#<- from talking to isobel sadie

[mihotose]

personally while i do appreciate the crumb of kim backstory you get from beating him in the eyebrow battle i think harry should never be able to beat kim via authority. i think harry could have wheedled that info out of him by making big sad eyes at him and begging

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

You hear the sound of running water. Someone's washing dishes.

Sounds like Gary's back in his apartment.

🎵 Coastal Shack

As I'm writing this, the vote is tied between the church and the village, but there is one *specific* thing I want to prioritize in the village. We need to find our gun, and that means dealing with Evrart.

We *could* play into his hands and just let Lilienne and Sadie sign. We could also find someone else to sign. Or...

WHITE ENVELOPE - You take the legal documents out of the envelope: a 12-40 month construction period and the zoning plan in the addendum.

2. [Interfacing - Challenging 12] Okay, let's do this! (Commence the forgery.)

+2 Dresscode: Paper-jockey.

INTERFACING [Challenging: Success] - With a confident flourish you complete your forgery. What do you see on the signature line?

Two names: *Isobel Sadie* and *Lilienne Carter*.

INTERFACING - Indeed. They look distinctly different and very convincing. These might as well be their actual signatures.

But they're not, and the document will be nullified if they dispute it. That means Evrart will have to start over.

All you need to do now is mail the signatures to Evrart's accountant in La Delta.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - There was a mail delivery box in the plaza, near the corner of the bookstore.

2. Put the documents back in the envelope. [Leave.]

A white envelope with a stamp attached to the upper-right corner, handed to you by Evrart Claire. Inside are some legal documents bearing the signatures *Isobel Sadie* and *Lilienne Carter*.

Great. Now...

🎵 Disco Elysium, Pt 1

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Tequila Sunset." He nods in appreciation.

"What do you guys do around here?"

"Why do you keep losing all your stuff?"

"Okay, here's your jacket. Fresh washed!"

"I want to hear the story of your name again."

"I got you some more booze, can you tell me the next story now?"

"Be seein' you." [Leave.]

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "My jacket?"

"Yeah, it was pretty filthy, though, so I got it cleaned for you."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - A look of consternation crosses the man's face. He looks at you, then at his bottle, then back at you...

"What the fuck are you talking about, Tequila?"

"What the fuck are *you* talking about?"

"So you're saying this *isn't* your jacket?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Rosemary, what the fuck is Tequila talking about?"

ROSEMARY - "Aye, that's the jacket you stole two weeks ago. From the kid who was making it with his gal on the beach."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "That's disgusting. I've never done anything like that in my life. You're both delusional." He scoffs. "'FALN'? That's medium-concept stuff."

LOGIC [Easy: Success] - It becomes abundantly clear to you how this man managed to lose his keys, business, friends and girlfriend.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - I'm calling it -- it's neurological.

"Your loss. I'm keeping the jacket for myself." (Keep it.)

"I went through some dark shit to get this for you. Take the fucking jacket." (Give it to him.)

The jacket has some solid stats, if Doom Spiral doesn't want it, we're keeping it.

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "That shit is so medium-concept I wouldn't touch it with a stick. But yeah, okay, I'm sure it looks great on you."

Task complete: Find Idiot Doom Spiral's jacket

+15 XP

Let's at least get a story while we're here.

4. "I got you some more booze, can you tell me the next story now?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Of course -- drink first, story later." He holds out his palm.

"Here, I've got a Potent Pilsner." (Give it.)

"I've got some sweet *Commodore Red*." (Give it.)

"I've got this blue medicinal spirit, how about that?"

"I don't have any on me right now." (Lie.)

"Geez, I already gave you some. I don't want to keep doing that." (Don't do it now.)

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - He raises his palm as if to shun you back to wherever you came from. "No-no-no, contrary to popular belief, I enjoy being alive."

"Here, I've got a Potent Pilsner." (Give it.)

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Not much, but it will do..." He grabs the bottle from your hand and uncorks it immediately.

"The tale I'm about to tell you is an urban legend particular to Martinaise." He lifts the bottle to his lips and takes a long, luxuriant sip. "That said, I first heard it from a former bicycle courier in Couron..."

