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tothosewholisten · 1 year ago

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Forever Healed | TUA insert

Chapter 05: Highly Unlikely Allies

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Masterlist

…

Five and I discussed our new plan on the way back to the academy.

“We need to go back, now.” Five insisted as he paced around his bedroom.

I stood by the door trying to distance myself from the angry teen.

“I know..” I pause. “But you already saw how demanding works. And also you're a kid, of course they didn't take you seriously.”

“Why is this eye so important anyway?” I ask.

He huffs. “Whoever has this eye brings upon the end of the world. I need to figure out who it is.”

Every time Five repeats that the world is ending I try to ignore it. But with the D-day getting closer and closer I realize I need to do a few things on my bucket list.

“We need someone else.” He mutters, breaking me out of my thoughts.

He's right, our story wasn't convincing at all. You need a strong narrative to get information out of suckers. So we need a dramatic person who can play a part.

Suddenly it dawned on me. We need-

“You know, I am so thrilled to join your guys' spy mission! It's just like old times.” Klaus reminisced with sappy tears in his eyes.

“I don't think we've ever done this.” Five retorts.

I know that the boy wasn't the most excited about getting help from Klaus but I told him if Klaus puts his mind to it, we're getting that information.

Five and I went over to the dining room where Klaus was snoring on the couch. In his underwear.

At first he wouldn't get up, that was until Five offered him twenty dollars and he bolted upstairs to get ready. We trailed after him back to Five’s room where he was waiting on Five's bed.

I love Klaus but his outfit choices have always been questionable even when we were teens.

“What are you wearing?” I asked disgustedly.

I did not receive an answer because Five heard a noise and peered his head out the door.

An annoyed look on his face appeared when he turned back around to us. “Vanya's here. Klaus hide.” He whispers.

Klaus gets up from the bed and dashes around the room, looking for anywhere that's big enough to fit his lanky body. I point to Five's closet.

He contorts himself to fit inside and closes the door behind him. Just in time too because Vanya walks into the room.

“Thank god, I was worried sick about you two.” She expressed her uneasiness.

I frowned. “Sorry, we left without saying goodbye.” If only I wasn't dragged by that little boy I would've loved to talk to her more.

“No look. I'm the one who should be sorry.” Vanya turns to Five. “Yeah, I was dismissive, and I– I guess I couldn't process what you were saying. And I still can't to be honest.” She stutters out.

I couldn't tell if it was an act but Five’s face turned almost sad. “Maybe you were right to be dismissive.” He says.

I'm not sure where this acting was when we were at Meritech. But I match his hurt look.

“Maybe it wasn't real after all. It felt real. Well like you said, the old man did say time travel could contaminate the mind.” Five continued.

Five is interrupted by a loud crash that comes from the closet. I ran over to stand in front of it trying to distract from the noises Klaus was making as they kept talking.

“Then maybe I'm not the right person for you to be talking to. Look, I used to see someone. A therapist, I could give you her information.” Vanya shares.

Five is quick to feign a smile. “No thanks, but I think I'm just going to get something to eat. It's been a long time since I've had good food.”

Vanya nods and steps back out of the room.

As soon as Five goes back to the door to make sure that she is gone, the warm look on his face disappears and his permanent scowl returns instead.

The closet behind me starts to shake and I take a step away hoping that Klaus doesn't decide to fall on me.

His curled body leaps out of the closet. “That was so… touching!” He trips over fallen junk from the closet. “All that stuff about family and Dad and time. Wow!”

“Will you shut up, she'll hear you.” He yells.

“I'm moist.”

“What the hell Klaus.” I scoot further away from him.

Five takes a moment to look him up and down. “I thought I told you to put on something professional.”

The outfit he put on was a green button-up shirt with frilly red-lined sleeves. Honestly atrocious.

“What? This is my nicest outfit.” Klaus cries.

“Let's go look at the old man's closet,” I suggest pushing Klaus out of the room.

Five groans before following us out.

“As long as I get paid,” Klaus exclaims.

“When the job is done.”

He stops us. “Okay, but just so we're clear on the finer details. I just gotta go into this place and pretend to be your dear old Dad. Correct?”

“Yeah, something like that,” I replied.

“What's our cover story then?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Five gives him a puzzled look.

“I mean, was I really young when I had y/n? Like, 16? Like, young and terribly misguided. Then yada yada some years later you came along, Five.” Klaus rambles putting his hands on his chest.

“Sure.”

“Your mother, that slut.. whoever she was. We met at.. oh! The disco.”

I cackle at Klaus’s backstory but Five couldn't look more concerned.

“Remember that.” The man snaps. “Oh, my god, the sex was amazinggg.”

“What a disturbing glimpse into that thing you call a brain.” Five turns to go down the stairs.

Klaus holds out his pointer like a stern dad. “Don't make me put you into time out.” He yells.

“Like I said to your son and daughter?” The same doctor questions us from before.

We arrived at the same part of the building but this time the man had the decency to bring us to his office.

“Yes, these are my children,” Klaus replies affirmatively.

He now had on one of Reginald's many suits; it made him look the part.

“Yeah, can't you tell?” My hand messaging my temple as I throw that in, trying to mask my sarcasm, cause well none of us looked alike.

“Well, like I told your children earlier, any information about the prosthetics we build is strictly confidential.” The man emphasizes each word to us like we are all babies.

Klaus sat in a chair across from the man's desk and I sat in the other, but Five stood up in the middle of us with his hands on the doctor's glass desk. Getting ready for round two of his yelling match.

“Without the client's consent. I simply can't help you.”

“Well, we can't get consent if you don't give us a name.” Five yells.

The doctor looks defeated. “Well, that's not my problem.”

I’m sure Five wished his powers were laser eyes instead of teleportation because of how he was staring at the man so intensely.

“Sorry. Now, there's really nothing more I can do, so��”

Klaus looked up from his lap. “And what about my consent?”

“Excuse me?”

Everyone turns to look at him.

“Who gave you permission… to lay your hands on my son?” Klaus cried.

“What?” Five, the doctor and I all say at once.

“You heard me.”

“I didn't touch your son.” The man states matter of factly.

Klaus slowly gets up from his chair “Oh, really? Well, how did he get that swollen lip then?”

“He doesn't have a swollen-”

The man didn't have time to finish his sentence because Klaus suddenly swung at Five and slapped him in the mouth.

I hide my expression with my palm and watch.

He inhales sharply. “I want it. Name, please. Now.” He slaps his hands onto the doctor's desk.

The man stutters trying to think of something to say. “You're crazy.” He replies.

Klaus fakes a chuckle. “You got no idea.”

He picks up the snow globe on the man's desk. “Peace on earth? That's so sweet.” He reads out loud.

He then smashes the snow globe into his head causing everyone to let out a shriek as it breaks into tiny pieces. I cringe looking at all that blood on his head.

He screams out. “God that hurt.” Water from the snow globe dripped all over his face.

The man doesn't break eye contact with Klaus but hurryingly reaches for the telephone on his desk.

“I'm calling secur– what are you doing?” The man yells out but Klaus takes the telephone right from his sweaty hands.

“There's been an assault… in Mr. Big's office, and we need security, now. Schnell!” Klaus screams into the telephone before slamming it back onto its post.

He sighs. “Now, here's what's gonna happen, Grant.”

“It's… Lance.”

“In about sixty seconds two security guards are gonna burst through that door, and they're gonna see a whole lot of blood and wonder ‘What the hell happened?’ And we're gonna tell them that you… beat the shit out of us!” Klaus rambles.

“While making googly eyes at my young daughter!” He sobs.

Five stares at Klaus admirably.

“You're gonna do great in prison, Grant. Trust me, I've been there. A little piece of chicken like you. Oh my god, you're gonna get passed around like a…” He moves his hips in a circle to make a point.

Then shutters thinking back at old memories. “You're just– you're gonna do great. That's all I'm saying.”

Lance almost cries out looking at all of us. “Jesus, you are a real sick bastard.”

Klaus stares at him blankly. “Thank you.”

He spits out a piece of snow globe glass. The look on Five face is priceless, I'm for one so proud of Klaus right now. He never went Broadway but this was pretty close.

Lance rushes over to a long line of filing cabinets. Searching for the information that will satisfy us. Klaus sat on top of the cabinet making the doctor go even faster, fearing for his life.

“Oh, that's strange.” He says.

“What.” Five ask.

“Uh, the eye. It hasn't been purchased by a client yet.”

Klaus jumps off the cabinet and gets up into Lance's face. “What? What do you mean?” He whispers.

“Well, uh, our logs say that the eye with that serial number… This can't be right. It hasn't even been manufactured yet.” Lance looks up at Five. “Where did you get that eye?”

Five huffs. He walks away from all of us to the elevator and leaves us with Lance.

I grab onto Klaus to move him outside as he blows Lance a smooch before we go into the elevator as well.

We walk out of the building's doors when Five starts to talk again. “Well, this is not good.” He says.

“I was pretty good, though, right? ‘Yeah. What about my consent, bitch?” He laughs.

“Klaus, it doesn't matter.” The boy sighs and we stop walking.

“What? What, what's the big deal with this eye, anyways?” The hurt Klaus asks.

I grab onto the two men to heal them of their injuries before answering for Five who looks like he's about to explode.

“There's someone out there who's going to lose an eye in the next seven days. And they're gonna bring about the end of life on earth as we know it!” I say, rubbing my forehead.

“Yeah, can I get that twenty bucks, like, now, or what?”

I stare at my adopted brother with my brows furrowed. “You're not gonna question what I just said, at all?”

Five steps closer to him. “The apocalypse is coming and all you can think about is getting high?”

“Well, I'm also quite hungry. Tummies a rumblin.” Klaus wiggles his fingers to imitate grumbling.

“You're useless.” Five shakes his head while walking away from the two of us to sit on the building's steps.

“Oh come on, you need to lighten up old man!” Klaus mocks. I move from Klaus to sit near Five and listen to the rest of Klaus’s spiel.

“Hey, you know, I’ve just now realized why you're so uptight. You must be horny as hell!”

