#Once a Rookie

[aggressivelyaverage21]

Once A Rookie Chapter 23: Ecclesiastes 7:9

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Shannon tries to figure out what is going on with her emotions. Mary calls her out. Beatrice loses some cookies. Lilith is just here trying her best. Shannon gets BIG MAD... again... kinda.

By the time the debrief finishes Beatrice was essentially catatonic. She’d regurgitated the same thing she’d told Mary, managing to keep her voice from shaking by some miracle. Beatrice found a sort of coldness in the facts to hide behind, it was almost easy that way. It struck her for the first time that maybe Gwen’s instructions on how to report weren’t purely y to keep it “professional” or for protocol– maybe she had been attempting to give a way to make the impossible a little easier for her group of rookies. 

Mother Superion nodded along while Beatrice soldered through her account just as she did with each of the other sister warriors. It wasn’t nearly as inquisitive as Beatrice thought it might be with reinforcements needing to be called in, and a fatality occuring. For all of Mother Superion’s rigidity, she accepted what happened and commended the team for handling it as well as they had. It wasn’t praise, but it wasn’t criticism either. 

Apparently satisfied with the account of the assignment, Mother Superion excused herself to further coordinate with the group securing the scene. Shannon’s grip on her anger was slipping as she turned away from her team, touching her thumb to each one of her fingers at her side. 

This was the part where Shannon should be giving them directions, finalizing any logistics, covering any saved rounds. Yet there she was, still keyed up enough to need to battle her anger before addressing the team, more specifically Beatrice. 

Lilith hadn’t seen Shannon like this often. She was intense, at least that was Shannon’s reputation around Cat’s Cradle. Lilith disagreed, she found Shannon to be incredibly professional– put together in a way that was hard to shake. Intensity like hers was something Lilith respected, and attempted to use as her model. Shannon did it without being cold, but aside from her inner circle she knew Shannon was sometimes characterized as closed off. 

She had to be. If Lilith had learned anything from her upbringing, her grooming , it was that responsibility like Shannon’s, like hers, carried a weight that was not only hard to share, but shouldn’t be shared. Not outside of the most inner parts of an inner circle. 

She hadn’t seen Shannon struggle with it like this. Not for something that didn’t seem, well, large enough an offense to warnent it. Shannon’s anger in the past had been exacting and well placed. She was also the first to be there for sisters when an assignment had gone wrong in a very real, very graphic, very hard, way– the way Lilith knew it had gone for Beatrice. 

Shannon, somehow, was always above the needing someone– at least to the rest of the order. Shannon went to Mary, or– more accurately– Mary went to her and Mary-ed it out of her. 

Yet, here she stood. So roughly contained. 

It was hard enough to look at, harder than it was to look at Beatrice as she battled with everything she’d seen, and Lilith decided she’d rather settle for watching Mary watch Shannon than look at either Shannon or Beatrice directly. The other woman knew her best after all, and if Mary was concerned then there was a real cause for worry. 

Apparently there was. 

Because Mary had shifted her attention from Shannon, and deliberately sought out Lilith. Silently, with nothing more than a quick glance at Beatrice, and tilt of her head toward the door, Mary was telling Lilith, and the kid: get lost.  

Beatrice had yet to look away from the corner of the white board. She’d been somehow quieter than normal for the entirety of the debrief. And now, with the distant glassy quality to her eyes, Lilith knew she’d fallin into the trap of playing out the horrors of the mission like a movie– Lilith had done the same. She was even wiping at blood that no longer colored her hands. 

Maybe the ‘ get lost,’ was less that and more ‘ get her out of here.’ 

Lilith looked back to Mary with a nod as she took Beatrice by the elbow first, then shifted her hand to the small of the younger girl’s back as she guided her from the room. 

“But–” 

Lilith shook her head again, this time at Beatrice– Once. Quick and decisive as she pushed the door open and sent Beatrice through it before she followed immediately after. Their roles had been somewhat assumed before they even left, but they were made very clear in the moment of understanding she so rarely had with Mary: Lilith would show Beatrice how to return everything and keep her busy while Mary dealt with Shannon. 

As the door closed behind the younger two Mary felt herself letting out a breath of relief. Until the noise of the door jarred Shannon into turning around, searching for the younger members of her team only to find they weren’t there. 

Mary shifted to place herself further between Shannon and the door. “I told Lilith to take her.” 

