#after the seventh dagger he’s like okay how many of these do you actually need what the fuck

[shaykai]

Thinking about Gortash undressing Durge and trying to be sexy but he keeps finding weapons and poisons hidden all over their person

Like the first one he finds he’s like “hm, of course,” because duh of course a bhaalspawn has a hidden weapon on them, and the second one he’s like “a backup for your backup, very pragmatic of you” and then it just keeps going

[elylandon]

Part 1 - Chapter 16.2: Fortune Teller

Summary: You’re running for your life when you cross paths with an ex-bounty hunter and his small, green companion. You never thought you’d find someone throughout the whole galaxy who was as lost as you.

Pairing: The Mandalorian/Din Djarin x Female Reader

Word Count: 5,407

Rating/Warnings: M for mature content. Swearing.

Chapter 16.1 

[Part 2]

Note: (Slight AU) Here’s the second and last of the epilogue chapters! Next up, Part 2 of Lost and Found. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading! 💜🤍

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In your past, there had been days when you wondered if you’d make it to your twentieth birthday, let alone your twenty-seventh. And yet, here you were, eagerly following a Mandalorian warrior down into the hull of his ship, a green alien child giggling and bouncing in a satchel against your side, the three of you about to venture out into a strange planet to celebrate that very occasion. After everything you’d been through over the course of twenty terrible birthdays, the fact that you were experiencing pure, unadulterated happiness on such an occasion felt like a dream. 

And it was all thanks to them. Your partner and his kid. The day itself didn’t matter. It was getting to spend it with them, the two people you cared about most in the entire galaxy, that made it the greatest birthday of your entire existence. 

What more could you ask for?

“I have something for you,” Din said quietly, stopping just before the side ramp where you and the child were waiting patiently to disembark.

“Like a gift?” you asked, tossing him a cheeky grin.

Din huffed out that quiet chuckle of his at the familiar words and played along. 

“Perhaps.” 

He stepped towards his weapons locker, then halted for a moment and glanced back at you over his shoulder. 

“Close your eyes,” he ordered. You did so, attempting and failing to keep your elated bouncing to a minimum. After a moment of quiet rummaging, you heard Din move back in your direction. 

“Hold out your arm.”

You tilted your head a little, eyes still closed, brows bunching, and held out your right arm. 

“Left,” he instructed. You made the correction.

Something cold pressed against your left forearm, encompassing it entirely. Whatever it was, it took Din a few seconds to secure before he finally told you to look. When you did, your mouth fell open and you found yourself at a complete loss for words. 

The thing that now encased your left arm was a vambrace. It was very similar to the one he wore, buttons lining the belly of it, while the outside was a hard, silver shell. 

“Not beskar, but it’ll do. Keep the shell on the outside to use as a shield in a fight, if you need one. The inside is set up with the same controls as mine for the Crest and the kid’s new pram. There’s room for more controls, which I’m sure you could find some uses for. But, all in all, it’ll help you avoid things like this-”

Din pointed a finger at the long scar running down your right arm, helping you understand his motivations. 

“You made this?” you asked him, astonishment in your tone. 

Din shrugged. “I know you’re more than capable of handling yourself if you need to. But I find myself… uncomfortable with your lack of armor.”

In other words, if you couldn’t wear Mandalorian armor like him, he’d find another way to make sure you were protected. Safe. And that spoke volumes to you. In your past life, Thasar had tried to bribe your love by giving you trinkets and pretty things. Meaningless things, without a trace of true love or thought behind them. But this...to give you something so practical, something made with your safety in mind, plus all the controls Din knew you’d enjoy messing with…

Gods, I love him.

You wanted nothing more in that moment than to whisk his helmet off and kiss him. But as you’d lamented many times now, intimate moments with Din were hard to come by. There were just too many problematic circumstances that prevented them. So instead, you lifted onto your toes and kissed the underside of his chin, right where you knew a scar to be, having spent the last weekend exploring every single one of them. 

“It’s perfect, Din. Thank you.” 

The rest of your birthday afternoon and evening was spent visiting the last place on your list of vacation destinations. As it turned out, this suggestion of yours triggered a memory in Din from his early childhood. One you both shared, apparently. 

Going to a festival. 

You’d always begged your parents to take you to one when you were younger, hearing about them from other kids your age. Evidently, so had Din. But that was before both your lives had shattered in their separate but similar ways. 

Your parents had died when you were six, his when he was eight. 

You felt a sense of melancholy, going to such an event without them. But your goal over the last four months had been to enjoy your freedom, and to experience all the things you had missed growing up. So you would regret not taking this opportunity to go. Especially on the last night of your respite before jumping back into yours and Din’s responsibilities; especially on your birthday.

The festival that Din was able to find was some kind of seasonal celebration, not too different from the summer events you heard about from other children on Earth. An overall celebration to kickoff the start of their warmer months. The point, though, was that it had vendors, games, food, rides, and seemingly endless entertainment. 

It was perfect. 

You started with food. Well, food for you and the child. The plan was to eat and shop, then make a trip back to the Crest to drop off purchases and give Din some privacy to eat something himself. The child thoroughly enjoyed the meatier options, nibbling on beef and squid skewers, while you indulged in sweeter, deep fried treats. Terrible for you, but how could you resist the opportunity? As you ate, the three of you perused the stalls, much like you did at Din’s favorite trading hubs. 

The vendors mostly sold handcrafted knick-knacks and collectors items, nothing you really needed for dangerous space travel, but it was fun to window shop, and you did want to at least find a small souvenir to hold onto in order to remember this time in your life. There were a couple stalls run by craftsmen and armorers, in which you eagerly checked out, hoping to find more items to add to your growing collection of weapons. It was hard to justify spending credits on something, though, when you already had a blaster, a dagger, and now a vambrace, plus your pick from Din’s own collection. 

Instead, you found a military-grade weapon cleaning kit. You purchased it while Din was examining a few blasters in the adjacent stall, and quickly stuffed it into the satchel under the child to keep him from seeing it. You wanted it to be a gift for his… well, you didn’t actually know when Din’s birthday was. You’d have to find out and hope that you hadn’t missed it in the last few months. 

After a few more purchases, and a quick drop off and break back at the Razor Crest, your party returned to the festival as night began to fall and went in search of rides and games. The rides were where you lost Din. He merely stood by and watched as you and the child went from spinning in giant teacups to riding the kiddie train around the perimeter of the festivities. Din donned the satchel and kept watch over the child while you tried the rides that were a little less child-friendly. They were exhilarating and fun, of course, but you quickly realized that they were an experience you were alright with trying the one time, just to know you’d done it. 

With some coaxing, Din participated more in the games, especially the marksmen ones. It didn’t matter that they were completely rigged. The vendors took one look at the imposing Mandalorian and knew they wouldn’t be conning the credits from this particular patron. In fact, a few of them bribed him with bigger prizes than what he’d initially won, just to stop him from playing any longer while people watched. 

The child got a few new toys out of that. 

Hours went by, more food was consumed, rides taken, games played, vendors visited, and street performers watched. While you and Din were not huge on the crowds of people, you could tell that he was enjoying himself just as much as you and the child were, even if he simply appeared to be a Mandalorian bodyguard following you around to anyone looking on. You knew it was Din here with you. The man, not the warrior. 

Eventually, your energy started to flag, as well as the child’s. You could sense that Din was about to suggest calling it a night when you spotted something on the outskirts of the festival. You gasped excitedly and trotted in its direction as Din called after you, following. When you approached it, you could practically feel Din’s reservations behind you. 

It was a small carriage, like the kind carried by horses in the old fairy tale books your mom used to read to you. Only, this was stationary on the side of the street, painted in deep reds, blues and golds, with soft tendrils of smoke seeping through the open back window. A large sign in front of it advertised tarot, dream, and palm reading. 

A fortune teller. 

“I’ve always wanted to try this sort of thing,” you gushed, turning back towards Din and gesturing at the carriage. Din’s helmet tilted, hidden gaze finding yours, body language screaming skepticism. You sighed. 

“Yes, it’s most likely a complete hoax, but the point is that it’s fun.”

He said nothing.

“It’s about the-” you gestured vaguely with your hands. “-the vibe of it all. The experience.”

Still nothing. 

“Okay, well you can keep standing there thinking it’s a complete waste of time, but I’m going to-”

The carriage’s door popped open then, and an elderly woman bundled up in a corset and wrapped in scarves stepped out, solidifying the stereotypical aesthetic of a medieval-looking fortune teller. She looked between you and Din before giving you a warm smile. 

“Are you here for a reading?” she asked. 

“Yes. Let me guess, you sensed that your next client was near.”

“No,” the woman stated, her no-nonsense tone making your smile falter. “I could hear you arguing through the open window. At first I thought you were arguing with yourself, but now I can see that it was simply a one-sided conversation.”

“Oh,” was all you said, deflating a little as Din snorted softly. 

The woman gestured for you to step inside the carriage, and you quickly glanced back at Din, sticking your tongue out at him as you followed her inside. He shook his head, and leaned himself against a nearby stone wall, settling in.    

The wagon’s interior looked exactly as you expected it too. An extravagant, colorful rug covered the floor, the middle of the space housing a low tea table surrounded by lounging pillows. The walls were lined with shelves, cluttered with dusty tomes, jars of various items, crystals, and candles. And you loved it! As you had tried to express to Din, visiting a fortune teller was about the entire experience, not just some stranger telling you that you’ll marry within the next five year, have three kids, and live a happy, comfortable life. 

You sat on one of the pillows, eyes still taking in all the details of the wagon as you twisted the satchel around so that it and the child could sit comfortably in your lap. 

“What kind of reading would you like, my dear?” the fortune teller asked as she joined you. 

“I guess that depends on what you charge for each,” you admitted. She relayed her menu to you, and you decided that you could justify spending the money on a palm reading. You passed her the credits. 

“Thank you,” she said, slipping them into a coin purse. “Now, all I want you to do is relax. Take in a long, deep breath, hold it for three seconds, then release it. Do that as many times as you need, and when you’re ready, hold out your dominant hand.”

You hesitated at her instructions, glancing between your right and left hands. The thought had never really occurred to you until now, but… you were right handed, unless you were using your power. It was involuntary, like a gut reaction, but you always used your left hand when you were trying to control that force. 

Seeming to sense your conflict, the woman’s warm smile from earlier returned. 

“How about the hand that’s been dominant the longest?”

You agreed, and performed her breathing exercise a few times before finally feeling more relaxed. When you were calm and collected, determined not to give the woman any obvious tells to use to her advantage, you held out your right hand for her to take. 

The fortune teller leaned forward, bending over your palm, gingerly taking your hand in hers and-

She sucked in a sharp breath, dropping your hand and flinching back as if she’d been shocked by your skin. It wasn’t really an exaggerated reaction, and for a second, you wondered if it was an act, for dramatic effect. But then her eyes darted up to meet yours, and you knew she wasn’t trying to have you on. You read turmoil in her eyes. Turmoil and devastation. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked slowly, not really sure you wanted to hear the answer. It took the woman a moment to compose herself, and when she did, her smile was now sad. 

“I apologize, Y/N. The images of your past were very... overwhelming, and they took me by surprise. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

You stiffened, your entire body coiling, already kicking into flight mode. 

“I didn’t tell you my name.” 

“You didn’t tell me about the scars on your back either, but I know that they are there.”

This time it was your turn to flinch back. At that, the woman huffed, tilting her head and giving you a disbelieving look. 

“Honestly my dear, you didn’t really walk into a fortune telling business with an understanding that other powers exist in this galaxy, thinking I couldn’t possibly have some psychic powers of my own, did you?”

Her demeanor helped you unclench, curiosity outweighing your instinct to run. 

“I just thought that, with a shop like this, you’d be-”

“A complete and total con artist? Well girl, you can’t tell a good lie without throwing a little bit of the truth in there. You’re not wrong. I’m a very successful con woman. But that’s only because I can use what information comes to me naturally, and bullshit the rest.”

The honesty in her tone was evident, and also refreshing. You couldn’t help but chuckle at her admittance, but then a thought made you sober. 

“Are your powers like mine, then? Like the child’s? We’re looking for-”

“I know,” she cut in. “ But I’m not what you’re looking for. I can only see and feel things, not move things with my mind or compel the weaker wills of others.”

You nodded, disappointed. But the chances that you’d find one of these “Jedi” before you’d even started looking were minimal at best. It was nice, however, meeting someone else with strange gifts; someone who had been able to find a way to use them without dark intent… even if it was to help her con people out of their money. 

After a moment, the woman spoke again. 

“I apologize again for seeing something I shouldn’t have. Sometimes, there are energies in a person that are louder than others, and at this time in your life, your past definitely seems louder than your future. But, I can tell that it’s something you don’t care to talk about. If you’d permit me to try again, there was a flash, a moment where your future was peeking through. I could focus on that, and at least give you your money’s worth for this reading.” 

You were reluctant, knowing now that she could see things you rather her not see. But the damage was already done, and while you were uncomfortable, you still felt safe. You had your weapons, your powers, and your Mandalorian outside. Only moments ago, the idea of getting a reading from a hokey fortune teller was all fun and games. But now, there was the possibility that she could see something useful, something that could point you and Din in the right direction. Whether it be towards the Jedi, or Zekir, it didn’t matter. She was right. You wanted your money’s worth. 

And so, you held out your hand for the woman to examine once again. She still cringed when she made initial contact, but it was very brief before her eyes fogged over with focus, her vision boring into your hand as if she could follow the path of every last nerve ending. 

“I see curtains. Sheer, white curtains.”

You scrunched up your nose, perplexed. 

“Curtains?”

The woman snorted. “Hey, I don’t get to choose what I see, honey. There’s a lot of interference, and what I can focus on at the moment is curtains.”

“Sorry,” you whispered, urging her to continue with your silence. When she did, her remarks were very disjointed, as if she was sifting through the loud mess of your past to see or sense the tiny tidbits of your future. 

“A cabin. Warm, white and yellow colors. Home, simple, quaint. You’re joined by the presence of two others. Hard to accurately pinpoint, but I’ll use my bullshit guesswork here and say that they belong to this child in your lap and that armored fellow outside.”

You chuckled, holding back a smile. 

“You’re very calm, grounded; I’d say you’re even at ease. Your past feels quieter, as a lightness fills you, exudes from your very skin. There’s simply too much to really focus on the details, but I can at least feel what you’re feeling, and it’s joyous.”

The woman tried for a few more minutes, but as she said, it was hard for her to focus on more than that. While it wasn’t the information you were hoping for, it wasn’t at all unwelcome information.  

“Do you see things that are absolutely going to happen?”

The fortune teller smirked and shook her head. “Of course not. You of all people should know that the future is not set in stone. For a long time, you were convinced that you wouldn't make it to twenty. But here you are, happily celebrating your twenty-seventh birthday. I simply saw a strong possibility. But it could still change. You could wind up having purple curtains instead of white. I’ll warn you now that they would clash horribly with the aesthetic of that little cabin, but it’s a possibility nonetheless.”

You laughed and nodded. “Well, either way, thank you. That possible outcome sounds very pleasant, and I’m happy to know that it could truly happen someday.”

Just as you were about to stand to leave, the child in your lap squirmed, then reached out his own three-fingered hand, eyes trained on the fortune teller. She gave a hearty laugh, eyes dancing as she met his. 

“You’d like a reading too, huh, little one? Very well. And since you’re so darling, this one’s on the house.”

The woman took the child’s hand in hers and told him that he’d have a hard but fulfilling journey, and that he’d live to be several hundred years old. You suspected that she was more the con artist in this moment, than the actual seer, until she winked at him and said he’d delightfully consume many frogs in his lifetime. That must have been the truth she used to fuel her lie. 

When everything was all said and done, the woman followed you to the door, escorting you and the child out of her carriage. You beamed as Din glanced over from the wall he was holding up and met your gaze. 

“Satisfied?” he asked.  

“Very,” you quipped, eager to tell him back at the Razor Crest that the fortune teller was the real deal. However, before the two of you could start heading back, the woman called over, addressing Din. 

“I’m going to insist that I perform a reading on you as well, young man.” 

Din paused, glancing back in her direction. Young? The woman was a terrible fraud if she really thought “young man” was a fitting assumption. Granted, he wasn’t really that old, but “young man” sounded like something one would call a teenager, or a man your age. 

Din kept the snark from his voice, though, when he replied. The entire charade may have been a scam, but your time with the fortune teller seemed to make you happy, so he’d at least concede that she’d helped you have a little fun on your birthday, and politely said, “No, thank you.”

“I strongly believe that you’ll regret the decision not to hear me out, Din Djarin.”

Din halted, and you gaped. You met his eye and your brows inched upward, clearly in awe that this fortune teller knew his true name. He knew you wouldn’t have told this woman, a stranger, whether you believed the con she was spewing or not. So Din sighed, and turned back to the wizened woman. 

She nodded graciously at him, then stepped aside, directing him to enter her cart. Din cast another glance in your direction, and you merely shrugged. Then smirked. 

What did that mean?

Din ducked into the warm cart and sat, thankful for the filtration system in his helmet. He had a feeling that the incense burning in the corner would give him a headache. The fortune teller took her seat in front of him, and watched him carefully. She was like an old crow, eyes glued on her dying target, waiting for him to take his last breath so she could feast. 

“I understand that you might not believe the things I do. And that’s fine. As I told the girl, I admit that a good portion of this business is conning the gullible. However, I really am gifted with the sight, and if you truly care for that girl out there, you will want to heed what I have to say.”

So this was about you, not him. Din remained silent, reluctant to give the woman any tells. Unfortunately, while his armor hid his expressions and reactions from most people, his body language made him an open book to those who knew how to read the language. A con artist fortune teller was definitely one of those people. When she didn’t get a response out of him, she nodded, as if satisfied. 

“I will start by saying this. There is darkness in all of us, Din Djarin. Sometimes people can overcome it, while others cannot. To some, it may be just a drop, or a puddle. To others, like you, it is a well. That isn’t to say that the darkness of one person is greater than another, or that the experiences of those with only a drop is anything less than those with a well. I like to think it represents how hard one has to work to become the person they want to be, in spite of the person they think they are, what a person thinks they are worth.”

Again, Din said nothing, and waited for the woman to get to the point. 

“For Y/N, that darkness is a pit. A yawning, bottomless pit that she is trying so desperately to climb out of. When I was reading her, I could tell that you-- regardless of the exact parameters of your relationship with her-- were like a lifeline, a rope thrown over the edge in order to help her up. The child you are caring for together helps as well. Like a light that is guiding her out. Her muscles are sore, and her spirit is weary, but she will stop at nothing to reach the top, and find the two of you there, waiting for her. The future I gave her is one where she reaches you, and is able to bury the pit. Not entirely. But enough that she doesn’t have to fear falling into it again.”

“Are you going to warn me that you varnished her future? Doctored it up so that it was something she wanted to hear, instead of what she needed to hear?” Din asked, unable to keep the irritation from his tone. 

“No. I told her of a future I really did see. But, as I told her, no future is actually set in stone. The sight is like an experiment. You can control certain variables, and arrive at a certain outcome. However, there are always external, uncontrolled variables that can come into play. For example, at one point, there was a future in which the Mandalorians never came to your rescue, and you were killed that day by that droid.”

Din’s entire body seized, and he felt the urge to roast the fortune teller and raze her cart to cinders.

“There was a future in which Y/N never found you, and she did everything in her power to end her existence during her recapture, knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to psychologically survive going back to Thasar.”

Din’s fingers clenched into a fist, and his jaw worked. Just who the hell was this woman?

“There is a future in which she climbs out of that pit. Several, in fact. However, of all the outcomes I had seen when I touched her hand, an alarming majority of them show her falling back into it.”

“So you’re warning me then, that she’ll slip, and won’t be able to climb out again,” Din stated, but the fortune teller’s frown deepened, and she shook her head, eyes clouded in sadness.

“No. I’m warning you that she won’t want to.”

Din hesitated. “I find that hard to believe. Not for one second that I’ve known Y/N have I seen her stop fighting. She’s possibly the strongest, most stubborn person I have ever known.”

“While this is true beyond more than you currently know, she is on her last leg. She has fallen, over and over again, and as much as she thinks she can bounce back each time, she can’t. If you don’t believe me, then consider how she was willing to die rather than go back to her enslavement. You know of what I’m referring to. You saw her eyes when she was back in Thasar’s grip.”

“What will happen then, if she doesn’t want to get back up?”

“There is a force in her that is, overall, fairly neutral. It’s been growing stronger, the more she’s felt love and acceptance from others in the last few months. But it has also grown stronger the more she feels hatred, and rage, and sometimes… sometimes nothing at all. If she falls, that power too will fall to her darkness, and the consequences will be irrevocable. The girl you know will no longer exist. She’ll die in that pit, and something else will climb out.”

“The past is easy to see,” the woman continued. “It’s already happened. The sight, of course, isn’t so transparent with the future. However, there is one thing I felt in Y/N with absolute certainty; there are two possible events of immeasurable grief in her future. Either one will happen, or the other. Both are devastating in their own right, but one she’ll be able to overcome. Unfortunately, with the amount of bad outcomes outweighing the good, I fear that the second instance is more likely.”

“How do I know this isn’t just some elaborate hoax?” 

The old woman glared at him. 

“Haven’t I proven with how much information I know of the two of you that my business isn’t a complete sham?”

“It’s all information Y/N could have easily shared during her reading.”

“I don’t need to see your eyes to know that you don’t believe that for a single second, boy.”

Din said nothing. The woman sighed. 

“You know it’s all a possibility, because you’ve already seen her slipping. In that moment between her and the Twi’lek. You came around that corner, looked into her eyes and saw that pit. She didn’t even look like the girl you knew, the girl you cared about.”

The old woman stood as Din clenched his jaw. He knew damn well you wouldn’t have breathed a word of your past to a complete stranger, just like you wouldn’t have given her his name. This fortune teller was the real deal, there was no denying it. It wasn’t so far out of the realm of possibility. He’d seen stranger things. For gods’ sake, he’d watched you straight up mind control someone once. 

The woman plucked something off one of her shelves and turned back to him as Din also stood. 

“As a sign of my earnestness, this conversation was free of charge, as was Y/N’s reading.” She tossed him the coin purse you must have given her to pay for your reading. “In all the long years I have been with the sight, I have not once seen something so terrifying, and so devastating as that girl giving up after all she’s been through. For my own peace of mind, I hope that I have helped her in some way, and that’s enough payment for me.”

“In addition, this is the best parting advice I can give in all this. Keep looking. I can see that you will find who you are looking for. I don’t know who they are, but they have similar powers to your girl and child out there, and they know what it’s like to lose someone to their darkness. They will be able to answer some questions you have about them. And there are others you’ll meet along the way who will be able to answer some questions you have about yourself.”

Din hesitated before asking, “But meeting these people, getting those answers, it doesn’t change the certainty of the two possible events you mentioned?”

“I’m afraid not,” she murmured, tone heavy with remorse.

Din felt the woman’s sincerity, and finally, with only a small amount of reluctance, nodded, and said, “Thank you.”

He made his way to the door, but the fortune teller spoke up once more. 

“She’s seen it, you know. The outcome of what you’ve been planning for some time now. It seems her powers give her some kind of sight as well.”

“What are you talking about?” Din rumbled, turning to face the woman. 

“The good future I told her about. She’s seen it too. In a dream. Not that she remembers it, though, and it won’t come to pass exactly as she’s seen it. But I just thought you should know. In that ideal outcome, whenever you finally decide to make that journey, to take them both somewhere safe, it works, and she’s happy. All of you are.”

“It just depends on all the external variables that pop up between now and then,” Din stated matter-of-factly. 

She smiled gravely. “Exactly.”

The fortune teller watched as the Mandalorian left her wagon. She crept over to her open window in time to see your strange group walking away, assessing as you animatedly chattered at the warrior as he led you down the street. 

In this moment, you seemed so happy, just content to be accompanied by those that cared about you. And after everything she had seen in you from one simple touch-- the screaming, the pain, and the darkness-- the fortune teller couldn’t help but lament that you deserved more. For the first time, she felt like her gift was more of a curse. To see such a divide in your life, know that it was inevitable, and not be able to help you avoid it? A curse indeed. 

However, you did have a Mandalorian in your corner, and a fine one at that. One that was going to be able to mend a connection that you couldn’t, and that was why she had chosen to warn him, not you. Still, the woman did not like the odds. Not one bit. 

As the three of you disappeared into a throng of people, the fortune teller sent out a silent prayer to whatever gods looked over this galaxy, and murmured, “Good luck.”

---

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[meenah-chan]

Quintessence

A Lucifer x MC's Over-protective! Sister fanfic

3.17k words

Genre: Angst

Trigger warnings: mentions violence, self-inflictions; read at your own discretion.

Chapter 1: click here

Chapter 2: click here

"If there's anyone who will understand her, it's you. So I'll leave her to you..."

"Don't touch me, you monster!"

Chapter 3

*scribbles scribbles*

" ...I could never forgive myself for what happened."

*scribbles scribbles*

"Let's just say that a drive to protect MC and a drive to live are two different things. And I've been searching for the latter to no avail." Lucifer sighs from the lack of focus on his work. Her words replays on his thoughts countless of times already. He couldn't seem to take her off his mind this past few days.

Since that morning, she acts like her usual self. It is a good thing. It is a good thing that his forceful interrogation didn't cause trouble.

He shouldn't bother dwelling on it anymore. He shouldn't be, but... Acting like nothing happened is far more disturbing... He combs his fingers through his locks, deep in thought.

"...fer... Lucifer!" A sensation on his shoulder brought him back to reality. "Are you okay?" His orbs, traces the hand atop his shoulder to the aquamarine eyes, observing him.

"...No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something." He massaged between his brows.

"You should rest if your tired." Her worry shows between her brows.

"I'll finish this. We're almost done anyways... More importantly, do you have any concerns?"

"Ahh, I already finished my part. Please do check it." He picked up the papers she gave. Despite what happened, she actually continued helping him with his works, which made everything easier.

"Hmm, you did well. You may leave now. I'll take a break once I'm done."

"Then, how about having a tea? I prepared some cookies a while ago." She placed her palms atop his desk, as if persuading him.

"Cookies?"

"Yeah, as an apology and thank you gift." A light shade of pink tinted her cheek for a second didn't went unnoticed by the demon.

"Huh? Did you do something I'll get angry for once?"

"I just felt bad I doubt you when we first met. I even tied you with me in a pact. And I'm glad you and your brothers are there to keep my sister safe. Thank you." She smiled at him sincerely. The one he could only see her flash for her sibling.

"That's fine by me."

"Then, I'll be waiting by the garden." Once a thud of the door was heard in the room, another sigh escaped his lips.

It's reasonable she's always on my mind, I've been spending more time with her after all. And I have less work to worry about that she took over its spot... Propping his forehead on his clasped knuckles, he tried to make sense of his current sentiments.

"... Let's get this all done or the tea might get cold." He moves his hands to work faster. Spending a bit more time alone with her is not so bad anyways...

-----

Spending time alone with her is not the right term. As soon as he arrives at the garden, the rowdy bunch was already in there, surrounding a sizable table.

"Alexandria, I see you didn't inform me that everyone will be here." With twitching eyebrow, he held the teacup to his lips, trying to ignore the crunching and chattering noise.

"But I did say I want to thank you and your brothers so it's only natural that they are here." She casually sip on hers, sitting adjacent to the eldest.

"Alexa *crunch crunch* your cookies is *crunch crunch* so good." Beel grins beside her as he stuff his face with his share of cookies.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't say it's my cookies. MC and Luke also made that."

"But most of it is made by you. And we just followed your recipe." MC contradicts before stuffing a whole cookie in her mouth.

"Well, that's true... Oh, Beel, try this one. This is my favorite." She extended out a cookie cream tart towards him. Having both of his hands full of cookies, Beel ate directly off her finger.

"Hmm~!" Alexandria giggled from the blissful face the orange demon is making. "Your face is full of crumbs." She proceed wiping his cheeks with her handkerchief.

"..." Feeling as if two ominous orbs bore behind her skull she glanced back, confirming her suspicion. He's angry...

"Uhh, Lucifer. Here, have some more." She filled his empty plate with cookie cream tarts. He gaze at the plate before looking back at her.

"I'm good." Yeah... He's angry... I guess thanking him with everyone is a wrong move. I have graver offense to him than others after all.

"Ahh! How about some eclairs? I can make you one right now." She learned his preference a few days ago when he made a big fuss of Mammon eating his eclairs, and tried coaxing him to a good mood.

He stared at him for moment before replying, "Make it some other time." Coaxing failed... "It'll be made for me alone." ...or maybe not. She smiled.

"Hmph... Selfish demon." The seventh-born huffs.

"Are you saying something, Belphegor?" The eldest and the youngest brother glared daggers.

"Now, now... The tea will turn sour." Alexandria tried settling the tense atmosphere she just mended before it get worse.

"By the way Alexa, MC, they released the anime adaptation of 'The Great Detective from the Pits of the Underworld' today! Let's watch it after this." Amidst sitting beside the growling Belphegor, sparkles filled Leviathan's background as he enthusiastically spoke.

"No, Alexa is coming with me. She still hasn't finished briefing me of the best books she read on the human realm." Satan interrupted.

"Alexa~ I bought a new salamander hydrating mask. It's a must-try product! Let's use it right now!" Sitting across her, Asmodeus reached for her hand, completely ignoring the already-fighting otaku and bookworm.

I guess a peaceful afternoon tea is impossible with everyone. Bickers and commotion fills the big table, only to be interrupted by a buzz of a phone.

"...Yes! Oi Alexa! 'Ya see this?" Mammon waves the screen of his D.D.D. "I hit a jackpot! It says it'll increase my investment by tenfold in just 3 days if I register right away! I'll pay MC, just 'ya wait." He return his attention back on it and moves his fingers across the screen.

"Name... Bank account... Passco... Hey!" Just before he completed filling up the form, his device elevates off his grasp. Glancing behind, he saw the older female, his D.D.D on hand.

