#Seeing his shield and realizing how much of a target it actually was

[utilitycaster]

I think Laudna said "I gave you a bruise, you left this gushes" as proof of Orym's capabilities. It's after he says he's 3ft tall and quick and it's all he's got. He thinks himself less strong or powerfull than the magic users, and maybe it's just me having that impression of him throughout the campaign, but those gushes are an easy proof of how untrue that is, especially in comparison to a bruise left by magic. Of course this is circumscribed to this specific moment and we know how much more dangerous Laudna can be, but I'm not sure Orym realizes that he too is absolutely deadly.

This to say I don't think that phrase is an accusation, but a counterargument

That's a valid reading! I think my thoughts on it are that it is true that her damage was relatively minor compared to his, and it's also true that he can do quite a lot of damage. On the other hand: setting aside that a not-insignificant chunk of his damage was dealt to an unknown assailant in pitch darkness, the same day as Fearne was lured away and a day after the entire Volition mission and FCG's subsequent death (ie: yeah, pretty valid to hit first ask questions later) Orym has two swords. He can do a lot with those swords but he can't actively counterspell. He can't heal. He can't get around damage because he deals like 2 types max. He can't really take on more than one target at a time. He can't shield as a reaction (though he does have quite the bag of tricks). He is very good at doing damage, but that's one of the main things he can do.

I usually play spellcasters, and I'm currently playing a fighter and it's actually shocking to me how much I can do compared to the spellcasters at low levels. But also, I've played spellcasters and it's amazing how much more I can do than fighters at high levels. On a meta level I would say that this is in some way a commentary on that. (Liam's fond of this sort of understatement, as well; he had a pre-multiclassed Vax say, effectively, that all he was good for was picking locks.)

But in the end, more importantly, while I understand why Laudna is putting up a counterargument, there isn't really a like...justified reason, after the sword was openly discussed earlier, to do this. Chetney and Ashton both said it was Orym's decision; if she is upset seeing it at all that was the time to bring it up, or when he asked for it in the room, or the next morning. If she thinks it's cursed the time to bring that up is also the next morning, or if she thinks it's imminently dangerous, wake Orym up. And yeah if the issue is "this shit is cursed" maybe, the night of the day we mentioned the buddy system, don't do this in secrecy alone. Like, I'm not saying she's not justifiably upset and in pain here at being injured, nor that Orym can't do a hell of a lot of damage, but also. Don't start fights you can't finish.

[cosmic-metanoia]

Femininity Concepts in FFXVI

***Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI***

Well, here I am again, now focusing on the female characters.

Like I did in the previous post, I will focus on the female Dominants first then highlight some secondary characters that really stood out.

*Jill - Come on, we gotta start with our beloved gal. She demonstrates this silent but strong (and even fearsome) spirit. She's very supportive of Clive but is not afraid to voice her opinions. She possesses a natural elegance and grace but demonstrates her fierce capabilities on the battlefield. She has a knack for negotiation and relating to others. We really see her unveil her dark side when she confronts her past head on in the Iron Kingdom. What's fantastic is that she asked for Clive's support and understanding but made it clear that she would be the one to face off against the Crystalline Orthodoxy's head priest (his name escapes me). Jill may not always make background commentary but her words are carefully selected and measured.

*Benedikta - She is your classic femme fatale that plays with men to further advance her position. Yet the one who she is in a love/hate relationship with is the one she can't have. She is ferocious yet what makes her different is that she contains this hidden sorrow and just wants to be genuinely loved. The way she frantically panicked when she lost her Eikon honestly brought tears to my eyes. She ended up with the wrong crowd and played this game of political chess in a room full of powerful men yet she instantly realized how useless she was to them in that moment of losing her most valuable piece.

*Side note: Let's hope that Leviathan the Lost is another female Eikon when the DLC hits in the next few months!! <3

*Jote - Okay, this awesome woman is HIGHLY underrated! She is incredibly enigmatic and we learn so much about her from the thoughts of other characters but never from her own lips! Initially players may brush her off as some unimportant maid servant but we see that she is so much more - a shield, a formidable fighter (though never witnessed!), a healer, a scout, etc. She's basically doing the jobs of Tarja, Clive, and Gav wrapped up in one! Yet her eyes give away her feelings towards Joshua and especially when she frets over his health. Yes, she longs for him but what makes it unique is that she loves him for who he is, not for what benefits his Eikon brings to the Undying that worships him.

*Mid - A freakin' prodigy. I mean, she is the head of the hideaway engineers! An occupation that is stereotypically masculine. She is 100% focused on her tasks and is not your typical 16 year old gal for sure. Her genius inventions, zest for life, and fast-talking mannerisms has all of the hideaway family wrapped around her finger (true, also because she is Cid's daughter). That whole scene with Joshua kneeling to kiss her hand upon meeting her cracked me up - she's the last woman who requires a chivalrous display but what I love is how she laughed and pulled him up and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

*Charon - What can I say, this woman does not take s--- from ANYONE. She's even intimidating to some of the men at the hideaway which is absolutely hilarious. She is a hardened woman that commands respect but has her softer side which takes time to reveal. Money is on her mind but eventually she learns that there should be more to life - using her abilities as a cunning merchant to help a cause greater than herself.

*Tarja - Like Charon, she also does not accept any B.S. and takes her job as the non-magical physicker very seriously. What's great is that she isn't a nurse but the actual (and only) doctor of the hideaway. Her extensive knowledge is incredibly valuable and the hideaway would definitely not have survived without her.

*Vivian - A woman held in high-esteem who is so focused on the garnering of knowledge that she even gets targeted by assassins. Her intelligence certainly tips the scales in favor of the Cursebreakers to gain the upper hand.

*Anabella - I have a huge post written about her but I figure it's worth mentioning a particular aspect. She possesses quite the evil ambitions and is able to persuade not just the theocratic Sanbrequois emperor but powerful men from other nations - NOT just through her looks but through her conniving strategies. She longs for a powerful legacy forged by the greatest possible noble blood and even views herself as the prized breeding cow.

Some other examples of different aspects of female characters include: Eloise who is an astute businesswoman who conducted deals and contracts while her brother Theodore (sob) became her trusted porter; Martha who is the tough protector of Martha's Rest - the Rosarians put their trust and faith in her; the same with the Northreach residents when it came to Isabelle. What's great about her is that she is a courtesan but we see her blossom into a strong and trustworthy leader that many held in high esteem.

Even the stoic Dorys is the commander of a Cursebreakers squad.

I love how the story had female characters each with their own drives and ambitions whether they were motivated by a just cause or for evil reasons.

[nalyra-dreaming]

"Lestat does become a reader in later books, though not as much as Louis, but that just as a note. "

For many reasons never read after TotBT. Rest is all what google & reddit have for spoilers for me.

"As for s3... I mean, if Lestat and Louis really did reunite, then his reaction to the book will be not as extreme as if they did not. So it will be very interesting to see how they will spin it.

AND it will be very interesting to see what the Talamasca may have edited - cut? Or added.

And if the meeting happened then THAT might factor into what Lestat does this time round. Because the Talamasca are wayyyy more involved already, and I do not think we have seen the last of them.

I do not know yet how it will come together. A lot of "what ifs" depend on whether the meeting actually happened, or not - and how much time has passed. "

One hand there is a chance reunion being reality but (Devil is at details, Taxi driver called the hurricane Odette which happened in 2021 at Philippines) equal chance for it being Louis's attempt to cope w discovering truth about his survival and 70 decade long husband.Obviously it made him question his perspective on Lestat and his memory, his feelings. When he is extremely challenged he manifests Lestat's presence.

On the other hand he did leave the penthouse in blink of an eye and went somewhere far too.

Reunion being a reality or not changes Loustat's vibe bc Louis was honest and comforting toward Lestat for the first time. It was so different from dynamic of their marriage.

Whole thing was suprising, hopeful and healing. I sense ultimate target of Talamasca is Lestat and they know Louis is the way to reach him, get a reaction out of him. Raglan has some other intentions too. W/out reunion and what T thinks about whether to keep Loustat seperated or let them find their way back to each other is kind of capable of changing everything about Lestat's possible reaction to the book, to Louis.

It's all so ambiguous😭 but also exciting bc AR made so many choices that left me bitter toward a series once i so loved, Rolin keeps saying they won't let Louis and Daniel get lost at the sides which means several plot changes, much to book purists dismay i kinda look forward to it.

"But yes - I also hope for pining, and hope, and yearning. 

And the fierce, fiery, defiant determination to shield Louis. "

Can you imagine Louis realizing what Lestat ultimately trying to do w his extravagant actions then Lestat going all Darcy "It's all for you Louis, you must know i did it all for you🥺"

I WOULD DIE

Romance is so fxxing back!❤️‍🔥🌋🎸🎤🩸

It is 🙌🙌🙌 (And I do expect something like that!!!)

And I agree about the Talamasca‘s goal being Lestat, and going through Louis to get to him. Not sure why yet… maybe Akasha’s blood? They put such an emphasis on that in the flashbacks. Maybe they want the knowledge of where she is.

I love that Rolin picked the books for the show which contain Louis, Daniel, Lestat and Armand as (most of) the focus!!! I cannot wait what they make of it all, there is so much in it. And at least Anne gave Louis more room in the last books once more and gave even Daniel a nod… the show just… unapologetically using that is brilliant imho :)))

[shewhowas39]

another chapter 26 sneak peek

i'm spending my birthday writing this next chapter of Juniper & Starlight. my present to myself is angsty, lovesick Astarion. so enjoy this preview.

***

She’d rejected him.

Astarion was sure he had her, sure June was locked in. Hells, he’d even realized he might see her as more than just a target, as someone he cares about - a realization that had sent him fleeing into the woods to deal with his emotions by killing and draining a whole bear. 

And she’d rejected him. He’d offered another night of passion, and she’d declined. And why? Because he was intoxicated? Astarion had been unable to experience inebriation for two centuries, but he’d pretended to be drunk on countless occasions, in an attempt to blend in with the crowd at a tavern or a brothel. And no one had ever rejected him because of it.

Until her. 

He’d gone to bed feeling angry and dejected and with his buzz from his belly full of blood perfectly ruined. Only for it to be made worse by falling into a deep sleep filled with dreams of her. 

Dreams of his hands on June’s hips, guiding her pace as she rides him. Her fingertips digging into his shoulders as she leans over him, giving him the most fantastic view of her breasts. Her dark blue eyes glazed with desire as she tells him over and over how good he is, how much she wants him, how much she needs him, how she’ll never leave or betray him, as he thrusts up into her blissful warmth.

And then just before he reached the peak of his pleasure, Astarion woke to the sound of screaming.

As it turned out, it may have been for the best that June had declined his advances, because she’d apparently had another one of her sleepwalking spells and attempted to stab their fiery barbarian with a Gale’s butcher knife. Better the giant tiefling meat shield than him, Astarion thought. 

He’d considered going to June, an unfamiliar urge within him pulled him to go comfort her as he heard her cry. But when he’d poked his head out of the flap, she’d been surrounded by Shadowheart and Karlach. And the damned dog, of course. People who could offer actual support and consolation. He doubted she’d want to talk to him just then. Not after she’d rejected him, anyway. 

So Astarion slipped back into his tent before she’d seen him and laid on his bedroll, wishing he’d targeted Wyll or Lae’zel for his plan instead so he wouldn’t be in this mess. 

[heleentje]

Revalink Week Day 2: "You can do better than that"

A short little ficlet for Revalink Week!

This takes place in a universe that's slightly to the left of AoC, where Revali doesn't resent Link nearly as much since Link hasn't yet drawn the Master Sword and therefore isn't the Hero of Legend.

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There is something uniquely frustrating about almost having to admit defeat to a Hylian soldier. Doubly so when the only thing that saved him were his trusty bomb arrows, set to go off in the soldier's face. Were it not for the Princess’ interference, Revali would have won, of course —

But oh, it was a far closer fight than Revali likes to think about.

The soldier — Link, Revali learns from the Princess’ frustrated bids for independence — has recently been made part of the royal entourage after excelling at killing a bunch of low-level pests. Admittedly, he wields a sword with unusual proficiency, for him to even give Revali a challenge, let alone come close to defeating him.

