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heeikeuu · 5 months ago

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── .✦ ENHYPEN DRABBLE; When You Play Love&DeepSpace

۶ৎ featuring – enha x fem!reader

۶ৎ genre – fluff, romance, slice of life

note: hai people, I'm new to writing fanfics, but I hope you enjoy this <3

HEESEUNG ᝰ.ᐟ

You were lying in bed giggling at your phone while your boyfriend was gaming. "Nightly Rendezvous" banner teasers just dropped, and u were watching them with the volume a little too high that heeseung heard and got curious. He sneakily decided to check out the commotion. His eyes were wide, and jaw dropped. "Baby, what are you doing?" He asked, making u flinch in surprise, "Jesus christ, seungie, you scared my soul off my body." Upon seeing how red your face got your boyfriend smirked, suddenly you're trapped in the bed with his hands on either side of your head. Looking up at him like a deer caught in headlight, "I didn't know u were into stuff like this?" The question really was rhetorical but you just sheepishly smiled at him and grabbed your phone, "he reminds me of u a lot" you showed him Rafayel, your boyfriend is taken aback at first but soon shakes his head and giggles at you. "At least now I know what you do when you miss me." You lightly slapped his arm before giving him a peck on the lips, not really disagreeing with his statement.

JUNGWON ᝰ.ᐟ

Jungwon was lying beside you in bed. Both of you on your phones and just enjoying each other's presence after a long hectic day at work. You were busy trying to pull for Xavier's limited myth after saving up for a long time that you didn't realize your boyfriend got bored of his phone eventually and was watching you instead. Suddenly, your boyfriend spoke, "Which cards you aiming for?" Looking up from your phone, you notice his eyes on you and smile softly, "I want to get Xavier's limited myth, Lumiere is so hot" your boyfriend blinked at you for a few seconds before giggling, "not more than me though, right?" He asked teasingly while poking your arm, but you definitely caught on to the double meaning. "Of course not, wonie, nobody is hotter than you, silly." You stated as a matter of fact while looking at him through your lashes, "y-yeah" stumbling on his words a little he smiles sheepishly and pulls you closer with his head on your shoulders, landing a small kiss there, "don't mind me."

JAY ᝰ.ᐟ

Jay was in his office. It was break time, and he opened his phone to see what his fiance was doing. He noticed her newest post update saying she really wanted to collect new outfits for her mc, shaking his head lightly and smiling. Being the gentleman he is, he sent her money to buy that outfit and more, whatever her heart pleased. He loved spoiling her rotten, and he was well aware of that and didn't mind. You heard your phone ding while doing your makeup, you eyes widened seeing what your boyfriend texted, "I noticed you wanted new outfits for your mc so here's some money to get whatever you want, darling ❤️" with $500 sent to your account. You quickly texted him back, thanking him and saying he really didn't have to. A call interrupted your thoughts. It was your fiance, picking it up quickly. "Hi darling, just wanted to let you know that I will be heading home a little late today due to an emergency meeting so please make sure to eat well and don't stay up too late waiting for me." You hummed in agreement, "I need words, darling" blushing at his words, "okay, I promise." "Good, also make sure to show me your cute mc outfits later." Smiling to yourself at his thoughtfulness, you agreed, and the call ended. Kicking your feet and rolling in bed like a maniac, you thanked your lucky stars for giving you a real life Zayne.

JAKE ᝰ.ᐟ

Jake just came home from practice, hearing your fast footsteps after yelling, "Baby, I'm home." He smiled warmly, seeing you run into his arms. "I miss you, baby, and I have so much to talk to you about!" You exclaimed excited. Holding you up with one arm, he smiled back at you. You were his little fluff ball of energy. He already knew you were going to talk his ear off about Sylus later, but he didn't mind at all because he loved seeing how you got all nerdy about your interests. After taking a shower and eating dinner together, he sat on the couch with her in his arms as she started explaining the whole lore to him with a PowerPoint ready on her ipad. Giggling at how cute she is being. She let out a sigh "jakey are you listening? This is super important!" You stressed, and your boyfriend looked at you sweetly, "I'm listening, baby. Please continue. What happened next?" He always matched your energy, and you loved this about him. No matter how tired he was, he was never too tired to listen to his girl yap about whatever for hours.

SUNGHOON ᝰ.ᐟ

You were scrolling through tiktok during your break until you stumbled upon an edit of zayne with enha's song. Letting out a gasp, you excitedly sent the link to your husband while giggling. The familiar sound of your notifications filled the quiet office room. Already knowing its sunghoon, you smiled and opened the chat. "I see you're having fun, but I'm here suffering missing my pretty girl," you mentally face palmed at his cute antics. Deciding to tease him a bit, you responded, "Can't a girl have two husbands?" And the next lines of texts of him went like "oh my god. My wife hates me. She wants me to die. Goodbye, world." Chucking at his dramatic behavior, you decided to call him. He picked up almost immediately, "Hi Zaynie~" you chimed in a teasing tone, you heard your husband sigh, "hello to you too wifey, now would you please mind finishing your work early because your husband is going to die waiting for you at home." You always loved how dramatic and cute sunghoon was, people often thought he was cold at first but to you he was a grade S soap opera actor, and you wouldn't trade the world for him. You always told him that and whenever he asked, "What about Zayne then?" You jokingly told him,"know your limits." But deep down, you were grateful your man always supported your interests despite acting sulky at times.

SUNOO ᝰ.ᐟ

You were laser focused on trying to win kitty cards against Caleb that you didn't notice your boyfriend was calling for you from the bathroom. It was nighttime, and usually time for your skin care routine together. "Princess, can you hear me?" He asked worriedly. He came into view with a face mask and his arms crossed. "What's so important it has your mind preoccupied like this?" He questioned, but you quickly brushed him off saying "wait I'm trying to beat caleb in kitty cards, and he's driving me crazy!! He keeps freezing me and stealing my points!" Your frustrated tone made sunoo chuckle before coming closer and taking your phone away, gasping you look up, "sunoo please baby just this one round," "You said that like 2 rounds ago, baby, come on, it's time to take your makeup off. I promise after we can beat him up together." Puffing your cheeks, you agreed. "Okay, but since you're better at kitty cards, you better win all!" You pointed your finger at your boyfriend who took your hand and kissed it softly, humming in agreement. Smiling at him while you both went to finish your night routine.

RIKI ᝰ.ᐟ

Sitting on riki's lap, you let out sighs making sure your boyfriend could hear you. Riki glanced down at you from the TV, "what's wrong, you big baby?" You were having a hard time passing the open orbit battles and started getting extra frustrated. "Ki, I can't seem to pass this level no matter what I do!" You expressed, "here, let me try, angel." He sweetly offered, and you let him help. You watch him intently choose the cards and weapons, and start the battle. Your heartbeat spiking as you watched the timer count to 10, and the wanderer's HP was like 3 hits away from victory, which is where you kept failing. "Fucking bitch" you heard your boyfriend mutter under his breath and you closed your eyes dramatically scared of losing, "LET'S GOOO" you suddenly heard him say, opening your eyes, you saw the screen flash "victory" and you jumps his bones while thanking him all giddy, "fear not baby, no matter how hard the boss battle is, nishimura will always prevail" he says proudly making u giggle at his silliness, "of course, baby" you kiss his cheek and returned to your game but noticed through your peripheral vision him blushing with a smile he failed to hide.

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bokettochild · 4 months ago

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Ketto's Update Thoughts: Crescent Flame 1

Okay! I missed the last one, so here's this one!

Honestly, I love this pairing! I love that Legend and Hyrule, the two OG Links, are the ones teamed up. For character building, I'm not keen on it, but for asthetics? Gosh, my first two games were the OG Zelda and ALTTP, so watching the boys hit all the traditional dungeon requirements together, all the ones you'd expect in their games, makes me very happy. (I am dying to know what that torch does! They never JUST light up the room, except in moving floor levels- that is, if I'm remembering right?)

It's good to see Legend relaxing a bit more, and that bit with the pots! Yes, he took a risk, tossing it at Hyrule's freaking HEAD, but he's being playful and not as tense. If he was the bully the rest thought, he'd totally have tried to snatch that rupee, since he grabbed the pot first, but instead we have this little reaction

(Love his little smile here, omgosh!!!!)

I am curious about why JoJo chose to have the Age Bookends interrupt the two boys; was it just a way to get these two, mostly silent, Links to start talking? Or will we be seeing the groups stumble over each other a bit through the dungeon? Doubling over ground already covered? If this is based of Downfall dungeons (which it has many traits of so far) that would track, but if not, then I wander why it is that way.

I might be thinking too much though, and besides, it did give us THIS funny interactions

Like, this has, at the very least, got to be JoJo having fun with the fact that all of us can't make up our minds where Four fits in the Age range of the group, and maybe this is where we start to get more confirmation for all the ages! I mean, we did have Wars classifying Legend, officially, with the 'kids', and Sky is now counted with the adults (in the early days a lot of folks had him on the younger side, not equal to Twilight)

.....

Okay, I know I'm hyper-focusing on Legend, but hey, this is the first time we've seen this much of him in a bit, and I'm getting some DDR flashbacks right now; the two heroes' wandering off, discussing something as they go, something that has Legend feeling a certain kinda angst, and I just get the impression that maybe something's going to happen with him here.

I have been wondering why JoJo included the bunny arc before, especially as it has no plot relevance save setting up the relationship with Twilight and Sky, which could have been accomplished through other means (although it would have taken longer). The fact of the matter though is that Hyrule was brought into it back then:

which has had me wondering for a while if JoJo might revisit this, and perhaps the bit about Warriors too; she's been fleshing out that relationship more as of late as well!

Which brings me to my next point!

followed by

This is really interesting to me, considering just how much Legend's whole existence is wrapped up beside the ideas of knighthood and the existence of knights! In his games, we learn he's the last of a bloodline of ancient knights, his uncle was a knight, and it's likely his father was one too. Yet his most common enemies in the Light world are also knights, not monsters- at least during his first adventure! So it makes sense that he'd have complicated feelings about it.

However, we've seen Legend spout some very definitive opinions about knights on the whole:

Maybe it's just me, but given his own heritage, combined with his resentment, I'm starting to think Legend's still trying to convince himself how terrible knights are, and maybe not just because of what they've done to him, but maybe out of a feeling of being less-than or unworthy, much like Hyrule himself! Except, rather than openly admiring what he'd like to be, he mocks it to make himself feel better about not being able to achieve it, hence why he tends to pick more on Warriors and Sky, the two knights, rather than the rest of the group (given that Wild doesn't remember much of being a knight, I don't think he counts in Legend's book).

Again, maybe I'm reading into it more than I should, but this expression

seems to let on that there's more to this than Legend's saying. he's not even speaking loud enough for Hyrule to hear him (the traveler is obviously focused elsewhere) so one can assume this is more a comment to himself, yet there's more regret than anger in that face, more resignation than resentment, like something about the thought of never being a knight actually hurts Legend in some way.

.....

Oh well, maybe I'm reading into this too much, I have been writing a lot of angst today, so maybe that's what's up LOL

Either way, I'm so glad for a Legend centric update, and I'm eager to see where JoJo takes what she's setting up here. i'm pretty sure we'll be tuning in next time to one of the other groups (maybe the Age Bookends again, since they showed up here), but whatever happens, I will be watching eagerly!

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu legend #lu hyrule #linkeduniverse update

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paigesbasketball · 5 months ago

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Echos of The Fallen

Chapter 3: Crimson Heist Shadow the Hedgehog x Reader Warnings: A little firting but thats it

September 30th - 7:45 AM - G.U.N. Headquarters

The remnants of the explosion still hung in the air, the scent of charred metal and burnt rubber clinging to Shadow’s uniform as he stepped into the war room. The monitors on the walls flickered with the latest updates—feeds from the wreckage site, reports from analysts trying to piece together what little information they had. The entire building seemed to hum with tension, the weight of last night’s failure pressing down on everyone inside.

Rouge was already seated at the long metal table, idly examining her nails as she waited for him. Omega stood nearby, his mechanical frame motionless save for the occasional whir of servos adjusting his position. The moment Shadow entered, Rouge glanced up, arching a perfectly sculpted brow.

“Well, well,” she mused, tilting her head. “You look like hell.”

Shadow ignored her, dropping into the chair across from her and flicking open the latest intel file. “We lost her.” His voice was clipped, edged with irritation.

“No kidding.” Rouge smirked, leaning forward. “You let a woman get the best of you. Now that’s a first.”

Shadow’s crimson eyes narrowed. “She was ten steps ahead. The explosion was a diversion, and we took the bait.” His fingers drummed against the table, betraying his frustration. “She’s not just some rogue mercenary. She knows how we operate.”

Omega’s monotone voice rumbled to life. “RECOMMENDATION: TERMINATION OF TARGET UPON IDENTIFICATION.”

Rouge scoffed. “So dramatic. We don’t even know who she really is yet. ‘Danny’s wife’ doesn’t exactly lead us anywhere.”

Shadow turned the file toward her. “She’s connected to Cipher. That’s all we need to know.”

Rouge’s expression darkened slightly at the mention of the name. “So, Cipher’s making moves again. Last time he popped up, it took half of G.U.N.’s intelligence division to track down just one of his hideouts. If she’s working with him, she’s dangerous.”

“Obviously.” Shadow’s voice was tight. “The question is why. What does Cipher want with G.U.N.’s classified weapons project?”

Rouge shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “Power? Leverage? Or maybe he’s just bored. But something tells me your little rooftop admirer is more than just an errand girl.”

Shadow frowned. “What do you mean?”

Rouge’s smirk returned, playful and knowing. “She could’ve killed you last night, but she didn’t.”

Shadow remained silent, his jaw tightening. He had considered that already. The explosion had been designed to wound, to scatter forces, not to kill. If she had truly wanted him dead, she wouldn’t have left it to chance.

Omega interrupted the thought. “QUERY: NEXT COURSE OF ACTION?”

Shadow pushed the file toward the center of the table. “We find her. We stop her. No more games.”

September 30th - 10:12 PM - Underground Safehouse

The glow of multiple monitors bathed the dimly lit room in a soft blue hue, casting flickering shadows against the exposed concrete walls. The safehouse was tucked beneath the remnants of an abandoned subway station, far from prying eyes.

I sat in front of the main screen, scanning through lines of encrypted data as Zero worked his magic on the G.U.N. servers. The room was filled with the soft clacking of keys, the occasional beeping of software processes running in the background. Scar stood near the entrance, arms crossed, her gaze flicking between me and the screens.

“G.U.N. is scrambling,” Zero announced, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “They’ve got teams sweeping the city, but they’re running in circles.”

Scar smirked. “Shadow must be pissed.”

I didn’t react, my eyes still focused on the data. “Let him be. It won’t change anything.”

Zero’s hands stilled for a moment, his brow furrowing. “Hold up... This is new.”

I leaned forward. “What?”

He pulled up a series of documents, most of them redacted, but one detail stood out. A shipment manifest. Destination: G.U.N. Research Facility - Grid Sector Seven. Contents: Prototype X-09.

Scar whistled lowly. “Well, that sounds interesting.”

I exhaled slowly, my mind racing. “That’s what Carson was talking about.”

Zero nodded. “Whatever X-09 is, they’re keeping it locked down tight. I can't seem to find information on it. If G.U.N. wants it then that just makes it automatically bad.”

I tapped my fingers against my arm, calculating the next steps. “Then we move first. we break into the G.U.N. bank and steal some of their assets so they will be unable to fund this project anymore"

Scar raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? If we intercept, we’ll be putting ourselves directly in Shadow’s path.”

A part of me hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. Then I pushed the thought aside. “Let him come. this time he won't know I know his turf.”

Zero cracked his knuckles, already preparing the next phase of the operation. “Then let’s get to work.”

Viper stood up, stretching her arms. "Alright, I’m grabbing food. Try not to blow anything up while I’m gone."

She slammed the door behind her, making the walls shake slightly. Nova immediately huffed, turning toward the door with an irritated glare. "Can you not? I’m working on an experiment!"

Viper’s voice called from the hallway, "Oh, I’m sorry, Princess! Didn’t mean to disrupt your evil genius time."

Nova scoffed. "At least I actually use my brain."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "Guys, let’s be real. Unless you’re both on your period, let’s not bicker like this."

Nova shot me a glare, and Viper's laughter echoed from down the hall. "You wish, sweetheart!"

I smirked but turned back to the screens, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. The banter was familiar, almost comforting, but the weight of our situation pressed heavy on my mind. G.U.N. was moving fast, and we didn’t have time to waste.

Zero leaned back in his chair, exhaling sharply. "You really think we can pull this off?"

I didn’t answer right away, my eyes scanning over the shipment details. The security routes, the escort patterns—it was tight, but not impenetrable.

"We don’t have a choice," I finally said. "I do not trust them to have that weapon"

Scar crossed her arms, her gaze sharp. "And what happens when Shadow shows up?"

A beat of silence filled the room. That was the real problem. Shadow wasn’t like the grunts G.U.N. usually sent after us. He didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t let people slip through his fingers twice.

I exhaled. "Then we adapt."

The tension settled in the air, thick and unspoken. This wasn’t just another job—this was a battle waiting to happen.

The door creaked open again, and Viper strolled back in, holding a bag of takeout. "Alright, nerds, eat up. If we’re gonna risk our lives in forty-eight hours, you might as well not do it on an empty stomach."

Nova snatched the bag from her hands. "Finally, you’re useful for something."

Viper smirked. "Careful, Princess. Keep talking like that, and I might ‘accidentally’ forget your order next time."

As they bickered, I stared at the screens, the blueprint of the G.U.N. transport route flashing in front of me. This was it. The moment we made our move, there was no turning back.

I clenched my jaw, determination settling in.

We had forty-eight hours to pull off the impossible.

And failure wasn’t an option.

1:45 AM – G.U.N. Financial Holdings, Downtown

Everything had been going smoothly—too smoothly. Scar and I had just finished loading the last of the stolen assets into our bags when a sharp, high-pitched beep cut through the silence.

"Tell me that wasn’t you," Scar muttered.

I looked down at my wrist device, where a flashing red warning glowed across the screen. Silent alarm triggered.

"Shit," I hissed. "We need to move—now."

We bolted for the exit, weaving through the dimly lit corridors of the underground vault. But as we reached the stairwell, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the space. Heavy. Coordinated. Armed.

Scar gritted her teeth. "They’re fast."

"They’re G.U.N.," I shot back. "Of course they are."

We reached the main hall just as the security doors slammed shut behind us. A single figure stepped through the haze of flashing red lights. Black and red. Sharp crimson eyes locked onto mine.

Shadow.

Behind him, his team—Rouge and Omega—stood ready, blocking the only other exit.

"You really thought you could just waltz in and take what you wanted?" Shadow’s voice was low, measured, but there was an edge of irritation in it. "You’re getting sloppy."

