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my-socialdiary · 4 years ago

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Deep Water

Word Count: 2113

Here we go! Childe x Lumine fanfiction! This is my first time writing a story using english XD pardon my bad BAD grammar because english is not my first language. i tried to fix that :(

***

They’re different, inside and outside.

They have different purposes when approaching each other.

But strangely enough, they feel comfortable. They feel like they can rely on each other.

There is Lumine, and Childe.

There is a butterfly and its destroyer.

It is dark, still, yet beautiful at the same time. The full moon that reflected on the darkened blue sea in Yaoguang Shoal. The sound of waves is so calming and somehow has the ability to heal every ache, mentally. Lumine sits on one of the rocks, dipping her feet in the salt water, enjoying the coldness that it gives. She loves being near water even though she’s an anemo user.

Water; the stillness is giving it a mysterious sense. You will never know what’s deep inside the water if you don’t purposely dive into it. It may contain something dangerous, or it may contain something valuable, like that luxurious chest she finds at Dunyu Ruins after delivering some annoying seelies. For her, water by some means is magical and inexplicable.

Water is exactly just like Childe.

Mysterious.

Menacing.

Some people said that he’s ruthless. Merciless murderer, because of his affiliation with the Fatui, and also because he’s the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers. The youngest one but one of the most dangerous amongst their number.

But…

He’s the most bold, enchanting, and clever man she ever met in her life. Not to mention he also has the sweetest smile…

… and lots of Mora.

She smiled when remembering that moment when Childe approached her and Zhongli when they were about to buy some kites for The Rite of Parting from Granny Shan’s shop. Zhongli is… thinking about him makes her sigh. That man is surely a special case.

“… Lumine?” A small, sleepy voice brings her back in reality. “Paimon thinks that now we should camp somewhere else. It’s so cold in here and Paimon can catch a cold anytime!” Her emergency f—travelling companion now is awake and leans her body to Lumine’s head. “C’mon, Lumine! We can camp at Mingyun Village or get a room at Wangshu Inn, but not here, in the open field, near the water!”

Lumine chuckles. “Alright, alright,” she stands and reaches up her shoes. “Let’s go.”

Before they leave, Lumine glances over the sea once again and smiles.

***

He knows himself more than anyone in Liyue—or even in Teyvat. Or even his sister, Tonia. All the blessing and curse he has related to water. All those scars that he tried to bury, deep down in his mind. All those achievements mean nothing more than a boastful show off. He knows himself. Truly, inside and outside.

But, meeting her makes him doubt his knowledge about himself.

Their first meeting is quite unique. That time, when there’s announcement about Rex Lapis’ death at The Rite of Descension, he was just arrived at Liyue to do some works delegated by Fatui to the Northland Bank when he heard a bunch of Millelith shouting to each other, ordering their comrades to arrest someone.

“You have nowhere to run!”

That commotion is enough to get his interest. He looked up and saw the back of a blonde-haired girl that just drew her sword out to fight those trained Millelith. Before he could think twice, the water shifted from his hand, forming a water blade each in his hands and leap over, “Hey girlie, hold still!” The sound of water coming through his ears while his hands are now focusing to fight those Millelith. His position as one of the Harbingers was not given to him without reasons. Easily enough, he defeated all of the Millelith guard—he didn’t kill them, but enough to make them unconscious—then turn back to that girl just to see her golden-yellow eyes now staring at him.

He knew her. Friend of the Knights of Favonius.

“Come with me.” That time, he knew he shouldn’t do that. But he did it anyway. And from then until now, they’ve been together, side by side to fight monsters and sometimes treasure hoarders. It’s funny to realize that because he’s more like an independent fighter rather than a group fighter. But with Lumine, everything that he knows about himself seems to become different. Firstly, He already promises himself that he won’t do anything using his feelings anymore. And secondly, He promises himself that he won’t do anything stupid by helping other people because that’s not what Fatui do.

But yet, he failed.

Lumine is like a breath of fresh air for his breathless life. With Lumine, he feels like he can relax a little bit, smile a little bit, and importantly, see the beauty of life a little bit. A little bit is more than enough for life like his. But that little bit is not good for their relationship. Tsaritsa will find out about Lumine sooner or later. And that’s not good. That means Lumine will always be in danger near him. Thinking about that makes him shiver. I can’t let anything bad happen to her. Not until she reunites with her twin brother. Not until I can be assured that she’s safe. This time, he tries to keep his promise. He could no longer indulge himself in all this beauty which he didn’t deserve from the first time he knew her.

Because of that, now he found himself waiting at Liyue Harbor because he made a promise to Lumine that they would watch the sunrise before he went back to Snezhnaya. Lumine doesn’t know yet about his plan to go back to his hometown. She only knew that today they would be enjoying sunrise on the boat he rented from Linling. He tries so hard to distance himself from that bright-cheerful-and-lighthearted girl but he fails dozens of times. This is the only way he can do that. Even though it means that he probably will see that girl crying in front of him.

“Childe!” The euphonic voice that has become his favorite—since when? He doesn’t know—takes him back to the scenery of Liyue Harbor. “been waiting long?” Lumine asks while stabilizing her blue glider and then fixing her flower hair clip. Childe looked away to distract himself and pretend to be looking the other way.

“Not really,” he smiles. “You ready?”

“I was born ready,” she smiled back. The smile that has always been his favorite.

“Let’s go, then.” Childe walked first, followed by Lumine behind him. She can’t help but smile like an idiot while looking at Childe’s broad shoulder. She knows that she likes him more than friends, but how about him? He never made a real move towards her. Childe has been doing sweet things to her, but how can she be sure that it because he likes her in that way? Should she ask him first?

“Ouch!” Her thoughts make her unaware that Childe is now stopped walking and tries to untie the rope that ties the boat. “Oh my Archons, that hurts!” She cringed and rubbed her aching forehead. Childe turns back and chuckles. She’s so cute. He thinks. And the next second he tries to ignore that thought.

“What were you doing?”

Both of Lumine’s cheeks become warm. I was thinking about you! “N-no. Nothing. Nothing at all, s-seriously!”

“Whoa, okay-okay,” Childe lets out a small laugh. “Let’s go.” He reaches Lumine’s arms and helps her get on the boat. After everything has set, Childe rowed the boat, heading to the best place to see the sunrise in Liyue Harbor according to his experience. It was 4 in the morning when they set out their boat. Here in Liyue, the sun rises a little late.

“I always love midnight and dawn,” she looked at Childe while keeping her hair from covering her face. “It’s nice and calm.”

“Thought you were the rousing-type of girl,”

“Yeah, I’ll admit that, but sometimes,” she turns her head over the sea horizon. “Once in a lifetime, you need to escape from those ruckus and enjoy the beauty of stillness.”

“The beauty of stillness, huh?” he raised his eyebrow. “Never heard of that.”

Lumine smiles.

A few moments later, Childe stopped rowing. He is now looking at Lumine who is currently closing her eyes, enjoying the cool air. She won’t be bothered by the wind. She’s an anemo user, after all. Wind is her friend. Just like water is his friend. And enemy, at the same time.

He then looked down to his reflection on the water. That smile of his and all of the funny jokes he made so that people will like him is a lie. It was a deceitful move. But when he’s with Lumine, it all feels real. Or… maybe it’s just his delusion. Like the electro vision he has, given by Tsaritsa. He doesn’t know anymore what’s real in his life.

“Childe, look!” Lumine is now covering her mouth, feeling in awe because the sun starts to go up to its place in Liyue. “It’s so beautiful.”

Instead of looking at the sunrise, he looked at Lumine—never can get enough of her—and said, “it is.”

“Thank you for bringing me here, Childe.” She gives him a dazzling smile. “I really, really love it.”

“Well, now you know this place. You can come here every time you want to enjoy that ‘beauty of stillness’.” He quoted Lumine’s words and gave a playful smile.

“With you?”

“You can go here alone. That’s the point, right?”

“I mean, we can go here together again, right? I can teach you about the beauty of stillness that I mentioned earlier,” She said.

“No…” He looked down. Now is the time for you to tell her, Childe. “I-I will no longer come to Liyue.”

“W-what do you mean you will no longer come to Liyue? Are you leaving?”

He nodded. “I’m going back to Snezhnaya,” he didn’t dare to look at her. “My hometown.”

“...when?”

“Today.”

She swallowed her tears, “so this is why you suggest that we should go watch the sunrise,” her voice is now trembling. “You wanted to say goodbye?”

“Yes. Besides, there's nothing else I can do here anyway,” please don’t cry. Please don’t cry. Please. “And the Fatui is asking me to go back.” liar.

What about me? A tear tickled her cheek, and she started chewing on her lower lip while her eyes welled up with tears. “I—” she mumbled something through her mouth and choked on her sobs. “S-sorry. I didn’t know what happened to me.” She let out fake chuckles and looked away.

Meanwhile, Childe, his vision was blurry; it was difficult for him to see clearly, but he knew that it was a hurtful moment for them. He hears Lumine sniffing and sobbing even though she is trying to hold it. For some moment, both of them drown into their own thoughts and feelings.

“Will I be able to see you again, sometime in the future?” Lumine asks. She didn’t turn her head to see Childe. “Is there a possibility that we can sit in this boat, enjoying the sunrise together again? Is there any?”

Childe opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again. No. we can’t meet. You can’t meet me. It’s dangerous.

“No?” Lumine urged him.

“If…” Childe dared himself to stare at that girl. “If you want to be around to see it again with me, best you stay alive until we next meet… okay?” And again, he breaks his own promise to not see Lumine ever again.

They smiled at each other.

***

That blonde-haired girl is now sitting at one of the Mingyun Village’s rooftop. She looked at a blue shell with a somewhat star-shaped in the center. A starconch. She misses him already but she knows that sometime in the future, they will meet again. Because he needs to take back this precious starconch from her.

***

“Here, keep this,” Childe takes her right hand and places something in her palm.

“A starconch?”

He nodded. “Yes. It’s not just any starconch you can find, it is my precious starconch because it has memories in it.”

“What memories?” She asked him with a curious look.

“I’ll save that story for later, when we meet again,” he said, which made her frown. “Until then, you need to keep this. Because I’ll come and take this back.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, good.”

***

“I guess I just need to wait a little longer, don’t I?” Lumine glanced at her little fairy friend, stood then jumped off the roof. “In the meantime, let’s blow away some hilichurls, shall we?”

“Lumine, wait, Paimon thinks we should eat first!” Paimon tries to keep her distance near Lumine. But she keeps running with a big grin in her face. “Lumineeeeee!”

#genshin impact #genshin impact lumine #genshin impact liyue #liyue harbor #fanfiction #genshin impact fanfiction #childe x lumine #tartaglia genshin #genshin impact childe #genshin impact fanart #Fanart #starconch #chilumi

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lilyofthestyx · 4 years ago

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Fighting For Tomorrow: Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Still haven’t bought AOT but I’m working on it!

AN: this. is a doozy of a chapter- i know. lots. and lots. and lots of words. but DAMN if i didnt love every part of it. however! if you guys prefer smaller chapters please please please dont hesitate to say something. seriously. id love to write you guys more frequent, smaller chapters but if you guys like the longass, slightly infrequent chapters then they shall continue. just say the word bby. also i felt kinda poetic in some of these sections so if you see reader gettin fancy with her verbage, don’t trip. that was my bad.

Reiner x Fem!Reader, eventual Captain Levi x Fem!Reader, Sasha x Sister!Reader

Word Count: 10k (i finished this at 2 am today before class and nearly passed out at the sight ‘10,008 words’ when i pulled up my word counter. CH-YOW this a big boy)

TW: gore/blood/violence/death, adult language/swearing, slight PTSD, mental anguish, self-harm, grief, nightmares, insomnia, hysterics, horse accident

You can read parts one, two, three, four, and five just by tapping the lovely numbers!

The flames crackle and rage before us, engulfing our comrades’ bodies in scarlet and gold waves.

Engulfing Marco’s body.

Jean had found him. Just… laying there. Up against a building. No one had seen him die, no one knew how he died, just that he did. Marco- our comrade, our friend... my friend- just gone. Taken from us. There was no valiant deed. There was no heroism. There was no triumphant story. Nothing. He just… died.

And that’s the worst part.

He was taken from us and no one knows how. No one knows why.

Marco was one of the first comrades I got close to. We were competitive- always fighting to outdo each other. I’d train two hours, he’d train three. He’d pass the ODM test after four tries, I’d pass it in three. Back and forth, back and forth.

But if we faced something bigger than us- if there was an exercise we couldn’t quite pin down, if there was another Cadet giving us problems, if one of our squad members were injured- we’d always come together to beat it. It was always like that.

He was like my little brother.

I scoff at myself. They all are like my younger siblings. Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, even Annie and Bertholdt. They’re all family and losing Marco… it was like losing a brother.

I did lose a brother.

My brother is among the flames- being turned to ash before my eyes. Marco is gone. Taken from me. Robbed from me. From everyone. His intellect, his kindness, his leadership. All of it gone. Taken from humanity.

We’re just kids.

Marco was just a kid.

All of us- bright-eyed kids wanting to do our best for humanity. To take back what was stolen from us. To serve humanity. We didn’t know how much hate, how much horror was waiting for us. To watch our comrades- our family and friends- be torn apart in front of us. To lose the ones closest to us in unspeakable carnage.

All we wanted was to do something for humanity.

All Marco wanted was to do something for humanity.

He was just a kid.

Tears are streaming down my face as we all watch the flames consume the bodies of fallen soldiers. I can hear the crackling of wood, feel the heat on my skin. But the crackling is distant and the heat is faint. My chest feels empty and cold.

I lost Marco. I lost Hannah. I lost Franz.

And I’ll never get them back.

But I’ll be damned if I allow anyone else to be taken from me.

The Commander roars and rages before us, engulfing us in his words. They burn and singe like fire as they cross the Cadets’ ears. I can hear them whispering among themselves- asking if he’s serious or if he’s crazy or already resigning themselves to the Garrison.

It doesn’t matter what they say.

I’m joining the Scouts. Commander Erwin’s words are a comfort, a pleasant yet caveat warmth. Like a candle sitting beside a curtain. I know what I’m signing up for. I’ve always known. But it doesn’t mean I’ll be giving it all up now.

“I’ve made my decision.”

My eyes turn away from the Commander, landing on Reiner’s form beside me. His gaze is still stuck on the Commander, back straight and shoulders squared. I turn my gaze back to the Commander- not wanting to be chewed out by a commanding officer for not paying attention. “...really?” I ask quietly, “Where are you-?”

“The Scouts.”

My eyes are back on him. “What?” I hiss, “Reiner, you can’t... throw away your shot at the Military Police- you worked so hard, why would you-?”

“Eren was right,” he says quietly. I can feel his chest fill with breath before he chuckles. “They don’t need our skills so far away from the walls. They need us where we’re at use- where the people are.”

“Rei, please, please,” I whisper, “Please don’t do this.”

“Why not?” Reiner chuckles again, “You want me gone?”

“It’s not like that,” I shoot back, “I just…”

“You just what?”

“...I don’t wanna lose anyone else.”

“...you won’t.”

“You can’t know that… I’m already worried about Eren and Armin and Mikasa- if I have to worry about anyone else-”

“You don’t need to worry about me, darling… Because we’re going to get through this,” I can feel his finger graze the side of my hand before his hand takes mine. “Together.”

A shaky exhale leaves my mouth as I close my eyes. “...together,” I whisper as shivers run down my spine.

“That’s right, darling.”

“...those who wish to join other divisions are dismissed.”

Shuffles of feet scurry past me as I remain. I can feel their gazes, their judging glares and confused looks. They mumble to themselves. ‘Insane’, ‘crackpots’, ‘suicidal’, ‘deathwish’. Nervously, I swallow and grip Reiner’s hand tighter.

I can feel his smile. Proud and bright like the sun. Warming like the sun. Relaxation smoothes out over my skin as I soak it in.

I’ve done it. Finally. After years of fighting and hoping and wishing and dreaming about this very moment, I’m here.

The crowd clears out and a scattering of us remains. My eyes dart to each of the figures in the hopes of identifying my fellow crackpots.

Reiner. Armin. Mikasa. Bertholdt. Ymir. Christa. Sas-

My heart stops.

Sasha. Connie. Jean.

What the Hell are they doing here?! They were supposed to join the Military Police. They were going to, weren’t they?! Why are they still here?! Why aren’t they walking away?

At the very base of my stomach, something churns. Quickly and violently.

I think I’m gonna be sick.

I’m already going to be looking out for Armin, Eren, and Mikasa- I came to accept that long ago- but now Sasha? And Reiner? Connie and Jean, too?

Most of everyone I’ve ever loved has just signed their hearts and bodies away to the Scouts- to nearly certain death.

There has to be a way to change their minds, right? There has to be.

...but there isn’t, is there?

They heard the statistics. They know how many have died in the Scouts. They know all the facts, all the dirtiest of details.

And they stayed.

Gods, why did they stay?

I’ll drag each of them out of here by their ears, kicking and screaming, if I have to. I already lost Marco and Hanna and Franz. I don’t think I could take losing them, too.

But if they truly want to- if they know the risk and want to dedicate their hearts just like I am… why would I stop them?

I should be proud.

They’re- we all are- dedicating ourselves to the better future humanity deserves. To the eradication of Titans. To the freedom we all hunger for.

“Very well!” Commander Erwin’s voice booms out over us. “I welcome you- the newest recruits of the Scout Regiment!” His fist slams against his chest in a tight salute, “This is my real salute! Dedicate your hearts to the cause!”

The group moves as one as we all strike our fists to our chests.

My eyes glide from the Commander to Sasha once more.

She’s shaking. I can hear her stifled sobs from here.

But she remains firm in her spot.

She’s made her decision.

And I can accept that.

I lay awake. Moonlight flickers through the window- inching towards the other side of the room. It’s late and I’m exhausted but even when I am, I can’t sleep. There’s too much screaming in my head. Too much gore. Too much carnage that I can only barely remember. The only things that do remember are my heart and lungs- hammering and pounding and stretching to the fullest in the wake of whatever nightmare slinked back into the recesses of my mind.

Reiner stirs in his sleep and wraps his arms around my waist. Tucking me into him, he sighs and buries his head into my neck. “...can’t sleep?” he mumbles. His voice is deep. Deeper than usual, with a gentle rumble to it.

“No,” I whisper back, shrinking into him.

“Wanna talk about it?”

I stay silent. No. No, I really, really, really, really don’t want to. Talking about whatever bothers me is like pulling teeth. It feels like a burden that I’m casting onto someone else. And with Reiner… he’s burdened enough already. He’s everyone’s big brother. Everyone’s confidant. He shoulders responsibilities and punishments for others- never once thinking about himself.

But he’s exhausted. All the time, exhausted. And he’s so good at hiding it. Even around me. But I can see it. The way his golden eyes go hazy at times, the way his shoulders sag and the way things slip his mind. The way he can become an entirely different person with terrifying speed.

It scares me how much I think he carries. Because when he breaks… it’ll be cataclysmic.

Reiner’s lips slide up my shoulder and neck, pressing gentle kisses against my skin. “...well?”

