#this just skims the surface of what i dealt with from this dude

[narelleart]

I haven't posted here in a long time. It's because my doctoral studies took a nose dive - my PI I was so excited about stepped down as my advisor for discriminatory reasons. (He was consistently harsh and discriminatory from winter 2021 onwards, but he was the one to decide to drop me as a student. I would have stuck it out.)

I'm mastering out here under a different advisor, and having to start a project from scratch on a short deadline to do so. When I'm done I will have to start over on a PhD elsewhere. (The PI I was working with was the only one at this institution with the expertise I came here to learn, so I will be applying to other schools to join other labs that can teach me what I was looking for.)

I talk about being sick here, but I am much sicker than I let on to people, especially the people around me in my day to day life. I have chronic pain and an episodic illness - my conditions are invisible, all anyone sees is that I'm absent a lot but seem fine, "normal" in between episodes.

It's a balancing act of trying to seem sick enough to get people to actually give me the disability accommodations I'm legally entitled to while not seeming so sick that they try to decide for me what I'm capable of and hold me back from opportunities. (The reality being that I am sicker than I ever show but just push my body to do what I want anyways - which should be up to me to decide to do.) My previous PI both decided I wasn't sick enough to accept that my sick time wasn't me blowing off work for leisure and also decided that I was too much of a liability to be allowed into the field. Worst of both sides. It lead to me scrambling to work every waking moment I wasn't actively ill, with few opportunities to rest, and my health declining from overdoing it for months straight.

He drove my mental health into the ground on top of all this, which is why I've been absent here and in other spaces some of you might see me frequent.

Being sick is enough of a hurdle on its own, but on top of that people like me have to go through long difficult processes to get diagnoses and get formal accommodations, just for people around us to still decide to be discriminitory. And in academia, there's little avenue to fight this without sinking your own career in the process.

[molzies-fanfics]

Admiration

A/N: Second Leo writing, thank you for all the positive feedback on my last one! If you see me reply under a different account name that’s just my personal blog, I have no idea how to switch accounts whilst commenting but oh well. Anyway, this one is shorter than my last one since it’s technically supposed to be an imagine (I have no idea what the difference between a one shot and an imagine is anymore) so, here it is! (Also if I make any slip ups with pronouns please tell me so I can correct them!)

Leo x Gender neutral Reader

Leo liked you. He knew exactly why, you were confident, not afraid to speak your mind, you weren’t afraid of much actually which led to Raph calling you both ‘the fearless duo’. It embarrassed him at first, since it made you sound like a couple, but over time he had grown into it. The blue banded leader got used to you being around, he felt like he could let his duties go for a bit and could just be Leo. Although he was aware it wasn’t like he could take off the shell and be an entirely different person, but you didn’t mind that and it made him comfortable.

One of the other things that made Leo let go was that you could diffuse a situation between his brothers faster than he could. Which was a difficult quality to have in the first place since it took a lot of experience beforehand. Most of the time he thought you did it for him since it stressed him out so much in the first place.

Today was just like any other day, you had come down to the lair and was sitting next to Leo conversing back and forth. He was calm and extremely happy, you could see it in his eyes since his smile was so infectious, it just put you in a good mood. But of course something had to ruin the moment sooner or later, and that came in the form of the three younger brothers.

“MIKEY THAT WAS MINE AND YOU KNOW IT!” Raph screeched, all up in Mikey’s face as he held a sorry excuse of a fitness magazine behind his back. It looked like he had taken the thing down the water-slide and only realized what had happened when it had dried out, you could barely read it let alone make out what the photos were. “Sorry dude but it was just lying around I didn’t know it was yours!” He attempted to fight back under his brother’s thunderous gaze.

“That didn’t give either of you the right to come bursting into my lab and wrecking my progress on my gadgets! There’s no respect for our own property around here!” Donnie cried out, upset with how much time he had lost with the setback. Sure, if it was down to a lab mishap where something exploded it wouldn’t have been so bad, he’d learn from it and get back to work to make things better. Although he saw this as downright disrespectful.

You could feel Leo tense up beside you, knowing what was coming next “LEO!!” all three of them shouted. “Alright, that’s it. Don’t bother your brother he’s had a long week.” You started as you climbed over the back of the couch. “We all have! I just want Mikey to replace my magazine!” Raph lowered his tone with you, he was still way beyond annoyed but it was a huge difference from when Leo dealt with the situation.

“Okay, Mikey you did kind of ruin what Raph bought with his money so it’s only fair that you should replace it. He would do the same for you.” Mikey looked at you skeptically before handing the money over. “Thanks ding dong.” Raph chuffed before counting the bills. “Now I think you both owe Donnie an apology. He spends a lot of time working on stuff for you guys in his lab.” Leo watched as you looked between the red and orange banded ninjas as they mumbled out the best apologies they could. “Thank you.” Donatello beamed before making his way back into the lab.

“Sorry I destroyed your magazine Raph.” Mikey stared at his feet as he said this one more clearly. You couldn’t help smiling as you looked back to the older brother, quirking your eyebrow as in saying ‘well say something’. “It’s alright just don’t do it again.” Raph muttered before shuffling back to the gym. “No promises!” Mikey yelled as he bounded out of the kitchen area.

You laughed under your breath as you made your own way back to Leo, a soft smile now plastered on his face. “You’re amazing, y’know that?” He let out as you jumped back into your previous seat. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of practice to diffuse those kind of arguments. Being the eldest sibling myself, and all.” You picked at your nails as you admitted. “You have siblings?” Leo was surprised, you didn’t talk about your family much but from the look on your face as you talked about them, it seemed you were quite fond of them. “My parents worked a lot so most of the time I had to pick up the pieces surrounding temper tantrums, petty arguments and well, destroyed stuff.” You giggled as you indicated to what just happened.

“How many?” The leader smirked at you, as if anticipating your answer. “Three. All boys.” You tried to keep the blush at bay as he shot you that look. “Seriously though, I never asked you to do that and yet when you do I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet.” He sheepishly admitted. Moving your hand so it rested over his, Leo hoped his mask hid the blush creeping up on him. “I understand how hard it can be sometimes, plus you have to act as a leader as well as big brother, being a leader is hard enough with all those decisions but big brother stuff is a constant that will be with you for the rest of your life, so it’s okay if I resolve a few for you along the way.” You bit your lip as you brushed your fingers along his.

Leo had never seen you so shy or nervous before and he couldn’t help thinking what your lips would taste like, especially because of the way you teased your lower lip, it was driving him up the wall. “Y/N?” he was suddenly aware of how close he had gotten to you in the last few moments. “Yeah, Leo?” You whispered, a quiver rippling in your voice. “Can I kiss you?”

The question settled over you both, this was the border between friendship and something more. “Oh hell yeah.” You breathed out as he shuffled just that much closer. His lips melded into yours, skimming the flesh there every few seconds as you could tell how stiff and nervous he was. This was his first kiss, you didn’t want nerves to get in the way, so you wrapped your arms around his neck, twirling the tails of his bandana through your fingers. He followed your lead, one of his hands planting firmly on your waist whilst the other cupped your jaw.

Becoming bolder, you let your tongue lick his lip and bit it lightly, just to tease him a bit you thought to yourself. You felt a light churr rattle though his chest, causing goose bumps to erupt up and down your arms. Turning your head slightly you couldn’t help sighing into his embrace, his lips were warmer than you expected…but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Leo decided to separate before a louder churr could make its way to the surface, perhaps even alerting his brothers of what was going on.

He stared into your eyes, a bit anxious about your verdict. “Wow.” You shuttered against him, practically made up of jittery energy as you giggled into his neck. “Is that a good wow?” he pecked your temple, “Of course it’s a good wow. Are you sure that was your first kiss?” You asked him, quirking your eyebrows in that way he just adored. “Yeah! It’s not like there are many people around here to kiss besides…I’ve kinda been saving it for you.” He almost whispered, keeping that part to himself. “Really?” You beamed, so happy he returned your feelings.

“Really.”

[merinnan]

DMBJ Ep 7

Okay, DMBJ episode 7! 

 The Xiaoge Rescue Count at the start of ep 7 stands at 9 for Wu Xie, 13 for the protagonists, 14 for everyone. 

 The newly added Wu Xie Swoon Count stands at 4 (I say swoon, but really, it's every time he's unconscious)

For reference, the Wu Xie Swoon Count so far is him getting knocked out in the river cave, passing out after A-Ning bit him, passing out at the cave entrance to the tree/tomb cavern, and passing out again on the floor of the cavern before Xiaoge fed him the kirin blood.

- We start the episode back in at the main plot, and not the flashback, thank fuck

 - Pangzi, that is fucking ridiculous, really. 