"What'cha doin'!?" He struggled snatching his D.D.D back only to fail.

"Fixing your mistake. You're one click away from being scammed, you idiot."

"Gimme back–"

"My bad guys. I can't tend to your requests right now. This idiot needs an Investment Crash Course."

"What?" "That's unfair!" "But... TSL..." Bickers and squabbles start flying everywhere yet again. But this time, it's all directed at her and the second-born.

"What a mess..." Lucifer sighed.

"Mess you say, Lucifer? You're the one to talk. You've been keeping her all to yourself." Satan glared at him. The eldest of the brothers just facepalmed as he watch the already rowdy garden went even livelier than before.

"Isn't she bizarre?" The little sister suddenly spoke beside him. "She's a charismatic, thoughtful and a wonderful person. Yet she still have no boyfriend... If only she became more open with anyone after me."

"Really?"

"Will you believe she pushes me away during our first meetings?" She laughed. "I was so young I have no much recollection but... I do remember I bugged her alot, and she suddenly go all mushy after some time."

"... She is caring and everything but sometimes I feel she's suppressing herself, like she's protecting me from something. Like, it's something I shouldn't know. She's similar to you, don't you agree?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Hmmp, tsundere."

"What did you just say?"

"I guess she won't reveal it to me, I'm her pure, beloved sister she'll protect to the end of the world after all. If there's anyone who will understand her, it's you. So I'll leave her to you, her demon and soulmate."

"Just so you know, having pact doesn't make her my soulmate."

"No, she is. She is alike to you in so many ways, you have natural affinity and you got along despite such repulsive first meeting. To top it of, you have that indestructible bond with each other. You are soulmates."

"..." With no rebuttal he stared at the young female. He then glance at Alexandria who is busy with the noisy bunch to hear what they are talking about.

An enigma she is. With more things MC mentioned him, he knew she won't leave his mind anytime soon.

-------

Basked under the crimson dusk atop a hill, two young girls sat a few feet apart another.

"Stop bothering me. I don't have plans of befriending anyone." radiating with annoyance, one of the girls interjects.

"But I want to. And I don't see any problems in doing so." The second girl shakes the spark off as if it's nothing.

"You wouldn't dare to, if you ever knew."

"Know... What... You mean, that..." The younger girl, point a finger not far from her direction.

As soon as the older girl whisked her head towards the direction, the sky, the hill... Everything melted into night.

The pavement blanketed with snow. The murky, ebony sky. The familiar, gaping door. A grip on her arm returned her attention to the girl with her. "Alexa, I'm scared."

And then a creak reverberated. "Wha... No! Don't look!" She pulled her, covering her eyes with her hand.

And as she suspected, it's the same scene as that night.

"Look, what do we have here." Taking the man's grip off the neck of his brother's lifeless body, he march towards her. "My beautiful, genius Alexandria. My protege."

"..."

"Oh my, look at that blazing blue eyes you got from me." Touching her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumb.

"Don't touch me, you monster!" She brushed his bloody hands from her and tried pulling the girl behind her, only to hold onto air. When she look back, the child was nowhere to be found. "Where...Ump–!" The man grabbed her face and forced her eyes on his.

"Monster you said? Don't forget you and I are the same. You inherited everything from me, that's why I kept you alive."

His eyes. His dead, cold eyes took her own, as if gobbling her whole. She felt like running away. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She want to, but she couldn't. She just stand in there horrifiedly, in front of the monster that hunts her almost every single night. Her monster.

"Me, your monster? Don't make me laugh! Aren't you a monster yourself? After all you..." Alexandria's eyes snapped open. Breathless. Drenched. Beads of cold sweat trickles down from her skin as she sit up.

No matter how many times she was visited with the same nightmare, she will never get used to it.

Knowing she won't get another blink of sleep, she rise from the beddings. She left the room for the balcony of the planetarium, bringing with her a small container from her purse.

Opening the small case, she took out one of the white sticks and pressed it's tip between her lips. After lighting it, she took a deep breath and puff a cloud of smoke.

The smoke swirls in the bleakness of the night, together with her dreary thoughts.

"Can't sleep?" She flinched from the unexpected deep voice. She's too caught up inside her head that she failed to feel the man enter the balcony.

"Well, kind of."

"I admit, your surprised face is quite entertaining." Lucifer smirked as he moves beside her.

"Yeah, yeah. As long as you're happy." Alexandria scoffs.

"I never knew you're fond of things like that. That brand isn't even available here." He glanced on the ember on her hand.

"Not really. It's more of a ritual." Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "They say that a stick of a cigarette can shorten the human lifespan by 11 minutes, if you know what I mean." Lucifer's forehead scrunches in comprehension of her so-called 'ritual'. She only laughed bitterly at his reaction.

"Don't be so irked. Or would you rather see me full of cuts and holes?" She took another puff off the smoke.

"It's really a surprise you're still... alive." A lump he couldn't really explain blocked his throat for a second.

"It sure is. I've tried throwing it away countless of times already when I was young. Until MC came to my life."

"But MC said you really hated her that time. I don't see any consistency with your stories."

"Really?" She look faraway before glancing back to the demon.

"And I see you're more open with me than with MC, are you not?" He smirked playfully.

"What a chatterbox..." She glance away for a second. "Let me tell you a tale instead."

"Dunno. I just felt you'll understand and won't judge me. Maybe you're my soulmate?" Hearing the word from the person herself taken Lucifer aback, which then earned a chuckle from Alexandria. "... or maybe not."

"I'm scared I might taint her if she learn my past. I want her to grow without any fear and guilt, to mature the way she is." She paused as if hesitating if she'll continue with the story, but she carry on after a few moments.

"Long time ago, there is an annoying idiot in a form of a young philanthropist, much like her family. One day, she and her family plans a month-long stay in an orphanage for fund-raising and to help in any way. There she met a crazy psycho, who have failed attempts of suicide and plans to hung herself in the forest without any interference. Of course she never knew about her plan, she's a big idiot after all." Cool breeze blew on the balcony, taking the ash of the cigarette between her fingers.

"Day after day she bugged her, hindering her plans again and again and again until the crazy psycho got tired and postpone her plans until the night the annoying idiot leave the orphanage." Lucifer looked at her through his peripheral vision, earning a huff from the lady.

"Finally the day comes. Minutes after the annoying idiot left the crazy psycho on the hill, she was called by a stranger. Since she is a big idiot of an unsuspecting naive, she ate a candy from the man and lost consciousness. The crazy psycho witnessed this and convinced the man of bringing her too. She followed the idiot without thinking. Miraculously, she saved the idiot unscathed. The idiot left the orphanage safely. The crazy psycho was adopted not long after. And the two never cut ties with each other again. The end... Or not."

That's weird... "So you're telling me you chose to live because you save her? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Not really. More like her naivety and recklessness girl made me want to protect her. I... just can't leave that angel alone on her own. Without any assurance that she'll be fine." A conflicted face reflects on Lucifer's eyes. He could saw nothing but a suffering person... a damsel in distress.

Does he empathize with her since they're in similar situation? Or is her sorrow contagious? Either way, he couldn't help but feel her sufferings. His eyes couldn't leave her form at all, watching every gestures she make.

"Is it really hard to forgive yourself of the things you didn't even do?" Extinguishing what's left of her smoke, she looked at him.

"It's easy, if I'm truly innocent, that is." She gave him a bitter smile. "I am not."

She faced him. "My father commit suicide after killing my mother and siblings... The stranger kidnapped MC and I, who is in the right age to identify him. How come we are able to leave unscathed?" A pair of jaded blue orbs met his.

"My father didn't commit suicide... That stranger also didn't let us leave like it's nothing... I took their lives with my own hands. I killed them."

"... You?"

"I stabbed my father with the knife he used to my family and the stranger, I strangled him to the head rest with the rope I'm supposed to be using to myself. And I dumped him with his car on a nearby cliff."

The moonlight shines on them, reflected by a single teardrop forming on the corner of her eyes. The wind brushed her hair gently as the single tear rolled down her rosy cheeks, never to be followed with another one. Bitter smile never left her face. Her skin is like a porcelain, pristine and unblemished. It was as if she was an angel... A fallen angel, with tattered wings like he is.

"I am... a monster." She took his breath away. He witnessed it. He is captivated by an unbearably beautiful creature.

Before he knew it, he already reached out, replacing the wind from caressing her hair.

She flinch from his touch, as if a bashful mimosa folding and drooping from a light stimulus. She is too vulnerable at the moment. Should he continue with such gesture, she might indulge with it. She shouldn't. A monster like her doesn't deserve such kindness. And thus, Alexandria chose to step away from him.

"I-I told you everything. Then, I'll be taking my leave." A hasty bow is followed by her brisk walking. She grabbed the knob. I need to leave.

He didn't know why but he felt it. Her flame is waning.

If he let her be by herself again, he never knew what she will do with herself next. What if the next time he saw her, she'll be full of cuts? What if she'll be so injured she won't be able to leave her room? What if... What if the next time he saw her, she's not breathing anymore?

But that's not possible. She won't leave her sister alone.

And then her words awhile ago flashed his mind."I'm glad I can trust you and your brothers are to keep my sister safe. Thank you I could be at ease."

That's not only as an apology or gratitude. She's... entrusting her sister with us and planning to die soon?

A loud thud echoes off the balcony as the door return to its frame. She didn't close it. He did, as he wrap his free arm around her.

A bloody Alexandria. Pale. Cold. Lifeless.

That's not gonna happen. I won't permit it. I need something to suppress her from her self-destructive tendencies... Something concrete. Anything...

"...you have that indestructible bond with each other."

... I see...

"Let it be me..." The words left his lips. That's his answer, their indestructible bond— the pact that bind their souls together.

"W—What do you mean?" The confusion and and perplexity in her eyes didn't stop him. If he stop right there, tomorrow she might be there no more. It's now or never.

" Alexandria, I'll be your reason for living."

-------

It took so long ( like, reaaaally long (๑°౪≦)ゞ) but I posted it at last heehee. I revised it like tons of times until I'm satisfied. (I also did two short reads along with this cuz inspiration and it'll be a waste not to write it (~￣³￣)~

I learned my lesson. If I don't wanna rewrite the story, I should fix it until I'm satisfied or it'll pile up and It won't leave the back of my mind as ling as I haven't fix it.

And I never thought it'll be this long (maybe there's 2 chapters more)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

MASTERLIST

[ask-rijus-ocs]

Starter

[ There must be better ways to meet an interesting stranger than in the middle of the night during a storm. Yet, here he is.]

[ Twilight really didn't have a reason to go out this late. But like always, sleep evades him. And like always, he doesn't have anything better to do. So he heads outside. It's raining. He doesn't seem to mind it, despite the many, many times he's caught a cold from staying outside in the rain. Ordon is quiet. Unbearably quiet. ]

[The forest village is usually bustling. To see it silent is...different. He's not sure if he likes it. It brings back memories of when the kids were taken. ]

[ Epona is asleep. Thank Hylia. She has much better luck than him. Twilight pulls the fur hood over his head and walks into Faron Woods. Even in the dark of night, he knows exactly where he's going. He could probably close his eyes and end up in the exact same place. He's going to the bridge.]

[ Twilight doesn't know why he's going to the bridge, but he is. His feet have their own instinct, and he knows the forest both from seven feet up and kneeling to the ground. He cannot possibly be lost; simply wandering. He's about to pass by Faron Spring when he sees something. There's a shivering form in the water. Just from a glance, he can tell that the person is not from Ordon. Even Uli doesn't have hair that long. It would most certainly get in the way of work. ]

[ Twilight knows he can't leave them there. The protective instinct takes over, and suddenly his pace increases. They're asleep. Cold. Very cold. They've probably been laying in the water for a long while, there are petals mixed in with their golden hair. He doesn't have a towel, but he does have the pelt, which he quickly wraps around them. He's also soaked by now, and he's cold too, but like hell if he's about to be selfish and take it for himself. ]

[ "C'mon. Let's get you somewhere warm." He picks the young girl up, planning on heading back to Ordon. And then he hears it. Rustling, everywhere. Perhaps if not for his acute hearing, he wouldn't have noticed, but here we are. Twilight places her back down (on dry land this time, of course) and turns up to face the sky. Is that a...tail? Hm. His hand rests on the hilt of his sword, almost by reflex. And then, they jump.]

[ "Lizalfos. Just as expected." Twilight has the Ordon Sword out in an instant. Water is where Lizalfos are most mobile, but he can handle it. There's a lot of them. One,two, three, four, five....nine. Nine Lizalfos. In the rain. Hylia must really hate me, Twilight suspects. ]

[ The brunette attaches his shield fast enough to where he has time to get into stance. Two rush at him, and boy having the Bow or his Gale Boomerang with him would be real helpful right about now, but his past self assumed with naiveté that it would just be a harmless midnight walk. He's lucky he never lets go of his sword, otherwise he'd be dead. ]

[ Twilight's able to kick the first one to the ground before the second one gets to him, which he goes for the arm, and misses. Why'd it have to be midnight? Why now? He's saved Hyrule once before, can't he just be left alone? Perhaps it is his insomnia getting to him, but he's getting quite fed up with this. ]

[ He lands a hit the second time, and uses the pommel of his blade to slow down the third Lizalfos. An arrow hits his shield. Wait, an arrow? They have bows now? Oh, wonderful. Just wonderful.]

[ First is back up again, so he prepares for a helm splitter. That one's fast, so it dodges the head hit, but he's able to hit it from behind once he lands. Next comes the fifth, sixth, and seventh. They hold off for a few moments, and Twilight holds his blade out to his side in warning. They don't take it. Too bad. He releases a spin attack, sending all three stumbling backwards. An arrow hits his shield arm. Great. Just great. ]

[ He doesn't have any ranged attacks on him except for...Slingshot! How did he remember to take his slingshot and not his bow?! Stupid! Ugh, never mind, it'll have to do. He has to awkwardly tuck his sword under his arm so that he can use both hands. Good Hylia, it hurts to use an arm when you've got an arrow stuck in it, but he has a high pain tolerance, and so he manages. The last two bow wielding lizalfos fall to the ground and exchange their weapon for the swords of their fallen comrades. ]

[ Twilight has to straight up drop the Slingshot just so he has enough time to meet the Lizalfos in a sword lock. After it backs off, Twilight rolls behind the second one and performs a Back Slice. It's not as great as it could have been thanks to that goddess-damned arrow in his arm, but it hits just as well, and it's cause enough for the Lizalfos to retreat. He must've waited there for a solid ten minutes before he finally sheathed his sword. He's always tense after battle. ]

[ "It'll keep the wound sealed up until I can get back to the house, but it's gonna hurt like hell once I try to take it out. But I can't worry Rusl with this..." Twilight inspects the wound. If it gets infected, though, that's a different story. Hm. Well, thankfully, the girl is fine. He'll have to carry her only using one arm, but he'll manage. ]

[ The walk to the house is uneventful and painful. Putting all that weight on one shoulder made it hurt just as much as his arm.]

[ The sun is up by now. That fight must've taken a while. And now, another problem presents itself - how to get her up the ladder. At this point, he might as well just go to Rusl's place. Hmm.... If he can hold the ladder with his hurt arm well enough, then maybe. Twilight carefully ascends up the ladder, finally making it up to the door. ]

[ He sets her down on the bed, making sure she's warm enough. Hypothermia is something he knows well, and for someone with a child-like form to have to go through that is troubling. He wonders how she got here, and why she was laying out like that. ]

[ The next ordeal is his arm. He cleans the wound before taking out one of his spare daggers to cut the lodged in part. Renado has done this so many times that it's like instinct, but it's hard without anyone to hold out his arm or use the scalpel. He misses when Midna could just magic the arrowhead out and all he'd need to do was heal his skin afterwards. But alas.]

[ A pitiful wince escapes him as he pulls out the arrowhead. He'd been trying his hardest to stay quiet so she could sleep, but still. "Okay. Now to wrap it," He doesn't have any gauze, so he reaches into his dresser and uses one of his shirts to wrap it. There. He swaps his heavier arm guard onto that side for more protection in case it gets hurt again. ]

[ "Mm?" The girl sits up a few hours later, to find Twilight sharpening his blade. "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." He looks up, placing the sword by his side after her panicked reaction. "Where.. Are we?" She looks around, baffled. "This is Ordon Village. It's my house." He explains calmly. ]

[ "Did you bring me here?" She adjusts herself on the bed, taking off the hood. Twilight nods. "You were passed out in the spring, it was raining. What were you doing out there?" He asks. "I found a portal while i was traveling. Took me here, but I got real dizzy and I think I passed out." She rubs her head. A portal? Strange. He decides to leave out the part about the Lizalfos to not worry her. ]

[ "Where's Roxy?" She searches her things. "?" "Roxy. Small fox, like 2'4", green eyes?" She explains. "Never seen them. Sorry." Twilight shakes his head. "Ah... " The girl looks nervous. "What's your name? Oh, right, uh, I should introduce myself first. I'm Carly Elizabeth Parker-Callisto. Uh... but just Carly works!" Carly nods. "I'm Li- Twilight." He corrects himself. He doesn't like his old name much anymore. ]

[ "Hm?" Carly pulls out something from her bag. "These quests weren't on the Slate before..." She swipes across the screen. "The Slate?" Twilight is confused. "A sheikah slate! It stores all my things, and I write quests down on here." Carly explains, holding it out in front of her. "Main Quest: Answer Questions... Side Quest:Find Roxy..." She cites it. "That's weird. I didn't put these in here." Carly scratches her head.]

[ "Answer questions? We don't have time for tests. It'd be best if you could get home as soon as possible. Where are you from?" Twilight sighs. "Lurelin Village! It's right here." Carly pulls up a map on her Sheikah Slate, handing it to him. "Never heard of it before. Actually, this whole map seems really off. Snowpeak is behind Zora's Domain, after all." He squints. ]

[ "Well, until I can get back home, I don't think it'd hurt if we answered a few.." Carly seems to like the idea. "I - I guess it'll be okay. But only until we can find your pet and get you back home." Twilight rubbed at his temple. "I think it'll be fun!" She smiles. Fun. Right.]

// Carly and Twilight are now open for asks! I will open up new characters as they appear.

- Mun Riju

[planetsxend]

“Moist”

@sweettifalockhart issued the writing challenge: moist.  I posted a snippet so I’d stay on track, and hell did I stay on track.  Probably OOC in places, but that hasn’t stopped me writing before :P Reno/Tifa below the cut, set very loosely in the tie between OG/Remake & AC

1 year, 4 months, 2 weeks, 3 days after The Plate

“- and then she threw me out the bar!  Literally threw me.  How is that even possible?”

“... It’s Tifa,” Rude says, as if that explains everything from gravity’s pull to the magic show of pigs suddenly sprouting wings and taking to the sky (although that wouldn’t be magic so much as fucking freaky who has the alien head this time?).  “Would’ve paid for a video,” his partner’s quiet addition, the bare bones of a smirk flirting with his mouth and Reno well - he can’t let that one go unchallenged.  The bastard doesn’t even startle when the elastic band pings off his shades.  Hmmph.

He grumbles some more, under his breath, and he’s well-versed in the feeling of eyes on him, knows Rude’s picked up on the fact he’s legitimately out of sorts with this recent development.  Knows that behind those shades, Rude’s staring at him, measuring the weight of each word on his tongue before lending voice to it.

“Either start talking or start writing.  This paperwork isn’t going to finish itself.”

“There’re memories in that bar,” Reno replies, the last he’ll say on the matter simply because it covers the entirety of his discomfiture.

~ ~ ~

7 months, 3 days after The Plate

It’s the first he’s properly laid eyes on her since... since The Plate and he slinks in like a cat on the scavenge, well aware there’s a dispute in his very near future the further in he goes, vividly aware he’s out of his depth.  He’s still got a sharp smart in his ribs to prove just how hard she punches on a bad day.  But here, now, on her turf?  Where every territorial instinct she has will be on red alert the second she clocks him?  Where every protective instinct will kick into high gear the second she recognises a threat?  He’s gonna wind up with his face smashed in and a couple teeth knocked loose and he’ll probably roll over and thank her for it after.

Better than the guilt gnawing him open from the inside out, right?

Sure enough, he’s not even singled out the quietest corner when she spots him, and because he keeps bouncing between where to sit and where’s the danger, he sees it.  The smile for her patrons vanishes so fast he might as well have smacked it off her, face settling into an expression carved from stone.  Empty.  Blank.  Carefully so, but she can’t do shit about her eyes.  They burn, even as her spine snaps straight and her chin lifts just so.

A challenge he doesn’t meet.  A challenge he can’t back down from, either.  His own issued when he approaches her directly, well and truly in the lion’s den.

“What do you want?”  She spits, and if words were acid he’d be stripped to the bone in seconds.  A lesser man would flinch, and a smarter man would leave, but neither man is him and so he slaps on a smirk and replies cool as Shiva’s kiss - he’d like a drink, if you please.  He sure as shit doesn’t imagine the creak of leather around her fists, but she’s a gracious host, and everyone’s welcome in Seventh Heaven, she can’t go around denying customers willy nilly without consequences.

He’s actually surprised when he survives that first drink, never mind the entire goddamn night.

7 months, 2 weeks, 5 days after The Plate

It’s almost a game between them a few weeks later, this animosity.  Every night he intrudes on her space and every night she’ll hiss at him like she’s ready to claw his face off.  Sometimes he’ll get blackout drunk and someone has the decency to phone Rude to cart his ass back home, sometimes he doesn’t and he’ll nurse one drink the entire night, every second under the same roof as her an agony.  When will she do it, he wonders.  When will she snap?  When will that practised calm give out in favour of confronting him?  Just what the fuck is it gonna take?

He’s not drunk tonight, just on the wrong side of tipsy, weaving one way on his stool then jerking centre and weaving the other.  Loose-lipped, too, if anyone thought to talk to him, but the suit keeps most folk at a respectable distance.  She comes at him when most of the regulars clear out and over the blast of the jukebox he thinks fuckin’ finally.

‘Cept she slams a glass of water down in front of him, sloshes some of it over his hand for good measure.  And while he swears and trips over his own tongue and waves his hand around and wipes it down with the stupid fuckin’ square Tseng always insists on cramming into his breast pocket, she parks her ass down opposite him, and jams both elbows down on the table.  There’s no warning creak this time, because her hands are bare of their usual gloves, and the fire in her eyes isn’t quite so bright tonight.

The hell?

“Why do you keep coming here, Reno?”  She asks, and if anything should catch him off guard maybe it should be that she remembers his name.  Instead, it’s her tone, the tired quality to it curling ‘round the words and robbing them of the caustic bite she usually keeps in reserve all for him.  Like she’s as weary to the bone as he is.  Like she’s beaten down and wrung out and barely hanging on by the tips of her fingers.

Like maybe - just maybe - she’s in the same boat as him.

You got snarlin’ little beasties crawling around in your head, too?

But he doesn’t ask that, it’s early days yet, right?  She’s more liable to smash the glass on his head and jab him in the eye with one of the resulting pointy bits, right?  So he looks at her instead, fighter-turned-bartender, damaged soul under all that easy charm, and lets his own trademark smirk fall just a little.  Just enough to clue her in on his little secret - I know the taste of regret, and it sure is bitter.

“To drink.  To forget.”

~ ~ ~

It doesn’t make things right between them, not by a long shot.  But the water’s her white flag, and his truth an apology.  It’s a step in some direction, maybe not the right one.

9 months, 1 week after The Plate

She asks him about it eventually, just like he knew she would.  She’s a blunt woman, Tifa, when it comes down to the nitty gritty details.  Her patience has its limits and beating around the bush as they are, tolerating one another as they are... something has to give somewhere.  So she asks him.  About it.  About The Plate.

Such a simple question, really.  Do you regret it?

Does he have an answer for it?  Oh sure, he has an answer alright.  Yes.  Yes he regrets it, every damn time he thinks about it his stomach curdles and his skin goes clammy.  So many questions circling his head ‘til he’s dizzy: was it necessary?  Was it worth it?  How many died?  How many people suffered - trapped under crushing weight, their last moments ones of terror and darkness and indescribable pain?  How many begged for help on their last breath?  How many stretched out broken hands in the hope someone beyond the rubble would grab on and help them free?  How many people ripped apart?  How many families struck from the census records in one fell swoop?  What were their names?  Their ages?  How many kids died that night?

“Yeah,” he says instead, voice wavering under all that strain locked up inside his skull, queasy and not from the food he’d ordered (still not poisoned, she’s out of her goddamn mind).  He doesn’t know what he looks like in that moment - can’t stand to look in mirrors much these days except to scrape the scruff off his chops in the morning - but she does.  Tifa looks at him then and sees whatever he can’t smother, standard Turk mask of indifference be damned, and a switch flips between them.  Animosity to understanding.

There should be surprise when she closes the bar early, promising discounts for the inconvenience, when she sets a bottle of hard liquor by his plate... and two glasses.  Instead he musters up the ghost of a smile and leans back - almost makes an ass of himself toppling right over, but hey, the reflexes have saved him from worse (like Strife’s sword) - daring to drag his eyes from her face to her waist and back up again.  “Come to confess to the big bad wolf, doll?”

“Eat a dick, Turk,” she snaps back and twists the cap open, sealing their fate.

~ ~ ~

“We, I, killed people, too... when we... blew up the Reactors.  Maybe not... maybe not every life lost was immediate but... the riots, the robberies, the people dying at home because their heating went out and never came back on again.  I don’t know how many deaths can be traced back to my hands.”

“That’s not the same as-”

“Does the how really matter, Reno?  People died.  By our actions.  By our choices.  That is the burden we bear.”

~ ~ ~

He comes awake the following morning to the unforgiving thump of a combat boot in the ribs, and bright sunlight stabbing a thousand daggers into his eyeballs, and a behemoth using his head as a chew toy.  It’s Strife above him, hands on the table he’s shoved aside to get to him, baby blues gone dark and thunderous and hell if that ain’t a safe wake-up call.  From his left somewhere a pitiful moan as Tifa rouses, and Murder Face turns his attention elsewhere, moves in her direction, giving Reno just enough space to try and get his legs under him.  Where are his legs again?  His - where the fuck’s his shoe?

“What did you do this time?”  Rude asks the second the call connects as he trips his way out the bar, and all Reno can manage without upsetting his entire lack of balance is a raspy laugh and cradling his head in his free hand.

“Made a mess, prob’ly.”

11 months, 1 week, 4 days after The Plate

“Are you asking me out?”  Really, she doesn’t need to look so suspicious.  What’s he gonna do, chuck her in a chopper and fly her across the continent?  Avalanche’d kill him deader than dead in two seconds flat.  Still, she’s not exactly wrong, which.  Yeah, okay, this isn’t one of his better ideas by far but.  Hm.

“No?  Figured it’d be a better bonding experience if we had a chat while stone cold sober, is all.  You like coffee?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Tseng.”

Call him crazy, but her laugh sounds less hollow than he’s ever heard it.

~ ~ ~

Marlene nails him in the back of the hand with a fork and Denzel gets melon juice all down his shirt.  Accidental his ass.

At least Strife is upfront with his threats of bodily harm if he breaks Tifa’s heart.

1 year, 2 months, 3 weeks after The Plate

The next time they wind up under what he’s dubbed their table, alcohol has absolutely nothing to do with it...  Well.  Except for the sticky residue he can taste on her fingers.

He has enough common sense to make sure they drag their asses upstairs and to her bedroom before dawn.  Enhanced senses must suck balls, though, because when Strife drops by the following afternoon he doesn’t even bat an eye at Reno’s perch at the bar (munching away at the remnants of a fruit salad the brats didn’t take to school), but he does when he gets closer and breathes.  His nose scrunches up as he sniffs in Reno’s direction like a dog - or that snarling wolf emblem he’s so fond of slapping on anything he can get his hands on - and darts those baby blues between his shit-eating grin and Tifa raised brow.  Try me, that look says, complete with the casual gathering of her hair into a high ponytail, the flex of her fingers after it.  Do they smell of each other, then?  How cute.

“... I don’t even wanna know,” Strife eventually says, and Reno laughs.

1 year, 4 months, 2 weeks, 3 days after The Plate

The punch she lands smack on his left pectoral is a love tap compared to what she’s capable of, and instead of the fire he’s half-expecting there’s... mischief in her gaze.

“Tifa -”

“Never say that word in my bar again, Reno, or I’ll ban you permanently.”

“Yes Ma’am, lesson learned.”

“I might even ban Rufus, too.  Make sure the lesson really sticks.”

“Aw naw, c’mon!  That’s hitting below the belt!”

“Please.  We both know you’d be sobbing on the floor if I did that.”

He pouts (she does have a point).  Tifa laughs.  It’s fast becoming his most favourite sound in the world.

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Cyclamens and Snapdragons

Hi, I'm here to ruin your night :) I mean-

I now give you, the second Ryder drabble~

First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh

Cyclamens are a lovely breed of flowers. They come in an arrangement of lovely hues such as pink, or purple, or white. These flowers, though they're adorable appearance, are quite poisonous and signify resignation, departure or separation which makes them appropriate for funeral bouquets or when something has been divided.

Snapdragons are yet another wonderful breed of flowers. They come in a variety of red, orange, yellow, pink or white. These flowers, unlike cyclamens, are harmless and possess a meaning of the same nature, in a manner. They signify graciousness, beauty, charm whilst hiding away the truth. Snapdragons signify falsehood, or deception.

Ryder was completely satisfied. He whistled to himself as he left the house he knew a certain set of parents lived in. He walked through the lovely, green grass that was filled with so many flowers that he casually stepped on without a care. How pathetic this entire family was. The D'Vitts, excluding his goddess Jelly of course.

Speaking of, it was now time to visit his lovely dame who was most likely at work by now while her stupid brother was at his vulnerability by now. Everything was falling right into place as it should have, now all he needed was to talk to Jelly who he knew would not believe his words. Then, he would find the vermin she called her mate, and bada bing bada boom, Jelly would be begging at his feet.

"You are so repulsive, you know that?" he heard an accented voice whisper, and Ryder rolled his eyes before he spoke out loud to the voice nobody else could hear.