That is why it is especially galling to come across him during a visit to Hyrule Castle and be forced to witness him treating a bow like a fledgling would.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks, clicking his beak when Link nearly lets his arrow go wild. How does he purport to call himself an archer if he cannot even focus through the most basic of interruptions? Revali learned archery with someone always chattering at his head, until he wanted to scream at her to shut up, but at the end of the day, he could have a bomb go off next to him and still keep sight of his target.

Link lowers his bow, thankfully letting the string go slack when he does so. Revali has seen what passes for archery with the Hylians. He wouldn’t be surprised if they mishandled their bows as well.

“Champion Revali,” he says, with a wary kind of deference that rubs Revali entirely the wrong way. The soldier who fought him hadn’t held anything back. Now that he’s been assigned as the Princess’ personal guard, he keeps trying to pull away from the Champions. Mipha is clearly hurt by it, and that only serves to increase Revali’s annoyance.

“What are you doing?” he asks again. Link looks at the ground, clearly unwilling to answer. Revali tsks, taking his own Great Eagle Bow from his shoulder and holding out an expectant wing. Link stares at it for an uncomprehending moment, before some sense finally penetrates into his brain and he hands him an arrow.

Of course Revali carries his own arrows, but why should he waste a perfectly good Rito arrow on a Hylian?

He aims demonstratively, making a much bigger show out of it than he needs to. It’s not even a moving target — he could hit those without looking when he was still a fledgling himself. But hitting the target is only secondary. Perhaps this way, Link and any Hylians fortunate enough to be nearby can finally see what proper form looks like.

And Link is looking, he realizes with a pulse of warm gratification. He’s tracking the movement of Revali’s wings and shoulders as he takes aim at the target, and follows the arrow when Revali looses the string.

It hits dead center. There’s nowhere else it could have gone.

Link nods, blue eyes very serious, and he takes up his own bow again. The way he mimics Revali’s stance may be a little clumsy, but it’s miles better than it used to be.

“Don’t keep your shoulders so high,” Revali says, and Link actually listens. He’s not used to the new stance, so his arrow doesn’t quite hit the center, but with enough practice…

Although, something has been bothering him since that time when they fought near Rito Village.

Link is undoubtedly a far more accomplished swordsman than he is an archer, but Revali remembers him trying to shield with his sword arm, even though his actual shield was carried solidly on his left. It was always just the barest of moments before he corrected, but a weakness nonetheless, and one he’d made use of more than once during the fight.

Like all the Hylian soldiers, he wields his sword with his right hand, and he shoots his bow with it too. But the Hylian army has the unfortunate habit of prioritizing uniformity over skill. Unless Revali is sorely mistaken, Link is much like him and would be a much better fighter if he were allowed to use his left hand instead.

There’s nothing he can do about it. Not right now, at least, with the Calamity looming ahead of him. Link will need all his skills to even survive the oncoming battle, and letting him use the hand that comes naturally to him would require significant retraining. For a Hylian, he’s competent enough with a bow. It will have to do.

But after the Calamity has been slain by their combined might, then maybe… Revali has been training fledglings since he was little more than one himself and desperate to contribute something to the village that had taken him in. It is hardly a challenge anymore, not when the Rito thrive in the air.

A Hylian, on the other hand… Earthbound as they are, that will be a challenge to mould into a proper archer. And it’s a challenge Revali looks forward to.

But for now, he can at least give a proper example. So he holds out his hand again, and the corner of Link’s mouth quirks when he hands over a new arrow.

[gremlintheslut]

The shields little girl

The shield x fem!afab!reader

Chapter 1 the walls fall down

master list

Summary: reader hides the fact she is an omega from her friends and the fact that the omega they are bound to have been right in front of them for years.

Warning- smut (a lot of smut), almost all of the plot in the first chapter, and errors.

My best friend of 4 years knew almost everything about me. He knew I was a little and I trusted him to be my caretaker when I had no daddy. The one thing I can never bring myself to tell him has haunted me for years. I am one of the very few omegas left in the world. I have hidden it for years out of fear. There will always be sick people in the world and omegas had become the prime targets for most of them. My mother helped me hide it from the moment she realized it. Some people would think she is a hero but she is far from that.

My mother was an abusive bitch. Despite the fact she helped me hide it I knew she hated me purely for the fact I was an omega. She wasn't afraid to hit me and threaten to tell my father what I was. The day she actually told him was the day my life fell apart and I had to start over. Of course, my dad was far from happy about the news and went straight to his dipshit friends. I was the talk of the town in hours. I was 19 years old and I pack up all of my shit the second I realized how fucked I was.

Now here I am 4 years later. I have the best life I could ever think of. As I mentioned before I have a best friend roman. He is in a pack called the shield. There are only 2 other members and they are keeping it that way. Roman is an alpha along with the other members Seth and Dean. They like many small packs have decided that they want to find their omega. The one they feel a special connection with. The one they share with each other and never let leave their side.

But, because they don't know I'm an omega they can't feel the bond. I can though and I know the second I tell them they will feel it too. Or the second they find out. I love them I really do but I can never ever under any circumstance tell them. I can't do it. For a while, I avoided them but eventually, I sucked it up and stayed with my best friend. I go with them everywhere. When they leave to go do their whole wrestling thing I always tag along. They're the only people I have.

Now today is going to be an eventful one and I know it. Also a very scary one as well.  I am out of anti-scent spray the only thing keeping everyone from knowing I am an omega. I have 2 options go out to get the spray and risk getting caught or stay in my hotel and ignore any and every attempt of contact from the outside. Unfortunately, I have used option 2 way too much for people to be suspicious. I put on as much deodorant and perfume as I can whilst getting ready.

I leave the hotel and speed walk down the busy street. An unfortunate amount of heads turn my way and I pray that they're smelling the unholy amount of perfume and deodorant. I start to speed up as I finally see the store. But I'm not paying attention and run straight into someone coming out of an alleyway. I fall to the ground but the man stands tall and to my horror when I look up I face to face with roman. Roman has a great sense of smell and I know he has smelt my real scent from how close I had just gotten to him.

He is giving me this shocked and unbelieving look as I climb to my feet. I look past him and see Seth and Dean coming out of the alleyway. I can see the looks on their faces change as they smell me. Roman turns around to look at them and they look back. I took the opportunity and booked it to the store. Maybe I can tell them it wasn't me. No, it's too late. They can feel the connection no plan I can think of will fix this. I slow down as I enter the store trying to not draw any attention to myself at all.

I know they have followed me and will be here any second. If their not they will be waiting for me at my hotel. I grab the anti-scent spray from the shelf and make my way to self-checkout. I pay for the product and put it on immediately. As I make my way out of the store I catch a glimpse of Seth walking up and down the ends of the aisles looking for me. The fact that I didn't see any other members of the shield alarmed me but I keep moving.

As I'm walking back to the hotel I hear my name being called from a distance. I know I can't keep avoiding this but I break into a sprint and duck into an alley hoping to lose them. I stop in the alley and look out onto the street only to see Dean. I could recognize Romans's voice anywhere and I know it was his voice I heard. My heart rate goes through the roof as I realize how much faster Roman is than me. I start to run again.

I'm halfway down the alley and I feel arms wrap around my waist. But I know instantly they are too small to belong to Roman. I try to pry their arms off. "hey, hey, calm down" I hear Seth's calming voice try to soothe me. "get off" I manage to get out. "it's okay, I get why you wouldn't tell us okay" he said figuring out why I was so scared before I did. I give up on trying to get away and he loosens his grip slightly. "I know that your life has probably sucked because of the simple fact that you're an omega and I am so sorry there are dickheads in the world that think it's okay to treat you like shit because you were born different from them," he says getting straight to the point. The comforting bond between us has never felt strong and I have never felt safer in my life.

I feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes and I try my hardest to keep them in. "I know you probably feel like shit for not saying anything but it's way more understandable than you think" there it is. The straw that broke the camel's back. Tears stream down my face freely and I give up on trying to stop them. He keeps talking and I can't help but let out little sobs and his words hit me where it hurts each time he opens his mouth.

Dean finally catches up. I can see his heart shatter as he watches the scene in front of him play out. He walks up to us and stands in front of me wiping my tears. Then he pulls my head against his chest and I let go of the arms around my waist and hold on to Dean. He strokes my hair and Roman eventually finds us. He drapes his arm around my shoulders and stands at my side. My eyes are red and they each take turns comforting me. After a while, they pull away and Dean wipes my face for the last time.

"let's get you back to the hotel," Roman says putting his hand on the small of my back as he guides me out of the alley. We make it back to the hotel and they walk me to my room. I pull the card out of my pocket and unlock the door before opening it. We all walk in silently. Roman gets some PJs out of my bag and I'm confused for a moment before I look out the window and see the sun setting. He hands them to me and I go into the bathroom to get change. In the few minutes I was in the bathroom changing they had set up camp on my floor.

Their pillows and blankets are all over the floor. I wonder how they got all of their stuff so fast but my eyes feel heavy and I can't find it in myself to care. I lay down on my bed and I feel caring strong hands tuck me in. Roman kisses me on the head before laying down on his makeshift bed and we all hit the hay for the night.

Word count-1450

Thank you!!💕💞💋

[linkemon]

Nakajima Atsushi x Reader (selfship)

Selfship made for Patimiet on Wattpad.

Friendly reminder that English is not my first languge. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

◎ You've liked the boy since he first came to the Agency. You worked in the documentation department and didn't have a special skill. Your little brother owned superpowers and he got you the job but he died a few years ago. He did not die at the hands of the enemy, he was killed by an incurable disease. You remember him with a sad smile but you've mostly recovered from his loss. Atsushi reminds you of him in many ways, which is why you immediately liked him.

◎ You were particularly impressed when he shielded the bomb with his body during a simulated assault on the Agency. When he officially started working, you went to introduce yourself and you have to admit that he was absolutely terrible at paperwork. You offered to help him by spending the afternoon with him.

◎ Nakajima liked you very quickly and started looking for you during his breaks from work. Compared to Dazai and Kunikida, you were much calmer. You used to defend the boy, especially when Doppo had a whole list of complaints.

◎ The boy has bad days. Mostly because of self-esteem issues. You try to subtly praise him here and there from time to time. One time when he failed a mission, you showed up with tea and rice. Seeing his favorite dish, he cried. You hugged him very tight.

◎ You convinced Atsushi to change his hairstyle. He didn't want to spend money on a barber, so you cut him after hours. The crooked hair from the orphanage is gone.

◎ He often comes to you for advice. Especially when you don't know how to get to work. You search for old cases similar to the current ones to help him.

◎ As an ungifted person, you were not normally targeted by enemies of the agency. You lived in an apartment downstairs and tried to be careful, but not overly so. But when you were seen with the tiger, it was decided that you would be well taken care of. The Port Mafia kidnapped you. Nakajima and Dazai came to your aid. Fortunately, nothing happened to you but Atsushi blamed himself for this for a long time. He stopped talking to you or going out with you, afraid that his presence would threaten you. Only Osamu talked him out of it.

◎ Your relationship has grown a lot since then. This motivated the boy to become stronger and gain control over his power to be able to protect you if needed.

◎ One time, before going out on the streets of Yokohama in winter, he almost forgot his scarf. You ran over to put it on him, scolding him. He replied with: okay, mom. It was meant to come off as a funny remark but after the words left his mouth, he realized what it sounded like. Of course, Dazai, present at the agency at the time, did not let him live. He even suggested that since he feels like his father, you should commit double suicide together. Among Atsushi's apologies, you assured the boy that nothing had happened. On the contrary, you were glad that he sees you so positively. Especially after what he had been through in the orphanage.

◎ The boy realized quite late that the Agency people were secretly wondering if you and Osamu could really be a couple. He was worried if it was because of him and if it bothered you. However, it turned out that it had been going on since before he was here. He still hasn't gotten to the bottom of why you two would actually be a couple. Dazai flirts with you like most women and you basically don't care.

