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unpredictable-probabilities · 8 months ago

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Azul Ashengrotto of Royal Sword Academy || Chapter 23: Mummies and Skeletons

Summary:

After Sam's shop, Jamil's Halloween Tour for Azul officially begins and the couple first make their way to Octavinelle and Heartslabyul's booths, where their respective Prefects and Vice Prefects reveal that they haven't been the only ones facing romantic prospects and dilemmas.

Word Count: 4,828

They pass by the other Scarabia students in their costumes, and some turn to greet and wave at them.

"Have a great day, boss!"

"Swing by again sometime, Mister Azul!"

"Wear costumes next time, you two!"

Azul turns to Jamil and casually links their hands again. "When is your costume shift?" he asks curiously.

"Tomorrow and then on Friday, from afternoon until the evening.” Jamil raises an eyebrow at Azul. "Why? Is someone interested? I'm not gonna look much different from the others here, just so you know."

"Just like how I don't look much different in my RSA uniform than my other schoolmates?" Azul tilts his head and smiles.

"... Touché,” Jamil returns the smile

"Oh, hey! Is that a Stamp Booklet in your hands, Mister Azul?" asked one of the Scarabia students. "Here! Lemme go and mark our stall down for you! If you're ever in need of a snack, Sam's selling limited-edition waffles so feel free to come back!"

"Thank you," Azul nods and takes back the stamped booklet.

"Enjoy your date!" the Scarabia student says brightly and returns to their booth.

"I'm happy to see that your residents are supportive," Azul says to Jamil. "I suppose I'm just surprised because the first impression I've had of your residents was when one of them threw their lunch at me," he adds in amusement.

"A-hah, well, we don't often make for the best people to go to when you want to make good first impressions." Jamil chuckles. "It does make me curious what'd go down if you two ever chance upon each other again. I can at least assure you he won't be throwing another lunch your way anytime soon. I think it was his way of protecting my pride for that quiz bee."

"Hmm," Azul hums thoughtfully. "I'd been wondering, when some of your schoolmates and your own residents were quite angry with me after that quiz bee, why weren't you? I mean, you did look like you wanted to stab me right after the quiz ended, but you didn't seem angry anymore when the Leech twins dragged us to the cafeteria."

"I was mostly confused and just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible," Jamil admits. "And even if I was upset at you, I was mostly upset with myself, so the anger against you didn't last for too long."

"I'm glad it didn't," Azul smiles. "Because even back then I already admired you. I've competed in a few quiz bees before, but no one came as close to beating me like you did. It reached a point when I was smiling every time you answered correctly."

"Strange. I don't think I've ever met anyone who'd be happy to get closely beaten…" Jamil says as they start making their way on the path leading back to the Hall of Mirrors. "Why? Craving for a fellow intellectual or something?"

"I suppose I was," Azul shrugs. "As I've said, I only really joined because my professors suggested that I do, and I saw no reason to refuse. I was prepared to be bored out of my mind again, but you made it more challenging."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to make it fun for you. I'm definitely up for a rematch someday. Although I honestly wanna see a showdown between you and our lil' valedictorian: Riddle Rosehearts from Heartslabyul. That guy's ruthless when it comes to being a know-it-all. Their dorm's got 810 rules and he's apparently memorized all of them by heart. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him get an imperfect score, even when the test had an item about a newfound thesis or research. If you really want a challenge, there's your guy."

"Rosehearts, the president of the Equestrian Club? Interesting," Azul says thoughtfully. “He did seem rather capable and competent when we went horseback riding with Najma a while back.”

Jamil nods. “Exactly. Anyway, we're heading to Octavinelle's booth next. Any guesses as to what they've become this Halloween?" He was certain they hadn't run into any Octavinelle student in costume in the dorm last night, and Jade left for the meeting earlier without changing.

"Hmm. Scarabia is werewolves, Pomefiore is vampires… I don't suppose Octavinelle went for zombies? Sea monsters are also possible, but that might be too on the nose. Or ghosts? I can see Floyd having fun with a costume made out of a sheet with eyeholes.”

"He would, and he'd be an absolute terror at it," Jamil shakes his head in amusement. "Well, here we are. On a normal day, this is our school's laboratory."

They stand by a building that's been decked out with cobwebs and machinery, making it resemble the lab of a mad scientist. Jamil leads Azul inside where they're greeted by a spacious but crowded room full of vials, surgery tables, various equipment, and tanks filled with bioluminescent water.

A few of the Octavinelle students were milling around, looking up at them thinking that they're visitors, only to blink in confusion. They're all dressed in classy suits of white fabric and linen, complete with bowler hats and arm draperies.

"Uh..." one of them speaks up. "Can we help you?"

"Hello," Azul greets him with a smile. "We're just visiting your booth. Oh, and getting a stamp," he shows him the booklet.

"Jamil!" a cheerful voice says, and Rey appears in costume. "I haven't seen you in forever! How's your dorm? How's your booth?" He seems to notice Azul for the first time. "Oh! And who's this?" his eyes drift to their linked hands and look questioningly at Jamil, the smile still on his face.

"Ah, hey Rey," Jamil nods in his direction before looking at Azul and gesturing to the Octavinelle Prefect. "Azul, this is Rey. Rey, this is Azul, a student from RSA. I'm just showing him around. Scarabia’s doing pretty well. How are things here?"

"Oh it's been chill, Jade did a super dope job with this place, I mean look at it!" he gestures proudly around. "And— Wait, Azul?" he turns to him. "Oh! You're the one who's co-managing Jade's café! Nice to finally meet you!" he claps Azul on the shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you too," Azul smiles back. "Thank you for allowing me to co-manage a shop in your dorm."

"It's no problem, man!" Rey says, then turns to Jamil. "Uh, hey, do you know where Tacitus is?"

"Tacitus?" Jamil blinks, confused. Why is Rey looking for his Vice Prefect? "I think he's at his room in Scarabia, since today's not his costume shift. Why?"

"I wanted to show him my costume," Rey grins. "Oh and I'm gonna ask him out. See you, guys!" he claps both of them on the shoulder and strolls out.

