#also also if you were wondering why that random drone is in “Child Is Fucking Dead™"

[the-simple-creature]

MD characters ranked by babysitting skills

You can pry my babysitter Doll headcanon out of my

cold dead hands.

also don't ask why I put that random human woman in the second to top tier, she just reminded me of my cousin and that made me happy. :D

[sosu-morgue]

Hey! I was wondering if you would consider writing companions reactions to Grandchester mystery mansion from Nuka world?

Oh man, it’s been so long since I did that quest so I went and replayed it through just to refresh myself. Sorry for the late reply, I was at work when I received this and have been excited to do this! :)

This is LONG, so be ready. Since this is my first ask I tried to deliver something good. Or at least interesting. I hope you like it and thank you for your ask!

I also used they/them for Sole Survivor, just so y’all can input your own M!SS or F!SS. I hope that’s okay, any accidental reference to Sole’s gender is an oversight.Enjoy! :)

Context/Prelude:Sole leads a companion into the Grandchester, it looked relatively stable. They entered the Grandchester after satisfying the ticket protectron outside.They were forced to take a preset path through the house narrating the story of Lucy, a girl who killed her parents in a murder/suicide. Sole and their companion travel through, meeting an ex-gunner named Zachariah. After killing him, Sole begins to scavenge the wealth of materials in the attic.

Cait:Sole stopped at the open door and looked inside, seeing this small girl in a frilly little dress and a bow in her hair. They froze, eyes wide. Cait caught on and peered inside, seeing the girl.

“What? Is this that bastard’s kid?” She felt a little strange. They did just riddle him with bullets after all. What were they going to do with a little girl?

The girl giggled, not phased in the slightest by the intruders. Sole stepped into the room and the girl retreated behind a pile of crates and junk. “Wait!” Sole rushed to catch up with the girl, Cait on their heels.

Sole spotted the door and threw it open, nearly smacking their face right into a brick wall. They frowned, confused.“What kind of crap is this?” She lowered her rifle. Sole pushed on the bricks, trying to find some trick to this. Nothing happened.

Cait shook her head, “Alright, no. No way in hell am I stayin’ here any longer - I’m leavin’ with or without you. Fuck this place, that gunner asshole, and whatever that was.” Cait spun around, leaving the attic. Sole glanced around the room, wanting to complain about leaving all this loot here. They followed Cait out though, choosing to stay together - not sitting alone in a house with a creepy little girl.

“Yeah, all that crap up there’s not worth whatever that was.” Cait made a straight line outside, leaving everything behind. Sole sweated a bit, thinking of the little girl. They were both in agreement; nothing’s worth tempting fate.

Curie:They both saw the girl and Curie was thrilled to see her. She resisted questioning the girl, considering she was here with Zachariah which was not a good sign. Sole was confused and surprised, but ultimately open to whatever. If the girl needed help, then that’s what they would do.

The moment Curie entered the room, the girl ran away much to Curie’s disappointment. “Oh, she’s probably scared. We must have frightened her with all that noise. What should we do?”

Sole gave Curie an unsure glance, definitely not a reassuring one. Sole’s eyes fixated on the little girl, questioning a lot about her. Curie did not know what to make of her friend’s reaction, so she sought her own answer.

Walking side by side the duo came around the corner of junk the girl retreated behind. A single, badly damaged door was shut - the girl’s escape path.

“Oh, there’s another room. A sizable attic…” Curie was surprised there was more to this room. Sole watched, a little perturbed and they did not understand why.

Curie turned the creaky knob, pulling the door open slowly. “It’s okay, mon petit. We are here to hel-” Curie’s hand recoiled from the door knob upon seeing nothing but a brick wall, the exact same from the walls around it. Like all those false doors through the house - this one lead no where. “Oh! I do not understand…”

Sole came up beside her, eyes searching the wall for any sign of a secret passage. A long shot, but they wanted to find anything to explain this. Sole placed a hand on Curie’s arm. “I think we should get out of here.”

Curie’s gaze turned a bit sad, “Am I missing something? She could not possibly have gone through this wall. Perhaps she is hiding, I am sure there are many places to hide here.”

She turned around, scrutinizing the room to the best of her ability. There was a lot of junk, piled, and there was no crawl space surrounding the door. Curie placed a hand on her stomach, “Oh, this feeling is very odd. I feel… unsure? As if there is some kind of reaction in my body, it makes me feel uncomfortable.”Curie nodded to Sole, “I think you are right, we should leave. Anything to make this go away.”

Danse:He was so entirely unimpressed with this lackluster display. Grandchester did nothing for him except waste his time. The irritating static voice of the narrator was droning on and on about some inane tale of a little girl murdering her parents before killing herself.It was utterly ludicrous and he wanted nothing more than to leave this house already. Sole, however, was excited to find out what the ex-gunner was holding up in the attic. Of course they insisted on digging through this Zachariah’s trash. This man was once a gunner, doing nothing but spending his time trapping random civilians in the preset path through the house. It would work on the average person, but Danse was a trained soldier. None of it worked on him or Sole.