◎ Nakajima never asked about your brother on his own. He's heard a bit from members of the Agency but he preferred to wait until you started talking about him yourself. One time you took him with you to your hometown to meet your relatives. Then you showed him his grave. He bought his favorite flowers, which made you very emotional.

◎ You often take him shopping in Yokohama's shopping district. He can be reluctant to spend money, so you usually buy him things. Then he buys something for you in return and it goes on and on until your savings run to zero. But you always leave change, especially for pancakes, since Kyoka joined you.

◎ You take great care of each other. Sometimes you feel like he's all the more grown up because of his fighting skills but usually sooner or later he'll say something that reminds you that while he's been through a lot, he's still a kid at heart.

[msbigredmachine]

TARGETS - 26 - Meeting of the Masterminds

Roman Reigns is an agent in the secret organization The Authority and one of the world’s deadliest assassins. When he crosses paths with a mysterious woman during an assignment, he makes a life-changing decision that switches his role from the hunter to the hunted.  (AU Espionage Story)

TARGETS MASTERLIST

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Hunter Helmsley walked briskly along the quiet street, pulling his long gray coat tighter against his person to shield himself from the cold night air. His long legs carried him forwards with a purpose, and took a quick turn into a dark alley. His walking abruptly ceased as a chill swept through him, a chill which had nothing to do with the cold. He had spent three quarters of his natural life heightening his senses and reflexes, so it did not take long for him to realize that he was not alone.

Turning his head to the side, he called out into the darkness. "You're making a big mistake, trying to sneak up on me," he spoke in his usual calm baritone voice, bearing just a hint of menace. "I could snap your neck before you even reach me."

For several moments there was silence, then he heard the soft, almost ethereal chuckle that blended perfectly with the smoky breeze. A deep feminine voice followed.

"I'd love to see you try."

Hunter turned around fully, and watched as a tall, beautiful woman with exotic features emerged from the shadows, her hands tucked into a blood-red trench coat as she sauntered down the alley towards him. 

"Put the gun away," she instructed lazily, gesturing at the hand that was still flexing inside his coat pocket, poised to strike. Her high heels clicked along the tarred road as she approached with the grace and poise of a ballerina. "The great Hunter Helmsley," her dark eyes twinkled as she deliberately emphasized each syllable, making his name sound more like a magical incantation. "In the flesh."

Hunter tilted his head up in recognition. "Lily," he said, sounding unimpressed. "Surely you didn't follow me halfway across New York for a formal introduction."

"Actually, this is just a status check. Nothing serious. I just felt we should do it face to face, for once," said Lily. "I'm checking if you've met your end of the bargain. You know; help eliminate a certain target in exchange for the information I was to procure for you? That was the deal we struck all those months ago, remember?"

"I remember clearly, and it's being handled. My associate is dealing with your girl as we speak." The Authority leader shrugged and rolled his eyes. "He's got a flair for the melodramatic, with the whole torture-first-kill-later thing," he told her, as though merely discussing a friend's bad habit, "But he'll dispose of her as soon as he gets bored with her. And with Reigns surely coming to her rescue - I know he'll find her - and that will be like killing two birds with one stone." Hunter looked down at Lily with mild curiosity. "Shame, letting her go to waste like that. I'm told she's quite the asset, Jasmine is."

"Well, she's become nothing more than a liability," Lily replied, her tone clipped and cold. "It's not our M.O. to be vindictive, but Jasmine needed to be knocked off her pretty little perch. Unfortunately, I'm the one who put her there." She frowned at the thought of the former F.L.O.R.A. agent's many perceived transgressions. "I took her under my wing, taught her everything she knows, and she repaid me by undermining my authority, undermining F.L.O.R.A.'s authority. She should have eliminated Roman Reigns without so much as batting an eyelid, and she just walked away like she owed F.L.O.R.A. nothing. Owed me nothing."

"So basically, you're just a child throwing her toys out of the pram," Hunter concluded bluntly, "Some things never change, do they, Lily?"

Lily's dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The enigmatic smile never left his bearded features. "Whatever you think it means. Now, how about we review your end of the bargain?"

"Oh yes. You want information on Leona's whereabouts," the F.L.O.R.A. leader recalled, looking closely at him. "I'm still trying to decide whether you're a very brave man or a very stupid man to still be hunting her down, after all these years. Leona is a legend, the best of the best at what we do, and last I checked, she's one of yours."

"Was one of ours," Hunter corrected curtly. "For all her undeniable talent, it didn't stop her from betraying our company."

"Betraying the company? Or betraying you?"

Hunter frowned down at her, his expression only displaying mild interest, but his now hardened gaze gave away the truth. Lily cocked her head toward her counterpart, smirking. "I see the look in your eye," she observed, "I saw that 'lovesick puppy' expression from a mile away. You have the look of a man who is infatuated, my friend, and frankly, it's making my skin crawl. I would have thought someone of your pedigree would have realized that love is for children."

"And you would know all about children, wouldn't you?" Hunter replied. "I know a lot about you, Lily, things that you've been keeping under lock and key for years. Luckily, I have the resources to break open that lock, and would you like to know what I learned about you, Lily?"

Tossing her dark hair back and crossing her arms over her chest, Lily locked her jaw. "Humor me."

Hunter wasted little time doing so. He would forever be in Jimmy and Jey’s debt. "You worked for the Research and Analysis Wing once upon a time, when life was all cake and ice cream. You were a high-profile government official, one of the most prolific cleaners in all of India...and three times your body weight. Those Pilates classes must be magic, am I right?" 

At her surprised expression, his lips drew back from his teeth in a cruel grin. The power had shifted in his possession. "You were excellent at what you did, Lily. The Bombay Riots of ‘92, the bombings in ‘93...that was all you. But you never got the credit, you were never appreciated, all because you were a woman. And as time went by and you got more powerful, it all started to go to your head. You became an egomaniac, got greedy and reckless and bitter, and one slip up killed off all your hopes and dreams. Selling confidential information to neighboring countries is a no-no, but instead of executing you like they should have, you were eventually fired by the Prime Minister of India in person.

"One day, the Palestinian branch of the Taliban decide that they have a bone to pick with your Prime Minister, and they recruit you to do the dirty work. They dangle a carrot in your face, and you jump at the chance at revenge for being thrown out. So you run the car carrying the First Son and First Daughter off a bridge and take off. All because you didn't get your way." Hunter smiled at her widened eyes. "Like I said, darlin'. Some things never change."

For a moment, Lily didn't speak; merely regarded him with the same fascination one gives to an exotic animal at the zoo. Then she broke the silence, letting out a laugh that was both melodic and malicious. "So, you did your research too," her nod was slow and mocking. "That's good to know."

"Are you giving me the information I need or not?" Hunter interrupted, suddenly bored with all the mindless talk, "If I’m being honest, I'm not really in the mood for reminiscing."

Lily eyed him for several seconds, as if contemplating whether to resume the war of words. Then she reached into her trench coat, pulled out a brown envelope and handed it to him. "That's a log of her whereabouts over the past three years, along with corresponding photographs. She’s been in Vermont since the day you cast her out. I have to tell you though; she wasn't that easy to track, but that's no surprise; she is who she is for a reason. It would also interest you to know that Reigns has been in constant contact with her for the past twenty-four months, as recently as three weeks ago. But it appears he was also fooled into thinking she was retired." She watched Hunter peruse the documents. "I suggest you dispose of it once you're finished. It's classified Above Top Secret. And your contact had better get the job done with Jasmine."

"And this had better not be a trick, Lily." The information seemed genuine enough, but he would be insanely dumb to trust anyone from a rival company. "I hear thirty-eight countries on five different continents have you on their Most Wanted list. You may look a lot different now, but your DNA hasn't changed. One phone call to the current Prime Minister is all I need and just like that, you'll be deported back to India and have water shoved up your nose for the rest of your natural life."

Pursing her lips into a thin angry line, she curbed the urge to lunge at him and instead leveled him with a derisive glower. "It's not a trick. Everything you need to know is in there."

"Good. Because I'll also have no problem finding you and destroying what Roman Reigns left of your precious company." Hunter tucked the envelope into the recesses of his coat. He had everything he needed now. He could almost taste the vengeance, taste Leona’s blood on his tongue. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Lily." As he turned to leave, the F.L.O.R.A leader's voice stopped him.

"So when you do find her - Leona - what will you say to her? Will you say anything to her before you take her out?" she inquired. Though he did not turn around, she noticed his posture stiffen, his jaw lock.

"I don't see how that is any of your concern." He all but spat the words out.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Lily's lips. "So she rebuffs your advances for some other man, and you kill him off, then spend years looking for her to finish off the job, all because you didn't get your way." She shook her head pitifully and laughed. "You're right. Some things never change."

And with that, she turned and walked away, disappearing back into the shadows.

-------------------

“She ain’t called yet." 

Roman paced back and forth in the middle of Leona's living room. "She hasn't called, Leona." He shook his head, digging his fingers into his now unkempt hair with frustration. "Something's wrong. I can feel it!"

"We don't know that," Leona tried to placate him, but to no avail.

"What do we know, then?" he snapped, "She's been gone for over an hour and a half! She's always precise with these things and now she’s out there on her own. I know she can handle herself, but I should be out there with her. I should have insisted! Fuck!" He glanced over at his phone for the millionth time in ten minutes, but the device remained lifeless on the coffee table. It was all he could do not to kick the piece of furniture across the room. "Dammit!"

Leona put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hey, hey. Calm down. Take a deep breath," she said, waiting for him to do so. "Look, you're worried, and that's understandable. But she's told you to wait. She knows what she's doing and I'm sure she'll make contact." When Roman shook his head, unconvinced, Leona sighed. "Fine, let's give her another ten minutes. If we don't hear from her afterwards, then you can do whatever you want."

Before Roman could make another response, his cell phone went off. He immediately snatched it up, studying the I.D. that blinked back at him.

🌺❤Babygirl🌺❤

Immediately, he felt the relief flood through his body. Quickly, he put the phone to his ear. "Jesus, Jasmine, took you long enough. Where are you-"

"Hello, Mr. Reigns."

At the sound of that voice, he felt the world around him screech to a halt. His heart literally stopped within his chest. No. No way. Not him. Anyone but him.

"Corbin?" He finally forced the name out of his mouth, his voice barely a whisper. Leona stood by with wide, shocked eyes. Baron Corbin, the coldest, sickest bastard she'd ever met during her time at the Authority, maybe only second to Hunter. If he had Jasmine, then that was not good. Not good at all. The older woman shuddered to think what was happening to Jasmine right now.

"You sound surprised to hear from me," Corbin said to Roman. "Expecting someone else?"

"Where the fuck is she?" Roman spat.

Corbin feigned innocence. "Whoever could you be talking about? Oh, you mean Jasmine, right? Your girl? She's here. She almost threw me off with the wig, but you never ignore a pair of legs like that, do you?"

As this conversation was going on, Leona motioned for Roman to put the phone on speaker. She rushed out of the room and returned with a briefcase, which she dumped on the coffee table and clicked open, setting up the contents in the box.

"I hope you're not trying to trace this call," Corbin went on, and Roman could hear the evil smile in his former colleague's voice. "I destroyed the tracker and disconnected all possible wavelengths. You can't find me unless I tell you where I am myself."

At those words, Leona made an annoyed sound and tossed her arms in the air in frustration. The briefcase was of no use to her, then.

Roman gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "If you hurt her, Corbin, I swear to God-"

"You, my fugitive friend, are in no position to make threats or demands."

"Where is she?" Roman repeated. He could feel his knees weaken, his body filled with dread at the thought of Jasmine in Corbin's grasp. Even as strong and skilful as she was, she was no match for this maniac.

"I told you, she's here," Corbin replied. "Don't believe me? Fine. Come here, beautiful. Your boyfriend wants to talk to you."

For a moment, all he heard from the other end of the line was dull static. Then, there was the sound metal scraping concrete, like there was a struggle going on. And then he heard her scream of pain. Corbin was torturing Jasmine. Tears sprang to Roman's eyes. He could hear her trying so hard not to succumb to the pain, not to scream again. "Let her go, Corbin!"

"You know I can't do that."

Fucking bastard! "Can't, or won't?"

