#uh idk rio is sort of trying to help I guess

[rita-repulsa-ke]

Ritual of the Rose - Ch 3

"That form you're wearing is a corpse. It should have been in the ground years ago," Rio hissed, and as she said it, her voice a cold mist over his skin, Billy could feel decay setting in, his fingernails loose and prone to falling away, his skin slack on bones, his heart no longer beating in his chest—

Fic Summary: Changes the events of the last episode. Instead, Agatha swears a vow and prepares to go on one final adventure with Death.

For some reason, Billy has decided he's a protagonist as well.

Part 1 Part 2

Chapter 3 - Who is Billy Maximoff?

William Kaplan was a murderer.

No. William Kaplan was dead. He'd died in a carwreck with his parents and someone else had co-opted his body.

That wasn’t his fault! William was already dead and he was dying too, so he'd grabbed on to what he could, like some kind of weird, body-snatching parasite. Only he hadn't gotten just a host, he'd also gotten a life, someone else's life, someone else’s parents, who were currently downstairs thinking loud, worried thoughts about what was going on with their son.

Drugs? Online bullying, maybe? He was so into that weird occult stuff, should they have put a stop to that sooner?

No, he was a good boy. Reliable, kind, got good grades, had never done anything seriously wrong. They should trust him.

And here it was, he braced for it every time, and it still hurt.

It's only, he changed so much after the accident.

I'm sorry, he wanted to tell them. I'm so, so, so sorry, I'm not your son, I'm the leech that took his body. You guys are great parents, and you're my parents, you're the only parents I've ever known, please don't hate me for not being him.

He couldn't tell them that, though. He couldn't tell them their son had died years ago and now there was only him, Billy Maximoff, murderer.

He couldn't tell them the murder part either, couldn't sit downstairs on the couch and sob and let them hug him and tell him it would get better, like they had the first time he'd gotten his heart broken or a bad grade or a mean comment on his Instagram. He couldn't even let them be his parents right now, because there was no way he could confess that he'd killed three women on a Road he created with his mind.

Agatha said she would have killed all of them. And she had, in the most literal sense, killed Alice. Still, it had been his idea to form a coven in the first place, his idea to lure victims to her, even if he hadn't known what he was doing.

He should hate her, but he was too busy hating himself.

He uncurled his hand, locked in a fist since the fight in Agatha's garden. Took out the crumpled piece of stationary and smoothed it out. Noted with mild amusement that it seemed to have silly cartoon cats around the edge of the page. He couldn't imagine anything less Agatha, so probably this had belonged Agnes prior to her time as a hardboiled detective.

Agnes, a woman who'd been kept that way by his ostensible mother, who'd also trapped and tortured a whole town.

Boys, thanks for choosing me to be your mom.

"William! Do you want some dinner?"

He jumped and his hand clamped tight around the stationary again. That was his mother, he reminded himself, the one calling to him with concern in her voice. "No," he said. "I'm not very hungry right now."

"This is why you're such a beanpole!" His dad called, trying for jovial.

"I'm watching my figure," he retorted on automatic, smoothing the paper once more and looking at the address.

An apartment in New York City. No other information, except the hastily scrawled number on the bottom.

He wasn't going to call. He didn't need Agatha's help anymore. He had never needed her help, probably—except for the part where he had and he still didn't know if he was murderer a fourth time over for that, if he'd killed the boy he'd helped put Tommy in.

But that part was done and he didn’t even really regret it. The Road had made his wish come true. Now he needed to find his brother. Tommy, at least, wouldn't go through what he had, waking up with no memory and no understanding of what had happened to him.

Agatha had to told him to go alone. He could do this. He'd made a whole (deadly) reality. He could handle one mysterious stranger.

Resolute, he turned to go and almost screamed, clapped his hands over his mouth to stop the sound at the last moment so he didn't get his parent's attention.

He really didn't want them to come up here, because standing too close, smiling like an open wound, was Rio.

"You know, I think she forgets I can do this?" the woman said. She was wearing her green witch outfit, skintight and kind of cool in a scary way, but all Billy could remember was staring into the skeletal face of Death. "Be everywhere at once, I mean." Then she lunged suddenly, closing the gap between them until their noses almost brushed. "Boo!"

He jumped back and hit his dresser, gave a short, unmanly shriek and she burst into cackles of laughter so loud he worried his parents were about to come rushing up the stairs.

"W-what do you want? Are you here to—" he said, swallowed and didn't finish the sentence, his eyes on the blade in her hand, even though he knew she wasn't going to literally stab him to death.

Well, he really hoped she wasn't going to stab him to death.

"Take you? I should, you know. This…" she shook her head, back and forth, and each time it turned too far, creating the unnerving illusion her head was going to start spinning around like a bad horror movie effect. "This is so wrong, what you're doing here. You're the wrong soul in the wrong body. Very, very gross. But no, not right now, I'm busy letting Agatha drag me along like she always does. Do you know she's really bossy?"

"I know," Billy said, unsure if they were bonding here.

"Right, I bet you do. That whole Road business." She paused, twirled her knife, paced in a circle around his room and watching her now, he couldn't imagine how he'd ever thought she was a normal person, even a normal witch. She moved like a tiger penned into a cage, as though the form she wore didn't quite contain the edges of her, a non-Euclidean—

"She likes you, you know," Rio said, interrupting his mind's desperate attempt to comprehend what was right in front of him. "Agatha, I mean."

"Can she? Like people?" Billy said, which prompted a shorter, sharper cackle.

"I ask myself that All. The. Time," Rio said, sprawling back on his bed and kicking her feet, impatient, restless, almost human except for all the ways she wasn’t. "But apparently she's got a soft spot for little boys."

It took Billy a moment to correctly interpret that statement. "Because of her son."

Rio gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Probably. So maybe I can help."

"What?!"

"You," she pointed her knife at him. "Maybe I can help you."

"With what?"

She wrinkled her nose, jerked the knife up and down to indicate all of him. "Your…condition."

"…And that help isn't killing me?"

"Right," Rio said. "But it would involve you vacating that bod—"

"No!" Billy snapped, his arms wrapping tight around himself, as though he could keep his body held in place.

"That form you're wearing is a corpse. It should have been in the ground years ago," Rio hissed, and as she said it, her voice a cold mist over his skin, Billy could feel decay setting in, his fingernails loose and prone to falling away, his skin slack on bones, his heart no longer beating in his chest

"Stop!" His magic flared and on instinct, he grabbed for her mind, like he'd done to Jen and Lilia and for a brief, overwhelming moment, he was Death, standing side-by-side with a winged shadow bigger than he could grasp and he was—

He was everywhere. He was vast, all-consuming, but deeply personal at the same time.

He stood at a hospital bed, listening to the monitors make a sound he'd only heard in movies. Flatline. "…Sorry," he said to the woman standing in front of him, looking much healthier and more alive than what lay in the bed.

"Damn," the woman said. "I'd really hoped I'd get a bit longer."

"Everyone does," he said, or rather, something else said, speaking through him like he were a ventriloquist's dummy. "How was what you had?"

