#I think hunter is becoming slightly reckless | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hesthermay · 3 months

Text

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 (𝐏𝐓 𝟑)

PAIRING: sergeant hunter x fem!oc reader

SUMMARY: omega and miri share a moment in the privacy of hyperspace, and the batch realize their presence is louder than they thought. trouble, as per usual, ensues.

WORD COUNT: 5.6k

RATINGS + WARNINGS: general audiences, mature themes, fluff, slight comedy??, angst. female oc, jedi oc, use of she/her, canon typical violence, miri is a worrier, angsty ending?? found family trope. the bad batch time period, follows the timeline of the show.

NOTES: woah! okay! i know this is quite overdue, so sorry! you see, shit hath hit the fan quite some time ago and the aftereffects are finally playing out. so fun! awesome! (it actually hasn’t been awesome) since the last time i posted i have turned 22 and have started drawing again, got a car!!!, and have finished two chapters of this story. and a filler. gotta write one more. bye!

STAR WARS MASTERLIST THE GREAT FIGHT MASTERLIST

It had been but an hour since Miri Rocksled returned to her squad, but Omega had already determined that she was the coolest person she had ever met.

The Jedi was everything she had hoped for and somehow more. Omega had heard her fair share of stories of the general from the Batch, and every one had left her wanting to know more. The natural curiosity the girl possessed pushed her to seek out more in all aspects, but the intrigue she held for Miri was endearing in a way that made her think of the younglings at the temple. Eager to become Padawans, to learn and to grow, the woman found herself drawn to her.

She had let the girl linger by her side ever since they had introduced themselves, let her ask question after question, had even made space for her as she sat with Hunter and everyone else on ship. Omega had been watching, eyes wide with wonder, as she conversed back and forth with the members of Clone Force 99 effortlessly. Most people found themselves not knowing what to do with themselves when they were concerned, but Miri knew them so deeply.

“But, I gotta know,” Echo shook his head slightly. “How’d you get off Kaller?”

The memories of it flashed in her mind, unpleasant as ever, and she found herself not wanting to reveal much of it. She had nothing to hide, no reason to lie to them, but she knew full well that guilt would show its ugly face if she painted the picture as it painfully was.

Instead, she settled for something simpler. “Not unscathed. Had to pull out all the stops.” It was vague, and she knew she was on thin ice if she wanted to get out of this while she still could, but Omega’s voice broke the silence that followed her answer.

“You got hurt?” She looked at the woman with wide eyes, body tense with worry. Miri nodded nonchalantly, playing it off as if it was no big deal. Alas, Omega persisted. “Where?”

“Uhm,” she stalled, apprehension shrouding her mind. Again, Miri had no reason to lie about what had happened, no reason to not face it because it had already happened. Apprehension, guilt, fear; they would do nothing to change the chain of events that occurred, fruitless to dwell on. “I had to fight,” she started with, “so I got pretty banged up. A couple blaster shots, some scorch marks from grazes, and…” Her words died out as she got to the part she knew would not be approved of.

Hunter, while just as reckless as her, would not be happy to hear what she had done. It was a risk, a risk only she could really determine the worth of, but worry would pinch at his nerves and fear would cloud his mind.

“What is it?” The man in question leaned forward. He knew her, and she knew he had read her like a book. She had tried to avoid his gaze, a mistake made carelessly, thus revealing she had something to hide.

“I had to get…creative,” she offered, smiling hopefully. “Like I said, pulled out all the stops.”

“Miri, whatever you did, we know it was to survive,” he explained softly. “Besides, we can’t really get too mad at whatever crazy plan you cooked up without us.” His grin, small yet sweet, almost made her chuckle.

“Well, if you were there, you definitely wouldn’t have liked it,” she smiled and shook her head. In fact, none of them would have.

“What’d you do?” Omega begged. With her eyes on her, the urge to be truthful became stronger. The girl would learn nothing from lies.

Miri averted her gaze before answering. “I made the troopers believe Master Billaba’s saber was mine,” she started, voice quiet as shame creeped in. “I used it to fight them off until they had me backed up against a dropoff and then—” she sucked in a breath, sighing heavily as her eyes met Hunter’s. “Then I used the Force to put my body in a comatose state and let Captain Grey shoot me in the abdomen and fell over the edge.”

Silence, for but a moment, as shock exuded from the man in thick waves. It was over as quick as it started, however, as he shot out of his seat. “You what?!”

“I stayed there until they confirmed a death, took her saber, and wrote me off as gone,” the words spilled out of her quickly, unable to stop them.

“Miri—” Hunter started, but was cut off.

Tech, stepping forward in intrigue, adjusted his goggles. “I did not know that was even possible.”

“I didn’t either!” She exasperated, for it truly was amazing if you got passed the hangup. The fact that it was even something one could do was beyond belief, let alone the fact that she had succeeded.

“You didn’t even know it would work?” Hunter questioned, brows furrowed and worry written all over his face. “And you did it anyway? You let them shoot to kill and you didn’t even know if your plan would work?”

“Listen, I know it was a little out there,” she held her hands up, trying to diffuse the tension in the ship. “But I didn’t really have many options, Hunter. I had to get off Kaller, and I trusted in the Force, and I trusted in myself,” she smiled, disarming him in a way only she could. “It’s all I could do, but I did it so I could find you again, right? I found all of you, and now I’m home.”

Miri looked at everyone as she spoke, as genuine as ever. She wanted them all to know that even with what had happened, it was in the past. She was home, they were together once again, and it was them against the world. As it always had been, as it always would be.

“Yeah she is!” Wrecker hollered, scooping her up into his arms as he cheered. Miri’s sides hurt from her own laughter, mixing in with the noise of everyone else. This was family. This was home. It may have been everything the Order frowned upon, but it was life.

They were life.

-: ✧

That night, Miri found herself in the cockpit as they floated through hyperspace. Long hair free of any braids, it framed her face as it was pointed upwards, gazing out at the glow through the transparisteel. Her mind was elsewhere, jumping from one point to another, but Hunter had since gone to bed. Things were still slightly tense between them, for they had never truly touched on what was really going on between them, but he had sensed that she needed some time to herself. He did not worry, however, because no matter what happened in her head Miri Rocksled seemed undrownable.

The weight of her thoughts could never be strong enough to pull her under. She had told them that her master had taught her from a young age to feel her emotions in order to move past them, for she was only human. Suppression, the Council’s recommended method, could very easily lead to disasterly consequences.

So she did not. Miri was warm, where other Jedi were cold. She was ever present, where others were distant. A light in the chaos, an outcast of the Order.

Hunter trusted in her words, in her capabilities, and chose to let her reflect however she pleased. She would be fine taking watch, as she had done many times before, and she would be fine swimming through whatever the Force had for her. The silence that followed his retreat was peaceful, far less lonely than the silence she had been in for quite some time, but it was relatively short lived.

While Omega’s footsteps were not audible, impressively silent for a child in a metal ship, her presence was loud in the Force. Miri had been aware of her the entire time, tucked away in the gunner’s mount, in an awfully protective way for someone who had just met her. Perhaps Omega reminded her of what once was, children eager to learn and develop their skills, walking through life with an innocence that had not been scrubbed away by harsh realities. Perhaps Omega reminded her of home, as it also once was, a Temple that housed younglings and padawans running through the corridors to the next lesson, laughter echoing and robes flowing. Perhaps Omega reminded her of what she could have had, had she been given more time as a Master Jedi, had the Council trusted her more, or had the war not been so unforgiving.

“Hello, little one,” Miri mused quietly, a small smile on her face as she remained still.

“How did you know it was me?” The girl questioned from the doorway, Wrecker’s Lula clutched to her chest.

The woman turned the chair to the side, looking over at her with a kind look in her eyes as she shrugged. “Just did,” she winked. Omega grinned, slowly making her way into the room. She took her spot in the co-pilot’s seat, pulling her legs to her chest in a similar fashion to Miri. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“No,” she answered honestly, but she almost looked hesitant to continue. “I just…” her words died out on her tongue, and her face scrunched up. “I just can’t stop thinking about you and Hunter.” The girl had gone shy, cheeks turning pink at her revelation. “I mean, it sort of felt like he really cared for you before, but everyone does. But back in the forest…that was definitely something more,” she nodded her head to emphasize her words, rambling as the woman sat in a stunned silence. “But you’re a Jedi? I thought…I thought you couldn’t?”

Omega’s words echoed in her ears as she tried to form a response. She had been called out by a child she had known for one rotation, her deepest and most sacred secret sniffed out by the perceptive eyes of the fifth experimental clone. Her cheeks had now gone rosy, shyness creeping in before she could swat it away. “Well,” she stuttered, releasing a breathy laugh as the words got hung up in her throat. “I mean, couldn’t what, Omega?” She questioned, shaking her head slightly.

“Couldn’t love,” she answered, as if it was obvious. “I mean, you love Hunter, don’t you?”

Again, Miri found herself at a loss. She imagined this was how her master had felt at times, Obi-Wan as well, when herself and Anakin let any question that came to mind slip. Sometimes they were too clever for their own good, and she had a feeling Omega would give her a run for her credits as well. “What…what makes you think that?”

“Miri,” she laughed, shaking her head.

Briefly, her words from before flashed in her mind. Omega would learn nothing from lies. “Okay, okay,” she sighed, holding her hands up in faux surrender. “You’re right, attachments are forbidden in the Jedi Order,” she answered, gearing up for the hefty explanation such a topic required.

“But,” she held a finger up, mimicking Tech to elicit a giggle from the girl. “I realized something at some point during the Clone Wars. I realized that…” she hesitated, tongue heavy with the weight of what she had yet to say aloud. She sighed once again, plucking up the courage to push them out. “I realized that the Order had become something different than what I think it originally was. It…was flawed, ideals becoming radical and community becoming frowned upon. Some of the things my master had taught me made me question the High Council, and I feel you should always question those in power, but I was always met with ridicule.

But what Jedi follows orders blindly? What Jedi does not trust in themselves, in the Force?” She shook her head, the girl before her watching her intently. Omega was hung on every word, taking everything in as quickly as she could. “I began believing in something outside of what was traditional in the Order, something closer to the Living Force. I had lost trust in my Council, and had chosen to take my balance into my own hands. I know it wasn’t allowed, but it just…happened,” she sighed.

“What happened?” Omega questioned, cheekily quirking a brow and leaning forward. “Loving Hunter?”

Miri couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes,” she admitted, for the first time. “Loving Hunter just happened, and we haven’t ever talked about it,” she shook her head.

“You haven’t?” She gasped. “Not even a little?”

“Couldn’t afford to.”

“Well can you afford it now?”

Something Miri had been wondering herself. Could she? Could he? The rules that they had adhered themselves to no longer existed, the restraints binding them from bringing light to the feelings they shared having been ripped away with the rise of the Empire. She believed in something more, and it was clear that Hunter did as well. He would not have turned away from all that he had known when the curtains were drawn to reveal the true intentions, would not have returned to rescue Omega from the darkness that had been festering, would not have searched and hoped for her day and night if he had not believed in something more.

The repercussions of loving someone were grave, she was well aware, but had not strayed yet. He had always been special, and she had always been steady. Her will of the Force was something she would not let anyone or anything take from her, and it was with that resolve that she decided that yes, she could afford it. And even if she couldn’t, she’d figure it out.

-: ✧

It would seem that, in the excitement of Miri’s appearance, Hunter had underestimated the amount of rations and fuel they would need. His focus, however steely it normally was, had been broken by the ebb and flow of her Force signature that she had made him grow so acquainted with. He hadn’t thought much of it, to be very truthful, because the Republic had always taken care of their resources; but it would seem the Empire was not in the business to re-up their supplies so they would need to take care of things on their own.

Another problem presented itself when Echo chimed in that their ship’s signature was on a wanted list according to comm chatter, always the reliable source, and Miri sighed as Tech brushed off his brother’s alarm. Their lives, while never particularly easy, were now spent on the run but it would seem there would never be a shortness of entertainment, as the clones before her interacted. In their discussions, it was decided that Pantora would be their next destination.

The owner of the shipyard immediately set off alarms for Miri. He did not seem trustworthy, and though trust was scarce in the days of the rising Empire, the air that surrounded him had an almost greasy like sheen to it that she could not ignore. She could hear Anakin in her ear, whispering some joke that he knew would make her chuckle despite the front they needed to put up; she quickly brushed those thoughts away however. Memories of her friend felt bittersweet on that particular day, and she could not afford to dwell on the feelings when such a character was holding his hands out for a bribe.

On any other day Miri would have used the Force to get him off their case. A simple act, so fondly referred to as Jedi mind tricks throughout the galaxy, but that was also not something she could afford. Too many risks, too much unknown, and too many witnesses. She apologized to Tech in her head as he handed over some credits, credits they couldn’t really spare, and then handed over some more. Her eyes followed the Sullustan as he walked away, Wrecker saying something or another but it fell on deaf ears. She focused, and allowed herself as much reach as she could then, and felt just how unsettling the man was.

He was not unlike others she had met, not particularly good and not particularly bad, but only in it for themselves. And that was fine, Miri didn’t care if that's how one ranked their character and chose to live their life, but things were different now. So much had shifted, had completely flipped, and now these kinds of people were looked at differently as well.

She finally turned, poncho swishing around her, joining the boys once again. She did not know what would happen on Pantora, or that way up high and far, far away, a bounty hunter sat with a holo of her newest target and coordinates on the way.

Much to everyone’s shock, Miri decided to stay back and help Tech and Wrecker with the repairs while Hunter, Echo, and Omega went on the supply run. “There’s probably too much heat in town anyways,” she shrugged, knowing that stormtrooper presence was growing on many planets already. She stepped a little closer to the man, looking up at him as she whispered. “Besides, I wanna keep an eye on the owner,” she subtly nodded her head in the direction he had retreated in, and watched as Hunter’s eyes shifted to scan for obvious signs of danger.

He came up empty handed, but he knew better than to question her instincts. If Miri felt something off enough to stay back to keep watch, then he had to trust in her decision. She knew what she was doing.

And in the end, she had been right. There were lots of stormtroopers in the streets, marching along as the crowds cheered for them. The sight of it all almost made Hunter’s lips curl.

Back at the yard, elbows deep in the hull of the ship as Tech listed off instructions to Wrecker behind her, she felt it almost immediately. The fear that struck Omega had reached her instantly, because she was using the majority of her focus to feel her. Whatever she was fiddling with was not at the top of the list for her, it was using whatever display of the Force she could manage in their setting to keep an eye on the girl. She knew Hunter wouldn’t let anything happen to her, but he did not have the experience of dealing with children, true children who had never lived the life of a soldier. He could not, and inevitably would not, account for the missteps in the plan he’d laid out in his head as Omega’s curiosities and impulses got the better of her. This was nothing more than a security measure, even if just to ease her worries.

Though she was glad she had thought of it, because apprehension mixed in with the fear as she pulled herself out of the mix of wires and metal and she could only wonder what Omega was doing. As she raised her arm up, finger hovering over the comm button on her vambrace to contact Hunter, she felt adrenaline wash away from the girl. She paused, waiting, feeling, for something else to happen before she stepped in. Omega no longer felt scared, or hesitant of whatever was in front of her; instead she gave off waves of excitement and relief. “Hmm,” she hummed to herself as her arms lowered. It would seem that Hunter had things under control, and she felt okay to let go of the connection she had stretched so far.

Without the ranking of the Republic’s military they operated on a more equal level than before, and she knew she would have to relinquish some of the control to him at some point; give him credit where credit was due. He was a man that would walk through any storm for what he felt was right, and that was partly why it was as easy as it was to trust that he would care for the girl as she would. Their unlikely partnership in taking care of Omega had given them a new perspective on their roles, and it was with that thought that she went back to work repairing the ship wherever needed, listening to Tech list off his modifications.

Finally, the ship's signature key made itself known by the sound of rapid beeping and a flashing red light. “There,” Tech mused, pointing a slender finger at it. Wrecker stuck his head back in the ship, reaching forward for it as he mused himself while ripping the key from its place.

“With a slight adjustment, we’ll be able to scramble our signature whenever we need to,” he explained, looking at the machinery in his hand as he began to tweak it. He was interrupted by the beep of an incoming message, and Hunter's voice filtered through their comms.

“Miri, Wrecker, Tech, Echo,” he called, breathing heavily. “I lost Omega. Somebody attacked us.”

Dread, and the sick feeling of being right, washed over the woman as she made eye contact with Tech and then Wrecker. Her arm raised once again, finger clicking the comm button as she furrowed her brows. “Somebody?” she questioned incredulously.

“A woman. Highly trained. She’s after the kid.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that!” Wrecker shouted into his own comm device before he shoved it into Tech’s chest and stalked off.

“I’ll tap into the central security network,” Tech offered, speaking into the device now. “There should be enough cameras in this city to find her.”

Just as he was beginning to walk away, Miri remaining still as she gathered all the information she could, Hunter’s deep voice came through again. “Listen, I made a bit of noise out here. Get the ship ready to go.”

“Not really much of a ship at the moment,” Miri remarked, finally speaking as she looked over the current state of the Marauder.

“And unless you have a team of maintenance droids, it’s going to be a while,” Tech snarked, tailing off of her statement. Miri and Tech were a pair that most wouldn’t expect to work so well, but the collective sass was an overpowering force.

Though, to their surprise, Echo’s voice came through with assurance. “I can help with that.”

“Do I need to come out there?” Miri questioned, wondering if Hunter would need assistance against this woman or if he was simply caught off guard. The first fight with someone was always full of surprises.

“No. You were right, too much heat. Can’t risk it.” She almost argued, almost told him she was on her way, but realized he was right as well. They couldn’t risk it, they had enough to worry about with someone coming after Omega. They didn’t need the Empire catching wind of a surviving Jedi and hunting them down any more than they already were.

She didn’t respond, though, because while he was right that did not mean she had to like it. She simply followed where Tech had gone, finding a spot next to him as they went through the footage looking for the right one.

Finally, they found her climbing into a manhole, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “I have eyes on Omega. She went down to the maintenance tunnels. Head northwest, at one-five-five.”

Miri’s eyes watched as the woman, in her orange helmet and black coat, chased after her. She sorted through all the encounters with bounty hunters she’d had but this get up, the silhouette, she didn’t recognize her. “And she’s got company.” She reached out again, closing her eyes as she tried to locate what she knew to be Omega’s presence, and when she felt a sharp shock of fear and then instant relief, she knew one of her boys had found her.

This was confirmed seconds later by Wrecker’s voice crackling through the comms. “I’m with Omega. We’re on our way.” But something was not right. Miri knew it, despite his words and the fact that Hunter was on his way, she knew it was not enough.

“She’s still coming,” Miri rushed out, alarm bleeding into her voice, and when she was met with no response she knew she had arrived. In the maintenance tunnels it was just Wrecker, Omega, and this mysterious yet highly capable fighter. It was just his need to protect, and her need to complete the job.

Yet, when Hunter’s voice came through to comms, asking for Wrecker’s location, he was met with silence. The weight of this realization was only worsened by the reports of a child hanging from a tower. What child, on what world, would be hanging from a tower other than the one she had ended up calling her own? That sick feeling of being right returned when Omega’s body came into view, dangling from the top of a tower by her fingertips.

This had gone too far. Miri had sat back long enough for Omega to be in the middle of danger times ten and she would sit back no more. “I’m coming,” she stated, shooting out of her seat and retrieving her hat.

“No, Miri. Stay at the ship,” Hunter ordered, sounding as if he was climbing something. She made eye contact with Tech as her face screwed up in a defiance most Jedi ended up having. Rules, something they all lived by, became twisted upon the scenario in the heat of the moment, in the severity of the mission; and this just so happened to be her talent.

