righteousmusings

[righteousmusings]

@gambitsdesire​

sebastian regards the new world with little interest, the change of scenery and implied time period unphasing. the only thing he found himself concerned with, the presence and strength of his abilities, remained untouched. with little searching he found his allegiance to the young lord as strong as ever as well, the seal remaining finely etched into his skin. he regards it for a moment, black nails glinting under bright lights before he pulls on white gloves, head turning only slightly as if sensing the other nearby. 

his voice is even and light, unbothered, almost slightly humored when he intones, “ my, my, hasn’t anyone told you it’s rude to stare? “

[righteousmusings]

— SEBASTIAN MICHAELIS

Was that [SEN MITSUJI]? Oh no no, that was just [SEBASTIAN MICHAELIS], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [BLACK BUTLER]. They are [AGELESS/IMMORTAL] years old and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

how long has your character been here?

sebstian found himself in d.c. only two short days ago, although he’s always been one quick to adapt to new situations.

what is your character's job?

some things don’t change between realities and sebastian’s still ( and frightfully may always be at this point ) a butler to one ciel phantomhive.

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom?

i’m still struggling with this one but i’m going to currently say a slightly divergent end of season 1 to early season 2. i’m in the midst of my rewatch now so this is subject to change slightly through that and with plotting with the other current black butler characters.

has any magic affected your character?

unless you count being a demon teleported into a new reality near centuries from his last one, then no magic is currently affecting him.

[righteousmusings]

[righteousmusings]

LUKE SKYWALKER.

it’s an odd feeling, that things have been going downhill repeatedly and without any sort of chance that they’ll eventually turn around. luke is always someone that’s looked on the bright side of things, or tried to remain optimistic about anything that’s put before him as an obstacle. even when the weight of the entire galaxy was on his shoulders, feelings as if he was the only one who was capable to make things right again, there was still some sort of silver lining he could rely on. but here in the city, it’s grown more difficult to do so, and so he looks for the few ways in which he can find brief bits of relief. 

his drink is mostly empty by now, knowing that it’s a bad idea to drink alone like this - but it’s strange to drink around peter, considering the kid looks like he’s barely an adult. and he prefers to keep a low profile at the bar, keeping to himself and drinking just a few before anyone can recognize him as the president’s brother. at the new drink placed in front of him, luke went through the moment of confusion, before hearing the voice next to him. he turns and lets out a laugh, before holding the drink up as well in a mock cheers. “if that’s something worth celebrating, i’ve been cheating myself out of it for a while now,” he remarked, before taking a drink. “lucky you. congratulations on joining the club.” 

there was something really familiar about the man sitting next to him. 

dean couldn’t quite put his finger on it, some memories muddled and foggy from the trip over to this new reality but it was bothering the absolute hell out of him. he tried not to stare, doing his very damn best to keep it limited to side-eye glances and subtle turns of his neck. who was he? was he someone from home? someone he met briefly here? help would be great but there wasn’t anyone he knew to ask and he didn’t really feel like busting out with a ‘ do i know you? ‘ when the guy didn’t really seem to have any hint or recognition towards him. 

maybe he’d already had a drink too many.

dean’s response is a bit of a flat laugh in agreement, a sort of quiet solidarity floating there for a moment. he was starting to feel old which was kinda fucked up, the last four months feeling more like four years, aging him exponentially by the day. “ you gotta celebrate everything before you get geriatric, then people just start feeling bad for you and it sorta loses it’s charm. “

[righteousmusings]

LEE RANG.

he would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by the idea, that the stranger was so eager to let things happen as they may. rang had half a mind to agree with him, after all, he has managed to survive six hundred years of his miserable life so far, there was not much else that this d.c. curse that he spoke of could do to him. still, there was always a part of him that wouldn’t want to jinx it, because he’s been through enough.

he wish it were that easy. still, he can’t help but huff with a little amusement at the encouraging words he was given, glancing at the other out of the corner of his eye. “that’s where you’re wrong.” it was the familiar numbness that he looks forwards to, his sanity will always be an issue but as long as he didn’t have the energy to deal with it, then it was bearable. he turns slightly to give the other his full attention, his eyes narrowing on him. he looks human, but he’s been wrong before, his senses were dull when it came to this sort of thing. “i’ve been drinking since before you were born. it doesn’t make much of a difference anymore.”

