#I don't understand why anyone would *want* to go into a red district

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #33

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[AO3] [wattpad]

*CW coerced/forced polyamory mentioned ~POV Mori~ After the meetings I headed back to the guest tower; I needed a break or I was going to snap. I'd change into something more comfortable while I was at it. There were servants running in and out of the castle to prepare for the festival, and a familiar blond watching them from the shade of the guest Tower. I was surprised to see him out here. "Alibaba." I called to him, "Good morning," even though it was lunch time. A short deviation should be fine.

He turned to my voice. "Mori, it's you. Uh, yeah, good morning." The bags under his eyes could be worse. "Do you know what's going on?"

I explained about the celebration for the citizens paired with my Announcement. Then I asked, "Where's Aladdin?" Morgiana was probably training, but it was weird to see Alibaba without Aladdin tagging along.

"Well..." Alibaba trailed off while looking back at the crowd.

As if on cue, Aladdin ran into the courtyard from the Palace Gates. "Alibaba! There's so much food!" Then he saw me. "Miss Mori!"

"Hi Aladdin."

Aladdin's eyes sparkled while he looked at my chest and my adrenaline spiked. The young boy dropped his staff when he got close, and jumped at me with out-stretched hands. "It's good to see you!"

I grabbed his wrists before he could make contact and glared down at him. "Never touch people without their explicit permission." There was no way in hell I was going to let him grope me like he did to all those people in the original.

Aladdin whimpered even though I wasn't squeezing him. As soon as I let go of his wrists, he ran behind a frozen Alibaba for protection. "You were so nice before! Why now??" It was written in the Character Encyclopedia that Aladdin can sense when someone will be nice to him and let him do whatever he wants, but that wasn't women being nice.

I continued my lecture a little calmer, but no less pissed, "The only reason you've gotten away with this disgusting behavior so far is that you target those that you think are too meek to stop you or will think you're just a kid who doesn't know any better." His silence meant complacency, not necessarily understanding. I adjusted my glasses. "Aladdin. If you keep this up you will hurt people. They might not say anything but they will become terrified of others touching them. Is that what you want to do to someone?”

He and Alibaba shook their heads 'no.'

I wasn't going to accept it without making sure he knew what the problem was. "What are you going to do in the future?"

Aladdin stared up at me with tear filled eyes and when I didn't soften, he looked down and finally answered. "I'm not going to touch anyone without asking them first."

"And if they don't explicitly say 'yes?'"

He squeezed his eyes shut. "Then I won't touch them!”

I looked over at his King's candidate next. "I know you're currently an emotional mess, Alibaba, but promise me you'll stop taking him to the red light district. That's no place for a child."

Alibaba just nodded with a terrified expression.

I sighed. 'You'd think I cut his hands off with how they're acting.' Aladdin was in the wrong but I was definitely taking my anger out in him.

I really needed alone time. They were standing between me and the door to the guest tower. Whenever I started walking closer they flinched. My only option was to return to where the others were. Luckily, Ja'far led me to a quiet studying room to rest.

I collapsed onto a plush lounge. Seeing those two reminded me that I still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Aladdin about the future or Alma Toran. Now was definitely not the time for that. I needed to stop thinking in general with how my head was buzzing or I'd have a meltdown or breakdown or both. 'And there's more after this?' Meditation would help a little. I was at least able to block out some of the sounds drifting in from the hallway. The more I was able to get the world to quiet around me, the more obvious the waves became. They weren't as high as when they spiked last week, but something about them reminded me of that night. I still hadn't figured out what happened that night to affect the waves like that. --- ~POV Sinbad~ The Announcement to the citizens went exactly as planned. The people cheered as King Sinbad introduced his Beautiful Prophet. After mingling at the start of the feast, he could relax and have some fun too. This day was to officially bring Mori into his circle, and yet they had been unable to share a moment alone since sharing morning greetings. Mori was walking towards the steps down into the rest of the festival. Sinbad rose from his chair to catch up with her.

"Following after her already, Sin?" Hinahoho called attention to his actions.

The giant wasn't the only one waiting for the King's answer. Their expectations put a bad taste in his mouth. Sinbad laughed off the comment. "Is there a reason I shouldn't spend time with the guest of honor?" He crossed his arms.

The oldest General laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll believe that's the reason until you return with her clinging to your arm instead of some call girl."

Sinbad smiled as he waved away the comment. His old friend had inadvertently given him the perfect idea on how to quell the rumors. Delicious wine. Delicious food. Beautiful women. His country had all in spades. It was time for Sinbad to prove he still deserved the nickname 'The Womanizer of the Seven Seas.' --- ~POV Mori~ Walking around a carnival back home rarely overwhelmed me because they make me feel like an anonymous observer. It's a type of stimulation I can disassociate to while walking around and recharging. However, since Sinbad had introduced me to the citizens, I was being recognized. I had wanted to wander to get some alone time, and clear my thoughts, but this wasn't too bad. They were at least understanding that I wanted to stay in the shade. 'I can deal with this.'

One thing that the series made abundantly clear was that Sinbad took good care of his people. Those under him were fulfilled and happy. I know it was a festival so people were bound to be cheerful -and this was the party country- but this was different than reading about it. The same care that Sinbad gave his people was gifted forward to anyone who visited Sindria. I had felt it that day I went shopping with Pisti, and I was feeling it again now. Sinbad's will on the waves had a contagious affect on the people here. I liked it as much as it made me understand why all of the magi turned against Sin in one way, shape, or form.

Excited eyes sparkled when their owner finally got their turn to ask me a question. "Lady Prophet, is it true that you're going to marry our King?"

I would have been surprised if I hadn't been asked this exact question several dozen times already since my walk began. I explained that was wrong and left. My stomach tightened. 'I should probably avoid Sinbad a bit longer.'

I saw more of my OC's, gave them prophecies like I did for Kain and Behr the other week, and guessed their pasts with the 100% accuracy one would expect of their creator. It added credibility to my ability to read Fate, and raised the people's view of me. It wasn't the alone time I had wanted, but it was a huge mood booster.

The Sun was getting close to setting when I finally noticed how hungry I was getting again. I could have gotten something from one of the street venders, but I remembered the fish at the King's table, and wanted more of that. And Ja'far had made sure there was sulfate free alcohol for me in the form of mead (honey wine). I hadn't had any earlier, and I definitely was in the mood now.

Climbing the steps back up to the platform proved just how sore my legs were getting from all the walking. I've had joint and hip problems since I was a teen, so I was used to this. After resting while eating I could walk around some more before needing to call it quits. Not like I could leave early as the guest of honor.

"OH MY!!" A woman's voice cooed, and was accompanied by the giggling of half a dozen other similar voices. The sight that greeted me when I reached the top of the steps dealt far more damage than any amount of joint pain. I had forgotten that while I was out, there was a certain man that was bound to embody hedonism for the evening.

((CW is for next paragraph)) The familiar feelings of disgust, jealousy, and guilt twisted in my stomach. It was a stark reminder of what I already knew. Sinbad flirted with me but in no way was that exclusive to me. And even if he was romantically interested in someone, I seriously doubted he would be monogamous (certainly not sexually). A flirt can only be entertained by the novelty of any relationship for so long before it stops being enough for them -my own ex-fiancé made sure I'd learn that the hard way. I was coerced into polyamory by him for our last 10 months together. I learned that I actually enjoy poly. As long as my partner only flirts with me and with people I'm also with in front of me then I don't care who they flirt with when I'm not around. But I couldn't keep up with having multiple relationships -ever since I was little I've only ever preferred having a few close friends etc. I ended up ignoring my friends to have the emotional energy to give my partners and failed anyway from being spread too thin. Unless I'm living in a polycule, it isn't worth it for me. Ever since seeing myself in this dress this morning I kept ending up thinking about my past. 'I need to ignore Sinbad.'

The King's waves tried to guide me towards him, but I was not going to let that corner of the platform make my mood worse. The praise I had been soaking up for the past few hours kept me grounded. Sinbad might be the King of this country but many of its people were mine. I refused to make eye contact with anyone in that gaggle of indulgence. Instead, I b-lined for the table and the food on it. The fish was delicious, and the mead made it tastier.

All of the Generals were still there. Drakon's wife, and Hina's children were also on the platform. As I filled my plate and cup, I exchanged pleasantries, but mostly I just listened to their merry making. It was hard to ignore Skarrkan and Yam's flirting? fighting? flirting (I was right the first time) because of how loud they were. The best part was that I couldn't hear much past them. When I finished eating I decided to stay a while longer to enjoy the mood at the table. I wasn't really a part of their family yet, but it felt really nice to be able to watch them all have fun.

I noticed Ja'far walking around the table. He came to stand next to me. "How are you enjoying the celebration, Mx. Prophet?" He smiled while he emphasized my role. Maybe he accepted me more than I thought.

I smiled up at him. "I'm not the type that parties very often, but I am enjoying myself." I raised my now empty cup. "Thank you again for accommodating me."

"Of course. I only wish we knew about your allergies sooner." Ja'far was ever the gracious host. He reminded me of my younger sibling the way he strived to make everyone feel at ease and welcome at events like this.

I gave a look out to the festival, "I was having too much fun," before looking back at him. "There aren't many benches or places to rest, so my legs are a bit tired from walking so much."

"Oh." Ja'far raised one hand to his chin and looked out to the city. "I know we have some accommodations, but I guess we've grown passed what we prepared for."

I nodded. "It's one of the reasons I chose to come back here to eat. That way I could sit down to rest for a while before heading back out."

"If that's the case," Sinbad's voice somehow cut over everyone else's, "you should come sit with me." The entire table went silent when they noticed their King's words. The Womanizer of the Seven Seas was showing me his most charming smile while both his arms were around the waists of the women sitting on each of his legs.

'Is he seriously asking me to join his harem for the evening?'

Masrur commented from the peanut gallery, "Womanizer of the Seven Seas."

Ja'far spoke with the disgust I was feeling, "Just ignore him."

That's what I had been trying to do this whole time but, "If I don't respond to him at all, he's just going to keep bothering me until I do." I spoke quietly so only the General would hear.

"You may be right."

I gave my answer to the King. "I'll pass. There doesn't seem to be any room for me over there anyway."

Sinbad laughed. "What are you talking about?" He guided both women off of his lap, and held out a hand towards me. "You know I'll always make a spot for my Beautiful Prophet." Those dark feelings from earlier started to boil.

Ja'far made a comment about his King's drunken behavior. I could feel all of the eyes on us; I wouldn't be surprised if some were preparing popcorn.

Sinbad narrowed his eyes and softened his smile. "Aren't you the one that's always saying how much you like 'playing' with me?"

Fine. This was fine. If Sinbad wanted to play that game, I'd play. I could twist his words and play with those women instead. They were all wearing the same clothes and jewelry like a uniform, so they were call girls who would flirt with anyone. 'They're just doing their jobs. This is between me and Sinbad.' The waves were following my lead; I would punish Sin directly. --- ~POV Sinbad~ The buzz Sinbad had going from all the wine he had was nothing compared the pleasure he was going to receive from all of the women surrounding him. Their giggles and praise were a song he had missed for too long while he was in Balbadd. Still, it was a shame he hadn't been able to have fun with his Beautiful Prophet since the party started.

As if the to answer his desires the waves rose and brought Mori with them. His pulse quickened at the sight of her in anticipation of that feeling only she gave him. Yes, what could be better than having his Beautiful Prophet on his lap swooning along side these lovely ladies?

His waves directed Mori towards her King, but she went to the table instead. That was fine; the women on his lap and around him were more than desperate for his attention. Still, the way Mori seemed to refuse to look at him while she chatted with the others only fueled his desire for her more. Mori smiled up at Ja'far while they talked. Was she going to flirt with everyone except him? Not only was Sinbad prime real estate for flirting right now, Mori said he was her favorite. She flirted with him regularly.

Luckily, Mori's words gave him the answer. "...I could sit down to rest for a while before heading back out." She must have just been distracted by conversation while resting.

Meaning it was up to the Womanizer of the Seven Seas to remind her. "If you're looking for a place to rest, you should sit with me." Some of the women around him bemoaned the idea, and some were interested in meeting the Prophet.

Mori exchanged some words with Ja'far before answering. "I'll pass. There doesn't seem to be any room for me over there anyway."

That was an easy enough problem to solve. Sinbad disappointed the women sitting on him by guiding them off of his lap. They were nothing compared to the bigger prize Mori would be when she finally joined him. "What are you talking about?" He beckoned Mori with one hand. "You know I'll always make a spot for my Beautiful Prophet." She didn't respond, but the waves encouraged him to give another push. "Aren't you the one that's always saying how much you like 'playing' with me?"

Mori finally stood up and started making her way towards him. "You're right. I do enjoy having you as a playmate." Her smile was different than the one she normally showed him. Something about it and the way she walked was more provocative.

He had waited all day for this. 'Finally.'

She came right up to her King. The red stone hanging on the chain between her breasts swayed when she stopped. With her chest closer to his eye level, he finally got confirmation of something that caught his eye during the meetings: Mori had a freckle on the inside of her left breast. ((It's actually a scar))

She reached for his outstretched hand and stopped. "Do I have permission to touch you, my King?" Every fiber of his being told him she was talking about more than touching his hand.

"Of course."

She took his hand in her own and intertwined their fingers. "Thank you for your explicit consent." She stepped closer until her legs pressed against his and caused the fabric of his robes to pull. She was taking her sweet time which only raised his expectations. Mori's voice was dark and sweet in a way that demanded his attention. "Now, there's something about this game I apparently need to make clear."

Sinbad squeezed her hand lightly while gazing into her eyes. "Oh? And what's that?" Had his Beautiful Prophet ever looked this hungry for him?

Instead of answering, Mori started leaning over him and he felt the finger tips of her free hand traced his clavicle and slide over his shoulder as they found their way into the hair at the base of his neck. Sinbad's heartbeat quicken at Mori's sudden boldness. Sinbad lifted his free hand, but before he could pull her onto his lap, Mori stopped him. "Uh-uh. I didn't say you could touch me." Why not? -Her breath was on his right cheek. The whisper that followed caused a chill to run along his spine. "There's nothing I'd love more than to play with you and wind you up for the rest of the evening." He'd love that too. "But knowing that it will be one of the ladies here to reap the benefits of my hard work, well, that's just not fair." Mori's quiet voice made the inside of his skull tingle, and his thoughts fuzzy. "I'm actually exceptionally greedy that way, my King."

Sinbad's chest swelled with the feeling that only Mori gave him on top of the lust she was igniting. "Why wouldn't you be the one to reap the benefits?"

Mori let out a quiet sigh that rose his libido higher. Her left hand combed through his hair making his scalp tingle on the outside just as much as it already was on the inside. "You're too drunk to remember, I guess." The disappointment in her voice caused his chest to tighten. What did he forget?

The waves showed Mori leaving. How could he make her stay? "Do I have permission to touch you?" What if he played by her rules?

"Not this time." Mori's left hand pulled a lock of his hair over his shoulder and to her lips as she stood up straight. "I only came over to add a new rule to the game." The nails of Sinbad's free hand pressed into his palm. "I don't care who else you play with, but when you play with me, I expect your undivided attention." She let his hair fall. Her expression was far too calm and collected compared how his own heart was racing.

Mori's actions and words fueled a desire he had never had before. She let go of his hand, and he gave no resistance. He had lost all strength due to his sudden realization.

"Showing me such a cute expression isn't enough to make me stay, my King." What expression was he making? "Heeheehee," Mori's giggle was proof that she knew what she was doing to him. Her next words only rubbed in why she was leaving. "I can see that there are still a few ladies waiting for their turn at your attention," she looked at the women surrounding him, "So I'll have to play with you another time." Mori left her King's side. Sinbad let Mori go, but only because he couldn't think of how to make her stay. "I look forward to it."

"It's my turn next!" "Me too! Me too!"

Each of Sinbad's legs were occupied just like he wanted. 'But I...' His hands went to their waists on reflex. This didn't make sense to him -Mori was still right there. '...I don't need their attention...' Mori was leaving down the steps. '...If I have you...' Describing the desire in words shook him to his core. Maybe he was just too drunk. Never before had he wanted to leave behind the guaranteed pleasure of multiple partners, just to keep one person by his side.

((This last scene is one I've been looking forward to writing and drawing only a few months into writing this fic. I couldn't decide which moment to draw. I didn't want to regret not drawing more of it so I turned it into a full comic :D That isn't the only reason this took so long though ;-; 

I hit autistic burnout. Got sick twice (bedridden for multiple days both times). We found signs that someone tried to break into our house through my bedroom window. It has been rough. We've done a lot of work on the yard so that this rundown house looks less like a target. We still have more to do, but now the smog from Canada has put that on hold because it is not safe to be outside.

I am putting my health and safety first which is why this took so long. I haven't gotten so bad to faint which is really good. I have gotten close a few times though. Lyly has been helping me a lot when I have an episode, so I'm not going through this alone :3 I've also scheduled with work for time off here and there for the next few months so I'll be able to rest more regularly!))