“He’s right,” the genius stressed, off the comms and just to her. A rare moment of personability for Tech, voice soft and as honest as could be, he looked up at her with eyes that read her better than most. “You cannot rush into things as you once did, not if you wish to keep your presence from the Empire.” When her mouth opened to argue, he turned away from her without giving her the chance to speak. “As much as we wanted to go after you on Kaller, it was better in the long run to wait. We are operating under the microscope of the Empire now, caution must be exercised now more than ever.”

Again, just because he was right did not mean she had to like it. Miri huffed, turning from him anyway. “I’m going to question the owner of the ship yard,” she muttered as she walked towards the exit. She was not mad at Tech, for he did have a point, but frustration at not being able to help Omega bubbled in her stomach. It had only been a short time, but she already felt some claim over the girl to protect her, ensuring she survived while living the life of a child as much as she could. All Miri had seen of Padawan Learner’s in recent years had been training to be child soldiers, giving their lives away to a war they were not born to fight.

This was not a life she would let Omega have.

Her resolve on the matter was strong, and as she rounded the corner to knock on the man's office door, Tech’s words echoed in her head. She took a deep breath and let it go as the doors slid open and her eyes lowered to look at him.

“What do you want?” he griped, just as unpleasant as he had been upon their arrival.

“I have some questions I’d like to ask you,” she mused, voice pleasant as she entered his office without another word, skirting around him as he sputtered in his shock.

“Hey, who do you—”

“The real question is,” she interrupted, turning to speak directly to him, “who is the woman chasing one of my crew members?” She was met with stunned silence, and she held up a finger as she began speaking again. “Before you answer that, just know that out of everyone, I am not the one to lie to. And I know that you know something. Now, I’m not looking for anything other than answers, I can assure you of that, so,” she gestured to the seat before the control board. “Shall we?”

In the end, the only information Miri got was that the woman was a bounty hunter, a conclusion they would have come to on their own, and that it was their ship that was the marker. Nothing she could do about that, but she could start looking for description matches in the system now. She had to do something, for while she was aware of her ambitious and unconventional ways, she feared that Tech was more right that she had first thought. She had always rushed into things because that’s what Jedi did, they took the lead and made the action. It was her job, her responsibility, to execute each mission with her squad in a way where she did the most legwork, where she took the most damage when something went wrong. It was uncomfortable to do nothing, so she made her way back to the ship with a new purpose.

Upon her arrival, she was pleased to know that Wrecker was okay and heading for the ship; evenmoreso to see that, from security footage, Hunter had retrieved Omega. It was not long after Echo and the droids finished the ship that the man of the hour flew in, stolen speeder and feds following and all. They had met them outside, and true relief washed over her seeing them both safe. “We need to go. Now.” Urgent and rushed, he lifted Omega off of the bike and gestured for Miri to come forward. Rattled, she was, at the whole encounter and Miri placed gentle hands on her shoulders to lead her toward the ship.

“Wrecker, pick up the pace. We don’t have all day,” Tech snarked into his vambrace, but the man in question followed soon after. Wrecker had been running, for far longer than he would have liked if she had to guess, and was breathing heavily as he rushed in.

“I’m…here,” he panted, taking a breath before rushing into the ship as well. Their takeoff was swift and smooth, as it so often was when Tech was piloting, and the setting sun illuminated the cockpit for a short time as they flew into the sky, into space, and away from Pantora.

In the vastness of the galaxy, Hunter finally sighed from his position behind the co-pilot seat, usually occupied by either Miri or Echo. In this case it was the former, and his hands rested on the back of the chair as he stood by her. “She has to be a bounty hunter.”

“Oh, she is,” the woman answered, turning the seat to look at everyone. Hunter slouched into a chair of his own, prepared to take in the information he was about to be given. “Something was off about the shipyard guy, so I asked him some questions while you were getting Omega,” she explained, leaning forward slightly. “Turns out, he heard about our ship on some comm channel for bounty hunters, pirates, you name it. Someone’s looking for Omega and whoever it is, they know exactly who she’s with.”

Her words, heavy as they were, hung in the air for a few moments before the silence was broken. Genuine curiosity, it would always win when it came to Omega. “What’s a bounty hunter?”

“Someone hired to retrieve targets,” Echo answered simply, and while at the end of the day that was simply what it was, it was always so much more complicated than that.

“And it appears you are the target,” Tech piggybacked off his answer, causing the girl to lock up in worry. It was minute, and mostly felt rather than seen, but Miri could tell she was worried what that meant.

“Me?” she questioned, eyes glancing from one person to the next.

“Hey,” Wrecker drawled, a warning clear in his tone. “Don’t scare the kid.”

Miri liked to wait before stepping in sometimes, liked to let the brothers discuss the matter themselves before she brought her word into it. Sometimes that moment, where she had to take control, happened sooner rather than later. “Wrecker’s right,” Miri interjected, voice smooth as she spoke. “Undue fear won’t do any of us any good, especially Omega. But,” she sighed, turning towards the girl and gesturing for her to come closer. “Tech is right. There is someone out there who really wants you, and that lady is who they paid to come get you. We need to be very careful from here on out, but you need to know that all of us would give everything we have to keep you safe, okay?” She paused, waiting for Omega to nod her head.

When she did, she placed her hand on the girl’s arm, giving her what the Jedi had frowned upon: compassion. “I’m sorry this happened to you, and I know it was very scary, but you did good, Omega,” she smiled slightly, looking her in her eyes. Once again, Miri felt as if the honesty poured out of her when speaking to the child, for lies would not prepare her for what was to come, for the great fight they had found themselves in. “I’m proud of you for thinking quickly; it’s a skill you’re going to have to use often if we’re running from the Empire.”

A noticeable protectiveness had overcome Hunter in the time that Omega had been with them, and the severity on his face did nothing to hide it. “We have to find out who she is and who hired her.” His words, sharp as the knives he wielded, cut through the atmosphere as they flew through the stars, away from one thing and towards another. That’s all it had ever been, and they would fight for it to not be all it would ever be.

all works on this blog belong to hesthermay.tumblr.com: do not copy, repost onto other sites, or claim my contents as your own.

7 notes · View notes

closetednobody · 2 years

Note

C'mon, I cannot be the only that after all the shit they put Maya through with the demotion and the way Beckett was harassing Maya at work that thought that bottle of whiskey was well-deserved revenge?

She didn't force Beckett to drink. That was on him. I would've given Sullivan something too! Like, hire a PI, get photos of him and Ross and put all around the internet, the Stations, etc. If you're going down, bring them with you.

Like, why did everybody forgive Sullivan?

Honestly, there a lots of fingers to be pointed about Maya's breakdown.

Hello OP!

Sorry that I replied to this a little late, but no, you're not alone.

Although I wouldn't encourage Maya's actions, I understand why she felt compelled to do so, especially with how she was raised by Lane Bishop.

I also partially disagree with Ben's "you did that because you were in a bad place," and for Maya to "apologize when you feel comfortable" because it wasn't entirely Maya's fault. They saw how Maya was being bullied by Beckett - what did they do for their former captain who was demoted for saving a kid's life? NOTHING.

Of course, one would argue that Maya could learn from Andy's more diplomatic approach or Sullivan's more political (read: cunning) approach. Or maybe , she could've been patient for slightly longer, and things would've unraveled itself. But Maya has been patient - from being ignored by McCallister, bullied by Beckett, and unfairly lectured by Ross. In one of my posts, I've explained what could be Maya's thought process behind the blackmail (and probably why she wouldn't send PI on Sullivan and Ross) and that was the start of her... downward spiral.

So... should Maya give that bottle as revenge? No. If she is as heroic and noble as Andy Herrera, she shouldn't.

But Maya is an anti-hero. The twisted protagonist with a dark side. One who has been treated unfairly and has been "nice" for too long, and without Carina in her corner, she was... wounded. Feral. Desperate.

So, as far as Maya was concerned, Beckett was not an alcoholic when she gifted the bottle to him, as per Ross' wise and fair evaluation. So, a little whiskey to celebrate should be fine. (Maya's smirk when she left the room was sinfully satisfying.)

Should Maya apologize? Objectively, she doesn't have to. Conscientiously? She can. But it's not her fault. I hope we can delve a little more on her self-blame tendency, which is common amongst people who are recovering from traumas.

Sullivan's case? Honestly? Imo, it is just how the system/society treats men and women differently.

If a man fights for his rights for power, he is passionate and driven.

If a woman does the same thing, she is reckless and selfish.

Why? Because by social norm, women would generally become the "healer" while men are demanded to be the "hunter" - fascinatingly, it's something that is almost coded in our brains. But society and gender roles have changed so much that our brain, weirdly, couldn't adapt to it, hence creating biases that we subconsciously practice.

As "healers" (e.g., homemaker, mothers, etc), women are expected to be role models who are patient, forgiving, respectable, loving, optimistic, and the list goes on. Believe it or not, these are some of the traits associated with maternal qualities. Phew.

As "hunters" (e.g., earners, husbands, etc), men are expected to be goal-driven and focused because their main role is, basically, to go out, find supplies, and get their ass home, safely. They are expected to protect their home and dependents - by all means, at all cost.

But centuries have passed, and society has evolved. Even gender roles have shifted now, and the old norm doesn't seem applicable anymore. BUT! Our mind doesn't know that. (Recommending "The Idiot Brain" by Dean Burnett if you are interested in this weird conundrum.)

It's frustrating. But... *shrugs*

I never liked Sullivan after what he did to Maya, and I don't think I ever will.

I think I am rambling... so I'll stop here. 😆😂

#maya bishop #station 19 #answered

32 notes · View notes

galemilker · 2 months

Text

Been trying to gather my thought on Kass Lavellan's journey so far

(my boi decked out with the bones and leather of dragon he hunted in true monster hunter fashion)

beware a very very long post about my boi

Story wise he has met Stroud but hasn't gone to meet the Warden Commander. (personally been postponing + i need to mentally prepare for wicked hearts and how i want that to go). Got the mages and they are in alliance now. Running around Emprise du Lion trying to get mroe info on Samson and the red templars. He is not as angry anymore as he was at the start of the game. Sure he feels like he has purpose and a goal to reach and with all the madness of Heaven and everythign else. The whole "Herald of Andraste" i think really bothers him. Not only because it's connected to a god he doesn't really believe in but also how people have started treating him. I think he lost his faith in the Elven pantheon too when he lost his sister but kept goign through the motions just to try fit the clan. Being Inquisitor hasn't really made him feel better or even safer. The threats to Josephine, the red lyrium , him being an elf in a position of power. The talk he had with Solas after the escape from Heaven continues to linger on his mind. I think he is constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop - with him being an elf AND a mage, he is waiting for the moment he becomes a spacegoat in all of this. He was prickly in Heaven and was mostly focused on closing the rifts and making sure the peope around him survive but after Heaven he started to realsie he needs to know more about the politics of the regions and the allies. He has been relying on Josephine to teach him since she seems the most reliable + is the ambassaor for a reason. Even if he doesn't agree with everything Vivianne stands for he sees that her advice how to navigate the Game are valuable and respects her for it and her magical talents. Another voice of reason whom he trusts is Solas (OH BOI IS HE IN FOR A TREAT IN A FEW YEARS). Currently using dragon hunts as way to vent his frustrations and not burden others. My boi is going through it and doesn't know it only gets worse from there on. General Thoughts on companions: Blackwall - world weary but somehow naive? There is somethign about this man that he thinks is odly refreshing. Sera - was starting to think of her as a younger sister with all her antics but had a big fallign out after her personal quest. The whole ""well yeah people got hurt but i sticked it to the noble douche"" was the breaking point. Originally he thought that she would protect her "people" and was willing to overlook some bs as far as it was to help but now he sees her for a reckless liability that doesn't really care for the good of the people and is just in it for her selfish retribution. (i knwo there is much mroe to her story but). He was an older brother and the feeling of resposibility to protect and care for those who younger/weaker than him is never going to leave him and he won't allow for Sera's BS to hurt bystanders. I think he might be contemplating kicking her from the Inquisition altogether but hasn't made up his mind about it. Solas - at first he kinda eh about him, not too happy about his stance on the dalish but after some conversations and a spat on the "well they don't know the past and are miguided!! Well why don't you tell me and let me learn huh". Slowly warmed up to him and started to appreciate his view on the world. Kass was slightly suspicious of him because Solas seemed to know a bit TOO much. He knew the artifact that ripped the fade was elven, suddenly he found a fortress for the inquisition but i think Kass views Solas as the only person around who can understand him to a degree. With Sera being so anti-elvish and SUPER NOT COOL WITH MAGICand then everyone else either worshiping him or hating his ass just for beign mage and or elf. I think Kass is slightly in love with Solas - with his passion for Fade, his different view on spirits, his ability to get the bigger picture , those murals are super cool too and overall his willingness to guide and motivate Kass to learn more and not be bound by conventions and to view the world with more curiousity.(Kass for sure has competency kink ya'll)

The Iron Bull - kind of mistrusts him due to the whole spy thing but overall a cool person to hang with. Cool stories about mercenary life and the Qun (haven't finished his personal quest so wonder how that will change)

Cole - Kass finds him fascinating and is always ready to listen to what cole has to say. He might even have a small scroll where he writes down what Cole has mentioned and tries to figure out the meaning (part of exercise to learn to write and read in the languages of the allies the inquisition deals with).

Vivienne - She is powerful, she is is cunning and knows how to survive in Orlais and thrive by the looks of it. He really respects her, even if he doesn't agree entirely on the Circles coming back but he agrees that things need to change.

Varric - has his own agendas but he seems the inquisitor's corner for the moment. One of the few people Kass can act as a normal person. Enjoys his stories. Cassandra - wasn't too sure how he felt about her at first. Unlike Cullen, Kass had more time to get to know her and start to see her as more of her own person rather than just a Seeker. One of big breaks? from the image of her he had in his head was for sure learning how much she like varric's books. At this point i do think Kass might even say he consideres her kind of a friend. Dorian - the bae. I think Kass fell for him during the time travel quest. Dorian is basically the only other person in existance who UNDERSTANDS what's at stake of Corypheus isn't stopped and that def affected their closeness. Dorian is not like almsot anyone else he knows in his attitude towards magic, Dorian is passionate baotu topics he cares about and Kass just ate that up. They do fight on the topic of slaves but through it they learn more baout where each one is coming from. Kass is truly looking for a deeper connection wiht someone (There is so much tot lak about them aaaaaaaaaaaaaa) Advisors: Leliana - at the begining he was a bit scared of her but has since grown to value her opinion and in awya see her as kindred spirit

Cullen - still very cautious around him cause ex-templar but tries to be supportive of his decision to cut lyrium and contact his family Josephine - his politics coach. Learning of her history as bard and her motivation to do what she currently does def alleviated her in his eyes.

#dragon age #oc: kass lavellan #dragon age inquisition #i did update his valaslin to the full elger'nan one because og variant i set up was just too eeeh #and the full one felt more in character for him #i don't think i have written so much text in years OTL #i've had to sit down on so many separate ocassions to finish this monstrosity #i even avoid playing DAI atm so i can finish it up and then do the big plot quests see how he feels #new DA news did light up a fire under my ass to finish this psot so i can continue DAI (dunno but brain decided must finish post first)#I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ON MY BOI KASS and im open to questions about him

2 notes · View notes

morose-magnetrix · 1 year

Text

Magneto #3 by J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Todd Nauck (artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer)

I've super wanted to enjoy this series - but it continues to bother me ever so slightly. I adore Magneto, and my favorite period for the classic stuff is when he's Headmaster Magneto, posing as Charles' cousin. On paper, I should be thrilled with this - especially since Max is dead rn in the main continuity.

But it's just kinda... lacking, a little bit. The plot is fine - a young reckless traumatized mutant who worshipped the 60's Magneto, trying to force 80's Magneto to resume his former ways. Great, cool, love it - I even love Irae's design and I don't mind the mildly contrived origin. The art is great too overall, very expressive, and the coloring really emphasizes the emotional mood of the scenes.

I just don't buy the "Magneto was pretending to be evil in the 60's stories." I really don't. I don't think that it was a performance. The logic of it being a performance, designed to make the X-Men more effective... it just doesn't really hold up to me? It reminds me of the fake cover for X-Factor in their first run, that they were mutant hunters by day, and one of Louise Simonson's main points when she took over the series was how fucked up that was. X-Factor ended up just bringing on even MORE anti-mutant hate. So then to me, it seems like Magneto "pretending" to be a mustache twirling villainous mutant who steals nukes and claims he's going to wipe out the human race would only make things worse. Not better. He's giving the humans "reasons" to hate/hunt other mutants.

The real issue I think comes down to the fact that it's really hard to square Magneto's 60's characterization with what comes later, when Claremont establishes a backstory + motivations. It's part of why Grant Morrison has Magneto become a horrifying fascist in their run, as they never bought in to Claremont's Magneto, instead viewing him still as the evil nut from the 60's. I'm honestly not sure it's even possible to really make the character progression from the 60's to 80's make sense, but I think my bigger point here probably is I'm not sure there's even value in trying.

Tons of Silver Age characters didn't really have their personalities, their backstories, motivations, etc etc worked out. The X-Men as a concept didn't even really work until Giant Sized anyways. Jean Grey, for instance, was just the girl - she didn't really get much of a role beyond that! I think it's okay for things to be a little disjointed/disconnected, because we know what we have now (at least RE Magneto's characterization) works. I don't think we need to come up with excuses / explanations for why he behaved the way he did in the 60's. I think you can have him grapple with his past as a villain, without trying to explain it all away.

And like, if you are tackling the 60's stuff, isn't it more interesting if he really did believe all those things - if it wasn't an act? If he was pretending, then he's significantly less complicated as a character. Let him atone for the things he did! Let him have a dark and problematic past!

#magneto #jm dematteis #magneto 3 #marvel comics #xmen #irae

13 notes · View notes

kathuman · 1 year

Text

I've been doing this on Twitter but I thought I'd add my responses here too!

Day 1: This is Katts! She's about 30 years old, uses she/her, and is currently a member of the Research Commission

Day 2: Katts primarily uses dual blades but is also proficient with a bow! She prioritizes speed over strength in hunts and finds heavy weapons cumbersome. She always prefers to capture vs kill. I almost never draw her with her weapons so this bunny pic is all I have ^^;

Day 3: Katts likes to tailor her armor to the situation as much as she can but these are two of her most common hunting sets (however she wears a full helm in the field). For casual, day to day wear she is usually found in this modified version of the leather set

Day 4: This is Archimedes, Katts' palico and long time friend! He's a silly little guy but a surprisingly good judge of character and isn't shy of showing what he thinks of people. He's become a proficient healer as Katts is a reckless hunter. He will bite you if you hurt her

Day 5: Its gotta be Paolumu! After all they're soft, pink (or purple!), and grumpy XD Katts finds them cute and funny!

Day 6: Katts is very enthusiastic about botony! She love plants and flowers and keeps notebooks of the research she does in her free time. She's also interested in teas and likes to make her own blends (though this is slightly limited now that she lives in Seliana)

Day 7: Katts mom passed when she was young and she is estranged from her dad. She was raised by her grandmother, who trained her to be a hunter, though she passed when Katts was in her early 20s. She had few friends growing up and later made only a few acquaintance in the guild. It's not all bad news though! Since joining the commission she's made a few close friends, notably Alexst and the FTL, as well as the handlers and Tracker, etc. She's also developed a sort of father/daughter relationship with the Admiral who was slightly acquainted with her grandmother

Day 8: Katts generally prefers to hunt with just Archimedes but she often finds herself out with Alexst too! Honestly she IS willing to hunt with others some of the time if asked but won't initiate it herself

Day 9: Katts has difficulty parsing/accepting her feelings and an incredulity streak about love a mile long. She tends to push back when it feels like she's getting closer with these two out of fear and nerves. I ignore that and draw her smooching both her boys though :)

I enjoy the dynamic she has between both. The FTL is a more steadfast, reliable man and she really needs stability. The two of them often butt heads because she's reckless and overworks but that also helps her reign in those tendencies.