Sole. Danse watched them climb the stairs to the attic, Danse in his massive power armor taking multiple steps at a time. He watched as Sole picked through the sparse metal shelves at the top of the stairs before heading to the door. Once Sole threw it open, they looked into the room with excitement. So much stuff to dig through, so much-

Danse noticed the shift in Sole’s posture instantly. He always was on guard for anything and Sole was rarely tense, even when fighting. Sole seemed to prefer keeping it loose; a trait that frustrated Danse at times.

His power armor loudly stomped his way to the door, following Sole’s eyes to the subject. A little girl in a blue dress stood in the center of the room, giggling as if they didn’t just gun down a man on the floor below.She turned to the side and ran off, prompting Sole to run up to catch her. They didn’t know why she was here, but she was just a little girl. There was no way she could survive in Nuka-World. Danse followed Sole, not entirely confident that this wasn’t another trap. What if Zachariah wasn’t alone?

They saw a door. A single, wooden, terrible looking door. Sole approached it, Danse raised his rifle, and carefully Sole opened the door. It squeaked as Sole swung it open only to reveal more brick wall.

Danse lowered his laser rifle, his brow furrowed. “The wall must be false. Check it. I’ll cover you.”

Sole shrugged, they didn’t think it was fake. If it was; someone was talented to create such a convincing fake wall. Leaning forward, trying to stay out of the way in case Danse is right, Sole tried to push on the brick wall.It was cold, rough, exactly how bricks felt. Sole kept trying different bricks trying to find anything that would reveal where the girl went.

There was nothing, nothing but solid wall. Sole faced Danse and shook their head - there was no way through.

Danse thought to himself, desperately looking for an answer to this problem. “What do you think?” Sole interrupted, breaking their silence.

Hesitating, Danse responded carefully. “I can’t say I know where she went…”

Sole smiled, ready to tease Danse about the existence of ghosts. A ridiculous claim and Sole would only mention it to mess with Danse.

“That doesn’t mean there’s not a reasonable explanation.” Danse insisted, “There might be another way out, a hidden door. This place is full of fool doors and rooms. There is no such thing as ghosts.” His eyes were almost glaring at Sole, knowing exactly what they were going to say next.

“Ooo, Danse. It must’ve been Lu-”

“Don’t say it. Get your things and let’s move on, Soldier.” Danse turned around, listening to Sole stifling their laugh behind him.

Deacon:Once Sole opened the door, Deacon froze beside them. The little girl giggled at them, the sound echoing through the room with a chilling coldness to it.

Deacon eyed Sole, seeing how uncomfortable they were. While he did want to know what this little girl was all about, Sole’s reaction was too priceless to pass up. “Look!” Deacon exclaimed loudly, startling Sole. “It’s Lucy Grandchester!” Sole’s head snapped to glare daggers at him.

“Deacon-!” Cutting Sole off, Deacon pointed to the girl.

“You heard the… house?” Deacon didn’t know exactly what to call the announcer. “She murdered her parents, she now haunts the Grandchester, and we crossed the line.”

Sole rolled their eyes, “She’s just a little girl, Deacon. Come on, let’s help her out of here.” Entering the room, the girl took off. “See, look what you did, Deacon. You scared her.”

Raising his hands in defense, Deacon chuckled. “What did I do? You got close to her. You must’ve scared her.”

“You called her a murdering ghost!” Sole continued on, ignoring the agreeing nod and shrug Deacon gave them.

Sole turned the corner first, stepping over trash all over the ground. A few bits dropped from their place on empty barrels and step stools. Not that Sole cared, the little girl was more important.

The door, dilapidated and almost off its hinges was closed. Strange, Sole did not recall hearing the door shut. The girl must’ve been cautious, trying to get away from the two people barging their way into her home. Sole had infinite patience for a child, especially one that might be scared of them. Even though she didn’t seem scared with that creepy giggle.

Deacon sauntered up behind Sole, crossing his arms as he watched this unfold.

Sole opened the door, still frustrated with Deacon. The girl had ran away, hiding somewhere in the house. They had no idea how many ways there was to get around.

They were met with a brick wall, blocking the potential exit. Sole looked around, caught off guard. Sole closed the door and reopened it; still a brick wall.

Deacon, interested in this mystery himself, just dropped his arms in a dramatic fashion. “See? This is how you get haunted.” Sole took a deep breath and shut the door.

Hancock:Sole watched the little girl, listening to her unnerving giggle. It was not normal, not at all. Sole assumed any child having heard the gut churning sound of a man getting turned into human Swiss cheese.

The feeling was not exclusive to Sole. Hancock was right beside them, a stern yet uncomfortable expression plastered on his face.

The duo shared a slow side glance, silently questioning ‘Are you seeing this?’

“Uh, hi there… little girl?” Sole winced. Scaling themselves for posing that as a question. “Do you live here?” A rather stupid thing to ask. Of course she lived here, why else would she be standing in the attic with nothing but a torn blue dress.

Hancock raised a brow at Sole. “Really?”