[cosmiclion]

From the news I read I’m surprised they’ll welcome Miri’s mom return in future episodes. I guess it isn’t that much of a stretch considering that Miri would eventually want to see her mother again. Though I’m interested to see how it will go. Her mom made it clear she doesn’t want to continue caring for her. Miri will be crushed of course. If that happens I just hope she remembers she has a new family now and her support network is larger then before. Miri’s mom doesn’t seem as horrible as other abusive anime parents. I mean Miri wouldn’t be as cheerful and energetic as she should if her mother at least took care of her enough to not realize her growing hatred. I could tell from her first appearance she’s a very broken woman, trying to live her dreams singing in a shady bar in the red light district, loving a man who shows blatant abuse towards her. It was for the best that Miri left her and stayed in the care of adults who will look after her needs with no regrets. Otherwise she’ll be faced with abuse and regret should Miri continue living with her.

Hi! Uh... first of all I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies for taking ages to answer this, I've been a little too busy with school and general chores plus I really didn't know how to put my thoughts into words 😭 I know it's pretty pointless to answer your specific ask by now since the show has already progressed and ended but I still didn't want to leave this ignored, and if you don't mind I'll take the opportunity to offer some thoughts.

Now that the show has ended I see why they made the choices they made and they make a lot of sense given the context of the story. I personally don’t have any complaints about the writing but I think Misaki deserved better. I'm sad she died but I understand why it happened, I suppose with her arc going that route it wouldn't have made sense for her to survive in a show where nobody's safe from violent criminals who are willing to murder women and children to get them out of their way. Still, I don't think she needed a big change of heart, I think she was already a great character as she was (it also rubs me the wrong way that some people started viewing her as a good person only once she started making an effort to do things right but I digress).

I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the "unwilling parent learns to love their kid and learns to be a good parent so that they can finally be a happy family" narrative. It just doesn’t sit right with me, maybe I’m reading too much into it but the message I get from these kind of stories is that anyone can be a good parent/caretaker with enough help and resources and in the right place mentally and emotionally (ESPECIALLY because that's an argument people use in real life for why they think everyone should have kids, or hell, even as an anti abortion argument; like that's not an exaggeration, I've seen them saying pretty much the exact same thing), when the sad reality is that sometimes kids are just unwanted. I sincerely wish the show had acknowledged that some people just don’t want to be parents even when they already are, I know it’s not pretty but these things need to be talked about in fiction.

I also think it would’ve fit the story perfectly: we would’ve had an example of horrible abusive parents (Rei’s father), amazing loving parents (Rei and Kazuki themselves) and parents who do their best but would still rather be doing anything else (Misaki; as you said, Miri wouldn’t be as cheerful if her mother hadn't kept her unhappiness to herself). Maybe I’m biased, I don’t know, but I’m really starved for this kind of content. As a friend of mine as well as a few other people have said, we need more situations like in Matilda, where the bio parents admit they aren't fit for the role and happily sign away their parental rights.

(Granted that if Misaki hadn't popped back into Miri's life she wouldn't have died like that, as she got targeted precisely because she was with Miri, that's why I say I understand why the writers made the choices they made).

I also wish they hadn't given her cancer if they were going to kill her off anyway, give the poor woman a break lol.

If you (not you the asker but you as in anyone reading this) disagree with me that's perfectly okay, and let me reiterate that I do NOT think this is bad writing, I'm just tired of seeing this trope over and over again; but any angry asks or comments will be ignored and deleted.

(Edited to add some more thoughts).

[atopearth]

Butterfly’s Poison; Blood Chains (Chou no Doku) Part 4 - Mizuhito Route

Will we finally see the pain Mizuhito harbours in his heart every route until now? He always seems to be barely living with not much reason to wanting to live every route so I would really like to see a happy ending for him in his route. I feel like Mizuhito is the most obviously happy one to have been chosen to accompany Yuriko out with Shiba. I think the truly saddening thing is that even if Mizuhito and Yuriko want to work, they're basically "not allowed" to because once they do, the only thing that keeps this household "alive" and considered noble would break down and they'll become nothing, they won't even be a shell of who they are. Shiba was pretty smooth to put a rose in Yuriko's hair disguised as fixing it haha, but I found it so funny how Mizuhito found the need to want to wash Yuriko's hair because of it lol. It was obvious that Mizuhito finds it difficult to breathe in this manor considering the circumstances around his birth but hearing him tell Yuriko that he can't survive without going to the red light district and getting a woman's love from them because he never ever got to receive it from his mother and Yuriko's mother throughout his life hurts. Hugging Yuriko really helps Mizuhito keep himself together huh? They're not actually blood-related? I thought about it since Kyoko talked about how much Yuriko's father loved her mother but I didn't think the story was going to backpedal on the sibling thing haha. Anyway, I didn't expect him to reveal his feelings towards Yuriko so fast but I guess it was the "right" opportunity since he just told her that he's not actually her brother.

It was pretty cruel for Mizuhito to force her to choose him or Shiba or neither of them so quickly when she's barely had time to process everything that's happened to her family and then she needs to process the fact he's not actually her brother and that he's always loved her. But I guess Mizuhito is dying in his own way and Yuriko is forcing him to not go to the red light district where he feels like he can find some sort of solace so yeah I guess he does need Yuriko to make her decision, otherwise the torment will kill him. Sigh, messy situation, I wonder if Shiba witnessed their whole argument because it was probably pretty scandalous lol. I mean Yuriko's right, regardless of the blood relation, the fact that they grew up together and that Yuriko has always viewed him as a brother hasn't changed. Funnily, considering their relationship is the most socially unacceptable one, their first kiss felt like the most innocent out of all the guys lol.

I guess I can't blame Yuriko for hiding the thing about the geisha from Mizuhito but yeah, it wasn't going to be hidden for long. Honestly, I'm not too into their relationship and I'm not sure what it feels like it's missing because I generally love stories about forbidden love🥲 maybe it's because Mizuhito keeps referring to Yuriko as his little sister lol, like you've already decided to see her as a woman, can you keep it like that lol. Anyway, I really like their CGs haha, and I also like how Mizuhito has finally started to talk more about how he started loving Yuriko and how her existence gave him basically a reason to feel like living because she brightened up his life. I think Mizuhito has hit the nail on the head on why I don't think I like their relationship. It's because you can tell that Yuriko has just been going with the flow of not wanting to be abandoned by the only person left in her family, and because she understands that Mizuhito loves her, she was basically forced to be with him romantically or suffer being alone. I won't deny that maybe she does have some jealousy and stuff like that that could lead to something romantic between them, but her love for him feels more like she doesn't want to lose him to anyone else rather than she likes him and actually enjoys the romantic gestures. But I liked Yuriko's answer. Maybe they can't call this feeling love, but does it really matter? The most important thing is that she was happy Mizuhito wanted her and she was happy that she could have him, and I guess she's not wrong, maybe I shouldn't overthink haha.

HAHAHA, I died when there's an option to ask Fujita what colour is Majima's underwear. The most hilarious thing is that if you pick that option, Fujita seriously answers Yuriko, and then falls to the floor in despair that he hasn't done well enough in Yuriko's education to make her ask something like this LMAO. I guess Mizuhito's endings are really full of depravity lol! The one where they got addicted to sex in the storehouse was certainly interesting lol, but it seems like as long as you keep making the wrong choices, Yuriko and Mizuhito will die from the fire directly or indirectly. Personally, I have to say I liked how crazy the threesome sorta ending with Hideo was, like Mizuhito seemed like he went full on crazy and loved the idea of dragging Hideo down "to his level" and he loved seeing Yuriko indulge in all these sexual acts and listen to everything he tells her to do. I felt bad for Hideo though. I guess the double suicide after realising they wouldn't be able to escape the fire was the most "romantic" way to die but yeah sad all around.

Overall, I really thought I would like Mizuhito and his route but apparently not haha! I think I felt mixed feelings throughout it, especially their relationship. I don't really mind stories about forbidden love but I think theirs lacked what I love about forbidden love, which is that sense that both of them can't live without the other and that if all these things happened, how could they possibly not fall in love with each other kinda feeling. I never felt like I got those feelings throughout this route so I guess it perfectly encapsulates the idea that the relationship is wrong and they know that but they still want to continue to indulge in it not caring about what is wrong or right, which is fine, but just not my thing and not what I expected. I also kind of hoped that Mizuhito's route would reveal more about the family, his reasons for quitting painting and his prostitution, and it did, but I don't feel like we got anything above surface level, so even though Mizuhito's life definitely sucked and was terrible, and now I think I can finally better understand why he committed double suicide with that geisha in the other bad ending, I don't think it was portrayed well enough for me to empathise. I never really felt like what they had was love, and was mostly obsession, which can be seen as "love" as well even if it's unhealthy I guess but it never really felt enjoyable to me and instead felt more uncomfortable as Mizuhito and Yuriko continued their rendezvous. I did like the ending in its own twisted way with how obsessed he was to get famous from painting his little sister though lol. Anyway, Mizuhito's route wasn't bad, but sadly not my thing, it definitely has the most sex though if that's what you want haha!

[heavensbeehall]

"Catching Fire", Chapter 23

Part 3: The Enemy

Chapter 23: Katniss has to wake everyone up to explain about the clock. Wiress is relieved someone understands her. Beetee wants his wire. Katniss and Johanna have a stand-off that Finnick has to diffuse. They go to the Cornucopia. Johanna gets axes.The Careers attack. Wiress dies. The island spins before they can give chase. Katniss swims out for Beetee's wire. They don't know where 12 is anymore. Finnick goes to tap a tree and Katniss hears Prim scream.

RIP: Wiress

-- This is the second time in as many Hunger Games that Katniss has to wrench a weapon from a dead tribute's hands.

-- It's REALLY lucky that Katniss can swim. Finnick had to go get Beetee, but the plan wouldn't work without Beetee AND the wire. Imagine if the wire was pulled into the hovercraft with Wiress' body and then everyone was like, "well shit."

Quotes:

There's something odd about Johanna not putting this together. Something that doesn't quite ring true. Suspicious.

Does anyone have a good read on this fight about the wire? Does Johanna really not know why Beetee wants it? Or is she trying to downplay the existence of the wire (for the cameras), and then gets annoyed when Katniss and Peeta think she's stupid?

Beetee and Wiress will probably find some way to die on their own. If we have to run from something, how far would they get? Johanna, frankly, I could easily kill if it came down to protecting Peeta. Or maybe even just to shut her up. What I really need is for someone to take out Finnick for me, since I don't think I can do it personally. Not after all he's done for dPeeta. I think about maneuvering him into some kind of encounter with the Careers. It's cold, I know. But what are my options? Now that we know about the clock, he probably won't die in the jungle, so someone's going to have to kill him in battle.

Again Katniss worries about her ability to kill Finnick. It's almost like she's going to have to make some choice related to this topic in the future. Because she doesn't want to think about killing Finnick, she then starts fantasizing about killing President Snow. And I think that's actually a very good bit of remembering who the "real enemy" is.

"[Wiress] can sense things before anyone else. Like a canary in one of your coal mines."

Another lady linked to a bird. Rue, Maysilee, Wiress.

I realize it's just another disadvantage the District 12 tributes have faced over the years. We don't go down in the mines until we're eighteen. It looks like most of the other tributes learn something about their trades early on. There are things you do in a mine that could come in handy in the Games. Wielding a pick. Blowing things up. Give you an edge. The way my hunting did. But we learn them too late.

Any thoughts on why District 12 doesn't have child labor? I know zero about mining coal but I would think kids could get into small places adults can't and we know the Capitol doesn't care if they die. (I don't know if this furthers my speculation that the Capitol really is just PRETENDING to need coal to give them busy work.)

I load an arrow as I twist and get a glimpse of a dripping-wet Gloss letting Wiress slide to the ground, her throat slit open in a bright red smile. The point of my arrow disappears into his right temple, and in the instant it takes to reload, Johanna has buried an ax blade in Cashmere's chest. Finnick knocks away a spear Brutus throws at Peeta and takes Enobaria's knife in his thigh.

I get that Wiress is in a vulnerable position--not part of the group. But why would you attack her first? There are four Careers and Six Alliance. They are already outnumbered. It would make more sense to take out the better fighters first. Maybe Gloss was hoping to do it silently? But I feel like this is another example of District 1 not being properly trained for combat. (I'm still upset about Marvel pulling the arrow out of his neck.)

I look at the others' sober faces. Now Finnick, Johanna, and Beetee have all lost their district partners. I cross to Peeta and wrap my arms around him, and for a while we all stay silent.

No thoughts just sadface.

"You had to tell us or we never would have moved our camp in the first place, brainless."

This is important to be because a) it's the beginning of Johanna and Katniss's term of endearment and b) Johanna is the only one who can comfort Katniss here. They are so similar.

Certainly he is brave, but we have all been brave enough to survive a Games. There is that quality of goodness that's hard to overlook, but still … and then I think of it, what Peeta can do so much better than the rest of us. He can use words. He obliterated the rest of the field at both interviews. And maybe it's because of that underlying goodness that he can move a crowd--no, a country--to his side with the turn of a simple sentence.

Everyone loves Peeta so much. He should be the new Supreme Leader. Maybe we should build a shrine to him?

She never once thinks it could have anything to do with her.

[madi5on]

I hid my septum for a football player.

It never ceases to amaze me how self destructive the human mind truly is. I also believe self destruction is our default mode and that's why we need things like religion and laws to calm our violent nature. I still think my ideology can be shadowed by my biases. My experiences. I happened to grow up around a bunch of failing people who were trying.

I know how that sounds. It sounds rude, disrespectful, and down right cruel. But what can I say when your mom made a million plans and had no follow through and you watched your dad dissociate the entirety of your childhood, its hard to have an understanding of what a successful human is. Maybe that's the lie. Actually people say it all the time so this is in no way an original thought, but there's not right way to be a human. That sentence sounds so naive to me.

There is a right way to be a human. Flow with the system you exist in. Seek joy and fulfillment. Existing with others. Connection. Family. Community. These are the words that come to mind when I think human.

I hid my septum for a football player. This should have been the first red flag. Actually the first red flag was the fact that he "fell in love with me" after talking for 24 hrs and meeting up in person for 3. Or maybe when the first thing he said to me was that I was pretty and then asked for nudes. Let's just stick to the stupid teenager story.

I grew up with a rocker for a daddy and a tattoo artist as a step daddy. My mom had gauges and was covered in tattoos. I grew up going to school with sharpie doodles all over my arms. My mom would raise hellfire if anyone came in the way of my expression.

When I turned 13 I started begging my mom to get my septum pierced. I was a little rebel so she told me if I got good grades and left my boyfriend alone I could get one. Lets just say I didn't get it until I was 15. It was for my birthday and my mom felt bad for me. I wasn't really doing any better. That's beside the point. Never had I ever been more excited for something. When the peircer said "Ope. It's crooked. I can take it out." I shook my head vigorously and said it was fine.

So tell me why I tucked it. I would wear it proudly nose stuck up in the air. It wasnt long after everyone and their damn mom started getting them peirced all over my small mid western town. But as soon as T came to town or I crossed over into his school district, my silver horse shoe was stuffed up my nose. This made no sense because my ears were already stretched to at least half an inch at this point.

He had never told me to tuck it. He was just stare at my nose with a stank face. His reactions and comments didn't stop there. He was say things when I would order food like "are you sure you need all that?" when he would order the same amount or more. He even said to me "I don't like it when you wear crop tops. It makes you look like a whore."

Over a long and tedious year I stripped myself of everything that was me. I stopped listening to my favorite music because "it was devil music". I stopped wearing anything other than jeans and high neck t-shirts. I did minimal makeup and at the time I was a classified MUA if you asked me. I was just an empty shell.

I had even thought about taking my septum ring out. I was going to marry this guy after all. But I couldn't bring myself. My nose and my ears were mine.

Our year anniversary came around. He did the most getting me a giant elephant. It was the one I told him I wanted. When I went to get him a gift. I froze. I made a collague of our stupid happy pictures. Some taken after a 20 minute car ride of his endless screaming. I thought it would be sweet to put a love letter on the back, but nothing came to mind. All I could think about was the fact that I had just had a miscarriage and he couldn't be happier.

So I did what any 17 year old would do. I googled "love letter", went a few pages deep, copied it, signed my name, and gave it to him.

3 days later I cheated on him, then left.

[regional-horror]

This is not mine. This came from the "Maryland is a Cult. Not a state" group on Facebook. Credit for the text in this post goes to the OP Jennifer Eno-Clark. I now present to you:

DMV (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) Interstate Gothic

If you are from the DMV (mostly referring to the DC region) you'll understand these rules. If you are coming here, you'll learn these rules. If you are just going to visit, give up. Read, enjoy and then destroy them.

1) First, you must learn to call it by its rightful name. It is D.C., or "the District". Only tourists call it Washington.

2) Next, if your road map of Montgomery County is more than a few weeks old, throw it out and buy a new one. It's obsolete. If in Loudoun or Fairfax County and your map is one day old, it's already obsolete.

3) There is no such thing as a dangerous high-speed chase in D.C. It's just another chase, usually on the BW Parkway.

4) All directions start with "The Beltway"...which has no beginning and no end, just one continuous loop that locals believe is somehow clarified by an "inner" and 'outer loop' designation. This makes no sense to ANYONE outside the Beltway.