Alexst is unfailingly sweet and just totally candid about his feelings which let's face it she needs a lot. He's ridiculous and dumb which keeps her from staying in her own head too much, after all you have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't try and adopt a jaggris again

All three of them balance each other in fun ways I think! But, again, any sort of relationship would take a while to build so things are friendship only with a smattering of awkwardness for ages ^^;

That's what I'm up to now, I'll keep adding more as I go!

#monster hunter #oc meme #oc questions #illustrations #sketches #character art #clip studio paint #katts #alexst #field team leader

16 notes · View notes

kizzorelli · 2 years

Text

Headcanon nonsense

My random canons for the Stories folk: Lute: Definitely names all his monsties. He absolutely loves monsters, so he 100% spends time studying the monsterpedia with Lilia. Slightly illiterate, I like to think he has trouble with writing. Reverto isn't very helpful when it comes to teaching him how to write. Cheval: Really self conscious and apologetic. He did community service after the events of the blight, and ended up asking to be trained by hunters. (Someone mentioned how Rathi is kinda his mom, and I love it) Thinks Reverto's bad handing writing is only a joke. Lilia: FRECKLES. She tried to teach Lute how to write, but he's more interested in the monsterpedia. Lilia writes in a journal about the events of Stories, and eventually makes a book about it. Spoils ratha with treats, lies about it. Does NOT actually become mean. That isn't Lilia in stories 2 it just isn't. She cannot read Reverto's hand writing. Reverto: Very soft, enjoys hugs. Most definitely the type to pretend he's fine when he isn't. Thick headed and reckless, but gets away with it because he is very strong. Universal father figure. Terrible, god-awful hand writing.

Simone: She likes to eat fresh fruit, strawberries are her favourite. She doesn't like physical affection, but is a very supportive friend. She like women, and is the universal wine aunt / mom. The only person who can read Reverto's hand writing. Navirou: Puntable. And always will be.

#monster hunter ride on #monster hunter stories #head canon #op headcanons #reverto #please reverto no one can read your writing

15 notes · View notes

modern-day-kleavor · 1 year

Text

Experiment log #1: Obstagoon

TW for: pokemon cruelty, amputation, starvation, abduction, sensory deprivation

Subject Overview:

Subject Obstagoon (who will be referred to as Subject 1 from now on) is a dark/normal type, standard, wild-born specimen. Subject appears to be slightly smaller than the average size for its species at a round 5'00", as opposed to the usual 5'03". Subject is a female and weighs in at 95.5 lbs, and bears the ability Reckless.

Experiment Performed:

Because an Obstagoon is typically a very efficient hunter in the wild using its tongue to scent its prey, I am curious to see how it would perform without one. Its tongue will be removed and it will be placed back into the wild under observation, to see how it does.

Prediction:

It is most likely that it will have difficulty locating its prey/swallowing what food it does find, and will starve to death.

Log:

Subject is released into the wild and immediately flees to the treeline, as expected. It does not seem to perceive our cameras in the forest, thankfully.

Subject moves in zig-zag patterns, similar to its pre-evolution galarian linoone, heading west. Subject appears to be having difficulty navigating its surroundings, running into various roots and plants. Perhaps it also uses its tongue as a way to identify its surroundings?

Subject has stumbled across a Skwovet by chance. It does not appear to realize the Skwovet is there. The Skwovet has, strangely, began approaching the Subject, appearing hesitant.

The Skwovet has gotten the attention of the Subject and provided it with an oran berry. The Subject doesn't appear to be able to eat it. The Skwovet resolves to slice the berry in half and try again, this time with success in getting the Subject to feed.

The Subject and the Skwovet appear to be communicating. The Subject appears to be in distress. The Skwovet climbs on top of the Subject, surprising it, and starts chittering to it.

The Subject travels through the forest without further issue with the Skwovet atop its head, seemingly guiding the Subject towards berries and warning it about obstacles. Eventually it makes it back to its old den from before I took it, and invites the Skwovet inside, seemingly indefinitely.

Result:

Well this was unexpected. It found a prey animal, something it would usually eat upon locating, and worked together with it to become a more efficient unit. Should they continue working together, neither will have any problem surviving in the wild. A relationship like this is odd and unprecedented.

My hypothesis is that the Skwovet took pity on the Subject, or decided to use its loss of direction to its advantage. I wonder if the Subject even knows that it's a Skwovet.

Overall, I think it's really interesting how this worked out! I'll keep an eye on these two and perhaps bring them in for further testing in the future.

#tw pokemon abuse #tw death mention #tw dismemberment #tw amputation #tw starvation #tw starving #tw abduction #tw kidnap mention #tw sensory deprivation #tw pokemon cruelty #tw animal cruelty #tw animal abuse #tw experimentation #tw experiments #obstagoon #skwovet #predator/prey friendship

2 notes · View notes

cynettic · 3 years

Note

Hey so I just read the Laser Tag AU and maaaan, now I really want to play Splatoon smh aksksjjdjs

Anywayyy my point is: may I request more hcs but with the other boyos (Childe, Albedo, Bennett, Razor, Chongyun, Xingqiu and maybe Aether if you do him too xD)

Laser Tag ( genshin x reader )

Summary - Genshin characters playing laser tag with you their s/o.

Pairings - Reader x Childe/Bennett/Razor/Chongyun/Albedo/Scaramouche

Warnings - Mention of guns and shooting.

A/N - Added in Scaramouche- But I couldn’t think of anything for Xingqiu. I can surprisingly see the majority of the Genshin boys being good at wielding guns, even though they’d probably suck lol

Laser Tag

Childe

Childe is a beast.

Whether it’s in the terrain of his battlefield, or the streets of Liyue playing laser tag, Childe plays to win. He’s always been the competitive type, enjoying the thrill of battle, or in this case, laser tag.

He loves the game.

And of course, you just have to end up on the opposite team as him.

This game is the perfect setup for an enemies to lovers kind of vibe btw. With him shooting at your comrades and eliminating them from left to right, and you doing the same for his team. Very few people stand against him in this game, and his accuracy and sense of battle.

The two of you will spend the entirety of the game playing cat and mouse. Childe chasing after you while you simply escape his sights every time, taking down his teammates while you’re at it.

Childe isn’t as interested in winning, and once you prove to be worthy of a decent laser tag battle, he tries his best to force you to confront him.

Of course you on the other hand take his reckless behaviour to your advantage to turn the game in your favour and strike down his team. You know it’ll piss him off later when you win.

However, it Childe does manage to catch you…

The two of you will fight, that much is obvious. Dodging and attacking him, he will get very into it. Maybe a little too much, but you don’t give in, not until the very end.

Not until he’s on top of you, the two of you toppled over a bunch of hay that cushions your fall when he crashes into you. Not until he’s holding the plastic revolver against your temple, staring straight into your eyes with his signature smirk.

He might sneak a little kiss in there just to throw you off.

But in the end he will make sure he wins, or rather, he eliminates you. He doesn’t care if he doesn’t win the entirety of the game, taking you down was satisfactory enough, and he feels well accomplished and content after.

Would definitely rub it in your face.

If you brush it off as something you didn’t really try in, be prepared to be pinned against the wall and kissed until you admit that you were in fact, doing your best. And yes, he won fair and square.

Bennett

Omg this precious boy-

Bennett will try his hardest, stick by your side and shoot at any approaching target. Considering that the two of you are on the same team, he will promise to protect you.

With one problem.

No matter how well he aims, whether it is going to hit his target or not, the lazer disagrees. Rather, his terrible luck absolutely ruins it and somehow his lazer point ends up somewhere completely else.

“It changed its direction completely!”

Well… you never know, maybe it’s the gun that sends the lazers ray so far off, but considering it’s Bennett, you know it’s no coincidence.

So you end up protecting him.

Dragging him from place to place and shooting down your opponents, the two of you spend your time tripping over random large ass rocks ( with only Bennett’s terrible luck to blame ) and attacking opponents.

You make sure that Bennett is not shot, no matter what. And you give everyone else a terrible glare that basically screams that if they shoot him, they’ll face your wrath.

Nobody shoots Bennett.

By the end of the game, he’ll be grinning ear to ear. And even if he didn’t manage to eliminate anyone, he’ll boast about how his amazing dodging skills pulled him through the game. You’ll agree, lacing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to the good Hunter to get a good meal.

Just to buy one though, the poor boy can’t cook for his life.

Razor

“Razor… very confused.”

The wolf boy has difficulty with the rules of the game, but the concept of pointing the gun at an opponent and shooting them with a lazer isn’t too hard to grasp.

You find out very quickly that Razor is actually pretty good with aim.

His hands don’t shake for one, and he is so adept to his surroundings that people struggle finding the source of their depleting health. Despite being overall confused at how to play, Razor easily becomes one of the main players taking opponents down.

As someone on his team, he makes sure to keep you by his side the entire time. He understands the elimination part, and he doesn’t want his lupical to get taken out, even if it’s a game.

He can be oddly affectionate at certain times, pushing your face against his chest as he takes out the remaining players in the field you both are in. He will carry you, and take no hesitation when pulling you out of the way, even if it’s a little too rough.

When the game ends, it might take a while to explain to the poor boy that your team won. And that it was a good thing.

Razor will begin to smile when he notices how content you are with it.

Chongyun

This man has the audacity to wield a gun while licking his ‘popsicle.’

Like goddamnit Chongyun, being good at shooting is already a flex, you don’t have to nibble at your popsicle while you’re at it.

You can’t really blame him though, it’s hot outside, and with the sun beaming down on the poor boy's head you know he can’t stand it. Especially with all the adrenaline and yells from opposing teams.

As someone on the same team as him, you take on the job of Chongyun’s personal popsicle restocker, and shooting anyone down once he gets tired. As good as the boy is at shooting, he sucks at keeping himself unknown to the other players.

So you take on the job to make sure they don’t shoot him down.

The two of you are a good team, and if it gets too hot, Chongyun might even let you have one of his popsicles. Of course you don’t have his talent of being able to shoot while having a popsicle in your mouth-

Your team will end up losing though, and even though Chongyun isn’t bothered, he will be slightly worried if you care. The two of you were obviously trying your best, and as long as you both had fun that’s all that matters to him.

But if it really bothers you that much…

He knows you feel comforted by physical contact, so he’ll hold your hand and offer a comforting smile. Tell you that you played well, and that he had fun.

That cheers you up right away.

Kiss him on the cheek please, even though he will flinch at the contact, his cheeks are flushed red and he won’t admit it. But he likes it.

Albedo

Why is it so easy to picture Albedo as a hot sexy stoic mafioso wielding a gun?

Anyways, Albedo is terribly good at wielding a gun. So good at that he only holds the plastic revolver with one hand, never missing a shot as he walks down the streets of Monstadt.

He knows the area well, so good luck trying to sneak up on him. The way his eyes so carelessly sweep the buildings, it hardly looks like he’s trying. Eliminating players with his lasers as he mindlessly strides past the fountain.

Of course, you’re against him.

Albedo isn’t really motivated to play, he’d rather be in his lab experimenting or recording down his discoveries. But he was dragged into this mess, he might as well play his part and support his team.

Albedo won’t hesitate to shoot at you and take you down.

As much as you may be important to you, he plays this game fair and square. He will take you down, or rather, he will try, because you get creative :)

He knows Monstadt well, but he can’t possibly keep his eye on all angles around him. So you’ll aim for his blind spots, throw yourself at him and tackle him to the ground. Simply eliminating him isnt satisfying enough, you need more.

So you turn this into a little game to fluster him.

Tackle him and pin him down, watch him scramble for the gun and then give him a peck on the lips. Watch as his grip loosens, and one of his hands instinctively come to nestle against your hair to pull you closer, and then you pull away.

Watching his idle confusement turn into a light blush on his cheeks is just too good, and how he grows even redder when you start laughing is even better.

Of course his team wins, not that he cares.

The minute the game ends he’s back in his office, conducting experiments. You can go interrupt him though, sneak into his office and press a kiss against his neck. He doesn’t often react or do much to it, but after your linger kiss at the game, he will pull you close and sit you on his lap. Have a proper make out session after you left him hanging with that peck earlier ;)

Scaramouche

This little man is ‘terrifying’.

It’s scary enough that whether you’re against him or on the same team as him, you keep your distance.

“Are you avoiding me Y/n?”

You play on the same team, and even if he’s your boyfriend, you know better than to stay too close when it comes to battle. He shows his cruelty, and you really weren’t looking forward to be put in the middle of that.

‘Unfortunately you didn’t have a choice-‘

Scaramouche will literally drag you, a hand looped around your waist to tug you to his side and take you along with him as he takes down opponents after opponents. He doesn’t ask for your praise, but you still give him it knowing he appreciates it. Mentally.

When he’s tired or bored, he will lean his head on your shoulder, wait there for a bit before jumping back up and shooting a random straggler on the sides. Heavens knows how the boy knows he was there, it’s like he has some sixth sense.

We don’t even want to get into his accuracy and precision, Scaramouche is born a mafioso.

At the end when your team wins, no surprise, give him a hug. Tell him he did well and even if he tries to push away, hold him tight. Even though he could easily pull your arms away if he wanted to, he’ll just pretend to give a little struggle and then give in to your warmth.

#genshin #genshin oneshot #genshin headcanons #genshin fluff #genshin childe #genshin Scaramouche #genshin razor #genshin bennett #genshin albedo #childe x reader #Scaramouche x reader #razor x reader #bennett x reader #albedo x reader #genshin chongyun #chongyun x reader #laser tag #cynshealthysfw

601 notes · View notes

perseusjackson-jasongrace · 3 years

Text

look i didn’t want to be a sour kid

god, it's brutal out here: and percy jackson knows what that means. scars on his body like pulled threads. calluses on his palms from pens that turn into swords, coins that turn into weapons, hands that curl into fists. walking home after an annoying day at school and having to fight the troll on the bridge. you must give me something in order to pass my territory. he gives it death. it gives him another shirt to wash blood stains out of. gods with too much arrogance giving him quests with too little return policy. body that doesn't want to cooperate after he blows up a mountain. body that wants to move too fast when he needs to follow a plan. heart that gets broken and rebuilt with different materials every day. god it’s brutal out here: and percy jackson knows it’s brutal in here too.

traitor: and percy jackson has never felt a word more like a branding in his entire life. he thinks back to the summer he turned thirteen and he sees scorpion tails flashing behind his eyelids. and he sees blonde hair and sometimes he can't differentiate between her and him and them and him. and he sees a scar and he wonders if the cut was deep enough to lose goodness. and he thinks maybe he wouldn’t have minded so much if someone had just told him what was going on. and that makes him a traitor too. and he sees it now, how easily he would succumb to the scorpion tail. how he would welcome the bliss of losing his goodness. who’s to say it’s true goodness anyway? and he remembers the red curls and the summer of beach walks and glass houses and the look of betrayal when plastic hairbrush meets yankees cap. is he a traitor then? to his own feelings? surely not. must be. neither of them liked it. he liked them. traitor, but to who? and remembers the day he left a girl on an island and promised to help her and couldn’t in the end. he remembers eyes of fire at his incompetence. and he is a betrayer. but only to others. traitor: and percy jackson thinks he’s never really betrayed anyone but himself.

got my driver’s license: and percy jackson is growing up so fast his limbs can't keep up. one leg is slightly longer than the other and it makes him clumsy. his left hand is bigger than his right and he uses it to punch. he flies a pegasus for the first time and he understands why mortals are always so angry. they will never know this unbridled freedom. and he gets kissed by a girl and he thinks his skin understands the heat of the sun. and his hair becomes curls instead of waves and he has to clip it> push it> tie it back because it keeps getting in his eyes. and his mom asks him if he wants “blue cake this year?” and he has to tell her he’ll never be too old for it because she’s scared he’s going to grow out of her love. he is not. and paul teaches him how to read a book without feeling like his eyes are drowning and he can’t believe he’s learning to read in high school. and he is moving through the days like water, finding a way around everything. got my driver’s license: and percy jackson knows it’s only a matter of time before he gets a death sentence too.

it’s always one step forward and three steps back: and percy jackson is waking up with no sense of who he is. he is carrying a goddess on his back and he doesn’t even know who his mother is. he is stepping across a river and erasing the curse of indestructible. he is again a demigod with too much vulnerability and not enough care. and he is being flung to an island where time doesn’t move and he doesn’t want to either. and he is healing like he never has before. and he is leaving and not even the girl who loves him can keep him there because he loves another girl and she doesn’t know she loves him back. and he is taking the sky from a friend and he is giving the sky to a goddess and he is leaving a hunter to see the stars and he is watching a new hunter evade the fate they are cursed with. and he was relieved from this burden for one brief second in time. burden of what? burden of sky? burden of prophecy? burden of death? and they are all handed back to him, presented with no other option. they are not the weights in the balancing scale. they are the scale and he is the weights. one step forward and three steps back: and percy jackson wonders if he can go far back enough to erase his own existence.

i know you get déjà vu: and percy jackson is hurtled to summers spent in a camp, next to a girl, next to a satyr, next to a friend. and he is living his life in montauk with his mom and he is watching red hair fly in the wind, paint smudges on their skin. and he is remembering how everything is different every year but he can still see the fire wall from his cabin and the smell of wild strawberries is the only thing his scent receptors know how to identify. and he knows solstice could bring death or happiness and he’s starting to think one doesn’t exist and one exists too much. and he sees people who love him and show it in ways he knows. blue candy has never been a complicated feeling. and doesn’t see people who love him in ways he doesn’t know. seaweed brain, let me come with you into the labyrinth, become praetor with me. and he thinks his childhood disappeared the day his mother was kidnapped and is it possible to have déjà vu if you’ve never lived enough to experience something once. and he thinks maybe the god of the sun gets déjà vu every time he pulls the star across the sky because it’s all about warmth isn’t it? your body’s way of saying we’ve been here before and we survived. i know you get déjà vu: and percy jackson is sure he has lived a thousand lives in this one alone.

good for you: and percy jackson is craving a life that doesn’t involve this madness. he is jealous of the kid in his science class that accidentally knocks over the bunsen burner and only gets a disapproving look from the teacher. his nose bleed starts a war. he is jealous of the neireids that simply become the water and wait for the world to stop burning itself to the ground. you look happy and healthy and he looks like he’s missing five years of his life and no way of moving forward. he is tired and he wants to sleep but the last time he did that it was six months later and he couldn’t remember anything. and he wants to sink to the bottom of the ocean but he is still exhaling mud because he drowned in sludge once. and he is too young to be this exhausted but. good for you: and percy jackson wants to become the villain.

all i ever wanted was to be enough for you: and percy jackson is struggling with the expectations people who don't know him want him to have. he is twelve and the teacher hands back a test face down and he knows he’s going to shove it into the pit of his bag before he can be scathed by a red pen. he is thirteen and his mother has finally given herself the hero ending she deserves but he is still this little kid who doesn’t know how to handle the world and if she doesn’t need him to protect her what is his purpose? he is a teenager watching people have silent conversations about his fate and getting no replies when he asks too. as if it is ridiculous to involve himself in these discussions. he can't be the one, it’s not possible. and wait she is here, from her tree grave. no, she is gone, to her hunter fate. wait they are here from their timeless casino. no she is gone and he is young. far too young. and he can’t do this and he can’t do that and he isn’t there yet, not powerful, too reckless, too loyal. the monsters realise his potential and use it to hurt him. the people don't realise his potential and wish he would use it. all i ever wanted was to be enough for you: and percy jackson is too far gone to be of use.

i hope you're happy, but don't be happier: and percy jackson cannot fall in love unless it’s with her. and he has seen the beauty of people and he wants to keep them all close and he doesn’t know how to do it because she keeps him in her grasp. deathly afraid of spiders she says but she has built a web so big he can't move without getting caught. and he goes to a scorned girl on a secluded beach and he likes the way her eyes sparkle in the sun, how she plants the same way his mother does and he leaves her there because she doesn’t have a storm in her gaze. and he loses his memory and remembers only her and he knows it’s inescapable. and maybe he kind of loves it. nobody has ever really given him a choice anyway. at least this one he can love. i hope you're happy, but don't be happier: and percy jackson has never known happier anyway.

jealousy, jealousy: and percy jackson is surrounded by the best. he is in a camp dedicated to people like him and he is still at the bottom. and he is on a quest that makes him the main perpetrator but he is still being puppeted along. and he cant help but wonder if he will turn out like the boy with the scarred face. and he cant help but wonder if he’ll turn out like the girl who grabbed a figurine. and he can't help but wonder if he’ll become a monster or a hero and what’s the difference really. everyone is fighting for a cause. it’s just the matter of whose side you're on. and he wants to know what will happen if he just lets go. he wants to be like the people who follow their cause. instead he is doing biddings. he is following orders. he is making things right. jealousy, jealousy: and percy jackson wants to know if he can be jealous of his own dreams.

i hope i was your favorite crime: and percy jackson is a little kid with a long record. he is on the news plastered as a criminal endangering others, blowing up a bus. it is not the last destruction he causes. he learns to get clever about it. and he is on the news sobbing about his generous stepdad. generous about the bruises he administers, and the words he spits. generous about his appliances. and he is on the news for jumping off a bridge too high to survive. and he doesn’t really know if he will survive but when is he ever really sure he’s going to survive anyway? at least this was a choice. and he is always a criminal unable to plead his innocence. i hope i was your favorite crime: and percy jackson wonders if anyone cares about the injustices against him.

you're okay: and percy jackson is staring at his reflection in the rippling water and he knows it’s time to forgive himself. he was just a child. with far too much responsibility and far too much guilt. he had seen death before he’d had his first kiss. he had felt pain before he felt comfort. he had never known safety. and now he is old enough to go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants and he has to forgive himself first. because he was just a kid with a hundred targets on his back and only a fierce need to survive protecting him. you’re okay: and percy jackson knows he will be.