- What are you, five? 

- "Why are you so weird?"  Yes, Sanshu, I agree 

- Look, at least he respects having his lips mimed zipped shut

- Because Iron-Masked Scholar isn't an ominous name, or anything 

- And now we're back to the stupid-ass flashback that I'm gonna skim through because it's dumb and I hate it 

- WAIT IS THAT THE SAME MASK THAT BB!YE ZUN WORE PRE-EATING THE REBEL LEADER IN GUARDIAN?!

- Because it looks almost identical 

 - I wonder if the Guardian props team managed to get it cheap from the DMBJ props team, or something 

 - jhkjsdfhklfjhfdg I think it is 

- OMFG it is

- Oh, gotta stop skimming for a sec, here's greey eyed fox demon dude. This might actually be important 

- Ominous neck cricking...? Really? 

- Ironface...created the fox demon? Is that what that was implying? 

- Oh, emperor dude just accidentally murdered his wife. Oops.

- Oh good, back to the real plot again. 

- Ooooh, that's why that stone coffin owner is so pissed at everything 

- I mean, so would I if I'd been peacefully sleeping in suspended animation so I wouldn't die, and then some asshole ripped me out of it and threw me in a stone box, too

- See, now that's a flashback I can appreciate, because it had Xiaoge in it 

- No shit, Sanshu 

- Back to a Lu flashback, but it's in the tomb, so I won't skim it because it seems it's actually plot relevant this time

- And some random girl comes running into the super secret tomb, because of course she does 

- Oh, it's the maid come to tell him that the chick he was having an affair with is dead 

- I mean, dude, I see you're upset, but you really brought this on you - and her - yourself

- Okay, back to skimming, I don't care about the fucking love triangle of like 1500 years ago 

- Oh, wait, back to plot 

- Ooooh, they're in a different tomb right now

- I don't get why they've changed getting the jadeite suit from "power hungry dude just wanted to be immortal" to "power hungry dude who had an affair with the emperor's consort that got her killed wanted to bring her back to life"

- It seems it was just an excuse to shoe-horn in that dumb love triangle bullshit 

 - Oh, fox demon guy is here and bewitching the guy 

- And NOW we're in the actual tomb, before it was a tomb, and here is the evil tree

- Oh, no, it's a hallucination because the woman is here in the jadeite armour and this surprised him 

- Back to the present, yay! 

- ...Pangzi, I'm not sure you should be lounging on a coffin like that 

- Always time for a gratuitous shirtless Xiaoge pic

- Oooooh 

- Okay, those horribly plastic looking green rocks do have a kinda creepy glow to them 

- Dude, you are sliiiiiiightly obsessed and it's rather disturbing 

- She does look good in that white dress and jadeite armour, though 

- Yeah, I wonder what will come first

- I'm going to take a wild guess that it's him dying 

- Also, a little impressed that he managed to murder all his men without seeming to get a scratch on him 

- Oh my. Ironface stabbed him in the back. I never saw that coming. 

- Here is my surprised face

- That is a super fast death for where he got stabbed 

- Oh, hi again fox face 

- And...that's ominous 

- Because I don't think they've actually dealt with fox face yet 

- So he must be hanging around somewhere still 

- Why does every cdrama & anime villain have the same laugh?

- Yes, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW 

- Wait, why was Ironface's autobiography in a completely different tomb? 

- And WHY WOULD IRONFACE WRITE THAT SHIT DOWN?! 

- And again, Wu Xie is the only person Xiaoge actually looks at

- Oh yeah, they have to get out before dark 

- And what are you after, A-Ning? 

- Pangzi, why are you so surprised that Wu Xie trusts A-Ning more than you right now?

- You're not very trustworthy so far 

- I mean, neither is she, but at least she's honest about it? 

- Sigh

- Oh, A-Ning's people have to leave the area by dark, too 

- And they're not getting along with each other right now 

- Wu Xie is such a good boy 

- Do you guys really have time to be slowly taking the armour off of the corpse?

- You, Pangzi. He said you're a thief 

- Because you are 

- You said so yourself last episode 

- At least they're showing a little bit of novel!Pangzi's abilities, even if they are making him be a fucking idiot about it

- And Xiaoge just being Xiaoge 

- Looking pretty. Being quiet. Waiting for everyone else to stop being dumb.

- Wu Xie being a Good Boy again 

- WAIT WHEN DID I MISS WU XIE STARTING TO CALL XIAOGE 'XIAOGE' INSTEAD OF 'MENYOUPING'?

- Uh oh 

- Another evil bug, but this one's red 

- Oh, the thing they beheaded was the fox face guy 

- Yes, that is the correct response to Xiaoge telling you to run 

- Oh, the boss corpse eater flies 

- Wonderful 

- And it's fast

- WTF is with that jaw full of ridiculous teeth, it looks like a super camp horror movie critter 

- Jesus Christ Pangzi, SHUT UP 

- Good hit, Wu Xie 

- This is some very tense music and panning around to look at all the entrances to the cavern 

- Thaaaaat's a lot of evil bugs 

- There is not enough blood in one body to repel all those bugs, Pangzi, don't be dumb 

- Wu Xie is a lot stronger than he looks, being able to lift A-Ning like that without much effort 

- HOW ARE YOU GETTING VIDEO FROM THAT ANGLE

- AN EXPLOSION ON THE SCREEN SHOULD NOT SHAKE YOU LIKE THAT 

- Oh, okay, they must be right above the cavern or something 

- Still the explosion was very deep and didn't seem like it was so large as to shake around the people on the surface like that

- Is Wu Xie about to faint again? 

- But didn't the kirin blood cure him? 

- And dooown he goes 

- I expect I'll be updating the Rescue Count in a moment 

- It is a very pretty shot of him falling, though

- All wide-eyed with shock and surprise

And of course that's where the episode ends No updates to either the Rescue Count or the Swoon Count this time 

[professorxwolf]

We Need to Talk | C&J

What: A quick Skype continuation of the thread where Ciaran finally tells Jason about Clay’s death.

When: About..three weeks ago?

Where: Dark Moon pub, after closing.

TW: Death mentions

@professor-shaw

Jason: Jason Shaw hadn’t eaten much of a meal tonight, too worried about whatever the wolf’s text was even about. It had come at an odd time and it lacked their usual banter, simply asking that he come before closing hours with no motive or reason whatsoever. So yeah, that was weird, but the human had driven over anyway, jumping out of the car in order to walk up inside.

At first, his eyes landed on the usual crowd, already starting to gather their stuff and emptying the remainder of their drink, but Ciaran caught his eye real soon, looming over the bar cleaning. Fuck. What the hell was going on? He’d never seen him look like that. Was it about Kai? Frowning lightly at the offer, he pulled back a stool and sat, running a hand down his face. “Eh..sure? What’s up, man? You okay?”

Ciaran: Was he okay? Wasn't that the million-dollar question. Ciaran had been asked that more times than he could count in the last few months, and wasn't sure if he had given an honest answer even once. Seems like tonight would be no different. A broad shoulder rose and fell in an almost helpless shrug, but nothing more than a muttered 'Aye' left the wolf's lips. Once the last straggler was finally out the door, he poured himself a whiskey, the forgoing of his beloved Guinness likely further hammering home how dire the situation was.

When Jace sat, he reached out and squeezed the male's shoulder, needed that contact. But then, never one to beat around the bush, it was all out after a long sip of his drink. "Clay's dead." He stated tonelessly, navy eyes unable to meet Shaw's. "The whole pack..they're all gone"

Jason: Call him whatever you like, but Jace didn't like the way Ciaran was looking at him..and that, that just wasn’t the norm around the werewolf. Not once. It was almost like the man wasn’t there, his squeeze so cold and distant that Shaw never noticed his choosing whiskey over guinness.. but then again, he wasn’t expecting the news either.

At first, Jason stared back at the other..squinting his eyes as though he let himself believe it --Clay. His..their Clay..gone.. but somehow it didn’t take, his lips parting with a chuckle instead."...right, and I’m next in line for the throne of England.” he managed, eyes seeking the others. “What are you on about, dude? How do you even know?”

Ciaran: Huh... Not the reaction he was expecting. Shock and disbelief, sure. But flat out thinking that he could even begin to joke about such a thing? That wasn't something Ciaran was prepared for. Though he couldn't blame the other in the slightest, as who would want to wrap their minds around such a tragedy? Unwilling to repeat himself though, he simply leveled Shaw with a look that should have told him everything.