5) The morning rush hour is from 5 to 11 AM. The evening rush hour is from 1 to 8 PM. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning, especially during the summer on Route 50 eastbound.

6) If there is a ball game at the FedEx Field, there is no point in driving anywhere near PG County.

7) Tip: Never say PG County to anyone from Mitchellville, Upper Marlboro or Fort Washington. They'll blow a vessel in their neck and go into a seizure.

8) If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended and shot at. If you run the red light, be sure to smile for the $100 picture you will receive courtesy of DMV. (However, if you don't go as soon as the light turns green, you will get cussed out in 382 languages, none of

them English.)

9) Rain causes an immediate 50 point drop of IQ in drivers. Snow causes an immediate 100 point drop in IQ and a rush to the Giant for toilet paper and milk.

10) Construction on I-270 is a way of life and a permanent source of scorn and cynical entertainment. It's ironic that it's called an "Interstate" but runs only from Bethesda to Frederick. (Unless you consider Montgomery County another state, which some do). Opening in the 60's, it has been torn up and under reconstruction ever since. Also, it has a "Spur" section which is even more confusing.

11) All unexplained sights are explained by the phrase, "Oh, we're in Takoma Park or Greenbelt".

12) If someone actually has their turn signal on, they are by definition, a tourist. Car horns are actually "Road Rage" indicators. Heed the warning.

13) All old ladies in Buicks have the right of way in the area of Leisure World.

14) Many roads mysteriously change their names as you cross intersections. Don't ask why, no one knows.

15) I removed since it was outdated lingo. I apologize if any offense. Jen

16) If you stop to ask directions in Southeast... well, just don't.

17) A taxi ride across town will cost you $12.50. A taxi ride two blocks will cost you $16.75. (It's a zone thing, you wouldn't understand) (Oh, and if you are in DC and want to go to MD, don't tell them until you get in the car...they won't take you otherwise)

18) Traveling south out of DC on Interstate 395/95 is the most dangerous, scariest thing you will ever do and when you hit it, you will wonder why the section of this road called "the Mixing Bowl" is so named. After all there is no mixing there, heck, there is no movement at all.

19) There is nothing more comforting than seven lanes of traffic cruising along at 85 mph, BUMPER TO BUMPER!!!

20) The minimum acceptable speed on the Beltway is 85. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

21) The Beltway is our daily version of a NASCAR reality show. Strap up and collect points as you go.

22) The open lane for passing on all Maryland interstates is the far right lane because no self-respecting Marylander would ever be caught driving in the "slow" lane. Unofficially, both shoulders are fair game also.

23) The far left lanes on all Maryland interstates are official "chat" lanes reserved for drivers who wish to talk on their cell phones. Note: All mini-vans have priority clearance to use the far left at whatever speed the driver feels most comfortable multi-tasking in.

24) If it's 10 degrees, it's Orioles' opening day. If it's 110 degrees, it's the Skins opening day.

25) If the humidity is 90+ and the temperature is 90+, then it's May, June, July, August and sometimes September.

[evarcana]

I See the Moon

Oh when you are looking at the sun

Ev wears some very impractical shoes and learns that she does not know the city quite as well as she thought.

characters: the usual cast of Ev and consul Valerius

words: 2,4k

warnings: none!

notes: I wanted to write something short and sweet to act as a placeholder between the previous part and what is coming next, but I think I got a bit too emotionally attached in the process. The title is from “Be the One” by Dua Lipa and I will leave it open for interpretations.

Darkness strikes Ev’s eyes as she steps out of the theatre doors and for a moment she is completely lost in time and space, staring at her surroundings as if seeing everything for the first time - the disorientation which comes with returning to reality after the magic of the theatre wears off.

A few myopic street lanterns glimmer faintly and the moon, pitched extraordinarily high, is covered by the ragged organza of thin clouds and barely available to light the streets below. Passing groups of people turn into clusters of dark silhouettes, and Ev watches the collars being lifted and scarfs wrapped tighter, as the theatregoers hide themselves from the wind moist with the cool evening dew and disappear into the shadows, leaving only trails of soft footsteps and animated chatter behind them. It is this time of the year when night falls suddenly and way quicker than anyone anticipates.

The impatient tug on Ev’s arm cuts through the hazy darkness. “Are you going to let me leave or what?!” Valerius sounds desperate in his exasperation.

“Just a moment and you are free.” Still watching the dark street, Ev reaches for her bag and throws a pair of flat pointy mules decorated with golden beads and tassels on the ground in front of her. Using Valerius’s arm for support, she lifts one leg to untie the ribbons on her ankle. Somebody behind them helpfully holds the theatre door open, letting the light out, and they both stare at Ev’s bright red toenails as she steps out of her shoes. Ev frowns to herself and curls her toes - it is hard to be an intimidating opponent when you wear a cute sparkly little ring on your fourth toe, when she feels another tug and catches her breath in surprise, losing her balance. The arm slips from under her hand causing her to immediately crash into Valerius. Well, no chance of looking like a menace now. At least Valerius can’t run away, she thinks, because her entire face is smashed into his chest. “So impatient,” Ev rolls her eyes and tucks her heels in the bag.

Valerius hurries to brush off something invisible from his coat and then looks down at Ev’s feet with cynical interest, “Going on a hike?”

She contemplates telling that it took her a very detoured walk from the palace and four nervous circles around the Town Square to finally burn all that destructive energy her body generated in their morning argument, and that right now she is dying to rub her sore ankles, but decides against it. After all, wounded animals are easy prey. “Looks like it,” Ev says, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She scans the road once again and clicks her tongue. There is a carriage pulling away, two people inside, and another one rolling on towards the theatre, the coachman already waving to somebody, but most of the theatre crowd chooses to walk. They all must be locals, or heading to the closest tavern, Ev realises.

“Don’t tell me, -” Valerius’s voice says and Ev looks up, surprised that he is still standing there, “you don’t have a carriage because you were hoping to find a date to continue the night. You shall forgive me for ruining this little plan of yours.” His words are dripping with distaste.

She realises that Valerius must have been following her eyeline. The nervous lough blasts out of her but she manages to catch it and it turns to sound like a cough. A lucky guess on his part? Or did he take inspiration from his own plans? Ev refuses to think about the whole theatre fiasco. The sinking feeling in her chest has started and she puts her hands on her hips in annoyance. “I thought there would be carriages waiting,” she manages to say.

Valerius arches his brow in response, “...how pathetic.” Ev gives him her best withering look and turns away.

The last carriage departs with the din of wheels hitting the worn edges of the stones. Valerius’s eyes are still set on Ev’s face and his brow begins to crease slowly. He is clearly deliberating something but Ev cannot see it. She is watching clouds moving slowly across the moon. “Where do you live?”, he finally asks.

“By the Town Square,” Ev responds automatically, squinting at the sky above her.

“Not in the Heart District?” It sounds like a genuine question at first but the edge of his mouth lifts in a wry grin. “Didn’t you say I wasn’t the only one with the money here?”

“Too close to you,” she smirks back, “the urge of leaving a dead fish by your gate at least weekly would be -,” she leans in closer, turning her voice into syrupy sweet hush, “- irresistible”. This is getting weird. “Anyway,” Ev hurriedly looks behind her shoulder at the theatre doors, “I think it is going to rain later. Have a good night,” the words come in a flat orderly row, she is already concerned with something else, “I will see whether the theatre director can fetch me a carriage.”

“My carriage is waiting down the road.”

“Mm good,” Ev mutters to herself but then the realisation hits and she turns to the consul, eyes wide. “Are you offering me a lift home?” A ‘thank you’ sign lights inside her head but she crashes it with a wave of suspicion. It’s Valerius out of all people. He has no reason to offer her a ride in his carriage besides plotting to murder her and then ditch the body somewhere in the forest. Ev gives him a hard stare.

Valerius breaks the staring game first - his eyes flash with the new unidentified emotion before he regains his usual dismissive look. “Not home,” he snorts, “to the Town Square,this should suffice for a favour.”

“No no, hold on,” Ev raises her hand in protest. “I haven’t asked you anything yet, and hospitality is not a favour.”

“What hospitality are you talking about?”

“You repeat that it is your city all the time! Technically, I am still a guest.” Inside her head Ev is thanking all the available gods for her ability to just keep talking, regardless of whether it makes sense or not, because she definitely has not processed what happened yet.

“Yes, well, just keep your mouth shut,” Valerius says and walks off without a backward glance, his back soon disappearing in the darkness of the narrow lane.

Ev’s eyes follow his path and then she throws another look at the theatre building. The light in one of its rounded windows goes down. She watches the emptying street and feels the goose bumps scatter her forearms. The air is beginning to chill. She looks down at her feet. Ev decides that the consul is the kind of man who would rather pay somebody if he wanted to get rid of her than being involved himself and for the second time this evening she rushes after Valerius. This is so weird.

She is about to call him out to slow down because the sound of duck feet that her ‘emergency’ shoes make is getting on her nerves when she hears a loud thud and a curse. In the darkness of the path Ev is not sure how close Valerius is to her but she knows that he stumbled and it makes her giggle in delight. She stretches her hand out glancing at the strips of warm candlelight coming from the gaps in the window shutters and the ivory glare of the moon. A small globe of light, the size of a plum, forms above her hand. Its light is delicate and warm, as if filtered through the frosted glass, but bright enough to fill the space between the two of them.

The consul straightens up quickly, “Why -”

“I don’t know about you but I like my toes all intact,” Ev walks over to him. “It’s only a small trick, here,” she raises her hand and the light gets brighter, “you can touch it, it’s not hot.”

Valerius takes a step back, looking at the ball of light suspiciously. “You are full of tricks, aren’t you?” he says.

“Don't even make me start on what you are full of.” She bunches her hand in a fist and the light sphere drops down but, before hitting the ground, it bounces back in the air like a small ball and splits into a dozen of smaller lights, startling Valerius. They hover in the air along the path similar to a garland of lanterns as they walk in silence until the lane ends, opening to the canal, and Ev asks, “Is it your carriage there?”

***

The servant opens the carriage door and much to Ev’s astonishment, Valerius waits for her to get in first. She gives him a confused look but complies. There is no evening chill inside and the cushioned seats are invitingly soft, so Ev’s immediately decides that regardless of what is going to happen it was a good idea not to walk home. Valerius takes a seat opposite her and reaches to unbutton his coat and pull his long loose braid from under the collar. His head rolls gently to the side and Ev sees a couple of inches of the neck, soft lines and the glowing skin. She feels her cheeks beginning to heat, suddenly remembering the warmth and the bitter almond fragrance she breathed in every time she got too close to the man, and gods did she get too close tonight.

This is about as far from the real world as Ev can imagine. The carriage is small and the little triangle of her beaded slipper somehow ended up between the consul’s leather boots. If she was to stretch her leg, the bareskin on the side her foot would brush along his shin. They have never sat this close together. Ev thinks about the old lady from the theatre. How would she feel if she knew that she was the only thin barrier stopping them from recognising each other and fully succumbing to the mutual hostility, claiming at least half of the theatre as casualties in the process. This could have been a disaster.

Ev looks at Valerius again and tries to understand how could she not recognise these features straight away. The signature crease between the dark brows and the sulky mouth. Valerius sits in silence, and his eyes are definitely not the ones she knows. They are so wistful and lonely, and so golden under the lamp light, Ev has to look away.

She puts a hand under her chin and leans to the window. A fine mist of rain has started to grit on the glass, and behind the sparks of its tiny drops - a bridge arches over the canal’s silver curve, both ends of which are clipped by infinity, which, in the dim light of the early night, is only ten feet away. The backdrop is all in flashes of the lit windows and the black outlines of pointed rooftops, round cupolas and slender towers, all together resembling a crown adorned by a single grand jewel of the moon, burning bright white. Then, the skyline and even the moon gets momentarily obscured by the huge wall, deprived of any lights, looking ghostly in the tempered gloom.

“That massive rounded building, what is it?” Ev is surprised with herself for striking a conversation.

“Have you not seen it before?”

“No, I have not really been to this part of the city,” she says, turning to Valerius, “What is it? A hippodrome?”

“It's the coliseum. The count’s favourite place,” he gives a chuckle which sounds bitter. “The man loved... performances.”

“What kind of performances?” Ev asks, watching his mouth twisting in distaste. Something about his look makes her frown.

“Gladiators. Bloodshed which lacked any order or purpose besides the count’s own entertainment,” Valerius rubs the bridge of his nose and glances to the window. Ev cannot tell whether he is looking at the moon or the looming coliseum, considering something. “But it’s not what this place was intended for,” he pauses. He turns back to Ev and the expression in his eyes is softer. “It was built before Lucio became a count, although it was slightly less grand back then. The rituals and ceremonies were conducted there during the festivities and the previous count used to reenact scenes of the famous battles there, using the actors. It brought the whole city together. Nobody wants to remember those days anymore.”

Ev feels a weird tremble inside and she is not sure what has caused it until she realises that it is a strange, unusual affection in his voice. She crosses her arms and seats back to contain the feeling. It’s so freaking strange to talk to him when his face is not a mask of boredom. “Did you use to come to watch?” she asks.

“Only when I had to. As if I would mix myself with the roaring crowd of plebeians. Besides, it was terribly distatestful and the smell inside was disgusting.” His mouth tightens, and a strange shadow clouds his expression this time. “Pointless waste of human life.”

“Oh,” is all Ev can manage. She cannot stop staring at Valerius. There is some kindness beneath this asshole facade, human decency, fairness even. It is not the perspective that she has been prepared for. “I meant before that,” she adds faintly.

“Yes I did, when I was much younger.”

“I cannot believe I have never heard of it.”

“Did you do any research before you came here?” The consul is back to his dismissive tone.

“Honestly? I had other things to worry about.” Ev turns back to the window, suddenly unable to look at him anymore.

She hears an irritated snort from Valerius but then, after a brief silence, he starts talking again, and it is not about Ev’s inadequacy. He talks about the canals named after constellations, traditions which Vesuvia used to have, and what you could find in the city before the plague. His voice is calm and steady, and has this velvet quality to it, which fits the night perfectly. Ev closes her eyes and thinks that maybe if she asked Valerius, as that favour she got from him, to continue his stories sitting by her bedside, she would finally be able to fall asleep before the sunrise.

[bill-y]

𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐑𝐄

Peeta Mellark x male reader

[ We all know who Katniss Everdeen is, but what if Primrose hadn’t been chosen but another boy from another unfortunate family? YOUR family. ]

Info: This is basically a reader insert and I’ve changed a few rules, not ground breaking though. The reader is a bit bland for now but I plan for his actions to be different. Because he has different moral grounds from Katniss and such. Would appreciate feedback! FEEL FREE TO POINT OUT TYPOS. GRAMMARLY SOMETIMES DOESN’T DO MY DYSLEXIC ASS JUSTICE

Part three: Click this, Rumtumtugger.

Part four: you're here, jennyanydots

Part five: Clicky dicky here, buddy

Wattpad account: L0calxDumbass

Those words left my mouth without much thought. I wasn't thinking of the damned consequences at the moment.

Behind me was Kunal, an iron grip on my leg, bawling his eyes out. "Y/N! NO! NO! YOU CAN'T GO!" he pleaded, his cries getting louder by the second. 

My hand ruffled his strawberry blonde hair, messing it up. "Let go, Nal," I said in the calmest tone I could muster. He shook his head, tears running down his cheeks, I cleared my dry throat, gulping down nothing. My mouth was dry as if I just ate a handful of salt, which was honestly a luxury.

My face remained stoic, the moment I show a sign of distress I know the people in the Capitol would eat it up like good bread. It entertains them, our suffering entertains them. 

His hands slipped from my leg, gripping on my pants before he was finally taken away from me. "Up you go, Owl eyes," said Gale, his voice trying hard to remain steady. Beside him was Katniss, who was holding Kunal by the shoulders. She nodded, "Good luck, Y/n,"

I nodded, before looking back at the temporary stage. "Oh well, Bravo!" Effie exclaimed. "That's the spirit of the games!"

She was thrilled, finally seeing some action from this district. It made a pit in my stomach, I clenched my jaw. If only the roles were reversed, Capitol people fighting for their lives instead of us.

Oh, how funny that would be.

I strode to the stage, trying my best to look collected. The foreboding feeling in my stomach only grew with each step I took, my hands sweating as if they've just been dipped into water once I finally took my place.

"Do tell us your name," Effie said, her grin widening as she nodded, encouraging me to talk. It took all the will power I had to not strangle her.

"Y/n Greyback," I replied dryly, hoping it would set her off.

“I bet my buttons that was your brother. Don’t want him to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let’s give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!” she trilled, making me clench my fists.

Her words were met with silence. No one clapped, not a noise can be heard. Even the ones who would usually bet on who would wound up as a tribute didn't do anything.

I held back a smile, a surge of hope flowing through me. This was the most rebellious thing they could do without getting punishment of any sort. Silence.

Silence doesn't mean fear or that we're cowards. It meant that we do not accept this, we do not condone.

Just as my father always said, one does not need to shout to make a change.

The next thing that happened was even more of a surprise. Maybe it was because I was a son of a "rebel", maybe they pitied my family or maybe it was because I talked to the mayor's daughter.

Just one, then two, then a group almost all of the crowd put the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and held it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.