“Shut up,” Sole snapped in a low voice, a bit embarrassed. They were good with Shaun as a baby - not so much with random kids. It was weird to Sole once Shaun was born. They seemed to know just how to handle him, but not even one clue how to handle other children.

One step through the threshold of the attic sent the girl running. Sole jumped, “Wait! It’s okay, we’re not-” She disappeared behind some trash stacked almost to the ceiling. “Dammit, come on.”

Entering the attic Sole and Hancock followed the path of the little girl in blue. Hancock pointed to a door beside the boxes, no other possible way out. Sole frowned, looking around again. That door looked old, like it would make a lot of noise opening and closing. When the girl ran it was silent, so did she actually leave through the door or was there something they were missing?

Hancock took the lead, heading straight for the door and throwing it open despite all the traps they had seen in the house so far. As he was going to step through the door, he noticed a distinct lack of… well, doorway.

“Uh, what the hell?” Sole neared Hancock.

The ghoul searched the wall, a brick wall, no plausible way to get through it. “Did she just hide in here?” Hancock turned around, only to see Sole shake their head.

Hancock looked to the creaking floor boards a moment, then back to the wall. Sole looking up and down the wall too. “What the hell did I take?” Hancock chuckled.

MacCready:The house was finally over. He didn’t like it at all, aside from the speaking going on and on about some family that lived here pre-war, there were lazy traps all over the place. They found out it was just some ex-gunner that wanted to sit in the master bedroom and wait for people to kill themselves on his traps.

It wasn’t until Sole brought MacCready up to the attic that they found the only interesting thing in this house. 

Sole took MacCready by the shoulder and pulled him up. “Uh, what?” He was abruptly cut off when Sole pointed to a girl standing in the attic. “Oh, that.” Sole released him, giving him a questioning look.

“Well, I don’t know.” MacCready walked into the attic, planning on handling the little girl. He wanted to be nice about it, ease her out of the attic. He wanted to know if that ex-gunner was her caretaker, her captor, or she was on her own.

He would have tried to talk to her had she not taken off, giggling the entire way. Sole rushed up to MacCready, “We can’t just leave her here, let’s go.” Sole passed the man, hoping to catch her and keep her calm. Which was unlikely since she was probably already a bit scared.

She didn’t sound like it though, with all that giggling. MacCready spotted the door the same time Sole did, it was obvious where she went.

Sole headed straight for the door, grabbing the doorknob when MacCready put his hand on the door to stop it from opening. Answering Sole’s question before they could ask it, “We don’t want to spook her. If she’s in there than she’s hiding or running. Either way, we should just take it slow.”

“So what do you want to do?” Sole released the handle, letting MacCready take the lead. He did, after all, lead a hidden settlement of children. So Sole trusted his caution.

MacCready stepped in front of Sole, leaning to the door. He thought carefully about what to say. He raised his voice, trying to make sure he could be heard through the door. “Hey, hi there.” He winced, “We’re not bad, we’re just lost. Can you help us?”

The two waited, nothing but silence. “Did you know that person downstairs? The adult that stayed here?”

Sole put a hand on their hip. MacCready pursed his lips. “We just want to make sure you’re okay. We won’t make you leave if you don’t want to.” There was absolutely no sound from the other side of the door. “We’re coming in, okay? If you want us to leave just say so.”

Slowly, steadily; MacCready started to open the door. The door made a shrill sound, the hinges rusted badly. He did his best to minimize the noise, knowing it was uncomfortable.

Once the door was open enough, MacCready leaned over to look inside.

His expression fell as he saw nothing but a brick wall. It took him a moment to understand what he was looking at.He heard Sole chuckling behind him. “Well, that was interesting to watch.”

MacCready shook his head and let go of the door. “I tried, what else do you want.” He glanced back to the door that lead no where. “I wonder where she went.”

Nick:He didn’t exactly know a lot about Nuka-World except that it was an amusement park and Sole had been spending a few weeks exploring what it had to offer. Unfortunately, that exploration lead them to this house. Not that it was dangerous, filled with fearsome people or beasts, but rather that it lead no where interesting. A priority for Sole who seemed to enjoy discovering new places.

With Zachariah, who they learned through his terminal, dead and out of the way Sole began to scavenge. Not much that they needed, he assumed, since he had seen at least half the settlements Sole had built for the Minutemen. They were well set up, some large enough to be considered new towns in the commonwealth.

Nick looked up the stairs, coming to follow Sole to the attic. He hadn’t seen a lot other than ammo that Sole would be interested in. Once he saw Sole’s face he realized something was not quite right. He didn’t want to leave Sole up there alone in case Zachariah had friends and caught Sole off guard.

Holding up his pistol he approached Sole’s side cautiously. Sole looked at him and made a low gesture to put away his pistol and nudged their head telling him to come over. Nick did as asked, curious to see what Sole was doing.He found out quickly as the little girl giggled, a sound that felt like it seeped through the rotting walls of Grandchester.

Sole and Nick were unsure what to do exactly, she seemed so normal. Why was she here? What was she doing just standing there?

“Hi there.” Sole started, their voice soft. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Sole and this is Nick. Are you here alone?”

