entire point…

Sans: hmmm… so this human thing was a bust, huh?

Papyrus: WELL. I MEAN. I’M EXCITED TO CAPTURE THEM. SO I’LL BECOME A FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN!!!

Sebastian: You may try, Mr. Skeleton.

Papyrus: BUT ALL THE TIME I PUT INTO THESE PUZZLES… IT’S KIND OF LIKE THROWING A BIRTHDAY PARTY…

Sans: without traps and fire?

Papyrus: EXACTLY!! IT’S POINTLESS!!!

Sebastian: Goodness. I am violently reminded of far too many people.

Papyrus: MAYBE YOU WERE RIGHT TO BE LAZY ABOUT PUZZLES.

Sans: me? right about something? really?

Papyrus: …YEAH!! WHAT AM I SAYING! YOU’RE STILL COMPLETELY WRONG! I JUST HAVE THE WRONG AUDIENCE! THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN UNDYNE WOULD HAVE HERE! FLAMES, VIOLENCE, IT’S RIGHT UP HER ALLEY!

Sebastian rolls his eyes.

Sebastian: Far too many people.

Papyrus: SO I WON’T WASTE THIS PUZZLE ON YOU. I JUST HAVE TO APPRECIATE… THE FRIEND I ALREADY HAVE!!!

Sebastian: And perhaps your brother, supporting you every step of the way. But that’s none of my business, of course.

The weapons withdraw and Papyrus turns away.

Papyrus: PHEW! A VALUABLE LIFE LESSON!!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!

Sebastian scowls as he reads the laugh, but does not drop the in-character voice. Papyrus exits right.

Sebastian: Another waste of time, I see.

The avatar exits right, passing Sans this time. Soon it comes to a town, which is mostly quiet. The avatar enters a building, and what appears to be a shopping screen pops up.

[But nobody came.]

Sebastian: That flavor text is going to haunt me in my rare attempts to sleep.

Sebastian selects ‘read’ first.

[(There’s a note here.) Please don’t hurt my family.]

Sebastian: This isn’t a game, this is a lecture on why it doesn’t actually pay to murder people who annoy you.

Sebastian then selects ‘steal.’

[You took 758G from behind the counter.]

Sebastian: And plenty of good that does me if I have no need to buy anything because the shopkeeper has apparently run away.

Sebastian selects ‘take’ and takes one of each item. Then he closes the shopping screen and the avatar continues to explore the area. It is abandoned. The avatar interacts with the sparkling save point.

[Determination.]

The avatar wanders right and finds a monster. Sebastian raises one eyebrow and the avatar interacts with it. He chooses a squeaky voice for the character.

?: Yo, everyone ran away and hid somewhere. Man, adults can be so dumb sometimes, haha… Don’t they know we’ve got Undyne to protect us!?

Sebastian [deadpan]: A tiny moron.

The avatar continues right, but every building it enters is abandoned. Sebastian frowns.

Sebastian: Then why bother to develop the town so thoroughly at all…?

Finally, the avatar exits right into a misty area. It continues right until it is obscured, and then stops and appears as a shadow. A moment later, a shadow Papyrus appears as well. Sebastian sighs, frowning.

Sebastian: Ah. From the looks of the scenery, I’d say it’s time.

Papyrus: HALT, HUMAN!

The avatar steps forward.

Papyrus: HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I’M TALKING TO YOU!

Sebastian smirks faintly.

Sebastian: I suppose it is rather rude. But it won’t matter soon, Mr. Skeleton.

Papyrus: I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY. FIRST: YOU’RE A FREAKING WEIRDO!

Sebastian snorts.

Papyrus: NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES. BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE… THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER. IT FEELS… LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH.

Sebastian’s expression falls into something unreadable.

Papyrus: HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY!

Sebastian stops, and remains silent and motionless for five seconds.

Papyrus: AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!

Sebastian does not react to either of these statements and reads them somewhat mechanically, though still in his chosen voice. The avatar steps forward again.

Papyrus: HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS… WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!!!

The avatar continues to walk forward. Sebastian’s voice has regained his energy, but he is still expressionless.

Papyrus: I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?

Sebastian [softly]: Fool.

Papyrus: WOWIE!! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!

An encounter triggers and Sebastian flinches, and then scowls.

[Papyrus is sparing you.]

Sebastian: He really is precisely that kind of idiot, isn’t he? Goodness.

Sebastian scowls for a moment longer, and then kills Papyrus in silence.

Papyrus: W-WELL, THAT’S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED… BUT… ST… STILL!

Sebastian cuts himself off. His eyes go wide and begin to glow bright crimson, and his canines lengthen into fangs. Three seconds pass, and then the glow fades from his eyes, his fangs shrink away, and he relaxes. He looks melancholy. Two more seconds pass, and he reads the dialogue in a quiet and unadorned voice.

Papyrus: I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO! I… I PROMISE…

Three seconds of silence pass.

Sebastian: Well. If I had known he was that sort of character, I might have paid more mind to him earlier on. All the same… it is too late now, I suppose.

Two more seconds of silence pass, and then the avatar begins to walk again.

[idreamofhazeleyes]

Ties in Blood Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Ms. Fisher,” the professor called out as Aaliyah’s ringer started up.

“Sorry, Mr. Greenwood.” Aaliyah rushed to her feet and out the classroom door as she struggled with the cell. Bracing herself against the wall, she flipped the phone open and pressed it against her ear without checking who was calling. “Hello?”

“Aaliyah? It’s Dean.”

She blinked a few times as her mind worked up a response. “I’m in the middle class. The professor’s not one to be lenient on having phones interrupt the class.” There was a pause long enough to have her think she said the wrong thing. “Dean, what’s up? I’m sure it’s not like hunters call an average college student out of the blue like this.”