#percy jackson #percy jackson bday 2021 #percy jackson bday #pjjg percy jackson bday #percy #jackson #pjo #hoo #olivia rodrigo #sour #sour olivia rodrigo #if you repost this on instagram please take my pjo account: perseusandjason #thank you!#*lmao tag not take wow tumblr why do you hate me

344 notes · View notes

stolen-pen-name23 · 3 years

Note

Hi! Could you do 7 or 21 of the angst prompts for Obi Wan and Ahsoka please?

Hi! Thank you for the prompt (from these prompts)!! And yes, I can do both actually! Here ya go:

---

“You are so stupid.”

The words are dry — at least, Ahsoka hopes they are dry enough to hide the very real fear lingering behind them.

“Thanks,” Obi-Wan says between clenched teeth, obviously not hearing the full emotion behind Ahsoka’s sentiment. He is sitting across from her in the co-pilot’s chair — a bundle of bloodstained robes and tightened shoulders as he breathes through the pain. She shoots him another glare while she digs through the medkit, searching for a set of tweezers.

“Going after a bounty hunter who was carrying a slugthrower,” Ahsoka mutters. “What were you thinking?”

“Well, I—”

“No, don’t answer that,” Ahsoka says, raising her hand. “I already have the answer. You weren’t thinking.”

“Now hold on,” Obi-Wan pants. “We couldn’t let them capture the senator now, could we? We had a mission.”

“Yeah, and you made me stay behind and guard the other senators.”

“It was a very important task,” he says defensively.

“You made me their babysitter because you knew that going after Bane was dangerous. You knew and you went anyway.”

“To be fair,” Obi-Wan says, “he’s never used slugthrowers before.”

“And so what? You didn’t think he’d actually use it on you?”

“I was cautiously optimistic.”

“Look where that got you,” Ahsoka says, shaking her head. She continues rifling through the medkit until she finally finds a set of tweezers and a small scalpel. Obi-Wan eyes both items warily.

“I need to get a better look at the wound before I do anything,” Ahsoka says, trying to keep him calm, despite her current anger at him.

“Alright,” he nods, looking like he’s trying to reassure himself.

Ahsoka cuts through the fabric of his tunics and his undershirts and pulls them away. Underneath, a circular wound mars Obi-Wan’s skin. His muscles are tight, instinctively clenching in a vain attempt to ward off the pain.

“Hmmm.”

“What?” Obi-Wan asks.

“I have good news and bad news.”

“Do share.”

“The bad news is the bullet didn’t go all the way through. The good news is that it looks like it didn’t go too deep, so it shouldn’t be too hard for me to get it out. I won’t be needing this.” She sets the scalpel aside.

“Well, as long as there’s good news,” Obi-Wan sighs. “Though I suppose there was never a silver lining without a dark cloud behind it.”

“No, I suppose not,” Ahsoka says, offering him a sympathetic smile. “I need to get this out. You’ll get an infection if I don’t.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan says, resigned. “Let’s just get on with it then.”

Ahsoka takes a deep breath and relies on the Force to steady her hand. She presses the tweezers into the wound. A harsh breath escapes Obi-Wan’s lips, but he does not cry out. Ahsoka takes that as a sign to keep going. She pinches the bullet between the tweezers, but she slips and digs the metal deeper into the torn-up flesh.

Obi-Wan gasps and pulls away from Ahsoka.

“Sorry!” Ahsoka exclaims.

“It’s alright,” Obi-Wan pants, blinking back tears that had pooled in his eyes on reflex. “Just keep going.”

Ahsoka nods and goes back in with the tweezers, but Obi-Wan flinches back. Ahsoka tries again, and he recoils to the side.

“Stop that. Hold still,” Ahsoka says, exasperated.

“Sorry,” he says. “I’m just not used to this kind of wound”

“Yeah well… that’s what happens when you go after a bounty hunter who is openly wielding a slugthrower.”

“Alright, I get it,” Obi-Wan says, deflating slightly.

“I don’t think you do,” Ahsoka grimaces. “Now for real this time. Stay still.”

Obi-Wan nods tightly, while Ahsoka hones back in on the wound. She gets the tweezers around the bullet once more, and this time, they don’t slip. Slowly, she maneuvers the bullet out of Obi-Wan’s flesh until it clatters on the floor with a metallic ringing sound.

Ahsoka stares, frozen in place as the wound bleeds openly. Obi-Wan’s blood runs down his side now that there is no bullet to dam up its path.

“Oh,” Ahsoka says dumbly. “I always forget that slugthrower wounds don’t cauterize.”

“Yes, well, they don’t,” Obi-Wan says. Ahsoka glares at him. “Go get a needle and thread, I’ll put pressure on it.”

Ahsoka hands him a semi-clean rag and he presses it to his stomach. His breaths become a little more ragged.

“Hang in there Master,” Ahsoka says as she finds a sewing kit. She measures out a length of thread and cuts it. The eye of the needle is tiny and she struggles to get the thread to go through it.

“Maybe we should have prepared the needle before we took out the bullet,” Obi-Wan observes dryly.

“Why didn’t you tell me to do that?” Ahsoka asks, her voice going higher in pitch as she desperately tries to thread the needle.

“I was preoccupied, you know, with being shot.”

“That is your own kriffing fault and you know it,” Ahsoka retaliates.

Ahsoka calls on the Force to steady her hand once again. Finally, the thread obeys her commands and pushes through the eye of the needle. With deft fingers, she ties it off.

“Ready?”

From his tight nod, it is clear that Obi-Wan is not ready, but he knows as well as she does that there is little time for hesitation.

“Alright,” Ahsoka says, trying to keep her voice sure and even. “I’ll be quick.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan says.

Ahsoka is true to her word. She finishes the stitches in a manner of a few minutes. By the end of it, Obi-Wan is pale and sweating, but gratitude shines in his eyes.

“Done,” Ahsoka says after she ties off the end of the thread.

“Thank you Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan says. “I’ll be sure to come to you the next time I’m shot.”

“You’re impossible. Absolutely impossible. You know that right?”

“Well, Anakin is actually—”

“I’m not talking about Anakin, I’m talking about you,” Ahsoka huffs, suddenly feeling irked by Obi-Wan’s casualness. Now that he has been stitched back together, she has time to feel the anger starting to flood her bloodstream.

“Ahsoka…”

“Everyone thinks Anakin is the reckless one, and maybe he is, but when he’s not around to be the reckless one… Well, it’s like you don’t care if you live or you die.”

Obi-Wan looks down at his bloodstained hands. “Of course I care.”

She stops messing with the medkit and looks Obi-Wan dead in the eyes. “Then why are you always so reckless huh? Do you ever think about what would happen if something happened to you?”

“Life would go on without me, Ahsoka. If it’s the will of the Force…”

“Do not bring ‘the will of the Force’ into this. I’m talking about when you pull stunts like this.”

Obi-Wan is silent — the smooth-talking negotiator finally at a loss for words.

“Master,” Ahsoka says quietly. “If you died… I would be devastated.”

“Ahsoka…”

She doesn’t let him continue. “My feelings aside, think about Anakin. Do you know what would happen to him if he lost you? I can’t watch him go through that for a second time.”

Obi-Wan pales and Ahsoka isn’t sure if it’s from the blood loss or the words she is mercilessly volleying at him. She continues anyway.

“It would almost be worse than losing you. I know how to let go, but he… I don’t know what he would do if he lost you. He can’t… that can’t happen again.”

“I want to tell you it won’t.”

“Then tell me.”

“I can’t,” he says, his jaw tight with either pain or sorrow. Perhaps both.

“Please, just…”

“No. I will not make you a promise I can’t keep. Not while we’re in a war. Not ever.”

“Then promise me something else,” Ahsoka insists, grabbing his hand in hers and looking him directly in his ocean blue eyes.

He looks at her wearily. “What?”

“Promise you’ll stop being so reckless,”

“What did I just say about making promises I can’t keep?” Obi-Wan grins. Ahsoka lightly smacks his shoulder.

“Promise me you’ll try then!” Ahsoka amends.

“I’ll try,” he laughs. “I promise.”

Slowly, Obi-Wan stands up but has to steady himself on a leather handle affixed to the ceiling.

“I would love to continue this conversation,” Obi-Wan says, his voice starting to slur ever so slightly. “But I think I need to lie down. Or throw up. Or both.”

Ahsoka grimaces and hands him a canteen. “Drink,” she says. “You need to stay hydrated.”

“Need to lie down,” he repeats.

“Drink, and then you can lie down.”

Obi-Wan nods and takes a few sips from the offered canteen. He passes it back to her before curling up on a small bunk just outside of the cockpit. A slight shiver racks his frame and Ahsoka grabs a blanket and lays it over him. He hums in contentment.

“Are you going to be okay until we get to the temple?” Ahsoka asks nervously.

“Yes. The adrenaline’s just wearing off and the blood loss is catching up with me. I’ll be okay.” Ahsoka stares at him a moment longer. “I promise,” Obi-Wan adds on.

“You better keep that one.”

“I will.” A pause. “I am sorry,” he says. “I didn’t want to scare you. And I didn’t want to get shot.”

“I know,” Ahsoka says. “Just get some rest. We’ll be home soon.”

#my writing #tw blood #tw gunshot wound #obi wan kenobi #ahsoka tano #thanks for the prompt!

158 notes · View notes

messyyythoughts · 2 years

Text

chaos walking , part 3.

star wars: the bad batch x female chaos magic user

summary: after your first adventure with Clone Force 99, Kenobi needs your help. the Bad Batch step in to help when it’s clear you’ve pushed yourself too far this time. warnings: descriptions of physical injury, reader in pain as per usual tbh mando’a translations (http://mandoa.org/) jaro - death wish, insane act of reckless stupidity mesh’la - beautiful

part 1 part 2

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。.

“Kenobi, do you particularly need this damned cruiser?” You asked with a tight voice. The strain of trying to slow down an entire Republic cruiser starting to crush your body, and you knew you wouldn’t hold out much longer. You’d been called in by Kenobi to help save this cruiser from imminent destruction, and when one of the engines gave out, you took a hold of the entire ship, trying to help the pilots steer it. It hadn’t worked, and you’d ordered Kenobi and any non-essential personnel off the cruiser as you tried to save it. Right now, it wasn’t working, but you were still determined to try. The only thing that was driving you was the fact that there were still men on this cruiser who needed to evacuate before the whole thing crashed and burned at your hands. If you felt any of those connections go out, you’d never forget it.

“Well... yes, I do.” He replied, his voice tense. You could tell he was absolutely overwhelmed on his end. With a final moment of peace, you replied.

“I’m not making any promises. Evacuate the rest of this cruiser, give me a space to land on that planet.” His immediate protests came over the comms, you ignored them. He didn’t want you to do this on his own, but there was no other way. His voice was drowned out by the groaning and shaking of the cruiser. How you were managing to hold this weight… you didn’t even want to think about it. You’d be sick if anything other than the mission on hand came to mind. You didn’t even want to think about what the recovery was going to be like for this one, all you knew is that it was going to be grisly. You felt the evacuation pods leave the cruiser, and then concentrated all of your energy left into altering the path this cruiser was about to take in order to reach the nearest planet.

You went down to one knee, letting out a grunt as another wave of hot sweat and strong nausea overtook your body. Your hands were cramping up already, but you flexed them and the feeling subsided slightly. You attacked once more, putting everything you had into changing the path of the cruiser. You were fighting against gravity and physics and it was killing you. Every tiny movement, from an intake of breath to a shift of your knee, was putting you into agony for longer and longer. There was blood running down your face from your nose and mouth, you wiped it away clumsily, only to smear it across yourself. You had never attempted anything like this, you weren’t really sure if you could do it. If you managed to pull this off, you’d go down in the history books, if not, you’d lose an entire Republic cruiser and your life in the process. There was no mistaking it, you simply had to win.

There was a noise coming from behind you, something repetitive and vague. You focused in, trying to get your senses to cooperate. Everything was becoming blurred and hard to understand the longer you exerted yourself. Finally, you heard it. “Come in!” It was Hunter’s voice from behind you. Your head whipped to follow the sound, and you felt a burning sensation down your neck, and spine. “Damn it, will you say something?!” You stumbled over to the comms and used one shaking finger to hit the button. “Hunter?” You asked, with barely enough breath to speak. “What are you doing? There’s no possible way you can save that cruiser.” Tech butted in, you could practically hear him elbowing Hunter out of the way.

“I can do it,” You sputtered, “trust me.” Blood spilled from your mouth and you coughed, near to vomiting blood.

“We’re on our way to the ship, hold her steady for us.” Hunter said with a hard tone, meaning it was final. You’d learned that after your first mission with the Bad Batch, and they’d learned plenty of things about you too. It had been a whirlwind experience, but you felt like you’d do it again tomorrow if they asked you.

“No! You’ll die—” You started, but you were cut off by Wrecker’s voice.

“No, we’re coming to help. We’ll be there before you know it.” Your head slumped forward onto the desk and your powers went out like a light, before you quickly gained a hold of them and pulled the cruiser back on course for a crash landing. You had to crawl back to the bridge to get a central hold of the cruiser and feel the balance set back in. Your magic came back, and you had a steady hold on the cruiser once again. You took deep steadying breaths to align yourself, before closing your eyes and visualising the path to the planet as clearly as you could.

It was then that you felt a ship land on the cruiser, and you realised that they were here. Images flashed through your head of them, and you tried to not let it distract you. A glimpse of the future was not what you needed right now. What could only be called relief flooded through you, and you felt that nausea subside as four pairs of footsteps came rushing to you. What felt like hours of waiting had really only been five minutes before they burst onto the bridge. Tech made a beeline for the front control consoles and started pressing buttons and reading screens, as Crosshair and Hunter followed. Wrecker stood by your side, like a statue.

“Wrecker, I need you to get behind me and support my arms, it’s gonna be a lot, but you can do it.” You wheezed, as Wrecker knelt behind you and put your arms on top of his massive ones. You rested all of your weight on him, and he took it like a champ. “Maker, thank you.” You sighed in relief, almost brought to tears. Tech had the controls working together and the ship’s engines worked double time to steer towards the planet.

“I need to check your vitals, you’re bleeding enough to fill a bathtub.” Hunter broke off from Tech and Crosshair, putting his hands to your pulse on your neck and wrist. He was directly touching the chaos magic that was surrounding your hands, and didn’t flinch or pull away. He took your pulse, then started to wipe the blood from your face. “Her pulse and temp is sky high, we need to land this cruiser sooner rather than later, Tech.” Hunter called out. “You try steering a Republic cruiser that has one dead engine!” Tech retorted, meaning well, but coming off as heavily sarcastic, as always.

“I’m fine, just help me out will you?” You cried out, nearly collapsing onto Wrecker, but he stayed steady behind you like a foundation of a good house. Tech and Cross went haywire on the controls, setting them to this and that. The ship’s comms were suddenly alive with chatter, as the clones stationed on the planet were giving advice to Hunter on how to navigate the atmosphere and complete the crash landing. As Hunter relayed the information to Tech and Crosshair, Wrecker took on every bit of weight that you were dumping on him. It was a tense few minutes of loud noises, shouting orders and blood running until you broke the atmosphere. The cruiser started to shake and rumble as it broke the planet’s atmosphere, sending everyone on the bridge tumbling about with nothing to hold onto. You felt Wrecker grab onto a nearby console to hold your position, and you strained to stay in place. Your body temperature was getting higher and higher, you momentarily thought about making your clothes disintegrate, but then decided against it. You started to slow the descent of the cruiser by pulling back on it with all of your magic, your hands almost cramping into place with the force you were exerting. Chaos magic was spilling from your hands as bright as the stars, and had completely enclosed the cruiser, taking over all directional control of it. Wrecker’s massive hands carefully moved into place behind yours, and he held on, despite the rampant chaos magic coming from yours. You were holding back the most unhinged scream as the cruiser finally made contact with the planet’s surface, sending a reeling shockwave through you. You didn’t falter once as the planet’s debris flew up and collided with the cruiser, in fact it actually helped to slow the crash. The lights went out, leaving you in the dark, but you kept going with only the light from your hands to guide you now. You pulled and pulled until you were sure the cruiser was at a slow enough speed that it wouldn’t move on its own anymore. The screeching sound stopped, and it was replaced by a stark silence. Nobody moved. Your hands stayed in place, now totally still but empty of magic. Each member of the Bad Batch turned to look at you, no words at the ready, just a variation of stares. Kenobi’s voice came over the comms. You got up, every single inch of you about ready to implode, and pressed the button to answer.

“One cruiser, slightly used, but still in good condition.” You heard his chuckle in reply and smiled, blood dripping from your mouth. “You are never doing that again, I didn’t even ask you to save it!” Kenobi attempted to tell you off, but you shook your head, knowing that there was no way he could punish you for this one.

