myselfinserts

[myselfinserts]

i wasn’t spying, i promise. the door was half open.

It'd been a long time since the two of them had gotten the chance to spend one-on-one time together. Currently, Luci and Regi were away for the weekend. Etienne and Ceri were spending time with Gary, and Phoenix had to go home for the week to deal with personal matters. While she'd offered to come along, Phoenix insisted this was something she needed to sort out solo. But luckily, they'd reunite at U.A. once she was done.

So in the meantime, she'd be spending time in Estmund. And with her newest friend, the Count of Gossamer. Ever since discovering his little secret, the two had gotten a little closer. Lauris had an air of mystique and terror she could appreciate. And Lauris did enjoy her more spontaneous side. And today, she was going to spend time with a fellow creature.

At least, that's what she was hoping would happen.

As L approached the room Lauris stayed in, she stopped just short of the knob, noticing it was partly open. Normally this wasn't an issue with her friends if they knew she was visiting. But seeing as she was trying to be sneaky, there wasn't any reason that room should be open. Lauris Gossamer was nothing if not diligent. He'd never leave his bedroom open.

Slowly, she peeked in.

The walls were not nearly as empty and dreary as the last time. The blackout curtains were wide open, allowing the sunlight into the room. The windows were also open, allowing fresh air in. There was a new rug on the floor. A gentle green color with earthy brown tassels. The furniture had been replaced recently as well. Instead of basic décor, every piece looked hand crafted and as if it belonged in a forest.

Rather fitting, given the man sitting at the nearby desk dressed as if he popped out of a fantasy novel.

Lauris was engrossed in some paperwork, a bright emerald quill scraping against parchment as he flipped through books and made notes. Occasionally, his snowy eyes would glance over at a stack of albums on the nearby shelf.

I can't sense anyone. Nothing looks off. I should be fine.

Quietly and carefully, L started coming in.

"No windows today, L?" Lauris sighed, not taking his attention off the papers. "For shame. If you're going to sneak and spy, add some pizzazz."

"I wasn’t spying," L assured. "I promise. The door was half open."

"Mhm...."

L wandered over, leaning on his shoulder as she glanced at the paperwork. By the looks of it, it was a rough draft of his latest thesis. "How many masters do you have, exactly?"

"Lost track. Moved to doctorates." Still, he did not look up.

"....alright, spill." She leaned harder on his shoulder. "What's going on in that spooky little head of yours? Why not talk about it?"

Finally, Lauris's quill stalled. "It's....hard to explain."

She smiled fondly. "Still gotta try."

Reluctantly, Lauris finally set his work down, nodding to the albums on the nearby shelf. "Go ahead and take a look. It'll make more sense if you see for yourself."

"Will do."

L took a seat with one of the albums, while Lauris brought over the rest to the bed before leaving the room, promising to bring tea and cake. The albums themselves were rather worn. Some of them looked as if they went back decades. They were also filled to the brim, with papers and sticky notes sticking out at odd angles.

"Let's see....page one...."Rubeus Saphyr", the Gemstone Hero "Daiyamon"....Current age: 30. Has a masters in Archeology and Geology. Birthday July 19th. Blood type....favorite food......"

L looked over the albums slowly. Barely taking her eyes off the pages as she skimmed them over. She didn't even look away as Lauris returned, setting the snacks on the beside table for her.

There were so many names. So many heroes. There were very few repeats. But all of them contained the same information. Names, birthdays, occupations, likes and dislikes. Some of them seemed like borderline stalker behavior.

But then she reached the back pages of each album. And her heart dropped just a little.

At the back of every album, there was a list of differences between the people here, and their versions in the "other" worlds. How one took their coffee here was different from the other. Some people didn't even exist in certain universes.

What shattered her, however, was one line in particular. One line on every page. On every profile. It varied, but the sentiment was the same.

"In this world, they don't know me. We were never given the chance to meet face to face."

"In this world, we aren't friends. We aren't even aquaintences."

"In this world, they hate me for reasons that I don't understand."

"In this world, they died before we could meet in school."

"In this world, we aren't lovers. Never were. Never will be."

"In this world, they tried to kill me for reasons I don't understand."

"In this world, I had to give them up due to political differences."

All of them were important to Lauris. Every single person in these pages. They were precious. They were special. Irreplaceable. Vital to Lauris's very existence.

And they were forever out of his reach.

By the time she'd finished reading, it was an hour before dinner. Lauris was putting his paperwork away, carefully gathering up every album along the way and returning them to the shelves. Each book now carried a weight that L could see pulled heavily down on his shoulders. His gaze was cold, lonely, and in pain. His movements seemed akin to rusted automatons, dented and filled with cobwebs and dust.

Suddenly, the title "Count of Gossamer" held an entirely new meaning.

"Half the people in those albums have RSVP'd "yes" to attending the upcoming coronation of Lucien," Lauris explained. "I'm just...mentally preparing myself."

L said nothing. Instead, she slowly rose from the bed and made her way to the shelf, wrapping her arms around his body in as tight a hug as she could muster.

Lauris placed a hand on hers. "What's that for? It's nothing too serious, really."

"......it must be very lonely. Knowing so much about them and not having that connection. Loving them but never being able to hold them. I can't imagine not being able to hold Phoenix. Knowing her and not knowing at the same time the way you do. It sounds so lonely...."

She felt Lauris stiffen at that. His emotions so strong they were causing physical pain in his chest. Nothing life threatening, but still painful. She took as much as she could, leaving him just enough.

"Would....it make you feel better to know that you two meet in every universe I see?" he asked.

L smiled. "A little."

"Good. Because I've yet to meet a universe where you two weren't joined at the metaphorical hip."

"Is there any universe like that for you? Anyone?"

".....no. Not yet, unfortunately. But I won't stop looking."

"Good." Slowly, she pulled away, watching as he finally turned to face her. Only now did she realize this was the first time all day that they looked each other in the eye. "Keep searching for it."

"I will." He smirked playfully. "After dinner. We're having soup."

"....you don't mean-"

"Is it still your favorite in this universe?"

L let out a giggle, jumping onto his back to force him to give her a piggyback ride. "Feed me!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed. ".....glad you're my friend in this world, L."

"And I'm glad you're my soup provider for today."

"Cruel jest!"

They laughed as they finally left his room, making their way to the dining hall. Somehow, she felt he understood the Count a little better now.

I wonder what else I'll learn.

[myselfinserts]

“I love you, that’s all that matters.”

It was a week before the start of the new school term. Which meant new backpacks, new books, and restocking on favorite snacks and planning lunches. It was one of Ceri’s favorite times of the year. He got to spend a day spoiling the kids, and they got to prepare for their education in a way they felt happy and comfortable doing.

I still can't believe things have turned out this way for me. I never thought I'd live life like this. It's nice. Everything is finally-

"Oh. It's you."

Ceri stiffened. He recognized that voice immediately. Slowly, he turned around, ushering Sorley and Odette behind him protectively. He'd learned his lesson the last time.

Never again.

"Yvonne," he greeted calmly. "Hope you've been doing well."

Yvonne smiled, a look that reminded Ceri of stale sugar. "Likewise, Ceri. It's certainly been a while."

"Hm. Understatement of the year."

"I didn't realize you were still in Paris. I thought you'd have returned to Earthsea."

He could feel his eye wanting to twitch. "Elspie, Yvonne. And no, I live here now. Have for a while. A long while." He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked behind him, smiling softly at a pair of warm, ruby red eyes staring back at him. "What is it, Sorley?"

Sorley looked over at Yvonne nervously, whispering softly. "Who is that, daddy?"

Yvonne's eyes widened. "Did he say 'Daddy'?"

"Yeah, daddy," Sorley confirmed. "Are you a friend of daddy's?"

She looked the boy over carefully. "You could say that. My name is Yvonne. What’s your name?"

Sorley shuffled on his feet. “Um.....I’m Sorley. Sorley Garrison Aylward-Allard. But I just use Allard at school. It's nice to meet you.”

“Is that right?”

Yvonne had a glint to her eye. One Ceri had grown used to seeing when checking very rarely in on the extended Allard clan. One he had grown sick of.

A million thoughts ran through his mind. Did he keep talking? Did he cut the conversation short? He could see Yvonne's eyes wander over the kids. It wouldn't take long for her to figure out who the other parent is. There had to be a way out of this.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Sorley," Yvonne continued. "I'm-"

Odette glared at her sharply, her golden eyes easily silencing her. "If you're a friend of daddy's, how come we never met? Daddy introduces us to all his friends and makes sure we know them. So why don't we know you?" She reached over and took her brother's hand. "Daddy? Can we go pick out the juices for lunches while you talk to the strange lady?"

A wave of relief washed over him. "Sure thing, sweetheart. Just make sure you stay close, okay? And keep in view of the cameras."

Odette smiled and nodded, gently guiding her brother away from the scene. Ceri couldn't be prouder.

Yvonne, however, was not impressed. "How rude. I don't know where she learned to be so-"

"Blunt?" Ceri chuckled. "She gets it from her papa. Just like she gets her eyes."

"I see....." She giggled softly. "I thought those eyes looked familiar. I wonder how long that brother of mine planned on keeping my niece and nephew a secret from me."

Crap. He leveled his gaze on her steadily. "It's none of your concern. If we wanted you involved, you would be."

"I always did like that.....honest side of you, Aylward." Yvonne reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notebook, writing down an address, number, date, and time before tearing out and handing him the page. "Let him know the children are invited to a little family get together in a few weeks. It's a birthday party for a cousin turning nine-years-old. I'm sure the kids would enjoy that."

"I don't-"

"You wouldn't want them to be kept from family, would you?"

A low blow. She knew how much that word meant to him. How much he wanted that himself. He wasn't going to be naïve like that again around her. "I'll....discuss it, with Étienne. No promises."

Yvonne simply nodded. "I look forward to seeing them there." She turned around to leave, only pausing a moment to glance over her shoulder. "Also, I'm afraid you're still barred from any family gatherings after last time. You understand."

"Fine. Wouldn't wanna go anyway."

"Hmh. Have a good evening, Ceri Aylward."

Yvonne left, and Ceri was alone. Standing quietly in the empty aisle as he looked over the information on the paper. He could clearly see it's trajectory. One second in his husband's hand, and suddenly it'd find itself in the bin.

Right. Étienne. I'm going to have to tell him. He's not going to be happy. I know he doesn't want his children to interact with the rest of his family at all. As far as we're concerned, the only family they need is their godparents, grandpa Gary, and the rest. No need to ask those "aunts" and "uncles" and such....

But....he's still going to be mad....I wasn't as careful as I usually am.

"Daddy! We got the drinks!"

Brave face, Ceri. Brace face.

Ceri smiled as the children came back, and soon the rest of the day flew by. He tried hard not to dwell on the meeting. Instead, he finished the shopping and took the kids home, preparing dinner with two pairs of tiny hands helping with the little parts they could do. Watching Sorley get excited over making meatballs while Odette mixed in cheese into the sauce. The smiles on their faces.

Yeah. Yeah, this is what's important. Forget about Yvonne. Forget. Forget.....forget......

Like hell he could.

Étienne was working late that night, and by the time he got back, the children were already in bed. Ceri was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the freshly heated plate of pasta. The paper was laid out in the open, perfectly legible. He didn't care look at it. He kept his eyes forward. Waiting. Watching. Knowing his husband would take a seat across from him and enjoy dinner before getting into the discussion. That's how it always happened since the last big fight. Sing they had the kids. Dinner, then discussion. Fight if needed. But otherwise, nothing else that immediately came to mind.

That's right. He'll come home and....then....what? Do we let the kids go? Or do we.....

No....no, I don't want to....I don't want my children anywhere near those people. Little Sorley. They'd hurt him. He's got my eyes. And Odette's hair is like mind, but curly. Small details, but enough that it could give those people an opening to insult them. But....they do look more like their papa. Maybe if they focus on that....

Ceri was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice his husband had come home until a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders. A soft kiss on top of his head. And a low, soothing voice speaking lightly in his ear.

"They didn't hurt you, did she?"

Ceri relaxed, leaning into the touch. "Étienne..." He smiled. "I'm okay, physically at least. Emotionally, all she did was drain me."

"And yet, here you are, at the kitchen table at one in the morning instead of being in bed."

"Couldn't sleep."

Étienne nodded. "I can tell." He gently pulled away, pulling out the chair beside him and sitting close on his right side. "I checked on the children before coming back down. Odette and Sorley had crawled into bed together." He sighed. "Apparently, Sorley thought that Yvonne was 'kind of scary looking', so he asked his sister if he could stay in her room."

Ceri's heart broke. "I'm-"

"No. No apologies. My sister's face is far scarier than any of the Heroes our children look up to, so I can understand his fears."

"That's rude," Ceri chuckled.

"And yet, you laugh." Étienne lightly took his hand, his thumb lightly running over the scarring. "I'll talk to the children. See what they want to do about her. I'm sure I can get a restraining order put on her. Should have probably done that ages ago."

".....she invited them to a family get together."

Étienne's movements ceased. "...she did, did she?"

Ceri nodded. "I don't want the children near her. But at the same time....."

"At the same time, you don't want to alienate the children from family if you can avoid it."

He hit the nail on the head. At his core, Ceri was a family man. He loved his family, even when those feelings conflicted on the best of days with any hurt, pain, and betrayal he might feel. He understood too well about the need to cut out toxic parts of your family it isn't good for your health. But at the same time, he still loved his family. And, as much as he was sickened by them after the last time they met, he couldn't help the smallest, microscopic feeling of what could be called 'affection' for his in-laws. If for no other reason than the fact that they were related to the love of his life.

Étienne sighed, resting his head on Ceri's shoulder. "I'll deal with it. Don't worry."

"Excuse you, I'm the worry-wart parent. That's my job."

"Mh, that's true."

Ceri smiled. He certainly was a worrier, but though he'd never admit it out loud, Étienne certainly gave him a run for his money. The man cared about those kids as much as he did his own work.

A man, devoted. That's the kind of person my husband is.

"God, this is the worst," Étienne muttered. "I'll deal with this tomorrow. I have the next few days off since I finished this project. I'll figure this out. I promise."

"Just don't run yourself ragged on anything stupid," Ceri chided softly.

"When it comes to you and the children, even dealing with stupid things is worth it. I love you, and I love our little Odette and Sorley. And that’s all that matters.”

Ceri's cheeks burned. No matter how many times he heard it, Étienne saying 'I love you' still took his breath away. It was almost impossible not to feel like he was falling head over heels all over again every time. And every time, he fell even harder.

And that's how he knew everything was going to be okay.

[myselfinserts]

“I am a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman to boot.”

Suellen honestly didn't know what she expected when she accompanied her new family to her very first "Estmund Par-tay" as Uncle Hizashi had called it. She'd expected something smaller. A little get together with cake and balloons like she'd read about in her books or seen on TV. Something simple. Something cozy.

