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angelasscribbles · 2 years ago

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shiny butterfly that was Polo!,

Yes, well, I can't complain about that at all!

I still don't know how I missed this, or more likely, got the tag, thought I'll read that later then forgot.... but on the upside, it was like striking gold tonight!

So, without further ado.....

Time was everything right now, and unfortunately, I didn't have much of it in the bank.

I love how you do his internal monologue! I don't know, he just has so much....swagger lol and you really keep the dramatic tension up!

There was only one way that was gonna end. With him smack bang in the middle of a scandal that we definitely didn't need right now.

Can I just say that I love the way Drake says "we"? He's not an outsider here. This is everything, his job, his career, his passion, his best friend, his family, his country, his father's legacy, his responsibility etc and you really show it well.

Not that anyone ever listened to me...

OMG I have the same HC! (Just wait until you read the Disney one, Drake literally yells "I told you so" at Liam!🤣)

My gut tightens.

I'd never seen him happier.

But unfortunately for my best friend, this impromptu escapade's about to get shut down.

Ahhh, the struggle here.

"Pleasant trip?" I ask, striding up to them.

He's still gonna be sarcastic though I see.

"No," I reply simply before shifting my focus back to Chris.

He's not giving her an inch, is he?

Maybe I should drop my resumé off at Quantico...

So, he had offered to play bad cop. In part because he actually was a cop.

Yeah, that tracks. 😏

"She used my phone,"

Nice to see Chris wasn't completely clueless

Never thought I'd actually be thanking Leo for anything. But here we were...

HAHAHAHAHA

He throws me a dirty look.

I shrug. Shit happens.

Hahahaha, O'Sullivan is like seriously and Drake is like, oh well.

"Faster than swimming," I tell her with a shrug.

I literally spit my water out at this one

"It's his bird," I shout over the roar of the rotor blades. "So, yeah."

Again, really loving this attitude of his.

It was basically the truth. The best lies always were.

I HC this hard. My characters are always like "basically the truth", "mostly the truth", "close enough to the truth", "at least partially true" etc.

Guy was slicker'n a greased pig on ice...

That line was pretty slick for sure.

...even if his play had cost me mine.

I've been thinking this for the entire chapter!! Drake really has lost his one chance here maybe with the only woman to make him feel truly connected and he's not even bitching about it. Maybe a little in his head.

Don't get hooked.

That was my number one rule.

Because I had no time and zero interest in anything resembling a serious relationship. It was too distracting, too much work and I probably wouldn't be able to sustain it anyway. At least not without a level of disclosure that was higher than what I was prepared to give after just a handful of dates. And even then there was no guarantee that all the late nights, erratic schedules and constant jet-setting wouldn't drive a massive wedge between whatever promises we'd make to each other.

Hell, this life had literally destroyed my family.

You already know we share this HC. Drake eschews relationships until he meets MC, then he's blindsided by it and completely confused about how to deal with it.

Because no girl had ever had such a lightning bolt effect on me.

See? What did I just say? LOL. Drake, inside his own head right now.....

Because me and her? Wasn't gonna happen. On any level.

Yeah....keep telling yourself that, Walker

"Functional breakdown,"

Is that what we're calling it now?

so everyone else could fall down an open man-hole and break their neck for all I cared.

Harsh. But after the day he's had, fair.

Had I've known that this day was going to devolve into a never-abating conflagration of wildfires, I'd've probably got myself hammered before breakfast.

I snorted at this, like really hard. Because, poor guy. Would being drunk have helped the situation?

I hadn't looked this much like buzzard bait since the literal beating I'd received during — and after — the one and only polo match I'd ever subjected myself to.

AHHHHH!!! You referenced the polo match!

Placing them carefully on the vanity, so they remained within reach,

Thank you for this because this is how anyone is that job is going to do it.

Badge of a battle well-fought, Dad always used to say.

I can totally see Jackson saying this and I have the same HC about Drake yet again! Haha, shocking, right? He was a rough and tumble kid, all the sports, because he's very physical.

Because even if it hadn't still smelled like her, the mere sight of it had been enough to throw me back into that cramped apartment... and the litany of missed opportunities that had preceded it.

This....

Ok....I NEEEEEEEED more!!! He can't just leave without seeing her again and I know he's in a tough spot, social season about to start, can't abandon his brother and veritable uncle but come on Drake, she's the one!

Sleepless in New York: Chapter 9 - Edge of the Night

Series: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Rights belong to Pixelberry, most characters and some dialogue belong to them.

Synopsis: This is a short-story series written from Drake’s POV that explores an AU where Drake meets Harper (my OC from (Un)Common Attraction) by himself before the boys come to the bar on the last night of Christian’s bachelor party.

Masterlist: Sleepless in New York

Chapter Summary: Drake locates Christian... but that doesn't mean his night's over yet.

Word Count:��6,600

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, angst)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: Apologies this took sooo long to get out! I started working on this chapter back in November, but I got stuck several times, then I went to chase the shiny butterfly that was Polo!, and then I was busy collaborating on the Mardi Gras Mayhem fic. But... after much ado, here is the (hopefully!) pen-ultimate chapter of this series! Hope it meets expectations!

A/N2: A day early, but this is also my submission for the Choices April Challenge. This chapter would fall under the ‘Just want to be with you’.

Chapter 9 - Edge of the Night

Ten minute later, I'm standing at the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, wearing a standard-issue NYPD leather jacket (courtesy of O'Sullivan), scanning the disembarking passengers, on the lookout for Chris.

I chew the inside of my mouth nervously as I feel my foot tap against the polished concrete floor.

Time was everything right now, and unfortunately, I didn't have much of it in the bank.

I could only hope that Hayley hadn't had a chance to post the photo yet. Because if she did, then it was only a matter of time before someone recognised Chris and blew up the carefully faked narrative of his whereabouts.

And then all bets were off...

Because even if we managed to make it back to Cordonia without any nasty surprises, chances were good that the paps would twist even the most innocent selfie into some kind of dig about Chris and his fitness to rule. While a snap of him getting kissed by an American girl days before the start of the social season where he is supposed to choose a wife...? There was only one way that was gonna end. With him smack bang in the middle of a scandal that we definitely didn't need right now.

And hence my one rule for this trip — no fuckin' photos.

Not that anyone ever listened to me...

Thankfully, I don't have to wait long. At this time of night, the ferry is basically empty and the terminal deserted.

The automatic doors in front of me whoosh open and I catch sight of Chris, holding hands with Hayley, laughing at something she'd just said.

My gut tightens.

I'd never seen him happier.

But unfortunately for my best friend, this impromptu escapade's about to get shut down.

"Pleasant trip?" I ask, striding up to them.

Chris throws his head up in surprise. "Drake?"

"You're a cop?" gasps Hayley in disbelief.

I follow her gaze to the NYPD insignia patched onto the jacket's sleeve. "Heh. No. This ain't mine."

"Then how did y—?"

"Put two-and-two together?" I ask dryly, deliberately sidestepping the question she was actually asking. "Simple maths."

Chris' shoulders drop as he lets out a self-deprecating chuckle. "I guess I am rather predictable..."

"Good thing, too," I drawl. "Otherwise I'd've had to call in the cavalry, and then we'd be having a very different kind of conversation."

Hayley's widen. "The caval—? You mean the FBI? Is that what you are?"

I suppress a snort. Seriously? The second time in just as many nights? Maybe I should drop my resumé off at Quantico...

"No," I reply simply before shifting my focus back to Chris.

"I am sorry," he sighs, catching fully onto my meaning. "I didn't intend to cause a ruckus. I honestly thought we could get here and back before anyone noticed."

"You know you could've just said the word, and we would've made this happen, right?" I ask. "There was no need for you to cut and run like that."

"To be fair, this was all quite spur of the moment, wasn't it?" he admits, sneaking a glance at Hayley, who blushes in response. "We were just talking back at the club, and I happened to mention that we never got to see the Statue of Liberty this morning... To which Hayley admitted to always having wanted to take a night-time ferry tour... And all of a sudden, one thing led to another, and—"

"Yeah, I get it," I interject. "And I don't blame you for doing it. But next time, leave your phone on. Regardless of whatever kind of BS Leo tries to sell you." I fix him with a pointed look.

Chris has the good graces to flush embarrassedly. "Duly noted."

Hayley shakes her head. "But his phone was—"

"And speaking of phones..." adds O'Sullivan, strolling up with a half-eaten Boston Cream donut in his hand, "I'm going to have to ask you to hand yours over, ma'am."

Hayley's mouth drops open. "My phone?"

"Yes, ma'am," O'Sullivan affirms, popping the rest of the donut into his mouth.

"What is the meaning of this, officer?" demands Chris, moving in front of a shocked Hayley.

"Chris..." I warn in a low voice. "Back off."

He throws me a disbelieving look. "But—"

"We have reason to believe that the device contains information pertinent to a matter under investigation," O'Sullivan clarifies.

Chris reels back. "What investigation?"

"A joint investigation," comes the stone-faced reply.

Hayley's face drains of colour.

I shake my head. Christ, O'Sullivan could be a bastard when he wanted to be.

But the situation couldn't be helped.

There were sensitive pictures of Chris and Hayley on that device that could not be allowed to see the light of day. And despite the fact that O'Sullivan was skirting a very dangerous line right now, we had to sacrifice one form of privacy to protect another.

Because even though O'Sullivan was an NYPD officer, sworn to uphold the laws of the Empire State, he was also duty bound to look out for his principle. So, he had offered to play bad cop. In part because he actually was a cop.

He turns back to Hayley. "Were you aboard the recently docked Staten Island Ferry?"

Chris heaves an exasperated sigh. "How is that—?"

O'Sullivan ignores him. "Answer the question, ma'am."

"Yes," squeaks Hayley.

"Damn it, Drake!" snaps Chris. "Do something!"

"Can't, buddy..." I inform him flatly. "Don't have jurisdiction here, remember?"

"So, you're just going to let him—?"

"Impeding a police officer from carrying out their public duties is a criminal offence," I point out, folding my arms. "So, I suggest you let the man do his job."

Chris glares at me.

But he was gonna have to suck it up.

Because he'd got himself into this avoidable mess as a result of his impulsiveness and complete disregard for our standard security protocols. So now it was my job to clean up after him.

Regardless of how it made him — or Hayley — feel.

"While onboard, did you take photographs with a cellular device?" continues O'Sullivan.

Hayley's basically quaking in her boots. "Yes, but—"

"And in the course of taking such photographs, did you—?"

"—but, I didn't use my phone!"

The intensity of Hayley's outburst catches everyone off guard.

I shake my head. "Then what—?"

"She used my phone," explains Chris tersely. "To take a picture of me with the Statue of Liberty in the background... so I could commemorate the once-in-a-lifetime experience."

"But she—"

"—may have taken a few additional pictures as well," admits Chris with a self-conscious smile, as his eyes finds Hayley again. "Somewhat spontaneously, I'll admit, but—"

"None on hers?" I press.

Chris lifts his eyes to mine steadfastly. "No. Her phone stayed in her purse the whole time. So, whatever it is that you are accusing her of, she did at my behest and therefore should be relieved of any and all responsibility."

I feel the tension in my shoulders unwind slightly. Some goddamn common sense, at last!

But Chris wasn't off the hook yet...

"Did you share any pictures with her?" I ask.

"He tried," Hayley admits. "But for some reason, there was no signal on the ferry."

I let out an explosive breath. Thank Christ for that signal jammer!

Never thought I'd actually be thanking Leo for anything. But here we were...

Hayley is still glaring at us. "Well, aren't you going to ask to see his phone, then? Seeing as you're so concerned about... whatever it is that you're concerned about?"