“Kiss my ass, General Kenobi, I’ll see you when you get down here.” You then let your head roll backwards and gave your body the signal to shut off for the recovery. Wrecker caught you, holding you to him in his arms, which hurt like nothing else from being in contact with your magic. Hunter’s hands also hurt, as if they’d been burned, but there was no damage done to them. You weren’t trying to actively harm either of them, so they’d escaped with minimal injury. Sometimes you had control over the magic, and it seemed like you had won today in more than one respect. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. The Bad Batch loyally guarded and stubbornly stayed by your bedside for weeks. You’d fallen into a coma, of your own doing, and this wasn’t the first time either. It had happened on a few rare occasions before, as witnessed by both Kenobi and Skywalker, but they’d never seen you in such a bad way this time. Each of them came to visit, both having to convince the Bad Batch that they knew you and meant no harm, which proved more difficult than they expected. Being Generals of the Republic’s army meant nothing to the Bad Batch, as it so happened. Kenobi was stopped at the door for being the one who ordered you to save the cruiser, even though you’d done it of your own accord, and once he had explained this he was allowed entry. He dutifully brushed out your hair as you lay there asleep, and braided it slowly to make sure there were no knots or tangles. The Bad Batch watched him with a veiled interest, Tech especially, as he had never seen you wear your hair like this before. Kenobi updated you on all of the clone battalions that he knew of, some were stationed too far away to receive any real updates on, so he promised to check on them for you when he had a spare moment. After Kenobi had sorted out your hair, he washed your face and neck with a cloth and warm water. He made sure to get every spot, gentle as ever, talking to you the entire time. He knew that you could sense his energy nearby, and that you’d be thankful he’d been there when you finally awoke. He then told the lingering Bad Batch that after your first coma, you’d awoken in fits of screams and delirium, claiming that no one had sat with you and talked to you the whole time you were out. It was true, apart from the odd visit from Skywalker who’d been the closest one to you when it happened. Kenobi and Ahsoka had been too far away to come and visit, but they were just as horrified when they heard the news through Skywalker. So, from that moment, the Bad Batch had one of them sat by your side. Tech made a habit of reading out his notes to you from when he’d studied you, and once he got through those, he moved onto hefty textbooks of theories and hard science. It bored the others to sleep without fail each time, but inside you were clinging onto Tech’s voice like it was a rope and you were dangling above a dark pit. Even though you would never fully understand what he was saying, it made you feel like you weren’t totally alone. When it was Hunter’s turn to sit next to you, he took to drawing on your arms and palms. He used a washable ink pen and would decorate your exposed skin with whatever was in his head at the time, he’d even talk you through the meanings of the drawings, no matter how nonsensical it sounded. He always made sure to put the names of the Bad Batch in there somewhere, and yours. It was often the medical droid’s job to wash the ink away after Hunter had been sat by your side all day. Wrecker liked telling you his favourite stories of battle, and he had a new one each time he sat by you for the day. Some of them were so outlandish that even Tech questioned him sometimes, but you were enjoying the stories regardless. Wrecker was a great storyteller, using his tone and strange sound effects to bring the story to life for you. He knew exactly how to create tension and suspension by waiting a few seconds before telling the climax of the story, or a twist to the plot. Crosshair always criticised Wrecker’s stories for being inaccurate to the truth, but you didn’t care. When Crosshair sat next to you, however, he struggled to do so much... talking. He tried reading something out once, but it sounded bad, and he stopped abruptly. He found something else to do instead, he would draw out battle plans on your arm with his fingers. He could see it all in his head, it just needed finalising on your forearm or the palm of your hand. He’d explain some parts to you before grumbling and starting over again because he wanted to try something else. He even used little paper clones once to really simulate the battle for you on your arm and hand, which made the others smirk, but Crosshair paid them no attention. Skywalker’s visit had been a tense one. He nearly scrapped on the spot with Crosshair trying to gain entry to your room, but Hunter let him through. When he saw you, his face went icy, and he took a seat next to you. The words he spoke were too low for anyone but Hunter to hear, but he chose to ignore them when he got the idea of what Skywalker was saying. Skywalker stayed there for a while, holding your hand in his, eyes closed. An eerie quiet had settled in your room, and the Bad Batch soon found themselves finding excuses to leave. They didn’t go far, only down the hallway, but whatever mood Skywalker was in, they did not feel like tussling with him right now. Kenobi had been somber, but respectful, Skywalker was fuming and looking for a reason to fight. Someone needed to get him back out to the battlefield soon otherwise he’d start going for his own men. But, after an hour or so, he up and left your room without a word to the Bad Batch. They came back in to see you unmoved, asleep just as you had been when they left you. Now, they just had to pass the time until you woke up. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. “That woman has a jaro, I��m telling you.” Hunter said with a shake of his head. The Bad Batch had been discussing your other greatest feats, and Tech was readily compiling a list for further debate. “Who just decides to stop a cruiser like that?” Hunter carried on, “no one but her.” He scoffed. Crosshair watched the conversation in silent interest, having already found a new respect for you after witnessing you successfully crash land the cruiser. “I think the cruiser is my favourite one, I helped with that one.” Wrecker announced from your bedside, having paused his wild story to give his opinion. “Wrecker, your personal involvement does not contribute to the greatness of the feat.” Tech sighed, tapping away at his pad. Wrecker shrugged before continuing his story. Crosshair was about to interject when the ship’s internal alarms started going off, signalling that the enemy was approaching. A rush of footsteps from the clones going to their stations went past, and then a rumble went throughout the ship. They’d been hit. “We need to get her ready to move if this ship goes down.” Hunter shot out of his seat, only to find that your eyes were opening, and you were sitting up in your bed. “Maker above...” “Are we seriously getting attacked right now?” You sighed, getting out of bed and heading for the door with renewed energy. They all watched on in absolute disbelief, before scrambling out of the door to follow you. You moved fast at full health, they had to jog to keep up. You reached the bridge, being greeted with applause, which you quickly silenced with a single finger to your lips. “I can’t be in a coma for more than a few weeks and we’re getting bombed by the enemy? Really, guys?” You shook your head. Your messy braid was coming undone where none of the Bad Batch had dared to take it out after Kenobi had so carefully done it. “Give me a visual someone.” You called out, body positively thrumming with the need to get out there and rip some people apart. “Uh, excuse us,” Tech pushed past the crowd of clones on the bridge, and tapped you on the shoulder, “are you quite alright?” You nodded with a wink. The clones had identified the oncoming enemy pilots for you. With little more than a bent finger and a wisp of chaos, you sent the ships tumbling through space into balls of flame, veering off course and missing their shots entirely. You got a rush from this, no matter how many times you did it, because the clones around you were safe and you were taking out the very thing that would kill them. “Mesh’la...” Wrecker said behind you, as he watched the firework display of ships exploding and plummeting to their demise. You didn’t even need both hands, just one finger. The first wave had been entirely demolished, and the second wave was already retreating, much to your disappointment. Maybe you went too hard on the first ones, scared them off. It wouldn’t be the first time. You lowered your finger, smiling in satisfaction as the clones cheered. Nothing made you happier than seeing them alive, and winning. You turned to leave, and when Hunter asked where you were going now, you told him that unless the new uniform was a hospital gown, you were getting a change of clothes. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. messyyythoughts © 2022 do not translate without my permission, give credit if you repost, support always welcomed <3

#messyyythoughts #injury detail #description of injury #chaos magic #chaos magic reader #female!reader #chaos witch #chaos walking #chaosmagicuser!reader #chaoswitch!reader

11 notes · View notes

perhaps-in-anotherdream · 3 years

Text

[CN- Season 2] Victor And MC- Chapter 17- Eng Translation (Part 1)

“....Victor is clearly not in front of me right now, yet I feel that he can always see me.”

⌚Warning:⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a chapter that is yet to be released in the global server. Don't continue under the cut if you don't wish to be spoiled! (◍•ᴗ•◍)

✧ PART 2: HERE!

✧ NOTE ✧

Highly recommend checking out the bullet point “plot review” translated by @cheri-translates ♡

Please please please remember to revisit CH [27-11] and CH [28-2] of S1 in case your memory of the details have become foggy, before continuing under the cut. Because there’s another very detailed re-enactment similar to CH 10. This one is just.... even more sad. 🥺

ー

✧ [CH 17- 1] ✧

At MC’s Home- 2 days after Hunter Game officially ended: While checking the news MC finds it’s been officially confirmed that the illicit drug “Small Syringes” was used in the Hunter Game and the portal mentions LFG’s acquisition scandal-- STF is going to conduct a thorough investigation on the issue.

Seeing rumors about LFG still circling overwhelmingly, MC gets mad.

However, soon finds the news => LFG’s PR department has officially stated they have no relation with the Hunter Game and they will take legal action against the rumors.

Being able to make the decisive and accurate strategic-decisions in the first instance - this is precisely Victor’s style.

Hearing this, I feel slightly relieved.

MC sends Victor a text praising his vision with an “admiration” emoticon.

She sends him another text saying the media might interview her soon on the matter. She feels public take-over right now might not be the best idea and asks for Victor’s opinion.

Looking at the unanswered dialog box, I sigh lightly.

The chat history is still stuck at ten days ago.

At first I thought it was because the Hunter Game broke off the signal. But now it seems that, the messages have indeed sunk into the sea without a trace.

The sudden outburst of the situation got everyone caught up into a tailspin. Although I believe Victor can guarantee his own safety, I am still a little worried.

I hesitate for a moment, but still type that line I want to ask.

MC’s message: “Victor, why haven’t you contacted me lately? What’s wrong?”

The phone screen goes dark in the process of waiting, and doesn’t light up again.

It seems that the more one speculates absent-mindedly about a certain possibility, the more those overlooked minor details will arise in one fell swoop.

For some reason, I recall that earlier phone call that came out of the blue, warning me repeatedly to not be reckless.

Now that I think about it, Victor at that time always gave a kind of strange feeling, which I couldn’t tell.

MC: ....Just make a phone call to hear his voice. It cannot be regarded as contacting rashly, I think.

Thinking of this, I pick up the phone without hesitation.

At the same time, Goldman calls and tells MC => Victor has asked her to come to LFG with a report at 10.

MC: Victor? He wants to see me? What else did he say....

I still haven’t finished my words, and there is the sound of a flurry of busy signal coming from the other end of the receiver. Goldman has already coldly hung up the phone.

MC: ....

I’m not at all surprised being treated with such indifference.

But what is the proposal? I don’t seem to have any project recently that needs to be reported on....

I’m a little perplexed for a while. I open my work email-inbox, and search back and forth, but no luck either.

MC: Strange, did I miss any task?

With two hours remaining from 10 o’clock, I no longer struggle. After washing up quickly, I stuff a notebook in my bag, and hurriedly get out of the door.

After all, what I can be certain of is that, I will be able to see Victor very soon.

-✧-

MC arrives at LFG: Goldman continues to coldly ignore her greetings. :<

However, another young man MC is unfamiliar with, leads her to Victor’s office.

After taking in the sight inside the office, my heart inexplicably thumps for a while in confusion.

Obviously it’s daytime, but the blinds are tightly folded, making the room appear exceptionally dim.

Warning strips are attached to the desk and the bookcase on either side, the contrasting color making this already serious office appear even more oppressive.

A strange feeling bubbles up in my heart. I have a vague feeling that this place has already been maintaining this state for a while.

I avert my line of sight, gazing towards the familiar black office chair.

The chair is empty.

Victor is not here.

ー

✧ [CH 17- 3] ✧

Bewildered at the sight, MC asks the young man about Victor.

The man explains Victor only told them to ask MC to come at this time, no other details.

While MC is still perplexed as to why someone else but Goldman took her inside Victor’s office, the man introduces himself as Lawyer Duan JunJie (Caerus introduced in CH 10) and tells MC about the arrangements Victor has made.

Upon MC’s questioning, he tells MC that after the Hunter Game was made public, no one has seen Victor. STF came to investigate here and they came last night as well.

The man leaves saying it’s time for his break, asks MC to make an appointment at the front desk if she needs something.

MC bitterly jokes to herself that all of Victor’s employees are time-conscious like him LOL and closes the office door.

My heart also sinks immediately following the light that has been isolated from me.

The phone is still quiet. I still haven’t received any reply from Victor.

However, in this seemingly blank period of time, he still has been very eventful ー from all the big strategic-decisions made by LFG, to the small ones as replacing the person to receive me.

In a daze, I have the illusion that he is still watching me from somewhere.

This makes me calm down slightly. I take a deep breath, and start to size up the office in front of me.

Despite feeling something amiss, MC doesn’t find anything in particular and she realizes Victor doesn’t want anyone else to find the clues. As such, she suddenly recalls somethingー

MC: ....Proposal!

Since Victor has asked me to come “to report,” I decide to walk through in accordance with the usual sequence of the process, and give it a try.

I use the notebook as the project planner, and gently place it on the table according to my usual habit.

MC: ....Mm?

I stare blankly at the tabletop.

Most of Victor’s office supplies are stored and organized properly. However, there are exceptions too, such as ー the fountain pen he uses to sign documents.

Perhaps because it’s often used, this pen has always been placed on the table by him. But now it’s inserted inside the pen holder.

In normal times, this kind of overly suspicious “looking for difference” would certainly be complained on by Victor.

But right now, anything unusual might be a reminder left behind by him.

I pick up the fountain pen, and examine it carefully, but I don’t find anything special.

MC: Next, Victor will be attending to the documents while drinking coffee.

He is used to putting the coffee cup on his left-hand side, just incase he accidentally spills it while writing. But at the moment, the cup is on the right.

Yet there is nothing unusual about it either.

MC: Am I thinking too much....

I put the cup back in his left-hand side, and continue with the process.

MC: Normally speaking, he would have asked me to look for a place to sit down first while he is reading the proposal.

I turn around to the direction of the sofa not far away.

A porcelain vase is usually placed on the table next to the sofa, and flowers are placed there when esteemed guests pay a visit.

Occasionally I also bring him flowers to “adjust his mood.” So that vase has always been kept here.

But now, there is only a stack of folders in its place.

I open the folder and flip through it, inside it is full of some insignificant files.

There are even a few of the first drafts of my proposals from a long time ago, which still carry the markings he casually made on them.

These are some of the old immature cases I’ve gone to. I didn’t expect Victor to still keep them.

The familiar handwriting at the annotations fades slowly along with the paper.

After turning over a few pages at random, I finally notice something different.

There is a handwriting that appears to be inadvertently marked with some words, but the color of the ink is dark, and it must have been added recently.

There are several pages in a row that have marks like this. I hastily link up the marked words.

MC: (reading out) “Protect yourself from exposure to NW”....

MC: !

It’s NW again.... It seems the recent events are all connected with NW.

Why would Victor come in contact with them to some extent?

And for someone as efficient as he is, he is using such conservative methods to indirectly convey this to me....

There is only one possibility.

The situation he is now facing is very urgent, leaving him with no way to appear in person.

Nervousness and restlessness occupy my mind, and my heart begin to beat violently.

I immediately check all the other papers thoroughly as well. When I turn to the last page, a post-it note comes off the glue, and falls off.

It’s a pink sticky note with my own handwriting on it which says, “What are we eating later.”

I remember it was during one of those long and tedious meetings. I got so bored while listening that I tore up a sticky note, and passed it to Victor.

At that time, I only received a silent expression. But the sticky note before me now has an additional line of address, and also a line of reminder.

MC: (reading the note) “After you’re finished, head over there first”....

MC: Is it for me to meet up here after I’ve finished handling the matter?

MC finds the address somewhat familiar, but can’t put her finger on it and decides to focus on what Victor needs her to do first.

MC thinks since STF came to search, the clues Victor has left behind might have gotten affected, but she’s also certain Victor will definitely leave something behind that cannot be destroyed.

She tries to think from “Victor’s perspective” and thinks if the “BOSS” will follow her method and use pinhole camera like she uses during BS missions.

After searching every corner of the office, MC indeed finds a hidden camera.

From the contents she finds => three men dressed in NW uniforms asking Victor to come with them. Despite dropping some tart on if NW really wants to be involved with a notorious company like LFG, Victor goes with them without putting any defense.

ー

✧ [CH 17- 4] ✧

I stare at the image before me in shock, chills running down from my heart to my fingertips.

Could it be that he couldn’t be contacted during this period of time is because he was taken away by NW?

My inside is in a chaos, as I hastily browse through the call log and check the time in the CCTV footage along with itー

It’s the same day.

Victor (phone call flashback): Remember, regardless of what happens, don’t panic.

Victor (phone call flashback): Don’t always be reckless, running into dangers....

Victor (phone call flashback): And trust my judgements.

As it turns out, he didn’t make that call on a whim. He was saying these to warn me.

[ Note: The call MC is referring to, and has referred to several times before is the call Victor made in CH 13ー HERE! ]

If I were a bit more attentive at that time, could I have heard his reflecting overtones sooner?

Worry and annoyance fill my heart. But at this very moment, I don’t have enough time to think about it.

MC fast-forwards the video and finds NW also did an investigation in Victor’s office.

MC opens another video, and she notices => in between getting up and leaving, Victor tapped on a drawer.

MC gets it: She pulls open that drawer and after rummaging through she finds the documents related to LFG’s acquisition of the “Small Syringes.”

MC realizes: The reason Victor is targeted at the moment could only be this, and from how Victor protected these documents, NW was looking for these. But she’s at a loss for what he wants her to do right now.

And the next bit: As much as it shows their strong understanding and chemistry- it’s just sad.... really sad. ;-;

I look at that absolutely empty chair in front of me, seeking to turn my brain to keep pace with his train of thoughts.

Victor (in MC’s mind): Not letting them find the documents is the first step. The documents are the crucial evidence. Thus, the second step should be bringing out their implicit values as soon as possible.

Faintly, even though Victor isn’t sitting there, I seem to be able to see his silhouette ー saying word by word that he has taught me in regular days.

Victor (in MC’s mind): And this is something you’re precisely the expert at. Make reasonable use of these documents and the information at hand, make sure that they are disseminated as far wide range as possible within certain channels, and guide the direction of the public opinion.

When analyzing whether or not to release the assassination list, Victor also did as such, guiding me step by step.

Victor (in MC’s mind): Without action, there must be no gain. Handle the matter calmly and then trust my judgement.

It's extremely quite inside the office, but I can always hear his voice.

MC: Okay, CEO Victor.

I unconsciously raise the corners of my lips, seemingly if only one thinks of his voice, there in lies the power to soothe peoples’ hearts.

I stand on the opposite side of the table. As though submitting the report, similar to the ordinary days, I analyze the questions in the article one by one, which Victor has left behind for me.

Victor (in MC’s mind): For what reason I could be hiding them?

MC: This is the actual fact about LFG’s acquisition of “Small Syringe”, which can entirely cast away the relationship between LFG and the Hunter Game.

Victor (in MC’s mind): What do I want to use them for?

I ponder for a moment, and give my answer.

MC: ....Using the company’s transmission channels to conduct pressure.

Victor (in MC’s mind): How to conduct pressure?

MC: You allowed yourself to have ten days before contacting me, which indicates you’ve never gotten away from NW. However, there is no key evidence to prove that LFG’s acquisition is related to the Hunter Game. Even if it’s for investigation and interrogation, you shouldn’t have been kept all along as well. What's more, according to the general circumstances, the NW also doesn’t have the right to either search or arrest privately. NW’s myriad of actions should be called into question.

I finish in one breath, and again look at the document in front of me.

MC: In addition, although it is not yet suitable to disclose the whole truth.... But these data can just prove that LFG has been carrying baseless accusations.

MC: Victor is too.

I look at that unoccupied chair, and suddenly realize that Victor has prepared everything so thoughtfully that he seems to have anticipated this day a long time ago.

According to Victor’s usual nature, all the things that might make me anxious, he will not easily let me know.

But the fact that he is now letting me participate to this extent explains his current situation mustn’t be optimistic, and he needs my help.

Although I always cannot help but think, if I paid attention to his abnormality a bit earlier, and thought of something sooner, maybe things would have been different....

But now I am moving forward with Victor’s plan step by step. Instead of repenting and redressing my errors, I should believe in him more.

I breath out slowly, and finally sit down in the chair opposite him somewhat wearily, flopping down on the table.

There are many things waiting for me to do. But I still need some strength and courage to withstand the restlessness in the depth of my heart.

Reminiscing and re-enactment of S1 CH 27 and 28 starts.

♫ Music changes to: Victor’s S2 theme ♫

It’s dark in the room, which inexplicably makes me remember a long-awaited reunion ー a very long time ago.

My eyes were blindfolded by the fabric. But I still impatiently wanted to confirm that, the person in front of me was him.

I wanted to hear his voice, wanted to hear him call my name.

....In this way, I can feel at ease.