The girl just stood there, a giggle escaping her lips once more. Sole did not like the sound, Nick agreed. Sole and Nick had both read the terminal’s last entry; something about a little girl’s laugh. So he didn’t know her, he couldn’t or he would’ve known the laugh.

“You must be good at hide and go seek, huh?” Nick wanted to approach her pleasantly. “The man downstairs never even knew you were here. You must be very smart.”

The girl rocked on her heels, still not saying anything or moving. Sole gave Nick a shrug, not sure what to do. They didn’t want to scare her, though she didn’t appear like she was worried about them.

“Hey, would you like to-” Nick was going to ask for the girl to show them the house, something familiar for her to connect to. Instead, when he tried to get closer to her, she sprinted away.

Sole hurried up into the room, trying to find the girl. Nick was quick to see the door she must’ve ran into. Looked damaged, but otherwise fine. The other door in the room was boarded up, so this could be a place where she hides.Nick’s right hand tinged on the door knob, his metal fingers just barely holding onto the handle. “We’re coming in, okay?” Sole called over Nick’s shoulder.

He pulled the door open and both of them just stared at a brick wall. “Uhh, Nick?”

“Yeah, I know.” Nick closed the door, contemplative. “Maybe we should just get your stuff and head on out.”

Sole nodded, “Right behind you.”

Piper:“Okay, are we leaving yet?” She was tired of this place. Traps, grenades, flamethrowers, and a crazy guy hiding on the top floor. This house wasn’t exactly on her list of park attractions she wanted to visit. The actual house, traps and murderer excluded, it was uninspired. Some speakers talking about the haunted house, but not doing anything else interesting.

Sole stuffed some extra ammo into their bag, happy with their haul. That was before they saw the door leading to the attic. Once more Sole was alight with intrigue. Piper just followed them, she figured she’d have the extra pockets Sole needed.

Climbing the stairs fast, Sole scanned the metal shelves before turning to a closed door. Thrilled to see there was more to dig through, Sole opened the door and headed in.

Piper approached, rolling her eyes with a grin on her face. Once she got near the door that grin faded, seeing Sole just standing in the doorway. Then there was a sound, a girl’s giggle traveling down the stairs. She was alarmed and came up to Sole’s back, looking over their shoulder.

There stood a little girl, just standing, no indication of what she was thinking. They had entered the house, strangers, she was likely nervous. Piper took over quick, knowing how to handle a little girl that got scared of strangers.

“Hey, are you okay?” Piper started, a gentle smile and sweet voice to comfort the girl. “We didn’t know you lived here, I hope you don’t mind if we visit with you for a bit.”

The girl giggled, a positive sign to Piper. “What’s your name?” Piper neared her, bent down, and offered her hand.

Instead of doing anything Piper expected, the girl ran away behind the junk the gunner had thrown together. She stood up straight, concern etched across her features. “We gotta make sure she’s okay, Blue.”

Sole nodded, recognizing both the girl in potential trouble and Piper’s worries. The two walked quickly to the spot the girl was in, dead center of the room. Piper’s catching the dark wooden door just behind the boxes. “There, she’s gotta be in there.”

Piper was quick to turn the handle, but only slowly cracked the door. She didn’t open it all the way, just wanted to speak through it for the moment. “It’s okay, we’re not here to hurt you. We just want to-” The door opened enough to let light in. She was stunned to see nothing but wall behind the door.

“Uhh, Blue?” Piper felt Sole’s hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I see.”

Piper turned out, inhaled deeply and exhaled calmly. “Okay, that’s it. Blue, I’ve had enough of this house.” She was supported by Sole, who took her out of the Grandchester, leaving the strange house behind.

Preston:Though he never let his laser musket out of his hands while in the Grandchester, he didn’t feel like there were anymore blind corners. Right now he just waited, letting the General do whatever they wanted. He always watched their back while they dug through trash to find something valuable. An impressive perk Sole consistently surprised him with.

Preston was also thankful for it, because it had built many of the settlements Sole saved, established, and built into a sustainable home for many travelers. Trade routes began to flourish, the commonwealth was slowly becoming a safer place.

All thanks to Sole’s ability to find double packed duct tape to hold it all together.

Preston smiled and shook his head slowly. He was happy to travel with the Minutemen’s General, quite the honor even though Preston insisted on Sole being in the position. Sole believed Preston deserved it, but it was last thing Preston wanted. He liked being out in the field, he liked fighting on the ground and maintaining safety for everyone.

As Sole discovered and climbed the stairs to the attic, Preston dutifully followed his friend to the very top of the Grandchester. Sole was certainly excited to see what the ex-gunner had stockpiled in the attic.

Once that door swung open all that excitement turned to confusion. Preston came shoulder to shoulder with Sole, inspecting the room.

There, center of the room, stood a young girl with a tattered blue dress with white lace. Preston just assumed she was here with the ex-gunner, but he didn’t want to ask why. A whole lot of reasons were possible and only a few of them any decent.

She giggled, an impressively menacing sound considering the stature of the girl. Preston felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. “Well, that’s creepy.”