"Qhuinn told me. She felt it before anyone got to tell her, think that I may have too a little. Or maybe it was just her pain, dunno. She's not in good shape mate, no matter what she might be tellin' ya and Quinten. She ain't in any good shape at all" Ciaran sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. "Kai and Lexi were the ones to find them. They were slaughtered Jason..the whole fuckin' pack"

Jason: Jace frowned at the next look to come from Ciaran --no, he scoffed, and flat out slapped the hand off his shoulder, leaning back against the stool as if..a sense of no gravity had suddenly swallowed him whole. "No..you're still.." he managed, chuckling still..only this time his laugh was a lot drier, more forced than anything else. You just didn't bring up Qhuinn around Jason and not expect get things through to him. Especially when it all made perfect sense. Yes..she had been acting strange for the past few weeks. And yes, it'd raised the alarms with Quinten. So what if what Ciaran was saying here was really real?

Swallowing, Jace brought his fingers to his face and skimmed it down his face too.. "W-wait, Lexi knows too..? Kai? S'that why he left..?" Baiting a much needed inhale, it seemed like the human finally cracked, eyes getting all glassy all of a sudden. Inside of him, though, he could feel a very different kind of emotion growing. He was angry.. fuck if he was.."..when, Ciaran? When did this whole thing happen?"

Ciaran: The slap had his wolf, always boiling so close to the surface these days, coming to life. He was able to easily push back the instinct to snap back, both literally and figuratively. This was Shaw, his mate. One of the damn best ones that he had. And he never meant him any harm. So Ciaran polished off his whiskey in one smooth swallow as the other seemed to take everything in, there with a refill for them both when the truth hit Jason. "I'm so sorry mate.." He started, lips soon pressing together when the inevitable questions came.

"No, I think they had just gone for a visit. Kai..wasn't exactly a well of information. Left without a fuckin' word, if I'm bein' honest here." But that was neither here nor there, as his mission right now was to help Jason through this. When those startling emerald eyes showed the sheen of tears, Ciaran reached out again. "Not long ago. A week? Maybe two. Don't..be mad at them. Be mad at me, for not steppin' up sooner"

Jason: He shouldn't have been so brusque. And yes, he should have probably never laughed when Ciaran had done the one thing nobody else had had the balls to do...but his instincts had got him beat. Even more so now, as he wiped the tears off his face..refusing to be touched by anyone or anything as he swallowed down the missing bits of information that pieced the puzzle together.. incapable of uttering a single word that was close to intelligible. He didn't know what to say, not about Kai, not about how much Ciaran didn't deserve any of that..or this --no, Jace just turned a looked to the side becoming angered suddenly when the wolf mentioned how long it'd been. "Don't touch me, please. I can't do this."

Balling one of his hands into a fist, Jace reached for the booze, frowning something bad. Yes, he was mad at the two women..but he wouldn't bother arguing with Ciaran now.. "..do we know who did this..? Was it..hunters, maybe? When are we going to get them back for it?"

Ciaran: Ciaran dropped his hand at Jason's request, holding his arms up in a gesture of surrender as he took a step back and gave the other male his space. Even though all he wanted to do was grab him and hold on as they both mourned, seeking the comfort that deep down he felt he'd been denied. Or rather, that he hadn't opened himself up for. "Sorry.." The wolf muttered, downing another glass full. At this rate they were both going to be crashing in his office, but he had a feeling Shaw gave about as few fucks about that as he did.

"Don't be mad" Ciaran repeated. "Think of what they've been through. Lexi, havin't to find him that way. And Qhuinn, losin' him and her whole goddamn family. They couldn't do it..so I did. Don't channel the anger that ya feel at them" It wasn't so much advice as it was a command. He loved Jason like his own, but if he found out that a single harsh word had been said to either of those poor girls...

"Aye, hunters. And Kai found 'em. That's what he was doin' all this fuckin' time" Without access to a phone apparently, but that was neither here nor there. "Killed 'em. But it came with..consequences.."

Jason: As terrible as he knew he would be feeling much later, Jason still did not make a single move towards the other. He was scared he would break down..and let himself feel more than he could possibly handle now..or ever..no matter how difficult to believe things were. He needed /his/ time-- the time that he hadn't had those two weeks, while he was leading his life as normal..completely ignorant of everything. Again. "I can't help it, man...they kept it from me." the human shook his head, swallowing harshly. Ciaran was right.. fuck if he was, but he wasn't being rational right now..

It was a relief, however small, that the hunters had been dealt with..and so he nodded, rubbing at his face again before emptying the glass of liquor in front of him..then pushing it over for a refill. "For what's worth..I'm sorry. Same about Kai....is he okay?"

Ciaran: Ciaran's lips tightened into a thin line. Jason was the furthest thing from cruel, so he knew that he really had no reason to worry. But grief had a way of making people say shit that they didn't mean. "Not on purpose mate.. They ain't stoppin' and sayin' 'hey let's keep this from Jace because the bastard don't deserve to know'. Aye? They didn't tell ya because they couldn't. Because their grief is too strong for them to bear right now. Is it wrong? Is it right? Who the fuck knows. But it's what they needed in the moment. And I know they feel shit enough about it too so they don't need ya makin' it worse. Ya got every right to be hurt my brother, I ain't sayin' that ya don't. I'm just sayin' to not take it out on them" Ciaran of course couldn't speak for Lexi, but if she looked like as much of a ghost of herself as Qhuinn did, then there was no doubt she carried just as much guilt.

The wolf crossed his arms over a frame that had gotten a bit leaner over the last month or so, tucking in his hands so that he didn't reach for Shaw again. "Cheers. I am too love, ya lot knew him a fuck of a lot longer than I did. But he showed me nothing but kindness at a time when I needed it, and for that I will always hold him in high regard" Ciaran replied softly. At the question about Kai, all he could do was shake his head. "No.. I mean, physically he's fine. But he's..different. Everythin' about him is different"

Jason: The human let out a low groan and rolled his eyes, not taking well to being lectured about the right way to feel right now. About what he should or shouldn't do..how wrong it would be to be upset at Qhuinn or Lexi.. But yes, he listened, grinding his teeth and staring at the Irish man from across the table with the same glassy eyes from before..only darker, his body tense as he squeezed his fingers around the glass in front of him. Damn Ciaran for having a point.. "..I know..I know that they would have told me if this wasn't bigger than them. I know that. That they did none of this on purpose. But it still hurts..." he choked, angrier..even more upset, if possible. "..t-that I was the last to know..Qhuinn tells me everything../everything/, hard or not...and I thought, I don't know..at the very least I deserved to know. Tell me, if you hadn't stepped up..would I?..or would I have kept goin' about my life not knowin' my friend was dead like I have for TWO weeks? I mean, way to honor his fuckin' memory, mate."

Shaw brought the whiskey glass to his lips again and dampened his lips before taking another long sip, clearing his throat as he let his thoughts visit the memories he had with and about Clay. "..we hadn't spoken that much this past year ..we'd grown apart a bit.. and I was plannin' on fixin' that, guess I never will now." he said, smiling weakly at what Ciaran said about the alpha. Kai, however, erased that soon. "..different meaning..you guys aren't okay anymore? ..you still love eachother..right?"

Ciaran: Ciaran frowned slightly at Jason's reactions. But, in all fairness, he supposed he had gone all dad on the bloke. But he just hated the idea of more strain being put on those women. They both looked as if they could crack any day as it was, something that he could relate all too well to. But that didn't mean that he couldn't see his friend's point as well. "I know darlin'" He muttered, the little term of endearment slipping easily past his lips. "And again I ain't sayin' that ya don't have every right to be upset, because ya do. Just..try and help each other, aye? Take that grief, all that anger..and try and turn it into love. Clay wouldn't have wanted any of us to do anythin' else." He pointed out, then had the grace to flush as Shaw continued. "I'm sorry that I took so long to tell ya. That's all on me and I accept full responsibility. But I promise..ya would have been told. Likely still by me. But if not, by someone" He assured him, as empty as those words seemed to even his own ears.

"Aye...same. I know that Qhuinn had planned on goin' sometime over the summer and I was gonna join her. He knew that we loved him though. Ya gotta believe that Jason. He knew how loved he was. He had to, with so much love around him" Ciaran gave the other a tight smile, those shoulders lifting and falling once again. "If I'm bein' honest..I dunno. He ain't himself, though he insists that he is. Just a better version of himself. He made.." The wolf paused, once again trying to make sense of what had happened to Kai. "Some kind of pact. With a goddess, if ya can believe that. She helped him find the hunters, but it came with a price. He belongs to her now, or some shit like that. I swear to fuck Jace..I'm a werewolf and I didn't even believe that somethin' like that could even happen. Fuckin' daft of me, ain't it.."