And for this reason, I also made a promise with him in a very childish way.

Thinking of the scenario at that time, I cannot help but laugh a little, and follow after the memory of the action by stretching out my hand.

MC: At that time, I certainly didn’t expect that there will be one day, when the dignified CEO Victor will also take the initiative to ask for my help.

MC: Although I still get called a dummy now, but maybe I have matured a little bit, right?

I grin reluctantly at the empty chair.

MC: However, still haven’t gotten quite mature enough. Also there’s no way to be like you, to be as steady as you are and holding your feet at all times.

MC: So.... if I still want to make a pinky promise with you now, would you feel it’s very childish?

Victor’s voice message: You’re surely doing something childish again right now, aren’t you.

Suddenly, Victor’s voice rings out in the quiet office.

I freeze.

Amid the silence, the landline’s light flickers on the desk, and his voice transmits outwards leisurely.

That is a message from Victor.

MC: Why exactly at this time....

Victor’s voice message: I’m naturally well aware of what you can do, to what extent you can accomplish and how long it might take.

As though having a conversation, his reply directly picks up on my question.

Victor is clearly not in front of me right now, yet I feel that he can always see me.

Victor’s voice message: But I guess, you’d now want to seize the opportunity to make me promise you something again, isn’t it?

Victor’s voice message: With your level of enthusiasm for childish things, pinky promise is the most probable thing you’d choose at the moment.

The sound of clothes rustling comes from the speaker. Mysteriously and inexorably, I always feel that I seem to be aware of what he is doing.

Victor’s voice message: About the reward you want, wait until the matter is resolved and then let me know in person.

The sunlight outside the window seems to have become a bit stronger, making its way through a small crack in the shutter and landing on his chair, slightly dazzling to the eye.

Victor (in the flashback of S1 CH 28-2): “There, pinky promise.”

As I recall, he once said this to me softly.

And at this very moment, his voice continues to rise from the telephone, slowly passing through the speaker.

Victor’s voice message: Now I can make the pinky promise with you.

The memory of that response seems to have traversed time in an instant, and falls back in my ears, carrying it with a reassuring tone.

I seem to truly see Victor, who is still sitting here. He then stands up, holding out his pinky finger in front of me.

And hooks together with my outstretched pinky finger.

Victor’s voice message: Aren’t you going to say anything?

MC: ....

I take a deep breath, as though I have drawn infinite courage.

MC: I promise you, I will do everything I can to resolve this matter, so that you can come back as soon as possible.

MC: I won’t hide behind you this time.

MC: However, you must be safe and sound until I settle this matter.

MC: We’ve pinky promised, and neither is allowed to break our promises.

The air is quiet for a long time. Victor seems to have left a long time for my “bold, visionary words.”

After waiting for a very long time, along with a reassuring, soft laughter ー he drops the final reply for this conversation that has transcended time.

Victor: Don’t make me wait for you too long, MC.

[ T/N: Excuse me while I UGLY CRY AND BREAK THE FOURTH WALL😭 ]

ー

✧ [CH 17- 6] ✧

At MC’s office: MC returns with the documents, and discuses with Anna, Kiki, Willow, Minor on how to release the truth about LFG’s acquisition scandal, and create pressure on NW to release Victor, and thinks even if Victor isn’t with NW at the moment, it will help him in taking his next step.

After working on the report till evening ー the news reaches 100M views, and 10K discussion threads in a ridiculously short amount of time after its publication, and the public opinion heavily leans towards LFG and Victor throughout the night.

The next morning ー unsurprisingly, all the portals are vanished, and NW hasn’t made any public response. MC becomes certain that Victor is still under NW’s capture, and gets anxious again.

As such, MC goes to the address Victor told her to, and realizes it’s Grandpa Chuck’s house.

Grandpa Chuck: Child, you’ve finally arrived.

MC: Grandpa Chuck....

After the world restarted, many events have proceeded towards entirely different paths at the intersection of fate.

This time, I didn’t pay Grandpa Chuck the unauthorized visit, and disturb his tranquil life.

But I didn’t expect that Victor would guide me here to meet him in person.

Grandpa Chuck: Do you know who I am?

I come back to my senses, realize I’ve lost my tongue, and smile awkwardly.

MC: I know. You’re my dad’s friend. And Victor....

Grandpa Chuck releases a gentle laugh, and nods.

Grandpa Chuck: He’s got everything arranged. Come with me.

I follow behind Grandpa Chuck, being a little puzzled in my mind. What did Victor arrange here with Grandpa Chuck?

Walking into the cabin, the memories of what was once here come rolling out in a display before my eyes at this moment.

The wooden furniture reflects a shimmering gentle glow under the sunlight ー neat and warm.

It’s as if everything is the way I remember.

I think of the first time I entered the other dimension. I thought I stayed here for only about two or three hours, and Victor almost rushed in because he was worried about me.

At the moment, the scene from the past comes floating in my mind in a roll, and a corner of my heart instantly becomes soft.

[ Note: MC is referring to S1 CH 11-22 ] :<

MC exchanges greetings with Grandpa Chuck, and they talk about her fathers’ whereabouts. After reassuring her, Grandpa Chuck changes the subject.

Grandpa Chuck: Victor came to me earlier, and requested me to do him a favor. He asked me to let you stay here for the time being. When the time comes, he will come to pick you up.

Grandpa Chuck: In fact, after your father left, I’ve never come here either.

Grandpa Chuck: I promised Victor. On one hand, it’s because I also wanted to meet you, and come here to have a look.

Grandpa Chuck: On the other hand....

Grandpa Chuck laughs as he looks at me.

Grandpa Chuck: He really values you, and wants to ensure you are safe.

Victor has paved the way for my safety from beginning to the end.

He knew that once I announced all these, concerning the NW always keeping a low-profile, it will be more than just a provocation.

After I try to force NW to return Victor under the pressure of the public opinion, and to provide everyone with an explanation, they will certainly not leave the matter at that.

Therefore, he asked me to come to Grandpa Chuck’s place immediately after I’ve completed the task. But....

NW has never come forward to declare their position. In addition, they are pressing down the level of heat.

As for Victor’s whereabouts and well-being, no one knows yet, and the entire situation of the matter has entered a deadlock.

Thinking about this, I raise my eyes, and solemnly shake my head at Grandpa Chuck.

MC: Grandpa Chuck, I can’t stay here.

Grandpa Chuck smiles, as if he has anticipated my answer long ago.

Grandpa Chuck: Victor was right. You really won’t agree to this easily.

Grandpa Chuck: He asked for you to trust his judgement. If you have any objections, wait for him to return and then protest.

Saying this, Grandpa Chuck comes forward to hand MC the cup her dad once painted as her birthday gift, but at that moment the entire cabin starts shaking.

People from NW appear out of nowhere. One of them holds a knife to MC’s neck, and pushes her towards pitch black darkness.

MC arrives at a place three sides surrounded by neat white walls, a large mirror at one side, and people in white uniforms.

A man in uniform shoots her a cold glance, and reveals the mirror to be a clear glass:

I look out the glass, my breath stalling tightly.

Sitting opposite, Victor is alone amid a land of darkness.

The room takes up a large area, the emptiness sweeping away in the environment inexplicably reveals a lifeless atmosphere.

The wall right behind him is full of display screens. Surprisingly, all the contents of the images are of Victor at this moment.

I mechanically avert my line of sight, looking towards Victor once again.

On his wrists, the handcuffs reflect off an ice-cold and suffocating light.

ー

✧ [CH 17- 7] ✧

In the dimly lit interrogation room, Victor sits silently on the central chair.

The cold light of the chandelier encases the position of his seat, reminiscent of an incorporeal circle of pictures, reflecting the handcuffs on his wrists even more icily.

I want to call out his name, but a man with a tang knife holds the blade directly against my neck.

??: Don’t worry. This is a one-way glass. He can’t see you.

That man appearing to have a special identity warns me. But I don’t have the mood to care about his words, and just keep my eyes glued on Victor.

Although I have already anticipated the possibility of him being held captive, but seeing him being handcuffed at the interrogation table still causes a burst of dull ache in my heart.

His demeanor is still calm and collected, but he is unable to cover up his fatigue.

Victor should not be sitting here.

At this moment, he seems to have sensed someone on the other side of the glass, and slowly lifts his eyes to look over.

He doesn’t make eye contact with anyone on our side. I know that he won’t see me either.

??: Good Morning, CEO Victor.

That man who possibly is a commanding officer, takes a step forward, and starts talking in a deep voice.

??: Today’s breakfast was pretty good, huh? Once in a while, living this kind of life where you don’t need to worry about work, isn’t it nice too?

Victor: [sarcastically] Someone has been worrying about LFG on behalf of me all along. That indeed makes it a lot easier.

Victor opens his mouth without changing his expression. The man smiles lightly.

NW Commanding Officer: I don’t have the capabilities of CEO Victor. I simply wish to find out about some situations, that’s all.

With that said, he walks away while crossing his arms. A team member next to him takes a step forward, and speaks in a business-like manner.

??: Custody number A021, Victor. Your interrogation will begin next.

That team member speaks while spreading out a record book in his hand.

I glance at it from my peripheral vision, only to see that the words written on it are densely packed, and there are no less than dozens of pages!

??: What is the purpose of LFG’s centralized acquisition of “Small Syringes” in the last few months?

Victor: Commercial secret. No comment. Even if you ask me ten times a day, my answer still won’t change.

Victor’s expression is indifferent, and there isn’t a trace of ripples in his tone.

The person who is interrogating him doesn’t care, and continues to ask the next question as before, akin to an ice-cold machine.

??: What is the connection between LFG and the Hunter Game?

Victor: There is no connection. LFG has never heard of the game you are talking about.

??: A few months ago, you used a fake identity to place a big bet in the Hunter Game Region 9 Level 2 tournament. Since then, LFG has begun to acquire the manufacturers of the “Small Syringes” in large quantities.

Victor: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

NW Commanding Officer: Mr. Victor, don’t forget, we have the documents in hand which can prove that you have placed a bet.

The commanding officer next to me suddenly interrupts, his tone taking a bit of toughness.

Victor: It seems that, the NW commanding officer doesn’t have a good memory. I have already said the same thing many, many times. LFG doesn’t have the slightest bit of concern about the Hunter Game. If you must splash this bucket of dirty water at LFG, in that case, LFG will also investigate this matter to the end.

The conversation between both parties still continues while my heart tightens.

All the signs prove that they have already conducted such an interrogation many times.

I tightly pinch the palm of my own hand.

For so many days now, Victor has maintained a cautious state. I also cannot act blindly without thinking.

People from NW were able to find Grandpa Chuck’s cabin, which indicates they have the means to master Victor’s plans.

Now they have brought me here, making me witness Victor’s interrogation process and concealing my existence from him. They certainly have some other purpose.

At this moment, I’d better remain calm, and observe the changes in the situation.

NW Commanding Officer: Mr. Victor, I believe our “communication” appears to have some deviations. We haven’t asked you to come here wishing to stand on the opposite side with LFG. As long as CEO Victor co-operates with our investigation, and hands over the things we want, you may leave at any time.

Is NW trying to use LFG to threaten Victor?

I nervously look towards Victor, but he merely raises his lips faintly.

Victor: With NW’s abilities and means, what can’t be found? I am here. The doors of LFG are wide open to you all. If you still haven’t gotten what you want, then it means I simply don’t have that thing.

The NW commanding officer’s complexion changes slightly, a cloud of shadow fleeting past his eyes.

His gaze sweeps over me, then turns his head to look towards Victor once again.

NW Commanding Officer: CEO Victor probably isn’t aware. This news has been very lively over the past two days. [MC’s company Name], the company you invested in, reported several news articles with a series of corrections about LFG’s malicious acquisition of the “Small Syringes.” Even, the footage of CEO Victor being taken away by us was made public.

He pauses for a moment, his lips curling up in an almost imperceptible smile.

NW Commanding Officer: Especially the person in charge for [MC’s Company Name], MC. Her style of doing things is not only in accordance with your high efficiency, and accuracy but also is able to co-operate with you without showing any trace. Such “tacit understanding,” I presume CEO Victor must be very pleased.

My heart clenches tightly for a split second.

Victor: Making reasonable judgements and handling the news is the most basic professional ethic of the media workers. Since she carried out an incorrect report before, she ought to be correcting it as well.

Victor: This kind of mending the fold after the sheep are lost manner of handling things can only show that her performance in the past few years has been barely passable.

[ Note: Victor uses the idiom “亡羊补牢” (wáng yáng bǔ láo), which literally translates to “to mend the fold after the sheep are lost,” which conveys the idea of “acting belatedly” or “better late than never.” I decided to keep the idiom as it is, cause it sounds cooler LOL ]

Victor: As for the “tacit understanding,” it’s out of question. Even if you have seen something or misunderstood something, it’s none of my business.

MC: ....

Reason tells me that he is saying this to protect me.... but his icy tone still makes my heart inexplicably a little sour.

NW Commanding Officer: I can understand Mr. Victor being in such a hurry to draw a line. After all, this Miss MC is indeed very special.

NW Commanding Officer: CEO Victor has acquired so many “Small Syringes.” Presumably, he is also aware of the existence of CORE, isn’t he. We found that there might be a bit of relation between Miss MC and CORE.

Victor’s expression doesn’t change, seemingly not being interested in what he has said in the least.

The commanding officer doesn’t care a bit either, and continues to speak minding his own business.

NW Commanding Officer: CORE doesn’t exist in her genes, nor can it be ruled out either. And, CEO Victor hasn’t looked for the CORE as urgently as the other people. Did he figure this out already at an earlier time?

NW Commanding Officer: It’s no wonder that you care about her so much.

Hearing his words, my eyes widen in bewilderment.

How did they arrive at this conclusion? Could it be from that experiment they did on me earlier?

Furthermore, what does he mean by “doesn’t exist, nor can it be ruled out either?”

I subconsciously look towards Victor.

Although his expression hasn’t changed in any way, but a momentary hesitation still flashes through his eyes.

However, he still pricks up his eyebrows, and replies unhurriedly.

Victor: As it turns out, NW mustered large force in bringing me over here and make me listen to this story. But it’s a shame that I don’t have any interest.

Victor: As far as it’s concerned, for LFG, [MC’s Company Name] is just one of the numerous investment projects. Capital only recognizes profit. Apart from this, nothing is irreplaceable.

Victor: If this investment project were to be replaced, I would naturally care about the other person in the same way.

The NW commanding officer nods and smiles, looking as if he has finally heard the answer of his satisfaction.

NW Commanding Officer: As expected of someone who is able to reign the business world at such a young age. I quite admire CEO Victor’s personality.

NW Commanding Officer: Indeed, no one is forever trustworthy. Am I correct, Miss MC?

Turning his head, the commanding officer gives me an alarming glance, his tone carrying it with a faint ridicule.

Without waiting for me to respond, he presses some push button. The one-way mirror between us rises little by little.

Victor’s gaze is subconsciously casted over, fully colliding into my gaze, and finally landing on the blade resting across my neck.

NW Commanding Officer: The two of you must have a lot of catching up to do. We won’t disturb anymore then.

The commanding officer gives a meaningful glance, gesturing for the man to put the knife down. The ice-cold edge of the knife streaks across my skin.

NW Commanding Officer: Oh, I’m sorry Miss MC. You aren’t hurt, are you? He is a bit stupid. But I don’t think CEO Victor should care about this trivial matter. After all.... “Nothing is irreplaceable.”

After saying that, he leads that man away, leaving Victor and I on the two sides of the spacious and empty room.

I catch a glimpse of Victor’s momentary astonishment. My eyes unnaturally circle in the air, and finally rest back on his face.

Victor seems to be wanting to speak, but in the end he doesn’t say anything either.

We look at each other in silence, the atmosphere becoming somewhat awkward momentarily.

ー

✧ [CH 17- 8] ✧

After looking at each other for a few seconds in silence, the worries for Victor still overflow out of my heart.

I shoot a glance towards the four corners of the room, and find surveillance cameras in all corners.

Our current state might still be under the surveillance of NW.

I have originally wanted to open my mouth more cautiously, but without the glass barrier, the dazzling handcuffs on Victor’s wrist appear even more jarring.

The worries and distress I have just swallowed come rushing back to my heart, and I cannot help wanting to ask him about his situation.

MC: Victor, you....

Victor: [softly and hurriedly] Didn’t you go to that address?

I have just opened my mouth when Victor’s slightly angry tone interrupts me.

I meet his gaze, and in there apart from a little suppressed anger seems to be the exact same concerns as mine.

MC: I did go to Grandpa Chuck’s place, but there a bit of mishap happened. A person from NW broke into Grandpa Chuck’s other dimension and brought me here.

Victor: ....Going to such great lengths.

Victor snorts coldly, a bit of chilliness penetrating out of his eyes.

I scrutinize his expression, and word it carefully.

MC: But now that the public opinion is at LFG’s side, we should be able to get out of here soon. After all, NW doesn’t have the right to privately imprison either.

Victor: It seems that what the commanding officer said just now was right. You indeed have done a pretty good job.

Victor’s tone is indifferent, as though he really has pulled apart the ties with me.

But his slightly upward trailing voice still reveals a little bit of his true feelings.

I try hard to control my expression, and also pretend to speak indifferently.

MC: After all, I still have “basic professional ethics.” In addition, you have been here for so many days, no one approved my proposals.... It truly was a too much of a delayed job.

My volume gradually becomes small, and I blink at him inadvertently.

Victor: In that case, now I will give you an opportunity to report on your work during this period of time.

MC: Huh? Right now?

Victor: And also about the latest news. Since it’s your field of expertise, report on that too.

I am stunned for a moment. But after meeting his tranquil eyes, very quickly I retrieve my train of thoughts.

Victor is trapped here, and is unable to learn about quite a lot of information.

Conveniently, I walk over, and seize the opportunity to eye him up from top to bottom thoroughly.

Apart from the dazzling handcuffs, his body is completely clean, and there aren’t any traces of wounds. I breath a sigh of relief, and rapidly report the information that I have sorted out in my brain one by one.

MC: Actually, my follow-up report on the acquisition was not just in order to follow up on the truth of the matter. It was also because LFG got caught up with the negative public opinions related to the Hunter Game.

Victor: [voice drops strikingly] Hunter Game has been made public?

MC: Mm. During this time when you weren’t present, Loveland City launched a city-wide Hunter Game.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Victor suddenly takes a step closer to me.

Victor: [extremely soft and panicking tone™] City-wide? Did you participate too?

MC: The promoters of the game used peoples’ lives as bargaining chips. Almost all the citizens were forced to participate in the gameplay....

MC: But now the game has already come to an end, and majority of the people are also reinstating their regular lives.

MC: And I was even able to report the news on behalf of LFG. Don’t worry.

I gaze at the glistening emotions in Victor’s eyes, and give him a comforting smile.

Victor gently closes his eyes, as though he is suppressing something. When he starts speaking once again, he has already regained his tranquil tone.

Victor: Suddenly choosing to brave a huge risk like this, what is the purpose of the people behind the game?

I shoot glances a few times towards the surveillance cameras not far away, then stealthily move closer to him, lowering my volume.

MC: It’s in order to unseal the lighthouse. It’s one kind of relic-like existence, and it requires gathering up sufficient Evol energy to open....

I explain the concept of the lighthouse to Victor, and again mention the related information of Joker.

Victor seems to look pensive as he listens to my description.

Considering the situation before our eyes, I don’t have enough time to think much into it, and specially emphasize on NW’s activities at the Small Rock Reef.

MC: At present, NW has taken over the energy gathering system under the Small Rock Reef, and also has taken away the apparatus used to gather the Evol energy. The marked scale stopped approximately at 98% when the apparatus was taken away.

Victor knits his eyebrows, as though he is sorting out the information I have just said.