"And? What's your point, Jamie?"

"Why are you committing all these heinous acts? Why...why did you have to do that to their mother?"

"Because they all deserved it. For being idiots, for standing in my way. I warned them and they didn't want to listen, so now they will."

"No, no they will not! You and I agreed to harm nobody-"

"We agreed that I wasn't going to fuck up and get Jelly, and nothing more! You didn't even think twice when I asked you to lend me your rotting corpse, because you yourself were being selfish!"

"I never knew that Jelly had a mate! If I would have known, I would have denied your request in a heartbeat!"

"Oh James, you hypocrite.  Stop talking already! You're making my head hurt."

"Your head! Why, this is my body which you are inhabiting in! And need I warn you, exit my body or I shall-"

"What are you going to do? Annoy me to death? Make sure you prevent me from moving so you can die again?"Ryder asked, never receiving a response which made him nod and laugh. "That's exactly what I thought Mendax. You're all bark and no bite."

Ryder continued taking his little stroll, then taking a sniff of the air which make him turn his nose in disgust as his eyes fell on his suit. He grit his teeth when he realized that his glowing, white shirt was now stained with green and red. How disgusting, he actually managed to get the parents' blood on him. Now how was he going to look presentable in front of Jelly?

Ryder shook his head in disappointment, then shrugging to himself as he smiled and continued walking. He had gotten quite far now and as starting to reach the area in which all the buildings were, but he stopped as he stood on the sidewalk  when he caught a wonderful scent: strawberries.

He turned his head to the right where he would need to go to find Jelly's building, smelling nothing but all the other things he didn't care about. He then turned to his left which was where he would find the suburbs and the woods, smelling strawberries very strongly which made him lick his lips and smirk as he followed the scent. What in the world was Jelly doing in that part of town? No matter, at least he would have her alone, and all to himself.

"Please, please calm down. I promise, everything's gonna be okay. I just need you to be quiet for now, okay?"

Ula gently stroked Mana's head before she placed a kiss onto it, and he looked up at her before she stood straight and opened her hand. The alien axolotl looked at it, seeing that a small bud appeared on her palm, right before it beautifully bloomed into a forget me not. She carefully took it with her other hand and took a sniff of it, nodding as she could smell the wonderful scent that belonged to her mother, and she turned to the tree right next to her before carefully tucking it in between the leaves. 

"Come on Mana, let's go."she whispered before she started walking and fixed her backpack, Mana carefully walked behind her. Ula approached yet another tree after having skipped a few, then repeating the process of her flower making, but she instead created a lamprocapnos that had the same scent of the forget me not. She placed the flower into the tree and continued onto the next one, but stopped herself when she heard branches cracking.

"Mana, shhh."she breathed out, then hiding behind the tree as she held Mana and her backpack close. Ula peered from the side, then hiding again in a hurry when she noticed him, the Jabberwocky, not too far off yet not too near either. She grabbed Mana's collar and lead him through the woods, keep an eye on Ryder as he picked at his teeth, never catching her scent or Mana's because of the tiny flowers that were scattered around everywhere, leading him to where Ula wanted. She made a hole in the ground and let Mana jump in, then starting to close it before Mana popped his head out worriedly before she pet his head.

"Shhh, it's okay. You'll be okay, and I'll be okay."she reassured him, then reaching into her backpack to reveal the plushie her grandmother had made for her, Bennie the Bean. "He's gonna take care of me, okay? If you really, really, really need to get out, I left a rabbit hole outside of Cuckoo's circus, which is pretty close to here."

Ula leaned down and kissed Mana's head one more time before she carefully pushed him down, then closing the rabbit hole as she heard whistling echo through the woods. It was time for the knight to slay the Jabberwocky. After hearing a few more footsteps and noticing that the whistling got closer, Ula shut her eyes and quietly let out a deep breath before she opened her eyes to step out from behind tree.

"Hey, you! Ryder!"

All of a sudden, her green eyes looked into hazel ones that belonged to a now smirking face that looked at her. Ryder placed his hands right behind him as he stopped walking, and he darkly chuckled to himself.

"Ah, Ula. Whatever could you be doing here...all alone?"

"None of your business, stupid!" Ula yelled out as she stuck her tongue out at him. "What are you doing here, loner!?"

"Loner? My, who taught you such harsh words tiny one?"

"Nunya!"

"I, what?"

"Nunya business! You big, stupid head!"Ula laughed, shaking her bottom in a taunting manner before she giggled to herself and ran away, Ryder frowning to himself as he took his hands out from behind to reveal multiple daggers. He grit his teeth and threw them with great speed and force that would have easily made them strike Ula in a second, if it weren't for the branches that appeared all of a sudden. Ryder grew confused, now staring at trees...moving trees, all with multiple sharp arms.

"What the-"

"Try to get me now dummy!" he heard Ula shout from above, and so he looked up to see that one of the trees was holding her up high as she made a funny face at him which only made him grow angrier. Ryder snapped his hands and made a series of more daggers that he threw at the moving trees, breaking some of their branches while Ula made her escape.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easy!" Ryder yelled out, aiming at the branch Ula was about to hop onto which made it break, thus making her fall down as he smirked victoriously. Although, that smirk was wiped away once he saw a branch-hand grab Ula by the backpack before gingerly placing her onto the ground where she was now able to actually run away. Meanwhile, Ryder was stuck with the trees surrounding him.

He threw several daggers at them all, leaving them unarmed which finally gave him a path in between them all. Ryder ran through them, jumping and dodging every single one of their attacks after they had all easily sprouted new pairs of branch arms. Soon enough, he ran out before he tripped and landed roughly on the dirt, making him turn around with grit teeth as he noticed vines wrapped around his legs. 

Ryder took out more of his daggers, throwing them at the thick and thorny vines which tightened their grip on him as they wrapped themselves around his body and pierced into his skin. He glared down at them, seeing how they not only grew longer, but they revealed to have been attached to large flowers that were closed up. That was, until they neared his legs and opened up to reveal arrays of teeth leading to a pit that was its mouth while its petals snapped open and close like jaws. Ryder threw one of his daggers into the mouth, making it close up and unwrap itself from him before it returned into the ground.

The man panted to himself for a moment, then making a run for it as the ground opened up to have another giant flower with teeth pounce at him. He dodged it, running as he noticed that the ground near him was moving, as if there were more roots and vines waiting to jump at him which easily made the ground a danger. He could have climbed the trees, but he knew those would attack right when they sensed his presence. For now, the ground would have to do.

"Ha! Ryder, you're such a slowpoke!" Ula's voice laughed out from above, and he looked up to see that the child was not standing in a proud pose while the trees quickly yet carefully passed her branch by branch while Ryder continued running.

"Oh darling, if only your mother were here to tell you otherwise."he shouted back, licking his lips while Ula grew perplexed. "Though, a child such as yourself wouldn't understand such things of course.~"

"Ugh! You're disgusting!"Ula yelled, not knowing what he meant, but she knew it was not a nice thing to say about her mother. So, she raised her hands as the trees kept moving her, and on each of her palms she sprouted strange looking plants which she threw down at him. Ryder  threw a dagger at it, causing it to explode and release amber colored goo that fell everywhere, including Ryder's suit which made him growl.

"Look what you-Ah! What the fuck!?"he cried out, stopping his running before he looked down at his sleeve which was ripping away because of the goo, which was probably tree sap...that worked like acid! He reached over and attempted to pull it off of him, but instead got his hand stuck, thus making it burn his glove before going onto his skin.

"You, fucking-"

"Shut up already!" Ula interrupted, then throwing more of the strange plants which all hit Ryder and pushed him down due to their force. The man dropped down onto his back while his hands were stuck together, and now his torso before his legs followed, for Ula had thrown even more plants at him which made their sap stick all over him. 

Ryder growled, he fought, he snapped his jaws repeatedly, he cursed, he did everything in  a fit of anger, but was not successful in trying to get out of the sap which practically squirmed on him while burning horribly. He grit his teeth as he saw the trees gently set Ula down in front of him, and she gave him a smirk along with crossed arms.

"Off with your head!"she excitedly stated, raising both of her hands which held a tiny pearl that in an instant became a lovely sword. Ula grinned and raised it even higher above her head, then quickly lowering it down onto what was Ryder's face which made him shut his eyes. Although, he opened them when he felt no impact, instead hearing a scream that turned into chokes. Ryder looked up, furrowing his eyebrows as he saw that Ula was being held up in the air as she clawed at her throat, for there was a hand clasped onto it tightly which was making her choke.

"Brat almost got you...didn't she?" the hand's owner whispered, turning to Ryder as he assumed they looked at him straight in the eyes, considering how they wore a mask over their face. "Did you weaken that much, that the fish's own scamp was able to take you down so easily?"

"Who the hell are you?"Ryder asked, then seeing that the stranger dropped Ula who gasped for air as she held herself on the ground, too weak to do anything other than lay there. The stranger reached down and struggled, but removed all of the sap from Ryder which allowed him to stand up and dust his now ruined and tattered suit.

"Do you not recognize me?"

"With a mask, it's quite difficult recognizing anybody my dear."Ryder rolled his eyes before he saw the stranger, another clown, slightly shrink down in shame.

"I would much rather not remove my mask, though I will remind you that I had a foolish husband who looked exactly like you."

"I don't recall anybody looking like me."

"Because it's not you who I'm talking about, it's James. He's my husband." the clown muttered out, right before Ryder squinted his eyes at her. Then, he felt them grow wide as a smile came onto his face.

"Donna! Evie! Sweet pea, darling, apple of Jamie's eye, how have you been babes?"

"Not too well. The one I'm interested in is too lovesick with another."

"The feeling is here as well. Anyways, what's got you running around these musty woods."

"I sensed you and the brat, so I decided to propose an offer."

"An offer? Well let me tell you, I am not giving you any-"

"I don't desire any of your stupid lights. I desire the dark circus ringleader, Cuckoo."

"Have the hots for grandfather clock I see."

"Just how you are with Jelly, but I sense that your so called love is decreasing and now you only want to see her family suffer."

"You're right about that."

"But what if, I kill the others, and leave her all for yourself? You don't kill them, she doesn't snap at you."

"Sounds like a grand plan, but I do believe you must speak to my manager first."Ryder laughed, and the other clown tilted her head as she saw him shake his hands for a moment, cracking his fingers along with every single one of his bones. Evie glanced down at Ula who was finally crawling away, and she woman stepped on her little leg which made Ula cry out in pain before Evie reached down and grabbed her by the throat again, holding it tightly as she stared at Ryder whose expression was no longer so cocky, but instead...soft.

"D-Donna?"James accented voice spoke, no longer Ryder's own voice as the man brought a hand to his mouth. "I...I was told you died! An-and our child as well! Are they well?"

"James, oh shit. I thought that bitch killed you."

"Excuse me?"

"You do know I never did care about you, right?"Evie asked, shaking Ula around to make her stop wiggling around. "I was relieved when the fish got to you."

"I...Donna-"

"It's Evie you idiot."

"I...I know I...I cared ab-"

"You never cared about me! The only reason why your dumb ass was ever attracted to me, was because I made it that way! My mother made me like your stupid fish girlfriend, she gave me her voice, her face, ugh! Do you how awful it is having to look like that ugly wench!?"

"You...you can not possibly be serious..."

"What we had was just me fucking around with you, and you hurting Jelly without even knowing it. Her suffering is what I strive off of, and now she hates you which means I did good. Next, I'll kill her stupid kid so that she can feel even worse and think it's all your fault."

"You can not harm that child!"

"Oh Jamie, what are ya gonna do? Little Ula's gonna die~"

"What makes you think that, Mendax?"

"She is a child! That would be absolutely cruel, a-and-"

"You gonna let her do it? Time's running out!"

"A child, do you think I care about children?"

"Of course! We-we were married, you were with child! I remember! Surely you must have-"

"Must have what, kept the baby?"

"That thing? Why, the moment I let it out of my body..."

"You...you-"

"Oh, here it comes!~"

"I ate that thing, because I hate children! Especially, if their father is a complete buffoon. A coward."Evie spat out as James' expression dropped, his jaw open as his eyes widened and he stared at her in complete horror. "You're nothing James, I just used you to hurt Jelly. You're as spineless and brainless as she is."

There was a moment of silence before James grabbed Evie's lifted wrist, shoving it so that Ula was once again released and her nearly unconscious body dropped down. He then furrowed his eyebrows and let out a shaky breath as he felt a strong pain in his chest, right before he pulled Evie towards him in a rough motion.

"Hey! Let go of me you idiot!"she shouted, then gasping as her mask was pulled off of her to reveal the gorey mess that was supposedly her face. But James didn't care, nor did he care that she clawed at his hands and everything, for he opened his mouth very widely to reveal rows of teeth that all bit  into her head. He kept on biting as she tried pushing him away, but she stopped squirming around once his mouth made it to her neck and he bit her head off.

"Wow! Jamie! Holy shit, never did I think you actually had it in you to kill somebody!"

The voice inside James' head received no reply, for James stared down at what was now a bloody mess and a headless corpse that dripped dark purple, floating blood as he dropped down onto his knees.

"Jamie? Come on, you gotta admit that was nice for you-"

"I can not believe it...I...I killed her..."

"You did! Now hurry up and-"

"This has...this has gone too far...please, Ryder, please...end this already. I have had enough of this."

"No you haven't! You just started, barely got a taste of your true, killer instinct."

"I have never been cared for, the only one who cared about me...was Jelly, and I took her for granted..." James whispered, feeling tears prickle the corners of his eyes  while he looked over at Ula who was attempting to breathe properly. He crawled over to her and shakily reached out to her, then feeling as if his hand was pulled away.

"Ha! Gotcha! Vulnerable and stupid as always James!" Ryder laughed out as he now took control of the body, then standing up as he grabbed Ula by the backpack and let her hang in the air. "Anyways, let's get back to the killing."

"Ryder, don-"

"No...stop..."Ula breathed out, trying to reach up and make another plant on her palm, but the choking had caused her to become weak and drop her hand in defeat. "Please...I...want my...mama."

"Should have thought about that before you decided to pull any of these stunts kid."Ryder stated, and he saw Ula attempt to raise her hand again to reach into her backpack. "Oh, what, you have a cardboard sword in there? Here, let me help you."

Ryder unzipped the little backpack, then raising an eyebrow before he laughed to himself and took out Ula's plush.

"What the hell is this shit?"

"B-Bennie..."

"Aw, does the little doll sleep with a plushie? What a baby. But no worries, I'll make sure you grow out of it."he smiled, dropping Ula down as she painfully looked up at him. She felt her eyes tear up once Ryder clawed into the toy axolotl, ripping it in half before a small pearl dropped from it. He caught it before it fell, chuckling to himself as he admired it.

"Ah, this is one of the lights Jelly put in you to bring you to life, huh? Such a beauty, I think I'll keep it to myself."he said, then placing it into his mouth and swallowing it. "Tasty just like her...wonder where I can find more.~"

"Stop...no..."

Ryder reached down once again, grabbing Ula by the back of her jacket as he leaned in behind her. 

"Don't worry Ula, I'll make sure to tell your future siblings about their big sister who thought she was a hero. But you know what you really are? A doll, and that's all you'll ever be."

"No...I'm...something...you're nothing…"

"Oh, is that so?"

"You're nothing...my mother...would never love you...you're nothing."

"Quit talking al-"

"You're just a shadow. You have no talent...you have no looks….no charm...no intelligence...you just stole that from...James." Ula sobbed out, shutting her eyes as she felt Ryder's slowly growing claws tease the back of her neck. "But you know something?"

"What?"

"You'll never be able to steal from Lennie who is better than you in every. Single. Way."

Ryder frowned, gritting his teeth from inside his lips before he finally dug his claws into Ula's neck, making green pour out from her as the blood from his unhealed wounds mixed with it. Ula gasped, crying as she felt a strong pain while Ryder slowly started to rip her fragile body, and she cried out loudly as he leaned in again.

"You're no child...just a doll Jelly made because she was lonely and kept because she pitied you."

Ryder grit his teeth, grinning from ear to ear as he could tell that Ula's skin was now ripping more and more. Although, he stopped what he was doing once he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, making him drop Ula as he stared down at the large piece of metal that went through him. Ryder turned around in surprise as the metal was removed from him, and he grit his teeth angrily when his eyes landed on none other than-

"Ugh, the grandfather clock...what business do you have here!?"

"A friend called me, and I'm glad he did before you could do anymore to Ula."Cuckoo told him, then allowing their hands to turn into spikes that made Ryder step back. He had already lost a valuable amount of blood which could kill his host, and that's not what he wanted, not yet.

"Alright, alright...I'll leave now. No-"Ryder was then shut up when Cuckoo extended their arm out and made a spike go through his eye and head which made him stop in complete surprise. Cuckoo pulled their arm back and ran over to where Ula was as Ryder continued to step back. He shook his head, then turning and running off before he easily teleported away, and Cuckoo cautiously picked Ula up as he saw her white skin be tainted with green and red everywhere.

"Oh no...I must take you somewhere safe..."they whispered in a panic, holding her close with one hand as their other created a portal, and they jumped into it before it closed up.

[jimlingss]

Student Council Prez [5]

Episode 4 - Episode 5 - Episode 6 Words: 5.9k Genre: Fluff, Slice of Life, High School!Au

“WOO! I AM SO EXCITED!” Taehyung suddenly slams his hands down on the table and Namjoon shakes his head with a smile.

“Settle down, settle down.” Yoongi clears his throat and clasps his hands together. He turns to a nervous Jungkook, staring down at his lap. “How are the funds this time around?”

“Oh-uh, um..” Jungkook frantically flips open the files and then stares blankly at them. Yoongi slides it over to take a look himself, huffing out tiredly and Jungkook shoots an apologetical look for not understanding the calculations.

“Well?” Jin’s brow lifts.

“Good. Better.” Yoongi looks to Jungkook, nodding his head. “We’ll probably be able to supply everyone with snacks and water…”

“Is that it?” Taehyung pouts.

“What’s the prize going to be?” Hoseok inquires.

Jin hums for a moment, contemplating. “How about a picture with the Student Council members?”

Jimin scoffs. “Don’t think of yourself so highly. Do you really think anyone wants that?”

“Hey. People love us!” Jin defends exasperatedly.

“Ooh! Ooh!” Taehyung’s eyes flicker and everyone turns to him. “How about a retreat day? With just their class out to a summer villa? That would be so nice, like the ocean and the beach and the stars at night and a barbecue an-”

“That’s too much.” Yoongi interjects.

“Well….” Namjoon tilts his head and slides over the accounting records that are in front of Yoongi, pulling out a calculator from his bag. He stares at it for a moment, punching in some numbers. “Actually……..it’s possible.”

“Actually?” Jimin’s eyes double in size. “A retreat to a summer villa?”

“Hm...I mean why not? It’ll get the students excited and participation will be higher, our sponsors will grant us more funds if they see our results, morale will be high and we might make even more profit from our booths.” Namjoon tosses the calculator onto the table and turns to Yoongi. “It’s your call…”

“Can we, can we?” Taehyung grins, leaning towards said Student Council President.

“It sounds pretty awesome…” Hoseok glances at Yoongi and he sighs.

“Fine.”

//

The teacher approaches the whiteboard with a big smile, the students rambunctious behind her. “Quiet down everyone! Quiet!” She calls out and a few seconds later, the chatter simmers to a few murmurs. “As everyone knows, the sports day is coming up and this year it seems as though the prize will be…..drum roll please!”

The excited students begin to pound their desks with their fists and you roll your eyes, staring out the window. “A two day and one night retreat to a summer villa!”

“Woooah!” The kids gasp, turning to their friends instantly and babbling off.

The teacher proceeds to write down the events on the board, the kids raising their hands and shouting out what they want to do or who should do what. The sport team members are the most popular, their names being called the most but unfortunately by rules, there’s a maximum amount of how many one can participate in. “Now who wants to be part of the relay race?”

A few of the smiles fall and those who are standing, sit immediately. The relay race is the worst, the one where all the nerds and unathletic go to, the joke of all the sports; unwanted and childish compared to the other ones. Running around on a track field with a baton isn’t the most entertaining or intense to watch after all. Hardly anyone shows up when they’d rather watch the swim team, shirtless guys and all (at least that’s where the girls flock to and wherever there are girls, there are guys).

“Minah, you should do it.” Hara nudges her and she shys away.

“No…” She whispers softly. “I don’t really want t-”

“Mrs!” Hara suddenly shoots out her arm in the air, gaining the attention of the teacher. “Minah says she’ll do it!”

“Oh that’s good!” The teacher scribbles down her name and Minah manages a small smile.

“See, it’s good.” Hara snickers.

Hyeri shoots Hara a dirty look, scowling at the manipulation and taking advantage of the timid girl, but she unfortunately misses it. “I’ll do it too.” Hyeri raises her hand and Minah instantly smiles brighter, thanking her with her eyes.

The teacher nods and writes down her name. Suddenly she turns to you, quieter and the class slowly cranes their neck over. “Y-Y/N...is there something you’d like to do?”

Ever since the whole ordeal with Hara having drugs in her bag, most people became afraid of you. There wasn’t any concrete evidence that it was you but rumours quickly passed around and they weren’t far from the truth. No one bothered you though and you didn’t care about the dirty looks that Hara’s group shot when you walked past or the whispers that carried behind your back. Everyone knew better than to mess with you, teachers included. And you liked it that way.

“No.” You answer shortly and she opens her mouth to protest but shuts it a moment later.

She clears her throat awkwardly, moving onto a different topic and you stare out the window again.

Once more, your hands are wrapped around a mop’s handle and you’re relentlessly scrubbing away at the tiled floors. Yoongi, on the other hand, is lying on his stomach on the couch, chin perched in his hands as he watches you intently with a disinterested expression - as if he were a cat and you were an uninteresting toy.

Clicking your tongue with annoyance, you swivel your head up at him with a scowl.

“Do you have nothing better to do?”

“Nope.” He quips with a growing smirk. You shoot him a sharp glare before focusing back on mopping and after a long drawn out silence, he calls your name.

You hate how you like the way he says it.

“Y/N…”

“What?”

“What are you doing at the Sports Day Festival?”

“Nothing.” You slosh the mop back into the bucket, staring daggers into his eyes. “I’m skipping.”

He scoffs. “You can’t do that.”

You freeze and this time you’re the one who scoffs. “Are you really going to tell me what to do?” You jab your finger at him. “Listen Min Yoongi. I, L/N Y/N, don’t do sports or take orders from anybody.”

He’s silent, the both of you holding a long staring contest. “I’ll give you an extra two thousand.”

It takes only three heartbeats for you to answer.

“Deal.” He smirks again and you roll your eyes at him. Dignity or not, money was still money. “But why do you even care?”

“Well…” He sits up, stretching his limbs with a grunt. “You are our precious scholarship student...” He exaggerates with a small smile. “...so it would look pretty bad but...we also need another student to run the relay race in your class. They’re short one.”

“Relay race?”

“Yup.”

“No thanks.”

“.......two thousand dollars...” He reminds you in a light voice.

You groan out, tilting your head to the ceiling. “Fine! Fine!”

“Fine?” He lifts a brow.

You grimace, narrowing your eyes at him. “Yes, okay? Yes.”

He moves out his hand, gesturing for you to continue. When you stare at him blankly, he whispers. “Master.”

You turn back to the bucket, sloshing the solution so much that it spills all over the floor. “The day I call you master is the day when we’re in hell, Yoongi.”

He chuckles, back falling onto the couch and his eyes flutter shut. “I’ll be waiting then.”

//

The week rolls by quickly and before you know it, you’re at the back of the gymnasium, cursing under your breath as the principal says some kind of inspirational (shitty) speech. The students cheer enthusiastically, some crouching down to tie their shoelaces again, others tightening their team headbands. Everyone is wearing different coloured shirts, each grade split into two teams and when you look down at your own shirt, the bright yellow burns your eyes.

The moment Jin steps up to the podium, the chatter ceases; girls fawning over his handsome looks and the both boys admiring and envious. He hypes the crowd up, vocalizing on how it’s the first sports festival for many and the last for others; how important creating unforgettable memories are and that victories aren’t everything, encouraging everyone that anything is possible.

You yawn, looking out at the exit door and if you could quietly step away, find a tree somewhere to take a nap under. “To the Academy’s twenty-seventh Sports Festival...” A husky voice rings over the speakers and instantly your ears perk, turning your head to the stage.

Yoongi’s there with a bright smile, that you know is all too fake, leaning over to speak in the microphone. “Pride, honour, victory and embracing challenges - these are all fundamental core values within our prestigious Academy. With that being said…” He leans in closer, lips falling in a line and voice falling a pitch. “We will not tolerate any cheating or manipulation of scores. Consequences will be dire and entire teams will be disqualified…” He smiles again. “So please play fairly and have fun.”

You roll your eyes when the boys around whisper how cool he is and the girls gush over how angelic and puppy-like he looks. It’s ironic.

Maybe they’re blind.

Jimin steps up to the podium shyly, holding a piece of paper in his hand and raising his hand, reading out the athlete’s pledge while everyone happily recites after him. Bored, your eyes trail away and they ‘accidentally’ land on Yoongi...only to find him already staring right at you.

The both of you hold eye contact for a long time and you wonder why no one’s noticed. As a full minute passes by, you curse when your cheeks begin to burn but that’s only because you’re in a gymnasium full of sweaty teenagers….there’s absolutely no other reason. Obviously.

Nonetheless, you don’t give up without a fight even when his eyes are burning holes into your skin. You tilt your head, wearing a blank expression and matching his, emotionless - that is until his lips tilt up into a smirk and you roll your eyes, finally tearing your head away.

“Let the games begin!” Jimin’s voice echos suddenly over the speakers, nearly making you flinch. Everyone cheers, fist pumping the air and you waste no time rushing out the doors.

The other side of Yoongi’s lip tugs upwards as he watches you leave.

Hoseok wonders why he’s grinning like an idiot.

//

You’re resting against a tree trunk, the leaves rustling in the wind and providing a cooling shade. Every so often, you have to flick off some ants that manage to crawl up your arms and you grimace at the loud noises. Though the school was a good distance away, the track field was pretty close and you could still hear the cheerleaders and shouting of students.

You’re slightly surprised at how athletic the rich kids are, everyone abandoning their pristine uniforms for coloured shirts and gym shorts but you guess that Jin and Hoseok did a fairly good job at promoting the event, firing the natural competitiveness in the wealthy kids. After all most of them grew up with ambitious, business oriented parents who nurtured them in order to fight the competition of the real world.

Judging from the announcer's voice that booms over the speakers, the teams are all neck and neck. Long distance running, high jump, baseball and fencing victories have been distributed equally amongst the classes.

You do open an eye to watch the archery game since they set up the range fairly close to where you’re resting. Taehyung (who’s on your team) completely misses the target and Jimin (who’s on the opposite team, wearing a red shirt) bursts out into laughter. But he, himself, only manages to score two points in three rounds. 

The sound of footsteps coming closer and closer makes your eyes open again. “What are you doing here?” Yoongi asks with a lifted brow and slightly amused glint in his eyes.

“I don’t know…” You nag sarcastically. “Take a guess.”

He scoffs, plopping down next to you and it only makes you frown. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know.” He quips with a shrug. “Take a guess.”

You sneer at him. “What? Were you looking for me?”

“No.” He says simply. “I’m here for the shade. It’s too hot. I hate the sun.”

You look at him for a second, somehow not believing his words. “Uh huh...sure.”

Yoongi doesn’t respond and just uncaps the fresh, new bottle of water that he brought with him. When you feel a sudden coolness against your skin, your eyes open again and you shoot him a suspicious look. He’s holding the lid in his hand, arm extended to you with the water bottle and his eyes are casually looking out at the field.

You stare down at the water bottle and he clears his throat. “Drink it.”

“Why?”

“It’ll be a pain in the ass if you faint from dehydration.” He says lightly, eyes still avoiding yours.

Your lips twitch, wanting to lift but you take the bottle, quickly lifting it to your mouth, holding back. The water quenches your dry throat and you never realized you were even thirsty. Yoongi watches in slight amusement as you down half of it.

“Thanks...I guess.” You chirp out nonchalantly while wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. He smirks and hands you the cap of the bottle. As you twist it back on, your brows lift at his bold shirt.

“Nice red.” You nod your head to it and he follows your eyes.

“You have a nice yellow yourself. It really does the job of hurting my eyes.”

You scoff. “At least I’m not a damn stop sign.”

“Well, I’m not a school bus.” He surveys you closely and you roll your own eyes, not being able to suppress the giggle that slips through your lips.

Yoongi thinks it's slightly cute. He doesn’t say anything though.....just staring at you with a soft yet blank expression.  

“Who even chose these stupid colours?” You grumble, pinching the cotton fabric.

“Taehyung and Hoseok. They’re actually the colours of the rainbow...all six teams. They thought that bold colours would be more….encouraging and bright.”

“Oh yeah...it’s bright all right.”

“Hey, at least this way if you decide to run away, I can spot you and catch you.” He smirks and you narrow your eyes at him.

“Demon…” You curse under your breath and he laughs. “What makes you think you can outrun me?”

He does a quick sweep of you from head to toe. “I can definitely outrun you.”

You scoff. “Keep being blindly confident Yoongi….it’s almost attractive.” You tilt your head at him and his smirk returns.

“Are you running the relay race?”

“Yeah.” You lean in closer, voice dropping a tone. “...for two thousand of course.”

“Everything’s just money with you, isn’t it?”

You shift back into your comfortable spot. “You bet it is.” After a moment, you turn to him again. “What about you? I don’t see you getting off your lazy ass.”

“I’m playing basketball after your relay race.”

You tilt your head at him with a smirk. “Are you gonna win?”

“Maybe.” He shrugs with a repressed grin. “Don’t come though. If you come, you’ll curse me and bring me bad luck.”

Your brows quirk and a small smile takes hold on your mouth. “You’ve tempted me now...but we’ll see...maybe.”

Yoongi grins and you shut your eyes, resting more under the cool shade as the announcer's voice booms over the intercom again.