Sole gave him a ‘Really.’ look.

“Right.” Preston cleared his throat, “Uh, hey there, little girl.”

Another look from Sole, “We’re here looking for something nice for our friends. Do you mind if we come in? It’s okay if you say no.” Sole took over a moment, trying to assure the girl they were not threatening her.

The girl just turned and ran, alerting the two Minutemen. “Aw man.” Preston sighed, the duo coming up to see where she went. They didn’t mean to frighten her, but that giggling certainly gave them a strange chill.

Sole saw the door first, tapping Preston’s arm to show him. They neared the door, Preston stayed where the door would open and Sole behind the door. Giving Preston a confirming nod, Sole reached out and slowly turned the doorknob.

Preston leaned his musket against the wall, not wanting to scare her. Once the door was opened Preston leaned around the door frame.

He opened his mouth to tell Sole there was nothing but a brick wall, but thought about how to explain it. Preston moved from his cover and reached for the door, gesturing Sole to come around.

Once Sole saw, they both closed the door carefully.

“General?” Preston started, his tone flat.

“Yeah, Preston?” Sole blinked, no real inflection to his voice.

Preston pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Let’s leave.”

“Okay.”

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Temptation pt4

Warnings: Mob Styling warlords, strong language.

Masterlist

---

Chapter 4 – Missing information

The hotel room they were taken too was grand and everything they came to expect from their father and his unwillingness to compromise on anything. For all the time they had spent running away and hiding from the family it was surprising how quickly they felt they could relax back inside the inner circle again. I thought I’d done it right this time. Average housing, low radar life, hell I even took a job doing drone work to get some cash to stay off the family radar.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that they were not likely to be killed as long as there was something wanted from them. They held that card close to their chest like a get out of jail free card in monopoly. If there was one thing you learnt early in cartel life it was leverage was key. I suppose I could try to slip away again but after last time I doubt Father would have been stupid enough not to put guards outside the room.

Just as their brain had worked through that possibility the main door clicked and a tall man entered the room. His short brown hair was greyer than when they last spoke, but there was no doubt who it was.

“Father?”

“You have no idea the trouble you have put me through just to find you, child.” His voice held an edge of sharp annoyance to it but his eyes betrayed him. He was happy to see them safe. Even so, the fact that he had maintained his hunt meant that the marked and loaded deck they ran from was still in play at the table.

---

Azuchi Corp. HQ

– Crash –

The loud sound of a sudden impact rang out through the underground parking lot. Mitsuhide had been on his way to his car and stopped in the doorway from the main building to see the fender bender that had just happened in front of him. Masa got out of his car and made his way to the back of it to look at the damage, all the while rubbing his head. Ieyasu who now resembled a blonde-haired beetroot shot out of his own vehicle and rounded on the Chef.

“What the fuck!?” Ieyasu exclaimed.

“Sorry Yasu, didn’t see you pulling in as I was reversing.” Masa replied apologetically, blinking his one good eye slowly as if trying to focus.

“Did you even look?” Ieyasu bent down to look at his smashed front light. “Great I’m going to have to phone the garage now to get this fixed.”

“I’ll pay for the damage.” Masa fumbled around his jacket looking for his wallet and phone.

“Too right you’ll pay it was your fault. Seriously were you born this stupid or did you have to take special lessons to achieve it?” Ieyasu was still furious but he was also now watching Masa with a frown.

“I said I was sorry. I was going to a meeting about that new location…” Masa explained feebly as he gave up searching his pockets and returned to the front seat where he at least found his cell phone.

“Well, that isn’t happening now.” Ieyasu grabbed Masa by the arm pulling him free of the car and began to tug him towards the access to the main building. “Come on, I’ll get that crash helmet you call a head seen too.”

Mitsuhide chuckled as he made his way to the other side of the parking lot to his own black salon. Looks like our little contrarian is still the same.

“You going out?” Masa called out to him as he reached his space.

“So, it would appear.” Mitsuhide waved his keys towards them before unlocking the car. “Did either of you need something?”

“From you?” Ieyasu quipped. “I’ve just had a car crash, the last thing I need is a random dead body!!”

Mitsuhide smirked slightly at the reply.

“Could you swing past my office and grab some files from my secretary? You can’t miss her, a cute little redhead with the biggest green eyes you’ve ever seen and…” Masa had a smile drift over his face as he described the employee. Well clearly someone has ideas on that one outside of work.

“I swear you are a good example of why the gene pool needs a lifeguard and contraception.” Ieyasu rolled his eyes, looking disgusted.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Masa frowned.

“Exactly what I said.” Ieyasu snapped back.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to play doctor and patient.” Mitsuhide chuckled as he climbed in his car. “Petite redheaded secretary? No random dead bodies? Got it. See you both later.” He pulled his door shut and drove away.

“Where do you think he’s going?” Masa asked watching the car leave the underground space.

“Don’t know, don’t care. Come on I’ll get that skull of yours wrapped before what little brains you have leak out.” Ieyasu said as he gave Masa a shove to get him to move.