"Wh—!?" Jamil sputters out in bewilderment.

"Good luck!" someone from Octavinelle calls out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don't think so!" says another, walking in front of Rey. "Prefect, today's your costume shift and we need you here to help hold down the fort. There were already a LOTTA visitors yesterday—it could end up disastrous if we don't have all hands on deck with us right now!"

"Oh right!" Rey says, as if he just realized what the booth is for. "The visitors! That's why we're in costume! Smart," he points an approving finger at the student. Then he pulls out his phone and starts typing. "Just gonna send a quick text to Tacitus, asking him to visit. Hmm, he doesn't like crowds, though. I'll just ask him to meet up later when the gates close for visitors again." He goes to sit in a chair at the side, texting and smiling at his phone.

"I can stamp that for you," the first student that approached them says politely to Azul.

"Oh thank you," Azul says, handing it over and accepting it after it had been stamped.

"I see that Rey's still the same as ever," Jamil comments, watching the guy type away on his phone before turning to the costumed Octavinelle student in charge of stamping. "But hang on, him and Tacitus? Since when had this been a thing?"

The student shrugs. "I don't know. But I've seen them hanging out a few times, and Tacitus was at Octavinelle yesterday. They had lunch in our lounge."

"I see this surprises you," Azul remarks. "Did they not seem close before?"

"Well, I didn't know much about Tacitus at all, and I certainly hadn't expected him and Rey of all people to get along..." Jamil mutters, looking almost concerned. "Rey seems like a nice guy, but I dunno…"

"If it's of any comfort to you, Jamil, the rest of us haven't quite figured Tacitus out either, despite his frequent visits. It seems like the only one who has an inclination of what he's like is Prefect Rey himself."

Jamil sighs. "I hope he treats him well… Sometimes, when I look at Tacitus, he just seems like a gust of desert wind would be enough to blow him away."

"I've only known Rey for the entirety of two minutes so I can't say much," Azul says. "But he did take into consideration Tacitus' dislike of crowds, so that at least shows that he cares about his feelings. And he seemed really excited to see him."

The Octavinelle student nods. "Yeah, don't worry, Jamil. Prefect Rey can be a little forgetful and… quirky sometimes, but he means well. And Azul has a point. Prefect Rey knows that Tacitus doesn't like going outside much, so they always hang out at our dorm or in any of the buildings here."

"That's saying a lot, considering Rey doesn't like ‘being cooped up for too long', according to him during one of our meetings." Jamil mentions. "Well, I hope they have fun later, then, and er… good luck for Day 2, you guys."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine, we've got Jade filling in with us after his meeting, but…" The student conspiratorially leans in with a whisper. "We gotta keep Prefect Rey attentive to his duties as much as possible."

"He seems to listen easily when you remind him," Azul says encouragingly. "Good luck for today, and great job on the decorations."

"Thanks," the student grins and walks off to greet the other visitors that are starting to come in.

"Their mummy costumes look good," Azul tells Jamil. "Was each dorm free to come up with their own theme?"

"Yup. Jade told me it was because both he and Rey were mermen, they wanted to try dressing up as the farthest thing from that, so desert mummies they became. Dunno why they went for a mad scientist in addition to that, though."

"Perhaps it was Floyd's idea," Azul says in amusement. "How did Scarabia decide on werewolves?"

"That sounds like Floyd," Jamil mutters. "As for our decision on werewolves, we also wanted to break from our usual norm of desert themes, and then someone thought about the coyotes roaming around at night before we started delving into folktales of people transforming into wolves around the colder regions of the Shaftlands, so… there we are. How about you? If you could dress up as a monster, what would you have liked to become?"

Azul thinks about it. "Perhaps one of those undead creatures who are made of stitched up body parts of different corpses. The idea of creating an entirely new sentient being from several different parts seems like an incredible feat, and as a costume the fake stitches seem like they'd make for good decoration. Or I could just go for a Kraken and save up on costume materials," he says playfully. "What about you?"

Jamil thought about it. "I think a part of me would be the type of asshole that'd dress up normally and say that I'm attending Halloween as a murderous sociopath. Though a skeleton would be pretty cool. It's gotta be a cool-looking skeleton, though. Speaking of, that's what the next location's all about. Come on."

"Bye, you two!" Rey waves them off.

Azul chuckles at Jamil's answer and waves a goodbye to Rey. "A cool-looking skeleton, huh? That definitely sounds intriguing." Then he looks thoughtful. "What costume would you like to see me in?" he asks Jamil.

Jamil blinks at him in surprise. "Oh, um… I'm not sure. I'd much prefer you looking comfortable in what you wear, so… I dunno. I don't really have anything in mind. Why? Do you?”

"I did pick a costume for our Music Club performance," Azul says. "I partly asked that question because I was wondering if you'd like what I had picked," he smiles. "Anyway, which dorm has the cool-looking skeletons?"

"Oh?" Jamil asks, deciding to focus on Azul's mystery outfit first. "How do you find your costume, then? Do you like it? Was it your idea to wear it?"

Azul nods. "It was my idea, yes. We were thinking of what songs we could perform that would be fitting for Halloween, and I remembered one that's based on a legend from the Shaftlands. My costume is based on one of the characters in the legend, I really like it," he says genuinely.

Jamil smiles at him. "Then I'm sure I'll love it. Now, as for the skeletons…"

They stop outside the botanical garden, with guests and visitors streaming in beside them. Jamil made sure no familiar Heartslabyul members were in sight before turning to Azul. "Which dorm do you think this is?"

Azul looks around. "The options are Ignihyde, Diasomnia, Heartslabyul, or Savanaclaw, correct? I don't see any advanced technological effects, so I think we can rule out Ignihyde. I don't see many beastmen either, so I'm guessing not Savanaclaw. It's either Diasomnia or Heartslabyul," he guesses.

"Huh? Oh, hey! You two!" Says a voice, and Ace pops up among the crowd, donning the dark and white clothes and a shovel. He waves and jogs over to them. "What're you doin' here? Showin' him around, Jamil?"

Jamil, though a little cross that the guessing was cut short, nods. "Yep. He's filling out stamps for that prize. Looks like you weren't beheaded, good for you."