Jason: "..tell me, do you ever get tired of doin' the right thing?" Jason blurted out, mostly still out of anger..which likely bubbled under the surface. It was an ongoing problem with him..and more often than not, it ate him up..especially in moments like this. That, is exactly why he took the other's lecture the way he did, running his fingers across his hair and covering his face with the same hand for a few seconds at the end, defeated at last. "..I'll try my best to do that..just promise me you won't pull the 'what clay would've wanted' card again--please?..not this soon.." A lot felt like too soon right now. Everything did. Licking the taste of liquor off his lip, Shaw looked up as the werewolf seemed to take responsibility for the late news, reaching out to give the other man's wrist a gentle squeeze..at damn last. "..it was never you job to do this..but thanks for bitin' the bullet. I...don't know what to say anymore.." Did he believe he would've been told? Not right now, no.. but Jace was done arguing.

Nodding yet again..but this time at the mention of plans to visit Vancouver, the human bit back the tears again and chose to focus on the Kai subject instead, saddened to hear that Ciaran was having relationship trouble on top of all this...on top of having to tell him.. "..well, if you ever need to crash somewhere else for a bit of space, time..anythin'...you know my place is yours." he shrugged, "But you ought to listen to him too, even if his leavin' was..wrong and unfair, by all means. See if you can love this new version of him.."

Ciaran: Ciaran couldn't help but bark a dark, humorless laugh at that little comment. Jason had been there through nearly everything he'd done and been through in the last two years, so it truly amused the wolf that he could still ask that. Even in the angrily joking manner that it was clearly meant. "Really? Ya should know the answer to that as well as I do. I've made my share of mistakes..real shit ones too. And ya can chalk this up as one of them" He relented, a long sigh deflating his lean form as well. "Sorry love, ya right. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just..tryin'. Ya know? That's all I feel like I ever fuckin' do, is try." The Irishman smiled tightly at the touch to his wrist, absorbing the simply human contact as he briefly covered Jace's fingers with his own before giving the other his space again. "I know..neither do it. What can we say, ya know?"

Another tight smile curved the man's lips, as he was now on the receiving end of a lecture. "I did, I have. And I get why he stayed away for so long. I would have done the same. I have done the same. But it don't change the fact that he left with no word, and stayed away for that long without lettin' us know if he was still even fuckin' alive. Not just me, but Kyle. The one that he made a promise to protect. I look at him now and I just see..nothin' Jace. No love. No emotion. No passion. He's like a robot now. I feel like.." Ciaran shook his head, swallowing hard. "I feel like I lost him too"

Jason: Jason looked up at the sound of that humorless laugh and felt himself lean back gently, mostly coming to terms with the countless times he had been the one to do what he was accusing the wolf of doing. Wanting to be surprised he realized, but still struggling to be.. "..well, for what is worth, you've kept me from makin' one." he said, clearly hinting at his earlier intentions of confronting the two women about his not knowing when they were not doing so hot themselves. It would have been selfish..and chances are he would have regretted it deeply. "..it's fine. I'm not really seein' things for what they are right now..m'too upset.." Jace offered, letting go off a wavering sigh at the contact as well, brief as that was, and reached out for the bottle to pour them both a refill, assuming they would be needing more than just a few socially acceptable drinks that evening.

Loosing Clay was not something he had ever thought possible and it was still hard to accept, as it would be for some time. "Y'know, I always thought I'd be the first to go.." He said, sucking in a soft inhale before their topic shifted to Kai again, his body tilting forward to hear all his friend had to say. "..yeah, no..you're right on that one. He could have at least left you a note telling you not to worry or where he was headed...as useless as that would've been. Maybe it would've been a comfort.." Shaw frowned,  falling quiet, or quieter anyway..the second the irishman mentioned something about feeling like he had lost him too.. "Fuck, I'm sorry, man...have you tried talking to Lexi or somethin'? Those two seem close..and maybe..I don't know, she might give you an insight, help you deal with this..but how you feel.." he started, reaching out for that touch again, "It ain't wrong..okay? Kai's got to see that too. It's you two against the problem."

Ciaran: "Aye..cheers for that. I'll consider it my good dead for the day" Ciaran joked weakly. Though really, if he did one good thing that day, that week, he would consider it a fucking success. "I still believe that we gotta get each other through this though. We're still a family" He pointed out lowly, dark head nodding at the others words. "Fuck, I don't even know if I'm seein' things clear yet. It's gonna take a while, it's just..too big of a loss to absorb all at once. We're all gonna mourn and deal with it in our own way, ya know?" The wolf let out a long sigh as well, accepting the refill with a small nod.

"Huh..me too. And not just because I'm older. He just seemed..immortal almost. Like nothin' could touch him" Ciaran agreed, downing his drink in one shot and absently reaching for the bottle. He did smile a bit, a genuine one, at Shaw's reassurance. It was nice to hear that he wasn't being an unreasonable git about the whole thing. Communication was important in any relationship, and in his mind, Kai had flushed it all right down the shitter. "Fuckin' would have been, instead of spendin' the last month tryin' to convince myself and Kyle that he was okay and comin' back. Bloody dragon is a trooper though. I wouldn't have gotten through it all without him" Ciaran admitted, then shook his head. "Nah..don't wanna bother her with my shit. If Kai has somethin' to say, somethin' he needs from me, he needs to be the one to tell me, ya know? That's the only way we can move forward" He reasoned, then gave another tight smile. "Thanks..really. I feel like I'm bein'..a real asshole about this. Like I'm the one in the wrong again. But I didn't do anythin' this time, for fuck's sake. I'm so bloody tired of bein' made to feel that way"

Jason: Jason smiled back at the werewolf just as weakly, glad that at least he could bring the tinniest bit of relief to them both. "..yeah, that's what I had hoped, but apparently they need their time. Maybe I just got scared they just didn't need me anymore..or that I was too human..again, you know?" he huffed, "I can't believe how selfish I sound..makin' it all about m'self." Shaw nodded through the rest of the other's words, and caught himself almost not wanting to leave here..dreading having to mourn Clay on his own..as well as telling everyone why he suddenly wasn't up for certain things. Like Celine's party.

"..yeah, you're old as dirt, man. You sure you don't dye your beard already?" Jace frowned, trying to look and sound serious but ultimately breaking into an awkward laugh, not sure his joke landed the way he saw it in his head. "I mean...how old are you again?" Taking a lengthy swing of his glass, he let the talk..happy to switch topics back to the new issue concerning Ciaran, eyes scanning his face when he spoke about some Kyle and what role he had in their relationship. Not that he was opposed to it, but they'd barely touched on it before. "..yeah, but I feel like sometimes we are too scared to reach out too, you know? Be it because you've built these theories in your head that it wouldn't be well received..or fuck knows..I just hope y'all can fix it.. " he shook his head, "You care..and there's nothin' wrong with that...take it easy..do what you feel is right."

Ciaran: "Ah love, ya don't sound selfish at all. Ya sound like what ya are: a fuckin' stand-up guy that anyone would be lucky to have for a friend. I can't speak for Lexi, but I'm sure that she needs ya just as much as Qhuinn does. Give 'em their time, they'll come around. Though.." Ciaran paused, raking a hand through his dark hair. "May not be my place but..fuck it. It is. Like I said, we're all family. I'm worried about the girl. I ain't seen her cry, or mourn in any way. Ain't natural Jace. At all. Ya keep an eye on her, yeah? Ya and Quinten have the best chance of gettin' through to her"

His peace said, Ciaran continued to finish cleaning, noting the late hour. He should get home, though he wasn't entirely sure if Kai worried anymore. But, he also kind of had a feeling that Shaw wanted to be alone to start absorbing everything. "Fuck..ya found out my secret. Better be as loyal as we all think ya are and not tell anyone" He actually laughed, running a hand along his dark stubble. "Last I checked..one hundred and seventy-seven. I really am an old fuck, but believe it or not there are those who are older" Ciaran chuckled again, then went silent as he took Jason's words to heart, as always. Do what you feel is right... Did he even know what that was anymore? "Aye..aye, ya right. I just need to figure out what that is. Easy peasy, right?" Ciaran smirked, shaking his head as his eyes fell on the antique clock. Fuck..was it really almost three in the morning? "Shit..time flies don't it? We should both get a move on, yeah? No need to fuel the rumor mill if someone catches us crashin' in my office together" He teased, eyes full of gratitude and fondness as he smiled lightly at Jason. "We'll talk again soon. Ya take the time that ya need" Ciaran vowed, as they made their moves to part for the night.