"They're paying good money for both your heads, you know. I don't need it, I’m set for life. This is much more fun, playing with her. I sure am gonna have a hell of a time peeling the flesh off her bones while I wait for you to find me. Perhaps I'll start with a finger..."

This time a spitting sound was heard, followed by Corbin’s angry growl, and then a hard slap, forcing a cry of agony out of her. Roman felt something inside of him die.

"Feisty, isn't she?" Corbin remarked. "I love it when they fight. Killing them makes it that much sweeter. You know exactly what that feels like, don't you Reigns?"

Roman was trembling now. "Look. If you want me, you got me," he started. "Where are you? I'll come to you."

Corbin roared with laughter, the sound as pleasant as fingernails scraping a chalkboard. "Oh, Roman. Where's the fun if I told you where I was? I must say though...if you were here, you'd probably be feeling a little nostalgic. But something tells me you'd have forgotten by now, and even if you haven't, you'd be too late." He chuckled. "Well, at least you got to say goodbye to your little lady love. Say bye bye, gorgeous!"

Another anguished scream from Jasmine, and then, the line went dead.

The phone slipped from Roman's numb fingers, cracking against the floor. But he didn't notice; his heart had started beating again - only it was fast, much too fast; thudding so rapidly he was sure it would explode. His legs finally gave way, and he slumped against the armchair of the sofa, hot tears blurring his vision.

"He'll kill her..." his voice was a soft, anguished whisper, "he'll make her suffer first...then he'll kill her...That’s his M.O. He does that fucking shit all the time…Fuck..." The room was spinning, his lover's screams still ringing in his ears. He was sure he was about to throw up, or even worse, pass out.

Leona was by his side in an instant. "Hey, don't you dare, Roman! Get up! Don't you dare fall apart, not now! Jasmine needs you. Baron may be unstable, but he's a determined son of a bitch. He would have found a way to take her, no matter what you did. It's up to you to find her."

She was right. He was of no use to Jasmine in this state. Straightening himself, he murmured, "I've got to make a few calls. I have to leave right now, and I can't come back. I can't stay here any longer." He looked down at Leona. "And honestly, neither can you."

The older woman frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Finding a pen, he quickly scribbled down a few words on a piece of paper and pressed it into her hand. "I need you to go pack a bag for yourself. If you don't hear from me by evening time, you need to follow the instructions I just wrote down."

Leona quickly read the first couple of lines and looked back up, incredulous. "What? I can't just leave. This is my home!” she protested.

"I know you have unfinished business with Hunter," Roman interrupted softly. "That's the reason you've been here all this time. I know you're not really retired. I heard you talking to Jasmine," he clarified, as Leona's eyes widened. "You have to get out of here. I've compromised you, and I'm truly sorry that I have. But leave Hunter to me. I'll handle him, I promise." His eyes bored into hers. "I need you to do this, Leona. Trust me. It's the only way you'll ever be safe. Do you understand?"

With a defiant gaze fixed on the younger man, it was a while before the older woman replied. "Fine. But if you're going after Corbin, you sure as hell can't go unarmed. I'll round up a bag for you."

"Thank you," he said gratefully. He watched her leave before looking back down at his phone. He didn't want to make this call. He didn't want to have to get them involved. But right now, he had no choice.

"Rollins, it's me. Get Ambrose with you. Please. I need your help."

-------------

Nearly two hours later, a black Range Rover with tinted windows pulled up beside him, in the spot under the bridge where he was waiting. He opened the door quickly and slipped inside the back seat without a word.

Dean's arm was across the steering wheel as he peered at Roman through his sunglasses. "You do know we're risking our asses for you, right?" he smirked.

A smile spread across Roman's handsome face at the sight of the two men sitting in the front. He'd never been happier to see them. "I know. Thank you for meeting me."

Seth went straight to the point. "You said you couldn't talk over the phone. What is it?"

Roman's face fell. His heart physically ached just thinking about it. "Jasmine," he whispered. "Corbin's taken her."

At those words the tension in the car ratcheted up several notches. Seth and Dean stared at each other, and then at Roman. A sigh escaped Seth as he ran his hands through his short hair. "Shit. So that’s where he’s been. We haven’t seen him in a week," he said, despairingly.

"I was hoping you'd know where he took her," Roman went on, trying to keep his emotions to himself. It was hard, knowing his girlfriend was out there somewhere with that psychopath.

"You know we're not exactly buddies with Corbin," Dean pointed out.

Roman shrugged. "I don't know anything anymore these days; after all, everyone else seemed to be in on trying to eliminate me and Jasmine before we even knew our true identities."

The two agents looked at Roman in confusion before comprehension dawned on them. "Wait...are you saying..."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. The Authority and F.L.O.R.A. knew about Jasmine and me from the get-go. They watched us get together, and they've been trying to take us out ever since our relationship started."

Seth shook his head, astonished by what he was hearing. "We swear to you, Roman...we knew nothing about that."

"I believe you," Roman assured them. "Leona is alive."

This time both men nearly fell out of the car. "She's been dead for years!" exclaimed Dean.

"She's alive, and Hunter has been lying to us all for years. He tried to have her murdered because he was in love with her." 

“WHAT???”

Roman then retold Leona's conversation with Jasmine. He then went on to explain Jasmine's plan to contact Lily and Corbin's phone call. "I need to find her fast, or he will kill her," he finished.

Roman's story about Hunter and Leona had Seth and Dean reeling, and the former Authority operative could see the hazy cloud of deceit finally lift from their eyes. The three men knew what they were about. They lied and killed in the service of liars and killers. But Hunter had taken charge of The Authority for his own personal gain, abused his power by using his subordinates to cover up his own indiscretions - everything the Code stood against. It was hypocritical, unforgivable. But they would go back to that later. There was another loose cannon that needed their attention.

"What Corbin said on the phone," Roman said, deep in thought, "Feeling nostalgic. What's that about? Corbin isn't exactly the sentimental type."

"Dunno," said Dean, "Nostalgia means there's memories involved, good ones. So the place he's keeping Jasmine means something significant to him. But what? And what's it got to do with Roman?"

They sat in silence, thinking, when all of a sudden, Roman gasped out loud. "That motherfucking son of a bitch!"

"What?"

He turned to Seth and Dean with wide eyes. "Remember where you found me? That night all those years ago?" he said, his voice growing with excitement. "I thought there was a robbery, and then KO appeared from nowhere and kicked the shit out of me. I remember KO bragged about it for weeks, and he made sure Corbin knew every detail because he wanted to impress him so bad. You know how that fatass punk worships the ground Corbin walks on."

As realization dawned on Dean, Seth had his iPad out, his fingers swiping and jabbing frantically on the screen. "Well I'll be damned, it still works!" he exclaimed.

Roman took that as a very good sign. "What? What works?" he pressed, looking over Seth’s shoulder.

"Back when we found you a decade plus ago, I left a satellite tracker in the area for surveillance purposes," said Seth. "I haven’t paid attention to it in years...I just checked to see if it still works. I thought the tech would be outdated, but it's still functioning after all this time. That’s great for us." He pointed at the screen as he spoke. "You see that little building there? That's where we carried out our mission that night.”

"Oh yeah, I remember," said Dean, tracing the map on the screen with his index finger. "There was a row of interconnected basements, about eight in number, if I recall. Ten feet below the surface and sound-proof. Our target back then was the leader of a sex trafficking ring and harbored prostitutes there. You think that's where Jasmine's being held?"

"I'm sure of it," answered Seth, pausing when Roman climbed out of the SUV. "Hey. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to her." And he had to hurry. Maybe if he got there quick enough, hopefully he would stop Corbin on time.

"By yourself? Roman, let us help you," Dean said, "We can't let you go in there blind."

"No guys, not this time. This is my fight." He shut his eyes briefly, as Jasmine's beautiful smile flashed before his eyes. "Besides, you've done more than enough for me already, both of you. I just hope I'll live long enough to repay you."

-------------------

Thoughts?

Credit to the owners of the pics and the gifs.

Please leave comments. I love comments!

[cinlat]

Blood in the Breeze: Ch 16 (Into the Void)

Parts one and two of this series linked.

Read every chapter on FFN or Ao3.

Summary: Fynta and Aric still have some things to work through. Verin offers some brotherly advice (and violence). And the council, once again, regrets every decision that led them to where they are.

Chapter Word Count: 3,402 Chapter Rating: T Characters in Chapter: Fynta Wolfe, Aric Jorgan, Theron Shan, Zolah Holran, Lana Beniko, Shillet Jorgan, Verin Ejnar-Wolfe

Author’s Note: Whole chapter under the cut. Better formatting on Ao3.

  The Thunderclap   Leaving Nathema

 Aric glared at the gleaming box on the edge of his desk. Strange that such a menacing device could look so innocuous when Aric picked it up. He didn’t know why he’d pilfered the holocron, or what he planned to do with it, only that it felt important. An idea niggled at the back of Aric’s mind, roosting there until it could reach maturity.

 “Did you hear me?” Aric leaned back in a desk chair that might as well have a permanent impression of his ass. Shillet waited on the other side of his comm, black eyes glaring into the camera. He saw the accusation. Aric had interrupted whatever she’d been working on, but couldn’t be bothered to keep his attention on the conversation he’d started.

 Scooping the datacron into a drawer, Aric gave his daughter an apologetic nod. “Sorry, kiddo, what was that?”

 The teenager in question rolled her eyes, then went back to painting her toenails. Shillet had grown into a woman overnight, filling out in ways that made Aric uncomfortable with so many young men on the base. She’d also taken to wearing makeup and doing things like painting her nails. Not for the first time, Jorgan wondered if there was a boy involved, but he was too much of a coward to ask. Maybe he’d comm Elara to see if she knew anything.

 “I said ‘how did it go?’” Shillet leaned forward to blow on the wet paint. “You weren’t out of contact as long as I expected.”

 Was that disappointment that Aric heard in his daughter’s voice? “Missed the target,” his gaze slid towards the drawer, “made some interesting discoveries, though.”

 “That’s good, then, right?” Shillet screwed the cap on and fanned one hand over her feet. “It’s better than nothing, at least.”

 Aric started to answer that he didn’t know. That he might have found a weapon or a shield, but wasn’t sure which way to wield it or who to tell. Fynta had wanted to blow the thing up, so she probably wouldn’t approve of him removing it from the vault. All Aric knew was that it was important.  

 “And I’ve lost you again.” Shillet sighed.

 “I’m still here,” Aric grumbled, then sat straight when the door to their room opened and Fynta swept in. “So is Fynta.”

The woman waved, then tapped the side of her head to let Aric know that she was on another call. She’d been in near continuous contact with Odessen discussing what had been discovered on Nathema. Everything from Vaylin’s tortured childhood and the strange absence of the Force, to the world shaking dread that came with realizing that Vaylin’s full potential had been unlocked.

 “We need those numbers, Theron.” Fynta ended the call, then learned over with a grin. “You look nice. Any particular reason?”

 Jorgan clenched his jaw to keep from growling and tried to be invisible for fear that Shillet wouldn’t answer if he drew attention to himself. Shillet flushed a deeper shade of green, and Jorgan saw red. He didn’t need this added stress on top of everything else and contemplated finding a reason to ground the girl until he got home. He’d      definitely     need to speak to Elara.

 Fynta slid into Jorgan’s lap, looping one arm around his neck while he sorted through the boys Shillet’s age on base. “How was the movie?”

 “It was fine, stupid actually.” Shillet crossed the room to put her supplies away, calling out to the comm she’d left behind. “I thought I might help unload the ships. A bunch of kids work there on the weekends for school passes.”

     What’s his name,    lingered at the back of Jorgan’s throat, but Fynta answered instead. “Take Tranx and Zula. Those two have been going stir crazy.” Fynta’s smirk turned devious. “I think Torian does some maintenance there too.”

 “Torian,” Jorgan heard himself say before he could stop it. A sense of relief washed over him at the knowledge that Shillet’s crush was on a man who would never take advantage of her. Not to mention, the Mandalorian chief was head over heels for Fynta’s pet Jedi. Once more, Jorgan was struck by the startling realization that he trusted Mandalorians with his most precious people than anyone else.