Klaus’s laughter is matched by my own as he sits next to us. “That’s not funny Klaus,” I reply still giggling. Five on the other hand wasn’t amused, he looked deep in thought not even staring in our direction.

“All those years by yourself, it's gotta screw with your head, being alone.”

Five concentration breaks, “well.” He starts. “I wasn't alone.” Klaus and I immediately go silent and stare at him.

“Spill,” I say.

“Her name was Delores. We were together for over thirty years.” The small bit of happiness on Five's face was very easy to see.

“Thirty years? Oh, wow!” Klaus chuckles. “God, the longest I've been with someone.. I didn't know for three weeks. And that's only because I was so tired from looking for a place to sleep.”

Klaus went on like that for a good five minutes rambling about his love life and how hard it was not having anywhere to stay. I yawned in desperate need of a break from whatever this was. And it looked like Five was ready to blink away.

I turned to him and signaled that we should leave by nudging my head to the busy road that was right in front of the building. He nods back at me.

“He did make the most fantastic osso buco, though. It was..”

Five takes hold of my sleeve and we blink from the steps into a taxi. “Don’t stop, just keep driving.” Five demands of the panicked driver.

“Hey! Where’d you guys go?” I hear Klaus yell as we drive past him. Five turns to the window and gives Klaus a wave that makes him instantly stand up and try to run over to us.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what about my money?!” He shouts but we’re long gone by then. I would’ve felt bad if this wasn't so funny.

Five was bleak at times and angry, and a lot of other things but he had his fun moments. We missed a lot of time getting to know each other but, this made up for it.

“So where to now?” I ask.

“I am going to run, uh an errand. I'm dropping you off at the academy.”

“Sounds good to me.” I smile. I needed this break to rest today. It was exhausting. “Our adventures have been fun, we should do it again.”

He turns to me, “Oh yeah?”

I hum in response.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The sky turned a vibrant shade of dark blue by the time we reached a familiar street, we were almost at the academy. I kinda wanted to join Five on his errand but I didn't say anything.

I paid the taxi driver the spare tens in my pocket for not freaking out and reminded myself that I'd pay Klaus tomorrow too. And walked up to the doors of the Umbrella Academy.

“Goodnight Five!” I call out as I open the front door. But I walked in before hearing his response, only hearing the sound of the taxi driving away.

I found myself in a spot I always went to when I needed to escape my ‘father’. It was a storage closet-like room that had a tiny balcony where Ben and I would hang out in the late hours of the night.

But now I was by myself and Ben was nowhere to be found. So I lit a cigarette and stared at the night sky. It’s a bad habit that I picked up during all my time with Klaus, It did help me calm my nerves though.

“Y/n?”

I turned around to see Alison in the doorway. A frown was painted on her beautiful face.

“It's good to see you, I didn't expect you to still be here.” She expressed while sitting down next to me.

“Me neither but I had a busy day chasing around a fifty-something-year-old. Thought I'd stay just to see what else happened around here. Or the truth could be I just kinda missed it around here, I'm not sure.”

Alison nodded. “I'm glad you're here, we haven’t really talked at all I've just been so busy with trying to get in touch with Claire and-“

I briefly cut her off. “Yeah, is everything okay with that?”

“My ex-husband, Patrick is trying to make it seem like I don’t care about this court stuff. Since I'm missing a session of mandated therapy.” She huffs.

“Can I have a cigarette?”

I reached into my black jacket pocket and pulled out the pack. Half of it was already empty but I just bought it before I came here, I guess I need more.

“Wouldn't the court recognize that as like, certain circumstances?” I ask.

“Yes! That’s what I tried to tell him. But he won't listen at all.” Alison groaned, holding the now-lit cigarette.

I smirk. “He sounds like an ass.”

“You don’t even know,” we both shared a good laugh.

“But,” she says while laughing. “What’s been going on with you? I know that's very broad because we haven’t seen each other since my wedding but, have you been doing anything new?”

I look forward to the pitch-black sky. “Yeah uhm, not much,”

Alison thinks for a moment, “Oh! I know. Whatever happened to your boyfriend? The guy you brought to my wedding.”

I froze, my mouth slightly open and the cigarette I held between my lips fell to the balcony floor. “Oh him..”

“Did something happen Y/n?”

“No no, we just broke up I guess.”

Alison grabs onto my hand, squeezing me tightly. “I'm so sorry.” She says.

It’s not that I forgot about my ex, no I couldn’t. I just liked to pretend that he was a part of my childhood nothing more. But in reality, we only broke up about half a year ago.

“We didn’t have the best relationship,” I told her. “He wasn't the nicest guy but I stayed. We were on and off but I officially broke up with him a couple of months ago.”

She fiddled with her curly hair. “I would’ve never been able to tell, he just seemed so nice at the time. I thought you guys were the perfect match. Y/n I'm so sorry, forget I brought him up.”

“It’s okay, I mean you didn't know,” I reassured the woman.

“If you need anything I'm always here for you, you know? I don’t think we were ever the closet but. I'm here for you.” Alison states.

I wasn't sure how to respond, this was all so surreal. Telling someone how I felt was like a boulder being lifted off my chest. I was comfortable enough to do it again.

“Thank you, Alison, I appreciate you.” I grinned

“Miss Alison, are you up here?” Pogo's voice called out. The ape walked into the room as dapper as ever in his suit. “Ah, Miss Y/n you’re up here too good.”

“I was looking for you.” He said to Alison.

We quickly put out our cigarettes and turned our attention to Pogo.

“How did you, uh.. How’d you know I was up here?” She asked.

“Well it wasn't hard, this is where you two would always come when you were upset. I remember it, yes.” He nodded.

I didn’t know that Alison would come here too. All of our childhood I felt myself slightly put up against her when really we couldn’t be more alike.

“Who told you I was.. Luther.” She sighs.

“It was Miss Vanya. She called to make sure you were okay.”

“What happened?” I blurt out.

Alison stretches her legs by walking around the room. “I said some pretty

unkind things to her earlier.”

Pogo shook his head. “She’s your sister. She knows you didn't mean it.”

“Doubt it” Alison scoffs. “She doesn't know anything about me, which is fine because I don’t know shit about here either.”

That was the downside of all of us branching out, we never stayed in touch. If I had moved to a different state I would’ve never known how Klaus was doing and how I could help him. How different my life could’ve been, I mean what if I didn't come to the funeral? Life would’ve died without me having the slightest clue.

“Language”

Alison chuckles at his humor. “Sorry.”

Afraid of just sitting there, I cut into their conversation. “It has been a while since we’ve lived under the same roof, you know?”

They both agree with my sentiment.

“Almost thirteen years,” Pogo said

“Wow,” Alison and I both remark.

“How did you do it? Also in this big house for so long?” I ask.

“Well, one grows used to things, even if sometimes.. one shouldn’t.” He replies, the sadness evident in his voice.

I should’ve visited him, I'm an adult, Reginald can’t scare me anymore and no one was here. I was so close to them but still, I never wanted to come back without a reason. This place was my home for many years, yes, but it wasn’t my first home.

Pogo senses that we’re both down in the dumps. “You two should come with me. I want to show you something. It might just cheer you up,” he says.

We followed Pogo downstairs into one of the mansion's many rooms. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen this room before. The hallway was dark with only a few orange lights that barely helped see anything.

The tiny room was filled with rows of old TVs and controls with glowing buttons. Most of the tvs were black but there were a few Pogo must've turned on. Then he went into a box and pulled out a tape. He placed it into the TV closest to him.

The tape played old security camera recordings of us as kids, probably around thirteen from what we looked like. It would’ve been creepy if it didn't make me sad, these memories are some of the good times at the academy that I ignored because of all the bad.

Alison and I gawked at the footage. We sat in two chairs that were in front of the TVs as Pogo talked to us from behind. “Your father stopped recording years ago. But I still come here from time to time. When I'm missing you kids.” He said.

Alison was the first to speak. “Pogo, this is..” she sighs. “Most families have home movies to look back on. We have surveillance footage.”

“I hoped it might cheer you up.”

I laugh. “This definitely does.”

Previous to the new tape Pogo just put in, some of the other TVs had more footage. My eyes drifted from screen to screen soaking up all the cute moments.

“Oh my god look how little we were,” Alison tells me.

One screen was Alison and I in her room trying on Grace’s clothes. “Ohh, I remember this,” I said.

And Alison turns to see the one I'm looking at. “This was so fun! Mom always had the best clothes.” She exclaimed.

Grace's dresses were obviously too big for us, but that didn't stop us. Her clothes were modeled after old housewives of a different time and might look strange and out of date to others. But we loved them.

I moved to another screen of me, Ben and Klaus talking. We were sitting on one of the main staircases. I wish I could freeze time to that moment forever, just the three of us again.

Alison follows where my sad eyes are staring. “I miss him so much.” She said upsetly.

“Me too” I whisper.

The screen next to that was of Vanya, playing her violin alone. You could hear the sound of us children in the background and Alison’s voice while she played by herself. It was the heartbreaking reality of our childhood.

“Why didn't we include her? I mean if anyone ever treated Claire like that, I can’t even imagine.” Alison wonders.

“You were children, Miss Alison,” Pogo replies.

“Yeah.. but I'm not anymore and neither is she.”

Pogo straightens up like he’s getting ready to head out. “If you two aren’t in a hurry. There’s more tapes in that cabinet.” He nudges his head to a large cabinet overflowing with tapes with all different labels.

The man drops the key into my hand. “Make sure to lock up when you're done, things have been disappearing lately. These are too important to lose.”

I tell him I will and Pogo heads back out through the door. But before he leaves he gives us one more look. I turn back towards the screens and rethink back to those happier days.

Alison stands up to go over to the cabinet, she picks up a similar-looking tape. But above the box, there was a rusty tape. The label was gone and it looked scratched up.

“What’s that?” I ask. She opens it and slides it into a screen.

“I don’t know but I guess we're gonna see.” She hits rewind and it starts to buffer before playing. The video was harder to make out than all the other black-and-white films. Alison and I both leaned in and once my eyes focused it was clear what was going on.