[weeping-petals]

A New Game - Part 1

Word Count - 3,403

The Temple in the Chalcedony Forest has become active, and the Crystal Gems take Steven along to check what affects the ancient relic has undergone. In the forest, someone waits, and she does not want visitors.

The sales guy was told there was another home on the far point of Beach City. It was way out of the way, but his pitch hadn’t landed on most of the residents who answered their doors, and it was mentioned casually that the owner usually indulged hard working door-to-doors.

 The home was actually really nice, and he could see why the owner would indulge a pitch. It was built in the front of - or into - an enormous statue reminiscent of some sea goddess or whatever. Not a fancy place by no means, but the property tax alone must’ve been astronomical.

 He scaled the long series of steps to the front of the home and knocked on the screen door. While he waited, he straightened his tie and fixed the lapels of his suit. Most the home was visible behind the screen, it went far back, into what resembled a cave. A genuine naturalist, interested in preserving the native rock. Footsteps rocketed from above, from what he could presume was an upstairs loft. There sat some windows up there, for what must’ve been a splendid view.

 A small and what he would describe politely as a pudgy child hit the door. Hit the door before he grabbed at the latch and pulled it open. “Hi!”  

 “Hello,” began Fran – short for Frankenstilk. “Can I inquire if either of your parents are home?”

 “Either?” responded the child. “Can I ask, which would you want?”

 “Which? Hmm. Your mother or father, or grandparent. Any suitable guardian.” Fran hefted his briefcase. “I have a revolutionary product that will change how you do dishes.”

 “Well,” the boy looked like he was giving this serious consideration. “That pitch might fall best on Pearl. Is it a cleaning product?”

 Hopeful, Fran brightened. “It’s actually a machine. A new dishwasher, saves water and energy.” At that mention, the boys eyes lit up. “And time, might I add.”

 “That sounds cool! But, we don’t have a dishwasher. We do it all by hand.” He looked down and prodded the threshold with his toe. “I’m the only one in the house that eats, so I don’t know if Pearl will come to the door. Between you and me, she really doesn’t like talking to people.”

 This was getting weird, and going nowhere. “Could you try and get her for me? Maybe she’ll talk to me. It is a wonderful product, and we have several sizes to fit your family’s needs.”

 At the far end of the room, what appeared as a kind of flat platform with crystals embedded on the base, lit up. Like a concerts lighting effects or stage, it beamed with radiance that flooded the interior of the home. Fran gawked, and the boy spun around, going tense. Something appeared in the center, but in a blink it was gone and once more the interior catered to the typical light from lamps.

 “OHH!” squealed the boy. “Did you see that?”

 “Uhh….”

 “I knew I saw it! I knew it! The ghost! You saw it too, right?” he grabbed Fran by the pant leg and shook him. “I didn’t have my camera! Can you wait here? I gotta get someone! Pearl! She’ll want to talk!”

 “Uhhh…..” Fran wanted to leave. Now.

 The strange formal man with the briefcase was gone by the time Steven had located one of the Crystal Gems, not Pearl. Garnet figured Steven would be looking for her, but there were any number of scenarios that could have led to him needing her. The one where he saw a ghost was not one, and that concerned her.

 “This is the third time I’ve seen it.” Steven had a book loaded with spectral apparitions, stories of unsolved conundrums, and mystical time portals. All rubbish in Pearl’s eyes, but it fascinated Steven.

 To Garnet, none of that made sense. Over the centuries, she and the other Gems dealt with corrupted monsters left over from the war, unaccounted shards that needed a good sturdy bubble, and passive gems corrupted, but rooted to their locations and passive, but needed to be looked after. Corrupted Gems and shards could not use the portals, yet, that was where Steven insisted, he saw this apparition.

 “Did you get a good look at her, this time?” she posed. She sat on the couch, watching Steven pace back and forth – a habit he picked up from Pearl.

 “No. It happened too fast.”

 Garnet hummed, contemplating this information. She skimmed through the twisting timelines, searching for insight into these visions Steven was having. None came to her, immediately. “Are you sure Amethyst isn’t playing a trick on you?”

 “No. I don’t know.” Steven let the disappointment leak into his voice. “Usually, she surprises me and gloats about how I’m so easy.”

 Yeah. This didn’t sound like Amethyst’s doing.

 Over the next few weeks, Steven poured into the spooky and mystery books from the local bookshop. The mail carrier was hauling one or two large volumes a day. Pearl was at her wits end.

 “Steven. These volumes are not accurate education materials. There’s no such things as… spirits,” she huffed.

 Thankfully, Amethyst was at the bar folding a burger into a pizza. “Psh, yeah. Except the creepy gem bits we keep in the basement.”

 Steven looked up from the book he was perusing through. “Gem… bits?”

 “Amethyst!”

 A loud argument irrupted from that. For the most part, Steven was confused, and Amethyst teetered on the edge of divulging something, which Pearl was having none of. It only came to an end when Garnet entered from the portal doorway, her presence and stoic expression demanded silence.

 This didn’t happen immediately. Garnet had to clear her throat to break the others out of bickering. “We need to make a trip to the Chalcedony Forest. The temple in the heart of that region has become active, and one of the warp pads there is now silent.”

 Pearl and Amethyst remained pensive. Steven was the first to speak up.

 “What does that mean?”

 “My plans for the day are canceled,” Amethyst quipped.

 “You didn’t have any plans,” Pearl rebuked.

 “Aside from eating my purrurger. It’s a pizza, burger, and a burrito. All rolled up in one.” Amethyst began gnawing on the culinary behemoth, while Pearl made the gag face. The one she made, whenever Amethyst shoved a none traditional, edible food item into her face.

 “Steven. Would you like to come with us?” Garnet bypassed the bar, to look on the child with his book.

 “You mean it?” he beamed. The face faded, he looked at his book. “Even after the Moon Temple?”

 “Lunar Sea Spire,” Pearl corrected.

 “One minor error.” Garnet ruffled his curly hair. “We all make them, one time or another. What matters, is that you want to continue and learn. And avoid repeating the same mistakes. No artifacts this time. Our mission will be simple recon. Maybe your short stature will help us locate anything we miss.”

 “I’m short!” Amethyst burped.

 “But Steven does it better,” Garnet responded. “We need to leave soon. Go get packed.”

 Steven bolted from his chair and rushed to the loft. He grabbed the hamburger backpack off his shelf and dumped all the supplies from it, then restocked it, accounting for new gear he needed for the so named forest.

 “Do I need bug spray!”

 “No.”

 “Suntan lotion?”

 “Dude! We’re going to be in a forest!”

 “What about a canoe?”

 “Steven!” All three said in unison.

 Steven stuffed in one snack, and felt ready for the trip. He raced downstairs, and joined the other gems at the front door. “So, what’s the Chardony Forest like?”

 “Chalcedony Forest,” Pearl corrected. Amethyst facepalmed. “It was a land in the midst of gem petrifi—”

 In a beam of light, the gems vanished from the surface of the warp pad and shot through the light stream. Within a matter of minutes, a flash burst halfway across the globe on a sister pad.

 Deep in the forest terrain.

 “—Since then, ah, we’re here,” Pearl announced, when the light faded and the chaotic land rose up around them. The trees clustered close to the area of the pad, and it was askew in the soil. Steven wobbled where he stood on the slick surface. “Since then, the forest has adapted to the partial terraforming.”

 “Wow.” Steven bounced off the pad and weaved among the shrubs. The trees were the largest he’d ever seen, some had trunks larger than his own home. He shielded his eyes from the falling sun, the light cascaded down was intense. Though, some of the looming timbers shimmered and reflected light, the surface polished like glass. Smaller and less impressive foliage remained traditional bark and fiber. “Oh, so they’re like glass.”

 “The Chalcedony Forest,” Garnet restated. “Many of these plants adopted gem like qualities. Some are primarily mineral.”

 “Chalcedony is a kind of gem?” Steven questioned. He leaned down, inspecting the jagged crystals shooting from the sprouts of a shrub.

 “Yes.” Garnet stepped by, patting his head. “Let’s get moving. We won’t have much daylight, especially with the trees. Amethyst.”

 Amethyst was prodding a root. “What? I’m just looking.”

 “It’ll be important to stay close. The thicket is dense, and it will be easy to become separated, and difficult to call out for each other.” This was Garnet code for, keep a close eye on Steven because he might get distracted by something and wander.

 “So Pearl!” Steven bounded up beside his favorite tall and booky gem. “What else can you tell me about this place? How are the trees both glass and growing?”