//

The two girls watch as the swim team emerges from their locker rooms, tight shirts sticking to their skin and they sigh helplessly at their visible muscles. Seungkwan huffs out and rolls his eyes. “You wanna go watch the relay race after?” He asks, trying to draw away their attention.

Minzy scrunches her face up in distaste. “But it’s so boring. I’d rather get a head start on lunch break. The concession stands are always busy and the lines are always long.”

“Oh.” Hina finally peels her eyes away from the boys to look at her friend. “Isn’t that scholarship girl participating though?”

Seungkwan’s eyes twinkle and he leans in closer with a laugh. “Isn’t she the one who nearly got Hara arrested?”

Minzy rolls her eyes at his sudden excitement. “She’s also the reason why Choa and Yura have bald spots now.” Hina whispers quietly and the three can’t help but giggle together. “Have you seen their wigs?”

“It’s just rumours.” Minzy shushes her but then smirks. “They’re bitches though, so they deserve it.”

“Anyways, you wanna go to the relay race?” Seungkwan asks the two again and Hina shrugs.

“Sure, I mean why not?”

Just then the boys stand on their platforms, peeling off their shirts to reveal muscles and washboard abs. Hina and Minzy dart their eyes over instantly, following the rest of the girls with their shrieks. Sungkwan, like the other boys, sigh helplessly at the crowd of girls.

//

You jolt suddenly the moment ‘relay race’ gets called over the booming intercom and you’re violently shaken awake from your nap. When you look over, Yoongi’s obviously gone but...whatever. It’s not like you care.

You pick yourself up and head towards the track field but to your surprise, the bleachers and benches are all full of students, divided up by their teams and holding bright signs while shouting enthusiastically. It’s annoying but only because they’re too loud and you’ve just woken up.

You head towards the front where all the other participants are.

Minah’s head is downcasted and her hands are trembling. “Wh-why are there so many people?”

Hyeri frowns, looking around. “Yeah...everyone told me it’s suppose to be really empty…” The moment she sees you coming, she smiles softly. “Hey…”

You don’t get to respond before a hand suddenly slaps your shoulder and you almost turn around, pummeling whoever’s face with your fist. But instead you’re met with Taehyung’s boxy grin. “You’re pretty infamous.” He quips and scans the crowd.

“What?”

“I think they’re all here to watch you.” He hums and you frown. “For you to fail, trip, fall...or maybe win. You’re a wild card!”

“Uh huh. Thanks?” You nod and he turns to the other three.

“Have you guys all decided your order yet?”

“Umm…” Hyeri looks at you, glances at Chan, a shy boy who’s standing behind her and then to Minah who’s still staring at the ground. “No...not really…”

She turns to you. “I don’t care.” You immediately answer.

“I’ll go first then.” She decides with some hesitance. “Chan can go second, Minah third and..”

“I’ll go last.” You sigh out.

“Okay!” Taehyung grins and then scribbles something on his clipboard. “Make sure to pass the baton! Good luck!” He flashes you another smile and a pat on the shoulder before marching up to another team.

“Good luck.” Chan speaks up.

“G-good luck.” Minah stutters with a tiny smile.

Hyeri returns it, patting her back comfortingly before turning to you and Chan. “We can do it! ...let’s at least try not to make last place!”

You almost let out a snort at how unconfident they all are. “Yeah sure. Good luck.”

Everyone’s cheering, clapping as the first runners get into stance, exhaling and inhaling evenly. You lift a hand over your eyes when the piercing sun is too blinding. “Get ready...get set....GO!” The whistle blows and instantly they’re launching off.

Hyeri’s not too shabby, making it third place consistently through the entire run. Chan quickly gets into position and after a minute and a half, everyone’s pushing their legs for the last dash. The minute Hyeri hands him the baton, he’s off and she collapses onto the grass, Minah passing her a water bottle and complimenting her. She flashes a thumbs up, too breathless to speak and then Minah gets into position. She’s far too nervous, the way she’s visibly shaking and biting her lips. You wonder if you should say something….you don’t.

It would be generous to say Chan is a good runner, he lags behind a bit and falls to fourth place but no sooner he’s looping back around and hands the baton over.

The cheers become more intense as the second and third place are head to head. Minah is slow, becoming fifth place and you sigh out before getting into position.

Your shoelaces are tied, team fabric headband is wrapped around your arm instead of your head and your ponytail is tight. You kneel into position with the others, looking behind you to see Minah’s closed eyes and scrunched up face, pushing herself for the last stretch. You bring out your arm behind you, ready to take the baton but just then, over her own shoe, she trips and faceplants the ground.

There are some gasps in the audience, others pointing at the girl who just fell on her face. Hyeri and Chan shout encouragements from the stand and you curse under your breath. “GET UP!” You shout at her as the other teams pass their batons and fly past you.

She listens and a second later, she’s up again with her nose trickling blood. With a grunted scream, she hands you the baton, cool to your fingertips and you’re off.

You’re in last place. But you could give less shits, casually jogging - that is until you see a familiar face in the crowd.

He’s wearing a bold red shirt, arms crossed and one side of his lips are tugged in a familiar smug smirk that you hate so much. Time slows down. You hold his stare. And maybe you’re really going crazy because you can almost hear him inside your head; taunting you, provoking you, ridiculing you.

Fast, huh?

I can definitely outrun you.

The last straw is when he subtly but so clearly sticks out the tip of his tongue at you.

The three seconds end and you’re sprinting off, as hard and fast that your legs can possibly carry without collapsing. Your eyes narrow and you see nothing but the track, your heartbeat pounding in your ears and the beads of sweat forming at your forehead.

The cheering hushes down several notches, people pointing and sitting on the edges of their seats as they watch you pass, fifth place...fourth place...third place...second place.

You’ve ran from the police, from psychotic addicts and you’ve chased down those who stole from you. Just two months ago, if someone were to tell you that your talent of running away would one day be put to good use, you’d probably swear at them.

But now your lungs are on fire and your arms swiftly move back and forth in motion as your sneakers pummel against the ground. The last stretch comes into sight and you hitch a breath as you’re nose to nose parallel with a tall, blue shirted guy. Your eyes shut and you grit your teeth, tearing a scream through your throat as you pass him by a single centimeter and the red ribbon tugs against your abdomen.

Cheers erupt from the stands and when you fall to the ground, the entire yellow team comes stumbling off the bleachers. Your vision is blurs but you can still hear the loud cheers of your name, Chan gaping at you with disbelief, Minah bursting into tears of happiness while mumbling apologies and Hyeri shaking you with a huge grin.

“You just beat a member of the varsity team!”

“Holy shit! Holy shit! We won!”

“From sixth place to first?! OH MY GOD.”

“That was amazing!”

You’re dragged up by some students, others happily patting you in the back roughly. A water bottle is shoved into your hands, another person wiping off your sweat but you shift your head upwards, still breathless but trying to search for the red shirt boy. Unfortunately, there are too many people crowding around and too many wearing red.

The intercom booms from above. Taehyung’s voice rings and you can even hear his grinning. “Year one, yellow team’s victory in relay race.”

//

People you don’t recognize flash you thumbs up, the others on your team grinning from ear to ear and the boy who won second place even praises you, offering a position on the track and field team, to which you politely decline.

You’ve finally found a moment to yourself after lunch officially begins.

You’re at the back of the school, drinking water. “There you are.” A familiar voice calls from behind you and you almost spit out the liquid.

“What the…” You wipe your mouth, turning on your heel. “Yoongi.”

He smirks and you notice his black jersey, the letters of his name in a contrasting white. He looks good….really good. “I’ll admit…” He sighs out with a smile. “You’re good. Maybe you’d be able to outrun me.”

You scoff, rolling your eyes.

“What made you run so hard? I thought you didn’t care.”

“I don’t….” You answer nonchalantly, closing your water bottle. “Just wanted to prove you wrong.”

“Are you playing next?” You ask.

“Yeah.”

“I hope you lose.” This time you’re the one who smirks and he scoffs.

“I know we’re on opposite teams but you can’t even wish me a ‘good luck’?” He raises a brow, amused.

“I hope you don’t fall on your face.” You sass him and he chuckles, shaking his head. “Don’t break your legs.”

“Why does it sound like you want me to? Are you using reverse psychology? Some sort of new witchcraft to curse me?”

This time you can’t help but let your smile slip and you shrug. “I don’t know. Think what you want to think.”

He grins. “You better hope I won’t break my legs or else you’re going to pay and really become my slave.”

“Hey! It wouldn’t be my fault.”

“You just jinxed me.” He says seriously despite his gummy smile. “I’m your responsibility now.”

You roll your eyes, cheeks numb from smiling but just then someone comes stumbling from the corner of the school. “Yoongi w-” Jimin stops in his tracks when he sees the both of you together. “Uhhh……..” He nervously begins to step backwards. “Am I interruptin-”

“Nope.” “No.” You both answer simultaneously without even a glance at each other.

Jimin lets a long second pass, staring at the both of you before nodding his head. “Okay...Yoongi, they’re calling you down a-”

“Okay.” He interrupts before needing to hear more and starts walking away. Your lips fall into a straight line, watching his backside for just a mere moment.

“Good luck.” You mutter but he manages to catch it.

“Don’t need it.” He answers sharply and you scoff before turning away, walking off yourself.

Nonetheless, there’s still a smile on his lips.

//

The moment you shuffle into the gymnasium, you notice the serious atmosphere. There’s not a lot of cheering but rather muffled chatter and whispers. The crowd on the benches are mixed with boys and girls, all of them watching as the basketball team finishes up their warm up.

You’re standing at the very back row, behind everyone else when you notice Yoongi shooting some hoops and getting them in perfectly.

“MIN YOONGI! MIN YOONGI!” Jimin’s voice rings and you laugh at how the boy is across the gym from you, leaning over the railings and holding an obnoxious, neon sign with Yoongi’s face glued to it.

He passes the ball to his teammate and then slowly treads up to Jimin, doing some kind of hand motion, maybe telling him to get down or stop. For a second Jimin’s lips fall but then he - “MIN YOONGI!” - shouts even louder and holds the sign up higher with a mischievous smile.

A moment later, a whistle blows and the team gathers up. Much to Yoongi’s dismay, he rips his eyes off of Jimin and jogs up to the other students with matching jerseys. The game starts soon after, a loud sound emitting from the score board.

You’ll admit it. He’s good...really good.

You can’t tear your eyes away.

Yoongi steals the ball swiftly from the other team, his sneakers squeaking against the floor with every turn. His passes are flawless, shoots are perfect and not one misses, always landing in the basket. The crowd seems to think so too and though they’re not screaming obnoxiously with cheers, they’re all on the edges of their seats, gasps and anticipation letting them hang off the edge. They follow the basketball with their heads and eyes in synchronization, like pigeons, only some of them whispering to their friends briefly. When someone scores, they clap and cheer before the game starts again.

Yoongi however, doesn’t seem to mind the crowd or the murmurs of ‘how cool he is’, praises being showered from left to right. He is purely focused on the game, lips tight together and eyes narrowed. But you can’t help but swear through the game he notices you and steals a glance; his lips raising to a smile for a split second; gone when you’ve blinked again.

Maybe your eyes are playing tricks for you.

BEEEP. The scoreboard blares, signaling that it was down to the last minute. The red team was still in the lead and he didn’t even let the other team take a last shot, stealing the ball and avoiding the players. As merciless as Yoongi is, he shoots from half across the court and as the scoreboard blares once more, signaling the end of the game, the ball shoots through the hoop with ease.

The crowd erupts into cheers and standing ovations. Jimin runs onto the court, grabbing a breathless Yoongi in a hug. He’s squeezed to death but still too tired to push the boy away and when he looks over at the back of the stands, he sees you with a tiny smile, tilting your head at him with interest.

Suddenly your hand lifts and you’re giving him a thumbs up but after a second, your hand dramatically flips downwards to a thumbs down. You scrunch your face up, sticking out your tongue briefly.

And as he watches you leave, behind the rambunctious crowds where no one notices, he chuckles breathlessly.

//

“Hey….did you hear?” Choa leans over to Hara who’s stretching.

The both of them are participating in the gymnastics match and afterwards, the volleyball game with Yura. Said girl is beside them, fixing her makeup in the practice room mirrors. “What?”

“Apparently Y/N won the relay match.”

“Ugh.” Yura rolls her eyes. “She’s such an- UGH!”

Hara pouts her lips. “Hmph. She’s not our problem anymore.” With any other human, Hara would’ve cursed them to death or tattled to her overprotective father. But for reasons she’d rather die than admit - she’s petrified of you, intimidated and scared shitless. “I don’t care.”

“But apparently she’s going to play in the soccer match.” Choa frowns at Hara’s odd indifference. “One of their team members got injured so they replaced them with her.”

Hara turns to her with a huge frown. “I said I don’t care about her!” She yells out and Choa takes a step back.

“Oka- okay.”

All the way on the other side of the school, you’re tightening your shoelaces.

When some kids you didn’t recognize approached you and pleaded with you to replace their teammate, you declined. But they begged you knowing full well your running capabilities and when Jungkook stepped in; with his big doe eyes, you couldn’t reject the plea.

You hated how these rich kids got so close, so quickly. It seemed like they completely forgot about your social status or about scorning you. They offer bright smiles instead, pats on the backs, words of encouragement and thumbs up whenever you pass. Perhaps they pushed all the differences aside for the sake of victory but you preferred it when they feared you. It was much less….feely.

The whistle blows and you’re off in the field.

You’re not a pro at soccer by any means but you do know you’re way around the game. Excluding the ten minutes where Jungkook was explaining to you frantically of what to do (his sudden competitiveness startling you), Sungjae really liked soccer and would get you to play with him. So, from previous experiences, you aren’t shabby in the least bit.

You make a couple passes, score once and the game goes by smoothly. By the end of the match, your team’s won yet again and you detest the way you’re dragged into a huge group hug, sweaty kids jumping up and down simultaneously.

“She’s getting along with everyone pretty well, huh?” Jin turns to Yoongi who’s standing a distance away.

“Yup.”

Jin hesitates before asking curiously. “Are you jealous?”

Yoongi turns to him with a disgusted expression. “What?”

“I mean...it seems like you two have gotten pretty close.”

“She’s just the scholarship student. I was assigned to watch her closely.”

“Uh huh.” Jin nods.

“She’s psychotic, a brute and all she does is curse me.” He grumbles, turning on his heel to walk away. “Stop wasting your time thinking meaningless things. Focus on making the event a success.”

Jin sighs, following Yoongi and teasing him. “Yes president.”

//

You step up onto the stage by the time the last students have filtered out of the gymnasium. Yoongi’s at the podium, shuffling the papers.

He had just announced the winners and unfortunately for you but fortunately for them, the seniors stole the victory. It was pretty close, neck and neck, counted to the last scores but being the last year and last chance of being as one class, the seniors were like beasts; absolutely determined to win and they did. They obliterated people, intimidated their underclassmen and competed like they were at the Olympics. It was a well deserved victory.

“So…” You cross your arms. No one’s around but the custodian sweeping the floors, still meters away and out of earshot distance. “Am I still coming over?”

He scoffs. “My house is still dirty. Just because today wasn’t a regular school day, doesn’t mean you get to skip out on your duties, slave.”

You narrow your eyes at him, leaning on one foot. “You know I’ve been wondering...if you live alone why is it that your house is a mess every single day? Don’t tell me that you make a mess on purpo- what?”

You interrupt yourself when he suddenly scans you from head to toe. You quickly glance downwards to see if there was something wrong. You had changed back into your uniform but everything was in perfect place.

He holds your stare for a second and then mumble something under his breath. “Jealous?Jealousofwhat?I’mnotjealous.”

“What?” You frown, not able to make out what he’s saying.

He suddenly sharply inhales and then turns, striding off. “Let’s go slave.”

“I’m not your slave!”

“Yes. You are.”

“Fuck off Yoongi.”

“It’s in section two of the contract. I can call you my slave.”

“Since when?! I never saw anything like that!”

“Yes, it’s there. Do you really want proof?”

“Yes I want proof!”

As your voices fade away, the custodian can’t help but laugh tiredly. He wasn’t eavesdropping - you two were just being too loud.

Somehow he’s reminded of his relationship with his wife.

[vixx-is-my-light]

Can I Alohomora Your Heart? (Or Do I Need a Key)

There are two unknown students running around as illegally unregistered animagi and Prefects Wonshik and Hongbin are tasked with catching them

or

Rabin on a wild goose chase trying to catch two cats 

|Ravi/Hongbin|5033 words|

(cross-posted from my AO3 - exo_miracles)

Half the names on the list had already been crossed off. It's only Monday and Hongbin and Wonshik are more than ready to call it quits. Just because they are prefects doesn't mean they should be forced to do slave work like this. It's understandable though why they were chosen for the job by their Heads of Houses. Although they just became fifth years and were chosen to be prefects along with many others, Hongbin and Wonshik are well known in the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses as they both exemplify their houses' characteristics.

Hongbin is one of the most hard working and supporting students despite all the sass he throws left and right. When he's in a good mood some of the students swear they see flowers sprouting in his wake when he graces them with his presence (although that rumour may have started due to Sanghyuk's prank that really did make flowers grow anywhere he went). Wonshik on the other hand may not be a total bookworm like most Ravenclaws but he does have a knack for easily learning and even creating his own theories. When Sanghyuk comes begging for help with Potions or Charms homework, Wonshik usually rattles off a load of information that Sanghyuk has to filter through and determine what's actually relevant.

And so they were tasked with what now seems like an impossible investigation. "Really, is it necessary to spend all this effort looking for cats?" Hongbin whines for the nth time. Wonshik shakes his head fondly at his slumped over partner. "You know they're just not normal cats Binnie, they're two students running around in plain sight as illegally unregistered animagi." "That's what I just said." Wonshik shakes his head again before looking at the list again. "Okay so next on the list is...Hyukkie." Hongbin slumps further to ground, "Just kill me now."

The smoke and fumes currently swirling in the air are an acidic shade of green. It contrasts horridly with the fiery red hair of the person brewing the potion. Wonshik looks about nervously before asking, "Hyuk you're sure this stuff is okay to breathe in right?" The younger boy looks up from his cauldron with an innocent look. "Of course it is, do you think I'd be brewing anything that's not textbook safe without permission?" Wonshik and Hongbin share a look, the answer is pretty obvious but neither say anything for fear of pranks worse than flowers. "Okay just answer our questions and we'll leave you to brew...whatever this stuff is." "What's in it for me?" The Slytherin fourth year asks while grinning at them. Hongbin moves forward as if to hit Sanghyuk on his head but shies away when the boy holds up some sharp snake fangs which he throws into the cauldron. "How about help with all your homework for a month?" Wonshik tries. "No." "A new broomstick?" "No." "A free pass to forbidden section of the library?" "No." "New illegal potions ingredients?" "Tempting but no." "What do you want, a dragon!?" Hongbin finally yells in frustration. "Well hyung if you insist, although I was going for food from the kitchens whenever I want. But I'll take the dragon." Hongbin splutters while Wonshik rubs a hand over his face.

"Just kidding, I'll take the potions ingredients." The Slytherin grins unashamedly at them, "Okay I can't give you exact names but I'll give you a hint. An animagus usually has certain features or marks that tie them to their human form right?" Wonshik and Hongbin nod in unison. "And you know what these cats look like right?" "No but I'm gonna skin them alive when we catch them for making us go through all this..." Hongbin's rant is cut short as Wonshik covers his mouth. Hongbin glares daggers at his partner who studiously ignored him. "Two cats, one solid black and the other solid orange. The two have matching white marks on their chests which seem to be a crescent moon and sun respectively." Wonshik rattles off in one breath then removes his hand from Hongbin's mouth. "Right so what brilliant insight can you lend us?" Hongbin asks in a suffering tone. "Obviously you need to find two people with sun and moon markings hyung." Wonshik restrains Hongbin from strangling the younger boy. "We know that Hyukkie but we just can't go around stripping people," Wonshik replies patiently. Sanghyuk smirks at Hongbin who is still struggling to free himself. "The thing is you guys just don't know where to look, but the answer's right there."

Wonshik and Hongbin stop their struggling to stare at Sanghyuk. When they obviously still don't get where he's going Sanghyuk shakes his head in disappointment, stirring some fairy wings into the cauldron. "Exactly why did they choose you guys to be prefects again?" Before Hongbin has a chance to retort Sanghyuk continues, "Obviously they're not birthmarks so they've got to be tattoos. All you need to do is find the artist. And luckily for you I happen to know the only student that does illegal astronomical tattoos in this school." He drops a dried bat wing into the cauldron before looking up at them with an uncharacteristically serious gaze. "But if I tell you who he is you can't report him."

"Why shouldn't we? We only let you off because you're our youngest friend and we like you-" Hongbin makes a protesting noise which Wonshik ignores, "-but it's against the rules to have a tattoo business running and we don't know this guy." "J-just because hyung..." Hongbin stares at the younger boy, observing the stuttering and his cheeks and ears that have been stained red. The kid looks cute and Hongbin wants to squish his cheeks but he restrains himself. He exchanges a knowing look with Wonshik before turning back to Sanghyuk. "Ooh our Hyoggie has a crush~" Hongbin coos in a disgustingly sweet voice. "Okay, okay Hyukkie we'll make an exception just for you." Wonshik hurriedly tells him before Hongbin can embarrass the boy anymore.

Sanghyuk avoids their gaze, stirring the cauldron when he tells them, "He's in Hongbin's house but he's a sixth year. You'll find him on the Astronomy Tower on Friday night after classes are done. He'll talk to you if you tell him I sent you." "Thanks Hyukkie, you helped us a lot. We'll just ask him for help and that's it," Wonshik assures the younger while fluffing his red hair. "Yeah and we'll see if the crush is mutual too or we'll beat him up for you," Hongbin teases as he flicks Sanghyuk's hair up to look like he has two horns. Sanghyuk whines in Wonshik's direction for mercy.  "Alright stop teasing him Binnie...although the horns suit him, he really looks like satan now." Wonshik stops when he sees Sanghyuk pouting, "Sorry, sorry we'll stop." Which is a wise decision otherwise the Slytherin's pranks might really escalate from flowers if they tease him anymore.

*****

By Thursday Wonshik and Hongbin had finally finished the list. They had questioned and even followed many students but all the info they got only served to make the job more difficult. A Hufflepuff sixth year by the name of Seokjin said that one night when he had sneaked into the kitchens for a late night snack he saw the black cat drinking a bowl of milk. After the cat had left, looking satisfied and licking his lips, Seokjin discovered that it was not milk the cat had been drinking but coffee. Another student, Minseok, a seventh year Gryffindor, had spotted the orange cat while on his way to the Quidditch pitch one early morning. The cat was walking away from the back of the greenhouse were non-magical flowers and plants were grown. The cat was holding an azalea by its stem in his mouth, trotting along happily back to the castle. And lastly a sixth year Slytherin, Eunji, had seen the two cats curled around each other sleeping in an unused section of the library. When they asked her why she never reported it her reply was that they looked so cute together so all she did was take a picture of them.

At first the picture looked like a muggle picture, unmoving, but upon closer inspection the cats were quietly breathing and their ears and entwined tails twitching. Seeing no harm in the picture they left Eunji with it, the girl squealing about the cute cats and how she wanted to see them again. Needless to say by the end of the day Wonshik and Hongbin were exhausted and both left for their respective dorms with Hongbin muttering about and the lack of common sense and the incompetence of Hogwarts' students and "Why couldn't they have simply caught them and save us all this trouble."

It's Friday and when the two prefects meet up for breakfast they both look tired but still hopeful because it's Friday and they're meeting Sanghyuk's tattoo artist that night. Unfortunately they still have their normal class to attend before night so they both split to go to class. During the day they still see each other and during lunch they see Sanghyuk with his usual partner in crime, Sungjae, at the Slytherin table. Afterwards Wonshik and Hongbin make sure to steer clear out of the way whenever they spot either of the two fourth year Slytherin boys. The day ends without much incident thankfully and the two prefects set a meeting place up for later in the night and meanwhile they finish up homework and their normal prefect duties.

It's one o'clock in the night when Wonshik and Hongbin promised to meet and Hongbin mentally curses the cats in his head while climbing up flights of moving staircases to meet Wonshik. He's a tired mess of limbs, struggling to make it to the tapestry where Wonshik was supposed to be. Just as he's sure he's going to fall right over, strong arms wrap around his waist and move to lean him against the wall. Wonshik is looking at him with careful worried eyes, his icy blue hair falling into his eyes. "Binnie you know I can do this on my own, go back and get some sleep." Hongbin can't help the faint blush, reddening his cheeks. Wonshik is holding him a little too close and he hates seeming like he's weak, especially to the Ravenclaw. He straightens up, dismissing his thumping heart and heated face. "Never mind me, lets go see this artist that managed to capture Hyuk's heart." Wonshik still looks troubled like he wants to say something but he nods instead and leads the way to the Astronomy Tower.

*****

"Jaehwan?!" Hongbin looks at the familiar face of one Lee Jaehwan who's sitting at the edge of the Tower. "Hey Bin, here for a late night star gazing date?" Jaehwan asks suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows meaningfully at Wonshik who chokes on spit when he hears the older Hufflepuff. Hongbin's had enough of this whole blushing thing so he does what he does best and slaps Jaehwan on the back of his head. "No and...wait you're Hyuk's crush? You?! I thought the kid had better taste." Wonshik doesn't even bother to try and stop Hongbin but sends a mental apology to Sanghyuk. "What do you mean by better taste?!" Jaehwan starts off indignantly but stops as he takes in the rest of what Hongbin said. "Oh...Oh...so that's why he's so nice to me and doesn't set snakes on me like Sungjae does." Jaehwan says with a tone of wonder and surprise. Then he starts grinning, "So apparently Hyukkie told you I'd be here, what do you want?"

"You gave two students a sun and moon tattoo didn't you?" Wonshik asks. Jaehwan gestures around him as if the answer wasn't blaringly obvious enough. Now that Wonshik takes a proper look at his surroundings, he sees various vials filled with swirling and glittering ink and parchment with sketches scattered all over the floor. "Uh right, so you did...even though this stuff's against the rules." Jaehwan raises an eyebrow at Wonshik, "I'm pretty sure my little ink patterns are nothing compared to what our little Slytherin friends get away with." Hongbin holds up a hand between the two of them, "Relax we're not going to report you or anything unless we want Hyuk either crying or sending snakes on us, we promised him." "He did that?" Jaehwan asks, grinning again. "Yeah and I promised I'd beat you up if you don't be nice to him," Hongbin says. "Have no fear Bin, you have no need to and besides violence doesn't match that pretty face of yours." "I'll take that as a compliment." "But that mouth of yours also doesn't match your face." Wonshik once again finds himself holding back Hongbin from throttling someone.

After they finally settle down, Wonshik tries to question Jaehwan again. "So will you tell us who the two students are?" "Should I?" Jaehwan asks playfully. "It's not like we want to know," Hongbin says tiredly, "So can you help us or not?" Jaehwan looks at them for a while then sighs. "You guys know you interrupted me right? I was sketching out new tattoos," he says while looking at the starlit sky. Despite knowing better, Wonshik lets his curiosity get the better of him, he's always wanted a tattoo anyhow. "Can we see what the process is like?" Hongbin looks surprised at his request. "Sure if you want," Jaehwan replies easily. He lifts his wand and dips it into one of the vials of sparkling ink then lifts it as he says a complicated bit of enchantment that neither prefects are familiar with. After he traces patterns into the air while looking at the sky through the telescope he has next to him. The ink, sparkling like actual stars are mixed in, remains hovering in the air like intricately woven web. Then with another muttered spell he uses his wand to guide the ink onto the blank parchment. The tattoo is still sparkling on the parchment, a constellation, but Wonshik doesn't remember which one. "Wow, that's actually really cool," he says and Hongbin nods in agreement. "Thank you, at least you appreciate my illegal artwork," Jaehwan says, looking proud. "But I guess that's not gonna distract you long huh?" Hongbin shakes his head in response.

Jaehwan sighs in frustration. He looks like he wants to say something but can't. "Okay I'll help but answer some of my questions first?" The prefects agree, sleepy and just wanting some answers. Jaehwan looks at Hongbin first, "How's Quidditch going this term Bin?" Not the question he was expecting but Hongbin answers regardless. As one of the best Seekers on the team in recent years, Hongbin's always practicing in his free time but hasn't been able to recently because of the cats. He shrugs, "It's okay, we won against Gryffindor but Slytherin's stepping up their game. Taekwoon's the new captain and he's not making things easy for us. They won against Ravenclaw so it's Slytherin versus Hufflepuff for the final match. We have a bet on the outcome. If he wins he gets coffee whenever he wants for two weeks." "And if you win?" Jaehwan asks. Wonshik snickers, knowing the answer as he was there when the bet took place. Hongbin grins, "He has to be Hyuk's personal assistant whenever he's brewing potions for a month." "Ah he's gonna die." Jaehwan shakes his head in sympathy, knowing first hand how Sanghyuk tends to man handle the seventh year Slytherin. Wonshik nods his head in agreement, although he enjoys seeing the youngest bully their quiet friend.

This time Jaehwan asks Wonshik another seemingly random question, "How's the gardening club going these days? I heard there have been some arguments about the non-magical plants you guys are growing." Wonshik scowls in response. "The argument started as a result of some stupid pureblood kid who didn't want 'unnecessary, useless muggle stuff' growing here. But Hakyeon's the captain of the club and he was the one who started growing the non-magical plants in the first place. Not to mention he's the Head Boy so no one's really worried about it." "Oh, that's good to hear," Jaehwan says. "I suppose Taekwoon and Hakyeon are really busy these days, no wonder I don't see them so often anymore." Wonshik and Hongbin nod, not sure where Jaehwan was going with his questions. "We know, they have more duties than we know of but they always try to help us out when we need it," Wonshik says. Jaehwan looks at the prefects for a while before deciding finally, "Okay I'll help you guys figure out who these cats are but only because I trust you not to do anything stupid when you find out."