I glance at Chris. She's got a point...

He pulls out his phone with a nod of acknowledgment, knowing we had to continue playing this game for the sake of his cover. "Here you are, officer."

Taking it, O'Sullivan makes a bit of a show of flipping through Chris' camera roll before handing the device back. "Thank you, sir. Looks like we got bad intel. None of the images contain anything pertinent to our investigation." He throws me a dirty look.

I shrug. Shit happens.

But the important thing was that we were in the clear... and my ass was no longer on the line.

"So... that's it? asks Hayley cautiously. "We're free to go?"

"Not quite," I admit, meeting Chris' eye.

He drops his gaze in resignation before turning to Hayley. "As delightful as this spontaneous outing has been, I am afraid we must call it a night."

Her mouth falls open. "Just like that?"

"Unfortunately so," he confirms, lifting her hand gently to his lips. "But believe me when I say that you made my night, Hayley."

A blush rises to her cheeks. "I don't know about that..."

"Truly," he asserts, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. "I am forever grateful..."

"Jesus, I'm about to get diabetes..." huffs O'Sullivan under his breath.

I elbow him in the ribs.

"...and as a small token of my appreciation, I hope you would allow us to escort you home," finishes Chris with a meaningful look in my direction.

I can't help but scoff. Well played, buddy. Well played.

But I guess I owed him one after gatecrashing his date the way I had. And let's face it — we couldn't exactly leave the girl stranded on the wrong side of the Hudson without a safe way to get home. So, we might as well kill two birds with one stone.

"Sure," I concede. "She can ride back with us."

"In your drea—"

O'Sullivan grunts as I nail him in the side again.

"Oh, you really don't have t—" demurs Hayley.

"But I want to," insists Chris, turning the full force of his emerald gaze on her.

She wilts under his sincerity with a blush. "Well, in that case..."

"What the hell, Walker?" hisses O'Sullivan under his breath as Chris offers his arm to Hayley to lead her from the ferry terminal. "Finding your missing prince is one thing, but you can't just go around handing out free rides to civilians like—"

"Trust me," I reply quietly, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'll make it worth your while."

He snorts. "I already paid for the donuts."

"This is a bit more substantial than some Dunkin's," I assure him.

"Better be," he declares. "Kerosene ain't cheap, Lieutenant."

I throw my head up. "You've done your homework."

"What can I say?" he shrugs with a smirk. "I'm good at my job."

"And if you've read my file," I reply, recovering quickly, "you'll know that I am too."

"Seeing is believing, Walker," O'Sullivan reminds me as we exit the terminal hot on Chris and Hayley's heels.

I roll my eyes. "Hardass..."

But, I could understand his scepticism. This is the first time the two of us had officially worked together, and in this job, trust didn't come easy or cheap.

So, I was gonna let his attitude slide.

Hayley stumbles to a stop in front of us. "Why is there a—?"

"Had to get here somehow..."

Her jaw drops as she turns to gape at me. "So, you flew in a helicopter?"

"Faster than swimming," I tell her with a shrug.

Hayley stares at me like I was insane.

"And it's not waiting for stragglers, so if you want a lift, you'd better move it," prompts O'Sullivan, striding past her towards the idling chopper.

"Hold on. He's coming with us?" asks Hayley in disbelief.

"It's his bird," I shout over the roar of the rotor blades. "So, yeah."

"His—?" Her eyes widen. "Wait. Are you guys... arresting us?"

I fix her with a pointed look. "See any handcuffs?"

"Then why are we getting into a helicopter with a cop!" she demands, stubbornly throwing the breaks on a few feet from the aircraft.

"Because he's doing us a favour," I explain with a sigh. "So if you—"

"No!" she protests. "Not until you tell me who the hell you are! Because if you're not cops and you're not FBI then—"

Chris steps assuringly up to her. "Hayley. There is nothing nefarious underfoot. I promise. We are simply—"

"Diplomats," I interject quickly, not 100% confident that Chris won't choose this moment to come clean about who he really was. "From Europe."

"Diplomats?" queries Hayley, eyeing the two of us uncertainly.

"Here on an unofficial, turn-and-burn visit," I confirm. It was basically the truth. The best lies always were.

"Unofficial?" she frowns. "You mean secret?"

"You make it sound much more suspenseful than it in fact is," chuckles Chris, holding a hand out to help her into the ‘copter.

"But we are trying to keep a low profile," I remind them.

She mulls over our responses. "So, that cop—?"

"Doing us a favour, like I said."

"What's the holdup, boys?" shouts O'Sullivan from the cockpit.

"Nothing!" I holler back over my shoulder as Hayley finally climbs in...

...while simultaneously throwing a hand out to intercept Chris as he's about to follow suit.

He meets my eye quizzically.

"Not with that kit in your pocket, buddy," I tell him. "I've had more than enough excitement for one night."

His brows furrow. "Isn't it just—?"

"It can down the chopper," I reply flatly, holding out my hand.

Chris pales. Reaching into his jacket, he quickly palms me the signal jammer without further protest.

Killing the power to the device, I pocket it and hop in after Chris.

"'Bout time, Walker," observes O'Sullivan dryly as I pull the door closed.

Securing the hatch, I flick my middle finger 'round, giving O'Sullivan the go to take off while simultaneously flipping him off.

He throws his head back with a laugh as he relays the instructions to Hendricks.

The pilot revs the throttle, and we start to lift into the air.

Dropping into the seat across from Chris, I pull the seatbelt on as I fire off a quick text to Schweitzer to let him know that we were inbound back to the hotel. Stowing the device, I pull the headset on just in time to hear Hayley's gasp over the intercom.

Glancing up, I see her latched onto Chris, eyeing the rapid retreat of the terra firma with a confused mix of emotions on her face.

Chris's voice crackles over the intercom. "Exciting, isn't it?"

She swallows hard, tightening her hold on his arm. "You... you could say that..."

His face clouds with concern. "Do you... suffer from acrophobia by any chance?"

"W-what?" she stammers, glancing back at him nervously.

"Acrophobia," he repeats. "Fear of heights."

She shakes her head. "I... I've just never flown before."

"Ah," nods Chris in understanding. "Some trepidation is perfectly understandable, then. But, as someone who has been flying since infancy, I can assure you that it is quite safe."

"Promise?"

"Solemnly," he assures her, covering her hand in his. "I wouldn't dream of putting you in harm's way. And, if it helps at all, you are welcome to focus your attention on me."

I scoff under my breath as Hayley lifts her gaze to Chris' like clockwork.

Guy was slicker'n a greased pig on ice...

But I couldn't really blame him. It was his last shot at freedom before the start of the season, so he was entitled to bring his A-game...

...even if his play had cost me mine.

I give myself a mental kick.

Quit it, you ass.

This was Chris' time. Not mine.

And I wasn't gonna let some misplaced sense of resentment fuck up what was left of this trip.

Especially since I only had myself to blame.

For dragging my feet around Gale. For second-guessing myself... and her. And for letting myself fall for her in the first place.

I heave a breath as I stare out of the cockpit.

I'd fucked up. Big time.

Don't get hooked.

That was my number one rule.

Hell, this life had literally destroyed my family.

Yet, here I was, despite everything, wishing it was Harper that I was sat next to right now — instead of Chris and Hayley — feeling the warmth of her body pressed against mine, smelling the honey scent of her hair as we whipped over the city.

Would she be clutching my hand nervously, like Hayley was Chris'? Or would she be pressed up against the window, hazel-green eyes sparkling with excitement as she sought out each famous landmark? Or would she be on my lap, taking me for a very different kind of ride 2,000 feet over the city, the view outside forgotten?

I swallow a groan as I shift uncomfortably in the hard seat.

Christ, I was in trouble...

Not only had I torpedoed my own rules like a bull in a china shop, but I'd decided that it'd be a great idea to fall for a girl who lived literally on the other side of the world, and who I had no chance of seeing again.

Because the social season was starting in a few short days, and it was going to eat up literally all of my time. In part because the season was a mess of high-profile public engagements across disparate venues around the country, and in part because Chris was now the Heir Apparent and that meant that I was going to have to be even more on the ball when it came to security arrangements.

So, there was no way in hell that — even if I wanted to — I was going to be able to hop back over the Pond and find Gale, much less spend any kind of meaningful time with her.

And I wanted to. Desperately. Beyond the fact that I had an incurable itch in my pants from having failed to close the deal.

Because no girl had ever had such a lightning bolt effect on me. And I couldn't ignore the lodestone-like attraction that went beyond anything I'd ever felt before.

But life obviously had a malicious sense of humour when it came to throwing curve balls, because short of giving Bast — and Chris — the finger and resigning, I literally had no cards to play.

And I wasn't gonna leave my brother or my commanding officer (who was also my uncle in all but name) in the lurch during one of the busiest periods of the royal calendar, just so I could chase after a girl who may or may not actually want to see me again.

Especially after the way I'd walked out on her earlier...

I shake my head morosely as we begin our descent onto the hotel roof.

There was no two ways about it. Because regardless of what had happened — and didn't — I was going to have to accept that I'd been dealt a shit hand and the only available option was to cut my losses and fold.

Because me and her? Wasn't gonna happen. On any level.

So, if I was to have any hope of extricating myself from this irrational infatuation that I'd inadvertently thrown myself into, I knew that I was just gonna have to pretend that the past two nights never happened...

...and maybe that way I could salvage some semblance of sanity before I lost my mind completely.

The chopper touches down.

Yanking my headset and seatbelt off, I immediately set about throwing the door open and helping Chris and Hayley disembark.

Because if there was one thing I knew about myself, it was that I had two options for pulling myself out of my ass: getting physical, or getting shit-faced drunk. And since alcohol was not a possibility right now — at least not until Chris was safely back in his hotel room and the door had been locked for the night — I was going to have to keep moving and keep myself busy.

"Get her inside," I shout to Chris. "I'll be over in a sec."

With a nod, he wraps his arm around Hayley to help shield her from the worst of the down draft as he begins leading her towards the hotel-access door on the other side of the roof.

Turning back towards the chopper, I yell up O'Sullivan, "Thanks for the assist!"

"Any time, Lieutenant," he winks back at me as I shrug out of the loaner jacket. "You Cordonians sure know how to make a guy's night interesting!"

"Yeah," I scoff, tossing the heavy leather up to him. "A little too interesting..."

"Beats sitting at a desk all night," he grins, deftly snapping the jacket out of the air... until his expression changes to confused as he clocks the added weight. "You leave your Tic-Tac's in here, or something, Walker?"

"Nope," I reply. "That lil' keepsake's for you, Deputy Inspector."

O'Sullivan frowns as he reaches into the inner-left pocket... and blanches as he pulls out the signal jammer. "You've got to be shitting me!"

I catch his eye with a level look. “Told you I'd make this trip worth your while..."

"Yeah, when you said that, I thought you were talking about a case of Bud, or something," he admits dryly, inspecting the jammer. Looking back up, he adds, "You realise this isn't some rookie tech off Amazon, right?"

I nod. "It's why I figured you'd want it off the streets."

Leo'd probably filched it from the Guard armoury, the sneaky bastard. Which meant it was military-grade and had no place in a civilian setting.

O'Sullivan chuckles. "You figured right. This bad boy could've landed your Prince Charming with a hefty fine... or some serious jail time if he'd been caught with it."

"Trust me, I know," I grunt. "But at least this way you have a plausible story for commandeering the chopper."

"Not to mention a shit load of paperwork," he grumbles with a sour look. But I can see that he's not that begrudging of the situation.

"Yeah, well," I shrug, "no pain, no gain, O'Sullivan. And speaking of, I should get going before Chris blows up all our hard work by disappearing again."