 Pearl smiled, “Well, the technology was very sophisticated at the time, and this region was intended to be utilized for aristocratic gatherings. See the view?” She cast an arm out, gesturing the expanding valley stretching from the slope of the mountain. Steven hurried ahead, eyes beaming. The forest went on

 FOREVER

 Unbeknownst to the gems, in the low canopy above them, a dark shape plopped onto a branch and stood, bent, surveying the three. It was loosened, looming, gleaming eyes narrowed. In a flash, the figure was out of sight. Aside from leaves spiraling down from where the figure darted, no evidence was apparent to warn the others.

 A half hour later, the gems were hiking uphill. A path wove among the branches and breaching roots, but the terrain was not clear of rocks or shattered tree mineral.

 “Hey,” Steven wheezed. “How far is the temple?”

 “Mmm,” Garnet thought. “Another three hours.”

 “What!”

 “That was the closest warp pad?” Amethyst grouched. Though not tired, walking was boring. And they weren’t here to fight any creatures or living islands.

 “There was one nearer to the temple, yes,” Garnet answered. “Though seismic events might have….” There she stalled, and raised her head to the canopy above. “Watch out!” She knocked Amethyst backwards, then bolted forward snagging Steven and Pearl. She crouched beside the base of crystal spikes, shielding them from a rapid succession of bursting sparks that erupted on the trail.

 Amethyst rolled backwards, narrowly evading miniscule shards. A few hits struck home, inflicted damage to her arm. “Hey! What gives!”

 Laughter spilled down from the branches. From the dense leafy assortment, a lanky thread slunk down. It alit on a branch, recalling its body into a concise shape.

 “Well-well-well, what have we here!” the speaker hissed. “Look who’s come to invade my territory.” The lithe shape dropped, swinging from its legs, directing an oversized finger at each below under scrutiny. She sang in a mocking tune, “If it isn’t Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Oh dear, Pearl, long time no see. Eh?” She slung around, and flipped back up onto the branch. “What happened? Run out of Corrupt Gems to Terrorize!”

 Pearl eased out of Garnet’s arms, squinting at the silhouette. “Who is…? No. It can’t be.”

 “But it can. And it is! Oh, and now you’re here, for me. Come to finish what you started! IS THAT IT!” She bounded down tree limbs, marching with her fists swinging. “You’ll all have another thing comin’, mark my words.”

 Steven shuddered. Garnet held tight in her arms, while all focus was directed up at the strange… person. He’d never seen her this tense before, not since the arcade. “Garnet,” he murmured. “Who is that? Do you know… her?”

 Garnet didn’t respond. She set him down and moved to place herself between him and the figure up high, descending beat by beat. This movement didn’t go overlooked.

 “Ah! Who’s that you got there? Another reject, from the furnace!” The person sprang up and down on the branch, stamping her feet. “If you think—”

 “Amethyst,” Garnet hissed. She didn’t need to look, to know she caught the other’s attention. “Return to the warp pad.”

 “Who! Is! That!” The figure demanded, cocking those gleaming eyes.

 Pearl already had a spear summoned, and was moving around the side of the tree. In part striving to conceal intents, partially tempting attention – feigning a poorly construed sneak attack. Meanwhile, Amethyst crept among the brush from the other side, to where Garnet with Steven stood poised.

 “Come on, Steven.” Amethyst nabbed his hand and tugged him away. Her quick response on the command and lack of resistance made Steven uneasy. Amethyst was prone to argue if there was a chance for a fight, but here and now, she hefted him above her head and hurried into the retreat.

 “Wait,” Steven countered. “Who?— What’s—?”

 “Steven!” The silhouette barked, bristling. “Steev-En.” The body of the odd figure went limp noodle. “Oh. Ooh. Perfect.” Her gleaming eyes slanted. “Steven. All grown up. Look atchoo. Aren’t you cuute. I have a surprise. How ‘bout a new game. The rules are simple. Winner takes all. Won’t you stay? Can’t you play? Think of all the fun we’ll have!”

 “Spinel!” Garnet boomed.

 Pearl was scaling the tree, vaulting up the branches, fast as she could manage. She reached height with Spinel and thrust her spear, intending to shoot a bolt or energy. But Spinel already lept backwards, extending an arm. She caught Pearl by the foot and knocked her out of the elegant ascent.

 “Just like old times,” Spinel cackled. Her limbs uncoiled, she snatched ahold of branches near the forest floor and hauled her body downward like a missile. “Have fun while I wasn’t around? Learn new tricks? Make new games?”

 Amethyst hurtled around trees, while Steven flailed his arms. “Who is that? What is—” He crashed to his backside when Amethyst came to an abrupt halt, dropping him and scooting backwards. On the ground the lanky gem was coiled and flattened, a wild grin plastered on the face. An arm snaked out and snared Amethyst by the ankle, in one fling Amethyst went skyward. Steven shuffled backwards.

 Spinel sprang off the floor, limbs jagged and bent. “Found you!”

 “Don’t you dare harm him!” Garnet snarled. She launched over Steven’s head, gauntlet extended. The blow narrowly connected with Spinel’s shoulder, but rather knock the enemy gem off balance, legs coiled about Garnet’s shoulders and wrist, looping tightly.

 Spinel twisted into the flip, hauling the bulkier gem along. Arms unraveled catching at the trunks around them, and she began spinning in an unrestrained vortex, abandoning control. A bright glimmer emitted from the core of the cyclone, and when Spinel released Garnet, the fusion collided with a crystal tree. The Chalcedony burst, collapsing into glittery bits and forming a glittery cavity.

 Perched in the low branches, Pearl saw an opening. Spinel skidded across the soil, whipping around to face an oncoming lilac buzzsaw. Soundlessly, Pearl vaulted down, extending her spear. Unfortunately, she forgot the critical rule of fighting Spinel.

 Spinel was already relocating, a constant motion, never ceasing step aside from a millisecond beat. She spied Pearl in descent, and once Amethyst was a hairpin close, grabbed the whirring ball by the sides and launched her upward. Amethyst collided with Pearl, and the two plummeted.

 Steven backed away when the gem spun his way; a wide grin met him, the arms loose and curved. She made no move on him, didn’t acknowledge him aside from the sinister gleam. The barest suggestion of an encounter sent a shiver up his spine, and he continued to retreat, until his back hit the bent root of a tree. He didn’t know what to do, how to help. This was unlike any scenario they practiced for. This was clearly not a creature, he didn’t think she looked like one. This was a gem. A real gem person.

 Why were they fighting?

 Pearl and Amethyst were struggling to recover from the impact. That was when Spinel sprang into their midst, spinning and kicking one or the other. “How I MISSED YOU!” Pearl rose to jam out a spear, but Spinel smashed it to the ground underfoot. Amethyst cracked her whip, and Spinel countered by coiling an arm into the lash and hauled Amethyst downward. “How lonely I WAS! Can you IMAGINE?” She grabbed Amethyst, swept around and flung her against Pearl’s body. “Remember all the fun we used to have? Do ya! Well I DO!”

 Spinel’s gem gleamed, and she slapped a small block to the back of Amethyst’s shoulder. Pearl sprang in, not recovered from the last blow. She tried to spear Spinel with a wild shot, but missed when the other gem bowed aside. Not only swung, but scooted up right behind Pearl. Spinel pried at her shimmering heart, and shoved a third and final device to the back of Pearl’s head. The force of the delivery sent Pearl into a flip.

 “You LEFT ME! Thought you could forget all about me, HAUGH!” Spinel spat, as she backed away. Directly behind her, Garnet launched in, gauntlets out stretched and energy crackling across her knuckles. Spinel performed a tight twirl on one leg, bending backwards, the other leg slung up and tripped Garnet. While the larger gem somersaulted, Spinel snatched the shades from her face.

 And fitted them over her own eyes. “Thought you’d just… abandon me, didja?” Her gem gleamed, this time, she brought forth a device about the size of her hand. “Not a one of you thought to come find me! Thought you’d be through with me! Dust your hands of that lil trifle? Well, GUESS AGAIN!”

 The three gems saw the device, but it was Amethyst who spied the something… on the back of Pearl’s head. She blurted, “She’s got a—”

 Garnet landed and recovered, right beside Spinel. But she didn’t contend with the gem, instead, she propelled herself forward. There was no time. Spinel hit the switch, and sneered at the other two.

 Each tech on each gem, Garnet included, blazed a bright light. The forest around them was engulfed completely by the intrusive radiance, even sound burned away. Too near the radius, Steven covered his head and body, perplexed and terrified by everything spiraling out of control. It very well could have been their end. He would never see another Cookie Cat. His dad would never know what happened. Their adventures were over.

 “Steven,” Garnet howled. Voice nearly enveloped completely by the grating yowl of the light. She wrapped her arms around the boy, intending to shield him, and defend him from whatever may come.