When Wonshik and Hongbin finally leave the Astronomy Tower they're tired and sleepy and just about ready to drop to the floor and sleep. When they finish the struggle of getting down the moving staircases Hongbin really does slide to the floor. "Leave me, I'm fine here. It's so comfy Wonshik believe me." When he doesn't hear Wonshik reply he raises his head to see the Ravenclaw on his knees with his back towards Hongbin. "Get on, I'll carry you." Before Hongbin can respond Wonshik's already reaching for Hongbin's arms despite the awkward position they're in. Hongbin gives up and leans on Wonshik's back. He wraps his arms around Wonshik's neck as he stands up and lifts up Hongbin's legs around his waist. Hongbin hopes Wonshik can't hear his erratic heart thumping loudly in his chest or feel the heat of his cheeks where it's resting on his shoulder. The walk to Hufflepuff's common room entrance is long but quiet except for Wonshik's humming. The deep sound is familiar to Hongbin as his own voice is. By the time they reach the barrels that mark the Hufflepuff entrance, Hongbin has long since fallen asleep, breathing deeply near Wonshik's ear. Not having the heart to wake him up, Wonshik carries him in, knowing the password and places him on his bed, hoping none of the other students will wake up. After Wonshik returns to Ravenclaw dorms to get what little sleep he can get. At least it's the weekend so he can sleep in.

*****

Wonshik wakes up around ten o'clock the next day feeling well rested and lethargic. It's Saturday and the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff is taking place in the afternoon. He heads down to the Hall for a late breakfast, not even looking for Hongbin as he would most likely be with his team running through tactics for the match. Jaehwan's plan to help them out is supposedly going to take place after the match, although they don't exactly know what the plan is. After lazing about in the common room with his roomate, Namjoon, Wonshik heads down to the Hall for lunch and to find Hongbin. The Hufflepuff, already in gear with his broomstick is seated at his table, eating and spouting reminders here and there between bites to his team members. Wonshik approaches, not sure if it's okay to intrude, but Hongbin simply makes space on the bench next to him while talking to his Keeper, Hoseok. Wonshik takes his seat, non of the team batting an eye, so accustomed to Wonshik and Hongbin being glued to each other's sides. The lone Ravenclaw eats lunch silently, admiring his friend as he encourages his teammates. He would surely make a great captain in the future. Eventually the Hall starts emptying, everyone heading down to the Quidditch pitch and Wonshik leaves too, trailing behind the Hufflepuff team.

Hours later, Wonshik's voice has gone hoarse from screaming too much. All he can do now is wave his banner around wildly whenever a player flies close by. Wonshik's banner is bright yellow and decorated with various flowers, the centre flower, a huge sunflower, has Hongbin's face on it. With some help from Sanghyuk the banner shoots sunflowers into the air every five minutes. After being knocked sideways from Sanghyuk and Jaehwan screaming for the two houses, a whistle is blown and the commentator is shouting over the noise, "Slytherin's caught the snitch, I repeat Slytherin's caught the snitch!" Hakyeon's out on the pitch before anyone else to meet Taekwoon. Wonshik wants to cheer for his friend, Taekwoon, it was his last chance to win and he's deserved it, but at the same time his eyes seek out Hongbin, wanting to comfort him and tell him he did his best. After squeezing his way through the crowd to Taekwoon, he hugs him and congratulates him, making the older boy blush and duck his head.

After congratulating the Slytherins, Wonshik makes his way to the changing rooms that have been emptied by now. There's one person left and Wonshik listens before he enters the room. He hears sniffling sounds that make his heart wrench and his nails dig into his palms. He scoffs at the floor as he enters, announcing his presence. Hongbin startles, quickly straightening up and moving to wipe his tear stained face. Wonshik silently walks up to the him, gently taking his hands and moving them away from his face. "It's okay Binnie, you know you don't have to hide from me." He says softly before wrapping his arms around Hongbin in a hug. At first Hongbin seems unsure of how to respond but then he holds onto Wonshik, clutching at his back and resting his head on Wonshik's shoulder. They remain there late into the night, alone with the sound Hongbin's muffled sniffles and shaky breaths and Wonshik's comforting humming as they hold onto each other.

*****

After they leave the changing rooms, Wonshik and Hongbin head up to the Astronomy Tower to meet Jaehwan as they had planned before. The older boy is there waiting and wisely doesn't say anything about Hongbin's red eyes. "Ah I'm sorry to make you guys come all the way up here, but this the only way to be sneaky about it. He gestures to the two binoculars he has set out. They're the same ones he and Sanghyuk had used during the Quidditch match. "You'll need these but not for another say fifteen minutes?" Jaehwan turns to his usual mess off parchment and ink set out on the floor. With nothing to do but wait, Wonshik watches Jaehwan while Hongbin goes to sit at the edge of the tower. Wonshik watches the tattoo artist before deciding. "Hey Jaehwan can you tattoo something for me?" He asks in a low voice, not wanting Hongbin to notice. Jaehwan looks surprised but agrees. "...Could you tattoo a snitch for me?" Jaehwan hesitates, probably to say he only does astronomical tattoos but he dips his wand into a vial of glittering ink before tracing it out in the air. He doesn't take long like Wonshik thought he would, but he motions Wonshik forward, asking where to charm the tattoo with a silent gesture. Wonshik quickly unbuttons his shirt and places his hand over his heart. Jaehwan's eyes seem to light up in understanding and glances at Hongbin before whispering the enchantment and the tattoo smoothly slides onto Wonshik's skin. It doesn't hurt but Wonshik feels like someone's dumped ice cold water on him. After the strange sensation has passed he fixes his shirt just as Hongbin calls them over, "Hey I think I see them."

Jaehwan and Wonshik move to the edge of the Tower where Hongbin is looking through one of the binoculars. Jaehwan motions for Wonshik to look through the other one. "Yeah that's them alright," he says after looking through the binocular. He turns to Jaehwan, "How'd you know they'd be there?" Jaehwan shrugs, "You notice stuff if you're up here all the time. I only do business on Fridays but most nights I'm up here on my own." Wonshik turns back to look through the binoculars. The two cats are slinking across the grounds in the moonlight, the orange one almost glowing while the black looks more like a shadow. "...They're headed to the Forbidden Forest?" Hongbin asks after following the cats' movements. "Yup they always go there at this time of night." Wonshik and Hongbin track the cats till they reach the edge of the forest. There at the edge, still illuminated by moonlight, the cats transform into their human forms.

"Hakyeon and Taekwoon?!" Wonshik and Hongbin yell in unison. They look at each other before looking through the binoculars again. Barely shaded by the trees, the two boys are talking while leaning side by side on a tree. Then Hakyeon steps in front of Taekwoon and leans to whisper closely in his ear. Then he lifts his arms up to embrace the Slytherin. Oh. Wonshik and Hongbin both look away before they could pry anymore into the intimate moment meant to be witnessed only by the darkness of the night. Both prefects are silent for a few moments, trying to process what they saw. "So now you guys know, happy now?" Jaehwan asks merrily. Hongbin turns to the older boy, understanding finally. "You let us know because they're our close friends and we would never report them, right?" "Yep." Jaehwan agrees. "They know that I know of course. They seem to just be living in the moment since it's their last year. They disappear all the time as cats because they never have time to themselves." "Oh well that explains the coffee and flowers now." Hongbin mutters. "But they could have trusted us and told us! Do you know how many time I've reported to Hakyeon and all the bastard did was smile at me and say 'keep up the good work!'." Sensing more whining from Hongbin, Jaehwan wisely gathers up his stuff and leaves with a cherry "Good night!" and "You better catch this snitch Binnie." Hongbin looks confused at this while Wonshik coughs, seeming to get Jaewhan's message.

The two prefects stare at each other not saying anything for a while. Wonshik is the first to break the silence, after glancing back at the forest, he gathers his courage at last, "Ah fuck it, if the Head Boy's running around with his boyfriend as cats, I can do this." Hongbin makes a small sound of surprise at Wonshik's declaration which turns into a loud squeak when Wonshik starts unbuttoning his shirt. Hongbin's eyes widen at the sight of the new tattoo glimmering on Wonshik's chest. Before he can ask about it Wonshik takes one of Hongbin's hands and places it over the tattoo, on his heart. "Binnie...I-i wanted you to know that no matter how many times you fail catch a snitch you'll always be able to catch this one and what's under it." Wonshik eyes shift, looking embarrassed and afraid Hongbin might laugh. Instead Hongbin moves his hand from the snitch, it's wings shimmering as it flutters slightly. He lowers his head to press a small kiss to the snitch. Wonshik shudders at the feeling of warm lips on his bare chest. Hongbin traces small kisses up to his throat and along his jaw. He stops a breath away at the corner or Wonshik's parted mouth and places his hand on Wonshik's heart again. "I'll never let it go." he says softly before leaning in and pressing his lips to Wonshik's. Their bodies mould to each other's so perfectly, Hongbin wonders why they haven't done this before. Breathless and trembling, Hongbin can't help the small gasp that escapes him when Wonshik's slick tongue teases past his lips to rub against his own. Hongbin's legs feel like jelly and he slides to the floor. He's feeling teary eyed again and Wonshik gently wipes the welled up tears away, silently asking with his eyes. Hongbin shakes his head in response, deciding to ignore all the expectations and responsibilities he has for once. Here he's not Hufflepuff Seeker Lee Hongbin. Here he's happy to be with Wonshik, the boy who decided to give him his heart, tucked away from the rest of the world with the moon and stars as their only witnesses.

*****

"You guys are so shameless, at least Hakyeon and Taekwoon are subtle about it." Wonshik and Hongbin look up, innocent looks on their faces. Jaehwan stares back, unimpressed. "Ever hear about PDA?" They're lazing about under a tree by the lake looking at the giant squid making lazy laps in the water. It's hot so Hongbin's shirt is unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up, head nestled in Wonshik's lap. Running along his inner left arm is a key tattooed in shimmering ink. Wonshik's been playing with his arm, constantly caressing the tattoo and running his fingers over it. "Hey it's not our fault Hyukkie's too young for you too jump him," Hongbin says defensively. "Hey! I'd never do something like that," Jaehwan squawks out, "...Although it's the other way around," he mumbles with a red face. Wonshik and Hongbin snicker, knowing full well how Sanghyuk can be. They hear a funny sound at that, something like a hissy...laugh? There's no one else around so all that's left is up. They look up in the tree to see two now familiar felines settled comfortably on a branch. They gaze down at them with knowing eyes. The prefects shake their heads, too accustomed to the cats hanging around them now. Jaehwan narrows his eyes at them, "Hey quit laughing at me Taekwoon or I'll throw you in the lake for the squid to play with!" The black cat stares back defiantly. Jaehwan throws his hands up in exasperation, "I'm not dealing with all you love birds today." He stalks across the grounds back to the castle. "Tell Hyuk we said hi on your date!" Hongbin shouts at Jaehwan's retreating back. This time the orange cat let out a weird hissy laugh. Wonshik pulls back Hongbin's arm to admire the key glimmering in the patches of sunlight falling through the tree. In return for basically giving his loyalty and heart to Hongbin, the Hufflepuff in return had used Ravenclaw logic. A key to his heart and his love.

[on-edi-r-e-ct-io-n]

Make Money with Social Networks 10 lover boys for Selena Gomez! Who will be her next love interest? We're hoping for #3! link

Apparently my director went to see a production of West Side Story a few years ago, and the guy playing Chino forgot his gun before coming out for his final scene. Once it got to the big scene where he is supposed to shoot Tony, he screeched “Poison Boots” and kicked the actor playing Tony until he went down. The girl playing Maria then had to jerk the shoe off of Chino’s foot, and had to do the gunshot scene asking “How many kicks Chino? How many kicks, and one kick left for me”. 

[o-n-edir-ec-t-i-o-n]

How i Make Money with With my Blog You've never seen One Direction like this before! #7 will make you cringe. link

Apparently my director went to see a production of West Side Story a few years ago, and the guy playing Chino forgot his gun before coming out for his final scene. Once it got to the big scene where he is supposed to shoot Tony, he screeched “Poison Boots” and kicked the actor playing Tony until he went down. The girl playing Maria then had to jerk the shoe off of Chino’s foot, and had to do the gunshot scene asking “How many kicks Chino? How many kicks, and one kick left for me”. 

