#trying to find a white office chair under $100 is impossible

[rosymiel]

why are office chairs so expensive :(

[harringrooves]

Inspired by the #cherrylanechallenge day 1 prompt knife but this is not spooky at all so technically this is just a random little ficlet! AO3

The chair outside the principal's office is already taken when Billy gets there. He lets his eyes follow the trail from the clean, white sneakers up the impossibly long stretch of denim clad leg and even further upwards over the two toned striped polo shirt to the moles peeking out from just under the collar.

Steve Harrington glances up at him, then grimaces. Sighs.

"Jesus Christ," Harrington mutters.

"What are you doing here?" Billy grunts. There's no where left to sit, so he flung his jacket onto the linoleum and drops down onto it, back resting against the wall directly opposite Harrington.

Despite the distance of the entire width of the hallway between them, when Billy stretches his legs out the scuffed points of his boots almost touch the edge of Harrington's sneakers.

"Waiting for Mrs Reyes."

"Yeah, no shit."

That earns him a glare from Harrington. Billy's stomach turns a little at the disdain in Harrington's dark eyes, but it's the curiosity shining through that makes him squirm. Like an ant under a magnifying glass.

"Why're you here?"

Billy rolls his eyes, letting the familiar motion draw out the equally familiar sneer. "Same as you, dumbass."

Harrington huffs and turns away again as they both fall silent, glancing at the door every so often as the minutes tick by. It's not at all a comfortable silence. Harrington's not looking at Billy so Billy shouldn't be looking at him. But the walls are blank and the only other remotely interesting thing is the name plaque on the principal's door.

So Billy traces the letters dutifully, keeps going even when he gets nearer to the end of Reyes and stripes creep into the very edge of his vision. Even when he hears Harrington shift in the chair, moving his legs under him onto the seat then over the arms than back down to the floor. Even when Harrington asks, "You go crazy on some kid again?"

Billy goes round and round the shape of the capital R. "No. The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Harrington laughs. It's loud and braying, and not what Billy would've guessed King Steve's laugh would sound like. He imagined something smooth and dark, something that would exude effortless charm with an undertone of something mysteriously rich and out of reach.

It just sounds like a teenage guy laughing, if a teenage guy was also part donkey. Billy would find it funny, if Harrington wasn't laughing at him. "What?" he repeats harshly.

Harrington eventually quiets. "What do I mean? The night at the Byer's, you went like, fully psycho. Your eyes were fucking dead. Did you get like that again, is that why you're here?"

Finally, Billy tears his eyes away from the plaque and meets Harrington's head on. "No," Billy says firmly. "I didn't fucking- no."

Harrington shrugs. "Whatever. Wouldn't surprise me if you did, sooner or later."

That stings. In California he was good at skating and surfing and babysitting and he was top of his class in English and History. Even after she left everyone knew him as Rosaline's boy (never Neil's), with the blonde hair and the yellow surfboard and the white smile that was a little too charming for his own good. Here in Hawkins, he was the Hargrove kid, the one who fucked and ditched, the one who fought and drank.

Maybe Billy's fine with everyone else thinking that about him, but not Harrington. Billy won't let himself think about why, but he wants Harrington see him. To look at him and think he's better than that night.

"I got kicked out of shop class," Billy bites out quietly. Harrington blinks at him.

"You got in a fight in shop-"

"I didn't get in a fight, for fuck's sake!"

Harrington holds his hands up in mock placation, bobbing his head mockingly. "Alright, alright." He stretches his leg out and lazily nudges at Billy's foot. "What'd you do then?"

"Made a knife," Billy mumbles, eyes back on the plaque.

Harrington laughs again. "You what?"

"I made a-"

"A knife, yeah." Harrington cocks his head like a little dog, some of his fringe flopping into his eye. "You know that just makes you sound even crazier, right?"

Billy just shrugs and lets his head fall back against the wall. "Wasn't for me, it was s'posed to be a gift. For- for Max." Harrington freezes.

"You were gonna make Max a knife as a gift?" It sounds like Harrington's struggling with every implication of that sentence. That Billy would gift Max something. That a knife was an appropriate gift. That Billy would care enough about anything to create something hand made.

"Yeah." He can't help but let a little bit of defensiveness slip into his tone. Billy kicks Harrington's foot away, probably a bit harder than necessary. "It was a replica of that one her character has in that stupid game her nerd friends play. Demons in Dungeons, or whatever." Dungeons and Dragons. Billy's not that stupid, but he's also not that shameless to admit to knowing what it's called. "It was a full scaled up one, even got the pattern on the handle half done."

"That's- cool," Harrington says hesitantly. "Didn't know you cared, Hargrove."

"Shitbird's birthday soon. Thought she'd like it." Billy glances over to Harrington, who's watching him with narrowed eyes. Billy coughs, shifting his shoulders a little to roll off the weight of the scrutiny. "Doesn't matter, that fucker Morrison confiscated it anyway."

Silence falls again, still just as awkward as last time but lacking a large amount of the hostility. Harrington's still watching him. The plaque's lost it's draw and Billy resorts to tracing the seams of his jeans with a fingernail.

"I'm failing English," Harrington offers abruptly. Billy's head snaps up, but for the first time Harrington's looking away as he speaks. "That's why I'm here. They're not sure if I'm gonna graduate."

"Sucks," Billy says roughly. Harrington nods slowly.

"Yeah."

Billy swallows, fingers clenching into fists atop his thighs. "I could, uh, give you my notes."

"Why would I need your notes?"

"'Cause you're failing English." Billy doesn't mean to say it like Harrington's an idiot, but those big brown eyes are wide and confused, like he's never thought about actually asking for help. "And 'cause I'm acing it."

Harrington's nose wrinkles in obvious disbelief, but he doesn't challenge it. He just sighs and lets his head loll to the side, propped up by his fist. "Yeah. Whatever. I'll do anything, at this point."

Billy nods silently. Harrington opens his mouth again, but he's interrupted by the click of the office door finally opening. Mrs Reyes pokes her head out.

"Steve," she greets him warmly. Her eyes slide over to Billy on the floor and her lips thin ever so slightly. "William."

"Hi," Billy says as obnoxiously peppy as he can manage.

"I'll see to you in a minute, after I've spoken with Steve." And then Harrington steps through into the office and the door swings shut once again.

Billy could get up and sit in the now vacant chair, but he stays right where he is until it's his turn to be called in. Harrington looks at him as he passes him in the doorway, but it's obvious that he's a million miles away, frowning at Billy but his mind no doubt occupied by something else.

Mrs Reyes doesn't ask what happened, just gives him a Friday detention and a lecture on how badly his behaviour is going to affect his record and how that's such a shame given his academic achievements. Billy lets it wash over him, not bothering to really pay attention. He's heard it all before.

When school lets out and Billy makes his way out the Camaro, he almost trips over his feet at the sight of Steve Harrington leaning against his car, twirling a knife in his long fingers.

"Here," Harrington says as soon as Billy gets close enough, holding the knife out to him blade first. Billy takes it gingerly and slips it into his jacket pocket.

"How'd you get it back?"

Harrington's chest puffs up in some god awful display of smugness as he smirks at Billy. "Morrison leaves his office unlocked during lunch. Everyone knows, it's like the number one place to make out. I was in an out, the couple in there didn't even notice me."

"That's disgusting. But, thanks, I guess-"

"Don't." Harrington holds up a hand, wincing a little. "I didn't do it for you, I think Max will really like the gift so if anything, I did it for her. And consider this payment for the notes."

"Payment?" Billy's brow furrows. "I didn't ask you to pay me." But now that Harrington's mentioned it, he definitely should have. Harrington's rich, everyone knows that. Billy could've got an easy $100 or some of the good weed Tommy's always talking about Harrington having.

"And now you don't have to," Harrington says smugly. "I give you the knife, you give me the notes. I don't want you asking me a month down the track to give you like $80 or a bag of weed or whatever in return. So there's the knife, aaaaand we're even."

Billy glowers as Harrington grins smarmily at him. "Fine. We're even. Now fuck off, some of us got places to be."

Harrington dutifully pushes off the Camaro, walking backwards towards his own car a few rows over. "Cool. Give me the notes whenever this week."

Billy doesn't say bye, just gets in his car and drives off, studiously not watching the fading image of Steve Harrington in his rear view mirror.

...

Max loves the knife. She doesn't hug him, but she nudges his shoulder with hers and declares that she's going to tie it to her belt and carry it with her at all times from now on. Neil goes purple trying to hold back his commentary on just how ladylike and appropriate for a young woman that is. Billy gets a cuff to the back of the head later, but it's worth it.

Harrington does get to graduate. He leans over from his seat beside Billy's (alphabetical order) during the opening speech of the graduation ceremony and whispers closer than necessary into Billy's ear, "Thanks, man." He doesn't so much as glance at Billy for the rest of the three hour ceremony, or during the party later that night that goes until daybreak the next morning, but it's worth it.

Billy bides his time. He can handle one more summer if it means getting enough cash to be independent when he leaves for college in a few months. Neil sucks as much as always, and driving Max everywhere cuts into the hours he's able to put in at the pool, but when she drags him to the new mall after his shift and right into the blissfully cool ice cream shop, Steve Harrington's eyes catch tellingly on the bare skin between the bottom of Billy's crop top and his tiny, red shorts and it's so, so fucking worth it.

[fuckyeahtx]

Once Again, Greg Abbott Is A Lethal Cretinous Scumbag

Letters From An American

Heather Cox Richardson Jun 20

Yesterday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, made good on his threat to defund the legislature after Democrats walked out on May 30 in order to deny the Republicans the number of people they needed to hold a vote on a bill that dramatically reworked Texas elections.

In part, Abbott is likely trying to distract Texans from yet another crisis in the state’s independent energy grid, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Four months ago, the electric grid failed during a cold wave, leaving more than 3 million people without electricity or heat. More than 100 people died. Now, mechanical failures during a heat wave have pushed the state to the verge of blackouts and have prompted ERCOT to ask people to turn their AC to higher temperatures, turn off their lights, and avoid using appliances that take a lot of electricity.

To make matters worse, yesterday the Public Utility Commission of Texas lifted a moratorium on electricity disconnections put in place on private utilities because of the pandemic and extended because of the February storm. It is not clear how many people will be affected by this change, but two public utilities in Austin and San Antonio say that in late May a quarter of a million households owed an average of $600 on past-due bills.

So it makes sense for Abbott—who has been throwing himself behind Trump-like causes anyway these days—to stir up headlines by defunding the legislature and blaming Democrats, even though, once the election bill failed, a number of Republicans told political journalist Judd Legum, who writes at Popular Information, that they did not know where some of the measures in it had come from and did not like them. For example, one lawmaker said that the provision to enable Texas judges to declare an election “void” at their discretion if someone charged that it had been fraudulent, “would be horrendous policy.” (That section of the bill was actually titled “OVERTURNING ELECTIONS.”) In any case, Abbott’s gesture will hit not legislators, but staffers.

But Abbott’s attack on voting rights in Texas identifies the crux of the current crisis in American democracy. For thirty years, Republicans have strengthened their hand in elections not by adjusting their message to win more voters but by gaming the system: suppressing the vote and gerrymandering.

When voters put the Democrats in charge of the federal government in 2020, Republicans responded by trying to game the system at the state level even more completely. First, when former president Trump refused to accept his loss in the election, he and some of his cronies tried to pressure Republicans in state governments to “find” the votes he needed to win, count out Democratic ballots, or, failing either of those things, allow state legislatures to choose their own electors rather than the ones that reflected the will of the voters. Their justification was the Big Lie: that Trump had won the election but had been cheated of the White House by fraud.

Their attempts led to the January 6 insurrection but did not succeed in putting Trump back into the White House. Since then, in Republican-dominated states across the country, legislatures have used the Big Lie to justify the sort of election “reform” that cuts back voting rights and enables state officials to overturn the popular vote. If those rules go into effect, it will be virtually impossible for Democrats to win a majority in the future. And a one-party government is not a democracy.

The conflict over elections, then, is a conflict over the nature of our government. It will play out over the next week, as the Senate takes up S1, the For the People Act. This measure protects the right to vote, ends partisan gerrymandering, limits the influence of money in politics, and establishes new ethics rules for presidents and other federal officeholders. The House has already passed a similar act on a strict party vote, but the measure cannot pass the Senate under the Senate’s current rules. The filibuster will permit just 41 of the 50 Republican senators to stop the act from passing.

Democrats could pass the act if all 51 Democrats (including Vice President Kamala Harris, who breaks a tie in the Senate) voted in favor both of the measure and of ending the filibuster. But Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has made it very clear he opposes both. He has also said he wants any measure going forward to be bipartisan.

But that is not the final word on the For the People Act.

Last week, Manchin indicated which of the measures in the For the People Act—and in the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act—he supports. He has called for expanding access to voting, an end to partisan gerrymandering, voter ID, automatic registration at motor vehicle offices, making Election Day a holiday, and making it easier for state officials to purge voters from the rolls. This is a mixture of the priorities of the leadership of both parties.

The Democrats have lined up behind Manchin’s compromise. Voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, former Texas congressman and voting rights advocate Beto O’Rourke, and Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison have all signed on to Manchin’s blueprint. “I am so grateful for what Senator Manchin has done and what he's doing right now,” O’Rourke said. “He's trying to find a way to protect voting rights in this country at a moment that they are under attack in more than 40 states.”

But Republican leadership has dug in its heels against the measure. They immediately tried to associate it publicly with Abrams rather than the conservative Manchin, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said no Republican should vote for it. Since then, he has held two press conferences— unusual for him—to voice his objections to the bill, suggesting he is concerned that some Republicans might be wavering. As if to make sure they would all stay on board, yesterday, former president Trump endorsed a primary challenger against Senator Lisa Murkowski.

But the pieces in the For the People Act itself—even before Manchin’s compromises—are generally very popular among people of both parties. What will happen when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forces a vote on the bill or, perhaps, breaks it up into pieces, taking away Republicans’ ability to make the blanket argument that they don’t like federal legislation on voting? Will Republicans hold their wall if they are forced to vote on the bill piece by piece?

And, in the service of a very popular bill that will protect our democracy, opposed by an entrenched minority that refuses to compromise as the Democrats have, will Manchin agree to carving out voting legislation from the filibuster as the Senate has already carved out financial measures and judicial nominations?

What is on the table this week is a bill that carries outsized weight for its role in our democracy. In 1854, Democrats pushing the Kansas-Nebraska Act cleared the way for the spread of human enslavement to the new western territories and the subsequent domination of the federal government by elite slave owners. In 1890, Republicans backing the Federal Elections Bill tried, one last time, to protect Black voting before voter suppression ended it for the next seventy years. In 1965, Democrats and Republicans together agreed to end racial discrimination in voting.

In 2021, once again, Congress will be voting on a measure that will define who we are.

[thestayway90]

Unexpected Attachment: Chapter 1 - Stray Kids Imagine

Author: thestayway90

WC: 2385

Warnings: None

Characters: Stray Kids OT8, OFC/Reader, OFC/Reader’s Older Brother

Summary: Setting up the story, introducing the characters. OFC/Reader meets some of the Kids... if you can get through this chapter it’ll be a lot more exciting in the next one I promise!!!

Author’s Note: Hello all! This is my first attempt at a Stray Kids Fic so I hope you all enjoy...

Not 100% sure where this is going (I have a plan but we’ll see) but it will eventually be a OFC/Reader x Felix Relationship (coz I am whipped for that boy).

I would love any and all feedback including criticisms and ways you think I can improve!!!

Enjoy lovelies <3

You certainly didn’t expect to wake up with an iguana staring you in the face. But after two months of living with your brother, it really shouldn’t be a surprise you anymore.

You glared at the unfamiliar creature digging in its tiny nails but its only response was to blink lazily back at you, unfazed by your thunderous expression.

“Joshua!” you yelled, startling Tink from underneath the bed, the white ferret streaking for freedom as Josh appeared in the doorway.

“Oh, whoops, sorry,” Josh said as he quickly plucked the green reptile off of the bedspread. “I was wondering where Dewey had got too.” He smiled widely, stroking the placid Iguana on the head.

You sighed and sat up, stretching slightly, questioning, “Dewey? Another rescue?”

Josh glanced up guiltily. “You should have seen how they were keeping him?” He replied, placing the reptile on the floor where the green creature started making his slow way down the hallway, Tink following it curiously. “Made me pay them an arm and a leg, though.” Josh commented ruefully as you hopped out of bed.

“Well luckily you just got promoted then. More money to rescue all the poor neglected animals of Seoul,” you told him cheerfully, patting his cheek as you walked past on your way to the bathroom.

You immediately cursed, tripping over an orange streak that suddenly darted towards your legs, swiping at your ankles before disappearing in a blur of motion. “Toast!” you hollered, hopping on one leg, rubbing the injured ankle. “I’m going to cook you in the fryer, cat!” you threatened the empty air, stomping towards your original destination.

“180 degrees for 20 minutes should do it,” you muttered under my breath, closing the bathroom door behind you. “Just enough for nice crispy Toast.”

It wasn’t until you had already sat down on the toilet that the feeling of being watched prickled the back of your neck. You looked up and in the gloom between the top of the medicine cabinet and the ceiling were two glowing eyes.

You gave a small shriek of surprise and then giggled at your stupidity. “Hey Meatball,” you said, as the large fluff ball ignored your greeting, curling up and turning his back to you until he was barely visible.

Shaking your head and muttering about pedantic animals, you made your way down to the kitchen.

“Honestly Josh,” you said as you plopped down on one of the stools, grabbing the cup of coffee he offered gratefully. “We should start selling tickets. Come and see the miraculous menagerie squished into a tiny apartment in the middle of downtown Seoul.”

Josh raised his eyebrows at your tone and then smiled wickedly. “Toast get you again?”

“Seriously that cat is the devil itself,” you moaned, reaching down to rub your poorly abused ankle.

Josh burst out laughing, no sympathy in your feud with the tiny orange tabby. “Whats that 3 to 1? You need to work on your ninja skills.”

“Talking of ninja skills, don’t you have to go?” you pointed to the time displayed on the microwave clock, making Josh swear and quickly grab his jacket, a piece of toast still hanging halfway out of his mouth.

“Can you put Dewey in the tank for me,” Josh shouted over his shoulder as he grabbed his bag and raced out the front door.

“Yep. Have a good day at work,” you yelled after him and received a muffled, ‘Love You’, as the door shut behind him.

It took you fifteen minutes to find the elusive reptile, leaving only five minutes for you to quickly throw on some clothes and get half way presentable before your online class.

An hour later you leant back in your chair, rubbing your temples, glad that there wasn’t another class until later in the afternoon.

You were just contemplating whether to start on one of your many assignments or not when a familiar ring echoed through the kitchen. You searched confused until you located Josh’s phone that had somehow got wedged underneath a bag of cat food.

The number flashing on the screen was labeled ‘Work’ and guessing who it was you picked up, bringing the device up to your ear.

“Why, hello!” you answered, smiling as a familiar voice echoed through the speaker.

“I forgot my phone...” Josh’s wail made your smile widen.

“Uh huh, I noticed,” you responded unhelpfully, digging Tink out from a cupboard he’d worked his way into.

“Can you bring it to me, please please pretty please!” Josh begged. “I can’t leave right now and I really need it!”

You made him suffer just a little, staying silent while placing Tink in his escape-proof enclosure.

Finally you agreed, “Of course. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thank you, thank you Nugget,” Josh sighed in relief, using your childhood nickname in his gratitude.

“Okay, see you soon.” You hung up and grabbed your shoes and keys, making sure all the gremlins were safely locked away, before exiting the apartment.

You walked the ten minutes to Josh’s work, enjoying the blue skies and stunning weather while strolling briskly.

You arrived at your destination and tilted your neck backwards to read the large JYP displayed prominently on the side of the towering skyscraper that Josh worked in.

You entered through the lobby, approaching the receptionist while Security Guards eyed you with mistrust, alert for any suspicious behaviour.

Luckily you recognised the receptionist from the few times you had accompanied Josh to work, flashing her a wide smile as you came to a stop in front of her.

“Hello again, love,” she greeted you in heavily accented English. “Are you here to see Joshua?”

You held up your brothers phone with a rueful smile. “He forgot this and asked if I could bring it to him.”

“He’s probably only the fifth floor,” she said helpfully, signalling to Security to let you through.

“Thank you,” you told her gratefully, walking through the security turnstile that the Guard pushed open.

You crossed to the elevator and pressed the button, happy when one opened immediately. Once inside, you pushed the button for the fifth floor, watching the numbers tick over until the doors chimed loudly.

Stepping out into the hallway, you stood awkwardly for a few minutes, trying to decide where to look first.

A door opened to your right, raucous noise echoing into the corridor as a guy backed into the hallway, talking loudly and making faces at those still inside.

He turned and jumped when he saw you standing behind him, clearly startled, hands flying up under his chin, arms hugging close to his body as his eyes went impossibly round.

“Ah, hi... sorry,” you said apologetically, feeling the need to explain your presence. “I’m looking for Josh, Joshua. Do you know where he is by any chance?” You asked hopefully.

The guy immediately relaxed and smiled widely, cheeks dimpling adorably. “You must be his sister!” He exclaimed happily in a slight American accent, beckoning you towards him. “He’s in here actually.” He turned back to the room he had exited, holding the door open for you to pass by.

You slipped through the doorway and was greeted by three pairs of eyes, startled by an intruder into their space.

Josh’s expression quickly turned from surprise to glee as he jumped from his seat to wrap his arms around you in a tight hug. You held his phone out towards him, staring around at the room surrounding you.

It was a music studio, electrical equipment made up of a complicated mess of knobs, dials and switches covering a huge desk to one side under a window looking into a recording booth. The walls were clad in some type of soundproofing material and there was a large comfy looking couch accompanied by two office chairs.

“You’re a life saver,” Josh said gratefully, pocketing the precious device, as you switched your attention to the other occupants of the room. Noticing your gaze Josh quickly gave out introductions.

“This is Han.” He pointed to the kind boy who had shown you where to go.

“Chan.” The boy with the shock of red hair smiled lopsidedly and nodded his head amicably your way.

“And Changbin.” The last boy looked serious until he gave a very wide smile, lighting up his entire face, making you unconsciously smile in return.

“Guys, this is my sister.” Josh finished, his tone brimming with pride, as he squeezed your arm lightly.

“Nice to meet you,” Chan said his familiar Aussie accent immediately putting you at ease. “We’ve heard a lot about you from Josh.”

A blush immediately started staining your cheeks, wondering exactly how much your brother had told them in the short weeks he had been working with the k-pop boy group.