"No sweat, Walker," grins O'Sullivan. "Like I said, it's been interesting."

"Glad to’ve been of service," I smirk in reply as I yank the chopper door closed again.

From behind the cockpit window, O'Sullivan lifts two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute before turning back Hendricks.

As the rotors start to pick up speed again, I quickly vacate the landing circle. Loping across the roof, I catch up with Chris and Hayley just before the stairwell door slams shut behind them.

"Everything alright?" queries Chris as the motion-sensitive lights flicker on overhead in the tight space.

"Yup," I confirm, quickly moving to the front. I wasn't expecting any nasty surprises on our way down, but you could never be too careful. "Just had to square a few lose ends."

"What happened to your shirt?" exclaims Hayley, suddenly catching sight of my bare chest.

"Functional breakdown," I mutter, yanking the wayward front panels together as I start making my way down the steps.

"He means it ripped," clarifies Chris wryly in response to Hayley's confused silence.

"Yeah, I can see that, but—"

"It ain't important," I cut in gruffly, picking up the pace.

It was bad enough that I couldn't get Gale out of my head. I didn't need the remnants of my unfulfilled night with her turning into a conversation piece.

Because the last thing I felt like doing — after everything that had gone wrong tonight — was talking.

About any of it. As it sure as hell wasn't gonna change anything, and it definitely was no one's business but mine and Gale's.

Reaching the landing, I divert towards the nondescript door that was our gateway back into the hotel proper. Cracking it open, I do a quick visual sweep for potential threats before opening it more fully to let Chris and Hayley through as well.

Hayley frowns as she surveys our surroundings. "You brought us to... a gym?"

"It's the fastest way to the elevators," I tell her, striding past the glass-encased room that housed the top-of-the-line fitness equipment. "Unless you want to tackle a dozen flight of stairs in those heels?"

"No, thanks."

"Yeah. Didn't think so."

"Is he always so grumpy?" whispers Hayley to Chris... loud enough for me to hear.

"Only on Thursdays and Fridays," replies Chris in equally (un)hushed tones.

Hayley snorts in response.

I feel my jaw clench.

But we were two yards from the elevators and the end of this fucked up night.

So, I don't let myself rise to the needling, and focus instead on the task at hand, which was making sure that Chris got back to his room without incident.

Arriving at the metal doors, I press the button to call the lift. One arrives almost instantaneously and we file in, Chris and Hayley trying and failing to hide their conspiratorial sniggers as they cast me sidelong glances.

I roll my eyes, but otherwise remain silent.

Just had to drop Chris off, and then escort Hayley down to the lobby and into a cab.

Then I was done.

Luckily, the well-greased elevator ride is mercifully short, and we arrive on our booked-out floor within seconds.

The doors ping open.

I open my mouth...

...but Chris is faster.

"Could I tempt you with a nightcap?" he asks Hayley, extending his hand hopefully down towards the end of the hallway. "My room has quite an impressive selection of refreshments."

"Sounds like being a diplomat comes with perks," she observes with a smile.

"Absolutely," agrees Chris, placing a hand in the small of her back to guide her towards his room. “Especially when you have a beautiful lady to share them with.”

I slam my mouth shut as I step out of the lift after them.

So much for that plan...

Chris obviously wasn't ready to call it a night. But who could blame him? He had a hot girl hanging on his every word and gesture, who'd just agreed to come back to his hotel room. He'd be a fool not to take full advantage of the opportunity.

And honestly? With the way they were looking at each other, I'd be surprised if they even made it to the mini bar (let alone to the bed) before they jumped each other like a pair of horny jackrabbits...

...Christ knew Gale and I hadn't.

I shake my head.

Put a sock in it, Walker!

Yanking my phone out of my pocket to distract myself from the relentlessly graphic memories, I send a quick sit-rep to Schweitzer to let him know that we'd made it safely back to the hotel, and everyone could finally unclench their sphincters.

That said, I had no idea what Leo, Max and Tariq were up to… or where the hell they even were. But they were not my priority. If they'd got themselves lost, locked up, or killed, that was their problem. Not mine.

I'd had enough of running around the greater New York metropolitan area for one night, praying and hoping while chasing down partial leads and best-guesses. And I wasn't gettin' paid to stress about nobody but Chris, so everyone else could fall down an open man-hole and break their neck for all I cared.

I was fuckin' done with this night.

"Care to join us?"

Chris voice jars me from my thoughts. Glancing up, I can see him standing in the doorway of the Presidential Suite, looking at me expectantly.

"Huh?"

"For a drink," he clarifies, no doubt catching the dumbass expression on my face. "Seeing as I ended up pulling you away from... whatever you were doing—" his gaze flicks pointedly to the ripped buttons of my shirt, "—I feel I should offer you at least some recompense. Even if it is just a late-night libation."

"Nah," I say with a shake of my head, slotting my phone away. "I'm beat. I'm calling it a night."

"Well, if you change your mind..."

I scoff. "Trust me, I won't. You don't need me crashing that particular party."

I nod my chin towards the inside of the room where Hayley was already in the process of shrugging out of her sparkly jacket as she stood silhouetted by the glow emanating from the Manhattan nightscape behind her.

Chris glances briefly over his shoulder with a wry grin. "No, I suppose not. Rain check?"

"Rain check," I agree, bumping my fist against his. "On the condition your ass stays in that room 'til departure time. And you don’t take or share any photos with her. Including the ones from the ferry. Otherwise you'll be owing me a helluva lot more than a fancy, overpriced drink.”

Chris cracks a laugh as he pulls the door around. "Duly noted! 'Night, mate! I owe you one!”

"Damn right you do!”I reply with a smirk, pulling my own keycard out. "Play safe."

"I always do," winks Chris, reaching around to slip the 'Do Not Disturb' placard onto the door handle.

A low exhale escapes me as the door — at last — clicks softly closed.

Christ, what a clusterfuck...!

Had I've known that this day was going to devolve into a never-abating conflagration of wildfires, I'd've probably got myself hammered before breakfast.

Because getting though the past 24 hours even partially sober had tested every one of my nerves. And given the fact that I'd gotten basically no sleep the night before, I was near about past going.

Which is probably why I couldn't think one straight thought without tripping over Gale.

I clench my eyes shut. Definitely time to clock out...

Opening my eye, I slide the keycard into the reader with a chirp. Pushing the door handle down, I step into the darkened room.

Not bothering with the lights — given that the curtains were still open and the background glare of the nearby buildings provided plenty of illumination — I punt the door shut behind me, and head straight for the mini bar.

I may have turned down Chris's offer for a late-night drink, but that didn't mean I was gonna crash out sober. If anything, after the way this trip had snowballed into the definition��of 'fucked up beyond all recognition', I was in half a mind to straight up kill my liver...

...I just didn't want to do it while playing awkward third-wheel in the other room.

Arriving at the fridge, I yank the door open and survey the cop-out offerings of water, soda, beer and champagne.

I heave a breath. Well, ain’t nobody getting drunk off this shit...

Still. It was better than nothing.

Grabbing two bottles of beer out — because no way I was touching the champagne (even if it was Krug); the last thing I needed right now on top of everything else was a motherfuckin' migraine — I pop the cap off one and take a hard swallow.

The cool malt hits the back of my throat, and I chug the rest of it down greedily, suddenly realising how parched I was.

Dropping the empty bottle back on the bar top, I am reaching for the second when I catch sight of my reflection in the large mirror sitting behind the shelving in front of me.

Sweet Jesus, I looked like death warmed up...

My hair looked like it'd been chewed up and spat out by a yak, my skin was ashen, my eyes tired and bloodshot, and I had a large, blueish welt on my jaw from where Tattoos had decked me.

I pull a face as I untwist the second cap.

I hadn't looked this much like buzzard bait since the literal beating I'd received during — and after — the one and only polo match I'd ever subjected myself to.

And it was clear that — just like then — I desperately needed a shower.

Draining the second beer, I quickly draw the curtains before resignedly turning back the way I'd come.

Dropping my keycard into the holder on the wall to turn the lights on, I kick my boots off by the door and trudge into the bathroom.

Grabbing some towels, I throw them onto the floor and shove the faucet of the glass-panelled shower onto the hottest setting.

While waiting for the water to warm up, I bend down to pull off the ankle holsters that held the Sig P365 and tactical knife that I never went anywhere without.

Placing them carefully on the vanity, so they remained within reach, I proceed to strip off the rest of my clothes. The ruined shirt ends up on the floor, followed by the clang of my belt buckle as my jeans and boxers hit the ground.

Pulling my socks off and throwing them on top of the pile, I step into the now rapidly rising steam. A low hiss escapes me as the scalding water hits my chest. But rather than flinching away, or turning the temperature down, I lean into the spray, letting the hot water beat down onto me, like a hammer on an anvil, working the tension out of my muscles.

I have no clue how long I stand there for, head hanging down, hands braced against the wall, just soaking.

But eventually, I force myself to blink my eyes open. Because the hour was already late, and even though I could probably stay under the spray all night, I knew I needed to catch some shut eye before the inevitable morning scramble to get everyone back home in time for the Masquerade Ball.

So, reaching for the travel-sized bottle of three-in-one wash that I'd brought with me, I proceed to lather myself from head to toe. Once done, I rinse myself off, letting the water pummel me for a few more minutes before reluctantly turning the spray off.

Unfurling one of the towels, I drop it on the marble floor so I could step out of the shower without breaking my neck. Grabbing the other towel, I run it over myself to get the worst of the moisture off before wrapping it around my waist.

Moving over to the vanity, I lift a hand to wipe the condensation off the oversized mirror and note that the hot soak had managed to bring some colour back to my face... albeit at the expense of my bruise, which had grown more pronounced as a result of the prolonged heat treatment.

Oh, well. Shit happens...

It's not like I was a stranger to bruises. Growing up, I'd collected plenty of them from all the stupid shit I got up to, climbing up rickety ladders, falling out of trees, off my bike, not to mention off horses that were unquestionably too big for me.

And the hits only intensified as I got older and tried my hand at pretty much every type of sport imaginable — most of them in the contact category. Soccer, basketball, rugby, water polo, judo... I'd done it all. Including American football, which Dad had begun indoctrinating me into since before I could even walk, and which I actually got a chance to play at uni as a running back.

So, a black-and-blue shiner on my face wasn't gonna faze me.

Badge of a battle well-fought, Dad always used to say.

Plus it's not like I was reliant on my looks to get me through life. I wasn't constantly in the limelight, being forced to present some kind of idealised image to the world. That was Chris' lot. Not mine.

Thank fuck...

Though if I actually wanted to be able to eat anything tomorrow that was more substantial than a milkshake, I probably should ice the bastarding thing down.

I feel a wry smirk pull at my mouth as I reach for my wash bag. That bottle of Krug might get a lease on life, after all...

Quickly brushing and flossing my teeth — wincing a bit at the growing tightness in my jaw — I gather up my discarded clothes (as well as my holsters) and make my way back into the room.

Placing the weapons on the bedside table — contrary to what pop culture may have you believe, it ain't a good idea to sleep with a loaded gun beneath your pillow — along with my phone and wallet, I set about sorting out my threads.

A quick once-over reveals that after all the literal running around I'd ended up doing, the jeans probably could do with a wash. But I'd only brought the one pair, so they were going to have to do for tomorrow. The socks and boxers were unquestionably dead, so I roll them up to stow away in my duffle.

That left the shirt.

Grabbing either end of the split yolk, I bring the busted button-down up to eye-level to determine it's fate.

All in all, four buttons were missing, so the damage wasn't as bad as I'd—

From beneath the lingering hum of stale sweat, old leather and jet fuel, I suddenly catch a whiff of her honey-camomile scent, soft and sweet, like a half-remembered dream... and I nearly choke.