But maybe he’ll open up to me if I take the step first. Maybe I’ll show him that there’s nothing to worry about- that I’m not going anywhere and that he can talk to me about anything. Everything.

“...I’ve… I’ve been having nightmares.”

His kisses stop where they are, lips still pressed to my skin for a moment before pulling away. His grip on me gets tighter as he pulls me closer. Reiner lets his head rest in the crook of my neck and sighs. “...what about?”

I laugh quietly, letting my fingers trail against his forearm. “...I don’t remember most of them but… there is one that comes back… every now and then.”

“I’m listening, darling.”

Slowly, I take a breath. My eyes close as I remember the details of the dream. “...it always starts off the same… I’m in a throne room and there’s a person at my feet. Sometimes… it’s a woman and other times it’s a man and other times, I can’t tell which, but… there’s always someone at my feet,”

“And they’re always crying,” I whisper, eyebrows drawing together and I grip his forearm. “Sobbing and pleading for mercy. A-...And I…” My voice quivers as tears start to flow from my eyes. “I… just… I don’t even know, I just… I see this… light- red light- come from their eyes and they just… they convulse and thrash around for a moment- screaming and crying and begging- before… before they…,”

“...before they die at my feet,” I whisper brokenly, eyes open and staring out into the distance as the scene replays. “And when they finally die… I look up… and there’s… corpses. Thousands upon thousands of corpses, Rei… All piled up on top of each other and in writhing rigidity. As far as I could see- there were bodies- and… and somehow I know that… that I… I had… somehow I know that I was the one that killed them all.”

“I’m your squad leader, Ness,” the man before us states before clapping a hand onto the horse towering beside him. “And this! Is my horse, Chalet…”

My eyes drift away from him, blankly settling on the various horses in their stalls behind me. I’ve tuned him out… I should probably listen to whatever he has to say. But… I’m so tired. Another night of staring at the ceiling while listening to Reiner snore and watching Bertholdt contort himself into a coil across the room.

I don’t know how many sleepless nights I have left.

My body lurches forward slightly as someone nudges me from behind. I turn to face whoever it was. Jean is towering over me with a smirk on his face as he pretends to be watching Squad Leader Ness. “...what the hell was that for?” I mutter, facing forward.

“You were falling asleep again,” he chuckles quietly, “Another… late night?”

I scoff and shake my head, “You’re a child.”

“You didn’t say ‘no’.”

“No, Jean,” I hiss, “I just… couldn’t sleep.”

I can feel him deflate slightly behind me. “...oh…”

“Yeah.”

“...I get them, too.”

“I really hope you don’t.”

Connie, standing beside me, scoots closer. “What’re we talkin’ about?”

Jean answers at the same time as I do. “Sex.”

“Food.”

Connie’s eyebrows furrow slightly as he risks a glance at me. “...huh?”

I sigh and roll my eyes, “We were talking about-”

“Did someone say ‘food’?” Sasha whispers excitedly behind me.

I sigh and roll my eyes again. “You three are-”

“Hilarious.”

“Your favorites.”

“Really hungry.”

Groaning softly, I shake my head at their responses. “Gods… I thought Armin, Eren, and Mikasa were a lot… then I had to get you knuckleheads thrown in, too.”

“Now!” Ness states, looking significantly more disheveled than he did a few minutes ago. Adjusting the bandana around his head, he huffs and stands up straight. “Follow me and I’ll show you to your dorms- and then you’ll be introduced to your horses.”

He walks off, leading us between the stables and the looming walls of the castle. My eyes trail up the crumbling stone- plants and vines and flowers managing their way through the cracks- and over the rolling hills dotted with trees. Sunlight floods the stone courtyard, basking us all in its warmth.

It reminds me of home.

Not Shiganshina- but of the modest cottage in the forest. I smile to myself, watching Sasha bother Jean with Connie’s help just in front of me. I remember playing with her in the trees. We made and marked that forest. There isn’t a tree in that entire forest we haven’t carved up with arrows and knives or with the undersides of our shoes as we climbed their roots and limbs. Sasha would be afraid at first- of foxes or wolves or falling or tripping. But as soon as I took her hand and led her to the sunlight, to the tops of the trees, to the very breath of the sky… she’d always hunger for more. To go to the brightest spot in the forest, to climb the highest tree, to scale the steepest cliff.

My smile starts to fade slightly.

She’s even more afraid than she used to be… did I cause that? Does she even remember? She was young when I left… Does she remember when she scraped her knee and told her that she was now one with the forest- that its blood was in her and her blood in it? Does she remember that first tree we climbed together? Does she remember the nights we would run barefoot around the dew-covered clearings in the heart of the woods with no light to guide us except that of the moon? Does she remember what it was like to not be afraid?

Will we ever get to go back…?

The group stops. Ness smiles at us and points down the hallway to our left. “Down this hallway are the boys’ rooms,” he points to the hallway to our right. “And down this one is the girls’.” He chuckles and turns back to us. “There is… one other thing.”

Uh oh.

“There’s only one bathroom.”

I stifle a groan. It’s a goddamn castle. How in the walls is that even possible- one bathroom, my ass.

“Well… only one that’s in good enough shape to be used, anyway. ‘sides the officers’ bathroom...” Ness admits, a sheepish smile growing on his lips as he rubs the back of his head. “You’re welcome to fix up the other ones, though! ...although, I think you’d need help…” Ness continues muttering more to himself than anyone else.

One bathroom. Unbelievable. I growl under my breath as Ness marches us back out into the courtyard. You’d think Captain Shortstack would be all over the renovations of this place- bathrooms included.

Whatever. It’s not like I shower when everyone else does, anyway. There’s always a possibility I could sneak into the officers’ bathroom like when we were in training… And there was that river...

“I can see you already coming up with a plan,” Sasha appears next to me, lowering her voice. “What’re ya thinkin’?”

I laugh softly, nudging her arm with my elbow. “Nothing regarding food.”

Sasha pouts slightly, “Fine… then what’re ya thinkin’ about?”

“Just plannin’ my way into the officers’ bathroom.”

“Oooh,” Sasha laughs maliciously. “Do you think they’ll have hot water?”

I sigh, closing my eyes and imagining the steam and feel of hot water cascading down my body. Hot water was a privilege in the Cadet Corps. ...one that was constantly being robbed from me. I’d mostly show up after everyone had already showered, praying that maybe I’d have even a moment to myself to unwind- and to not be stared at. And nearly every time, I bathed in freezing cold water. But there were a few times where I’d be wrapped in steam, delicate streams of hot water warming my frigid body.

...now that I think about it, those ‘few times’ were whenever Reiner would wake me up early to get in the shower before everyone else.

“Gods,” I mumble, looking at Reiner as he walks with Bertholdt and Annie. “I really hope so, ‘tato-muncher.”

As if he felt my gaze on him, Reiner turns around and smiles. I return the smile with a scrunch of my nose. Reiner’s eyes glide behind me for a second, returning to me before darting back behind me. I turn around to follow his gaze.

Eren.

Eren runs straight for us, green cape flaring out behind him as he charges towards the group. Our eyes meet and his pace increases. My hand latches onto Sasha’s sleeve and tugs, “‘Tato! ‘Tato, look!” I laugh, slapping Connie’s shoulder. “Look who it is!”

Connie and Sasha turn around and I can hear the others turn along with them. Armin and Mikasa greet him first, taking him into their arms and speaking quietly amongst themselves for a moment. When they break away, Eren’s smile widens as he looks over us.

“...you’re all here?” he asks quietly, smile slightly fading. “You all joined the Scouts?”

“Well, yeah,” I laugh, “Why else would we be here- shits ‘nd giggles?”

Eren rolls his eyes before scanning over us again. “Wait… if you’re all here… That means Jean, Marco, and Annie all joined the Military Police.”

My heart plummets like a rock into my stomach. That’s right. He wasn’t there for the funeral. He doesn’t know.

The remaining section of our group walks up behind Eren- Jean leading them all. Eren turns around and groans. “Not you, too.”

Jean doesn’t react. His face unreadable and voice flat, he rips the bandage off. “Marco’s dead.”

“...what?” Eren mumbles, “What did you just… What’d you just say? Did you say Marco died?”

Jean’s voice stays still as he continues.

“Seems like not everyone can die a dramatic death.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” I laugh, picking up a section of hay and starting back towards the stable. “We know everyone, every thing’s position in the formation except Eren’s- arguably the most volatile and important piece of information to have. That isn’t the least bit confusing to you?”

Reiner shrugs, taking the hay from my hands. “Dunno… I haven’t really thought about it.”

I huff and shake my head, stepping in front of him and taking the hay back. “I can carry it,” I mutter, looking at the ridges growing in his face. “And by the look on your face, you have been thinking about it.” I turn around, lifting the hay over the stable door and onto the growing pile just beside my horse.

My horse nudges me with his nose, huffing. I smile and rub my hand up and down his nose, “...needy, aren’t we?” I whisper softly.

“Ya gonna give him a name?” Reiner asks, patting his hand against the horse’s neck.

Peeking down under the horse’s neck, I squint up at him. “You didn’t answer me.”

Reiner rolls his eyes and walks away, sighing. “You didn’t ask anything.”

“I asked if you were thinking about why we weren’t being filled in on Eren’s location in the formation.”

“Technically, you didn’t ask,” he shoots back.

My eyes lock with his in an intense stare. “...we really gonna do this right now?” I ask quietly, still petting my horse.

Reiner sighs and looks away, running a hand through his hair. I turn back to my horse, letting my forehead rest against his cheek. Reiner sighs again. The three of us stand in silence- only my horse breaking the silence with occasional huffs and flicks of his tail.

“...I have been thinking about it,” Reiner finally mumbles. “But… not like you have.”

Here we go again with him being all cryptic and skittish and avoidant. I am so sick of this game.

“Then how have you been thinking about it, Reiner?” I hiss, lifting my head off my horse and looking into his large grey eye. “All the time- just when I think you’re gonna open up to me about what’s going on in that…” I sigh frustratedly, “That… that… stupid, thick, adorable, blond head’a yours you just… you shut me back out again. And it’s so goddamn irritating, Rei,” I admit with a slight squeak in my voice.

Slowly, I turn to face him, gaze dropping down to the ground. “...I’ve been… I’ve been so open with you. More open than I have with anyone in my whole life- except, I dunno... Sasha- but I just… It’d be nice to have some’a that returned.”

I can hear him get closer to me. Gently, his arms wrap around me and tuck me into his chest. I’m swallowed in his embrace as he runs his fingers up and down my back. “...okay,” he whispers, “okay, darling… I’ll… I’ll try and open up to you, okay? I’ll…” he trails off and sighs, tightening his hold on me as he places his chin on the top of my head.

“I know how hard it is, and… I… I’m not trying to force it out of you or anything… I just… I want to help you,” I whisper quietly. “And I promise you, Rei...I’m not going anywhere.”

There’s a coldness in his laugh. It leaves his lips like ice and falls to the floor like daggers. “Thank you, darling. Just…,” Reiner takes my shoulders, pushing us apart. His gold eyes have slightly lost their luster as they peer deep into me. I squirm slightly in his stare, eyebrows furrowing. “You have to understand that there is a lot happening- something... bigger, darling.”

I blink and tilt my head slightly to the side. “Did you… did you get another assignment?” I ask quietly, “Something under the table?”

Reiner is quiet for a moment, eyes flicking between mine. “...yes. Something under the table- from people higher than the Captain.”

My eyes widen slightly. Is this what’s been weighing on him for so long? That’s why he’s been missing at times? What he’s been trying to tell me? Another assignment that he can’t talk about, even with me-

Oh gods.

I feel like a total ass.

“Who…?” I ask quietly, taking note of the way he straightens up to scan around us before shrinking back down.

Reiner scoots us back, tucking me up against the stable door. “I… I can’t tell you but… you understand that, right, darling?” He asks hopefully, a small lilt to his voice. Gently, his fingers trail my face and a small smile crosses my face. His lips mirror mine.

“I understand that, love,” I hum, leaning into his touch. “I do… I do have another question.”

Reiner smiles wider, lovingly staring down at me. “What is it, darling?”

Nervous claws at my stomach.

I shouldn’t ask this.

Why? He’s finally being open with me- willing to at least tell me what’s wrong. Shouldn’t I-

No. There’s something bigger here. Don’t. Ask.

“__________?”

I swallow my fear and meet his gaze. “...I heard you the night after the first clean-up operation,” I admit quietly, “with Annie and Bertholdt.”

Reiner’s eyes darken, dropping down and avoiding my gaze. “...how much did you...?”

“Not much,” I laugh nervously, “Just you guys arguing about telling me… and Annie saying to only tell me when you’re sure of how I’d feel.”

With a sigh of relief, he closes his eyes and smiles. He quickly presses his lips to my forehead. “Okay, okay… Okay… Sorry, I just… I don’t need t’get... chewed out for that.” I chuckle softly, “So… that big’a deal, huh?”

Reiner laughs, “Yes. That big of’a deal.”

“...so… it’s you, Annie, and Bertholdt,” I mumble, picking at the leather strap running down his chest. “Anyone else that I know?”

“No, just us three.”

“Am… am I in danger?” I ask jokingly, “All this secrecy- it makes me wonder.”

Reiner doesn’t laugh with me.

“Rei?” I call, looking up at him. “...am I?”

His eyes slide down to me, a small smile on his lips. “...stick with me, darling- I’ll keep ya safe.”

“...what?”

“There’s a lot at work here, __________,” Reiner sighs, his eyes going hazy for a second as he relives whatever is ‘at work’. Blinking, he focuses back on me. “But I can keep you safe. I’ve been keeping you safe.”

What does this even mean? Are there people I can’t trust? If that’s true, then what? What am I supposed to do? Be some tiny little doll cowering in fear behind him? I hate being treated like some weak, fragile, defenseless thing. And what if he gets hurt protecting me? What then? What if something goes wrong and he ends up being blamed for something he didn’t do?

And what about Sasha?

“...what about my sister? What about her? Who’s gonna keep her safe?” I ask, clutching the fabric covering his chest, “If anything happens to Sasha, I…”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to Sasha,” Reiner hums quietly, “We’re gonna keep her safe.”

“And Eren? Mikasa? Armin? What about the boys? If any of them get hurt, Rei, I just… I don’t think I could…”

“__________,” he says firmly, catching my attention. Slowly, my eyes slide up to meet his again. They’re gentle and glowing in the fading sunlight. His hand trails down my face again, leaving a buzzing wake behind it.

“You need to trust me.”

I swallow and nod quickly. “Okay, yes, okay… Okay, you’re right. We… We are all gonna be okay.”

Reiner chuckles and lets his chin rest on the top of my head as he tucks me into his chest again.

“That’s my girl.”

“Oiii!” I yell, waving a hand over my head. “Ponytail!”

Eld’s head starts swiveling around, looking for whoever called him. With a gentle kick of my horse, he trots closer. “Eld!” I call again, sliding off the side of my horse. My feet hit the dirt just in front of him as I straighten up, shaking a few stray hairs out of my eyes. “It’s good to see ya again.”

Eld smiles and chuckles, gesturing down to the emerald green cape around my shoulders. “So you made it.”

I look down and rub the fabric between my fingers. A smile crosses my face as I look back up to him. “Just like I dreamed I would.”

“You’re in pretty high spirits,” Oluo scoffs as he walks by with a supply box. Setting it down into a wagon, he huffs and turns to face us. “Considering we’ll all be facing death in a few hours.”

“Always the charmer, huh?” I mutter quietly, earning a small laugh from Eld. “And if you have t’know, I’m just happy we’re one step closer to going outside the walls…” I smile to myself, imagining the places Armin used to talk about. Fire water, ice hills, saltwater that goes on for so long even the merchants couldn’t drain all the salt from it.

I think that’ll be my favorite. ‘Sea’.

Oluo scoffs again. “Bright-eyed, suicidal recruit… Just don’t get someone else killed, will ya?”

“What the hell’s that supposed t’mean?” I snap back.

Oluo smiles crookedly, realisation splitting his face like a piece of china. “Struck a nerve, huh?,” he laughs, “Better get rid of those if you wanna make it.”

“Bold talk for someone that’s too insecure to keep his own personality,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. I turn my attention back to Eld- who’s gone awfully quiet as the two of us went at it. A blush is back on his cheeks and I can see him fidgeting with his gaze in an effort to mind his own business.

“...uhm…” He mumbles as his eyes catch someone walking behind me. “This is Petra!” Eld blurts, tugging a woman by the arm. “The one that checked on you when you were, uh… asleep.”

“In a coma, more like,” I laugh, dipping my head to the woman. She has ginger hair cut just above her shoulders and soft, kind eyes. There’s something about her that reminds me so much of a deer for some reason.

Petra’s eyes suddenly light up as she looks over me again. “I remember you- you’re __________! I didn’t know you had your heart set on the Scouts. Which is surprising… considering how much Eld talks about you.”

Eld’s face goes even redder. He stands rigidly, eyes fixated on the horizon.

...I think he just went into shock.

“Well, thank you,” I hum, giving Petra another smile. “For checking in on me.”

Petra shakes her head, “It wasn’t any issue at all.”

I dip my head again and lightly punch Eld’s shoulder. “Hopefully you told her the story of how I kicked your and Oluo’s asses.”

Petra tilts her head slightly to the side before a wicked smile crosses her lips. “...I don’t think I’ve heard that one, __________. Please, tell me.”

“Well, I was walking down an alleyway when-”

“That’s good!” Eld suddenly yelps, “Thank you so much, __________, for stopping by, but the Captain’s calling us!”

Petra giggles as Eld walks behind her, pushing her by the shoulders. Captain Shortstack Jackass is watching them with his arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows furrowed. He very obviously didn’t call either of them. “You’ll have to tell me when we get back!” Petra calls.

“Of course!” I laugh, watching as Eld goes even redder. Petra waves over his shoulder and I do the same before mounting my horse. I give his neck a gentle pat and urge him forward- back towards the stable.

“You... need a name, Horse,” I mutter as we trot past the various wagons and other Scouts getting their horses and gear ready. “All horses have names… I guess.”

Horse huffs at me.

“Well… you’re…” I look down at his coat as we start to pick up speed. It shimmers in the sunlight, revealing the faint speckles of black and grey under his cream-colored coat. “You’re cream and you’ve got freckles. And last I checked, you have grey-” Horse looks over slightly at me, light-brown eyes glistening. “Sorry… brown eyes. And black mane and tail.”

My eyes flick up, locking onto the figure standing just a few feet in front of my horse. Gripping the reins, I tug back to stop Horse from trampling whoever is in front of me. Instead, I feel myself being shot forward and colliding with the ground. Pain shoots out from my arm, branching out in heated flashes.

I roll onto my back and stare up at the clouds as they lazily float by. “Gods…” I mutter to myself, “That sucked.”

“Told you I’m better at handling horses than you.”

I sit straight up. My head on a swivel, I look around for the voice. It sounded just like… It couldn’t have been- no. No, I’m just-

My eyes land on him. Standing just a couple feet away, with a green Scouts cape on over his shoulders and ODM gear strapped on. He laughs, walking closer and shaking his head. “Jeez, __________, you’ll really get yourself killed if you keep trying to keep up with me.”