---

Nobunaga was still awake. So many things needed to be done and there were never enough hours in the day. All of the emails had been answered, he had a few names listed to remind him that he would have to make personal visits to them in order to make sure they are aware that he is still the main power to stay behind during this new game.

“Sir, I’ve informed all the local media that we would usually use and they will be setting up outside awaiting the company announcement.” Hideyoshi called from the hallway and as the door was already open, he walked right in.

“Good, I knew I could rely on you to make the arrangements.” Nobunaga smiled at his right-hand man. Always so supportive and reliable. Hideyoshi was staring at him. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing, Sir. I’m glad that you shall be returning.” Hideyoshi stated honestly a broad smile on his face. He looks like a dog happy to see his master has returned home. All he would be missing was a wagging tail and my slippers in his mouth.

“Given the current circumstances, I could hardly avoid taking such action.” Nobunaga motioned towards the city behind him framed in the glass panels of the windows. “You are a man for peace Hideyoshi, you always were. You have a great ability in maintaining harmony but when…”

“When the shit hits the fan I’m not as good as you are Sir.” Hideyoshi nodded in agreement. His face looked a little crestfallen with the idea that he did not do enough.

“Crude phrasing but accurate.” Nobu stood up and moved towards his friend. Placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. “Come now Hideyoshi you know I value your abilities but I also didn’t get where I am today by ignoring that sometimes someone’s talents place them as being better service to me in a different position.” None of this was your fault. If anything it was mine. Quick fixes that backfire... well no point in dwelling on it.

“Of course, Sir.” Hideyoshi nodded. The look on his face melted as he looked at his boss. “Speaking of people being of service. Where is Mitsuhide?”

“I would imagine he is exactly where he needs to be even if he says he isn’t.” Nobunaga shrugged and laughed. These two are always so entertaining when working together. I shall never be bored.

---

Uptown

The smell of freshly ground coffee filled the air in the loft space. It was a peaceful moment where he felt like he was caught between a dream and responsibility. The repetitive tick of the wall clock, and the soft chatter of the TV filled the air that was once filled with words of love and appreciation. When was the last time we could be alone like this? The schedule has been so busy lately. Absentmindedly he ran his fingertips over his collar bone to his shoulder and felt the telling sting of a bruise developing. Thank god for shirts with high collars.

He reached up to the cupboards to retrieve a couple of cups only to find himself enveloped from behind by a set of strong arms drawing his back into the warmth of his lover. They covered his hands with theirs caressing his fingers one by one, their breath against his bare skin sent shivers through his body.

“Let me help you with that.” He could feel the smile of the other in the playful tone they used. In the next instant, he found himself spun around facing the naked torso the man who he had left in bed to go in search of refreshments. Trapped between the cold countertop and the radiating heat of the man before him.

“Remind me how this is supposed to be helping?” He asked his blue eyes searching for an answer from the eyes hidden behind the mess of dark hair in front of him. I love you but god do you need to brush your hair right now.

“It’s not, but…” Just as his lover was about to connect his lips back to the mark on his shoulder the TV switched to a local news broadcast, and a familiar voice distracted him. Their dark hair danced across his exposed skin causing him to shudder at the sensation.

The warmth of the other left him standing near the coffee machine and he let out a small sigh. I guess we had to return to reality at some point. He took out two cups from the cupboard and washed them in the sink before using a new hand towel to dry them and placed them both in perfect alignment facing front so he could pour out the coffee for them. His habits were once a great source of teasing but now it was just a quirk that apparently made his partner love him even more.

He found the other man in the Livingroom perched on the edge of the of the cream designer couch staring at the tv with a grin plastered on his face.

“… and so, I would like to formally announce the return of Mr Oda to the Azuchi Corp.” Hideyoshi Toyotomi, who was the current CEO of the corporation smiled for the cameras and then stepped down from the podium.

The man standing behind came forward and he was every bit the intimidating man they had been told he was. His hair was slicked back and his dark suit, which was clearly made to measure all aided in heightening the feeling that he was a force to be reckoned with. I wonder what his hair would be like if we slicked it back like that? Wait, what am I thinking? He looked again at the man sitting glued to the screen.

“Thank you, Mr Toyotomi. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are all busy people and I would like to make this as concise as possible.” Nobunaga Oda played the crowd beautifully. He knew it was the trademark of ‘The Devil King of the upper east side’ but he had never actually seen it for himself. “I intend to take a temporary hiatus from my political career at present and return to my roots. I believe it is all too easy for a man to rise in power and position and forget where they came from. I have no intention of being that man.”

“Mr Oda? Do you have anything else you would like to say by way of introduction back into the business world?” The clear voice of a reporter carried over the huddled media. It was obviously a plugged question. They themselves used it all the time in mass media releases, it helped to lead the written press into the chosen angles you wanted to secure business further down the line. Plugged question or not it had his lover leaning forward even more in his seat. The excitement etched on his face and mirrored in his nearly black eyes was breath-taking.