My tense hands relaxed a sense of calm washing over me. We were united in a strange way, something I thought would only happen in my dreams.

"Look at him! Look at this one!" Hollered Haymitch, throwing an arm around my shoulder. His arm was quite heavy, understandable, he's a wreck. "I like him!"

The scent of alcohol from his breath was strong, or maybe he just smelled of alcohol. "Lots of. . ." He paused, trying to think of a word.

I cringed as he slightly swayed around, trying my best to not touch him. "Spunk!" he declared triumphantly. "More than you!"

He released me, staggering to the front of the stage. "More than you!" He declared once more, pointing towards the camera.

Was he talking to the audience? Or maybe he was addressing the Capitol. I wish it's the latter, that would be funny.

Just as he opened his mouth to continue, he fell down the stage, knocking himself unconscious in the process. I snickered slightly, my face scrunching up right after.

Thankfully, the cameras were all pointed towards him, watching as they whisked him away into a stretcher. I took this moment to glare back into the distance, watching the scenery.

There was the hill that me, Katniss and Gale were just at. It looked so peaceful, contrary to my day.

"What an exciting day!" Effie warbled, trying to fix her tilted wig. It looked ridiculous. Why would Capitol people, no, why would anyone wear that?

It looks ugly, like a beaten up squirrel. Though I'd be lying if I said it wasn't eye-catching, though, beaten up squirrels are also eye-catching. “But more excitement to come! It’s time to choose our next tribute!” she continued, putting one hand to the second bowl.

Her fingertips grab the first slip it encounters. I hoped it wasn't Gale or Katniss. I didn't want to kill them, not that I'd ever stand a chance.

Katniss was extremely skilled with the bow, she could probably shoot my head from miles away. Gale, on the other hand, was strong, compared to him, I had the strength of a broken twig.

"Peeta Mellark," She read. Oh no. Why him? Of all the people in this district. His father just "introduced" me to him this morning, not just that, I knew him.

I watched him make his way up the stage, I had a clear look at him this time. He had a stocky build, medium height,  ashy blonde hair that falls in waves over his forehead. The shock of the situation registered on his face, though you could tell that he was alarmed by the way his blue eyes looked.

Like a prey knowing it'd be hunted.

Despite this, he still manages to climb up the small flight of stairs calmly.

Effie Trinket then asked for volunteers, but no one spoke up. He has two older brothers, I've seen them. But one is probably too old to volunteer, and the other just wouldn't. This was standard family devotion, what I'd done was a radical thing.

The mayor began to say the same old words he always says every reaping day. I couldn't help but think, why him?

I remember it all too well, that day, it was raining up a storm, the wind was howling. My mother and my brother were left at home, I was tasked to find food for us since my mother couldn't bear to show her face to the district.

How could she? Her husband has been executed for rebellion against the Capitol. One of the peacekeepers found weapons under his possession and he was killed. He managed to convince them to spare us, though sometimes I wished it hadn't worked.

Within a week of his death, we began to lose money, and therefore, food. Nobody wanted to help us, nobody wanted to associate with the family of a tyrant.

Shame, the family name bared shame. My mother didn't have the gall to go out and sell any of my father's things, my brother was too young to even understand what was going on.

I was angry. How could they have just taken everything away from us that easy? Who gave them the right to do that?

But at that moment, I couldn't afford to sit still and wallow in my resentment. That was a luxury I couldn't afford. not many could afford it either.

Starvation was a fairly common thing in district 12, though the amount of covering up the peacekeepers do no one a favour and fools no one.

There I was, a boy who wasn't even old enough to be registered into the pile walking around in the harsh weather, stripped away from my dignity and whatever money we had.

I found myself in the Mellark's bakery, being told off by the baker's wife, who was tired of having brats from the Seam paw through her trash. I would've screamed back then, but I didn't want the Peacekeepers called on me.

So I left without another word, sitting at a tree for some sort of cover from the harsh rain.  I remember the snorts of the pigs beside me, and that was when I realized I'm no better than cattle; the people of Panim were no better than cattle.

My knees buckles as I collapsed onto the wet grass, shuddering from the cold and the harsh reality. Maybe I had gone insane then, but I vaguely remember talking to the pigs, ranting to them.

They didn't listen, they were too busy rolling in the mud. Looking back, I find this extremely funny, but maybe that's because I don't want to pity myself.

I didn't even notice a boy until the pigs actually rose to eat the pieces of bread thrown at them. I stared at him for a long while, mainly because of the burnt bread, the crust was scorched black.

But a red mark on his cheekbone caught my attention. Had they hit him for burning the bread? My parents have never hit me, I couldn't even imagine what that would feel like.

He took one look at the bakery as if checking if the coast was clear before he turned back to the pigs. Though instead of feeding the pigs he tossed the loaves of bread to me.

I watched him walk towards the bakery and closing the kitchen door tightly behind him. All I could do was stay silent, before shoving them up to my shirt, muttering a broken thank you as I ran home.

The loaves had cooled by the time I got home, but that didn't matter. We had something to eat. Mother looked at me, relieved I didn't die. She hugged me, apologizing.

I didn't care though, we had food, that's what's important.

And for the first time in weeks, we had a proper meal.

I was thankful, the fact that he'd probably burnt the bread on purpose never occurred to me until I crawled onto the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling. An act of kindness, someone still cared.

It was as if spring came overnight, fluffy clouds, blue sky, the warm sweet air. At school, we would always catch each other's gazes. I felt a tad bit bad, his cheek was swollen and his eye had blackened.

I couldn't come up to say thank you, instead, I watched him from a distance, contemplating whether I should. When I went to fetch Nal, out eyes met once more, I was about to mouth a thank you until Nal tugged my shirt.

He handed me a dandelion. He's always loved flowers. His love for it made me realize how I would get the food we needed. All that time I and my father spent in the forest won't be for nothing.

To this day, I still feel as if I owe my family's life to him. I had honestly given up, but he gave me something. Peeta Mellark, the boy who gave me bread and the dandelion, both gave me hope.

Maybe if I had said thank you all those years ago I wouldn't be feeling so guilty now. I could always say it but something about thanking him whilst I'm practically holding a knife against his throat seems dishonest.

The mayor finished his speech, telling us to shake hands. His were as warm and firm as those loaves of bread. He squeezed me as if reassuring me. Or maybe those were just nervous spasms.

We turn back to the crowd as the anthem of Panem plays.

There are twenty-four of us fighting in that arena, as grim as it is, let's just hope someone kills him before I'm forced to. I don't wanna kill the reason I've survived all those years.

Word count: 2026

Tags:

@nin3s

Sorry for the late update my exams are next week and im rushing to finish my requirements at school. :"

[knockknockchicagopd]

❛ WELCOME TO THE 21ST ❜

❚❙ REQUEST BY @supervalcsi: Can I please also get angst prompt No.17 with Adam Ruzek? I love you so much!! 😍😘

❚❙ Prompt: “You said I'd get to have you today. Why can't you just tell them you can't go?” “Because it's my job, and it's important”. “And I'm not?”

❚❙ ADAM RUZEK MASTERLIST.

❚❙ WORDS: about 1k.

❚❙ A/N: this writing hasn’t been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I’m sorry about that. If you find a description about body or a word out of place, or something that makes you feel uncomfortable / unrepresented, let me know by a private message and I will change it delighted.

❚❙ GIF credits: to my wonderful @sonsofeorl.

❚❙ Tag list: @melblacc @rebelwrites @skyofficialxx @sesamepancakes @scarletsoldierrr @mondefantastique @that-chick212 @enbyamaro @inlovewith3 @ocetevasgirl @destynelseclipsa @jadakiss13 @mcgreads @graniairish @teller258316 @i-love-scott-mccall. If you want to be added to my tag list, send me a message.

Stretching your arms to the ceiling, you come inside the kitchen with a huge smile curving your lips. Today is your graduation ceremony in the police academy, after long months of hard work and nights awake studying protocol. Luckily, you will be serving as a cop in a week. But your cheerfulness disappears when you find Adam finishing his coffee, already dressed. And his badge on his belt.

The gesture on his face doesn't change, showing how disappointed he is. But no more like you are. Simply nodding with your lips pressed, you decide to not say a single word, being conscious that he won't accompany you on the most important day of your life. And that says a lot about him, even if you understand he has a job to do, but he promised you he asked for this day off.

“Baby, listen… There's a new case an—”.

“You said I'd get to have you today. Why can't you just tell them that you can't go”.

“Because it's my job, and it's important”.

“And I'm not?”

“Hey, that's not fair”. Frowning and leaving his mug over the counter, your boyfriend takes a step closer towards you. The same you go back, making him snort. “I'll try to go, I pro—”.

“Don't promise me anything else, Adam. 'Cause you aren't gonna keep it”. You interrupt him, pointing at his chest with a forefinger raised. “It's my graduation, I wanted you to be there. No one else. But it seems it isn't as important for you as it's for me”.

“You know that's not true, (Y/N)”.

“Then, why 'you leaving?” You can't help but cross your arms on your chest, knowing that you've won this argument just using that question.

As you thought, he doesn't reply, putting his gaze away from you before hearing his phone ringing inside a pocket of his jacket. Probably, Alvin is waiting for him outside ready to visit a crime scene. Adam doesn't even try to kiss you, not sure if you're annoyed or grateful he doesn't do it or you would end punching him in the face anyway. When the main door of your flat is closed, you can't help but shed some frustrated tears.

Nobody indeed knows about your relationship to protect yourselves since he works for Intelligence and Antonio's son was kidnapped once, better knowing you as his best friend and his roomie, and you don't want to think that maybe he never asked Voight for a free day because he was aware that his boss wouldn't concede it for a friend; simply expecting to have a quiet day in the District and escape for a couple of hours to attend your graduation. But his plan backfired and he has failed you.

The fact that your parents not agreeing with the path you've taken by choosing to be a cop has the result of you being alone in the ceremony. All your partners are surrounded by their loved ones, while you're sitting on a bench checking your phone every minute just in case Adam can finally come. But when you have to change your seat for a chair in the first line in front of the stage, you know you will be through this alone.

One by one, alphabetically, the graduated cops receive their diploma between cheers, whistles, and claps, while the bitterness inside your chest continues growing without measure. As soon as the Commander says your last name, you spring to one's feet wishing it passes quickly. The most important day of your life, the one you've been waiting for all this year, it has turned into one of these you just want to end and forget somehow.

Going upstairs, trying to not make eye contact with anyone in the audience, you direct your steps to the hand holding your diploma. One of the four with summa cum laude writing with golden letters on it. You talked to Adam about choosing his District, since you were able to decide your destination because of your unquestionable grades, but now it's just an unclear decision.

“Congratulations, officer. We're proud of how far you will go, if you continue working hard as you have been until this day. Chicago is lucky for having you serving and protecting its citizens”.

“Thank you, sir. It's an honor for me. I won't let down my city”.

Your partners break into loud claps and whistles, being able to hear among the crowd a ‘well said, baby’ that causes your body to turn around to the audience. Your eyes get filled up with a bunch of tears when you find your boyfriend at the end of the red carpet. And he's not alone. His Unit is there too accompanied by some of the firefighters from the 51st firehouse, cheering you up; ready to celebrate it with you.

All the pain and the sadness have disappeared in a sight, going downstairs after being photographed with the Commander, to go straight to your friends. Receiving you with kisses and warm hugs, you can't help but thank Voight for letting Adam come to your graduation, knowing they must be very occupied with the new case they got this morning.

“Uh-huh… I'm conscious you will know how to compensate me, kid”. He just replies, raising his left hand with a cardboard folder in it.

“What's that?” You mumble with curiosity under everybody's eyes, as your boyfriend places an arm on your shoulders.

Only by opening it and reading the first title, you know what this is about. Trying to contain a smile and acting professionally, you keep it with your diploma before stretching his hand firmly.

“Count on it, sir. It will be a pleasure”.

“Yeah, I'm gonna have so much fun being your instructor”. Erin adds poking your chest with a funny grimace on her face.

“Your first patrol is tomorrow at eight am”. Voight informs you, putting his hands inside the pocket of his jacket, looking prouder than you have ever seen him. “Don't drink too much tonight, you will have time to celebrate it”.

[queerbutstillhere]

Hi!!! I don't know if ur still taking prompts but if u do could you do one where Jon gets hit by a love portion and falls for someone who is NOT Damian and Damian is sooo jealous that at one point he confesses to Jon and kiss him which break the live potion effect because true lov3 and all. Also if you could include the batbros that would be great. Thanks in advance if you do XD XD

(Hi! So sorry this took so long 😅 I got busy with #batlanternweek and my Damijon fics on Ao3 and writing a gift for a friend! But! I finally got here! And now that I've written it, I really like this prompt so thank you!!)

Damian was cranky. Even more so then usual. To the point where even Dick had stopped trying to cheer him up. He was so pissed he broke a guys nose literally just for breathing at him. He had gone off on the Teen Titans, nearly killed Tim(yes, again. And they had been doing so well), helped Red Hood steal from a pharmacy(not in his Robin uniform, of course), and had been snubbing Maya and Colin all week.

Why was he so cranky?

Because his best friend, and long time crush, was pining over someone that wasn't him. And this was a problem™.

Now he would never, ever, in a million years confess to Jon. It was just out of the question. For the longest of time, the boy was just too young and Naive, and wouldn't understand, probably be weirded out. And then he went into space for a week, and came back three years older (fuck you Bendis) making him the same age as Damian, also taller then him. And worse, no longer a virgin, which had really upset him, because maybe he had been harboring the desire to deflower the half-kryptonian. But that was his secret to keep, as was the age in which he lost his own virginity, albeit a dumb thing to fret over.

Now you might be thinking, how on Earth has Jonathan Kent fallen for anyone but our handsome, striking, emotionally constipated detective protagonist. The answer was simple, dumb and entirely too aggravating.

They had been working with the Teen Titans, tracking down a new meta who was causing issues in Washington, the state, not the District. This Meta was calling themselves "Eros" like the Greek god of passionate desires. Which of course, led the team to believe their powers had something to do with people's emotions. Well that and the pile of police reports about that exact topic.

Damian hadn't been as concerned as he probably should have been. His team knew the risks and all trusted each other, and apologized in advance, should Eros get to any of them. They were a good group of supers, he begrudgingly admitted. Bringing Kent along probably wasn't the best idea, but with it being summer break and them spending the weekend together, he hadn't really had much of a choice.

He really didn't remember how it happened, just that one moment they had been battling the red and white clad meta, and the next he heard Jon yelling and saw him tackle Jackson.

The arrow sticking out of his back was not a good sign.

As it turned out, the arrow was a love potion, and it made Jon instantly fall for Jackson. Which the teen thought was hilarious. Jon on the other hand, spent the whole next week moping around and bemoaning his childish issues to Damian, who was very annoyed that the damn potion hadn't worn off yet.

"Damian, get off your ass, it's time to patrol," Tim said as he breezed past the futon Damian was sat on.

"He can't," Dick's voice carried across the cave. "He got grounded, remember?"

"Oh, shit. Right. Why?"

"Damian!" A whiny voice called, and Damian wanted to put a knife through his brain.

"That's why," he bit out, pushing to his feet.

He had approximately thirty seconds before Jon located him.

"What? I thought you and Superlad were bff's again," Tim asked, confused.

"We were, until he got hit by a love potion and has fallen head over heels for someone el- on the team."

His stumble wouldn't have been noticed by anyone but his brothers. Tim's eyebrow arched up as he buckled the belts that went across his chest.

"That's rough. Had that happen with Kon a few times. It really doesn't wear off Kryptonian's quite right. Good luck!"

Tim waved and walked away, quickly replaced by Jon, who meandered over, in Superboy uniform. This uniform was a significant improvement on his last one, and Damian would like to take credit for that, this one was actually a bodysuit, red boots that went nearly to his knees, red gloves, and his red cape. The body suit was mostly blue with some dark gray, and then the red and gold on the S emblem.

"Are we going patrolling?" Jon asked with a sad sigh.

"No," Damian bit out, feeling a ripple of anger.

He turned and stalked out, Jon literally floating after him. Damian went upstairs to the manor, heading to the kitchen, Jon never once leaving his side. He was so annoyed.

"Would you quit?!" He snapped, glaring at the Superboy.

"Oh. . . Okay. Geesh you're so cranky these days."

"Maybe, I'm just tired of you acting like a dumbass. Jackson is never going to love you back, Jon. He's not attracted to boys."

"I know," Jon said with a depressed sigh. "But I can't help it. His eyes, and his skin, and-"

"Fuck you!" Damian snapped and spun on his heel, walking out of the kitchen.

He practically ran up to his room, hoping, in vain, that Jon would just leave him alone and go home. Unfortunately, Jon apparently still remembered his duties as best friend. A few seconds later. There was a knock at the door.

"Damian. It's me, can I please come in?"

"No!"

"Damian."

The door opened anyway. Damian crossed his arms, turning to glare at it.

"Fuck. You."

"i don't understand," Jon said, distraught.

"For a week! I have watched you pining over Aqualad. For a week! You feel nothing for him, not truly, you never so much bat an eyelash at him before!"

This was truly a bad idea, but Damian was so frustrated and tired. And gay.