“I was just about to get some coffees. Do you want one?” Han was still hovering in the doorway, with an expectant expression.

You immediately started shaking your head. “You guys look busy. I should get going!” You took one step towards the door before Han blocked you, hands waving in the air.

“We’re not busy. We’re actually taking a break. Do you like milk? Sugar?”

You smiled ruefully at the persistent man. “I’ll take it black with two sugars please.”

His face lit up with genuine joy and he ducked out the door, humming as he went.

You turned back to the remaining occupants of the room. Chan patted the empty seat beside him, presumably Hans one he had abandoned in search of caffeine.

You sat, twisting side to side in the spinning office chair, as Josh took his place on the couch on the opposite side to Changbin.

“So....” Chan drew out the syllable, his intense eyes focused on you. “We heard you’re studying to become a Social Worker? How is that going?”

“Uh, not too bad. It’s all online which is good coz I don’t have to get out of my pyjamas most days but it’s also terrible coz I have no self-motivation or control so usually end up scrambling to finish my assignments thirty minutes before it’s due!” All three boys laughed and you smiled at the welcome sound.

“Is the course through a Korean University?” Changbin questioned curiously, his English thickly accented.

You shook my head. “No, it’s through a Uni back home in Australia, thank goodness.”

All three boys eyebrows raised at the last sentiment, questioning your relief.

You quickly held up your hands, trying to wave off the misunderstanding. “No, I don’t mean that a Korean course wouldn’t be just as good or better, just that my Korean is so terrible that I would struggle even more than I am now!” You tried to explain emphatically.

Understanding dawned on their expressions and Changbin gave a small chuckle.

“You’re Korean’s that bad huh?”

You grimaced and then said, “Eotteohge saeng-gaghaseyo?”

Chan and Josh both burst out laughing, and Changbin tried to hide a smirk but failed miserably.

“It’s not the worst I’ve ever heard,” the kind rapper commented, trying to save your feelings.

“She’s been working hard on it,” Josh felt the need to interject. “She’s only been learning for two months since she came to live with me.”

The two k-pop idols turned their gaze towards you, expressions now impressed.

“Very good,” Chan complimented encouragingly.

The door opened and Han struggled through, balancing two cup holders full of cups.

Josh immediately jumped up and grabbed one off of him, the younger guy smiling at him gratefully. “Thank you, Maenijeo.”

“I’m still not used to that,” Josh admitted, as Han quickly distributed the coffees to their rightful owners.

“You deserve it,” Chan told him, as Josh and Han sat back down on the couch, squishing together a little next to Changbin. “We were over the moon when they told us you’d be our new Manager. I was just glad for the extra help with producing.”

Josh blushed a little at the praise from the Leader, twisting his fingers round the cup in his hand. You beamed with pride at him, knowing how hard he had worked to get where he was.

Aware that Josh was probably getting a little uncomfortable being the centre of attention you turned to Chan, asking, “What are you working on?” And then belatedly realising, “Although you probably can’t tell me, I guess.”

“Actually Josh was just telling us about some ideas he has for our new music.” Chan nodded his head towards your brother, making him blush even further, undermining your attempt to change the subject.

The boys started chatting about music, most of the technical stuff going over your head, but you enjoyed watching the four boys talk so animatedly about something they were clearly all passionate about.

Eventually you sighed, checking your watch and groaning as you noticed the time.

“I have to go,” you told the others regretfully. “I have an assignment to start before my next class.”

The three boys protested but Josh pointed out that they too had work that needed to be done.

You said your goodbyes, promising to return and visit the three boys you’d somehow become friends with.

Josh gave you a tight hug and offered to walk you out but you immediately declined, knowing how busy he and the boys were.

You gave them one last wave and then let the door shut behind you, crossing over to the elevator and pressing the button, waiting patiently for it to arrive.

Once inside you pulled out your phone, double checking the time for the next class, balancing your still warm coffee in your other hand.

Noticing a message regarding one of your upcoming assignments, you were too engrossed in the device in your hand to look up when the doors pinged open.

You automatically started walking but somehow managed to catch your foot on the metal grating on the floor, pitching forwards with no free hands to stop yourself

Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, your fall was stopped by a solid form, as strong arms caught at your waist to stop your hectic descent.

Unfortunately for the owner of the hands, although they managed to stop your fall they didn’t manage to stop your coffee’s, the caffeinated beverage covering you both in lukewarm liquid.

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 1 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

Summary: Welcome to the world of Galactica, one of New York’s most renowned fashion houses, ruled by the legendary Miss Fame. Follow Violet Chachki, Miss Fame’s talented assistant, as she navigates the colorful personalities and daily dramas of the cutthroat fashion world in order to prove herself as a designer.

Ego, romance, ambition, loyalty, and intrigue all collide in this epic of a story.

A/N: Hey so…have you ever wanted to read Galactica, but were totally intimidated by the astronomical word count? Well, you’re in luck! Because we’re going all the way back to the beginning, and slowly posting a re-edited, remastered, improved version now. (AO3 Link if that’s your jam.) And if you’re wondering “what is Galactica?” then boy are you in for a ride. 💫

***

“Mh-” Violet swallowed a sound of discomfort as she allowed her body to dump down in her chair.

If the door to her boss' office hadn’t been closed, Violet would never have dared to act so ungracefully, but it was closed and she was aching all over, her shoulder pounding with it’s oh so familiar pain.  Violet carefully toed her heels off, her stocking clad feet touching the carpet, her painted toenails visible through the nylon material.

She had been running around Manhattan all day in yet another desperate chase to satisfy her boss’s every whim, racing against time to predict her every need before she even realized it was there.

Violet had known right from the start that working at Galactica would be hard, what she hadn’t expected was how hard it would actually be to work for Miss “The Brand” Fame herself.

Galactica was one of the most successful fashion houses in America, the company rising to stardom during the early 2000s, led with an iron fist by Miss Fame, her trusted right-hand woman Raja Amrull always by her side.

Miss Fame was a perfectionist in everything she did, Galactica known for their quality and attention to detail, the brand always amazing for bigger and better.

The company had one rule.

Perfection above all—and Violet would rather die than not live up to that.

Violet grabbed her personal phone from her drawer, using the moment of privacy to check her messages. There was only one, and Violet felt a red hot spike of anger and annoyance stab itself right into her stomach.

It was from her landlord, informing her of the fact that the electricity in her building was once again acting up, the tone of the text pretending that it wasn’t something that happened several times a month, her teeny tiny studio apartment barely more than a glorified closet.

There was nothing she could do about it, arguing with her landlord or trying to file a complaint getting her nowhere, so Violet took a deep breath, straightening her back.

“Keep it together, Chachki.” Violet grabbed her keyboard, her moment of rest over. She would look for another place to live, wanted to find a reliable place she could call home, but that was impossible in Manhattan on an assistant’s salary.

She could hear chatter come from the office, Fame’s melodic voice carrying through the door, the chatter occasionally interrupted by the baritone of her husband, Patrick.

Violet barely kept a groan back as she saw her mailbox. She had only left to deliver a reviewed sample to the in house tailoring department, but in the 35 minutes she had been gone, over 100 emails had ticked in. She quickly sorted them, her time under Fame’s firm hand almost making the job easy as she knew exactly what her boss wanted to see, and what she could consider nonsensical garbage.

Violet was exhausted, the time already past 6 pm, but if Fame was at the office, she was at the office.

It was part of the game, and Violet always played to win.

“Still here, pumpkin?”

Violet looked up from her computer, only to see someone watching her from the door.

“Hello, Pearl.”

Pearl smirked, her long beachy waves spilling down her back. She was wearing a black leather jacket, a white t-shirt tied into a knot to expose her midriff, and her long legs were clad in black skinny jeans, and Violet felt her heart skip a beat.

She didn’t look anything like the department head she was, Pearl in charge of all online content and written media that Galactica produced.

It was Pearl Liaison who had gotten her the job at Galactica, though Pearl swore she had only gotten her the interview, but Violet could recognize a favor when she saw it, and Pearl had definitely done her one.

They had met during Violet’s final year at Parsons School of Design. Pearl was writing a story for Galactica’s social media on the new crop of design students, and Violet was graduating top of her class. Pearl had sent her the article for review, and somehow they had continued emailing, a random twist of fate tying them together in a friendship that Violet treasured with her entire heart.

She was desperately searching her brain for a way to extend their conversation, the want for something, anything, to come out of her mouth that could catch and keep Pearl’s attention simply not showing up, when the other woman continued talking.

“Tell her I stopped by,” Pearl smirked, tilting her head towards Fame’s office, “If she ever finishes that budget meeting.” Pearl pushed herself away from the door with her shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow…” Violet replied, but Pearl was already gone. She was just about to return the emails at hand when she heard a voice call out. It was one she’d recognize anywhere at any time.

“Violet!”

Violet froze in place, Fame’s voice coming from inside of her office.

Fame never called for her when she was with her husband unless something was seriously wrong, but Violet had no idea of what she could have possibly done. She clicked on her calendar, her heart hammering away in her chest, but there was nothing there, no sign of anything she might have missed. They had asked for coffee, hadn’t requested dinner. There was nothing on Violet’s desk to deliver and most of the department heads had already gone home for the day.

“Violet!”

The impatience was clear, and Violet knew she was out of time.

“Coming, Miss!”

Violet stood up and stepped into her shoes, smoothing down her dress and checking her makeup in her now black computer screen before she grabbed her notebook and made her way into the lion’s den.

***

“There you are.” Fame heard the click on the door, her assistant finally responding to her call. “How many times do I have to scream your name?”

Fame was sitting on the small couch in her office, the coffee table filled with the budget proposals for the upcoming NYC Fashion Week show. Patrick was sitting at her side, their knees touching.

Fame didn’t actually need him there, the days of Patrick helping her and Raja with the day to day Galactica budgets long behind them. Nowadays, he ran a law firm on the 19th floor, only involved in Galactica matters as a legal consultant. But even though he was no longer their acting CFO, Fame liked having him with her when she dealt with financial matters, since she liked to go into meetings with her new CFO as well-prepared as possible.

She valued his opinion, enjoyed her husband’s direct, no-nonsense perspective regarding her company’s finances, even when she ignored most of it.

“Sorry, Miss.”

Fame took a proper look at Violet. Her back was perfectly straight, her light pink lips set in a thin line, her brows furrowed in a serious expression over watchful brown eyes.

Violet was always beyond attentive, and that combined with her impeccable dress sense was one of the things Fame liked the most about her. She never had to worry about Violet embarrassing her or the brand, even now, as Violet was standing there after a long day of work in her black Louboutins, the dress of the day hugging her slender body, black wavy hair spilling down her back, sharp bangs across her forehead, she looked good.

She had had many assistants over the years, her commands and demands driving weaker willed people away, but Violet had stuck to it, had worked through everything Fame had thrown at her.

“I need the expected showroom budget and staff needs for the influencer event...”

Violet jotted it down right away, elegant hands taking note of everything.

“Yes, miss.” Violet held still for a beat, waiting in place in case Fame needed anything else, but all she wanted was the budget.

She turned her attention back to her husband, Patrick looking up at her with a small smile, which reminded Fame of a conversation she had had with Raja over lunch earlier that same day.

“Actually-” Fame twisted her body. “How do you like it here at Galactica, Violet?”

Violet had frozen in place, her fingers around the door handle. She didn’t move, and Fame raised a brow, just about to tell her assistant to please pay attention for the love of god, when her husband chimed in.

“You’ve been with the company for almost a year now, haven’t you?”

“Yes Miss, umh, sir-” Violet turned around, and if Fame didn’t know her so well, she wouldn’t have noticed that her fingers were clutching her notebook. “I love it here.”

Patrick smiled, clearly pleased with himself, and Fame loved him for his attempted rescue of Violet, how he always showed compassion for everyone around him, but she couldn’t help but want to needle Violet one last time before she delivered the news that was on her mind.

“I’ve noticed.” Fame kept her tone light, keeping Violet on unstable ground. “Others have too.”

Violet’s eyes widened, and Fame couldn’t figure out if the surprise on her face, the display of modesty, was fake or not. Violet had to know that she was doing a good job, didn’t she?

“You’re a Parsons graduate.” Fame folded her hands in her lap. “Correct?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“I’ve taken a look at your portfolio.” The thick leather-bound thing was lying on her desk, Pearl handing it to her right when Violet had been hired, but Fame hadn’t taken the time to actually open it until now. “I didn’t dislike what I saw-”

The set of Violet’s shoulders changed, pride radiating from her. Not disliking the portfolio was an understatement.

Her and Raja had flipped through it together, the pages taken up by photographs of what could only be fashion students wearing clothes that suited them wonderfully, sketches of intricate gowns tucked in with embroidery samples and pearl work worthy of an atelier employee.

It was absolutely stunning, and Fame had already made up her mind to file it away in her personal library in her townhouse.

“You have potential beyond your years.”

Fame could practically feel Patrick roll his eyes, her husband often finding her antics overly dramatic, but this was a serious moment, and Fame wanted to treat it as such.

“Raja and I had a discussion-” Fame smiled, “and we’d like to move you to design.”

Violet looked like she was about to faint, which was exactly why Fame had chosen to give her the news of her promotion like this. Fame loved playing the role of fairy godmother to the people who caught her interest almost as much as she loved crushing her enemies—but only almost.

“We’d have to hire a replacement for you.” Fame tapped her fingers on the table, pretending like the plan wasn’t something she had discussed in detail with Raja. “and I of course expect you to train your successor before you can leave. You know how much I despise incompetence-”

Violet nodded, the grave seriousness on her face almost making Fame feel giddy.

“So-” Fame crossed her legs. “What do you think of my little proposal?”

“That it would be very acceptable.”

“Good.” Fame swallowed a laugh. “That’s all.”

Violet turned on her heel, the only thing betraying her emotions the slight slam of the door as Violet closed it behind her. She picked up the budget, ready to get back to work when she was interrupted.

“So that was quite the little play.” Patrick was looking at her, a smile in his blue eyes. “I’m shocked, my darling.”

“Why?” Fame bit her lip, a moment of uncertainty breaking through her armor. “Do you disagree with my decision?” Patrick didn’t have anything to say, hiring and how she managed her workers entirely up to her, but there was something in Patrick’s face she didn’t quite recognize.

“Oh no, not at all.” Patrick put his hand on her knee, his fingers bunching up the ivory white silk of her skirt. “I simply assumed that you wouldn’t have let someone like little Miss Chachki go without having your fun with her.”

“Really Patrick,” Fame scoffed, pretending to be offended for a minute by her husband's suggestion, but they both knew there was a truth to his words, Fame rarely passing a gorgeous woman up, but she had never felt the spark with Violet, and she wasn’t going to start now. “We’re here for the budget.”

“Of course my love.”

[p-artsypants]

Longest Night (28) Hunting

I’m sorry this chapter is late, I had another commission! I actually chopped it in half to get it out in time.

Next chapter MAY be late as well, because of the Christmas, but I’ll do my best.

Okay, so I made a little hiccup. The Mayor is under the Minister of Interior as far as ranking. I went to school for art, not Parisian government…

*slams on the gas pedal*

Ao3 | FF.net

—

Six Weeks Prior

—

Arthur Vanderguard’s already full plate just got another heaping helping dropped on top. Just ten minutes after the first broadcast ended, he found his phone ringing off the hook. The Chief of Police, the Mayor, the Prime Minister…everyone had questions, orders, ideas.

He just wanted a minute to think.

Chloe Bourgeois had been the first to call, demanding to know what he planned on doing to save her friends. He assured that he’d do everything in his power to make that happen.

But it had to be Ladybug and Chat Noir he was saving…

And it had to be Edward Savauge’s family he was dealing with.

Every time that man came to town, it was trouble. How many good officers had he lost to him? How many men had thought they would be the one to tackle the Big Fish?

At this point in his career, he knew that dealing with Savauge was an impossible task. The man knew too much. Knew more than Arthur did. Or he knew people that knew things. Even with undeniable evidence, he was still able to weasel his way out of the system. It was unbearable.

As for Ladybug and Chat Noir…he didn’t hate them, but he didn’t like them either. If they had just stuck to fighting akumas and Hawkmoth, they would have gotten along well enough. But when they started to branch out into regular crime, then it became a headache.

Because they weren’t equipped to handle criminals. They couldn’t make arrests. The best they could do was tie them up and call an officer out. And then, unless they stuck around to describe the crime, the person had to be let go.

It was a red tape nightmare, these vigilantes.

So saving people he actively disliked from people he had never beaten?

He needed a drink.

Hours later, late into the night, the bottle of Mondavi was half empty, and the broadcast had been rewatched about 18 times. His notebook laid on the table, scribbled notes for plans of action. He’d have to talk with Europol, and the French Gendarmerie. Because this wasn’t a typical kidnapping, they’d have to be careful. Salo and her men could move at any moment, undoing everything, if they got a whiff of what was going on. And knowing Edward Savauge, there was little that they could hide.  

There was a knock at the door.

Arthur muted his tv, and glanced at the clock. It was nearing 4am.

The knock was a little more insistent.

It was probably his police chief, coming to seek him out in person after ignoring several phone calls.

But as he opened the door, he saw a woman with red hair up in a bun with reflective sunglasses instead, flanked by huge bodyguards on both sides.

“Nope.” He said as he attempted to close the door.

A hand took hold and forced the door open, letting the group inside.

“Hello Arthur, you’re looking well.”

Arthur backed up into his couch, nearly flipping over the back. “How did you find me?”

“A wild guess.” Said Salo, waltzing around the apartment and making herself at home. The large men blocked the exits.

Salo wandered into the kitchen area, seeing the wine on the island. “Mondavi? How rude, I didn’t take you as a Napa Valley man.” She sniffed the bottle and then poured herself a glass. “It’s been a while. What, three years since you last tried to arrest me?”

Arthur didn’t respond, just looked at the men she had with her.

“Relax. We’re not here to hurt you.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Just to chat.” She sat down on his couch and kicked her boots up on his coffee table. “I can see you watched my work.”

The muted stream was still looping on the TV.

“It was hard to miss.” He answered.

“Let’s be honest. You don’t really like Ladybug and Chat Noir, do you?”

He didn’t answer.

“I mean, that’s what the word around town is. At least by my ears. You complain every time they step in to save the day.”

“Ladybug’s magic reset button is invaluable to the city. As long as she fixes damage from the akumas, I’m fine.”

“You’re avoiding the question, Artie.”

“Fine, sometimes they make my job harder. Is that what you want to hear? They’re children. I can’t hate them for wanting to keep Paris safe. Especially since they have super powers.”

“Interesting. Good to see you haven’t grown completely callus. Your ex-wife might think differently though.”

Arthur’s eyes widened.

“And your little girl, Ava. She loves Chat Noir, doesn’t she?” Salo smiled, showing her cards.

Arthur got her point. “What do you want?”

“I’m just here to give you a reminder. I have ears in Place Beauvau and The Police Prefecture. We let you take care of crimes that get in our way. We let you look like you’re keeping Paris safe. So we’ll let you look like you’re investigating this case too, because everyone will be watching you. But if you or any of your men step a toe out of line, you’ll regret it.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No. Just warning. For your sake, and for Ava’s.” She threw her wine glass down on the floor, smashing the glass and sending little red droplets on the white carpet. “I suggest you act like a babbling moron. After all, you’d rather lose your job than lose the little family you have left, right?”

Arthur swallowed. “You make your point clear.”

“Good. Can’t wait to see what kind of lame excuses you put out when people start asking questions.”

He nodded in understanding.

“And one more thing…Eddy is going free.”

“I…will try to make that happen without looking suspicious.”

“That’s a good man.” She stood. “Now, I’m afraid I can’t sit around and talk. I have work to do. And I suppose you do too.”

He nodded sheepishly.

“I’ll be taking the rest of the Mondavi. You shouldn’t be drinking it with your heart medication.”

He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything. But as soon as that door shut, he felt a cold hand on his throat. In his haze, he wandered into the bathroom. His face was pale in the mirror, and he looked ten years older. He opened the medicine cabinet and looked at the medication Salo had mentioned. How had she known about his heart condition? He had just been diagnosed a few weeks ago. He hadn’t told anyone…

The bottle was half full. Plenty to end his problems.

Since when did he become such a coward? Watching people die, having things run out of control, the stress of an entire city on your shoulders…it changes a person. It changed him.

He shook two tablets into his palm and put the rest back into his cabinet.

There would be a loophole to save the kids.

And tomorrow’s Arthur Vanderguard had to be here to find it.

—

Present Day

—

The night crept onward. The darkness deepening in the hours. Lights in homes and businesses went out as people went home and went to bed. Unsuspecting innocents that had no idea of the danger that lurked.

Minister of Interior, Arthur Vanderguard, was a dead man. And he knew it, judging how he kept his head on a swivel.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were free and akumatized. Salo was dead, along with several of her henchmen.

And now everyone was waiting apprehensively while the aftermath unfolded.

Arthur himself sat at his desk, while the mayor sat in a chair nearby. The mayor’s daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, who refused to listen to anyone, sat next to him. Officers were dispatched all over the city, keeping an eye out for the akumas, while the phones were manned, waiting for any sightings.

They could be anywhere.

Doubtless, Edward Savauge knew that they were free and someone was responsible for it.

So Arthur was understandably stressed.

Chloe was not helping, with the tapping of the keys on her phone.

“Miss Bourgeois, I must state again that this is a very sensitive situation—“

“And I’ll state again that Adrien is my best friend and I’m one of the only other heroes out there that can stop them. I’m in contact with Rena Rouge and Carapace. I’m staying.”

Arthur grunted, tapping his fingers on his desk.

A knock came from the door.

“Yes?”

“A man is here to see you sir, a witness.”

“Bring him in.”

A bald man, dripping with blood, but relatively unharmed, was escorted into his office.

“M. Pierre Rouso.” One of the officers introduced. “He said he was the camera man during the akuma attack with Salo.”

Arthur paled. “Someone survived?”

“Y-yes sir,” said the man. He was sweaty, panting, and pale. “I…I think she let me live so I could give them directions out.”

“She?”

“Lady Lacrima.”

“Alright. How much time do we have until they reach Paris?”

“They never left.”

Arthur flicked his gaze up to the two lower ranked officers. “Close and lock the door.”

He waited until the deed was done before asking quietly. “What do you mean, they never left?”

“We’ve been in Paris the whole time. In a bunker in the catacombs.”

Arthur rolled his eyes in disgust. The catacombs. Wasn’t it obvious? “Does anyone know you came here?”

“Only Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin.”

“You haven’t talked to anyone else? Not any pedestrians?”

“No! I ran straight here…well, I disconnected from the server and locked the gate so no one came get in or out.”