“What– Mary.” Shannon was almost growling, her hand paused the tapping to swing wildly at the door motioning after Lilith and Beatrice, “Get them back in here, we have stuff to go over.” 

“No.” Mary pouted her lip a bit as she shook her head, defiant as always. It was a decision to go toe to toe with Shannon in her aggression, but it was the only thing she could think to do at the moment to get her to listen. Clearly her suppression wasn’t working. Maybe getting it to boil over would do the trick. “We don’t.” 

Shannon huffed as she turned, her hands found her hips as she started pacing. Mary wasn’t sure if the lack of rebuttal was because she knew Mary was right or if she didn’t have a response at all. 

Shannon shifted as paced. Her hands alternated every few steps from resting on her hips and clenching at fists at her side. Occasionally they would even wipe aggressively at her face. 

So it continued. Hips. Face. Sides. Back of her neck.  Like she couldn’t figure out what her hands wanted to do. 

It was restless. Almost caged. 

 And it was nearly as maddening to watch as Mary was sure it felt. Yet, Mary let it go on until Shannon’s coif was thrown in an angry heap to the conference table with a vocalization that was somewhere between a muffled yell and a frustrated groan. 

"You need to get your shit together."

"Language." It was a half assed scold at best. Mary was pretty sure Shannon didn’t do it consciously anymore. Certainly not this time because her injection hadn’t so much as caused a hitch in Shannon’s pacing. 

Keep Reading

[sgt-tombstone]

Soap knows how to load and fire a flintlock but won’t tell anyone how or why

it’s his favorite party trick and he loves to gloat that he knows how to operate one weapon that Ghost doesn’t (he could probably figure it out but doesn’t want to risk sacrificing his fingers or face in a firearm explosion to test that theory)

[jesuis-assez]

↠ Tim & Lucy ↳ 6x03 - Trouble In Paradise

[sisterofficerlucychen]

chenford favorite parallels: 4x09/6x09

same hug, same episode number ♡

[kim-ruzek]

Kojo being the goodest bestest boy there ever was (aka him being the most adorable bridge between his mom and dad)

[watmalik]

Whatever you do, don’t imagine them posing like this with Tim in a tux, Lucy in a wedding dress and Angela in her best (wo)man attire 😭

[fishareglorious]

At one point after the storm marcus visits laplace, makes her way to the receptionist's table and sees lucy (looks uncannily like hofmann) and hofmann's manloser brother (also looks like hofmann for obv reasons) talking to each other there and every thread of emotional regulation she's been trying to keep together snaps and then she proceeds to detonate into tears at the sight of them both.

she just misses her mentor man.

[dylanconrique]

once tim meets lucy’s parents it's all gonna click for him why she got so defensive about his belief in her taking the detectives exam.

[kazoosandfannypacks]

fans of drama when their drama is being a drama: oh no it's being a drama!

[shadowfox-sketchbook-258]

Back on my cookie run bullshit for a limited time (the limited time is to be determined)

[hana-bobo-finch]

when you 100% giants hearth you unlock the coveted Dingo Trauma Dumping

[aggressivelyaverage21]

Once a Rookie Chapter 22 - Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Beatrice goes on one last trial mission. Things absolutely do not go to plan. Beatrice is faced with the realities of the OCS. Shannon has a hard time with it. Mary steps up as the adult.

“BEATRICE!” Shannon called as she coughed through dust, twisting her head to glance at the young warrior over her shoulder. True to her instructions earlier Betrice hadn’t been more than a pace off her hip the entire mission. She swung her left arm behind her protectively holding Beatrice back as she stepped between her and the group of possessed advancing on them. Some of the fear bubbling in her chest eased when her hand bumped into Beatrice’s hip. 

The wall they had just been using as cover had been demolished as at least five possessed barrelled through it in the gap between them and Mary and Lillth who had been leading the way. The sounds of the fight were upon them. The market wall was still crumbling beside them. The snarls of the possessed grew louder as they advanced. She could even hear Lilith and Mary shouting over the chaos to coordinate with each other. 

She had to get to them. Now. As relieved as she was that Beatrice was not harmed by the attack, this assignment had just gotten significantly more dangerous, and Beatrice didn’t have the full protection of her battle habit yet, Shannon hadn’t even allowed her to bring a weapon. This was supposed to be a safe assignment. Subdue one man and rid him of the wraith. 