Goddammit...

I launch the cotton across the room with a growl of frustration.

As much as I'd liked the shirt — it was one of the few dressier ones that I owned — there was no way I was gonna be able to salvage it.

Because even if it hadn't still smelled like her, the mere sight of it had been enough to throw me back into that cramped apartment... and the litany of missed opportunities that had preceded it.

And, even if I did fix it back up, I'd never be able to wear the damn thing without a stark reminder of the cold, hard fact that that's all Gale was now — a memory.

So, the sooner I burned it, the better.

Along with the shirt.

But, since I didn't have a blowtorch with me — and, in any event, setting fire to the highly flammable material in the hotel room would definitely cause a building-wide evacuation — I was going to have to make do with simply stuffing the rag in the trash.

Heaving a beleaguered breath, I force myself to march around to the other side of the bed and pick up the shirt again. Balling it up, I dump it in the bin next to the desk.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Dropping the towel from my waist, I shuffle over to my duffle to stow my dirty clothes away and grab a fresh pair of boxers out.

Pulling the underwear on, I do a final sweep of the room before hitting the lights, grabbing the Krug to serve as an impromptu ice pack, and crawling beneath the cool sheets.

But instead of passing out as soon as my head hits the pillow, I find myself lying awake, staring into the darkness.

...fuck's sake.

The story continues in Chapter 10 - Hungover on You (coming soon!)

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Sleepless in New York only

@bebepac

Picture Credits

Staten Island Terminal - Shower - Drake - Dawn - Hayley & Chris - NYPD - Helicopter - Brooklyn Bridge

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istumpysk · 3 years ago

Text

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ACOK: Daenerys I (Chapter 12)

The Dothraki named the comet shierak qiya, the Bleeding Star. The old men muttered that it omened ill, but Daenerys Targaryen had seen it first on the night she had burned Khal Drogo, the night her dragons had awakened. It is the herald of my coming, she told herself as she gazed up into the night sky with wonder in her heart. The gods have sent it to show me the way.

At this point I hope the comet reappears in TWOW, and we have a major extinction event.

+.+

Dany looked at the horizon with despair. They had lost a third of their number, and still the waste stretched before them, bleak and red and endless. The comet mocks my hopes, she thought, lifting her eyes to where it scored the sky. Have I crossed half the world and seen the birth of dragons only to die with them in this hard hot desert? She would not believe it.

The Targaryens of old had ridden upon dragonback when they went to war. She tried to imagine what it would feel like, to straddle a dragon's neck and soar high into the air. It would be like standing on a mountaintop, only better. The whole world would be spread out below. If I flew high enough, I could even see the Seven Kingdoms, and reach up and touch the comet.

Here comes evil Moses, wandering the red waste with her people, daydreaming about mountaintops, and rambling about prophecy.

I have zero biblical knowledge, but I’m quite sure Moses died before reaching the Promised Land. Hahahahaha

Shoutout to @agentrouka-blog for coining evil Moses!

+.+

"They are mine," she said fiercely. They had been born from her faith and her need, given life by the deaths of her husband and unborn son and the maegi Mirri Maz Duur. Dany had walked into the flames as they came forth, and they had drunk milk from her swollen breasts. "No man will take them from me while I live."

Speaking of evil, getting Azor Ahai vibes from this. He needed three attempts to forge that sword: water, lion, wife.

Someone smarter than me can connect that to maegi, son, and husband.

Edit: @a-maid-with-sunset-in-her-hair saves the day! Brilliant.

+.+

Her hair had burned away in Drogo's pyre, so her handmaids garbed her in the skin of the hrakkar Drogo had slain, the white lion of the Dothraki sea. Its fearsome head made a hood to cover her naked scalp, its pelt a cloak that flowed across her shoulders and down her back. The cream-colored dragon sunk sharp black claws into the lion's mane and coiled its tail around her arm, while Ser Jorah took his accustomed place by her side.

What’s the consensus on the white lion pelt?

I have no thoughts, but I do know her head is in the maw of a lion, and I enjoy that.

+.+

Wine gave out first, and soon thereafter the clotted mare's milk the horselords loved better than mead. Then their stores of flatbread and dried meat were exhausted as well. Their hunters found no game, and only the flesh of their dead horses filled their bellies. Death followed death. Weak children, wrinkled old women, the sick and the stupid and the heedless, the cruel land claimed them all.

"This city is dead, Khaleesi. Nameless and godless we found it, the gates broken, only wind and flies moving through the streets."

And so they went, the bells in their hair ringing softly, while Dany settled down with her small band of survivors in the place they named Vaes Tolorro, the city of bones.

Women harvested fruit from the gardens of the dead.

Daenerys taking up residency in the city of death really wasn’t obvious to people?

+.+

Yet even as her dragons prospered, her khalasar withered and died.

Yeah, wow. I guess this isn’t obvious either. Lol

+.+

"Perhaps we are doomed if we press on . . . but I know for a certainty that we are doomed if we turn back."

If she looks back, she is lost!

(also probably doomed if she presses on!)

+.+

How long the city had been deserted she could not know, but the white walls, so beautiful from afar, were cracked and crumbling when seen up close. Inside was a maze of narrow crooked alleys. The buildings pressed close, their facades blank, chalky, windowless. Everything was white, as if the people who lived here had known nothing of color. They rode past heaps of sun-washed rubble where houses had fallen in, and elsewhere saw the faded scars of fire.

Is this about the city or Daenerys?

+.+

"Ghosts," Irri muttered. "Terrible ghosts. We must not stay here, Khaleesi, this is their place."

"I fear no ghosts. Dragons are more powerful than ghosts."

Ten years we were wed, or near enough as makes no matter.

The final battle was on Pyke. When Robert's stonethrowers opened a breach in King Balon's wall, a priest from Myr was the first man through, but I was not far behind.

This is incredible. Greyjoy and Daenerys back-to-back, and the author would like you to know that was intentional. Mirrored text, and a correction of Theon’s revisionist history. So much fun!

It was not fear of ghosts that made him glance about with distaste. - Theon I, ACOK

"Nine years, is it?" Lord Balon said at last.

"Ten," Theon answered, pulling off his torn gloves. - Theon I, ACOK

That was where Robert had made his breach, swarming in over the rubble and corpses with his warhammer in hand and Ned Stark at his side. Theon had watched from the safety of the Sea Tower, and sometimes he still saw the torches in his dreams, and heard the dull thunder of the collapse. - Theon I, ACOK

I take back everything. If he keeps putting Greyjoy and Daenerys back-to-back, I’ll smile every time.

+.+

In the coolness of her tent, Dany blackened horsemeat over a brazier and reflected on her choices. There was food and water here to sustain them, and enough grass for the horses to regain their strength. How pleasant it would be to wake every day in the same place, to linger among shady gardens, eat figs, and drink cool water, as much as she might desire.

Of course anyone paying even a little bit of attention would have noticed her khalasar hated being there.

What does it mean??

+.+

Dothraki men wore their hair in long oiled braids, and cut them only when defeated. Perhaps I should do the same, she thought, to remind them that Drogo's strength lives within me now. Khal Drogo had died with his hair uncut, a boast few men could make.

So when your hair burns off again in the future, does that signify your defeat, Queen of Meereen?

+.+

"I've brought you a peach," Ser Jorah said, kneeling. It was so small she could almost hide it in her palm, and overripe too, but when she took the first bite, the flesh was so sweet she almost cried. She ate it slowly, savoring every mouthful, while Ser Jorah told her of the tree it had been plucked from, in a garden near the western wall.

According to George R. R. Martin the peach represents the pleasures of life, and here we see Daenerys having no difficulty taking a mouthful.

Renly's hand slid inside his cloak. Stannis saw, and reached at once for the hilt of his sword, but before he could draw steel his brother produced . . . a peach. "Would you like one, brother?" Renly asked, smiling. "From Highgarden. You've never tasted anything so sweet, I promise you." He took a bite. Juice ran from the corner of his mouth.

(...)

"A man should never refuse to taste a peach," Renly said as he tossed the stone away. "He may never get the chance again. Life is short, Stannis. Remember what the Starks say. Winter is coming." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. - Catelyn III, ACOK

You probably don’t want anything in common with Renly Baratheon. In life, or in death.

+.+

She was the youngest daughter of Lord Leyton Hightower of Oldtown. The White Bull who commanded your father's Kingsguard was her great-uncle. The Hightowers are an ancient family, very rich and very proud."

"And loyal," Dany said. "I remember, Viserys said the Hightowers were among those who stayed true to my father."

My first instinct was this is foreshadowing the Hightowers eventually supporting Daenerys, but how could that be? They’re not going to side with anyone the Greyjoys are allied with.

Aegon VI it is.

+.+

"Send him in," Dany commanded, sand-scrubbed skin tingling. She wrapped herself in the lionskin. The hrakkar had been much bigger than Dany, so the pelt covered everything that wanted covering.

(...)

It pains him to speak of her, Dany saw, but she wanted to know the truth. "Is that all you would say of her?" The lion pelt slid off one shoulder and she tugged it back into place. "Was she beautiful?"

"Very beautiful." Ser Jorah lifted his eyes from her shoulder to her face.

Uggghhhhh.

+.+

Still, the island suited me well enough, and I never lacked for women. I had my share of fishwives and crofter's daughters, before and after I was wed. I married young, to a bride of my father's choosing, a Glover of Deepwood Motte. Ten years we were wed, or near enough as makes no matter. She was a plain-faced woman, but not unkind. I suppose I came to love her after a fashion, though our relations were dutiful rather than passionate.

Uggghhhhh.

I hate this man. I hate him so much. Give me his POV, just so he can narrate his own demise.

+.+

"To celebrate his victory, Robert ordained that a tourney should be held outside Lannisport. It was there I saw Lynesse, a maid half my age. She had come up from Oldtown with her father to see her brothers joust. I could not take my eyes off her. In a fit of madness, I begged her favor to wear in the tourney, never dreaming she would grant my request, yet she did."

Uggghhhhh.

A maid half his age!

+.+

I crowned Lynesse queen of love and beauty, and that very night went to her father and asked for her hand. I was drunk, as much on glory as on wine. By rights I should have gotten a contemptuous refusal, but Lord Leyton accepted my offer. We were married there in Lannisport, and for a fortnight I was the happiest man in the wide world.

Here’s a question, why would one of the most powerful, rich houses on the continent arrange a marriage with House Mormont? To a widowed man twice your daughter’s age! What the hell did you get out of that?

I don’t know a thing about Lord Leyton Hightower, but I know I hate him too. Fuck him up, Euron.

+.+

"What did she look like, your Lady Lynesse?"

Ser Jorah smiled sadly. "Why, she looked a bit like you, Daenerys."

+.+

Khal Drogo had been her sun-and-stars, her first, and perhaps he must be her last. The maegi Mirri Maz Duur had sworn she should never bear a living child, and what man would want a barren wife? And what man could hope to rival Drogo, who had died with his hair uncut and rode now through the night lands, the stars his khalasar?

+.+

The woman in the lacquered wooden mask said in the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms, "I am Quaithe of the Shadow. We come seeking dragons."

"Seek no more," Daenerys Targaryen told them. "You have found them."

We’ve found the dragons alright.

Final thoughts:

Did you know Daenerys only has 5 chapters in ACOK?

Sometimes the gods do bless me.

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #acok #daenerys i

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astrabear · 3 years ago

Text

The Guard Place

Me getting ready for bed: haha, imagine if The Old Guard took place in the same universe as The Good Place. They would totally lose their shit when Andy finally died. Hahahahaha.

Me lying in bed trying to sleep: ok but what if I actually wrote it...