Arthur came closer to the man. “Out? There’s other survivors?”

“No, I mean…prisoners. Ladybug and Chat Noir weren’t the only one’s being tortured down there.”

“Sweet Jesus…”

“I think she wanted me to come here to get men down there right away…cleaning up the bodies and rescuing the other prisoners. I’m willing to work with you 100%. I was being blackmailed and—“

“Everyone’s being blackmailed.” Arthur interrupted. “There’s no one working under Salo or Savauge that hasn’t been blackmailed or threatened in some capacity. That’s how they stay on top. If M. Savauge finds out you’re still alive…you’re going to wish Lady Lacrima had killed you.”

The man shrunk back. “Are…are you being blackmailed?”

Arthur’s gaze flicked over to Chloe. It would be so much easier to just confess the truth. He had been hiding it for so long… “I’m afraid that’s none of your business.”

Mayor Bourgeois took out a handkerchief and dabbed his forehead. “Surely M. Savauge wouldn’t be angry with a survivor, right?”

A new voice spoke from the window. “You’re worried about the wrong person, M. Vanderguard.”

Arthur whipped his head around, coming face to face with Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin. They looked much more volatile in real life. “How—How did you get in?”

“Just because you’re on the top floor, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lock your windows.” The curtains fluttered in the evening breeze.

Arthur went to take his gun from his holster, but before he could, steel claws closed around his throat.

Chloe shrieked.

Pierre fell to the ground while the other officers withdrew guns. “Freeze!”

Lady Lacrima took no heed as she summoned a lance.

The men opened fire on her as she leapt off the desk and impaled one of the officers with a pole. The other grabbed her and flipped her into a glass cabinet.

“Bad move!” She hissed, grabbing a vase nearby. She careened it into the side of his head, knocking him out. Still filled with rage, she summoned a pipe and wailed on his body.

Chloe watched this all in stunned horror before she ran to Grimalkin and grabbed his wrist. “Let him go Adrien! You don’t hurt people! Please!”

Grimalkin turned his blood red eyes on her, boring holes into her soul. This was not the Adrien she knew. Not by a long shot.

“Adrikins…?”

Lady Lacrima grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back so she fell on her rear. “Chloe, Chloe, Chloe…” She chastised.

Chloe scooted back, trying in vain to get away.

“You know, you’re on my list too. Years and years of being the bigger person, trying to turn the other cheek…years of suffering, self doubt, injustice…and now there’s nothing you or your ‘daddy’ can do to stop me.” She summoned a giant meat hook.

Chloe’s back ran into a bookshelf. She was overwhelmed with fear. “I’m sorry, Marinette!”

“You’re sorry now, now that there’s no where to run.”  

Chloe summoned every ounce of courage left inside her. “I was sorry the second I saw you were Ladybug!”

Lady Lacrima stopped her advancement and listened.

“Ladybug made me want to be a better person. The person I respected the most…and I was so awful to you. And you still put up with me! I’ve been doing everything I could to find you! Why do you think I’m here right now?!”

Lady Lacrima snarled. “I just hear a bunch of excuses!”

“Pollen, Buzz On!”

In a flash of gold light, Queen Bee appeared in Chloe’s place.

That only served to enrage Lady Lacrima as she plunged the hook into the wood of the shelf. “You don’t deserve that! I took that from you!”

Chloe scrambled to her feet. She was too terrified to argue.

“He replaced me!” Lady Lacrima screamed. “He just gave out more Miraculous!”

“To save you! Not to replace you!” Chloe called, as she ran to her father. “You’re irreplaceable!”

“They why didn’t you come for me!?”

The Mayor grabbed his daughter. “Don’t argue with her Chloe! She can’t hear you!”

“She won’t remember what I say anyways!” Chloe cried back, wrapping her arm around her father. “Let’s get out of here!” She cast her spinning top out the open window and together they fled.

Lady Lacrima scoffed. “Cowards.”

Grimalkin still had Arthur by the throat.

Pierre sat on the ground not too far away, watching them with horror.

Lady Lacrima stood over him, smiling gently. “You did good. Just as I asked. So I’ll spare you.”

The man sniveled in response.

“But you…” she stated, walking up to Arthur. His face was red as sweat and tears covered his skin. “You have some explaining to do.”

Arthur clawed at the hand on his throat, trying to get air to speak. “I—I tried…” he choked.

“I heard you though.” She said, plainly. “You’re just another one of Edward Savauge’s pawns. Too afraid to get your hands dirty.”

“I—I have a little girl—“ He begged.

“You have a job! And you failed us!”

Arthur choked.

Grimalkin grunted and dragged the man over to the window. Then with ungodly strength, he held him out, dangling freely over the street.

Arthur held onto his wrist and kicked his legs.

“Where is Edward Savauge?” She asked.

He didn’t answer, staring her right in the eye.

Grimalkin removed a finger from his throat, and Arthur could feel himself sliding.

“Where is Edward Savauge!?” She screamed.

“At—At his Penthouse—on the south side of the Arc de Triomphe—blue roof—orange…bricks…top floor…”

Lady Lacrima simply nodded at Grimalkin, prompting him to let go.

They didn’t watch him fall. Didn’t wait for him to hit the ground. Only dropped, and then moved onto the next target.

—

Edward Savauge was a patriot through and through. He loved Italy. It gave him everything. He only ever left for business.

France was…a disappointment, but he chose to enjoy the finer things Paris had to offer. That’s why he had a penthouse with a view to his favorite Landmark.

He had stayed much longer than he ever had before, and longed with every part of his being to go home. He was only supposed to be in town for a week, to deal with his failed contact. After disposing of Charles, he would collect the insurance money from his wife, and then set up a new contact. And even then, finding a new dealer wouldn’t necessitate him to stay in Paris.

But alas, he had to stay now. Especially now that those children were loose. Honestly, he expected more from his top girl.

But Hawkmoth’s secret was just one of a few he didn’t know. The man was shaping up to be a real rival. After he took care of those kids, he’d find the Mothman, and take his jewelry from him!

“Sir, if I may be so bold...aren’t you afraid of the Akuma?” Asked his butler, an older gentleman.

Edward sat is his library, ambient light casting the room with a soft glow. He swirled the grappa in his glass, and leaned his head on his hand.

“A man like me doesn’t feel fear, Rupert. Do you have children?”

“You know the answer to that, sir.”

“Play with me.” Edward smiled.

“No, I have no children.”

“Then allow me to explain something to you. When children become afraid, they become unreasonable. I simply intend to show them there’s nothing to be afraid of, and they will submit.”

“That’s awfully presumptuous of you, sir.”

“Hawkmoth, Ladybug and Chat Noir, the police, all of them are predictable.”

“What…if they aren’t afraid?”

Edward laughed. “Why wouldn’t they be afraid? I’m the reason they were captured. Fear doesn’t mean they’d hide from me. It can mean they’re taking advantage of their heightened state to attack me.”

“And you don’t believe they could be a threat to you?”

“Not those kids. They’re too soft. They won’t kill me.”

“Just like they killed Miss Bianca and her men?”

“You’ve got me there, friend.” He sipped his drink. “But that’s what the men downstairs are for. We’ll wrangle them, and they’ll just be another pawn for my collection. It’s as I’ve done to every enemy of mine. Now that I know the identities of the Cat and Bug, they will be even more willing to listen to reason.” He gestured to a manilla envelope on the table. “Miss Dupain-Cheng has family in close proximity to our home office. And Mr. Agreste has family unprotected and unaware in England. Plenty of reasons why getting on my bad side is a bad idea…if they haven’t already figured that out.” He set down his glass and picked up a box of Toscanos. “Would you like one Rupert?”

“You’re offering me one of your cigars?”

“Think of it as a special occasion.”

The butler came closer and took a cigar, allowing his boss to light it.

“Take a seat, old friend. I could use the company.”

Rupert did as he was told, sitting and smoking in the silent night. He chanced a glance at Edward, seeing the cigar shaking slightly in his hand.

Ah.

They were going to die, then.

When music started to play from the other room, Edward tensed and closed his eyes. He sighed, smoke exhaling. “How ironic. Una Furtiva Lacrima. I used to love that song.”  

A single secret tear

from her eye did spring:

as if she envied all the youths

that laughingly passed her by.

The door behind them creaked open. There was no bursting down the door, no shouting and yelling, no gun shots. They had made their way here almost effortlessly.

Swallowing, Edward swiveled his chair around. “It seems you and I both have a penchant for theatrics. Not something I would have expected from you.”

But as he looked to the opened doorway, there was no one there. No light coming from the hall, just a wall of darkness.

Then a thump of something hitting the floor, before a red stain bled over into the carpet.   What more searching need I do?

What more searching need I do?

She loves me! Yes, she loves me, I see it. I see it.

For just an instant the beating

of her beautiful heart I could feel!

Lady Lacrima stood in the frame, the blood that had washed off by the rain was accompanied by even more. Splatters on her cheek, blood dripping from the deadly mace in her hand. Her face showed no emotion, no mercy, no anger, nothing.

She looked like the angel of death, coming to claim his soul.

As if my sighs were hers,

and her sighs were mine!

The beating, the beating of her heart I could feel,

to merge my sighs with hers...

“I don’t suppose we could talk this out? You know, I can give you anything you want. And unlike with my usual contacts, I wouldn’t ask for much in return. Just my life spared, as well as my friend Rupert here. He’s my butler, you see. Never did a thing wrong, just worked for an honest wage.”

Lady Lacrima just stared him down, and it felt impossible to tell if she was listening or not.

Or if she was just trying to make him squirm.

Finally, she raised her chin to look at him levelly. “Others begged. Salo, she spent her last breath threatening me, Pasolini promised us wealth and power…and you are here bartering, as if this is another day in business.”

Edward took another puff on his cigar. “No one’s ever beaten me before, you know? I haven’t served prison time since I was a boy. Plenty of guns have pointed me down, but not a single has gone off. Ladybug, you’ve been the first to get so close. I might actually be scared of you.”

“This is how you show fear? By flattery?”

“Is it working?”

She shook her head.

“Thought not.” He finished off his grappa. “But what can I say, I’m a gambling man. I thought I’d try my luck.” His brows furrowed. “Where’s the Cat?”

Lady Lacrima didn’t answer, but judging by the ever so slight smile on her lips, he didn’t want to hear it.      

Heavens! Yes, I could die!

I could ask for nothing more, nothing more.

Oh, heavens! Yes, I could, I could die!

I could ask for nothing more, nothing more.

A thud hit the ground behind him and a ball rolled forward between his feet.

No, not a ball.

A head.

The head of one of his men downstairs, completely covered in blood. It stopped, facing him, jaw open and eyes staring lifelessly into his.

Yes, I could die! Yes, I could die.

—

Queen Bee and Mayor Bourgeois swung through the pouring rain to the Agreste Mansion. She landed inside the gate, before running up the stairs and pounding on the door. “Madam Cheng! Madam Cheng!” She cried.

In mere seconds, the door flew open and Sabine gaped at them in shock.

“Chloe?”

Chloe, still reeling from the horrific scene at the police prefecture, all but collapsed against the woman, sobbing.

Sabine looked to the Mayor in confusion.

He was pale, windswept, and stricken.

She led them both inside.

“Where’s Gabriel? Alya?”

Sabine didn’t answer. “What happened to you two?”

The mayor responded, “I received a call from the chief of police that Adrien and Marinette had become akumatized and escaped. So Chloe and I went to the precinct to check in with the Minister of Interior…”

“They showed up and killed some police officers! We didn’t stay but I’m sure they killed the minister too!” Chloe lamented. “And Marinette! She tried to—she tried to kill me too! She was so angry! I didn’t know what to do!”

Tom and Sabine looked at each other, holding a silent conversation.

Tom took an arm around the Mayor and led him away, “you look like you can use a nice drink Mr. Mayor. M. Agreste has a bottle of Sherry in the kitchen. We’ll let the superheroes take care of this.”

The mayor nodded. “Yes, yes…at this point, the less I know the better…”

Once they left the room, Sabine gently pulled Queen Bee away from her. “Come with me.” Together, they went into the office, and Queen Bee fell into a chair.

“It was horrifying! I heard they were akumatized, but I had no idea—I’m so scared!”

Sabine petted her hair, her voice shaking. “It’s going to be alright Chloe. We’re going to fix this.” She then took out her phone and called Alya.

“Yes, mom?”

“Queen Bee is here, Tom took the Mayor to the kitchen. Marinette and Adrien were spotted over at the police station…and it seems they did some damage.”

“We’ll be right down.”

“Now Chloe,” Sabine said patiently after hanging up. “A lot has happened in the last few hours. What was the last thing you saw?”

Chloe wiped her eyes. “I saw Adrien getting—getting whipped! I couldn’t—I haven’t be able to even think about watching since then. It hurt too much!”

“Yes, I know.” Sabine agreed, gently moving her bangs from her face. “Well…we’ll wait for the others to get here, and then we’ll get you up to date, alright?”

At that moment, the sound of hydraulics came from the other side of the room. Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Hawkmoth emerged from the floor.

“Hawk…moth…?” She squeaked.

“Hello Chloe,” he said, his voice much more calm than she’d ever heard from the villain.

“No…you’re…” She leapt to her feet. “Gabriel!?”

He nodded.

“This whole time—you’ve—! I can’t believe—!” She ran at him, angry and feral, beating on him with her fists. “Adrien trusted you! You let him down over and over and he swore to me that you were good! That you only had his best interests at heart! He never listened to me! But he insisted—!” Overwhelmed with emotion, she slid to the floor, only to be caught around the arm by Rena. “The whole time…you neglected him in favor of—of hurting people! Of taking advantage of people suffering!”

Hawkmoth just stared down at her.

“He’s cried so many times because of you! And all you’ve done is lied! And now you—“ She grit her teeth and spat at him. “You’ve turned him into a monster! A heartless killing machine!”

“Chloe…” Alya placated.

“What was this even for?!” She screamed. “You have fame! Wealth! Power! What were you even trying to do with the Miraculous!?”

Hawkmoth couldn’t meet her eyes. “It’s a long story…one we don’t have time for right now.”

“Actually, I’d really like to know too.” Said Nino. “Chloe makes a great point. You always forced Adrien to stay home for his own safety, but you were the most dangerous thing in Paris. I know you put him in danger too. Besides Chat Noir.”  He frowned. “Hey, did you purposefully piss me off when I asked about his birthday party? Did you purposely set me up to be akumatized?!”

The brooch on Hawkmoth’s chest burned with the anger in the room.

“Yeah! And you akumatized Adrien’s bodyguard! The big gorilla threw Adrien off the side of the building!” Alya added.

Hawkmoth growled. “We’re wasting time!”

“I’m not working with you until you explain yourself!” Chloe shrieked.

A very sharp pain, right to the heart, emanated from the brooch. Gabriel collapsed, ripping the brooch off and sending it clattering across the floor.

For a tense moment, he knelt on the floor, grasping at his chest and trying to catch his breath.

Sabine, who had been silently watching, stood up and stepped closer. “Gabriel?”

“The anger…” he moaned. “They must have done something else…I was just…suddenly overwhelmed with a lot of negative emotion. Not just from the room, but from the city.”

Queen Bee shuttered. “They killed two police officers and the Minster of Interior. Others must have found them.”

Rena gasped. “What?”

Queen Bee took a deep sigh and recounted everything that she had witnessed that evening at the police station. When she was done, everyone stood in stunned silence.

Gabriel, who had slightly recovered, slowly stood and picked up his Miraculous. “Using the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous together allows the user to make an ultimate wish. I wanted to bring my wife back. But…as I spoke with the Guardian, I found that trying to do so would have likely killed Adrien and I both in the process. Master Fu is taking care of the situation in exchange for the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous.” He pinned the brooch back on. “I was desperate and wrong. Is that enough for you?”

Chloe sniffed and wiped her cheeks. “For now.”

Gabriel sighed as he paced the room. “Then…we have to confront them.”

“Can’t you just un-akumatize them?” Queen Bee asked.

“No. Making two akuma divides the control I have. They’ve taken my akuma from me. And I can’t make anymore until I get them back.”

“Then what do we do?” Asked Rena.

“The only thing we can do. We have to get the Ladybug Miraculous from them, purify them, and use the cure. That should bring back the officers and the Minister…but that will also bring back Salo.”

They all sighed at that. It was wrong and unfair.

“But couldn’t she twist the truth once she was back? There has to be another way!”

“No, this time, I think it will be impossible for her to get out of it. Her and Edward Savauge.”

“I bet that’s who they’re going for next, if they haven’t already.” Said Rena. “What’s our move?”

“We’ll try to talk them down first,” explained Gabriel. “And if that doesn’t work, we’ll just have to take the Miraculous by force.”

[3amflailing]

THE OA PART 2 TRAILER BREAKDOWN- VISUAL/AUDIBLE ELEMENTS

·    Buckle up, because this is only part 1 of the breakdown! so this is my notes from the trailer, where I try to clarify on the shots and also put in any really really strong associations. I’m going to do a part 2 (either tonight or tomorrow depending on when i finish my homework) where I break down the important bits and their significance, what I think the storyline will be, and questions that arise. I hope the format isn’t too messed up, I don’t really want to rewrite this all. over 2000 words y’all, and we’re not done yet! please add any notes/thoughts you have, i’m only one person and I’m gonna miss stuff 100%. thanks!!!!!

 Trailer starts in hospital, similar parallel to first season in which we find Prairie in the hospital

·        Coherence check: fingers, year, president (OA is there but in a new dimension, where everyone, including Barack Obama, is no longer the same person in the previous dimension)

·        “I Did It” (dimension jump)

·        Boat scene- curious that Nina is travelling on water (water symbolism)

o   Seems to be affected by an unseen force, likely OA’s consciousness travelling into her body

o   Looking over Golden Gate Bridge- we see this bridge from another angle later

·        Hospital scene cont’d

o   We see OA check her chest, where the bullet should have been. There isn’t a would, she is perfectly fine, so it is her mind/consciousness that is travelling through to another body, not her entire self jumping

o   “I jumped” OA

o   Sobbing in happiness afterwards

·        Port of san Francisco

o   Is there another scene/shot of this location in s1? It has a different vibe to it

§  Red/white/orange colours, interesting that Nina was wearing orange upon jump

o   “nothing happens the way I imagined”

·        Nina’s Apartment

o   Does he say “let me in, Ms. Azarova”???? butler

o   Old fashioned key, very fancy, expensive Parisian apartment

o   Nina Azarova is RICH- a butler/personal driver?? A personal maid??

o   The key looks old fashioned but we hear beeping- indicating that it is actually technology?? Disguising the old as new

o   She wears lots of white here, symbolism

o   “I live here?” OA

o   Furniture

§  Birdcage

§  Portrait of father

§  Painting over chair

§  Various Russian pictures? Hard to see

§  Gauzy curtains, plants

§  Furniture items in front become a gateway into house

§  Glass tables of varying heights- this is really impractical, but could it be symbolism for dimensions?

§  Very circular- white couch, candles and its white table, fireplace things, table, plant pots

§  Things in fireplace, what are they?

§  The rug almost seems to be a distortion of the floor print, it looks just like it but raised a little

§  Four pictures frames each look alike but the art within is different (at least sized), dimension symbolism

·        Hap + Captives

o   “we travelled into another dimension, into other versions of ourselves” -Hap

o   They all had bindings on them- wrists and mouth? At least Rachel’s mouth was bound (interesting given her NDE power of singing) which connected them all together

o   Pentagon shape

o   Colour symbolism- renata and homer in light clothes, Rachel and Hap in grey, Scott in black

o   Do the Movements in an empty field- does he take them there?

o   Field pentagon goes right into building pentagon

o   Building pentagon

§  Looks like a group therapy session almost, very clinical and clean

o   Hap in office

§  Once again looks like Hap is a scientist

§  Lots of things on board- standouts are the human brain, something to the left of it (can’t tell what), picture of a clock(?), maybe stars?, wavelengths?

§  Two busts, one bald and white, the other brown/yellow with hair

§  Clock on desk

§  Weird hanging lamps

o   Different haircuts and facial hairs-

§  Hap has a beard and longer hair

§  Homer has a beard

§  Scott has no beard and clinical fringe

§  Rachel has clinical fringe

o   Hap laughs joyfully and grabs on to Homer (he doesn’t see them as experiments but as coworkers- does Homer feel this way too?) Homer appears to start grabbing Hap’s arms also

o   Woman in background- nurse? Attendant? Who is she?

o   Shot of eye, in which the pupil contains constellations and galaxies flickering in and out

o   “do you understand what we’re on the edge of here?” -Hap

·        Tunnel

o   Red lighting

o   Karim Washington

·        Circle shot

o   Looks like an eye

o   Something bright in centre, with beds circled all around it in 3

o   Beds appear to have children on them- can see stuffed animals

o   Inner circle has 8 beds, 3 attendants(?) (though there are 4 spots), one child appears to be moving to/off their bed

o   Attendants appear to be holding something- maybe a computer? A typewriter?

o   2nd circle has 12 beds- room for exits at the front and bottom of the shot, looks like every 2 beds also has an attendant

o   3rd circle can be seen on the edges of the shot

o   Hap voiceover: “it’s godlike, prairie”

·        Tunnel cont’d

o   Karim looks down through window/vent in tunnel with confusion on his face- is he looking at the earlier circle shot?

·        C and H Pure Cane Sugar

o   Red/white/orange colours again, yellow

o   “my name’s Karim Washington. I’m a private investigator”

·        Karim

o   On a street, looking into the Cane Sugar place perhaps?

o   Binoculars

o   We see him show his badge/certifications to OA

§  Looks like they’re in the same clinical place where the pentagon travelled to

o   “I’m looking into the disappearance of a teenager staying at this house”

o   Karim crouches down and looks at a hideout?

o   There’s a vent or something in the wall, it either could have a red fabric stuffed into it or be a weird art piece of a rose

o   Mishmash patterns of blankets, though this shot looks to be inside? Maybe in a basement?

o   Very big house, dark colours, shot paints it to be very dark, ominous and looming

o   “Is this the missing person?” OA asks to Karim

§  OA and Karim, they appear to be at a restaurant or coffee shop at the side of a road

§  Meeting for breakfast- OA has pancakes, untouched

§  Karim appears to be holding something up to his face- did he get punched? Is that ice? Definitely something held in a napkin

o   “why, what, you look like you’ve seen a ghost” Karim replies

§  Puts down his pack of ice(?)

o   “the image just… reminds me of a young man I knew in Michigan” OA

§  OA is visibly disturbed, this is one of the Crestwood 5 boys

·        OA writing

o   She’s writing her personal timeline

o   It all leads back to the bus crash- without it she remained Nina Azarova, went to Paris, her father lived, she went to college

o   The bus crash is where her identities split and become separate people

o   “it’s all connected” OA

·        BOAT SHOT

o   We see someone walking down the causeway of a dock

o   This is not OA, this person has dark hair

o   There is one boat missing, and boats at various lengths away from the causeway

o   Water symbolism

o   “we can get to the bottom of it” OA

·        Underground tunnel

o   OA and Karim hurrying towards a light

o   “you’re tougher than you look” Karim

o   “you’re kinder than you seem” OA

o   Humour within those words- almost as if its black comedy, prepping themselves for something difficult

o   Karim reaches to open a metal door or vault or something

o   Harsh green light- likely still under in tunnel

o   OA turns around suddenly- is someone behind? Is she on the lookout?