"There are many variations on the basic story, and the details often conflict. What everyone agrees on is that nobody knows the exact nature or identity of… the phenomenon."

ROSEMARY - "Are you telling the story of the Headless--"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Shut the fuck up, Rosemary!"

He clears his throat: "Summer of '44. Seventeen-year-old Gertrude Het is walking home from a late shift at the harbour. It's almost midnight. She stops for a cigarette near the canal..."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - The streets are warmed by a southerly breeze. The lights of a passing motor carriage bloom and fade in the distance...

In the harbour's dark, her cigarette is a beacon, dancing alone. The image comes to you effortlessly, as though you'd walked the same streets yourself a thousand times.

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Our heroine finds herself enjoying the peace and quiet the canal provides..." He looks up to the skies as if searching for peace himself...

"What she doesn't know is that her peace is about to be shattered. From behind her comes the clattering of hooves. Startled, she turns around, and what does she see?"

"I don't know, what?"

"A horse?"

"The Giant of Koko Nur?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "What? No! I told you this is a *Martinaise* legend. It's a man..."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - ...the pause is long and dramatic...

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "... with no head on his shoulders! Wearing a FALN tracksuit. Searching for the legendary FALN cap that went missing -- when he lost his head."

"Wait, I thought the Headless FALN Rider rode a bull?" (Show him the figurine.)

"Whoa."

"That sounds pretty implausible to me."

"That's super spooky."

KIM KITSURAGI - "I thought that he rode a headless pig?" The lieutenant says with a little smirk.

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Well, there are many versions of this story, the most peculiar of which has the Headless FALN Rider riding on the back of another headless man."

"That sounds pretty implausible to me."

"That's super spooky."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Yes. According to legend, young Gertrude Het had to endure years of psychotherapy before she was able to look at a horse or tracksuit again... And she's one of the *lucky ones*." He takes a sip from his bottle.

"Gertrude Het may have been the first to witness the *Headless FALN Rider*, but she wasn't the last, oh no…"

ROSEMARY - "Tell 'em about the two feminists by the locks!"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Fuck, Rosemary, they were dating -- no one said they were feminists. Everyone always misremembering this stuff..."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hmmm, this wouldn't be the Deponte-Delgado case, would it?"

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "What? You know it?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "I've read the case file. But please, go on."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Right. *Ahem*. Early autumn of '46. Ulla Deponte and Eva Delgado are fishing near the water lock long after the sun has set..."

"The wind picks up, a sky already dark now blackens. Water starts falling from above, the first cold rain of the season..."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - Two women stand on a small outcropping of rocks. One of them is wearing a purple raincoat. Thin lines reach out from the rods into the sea. Small droplets start appearing on the surface with increasing frequency.

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "The women are caught in the downpour. They act quickly. Eva gathers the rods whilst Ulla turns around to reach for the tackle box..."

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - Don't turn around, don't turn around!

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "When she sees something! Her shriek is so violent that the residents of the nearby apartment building believe lightning has struck..."

"But there is no lightning. Only a heavy downpour and the silhouette of the *Headless FALN Rider* looming on the horizon!"

"Ulla makes a run for the shore, but Eva slips on a wet rock and disappears into the cold, cold canal with nary a sound..."

The man falls ominously silent for a moment. "Her body is never recovered." He looks you straight in the eye.

"What did the case file say?" (Ask Kim.)

"What happened to Ulla Deponte?" (Ask Doom Spiral.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "Naturally, Ulla Deponte became the prime suspect in the disappearance of Eva Delgado. Deponte maintained that it was the so-called 'Headless FALN Rider' and that she ran, fearing for her life..." He adjusts his glasses.

"During the investigation it became apparent that there was a love triangle, the third party being some small-time businessman -- I don't remember the exact details. The leading theory was that an argument broke out on the jetty and Deponte pushed Delgado into the canal, then cooked up this stupid cover story."

"Was she arrested?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "No. She committed suicide before she could be taken into custody. They found her in the bathroom with a rifle, her face slowly peeling off the ceiling..."

"Not a pretty scene."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Man, that's some grisly detail. Oh well, here's to another case closed!" He takes a hearty swig from his bottle.

"Anyway, that's the story of the *Headless FALN Rider*. Pretty crazy, huh?"