That was all dashed when she'd been presented with her first ever formal dress; a soft, powder blue fabric that, when it tilted slightly, gave off the shimmering effect of starlight. Her shoes were silver like her eyes, and she'd been given a headband that matched well. The dress itself was simple in design, reaching just to her ankles and having off-shoulder sleeves that reminded her of her favorite fairy tale. She'd even been given a new pair of her Quirk-Suppressing glasses that had matching trimming so that the red pair wouldn't clash.

This wasn't a normal party.

This was a ball.

And now, here she stood, standing between her sisters as they took in the sight. Ena was dressed in a cute pink sweetheart cut dress that stopped just below her knees, with puffy short sleeves and sweet Mary-Jane shoes in an ensemble that made her smile pop, while Kasumi wore a rather simple, yet elegant dark red dress with long sleeves and simple flats in a combination that suited her hair and eyes, highlighting their shine. Unlike Ena, who had her hair perfectly straight, partly tied back with a lace ribbon to keep it out of her fact, or Kasumi, who had hers tied in a half-bun with a cascading rose hairpiece that keep it neat and fancy, Suellen's hair had yet to grow long enough for any of that sort of styling.

That's probably why I have the headband instead of all the pretty ornaments or a lace ribbon.....

The longer she stared between her sisters, the more she realized she stood out. She was taller than them, and her eyes were slightly wider, and her frame was noticeably frail in comparison. Despite that, Ena and Kasumi had introduced her as their "triplet" whenever people would come up to them. Suellen wasn't sure their birthdays even aligned. She was still learning these things.

She also couldn't help noticing how pale she was in comparison to the glow on her sisters' cheeks. She was still trying to build up her health, but despite that, she had a more sickly complexion compared to Kasumi, who had spent about two days in the nurse's office before their flight out of Japan. Her face barely looked like that of her sisters. The way she carried herself was also very different. She kept her hands folded in front of her, her eyes downcast, and she couldn't muster a smile. Her sisters hadn't stopped smiling since they'd arrived. Completely unfazed by the grand ornaments or the high profile guests or the designer dresses.

Suellen felt very, very out of place.

And she felt guilty about it.

I'm sure most people in my position would be very grateful for this opportunity. They'd see it as a Cinderella moment. But I don't....I don't think I deserve this chance....

Once they'd managed to make their way over to the drinks table, Kasumi let out a sigh. "I wonder how many more people we'll need to talk to. My feet are starting to hurt."

"Do you want me to ask if you can rest in one of the parlors?" Ena asked. "Wouldn't be a problem."

"No, I think I'll be okay. Though I do think I'll need to stop by the restroom in a minute."

"I can take you." Ena looked at Suellen, red eyes practically gleaming in the soft light. "You should come with. We need to stick together."

Suellen shook her head. "N-no, you two can go. I'll be fine over here."

"Are you sure?" asked Kasumi. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"No, really, it's okay." She forced as genuine a smile as she could muster. "I'll probably find mom and dad in a bit. So it's not a problem."

"....okay. But you find one of us as soon as you sense any trouble, okay?"

"Got it."

Suellen watched as her sisters left before turning her attention to the drinks, taking one of the prepared sparkling cider glasses and moving over to a nearby corner of the room, trying to make herself as small as possible.

As she scanned the party, she could just barely make out Clement, who was speaking with a beautiful lady wearing a long, dark lace down with a silver tiara in her hair. Atsuko was over near a group of younger kids, all of them discussing something rather intently. Sorley and Odette were present, speaking to a young man with an overly bright smile and stars in his eyes. She'd yet to see Harper, but no doubt they were around somewhere.

She contemplated if she wanted to go over to the others, but in the end, chose instead to leave them be.

I really shouldn't be here.....

Time seemed to pass slowly. Suellen couldn't find her parents. Her sisters seemed to be taking quite a while. Uncle Hizashi was over near the music, speaking with Auntie Phoenix and Auntie Nemuri. She felt rather nausious about it, but she was seriously considering asking one of them to take her back to the house they were staying at. She didn't want to end the party early for them, but Suellen wasn't sure how much longer she could last.

She could tell some of the people around her stared directly at her, whispering, looking unsettled. She'd gotten those kinds of looks back at the school as well from some of the other classes. "Mirrorzawa", they called her. Never to her face. And nor in earshot of her family. But she heard them. A skill she'd honed on the streets to try to avoid her ex-brother. She could even vaguely make out a conversation of someone implying she spawned from the mask of Lady L.

No doubt they're wondering why I'm only now showing up when all their lives the twins were just twins. It's pretty obvious when you think about it logically. The Aizawas are kind. They took me in despite being a criminal. And my sisters are trying very hard to make it seem like I was always part of the family. But....this is just causing them trouble. I should....I should probably-

"Excuse me, Suellen?"

Suellen looked up, eyes widened as she saw a young lad standing before her, watching her carefully. He was fairly tall, with well combed hair of deep maroon, lightly tied back with a black velvet band. His suit was regal, a deep forest green with gold accents and a light cape just off his left shoulder. Were it not for his eyes, she wouldn't have recognized him.

One blue, one green. Both shimmering like gemstones.

"H-hello," she greeted timidly. "You're um....Prince Leslie, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm happy you remember me. But please, no need to be so formal." He gave a light bow. "Please, call me Les." He smiled pleasantly. "Thank you for coming. It's wonderful to have you here."

Suellen nodded softly. "Thank you for the invitation. It's a privilege to be able to attend."

She bit back the 'one I don't deserve' as best she could.

Les's smile grew. "Not at all. It's a privilege to see you here. I was hoping to speak to you. But first...." He lightly held out a hand to her. "My favorite piece is about to play. Would you care to dance with me?"

Suellen felt her heart stop. A Prince wanted to dance with her? Was that even allowed? Was she dreaming?

More over, was this really the same Les as the one she had initially been introduced to? Clement and the twins mentioned that Les was, for lack of better words, a bit of a wimp. And they said that with a lot of affection. He stuttered the first time they had spoken, and it wasn't a very long conversation (because she quickly ran back upstairs to her room after a brief hello). He'd been hunched over, making himself small, and he'd worn an oversized sweater that looked three sizes too big. His hair was a mess as well.

Is this the real Les? Or is the other version? Does he secretly have a twin or a clone?

"I-I'm.....I'm not a very good dancer," she muttered. "I don't think I'd be a very good partner."

"That's alright. I'm not a very good dancer either." His head tilted slightly. "Still, it'd make me happy to see you smile at least once before the night is out. So? Would you dance with me?"

She should say know. She knew she should say no. And yet, she found herself reaching out and taking his hand. Les smiled and lightly pulled her close, setting her empty glass (when did I finish it, she wondered) on a nearby table before leading her towards the dance floor.

The song in question wasn't one she recognized, but the gleam in Les's eyes as it came to life showed it was a personal favorite. Light and airy, she could almost imagine a scene where it would be used. A prince and princess dancing together at a ball not unlike this, with the world fading away to clouds of pastel and perhaps some twinkling glitter. Everyone around them gone, and only the two of them as they fell in love.

She didn't feel such a pull towards the prince, however. As he lead them in the waltz confidently, all she could think about was how people were watching. No doubt some were angered that she would consider doing something as bold as to think she deserved this opportunity.

This is wrong. This is so, so wrong. I really shouldn't-

"Don't focus on the voices in your head."

Suellen stared up at Les, who seemed as if he were reading her mind. "What?"

"Don't listen to the mean voice in your head. And ignore the eyes staring. For now, just enjoy the music. Focus on me. Nothing else matters at the present. Just....be."

"Just....be?"

"Yes." He smiled. "Just be."

Before she could ask him to elaborate, she felt herself be twirled outward, only to be pulled back in again. The rush made her lose her thoughts, if only for but a second. As the song continued and lead into the next, with every twist and twirl, she soon found she wasn't focusing on anything around them. Instead, her thoughts were focused on the person in front of her.

Is that what he meant by that? Is this what "just being" means?

She didn't quite understand it. But at the very least, it was better than the heavy feeling in her chest.

When she'd finally started to grow tired from dancing, Suellen found herself being lead out of the ballroom. It wasn't until she was halfway down the hall that she realized she'd been removed from the party. When did they leave? Her feet didn't care. He legs wanted to rest.

"Are you alright?" Les asked, keeping her steady.

"I'm just a little tired..."

"Don't worry. I know just the place."

Suellen didn't argue. At this point, the quiet and the lack of people was welcoming.

The two were lead by a man in a suit up a flight of stairs and into a room at the end of a particular hallway. Behind the ornate hardwood doors. And once inside, Suellen let out a gasp at what they housed.

"It's beautiful....."

From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, was books. Books as far as the eye could see. Three levels, with spiraling staircases upward and ladders to reach taller shelves. The ceiling itself was clear glass, revealing the stars above them. There were furniture sets, tables and desks, all perfectly arranged on each level to allow guests to enjoy their time there.

Les lead her to a nearby table, where tea and cookies had been prepared. "Please, enjoy."

"Th-thank you." Suellen couldn't take her eyes off the selves. "Are...these all the palace's books?"

He laughed. "Not exactly. I mean, it is, but this floor is specifically mine." He pointed to a plaque over on one of the shelves. "Dad and Nini gave it to me on my birthday three years ago."

"That's...that's incredible." She couldn't believe it. "Have you read all of them?"

"Not quite, but I'm getting there." His gaze softened. "There we go. Now you're smiling."

"Huh?" Instinctively, she reached a hand up, nearly drawing it back as if burned.

Suellen truly was smiling.

Les sat across from her, pouring them both a cup of warm tea. "You know....I was a lot like you, once upon a time?"

She finally looked back to him, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, right. You're probably not aware. Not surprising, since it's rarely talked about anymore." He handed her a cup. "You see, I'm Quirkless. And while that's not nearly a death sentence, in Elspie, it basically means that I'm an unwanted child. As such, I spent most of my life in and out of orphanages and foster care. I was considered a problem child too."

Her mouth dropped. Prince Leslie? In foster care? An orphan?

"A problem child?" Suellen gasped. "But you seem lovely."

"Well, thank you," he chuckled. "But I wasn't always. I mean, when I first met him, I kicked my dad in the shin and ran away."

"Oh my."

"Yeah. But he came chasing after me, and asked if I wanted to join their family." Les stared fondly into his tea. "I'm still getting used to being a Gladstone-Adaire. Much like how you're trying to adapt to being an Aizawa."

His eyes, shining in the warm light of the library, looked almost ethereal. Suellen couldn't take her eyes off him.

"I know things aren't going to be easy, but....I just want you to know, you can lean on me," Les continued. "Seeing as we're both the adoptees in this weird found family. It might help having someone to talk to about it sometimes." He reached for a cookie, smiling devilishly. "And besides, I heard you're a bookworm too. And I'd love to have a reading buddy who would actually pick up some of the same cheesy light novels from time to time. I am a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman to boot. So....will you be my pen-pal?"

Suellen blinked. A reading buddy? A fellow adoptee? A pen-pal? That's what he wants from her?

It was strange. She'd grown so used to people wanting to use her for her Quirk. For her skills as a kid on the streets. She'd been so used to that, that every time people now came into her life with no such expectations, it was almost impossible to process. It took her so long to finally accept this sort of thinking from the Aizawas and the rest of the U.A. teaching staff. From Dr. Gladstone and her family.

And yet, she was still working on getting used to it from others as well.

But at the very least, she wasn't nearly as opposed to the idea as she might have been ages ago.

With a gentle smile and a light nod, Suellen snatched the cookie from his hands. "Sure."

Les stared at her in shock for a second before bursting into laughter. Suellen soon followed suit.

By the time the others found them asleep on the couches in the library, snacks finished and remaining tea gone cold, she'd forgotten all of the anxieties she'd arrived with.

It wasn't a true Cinderella moment, but it was a Suellen moment.

And for now, that was more than enough.

[myselfinserts]

NCIS — Season 1   {Sentence Starters}

“I get to do forensics?“

“Okay, you got the job.“

“Are you… new at this?”

“Now that’s embarrassing.“

“It just doesn’t make sense.“

“Is that what does it for you?“

“Unfortunately, my dear, it is.“

“How’d you get into this stuff?“

“You’re supposed to be dead!“

“Who the hell are you people?“

“You enjoyed playing my boss?“

“Why don’t you just shoot them?“

“I do not believe in coincidences!“

“I think that just made it my team.”

“Why didn’t you take to me this fast?”

“I don’t appreciate being interrogated.”

“No, I think I’m destined to shoot you.”

“Innocent or not, I still kicked your ass!”

“Well, I’m flying solo, so at least a day.“

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?“

“Good grief! I’ve only just met the man!“

“Excuse me. You’ll need to stand clear.”

“You weren’t buying any of it were you?“

“Look, just don’t take any chances, ok?“

“Well, there’s gotta be a way around that!“

“Admit it. You just like strapping on a gun.“

“Why do I feel like a high school principal?“

“Okay, I want you to say it. You care, right?“

“You little fool. They couldn’t prove anything!“

“Depends on the kind of work you’re doing…”

“No. That was breaking… and this is entering.”

“Oh, I can’t believe I’m seeing what I’m seeing.“

“Just accept the fact that you’re gonna get lost.“

“Yeah? Did it ever give you that empty feeling?“

“Yeah, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Would you be any less grumpy if you slept in a bed?“

“That’s cold…. I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“I met him once before… um, he can be very difficult.”

“Really? You packing more heat than meets the eye?“

“Rule Number One: Never let suspects stay together.”

“Yeah, you didn’t see this coming, did you, my friend?“

“Rule Number Seven: Always be specific when you lie.“

“And that lying sack of excrement is somehow involved.“

“For the last time, I was only trying to get my seatbelt on.”

“Rule Number Two: Always wear gloves at a crime scene.“

“You weren’t seriously going to let her shoot me, were you?”

“He’s been searching for a case, any case, since I came in.“

“I cannot sit through another one of those. I will shoot myself.“

“He needs to face death to feel alive. Maybe, to feel anything.“

“Only half of them are true… the trick is figuring out which half.“

“I don’t know what you just said, I don’t care what you just said…”

“Why is that women always want to fix what doesn’t need fixing?“

“Is that a guess, or do you actually know where I’m going with this?“

“What are you going to do while I test for poison in a health snack?“

“Well, I just think you’re suffering the effects of your party last night.“

“No, that’s just it, I’ve never been there… I mean I’m so wanting to go.“

“He’s got clearance that’ll let him see the dead aliens buried in Area 51.“

“It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t have to pay three alimonies.“

“Rule Number Three: Don’t believe what you’re told. Always double check.“

“I don’t know, but I promise you I’m going to find out. Which way did he go?“

“Actually, he used a different part of the anatomy. But yeah, same difference.“

“Just because I don’t want to have to delay us any further by having to shoot you.”

“Admit it. You were worried about me, right?. You don’t have to say anything. I know.”

“Wait. You suspected me! That’s why you wanted to know what I’d been doing all day!“

“My dad gave me a power sander for my birthday. I don’t really power-sand much.You’re welcome to it.”