Scar and I exchanged glances before moving in opposite directions. Shadow’s eyes flicked between us, assessing. Calculating.

"Take them," he ordered.

Rouge lunged for Scar while Omega charged forward, aiming straight for me. I dodged, ducking behind a pillar as his massive arm smashed through it like it was paper.

As Omega charged toward me, I tried to dodge his powerful swing again, but this time I had a better idea.

"Geez, Omega, you ever think about toning it down?" I taunted, hoping to get under his circuits. He growled in response, tightening his grip.

"NEGATIVE," Omega boomed, his voice full of pure mechanical rage. "FULL DESTRUCTION MODE ENGAGED."

I couldn’t avoid his next hit in time, so I took a deep breath, waiting for the right moment. Omega swung harder, and this time, his fist collided with a wall near Rouge, sending debris flying everywhere.

A vulnerable moment.

Before he could adjust, I whipped out a small device from my belt. With a quick motion, I slapped it onto Omega's back. The device activated with a small electric buzz, sending a surge of energy into his system, causing his circuits to short-circuit and his movements to freeze.

Omega's massive frame shuddered, and his body froze in place. The once-booming voice became erratic. "ERROR. SYSTEM MALFUNCTION..."

I gave a sly grin. "Guess I’ll have to remind you how to play nice."

I turned just in time to see Shadow coming for me. Fast. I barely managed to block his first strike, but the sheer force sent me skidding back. He was relentless, each blow more precise than the last.

He feinted left before sweeping my legs out from under me. Before I could react, I was flat on my back, Shadow pinning me down, one knee pressing into my ribs, his hand gripping my wrist.

I struggled, but he didn’t budge. "Give it up," he said. "You’re done."

My mind raced. I needed a distraction. Something to throw him off—just for a second.

I locked eyes with him, smirking. "You gonna kiss me or something, handsome?"

Shadow’s expression flickered. Just for a second. A flash of confusion.

That was all I needed.

I drove my knee into his stomach, making him grunt in surprise. Using the momentum, I twisted us around, grabbing a pair of cuffs from my belt. Before he could recover, I snapped them around his wrist and slammed the other end to a reinforced pipe. The cuffs magnetized instantly, locking him in place.

His eyes widened slightly as he tested the restraints.

I grinned. "Gotta say, I didn’t expect you to be so easy to trap."

Shadow glared at me, but there was the faintest trace of pink on his face.

Scar broke free from Rouge’s grip, sprinting toward me. "We need to go!"

I pulled a smoke bomb from my belt, slamming it against the ground. Thick clouds engulfed the room, obscuring everything.

"See you around, handsome," I teased, before grabbing Scar’s wrist and making a break for the exit.

We darted through the emergency hatch we had scoped out earlier, leaving chaos in our wake. The sound of Shadow yanking at the cuffs and Omega’s booming voice echoed behind us, but we were already gone, disappearing into the night.

2:30 AM – Warehouse Hideout

We crashed through the doors, breathless, adrenaline still surging through our veins.

Zero looked up from his laptop. "I take it things didn’t go as planned?"

Scar dropped her bag onto the table, grinning. "Oh, it went great. Got the goods, fought Shadow, and someone got a little flirty mid-fight."

I rolled my eyes, slumping into a chair. "It was a tactical distraction."

Scar snorted. "Sure it was."

Viper raised an eyebrow. "Wait—you flirted with Shadow?"

Nova nearly choked on her drink. "Hold on, back up. Shadow the Hedgehog?"

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "I’m going to regret this later."

Scar smirked, kicking her feet up onto the table. "Maybe. But for now? Totally worth it."

3:00 AM – G.U.N. Financial Holdings, Downtown

Shadow's POV

The smoke was thick, the echoes of their escape still ringing in my ears. I yanked futilely at the cuffs, feeling the cold metal dig into my wrist. They were designed to hold even the strongest, and for once, it seemed they might have me. But I didn’t have time to waste on my restraints. I had a bigger problem on my hands.

Omega was down, his system glitching from whatever trick that woman had pulled on him. He was muttering about malfunctions as Rouge approached me, her footsteps sharp and mocking.

“Well, that was quite the show, Shadow,” she said, her voice dripping with amusement.

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to ignore the frustration bubbling inside me. “Save it, Rouge.”

She leaned in closer, her lips curling into a playful smirk. “Not so tough when you're distracted, huh? You got all flustered with her little stunt. Was that... flirtation? You know, I’ve seen you fight harder. Looks like someone’s got a soft spot.”

I could feel my pulse spike, irritation mixing with something I couldn’t quite place. "This isn't the time for your games."

Rouge raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Oh, I’m not joking. You practically let her tie you up. Seems like you let your guard down for something more than just the mission."

I grit my teeth, pushing back the surge of heat in my chest. “She got lucky. That’s all.”

But Rouge wasn’t done. “Sure, sure. I mean, she’s pretty good, I’ll give her that. Had to be quick thinking to get you like that.” Her eyes twinkled as she surveyed the room, her gaze shifting from me to Omega’s malfunctioning state. "But the real question is—how did she even know how to get past all the security systems? Couldn’t have been just luck."

A thought clicked into place, something I hadn’t fully processed in the heat of the moment. The woman’s movements, the way she seemed to be one step ahead, even the tech on her person—it all seemed too familiar. My mind whirred.

“Wait...” I muttered, looking toward Rouge. “She... she knew too much about our systems. She moved like someone who’d been trained to break into places like this.”

Rouge leaned against a wall, watching me. “You think she was G.U.N. trained?” she asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly amused.

“Impossible,” I muttered under my breath, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Her style, her tactics—everything about her reeked of G.U.N. precision, just twisted in a way I hadn’t expected.

“I don’t know, Shadow,” Rouge said, her voice softer now, more serious. “Maybe we should start asking the right questions. Why would someone like her target a G.U.N. facility... and why are we just now seeing her face?”

I clenched my fists, the truth dawning on me. “We’re missing something. Whoever she is, she’s connected to G.U.N. in ways we don’t understand yet.”

Rouge gave me a knowing look, her smirk fading into something more thoughtful. “You think this is the beginning of something bigger?”

I nodded, my gaze shifting back to where Scar and the woman had vanished. “It’s more than just a heist. It’s personal now.”

Guys be honest im trying to find a good length for the chapters i believe this is fine but please let me know

- Caty

#shadow the hedgehog #shadow x reader #sonic 3 #catytuesdays #shadow

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louisaland · 5 months ago

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SVU Season 16-17 rewatch

Season 16 is really good as a way to get to know the characters if, like me, you stopped watching after Season 12 ended and weren’t sure if it was worth continuing with.

I am very glad I did!

Amaro is just Stabler 2.0, as far as I can tell, but with a little more self-awareness as he realises he needs anger management classes and realises he needs to get out of the force for his physical and mental well-being and that of his kids.

Olivia was obviously very attached to him, so I felt bad for her as she just keeps losing people. Working with Amaro evidently helped her get over Elliot leaving, and it seems like her relationship with Amaro was healthier than the one she had with Elliot.

Amaro’s been linked romantically to Amanda, I believe? They are very similar from their upbringing and the way they internalise everything, so I c1n see why they would be drawn to each other.

When the two of them are talking/working together and Carisi comes to give them some info/an update and they simultaneously answer that he’s not interrupting was funny.

There’s a courtroom scene where Amanda is being questioned/cross-examined and she is asked about doing the right thing/having enough emotional support/what it means to be a good person and she’s looking in Carisi’s general direction. Very subtle, but made me squee!

I love that he hangs out with her and Fin outside of work, at the video games convention. Fin is still calling him noob/newbie at this point, so perhaps Rollins invited him? Those two always know all the celebrity gossip and who the famous people they need to talk to are. It ties in nicely to their later hang outs where they watch trashy reality TV together. Carisi I can see reading all his sister’s magazines and going to the movies with them to watch rom-coms growing up, as he seems to know a lot about them/says he loves them in the ep with the former teen actress and the producer.

Do we ever get the story about how Sonny was saved by the priests at his Catholic church? He mentions it in the big vlogging/TV religious family episode. I always saw him as a good student. For example he’d be top of the class but would always ask questions so the other shyer kids who might not have understood and didn’t dare to ask would understand. Or he would tutor them. He seems to work very hard and be very focused, so I think he would be a favourite of the teachers.

We know he was bullied physically and probably verbally too ( by Bobby Bianchi, at the very least), maybe because he was a bit of a goody-two-shoes. I really can’t see him ever getting into trouble at school or at home. We know he wanted to be a priest, so maybe he just spent a lot of time at church events to escape the bullying/find some real friends.

I was so prepared to hate Mike Dodds but he is very humble, is a bit annoyed to be there because of his dad’s nepotism and he refuses to be a tattle-tale. He apologises when he oversteps his boundaries, listens to feedback and generally gets on with everyone on the team. If he hadn’t had a fiancée, I’m sure he would also have fallen in love with Olivia too!

Olivia is a very good Lieutenant. I see a lot of Cragen in her, as he would often give the team one-on-one pep talks and always tried to do the right thing when it came to members not doing things by the book.

Maybe it got lost in translation, or I just struggle to pay attention to and understand the courtroom scenes, but Barba apparently says “Booyah, Fordham Law!” as a comeback/closing argument in a Season 16 episode, but I have never seen it though this is my second time watching.

He was funny too when Carisi gives his personal and legal opinion on something and Barba says “That’s just your opinion, but yes, it’s correct”.

Barba also wears fun, brightly coloured socks which are visible when he puts his feet up on the desk. I thought that was a fun way to show that he’s got a soft/emotional/fun side. Maybe because I know how he behaves in later eps towards Olivia, but I definitely find him less cold/unlikeable than I did during my first viewing.

Something I read about was that potentially the show was going to have Barba and Carisi become romantically involved. Apparently the actors and writers were on board, but the network head said no.

This would have deprived us of Rollins and Carisi though, and that would have been a big loss. Maybe someone like Dodds could have been gay and had a fiancé, thus having an openly gay member of the team and maybe some tension with Dodds Sr there. However, Fin’s son Ken gets a storyline in that vein, when he and his husband have a child.

On the tu/vous ( informal and formal you form) thing, Carisi uses tu with Amanda when she is at the hospital. This may be because they are of the same rank, but it definitely shows a level of friendship/closeness.

Olivia, on the other hand, uses vous with everyone! Even Dr Huang, who she runs into with Barba, and she’s not in the office. She uses vous with Dodds Jr, even though she outranks him!

#law and order svu #sonny carisi #olivia benson #amanda rollins #fin tutuola #mike dodds #svu #rafael barba

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misanthropologymajor · 1 year ago

Text

buggin' out (pt. 1)

plagas!leon x partner!fem!reader

You've known Leon for a long while—since his unlucky first day in Raccoon City. What the hell was up with him on this mission to save the president's daughter?

warnings: parasitic infections, descriptive violence, slow burn, anxious reader because my anxiety is so ingrained that I can't write someone who isn't anxious every second of every day, ignoring the treasure hunting aspect of the game because it is a little silly outside of the context of a video game, one use of y/n, lots of euphemisms for killing, awkwardly written combat, crossposted on ao3

part two -

feedback is appreciated :)

wc: 2.4k

"Roost, this is Condor Two. Condor One is totally out. We're in a boat and he's totally unconscious."

"Condor Two, what do you mean? Why are you in a boat?"

"It's so much-- there was a big fish monster, and we had to take him out so we could get to the area left on this one map to get the key to the church, but we killed the big guy, and Leon coughed up some blood and just collapsed. I'm taking us to shore, where we're less exposed." Leon thrashes in his sleep as you ramble, splashing some lake water on him.

"Condor Two, calm down, shelter him a bit, and update me when he wakes up. Roost out."

Pulling into the pier, you stop the boat. "Leon, you really are a bit of a damsel in distress." You pull him out, brushing his hair off of his forehead. He stirs just a bit, letting out a small groan.

Within twenty minutes, you manage to coax him into the nearest shed. You rifle through your waist pouch, leaving him with a small water bottle and a damp cloth on the nape of his neck. "Leon, I'm going to get you some medicinal herbs. Please wake up soon." Leon’s chest gently rises and falls. You brush his hair out of his eyes again before you leave.

You clamber up towards the Merchant's set up in the cave. "Excuse me? Do you have anything that can help my friend? Something's happened to him on the water; he's unconscious."

"Well, Stranger-- it may be best to let 'im wake up on 'is own. Never know what causes things 'round here-" you move to interrupt. "But, ‘f you must try somethin', try these herbs. Yellow an' red, if you will."

You hand him a few thousand pesetas and return down to Leon. After mixing them into his water, you coax him into taking a few sips. He groans, and you settle on the dirt beside him, cradling his head in your lap. "You've got to wake up, Leon. Ashley needs you, we have to save her."

After an hour of Leon's unconsciousness, you leave him in his shelter, obscured by an improvised curtain, and set off to get the key to the church. You sail the boat to the small boathouse and set through the path, pausing to fight three male villagers, two of which have their heads explode to reveal a bladed tentacle. Oh, joy.

Once you enter the cave, you find a large plinth between two narrower, notched pedestals, holding what seems to be the key to the church entrance. In the next room, a large map on the wall indicates the cave you're in and one across the lake.

Going through the cave leads to a new boat, which you take to check on Leon. In his shed, he's more responsive to your gentle probing, but he's still nowhere near conscious.

"Leon, I'm going to get the first part of the key. I'll be back as soon as I can." You return to your boat and approach the smaller cave across the lake. The ride is uncomfortable without Leon’s quiet breathing or snarky mumblings.

Arriving in the cave reveals a small building with an eight-buttoned console to the left of a relatively large door. Following a bit of multi-story investigation, you find the correct buttons for the entrance, revealing the detachable head and a few treasures in the room. You return to Leon, who is nearly awake.

"Condor Two, it's been almost two hours since you called in. Are you any closer to Baby Eagle?" Hunnigan’s voice crackles through your earpiece as you consider your next course of action.

"While Condor One has been napping, I went to get one half of the way to unlock the key to the church. We'll get the other half once Condor One is back in action."

"Good to hear, Condor Two. Have Condor One call in once he's awake. Roost out."

It took another twenty minutes for Leon to fully wake up and adjust to his surroundings. Wrestling himself up by his elbows, sat with his back along the wall. "What the hell happened?"

"I was hoping you'd have the answer to that. We took down that big fish, and then you coughed up blood like you were in a period drama before passing out. Don't tell me you have tuberculosis."

"Definitely not. I think it may have to do with this cult; I saw a cloaked figure talking about a sacrificial body."

"Don’t be so quick to rule out TB, Leon. Last year, an estimated eight million- Wait, fuck, that big priest said, 'Your blood or whatever accepted the gift.'"

"Oh, he worded it exactly like that. Wait, why do you know so much about tuberculosis?" You lightly smack the back of his head before filling him in on the work you'd done while he was asleep. His eyes crinkled as he looked up. He gestured for you to help him up off of the ground.

"One, we have to head to get the second part for the key to the church. Two, Leon, we literally work against biological terrorism, and I wouldn’t put it past Umbrella’s people to work out how to use TB. Are you good to go, or should I leave you here? Either way, call in to Hunnigan."

"I'm fine. Saving the president's daughter is all that matters."

"Leon, saving her doesn't matter much if you go down again and she gets taken… again.''

He ignores you. "Roost, this is Condor One. I'm up and at it, Condor Two is freaking out over nothing."

"Condor One, you were radio silent for three hours. I think that Condor Two may be right to worry."

As he updates Hunnigan, you walk over and start up the boat. The retrieved stone head looks up at him as he enters the boat. “I take it we’re looking for another one of these bad boys?”

You nod an affirmation and take the boat to the dock indicated on the map. At the dock, you try the grated metal door to the right. "Locked. Looks like we have to go the long way."

"Let's get to it."

"Oh, by the way-- our friends sometimes pop big stabby tentacles out of where their heads are now. They don't like bright light. Just be ready."

"What the fuck?"

"Let's go, Kennedy."

Leon shoots a little wildly when the first Ganado you face grows into a bladed tentacle. Eventually, the head bursts, revealing another few enemies. You take them down as you head deeper into the cave section. Leon climbs up a ladder as you finish clearing the bottom level. You can hear him in combat up on the ledge. "They just keep coming!"

You finish down below and take the far ladder up to the ledge. Leon shoots his last opponent and jogs over to you. "This is the same console as the other cave. Let's look for symbols."

After finding the three symbols, you input them to unlock the door. You let Leon discover the bloody surprise under the stone head and eventually make your way back to the initial cave with the church key.

Putting each head on the pedestals unlocks the circular church key. Leon takes it and tucks it into his briefcase before leading you back to the Merchant's grotto. "Ashley's waiting for us; let's get going."

You head up the stairs towards the quarry. As you both step in, the gate slams behind you. A red figure atop the highest cliff gestures towards the gate across the quarry. The gate quakes, and the blockade begins to fragment.

"I'm not sure I'm a big fan of that comically large hammer anymore." You begin to load your rifle and aim it towards the gate.

The gate slammed open. It reveals a massive, lumpy humanoid. "Woah! Goddamn, you're a big boy!" Leon uses his handgun to fire a round of 3 burst shots at the giant. The giant seems unphased by the shots, and you take the opportunity to fire your shotgun at his back. He's marginally more impacted by this, which distracts him enough for Leon to begin to move away from the path of rampage.

Leon switches to small grenades and discovers another weak point on the giant's back. A small white figure pops out from the giant's upper back.

A wolf howls at the top of the cliff. Leon points up to the top. "Hey! It's that dog again!" The giant looks frantically towards the moving wolf. After jumping down to the quarry, the wolf bites at the ankles of the giant.

You and Leon focus your shots on the smaller white figure, eventually leading to the giant falling low enough to attack the little white guy with your knife. After a few seconds, the giant moves to stand back up.

After another few rotations of knocking the big guy down and hacking at the little white head, the giant goes down. Leon stares down at it. "Damn. We were almost pancakes."

The wolf bounds off into the night, and you and Leon continue back toward the church. "Those bastards better not have moved Baby Eagle on us. I think I might lose it if we do much else without confirmation that she's okay." You adjust your side holster and reload each of your weapons.

"Let's not give them the chance." Leon opened the gate to the churchyard and slotted the key into the door. The door opens to a fairly basic chapel, with a jumbled stained glass in the center of the altar.

"Ashley Graham? Are you here?" You and Leon search for any location that could hide a full human being. "Leon, there's a blue knob in this cupboard."

"There's a gate over there, There's blue in the stained glass and a handle on the wall. Let's try this."

Leon fiddles with settings on the revealed console, pulling the gate above the doorway.

You walk through the doorway, checking for hidden combatants before climbing the ladder. You approach the door, indicating for Leon to open it.