“Your voicemail.” Two words and the message Aaliyah left a month ago flooded back. “You said something about missing people.”

Aaliyah glanced down as she scuffed the ball of her shoe against the tile floor. “One for sure. My dad went missing a few years ago, and the locals gave up after a few months of searching. I swear it was something … else. My brother had been at college … I think. He hasn’t called in a year, so he might be busy…”

“Aaliyah,” Dean cut in.

“Sorry. It’s okay if you can’t …” She started to pull the phone away from her ear.

“Where was the last place your father was seen?”

“You’d look for him? Really?” Aaliyah held onto that little glimmer of hope she had held onto for years.

“Now, I can’t promise he’d be found alive,” Dean told her. “Where was he last?”

Aaliyah glanced around the hallway in her attempt of thinking back the past few years. “Work; pretty sure. Or on his way home. He was never one for extra stuff due to long work hours.” She trailed off as a recent memory of her watching her father walk into the house after a long work shift and straight to his bedroom. “Hey, we’re getting a break for Thanksgiving. I could come back …”

“No.” It sounded harsh coming from Dean. “Stay there and … study or something.”

“This is my father we’re talking about, Dean,” Aaliyah half yelled. “And my brother. I want to help.” She listened to his breathing on the other end and wondered if he would relent.

“If you can be in your hometown Thanksgiving Day, you can help,” Dean put up. “Gotta go.”

A light thump on the other end and Aaliyah pulled her phone from her head. Easing it closed, she startled when the classroom door opened and her class streamed from the room. Waiting until most of the students had left the room, Sara ducked in and up where her belongings were still sprawled out.

“Ms. Fisher,” Mr. Smith spoke up. “If you have your phone on in the next class…”

“It won’t happen again, sir,” Aaliyah cut in as she put her things in her bag. “Promise.” She shouldered her bag as she moved to leave the room. Her mind raced with all the things she needed to do to make it back home in two days.

***

Aaliyah adjusted her shower items in the suitcase and stepped back. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that something was missing. A few pairs of jeans, check. A variety of shirts from tees to passable for a nice dinner out, check. Tennis shoes were by the dorm door. A couple pairs of shoes to match the two nice outfits were in the suitcase. She wasn’t expecting to be invited some place that would require the nice stuff packed away, yet there was that sense of wanting to be prepared for that occasion.

“Taking a trip somewhere?” Amanda asked, closing the dorm door behind her.

“Sorta. I may have gotten some help trying to find my father.” Aaliyah turned from her bed and joined Amanda at hers. “Then maybe my brother.”

“You honestly think you’re gonna find them both alive after all this time?” Amanda put her text books away.

“The cops didn’t find anything after my father disappeared. Sure, the car was on the side of the road, but no body. Nothing like that.” Aaliyah ran a finger along Amanda’s dresser and stopped at a picture that showed the two of them at a home football game. “I … They’re family, Amanda. Call it crazy, but there’s some part of me that wants to know what happened to them.”

Amanda turned from her stack of books and met Aaliyah’s eyes. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to. ‘Sides, you’ve got a better chance of graduating and getting a nursing job than I am.”

“When are you supposed to be meeting this help of yours?” Amanda half dove into her side of the closet and pulled out her suitcase.

“Two days. What are you doing? Put that back, you’re not…”

“Letting you go alone.”

Aaliyah watched Amanda pull out denim jeans, tee shirts, and a few jackets that looked like they’ve seen better days. Next went in an outfit or two that would pass for nice. “Don’t throw away your life because I’m going on a wild goose chase.”

“I’m not.” Amanda tossed in a few pairs of shoes then zipped the suitcase. “Besides, you need a vehicle to get wherever you’re going in two days.”

Aaliyah shifted as Amanda started for the door. There was something about Amanda that screamed skeletons in the closet. Aaliyah had asked about her roommate when they first met, but Amanda deflected with something else. Something told Aaliyah as she rushed to put her shoes on and grabbed her own suitcase that she may learn more than she wanted about her roommate.

***

Aaliyah scanned the shelves that held a variety of snack foods. Five hours out from the university she convinced Amanda to pull off and to a gas station. The little voice in the back of Aaliyah’s mind had told her that Amanda agreed only because they needed to fill the tank. Unable to decide on what snacks to get, Aaliyah grabbed the few she had been eyeing and started for the counter. The door chimed sounded as a man staggered in and made his way over to the coolers. Aaliyah’s inner voice screamed to drop the snacks and all but run out to the car where Amanda was waiting and leave. Forcing herself toward the counter, Aaliyah set the snacks down and started to fish out what money she had as the clerk started ringing her selections.

The light tapping of the man’s shoes came up a few steps behind Aaliyah as the clerk finished ringing up her choices. He was back far enough not to crowd, but the feeling he was too close had more of Aaliyah’s alarms go off. Handing over the money, she anchored her feet to the floor. The clerk accepted the money and dealt with the register. Behind Aaliyah was a small sniff. She turned her head just enough to see the other customer leaning over her shoulder sniffing at it.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “It’s a bad habit I’ve been trying to break.”

Aaliyah shifted her shoulders as she accepted her change and the bag of snacks. She stepped away from the counter and half expected the other customer to step up. When something grabbed her arm, Aaliyah jerked away. When the grip got tighter, she looked up to the other customer and screamed. What looked back were not normal eyes, but all black. The bag of snacks fell from her free hand as she swung it around to hit the man.

“Not so fast,” the customer … No, Aaliyah’s mind told her. It’s whatever causing the black eyes. “You’re going to …”

A loud blast echoed in the building. Aaliyah’s body froze in place at the sound. Her mind worked her body out of the state as the body of the other customer started to slump to the floor. Aaliyah freed her hand and stumbled back away from the body, kicking the snack bag as she did. She stopped once she hit a display rack and the shooter ambled in over to where the body had dropped. A handful of seconds passed before Aaliyah’s mind recognized the new person as Amanda.