+5 XP

"Who was the Headless Rider before he died?"

"I've already seen some weird shit on this case. A headless jockey in a tracksuit fits right in."

"That's nothing. I've got an even *crazier* story."

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Well, Tequila, that's part of the legend -- no one knows for sure. There are a couple of possibilities, though..."

"Some say he was an undercover cop who blew his cover and got beheaded by the vicious gang he had infiltrated -- Now he rides, searching for his lost FALN cap, plotting revenge."

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Medium: Success] - Oh, headless brother, where art thou?

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Others claim he was a professional jockey who veered off-course during a steeple chase, ended up in somebody's back yard, and got decapitated by an exceptionally taut clothes line..."

PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Medium: Success] - Even decapitation couldn't stop his commitment to the sport. Are *you* that committed?

IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL - "Personally, I think he was just some guy who hanged himself from a really tall tree and the fall was so violent that his head came clean off..."

"Coincidentally, at that exact moment, a horse happened to pass under him and his beheaded corpse mounted it, where it remains to this day... But then, no one really knows."

INLAND EMPIRE [Trivial: Success] - For some reason this *does* strike you as the most plausible theory of them all.

[morgue-xiiv]

"sorry English isn't my first language."

"oh what is?"

"Indonesian"

"Ahhh, just like Isobel Sadie from hit video game Disco Elysium"

"Um"

I am so difficult to talk to lol.

[heroofpenamstan]

—OC TAG !

tagged by ( ages ago ) @faithchel, @chuckhansen, @loriane-elmuerto, @risenlucifer, @blissfulalchemist, @archetypesinthefog! x going to do my two new sons this time around just to have something about them on main, and going to Peer Pressure for some wayhaven/rdr ocs ( or any ones not done for! ) from my lovely mutuals: @consumedkings, @faithchel ( xoxoxo ), @abosaa, @starcrier; @shallow-gravy, @shellibisshe​ and anyone who wants to do it! x

name: ulrich hamelin alias/nicknames: ‘rich, rick, warlock of hamelin, nature’s abomination, pied piper, trickster, rat, tier X, agency’s menace gender: cis male age: 171 ( c. 2018 ) zodiac: gemini sun / capricorn moon / taurus rising abilities/talents: hypnotization, glamour, spell casting, conjuring, alchemy, dark magic, divination, enchantments, charms, manipulation, singing, various instruments, brewing, honed surivalist skills alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true religion: polytheistic pagan sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience languages: german, french, english, old norse, polish

family: unnamed father, mother, and two sisters, eliphas levi ( former mentor ) friends: man only has acquaintances he keeps at arms length and is prepared to drop and betray at a moment’s notice ( ethan murphy, various witch covens, agency higher-ups who need “special” “”illegal”” favours, trappers that want similar services; same goes for rogues, actually ), and ava du mortain ( even if it’s vehemently one-sided—or so she claims ). further along the line: detective isobel ross. sexuality: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other relationship status: single / partnered / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated ( the century’s long slowburn/ lovers to awkward exes perceveres ) libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent build: slender / average / athletic / muscular / curvy hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other eyes: brown / blue / gray / green / black / other ( left eye is pale and hazed ) skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / dark / other height: 6′2 ( 189cm ) scars: both palms grazed with numerous cuts from various rituals, two deep gashes running from brow to cheekbone on the left side of the face, scarring the eyelid. magically healed would-be fatal wounds leaving faint lines in various parts of the body from altercations with other supernaturals, or humans during wartime features: strong bone structure, accented, deep voice, memorable face, and heterochromia sometimes shielded away with an eyepatch dogs or cats || birds or bugs || snakes or spiders || coffee or tea || ice cream or cake || fruits or vegetables || sandwich or soup || magic or melee || sword or bow || summer or winter || spring or autumn || past or future five songs that remind you of them: 1. J2—man in the mirror 2. emily jane white—washed away 3. delta rae—i will never die 4. duivelspack—germania 5. soap&skin—thanatos bonus: the playlist