"Ashley, Ashley Graham? Are you in here?" A figure swung at Leon with a candelabra.

"Just let me go!" A blonde girl in an orange blazer and a green plaid miniskirt swung again at Leon with the candelabra.

Leon caught it and threw it to the floor. "Easy with that. My name is Leon, this is (y/n). We're here on the president's orders." Ashley looked between the two of you before running between you out of the room. "That went well." Leon walked out of the storage room.

"Leon, you could have led with 'I'm not a bug man.' Yet, I guess." You stumble over the discarded candelabra momentarily before catching your footing.

"Because you were such a big help there?" Leon jogged to reach Ashley. "Hey, it's dangerous outside. You need to listen to me-"

Ashley interrupted him. "What is that? Over there."

You followed her eyeline. "That looks like more villagers. We need to be ready..." You trailed off as Leon and Ashley both grabbed their temples and groaned in pain. "Guys? What's wrong?" As they opened their eyes, you maneuvered Ashley to face you, pulling a penlight from your waist to check her pupils. You looked between her fairly normal pupils and the quickly approaching mob. "Kennedy, what happened?"

Leon and Ashley press along the gaps between windows to your right as you slide to put Ashley between you and Leon. Leon addresses you around Ashley. "Not good; let’s be ready."

Ashley looks between the two of you. "What do we do?"

Leon leans slightly toward her. "Your father trusts us, and I need you to trust us, too." Following a noise downstairs, you and Leon motion for Ashley to stay back as you look down at the villagers coming in.

You all crouch down as you move towards the left, passing Ashley's smashed phone. "Seriously? I just bought this."

You notice the sticker indicating Sigma Gamma Phi. "When we get out, we'll get you a new one. Let's get you back to your sisters first."

You reach a dead end and spot for Ashley as she climbs atop Leon's back to get the ladder down. You climb up the ladder, and Leon follows you. The only option is a window, which Leon and you hop through to the next ledge. Leon persuades Ashley to jump as you descend the ladder to the ground.

A fallen bookcase blocks your path. Leon's voice crackles through your earpiece as you begin to clear the route. "Roost. We've secured Baby Eagle." You leverage your arms and thighs to move it back into the correct spot, as Hunnigan replies.

"Copy that. Is she okay?"

"Affirmative." Leon and Ashley approach your path.

" Well done, Condors. I'll dispatch a chopper ASAP. I'm sending you the coordinates for the extraction point. Make your way there. And don't let anything happen to Baby Eagle. Hurry, the weather is getting worse. Roost out."

You walk to the front courtyard with your gun drawn. "Ashley, stick close to one of us unless we tell you otherwise. Be loud if you need help." Ashley tucks herself behind you. As you finish speaking, an old woman with a pitchfork turns towards your little crew. You take three shots before her head is replaced with a tentacle. Leon fires twice more before that, too, explodes.

The sounds of her death summon another three villagers. Leon moves to create an artificial bottleneck of access to Ashley. Those villagers go down with only one more tentacle as four more enter the courtyard. You narrowly pull Ashley out of the path of a charging pitchfork.

When those four are taken care of, you leave Ashley with Leon to explore the cemetery. As you finish dealing with the visible, another gets close enough to grapple you. You yell in surprise as you fish for your combat knife, and Leon runs toward you. Ashley stumbles behind him.

Before Leon can get halfway down to you, you wrench yourself from his grasp and stab at his attempts to grab you again. You dispatch him with finality as you turn toward Leon and Ashley. "That could have gone better. Nice to meet you, Ashley."

"Oh! Nice to meet you too, I guess. Wish the circumstances were better."

“Don’t we all?" You pat her shoulder comfortingly before walking ahead.

#leon kennedy x reader #resident evil fanfiction #leon resident evil #leon s kennedy #leon s kennedy x reader #resident evil leon #re4 remake #resident evil 4

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ironwoman359 · 8 months ago

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A Thief's Gamble - Ch. 12

A Ghost From the Past

Prev: Ch.11 Misdirection || Next: Ch.13 Lacking in Virtue Fic Masterpost

Fic Summary: Brynjolf is certain that the only way the Thieves Guild will return to its glory days is by bringing in new, talented members. Unfortunately, Mercer doesn't agree, and it's not like Brynjolf's latest attempts at recruiting have gone well. But when he meets a stranger in the marketplace one morning, he's willing to take the risk and bring her on board....only time will tell if his gamble pays off.

Chapter Summary: Brynjolf is used to dealing with Mercer's temper, but when an old enemy of the Guild resurfaces, not even he is prepared for the explosion that follows...or for its fallout.

Content: Brynjolf POV, Thieves Guild quest spoilers, game typical violence.

Ships: Brynjolf x Dragonborn OC (slowburn)

Word Count: 3,602

Check the reblogs for a link to read on AO3!

— — —

“You forgot to get intel from the girl before she left?”

Brynjolf closed his hands into fists, forcing his face to remain a mask of calm.

It was difficult; he was sore and exhausted after his long day of travel. When he’d arrived back at the Guild, he’d intended to share the good news that the payout from the Markarth job was likely to be double what they’d expected and then take a well deserved nap. Before he could get out a single word though, Mercer had asked him about the Solitude job.

Which of course, he’d completely forgotten to get an update on before sending Ariene off to Markarth.

“What do you mean you FORGOT?!” Mercer shouted, and Brynjolf rolled his eyes.

“Is there another meaning of the word ‘forgot’ that I don’t know about?” he asked lightly, and Mercer glared at him.

“Don’t test me right now Brynjolf, I’m not in the mood for your games.”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say,” Brynjolf said with a sigh. “We were being watched in town, and the job turned out to be just as dangerous as Ariene feared. In all the excitement, the mission to Solitude slipped my mind.”

“I seem to recall one of your main arguments for going to help her was so that we could get the intel from Gulum-Ei sooner,” Mercer snapped.

“She had to rendezvous–”

“Rendezvous with the client in Markarth, I understand that,” Mercer interrupted. “What I don’t understand is why you failed to do the most basic part of your job and get a report from her before heading back here.”

Brynjolf didn’t answer, mostly because deep down, he knew Mercer was right. He should have thought to ask Ariene about what Gulum-Ei said before letting her ride off into the sunset, but after their near death experience and subsequent conversation, he’d been more than a little bit preoccupied.

Mercer, apparently taking Brynjolf’s silence as confirmation of his suspicions, shook his head, his face twisted with distaste.

“This is exactly what I was talking about,” he growled. “Gallus was getting sloppy towards the end too, you know.”

“That’s not fair,” Brynjolf protested instantly. “I told you–”

“That this won’t turn out like last time? You don’t know that,” Mercer shot back. He huffed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, regardless of our differences, I don’t want you getting a knife in the back because you got distracted.”

“She saved my life, Mercer,” Brynjolf hissed. “What, you think now she’s going to turn around and murder me?”

“More than once, I’ve been burned by someone who used to have my back,” Mercer said simply. “In this line of work, loyalty means nothing.”

Brynjolf opened his mouth to protest more, but Mercer waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m not saying the girl will turn traitor, Brynjolf. Just that, so far? You’re not doing a great job of proving to me that she’s not a liability.”

“So you’re just going to ignore her record?” Brynjolf asked. “Take a look around, Mercer. The Guild is finally starting to gain some footing again, and it’s nearly all thanks to her. She’s even managed to win over Vex and Delvin. Just because she reminds you of Karliah–”

“Don’t say her name,” Mercer cut him off, his eyes flashing with anger. “This isn’t about her.”

Brynjolf ground his teeth in irritation, biting back his urge to reply:

Yes, it clearly is.

Instead, he took a deep breath and folded his arms, fixing Mercer with a steady look.

“So do you not want to hear about the massive payout we got from the Markarth job, then?”

Mercer’s expression was still glowering, but at the mention of money, he raised a curious eyebrow.

“Payout?”

Brynjolf’s assurance to Ariene that coin would cheer Mercer up didn’t end up ringing completely true. Mercer was still angry, and Brynjolf’s haul of septims wasn’t enough to totally soothe his temper. However, the promise of even more coin when Ariene returned was enough to spare Brynjolf any further scolding.

He retreated from the cistern, and decided that what he really needed wasn’t a nap, but a drink. He made his way into the Ragged Flagon and fell into a chair, burying his face in his hands and letting out a frustrated groan.

Delvin looked up from his table and grimaced in sympathy.

“Mercer’s in a mood, I take it?” he asked.

“What do you think?” Brynjolf quipped as Vekel approached with a tankard for him.

“I think that when even coin isn’t enough to calm that rotten old skeever down, then it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep clear of him for a few days,” Delvin said, and Brynjolf snorted.

He took a sip of his ale, then looked at Delvin thoughtfully. As one of the few holdovers from the time that Gallus had been Guildmaster, the old thief had been a constant in the Guild for as long as Brynjolf could remember. He knew the younger thieves in the Guild thought the same thing about him and Vex now, but that was hard for him to wrap his head around.

Brynjolf had been only nineteen when Gallus was killed, and had only been with the Guild for a few years. Just long enough to come to idolize Gallus, Mercer, and Karliah, but not long enough to really get to know them. Delvin, meanwhile, had been one of the Guild’s top members even in those days. He was even the first person that Mercer had made a lieutenant, though he had always been firm that he didn’t want to lead anyone. A sentiment that Brynjolf hadn’t understood at the time, but now that he was a lieutenant himself, he couldn’t help but sympathize.

Being a thief was hard enough; it was so much more daunting when you knew that everyone else was looking to you for direction.

A thought struck him, and he found himself wanting to ask something that he’d never really considered before.

“Delvin?” he asked, and the older man looked up. “Why exactly do you think the Guild is cursed?”

Delvin looked surprised at the question, but he leaned forward, eager to have someone listen to his theories willingly.

“It just ain’t natural, Bryn,” he insisted. “I’ve been doing this a long time, longer than even you or Mercer. I’ve seen bad thieves, and I’ve seen bad luck. This? It’s different. It’s affectin’ every single member of the Guild, even the most experienced. Vex got made on a job, for cryin’ out loud. Vex!”

“There were over a dozen guards…” Brynjolf offered lamely, but Delvin waved his protest away.

“Guards, yes, but guards that she should have noticed sooner than she did. The fact that she didn’t is just plain bad–”

“Bad luck,” Brynjolf finished, and Delvin nodded.

“Exactly. And it’s like that every time. Things that shouldn’t happen, happenin’ to folks it shouldn’t happen to. Look, I know you lot think I’m crazy, but I can feel it. Something out there is doing this to us.”

Brynjolf thought of the crypt in Pinewatch, of the way Rigel had appeared seemingly out of thin air without either of them noticing. It had certainly felt unnatural at the time. But how on earth could you be sure of something like that?

Delvin swirled his mug of ale thoughtfully, then he smirked at Brynjolf.

“At least, that’s what it has been like. I can’t deny that over the last few months we’ve actually been on the up and up, for what feels like the first time in ages. Maybe that girl of yours is some kinda good luck charm.”

“She’s not my–” Brynjolf began, and Delvin chuckled, cutting him off.

“Don’t give me that, Bryn. Maybe it ain’t official yet, but everyone knows the two of you’ll be an item soon.”

“Are you going to scold me about it like everyone else?” Brynjolf asked tiredly, but Delvin shook his head.

“Nah. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a good match for you. Besides, she’s nearly single-handedly pulled this Guild outta the gutter. How could I complain? A word of advice, though.”

Brynjolf leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

“Vekel I could understand, but what makes you qualified to advise me on my love life?”

“Very funny,” Delvin said flatly. “Look, all I was gonna say is this: the girl’s a free spirit. And you’ve gotta be quick to make your intentions clear with ladies like that, or you’ll find that they’ve slipped through your fingers.”

“Do I pay you to sit around and gossip?” a familiar voice growled, and Brynjolf suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

Mercer walked up and grabbed a piece of bread off of the plate that Vekel was bringing Delvin, before dropping one of the ledger books in front of Brynjolf.

“Look over this, and see if your projected take on this oh so special Markarth job will allow us to pay a portion of what Maven plans to give the jarl. She’s not too happy with the idea of paying for the entire bribe herself.”

Mercer turned and stalked out of the cistern, and Brynjolf sighed. He reached a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples, then grabbed the ledger and stood up.

“You’re not actually going to work on that now, are you?” Delvin asked.

“Gods no,” Brynjolf said. “I’m going to bed. And if Maven and Mercer are lucky, I’ll wake up sometime before the fifth era and I can finish crunching their precious numbers for them.”

— — —

Brynjolf did not, in fact, sleep for hundreds of years. However, he did make himself scarce around the cistern for the next several days, opting to do his accounting work from the relative privacy of what passed for his quarters down in the Ratway tunnels that surrounded the Flagon.

Fortunately, the gold he’d brought back did provide the Guild enough extra funds to foot half of Maven’s “donation” to Mistveil Keep, and Mercer’s mood improved considerably after the guard patrols were pulled back to their normal rotations. He didn’t apologize, Brynjolf could count on one hand the number of times the Guildmaster had done that, but at least he’d cooled down enough for Brynjolf to walk through the cistern again without being treated to withering glares and backhanded remarks.

Still, when Ariene finally returned from Markarth, Brynjolf made sure to pull her aside before she went to report to Mercer.

“It’s my fault, not yours, lass,” he said quietly. “But Mercer’s not pleased that he’s had to wait an extra week for the news from Solitude. Tread lightly, alright?”

Ariene’s face twisted in a grimace.

“Honestly, he could be in the best damn mood of his life and he’d be more livid than a cave troll after getting this news. No sense beating around the bush.”

“Gulum-Ei didn’t have good intel?” Brynjolf guessed, but Ariene shook her head.

“Worse.”

She headed into the cistern without another word, and Brynjolf followed, unease stirring in the pit of his stomach.

Ariene marched right up to where Mercer was bent over his desk, and the Guildmaster frowned at her as she approached.

“About damn time you got back,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Please tell me Gulum-Ei gave up some information on our buyer.”

“He did,” Ariene said bluntly. “It’s Karliah.”

Mercer’s head snapped up and the room went dead silent.

“She’s the lieutenant you told me about, isn’t she?” Ariene said, looking at Brynjolf. “The one who murdered Gallus?”

“Aye, lass,” Brynjolf said quietly. “If she’s back…”

His blood ran cold at the thought.

“You’re absolutely certain?” Mercer asked, his voice low and dangerous, and Ariene nodded.

“Gulum-Ei acted as a go-between for her with Aringoth, though he swore up and down he didn’t know it was her until after he’d agreed to broker the sale.”

Mercer swore and slammed his fist down on his desk, and Brynjolf didn’t miss the way Ariene flinched before quickly regaining her composure.

“Damn that Dunmer to Oblivion! I hoped we’d never have to cross paths with her again, but it seems she won’t be satisfied until she’s destroyed the Guild for good. Did Gulum-Ei have any information about her current whereabouts?”

“Nothing concrete,” Ariene said carefully. “But apparently she told him she was going ‘where the end began.’ I pressed him for details, but he insisted that’s all he knows.”

“Where the end began…” Mercer repeated, his face darkening.

He began to pace back and forth behind his desk, muttering the phrase to himself over and over. Ariene glanced at Brynjolf, a questioning look in her eyes, but he could only shrug in confusion.

“There's only one place that could be,” Mercer said finally. “The place where Karliah killed Gallus over twenty years ago…a ruin called Snow Veil Sanctum.”

“That’s a few hours north of Windhelm, right?” Brynjolf asked, and Mercer nodded absently, still muttering to himself.

“I’m the only one left who knows all Karliah’s techniques, all her skills. If she manages to take me out…” He looked up sharply. “We have to go out there and stop her before she does anymore damage.”

“We as in…?” Ariene asked hesitantly, and Mercer glared at her.

“As in you and me, obviously. We’re going to go out there together and kill her. That should put a stop to any more of her attempts to bring the Guild down.”

“Mercer,” Brynjolf cut in, unable to hold his tongue any longer. “You can’t be serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Mercer snapped. “This needs to be done, and I won’t hear any argument otherwise.”

“Aye, and I’m not saying it doesn’t, but the two of you can’t go on your own.”

“I think you’ll find I can do whatever I damn well please, Brynjolf.”

“This is Karliah we’re talking about, for Shor’s sake!” Brynjolf exclaimed. “She killed Gallus, and she almost killed you! Vex and I should–”

“I don’t need you to remind me what she’s done,” Mercer interrupted, shooting him a withering look. “I am well aware of exactly how capable she is.”

“So don’t rely on one new recruit for your backup,” Brynjolf insisted.

“A recruit who’s proven herself capable in combat multiple times over.”

A part of Brynjolf urged him to back down. He argued with Mercer often, but he could always tell when it was best to put his own concerns aside in favor of the Guildmaster’s will. It wasn’t exactly good for morale if the underlings saw the Guild’s head and second in command fighting over decisions. This would ordinarily be the type of argument where he had to swallow his pride and concede.

And yet, this time he found that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Not three days ago you were complaining that she was a liability,” Brynjolf pressed. “Now you want her to help you hunt down Karliah?”

“She’s a liability for you, Brynjolf,” Mercer growled. “I’ll be just fine. Which is it, exactly? That she’s a competent thief who deserves my respect, or a green recruit who has no business putting herself in danger? It seems to me the answer is whichever is more convenient for you in any given argument.”

Brynjolf’s face burned, more from anger than embarrassment, though he could feel the eyes of everyone in the cistern on the two of them as they argued.

“You’re making a mistake,” he insisted, forcing himself to ignore the staring. “This isn’t just another job. Leave the lass behind and let me and Vex come with you.”

“Karliah is trying to destroy the Guild! I’m not putting my best lieutenants in her path.”

“You’re too close to this, Mercer,” Brynjolf hissed. “You’re not thinking straight. You shouldn’t–”

“I am your GUILDMASTER!” Mercer roared. “I’ve made my decision, and you are in NO position to question me!”

The shout echoed around the cistern, and any murmuring from the other Guildmembers stopped instantly. Brynjolf and Mercer openly glared at each other, but before things could escalate further, Ariene’s voice cut through the rising tension.

“It’s fine,” she said quietly. “I’ll go.”

“Damn right you will,” Mercer spat without taking his eyes off Brynjolf. “Get your things ready and meet me at the stables within the hour.”

Brynjolf felt a muscle jump in his jaw, but he didn’t speak or break their eye contact, and eventually Mercer turned and stomped out of the cistern. Brynjolf had half a mind to march right out after him, but Ariene’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Don’t,” she said quietly. “It’s not worth it.”

“It’s not right,” Brynjolf said through gritted teeth, and Ariene shrugged, flashing a smile that was probably meant to be reassuring, but came off as slightly manic.