“Only this. This city and its people are mine. I dedicated my life to achieving what was dubbed the impossible. I did it once and I shall do it again. And nothing is going to prevent me from that goal.” The tv broadcast rolled off into other news after a brief audio cut of the buzz of questions that sprung up as a result of Mr Oda’s declaration.

“You ok?” He asked as he handed the coffee over. Their fingers touched for a moment and the other man smiled back at him full of excitement.

“Of course. After that little display, I can say that this is the most fun I’ve had in ages.” The smile turned into an infuriating smirk. One that years ago he wanted to smack right off that porcelain skin, now… now it made him want to smother it with his lips.

“I’m not sure how I feel about that remark.” He gave a small pout as he drank from his own cup sinking into the couch to sit as well. The other man chuckled deeply and after gulping down his coffee so fast it gained a look of worry from the blue-eyed blonde next to him.

“Hush now don’t pout.” He said as he adjusted himself. How can someone do something so small and look so good doing it? “You really do worry too much you know that?”

“One of us has to, and it clearly isn’t going to be you.” His tone was icy but the heat in his eyes as he looked at his love was hardly something he could fake.

“You might be right. But we now have our missing piece so things are going to get easier from here on out.” With a chuckle and a stretch, the other man carried his now empty cup back to the kitchen placing it in the empty sink and returned to the bedroom, no doubt to get dressed.

“I hope you’re right. I thought my years in ‘dispatch’ were long gone.” He called out from the couch as he finished his coffee and straightened the cushions. Before washing up the cups placing them back in their original positions in the cupboard and returning to the Livingroom to wipe down the remote control and table.

---

It was a very long day and after locating that secretary of Masa’s he now had the files he requested as well as some more information on the new company, or more specifically the CEO.

Takahiro Yasui. A bright star in the business world in his former location and credited with becoming one of the youngest successful CEO’s. Naturally, he had a full list of awards and his education was top notch too boot. To the outside world, he looked like the perfect businessman. Mitsuhide smelled a rat. If something is too good to be true, it nearly always is.

The young man seemed to bolt out of nowhere and get somewhere far to quickly to say it was without aid. From what Mitsuhide had found out Yasui was the younger son of a cartel but that in itself was strange. His family supported his older brother not him. It was common enough clearly the older brother was supposed to be the new head of the family, and yet the younger sibling this time was proving to be the better candidate. If he has chosen to relocate perhaps there is a threat from his brother to remove competition.

The idea was plaguing his mind as he drove along heading back to base. If it's not his family supporting him then who the hell is? He stopped at a set of lights rapping his fingers against the leather on his steering wheel and looked around him. There was a large black luxury car pulled up outside a grand hotel. Nothing unusual in that but the thing that caught his attention was the group of men leaving the hotel to get into it. Holsters visible for a fleeting moment, the handles of their concealed weapons visible.

“And who pray tell are you?” He spoke aloud as he made a mental note of the license plate and continued to follow the flow of traffic. I do so hate lack of information.

---

[lobsters-on-their-heads]

OB Rewatch: To Right the Wrongs of Many

I’m not crying, you’re crying

You can read my first watch review, which hits a number of points I left out,  here: https://lobsters-on-their-heads.tumblr.com/post/164138983111/to-right-the-wrongs-of-many

I loved

Sarah’s flashback scenes flow with the storyline, and inform Sarah’s current character. We learn more about her, and get answers to a question that hadn’t occurred to me to ask - why did she decide to keep Kira? 

Siobhan! Being the loving nurturing mother we’ve seen her be for five seasons. Quite different than the woman we meet in episode 2, who was DONE with Sarah’s bullshit.

Sarah rummaging around the basement boiler room, fussing over Helena to get her the things she can, keeping her head cool and her voice reassuring.

Art: “Are you alright?”

Helena: “Most excellent.”

And the back and forth between Sarah and Helena bearing their children, with Sarah repeating the lines Siobhan gave her... I... *sniffles* ....

The shot of the twins

Art and Sarah delivering Helena’s babies. They were, after all, the first two members of Clone Club that she interacted with. Sarah was absolutely the best person to do it.

Helena’s stick figure mobiles

Cosima and Scott helping Sarah practice for her GED. Hell, Sarah practicing for her GED! Which she will eventually take, I know she will.

Siobhan’s portrait. It’s her, a cup of tea, and her shotgun. Perfect.

Donnie is adorable with the babies. It’s a damn shame we didn’t see more of him being a father during the show (probably due to the availability or desire of the child actors). 

The parallel with Season 3′s opener

I loved the entire fucking baby shower. My favorite thing ever is whole Clone Club events like this. I also really hope that those judgey “friends” of Alison’s from Season 1 (you know, the living ones) saw all these random people streaming into her house, including a gay couple, a lesbian couple, awkward nerdy guys, a black guy with his daughter and a disabled girl, and a perma-drunk from the vague South. To say nothing of how those neighbors must feel about Helena.

Cosima taking Purple from Felix and immediately handing him to Delphine.

Love, love, LOVE Cosima’s dress. Which was surprisingly difficult to get a good screenshot of while she’s standing.