name: kayne o’driscoll alias/nicknames: kay, “abel smith”, o’driscoll jr., second-in-command, irish bastard, deranged maggot, pretty boy, cunning snake, the brains gender: cis male age: 35 ( c. 1899 ) zodiac: leo sun / scorpio moon / sagittarius rising abilities/talents: planning and organization, accounting, lying and deceiving, sweet-talking and philosophizing, long-range and short-range weapons, riding, gambling, stealing, basic survival skills alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true religion: ( loosely ) catholic sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience languages: english, some spanish and gaelic

family: colm o’driscoll ( uncle ), cillian o’driscoll ( father ), shannon o’driscoll ( mother ) friends: the o’driscoll boys, his sub-unit gang members ( cole, samuel, darren, james, niamh ), ben calloway, hector barlow, alden carruthers, seamus, sheriff leigh gray, sadie adler sexuality: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other relationship status: single / partnered / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent build: slender / average / athletic / muscular / curvy hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other eyes: brown / blue / gray / green / black / other skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / dark / other height: 6′ ( 185cm ) scars: old bullet wound scar on his right collar bone, a poorly-healed knife cut on his thigh, slight scarring on the chin features: olive-green bandana around the neck, trimmed and tidy beard, cocky drawl, wide, toothy grin, animated gestures dogs or cats || birds or bugs || snakes or spiders || coffee or tea || ice cream or cake || fruits or vegetables || sandwich or soup || magic or melee || sword or bow ( gun ) || summer or winter || spring or autumn || past or future five songs that remind you of them: 1. anthony willis—toxic 2. jack leopards & the dolphin club—look what you made me do 3. radiohead—you and whose army? 4. the kinks—i’m not like everybody else 5. mario batkovic—revenge is a dish best eaten bonus: the ship playlist

[paulisded]

The Ledge #509: RIP Mark Lanegan and Don Craine

This week's show was originally going to be another in the series of "odds and ends" episodes where I air tracks from some record I've either recently acquired or pulled out of the archives to give a listen. Unfortunately, the deaths of two great rockers changed those plans.

Mark Lanegan is in my opinion the most artistic of all of the grunge-era lead vocalists. While the vast majority of his brethren rarely travelled out of their safe zone, Lanegan was a musical shape shifter throughout his entire career. There was simply not a genre he wouldn't attempt, nor did it seem like he ever said no to a collaborator. The first half of the show consists of long sets devoted to his solo career and also a taste of those collaborations.

Then just a couple of hours before showtime came the news that Downliners Scet leader Don Craine had also passed away. Never heard of the Sect? You're loss. Please go do some research after listening to tonight's show. The set dedicated to him not only includes some of the great tracks of their mid-60s glory years but also a couple of great collaborations with Billy Childish.

Filling up the rest of the show are some of the tunes originally slated for tonight's show, including a number of tracks from a fabulous collection of 60s garage rock. Did you know that Jerry Mathers of Leave It To Beaver was in a band? You do now!

I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion! You can find this show at almost any podcast site, including iTunes and Stitcher...or

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Mark Lanegan, Where Did You Sleep Last Night

2. Mark Lanegan, Little Sadie

3. Mark Lanegan Band, Methamphetamine Blues

4. Mark Lanegan Band, The Gravedigger's Song

5. Mark Lanegan, Constant Waiting

6. Mark Lanegan, Ketamine

7. Mark Lanegan, Grey Goes Black

8. The Gutter Twins, Idle Hands

9. Twilight singers, Flashback (w/ Mark Lanegan)

10. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, You won't Let Me Down Again

11. James Williamson, Wild Love (w. Mark Lanegan & Alison Mosshart)

12. Mark Lanegan, Man in the Long Black Coat

13. Yo La Tengo, I Wanna Be Your Lover

14. Sonic Youth, I'm Not There

15. Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers, Maggie's Farm

16. The Hold Steady, Can You Please Crawl out Your Window?

17. Downliners Sect, Be A Sect Maniac

18. Downliners Sect, Cadillac

19. Downliners Sect, Brand New Cadillac

20. Thee Headcoats Sect, I Got Love If You Want It

21. Thee Headcoats Sect, Strychnine

22. F.U.2, Rock Club (Down the Roxy)

23. F.U.2, Sniffin' Glue

24. The Fire Escape, Psychotic Reaction

25. The Fire Escape, Talk Talk

26. The Flamin' Groovies, Slow Death

27. Beaver & The Trappers, Happiness Is Havin'

28. The Pullice, I'm a Lover Not a Fighter

29. The Sloths, Makin' Love

30. The Second Helping, Let Me In

31. Hollis Brown, Doncha Bother Me

[jeichanhaka]

If Any Would Avenge: 31

Chapter 31: Nemesis

Storybrooke: Gold's Cabin

"I...have a proposition for you." George spoke, annoying Gold even though he knew the ex-king wasn't the one truly speaking. "A deal, if you like."