“Well, look at it this way,” she said, her voice full of false cheer. “Maybe after this, he’ll stop seeing me as a liability.”

She turned and started walking towards the Flagon, and Brynjolf winced.

Damn you, Mercer.

“You don’t have to do this, lass,” he said, falling into step beside her.

“Actually, I do,” Ariene said, ducking through the passageway and into the dingy tavern. “I think he’d kick me out of the Guild altogether if I refuse him.”

Brynjolf shook his head immediately.

“I wouldn’t let that happen. Mercer may be too dense to see it, but you’re one of the best we have.”

“I can’t let you use up all your good will with him on my account,” Ariene protested. “You’ve done enough for me already. Syndus!”

The last was to the fletcher who kept shop beside the Ragged Flagon, who looked up as they approached his alcove. Ariene pulled a coin purse from the satchel at her side and held it up for him to see.

“I need fresh arrows. Two quiverfull.”

The Bosmer quickly filled her order, and she pulled out a few coins from the purse and handed them over. She turned to Brynjolf and held out the rest of the purse to him.

“Here. The profits from Markarth. I didn’t get a chance to report to Delvin, but tell him that Endon is happy to open whatever doors are necessary in the city. With any luck, we’ll be able to use the foothold there to start operating more in Haafingar.”

Brynjolf took the purse, not missing the way that Ariene didn’t quite meet his eyes as she spoke.

“Are you certain about this, lass?” he asked in a low voice. “Karliah’s too damn smart to let slip where she was going by accident…this is more than likely a trap.”

Ariene sighed, running a hand through her dark hair.

“I know, but that’s a chance we'll have to take. Mercer is an asshole, but he’s also right. Putting more of the Guild’s leadership in harm’s way than is necessary doesn’t make tactical sense. It’s…it’s better for everyone if I’m the one to go.”

Brynjolf moved without thinking, stepping forward and taking one of her hands in his. She startled at the touch, but she didn’t pull away.

“You’re not expendable, lass,” he said softly. “You know that, right? I– the Guild needs you in one piece as much as it needs me or the other lieutenants.”

Ariene’s looked from where their hands were joined up to Brynjolf’s face. Reflected torchlight danced in her eyes, so deep and blue that he felt as though he could drown in them, and he felt his pulse quicken.

“The Guild needs me?” she repeated, her voice low, and he swallowed.

Standing inches apart, it was like all rational thought flooded from his mind in an instant. Absently, he reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and he let his hand linger beside her face. It would be so easy to cup her cheek, lean forward and…

The creak of a door and sudden footsteps cut through the silence, and the two jumped apart on instinct. Brynjolf dropped her hand, wondering briefly if he was imagining the flicker of disappointment on her face.

Damn this sewer’s lack of privacy!

“Well. Good luck, lass,” he said lamely.

She nodded, swinging one of the quivers of arrows she’d bought over her shoulder. The movement made her knapsack shift, and he saw the empty space on her belt where her steel dagger had sat.

On impulse, he reached for his own belt, unbuckling the sheath of the dagger on his left side. He held the weapon out to her hilt first, and her eyes widened.

“Here. To replace the one that broke in Pinewatch,” he said.

“I– Brynjolf, I can’t accept that. It was a gift!”

“A gift from Gallus,” Brynjolf agreed. “If you’re going out to avenge him, you may as well take a piece of him with you.”

Reluctantly, Ariene took the dwarven blade and strapped it into place. The silence between them stretched into awkwardness as she fiddled with the straps and straightened the sheath.

“I guess I should go,” she said eventually. “Don’t want to keep the Guildmaster waiting.”

She turned to leave, but before she could walk away, Brynjolf called after her.

“Ariene.”

She looked back at him, and his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt he had to say something before she left, something important, but for once in his life he couldn’t find the right words.

“Just…come back to me in one piece, alright lass?”

She smiled, though the expression didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Of course I will,” she said. “You still owe me a drink, remember?”

— — —

Prev: Ch.11 Misdirection || Next: Ch.13 Fic Masterpost

#skyrim #skyrim fanfiction #skyrim fic #the thieves guild #thieves guild fic #delvin mallory #mercer frey #brynjolf #skyrim ldb #fanfic #fanfiction #ldb oc #imperial dragonborn #brynjolf x dragonborn #brynjolf x oc #slowburn #slow burn #a thief's gamble #ariene the dragonborn

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sora-fish · 7 months ago

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ON A ROLL SK I CANT STOP NOW. Aka I know that my writing inspo will be gone tomorrow so I’m gonna write like 50 short stories, either about my dnd characters or these silly’s….

Anyways. FF DAKOTA AND ASHE!!!!! Under the cut of course 🫶

The city was never quiet, the loud sound of horns blaring out of busy street corners of the people collecting at restaurants to try the newest and ‘greatest’ thing.

Dakota, though, listened from afar- lifting his head to hear the sounds of social life slowly fade out, making careful steps towards an old broken down warehouse on a tip that he had gotten.

The tip seemed suspicious at best, it was from an anonymous note reading ‘Someone is working from the warehouse, go find them.’ Now. Normally he wouldn’t take such obvious bait.. butttttt

To admit, he was desperate.

It’s been weeks sense he caught wind of this new Villain that disrupted a town event by literally stabbing someone and disappearing in a flash— further more, the person he was supposed to be after was always just out of his grasp. And finally Belltech. He shouldn’t even think about bell tech before it gives him a headache.

Dakota was honestly ok with investigating any lead that might mean he got to be able to tell the agency that he had an update on anything, his savings were getting too low for him to be comfortable…

So he found himself here, standing right outside this random building, away from the normal hustle and bustle of the streets. Since Dakota didn’t really go to these sorts of sights often, he weighed his options. He could go through the window, or find a back door.

Or. The front. Because his train of thought was interrupted by the door swinging open with seemingly no one insane. Ok. Creepy.

….butttttt it felt alot better then sneaking in. Sue him.

Dakota made his way to the door and carefully stepped inside, looking around at the old storage containers and things that filled the room.

It was short lived, admittedly because as soon as he took longer then a second to look around, a sort of net pulled him up- throwing him in enough into the sky for it to be comedic. Which only meant one thing.

“Ashe.” Dakota said rather bluntly as he hung upside down, not even having to look at the other behind him too know it was her.

There was a small huff as she walked out from behind a storage bin, but when she made eye contact with him, her iconic smile formed on her face.

“I knew you’d come running! Kota! How are you!”

Dakota swung back and forth from the ceiling, pushing against the net to get any kinda of leverage— because hanging upside down made his head swirl. “You don’t get to call me that- what do you want”

Ashe frowned, grabbed Dakota by the shoulders, the red claws digging into his arms as they made eye contact. “Awwweee, you act like you don’t like our little cat and mouse game!! Even so.. I do have some important news for you, so listen up mousey.”

Dakota grumbled at the nickname- Ashe was always one to come up with these nicknames, and while it made banter fun, it was only fun when he didn’t feel like he was gonna puke from the blood rushing to his head. Seriously. He needed to be cut down from the net.

Ashe seemed to see how queasy he was getting and reached up, slashing the net and letting Dakota fall to the floor. “Now that I have your attention.. you’ve been looking for a villain right? Purple hair?”

Dakota looked up confused, only able to nod “yea- yea I have, what- do you have details on him?”

At Dakotas desperate attempts at finding things out, Ashe only broke into more set of giggles, but her face looked a little more solemn. Almost like she was forced to laugh, like funny gas at the dentist. That was quickly changing with every word, even pacing back and forth with how much energy she had.

“Yes, I do actually.. he’s in the Belltech building. Has been living there with William bell for awhile now. See- I work with bell!! Yes yes, sometimes, and I saw him- sawwwww him. With my own two eyes. Buttt—“ Ashe stopped for a moment, cleared her throat, trying to get the almost manic sound out of her tone.

“I think it would be fun if you checked it out! Cause- frankly he’s not lookin too good. And I wouldn’t care!! You know me, I am all for destruction. But I thought I would give you a favor. As a treat for my favorite hero.”

Ashe walked over the booped Dakota on the nose, leaving Dakota wondering as she giggled “that’s what I wanted to tell you. SURPRISE!” As she shouted that, Dakota felt a surge of electricity go through his body from his nose, leaving him keeled over as Ashe collected her stuff, her large demon wings covering most of the things she was working on.

With a final smile, Ashe waved to Dakota “I’ll see you later Kota! Maybe next time?” And then she was gone. Leaving Dakota recovering from a full ass electric shock on the ground.

At least he had something to report to the agency.

#fish writes #jrwi #jrwi show #jrwi prime defenders #FF!PD #being a little silly tonight :333 #I should go to bed….#if this doesn’t make sense then it’s cause I should be in bed rn #I go honk shooooo now

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commenter2 · 8 months ago

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Talwyn & Clank: X-Spot

Happy Talwyn Apogee Day! Today we talk about our underrated Markazian Talwyn Apogee from the Ratchet & Clank video game series.

Today I want to post my idea for a story of spinoff game where you play as Talwyn Apogee who with the aid of Clank has to save the day after Ratchet gets injured. Long post warning.

I gave the name the title "X-Spot" cause it is about searching for an item, as well as a loose innuendo, but I have other titles for such a game like Talwyn & Clank: Vault Robber, a parody/reference to the Tomb Raider series, and “Treasured Chest” with a heart near it but we all know what it means. Heck maybe its referring to Talwyn holding a pic of a shirtless Ratchet XD.

I can see this game taking place before the events of the Lombax Dimension Game, or maybe even Rift Apart but I'm mainly writing this as its own thing. The story starts with Ratchet, Clank, Talwyn, and Qwark at a GrummelNet tech convention, as Qwark is sponsoring a new product while Talwyn is there to see if any of the gear can help the Polaris Defense Force (reminding us of that Talwyn is a captain of the PDF) and they got Ratchet and Clank access to check out all the cool stuff they are showing. Here you start the game playing as Ratchet and can explore the area kind of like those out of costume segments in the Insomniac Games Spider-Man games, till they watch a show involving GrummelNet’s latest battle machines which soon gets interrupted by thieves. The GrummelNet employees decide to use this attack to test out their new inventions but to their surprise the thieves’ leader points an odd looking device at it and soon get control over said machinery, and commands it to attack the building. Ratchet and Clank go after the new battle machine while Talwyn and Qwark (but mostly Talwyn) go take on the rest of the thieves, as we then switch to playing at Talwyn and starting the actual tutorial. While fighting these thieves, Talwyn notices that one of them has device similar to the one the leader used to hack the new GrummelNet battle machine and every time it is pointed at some tech, said tech would either malfunction or work in a way that benefits the thieves. This makes Talwyn wonder how this is possible, and it gets more curious when their tech doesn’t work on her stuff such as her jetpack or Aphelion who the thieves tried to take over but had no effect, I also could see a joke where Aphelion herself hurts the thieves as retaliation XD.

After the rest of the thieves in the area are taken care of (minus the one with the other weird looking device) Talwyn and Qwark go to help Ratchet and Clank, where they see Ratchet fight the rampaging battle machine but during the fight, the leader of the thieves points the device at Ratchet’s gear causing it to malfunction like how the targeting system is turned off so it doesn’t hit its target and turrets deployed by Ratchet start shooting at him instead, making an opening for the new battle machine to deliver and powerful punch to Ratchet. Before it can finish off Ratchet, the thief leader gets a message and tells the surviving thieves it is time to leave, as we see them fly away with a lot of stolen tech but the heroes don’t care as they go to the wounded Ratchet, where Talwyn tells someone to call an ambulance before Ratchet becomes unconscious.

We then cut to a hospital where we see the heroes worried for Ratchet till a doctor comes out saying he is fine but will need to stay there for a few days. The heroes get to visit Ratchet where we get scenes like seeing Ratchet with some bandages here and there, a funny scene of a nervous Qwark trying to keep it together and telling Ratchet he looks fine, and a Talchet moment. We then see the heroes update Ratchet about what happened after Ratchet passed out, like news clips of the galaxy worried about how dangerous these thieves are if they have the means to control other technology and defeat Ratchet of all people. It was also discovered that while the thieves stole weapons, they strangely focused on acquiring things like digging equipment and devices used to map out landscapes and caves. The heroes agree that these guys need to be stop and destroy their hacking tech and because Ratchet is still injured, Talwyn states she will go stop them with Clank aiding her. While this makes Ratchet nervous, he trusts Talwyn to be safe and that Clank will protect her. I could see a funny scene following this where Clank tries to get on Talwyn’s back like he does with Ratchet but her jetpack is in the way making it impossible and leading to an awkward moment, so Talwyn promises to take it off for next time XD.

Talwyn and Clank check out a lead which eventually leads them to finding the main villain, Dr. Zenith, a techo-archeologist which is someone who studies the tech of ancient civilizations. Talwyn actually recognizes the guy as Zenith was an intern of her father Max Apogee years ago who only cared about finding great treasures that could get him rich and make him famous but was eventually fired by her father after he was caught planning to sell some artifacts. Since then he has become a mildly successful techno-archeologist as he was able to find some decently interesting items but not enough to give him the fame or fortune he wanted, or anything that made him better then Max Apogee who he still hates. He has been doing an excavation on an planet that was forbidden to go one without permissions as it is where a big battle happened between the Lombaxes and Cragmites, and good reason too as the heroes discover Zenith found an old Cragmite weapon’s lab filled with some abandoned Cragmite tech. While exploring the Cragmite lab, the heroes discover the files for the device the thieves used earlier, called the Hack-Jamstruptor, which has the ability to either hack into technology using ancient Wi-Fi signals (or something similar to that stuff) or release a frequency that can destroy the gear found in nearly every mechanical device. This explains why Talwyn’s gear and Clank and Aphelion aren’t affected by it, as Apogee Industries gear is made out of unique parts and use unique signals while Clank’s various upgrades/Zoni DNA, and Aphelion’s Lombax/Zoni tech makes them immune to it, or maybe immune to a degree.

After doing a bit more digging, Clank finds out the Jamstruptor’s blueprints in the lab aren’t the originals as the gear in the lab and that used by Zenith’s forces were the Cragmite’s attempts to reverse engineer the device where they only got so far. This surprises the heroes as this means the original device could be out there and can possibly be more dangerous than what Zenith’s forces have now. Clank does find a set of coordinates in the files that they plan on checking out but that is when Zenith and his forces arrive and corner the heroes, where Zenith monologues about how the Hack-Jamstruptors he found has given Zenith the idea that instead of finding old items to get a mention in history, he will use said old items to MAKE history and has decided to try and take over the galaxy and he believes the true Hack-Jamstruptor is the key to it. Of course Talwyn and Clank escape him, and the rest of the game is a race to find the original Hack-Jamstruptor before Zenith does.

While that happens I can see there being 2 more subplots happening involving Talwyn. One being her still getting over the loss of Cronk and Zephyr since Into the Nexus didn’t really cover that as much. The latter could also help with issues with her father like how she is mad that she left without even a call telling her what is going on.

The other could be Talwyn running into an old archeology friend of her father, where maybe they state how it’s a surprise Talwyn never got a degree in archeology like her father. We would later find out that she did try getting one but a mix of Emperor Tachyon’s regulations in the field of archeology (as he used archeologist to try and find the Lombax Secret at a time before he got impatient) and depression over her father made her give up, and since then she has put her effort into other things like when she was helping Ratchet and Clank and helping protecting Polaris.

I also can see a small subplot where Clank tries to find a way to make everything immune to the Jampstruptor, which will have more importance later on.

Eventually we get a big twist where it is revealed that the original plans for the Hack-Jamstruptor was made by the LOMBAXES! In a Lombax audio file discovered in one of the places Talwyn and Clank go to, the heroes learned that the Lombaxes worked on all kinds of projects during the Great War hoping one would be able to stop the Cragmites once and for all. The Lombaxes’ Jamstruptor had a powerful female AI that aided the device in doing things like temporarily leaving the device to hack into Cragmite machinery and safely sabotaging tech, but the AI soon became unhinged and became too destructive in its methods even killing not only Cragmites that had surrendered peacefully, but also Lombaxes as a way of fulfilling its programming. The Lombaxes agreed that device was too dangerous (luckily they made it so that the AI can’t permanently leave the device) and were going to destroy it alongside the remaining blueprints on a planet the Lombaxes were using at the time to dispose of dangerous inventions, but that was when Cragmites got their hands on the remaining Jamstruptor blueprints, causing the big battle on the planet where Zenith found the Cragmite’s Jamstruptors and thus the original Jamstruptor was stored at a secured base but its implied that no one every went back there to destroy it. I also could see the file implying that after the Jamstruptor failed, the Lombax council has decided to put all their effort in making the Dimensionator. I like this as it adds some lore to the Lombaxes and again reminds us that the Lombaxes specialize in all technology instead of just dimensional travel like Rift Apart did.

Talwyn and Clank realize that the original Jamstruptor is still around and if Zenith gets his hands on it, things will be worse than they realize. It also doesn’t help that later Zenith’s forces kidnap Ratchet from the hospital, as earlier Talwyn and Clank needed Lombax DNA to get a door open (a callback to TOD and an excuse for a joke about Ratchet shedding everywhere XD) and they realize Zenith is going to use Ratchet to open the area the Jamstruptor is at, so they rush to stop Zenith and save Ratchet, which could lead to another joke since Ratchet has saved Talwyn and Clank on multiple occasions in past games. The two groups meet up at the door of the Jamstruptor which leads to a boss fight where Talwyn fights Zenith, who uses all kinds of tech he and his forces have stolen including riding a modified version of the battle machine from the beginning of the game. The boss fight ends with the machine gets destroyed, but Zenith is still determined as he is able to use some of Ratchet’s fur to open the door and gets Jamstruptor where he adds it onto a set of power armor! Zenith tries to tell the AI to help him destroy the heroes, but the AI has had enough of taking orders from others and uses its power to eject Zenith from the suit and causes a statue to fall on him resulting in his offscreen death. The AI then proceeds to try and destroy the heroes after seeing Ratchet, but after getting her butt kicked leaves and gets “reinforcements” (AKA the rest of Zenith’s tech), but Talwyn and the aid of a different device Clank and co have been working on to counter the Jamstruptor’s abilities allows Talwyn to weaken the AI and its armor enough to finally destroy it AND the Hack-Jampstruptor. We see the heroes reunite and celebrate but the thieves working for Zenith the appear to try and finish them off, but that is when the Polaris Defense Force (for the first time) appear and actually take care of the criminals.

We cut to sometime later as the heroes and a fully healed Ratchet have destroyed the last of the knock off Hack-Jamstruptor and any data related to it. We get some closure with Talwyn as this adventure did help her get over some feelings about Cronk/Zephyr and/or her father, and she has decided to try and get her doctorate in archeology again, which Ratchet and Clank are proud of. Again if this is taking place before Rift Apart. I could see there being a moment from Ratchet saying that he is okay with getting rid of another dangerous Lombax item so it doesn’t get into the wrong hands though he doesn’t see Clank having a weird look on his face. If this is before the Lombax Dimension game, I can see the heroes saying that this adventure has made them push back their plans of going to the Lombax Dimension and/or talk about how this adventure is something they can laugh about with the Lombaxes when they meet them soon, hinting at the next game.