“Freckles?” I whisper.

Marco smiles and laughs again, “Really hit your head hard, didn’t you?”

“Freckles?” I whisper again, reaching out to touch him.

This isn’t real. It can’t be real. He’s dead. Bit in half. Died alone. Left in the sun to rot for days. He’s dead.

“Ah, jeez, you really did hit your head hard,” Marco mumbles, crouching down beside me. “We gotta get you to Sasha. She’s got some experience with injuries, doesn’t she…? And I won’t even tell Reiner! It’ll just be between us, okay?” He asks, worriedly scanning my face.

“Freckles, you… You… You aren’t here.”

“What are ya talkin’ about? I’m right here, remember? We were practicing horseback riding and maneuvering. Don’t you remember the bet we had?”

Wait a moment.

This was real.

This… this happened already, why am I…?

“...it was my haul from the Commandant’s office,” I whisper, “The… the fountain pen. You’d… you’d take it if I couldn’t pull off a sharp turn and activate my ODM gear while jumping off my horse.”

Tears start to cloud my vision as I stare up at him. “You aren’t really here,” I croak, “Are you?”

Marco shakes his head.

“...I miss you, Freckles,” I smile, tears slipping down my face as I look up at him. My hand brushes through his cheek- like he was a colored mist- but his smile remains. “Gods, I miss you.”

“You’ll see us again.”

I nod, feeling my tears start down the sides of my face. “...tell Franz and Hanna I said ‘hi’.”

“I will.”

“And you… you stay outta trouble, you hear me?” I laugh, tears choking me at the base of my chest.

“You’re the one that needs to stay outta trouble.”

I nod and laugh again, shaking my head.

“...take… take care’a the others for me, will you?” I nod silently. Marco looks up as Horse trots closer. “It’s time for me to go. Just… close your eyes, okay?”

My eyes slide closed before voices start to swarm around me. Bleeding into one another, it makes it so damned hard to hear what anyone is actually saying. All I can do is feel.

And someone’s got me by the shoulders, shaking me pretty damned hard.

I open my eyes to see familiar faces. “...I’ve got to stop waking up to you guys looking down at me like I’ve died.”

The four of them sigh.

“If you die because of a stupid horse incident, I’ll never forgive you,” Jean mutters, getting to his feet and walking away. I can hear him muttering about ‘how stupid’ of a funeral that would be.

“What?” I laugh, wincing at the pain shooting from above my left eye. My fingers graze the spot- only to pull away with a scarlet coloring.

Ah, shit.

“So,” Reiner grumbles, scooping me off the ground effortlessly. “You and your horse have a bit of an issue?”

I scoff, curling into myself as my head starts to pound.

“No?” He asks as we walk towards the castle. “Then what the Hell kind of stunt were you tryin’a pull?”

“I-,” I stop and groan, clutching my temples as they begin to sear. “I… I thought… I thought I saw someone.”

Reiner looks down at me as he pushes the castle door open with his back. Eyebrows furrowed, eyes flicking over every inch of me. It’s the same damn look as every other time I’ve gotten hurt. Which… arguably… is a lot of times.

The ODM incident where I almost cracked my skull open on a tree branch.

The time I slipped and fell in the bathroom.

The sparring training where I cracked three of my ribs. And my arm. And dislocated my shoulder. All because I wouldn’t yield.

The rooftop.

The grocery store.

Various little minor accidents scattered throughout.

And now this.

We round the corner and he places me onto a bed. I watch as he runs a hand down my face and sticks his head out the hallway to look around before returning to my side. Reiner sighs. “What am I gonna do with you?”

“Love me,” I hum, closing my eyes slightly as the pain throbs and squirms beneath my skin. “Unconditionally.”

“Gods,” he mutters, scooting closer. “I probably will.”

“Probably?” I ask quietly. “Not ‘most definitely’?”

A deep sigh passes his lips. It rumbles in his chest like thunder. Calming, soothing, gentle thunder. Memories of the forest running to find shelter as another storm took us by surprise. Bare feet padding the grass. Clothes sticking to our skins. Hair plastered to our faces- much like our smiles. Wiping her face as she ducks behind my arm. Telling her that the forest was telling the sky a joke, that the thunder was the sky’s laughter. Watching her peek out to watch the forest and sky talk, laughing as she swears she heard the punchline.

Does she remember what it was like to not be afraid?

“Hey,” Rei mutters, shaking my arm slightly. “Don’t go to sleep on me yet.”

“...sorry,” I mumble, opening my eyes and letting them glide to his spot beside me. “Where is she-”

The door slams open. Sasha- with eyes wide and clutching medical supplies to her chest- pants in the doorway. “Did I make it?” She asks wearily.

“Did…,” I trail off, sitting up to look at her. “Did you think I died?”

Sasha shakes her head, kicking the door closed just as Connie and Jean try to walk in behind her. “No,” she mutters. Plopping down beside me, she looks over me. “Just thought maybe you’d passed out.”

“Check my eyes,” I remind her. Sasha nods and leans in, forcing open my eyes with her fingers.

“...your eye-holes seem to be fine.”

“...my pupils?”

“Eye-holes. Same thing.”

I know Sasha’s joking but by the look on Reiner’s face, he does not.

“She’s only kidding, love,” I whisper as I take his hand. “She knows the basics.”

“Yep,” Sasha agrees, digging through the pile of medical supplies she brought in. “And you don’t have a concussion- and that thing on your head doesn’t need stitches- it should heal in a week or so... so you’re good to go after I clean it… ha!” She snatches a bottle of saline and a bandage. “You’ll be all good in no time, __________. Trust me.”

I’m the one that taught her. Why don’t I trust her?

“You awake?”

I focus back in on the now. The present. My surroundings.

Scattered trees and hills to the right. Denser trees on my left. Two horses trailing behind me. No flares from either direction. Reiner just in front of me.

“Always am.”

“Good.” He starts to pull back on his horse, levelling off with me. “How’s your head?”

Instinctively, I reach up and graze the bandage. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Good.”

“...are you okay?” I ask, looking over at him. His skin is pale and flushed pink with a slight tinge to his ears. “Here. Drink some.” Unbuckling my flask, I hand it to him.

...and he downs the entire thing before handing it back to me.

“Rei, are you sick?”

“No, I just-”

“Well, love, you look like you’re either about to shit yourself or vomit,” I laugh worriedly, “Are you sure?”

“__________, listen, I…,” he sighs and looks away. He’s even more red now.

I nudge him with my elbow. “I’m listening.” I smirk, stirrupping Horse again. My eyes turn to the horizon, scanning for any flares or anything that approaches us.

Reiner returns my smile and sighs shakily. “I wanna-”

Something appears in the distance. “What is that?” I mumble, staring at the thing. “Do you see it?” I point. “That.”

Reiner looks at the thing, squinting. “I… I can’t tell.”

“Should we fire a flare off?” I ask, reaching to my saddlebag. “Just in case?”

“Just… hang on-”

He stops just as the thing changes form, moving closer towards us and faster.

It takes shape as it grows. Fourteen meters, blonde hair.

Female body type.

My hands move on their own- throwing the canister into the gun, lifting it straight up, and firing. Red smoke fires out from the gun into the clouds. “Rei, we have to move!” I yell, turning the horses in towards the center of the formation.

I look over my shoulder, watching the two horses trail after Reiner. He stays going forward, heading right for it with glazed eyes. “Reiner!”

My eyes follow his gaze as I bring Horse to a stop. They land on the Female Titan, who snatches something from mid-air and dropkicks it. Blood trails after the broken body and I watch ODM wires disconnect from the Female Titan’s body- following the body.

It’s… is it like Eren? A person inside it?

“Reiner!” I scream again.

It gets his attention. Snapping out of his daze, Reiner makes a sharp turn.

As he gets closer, I press my heels into Horse’s sides. “Ha!”

Footsteps follow after us, thundering and quivering the very organs inside of me. My breath catches in my lungs as I feel it- her- getting closer. Gods. Gods, please. Not like this. Not like this. Not like this. Not like this.

Something flashes at my side. With trembling force, a foot lands beside me- crushing one of the horses before it could even make a sound.

We’re going to die. Right now, we are going to die.

I wince, waiting for her to reach down and crush me in her hand. Reiner yells something but it’s lost in the frantic whinnies of our horses, the pounding of my heart, the panting of my lungs. When it reaches me, it’s blurred together like the colors in my eyes.

‘I’ve gotten hurt’ is what it sounds like.

Gods, please. Spare us.

My fists clutch the reins as I look up. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fourteen meters. This is what will kill me.

The Female Titan’s other foot collides with the earth beside me. All at once, sounds and colors and shapes retract into their determined forms. Everything flushes back into focus as the Female Titan takes another step away from us. I watch as she continues sprinting towards the center- leaving us in her wake. Her head turns to look over her shoulder before she presses forward.

Right to Armin.

“Rei!” I yell, sticking Horse again. “She’s gonna hit Armin! She’s headed right for him!”

“C’mon!” He yells back, appearing at my side.

“This is the job we chose, right?” Jean snaps, “So lend me a hand!”

The rest of us are silent. Only hoofbeats and footsteps resound around us. Silently, Armin pulls his hood up over his head. “...pull your hoods up. Over your heads- far down enough so she can’t see your face.”

“You’re thinking she won’t kill anyone that could be Eren,” Reiner mutters, tugging his hood up over his head. “...that’s a nice, but small, consolation… Let’s hope she has bad eyes, too.”

Jean shakes his head, laughing. “I was always creeped out the way you used to hang around Eren so much,” he mutters as he pulls his hood up. “But I always knew you were capable.”

“...‘creeped out’ is a little harsh but thanks,” Armin mumbles.

Feeling the three pairs of eyes on me, I tug my hood up as well. “...I always knew I’d die next to you three bastards.”

“Well. If we don’t,” Reiner chuckles, “We’ll throw a big party ‘nd get married.”

“Oh yeah,” I scoff, pulling my swords out from their holsters. “We’ll have a big ol’ buffet ‘nd everything. I’ll even have a live band play for us.”

“You two lovebirds over there still squawking?” Jean barks, leaning forward to glare at us.

“Will you shut up for a minute?” Reiner shoots back, “I��m… Kinda doin’ something.”

“You can ‘kinda do something’ after this!” Jean yells, “We’re not dying today.”

“Fine!” I snap, “I’m not spending my last moments fighting with you two morons! Let’s just do this. Delay her as long as we can- by any means necessary. Got it?!”

The three grunt in agreement. “Jean, go to her left,” Reiner starts, “Armin, you go to her right. __________, you-”

“I’m going with Armin!” I whip my reins and follow after Armin as he heads to the Female Titan’s right hand side.

We level off just behind her. “She’s much slower than when she attacked me!” Armin comments, “If we’re going to do this, it has to be now!”

“Wait for Jean!” I yell, “He’s the best out of us with ODM gear. If he can get a good angle on her, it’ll be us being his support!”

A flash shoots out, launching into the Female Titan’s leg. Jean flies in behind it with his swords readied. The Titan crouches down and spins- flinging Jean. Armin and I get to our feet and stand on our horses’ backs. As my wires stick into the Female Titan’s leg, I give Horse a tap of my heel that sends him running away from the Titan.

Something swipes just under my legs. Everything around me slows as I watch the Titan’s hand bat Armin’s horse out from underneath him. His name leaves my lips the same way it did when Shiganshina fell. Breathless. Screeching. Desperate. “Armin!”

“__________!” Reiner’s voice carries out over my own.

Before I can do anything, I feel something crack against my back. I’m pushed forward- colliding with the earth and rolling for a few feet. Landing on my back, I stare up in a daze at the clouds.

Aching pain crawls through my veins- igniting my muscles in throbbing, squeezing pain. My back arches as I take long, hard breaths to stop my heart from pounding in my ears. It does nothing but amplify the sound as I feel my lungs burn and the cages around them scream in agony.

Broken ribs. At least a few on each side.

Certain slices and patches of my skin burn from the contact with the ground. Minor scratches, bruises, friction burns.

I’ll live. If she doesn’t finish me off.

Time begins to speed up again- her footsteps not taking so long to hit the ground as they get closer. Clouds seem to flurry past and my heartbeat begins to race once more.

The fight isn’t done yet.

I push myself to my feet, feeling every ache, every pain, every burn a million times over.

The fight isn’t done yet.

I’m not done yet.

The Female Titan tightens her fist, preparing to swing backwards at Jean. Breaking out into a sprint, I click my triggers and shoot my wires into the ground, allowing me to run faster. A blur of gold and green starts towards the Titan as I do- catching me attention so I stutter and stop.

Reiner.

Teeth gritted, eyes blazing, blades glinting. He’s going for her nape.

Armin’s yelling something. The Titan stays completely still as he continues screaming.

And then she snaps.

She catches Reiner’s body in her hand.

My heart stops. Blood stops. Lungs stop.

Everything.

Stops.

“...no.”

Chills run down my spine- dull and weak. Nothing like adrenaline.

Fear.

“No… no.”

I shake my head, watching as Reiner’s body disappears in her grasp.

Someone grabs my waist, tugs me away. “No!” I scream, thrashing around as everything starts to move again. “No!”

“__________!” Jean yells, pulling me away. “We have to go!”

A blur of metal spins out from her grip, severing her fingers off from the base of her palm. Reiner pushes out and around her back. Grabbing Armin, he sprints away from her and towards us.

The four of us break out into a sprint as she stares down at her palm. She gets to her feet and runs away from us- her hand still steaming.

Something breaks inside of me. Tears start running down my face as Reiner sidles up next to me. Armin- bleeding from his forehead- is in his arms. Titan blood evaporates off of Reiner’s hair and shoulders as he looks down at me. “We’ll be okay! She won’t eat us unless she’s a cannibal! We-”

I cut him off, punching his shoulder as hard as I can. “Don’t you ever pull that shit again, Reiner Braun!” I snap, furiously wiping the tears rolling down my face. “I swear on the walls, I… I will kill you myself if you do, do you hear me?! You scared the shit outta me! I… I thought I lost you.”

Reiner laughs breathlessly. “I told you, darling. We haven’t gotten married, yet. I can’t die until that happens.”

“We aren’t leaving anyone behind,” I snap, tightening Armin’s bandages. “None of that, you hear me?”

“We might not have a choice,” Armin mutters, “If we all stay behind, we might all-”

“I said no!”

The three of us go silent as Jean continues whistling for his horse.

But the question still hangs in the air.

Who’s going to stay behind?

There’s only one horse- there’s four of us. If somehow one of us gets our horse back, we’ll be able to get out of here but until then… We’re stranded in Titan country without a means of escape.

“We have to talk about it,” Reiner says quietly.

“No,” I get to my feet and shake my head. “No. We don’t.”

“__________-”

I hold up a hand to stop him, “Don’t.” Turning to Jean, I gesture to his bag. “You have an emergency flare, yeah?”

Jean nods and gets it out, loading it into his gun. Shooting it into the sky, purple smoke trails up from our location.

It’s a long shot, but they might get the message.

“We can wait three more minutes,” Reiner says firmly. “During then, we’ll decide who’s gonna-”

“I’ll stay.” My head snaps to Armin. “Just get a message to the command section- to Commander Erwin, if you can.”

“I’m staying, too, then.”

“__________, no-” Reiner starts.

“I don’t want to hear it, Rei,” I mumble, “Please. I don’t… I don’t want to hear it but look. We’re both injured. Armin’s got a possible concussion and he’s bleeding. I’ve broken half a dozen ribs and I’ve got more bruises than I know what to do with. If anyone’s staying it’s-”

“Neither of you,” Jean laughs, “Someone’s coming this way with three horses.” The three of us look over to him as he shades his face from the sun. “I think it’s… It looks like… Christa!”

“Guys!” Christa’s dainty voice rings out as she approaches, “Are you okay?!”

I huff a laugh, “Define ‘okay’, blondie!”

“If __________’s still cracking jokes, she’s still alive, right?” Christa laughs, coming to a stop just in front of us. The three horses surrounding her skid to a stop.

Horse trots up to me, nudging me with his nose. “Hey there, Horse,” I mutter, pressing my head against his. “Ya miss me?”

“What happened to you guys?” Christa asks as she looks over me. “You look awful.”

“Aw, gee, thanks, blondie,” I giggle, “I feel awful.”

Christa’s soft face tightens slightly in concern. “...you’re sure you’ll be okay riding alone? Your horse… I dunno his name… but he seems to run alongside me pretty well- even without a harness.”

“Yeah, that’s him, alright,” I mumble, rubbing Horse’s nose. “But I think I’ll be alright.”

“...I’m with Christa,” Jean says warily, “You broke six ribs.”

“What?!” Christa screeches. “Six?! No, ma’am! You’re riding with me or with Jean! Six ribs- what were you thinking?!”

I shrug. “I’ve done worse.”

“Worse?!”

Oops. Shouldn’t have said that.

Christa sighs, pinching her eyes closed. “Fine. The past is the past. I can’t change it. But you- right now- are going to ride with Jean or me. Pick one.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I mumble with a smirk. “I’ll ride with you. Give the boys a little show, how ‘bout that?”

Christa turns a light shade of pink as Reiner helps me sit on top of Christa’s horse. “You behave,” Reiner mutters with a stern look.

But I can see it.

A little mischievous smirk plays his lips as he pulls away.

“Yes sir,” I coo, “I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

The four of us start off towards the center. “What’s your horse’s name?” Christa asks. “He really seems to like you. Before, I couldn’t get him to hold still- then, when I said your name, he calmed down and followed us perfectly fine.”

“...I just call him Horse.”

“...oh…”

I sigh and turn around to watch as Horse gallops. Cream-colored coat hiding thick muscles that twitch and writhe. Dots- freckles- that spatter his coat. His black mane whips about in the wind.

“Freckles,” I say quietly.

“What?”

“Freckles. That’s his name.”

I groan, letting my head fall back as my legs swing off the tree branch. “Rei, we’ve been sitting here for hours and you haven’t said a word to me,” my lip juts out in a pout, “Please talk to me.”

Reiner grumbles under his breath. His arms cross over his chest as he sits on the farest end of the tree branch away from me.

“Baby,” I whine, “you aren’t still mad at me for-”

“Yes, I’m still mad at you for being a tease. And we’ve been out here an hour. Hour and a half, tops.”

“Tch,” I groan again, “Baby, it was just a joke. I didn’t mean to drop my ring.” I hold my hand out in the sun to look at my moonstone ring as it glistens. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“...you dropped it three times before we got up here.”

“I would never do anything to tease you.” Reiner raises an eyebrow and I roll my eyes. “On a mission.”

Rei’s shoulders lose some of their tension. “...you really didn’t mean to?”

“Of course not, baby,” I coo softly. “Not on a mission.”

Reiner sighs and rolls his eyes before getting to his feet. Wordlessly, he plops down beside me and lays his hand over mine on the branch. “You only call me ‘baby’ when you’re guilty,” he murmurs into the shell of my ear. “...so I forgive you.”