"Beheaded?" Azul asks. "I'm guessing that's a metaphor, or Halloween in NRC is much more intense than I had expected."

"Psh, nah. It's my Prefect’s Signature Spell." Ace grimaces, the face of someone who's already experienced it. "It basically locks all your magic away until he dispels it. If you ask me, it's just as bad as an actual beheading. So you're here for stamps? You're gonna have to find our head 'gravedigger' for that! You'll find him inside our 'cemetery'!" He gestures at the large botanical dome. "He goes by the name of 'Trey Clover'. Knowing him, he's prolly not gonna be in-character. Says it's embarrassing."

"Look, momma! It's one of the monsters!" a little girl exclaims, pointing at Ace.

Ace smoothly turns to her and smiles. "Hey there, kiddo! Heading into the spooky graveyard first, are we? Sounds like you're pretty brave! Are you sure you can handle it?"

"We should leave him be for now," Jamil says, gently tugging Azul along as the girl giggles at Ace and tells him that he doesn't look scary at all.

"I seem to remember you mentioning the name 'Trey' back then,” Azul says as they walk deeper into the booth. “Is he the one who you said might be interested in judging our cooking competition?"

"Oh, right. Yeah. He's pretty reliable. Hardly pokes his nose into other people's business and can generally be relied on as one of the nicer guys in school,” Jamil explains, opening the door to reveal the sprawling greenery of the botanical garden shrouded in fog as decorated headstones and spooky memorabilia scatter throughout the space. Many of the Heartslabyul students are found here, slinking around greeting guests or taking pictures with them.

"You really go all out with your decorations," Azul smiles, looking around.

Jamil sees Trey up ahead, wearing his costume and smiling at a group of visitors while he stamps their booklets. They take a picture with him and thank him before walking away to explore.

"Well, of course,” Jamil says. “None of us plan on losing to the others… Though admittedly, there's no prize for whose booth is the best. It's just bragging rights. And we'll all insist that our respective dorms would have won," Jamil rolls his eyes. "It's so childish. If only we can all agree that Scarabia's is clearly superior."

They leisurely make their walk along the gravestones, each one written with customized inscriptions.

One of them reads:

HERE LIES DUMMY DEUCEY.

CAUSE OF DEATH: HIS OWN CAULDRON TO THE HEAD.

While the tombstone next to it states:

HERE LIES ACE THE MENACE.

CAUSE OF DEATH: TART THEFT.

"Looks like they had fun making the tombstones," Azul says in amusement, looking down at the inscriptions. He looks at Jamil again. "Do I get a prize if I say that Scarabia's booth is superior?"

Jamil snorts before giving Azul a side-hug. "A very pleased boyfriend, that's for certain... Anyway, that's our future cooking judge up ahead." He gestures to Trey and proceeds to make his way over.

Trey quickly notices them and smiles. "Ah. Hey, Jamil. And you must be…" He curiously glances at Azul. "Oh, I recognize you from the committee meetings between RSA and NRC leading up to Halloween. We never properly introduced ourselves before, have we? I'm Trey Clover, Heartslabyul's Vice Prefect. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm Azul Ashengrotto," Azul smiles. "A pleasure to meet you. Jamil is just showing me around the booths, and Ace said you're the one to look for if we want to get stamps," he shows the booklet.

"Ah, of course," Trey takes it. "So, Azul, how were the cookies?" he says while stamping the booklet.

"Sorry?" Azul says in confusion.

Trey smiles and hands the booklet back to Azul. "The seashell cookies, that Jamil asked me to help him bake for the Autumn Dance."

"Oh! They were excellent," Azul smiles. "I must say that I'd never seen edible hinges on a pastry before. It's kind of you to help Jamil make them. How did you know they were for me?" he wonders aloud.

"Jamil had never approached me for confectionery help before, and he was determined for it to go well, so I figured it must be for something special. Then Riddle tells me that you were walking around NRC wearing Jamil's blazer. It didn't take much to figure out.” Trey gives Jamil a knowing look.

"AHEM! Thank you, Trey," Jamil mutters, looking away in embarrassment. "There's no point in slyly exposing me at this point. Azul already knows how bad I got it for him."

Azul chuckles, his cheeks turning pink. "I never know how to respond when you say things like that, you know?"

Trey laughs good-naturedly. "Well I'm glad you didn't remain stubbornly secretive about it, Jamil. Look at you being a changed man," he teases.

"What do you mean? Have I always been that obvious?" Jamil asks, flustered. "You don't know. I could've just wanted to give those baked treats to a friend or get myself some favors for leverage down the road..."

"Your only close friends here are Ace, Floyd, and Ruggie, and you don't seem the type to give pastries to each other," Trey says. "And your smile after we baked the cookies was genuinely happy and not at all devious. I could have been reading too much into it," he shrugs, "But then we all saw how you two were dancing at the ball, and that was that.”

Now Jamil wishes he knew more about Trey, just so he could clap back and tease him on his crushes. But he unfortunately doesn't have much to go on. Trey is unsurprisingly a very desirable fellow on campus, even attracting attention from people like Vil and Jade.

"... Fine,” Jamil relents with a sigh. "I guess I was pretty bad at keeping it all under wraps… But it's whatever now, right? How are things going over here?"

"Good, even the freshmen are handling things well enough even when there are a lot of visitors," Trey says.

"Oh, hello," Riddle appears beside Trey and greets all of them, then turns back to Trey. "I'm just reminding you that your break is in an hour."

"Oh," Trey looks at his watch. "Thanks, Riddle," he smiles.

"How are the booths so far?" Riddle asks them.

"They seem to be doing well enough, though I might have to check back on Scarabia later to be sure,” Jamil replies. “But for now, I'm just showing Azul around. We're heading to Diasomnia's next.”

Jamil finds himself squinting at both Riddle and Trey, wondering if there's something between them. They certainly have a stronger bond than the average Prefect and Vice Prefect would have.

"Ah, their decorations are certainly a sight to behold," Riddle says approvingly.

"Maybe you'll run into Yuu and Grim while you're there," Trey says. "They put on some costumes, too."