.

something about ‘ before you were born ‘ just wasn’t sitting right with dean who decided with very little scrutiny that the man next to him looked maybe around the same age as himself at the oldest. of course, he knew about the whole ‘ supernaturals running rampant in d.c. ‘ thing, he’d been around long enough to have been forced to accept that whole ordeal. 

didn’t really mean he sought it out or was happy about it, though. 

he chose to forgo saying anything about it for a moment, that non-existent shred of sanity choosing to ignore it completely, opting instead to take another sip of his drink, voice perhaps a bit gruffer than before when he says, “ maybe you’re just not trying hard enough. “ and makes the decision to wave over another one. it was perhaps bold too, he thought, for the other to assume that dean himself was a slow-cooking mortal. sure, he had the whole very obvious gruff twenty-first century cowboy thing goin’ for him but if you counted the time in hell that technically added another forty years to his life. not that he particularly wanted to count that, but the little petulant voice in his head liked to try and be right about everything. “ the trick is right when you think you’ve had enough, have one more. is it healthy? not particularly, but if you’re never-aging, all-immortal or whatever you’re hinting at you shouldn’t be too worried about it. “

[righteousmusings]

OLIVIA BENSON.

The loud squeal had her instinctively reaching for her hip, only to remember to that she’s off-duty and therefore unarmed. Though, this proves to be a non-issue as it turns out to have just been an overzealous little kid playing with some others. Letting out a sigh, she relaxed back into the bench, and only then realized her hand was still on her hip. Rolling her eyes at herself, she moved her hand and as she placed both hands in her lap, she let her head drop forward.

“Has anyone figured out the magical ‘off-switch’ for work-brain yet?” she grumbled, before turning to give her benchmate a sheepish grin, knowing full well there was little chance that they hadn’t just witnessed her basically mime a failed attempt at heroics.

@hiddenstarters​

.

dean was more or less killing time. 

after being cooped up in a hotel room rifling through old dusty ass books for four months straight he was intent on getting air, feeling more pedestrian than ever wandering the streets while looking around only slightly more paranoid than usual. he still wasn’t entirely used to the open display of supernatural abilities, vampires and magic users wandering the streets, bending water and casually setting shit on fire. it was against everything he’d been raised to believe, the urge to grip tight to the demon-killing knife ( whether it would still kill demons in this dimension was up to the jury at this point ) hidden in the inside pocket of his jacket almost unbearable, but around here that sorta behavior could be a death sentence. 

not that death sentences were particularly unfamiliar to him, but after escaping purgatory he wasn’t really looking to get knifed again so soon.

eventually he sits down on a bench, fingers running through his hair with a throaty sigh, something of an inward chuckle. he hoped he wouldn’t be here long enough to get used to this.

it isn’t until she speaks that he notices the woman sat next to him and he nods a bit in appreciation, a hint of a smile gracing his features. “ i’m right there with ya, sister. if you figure it out make sure to give me a call. “

[righteousmusings]

SAANVI BAHL.

-

Saanvi glanced down at her watch and smiled to herself, glad to see that she was actually making really good time this morning. It was then that it dawned on het that today she was working at the research lab -for which she generally chose her own schedule- but had awoken and prepared for an early day at the clinic. Letting out a small sigh, she happened to glance up and catch sight of her favorite little coffee shop, figuring this whole mix up could still be salvaged as a nice little happenstance instead.

Walking in, she grinned to find out who was at the counter today. “Well if it isn’t my favorite barista,” she greeted with a smile as she approached the counter. “At ease soldier,” she teased, “Slow day?”