 Fynta carried on without acknowledging Jorgan, but Shillet dropped her head enough that a couple of tendrils fell across her face. “Listen, if it’s a boy’s attention you’re after, you’ve got to show them that you’re serious.” Fynta nudged Jorgan with a grin. “Blow something up.”

 Jorgan stood, dropping Fynta onto the floor from her perch on his thighs. She laughed, and Shillet did her best to hide a smile. Jorgan ignored them both. “On that note, please don’t take dating advice from Fynta.” He avoided any mention of motherhood. Neither woman took the insinuation well, and he didn’t want to upset the comfortable rhythm that they’d found.

 Fynta cupped her hands to her mouth, amplifying her voice while still sitting on the floor. “It worked on your father.”

 “Okay.” Shillet dragged the word out and leaned forward. “I’m going to go eat dinner. See you when you get home.”

 The call ended, and Fynta met Jorgan’s glare with a bright smile. “What? She knows that I was kidding.”

 “Does she?” Jorgan held out one hand, pulling Fynta upright with a grunt. “What if she believed you?”

 “It was a joke, Riduur.” Fynta patted Jorgan’s cheek and stepped away. “She’s practically an adult,      and    you and Elara raised her well. Give the girl some breathing room.”

 Jorgan clenched his fists and followed, looming so that Fynta knew that he was serious. “She’s thirteen, that’s not an adult.”

 “It is by my standards.” Fynta turned to open one of the drawers and began counting ammo magazines.

 Jorgan hadn’t intended to lash out, but before he understood his own actions, his fingers were wrapped around Fynta’s bicep, and she stared wide-eyed into his face. “Shillet isn’t Mandalorian.”

 Jorgan knew the growled words hurt. He wanted to regret them, but he couldn’t. Still, he should have chosen a better way to say them. “Fynta—”

 “You’re right,” Fynta interrupted, placing her hand over his. Jorgan’s fingers loosened under the unspoken threat. He hadn’t gripped her hard, but Fynta wouldn’t tolerate being handled in such a manner, nor should she.

 Lifting his hands, Jorgan let go of his wife and stepped away. “I’m sorry.”

 “I will never push anything you are uncomfortable with.” Fynta touched Jorgan’s cheek again, but it was fleeting. “She’s      your     daughter.” And like that, the familial moment shattered.

 Fynta put space between them, and Jorgan didn’t feel right about closing it yet. With a sigh, he plopped onto the bed and ran a hand over his head.  “I don’t want to fuck this up anymore than I already have.” He chanced a glance at Fynta, waiting until she met his eyes. “Any of it.”

 Fynta dropped the magazine she’d checked back into the box, then knelt in front of Jorgan. “You and I, we’re always good.” She pressed a quick kiss to Jorgan’s lips. “And, Shillet is a great kid.”

 Again, Fynta pulled away before Jorgan could reply. Her nails scraped over his scalp as she headed for the door, towards her escape. “I’m going to check on Verin, he took a nasty knock to the head. See you in a bit.”

 “I’ll be here,” Jorgan answered, but his wife was already gone. With a snarl, Jorgan flopped onto the bed and glared at the ceiling. With everything he cared for close by, why did Jorgan still feel like his world was falling apart?

The Thunderclap En Route to Odessen Conference Room    “How about a drink, Fyn’ika?” Verin pressed his palms into the table across from where Fynta stared through a holomap. She was parsecs away, lost in a way he’d seen before. She blinked, focusing on him through whatever thoughts occupied her attention. Verin flashed a crooked grin and lifted a couple of dark bottles. “Come on, vod’ika. I smuggled in some netra’gal.”

 “Why didn’t you tell me that on the way      to    fighting the voidspawn?” Fynta leaned across the table to snatch one of the Mandalorian specialties and twisted the top off by brute force. “I could use a decent drink about now.”

 Spinning around one of the deck mounted chairs, Verin straddled the seat and watched his sister. “So, are you going to tell me what’s really going on, or do I have to drag it out of Jorgan?”

 Fynta lowered her drink and rubbed her eyes. “The old bastard is talking again.” She tapped her temple. “He’s scared of Vaylin, and was      not     happy about our trip to Nathema. And, I’ve got this headache from hell thanks to all of the Force suppression stuff. I can only imagine how Lana feels.”

 Verin propped his elbows on the chair back and settled in to let his sister talk herself in circles. Fynta didn’t disappoint. She spun her bottle in a lazy circle on the table. “I’d hoped that Arcann would join us, but he’s not confident in his ability to resist Nathema’s pull. Probably a good thing now that I’ve been there.” Without warning, Fynta thumped her head against the table. “And, Aric’s mad at me again.”

 “Why now?” Verin asked, taking another sip. He let the sweet liquid warm him from the inside, steeling his nerves for the tough conversation to come.

 “Mostly because I’m osik around kids.” Fynta gestured around the room without lifting her face from the table. Her words were muffled against the false wood polish. “It’s one of the rare moments when we can’t see eye to eye on anything.”

 “I’ve been meaning to ask how that was going?” Verin expected some hiccups while Fynta tried to find her place in Shillet’s life, but the pushback from Aric surprised him. Verin supposed some things couldn’t span the gaps between their cultures. That had never been a problem for them because they hadn’t planned on having children. The galaxy had a way of turning people’s plans inside out. Verin knew that better than most.

 When Fynta looked up, it was with a violent shake of her head. “No, we’re not doing that.” She chugged the netra’gal, then smacked her lips. “New topic.”

 “Okay.” Verin took a drink, dragging the silence out to let the annoyance drain from Fynta before continuing. “What’s happened since Darvannis?” She’d had the coveted lust for life then. She fought and loved and laughed. Perhaps she still did, but it sounded hollow.

 Fynta shrank into herself, knees curling against her chest and chin propped on them like when she was just a skinny kid. “You gave me Cinlat’s haalas gaid, armor that she lived and died in. Of everything learned from her time among Mandalorians, that was the only part that she truly loved.” Fynta offered a wry smile and tipped her head in Verin’s direction. “Apart from you.” The old sting of loss surfaced, but time had dulled the effect.

 Verin didn’t interrupt. He could see that Fynta was building to her point, but had taken the long way around. Letting out a breath, Fynta plopped her chin back on her knees and hugged them closer. Once again the little girl from that night so long ago when it became just the two of them against the galaxy.

 “I’m not Mando’ade anymore, Verin.” The words felt like a blow to his stomach. He wanted to argue or snort in disagreement, but made himself stay silent. If he spoke too soon, she’d shut down.

 “I’ve been thinking about it,” Fynta continued. “The Resol’nare is as close to a religion as we have. How many do I follow? Speaking the language, sure. Wearing the armor, I am now thanks to your gift. I’m bred to fight, but I won’t answer the call of the Mand’alor.” Fynta snorted. “Shab, she answers mine. And Shillet...I can’t force that decision on her. Not when her father is Cathar.”

 Verin nodded. “Have you two discussed it? Shillet, I mean.”

 Shaking her head, Fynta seemed to remember the beer in her hands and drained half the bottle in one pull. Sighing, she smacked her lips. “We’ve tiptoed around it, but Aric being her father doesn’t make me the girl’s mother. She’s got Elara for that. The woman raised that child. I’m...a friend. Shillet respects my authority and no longer believes that I’m a danger to Aric’s happiness, but it’s different.”

 Fynta shrugged, then drained the rest of the bottle. “I’m not a Republic soldier, not a Mandalorian, not a mother. What am I?”

 “You’ve forgotten the spirit of mandokarla. Life fluctuates, and we evolve. Are the ones who are forced into the ba'slan shev'la less Mando’ade than the ones who remain in society?”

 “No, but—” Fynta’s eyes narrowed when Verin snapped his fingers.

 Leaning back, Verin laced them behind his head and grinned. “You’re overthinking it. It’s not always all or nothing. We work with what we’re given.”

 Fynta sighed. “Yeah.” Verin leaned forward and smacked her on the back of the head. She snarled a curse while rubbing it. “What the hell?”

 “Enough pity. Time to get back into life, Fyn’ika.” Verin dodged her response with a laugh. “You’ve got a husband and a daughter. Whatever happens with them is up to you, but it won’t turn out well if you don’t get back into it.”

 Fynta snorted and muttered an insult under her breath, but her eyes weren’t dull anymore. She stood and checked her wrist chrono. “Shab, I’ve got another meeting. Thanks for the drink, ori’vod.” Verin nodded, lifting his bottle in salute while she headed towards the door. Fynta stopped, speaking without looking back. “Hang around for a bit, if you can.”

 “I get to sleep through the night here,” Verin chuckled and made a show of settling into the cushions, legs kicked out and feet on the table. “I’m not giving that up without a fight.”

 Odessen        War Room

 Images of broken tanks and derelict walls floated in the center of the table. The conference room was full to bursting, with senior members in the chairs while those who came in later positioned themselves around the walls. Fynta stood towards the back, having seen Nathema in person. Murmurs drifted through the air, but she had heard it all before.

 “The question now is what to do with this information.” Lana waved a hand, pausing the holo on the image of destruction left by Vaylin’s escape.

 “Is it relevant?” Zolah asked. The woman had her menagerie of men surrounding her, each wearing a furrowed brow specific to them. When every eye turned on the Chiss spy, she gestured at the image. “Whatever power that place had over Vaylin is broken. Does this information serve as anything beyond telling us that she is not only psychotic, but no longer leashed?”

 More murmurs. Fynta had theories, but she wasn’t ready to share them. Aric stood stiffly at her side, his fingers flexing around an invisible object. Fynta would need to look into whatever was troubling the Cathar later. For the moment, she counted down the time her presence was required before it would be rude to slip away.

 “You’ve been ignoring me.” Valkorion stood at Fynta’s side, startling a curse from her. The old Sith smiled in his demure way and nodded at the image. “Did you learn anything of…value?”

 For whatever reason, Valkorion had been unable to follow Fynta into the vault that protected her small party from Vaylin’s wrath. It had left her chilled, as if the ghost of Valkorion was a separate heat source instead of cold death. Fynta had learned plenty in those sprawling catacombs, and none of it surprised her.

 “Only that you’re as bad of a father as you are a benevolent ruler.” Fynta folded her arms and refused to look at him.

 Valkorion sighed while the meeting carried on around Fynta. She was surprised that the old bastard hadn’t stopped time again. “Vaylin needed to be controlled.”

 “She was your kid,” Fynta snapped. “As far as childhoods go, that was one of the shittiest I’ve ever seen., and I’ve seen some bad ones”

 “You aren’t considering a charity case, I hope.” It took Fynta a few seconds to realize that Lana’s barb was directed at her. When she glanced to her right, Valkorion was gone.

 Instead of trying to explain that Fynta hadn’t been talking to the collected group, she rolled with it. “Of course not. Mad dogs need to be put down.” Lana gave a quick jerk of her head, but Fynta wasn’t done. “Let’s keep in mind that this is a child who never grew up. Valkorion kept her chained in agony for years. It’s no wonder she went insane. Whatever our course of action, let’s make it quick and as clean as possible.” With that, Fynta pushed away from the wall and walked out. She was done with meetings and talking circles around a problem that none of them knew how to deal with.

 As expected, Aric fell into step at Fynta’s side. “You feeling sorry for her?”

 Fynta lifted a shoulder. “There’s not a lot standing in between Vaylin and any one of us ending up just like her. A push in the right direction, and we all go feral.”

 “Not everyone.” Aric bumped Fynta’s shoulder, and she forced a smile so that he’d know she appreciated his faith in her. Valkorion hummed in the recesses of Fynta’s mind. It felt like a fly buzzing around her head, the melody too quiet to pick out, but she      knew     it was there.

 Shillet waited at the door when Fynta and Aric got home. The smell of food hit Fynta’s stomach like a punch, but it was Aric who voiced their mingled surprise. “What’s all this?”

 “Dinner,” Shillet answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. Which, Fynta supposed it was. The Nautolan girl skipped to the table where an assortment of meats and vegetables that didn’t normally go together waited. She offered a wide, sharp grin. “These are the only things that I know how to make.”