Oh, how they had been wrong. How she had been wrong.  

“Van. Now.” Shannon’s voice was calm. Strong. Despite the chaos of a partially crumbling wall and dust settling down around them like snow, Shannon looked almost at home in it. 

“But–” I can help. Beatrice wanted to plead. She had done everything Shannon asked of her to this point. She was ready. She wanted to help. She certainly didn’t want to leave them a man down because Shannon wasn’t confident in her ability to protect herself. 

“No. I do not have time to argue.” She took a half second to turn her shoulders square to her rookie’s so she could meet her eyes. She knew Beatrice wasn’t doing it to be insubordinate but intentions didn’t really matter right this second. Mary and Lilith needed help and Beatrice needed to be protected. Arguing was not even anywhere close on that list. 

Mary and Lilith were already advancing as a pair toward the group from what Shannon could see as the dust settled as they picked themselves up from where they had been bowled over. “You get in the van and you stay there. Do you understand?”  

“Yes.” 

Shannon nodded her approval, the small movement of her head shaking some of the pale dust free from her hair. There was an ear splitting yell just a few meters in front of them, surly one of the possessed issuing their challenge. 

Beatrice hadn’t exactly thought the order was lying to the recruits, but seeing a man’s eyes replaced entirely by black as he seemed to emanate something so dark… it stole the moisture from Beatrice’s mouth and sent a shiver up her spine… Suddenly the OCS’s mission became very real, very fast. “Shannon?” 

“Go now, Beatrice. Quickly.”

Beatrice took off at a sprint. As much as she wanted to argue, and as much as running felt like the cowardly thing to do, she’d promised Shannon she would listen. Shannon had been doing this for years, and if she needed Beatrice to do something, as much as she hated it, Beatrice would do as she was told. 

That was always the only thing she was really good at anyway. 

There was another roar as brick and mortar crumbled around her team that had Beatrice glancing back over her shoulder. Shannon was standing tall as she swung her staff mid fight with three men, but Beatrice didn’t have time to think anything of it before her toe collided with something solid sending her tumbling forward. 

The pavement bit into the meat of her palm as she tried to catch herself. Her knee scraped through her training pants as it collided with the ground. Of course Shannon was sending her back to the van. If Beatrice couldn’t even do that properly, without stumbling or getting distracted, how was she to be trusted next to anyone in a fight? 

Beatrice glanced down to see the torn skin of her palm specked with bits of broken skin. It was so… juvenile… Beatrice didn’t remember truly scraping her hands up like this since she’d been a child. Something she’d been scolded for endlessly at the time. 

She didn’t have time for a trip down memory lane right now. Beatrice planted those stinging palms against the pavement and pushed herself up, scrambling to get her feet under her. She’s sure she looked like a cartoon. She felt a little bit like a cartoon as she sprinted to the van, dodging some random object as it shattered the glass in the front of the storefront. 

Just as she reached the van, and raised her hand to pull the handle open Beatrice made eye contact with a little boy in the front seat of a car just across the way from her, he smiled and waved. He must have been watching just like Beatrice had, because there weren’t any adults to be found. 

Beatrice was raising from the door handle to wave back when tires screeched stealing her attention. 

She saw it happening almost in slow motion. A car swerving out of control to avoid one of the possessed men making their way into the street. The direct line the speeding vehicle was taking toward the boy. How he was completely unaware. 

It dawned on her then, as time seemed to stand still that she had a decision to make. Shannon said not to, had told her to get inside the van and stay there. He was a child. A child who was very much in danger. 

And Beatrice could do something about it. 

Shannon was going to be upset but, at the moment, that didn’t seem to matter. What mattered was the child. 

Beatrice abandoned trying to open the van door as her wave to the boy turned into a frantic motion of her arm as she yelled to him. “Get down!” Beatrice dug her toes into the asphalt and pushed off spring toward the boy like she’d never run toward anything in her life. 

To what end, she hadn't quite thought that far ahead when the car lurched forward and pushed into part of a falling wall. 

It was a perfect storm with probably the worst possible timing. It all happened so fast Beatrice wouldn’t have been able to tell you what happened first. The squealing of the tires. The distinctive sound of a crunching medal. The bang of the crash as the Lory slammed into the back of the small car. The roar of the crumbling wall onto the roof of the car. All, while looking at the boy had been lurched forward out of her sight when his smile dropped to pure terror. 