He barely heard the answer. There were simply too many, all competing for his attention. An undiscovered allergy. A stupid bet about who could drink the most. A car wreck. A heart attack. Kidney failure. Aneurysm.

And then he was scooped up, deposited back into his body on a wave of green magic, and for a moment, he could see himself as she did, an abomination, an outright defiance of the natural order—

"I'm not doing that to them!"

He snapped back to himself, fully himself, no trace of lingering Death. Rio was still on his bed, looking up at him with narrowed eyes, her mouth firmed into a thin, sharp line. "…You are powerful. And dangerous. I can't believe Ags didn't drain you dry. Them who?"

He collapsed onto the floor, pulled his knees to his chest. "My paren—"

"William? Are you okay?" A familiar voice called up the stairs.

"Yes! Everything's fine, mom."

"Their son is dead," Rio pointed out and Billy glared what he hoped were daggers at her, feeling the urge to use his power boil up again, magic dancing across his fingertips. He forced himself to wrestle it back. He didn't know if he would ever sort out everything he'd seen in the few seconds he'd been Death. He was certain he didn't want another go-round and he'd seen how ineffective Agatha had been at fighting her with direct magic, something he didn't even know how to use.

"I'm their son! And I'm not going to let you kill me,” he said, very aware that he had no way of preventing her from doing whatever she wanted.

Rio tossed her head back and cackled, shrieked, and his parents must not have been able to hear her at all, because she was really loud. "You can't stop me. Even Ags can't stop me and she knows that, though she hates it." Something in her expression went distant, sad like mourners at a funeral. "...She knows that,” she repeated and Billy opened his mouth to ask, but Death spoke first. "But fine, have it your way, keep this disgusting charade up a little while longer. Eventually I'll come and collect. I always do. I am the end of all things, baby!" She sprung to her feet, spread her hands too wide and gave him a toothy smile. "Sooner or later, everything is mine."

"…I can see why you and Agatha might have worked once. She's really dramatic too," he said, which got him another cackling laugh as response.

"She is. I've got nothing on Agatha Harkness," Rio agreed, cloying affection lacing her voice.

"…creep," he muttered.

Rio only snickered. "You'll understand one day, when you fall in love," she told him.

"I am in love! I just have a healthy relationship, thank you.”

"Someday, you will meet someone who takes part of you away with them, and you never, ever get it back," Rio said, somehow managing to sound genuinely adoring as she said it. "And then you'll know what love is."

"…I think you should look into counseling."

"Tell your father to get his heart checked," Death replied and then, before he'd even processed the words, she was gone.

“...Thank you?" he whispered to thin air, then staggered to his feet, suddenly desperate for his parent’s company even if he couldn’t tell them a single true thing about his life.

"Hey, dad," he said as he came down the stairs. "I'm going to ask you to do something really weird…"

For more of Rio being everywhere at once, try Death and the Scarlet Witch. Or for something cuter, try the witch who cried wolf.

[mego42]

Shamelessly stealing @foxmagpie​’s monthly rec thing without the ability to get my life together to do these on a monthly basis so, seasonal recs! So excited to see if I manage to do this again with anything remotely resembling consistency but i’ve been keeping the notes for approximately 43 years (or since ~september, whatever that means) so by god i’m gonna use them. 

found my thrill - s_t_c_s / @sothischickshe​

Turner POV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

guys turner is SO OBSESSED with Beth and Rio

both canonically and in this fic

it’s gr9

also features a weirdly soothing and relatable cord untangling moment as a metaphor

truly disturbingly relatable turner pov tbh

relentless boomer disdain, always a plus

led to the creation of this monstrosity, not sure what kind of a monster would do that

War In My Mind - mintletters16

Backread!!!!

post-213, gorgeous character study 

guaranteed to make you feEl stUfF

I really love the like, cyclical, fractured pattern of Beth’s internal monologue, it gives the whole thing a really affecting at times dreamy, at times haunted vibe

the end twist is *chef’s kiss*

mourning bells - Ejunkiet / @ejunkiet​

Backread!!!!

Later s2 era, Rio’s at a funeral, gets drunk and calls Beth

V short, kind of…..mmm, not sweet, but almost? Idk

It’s got a wistful sort of almost/i can be quiet with you vibe that i go extremely bonkers for

delinquents - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Lol are any of you actually not reading this yet?

g o d ch 8 where do i start

First off how ABSOLUTELY VERY DARE for the tragic angst that is delinquents!beth boland. This poor baby, this precious bean. MUST PROTEC

SHE’S TRYING HER BEST AND I LOVE HER

zero percent deserves dean’s clammy hands, no i have not forgotten, tattooed on my brain, will never forgive

I also love love love love LOVE the ruby/stan subplot happening

(and ruby’s mom!!!!!) (seriously though you write the best moms)

oh god and baby beth starting to have confusing feelings about rio?????? *chef’s kiss*

p sure i was just like, straight screaming the entire end of the chapter

the dugout is like, pure serotonin

I can’t even talk about the closet

tHe teNsiOn

thank you i will take eleventy billion

don't give it a hand, offer it a soul - medievalraven / @medievalraven

am a desperate heaux for any fic that features rio and mick friendship

you are all incredibly shocked i know

still would not be mad if this swerved into rio x mick fake dating but beth x rio is cool too i guess

Speaking of things i am a desperate heaux for: DIANE!!!!!!!!

and DATING ANNIE???????????? Blessed

honestly this fic is worth it purely for the assertion that mick watches queer eye

Why don't we go to Venus? - watermelonriddles / @bensonstablers​

another grief study! 

apparently i was working through some stuff in september, idk, that was like 4 years ago

considering it’s the premise of the fic, i don’t think it’s a spoiler to say this fic is canon divergent and working with the premise that rio killed beth in 302

he is uh, not coping well

extremely haunted you might say

lots of marcus and rhea which is a delight!

rhea is to good for him tbh

i said what i said

truly top notch dream (nightmare?) sequences

the conversation at the end is extremely uncalled for

drop the game - Ejunkiet / @ejunkiet​

Backread!!!!

Am going to die mad Beth and Rio didn’t hook up in 211 but luckily this fic scratched the itch 

(temporarily, it’s a fairly permanent itch)

Bonus rec: missing scene series i wanna do bad things to you featuring 2x02 and 2x04

Viva Voce - zetuslapetus / @querenaxx​

Whoops we woke up married Vegas shenanigans!! 

So cute!!!!! So sexy!!!!! 

What more do you want?

am desperately obsessed with how beth can’t help stalking rio

feels right, feels organic

this makes me feel a lot of stuff about how they could be without their canon garbage between them

🎶 we could’ve had it aaaaaaaaaaall 🎶

you showed me colors (i can't see them with anyone else) - gild_fire / @gild-and-fire​

really into the use of color to illustrate beth’s emotional state, i feel like there’s a word for that but idk what it is

UNIMPORTANT

really nice job capturing beth’s inner vulnerability balanced by her outer stubbornness

am DESPERATELY into Mick playing matchmaker

more please???????