 Right beside her, Spinel laughed. “Nice try. No dice.” Garnet nearly missed the comment. She curled around Steven tighter, reminiscent of another time long-long ago, when she had protected a friend.

 Eventually, the light faded by layers of haze, and even then, the gems could not see clearly. The surroundings were apparent, but they remained in a glaring fog.

 “What was that?” Amethyst grumbled. She walked into another tree. She tried crawling, but wound up waddling right into a crystal rock.

 “A flash,” Pearl supplied. She leaned on her spear struggling with the affects, shaking her head – where her gem was situated. “It impedes our gems ability to perceive surroundings.”

 “Just say we can’t see. That makes more sense,” Amethyst spat. “Man! I thought she was gone, like, forever ago. Garnet? Is Stev okay?” Worryingly, Garnet was silent. “Hey! Was he affected? How’s he doing?”

 Garnet was the first able to recover. She managed to summon a pair of shades, though still suffered some intent of the radiance. Which meant, Spinel was affected as well, to some degree. Which on its own was troubling. What bothered Garnet more, was that she was holding only the hamburger backpack, and it was empty. They lost Steven.

[cutegirlmayra]

Well, I guess I have to do it then. -shrug-

This is happening! lol

Part 1 (x) In case you missed it ;)

Part 3 (x) Because some people- can’t even. (Pun, entirely, intended)

Prompt:

As they spiraled around and up the lava filled volcano, Classic dodged some on-coming flaming rocks that came out of it’s top, as Modern Sonic circled the stage upward.

Classic took the more direct but dangerous route, it was faster, but it also meant certain doom if he didn’t watch himself and act fast on reflex.

Jumping from rock to rock, he found that some were dummies or, in otherwords, would cause him to slide down and take longer.

At long last, Classic made it up before Modern, and as he looked behind him to double check his surroundings, he looked inside the volcano and gasped.

A metallic dragon was battling Amy, but she looked on her last few breathes, as she wearily swung her hammer before taking courage and jumping on it’s head, only to have it drop into the lava.

She screamed a moment, flailing her arms before something spin dashed into her, knocking her away from a devastating fall.

She hit the back of the volcano and passed out, as he slid down the rocky wall with one hand gripping the sliding rocks around him and the other trying to hold on to her.

Once down, he worried he may have hurt her, seeing scratches and other such injuries before he angrily turned to the dragon, as it sprayed up lava from it’s head coming up, the magma also formed the tight, flying flame rocks that would form due to their mass spiraling into a ball form.

So.. it was the dragon that made him loose so many rings and lives on that climb up here!

He clutched his fists, and began to fight it, kicking and spinning the rocks back at the head, before jumping on a spring conveniently located at the foot of the lava crevice-like dome before homing attacking the robotic eye when a spring would click out like a door, and the head would fall flat down.

After the boss battle, the dragon roared it’s head and slowly departed into the lava, shutting down and blasting an explosion that triggered the full revival of the volcano.

When Modern made it, he was shocked by the explosions, “Woah! Guess I missed all the fun.” he didn’t seem cheery about that, because he frowned with his teeth showing, looking for Amy above.

But it ended up that Amy was on the floor level with him, and he turned to finally see her, still limp on the ground.

He raced to her at once, as Classic Worriedly dodged sparks of fire burst from the mouth of the volcano, before turning around to look at the two.

Sonic, almost as if in disbelief of her condition, lightly rose a hand over to her face, lifting her head to tilt it toward him.

He then let it down gently and shook his fists so mightily, that even his head lowered with the tremor of the earth, but he barely noticed upon his own dread at not being there for her.

“What happened!?” Sonic spun to Classic, “You got here first. Spill!”

His frustrations came off aggressively, and Classic wasn’t gonna take any of that.

Surprised at first, he widened his eyes slightly and stepped back, almost like, ‘dude, chill.’ before his true attitude came through and he folded his arms, turning his head before seeming to explain himself with gestures, but clearly acting like it wasn’t a big deal.

In greater rage, Sonic reached forward and grabbed his younger self, who started kicking back as the two struggled on the ground.

“Don’t act you’re better than me!!! You hurt her!!!!”

Video game noises spat out from Classic, clearly not putting up with his modern’s deal and starting to fight him back, a stupid brotherly wrestle of punches and kicks unfolded, before the volcano really did start spitting up more and more lava, rising from it’s mouth, getting close to overflowing... near Amy!

Modern Sonic shoved his younger self’s head down, “For once, think more than yourself! You knocked her out, do you not get that?!” He lowered his head down to get the point across, but the two were letting off steam from the stress of everything they’ve had to go through so far.

Classic fought back, having his face smushed but cried out a growl of annoyance before arching and leaning his back so far that he tucked his hands over his head and under his shoulders.

He kicked up like a break dance move, and shoved Modern Sonic’s face all the way back down, having him completely unable to guard against that.

Classic, seeing Modern now face down on his back, leaned down with his hands on his hips, before performing his signature ‘win’ animation and then give the camera a wink and a thumbs up.

Sonic groaned, rolling his eyes as most of his anger was gone and lost by now...

Then worry struck.

“AMY!!!”

Shoving Classic off of himself, he rose up and started darting towards her.

Classic fell backwards but sprung up again, looking upset by that treatment as he sat down, before his tail was smeared with lava flow, and he leaped up in a firework of rings.

He rubbed his tail before turning to look at the lava so close to his head a moment ago, and gripped it, gulping.

They were distracted!

“Amy!” Sonic out stretched his hand but the earth beneath him had already melted away from where she lay...

“Darn!” he bite down before looking around, seeing the wall beside him was cleared from some rocks.

“Hmm..” He glared down, getting ready to jump as he seriously began to plan this daring rescue.

Jumping after gaining some speed on the now almost completely gone, rectangular earth piece, he jumped to the wall and scaled it, running along in a parkour style before spinning and flipping around, landing on Amy’s floating island.

The earth rocked and he almost fell in, but jumped forward to grab Amy, looking back to see her drap over his shoulder and the earth still a moment after flipping and rocking back and forth to balance itself.

Sonic looked up, half supporting himself with just one arm and the other up on his shoulder where Amy was.

He got up on his knees, looking back to Classic, who was now on a little island too.

“You got any bright ideas?” He looked calm, but his face showed he was a little worried, holding Amy now with both hands over one shoulder.

Classic looked down, his eyes shifting, before scrolling up to look around, and scanning possibilities.

He suddenly heard a roar beneath his feet, and lifted one comically, before smiling a huge open grin to Sonic.

He jumped up, spreading his legs as he put his fingers to his mouth, whistling.

This triggered the last remaining bits of energy left in the broken Dragon, as it started to roll it’s head up from beneath, it’s long neck pushing the lava up, and with it, the gang as well.

“Whaaaa!!” Modern Sonic cried out as they were lifted in a strange way up and out of the volcano, the Dragon breaking the surface with it’s blinking eye, about to flicker out, and half of itself destoryed in the explosion, causing it to twitch and have half it’s armor off, looking like a robotic skeleton.

Finally, the neck snapped and the flickering light of the dragon finally faded to nothingness as the dragon’s head fell to the depths of the remaining eruption.

Sonic jumped with Amy and then reached for his other, who gripped his hand and hung on from behind.

Modern Sonic got everyone down, but tripped over a sliding rock, something he had forgot was a thing in this stage, and the three tumbled the rest of the way down.

Falling flat on their faces except for Amy, the two shook their heads before looking up, seeing Amy roll off a cliff.

“AHHH!!” the two freaked out and charged, jumping off and racing down the cliff to grab her again.

“Why does this always happen!?” Modern Sonic, with eyes moving small and big in his panic, was referencing the fact that Amy couldn’t be safe for more than 5 minutes.

He grasped her arm and pulled her close before falling through the trees, Classic slicing his way through branches to make the fall not so painful, before letting them get caught by a his own hand.

Before then, Sonic had fully brought Amy over him, pushing her close, gripping her head to himself, and lowering his head. With eyes shut, he almost thought that could be the end, and a thought of prayer that Amy might at least make it skimmed his racing, adrenaline pumped, thoughts.

He reached up, looking for Classic and grabbed the hang, hearing him call out to do so.

The two swung and Sonic lifted a leg to push off a tree and land fairly decently.

He then immediately shot his head up, shaking Amy.

“Come on, come on! If that didn’t wake you up, then what will!?”

She lay motionless, as Classic hopped down, and slowly walked over to her.

“...This... this doesn’t make any sense.” Sonic started to look around on the ground, leaning back as if defeated. “She can’t... she couldn’t be that far out of it. Why is she not... What... mmm.” he swallowed hard, fear crippling his words, as he suddenly felt a deep feeling of loss and anguish wash over him.