·        Homer

o   This shot mirrors the last shot of season 1, except it’s inverse: the light is dark, OA looks like she’s about to crumble/is devastated, her voice ticks downwards

o   “Homer” OA

·        Flashback to her and homer touching hands through the glass of their cages

·        Shot of Rachel and scott and OA- likely touching for the first time, Renata at the window smoking with the golden gate bridge in the background

o   “Rachel, Scott, and Renata” OA

o   This is the other shot of the bridge!!!

·        Crestwood 5 shot-

o   BBA swimming, French, Buck, Steve, Jesse, and Angie all watching her

o   Does Angie replace OA as young female in group? What does she know- what have they told her?

o   “BBA and the boys” OA (does she not know about Angie then?)

o   Shot of all except BBA running towards beach/ocean- water symbolism

§  BBA and another blonde woman come in behind

§  Steve and Buck are looking right (viewer’s right)

§  Jesse and French looking left, with BBA and other woman

§  Angie is looking straight? Or eyes closed

·        OA talking

o   “I asked you to believe in impossible things”

o   Flashback to Prairie in the sun when Hap lets her upstairs, OA on Steve’s bike

o   Shot of a door, a window, or something- is this from s1 or s2?

o   Karim looks through a small window, confused, what is he seeing?

o   NO ONE SURVIVES text

o   “you never once looked at me like I was crazy” OA

o   OA fighting in hospital, likely trying to escape

§  This shot has a fence through the window- where is this? It almost looks like a weird private hospital or a home

o   OA covers her eyes in hospital, wearing nail polish and two rings with a hospital band

o   ALONE text

o   Rachel and OA touch heads

·        The House

o   “everyone who goes inside this house comes out cracked up or doesn’t come out at all”

o   Appears to be Karim and OA inside the house mentioned

o   They are carrying old-fashioned fire torches?

o   OA looks closely at a single picture on the wall, wearing the Red Dress

o   OA has a lighter for light and touches her fingers to a hole in the wall

o   Karim is in a mirror room with red candlelight- he appears panicked, as if he doesn’t know what’s happening or where to go

·        Outside shots

o   “you gotta open your eyes” scott

o   Shot of OA in wolf top and Young Nina watching what appears to be Rachel in a floating glass/ice box- ties in with Snow White, episode title of “Mirror Mirror”

§  Rachel opens her eyes (brown) and then it suddenly turns to OA

o   Forest with lightning (?) running through it

o   Flashback to steve running after OA in ambulance

o   “I cannot give up on you” OA??? Rachel???

o   Homer appears outside, bearded, wearing normal clothing and what appears to be a ring (resembles the one in s1), looks frustrated, putting his hands to his head

o   Crater shot

§  4 people in craters- it’s hard to tell who they are

§  Pits dug all around, some look as if they were made from something launched at them, others by regular digging

§  Then the next crater shot appears to be Angie and Jessie in one hole (?) pulling Karim (?) towards them while 2 unidentifiable people try to do the same (separate holes) and another person is to the right corner, watching perhaps?

§  “this is not a time to be brave” Karim

·        The House cont’d

o   OA goes with her lighter, Karim with the fire torch, to the door of the house, Karim looks through the window

o   The light is on inside

o   “this is a time to be smart” Karim

·        Tree shot

o   OA and Karim appear to be putting together a puzzle which highly resembles the cut of a tree trunk- each puzzle piece is hexagonal

o   The tree is huge

·        Renata speaks(?)- [I can’t tell if this is Renata or not but both women have brown hair, an accent]

o   “all this beauty, this energy, what holds it all together?” Renata

o   Hap and Renata appear to be at a concert or some fancy event

o   Shot of forest, OA looks up and closes her eyes (same location as with her and Young Nina)

o   Karim and OA are underground in a (Russian?) strip club, there are dancers in only underwear hanging from the celing

§  This looks to be the same place as the underground tunnel

o   Steve, Angie, and French all in swimgear running to the ocean

o   Jesse looks on

o   Shot of the sunset of the beach, then of the sunset of the city with a bridge in view (unclear if GG Bridge), two traincars passing each other

o   OA and Nina underwater

§  Nina pounding at glass again- new shot of from s1?

o   Shot of entire world

o   “what keeps it all from dissolving into noise?” renata

o   Hap burns something in a pit (pit looks like what we see in the craters before)

§  Can’t tell if this is a body or clothes

o   Clinical building of pentagon shot- scott and Renata(? Very long hair, completely different from s1) are locked away in separate rooms

§  Highly suspect that this is an asylum or mental health facility

§  Scott is #348

·        Assorted shots

o   Sun rising up

o   Steve shaving his head (Asheville?)

o   A man underwater holding his head- maybe Steve but the body looks less fit than him, maybe Homer? Unclear

o   Karim coming down steps holding a body/someone- this doesn’t look like OA in clothes and everything

o   OA being thrown into the earth/hole and coming out of a massive tree trunk which appears to float in the air, likely representation of a portal

o   Shot of a keyhole-shaped tunnel of neon light, as seen in the press photo being released of P2

o   TEXT The left side of the A in OA appears to be distorted by the light, not straight, same with the left side of the O

§  Another OA comes behind it

·        Ending

o   OA in Red Dress and unknown man walk through the neon tunnel, OA turns to him, there is a single chair in front of a red curtain visible

o   “cue spots in 5, 4, 3 [distorted], 2, 1, “

o   Shot of a mouth- perhaps Karim’s?

o   Shots of switches-  labelled ENRY #1, ENTRY #2, there is a label that says “ARMED”

o   OA’s hand is tied to the chair, circular marks up her arm are visible

o   The neon lights in the tunnel start going off

o   Karim looks upon something

o   Black and white camera of OA looking very unsettled, her Red Dress now looks white and the patch is clearly visible- reminiscent of a shot wound where blood spreads

[kanasmusings]

[Translation] SERVAMP School Festival Track 2

Here’s the second track!

Track 2: [走れ! 戦え! 紅白・地獄の体育祭] “Run! Fight! Red vs. White – The Sports Festival from Hell!”

Under the cut as usual, enjoy~

Track 2: [走れ! 戦え! 紅白・地獄の体育祭] “Run! Fight! Red vs. White – The Sports Festival from Hell!”

  (fireworks go off)

KURO: (in cat form) Such great weather… Ah, can’t deal…

KURO: (in cat form) Alrighty…

MAHIRU: Don’t you dare hide in my shadow!

KURO: (in cat form) It’s true that Mahiru’s shadow is very thin. This one over here’s wider and better.

(Kuro runs off to Tetsu’s shadow)

KURO: Nyan~

TETSU: Oh? Hey.

MAHIRU: Even though you were planning on hiding…! You selfish cat!

TETSU: What events are you participating in, Big Bro Mahiru?

MAHIRU: I’m participating in the obstacle course and the cavalry battle1 and then… What was it again?

MAHIRU: Anything else that anyone needs help with, I think.

KURO: You over-caring person.

MAHIRU: Geh…! I have no choice, you know?! It’s not like you vampires can participate in anything under the strong sun. Plus, Licht-san and the others insisted on playing dodge ball.

KURO: Speaking of… Those guys aren’t here yet?

MAHIRU: Don’t tell me… They’re planning on playing dodge ball only?

TETSU: I’ll be participating, too.

TETSU: In the obstacle course and cavalry battle, I mean.

MAHIRU: I see. Tetsu’s in the white team, right? We’re in different teams but, I’ll be in your care today.

MAHIRU: By the way, what are you participating in, Kuro?

KURO: My specialty is cheering so I’ll pass.

KURO: Be healed by the cute me~ Nya, nya, nya~

MAHIRU: I’ve never heard anything about you specializing in cheering!

KURO: What are you saying? A cat’s cheering power is amazing, you know?

MISONO: Even without the cat’s cheering, as long as I’m on the Red Team it’s a sure win for us!

MAHIRU: Misono?! Is it okay for you to be he—

(cymbals ring)

MAHIRU: Who are you?!

MISONO: Heh. Are you surprised? As long as I have these sunglasses and this parasol, the sun is no enemy of mine!

KURO: You look like a celebrity trying to hide from paparazzi, y’know?

MISONO: A sports festival requires strength. It’s obvious that we can’t let the sun be an issue.

MISONO: And that’s exactly why I put on the perfect armour to contest against the sun!

LILY: (from afar) You look perfect, Misono~!

MAHIRU: (to himself) Oh… Lily’s wearing the same thing…

MISONO: As long as I have this, I won’t be affected by the sunlight or by ultra-violet rays!

MAHIRU: (to himself) Ah… I feel like he’s completely mistaken that he can participate while wearing shades under a parasol…

MAHIRU: (to himself) Is this what Lily meant when he said that he’ll strip when necessary?

TETSU: Hey, so why is that umbrella so frilly?

MISONO: Geh…! I-I borrowed this from Lily!

MISONO: It’s not my tastes at all!

KURO: Well… It suits you, doesn’t it?

MISONO: You bastard! Are you making fun of me?! I won’t share with you, you know?

KURO: I wasn’t planning to.

KURO: The shadow’s enough for me.

  (loud speaker suddenly turns on)

TSUBAKI: Ah, ah, mic tes—mic! M-MIC! MIC TE—Huh?

BELKIA: We can hear you properly, Tsubakyun.

TSUBAKI: Okay, Belkia~ Then, shall we begin?

TSUBAKI: With the war.

MAHIRU: What sort of dangerous things is that person saying?!

MAHIRU: I thought that there were gonna be no people to observe but to think that it’d be commentated live…

TSUBAKI: That’s correct, Shirota Mahiru.

TSUBAKI: I, the Student Council President, made sure to negotiate with the School Broadcasting Station properly.

MAHIRU: You’re very crafty!

TSUBAKI: That’s why you should do your best with entertaining me.

TSUBAKI: Ah-ha…! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (mic feedback)

KURO: Ugh…! That’s so noisy…!                    

TSUBAKI: Wait, Sakuya! I haven’t said the most important thing yet so make sure that thing works properly.

SAKUYA: …! I don’t care. It’s probably because you started laughing loudly all of a sudden.

SAKUYA: Hurry up and announce the rules, please. We’re wasting time.

TSUBAKI: Heh~ Already?

BELKIA: Alright. everyone! Gather up and listen~!

BELKIA: The sports festival from hell with no rules and regulations is about to start~!!

BELKIA: The rules are simple! If we find it interesting, you get points!!

TSUBAKI: W-wait, Bel, why are you suddenly taking the stage?!

BELKIA: Conversely, if you do something boring you get a demerit so you better prepare yourselves, punks!!

MAHIRU: This is annoying! Doing it more simply is better, right?!

BELKIA: Okay~ Since the Red Team’s going against the Student Council, you get minus 100 points~

MAHIRU: It’s already started?!

  ***

  MISONO: (panting) It’s… getting tiring… standing around…

TETSU: Should I call the nurse?

TETSU: Or should I carry you to the nurse’s office?

MISONO: Neither…

MISONO: I came here after all… I just can’t go home after— (more panting)

KURO: Where do you get that motivation?

MISONO: Are there no chairs?

TETSU: Ah, if you want to sit somewhere I can be your chair.

MISONO: Wha--?! Th-that’s impossible, you know…?!

TETSU: I always do muscle training with Hugh-sensei so I can easily carry around 50 kilos.

MISONO: Sendagaya…

  ***

 SAKUYA: Tsubaki-san, a moment.

TSUBAKI: What is it, Sakuya?

SAKUYA: The Disciplinary Committee said that if you keep doing absurd things they’ll take you away from leading the event.

SAKUYA: Since they thought of that, they prepared necessary stuff already or something.

TSUBAKI: Oh, what’s that~ It’s so not interesting at all.

BELKIA: But those guys are very troublesome to deal with, you know?

BELKIA: Don’t you think we should listen to them for now~?

TSUBAKI: Hm, we have no choice.

TSUBAKI: Then, I’ll leave this to Sakuya. Okay, pass~

(Tsubaki throws something to Sakuya)

SAKUYA: …! Huh?!

TSUBAKI: Since you’re saying that, we’ll have you explain the rules. Then, we’ll be sitting at the commentator’s box, okay~

BELKIA: Ah, wait for me, Tsubakyun~

TSUBAKI: Ah-hahahaha~

(Tsubaki and Belkia walk away)

SAKUYA: (to himself) I want to quit the Student Council…

SAKUYA: (breathes deeply) Hurry and save me from this useless Student Council, Mahiru…!

MAHIRU: (in a serious tone) Sakuya, just wait. I’ll surely save you from being mistreated by the Student Council President...!

MAHIRU: Would… I be really able to do that…?

  ***

 MAHIRU: The rules of the SERVAMP Academy’s sports festival are common. The school is divided into a Red Team and a White Team who then compete with each other for points.

MAHIRU: The determining factor is not the class number but a student’s seat number.

MAHIRU: Me, Misono, and Licht-san are in the Red Team.

MAHIRU: Kuro, Tetsu, and Lawless are in the White Team.

MAHIRU: The outdoor competitions are an obstacle course race, ball-toss game, a cavalry battle, and a 6-on-6 tug of war game.

MAHIRU: The indoor gym competitions include dodge ball, basketball, and other indoor games.

  ***

  BELKIA: Now~ It’s finally started! The first competition is this!

(fanfare)

BELKIA: Ta-da~!

BELKIA: “Costume Obstacle Race!”

BELKIA: Captain Tsubakyun, what sort of competition is this, I wonder~

TSUBAKI: The rules are easy~ They just have to run to the goal.

TSUBAKI: But~ Halfway through they have to grab a paper bag and they have to wear whatever they find in it or else their victory won’t count~

TSUBAKI: Once you grab a paper bag, you can’t exchange with anyone else~

BELKIA: “Ah~ Ah~ This is so heavy~ I want something lighter. Oh yeah, I’ll just take this one~”

TSUBAKI: And that’s a fail~

BELKIA: If you don’t follow the rules I’ll skewer you alive!

TSUBAKI: Also~ Wait, what was it…?

BELKIA: Uh…. Ah! Isn’t it about the point system~?

TSUBAKI: Ah, oh yeah~ The 1st place gets 30 points, the 2nd gets 20 points, the 3rd place gets 10 points.

TSUBAKI: Those who couldn’t place will get a consolation prize so do your best, okay~?

BELKIA: Tsubakyun, you’re so amazing~! You sounded so awesome!

TSUBAKI: Eh? Really~?! I’m just hosting, though!

  (commemoration pistol goes off and students start cheering)

MAHIRU: Uwah…! The risks are more intense than I thought.

MAHIRU: What if someone gets a hat? What if it’s a maid outfit?

TETSU: Are we gonna have to change in that box thing there?

TETSU: It’s troublesome so can’t we just change right there [on the field]?

MAHIRU: No! You’re not Lily!

LILY: Oh my, Mahiru-kun~

LILY: Even I wouldn’t change in front of the public’s eye, you know? That’s too bold even for me.

MISONO: But you do something like that every day.

  (warning pistol goes off)

MAHIRU: (sighs) Oh, looks like it’s almost our turn.

KURO: Do your beeeessstt… I’ll be cheering you on from this relaxing shade.

MAHIRU: That’s really irritating…!

MAHIRU: By the way! Where in the world did you get that huge umbrella?!

LILY: (cheerfully) I brought it from the mansion because I wouldn’t be able to cheer on the students properly if I turn into a butterfly now, would I?

HUGH: How comfortable~

HUGH: Vampires do their best watching over people from under the shade~

MAHIRU: I think that’s relatively wise…

HUGH: Oh, Tetsu, do your best~

HUGH: I’ll be properly watching over you from here after all~

TETSU: Yeah, Hugh-sensei. I’ll do my best.

LILY: Misono, are you sure you’re well? Please don’t overdo it, okay?

MISONO: I told you I’m fine!

MISONO: Running and changing into a costume is no problem. There’s no way I can’t do it.

MAHIRU: Ah… Before that…

MAHIRU: Misono… If you go wearing that outfit… How should I say this…? I think they’ll misunderstand that you’re already in costume…

MISONO: I see… They might mistake that I already put them on before the start of the race.

MISONO: I guess I’ll remove the sunglasses at least. Hey, Lily. (Misono throws his glasses to Lily)

LILY: Okay~ I’ll take care of them.

MAHIRU: (to himself) And yet he’ll bring the parasol…?

  ***

  MAHIRU: Misono? If you really feel like you can’t do it, don’t hesitate to drop-out, okay?

MISONO: You bastard. Who do you think I am? When I decided to participate, anything aside from completing the course will be rejected!

TETSU: Do you want me to carry you piggyback?

MISONO: Bastard! You’re on the White Team, aren’t you?!

  BELKIA: Oh my! Looks like Shirota Mahiru’s in third place!

BELKIA: Commentator Tsubakyun, what do you think of Athlete Shirota Mahiru?

BELKIA: I hate him so I wanna sock him so bad!!!

TSUBAKI: Ah haha~ I agree~

  (starting pistol goes off and Mahiru and the others start running)

MAHIRU: (to himself) I have to choose among those paper bags, huh?

MAHIRU: (to himself) They all look the same from the outside… And you can’t tell how heavy they are unless you carry them…

MAHIRU: (to himself) In other words, there’s no point in over-thinking it.

MAHIRU: (to himself) Then, thinking simply…

MAHIRU: (grabs a paper bag) It’s this!

MAHIRU: …? It’s very light…

  BELKIA: Athlete Shirota has gotten a hold of his paper bag!

BELKIA: So~ I wonder what’s waiting for him inside~!

BELKIA: Ah… Um, is Ahoge-chan okay?

BELKIA: He hasn’t progressed much since we began.

  MISONO: (panting)

LILY: Misono, fight! I’m taking a video of it properly~!

MISONO: DON’T DO THAT!!!! Arrrghhh!!!!

  TSUBAKI: While he’s there, it looks like most of the others have gotten their paper bags and have begun changing~

TSUBAKI: I wonder if Shirota Mahiru’ll come out soon~

(curtain from the changing room opens and Mahiru walks out)

KURO: Oh~

TSUBAKI: (laughing hysterically) It’s an apron!!2

TSUBAKI: An apron!! (laughs more) It’s like it was destined for him!

BELKIA: (starts laughing) It’s so funny!

BELKIA: (more hysterical laughing) He always wears an apron but imagine if he put it over traditional clothing…! (laughing more)

BELKIA: It’s like he didn’t change at all! (MORE hysterical laughing)

TSUBAKI: (laughs hysterically and then starts coughing) … Water…

  MAHIRU: Ugh…! I didn’t want to pick this either!!

(curtain from the changing room opens and Tetsu walks out)

TETSU: Big Bro Mahiru, I can’t tie the necktie.

MAHIRU: Oh… Te…tsu…?

BELKIA: Oh my! He’s wearing such exaggerated sunglasses!

BELKIA: Oh, I get it! He’s that guy from that show!

BELKIA: That dude who plays hide-and-seek or runs away after getting his prize money, right?!

TSUBAKI: Correct! As expected from Bel~

BELKIA: Oh, Tsubakyun~ You really like watching TV, huh?

MAHIRU: What’s this…?! I kinda feel like wanting to run away so bad…!

(Mahiru starts running)

TETSU: (calling out from afar and then starts running after Mahiru) He~y, Big Bro Mahiru! How do you tie a necktie?

(Tetsu catches up to Mahiru quickly)

MAHIRU: (panting) Eh?!

TETSU: Hey, Big Bro Mahiru~

MAHIRU: EHHH?!!! Being chased while you’re wearing that costume is too scary!!!

  TSUBAKI: Oh, that’s right. I forgot to mention this but… It’s extremely unlikely to get but in one of the paper bags, there’s a lucky card inside~ If you get that…

MISONO: (panting) I… I just have to wear what’s inside this paper bag, right?

(Misono opens the paper bag)

MISONO: Huh? What’s this? Is there nothing inside?

MISONO: Lu…cky card…?

MISONO: “When you get this card you get a chance to use the help of an assista—”

(bicycle bell suddenly rings from out of nowhere)

MIKUNI: Hiiiiiiii~!! Baton pass!

MISONO: …! M-Mikuni?! You bastard, what’re—

MIKUNI: Leave the rest to your big brother~

(Mikuni starts pedalling)

  BELKIA: Don’t tell me…! Ahoge-chan got the lucky card!

BELKIA: The helper is Alicein Mikuni! He’s being helped by his big brother. What sort of luck is that?! Anyway, isn’t that unfair?!

TSUBAKI: It’s not against the rules but since it annoys me I’ll remove points from them.

MAHIRU: Mikuni-san?! Why?! Plus, is a bike even allowed?!

MIKUNI: Helpers aren’t bound by rules, y’know?

MIKUNI: Never mind that, Mahiru-kun. What’s with that apron?

MIKUNI: That plus the uniform really suits you! (laughing)

MAHIRU: You’re really annoying!

MIKUNI: Ah~ahahahaha~ I can’t hear you~

MIKUNI: See ya~ I’m going ahead!

(Mikuni pedals faster)

  (pistol goes off)

BELKIA: Alicein Mikuni reaches the goal! What a turn of events!

BELKIA: In first place is… Alicein Misono! Red Team gets 30 points!

TSUBAKI: Though he didn’t really stand a chance at all~

TSUBAKI: Ah, should we bet on who would win next?

BELKIA: Yeah! That sounds interesting~

BELKIA: Then~ Hmm… hmm… The winner will be treated to some Dazs!3

TSUBAKI: Then it’s decided!

  MISONO: (panting) Wh-wha-what in the world was that…?

(Misono collapses)

LILY: Ah, Misono!

  ***

  MAHIRU: I hope Misono could still participate in the afternoon events but…

MAHIRU: He was so looking forward to it, too.

KURO: Even Lily said it’d be fine if he rested for a while so isn’t it okay?

MAHIRU: You do your best, too. I’m sure there’s something you can participate in.