A Tired, emotionally frustrated gay is never a good thing to have on hand. (Trust me on this one. I am one and live with one)

"You've been chasing after him like he is a god, and yet I've been here this whole time and you never even looked at me. Fuck you, Kent! You know how hard relationships are for me!"

"Wait, what?" Jon asked, freezing and looking confused.

"You're an asshole."

"Damian, wait-"

Damian turned to barge past Jon, who caught him easily, grabbing his shoulders firmly.

"Damian, are you- do you like me?"

"For two years now," Damian bit out.

He had already let the cat out of the bag, might as well give it attention.

"oh my God, Damian, I never-"

Damian didn't think or stop himself. He surged forwards, grabbing Jon's slightly less chubby face and yanking him into a rough kiss, teeth clicking painfully, but Damian didn't stop, just kissed him hard. Jon was stiff for a moment, and then suddenly relaxed considerably. he wrapped an arm around Damian's waist and pulled him close.

Damian whimpered into Jon's lips as the Kryptonian sucked in his bottom lip, gently kissing him. Damian's hand snuck up, tangling into Jon's black hair, and the other teens hand was on his hip, fingers pressing into his flesh. Then Damian realized what he was doing and jerked away, pulling out of Jon's hold and stumbling backwards, across the room. He stared at Jon with wide eyes, hand coming up to his mouth.

"Jon, I'm so sorr-"

"Shut up." Jon started walking closer.

He looked confused, but not angry. He followed Damian across the room and reached out for him, but Damian jolted back again.

"Damian, come here," he said gently, holding out a hand.

Damian shook his head. His heard was pounding, and he felt like he was about to have a panic attack or something.

"Damian. Come. Here."

The words were an order, and it sent a bolt of fear through Damian. He swallowed and stepped forwards, into Jon's reach. The teen gently cupped Damian's face, a thumb stroking his cheekbone.

"Damian. I am so sorry," he murmured. "I'm sorry I've been acting like an idiot all week. You're right, I don't really feel anything for Jackson. He's a good guy, but no one holds a candle for you."

Damian inhaled to speak, but Jon stopped him, continuing talking.

"When I was gone, for three years, the one thing that kept me going, that made me keep fighting, was the thought of you, of coming back to you. For three years."

Damian wanted to sob, hearing those words, but he just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Damian. I'm sorry. Really. You- . . . You mean so much to me."

Damian opened his eyes and nodded slightly, meeting Jon's eyes. The teen smiled.

"Can I kiss you again?"

Another nod and Jon leaned in, gently pressing their lips together. Damian relaxed into him, hands coming up to his arms. Jon was already forgiven. Damian couldn't stay mad at his soulmate, not for long, anyway.

[kileyrose-2003]

Rose the Hat x Fem! Reader: Part 2

A/N: Hello lovelies! This is continuation of what @merci-bitch requested. I am putting the link to Part 1 down below if you haven't read it:

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! @mewbleu I am working on your request and I'll be in touch with you once I get closer to finishing it.

Love you all and hope everything is well!

One bottle of wine and less than a twenty minutes drive later, Rose had you already figured out and in her bed at the Bluebell Campground.

She drove you mad that whole time and hours after that. It was 2:17 in the morning and you both were still going to strong. Her head was tucked in between the soft flesh of your thighs as she ran her tongue across your clit.

"Damn it, Rose!" The older woman laughed and you gripped your fingers into her knotted tresses. "What's the matter, my sweet? I told you I'd punish you for running from me."

"You can't do it any other..form?" You grimaced. She smirked and stuck her fingers inside you quickly, getting a gasp out of you. "So eager for me," She mused and pulled them out.

You let out a whine and shook your head. "That's not fair!" Rose smiled gamely though there was a hint of maliciousness in her eyes. "It's fair, sweetheart. You've had control of all your previous relationships and now I'm the one in charge here and what I want, I always get."

She ran her fingers teasingly across your clit and you squirmed. "Just give it to me..please!" You grunted.

"For such a dominant woman, you're so submissive to me. I almost forgot how much I like hearing you beg underneath me from the last time we seen each other." She inserted her fingers inside you again. "Beg for me again."

Your cheeks went red at the mere thought of begging but it all felt so right. "Rose, please! I want you." You cried out and she grinned. "Much better." She quickened her pace, eliciting moans of pleasure from you.

"It's fun pleasure though, isn't it?" You bit your lips and let out a whine, hoping your neighbors couldn't hear what you were doing through the walls even though they very well knew how you were.

"Y-yes," You rasped, answering her questions. "You haven't had a true, passion fuck in a while. You're mine, Y/n. You know that right? All mine. I won't share you with the others. In a way that's what you've always wanted, haven't you? Someone to call your own.

"Y-yes..." You nodded and she started peppering kisses on your stomach. "That's my girl." She nipped at your belly button and you hissed, pushing her head away.

"Rose, that hurt!" You yelled more loudly than you would of liked too. None of the True knew you were at their campsite yet and you planned on keeping that a secret for as long possible. You didn't exactly have the feeling Rose told anyone she was coming for you.

"Oh please, you enjoyed it." She smiled and quickened her pace. "You feel so tight."

"I don't think I'm going to..make it much longer! Please Rosie, I want to come!" You begged, feeling like you wanted to cry.

"Then come for me." Her hands slipped away from your folds and you instantaneously orgasmed.

You arched your back up into the air in euphoria. It all felt so surreal and it was by far the best night of sex you ever had.

When the sensation began to fade you plunked back down on the bed next to Rose who pulled you close to her.

"My special girl," She cooed and ran her thumb across your cheek lazily. You smiled softly at first and shook your head, thinking of all the times someone called you special it probably wasn't in a good manner. "Don't call me that."

"Oh? Why not?" There was slight amusement in her voice. "I don't know. I don't think there's much special about me..I guess after being told you're crazy for so long you just start to believe it." You shrugged.

"You know..if you really wanted, we could always pay that back." She nipped your cartilage.

"It wouldn't matter anyways because they'd end up with the satisfaction of knowing I'm not in my right mind in that moment."

Rose sighed and kissed your cheek. "You're sane and very special. I've found over the years, people are afraid of what they can't explain or others who are more jealous of them. It elicts a sort of jealousy. That's why people who aren't special like us are rubes in my families eyes. They're all idiots. You were born into a family of people who didn't understand and appreciate you. It's a shame too because you're extra steamy. Something I haven't seen in a while."

"It's not that as a whole they didn't appreciate me. It was just my parents." Rose shrugged. "Still, idiotic rubes."

"Do they know I'm here?"

"Who?"

"The others?"

"My Crow is out on business so it doesn't matter but do you care?" You decided you didn't and shrugged slightly. Laying your head on her bare chest. "You love Crow?"

Rose chuckled and kissed the top of your head. "You got a twinkle in your eye, don't you?" You blushed and she shook her head. "No, no. No shame. I despise the term love. It's such a rube thing to declare. A foolish promise if you ask me."

You nodded and nuzzled closely to her. "True..but you're avoiding the question."

Rose sighed. "I guess you can say I love him. We have a very deep bond. We're knotted together. The whole family is. I do enjoy him more than the others though."

You laughed and squeezed her hand gently. "For someone who insist I'm such a busy girl, you get around too."

Rose smacked your ass in a way that said she was being playfully but also in a 'don't you disrespect me like that.' nature.

"He knows how I am besides the fact I'm not exactly so patient as to just be satisfied with just his welcome home greeting."

You snorted and she gave you a nasty look before pulling your head close to her warm breast. "Comments?"

"None at all." She raised a brow and placed a sloppy kiss against your cheek. You wiped away some of the spit and the woman laughed throatily, no hint of apology on her face.

"Oh yes..you and I are going to have alot of fun together. Rest up dear, you're going to have a long day tomorrow. You'll be one with us and one of us." She caressed your cheek and kissed your temple. "Goodnight, Y/n."

"Night, Rose." You hummed softly and nuzzled closely to her. She felt so warm and smelled earthy in a good way. It almost reminded you of your childhood but this time it didn't cause you any pain.

You could feel Rose running her fingers through your hair and your eyes began to flutter shut. Soon enough you succumbed to your exhaustion but Rose stayed up for a while, watching you sleep.

She could feel your emotional scars and all the trauma like weights in your mind. Some of it from her but she tried not to focus on thag. It wasn't a wonder how you hid from her for so long now. You locked everything away in the closet. You had to unless you wanted to become a statistic on accidental drug overdose.

Part of her wondered and knew if that your first meeting did go different, despite your age, you would of tasted amazing.

She wasn't concerned with that though. Now it was just going to be the matter of ridding you of your emotional baggage.

"So much pain inside for such a short time in this world..I guess that doesn't matter though anymore. I know what I have to do with you. I'm going to fix you up like my Andi, pretty little things the two of you."

You squirmed slightly in your sleep and Rose hushed you, sending you waves of calmness with her shine. "Nothing to be afraid of, my sweet. I have you and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you like that ever again."

You ceased your squirming and Rose grinned. "Now you get it." She kissed the top of your head and shut her own eyes before falling asleep next to you.

When you awoke the next morning it was to the roar of a car engine followed by the crunching of twigs from the impact of the tires.

At first you attempted to brush it off as some nearby car speeding down the road but the noise was too close for comfort.

Rose groaned and held herself up using the back of her hands. "What time is it?"

"I don't know but I heard a car." Rose smiled and sat up, not bothering to cover herself up. "Oh that's just my Crow."

"Y-you're not going to cover yourself or tell me to get out?" She laughed and rubbed your cheek. "Honey, in case you haven't noticed, norms don't matter around here."

"I know but isn't he going to mad? It's not like we exactly got off on the right foot."

"He'll get over himself. Like I said-" There was a slight knock followed by the sounds of the doorknob jiggling.

You squeezed your eyes shut, preparing for the worst. "Rosie, I'm back. Sorry I'm late but I stopped at District X and-" Crow turned to look at Rose and his jovial expression began to melt. She was completely naked.

Not that it was unusual to him, he was very familiar with her in this type of setting but your presence completely threw him off.

A pang of jealousy hit the inside of him. He knew of Rose's amorous nature and considered himself to bisexual as well, though his experience was limited with men and who was he to judge on what she did while he was gone but you..

You were a rube, their lost food at best and you had seen his Rosie in a way no other person should of. As far it was his concern, you should of been dead the second you struck out at him.

Crow Daddy's posture stiffened and he met Rose's mystical eyes. "What the hell is going on here and why is that little whore in my spot?"

Rose would of been lying if she said the appearance of his rare temper making itself known didn't shock her slightly.

She pulled you close to her and you shoved the blankets around your sides to try and prevent your breast from popping out.

"Crow, this-" She gestured to your form. "Is Y/n. She's going to be our newest recruit."

He made a face and you returned the look with as much crudeness as he gave to you. "Who is laying in my spot." The words came out like an animalistic grunt. "Rose, I thought we agreed we weren't turning her after our last experience with her."

"I didn't promise you anything. I'm the leader of this group. I'll do what I want." Her eyes turned predatorial and you cringed.

"We need food more than we need new members. She might just be on that age bracket where still taste good for her age."

The look in his eyes was no longer one of anger but a hungered expression and you shifted uncomfortably around in the bed.

Rose ignored you and stood up off the bed, approaching Crow. She laced her fingers through his hair and smiled sweetly, laying it on a little thick.

"We're not eating her. That's the end of it . Admit it, you said you thought she was cute." He sighed and wrapped an arm around her bare waist. "Yeah but-"

"But nothing. You wanted to turn her originally. Did you not?" Rose leaned up and nipped the cartilage on his ear. You would of been lying if you said you didn't envy him in that moment.

"I did." His hands pressed gently into Rose's side. Leaving little red imprints on her pale physiognomy. "What are you planning at?"

She smirked and pecked his lips. "You'll see. Now go on. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Sounds good." You could of sworn you seen Crow narrow his eyes at you before walking out the door.

"He's very..intense." Rose chuckled and shook her head. "Not usually. He's just very protective. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just got a little scared for a second." You chuckled nervously to try and brush off some of your anxiety.

"There's something else on your mind too. You want to tell me about it?" She pet the back of your head. "I just..I don't know. I guess I'm afraid of getting stabbed in the back. Every person I've ever gotten close to has either hurt me or just abandoned me and I'm scared of that happening again."

"When you join our family, we have each other's back. We might get at each other's throats at times but we don't betray each other because after being alive for a while we've pretty much seen everything. So we get how it feels to be in someone else's shoes, okay?"

"Okay." You nodded as Rose got up and threw some clothes in your direction. "Come on, I think it's time I introduce you to the others."

Once you met the members of The True and they weren't trying to murder you, you found their company to be very enjoyable.

You instantly connected with Andi who like you, didn't have an easy past. Plus she was around your age which made it easier for you to talk to her.

It made Rose a little jealous but she tried to let it get to her so much. She didn't have to be in your head to know you were hoping this was going to be a way for you to settle down and she planned her hardest on trying to give you that.

Later on that night after dinner was cleaned up you sat down on the muddied ground as you looked up at the stars.

Normally seeing them made you feel serene but tonight it made you scared. You didn't know how long you sat there for until you felt Rose tapping your shoulder. "Are you ready?" You nodded and wiped a tear away from your eyes. "Yeah."

"Good.. why are you crying?" You sniffled a tiny bit as she nervously forced your head back into her lap. "I'm nervous."

She let out a snort and had to fight the urge to chuckle. "Oh please, a girl like you? You are a force to reckon with. Just think, no pain after this. All bliss and all you have to do embrace it."

"Okay." Rose wiped your eyes. "Is it going to hurt?" She rubbed your temples. "A little but no fear, you understand?" You nodded and relaxed your posture.

"Grampa Flick, we're ready when you are." You looked up and the entire Knot was hoarded around you. Some of them were smiling while others looked mad.

"Lodsam hanti, we are the chosen ones," All of the True repeated after him. "Cahanna risone hanti, we are the fortunate ones. Sabbatha hanti, sabbatha hanti."

"We are the True Knot, and we endure. Here is a woman. Would she join us? Would she tie her life to our life and be one of us?" You felt everyone's eye fall on you and you tensed, that inner voice screaming to run while you can.

(Say yes.)

"Yes." You whispered it but it was enough for Rose. She pulled out a cannister from her dress and held it up in the air.

"This one is special like you. Her name was Abra and like you, she thought she could run from me. There's still plenty of her left and she taste-" The cannister cracked open, letting out the scream of someone fighting for their life to a pitiful whimper. "Like spice."

You watched in horror as she inhaled the steam. You figured that if they were going to eat your steam, then possibly it was what they lived off of but you thought it was just adults they killed. The scream sounded like it could of belonged to a child.

Your blood ran cold and Rose's hair tckled your face as she leaned infront of you, the steam floating infront of your face. "Breathe deep!"

For a moment you thought about refusing then thought of that girl's scream. If you refused, you would end up with her fate. That was the last thing you wanted.

Despite the moral dilemma you breathed in the steam. You could feel the coldness of it along with the kick it gave on its way to your stomach.

For a moment you felt nothing but then everything went cold. You opened your mouth to try and ask Rose what was happening but nothing came out.

Your throat felt tight and Rose grinned down at you. "Embrace it." Your body began to arch and you could feel your stomach burning.

"It burns!" You screamed and clawed at the dirt. "I know..I know." You could practically feel Rose smiling at you.

There were hands clamping down your arms and legs and you screeched. "No! No! NO!" A big blue burst of energy flashed infront of your face and soon everything around you faded into darkness.

The next morning when you woke up your face and hair was caked with sweat and mud was all over your clothes.

Their was a near by puddle of water and you looked at yourself in it. You looked the same but you felt different. You heard laughter and took your attention away from your reflection.

"Well hi there!" You turned to face Rose. "You fucking bitch! You said it wouldn't hurt." The other woman had to stuff her bad temper in a sack and smiled as she knelt down to your level, brushing a piece of hair away from your eyes. "Well it doesn't now, does it sweetheart?"

'You can pull one over on your little boyfriend or the others, but not me. I don't go for people who lay it on thick,' You thought to yourself then shrugged. "I guess."

"Then there's no need to for us to act like a child, is there?" There was a hint of malice in her voice. You gave her a face as if to say 'I hate you' and Rose chuckled.

"It's okay. You'll feel better after you eat." She took your hand in hers and caressed the tops of them. "What's the matter?"

"Am I even a human anymore?" Rose offered you a cheeky grin. "Do you care?" The words were cold and had no feeling of comfort.

"I guess not." She patted your head. "Good. Now come. I have something special I want to show you."

You raised a brow. "What is it? Like a gift?" In the short amount of time you spent with Rose, you loved her smile but in that moment it sent chills up your spine.

"You'll see. Crow, help her up please." In a moment the dark haired man took your hand in his and swiftly swept you up off the ground.

The other members of The Knot were already back to their previous engagements and from the look on Rose's face, she seemed fine with that so you let it go.

She wrapped an arm around your waist and lead you forward towards the edge of the all too familiar woods.

"You know, I remember the last time I was here," You said, pretending to think. "You tried to murder me."

Rose smiled tightly and squeezed your sides. "Yeah well, no need to hold grudges over things to small."