“Oh god, Dad.”

…

Aug 14 update:

If you'd like to be added to the tag list for rest of the series (starts at chapter 10) say taglist in the comments!

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air--so--sweet · 1 year ago

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Personally I think not giving Klaus telekinesis in TUA was the right choice (or at least not to give him telekinesis to the extent he has it in the comics) as it would just make him very OP and, in my opinion, it doesn't quite work with the direction they took his character. That said - I really love the image of Klaus conducting a ballroom of dancing clothes and laughed out loud at the punchline.

The differences I find interesting in the script are the bits that are actually closest to what we see on screen but not not quite there yet, like Luther and Diego's fight resulting in damage to Reginald's favourite tree rather than Ben's statue, or a random locket in Viktor's room that gets pulled across the room and pins itself to the wall instead of the locket Luther gave Allison.

Or Five simply saying 'that's unfortunate' in reference to Viktor leaving having originally been this -

I know it was likely changed as it undermines Five's line to Viktor later that he's the only one he can trust (which exists, though slightly differently in this draft also), but on the flipside it also adds a lot of weight to why it's Klaus that Five gets to pose as his father when he goes to meritech. Because you could just read it as Five choosing Klaus because he knows he'll agree to do it for money, but it is in fact that Five trusts him.

Also, if anyone else wants to read the script download link is here. I found it quite some time ago on reddit, I don't know how it got online or what draft of the script this actually is (I think I called it a first draft in another post, but that was an assumption, I tried looking it up and there's no info on how far into the process this script was written).

#the umbrella academy #season 1 episode 1 script #script to screen #tua #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #diego hargreeves #viktor hargreeves

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kaufmann-6 · 1 year ago

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Oh, hiiii! It was about time I made an official introduction to my blog!

I'm Kaufmann, but you can call me Kauf! I'm a writer on ao3, an avid fic reader and a pianist!

I like to reblog some of my favorite fandoms content, like PJO, Batfam and TUA on this blog and share my fics. (feel free to send me writing prompts and headcanons from the fandoms I'll list below, I'd love a challenge!)

I'm also open to fic colabs and friendly chat. You have my permission to remix, translate, make podfics and/or fanarts out of my works but please tag me when posting here on tumblr. You can also post on ao3 using the "inspired by" or gift feature. (do not post content based on my works out of ao3 and tumblr)

If you'd like to make a writing request, here's my Bad Things Happen Bingo card. I'm accepting Jason Todd and Maverick requests!

I go by Kaufmann on AO3. Here are some things that I've written:

The Umbrella Academy

Absence → A remix fic I wrote for @tua-masked-author based out of @littlerit's amazing work, The Time Traveler's Life. It's Klaus pov of his 14th birthday and Five's multiple appearances. Angsty.

If Only → An AU in which Patch didn't notice Five's van across the street and Cha-Cha got tired of waiting so she kills Klaus on S1E4.

Bubble Thoughts → Another @tua-masked-author entry, an older one this time. It's a post-S3 fic in which Klaus reflects on his father's betrayal and his actions in that season. Luther helps him cope.

I can die when I'm done. → Written for @tua-masked-author first edition! It's a missing scene fic from when Klaus was locked in that tiny motel closet in S1 when Hazel and Cha-Cha left to blow up Meritech. Character study, internal monologue. Lots of Angst & Hurt/No Comfort.

The Bargain → An old wip that I really should pick up again. It's an AU in which the Handler decided to use Five's love for his siblings against him and uses Klaus as a hostage to get Five to work for her on S1E5. TW: SA.

DC Batman

'Cause you all try to keep me down → Black Mask kidnaps Red Hood and Red Robin and Jason is forced to watch Tim get tortured by the man who hates him the most. This fic was written for @febuwhump 2024. TW: Whump & electric shock torture.

resigned. → A drabble in which I explore how sick and tired Jason is of giving the batfamily a chance, only to be disappointed, but he can't not give in, because he deeply cares about them. Character study. Loosely set post Batman and Robin (2011) #20: Red Hood.

I'm absolutely obsessed with Jason Todd at the moment and have so many fic ideas, including a Time Traveller's Wife AU coming up soon. Stay tunned!

Riordanverse (PJO, HOO, TOA)

Oh, ho, the mistletoe (is hung where you can see) → Jasico Imprint Soulmate AU written for @jasico-challenges's Bingo Challenges 2024. Between flashbacks from the past, nightmares and christmas presents, Jason and Nico figure out how to tell their friends the truth about their relationship.

If you had one more chance → Jasico fic for the Percy Jackson Gift Exchange Autum Equinox 2023. Nico struggles after Jason's death and decides to risk everything to bring him back. Orpheus & Euridyce style.

Every Breath You Take → Jercy fic written for the Percy Jackson Gift Exchange Winter Solstice 2022. Percy and Jason are secretly pining for each other. In a road trip across the country, they finally face their feelings, but not withought some angst and jelously in the middle.

It Doesn't Matter Anymore → A Jason Grace character study from when he was stuck in the wind prison in TOA. What was he thinking on his very last moments? Angst and Hurt/No Comfort. TW: Major character death & implied/referenced suicide.

I've written fics of some other fandoms like Maze Runner and I Am Not Okay With This but the fadoms above are the ones I'm still active in.

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auxiliarydetective · 10 months ago

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AP-01: Project Apocalypse

ch. 12: Sleepsong

AP-01 Masterlist

This fic is part of the Academy Projects series, a full rewrite of The Umbrella Academy with the addition of an original character, Kassandra Hargreeves. Throughout the story, you'll stumble across a few songs. This is supposed to make the fic feel as much like the show as possible, so I recommend you don't skip them.

Warnings: Canon-typical issues, alcohol / heavy drinking

The drive to Meritech was a long one, the tension in the car almost palpable. Diego and Luther could start fighting again any minute now, Kassandra knew, and so she was somewhat thankful for the awkward silence in the air. Each of the siblings was just staring out of the window or at the road, Diego and Luther in the front, Kassandra in the back seat. Still, at least there was something connecting them, and that was that they were all worried about Five. Kassandra’s worry only grew when they got closer and closer to Meritech. – She couldn’t sense her brother there.

“There, that’s Five’s van,” Luther called and pointed to a cleaning company van parked beside the sidewalk, in line of sight of Meritech.

“See, Kass?” Diego hummed as he pulled over and stopped the car. “You could’ve just stayed home.”

“Well, the van’s there,” Kassandra commented, “but Five’s not in it. So, you might still need me.”

Really, when they reached the van and peeked in through the windows, they found it to be empty. Luther pulled at the door but it wouldn’t budge, so Diego pushed him aside and cracked open the lock. Then, they proceeded to bump into each other and almost get stuck because they couldn’t agree on who got to climb inside first. Eventually though, they got it, and the siblings started searching the van.

The back was mostly filled with cleaning supplies, some hung on the wall, some strewn about on the floor, while the front housed receipts and documents and the crumbs of a few snack meals to last for the stakeout. Kassandra settled into the driver’s seat and flipped through the masses of paper to find something Five might’ve written, a message or anything, when a whistle from Diego demanded her attention. He had a habit of doing that, whistling to get others’ attention, as if they were dogs. As much as it annoyed her, Kassandra turned around, only to be faced with the first page of an open book. Not just any book. Vanya’s autobiography. So, Five had read it – a lot of times, clearly, since it was very worn out – and he had scribbled tons of equations in it. But Diego was out for something else, something he was tapping his finger against.

“What library is that?” he asked, pointing at the faded library stamp on the title page.

“Well, it’s the city’s public library,” Kassandra muttered, “but—”

“Yeah, I can see that, but which branch?”

“The stamp is rubbed off, I can’t tell you. All public library stamps look the same except for the name and address - but all that’s left here is the base shape and a few letters, that’s not much to work with.”

“Great.”

“Wait, you work at the Public Library, right?” Luther asked, turning to look at Kass. “Can’t you get into the system and find out where he borrowed this from?”

“Well,” Kassandra sighed, “judging by the state this thing is in, Five probably got this in the future and he most likely didn’t actually borrow it. But I could check which branches of the library still have Extra Ordinary in their collection – I think all of us got one copy of the book each but not all of us might have kept it. After all, the book became less popular as time went on.”

“Thank god,” Diego grumbled.

“So, let’s go to Thompson,” Kassandra suggested, motioning Luther out of the car. “Timmy’s on shift today and he still owes me a favour.”

“Timmy? Who’s that? Your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s a coworker. And you had better be nice to him if you want him to help us.”

So, another drive later, the trio arrived at Thompson Public Library, and Kassandra waltzed right in through the front entrance. Timmy was coincidentally behind the front desk when they came in and he beamed when he saw her but she could sense his blood turning cold the moment he spotted her brothers behind her. Kassandra cursed herself internally. Of course. Both Diego and Luther looked like they were about to assault people, Diego with his knives and Luther with his, what, seven feet of pure muscle? Any reasonable person would be scared of them if they didn’t know them, but Kassandra was so used to recalling their little seven-year-old selves, and she knew that they were all bark and no bite, at least to her. Timmy on the other hand…

“H-hey, Kassandra, I, uh, I didn’t think you’d be coming in. – Are- are those your brothers?”

It didn’t help that they were staring him down either.

“Yeah,” Kassandra said cheerfully. “This is Diego… and Luther.”

“Hi,” Luther said, giving a slight wave. Diego, however, barely made a simple gesture.

Realizing that she was getting nowhere with them by her side, Kassandra suggested that Diego and Luther should take a look around. Go find Five was the secret instruction, in case he was here. Hopefully, he was. It would cut their search a little short. The moment the two of them were out of sight, Timmy let out an audible sigh.

“Geez… I didn’t know your brothers were—”

“They’re real sweethearts,” Kassandra interrupted, “just, y’know… tough shell.”

“Ah.”

“Listen, Timmy, I need a favour.”