.

sokka’s irritation melts away and a smile creeps onto his face at the sight of the familiar customer. “ well, well, well look who’s back, can’t get enough of this hand-ground espresso, huh? “ he says with a raise of his eyebrows, a sort of teasing flirtation present in his tone. he lets out a little laugh, turning to start making her usual when he says, “ always a slow day, always a good day, you know the drill. “

[righteousmusings]

SAM MAEK JONG.

Sam had woken up in a cold sweat. He had a dream of being in a royal army, the Hwarang. Three other members beside him, and a crown prince in front of them, telling them to reveal who the hidden king was. Four peasants in front of him, about to die. One of which is the girl he loved.

He sees the sword about to fall, and then he feels himself starting to move, but someone else declares themselves the king. But that wasn’t right? He was the king. He knew he was. 

He shook his head. Just a dream. He wasn’t a king. He walked to his favorite bar. He looked older than he was so got in easily. He sat down and nodded at the guy. He smiles and grabs the drink, thanking him. “Today is day one for me.”

.

“ cheers to that. haven’t you heard? insanity is the road to salvation. “ dean’s voice drips with sarcasm, dry and almost bitter despite the lackluster humor in his tone. he notes that the guy looks young, but he really wasn’t one to say anything, having been drinking since practically diapers. besides, in a place like d.c. everyone had their reasons to be down a couple bottles, lost families, lost realities, new identities. hell, it was enough to make a nun down a shot or two.

normally he wasn’t the type of person to care about other people’s problems, but he was in the mood for company, to hear someone’s voice besides his own for once after weeks spent inside his own head. maybe it would be enough to drag him out of the hole of self pity he’d been stuck in the past few months, so he said, “ so what’s troubling you, kid? “

[righteousmusings]

AANG.

Aang was learning this city. He still had no idea what happened to the firelord. Did he defeat him? Was Aang in the afterlife after being defeated by him? He didn’t know and couldn’t find any answers. 

He was walking around. He’d found a place to stay with Azula, which was weird. He’d decided not to tell anyone about that honestly. He had to give her a chance, right? He would be teaching her soon how to firebend, and he wasn’t sure if he should, but he did promise.

He saw the stepped into the store and smiled when he was greeted, then stopped. “Sokka?”

.

he practically hurtled over the counter and to the front door, all but tackling his friend in the most absurd bear hug of all time. it was good to see a familiar face, the loneliness of living in a new world with lingering memories of people he feared he’d never see again bursting with joy and excitement at the sight of the monk. “ aang, you have no idea how happy i am to see you. " he said first, still squeezing the holy hell out of avatar incarnate.

“ where have you been? how long have you been here? i have so many questions i don’t even know where to start. “

[righteousmusings]

KATARA.

(¸.• ♛ → “it seems so, i mean, it is so strange that we haven’t seen each other before.” the brunette commented. but well, at least sokka was here now so it doesn’t matter anymore but she was wondering how was possible that they haven’t seen each other before. “i’ve been living with toph since i arrived and i’m still unsure about this place, it’s a bit hard to trust the unknown.” she has always been like that so it wasn’t a surprise to feel this way.

katara thought for a moment before answering. “like more than a year, actually.” but she can’t tell him exactly for how long because it’s been just so long. “the last thing i remember is being in ba sing se as well, celebrating, i went to sleep and i woke up here, no idea how that happened.”

.

“ so we got ripped out around the same time but arrived here separately? what, was i just floating in some primordial time soup for a couple years or what? “ that was some paradoxical stuff right there and he was having a hard time wrapping his head around it. maybe the old sokka, the plan guy, would be able to handle this tidbit of information but sokka the barista who’d done nothing but sit on his ass and play on twitter for the past year was suffering some sort of brain rot. he chose to move on from that topic, not sure he could hold his own in a conversation about parallel universes and time travel at the moment.