"I don't know if I'd say killing trying to kill someone as something that everyone should just brush off." For a moment there was very awkward silence.

"Well you woke up in a pissed off mood, didn't you?" You shrugged. "Well after feeling like I was dying last night, wouldn't you feel the same in that situation?"

"It's a gift you should be grateful for, now close your eyes," She commanded. "Why?" You never exactly were fond of surprises.

"Because, it's a surprise," She answered like it was so obvious. "Yeah I know but I'm not so fond of the unexpected."

"Well, I guess it'll be my job to give you a sense of adventure." She smiled in a friendly manner and held a hand out to you, releasing her hold on your waist. "You know I wouldn't let anything hurt you, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Good. Now just keep them shut and follow me." Rose held your hand and lead you forward. "You'll let me know if there's a rock or something infront of me?"

"No, we'll just let you trip and break your face." There was a hint of sarcasm in Crow's tone and you could hear Rose slap his arm with her empty hand.

"Don't be an ass," She scolded. The further you went into the woods, the more it began to lose it's earthy smell and a more unearthly one began to set in.

"Now wait, wait! Don't open them yet. Now tilt your head down- No, not up! The other way! That's it now now open your eyes."

You hesitantly did as she asked and peeped both eyes open before letting out a gasp.

There was a boy laying on a ground in a situation much similar to the one you were in except their steam floating above him.

"Tada!" You narrowed your eyes and turned to look at Rose. "What the hell is this?"

"Honey, he's your 'welcome to family' present." She drew a knife out the pocket on her sweater and wrapped her arms around your waist.

"As you know, there are people out like us who have steam. People like us, the steamy ones, we're above the others. However, there is a chain involved. The hunter and the hunted."

She knelt down and took a jab at the child, a large whiff of steam floated into as a residual effect. "Pain purifies steam, fear too. That's why we took you before turning you, because you're so pure."

You shifted in discomfort, trying to move the steam away from you. "Their pain. Our gain. You can have as much as you want from him. All you have to do is take it."

She handed you the knife and you locked eyes with the boy and bit your lip. You didn't have to use your shine to know he just wanted it all to end.

You didn't consider yourself to be a sentimental person or one who restricted themselves from their vices but this was too much.

Eternal life or not, it was just wrong. You bit your lip and tried to reach out the boy with your shine to give any sort of comfort but all you could see was a wind storm of broken memories. "N-no!"

Rose's arrogant face turned shell shocked. "No?" You shook your head. "I-i can't..I just can't! Just look at him." She furrowed her brows in a way that almost made her lose her respective queen stature. "And?"

"And he's suffering! Just look at his face." The child let out a pained sob and you sat down next to him, making sure to keep a semi safe distance from Rose as you ran your fingers through his hair and shushed him.

Despite the hunger you were feeling from his steam, you felt the urge to pull him close and just take him back home.

"He's an innocent child! He doesn't deserve any of this. He didn't ask to be born this way or for people like us to be around. This is wrong! All of this is just so wrong!" You screamed and started sobbing. "It's not fair!"

"Honey, life's not fair. Do you think Andi over there at camp, wanted or planned on having the humanity literally fucked out of her? Shit happen sometimes. It's the same thing with livestock cows. They don't-"

"For fucks sake! This isn't a cow! It's a child. Call me silly, but I think a person has more value sentimentally and in life then a cow."

Rose's posture straightened like a board and her fair skin turned cherry red with lividness.

"Rosie-"

"Quiet, Crow Daddy! Now you're just being ridiculous, Y/n! I tried being nice but now you've pushed too far. One way or another, I will get you to give in and you will kill."

"No, I won't! What are you going to do? Kill me or spank me?" You taunted.

You knew you crossed the line but you wouldn't give in and even in that moment you revelled in getting Rose all riled up even if that meant your anxiety would go through the roof because of it.

Rose huffed and went to stand up from where she was kneeling on the ground but Crow grabbed her shoulders. "If you know what's good for you right now Crow, then you'll let go of me because now she needs to be punished."

"Rosie, if I let go of you right now you're going to kill her. No one needs to know you as long as I have to know that right now. It's blazing like fire in your eyes. Just breathe for a second."

"I'll breathe later. Just let me at her!" She shoved him away and stomped towards you but Crow grabbed her by her waist. "Rose, you're going to do something you regret."

"Regret, my ass!" She kicked him in the groin and he immediately released his grip on her. She took the knife out of your hand and pushed you down on the ground next to the kid.

"I'll show you how it's done." She raised the knife above her head and you expected it to come down plummeting down on you but instead it landed in the boy.

Blood splattered all your face and you screamed. "Rose, stop!" You begged and attempted to get the child away from her.

"No! Now you'll get to have a front row seat on his pain." She leaned forward to grab your wrist but you kicked away before running.

"Y/n, you bitch!" You heard radiating through the trees but you didn't care. Tied to them or not, you wanted out. Even if that meant death.

As you reached the bottom of the hill you stumbled over a tree stump and all that was heard by those nearby was a thump followed by a crack.

"Y/n?" Andi ran towards you. "Oww! Oww! Oww!" You screamed, looking at your broken ankle.

Meanwhile in the woods a very pissed off Crow Daddy struggled to get Rose off of her prey. "Baby..this is a little over board. I don't think there's any steam left in the kid at this point."

She ignored him for a couple of minutes, making stab after stab until she own hands were cut open from all the pressure she put on them. "They all give in at one point! I don't understand it. I could practically the yearning in her eyes!" Rose seethed, hysteria still in her eyes.

"I know but some take longer to adapt than others. Not everyone is like Barry and Andi." Rose thought back on the first time she seen the two harvesting steam.

Andi's especially was pure irony in her eyes. For a girl that could 'never hurt anyone' based off how innocent others perceived her as, she tore her victim apart limb by limb.

"What do we do if she doesn't give in? Just let her starve and cycle out?" She barked. "When she's ready to eat, she will. It wouldn't be the first time someone had a lapse of faith and we had to deal with it."

Rose sighed and Crow massaged her shoulders. "We'll figure that out when the time comes but for now just let her be."

Rose actually listened and nodded, wrapping her arms around him. "Where did she go when she ran?"

"I don't know. I couldn't keep track. I'm sure she's close by though." He rocked her back and forth gently in his arms.

"I should go to her." Crow shook his head. "You're shakey. You need to relax before talking to her. You both will feed off each others emotions and it won't end well."

"Stay with me until I calm down?" He nodded and held her close.

Meanwhile down at The True's campground you sat in Andi's trailer as she wrapped a bandage around your ankle.

The steam healed most of the fracture but there was still some soarness around the area of the crack. Normally, The True Knot never kept first aid kits around but Andi was glad she had one in this situation.

"..and that should be good," She hummed as she placed the last piece of medical tape on the gauze.

"Thanks, Andi." You sniffled and she gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You're welcome hun."

She grabbed the towel laying at her side and began to scrub the blood off your face. "You want to talk about it?"

You shook your head and curled your knees close to your chest. "She's probably so mad at me right now," You whispered softly.

"Well, she'll learn to get over it. Rose is scary when she's mad but she can't stay mad forever." Andi paused for a moment and moved the towel away from your face. "How bad was it?"

"R-really bad." Your voice cracked and tears began to stream down your face. "Okay..okay." She held her arms out to you and you flung yourself into them.

"I'll never forget the look on that boys face!" Andi patted your back, trying her best to comfort you even though she hadn't felt a shred of sympathetic emotion in her in a long time. "I know."

"I should of stopped it. It's my fault!" Andi shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. It was inevitable. If it wasn't you that was going to hurt him, Crow or Rose would of."

"It just seems so wrong because I know what it feels like to be in pain and I mean yeah, others deserve to feel that same pain sometimes, but not a child."

Andi had to bite her tongue to keep from saying the first thing that came to mind. "Yeah but think of it, just a little bloodshed for a life long gain."

"It's a child, though. A child doesn't deserve that." She could say no more and pulled away from you. "Get some rest, okay? Maybe you'll feel a little better in the morning."

"Okay." Andi stood up and let you get all settled under her covers before opening the door to her trailer. "Hang in there, Y/n. I'll see you a little later."

"Bye, Andi." You grabbed one of her pillows and held it tightly against your chest, trying to relax yourself. 'You're such a damn fool to think of this would work, Y/n,' You thought to yourself as you stared at the walls.

Your eyes burned from all the crying you did and you felt so drained. You shut your eyes for a little bit, trying to just find yourself when you heard the door to the trailer open and shut again followed by a pause.

"Y/n?"

"Yeah, Rose?" She didn't have to look at you to know you were crying.

"I'm sorry." You turned your body to look at her. "About everything earlier..look, I don't want to make you do something you're uncomfortable with but harvesting steam is unavoidable."

"I know, I know..just give me time, okay?" You begged. "Maybe it's just because I'm not used to the bloodshed but I'm just not ready for it, yet. In all honesty, I might not be ready for it in a while."

Rose sat down across from you and took one of your hands off the pillow, holding it gently in her's. "That's fine. I just- You know what, it can wait."

"You're sure?" She ran a hand across your cheek, the bloodiness on it showing you the unholy deeds she did after you ran. "I'm sure."

Rose enveloped you in her arms, running her hands through your hair as if to reassure herself you were still there.

"Rose?"

"Yeah, Y/n?"

"I like you."

The older woman found a smile forming on her face and she placed a kiss against the top of your head. "I'm glad because I like you too, my patchwork doll."

You pulled away momentarily. "Patchwork?"

"Because you're such a pretty thing made out of horrible memories." You thought on her words for a moment and nodded. "I can live with that, being a patchwork doll."

Rose grinned and placed a kiss gently against your lips. "I love you," You told her with such honesty gleaming in your eyes.

"I do too." She smiled and held you close for a long time. For the first time in a long time, despite all the blood and violence, you felt at home. You were home.

[rnufharose]

Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Chapter 5

Words: 1.7k

Trigger Warnings: References to sexual themes and post traumatic stress.

︻デ═一 ♥

Haneul's eyelashes fluttered, stirring from her short nap before looking around the bus. The driver was fixated on the road, and there weren't any passengers that had joined in on the ride. Pulling her head away from the window, the brunette stared out toward the lights that illumined each street and the towering buildings.

It seemed she had arrived in Seoul.

She stood up from her seat, rolling her suitcase slowly as she made her way toward the driver, "Ahjussi," she began and the elderly man smiled at her.

"What can I do for you?"

"You can drop me off at the next stop," she replied. "I can walk the rest of the way..."

"Oh... are you sure?" He frowned. "It's dangerous late at night. Why don't you tell me where you are headed and I can drop you off there?"

"Gwenchana," Haneul assured him. "It's not far from here."

"Alright then," he nodded and the next stop closed in. The bus came to a halt and he opened the doors for her, allowing her to step outside. "Be careful, little miss. Wherever you are headed, go there as quickly as you can."

"Goodnight," she bowed, watching the bus driver leave the stop, and Haneul remained on the quiet street. She stood in silence, exhaling before grabbing her suitcase again and rolling it alongside her, walking toward her destination.

The city was dead at night, with no signs of cars or people walking the streets. The violence must have made the citizens fearful, and they didn't dare come outside unless it was in broad daylight.

The brunette was beginning to feel slightly afraid, shivering slightly as the cold air bit away at the skin of her cheeks. She thought if she looked over her shoulder, someone might be following her, or worse. Instead, she walked, eyes planted straight ahead as she made for her destination.

In several minutes, Haneul found the place she was looking for, staring at the sign that would have been glowing brightly hours ago, but given the state of the city right now, it had to be closed until morning.

She dug into the pocket of her black jogging sweats, pulling out the key to The Magic Shop and rolling her suitcase inside. Haneul closed the back door, locking it quickly lest the criminals of Seoul's underworld came following her, and she turned on the heat. The cold, empty storage room was beginning to warm up, and she turned on the lamp on the table, welcoming the comforting silence that surrounded her.

Crouching to the floor, Haneul opened her suitcase and took out a spare blanket, turning her phone off and placing it on the desk as she settled on the couch, pulling the warm cover over her body and laying on her side, curling into a ball and attempting to sleep. She no longer felt terrorized by the sound of gunshots. She couldn't see the puddle of blood as it pooled toward her feet, the comfort and safety of The Magic Shop shielding her from the painful memories of the past few days.

︻デ═一 ♥

A tall young male with black hair and youthful features pulled up near the curb, the engine of his car going quiet once he pulled the keys out of the ignition. He stepped out of the car and walked toward the back door of The Magic Shop, unlocking the back door and stepping inside, the warmth of the heat gracing his skin when he entered the storage room.

That's odd, the boy thought as he straightened the lapels of his black suit jacket. I could have sworn we turned off the heat last night. He continued to walk deeper into the storage room until he came across the low light of the lamp, a phone on the desk, and curled up on the sofa was Haneul, sleeping soundly with a blanket tucked under her chin.

"Noona!" Soobin knelt before her and shook her gently. "Yah, Noona! Wake up! What are you doing here?!"

Haneul stirred from her slumber, her lashes fluttering and coming into contact with deep brown eyes. She rubbed her bleary eyes and sat up slowly, glancing at the younger male, "Soobin..."

"Why are you sleeping here?" He asked. "You should have called us and let us know you were coming!"

"I..." She began, pulling away from the blanket. "I couldn't stay there... not when..." She swallowed the lump in her throat, fisting her hands as she recalled how unbearable it was to live in that house.

"We were planned on going to Icheon this morning," Soobin explained with a soft grin. "but since you're here, I'll call the others."

She nodded and watched him stand, pulling out his phone to call Namjoon. In the next hour, Soobin opened The Magic Shop to allow the people to find safety from the rest of the city, and in that time, Haneul was able to take a shower, putting on an elegant sleeveless buttoned flower dress after drying off, the skirt cut short on the right side, making it asymmetrical. She got into her heels and did her makeup, knowing full well now that she was here, she would have to work. She placed her essentials back into her suitcase and stepped into the club, listening to the instrumental music which created a sense of solace for the patrons that filed in. She walked toward the bar, standing behind the counter and ready to serve.

Namjoon stepped inside, wearing a navy vest over a ruffled white buttondown and slacks, searching the club until he found the counter, his eyes widening slightly, "Haneul!" He ran toward her as she poured a drink for a young woman, her chocolate brown eyes set on the older male. "You came! We wanted to pay—"

"I did," she interrupted with a frown. "I think... it was best you didn't go to Icheon... you wouldn't want to see me in such a mess..."

"You should have called at least," he scolded her gently.

"I told her the same thing," Soobin crossed his arms and smiled at her before bowing his head. "The least you could do is allow us to pay our respects to Halmeoni... we're sorry about what happened. You have our condolences..."

The brunette gripped an empty glass tightly, staring at the shiny counter while the onset of tears prickled at her waterline. A stray fell, landing onto the counter and Namjoon noticed how tense she was, his brows raised as he leaned over to place a large hand on her small shoulder, "Haneul?"

"I couldn't stay there," she choked, trying her hardest to hold back her sobs, but it was all in vain. "All I could hear was the gunshot! I kept seeing her fall at my feet over and over again! How can I stay there knowing she was killed in our house?!"

The two males stared as she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders quivering as she cried. She didn't want anyone to remember her grandmother at that gruesome moment. She wanted them to remember her when she was most vibrant—when she sang and played the piano, when she fed them her most delicious food... when she helped other people. 

Haneul wished more than anything that she took the bullet instead of her Halmeoni. Why would anyone want to hurt them when they lived a quiet life away from all the terror? She didn't know anything anymore, and the world that was once full of sunshine and smiles was now dark, selfish, and full of blood. 

︻デ═一 ♥

Sehun opened his eyes, meeting the light of the morning through the small crevice of the dark curtains. He could feel a slight weight on his arm and he recalled the night before after he had killed Seungri. He went into one of the many bars in the red light district to have a drink, and he ended up talking to the woman seated next to him. After a few more drinks, they ended up back in his apartment, and he was able to piece together what happened next.

The woman's black hair pooled onto the pillow and he carefully removed his arm from under her head, checking his phone to find several texts from Suho and then some from Chanyeol. He made a mental note to call them once he dealt with the woman in his bed.

The raven-haired male grabbed his boxers and slacks, slipping into them before he felt the mattress shift. He didn't have to turn around to know the woman was awake. Her arms loomed around his midsection and she pressed several kisses along his shoulder, "Why don't you come back to bed...?" She suggested quietly. It seemed she was hoping they would end up as more than a one night stand.

Sehun moved away from her arms and shook his head, entering the password on his lock screen so he could text Suho, "Just get out," he told her. "Don't expect to see me again..."

"Oppa," she whined slightly, pressing her chin to his shoulder this time, pouting. "...please?"

"I said... get. Out." He spoke, his tone deathly calm.

The woman frowned, pulling away slowly before rolling her eyes with a huff. She mumbled under her breath and grabbed her things, putting on her dress and shoes as she let herself out of the apartment. Sehun was now alone, looking over the replies that came from the older males, instructing him to meet them in Gangnam where G-Dragon would be holding a meeting. He prayed it wouldn't start a war between EXO and BIGBANG and that he would able to understand why they killed Seungri in the first place. BIGBANG was one of the richest crime syndicates in Seoul and anyone who messed with them was known to disappear off the face of the Earth.