And so, Kassandra explained their situation, leaving out the part about their brother being missing and replacing it with some sort of inheritance issue that Timmy didn’t need to understand. Timmy, ever the gentleman, was quick to get on his computer and let Kassandra behind the front desk, asking her to sit down while he did his research. It didn’t take him long and he dictated the various branches of the library that still had Extra Ordinary in stock to her. So, Kassandra gained a list of possible places that Five could be hiding at, one of them being Thompson. If they wanted to find him and find him quickly, they would have to go by some sort of system. The gears were grinding in Kassandra’s brain, until something nudged her from the back of her mind.

“Do you have a map?” she asked, scribbling little symbols on the side of her notepad.

“Yeah, sure,” Timmy muttered, trying to make sense of her behaviour. “We have the flyers for— Hey, what happened to your foot?”

“Oh, I fell down the stairs, nothing major.”

“Nothing major?! Sandy, you could have a concussion! Have you been to a doctor?”

“No, I haven’t. And I did have a minor concussion but I got better.”

“Got better?!” Timmy huffed, his chest and brain spiralling and sparking. He checked the room for any signs of her brothers, then continued. “Kassandra, you know you can tell me anything, right? If you need help—”

“No, I can’t tell you anything,” Kassandra insisted, taking his hands into her gloves. “I can’t tell anyone anything, I thought you understood that.”

But Timothy just scoffed. “I shouldn’t have let you go home.”

“Don’t say anything,” Kassandra hissed. “You don’t know what it’s like. What we’re like. You wouldn’t understand. Once this is all over, I hope we can move past this,” she lied, “but for now, the only help I need is for you to give me a map.”

“I’ll call the police.”

That was when Kassandra grabbed Timmy by the wrist, yanking his hand away from the phone.

“Don’t,” she demanded, “or my brother will bust your kneecaps. That’s not a threat, it’s a warning,” she added, “because I don’t know whether I’ll be able to stop him.”

Wordlessly, Timothy handed her a flyer with a map of the various branches of the public library, and Kassandra took it, retreating to one of the tables near the entrance hall to start on her project. Sketchy lines and colored symbols covered new pages in her notepad, her trusty color-change pen her constant companion on this newest mission. Then, she laid the six scribbled pages out in front of her and got to work on the map, marking the Umbrella Academy with an X and making little annotations. Every library branch was equipped with a little symbol, an estimated distance to the Academy and a number. Finally, she connected everything with annotated lines.

“Holy shit,” Diego muttered behind her, pulling her out of her focus for a moment, “I haven’t seen those messy sketches in years. You really never forget shit, do you?”

Her two brothers were standing behind her, looking over her shoulder and inspecting the drawings.

“Five’s not here,” Luther announced. “Is that one this place?” he then asked, picking up one of the drawings.

“Yeah, that’s Thompson,” Kassandra confirmed, plucking it out of his hand.

She diligently gathered together all of the drawings and put them into her notepad, placing the flyer on top.

“We have five more libraries to get through and I’ve made us a route of where we’re gonna go in what order.”

“Woah, woah,” Diego cut in, “that looks like a wild goose chase.”

“Trust me, there’s a lot of thought behind it and a lot of logic even but I can’t tell you what the logic is, so you’re just gonna have to trust me. Just like good old times.”

Three libraries and almost double the hours later, Kassandra followed Diego and Luther inside Argyle Public Library. By now, she really regretted going with them. The two of them had done nothing but bicker throughout the whole journey, and Kassandra herself had felt very useless – and she had taken her last ibuprofen a while ago, so she was about to be in pain as well.

As per usual, the three of them split up to attempt to tame this monster of a library. Hundreds of shelves across so many floors… No wonder, this was the biggest branch of the eight that there were. Hopefully, Five was really in here. Otherwise, she would never hear the end of it from Diego about how awful her route had been. Unless Five wasn’t in the last library either, in which case Diego would be condemning the entire idea instead.

Still, Kassandra justified her tagging along on this goose chase with one simple thought: Five might need her. Not, Luther, not Allison, her, because she was the only one who really knew what was going on with the apocalypse. Maybe he would even give her a hint of a compliment for her efforts at trying to find out the source of armageddon. She had had her thoughts about it. There was one fairly obvious reason that armageddon could be caused, but if her whole route and scheme didn’t work out…

Finally, with a quiet ding of the elevator, Kassandra reached the top floor, only to find Diego and Luther standing at the stairs in a discussion. It was about why Diego had left. So, Kassandra quickly turned the other way before they could notice her, venturing into the labyrinth of shelves. That was when she heard the agitated whispers of two women.

“Where are his parents?”

“I’m calling security.”

Quickly, Kassandra followed the voices, turning back towards the balcony looking down upon the entrance hall.

There he was!

A very tousled Five was sitting on the ground between two pillars, sleeping with an empty vodka bottle in his hand and a mannequin in his arm. Well, it wasn’t much of a mannequin, really. It only had one arm and no legs, but Five was clinging to it like one might cling to a lover. The pillars and glass railing around him were covered in equations exactly like the ones in his copy of Vanya’s book, drawn on with a sharpie that had fallen out of his limp hand.

With a newfound urgency as well as some form of relief, Kassandra hurried back to Diego and Luther, who seemed to have reached a stalemate in their discussion, if only for a moment.

“Before you start again,” she cut in, “you should come with me. I found Five and I need your help with him.”

“What, does the little psycho not wanna go?” Diego questioned.

“He’s drunk and asleep. We should get him out of here fast, I think one of the librarians is calling security.”

Luther sighed. “He’s always been trouble.”

Swiftly, Kassandra led Diego and Luther back to where Five was sleeping. Luckily, the coast was still clear.

“Drunk as a skunk”, Diego chuckled when he saw the old boy. “Come on, Kass, you’re the caretaker here, do something.”

Carefully, Kassandra kneeled down in front of Five. Part of her was worried that his first reaction to being woken up would be to stab someone. Still, she shook him lightly.

“Five…? Five… Wake up.”

Five groaned and his head dropped to his chest. Then, he opened his eyes and looked at Kassandra blearily.

“Oh… It’s you… Is mommy coming to pick me up from school?” he slurred.

“Yes, mommy’s coming to pick you up.” Kassandra smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. “But I can’t carry you, so Luther will do that, okay? Right, Luther?”

“Alright, come on,” Luther sighed. He scooped Five up from the ground like a training dummy. As he did that, the mannequin fell out of Five’s arms.

“No, Delores!” he cried out.

Quickly, Kassandra picked Delores back up and put her back into Five’s arms. Then, she collected the bottle from the ground.

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Diego grumbled.

They snuck their way out of the library through the back entrance, into a shady alley. In the state he was in, it was better not to let Five into any car. So, they had all silently elected to walk, as much as Kassandra didn’t want to. The only question was what they were going to do with the little troublemaker.

“We can’t go back to the Academy,” Luther stated. “It’s not secure there. Those psychopaths could come back any moment.”

“My place is closer,” Diego offered. “No one will look for him there.”

Five let out a small belch as he was hanging there in Luther’s arms like an overcooked noodle, holding on to Delores. Immediately, Luther smelled danger.

“If you vomit on me-”

“You know what’s funny?” Five cut in.

“No, what?” Kassandra asked, calmly as ever.

Diego was a lot less calm. He marched ahead of the group, looking completely annoyed. Luther wasn’t doing much better either.

“Ah! I’m going through puberty”, Five remarked. “Twice. And I… I drank that whole bottle, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Kassandra confirmed. “A little much for your small body.”

“Well, that’s what you do when the world you love goes bye-bye. Poof, it’s gone. … What are you guys talking about?”

Luther sighed in exasperation. “Two masked intruders attacked the Academy last night,” he explained.

“They came looking for you!” Diego announced in a sarcastically cheery voice. “So I need you to focus. What do they want?”

With a little cleansing breath, Kassandra pulled off her glove and put her hand on Five’s. The oncoming wave of drunkenness almost knocked her over, but it might just be their only way of getting clear answers, with her piecing together all she could read out.

“Hazel and Cha-Cha,” Five slurred.

“Who?”

“You know I hate codenames,” Luther grumbled.

“Oh, the best of the best, except me, of course.”

“The best at what?”

“You know…” Five trailed off, “Delores always said she hated it when I drink. She said it made me surly—”

“Hey!” Diego shouted and spun around on his heel to stare at Five. The whole group came to a stop. “I need you to focus. What do this Hazel and Cha-Cha want?” he asked very clearly.

Five just grinned like this was all a game to him. As to be expected, he said nothing.

“We just wanna protect you.”

“Protect me?” Five echoed. “I don’t need your protection, Diego. Do you have any idea how many people I’ve killed?”

“… No.”

“I’m the Four frickin’ Horsemen!” he boasted. “The apocalypse is coming.”

Then, he hurled his head to the side and vomited on the ground. Kassandra immediately brushed his hair out of his face. The poor guy… He would feel absolutely horrible in the morning and it was questionable how long he’d still feel good now.

“Anything from you, Kass?” Diego asked while looking away in disgust.

“Nothing that would change the original plan,” Kassandra murmured as she started gently rubbing Five’s back.

“Even if there was, she couldn’t tell us,” Luther recalled, grumpily avoiding his gaze. At least the vomit was going past him.

Finally, Five had stopped. He was breathing heavily and groaned as he settled back into his original position. Gently, Kassandra wiped his mouth with a tissue, despite his fruitless struggling.

“Why don’t you sleep a little, Five?” she suggested, carding her fingers through his hair.

“But I’m not tired,” Five protested. “Hey, is there still something left in the bottle?”

“It was empty, so I threw it away,” Kassandra explained.

She gave Luther a little nudge to start walking again. After all, it was best if they kept moving. Besides, she wasn’t sure if this little trick would work at all since, last she had checked, she wasn’t Allison.

“And I do think you’re very tired. I’ll even sing you to sleep.”

“I don’t want to sleep.”

But Kassandra started humming, her hand on Five’s head. In her mind, she made her intentions clear, and she sent them over to Five through her telepathy. Only the calmest thoughts reached him. Softly, she started singing a tune she remembered hearing when things had gotten tough at the Academy, when her world was starting to fall apart.