“What’s your deal, demon?” Amanda demanded as she grabbed the man’s shirt at the collar and pulled him up to her.

“There’s been a hit put on that one,” the man pointed at Aaliyah. “What demon do you know wouldn’t take the chance?”

“What hit?” Amanda shook the man. “What hit!” She pulled her free hand back in a fist.

“Go ahead and hit,” the demon taunted. “It’ll hurt him more.”

Aaliyah tilted her head. Her adrenaline from fighting off the man had ebbed away just to be replaced by sheer confusion. She eased herself away from the display rack and over to where Amanda and the man were sprawled on the floor. His eyes jumped from Amanda to Aaliyah as she took one step too close.

“Word to the wise,” the demon spoke. “Do not go digging up what should have been left buried.” A cloud of black smoke bellowed out from the man, startling Aaliyah back.

“Wha…What was that?” she managed to ask after regaining her voice.

Amanda eased to her feet, something in the hand that had been a fist. “A demon, low level probably.” She gathered up the snacks and the bag before heading for the door.

Aaliyah blinked a few times as her gaze fell on the dead man. Her mind kickstarted her into moving after Amanda. “Low level demon? What do you know of demons? They don’t exist.”

“Oh, and that werewolf that scarred you up didn’t exist?” Amanda countered as she opened the car’s driver door and slid in.

Aaliyah stopped when Amanda countered with the werewolf. The wounds were definitely real and the scars on her side pulled when she twisted in such a way. Aaliyah got into the car as it started up and struggled with the seatbelt. “But … Demons. Like Exorcist type shit?”

“Rarer than what just happened back at the station.” Amanda merged out onto the street and for the highway. “That was my … second time coming across a demon.”

“Second time? Wait, how did you know how to deal with it?” Aaliyah shifted around in her seat to look at Amanda. “Things aren’t adding up here.”

“I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

“When it’s safe? That thing is still out there.” Aaliyah reached for her door handle as she unbuckled. “Stop the car, let me out.”

“Aaliyah, please.”

Aaliyah stopped in her struggle and looked over to Amanda. In the low light she thought Amanda had the expression she was mentally debating on telling Aaliyah the one thing she didn’t want to.

“You want to know how I knew to handle the demon?” Amanda asked after a few silence moments. “And why I didn’t get involved with your fight with the werewolf?” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “My family are hunters.”

“A lot of families are hunters,” Aaliyah countered.

Amanda shook her head. “Not out hunting animals. More hunters of the supernatural.”

Aaliyah chuckled. “Yeah, the supernatural. Okay, and my mother was a fairy and my father was a genie.”

“I knew telling you was a bad idea. This whole trip was a bad idea from the start.” Amanda pulled over to the side of the highway. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again, Aaliyah. You were – are – the one person that didn’t judge me on my family or what we’ve done. I felt like a new person.”

Aaliyah bit back the comment that threatened to emerge. Amanda hadn’t been really forthcoming with her life before college when they met, so Aaliyah couldn’t judge her roommate on family. “I’m sorry for dragging …”

Amanda tossed up a finger, silencing Aaliyah before she could finish. “You didn’t drag me on this, I wanted to come. I …” The finger went down. “I just thought that I could do this without getting drawn back into hunting.”

Aaliyah looked down to her hands, unsure of what to say to comfort Amanda. Aaliyah had started off with the hope of finding what happened to her father and brother for some sort of closure and here Amanda was trying to run from her past. “You don’t have to do this.”

“What sort of friend would I be if I let you go off on your own without any sort of help.” Amanda turned to look at Aaliyah. “Besides, I kinda want to see the guy who brought you to the dorm again.”

Aaliyah half swore she saw a smile on Amanda’s face and smiled. Maybe this trip would be better for the both of them. 

[themurphyzone]

A Skele-Ton to Learn

Based on a quick gag from Backwards to School Night where they bring a skeleton back to life. 

“You wanted to see me?” Melissa asked, closing the door to Principal Milder’s office behind her. She dropped her backpack at her feet, slipping into a chair. There was a boy with messy blond hair by the water cooler, who seemed rather fascinated by the taps. His outfit was more appropriate for a rodeo rather than a public school. 

Principal Milder sighed. “Get comfortable, cause this is gonna take a while.” 

The boy flopped into the seat next to her. “Hello!” he exclaimed, shaking her hand. She shook it once to be polite. “Wow, you’ve got really strong carpals!”

“Uh, yeah. I drink a lot of milk,” Melissa said, eyeing him cautiously. 

The boy nodded eagerly. “So what’s your favorite bone? I like the strength of the femur, oh, but the clavicle has this really pretty shape too, and I could go on forever about the scapula....” 

As he rambled on, Melissa decided she didn’t care about a reprimand and gave Principal Milder the universal sign for ‘Who the heck is this and why is he complimenting my bones within five seconds of meeting me?’ 

“Meet Pat Ella,” Principal Milder said awkwardly. “Or as you and the rest of the school know him, Bony Boy.” 

Melissa managed to crack a smile. “That’s hilarious. Everyone knows that Bony Boy is the-” 

An alarm went off in her brain. 

“-skeleton in Mrs. Murawski’s classroom what’sgoingonhere?” Melissa’s voice rose to a shriek and she climbed out of her seat, holding her backpack in front of her for protection. “You’re supposed to be skin and bones, wait, no, just bones, cause skeletons aren’t supposed to have skin!” 