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 53

of ghosts, memories, and little sisters

Burns: "You did not recognize her name?" dia: *she shakes her head* Burns: "Hmm...Hang on." *removes a book from his shelf: "The Gold Demon". The name of the author has been worn off on the book* "I haven't read this since college." dia: ......*slight shudder* {dia: *frozen on the spot, staring at the carnage in front of her*} {FD: *small laugh* "Surprising. Didn't think I could do that so easily."} {FD: *keeps laughing a bit*} Burns: "Dia? ...Dia!" dia: ....!!! *snapping back to reality* sir? Burns: "You zoned out...Something on your mind?" dia: just.....remembering the past.... Burns: "Find what you need from the past, and get back to the present, okay?" dia: ....understood. Burns: "Now, did your past answer any questions about who that woman was, and what information we can get from her?" dia:...sadly no. i dont know who that woman is. -elsewhere- atsushi: O-O;;; *Montgomery has set down a cup of "tea"...which is bubbling...And burned a metal spoon* atsushi: ._.;;;;;;; Montgomery: "One cup of this, and you'll be healthy in no time." atsushi: .____.;;;; *gulps and takes a small sip*.... -KO- atsushi: X-X Montgomery: "...Huh. Maybe I didn't add enough jalapenos and havaneros." Montgomery: *leans down, slaps his face lightly* "Hey, wake up." atsushi: uhhh... WAH! BAKED BEAN BREAD!....huh? Montgomery: "Inhale. Can you breathe now?" atsushi: a little bit...yeah. Montgomery: ^^ "See? I knew my recipe would work. You may thank me now." atsushi: *ahem* ...t-thanks, lucy. Lucy: "...You're welcome." *puts a hand on his forehead* "Your temperature seems to have gone down a bit..." -elsewhere- Shotaro: *in a school uniform...Mana's school uniform* mana: still kept that thing, huh? Shotaro: *nod nod* "I like the skirt! My legs feel all swishy with the wind!" *sways back and forth* mono: .... Shotaro: "??? Mono? What's up?" -elsewhere- Mr. Tsubaki: "Here's your lollipops." hinata: yay! Mr. Tsubaki: ^^ "And don't take the bandages off until those cuts heal. And watch where you're running next time." hikage: okaaaay. -at the 8th- miwa: yo! akitaru! long time no see! Akitaru: "Hey there!" *waves* "How's it going?" miwa: doing good. sorry about missing the meeting a few days ago, some stuff came up. padma: *adjusts glasses* perhaps you'd like to fill us in on the details? Akitaru: *nods* "Everything okay?" padma: yes. everything's fine. miwa: so what happened during the meeting? Akitaru: "Well, lot to cover on that one...after what Giovanni did to my members." miwa: *tenses* ..... let's just start from the beginning, ok? padma: .... Akitaru: "The leaders of other Brigades came to discuss how to move forward investigating the 3rd. I am sending a few from the 8th to the 7th for additional training. And we have a new engineer." miwa: i see....hey, maybe sayu can join the training? might help her build muscle, haha! padma: *sweatdrop* you and your spur of the moment ideas... Akitaru: "..._Are_ there people you want to join in on the training? Maybe Benimaru can fit in a few more..." miwa: well, i did just suggest sayu. true, she doesnt have ignition abilities, but she's got a lot of heart and determination. Akitaru: *nods* "Okay. Anyone else you want involved in the training?" -outside- shinra: oh cool, seems squad 0 is here today. Vulcan: " 'Squad 0'?" shinra: they're an unofficial brigade, kind of like the A team? there's their commander, Miwa, the captains Padma and Misora, their sister, Nayumi, their medic, Serina, and- ???: BIG BRO SHINRA!!! *GLOMP* shinra: HURK- h-hey sayu. sayu: >u< Vulcan: "...'Big bro'?" shinra: ...oh! th-that's just a nickname. sayu: yeah, but i do have two actual brothers. they're twins, actually!........wait. big bro shinra, who's the shirtless guy? Vulcan: "Vulcan. I'm new here." *cleans grease off his hands, holds out one* sayu: nice to meet you, mr spock! i'm sayu! Vulcan: -_-;;; "Not that kind of Vulcan. Vulcan. You know, god of the smith?" sayu: hmmmmmmm....... like fresh prince? shinra: *sweatdrop* she sure is a riot, eh? Vulcan: -_-;;;; "Hilarious...Yo, Sayu, how about you and Big Bro tend to the stray behind the cathedral..." sayu: ouo? -elsewhere- Hibana: *holding ice pack to her head* -elsewhere- Higan: *in a tux* naho: finally getting a job? Higan: "More or less. I'm seating people at a fancy event..." naho: ah. lavender: all set? *in a dark purple cocktail dress* Higan: *smiles* "You look lovely." lavender: thanks. ^^ -elsewhere- Meme: *pouts* mio: is something wrong? *worried* Meme: "Just grumpy. Did not sleep well..." mio:.....want to watch funniest videos? Meme: *nod nod* *yawns* "And have a coffee..." -elsewhere- miwa: a fake base, huh?.....*sigh* doesnt surprise me that bastard giovanni is working with the hoods.... Akitaru: "And a fake Giovanni gets arrested, while the real one is hidden..." miwa: damn him...well, we'll do everything to bring him to justice. Akitaru: "I know you will...In the meantime, let's find these Hoods. Maybe talk to one of them for more info?" padma: seems as good an idea as any. Akitaru: "...You up for this, Miwa?" miwa: yeah. -elsewhere- Akutagawa: -\\\\- *trying to busy himself at work* Q: OuO ~? Akutagawa: "...Q, please take these papers to be shredded." Q: okaaaay. -elsewhere- Mori: "Higuchi, a word with you." higuchi: *tense* s-sir? Mori: "Are you feeling well?" higuchi: of course i am, why wouldnt i be? Mori: "I will be direct: I have reviewed your sparring reports, and your reaction time has been a bit off." higuchi: i hadnt noticed. Mori: "Numbers don't lie." *hands her a report* "I think you may need to take measures to get your mind in focus." higuchi: like what? Mori: "Take care of your health. Meditate. Don't overwork yourself." higuchi: noted. Mori: *smiles* "Good. I would hate for something to happen to you." higuchi: ....right. Mori: *nods* "Now, I have re-scheduled your sparring session with Akutagawa. Instead, you will go with Kouyou for a bit of R&R." higuchi:...r-right. 7.7 Mori: *smiles* "You're dismissed." -elsewhere- Rin: *reading a manga...and crying* Q~Q shura: there you are. i was lookin all over for you! Rin: "Wh-What?" *wiping his eyes* "Sorry...Was taking a reading break." -elsewhere- Victor: owo "...I have a request." maki: ya? Victor: "I'd like to observe the training at the 7th." maki: oh, sure! nozomi: ah... Victor: *claps* "Yay!" *looks at Nozomi* "Will you be here at the 8th?" nozomi: of course! i'll do my best! karin: i know you will, kiddo! ^^ .... *glares daggers at victor* Victor: .w.;;;; *backs away from Nozomi* "A-Are you staying at the 8th, D-Doctor?" karin: yeah. nozomi: ??? Victor: *thumbs up* "Super! I'll go back now." *runs* nozomi: ??? d-did i do something wrong? karin: ah, its alright kiddo. ^^ -elsewhere- Benimaru: *laying out knives* -elsewhere- Yukio: *reviewing case files* seiya: seems todo was a teacher of seals back in the day. Yukio: "So, he would know how to break them, too..." seiya: makes sense. Yukio: "Look up his students. Let's get files on them." seiya: right. Yukio: "Any reports from Kyoto?" adrian: they're investigating the matter as we speak. Yukio: "...Have you heard from Rin?" adrian: still training! Yukio: "...Maybe that's why he hasn't called." -elsewhere- Kid: *hug from behind* stocking: hehe~ Kid: *kiss on the cheek* "Need some help?" -elsewhere- Black Star: *screaming--then hits a wall* soul: O-O; Black Star: "...I missed." *falls down* sayaka: he was wearing a helmet so....good news. kilik: ouch. Black Star: "And the helmet worked! Now, let's get a refund..." -elsewhere- atsushi: so that's what all happened... Kyoka: *glaring* Dazai: :3 Dazai: "So, she gave you tea...And you feel a little less sick?" atsushi: yeah, actually i do. *smiles a bit* Kyoka: *slams a cup of tea down in front of Atsushi* atsushi: um... ._.; Kyoka: "Drink my tea. It'll be even better." atsushi: um..ok... *sip* woah! this is really good! Kyoka: ^^ "Yay." Dazai: *pouts* ("None for me...?") -elsewhere- Vulcan: "Okay...That takes care of prep work on Yuu's room." shinra: looks great! im sure he'll like this... Vulcan: "Hope so. Yuu always had simple tastes: just somewhere to sleep, enough food to eat..." -elsewhere- Tsukiyo: "Where are the 8th people staying?" fang-hua: havent figured that out yet... Tsukiyo: "The inn is still available--shouldn't have too many rooms filled. Maybe they'll bunk with others...Maybe one will bunk with Benimaru..." ^\\\^ fang-hua: i doubt that. Tsukiyo: "Let a girl dream~...You going to help them with combat training?" fang-hua: yep. Tsukiyo: "Glad the Commander picked the best, then! Give them what-for in training!" -elsewhere- Poe: ._______. *staring at the phone* karl: O^O~? Poe: *pokes the phone* "...Is no one going to call? I-I thought I did the right thing. Give flowers (admittedly, to her father), then get a call?" karl: *crawling up onto his shoulders* Poe: ^^ *pet pet* "I guess...its just not happening." -elsewhere- Chuuya: *vacuuming* -elsewhere- Rino: "GET AWAY!" *takes a can of soda out of her grocery bag, throws it* "BEAT IT!" blair: mreow! so rude! >n< Rino: "??? Oh, sorry. Usually there are weirdos who follow me, try to get into fights, so I have to land the first punch or toss the first can of--...DID THAT CAT JUST TALK?!" blair: oh right! *poof* ta-dah~ Rino: o\\\\\o "...I'm high, aren't I?" blair: nope, you're right on the ground level. Rino: "...So, are you a cat or a human? A feline sapien?" *walks around, just staring at Blair* "How did you transform?" blair: magic of course~ Rino: ^^; "Right...Of course...I'm Rino" blair: the name's blair~ -elsewhere- Hyde: *holding a can of paint* "Now let's see what this looks like when dropped from the seventh floor!" julian: please dont. Hyde: "But think of the colors! The paint just smashing along the sidewalk like some gorgeous Jackson Pollack!" julian: or it could land on some unsuspecting civilian and get us into serious trouble -_-; Hyde: "But we got money! That means we can do anything!" *tosses down the paint can* -Wilhelm scream- Hyde: owo;;;; "Dare I look?" -elsewhere- Belkia: "And now we are handcuffed! All I do is use the key to unlock us and...And...Aaaaaand I forgot where I left the key..." otogiri: -_-; at least you had the decency to cover yourself before we got here. naho: it's in the fishtank! ayami: .////.;;; Belkia: "Okay!" *moves his hand with Ayami attached to it to the fishtank--* "...That's not going to work, is it?" -elsewhere- Jeje: *sets down two bowls of ramen* -elsewhere- Yumi: *mapping out a location* marie: *looks* Yumi: "That seems to be the prime spot: low traffic, good table views, decent drinks." marie: you're sure this will go well for me? Yumi: "Part of setting a good first example is finding a good location that puts you at ease. But most importantly--" *pats her shoulder* "--put your comfort first." marie: *smiles* thanks. ^u^ Yumi: *smiles* "You're welcome. Got your outfit planned?" -elsewhere- Karim: "Doing alright?" dia:....i'm fine. foien: you've been tense. much more than usual. dia:...it's not your concern... Karim: "Just asking...No point dealing with a problem alone if others can help you." dia:....it's nothing. *walking away* ruby: *pouts* Karim: *sighs* "That didn't go anywhere..." -elsewhere- FD: "Well, I lost this bet. What's the payment?" yana: y'know. im somehow inclined to know that you're bluffing. FD: ^^# "Whatever makes you think that~?" yana: i should know, after all....*taking her glasses off....revealing purple eyes, similar to fyodor's* i'm already an 8th of you. FD: "...You got to pull that card on me? That's cheap, Yana." yana: hey, facts are facts. *shrug* FD: "..." *chuckles* "At least you inherited my cleverness." yana: ^u^ -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *knock knock* ???: just a sec! -atsushi looks through the peep hole- atsushi:  ....... O___________________O;;;; Akutagawa: *holding a basket* "..." atsushi: O-O;;;;; *backing away slowly* Akutagawa: "..." *knocks harder* atsushi: *ducks under the futon* (thinking: please leave please leave dont let him get in i dont wanna diiiie!) Akutagawa: *knocks harder--and the door flies off the hinges* o____o;;; "...Oh. Sorry." atsushi: Q_____________Q *trembling* Akutagawa: "...Man-Tiger. You are ill still?" atsushi: TT________TT (thinking: kyoukaaaaa where are yooooou?!) Akutagawa: "...I brought you a meal." *sets down basket on the floor...pushes it forward with his foot* atsushi: ...... *drops a coin in front of him* *it lands heads*. dammit...... *peeeeeek* o.o Akutagawa: .\\\\\. *waves* "...You look less...sickly." atsushi: um....thanks? i think? Akutagawa: "...I made this meal. I cook well. I mean, I have been told I...cook." atsushi:...... *stares at the basket* *inside are sandwiches, fruit preserves, a salad, and a small cake for dessert* Akutagawa: "...Eat. Please?" atsushi: is it poisoned? Akutagawa: "No, that would be cowardly of me. When I defeat you in combat, I want you at full strength." atsushi: oh....um....thanks....i think? Akutagawa: "...You are welcome." *sits down* "Eat." -nom- atsushi: (thinking: this isnt that bad....as soon as he leaves, im gonna have to gag myself just to make sure im not being drugged...) Akutagawa: "...Eat more. You are very scrawny. I want to see more muscle on you." atsushi: *sweatdrop* what are you, my mom?...wait, why do you even care? Akutagawa: "...Because I want you at full strength to fight you. That's all. No other reason. Obviously. None. Nope." atsushi:..........um.....ooookay? Akutagawa: "...You have a little something..." *reaches at Atsushi's cheek* atsushi: oh. *wipes it off* Akutagawa: .\\\\. "...I could have wiped it off for you." atsushi: its fine, im not a baby, haha. ^^; (thinking: WHY ARE YOU BEING SO CASUAL YOU STUPID TIGER IDIOT?!) Akutagawa: "...Ha ha. Yes, that is true. You are grown up." atsushi: yeah...*awkward cough* ..... >->; Akutagawa: "In many ways..." *clears his throat* "Ahem...May I have a glass of water?" atsushi: um, sure. *goes to get one, but keeping an eye peeled in case akutagawa makes a sneak attack* Akutagawa: *sitting with hands on his lap, watching Atsushi going into the kitchen...* *waves* atsushi: ^^; (thinking: KYOUKA PLEASE GET HOME SOON AND SAVE ME!) -elsewhere- Higan: "I think that went well." *taking bowtie off his tux* "Enjoyed the show?" lavender: yep. *smiles* mind helping me with the zipper? Higan: *smiles* "Of course..." *takes the zipper, carefully pulling it down* "Like this?" lavender: ah, yeah. Higan: *slips the dress off her, kissing the top of her back* lavender: ah~ Higan: "I like the red..." *touches the fabric* lavender: thanks, ah~ =////T ~<3 Higan: "Is that okay?" *keeps a hand along her hip* lavender: yes~ Higan: *kisses along her neck* "Good...I think you have excellent choice in lingerie..." lavender: why thank you~<3 Higan: *lays a hand over her stomach, sliding up to her chest* -elsewhere- Hyde: *splattered in paint* Q~Q kranz: what did you learn from this now? Hyde: "Paint gets in everywhere. _Everywhere_." -elsewhere- Kyouka: *sitting in the office...stomach growls* .\\\. kirako: hungry? Kyouka: *nod nod* "Atsushi did not leave food before leaving the office." kirako: want me to order something in? ^^ Kyouka: *nod nod* "What do you like to eat?" -elsewhere- Tachihara: *steps into elevator* gin: .... Tachihara: "Yo. Going up?" gin:...*nods* Tachihara: *presses the button for his floor, steps back as doors close* "..." *small snort-laugh* gin: what? Tachihara: "I thought you would be...going down." gin: *glare* Tachihara: "LOL. Come on, the joke was kinda funny, right--" *BANG* gin: !! Tachihara: "...Did we stop?" -the door opens- gin: i..i think so. -seems they arrived on kouyou's main floor...- Tachihara: "??? This wasn't where I wanted to go..." gin: maybe take the stairs then? Tachihara: *pouts* "Fine...I guess walking will get me more coins." *pulls out his 3DS* gin: *sighs* -_-; -elsewhere- Tool: *sets out the finger paint* "Have at it." -elsewhere- atsushi: ._.; Akutagawa: "Thank you for finishing your meal." *stands* "Now you will be more fit and strong to face me the next time we battle." atsushi: right... you know, even though you are trying to kill me....but you arent really all that bad....sometimes. Akutagawa: "...Thanks?" atsushi: .....you probably have lots of stuff you need to do right now so, i'll let you get to that then. Akutagawa: "...Yes. I will leave now." *stands there* atsushi: .....um....you're still standing there. Akutagawa: "...So I am. Goodbye." *opens a door and enters, shutting it behind him* atsushi: that's my room! Akutagawa: *from inside* "...I like it. Good feng shui." atsushi: thanks, but the exit is the other way. Akutagawa: "..." *spots one of Atsushi's shirts on the floor* "..." atsushi: *opens the door* the exit is tha-........... o_______________________________o;;;;; Akutagawa: *has Atsushi's shirt to his face, inhaling* .\\\\\\\. atsushi: o____________________________________O;;;;;; *slowly closes the door*................. (thinking: WHAAAAAAAAT WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!) Akutagawa: *pokes his head out of the room* "May I keep this shirt?" atsushi:..............why?! Akutagawa: *now standing right in front of Atsushi, leaning closer and closer* "They say that if you inhale the scent of your enemy, that trains you to recognize their every location--to anticipate them--to _feel_ them in your very soul up to the moment that you can predict their movements. I want to inhale your scent, so I am consumed by that bloodlust..." atsushi: o__________________________o;;;;;;;;;; Akutagawa: "..." *takes off his jacket, and his shirt...* atsushi: UM O-O;;; Akutagawa: *hands his shirt to Atsushi...he is now just in his pants* "There. I will take your shirt. You take mine. That is fair to see who is better at sniffing out the other." atsushi: .... >->;;; dont you need your jacket though? *hands the jacket back to him* Akutagawa: "...Yes. It is quite chilly at this hour, especially without a shirt." *shirtless but with his jacket now on* atsushi: yeeeah... ._.; Akutagawa: "...Good night, then." *takes Atsushi's shirt and makes for the door* atsushi: ...... (thinking: ok, first thing tomorrow, find someone in the mafia to return his shirt.......) Akutagawa: *steps outside...looks down at the shirt...something wet falls onto it* Q_Q "...What is wrong with me?" -later- Akutagawa: *re-enters the Mafia HQ* higuchi: ryuno-..... o////o um.... Akutagawa: "Hello. I have returned." *holds up Atsushi's shirt* "I took this." higuchi:....eh? ._.; Akutagawa: "The way to defeat your enemy is to know them, intimately. I will do so." higuchi:.....right. 7-7;;; -morning- Black Star: *snore* tsubaki: morning. ^^ Black Star: "H-Huh?" *opens his eyes...smiles* "Morn--*yawn*--ing." tsubaki: *smiles and gently kisses his forehead* Black Star: ^\\\^ "Thanks." *kisses her cheek* -elsewhere- Kyoka: *poke poke* atsushi: *yaaawns* mornin kyouka....!! kyouka! Kyoka: "Yes. Morning. Are you hungry?" atsushi: yeah. there's a quick errand i'll have to run too at some time today. seems the laundromat gave me someone else’s shirt by mistake, haha ^^;;; Kyoka: "??? That's odd of them. Along the way, can we get more cereal?" atsushi: *nods* -and so- atsushi: *looking around, spots someone*....!! *sneaks over there while kyouka is otherwise distracted* Tachihara: *playing his 3DS* "GODDAMN YOU, PITFALL!" atsushi: *taps his shoulder* excuse me, could you return this to akutagawa? he left it at my apartment. *hands him the shirt and walks away* Tahichara: "???" *looks at the shirt* "...The heck did you get Akutagawa's shirt? Why was he shirtless at your apartment?" atsushi: *has already left* Tachihara: "..." *light bulb over his head...still not lit up* "..." *shrugs, shoves the shirt into his backpack and keeps playing 3DS* "Now, getting my Meow Coupons..." -elsewhere- Vulcan: *tosses a metal ball into the air* shinra: is that a new prototype? Vulcan: "Yep. It saps the oxygen around a fire to put it out, with an additional option to extinguish with foam. Start a fire in the middle of the floor--I'll show you." shinra: ok. *does so and steps back* Vulcan: "So...Just have to press the button on the ball..." *does so* "...and toss!" *does so, the ball landing at the fire* "And when it detects the flame--" *The ball starts rattling...it's overheating...* shinra: oh oh shit!! *ducks* Vulcan: O___O "TAKE COVER!" *hides behind table* -elsewhere- higuchi:....hmm? Tachihara: "You seen Akutagawa around?" higuchi: he should be in the training room, why? Tachihara: "Got to return his shirt to him--" higuchi: EH?! his shirt?! where did you get this?! Tachihara: "The tiger at the Agency handed it to me." higuchi:..............why would...he have.....this?...... wait.....last night......ryunosuke had _his_ shirt........dont tell me......are they....an item?!?! O_O Tachihara: "..." *light bulb still over his head...not turning on* "...'Item'? Like, at a grocery store?" higuchi: *whispering something to him* Tachihara: "..." *light bulb turns on--* o____o *and explodes* "HOLY. SHIT." higuchi:.......... TTuTT excuse me, ive become terminally ill and need to go home immediately.... Tachihara: o_____o "...I need to look at two girls doing stuff to reaffirm my fragile male ego." gin: .... *PUNCH* Tachihara: "FUCK!" *holding his face* "WHAT'S WRONG WITH WHAT I SAID?!" -elsewhere- Kid: *asleep on the couch* stocking: *smooch* Kid: *his eyes open...he smiles* "Wake-up call?" stocking: yep~ ^^ Kid: *reaches up as he sits up* "Best there can be..." stocking: hehe~ Kid: *sits up, hugs Stocking* "How long was I sleeping?" -elsewhere- higuchi: *laying face down on the ground* ........... TT__________________TT *glooooooom* Chuuya: *knock knock* "Yo. You there? What's going on?" higuchi: just waiting for death.... Chuuya: Q_Q "...Well, he isn't here right now...Want to talk about it?" higuchi: ..... TT_TT ryunosuke..he....he....*hic* Chuuya: "??? He hurt you in battle practice?" higuchi: not physically........he and the weretiger......might be......seeing each other! *cries into the ground* Chuuya: "...Oh. Huh. That actually answers a few things, like why Akutagawa is so fascinated by that Tiger..." *light bulb* "OH SHIT! You're attracted to the Tiger?!" higuchi: ................................................*faceplant to the ground* no! Chuuya: "..." *second light bulb* "Oh! Akutagawa? For real? ...Okay. _Now_ a lot more things make sense why you're...with him so often...I'm sorry. Have you talked with him?" higuchi: i cant face him like this.....im going to die here..... TT_TT Chuuya: "..." *pat pat on the shoulder* "You're not going to die here...You can't. Come on, sit up. Let's get you some tissue." higuchi: *sniff* *hic* TT~TT Chuuya: *takes out his handkerchief, offers it to her* "It'll be okay..." -elsewhere- Hibana: "Hello, Rino. Hello, Cat Woman." *beat* "...Wait, what?" blair: hello~ gabriella:.... .-.; are you one of kotatsu's friends? Rino: "Nah, she's Blair. She's a cat." hanako: kitty! -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *lies down in bed, holding Atsushi's shirt* "..." *sniff* -knocks- Akutagawa: "???" *puts the shirt under his pillow, goes to the door* "Yes?" gin: you ok? Akutagawa: "..." *small smile, nods* -elsewhere- Chuuya: *sets down water* "Come on, drink..." higuchi: *slams glass down* gimme a nuther...*hic* Chuuya: ._.;;; "...Had enough?" *pushes pretzels to her* higuchi: dun *hic* dun micromanage me! i'll 'ave had enough when i *hic* when i shay i've 'ad enough... Chuuya: *sighs, sips his wine* "...How long have you been attracted to Akutagawa?" higuchi: it's *hic* been sooooo long i *hic* lost track'a count...a'time. Chuuya: "Was it because you two were partners out in the field?" higuchi: i gueeesss.... and he's shoooo hooot. *hic* y-y'know shometimes...i-id even touch maself thinkin 'bout him. *hic* Chuuya: .\\\\\. "..." *takes long sip of his wine* "...So...Um...You, um...are attracted to that kind of guy?" higuchi: maaaaybe....why d'yoooou care? Chuuya: "I mean...Akutagawa kind of has a cliche look? Look around for some other hot guy who dresses all in black?" higuchi: like who? Chuuya: "Hmmm...I think I saw a guy around town. Glowering, kind of quiet. Had on a cat hoodie." higuchi: i dunnooooo..... Chuuya: "I mean, just sitting here getting drunk and crying won't get Akutagawa interested in you. But at least you can get out there and meet people, get laid, maybe find someone who likes you back." higuchi: *hic* m-maybe.... mafioso: maybe you should follow your own advice, nakahara! Chuuya: *smashes a beer bottle and holds it at the Mafioso* "I AM STILL IN MOURNING AND WILL STAY THAT WAY UNTIL I DIE!" mafioso: woah! chill out dude! O-O;; Chuuya: *grumbles, pushes the Mafioso back* "Sit your ass down and don't talk until we're done drinking." *turns back to Higuchi* "Sorry about that..." higuchi: *face down on the table* zzzzzz Chuuya: -_-;;; "You're done...Yo, bartender--put it on my tab. I got to get her home." *picks her up* -elsewhere- Emine: *face-down in bed* setsuna: busy day today? Emine: *nod nod* "Tutor." setsuna: oh? Emine: "My brain is tired from studying...I have a headache." setsuna: aww. you did your bad deed today? Emine: *nod nod* "I made sure to..." setsuna: *smiles and hugs* Emine: "..." *hug* -elsewhere- Maitre'd: "May I help you, ma'am?" marie: just waiting on someone. Maitre'd: *nods* "Who should I expect to lead you to your table?" marie: *looking around* Akitaru: *pant pant* "S-Sorry...Ran over as fast as I could." marie: *smiles* Akitaru: "Wow, you look great." *smiles, sits* -elsewhere- higuchi: zzzzz higuchi's sister: thanks for bringing her back. Chuuya: *quietly closes the door* "No problem. Sorry about that...Let her know I'm pulling for her." higuchi's sister: *nods* Chuuya: "I'll head out. Night." rain?: .....*soft smile* Chuuya: "...Rain?" -no one is there- higuchi's sister: nah, its clear out. Chuuya: "...R-Right..." *still looking around* "...Um..." -elsewhere- lana: ?? *looking at the card on the flower vase* hmmm? Card: "Thou wast that all to me, love, / For which my soul did pine— / A green isle in the sea, love, / A fountain and a shrine, / All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers, And all the flowers were mine." lana: ....*blink* oookay? *At the bottom is a phone number* lana: .....*dials it* h-hello? Poe: owo; *small squeak* "H-H-H-Hi..." lana: oh! so you're the one who left flowers at my apartment? Poe: "...Yes." lana: *smiles* that was really sweet. the poem was a nice touch. (thinking: even though its kinda confusing ^^; ) Poe: owo "R-R-Really?" lana: yeah. Poe: "...iamsohappytohearthat--" lana: ^^;....um...you still there? Poe: "YES! Sorry. I just...Um...Do you like tea?" lana: sometimes, yeah. Poe: "Maybe...tea? With me?" lana: oh. i'll have to check my schedule. Poe: *nod nod* "Okay." -elsewhere- Izuku: *falling from the roof of a building* ("Okay...I know this looks bad...BECAUSE IT IS!") o____O -something reaches out and catches him- Izuku: "???!!" tsuyu: *caught him with her tongue* <hey> Izuku: QWQ "Tsu! You saved me!" tsuyu: <just doing my part. cant have you dying now.> Izuku: *holds onto tongue* "Y-Yeah..." -elsewhere- ???: *walking around the school* .... Anya: "??? May I help you?" ???: oh, i was just looking for the locker room. Anya: "Oh, it's this way. Are you in gym?" ???: no, but i just wanted to know just in case. Anya: "...In case of what?" ???: in case i do have gym, what else? Anya: "...So, you're new here? Which class are you in?" ???: actually, im starting school in september, like everyone else. Anya: "Oh. I'm Anya, by the way." ???: anya? that's short for anastasia, right? Anya: o_o; "...No. Just 'Anya.'" ???: i see. well it's a common name where i'm from, so i guess i got confused, haha. Anya: "And you're from...?" ???: someplace cold.... *small glance at a door that reads 'records room'* ... Anya: "Greenland?" ???: nah, but that's not many people's first guess. so congrats on deviating from the norm on that. Anya: "...Thanks? So...What's your name?" ???: .... *smiles and shaft head tilt* just call me yana. Anya: "...Huh. 'Anya' and 'Yana' are anagrams of each other." yana: huh, i didnt notice that. y'know, i think we're gonna be great friends. ^^ Anya: "...Okay." ("GET ME AWAY FROM THIS PERSON.") yana: well, here's my stop. glad we had this conversation. ^^ *walking away with a small smirk on her face* Anya: ("What was up with that girl?") kohaku:..... -elsewhere- FD: *reviewing a class schedule* "Hmm...Why didn't Yana take dance class like I recommended to her?" *pouts* -elsewhere- gin: ryu? *knocks on his door* Akutagawa: "!!!" *scrambling around, calling from inside* "Y-Yes?" gin: you feeling any better? Akutagawa: *pulling up his pants* o\\\\\o "Y-Yes." ("WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!") gin: just making sure... Akutagawa: *puts on a shirt--Atsushi's, opens the door* "I-I appreciate that...I think I will shower." gin: oh, did tachihara give you your shirt back yet? the weretiger returned it. Akutagawa: "...He did? ..." Q_Q gin: oh, so you got your shirt back then? Akutagawa: TTuTT "I guess so..." -elsewhere- Vulcan: "One coffee, please." nozomi: *already working on it* Vulcan: "...How do you feel about being in the 8th, Nozomi?" nozomi: it's nice. almost like home....*sad smile* Vulcan: "..." *looks around* "...Lot more organized than my home ever was..." nozomi: *nods and looks at a photograph* is this your family? Vulcan: *nods* "Dad. Granddad." nozomi: ah, i see...you must have been close to your father, huh Vulcan: "Learned all I know about engineering from him and Granddad." nozomi: ah....i guess we're alike in that sense... Vulcan: *nods* "I'd say so...Bet you picked up a lot of lessons from your family." nozomi: *she nods* my father and dr itou taught me just about everything i know....my father was trying to find a cure for the combustion phenomenon... Vulcan: "...That'd be helpful." *thinks of Lisa* nozomi: it would have been.....*sad expression* Vulcan: "...We're the next generation, trying to improve upon what our parents did." nozomi:...*nods* i'll do my best! Vulcan: "Ha ha! That's the spirit." -elsewhere- ???: "Higuchi? You awake?" higuchi: mhphh...mrnn... "Akutagawa": *dressed like a prince, holding out his hand to her* "I am here to awaken you." higuchi's sister: sis? you up yet? higuchi: ryu...*smooching her pillow* "Akutagawa": "Be my princess, Higuchi..." higuchi: of course, ryu~ -curtains open, letting in the sunlight- higuchi: *SCREEEECH!* higuchi's sister: OI! GET UP! higuchi: TT~TT ???: "She in or what?" higuchi: eh-eh?! WHO IS IT?! Dazai: "Howdy." higuchi:.... *rolls over and covers herself with the blanket* *muffled groans* Dazai: "??? Hey, come on--I need to talk with you..." higuchi: whaaaaat is iiiiiit? TT_TT Dazai: "I got a lead on what Mori has been up to." higuchi: ?? *looks up* Dazai: *holds up a slip of paper with an address* "This hospital. He keeps getting mail from there." higuchi: ?? well, he was a doctor... Dazai: "And getting medical records from an OB GYN?" higuchi: ??? huh? Dazai: "Such as ones related to, let's see--one new expecting mother tied into the True Cross Academy..." higuchi: why would he..... *lightbulb, but not the truth* that. bastard. Dazai: "I'll just leave you the list of names of women he's been looking into..." *hands her the envelope* higuchi:....*shivering* Dazai: "...Hey. I need you on this. You up for this?" higuchi: *nods* Dazai: *looks over her shoulder* higuchi: just what are you planning, mori... Dazai: "Lots of women...That name looks familiar." *points at one* higuchi: *squints* -elsewhere- Dr. John: "..." *shudders* veronica: something wrong, melinda? Dr. John: *weak smile* "Just got out of a meeting." veronica: everything ok? Dr. John: "It's...alright." *starts sorting files...shaking a bit* veronica: .... -elsewhere- Relan: *collapses in bed* "My muscles..." T~T shinra: *pats his head* Relan: "How do you guys train this hard? -elsewhere- Chuuya: *icepack to head* "Higuchi...needs to stop drinking." kouyou: *worried expression* Chuuya: "She was in a bad place last night..." kouyou: *listening* Chuuya: She...had an expectation that didn't pan out." kouyou: oh? Chuuya: "...She thought something would be a bigger deal than it was, so she's trying to get over a love connection that wasn't going to happen." kouyou: how unfortunate... Chuuya: "You ever go through that? Maybe you have some woman-to-woman advice you can give her?' kouyou: ........perhaps that is a good idea... Chuuya: *nods* "I guess she's taking the day off from work?" kouyou: *nods* she called in sick... Chuuya: "Same for me, I'm afraid...I used to be able to drink more than this." kouyou: oh, chuuya....*huuuug* Chuuya: -\\\\- "That's not necessary..." -elsewhere- Dazai: *stares at Atsushi* "He...took your shirt?" atsushi: it was kinda weird, and a bit creepy and i dont know why he would do that! Dazai: "..." *grins* atsushi: ?? what? Dazai: "He wanted a collectible~" atsushi:....i dont follow? Dazai: "Something of yours to keep close to him..._really_ close." atsushi: he mentioned something about 'wanting to track my scent'.....wow that is creepy! even for him! Dazai: "No kidding...You think he had...other motives for getting your scent? Maybe he...likes the way you smell?" atsushi:....yyyeeeah im pretty sure he hates my guts. Dazai: "But I heard someone once say love and hate are two sides of the same coin." atsushi:....i still dont follow? Dazai: "...He wants you. Badly." atsushi:.... *gulp* that sounds bad. Dazai: "In bed." atsushi: he wants me to sleep? yosano: *facepalm* Dazai: "...Naomi. Explain to him." naomi: 7w7 *whispers* atsushi:..................................................................................EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?! O////////////////////O;;;;;;;;;; Dazai: "Now you know! Kind of reframes things, huh?" atsushi: im not sure how to feel about that. he still tried to kill me. Dazai: "I suggest a restraining order." yosano: and invest in better home security. Kunikida: "Don't let in weirdos." -elsewhere- Mori: *reviewing files* -elsewhere- Belkia: *massaging his wrist* otogiri: have you learned your lesson now? Belkia: "Probably not--except to keep extras keys around." otogiri: -.