[myselfinserts]

𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 (a collection of prompts about possessiveness and jealousy. Some have romantic undertones, but not all of them. Feel free to adjust phrasing and gendered terms as necessary) 

“Too bad, [NAME]. You’re stuck with me”

“It kills me to imagine you with anyone else.”

“You’re mine.”

“I’m not the jealous type, but what’s mine is mine.”

“Touch them and I’ll break your neck.”

“No one would hurt you again, or I’d kill them.”

“I could keep you safe, they’re all afraid of me.”

“This isn’t love, it’s obsession.”

“I will be good to you, [NAME]. I will protect you. You are mine.”

“You belong to me. Don’t forget this.”

“You don’t own me.”

“You’re mine and I’m yours.”

“All I want is to keep you.”

“I just want to be yours.”

“I’m yours, and yours alone.”

“Nothing will take you from me. Not even death.”

“Better to destroy everything than surrender you.”

“I never craved attention until I tasted yours.”

“I’m jealous of all the people that can see you every day.”

“Me, jealous? Yes.”

“Don’t touch this! It’s mine.”

“I don’t like sharing.”

“I never said you could borrow my stuff.”

“Get your filthy hands away from this.”

“I’m not one to share what is mine.”

“Is this my shirt? I never said you could take it.”

“I’m not jealous of them!”

“They have everything I want.”

“I am jealous of everybody who is with you when I’m not.”

“You will do as I say.”

“No matter how much you hurt your feet trying to escape, no matter how far you’re trying to run, I will never let you go anywhere again.”

“In the end, all you want is to possess me.”

“The center of your attention is a very bad place to be.”

“I gave you an order.”

“I don’t own you, you just belong to me.”

“I admit that I am very possessive.”

“I can be controlling, yes.”

“I don’t belong to anyone.”

“I need my own space.”

[myselfinserts]

“Go to hell, sir.”

After a week of his absence, Reginald Gladstone was finally allowed visitors in the hospital. Though it was still very limited. Blanche had offered to go with Lisette first, who had somehow managed to drag Henri with her. Lydie and Grégory were currently taking care of the kittens, who would soon be ready to go to their forever homes.

Étienne had something he had to do, so he didn't come with. Not that she expected him to. Blanche understood why, and wouldn't dream of trying to force him. It was probably for the best. Especially when the three stepped off the elevator and started making their way to the room their friend was staying in.

As they walked off the lift and made their way into the Hero's Ward, arms filled with baskets of goodies and flowers and get-well-soon cards, a loud, frustrated, tired voice rang through the halls in perfect French.

"And just what do you expect me to tell him? 'Dearest baby brother, wake up. The asshole who let you get flung off into the beyond wants to interrogate you?' He's in a medically fucking induced coma, you vainglorious buffoon. He's not waking up for at least another twelve hours at best. Another three days if we're going to be generous."

Blanche put an arm out, stopping her companions in their tracks as they stayed around the corner, just barely peaking around to see what was happening. A blessing that this floor was reserved for Heroes, and that Regi was currently the only occupant. Otherwise the argument would no doubt wake the entire ward.

In front of the room holding the patient stood two people. One was a young woman in a long mauve skirt and an oversized navy sweater, her hair barely tied back and laying over her shoulder. She looked very much like Regi, so Blanche had to assume they were related, though she wasn't entirely sure.

The other person wasn't hard to guess, however. A twelve foot tall man with the head and claws of a grizzly bear, a tail resembling a rattle snake, and horns like a mountain ram. Known to the public as Chimera Fifth, Armel Lisson was a well known terror both on and off the battlefield.

And this woman barely half his size seemed to have no problem fighting him with her words.

"We don't have three days," Armel growled. "Get him out of the coma and get him to talk."

"Do you honestly think I'm some kind of miracle worker or a goddamn ventriloquist?" The woman scoffed. "You're lucky I don't put you in a coma."

"What the hell?" Henri whispered. "Does she realize who she's up against?"

"Father, please." Another voice piped up. "Perhaps we can come back another-"

Armel turned his attention to his left, stepping back to fully look at the speaker. Blanche didn't even notice him at first. Despite the lion's head, the deer antlers, and a pair of wings, this person was barely taller than the woman. And looked fairly normal in every other aspect.

"You have no place to speak, Léandre," Armel chided. "It is your rookie mistake that caused this in the first place. Now our primary suspect has a few days head start, and our only witness to their face is out of commission. You should be grateful I even agreed to allow you to come along on patrol today."

Lisette held back a gasp. "That's Chimera Sixth. Regi was working with both of them?"

"Looks like things aren't all sunshine and rainbows in the Chimera family," Blanche mused.

Léandre winced and turned his face away. "Sorry, Sir."

The woman rolled her eyes turned to go back into the room. "I think we're done here. If Regi wakes up, I'll call you." She looked over her shoulder one last time. "Good luck on your little Quirk Candy Shopping spree. And kindly go to hell, sir.”

Armel let out a snort and continued down the hall, heading to the other end of the wing. Blanche poked her head a little further out, watching as Léandre began to follow, giving his wings a gentle flutter as he went.

For a moment, Blanche was certain the hero looked over his shoulder, giving a gentle "hush" sign.

"Should we go?" Lisette quietly asked.

Blanche sook her head. "....I think we need to visit."

Henri went slack jawed. "Seriously? And risk pissing that lady off?"

"We came all this way. May as well drop off these gifts."

Lisette shrugged and, after an aggravated sigh of reluctance, Henri followed them down the hall and into the room.

Blanche couldn't help but smile. A closer look at the woman as they arrived showed that the oversized sweater was tucked partially into the skirt, and partly fell off the shoulders. She wore a black, sleeveless, high collared top under it, pulling the look together nicely. Her dark hair seemed to start as an earthy brunette in the front, before fading to a deep, obsidian sheen on the back, much like Regi. And her amethyst eyes glowed with exhaustion and distrust.

"Pardon the intrusion," Lisette greeted. "We brought gifts."

"....you can just set them over there," the woman grumbled, nodding to the empty table under the TV as she crossed her arms. "Apologies if the little spat outside startled you. I didn't mean to raise my voice like that. Hate doing it. Everyone seems to hide when I do."

Henri stammered. "Y-you mean, you...you saw us?"

"You weren't exactly subtle." She looked him over carefully. "Insomnia, anxiety, and you're developing high blood pressure. Frequent in support designers. Might want to check in with your GP before you keel over like the twig you are."

"Excuse me?" He glared at her, eyes glowing softly as if preparing to fire. "Just who do you think you are? Dr. Big Tits?"

"Yes. Actually, I am a doctor. A damn good one at that." She scoffed. "And I know I'm not your type, Gazer-beam, but nice try at the backhanded compliment."

Lisette held back a snicker as Henri's face turned a bright red. "Well, someone just got pegged."

"He wishes," Blanche teased.

Henri rolled his eyes and turned away. "I hate both of you."

The woman shook her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry. Who are you people?"

"Oh my. Where are my manners?" Blanche smiled pleasantly, putting everyone in the room at ease. "Blanche Gautier, and I'm a friend of your brother. The two beside me are Lisette Tellier and Henri Didier." She held out her hand lightly batting her lashes in a strategic manner that the others would easily recognize. "If I'm correct, you must be Marianne. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Regi talks about you often."

Marianne uncrossed her arms and hesitantly accepted the gesture. "Yes, I'm Marianne Gladstone. Thank you for being my brother's friends. And for coming to visit him." She glanced between them all, studying them carefully. "Were any of you the ones who gave him medical attention?"

"No, we weren't," Henri sighed. "No idea who it was."

"Hm. Pity. I was hoping to personally thank whoever did it." She looked back to Regi, who continued to sleep peacefully. "Whoever it was has the makings of a great doctor. If they hadn't done what they did…."

Lisette reached into her hoodie, carefully pulling out a bundle of grey fur. "You seem tense. Would petting Grumps help?"

Grumps let out a soft yawn, seemingly indifferent to the tension of the room.

For the first time since they arrived, Marianne smiled, and gave the cat a gentle scratch under the chin. "Aren't you a cutie? Regi's probably a big fan of you. He adores cats as much as he does dogs."

Blanche glanced over at Regi, taking in the sight. There were IVs hooked into both arms, and an oxygen mask over his usually smiling face. He seemed paler than usual. Yet still peaceful, like the few times she'd seen him doze off during a late night study session. His hair seemed to have been brushed, laying out and over the pillow, away from all the medical equipment. A hairbrush lay on the bedside table, along with a few hair ties.

I guess she was in the middle of tending to that before being rudely interrupted.

Henri, after finally recollecting himself, returned his attention to Marianne. "Any idea what exactly happened? We only know that he was injured."

Marianne's smile quickly faded and she slowly pulled away from them, walking over to the window and gazing out at the city. "...It was supposed to be a regular night time patrol. That was the last thing Regi said to me before I had to return to work. We'd been on a phone call. I was due for surgery. Triple bypass." Her breath shook. "I can't go into details on how I know, but....later that night, after I had gotten home, a friend of mine showed up. Explained that Regi had gotten involved in a fight when both the Chimeras were chasing a suspect in a string of kidnappings. Sixth managed to demask him before being knocked out, and Regi was going to get him out of there when the suspect turned a weapon on him. Fifth went in for a killing strike in a fit of rage, and Regi tried to get him to stop. One thing lead to another and Regi got flung halfway across town. The suspect got away when Fifth was tending to Sixth." Her eyes were damp as the taste of saltwater slowly danced in the air. "Can't really blame Monsieur Lisson. He's overworked and overprotective. A combination I know too well."

Blanche gingerly came over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Still doesn't help knowing he sent your brother flying, does it?"

Marianne shook her head. "No. And Regi was damn lucky a good samaritan was willing to help him. I saw the surgeon's notes and the files." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Even though Regi didn't puncture anything vital, he still would have bled out if someone didn't get to him. Can't even imagine what we'd do if...." Her eyes darted to the reflection of Regi in the window. "The world still needs smiles like his.... Tanith still.....she still needs her big brother....."

Blanche nodded softly. "Have you had anything to eat or drink?"

She shook her head. "No. No, I've been here in this room the last 48 hours since I arrived. Barely had time to go to the hotel." She sighed quietly. "Could use a stiff, I think...."

Henri's shoulders slumped. "Then....my treat. There's a little café across the road. Makes a lovely mid-day cocktail."

Marianne turned to him in shock. "I'm sorry, I can't-"

"I can stay with Regi while you take some time to rest," Blanche assured. "Take Lisette with you both. I can call either her or Henri if anything happens."

"Please, doc." Henri smiled sadly. "Take it from a fellow big sibling. You're no good to him exhausted and dead."

After a moment of pause, Marianne nodded. "I suppose a quick lunch wouldn't hurt. But if anything happens-"

"I promise. I'll call you."

"...okay." Her shoulders finally relaxed. "Thank you."

Blanche watched as they all gathered themselves up and left, and once she was sure no one was coming in, closed the door, and counted.

One otter baby. Two otter baby. Three otter baby. Four otter baby. Five otter baby. Should be enough.

"You can open your eyes now. They're gone."

"....you noticed."

Blanche turned around, smiling as she saw Regi staring at her. "Your dominant hand twitches when you're waking up. Lisette was in hysterics when we first heard you were near death, but I must say, you're pretty talkative for a corpse." She went over and picked up the brush. "You don't think your sister would mind, would she?"

Regi smiled, though it was barely noticeable under the mask. "I don't think she would." His voice was coarse. Almost raw. "I'd appreciate it."

"Anything for my favorite Otter Child." She adjusted the bed and carefully set to work. "So....Mary wasn't involved in this at all?"

Regi sighed. "No, she was...kind of..." He swallowed. "Any ice chips?"

"I can call the nurse for some."

"Nah, best not. I'm supposed to be in a coma, remember?" He chuckled. "Yeah....Mary had tried to join my patrol. Took me ten minutes to send her back to her hotel. If I hadn't been delayed, I'd have been well past that spot in my patrol by the time the Chimeras showed up."

Blache nodded, gently braiding Regi's hair loosely on his side. "Best not tell your sister that yet. She would explode, I think."

"You have no idea....." His eyes glanced downward, brows pinched.

"....I know that look, Reginald Gladstone," she cooed. "What are you thinking?"

"....Can I ask a favor, Blanche?"

"Can you?"

"May I?"

"You may."

He tried not to laugh. "Mari's an overworkaholic in every sense of the word....and a worry wart worse than me. Worse than Henri." Regi looked her in the eye. "She's never been to Paris, either. Only been to France once for a medical conference, but that was in Cannes, and only for a day. She never had a chance to enjoy herself."

Blanche's hand stalled. "Are you asking what I believe you are going to ask?"

"....would you make sure she enjoys herself?" Regi asked earnestly. "She probably is using some of her unused sick leave or vacation time for this. She wouldn't take time off for leisure unless forced. I don't...I don't want her only memories of Paris being of me in a hospital room..."

"Oh, honey." Blanche smiled sweetly. "It'd be my pleasure. Especially since I want that jam recipe of hers."

[myselfinserts]

‘ you’ll feel better in the morning. ’

Madame Rosine had been out of town for a week. She was supposed to return this coming Monday, and in the meantime, all the students were meant to finish the work on their assignments and have them ready for presentation. Étienne was trying hard to stay awake as he put together the finishing touches on his, downing yet another cup of coffee. It didn't help much. The blackouts and the heavy rains made for ideal sleep conditions. Not conducive to studying at all.

Were it not for the fact that his nephew were in the class, Étienne was almost certain that he would have needed to request an extension on this project, due to the person of interest.

Derezzed, as he was known to the public, or Elbert Silverson, as he insisted on being called, or Manabu Hirano, to those who knew him as well as "Reiji" did, was a peculiar man. His quirk "Deresolution" allowed him and others to move at high speeds through electrical waves, and the effect made the affected party take on a "low resolution" appearance in real life. A power that did not work well when combined with other quirks that didn't share a similar electrical component, and as a result, kept him from working with his half-sister as often as he'd have liked.

Outside of that, however, the two often collaborated on support item designs. Particularly in regards to commissions by Matsumoto Inc, the leaders in North America even rivalling some of the U.S.A.'s top brands. Their joint efforts on incorporating algorithmic predictions into raid strategy cut down on the number of casualties at sea in less than six months, going from nearly 5,000 attacks a month to less than 50.

And then there was Silverson's work in regards to coding systems and computer software used in support items. More importantly, the one that 90% of the industry uses and is considered the golden standard, due to how hard it was to hack into. It was Silverson's creation. And the fool didn't think to patent it. He made it open source, and only had it credited as being created by "The Helper".

Feeling he'd done enough, and knowing when to call it a night, Étienne closed up his books and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he took in the last few details. No doubt his presentation would be top notch. Everyone was sure to be impressed. AND he had all the references to back it up in case those that weren't tried to call him a fraud.