 “It looks good,” Aric laughed while ruffling the girl’s head tresses. Fynta made a mental note to teach her a few Mandalorian staples to sneak into her father’s meals.

 The night carried on in companionable conversation. Fynta finally let herself relax long enough to invite Cormac, Tayl, and Elara over for a few drinks. The kids vanished into Shillet’s room, leaving the adults sitting around the table like old times. Fynta heaved a steadying breath and told herself that Vaylin could wait until tomorrow. Tonight was for family.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

an inconvenient stabbing

Read on Ao3

Warnings: stabbing, blood loss

Pairings: live show court judges squad are actually best friends change my mind

Word Count: 2714

Spending long hours working at the Supreme Court isn't anything new for Judge Oh, and neither is going out for an emergency food run when she realizes she's missed dinner.

It is, however, the first time she sees someone about to be assaulted. She can't just sit back and watch.

Here’s what they don’t tell you about being stabbed. You don’t actually feel like you’ve been stabbed until you put your hand to the wound and it comes away red.

When the man slams his fist into Jinjoo’s side, her first thought is that she’s been punched. It knocks the wind out of her, sending her staggering slightly into the person next to her. She bares her teeth, snarls at them to know better than to try again as she shields the actual target. The man’s eyes widen as he turns tail, leaving the person behind her to stammer out her thanks.

“It’s alright, now,” Jinjoo says, “get somewhere safe, there might be more of them.”

“Thank you, Judge Oh, I will, thank you—“

“Hurry, inside now.” Jinjoo looks over her shoulder at the retreating man and quickly glances around. She can’t see anyone else; the worst of the danger appears to be past.

She raises a hand to her brow and brushes her hair back from her forehead. That’s funny, it’s more damp than she expected. She looks at her hand and her eyes widen.

She glances down. The front of her shirt is slightly sticking to her, a patch of red growing larger and larger.

Oh, she manages faintly, I’ve been stabbed.

As soon as she puts the pieces together, it starts to hurt. She winces, leaning against the wall as she covers it with her hand and pushes hard. Pressure, that’s how she won’t bleed out. The extra sensation makes her hiss through her teeth.

She’s not too far from the Supreme Court, she could make it there. Really, what she should do is call someone. Yes, that’s a good idea, let’s try that. She reaches for her phone only to find it dead. Well, there are probably many people between here and there, she can ask one of them for help.

The pain doesn’t lessen as she pushes herself off the wall and begins the trek to the Supreme Court. She holds her side as tight as she can bear as she walks, keeping the pained grunts as quiet as she can. She can make it.

There isn’t a single person that she can see.

It gets harder. Soon her arms are aching, both from the strain of propping her weight against the wall and from holding her side. She’s stopped trying to hold in the noises, instead they flow freely from her lips. Part of her is glad there aren’t any people around for this mortifying ordeal, the rest desperately wants someone to lean against, even if it’s just for a phone call.

The Supreme Court is still a block away.

By the time the white building makes it into view, she’s wincing with every step and she’s certain she’s never had this much trouble staying upright in her life. A sigh of relief tears out of her throat before she realizes that not only does she have to cross the street, there are no walls for her to lean against.

She looks down. Her hand is bloody, the fabric is rucked up and probably past the point of saving. Even as she stands still, the pain wells up and threatens to take her breath away. She looks back up.

She could wait here. Someone is bound to come at some point. But she’s so close and the call of her office where she has a charger and her other phone is louder than the pain.

Jinjoo raises her chin and pushes off the wall.

The first step she takes is fine. The second is a little harder. She’s gritting her teeth and swaying by the time she makes it to the middle of the road. The crosswalk sways under her feet like a bridge, threatening to dump her into the icy, unforgiving waters either side. She sways, staggers, tries valiantly to keep herself afloat.

The crossing is trailed in blood.

She wants to collapse to her knees the moment she reaches the other side, but the second her head inclines, she almost blacks out. No rest, then, not until she’s finished. She’s barely putting pressure on the wound anymore but she staggers to the door.

It feels like a horror movie. The white looms in front of her, unnaturally sterile, inhumanly cold. Jinjoo staggers closer, closer, until she can get her shoulder against the door and leave it open. She leaves a bloody smear across the threshold and feels a wall of shame rush over her. If she had blood to spare, she’s sure her face would be red.

What right does she have, she seethes quietly as she drags herself through the building, to sully this place with her blood? She’s poured herself into her work, into the spirit of this building, but now that her tracks are bright red against the polished floors…

She doesn’t have the strength to sob.

Her office. She has to make it to her office. That’s where she can collapse. There’s a couch here. It will be soft. She knows how to clean a couch. She can get there.

Her grip slackens.

She just has to get there.

How much blood has she lost? It hurts. Why wasn’t there anyone outside? Why isn’t there anyone here?

“Where,” she slurs, listing terribly from side to side, “where did everybody go?”

Footsteps. Oh. Someone is coming. She hopes she doesn’t bleed all over them.

She looks up and sees Judge Kim and Judge Kang walking into the room. Oh. She thought they’d gone home already. They spot her and Judge Kim yells her name. She hopes they aren’t angry that she’s gotten blood on the floor. But then he’s rushing over to her and his face is pale and he looks scared.

He pulls her hand away and his eyes widen at the sight of the wound. He looks back up at her in horror.

“Kit in our office,” she manages, “my phone died and I—“

“We have to hurry,” he says, cutting her off and swooping under her free arm, “I’ve got you.”

She’s lurched forward with new speed and struggles to keep up. Judge Kim’s grip on her is careful, her arm held around his shoulders and he barks something at Judge Kang as they get across the room. She opens her mouth to apologize when there’s another arm around her waist, holding her upright and a hand pressed hard over hers.

“Stay with us,” Judge Kang says, “we’re almost there.”

She can make it. Her legs won’t move as fast as theirs and they’re just too tall for this to be comfortable, but she’s rushed through the door and up to their office and then Judge Kim is dropping her arm and all but ripping off his scarf as Judge Kang lies her down on the couch.

She winces as he balls up the scarf and presses it hard to the wound, mumbling out an apology only for Judge Kim to scoff.

“It’s just a scarf, Jinjoo, it’s fine.” He sets the kit on the coffee table and rifles through it frantically. “I don’t know if we’ve got enough in here.”

“Even if you did, you can’t do anything until the wound stops bleeding,” Judge Kang says sharply, pressing harder, “and she’ll need a doctor.”

“There’s a panic button downstairs,” Judge Kim says, “that’ll get them here the fastest.”

Oh. She didn’t know that. She could have pressed it herself.

“Hey.” She blinks. Judge Kang is looking down at her, leaning his weight on the wound. “Stay with me.”

“Yes, Chief.” She winces when he pushes down harder. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, I know this must hurt.”

“Thank you,” she manages, “I can’t imagine this is how you expected to spend your evening.”

“Well, I couldn’t leave my Right Associate Judge to bleed out on the floor, could I?”

“I suppose not,” she says, the words twisting something in her chest.

“Besides,” he says almost conspiratorially, “your replacement would almost certainly look like a judge.”

A shaky laugh leaves her as Judge Kang chuckles. It feels surreal; him pressing hard on her stab wound as they share an inside joke. She hadn’t thought about it when she said it, only glancing over to see Judge Kang trying not to laugh. She didn’t think he’d remember.

“Hey,” he calls after a moment, “what is it?”

“Huh?”

“You look like you went somewhere,” he says quietly, “I thought I asked you to stay with me.”

He pushes a little harder on her side as she shakes her head. “It’s nothing.”

“It didn’t look like nothing.”

Jinjoo takes a breath, wincing again at the fresh wave of pain. “I know I was chosen for my looks.”

“Is that what you’re upset about? That you believe the only reason you’re still here is because of your pretty face?”

Now she’s glad she doesn’t have blood to spare to blush that Kang Yohan thinks she has a pretty face.

“As you pointed out, Judge Oh,” he says, “you’re a part of this team too. Not just because of your face, not because of the image you’ve portrayed for the cameras, but because you’re a good judge.”

“…you think so?”

He nods, a small smile on his face. “Though I will say, I have not questioned your judgment until now,” he says, pressing against the wound, “what happened?”

“A woman felt unsafe walking down the road and someone came up and tried to attack her.” She swallows. “I didn’t realize he had a knife or that I had been stabbed.”

Judge Kang blinks. “Did you just say you didn’t realize that you had been stabbed?”

“It didn’t feel like he stabbed me.”

“And what did you imagine being stabbed would feel like?”

“…sharper.” Judge Kang huffs. “It just felt like he punched me!”

“What am I going to do with you two,” he scolds without much real heat behind it, “always running headlong into things without stopping and thinking?”

The bloodless has loosened the filter on her words because she huffs too. “All due respect, sir, but you can talk.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t talk to us before you do things,” she mumbles, “and then we can’t help you. You’re supposed to work with us and not run headlong into things either.”

Judge Kang watches her carefully for a moment. Jinjoo worries she’s gone too far, some part of her worries he’ll leave, then another smile comes to his face.

“Let’s make a deal,” he says, adjusting his pressure on her side, “you don’t put yourself in a situation that will result in you being stabbed, and I will start talking to you two more about the trials on a regular basis, hmm?”

“You have to include us in your plans.” He raises an eyebrow. “You talking about the trial could just be going over what we already know. That won’t solve anything.”

“What was that before about you being here only for your looks?”

“That’s the deal.”

Judge Kang looks at her for a moment before he nods. Jinjoo wants something a little more than that and she holds out her hand.

After a moment, he takes it and they shake on it. “You drive a hard bargain, Judge Oh.”

“Mm.” Now that she’s not being distracted by it anymore, though, it’s really starting to hurt. She swallows, closing her eyes and trying to breathe through it. It’s no use.

She hears footsteps coming and Judge Kim rushes back inside. “They’re on their way. Shouldn’t be long now.”

He couches down beside her head and carefully positions it on one of their pillows. She blinks her eyes open and he smiles, his brow still furrowed in concern.

“I got him to agree,” she mumbles just to watch the furrow smooth out a little.

“See? I knew you could do it.”

“You two,” comes Judge Kang’s indignant voice, “were conspiring against me?”

“And it worked, too,” Judge Kim says, “you should have us on your side instead of against you.”

“We shook on it, you can’t take it back now.”

“Such disrespect, the both of you,” Judge Kang grumbles, “who would’ve thought you two would turn out to be so rude? Or is it just because it’s after work hours?”

Jinjoo wants to reply but Judge Kang’s hand shifts and the pain is so sudden it springs tears to her eyes.

“Yah,” Judge Kim scolds, reaching out to brush her tears away, “don’t make her cry!”

“N-no, it’s—it’s just—“

“I can’t let up,” Judge Kang says softly, “I know it hurts, you’re doing well.”

“You’re so brave, Jinjoo,” Judge Kim whispers, “they’re almost here, they’ll know what to do.”

“It hurts,” she manages around a weak sob, “it really hurts.”

“Here.” Judge Kim reaches for the hand closest to him and holds it in his. “Squeeze, it’ll help.”

“You’ll get your hands all bloody,” she mumbles.

“I don’t mind.”

“How come you’re only worried about his hands,” Judge Kang asks, “or am I not worth your concern either?”

It might be a joke, but Jinjoo has lost a lot of blood and there will always be a part of her that hates being scolded in any way.

“I didn’t ask you to,” she says, sounding far too much like a petrified child, “you…you can stop.”

“He didn’t mean it like that,” Judge Kim soothes, sending a sharp look at Judge Kang, “it’s alright.”

“I’m not going to let you bleed out,” he says, softer now, “even if it means blood on my hands.”

But oh, she’s tired now and she doesn’t have the strength to cry and bleed and talk all at the same time. Her hand begins to go limp in Judge Kim’s and everything starts to hurt. Her arms ache from the walk and her legs don’t feel a part of her anymore. She catches sight of Judge Kim’s worried expression as her eyes begin to slip closed.

“Stay awake,” he says, “you have to stay awake.”

“I am awake, I’m just…just resting, I’m tired.”

Judge Kang suddenly pushes harder on her side and her eyes fly open. She stares up at him with a look of betrayal.

“Stay awake,” he says unapologetically, “and I won’t.”