“ d.c. doesn’t feel all that big but i somehow managed to avoid my friends and family for over a year? that’s gotta just be bad luck. “

[righteousmusings]

ZUKO.

the phone in his hand was slightly charred, slightly shocked eyes hidden behind sunglasses as he stepped into the nearest public place. when it had caught fire, the result of a small burst of anger due to someone bumping into him rudely, he’d just sort of stared at it. it was one of those things that just happened sometimes, not that he knew how to control or even just make it happen naturally. there was an inkling, a slight knowledge that maybe if he gave it a shot, he could do it. but that would have to wait for a new phone. 

finally looking around the place, he recognized it was either a coffee house or a tea shop of some kind. the general vibe was there, though it lacked the logo or the blatant give away that he would have came to expect from it. figuring he’d figure it out as he went, he stepped up to the counter, pushing sunglasses up as he went, and slapping a $100 on the counter.

“ you have anything iced?”

.

for just a moment when his eyes lock on a familiar face, the new reality slips away from him, excitement bubbling from under the surface in the stretch of slightly widened eyes when he says, “ zuko? “ but then the other male’s quick following question stomps down his hope, the lack of recognition on his friend’s face, the casual tone of a customer to a worker. his expression falls almost imperceptibly, the aching, sick feeling of disappointment lodging itself in his chest and stomach. he clears his throat, eyes wandering to the money on the counter and the charred phone in the man’s hand.

some things never change. at least there was always that.

“ yeah, i can hook you up with something iced, you prefer bitter or sweet? “

[righteousmusings]

AZULA.

When he speaks she finally looks up, getting a good look at him. She sighed. “I don’t know you. But if it’s anything to do with Aang then sorry to say I can’t answer for that. I don’t remember anything about “home” or whatever you all like to call it.” She explains. 

She’d met Aang. Hell, they were even roommates now. He was confused about the place and she wanted to know more about her old life. And her powers. So she agreed to let him stay with her. 

She figured soon enough others would appear. Others who claimed to know her. To hate her. To fear her. And honestly, it excited her to know that at least in one place she’d had power. 

.

sokka sighed, silent for a moment as he continued to make her coffee. “ yeah, i figured as much. “ he goes quiet for another moment, pausing with his hand around the cup, facing the counter opposite her. “ i’ve been trying to only hold people accountable who remember. i’ve been trying really hard not to forget, but sometimes i wish i didn’t have to have the memories. “ the war flashed in black and white, how long it’d been since he’d been home, since the events have felt real had melted the color from his psyche. it was a dangerous thing. at least he had katara and toph, other people to assure him that it was all real.

“ i don’t know what you’ve been up to since coming here, but this is another chance to be someone better, wipe the slate clean. i know none of this really makes sense and you have no idea who i am but... “ he slide the cup over to her. “ trust me when i say if i had any inkling that you still had your memories, that you were still the azula we knew, this confrontation would be going a lot differently. “

[righteousmusings]

BUFFY SUMMERS.

(¸.• ♛ → “this kind of helps, yes.” and she wasn’t a person that drinks much but sometimes it does help to just try and shut off some of her thoughts, it was for the best at times. 

the blonde raised an eyebrow sightly. “that line always works for you?” she had to ask, it wasn’t the first time that someone was trying to flirt with her and even say that line once or twice, she found that cute in some way. she gave her hand to him, shaking his once. “pleasure.” it was always a good thing to meet new people around here, she believes before she was very social but now she was lacking of that a bit so maybe it was time to try and just meet new people, for now it could be the best.

hearing what he says, it was a good question. the thing was that she got used to this, to the craziness of the world in general so this was just a normal tuesday for her, that would be the truth, being the slayer usually means that all the crazy things were just possible. “oh, i’m aware but at this point is just like a normal tuesday for me.” she commented, her gaze on him. “you just have to learn and deal with it if you don’t want to go crazy in a city like this.”