And yet, there was still something off about this. The further he talked with Derezzed, the more he learned. While the man certainly wasn't carrying the industry on his back, he was doing it a major favor. It was almost insulting how little this man viewed himself and his creations. In a better world, Manabu Hirano would be considered a Pillar of the industry, with a coding and software empire. Instead, anything he made had been turned open source within a year of creation. Same with most of his actual equipment designs.

It was as if he didn't intend on living past the age of thirty.

CRASH!

Étienne's eyes flew open. Nearly knocked over his textbooks as he stepped away from the desk, hurrying downstairs to the front door. The rain continued to pelt against the windows. Echoes of impacts from the tell-tale beat of battle raged on from several blocks away.

Another day, another Hero vs Villain brawl.

But he knew something was off. It almost never came close to his street. It was one of the main reasons his grandparents chose this neighborhood all those years ago. Étienne rather liked that about this place. He'd be sad to see it be all for nothing.

With a sigh of irritation, he glanced outside the peephole, trying to see if there was anything of major concern. Initially, he couldn't make out much. It was late, and most of the power was out in the city due to the storm. So mostly it was just vast darkness. Barely anything concerning.

But then he saw it. Just barely visible against the rain. A blinking light off a pair of broken goggles. The squirming of a body pulling itself off of the sharp edge of one of the neighbor's fences. (He'd always hated that fence. Too dangerous for the public and only in place due to some legal loophole.) He'd been prepared to call for a Hero to come deal with the mysterious figure.

And then Étienne saw the familiar ponytail that had been following him around ever since the start of the year.

Shit.

It was reckless. Every rational part of his brain said to stay inside. And yet, before he knew it, he'd found himself running out the door and into the middle of the road, just in time to catch Reginald as he fell forward. The weight of the rain and the Hero suit and the complete dolt on his shoulder nearly sent Étienne to the ground. On the paler fabric, he was able to see where the fence had impaled him.

For whatever reason, he felt a sense of relief.

"Damn idiot," he hissed. "You're lucky it just missed your vitals."

Regi was barely able to look him in the eye as he choked out, "……s-sir…..you need to….to go back i-inside…..It's too dangerous…out……here……"

Reginald Gladstone passed out. Passed out not only without recognizing who it was that caught him, but also focusing more on someone else over his own health and safety.

And Étienne didn't know which pissed him off more.

Frustrated, he dragged Reginald inside and out of the rain. Étienne wasted no time, moving him to the kitchen and setting to work on removing the damaged suit, pressing a towel to the injury to stop the bleeding as he waited for emergency services to answer his call.

Renegade was out of healing water.

"What service do you require?"

"Ambulance! We have a downed Hero bleeding out on my kitchen floor. Not currently life threatening, no injury to his vitals, but he's still in desperate need of medical attention. I'm currently putting pressure on the wound to stop the blood but he needs help!"

"Understood. We're currently tracing your call and will have medical attention there soon. Are you currently in any danger?"

"No. Not at all. Can you get someone here any faster?! This dolt isn't going to last forever, you know!"

"Okay. Please stay on the line with me, sir. We'll have someone there soon."

Soon wasn't soon enough. Where was the backup? Why was Reginald thrown so far from the action? How did he manage to survive that fall? It would have killed most people. Or at least leave them paralyzed.

And then he remembered. The burning question.

"So what forced you to retire from both heroics and support design?"

".....you ever had a chainsaw blade go directly into your spine, Allard?"

"Of course not."

"Ever seen it happen to someone else?"

"No."

"Pray you never have to."

Suddenly, a lot of Reginald's movements made sense.

While lost in his own thoughts, and trying to keep speaking with the operator, Étienne was distracted for but a moment. He glanced down, seeing a bruised and scuffed up hand on his knee, rubbing soothing circles with the thumb as a light squeeze brought him down to earth.

He hadn't even noticed he was tense.

"It's.....going to be okay......" Regi barely managed as he smiled. His eyes were dim, and he was whiter than fresh linens, but his breathing was steady. "You're.....s-safe.....as long as......I'm here......I'll pro....tect....you......."

Étienne sighed. "Shut up. You're feeling like shit right now."

"....no....I'm f-fine....p-p-prom....ise..."

"......just relax, Reginald. You'll feel better in the morning."

The rest of the night went by in a blur. He barely remembered the EMTs coming in and wheeling Regi out. Chimera 4th and a police office took his statement. It didn't take them long to "procure" the problematic fence.

Once everyone was cleared from the house, Étienne quietly looked down at his clothes, then glanced at the kitchen floor. With little time to really take in what he was seeing, he simply set to work cleaning.

By the time he fell into bed, showered and freshly dressed, he couldn't help but think the same thing over and over again.

I suppose I understand the idiot a little more now.

And I don't like it.

[myselfinserts]

❛❛ I took your hoodie and I’m not giving it back. ❜❜

The Treasure Hunt. No one knew what to expect with it. From what Duckie could gather, those with the invite were to report to a location in Shinjuku on a certain day if they accepted. Those that declined the invite would lose half their points. A move that would eliminate any low ranked players if they didn’t have enough already. 

Once the event began, players would most likely be teleported to a different location than where they arrive. They’ll need to quickly look over the rules and begin the hunt in earnest. Unfortunately, that was about all they managed to gather in regards to the upcoming Hunt. 

Though Kasumi had nothing to fear. She was prepared for this. And the new addition would make things go much smoother. 

On the day of the event, the few members of her alliance would arrive separately in Shinjuku before the time limit. Kasumi, Odette, Pepito, Atsuko, Eira, and Viktor would then meet up once the event began. In the meantime Harper, Yasu, Clement, and Sorley would look after things at the Clinic with the rest of Sorley’s smaller Clan. While it would have been nice to have all of the Holy Quintet in their ranks during the Hunt, they could make do with just Pepito. 

Yes, there was nothing that she had to fear. 

As she made herself comfortable on the couch with some chips and soda, she couldn’t help bouncing back and forth between a few games, trying to find something to distract herself with until class the next morning. Before she could settle on anything, Sorley came in with a worried look on his face. Understandable. She knew what he was about to ask. 

“Yes, Sorley, you are correct.” She stretched, sighing in content as she flipped the hood up, rabbit ears flopping to the side. “I took your hoodie and I’m not giving it back. It’s too soft.”

“I figured that you probably took it,” he said. He held up a duffle bag and his phone, eyes sparkling with pride. “Guess who managed to win a surrender and get some goods. Come take a look.” 

“Ooh, presents? Darling, you spoil me.” She set down the controller and hurried to take the bag, setting it on the table. “What did you get? Is it weapons? Medicines? Specialty items?”

“Take a look!” He unzipped the bag, reaching in and pulling out two giant fans. “I got these off of the Blossom Raiders in Akihabara!”

“The Blossom Raiders?” That wasn’t a simple fight. A battle like that with the most powerful clan in that area was considered certain death. “Who initiated it?”

He shrugged. “I got roped in when some weirdo ran out of a maid café in a panic. Turns out they’re taking over the establishments on Otome Road in Ikebukuro and trying to establish a similar stint in Akihabara now.” 

“But that doesn’t explain why you were there in the first place. Let alone why you’d take their primary weapons.” She opened one of the fans, admiring the intricate blossoms painted on the soft lavender fabric. “This one belonged to Zenko, the leader of the Blossom Raiders. She got it in an event. Said to provide a shield of....protective winds.” Kasumi smiled fondly as she turned to look at him. "Come on. I know that look. You're worried about me, aren't you? That’s why you went and got these." 

Sorley pouted, turning his head away in shame. "Of course I am. I'm one of the only ones not going to the Treasure Hunt. And there's no guarantee you'll meet up with the others safely. If I were there, I...I'd at least be able to find you all fast...."

Kasumi put the fan away, wrapping her arms around him gently. “Hey. I’m not a helpless maiden. You don’t have to worry, Sorley.”

“...I can’t help it.” He returned the embrace, burying his face in her hair. “I know you can take care of yourself. And I know you’ll have Pepito. But....but what if some big bad shows up? What if Pepito gets knocked out? What if you run out of stamina and can’t escape? What if Odie’s Laplace doesn’t find an exit? Or Eira’s snow doesn’t stop an attacker?” His grip on her tightened. “If I can’t be there for you, then the least I can do is goad people into challenging me and then taking things that can help you. Sorley’s useless otherwise....”

“Hey.” Kasumi pulled back a little and took his face in her hands, smiling softly. “Sorley is never useless. Sorley is one of the most helpful, kind, caring members of this alliance. And a trusted friend. Got it? Don’t ever talk bad about my best friend. It makes me sad otherwise.”

Sorley’s eyes, once darkened with fear and guilt, soon lit up with a hopeful flame. “You mean that?”

“Absolutely.”

“....Okay....”

Kasumi pulled Sorley over to the couch, making him sit down and made herself comfortable on his lap and handing him a controller. Finally settling on a racing game, she made sure to do whatever she needed to in order to distract him from whatever thoughts plagued him. 

She had to admit, though, that they were similar to those she had often. 

What if Laplace failed? What if Pepito fell in battle? What if she ran out of energy? What if Eira’s snow melted? What if Viktor’s Sigil lost control? What if Atsuko missed a jump? All of it ran through her mind at one point or another. She would be a fool not to consider those possibilities. 

But that’s why she had a back up plan.

And she just had to hope that it’d work. 

[myselfinserts]

SENTENCE MEME ⟶ THE TERMINATOR always feel free to tweak the sentence to fit your muse.

“What the hell?”

“Goddamn son of a bitch.”

“What’s wrong with this picture?”

“Nice night for a walk, eh?”

“I think this guy’s a couple of cans short of a six-pack.”

“Fuck you, asshole.”

“I don’t have to put up with that bullshit, man.”

“Did you just see a real bright light?”

“That son of a bitch took my pants!”

“Could I have that coffee now, please?”

“I didn’t order fries.”

“In a hundred years, who’s going to care?”

“That’s a good gun.”

“Just touch the trigger, the beam comes on, and you put the red for where you want the bullet to go.”

“You know your weapons, buddy.”

“Any one of these is ideal for home defense.”

“I need you to come pick me up.”

“I don’t care what you’re doing.”

“Hey, man, you got a serious attitude problem.”

“It’s so incredible.”

“You’re not gonna believe this.”

“You are going to love this.”

“First, I’m gonna rip the buttons off your blouse one by one.”

“You fucking pigs!”

“Wait till I get my hands on you.”

“The press is going to be short-stroking it all over.”

“I hate the weird ones.”

“Better than the mortal man deserves.”

“Something’s come up. I can’t make it tonight.”

“He can’t treat you like this.”

“I’ll break his kneecaps.”

“Are you aware that these two killings occurred in the same order as their listing in the phone book?”

“That coffee’s two hours cold.”

“I put a cigarette out in it.”

“I keep getting an answering machine.”

“Give me a cigarette.”

“You’re talking to a machine, but don’t be shy.”

“He’s going to be called the goddamn ‘Phone Book Killer’.”

“I hate these press cases.”

“Maybe make these jackals work for us for a change.”

“Police are refusing to speculate on the apparent similarity between these shooting deaths.”

“No other connection between the two victims has been established yet.”

“We’ll have more on this story as it comes in.”

“I’m going to make a belt out of you.”

“Don’t make me bust you up, man.”

“Machines need love too, so talk to it.”

“I’m really scared.”

“I think there’s somebody after me.”

“I need you to come and pick me up as soon as possible.”

“I think there’s a guy following me.”

“You’ll be safe until we get there.”

“Come with me if you want to live.”

“Are you injured? Are you shot?”

“Do exactly what I say.”

“Don’t move unless I say.”

“Please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m here to help you.”

“You’ve been targeted for termination.”

“This is a mistake. I didn’t do anything!”

“It’s very important that you live.”

“He’s not a man, he’s a machine.”

“He’s a cybernetic organism.”

“The Terminator’s an infiltration unit, part man and part machine.”

“I got to ditch this car.”

“I am not stupid, you know.”

“They cannot make things like this yet.”

“Are you saying it’s from the future?”

“Then you’re from the future too, is that right?”

“It can’t be bargained with, it can’t be reasoned with.”

“It doesn’t feel pity or remorse or fear.”

“It absolutely will not stop ever.”

“There was a nuclear war, a few years from now.”

“Nobody even knew who started it.”

“There was one man who taught us to fight.”

“Taught us how to smash those motherfuckers into junk.”

“He brought us back from the brink.”

“Are you sure it’s them?”

“I want you to tell him everything they told you.”

“Is [name] crazy?”

“So, you’re a soldier, fighting for whom?”

“Who was the enemy again?”

“This computer thinks it can win by killing the mother of its enemy.”

“Killing him, in effect, before he’s even conceived, a sort of retroactive abortion?”

“Why this elaborate scheme with the Terminator?”

“Their defense grid was smashed.”

“Taking them out then would make no difference.”

“What is it called, the time displacement equipment?”

“Nobody goes home, nobody else comes through.”

“Why didn’t you bring any weapons, something more advanced?”

“Show me a piece of future technology.”

“I didn’t build the fucking thing.”

“This is great stuff.”

“I could make a career out of this guy.”

“You see how clever this part is?”

“Most paranoid delusions are intricate, but this is brilliant.”

“You have heard enough.”

“I’m afraid that’s not up to me.”

“Who is in authority here?”

“You still don’t get it, do you?”

“He’ll wade through you, reach down her throat, and pull her fucking heart out.”

“In technical terminology, he’s a loon.”

“What about when he punched through a windshield?”

“He was probably on PCP.”

“There’s a couch in the other room. Why don’t you stretch out and try to get some sleep?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“It may not look it, but that couch is very comfortable.”

“You’ll be perfectly safe.”

“We got 30 cops in this building.”

“If you want to wait, there’s a bench over there.”

“What the hell was that?”

“What the hell happened to the lights?”

“All right, let’s get this off the road.”

“What’s it like going through time?”

“Pain, it’s like being born, maybe.”

“I caught one back there.”

“You mean you got shot?”

“We got to get you to a doctor.”

“This is going to make me puke.”

“Would you talk about something? Anything, just talk.”

“At least now I know what to name him.”

“I don’t supposed you know who the father us.”

“You were talking about this I haven’t done yet, in the past tense.”

“Are you sure you have the right person?”

“Do I look like the mother of the future?”

“Am I tough, organized?”

“I can’t even balance my checkbook.”

“I didn’t ask for this honor, and I don’t want it.”

“Thank you for your courage through the dark years.”

“You must be stronger than you imagine you can be.”

“You must survive, or I will never exist.”

“I was dreaming about dogs.”

“Your world is pretty terrifying.”

“Fuck you, asshole.”

“I don’t want to ask where you got it.”

“I am dying for a shower.”

“I need to know where I can reach you.”

“You tell me to hide up at the cabin like some fugitive, and you won’t tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more right now.”

“I learned to make it when I was a kid.”

“You must have had a fun childhood.”

“He’ll find us, won’t he?”

“Was there someone special?”

“You seemed just a little sad.”

“I always wondered what you were thinking at that moment.”