“Oh good, you caught on,” I tease, nudging him with my elbow.

“Easy, there, girl,” he huffs, “you’re still on thin ice.”

“You can’t stay mad at me,” I turn to face him and flash him a face-splitting smile. “I’m your darling.”

“...you’re right,” Rei laughs softly. “I could never.”

The two of us fall into a comfortable- buzzing with adrenaline but still comfortable- silence. I lean forward to look at the Titans gathered at the base of our tree, clawing and gripping the bark in an attempt to get to us. Hungrily, they salivate and stare up at us with glazed eyes.

The Female Titan. Why is she doing what she was? If she’s human, wouldn’t she want the walls to remain? They keep us safe for the time being. The outside world isn’t ready for us to break down our walls. And if she does want the walls gone, why?

And who is she?

“...are you listening?”

“Hm?” I ask, leaning back. “No, I’m sorry, I was just…,” my eyes flick down to the Titans, “...lost in thought.”

“I was just asking how your sides are.”

My fingers rub against my sides. They aren’t sore, they don’t hurt. I’ve always healed fast but knowing how long it’s supposed to take to heal sometimes, it’s… a little disconcerting. “I don’t feel anything.”

“...you’re better already?”

I shrug, “It could just be adrenaline. Or maybe they weren’t as badly broken as we thought they were. Bruising and breaks are really similar…”

Reiner hums in acknowledgment. “As long as you feel okay. When we get back, I’m still getting you checked out.”

“Yes sir.”

I lean over the side of the branch to see the Titans again. “It’s strange that we weren’t directed around the forest.” I comment quietly, leaning over more before my ODM wire locks into place.

“...Iyeah,” Reiner mutters, “Why wouldn’t we just go around?”

“I dunno,” I strain, slightly jiggling the wire a bit. “But do you think it was on purpose?”

“It’s Commander Erwin,” Rei chuckles, “Of course it was.”

“That’s true… I just… It’s so hard for us to see threats coming in,” I grip the wire and tug harder. “So why send them in?”

“Assuming he knows of the right flank casualties, we should’ve retreated a long time ago,” he mutters, “But we’re here and the center flank is somewhere in the trees.”

“Which is also weird, right?” I ask, yanking on the wire even harder. “I mean, if we are gonna go in, why not-”

The wire snaps out of the branch. The force of me pulling sends me over the edge of the branch. I watch as the wire extends rapidly- reeling me down towards the Titans’ grasps. Reiner runs to the end, reaching out to grab my hand.

But it’s too late.

A hand wraps around my body and pulls, unlatching my ODM wire from the tree. It starts to tighten as it turns me around to face it. My eyes lock onto it and I scream, thrashing around wildly. My arms are pinned in its hold- trapped against the steel of my ODM blade holsters and the clammy flesh wrapped around me.

Another Titan stares at me hungrily. As I look at it, red light starts to pour from its eyes like fog. Without warning, it lunges. I wince and duck away- waiting to be engulfed in moist darkness.

It doesn’t come. It’s replaced with an unearthly howl of pain and the sound of tearing flesh.

The grip around me falls away and as I’m spun in a free-fall, I catch glimpses of the scene above me. Red fog pours from the Titans’ eyes as they all latch onto the Titan that grabbed me. Bite by bite, they tear into the searing flesh of the Titan and devour the steaming chunks of bleeding meat.

They’re… eating it.

The red fog.

It was real.

My body stops, swinging up before I hit the forest floor. As we land on another branch, Reiner hugs me to his body tightly. “You scared the shit out of me,” he says raggedly. I feel tears drip onto my shoulder. But I don’t look at him- even as he pulls away, gripping my shoulders.

My eyes are focused on the fog swirling through the bodies of the Titans.

What the Hell is it?

Why does it keep following me?

Why does it keep saving me?

“...__________!”

I’m pulled back into my body- away from the grasping hands of the Titans that force muscles and tendons and organs down their throats. Blankly, I stare at Reiner. “What happened?” he asks quietly, looking over his shoulder at the Titans. “Are you-”

A scream rips out of my throat as I look down at my hands. My fingers start to rake through my skin, clawing for the source of the red fog.

Get it out.

Get. It. Out.

Reiner’s hands fumble with mine as they try to stop me from continuing the hurried slicing of my skin. “Darling, darling,” he says calmly as he grabs my wrists, “Darling, hey, look at me. Look at me.”

Wildly, my eyes fly around my surroundings.

Get it out. Red fog. Red fog. I have to get it out. I have to find it.

Red fog. I have to get it out.

Red fog.

“__________!” Reiner snaps, shaking me by my wrists, “Look at me!”

My gaze settles on him but I can feel myself twitching and writhing in place.

Red fog.

Get it out. I have to get it out.

“...you’re okay,” he mumurs, “You’re okay now, okay, darling? You’re safe.”

Tears burst from my eyes, leaking down my face as I roll my hands around from my wrists. Trembling violently, my body falls to the floor. Reiner catches me before I fall, scooping me up under my arms and holding me to him.

“There’s something... inside of me,” I strain, keeping down the screams wanting to claw their way out. My nails rake his back- threatening to rip through the fabric. “There is... something inside of me, Rei. I don’t know what it is. And I’m so scared, Rei. I just… I don’t… I don’t understand it. I… I don’t know... what it is. There’s… There’s something inside of me, Reiner, please! Please, Rei! Take it out! Get it out of me!”

WHEW

a doozy like i said. if you made it this far, i am so proud of you. my short attention span could literally never. as always thank you so much for reading and i hope to hear your thoughts and comments!

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evabellasworld · 3 years ago

Text

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 9

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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Summary: When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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Jumping out of hyperspace, the 212th Attack Battalion and Coruscant Guards have arrived at the planet Horuca. Led by General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Commander Thire, respectively, both the battalions were armed to the teeth, prepared to take down their enemies.

Horuca was a planet which was surrounded with colourful plants and mountains on the surface. Similar to a tropical jungle, the rainforest was thick and was surrounded with fog, showing that it was raining cats and dogs.

The ocean surrounding the planet was pastel pink, but thanks to the dark purple clouds in the sky, the water looked rough to swim or catch some fishes in the sea. But Marshal Commander Cody doesn’t let it stop them from fighting.

To him, the heavy rain gave an advantage for them to hide themselves from the Imperial battle droids, which weren’t equipped for this kind of weather. Still, that doesn’t mean the Empire wouldn’t send aqua droids after them.

“Alright men,” he spoke, catching the attention of his troops. “In a few minutes, we will land in the shallow part of the beach. Make sure you get into position. We don’t want to leave anyone behind.”

“Yes, sir,” the 212th answered in unison. Faven put on her helmet as she took a deep breath, hoping she would die in this battle.

“You seemed down,” Boil pointed out, making her face him with her unimpressed stare. “Is everything alright?”

“Who wouldn’t be down, Boil? For all we know, this could be my last mission in the war.”

“Hey, come on. Aren’t you supposed to be cheerful right now?”

“How can I, when Amala is not here anymore?”

Boil was speechless. He knows who Faven was referring to. Both of them were close since the Second Battle of Geonosis. They didn’t know each other on Kamino, but it didn’t matter to her.

Faven blamed herself when she watched Amala killed in the trenches. It happened so fast. One moment, she was firing against the battle droids. The next thing she knew, her best friend was lying on the ground, blood spilling from her helmet.

I miss her so much; she thought about her. I wish I could see her again.

“I’m really sorry, Fav,” Boil sympathised with her. “It’s difficult coping with someone’s death, especially when they’re close to you.”

She bobbed her head and turned to her brother. “I’m sorry about Waxer too. He was a great guy.”

“Yeah, Waxer,” his voice quivered, before clearing his throat. “Well, at least he’s in a better place now. Somewhere peaceful, where there are flowers everywhere.”

Faven smiled. “Waxer always loved flowers, especially the yellow ones. And I’m sure Amala is there with him too, carrying a bunch of rabbits in her arms.”

Boil chuckled as he put on his helmet, agreeing with every word she said. “We should get moving. We don’t want to be left behind.”

“Right beside you,” she gave a small salute, as she stood in front of Obi-Wan, who gave her a warm smile.

“Good luck, all of you,” he wished them. “May the Force be with all of us.”

The trap door opened below them, with the icy wind blowing towards them. Taking a deep breath, Faven and Boil exchanged a look of determination with each other and jumped towards the pink ocean.

Holding her breath, she quickly swam towards the surface and exhaled, wiping the surface of her helmet. Glancing at the rings in the rainy lavender sky, Faven stared at the beauty above her. Amala would have loved this place.

Commander Cody and Obi-Wan were the last ones to join them, along with the Corrie Guards, with Commander Thire and Commander Stone leading them. “Is everyone accounted for?” Cody asked, counting all of his troops present.

“We’re all here, Commander,” Crys reported.

“Thire, Stone, are all your troops present?”

“They’re all here, Cody,” Thire informed him. “Though I wish Fox and Thorn were here with us right now.”

“We can’t all have everything. Now come on, Team B is counting on us.”

“Yes, sir,” Hyewon saluted respectfully, marching beside her brothers and sisters.

Since she survived the Battle of Coruscant, the Corrie Guard is determined to prove her worth on the battlefield, where she had no experiences at all. Hyewon may have trained in a simulation, but when she was shipped off to Coruscant, she didn’t get the chance to fight battle droids like the rest of them.

Instead, she had to deal with prisoners who caused nothing but stress. There are prisoners who were decent with her, and there are prisoners who made a mess for her to clean up.

Hyewon pitied the ones who were in jail for something they’ve never done, and she also felt sorry for prisoners who were only there for self-defence. She thought they deserved better, and the Republic had failed them. I hope they’re okay.

As they approached closer to the island, Obi-Wan sensed something unusual in his surroundings, prompting the troops to stop in their tracks. “Be on guard,” he advised them, gesturing towards the rocks. “We may be watched.”

“You heard the general,” Cody barked. “Stay hidden behind those rocks. Our enemy might be closer than you think.”

Hyewon nodded as she hid beside Boil and Faven, who she never interacted with till today. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you both. All my friends died on Coruscant.”

“Don’t mind at all,” Faven offered her hand. “I’m Faven, by the way. This is Boil. We went all the way back to Kamino.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” she shook her hands. “I’m Hyewon, from the Coruscant Guard. I was discharged from a coma a few days ago, so this is my first time on the battlefield.”

“I have faith that you’ll survive this,” Boil encouraged her. “Trust me, you’ll do great out there.”

Thire saw the three of them having an animated conversation with each other and tossed her a binoculars, making her attentive. “I understand you want to catch up with what you’ve missed, but please pay attention. We’re at war right now.”

“Sorry, sir,” apologised Hyewon, as she scanned the entire area, which was suspiciously empty. “But where are our enemies, anyway? I don’t see anybody in my scope. Not even a single soul, Commander.”

“It’s strange for the Empire to sneak around, but we’ll have to be patient,” Stone said. “It’s one of our best options right now.”

“That sounds boring,” Harley expressed her opinion, expecting more fun for her. “I came here for some action, not to wait the entire day long.”

Cody couldn’t agree more with his subordinates. The wait made him more anxious, aware that this wasn’t what the Empire was like. Out of countless battles he fought against them, the droids aren’t like this. Something is up. I can feel it in my gut.

“General, what do we do?” he asked the Jedi Master. “We can’t go on like this. Team B is waiting for us.”

“I have an idea.”

Stroking his beard, Obi-Wan stood up and climbed on the rock, crossing his legs in meditation. As he closed his eyes, he reached through the Force and levitated the rock towards the mangrove, causing the battle droids to pop out from their hiding spot.

“There they are,” Obi-Wan pointed out, activating his lightsaber. “Everyone, get into position.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Thire responded, turning towards his troops. “Come on, blast those clankers.”

”I’m happy to do that,” Stone laughed as he opened fire. “Eat that, you fucking clankers.”

Hyewon’s eyes widened as she saw Boil and Faven blasting the droids with their blasters, listening to the sound of blasters firing against each other for the first time. She wasn’t used to all of this, but luckily, she can adapt to a new environment. Well, this seems more fun than babysitting a bunch of prisoners.

Gripping on her weapon, she shot down a SBD in front of her, making her pulse run. She had training in shooting, but she hardly had the chance to utilise her skills, until today. Shooting another droid, Hyewon couldn’t contain her excitement as she repeated her actions again and again. “Okay, is anyone going to tell me that this feels good, or am I the only one?”

“You’re not the only one,” Boil shared his feeling. “Wait until you have to deal with the bigger droids. That one is an immense challenge, even for me.”

“I can’t wait for that.”

If only she knew the genuine horror that comes with it, Faven sighed.

Stone stepped forwards and gunned down the B1 units with his twin pistols, not missing a single aim at all. Jek continuously fired with his favourite weapon, the rotary blaster, destroying every droid single handedly. He never had this much fun since accompanying Master Yoda on the moon of Rugosa.

As the B1 were cleared from the field, Cody spotted the Super Battle Droids heading towards their position, making him signal towards Boil, Faven, and Hyewon. “You three, get over here.”

Hyewon let out a soft gasp. “Are we in trouble?”

“No, we’re not,” Boil calmed her down, dragging her towards her commanding officer. “What do you need, commander?”

“Take these to the other side of the line,” Cody passed them a box full of ammunition and supplies. “These are important for all of us here. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Faven acknowledged. “We won’t let you down.”

“Good luck out there. You’re gonna need it.”

Together, the trio took a deep breath together and counted to three, lifting the long box with their bare hands. They had their armour on, but Hyewon wasn’t sure whether they were going to last this long. She didn’t think it would be this intense.

Watching her comrades getting shot to the ground, she was horrified at the sight of blood soaked on the soft sand beneath her. Some of their helmets were separated from their heads, revealing a horrifying face that stood out. Hyewon noticed one of her sisters was coughing out blood, desperately fighting for the will to breathe.

Is this what war is like? Hyewon questioned herself, realizing the truth. I don’t want to die like this.

Thire shifted his attention to Harley, who was killing the droids with her sniper. Trained as an assassin clone, she could kill without hesitation, which was hardly utilised until they fled to Raxus. She was stuck as a call operator for three years, dealing with obnoxious citizens that abused their services. Harley’s grateful she doesn’t have to do that anymore.

“Harley, I need your help,” the commander requested for her assistance, much to her satisfaction.

“What is it, boss?” she jumped in excitement.

“I need you to go rogue right now. It’s what you’re good at.”

“Easy-peasy lemon greasy,” Harley squealed loudly as she grabbed a couple of explosives and sprinted towards the excitement, releasing a war cry. The rest of the troopers who observed her crazy act did the same as well by joining her antics.

Cody could only blink in confusion as one of the Corrie Guards bombed the barbed wires that shielded the Imperial army without getting shot. The rest of them followed suit by infiltrating through the trench, ambushing the droid army. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Thire assured him. “We’re doing what we can to divert their attention towards our scouts. They’re the ones carrying our supplies.”

“Speaking of Team B,” Obi-Wan joined in their conversations, deflecting the blasts. “Once we’re through, we need to let them know when they can land.”

“I hope they’re doing much better than us,” Stone maintained his positivity despite hearing one of his brothers screaming in pure agony. “We’ve lost a lot of lives today.”

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wintcry · 4 years ago

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WHAT: leonard snart believes his boyfriend died and invited the rest of the flash rogues to star city for a memorial service for their fallen comrade. WHO: lisa snart, mentions of evan mculloch ( @evan-mcculloch ), mentions of the flash rogue gallery, and a brief mention of barry allen ( @scxrletspeedster ). WHEN: december 10th, 2020. WORD COUNT: 1,505. TRIGGERS: death, grief brief mention of physical abuse, brief mention of alcoholism, and a lot of mentions of alcohol in general.

Leonard wanted to get the gang back together again ever since his release a few months ago but never wanted it to be for this reason. There might not be a body to bury but that doesn’t mean that they can’t have a memorial service for Mirror Master. The room is full of Rogues, dressed in their uniforms as a sign of respect whether they’re in the game still or not. Snart has a beer in hand — something he brought plenty of to go around since this was going to be a long evening. He spent over twenty thousand dollars on liquor for this. It might seem unnecessary to most but that’s the kind of man Evan was — always splurging when they all got together. Whenever one of their own is lost they come together to celebrate their comrade’s life. It left a bitter taste in most of their mouths losing another Mirror Master. Nobody is taking it quite as hard as Snart though.

Everyone has had a few drinks by now, everyone taking turns standing up to tell their favorite story about Evan. They reflected on how they all met him, remembering the cautious feeling that most of them were about someone taking Scudder’s place but also how quickly the boy won them over. It was obvious that his knowledge surpassed that of his predecessor so Evan became an important member of their team. Overall the stories reflected their time together . . . then for a moment Leonard smiles as someone mentions a time when Evan tossed Digger into his mirror world for talking too much and gave himself some quiet. They all became a family fighting Flash. They were a dysfunctional one but their bond together became tight-knit and extended beyond just putting on the colorful outfits. It was about more than thievery and gaining wealth. Sometimes they even got together just to drink and play card games. None of it will ever be the same now that they lost a member of their group.

His chest aches, never shown this much emotion before but this is for Evan. He loved that boy and Leonard will have to try learning how to live with the fact those three words never got to be said to him. He knew they had an unspoken thing going on but Evan deserved to hear it at least once . . . even if the words weren’t said back . . . at least then he would have died knowing. Leonard grumbles a little in his chair, tossing back the remaining whiskey in his glass as he slams the glass down on the table. He splurged to rent out this space too. He didn’t want them to gather in a funeral home . . . didn’t feel right when there wasn’t a body. Snart heavily sighs and looks around to where the drinks were setup. He already had three but a fourth will be needed if standing up in front of everyone was going to happen.

His sister looks at him with a concerned look, aware of how hard this must be for him. Surely everyone was aware that something was going on between them but nobody ever commented on it except for Trickster. “I’m fine, sis. You don’t need to stare at me like a hawk.” He moves to stand up while everyones minding and distracted. She places a hand on his forearm, blonde hair falling out of her face while looking up at her brother. “You’re not fine. I know you, Lenny. I think you should pace yourself.” There’s always a concern about Leonard becoming more like their father and heading down a road of alcoholism instead of dealing with how he felt. He tore his arm away gently, needing to get his hand on another drink. “It’s what McCulloch would have wanted . . . see us all so shit-faced that we don’t remember our names. I’m giving him one last party.” He takes a deep breath and Lisa understands what it was like to go through grief after losing someone close to you. She nods and lets him go.

Leonard appreciates the concern but knows what needs to be done. He makes his way over to pick up another bottle of beer off the table this time instead of more whiskey. Everyone seems to be having a good time and laughter can be heard. Evan being remembered like this in such a positive light from their friends is enough to make him have a glimmer of happiness in the midst of his anguish.