“I’m trying,” she says, only partially in a whine, “but it’s hard when everything hurts.”

“I know, it’s alright, you’re almost there.”

They hear footsteps from outside.

“They’re here,” Judge Kim says, “they’re here, it’s alright, you did it, just stay awake until they get here.”

“Hello? Anyone?”

“In here,” Judge Kang barks, “Judge Oh is hurt.”

The last thing she can clearly feel is Judge Kim squeezing her hand firmly before everything disappears in a whirl of fluorescent lighting and a blur of movement. She must end up at a hospital somehow because she falls asleep with an IV in her arm and the quiet beeping of a heart rate monitor.

When she wakes, a doctor is there and he tells her she was lucky the knife missed everything important. When she tells him what she remembers, he scolds her for not charging her phone but that she’ll be good to go home as soon as he’s checked her stitches.

She’s surprised to see Judge Kim in the waiting area as she walks outside. The smiles and comes over to her, wrapping her arm through his and leading her outside.

“What are you doing here?”

“You got stabbed, Jinjoo,” he says, “I was worried.”

“Did you...you didn’t wait all night, did you?”

“No,” he says to her relief, “but I did tell the hospital to give me a call if anything happened, which nothing did until you woke up”

“Thank you, Judge Kim.”

“You know my name, Jinjoo, you’re allowed to use it.”

“Gaon, then.”

Judge Kim—Gaon smiles and tugs her toward the sunlight. “Come on, let’s get you home so you can change. You and I need to go get a coffee.”

“We do?”

“Yes,” he smiles, “because I have been told that there are inside jokes that I am not allowed to know and so you and I need to come up with our own.”

“Is it weird that I’m happy I didn’t charge my phone?”

“No weirder than anything else that happens around here.”

[zylian]

I like to think Zam always cared for Mapicc even when he hated him the most. —> Devotion duo rant :P

It’s why he said his revenge was done when he saw Mapicc completely alone. Mapicc always has someone, the second he didn’t Zam said it was too cruel.

Zam knows that if Mapicc knew Spoke was working with eclipse, Mapicc would totally have done something rash and make himself everyone’s target.

Mapicc who thought Zam was a blind fool never realizes Zam was burning himself trying to keep Mapiccs focus on him.

Zam made sure Mapicc would rarely notice who’s working with who until Mapicc no longer would be a threat and put himself in danger. Until things were so far along Spoke, Ash or Vitalasy wouldn’t subject Mapicc as the main target.

Mapicc always needs someone by him and Zam in his own way kept his teams focus away by getting as close as he could to Mapicc

—————

It’s like that one time after a duel got ruined by the Warden Spoke spawned. Mapicc thought Zam didn’t know anything behind the scenes after putting the pieces together while Zam was actively acting and lying about how much he knew to make sure Mapicc didn’t get dragged into it.

Even Planet told Zam to watch what he says since Mapicc didn’t know Spokes god at that time. Out of everyone, Zam knows how easily Spoke can throw people away so he vouched for Spokes ban first so Spokes anger spread instead of full focusing on Mapicc.

No matter how much Zam blames Mapicc he is so quick to not allow someone else to put full blame on Mapicc.

In turn when Mapicc thought Vitalasy was going to book ban Zam, he got scared. Despite it having nothing to do with him, despite having no reason to be nice to Zam since they barely just got back on neutral terms he slowly twisted it. Giving him a reason to fight back.

With the original prison plan being used on leviathan, that didn’t give Mapicc motivation to actually fully go after Vitalasy but the second he heard Zam was almost the subject to Vi’s potential bookban, he himself told Spoke about his plan to try and ban Vitalasy first.

—————

It’s crazy, Mapicc should know first hand how awful Zams betrayals feel and in fact it would have made sense if he let Vitalasy ban Zam and than deal with Vi later but he didn’t.

Mapicc still cares and it’s also the reason he believes Zam has no thoughts and acts on impulse. He believes he knows Zam and can’t tolerate seeing Zam bleed when he has no involvement in it.

Mapicc was so ready to jump in to Zams last talk with Subz. Despite days later commanding Spoke to kill Zam for killing Vortex.

It’s so strange.

—————

There’s also the time Subz wanted to murder Mapicc so many times, even telling Vitalasy how quick he would go after him but at that time Mapicc was Zams target and Zams target alone.

Zam made sure he had back up sets just to return to battle to fight Mapicc, especially with hearing how Subz talks about him. Subz dismissing Spoke, calling Ro washed and saying he could handle Mapicc even with a totem rather than a shield.

Zam never really let Subz 1v1 Mapicc. Zam cares too much & so does Mapicc. Clown’s fight had nothing to do with Mapicc but it gets twisted to give reason for Mapicc to show up.

They will only let the other bleed if it’s from those they allow it from, whether that’s their own teammates jumping in to help or someone they asked. It’s never by a third party that’s not involved.

[elkenbulwark]

hc // what only matters - is not you.

Birvor has a rather complex dichotomy when it comes to trusting absolutely nothing vs blindly believing in everything.

Growing up, he was used primarily as a tool by the Cragdews to ensure their son, (and conversely his in-name-only brother) was sheltered to the point where he would never even run the chance of encountering the troubles that beset most nobles and merchants stationed in the seedy atmosphere of Baldur's Gate. And on the off chance that Ren did come into contact with anyone not approved of by the family, Birvor was to serve as the impenetrable wall between anyone that tried make contact with him as it was simply a fact drilled into him that anyone, no matter their appearance or spoken intentions, were out for either the wealth of the Cragdews or their lives. Ren was a walking target at all times, and so much as a scuff on the other's face (even if garnered from scraping his own cheek from slamming doors as hard and fast as he could to sever the half orc's direct following path) would warrant a harsh punishment at Birvor's expense. This meticulous upbringing causes the half-orc to be quite harsh in his judgement of others and their intentions when directed at Ren. Even children asking for hand outs or trying to show the high elf a magic trick would warrant him to step in, arms crossed and expression heavy to dissuade any funny business.

Another example would be: since Astarion was the one to tackle Ren with a knife after they'd made it off the crashes nautiloid,he absolutely would not hesitate to throw the man off a mountain if he were left alone with him. Unfortunately (or fortunately in Astarion's case), party members and the general spirit of democracy has stopped any such attempts.

This behavior seems to cause Ren to act out even more since he's basically the equivalent of a preacher's daughter wild as fuck at college now that the two of them have been unceremoniously excused from the Cragdews' home. This may be helping Birvor slowly come to terms with the fact that he doesn't have to keep up with every decision Ren makes because the only thing negative that ever came of letting his brother dick around and find out was pain at his own expense, though it was never really his and moreso the Cragdews' that they found too uncomfortable to sit with and so administered onto him. This of course is the type of realization that once fully acknowledged, will lead to a roiling resentment that after all this time, he'd been deceived.

Which translates into the next point that although Birvor would not trust and actively shuts down any suggestion or invitation made on Ren's expense, the opposite proves true when it is he that is being propositioned. The extent of his high intimidation capabilities is a marriage blend between his half-orc features, strength, and mid high charisma that often acts as a shield that helps deter others from taking advantage of him or deceiving him; however, because he is so used to that aspect of his interactions and how fierce he usually comes across while butting into Ren's affairs, it simply doesn't click to him that people could and would seek to manipulate him.

Because of this, his party has often had to intervene on his behalf when he's been too trusting in what's been pitched to him in terms of folks offering to get the illithid out of his head. He is fully trusting of Nettie, even after she pulls the poisonous branch on him (though his lack of plant knowledge mostly kept him compliant, which ultimately lended itself to his favor when Nettie was hit with the 'too big of a big dumb animal' pity to actually poison him.) The hag would have had one of his eyes if his party didn't see her transformation and step in quickly. And since he trusted 'Mama' Gut with her assurances the Absolute would help remove the tadpole, he allowed her to brand him and drank the sleeping potion she gave him.

On a deeper level, he's most likely internalized that even if someone had ill intent for him, the only thing that really mattered was if that Ill intent was directed at Ren; as the Cragdews' once told him - 'what only matters until he is tucked safe away in his chambers is - not you.'

(Side note that a noted personality quip of many half orcs that don't fill the lone adventurer/muscle for hire type tends to sometimes gravitate towards being agreeable to a fault and even overly generous because they do not want to be perceived as what they're often stereotyped to be: aka violent, disagreeable, always angry, and selfish loners that don't fit into either side of their heritage well. )

[thedawningofthehour]

Do the Yōkai know where the Empyream came from? Do they know about the Krang? The Foot and the Hamato know about them, so I would find it super weird if the Yokai didn't know about that alien race that tried to conquer the earth a thousand years ago.

Also, I doubt Draxum would be able to get enough Empyream to mutate 8 billion people without resorting to the Crying titan , and even if he does how the heck would he get past the shields that protect it? It takes SHREDDER level strength to do it and even he took what I assume would be a couple of hours!

And I know that some of the empyream seeps through the cracks, but would that be enough?

The average person? I'm not sure if they really think about empyrean or where the Yokai come from on a regular basis, but the Yokai as a whole know. They put together all their different origin mythos and saw that all their stories mentioned something glowing and green, so it was a safe bet that that wasn't just storytelling. (I'm unsure if they would have thought it was just radioactive-I don't know how much people really 'knew' about radioactive materials before we started fucking around with them, but uranium is natural and I'm guessing people realized a long time ago that they had 'eat shit and die' vibes)(also fun fact, that glow radioactive materials have is actually a cobalt blue!) And they were able to analyze their blood and bones and everything else and confirm that there were trace amounts of this green stuff inside them. And if that wasn't enough evidence, they've straight-up dipped humans in this shit and watched them mutate in a controlled environment. So yeah, they've scientifically proven what empyrean is and that it created the Yokai. They don't entirely understand how it works, but that's how a lot of magic is.

As far as the Krang go, they have some idea? They have creatures that seem very Krang-like in their mythology, but they're probably all vague on what exactly they are. They were ugly and destructive, that's what mattered to the people who recorded those stories-they didn't bother asking them too many questions as they destroyed villages and enslaved its people. They can see the weird skeleton that just oozes empyrean forever. They know something's up, but they're probably reluctant to go (literally) poking at it too much, so they don't have many concrete answers. They probably guess that empyrean is extraterrestrial, since it's so unlike anything else on earth, but they haven't proven it.

This is before even considering my theory about the Council being Rise's Utrom and technically being Krang themselves, so they might have helped put the pieces together or directly misled the Yokai as it benefitted them.

Draxum is definitely experiencing issues with the scale, that's one of the reasons he kidnapped Donnie in the first place. He realized that he was not used to this kind of warfare and would need someone younger and more adaptive to weigh in. But yeah, this is kind of dark, but he's not planning to mutate all eight billion of them. He's going to kill a bunch too. Not indiscriminately, he does plan to mostly target people actively resisting his regime-i.e. who deserve it, but he knows a lot of other people will get killed anyway. He considers that a necessary sacrifice. Ideally, he wants to get to a position where he can tell the rest of the world to surrender and submit themselves for mutation, and then the Council would have to give him unfettered access to the Crying Titan. He might let some people live unmutated, but banish them down under like the Yokai were.

To the land down under. Which means he sends them to Australia.

He was considering breaking into the Crying Titan to get empyrean! Lucky for him he doesn't have to do that now, right?

[victorgrwrites]

8, 9, 27 for Jack!

AAAA! Thank you!

More answers below the cut!

How does your Dark Urge feel about the wilderness?

Sunlight pours through leaves like warmth on his skin, the shades of gold dancing like water. High up in the tree with his crossbow laid across his stomach, he had only birds and the sound of the river below to fill this teenager's space. Eventually he'd have to actually move to hunt for some meat to take back to the caravan, but he had realized he always had more luck if he climbed a tree near some water and waited.

'Let your target be comfortable and come to you' works as well on animals as people.

Jack tips his head suddenly at the sound of a strange bird call, a loon of some kind. He listened intently to the sound, throat and tongue moving to try and feel out the sound.

Woo woooooo

He opened his mouth; like a whistle but not.

"Woo woooo!"