Both Sides of the Law - JoeyLee / @joeyjoeylee​

LAW SCHOOL AU! I suuuuuuper love Beth and Rio here (alt pov!! a gift!!!!) I love how initially prickly they are, I love how it’s evolving into a grudging respect, I love how INCREDIBLY AND HILARIOUSLY OBSESSED WITH EACH OTHER THEY ARE and neither one of them seems to see it

listen I know we’re all already foaming at the mouth over this one but as it’s gonna go down as one of my all time favorites it bears repeating/rereccing

cannot stress enough how masterful the use of POV is here, both voices feel completely true and distinct and I love how the alternating chapters revisit, reveal and emphasize pieces of each other

i can’t talk about this fic without hyperventilating

I LOVE IT SO MUCH YOU GUYS

the slow burn is going to ACTUALLY KILL ME

rip, no regrats

Earned It - wakeupflawless / @wakeupflawless​

spanking

that’s it that’s the pitch

H O T

living for beth’s exit in the first chapter, rio and i are both incredibly into it

second chapter also features violently possessive Rio who cannot deal with anyone messing with his girl so if that’s your thing boy howdy get on it

shake, baby, shake - openhearts

backread!!!!!

according to my bookmarks this was a reread but ???????

must’ve read it in the fugue state that followed reading for a moment we were strangers which is gr9 and I believe I have recced it before. If not, horrible oversight, reccing it now

beth and Rio POV lead up to the bathroom break, beautifully done, low-key feel bad reccing it bc the end point of both chapters makes me want to throw things but it’s super worth it for the tEnsiOn. ENJOY

What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have - flashindie / @pynkhues​

I’m assuming all of y’all are already reading this

If not OH MY GOD FIX YOUR LIVES

P I R A T E  A U

I’m sorry maybe you didn’t hear me piRaTE aU

meticulously researched, brain-meltingly vibrant, already painfully sexy slow-burning PIRATE AU

god where to start okay so first off, the world-building here straight up breaks my brain, sophie’s put in the work and it SHOWS

second, the atmosphere. i’m generally a pretty like, vague mental picture sort of reader but the sensory detail here grabs you by the throat and like, forcibly hauls you in whether your brain’s wired that way or no

and hey speaking of throats if you, like me, go a little funny about the knees at the idea of beth holding a knife to rio’s throat (he’s fine, calm down), there’s a v excellent beth-in-a-barrel moment for you

oh christ and the sexy tension

it’s gonna be a race to see which slow burn takes me out first, this or law school

Stunner - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Another high school AU, this time with baby Rio absolutely head over heels for his older sister’s bff

stunner!Rio has an emotional earnestness about him that I feel like delinquents!Rio has already outgrown and it’s so SWEET I can’t get enough

Desperately cute!!!!!!

alL he waNts iS foR beTh tO bE hiS girL

also unreasonably angsty???????

ANN ARBOR IS NOT THAT FAR MEGAN

A Heart's A Heavy Burden - tooshyforthis / @bathroombreaks​

Howl’s Moving Castle AU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Howl’s!!!!!!!!!!!

perfect opp to roast Rio for being a Dramatique Heaux 

and it’s gonna be 9 chapters?????? H Y P E

author’s note boldly presumes I did not know I needed this AU when the reality is I did in fact know I needed this AU, I just wasn’t expecting anyone to deliver

so blessed

author also claims to not be team nose stud and yet it features prominently in all its magnificent glory

what is the truth dot gif

A Bit of a Stretch - septiembre / @septiembur​

SO????? CUTE?????????

would be on this list for Rio calling Beth E alone tbh

really really really really really love this Rio POV of being settled into a relationship with Beth

It manages to be sweetly domestic af while still holding the edge that makes brio brio which is a neat trick

@septiembur may be a witch

beth’s approach to getting rio to do yoga with her is hilarious and exactly right, canon-typical amounts of subtlety 

1000000/10

Post Break-Up Sex - femalegothic / @bethsuglywigs​

stg this was called Hit Shuffle

no matter

h O T

with a side of damn i’ve made some questionable choices in my life haven’t i introspection

(no regrats tho)

(esp not with this fic)

not the point of the fic by a long shot but i’m also extremely obsessed with Weed Eddie, so real

She drains my soul... she drains it not - niham87 / @niham87​

ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED WITH THIS CONCEPT

am a complete sucker for paranormal world building that satirizes bureaucracy 

Is that a trope? If so that’s my favorite

I did it. I’m picking a single favorite. You know what that is growth dot gif

ANYWAY i love the concept, i love the humor, i love beth instantly clicking with annie

I love her and mick’s sort of grudging professional courtesy

Love beth as a champion of environmental responsibility and all of the underworld being like …...okay??

cannot wait to see where this goes

Nine-Tenths - riosnecktattoo / @riosnecktattoo​

*INCOHERENT PTERODACTYL SCREECHING*

sometimes i think about rio putting beth’s hair in a ponytail and have to go lie down

science please explain why this rUinS mE

wait hold on i skipped ahead

HEY KIDS DO YOU LIKE UNBEARABLY CUTE DOMESTIC TENDERNESS

opens with rio sleepily holding beth’s hand to his heart so that’s the kind of thing you’ll be dealing with

uGH theY’RE sO CUTe

idk why precisely but rio adding hair ties to his bracelet collection is my undoing every time

Missed Call - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Rio doesn’t come home from a job when he’s supposed to. Beth (and I!!!!!!!) slowly loses her mind

Truly a masterpiece of rising tension

Will literally never forgive her for calling this light angst

I was SO STRESSED OUT

The first person to point out there was an author’s note at the beginning I obvs didn’t read is getting blocked

crush - foxmagpie / @foxmagpie​

Listen even though this is centered around two OCs, they are OCs FROM a (n iconic) brio fic AND Beth, Ruby and Rio all make cameos (I mean, Rio’s pretty present since he lives in Mar’s mind rent free bc they are THE SWEETEST MOST ADORABLE BEST OF FRIENDS so idk if i’d call it a cameo but whatever)

and even if it didn’t feature any official GG characters I’d still rec is bc that’s mY SON AND this fic is TOO CUTE

I have so many feelings over mar and rio growing up and not knowing how to cope with girls becoming a Thing in their life and how it affects their friendship and mar feeling left behind but (SPOILERS) at the end of the story rio starts feeling that too and it’s so poignant knowing how that’s going to continue in delinquents

while mar may be my son, i also claim elena’s #1 stan status

before you’re like meg you’re only reccing it bc it’s a bday present ask yourselves do i really strike you as the kind of person that wouldn’t be equally obnoxious about this either way?

truly cannot fathom how hard i have fallen for these OCs i don’t normally do that

@foxmagpie is definitely a witch

The Ottoman - Niham87 / @niham87​

look i will be the first to admit that i don’t go near as bonkers over the ottoman line in 308 as y’all do

(don’t get me wrong, i love it!!! I love that he laughs and i love that she’s pleased it just doesn’t hit my lose my whole mind button like idk, the dubby or the 306 convo, idk why)