"And what makes you think I want anything you have to offer?" He scoffed, wrapping his hand once more around the ex-king's throat but refraining from squeezing it. "This bastard doesn't need his heart in his chest to be killed. I can just as easily crush his throat...or tear out his intestines."

"Go ahead. I despise George just the same as you. More actually. And I have his heart." The person spoke coldly through the ex-king, while Gold cocked an eyebrow. "We can have a race to see who can kill him first. Preferably after you and I have a little tête-à-tête."

"...hm." Gold waited a moment before replying, his imp self hissing at him to forget whoever was speaking through George and instead focus on bringing Sadie to Nemesis. Getting his dagger back took priority over whatever deal or whatnot this new interloper wanted. "Tell me who you are first, dearie. Or better yet, show yourself and let's have our little talk face-to-face."

"You don't trust me?"

"Well, those who refuse to make deals with me in person tend to be cowards or hoping to get away with not fulfilling their end." He replied, about to say more when Sadie started crying and drew his attention away. In that moment, while his eyes were focused on the five day old, George took out a knife and lunged at the Dark One. Gold was quicker, flinging George across the cabin with a single wave of his hand and glowering when the knife clattered to the floor. "See? Coward." He growled and squeezed the ex-king's throat, holding the wizened man firmly against the cabin wall. His angry eyes shifting towards the knife that had clattered to the floor.

It was an ordinary enough pocket knife, except for the dark substance coating its tip. He bristled upon recognizing it as dreamshade though mixed together with another substance. Likely one that made it deadlier, he mused as he picked it up, being careful not to touch anywhere near the poison.

"Nice try, dearie, but you'll have to do better than that if you want to kill me."

"Oh, but I don't. " George spoke, while another, more lulling voice also spoke the same words. Its owner standing behind Gold, who tensed in shock at the familiar voice. "On the contrary, I came back to stop that happening."

Dream World:

"Actually…." A voice echoed through the cottage, which suddenly felt colder as the hearth fire died out and left them standing in complete darkness. As dark as a tomb. "...it can."

"What? Who's there?" Belle tensed and grabbed Gideon protectively, realizing only then that the baby she'd been holding had vanished. Her eyes widened, searching the darkness around her frantically for any sign of the baby or clue to where it had gone. "Where's…."

"Mom, it's alright. Just calm down." Gideon grabbed hold of his mother, pulling her back towards him when she tried rushing into the darkness searching for the baby. "Stay here."

"But...my baby...your brother..." Belle trembled and pulled away from her firstborn, her eyes and senses locked on the darkness surrounding them. Peering into the lightless void, a snippet of her dream at the hospital flashed through her thoughts: that of the page with the words 'find me' written over and over. "I have to find him. I…."

"Mother, please. It's too..." Gideon beseeched, reaching out for Belle only for her to hurry forward blindly, searching for her lost child. He bit his lip, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence. How could he possibly tell his mother the truth about the child she sought? That the child - his Unwritten brother - was the mastermind behind his murder?

"No, no. This won't do." The voice from earlier muttered, its owner standing behind Gideon. There was a snap of fingers and their surroundings were once more lit, this time by an orb of pure magic floating just below the ceiling. It illuminated the whole cottage, allowing Gideon to see Belle on the far end, searching for an exit. He hurried towards her.

"Mother…."

Belle frowned, now that the cottage interior was once again illuminated she saw there was no door along the wall. Yet just before the hearth fire died, she swore the door had been along this wall. That's why she ran towards it. Her chin scrunched up as she thought, her eyes shifting towards the other walls just in case.