The gameplay would mostly be the same as in any Ratchet & Clank game, as I can see Talwyn using a lot of the same gadgets Ratchet uses. I can see a funny cutscene from this where she tries using some of the gear but its either too big or small for her, so she goes out and gets the same gadgets but her size.

The attack at the convention has made GrummelNet update their weapons (both new and old) to prevent them from being effected, but this is mainly an excuse so that older weapon could have special effects/features via the adaptive trigger. Such a thing could be done in other R&C like games as well.

I think as a nice nod to the Future saga, Talwyn’s starter weapons are the pistol she used in TOD and QFB and a bomb glove that instead of having explosive bombs shoots out smoke bombs that disorientate enemies, just like the one she used on Slag and Pete.

One gameplay mechanic I can see specifically happening in a Talwyn spinoff is that in every level, Talwyn can find bits of an artifact where it be an old painting, vase, or something with alien hieroglyphs on it, and finding all the parts of said item it tells a story about a certain alien race’s past like for example explaining why the Agorians like war

Of course there would also be some Clank levels, but I could see them having a bit of fun with them by having some levels be similar to that temple level form Size Matters, like using older looking tech and avoiding traps. There definitely should be a segment in one of them where you as Clank run away from an Indiana Jones like boulder.

What are your thoughts on this story? Would you like there to be a Talwyn Apogee spinoff game one day? What could you see happen in such a spinoff?

#talwyn apogee #ratchet & clank #TalwynApogeeDay #insomniac games

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macabr3-barbi3 · 9 months ago

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New Love, New Skin (Chapter 5)

I realized I hadn't updated this fic since June and the brain worms finally decided to start earning their keep again!!! Just so y'all have an idea going forward- we've got 5 more chapters in this fic, which will land us just before the events in Heart Reset. Then we move on to 'Memory vs Time,' which will be from Kora's POV and give us a little more of her backstory and her side of things before we move past the events of the oneshot and onward💕 Thanks as always to my love @fraugwinskaFrauGwinska for her love and support (and the awesome banners she makes for me out of the goodness of her heart 😭) Also: you can see the playlist I made for this fic and series here!

Chapter 1 📺 Chapter 2 💛 Chapter 3 📺 Chapter 4 💛 Chapter 5 📺 Chapter 6 💛Chapter 7 📺 Chapter 8

January 1960

After this year’s extermination, Vincent made plans to take Kora somewhere nice. It’s not any sort of real anniversary- though he realizes he’ll have to figure out when exactly they had started officially dating, so he wouldn’t miss the real thing- but it had been officially two years since they had met, since she had rescued him from the streets and gotten him on his feet. She deserved to be treated, to see how those that looked down on them lived.

It would, hopefully, be a nice little sneak peak into the life that he wanted her to have- the life that they would have, if he could keep his head in the game like he planned. Vincent was making headway at the station, finally actually on the screen with Rich and Joy. Sure, it was as a meteorologist, and his lines every day were, “it’s hotter than Hell; watch out for that acid rain!” But it was something. It was progress. That was what mattered, and the slight pay bump he had received was fantastic as well. His savings were untouched, growing steadily at one of the least shady (and least robbed) banks in Hell; he wasn’t doing quite as well on the ‘one year’ plan he had set out on, but these things took time! And he was happy to take some time off to spend with Kora, to thank her, to show her how much she meant to him.

She was everything. The reason for his drive, why he worked so hard, why he wasn’t rotting away in a ditch somewhere with a still busted screen, instead getting to come home to this beautiful woman in their cozy apartment where he was happy and safe. He would do anything for her- a nice night out for dinner would just be a small token of his affection for her.

When Kora came home from Viv’s and spotted him still on the couch, her brow had creased with concern and she was immediately on him. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? Can… can a television get sick?” She worries her lip between her teeth, running her hands along the sides of his screen. “Do you feet hot? I can’t tell.”

“I’m fine, Goldie,” he tells her, and takes her hand in his to press a kiss to her palm. “I asked for the night off to take you somewhere- if you’ll come with me, of course.” He flashes her his smile- his real one, soft and sweet, not the one that he used for the news that was wide and would make his face hurt if he had a real one. “Got a special evening planned for us.”

She eyes him in suspicion. “Really? You’ve been kind of tight on spending lately- not that there’s anything wrong with that!” She assures him, stepping closer to drape herself across his lap. “I just don’t want you to waste money on me-”

“It’s not a waste,” he immediately interrupts, and he can hear the click of her teeth with how fast her mouth closes. “Really, baby, it’s not. I wanted to treat you- you deserve it. And it’s been two years since you pulled me out of that scrapyard so, it’s kind of a special occasion, yeah?” He pulls her closer so her head is resting against his screen, the heat of her breath fogging the glass. “Let me do something nice for you tonight.” Forever, his mind corrects, but he doesn’t want to spring that on her so early into their relationship.

Kora smiles, the lines under her eyes crinkling as she does. “You’ve convinced me,” she says, pressing a kiss to his casing. “Where are we going? Somewhere nice?”

“Upper Ring, baby- I’m taking you to Dante’s.” It was one of the higher class places in the Pride Ring, where Overlords held meetings on neutral ground and the security was tight, and the chaos of Hell around them was left at the door- he had practically begged Rich to vouch for him when he made the reservation, needing personal references before he would even be allowed within a mile of the place, and Rich had done him one better by offering a reference for Kora as well.

She does an excited little dance in his lap, twisting to face him properly. “You really broke out the big guns, huh? I’ve been looking for an excuse to wear this dress Eris gave me- but you’re sure it’s okay to spend that much money on a date?”

“I had to pay to make the reservation, sweetheart; we’re not backing out now.” He pulls her closer, chest pressed to his and letting his tongue trail softly along her neck- she shivers in his arms, adjusting her seat in his lap to settle more comfortably against him. “We’ve got a little time before we have to get ready,” he murmurs against her throat. “How about you let me treat you a little more?” He runs his hands down her sides, slides one up into her hair to pull her into a kiss- when she nods her affirmative, he stands, wrapping her legs around his waist and carrying her to the bedroom, depositing her onto the bed where her hair fans golden across the sheets. She lifts her hips up, slowly shimmying her bottoms off, and reaches to twist a hand into his shirt.

Vincent wants to spoil her. They could fuck now, but this night was about her, what she meant to him, what he was becoming for her.

Her eyebrow quirks when he drops to his knees, rising up on her elbows to look down at him. She can’t even get a question out before he’s ducking his screen between her thighs, pulse pounding at the cry of his name as he circles his tongue around her clit and sucks. His cock throbs at the sweet sounds that she makes for him, but he ignores it in favor of holding her hips down with one hand and using the other to slide a couple fingers into her wet heat. Kora clings to his arm, her own claws scratching tiny marks into his skin as she’s overwhelmed by sensations while he fucks her on his fingers and tongue.

He keeps an eye on the clock, and keeps her on edge for a while- bringing her right to brink before easing off. She’s cussing above him when he finally pulls back and presses a kiss to her thigh, glaring down at him with glazed, teary eyes. “Keep in mind where your throat is,” she remarks, “because if you don’t make me come I’ll strangle you with my thighs, and the reservation won’t do us much good.”

“What a way to go,” he says with a dreamy sigh, leaning down to nip at her sensitive nerves- she jerks in his hold with a halfhearted pull at his hands. “But don’t you worry, baby, I’ll get you there.” And he’s back to the task at hand, careful of his claws as he crooks his fingers and sucks harder, wishing he had hair she could yank on as she came with a low whine and her fingers scrabbling at his casing. He cleans her up with his tongue, licks the remnants of her release from his fingers while holding her gaze, pleased when she finally flushes and looks away.

He makes a show of looking at the clock, like he hadn’t known exactly how long he had the whole time. “Look at that! Just enough time to get around, who could have guessed?” He stands, holding a hand out to his girl to help her up on her unsteady legs.

“Wait, let me-” She reaches for his zipper and he stops her, threading his fingers through hers. “Vin- let me do you, please?”

And it’s hard to tell her no when she makes that fucking face, but they had a schedule. If he let her get a hand or a mouth on him, it would be blown to shit. “Not yet,” he tells her, and lands a kiss on her forehead. “You can ravish me after dinner, okay? The cab is prepaid, we have to be out the door by nine thirty- and even though you’re perfect as is, I know you think you need time to get ready so I accounted for that.”

He can almost feel plastic melting inside his screen with the smile she gives him. “Maybe if I’m quick enough we’ll still have an extra minute,” she offers, squeezing his hand before she steps back and heads towards the bathroom.

Something Vincent was thankful for since coming to Hell was that ‘getting ready’ for him took a lot less time- without hair, the time it took to head out the door was cut in half. He had been horribly vain about it when he was alive, meticulously grooming it, going to the barber every other week to maintain the shape and length. And he missed it sometimes, but he couldn’t deny it made his life a little easier at times like this. He stepped into one of his news suits (borrowed from Rich until he could justify buying his own), laced his shoes up, and he was all set. He caught a glimpse of Kora in the bathroom mirror as he left the bedroom- she had some sort of shimmery shit on her eyelids and was lining her eyes with a dark pencil that looked like a torture device until she spotted him and stuck her tongue out as she worked. He rolled his eyes fondly and went to wait on the couch for her.

He wished he had a cigarette. He had taken up smoking at the station, stepping out when everyone else went out for a break and thinking it would be rude to decline when someone offered him one. He kept it social though, only lighting up when he was with his coworkers so that Kora wouldn’t find out about the habit. But after doing it for months the craving for one would hit him out of nowhere, when he was bored or waiting like he was now- even though he knew Kora would be worth waiting for.

Vincent had never been more correct in his life. When Kora stepped out of the bedroom she glowed; she was wrapped in fitted gold and silver, folds of fabric that reached outwards from the center like sun rays and looked stunning with the soft tan of her fur, the blonde of her hair. Thick straps came over her shoulders, a couple thin, golden chains dangling off her shoulder on either side, drawing attention to the soft curves of her. The makeup she wore was light and ethereal, her hair in soft curls pinned back with a little clip that had the sun on one end of it.

She crosses one foot behind the other, a simple gold heel that she rocks on nervously. “Do you think this is okay?” She asks, like she doesn’t look like a Goddess that had lost her way and ended up in Imp City by mistake. “I got it from Eris, it was a little too big for her- do you think it’s nice enough for Dante’s? I don’t think I have anything else that would work-”

“Kora.”

Even Vox is surprised by the roughness to his voice, and he clears his throat before he stands and approaches, gently crowding her against the wall with the bracket of his arms and brushing a piece of hair back from her face. “I need you to understand how beautiful you look right now,” he says seriously. “And I also need you to know that if the cab outside and the reservation weren’t already paid for, I would have you against this wall right now, Dante’s be damned.”

She flushes under his intense gaze, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You don’t have to go overboard, jeez,” she mutters, but her smile is still firmly in place as she ducks under his arm and escapes towards the door; he takes a deep breath, willing his body to get it together before he follows her into the dark outside their apartment.

Vincent fights to keep his hands off her on the drive to Dante’s, something that Kora enforces by sitting all the way across the seat from him. He’s just managed to pull her closer when the cab rolls to a stop and the driver hops out to open Kora’s door for her. He shoots the bug a glare- he was being the gentleman for Kora tonight, not some lowly chauffeur- but still takes Kora’s arm and leads her to the velvet rope in front of the restaurant.

There was no line because they didn’t allow walk-ins, the Hellhound bouncer at the front more for appearances than anything else, since everyone knew that you just didn’t mess with this place. He gives them a nod as they approach, the photos he had submitted with the references from Rich enough to verify their identities and let them into the establishment.

Kora’s gasp at the crystalline chandeliers that dangled above them was worth every penny that the night was going to cost him. The blue of her eyes fucking twinkled in the soft amber glow from the candles that reflected the lights, casting it across everyone else that dined in the building. She clung to his arm as they were lead to their booth, her smile warm and genuine and fucking perfect in it’s sincerity as he guided her into her seat. Immediately there was a waiter at their side offering them wine, which Kora gladly accepted a glass of and took a sip while casting her eyes around the room.

She looked at ease in the environment as they looked over the menu and ordered, and he wondered distantly if Gideon had ever taken her out like this; dressing Kora up when he couldn’t appreciate her beauty, just to keep up appearances for the people around them by showing off his ‘pretty wife.’ His eye twitches thinking about the bat that hadn’t deserved her, his mood easing when he reminded himself that it didn’t matter- once he had accomplished what he was setting out to do, they could be regulars here at Dante’s. He would spoil her to no end; she could primp and pamper herself on a weekly basis if she wanted to, he would take her anywhere she wanted. The power he would have once he got where he wanted to be at the station- next to Rich, in Joy’s place, or even front and center on his own- was inconsequential compared to the thought of having her beside him, taken care of, happy.

They ordered some fancy appetizer, something that Kora was resisting the urge to dig into with her fingers if the look on her eyes was any indication- thankfully she resisted, using her fork to spear the croquettes that were placed down, her eyes fluttering and a soft, pleased moan escaping her lips. “You’re sure this is Hell?” She asks him, stabbing another and holding her fork out to him to sample- he minds his teeth to avoid the screeching noise that he knows her ears are sensitive to as he takes it into his mouth, and yeah, people weren’t kidding when they said the food was good. “This tastes like heaven.”

“I’m sure you’d know all about that,” he says softly, trailing a claw down her arm, “considering you look like an angel tonight.”

The blush that takes her face over has perhaps a little to do with the wine, but it’s charming nonetheless. “You’re too sweet,” she says earnestly, and takes his hand across the table. “And you know how to show a girl a good time, because wow.” She gestures out across the restaurant, the other patrons that dined and laughed under the soft light, alongside the sweet music that played. “Come on, stop holding out on me- what’s the real occasion?”

They’re interrupted by the waiter coming over with their dinners, placing steaming plates piled high with food in front of them. He takes his time before he answers, taking a few bites of his meal- rich, decadent, everything he wanted from a meal, from life- while he thinks about the ‘occasion.’ He wants to sound genuine but not sappy, a thin line that he seemed to constantly balance on when it came to Kora. “I wanted to thank you,” he tells her, and she pats her mouth with her napkin so she can properly listen to Vincent. “It’s been two years now since that first extermination when you found me, and without you I would probably still be a pile of busted parts in the street. I probably wouldn’t have my job at the station without you helping me get back on my feet. I definitely wouldn’t be here, at a high end restaurant with a beautiful woman at my side that I can’t wait to ravage when we go home.” He releases his fork to slip his hand under the table and trace his fingers up her thigh, grin triumphant when she blushes before he backs off. “You just… you deserve so much more than Hell has to offer you- more than I have to offer you. I just wanted to show you that I’m thankful for you, and glad you’re in my afterlife- you’ve made it a hell of a lot better than it ever was up top.”

He thinks he catches the glint of tears in her eyes- fuck, fuck, had he said something wrong? Hurt her feelings somehow?- before she takes his screen in both hands and kisses him soundly. Perhaps not an appropriate display for a restaurant like this, but Vincent wasn’t going to complain right away when Kora was being so enthusiastic in her thanks. He does catch a couple whispers from nearby tables within eyeshot, so he eases her back into her seat and towards her meal. “Easy, doll,” he murmurs, and she chuckles while she brings a finger up to gently wipe the unshed tears away without smudging her makeup. “That wasn’t too much?”

“No,” she sniffs with a chuckle, “no, Vin, that was beautiful. Thank you.” She keeps one hand placed firmly in his even though it means she has to eat with her non-dominant hand, something that she manages to do rather well still. And throughout the meal she keeps releasing these soft, pleased noises- relishing in the taste of the food, the atmosphere, his presence beside her. Vincent wants her to make those sounds next to him forever; not even anything sexual, but auditory confirmation that she was here and she was happy with him.

She releases him for dessert, a decadent affair of chocolate and cream and sinful cake, and when he calls for the check she rests her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh, trailing her finger up and down his forearm and sending pleasant tingles across his skin. He pays the bill, ensuring that Kora doesn’t see how much the evening cost- it actually wasn’t as much as he had anticipated, but he knew she would still make a fuss about the number- and has the waiter call for their cab to come back. He escorts her outside, draping his suit jacket around her shoulders, and they stand there in the dim street lighting while they wait.

She huddles into his chest, her hands never ceasing in their movements as she slides them along his back, his casing, his waist. “I cannot wait,” he tells her earnestly, “to get you home and take this off of you.” He emphasizes his point by fingering the golden chains that hang over her shoulders, and she smiles brightly at him.

“If you really can’t wait, there was a bathroom inside,” she offers, probably only teasing, and she laughs when his face glitches as he seriously considers it.

“You deserve better than that,” he tells her earnestly, and cups her face in his hands to press his screen against her forehead. The wine he’s drunk has gone to his head, everything tingly and light and radiant when he looks at Kora. “You deserve better than all of this. You deserve Heaven.”

She looks away from him, hiding her face in his chest and fisting her hands in his shirt. “I love you,” she says softly, it feels like everything in his body simply freezes- biological and mechanical grinding to a halt at the words, the sincerity that she whispers them with. “You don’t- you don’t have to say it back, I know it’s early. I just want you to know.” She burrows further into him, so all he can see is the top of her head, the little sun pinned to it on the side. “After marrying Gideon and then ending up here I didn’t think that I would ever find that, this happiness that I have with you. So thank you.” She falls silent, her breath heated through his shirt as he processes what she’s said.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

It’s not the first time he’s heard the words from a woman before; when he was alive they were usually whispered late in the night between silk sheets from someone that he had taken out a few times, and he used it as the indicator that Vincent needed to end things before they got too serious. It was usually met with a laugh or a lewd joke, so he could play it off without hurting the girl’s feelings (or even acknowledging them).

They’ve never shot through his entire nervous system before, leaving him reeling at the revelation and struck speechless.

How did she continue to do this? To catch him off guard with her words and her actions, her goodness. First with taking him in in the first place, when she could have easily left him to die; announcing their relationship publicly before he had even fully defined it; and now this, shyly declaring her feelings for him after a beautiful night out, somehow confident and demure about it at the same time, refusing to take the words back even though she had buried her face in his shirt as she said it.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

He’s saved from having to answer when the cab pulls up, that same bug driver leaping from the front seat to open Kora’s door for her. He guides her in gently, throwing a leg up onto the seat so he’s semi reclined, creating a flat surface for Kora to lay against on the drive back down towards Imp City. He runs his hands along her waist and she snuggles further into him, releasing soft breaths that tickle his neck when she exhales. She doesn’t fall asleep, but he thinks it’s a near thing, and he keeps her present with the hint of his claws through her dress as he trails them over her frame.