BUT i v v v much love the context this delightful Rio POV pwp gives it

am also absolutely feral for 209 missing scene fic

and anything that captures the complexity of Rio’s s3 feelings for Beth and how twisted they’ve become

so this scratches a bunch of itches, is what i’m trying to say

Bet On It - zetuslapetus / @querenaxx​

*INCOHERENT PTERODACTYL SCREECHING*

That’s what my brain does when I think about Beth and Rio meeting in ch 1

am DESPERATELY OBSESSED WITH the tension between the two of them in this fic

I love how it plays with the ways they have to rely on but don’t trust each other

plus FAKE DATING and BED SHARING (fair warning hasn’t happened yet but the set up is there)

originally supposed to be 2 chapters, already up to 4, prayer circle it goes on forever

do you like drugs (tonight) - s_t_c_s / @sothischickshe​

v important focus on hydration, other fic should take note

extremely about the use of cut to and then flashback to enhance the ‘we were on drugs’ vibe

speaking of, beth and rio absolutely would take ecstasy to prove they are fun bc they are the exact kind of idiots that would peer pressure themselves

so glad beth kept her purse, got a bit stressed there for a second, clutches in that kind of circumstance are A Risk

not that i would know

FLAWLESS USE OF VOICEMAIL TBH

really love the ongoing denial that they are remotely into each other while proceeding to demonstrate how they are in fact, extremely into each other, great vibe

rio dances

I know my brain broke too

mmmm bacon

Navigate A Broken Path - flashindie / @pynkhues​

*INCOHERENT PTERODACTYL SCREECHING*

I have a long standing tradition of getting unreasonably obsessed with side characters so i’m not like, entirely surprised by how obsessed i am with both Mick and Mary Pat but i never in a million years considered them as a ship

AND Y E T

they fit????? so perfectly?????? It’s amazing how she developes them individually enough that i look at them together and think ah yes this makes perfect sense for both characters

and they’re such an amazing foil to Beth and Rio? 

can ships have foils? do i know what a foil is? 

unimportant

GUYS you dON’T uNDERStAN d 

hell i don’t understand

how absolutely very dare you make me care about YET ANOTHER set of gg ‘verse children

do not read this fic if you have no interest in feelings you zero percent asked for

wHA t hAPPeNED iN aLASkA?????????

A Moment’s Silence - femalegothic / @bethsuglywigs​

*makes sign of the cross*

y’all are gonna make me rediscover religion

extremely appreciate the author’s note approach to backstory top notch prioritization

listen it’s basically 3k of beth deep throating rio idk what more you need me to say about it

it is…..good stuff

bless the kinkmeme or fest whatever we’re calling it

praise - civillove / @blainesebastian​

I mean you had me at “three times rio calls beth a good girl and one time he really means it”

ephemeral rio

I left that note for myself in here in the middle of the night and haven’t the foggiest what i was thinking but i stand by it none the less

okay okay i think i know what i meant, this fic (as do all of my fav civillove brio fics) has this sort of like, liminal, in the quiet moments feel to them that makes the moments and feelings somehow feel like i’m catching a glimpse of something secret and precious???

idk i just really like it okay

Heart and Soul - riosnecktattoo / @riosnecktattoo​

oh look more unbearably sweet domestic tenderness, this time to music

thank you ma’am for my life

rio remembers beth used to play piano and gets her one and revoltingly cute shenanigans result

also hilarity

and sexiness

this fic has it all, truly

shout out to mick who sees no reason to keep rio’s feelings to himself

good girls tumblr fic - prettylittlementirosa / @hypermania​​

cheating and reccing a whole series

It’s my list and i can do what i wanna

stop crying about it, it’s four fics and they’re all AMAZING absolutely impossible to pick a fav

truly flawless characterization, next level ability to capture evocative mood, cannot get enough

three’s a crowd: who knew ballroom dancing while dean watches and grinds his teeth could be so sexy 

(trick question everything about that premise sounds A++++ and boy howdy does it live up)

feel it on the way home: rio tries to break up with beth, it goes about as well as you’d expect

(thE angSty tenSioN)

i want to play the game: [from the floor] i’m still not ready to talk about it

(rio/turner, missing scene, 10000000% a taste of what went down in that hotel room)

june after dark: pitch perfect annie pov, really really love the take that Annie is the baby whisperer, can’t fully explain why but it feels incredibly right

(ANNIE X NANCY COULD WORK SO WELL YOU GUYS)

[rpchive]

105th Encounter-- Thread The Needle

welcome to Lob Corp fuckos

Nydins, Rio, Jay, and Maya are all gathered in the console room; Jay and Maya just sort of discussing casually. Collin steps out into the console room somewhat nervously as he notices the crowd. He has changed into a long deep blue cloak that cuts off right at the knees, with a creamy yellow trim around the wrists, collar, and hem of the cloak. The trim at the bottom sweeps up along the inverted v-cut of the cloak and forms a star pattern at the apex. A red gemstone button holds each sleeve and collar closed, while a simple zipper closes the front of the cloak. Under that he now wears a dark pair of pants with leather boots that are tucked underneath the legs.

Collin: Oh, uh... hey? Maya: Whoa, you changed clothes again! You guys have another party to get to or somethin'?

Rio swivels her chair around to look at Collin's outfit. "...Aww, he's got a little star thingy like Jay now! Is that our thing now? We should totally put those on the comms."

alienrabitt: Where'd you even get that? Well, I guess the IT made it, huh...? ...You look good. Collin turns slightly red and scratches the back of his head. "W-Well, it certainly beats the old jumpsuit, huh?"

idk where the actual drawing went but

something fresh for once!

can I say I’m actually midkey a huge fan of the trope of characters going through Some Shit and them changing their design after?

Maya: Anything probably feels better than that...I ditched my armband as soon as I got on this ship. The suits, not so much, but those are all mine anyway. Collin: Don't blame you there. So uh, what were you guys talking about? Maya: Not much. I haven't heard about anything going on in a while...guessing the trouble's waiting for us somewhere for once. Collin: Works for me. I would've been in a bad way if something had happened while I was still trying to recover. Rio: How are you now, anyway? Collin: I'm... better, physically at least. In terms of my magic, well... The good news is that I still have magic. I definitely can't channel any of the powers from the pantheon like I used to, but I can still do some things. I haven't really been able to test it all out too well since I haven't really been able to do much of anything until recently, though. I'm thinking I'm gonna need to make something that can help me use my magic more easily, but I haven't figured out what yet. Maya: Well hey, if you need any help, let me know. I don't know anything about magic, but I know plenty about building stuff that harnesses energy, so that can't be too different. Collin: Hopefully you're right. It'd be nice to have some help with that, since I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Clair comes into the console room briefly, though upon seeing the small crowd gathered there, she considers going back down the hall. She stands in the hallway, visibly debating how badly she wants whatever she's come for. Collin: Oh, hey Clair. Need something? Clair: I, uhh...I kinda...I know that the Operation is totally empty now, and I know that Zenith's...but Alzedeth's still out there...even if he still doesn't have a soul, as long as he's in that armor...we should...we should do something... Collin: ... Shit, I guess you're right. I'd sort of forgotten about him with everything else that's been happening recently. Maya: The way you looked when they dragged you back in, I don't blame you. Even I heard about that one...