“There was an incident the night of the Parent-Teacher Conference-” Principal Milder continued. Melissa got the impression she was laughing at her. “-in which Pat Ella claims he was hit with a strange beam of light and came back to life. Unfortunately, we can’t verify his claims with the security cameras since they’re always malfunctioning and I still haven’t heard back from the district about getting replacements.”

“Is your name really Pat Ella?” Melissa asked the former Bony Boy, slowly putting as much distance as she could between them. 

He grinned. “I think so! I wanted to name myself Jack Skellington, but apparently there’s some copyright laws that prevent it.” 

“I can’t disclose his former identity to you, since that would raise numerous ethical and legal implications as to why the school was keeping a student’s skeleton in the closet,” Principal Milder said. “Besides, Mrs. Murawski terrified all the attorneys in the Tri-State Area when they objected to her marrying a teacher’s desk.” 

“How fascinating,” Melissa said, her throat growing dry. 

“And now I’m tasking you with the job of showing Pat the ropes around Jefferson County Middle School. You’ll be his guide for the rest of today.” 

And with that, Principal Milder dismissed them. 

“Are you hungry?” Melissa asked. 

“Famished!” Pat exclaimed. “Man, I haven’t had a digestive system in a long time. It’s so weird having squishy organs that can spill out if you just cut the skin right.” 

While Milo often made some off-hand comments that could be taken as creepy or macabre, he lacked the obsession with human anatomy that Pat proudly possessed. Briefly she wondered if she was acting as a guide for a future serial killer. 

“You know, most people tend to respond with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no,” Melissa said hopefully, hoping to instill a basic social skill early. “Now, did you bring your lunch?” 

Pat had gone with the simple answer of no, which she was thankful for. She pointed him to the lunch line, which was incredibly long despite only being five minutes into the break. 

Now that they were separated, Melissa’s heart was calming down. Milo, Zack, and Mort were already at the table. She sat down and took out her lunch without looking any of them in the eye. 

“So why were you called into Principal Milder’s office?” Milo asked. 

Somehow the sight of ham was making her queasy, and she gingerly peeled it off the rest of the sandwich. “Anyone want this?” she asked. 

There was a bark by her feet, and Melissa looked down to see Diogee drooling at the sight of the ham. She tossed it to him, and he gulped it down in a single bite.

“Diogee, go home!” Milo ordered. Diogee whined and exited the cafeteria, a student opening the side door for him. “Silly pup, he’s not supposed to be in the school cafeteria.” 

She took a tiny bite of her cheese and tomato sandwich. “Bony Boy came back to life on Parent-Teacher Night. And now I’m his guide at school for the rest of the day. His name’s Pat Ella now. He has an obsession with anatomy and now I’m afraid he’s gonna dissect me in my sleep and display my vital organs on trophies.” 

“Your aura is disturbed,” Mort noted. 

How helpful.

“It’s okay, we’ll help out in any way we can,” Milo reassured her. 

“How did Bony Boy come back to life?” Zack asked. “That’s what I’m wondering.” 

“Something about a strange beam of light....” Melissa murmured. She remembered a beam of light had enveloped their parents and Mrs. Murawski when they were de-aged and later returned to normal by the device Cavendish needed to fix. “Guys, I think the de-aging beam must’ve struck Bony Boy at one point.” 

Zack waved his hands frantically. “Slow down! You mean to tell me Cavendish and Dakota just casually had a gadget that can bring people back to life? Does that mean if you reversed the effects-”

“-that you could kill someone quickly and efficiently? Yes, yes it does,” Melissa finished. 

“Do you think I should call Cavendish and Dakota?” Milo asked. “I mean, doesn’t this technically fall under time travel?” 

“Time travel is messy enough if Dr. Zone is anything to go by,” Zack gulped. “Maybe we shouldn’t involve them unless we absolutely need to.” 

“Agreed,” Melissa said. 

To her dismay, Pat managed to join them with ten minutes left in the lunch period. “Hey, you must be Melissa’s friends! Milo, it’s nice to meet you! You fighting that sentient blob was super amazing!” 

Milo grinned at the compliment, only to be replaced by confusion. “Wait, how did you know about the sentient blob?” 

Pat gobbled down half of his spaghetti, dabbing at a glob of marinara at the corner of his mouth. When he set the napkin on his tray, Melissa couldn’t help but think it looked like blood.

“Being dead was kind of an out of body experience,” Pat explained. “I could see what was going on, provided I was facing the class and not the wall. Maybe not really an out of body experience, since it seemed like my soul was trapped inside the skeleton and begging to be set free, maybe an in-body experience would be more correct? All I know is that I couldn’t move at all.” 

He really shouldn’t talk about those things so casually, Melissa thought. 

“Whoops, I’m sorry for knocking your skull off one time and having to chase it all the way to a baseball stadium where the batter somehow scored a home run with you,” Milo said sheepishly. 

“Nah, I should be thanking you for that one,” Pat shrugged. “Gave me a chance to see more than a science classroom. It was totally worth the crack in my mandible!” 

“What do you think of Mrs. Murawski?” Mort asked. 

“She’s strange but cool, I guess,” Pat replied. “Things get weird after school though. She starts telling her desk things you’d only hear from a lovey-dovey couple on a honeymoon.” 

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Saved by the bell, Melissa thought. She did not want to hear the details.

History class was an absolute trainwreck. 

And the train that smashed the wall where Mr. Drako kept a picture of his ex was the least of her concerns. Mr. Drako had finished his lesson early, leaving them with free time for the rest of the school day. Melissa was tempted to go up to his desk and beg to continue the Civil War to avoid her classmates freaking out when Pat inevitably complimented their skeletons. 