-; -elsewhere- Arthur: *packing his suitcase* "...Should I bring the mace?" -elsewhere- Jacqueline: "I'm home." kim: hey! ^^ Jacqueline: *takes off her jacket--she has ink stains along her shirt* kim: yikes, did a pen explode on you? Jacqueline: *sighs* "That raccoon...He was chewing on them." *takes off her shirt* kim: oh jeez. Jacqueline: "Not sure detergent will get it out..." *pulls a shirt out of Kim's dresser* -elsewhere- Akitaru: "..." christa: ^o^ Akitaru: *smiles* "Hey, Christa. How are you?" christa: hiya! marie: ^^ {ami: papa!} Akitaru: "?!" *sits back a bit, slightly startled* marie: everything ok? christa: *head tilt* O^O~? Akitaru: "...Christa just reminds me...of my daughter." marie: ....oh... Akitaru: "It's...How is Christa doing?" marie: she's doing good. hard to believe she's 2 already... Akitaru: "Time sure does pass by quickly...got to value it." marie: *nods* Akitaru: "...You're doing a good job, Marie." marie:....*smiles* Akitaru: "She has a good role model. Are you happy?" marie: of course. ^^ .....*sad smile* her birth mother....passed away. i ended up taking her in. Akitaru: "...I bet you think about how to tell her...when she's ready." marie:...*nods* -elsewhere- Black Star: "Rice is almost done." tsubaki: *smiles* -elsewhere- Jun: *humming, as he makes lunch meals for tomorrow* takuto: zzzzz... Jun: *finishes the meal, then turns to Takuto* "..." *pulls sheet over his shoulders* takuto: =w= Jun: *finishes washing the dishes, looks at Takuto* -elsewhere- Mikuni: *in a Thompson sisters cowgirl outfit* metsu:..... Mikuni: "Can you believe someone gave these away to the thrift store?" *tugs on waistband* "Jeans are a bit tight, though." -elsewhere- Mr. Tsubaki: *in fox form, eating an apple* -later- atsushi: im home! Kyoka: "Welcome." *has set out bowls of rice* atsushi: jeez, today was busy. Kyoka: *sets down the stew* "Oh? How so?" atsushi: well.... just been busy. Kyoka: "Ah. Then you should rest after dinner." *sits down* "Take a bath." -elsewhere- Takehisa: "And be sure to eat well during your training." tamaki: will do. Arthur: *nods* "Dragon meat is a hearty meal." Relan: O~O shinra: riiiight. *sweatdrop* Takehisa: "You'll need to be at full strength in combat, as it will exhaust you..." -elsewhere- Chuuya: *sips more coffee* "Okay...That should shake off the last bit of the hangover." mito: *leg nuzzle* Chuuya: *smiles, pets Mito* "Hey. I'm sitting upright now." mito: ^w^ Chuuya: "Remind me not to try to beat out Higuchi in a drinking contest..." mito: *purrs* Chuuya: *continues petting* "...I'll have to get you new toys, soon." mito: *tiny yawn* Chuuya: *small scratch under her chin* mito: =w= Chuuya: "Good kitty..." -elsewhere- Patty: *wrapped in toilet paper* "Mummy!" stocking: ^^; liz: ^^; Kid: "..." *grabs the toilet paper* "Not symmetrical." *tugs, spinning Patty around* Patty: D: "WAAAAAAH!" -elsewhere- Konro: *tending to plants* "Should be good herbs for dinner." kabuki: *nods* Konro: "Careful with the fire sage, though: you'll need to wear gloves or you'll feel irritation on your fingers." kabuki: *nods* Mr. Tsubaki: D8> *panting in fox form* Konro: -_-; "And don't _eat_ it until I remove the spice from it..." -elsewhere- Burns: "Status report." dia: the flame human that appeared has been pacified. Burns: *nods* "The remains from the human?" -elsewhere- Anya: "I'm home." tsugumi: welcome back! Meme: *waves* Anya: "Are the new students always stopping by the school?" tsugumi: i guess so, but that's mostly with just the local students. considering im from out of death city, i started with everyone else during the spring roster. just imagine how many new students will be joining as soon as the school year starts proper. Anya: "Hmm...She had a bit of an accent to be a 'local student.'" ao: oh? Anya: -_-; "Yes. I couldn't place the accent. Maybe Eastern Europe?" tsugumi: maybe? mio: she could have moved here before hand. Anya: "I guess so..." *slight shiver* tsugumi:..*pats her back* -underground- yana: so that's where the records room is. now all i need to do is find a way inside. FD: "Do you want to try sneaking in, or do you know someone who has access?" yana: lets say, i left a little friend there~ *has a remote control out* FD: "Neat. What's it do?" yana: with any luck, gets us access to the records room. FD: "Good work. How long before we get access?" -elsewhere- Sakuya: *snoring* lilac: zzzzz naho: *smiles and puts blanket over them* Sakuya: *small yawn, as he pulls the blanket up more along Lilac* naho: ^^ lilac: *hug* zzzz Sakuya: *protective hug* -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: *looking around new office* "..." louisa: *bringing in a box* i managed to get most of your things from the moby dick. Fitzgerald: "...'Most'? Did you retrieve...the photograph?" louisa: it was the first thing i got. *puts it on his desk* Fitzgerald: "..." *stares at the photograph* "..." T_T louisa:...*pats his back* Fitzgerald: "I will make this up to her...I will do the right thing." louisa: i know you will. *smiles* Fitzgerald: *sniff, sighs* "Well, until then...I must earn more money." -elsewhere- Medusa: *shivering* neian: zzzzz Medusa: ("Those hallucinations...What is happening to me?") -elsewhere- Dr. John: *staring at a family photo* "..." sachiko: those your relatives? Dr. John: *nods* "My parents are in the back." sachiko: ah. *nods* Dr. John: *smiles at Sachiko* "How is Izumi?" sachiko: doing great. she's starting classes at the DWMA next month... Dr. John: "Oh? That is really good! Is she excited?" sachiko: *nods* Dr. John: *sad smile* "She'll learn a lot there...Did Spirit say he was okay with her going through that training?" sachiko: i think so. Dr. John: "Then I'm sure she'll be fine." -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *enters battle simulation* -training dummies begin their attack- Akutagawa: *pinches head off one dummy* "Increase difficulty." -several more attack- Akutagawa: *hit in the face, growls--swirls black energy around one dummy's limb, snaps it off to beat the other dummies* -BREEEN BREEEEEN- -a red 'WARNING' flashes on screen- Akutagawa: "?!!! What on earth?" -a new training dummy appears; a tiger- Akutagawa: "...No..." *steps back* tiger: *ROOOARs and charges* Akutagawa: *backs up, panting, shivering* "N-No!" *summons Rashomon around him, sending it at the Tiger* -KO- -stage complete!- -the tiger just lays there...- Akutagawa: "...No..." *runs to it* "No!" *gets down beside the Tiger* gin: ryu! *goes into the training room* Akutagawa: "Wake up...Wake up, damn you!" gin:... *SLAP* RYU SNAP OUT OF IT! Akutagawa: *stunned...his eyes are full of tears* "...There's something wrong with me." gin: its ok ryu. it's not real, see? it's just a training dummy. Akutagawa: "...I wanted it to be real..." gin: ...... Akutagawa: "In so many ways...and I am confused." gin: .....do you need to see the medic? Akutagawa: "..." *taps his head* "Something else." gin:....i'll see what i can do... Akutagawa: "Th-Thank you..." *lies down* -elsewhere- Bon: *grumbling* -elsewhere- Assi: "Got the last of the dishes washed!" chie: good job. Assi: ^^ "Happy to! One of the few things I'm okay at..." Zuno: "??? Wait, don't we have more to finish?" Assi: -_-; "We did them already." -elsewhere- Kid: *sipping tea* Kid: *sets out cake* -elsewhere- Yukio: *opens drawer full of his glasses* "Hmm..." *puts on a pair* "I'm about ready." kyouko: hey. do your best today, ok? Yukio: *nods* "I try. Good luck today." -elsewhere- Rin: TT_TT "My allowance is being eaten up by candles..." *sets out more on rooftop* shura: well then who's fault is that? Rin: >_<# "I'm trying my best, damn it! Maybe I need a better teacher!" shura: *glaaaare* Rin: "So why don't you actually help me figure this out? Like, I did the *poof* trick--but I end up burning the entire candle rather than just the wick at the top." -elsewhere- Giovanni: *flips a switch* "We are here..." guruna: ~? Ouo *It is dimmy lit...There are a few photos on the walls with x's crossed out over people's faces...including of Vulcan's father* -elsewhere- Bon: *washing his hands at the kitchen sink* ("...Dad...What the hell...") juzo: ..... *walking* Bon: *spots Juzo...follows* juzo: *entering the elevator* Bon: "?!" ("Where did that come from? Was that a key?") *pressed button on the elevator* -ding- Bon: *carefully exits so not to be seen* -in the keep lobby, several people lay unconscious- Bon: "?!" *checks the vitals on one person* "What the hell happened?" -the door to the keep opens slightly- juzo: ........?! mamushi?! Mamushi: "..." *her hand is over the jar...* juzo: MAMUSHI STOP! Mamushi: "Juzo...You know the story of the Blue Night?" juzo: ....yes....my brother, takezo, died then... Mamushi: "And did you know...that because of that night, the son of Satan was born?" juzo: what?! Mamushi: "Mephisto was assigned to eliminate the child. Instead, he made a deal with True Cross to spare the child--and he conscripted Suguro to help in deceiving us." juzo: ?! do you even have proof? Mamushi: "Ask Todo." juzo: ?!?! -BOOOOOOM- todo: ah, mr shima. it's been some time since we saw each other last. juzo: !!!! so then _you're_ the one responsible! Bon: "?!!!" *runs forward, but he is still far from the site* todo: seems i am. you did an excellent job, miss hojo. you always were my favorite student... Mamushi: "..." *ignores Todo's words, her hands moving to open the top of the jar...* "True Cross cannot be trusted with this object...Suguro cannot...We will protect it..." juzo: MAMUSHI NO! HE'S TRICKING YOU!! Mamushi: "Suguro has tricked you!" *removes the top of the jar...* juzo: !!! Bon: "Seal!" Mamushi: "?!" *Bon's seal pushes back Mamushi* todo: oh? suguro's son? here to play 'dragon'? Bon: "I'm not letting you leave with the Eye!" todo: hmm, like father like son, it seems. mamushi, if you would. Mamushi: *inhales deeply, as the snake begins to appear...its mouth opens as it rushes towards Juzo* juzo: *chanting to summon a barrier seal* -several members of the myoda have arrived to investigate- myoda member: !!! it's todo! myoda member 2: mamushi! what are you doing with the eye?! Mamushi: "Taking it where it can be kept safe from True Cross's machinations." *the snake tail whips around at Myoda members* juzo: !!!! todo: i believe it's time we took our leave. juzo: WAIT- Bon: "Why weren't any of you here more quickly?! Why weren't you--" ???: "We saw all." Bon: "??? ...Dad?" Tatsuma: "..." *weak smile* "Nice hair." myoda member 3: oh shit. Bon: >_<#### "YOU STUPID BASTARD! WHERE WERE YOU?!" tatsuma: ^^; i'd love to stay and chat, but right now, i have to go after mamushi. *begins walking away* Bon: *grabs Tatsuma's wrist* "Is it true?" tatsuma: ?? Bon: "You knew about the Blue Flames? What Mephisto did?" shura: oh shit... tatsuma: ...... Bon: "Answer, you old fool!" tatsuma:...well, it's a secret, haha. listen. things are a bit hectic, so try and get some rest for now. *A hand rests on Tatsuma's shoulder* tatsuma: ?? shura: eh?...O-O w-when did he-?! Rin: "Bon. Back off." Bon: *growling* "I am not done talking to him! This old fool hid everything from us! He shouldn't be in charge! He's just some crazy buffoon who doesn't know how to do anything! Who can't just get out of people's ways! He is and will always be a screw up!" tatsuma: .... Rin: "Apologize to your father." Bon: "...What? No! I'm not done--" *POW* shura: !!! 'scuse me, coming through. Rin: *holding up his fist* "You take that back, Bon! You don't just insult your old man! You don't know how much time you have--" Bon: "SEAL!" *Rin pushed back* Rin: *growls, flames appearing* "Cut that shit out now!" shura: for fucks sake- RIN! Rin: "..." *extinguishes his flames* "...Just get out of my way. I'm not done talking to Bon-" shura: *HEADBUTT* Rin: "AHHH! Damn it!" shura: did you forget what they said? if you lose control, they'll kill you! Rin: "..." -3- "Just trying to teach Bon a lesson. He started it..." shura: still, cant have you screwing up and getting put down. you still have a special someone to go home to, am i right? Rin: -\\\\- "Low blow, Boobzilla..." shura: ...........*chanting something* tatsuma:.... 7///3///7;;; Rin: "??? What are you--?" -a brace around rin's tail begins to hurt. bad- Rin: .________O *HOWLS IN PAIN* shura: i'll handle this one~ ^w^ Bon: *glares at Rin and Tatsuma* tatsuma: you know ryuji.....that woman.....she's got a tush just like your mother's. Bon: "...I want to punch you so badly." -elsewhere- Yohei: *opens door to the fridge* medea: ..... Yohei: "...Yo. Want a drink?" medea:.....water please. Yohei: *pours her a glass* "Here you go. Feeling okay?" -elsewhere- Chuuya: "Yo. Feeling better?" higuchi: yeah. Chuuya: *small smile* "That's good...You were pretty hammered." higuchi: ....i didnt....do anything _too_ embarrassing...did i? Chuuya: ^^; "No, not at all. But do rehydrate..." higuchi: doing that. Chuuya: "How was the day off?" ("...'Touch myself while thinking of him'...Yikes.") higuchi: it was.....alright. Chuuya: "??? Did you need another day off?" higuchi: i think.....i can manage....i kind of have to...still have business to take care of... Chuuya: *nods* "Need any help?" -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "..." atsushi?: *smiles* Akutagawa: "!!! T-Tiger?" atsushi?: *hug* Akutagawa: .\\\\. "Wh-What are you doing?" atsushi?: *smiles and gazes at him lovingly* ryu... Akutagawa: "...Atsushi..." -smooch- Akutagawa: o\\\\\\\\o "..." >\\\\\\\< *tentative smooch* atsushi?: hehe~ Akutagawa: "...Are you laughing _at_ me?" atsushi?: no. you're just...so cute, you know? Akutagawa: .\\\\\. "I...don't know. I don't think another man has ever said I was 'cute.'" atsushi?: *smiles and hugs him* i love you... Akutagawa: "Wh-Wh-What?! I-I-I am supposedly to destroy you!" gin: ryu? Akutagawa: *eyes snap open* ._______. "...What?" gin: are you ok? Akutagawa: ._________________. "...Weird dream." gin: ................. .___. uhhhhh....>->;;; Akutagawa: "???" *looks around* "What?" gin:...i'll just go now. *exits the room* Akutagawa: "???" *looks down* o\\\\\\o "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" -elsewhere- atsushi: O-O;;; Kyoka: "???" atsushi: nothing, just a sudden feeling of unease. Kyoka: "...You are slouching in your seat." atsushi: *getting up* O-O Kyoka: "...Any better?" atsushi: yeah. thank you. Kyoka: "Good..." *stares at his face* atsushi:...what? Kyoka: "Nothing." *lays a hand on his cheek* atsushi: ?? Kyoka: "...You look awful. Get some sleep." -morning- Rin: *tossing, turning...whimpers* -phone rings- Rin: *his hand moves, trying to grab at something--finds the phone* -it's madoka calling- Rin: "??!" *answers* "M-Madoka?" madoka: hey rin, how're you doing? Rin: "...I'm in pain..." madoka: ?! what happened?! Rin: TT~TT "Shura pulled on my tail!" madoka: oh no. that's not very nice! Rin: "I-I was just trying to knock some sense into Bon..." madoka: *listening* Rin: "He got into an argument with his dad, said he didn't care about him, and I...just remembered Dad." madoka: ....rin.... Rin: "...Like, he just was so angry at his dad...and his dad's all old but a good dude..." *whimpers, as he shifts in bed* ("My tail...") madoka: *listening* Rin: "But Bon is angry because he thinks his dad is...Don't tell Yukio this, since it's being investigated, but he thinks his dad is the traitor." madoka: !! Rin: "So...things in Kyoto have gotten worse." madoka: rin....i really wish there was some way i could help, but i dont know how... Rin: "...Getting to talk with you is a start." madoka: *smiles* i wish i was able to come over there and hug you. Rin: "...If you had a key..." madoka: hmmm... *lightbulb* maybe i could talk to your dad? Rin: "O-Okay." *smiles* "Tell him 'hi' for me?" madoka: *nods* i will! Rin: "Love you." madoka: love you too. ^^ -elsewhere- Hyde: *flips over a bed* -elsewhere- Vulcan: "Think you're packing enough?" *Victor is packing--his suitcase is already ripping at the seams* -elsewhere- Hyde: "No, no, no!" licht: whaaat? Hyde: *grabs Licht by the collar* "WHERE IS MY DOG TAG?!" licht: it's right on your neck, you shit rat -_-; Hyde: "..." *looks down* "...Oh." *looks up* "Next you'll tell me my glasses are on my head." licht:.... romina: *cough* kranz: *sweatdrop* licht: someone has to, besides. *poses* im your guardian angel. Hyde: ^\\\\^ "Yes, you!" *jazz hands* -elsewhere- Shima: "So...aside from bruised egos, everyone okay?"' shiemi: i think so? konekomaru: bon still hasnt left his room... izumo: jeez.... unagi: *staaaaare* Shima: o____O "Um...Maybe I should check on Bon..." *backs away* izumo: ??? what's gotten into him? konekomaru: who knows.... -elsewhere- Kid: *hangs his new painting* "Hmm...Not quite even..." stocking: need help? Kid: *nod nod* "Please." -and so- stocking: better? Kid: *shiny eyes* "You are divine!" stocking: aww, hehe~ *phone call* -_-; freaking work calls....yeah?....oh hey......wait for real?!....*sigh* alright then....ok.....*hangs up* *sigh* duty calls. Kid: *pouts* "You'll be away long?" stocking: not sure. Kid: "Well, be safe out there..." stocking: of course. *kisses him* -elsewhere- Vulcan: "I'll give you a ride. You all packed?" shinra: yep! sayu: all set! tamaki: *nods* Relan: "As ready as I'll ever be..." Arthur: "Let us ride the dragon to our destination." Vulcan: "...Right. Where's tall guy?" Victor: "Coming!" -and so- Arthur: *looks at flights* shinra: man, it feels like so long since we were here last... tamaki: first time in november, then again earlier this year... Relan: "I'm not really familiar with things around here..." shinra: we'll show you around. *smiles* ah, there's the 7th's base now....hellooooo? *No one is inside...then Shinra feels something touching the front of his neck* ???: "You're already dead." shinra: O-O;;;;; Benimaru: "..." *lets go of Shinra with a slight push* "This was your first test." *walks ahead of the group* shinra: *gulp* sayu: cool! fang-hua: so they're here? Tsukiyo: *waves* Konro: ^^; "I see the Commander has welcomed you all..." Arthur: *smirks at Shinra* yu: .////. shinra: TnT fang-hua: come on, we'll show you where the training field is. Arthur: "Ha ha...Stupid Shinra--" *BONK* Arthur: X___X fang-hua: alright. those with ignition abilities will go with the commander. those of you who dont, follow me. yu: o-ok ma'am. sayu: hey, arent you the lady from the training camp? fang-hua: yes, yes i am. ^^; sayu: cool! -and so- shinra: *focused* tamaki: *hella focused* Arthur: *bandage on his forehead, holding his sword, staring at Benimaru* Benimaru: "You have to be focused at all times. Your enemy depends on you leaving a gap--" *starts to move his hand* tamaki: *taking stance* shinra: !! Arthur: *shifts hold on Excalibur* Benimaru: *his hand moves...to the back of his head, as he scratches* "--that let's them attack when you drop your guard." tamaki: *charges forwards* Arthur: "?!!" Benimaru: "..." *holds up two fingers* tamaki: *jumps* HAAAH! Benimaru: "You left yourself open..." *Fire emerges around Benimaru's hand, forming a blast that approaches Tamaki* tamaki: *mid air rolls and lands* shinra: !! *dodge* Arthur: *the blast just passes by his face* o~O; Benimaru: "Attacking head-on. What was that supposed to accomplish?" tamaki: i thought that would work? Benimaru: *flicks her forehead* "I could see you coming right at me." tamaki: owie! TT^TT -on another field- Relan: Q~Q fang-hua: even though you're in a brigade, fighting with ignition abilities isn’t the only method of combat. physical combat and use of weapons are also viable tactics. Relan: "...I was good at running away from fights..." fang-hua: true, having a good escape plan is a good idea, but there are times where that isnt an option. sometimes you have to fight back in order to get stronger. in body and in mind. Relan: "...I'm not good at landing a punch. I'm not sure I know _how_ to punch." fang-hua: well that's why we're here. *4 scarecrows have been set up* these will be your targets. *demonstrating on one scarecrow* kick. punch. chop. three basic attacks. Relan: *approaches one scarecrow* "..." *soft jab at the head* fang-hua: that's a good start. just keep that up. *smiles* Relan: "..." *jab jab...a bit harder jab...small kick* "..." .w. -elsewhere- kabuki: *observing* Konro: "How do you think they're doing?" kabuki: seems they're doing quite well. *smiles* shinra: phew... Arthur: *rotating his arm* "Quite a workout." tamaki: so hungry... TT_TT Benimaru: "We have a meal waiting for you, then you will bathe your sore muscles and get sleep." shinra: ...?? victor? Victor: *wave wave* " 'Ello!" tamaki: *already going to get dinner* reimi: i worked extra hard on this one. Victor: *whispers to Shinra* "I want to talk with you--later." tamaki: it looks sooooo good! shinra: owo;;;; Arthur: "Yeah! I can't wait to dig in..." Victor: *puts finger to his lips and goes to sit to the meal* Relan: O~O "...What was that about?" tamaki: thank you for the food~! shinra: im not sure. but i have a bad feeling about it. Arthur: *picking food off Shinra's portion* shinra: D8< Benimaru: *flicks Arthur's forehead* "Stop that. Reimi, please give Shinra a bit more food." reimi: *nods* Relan: *eating slowly* TTWTT "Tasty..." shinra: ...hey, did you do something with your eyes? they look different. reimi: OwO;;; must be the lighting! Arthur: *holding his forehead* "???" kabuki: excuse me, mr.....victor? was it? Victor: "Victor Licht, yes." kabuki: ah, you dont look like someone from the 8th... Victor: "I transferred from Haijima to join as forensics scientist--and I think the 8th is the best brigade ever!" Konro: "..." kabuki: i see. *looks at konro* Konro: "..." *returns to eating his meal, staring intently at Victor* Victor: owo;;;;; -elsewhere- Vulcan: "Yo, Doc--can you take a look at this?" *holding the magnetic orb* karin: woah, neato! Vulcan: ^^ "Thanks. But I can't get the response time how I want: the magnetic field goes off 0.2 too late after detecting the fire." -elsewhere- shura: -_-; well that was an awkward conversation.....they _are_ similar...how?....hey stocking.....just-... O-O wait a minute. stocking: hey. madoka: ^^; shura:...... *JAWDROP* stocking: i can explain. Rin: *hobbling around the hall* "Darn stupid tail hurts..." *pouts, not noticing...* madoka: !!! rin! *hug* Rin: QWQ "Madoka!" *hug* stocking: aww. shiemi: ?? eh? k-k-kaname? O.O izumo: how?! stocking: well, long story short, she's joining you guys on the kyoto mission. izumo: SHE'S NOT EVEN AN EXORCIST! stocking: true, but- madoka: m-mr pheles gave me this. *shows a true cross pin* i've been made an honorary exwire for the course of the mission... Rin: "You are?!" *grins* *squees* "...But don't get hurt out there, okay?" madoka: i'll do my best! Rin: *giddy* "I know you will! This is so awesome! How are you? How's Dad and everyone?" madoka: they're doing well. izumo: 7-7; shiemi: ^^; it'll be nice having another girl to talk to, right izumo? izumo: i-i guess, b-but just as long as she doesnt mess anything up. Rin: "Let's find you a room! And wait 'til you try the food here--it's so tasty!" -elsewhere- Dazai: "Busy day of work ahead of you!" atsushi: *nods* Dazai: *pulls out his notepad* "Let's see...One shoplifter hitting up multiple convenience stores, one missing cat, six missing person reports--" -elsewhere- Mori: *opens a package...inside are vials* elise: what's that for? Mori: "Research." *The vials have labels: I. Higuchi. G. Akutagawa. M. Kosaka, etc* elise: ah. Mori: *smiles at Elise* "I will have some meetings soon. Have you had lunch yet?" elise: yep. when's the new punching bag getting in? Mori: "Soon-ish." elise: yay! Mori: "And you'll get to play with her, too. I'm sure she will be more fun than that stick in the mud..." elise: yay! Mori: "Now, how about you get ready for your nap?" -elsewhere- Kid: *making his and Stocking's be...* "Oh! The cupcakes!" *heads back to the kitchen* -elsewhere- Mifune: "Tea's ready." -elsewhere- Shouto: *reviewing clipboard* "We are introducing new students?" ochako: yep! Shouto: "Hmm...I wonder what they are like. Can't judge by names alone...Some familiar last names." ochako: who knows. ^u^ Shouto: "...You're excited about this?" ochako: yep! new faces means new friends! maybe! Shouto: "..." *small laugh* ochako: ^u^ Shouto: "I suppose that is the more optimistic way to look at this." -elsewhere- Rino: "How's it going?" mikami: well. ^^ Rino: "Glad to hear...Need any help?" *she's wearing a cat t-shirt* -elsewhere- Relan: =\\\\\= "This feels better..." *lays back in bath* shinra: ah.... =w= Arthur: *rubbing his wrist* "If this is the Day 1 workout, not working forward to tomorrow..." shinra: how was today for you, rel? Relan: "I think I can throw a punch better now!" *tries punching at the air a few times* "H-How was that?" shinra: woah! that's really good! Relan: ^\\\^ "Thanks...How did your training go?" shinra: getting better. *leans in* u///u Relan: o\\\\o "Um..." *leans back a bit...even as his hand reaches for Shinra's cheek* shinra: *blush* Arthur: -_-;;;; "I'm clean enough." *stands up to leave* shinra:...*small chuckle* this brings back memories... Relan: ^^; "No kidding...I-I still feel shy..." shinra: *smiles* Relan: "H-How about you? You don't...seem so shy." shinra: well, i guess its easier when your with someone you love. *smiles and holds his hand* Relan: o\\\\o "I-I love you, too..." shinra: *smiles and smoooooch* tamaki: *streeeeetch* Tsukiyo: "Been awhile, Tamaki--how's it been?" tamaki: eh, same old. >->; Tsukiyo: "??? What, still having that bad-luck trouble?" tamaki: -_-; yes. yes i am. thought it isnt as often... Tsukiyo: "You try some good luck charms?" *taps a necklace she's wearing* "I got this one to deal with bad love luck..." tamaki: i remember getting on from sister yanase. i think i still have it....back in my room....shit....wait, love luck? .////.; Tsukiyo: TTWTT "I'm still alone...Benimaru has his girlfriend..." tamaki: g-girlfriend? since when? Tsukiyo: "Since you all fought those fake doppelgangers. It's the talk of the town--just taking bets now when he pops the question and she pops out a kid." tamaki: e-e-ehhhhh O///O oh...oh my. well who is this person? Tsukiyo: "Oh, he's with Kirei." tamaki: sister yanase?! ./////. oh my. Tsukiyo: "I know, right? Blindsided by that..." *pouts* "She's with hottie commander now..." tamaki: *thinking hard*.....their baby would look so good. Tsukiyo: -\\\\\- "Yeah, they'd be adorable..." tamaki: yeah......*imagining her own babies with arthur* O/////O WOAH WHERE DID THAT THOUGHT COME FROM?! Tsukiyo: "..." *smirks* "You thinking about your future babies, Tamaki~?" tamaki: >////>;; n-no! Tsukiyo: "Hee hee...I won't tell a soul...Now, while you're here, if you need anything, just ask. I can drop it off at your room." -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *exiting the building* gin: ready to head home? Akutagawa: *nods* "You?" gin: *nods* Akutagawa: "Okay..." *starts to move* "...Wait..." gin: ?? Akutagawa: *turns around* "...Thought I felt something." higuchi: ......ryunosuke? may i ask you something? Akutagawa: "??? Higuchi? Hello. What did you want to ask?" higuchi: *gulps, tears in her eyes* are you and the weretiger together?! Akutagawa: "..." *brains stops working...heat coming off his head* X\\\\\\X gin: ryu! get a hold of yourself! *shaking him* higuchi: SO IT'S TRUE THEN?! D8> Akutagawa: "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE SAYING?!!!!" higuchi: are the two of you in a relationship?! Akutagawa: "YES! OF COMBAT! BECAUSE I WILL DEFEAT HIM AND PIN HIM TO THE GROUND!" gin: phrasing. higuchi: i know that but.....are you together...romantically? Akutagawa: .\\\\. "...No?" higuchi: .....do you.....like him? Akutagawa: D: "I-I-I mean...I-I just...think about...Um..." higuchi:.....*tears falling with a broken smile* ahahahaha......so is that the case then?.....its ok...im not angry....i know...how to handle this... *collapses to her knees and gets down on her hands* GIN PLEASE GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME! gin: ?!?!?! .///.; Akutagawa: "...What?" higuchi: if i cant be with you, then i'll go for your sister! >-< Akutagawa: "..." *turns to Gin* gin: ....h-higuchi, are you feeling ok? higuchi: NEVER BETTER! 8D Akutagawa: "Ooooookay...I think we need to get you home, Higuchi..." gin: easy now. higuchi: TTuTT Akutagawa: *guides Higuchi* "Let's get you home..." -elsewhere- Montgomery: "Oh, Weretiger...There you are." atsushi: hey lucy. i was just heading home. *smiles* Montgomery: "Oh...Well, so was I. To my home, that is." atsushi: .....well, since we live in the same apartment building....did you...uh...want to walk home together at all? Montgomery: "...Very well." *follows* "...Did my tea cure you of your cold?" atsushi: yeah it did. thanks. ^^ Montgomery: *smirk* "Told you so. My tea is a cure all..." *jabs Atsushi's shoulder* atsushi: ah, hehe. ^^; Montgomery: "So, it's you and that Demon Snow girl in your apartment?" atsushi: kyouka. and yes. just the two of us. Montgomery: "...Oh." *scratches her cheek* "...Does she keep your place clean?" atsushi: we both do. *smiles* im glad she's ok now. she's like a sister to me. Montgomery: "O-Oh? That's...awfully close..." -\\\- atsushi: i guess. but then again, i didnt exactly know what it was like to have a family until recently... *covers mouth* im sorry! i didnt mean- Montgomery: "It-It's fine...At least you have a family. I'm happy for you. Really." -___- atsushi: say, did you want to come up to our room for dinner? Montgomery: ._.; "...I wouldn't want to impose. After all, I don't know how much food you have..." >_< atsushi: well, um....maybe we could get lunch together some other time? Montgomery: "?! Oh, so now you _don't_ want me over for dinner?!" *pouts* atsushi: i-i didnt mean that! i...uh...you did make a point that we might not have much... ._.;;; Montgomery: "I WAS BEING POLITE! THEN YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY--" *imitating Atsushi's voice and mannerisms* " 'No, really! I insist! P-Please come! We'd love to have you--" *back to her usual demeanor* "SO LET'S GET TO YOUR PLACE RIGHT NOW AND HAVE DINNER!" atsushi: OK! OwO;;;; (thinking: kyouka please dont murder me) Montgomery: *takes his hand, leading the way* "And hurry up! I'm hungry..." -elsewhere- Black Star: "Is everyone home?" naho: i think so. tsubaki: *nods* Black Star: "Good--then that means no need to worry about anyone being out past curfew..." *bolts the door* himawari: ... Black Star: "??? Himawari? You hungry?" himawari:....a little... Black Star: "Then I'll whip something up for you! Maybe Sham would like a meal, too..." himawari:....not...for that.... Black Star: "??? 'For that'? What, is he not doing okay?" tsubaki:....*small slice along her arm, offering it to himawari* himawari: *licks* Black Star: .______.;;; "...Tsu?" tsubaki: better now? himawari:....*nods* Black Star: .______________. "...I guess we need to get more blood donations, or--" Belkia: "I'M STARVING!!!" *leaps at Black Star* Black Star: "HOLY SHIT!" *tackled* -elsewhere- Mr. Tsubaki: *sleeping on Yu's bed* yu: hmm? oh hey there lil guy, where did you come from? *pet pet* Mr. Tsubaki: ^W^ *small fox click sound...nuzzles* yu: ^^ Benimaru: *walks by* "??? Is the fox giving you trouble?" yu: no sir. he's really fluffy. kirei: ^^ Mr. Tsubaki: ^w^ ("It's good to get attention...") *closes his eyes* -elsewhere- Wes: *checking his metronome* -elsewhere- Arthur: *stretches as he lies down* "Sleep will be good..." -elsewhere- madoka: *nods* im ready. shura: alright. *has several targets set up* madoka: *summons bow and takes aim at the targets* Rin: *watching the attack* shura: wow, nice. madoka: *focused* Rin: *claps* "Yay!" shiemi: *watching*... (thinking: miss kaname's really good in combat...) Rin: "Good work, Madoka!" madoka: ^///^ *smiles* Rin: *smiles* "It'll be great having you out in the field--you're going to be a big help after the snake priestess escaped." madoka: i'll do my best! shiemi: *weak smile* Rin: "??? Shiemi? How's it going?" shiemi: i'm ok! i'll just go tend to the patients........*dials a number on her phone* -it leads to voicemail- shiemi:....*sigh*...*hangs up* -elsewhere- Yukio: *phone on silent, as he files a report* -morning- Akutagawa: *yawn* gin: morning. hope you dont mind omelet again... Akutagawa: *nods* "That is acceptable." *sits down, yawns* "I slept deeply..." gin: *smiles* that's good to hear. Akutagawa: "How did you sleep last night?" *sips his tea* gin:...pretty well. Akutagawa: *smiles* "That's good. You do look rested." -elsewhere- Tachihara: *stretches* ???: zzzzzz -a random prostitute is asleep in the bed- Tachihara: "..." *poke poke* lady: *yaaawn* ya? Tachihara: "It's morning. Get up." lady: alright, jeez. *streeetch* Tachihara: *walks to dresser, takes his wallet* "How much?" lady: $35, hun~ Tachihara: *hands her $40* "I don't think you can make change like that, so keep the tip." lady: aww, thanks sugar~ *smoooch on the cheek and winks* Tachihara: ^\\\^ "Later...If you need the shower, feel free." -elsewhere- Kid: *snoring* stocking: *licks his earlobe* Kid: *eyes break open* "Wh-What?" stocking: morning, kiddo~<3 Kid: *shiny eyes* "You're home!" *hug* stocking: yeah. *hug* i just had to drop someone off on a mission. but im home now~ kirika: 'bout time. he cried himself to sleep, you know. Kid: o_____O "I DID NOT!" *spots pillow that is wet* "..." *tosses pillow away* stocking: *sighs and hugs him* Kid: ^\\\\^ *hug* stocking: its ok. im here now... Kid: "And we have catching up to do! How was the mission?" -elsewhere- Montgomery: *exiting her apartment* naomi: morning neighbor~ hope we werent too loud for you. Montgomery: "...'We'?" Tanizaki: Q~Q naomi: 737~ Montgomery: o______o "...Okay. No, you weren't loud..." *shudders, locks her door* "I have to get to work. Have a good day." -elsewhere- Benimaru: *holds up a gong--and strikes it* "Wake up..." shinra: WARK! O.O IM UP! Arthur: *leaps up in his boxers, sword in hand* "Bring forth the dragon!" Relan: *falls out of bed* "OW!" Benimaru: "..." *stares at Shinra* shinra: rel! you ok? D8 tamaki: whaaaat what is it? *in a unicorn kigurumi* Benimaru: "You have practice in one hour. Get breakfast and get ready to fight." *stares at Tamaki's outfit* "..." *walks away* Arthur: o\\\\o "BRAVE UNICORN! Let us go into battle! I will ride you to victory!" Relan: "I'm fine...What happened?" shinra: morning. that's what happened. tamaki: O///O G-GET OFF ME! >////<# Benimaru: *smacks Arthur in the forehead with a stick* "Down. Down." Arthur: X____X -elsewhere- Vulcan: "Maki, I'm almost done with the new weapon..." *tosses a collapsible metal rod to her* maki: ooh, neato. Vulcan: "The bottom of it has a flame pop out of it, which you can control for combat--or for flight. I call it the 'Broomstick.'" maki: ....kickass. Vulcan: "Start easy on it--I don't know how high you can fly on it." *wipes grease off onto his shirt* "...Damn." karin: he wanted to call it the 'boom'-stick, but that one was already done, haha. Vulcan: ^^; "I'm not one for originality..." *takes off his shirt* "Doc, how's the mech going?" -elsewhere- Black Star: *bite marks along his arm* -____-;;; *tosses a blood packet into a cooler* naho: sorry about last night. q.q Black Star: "It's fine. People get hungry. Hunger makes people do...things. Like biting people's arms..." naho: hehe ^^; Sakuya: "I guess we better stick to 'frozen dinner' for now..." *sips on a blood packet* -elsewhere- Giriko: *deep inhale* anna: O^O~? Giriko: *looks at Anna...smiles* "Sorry, kiddo...Just thinking about your...sister." anna: *seems she wants up* Giriko: *picks her up* "Like getting higher, huh?" -the door opens- arachne:.... Giriko: "...Arachne?" arachne:...