"...search all you like, there's no door." Nemesis muttered and sat down in a wooden chair by the hearth. Sighing, he started picking his nails, his youthful face reflecting only ennui.

"But ther…." Belle faltered mid-reply, having turned around enough to see both Gideon and the youth. Her cerulean eyes widened, lingering on Nemesis, drinking in his eye shape, skin tone, and cheek bones; the way he glowered at his fingers focused on what he was doing, his brow knitted in concentration. It reminded her of…. On the whole, she wasn't sure, but the scowl reminded her of her husband, while the rest reminded her of a portrait hung on the wall of her family's armory back in the Enchanted Forest. Placed above a suit of silver and steel armor, the painting was one depicting the knight Isobelle, her family's oldest known ancestor. And whom her parents had often mentioned she took after growing up.

Nemesis glanced up, the quiet baffling him. He'd been expecting his would-be mother to make a fuss or question his certainty about the door. Or simply question his presence. What he hadn't expected was this prolonged silence. "Hm?"

"Oh!" Belle gasped the moment the youth glanced at her, recognizing the deep-brown, speckled with a lighter brown, irises. It all clicked in her head, and without hesitance she hurried forwards. "You're my son….my….the one Isaac wrote…." She muttered and reached out to hug Nemesis, overwhelmed by happiness and relief. "You…."

Nemesis scowled and knocked away the chestnut haired woman's arms, but didn't deny his identity. Nor did he react to the stricken look on Belle's face at the rebuff, instead opting to frown cooly at her. "What of it?"

Belle blinked back her tears, brought forth first by happiness then by anguish at her unwritten son's reply. The indifference in his voice, the way he stared at her like she meant nothing...it cut her deeply, like a sharpened iron poker thrust into her heart. "I…. You're my boy…my..."

"Please." Nemesis scoffed, sitting rigidly beside the hearth, and eyeing Belle contemptuously. "You only want me because you lost him." He gestured towards Gideon, who hung back unsure of what to do.

Belle blanched and flinched at the accusation, before quickly shaking her head. "No. That's not…."

Nemesis snarled and rose to his feet, standing just an inch or so taller than the chestnut haired librarian. "Don't lie." He spat, the light orbs illuminating the cottage sparking and a cold chill rushing through the air. The air felt heavy. "Don't!" Nemesis hissed when Belle tried once more to refute the accusation. "You would not even have thought of me if he hadn't died. I've seen that future. Observed every minute of it. You never once considered me in it."

"I…." Belle shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. She approached Nemesis, only to be rebuffed a second time, this time more violently. A gasp escaped her when Nemesis back-slapped her hand away, and glared down at her. Her chin quivered as she returned the stare, gazing into her unwritten son's cold brown eyes. "...I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Nemesis scoffed, dismissing the woman as much for spite as from genuine anger. "You think that's enough? Really?" His brown irises darkened, and he pulled away when Belle reached out for him a third time. "I was Unwritten. Do you have any inkling what that entailed? One moment I was alive in a bright and warm world, safe and loved. Then it all was abruptly wiped away, and I was left in an immense void, with nothing but brief memories of my 'life,' and no idea what had happened or why." He growled and turned back to his chair by the hearth, only instead of sitting down he disintegrated it with a wave of his hand. Its remains just dust piling on the floor.

Belle swallowed listening to her unwritten son recount his time in the void, which was at the heart of the Realm of the Unwritten. She shivered, silent tears running down her cheeks as Nemesis described it and how it nearly fully erased him. "I'm sorry. I…." Belle's voice broke, her arms shaking with the urge to embrace her unwritten son, but refrained from fear of being yet again rebuffed.

"Mother." Gideon hurried to his mother's side, and wrapped his arms around her to soothe her. Unlike his brother he noticed their mother's distress and sought to comfort her, whereas Nemesis simply turned away. "It's all right. It's…."

"No." Nemesis growled, still turned away. His gaze focused on a glass orb on the mantel above the darkened hearth. Through its reflective surface he watched his mother and brother, scrutinizing them secretively. "It's not. And an apology, no matter how heartfelt, isn't enough. An 'I'm sorry' won't give me what I seek. It won't..." He peered at Belle's reflection in the orb and listened to her sniffle, his thin lips twitching. His brown irises gleamed coldly. "...help bring me back."