Lay down your head

And I’ll sing you a lullaby

Back to the years

Of loo-li lai-lay

And I’ll sing you to sleep

And I’ll sing you tomorrow

Bless you with love

For the road that you go

Diego regarded her sceptically and she could feel Luther’s eyes on her too, but she kept her mind on one intention only: Sleep. To lull Five into the world of dreams. The thoughts she sent him were calming, caring, all the love she could gather from her heart. Lord knew he needed it… Really, she could feel Five’s mind getting quieter with every line she sang.

May there always be angels to watch over you

To guide you each step of the way

To guard you and keep you safe from all harm

Loo-li loo-li lai-lay

Finally, his head dropped back and he snored quietly. Carefully, Kassandra removed her hand, a smile forming on her lips.

“You can do that?” Diego questioned, arms crossed. “Don’t ever do that to me or I swear I’ll douse you with an ice bucket.”

“I didn’t expect it to work,” Kassandra said quietly. “I’m not Allison, I can’t bend reality. But I have some power over the mind. I’m sure if Five hadn’t been drunk, it wouldn’t have worked.”

“He wouldn’t even have let you close.”

“That too. But I doubt his mind would have been open enough to suggestions either. It’s like hypnosis, it all depends on how cooperative the subject is. Well, I suppose it is hypnosis.”

With Five passed out and quiet, they reached Diego’s place soon. He lived in the basement of the boxing gym that Kassandra had found him at, right next to the boiler room. Not much of a place, Kassandra thought, but he had decorated it at least a little, and if he liked living here… Gently, Luther put Five down on the bed while Diego put Delores on a chair. All three of the siblings found themselves fondly staring at Five for a while.

“Funny,” Diego said. “If I didn’t know he was such a prick, I’d say he looks almost adorable in his sleep.”

“I think we all looked adorable when we were thirteen,” Kassandra hummed, only to be met with vehement resistance.

That was when steps echoed out in the hallway. Immediately, Diego told everyone to be quiet and pulled out one of his knives. But Kassandra sensed no danger. Still, she decided to obey. Virtue of silence and all. Quickly, Diego pulled open the door, ready to attack.

“You throw another one of those knives at me, I’m pressing charges!” the voice of an old man came from outside.

Diego scoffed. “What do you want, Al?”

A boxing trainer came in – Al, most likely. His face didn’t look like he was a trainer, but his attire made you assume he was. By what Kassandra gathered, he was the owner of this place, having given Diego the basement room in exchange for him mopping floor.

“I ain’t your secretary,” he complained

“Yeah”, Diego mumbled without interest.

“Some lady called for you, said she needs your help.”

“What lady?”

“I dunno, some, uh, detective. I think she said her name was, uh, Blotch or something.”

“Patch?”

Now, Diego was alert. Kassandra could feel electricity in the air, her sixth sense filling with a sensation akin to the smell of sea spray but sharper, more desperate, and a thumping heartbeat echoed in her ears. It was almost like he was in love with this lady Patch. Was he in love? He was in love. He loved her and feared for her.

“She needs you to meet her at a motel, a dump on Calhoun.”

“When?”

“About half an hour ago. Uh, said she found your brother.”

Now, Kassandra too was electrocuted. Five was here. But that could only mean the brother in question was…

“Klaus!” she gasped. “I knew it meant trouble that I couldn’t find him!”

Suddenly, all of the things she had forgotten came back to her. A blue bear and a pink dog, the hallway, guns, the stairs, Vanya. Rushing through the servant’s pathways with her leg damn near falling off, bursting into Klaus’s room. The way he had looked at her with wide eyes, how she had choked on her words and spat out blood, how he had tried to comfort her. The hit on her head, the fading in and out of consciousness, the sight of Klaus in absolute terror and despair, carrying her back into the pathway and shutting the door.

Oh, Klaus, I’m sorry…

Kassandra was already storming for the exit when she ran into Diego’s arm, hopelessly pinned in place.

“You stay here”, he demanded. “Take a rest. Ibuprofen’s in the cabinet over there, take it and sit down. I’ve got this.”

Then, Diego sprinted off. Kassandra was left there with large, pleading eyes and a metaphoric hole in her chest. Helpless, she looked back at Five and Luther, trying to console herself with the fact that she might be needed here when Five woke up. But Klaus… How could she have forgotten that? In large chunks, guilt was eating away at her heart.

General Taglist: @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene @bravelittleflower @box-of-bats

Academy Projects Taglist: @therantsofawriterrr @come-along-pond @the-wyvern-institute @cherrybombgigi

Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

#the umbrella academy #tua #tua oc #oc: kassandra hargreeves #fanfiction #fic: project apocalypse #fic: the academy projects

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phasmophobie · 2 years ago

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RULES: let the generator pick three words that must be included in a text. language up to you, whatever feels more comfortable !

EXPLOSION , PALAST , OFFSET.

UNÜBERSICHTLICHE MINUTEN WARTETE ER BEREITS, doch es herrschte nichts als Stille. Hatte er sich verschätzt? Zugegeben, er war nicht gerade ein Experte im Umgang mit Magnesiumpulver und Wasserstoffperoxid. Chemische Zusammensetzungen erwiesen sich häufig als euphorisierendes Thema seines Bruders, doch Cyrill war vorerst meilenweit von ihm entfernt. Jahrzehnte gar, korrigierte er sich bitter. Ob dies zu seinem Vorteil war, blieb Grundlage für Diskussionen. Jetzt aber befand sich Pavel in einer unangenehmen Situation, in der er nicht wusste, ob er nachsehen oder weiter warten sollte. Wenn er jetzt aus seiner Deckung herauskäme, könnte er sich der Gefahr der Streuung aussetzen, wenn er in der Hocke verblieb, war es nicht auszuschließen, dass er den Moment verpasste. Zähneknirschend lugte er missmutig hinter dem vollgekritzelten Lüftungskasten hervor und schob seinen Kopf so weit über den Rand, dass seine Nasenspitze die Kante berührte. Er wusste nicht, was er erwartete zu sehen, was ihm einen Indikator darüber geben würde, ob sein Plan in absehbarer Zeit in Erfüllung ging oder ob die Lunte erloschen war.

Comicesque kroch er nach einer weiteren zähen Minute hervor und rutschte zu dem Apparat, welchen er zuvor vor Schreck nach Betätigung von sich geworfen hatte, und beäugte es missbilligend. Ein Rauschen ertönte, gefolgt von einem unangenehm schrillen Piepton an seinem Ohr. "Was dauert da so lange?!", keifte die akzentreiche und ungeduldige Stimme Jakows. "Beeil dich, mudak, oder ist dir deine Frau doch nicht mehr so wichtig?" Pavel konnte das gehässige Grinsen auf den Lippen des anderen hören und augenblicklich stieg die Hitze in ihm an. "Denk dran, wenn ich das tue, ist meine Schuld beglichen.", brummte Pavel, halbwegs erleichtert darüber, dass dieser Jakow Chernykh seiner Frau wenig anhaben konnte — sie lebten immerhin nicht im selben Jahrhundert. Zurückkehren in sein Zeitalter wollte der ursprüngliche Geisterjäger dennoch, denn er wollte mit dieser neon-verseuchten Stadt nichts zu tun haben. Gerade als er Luft holen wollte, um Jaschas darauffolgenden aggressiven Kommentar mit Wut zu begegnen, knallte es plötzlich lautstark in der Nähe und er sah zu, wie die Meridian Corporation der Zukunft in einer Explosion zersprang als wäre es nichts als ein Gerüst aus Klemmbausteinen. Der MeriTech Komplex, der wie ein Palast im Herzen der kalten Stadt gethront hatte, brannte lichterloh und einer Explosion folgten weitere. Wer wusste, was alles in diesem Moment Feuer fing. Wer wusste, was durch seine Hand Freilauf bekommen hatte. Wer wusste, worauf Jascha und die Männer zugreifen wollten — abgesehen von der dunklen Masse, die sie erst in diese Bredouille gebracht hatte und ihn hoffentlich wieder zurückschicken würde.

tagged by: initiatior

tagging: @thisis-elijah , @trauma-report , @bvtchcr , @heartofglass-mindofstone , @caughtbetweenworlds , @daemonoria & @moriiturus !

#*muse game #gamesfakevz

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impact-newswire · 13 days ago

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Thread AI Secures $20M Series A to Transform Enterprise AI Workflows

Composable AI platform expands with new funding, enabling customers to deploy AI at scale NEW YORK – Thread AI, a leader in composable AI infrastructure, today announced it has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Greycroft, with participation from Index Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Plug-and-Play, Meritech Capital, and Homebrew. Founded by former Palantir executives Angela McNeal…

#AI #AI infrastructure #Artificial Intelligence #Enterprise AI #Funding

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10bmnews · 3 months ago

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Pennylane doubles valuation as Alphabet VC fund takes stake

Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao | Moment | Getty Images French accounting software firm Pennylane has doubled its valuation to 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion) in a new 75 million euro funding round. Pennylane told CNBC that it raised the fresh funds from a host of venture funds, co-led by Sequoia Capital, Alphabet’s CapitalG and Meritech. DST Global also partipcated in the round. Founded in 2020,…

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newtras · 3 months ago

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Pennylane double valuation as Alphabet VC Fund is involved

Secan Mongkhonkhambassao | Moment Getty images The French company dealing with Pennylane accounting software doubled its valuation of up to EUR 2 billion ($ 2.16 billion) in the new funding round of EUR 75 million. Pennylane told CNBC that he had raised fresh funds from many enterprises, and Secoia Capital ran a round and Alphabet Capital, Meritech and DST Global also participates. Founded in…

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satrthere · 3 months ago

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Pennylane double valuation as Alphabet VC Fund is involved

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businessindustry · 3 months ago

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Sole Cleaning Machine Market Analysis, Industry, Share 2024 to 2032 | Reports and Insights

The Reports and Insights, a leading market research company, has recently releases report titled “Sole Cleaning Machine Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2024-2032.” The study provides a detailed analysis of the industry, including the global Sole Cleaning Machine Market share, size, trends, and growth forecasts. The report also includes competitor and regional analysis and highlights the latest advancements in the market.