“I came across time for you.”

“I love you, I always have.”

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You’re terminated, fucker.”

“What’s most difficult for me is trying to decide what to tell you and what not to.”

“Should I tell you about your father?”

“A person could go crazy thinking about this.”

“I supposed I will tell you.”

“In the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetime’s worth.”

“He said there’s a storm coming.”

[myselfinserts]

Fruits Basket — Volume 1   {Sentence Starters}

“Next time, I’ll win.”

“Put some clothes on!”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

“You were the one moping.”

“Will you still be my friend?”

“Wow, just look at this place!”

“Stop fantasizing and get a life.”

“It’s okay to let yourself be sad.”

“You really suck, you know that?”

“I’m not forgetting anything, am I?”

“That’s because you threatened me!”

“Deep down, they’re just evil people.”

“Take-out every night is no way to live.”

“Can’t we do something about that idiot?”

“I’m not made for interacting with people.”

“Besides, where else are you going to go?”

“I noticed this morning… you don’t look well.”

“You were jumping for joy just a minute ago.”

“I thought I told you to make it worth my time.”

“It’s the mystery that makes him so intriguing.”

“I didn’t do that on purpose! I’m such an idiot!”

“Why did I get all irritated the moment you left?”

“When are you going to learn? You’re too weak.”

“It looks like today’s going to be another hot one.”

“You know, I’m really getting sick of looking at you.”

“I’m sorry for trespassing! I just saw these and — !“

“I mean, I’d never be mad at you… How could I be?”

“Don’t come near me. Don’t ever speak to me, again.”

“It’s not much of a home… but, if you’ll take it, it’s yours.”

“You make it sound as though we did something wrong…”

“That condescending attitude of yours really pisses me off!”

“It’s probably fatigue. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”

“Just be yourself and do things at your own pace. You’ll fit right in.”

“If you don’t, you’ll never be able to care about anyone but yourself.”

“Do you really get that much enjoyment from playing with people’s lives?”

“I always knew you were a fool… but you’ve really crossed a line this time.”

“Use your head, will you? If you act like an idiot, it causes problems for me.”

“If you really didn’t want to leave, you should have said so in the first place.”

“Normally I hate people who whine all the time… but, in your case, it would be okay to complain. Be selfish. Say what you want once in a while.”

[myselfinserts]

The suit life of Zack and Cody sentence starters.  

“Hey,  sweet thang”

“Yay, me”

“Oh, this is a DISASTER”   

“Whatcha doin?”

“Hey, we have something in common we both like staring at you”

“Stop making ‘name’ think you’re fabulous, I want  him to think *I’M* fabulous”

“Ew, loser. You can have him”

“ No I don’t know what the fat content is! Just stick it in the mustard, stick it in your mouth, and walk away!”

“When did you suddenly become so interested in school?”

“You said you wanted someone smart”

“That may be the most wonderful thing any boy… man has ever said to me”

“Sure, he is incompetent, you can barely understand a word he says, his best friend is a chicken… where was I?”

“Because compared to where I live, everyone has a ratty little place!”

“We can be BFFWLSAGSAL! ‘Best Friends Forever Who Love Spending and Go Shopping A Lot’ “

“Right. Jelly babies, cherry soda and cheese products in a can. All the ingredients of romance!”

“Pate - low fat, crackers - low sodium and chocolate cake - low nothing. Room freshener - forest pine.  All the ingredients of romance!”

“You have nothing to fear from a man who only seeks to adore you” 

“Oh, that is sweet. And if you try to go too far, I have a black belt in karate and can snap your arm like a twig”

“I’ll keep on making scary monster sounds when you’re sleeping” 

“that makeup you’re wearing makes you look all sad”

“Oh, no… now you’re probably going to tell me why and I’m gonna have to pretend to care..”

“The more you connect with them the less your stuff they’ll break”

“No running in my LOBBY”  

“Can you believe this guy? I guess you hate apple pie too, huh, fella? And puppies. And your own mama” 

“Well, the best part is I’ve got this clock and this wonderful wheelbarrow”

“Who you callin’ ugly Mr. Avacado-head?”

“Boy, humans are ugly”

“I just had a dream that taught me two things; No matter how small you are, if you’re fighting for something you believe in, you could win”

“Counting my armpit hair. One… done” 

“HOW DO YOU LOSE A WOMAN?”

“You forget to cherish her”

“You know, I wish you people would realize that I’m a thoughtful and intelligent person” 

“We’re gonna go lay down in front of the bulldozers”

“You mean… the prindle?”

“You’re making me nervous with all this… technical talk!”

“Oh! I’m sorry. Why don’t we just *relax* and turn on the *radio*? Would you like AHM OR FIM?”

“OH NO, SHE’S TAKING ME TO HER CAVE”   

[myselfinserts]

​❝ we’re no longer family as far as i’m concerned. ❞

“Unchained Melody”. A song from a prison escape movie from the 1950s, which grew and grew into a powerhouse of songs which helped define the quintessential list of wedding playlist. A loving, haunting pattern with lyrics that perfectly encapsulate how it feels to be away from one you love so deeply. 

Rather fitting, in a way, for this to also be the name of Viktor’s Sigil. While not in a romantic sense, the melody of the song and the intense passion of desperation and yearning to see someone you love was a feeling he knew all too well. A familial bond he held dearly, which the song was able to put into words. 

Was it an unhealthy attachment? Absolutely. He wasn’t blind to it. Viktor knew feeling such a strong tie to someone he hardly knew was not good for him. Even if they are family, this level of devotion was toxic. And if left unchecked, he was certain it would destroy him. 

But it was also the only thing keeping him alive. 

The night he entered D-Game was the worst night of his life. He was preparing to leave to attend university in Tokyo. He wanted to study music. He had a life plan he’d build for himself. No more nannies. No more dark rooms with wifi off after 8pm. No more intense studying of subjects he had no interest in. Viktor would finally have a life. He’d finally get to live. He would finally be happy. 

But the night after graduation, things changed. Desperate for freedom, he studied so hard that he graduated three years early. The plan was to use the money he’d been saving, plus the aid of his father via the alimony, and get an apartment in downtown, not too far from U.A. Private High School. Everything was planned. 

And then his mother called him to the study. 

He had been locked in by one of the housekeepers, left alone with his mother and his two vile aunts. Viktor barely managed to get a word in when he saw the remains of soft, silvery fluff on the floor. 

Viktor knew his aunt was saying something about his education. The other was spouting some nonsense about having to grow up. His mother was praising his skills, surely. But he didn’t care. He could make out a wing. An antenna. Mostly, just the stuffing. He knew what it was. 

“Here, I want you to have it.”

“Me? Are you sure about this? You worked hard to win it after all.”

“Yeah! For being such a cool big cousin!”

“Viktor? Viktor! Do not ignore us, young man!” 

Slowly he looked up from the torn moth plush on the ground and at the three creatures before him. “Excuse me?”

His mother narrowed her gaze, her voice low and warning. “I said, it’s time to prepare for the family business. You may have your pick of which branch, but you will need to complete your university education soon. Also, we have your marriage interviews prepared-”

“Shut the fuck up, you bitch.”

All their eyes went wide as Zala stepped forward. “How dare you speak to your mother in such a disrespectful manner!” 

Viktor clenched his fists. “We’re no longer family as far as I’m concerned.”

Both sisters were about to step forward, when Veronika held up a hand to stop them. In the other was her phone. “Viktor, apologize to your mother and Aunt.”

“No,” he spat. “I’ve had enough!” He pointed directly at Blanka, his eyes burning with tears as he shouted. “That beast is not my mother! She’s a cold, heartless, deceitful puppet master! And I refuse to be strung along by her!”

“Viktor-”

“I am going to Japan! I’m going to study music! I’m going to find Uncle Myko and meet my cousin again! And you cannot stop me, you disgusting witches!”

Veronika sighed and tapped at the screen on her phone. 

A notification sounded, and Viktor pulled out his phone to answer. His aunt had sent him a link to a free to play app? “The hell?”

“Click it, or you will not be allowed to leave this room,” she warned. “We’ll stay as long as it takes.”

“….If I do, will you let me go free?”

“It depends on what comes to follow.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. But he knew this aunt well enough to know she meant every word. She once locked her own betrothed in the attic for a week with a single bottle of water because he refused to attend a function. He did not want a similar fate. Reluctantly, he clicked the invite link.

“This will be an excellent punishment for the little one. He’ll fall into line in no time. Or he’ll die. Whichever comes first.”

Those were the last words he remembered hearing, before the music began. 

The pain in his neck burned, but not as much as his blood as the venom from the snake coursed through him. A grand orchestra echoed in the skies as chains decorated in starlit notes spun and twirled around him, cutting away at anything and everything in their reach. The room around them shook and shattered. A bookcase fell on top of Zala, pinning her in place just fast enough for a chain to come right up through her neck. Veronika’s eyes widened as she tried to run, but several chains carried her up toward the sky. Blanka tried to run at him with a knife, only for her to be knocked through the window. 

Viktor screamed. He felt to his knees, covering his ears andtried to block out the music. He couldn’t tell where it was coming from. But itwas dark. Heavy. And his body was reacting to it in such a way that he wascertain he would be pulled apart. Drawn and quartered despite his attempts tocurl in on himself. Everything was pulling. Chains wrapping deeply around hisbones. Closing in. Threatening to shatter. 

The world was a blur. Flashing lights. Dust, debris, and rubbleswirling around. Tears spilling uncontrollably. The faint taste of metal on histongue. He could barely look up to see the chains dancing and crashing intoeverything around him, knocking the house to the ground. 

I’m going to die. Oh god. Oh god, no. I don’t want to die. 

A light hand pulled him close, covering his eyes and holding himas tightly as they could. Gentle whispers of an old lullaby, and the orchestrabegan to fade. Viktor could barely manage to choke out a word. 

“Taťka?” 

The arms squeezed slightlytighter, holding him and singing softly. A gentle sway side to side. A rockingmotion that eased the pain little by little. 

He lost track of time. He didn’t know how long they were there. But he didn’t care. Viktor leaned into the embrace and tried hard to steady his breathing. The warmth of the arms around him, no different than they’d been the last time, were perfect. They were safe. 

By the time he opened his eyes again, the entire world was back to normal. His mother and aunts were laying on the floor, passed out but slightly bruised. It was as if they hadn’t been attacked by ghostly specters. The bookshelves and entire room was in one piece. His moth plush sat on the lounge chair, soft and fluffy as ever. You wouldn’t think it had ever been torn apart. 

A soft, cooling sensation brushed over his cheeks as Viktor was turned around. His father was staring softly at him, eyes glowing a soft amber hue and a light smile on his face as he cleaned away muck and grime on his face. He almost had to laugh. 

“You still carry wet wipes everywhere, taťka?” he asked. 

His father nodded. “I take it Veronika sent you a link to D-Game?”

“D-Game?” Viktor nodded. “If you mean that app, then yeah.”

“I thought so. She did the same to her husband. And Blanka did to me, before the divorce.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and holding up the screen for Viktor to see. “This is my profile. Look under the title “Sigil”.”

Viktor did as he was told, looking at the small text in bewilderment. A single word was listed there as the name, and the brief description in a box at the bottom.

“Restore; The Ability to restore things to a previous state, as though no damage had ever been done to them before.” He stared at his father, more questions forming as he tried to process what was happening. “Taťka, I don’t understand.”

“That’s my ability. I’ve been training it since I figured it out.” He glanced at the women laying on the ground. “We don’t have much time. No doubt he’ll be coming for me soon.” 

“Who’s coming for you? Taťka-

“Viktor, listen to me.” He gripped his son’s shoulders tightly, lips trembling slightly as he did his best to keep composure. “D-Game is a death wish. Your mother and her sisters were experts at using it to further their goals. They didn’t account for the day someone they attempted to murder with it would overpower them.”

His stomach dropped. He didn’t want to believe it. That his own mother would approve of his murder. But he had heard Veronika’s heart when he clicked that link. He knew the truth. 

“Now listen carefully,” his father continued. “Your mother and her sisters died tonight. But my Sigil, the power you get in this game, restored them. Death is supposed to be the end of it in D-Game, as the Game Master designed. I found a loophole, so I’ll have to disappear.”

“What? No! Taťka, I don’t understand-!”

His father shook him slightly. “Listen! You need to grab your bags and leave. Now. Any moment now, the devil will come here and take me away. If he sees you and you see him, he will ensure you never live to see the dawn.” He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small pocket book. “I have written down everything you’ll need to know about how to survive this game in here. Read it. Study it. Dedicate it to your very bones. Master your Sigil. Survive. Do whatever you have to do. But you cannot stay here any longer!” His eyes had stopped glowing now. Their natural, earthy tone glimmered in the light as they filled with tears. “Do this for your  old taťka, won’t you? Do this for me, Viktor. My little maestro. Please.”

Viktor nodded as he put the book in his pocket. He didn’t understand. He still didn’t understand. Sigil? Game Master? Nothing made sense. He was sure it would eventually. The only things he could understand right now was that his father’s heart was breaking, and it was no longer safe in the Darnell family home. 

Viktor had no place here anymore. 

He hugged his father one last time, tried hard not to shatter at the last kiss he’d ever receive on his head, and then grabbed his moth before finally leaving the study. He didn’t turn back to look as the doors closed. 

If he did, he knew he would never leave the house alive. 

“That was a year and a half ago. Not long after that, I traveled across Europe, taking online courses in university and basically hiding out. Uncle Gladstone and I ran into each other while he was working abroad on an important contract, and when he found out on that I’m in D-Game, he gave me some training. He also disappeared shortly after that.”

“I see.” Kasumi took a sip of her tea, humming softly. “Lovely blend. I don’t know where you got this, but it is lovely.”

“Thank you,” Viktor chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoy it.” 

“I love an excellent brew.” She set her cup down, her eyes watching the leaves bounce softly. “We had suspicions on your family’s company for a while. It’s nice to have confirmation. Just don’t mention to the others that you got D-Game training from Renegade yet. Let that detail come out after they get used to having you around.”

Viktor nodded slowly. “You’re all surprisingly calm about having me around.”

“Well, of course. We know your stats. That was among the few deaths you actually caused in D-Game.” She looked over the file again, smiling as she looked over the scores. “You’re an escape artist, and you mastered your Sigil pretty quickly, all things considered. It’s supposed to be natural, but I have seen cases where Sigils are stronger than the wielder can take, but now I know it’s a totally different case with you.” She glanced at the phone on the table. “So you use the app in tandem with a music app to manage the power?”

“Yes. It was Uncle Gladstone’s idea.”

“Sounds about right.” 

“Miss Aizawa-”

“Kasumi. Please, call me Kasumi.”

He nodded. “Kasumi..... why are you all so...okay with this? I know my reasonings, but I’m trying to understand your position here. Why are we talking over tea instead of getting to the point? Am I joining you, or do you want me to stay back and fight a different way?”