"All right, I shall go check on the others and make sure that everything is still in order," Riddle says.

"Hey, you should also take a break soon, okay?" Trey says, his tone softening. "You've been working since breakfast."

"I'm fine, Trey," Riddle says. "As Prefect, my residents must always feel assured that I am around if they ever need help."

"They can handle it, you've taught all of them well." Trey isn't backing down.

Riddle purses his lips. "Still, I should be here–"

"If you don't take a break, neither will I," Trey cuts him off, sounding a little playful but looking serious.

Riddle's mouth parts in surprise, but he relents. "Fine. I'll take a small break now, and I'll return when it's your break time, okay?"

"Sounds good," Trey smiles.

Riddle steps closer to Trey and straightens his collar. "There. All that posing for photos seems to have gotten you a little disheveled," he says playfully.

Trey averts his eyes from Riddle's face so close to him and lets out a nervous chuckle, his own face reddening. "Sorry, Prefect."

"Oh stop it, I was joking," Riddle says with a smile. Then he turns to Azul and Jamil. "Enjoy the rest of the booths," he says then walks away.

"Do you bake cookies for him, Trey?" Azul asks mischievously.

"What?" Trey looks caught off-guard. "No, I–" he laughs awkwardly. "Riddle and I are childhood friends. That's it."

"I see. I suppose that makes sense, he was on a date with that Pomefiore bloke earlier, they looked really sweet together."

"What?" Trey frowns. "Who? And when? Riddle hasn't told me anything. Was it Rook? They were probably just talking, Rook can be overly friendly to people and it can look like a date. Was it him? Blond guy, probably with a bow and arrow?"

Azul just smirks wordlessly, and understanding appears on Trey's face.

"Ah. You are dastardly for an RSA student, Azul," Trey wags a finger at him, smiling.

"Seems like it's an NRC trait to be stubbornly secretive," Azul smiles back.

Jamil chuckles at Azul's antics. "Well now… Looks like your baking for Riddle's got its own special motivations, too. Planning on telling him anytime soon?"

Trey laughs nervously, adjusting his glasses. "Well I– I mean– I don't even know where to begin, you know?" he looks at them, then furrows his eyebrows curiously at Jamil. "How did you tell Azul? Such a private guy like you. Or did Azul admit it first?"

Jamil blinks at him. Could Trey be asking for advice?

"I did it in the smoothest way possible," he playfully fibs.

Azul chuckles, smiling fondly at Jamil, but he just watches their exchange and doesn't say anything.

"Really?" Trey raises an eyebrow in amusement and crosses his arms. "And how did you do that? Care to help out an old upperclassman?"

Oh, Jamil's digging himself into a hole here.

"... Well..." Jamil glances at Azul for help and sees that he won't be getting any. "We were talking, and the talking... escalated. I made a move, Azul moved back and… we took off from there."

Trey looks at him for a few moments and smiles. "I'm proud of you, Jamil," he says genuinely, with a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

"If I may," Azul finally speaks. "If you really want to tell Riddle, then simply start by talking to him. You're already close friends so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"I'm not sure how I feel talking about this so out in the open like this," Trey chuckles and looks around shyly at all the visitors roaming their booth. "But… even if we do talk about it… If he doesn't feel the same, then we might end up being awkward around each other. I just don't wanna mess up what we have now, you know? I'm happy where we are."

"And if someone else were to court Riddle and date him?" Azul asks pointedly.

Trey purses his lips. "It'll be Riddle's choice if he wants to date someone else, I won't stop him."

"Then let him know that you're one of the choices," Azul says slowly, as if to emphasize the point. "I realize we've only met today, and I don't want to impose. But from what I've seen, I don't think there's anything you can say to Riddle that would drive him away. Jamil here knows the two of you better, do you agree?" he turns to Jamil.

"Honestly? Yeah," Jamil nods, crossing his arms and dropping the playfulness. "Riddle relies and trusts you a lot. I get how you feel, being unsure about where you both stand… But I think Riddle of all people would appreciate it if you approach him about it honestly… Though I suppose it can't hurt to be extra sure. Have you gathered any information from other Heartslabyuls about how Riddle might feel about you?”

"You make it sound like spywork or something," Trey says shyly, shaking his head. "Uh, our dorm mates like to tease us sometimes, though mostly me when Riddle isn't around. But that doesn't really mean anything."

"You don't know, maybe they noticed something in Riddle too, if they felt confident enough to tease you about it,” Jamil tells him. "You don't have to follow any of my and Azul's thoughts on the matter. In the end, the decision really is up to you. But Riddle's considerably changed since the first few weeks of school. I think you can trust that whatever you tell him, the both of you will be able to talk it out properly without jeopardizing your friendship.”

Trey nods slowly, a thoughtful look on his face, and he gives them a small smile. "Thanks, guys. I'll keep that in mind. I'm gonna get back to work now," he nods at new visitors approaching and walks over to them. The kids stare in awe at his costume and excitedly ask their parents to take their picture with him.

"Weren't… you afraid?" Azul asks Jamil as they make their way out of the booth. "That you might jeopardize our friendship if you had admitted your feelings?"

"I was... but the main reason I hesitated telling you was that I wanted to wait for the right moment to say it, though it was hard to find that with events and issues popping up here and there. What about you?" Jamil asks curiously.

Azul looks ahead as he thinks about it. "I suppose I was more like Trey. I was already happy with what we had, and I was afraid to do anything that might mess it up, even though I wanted more. Wait…" he turns to Jamil in realization. "That moment in the aviary, just before my phone rang, were you about to confess your feelings then?"

Jamil can't help but shyly smile. "I thought the timing felt right then and there, but… well, it didn't work out. So this was all a little late."

Azul smiles fondly and takes Jamil's hand, lacing their fingers together. "You did save my life that day, so I don't mind that the confession was a little late. Especially since you kissed me right after confessing," his tone becomes a bit more playful.

Jamil grins wryly, leading Azul outside of the garden and into the autumn daylight. "It was hard to keep myself away from you once the cat got out of the bag.”

“Dangerous words, Viper.” Azul's eyes glint mischievously.