Report Highlights:

How big is the Sole Cleaning Machine Market?

The global sole cleaning machine market size reached US$ 76.2 million in 2023. Looking forward, Reports and Insights expects the market to reach US$ 122.3 million in 2032, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% during 2024-2032.

What are Sole Cleaning Machine?

A sole cleaning machine is a specialized device designed to clean dirt, debris, and contaminants from the soles of shoes and footwear. Often used in environments like hospitals, laboratories, and cleanrooms where high hygiene standards are essential, these machines employ methods such as brushes, air blasts, or UV light to thoroughly sanitize footwear before entering sensitive areas. By ensuring that shoes are free from contaminants, sole cleaning machines help maintain strict cleanliness protocols and enhance safety in controlled environments.

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What are the growth prospects and trends in the Sole Cleaning Machine industry?

The sole cleaning machines market growth is driven by various factors and trends. The market for sole cleaning machines is expanding as the demand for high hygiene standards in environments like hospitals, laboratories, and industrial facilities rises. These machines play a crucial role in removing contaminants from footwear, helping to prevent the spread of dirt and pathogens and ensuring stringent cleanliness and safety. The market growth is fueled by technological advancements, such as automation and improved cleaning techniques. As the focus on infection control and hygiene increases, the need for effective sole cleaning solutions is growing, driving wider adoption across various sectors and boosting market growth. Hence, all these factors contribute to sole cleaning machines market growth.

What is included in market segmentation?

The report has segmented the market into the following categories:

By Operation Mode:

Automatic Sole Cleaning Machines

Manual Sole Cleaning Machines

By Technology:

Ultrasonic Cleaning

Brush Cleaning

Spray Cleaning

UV Sterilization

By End-Use:

Healthcare Facilities

Food Processing and Manufacturing Plants

Hospitality and Commercial Facilities

Pharmaceutical Industries

Others

Market Segmentation by Region:

North America:

United States

Canada

Latin America:

Brazil

Mexico

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Asia Pacific:

China

India

Japan

Australia & New Zealand

ASEAN

Rest of Asia Pacific

Europe:

Germany

The U.K.

France

Spain

Italy

Russia

Poland

BENELUX

NORDIC

Rest of Europe

Middle East & Africa:

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

South Africa

Egypt

Israel

Rest of MEA

Who are the key players operating in the industry?

The report covers the major market players including:

CWT Systems

Meritech

Best Technology

CleanTech

SaniStride

Shoe Inn

Sole Clean

Gaomei

Hygienius

Shenzhen Miray Intelligent Technology

BootieButler

Shoe Cover Magic

SaniMat

Klenco (Sole Cleaning Solutions)

Tersano

Others

View Full Report: https://www.reportsandinsights.com/report/Sole Cleaning Machine-market

If you require any specific information that is not covered currently within the scope of the report, we will provide the same as a part of the customization.

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#Sole Cleaning Machine Market share #Sole Cleaning Machine Market size #Sole Cleaning Machine Market trends

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hidelias · 3 months ago

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A bend in space-time Season 1 - [Chapter 10: The fall of a sparrow]

Chronological markers: this scene fits like a deleted scene from season 1 episode 3, around 30:18 (just after Pogo is seen on the balcony).

Suggested soundtrack : Nina Simone - Sinnerman

---

March 26, 2019 - 04:45 pm

On my way home from work this time, I dared to enter the front door of Hargreeves Mansion using the key Klaus had given me. Perhaps this wasn't the brightest idea, as I found the atmosphere charged with an awkward silence: clearly, I'd arrived at the end of a tense conversation. I realized that everyone was there except Five, who was still busy spying on Meritech.

I passed Allison and Luther in the hall: they greeted me without a word, their faces tense and low. And now, as I climb the steps of the Grand Staircase, I'm beginning to fear that this might have something to do with Grace. I feel a little bad about talking to Luther about it this morning. Whatever he chose to say or do, I hope I didn't precipitate anything.

In silence, I make my way up to the wing of the house that was occupied by Reginald Hargreeves: luxurious corridors and rooms, loaded with books and glass display cases. Trophies, paintings and things I'm not always able to name. This man clearly had a fascination for technology, naturalistic specimens and art. It's as if everything in this world interested him, except his children. His presence is still everywhere, in this part of Hargreeves Mansion. And as I climb the balcony that runs around the reception living room, I feel more than ever the influence of this man I never knew.

There I find Pogo, sitting in a wooden armchair by the bookcases. His expression is sad, and more tired than ever: I can see it clearly through his little glasses. From his movements, I sense that his back is aching: a lot of time has passed since he was a young monkey. I don't know his origins or background: I won't ask. I can only guess that he's one of a kind, and one of the few remnants of a world on the brink of extinction.

I don't get too close, on the creaky floor, but he spots me, and a flash of surprise passes through his eyes. I guess he wasn't expecting visitors in this gallery. But now that I'm here, he details me from top to bottom. And after crossing his gnarled hands, he finally utters:

"May I ask what brings you here?"

I can't help but look away. I feel respect for him, possibly because he's out of the ordinary, or simply because he's old. Or perhaps because he holds some form of memory of this place and of the Hargreeves family. Suddenly, I'm slightly regretting the promise I made to Klaus. That I'd come to talk to Pogo about the notebook. I really think I've stepped into something too big for me this time.

"Good evening," I say politely, but my hands are shaking a little, so I hide them into my pockets.

I'm not sure how to address him, so I add: "Sir", to which Pogo lets out a muffled, sad laugh. Clearly, he'd rather I didn't refer to him that way.

"You can call me Pogo, that's what everyone does. Is there anything you need?"

I gather my courage. The golden light falling from the art-deco lamps makes the frames of his glasses gleam, and only emphasizes the wrinkles of his long life.

"I came to…" I breathe a sigh. "I have to tell you that Klaus is still trying to find the notebook he has…. misplaced. But unfortunately, at the moment… it doesn't seem to be anywhere."

Pogo closes his eyes for a moment, contemplating my answer, or more likely accepting the confirmation of his fears. He doesn't seem angry: all I sense in him is an even deeper sadness.

"He's doing his best, I promise… as far as he can…" "I know."

When Pogo opens his eyes again, I feel he's sincere. That he knows Klaus extremely well and that he is aware I am telling the truth. I even wonder if he really expected him to find this object, ordering him to look for it. He rests his hand on the arm of the chair, and I say to him:

"This notebook of Mr. Hargreeves… It was something precious".

It's not a question: it's just a fact. And judging by the look on the old chimpanzee's face, I understand that 'precious' is an understatement. He nods slowly and whispers:

"Klaus should have known better".

The problem is, when Klaus is in withdrawal, he 'knows' nothing anymore. Pogo sighs:

"It was Master Reginald's research notebook". His eyes return from the floor to mine, and he adds: "About the Umbrella Academy".

Those are two words I've never heard Klaus utter. Ever. Well, maybe 'Academy', and always with 'fucking' before it. But the word that sends a shiver down my spine is 'research'. Because I don't know a lot, but it's already too much. I rub my eyes: despite the emotional toll it's taking on me, I'm becoming more aware of the nature of the book Klaus has thrown away in the street. All the information it might contain. Memories. Facts. About this man who's gone, but above all, about his children and their powers. All lost now.

"I'm sorry."

I don't even know why I'm asking for forgiveness. It's Klaus who should be sorry, not me. And Pogo, staring at me this time, says:

"Whether we're sorry or not won't change a thing, now we'll just have to deal with the aftermath".

I don't quite understand this word, but a trickle of icy water runs down my spine. Suddenly, I feel like I'm in one of Five's equations, where two states of the world coexist: one where nothing happens… and another where the consequences are terrible. I don't want to believe that his current 'investigations' at Meritech could be connected, but my mind keeps coming back to this question, while Pogo shakes his heavy head.

"I've almost come to hope that this notebook has been destroyed by now," he says. "Some of the information it contains could do a lot of harm. And others, which would have been of great benefit, will now probably never be known."

I blink. The harm that Reginald Hargreeves left behind has been with me for a while, but I'd never considered the possibility that he might also have held a lot of answers. Yet it's obvious. I don't move, overwhelmed by confused feelings, but Pogo leans toward me.

"It is a great pity that these writings are lost. For Klaus, for everyone. And even for you, Marine. In a half-jolt, I raise wide eyes to him, and stare. "What did you just call me?" Pogo clears his throat and settles back in his chair, as if reconsidering. "Klaus mentioned your name," he says, hesitantly, but my gaze is now hard as steel. "Klaus doesn't know that name."

A heavy silence passes over the gallery's ironwork, thick with meaning, and Pogo drops his head back onto the wood of the armchair. He reflects. Deeply. And finally, he seems to come to a decision.

"In all honesty," he says slowly, "you're only mentioned once under this name, in this notebook."

I freeze instantly, my eyes locked on the simian lips of the one who speaks to me as if he's known me since forever. I'm afraid to understand. No. More accurately, I'm certain I understand, at these very words. Reginald Hargreeves… knew about me.

"What was I?" My voice is harsh. "A mere number too?"

In my chest, my heart is beating so hard it's splitting my ribs. I think back to what Luther told me, about those classifications their father made, about the uncertainty of which way to read them, about how this dehumanization had marked them all. Pogo shakes his large ears in denial.

"No. You were designated as Omega".

I feel the blood pulsating at my temples. It's not a number, it's a fucking Greek letter: what's the difference? Just a damn parameter to be adjusted in his megalomaniac quest for… whatever. I can see Pogo sitting back in his chair, his old body hunched over as if he's afraid I'm going to punch him in the face.

"How many times?" I ask. "How many times was I named in those notes?"

The old ape doesn't look at me anymore, his cataract-scarred eyes lost on the bronze of old trophies. And rather than answer me, he asks another question:

"Did you ever wonder why your family left France for The City, when you were five years old?"