This is completely unedited, written on a high of anxiety and sleep deprivation. It is 100% crack fic, and will make no sense to anyone who doesn't know the entirety of both properties. Post-canon for both. (Although "post canon" is hard to pin down for the Good Place, given how time flows in the afterlife. It's after the new system has been put in place.)

Constance sat down at her desk, fresh mug of antimatter in hand, and opened the file for her recently deceased assignment. "What the fork..." she muttered. "Janet?" *bing* "Hi! How can I help you?" "Hi Janet, I think you gave me the wrong files for this human." Janet glanced quickly at the desk. "No, those are the correct files for her." "But she's got someone else's files mixed in! No human could possibly live that long, or do that many things. Look at how many volumes this is!" Janet's smile never wavered. "Yes, her file is 213 times as long as the average human file. But it is all the same person." "But how is that even possible?!" "Unknown. My records show that there has been another outlier, and even his file was only a third the size of this one. I have no information about what causes these anomalies." Constance flipped through the pages at random. "I'm supposed to meet with a Bad Place architect tomorrow to go over our first draft concepts, but it'll take at least a Bearimy to get through all this. What am I supposed to do? I can't even find a points summary anywhere. These numbers are just... there's so much good, and so much bad, and half of it... cancels itself out? I've never seen anything like it before!" "I believe the Accounting Department included a note about that." Janet leaned over Constance's shoulder to point it out. "There it is! That should help." Constance pulled out the note, read it, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Janet. It just says 'This one broke our computers. Good luck.'" She dropped her forehead to the desktop. "What is happening?" Before Janet could respond, Constance's phone started ringing. "Hello? Oh hi Dana. Yeah, I know. Me too. No idea. No, Good Janet didn't know either. I guess all we can do is keep a positive attitude and try our best - no, of course I didn't mean to - I'm just saying that - well that's not very helpful!" She put down the receiver and turned back to Janet. "She hung up. I think I hurt her feelings. Should I send her something to apologize? Like a fruit basket? What fruits do they like in the Bad Place? Crab apples? Ugli fruit? No, focus, I can come back to that. Oh, I know! I'll ask the Judge if we can put together a larger team. Many hands make light work, and so on." Janet winced. "I wouldn't approach the Judge any time soon. She's been working her way through Mark Harmon's filmography and she just finished St. Elsewhere." This made precisely zero sense to Constance. "And that's... bad?" Janet looked unusually somber. "She was so annoyed at how the show ended, I had to talk her out of erasing humanity. Again. Maybe give her some time to calm down first. Just... start at the beginning, get a sense of who this woman was, and take it from there. Remember, it's not really about the points anymore." "That's true. Thank you, Janet." *bing* Constance took a long swallow of antimatter, now somewhat lukewarm, and turned back to the massive file. "All right, here we go. Eurasian steppes, 5th millennium BCE." She shook her head; it still seemed unbelievable. "When she was four, she picked a flower for her older sister, after her sister fell and skinned her knee. Aw, that's sweet. And then... my goodness, when she was seven she hit a boy in the head with a rock, because he teased her younger sister and made her cry..."

#the old guard #the good place #crossovers #crack fic #andromache the scythian #good janet #my fic #why am i like this

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shijiujun · 4 years ago

Note

the way word of honor set new standards in all points of a bl adaptions is really sexy considering everyone doubted it would be good lol

hahahahaha this one is a bit hard it’s the censorship issue,and SHL either had some friends in high places or they were incredibly lucky, but also they did some really really smart manoeuvring for the shidi/shixiong brotherhood plotline and obviously their censorship committee did a really good job in getting this passed so whoop whoop - i’m telling you a lot of it is timing, luck and coverage. shl had ZERO frickin coverage and no one was really interested, made sense that whoever was looking over the censorship was like nahhh this gonna flop so whatever while other shows might have had a larger following would definitely land more visibly on censorship radar, but who knows right?

but yeah! glad this was a dark horse for the first quarter of the year and even the year i feel, we weren’t expecting anything and this knocked it way out of the ballpark i’m happy, i’m so happy and i’ve been really happy for the past few weeks hehe

#asks #shl

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fizzingwizard · 3 years ago

Text

of course I had a two and a half week vacation in march, right when moominvalley season release was allegedly gonna happen... and it never did...

then on the VERY LAST DAY of my break, "hey guys! guess what show releases tomorrow!" like WHAT x'D

it's april 1st and the season's out and it was my first day back at wooooork aaaaaahhh x'D

being an adult sucks hahahahaha

but its not like i can watch it anyway lol im not in the uk. gotta wait till i find it somewhere >_>;

and being back at work was pretty good, random stuff under the cut

got my new class list and i do indeed have the student i was dreading... fingers crossed there but the rest of the group is already so cute and i cant wait to teach them. who knows, maybe the difficult kid will have matured a lot over the last month...

also met new coworker who is cool. and the atmosphere was a lot lighter than it usually is on first term days. we even got new computers which i am suuuuper excited about, the old ones were so. crappy. just the worst computers you can imagine. took ten min just to turn on and another ten to load a single webpage. if you had a fifteen minute break you were screwed. even if you had thirty min you could accomplish next to nothing. it was such a pain because we generally only get breaks (by which I mean prep time) in 15 or 30 min blocks and we have an INORDINATE amount of paperwork. my dude we teach pre-k! why this endless slog through paperwork xD the struggle is real

but now we got shiny new computers and it comes as a total shock! but a pleasant one. less pleasant was the company trying to stick me with our electric piano. we have one but it broke because of being wheeled around to different classrooms, and apparently the only solution anyone can come up with is "keep it in fizz's classroom instead of in the hall." one: how on EARTH does that stop it getting broken since it will still need to be wheeled around from room to room?? and two: where in my teeny tiny classroom do you want me to put a whole ass piano with wires and breakable bits?? first of all every corner of our room is being used, we already do not have enough storage space or enough space for the number of 1-3 year old kids which is upwards of 30. my room stores all the nap cots for two classes. then even if we figure somethign out, there is no way the kids are not going to accidentally break that piano no matter how hard we try to steer them away. i mean even if the kids are good, the pianos gonna get paint on it from crafts. i swear that it will even if we cover it. i am always finding paint and stickers in the most random of places. and last but not least, my classroom is also a nap room (hence the cots). we aren't allowed to even have water bottles on the shelves in case there's an earthquake and the things on shelves fall and hit the sleeping kids. but you want us to put a piano in there? a piano is less dangerous in an earthquake than a water bottle????

lit i told my coteachers "i will fight this." lol i was boiling over. i am not having that piano in my room. if there is no place to put it where it won't break, then either the company needs to pay for repairs when they happen (which so far is not even once a year, yet they actually rejected the maintenance application the first time we sent it -__-), or they need to not have a piano at all. "but the music teacher needs it" yes im sure she does but thats got nothing to do with me! i didnt decide my 2s need to take music lessons! thats the companies choice! that they knowingly made for their busiest school with the largest class size and teeny tiny rooms with absolutely no storage space at all! the company knows all that and yet they're just like "You guys figure it out." Well ok, im figuring it out. the piano can stay where it was last year and get moved around like usual. there is zero benefit to putting it in my room, it only makes HO feel better about spending money on the maintenance (for now - just wait till next time it breaks 9_9). on top of that it would adversely affect my class which is the number one thing i care about here. im fortunate in that our team leader agreed with me and actually went to bat over this even harder than i did. still not sure whats gonna happen but i do intend to block that piano coming in my room unless someone comes up with a reeeeally good idea for how we're gonna fit it in tetris-style without causing problems.

but otherwise a good day, lol

#fizz's life

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randomherofan · 4 years ago

Text

Dear Zen,

It’s been 4 years with you! I downloaded Mystic Messenger because I saw Sushi constantly post about it. It wasn’t until I saw an art of zen and her drawn by Semi that I finally download it! I thought Jumin or Seven was gonna be the one for me AHAHAHAHA. When I saw how you first acted, I was REPULSED. I HATED men/characters like you. RIGHT OFF THE BAT, YOU WERE HITTIN ON ME! I was like oh hell no. I dealt with too much men like you in my life, I do not want another. BOY WAS I SO WRONG!

I wanted to follow the “right order” of MM based on routes and you were the most recommended to be first so I ANGRILY WENT WITH YOU! As I learned more about you, your life, I was instantly moved. I just started college and I was extremely lonely, very depressed, and recovering from really bad breakups. College made things worse. It made me feel small, useless, stupid. I made ZERO IRL friends. That night where we went into your semi-basement, you were so down from your broken foot. It stunned me to see how such a proud, confident person like you was actually so fragile inside. When you stared up at the night sky on the rooftop, I couldn’t help but think about how vulnerable you looked. Actually, how much you were just like the stars in the sky. How much greatness was inside you. How you and I were EXACTLY where we needed to be. I fell in love with the way you looked at the sky and back at me. It was like you were inviting me to be a part of your universe and I wanted so badly to be the one you looked at like how you looked at the stars. I fell so hard for you.

Over the years, I challenged myself to do things I was scared of doing. I kept thinking, “what would zen do?” I took a college art class and dedicated my final piece to you. The room I spent doing it in was the art room on the very top of the building, almost an attic with large windows that opened completely, the sunset was so beautiful as it peered into the room. I had “Fallen Angel” on repeat for 8 hours and I even CRIED HAHAHAHAHA.

I found the courage to tell an OC story to my friends in LA. I was terrified of doing this, but something inside my heart desperately wanted to do it. I love making stories, but I have to perform them too to be completely satisfied HAHAHAHA. Sushi even cried.

I took an acting course to experience even the smallest part of your world. I learned of how incredibly difficult it was- how much it required- and I thought of how intelligent you are. WHILE I WAS EXTREMELY INTIMIDATED, I had so much fun. I met someone that reminded me of you. She came all the way from France and struggled with English. She didn’t want to go back there. She didn’t want to disappoint her mom. She wanted to perform HERE. Her heart was so big. We talked for a very long time and she told me that our conversations meant a lot to her. I can’t forget how much admiration I felt watching her perform. She was incredible and I could tell how much it meant to her.

I’m not where I want to be right now. But do I even KNOW where I want to be? I find myself very discouraged currently, but at least I’m still creating. I’m the SAME age as you were when I first met you! I hope I can become more like you in a lot of ways as time goes on. I love you very much.

#mystic messenger #otome #art

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purplesurveys · 4 years ago

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1200

Have you ever felt a baby kick? Yeah, when my mom was pregnant with my brother.

What color pants/shorts are you wearing? I have red shorts on at the moment.

When is the last time you did something truly fun, and what was it? Last Friday, I’d say? Hahaha. Counted down the hours and minutes before the Butter MV drop, celebrating and freaking out with Army when it finally came out, watched the OT7 VLive that happened that afternoon, and streamed the video for nearly 24 hours straight so we could break some records, all of which we ended up achieving. It feels great to stan a group again after being out of the loop for so long lol.

What was the scariest moment of your life? A few men have lunged towards me - just to get attention, I guess? - in the past, while I was just peacefully walking. I always hear them snickering once I’ve flinched, and I always ended up crying once I’ve processed the situation.

Have you ever heard of Leonard Cohen? I know of the name, but I have no clue who he is or what he does (did?).

Pancakes or flapjacks? I don’t even know what flapjacks are, so let’s go with pancakes.

What kind of computer are you on? I’m using a Macbook Air.

Do you eat Chinese food? If so, what's your favorite dish? Yes. Minced pork with eggplant.

What are you usually doing at midnight? On weekdays, I spend it in bed, either watching videos or already reading fanfics to get ready to turn in. On Friday nights and weekends, I will usually be found on the rooftop taking a survey or two.