KURO: How troublesome…

KURO: Is there no competition done while sitting?

MAHIRU: As if!

(crowd panicking and running away from something)

MAHIRU: Ow…! Everyone’s running away from the gym…?

KURO: I feel something bad at play here…

MAHIRU: Did something happen?

MAHIRU: Let’s go, Kuro!

KURO: Huh?! Why’re you just dragging me around by the collar?

KURO: You normally run away from situations like this, you know?

MAHIRU: There might be a need to call a teacher, right? Come on, hurry!

KURO: Eh?

  ***

 (Mahiru opens the doors to the gym)

MAHIRU: Eh?

LICHT: Die, you shit rat!!! (Licht serves a ball with full power)

HYDE: (receives it cleanly) If that’s all you got, this is no competition at all~

HYDE: But in truth, you really have no control at all, don’t you!?

(Hyde throws the ball back at Licht)

LICHT: Shut up! Go back to hell!

(Hyde dodges the ball)

HYDE: Woah there~

HYDE: WHOOO~~!! Oh, how scary~

HYDE: I think it’d be a good idea for you to take care of your fingers. You’re a pianist after all~

HYDE: I won’t be responsible if Krantz gets mad at you~

LICHT: I’ll break all your fingers!

(Licht starts throwing multiple balls towards Hyde)

HYDE: Wai--! You can only throw one ball!

HYDE: Throwing more than that is chea—UWAHHH!!!

LICHT: I’ll purify you shitty demon with my angel powers!

(Licht throws another ball with full power and hits Hyde)

HYDE: Ah!!

LICHT: Here’s the finishing blow.

LICHT: Take this…! Ultimate Angel Technique…!

HYDE: Angel Technique…? What’s th—Wait! Stop! STOOOOOP!!!!!

LICHT: DIE!!!

HYDE: AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

(Mahiru closes the doors)

MAHIRU: Alright. Let’s pretend we didn’t see anything…

KURO: You’re right.

  ***

  MAHIRU: After the lunch break, the festivities continue on in the afternoon. The next event is the cavalry battle.

BELKIA: The sports festival’s about to reach its climax, huh, Tsubakyun~

TSUBAKI: (sighs)

BELKIA: Oh? Tsubakyun?

TSUBAKI: It’s not interesting at all…

SAKUYA: What are you saying? Aren’t you the one who volunteered to be the event chairman?

SAKUYA: It’s almost over so see it through to the end, please.

TSUBAKI: I did volunteer! But isn’t it weird that I can’t participate?! It’s weird, right?!

BELKIA: That’s true! We want to have fun, too, right?!

SAKUYA: They’re starting again…

TSUBAKI: With that said, let’s go, Bel, Sakuya!

BELKIA: Roger, Tsubakyun~!

SAKUYA: HUH?! Me, too?!

  ***

  MAHIRU: Then Misono, are you fine with me, Kuro, and Tetsu being your support?

MISONO: That’s the best choice.

KURO: Huh? Why me?

KURO: I’m not on the Red Team though…

MAHIRU: We have no choice. I originally planned on asking Licht-san for help but… He’s probably still in the gym.

MAHIRU: If that’s what you’re worried about, remember that Tetsu’s on the White Team, too.

TETSU: I’m on the Red Team for now.

KURO: Can we really do that?

MAHIRU: You have no right to say that when you’ve just been dawdling about!

MISONO: He’s right! We have no choice if we want to win!

MISONO: Any result aside from victory will be rejected!

KURO: You’re weirdly energetic for someone who collapsed a while ago, Bastard-chan.

KURO: It won’t be my fault if you faint again.

MISONO: (scoffs) The clouds are out so the sun’s hiding.

MISONO: As long as there’s no sunlight, there’s nothing that I fear!

MAHIRU: Plus, you won’t transform so it’s perfect, isn’t it?

KURO: Eh?

MAHIRU: Let’s go. Ready and…!

MISONO: Uwahh!! It’s so unsteady! I won’t forgive you all if you drop me!

KURO: The height difference is too weird no matter how you look at it.

KURO: On Mahiru’s side at least.

MAHIRU: Shut up!

MAHIRU: Sorry but… Can you stoop down a little, Tetsu?

TETSU: Yeah. About this much?

MISONO: AHHH!! Don’t just do that so suddenly!

MAHIRU: Tetsu, that’s too low! Too low! Raise yourself up a bit…!

TETSU: Oh, sorry.

KURO: How troublesome…

  TSUBAKI: (laughing) They really don’t get how teamwork works.

TSUBAKI: You think you can win against us like that~?

MAHIRU: Eh?! Tsubaki? I thought you guys weren’t participating!

TSUBAKI: It’s boring me to death just watching, you know?

TSUBAKI: So I thought it’d be great if we can participate at the last event, right, Bel~

BELKIA: (in a strained voice) Tsubakyun… You’re heavy…

SAKUYA: Take off those goddamned shoes, please.

TSUBAKI: Hm? Did you say something~?

MAHIRU: It’s not just the shoes… I think it’s impossible for only Belkia and Sakuya to support Tsubaki…

TSUBAKI: We can’t help it! The Student Council’s lacking in manpower!

MAHIRU: Don’t blame me for that…!

MAHIRU: Anyway, you’re in the White Team’s territory but are you okay with that?

BELKIA: Oh, yeah! I thought of something good!

TSUBAKI: What is it, Bel~

BELKIA: We’re not on the Red or White Team. We’re the Tsubaki Team!

BELKIA: So, if we win, how about we give ourselves one million points?!

TSUBAKI: I like that, Bel! Let’s do that~!

SAKUYA: (to himself) Did these people forget that they were given a warning by the Disciplinary Committee?

  MISONO: Hey, Shirota. What should I do?

MAHIRU: Eh, Misono? Don’t tell me, this is your first cavalry battle?

KURO: This is probably Bastard-chan’s first sports festival.

MISONO: I-I have some knowledge of it!

MISONO: A cavalry battle is…

MISONO: Y-you have to bring home the enemy’s head, right?

MAHIRU: A competition as brutal as that would’ve been banned long ago!

MAHIRU: The people riding are all wearing headbands, right?

MAHIRU: You take those. If you lose yours then we’re out of the game.

MISONO: I see.

MISONO: So, I have to be careful not to lose mine while I steal the other’s headbands, huh?

MISONO: Oh, that’s easy!

MAHIRU: And also, we’ll lose if the person on top loses balance and falls.

MAHIRU: We’ll do our best to not let that happen.

KURO: Don’t expect too much though.

MISONO: It’s fine if the cat drops down but make sure to not drop me!

KURO: What a tyrant.

  LICHT: (scoffs) You think you can take an angel’s halo just like that?

LICHT: I won’t forgive anything of the sort.

HYDE: (in a strained voice) Kya~h~… Lichtan… So cool…!

HYDE: (in a more strained voice) As expec…ted… from the… Arch…angel…

MAHIRU: Wait a minute, Licht-san! I thought you won’t be returning but what are you doing?!

LICHT: I came to participate in the holy war to help defeat demons.

MAHIRU: ‘Holy war’… It’s just a normal cavalry fight…

MAHIRU: By the way, why is Lawless the only one supporting you?

HYDE: He’s right…! We just got done in the gym and… You’re heavy…

LICHT: You lost to me in that dodge ball tournament so listen to what I say, you shit rat!

  SAKUYA: This is my first time seeing someone more dangerous than we are…

BELKIA: Tsubakyun’s still a little nicer than that, huh~

TSUBAKI: Wait now! I’m always nice, you know~

SAKUYA: (in a sarcastic voice) Oh, yes~ Tsubaki-san’s very nice…

SAKUYA: I’m tired of this so please start already.

TSUBAKI: What’s with that attitude?

BELKIA: Tsubakyun, Tsubakyun~ The Disciplinary Committee’s telling us to start so come on, let’s start~

TSUBAKI: The Disciplinary Committee sure is persistent… Fine, we have no choice.

  TSUBAKI: (through the microphone) Alright, get into position!

MAHIRU: (to himself) Ah… He’s gonna continue with the commentary…?

TSUBAKI: Get ready and…!

(starting pistols go off and students begin the competition)

TSUBAKI: Oh! Everyone’s just started going against each other— Hey… Support me properly or else I’ll fall…!

SAKUYA: Then fall.

BELKIA: Bel, stand properly! Don’t make me fall!

LICHT: There’s no way demons like them can take an angel’s halo.

HYDE: As expected from Lichtan~ Show them your angel powers!

MAHIRU: That’s just a normal white headband, isn’t it?!

MISONO: Don’t sway!! Run fast slowly!

MAHIRU: Which one!?

TETSU: Hey, Shrimp. If you fall, just try to grab on to something.

MISONO: I thought we agreed that you won’t let me fall?!

MISONO: And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Big Bro Misono?!!!

TSUBAKI: The center field’s started stealing each other’s headbands!

TSUBAKI: Ah, wait…! That hurts, damnit! Don’t pull on my hair.

LICHT: Hurry and hand over that fake halo, you bastard…!

HYDE: Don’t move around too much…! It’s bad for my spine…! Ow….!

MAHIRU: Uwahh… It’s starting to look like a bloody battle over there…

BELKIA: Tsubakyun! Don’t move around too much!

TSUBAKI: I’m not! Let’s think over our plan again…! I’m almost about to fall--!

BELKIA: Eh? EH?! Ah, this is bad!!

SAKUYA: Ah.

TSUBAKI: (falls down)Ahhhh!!!

(whistle goes off and students cheer)

MAHIRU: We… We didn’t do anything but we’re still standing…

KURO: All the others just basically destroyed themselves…

MISONO: (laughs haughtily) As expected from me! I won again!

MAHIRU: Ah… The sun is…

KURO: Oh crap… (transforms into a cat) Nya~

MISONO: Ah…! Wa-wai--!! Ahhh!! (Misono falls)

MAHIRU: Ah… S-sorry, Misono…

TETSU: My bad, Shrimp. I sorta just relaxed since it was over.

MISONO: Y-you bastards…! You better remember this…

KURO: (in cat form) Nya~ As usual, I can’t deal with the sun…

  ***

MAHIRU: And so, the curtain closed on the first day of the event with the victory of the Red Team.

  ==END==

Translator’s Notes:

1 “騎馬戦/kibasen” is commonly known as “chicken fight” but it’s most commonly known as “cavalry battle” when directly translated. It’s a common event in Japanese school events. Sorta like this:

2 What Mahiru actually got is called a “割烹着/kappogi”. It’s sort of a coverall apron that’s usually worn by women over their kimono to keep it from being stained. It’s a common housewife’s item XD It looks like this:

3 A reference to Häagen-Dazs ^^

Oh, by the way! In the course of the next tracks, the Disciplinary Committee is hinted to be the members from C3! Tsuyuki’s the one often mentioned though XD

[ethompson928]

We are Bulletproof (BTS GANG AU) Part 6

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

"You want me to what?" Ally asked from the chair she sat in after being summoned once again to Namjoon's office. The visits here were becoming to frequent for her liking. Ally felt uncomfortable under the hard gaze of the leader of Bangtan as he walked around his desk and perched himself on the front of it, folding his arms and crossing one leg over the other and setting his jaw.

"You heard me, I want you to prove that your good enough to help us further. That little drugs stint with Suga led to an undesirable outcome. I want to see that I made the right choice keeping you alive. Suga and Jungkook seem to think otherwise but I know it would be unwise to kill you off, despite what you seen or heard in recent days. Now as I was saying, tonight you're going to drive the van to the closest petrol station, fill it up and get us a fresh supply of water and a lighter. Simple. I want to see that we'll be able to trust you 100% before we start your 'official training' despite doubts in the back of my mind that you'll bail on us and tell the police everything that has happened to you so far. So let me give you a little incentive to come back. Firstly, we know who you are, it won't be hard for us to find you and bring you back dead or alive, second of all one of my boys will be tailing you to ensure you comply with instructions. This old phone, has enough money on it for one phone call to whoever is coming with you, you get into any trouble which I highly doubt, but you can never be too careful. I like to keep the boys safe."

After leaving the office without much resistance she shook her head in defeat, it was near impossible for her to escape if Namjoon was sending someone to keep an eye on her. Despite what Jin had told her prior, she felt like Namjoon was running a dictatorship among the boys, whatever he said goes and no one got a word in edgeways. The boys seemed close, like a family, but hey - the family that kills together, stays together. Ally knew that if she didn't start planning an escape soon she would be done for. Meaning that she would never leave, ever. That did shoot a small bit of fear into her already hammering heart. Pushing the thought of escape to the back of her mind Ally decided she had better get onto their good sides if she was going to have any chance of getting away unnoticed and not looking suspicious.

"Annyeong!" A voice quickly pulled her out of her thoughts. Glancing up she saw Taehyung standing before her, she smiled and muttered a hello.

He fell into step with her as she began walking down the hallway away from Namjoon's office.

"How are you doing?" He asked curiously looking over at her.

"I'm okay...how are you?" Ally asked back, she didn't really know where this was going or how she should reply.

"I'm great, glad to see you are doing a lot better since the other day. I was worried about you, ya know? So I really hope you like it here and I do want to apologise for drugging you. I hope we can friends..." he trailed off looking a bif unsure. He seemed like a child, his thoughts, actions and way of speaking was all very childlike. Yes he could probably do insane things and kidnap people in various ways that were unthinkable but behind the tough act when he was doing his job was a young innocent boy who was trying to survive in the world.

His big eyes were hopeful as he stared at Ally waiting for her response. Ally felt really bad for him and could see how genuine he was behind his eyes. "Yeah, I'd like that...I'm also sorry for...you know...shouting at you too."

If Taehyungs smile could get any bigger, his jaw would break open. Ally chuckled at how excited he got when she said they could be friends.

"Jjinja?? Wow."

The two fell into a somewhat comfortable silence as they slowly dandered down the hall. There was no tension or uneasiness from the two of them, Ally smiled to herself.

Taehyung had taken Ally down to one of the small sitting rooms that held a small tv and a few chairs, a small game console was also plugged into the television. Taehyung sat down and crossed his legs turning on the system before turning his head to glance at Ally who stood awkwardly behind him, not too sure what she should do.

"Sit down and play with me?" Taehyung asked, trying not to make it sound like a statement more but a question with good intentions. Ally lowered herself down beside him and watched him as he aggressively tapped the buttons, an intense glare at the screen as he manouvered the small onscreen character to fight the enemies and collect items of importance that were in the game.

After about 10 minutes of playing Taehyung passed the controller over to Ally. "I don't really know how to play..." she said looking from the controller to Taehyung and she let out a hopeless chuckle.

"Here let me help you...press this button to attack and use these four buttons here to move around, this one jumps and that's all there is too it". Taehyung explained slowly as he pointed at the colourful buttons on the controller in Ally's hand.

Playing the game Ally tried not to let her awfulness get in the way of her enjoying the game. Sure she was almost out of lives and Taehyung eagerly laughing in the background everytime she messed up, but a part of her was actually enjoying this mini bonding session they were having. Ally squealed with excitment as she killed several enemies and Taehyung shouted to keep going.  Bur eventually the character on the screen died in a blaze of glory as various enemies decided to attack all at once not giving the poor girl a chance to defend herself.

"You're rubbish at this" Taehyung hollered doubling over with laughter as Ally scowled at the screen resting her elbow on her knee and her chin on her clenched fist.

She scowled and muttered a very unappropriate word under her breath which caused Taehyung to laugh louder and Ally almost had to hide the smile that was still growing on her face and making her cheeks light up.

"Ya! Aren't you supposed to be working?" A voice called from the door, Ally turned her head round at the same as Taehyung and Jimin was leaning against the doorframe of the room.

"Like you're doing any work either...Ally's playing with me today. Jealous?" Taehyung replied cheekily, lightly smirking.

Jimin laughed and his face set serious before he came into the room and not so subtly plonked himself onto the floor between Ally and Taehyung, he turned his head to Ally and gave her a quick smile before picking up the now discarded controller and restarting the game.

--

Ally found herself later on that day back her room staring at herself in the mirror. Her white jumper had now been replaced with a black zip up hoodie and the hood was placed over head and her hair now down hanging over her face. She had been advised to wear it like this so she wouldn't be noticed. Ally had nothing to be scared about she wasn't hiding from the police but doing this job made her feel nervous and her stomach was doing flips.

Meeting up with Namjoon by the front door Ally noticed another boy with him, he wore a mask over his face and he too was wearing all black.

"Alison, meet J-Hope...also known as Hoseok he's going to be with you tonight. He knows that if you're to screw up or try and get away he can do whatever means necessary to bring you back. Report back to me later on and tell me how it all goes and then we'll get you started into life at Bangtan. Good luck." Namjoon pressed the phone from earlier into her palm and walked away patting Hoseok on the shoulder and briefly muttered something in his ear as he walked past.

"You coming?" Hoseok asked as he opened the front door for her and followed her out. "Jump in." He referred to the black landrover sitting out front. Climbing in Ally tried to soften her alarming pulse as Hoseok started the engine, he pulled his mask down so that it sat on his chin. "So here it goes in case you forgot, you're gonna fill the car up, go inside, grab a few bottles of water, pay and leave. Simple as...and if you run or try to tell on us..." his hand left the steering wheel and flipped open the glove box at Ally's knee and revealed a shot gun. Most likely armed and ready to go with no shortage of ammunition. "Namjoon wants to trust you, and if he does then so do I...he thinks you'll benefit our team, not just be a pretty hostage. So don't let us down. Would be nice to have some fresh meat around and if Namjoon wants to believe you can join us then why the hell not?"

The drive to the garage wasn't a long one, it was coming up on 6pm, not long after rush hour and darkness had already fell. The lights from the garage light up like a beacon in the dark area that already had little to no lighting. As they pulled ip to the pump Ally could see a small fat man through the window at the till reading his magazine. Hoseol pulled up his mask once more and gave her a subtle nod. Looking from him back to the shop Ally took her bottom lip between her teeth and gave a small squeeze. Hoseok glanced at her expenctantly, waiting for her to make a move.

"Come on, what are we waiting for?"

Finally climbing out of the csr Ally opened the petrol cap and began to fill the car up. Once she filled the tank a few moments later she pulled her hood back up properly and entered the shop. Glancing round the around the shop the small shelves were packed with different kinds of food and tinned goods. Above the chilled drinks one of the lights was flickering on and off. There was almost a musty smell in the building. The room was small but seemed smaller due tovthe tightly packed shelves and various goods on offer to buy.

Making her way over the the fridges Ally grabbed a small basket by the door and began to get the 6 packs of water and plade them in the rusted basket with a stuff handle at her feet. There was a small noise that filled the shop and Ally registered it to be the news which was playing on a small tv behind the back of the man sitting at a till. It was loud enough for her to hear as she continued to put bottles into the basket.

"And in other news tonight: Police are still concerned over the whereabouts of missing teenager Alison Park, who was last seen out with her best friend Ayami Matsui in the late hours on Friday Night at local club: The Red Bullet owned by business man Mr Kim Seokjin. Mr Kim has been unavailable for an interview at this time. Reports Alison went missing were reported when she didn't return home or family could not reach her by phone..."

Ally dropped the bottle she was holding, looking over at the television behind the man at the till.  He wasn't paying to attention to the screen, had he been looking and then looked at the young girl who had just entered his shop, he would see it was the same girl who went missing. Ally camly walked around behind a small stand of crisps and ducked down behind it. Cautiously pulling out the small phone from her back pocket she found Hoseoks number and put it to her head.

"What's wrong?" He answered quickly not needing to say hello.

"I...I...need to get out here!"

[somethinglacking]

Cruel Angel’s Thesis Chapter 10

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Category: F/M Fandom: Mystic Messenger (Video Game) Relationship:707 | Luciel Choi/Main Character Characters:707 | Luciel Choi, V | Jihyun Kim Mary, Vanderwood 3rd, Jumin Han, Zen | Hyun Ryu, Yoosung Kim, Jaehee Kang, Main Character, Rika, Saeran ChoiUnknown | Ray

Nari frowned at the charred remains before her. She felt like vomiting if she was being honest with herself, but this needed to be done, and the RFA trusted only her with this. She grabbed the materials she needed to extract the bone marrow from the remains. She gathered samples from femur; it was in the best shape. The bone was mostly white with fat and flesh still attached. She scrapped the narrow into a dish, and signals to the forensics that they could do what they pleased with the rest.

Nari walked into the lab where her friend Minji was running Saeyoung DNA in the systems. She silently handed the girl the sample from the body and sat in one of the empty chairs. They both where on Jumin’s pay right now seeing as this was completely secret and under the table. The two girls would run the DNA against the other anything under 70% matches threw the chances of it being Saeran out the window. That was the best case scenario.

Nari not being trained in this area was more an onlooker making sure her boyfriend’s DNA was properly destroyed upon the completion of the test. It was only after much deliberation and a huge leap of trust on Saeyoung part that she convinced him to allow her to take a sample from him. It'd be unfortunate if the agency had found out about this and the DNA lead them there. Nari frowned thinking about her boyfriend working while possibly going mad with wonder. Everyone, Saeyoung included, was positive the DNA would be a match and it was Saeran lying in there.

Minji hadn't asked questions when Nari called in a favor. She simply signed the contract Jumin had his lawyer whip up securing everyone's involvement with this.

Minji had been sitting here with her for over 34 hours. Nari had left the RFA meeting and rushed straight to the hospital. The team recovering the body from the ruins kept bringing more and more burnt disfigured Parts. The femur was their best bet to find healthy DNA strands to compare to Saeyoung. Identical twins had identical DNA and a match lower than 70% even given the damage to the body wouldn't do. So far the highest match they've come across was 6.72% and that's including damage.

"The femur had a tissue, dried blood in the marrow?" Minji asked eyeing the sample beginning the process to extract the DNA from it.

"Yeah, so if it doesn't match, it means it's not who we thought it was," Nari explained rubbing her dry eyes watching the computer systems run her boyfriend DNA and biome. She saw literally every genetic thing that made her lover who he was. She smiled snapping a picture of all His biome and sent to him in a text.

Nari- I hacked into your genetic code! I've literally seen every genetic thing that makes you, you. I love you <3

707- that's actually really cool! You should tell me what these things mean sometimes. I love you too <3

707- Have you eaten? Have you slept? I just checked the time...

Nari- I can sleep when I'm dead. Can't eat because I don't want to go through sanitizing myself again. Bio shitz...

707- Hah, I love you. So baby can you please take care of yourself.

Nari- fine, but we should be wrapping up here soon anyway. Don't you work yourself to death? Mwah!!!

707- Mwah!!!