.

dean gives a slight shrug, a smile hanging loosely on his face. “ sometimes. kinda banking on it working this time. “ it’s been a long four months, something of a dry spell you could say, women ( surprisingly for him ) have been one of the last things on his mind. it felt sort of nice to get back to his usual game of drinking and flirting, the impala parked outside a remnant of the man he was before all this. he spent a lot of time alone recently; driving, hotels, holed up over dad’s journal and phone books. it felt good to have company, easy company, almost a normal conversation with another person for the first time in months.

sometimes its strange remembering he’s human once again. this was part of that, enjoying things, leisure time. it was easy to forget, to get consumed.

“ oh, way ahead of you on the crazy. it’s what we’re celebrating, after all. “ he says with a sort of teasing tone. then curiosity takes its place, he wonders if war stories and hometown tales will sober him, make this world feel more real even if only for a moment. he wonders what it is about her that’s so familiar, what he could learn from her. if nothing else maybe it’ll give him the good ol’ nostalgia of comradery. “ if you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like? you know, where you’re from originally? “

[righteousmusings]

WEN KEXING.

Sitting straight-backed on the stool in his pristinely pressed clothing, Kexing clearly does not belong at this kind of bar. A place that serves anything other than vintage wine or forty-dollar cocktails is a little beneath his typical expectations. But he’s found that unfortunately, the people who frequent his type of bars in this city are all the same– the same person, over and over, vague copies of each other with only tiny differences in hair color or which local country club they have a membership to. Boring. Useful when it comes to making social connections here, yes, but boring nevertheless. 

So instead, he’s made his home for the evening a more unfamiliar establishment, ignoring the mildly sticky floor in favor of trying to eavesdrop on everyone within a twenty-foot radius simultaneously. After a while, Kexing glances over with interest at the low, gravelly voice a few seats over that’s seemingly directed at him. “Ah. I didn’t believe that was something that people were prone to– or proud to– advertise. Times have changed, if that’s truly the case,” he notes with amusement. “Twenty days. Would that be considered an impressive streak of insanity? I’m afraid I’ll need more information about your previous records before I can fully appreciate the logic behind the celebration.” He eyes the offered drink and accepts it, reaching out to slide it his way on the smooth counter, though he hasn’t decided if he’s actually going to drink it or not. He’s already suffered through one horrible berry-flavored cocktail here, and he doubts whatever’s in this glass will taste much better. 

dean laughs a little, eyes moving to take in the posture and dress of the man next to him, a quick raise of his eyebrows before dragging his gaze away again, fingers tapping the edge of his own glass to call for another drink. “ you new here? they put insanity in the water supply. “ he says, only half-joking. “ it’s why i’m drinking so much whisky. flushing it out. “ there’s a heavy humor in his tone, but something reads hollow behind it, a sort of exhaustion. he was still relatively new himself, but he hadn’t even fully recovered from purgatory and he was on his own trying to find his way back home. again. he thought if he fought through hell, semi-hell, and all the shit that plagued the reality he knew he’d at least get his family; sam, cas, bobby... but they had yet to crop up and he was starting to think this was gunna be a full solo gig.

which was pretty unfortunate considering all his ‘ leads ‘ had been dead ends.

he takes a smaller sip of his fresh drink, body turned fully towards the bar, his head turned slightly to engage. he thinks on the statement longer than necessary, the comment surely just a jest, sort of making fun of him, but the train of thought was lead by the drinks he’d downed and now he was wondering -- had he been certifiably insane longer than twenty days before? surely he had to have been in hell or something vaguely vampiric. he’d died a few times if that counted for anything. not that he was gunna say any of that to this stranger, instead simply opting for, “ you got all day? it’s pretty extensive. “

[righteousmusings]

LEE RANG.

his head turns as the voice takes him out of his own thoughts and his eyes flicker from the stranger to the drink between them before taking the glass for himself. he raises the glass with a slight nod of his head and takes a leisurely sip, not in a rush. there’s this jealousy that stirs for the occasion that they were celebrating, he wishes that he could say the same for himself. "you’re lucky.”

sanity-free. that was laughable, as far as this city was concerned. maybe it was because he had been wallowing his self-pity for god knows how long, maybe the city itself wasn’t too bad, but rang’s homesickness was what led him to the bar more often than not. that and the lingering fear that if he happened to find his way home, something might happen to him. and with these thoughts invading his mind, he takes more than a sip this time.