“Oh, I like psychological horror more!” Pat said to Chad, who was starting to turn green. “Zombies are cool, but I really enjoy villains who twist the knife into the mind and cause the heroes a whole lot of mental anguish. I love it when you don’t know what’s happening, and you’re given the bare bones, if you’ll pardon my pun, and your imagination starts filling in the blanks! That’s what true horror is!” 

Chad smiled weakly. “Uh, yeah. Cool.” 

To distract herself, Melissa turned to Amanda. “Hey, I haven’t seen Lydia for the past two days,” she began. “Is she sick?” 

Amanda didn’t look up from highlighting her planner. “She was doing a rehearsal and tripped on the stairs leading to the stage. Broke her arm.” 

“Maybe we should run by the hospital to see her,” Milo suggested. “The gift shop there has some really nice flowers. It’s too bad. She really loves theater arts.” 

Amanda nodded. “Yeah, she was more upset at being out of the play than her broken arm.”

“Too bad. Broken bones aren’t fun,” Pat frowned, rubbing his shoulder as if remembering an old injury. “And neither is your entire arm popping off when something crashes into it. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but my left arm just doesn’t quite feel like it’s in the right position.” 

“Um, maybe you should get that looked at?” Amanda asked nervously. 

Pat shrugged. “Maybe later.” 

Pat’s definition of ‘maybe later’ turned out to be never since Milo had invited him over to his house since he didn’t have a computer at home to do research for an essay. Melissa tagged along, since she practically lived at the Murphy home anyway. 

It beat being home alone when her dad worked long hours. 

Melissa tuned out Pat gushing over the vertebral column, wondering if there were any articles about his death. Or what his previous identity was, parents, date of birth, and public records. She figured it was a mystery that would never be solved. 

“Zack, do you think Principal Milder is secretly running a shady business with the school as a cover?” Melissa asked. “Because that has to be the logical explanation behind all this.” 

“Probably,” Zack replied. “I’ve never met anyone who was super concerned about their keys before.”

[notsofly]

Ties in Blood Chapter 2

@mrswhozeewhatsis @percussiongirl2017 @idreamofplaid @impala-dreamer @squirrelnotsam

Chapter 2

“Ms. Fisher,” the professor called out as Aaliyah’s ringer started up.

“Sorry, Mr. Greenwood.” Aaliyah rushed to her feet and out the classroom door as she struggled with the cell. Bracing herself against the wall, she flipped the phone open and pressed it against her ear without checking who was calling. “Hello?”

“Aaliyah? It’s Dean.”

She blinked a few times as her mind worked up a response. “I’m in the middle class. The professor’s not one to be lenient on having phones interrupt the class.” There was a pause long enough to have her think she said the wrong thing. “Dean, what’s up? I’m sure it’s not like hunters call an average college student out of the blue like this.”

“Your voicemail.” Two words and the message Aaliyah left a month ago flooded back. “You said something about missing people.”

Aaliyah glanced down as she scuffed the ball of her shoe against the tile floor. “One for sure. My dad went missing a few years ago, and the locals gave up after a few months of searching. I swear it was something … else. My brother had been at college … I think. He hasn’t called in a year, so he might be busy…”

“Aaliyah,” Dean cut in.

“Sorry. It’s okay if you can’t …” She started to pull the phone away from her ear.

“Where was the last place your father was seen?”

“You’d look for him? Really?” Aaliyah held onto that little glimmer of hope she had held onto for years.

“Now, I can’t promise he’d be found alive,” Dean told her. “Where was he last?”

Aaliyah glanced around the hallway in her attempt of thinking back the past few years. “Work; pretty sure. Or on his way home. He was never one for extra stuff due to long work hours.” She trailed off as a recent memory of her watching her father walk into the house after a long work shift and straight to his bedroom. “Hey, we’re getting a break for Thanksgiving. I could come back …”

“No.” It sounded harsh coming from Dean. “Stay there and … study or something.”

“This is my father we’re talking about, Dean,” Aaliyah half yelled. “And my brother. I want to help.” She listened to his breathing on the other end and wondered if he would relent.

“If you can be in your hometown Thanksgiving Day, you can help,” Dean put up. “Gotta go.”

A light thump on the other end and Aaliyah pulled her phone from her head. Easing it closed, she startled when the classroom door opened and her class streamed from the room. Waiting until most of the students had left the room, Sara ducked in and up where her belongings were still sprawled out.

“Ms. Fisher,” Mr. Smith spoke up. “If you have your phone on in the next class…”

“It won’t happen again, sir,” Aaliyah cut in as she put her things in her bag. “Promise.” She shouldered her bag as she moved to leave the room. Her mind raced with all the things she needed to do to make it back home in two days.

***

Aaliyah adjusted her shower items in the suitcase and stepped back. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that something was missing. A few pairs of jeans, check. A variety of shirts from tees to passable for a nice dinner out, check. Tennis shoes were by the dorm door. A couple pairs of shoes to match the two nice outfits were in the suitcase. She wasn’t expecting to be invited some place that would require the nice stuff packed away, yet there was that sense of wanting to be prepared for that occasion.

“Taking a trip somewhere?” Amanda asked, closing the dorm door behind her.

“Sorta. I may have gotten some help trying to find my father.” Aaliyah turned from her bed and joined Amanda at hers. “Then maybe my brother.”

“You honestly think you’re gonna find them both alive after all this time?” Amanda put her text books away.

“The cops didn’t find anything after my father disappeared. Sure, the car was on the side of the road, but no body. Nothing like that.” Aaliyah ran a finger along Amanda’s dresser and stopped at a picture that showed the two of them at a home football game. “I … They’re family, Amanda. Call it crazy, but there’s some part of me that wants to know what happened to them.”

Amanda turned from her stack of books and met Aaliyah’s eyes. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to. ‘Sides, you’ve got a better chance of graduating and getting a nursing job than I am.”