“We’re talking over tea because I want to get a read on you. What you’re like outside of the game. Beneath the pompous coat and extravagant chains.” Kasumi sighed and reached out a hand, lightly taking his and looking him dead in the eye. “No one in this game is innocent anymore. But the one who dragged us down with him deserves our fury before we’re all condemned to hell. Don’t you want vengeance for your taťka? Is that not why you’re here?”

Viktor nodded, his green eyes glowing the same vivid green as the night he arrived. “That’s part of it. More than anything, I’m here because I know that the Game Master will target my cousins next. He took Uncle Gladstone. He took my taťka. He will not take my cousins. I refuse to allow that. I’d sooner let my Sigil rip me apart than do that. I will find my taťka. I will find the Game Master. And I will rip him apart cell by cell with the very chains he put me in.”

With that, Kasumi smiled, eyes glowing a soft, amber hue. 

“Good answer.”

[myselfinserts]

“How dare you treat my friends so shamefully?!”

"I'm sorry, old friend. I hope you can forgive me."

"UNCLE REGI!"

Odette sat up in her bed, cold sweat dripping down her neck as she struggled to catch her breath. It took a few moments, but as she came down from the adrenaline, she managed to focus her attention to the details surrounding her. A soft, velvety couch. Moonlight trickling in from beyond the sheer curtains on the windows. The papers held down by various knick-knacks and pretty stone weights. She'd almost forgotten she'd laid down for a short nap in the hideout.

There were rumors surrounding D-Game. Many of them simple children's tales, like of an app that grants wishes of bringing back the dead, or if you spill the salt you need to throw it over your shoulder to mitigate a curse. A common one of D-Game was the last thought in the mind of the person who sent you an invite being the words that echo through your head as the snake sinks its fangs into your neck. Very few actually receive such a vision. Most only know the sender dies shortly after.

Odette was not so fortunate to have such certainty. Instead, she received an echo of apology, and the ghost of unanswered questions.

Deciding that sleep was not in the cards for the rest of the night, she quickly showered and changed into something more comfortable, dedicating the rest of the time to research. She was nowhere near close to a breakthrough, but it was still better than nothing. 

In the two weeks since Clement had pulled the Hacking Gun, she was able to piece together a lot of information. In total, there were eight bullets.; there was  “Break”, which did as the name implied, “Move”, which turned on electronics and made certain objects move in one direction, “Detect” which was a special black light locator that could see many important things, such as the visuals of the bodies taken from the battle grounds. “Burn” which set things alight. “Link”, her personal favorite, was for hacking into any system or machine and taking full control. But it would have to be upgraded to use properly. “Knockback”, “Paralyze” and “Dance” were all self explanatory. 

But the bullets didn’t matter to her. To her, the only thing that mattered was the signature. A small golden gear on the bottom of the megaphone’s handle. Very small, but it wasn’t completely unnoticeable. You’d just have to be looking for it. 

There was no doubt. Ceri’s Sigil wasn’t growing weak. Uncle Regi was still alive. And most likely in the hands of the Game Master. 

The question remained; why did her uncle send her the link? Did he truly believe she could figure out the truth behind D-Game and end it for good? Or was it perhaps....

She pushed the thought out of mind. The idea of her papa in the middle of D-Game scared her as much as her dad and brother. Last thing she wanted was him to be in the middle of this. 

Ceri had been one of the first. A player who had been a part of the game since the old days. Back when phones were weaker and couldn’t hold that much space. He hardly talked about his time in the early days. All she knew was that he was very much not pleased at his children being dragged in. She could piece together clues, however, based on what little she knew about her dad’s past. No doubt in her mind. He was most likely used as a lab rat for the beta version of D-Game. 

There was still so much she didn’t understand. But she had to hurry and learn. The sooner she did, the sooner they could end the Game Master. 

As she began to look over her notes again, Odette noticed a few new notifications from the app. She rarely ever got them, outside of her closest allies. Curious, she opened them to take a look. The first wasn’t too interesting. It was an invitation to an upcoming Event. A Treasure Hunt, it seemed. It would begin in one week’s time in Shinjuku. Plenty of time to prepare. 

The only other notification was from Yasu, an informant she’d been introduced to via Clement. A delightful lady, if somewhat nervous. Her Sigil allowed her to switch appearances with anyone, and even see into their memories. A useful power, when applied correctly. The message from her was short, yet simple. Two updates, completely separate from each other in correlation. No doubt gathered at the same time. Both equally bad news.

“An A-10 player just flew in today and already took down one of the Triads in the greater Shibuya area, and is heading your direction. The Kitamura Yakuza group is also heading in the direction of the Touch-Off Clinic with a bazooka.”

“Shit.” Odette pulled up the call feature on app, grabbed the Hacking Gun, and prepared to head out. She needed to warn the others. Dialing Clem, knowing he’d be up late right about know, she hurried toward them.

Come on. Come on. Pick up, dammit!

Click. 

“Odette.....”

Her blood ran cold. His voice sounded so weak. “Clem?! Clem, what’s going on?!”

He laughed. A gentle, tired sound. A resigned sound. “Yasu and I are hiding. I’m debating on how to create an opening for her and Atsuko to escape. Kasumi’s gone at the moment, so it’s just us.....I....” He laughed again, defeat laced in every utterance. “I fucked up.....I only got one potion left.....”

“I have more! I’m coming right now, and I’ll call Harper and get them to come help!” Her hands gripped her phone tighter. “You’re not allowed to die, do you hear me?! I forbid it! You aren’t allowed to die unless I say so!” 

Silence. The faintest echo of fighting in the background, but Clement was silent nonetheless. Sickening. Heavy. Chilling silence. 

“....I guess I better take that potion then. Hope you brought enough to get me walking again.”

She smirked. “Who do you think I am?”

“The world’s most formidable genius?”

“And don’t you fucking forget it.”

Once they finished the call, Odette sent Harper a quick message and continued on her way. The world around her slowed and flickered, a light golden hue overlaying everything as her Sigil began working out the fastest route. 

Laplace, based on the concept of Laplace’s Demon, was a skill that Odette had been granted upon joining D-Game. It allowed her to see the trajectory of everything around her. She often likened it to being able to calculate her very future with how precise she was able to use it. 

Once her path was set, Odette snapped her fingers, and soon she began to speed up. A simple boost she was able to obtain, but it had limited number of uses and a twelve hour cooldown. A total of fifty uses. This was use number four. 

She was incredibly careful. 

Twisting, turning, zooming through the streets, she almost didn’t stop in time as she approached the location of the clinic. The back ally that lead to it was a wreck. There were all sorts of men in various states of protective gear and fine suits wielding guns and pipes. Taking aim with the megaphone, a single use of the Knockback feature sent several of them falling. A few falling into the pipes in their comrades’ hands. A shot from Paralyze into the puddles nearby sent enough of a shockwave through the men nearby that they all passed out. Remaining ones she managed to hit with Dance, and they were powerless to resist the urge. 

Get to the others. Get to the others. Get to the others. Laplace. Get me to the others!

A golden line showing the safest way to avoid the attackers presented itself, and she bolted through the crowd to the front entrance of the main building. 

The sight before her was frightening. The doors had been knocked off the frame. The windows smashed in. There was debris everywhere. Atsuko was tending to an injured Yasu, who was struggling to hold up the revolver she carried. 

And Clement, who sounded so weak over the phone, was still standing. But his shirt was tattered. His hat had flown off somewhere. And there was a massive shard of glass buried into his shoulder as a gun was pointed to his head. 

There was no way she could use the hacking gun here now. Not without risking Clement getting shot. 

“I’m only going to ask you one more time, brat,” the man growled. “Where. Is. Renegade?”

Clement glared at the man, teeth bared like a wild dog. “Go to hell!”

The bastard smirked. “I’ll take you with me then.”

“Drop the gun!” 

Odette knew it was dumb. Aiming the Hacking Gun at this man wasn’t going to work Just one glance and she could tell he was out of their league. She’d seen his profile in her research. An A-11 player who went by the name Sharktooth. His Sigil was rumored to be some sort of telekinesis. An incredibly powerful variant at that. But no one lived to tell the tale, so she had no idea what to expect from him. 

But she had to try. 

The man looked over his shoulder, his expression bored, tired, and incredibly unimpressed. “This is the cavalry? Pity. I wanted a challenge.” He reached into his jacket and drew another gun, aiming it directly at the Hacking Gun. “One bullet from this ought to bring you down a peg. Now be a good little girl and kneel.”

“Fuck you,” she hissed, setting the gun to Break. 

It would probably kill the man, and there was a slight chance Clem would be caught in the blast. But she knew him. She knew he’d rather die than let some creep destroy the clinic. He’d die before letting someone like this lay hand on Atsuko. 

She had to try. 

Farewell, Clement. 

“How dare you treat my friends so shamefully.”

The sound of music filled the air as a soft, ethereal blue glow filled the ally. Odette couldn’t help but lower her weapon as she watched the vestiges of chains slither from the ground and walls into the air. Little charms that resembled music notes dangled from the links, sparkling like stardust in the gleam of night. 

As she looked around, her eyes were drawn to the rooftop, where a figure with emerald eyes stared down at them from their perch. Dressed in a fine, black button up with white dress pants and dark boots, an oversized coat with gold trim, and ruffles of a jabot pinned in place with a bright, shining amethyst. Their hair was in a neat, symmetrical bob, with straightened bangs and not a single strand out of place. It took her only a moment to notice that the music was coming from the phone poking out from the breast pocket. 

And here I thought pompous pricks like this only existed in manga. Turns out, the bastards show up in real life too. Fucking great. 

“You all might want to look away,” the stranger warned. “This is not going to be lovely.”

Clement wasted no time, circling around and managing to get to Odette just before he could be shot, not even registering her protests as he pulled her out of the path of the chains and over to Atsuko. 

The stranger raised a hand over them, elegantly gliding their fingers about as they conducted the chains around the enemy forces. The chains tightened around limbs, disarming those with weapons and tossing some aside. 

“Unchained Melody, Final Cadence. Waltz of Death.”

The first twist was the most terrifying. It came without warning. The scream that followed was agonizing to listen to. And as much as Odette tried to, her mind wouldn’t agree. She could not look away as the chains pulled and turned in time with the melody. Moving the attacking clan in such deliberate breaks in a disturbing, deathly dance. 

Anyone still holding something even resembling a weapon were dropping them quickly. Armor that had been purchased or won to protect their bodies were now tools of torture, cutting and bending into their bodies in unnatural ways at odd angles, ensuring their deaths would not be painless. 

Before she knew it, there was something covering her eyes. Red. Soft. Well made knit. A gentle arm wrapped around her. 

“Don’t look.”

She was still facing the direction of the carnage. But now she could no longer see it. The music began to crescendo into a booming orchestra, burying the sound of the rival clan under percussion and string. 

When the sound came to an end, Odette looked up from beneath the hat. There were blocky outlines of where bodies once were. And standing before her, looking between all four of them, was the stranger from the rooftop, having dropped from his perch with a welcoming yet calculated smile. 

“It’s him,” Yasu muttered. “The A-10 player from Europe. Maestro.”

The lad smiled. “Flattered you know my handle. But please, call me Viktor. Viktor Darnell, at your service. I hope we can work together.” He gave a slight bow, but that only helped in sending him completely to the ground, passed out in a daze. 

Odette sighed. “Napping is fine, but he could have at least helped us clean up first....”

[myselfinserts]

‘what’s so high quality about this stuff?’

In D-Game, there are certain perks you can get when you earn enough points and rise enough ranks. Ranks start at the bottom with the D-Tier Rank, and end with the top being in A-Tier. Once you met certain qualifications, you’d be assigned a higher number rank. The lowest rank, D99, is where all players start. Once you hit D0, you gain the privilege's to enter C-Tier. Very few players decide to stay at D0. Those that do are considered oddballs and are usually avoided. 

The lowest ranks of every Tier were simple; D-99, followed by C-999, then B-9999, and finally A-99999. A1 is the highest rank anyone can reach, but there has yet to be any player alive with that rank. Some believe that reaching this rank would end the game for good. But most decent players average out between C-500 and B-1. Most players were fine with that. 

After all, once you hit B-2, you gain the privilege to create a Clan. 

Clans were simple enough of a concept. Similar to that of guilds in most MMOs. There were no limits in D-Game as to who can join a Clan, other than you need to be sent an invite to join by the person in charge of it. But only platers ranked B-2 and higher are allowed to form one. As a result, there are plenty of shady ones out there, praying on weaker players. Turf wars were very common. Death and injury were part of the every day. 

However, there was only one place considered a “safe zone”. A neutral ground of sorts. Any fighting there would result in termination. 

The number one rule of the Touch-Off Clinic; you did not, under any circumstances, piss off the Doctor.

Atsuko let out a sigh, adjusting the stethoscope around her neck as she finished the check up on a D30 player. She had been playing the game for almost a year now, and the Touch-Off Clinic had been in operation for five months. She’d formed it not long after leaving Team Inseki, but in that short amount of time, she had managed to amass quite the list of clientele. Not bad for a B-1, she’d often thought, until she saw one morning that her rank had risen to A-500. 

Admittedly, she was a little disappointed. She didn’t like having such a high rank. A high rank like that meant she’d always have people picking fights with her. She was lucky most of them surrendered within the last five minutes of a Battle. There was a reason she used to be one of Team Inseki’s Top 3 Aces. 

She was impossible to catch. 

“Well,” she sighed. “I finished patching you up, and I gave you a full physical. I’m going to have to suggest you go to one of the specialty Clans and join them as soon as possible, ma’am. You’re gonna want to lay low and form allies over the next year.”

The player scowled at her. “And why the hell should I do that? I have to get a higher rank if I wanna get out of debt. I can’t do that if I stay in hiding. ”

“There are a few clans where that is possible. And I’m only saying this because the alternative is that two will die if you lose D-Game.”

It took a moment, but the realization finally hit the player. “H-how far along?”

Atsuko shrugged. “You’re about nine weeks in. If you don’t want to keep it, I can provide you resources. I can also provide resources if you do wish to keep it. I just need your answer.”

“.....my husband and I have been trying for months. I can’t....I can’t give it up.....”

With a nod, Atsuko reached into the desk and pulled out a blue binder, handing it off to the player. “This binder will last up to 48 hours. Read it over and choose your options. Get in contact with who you need. If you run out of time before you’re able to make a choice, come back and I’ll provide you another. Okay? Try not to die in the meantime.”

The patient nodded and took her leave, leaving Atsuko to go over paperwork and check the payment. Lower level players always paid in points. And this one had a decent amount saved up, all things considered. 

Once payment was settled, she spent her time looking over the medications in the pharmacy. Most of them were basic over the counter ones she had mass ordered. Others were substances that were very strong and in need of hard control. She was the only one allowed to access these, and the entire pharmacy was set up to explode if her account ever read “dead”. 

Though sometimes she wanted to blow it up herself, looking at the protein and vitamins the game provided her. 

“What’s so high quality about this stuff?” she grumbled. “There’s gotta be better stuff in the marketplace.”