Jamil chuckles and turns away from Azul's gaze, his face warming. Sevens, the guy could really flirt if he wanted to. That was deeply unfair.

“Speaking of cats,” Jamil pointedly changes the subject as they approach Ramshackle dorm. “How do you feel about a monster that particularly looks like one, but with fire in its ears and a pitchfork for a tail? Hope you're not too freaked out by abnormal creatures…”

Author's Notes:

Thank you for your patience with this update sdkjflskdfj, I hope you liked it! ^_^

<- Chapter 22

Chapter 24 ->

(Masterlist)

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fereldanwench · 1 year ago

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this text message exchange always felt slightly broken to me, like the order got out of whack or something

he technically does ask two questions during this exchange: can we trust wako and why is this shithole called kabuki, but he opens the conversation with "hello, V, do you think wakako will betray us?"

if you ask him why he isn't charmed anymore, he'll explain that she's "a venomous spider" who would sell them out for nothin' if she didn't hate arasaka so much, and then he tells v he's in kabuki

if you just tell him he has nothing to worry about, v will ask where he is, and then he just gets right to the "v. i am in kabuki" part of the convo

but it feels like the order should almost be like

hello, v. i am in kabuki. i have two questions

do you think wakako will betray us? > v answers either "not charmed anymore?" or "it's fine"

goro responds to the charmed message the same way he does, if that's selected

then goro asks why kabuki is called that bc it's such a shithole

and the "i will let you know shortly" msg also feels out of place, like maybe it was supposed to be a part of the response to "let me know if i can be of help" msg from v

i mean i guess it could be read as "i will let you know my other question shortly" but i don't think that's how it's intended. he might speak in riddles sometimes, but he's usually very clear and to the point otherwise.

and i guess the weird order could be generously explained by his fumbling with the outdated phone tech, but i think that'd be a reach, too. not knowing how to use a text messaging app doesn't mean you start thinking out of order lmao. and this is before the food search fumble texts--it just wouldn't really make sense to have him talk pseudo-nonsense when there's a funny bit coming up later that addresses it head on

plus, given that the infamous "aren't you lonely" text message was borked for a long time and considering that he was a late addition to the game and probably didn't get the same level of QAing that other convos did, it seems very likely to me that this one also got out of sorts

#t: wench games #c: goro takemura #g: cyberpunk 2077

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ishouldgetatumbler · 2 months ago

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Batman set the criminal down, safely on the ledge. He expected the man to step quickly away from the ledge, but instead he lit a cigarette.

"Start talking." Batman said curtly.

"This woulda been [Year] probably, when this happened. You know I was taking the dog for a walk as we called it. Brucie was a 100 pound hyena, cackling like he had a graduate degree from gotham u."

Batman raised an eyebrow.

"Walking the dog was "you fucked up, And I'm letting you know!" you know? he barely knew... you know? barely knew how to put his pants on! if you get the phrase."

Batman stared.

"No?"

The stare grew more intense.

"Look, he could barely tell the difference between friend and food before the bosses wife started siccing him on us once a week."

Batman raised an eyebrow.

"She was starting to get into some sicko shit. Or I guess the boss was, and they was stuck together. And they ain't ever really sorted it til Ms.I and the boss's Mrs. became-"

"get to the point." Batman interjected

"I light up a cigarette. Boom, the thing goes on me. Like it never knew me, certainly never liked me. I wear pretty thick clothes at this point. It's Gotham in the winter time, and you know if you're getting exercise duty. So he got little chunks of me and a big chunks of cloth on the first few chomps, but I'm in trouble. Close my eyes for one second, boom no hyena."

Batman was an impassive listener.

"I look around, flip on the flashlight: nothing. Except! There! a footprint."

The crook pulled a flashlight from his pocket, and flipped it in the air to himself.

"It's got a fuckin' bat on it. And I remember my cousin Jakey who don't walk so good anymore. And he says, before it went down, he found a foot print with a bat on it and went to tell the boss."

The crook sighed and shook his head.

"What never occured to Jakey, but did occur to me when I was looking at it, is how did he make only one? Anyway you do it, it can't be easy and it couldn't be an accident. The bat was warning us. Then I thought of my cousin Tony who don't walk at all."

The crook caught the flashlight and held it in his hand. Then clicked it on.

Batman followed its trail to his feet.

Two footprints.

No bats.

"You don't got his footprints. dat's how I knew you ain't the bats I tussled with way back. The shoes don't got bats on him. Is he still-?"

the man trailed off, hoping batman would finish the thought.

"Yes." said the younger Batman, "His back hurts and he doesn't get around much anymore, but he's still out there."

"dats good. Heh, 'back hurts', tell him to get in line! Anyway, the boys and doing a B&E ona jewlery shop on fifth street. we're supposed to replace all of the gems with forgeries and leave a series of convluted clues hidden amoung the shop items. Then, when wayne corp buys the parent company in december we steal the forgery gems back, steal the insurance pay out by blackmailing the shopkeeper who, after selling gems, but before completely solving the series of riddles, will likely solve them by december and come to the realizion he's been selling forgeries, and threaten to reveal him if he does not give out the green. Then when we report the fraud anyway, the buisiness is ruined, the owner is charged with insurance fraud and in order to recoup merchandise for this new investment wayne corp will be forced to buy the diamonds back at an exhorbitant fee."

Batman tapped two fingers to one tall pointy ear, "you get all that?" he grumbled.

Unheard by the greying man in nondistinct clothes, Bruce Wayne responded, "Yes, and his story checks out. A company called Undisputed Gems, a small local retailer since the 70s. Alex Chang is the owner, after a long line he's the executor of his father's estate. Their self described "keystone" being the Baudelare Building on 6th. The sale is going off on the 24th, with stock prices expecting to soar following the announcement gala in two weeks."

"So?" Batman said to empty air.

"So why is one anonymous bidder betting hard against wayne corp? the only reason would be that they know something is going to drop it."

"Like an insurance fraud and forgery scam. He's not just double dipping he's triple dipping." Batman replied, then clicking his tongue, said "greedy."

"Can I go now?" The criminal asked, breathing smoke out and letting a trail of hot, thin tar flap in the wind like a banner.