Have you ever developed feelings for a friend, but you were already with someone? No, I’ve never developed feelings for another person while in a relationship.

If so, how did it turn out?

Give me your brief definition of love. I will always stick by this quote, “Love never says, ‘I have done enough.’”

What is the most beautiful part of the human body, male or female? This is subjective, of course, but personally I find it to be thighs.

What kind of shoes do you wear? I’m not wearing any at the moment; but in general, I like to wear sneakers.

What is the worst thing you've ever done when you were really angry? Physical violence.

Are there any pills you take on a daily basis? If so, what? Nope.

Do you like the smell of coconuts? Not so much. I like coconut milk, though.

What is the heaviest you think you can lift? I think my personal best was like 60 or 70 lbs, back when I had weight training classes for PE in college. I remember being in so much pain once I gave the 80 lbs barbell a shot.

Do you take Tums? No.

Have you ever walked on a pier at the beach? ...Ugh. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken this survey very recently but I might as well just take it again because I don’t feel like searching for another. Anyway, I haven’t... at least not that I can remember.

How about under one? Definitely not.

At what age do you first remember feeling butterflies in your stomach around someone? I was around 12 when I was starting to feel confused about getting nervous around Andi.

Do you feel that way around anyone now? I don’t.

Do you ever talk to yourself or think deep thoughts while on the toilet? No haha but I usually bring my phone with me to keep me company.

Do you ever sing to yourself? Pretty often.

What is a sound that relaxes you? Ocean waves.

How hard has it been to reach your main goal in life? I don’t have a main goal set in life. I just live in the now and try to do things or make decisions that would keep me consistently happy.

Do you remember the song about hoes in different area codes? HAHAHAHAHA definitely took this recently; this is so embarassing. No, I still don’t know about this song.

What is your main heritage? Filipino.

What kind of pickles do you prefer, if you like pickles? I hate pickles and I find them absolutely nasty, but there are other pickled things I like, like radishes.

What kind of cheese do you prefer, if you like cheese? Mozzarella and feta.

If you could have a sea creature as a pet, what would you want? No thanks. I’m not capable of providing them proper care.

How about a farm animal? I would just stick to dogs.

So, do you have hoes in different area codes?

What is the most annoying song you can think of that came out recently? I’ve been in a BTS bubble for a solid month or so and I honestly can’t tell you my opinion about songs that have recently come out, because I literally don’t know any.

What is a song that you hate to admit you like? There isn’t any I’m guilty about.

What inspires you to get off your bum and do something productive? Knowing I’ll feel accomplished once I do it.

Do you ever use Urban Dictionary? Never anymore. I used to browse through it only when I was a lot younger.

Do you find the definitions on there to be generally funny or stupid? Both.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'transformation'? The Transformers series, lol.

What was something you regularly played with as a child? I always liked clay and I never really graduated from that interest, since I find the texture fascinating and fun to play with.

Have you ever given in to peer pressure? Sure.

If so, what did you do? I had my first sip of alcohol at Kaira’s 18th birthday and I was feeling left out since literally everyone else was drinking. For vaping, Gabie introduced it to me; and for smoking, it was another case of FOMO that made me want to try it out.

What part of your body have you had the most problems with in your life? My back.

Do a lot of people check you out when you're in public? Idk? I don’t take note of that kind of attention, anyway; I would find it creepy.

How many people do you know for sure to be interested in you right now? Zero.

What is a good name for a turtle? I think it would be the same process as the way I think it would be for any other pet; it would depend on their personality, their aura, etc.

Can you imitate any accents well? If so, which one(s)? Not really. I can read Hangul and am familiar with the different tonalities used in Korean but I wouldn’t say my imitation would be considered spot-on.

Do you like having your ear nibbled on? Yes.

What makes a good kisser a good kisser? When they know how to use their tongue in a teasing way, for one. Eugh it’s too early for this lol

How many times a year do you have a family thing? What even is a family thing?

What are the best things to put in a smoothie? I don’t like smoothies.

Do you ever eat with your eyes closed and just focus on the taste? Yup, especially when I’m either eating somewhere pricey or when I’m eating at one of my favorite restaurants.

What do you dislike most about where you live right now? It’s a pretty uneventful city, and if I want to have some fun I always have to go to Manila.

Has anyone ever given you a rose/roses? Yup.

Are you watching your weight? No.

Have you ever became really good friends with someone you found online? Yes. Aliyah and I are still friends and I’m glad we’ve been able to maintain our friendship even after mine and Gab’s falling out. It’s a shame the three of us didn’t get to meet in real life though, and it will 100% never happen now. I also used to have a group of Twitter friends back in my wrestling stan days but it’s been a very long time since we’ve gone our separate ways. I have yet to find friends on Army Twitter but I really doubt I would get to build established friendships any time soon because EVERYONE IS SO YOUNG OVER THERE

What makes your best friend your best friend? They understand me better than anyone else does.

Do you have a drunk uncle? I have a couple of them.

Do you hear weird noises in your house at night? Nope.

What is something you do that is generally more like something the opposite sex does? Ignoring this question.

What is the girliest thing you do, if you're a girl? Also ignoring this.

What is the coolest tattoo you've ever seen? I find line tattoos to be pretty cool and beautiful in general. The minimalist look it goes for works really well.

Have you ever created anything artistic that you're proud of? If so, what? That vase I molded during my Vigan trip :) It was the first (and so far) only thing I’ve made from scratch, and even though I didn’t get to take it home, I’m still glad I had the opportunity to try pottery.

Do you only eat the middle of the oreo, if you eat oreos? No? That’s pretty wasteful. I eat the whole cookie.

Do you know anyone with a huge ego? Hahahahaha. Yes.

If so, is there anything else about them you actually like? Not anymore, no.

Have you ever used a racial slur, even jokingly? Most likely as a stupid teenager when I didn’t know any better.

Do you have any friends who are more like siblings to you? Angela and Laurice.

If so, what about them do you like most? They’re very easy to talk to, and they’re both selfless and generous.

What is everyone else in your house doing right now? My mom is making dinner while I believe everyone else is just on their phones waiting for the dish to be made.

What is the most money you've ever had at one time? I don’t remember the exact amounts anymore but my mom used to hand me cheques and regularly assign me to pay for me and my sister’s tuition back in grade school and high school, since she had work during the day and didn’t have time to stop by the school herself.

How long do you think it would take you to run a mile? I don’t know but definitely longer than what would be considered a decent duration for a fit person.

Look down. What do you see? I can see my legs but just barely since it’s dark out.

What is a subject that makes you uncomfortable? Topics I don’t know too much about.

What is a subject you can talk on and on about and not get sick of it? BTS, my field, and history.

What kind of mood were you in most of today? Comfortable. We had the aircon on all day and I just watched BTS MVs and live performances, and I don’t really feel bad about being unproductive for once.

Has anyone ever walked in on you naked? Just once or twice.

Tell me an inside joke you have with someone. Togepi.

What is the worst thing someone could do to you emotionally? Tell me hurtful words.

What is the worst thing you've ever done to someone emotionally? Idk...maybe cut them off unexpectedly? I'll usually have no problem doing this with people who make me uncomfortable.

How do you feel now about the first person you ever dated? Nothing. She’s not in my life.

How about the last person (your last ex)? She’s the same person.

What is the best invention ever invented? The internet.

What is something that needs to be invented? Not a completely new invention but I wish programs that can identify songs for you, like Siri, can be more improved to be able to recognize songs just by humming the tone. So far they can only name songs if you play it clearly for a few seconds, but it can be a hassle if I wanna have access to a certain song but only remember the melody and otherwise have no idea what the lyrics are or who sang them.

Describe your eyes. I don’t think they’re anything special. I don’t count them as a striking feature of mine.

What always makes you burp? Eating quickly. And beer.

What is something you hate doing that most couples do? There isn’t anything.

What's your astrological sign? Taurus.

What are you doing tomorrow? I wanna finally watch the Friends reunion special since I didn’t feel like watching it today. I also have a press release to write for one of my clients – they requested for it Friday and want it by Monday :(

#survey #surveys

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megamanxfanfics · 4 years ago

Text

S.VI - Ep.12: Grand Design

-------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. FALLEN COLONY – Lab Sites - NIGHT

--------------------------------------------------------------------

-Fade in-

Gate stares at his monitor in fear. Zero has just defeated Blaze Phoenix and X has destroyed another Nightmare Portal.

GATE: (panicking) This is.. horrible! Not only is he back, but he’s made short work of Infinity Flea and Blaze Phoenix like they were nothing!! How…? How did he get so strong??

Isoc steps into the room.

ISOC: That would be the Nightmare’s doing.

GATE: (gasping) Isoc!

ISOC: (shrugging, acceptant) He did create it after all…

GATE: We created it!

ISOC: His Virus was the source. You know that better than anyone…

GATE: Hmph…. How are you so.. nonchalant about all this? Aren’t you afraid that he’ll come after us??

ISOC: (grinning) Oh no… I have a theory.

[INSERT TITLE CARD - Grand Design]

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MAGMA AREA – Blaze Phoenix’s Lair - DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

X nods to Zero, ready to beam out and go home.

ZERO: Wait, before we go…

He spots a green Nightmare Soul left behind from Blaze Phoenix’s core and grabs it. Zero absorbs the power into his own core as his eyes glow orange for a second.

ZERO: We can’t let these fall into the wrong hands.

X: (nodding) Right!

Zero takes another second to walk over to the fallen Phoenix and rips out the weapon chip from his decaying core.

ZERO: …There. Now we can go.

The two share a smirk before teleporting home.

-cut to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MHHQ BUNKER – Control Area – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The triumphant battle-weary heros appear in the middle of the room, by Signas’ console. They are both war-torn, but otherwise fine.

SIGNAS: Nice work, you two!!

ZERO: (nodding) Thanks, boss.

X: (saluting) Sir…

They both wearily nod and salute him as they walk over to Alia’s Console. On their way over to her, Zero looks at X with respect.

ZERO: Here, /catch.

He /throws the enemy’s weapon chip at X, which surprises him.

X, /catches it with a mild smile on his face.

X: Huh? /Oh… Actually, I’ve got something for you too..

ZERO: Hm?

He fumbles around in his compartment belt and returns the gesture by /throwing him the new Sub-tank he just found.

X: Here…. /catch.

Zero catches it and looks at the gift with gratitude.

Once at her console, Alia turns around with a satisfied smile.

ALIA: Very good, Gentlemen. Now that you’re back… Let’s debrief!

Zero rolls his eyes.

ZERO: Always with the debriefing…

Alia looks at Zero, annoyed.

ALIA: Uhh, Yeah we’re debriefing… It’s called - Doing My Job? Hellooo!

X: (beaming, amused) Ahahahaahah.

Zero shakes his head and cracks half of a smile.

ZERO: (smirking,) …Alriiight, alriiiight ya got me…

Mid-laughter X suddenly panics.

X: Oh no! Wait!! What about that Reploid? I completely forgot about him.

ALIA: Don’t worry. When you came back from the Pocket Dimension, another Reploid appeared at the Settlement. That must have been him.

X: (relieved) Okay, good.

ALIA: Speaking of which, who was in that Portal?

X: You’re not gonna believe this. It was Vile.

ALIA & ZERO: What!?

X: I don’t know…. He didn’t seem real. Someone must be messing with me.

ZERO: Well that’s gotta be the Nightmare at work…

X: Even less-so. Your Nightmare Counterpart had that Purple Virus Color we both love so much. This one was more of a faded blueish gray. He was also very weak.

ZERO: Well, maybe that means that the Virus is wearing off!

The two look at him, spooked.

ZERO: N-Nightmare Energy…. Whatever this is!