My mind wavers in vertigo. Of course I've asked myself this question, always telling myself that my mother and grandmother had searched for a better life here. But how likely was it that it would be in the very city where I would one day step on this very floor? I believed in a coincidence at twelve years old, the day I turned on the TV to the local news, and realized I wasn't alone. I believed in chance, the day I met Klaus. But now it all makes a painful sense, and a wave of nausea seizes me.

"Then my mother… came at his request…"

Once again, I think of the conversation with Luther. To the fact that Reginald Hargreeves knew from the start where to find the children born on October 1, 1989, and with what powers. To the fact that he did nothing without a purpose, as if everything fit into a greater plan. He only adopted seven: what happened to the rest of us? Pogo's eyes are still sad, but his brow is now lined with a kind of determination.

"Indeed." His answer is honest, and as I struggle not to let my legs collapse beneath me, he adds: "He paid her to move here".

I laugh wryly: he paid her. Not enough, anyway, for her not to sacrifice her health at work. Or was that part of the plan too? When I think about it, I've always wondered where my mother and grandmother got the money to travel back to France and Vietnam on vacation to see aunts and cousins. I never wondered where the money came from. Or how they'd managed to get me into that goddamn overpriced private school. I stare at Pogo, my eyes now sharp as daggers.

"I never had access to all the information," he tells me. "He made sure to keep an eye on you, three blocks away. He wanted… you to grow up in the least altered environment possible." "The least altered?"

I repeat these words, completely speechless. So this was really it? Research, where he changed one parameter or another? I feel anger, terrible anger, without sadness, no, just fiery anger. What other aspects of my life did he induce, making me believe they came from me? What control did I finally have? I see Pogo's shoulders slump, and I am sorry to channel my rage against him. He's not to blame, he had nothing to do with it. I take a breath and try to calm down.

"Why me?" That's the first thing I can get out. "Did he do this with other kids also born with a power?" "No." Now I feel the questions collide. "What was I? Some kind of back-up in case he lost one kid?"

I know this isn't true. Because Reginald Hargreeves never replaced Viktor, Five or Ben. Pogo sighs, his immense grief and fatigue seeming to overwhelm him.

"I'm not him. Your questions aren't addressed to me, and I don't know everything. However…" He takes a deep breath. "I know there were powers he expected more than others, among the forty-three." I blink in the half-darkness of the damn mansion's balcony, lacking strength now. "What you can do was somehow exceptional to him, even if I can't tell you more. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't."

I can see Pogo's sincerity. He knows nothing more. And indeed, the notebook that held many answers is now lost.

Now it's Five's words that come back to me, as we compared our respective skills. The statement he used when he said I was 'something beyond'. Matter, energy, space and time: what were Reginald Hargreeves' expectations for me? I feel a sudden headache, and I look at the absence of the umbrella on my arm. I thought this symbolized my freedom, but I was sadly mistaking. Like Viktor, I've never been free, and to discover this at thirty is indescribably painful, as Pogo can see. He sits back in his chair, and says to me with a kindness of his own:

"Everything he did was also for your own good. And for the good of everyone: he wanted a better future for this world." "For my own good," I repeat ironically. " Just like he locked Klaus up for his own good, I guess?"

I nod with piercing wryness, sadder than ever. And once again, Pogo is not to blame. I can't even imagine what that old chimp has been through himself. I exhale, and my whole chest sinks.

"I'm sorry. I try to steady my breathing. "I'm just wondering… what I'm supposed to do now."

Pogo gazes at me fondly, even though I know what he's about to say isn't going to please me. He finally gets up from the chair and leans on his walking cane.

"Master Reginald is no more," he said solemnly, "but his plans don't need him. He was one of those people who turned on the engines and let the machines run on their own."

In what direction? I remain silent, my heart beating too fast as the emotions of this cursed week intertwine with my worries about the apocalyptic future Five mentioned. I'm not trained for anything, even though I've been to the bathroom here a hundred times, contemplating the goddamn fighting posters on the walls.

"Pogo, I'm scared of what's going to happen."

Taking a few steps towards the stairs, his back obviously terribly sore, he finally looked over his shoulder at me.

"There's a Shakespeare quote Master Reginald was particularly fond of."

His gaze falls over the balcony towards the sofas, as if he could still see him sitting there. And eventually, in a voice that could have been his own, he recites:

"Not a whit, we defy augury. There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all".

---

Notes:

This is a difficult scene for Rin, I almost feel sorry for doing this to her. But such are Reginald Hargreeves' plans, and she was foolish to imagine being safe. The title of the first chapter, "caught in a spiral", was not insignificant.

And what do you think of this quote from Shakespeare? I believe that the 'special providence in the fall of a sparrow' could have actually inspired Reginald.

Any comment will make my day! ♡

---

A bend in space-time, the masterlist :

- Season 1 (complete): Table of contents - Season 2 (complete): Table of contents - Season 3 (complete): Table of contents - Season 4 (in progress) : Table of contents

#the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #fanfiction #fanfic #umbrellaacademy #the umbrella academy fanfiction #umbrella academy fanfiction #umbrella academy fanfic #tua fanfic #tua #klaushargreeves

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air--so--sweet · 1 year ago

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The differences I find interesting in the script are the bits that are actually closest to what we see on screen but not not quite there yet, like Luther and Diego's fight resulting in damage to Reginald's favourite tree rather than Ben's statue, or a random locket flying across Viktor's room and getting pinned to the wall instead of the locket Luther gave Allison.

Or Five simply saying 'that's unfortunate' in reference to Viktor leaving having originally been this -

I know it was likely changed as it undermines Five's line to Viktor later that he's the only one he can trust (which exists, though slightly differently, in this draft also), but on the flipside it also adds a lot of weight to why it's Klaus that Five gets to pose as his father when he goes to meritech. Because you could just read it as Five choosing Klaus because he knows he'll agree to do it for dtug money, but it is in fact because Five trusts him.

#the umbrella academy #season 1 episode 1 script #script to screen #tua #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #diego hargreeves #viktor hargreeves

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mieczyrecs · 10 months ago

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The Glitter, Glass, and Blood Author: CowgayKermit Rated: Not Rated Genre: General/Hurt/Comfort Pairing: N/A Summary: Five is sitting next to Klaus in front of the MeriTech building and actually listens as Klaus talks about the osso buco guy. Or the Five and Klaus interaction we deserved.

#ship: n/a #fandom: the umbrella academy #turating: nr #tugenre: general #tugenre: hurt/comfort #fic recs #mieczyrecs

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auxiliarydetective · 10 months ago

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AP-01: Project Apocalypse

ch. 09: Deafening Silence

AP-01 Masterlist

Warnings: Canon-typical issues, murder, catcalling

The next morning, Kassandra got up early, despite having gone to sleep so late. Maybe she should’ve taken the ambien. But Luther and Allison’s thoughts had kept her up all night, not to mention her own, and when she had slept, she had found herself back in the desolate wasteland of the apocalypse, having a cryptic conversation with Five that she neither fully understood nor fully recalled. She got dressed and snuck down to the kitchen to have breakfast, then disappeared into her room again. As far as she could tell, Allison and Luther were still in the surveillance room, discussing what they were seeing and trying to find a different interpretation. A little later, they went to see Mom and ask her some questions. Klaus, meanwhile, was outside, digging through the dumpster, trying to fix his mistakes. Apparently he had pawned one of Dad’s things, a box, and Pogo had gotten mad because the contents had been important and now Klaus was looking for them. Or at least that was what Kassandra could gather. Five woke up last and pretty much immediately headed back to Meritech to do a stakeout, slightly drunk, anxious and drowsy.

A while later, sometime around midday, Allison came into Kassandra’s room.

“Hey,” she said softly, and Kassandra could already tell what had happened. She had told Luther about Claire. “We’re having a family meeting later… About Mom. Luther says he’ll go get Five. Could you talk to Diego and I’ll talk to Vanya? I know you two haven’t exactly been best friends, but… I need to be the one to talk to Vanya. Apologize to her.”

“I get it,” Kassandra mumbled. She put on a smile. “Don’t worry, I can handle Diego. If it’s about Mom, he’ll come.”

“Speaking of our brothers…” Allison continued slowly. “Do you know what’s up with Five? Y’know, last night?”

“I know. But I can’t tell you.”

With a deep sigh, Allison dropped her head. “Got it. But… you’re keeping an eye on him, right?”

“I took an entire week off from work, mainly for him,” Kassandra revealed.

Allison smiled and sat down next to Kassandra on the bed, squeezing her shoulder. “That’s my sister. … Any hints you can give?”

Kassandra took a deep breath to sort her thoughts, trying to find something she could say without being cut off. A little hint, anything. But Five was usually pretty strict with his secrets, so…

Time, she wanted to say, but the words got stuck in her throat, forming a lump, cutting off her air. At the same time, her lips pressed themselves shut and her eyes were glossed over with a milky white. She tried again, tried to word it differently, but it was no use.

“I guess that’s a no,” Allison sighed. “Thanks for trying though.”

Then, she got up and left. Kassandra gazed over at the photos on her desk, her siblings’ picture smiles looking back at her, their eyes hidden behind their masks. Looking through her closet, she found herself a pair of gloves, one that matched her outfit and her mood. With one last look in the mirror, she headed out to go pick up Diego.

When she reached the place indicated to her, she really didn’t think anyone could live here. It was an old boxing gym, grungy posters of fights lining the walls, the inside reeking of sweat. Still, it seemed to be moderately popular, with all training spots in the main room taken.

“Hey, pretty thing,” a man suddenly approached her. “What’s a princess like you doing here?”

Kassandra looked down at her outfit for a split second.

Princess? This isn’t even half as regal as I can be!

“I’m looking for my brother,” she stated. “Tall, he likes leather, carries a lot of knives.”

“Sorry, he’s not here,” the man smirked. “But in the meantime…”

“No, I know he’s here.”

“Trust me, baby,” he hummed, running his fingers along her hair, “he’s not. Why don’t we go for a drink until he gets back?”