So immediate was this tangible emotion that it gripped his chest and made it hard for him to breathe.

“..Amy...” he barely got the words out, it was so faint, as he slowly lowered her to the ground. “What have I done..?” he put his hand over his face, hiding any reading the audience could give as to his emotions.

He lowered his head as he hovered over her, before Classic looked to him, seeing something he never thought he woudl see in himself.

Weakness.

But this was more pure, more holy almost, the way he dealt with deep sorrow and pain.

Classic looked down to Amy then.

A angelic look of non-existence...

He bent down and put his head up to her mouth and nose, closing his eyes to listen.

She was breathing.

He looked back up to himself, as if not understanding.

Why was he so wrought with pain when she was still okay?

Classic pulled her a little from under him, as Modern turned to peek through his fingers, just trying to breathe right.

He lowered his hand when he saw Classic lightly stroking the middle ridge between her eyes.

He waited, not sure what he was thinking...

Classic then lightly stroked her ears, and looked for a response.

“...L...Little me..” Sonic was about to scold a bit, thinking it weird before the gentle touch actually stirred her.

Classic tilted his head, before smiling.

Modern looked amazed.

“Not even... that ruckus... woke her up but... that... that did?” He was still finding it hard to catch his breath, but couldn’t help and chuckle and shake his head down at that truth.

He reached and pushed off his raised knee, getting up as he walked over, getting his communicator, clicking it on.

“Tails, I need readings on Amy’s condition. Think you can get that off her tracker?”

Classic, almost having fun with this game, lightly ‘boop’d her nose.

“Emmm..mmm..” she slowly twitched, gently as if in a deep sleep, but her body was truly sore and her dress tattered.

She really did get a slam force on that spin dash, but in Classic’s defense, he was only trying to save her life.

Classic’s smile turned a smirk, as he raised his eyebrows to look back at Modern, wondering...

If he’d get mad...

“Right. Heart rate? That’s good, I guess.Critical for anything? Wow... she can take a hit. I-I mean I always knew THAT b-b-but still-!...” he was facing his back to the two, but grew nervous for some reason.

“Thanks, Tails. I’ll bring her back as soon as I can for further recovery.” he clicked the communicator off, turning around.

His quills bristled at the sight.

Classic Sonic was laying, completely chillaxed, right beside her; gently he flicked his fingers over her bangs and got her to turn her head more towards him, and opened his arms for the embrace as he held her head, turning his face to the side and closing his eyes, lowering his head before blinking up at Sonic.

Ohh... he was asking for it...

“Ehem.” Modern Sonic folded his arms, and looked ticked. “And what, do you suppose, does that look like?” he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head.

Classic cozied on up more to her, scooting himself, before smirking more mischievously as he flicked his finger under her chin, then gave Modern Sonic a look.

“Quit it!” Modern shot his arms down, and reached to remove him.

Classic dodged the swipe for him and raced off, before turning around mocking him with his hand on his nose like, ‘You can’t catch me! Sucka!’. He then reverted to acting like he was holding and loving on Amy, before sticking a finger in his mouth and hacking, showing he hated the idea of it all before fanning his older self as if saying, ‘Nasty, nasty! Gross, gross, gross! I’d never!’. He turned his head and squinted an eye in disgust, accusing his older self of liking her a little too much than just regular old fondness.

Sonic bent down by Amy, before glaring at Classic’s tauntings, lowering his head with a deep, serious look of annoyance.

He then picked Amy up, carefully, and looked her over to make sure she was okay.

He nodded when he figured it could all be something that could heal, given the right amount of time.

“Phew~ No broken bones.”

Classic mimicked a broken heart.

Sonic twitched, before looking away, then down back at her, as if ashamed again.

“...” he moaned a sigh, looking away and walking off before taking off in a sprint.

Classic, confused on him not responded, was baffled a moment before something terrifying skimmed his thoughts.

He gripped his head and started hitting his feet on the ground, making annoyed sounds of disapproval.

What if he was in love!?

The thought made him grip his throat, shaking his head, as if he’d rather be DEAD than love Amy Rose!

-Later in game~-

Sonic returned to the HQ only to hear that Amy had left without anyone knowing, and in great anger he tried to storm off and search for her, thinking her foolish for doing another stupid mission on her own again, but was stopped by the team.

Having a long debate, it was convincing to see that the team were going to hold him home, and wait the night out for her to come back.

Upset, and under the impression she was truly avoiding him, Sonic tossed and turned in his bed, thinking of ways to get passed his ‘guard dogs’ outside, before suddenly becoming very sleepy.

Unknown to Sonic, his drink was given a sleeping remedy, and he flickered his eyes out, his last thoughts on running to find Amy again.

Later that night, as Classic slept on the floor with an arm over his head, he heard Sonic’s Miles-Electric in his room turn on, flickering and making some phone ringing sound.

He yawned, before getting up and wiping his eyes, seeing his other had slept in, but not knowing he wasn’t stirred because of the powerful dosage given him.

He yawned and got up, clicking the answer button he had learned how to do and watched as the screen was black, and looked puzzled at it.

He tilted his head.

“....Hello?”

It was so gentle. So faint.

He recognized it at once, but turned to see she had turned off her video chat, and it was only her voice he could hear.

He looked around, confused as to why, but tapped the screen to try and indicate he was still there.

“...Sonic?”

He raised his hands in frustration, clearly unable to communicate if she couldn’t SEE him.

He looked around the screen, before clicking his video on, and seeing a small square where it showed his face.

He smiled widely, glad he could figure out this strange, futuristic device, and proudly moved his shoulders side to side in a little happy movement.

“..Oh? Classic?” She giggled, “I wasn’t expecting you..”

Her voice was like a sigh, and Classic was surprised it was so soft. Usually, it had quite a force behind it.

He tilted his head, trying to hear what was around her, and hopefully get an idea of where she could be.

Forest? There was a lot of bugs... maybe if an owl hoot’d he’d be more precise on WHERE or WHICH forest...

But nope. There was only a breath released that sounded like weary exhaustion, and he picked the device up to sit down where he was laying, letting her speak, he guessed.

“I... I was kind of hoping to go to voicemail.” she admitted.

What was voicemail?

Classic made a face, turning his mouth to the side.

She giggled, apparently seeing it in the dark lit room, since the light of the screen was bright enough a green to see.

He stared into the darkness, wondering why he couldn’t see her, and looked around to try and indicate he wanted too.

He tapped the screen again.

“Sorry.. I... I’d rather not...” she admitted, but then continued with another soft inhale.

“I need.. some time.”

Well, we all do.

Sonic made another, more insensitive face, not putting up with Amy’s crappy excuses.

He mimed how his older self really didn’t like her avoiding him, and how he really wanted to talk with her about why she was acting this way.

He then mimed Metal Sonic, using his fingers to push his eyes wider and stare into the camera, trying to reflect Metal’s red eyes as a prominent indicator that that’s what he was talking about.

“...So you heard..”

He shook his head, looking back at the screen, a little more innocently.

“Not all of it... but you heard, still. Which means...”

“He heard too.”

Classic Sonic was growing upset and easily frustrated with all these stalling, secretive codes that he couldn’t catch on to.

Spill it, lady!

Classic Sonic tapped the screen harder, pouting to reflect a more physical look of impatience.

She giggled again, “Not now... but soon. I need to... I just need to be alone right now.”

Classic Sonic thought about Modern, and slowly rose his head to the bed, remembering...

He looked tenderly back to the screen, and gathering strength, he closed his eyes and licked his lips.

“...You hate being alone...”

She was surprised, guessing by the mini-gasp he heard from her, that he could talk.

Cool guys only speak when dramatic effect is maximized.

And you have too. He winked to the audience.

“Heh.” she turned on the video.

Looking down, he noticed she was laying down, her face on her side and half hidden, but noticed the tree roots on the ground she was around.

He quickly scanned the area, before looking over her to make sure she was okay.

She seemed fine.

“I don’t know how to say this but...” she smiled lightly, before deep despair showed on her face, and she looked away.

“Just tell Sonic... Tell him... I never meant to... to...” she sighed, “I’m sorry.” she closed down the Miles-Electric as she seemed about to cry.

Classic Sonic freaked, clicking the buttons and trying to turn his ‘show’ back on before looking upset.

Why are girls so fond of leaving everything in a conversation open for interpretation that will never be gotten?

He smashed his head on the device, groaning...

The next morning, he was much more willing to search for Amy then last time, and gestured two thumbs to himself, stating through the gesture to trust him. He knows a good forest where tree roots grow large and above ground...