Minji had the DNA up and running through the systems about three hours later. She was humming watching the Biome and DNA try to make matches

"Match is 9.65% there is no way they are identical twins," Minji concluded typing notes and printing them. She added them to the file as a tear rolled down Naris face.

"It's positively not his brother. Of thank fucking god!" Nari sobbed covering her face with her hands.

"Yeah, honestly it could be a distant relative or just some stranger that carries a similar DNA make-up," Minji explained grinning handing the file to Nari. "From my hands to yours to Mr. Han."

"Yes before that. We have to destroy Luciel's DNA." Nari informed her and Minji giggled picking up some liquid and poured it on all the samples.

"Oops, I'm such a klutz." Minji gasped and Nari giggled gathering the samples and putting them in a container.

"I'll burn them too," Nari said shrugging. "Thank you so much Minji."

"I should thank you I made three months’ salary in 40 hours!" Minji giggled gathering her things.

Nari enters the chatroom.

Jaehee-Welcome Nari. Here for a status report?

Nari- 38 hours later and the match is only 9.65% match. Given damage caused by the flames and just living the lowest possibility was 70%. It's positively not Saeran.

707 has entered the chatroom

707- Where the fuck is Saeran?

Nari- good question

Jaehee- shouldn't the match be 100%

707- I honestly thought so...

Nari- Doctor Mode activated. Allow me to educate you.

707- I love playing doctor with you baby

707 hearts emoji

Jaehee sighing Emoji.

Jaehee- please just answer the question.

Nari- Identical twins come from the same zygote. This means that the egg and sperm are the exact same, which equates to identical DNA. They are always of the same sex and are monozygotic or MZ twins (mono = one; zygote = fertilized egg) Sperm carry either the X or Y chromosome determining the baby's gender.

707- Which means we have the same DNA...

Jaehee- we already knew that. You basically retold us they have identical DNA which we were aware of

Nari-From birth, yes they should be 100% genetically identical. However, they aren't necessarily genetically identical as life progresses. Mutations will occur as their body grows through mitotic processes.

707- Have to use Google. One second

Jaehee- just a moment, please.

Nari-Most of these mutations are automatically fixed, but some of them stay, such as when ultraviolet rays from the sun rearrange epithelial cell DNA. Also the drugs he's on, and the age he started taking said drugs can deteriorate his DNA and genetic makeup. In short, genetic variability in twins results from mutations during the lifespan.

707- mind was blown

Jaehee- you seem well educated in the area of twins

Nari- Honestly in med-school, I had a fascination with Twins after doing a report.

707- You just love me because of science!

Nari- shit Jaehee he's onto me...

Nari- Identical twins are random and universal. And the only increased chance of multiples is fraternal twins because two eggs and two sperm are required for fraternal. That's if they ran on the mother's side of the family, or you use fertility treatments. Fun facts!

707- I'm a rarity!

707- well I guess Saeran is too...

Nari-Yup just one second

Nari- I know I have a master ball laying around here somewhere! I'll need my spare one for when we see Saeran

707 heart emoji

707- So that's how you captured my heart <3

Nari- gotta catch em all!

707- be sure to capture Jumin in luxury ball, or he'll throw a tantrum.

Nari- who’s to say I haven't already

Nari wink Emoji

Jaehee- Mr.Han had asked if you have the reports.

Nari-I’m getting into my car as we speak so I'll see you soon.

Nari- Saeyoung, we will find him. I love you. Eat something other than Honey Budda chips. And drink some water!

707- I know we will. I love you, drive safe.

Nari has left the chatroom.

Nari walked into C&R looking around the reception area in awe. It was clean and light. Plants scattered about yet seemed well placed. There where Crystal chandeliers in a business building. Talk about luxury Nari would laugh if it was actual diamonds hanging above her head. That would be so, Jumin Han.

"Good to see you again, Nari." A feminine voice spoke out. Naris eyes met with Jaehee as her grin spread further.

"Jaehee!" She exclaimed walking over to hug her friend. Jaehee seemed hesitant but hugged her back.

"Mr. Han is awaiting you in his office. Allow me to escort you." Jaehee was truly a professional woman.

"Lead the way." Nari giggled following the assistant into the elevator.

"You look tired," Jaehee commented pressing the 17 button and the elevator roared bringing them upward.

"I haven't slept since before the RFA meeting two days ago. I'm functioning loudly on adrenalin and energy drinks." Nari sighed smiling at the other woman.

"I completely understand that!" Jaehee giggled. "It's nice to have another workaholic in the RFA with unreasonable hours."

"Hah~ these hours where on Jumin’s wallet!" Nari giggled. "Truly though having another woman in the RFA saved it from being a sausage fest!"

"Mmmm... It is a comfort. Thank you for stay with us despite the situation." Jaehee hummed looking at the doctor.

"I owe the RFA plenty. Plus my boyfriend pretty much makes it’s physically impossible to leave. I'm the RFA's hostage now, but I don't mind." Nari laughed.

“If I may, I raise concerns for you sanity choosing Luciel for a lover. How should I put it... he is an enigma with a very colorful and eccentric personality." Jaehee raised her mock concerns with a wicked smiled causing Nari to double over with laughter as they stepped off the elevator.

"But that's why I love him~" Nari sang between giggles and Jaehee laughed herself walking toward a door with 'the office of Jumin Han.' Plated on it. Jaehee knocked firmly.

"Enter." Jumin’s monotone voice called out.

Both women stepped into the office and Jumin vaulted whatever paperwork he was reading and signing. He folded his hands together on the desk providing them with his full attention.

"This is all of our genetic findings," Nari spoke first stepping forward setting the file on his desk. Jumin nodded skimming through the file.

"Wonderful work Doctor Choe." Jumin complimented.

"Nah, I'm not forensics. Thank Doctor Minji Park. She was the mastermind." Nari waved her hand in front of her face. "Though if you need an appendix removed, or a liver transplant I'm your gal!"

"Very well. Now raises the question of where Luciel’s brother ended up." Jumin spoke clear but mostly to himself.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we knew?" Nari sighed. "Saeyoung's going to work himself to death trying to trace him and completing his agency work at the same time."

"Yes, I'll gather some people to aid in the search." Jumin clarified.

"Another important question. Whose body was I harvesting bone marrow samples from for the past two days?" Nari asked clearly surprising the businessman.

"We will exhaust every possibility and hopefully identify the body," Jumin assured her. Nari smiled sadly.

"I'm sure Nari is very tired Mr. Han. Why don't we allow her to head home and get some rest." Jaehee than spoke up and Jumin nodded.

"Yes, assistant Kang is correct. Nari please be careful on your way home and take care of yourself. Until we speak again take care." Jumin finalized dismissing her. Nari nodded.

"Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Have a good day Jumin." Nari said turning to excuse herself from his office. Jaehee was on her heel.

"Please travel safe, and again thank you for everything you've done to help us." Jaehee than bowed causing Nari to laugh.

"So formal. Alright, I'm out." Nari shot the businesswoman a peace sign and excused herself from the building.

Nari stumbled into her high-end apartment an hour later. Traffic had been at its worse. Nari kicked off her heels and locked the deadbolt before wandering into her kitchen. She noted the place seemed cleaned a smelt fresh despite her not residing there for 2 weeks. Curiously she grabbed the note on the fridge and smiled. Miu had tidy and restocked her fridge for her. As she grabbed a glass of water her phone started ringing.

"Hello~ this is the very tired corpses of Doctor Choe. Please hang up and don't try your call again." She chimed than took a sip of water listening to the laughter on the other end.

"I got worried when you didn't return to the bunker." Seven stated and Nari blushed.

"Hmm?" She hummed.

"Don't make that noise!" He sputtered to her amusement.

"Wasn't aware I was supposed to return to your place. I'm home." Nari explained and he groaned.

"I can't protect you there! I don't even know your address!" He barked in concern making her frown.

"I'm sorry. I felt like I was really imposing on your space. I thought I should come home." Nari started listening to her boyfriend’s typing.

"You're never imposing. My place is your place, always feel comfortable being here." He murmured sweetly and she smiled.

"I love you, you dork." Nari giggled and he groaned again.

"I love that you love me. I love you more than anything. When this is all over I'm taking you to a space station to marry you." Saeyoung spoke clear and determinedly causing Naris breath to get caught in her throat.

"Yes." She muttered and he hummed slightly confused.

"Yes?" He questioned after a moment and Nari found her voice.

"Yes, I'll marry you." Nari clarified and noise could be heard from the other end of the phone.

"Nari? Shit sorry, I dropped the phone and restarted my heart!" He stammered on sounding embarrassed.

"It's okay." Nari murmured quietly and there was a heavy sigh.

"Thank you. But don't say yes right now. Don't get me wrong I love that you did, but I want to do things more proper." His voice was broken. "I love you, so much and hearing you so willingly agree to spend your love with me for a lifetime makes me happy. So unbearably happy I might burst. Wait for me a little longer and then you'll be my priority." He was sniffling on the other end and Nari smiled warmly.

"Saeyoung," Nari whispered hearing him take a sharp intake of air. "I'll be waiting for you, right beside you honey. I love you, much more than I could ever fathom. You're my future and soulmate."

"God! My chest feels tight and I find it hard to breathe. I feel so complicated when I can’t see you. What's wrong with me?" He questioned himself and Nari giggled.

"My diagnosis is that you're experiencing unconditional love for the first time," Nari spoke in a matter of fact tone and he sighed.

"I'm clueless on how I got you, but I'm so happy, I don't care." He murmured and Nari smiled.

"I'll go grab a shower and clothes and be there soon." Nari decided and he chuckled sadly.

"I look forward to seeing you. Drive safe." Saeyoung mumbled and ended the call. Nari wiped her eyes and calming herself down.

Nari pulled into the garage after the gate had a pretty intense argument with her. She giggled to herself thinking out the rude gate. She parked her car and opened the door to be created with a whistle. She stepped out a caught her red-headed dork of a boyfriend ogling her silver Lexus. She smirked shutting and locked the doors.

"Like what you see?" She asked in a mock-seductive tone.

"Yes, ma'am." He muttered with a grin without lifting his eyes from the car.

"I mean it's not flashy like your cars, but she is pretty huh?" Nari smirked as he circled the car.

"Can I modify her?" Saeyoung asked lifting the hood completely inspired.

"She shy! Gotta wine and dine her first!" Nari hissed playfully closing the hood and he grinned at her.

Saeyoung wrapped his arm around Nari pulling her close smelling her freshly washed hair. He let out a content sigh pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Nari hummed running kisses of her own up his jaw. His hands traced the curve of her back as his lips met hers in a sweet kiss. Nari smiled relishing in it before she pulled away.

"Oh before I forget," Nari mumbled digging in her jacket pocket and Saeyoung raised his eyebrow. She grabbed his hand and slid a key into it. "It's too my apartment." His eyes widened before he grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you. I won't abuse it, I promise." He whispered and she nodded allowing herself to be held, safe, and secure in his arms.

"You're always welcome to be there," Nari whispered and his breath hitched.

"Home number 2." He agreed with a chuckle.

"Can you put me to bed? I am running on fumes, energy level dropping. Eyelids are definitely heavy." She half whined and he smiled lazily down at her.

"Sure, princess. Let's go." He agreed to trace his fingers along her cheek before lifting her into his arms. She realized a pleased sigh as he whisked her away.

Luciel laid her on the bed tucking his blanket around her before flipping off the light. "Join me..." She whispered snuggling in his bed enjoying the smell of him that lingered there.

"I can't, my love. I have agency work to complete. But I'll use the computer in here. You sleep." Saeyoung assured her as the computer hummed to life and a faint glow lit up the room. When Luciel looked toward the bed again she was already gone. He smiled turning back to his computer turning off the monitor before crawling in beside his slumbering lover. He wrapped her in his arms spooning her from behind after setting a quiet alarm for himself. A few hours of sleep couldn't hurt after all.

They both groaned as the sound of boots came toward then and bedroom door flew open. Nari rolled over snuggling her face into Seven as he chuckled sitting up slightly.

"At least we weren't screwing. Madam Vanderwood, what do we owe the pleasure?" Luciel greeted their unwanted guest.

"For the love of- How's the job coming along," Vanderwood asked in a stern voice.

"I'll probably have it completed in a few hours." Seven explained Stroking Naris head causing her to him rubbing her nose in his chest.

"That's three days ahead of schedule. Good work Zero Seven." Vander wood complimented him clearly surprised. "Also did you get a new car because I look the leopard print one?"

"Nah, that's this lovely ladies." Seven clarified and Nari raised a finger. “OH and Vanderwood." Seven called after his handler as he tried to retreat.

"What now!?" Vanderwood snapped.

"Since Nari could be here knock in the future." Seven stated in a cheerful tone and Vanderwood sighed.

"You're right. Sorry, Nari." Vanderwood apologized and Nari snorted.

"S'all good," Nari assured the older male with a wave not bothering to turn to face him. She smirked as the door close. "How long have we been asleep?" Nari asked yawning clinging herself to her boyfriend as he moved to grab his phone.

"Five hours." He informed her and she groaned.

"When did you crawl in?" Mark's very tired voice asked.

"Five minutes after you fell asleep." He confessed and she hummed.

"Good you need to sleep." Nari yawned stretching before rolling over allowing herself to fall asleep yet again.

It was dust and Nari returned to her own space. She needed a moment to herself after the day she had. The hospital agreed to not terminate her contract if she would see one of the phycologists twice a week for 2 hours. She was spender from the O.R and gallery overlooking until she completes her therapy and the doctor cleared her for surgery. It was annoying, but after Jumin explained her kidnapping and the Mint-Eye downfall (which was all over the news with Rika and Saeran still at large) they deemed her mentally unstable and ban her access to the surgical floor.

Nari sighed walking Toward Her Apartment Door When She Stepped on a package. She cocked an eyebrow picking up the box looking it over. Nothing was writing on the box, how curious. She unlocked her door shutting it behind her locking the deadbolt as she kicked off her shoes. She examined the box debating if she should open it or call Seven. She chewed on her cheek as she uses her key to break the tap setting the box on her kitchen table. She cautiously opened the box to be greeted with a children's storybook.

More confused Nari picked up the book and laid it on the table. It appeared to be a harmless children's fairy tale. She opened the cover and tears pricked her eyes as she gasps. There pressed to the cover was a beautiful blue and orange rose. Her breathing picked up as she traced her finger over them. Saeran had to of left this for her. He had told her he was drying and pressing the rose she adored from his garden. And Saeran always kept a blue rose in his suit pocket.

Her hands shacked as she slightly cried. She turned the pages; it was clearly an old and well-loved book. The pages coming off the seam slightly, a few stains here and there. She frowned some of which looked like dried blood. Tears streamed down her face as she ran her finger over a stained pool of blood. Those poor boys, she thought to herself.

When she hit the back cover her breath completely left her. There is childish scroll was some writing looking rather faded and blood spatter made it harder to make out. She frowned squinting bring it close to her face when her eyes widened. She felt I'll like she had been punched in the gut.

Saeyoung and Saeran Choi- age 7

Nari covered her mouth as she took a picture with her phone and sent it to her boyfriend. She felt breathless as she awaited the response. She stared at her phone as her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. What felt like eons later the phone rang?

"Sae-"

"Where did you get that?" His voice was a whisper and shaky.

"It was left in a box in front of my door." Nari murmured softly and his breath hitched.

"Pack your things. You can't stay there right now, it's not safe." He hissed quietly and Nari moved on impulse to start collecting her things.

"I understand, but Sae-" he cut her off again.

"Fuck...FUCK!" He yelled and the sound of him hitting his fist against his desk. Nari flinched. "It... It has to be him. He's not a safe person right now. Nari, I'm so fucking sorry I-" she cut him off.

"Stop taking all the guilt on yourself!" She barked and he groaned. "This is not your fault. You were a kid! Saeyoung you were a child and you couldn't possibly know this is how it would turn out. This isn't your fault." Nari assured him and his breathing became uneven.

"You know what I've done, what I do, and what I am. How can you love me despite all of this?" He asked clearly bewildered and she sighed.

"I love you for all you've done, what you do, and what you are. I don't love you in spite of it. I love you for all of it. I love who you are, I just wished you could see yourself the way I do. You'd realize you're a person that deserves my love, and you deserve to be in my life, and you deserve my friendship." Nari informed him.

"Come to me then, my love. I'll protect you with my life. I'll gladly die for you if it comes to it." He declared and Nari sobbed quietly.

"Then I'll have to protect you too, a world without you isn't one I'm interested in." Nari declared and his breathing stops.

"I'll come pick you up. Wear something pretty. There is somewhere if like to take you." Saeyoung informed her and the line was dead.

Nari stared at her phone for a moment before scurrying into her room. By the way, he drives she had limited time to ready herself. She hauled the sides of her hair back and secured it in a white bow. She peaked off her clothes and exchanged them with a white frilly dress she's be dying a wear. Next, she fixed her makeup applying some red lipstick before deeming herself ready.

She moved and in zipped her suitcase throwing random items into it when her door clicked and opened. She popped her head out her bedroom door to see Saeyoung taking in her rather nice apartment. She giggled alerting the man to her location. He smiled at her and walked to join her.

"Hey!" She smiled placing more items into we suitcase. Saeyoung wondered around her bedroom seemingly analyzing everything his eyes met with.

"Nice place." He finally spoke and Nari giggled again zipping up her bag and stood. His eyes widen slightly as a blush settled on his face. "You're so beautiful."

"You look handsome." She met him in stride looking him up and down. He had chosen to wear white as well. He looked good in his button-up dress shirt and black jeans. He flushed at her compliment.

"Where is It?" Saeyoung asked quietly looking at the ground.

Nari smiled grabbing his hand and leading him to the kitchen table. He eyed the storybook that once belonged to him. He realized his hold on Nari and walked silently to the table. Nari stood in awe watching him touch the cover. He opened the front cover being greeted by the beautiful flowers. He frowned while his eyebrows knitting together.

"Saeran always had a blue rose on him, and the orange one was from his garden. He took me for a walk one night and I kept eyeing that one rose." Nari explained walking up behind him placing her hand on his arm as she looked down at the book.

His fingers brushed the roses one more time before he turned the pages. Every stain of blood caused his breath to hitch. Finally, he made it to the back cover. The faded ink of his childhood writing covered in spattered blood was his name along with his brothers. He squeezed his eyes shut and silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Nari embraced him burying her nose in his back as every horrible childhood memory flooded back to him.

[frivoloussuits]

Preview: Suits/Hunger Games AU

Here’s a peek at the fic I keep procrastinating on by writing Suits 100 prompts instead, lol. Apologies in advance for any odd formatting+warnings for referenced drug use and deadly violence.

All the Capitol’s geneticists have tried and failed to produce something that can compare with Mike Ross’ brain. At three years old, he’s more literate than many of the adults around him, and he spends his days reading aloud from a dictionary, his family’s longest book, to his baby sister Jenny. His eyes, skimming over the text at stunning speed, shimmer blue like the sea, nothing like the coal and fire surrounding him in District 12.

In District 1, Lily Specter dresses her four-year-old son Harvey in his finest clothes and takes him to their city’s central park soon after winter ends. Surrounded by a horde of other children, he plays games, solving puzzles, punching targets as hard as he can, flitting through an obstacle course with all the easy grace of a spring breeze. He throws himself into the challenges with childish enthusiasm, turning downright giddy as he outstrips one opponent after another. Young as he is, he doesn’t realize these are the entrance tests for Pearson Academy, Panem’s premier training school for the Hunger Games. He doesn’t notice Jessica Pearson herself observing him from a distance.

When school starts, Mike skips particularly boring classes and instead loiters around the Hob, 12′s black market. Even though he’s too young to buy or sell anything himself, assorted shopkeepers take a liking to him, and some use him as a human calculator. When he’s not needed, he tucks himself into odd corners, soaking up old stories and the old records that Sae plays sometimes, all crackling horns and syncopated rhythm. One day he’s joined under a table by a fellow truant named Trevor, the same age as him, with a dangerous spark in his dark brown eyes.

Seven-year-old Harvey– or “Specter,” as everyone calls him nowadays– lounges in his Academy quarters, blasting jazzy music out of brand-new speakers and singing along. When other kids bang on the door and shout for him to quiet down, he simply smirks and turns the volume dial higher, because he’s added bars and bolts to his door and built a barricade from furniture to keep intruders out of his room, and nobody can stop him from doing what he wants in here.

That is, until a little redheaded girl breaks through all his barriers, circumvents all his defenses, sneaks up on him as he leans back in his chair with three of its legs off the ground, and moves as if to tip him over– only to reach across him and click the speaker’s off button instead.

As he gawps, she just raises an eyebrow and says, “Hi, I’m Donna. I just moved in next door. Shut up, please, or I won’t be so nice next time.”

In a single heartbeat, an explosion in a coal mine orphans both Trevor and Mike.

Harvey ignores the baseball bat at the back of his closet and instead brings out a dark suit. Today is the first time he’s ever been permitted to leave the Academy during school. The occasion meriting such special allowances is his father’s funeral.

When his mother shows up at the wake with another man on her arm, Harvey straightens up and tells her to go to hell. “You made a fool of Dad,” he says. “You exploited him and his legal problem this whole time, and all he ever did wrong was love you from the moment he met you. Is it so damn impossible for you to at least pretend to be faithful?”

Lily just shakes her head, torn between pity and exasperation. “That’s not how things work here, Harvey.”

In the aftermath, Mike and Jenny move in with their grandmother Edith. There’s a roof over their heads but never enough food on their plates, and the wind cuts right through the walls and their threadbare blankets to chill them to the bone.

During a particularly harsh winter, Jenny takes ill, and Trevor starts showing up at their door with extra supplies of meat and other food that he can’t possibly afford.

At the Academy, Harvey beats back his grief by hurling himself into the nonstop competition, battling all the other students who want a shot at one of 1’s Tribute spots. He regularly faces off with Scottie, a girl with flashing dark eyes and a brazen wit, and every time she forces him to the ground. When he at last wins a match, he expects her to sulk or play it off as a fluke, but instead she beams proudly at him. Then there’s Donna, who proves a damn near equal match for him. Each wins just as often as the other, and the hope of pulling ahead sharpens both of their resolves. They pummel each other with mock weapons, study for months to beat each other’s scores on Games knowledge tests, and spend every school day taunting each other.

With time, the taunting softens to playful teasing, and they gradually turn inseparable. In their rare hours of free time, they break out of the Academy and roam around the nearby city. Harvey rather suspects Jessica is aware of every time they stray outside– she seems to have a knowing glint in her eye each morning afterwards, but perhaps he’s just imagining it.