Victor: In other words, each stage of the Hunter Game is actually all about unsealing the lighthouse. And this time, Joker needs the power of the people of the entire city to unseal the lighthouse.

I nod, but Victor’s expression appears to be sinking.

MC: Is there something wrong?

Victor: Let me ask you. Suppose you are Joker, and you have spent so much time and energy in planning this thing. Now you can already see your success, but your plan has been wrecked. In that case, what is the first you’re going to do?

MC: I’m going to mentally rain curses on the person who wrecked my plans.

Victor: [sighs heavily and helplessly] ....

Victor seems to be chocking up all of a sudden, and casts me an obvious speechless expression.

Victor: Then what about the second thing?

MC: ....Perhaps I will try to give it a go another time? I’ve already accomplished to this stage, and it would feel quite hard to swallow this breath.

Victor: That’s right. At this juncture, he will not allow his plans to fall through the cracks.

MC: But now the game has already been made public. People from all walks of life in the society have fixed their attentions entirely on his actions. There shouldn’t be any place where he can continue to conduct the game, should there?

Victor: The “society” is so huge that inevitably there will be places where the others can’t see. Just like this secret prison. We were completely unaware of it beforehand too.

When Victor finishes speaking, we sink into a brief silence.

He is right. Joker has been in the dark all along. It is only then we became aware of his actions when we were affected by the waves.

And where he will continue this next game, we simply are unable to find out.

Just as we are pondering in silence, a loud bang sounds in our ears, and the ground also trembles slightly.

The alarm installed overhead is set in motion. The room immediately flickers red light, and the shrill sound of the alarm reverberates continuously.

MC: What’s going on?!

Just at this moment, the door of the interrogation room is quickly opened, and several NW members walk in.

??: Please come with us.

When they have finished speaking, they approach us without any explanation and pull us along, preparing to take us away.

Victor stands rooted in his original position and doesn’t move, his expression remains unchanged as he speaks.

Victor: Wait a minute. I want to see your commanding officer.

??: The commanding officer has important matters to attend to at the moment, and has accounted us to assist with your transfer. Please co-operate.

Victor still doesn’t have any reaction, and interrupts them.

Victor: A sudden explosion occurred on the island. Don’t you guys want to know what was the reason?

There is a moment of silence on the other side.

Victor: It was the port where the explosion occurred. Am I correct?

Several team members look at each other meaningfully for a bit. Among them, one member finally turns around to walk outside the room.

Calmly and unhurriedly, Victor sits back in his seat, and also pulls me to his side in the process.

MC: What on earth is going on?

Borrowing the sound of the alarm in the room, I lower my voice, and ask him in a whisper.

Victor doesn’t answer me directly, only squeezes my hand.

[ T/N: He is wearing the handcuffs.... ಡ‸ಡ ]

Victor: You will find out in a moment. Remember, don’t make a fool of yourself.

Very soon, that same officer from before appears at the doorway.

NW Commanding Officer: How did you know about that?

Victor: Just the most basic judgement, that’s all. I suppose, by means of the strengths of NW, a good plan must have already been deployed as the response. But if you want to make it truly foolproof, I can offer a shortcut.

The commanding officer looks towards Victor with some suspicion. Victor opens his mouth as he unhurriedly explains the way.

Victor: The commanding officer has investigated on me so carefully, he must be aware of my Evol. There are many Evolvers within the Time and Space Administration, but only a few of them can traverse through timelines. I have the ability to know the future, and I can naturally help you in controlling the current situation.

NW Commanding Officer: In that case, CEO Victor, why don’t you tell me how is the situation at present?

Victor: In fact, before I came here, I have already seen the situation that is happening now. I learnt that there is an apparatus in your hand that is capable of gathering Evol energy. It originally belonged to the promoters of the Hunter Game.

Victor: But now it seems that, the original owner of this apparatus doesn’t intend to abandon it. And once the number on the apparatus has risen to its full capacity, you may not be able to bear the consequences which will be brought from it.

I furtively observe Victor’s expression, and a wide panorama suddenly opens up in my heart.

Although he indeed has the ability to know the future....

But what he is actually saying right now, is entirely on the basis of his speculations and judgements from the information he has.

Victor’s ability has never only been so simple like a powerful Evol.

I watch as he lifts up his head, and fixedly looks towards the person directly in front.

Even if he is sitting inside an interrogation room, his freedom is restricted by the handcuffs — he is still able to seize the initiative into his own hands.

And the choice he has given, it’s one that no one can refuse.

Victor: Officer, there isn’t much time left for you to consider. It’s time to make a decision.

—

✧ [CH 17- 10] ✧

The interrogation room sinks into a brief silence, the expression of the commanding officer becoming unpredictable.

NW Commanding Officer: Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Victor. We appreciate your kindness, but for now it’s better to shift to a safe place first.

In the face of the commanding officer’s blunt refusal, Victor on the contrary, glances at the digital clock on the side, and smiles as if having a card up his sleeves.

Victor: Before that, I suggest you to prioritize ensuring the safety of the buildings near the port.

The commanding officer’s expression changes, and he stands motionless in his original position.

Victor: Two minutes later, the building at the west side of the port will explode.

A deathly stillness hangs in the air as no one moves, as though here it’s rather one of a stalemated war against time.

Two minutes later, a loud bang can be heard along with a sense of swaying.

I suppress the astonishment in my heart. The commanding officer narrows his eyes, and starts speaking after a while.

NW Commanding Officer: I believe in CEO Victor’s ability, but this is also merely a one kind of passive remedy. If you want to take back the initiative again on the basis of this alone— I’m afraid that it’d be quite difficult. To figure out the other parties’ whereabouts and the deployments in advance, we can interrogate the prisoners who have been re-captured after the prison-break.

I listen to his words, and frown slightly.

As it turns out, the prisoners also escaped along with the explosion just now?

My brain is running at a high-speed. Clearly, the NW commanding officer has already believed in Victor’s ability, and said that originally some information will not be told to us.

Although the situation is slowly leaning towards us, but the decisive bargaining chips are still lapsing.

We need a way to be able to find Joker faster.

Akin to igniting a flint, I suddenly think of something, and subconsciously take a step forward.

MC: Officer, I have a suggestion regarding what you have just said. I could directly read the memory of the prisoners, and find out the whereabouts and the purpose of the attacker much faster.

MC: Afterwards with a basic understanding, CEO Victor could then travel through time and discern his actions in advance. In this way, it’s almost foolproof—

Victor: No need.

Victor’s slightly amplified angry voice quickly interrupts me.

His eyebrows crease tightly while he doesn’t even look at me.

Victor: There are many more ways to confirm the attackers actions. There is no need to let her deal with this matter.

MC: CEO Victor, the most important thing right now is to be able to reach an effective co-operation, don’t you think so?

I turn my head towards him and blink, hoping he can understand my intention.

I know his fears. But since I am by his side, I will not allow him to face the danger all by himself.

I also believe that our tacit understanding can certainly reverse the current situation.

Victor remains silent for a long time, and ultimately closes his eyelids slightly helplessly.

Victor: [almost talking to himself] Just this once.

When he opens his eyes again, his gaze has already returned to the sharp one, looking towards the NW commanding officer.

Victor: What do you think, officer?

NW Commanding Officer: The plan she has put forward is indeed very efficient. If this is the case, we are willing to give CEO Victor’s proposal a try. However, CEO Victor must have corresponding conditions too, am I correct?

Victor: Three conditions. Any one of them is missing ー this deal is off the table.

NW Commanding Officer: Isn’t this a bit too much?

Victor: You can try to find other partner to co-operate with. But at the moment, you’re in more of a rush than I am.

The commanding officer remains silent, and sits down opposite of Victor.

Seeing Victor regaining the control of the situation, and the ever high and mighty commanding officer looking somewhat defeated, I breath easy in my heart.

Soon afterwards, I also hold my breath, and listen carefully to his conditions.

Victor: Number one, guarantee that MC will not be harmed in any way.

Victor: Number two, unlock my handcuffs and turn off the surveillance in the room. Otherwise, I cannot use my Evol.

Victor: Number three, after the matter is concluded, make sure that we leave safely.

The other person contemplates for a while. Then he whispers a few words to confirm with a team member at his side, and extends his hand towards Victor.

NW Commanding Officer: To a pleasant co-operation, CEO Victor.

Victor doesn’t get up, only flips his wrists slightly to reveal the key-holes in the handcuffs.

The commanding officer beckons, and a NW team member at the side steps forward to unlock Victor’s handcuffs.

Seeing this scene, my heart also seems to be a bit light.

When I am just about to walk over and examine Victor’s condition, someone even quicker than me snaps another hand-cuff onto Victor’s wrists.

MC: You?!

[ T/N: This is the first time MC snaps in this chapter. ಡ‸ಡ ]

NW Commanding Officer: The surveillance in the room has already been cut off, and we have also retrieved the handcuffs restraining Evol. Now these handcuffs will not affect the using of Evol. I also request for CEO Victor to comprehend.

The commanding officer threads his way through a loophole, and speaks in an ill tone, but Victor doesn’t seem to care at all.

Victor: Triviality. But before taking her away, let me have a few words with her alone.

NW Commanding Officer: I believe, CEO Victor will not waste too much time.

Along with the dropping of the sound of the door being locked, Victor frowns once again as he looks at me.

[ T/N: His voice turns into the “only and only” soft™ for MC level soft™ for the rest of the part. ]

Victor: Do you know what you are going to face?

MC: A scientific research organization with a mysterious background - NW, and a villainous Boss who has made a mess of the world, and turned everything on its head?

Victor: It seems that you indeed are quite clear about it. Notー

MC: Not too stupid.

I laugh as I take his words.

MC: Victor, are you nervous?

Even though he has been handcuffed here spanning longer than ten days, in the face of the interrogation under high-pressure, he still remained calm, made calm judgements, and took back the initiative.

But now, he is actually hesitating, and is even deeply worried.

Victor: There must be many uncomfortable things in the memories of that group of prisoners. In extreme terms, there are even memories of hurting others, perhaps of painful times when being experimented on.

MC: This is exactly what I’d like to see.

I straighten up my waist, and look firmly at Victor.

MC: We almost know nothing about NW. This is the best opportunity for us to find out their state of affairs. I am not afraid.

Victor: Really not afraid?

MC: ....Okay, still a bit afraid.

MC: But this is the best option I can think of to help you, and at the same time, seize more initiative.

Regarding those dreadful memories, I’d actually fear them too. But to become the person who stands side by side with him, I simply cannot fear it.

Victor looks at me, and tucks my falling hair behind my ear.

[ T/N: He is wearing the handcuffs.... ಡ‸ಡ ]

Victor: This is something you’ve decided on. Since you have already made the decision, I trust that you can get it done. You have the courage and insight, and also the capability.

Victor: But my worries have nothing to do with them. Pay attention to your safety and don’t mess around.

I look at Victor, and smile softly.

MC: Victor, the same goes for you too.

READ PART 2: HERE!

ー

#WAILS with no intention of stopping T-T #PG writers pls let me protect this tender human being with the biggest dummy energy ever ಡ‸ಡ #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mr love victor #mldd victor #li zeyan #mlqc s2 #mlqc season 2 #mlqc #mr love queen's choice #李泽言 #恋与制作人 #love and producer #mlqc translations

87 notes · View notes

ghostinacardboardbox-oldblog · 2 years

Note

Gimme what you have plz (ref to the vampire au)

This is so open ended, I love it ajdjsjfj

Alright just a ton of my favorite fun facts and things

How badly the vampires react to the sun can vary slightly. Jack is suffering the worst because I like hurting him.

My notes for Davey just say “neurodivergent (bro idk what it even is I’m just projecting my undiagnosed issues onto him)” so interpret that as you will.

David, Spot, and Crutchie all like horror and gothic lit and stuff, which is. Really funny. We have Guy Who Dates Vampires, A Vampire, and Guy Related To Two Vampires. And all three of them are probably doing Dracula Daily and have a group chat to discuss.

Race can’t handle horror because he’s a little baby about it. David thinks this is so funny (“Youre literally a vampire and you can’t watch Coraline without crying lmao”)

Katherine plays a much more active role in this story than she realizes. Like, she sees herself as a “main character” type of person, but she doesn’t actually know how many things are directly her fault.

Spot has always been alt and a horror fan but once he becomes a vampire he takes it to another level. He firmly leaned into the aesthetic and actually pulls it off (as opposed to the Edward Cullen bs that Jack is pulling).

Every post about this au turns into me talking about how funny Sarah and David are but it’s just important to me. It’s like. Sarah “I’m protecting the people I care about by not involving them in this supernatural mess” Jacobs vs her brother, Little Mister Kissing Monsters. They have this whole confrontation thing that sort of turns into Sarah telling David that he’s being stupid and reckless while David goes “but I love him :(”

Smalls is butch and amazing. She has shit luck though.

Katherine can’t stand gothic horror because she just thinks it’s so cringe. Even if she didn’t know that Spot was a vampire, she might hate him just because he’s like That.

Crutchie is mildly internet famous. I don’t think David was a fan necessarily but he definitely saw some of Crutchie’s content before they met.

Medda: yes two of my three sons are vampires and this is fine

Medda after meeting Katherine and Sarah: yes the two new children I emotionally adopted are vampire hunters and this is fine

Medda is minding her own business. As long as the kids aren’t killing each other she is not going to say anything.

Les and Medda get on like a house on fire because Les, too, is minding his own business. I don’t think that his siblings or their friends even realize that Les knows what’s going on. Les is just chilling.

I mentioned once that Spot hit the neighbor’s cat with his slingshot. The neighbor is Denton. Denton doesn’t know about the supernatural yet but he’d be a great comfort to Jack. Jack is struggling and it would mean everything to him to know that Denton is proud of him despite everything.

I needed excuses to add in more Newsie names so I just added a bunch of pets and random animals. There are zero OCs, just Newsie names I threw at random characters wherever I needed them. As you do.

Canonically, the first thing Spot did when he realized he was a vampire was to eat a ton of junk food and then take a nap.

Vamps can go about two years max without feeding. (Jack has been a vampire for about a year and a half when the story starts. Do with that information what you will.)

Jack is head over heels way earlier than David will ever know, but David is the first to say “I love you.”

9 notes · View notes

the-scandalorian · 4 years

Text

Tempered Glass: Chapter 1

Pairing: Din Djarin x Female Reader (no use of Y/N) Rating: M (will become explicit in later chapters) Word Count: 5.5k Warnings: slow burn, canon-typical violence, cursing, sexy thoughts, pining, non-graphic description of wounds Summary: With the ghosts of your own mysterious past close on your heels, you can’t afford to get in the middle of someone else’s fight; however, attraction drives you to make a reckless decision, and you end up swept up in the Mandalorian’s story. Notes: (1) Reader is bisexual. It will probably only come up peripherally, but I wanted to make a note of that. (2) I did my best to keep physical descriptions of the reader out of my writing, but please let me know if something slipped in that isn’t as inclusive as it could be!

Masterlist | Next Chapter

Image from The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian

You felt the weight of the Mandalorian’s gaze before you saw him.

Sitting in the cantina on Nevarro, you were alone in a corner booth—a seat close to the back exit that had a clear view of the front door.

You were halfway through your drink when the hairs on the back of your neck prickled, and you had the overwhelming feeling that you were being watched.

You scanned the cantina and, in your periphery, registered the Mandalorian’s head snap back from your direction to face the man sitting across from him. You hadn’t noticed him enter, but it must have been just moments ago because you surveyed your surroundings every few minutes.

The two men were seated a few tables away. You observed the Mandalorian for a moment, noting his stiff-backed posture and the tension in his shoulders under his battle-worn armor. He could tell you’d caught him staring and that you were watching him.

The man sitting across from the Mandalorian was gesticulating as he spoke. You’d been on Nevarro long enough to recognize him as Greef Karga, local leader of the Guild. You could only see his back, but he was boisterous—a stark contrast to the Mandalorian’s silent stillness—and his voice carried.

Karga was saying something about bounties and currency—no surprise there. Mandalorians were the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy. You didn’t know much about them besides the legends you’d heard as a child, though it was very unclear what was true and what was myth. You’d only ever seen one in person before, and that Mandalorian had been terrifying, threatening.

This Mandalorian, however, was... intriguing? He was, of course, intimidating—in his head-to-toe armor with a long rifle leaned against the table, he was the very picture of a warrior. Any person with sense would be scared of him, and judging by the sidelong glances he was getting from the other patrons, most were.

The very relatable experience of having someone catch you in the act of watching them—as you’d just done to him—however, humanized this Mandalorian. Noting his broad shoulders, you couldn’t help wondering what he looked like under all that heavy metal. You’d heard rumors that some Mandalorians never took off their armor in front of another person. That would be a real shame.

Though you’d have preferred to continue thinking about the man under the armor (and the things you wanted to do with him), a small voice in your head reminded you of the potentially dangerous reality of your situation.

Why was he watching me? He can’t possibly recognize me.

No one had come after you in years. There was likely still a steep bounty on your head, but many of the people who wanted to find you were dead, imprisoned, or deep in hiding. Some were convinced you’d been taken out in a star cruiser explosion (because you almost had been). And, you no longer looked like the photo that was attached to your bounty puck. Your hair was a radically different shade and length. You wore contacts to obscure the real color of your eyes. You always chose high-necked clothing to conceal the identifying scar that slashed an angry line beneath your clavicle.

You kept a low profile, moved often, and assumed a fake identity, but you felt safe enough in your anonymity to come to a planet like Nevarro, a place that was swarming with hunters.

Plus, you reasoned that if the Mandalorian was looking for you for a job, this is probably not how it would have happened. It would have been stealthy and quick, potentially bloody and violent.

No, you didn’t think he was looking for you, which meant he had been looking at you. Out of interest. And that was so, so much better.

You turned your body towards him pointedly to make it more obvious that you were watching him. The slight forward lean of his shoulders told you he registered your movement in his periphery. His helmet stayed trained on Karga, but it was impossible to know exactly where he was looking through the black t-shape of his visor. You would have bet he was looking back at you.

The Mandalorian responded to Karga, pushing some credits back across the table. You could hear the low undercurrent of his modulated voice, but you couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. It looked like they were arguing about the currency of the credits on the table.

As Karga dug in his pocket for something, the Mandalorian turned his helmet slowly back towards you. Throwing caution to the wind, you smiled at him and winked, and he dipped his head in acknowledgement. You watched him expectantly, figuring this was when he’d walk over to your table.

Instead, he turned his head back to Karga, responded to something he said, and grabbed the credits off the table. They were clearly finishing up their deal. The Mandalorian slid out of the booth and strapped the long rifle to his back. He started toward the front door.

Maybe you’d read the whole situation wrong. Like you, he was trained to be aware of everyone, everything around him. Perhaps, he’d just been surveying the cantina, not necessarily you.

Feeling slightly disappointed, you finished your drink, dropped some credits on the table, and got up to leave. You were pulling on your jacket when a familiar feeling made you flick your head up. The Mandalorian was standing at the front of the cantina, his dark silhouette framed in the light of the open doorway, visor trained on you.

From where he was standing, he looked you up and down, lowering and raising his helmet to survey your body from top to bottom and back up again—a gesture that could have easily been achieved without moving his entire head in such an obvious way. His penetrating gaze and brazen attention made you shiver.

He waited to see what you would do.

You were tempted to go to him, to see what would happen, but the stubborn part of you wanted him to come to you—and, more importantly, the sensible part of you was worried this was somehow a trap. You made an impulsive choice and decided to prolong the chase...whether that chase would prove to be literal or figurative, you weren’t totally sure.

You smiled slyly at him and turned, slipping out the back door.

***

The second time you crossed paths with the Mandalorian, you saw him before he saw you.

You were walking down Nevarro’s main thoroughfare, a busy street lined with vendors, pushing through the crowd, when you spotted the back of his reflective helmet. A couple weeks had passed since you had seen him in the cantina, and you’d been hoping to see him again, always keeping an eye out for his distinctive profile.