“When are you supposed to be meeting this help of yours?” Amanda half dove into her side of the closet and pulled out her suitcase.

“Two days. What are you doing? Put that back, you’re not…”

“Letting you go alone.”

Aaliyah watched Amanda pull out denim jeans, tee shirts, and a few jackets that looked like they’ve seen better days. Next went in an outfit or two that would pass for nice. “Don’t throw away your life because I’m going on a wild goose chase.”

“I’m not.” Amanda tossed in a few pairs of shoes then zipped the suitcase. “Besides, you need a vehicle to get wherever you’re going in two days.”

Aaliyah shifted as Amanda started for the door. There was something about Amanda that screamed skeletons in the closet. Aaliyah had asked about her roommate when they first met, but Amanda deflected with something else. Something told Aaliyah as she rushed to put her shoes on and grabbed her own suitcase that she may learn more than she wanted about her roommate.

***

Aaliyah scanned the shelves that held a variety of snack foods. Five hours out from the university she convinced Amanda to pull off and to a gas station. The little voice in the back of Aaliyah’s mind had told her that Amanda agreed only because they needed to fill the tank. Unable to decide on what snacks to get, Aaliyah grabbed the few she had been eyeing and started for the counter. The door chimed sounded as a man staggered in and made his way over to the coolers. Aaliyah’s inner voice screamed to drop the snacks and all but run out to the car where Amanda was waiting and leave. Forcing herself toward the counter, Aaliyah set the snacks down and started to fish out what money she had as the clerk started ringing her selections.

The light tapping of the man’s shoes came up a few steps behind Aaliyah as the clerk finished ringing up her choices. He was back far enough not to crowd, but the feeling he was too close had more of Aaliyah’s alarms go off. Handing over the money, she anchored her feet to the floor. The clerk accepted the money and dealt with the register. Behind Aaliyah was a small sniff. She turned her head just enough to see the other customer leaning over her shoulder sniffing at it.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “It’s a bad habit I’ve been trying to break.”

Aaliyah shifted her shoulders as she accepted her change and the bag of snacks. She stepped away from the counter and half expected the other customer to step up. When something grabbed her arm, Aaliyah jerked away. When the grip got tighter, she looked up to the other customer and screamed. What looked back were not normal eyes, but all black. The bag of snacks fell from her free hand as she swung it around to hit the man.

“Not so fast,” the customer … No, Aaliyah’s mind told her. It’s whatever causing the black eyes. “You’re going to …”

A loud blast echoed in the building. Aaliyah’s body froze in place at the sound. Her mind worked her body out of the state as the body of the other customer started to slump to the floor. Aaliyah freed her hand and stumbled back away from the body, kicking the snack bag as she did. She stopped once she hit a display rack and the shooter ambled in over to where the body had dropped. A handful of seconds passed before Aaliyah’s mind recognized the new person as Amanda.

“What’s your deal, demon?” Amanda demanded as she grabbed the man’s shirt at the collar and pulled him up to her.

“There’s been a hit put on that one,” the man pointed at Aaliyah. “What demon do you know wouldn’t take the chance?”

“What hit?” Amanda shook the man. “What hit!” She pulled her free hand back in a fist.

“Go ahead and hit,” the demon taunted. “It’ll hurt him more.”

Aaliyah tilted her head. Her adrenaline from fighting off the man had ebbed away just to be replaced by sheer confusion. She eased herself away from the display rack and over to where Amanda and the man were sprawled on the floor. His eyes jumped from Amanda to Aaliyah as she took one step too close.

“Word to the wise,” the demon spoke. “Do not go digging up what should have been left buried.” A cloud of black smoke bellowed out from the man, startling Aaliyah back.

“Wha…What was that?” she managed to ask after regaining her voice.

Amanda eased to her feet, something in the hand that had been a fist. “A demon, low level probably.” She gathered up the snacks and the bag before heading for the door.

Aaliyah blinked a few times as her gaze fell on the dead man. Her mind kickstarted her into moving after Amanda. “Low level demon? What do you know of demons? They don’t exist.”

“Oh, and that werewolf that scarred you up didn’t exist?” Amanda countered as she opened the car’s driver door and slid in.

Aaliyah stopped when Amanda countered with the werewolf. The wounds were definitely real and the scars on her side pulled when she twisted in such a way. Aaliyah got into the car as it started up and struggled with the seatbelt. “But … Demons. Like Exorcist type shit?”

“Rarer than what just happened back at the station.” Amanda merged out onto the street and for the highway. “That was my … second time coming across a demon.”

“Second time? Wait, how did you know how to deal with it?” Aaliyah shifted around in her seat to look at Amanda. “Things aren’t adding up here.”

“I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

“When it’s safe? That thing is still out there.” Aaliyah reached for her door handle as she unbuckled. “Stop the car, let me out.”

“Aaliyah, please.”

Aaliyah stopped in her struggle and looked over to Amanda. In the low light she thought Amanda had the expression she was mentally debating on telling Aaliyah the one thing she didn’t want to.

“You want to know how I knew to handle the demon?” Amanda asked after a few silence moments. “And why I didn’t get involved with your fight with the werewolf?” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “My family are hunters.”

“A lot of families are hunters,” Aaliyah countered.

Amanda shook her head. “Not out hunting animals. More hunters of the supernatural.”

Aaliyah chuckled. “Yeah, the supernatural. Okay, and my mother was a fairy and my father was a genie.”

“I knew telling you was a bad idea. This whole trip was a bad idea from the start.” Amanda pulled over to the side of the highway. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again, Aaliyah. You were – are – the one person that didn’t judge me on my family or what we’ve done. I felt like a new person.”