"Not yet. Where is this guy holed up?"

The criminal sighed. "Nowhere. We get texts. Everythings digital now. Masterminds these days have no respect for lairs. Real, proper lairs."

Bruce grumbled something sounding like agreement from his earpiece.

"Look, I don't want to hold you over the ledge again but-" Batman started.

"Sometime's when the boss would call we could hear a train. Can I get down? It's Gotham in November, I gotta go home and make dinner."

"You were so sure I would drop you because I wasn't Batman before." Batman said, slightly taken aback.

"I thought you weren't Batman before. Now I know you're Batman, you're just not Him. Batman don't play for keeps. He don't make it personal."

"Go home. Get back out of this life." Batman said as a sleek, black angular vehicle hovered above him, then came to rest near and below the roof ledge.

Batman leaped from the ledge and and opening snapped apart in the top of the ship, then snapped shut as Batman dived in.

Bathed in the red glow of the ship Terry Mcginnis breathed out the gut he forgot he holds in as batman.

Then, a moment later, sucked it back it.

"Hey boss-"

"I'm already making some changes to your gear."

terry snickered to himself, then whipped the accelerator forward and dissapeared into the skyline, while a man dressed like he didn't want to draw attention shimmied down a fire escape.

hate when a batman artist isn't committed to bruce's lame bat schtick... give that man a bat insignia on the bottom of his boots rn

#batman #batman beyond #terry mcginnis

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littlepigeontales-blog · 6 months ago

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Here comes my unsolicited rambling and ranting of nostalgia. I hate May. No I love it. I actually hate it. It's riddled with goodbyes and endings and they sell me the new-beginnings-quick-scheme but I don't want it. Do you know how awful it is to constantly have to love and let go. I love you, it's actually ruining my life. It's bringing me grief every damn year to say goodbye to it all, I do it every May and I feel like screaming on my knees begging it to all stop.

I specifically remember two Mays. They bring flowers to my many funerals. I get so lost trying to find my way back. I think about how they don't think about. I don't understand how they never miss me. It kills me.

I wish I could rid myself of any emotion present within me, I wish in my heart only an abyss of darkness. I waltz back to places of my tragic fabric of longing, and they all unstitch themselves so quickly.

That May, I felt a glow like never before and never since. All I am left with now is a ghost of my dreaming. Words etched across my chest that I never want to hear. They paint dreamscapes of a heaven and take me to hell. Now, I only feel a whole, like never before, and never since. I wish they'd bury me, I wish they'd stop reciting elegies that eulogize me time and time again.

Am I paying for some phantom mistake that won't let me get out of bed. Why is my life so momentary, all of this is so fucking unnecessary. I want it to stop. Everything always ends up engulfed in flames, and they always start the blaze.

Beginnings are good. Beginnings before I bolt. Beginnings make me fall in love with the twinkling lights of the jokes and wrinkle in time that brings me to that moment. I wish i was seventeen. i'd do it all over again. But maybe not. I don't know, maybe I am confused, maybe I am searching for some poem to make sense of it all, it's true, I sit there reading Aristotle like he's going to swirl a poem for me that explains my affliction of nostalgia that keeps me right where they left me.

I like hearing it, I like asking them "before you left, before you hated me, before it all stopped, tell me about the first time you saw me."

I'd like a turn at truth or dare, I'd like a spin at spin the bottle, instead I am drowning myself in this bottle of boredom and tears. I feel myself crashing into all these memories of goodbyes and how I never leave with grace, blotchy face, everything I've ever loved has my claw marks, now I tell myself not anymore.

So now I bolt, now I take the plunge in cold water, watching as they all let me drown. Maybe I am so charming and fun until you get to know me, I know behind my back they all say she'll get in her car speeding off. But they never get in theirs to talk me off the ledge. They'll say "all her fucking lives will flash her life before she realizes that we don't care."

I am sick of being on my knees begging for the chance to let me live, to let it once be me, to redraw the cards that play me for a fool. I know they say a lesser woman lose it all, a greater woman wouldn't have to beg. I am just asking if it'll be ok?

I am tired of looking to the sky to read the book of stars and screaming please.

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alanxwake · 1 year ago

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Taken [May 16th, 2013]

They stood there, their feet solid on the ground. their movements shifted and skittered Like they were struggling to move - their movements looked surreal and uncanny, but they just watched me. Their eyes leaking of the darkness, painting their face black. They were riddled, sealed.. and protected with the thick, malicious and poignant mist that wrapped around their being; fueling them with extreme strength and will... will to stop me, pull me from my goal, my path and my desire to save Alice...

They were waiting, waiting for that very second the light above me flickered and died, desperate as they hovered and moved around me, surrounding me. Teasing and haunting me with their weapons, swaying them about, mocking and laughing at me; they lust for their weapon to collide with my body, to stop and break me from reaching the Lake, their home...

Their loud voices, repeating words, sentences and quotes they might have said; when they were human.... they were once someone important, a father, a brother, a son, a husband... Now, they were nothing but the evil and sick darkness that animated them, pulled their strings and ruined them...

Their words spilled with staggers and broken chants. Speaking in a monotone sense, high pitched and dragged out words were annoying and repetitive like they didn't know how to speak properly...Stuttering and screaming at me, like i gave a crap about what they were saying?...

Sometimes, i'd glance at them and just wonder.... "what the hell are you going on about?" but by that point, the light has burned the darkness away, and i could end their miserable reincarnation once and for all; better for the both of us really....

I won't ever forget my first tangible experience with a Taken; Carl Stucky...

He was throwing, literally pounding an axe into some poor hunter's chest; i remember the sound of the man's ribs breaking and crackling as the blade chomped down and ripped through the bone, the blood oozing from his exposed wound - I remember him muttering his name, stuttering at me, but he just kept talking about cabins for rent - rambling on and on, jumping from log to log, playing games with me... I couldn't wrap my head around it, not then... hell, it still strikes a nerve when i sit down and think about it, it really is an incubus, a Nightmare shifted into reality....and i walked right into it...