After sending a text to confirm he would join them soon, Sehun stood from the bed, heading toward the washroom to take a shower. It seemed to find that old lady's killer would have to wait. He hoped her granddaughter was doing alright and he knew what came once an innocent civilian got caught in the violence. He imagined she must have been scared.

The killer surely made her a target now and he had to figure out why they were his targets in the first place.

[odissey061]

Motonari's route

Chapter(s) posted:

1. This freak won't have me

2. Kick him in the teeth

Please, teach me a better way to create link because I can't do it by myself

Chapter 3: This trick never worked at human's memory

Tag: @towa-no-yume @r-f-a-journalists

When I open my eyes the first thing I feel is an acute headache: the hands run through the hair until I discover a bump. I press it to see if I feel the pain and then I whimper like a baby: it hurts a lot. Why I'm so stupid? I take a look around me and I notice I'm in a cold and empty cell. The room is surrounded by three wooden walls and before me there's an iron grille. Here and there on the floor against the wall there are spooky chains that make me chill and smile nervously. At this moment I heard the rolling waves and I understand I'm on a ship.

Where I am? How many time has passed since my kidnap? I must return to the Oda right now! A lot of hours passed since I left Azuchi castle: I told to Hideyoshi I'd come back after lunch, so probably they have already noticed my absence.

I try open the door but, obviously, is locked and I look around to find something to force the look, but the room is empty, except the chain on the wall. Then I took a clip from my hair and, holding it tight in the hand, I pray:"At human memory this trick never worked, but, please, if there's even the littlest chance, make it happens". Great, now I pray to objects like they were gods!

I plug the clasp in the door lock but, as I expected, it doesn't work. Pushed by despair, I retry again and again, but after a large number of failed attempts and swears, finally I give up and I lean my back on the wall. A man appears in front of me: he's very tall and his body is made by tons of muscles, his eyes shining with malice. With a look I understand this man is a brute and he doesn't hesitate to use violence and if I had to fight against him, I'd probably die. "Who are you and why I'm here?" I demand, but he laughs dryly:"I'm the one who makes the questions here, little girl" and he opens the door. As he spoke, I recognize him as the man who kidnapped me. He enters in the cell and leaves open the door. I try to gain more time:"I understand why you kidnapped me: I'm very close to the Oda commanders and your boss wants information about them", Well, at least you are not stupid, that makes easier my work. So little girl, talk about your friends" he comments. "The problem is exactly about this: you see, I'm only their maid and I don't know anything about their future moves, so keep me here is useless" I lie and I walk towards the door. But the man grabs my hair, making me moan for the pain and yells at me:"You think I'm so stupid to believe you? I'm not a fool! In Azuchi people say Nobunaga brought you to battle on his horse  His voice becomes lower, still being threatening:"If you don't tell me spontaneously all you know about them, I'll make you confess with the bad manners". And when he shows a bag full of torture instruments and I'm terrified. I don't know very much about torture, but I can imagine how much they'd hurt my body. I want to scream for help, but I know nobody will save me. My face gets paler. I know already how this will finish: this man will torture me until I speak, but I don't know anything, so he'll kill me for nothing. I'll die for anything!!

"I'm not his lover: I'm his maid and I have been staying in Azuchi for a few days. I don't know anything about them and if I knew something, I surely won't talk to you" I repeat using a quiet voice to not make him angrier. "Bad answer" he smiles sadistically, almost happy about my resistance and slaps me so violently to turn my head. "Try again, little girl, but the next time I won't so merciful".

"And if I don't confess what are you going to?" I bravely provoke him. The Oda forces helped me a lot and I won't betray them for my own safety. "I'll break all of your bones and if you won't talk, then I'll cut the tendons of your hands and your feet. If you still won't confess I'll remove your eyes, then I'll tear your ears and finally I'll cut your tongue" his threats scare me a lot, but I won't give up my loyalty. He takes from the bag a strange object and he places it near to my nails.

No no no no. Please, somebody help me!

I close the eyes too scared to watch, but at that moment I hear a new voice:"Yoshitoko, what are you doing here? I'm sure the captain hasn't told you to torture this girl since he is out to collect information with a few men. So I wonder: whose order are you following?". I open my eyes and I see a young man who's throwing diggers with the glare at the man in front of me. The newcomer is younger than this man, but somehow the eldest has to obey him. "The captain is still a child, quartermaster: if all of us wait for his command, we'd have alredy died. He doesn't know what to do and he's not able to keep the promise he made" he growls, "He's the captain, not you: he knows what's the best for us better than you. You are only able to hurt people and torture them, for this reason you won't be a captain. Now leave, Yoshitoko" The man speaks with a rough voice and I can feel the subtle threat he silently implies. I except a Yoshitoko's reaction, but he obeys whispering something.

Left alone, the young man is more relaxed walks towards me and I step back, so he reassures me:"I don't want to hurt you. I want to check your wound". I let him check my arm. I groan for the pain when he tries to move it. He looks more friendly than his colleague, so I try to ask:"Can you tell me who are you and how many days passed since my kidnap? Will you torture me again to seek information I don't have?". He sighs: "The arm is broken, now I call a doctor so he can help you better. Now you are on a pirate ship and you were kidnapped by Yoshitoko yesterday, following captain's order. Now the captain is away, but in a short time he'll be back and will decide what to do about you". "Earlier I said the truth: I don't know anything about Nobunaga's future plans. Keep me here he's useless" I whisper, "Even if you don't know anything you'll probably stay here as a political hostage to be used against your friends" the man explains my situation. The sadness overwhelms me to the thought I'll be used against my friends: I can't do this to them. "But as I told you is the captain to decide, so he could even release you" he tries to reassure me, but I have no illusions: if I were in his position I'll do the same. I even realize probably I won't be able to go back to my time. No way this will happen! The man says they wait for their captain, so it means the ship is still in the port: that makes my escape more easily. The man is inside the cell and the grill is open: all I have to do is run and don't be caught. But the pirate in front of me is still vigil even if he's more relaxed, surely is ready to catch me and even I'd beat him he'll give the alarm. No, escape at this moment is too risky but if I don't do it right now later would be impossible.

The only thing I can do is talk with the captain: I'm even ready to beg for my release, it's necessary. "The captain will be here in a few hours, so be more patient" he ends the conversation. "What kind of man is your captain?" I wonder, "The captain? Is an edgy man. He treats with respect his subordinates, but he doesn't trust anyone except me on this ship. Is the type of person who can be your friend but he stabs you in the back some minutes after" he responds. So he's a bastard and the possibilities he'd let me go are very low.

* * *

It's almost evening and Hideyoshi is worried: y/n told him this morning she'd have gone in the city until lunchtime, but she didn't come back. He asked around but nobody was able to tell him where y/n was. He alerted Nobunaga who decided to hold a war council to find her. Hideyoshi expresses all of his worry and Mitsunari takes word with a stern look on his face:"I'm quite worried as well, Lord Hideyoshi. We should look after her". 

"Maybe she escaped after she went to war, after all, was her first time on a battlefield. I won't be surprised" Mitsuhide suggests with his cunning tone, but a more careful eye can see a glimpse of worry. In the past days, he went to some places with a very horrible reputation and in a red light district and he noticed a lot of Portuguese men who acted too much secretive for being simply merchant. They were really cautious: they gazed around before speaking with someone and once Mitsuhide risked revealing his true identity. Just today he succeeded to talk with a man after days of failures, but what he discovered was suspicious arms traffic. He didn't discover anything about y/n's missing. And the possibilities she's been kidnapped are not low. "My lucky charm is not a coward, Mitsuhide: she proved it during the war"       

Nobunaga scolds him, "Then I suppose we should look after her" snorts Ieyasu. "As if you hadn't done it before, before" teases Mitsuhide: Ieyasu's contrarian reactions are always a delight for him.

"Lord Ieyasu is always so kind" Mitsunari praises him. Ieyasu scolds him:"I told you I wasn't searchi-", "Enough! Each of you will send your own scouts in the city to collect information" Nobunaga stops the discussion. Once the council ends, all the warlord obey to Nobunaga orders, sending men in the city and its surroundings with the order to search for y/n and arrest everyone look suspicious. But as time passes, nobody finds y/n.

[justwritingscibbles]

You the Reader have seen many things in your past life, and in your current life, you remember you past life as the Distinct Attorney. In your current life you were experimented on with other people. You now have the life you had always wanted, a loving husband, a nice house, and going to have a child. But will your past as the District Attorney bring unwanted attention? Read to find out. I don't own anything but the plot of the story. I rate this as M for Mature. There will be angst and fluff.

You the Reader have seen many things in your past life, and in your current life, you remember you past life as the Distinct Attorney. In your current life you were experimented on with other people. You now have the life you had always wanted, a loving husband, a nice house, and going to have a child. But will your past as the District Attorney bring unwanted attention? Read to find out. I don’t own anything but the plot of the story. I rate this as M for Mature. There will be angst and fluff.

The Past and Present meet

~The Past~

You were the D.A. in WKM who did help Mark (The Actor) with Celine with the divorce finalization, but he got you and himself drunk to celebrate, but that only led to having sex. When you woke up, you found yourself and Mark both naked in his bed. You knew he would have no recollection of this event when he woke up, so you got him and yourself dressed before writing a note about how you put him to bed and left that night.

Little did you know that Mark thought that it was a dream, but something else told him it did happen. A month later you found out you were pregnant and knew you had to tell Mark because it was his child, and you knew he always wanted a child of his own.

Two weeks later you got a note about poker night and knew it was the perfect time to tell him of his child, but that did not happen for when you went to tell him he was always talking to someone else, so you decided to tell him in the morning privately but this did not happen ether for he was murdered.

You tried to help the detective with the case but nobody knew anything. When Celine came you knew that nothing was going to end well, and right you were, William shot the detective and when you tried to take his gun shot you in the stomach, making you fall over the balcony.

Then Damien and Celine convinced you to let them in, but they changed your body to be a man looking exactly like Damien, and you were stuck in the mirror looking at them in grief and anger before looking away and crying. You didn’t know that it confused them wondering why you were grieving, anger they could understand, but not why you were grieving. They left you in that mirror for 50 years before you were reincarnated.

In your new life you were taken at 15 to this underground laboratory where they experimented on many different people including yourself. They first experiment with animal DNA. If you don’t get any animal traits, you were taken to test different concoctions and see how they would affect the immune system, heart, brain, eyes, and your bones.

If nothing seriously damaged your body (because everyone was affected by at least one thing) you were then taken to the final test, where they would drain you of ⅔ of your blood and replace it with ⅓ Demon blood in your left arm and ⅓ Angel blood in your right arm (you were 26 when this last test happened). No one but you survived, but because of the bloods fighting each other, you lost to the Angel and Demon instincts and killed everyone.

When your instincts finally settled down you remembered what you did and due to the tests done to you before you could only see in the dark, have a high immune system, have 6 sets of wings (the colors from inside to outside go White, Light Pink, Gold, Acidic Green, Blue, and on the outside of the last set of wings looked like the night sky, while the inside looked like a Galaxy), with a tail, claws, and sharp teeth.

You didn’t know where to go since you had been there for 11 years, but you knew that someone would come looking for the scientist and doctors, so you traveled the world wearing black goggles with ear muffs to help with the light and noise sensitivity. Your eyes had become black with red irises and gold slitted pupils, but could make yourself look like you did before the experiments done to you.

About 245 years later you met a Demon in Ireland named Antisepticeye and became friends, and later on boyfriend and girlfriend. After 6 years of knowing each other did he finally propose to you, you told each other everything and swore to never keep any secrets from each other. 6 months later you and Anti were married in a small church with only the pastor and his wife, as witnesses for the ceremony, with you in a green and black dress with green roses and Anti in a black suit with a green tie and a small cake.

Later that night on your wedding night you both discussed about having children, you knew you wanted some but it surprised you when Anti said he wanted a child too because you thought that he didn’t like kids. You both decided to wait 6 more months just in case one of you wanted to back out. A week later you found out you were pregnant with your first child, but Anti was out at a meeting with egos, so you decided to go to the office and deliver the test in a box with a note to explain what was happening.

~Present Time~

When you got there you sat and waited in the waiting area for the meeting to end, an hour later most of the egos were leaving and looking at you, and seeing the wedding rings, continued until Bim stopped to ask you questions. “Hello, Madam may I ask, why you are here?” Bim asked curiously. “Well good sir, I was just wondering when the meeting was to end, but if you could just deliver this to my husband Anti I would owe you a favor,” (Name) said.

“Of course! I would be honored, my lady.” Bim said with a bow. “You flatter me.” (Name) said flustered. Bim just took the gift but before he got far (Name) went and kissed his cheek in thanks, but went and left the building. Bim was surprised but went and knocked on the door before opening the door and immediately felt the tension and quickly put the gift down and ran out of the room.

~ A Few Minutes Before The Meeting Ends In The Room~

Anti was getting annoyed because nothing was getting solved, but kept his temper by playing with his wedding ring on his ring finger, it helped that he could also feel you in the waiting area for him. A minute he noticed everyone was staring at him, irritating him. “What!” Anti said annoyed with the stairs. “Dude, YOUR MARRIED?!” Chase asked shocked. “Yeah, so what, ain’t nothing wrong with being married.” Anti said in a bord voice.

“What’s her name? What’s her personality like? How old is she? Do you live together? How long have you known each other? Where did you meet? And when can we meet her?” Chase asked curiously. “My wife’s name is (Name). She is usually calm and kind, but has a worse temper then me when angry. She has the body of a 26 year old woman, but is really 362 years old, I mean she is part demon so yeah. Yes we live together. We have known each other for 7 years, we got married a year ago. We met in a coffee shop in Ireland. And for the last one I don’t want you to see my wife, but we have been talking about visiting Jack soon, but have not set the date just yet.” Anti replies but smirks as he sees Dark and Wilford flinch with every answer that comes out of his mouth.

“This meeting is dismissed, except for you Anti.” Dark say’s in a commanding tone. The others are confused why only Wilford, Anti, and Dark are to be in the same room alone, but know better than to ask. Once everyone is gone from the room a man from the shadows comes and takes a seat on the right side of Dark (with Wilford on his left). The man looks almost exactly like mark except for his eyes, they are completely black with only white pinpricks.

The room was tense with no one saying anything, until Bim enters the room putting the present on the table before leaving as fast as he could, once gone Anti grabs the box and opens it. When he sees what is in the box he is ecstatic to find out he is going to be a father, and put the box away. “What do ya want?” Anti asked knowing no one else will start. “Where is she.” Dark demands. “Somewhere you won’t ever know.” Anti says in a cold tone. “Why hasn’t she visited us if she knew where we are?” Wilford asks in a confused tone.

“I ain’t saying anything on the matter.” Anti replies. “Oh, and won’t you at least tell us how your wife is?” The Actor asks with a charming smile. “(Name) is fine, she just doesn’t want to see you all, as you remind her of something she lost.” Anti said truthfully, hoping that it would be enough for them, and knowing that if it continues this way he would be telling them the truth. “Why are you telling us the truth Anti, you never told anyone the truth before?” Dark asks.

“My wife and I decided since day 1 that we would never lie to each other ever.” Anti says getting a little fidgety and knowing that it will come out soon. “I’m leaving, I have to go see my wife.” “Oh, and just what’s so important that you have to go, hmm?” Dark asked tilting his head just a bit. “My wife is pregnant, so I’m going to be their for her.” Anti said grabbing the box. “OH, I HAVE to see her now, please!” Wilford pleads.

“No you can’t see her, she doesn’t want to see you.” Anti says standing up. “But why, why doesn’t she want to see me, see us?” Wilford asks with Anti just shaking his head no. “Why won’t you tell us the matter with her seeing us?” The Actor asks. “Because he killed a baby!” Anti shouts while pointing at Wilford who looks horrorifed and confused. “But I’ve never killed anyone, let alone a child.” Wilford says in a small voice.

“Will, doesn’t kill children Anti.” Dark says defending Wilford. “Oh, don’t even go there you baby eraser!” Anti shout at a confused Dark. “What are you trying to say Anti?” The Actor asks. “My wife told me that after you and your wife’s divorce was finalized you and her got drunk and had sex! Well a month later she found out she was pregnant with your child! Two weeks later at the poker night she was going to tell you, but said you were talking to people so she thought that the next day she could tell you, but you were dead. After Wilford over here shot the detective, she tried to grab the gun so he didn’t shoot anyone else, he shot her stomach killing the unborn child. And the YOU Dark took her body! Erasing the child completely! I have to go tell MY wife that you now know.” Anti says and shouts at all three of them, leaving without another word.

The Actor was in shock, he got (Name) pregnant with his child. Wilford was was also in shock but for a different reason, he had not only shot (Name) but also killed an unborn child, he didn’t know what he was suppose to do with this knowledge. Dark was surprised, he never knew that she was pregnant in the first place, it also explained the look she gave him when she was in the mirror. They stayed there in horrified silence for an hour before going separate ways.

When Anti got home he saw his wife sitting on the couch with a book in her hands. He went and sat down next to her before pulling her into his lap, lightly rubbing her stomach and nuzzling her neck. He knew that she could tell that he had lost his temper and told them what they did, but she did nothing to reprimand him both knowing that it would of happened sooner or later.