Nydins: Alright, don't beat a dead horse; I'll take us back to OZ. Daedalus approaches the group from behind Clair, stopping a few feet behind her. "Ah, there you are. I checked your room but you were already... Wow, big group. Something going on?" Clair: ...I have to find Alzedeth. I can't just leave him like that... Daedalus: ... Yikes. Always heavy stuff, isn't it? Nydins: Hey; we wouldn't be superheroes if we got vacation days. ...Though I do like the little quiet gaps... Daedalus: Pretty sure constant danger does not a long life make. Whatever, I'm coming with you. Nydins: Guess we were closer than I thought. Looks like we're gonna touch down soon. Good luck out there... Daedalus: Sheesh, good thing I was right behind you guys. I swear it's like you're trying to leave me out or somethin'. Nydins: Sorry; I wasn't really expecting a field trip. But something like this should be easy enough, right? I mean, all you have to do is break the armor...

Maya: Jeez, sound like you care less, why don't you? It's still her brother, right?

Nydins: The divide between body and soul's hardly controversial. This is just clean up; I don't see why you of all people are getting invested... Collin: Nydins, this really isn't the time or place for an argument like this... Nydins: R-right...well, uhh, we're here, so...! Good luck...!

Rolling her eyes, Maya heads out the door, Clair nervously following behind her. Collin, Jay, and Daedalus follow them out. The layout of OZ remains as silent and emptied as ever, however the hallway leading towards Alzedeth's chamber seems to be covered in signs of some sort of struggle. Upon reaching the room itself, the group finds the floor littered with corpses, all of which in black suits with red ties and armbands of varying colors and letters on them. A hole has been blasted in the opposite wall, and the distant sound of a nearby airship can be heard.

Maya: I-it's Lobotomy! Why the hell are they here?! Daedalus: I'm gonna hazard a guess and say "the spooky suit of living armor". If those assholes want their hands on him, that can't mean anything good. Maya: But abnormalities have to be reported! They're taken in because they pose a threat to humanity itself! ...Some bastard from here must've been recruited when the place went to shit...damn it, we need to get on that airship!! Collin: But how do we sneak into something that's up in the air? Clair: They can't have taken off with me here. Alzedeth still only responds to me; he knows I've come to find him, so he'll try to get to me at all costs. We have to find where they're parked and board them! Daedalus: Alright, well let's go see what we're dealing with first. Hopefully they're still on the ground. The group heads off further into OZ, where they find a massive airship nearly the size of an entire floor hovering beside one of the fire escapes. Without hesitation, Maya jumps the gap between the fire escape and the rope ladder extending up to the doorway onto the ship, Clair hesitantly following behind her. Jay, however, seems significantly more cautious about the endeavor, and instead shifts to his original true form, waiting to see if Collin or Daedalus would rather ride up. Daedalus: Hey, listen, I appreciate the offer, but maybe turning into a giant star monster around a ship full of people specifically interested in capturing strange creatures isn't the best strategy... Snorting, Jay shifts back to his humanoid form. "If my arm gives out when I climb up this thing, don't blame me when I knock you off...though, uhh... you two should go first because of that..." Collin: No no, no one is falling to their death today. If flying up there gets you there safely, then do it. I'll come with you, just be careful about it. alienrabitt: ...Alright.

Jay shifts back once more as he waits for Collin. Collin climbs onto Jay and holds on tightly, while Daedalus hops over and climbs the ladder with Maya and Clair. Careful to keep his distance from the ladder, Jay waits until everyone else has boarded the ship before coming closer. The beating of his wings blows the ladder around quite a bit as he approaches, however he grabs it with his arms, steadying it properly for Collin. Collin quickly climbs over onto the ship and turns back around to help Jay on if he needs it. Shifting back to his humanoid form, Jay accepts the help onto the ship, letting out a sigh of relief as he touches the floor. "I hate heights so much..." Daedalus: Says the person who can fly. alienrabitt: Hey, I didn't ask for the wings! Or...most of this, really... Collin: It's alright, let's just get away from this ladder; the height isn't doing me any favors either. Do you know where we should be going, Maya? Maya: I don't...unless there's a Sephirah here, I have no idea where he could be... Daedalus: What about you, Clair? You said he'd try to get to you no matter what, right? How does he know where you are? Clair: He...I...th-that's something I don't want to talk about in a situation like this...

Maya: Can you just tell him to come to us?

Clair: He's trying; but he's got an entire ship's worth of people to mow through!

Maya: Don't do that! The majority of the personnel sent on these missions are fresh recruits; they have no idea what Lobotomy is! Call him off!

Clair: B-but if I do that, the ship will leave...!

Maya: And then we'll know where he is, because they'll have to unload him, and there will be Sephirahs! Collin: Please trust us. We're not gonna let Lobotomy take him away. Clair: ...What do we do in the meantime? Just...hide?

Azreldeh: Why not? I did that all the way here.

Azreldeh’s just this but in reverse

alienrabitt: STOP THAT!! I hate it when you do that!!

Azreldeh: Sorry! I would've said something sooner, but you guys kept complaining about your little issue, so I had to make a field trip. Anyway, you really wanna check this ship out before it sails? Collin: We're gonna have to if we're going to find Alzedeth, right? Azreldeh: Ohh, I was hoping you'd say that.

Snapping her fingers, Azreldeh summons forth Rio from the shadows, catching her by her arms as she tumbles from the shifted position and nearly falls off the ship. "Hey, R2; I'm gonna have to ask you for a favor real quick..."

Rio: I-I-I really don't wanna hear those words from you!! B-but, in my current situation, I really can't say no!!

Azreldeh: Oh, you couldn't have even if you wanted to...ugh, sorry, I'm getting into this like a job.

Smoothly, Azreldeh pulls Rio up into the ship properly, placing her hands upon Rio's shaking shoulders.

"...Right, so two things, I need you to find the loading dock, and I need you to check for Sephirahs."

Rio: B-but I'm not a part of their systems...! I can't do anything with technology that's not integrated into me...!

Azreldeh: Oh come on, how unique can Earth tech get?! You've gotta be able to do something here...!

Rio: ...I...can probably find one of those things, at least, but there's no way I could do both...

Azreldeh: ...What the hell are these Sephirahs anyway?

Maya: They're basically the core of Lobotomy; though I doubt any but Angela would be able to get very far away from anywhere the Corporation was stationed...

Azreldeh: Okay, but what are they? Humans?

Maya: I'd argue closer to androids, but more human than machine...it's uncanny...

alienrabitt: It's uncomfortable is what it sounds like. And what the hell were you thinking pulling Rio up like that?!

Azreldeh: What, and just let her fall? Collin: You know damn good and well what he meant. You can't just pull her into something like this and then immediately put her in danger! Azreldeh: Which is why I'm asking her to do something safe!

Clair: The task isn't the problem...

Azreldeh: Look, we aren't making any progress just standing around here arguing; c'mon! Let's get out there and kick some ass already!