Had i never accepted the key's and directions from Barbara Jagger even when i knew something wasn't right; Alice and I would still be happy, relaxing in Bright Falls, i'd be able to clear my head and tell my wife i loved her... Now? I don't know what time is anymore, I'm stuck in the bottom of a lake..... writing my Return in the very same Cabin that started it all; ravens watching me with their tainted eyes, Why am i still here?.....

Because i swapped places with Alice; i wrote her free and i took her place.... and i really don't regret that choice....

I'd sell my soul to dream you,wide Awake...

#alan wake #prose #mywriting #archives #may #2013

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bylightofdawn · 2 years ago

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Ooooooooooooo I am heated and hopping mad at my mother. She called me last night wanting to borrow 20 bucks to pay off the pawn fees on one of the pieces of my grandmother's jewelry she pawned prolly around Christmas or thereabouts.

Maybe for Christmas presents, maybe for fucking cigarettes and her bar trips, who the fuck knows. She said she owed like 200 bucks between the two of them and she just keeps paying the monthly minimum and not paying to get the fucking things OUT of hock. Because she doesn't have the money. So I give her the money to take the one that was due today or tomorrow out because she is literally pissing her money (and my money since she borrowed 20 bucks from me the past two months) away. I wanted to give her the other 100+ bucks but I found a lump on Genji's inner arm which is PROLLY just going to be a harmless cyst or a lipoma or something. It's PROBABLY nothing. But since he's only 6 he's kinda young to be getting those thing so there is a chance it might be something more. So I scheduled a visit with my vet on Thursday to get it checked out. If it's something quick and easy and it only costs me the 60 bucks for the exam fee then I'll give her the other 100 bucks to get the other piece out. But if this turns into a case where they need to aspirate it if it's a cyst or do a biopsy and other shit it's prolly going to be in the hundreds of dollars and I just can't afford to help her out right now.

AND THIS WOMAN HAS THE FUCKING BALLS to come at me like I am being neurotic and overreacting and SHE doesn't worry about her animals getting random lumps and cysts and fucking regular vet visits. So SHE doesn't worry about that stuff so why am I wasting my time and money on such silly things.?

Oh, you mean like Genji's littermate who you let play outside and who got fucking RUN OVER and I had to pay the money for the vet bill to get his leg amputated to the tune of like 800 dollars? And the same fucking animal you continued to let go outside AS A TRIPOD WHO GOT FUCKING RUN OVER until he up and disappeared one day? Prolly run over again or attacked and killed by a stray dog roaming the streets that he couldn't run away from because he was a TRIPOD???

Fuck. You. Fuck your bullshit advice, you are the least fucking qualified animal owner I know. You shouldn't have animals. How many times have I had to buy food for your cats and then you got a fucking dog because your drunk buddy had a puppy? And then I had to buy food for that puppy. Fucks sake I even gave her extra money today because I know she has nothing and I wanted her to be able to get groceries. Even knowing she's prolly going to buy cigarettes and booze with it prolly.

And she's got the balls to fucking say that to me? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck you. If it wasn't my grandmother's jewelry which I would like to maybe one day inherit when this fucking irresponsible womanchild of a mother I have eventually drinks herself into an early grave I'd tell her to kiss my entire ass. As it is? I doubt I will see any of grandma's jewelry because she will continue to pawn and sell everything. Which...whatever it's just fucking things. I got the only two things I wanted from my grandmother. I finally convinced her to give me grandma's wedding ring for Christmas and she made that into a huge fucking guilt-riddled production about it.

I am just...I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore. How can this woman constantly find new levels of ways to disappoint me? How have we not gotten to the bottom of that pit. I'm definitely going to take a break from her and her bullshit for a while.

The smartest thing would be to cut ties with her, I just can't bring myself to do it. She's still my mother and I will still feel guilty and an obligation to her even though she is a toxic piece of shit parent.

#life of el #this has been an especially profanity riddled rant #toxic parents #yay my favorite fucking thing #not fandom #sorry

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dystopiandramaqueen · 2 years ago

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1 Year Alcohol Sober Today!

<3 Thank you to everyone who kept being my friend when I quit drinking.

Fear of losing friends, and losing my identity- was my biggest barrier.

That and the concept of "never drinking again." It was too big, too scary. So I stopped worrying about it. I started just worrying about the day I was in, and whether drinking would make me feel better or worse today.

I don't write when I'm drunk. Drinking stole so much time from me.

I share this because I thought I was the only one who didn't want to drink anymore. And I didn't know how to stop. And it was very scary and lonely.

It's ok to drink if it doesn't hurt you.

If it's hurting you- it's ok to get curious about it. You don't have to stop. You don't HAVE to do anything. You're in control. But it's ok to hold space for your uncertainty. That is where the path starts.

At the beginning I couldn't go 24 hours without a drink. I drank 2-3 bottles of wine a day. As a baseline. I almost died of alcohol poisoning several times in the past few years. At the end my skin was getting yellow and puffy, my belly distended, I was developing liver failure. And he shit is so fucking addictive I couldn't stop.

It's important to talk about because not everyone survives.

I lost 3 friends in the past few years. Younger than me, in their 30s, to acute liver failure from booze. They died of broken hearts. Addiction. Slow suicide by legal poison they sell in the grocery store.

My grandmother died when her esophageal varices burst. She drowned in her own blood. After drinking to soothe her broken heart because she missed my mom. My mom moved from Michigan to Virginia with my dad. And her mom drank herself to death.

Alcohol was involved in my mom's death too.

I've seen families ripped apart by addiction. Wives have hidden in my home with their kids as they served restraining orders on abusive violent alcoholic husbands. With brains that couldn't love anymore because of the poison.

This summer there was a victory.

At the beach with my family, my dad offered my daughter a sip of his beer. She told me this later.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I said NO! That's poison, AND I'm gluten intolerant and beer is made of wheat."

I have never been so proud. And THAT is why I talk about it. And it made a fucking difference, and broke a cycle that has plagued my family for GENERATIONS.

So it's ok to not know.

It's ok to like it sometimes, and not others.

But if it isn't serving you, seek out the community. You're not alone. I am here to talk any time- it's my favorite topic.