The bottle is lifted to his lips, taking a swig of the beer while stepping to the front of the room. It was time to do this — unable to be avoided after a few hours into this gathering. Eyes shift as the leader pulls his hood off his head, a ridiculous jacket but it got the point across. He left the glasses at home though, not planning on using his gun tonight. It wasn’t what this is about. He takes a deep breath. “Well, we have Flash to thank for letting us put this together.” His hand raises the beer up in the air, the one time they’ll ever toast the scarlet speedster. There’s some hollering at that statement as expected. His lips shift into a grin for only a moment before it fades back into more of a grimace. Theres more chatter around the room but it doesn’t take long for Leonard to gain control of the room again. “Settle down. I’m not done yet.” He gives everyone a look and everyone behaves. Axel leaning over the table eager to hear what the older man is going to say.

It feels like an invasion of privacy to allow himself be this open. “Where do I start talking about Evan McCulloch? He was the best of us.” He swirls the beer around in the bottle while he talked, maintaining eye contact with all the other criminals in the room. They all came a long way for this night. Some stories deserved to stay between them . . . even if his boy was gone that’s something he wouldn’t betray. “I never knew what it felt like to love. I told myself that my focus should all go toward this job. I’ve been at this for a long time. I have my sister and all of you. I thought that’s all I needed until Evan came into our lives. What a surprise, wasn’t he?” He chuckles a little and takes a sip of the alcohol, maybe too much and tries not to look at that pained look on Lisa’s face. “Seven years together and I never told him. I have to live with that regret. Nobody else is allowed to use the Mirror Master mantle again, I’m going to make sure of that. He was passionate about his craft and there isn’t a soul alive that would be able to live up to his work.” Leonard meant it and anyone who dared take it on would find themselves on the other end of his cold gun.

Leonard is selfish and doesn’t want to talk about the private moments he shared with Evan. Those late nights spent wrapped up in each other after one of their passion filled sessions. It was only for him. He inhales sharply. “I’m going to miss him. I’m not sure how to keep going but I think that Evan would want us to. He would want to see us getting drunk and tripping over each other. We should give him that, yeah? He can look down on us in amusement while we can barely walk home. I love him and hope that we meet again in the next life.” He raises his drink one last time. “To Mirror Master.” Everyone cheers and raises their own drinks in response.

Leonard finishes off his and stumbles off to the bathroom. He doesn’t want to look at anyone else right now. He throws the glass bottle at the wall and just screams. He doesn’t know how anyone does this . . . nobody ever warned him how falling in love would hurt so much.

His sister slips into the bathroom, not caring about the sign on the door. She approaches him and wraps her arms around him. Leonard grew up not being allowed to as their father saw it as weakness. They would have gotten hit for shedding one tear but Lisa is softly telling that it’s okay . . . that he can let it out. Leonard wraps his arms around his little sister and just sobs. He wouldn’t have let his guard down around anyone else. They stay there for a while even after the tears stop flowing. He wasn’t ready to head back out to the party yet and that was okay. The Snart siblings sit on the floor against one of the walls together, not needing to say anything because they both know.

#ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ? ᴛᴏᴏ ʙᴀᴅ. [ MUSE ]#ᴍᴀʀᴋ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇsᴛ sʜᴀᴅᴇ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴅ. [ EVAN MCCULLOCH ]#child abuse tw #alcoholism tw #death tw #grief tw #i finally did it!

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bootlickerhawks · 4 years ago

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soo you got into BC?? is it good? :eyes:

Anon you have no idea how happy this ask made me! I finally have an excuse to ramble abt Black Clover! I started reading BC cuz I needed a distraction from the frustration of BNHA and the angst of JJK and I def got what I needed XD.

Black Clover feels like a combination of Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail and as someone that grew up w/ all 3 BC makes me very nostalgic lol.

I’m putting the rest under a read more cuz it got really long lol

Now before I get into what I like abt BC I want to give a few warnings:

Don’t go into BC expecting something “revolutionary”, it’s a shounen that gives you all your favorite shounen tropes and that’s it (for the most part). It’s a manga that pays homage to its predecessors and while there is definitely potential for some great unique storylines within BC I don’t think the author will take that leap (though I’m very open to being proven wrong pls Takeba take a page out of FMA and give me a Clover revolution arc 🙏 pls im begging the Spade arc has given us the perfect setup TAKE THE LEAP TAKEBA IM BEGGING)

There’s fanservice. It’s not obnoxious imo but it’s there :/ Also there’s a character that’s heavily implied to euh… “love” his kid sister and it’s treated like comic relief. Thankfully that character gets some development but his borderline pedo incestuous feelings are always treated as a joke and never addressed seriously :////

Imo BC has a bit of a “slow start”. I know it seems bizarre to say that given that BC has a very fast pace (which I really appreciate personally) but the manga didn’t hook me till chapter 60 or so (the Sunken Temple arc). But once you get passed that point holy shit this manga starts to shine!

Ok now it’s time to list the things I like abt BC:

Like I mentioned earlier BC’s fast pace works in its favor and makes it a very bingeable manga (I was legit reading 50-60 chapters per day, which I never do, cuz I couldn’t put it down lol).

The art in the manga is great and that’s why I really recommend reading the manga instead of watching the anime. The anime really fucked with the pacing and added a lot of unnecessary filler at the start *. Thankfully where I’m at now in the anime (episode 35) they fixed the pacing issue but the other big problem is that since BC is animated by the ever so infamous Studio Pierrot, the animation quality is very inconsistent. However, like in Nardo and Bleach, Studio Pierrot really pulls out all the stops when it comes to fight scenes so I would recommend watching some of the fights on youtube after reading them in the manga. Also the openings in BC are fucking bops especially op 1 and 13 (tho be careful there’s a lot of spoilers in the OPs)

* I put an asterisk cuz I don’t think the filler is bad per se but it does fuck w/ the flow of the show imo. I do appreciate that the anime expanded certain characters and their relationships (ie. Asta and Yuno’s relationship and Magna’s backstory). So I would recommend checking out the fillers featuring your fav characters after you’ve read the manga.

While the characters aren’t anything special (barring a few exceptions) they work really well as an ensemble cast and have great character designs (imo). The Black Bulls have the best dynamic in the manga and I really appreciate that they get their chances to shine as a team. The Black Bulls is where you can see the Fairy Tail influences cuz at first glance they’re very much a copy-pasted Fairy Tail guild however unlike FT, and excuse me for the upcoming FT salt, their bonds are actually believable. We see the Black Bulls take missions together and go above and beyond for one another which makes their strong friendship believable. The author actually shows us how strong their bond is instead of just telling us, unlike certain other mangas *glares at FT* (ok that’s it for the FT salt I’m done I swear).

The female characters actually develop and get to fight. Yeah I know that’s a low bar but it’s still refreshing to see lol. Takeba does have a tendency to give all the female characters a crush on a guy but it doesn’t feel annoying cuz their lives don’t revolve around their “love interests”... unlike other shows *glances mournfully at Sakura and Hinata*

Now I want to talk abt Asta however in order for me to talk about what I love abt Asta (and why we need to shove him into BNHA) I need to talk abt slight manga spoilers (namely chapter 73 and 86) so fair warning:

Chapter 73 gives us the aftermath of the biggest fight in the manga at that point. Asta puts flowers on the makeshift grave of his enemy and he openly states that he can’t forgive them, which is understandable given all the people they hurt and killed, but Asta takes a moment to reflect on what drove his enemy to that point.

And when he’s confronted with that enemy's comrade he stops mid-fight and tries to open a dialogue to understand why they’re fighting.

These moments highlight one of Asta key characteristics: he genuinely tries to understand and empathize with his enemies and he believes that everyone deserves a second chance (which we see come to a head in chapter 200). This is ultimately what makes me love Asta as a protagonist and why we should transport him into BNHA and let him talk to the LOV.

Now at this point in the manga Asta hasn’t acknowledged the systemic factor and how corrupt Clover kingdom actually is but I’m cautiously optimistic? I don’t see how else Asta’s character arc could go? (tho we did think the same thing abt Naruto and look where that got us T_T)

TLDR

Basically if you’re shounen trash (like me), like fast paced shows with good fights and don’t go in with high expectations I think you’ll enjoy Black Clover! :D

If I haven’t convinced you to check out BC that’s fine but I want you to look at this baby before you go

Look at him he’s adorable!!! 🥺🥺🥺

#asks #black clover #jfc this got long lol #rec #bc manga spoilers #black clover spoilers #pls tumblr im begging i know this post is long but pls dont fuck up the format #thx for the ask! :D #long post

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sparda3g · 6 years ago

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Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 163 Review

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The hardship is finally over. The long awaited vengeance has been fulfilled. It’s not without the last sendoff before calling it complete. This series knows how to end on a satisfying note, whether it’s a good feel relief or a heartbreaking farewell. As satisfying the ending was, this was one of the most emotional chapters that left me touched by the farewell scene that could have been delayed, but regardless, left me smiling in tears.

There are three sendoff scenes within this chapter and each of them fits very well to their character. It starts with Doma and to be honest, I thought this series was going to try to persuade me to care and feel any sympathy for him. Fortunately, the writing doesn’t cross the line to forcefully feel bad aside from one additional backstory detail, though it’s more of a reason to his characteristic. The fact is, he remains rotten to the very end.

His life is literally and metaphorically crumbling away. He believes he will have another chance to fight, much like how Akaza recovered. Too bad for him, his will isn’t strong enough to make it so. I would have gone crazy if he did. It’s a good trick on the fans; it got me fooled. The additional backstory detail did get me wondering if it was setting up for Doma to be sympathetic. Instead, it exploits the reason for Doma’s character as a woman eater.

It’s pretty grim to learn his parents were practically insane. His father was a lecher, took advantage with female cults, and his mother brutally killed him, which she later killed herself. That’s traumatizing. Sadly, I can see where he inherited the awful traits. Even before becoming a demon, he had no emotions; only wished his mother didn’t make a mess in the room. That’s disturbing in its own rights. Becoming a demon only helped him to lose the bad scent of human’s blood. He’s always been this broken. It’s a pity, but his action is far from redeemable, and he knows it.

The best part within his end is his conflict with Shinobu. I love her sadistic charm; she’s so glad to see him dying while holding his head like a pitiful being he truly is. Yeah, I seriously miss her. What’s interesting is the reveal on the secret of her special poison. It turns out Tamayo helped her to make it happen. That makes perfect sense; if anyone has great knowledge on demon, it’s her. It’s only a shame that Shinobu had to resort to a demon’s help, which is ironic. Even so, the result was a huge success, and while Muzan remains at large, she trusts her comrades to finish the job. Save the tears for later…

I like the fact Doma remains twisted to the very end, even when he believes he has finally feel an emotion. Love is new to him, feeling so gleeful; all the sudden, he takes back his words about heaven and hell. He goes out of his way to ask her to join him in hell in which she reply with a no. Bottom line, he was rotten to the core, though at least in his very last sight, he got to feel the emotion. With that said, this was a great sendoff for a villain that truly needed a “burn in hell” ending. Good-bye and good riddance.

The scene with Inosuke is sad but necessary. As wild he can be, he needs to accept his mother’s existence, but that will bring him the pain. He took it on vengeance; something that was suited for his nature. Now that it’s over, what’s next? Acceptance and letting it out.

It’s smart to flashback the moment where he, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro talked about everyone having a mother. Kind of awkward when considering Zenitsu had it bad as well. Inosuke didn’t remember his mother, so in return, it means he has none. That’s an awful logic. Tanjiro, the good boy he is, told him that everyone has one and he’s sure Inosuke’s loved him. Right in the bullseye. He finally let it out, cries for his mother. Damn, that hits me. We just got his introduction in the anime, wild and all, but this hurts. A strong boar can also cry, my friend.

As wonderful these scenes are, Kanao’s scene is my highlight; one of my favorite moments of the series. It’s downright emotional. Before going over, it’s worth mentioning that her right eye has gone blind. It’s definitely better than both, but definitely worse than none. I was really hoping to be a farce suspense, but this series doesn’t hold back on the consequences. At least, she can still watch the children playing and smiling. Plus, Tanjiro, but hey, that’s just me. Now, time for the hard part.

The way how Kanao’s backstory was told is genius but disturbingly morbid. She blames herself for unable to cry in the past. Remember, she was like a mute person; expressing one emotion. You got to thank the anime for a reminder. What wasn’t told until now is how she never cried for Shinobu’s loss. She only stood there, sweating, clearly nervous to do anything. Shinobu never took it bad; always supportive. The transition to Kanao’s past hit me hard; wasn’t expecting a disturbing image. Her family was miserable beyond repair. A tear will get you pummeled; up to the point her brothers were killed. That froze me for a minute. The transition was so smooth, I felt her pain even more. That was hard.

It’s not the end all for her. She has grown a lot; from valuing her friends to appreciate the help to accomplish the impossible task. It’s only now she feels terribly sorry because not only she avenged Shinobu and Kanae, but she wanted to apologize for everything. The sisters saved her life; she wanted to show them her gratitude. She only has their hairpin to remember. Was it too late?

No. She earned everything.

The sisters’ farewell scene is powerful. They pat Kanao’s head for a job well done; honoring her the respect she deserved. It follows with the sisters finally gone to heaven, smiling together like the beautiful time. They’re finally reunited with the parents, embracing like the beautiful time. They’re finally at peace. Kanao finally cries. Everything is amazingly earned with credible hard work, true heart display, and above all, love for the ones they have lost.

This was truly one of the best chapters of the year; one of the best in the entire series. It didn’t try to make you feel sorry for Doma as he truly deserved “go to hell” ending, and that’s splendid. Inosuke’s scene was sad, but necessary for him to grow and learn. Kanao’s scene was deep, relatable (sadly), and sheer heartbreaking from start to finish. It was powerful. I really wished I didn’t have to say it, but this is the best time…

Rest in Peace, Shinobu. You earned it.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #chapter 163 #review #spoilers

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rkxsungwoon-blog · 6 years ago

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✦ — MGA4 EPISODE 5: MASH UPS #4048: HA SUNGWOON ; outfit + look [ x ] TEAM A (CELESTIAL): @suhork, @junhoerk, @rksomi, @irenerk performance: save me x starry night - bts x mamamoo / line distribution

team fresh n’ fruity survives the round of eliminations unscathed, but barely. the gravity of their situation isn’t lost on sungwoon, even as his body seems to lose all strength at the news as the week’s worth of tension finally leaves him. fourth place is fourth place—they could have easily been in the position of the fifth place team; their feedback was nearly the same. it’s fourth place, but it’s not good enough. he wonders if he’s gotten greedy after placing second with dynamiq. lighting rarely strikes the same place twice, however, and he might’ve used up all of his good luck last week.

sungwoon doesn’t let any of his disappointment show while congratulating his team. part of being a leader means you have to make sure your teammates have confidence in themselves and their own hard work, so he hypes up their survival for all it’s worth. he doesn’t think their rank is a reflection of their shortcomings anyway; everyone did a fantastic job. the fault probably lies with sungwoon, and he accepts responsibility for it. he was the weakest dancer in their group, and maybe that’s where they lost points? either way, it was his job to make sure they shone up on that stage, and while he’s glad he was able to keep his promise to mingyu, he wishes he could’ve delivered more for his team.

but sungwoon sets it aside for a moment to congratulate daniel. from someone who didn’t want to be here to the winner of the week’s challenge—and with a band concept too! it further affirms sungwoon’s belief that daniel is talented and deserves to be here just as much as everyone else, and that he truly shines when he gets the chance to do what he’s good at. after daniel and his team are done celebrating, sungwoon tackles him in a hug, laughing and pretending not to notice daniel’s tears. “i knew you had it in you,” he says. privately, he hopes the win will help daniel believe in himself more as well.

if only sungwoon could believe in himself. his earlier confidence stripped, he goes back home after the filming and tosses and turns in bed before giving up on sleep and trudging to the nearest corner store to get some spicy ramen. while he eats, he runs simulations of team f’s performance in his head, attempting to figure where they went wrong or what they could’ve done better. there are too many answers, in the end, and he gives up before he can start feeling worse about himself. as leader, he should have—

but he’s not the leader anymore. tomorrow, he meets a new team and starts fresh. it’s a little terrifying; sungwoon isn’t the biggest fan of rapid change, but then again, he should’ve kept that in mind before he joined this competition. there’s nothing he can do except force himself to adapt to the circumstances and do his best. sungwoon might’ve been the weak link in his team last time, but he refuses to fall into the same complacency this week. if he works his ass off and plays to his strengths, maybe he’ll avoid ending up in the same position (or worse).

if it doesn’t work out—well. that’s something else.

sungwoon doubts this week will be as fun as the last one. there’s more of a learning curve associated with this challenge, more growing pains when it comes to settling in with team a. initially, he thinks he won’t be able to vibe well with them. the whole group intimidates sungwoon; they have two number one winners in junmyeon and rose, with junhoe and somi placing second together. all strong candidates, all people to watch for, while sungwoon is… not. calling it an inferiority complex would be going too far, but he’s definitely afraid of fading into the background during their performance.

he remains muted during their first meeting, not really speaking much at the beginning. with a new team comes a new building to practice in as well. all he knows of royal entertainment is sayyes, and the new practice room is strange after spending two whole weeks in the kt building. fidgeting in his seat, he looks pretends to be fascinated by his new surroundings to get away from the awkwardness. once they actually start talking, it’s a different story. everyone in team a is pretty nice and sungwoon feels foolish for assuming the worst of them. like him, they’re also people trying to do their best to survive in this competition.

loosening up considerably after that, he makes more of an effort to be involved. the first (almost amusing) obstacle they hit is that of the team leader. junmyeon, junhoe, rose, and sungwoon have all held the position before, which means the title falls on their youngest, somi. she seems a little panicked at the prospect, but the rest assure her they’ll be here to support and help out if she starts feeling overwhelmed. sungwoon feels a sharp pang of sympathy for her; it’s a lot to put on a kid’s shoulders on top of the competition itself. the rules are a bit cruel in this regard, but there’s nothing they can really do about it.

song selection comes next. they grab a couple of mashups off the internet to choose from: one is a combination of bts’ save me and mamamoo’s starry night, and the other is a combination of sistar’s i like it, twice’s heartbreaker, and red velvet’s rookie. neither tracks are really to sungwoon’s taste. truthfully, he’d want to do something like a ballad or, more dangerous but more satisfying as well, a rock song, but he decides to conform for the sake of the team and votes for save me and starry night. it’s not ideal, but he thinks it’s the more vocally interesting song of the two choices and is relieved when it wins out.

rose offers to work on the choreography with somi’s help, and sungwoon’s grateful for that. the majority of their team aren’t dancers and couldn’t pull off anything close to bts’ choreography, so adjustments are necessary. while that gets worked out, sungwoon focuses on learning the vocal parts. once again, he lost out to junhoe for the main vocal position, the same thing having happened in team dynamiq previously. he honestly doesn’t mind—junhoe is the better singer and sungwoon has no problems with the line distributions. if he wants to fight for a position like that, he’s just going to have to work harder and hone his skills.

while rehearsing, sungwoon slides over to junmyeon and, with an embarrassed laugh, asks the man for his autograph “for my sister in hong kong.” she’s only been asking sungwoon to get this since episode one aired, and while he’s been too intimidated by junmyeon to ask before, he has no excuse not to when they’re in a team together. surprisingly, junmyeon reacts shyly to the request, which throws sungwoon for loop—he always imagined junmyeon, at least, would be used to the attention, but he’s just as embarrassed as sungwoon while giving the autograph. sungwoon laughs and asks him to throw an extra one in signed to sungwoon as well. he’s sure it’ll be worth a lot someday.