“Want me to look into better drugs?”

“No, it’s fine. I can make do with what we have.” Atsuko looked over her shoulder, smiling at the two who were sitting at the table nearby. “How’d the latest scuffle end, Clem?”

Clement shrugged, holding up a bag from a nearby convenience store. “They bought us dinner in exchange for letting them live. I took the loss, but they were honorable in their victory.”

Kasumi rolled her eyes, holding up a box for the next gen console. “Yeah, yeah, you got food. But I got the entertainment.”

“Both are vital to a good night in.” She locked up the medicines and quickly closed up shop. The doors wouldn’t open for non-clan members unless someone was in desperate need of medical care. “Where’d you get the console? Marketplace?”

“Work. They want me to playtest it a bit. Should be ready for next holiday season, but I’m gonna mark down any kinks and send them along.” Kasumi took the system over towards the stairs, motioning for the others to hurry up. “Come on. It’s been a hell week. And we need to rest before the big Event next week.”

Events. Atsuko hated those the most. They were nothing more than a culling of players. An urn of insects killing each other to survive. And as useful as her Sigil was, Atsuko didn’t like using Blood Claw during these things. She didn’t like using them in general. 

But she had to. She was Dr. Touch-Off now. She had an obligation to use her power to help in whatever little way she could. 

It isn’t enough though. I can’t keep doing this without better protection. I’m a player, but I’m also just a kid. I only just started middle school. What to do.....

Atsuko took a seat next to Kasumi as Clem finished connecting the system, lightly resting her head on her shoulder. The soft scent of lavender and pet dander was radiating off her. And there was a hint of something different. Something unfamiliar, and yet, she knew it. 

“You ran into Sorley today, didn’t you?”

Kasumi smiled, wrapping an arm around her. “Yeah, I did. He’s really enjoying the perk he got during the Stampede Run.”

“That’s good...”

“....Atsu, how many patients did you see today?”

“Hmh, in total?” she yawned. “About sixty-three, I think? Four A ranks, fifteen B ranks, thirty-two C ranks, and twelve D ranks. The last one in here was a D rank and I had to give her a Blue File. I also had to fight about seventeen idiots today. One of them almost went poof because I wouldn’t let them plant a dumb flag.”

The Flag Game was the worst Battle in her opinion. It was the only one that ended in “stupid” death. Events, Encounter, and Class Match Battles were average. Expected in the battle royal genre of the games she often played in what little down time she had. A typical battle to the death to be anticipated and navigated. The Flag Game was the one that ended in  even more needless bloodshed than usual. You plant a flag in an open area, and you have to guard it for thirty minutes. If someone else has a flag in place, you have to find it and destroy it first. As a result, a lot of people fought over it. The perks of having a Clan Flag in place were nice. Your Clan accumulates a “tax” and earns points from having the Flag in place. Sometimes a Flag was a difference between life and death. 

But the death to get there wasn’t worth it, in her opinion. 

“I think I wanna find an ally to take over guard duty,” Atsuko finally mumbled, her sight growing blurry. “I don’t wanna have to keep fighting dumbasses when I can be healing people....”

Kasumi nodded, lightly playing with the light red strands of Atsuko’s hair. “Take a nap, dear. we’ll work on that later.”

Atsuko gladly accepted that offer, and soon her world faded to black. 

[myselfinserts]

“Will someone please just explain what the hell is up with this place?”

The rules of D-Game are considered simple. Upon entering the app, you are given a Sigil and a base amount of points. Using these powers, you are to face others in either Encounter Battles or Class Match Battles. Upon defeating an opponent, you receive a certain amount of points. Points can be exchanged for perks, services, and funds. Upon losing all points, or losing a battle, your life is considered forfeited. The only way to survive a Battle is to either kill your opponent, run out the clock, or surrender.

You cannot leave D-Game. And talking about the game openly and exposing it to those outside of the game is strictly prohibited. Both result in a Game Over, and instant death.

These are all things Les wished he knew before pressing the stupid link. If he'd known, he'd have planned better. Ideally, he wouldn't even press the link. At the very least, he'd have some idea what he'd be getting himself into. He could have prepared a weapon. An escape plan. Maybe even have an ally.

Instead, he was stuck running around for dear life in the middle of a shopping mall late at night, with a crazed killer in a giant weasel costume chasing him with a machete.

"Dammit! I did not sign up to audition for a Willy's Wonderland remake! Get me the hell out of here!"

Les couldn’t understand it. He had expected maybe a 1v1 match with button pressing. Not this. Never this. As he ran up the frozen escalator, thanking the heavens for making the weasel suit a little bottom wide and hard to run in, he tried to think of a solution. He knew he had to get out of there and fast. The question was how. 

Come on, Les, think! What would Eira do? What would Odette do? Maybe I should call someone? Maybe Alberi could do something. But....but, Harper would just bash the poor weasel’s brain in. I don’t wanna kill the guy or anything. I just want him to leave me alone. Dammit!

He didn’t dare glance at his phone. Using the app allowed other players to use the search function. If he were to hide, he’d need to make sure no one could find him. He knew he couldn’t surrender either. He only had about 15 points left that day. He’d spent enough for a month long hide as well as supplies. He’d planned on sneaking out to gather points at one of the underground gambling rings at one of the amusement parks. Places for players with very little skill to get points easy. 

And the moment he set foot outside his hiding spot, he got cornered in a mall. 

Just my luck. 

As he reached the top and turned a corner, he nearly skidded to a halt in fright as he saw a man in a different costume. This one was a turtle. A snapping turtle. He knew that much thanks to a certain animal fanatic. And by the looks of his claws, he was deadly in the suit. 

“Dammit all! Will someone please just explain what the hell is up with this place?”

Les sprinted forward more, wishing for a lucky break as he lunged. A simple kick towards the groin and another to the head sent the guy falling before he had a chance to attack. He jumped over the body and turned tail into one of the nearby shoe shops. A tacky little place that catered to the “skater bro crowd”. Or at least attempted to. He quickly grabbed a duffle bag and managed to put four boards into it before having to zip it up and carry two more under his arms. 

He wasn’t very good at skateboarding, but his skills were serviceable, and it was better than nothing. 

Once he was sure the coast was clear, he quietly tip toed out of the shop and made his way towards the other side of the second floor, hoping to find a different exit. 

Surprisingly quiet. I think I can-

“FOUND YOU!”

Les looked to his left, just in time to see a man in a gorilla costume  carrying a large ax charging at him. Without thinking, he threw one of the skateboards, feeling a wave of relief as it hit the masked man in the face and broke in half. He quickly threw the other one onto the ground as he ran, using the momentum to send himself flying once his feet hit the wood. 

The duffel is really making this difficult. But, if I didn’t grab it-

He continued kicking to build more speed as the gorilla and the weasel started to catch up to him. The turtle was still on his back all the way back towards the skate shop. As far as he was aware, there were five mascots at this mall. Two were chasing, and one was down for the count. 

Just gotta keep going. If my timing is right, I should only have five minutes left. I have to run out the clock!

Les jumped up, getting ready to shred down the escalator hand rails, only to immediately wish he hadn’t. He could see the remaining mascots, an ostrich and a chameleon, waiting for him at the bottom. 

“Oh god.”

A long tongue came shooting out at him, while the head of the ostrich was following not far behind as the neck began to extend. Les leaned back, just barely managing to miss massive damage and only getting a slight scrape to the cheek from the ostrich beak. He grabbed the strap of the duffel and swung it around, hard enough to knock the head off the bird and send him tumbling down the rest of the way. The board he was on flew forward, hitting the chameleon directly in the mouth and sending them to the floor. 

Landing at the bottom, Les quickly scrambled up, reaching into the bag to grab another board. One kick. Two. And soon his momentum was rebuilt and he was spinning around towards one of the back exits. 

Please, let me out of here. Please!

Just as he was about to make it to the end, an arm hit him in the gut knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground. Everything in his vision spun. He could barely make out a the outline of someone dressed as a fairy type creature. 

Oh.....right..... they were gonna add a sea sprite to the mall, weren’t they?....

Slowly, most of the remaining mascots started making their way over to him. He tried to move, but the sprite roughly stomped on his arm, threatening to break bone. 

“You killed Ozzy,” the sprite chided. “That wasn’t very nice. He’s a good bird.”

Wait....Ozzy? 

Les barely managed to crane his neck, just in time to see the hard light cubes surround the body of the person in the ostrich costume. Blood had been seeping from the neck wound where he’d knocked the head off. He felt sick.

I....I killed someone?.....

“Now we’re gonna kill you as payback. But it will not be quick, lovely. ”

Everything felt numb. But he didn’t care anymore. He’d done the one thing he’d hoped to never do in the game. And now, these people were going to waste their time toying with him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the pain. 

I’m sorry, dad. I won’t be able to find you now.....

“Oh, FUCK!”

Les’s eyes shot open, just in time to realize the sea sprite had gotten off him and he was able to stumble away. The blue, razor sharp hard light cubes were surrounding the mascots, cutting away at their bodies in chunks as they vanished. He pulled out his phone just in time to see the result. Based on his score, he’d won the fight against the Mascot Mob.

His artistry stat had saved him. 

“You little bitch!” the weasel screamed. “When I get reborn I’m gonna kill you! You hear me?! In the next life, you’re dead meat!!!” 

Les couldn’t help but look at them in pity. 

“.....You shouldn’t have wasted time and killed me when you had me.”

Once they had vanished and the blocky cuts in the ground and along the walls remained in their place, Les picked up the duffel bag, put in his earphones,  and started making his way to the exit. 

He just walked. 

And walked. 

And walked. 

He ignored the sirens passing by. He knew they couldn’t see him. Police couldn’t get involved in Darwin’s Game unless they were players, and even then, they had to adhere to the rules. Same as anyone else. 

When he made his way to the station, there was already someone waiting there for him. Dressed in a casual yet cute lavender kimono, carrying a blanket in her arms as she tilted her head sadly at him. Reluctantly, he removed his headphones to talk. 

“Did you get them?” she asked. 

“You mean the Triad? Yeah.” He reached into the duffel and pulled out three of the skate boards. “It wasn’t easy, Kasumi. I honestly don’t think I should have gotten out of there alive.”

Kasumi nodded, holding up her phone to take a closer look through the ARG setting of her camera. “I noticed you didn’t open your app until the Battle ended. That was a risky move. You might not have found the right items.” She smiled fondly and showed him the result on her screen. The skateboards appeared to be silver, gold, and bronze , each encrusted with matching jewels. “You got lucky.” 

He sighed in relief. “Not bad for the only player not to have a Sigil, huh?”

“No. Not bad at all. Now.....” She wrapped the blanket around him, taking the duffel bag from him. “Are you sure you want to keep being solo?”

“......let me pack my things. I’ll send you the coordinates to my hide out. I still have a month lease on the cloak feature. You guys can stop there as needed until it runs out.”

“Sounds like a deal.”

With a brief hug, Les parted ways with Kasumi, making his way back to his hide out to sleep and recover. 

The sun was starting to rise. 

[myselfinserts]

I just sit back and watch you make a fool of yourself

Darwin’s Game. A free to play mobile app game where you can only be invited to join in. Upon joining, you are bitten by the snake mascot, and given a special power known as a “Sigil”. The Sigils can be almost anything, from teleportation to mind manipulation to even elemental control. Nobody knows what their Sigil is going to be until they try to use it. Using a Sigil is said to come as naturally to a player as breathing or blinking. Almost a primal instinct in some cases. 

For some, their powers allow them super speed. Others have the ability to manipulate ice and snow. Some have rare healing abilities. And there have been some that say that certain players are given the ability to tell truth from lie. 

Clement Gladstone liked to think he got lucky with his Sigil. After all, being able to pull weapons from his hair was rather handy. 

That is, if he knew how to use them. 

According to his profile, “Hephaestus's Prop Calendar” was the power he had been granted. On certain days he could pull certain items from his hair freely. If a major holiday was happening, he’d often get an item that aligned with the holiday. It was very difficult to explain to his mother where he got a Candy Cane Sword-Cane, but he managed to lie his way into keeping it. 

The problem was there was never a guarantee he’d pull something useful. He got at most twenty pulls a day, if that. Sometimes the item is so big it requires more than one try. But the order of what kind of item he’d get was always the same. 

Mondays and Tuesdays were weapon days. He’d always pull something like knives, swords, stun guns, and such on those days. 

Wednesdays were “armor” days. These were usually things like coats, pants, boots. Any article of clothing really. A lot of it name brand. He was able to donate quite a few pieces to shelters over the last few months thanks to this day. Occasionally, he’d get actual military grade equipment. He saved those for when he absolutely had to fight. 

Thursdays were the healing item days. He’d get less on these days, but what he’d get would be special. Bottles of healing potion. Sandwiches that never rotted that gave you a boost in strength and agility. Candy with special perks. He had a good stash in his room and several hiding places all over the city. He’d sometimes sell a location for points to particularly good people. But that was rare. 

Friday, surprisingly, was a vehicle day. He’d pull an envelope with a location and a photo of whatever vehicle he had. It was tricky selling a few of those without suspicion. Thank god for the market place in D-Game for that one. He kept a few of them though. The motor bike with the side car was his favorite. 

Saturdays were a little different. He could pull almost anything from the previous days, but it could only happen during events or battles. Sometimes he’d engage in battles with friends in order to trade. Whatever he pulled for the points. He was a high ranked player because of this, but not anything impressive. A simple B9 rank. 

Sundays were the day he hated the most, though. He never knew what he’d pull on Sundays. Sometimes it was just a yo-yo. Other times it was a pretty good skate board. But sometimes it was items he’d have to contact the Information Broker to help him figure out. One time he got a strange pair of bats that Harper Alberi gladly made into their own signature weapon. Another time he got a bunch of small cubes that he learned could carry almost anything. Like having a small pocket dimension in place of a purse. Those sold for a pretty penny, but he kept a few for himself and his closest allies. 

And today seemed to be one of those days. A day where he’d sit on a roof looking over the item in hand, trying to figure out what the fuck it was. 

Clement looked over the gun in his hand carefully, trying to figure out what prompted his Sigil to summon such a piece. It was heavy, black with blue trimmings, and in the shape of a megaphone. The dial on the side had several settings, each a differing color and with a symbol he could use to make a guess as to what they meant. Yellow lightning bolt? Must have been electric powers. A flame? Fire, obviously. But what about the music note in pink? Was there seriously some kind of music function on this thing? Was the purple magnifying glass some kind of search feature? And what was with the rainbow infinity symbol?

His phone wasn't much help in this case either. At best, all it had was the name of the weapon and the number of bullets available. There was also a warning that it had to recharge every 24 hours. There wasn't any explanation on how it was supposed to be used.

"An R-1 Edition Hacking Gun," he grumbled. "Well, if this is going to be my main weapon for now, I better go find someplace to test it. Damn. I was hoping for a sword…." He shrugged and started making his way down the fire escape, pulling out his phone and pressing the call button. It was a relief when it picked up. “Afternoon.”