Maya: Absolutely not! We aren't fighting /or/ killing /anybody/! This is a stealth mission!

Azreldeh: My favorite! Alright, so you and I can walk on in there, and...I guess everyone else will just have to hide or something...

Maya: ...They could pass as new, but Jay's gonna have to hide.

alienrabitt: I...yeah, okay. I guess I could just...be small or something. One of you has pockets, right? Collin: I've got space. Will you be alright like that? alienrabitt: It's less magic intensive; so I'd be better than I am now, honestly.

With that, Jay shifts into his bat form.

Clair: So cute...! Collin: He's always cute.

He opens a pocket on his cloak and holds it out for him to fly inside.

Flying up, Jay crawls into the pocket, his face barely poking out of the top as he squints up at Collin.

c-cute......

Azreldeh: Right, well, somebody should go with Rio just in case she gets caught; the rest of us can keep looking out here. If you find what you're looking for, turn the lights in the room off; I'll come right to you.

Rio: O-okay...just don't throw me or anything...

Azreldeh: Hey, not my fault nobody moved away from the door...

Maya's group heads off towards the right, leaving Rio and Collin with the hallway across from the door. Collin: Alright, so I guess we just... pretend like we know what we're doing? Rio: I think the goal at this point is just...try not to be noticed, and find a way to find out what Azreldeh was asking for...but I don't even know where to start with that... Collin: Are we looking for the loading bay or those... "sephirah" things Maya kept mentioning? Rio: She wanted us to find the location of both; but I'm not sure we could find those in an airship...even one this big probably doesn't have some sort of map; humans wouldn't need those kinds of things on a ship... Collin: Well, if I had to guess, it'd make sense for a loading area to be somewhere near the bottom of a ship, right? Rio: Yeah! Typically, for older human ships, they'd be at the lower or middle section of the backmost part of the ship. ...Though I guess they'd be modern ships for you, huh? Collin: What, you callin' me old or something?   /He gives Rio a jokingly insulted look. Rio: I mean, you were originally...born? In the 70s, right? Physically, you might not be, but chronologically, by human standards... Collin: I was just joking, don't worry about it. I'm fully aware I'm technically the grandpa of the IT crew. Anyway, why don't we just head that direction and see what we find. Who knows, maybe one of those Sephirahs will be down there too? Rio: Um, alright...but don't you think a lot of people will be there? Alzedeth doesn't strike me as something that's easy to contain... Collin: I... guess? I'm open to ideas, did you have some other plan in mind? Rio: Well, if Lobotomy's half as observational as Maya makes them seem, I'd bet they have a security room even on their airship that's bound to have eyes all over the place. But if you'd rather not be in a place like that, I'd understand... Collin: No no, it's fine. I just wasn't really thinking about there being a place like that. Can you figure out where that is somehow? Rio: Not without being able to access parts of the ship; but modern human technology is so laughably primative in comparison, I'd have better luck trying to hijack the cameras remotely. Collin: Is that... safe? Surely they'd have security systems or something to stop that sort of thing. Rio: Well, it's either that or we just do this the old fashioned way and hope we find the room we're looking for by chance and guesswork...unless something can scan the ship for places with profuse amounts of electronics. Collin: Well, I... don't really think I can help you there. I guess we don't have much of a choice then. Just be careful, alright? Nodding, Rio looks around for one of the cameras, carefully opening up the maintenance panel beneath it and plugging in a wire she retrieved from her sleeve. Her visor flickers varying colors briefly before settling back to her usual appearance as she disconnects and replaces the panel. "...I think I know where to go, but also, I think there's just one Sephirah on this ship...I don't think she noticed me, though. She seemed occupied; it looked like she was with Maya and the others...I guess they convinced her to help or something?" Collin: My gut says that's wishful thinking, but who knows? At any rate, you lead the way. Let's find what we're looking for before things start going sideways. [Meanwhile...]

Maya: Azreldeh; that's not just some employee, that's--!

Azreldeh: Hod, one of the Sephirahs; yeah, I got that. I'm kinda in her head right now...and her everything else. You weren't kidding about Lobotomy being a bad place...but the good news is that I know where we need to go now! Too bad nobody can tell the others... Daedalus: I'm sure they'll figure it out. So where do we need to go, then? Azreldeh: Well, it's pretty much straight down this hallway, but there's also a bunch of employees up ahead, and the amount of them that are both alive and still in Hod's division..is very small. Needless to say, she's really upset about this since she kinda has a councilor role back at Lobotomy...

Clair: Do you think anybody would recognize Maya?

Azreldeh: None of the employees on this ship, but Hod does. She feels...guilty. Scared. And...angry? But not at Maya...her feelings are really complicated, but I don't think she wants to work with Lobotomy anymore, which is great news for you guys, and fantastic news for me!

in the market for a new body or somethin’? I guess it would be less magic intensive...

Maya: Don't think you can just walk out of here with her...Sephirahs are the brains of Lobotomy; arguably in a literal sense. Her body would give out within minutes of her being outside of Lobotomy's territory.

Azreldeh: Yeah, yeah; whatever...shouldn't we be going somewhere or something? Daedalus: Always the bleeding heart, huh? Alright, let's get headed down there before things get any messier. The group heads further down the hall, which is very much bustling with employees scrambling to get from one half of the ship to the other. Several of them try and stop Azreldeh to ask Hod questions; "has anyone contacted Angela with the updated situation;" "do you know if the abnormality is secured;" "should we still be sending suppression groups to the abnormality's holding area;" all of these Azreldeh answers rather coolly in passing. After clearing the hallway, however, Hod seems visibly overwhelmed with enough anxiety for the both of them.

"...We really need to get out of here before this thing lands...if it gets where we're going, Angela will..."

Maya: ...She'll recognize me, and she'll try to kill us all. She might even try to destroy the entire ship before we even land if she finds out I'm here...

Clair: ...But nobody recognizes you besides Hod, right?

Azreldeh: You're right. We should be safe so long as she can't access the ship's cameras or Hod herself...but Hod still seems uneasy... Daedalus: So we just need to work fast then, right? Find Alzedeth, get the other guys, and bail. That's not a super long checklist. Azreldeh: Theoretically, yeah. I'd say we're about halfway there now...Maya, you should go find the others and tell them how to find us. All you need to do is get back to this hallway somehow, and Alzedeth will be at the end.

Maya: But won't that blow your cover?

Azreldeh: Not if I keep Hod with us. Now get going, will you? We need to be fast; I'm sure those guys won't notice another scrambling employee running through.

Mulling it over for a second, Maya turns around and heads back the other way to find Rio's group. Daedalus: So what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Azreldeh: We'll all meet up at Alzedeth; so the three of us should just keep moving. Daedalus: Easy enough. I was expecting a lot more insanity around here, honestly. Azreldeh: This won't get chaotic unless someone figures us out. We should be clear until Angela finds us...or unless, hopefully. Daedalus: Go with "unless". I'd prefer us all not dying horribly, thank you. Clair: ...This is such a mess...why did I even leave him behind after we cleared out OZ?