*wipes tears as she takes a hold of anna* -a young lady enters the room- malaria:.....h-hey...dad. 7.7; Giriko: "..." Q~Q "..." *sniff* *waves Anna's hand at Malaria* "H-Hi..." anna: ^u^ malaria:...so this is my sister, huh? arachne: *nods* Giriko: "...This is Anna...Evangaline...This is your sister..." malaria:...*smiles slightly* hey kiddo. anna: eevee! eevee! Giriko: *sobbing* malaria:...hehe. *picks her up* arachne: *holding her daughters* Giriko: *big hug* -elsewhere- Yohei: *patting Toru's back* toru: *hic* =3= Yohei: "It'll be okay...Just let it out..." *rubs along his back* -elsewhere- atsushi: zzzzzz ???: hey. atsushi: hmm? -he's the only one in the room- atsushi: ???? *shrugs* *Text message light on his phone is blinking* atsushi: ??? *looks at phone* *Message from Kunikida* [busy work day. need you to keep an eye on dazai. don't let him do anything stupid(er than usual)] atsushi: *nods and gets up to get changed* ???: dont forget your grocery list. atsushi: ah, right. *puts that in his pocket and heads out*...... o.o wait....who the hell? *looks around. no one.* 0-0; Kyouka: *still asleep* "Zzz..." atsushi: *nudge* kyouka? time to wake up. Kyouka: *swings her arm up* "Nfff..." atsushi: .....*TICKLE ATTACK* Kyouka: o\\\\\o *swinging her arms, giggling* "St-Stop! This is t-t-t-tortuHA HA HA HA!" atsushi: success! Kyouka: =_= "Mean." -elsewhere- Tsukiyo: "What's on their training agenda today?" fang-hua: looks like an obstacle course... Tsukiyo: "Neat! I bet the Commander laid all kinds of traps." Victor: *suddenly pops up next to Fang-Hua* "But Shinra and the others will handle them!" fang-hua: GAH! O-O Tsukiyo: *ducks behind Fang-Hua* "Wh-Where did _you_ come from?" Victor: "The 8th! And I know even more difficult obstacles you should add to this course..." fang-hua: ^^; t-thats ok, really. Victor: *pouts, puts away bag of cartoonish-looking bombs* "Fine..." -3- Tsukiyo: "..." *whispers* "Dude is obviously evil." -elsewhere- Chuuya: *whistling* higuchi: morning. Chuuya: "Oh, hey! Feeling better?" higuchi: i think so. 7///7; Chuuya: "Well that's good." *smiles* "Happy to have you back at work." higuchi: well, cant be distracted now, right? Chuuya: "..." *nods* "Yeah...That's a challenge." -elsewhere- Yumi: "How did it go?" lord death: it was a success! huzzah! Yumi: *smiles* "Good. I would like a report." -elsewhere- Gopher: *tossing a ball at the wall* kirika: *got the bat out* ok, lets do this shit. kotone: *has the catcher's mit* Gopher: "Okay...Keep your eye on the ball!" *prepares...throws--* kirika: *glint* -KRRRACK- -right onto the roof- Gopher: *blink* "..." *summons wings* "I'll get it!" kotone: ....*light pout* -elsewhere- Jun: "Another vampire attack...Where did this one come from?" yumikage: around port town train station. Jun: "Let's head out that way, pick up clues." yumikage: *nods* hyakuya: .... -elsewhere- Shima: "Man...Dad and bros are pissed, we may have a traitor around..." madoka: that sounds pretty bad. izumo: that's because it is bad. unagi: *staaaaaare* Shima: *whispers* "And I keep feeling like someone is staring at me..." madoka: o.o~? Shima: *whispers* "Help me! I think someone is going to hurt me..." -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: "21...22...I'm three dollars short." -elsewhere- Mori: *loud screaming* kouyou: ?? Mori: "I stubbed my toe!" TT~TT kouyou: how unfortunate. Mori: "And that stupid new secretary still isn't here yet..." kouyou: give the dear some time... Mori: *grumbles* "What else can go wrong?" -elsewhere- Anya: *walking back with groceries* licht: oh look hyde, it's your girlfriend. Hyde: O\\\\O *punches Licht's arm* "Dude, not so loud!" Anya: "L-Licht! H-Hi..." licht: hey anna. Anya: -\\\\- " 'Anya'--" Hyde: "Her name is Anya!" *smiles at Anya* "May I help you with your groceries~?" Anya: "...I'm fine." *smiles at Licht* "And how are you?" licht: as well as always, an angel is always fine. Anya: *swoons, falling back into Hyde's arms* "As you wish~" Hyde: .\\\\. *catches her* "..." *pushes her along towards her destination* romina: *in a red whale suit* well aint they just an entertaining bunch? julian: *in a pink whale suit* i suppose so... Anya: .___. "...Are those people in whale suits?" licht: yes. they're with us. Hyde: "Yo, help Anya with her groceries..." -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "..." *looks outside* -fairly nice weather out today- Akutagawa: "..." ("Maybe a walk...") *stands and exits the building...* ???: just this for today Akutagawa: "???" -atsushi was purchasing something from a street vendor- Akutagawa: owo;;;; *sneaks through shadows towards street vendor* atsushi: *walking back to the agency* ???: be on your guard. you got someone tailing you. atsushi: ?!?! *turns to look* *No one is there* atsushi: aaaah! who are you and what do you want from me?! -no reply- atsushi: *running back* Akutagawa: *following in the shadows* ("Where is he going...?") -he went back to the agency building- Akutagawa: "..." *pouts* ("I should have talked to him...") -phone rings- Akutagawa: "???" *looks at the phone* -its a text- Akutagawa: *reads* -text from tachihara; yo akutagawa, where u @?- Akutagawa: [out for a walk] -elsewhere- Montgomery: *sighs* "Slow lunch hour..." -elsewhere, at school- Meme: *humming while writing a note* girl: *writing a letter* 'dearest mother, father, and brother. death city is just as i imagined it to be and then some. i look forward to beginning my school years here. perhaps i will meet our other brother here as well, as he did say he was living here now.' *she smiles* Meme: *glances* "Pardon me? I forgot to bring more paper..." -elsewhere- Giriko: TTwTT "I'm glad you're back..." -elsewhere- Kid: *holding his head* -elsewhere- Benimaru: "I said dodge." *launches another fire blast* -elsewhere- Akitaru: "Any updates from our trainees?" -elsewhere- Anya: "Well, thanks for dropping me off..." romina: aint a problem! Anya: "...The whale suits are cute." licht: it was kranz' idea. Anya: *smiles at Licht* "Really? I thought it may have been yours..." licht: i helped. Anya: "I knew it!" *pats his shoulder* -elsewhere- Vulcan: TT_TT -elsewhere- Ranpo: *spinning a top on his desk* atsushi: im back! Ranpo: "Did you bring back novels?!" Dazai: "Food?!" Kunikida: "Your paperwork?" atsushi: got everything right here. i even got extra urinal cakes. dont know why. Kunikida: "...Okay, that's an odd detail." ._.; atsushi: yeah, a voice in my head told me.....am i sick? Kunikida: "?!!!" Dazai: "...Did the voice tell you where I can find that special someone?" Ranpo: *pulls out notepad* "Did it tell you under which floor board is the sound of the beating heart?" atsushi: uhhh....nooo? ._.; Kunikida: "But you shouldn't be hearing a voice...Perhaps the doctor should check on you." -elsewhere- Sid: *checking security codes* -something watches from a hole in the wall- Sid: *taps keypad, opening a safe in the wall* yana: ?? Sid: *removes a set of files to reach for a small box, opening it to drop in what looks like a stone...* yana: oh? *Sid's phone rings...He locks the stone in the box, then locks the safe again and departs* -elsewhere- Free: "I'm back..." eruka: hey free. *smiles* Free: "Yo." *holds up bag* "Got the ice cream and the rest on your list." eruka: thanks. ^^ Free: "Feeling better?" -elsewhere- tsugumi: there's a new student living in the dorms now! Anya: "Oh?" tsugumi: yeah, she came here all the way from virginia! mio: then again, people come here from all over the globe, you and i included... Meme: "And Anya..." Anya: -____-;; Meme: "Did she move in okay?" tsugumi: i think so. seems she's used to the death city way of life already. she's even sending out messenger bats! Anya: "...That's not creepy in the least..." -elsewhere- Chuuya: "Anyone up for a drink?" -elsewhere- Mr. Tsubaki: *in fox form, watching the 8th* "???" -elsewhere- FD: *asleep at his keyboard* *snoring* zoey: *asleep with her head on his lap like a dog* yana:...that's f*cked up. FD: *snort* "H-Huh...?" *spots Yana* "...Yo." -morning- Rin: *yawns, exiting his room* madoka: *yaaaawn* morning... Rin: *smiles, waves* "Morning...Sleep okay?" madoka: yeah. mrs suguro let me borrow some sleeping clothes. Rin: "...Surprised she wears anything when sleeping..." madoka: ^^; Rin: "Glad she's looking out for you, though. How's training?" shura: *looks shocked* they are similar....how the fuck....how are they like that? *muttering* Rin: "??? Um...Shura? What's up?" shura: IDIDNTDOANYTHINGIMFINEOKAYJEEZ!! madoka: o,o; -elsewhere- Kid: *tossing in bed...* stocking: *hug* Kid: *eyes break open, as he makes a loud gasp...he sees her...he steadies his breath but shivers* stocking: shhh, its ok... Kid: *nod nod* "S-Sorry...A dream..." -elsewhere- atsushi: seems we have another pre-class today. Kyoka: "Oh. What is on the agenda?" atsushi: just more looking around. ???: also your friend kunikida has a birthday tomorrow, so make sure to get him something. Kyoka: "Very well. It will help to know where all classes are..." atsushi: right. Kyoka: "...Is your mind on something else?" atsushi: we need to pick something up for kunikida's birthday. Kyoka: "Oh. Forgot." Montgomery: *walking through the hall* ???: look alive kid, your girlfriend's outside. atsushi: e-EH?! o////o Montgomery: "Yo, Tiger!" atsushi: good morning lucy! Montgomery: "Hey." *looks at Kyoka* "...Snow Girl." Kyoka: "Doll Girl." Montgomery and Kyoka: *stare* atsushi: so, are you coming to classes with us today? owo; Montgomery: "Yeah, got roped into it. Wonder what my homeroom is..." -in class- girl: ..... Kyoka: "???" atsushi: *listening to the lesson* Montgomery: *writing a note...* Teacher: "That led to the arrest of the head of the crime family..." atsushi: *writing down notes* Montgomery: *sighs, staring at the wall* "..." Teacher: "And who knows who took over the crime family?" atsushi: *raising head* the former head of the port town mafia. Teacher: "Correct! Your name, please?" atsushi: atsushi nakajima, ma'am! -silence- atsushi:.....*sweats* Teacher: o__o "...Aren't you..." atsushi:....*ahem* *sits back down* carry on. ._.; Montgomery: *whispers* "They seemed...surprised." atsushi: *trying to focus on studying, embarrassed* Kyoka: *whispers at Montgomery* "Stop bothering him and study yourself." Montgomery: >___< -at lunch- girl: excuse me....i heard you tell fortunes? Kana: "Indeed." girl: do you think there is a chance of me finding love in this town? Kana: *holds out two cards* "Choose." girl: *she picks one* Kana: *holds out...the Lovers* girl: the lovers card! Kana: "Fortune smiles upon you." girl: *beaming* how will i know what they look like? Kana: "Be observant of the signs.” girl: i shall! Kana: "Good luck with your endeavors. Beware of false signs..." girl: *nods* Kyoka: *eating* =w= ???: you've been doing a good job, looking after her. atsushi: (thank you, mysterious voice in my head) ???: you've gotten used to it, i see. atsushi: (well, i've had all sorts of crazy shit happening to me this summer? so why not add schizophrenia to the list?!) ???: im no stranger to sarcasm, kid. Montgomery: "You going to finish those fries, Atsushi?" atsushi: oh, um. did you want any? Montgomery: "Yeah..." girl: *staring at her glass, observing the tea leaves* Kyoka: "??? Is the tea that good?" girl: hmm? oh, yes. im just doing some tea leaf reading. Kyoka: "...I never get to do that." girl: hopefully by doing this, i will be able to find love in this town. Kyoka: "Oh. You're one of those." girl: oh? one of what? Kyoka: "Love-obsessed teeny-boppers." atsushi: kyouka! D8 girl: eh? Kyoka: *sips her own tea* =_= Montgomery: *suppressing a laugh* atsushi: ^^; dont mind her. she can be blunt, but she's actually really nice. Kyoka: -_-# "I am positively delightful." girl: ^^;....ah! something's coming up! girl: a notebook... 'ADA'. atsushi: ah! right! we have to get kunikida his gift! girl: may i accompany you? Kyoka: "...???" atsushi: um...sure? i guess? Montgomery: "..." Kyoka: "..." Montgomery and Kyoka: "We're going, too." -and so- Kunikida: "...Shouldn't you be in school?" atsushi: classes finished up for today. girl: *glances at the notebook* !! Kunikida: "...Why are there more of you students now then the ones who left?" *counts Atsushi and Kyoka...then sees Montgomery* "Oh, you're here, too." Montgomery: -_____- girl: .////. Kunikida: "??? Why is there another student here, Atsushi? Who is she?" atsushi: she's a new student at the school. Kunikida: "So, you're bringing your new friends to work now?" atsushi: well. girl: i insisted sir! .////. Kunikida: "...'Sir'? Who are you?" girl: just call me rowena. ranpo: atsushiiii did you bring snacks? oh, did ya add another girl to your harem? atsushi: IT'S NOT A HAREM! D8> Kyoka: "..." *pulling out a knife* Montgomery: >\\\\\< "Shut your stupid face, Detective!" girl: i have no interest in this boy. mr kunikida though.... *small blush* ranpo: wait a sec, something seems familiar here.....hmmmmm....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......*glasses out* oho! so that's who she is! rowena: eh? ranpo: yeah, she's none other than- *The door slams open--crushing someone* Poe: "RANPO! The new book--it is finished!" ranpo: dude, i was in the middle of something! rowena: ??... !!! Poe: "But what could you be in the middle of that is less important than...than..." *spots Rowena...and drops the book on the foot of whoever he crushed with the door* atsushi: *YELP* OW! kirako: O.O atsushi are you alright? Kyoka and Montgomery: *glaring at Poe--Kyoka has a knife, Montgomery has taken a stapler from Kunikida's desk* Poe: *ignoring them* "R-Ro-Rowen-Rowen-a-a-a-a-a?!" rowena: brother?! atsushi:....wait what? Kyoka: "???" Montgomery: "!!! Is this like a soap opera?" ranpo: yeah, i was about to say she's poe's lil sis.....*stares at poe* ya ruined it. ya ruined the moment, moment ruiner. atsushi: *looks* huh, they do look kinda similar...sorta. Poe: Q~Q "It-It's not my fault, Ranpo! She's my sister! Of course I'm going to greet her." *beat* *looks at her* "Hi." rowena: i heard you were in the city, but i didnt think i'd see you this soon. how's karl? Poe: owo "Well! I left him at work with his new friend--" --Elsewhere-- Jacqueline: "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" --Elsewhere-- Poe: "...She likes him." rowena: oh? where are you working these days? kirako: *already getting the tea out* Poe: "Library. You're starting school here?" rowena: *she nods* -elsewhere- Bakugo: *his arm is in a sling* -____-; mrs bakugo: who did you piss off this time? Bakugo: "He tried to take my lunch money...If you think I look bad, you should see how he looks." -elsewhere- Relan: *kicking at the scarecrow* "Take that! And that! And that!!!" shinra: you're doing great! Relan: .w. *turns, looks* "Thanks! I think--" *the scarecrow bounces back, knocking down Relan* fang-hua: careful, there's rebound on those. shinra: rel! are you ok? Relan: *stunned, nose bleeding just a bit* "...Yeah." shinra: *giving him some tissues* Relan: "Thanks..." *smiles at Shinra* "At least I didn't cry this time..." shinra: *smiles* im proud of you. Relan: "...Okay, now you're going to make me cry." ^^ tamaki: ugh, get a room. shinra: *glares at tamaki* -elsewhere- atsushi: so miss, rowena? what brings you to start classes at the DWMA. rowena: i've been hoping to expand my horizons beyond the schoolings of my tutors. im also hoping to learn more on literature and the occult. ranpo: wow, she really is like her bro. Poe: ^^ "So proud." rowena: ^^ i've been staying at the girl's dormitory. still unpacking my belongings. i was actually planning on visiting you once i settled in. anything new happen to you recently? Poe: "Aside from working at the library? Well, I worked for a guild for a bit. Capture a few people in my book--" yosano: -_-; rowena: ah yes, i think you mentioned this 'guild' in your letters home. ranpo: wait, people still write letters? Poe: "IT IS A DELICATE ART!" atsushi: *sweatdrop* Poe: *ahem* "Sister, were these people kind to you?" rowena: *she nods* the boy though...ive started to notice an aura around him. atsushi: a what now? Poe: "Oh, you're picking up on something?" rowena: perhaps you've been hearing something? atsushi: i have been hearing a weird voice in my head...why? rowena: oho! it just so happens i brought this with me! *pulls a small ouija board from her bag* atsushi:.....what is that? Poe: "Ouija board. Rowena is very good with them." atsushi: ._.; (thinking: is their whole family like this?) Kunikida: *closes the blinds, turns off the lights* rowena: is there anyone here? -the planchette moves to 'yes'- Kyoka: "Ooooooo..." atsushi: are you going to kill me? -it moves to 'no'- Kyoka and Montgomery: *sigh of relief* atsushi: just who are you? - 'O-D-A-S-A-K-U' - atsushi: odasaku? Poe: "??? Huh..." Kunikida: "!!!" rowena: is that all you wanted to know? atsushi: yeah.... -after finishing the session, and poe and rowena left- atsushi: odasaku....who even is that? Kunikida: "...God." atsushi: are you telling me im having religious voices in my head? Kunikida: "You don't know the name of the former head of the Mafia?" atsushi: O_O;;;; Kunikida: "Well, that's not who Odasaku was." Montgomery: *falls out of her chair* "THEN WHY DID YOU SAY IT?!" atsushi: so who was this person? Kunikida: "A Mafia hitman...and Dazai's friend." atsushi: ...oh....where is dazai right now? Kunikida: "Out on an errand..." atsushi:.....should i tell him? Kunikida: "...Gauge how he's feeling. I think this will be a bit much for him..." atsushi:...*nods*....i think...you and this odasaku would have gotten along well. Kunikida: "???" atsushi:....*shakes head* just a feeling, i guess. *The door is kicked open* atsushi: ?! Dazai: "Hello!" *he has a hand print on his face* atsushi: O-O; DID YOU GET THE DOLL?! Dazai: "Nope! This hot woman was really into me! Then I suggested the suicide pact and she slapped me! Best day ever!" atsushi: *sweatdrop* *facepalm* odasaku: glad to see his eye is doing better. Dazai: "So, what's up?” atsushi: how's your eye? Dazai: "??? ...Fine? I mean, I should buy some drops..." *blinks* atsushi: .....well, its getting pretty late now. Dazai: "Eh, not that late. Bars are still open..." atsushi: ....im not really of drinking age. Dazai: "Hmm...Guess I got paperwork to finish anyway..." *sits at Kunikida's desk* -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "Where to next?" higuchi: we had some vagrants hiding out in one of our storehouses. mori asked us to clear them out. Akutagawa: "Doesn't sound too difficult..." *walks ahead of her* higuchi:...*inhales, then sighs* Akutagawa: "...It's still on your mind." higuchi: ryunosuke? Akutagawa: "What you had asked me...about any attraction I could have for you." higuchi: ..... Akutagawa: "I'm sorry that at this time I cannot reciprocate." higuchi:....right...*frowns* Akutagawa: "...Can we still work together?" higuchi: of course. that's what partners do, right? *faint smile* Akutagawa: *nods* "I will watch your back..." -elsewhere- Benimaru: "You were less horrible than yesterday." shinra: thank you....i think. kirei: i brought over some daifuku for everyone. Arthur: *bumps all over his head* X___X shinra: OuO thank's ma'am! Relan: *nods* "Thank you..." kirei: ^^ *small fox following...* shinra: ?? hey lil guy. Fox: ^^ *nods* -elsewhere- Chuuya: *sips* gin: .... Chuuya: "??? Something on your mind?" gin:.....made plans for later today. Chuuya: "Good plans?" gin:....you could say that. Chuuya: *smiles* "Glad to hear. You seem so busy with work all the time." gin:...*phone buzzes* that's my cue to go now. later. Chuuya: "Oh. Well, see ya..." Q: one shot'a whisky please! Chuuya: "?!!! Oh, no you don't!" bartender: *hands a refil of wine to chuuya, and gives Q one shot of orange juice.* Q: TnT *sips* Chuuya: *nods* "Thank you." *slips a $20 tip* -elsewhere- Bon: *tossing stones over the pond* madoka: so this is the inari shrine? konekomaru: *nods* madoka: wow! *taking pics* Rin: "Neat! Um...Can we take pictures here?" izumo: its fine. its a popular tourist destination, after all Shima: "Who all works here?" -elsewhere- Kid: *sets down a milkshake with two straws* stocking: hehe~ Kid: *smiles* "I know it's corny..." stocking: still, it's adorable. just like you~ Kid: ^\\\\^ "I added the crunched chocolate, too. And homemade syrup..." stocking: *smooooooch~* Kid: "!!!" *smooch* stocking: love you~<3 Kid: "Love you, too..." *sip on milkshake* -elsewhere- Belkia: *hanging upside down in a strait jacket* "...Okay. Lower me into the pirhana tank." -elsewhere, in the middle of the night- Dazai: "..." *sips his water, looking at the sky* -looks like rain soon- Dazai: "...And me without an umbrella..." Chuuya: *walking around the corner* Dazai: "...Chuuya?" Chuuya: "..." *doesn't look at him, but stops walking* "..." Dazai: "...You look shorter." Chuuya: "...You're still an asshole." Dazai: "...Want a drink? Chuuya: "..." *feels raindrop hits his nose* "..." -soon, the raindrops start falling- Chuuya: "..." *hunches his shoulders...shivers* Dazai: "...Get inside. Come on. I know where the good stuff is that Kunikida hides..." Chuuya: "..." Dazai: "..." *pulls him inside* -inside the building- Dazai: "Pull up a seat!" Chuuya: *lies on the couch* Dazai: "..." *sighs* "Sit up...Brandy will help you out." -everyone else has gone home for the day- Dazai: *pulls out Kunikida's bottle, pours two for him and Chuuya* "...Rain's coming down hard." Chuuya: *takes the glass* "Always does." Dazai: "..." *sips* "...Hey. Remember that night, when the building lost power?" Chuuya: "...Could see the stars all throughout town." Dazai: *sips* "It was pretty. Never got to see that in cities..." Chuuya: "...That was a different time." Dazai: *drops himself on the couch, leaning back* "Doesn't have to be..." Chuuya: "???" Dazai: *holds a remote, presses a button...and little bits of light appear on the ceiling* Chuuya: "???" Dazai: *smiles* "Star projector. Wanted to use it tomorrow to torture Kunikida." Chuuya: "...Shut up and look at the stars." *sips the brandy* Dazai: *smirks* -elsewhere- -a small mouse is roaming through the DWMA records room- yana: lets see what we got here.... ???: "Akane, come on! That's not fair!" yana: hmm? -the small mouse hides out of sight- akane: oho~ jealous much? Clay: "Not even! I just don't think it's fair to me when I have to do more of the work..." yana: ... Clay: "Can't you take this shift? What kind of date do you even have?" akane: family obligations. Clay: "..." *sighs* "Fine. Go. I'll take over." akane: i'll pay you back then. *smiles and exits* Clay: *grumbles, sits at desk...taps his fingers* 5-L: *observing* Clay: *pulls out a file* "Don't know what Sid intends to do with the stone...But if the witches knew about it..." yana: *raises a brow* Clay: "They'd lose it...A stone that transmutes..." yana:....hmmm.... Clay: *sighs, leans back in chair--and falls out* "Ow!" yana: *snickers* Clay: *looks around* "...I hope no one saw that..." yana: hehehe... <what a yutz> -elsewhere- Konro: "How was training?" kabuki: they're improving, little by little. Konro: "That's good to hear...Who do you think is coming along the most?" kabuki: they all are, in their own ways. though young yu and miss kotatsu seem to have the most experience. Konro: "While Shinra, Arthur, and Relan have a bit to go..." kabuki: *nods* miss hirano as well. Konro: "Hmm...Is the Commander pushing them too far?" -elsewhere- Kyoka: "Odd experience." atsushi: ....not sure how all i feel about today... Kyoka: "It is a weighty responsibility. Sleep may help present answers." atsushi:...ok... *laying down, feeling drained and numb* ..... *staring up at the ceiling* Kyoka: "...Good night." *turns off the lights* atsushi:....night......*still staring up at the ceiling, watching as car lights drive past the window, casting lights on the ceiling* ...... Kyoka: *crawls into her bed...* "Zzz..." atsushi:.......*glancing over at his calendar* <"Kunikida's Birthday" is marked on the calendar> atsushi:....*glances up* atsushi:......*drifting off to sleep* -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *snores* gin: *entering the house, quietly* Akutagawa: *asleep on the couch, turns over* -dazai's apartment- Dazai: =w= *pushes the door, enters* "Sleepy bed time..." -no reply- Dazai: *collapses on bed, hugging his pillow* "So soft..." -morning- Sakuya: *making pancakes* naho: can i have rabbit shaped? OuO Sakuya: *smiles* "On it!" *starts molding one* Higan: *yawn* -elsewhere- Chuuya: *looking up at the ceiling* "..." mito: *laying on his chest* zzzz Chuuya: "..." *pets Mito* "Be nice to see stars again..." mito *purrs* Chuuya: *smiles* "..." ("I miss you, Mito...") -elsewhere- Arthur: *bruised and bloodied* x___x tamaki: D8> Arthur: "He's stronger than he looks..." @~@ "How did he block with just his bare hands...?" shinra: years of training i guess. Arthur: TT~TT "Merlin was born old and aged backwards, so that when he was my physical age he was already of immense power...Why can't I..." Relan: *whispers* "He thinks...Merlin is a real person..." *facepalm* shinra: i think he might have special needs....maybe. Relan: "...I shouldn't be making fun of him, then..." Arthur: *sits up* "...Maybe...*groan* some food..." -elsewhere- Bon: *sitting alone* konekomaru:....bon? i got you some taiyaki. Bon: "...Thanks." *takes it...slowly eats* konekomaru:....you ok? Bon: "...What the hell was Dad thinking?" konekomaru: im not sure.... Bon: "I feel like I should have seen this coming..." konekomaru: maybe he has a reason? Bon: "A reason to hide all of this from me? From you?" konekomaru: ....i dont know. Bon: "...Next time I talk with Dad...I'm finding out what he's hiding." -elsewhere- Poe: ^^ karl: ouo~? Poe: "Guess who's back, Karl?" karl: o.o~? Poe: "Rowena!" karl: OuO *tail wagging* Poe: "And we'll be meeting for lunch! And you're coming!" *claps his hands* karl: ^o^ -elsewhere- Stein: "How are you feeling?" patient: better now. *streeetch* Stein: "Good. Appendicitis is no fun. Glad we got to you in time." *holds up appendix in jar* patient: =u= *faints* Stein: "...Huh. Most people like seeing their infected organs removed." -elsewhere- Hyde: *juggling balls* -elsewhere- Kid: "...Where did my suits go?" kirika: dont you have like, 7 billion? *wearing one of said suits. with one of the sleeves ripped off* Kid: "I have 888, all of which are missing, and you just happen TO BE WEARING ONE OF THEM WITH THE SLEEVE RIPPED OFF!" kirika: relax, they're being pressed. Kid: "...Oh. ...I assume symmetrically?" kirika: yeah yeah. Kid: "...Thank you. I am sorry for yelling at you." kirika: eh, im used to it. Kid: "...I...don't think you should be..." kirika: nyeh? Kid: "I mean, yelling at someone is...rude. And it was unwarranted for me to do so." kirika: i guess...then again, i do mess with you a lot. but that's just the kind of person i am, i guess. *shrugs* Kid: "I didn't grow up with siblings...Maybe such antagonism and teasing is something I would have been used to if I grew up with one." kirika:......yeah....i guess.....then maybe you wouldnt be such a hardass either~ Kid: "...I suppose not." ^^# -elsewhere- Anya: "Hmm...Where is it..." ao: looking for something? Anya: "I must have lent it...I had a pen that someone borrowed..." ao: oh? what does it look like? Anya: "It has a bear topper...White." ao: oh, a polar bear? Anya: "I...suppose so." -elsewhere- Black Star: *passes out sodas* -elsewhere- Benimaru: "...Do you think I'm being too difficult on them?" fang-hua: maybe just a smidgeon. Tsukiyo: *snort* " 'Smidgeon.' You sound like an old person..." Konro: "Maybe direct the lessons...?" fang-hua: me? o.o; Tsukiyo: *nod nod* Benimaru: "It may help. Get Arthur to wake up--he's been passed out." Tsukiyo and Konro: ("Because you keep clubbing him in the head...") -_-;; -elsewhere- -pop pop- atsushi: happy birthday, kunikida! Kunikida: *has a party hat put on him by Dazai* "...I said no parties. Why did you allow this, Brat?" atsushi: well, we all wanted to do this. Kunikida: "...Thanks. I'll take a present now." -elsewhere- Giriko: *holding out muffins* -elsewhere- Meme: *looks at 3DS* "What you have on there?" -elsewhere- lana: *sorting files* *someone rings the hotel bell* lana: yes? may i help yo- Higan: "We'd like a room." lana: ah, right this way. -elsewhere- Hibana: *picks up the bed* gabriella: *vacuuming under it* Hibana: "Really got to teach our little princess not to roll cereal under the bed..." -elsewhere- Mori: *puts on his doctor's coat* elise: come oooon we're gonna be laaaate >n< Mori: "I'm hurrying~" ^^ *follows* "Ready?" elise: ^u^ *nods* Mori: "We'll finish our errands--but first, I needed to--" ???: HEY BOSS MAN! maaay have crashed your car. Mori: .____.;;;;; "...What?" naoya: *chewing gum* yeeeah, driving isnt my strong suit. Mori: "...My beautiful car!" Q~Q "HOOOOW?!" naoya: long story short, i suck at driving. *blowing a bubble* whups. Mori: *turning red* "...I am GOING TO PULL THE MONEY FOR THAT CAR OUT OF YOUR ASS!" naoya: and maybe you can pull your head out of yours. elise: *snickering* Mori: "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I COULD FIRE YOU!" naoya: seems you could use all the help you could get after the robo incident. or would'ya rather send be back with the black lizard? Mori: "..." *grumbles* "Just...Just get back to work..." naoya: *shrugs and does so* -elsewhere- Sakuya: *looking under the sink* "Yuck...Looks like pipe is breaking..." tsubaki: i'll call a plumber in then. Sakuya: "Good plan. I--" Belkia: "I can fix it!" -elsewhere- Emine: *his feet are sticking up...out of the backyard* -elsewhere- Iida: *rotating his shoulder* mama iida: how are you feeling, tenya? Iida: "Sore. Work-out was a bit more than expected." -elsewhere- Yumi: D: "Shiori! shiori: ^o^ *covered in peanut butter* Yumi: "...Okay, first--" *takes out phone, snaps pics* "Second, I'm figuring out who let you get into that. And third, bathtime." shiori: ^u^ Yumi: *picks up Shiori* "Ugh...And I'm going to need to put my clothes in the washer..." -elsewhere- Dazai: =w= "So much cake..." yosano: *has tucked kenji in* Kenji: *smiles in his sleep* Kyoka: *sipping punch* -u- odasaku: glad to see dazai didnt try to piggyback ride anyone this time. atsushi: i guess. ^^; Kunikida: "You say something?" atsushi: hmm? just thinking. ^^;; Kunikida: *nods* "..." *opens his notebook* atsushi:....*notices dazai exiting* dazai? Dazai: *freezes, looks over* "...Wha?" atsushi: heading out? Dazai: "Well, I didn't want to be the guy who's the last to leave the party..." atsushi: ah....going anywhere in particular or... Dazai: "Just...off to see someone." atsushi: ....is this a private thing or....? Dazai: "... No..." atsushi: did you want me to go with you? Dazai: "...Whatever." *starts to leave* atsushi:......*follows* Dazai: *leads him...to cemetery* atsushi:...... odasaku:....... Dazai: *approaches tombstone* "...Hey." atsushi:....*stomach drops* -Sakunosuke Oda- odasaku:.... Dazai: "Lying down on the job, huh?" atsushi: *just standing there* Dazai: "Ha ha...J-Just kidding...Sorry I didn't get here last week. Things get crazy..." atsushi:....*shaking slightly* Dazai: "...Crazy that I feel like you're here right now...But that's just my protégé back there--" *thumbs at Atsushi* atsushi: *tears falling* Dazai: *looks back* "??? ...Atsushi?" atsushi: !! *wipes eyes* d-dont mind me... Dazai: "..." *smiles, pats the tombstone, as if putting a hand on a shoulder* "See? He'd be lost without me." atsushi: ..... Dazai: "...I miss you. I'm sorry." atsushi:....*hug* dazai...i think....he's proud of you. Dazai: "..." *sniff* atsushi:.... odasaku:....*pats dazai's shoulder*....*small smile* Dazai: *slight shiver at the touch, turning around* "???" -its only atsushi there- Dazai: "...Weird..." atsushi:..this...*gulp* this a friend of yours? Dazai: "...The best." atsushi: ....ah... Dazai: "..." *pulls out a small set of flowers...* atsushi: .... Dazai: "...Hey, Atsushi. You hungry?" atsushi:...a little... Dazai: "Let's go to a diner..." *pats the tombstone* "Until next time..." odasaku:...*smiles* you're doing a good job, dazai. atsushi:.....*follows him, looking at gravestones. including one that reads 'Mito 'Rain' Kosaka'* Dazai: *stops at that one* "...He's hanging on, Mito." atsushi: ?? Dazai: *pats Atsushi* "Come on..." atsushi: ..... *follows* -elsewhere-