Aaliyah bit back the comment that threatened to emerge. Amanda hadn’t been really forthcoming with her life before college when they met, so Aaliyah couldn’t judge her roommate on family. “I’m sorry for dragging …”

Amanda tossed up a finger, silencing Aaliyah before she could finish. “You didn’t drag me on this, I wanted to come. I …” The finger went down. “I just thought that I could do this without getting drawn back into hunting.”

Aaliyah looked down to her hands, unsure of what to say to comfort Amanda. Aaliyah had started off with the hope of finding what happened to her father and brother for some sort of closure and here Amanda was trying to run from her past. “You don’t have to do this.”

“What sort of friend would I be if I let you go off on your own without any sort of help.” Amanda turned to look at Aaliyah. “Besides, I kinda want to see the guy who brought you to the dorm again.”

Aaliyah half swore she saw a smile on Amanda’s face and smiled. Maybe this trip would be better for the both of them.

[idreamofhazeleyes]

Ties in Blood -- Ch. 2

Here it is, chapter 2. I could have added another scene after the highway, but gotta keep the story moving, right?

Chapter 2

“Ms. Fisher,” the professor called out as Aaliyah’s ringer started up.

“Sorry, Mr. Greenwood.” Aaliyah rushed to her feet and out the classroom door as she struggled with the cell. Bracing herself against the wall, she flipped the phone open and pressed it against her ear without checking who was calling. “Hello?”

“Aaliyah? It’s Dean.”

She blinked a few times as her mind worked up a response. “I’m in the middle class. The professor’s not one to be lenient on having phones interrupt the class.” There was a pause long enough to have her think she said the wrong thing. “Dean, what’s up? I’m sure it’s not like hunters call an average college student out of the blue like this.”

“Your voicemail.” Two words and the message Aaliyah left a month ago flooded back. “You said something about missing people.”

Aaliyah glanced down as she scuffed the ball of her shoe against the tile floor. “One for sure. My dad went missing a few years ago, and the locals gave up after a few months of searching. I swear it was something … else. My brother had been at college … I think. He hasn’t called in a year, so he might be busy…”

“Aaliyah,” Dean cut in.

“Sorry. It’s okay if you can’t …” She started to pull the phone away from her ear.

“Where was the last place your father was seen?”

“You’d look for him? Really?” Aaliyah held onto that little glimmer of hope she had held onto for years.

“Now, I can’t promise he’d be found alive,” Dean told her. “Where was he last?”

Aaliyah glanced around the hallway in her attempt of thinking back the past few years. “Work; pretty sure. Or on his way home. He was never one for extra stuff due to long work hours.” She trailed off as a recent memory of her watching her father walk into the house after a long work shift and straight to his bedroom. “Hey, we’re getting a break for Thanksgiving. I could come back …”

“No.” It sounded harsh coming from Dean. “Stay there and … study or something.”

“This is my father we’re talking about, Dean,” Aaliyah half yelled. “And my brother. I want to help.” She listened to his breathing on the other end and wondered if he would relent.

“If you can be in your hometown Thanksgiving Day, you can help,” Dean put up. “Gotta go.”

A light thump on the other end and Aaliyah pulled her phone from her head. Easing it closed, she startled when the classroom door opened and her class streamed from the room. Waiting until most of the students had left the room, Sara ducked in and up where her belongings were still sprawled out.

“Ms. Fisher,” Mr. Smith spoke up. “If you have your phone on in the next class…”

“It won’t happen again, sir,” Aaliyah cut in as she put her things in her bag. “Promise.” She shouldered her bag as she moved to leave the room. Her mind raced with all the things she needed to do to make it back home in two days.

***

Aaliyah adjusted her shower items in the suitcase and stepped back. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that something was missing. A few pairs of jeans, check. A variety of shirts from tees to passable for a nice dinner out, check. Tennis shoes were by the dorm door. A couple pairs of shoes to match the two nice outfits were in the suitcase. She wasn’t expecting to be invited some place that would require the nice stuff packed away, yet there was that sense of wanting to be prepared for that occasion.

“Taking a trip somewhere?” Amanda asked, closing the dorm door behind her.

“Sorta. I may have gotten some help trying to find my father.” Aaliyah turned from her bed and joined Amanda at hers. “Then maybe my brother.”

“You honestly think you’re gonna find them both alive after all this time?” Amanda put her text books away.

“The cops didn’t find anything after my father disappeared. Sure, the car was on the side of the road, but no body. Nothing like that.” Aaliyah ran a finger along Amanda’s dresser and stopped at a picture that showed the two of them at a home football game. “I … They’re family, Amanda. Call it crazy, but there’s some part of me that wants to know what happened to them.”

Amanda turned from her stack of books and met Aaliyah’s eyes. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to. ‘Sides, you’ve got a better chance of graduating and getting a nursing job than I am.”

“When are you supposed to be meeting this help of yours?” Amanda half dove into her side of the closet and pulled out her suitcase.

“Two days. What are you doing? Put that back, you’re not…”

“Letting you go alone.”

Aaliyah watched Amanda pull out denim jeans, tee shirts, and a few jackets that looked like they’ve seen better days. Next went in an outfit or two that would pass for nice. “Don’t throw away your life because I’m going on a wild goose chase.”

“I’m not.” Amanda tossed in a few pairs of shoes then zipped the suitcase. “Besides, you need a vehicle to get wherever you’re going in two days.”

Aaliyah shifted as Amanda started for the door. There was something about Amanda that screamed skeletons in the closet. Aaliyah had asked about her roommate when they first met, but Amanda deflected with something else. Something told Aaliyah as she rushed to put her shoes on and grabbed her own suitcase that she may learn more than she wanted about her roommate.