They head inside after he pays the driver, Kora’s arm looped through his, and he thinks he should say something as they climb the stairs, as Kora unlocks the door to let them into the cozy darkness of their home. But what to say? He couldn’t say it back- just thinking the words makes his throat burn unpleasantly, like he was going to cry if he forced them out, and what would she think of him then? But he doesn’t want to let them linger between them, unacknowledged, because what if she interpreted that as a rejection of her feelings? He’s distantly aware of her helping him remove his jacket, slipping her shoes off by the door, and it takes her saying his name a few times before he registers it and is pulled back to the moment.

“Vincent?”

He blinks hard and looks down at her, her eyebrows creased in concern like they had been when he came home. “Are you okay? Was the date more expensive than you were planning? I don’t have much as far as savings, but-”

“No! No, you don’t have to worry about that, Goldie. The date was perfect, you don’t need to pay me back for anything. And I’m fine, I just-”

“You’re thinking about what I said.” It’s a statement rather than a question, but just like usual for his girl, she doesn’t back down from his stare. “I’m sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable. But I’ve just.” She cuts herself off, bringing her arms up to fold across her chest, like she was protecting herself. “I’ve spent so much of my life and my afterlife letting emotions just bottle up inside of me and I don’t want to do that anymore. I won’t take it back, but I won’t say it again if you don’t want me to.”

“God, Kora,” he breathes, and he pulls her into his arms again like they had been on the street. He holds her tighter than he had been, enveloping her completely and mindful of the way she shivered in his embrace. “It’s not anything like that. You caught me off guard, yeah, but that’s not- I just can’t-”

“It’s okay.” Her arms come around his back as well, a complete link between the two of them. “You don’t have to say it back- and I won’t say it again.”

“Please do.” The words spill from his mouth before he can stop them, his arms tightening around her. “It’s- I’m not uncomfortable. I like it; I like hearing that you feel that way about me, that I haven’t irrevocably fucked all of this up somehow. I just have my own shit to sort out before I can- you know. Express feelings like a normal fucking person.”

He wants to say it. He just knows that her face would simply light up with joy at him saying that he loved her back, but something dark and ugly claws at his mind and prevents him from doing it- does he love her? Surely if he did the words would just come forth, not get stuck in his throat like bad bread, thick and cloying and making him feel like he was going to choke. It wouldn’t be so hard to tell her if he did; she had made it look so easy.

Kora pulls back, looks him in the face this time with a smile so soft it makes him ache. “I love you,” she tells him again, and something whirs inside his head at the sound. Hands on either side of his screen she pulls him down, kisses the words into his mouth. “Take me to bed now?”

Vincent is looking down at Kora, spread naked beneath his hands atop the sheets of the bed, and wondering how he got so lucky.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

The words rattle off the parts and components in his head, as he takes his time in kissing her from head to toe. She sighs contentedly as he works, his fingers gentle where they touch her as he moves down her body, his lips pressed to her collar, her wrists, her navel, her thighs. His head is still a little fuzzy from the wine but even with the excitement of the night, here he knows what he’s doing.

He lets his fingers part her folds, groaning at the slickness he finds waiting for him and relishing the sharp breath she takes in anticipation. He presses one into her, slow and deliberate the way she likes it best, before he adds another to crook against the sweet spot inside her that always makes her whine and tremble. Thumb pressed gently against her clit, he works her to a swift climax that leaves his fingers drenched, his name having never sounded better when torn from her mouth.

“Please,” Kora whines, and uses a gentle hand on his screen to try to guide him up towards her mouth. “Please, I need you.” Her hips rock against the bed, eyes glazed and needy while she looks down at him, and suddenly he can’t bear to have her gaze on him.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

He guides her to flip over, her hips in the air and her head buried in her arms as he slowly sinks into her cunt, his breath catching at the way she shakes in his hold with his cock reaching so far inside her. Kora was so tight like this, her slick walls clenching and fluttering around him with such intensity he found it hard to focus on thrusting and not just staying buried as deep into her as he could get. He focuses on his breathing when he pulls out and slams back in so he doesn’t immediately finish, determined always to make sure she got there before he did. He keeps his pace steady and his thrusts hard, muffled sounds of pleasure escaping from Kora’s mouth to be lost in the pillows.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

He leans forward presses his screen against her back, closing his eyes against the words while he fucks her, hands roaming over her body; pulling her harder into his hips, running his thumbs over the peaks of her nipples, spreading the wetness from where they’re connected to her clit to rub at the sensitive nub with care. She had come for him twice this evening already but he needed it again, the sweet clench of her on his cock when he brought her to the edge before he would allow himself to spill inside of her.

“Say it,” he murmurs against her skin as her volume increases, still stifled into the pillows- he fists his free hand in her hair and tugs back so she’s lifted from her auditory protection, her whines and cries now out in the open with nowhere to hide them. “Tell me again, Kora- please.”

“Fuck, Vin, love you- oh God, there…” She might have been crying, likely overstimulated by the two orgasms he had already wrung from her, but her hips still rocked back against him, chasing the promise of a third. Her tail moved jerkily, pressed between them as it was with little room to move with how close Vincent was holding her. “There, there, there,” she chants as he angles her hips ever so slightly, pulling back enough that he has the leverage he needs to ram the tip of his cock against the tender expanse of nerve endings inside of her.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Her voice is a tethering thread to keep him in the moment as their orgasms crash into them at the same time- Kora’s cunt ripples along his length as she comes, his name a keening cry from her lips while he fucks her through it, finally spending himself with a drawn out groan against the delicate heat of her back. The rhythmic clenching of her walls draws it out, as do her soft mumbles against the skin of his forearm when they both collapse forward, her lips sweet and gentle against him.

They stay like that for a moment, stuck in the position of their frantic coupling until Kora wiggles her hips beneath him- his cock twitches inside of her, making them both gasp. “Come on,” she whispers hoarsely, and he realizes he definitely is going to owe her some sort of honeyed tea after how loud he he had made her with pulling her hair like he had. “We can’t stay like this all night.”

He nips his teeth against the back of her neck and she shivers. “Why not? Seems optimal to me- when I get hard again we can start over, and then you only have to clean up once.” He doesn’t actually think he can go again. His nerves are shot, a slight tremor to his frame that he hopes she can’t pick up on with their positioning, and the alcohol has left his system. He no longer feels tingly or buzzed; he feels raw, exposed, vulnerable in a way he wasn’t familiar or comfortable with.

He pushes it aside in favor of gently pulling out, smoothing his hand down her flank and helping to flip her over again. Her hair was a disaster from being wrapped in his fist, tear streaks beneath her eyes from the stimulation, but she’s still a vision of beauty as she watches him with softened eyes and a sweet smile. She lifts her fingers up to trail them down his screen, down his arm, to tangle their fingers together and lift them to her mouth to kiss before she gets up from the bed to clean up.

When she comes back, she’s dressed in the ‘fuck’ t-shirt, the one she had let him borrow his first night, and his chest aches at the sight of it. She clambers back onto the bed, flops herself down on his chest with a giggle and a contented sigh. “You okay?” She asks, concern lacing her voice, and he kisses her before she can ask anything further.

“I’m great,” he whispers into her hair, despite the frantic kick of his heart inside his chest. “Tonight was perfect. You’re perfect.”

She hums happily and settles down, and it isn’t long before her breathing slows and her body goes limp against his. He extricates himself from her weight, making sure she’s comfortably settled in the bed before he goes to the bathroom.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Finally alone, he watches his reflection- there’s a tremor to the pixels on his screen, and his breath is coming in faster. He thinks he might be freaking out a little, bent over the sink and trying to breath as steadily as he can, the sound of it a harsh rasp to his auditory processors. And fuck, he knows this isn’t a normal reaction; Kora loved him. He should be fucking ecstatic, because that meant she wasn’t going anywhere and all the hard work he had been doing wasn’t a waste, that there was something he was working towards and doing it for her meant something.

But his dad’s voice creeps back in, like it had been since that conversation with Eris. Telling him that when someone loved you, you could disappoint them. You could hurt them. It wasn’t Kora’s confession that had rattled him- it was the idea that her feelings might inadvertently turn against her if he fucked up. And Vincent would never forgive himself for that.

He watches himself in the mirror and slowly, finally, he calms. He would just have to work harder, he reasoned- if he was perfect, made the right moves at the station and got where he wanted to be, Kora’s heart would be safe. He would be worthy of her then, and there would be no risk of hurting her.

And hopefully, he could repeat it back to her.

Chapter 1 📺 Chapter 2 💛 Chapter 3 📺 Chapter 4 💛 Chapter 5 📺 Chapter 6 💛Chapter 7 📺 Chapter 8

#goldenvision #vox x kora #vox x oc #hazbin hotel #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #vox smut #vox hazbin hotel #vox fanfiction #ily frau <3

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crestfallencrest · 2 years ago

Note

if you're taking prompts from that list - "so when were you going to tell me the truth?" with whoever you want from vesperia

Prompt: "So when were you going to tell me the truth?" Pairings: Platonic Yuri & Estelle, Slight Flynn/Yuri (Like just a mention, not even enough to tag it) Genre: Angst with some comfort Warnings: Spoilers for the end of the Second Arc of the game. Word Count: 4,290

I'm always taking writing prompts! Feel free to send some or a request if none of the prompts catch your eye! Just remember that I have a right to turn it down! Summary: Estelle listens in on an argument between Yuri and Sodia and learns something that was never meant to be heard.

Notes: Sorry for the delay on this request! I originally wanted to do a oneshot surrounding Judith and Rita's relation to one another but I hadn't had the time to read deeper into it. And then I thought about Yuri and Sodia and The Great Stabbing tm and my anger about its wasted potential and, as much as I love the fics where Flynn finds out, we need more fics of the OTHER members of the crew finding out. So here we go!

===

Estellise felt like her heart could burst in excitement.

It had been a good few months since she had last seen one of her closest friends, Yuri Lowell, in the flesh. She had written to him almost weekly, keeping him updated on her life in Halure with Rita, keeping him updated on Rita’s research (‘Rita created this weird little box that is able to warm up food that has gotten cold. It was going so well until we tried to put metal into it. That didn’t end so well’), keeping him updated on her newest book she was writing, even going so far as to give him a sneak peek from it.

Estelle understood that Yuri was busy so he couldn’t write to her as much as she wrote to him. But she was fine with that! She understood he was busy, especially with Brave Vesperia picking up in popularity nowadays. She appreciated the few times that Yuri responded, rare as they were. She enjoyed hearing about the jobs that he and the others got, how the others were doing (Karol was almost as tall as Yuri now! She made a mental note to go visit soon! She had to see for herself!) and about how Dahngrest was doing nowadays as well.

She treasured every letter she received from her friend, making sure to save them in a box that she kept, full of letters she had received from friends over the years.

Despite the letters though, she hadn’t seen Yuri in a while so she was over the moon when she arrived at the castle in Zaphias and saw a familiar looking canine with sword attached to his hip that was taking a sun nap by the front gate. Upon seeing Repede, she nearly jumped for joy as she let out a joyous cry as she ran over to pet the sleeping dog.

As usual, Repede was awake in an instant and dodged her pets with ease, once again emerging victorious in their constant game of ‘Keep away.’ (“It MUST be a game to him,” Estelle had insisted to Rita one day, back when they all traveled together.)

She admittedly spent more time than necessary trying to catch Repede before she finally decided to leave her friend alone so he could enjoy his nap in the sun in peace. After all, there was another face she had to see as well. Judging by the open window that waited several floors up, she knew immediately where her friend was waiting.

She wasted no time in getting there. She had to keep herself from running to Flynn’s room, forcing herself to keep a slower but steady pace as she practically sped-walked to the man’s office. She briefly wondered if she would be interrupting Yuri and Flynn catching up and was promptly reminded of the time Rita had accidentally barged in on them and…

…ahem.

Maybe she should knock first.

She slows to a stop as she arrives in front of Flynn’s door and takes a moment to catch her breath. She, admittedly, had not been getting enough exercise lately since stopping her travels and it was showing. But as she stood there, trying to catch her breath, she stopped when she heard two voices inside of the room. One a familiar female voice and the other a familiar male voice.

Yuri and Sodia. With no Flynn to be heard. Oh dear.

She could hear their voices speaking, low and mumbled, and it was hard to hear from where she stood. But judging by the tone and just the fact that Yuri and Sodia could never be left alone in a room together without the danger of someone getting hit, whatever conversation they were having was not a friendly one. But they were normally so loud when arguing… Whatever they were discussing must be serious indeed.

…Estelle, unfortunately, couldn’t help herself. She found herself shifting closer to the door, pressing her ear against it. Part of her felt shame at her actions. After all, it was incredibly rude to eavesdrop and if she were caught, Yuri would probably never let her hear the end of it. On the other hand, if there were something wrong between the two of them (besides the usual), then she should know, right? After all, she would like to help if she could.

“...don’t understand why he puts up with you.” Sodia’s voice is heard first, full of scorn and distaste. “You do nothing but infuriate him.”

“I dunno why you keep asking me that.” Yuri’s voice is heard soon after, low, rough and uncaring. “You keep saying that like I’m forcing him to put up with me. You should really be asking HIM this. Not cornering me so you can interrogate me. I already told you where I thought I stood. Not my fault Flynn thinks otherwise.”

“Corner you? You snuck into his room like a common criminal!”

“I don’t blame you for turning a blind eye to this, but in case you’ve missed the memo, my preferred method of entering Flynn’s room is through that window right there. It’s a short climb, it’s fun and it always surprises Flynn. He and even some of the guards are fully aware that I do a bit of breaking and entering when I come to visit now.” Yuri’s voice begins to shift into something a bit more annoyed.

“And I’m shocked that no one finds anything wrong with that!” Sodia’s tone is sharp as her voice begins to rise.

“It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”

“Now, anyway. But pardoned crimes aside, we both know what you are! A murderer!” Sodia growls out and Estelle instinctively steps back from the door. “How long until you decide that you don’t like the way that Flynn is running things?! How long until you decide to take matters into your own hands?! How long until you slip into this window and cut him down?!”

Estelle had to stop this before it got out of hand. With a deep breath, she places her hand on the doorknob.

“That’s really rich coming from you, of all people.” Yuri snaps back with a forced laugh as Estelle pushes the door open. “Zaude proved that you’re just as likely to try and cut someone down–”

Estelle stops.

Yuri and Sodia both stop.

For a moment, time seems to stop as Yuri and Sodia both turn and stare at their new arrival with wide eyes, akin to a deer caught in a spotlight. Of course, Estelle likely had the same expression on her face. It actually took her brain a few minutes to catch up with what was said.

Zaude. That’s right, Zaude was where they defeated Alexei and the Adephagos was set free. That started a down-spiral of events at the time, and it didn’t give Estelle any time to properly process anything that had happened. But that was also the time that Yuri had vanished for a week. She remembered the way that Brave Vesperia and Flynn had searched everywhere for the man, but to no avail. She lost so much sleep that week that when Yuri finally did show back up, wounded and weakened, she didn’t have much energy to question what had happened as she healed up his injury for him.

Yuri had fallen from Zaude, from what she understood. But she was missing the details. She suddenly remembers now. She remembers Flynn taking the blow for Yuri. Yuri going in for the final attack against Alexei. That giant blastia core falling from the sky, crushing Alexei. She remembered so much smoke. So much chaos but no Yuri to be seen. In the dust and debris, she found Flynn and Witcher and in her panic, she forgot that someone else had been missing.

But later, she had just assumed that she had gone to get help.

But… But… Surely she couldn’t have… Surely Sodia wouldn’t have…

But it was such a small wound. Deep enough to cause heavy damage but not big enough to be caused by Alexei’s blade.

Estelle’s blank and processing expression turned to one of heavy betrayal as her eyes widened and began to tear up. “...Zaude…? It was… At Zaude, it was–” It was you?

Sodia pales and Estelle notices her hesitation as she quietly takes a step back, confirming Estelle's suspicions. Yuri, however, takes a deep breath and takes a few steps towards Estelle, holding out a hand. “Hey… Estelle.” He calls to her, voice soft and careful but they are just enough to snap her out of her trance.

Without another word, she turns on her heels and runs.

She hears Yuri call after her but she doesn’t look back and instead tears through the halls of the castle. What was she running from? If someone were to ask her that question later, she wouldn’t be able to answer. She didn’t know. Was she running from Sodia? From Yuri? She would never imagine that the two of them would hurt her. Yuri proved to be such a valuable and trusted companion and Sodia was too loyal.

Her mind couldn’t help but linger on ‘was’.

How could she do such a thing to Yuri? To Flynn?! And how could Yuri just keep it to himself?! Why wouldn’t he say something?!

“Estelle!”

She hears Yuri call out to her again and she realizes he’s chasing her through the halls. She tries to pick up the pace as her lungs burned and her mind screamed at her. Why are you running? Why are you running away?!

“Estelle!!”

Where was she even going? To her room? To find Flynn? To the exit? Was she intending to run all the way to Halure? What was her plan? What good would running from Yuri do? He was fast, faster than her for sure. If he, by some miracle, didn’t catch her here, then she would have to face him eventually. Why was she even trying to avoid him?!

“ESTELLE!!!” All Estelle can see is a gray blur before a hand slams into the wall in front of her, forcing her to a stop. Before she can even think of backing away, another hand shoots out and places it on the wall on the other side of her, effectively trapping her between it and her dearest friend.

They both are quiet, heavy breaths feeling the air as they recover from the full on sprint down the palace halls and Estelle actually has a moment to let her brain settle. It was a miracle that there hadn’t been any knights in the hallways, now that she thinks about it, because the image of Yuri chasing after her like that would have probably caused a few misunderstandings. Despite how close the man was to Flynn, he still had not gained the trust of most of the knights.

A supposed ruffian (in their eyes anyway) chasing a horrified princess would have turned some heads, for sure.

Estelle, finally, looks up at Yuri’s face and she takes note of how flushed his cheeks were from the sudden marathon he had to take in order to catch her. A part of her assumed that the man would be angry. Angry at her eavesdropping, angry that he actually had to give chase, angry that she knew too much. But instead of the dark glare that she had seen Yuri give off in situations like these was absent and instead, she was staring up at gray eyes filled with concern and– fear…?

She must be mistaken… right? Why would Yuri be afraid?

As they continue to stare up at each other, finally catching their breaths, Yuri slowly retracts his hands when he’s certain that Estelle wasn’t going to run off again and ducks his head slightly. He doesn’t say anything and Estelle’s mind was also going blank as well. What should she say? What could she say? Her mind alternated between shutting down and racing with a million thoughts.