No, that wasn't quite right. But it was enough to get an answering call.

Woo woo woooo!

"Woo woo wooo!" Better that time.

He looks down at some rustling, catching sight of a fox stopping for a drink of water. Foxes were nothing to underestimate, but if he got a neck artery, he could chase it while it bled out.

Slowly Jack moves his hands to the crossbow, putting his finger on the trigger and taking aim. He waits… and then pulls the trigger. At the sound of the cry he rolls out of the tree, sprinting after its mad flight.

The wilderness was always very peaceful for Jack, though he was only really in it when he was younger. While not an expert woodsman by any means, he knows well enough how to hunt and survive till civilization. When he reaches Baldur's Gate at 18, he never had much reason to venture out into the wilderness however.

How does your Dark Urge feel about the city?

There he was. Enver's requested target, shuffling out of one of the many secret drop off points from the Knights of the Shield. It was in a seemingly abandoned house in Heapside; he toyed with the idea of leaving it alone because the greedy tyrant hadn't said anything about checking it.

Or maybe he would be more annoyed of Jack did? Ah, a decision for after the kill, after he decided how to make this fun.

…How about this?

He gestures out in front of him, as if making the strings of a puppet, threads curling around his fingers. Very few knew that he could perform spell work at all, and that number would remain the same soon. An illusion of himself walks calmly toward the man, swords drawn, stepping closer to the man as Jack himself slips around to the side, sticking to shadows.

"Someone has asked Bhaal for your head, knight," the illusion chuckles menacingly.

The man straightens, laughing with an edge of fear, drawing his own sword. "Yeah? Well he can get in fuckin' line. Or how about I pay ya more?"

"None escape Bhaal," his puppet responds, not pausing its stride.

The man slashes just when the illusion gets close. Jack's cue to dash from the shadows, scimitar arching wide just because he wants to see how far he can shove it into the back of the man's skull.

The city is Jack's playground. He regards the majority of the citizens in it as his playthings, a little stage for him to run around on. All the buildings and alleys are his high beams and scenery to dart behind.

There are certain specific things and people and places in the city he enjoys for varying reasons. But cities as a whole are just his to use, with the meat bags playing their bit parts.

How does your Dark Urge feel about giving and receiving orders?

"Say the word, and we're off."

Jack's brow furrows, crossing his arms across his chest as he looks at Moonrise Tower in front of them. He's already been in there before, he knows the layout well, the side door that led to rooms around the main entrance.

"Tell you what," he begins, looking back to Jaheira. "Give me ten minutes, then come charging in. We can sneak around, and they'll have two sides to deal with in the fight."

Jaheira laughs at that, eyebrow raising, "You do seem like a sneaky bastard. Alright, ten minutes, but no more. They might not even give us that long."

Jack simply nods, gesturing for Astarion, Gale, and Karlach to follow him quickly around the outside. It was easy for them to get to the outside door, Jack and Astarion taking point to sneak and wordlessly gesture to the other two as they made sure rooms were clear. Once to the throne room, they spot three people inside, casters of some kind.

"Astarion, Karlach, split your targets. Gale," he barely whispers. "Some silence?"

The wizard nods, carefully looking into the room himself. "Won't be but a moment."

Jack doesn't mind giving orders in situations where he already has a goal in front of him. He's comfortable and used to leading groups of people into and through combat situations. Outside of combat, or in situations where there isn't a clear direction, he's more likely to waffle. Especially post-tadpole.

Taking orders? It depends on the level of trust. If he has seen the person show off their expertise in a field, he's very happy to follow. If there's no trust there, he's all too eager to bite the hand that's pointing him in a direction.

To bring some Durgetash into it, he's happy to take Enver's orders as long as he knows he's choosing to follow. That's because he loves to execute a plan, and perform, and maybe enjoy the praise a little (lot). For the most part, if Enver wants to wield a Bhaalspawn dagger, he knows how to avoid holding the wrong end.

[emmym1]

My thoughts on... (Part 2) Spider-Gwen 2015B (#24-29) "Gwenom"

So Rhino gets real scared now that he knows there is a big target on his back by a hero that has turned into something completely different now. Murdock takes advantage of Gwen's anger and sets up a trap. He no longer will protect Rhino and leave him to his fate, even more he lets Gwen know where he is all while calling the cops to let them know where Spider-Woman/Gwenom will be. Gwenom confronts Rhino and she's ready to full on kill him and get her revenge. The cops turn to the scene and you start reading the inner monologue of someone, at first you could think it might be Gwen as she usually is the only one that gets her inner monologue presented but after a few dialogue lines you think it might be Rhino. Only for it to turn out to be Frank Castle aka The Punisher who finally realized that the real enemy isn't Spider-Woman but Murdock, who's been puppeteering everything and is pulling the strings on both sides of the law. Frank actually kills Rhino with a stark tech gauntlet he had from his days back in the war machine program. Gwen is furious about this because he stole her only shot at revenge. And she even talks how she wanted to be the one to kill him and how it was more than anything she's ever wanted. After this she realized how much the symbiote has consumed her and her mind and acknowledges that she has to get rid of it. So she goes to see Reed Richards to find a way to get inside the SHIELD bunker where they hold Cindy Moon of earth-65, the one responsible for Gwen's powers and taking them away. They find a way in and as she makes her way through the guards you continue to see how different Gwenom is from Spider-Woman. What's interesting is that she doesn't ask Cindy how to get rid of the symbiote or how to get her powers back without it but instead she asks, Why? Here we get some really really cool extra backstory for Cindy. Originally we knew she was supposed to be the one bitten with the radioactive spider but that it was prevented on the last second. After this she spent her life trying to make sense of her fate & trying to recapture the moment that passed by her. So she recreates the spider who was supposed to give her her powers. Before this we just knew that she set it out in the wild to give a middle finger to the web of fate. But there was a big question of "Why didn't she let the spider bite her so she could fullfil her original fate?", turns out she was scared. What if it didn't work? or what if it did? then what? So instead she decided to let fate do its work and releases the spider into the wild After this she confronts Gwen and says there is no magic way out of this for her. And that her dark thoughts, fears and anger are her own and not something that's being caused by some alien force. They're her own. It's a pretty important moment for Gwen as she slowly comes to learn that all of this is her responsibility and hers alone. She's responsible for the actions she takes. Cindy tells her that revenge will not set her free and that the more she hates murdock the smaller she becomes and the more murdock can control her. Her advice? Walk away and never think about it again, don't give into what murdock wants but instead just move on. After all, she has nothing left to fear anymore. Although Gwen isn't sure if she can do that. While trying to leave the building she comes across Black Cat's cell. Wondering why she's here. Last time she saw her was at a concert fighting Murdock. she tells her this is what happens when you take a shot at Murdock and miss. Seeing Black Cat in that cell made Gwen realize just how much of the justice system Matt controls.

After that Gwen kinda starts to think that Matt might have been right. Maybe this never was about wanting to be Spider-Woman, wanting to make a difference, making it mean something. Maybe in the end it simply was all about power and nothing else. And she slowly starts to lean more into that thought and convinces herself that might be it. After this The Punisher shows up and offers to team up to bring down Murdock. Gwenom absolutely loses it. The guy responsible for this entire mess, the one indirectly responsible for her dad being in jail and all the problems that came after it wants to team up with her. She loses it and starts to violently destroy everything arround her. It's here you see how much the symbiote and her own thoughts have consumed her very well. Ultimately she doesn't say no. After all that she decides to something very interesting. She reveals her identity to not only ben & may parker but also to the mary janes. She finally reaches out to the people she's been shutting off. Finally she gets to hear a voice other than the one inside of her. It's here we learn something very interesting and hard hitting. We knew that Gwen was neglecting her life as Gwen and moreso living it as Spider-Woman. But she finally admits why. She had to many responsibilities and expectations. She was changing as a person and became something different due to her powers and she was scared that they'd never accept it, let her change, let her grow. To them she'd always be Gwen, so she thought it was better to pretend nothing changed. To let this version of Gwen be someone they could understand and accept. She split her lives into two halves and is scared to admit that neither of them were never really whole. But for the fight that lies ahead of her she has to be whole. And even though she doesn't want to admit that she's still affraid. She is affraid that in order to win the part of her that makes up Gwen Stacy will have to die, that she will have to let go forever of who she once was.

[milehighmechanic]

@myatonements moved from here He’s quick to agree to a dinner, and while Natasha knows that this isn’t exactly what SHIELD had in mind, she’s thrilled. She has to remind herself that it’s not a date, that she’s working, but can’t she just play pretend for a little bit? It’s so close to their beginning, before she realized that she's in love with him, before they even considered getting into a real relationship. Playing pretend won’t be easy over dinner, dinner will make it so much more real, but Natasha can’t bring herself to regret the offer. She’ll just have to remind herself that she can’t reach for his hand as they walk into the restaurant, that she can’t lean across the table for a stolen kiss, or even try the food on his plate.  Knowing that isn’t enough to make her take back the offer.  Nothing is worth not spending time with Tony.  It might have only been hours, a day at the most, since she last saw him, but it feels like so much longer. It’s an entire lifetime. All she knows is that she’s not going to risk losing any more time with him, and if she has to suffer through dinner that’s not a date, she will.  (But it should be, it should be their reunion. If things were perfect, they would have successfully beaten Thanos, they would have brought everyone back, and she and Tony would be quietly celebrating at home.) She will sacrifice so much for any additional time with Tony she didn’t think she’d ever have again. The hurt that comes from seeing him again despite knowing that he doesn’t love her - not yet, but she’s hopeful that she’ll get him to fall in love with her again - it’s worth it.  It’s all worth it. Natasha remembers the character assessment on him, she knows what she needs to write at the end of this. This extra time with him isn’t needed, but she wants it bad enough that it is a need. She doesn’t have to mention this dinner in her report, she doesn’t have to mention any of their dates-not-a-date in the assessment.  JARVIS.  Shit.  Maybe she can avoid the whole thing where she pisses the AI off for deceiving Tony. She doesn’t blame JARVIS, but she was just doing her job. But she flips open her portfolio, takes out a business card before reaching for the pen she keeps in there. Natasha doesn’t hesitate before writing down her personal number on the top of the card.  Her non-SHIELD issued number.  “I’ll make sure to touch base with JARVIS, but in case there is any issues, here’s my personal number.” she hands the card to him, and hopes he’ll use the number before tonight, hopes he’ll find a reason to. “Call or text, I’m available.”  And if she said the last part like it meant something else, it’s up to Tony to do with that what he wants.

tony glances down at the phone number, and he can’t help the double take. it’s her actual, genuine personal phone number. the number burned into his brain. ( the number of the phone she left behind at clint’s house. ) 

it would make sense for natalie rushman to pretend to give him a personal phone number. he can’t remember if she ever did last time, but she’s trying to get closer to him, to forge a personal connection that might get him to blab some of his secrets. that’s her JOB. he always understood that, even when he couldn’t trust her because of it. 

natasha never just gives out her personal phone number. especially not to a TARGET, especially not to the playboy pain-in-the-ass that SHIELD thought he was. 

but he’s not supposed to know that. he’s not even supposed to know that she’s a spy, that she works for SHIELD. he’s not supposed to know how she likes her coffee or how she likes to organise her kitchen cabinets. he shouldn’t recognise that number as her personal number. 

so it’s effort, to hide the surprise and confusion as he takes her card. he’s never been any good at hiding things from her, and it’s been a long time since he’s even tried. he grins at her, a suggestive raise of the eyebrows. it’s been more than a DECADE but oh, it’s so easy to slip back into the playboy mask. 

he slips the card into his back pocket ( likely to be forgotten about; it’s not like he needs the number ) and claps his hands together. “well, considering my last assistant threatened me with pepper spray,” a teasing smirk in pepper’s direction, a flat look in return, “i’d say i much prefer this job interview.” 

and it adds to the whole act, doesn’t it? the playboy who hires the pretty face on a whim. that’s what SHIELD are expecting, and that’s what he’ll give them. for now. it’s still useful, he thinks, to be underestimated.

“i’ll call you,” he promises, and he knows he shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t. he should be sticking to the script. but he knows he WILL, all the same.