A year ago I was sweaty and scared and sick for the last time. And I just started practicing. Waiting a little. Stretching it out. A day, then two. A week, then two. Took about 5 years of fuckups and relapses to get here.

And I am addicted to so many other things. I am still a hot fucking mess.

But that one deamon- no longer controls me.

Honest to god, do not miss it at all. Especially don't miss the feeling of poisoning the next morning.

"You don't not drink for 20 years all at once. You don't drink today, and if it's better? You do it again."

-Russell Brand, from his book "Recovery" which saved my life by bringing the 12 steps out of the halls of churches, and presenting them riddled with f-bombs.

#recovery #we do recover #sober is the new black #sober mom #cycle breaker #punk #counter culture #mindfulness #af #iwndwyt

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lunapaper · 3 years ago

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Album Review: 'Screen Violence' - CHVRCHES

I’ve said it a lot over the years, but it bears repeating: I thought Love is Dead was awful. Most people did, in fact.

Working with super-producer Greg Kurstin, CHVRCHES’ 2018 album saw them go from sinister wordplay and cinematic soundscapes to repetitive hooks, vague platitudes and bland, Imagine Dragons-style EDM pop.

Needless to say, it didn’t go down well. In their attempt to appeal to mainstream audiences and Spotify algorithms, the Scottish trio had managed to disappoint critics and alienate longtime fans. Accusations of ‘selling out’ get thrown around all too often, but it really did feel like a betrayal of sorts.

And it only got worse from there, with the band collaborating with pop’s Kiss of Death, Marshmello, on the tepid ‘Here With Me’ (a decision they later came to regret).

Lauren Mayberry didn’t take kindly to the criticism, even accusing Stereogum’s Chris DeVille of supposedly using the record as a ‘symbol or scapegoat for something.’ What the frontwoman had a problem with is not entirely clear, though she seemed to chalk it up to politics, writing in a series of now-deleted tweets:

‘You can write a crappy album review and feel smart and what do I give a shit. But don’t minimise the ‘resistance’ as a comical joke/a stupid thing that you think is funny or smart because you are privileged enough to not actually have to think about it in real terms. It actually matters to people who live outside of you moment/life/world view, so shame on you. Maybe I live in my ‘inter personal comfort zone’ but at least I give a fucking shit. What can you say in exchange?’

DeVille’s take was, in my opinion, quite fair, even if he does admit that Love is Dead is ‘not a faceplant, but it’s definitely a stumble.’

Mayberry’s knee-jerk reaction, unfortunately, left a bitter taste in my mouth, impacting my already low opinion of Love is Dead. As I’ve also stated time and time again: What’s the point of responding to a negative review without looking petty as fuck? If you don’t want your art judge by the masses, then being an artist is probably not for you.

It’s also pretty rich of the band to try and make excuses for why everyone hated Love is Dead. No one made you produce a generic pop album. No one made you write and record a ‘tacky pop song’ with Marshmello. How could you not know that he’s a sleazy EDM bro, the rest of us did! Don’t take your shitty creative decisions out on everyone else – that's on you.

So, have CHVRCHES been able to rectify the damage on Album No.4? For the most part, yes.

Keeping production duties in-house this time around, Screen Violence combines the dystopian feel of their 2013 debut with the sleek gloss of later releases.

Written and produced through screens between LA and Glasgow in the early stages of the pandemic, the record explores the horrors that play out on screens via social media and how they translate into real-world feelings of fear, isolation and hopelessness.

On the ‘depressing but hopeful’ Asking for a Friend,’ Mayberry admits ‘'Cause I sunk some ships with selfish lips/And it all came back to me/I was terrified//I never told them why,’ riddled with self-loathing and regret. On ‘He Said She Said,’ she reckons with industry sexism and social contradictions, the track recalling the heady euphoria of the trio’s earlier singles.

‘Killing your idols is a chore/And it's such a fucking bore/'Cause I don't need them anymore,’ she asserts on the glistening ‘Good Girls,’ obliterating the pedestal that some male artists sit upon. Insecurity, however, gets the better of her on ‘Final Girl,’ wondering if she should just ‘quit, maybe go get married’ before she becomes yet another victim of the Hollywood machine.

Repetition is also employed a hell of a lot better than it was on Love is Dead. When Mayberry tells you she feels like she’s losing her mind on ‘He Said She Said, it’s like she’s in the grips of madness while trapped in a cybernetic void. Fear grips her by the throat on standout track ‘Violent Delights’ as she begs ‘I don't want to see it’ over and over again.

Screen Violence also lives up to its name music-wise, proving a lot darker and more foreboding than 2015’s Every Open Eye and even The Bones of What You Believe.

There’s jangling indie rock on ‘Violent Delights’ that give the track a foggy sense of nostalgia. On the menacing ‘Final Girl,’ they drive Mayberry’s sense of panic as she stares back in disbelief at a flickering screen, while the thumping New Wave angst of ‘Lullabies’ sees her vocals soar. Final track, ‘Better If You Don’t’ is almost straight-up grunge, evoking the feel of a rainy Glasgow morning.

And apparently ‘Nightmares’ was ‘too metal for German radio,’ suitably chilling as Mayberry asks: ‘What is it like to be the apple of your own eye?’ It could almost be mistaken for a Poppy track. Darkest, though, is ‘How Not to Drown’ with The Cure’s Robert Smith, their dissonant tones rising from the murky deep like a haunting spectre.

Screen Violence doesn't reinvent CHVRCHES, but it does help to reinvigorate them, even if the record feels a little samey at times. Some mediocre lyrics also manage to slip through the cracks, yet Mayberry’s commentary is overall cutting, brutal and sometimes tragic.

From trying to seem perfect on Love is Dead to realising things aren’t so fucking perfect after all, the trio discover that there’s ‘freedom in failure.’ Though they might never reach the dizzying heights of The Bones of What You Believe or even Every Open Eye again, CHVRCHES have found a groove that works for now just as the world finds itself in the grips of an ongoing nightmare.

Hopefully they’ll be able to sustain this momentum in the long run...

- Bianca B.

#music #chvrches #screen violence #new #reviews #albums #Bianca B

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