Her eyes trail down to Yuri’s left side, remembering where the wound had been inflicted. Yuri tried not to show it but she knew from the way his steps would sometimes catch and how he flinched when someone bumped into that area or hugged him a little too tightly that it still had some residual pain. Her magic was strong, this was true, but some wounds would still leave scars regardless. This wound in particular had been left alone for too long before it was properly tended to. Duke, thankfully, did a decent job of tending to Yuri’s wounds at the time but that could only do so much against the chronic pains.

Yuri would likely live the rest of his life with this pain. It wasn’t constant but it was frequent enough that it affected the man’s daily life when it flared up. And to think that the one responsible was someone so close to Flynn… and Yuri said nothing.

“...When were you going to tell us the truth?” She finally asks with a whisper, eyes looking up at him, absolutely heartbroken.

Yuri breathes out a sigh, mouth shut tight as his gaze drifts down the hallway from the direction they came from. He doesn’t answer and this does nothing but cause Estelle to raise her voice.

“Yuri, when were you going to tell us?!” She exclaims, reaching out to grasp at both of his arms. “When… When were you planning on telling Flynn?!”

It’s been three years since Zaude. It’s been three years since they had saved the world together. For three years, Yuri has had to keep the peace with his attempted murderer and no one else knew. That fact alone causes anger to rise in her chest as she shakes the man in front of her.

“Yuri, answer me! Why wouldn’t you tell us?!” She feels her eyes well up but she refuses to let the tears shed.

Yuri doesn’t fight to pull out of Estelle’s grasp and lets himself be shook just a bit before he finally looks back at her, face sullen as he finally meets her gaze. “It’s not my truth to tell.” He answers as simply as possible, as if that would answer all questions.

It only causes Estelle to lash out. “Not your truth to tell?!” She steps forward, mouth agape in shock. “Yuri, you were stabbed! You could have been killed! Yuri, we could have– have–”

Lost you. We could have lost you.

“...Estelle, listen to me.” Estelle watches as Yuri places his hands on her shoulders, gently. As she looks back up at him, she finds him staring at her with an unwavering stare full of resolve. “Who am I to you?”

“...Wh…What?” Estelle blinks, moving to wipe at her eyes.

“Who am I to you?” Yuri asks again, not faltering, not even once. “When you think of Yuri Lowell, what is the first thing that pops into your head?”

“I…” Estelle trails off, unsure of what this had to do with anything but she thinks about it nonetheless. “You’re… a very kind man who… who will give anything to protect those who cannot protect themselves. You’ve… you’ve sacrificed so much to get to where you are now. You would willingly put your life on the line to protect people. Not only that, but you’re a very good friend and a valuable ally… and… and…”

Estelle has to pause as her voice wavers and her eyes begin to billow with tears. Yuri was such an amazing person and such a key part of their group of friends and they almost lost him. “Oh, Yuri–” She chokes out, ducking her head as the tears begin to spill.

“I think you’re giving me too much credit…” Yuri mutters quietly but he reaches out to cup her face, wiping away her tears. “C’mon… none of that. I’m not even done explaining yet… What are people going to say if they come out here and see you crying like this?” His voice is quiet and soothing as he attempts to calm her down.

“W-What does…” She stops and sniffles as she wipes at her eyes as well. “What does… that have to do with anything?”

“Just bear with me for a second.” Yuri pauses to pull out a rap from his pocket. It was likely his rag he used to wipe at his sword but he hands it to her anyway to wipe at her face. “Now what did you think of me when you first met me?”

“I…” Estelle tries to think back to the day she first met Yuri. A small feeling of embarrassment washes over her. Had her face not been flushed red from crying, Yuri would have likely seen the blush appear on her cheeks. “...tried to hit you with a vase. I thought you were a thief, breaking into the castle…”

“Yeah, even though I had just knocked the guards out that were attacking you.” Yuri suddenly has a slight smile on his face. “And even after you knew I was Flynn’s friend, you were still cautious and on guard. You knew Flynn said I was trustworthy but you still had to be careful, right?”

Estelle ducks her head in shame. “I… I… don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were thinking the same thing that Sodia thought.” Yuri points out, squeezing her shoulder. “When Sodia looks at me, she sees a thug. A ruffian. A thief. A troublemaker. A murderer. And she’s right. I’m all of those things. I assaulted knights, I stole when I was younger in order to survive. I threw the Tweedles into a river and broke into buildings I had no business being in. Escaped from jail. And then…” His smile fades and his gaze darkens as he looks down towards his left hand. “I took multiple lives.”

Estelle shakes her head and grabs onto his left hand, squeezing it. “I’m a murderer too, Yuri! After– After Belius–”

“Belius died. There is no taking that back, Estelle. But… it’s different.” Yuri frowns, trying to step over this topic carefully as he pulls his hand away. “You didn’t intend to kill Belius. You were intending on helping her. For me, though… Ragou, Cumore, the Don, Alexei… When I took out my blade, it was with the intent to kill. When I held the blade in my hand, it was followed with one thought in my head. ‘I am going to take this person’s life.’ I intended to follow that conviction, even if I didn’t always like the result. And I was fully prepared to face the consequences for it.”

Estelle stays silent, eyes wide as she stares up at Yuri as he continues the explanation, eyes moving to gaze out of the window rather than at Estelle.

“When Sodia looked at me, she saw me for what I was. A criminal. A murderer. She didn’t have any of the bias that you guys had. She hadn’t grown up with me like Flynn had. She hadn’t traveled with me for months like you guys had. She hadn’t watched me grow up in Zaphias like Leblanc did. She had no ties to me whatsoever. And all she could do was take Flynn’s words at face value.” Yuri shoves his hand into his pocket, his dark eyes scanning the sky as he speaks.

“Flynn’s reasoning never made sense to her. Her Captain was advocating a wanted criminal by insisting that he genuinely was a good person. That the situation was misunderstood. Even after I murdered Ragou and Cumore and threatened to kill Flynn if he continued the way he was going, he still spoke highly of me.” Finally, Yuri looks back at Estelle and she feels her breath catch in her throat. “After seeing all of my crimes, you think Sodia could, in good conscience, let that go?”

Estelle felt sick to her stomach as she listened to Yuri speak, as if he had rehearsed this over and over in his brain. Was this what he was telling himself this entire time? That he deserved it? She opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out.

Yuri squeezes her shoulder once more before pulling away. “I can’t say I agree with her reasoning completely. She did it more for Flynn’s sake than anything and afterwards, she left his side and came running to me for help, of all people. And, don’t get me wrong. This isn’t me saying that I forgive her for that stunt.” His nose wrinkles in distaste as his hand slowly moves over to cover the area where the wound was inflicted. “I’m not exactly happy that she tried to kill me and I’m definitely not happy about the chronic pain from it. But if I, a murderer and a criminal, got a pardon for my crimes but Sodia, who couldn’t even finish the damn job, was punished, then I…”

Yuri trails off this time and Estelle notices how his face twitches as he stares down at his hands. “... It’s not what I want. A world where crimes like that can just be glossed over? I don’t want that. Even the pardon feels like a kick to the teeth. Knowing that people can go out and kill as many people as they want but can get off with a slap on the wrist, simply because they do one big good deed? I hate that.”

Yuri falls silent after that, glaring at the ground between them. As the silence grows between them, Estelle ponders over Yuri’s words and feelings. It wasn’t often that Yuri let his true feelings show and on any other day, she would feel rather blessed that he would open up to her like this. But knowing that he had been carrying this inside of him for years caused her eyes to well up with tears, once again.

With a tiny sniffle, she reaches out a hand and gently grasps Yuri’s before pulling it to her chest, holding it close. A few tears drop onto his skin and she made a note to apologize for crying on him later but for now, she just needed to hold onto him. To remind himself that despite it all, he was still there. He was still breathing.

“Yuri… Everything you did was… for the good of someone else…” She sobs softly, gripping onto his hand like a lifeline. “Because of you… so many innocent people got to keep on living. Don’t you understand that?”

“I do.” Yuri answers, voice barely a whisper. “I know, Estelle. I don’t regret killing Ragou or Cumore. I don’t regret stopping Alexei either–”

“Then stop it, okay?” Estelle’s head shoots up, cheeks tear stained and eyes red and swollen. “Just stop it. Stop holding it in. Talk to us.”

She just wanted him to stop hiding things. Stop mulling over everything alone. She wanted Yuri to reach out to someone if he began to have doubts. If he began to doubt someone’s intentions, if he felt like he had to kill again, she just wanted him to talk to someone. She wanted to make sure that the road that he carved out for himself wasn’t traveled alone. She just wanted him to understand that they were friends for a reason!

“...I am.” Yuri says, taking the rag back and making sure to wipe at Estelle’s tears again. His hardened gaze is gone now, replaced with a soft grin as he looks down at her. “So… you can stop crying now. Your nose is running.”

Estelle instinctively sniffles, snatching the rag from Yuri’s hand so she can blow her nose into it. Yuri gives a tiny look of disgust when she hands it back to him and she decides to take that as her tiny act of revenge against the man.

“That’s not very princess-like…” Yuri grimaces, only to flinch when Estelle punches his shoulder. “Whoa– That’s not very princess-like either! The hell is Rita teaching you over there?!”

“S-She’s… teaching me how to deal with people like you!” Estelle sniffles again, rubbing at her eyes.

“I guess I deserve it.”

“Y-You do.” Estelle manages to stop the tears but her entire face feels like a wreck. “So… so, are you going to ask me to stay quiet…?”

Yuri just shakes his head. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. It’s your choice, not mine. If you do say anything, though, at least let me know when you do so I know when to avoid Flynn’s fist.”

“You would deserve it…” Estelle mutters, earning a weak laugh from Yuri.

“I think I should go have a talk with Rita about her influence over you. This is getting scary.”

Estelle still wasn’t certain on whether or not she would tell Flynn about what happened. She wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to face Sodia either. She still felt uneasy and she knew that even taking the time to think through the situation would not yield any easy answers. The future was uncertain and was likely full of more hardships to come. But she had at least one victory today.

“Hey, Yuri…? You know you can talk to me, right? If something is bothering you? If something hurts you?” As she and Yuri begin to walk back to Flynn’s office, side by side, Estelle asks the question, needing confirmation from the other.

She knows that he won’t tell her everything. She knows that he’s simply just the type to hold in his troubles, for as long as he can. But even still, he smiles down at her, moving to bump his fist against her forehead.

“Yeah, I know.”

Even if Yuri only opens up a little bit after this, as long as he knows that the option is open…

…well, that’s just fine with her.

#startracings #tales of vesperia #yuri lowell #estellise sidos heurassein #oneshot #crest fics #angst warning #I think a lot about Yuri and his character in the game #i have opinions #i ALSO have opinions on the end of the second arc of vesperia #i have some critiques LMAO

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mikealys-reblog · 2 years ago

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Posting it here and not on my main because I don't feel comfy yet to talk over there but

I would like to share something I noticed about Helpi in RUIN and how he isn't always himself...

(oh also ps, I didn't read any books because I'm in the boat of "not game canon")

SPOILER AHEAD

So, the more I thought about it, the more I was confused about the Mimick and Glitchtrap.

Does Glitchtrap actually doesn't exist? Does the Mimick is possessed by Glitchtrap at the end?

Or do both of them exist?

And if so, are they working together and lying about being against each other (to make it more entertaining, we know Glitchtrap is quite the player... And that Glitchtrap is pretty inactive, which is suspicious to me)

I then thought about the scene where Glitchtrap is going forward toward Cassie until he got stopped by Helpi... and that "Gregory" interrupts to say he is the one who did that (at least updating Helpi)

And it doesn't make sense for the Mimick to know what Cassie sees by the mask/implant. Glitchtrap however... It's without saying that "Gregory" can whisper to Cassie without the talky just by the mask alone.

That line of thinking got me to Helpi. Because you can't lie to me, he is purple

I did notice during the first gameplay I watched that his eyes were golden, saying to my friend that Helpi was suspicious because of purple and glowing eyes, which he isn't supposed to have

But then I forgot to keep an eye on it

Now, rewatching a gameplay with that in mind, I noticed something...

His eyes do turn gold and there is a vein when he is lying, gaslighting or straight-up ordering Cassie to do something that plays more in favor of Mimick and/or Glitchtrap

Now the famous scene and it make everything confusing ;

Because we know "Gregory" isn't the real Gregory. How the Mimick, where it is, could do that? It's trapped in the basement.

However, Glitchtrap possibly can...

I don't have the time right now to do the full game, but I'm certain Helpi is manipulated when he got the bright eyes with the vein.

Now by who is one of the questions. Why, is the other question.

I think Glitchtrap and Mimick are working together, and playing along with Cassie...

Why not just pretend Gregory needs to be saved and do nothing more? For the same reason, Gregory updated Freddy in the first game instead of just hide in a corner and waiting until the morning; because then there is no game

#fnaf #fnaf ruin #fnaf sb ruin #fnaf spoiler #fnaf theory #i guess

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maria021015 · 1 year ago

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SPOILERS AHEAD FOR CHAPTER 37!

“Oh, thank God you’re alive!” Stiles sighed in relief when Scott finally answered one of the several phone calls he’d sent in the past twenty minutes. “What happened?”

“Boyd was in there with Derek’s little sister, Cora. Erica…Erica’s dead. You guys were right - it was a trap. When we dropped into the vault it was sealed with mountain ash-” Scott began but at that, Zaida had to interrupt him.

“Mountain Ash? But that means there must be a human working with the alphas. Supernaturals can’t set Mountain Ash.” She pointed out.

“They probably have an emissary,” Peter spoke up from the couch he was currently lying on.

“What’s an emissary?” Stiles’ brows furrowed in confusion.

“Druids - kind of like a witch. They give packs advice.” The alpha explained drolly.

“How did you get out?” Zaida asked Scott.

“Allison showed up and broke the mountain ash, and Boyd and Cora got free. We’re tracking them down now. We think they’re headed for the Preserve.” The werewolf answered.

“Allison? Why the hell was Allison there?” Zaida interjected once more.

“She tracked the bank logo from the symbol that girl bruised into her and Lydia’s arms and broke in. Derek totally bit her head off about breaking the barrier to save us, and he told her I was lying to her about what happened the night her mom died. I had to tell her the truth, and…oh God, she probably hates me.” The boy mumbled sadly over the speakerphone.

“Scott, she could never hate you. You know how Allison gets, she’ll be pissed off and in a mood for a bit but she’ll get over it…in ten to twelve business years.” Zaida snickered at her own joke, failing at her attempt to be supportive.

“Okay, we can talk about Scott’s tragic love life later. For now, let’s focus on the bloodthirsty killing machines, please.” Stiles scolded them with a roll of his eyes.

“Where abouts are you guys? I’ll meet you there.” Zaida offered immediately, wanting to get in on the action. She’d sat by idly enough tonight.

“Zaida…it’s dangerous enough for us, and we can heal faster than you. You’re not ready.” Scott told her hesitantly, knowing she wouldn’t react well.

“I won’t ever be ready if you never give me a chance to be!” She protested with a glower even though he couldn’t see her face.

“I’ll keep you guys updated, okay?” Scott promised and then hung up, not giving her room to beg him even more.

“He severely underestimates you, little nymph.” Peter tutted from his position on the couch.

“What do you know?” She scoffed at him rhetorically.

“I know quite a bit about your kind. My sister, Thalia, once knew a nymph - a nereid. A beautiful woman. She looked a bit like you, actually.” Peter hummed and assessed her with analytical eyes. “Her name escapes my memory, though.”

“I-” Zaida was speechless for the first time that night. A nereid that had looked like her? Could it really be a coincidence? And was he even telling the truth or was he trying to bait her? But how else would he know that her mother was a nereid?

“And I bet a tasty piece of information about Zaida could jostle that name from your conveniently forgotten memory, right?” Stiles scoffed and pulled Zaida away from him protectively. “No thank you. We don’t want to play your game.”

“I think the little nymph would like to play.” Peter continued, unswayed by Stiles. “Hmm? What do you say, sweetheart?”

“Fuck you,” Zaida spat at him after a brief hesitation. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“How about you just show me something then? Just one little trick and I can tell you what you want to know about her, and about how Thalia knew her. I think you’d find that particularly interesting.” The scintillating man dangled the forbidden fruit in front of her with a serpentine grin.

“It’s not happening,” Stiles answered for her, noticing that tempted glint in her hazel eyes. He gripped her hand and pulled her further from the couch and into the opposite end of the loft. “He’s just trying to get you to show him your element.”

“What if he actually knows something?” She whispered now that they were alone.

“Maybe he does, but is it worth giving him what he so desperately wants? He wouldn’t offer it if it didn’t benefit him.” Stiles questioned in a low tone.

“I know that.” She insisted and forced her mind back on track. “Whatever. If Scott won’t let me help, I’ll call Isaac. I have a feeling they’re going to need backup tonight.”

“Yeah, call Isaac, I’m sure he’ll be incredibly helpful.” Stiles huffed and muttered under his breath bitterly, feeling an uncomfortable twist in his stomach.

“Oh, stop your grouching.” She waved him off and lifted her phone to her ear, waiting until the werewolf picked up her call.

“If this is a late-night booty call-” He started and Stiles’ eyes widened in fury at her.

“Stop with the jokes before Stiles’ eyes pop out of his head.” She rolled her eyes. “Scott won’t admit it but he needs our help with something, so I need you to get to Derek’s as fast as you can to pick me up, and then we’re heading to the Preserve.”

“What’s happening at the Preserve?” Isaac immediately sobbed up, getting serious.

“Scott and Derek broke Boyd and that other girl out of the bank and now they’re loose on the town and completely out of control.” She explained.

“Okay, I’m heading there now.” He replied and she frowned.

“Wait, you’ve gotta come pick me up first.” She insisted.

“Zaida, I’m not taking you just so you can get torn into pieces.” The boy scoffed humorlessly.

“Hey, I fought you off once, don’t you remember? And that was before I knew how to use my powers.” She defended her abilities for the third time that night.

“I was also freshly turned, trying to restrain myself, and you had help, remember?” He shot back and she pouted when she couldn’t deny he was right. “It’ll be more dangerous if I take you with me. I’ll be more worried about keeping you safe than keeping myself alive. Just stay with Stiles.”

“I think that’s the first smart thing he’s ever said,” Stiles admitted begrudgingly.

“Ugh, the next time I see you both I’m going to kill you for benching me.” She growled into the receiver only to see another incoming call. “I’ve gotta go, Lydia’s calling.”

“Zaida?” The redhead’s voice was weak and she sounded as though she was either crying or on the verge of a panic attack.

“Woah, Lyds, what happened? Where are you?” Zaida was immediately distracted from the previous conversation, dropping everything to focus on her friend. “Are you alright?”