the choreography is, once again, the hard part of the week’s performance. sungwoon’s pleased to discover he isn’t the worst dancer of the group, but he’s not the best of them either. in order to make up for that, he spends every moment he can practicing, even sleeping overnight in the practice room to minimize the commute from his house to the royal building. he’s pretty sure his housemates might burn down their home in his absence, but the stakes are high this week and the expectations even higher. sungwoon even comes fully prepared, packing a pillow and his favorite pokemon blanket to bust out during the night.

junmyeon becomes his partner in dance-related struggles, his comrade in incoordination. rose and somi are helpful when it comes to learning the dance, but most of his jokes are shared with junmyeon, since he’s the one who can truly understand sungwoon’s pain here. most days, they practice right into the night in order to not bring the team down and do their parts right. one night, they just fall asleep next to each other, both too tired to even think about leaving.

the following morning, sungwoon’s woken up by a scream; somi, having come in early to set up, is shocked to find junmyeon and sungwoon asleep side by side. still bleary eyed, he yells instinctively and darts upright into a crouch vaguely resembling some kind of martial arts stance at the thought of an intruder, but it’s just their baby leader, as he’s taken to calling her.

sungwoon rubs his eyes and tries to flatten his hair while apologizing, but junmyeon doesn’t seem to be making the same efforts, instead shooting him a wink and finger guns while looking sleepy and yet effortlessly good. sungwoon feels cheated. robbed. hoodwinked. he stares into the camera like he’s on the office and says “did i ask for this? no. am i getting it? yes. am i slightly jealous god has not given me the ability to wink? also yes.” he gets the junmyeon hype now, he does. dude is just that handsome and charismatic.

the day before filming, sungwoon ducks out for a couple of hours to get his hair dyed. it’s something he’s always wanted to try after coming to seoul but could never work up the nerve to. now is as good a time as any, though, and he goes for a bold color: red. cherry red, in fact, but the descriptor just makes him think of team fresh n’ fruity. he misses them, truly. especially cherry yerim, who he learned had dropped out of the competition for personal reasons. part of him panicked at first—was it because of him? was it because they’d come in fourth?—but she’s doing what she has to and he’s proud of her for making such a difficult decision. he tries to stay in touch with the rest as much as he can, and though they’re all busy, they promise to meet up soon.

team f would’ve definitely made fun of his new hairdo, or the fact that sungwoon seriously suggested wearing jorts on stage during their performance. team a is kinder and don’t tease him about his sudden hair color change (no ronald mcdonald jokes, at least). by the end of the week, he’s relaxed more into his group, and while it’s not the fast friendships and good times of team f, sungwoon genuinely likes these people too. they’re not so different from him, and he feels dumb for thinking they were at first. he’s truly honored to have gotten the chance to work with them, and they’re in this together, for better or for worse

unlike previous fridays, sungwoon’s team is up first to perform. he’s too used to waiting till the end of the show to take the stage that he almost forgets and manages to make it onstage just in time, only a little short of breath from having sprinted to get here. they named themselves ‘team celestial’ to fit with the theme of starry night, and playing off the joke, he introduces himself as the contestant with the angelic voice. it’s a little weird, standing up here showing a different face than he usually does. his hair color has faded a little from the vibrant firetruck red to a more subdued garnet, brushed back and styled up to #freetheforehead. he’s wearing pink too, a far cry from usual fair (especially if you count empty enigma), but it suits the theme and sungwoon feels good in it.

he feels good about this performance too. sungwoon doesn’t want to enter into this doubting himself or his team’s hard work over the course of the week. while it’s true creativity wasn’t their strongest suit, save for maybe rose, they still tried hard to put together a performance worthy of this stage. he’d be doing them a disservice if he got up there alongside them with anything but the fullest of confidence in their abilities. giving his team a nod and a grin, sungwoon takes his position and waits for the music to start.

sungwoon gets to utilize his lower register more at the beginning, something he hasn’t really been able to during this competition. there’s a lot more to his voice that he hasn’t been able to show at all and hopes he’ll get the chance to before his luck really runs dry and he’s asked to leave. he delivers his lines smoothly, working in tandem with junhoe, his mind running on overdrive as it juggles clean vocals, choreography, and charisma all at once. he’s always going to put his voice above the other two, but working with this versatile group of people has made him reconsider some things too.

the shadow of the darkness remaining in the deep night drawing out a light

give me your hand save me save me i need your love before i fall, fall

the overlapping chorus is busy, with each vocal getting a part of their own to sing. timing is just as important as delivery here, and no one person should overpower the rest. it’s a tough balance to strike but sungwoon thinks the team does a good job, all the while following the choreography rose made for them. he puts more faith in his dancing that previous weeks; sungwoon’s put in the work and has come to realize that, if he’s not confident in his own moves, other people won’t be receptive to them either. after watching junmyeon practice, he’s also learned how important expressions are, and does more to channel those to the camera and audience than in previous weeks.

save me save me save me

ya ya ya yi ya

save me save me

the girls are the rappers of this team, and sungwoon finds that really cool—he has limited experience with the genre, but he thinks they do a good job with the material they have. somi, especially, has taken on rapping in addition to vocals and the leader title; he really hopes people see all the hard work she’s put into this team despite being the youngest. he hopes people can support all of them. yes, there are people here who’ve tasted or almost tasted victory before, but now that sungwoon’s seen how much of themselves they give to their performances, he thinks it’s well deserved. no one should make the mistake of thinking they’re coasting because of mnet or anything; they’ve worked their asses off to get here.

starry night, it’s a starry night you blow over to me

starry night

his vocal delivery is more restrained than normal during this performance, since his parts lack the ability to really ‘go off,’ so sungwoon tries to make up for it in his energy and his dedication to the dance and making sure the stage looks good. there’s so much to being an idol that he didn’t realize before, but he’s learning slowly and surely, thanks to the efforts of the people he’s met during this competition. he wants to do well for himself, but also to honor them. he wouldn’t be here—hell, he wouldn’t be able to do this—if it weren’t for all his teammates, former and present.

( starry night, it’s a starry night you blow over to me ) give me your hand save me save me i need your love before i fall, fall

starry night

as junmyeon utters the final line, they freeze into their ending pose, sungwoon brushes his damp hair back and fixes a smile on his face. the end of a performance always brings a lot of thoughts, primarily, have i done enough and will i make it? but if there’s one thing he’s had to come to terms with, it’s that he has no control over what happens. the only thing sungwoon can have any direct effect over is himself, and he’s done the best he could with what he was given. everything else is—random, left up to the will of the cosmos. all he can do is accept it with grace.

#rkmga4 #rkmga4mashup #suhork #junhoerk #rksomi #irenerk #( c: solo )#( wc: 2730 )#( i didn't think... i would write this much i'm so sorry )#( also officially debuting sungwoon's RED hair )#( he got it dyed thursday! )#( but kept it a secret on sns until the episode airs )#( anyways )#( whoops )

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peopleandrhythm · 7 years ago

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S2E9: Break Me on This Lonely Road

A large pickup truck, black as night, rumbles through the Louisiana bayou, its enormous tires crunching easily over the brambles. Affixed to the hitch is a rather large camper, big enough to house several people. Together they weave through the trees, sending fauna scattering, before rolling to a stop in the middle of a clearing. The engine cuts, but all is not quiet as a caravan of other vehicles, trucks and cars and Jeeps, appears from behind, cutting the same path as the truck.

When the circle of vehicles finally quiets, Sebastian Sharpe steps out of the black truck, his boots snapping twigs as he lands on the ground. Soon, others follow suit, climbing out of their cars and trucks. There are dozens of them, people of various shapes, sizes, colors, and genders, all dressed in a manner that suggests that perhaps they might have to survive an apocalypse at some point in the near future. And then, of course, there are the weapons.

Everyone in the clearing has at least two weapons on their person; there are knives tucked in boots, peashooters strapped to ankles, crossbows slung across backs, pistols wedged into belts. There are enough weapons in this clearing to supply a well-organized militia—which is exactly what this is.

Sebastian opens his arms and gestures widely to the people looking at him. “This’ll do,” he calls. “We’ll set up camp here.” He smiles up at the trees, hazy in the soft sunlight of dawn, and smirks. “Yeah. Yeah, this seems like a fine spot to begin the end of the vampire species.”

The sun has barely crested over the horizon when Marcel approaches his apartment building. He’s not looking up as he walks to the front doors, tapping at his phone in his hand. He’s writing a response (Damn, at least let me take you to dinner first.) to Rebekah’s last text (Bite me.), but before he can hit send, there’s a low thwap. He looks down, and the barest, bloody tip of an arrow is protruding from his chest. He rolls his eyes, and the curse is half-formed on his lips when the phone tumbles to the ground, his body, desiccated, following soon after.

Jordan walks over to him, eyes narrowed. He gestures for his few comrades to step forward. “Come on. Get ‘im in the truck. We’ll want to get him back to camp before he wakes up and kills us.”

The compound is quiet, and Freya pads through the courtyard as silently as possible. She’s nearly at the entryway when a voice from above calls down, “Where are you headed?”

Her head snaps up, and Klaus is on the first floor balcony, staring down at her. “I didn’t realize you were suddenly in charge of my whereabouts, Niklaus.”

In one deft move, Klaus launches himself over the balcony rail and lands in front of his elder sister. “You’re leaving to go see her.”

Freya can feel the anger rippling off of Klaus. “That’s hardly your business.”

“Our brother nearly died because of your attachment to this girl!”

“Nik!” They both turn to see Rebekah storming down the stairs. “Leave our sister alone.”

“How can you defend her, Rebekah?” Klaus argues, gesturing wildly. “She betrayed this family—”

“An offense you yourself have committed countless times over the centuries.” She comes to a stop by Freya’s side. “Where exactly did you find this moral superiority you so desperately cling to now? Freya made a choice, a liberty you have so rarely granted me during our years together. Disagree with her all you want, she is still our fiercest defender and our sister.” Rebekah loops her arm through Freya’s. “She deserves happiness, wherever she might find it.”

Klaus looks properly scolded, and Rebekah takes his silence as an opportunity to guide Freya toward the front gates. Rebekah kisses her cheek. “I am glad you have found someone to make you happy, sister.”

Freya smiles. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Rebekah.”

Rebekah rolls her eyes. “I have been the great betrayer of Klaus Mikaelson more times than I care to remember. I’d be happy to share the title with someone else for once.”

“I can still hear you,” Klaus calls.

“Oh, sod off,” Rebekah snaps. Then she gives Freya a little nudge. “Go. Be with the girl you love.”

“I don’t know if I—”

“Yes, you do.”

Freya nods, and then disappears onto the busy New Orleans street.

Marcel wakes slowly, and then very suddenly. His jaw is aching horribly, and he reaches up to claw at the mask on his face. Whatever it is, it’s tugging painfully at his fangs, and feels like it’s squeezing the life out of him.

Despite the pain, he pushes himself up onto one elbow, and tries to take stock of his situation. He’s in a small space—a camper, he gathers, similar to those that the Crescents live out of in the bayou. The space is littered with papers, old leather-bound tomes, and piles and piles of weapons. Marcel recognizes an arsenal dedicated to hunting vampires; he hasn’t seen this many stakes in years.

He shifts, and there’s a clanking sound; his feet are chained to the wheel well of the camper, with only a few inches of slack. He yanks on the chain, but even his considerable strength, weakened though he is, can’t break it.

His focus returns to the mask. He can feel his fangs, not willingly bared, being wrenched from his gums, as though they’re barely hanging on by a thread. He hasn’t known this exquisite a pain in quite some time, and he has no idea what’s going on. His hands grab at the mask, but they trip over two long, clear hoses. Amber liquid drips through, and Marcel’s startled to see his own venom. Angry, he makes to rip off the mask, but it doesn’t budge an inch; it’s been spelled onto his face.

Livid, Marcel lets out a low growl. Someone is stealing his venom, and when he finds out who, he’s going to tear their head from their body.

When Freya walks into Amaya’s apartment, there are stacks of paper everywhere. Amaya herself is lost on the couch, flipping through a large binder spread on her lap. Freya drops her jacket onto a chair and settles next to Amaya. “This is all for his funeral?”

Amaya nods. “They do things so differently in New Orleans. I mean, there are plenty of Catholic churches, so I’m not worried about that, but the funeral procession is so…much.” She sighs. “Back home it’s so much quieter.”

Freya runs a hand up and down her back. “You don’t have to have the whole New Orleans…experience. You knew your brother best. No one would know better than you how to honor his life.”

Setting the binder of caskets aside, Amaya reaches onto the coffee table and retrieves a stack of photographs. “I had all these printed today. I didn’t know…I didn’t know which ones I wanted to use. Should it be just him, or the two of us? I have a few of our entire family, but when our house burned down we lost most of those.”

Freya peeks over her shoulder at the photos as Amaya flips through them. They’re mostly of Joel and Amaya within the past few years. She sees the light in Amaya’s eyes, the happiness as her brother tosses her into a pool. She can also see the way Joel looks at her, a fierce kind of love that only eldest siblings could hope to understand. A hot wave of guilt washes over her, and she points at a photo to distract herself. “When was this one taken? He doesn’t have that scar here.”

Amaya freezes, then turns very slowly to stare questioningly at Freya. “How did you know about his scar?”

Freya’s eyes go wide. “You told me about it.”

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t tell you really anything about Joel. I was going to wait and see how…how serious we were before I brought you two together. Did you know him?” Her voice is accusatory. “Did you know my brother?”

Scrambling for answers she doesn’t have, Freya says, “I think I ran into him once. When leaving here. It’s not important, not when you have so many things on your plate—”

“Why are you lying to me?” Amaya stands up, sending papers scattering.

“Amaya, listen…” Freya stands too. “Your brother…he wasn’t exactly who you thought he was.”

“Who I thought he was? What the hell is that supposed to mean? He was my brother.”

“And your brother tried to kill mine!” Amaya’s face blooms in shock at Freya’s outburst. Freya says quickly, “Your brother was…he was a vampire hunter, and he tried to kill my brother. I know you loved him and I am so, so sorry for the fact that you’ve lost him, but he was a killer, and he had to be stopped.”

Amaya’s blinking rapidly, eyes searching as she tries to process everything she’s hearing. Eventually, in the softest voice, she asks, “Did you kill him?”

“I—no. It wasn’t me.”

“But who know who it was.”

A long pause. “Yes.”

Amaya nods. “Okay. Okay.” She reaches down and grabs Freya’s jacket off of the couch. She shoves it into Freya’s chest. “Get out.”

“Amaya—”

“No. Get out. Get the hell out. I don’t know about—about vampires and vampire hunters—you sound insane. I want you out of my apartment and out of my life.”

Freya’s face betrays her heartbreak. “Amaya, please…”

“He was my brother.” Amaya’s voice cracks, and her eyes are brimming with tears. “My brother. The only person I had left. He was my brother.”

And in a thousand years, Freya has never felt so small.

Marcel’s still tugging on the mask strapped to his face when the door to the camper creaks open. He stops and glares. Sebastian walks up to him and smiles down. “How’re we doing?”

Though it hurts to talk, Marcel winces and says, muffled, “I can’t wait to kill you.”

With a laugh, Sebastian replies, “Not likely. We know we can’t kill you—yet, because we’ve definitely got people working on that—but we don’t want you dead. In fact, you’re so valuable to the cause, you’ll probably be the last vampire in the world to die.”

Marcel’s eyes narrow. “And why is that?”

“Because your venom is more valuable to us than gold.”

“And what exactly are you going to do with my venom?”

Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious?” He crouches down so he’s staring Marcel right in the face. “We’re going to wipe out the Original vampires, and their sire lines with them.”

When Freya walks back through the compound, she’s quiet. She keeps her eyes affixed to the ground, hoping to just disappear into her bedroom for a while. She’s crossing the courtyard when she hears a quiet voice from above. “Aunt Freya?”

Freya looks up, and Hope on the balcony above, watching her tentatively. “Hope?”

Hope starts, “Can I…” Then she sees her aunt’s face. “Are you okay?”

Freya’s eyes dart away. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Hope jerks her head toward her bedroom. “Come on. Let’s talk.”

Sebastian tugs on one of the tubes winding out of Marcel’s mask. It’s nearly completely empty. “Looks like we’ve dried you out.” He calls over his shoulder, “Lorena!”

The camper door swings open, and a young woman with large eyes and dark hair enters. Sebastian smiles at her. “Please remove our friend’s mask. We need to give him time to let his venom stores replenish.”

“Sure thing.” Lorena glides over to Marcel and kneels in front of him. She places her hands on either side of his mask and bows her head. There’s a low heat that simmers across Marcel’s skin, and then the mask slides easily off of his face.

He narrows his eyes. “A witch helping vampire hunters? A little cliché, don’t you think?”

Lorena smiles. “I would think that if anyone understood the enmity between witches and vampires, it would be the once-great king of New Orleans.” She pats his shoulder condescendingly, but when she does, she seizes up, stare going blank.

“Lorena?” Sebastian crouches down beside her. “What’s wrong?”

The girl is silent, and Marcel watches her warily until her eyes pop open, and her hand drops away from his shoulder. “There’s a girl.”

Sebastian looks confused. “A girl? What girl?”

“A wolf. Lovely curls.” She looks at Sebastian. “She is the key to curing a vampire of his venom.”

Marcel goes very still as Lorena mentions River. He’s known, of course, that as long as she’s alive, there will always be an antidote to his venom, but lately he hasn’t been overly interested in using it to kill anyone. Sebastian eyes him. “Who is she?” Marcel says nothing. “Whatever. There are only so many wolves in this swamp town. We’ll find her.” He pushes himself to his feet, leaving a silently seething Marcel on the ground.

Hope sits cross-legged on her bed, her aunt in a chair opposite her. She plays with fingers in her lap. “I’ve been thinking a lot. About what you did. About what I’ve done. About the things we do for the people we love.” She looks up at Freya. “You do love her, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Freya breathes. “Yes, I do.”

Hope nods. “I figured. You don’t keep that kind of secret for a fling.” She lets out a little laugh. “I’m not too good at this, this…running a city thing. I made a pretty big mess of things.”

“You’re trying your best,” Freya argues, “and I think there’s little more anyone could ask of you.”

A half-hearted shrug. “Maybe. But that’s not the point. The point is…it’s been…a year and change since I first met River, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her from this world. It’s a big thing, to love someone like that. It makes you…redefine what your family is, what it means to you.”

“Here parents died,” Freya says, “when she was twelve. They were killed by vampires. Joel…her brother…he knew. It’s why he became a hunter in the first place. When I found out what he had been doing in town, I knew he was going to have to die. I knew the only option we were going to have was to kill him, and I just…” She sighs. “I just wanted to spare her that grief for as long as I could.”