[sadwizardjessi]

MORE SPACE GRUMPS JESUS CHRIST I MUST BE STOPPED

Okay so I wrote more. This time Arin when he was first experimented on. I don't know how I feel about this fic? Like idont know :/ sorry. I like parts of it. But then others... But anyway. I'm not rewriting it so. Here :) @dannyaviclan i hope it's up to par! ----------------- A blinding light broke through his tightly held shut eyelids, causing Arin to wince. He didn't want to look. He didn't want to know what else they did to him. But eventually he'd have to look and taken in the monster he'd become. An exhausted sigh sounded above him. It was the nice one. The cyborg. He was different from the other scientists that operated on him. They hadn't spoken much but the man occasionally slipped Arin food and made sure he was unconscious when the surgeries begun. Arin suspected he too was a prisoner of sorts. “I'm sorry,” the man whispered, and Arin nodded. He understood. A sharp pain began in his finger tips as the drugs pushed in his veins pulled him back under. ------ The next time he woke up, he was alone. The sound a water dripping onto stone could be heard throughout the room he was kept in. Arin still couldn't get over how stereotypical his prison was. But then again, it was an underdeveloped planet. He slowly extended his limbs, wincing when his fingers scratched against the stone beneath him. They felt so sore. What? Arin Lifted his hand to the moon light streaming down through the too high window and sucked in a gasp. His fingers were elongated and pointed, light glinting off the sharpened tips. He slowly flexed them, wincing again as the hastily sewn muscles stretched and pulled. The stitches holding the skin together was visible, irritated and red. “what…,” he murmured, eyes stinging. His fears were coming true. He was becoming one of them. A monster. He curled into the corner, thick, pale green tail wrapping tightly around him. Arin couldn't even recognize himself anymore. How long until he was completely gone? ------- They trained him. Again and again until he was dripping with sweat and nearing unconsciousness. When he refused to comply Arin would be subjected to days, weeks, maybe months without food. He was never sure on the length of time. Just the intensifying pain in his stomach, tearing itself open as he starved. It wouldn't stop until finally he did as they asked and a slab of bloodied meat was tossed at him, sending him into a frenzied attack, ripping away tendons and muscle until there's nothing left. It was disgusting and humiliating but he couldn't stop. ‘This is torture,’ he thought. If only he knew. ------ His first mission was a simple task. Go in, retrieve the convict, and get out. It wasn't until he was facing the convict that he finally understood what his new purpose was. As the officer assigned to his watch stood in the back, observing his actions, Arin had managed to corner the convict. A raptor like creature native to the planet, begging for him to stop, that he swears he'll pay. Arin is confused. He was told this man committed a high crime of the state. Why was he… Before he could voice his concerns, a sharp ringing sounded through his head, making both him and the convict flinch harshly. “The criminal is resisting. Egoraptor, commence the eradication.” The man shouted no and Arin turned towards his superior, tail swishing behind him. He wanted to fight the command but the ringing sounded through his head again and it was becoming more and more difficult to remember what he was thinking. The more it sounded the more he seemed to forget. The officer repeated the command and Arin couldn't remember why it was wrong. That was the first time he was forced to kill. It certainly wasn't the last. -------- Was it months? Years? He didn't know. He couldn't remember when he first came here. Even His name was lost to him now. Only vague memories of his old life remained. All he knew was how to kill and when to eat. The surgeries stopped long ago. The ringing was almost constantly in his head. He'd been changed so much it was hard to remember what he looked like anymore. His nails and tail constantly itched to slice through the air, rip into thick skin. His teeth pulsed with the need to bite down on anything that looked his direction. He wanted to tear apart any and every living thing that got in his path. At least that's what the ringing told him. There was always a spark that fought against it. That shouted and banged and tried to rip apart the commands and thoughts given to him. But it was losing the fight. That much he knew. It was only a matter of time before he succumbed to the monster he'd become. ------- “Please! You don't understand! My friend is in there! I have to help him! I don't care if he's not the same. I'm not giving up on him.” “Look. I'm sorry about your friend but I can't help you. I've seen him. Hell, I operated on him! He's not coming back! It's better for everyone if you just forget about him. He's not even your species anymore.” A frustrated groan sounded across the holographic image as the distressed man rubbed his forehead. “Mark, please. You have to understand. He's my best friend. Brother even. He's my partner. And my superiors won't help me. No one will. I'm not asking for much. Just a way in. I'll take it from there.” “Do you even have a ship? You know if you do this you'll no longer be a part of your military. They'll kick you out of the ranks for disobeying an order if they don't kill you first.” “Yeah man. I just bought one off a man in the Andromeda district. Terra will never even know until it's too late. I don't care what they do to me. I'm saving Arin whether you help me or not. It'll just be a Hell of a lot easier if you do. I'll never contact you again just… please man. Put yourself in my shoes.” A robotic parrot flew onto the man's shoulder, as if adding his own support to the argument. “It's okay Jacques. We'll get him back.” Mark sighed, gripping the edge of his ships consol. “and I'm assuming the bird will be needing a way in as well?” “Well of course! Honestly, he's the brains behind this operation.” Pacing back and forth, Mark ruffled up his hair as he fought against his warring emotions. On one hand, Arin was a good man. It didn't take a genius to know that. And this might just be his best chance to be rescued. But on the other… Arin was dangerous. What they did to him? It'd be a miracle to get back the man he once was. Arin was forever changed. Mark himself had seen just how irreversible the transformation was. But… he was a good man. Is a good man. Arin deserves at least a chance. “If… if you get yourself killed don't… don't blame me. This is your own fault.” “So wait. You're saying you'll help us!?” “I'm saying I'll… I'll try. But there's one problem.” “Anything. Name it.” “You'll need a physician to attend to Arin once he's on the ship. He'll… need it. They did a lot to him. I did a lot to him. I don't even know if he'll survive from the physical changes alone. Right now he's being injected with strength and hormonal inducers in his sleep nearly every week. I'm not sure how he'll react to being off of them.” “I don't know anyone else willing to risk this for us. You're literally the only one. Can't you come with us?” “it'll be suspicious if I leave. And maybe… maybe they'll leave you alone. I can distract them. You'll need someone to lead them off course after you escape.” “I understand. But… you'll help us? Like really help us?” With another sigh, the robotic red eye moved over to his friend's face, locking eyes. Mark nodded solemnly, straightening his back. “Yes. I'll help you. I'll do whatever it takes to get Arin back to you, Jon. I promise.” ------- The plan wasn't easy. And it certainly didn't go over as smoothly as Jon would like, but it went and that was all that mattered. Jon made his way through the facility with the pass key Mark had given him, making his way down towards where they kept the prisoners. It was disgusting. The smell of manure and body oder and rotten meat assaulted his nose from every direction. But he kept on. Mark said Arin was down here. He wouldn't lie about that. A few more doors in and Jon was facing down a steel entrance, a slot covered in grease and other questionable substances sat in the middle. Jon could only assume it was meant as a feeding tool. As he approached, a low growing made it's way through the slot, sending the hair on his arms straight up. He hadn't seen what Arin had become but… Mark had told him it wasn't pretty. Jacque squawked in his ear, as if he too could feel the unease and the wrongness of the situation. But alas, Jon pressed on. With shaking hands, Jon got to the door, sweeping the key pad. He could hear locks tumbling in the door as it unlocked. He could hear a heavy thumping on the floor as the growling grew louder. He felt the communication device in his pocket. Mark had told him to press the button if Arin was too out of control so Mark would know to send the signal to shut him down. But if that happened then the facility would immediately be alerted to an intruder. Pushing open the door, Jon faced what he could only describe as a monster. Teeth as sharp as razors snapped angrily as claws were raised in defense. A thick tail swishing back and forth in short sporadic motions, showing the creatures irritation. All the while glowing yellow eyes stared Jon down. Jacque flew back out the door, squawking down the corridor. Jon had a similar thought, wanting to run from this horrifying creature as fast as possible, but as he took in all the danger, and the threatening extremities, he felt a pull in his chest. The blonde streak. After all this time, it was still there. Jon knew this creature was what was supposed to be Arin. Was supposed to be his best friend. “Oh man. What the hell did they do to you, buddy?” The creature only growled in response. Keeping his back to the partially open door, Jon held out his hands, showing peace, and slowly made his way forward. “Hey man. It's me, Jon. Remember? Do you remember me, Arin? Can you understand me at all?” Arin lunged. Luckily Jon had the sense to dive out of the way just in time, but that left the door exposed. Out he ran, slamming it shut behind him. Jon tried to catch it but he was too late. Arin was gone and he was trapped. “Ehh well ain't this a crock of shit.” --------- Pandemonium was wreaking havoc throughout the facility. Mark ran through the halls, no one even sparing him a glance as he went. OF COURSE he was watching the interaction between Jon and Arin. He wasn't just going to trust the man to actually call help when he needed it. He was too desperate to save his friend. So when Arin escaped and locked Jon inside, Mark had typed in the emergency evacuation code, sending the building into panic. Unfortunately, it also made everything significantly more difficult. Mark was still trying to make his way down to the dungeons while everyone else was trying to push him out of the building. Eventually he did make it to the dungeons though, no sign of Arin anywhere. He ran to the room Jon was trapped in, following the sounds of Jacque’s incessant squawking. “Okay Jacque. A little higher. I little more. Almost… almOST. ALMOST. NO FUCK DAMNIT SHIT.” The keycard fell to the ground as Jacque dropped it, a complicated looking device sticking out the feeding slot that appeared to be being used as a means of reflecting Jacque’s struggles to Jon. “Need any help there?” “Oh thank Fuck. I don't know how much longer i can take of this place.” Mark quickly set about unlocking the door with his own key when they heed the screaming. With a shared look, Mark and Jon took off down the hall, Jacque flying above. What the came to face was exactly what they both feared though. Arin was looming over a young woman of the raptor like species, drool dripping from his fangs and onto her crisp lab coat. She quickly glanced over towards Mark and Jon. “i-i- I just came to check on him! But he's out! How is he out!? Help me!” But as Jon stepped forward to try and distract Arin, his claws slashed the air, spraying blood across the room in thick droplets. He then bit harshly into the woman's neck, ripping chunks of meat off and swallowing it down with a heavy gulp. Jon was… horrified. This wasn't Arin. The beast set it's piercing gaze on his two former friends and growled threateningly. Arin took a step forward as Jon and Mark took a step back. “H-hey. Hey Arin. Why don't you take it easy now.” Jon quietly looked for a weapon to use but Mark shook his head, taking Jon's wrist. “we can't fight him. There's no way. We have to lure him up.” “what do you mean? How the Hell do we lure him anywhere?” “there's a second control lab on the first floor. If we get him there I can type in the codes to knock him out. Then you can carry him to the ship. Hopefully it'll cancel out the brainwashing too.” “Hopefully!? I thought you said you can get him back!?” “I said I can try, Jon. When this all started, they never intended to reverse anything. Just trust me, okay? He hasn't attacked us yet, right? Something is holding him back.” And it was true. Now that it was pointed out, Jon can clearly see the way Arin's arms and legs were straining. Asif caught between wanting to lunge for it's next victim and stay back and save them. “Okay. Okay I'll trust you. What do we do?” “We run and hope he bites. Ready?” Jon nods with a quick glance towards Mark. Arin growls louder, looking like the internal fight was edging more towards their demise. “1...2...RUN.” They both took off going on either side of Arin, causing the him to shout out in anger, swiping out blindly. Jon cried out, clutching his arm but when Mark slowed to ask, Jon waved him on, picking up speed. It was an issue he could wait to deal with. They ran as far as they could, wrenching the stair doors open, Arin not far behind. Taking two at a time, they vaulted up the stairs, skidding onto the first floor. Jon risked a glance back, fighting back a wince. There was his friend, who'd been missing for months now, chasing him with the intent to kill. If only the blood dripping down his lips wasn't enough. Making it to the lab, Jon sighed in relief after seeing that the floor was cleared. At least for the time being. Mark immediately set to the equipment, typing I'm commands left and right. Jon however had to keep Arin distracted as Mark worked. “Come on, man! Come at me!” Arin lunged, but luckily Jon managed to roll out of the way just in time, pulling out his gun. He shot at Arin's feet, making the beast lunge for him again. “Jon, what are you doing!? A fucking gun? You'll call all the guards back!” Jon shrugged with his good arm, though his pinched expression betrayed his attempt at ease. “Well. Then you better work fast, Mark! I don't know how much longer I can keep evading this son of a Bitch. Come on, Arin! Show me what you got!” Arin, frustrated, growls in response. He whips his tail from side to side, prowling around Jon, though his yellow eyes occasionally flicker to Mark, watching for a threat. Mark hits the computer with a curse. “It's not working! Jon, it's not fucking working! I think-I think he's fighting it. Keep talking to him! Maybe he's breaking through.” Jon huffs and jumps out of the way of another slash. He sees Jacque fly in the doorway, flapping in distress. “Is this all you are, Arin? Just a monster? Are you really going to let them get away with this!? Are you really that weak! I thought you were stronger than that, Arin. After everything we've been through! You're going to let these fucking dinosaurs control you?” Shaking his head in agitation, Arin roared, scratching and swiping more sporadically. Jon only missed it by an inch. He was becoming more and more unpredictable. Soldiers suddenly swarmed in the room, guns raised, surrounding them. Five total, all shouting in incomprehensible commands all swirling together. Arin tensed, frantically looking around at all the new threats. Mark raised his hands in surrender, but the soldiers weren't focused on him. They were more concerned with the human aiming his gun at the obvious Captain of the platoon. “Leave! Now! He's out of control!” But the men didn't listen. They only cocked their guns, ready for the command to fire. One trigger happy soldier though didn't heed any warnings, firing at Arin. The creature howled in pain, turning on the soldier. He raised his gun higher, ready to shoot again. “Stand down, Egoraptor! This is a commanding official. You will stand down!” As Arin tensed for another attack though, Jon saw the soldier readying for another shot. Not thinking, he ran forward, jumping between his friend and the gun. A distressed and choked back, “JON!” was screamed, but before he could take in what had happened, Jon was on the ground, blood spraying across the air. There were screams. And guns firing. And defiantly lots of blood. Jon was unaware how long the fight lasted, but at one point, Mark had appeared and pulled him to the side, grabbing his gun before leaving again. The world was growing dimmer as the fight carried on. The screaming turned from many to just one voice. Despair twined within it. And then everything went black. -------- His body hurt. Nearly every inch of him throbbed in excruciating pain. With a sharp intake of breath, Arin struggled to sit up and… that was weird. Though he hurt, he felt light. Nothing was pushing down on him. Nothing was nudging his mind this way and that, clouding up his thoughts and emotions. He looked around, trying to move slowly, taking in his surroundings. The room looked very similar to a military medbay on a transport ship. But this wasn't something the raptors would have. It's obviously built for more humanoid beings, some of the spaces a little narrow to comfortably fit a long sweeping tail. “Hello?” Called Arin with his scratchy voice, honestly not expecting a response. Which is why he jumped when suddenly there was a voice coming from the ceiling. “Good Afternoon, Captain Hanson. I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?” “uhhhh,” was his intelligent reply. Arin looked around a bit frantically. “where are you? Who are you?” “My name is B.A.R.R.Y. I won't bother you with what it stands for. I am the artificial intelligence that runs this ship. I am everywhere and nowhere.” “uh huh. Okay. And why did you call me Captain Hanson?” “Because I was instructed that if my previous Captain ever perished then I was to begin reporting to you, Captain Hanson.” “Right. Okay first, you don't have to call Me that. Just call me Arin. Second, who was your previous Captain?” “As you command, Arin. And my previous own was Captain Jon Jafari.” And that's when the searing pain returned, striking like hot iron through his skull. He suddenly remembered what happened before he woke up. He was about to be killed. But Jon jumped in his way. Jon was hit. Mark rushed to pull him out of the way without agitating the bullet wound further. Then Arin's vision turned red and the voice telling him to obey was shut down as he slaughtered and tore apart everything. Then his memory gets hazy with Mark half carrying him as he sobbed and demanded to go back and save Jon. But Jon was gone. Arin looked away from the ceiling, knowing it was pointless, but not wanting Barry to see him cry. He wiped at his face and cleared his throat, silently thanking Barry for not commenting on his weakness. “Barry, where's… where is Mark?” “He's currently set a course to a nearby planet. Planet a-137. I believe the residents there call it Quantis. He has a contact there that will hopefully help him get home.” Arin hums in response, standing up on shaky knees, his tail landing next to him with a dull thud. He was a Captain now. He was free from the raptors. He'd lost a friend. But damnit, he was going to push forward. First he needed a crew. This was his ship now after all and out couldn't be manned alone. A decal in the paneling of the wall caught his eye. It was done form of hieroglyphic? But honestly it just kind of looked like a star next to a bunch of bombs. But that was it! “We'll be the bombers! Taking residence within the Starbomb.” He could almost feel Barry smile, despite how impossible that was. “Well then, Captain Arin. Welcome aboard the Starbomb.” Maybe things were looking up. But first, he needed to find out who this contract of Mark's was. Didn't the people of Quantis have some green tentacle thing going on with them?