That was when a metal door slammed into the wall at the other end of the room.

“Hey, hey, hey, hands off my sister!” Diego yelled, shoving anything and anyone out of the way as he marched towards the man and Kassandra. “Go back to whatever shithole you came from!”

The man snorted and looked Diego up and down. “What, that’s your sister?” He turned around to Kassandra. “He’s your brother? Damn, your dad couldn’t do better to protect you?”

“Alright, shithead—”

“I have five brothers and two sisters, thank you very much,” Kassandra cut in, “all of which could beat you to a pulp, and I carry a taser,” she added with a sourly sweet smile. “C’mon, Diego, let’s go. We have places to be.”

So, she grabbed Diego by the arm and pulled him out of the studio, though not before he had made his I’m watching you sign at all the men in the gym.

“Do you really carry a taser?” he asked as soon as the door had closed behind them.

“No, and I haven’t fought anyone or anything since I turned 17,” Kassandra confessed. “Listen, it’s about Dad’s death again.”

“Oh no.”

“Pogo gave Allison access to the surveillance room and there’s a tape there that you should see. It’s about Mom.”

Diego sighed, his eyes flickering around in worry. “Listen, I—”

“I know what you did, Diego,” Kassandra mumbled softly.

“Do the others know?”

“No. That’s why I need you to come with me and either set the record straight or come up with a good lie. And, for the record, I stand behind what you did. If Allison hadn’t found that security footage, it would’ve worked out great. Luther was ready to give up.”

“Ah, shit…” Diego let out a frustrated huff, then looked Kassandra in the eyes. “Truce, round two?”

“If you promise you won’t backstab me this time,” she commented, but she shook his hand with a smile, glove on glove.

“I didn’t backstab you,” Diego claimed as he opened the door of his car for her, motioning her inside with a gesture somewhere between passive-agressive and cordial. “Admit it, you agree with what I said.”

“The first part, maybe,” Kassandra murmured. “That doesn’t mean you should’ve said it.”

“The second part too, you just don’t wanna accept it.”

“And is that so bad?”

The drive back to the Academy took them about forty minutes, a time spent in silence. They finally pulled into the little back alley next to the house and got out of the car. A good while later, all of the siblings had gathered in the drawing room. Well… all except for Five, who had more important things to do. If only the other's knew… Klaus, meanwhile, had even brought popcorn, which Kassandra nervously stole a bit of. It was clear that this wouldn't go over well, so she needed the sugar to get her brain going.

Luther had put up a clunky tv on top of the bar, paired with a VCR player. He wanted to say something, he really did, but in the end all that came out was:

“Just watch this.”

So, he popped the tape into the VCR player and rewound it, and the same images Kassandra had seen last night flashed across the screen. They still looked just as awful as they had back then.

“Play it again,” Diego murmured.

Luther sighed quietly and did as he was told.

“Again.”

“Diego, the recording won’t change,” Allison insisted as the tape rewound again.

Kassandra just stood by and watched, tugging at her gloves, trying to find a detail to turn into a saving grace.

“This can’t be right,” Vanya murmured. “I mean, do you really think Mom would hurt Dad?”

“You haven’t been home in a long time, Vanya,” Luther commented. “Maybe you don’t know Grace anymore.”

“If he was poisoned, it would’ve shown up in the coroner’s report,” Diego hummed, fidgeting with one of his knives.

Luther pointed at the screen, raising his voice, his words becoming sharp. “Well, I don’t need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes.”

“Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision,” Diego scoffed. “Look closer.”

He pushed Luther away from the tv, and rewound the tape, then stepped back in an aloof fashion.

“Dad had his monocle. Mom stands up. Monocle’s gone.”

“Oh, yeah!” Klaus gasped.

“She wasn’t poisoning him, she was… taking it.”

“To clean it, most likely,” Kassandra added, her eyes alight.

“Then where is it?” Luther asked.

Silence. A tension like static electricity extended itself from Diego, one that only Kassandra could sense. She sent him a little mental nudge, a signal.

“Y’know, I’ve searched the house,” Luther rambled, “including all of her things – she doesn’t have it!”

“That’s because I… took it from her,” Diego confessed, looking the least guilty he could. After all, he had no remorse, even though the fact that it had to come out at all was a bother. “After the funeral.”

“You’ve had the monocle this whole time?!” Allison called. “What the hell, Diego?!”

“Give it to me!” Luther demanded.

But Diego didn’t have it. “I threw it away.”

“You what?!”

“Look, I knew if you found it on Mom, you’d lose your shit,” Diego barked, “just like you’re doing right now.”

“Diego, you son of a bitch—”

And just like that, they were in their fighting stances again, Diego ready to fight back like a panicked puppy.

“Luther, wait—” Kassandra cut in, simultaneously with Vanya.

“Hey, no, calm down,” she said, stepping between her brothers though they could easily look over her head. “Look, I know Dad wasn’t exactly an open book, but I do remember one thing he said: Mom was, well, designed to be a caretaker, but… also as a protector.”

“What does that mean?” Allison asked.

“She was programmed to intervene if someone’s life was in jeopardy.”

Luther furrowed his eyebrows, thinking out loud, though Kassandra could already hear the disaster coming. “Well, if her hardware is degrading, then— We need to turn her off.”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, wait! She’s not just a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet!” Diego yelled, and it was almost a miracle that he was pointing his finger at Luther and not a knife. “She feels things! I’ve seen it! And Kass can sense her, so she’s sentient. – Right, Kass?!”

“Right.”

“She just stood there, Diego,” Luther growled, “and watched our father die.”

“I’m with Luther.” Allison declared.

“Surprise, surprise,” Diego scoffed.

“Shut up.”

Suddenly, all eyes were on Vanya, various threats and questions implicit. Kassandra sighed. They were doing it again, tearing the family apart and jumping straight to a vote instead of deliberating first.

“I- I don’t—” Vanya stammed.

“Yeah, she shouldn’t get a vote,” Diego grumbled.

“I was gonna say that I agree with you.”

“Okay, she should get a vote!”

Classic.

“What about you, stoner boy?” Diego asked in a yell, pointing at Klaus. “What do you got?”

“Oh, so what, you need my help now?” Klaus mumbled, snacking on his popcorn. “Oh, ‘Get out of the van, Klaus!’ ‘Well, welcome back to the van!’”

“What van?” Allison scoffed.

Luther looked like he was just about done with the situation as he huffed: “What’s it gonna be, Klaus?”

“I’m with Diego, because screw you!” Klaus declared. “And if Ben were here, he’d agree with me.”

Something tickled Kassandra’s spine at those words but she couldn’t place it.

“Alright, Kass, say the word,” Diego said, a triumphant timbre already in his voice.

“I agree with you,” Kassandra stated, “but—”

“Here we go,” Allison sighed, and she was right in saying that for once since, not even a second later, Diego exploded again:

“What do you mean ‘but’?! There is no but!”

I should’ve known, Kassandra thought, defensively throwing her hands up as she tried not to let those sharp words get under her skin.

“Where’s all that talk about you being on my side now, huh?! She’s our mother, she’s sentient, she feels things, you said it yourself!”

“I did, which is why you should listen!” Kassandra hissed.

“You were never good at yes or no questions,” Allison interrupted.

“Do we shut Grace off, yes or no?” Luther asked harshly.

“Of course not!” Kassandra squeaked.

“Thank you,” Diego scoffed. “So that’s three…”

“Wait,” Luther mumbled.

“... to two.”

Kassandra, meanwhile, became distracted. They must’ve caused quite the scene, and her sixth sense confirmed it: They were being watched.

“Vote’s not final yet,” Allison declared.

Diego just stared at her as if she had just thrown away his knife collection.

“Five’s not here. The whole family has to vote, we owe each other that.”

“Right,” Luther said.

“No, we should wait,” Vanya declared.

With that, the family gathering disbanded, everyone in a sudden hurry to get where they were going. Only Kassandra, Diego and Vanya were left behind, with Diego immediately hell-bent on calling Number Eight out. But she just bumped her hand against his chest and covertly gestured behind herself. Caught off-guard by her sudden tranquility and a gesture he only knew from missions, he turned around, and a little shiver went down his spine when he saw Grace standing in the doorframe. Just like that, the argument was over, and the three siblings walked over to their mother.

“Hey,” Diego said in a soft voice. “How long have you been here?”

But Grace was zoned out, not entirely there. It took her a full seven seconds to notice that Diego was talking to her.

“You all seem upset,” she finally said, her expression lagging behind until she was back to her old, cheerful smile and tone. “I’ll make cookies.”

“I’ll help!” Kassandra immediately announced, the thought of getting to bake with her mom again making her giddy. After all, it had been years…

“Great! Shall we?”

“I’ll meet you down there in five minutes, okay?”

“Of course! Take your time.”

With those words, Grace left, her movements still soft and full of poise. The siblings’ eyes were pinned on her, each with their own thoughts behind them. Kassandra knew them all. She knew that Diego was cracking. She knew Vanya’s dark cloud of worry. She knew her own anxiety and desire to speak. But she said nothing.

“Do you ever wonder…” Vanya started, and for once, everyone listened. “All those moments with Mom, the things she said… Like, was it her, or was it really Dad?”

“Wh- What are you talking about?” Diego asked, the slightest hint of a stutter on his lips, forcing Kassandra to push back the urge to comfort him.

“Well, he built her,” Vanya explained. “And he programmed her to be a mom, to be our mom.” She sighed. “Sometimes, when I look at her, I just see him.”

There were things Kassandra wanted to say, but she kept quiet. Her biggest virtue had always been the virtue of silence, whether voluntary or not.

“Maybe that was true at first,” Diego said. “But she evolved.”

“Well, how do you know?”

“Because Dad only loved himself.”

And just like that, Diego was gone.

“What about you, Kass?” Vanya asked.

But Kassandra just shrugged. “I’ve never thought about it, honestly. I can sense Mom and though I can’t read her like I can you or Diego, I can understand her. But I never understood Dad. Maybe that’s stupid, but Mom is more human to me than Dad ever was.”

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