***

Aaliyah scanned the shelves that held a variety of snack foods. Five hours out from the university she convinced Amanda to pull off and to a gas station. The little voice in the back of Aaliyah’s mind had told her that Amanda agreed only because they needed to fill the tank. Unable to decide on what snacks to get, Aaliyah grabbed the few she had been eyeing and started for the counter. The door chimed sounded as a man staggered in and made his way over to the coolers. Aaliyah’s inner voice screamed to drop the snacks and all but run out to the car where Amanda was waiting and leave. Forcing herself toward the counter, Aaliyah set the snacks down and started to fish out what money she had as the clerk started ringing her selections.

The light tapping of the man’s shoes came up a few steps behind Aaliyah as the clerk finished ringing up her choices. He was back far enough not to crowd, but the feeling he was too close had more of Aaliyah’s alarms go off. Handing over the money, she anchored her feet to the floor. The clerk accepted the money and dealt with the register. Behind Aaliyah was a small sniff. She turned her head just enough to see the other customer leaning over her shoulder sniffing at it.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “It’s a bad habit I’ve been trying to break.”

Aaliyah shifted her shoulders as she accepted her change and the bag of snacks. She stepped away from the counter and half expected the other customer to step up. When something grabbed her arm, Aaliyah jerked away. When the grip got tighter, she looked up to the other customer and screamed. What looked back were not normal eyes, but all black. The bag of snacks fell from her free hand as she swung it around to hit the man.

“Not so fast,” the customer … No, Aaliyah’s mind told her. It’s whatever causing the black eyes. “You’re going to …”

A loud blast echoed in the building. Aaliyah’s body froze in place at the sound. Her mind worked her body out of the state as the body of the other customer started to slump to the floor. Aaliyah freed her hand and stumbled back away from the body, kicking the snack bag as she did. She stopped once she hit a display rack and the shooter ambled in over to where the body had dropped. A handful of seconds passed before Aaliyah’s mind recognized the new person as Amanda.

“What’s your deal, demon?” Amanda demanded as she grabbed the man’s shirt at the collar and pulled him up to her.

“There’s been a hit put on that one,” the man pointed at Aaliyah. “What demon do you know wouldn’t take the chance?”

“What hit?” Amanda shook the man. “What hit!” She pulled her free hand back in a fist.

“Go ahead and hit,” the demon taunted. “It’ll hurt him more.”

Aaliyah tilted her head. Her adrenaline from fighting off the man had ebbed away just to be replaced by sheer confusion. She eased herself away from the display rack and over to where Amanda and the man were sprawled on the floor. His eyes jumped from Amanda to Aaliyah as she took one step too close.

“Word to the wise,” the demon spoke. “Do not go digging up what should have been left buried.” A cloud of black smoke bellowed out from the man, startling Aaliyah back.

“Wha…What was that?” she managed to ask after regaining her voice.

Amanda eased to her feet, something in the hand that had been a fist. “A demon, low level probably.” She gathered up the snacks and the bag before heading for the door.

Aaliyah blinked a few times as her gaze fell on the dead man. Her mind kickstarted her into moving after Amanda. “Low level demon? What do you know of demons? They don’t exist.”

“Oh, and that werewolf that scarred you up didn’t exist?” Amanda countered as she opened the car’s driver door and slid in.

Aaliyah stopped when Amanda countered with the werewolf. The wounds were definitely real and the scars on her side pulled when she twisted in such a way. Aaliyah got into the car as it started up and struggled with the seatbelt. “But … Demons. Like Exorcist type shit?”

“Rarer than what just happened back at the station.” Amanda merged out onto the street and for the highway. “That was my … second time coming across a demon.”

“Second time? Wait, how did you know how to deal with it?” Aaliyah shifted around in her seat to look at Amanda. “Things aren’t adding up here.”

“I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

“When it’s safe? That thing is still out there.” Aaliyah reached for her door handle as she unbuckled. “Stop the car, let me out.”

“Aaliyah, please.”

Aaliyah stopped in her struggle and looked over to Amanda. In the low light she thought Amanda had the expression she was mentally debating on telling Aaliyah the one thing she didn’t want to.

“You want to know how I knew to handle the demon?” Amanda asked after a few silence moments. “And why I didn’t get involved with your fight with the werewolf?” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “My family are hunters.”

“A lot of families are hunters,” Aaliyah countered.

Amanda shook her head. “Not out hunting animals. More hunters of the supernatural.”

Aaliyah chuckled. “Yeah, the supernatural. Okay, and my mother was a fairy and my father was a genie.”

“I knew telling you was a bad idea. This whole trip was a bad idea from the start.” Amanda pulled over to the side of the highway. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again, Aaliyah. You were – are – the one person that didn’t judge me on my family or what we’ve done. I felt like a new person.”

Aaliyah bit back the comment that threatened to emerge. Amanda hadn’t been really forthcoming with her life before college when they met, so Aaliyah couldn’t judge her roommate on family. “I’m sorry for dragging …”

Amanda tossed up a finger, silencing Aaliyah before she could finish. “You didn’t drag me on this, I wanted to come. I …” The finger went down. “I just thought that I could do this without getting drawn back into hunting.”

Aaliyah looked down to her hands, unsure of what to say to comfort Amanda. Aaliyah had started off with the hope of finding what happened to her father and brother for some sort of closure and here Amanda was trying to run from her past. “You don’t have to do this.”

“What sort of friend would I be if I let you go off on your own without any sort of help.” Amanda turned to look at Aaliyah. “Besides, I kinda want to see the guy who brought you to the dorm again.”

Aaliyah half swore she saw a smile on Amanda’s face and smiled. Maybe this trip would be better for the both of them.

@luci-in-trenchcoats @mrswhozeewhatsis @percussiongirl2017 @revwinchester