“No. I- I’m at the pool. There…” Her words were shaky as she tried to explain in her shocked state. “There’s a body.”

“A body?!” Stiles repeated, his spine straightening and his mind instantly going to the werewolves currently on the loose.

“Okay, we’re on our way,” Zaida assured her and gripped Stiles' arm, dragging him towards the main entrance to the loft. “Try and stay quiet and out of sight. Wait in your car if you can, and lock the doors.”

When she hung up the phone, she and Stiles exchanged concerned looks. What was Lydia doing at the pool at this time of night?

As Stiles continued to inspect the body and look for clues, and Lydia tried to look anywhere but at the crime scene, Zaida stepped away to call Allison. It was a strange impulse and not one she’d expected to feel when she stopped to think about what Scott had said about what had happened with the girl earlier. Truthfully she wasn’t even sure if the brunette would respond to her call. It was the first time Zaida had contacted her in months. She was almost too surprised to speak when the huntress did pick up and answered with a hesitant but hopefully greeting. “...Zaida?”

“Hey, Allison.” Zaida cleared her throat. “...Scott told me what happened at the bank, and I, uh…just wanted to see if you were okay and if you got home safe?”

“Oh, that’s…really nice of you.” Allison sounded equally as surprised as Zaida had felt when she’d answered. “Uh, yeah, I’m doing as well as a person who just found out their dead mother tried to kill their ex-boyfriend, making the whole revenge spree they went on completely meaningless.”

“So…not great then?” Zaida jested awkwardly and Allison gave a small chuckle. Zaida frowned when she heard the heavy clanking of metal in the background of the call. “What are you doing now?”

“Oh, nothing much,” The girl lied incredibly badly. “Just watching a movie at home.”

“Uhuh, right. Now what are you actually doing?” Zaida raised a brow, knowing something else was up. Silence answered her. “You’re getting ready to go help the boys round up Boyd and Cora, aren’t you?”

“Look, I already know what you’re going to say and-” Allison began to defend herself, thinking Zaida was about to try to dissuade her.

“I won’t tell anyone if you take me with you.” She interjected, seizing the opportunity that had just presented itself to her. “Come pick me up from the pool.”

“What are you doing at the pool?” Allison questioned as she finished loading up the gear in the back of her car and shut the boot with a loud thud.

“Lydia found a dead body,” Zaida explained and the line went silent once more. “She’s okay, just shaken up and traumatised, but then again what’s new about that.”

“I’ll be there in ten.” Allison agreed to the ultimatum the shorter girl had set down. She made it there in nine and Zaida was waiting on the street, hopping into the car eagerly as soon as it slowed to a stop. “Where’s Lydia?”

“As if I was going to bring her with us to a werewolf hunt. Especially after what she just went through.” Zaida scoffed. “She’s waiting with Stiles until the police show up.”

“I take it the boys didn’t want you involved either?” Allison raised a brow as she pulled back out onto the road and headed straight for the Preserve.

“I begged Scott and Isaac to take me to help and neither of them went for it.” She sighed in frustration. “Stiles wasn’t too happy about me leaving just now either, but he knows better than to try to stop me.”

“Now, don’t take this the wrong way because we would never get anywhere without your brain and determination, but what exactly are you going to do against two rabid werewolves?” Allison questioned.

“Oh, yeah I forgot you don’t know,” Zaida smirked and held up her hand with her palm facing the roof of the car, conjuring a swirling mist that grew into a spiral of water.

Allison’s doe eyes widened impossibly large and the car swerved, causing Zaida to lose control and drop most of the water over her own lap. She drifted her hand over her wet clothes and the residue evaporated into steam and disappeared into the air. “What the hell was that?!” Allison exclaimed in disbelief when she regained control of the vehicle.

“Tada!” Zaida wriggled her fingers in a show of sarcastic jazz hands. “I’m a nymph. A naiad, to be exact.”

“What does that even mean?” The huntress gawked at her, her gaze repeatedly flickering from the road to the girl in the passenger seat. “And since when?”

“To give you the four-one-one, as they say, I come from a long line of nature spirits. My mom was one too, which was why she and my dad were murdered by someone from their old pack - a werewolf. I, as you just saw, can manipulate water because I am a water spirit. It comes with a whole heap of other neat tricks too. Peter bit me the same night he bit Lydia and it sort of kickstarted or boosted my powers. I found out a few months ago, went on a quest for information and I’ve been training since. I’m getting pretty good too.” She explained the shortened version of events.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” The huntress questioned. She knew things weren’t great between them at the moment, but they had been close once, after Zaida had been bitten.

“Don’t feel too bad. I didn’t tell anyone for a while. For a long time, it was just Stiles and I working on it, until Lydia found out about the supernatural and then it was just the three of us, until the end of summer when Stiles told Scott. Derek and Isaac saw me use my powers and found out themselves, and Peter already knew because he tasted it in my blood when he bit me. So yeah, you’re kind of the last person to know, but in case you didn’t notice, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms when I decided to come out about it.” Zaida drawled. “Plus, for a little bit, I thought you might kill me yourself if you found out.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” Allison grimaced as she remembered pulling that crossbow trigger and sending a bolt flying straight into Zaida’s leg. The look of betrayal and pain on the girl’s face had been more than enough to haunt her afterwards. “I’m still really sorry about that.”

“Eh, I’m getting over it.” Zaida brushed it off with a casual wave of her hand. “Slowly. But if you do it again I’m coming for you.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” Allison’s lips quirked into the ghost of a smile at the joke and turned to park her car at one of the many entrances to the Preserve - the one in a direct line with the First Nation Bank. It was likely where Boyd and Cora had entered the Preserve. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if you’d ever forgive me for what I did.”

“Yeah, me neither. I’m still not entirely there yet, but I’m working on it.” Zaida admitted in a quiet voice and picked at her nails to avoid the thick blanket of tension that had settled over them. She hadn’t felt comfortable talking with Allison about anything too deep since it had all happened, but she found herself wanting to open up about it - wanting to work towards mending things. “To your credit, you did what I asked you to. You’ve pushed everything else away to work on being better, fighting those darker impulses. After taking some steps back and cooling down, I know it wasn’t entirely your fault. You were being groomed and manipulated, and I was angry and I said some things at the time that were…harsh.”

“You weren't wrong.” Allison pursed her lips. She hated the girl she had become under her family’s influence. “I deserved it.”

“You’re not like your aunt, Allison. Or your grandfather, for that matter.” Zaida assured her. “You were the first friend I made in this town. We’ve sure had our ups and downs, but…that does mean something to me. I miss that girl with the bright eyes and dimples, and the heart of gold.”

“So do I.” Allison swallowed dryly, her emotions rising and tears threatening to well in her eyes. “I haven’t felt like that girl in a long time. I thought that she was weak, and that I needed to become someone else to handle this world, but…I was wrong. She would never have done what I did to you, or what I did to Derek’s pack.”

“I’m not the same girl I was when I arrived in Beacon Hills either. What we went through was bound to change us.” Zaida spoke firmly but encouragingly. “You won’t ever be that girl again, just like I won’t. You’ve outgrown her, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing if you don’t let it.”

“You’re very wise, for a sixteen-year-old.” Allison wiggled her eyebrows playfully and in that moment there was a flash of the girl that had been her friend.

“Oh come on, don’t play the ‘year older card’.” Zaida laughed and rolled her eyes, unbuckling her seatbelt and throwing the car door open. Allison followed her lead and walked around to the boot of the car, opening it as Zaida peered inside to see stacks upon stacks of weapons and gear.

“You ready for this?” The huntress asked, looking at her with analytical eyes.

“Lead the way, Argent.” Zaida took a deep breath and nodded. “What’s the plan?”

The taller girl pulled her longbow and a sheath of arrows out, swinging both over her shoulder as she rummaged through the rest to pull out knives that she slid into various straps in her custom hunting clothing. She offered Zaida a pair of daggers, but the shorter brunette simply smiled and raised her palms to the sky, collecting multiple orbs of water that spread paper thin when she snapped her wrists inward. At Zaida’s will, they were sent flying straight into a neighbouring tree trunk, slicing straight through several inches of wood. “Thanks, but I’ve got my own.” She shrugged.

“That’s a neat trick,” Allison grinned, impressed. She continued to gear up. She shut her car boot and turned towards the treeline, starting their trek into the dark woods.

“How are we supposed to know where they are?” Zaida questioned.

“We won’t. That’s why we need to bring them to us.” The girl answered and pulled out a ring dagger, twirling it around her finger before cutting a slice into her wrist with barely a wince. She held it over the foliage below and allowed it to drip a trail as they walked deeper. “They’re still human, but their animal side is in control. We can use the scent of blood to lure them.”

“What’s their scent radius?” Zaida wondered aloud as her boots crunched over dry leaves, trying to make as much noise as possible to draw Boyd and Cora to them.

“About two miles,” Allison shrugged.

“And what’s the expanse of the Preserve?” Zaida asked with an arched brow, pointing out the vast amount of ground they would have to cover.

“That’s why we’re going to set up a trap area, and make all our blood tracks lead them right to it,” Allison explained.

Once they had hiked to a space they thought was suitable, the huntress taught Zaida how to set up multiple tripwires similar to the one they’d witnessed Scott get caught in all those months ago. “These are gonna suspend them in the air and hopefully keep them there long enough for us to incapacitate them.”

“How’s this?” Zaida asked as she set the last trap in place. Allison inspected it with a faint smile.

“Perfect. You’re a fast learner.” The girl nodded at her work in approval. “Or maybe I’m just a great teacher.”

“Don’t let your head get too big or it’ll make you an easy target.” Zaida dusted the dirt off her hands, feeling the chill of the night send goosebumps rippling up her bare arms and legs. She wasn’t expecting to be out in the elements when she had chosen this outfit. “Now what?”

“Now we trail blood, we wait, and we watch.” Allison handed her a pair of what looked like binoculars, but when Zaida peered through them at the girl, she could see they were clearly IR glasses, meant to track thermal signatures. “During a full moon, their body heat will be a lot hotter. It makes them easier to spot in the dark.”

When Allison brought her knife out once more to make another incision, Zaida offered her own wrist, but the girl shook her head. “You’ll heal too fast.” She reasoned and sliced into her own arm again, holding it out to bleed over the forest floor as they kept walking, Zaida using the glasses to scan the treeline. The air was filled with the sounds of nature - crickets chirping and birds cawing - along with the snapping of sticks beneath their heavy boots.

“What’s that noise?” Allison cocked her head as she listened for a gentle buzzing noise.

“Sorry, it’s my phone.” Zaida grimaced in apology and pulled the device from her pocket to see multiple messages from Stiles.

Sheriff Junior: Just asked Lydia what she was doing at the pool. She says she didn’t even realise she was driving there until she got out of the car. Just like when she resurrected Peter.

Sheriff Junior: Hey, are you still alive? Because if you’re not, I’m gonna kill you.

She quickly responded to his messages, assuring him that she was indeed alive and unharmed, and that whatever was happening with Lydia couldn’t be good news. She didn’t register the faint smile on her lips when she was replying to his concerns about her, but Allison did.

“So, you and Stiles are pretty close, huh? I mean you two always had some sort of… unspoken connection, but it’s more than that now, isn’t it?” The huntress prodded the subject carefully.

“Yeah, we’re pretty great friends, if that’s what you mean,” Zaida answered cautiously.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Allison smirked, taking Zaida’s avoidance of the subject as potential confirmation of her suspicions. Whilst they may be working on mending their friendship, Zaida wasn’t yet okay with talking about this with her. Hell, she hadn’t even spoken to Lydia about it yet - though that was largely because she didn’t want the redhead to feel awkward about the situation. Or for her to feel like Zaida resented her for it, because she didn’t.

“Are we lost?” Zaida questioned by way of changing the subject when she spotted a tripwire.

“No, I know where I’m going,” Allison assured her confidently.

“You’re sure we haven’t been going around in a circle? Because if not, and that tripwire over there isn’t ours, then there are other hunters out here.” The shorter girl identified tersely.

“I don’t think we’ve turned around…” The huntress didn’t sound as sure this time when she recognised the equipment as the exact same that they used. They ventured further only for a soft, glowing light emitting from through the brush to catch her eye. “Okay, that’s definitely not ours.”

“What is that?” Zaida questioned, moving closer through the foliage to a large metal stick embedded in the dirt. The top was pulsing with white light.

“They’re emitters - they send out signals that only werewolves can hear. We use them to corral them, like sheep dogs rounding up a herd.” Allison realised with a jolt. “This is our equipment. That means my dad’s out here.”

“I thought Papa Argent retired?” Zaida raised a brow.

“So did I,” Allison muttered under her breath, crouching down with her fingers brushing over the indent of dirt in the shape of a footprint. “He must be helping Scott.”

“How do you figure that?” The shorter girl leaned down to see what Allison was looking at.

“My dad wears heavy hunting boots. The prints would be deeper and wider. These are from sneakers,” Allison rationalised her deduction.

“But these are bigger than Scott’s feet…” Zaida could tell because she knew exactly whose shoes were this size. “They’re Isaac’s.”

“At least now I feel less guilty about going behind my dad’s back, because he’s clearly doing it too. So much for trust.” Allison sighed and got to her feet.

“Well, now we know where they’re leading them.” Zaida pointed out the benefits of their discovery. “We just have to follow these.”

“Good call,” Allison hiked her bow and sheath up higher over her shoulder from where they’d slipped.

They didn’t have to follow the transmitters for long before it became clear to both girls exactly where the boys were leading them. “They’re taking them to the school? Why?” Zaida’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“They’re trying to trap them until the full moon is over…they’d need a heavy enough door to keep them from breaking out, and the school has a boiler room with a pretty heavy-duty door.” Allison connected the dots.

“What are we waiting for, then? We know where they’re going. We can take a shortcut.” Zaida flashed the huntress a smile.

“Well, they’re definitely here somewhere.” Zaida huffed, slightly out of breath from trying to keep up with Allison as they jogged their way out of the woods and through the bus bay of Beacon Hills High, hearing loud and feral growls.

“Not just somewhere,” Allison whispered, peering around the corner of a large yellow bus. Zaida followed her and peeked around to see both Boyd and the figure of a female werewolf climb over the outside of the school building and land on the ground, headed back towards the Preserve instead of inside where the boys needed them to be.

“I think they need some help,” Zaida noted, and nodded towards the bow on Allison’s back and a specific type of arrow she recognised from a time Allison had used it in front of her and Lydia months before.

“I’m on it.” Allison agreed determinedly and began scaling the side of the bus, using the smallest of handholds to pull herself up to the top.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go around the bus.” Zaida watched her with eyes wide in wonder, knowing there was no way she could replicate that. All else aside, Allison was a badass.

Zaida readied her powers, summoning larger flat disks of water with dulled edges. They’d hurt if they were to hit someone, but they wouldn’t be fatal. They hovered and rotated in the air as she made her way around the bus to see flashes of blinding light as Allison loosened her flare arrows into the surrounding stone structures and concrete floor, forcing the two wild betas towards the open double doors leading inside the school. Zaida sent those disks hurtling through the air towards their heels with a flick of her wrists, urging the wolves forward as the heavy masses of frozen water shattered into pieces at their feet with loud smashes. Both of the betas sprinted inside to escape the onslaught and a tall figure emerged from the shadows to shut the doors behind them, turning towards the bus to spot both of the girls. With his face turned to the moonlight, illuminating his expression of amazement, it became clear it was Isaac. Only he wasn’t staring at Zaida. The shorter girl realised with a sudden onset of surprise that his eyes were locked on Allison.

“I thought I told you to stay at the loft, where it’s safe !” The boy finally tore his gaze away from the taller girl above the bus when she dropped to the ground and retreated, disappearing into thin air.

“And I thought I told you that I could help, and here we are, with me helping.” She crossed her arms over her chest with a raised brow. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“I’m not thanking you.” He stated stubbornly but not ungratefully. “Now take Allison and get out of here. We’ve got the rest of it.”

“Only because we helped!” Zaida called out in a sing-song voice as she walked backwards the way they had come, leaving him to hurry inside the building.

“Ready to go?” Allison was waiting for her behind the bus, assessing her with those sharp brown eyes and Zaida fell into step beside her. They headed in the direction of Circle Street, which ran from the school and around through town just a few blocks away from the Preserve boundary line. Allison’s car was parked just a few side-streets off that main road at one of the Preserve entrances.

“What?” Zaida questioned her with a heavy sigh, continuing when the girl sent her a confused expression. “You’ve got this look like you’re trying to figure something out, so just ask me.”

“It’s just, I thought…” Allison began, and then paused, trying to figure out a way to re-word her thoughts in a way that didn’t blatantly reveal the fact that she was so sure there was something going on between Zaida and Stiles. “You and Isaac aren’t still together, are you?”

“God no,” Zaida let out a puff of laughter. “We ended things ages ago, way before summer break. And it’s not picking up again, before you start wondering if that’s the case. What’s with the interest?”

“I’m not…” Allison shook her head in denial, but Zaida knew that look on her face. It was the way she’d always looked when lying about Scott, back when they’d been dating.

“You think he’s cute, don’t you?” Zaida’s lips spread into a slow smile.

“What? No-” Allison shook her head, her cheeks flushing a light pink hue.

“For what it’s worth, I think he thinks you're cute too.” Zaida laughed lightly. Her mind - and heart - immediately went out to Scott. The poor boy was still hung up on the huntress, even though it had been months since they’d broken up.

“It’s not gonna happen.” Allison insisted. Sure, Isaac was attractive, but she’d loved Scott, and a part of her would always love him.

“Is it because of Scott?” Zaida questioned, somehow knowing where the girl’s line of thought had headed.

“So you won’t answer my questions about your love life, but you’re okay to ask me about mine?” Allison scoffed, clearly deflecting.

“That’s because I don’t have a love life. There’s nothing for me to tell.” Zaida gave the girl a half-lie. “Plus, you shot me with a crossbow, so I think I get a free pass.”

“How long are you going to use that as a get-out-of-jail-free card?” Allison chuckled, happy that they could now talk about it so casually without it getting awkward.

“I didn’t think it had to have an expiry date,” Zaida hummed and her phone vibrated in her skirt pocket. She drew it out and checked her notification to see yet another message from Stiles.

Sheriff Junior: Meet me at the morgue when you’re done.

“You wanna come over for a movie or something?” Allison asked her hopefully, having enjoyed the time they’d spent together this afternoon. Towards the end, it had almost felt like normal, back when they were close.

“Actually, could you drop me off at the morgue?” Zaida slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“No rest for the wicked?” Allison shot her a knowing smile.

“Never,” Zaida sighed heavily.

#teen wolf #teen wolf fanfic #stiles stilinski #stiles #stiles x oc #teen wolf fanfiction #lydia martin #female oc #female original character #scott mccall #allison argent #isaac lahey #allisaac

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