Alia walks over to X and.

ALIA: Hmm, well that’s another mystery we’ll have to figure out later. As for this power set…

She takes the new chip and walks it over to her computer.

ALIA: This, we can examine!

She runs an analytics test. The monitor displays a grid-like image of a generic reploid figure swiping a burning saber.

ALIA: It looks like you got Magma Blade! Good job!! It emits a wide-ranged blade of fireballs from a Saber.

X shakes his head.

X: It’s unearned… You should use it, Zero.

Zero shakes his head.

ZERO: No need. I’ve learned how to use his Shoenzan from our battle!

With a quick diagonal swipe, Zero shows them a new menacing saber, engulfed in flames. He creates a short wall of fire, similar to Blaze Phoenix’s winged fire-clap, but more contained.

DOUGLAS: (nervous, troubled) HEEY, EASY!!

Douglas runs over to them from his Console, worried and annoyed.

Zero extinguishes the flame just as soon as he creates it and sheathes the saber into his back.

DOUGLAS: Could you not do that indoors, please? I spent a long time making this place operational…

ZERO: Relax, Doug. I’ve got it under control…

DOUGLAS: (muttering) Hmph…. wreckless..

X and Alia both look each other wide-eyed for a second. Then they both choose to shake their heads and move on.

ALIA: U-uh anyway…. I should give you some more background on Blaze Phoenix before we close his file.

X: Yes, let’s proceed.

X gives Zero a disapproving glare for a second.

ALIA: Blaze Phoenix was an Ex-Investigator of the Earth’s Hot Spots. His ability was far beyond any of the other members on our Team. Even Turtloid couldn’t examine these climates, but Phoenix was our solution. He could research any area that was dangerously hot without fear, but the problem was that his teammates couldn’t keep up. During the Great Repliforce War, his Team had investigated Burn Dino-Rex at the Sunhouse Mountain long before you, Zero…

ZERO: (shocked) Really!!?

-FLASH-

—————————————————————————- INT. SUNHOUSE MOUNTAIN – Deep Pit – DAY —————————————————————————-

Blaze Phoenix leads the way with an eager grin on his face as a fantastic wave of flames surrounds his entire body.

ALIA: (v.o, narrating) Yes. His team made it as far as the Lava Tunnels. Do you remember that?

Far behind the flames, Allen, Glen and Ron struggle to keep up as their bodies are perspiring from the intense levels of heat in the pit.

ZERO: (v.o, reacting) Oh my God, I hated that…

The whole area begins to rumble. The giant tunnel shakes as rocks can be heard crashing down beneath them.

ALIA: (v.o, narrating) So did they…

RON: What the-?

A Researcher turns around and widens his gaze immediately at a huge stream of lava, as tall as the entire tunnel around them.

RON: Oh God!!

2 others turn around, frightened to see the huge wall of lava coming for them.

RESEARCHERS: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

The wave engulfs all three of them entirely. Their bodies disintegrate instantly upon contact.

ALIA: (v.o, narrating) All the others who fell behind died needlessly...

From far ahead, Blaze Phoenix crashes through a wall with an aura of flame around him. He barely hears the faint sound of screaming, which makes him only slightly turn his head.

Then, he notices a giant wall of lava headed straight for him.

BLAZE PHOENIX: Hm!?

-Fade to Orange-

Upon an orange background, she narrates.

ALIA: (v.o, narrating) When he came home, he was punished and thrown into quarantine.

-dissolve to-

————————————————————— INT. LAYE LABS – Probation Bunker – NIGHT —————————————————————

A charred and recovering Blaze Phoenix rests in a chamber that is only slightly comfier than a jail cell.

ALIA: (v.o, narrating) Ultimately, it was decided that in order to prevent any more victims from getting hurt, he would be disposed of and buried deep underground.

His cell door opens as he continues to sleep on a bench.

ZERO: (v.o, responding) How…?

A Reploid with a large cannon in hand walks up to him and places the weapon directly into his open beak.

ALIA: (v.o, narrating) Boulder Gun to the mouth while he was sleeping…. It got ugly…

-flash-

A large boulder is generated from the weapon, instantly crushing Blaze Phoenix’s skull from the inside. Blood spurts all across the wall and onto Victor’s chest, who shakes it off and wipes his weapon clean.

-FLASH-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MHHQ BUNKER – Control Area – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

X and Zero look at Alia horrified.

X: Whoaaa!

ZERO: Brutal…. No wonder Gate lost it…

ALIA: Hmph. It’s really hard to tell who was right in hindsight…. But he was definitely dealt an unfair hand. Ugh, God that place was so toxic…

Alia winces and looks down with a hard feeling of guilt.

X: Heeeeey. You okay??

He immediately walks up to her and puts two comforting hands on her shoulders.

With tightly closed eyes she nods and sniffles it off, trying to maintain her composure.

ALIA: Yeah, I… I’m fine. It’s just a lot.

X: I know hun. We’ve all been through a lot…

He places a loving forehead against hers and they both take a slow deep breath together.

ZERO: Uhhhhh, is this still part of the debrief…?

Alia looks at X and grits her teeth. Then she takes a breath and looks at Zero with a sly simper.

ALIA: Hmph… ya got me.

ZERO: If I didn’t know any better… It looks like X, has got you. Hey, are you two…?

ALIA: That’s None of your Business!!!!

X blushes.

ZERO: Oh-o Maaaan! Woooooooow. I really Did miss a lot while I was out.

X: Come on, Man. That’s enough.

ALIA: Alriiiiiight, alright. Let’s keep it Professional. We’re done here.

ZERO: Hahahahaha, okaay…

X gives Zero two side-eyes with a half-grimace, feeling embarrassed.

Alia pets her hair and smirks at them with a slight blush.

ALIA: (grinning, smug) You both look like hot garbage. Get cleaned up and spend the night in the Settlement. I think it’ll be good for both of you.

ZERO: (confused) Huh?

X: (smiling, thoughtful) Hm.

-cut to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. FALLEN COLONY – Lab Sites – NIGHT

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Gate and Isoc continue their troublesome discussion.

GATE: So what are we supposed to do now… just wait until he miraculously comes around? I don’t think that’s a very sound idea.

ISOC: We’ll follow through with the Contingency Plan until such events fall into our favor.

GATE: That’s crazy! It’s not working!! Dynamo is unreliable and that Resurrection was too weak!! What the Hell was that???

ISOC: …Something to keep X busy, like you asked…

GATE: Hrrrgh, it’s not good enough!

ISOC: I’ll get Dynamo to come around. Don’t worry.

GATE: (panicking) How can I not!?? Zero suddenly came back, stronger than ever and he’s tearing this whole thing apart!!!

Isoc hides a wicked smile and takes a breath.

ISOC: I know it may seem Counter-Intuitive, but the more he consumes the Nightmare, the better off we are.

GATE: (frustrated) How!? It will only make him stronger!!

ISOC: Yes. And then he’ll become an Omega-Level threat once again. X and the Public will turn on him. They will force his hand and once he Finally crosses that line… Then, my friend… he will see that our visions are aligned.

Gate looks at him wide-eyed.

GATE: You’re a Mad Man. You’re putting a lot of faith into a hypothesis that we don’t even know is feasible!

ISOC: Oh, it’s possible. I know how he thinks…. And when he’s backed into a corner, he will cut through anyone. Even his closest of friends.

GATE: That’s a very dangerous game you’re playing…

Isoc makes an evil grin. Gate shakes his head.

GATE: No, I have a much better idea. It’s time to tip the scale in my favor…. It’s time to send in High Max.

-cut to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. HEXAGON STATION – Reploid Settlement – NIGHT

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Zero walks with X down the main steps of the reformed Train Station. It is now a Recovery Hub for Homeless and Injured Reploids.

ZERO: So this is the Reploid Settlement..?

X nods.

X: Yeah. It got really scary out there after your Shuttle Mission had… failed.

Zero frowns and looks away.

X: Local Mavericks turned up from around every corner and a lot of sacrifices were made…

X clears his throat.

X: But that was a while ago, already. Once we got a semblance of control to the city, we noticed that the survivors naturally flocked over to here. So, we decided to help them as best as we could.

ZERO: That’s really great, man.

X nods and smiles.

X: (proud) This… is who we fight for. It’s a constant reminder that we need to get back out there and do better. Every day.

Zero looks at X, stunned. Once again, he has done a lot of growing up in his absence.

Just then, a cute reploid that shares X’s likeness in blue armor walks up to them.

LEVY: Hey, X!! I was wondering when you’d grace us with your presence again.

She gives him a hug.

X: Eh heh heh.. Hey, Lev. How’ve you been holding up?

LEVY: Really good. Your friends are awesome! Especially that new Fire Guy.

She thumbs over to Fef, who is mingling with Kassy, Regina, Iso, Data and Araki.

X: (smiling) Glad to see everyone’s getting along…

LEVY: Oh yeah. I’ve been training with the others and everyone’s been /really /Welcoming.

She /punches the /air with both fists in a cute way while making eyes at him. Zero gives her and X a strange look.

LEVY: (flirty) Any chance, we’ll get to spar again soon???

X: Ahh.. n-no. We’re just here to recover and catch up for the night. But now that we’ve got Zero back, maybe the two of you could-

LEVY: Hmph! Passing me off to the Nightmare!? I know who you are…. You’re the one who caused this whole mess!! Under normal circumstances, it’d be an honor, but frankly… you can go to Hell.

She walks off in a huff.

Zero looks at X and rolls his eyes.

ZERO: So much for getting along……

They both walk on towards Lifesaver’s Med Car.

X: Ah, don’t listen to her. She’ll come around.

When they pass by Fef’s group, the reploids all look at Zero in awe and fear.

ZERO: I don’t really care, if I’m honest…. I just want to get better and get back out there.

X frowns as they make it to Lifesaver’s car.

-pan to-

-------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. REPLOID SETTLEMENT – Med Cars – NIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------

X and Zero step inside the car to see Hanse and Hal sitting with the charred Tekk. Lifesaver is tending to him.

HANSE & HAL: (nervous, scared) Ah-hh… Z-z-Zero!!

X: (annoyed) Relax, guys. He’s with me. He’s on our side…

Zero folds his arms and turns his back to them in a huff. They instantly see his burn marks from the Magma Area.

Tekk tilts his head and smiles at Zero.

TEKK: H..h-hey.. Zzeerroooo…

ZERO: Save your strength, Tekk. You’re no good to us, dead.

TEKK: (nodding, weak) rr..riigghhht…

He curls up and goes back to sleep.

Lifesaver looks at them with a stern face and walks over to X.

LIFESAVER: Gentlemen… What can I do for you??

X: We need a recovery bunk for the night.

LIFESAVER: Ohhh. Finally taking my advice and giving it a rest, I see. Come on…. Right this way.

He grabs some gear and leads them to another car, internally.

-cut to-

-------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. MED CARS – Recovery Bunk – NIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------

The wounded legends are led to two padded gurneys, which lie at both walls of the car, across from each other. Lifesaver Prime and two assisting clones set the both of them up with IV wires, energen packs and light sedatives, which will ensure a smooth night without incident.

Zero gives Lifesaver an untrusting look, once stuck with the needle.

LIFESAVER: Oh, don’t worry. It’s a light dose of Repli-tonin. This’ll just take off the edge, so your body can focus on recovering faster. That’s what you want, don’t you?

ZERO: Hmph… I guess.

X: Thank you, Lifesaver.

He smiles at X.

LIFESAVER: Very good. I’ll have a clone check up on you later.

He and the clones exit the car. The last one out, turns off the light and shuts the door, finally leaving them to their privacy.