Azreldeh: What would you have to gain from lugging your brother's soulless body around in a suit of armor that's gonna trigger half the IT if they think about it for too long? Daedalus: Not to mention that you weren't really in a position to pack your things before we got you out of there. It was sort of unavoidable, really. Clair: But if I'd had Alzedeth, then maybe--...

Azreldeh: Nope, gonna stop you there; you won't get anywhere thinking like that. Zenith wouldn't have been better off with his soulless body hanging around. I mean, what the hell would he have done with it?

Clair: Lived!! We could've had his body out of the armor; we had the sword; we had Zenith; if we'd just done something, then Zenith wouldn't have had to die!

Azreldeh: And your mom would still be alive too; just full of speedwell poison and a little angrier than she was before she saw you all again. Maybe you'd still be human too, but then what? So you and Zenith /don't/ fight your mom; that means that Jay has to, right? Another kleivenn? How do you think that would've ended when she already had so many others...? Daedalus: Clair, I get it; it sucks to think that maybe if something had gone differently, things would've turned out better. But at some point, you have to understand that playing the "what if" game is only going to hurt you in the long run. Latching onto the past is what made Alzedeth in the first place. If you don't learn to let go, it's just going to make you do something you're going to regret. Trust me on that one. Clair goes bitterly silent as she looks for a response she can't quite articulate into words, accepting that glaring at the floor would be a better decision than speaking her mind. Daedalus sighs quietly. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't easy. Doesn't help that we're sort of on a time crunch either..." Clair: ...I just don't want to let him go like this... Daedalus: There's nothing left for him here. I think you know that at some level. This was always just sort of... delaying the inevitable. Clair: But it's not fair! He didn't even get a chance to have a life; now suddenly I'm probably immortal, most of my family is dead, and I just have to...to move on?! It's not that easy! Daedalus: I didn't say it was easy. Shit, you've arguably got it just as rough as the rest of us honestly, and a lot of it being so recent isn't gonna make it any easier to push through it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't start, though. I was a complete nutcase because I literally could not move on from Aperture. I don't want to see you go down that same road; that's why we're all on that dumb soda machine together. We're supposed to look out for each other... or some other sappy bullshit like that. Azreldeh: Part of your problem is that you're just kinda sitting on all that grief, too. Jay did that once and it literally brought Demo back from the dead in the worst way possible. If you're this haunted by "letting Zenith down," you know everything that led up to that will...quite /literally/ come back to get you, right? You need to let go; and coming here to stop Alzedeth's just the first big step to doing that.

Clair: ...I don't know if I should thank you, or if I should be fearing for whatever kind of life I have now...

Azreldeh: I get that a lot.

Clair honestly has a really good character despite her being 100% combatively useless

Daedalus: Hasn't been that bad so far, in my experience- Wait... How do you know about that, Azreldeh?

Azreldeh: Maya told me about a lot of stuff that happened on the IT when she got drunk one night. She always talks about either things she's afraid of or her family when she gets drunk, so she doesn't get drunk unless it's /reeeeeally/ late. Daedalus: That sounds..... fun? Azreldeh: I mean, most of you are asleep at 4 AM, so it was either that or watch somebody sleep...

Clair: There's...rooms dedicated to doing other things, y'know...

Azreldeh: ...Yeah, but it's not as fun without other people around. Daedalus: Go bug the robots. They don't need to sleep, right? Azreldeh: Oh yeah, Chessman 5000 and the Cowardly Little Toaster would be great company for a gal like me. Daedalus: C'mon, I'm sure Rio has a crazy wild side to 'er. Azreldeh: I don't wanna think about how intricate that walking circuit lasagna is. Jeez, what's taking those guys so long to catch up...?

god, Azreldeh has some good lines in this one, lmao

Rio, Collin, and Maya have managed to find a series of hallways that leads around the one filled with employees, and, coincidentally, the majority of the airship, though the final hall seems to let out near the end of the crowded hall. Maya: Ugh, we really didn't have the time for that kind of detour, but there's no way in hell you two could slip past all those Lobotomy bastards... Collin: Sorry about that. I wasn't really expecting something like this when we left the IT... Maya: It's fine; we just...seriously need to catch up with the others. Collin: Let's not burn any more time, then. The others are just down this hallway, right? Maya: Yeah. They wouldn't go in without us. Collin nods and heads down the hall with the rest of the group. The two groups finally converge at the end of the hallway, where a large, metal door is bolted shut and sealed with a multitude of curious and unrecognizable security measures. Daedalus: ... Sure looks inviting, huh? Just need a welcome mat and they're good to go. Maya: So all we have to do now is...break in, destroy Alzedeth, and escape. Seems...

Azreldeh: Dangerous. Maybe even stupid. We might be killed.

Maya: Just a standard day in Lobotomy, then! Let's break this thing down. You can get in, right?

Azreldeh: Of course I have clearance. Nobody else is even in there, so this should theoretically be the easiest part. But there's also a ton of cameras in there, and everyone will get suspicious if they go offline...

Rio: How long has the room been unoccupied?

Azreldeh: Looks like...roughly an hour?

Rio: I'll connect with the cameras and replay an edited loop of the footage until you're done. It'll look smooth until we need to be gone.

Azreldeh: Man, I didn't expect you to be so prepared for a break in! We should try to steal something cool the next time we go somewhere! Collin: Please don't be a bad influence. We're not wandering cat burglars... Azreldeh: Hmm, but this door's gonna make a ton of noise when it opens; that's gonna be kind of a problem...

Maya: Mmm...I don't have anything that could muffle it either... Collin: I... think I can do something about that? Hang on...

He steps up to the door and holds one hand out to hit, resting his other hand on the opposite forearm. He takes a deep breath and stares intently at the door, which then briefly flashes with a blue light. "Okay, that's not gonna hold long but it should do the trick." Nodding, Azreldeh turns to face the massive door, swiping her right hand from right to left, which causes the bolts to roll back and the door to slowly unlock and open.

"Alright, demolition's turn! Rio's got the cameras; Clair...can go in if she wants; you guys better act quick if you can't do that trick again, though, 'cause we'll need to lock it back when we leave!"

Clair: I...I can't. I can't watch it. I'll stay here... Daedalus: Don't really blame you. We'll get this over with as fast as we can. Azreldeh: Alright, I'll...not totally close the door behind you, but I'll at least block the view. Good luck! Collin, Daedalus, and Maya step inside through the doorway. Alzedeth stands alone in the center of the room, quiet and immobile as ever. He does not stir when approached, only patiently waiting for something to happen. His armor has been stained with the blood of others, presumably the Lobotomy employees that dragged him onto the ship, but beyond that, there are no signs of any changes from the previous encounter. Collin: Jesus...

Daedalus: Who would've thought something could be so damn terrifying without even having to move... Maya: He doesn't even have any weapons on his person...if he doesn't fight back, all we'd have to do is break the armor and tear out his body... Daedalus: You have such a way with words sometimes.