Hope stews on that for a moment. “You know…if River hadn’t volunteered her venom, if she had said no when I asked her to help my mom and I cure Uncle Elijah and Uncle Kol…I don’t think I could have let my mom force her.” She shakes her head a little. “I would have let all of you stay in the Chambre de Chasse if it meant keeping her safe. So I guess we’re not that different after all.” She smiles. “I guess we’re both pretty terrible Mikaelsons.”

Freya gives a little smile in return, and then tries to surreptitiously flick a tear away. Hope makes a concerned face. “What’s wrong?”

Freya shakes her head. “Amaya knows. About her brother, and why he died. I didn’t mean to tell her, it just…came out.”

“Oh.” Hope chews on her lip. “I bet it didn’t go so well.”

“No. No…she hates me now.”

“I’m so sorry, Aunt Freya.” Hope crawls off of the bed and hugs her aunt. “I’m sorry for everything.”

Freya squeezes her niece in return. “I’m sorry, too, Hope. For all of it.”

River and Hope are sitting together in the courtyard, taking turns tossing popcorn into each other’s mouths. A kernel bounces off of River’s nose, and Hope lets out a barking laugh, tossing her head back and nearly falling out of her chair. River makes a face, and chucks a whole handful of popcorn at her girlfriend.

“Hope?”

The two look away from their popcorn war to see Josh standing the shadow near the entry. Hope grins and waves him over. “Hey Josh! What’s up?”

Josh walks closer, face uncertain. “Have you seen Marcel lately?”

Hope looks to River, who merely shrugs. “No…sorry. I haven’t talked to him in a while. Why?”

“He wasn’t answering his phone all day, so I just headed over to his place to see what he was up to, and…” Josh reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cell phone, the screen cracked like a lightning strike. “I…think he’s in trouble.”

“Thank you for meeting with me.” Amaya sits at a corner table in Mama Rae’s, a steaming mug of tea in her hands. She studies the liquid inside intently. “I realize…I realize now that the police lied to me about the circumstances of my brother’s death. It wasn’t a hit-and-run. He was murdered. He was killed because he was…” Her eyes dart around circumspectly, before she lowers her voice. “He was a vampire hunter, wasn’t he?”

Sebastian smiles sadly and nods. “Your brother was a good friend and an excellent fighter. We’re all gonna miss him.”

“All? How many of you are there?”

Sebastian leans back in his seat, spinning his coffee cup on the table. “Your brother was a member of one of the largest and most covert networks of vampire hunters in the world. We’ve been travelling the continent for decades, rooting out vampire infestations from the Yukon all the way down to Panama. There are hundreds of us, scattered all over the place, with the single goal of making the world safer for humans to live in.”

Amaya’s eyes go wide as she takes Sebastian’s words in. “Yesterday I was just a grad student trying to live in a world without my brother. Now I live in a world with vampires. It’s all…it’s a lot. It’s a lot more than I bargained for.”

“Listen, Amaya, you’re smart. You’re young. You’ve got a long life full of potential in front of you. The way I see it, you have two options. You can keep living your life, going to grad school, being the person you always thought you would be, just without Joel in your life.” She winces. “Or you can join us.”

Amaya’s eyebrows fly upward. “Join you?”

“A group of us have rolled into town to fight the scourge of vampires in New Orleans. We could use your help.” Sebastian leans in, talking low and earnestly. “You could avenge your brother’s death, make the undead of this city pay for what they’ve taken from you. Help us eliminate the vampires from New Orleans, and then you can move on without fear of losing someone else you love.”

Amaya thinks briefly of Freya, but then shakes her head to clear it. “I’ve lost everyone I love. There’s no one left. What do you need me to do?”

#the originals #originals #tvd #tvd fic #originals fic #people and rhythm #pr 2x09

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emeraldbirdcollector · 7 years ago

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Neville meets Dr. Q. Kowalski

That Sunday, as usual, Neville stopped by St. Mungo’s to see his parents. His father actually made eye contact with him this time, which encouraged him, illogically, even though he knew it didn’t mean much. He was startled, as he finished up the one-sided conversation at the end of the hour, by the appearance of a plump elderly woman wearing a healer’s uniform, with a brilliant smile and a thick American accent – he guessed New York.

“You must be young Mr. Longbottom. I’m Dr. Kowalski, but please, call me Queenie, everyone does. I’ve been working with your parents at the request of Minister Shacklebolt, because I’m a Legilemens, best one in the wizarding world if I do say so myself.”

Oh, Merlin. He snapped up his mental shields as fast as possible. Not another one.

“Oh, no, honey, no, I’m not like that. I promise.” She put a hand on his arm, and he could feel her mind touch his, warm, gentle and motherly, but strong enough to reach through his shields as if they hadn’t been there at all. But there was not a drop of cruelty in her, no danger, no promise of fear or pain, and he relaxed, gradually. “I’m a healer, honey, not like him. I’ve got no desire whatsoever to take over the world, ain’t got the time to run it, and I certainly ain’t gonna hurt No-Maj’s, ‘specially since I married one. Ain’t never met a man to match my sweet Jakie, even if he couldn’t wave a wand.” The look in her eyes suggested that Jakie was? had been? a very lucky man indeed.

“No-Maj’s?”

“What you call Muggles. I promise, I only use my power for good.” She smiled at him, a sweet, dimpled smile, and patted him on the shoulder. “I feel like I know you already, actually- seen your face in both your parents’ minds.”

“Both of them? Usually only Mum reacts…” He glanced involuntarily at his father, still smiling into the air, rocking peacefully back and forth.

“Outside, yeah. But your Poppa’s glad to see you, even if he don’t show it. Yours and your Gran’s face are the only ones that stick with him – everything else is kinda misty, but you two are his beacons in the fog. And your Momma – she don’t exactly maybe know precisely who you are, but as far as her heart’s concerned, you hung the moon. Gives you gum wrappers, don’t she? But in her mind, they’re charms to keep you safe…she loves you like nobody else, I promise she does.”

All of a sudden, his throat was very tight indeed, and he had to duck his head for a moment so she wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes.

“Oh, honey, go ahead and cry. It’ll do you good.” She put an arm around his shoulder and offered him a handkerchief. “You’re such a sweet boy. In eighteen years, you ain’t missed a week of coming to see 'em, except when you were hidin’ out raisin’ your army and being hunted by those nasty Death Eaters, which as far as I’m concerned is good enough excuse for anyone. Your momma was so glad to see you safe and alive again when you came back, though.”

He remembered. She had even smiled at him, and had given him a whole handful of gum wrappers that day. But…“Not my army. Dumbledore’s Army.”

“And he was a good man, and a wise one, but he wasn’t the one training or fighting or watchin’ his comrades die, not by then he wasn’t. Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve done great things, young man. You deserve to take the credit.” Clearly a smile was her face’s natural expression, and he realized that she must have been a raving beauty in her youth.

She laughed out loud, a thoroughly joyous laugh. “Jakie would’ve said I still am.”

“Sorry, I, uh…”

“Yes, I know, it’s hard to deal with someone who can read your thoughts. But I promise, I ain’t seen nothin’ in your head, or your parents’, that would make me think anything of you but good.” Her expression turned serious. “Now, there’s a technique I’d been hoping to try, which is why I was hanging around waiting to meet you. Would you be willing to let me help you connect your mind to your parents’,, see if we can reach them, get them to respond? They might react to you – they might even remember you, as much as they can. It ain’t gonna be comfortable, I warn you. But…there might be something there, something left that we can bring out.”

“I’ll do anything.” The words came out of him in a rush. “Anything that will help them.”

“I know you will, honey. But you’re going to need some preparation first. This isn’t going to be easy. Are you willing to open your mind to me for a bit? I promise I won’t probe or do anything painful.”

He swallowed hard, then nodded. Or should I? She’s going to find out that I’m an Animagus now, and Shacklebolt said not to tell…

“Kingsley knows I can’t very well help learning that sort of thing just by you being around. He also knows I won’t tell. Don’t you worry about it. But that is a really cute little critter you got, honey.”

“Um, thanks.”

“Cute and fierce, just like you.” She patted him on the cheek.

He had no earthly idea how he was supposed to react to that, so he kept quiet.

“Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath…”

He did, inhaling deeply and then exhaling slowly, as Shacklebolt had taught them to do when preparing to face down Dementors. She nodded in approval, and he felt her mind reach out to his, gently drawing him into what felt like the mental equivalent of one of Great-Aunt Enid’s generous hugs. I miss Auntie Enid…

“Yes, that’s it, honey. Think of me like an auntie.”

He wondered obscurely why he trusted her so much, so suddenly, having met her five minutes ago, but there could be no hiding, no lying in this mind-to-mind touch. And nothing to fear, he felt her say. Gently, very gently, the tendrils of her mind touched his, the touch of a professional healer rather than a lover, but no less warm for all that. There, she thought suddenly, and touched part of his consciousness with her thoughts. Here’s the bit that will help you stand firm in the middle of the storm. What you want to do – you’re a Herbologist, ain’t you? - grow roots. Right there. Picture them reaching down, find the soil beneath you, that’s right…then use that support to extend yourself up…

It was about an hour later when she finished and pulled her consciousness away from his, but it felt like only a few minutes. But he felt somehow more stable, more focused, calmer than he had ever been, and he sat for a few minutes, just enjoying it.

She nodded, smiling at him. “You did well, honey. Keep practicing that. Next week, maybe we’ll try bringing you into your Momma’s mind – she’s a bit easier to reach than your Pop.”

“Thank you.” He reached a hand to take hers. “You don’t…no, you do know how grateful I am for all this. Of course you do.”

“It’s my job, honey, and I’m glad to do it. You run along and be good now. And tell that pretty blonde at the Leaky Cauldron how you feel about her. She’s a dear. You’d be lovely together. And take it from my sister, Hufflepuffs make the best sweethearts.”

He was suddenly bright red. “She’d have to feel the same way…”

She laughed out loud, and patted his cheek again. “Oh, honey. You looked in a mirror lately? Trust me, no sane woman’s going to kick you out of bed for eatin’ crackers.”

He really didn’t know how to respond to that one, and thankfully, she was merciful enough to let him escape.

#neville longbottom #queenie goldstein #nevilledefensenet

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keepyourpantsongohan · 7 years ago

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Ayesha Liveblogs Naruto Shippuden S18

“I put the entire burden on you Naruto” The Entire Burden is a nickname for Sasuke and I love it

Team 7 protecting each other while still making time to flirt is my aesthetic

In terms of actually using all three members in a cohesive unit Team 10 has by far the best teamwork in their year

Episodes since Tenzo has been missing: 117!!!! FREE HIM

Sakura doesn’t trust Sasuke and that’s good because she has no reason to do so

“I’m over it” said Kakashi for the first time in his life ever

Poor Minato he is being traumatized even in the afterlife

“That was anticlimactic” amazing that even in times of war Sasuke still finds time to be a bitch

What is this out of continuity Frankenstein episode

I THOUGHT FOR A SECOND OROCHIMARU BUILT A FAKE SASUKE

Sasuke walks away from the village just like he walks away from his emotional issues

I can already tell this two episode arc is going to be very stupid but I love it because I miss Tenzo and Neji

This doesn’t make any sense because Asuma died while Naruto was training to learn the Rasenshuriken so Ino, Choji and Shikamaru should living their most tragic lives atm

I liked it better when Orochimaru was making a fake Sasuke

Naruto’s two dramatic dads coming to the rescue

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. This is where Kakashi and I used to come to make out,” said the Gay Subtext

I can’t believe they’re taking Akamaru but not Kiba kgjhkjdfhgdkfjhgkh KAKASHI HAS EIGHT DOGS OF HIS OWN

So Kiba is coming though this party seems a little large for this kind of mission lmao

I’m not sure what’s funnier that Kakashi is still reading Makeout Paradise or that he has finally stuffed his team members inside a box for their own protection

Me @ those horrified Hokage faces: ....Same

“Wait, who’s holding the front? No one’s theeeeere” KAKASHI PLS

If the Gaara handshake and Kakashi piggyback are the best two minutes of anime I’ve ever seen then this was definitely the worst two minutes the rainbow vomit and Neji’s fall from the sky I will never recover

Naruto’s heart eyes @ Gaara: SAME X2

I guess even Gaara is vulnerable to his Fifteen Year Old Boy Pride

“He was with me earlier but he ditched me” Orochimaru sounds like Sasuke’s bitter girlfriend

REVERSE SNAKE DIGESTION AND OROCHIMARU’S GIGGLE I HAVE NO WORDS

ITACHI PLEASE why would you be so highkey about protecting your brother literally his forehead said “Itachi” I’m livid and yet I’m also living

Gaara the Hidden Leaf is burning to the ground what kinda priorities

Filler Sakura is much more into Naruto than Canon Tragic Trashbag-Loving Sakura

I never thought I’d be eager to get back to tragedy and yet here we are

“That Sasuke... he’s bright” Sasuke gets the dad approval and Itachi gave Naruto the older brother approval so I’m not saying you’re supposed to get married but that’s exactly what I’m saying

Well that’s gross Obito

“Time for my Raijin Flash Super Circle Dance Howl Stage 3″ WHO LETS MINATO NAME THINGS

QUIT TRYING TO SEVER THE PAST SASUKE ALL TEAM 7 WANTS TO DO IS LOVE YOU

“He’s just like a snake” Well this is a perfect time for Sasuke Uchiha, Snake Expert

Yikes @ Minato watching Obito being swallowed by his flesh prison

For about ten seconds I was rooting for Obito to live for Minato and Kakashi’s sake but surprise surprise he continues to be the wooooOooOrst

Every time Sasuke wraps Naruto protectively in his Susano my heart swells three sizes

“Here, you can have this back” bless you Tobirama

Temari is so supportive she is Team Shikamaru all the way

“Smiling? Both of them?” Sakura is shocked to hear Sasuke remembers how to smile

Tobirama is increasingly embarrassed by the Namikaze clan nerds

Minato is taking the blame onto himself for all that became of his comrades just as Kakashi does, like sensei like student

KURAMA GIVING MINATO INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES FROM WITHIN IS MY AESTHETIC

Tomorrow is Naruto’s birthday and also his parents’ deathday what a yikes life

Minato has saved everyone in the world even after his own death my Namikaze boys I love them so much

“What kind of child-rearing led to this?” Kakashi and Iruka’s lmao

This outro is literally Naruto and Sasuke running to each other on a beach at sunset bless this homoerotic animation studio

“I know you’re not an idiot” do u know that Tobirama

The real question is who is worse at dealing with emotional intimacy Sasuke or Kurama

Are you honestly still bitter about Naruto’s success Sasuke come on dude learn to adjust

381 Episodes into the series and the Sage of Six Paths gets a name

At this point there are going to be like 100 Shinobi left in the whole world

Shikamaru doesn’t deserve this

Can I just say I’m glad Kakashi is in the intro? Because it gives me hope that he will not be Tenzo’d in this arc

“He seems to be in a foul mood” when is Sasuke not in a foul mood

IS EVERYONE ON THE BATTLEFIELD GOING TO EXPERIENCE NARUTO’S LOVE FOR SASUKE I’M SCREAMING

This is a pretty shitty way for Hiruzen to find out his son died

Everyone is pissed off and inspired by all the pain that Naruto has been through

Current list of Sasuke’s titles: Bitch, snake expert and Smart Boi

Fhfkgjhsjghsdkjgh Hashirama is the most beautiful person dead or alive:

Tobirama: We’ll assign the Tailed Beasts based on power balance but you’re required to pay

Hashirama: [whispers loudly] They’re not free?

Tobirama: Shut it!

“A Shinobi’s Dream” is 10/10, inspirational and beautiful episode I love it

“There’s no one more qualified than me to be Naruto’s advisor” I mean that was very poetic Shikamaru but Kakashi is at least equally adept if not more so

KAKASHI JUST SUTURED HIS OWN STAB WOUND THIS MAN IS TRULY MY DREAM

Hiruzen bossing Orochimaru around makes me happy in a weird way

My girl Sakura protecting the whole Shinobi world with her sensei

KAKASHI COME SAVE YOUR CHILDREN THIS IS YOUR BAT SIGNAL

Sasuke keeps encouraging Naruto to keep fighting and coming back to his side it’s adorable

Kakashi’s babies are back together and he’s getting the live feed god bless

Obito’s dream of just being a ninja in the Leaf was very depressing

This must be Kakashi and Minato’s dream I’ve never seen so much teamwork at once

Kakashi and Obito with Team 7 vkcjbhkjvhbjk oh my goodness my feelings

Tiny heartthrob Kakashi is adorable and I love him

So the reason Kakashi got placed on Team Minato is because he couldn’t play well with others oh my rude little boy

Obito’s struggles being late to everything are #relatable

This is so funny though because when Kakashi’s babies went to the Chunin exam he literally brought Sasuke in like hours late

“A guy’s gotta have a scar or two get some cred” but how many scars must Kakashi’s heart endure Obito

Lmao @ Tsunade calling “hold” for Team Minato to deal with their Emotional Issues

In all fairness to Kakashi, Minato, he did his fair share of lecturing before you arrived

What is it with these boys and sitting atop each other for minutes at a time while reliving their memories together

“I’ve thought that this world is hell too” Minato gets to hear about the burden Kakashi has been carrying for twenty years

“So that’s where Madara is” you’d think the giant wooden dragon would also be a give-away

I’m very concerned about Gaara but I’m proud of him for making peace with Shukaku

I don't know if Hinata's voice actor changed or if she forgot how to do young Hinata or if I forgot how she sounds but something seems odd

My boy Neji!!! I miss him so much

Why are the Hyuga like this I need reformation #JusticeForNeji

Hanabi discovers that her sister is a peeping tom at the age of 5

The fact that sunset on the beach ending is accompanied by the lyrics “I shouldn't love you, no, no, no” as Naruto and Sasuke meet this is truly the Gay Agenda

So many Naruto episodes are just retelling Part 1 events through different perspectives lmao

Hanabi WHY ARE YOU HAVING A FLASHBACK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TEN SECONDS AGO

I have so many feelings about Neji and Hinata like he is her Excessively Pretentious Older Brother why is his life so sad!!!! Revive him and let him uncle her babies

“I want to choose my own path without being influenced by anyone else” all of your memories are about how Hinata was being influenced by Naruto Hanabi but I understand your sentiment

I know this is supposed to be a recounting of a very serious moment but I can't stop laughing about Kakashi's five hour straddle of Obito like sensei like student

“You just lie there, okay?” Kakashi is so gentle with the friend he was just trying to murder

“What's that?” Hashirama should really be more fazed about being a face titty on his bff

Black Zetsu is such a dick Kakashi and Minato don't deserve this

Madara: Family reunion?