KEEP READING

[amoldydonut]

tim being so proud that tamara chose his pancakes over sleeping in

[kacievvbbbb]

Idk why I find the fact Mihawk writes Y/N Reader inserts so funny but so true and I have reader inserts blocked on here like I hate them but oh my god so in character for him.

And he does not give a shit. Absolutely go king and getting fantasy dicked down by all the hot guys in one piece world I support! Also him being a sengoku shipper iconic. I was say maybe he thinks about Kuzan but I think he’s out off by his general laziness and apathy and not in a fun apathetic way like Barsolino in a depression way. ( he’s looking in a mirror and does not like it.) but if he learns Dragon used to be a marine and friends with Akainu he’s making the most toxic relationship of them friends to enemies to nemesis type shit.

He’ll write a new book and it will be a sensation and no matter the fact he changed the names everyone with a brain cell will be able to figure out who it’s about.

Sorry this took so long to reply! but

YES YES YES!!! I don't really like self insert stuff either but it's so in-character for him I'm so obsessed.

And yeah it really is just the adventures of reader as they travel across the grand line getting dicked down is definitely one of his most beloved and acclaimed series. Shanks goes hot and cold on that series a lot because while the idea of watching mihawk getting dicked down by another man is very hot Shanks is also a jealous man and he is very jealous of these "fictional" men. He tries to find out if mihawk has ever fucked any of them in real life and maybe 👀.

Also yeah I just threw in the marine thing because I thought it was funny but I'm glad it stuck out! 😂. I don't think he self ships with any of the marines (maybe in his GILF era sengoku or fujitoro) I think because none of the really strong marines appeal to him but he would fuck smoker if he was stronger. and just because I remembered dude and I think it would be so funny imagine if his only self x marine ship is with Ryokugyu (the tree admiral) I think he'd hate him in life but he's not blind. I think this realllllly pisses shanks off because he does not like him and honestly its a bit of a snake eating his own tail because a lot of the reason he doesn't like him is because of Mihawk's fanfiction of him.

I think Mihawk's natural reaction (mostly because it's mine) is to ship Sengoku with Garp but he hates Garp and even the thought of picturing him in that way is enough to make him want to pour his ears to bleach his brain. I think it be funny if during one of his lackadaisical checking out marine headquarters rooms (because realistically who is going to stop him) he stumbles upon and old picture of Garp Sengoku and Tsuru when they were young and he is very intrigued by thetwo hot young men then he notices that one of them is Garp and he almost throws up, the thought wont leave him alone tho.

Also yes i don't think Mihawk actually knows dragon but he has definitely heard of him and being Garps son is enough cause for pettitness in his eyes. Dragon's identity is a little harder to parse out I the books but Akainu's is so fucking obvious. And it is a loved and well-cherished series. Anytime that Mihawk attends a warlord meeting or just genuinely has an unpleasant interaction with akainu (which is every interaction) he puts pen to paper. It'd be funny if this was the most "tame" series though more focused on the fictional romace which confuses dragon and pisses akainu off even more because what? do they think he can't take it? and mihawk is very pleased with himself. he drops a new edition right before he goes to any warlord meeting so he can watch akainu seethe in real time as the new talk of the town takes root (this series specifically is very popular in marine towns)

as for the real life identities. I think he definitely makes it a bit hard not to protect anyone. Still, because he thinks it's fun to make people guess and adds to the mystery so there is definitely a fan club (which Shanks leads) dedicated to putting the clues together on just who all the different men are (shanks needs this for....research purposes 👀) some of them are obvious if you're in the know like the Benn ones or Crocodile while others are just plain obvious because the Red Haired Emperor is definitely shanks like if you know shanks you know its him there is only two people with hair that red. It's not kidd( it does give both kidd and shanks a bit of a reputation of some islands because his book counterpart is infinitely more dashing and "masculine" that shanks' bum and kid's manica energies) and I think he makes the Akianu ones very obvious to anybody that literally even if you've just ever heard of him you know its him just to fuck with him.

[sisterofficerlucychen]

wait, wait, wait, wait.

I CAN MAKE THIS WORSE 😈

the first thing out of lucy's mouth when tim finally comes home after 36 hours is "oh good, you're not dead"

well ...

remember this? "you don't want to come home! okay. i understand. but if you keep doing this, you are going to die!"

[kitamars]

so there’s this shitpost(?) going around