Maya, 100% desensitized to any and all bullshit: let’s fight this bitch

Collin: I could probably break off pieces with spells, but it's probably gonna take quite a few hits. Maya: ...This feels so wrong. He's just soulless, not dead, right? Is it really okay to just...do this? Daedalus: What else are we gonna do? We can try not to hurt the body inside, but how's Clair gonna react if we just walk out with her brother's old body? Maya: ...I guess you have a point. We're just killing something that's already dead, huh...? Alright, let's get this over with... Collin: Alright, everyone get ready. Let's see if he's gonna do anything if I try taking that armor apart...

He wrings out his hands for a moment and then quickly slings out a gray bolt of energy from his right hand. The projectile strikes the left shoulder of the suit, weakening the connecting pieces attaching it to the torso. Alzedeth recoils at the blow, reaching up towards the area he was struck, but does little more beyond holding it. Daedalus: ... Shockingly peaceful for a blood-soaked suit. Listen, should I just... do one clean stab through this thing and get it over with?

Clair probably told him not to fight back

Maya: I...think that's probably for the best, unfortunately. Daedalus: Alright. Collin, weaken that chest plate. I'll do the rest...

Collin nods solemnly and throws another bolt at Alzedeth's chest. While the spell travels through the air, a single spear of white-hot flame flares into being in Daedalus' hands. He charges after the bolt, and right after it hits, he drives the spear straight through the suit's chest. Alzedeth stumbles backwards, shakily reaching for the spear protruding from his chest before collapsing onto his back, his arms falling with him. Closing her eyes tightly, Maya shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and heads for the door, exhaling as she does so.

Maya: ...Never gets easier, does it...? Daedalus: I hope it never does...

His spear disappears, and he turns to follow her out, Collin close behind them. As the group exits, Azreldeh closes the door behind them. "Alright, it's over, Clair. Now we just need to get out of here..."

Rio: ...I don't think we're gonna make it... Collin: What? Why? Rio: ...There's another Sephirah on the ship...you said only Hod was here, but...

For the first time since the group has seen her, Hod finally breaks past Azreldeh's hold, if only to whimper out a singular name: "Angela..." Daedalus: Well, this has been fun, but I think it's time to run like hell, right guys? Maya: We need to get off this ship now!

Clair: B-but what about the Sephirah that Azreldeh's in? Won't she die?!

Azreldeh: ...Oh, absolutely; if Angela finds her after all we've done, she'll be dismantled for sure. ...Oh no, why do you know about this too...? Quit making me feel bad for you, ugh...! Daedalus: Ah hell, if she's dying either way then either take her or don't. We can't waste time standing around! Azreldeh: Ugh, fine...I'm gonna look like a baby goat after this; but we really don't have the time for options!

Leaving Hod, Azreldeh pulls Rio closer after she disconnects from the cameras. The power goes out in the entire hallway as a massive red circle appears beneath the entire group, a smaller circle appears beneath Azreldeh, with four even smaller circles containing varying runes and symbols within them gravitating around it. In a flash of light and a powerful gust of wind, the group is returned to the IT, Hod and all, though Hod's now dysfunctional body collapses to the floor of the console room with Azreldeh, whose horns have shrunken down to tiny, gray nubs.

Nydins: Wh--what the hell?!  Couldn't you use the door?! And who is that?!

Azreldeh: No...no time...we gotta leave...we gotta leave now...don't care...where we go...just go...

S1: ow the edge

S2: all redo: electric boogaloo

S3: panic attacks to the max

S4: self destruction for self defense

Nervously, Nydins spins back around to face the console, sending the IT off to an unknown destination. Collin: Are you okay, Azreldeh? That seemed like... a lot. Azreldeh: I'll...live. You should be worried more about the robot, I couldn't help it... Collin: Crap, what are we gonna do about her? Do you know what it is that ties her to Lobotomy like that, Maya? Maya: I don't...something to do with the intricate make of her body, I'm sure; but only A and C knew about that; and I...didn't really get to talk to either of them.

Rio: ...Don't worry about it. We'll figure something out; just stay away from Lobotomy.

Maya: Oh, I fully intend to for the rest of my natural life; you don't need to tell me. Collin: Should we take her to XL's room for now? Maya: I guess so...Sephirahs aren't built like an average android or robot, though, and they aren't entirely human, either...I don't know if she'll be able to do anything; repairing Hod would need surgery and robotics...

Nydins: Good thing she can do both of those things. To a point... Daedalus: Well, I'll leave voiding her warranty in your hands. I'm... gonna go lie down for a little bit. Rio: ...I'm sorry you had to go through all that. If there was anything I could've done to help without getting somebody hurt, I would've. Daedalus: Bah, don't worry about it.

He waves a hand absently over his shoulder as he walks out of the console room.

Collin: Here, I'll get Hod over to the- wait a second... Jay, you can come out now. Crawling out of Collin's pocket, Jay glides a bit away before shifting back to normal.

"You couldn't have done anything anyway; all you could do was look through the cameras, right?"

Rio: ...R-right! I guess so...b-but if I could've helped, I...probably would've done more! Collin: You did fine, Rio. Honestly you kinda surprised me with that bit about manipulating the camera feed. I didn't think you were so sneaky. Rio: Well, I...had to be to get around Greenfinger sometimes...n-not like that matters now...

Maya: Okay, I get that you're nervous; but you're tripping all over yourself like a drunken prom date suddenly. What the hell got into you?

Azreldeh: ...You don't wanna know that... Collin: What is that supposed to mean? Azreldeh: L-listen, we were in a hurry, and...and you guys needed to leave where you were as quickly and safely as possible; so I just...did that. I took everybody with us. Well, everybody close... Collin: ... What did you do? Azreldeh: ...I...I know, this is gonna sound ridiculous after all the other stuff I'd done; but, I mean, that place was a nightmare; they weren't just gonna dismantle her, what I saw made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't leave her behind; not after seeing everything she'd gone through; not while knowing what would happen if I left her behind, but those things don't have human souls; they're too much like AIs; so I couldn't really...put her...anywhere...else? Collin: ... Oh god dammit. Azreldeh: Well, I wouldn't really say a god did it, but, thanks for the admiration...?

Maya: Admiration; you're lucky he's not trying to blast you back to hell!

Azreldeh: H-hey, look, you guys are all about protecting the innocent and stuff, right? This isn't hurting anybody, I mean, Rio's still there too; she's just...got a roommate. Collin stares straight through Azreldeh for several seconds as he tries to process her words, until finally he turns to Rio. "... Are you okay?" Rio: I'm fine! I just...wish she'd asked first, but there wasn't really time for it...b-but I'm okay! Hod isn't bad, she's just...very sad. But if we can help her, then I'm okay with doing this until she can go back to her real body. Collin: ... Alright. I'm sorry. And you...

He turns to Azreldeh and starts trying to say something, but the words catch in his throat as his thoughts smash together in a pile. He shakes his head, giving up, and turns to leave the console room. Curling her tail around herself uncomfortably, Azreldeh hides herself in her wings as she quietly mumbles: "...I really messed this up, huh?"

next time, we uhh...pop the top on fixing Hod, and some other stuff happens! I think