.

dean nods with a bit of appreciation, the hand loosely holding his glass coming up in a mock cheers. “ lucky’s one word for it. “ he says with a shrug on his shoulders, neck relaxed, rolling out out tension. “ i’m one unexplained illness or flat tire away from really saying ‘ fuck it ‘ and letting the d.c. curse do what it does best. it wants to try to take me out i say bring it. “ shit, he’d managed to survive a lot worse than some pansy curse giving him a chest cold. he’d quite literally been to hell and back, faced purgatory and vampirism... and yet he was stumped. it was a scar on his good name, the mark of a poor hunter in the face of an alternate reality. already four months down the toilet. he wished cas was here.

he swallowed the thought down with a wash of whisky.

his eyes linger to his new companion and he nods when he watches him take a deeper drink from his glass, a hint of a laugh present in his voice when he says, “ that’s the spirit, keep drinking like that and sanity'll stop being an issue in no time. “

[righteousmusings]

TOPH BEIFONG.

she had stepped into the store on impulse, figuring that if nothing else she could harass someone about menu items for a little while and amuse herself. “sokka?” it was hard to tell on the ground like this, where her vision wasn’t as perfect as it would be in the dirt, but the figure felt so familiar she just had to be right, didn’t she? “is that actually you?”

 she shifted, doing her best to take in her surroundings. at least it didn’t seem like anyone else was here or it would make a real awkward reunion. “are you working here? have we all been working in cafes now?” she said, thinking back to zuko in the tea shop. maybe this is why it had taken her so long to find anyone. “and why did i miss the memo?” though, to be fair there was a solid chance that even if the gang asked her to take part in some bit that required getting a regular job she’d just refuse. there wasn’t much rich girl left in toph, but there would always be a little. at the very least she’d like a cool job.

.

sokka’s head snapped up at a familiar voice, his eyes wide and a smile already breaking across his face in the midst of his disbelief. “ toph? you’re actually here? “ he stays almost frozen for a moment, the shock present in the stiltedness of his body before he snaps out of it and moves into action, hurdling over the counter and wrapping her up in a bear hug, almost crushing by nature, giving her a good shake back and forth before releasing her.

“ i’ve been looking for you! “ it’s almost accusatory in tone though he doesn’t really mean it that way. he was alone for so long, the familiar face sprouted a comforting feeling along with a sudden homesickness that he’d managed to avoid for the most part. he missed his family and friends, of course, but he also missed the landscape of the world he grew up in, the sights and animals... hell, he even missed the turtleducks. 

his eyes ran over the empty shop he stood in and he let out a chuckle, hand waving absent-mindedly as if she could see it, “ oh yeah, you’re really missing out on all the action over here. “

[righteousmusings]

KATARA.

(¸.• ♛ → when he approached, she just couldn’t help herself and just like give him a hug, so happy that she was able to see her brother here, she was just talking with toph about how nostalgic she was because she was missing her brother mostly but now here he was and she was feeling just way better.

the girl pulled away a bit to look at him with a small smile. “i’ve been looking for you too. i mean, i’ve been here for a while now as well, it’s surprising that we haven’t seen each other.” she commented. “i’ve been here with toph.” 

.

“ toph’s here too? have i been under a rock for the past year? “ his voice comes almost overwhelmed, excitement dampened only by his own disbelief. he wasn’t sure how he could’ve gone so long searching for them only to come up empty and alone when they were possibly here the whole time. he still didn’t know the complexities of this place, he took a moment to consider that maybe there were more forces at work than he had previously thought, that maybe there was a reason they’d been apart until now. it would take more contemplation to be sure, for now he was just happy to see his sister after all this time.

he allows a moment to wrap her up in a tight hug, only speaking when they pull away. “ when did you get here? what’s the last thing you remember? one minute i was in ba sing se celebrating the end of the war and then i woke up in a hotel nearby. “