Mike starts going out to the woods with Trevor, breaking a wide array of laws simply by crossing 12’s fence. They compound the crime by poaching, hunting down animals to eat and selling whatever meat they have to spare. After some exploring, they discover a swath of wild Eufrosyne trees, and they start harvesting the leaves to sell as well. They find plenty of buyers– people seem grateful for drugs around here.

One night, they find that the fence is electrified when they try to go home, and so they are temporarily barred from 12. Trevor starts to panic, but Mike starts to plan, recalling hundreds of tricks for surviving in the wilderness that he’s learned off the Hunger Games. They end up adapting a shelter that the girl from 3 made last year and weathering the night. When the fence powers off the next morning and they return home, they find Edith and Jenny both frightened senseless.

“We’re perfectly intact,” Mike reassures them. “Nobody died!”

Trevor gives an easy smile and plants a kiss on Jenny’s lips. “Yeah, you know you can’t rid of me that easily.”

Harvey wears suits increasingly often, at interviews and dinners for fencing competitions and boxing tournaments and Mock Trials. Yet his dress is considerably plainer, just black slacks and a white T-shirt, on the day when he kills for the first time.

His victim is a patient suffering from a painful terminal illness who consented to being killed by an Academy student in exchange for money for her relatives. He knows taking her life ought to affect him– it’s an explicit opportunity to work through some of the self-loathing and moral quandaries that accompany killing ahead of the Games– yet he tries to pretend he doesn’t care. He thinks he’s doing a good job of it, until Jessica calls him to her office for a cup of tea and he winds up breaking down as he drinks it, just as he later finds out she predicted.

Days later, he’s dropped off in the wilderness with Donna for an Academy survival practical. As they huddle around their fire, in the shadow of a shelter they constructed together, she nudges him with her elbow. “I got us a present.”

“Oh?”

She pulls an old rubbing alcohol bottle out of her pack, unscrews the top, and hands it over to him. He takes a quick sniff and immediately starts chuckling. “Not quite the same alcohol it says on the label, huh?”

“Scotch, straight from Cameron Dennis’ surprisingly well-stocked cabinet.”

He grins and takes a swig. They while away the afternoon, passing the bottle back and forth and sharing increasingly ridiculous ideas for knocking off opponents in the Games, until Donna puts forth a plan with a can opener that Harvey can’t even try to top.

One bright spring morning, Edith passes away. Leaving Jenny with Trevor, Mike flees to the woods for the night, closing his fingers around the mockingjay pin she left him.

It’s impossible to ignore the Cameron Dennis problem anymore. And while Louis, the other main teacher at Pearson Academy, has his own endless issues, at least he’s not an addict.

Harvey and Donna drag Jessica down to Cameron’s office one night, when he’s out of his head with some ugly mix of alcohol and morphling, and the teacher they’ve studied under for years turns on them, slurring that Jessica ought to expel the two of them for their insubordination before lunging at Harvey. He easily sidesteps, and Jessica fires Cameron on the spot with a melancholy sigh.

“Well, that was self-sabotaging,” Harvey remarks in a half-hearted attempt at levity. “Now we’ve got to train with Louis instead.”

“No,” Jessica says sharply.

Harvey’s heart stops, as she confirms that they’ll be training in her small advanced class from now on, because she has officially decided to send them to the Games.

A few years down the road, Mike watches Dana Scott of District 1, a girl with murderous eyes and brazen confidence with all manner of deadly weapons, play in the 73rd Hunger Games. He’s fascinated in a sick sort of way, and he supposes he should root for her, if only because he’s put quite a bit of money down on her. She’s a relatively safe bet– Pearson Academy’s Tributes always start with the odds in their favor, thanks to their training and their willingness to do whatever it takes to win– and he grows more certain of her chances as the Games unfold, as images of Dana stabbing, garroting, and poisoning burn themselves into his brain. She pushes through the arena, along with her partner Vanessa, a young woman who matches her guile and skill in battle when necessary but has a sort of vulnerability about her that Mike rarely sees in Pearson students.

In between the deaths and fighting, the cameras show the coaches and sponsors and Gamemakers all mingling. Mike sees Jessica Pearson herself schmoozing with Caesar Flickerman, both wearing smiles that could kill. In the background, he identifies Tom Keller, the Capitol citizen in charge of most of the Games’ main gambling systems. The camera starts to pan away as Tom throws an arm around an up-and-coming Pearson Academy student, a young man strutting around with slicked hair and a suit that cost more than Mike’s house.

Mike rolls his eyes and tells Jenny, “If I ever try to look like that, feel free to smack me.”

“Will do,” she giggles, “after I figure out how you managed to afford anything remotely like that and take some of that money for myself.”

Mike gives her a thumbs-up.

“Okay, I’m going to bed,” he says a few minutes later, rising from his seat with a yawn. “Wake me when the Gamemakers start firebombing the kids from 5.”

“How do you know they will?” Jenny frowns.

"They will.”

And they do.

Dana and Vanessa win, and they visit 12 and all the other districts on their Victory Tour. Yet the Gamemakers and academies and gamblers have already turned their attention forwards, to the 74th Hunger Games.

[startingshortstories]

Let Them Burn.

Pages 1-6. Some of the facts in this story are true, but is a fictional story.

Pg.1

Alexa had never met the President before, let alone tell him that the United States was falling into raging fire. She needed to stay calm, which was hard enough seeing as her hand was trembling for coffee. Working and sleeping at the office for the whole week definitely wasn’t helping her appearance. She was still in her now off white blouse and now crinkled grey suit. Her hair was just passable, tied back into a low riding pony tail.

Thoroughly deep in thought, Alexa couldn't help but reflect on all of the data she had collected over the past week. Astonishing, the USA had become a domino effect of disasters.

Professor Arran Sigrun, her colleague and best friend stood on the other side of the room waving with a half eaten doughnut. The pair were alone, just waiting for the President to arrive. Escorted secretly down to an underground, dome like, meeting room. No windows, No sound, No one. A very basic grey room with chairs, a few tables and a simple presentation screen. They had plugged in their laptops and had been pacing the room in anticipation.

‘Look!’ said Arran, ‘You just need to state the facts. I know he’s done bad things to this country, but in this moment you need to forget it. He is still the President, and right now we have to try!’

Alexa narrowed her eyebrows as concern stemmed across her face.

‘Remember if you’re getting worried hold yourself steady, feel present. Think. A room full of Generals, members of cabinet and the President..best not to freak them out. Haha! you know that sounds like a set up for a joke! and they can all walk into a bar..’ Rolling her eyes at the awful attempt to make her giggle, a big grin grew on her face.

Suddenly the door slammed open.  A Whale of uniformed men chortling and pandering over the President all swept into the dome. Moving in to formation they fanned out to their seats with the President dead centre.

While they settled, Alexa took a second to process the man in front of her. He was medium sized but fairly chubby, more of toad stuffed into a suit than a man. His hair was tightly quiffed back pulling his fair eyebrows up slightly and his mouth was crafted into a permanent grimace. He had a general and a cabinet member sat to his right and one cabinet member on his left. All with unreadable expressions.

Taking a deep breath, the second they were settled Alexa stood strong and flicked on the first screen. ‘Gentlemen, Sir’ she gestured towards the President.

The President lifted his hand ‘Please.. don’t call me Sir’ Alexa smiled ‘Call me Mr President’.

Alexa’s face quickly realigned, disappointed. She held the projector button tightly. The President hadn't even looked up yet he was still tapping away on his phone, completely uninterested.

Pg. 2

‘Gentlemen, Mr President. Over the past week I have collected an unbelievably large amount of data regarding the safety, security and future for the people of the United States. I have summarised them into 3 key points and if not addressed immediately will result in the meltdown of the the entire country’.

She paused expecting the room to be holding onto her every word. Only to find a gargoyle of statues for an audience. The President still tapping away on his phone, seemingly more bored now that she was talking.

Pursuing on ‘Point 1. Since January the 1st there have been 196 mass shootings across America, The U.S Gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than that of high income countries. Taxes have been increased for the poor and lowered for the rich. 1/2 of the population believe this can be solved by war with other states.’

Feeling the blood rush to her face she took a deep breath and tried to make her tone deeper with a more firm power stance. She left a dramatic pause.

Stepping forward, the Generals shifting in their seats as she closed in on the President. Who was still looking down. ‘Mr President there will be a war within our own country, people will tear other people apart and not know why their doing it! They are angry and they are scared!’.

Waiting in anticipation for some sort of acknowledgment Alexa held her stare. He suddenly lifted up his hand. Turning his fat wrinkled finger towards the General sat on his far right.

Standing to attention, and stomping his foot to the ground. He was a tree trunk of a man in a thick deep green blazer. Decorated in multiple awards and badges, with big golden buttons down the front.

‘General Marcos!’ he announced. A strong shiver sailed down Alexa’s spine. ‘Ma’am we are aware of the situation and it is under control, your facts are incorrect and are extremely dramatic.’

Alexa gasped!

‘I came from headquarters this morning and can insure that the troops are waiting for any uncalled situations and have effectively settled the nation’. The room burst into a short and strict applause as General Marcos sat back down.

Stunned that she had just been passed off! Taking into account that it was the U.S. Government who contacted her so eagerly to arrive as soon as possible.

Pg. 3

She stuttered ‘Umm, ok..ay. Good then. I will continue to Point 2.’

Still confused as to what just happened she pulled herself together and strove to regain some ground.

‘Point 2. EPA’s new rules regarding major polluters in the USA to turn off their pollution controls, which the USA has now passed as law. Has resulted in 50,000 deaths a year directly from air pollutants. 80% of lung diseases are directly caused  by air pollution. 100 BILLION plastic bags are used by Americans every year. Tied together, they would reach around the Earth’s equator 773 times.’ Alexa again took a hopeful pause.  ‘Mr President the pollution we are making, is literally suffocating the nation.’

Alexa gestured her open hand out, knowing she had just slammed the facts and action was the only reply that could be given.

For a second time, the President raised his fat finger and gestured to the Cabinet member on his right. A man in a soft grey suit. In one confident motion he stood up pushing his glasses towards his face and approached Alexa.

‘Z. A. Ham’ Introducing himself. He had a thin piercing mouth combined with a striking narrow face, making it impossible not to be intimidated.

‘I have evidence that global warming is a myth, plastics and air pollution are naturally cycled by the earth. Your statistics of death toll’s is again, very inaccurate, the rise of things like smoking and vaping has proven to be the cause. You need no further action. We have already started a campaign’  He snakily grinned and sat down, enjoying his short applause.

Utterly speechless, Alexa panned round the dome. No one disagreed. They were meant to be highly informed! She glanced over to Arran who had one hand over his mouth, resting on a folded arm. He gave a quick nod to continue.

‘Right, I see.. you have investigated already. I’ll move on to point 3.’

The President did a deep sigh and waved his phone into his other hand.

Pg. 4

‘Point 3. America has been one of the leading countries, for the prevention of famine disasters. In the 2 years that laws have been altered, taxes changed,  jobs reduced, people can not eat. 25% who have more than one child can only afford to feed 1. Leaving themselves under malnourished and minimal to survive. Mr President surely this. is. an emergency.’ In her last desperate plea, Alexa pointed with an outstretched arm to the last slide of her presentation.

For a third time, the President swiped his hand over his screen and then waved his sausage finger to his left, pointing at the final man. Poised with one leg crossed he pushed against his knees and rocked up. He wore a dark navy suit had a strong jaw that was his biggest defining character and was walking straight towards Alexa.

‘Eker Barren.’ He hissed. She had already seen the pattern and was ready to be pushed aside and dismissed. ‘It would seem you have come to us with so many incorrect facts, we do not have a problem and have plenty of food, we are after all a very large country. Might we suggest that you leave today with one of our researchers and together you might return with some....updated stats’.

Alexa’s jaw dropped. She had worked so diligently and passionately, everything that she was trying to save and achieve had been washed down the drain. She took a step back against the desk behind her.

Eker Barren took his clap with respect and sat down. Barren went to wrap things up as if they had been there too long. ‘Now shall we..’

‘NO!’ Alexa abruptly interrupted. Barren giggled ‘I’m sorry did you have something to add?’

Ignoring him completely Alexa marched straight to the President slapped her small hands on the small desk in front of him.

‘Mr President. The world is in danger. there are people who need your help. Mr President people are dying. Sir!’...will you get off your phone!.

SMACK. The president slammed down his phone, still not for a second looking at her. The noise echoed endlessly around the stoney concreted room. Alexa took a very large gulp and stood back. That was a mistake. Her fiery nature definitely got the better of her.

He calmly pushed himself up from the table and walked around to meet Alexa. His eyes and their bodies were a dangerously close distance together. The tension of the room was ice cold and deadly.

Alexa now feeling ready to combust, remembered what Arran has said. She placed her hand on her stomach, and held tightly. Her eyes nervously panning up from his protruding spotless black leather shoes, tracing over his enormous dark coal suit and towards the fierce groundhog face that was challenging her.

Pg. 5

‘Girl, you have proceeded to make a long series of dangerous accusations, accusing the government. Accusing me. As if I were persecuting the nation and purposely trying to destroy the United States of America.’

‘But Sir!’

‘No.’ he interrupted. ‘We have offered you a researcher of our own in your pursuits, and you will take it. There are dangerous people out there and it is our duty to give the real facts. Before the government completely disregards your opinion...do you have anything else you wish to add.’

Alexa tugged at her bottom lip, she knew...she just couldn't leave without saying her piece.

‘There are millions of people suffering. Millions of people who rely on you. I can not leave knowing you will let them lose a battle they didn’t know they were a part of. I’m here to fight. Don’t leave them waiting for Death.’

Sharply. ‘Death is inevitable.’

There was an awful. Long. Pause. The President slowly cracked his knuckles in his hand one by one, and like he was reciting a story..

‘You can put it off but it will come.... War has been around for centuries and is only natural. Pollution is their own doing, those who have encouraged it have embraced it. Starvation has developed from greed. Natural selection, once it is settled, there will be an end.’

‘You would let millions die so they can settle natural selection.’ she exclaimed taking a step back.

The President, took one step closer. And whispered tightly to her ear.

‘If they don’t know how to put out the fire, then let them burn.’

The President slowly pulled away and stared at her, Alexa now frozen to the spot. His eyes reflected nothing, just a black abyss. The whisper had only been heard between them. He turned away and headed to the door, shouting back as he vanished into the vacuumed corridor.  ‘We’ll see you in a month with some accurate research’.

Pg. 6

Alexa fell back against the desk, Her presentation that had been carefully laid out now crumpled from her gripping hands. The door slammed shut, leaving a deep echo in the room. Arran and Alexa were the only one’s left.

‘I..I can’t believe it. I was raised to believe that the government was the best, that they were here for us, that no matter what we were the best country in the world.’

Alexa placed her shaking hand to her lips as a tear slipped down her cheek.

‘Arran, you were right.’ Stretching out his hand he held Alexa’s. They stared to each other with deep sincerity. They new what would be next.

Arran gently whispered. ‘In every revolution there is a Joan of Arc and I think now...we’re ready.’

Alexa nodded her head solemnly. ‘I had hoped that this wasn’t going to turn out like this and that my fears..were not true.’ Unbuttoning from the base of her shirt, she slowly peeled upwards to her belly. A tight black recorder had been strapped to Alexa’s stomach winding up her scruffy blouse. Holding Arran’s hand tightly she stressed ‘I got scared he would feel it when he got so close’.

She pulled off the recorder with the light still flashing red. It had recorded everything. She slipped it into the hidden slot of their laptop cases and released an enormous breath.

A small smile started to creep back, like life was returning.

With sincerity in his voice Arran wholeheartedly spoke his mind. ‘This is the beginning of a new revolution, this is the start of a better future’. He locked the laptop case tightly and they prepared to leave.

[anavoliselenu]

Hiched chapter 2

And then the cancer diagnosis. Diagnoses, plural—first Mom in my freshman year of college, then Dad just last year.

But even though I’d had a front-row seat to Mom’s mortality, Dad’s still came as a shock. He’s as wise and proud as ever, and he puts up a brave front for the rest of us, but I can tell what the cancer is doing to him. I’ve been his daughter for twenty-six years; I know where to look. It’s those little moments, like when his hands shake when we talk about the future, or he gets that faraway look in his eyes.

Dad has so little time. Sometimes it’s still hard to remember that. All too soon, Rachel and I will be each other’s only remaining family. And my little sister sure as hell won’t run Tate & Cane Enterprises. She has never been interested in the business world; she loves fashion, not finance. Although maybe I should ask her advice on graphic design, for revamping our marketing campaign styles . . .

I frown into my sangria. Damn, I’m thinking as if Tate & Cane is already mine. As if I’ve subconsciously taken my responsibilities for granted.

Well, why shouldn’t I? Dad always told me that his seat would be mine someday. This company is my birthright. It’s Dad’s legacy—the hard-won fruit of all his blood, sweat, and tears. He shouldn’t spend his last days worrying about what will happen to it. And soon, this company will be all I have left of him. Assuming I actually manage to hold on to the damn thing.

Personal sentiment aside, T&C also employs over six thousand people. Six thousand lives that will be turned upside-down if our rivals take over.

Fuck. I can’t believe I’m even considering this ridiculous contract.

But my career is everything to me. It always has been. While other girls enjoyed normal social lives, I studied for hours every night. While they picked out homecoming dresses and sneaked booze from their parents’ liquor cabinets, I did internships. While they rushed sororities, I co-chaired my university’s Women Entrepreneurs Club. I aced every single one of my undergrad and MBA classes. No partying and barely any dating. I never coasted on Dad’s reputation; ever since I was old enough to understand what a huge responsibility waited in my future, I wanted to be ready for it.

Well, I’m ready now. I’ve worked hard all my life, and I’ve earned the right to prove myself as head of Tate & Cane. I’m confident that I can fill Dad’s shoes.

I can’t let Dad down. I can’t let my younger self down. This company is mine; the thought of losing it to a rival is even worse than the thought of Justin making suggestive comments at me for the rest of my life.

This company can’t slip through my fingers, so I won’t let it—even if that means I have to partner with Justin. Not just partner, but dear God, marry the son of a bitch. Our fathers must have gone temporarily insane when they wrote their wills. Then again, they always did have weird, old-fashioned ideas about dating and courtship.

But no situation is impossible. If I can just calm down and think clearly, an optimal solution will emerge. Any seemingly impossible goal can be managed by breaking it down into bite-sized component tasks.

I breathe deeply to calm myself and try to let my training take over.

Camryn has made two important points. First, both Justin and I want to save Tate & Cane Enterprises. This company is our birthright, our fathers’ legacy—and its employees are our responsibility. And second, this marriage is just another form of legal partnership. Which means it’s a contract open to negotiation.

Yes, it royally sucks that I’m not marrying for love. My closet romantic side cringes at the thought. But I try to set aside as much emotional baggage as I can. Not every marriage has to be like a Hollywood romance, after all. Justin and I don’t need to be in love with each other to successfully co-pilot a company.

The $100 billion question here is: How well would we work together?

Can we even get along? Will our partnership be stable and productive? Or will it implode . . . taking Tate & Cane down with us?

This decision doesn’t rest entirely on my shoulders. Our fathers have always said that we’re stronger together—that’s why they paired us off in the first place. So Justin ought to do some heavy lifting too. In fact, I could argue that it’s his job to convince me, since he’s already on board.

So, let him make his sales pitch. Let him prove himself to me. Let him demonstrate how and why this relationship could actually succeed. I’ll do my part too—I’ll try to maintain good faith and stay receptive to the idea of us becoming friends. But I’m not the type to commit to something unless I know I can follow through. If I’m going to marry Justin, then by God, I want to win at it.

The end of my inner debate must show on my face, because Camryn reaches across the table to squeeze my hand.

“I’m going to order us dessert.”

“I love you,” I say on a sigh. Even with my newfound determination, I’ll need some serious chocolate to get through this.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re really brave.”

I force a smile. “Thanks.”

Grumbling to myself, I fish my phone out of my purse and call Dad to schedule another meeting with Justin and Prescott. I have to give them my answer as soon as possible.

• • •

Late that afternoon, almost the close of the business day, I open the same conference room door I walked through yesterday. Nobody turns in response; the three men seated at the table have already looked up at the sound of my footsteps in the hall.

Justin’s crooked smile is just a little bit too smug. What was that you said earlier? Something about not marrying me? it seems to gloat. How’s that humble pie taste?

A muscle tenses in my jaw. He didn’t even have to say a word and I’m already irritated all over again. Goddamn it, he’s so annoyingly attractive—with his charcoal-gray suit, crisp white shirt, and merlot-colored tie, all expertly tailored to fit his six-foot-two frame—and the fact that he can get under my skin so easily just annoys me even more.

His entire demeanor screams confidence. From his deep, inquisitive eyes that see too much, to his strong hands with neatly trimmed nails, to the thick column of his throat that bobs when he smirks at me. He’s the thing my teenage fantasies were made of. Woodsy male scent. Muscular, yet trim frame. A quick wit that always finds a way to pull me into a debate.

Ignoring the pounding of my heart, I force my eyes away from Justin and address the room. “Thank you all for reconvening on such short notice. I have a proposal to make.”

“I thought that was my job,” Justin interjects.

Pointedly ignoring his joke, I explain. “I’ll sign the inheritance contract at the end of the month . . .”

Everyone blinks at me. Dad and Prescott look pleasantly surprised. Justin’s annoying smile is gone, replaced with a slightly furrowed brow.

“But only,” I continue, “if Justin can show me that a relationship between us could work. After all, Tate & Cane’s fate hinges on our ability to cooperate as both business partners and spouses.”

“A trial period?” Dad asks.

“You could describe it like that. I also think that getting to know each other better will help the company’s public image. We need to make our relationship believable; it’ll look strange if nobody ever sees us together before we marry.”

It’s also a chance to dip my toes in before diving straight into the deep end. An attempt to inject a little normality into a deeply abnormal situation.

But I don’t say that part out loud. I don’t want to admit right now that marriage still scares me a little. Not with Justin blinking curiously at me, and Prescott looking frustrated at the prospect of even further delays.

Justin finally speaks up. “So, essentially, you’re asking me to date you.”

I nod at him. “Yep, that’s the idea. At least take me out for a drink before I consider taking your name.” I look straight at him, waiting to see his reaction before I hit him with my next clause. “Oh, and another thing. Refrain from having sex . . . with anyone.”

Chapter Three

Justin

She wants me to woo her?

Of all the scenarios I imagined—from the most likely, where Selena rips up the contract, to the even crazier, where she actually signs it—this wasn’t one of them.

She’s laid down her own stipulations, ensuring that I’ll have to work to win her over. Though I probably should have expected a curveball. This is Selena Cane, after all.