Listening to her unwritten son, as well as Gideon who tried reassuring her against Nemesis barbed words, Belle sniffled, and glanced up. Dabbing at her eyes to clear away her tears, her cheeks glossy from crying, she mulled over Nemesis' shift in tone: his last few words were less angry, not by much, but enough. Latching onto the shift, her heart quickening in hope, Belle gandered at her unwritten son's back, going over the last part of his sentence. "Help...bring you back? You mean…."

Standing beside their mother, Gideon tensed as she stepped towards Nemesis, her face lighting up. The maternal longing in Belle's eyes was clear as was her hope, and he was loathed to shatter either. At the same time he distrusted his would-be brother. "Mother, don't…."

"Yes." Nemesis cut off Gideon, and turned his gaze to Belle. "I can be returned to the story."

Belle inhaled sharply, her cerulean eyes brimming with tears, but these ones of hope not despair. She reached out tentatively towards her unwritten son. "You mean...I can...I can be your mother...I can have you, my baby, again…."

"I can be your flesh and blood son again, yes." Nemesis replied, allowing Belle to grab hold of his arms, her eyes searching his. "It...it'll require a few things. But I can be brought back into existence."

"Mother, don't listen to him." Gideon grabbed hold of Belle's wrist, caught between his conscience, which implored him to warn his mother about Nemesis' cutthroat nature, and his heart which cautioned him against telling her Nemesis was Nemesis. If their mother learned her unwritten child had orchestrated his murder and that of her unborn child...Gideon feared she would break. "There's bound to be a great and terrible price to do what he says."

"Gideon…." Belle glanced at her deceased son, her chin scrunching up.

"Please, mother, don't listen to him. Look to the future, not the past." Gideon implored, Nemesis smirking quietly when his brother mentioned the future, as though laughing at a private joke. Gideon ignored him and squeezed Belle's hand, before embracing her in a full hug. "You can still have a happy future. And a future child, once the curse or whatnot Fortunato placed on you is dealt with."

"Ah, actually…." Nemesis interjected, earning a scowl from Gideon and a wide-eyed gaze from Belle. "It wasn't a curse Fortunato used when he stabbed you. Rather it was a potion. He only called it that before you sealed him away to act as a safeguard."

"Safeguard?" Belle muttered, searching her unwritten son's face, curious. Gideon wore a similar expression.

"Yes. Fortunato…." Nemesis paused, drawing out the other's name and reaching towards his mother's cheek. "Is powerful. I couldn't even stop him." He muttered, his lips twitching when he sensed Gideon bristling beside Belle, his brother worried about him revealing too much. Without even needing to ask or glance at his brother, he understood Gideon's fear about their mother finding out he was the leader of the Nemesis assassin group. "You did, though." He glanced down at their mother's hands, the faintest glow emanating from them in shape of a gilded-scarab marking. Belle shivered and followed his gaze to her hands, a mix of emotions filling her. "Now, the magic you used to trap Fortunato is powered by these markings...the symbol Nemesis adopted as...its...own."

"Mother?" Gideon swallowed and grabbed hold of her hand, reluctant to believe his eyes as he discerned the traces of dark magic exuded from those faint markings. Up until that moment, as he had missed many of the developments in the living world, Gideon had assumed Belle had used some sort of light magic to seal the assassin. "You didn't…."

"I…." Belle raised her hand up, glancing over both sides of it, and studying the marking, which tingled on her skin. Even now part of her regretted giving into the magic, but she knew she wouldn't have done anything different - she had sealed the bastard away and got revenge without killing.

"She did. She used the marks' power to get revenge." Nemesis answered Gideon, while their mother flexed her hands and knitted her brow at the persistent soft glow of the markings on her hands. "Setting aside the price of her choice and what that will mean, the markings themselves are a curse."

"Then...that means they can be dispelled by true love's kiss…." Gideon's face brightened, his eyes searching his mother's face as he grabbed her by her upper arms and drew her towards him. His exuberance mellowed slightly when she didn't look at him, but rather continued to silently gaze at her hands, lost in thought. "Mother?"