A distorted sound crackled through the speaker. “What did you pull today?”

“Getting right to it,” he laughed. "I like that quality in a friend. So Duckie-"

"Don't call me Duckie,” chided the voice. “Only certain informants call me Duckie.”

"Sorry…."

"….You can call me Odie, today. Now get your ass seven blocks down. Northwest. I need to see that item you pulled."

Clement smiled fondly. "Sure thing, Odie. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“What exactly did you pull today, anyway? It looks like a megaphone of some kind.”

“Watching me through security cameras again?” He shook his head. “Do you just like seeing me that much?”

“No, it’s for pure entertainment. You tend to get into stupid fights on Sundays, so I just sit back and watch you make a fool of yourself until you need me to send in a rescue.”

“Ouch. You wound me.” Clement started making his way toward the the meeting point. “It looks like a megaphone/gun fusion. It’s called the “R-1 Edition Hacking Gun.” I think you’re supposed to set the dials and then shoot.”

“....”R-1, huh?”

Clem stopped. “What? Does that sound familiar?”

“......no. Just thinking. Hurry up.” 

Clement shrugged. “Okay.”

The walk was a lot quicker than he expected. Perhaps it was just because the blocks in this part of town were smaller. Or maybe it was because he was used to walking these streets now. But it didn’t take long for him to find his way to an old parking garage that was set for demolition in a week. Everyone around the area was gone. Most of the security cameras in the vicinity were either taken down or broken beyond repair. On the chain blocking off entry, there was a note that said “Come to the Tenth Level”. 

If it were anyone else, he’d turn around and say “fuck it”. 

But Clement knew that the information broker, the “uglyduckling” as they’re labled, wasn’t the type to lay traps for him.

No. Odette Allard would rather punt him into the sun personally. 

Once he got to the tenth level, he was surprised to see how empty it was. No one seemed to be present. There was the familiar buzzing of a drone, so he knew someone had to be nearby. In the center of the vast parking lot, standing limply, was some kind of metal mannequin. Its eyes glowed a soft red. 

Okay. Maybe Odette doesn’t want to punt me personally. She wants me to die by the robot. 

“I don’t plan on killing you,” the voice grumbled. 

Clement chuckled. “Are you a mind reader?”

“No. You’re just a musical theater major.” 

The robot started moving in closer. 

“Use the gun on the robot. It’s designed to take a tank head on, so go ahead and go all out.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “What do I start with?”

“The obvious stuff. Obviously.”

“Right.” 

Without even thinking, he bolted forward, turning the dial to the electric symbol and taking aim just in time for the robot to come at him with a kick. He ducked and pulled the trigger, eyes widening as he was thrown back. He hadn’t prepared for the recoil. It knocked his red beanie clear off and a few feet away.

A ball of lightning shot out from the front of the megaphone, electrocuting the robot the moment it made contact. Once the static began to wear off, it took no time to recover and start charging at him again. 

Clement muttered a curse and turned to grab his hat. After managing to get back on his feet, he tried to circle around the robot, looking over the different dials. Switching it over to the flame one, he quickly took aim and began to fire. 

The fireballs that shot out from the megaphone weren’t nearly as strong as the lightning, just barely grazing the robot and leaving small singes. On a human, though, it must have been pretty hot. Something like this would easily burn the skin clean off a person. 

A few quick dodges and he managed to slide under the robot’s legs, turning over just in time to hit it with the music note. 

He didn’t expect the robot to stop fighting and begin break dancing.

“What the fuck?” he laughed. “This seems like something that-”

“Look out behind you, Clemmy-clue~!”

Clement snapped to attention and managed to roll out of the way just in time for Harper to slam the pinker of the bats down onto the ground, leaving a decent sized crater in his place. “What the actual FUCK, Alberi?!”

Harper laughed, hands gripping to the bats in their hands tightly. The pink one was bright, frilly, and covered in nails in between the sakura pattern that seemed to leave petals in the place it had hit. The one in barbed wire had a more mellow, lunar feel to it. Covered in constellations that seemingly moved on their own. “So we got a Paralyzer, a Burn, and a Dancer button. Pick something else before I actually initiate a proper battle!”

Without thinking, Clement turned the dial and took aim as Harper lunged at him. He pulled the trigger and closed his eyes. 

Please be something good.

BANG!

When he opened them again, Harper had crashed into a nearby pillar, the bats fallen to the ground and scattering petals and stardust where they fell. He quickly checked the dial, to see it was on a soft teal, with a baseball bat on it. 

“Oh, I get it. Either this is an anti-Harper button, or this is a kind of knock back function. Wish it wasn’t so damn vague.”

Not wanting to let Harper get the chance to recover, he quickly switched it to the purple magnifying glass. When he turned it on and saw the light reveal some disturbing stains on a nearby wall, he quickly turned it off. 

Black light. Got it. 

He turned on the green dial, not expecting much. All it seemed to be was an “on” switch, but he wasn’t sure if it turned things on, or if it was the way to activate the gun. Deciding to try it, he quickly ran in the direction of the old elevator. The power had been out for ages, but if his hunch was right-

“Come back here!”

Clement glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened as he saw the robot and Harper both coming at him. He took aim at the elevator and pulled the trigger again. 

As soon as the small green ball of electricity hit the button, the old shaft lit up and let out a soft ding. 

“Alright! All that’s left is-”

“Hyah!” 

He turned on his heel and slid under the bat, just barely missing the tip of his nose as he rolled and moved to start running up to the eleventh floor. There were only two buttons left. One with a dark blue, broken glass design, and the other the rainbow infinity symbol. 

Something told him not to use the blue setting yet. 

Hearing the sound of the robot behind him, Clem switched to the infinity, said a silent prayer, and took aim. 

When the blast hit the robot, it froze in place and turned around. A small screen with buttons on opposite side of the dial lit up, and Clement could see through the “eyes” of the robot. In the upper left corner was a timer, and pressing a few of the buttons began to make the machine move. 

“Okay, I get it. This is a hacking feature. Then this last button must be-”

He hadn’t noticed the time had run out until the robot was practically on top of him. Harper wasn’t far behind, a bloodthirsty grin beaming from their face. 

Clement switched the megaphone to the final setting and aimed. 

In a strong blast of blue, the robot shattered into a thousand pieces. 

Harper skidded to a halt, all joy having vanished from their eyes, replaced by indignant annoyance. “What the hell, man?! Trainee-bot didn’t do shit to ya!”

Clem let out a sigh and collapsed to the ground, laying on his back in exhaustion. “Are we done?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Clem glanced up as he saw Odette coming down the steps of the fire escape, motioning the drone back over to her direction. “So? What’d you think, Odie?”

Odette said nothing as she approached, waiting until she’d taken the megaphone in hand. “I think that I’ll be holding onto this. I’ll trade you however many points I think it’s worth.”

He simply smiled. “Keep it. Consider it a gift from “Fiero”.”

“You need a better handle, you brainless bouffant.” 

“Nah, I think it works for me.”

Odette smirked. “Fair enough. You owe me a training robot anyway.”

[myselfinserts]

“Don’t forget who’s in control.”

The glimmer of the moonlight filled the room from the little window that he'd allowed himself to have in this lab. His hands were shaking as he held the weapon in hand, aimed at the attacker. Everything hurt. His entire body was burning in pain. But he couldn't leave yet. The computer was almost done sending everything to the backup location.

But his attacker didn't seem to care. Thin, claw-like structures faded out from their skin in a sickly purple color. They were toying with him. Ready to slice him to bits, surely. But wanting to savor every moment.

Good. Let them savor trying to kill me. I just need a little more time.

"Well, Renegade?" the attacker hissed. "Are you going to do something or not? Hehehe….If you want, I can let you call in a friend to help. Though I doubt they'd get here in time." They gasped sarcastically, pouting as if trying to feign pity. "Oh, that's right. You have no friends in D-Game, do you?"

Regi winced. This wasn't entirely true. He only had one. But he couldn't reach out to him. There was no way Ceri would be able to face this bastard.

91%....92%......

"Don't worry," continued the assailant. "I promise, you won't have to worry too much. I'll make sure whoever misses you dies a quick death. They'll join you soon enough."

93%......dammit…… I'm gonna have to do this…..

"Give me one life line," Regi begged. "I'll invite a friend to the game. Just….please…..give me a fighting chance….."

Fall for my bluff. Please. Don't call it. Don't call it!

To his surprise, the spikes in the attacker's skin retracted. "Alright, Renegade. You get five seconds to send a help signal. Go on."

Regi sighed in relief, pulling out his phone and quickly looking through his contacts. He didn't have many options.

96%..... 97%.......

His fingers hovered over a familiar name.

98%......99%...... I'm sorry, old friend. I hope you can forgive me.

He clicked send on the invitation.

100%

Transfer Complete.

The spikes reappeared. "Times up. You're dead."

Regi smirked. "Don't forget who's in control, here. You made a massive error coming into my domain."

Static danced along the tips of his fingers as his eyes took on the familiar amethyst glow. His hair started pulling away from his ponytail, whipping about wildly as the machinery and wires around him started to fly. The weapon in his hand, a simple stun gun, started to come apart and merge with items that flew in his direction. It grew in size, changing shape until it resembled something similar to a megaphone.

Until the safety button was released.

"What the hell-?" the attacker began.

But with a single pull of the trigger. 

With a single, loud, unforgiving BANG!

It was over.

“You sure this is where she’s going to be?”

“Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“Many times. That’s why I’m asking.”

Harper let out a sigh, shrugging as they lightly spun their bat around their head. “I dunno what to tell ya, Odette. This feels like the only place that would be left that fits the M.O. of our missing Princess Prissypants.”

That much was true. “Alcyone” had been Eira’s favorite handle ever since they were younger. The brightest star in Messier 45. The name of one of the Pleiades, as well as many other women in mythology. It’d make sense that it’d be her handle in D-Game. 

Based on her intel, the Alcyone of D-Game was ranked in the Top 3 players world wide, well known for making her opponents surrender all but one of their points to her in exchange for their lives. Dressed in lace gowns and wielding a silver glaive, they called her “Witch of the North” due to the icy winds and vast snow that she leaves in her path. Dark blue hair, and eyes a bloody spinel. An elf of frozen death who stared at those beneath her frosty grip with almost pity. 

If the pretentious descriptors didn’t fit Eira’s M.O., nothing would. 

Reluctantly, Odette adjusted the scarf around her neck, staring at the abandoned warehouse before them. Normally she wouldn’t get involved with field work. But if this was Eira, there was no way she was leaving anything to chance. 

“Well, let’s go in then.” 

Harper let out a huff and ran at the door, using one good sized swing to knock the chains off. Once unlocked, the two stepped inside. 

The crunch of the snow beneath their feet was deafening. The cold far worse than any Estmund winter she’d experienced first hand. Something about this was different. Odette could almost taste the despair that paired with the sharp bite of cold. Razor blade tipped spires of ice filled the expanse of the floor, almost resembling a forest in winter. A few steps closer to one of them, and Odette could see inside. 

It was a player. A player who had fallen asleep. The bright screen of their phone had the end screen for “Surrender” glimmer in what little light  that emitted from the damaged fixtures around them. Several more seemed to surround the very center of the room, where a figure stood with weapon in hand, pointed at the face of a man who was only frozen from the neck down. 

“Damn,” Harper whistled softly. “I knew Eira could be scary when she wants to be, but this is a whole new level.”

“I fear the day she ascends the throne.” Odette kept walking towards the center of the room, not even bothering to look at the remaining players frozen in place. 

They were still alive for the moment, and that’s all that mattered. 

As they got closer, Odette noticed the dress that Eira had worn. It was knee length, black, with silver stars along the edge of the skirt. The sleeves were thick and ruffled. Almost big enough to flap like wings. Rather than ribbons in her hair, there was instead a lovely headband with an intricate constellation embroidered on top.  Most people couldn’t pull off such a casual gothic lolita style. But Eira managed to wear it well. 

“Dammit,” Eira hissed. “I told you already! Surrender to me, now! Or else!”

The player on the other end of her glaive shook his head. “No way in hell!” 

“If you want me to even consider taking the knee, you better offer something of equal value. If you have any information on the Game Master, you better spill it.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?! Die, you crazy bitch!”

Odette sighed. “No use trying to get him to talk. He’s just a patsy.”

Barely a blink, and the tip of a blade was barely an inch from her nose. She expected it. An instinct. Common in players who had spent too much time fighting to survive. She didn’t need her Sigil to predict it. Nor did she need it to predict the look of surprise on Eira’s face as she saw who she’d aimed her weapon at. 

“Odette? What the hell are you doing here?

Eira really is easy to read. How boring. “We’ve been looking for you for the last two months. You really gave us a scare, you know.”

Harper smirked, using their bat to lightly lower the glaive to the ground as they looked over at the player in ice. “You might wanna make a choice soon. I get the feeling you’re gonna be dead in about two minutes otherwise.”

The player didn’t reply. He simply spat in their direction. 

“Whatever. Your funeral.” They looked at Eira, an unusual softness in their voice. “Come on, Princess. You gotta come home.”

Eira’s grip tightened on her weapon. “No.....not until I get a clue to find Father.”

“You really think your strategy is going to work? You’re even more foolish than I thought.” Odette shook her head. “Please tell me you��re not that stupid.”

“Shut up! You still have both your dads! You have no idea-”

“-what it’s like? What it’s like to know that at any second your dad’s just going to up and vanish one day because some asshole with a phone app  and a small dick decided it was my dad’s turn to die? Yeah. Sure. I have absolutely no idea what that’s like.”

Eira went to argue, but instead turned away as her shoulders slumped. “.....sorry. That was dumb.”

“Very.” Odette reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder, gently pulling her back until she could wrap her arms around her. It wouldn’t stop her, but it’d make her hesitate if she tried to run. “Eira, come back with us. You don’t have to go home home yet. We have a hide out. At least get some rest so you don’t die of exhaustion. You’re no good to anyone dead.  Not me. Not yourself. And especially not Renegade.”

She didn’t want to have to initiate a battle, but if that’s what it would take, she would do it. But she wanted to at least try to talk her down first. 

To her surprise, Eira dropped her weapon, nearly collapsing to the ground as her shoulders began to shake. Her breathing shallow. Odette could just barely feel the warmth of tears falling on her hands. 

“I can’t stop,” Eira cried. “If I waste even a second-”

“It’s not a waste to look after yourself. You have plenty of points. You’ll be fine for a few days. Just come back with us, okay? We’ll figure it out.”

Harper reached down and picked up the glaive before turning Eira around and gesturing them to leave. As Odette pulled her along, she glanced over her shoulder just long enough to see the man in ice look at his phone, laughing defeatedly as the blocks started to break him apart, teleporting him away. 

Time’s up. 

Once they left the warehouse, Eira finally collapsed to her knees, crying herself hoarse as Harper and Odette held her steady. 

“....I hate this fucking game, Odie.....”

“....I know. I hate it too.”