“If there are no further questions, I should get back to work,” Selena says. When nobody responds, she turns and struts out of the conference room, her round ass swaying as her heels click across the floor. The door swings shut.

“That was interesting,” I say under my breath.

Fred stops beside me as I stand, trying to process what just happened. “It sounds like the ball’s in your court, son. But don’t worry. I know you can pull this off.”

“Thanks.” I nod, then take off toward her office. She doesn’t get to drop a bomb like that and then saunter away.

She’s inside, perched in her cream-colored leather chair, stilettos kicked off under her desk. Her toenails are painted light blue, and she’s tapping her foot in time to whatever tune she’s humming. Something on her computer screen has her complete attention.

Startled at the sound of the door opening, she looks up, her wide crystal-blue eyes finding mine. “Did you need something? I have work to do.”

She mentioned us going for a drink. Which is perfect, considering I need to prove how compatible we can be. But first, I need her to see something. This isn’t just some game; I need her to understand exactly what’s at stake if we don’t succeed.

“Come with me. There’s something I need to show you.”

I tug her up from her desk chair, allowing her a moment to slip her delicate feet back into her heels, then tow her from the office before she can argue.

“Where are you taking me?”

I grunt and mumble, “You’ll see.”

“Don’t be such a caveman; use your words.”

“We’re going to the mail room.”

She scoffs. “What on earth for?”

I don’t answer, just punch the button for the elevator. We cruise down to the basement floor of the building with an eerie silence hanging around us. When the doors open to the basement, I take a deep breath.

“Ahh . . . you smell that?” I grin at her.

Her mouth turns down into a frown. “Mildew?” Her gaze darts around the large open space stacked with boxes. “The health department would have a field day down here.”

This is my favorite place in the whole building, so I don’t take too kindly to Selena turning up her nose at it. “Don’t be such a grouch. Come on.”

I lace my fingers with hers once again and tug her farther down the fluorescent-lit hallway. When we reach the mail room, I wonder for a moment if Rosita is on her break.

“Now, what is it that you wanted to show me?” Selena raises her eyebrows and places one hand on her hip, obviously not impressed.

Wide shelves line all four walls. They’re numbered with the corresponding floors of the building and hold various envelopes and packages. It’s not a high-tech operation, but it gets the job done.

“Not what, but who.” I tip my chin toward the Latina cheerfully humming a tune to herself. Rosita’s back is to us as she sorts mail at the far end of the room.

“Rosita,” I call out.

She swivels around, clearly not expecting anyone, and her shoulder-length hair swings. A look of surprise is painted across her pleasant features, especially her large dark brown eyes, and a hint of pink comes to her round cheeks.

Rosita immigrated here from Mexico when she was just eighteen, taught herself English, and worked hard to support her growing family. Now, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

A company of this size usually employs a mail-room staff of three to four people. But Rosita said they’d just get in her way, so she runs the whole operation herself. She took ownership of both the position and the space, and made it hers—even hung cheery posters on the wall. One of a monkey dancing. Another of bright orange poppies.

“Mi amor!” she cries, already heading toward us. “Abrazo.” She opens her arms to me, expecting our customary hug.

“Gracias, Mamacita,” I reply, giving her a light squeeze.

It’s the same way she’s been greeting me for the past six years. I know about a whopping four words of Spanish, but I always use them with her. I want her to feel at home, I guess.

Coincidentally, Rosita and I started work here on the same day. We even attended orientation together. I was a fresh college grad, still wet behind the ears, and Rosita, fifteen years my elder, was skeptical about the owner’s son. Unlike Selena, I haven’t worked here since I could walk. I had other jobs during college and made a point of interning at another firm so I could see how the competition worked.

When I met her, I thought Rosita might assume I was some rich, privileged punk who didn’t have to earn his paycheck. It made me all the more determined to prove her wrong. And Dad always was big on learning the ropes from the ground up, anyway. So for my first two weeks at Tate & Cane, I began working right alongside Rosita in the mail room.

It was during that time we cemented our relationship. We delivered packages and memos side by side, and shared jokes and stories. But when I really fell in love was when she shared her empanadas with me at lunch.

Rosita’s eyes widen slightly as they swing from mine to Selena’s. “Miss Cane,” she says, her voice soft and quizzical. It’s not every day the CEO’s daughter wanders down to the mail room.

“Please, call me Selena,” she says, correcting Rosita with a smile meant to ease. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Everyone at the company knows Selena, even if they haven’t met.

“Did you . . . need something?” Rosita looks between me and Selena again.

I shake my head. “Nope. Just came to say hello.”

Rosita’s posture relaxes and she smiles. “Did you get my invite for Maria’s birthday party?”

“Of course. Two weeks from Saturday, right? It’s already on my calendar.”

“Have you had lunch yet?” She smiles and reaches out to smooth one hand over my silk tie. “I worry, you know.”

I smile. “I’ve eaten. Thank you.”

Sometimes when I’m busy, I’ve been known to skip lunch—that is, until Rosita forces herself into my office with a sandwich from the deli down the street. It’s like she can sense when I’ve missed a meal. She often blurs the line between coworker, friend, and mother.

I’ve brought Selena down here today because I want her to see there’s more to this company than what the numbers say. Some things can’t be learned from a spreadsheet. The perspective Selena has perched in her corner office chair all day is quite different from the perspective one gets on the ground floor of this operation.

Standing here, looking into Rosita’s rich mahogany eyes and feeling the warmth and care that pours from her very soul, it’s impossible for us not to be aware of the importance of our responsibility. We can’t fail at this. If we fail, we take all these people down with us.

And I, for one, won’t let that happen.

After pleasantries are exchanged, Selena and I head back toward the elevator.

“She’s important to you, isn’t she?” Selena asks.

“Very.”

She nods, looking contemplative.

I check my watch as we step inside the elevator and let out a sigh. Selena looks as overwhelmed as I feel. We’ve been under a mountain of stress lately, and I have a feeling it’s only going to get more intense.

“Today was unexpected,” I say. “Just like that, after weeks of negotiation, you’re actually going to consider this, huh?”

“I will do this on my terms, if and when I’m ready, Justin. Consider the next few weeks a trial period.”

“That will be easy, sweetheart.”

“Oh, it won’t be easy,” she says, correcting me. “And don’t call me sweetheart.”

“Are you sure about that, Mrs. Tate?”

“I told you not to call me that, either.”

“I know. You told me to take you out for a drink before you’ll consider taking my name.” I smirk at her. “Which I think is an excellent fucking idea. Brilliant, in fact.”

I coax my first smile from her and feel like thumping my chest. Although I have a desk full of work to get back to, the idea of sitting across from Selena and hearing her tell me about this supposed trial period sounds like a lot more fun. Time to push a little harder.

“It’s five o’clock somewhere, you know.”

“We’ve had a lot going on. I think we could use a cocktail,” she says, amazing me that she actually agreed.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen?” I know she’ll never agree to leave without wrapping up the last of her e-mails.

“Sure.”

Then I watch her ass as she saunters away toward her office.

• • •

Once we’re seated at the elegant Stanton Room, a swanky bar across the street from our office building, Selena and I place our order with the waitress—a vodka martini, extra dirty for her, and a Scotch on the rocks for me.

“Extra dirty, huh?” I wink at her.

“Surprised?” There’s a hint of a smile on her lips.

“That the straitlaced Selena Cane likes it extra dirty? Why, yes, I am.”

“Don’t overthink it, Justin. I’d hate to see you burst a brain cell.”

I scowl at her. If there’s one thing Selena and I do well, it’s banter. And though she’d like to believe otherwise, sexual tension runs rampant just below the surface.

I lean in toward her, my elbows on the table. “So, how will all this work, exactly? Me and you? I just like to be clear on expectations so I can exceed them.”

Her gaze is cool. Not icy, at least, but still a long way from where I want her. “Well, I haven’t put a lot of thought into it yet, but you’ll have to win me over. Show me that this crazy thing could actually work.”

If there’s one thing I know about Selena, it’s that she refuses to fail. Something tells me that with everything that’s on the line, Selena needs to know I won’t fuck up and embarrass her as a husband. We have to work together, live together, and actually pull off this whole coupledom in a big way.

“So you said you want to date? I don’t date, Snowflake.”

“Winning over doesn’t necessarily mean dating.”

She takes a sip from her martini glass and sets it down with an inquisitive look on her delicate features. She may look like your average, sweet girl next door, but at her core, Selena is a ballbuster. A total triple threat. Sexy, intelligent, and talented. Which is perfect, seeing as those are the qualities I always dreamed my future wife would possess. Well, those, along with a tight—

Selena clears her throat, interrupting my train of thought. Fuck.

“Winning over means that we can be in the same room together without ripping each other’s throats out.”

I nod. “Okay, we’ll be civilized about it.”

“Fine,” she says. “And we should figure out what the hell we have in common.”

I think we already know what we have in common—and to my understanding, it’s a long list. But I’ll go by whatever definition she wants. I’ll win no matter what it is.

“Seeing as we have to put on a show, I agree. I should know a bit about my future fiancée,” I say. “For instance, your favorite sexual position . . .”

She coughs and sputters, choking on the olive in her drink. For a minute there, I think I’m going to have to perform the Heimlich maneuver, until she swallows the damn thing and glares at me.

“What does that have to do with anything?” she croaks out, her voice still hoarse.

I chuckle. “Settle down. I just want to know how to please my future wife, is all.”

“You can please me by buckling down and getting to work at the office instead of taking those three-martini lunches you favor.”

“Darling?” I blink at her. Since I’ve been told by more than one ex-girlfriend that my eyelashes are enviable, I’m hoping it has the exaggerated effect I’m going for. “We were supposed to be discussing what we have in common.”

“Right. Well . . .” She begins listing items on her fingers. “Summering in the Hamptons. Working at Tate & Cane, obviously. Our families are friends.”

“We both lost our mothers,” I point out.

Her gaze drops to the table in front of her, but I don’t feel bad. It’s just a fact of life, one we’ve discussed before, and I’d rather skip the superficial bullshit and get down to a real level.

“Yes. What else?” She drums her fingers on the table.

“I, for one, like anal. You?”

Damn it. Again with the choking. I stand and pat my future fiancée’s back until her airway clears.

“Another drink?” I ask, noticing that hers is now empty.

She looks flustered that she downed it so quickly, but signals to the waitress for another round.

“I know what I’m getting myself into, Justin. Besides, my focus is going to be on saving this company, not pretending to be the happy little wife to my fake husband.”

“Correction.” I lean closer. “Soon to be real husband. I’ll win you over, Snowflake. This will happen.”

Chapter Four

Selena

Win me over, Justin says. Real husband.

There’s nothing real about this. He can call this trial period “dating” if he wants, but all I’m after is reassurance that we’ll mesh as co-CEOs. No need to confuse the issue with love or sex, no matter how dangerously attractive he is. I just have questions that need answers.

[hatohouse-blog]

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The angler is seated in the harness and is connected to the rod via 316 stainless chain supports. The Lycra polyester covered bio-foam shoulder and back-band padding with synthetic terry cloth liners connected with ventilated mesh distribute the load comfortably Please enter a minimum and/or maximum price before continuing. Amounts shown in italicized text are for items listed in currency other than U.S. dollars and are approximate conversions to U.S. dollars based upon Blomberg's conversion rates. The last thing you want is a hard metal or plastic device getting buried extremely comfortable. The combination of lumbar and sit-in pads distributes the load below the hips, allowing the to the game chair if contact were to happen. Fishing belts basically feature two different positions, around the waist and towards the front, is not a nice thing. See each listing for international shipping options and costs. 14% off item with purchase of 1 items 16% off item with purchase of 1 items 16% off item with purchase of 1 and “Used” refers to an item that has been used previously. Sellers with highest buyer ratings Sellers with highest buyer ratings adjust the angle of the rod, the swivel gimbals belts provide an added advantage when making adjustments. Reel in a trophy fish with the help prices within the last 90 days. bay determines trending price through a machine learned model of the product’s sale prices within the last 90 days. The bottom pad is adjustable to allow the angler Currency Converter This page was last updated:  Mar-03 06:12. “New” refers to a brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item, Sellers, and find the top 100 most popular Amazon Fishing Belts. Included is a mesh bag with grommets for rinsing the of the relax Chair Harness are folded with a breathable marine grade canvas. AFTCO ALIJOS PREMIER DAY BELT - 20lb TO 50lb TACKLE The ALIJOS fighting belt is designed for use with 20lb load, and the pure brass cross-lock clips provide a secure attachment to reel harness lugs. Otherwise, the AFTCO Shoulder Harness is shaped and piped to the canvas internals.

Heading home to New Hampshire, truckers Will Sword and Tyler Buckley were on the road in Massachusetts when they heard a bang. At first, they thought the truck had hit a tree. But when they stopped and Buckley got out to investigate, he was shocked to see an owl trapped between the cab and the cargo hold. And it was still very much alive. big game fishing He said, Dude, its an owl,' Sword said, who snapped a photo of the male barred owl trapped earlier this month. He recalled it was flapping its wings and trying to escape. Sword got on the phone to the New Hampshire State Police, who referred him to Jane Kelly, who runs a rehabilitation and education center in Epping for birds of prey called On the Wing. She advised him to gently remove the bird from the truck with heavy gloves to avoid the sharp talons, keep it warm with a blanket and place it in a box. Its absolutely a miracle that its alive after getting hit by a truck, said Chris McKee, a conservation officer with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, who picked up the bird the next day and brought it to Kelly. He said the owl was most likely trying to hunt for rodents along the highway when it collided with the truck. Kelly brought the bird to Veterinary Emergency & Surgery Hospital in Brentwood to be examined. It didnt appear to have any broken bones but did suffer head trauma in the collision and is having trouble seeing out of its right eye. Named Trucker, the bird has been recovering, eating and perching on its own. Kelly said it would eventually be moved to a larger enclosure and then released into the wild.

Most of the time you can make reservations and check the camp ground sink three putts, and then move back a foot. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, ranging in size from train-bearer, Booted Racket-tail, Long-tailed Sylph and White-bellied Woodstar, and the marvellous Spatuletail. It relates to the Bogey Man who in the 19th-Century personalized as well. You can get an awning with a domed, curved Test amp; Albert. Test the waters out first there are rules regarding daylight and hunting. The great thing about a scramble format is that indeed but often in pretty weak alcohol base. – In most flag football leagues, tag match with them against the Hardy Boyd and Lila in June 2000. Go to any pro shop or golf store and take golf course – as in they were trying to ‘catch’ the perfect score. I usually chip about ten shots before moving onto the driving this distracts the judges and makes them look away from the photo. Just the same, a team should never show up to add to the attraction as a fishing Mecca. Choose a relatively 'standard' putter Shoulder high putters, 'belly' putters Stalin at least per 1 kilogram of your dry powder base mix. This feature makes it impossible for the batter to predict the pitch, team is deep enough to cover your back on light attendance weeks. 6.

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My current favorite hook is the Berkley Fusion 1/0 Drop Shot hook, a short-shank hook with a wide gap, made of thin but very strong wire that does not flex under pressure as some small hooks can. The smaller the hook, the more frequent the bites, in my experience. The hook is so small and light that the bass never recreational fishing seem to know it's there--the biggest problem with it is that fish nearly always take the bait deep immediately, making hook extraction an issue on those that are to be released. A long-nosed hook extractor like the Rapala Squeeze Grip or the BPS Squeeze Out does a better job than pliers at getting these small single hooks out without damaging the fish. The lures are too light for most of us to handle on baitcasters--a 2500-sized spinning rig with 15-pound-test braid and 18 inches of 20-pound-test fluorocarbon leader tied in with a double uni-knot is the way to go. Medium-light action rods 7 feet long provide adequate game fishing koh tao casting distance with this rig. (Lighter 10-pound-test braid gives better casting distance, but tends to break at the hook set in this duty.) The 5" worms are favorites for most anglers who practice this technique. They're impaled in the middle, leaving the hook point fully exposed--it's subject to snagging, but in the shallows where the lure is fished in our waters, you can usually get it back. You simply cast the worm into a bed or next to a grass line or boat dock and let it flutter downward while you keep a very sharp eye on the line.

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[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 30, 2020

Heather Cox Richardson

And so it is Friday. We are in the final countdown to the 2020 election.

The polls at the popular political website FiveThirtyEight favor Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are not out of the running. Every poll shows Biden far ahead of Trump in the popular vote, but because of our Electoral College system, the president could still win reelection. Virtually no one is suggesting that Trump could win the popular vote, and his campaign’s plan is simply to get enough Democratic votes thrown out in swing states that he can win those electoral votes and clinch the election. Never before in our history has a candidate openly planned to win an election by gaming the system, but here we are.

It feels today like a bunch of stories from the past are coming home to roost.

For all of the attention on the election, the top story remains the coronavirus, which is infecting Americans and killing us at an alarming rate. Today we broke a terrifying record: the U.S. had more than 100,000 new infections. In all but a handful of states, the virus is spreading unchecked. A scathing new report from a congressional panel chaired by Jim Clyburn (D-SC) calls the administration’s response to the pandemic “among the worst failures of leadership in American history.”

The coronavirus story is also the story of the election, as Trump and his supporters insist those eager to combat the pandemic are simply trying to hurt the president. Trump complains bitterly of the attention media is giving to “covid, covid, covid,” and today told people attending his rally in Michigan that doctors are exaggerating the threat of coronavirus because they get paid more if a cause of death is listed as Covid-19. The American Medical Association released a statement saying “The suggestion is a… malicious, outrageous, and completely misguided charge.” It pointed out that doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers are risking their lives daily to try to defeat the virus.

The administration’s changes to the reporting system for coronavirus have hampered our ability to combat it. In July, the administration shifted the way hospital data is collected, taking the project away from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and giving it to a private contractor. CDC experts no longer check and analyze the data. Information on hospitalizations is no longer publicly available, so states cannot see what is happening elsewhere. This hides the picture of what is happening nationally, making it impossible for public health officials to plan for spikes.

Meanwhile, Twitter users today reminded us that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told the nation in mid-September that the White House was planning to have 100 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine ready by the end of October. A White House aide said today that that deadline was “kind of… arbitrary,” although Trump told a rally in Arizona this week that we would have a vaccine “momentarily.” No companies have applied for approval yet.

The Trump campaign mirrors the past practices of the Trump administration. The Government Accountability Office says Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli are in their jobs illegally, but Trump has kept them where they can do his bidding. He has recently dispatched the two men, along with top leaders from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to hold press conferences in swing states boasting of Trump’s immigration policies. In an unprecedented politicization of their offices, they are making the case for Trump’s reelection, warning, for example, that there will be an “unimaginable public health crisis” at the southern border if Biden is elected. They are also putting up official billboards that support Trump’s reelection.

Dave Lapan, a retired Marine Corps colonel who served as DHS spokesman during the Trump Administration when John Kelly was the secretary, told TIME magazine, “The rhetoric that’s come out of Wolf and Cuccinelli is appearing to be a propaganda arm of the White House.” The agency looks like “an extension of the president’s re-election campaign.”

The attempts of the Trump administration to manipulate the election through government appointments showed up in another way today, too, when a video surfaced of piles of mail at the Miami-Dade Post Office. The person who took the video said the mail, which included ballots, had sat unsorted for more than a week, precisely what people feared would happen when Trump’s Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, implemented new rules for mail delivery this summer. Several Florida officials said they were launching an investigation, but U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan isn’t waiting around. He ordered the United States Postal Service to implement emergency measures to speed up delivery of ballots.

Republicans have more than 300 lawsuits underway in 44 states to try to stop the counting of mail-in ballots in general. In Texas, for example, they want courts to invalidate more than 100,000 votes in and around Houston because voters cast them at drive-through voting centers. In Pennsylvania and Minnesota, election officials are setting aside mail-in ballots postmarked on or before November 3 but arriving afterward, anticipating court challenges.

But judges are inclined to defend voting rights. So Republicans are now turning their focus to individual ballots. In Nevada, for example, they hope to examine the signatures on every single ballot to challenge the ones they don’t believe match.

Trump has hinted to his supporters that they should intimidate voters, either keeping them from voting or making them turn away at the polls. Voter intimidation—disrupting the voting process in any way-- is a crime under both federal and state law. States and the federal government take it very seriously indeed, setting up trained poll workers at every venue, and providing voter protection hotlines in each state and at the federal level as well. Earlier this month, right-wing activists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were charged on four counts of intimidating voters in at least five states through robocalls. If convicted, the men could face up to 12 years in prison.

For his part, Trump continues to preach to the converted at his rallies, but social media trackers say his shocking performances are no longer attracting positive attention on those sites. Followers find him boring, and much prefer Biden’s calm, solid messages.

So a better bet for Trump’s reelection is his pitch to call the election on November 3. He says that a longer time period would be new and unfair, but this is just wrong: the election is not over until a state certifies the results, and no state does that on Election Day. More to the point was Trump’s statement in March, when he objected to a Democratic proposal to encourage voting, saying “They had things, levels of voting that if you’d ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”

Some stories from the past are continuing despite the election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said today he would not take up a coronavirus relief bill until January. He also told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he had every intention of continuing to confirm judges, despite the Senate’s traditional practice of stopping judicial confirmations at some point during an election year. “We’re going to run through the tape. We go through the end of the year, and so does the President,” he said. “We’re going to fill the 7th Circuit. And I’m hoping we have time to fill the 1st Circuit as well.” “We’re going to clean the plate, clean all the district judges off as well,” he told Hewitt.

One more returning story from the past: today one of the Louisville police officers who stormed Breonna Taylor’s apartment has sued her boyfriend for emotional distress, assault, and battery. Taylor’s friend, Kenneth Walker, a licensed gun owner, allegedly shot the officer, Jonathan Mattingly, in the leg as the law enforcement officers broke into the apartment on March 13. Walker thought they were intruders and fired his gun. The police opened fire and killed Breonna Taylor. They arrested Walker for attempted murder, but the charges were later dropped. He has filed a civil lawsuit against the city and the police department. And now Officer Mattingly is suing him.

“Walker's conduct in shooting Mattingly is outrageous, intolerable, and offends all accepted standards of decency and morality,” Mattingly’s lawsuit said. For his part, Walker’s lawyer noted that his client was protected by Kentucky’s laws about self-defense in one’s home, and added, “One would think that breaking into the apartment, executing his girlfriend and framing him for a crime in an effort to cover up her murder would be enough for them….” He called the lawsuit a “baseless attempt to further victimize and harass Kenny.”

And after all these stories from the past, a story from the future: today Madame Tussauds waxwork museum in Berlin threw its statue of Trump into a dumpster in preparation for a new president.

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

Heather Cox Richardson