These past two weeks, you’d found your thoughts straying to his image—strong, mysterious, intimidating. He was sexy. There was no getting around it. You’d spent enough time around people in masks and full-body armor to know that it wasn’t just the mystery of the helmet that attracted you to him. There was something about him you couldn’t shake.

It didn’t help that you were bored and lonely here on Nevarro. It was not your favorite planet. It was dry and hot, the surface a mosaic of cracked flows of hardened lava and loose tephra—unwelcoming terrain. It was volcanically active, too, steam pouring from fractures in the hard, black ground. A river of molten lava ran under the city itself. Who would choose to live here?

For you, Nevarro was no more than a stopover—a place to stay for a few months before moving on to the next planet. You could leave any time, easily book passage to a bigger city on a prettier planet, but that shameless part of you that imagined the Mandalorian fucking you in his full armor was bold enough to convince yourself to stick around for a little longer and see if you could run into him again. Why not?

You’d been running for years, denying yourself comfort, companionship, consistency. Couldn’t you indulge just this once?

You had no reason to think the Mandalorian had thought of you for one second after seeing you in the cantina, but you let yourself hope. He didn’t hide the way he looked at you, and he hadn’t pursued you as a quarry when you left the cantina (and what a relief that was), so that meant...he’d flirted with you...right? That was probably how a Mandalorian flirted? Maybe you were stuck in his head the way he was stuck in yours? A girl could dream.

You watched his helmet disappear and reappear as you both weaved through the throngs of people. The Mandalorian had a purposeful gait and an immediate effect on everyone around him: the crowd parted for him as people avoided his path and his gaze. No one wanted to be noticed by a Mandalorian.

Well, almost no one.

The Mandalorian clearly relied on his menacing appearance and the notorious lore associated with his armor to ensure that he was left alone. You, on the other hand, depended on stealth and the ability to disappear in a swarm of people to stay hidden. This meant that while the crowd parted easily for him, you struggled to wend your way through it.

He turned down a side street.

The fact that he’d hounded your thoughts since you first saw him spurred you into recklessness, and you followed. As you turned down the same side street, you saw the edge of his cape disappear into an alley. The further away you moved from the main street, the more you began to question yourself.

This is potentially a bad idea.

This is definitely a bad idea.

Your existence hinged on your ability to stay lost, to be anonymous, to change your appearance, to never be sought out. And here you were, seeking out a bounty hunter.

You’d been slipping into a dangerous false sense of security these past few months—spending more time in each place, neglecting to change your chaincode as often as you should. Just because no one had come for you in a couple years, didn’t mean you were safe. You needed to snap yourself out of this delusional thinking.

But maybe... not yet?

You picked up your pace.

It was just the two of you in a long alleyway, and you were sure he could sense you behind him by the slight turn of his head, but he didn’t stop or turn around. You weren’t being stealthy, only a few long strides behind him. He had to know you were there.

He walked surprisingly quietly, considering his heavy armor and determined stride. The loudest sound he made was his cape whipping around his calves. His long rifle was strapped to his back, and he was carrying a camtono in his left hand.

He quickly slipped down another shadowy passageway that you hadn’t noticed. You turned to follow, about to say something, but the passage was deserted. You walked to the end and back, checking to see if he’d turned again, but there was no trace of him. No doorways led off the passage. The only things in the alley were a stack of abandoned wooden pallets and a grate that emitted hot steam. He must have given you the slip on purpose, taken some secret route to evade the stranger on his tail.

Understandable. It’s what you would have done too. I probably should have come up with a better plan than just pursuing him.

Well, fuck.

You were more disappointed than you cared to admit, but you turned and headed back to the apartment you were renting a few blocks away. You were slightly embarrassed by how impulsive you’d just been. You wouldn’t have felt so abashed if it had paid off, but it hadn’t.

You’d overstayed your time on Nevarro. Your self-imposed limit was two months per location, and you’d been here two and a half. You couldn’t push it any more, especially for such a ridiculous reason. It was time to go.

***

The third time you encountered the Mandalorian, neither of you saw the other coming.

You packed up your things, fitting everything you needed in one backpack. You purchased more food and let the hours of the afternoon drag on, waiting for the sun to sink low in the sky before heading out.

When it was evening, you slipped your blaster into the holster at the small of your back. You slid a vibroblade into the sheath at your hip and strapped a much smaller one to your calf where it was concealed under your pants. As you slung your bag over your shoulder and scanned your small space to make sure you hadn’t forgotten anything, noise erupted outside—an explosion, not far away.

There were enough ex-Imperials and bounty hunters on Nevarro that street fights and loud commotions were commonplace. You slipped out your front door, figuring you could avoid the action by slinking through the alleyways. You knew the layout of the city fairly well by now.

You crept through the dim streets. You guessed that the fighting was a couple blocks to your left based on the muffled sounds of intermittent blaster fire. You made your way toward the cantina where you knew a few regulars who would have transpo connections, but you only made it a couple blocks from your apartment before you ran into trouble.

Suddenly, shouts echoed down the street behind you. You made a hasty left turn, looking back to see if anyone was following as you broke into a run. With your head turned, you didn’t see the Mandalorian backing his way down the street toward you. You collided painfully with his back and crumpled to the ground next to him. He, mostly unfazed, made a grunting sound and snapped his head to the side to see who’d hit him. He kept his body and his blaster trained forward at two shadowy figures that were stalking towards him, but he pointed his left vambrace down at you, prepared to neutralize you if needed.

He cocked his head at you as if trying to assess whether or not you were a threat. Before you could think of anything to say, blaster fire screamed down the alley toward both of you. You grabbed your own blaster and sprang to your feet.

Noting the way you trained your blaster away from him, the Mandalorian redirected his attention back to the oncoming assailants. As more blaster fire streaked toward you, he jumped in front of you to shield your body with his and fired back down the alley.

I guess he decided I’m not a threat.

The figures drew nearer—one, a hulking man, and the other, a wiry woman with blue hair... both bounty hunters. They slunk around stray crates and garbage bins, making it difficult for either of you to land a direct hit.

The Mandalorian’s beskar armor lived up to the crazy stories you’d heard. Blaster fire pinged off of it without leaving a mark. Standing so close behind him, you noticed that his armor was different than what he’d worn just earlier that day. His old armor, painted a rusty reddish-brown, had been mismatched and battered. This was new, pristine, unpainted—a stunning reflective silver.

It was the same Mandalorian though. That you were sure of.

You kept most of your body behind his protective stance, just peaking your head and arm out periodically to take a shot. You leaned around him again to fire, and you hit the woman in the thigh while she was momentarily exposed. She grunted in pain and paused her advance.

You ducked back behind the Mandalorian. You were surprised and confused by the way the he was treating you like a partner, protecting you instinctually. You hadn’t exchanged so much as a word yet.

Weren’t Mandalorians supposed to be merciless, violent bounty hunters? Why was he trusting you? For that matter, why were you trusting him? It sounded absurd to think that he just felt trustworthy.

The next time you poked your head out, you noticed that the man had stopped shooting and was watching you intently from where he was hiding behind a stack of boxes. He made eye contact with you and held it, and you saw recognition dawn on his face. He pointed at you, turning to the woman to yell something in a language you didn’t recognize, and then charged forward, blaster drawn. His mouth formed your name, your real name, as he thundered towards you. You froze where you stood, partially exposed.

Fuck. He recognized me so easily. How?

Hot blaster fire zinged past your ear. The Mandalorian lurched forward and fell to one knee in a controlled movement as fire erupted from his vambrace. His quick thinking snapped you out of your panic, but your heart thundered as you processed how close you’d come to getting shot.

As the man’s clothes caught fire and he began to flail in panic, you came back to your senses and shot him in the chest.

The female bounty hunter, who was still several paces behind the man, disappeared down an alley behind her, just as you resumed shooting in her direction.

It won’t be long before word spreads that I’m alive on Nevarro. FUCK.

The footfalls of the woman faded quickly, and you knew she was too far ahead to catch.

You and the Mandalorian were left alone in the alley. Things were quiet for a moment.

You turned to look at each other. It was then that you noticed the bundle tucked tightly in the crook of his right arm, the same arm that held his blaster. He shuffled the bundle to his left arm carefully... tenderly?

He tilted his helmet slightly, starting to say something just as you did the same. Before either of you could form a sentence, several more figures rounded the corner behind you.

“Come on,” you yelled, grabbing his arm to drag him forward. For the moment, the two of you were in this together. It was better than being caught in this fray alone. You figured you’d be able to slip away from the action soon enough.

As you ran through the streets, you both noted the echoing footsteps picking up behind you at each juncture. More and more people—bounty hunters—were joining the pursuit. It seemed like every bounty hunter in Nevarro was being drawn to the Mandalorian.

What did he do to bring this much heat down on himself? I need to lose him.

You considered turning down every street or alley you passed, but at least one hunter blocked each one. Every doorway was shut tight. The hunters were right on your heels. You kept running, the Mandalorian pounding along behind you, until you reached the main street, emerging near the archway that marked the entrance to town. Beyond the archway, the flat expanse of Nevarro stretched out before you; a silver ship, not far ahead, was the only thing that broke up the uniform landscape.

You both stopped abruptly in the middle of the street, as at least twenty bounty hunters closed in around you, each with a blinking fob in their hand. You were trapped. The pinging chorus of the fobs was enough to rip you back to a not-so-distant time when that sound was a constant refrain in your nightmares. But even at the height of the Empire’s search for you, you’d never had this many people on your tail.

Up until this moment, you hadn’t been too worried about making a getaway. You knew you would get out of this. You’d been in worse situations. But now? Blood rushed in your ears, and your adrenaline spiked. You were cornered, outnumbered, and somehow in the middle of a fight that had nothing to do with you. You were surrounded by bounty hunters, and one had already recognized you. You’d spent years disappearing and here you were, back in the thick of it because you turned down the wrong alley at the wrong time.

You glanced at the Mandalorian and tried to formulate an escape plan—or at least a way put some distance between you and him.

He surveyed the scene, seemingly calm in his blank mask of beskar, and began to walk towards the archway, as even more bounty hunters appeared. Not having come up with any better alternatives yet, you followed him.

The Mandalorian stopped short when Greef Karga sauntered out from the shadows to block your path forward through the archway.

“Welcome back, Mando!” Karga’s voice, the voice that had seemed jovial in the cantina weeks ago, sounded threatening as it rang through the street. “Now, put the package down.” He rested a hand on his hip, pushing back his cape to expose his blaster.

The bundle must be valuable. You wondered briefly what the Mandalorian had wrapped so carefully under his arm. A rare material like kyber? Something unstable like rhydonium? A set of holodisks with important intel?

The Mandalorian mirrored Karga’s movement, hovering his hand over his own blaster. “Step aside. I’m going to my ship,” he replied calmly. He sounded awfully certain considering the circumstances. Your eyes flicked back to the silver ship, an old Razor Crest, that sat just beyond the archway.

Karga chuckled. “You put the bounty down and perhaps I’ll let you pass.”

“The kid’s coming with me.”

KID?

“If you truly care about the kid, then you’ll put it on the speeder,” Karga said, pointing to a speeder parked in front of the building on your right, where a droid sat in the pilot’s seat. The droid let out a series of cheerful beeps, indicating its readiness.

“How do I know I can trust you?” asked the Mandalorian.

How did he know he could trust me? This guy seems to play fast and loose with trust.

Karga scoffed, “Because I’m your only hope.”

Shit.

Any second, this fight was going to turn into an every-person-for-themself situation. You and the Mandalorian had helped each other thus far because it had been convenient, but now that you were trapped, you knew this precarious alliance you’d formed out of necessity was about to fracture. You hadn’t missed the way he said I and me, not we and us. You weren’t part of his equation, and you couldn’t blame him—of course, you were also going to prioritize your own safety over that of a literal stranger.

You surveyed the street, looking for the least obstructed escape route. You hoped you could run fast enough once this tense moment passed and the fight started in earnest.

The Mandalorian stepped back into you suddenly, taking the opportunity to whisper urgently, “Jump in when I say go.”

You were stunned—so stunned that you followed him without thinking as he walked over to the speeder.

For the first time, the Mandalorian looked down at the bundle in his arms. You gasped when you saw that it was in fact a sleeping child—a tiny green infant. He took a moment to watch the baby before glancing at you briefly. He looked back down at the child and without any warning, he breathed, “NOW.”

You dove head first onto the speeder as he raised his blaster and shot a hunter who was right behind where you had just been standing. From the outside, you imagined that it looked like the two of you were partners—the way you moved together, coordinated and seamless.

You scrambled back and pushed crates out of the way, staying down on your stomach, as the Mandalorian flung himself over the side of the speeder and landed next to you. Blaster fire screeched all around you as the hunters reacted in unison.

You both stayed prone on the floor of the speeder, reaching only your blasters up to return the fire that was raining down on you. The Mandalorian rolled over to carefully place the kid down before yelling at the droid at the front of the speeder.

“DRIVE!”

When the droid shook its head in refusal, the Mandalorian demanded again, holding up his blaster threateningly. The droid acquiesced, and the speeder lurched forward. You grabbed the child and hugged them to your chest as the crates shifted around you.

You made it almost all the way to the archway—you and the Mandalorian taking out several of the bounty hunters as you went—before someone had the sense to shoot the pilot droid. The speeder crashed to a halt in a rain of sparks. Fire ceased and a tense quiet fell.

The Mandalorian edged toward you on his elbows. You could hear the bounty hunters closing in around you, the crunch of their boots ominous. You curled your body protectively over the child.

“Fuck,” you whispered. “What now?” You looked into the black t of his visor, wishing you could see his eyes.

He nodded as if that was a sufficient answer to your question and worked his way toward the edge of the speeder. Slowly, silently, he pulled his long rifle from his side and eased it between two crates, pointing it at a hunter on the roof of the closest building. You heard the sound of the rifle powering up and its screeching discharge as it vaporized the hunter. And then another. And another. The Mandalorian’s reload was lightening fast. You took the chance during the ensuing chaos to scoot to the edge of the speeder and take aim at a hunter with your blaster. The remaining hunters scurried away, taking shelter behind walls, doorways, whatever they could find.

The Mandalorian paused, and for a tense moment, nothing happened. The threat of the Amban Rifle was enough to create another temporary ceasefire.

“That’s one impressive weapon,” bellowed Karga. You couldn’t see him from where you lay.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna walk to my ship with the kid, and you’re gonna let that happen,” the Mandalorian stated authoritatively.

We.

“No, how about this? We take the kid, and if you try and stop us, we kill you both and then strip your body for parts,” Karga spat back.

You could feel the hunters starting to come out of hiding all around you. The subtle rasp of tephra under foot gave them away again. You looked behind you and saw that one hooded hunter was edging closer to the speeder. The Mandalorian had his back to the hunter, as he faced Karga. You trained your blaster on the approaching hunter, ready to fire. Before you could pull the trigger, the Mandalorian kicked the canister at his feet, knocking the hunter over, and sat up to stun him with the rifle.

Apparently, he had been aware of the man the whole time. His peripheral vision must be largely obstructed in his helmet. How is he so acutely aware of everything around him?

Everyone opened fire once again.

Over the sound of blaster fire, you heard Karga yell, “Don’t hit the target!”

The Mandalorian rose to his knees, leaned over some crates, and activated his vambrace so a sudden burst of flames cleared out the hunters that were closest to the speeder. You took out two more with your blaster while they were distracted by the flames.

The Mandalorian grunted in frustration as the fire streaming from his wrist sputtered out. Then, he grunted and doubled over in pain when blaster fire hit him in the side, where he wasn’t protected by his armor.

He clutched his side and ducked back down to crawl his way over to you, gently pulling on your arm until you released the child, so he could look at their face. The child cooed and opened two huge, watery eyes.

You looked away, feeling like you were encroaching on a private moment.

Is this his kid? Who is after a child? What is the story here?

You leaned away and fired several more shots, injuring another hunter.

Then you heard it. A streaming projectile took out one of the hunters on a nearby roof. As the hunter screamed and fell to the ground, several figures in Mandalorian armor, powered by jetpacks with blasters in hand, rose up from behind the row of buildings lining the street. There had to be at least a dozen of them—maybe more. It was hard to tell in the chaos. They seemed to be everywhere. They took out hunter after hunter as they slowly lowered themselves to the ground and sparks rained down around you.

You both sat up to watch.

A particularly huge Mandalorian in blue armor with a large repeating blaster touched down next to the speeder and bellowed, “Get out of here! We’ll hold them off!”

“You’re going to have to relocate the covert,” responded the Mandalorian, raising his voice to be heard over the din.

“This is the way,” replied the huge blue Mandalorian, as he continued to fire at the bounty hunters.

“This is the way,” agreed the Mandalorian next to you.

In one fluid movement, he strapped his rifle to his back. You sheathed your blaster as he thrust the kid back into your arms, and he grabbed your free hand, hauling you to your feet as he stood. You jumped from the speeder together. He pulled you along behind him, continuing to shield your body with his as much as possible. The juxtaposition of the way he held your hand and how he was brutally taking out hunter after hunter with his blaster was jarring.

A blaster shot grazed your thigh as you ran, and you swore at the stinging pain, doubling over slightly without loosening your grip on the child. The Mandalorian turned his head but didn’t stop pulling you forward. You faltered for a moment but gritted your teeth and sped up to sprint behind him, leaving the chaos in your wake as you crossed under the archway. You made it the short distance to his ship, where the ramp was already lowered.

You followed him up the ramp. He shoved his blaster into the holster on his belt and started forward into the ship.

The idea of being trapped with this strange Mandalorian was absurd, but you didn’t have much of a choice. If you stayed on Nevarro, the remaining bounty hunters would tear the city apart to find you. This was the fastest way to get off world: a calculated risk.

You sensed movement behind you before you heard Karga’s voice.

“Hold it, Mando.”

You both spun around to face him. Karga had a blaster trained on you and the kid in your arms.

“I didn’t want it to come to this. But then you broke the code,” he spat.

The Mandalorian was silent as he assessed his options. Silent was clearly his default state. He was used to hiding behind the intimidating mask of his armor.

You were trying to guess how good Karga’s reflexes were and if you could grab your blaster from where you’d resheathed it at your back fast enough. As you thought it out, the Mandalorian tipped his head subtly to his left at what looked like a carbonite chamber. Before you or Karga could register his plan, he shot a metal cord from his vambrace, hitting the button to activate the chamber and filling the hull with freezing mist.

In the gloom, the Mandalorian grabbed you roughly and pushed you out of the way. Karga shot blindly. You whipped out your blaster and fired back, knowing exactly where he had been standing. You heard him grunt and fall backwards off the ship with a thud.

The Mandalorian made quick work of shutting the ramp, deactivating the hissing carbonite chamber, and initiating the takeoff protocol from a control panel on the wall.

You slumped onto a nearby crate, exhausted, as the ship lifted off the ground. You let your backpack slide off your shoulders onto the floor next to you. Still holding the baby to your chest protectively, you loosened your arms to study their sweet sleeping face.

His face? Her face? Who is this child?

Wordlessly, the Mandalorian stomped forward and snatched the kid from your arms. You looked up in surprise as he disappeared up the ladder next to you. He was gone for a few moments before the ship jolted as it left Nevarro’s atmosphere and jumped into hyperspace.

You rested your head on the cool wall behind you, trying to catch your breath. You let your eyelids slip shut for a minute—until you opened your eyes at the loud thud of the Mandalorian jumping back down into the hull, ignoring the ladder all together. He walked purposefully towards what looked like a storage bay, set the sleeping child down inside, and closed the door with a snap. He turned slowly to face you.

***

Chapter 2

#my writing #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x f!reader #mandalorian fanfic #mature #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian x female reader #mandalorian reader insert #tempered glass

383 notes · View notes