Sasuke: How about I kill you instead

Madara: Why does everyone I invite keep saying this

Real talk how does Madara even know what Sasuke's eyes look like if he HAS NO EYES CURRENTLY

This episode is called "The Hidden Heart" and I hope it's a joke about Madara's heart being hidden under his Hashirama face titty

In a way the Tailed Beasts are all like bickering siblings

Nothing livens up a party like auto-cannibalism

Kakashi, three seconds after declaring possible victory: I failed

Gaara and Shukaku's friendship means the world to me we've come so far my tiny murder child

FLY SAND BOY FLY LIKE THE WIND

Hashirama, after witnessing Madara kill literally thousands of people: Madara is fundamentally kind

Tobirama is already pinned down Madara now you're just being mean

“To be honest, I've been wanting to do this to you for a very long time now” Kinkshame Madara Uchiha

Tenzo's jutsu is strong enough to hold off the five Kage and I'm very emo about it

“He's using wood style... who is he?” I WONDER WHO IT COULD BE OF THE THE TWO WOOD STYLE USERS TO EVER EXIST IN THE UNIVERSE ONE OF WHOM IS DEAD

“I asked you what does it feel like to poo” Swirly still asking the tough questions over 17 years later

God bless Sakura shouting words of encouragement as she heals Naruto

Naruto and Sasuke vowed to die together and they are so hardcore committed both of their hearts stopped at the same time

#ayesha liveblogs nahruto shipduden #ayesha talks anime #liveblogging

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diwatang-sirena · 8 years ago

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Encantadia 2016-17: Before the Finale

So now we're onto our second to the last episode, and things are heating up. While there are still some obviousy rushed "Huh?" Moments here and there, nevertheless, the last scenes of the penultimate episode and the Abangan for the final episode got kinda excited. And yes, I am SOOOOO excited for the fact that it might really be Kylie in the Abangan. Grabe naman ng paasa kung hindi. And yes, freakin' Raquim and Vishka are back! But right now, let me talk about my girl Alena, who's officially the next Queen of Lireo, according to the Abangan. First of all, I am just so happy that my dream of seeing Alena wear the Lireo Crown has finally come true! Alena had been my favorite during the original run, and even though I loved AleBarro '05, I've always secretly wanted to see her become Queen of Lireo ever since the original. I mean, she was the only one among the 3 sisters who didn't wear the crown. But I'm so glad that it happened here, not because it meant that YbraMihan was truly endgame (I'll talk about AleBarro's final closure later), but because in the requel, we clearly saw all the stages of Alena's character growth. From being the "mahina", emotionally unstable, and least favorite sanggre among the 4 sisters... to becoming the wisest, independent, and most balanced woman who has finally learned what it means to truly become a leader. Back then, I used to complain a lot about how annoying Alena was during Book 1, and with very good reason. But now, all her actions in the past have become worth it. If she didn't go through all that, she wouldn't have become the strong person she is today. And if we didn't witness her at her lowest, we wouldn't have been able to see the wonderful development that she's gone through in order to become the glue to her sisters and their kingdom. Book 2 was a lot of things. But Alena was one of the only characters who redeemed some parts of the story. My prediction and wish for her becoming Hara ng Lireo has finally come true. And I'm happy for Gabbi too, because like Alena, we also witnessed how much she grew as an actress. I almost gave up on her during Book 1, but now I'm so glad they didn't kill her off. She's proven that she doesn't need a love team to make it on her own. In fact, she's been getting some endorsements from famous brands like Pantene, and recently became part of the Belo "family". Speaking of love, let me tackle that final AleBarro scene in this episode. Now you all know that I was worried for awhile that they'd bring back AleBarro to appease the leftover fans who still want GabRu, not to mention the fact that almost everyone was/is hating on Ariana. It was especially worrisome when they began sharing a lot of tender scenes for the last few weeks. But that scene in tonight's episode was the final nail to AleBarro's tomb, and I'm pretty happy with how it was executed. After being punished, Alena offered to help Ybrahim to his room after he had suffered from the whipping. Ybrahim once again commented on how good she was to him, AND THEN apologized for the fact that if he hadn't met Amihan, they might've really ended up together (which would most likely be true). I believe this implied that Ybrahim knew, or at least had an inkling, that Alena still retained her love for him even after so many years. And I think he did try to fall back in love with her again, but he couldn't force himself to because his love for Amihan is too strong to let go. And Alena knew that. There was no point in thinking about the What If's, it would only cause unnecessary pain and regret. She was finally able to move on from the past, and accept that this love story is never going to be rekindled again, and hearing Ybrahim's confession only confirmed it. Which was why she let him go instead of being insistent when he told her that he can make it on his own. I'd like to believe that all these AleBarro scenes we've been getting for the past weeks were not only meant for fanservice, but also made in a way for Alena to learn that even though she still loves him, she is slowly able to put her feelings aside and stand by him as a friend and comrade. In short, she's learned to finally stop avoiding the problem like a coward, and face it head on with her head held up high. That's why even after more than a decade between Book 1 and 2, she still couldn't fully move on from Ybarro, because she was avoiding him. Now after confronting that long overdue issue, it'll be easier to truly close that chapter of her life and learn to love another. And now, she has truly become a Queen. A very well-deserved one at that. So thank you Encantadia writers for giving Alena the chance to shine on her own. Thank you for making her her own woman, for showing us that we don't necessarily need true love to make us whole. Thank you for bringing justice to my original favorite character, and for making her an example for girls to strive towards. I just love how all four sisters ended up with a future that they never would have thought of or even wanted in the beginning. Pirena and Danaya initially only wanted the crown to prove themselves worthy, although in obviously different levels of want. Now they've learned that they don't need to prove anything to anyone in order to be loved or looked upon. Pirena got the crown, but it ended up not giving her what she really wanted which led her to learn the true meaning of love and being loved. Danaya no longer wanted the crown because of love, but had no choice because at that time, she was the only best choice to take over Amihan's role. And then we have Amihan who was willing to take the crown and sacrifice her personal happiness and desires in order to give her sisters and people a better life. While Alena was the only one who never strove for the crown, because all she wanted was to simply find true love and have a family to live peacefully with. It was a case of duty over heart, and heart over duty. Ironically, they ended up with each others' goals, with Amihan having found her true love (ironically again, from Alena) and having her own complete family, while Alena has learned to not depend on a prince charming and went on to become the Queen. Despite its very many faults, there are also aspects that were made better by the requel, like the ones I've mentioned above. I might expand on them on my final post for the last episode. And yes, the ending seems like it's going to be VERY rushed, I honestly don't know how they're all going to fit in one episode. But let's wait and see until then. So for now, let me say thank you to the staff of Encantadia. Because of the requel, I've made some new friends and had interesting online discussions with other people, which became one of my highlights of the weekdays. Thanks to you guys as well, you made Enca-watching a lot more fun! ❤

#encantadia #encantadia 2016 #encantadia 2017

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starlit--dreams · 8 years ago

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What’s Bred in the Bone: Part III

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Jaal x Sara Ryder

A 600 year nap and a 2.5 million light-year journey to find out the answer: are humans and angara genetically compatible?

Rated M for strong language, some sexuality and violence. Alien-human pregnancy fic.

Spoilers for Jaal's romance and loyalty mission, and end of game.

Part III of ??? - Part I - Part II - Part IV - Part V

“She will be in good hands, brother,” Jaal’s sister Teviint snapped at him, her hand on his shoulder and practically shoving him out the door. Sara could see it did nothing for his anxiousness.

“Teviint -- “

“Jaal,” she responded back, exasperation laced through her voice. “You know as well as I do that Evfra will be very angry if you don’t make it in time. Go, brother. She is family now, and I won’t allow her to come to harm.”

Jaal looked Teviint squarely in the face. Unspoken words hung heavy in the air, and Jaal opened his mouth to say something.

“I trust her,” Sara said, injecting herself between Jaal and Teviint. And added very quietly: “She won’t make the same mistake twice.”

Jaal looked between his new wife and his sister, whose face was still set.

“Alright,” he relented, and bent his head down to place a warm kiss on Sara’s lips. Both of his hands found hers for a tender squeeze and he murmured softly in her ear. “There’s a pistol under the bed if you need it.”

“Go,” she sighed good-naturedly. It was surprisingly quiet (as far as dangers went) at the Ama Darav home; Sara doubted she would need it. And she did trust Teviint’s word.

The two of them still did not get along very well. Teviint usually avoided eye contact or stared at her, depending. Sara found it best to ignore it. When her pregnancy was announced to the family and the marriage was decided on, Teviint did voice her concerns. Often. And loudly.

But if it was one thing that Sara learned about angara was that family was everything. And Teviint, having had shot her own brother, had a lot to prove to the family. What better way than to protect the newest -- and pregnant -- addition? Especially when that one was disliked and alien?

Jaal gave her one last parting kiss before going to check her gear. Teviint stalked off back to the house, and Sara was left alone, watching the others climb into the shuttle.

“You okay?” Scott said, coming up beside her. He was in armor, ready to head out in her place. Her stomach twisted and she looked down.

“Yeah,” she answered dejectedly.

“Cheer up,” he said. “At least you can stay here and relax. We have to go and get dirty.”

“I loved getting dirty,” Sara mock-whined.

“Hey, you had your adventures. You kicked the Archon’s ass. It’s my turn now,” Scott said, putting an arm around his twin’s shoulders.

“Yeah, the Archon and Roekaar are totally equivalent,” she teased back. “I did all the hard work.”

“Ohohoh, excuse me, big sis, whose mind was being violated at Meridian again?”

“Uh, who has died like three times already? And also has to pee about a hundred times a day? And has heartburn that would put Elaadin to shame? And --”

“Alright, you two, this isn’t a pissing contest,” Vetra called over to them. “Spirits, I feel bad for your mother.”

“Remember what Mom used to say when we would give her trouble?” Scott said fondly, his voice low. “‘One day, you two will pay for your raising.’ Think your twins will give you as much trouble?”

“I’m just trying to get through this pregnancy without a nervous breakdown, I haven’t even thought about that. If they’re as bad as we were, I am so glad they’ll have such a big family and many mothers.”

“Yeah,” Scott said, shaking his head. “I still don’t quite get angaran families. Many mothers -- but they’re generally monogamous?”

“I think they embody the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ As far as I can tell, some of it has to do with how the translators were originally calibrated. They have several different words for brother and/or sister, depending on birth order or which mother they come from. Whoever did the translations just lumped it all under ‘brother’ or ‘sister,’ but Jaal has been teaching me the subtleties. Also, there are thousands and thousands of dialects -- ”

“You are such a fucking nerd,” Scott deadpanned.

“Shut the fuck up,” Sara sighed. “And get everyone home safe.”

Sara’s melancholy came back by the time she set foot in the house. Watching the shuttle take off without her was more difficult every time. Even more difficult was the thought of going with them again and leaving the twins behind.

One day, she would do that. She wondered how Sahuna or her father did it, time after time.

“Hey, Sara,” a voice broke her thoughts, and she was startled to see Teviint waving her over.

“Hey,” she said uncertainly, taking a seat next to the angara woman.

“Listen,” Teviint started, eyeing her with distaste. “I don’t like you, and you don’t like me -- “

“I like you just fine,” Sara interrupted. Teviint seemed genuinely taken aback by that. “I don’t expect you to like me, though. That’s okay. You may never like me, and that’s okay too. But… but I’d like us to at least be able to respect each other enough to work together. For the babies, at least. And Jaal.”

Teviint seemed to let go of some of the tension her body had been holding. “Yeah. I think I can do that. And… thank you. For trusting me.”

“You deserved the chance,” Sara said simply. She hoped it was the first step in gaining Teviint’s trust in return.

“Okay. Well, just… don’t wander off. I don’t want to drag you out of some predator’s teeth.”

Sara laughed at that. “I’d prefer not to have the bite marks anyways, so deal. Although it might be worth it to see how Sahuna would react -- “

The sound Teviint made in her throat was somewhere between an alarmed squeak and a warning growl. It made Sara laugh even harder.

“Watch that left flank!” Scott ordered into the comm, and Jaal dashed out from cover. The Roekaar’s gun tracked him, but uselessly fired only after he hit cover again. Akksul’s recruits were noticeably less well trained than before, and it only took Jaal a glance out to identify the best method of attack before executing it. The Roekaar was no more after that.

The battle raged on around him. It was a large one, and the din was almost deafening, but he could still hear Drack’s gleeful laughs over it.

It made him wince.

However wrong the Roekaar were, however misguided their views, and however much Jaal would defend himself and his Tempest crew with his dying breath, he still hated to fight his fellow angara.

He didn’t blame the old krogan for taking pleasure in battle. It was just his way, he had long ago learned. He just wished it wasn’t against people he once called comrades.

But this mission was too important to be distracted. Regardless of it all, the only thing mattered was getting to the command center, and hoped that Evfra’s intel was solid.

Ducking around a corner, he cloaked himself, reaching for his knife. With four great strides, and sliding over a fallen pillar, it was buried in the chink of the armor of his next target, and a second, before a third could even defend herself.

“Keep pushing!” Cora’s voice came over the comm, followed by a huge biotic explosion, above and to the right of Jaal. It distracted his opponent long enough for him to get a few good shots in, and she was gone as well.

He ducked down again, pausing to take a breath and check his ammo. Still good. He caught his second wind, and lept up over the cover into battle once more.

It was thirty more minutes before the Roekaar force broke and scattered. The command center was left undefended, and the team regrouped at the door, where Scott and SAM were hacking the door together.

“Hope this is the end of it,” Scott panted to Jaal. “She didn’t suspect anything, did she? Before we left in the shuttle?”

“No,” Jaal replied. “Unless you noticed something?”

“No. She was just… sad she couldn’t go with us.”

“In time, it will be the reverse.”

“Yeah. Okay, I think we’re through,” Scott said.

Cora nodded. “Okay. Drack, Vetra, you stand guard out here. Peebee, Liam, can you get up on the roof and give them some cover?”

She got affirmatives, and the team spread out. Scott, Jaal and Cora, however, readied their weapons and opened the door.

The command center was dark; the only lights came from the backup power to the consoles.

“Scans indicate no life signs in the room. It is abandoned,” SAM intoned. This puzzled Jaal. Abandoned, systems only on backup power… and he got a bad feeling in his chest.

A light flickered at a terminal nearby.

“I think… we’re getting a phone call,” Scott murmured. “What in the hell…”

“Do we… do we answer?” Cora asked incredulously.

“Perhaps we should answer… then be ready to run,” Jaal growled. The others agreed, and he punched the button.

Akksul’s face appeared on the screen.

“Jaal. I must thank you,” the other man started unceremoniously. “Those monstrosities you’ve sired have opened the floodgates for me. Where once the Roekaar were nearly fractured, now our resolve and our numbers are stronger than ever. Our people are starting to wake up to the fact that these vesagara are a danger to our way of life. First they move into our cluster, lay claim to worlds that should be ours by rights, and now… now they aim to dominate us by corrupting the very purity of us.”

“Akksul,” Jaal’s voice was very dangerous. “I warn you -- “

“No, old friend. I warn you. Mark my words very carefully: those things are abominations, ones I intend to rectify.”

“Why are you telling us your evil plan? We’ll just stop you,” Scott interrupted.

“A matter of honor, human. If you even understand the concept,” Akksul sneered.

“You have no honor left,” Jaal spat out. “This is only pretence. If you harm my wife or children, I swear on my bloodlines you will not know rest for the few days you will have left.”

“A chance I am willing to take for the good of our people,” he said gravely. The connection cut.

Scott swore loudly.

“This is much worse than Evfra’s intel,” Cora said. “What do we do?”

“We must get back home,” Jaal said, turning and hurrying out of the room.

His heart thudded against his chest during the shuttle ride home. Only when it touched down, just as dawn was breaking, and he dashed into his familial home to his room was he assured of his wife’s health. Sara was curled up in a nest of blankets, hair messily framing her face. He could see the steady rise and fall of her chest, indicating her deep sleep. She was fine.

He was able to breathe again. A quick kiss to her temple and a stroke to her belly and he silently closed the door behind him, leaving her in peace. She got too little of it, and there would be less now.

The team gathered in the comm room of the house -- the same room where Moshae Sjefa had offered Sara her wisdom on their wedding day.

“We need to talk about this,” Scott said quietly. Most of the household was still sleeping.

“Can we get her to a place out of the reach of the Roekaar? The Nexus?” Vetra suggested.

“And straight into Tann and Addison’s crosshairs? I thought the whole reason she was staying here was to avoid them,” Cora frowned.

“Better to deal with asshole politicians than a murderous angara,” Liam countered.

“We could keep her on the Tempest,” Scott said. “We’re always on the move anyways, and there’s no place safer. Lexi can care for her, and she can still feel involved in a Pathfinder’s role.”

Jaal stayed silent. The point of Sara living here, in his home, was of cultural significance to the angara. It made a political statement, and strengthened their claims of her status as his wife and mother of his children. And he very much wanted his children to be born in the same home he was, surrounded by his family.

But the Tempest crew was their family, too. And Scott did have a point.

He growled softly in thought.

“There is no easy answer. While Akksul’s warning was serious, he was also baiting us into doing something rash. Removing her from the family home would give his claims more weight. But not moving her would give him an opening,” Jaal explained.

“Would your people really tolerate the Roekaar attacking an angaran home? An entire family?” Vetra asked.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. This situation is unprecedented and the politicians are scrambling. I would like to think Akksul is not fool enough to make his move unless things were more in his favor, but I believe he believes what he’s saying.”

“We have no choice,” Cora said. “Sara and the twins’ safety should come first, and to hell with politics. We can’t risk keeping her here. I’m sorry, Jaal.”

Jaal turned to Cora, fixing his gaze on her. “I hope you aren’t suggesting that I would not do what was best for my wife and children?”

“No, I mean -- “

“It doesn’t matter,” he cut her off. “Scott is right, the Tempest is the safest place, and that is where she should be.”

“Do you think…” Peebee started, and looked around. “I mean, she’s under enough stress. Maybe we shouldn’t even tell her about this? If she’s going to stay aboard most of the time, and have us around to protect her, does she even need to know until we’ve taken care of it? Because we are going to take care of it, aren’t we?”

“Peebee’s got a point,” Drack spoke up. “Sara’s tough, but I think she’s starting to crack. I don’t think the threat of assassination’s gunna help her any.”

“She’ll be pissed when she does find out,” Vetra said.

“And if she knows, she might be prepared incase something happens and we aren’t there,” Cora argued. “It might give her a fighting chance.”

“We just won’t leave her alone, then!” Peebee said brightly, as if it was so easy a solution.

“Jaal? It’s your call. It’s your wife and kids,” Scott said.

He hesitated. “No need to tell her for now,” he reluctantly decided. He hated hiding things from Sara, but he also didn’t want her to bear this burden. Not now, not when she had so much on her mind. She needed peace, and he would move the stars themselves to give it to her.

“Okay. So it’s agreed,” Scott finalized. “We’ll try to convince her to come back to the Tempest, and no one’s going to tell her about this assassination thing. Not until Jaal gives the go-ahead. Meanwhile, we need to find a way to stop Akksul. Think the Resistance could help us out with that?”

“Evfra was never willing to antagonize the Roekaar,” Jaal said. “But if we can get the government to see things more in our favor and accept Sara as a part of the family, perhaps Evfra would be willing to extend some protection to Sara, even if marginally. I don’t know, though.”

“We have to try.”

#jaal x sara ryder #jaal ama darav #sara ryder #rydarav #mass effect andromeda #whats bred in the bone

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