The glow of their red and blue head gems illuminate in the darkness as X and Zero recover together.

-cut to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. ABEL CITY – Dynamo’s Apartment – NIGHT

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dynamo stands by a window and watches over the barren city from high up.

DYNAMO: (v.o, thinking) Man I miss this City! …What have I done? The bustling streets, the unsleeping crowds, the traffic at night…. Tearing it down was a lot of fun, but what was the point? Everything’s so Boring!

Out of nowhere, from a distance, Dynamo can see a faint shadow amongst the night sky flying towards him.

DYNAMO: Hm? What the-??

High Max bursts through his apartment window and grabs him by the neck.

HIGH MAX: I’ve Found You!!!

DYNAMO: AAGgghhkkk…. What the Hell??

He tries to fight back, but is flown into his couch and blasted 4 times at close range.

DYNAMO: AAGHH.

He tries to get up, but is instantly kicked right back down into the couch.

HIGH MAX: Stay down…. I have a message for you from Isoc.

DYNAMO: Ughh, what does He want?? Is he sad that I didn’t return his calls???

HIGH MAX: Hmph…. He wants you to know that you have one more chance to make things right. Otherwise, you can forget about your Payment and the Luxury of Life altogether!

DYNAMO: Agghh…. Tell him, I need more time. X really got me good, last time.

HIGH MAX: Not my problem…

DYNAMO: I’m gonna get stronger… I just need to sleep this off and collect more Nightmare Souls. That’s all. I promise!

HIGH MAX: Hmph…. You have 24 hours…

DYNAMO: O-okay. Thank you!

High Max folds his arms and flies backward out from the window he came in. He threateningly locks eyes with Dynamo the entire time with a stoic grimace.

- Cut to -

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MED CARS – Recovery Bunk - NIGHT

--------------------------------------------------------------------

After a brief period of silence, X turns to his partner.

X: Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you…. How did you get that new saber?

ZERO: I created a new one while I was hiding out.

X: Huh? You’ve never been tech savvy, before..

ZERO: Heh…. When it comes to my stuff, you’ll find that I’m full of surprises.

X: Hm… Where were you all this time, anyway?

ZERO: Well… I don’t remember a lot of it, to be honest. Reserve Processors must have blocked it out until I was safer…. But what I do remember is that by the time I rebuilt my arm and legs, I was hunkered down in a cave somewhere.

X: A cave…? That’s it??

ZERO: Yeah, man. I dunno. I was on the move, constantly roaming around not fully sure of where I was, exactly. I kept looking for.. better parts. I tried to rebuild from scraps… turning junk into… something that could interface with my system.

X gives Zero a look of disbelief.

X: …Uh.. I’m sorry, but… Your story doesn’t add up, Man. Why are you being so secretive…?

ZERO: What do you mean?? I’m not-

X: Come on. After all these years, I know you better than anyone. I can tell when you’re lying to me… which is upsetting. …What is it that you’re hiding??

ZERO: (sighing) Look, the truth is I don’t know…. And it scares me. Honestly, I just remember a cave and having a new saber. I was fully rebuilt with no idea how I got there and no idea where I was.

X: Oh…. Well no need to hide that from me.. Why don’t you trust me?

ZERO: In fairness, you haven’t trusted me for a while. …And I’ve given you no reason to.

X: You always have my back in the Field. That should be reason enough.

ZERO: But it’s really not… Is it?

X: (hesitating) …We don’t need to get into this now…

ZERO: No, we really do. It’s time, Man. Speak your mind…

X: (sighing) Well… you’ve always been a guarded person, which I’ve come to expect over time. But… my Damn Memory plays tricks on me, now...

ZERO: Ever since Dr. Light… found you?

X: Yup. Now I don’t remember which Zero helped me grow up and learn to fight back anymore…. The cocky, headstrong idol or the jaded, corrupt Maverick…

Zero closes his eyes and winces, ashamed.

ZERO: It’s been both, Man. The whole time, I’ve been fighting something.

X tears up.

X: And somehow, I already Know that! And yet it’s news to me, now. Can you imagine how frightening that is??

ZERO: I’ve lived it. How do you think I felt in Antarctica?

X: …You scared the Hell out of me in Antarctica. You weren’t acting like yourself at all.

ZERO: Actually, I was…. All of my inhibitions were gone.

X: Don’t start that up again!

ZERO: (sighing) I don’t Care about the Prophecy anymore, dude. Me sitting here with you should be living proof of that.

X: But now we both know we were designed to kill each other…

ZERO: Fuck that. I don’t care about their Grand Design.

X gasps, relieved as warm tears escape from his eyes. Then, he makes a wry smile.

X: Always fighting against your own Destiny, to the bitter end, huh??

ZERO: (smiling) You know it.

X: So, in that case, I do have to ask this. What’s your End Goal, now? …What are you fighting for…?

ZERO: Come on, do you really have to ask that??

X: I mean it, Zero. If I’m ever going to fully trust you again, I need to know your motives.

ZERO: Ugh. After the Shuttle Mission Failed, I just want a sense of Normalcy… Even if it’s unattainable. Maybe I just want to hurt people for making the World this way. Get some of this frustration out…

X: I’d hate to say it, but I think you made the World this way…

Zero gasps and scowls with a grimace.

ZERO: Is it ‘cause of what that… fan girl said?

X smirks for a second.

X: Who, Levy? No… …Alia told me that your signal still doesn’t read as Data. So… what are you?

Zero shakes his head and takes a breath.

ZERO: It’s just as it was before. This is my Original Data. It’s not Maverick and it’s not even Evil. It’s just… Me.

X: Hmph.

ZERO: Not good enough for you?

X: What about the Nightmare Souls? What are they supposed to be??

ZERO: Well… They’re pieces of my Soul, actually.

X becomes wide-eyed.

X: What!!?

ZERO: I don’t know how they exist… Or even how I exist! But… somehow, the Virus Energy manifested itself into the Nightmare and was contained into these little orbs.

X: Sounds kind of like the Erasure Experiment…

Zero becomes wide-eyed.

ZERO: On steroids.

X: That explains how you’re becoming so powerful, I guess… I’m worried though.

ZERO: About what..?

X: (hypothesizing) You were revived Zero… No doubt about it. But by who…? And for what reason? …If you absorb too many of those Nightmare Souls, I wonder… Will you end up like you did back at the Colony??

ZERO: (scared) I don’t know…

X: Can you contain it this time…?

ZERO: (worried) I don’t know!

X takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

X: Then that’s a problem…

ZERO: When this is all over, I want Lifesaver to do a full work-up on my internals. One way or another, we’re gonna figure this out, Man.

X nods.

X: I like the sound of that.

Zero cringes in pain with a heavy head of guilt.

ZERO: (hurting, guilty) X…. I’m so sorry that I hurt you. Not just Antarctica or Laguz Island. I’m sorry for all of it!

X: (surprised) Zero…

ZERO: (regretful, ruminating) How I acted during the Great Repliforce War, my reckless attack on Dr. Doppler, which nearly got us all killed… All you went through with the X-Hunters for me… and my unconventional field-training methods during the Rebellion, before that! I’m always putting you in danger. All this time, I’ve been pressuring you to do things My Way and-

X: I forgive you…!

ZERO: Huh??

X: Zero, all those experiences helped shape me into who I am today. All the Good and the Bad…. And now that I know I can trust you.. None of it matters anymore. I mean that.

ZERO: But this Nightmare has been killing you…. That’s on me too…

X: (sighing) This Nightmare’s been killing all of us…. But now that you’re here to help, we’re finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Now let’s get some rest. We’re gonna have a lot of work to do when we get up.

Zero smiles at his best friend, who closes his eyes and rests with a peaceful face that he hasn’t seen in a while. This causes Zero to let out a deep sigh and close his eyes. Before long, he is lulled to sleep with a more complacent face as well.

ZERO: (v.o, thinking) Maybe… things are gonna turn out alright, this time…

-fade to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. MHHQ BUNKER - Control Area – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption - December 30th, the next morning.

A well-rested X walks over to Alia’s console with a cheerful smile on his face.

X: Good Morning, Beautiful.

ALIA: Hey there, sunshine!

He gives her a kiss on the lips. She smiles at him and turns back to her monitor.

ALIA: How was your sleep last night? Just what the doctor ordered?

X: And then some! /I feel better than ever.

He /stretches his arm and twists his torso, cricking his neck and looking refreshed.

ALIA: Hehe, good. Where’s Zero??

X: Heheh.. That lug is still sleeping. But that’s fine. It’ll give me time to catch up to him later.

She nods and gives him a thoughtful look.

ALIA: I see. So, you’ve settled it? You seem.. really at Peace today.

X: (smiling) Heh... We discussed just about everything we could last night, and... I guess I’m just really relieved about how it all went. I’m definitely satisfied with the outcome.

She nods and offers a genuine smile.

ALIA: Good! You deserve some Peace of Mind more than anyone else...

X: And what about you...?

ALIA: ...I still might have some reservations, but... if you know that you can trust him, then that’s good enough for me. I trust you...

He gives her a warm, loving smile and holds her hand. They massage each other’s palms for 3 seconds before she pulls away and clears her throat.

ALIA: So where to, today?

X: Inami Temple. It’s beyond time to follow up on the Reploids I left behind…

Alia offers a worried grimace.

ALIA: Okaaaaay. Just be careful.

X: I know…

She pulls up their Mission Select screen, clicks on Rainy Turtloid’s black and white mugshot and punches in the coordinates. In another moment, he teleports away.

-cut to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. INAMI TREE – Meditation Room - DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

X is teleported directly inside the Inami Tree, at the ground level, where a jagged tunnel of spikes can be seen. It is still raining.

In a flash of light, he transforms into his Blade Armor and slowly walks up to the tunnel trap.

X sighs.

X: Here goes nothing…

He crouches down and carefully amplifies the gears within his boots. After a moment of prepping, he launches himself directly through the tunnel, narrowly avoiding the spikes above and below him. In an instant, he bashes into the wall, with his hands out and brakes on his heels. He has made it to the other side. Above him, the ominous portal awaits him.

ALIA: (o.s, filtered) Now, remember. Once you jump through that portal, we’ll lose contact. I won’t be able to see or hear anything from your end until you get back.

X: (nodding) I know…. Here I go!

ALIA: Be carefuuuul!!!!

X jumps into the portal and smiles at the sound of her voice, before suddenly disappearing.

-cut to-

--------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. POCKET DIMENSION – Rainy Entrapment – DAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

X appears inside the trap from out of thin-air, whereupon he immediately spots a curative platform while getting rained on.

X: Hmph…. Just as I thought. This isn’t the same area.

Just across the way from a similar gap in the room, a Monbando Unit looks at him and smirks.

MONBANDO: Weeeell… Look, who finally decided to show…

X: Hm!?

MONBANDO: I’m afraid you’re a little late, my friend.

Just then, an infected reploid peers out from behind the Mechaniloid. She looks at him, driven with hatred.

X: Oh no!!

MONBANDO: And now it’s time that you Suffer the Consequences!!!

From out of nowhere, three other infected reploids reveal themselves from the platforms below him.

X takes out his saber and breathes heavily.

At once, all 4 Infected Reploids dive after him and he is forced to defend himself.

X: GOD DAAAAAMN IIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!

Jumping after them, he performs his Double Wave Giga Attack for the first time with regret. All of the Infected Reploids shatter to pieces at once.

-Freeze Frame. Grainy Effect-

#Season VI #Episode 12 #Grand Design #Gate #Isoc #X #Zero #Alia #Signas #Douglas #Maverick Hunters #Rescued Reploids #Lifesaver #High Max #Dynamo #Recovering #Discovering #Rescue Mission #Nightmare Portal

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