Finishing the show with the Sestras together. Okay, so the very final scenes didn’t have them together, but you know what I mean. This scene was wonderful. Yes, they are going off and living happily ever after, but pain remains. Pain that is perhaps related to their fights, but not always. No matter what, though, they always have each other. 

*cries again* 

Helena’s story about letting the babies eat sand! “Where does this sand come from? I don’t know, so I let them eat it.” We all know it comes from the bodies buried under her apartment.

I liked 

The camera circling around Sarah while Westboreland taunted her.

Sarah: “Ah, shut up!” and then she smashes his head with a oxygen tank.

Kira being supportive and understanding of her mom. I like it because Kira’s sweet, but I don’t love it - Kira’s a kid, and she shouldn’t have to worry about her mom.

Helena offering Kira a jam burger and Kira backing up quickly. I hope that was improvised. 

The contrast between the sunny family time of the baby shower and Sarah’s darker solitude as she approaches and enters the house.

The parade of people asking Sarah “How was the test?” I like it for the comedic aspect, but also because every single person there supports and roots for Sarah exactly where she is. None of them show any judgment that she’s taking her GED test instead of, say, her GRE.

I’m as lesbian as they come, but I do melt when I see tough guys holding babies like this.

Sarah’s face as Helena starts sharing her book.

I didn’t like

The placement of Delphine’s condolences to Sarah about Siobhan. It’s been months, and Delphine has almost certainly seen Sarah before now. It’s a nice moment, but it’s out of place. It’s also one of the few times we’ve ever seen Delphine and Sarah alone together, and I believe the only time it’s happened since the first episode of Season 3. Delphine’s sentiments regarding Siobhan are spot on, but it’s odd to hear her emoting like this to Sarah. Even in the rewatch, I was just as uncomfortable as Sarah was.

That Rachel couldn’t come in. Obviously she wanted to, despite her claims to the contrary, and she needs the redemption that the sestras give each other. 

Other notes

I see now that it wasn’t the tray table Helena smashed Coady’s face into, but the stirrup / footrest at the end of the bed.

Westboreland drones on about “I made you” yadda yadda, but he did pretty much jack shit in the creation of the clones except maybe finance and protect. The Duncans did the work.

Pretty sure that’s Sarah’s first kill.

Somewhere in the second half of my first watch of Season 5, I had this fic idea of Donnie and Helena going to the island to rescue Cosima and Charlotte (and Delphine). In that fic, Delphine delivers Helena babies, which is kind of what everyone on Tumblr wanted. Anyway, having Sarah do it here was actually a much better idea.

There was definitely infodump with Alison talking to Donnie about his new job, but I’ll kind of allow it since it involved pouring concrete floors, and... well. That is something he knows about, isn’t it?

As cool as this board is for the show, I’m not sure why it’s set up this way for them. They could store the info in a spreadsheet (Delphine already has it in the computer). The pictures are fun, but don’t serve much purpose for their research. Like, they already know they’re all played by Tatiana Maslany, so they’re not trying to figure that mystery out. But maybe Cosima just likes to look at them?

The birthday card Sarah finds is tucked into the same book that Cosima read to Kira at the end of Season 2. Was the card in there then, or was it tucked in later by Siobhan or someone else?

And I’m totally with with Felix on being upset about the boxes and the for-sale sign. Even if he’s not living there, a lot of the stuff was probably his once, just as much as hers. He deserves to have a piece of his mother to hang on to without Sarah throwing it away (which she totally would).

Évelyne’s probably doing an awful lot of this these days

According to IMDB, Lauren Hammersley is 5′9″. See, this is why Tat always looks so short. She’s surrounded by really tall people.

Sarah had nothing to be sorry about when she snapped at Alison, who was pushing way too hard at completely the wrong moment. 

Most of the Lyft and Uber drivers I’ve had would not have sat silently in the front seat like Yusef did. Rachel probably scared him into submission.

With a number like 274, I think it’s safe to assume that there were originally 300 Ledas, and 26 were either killed by Helena, by clone disease, or by something else. 

Of course Évelyne speaks Spanish. Two dialects of French, English, and German weren’t enough. 

Interesting that the babies are Arthur and Donnie, rather than Arthur and Donald or Art and Donnie. I wonder if a certain US president influenced that decision.

I have questions

Why does Coady follow this asshole, again? Why does she do things that she, herself hates, like killing Mark? What does she get out of it that she couldn’t achieve on her own or with a different crackpot? What is left for her here? What’s in it for that other doctor, too? 

(really disturbing note - had the abortion gone through, would Kira’s magical healing abilities have, uh... ? you know what, let’s not explore that too much)

Why does Sarah struggle so much with school? She’s obviously intelligent and able to focus on and achieve goals when she wants to, but academics seem to elude her. It seems logical to me that her attitude problems and academic struggles would be related. Then there’s her anxiety (called fear, but really) and terrible self-esteem, and everything spirals, but it didn’t always.

A few episodes ago, Scott or Cosima said they had 144 doses of the inoculate ready to go. In this episode, Scott’s worried about expanding the cell line any further. Does that mean they’ve used 144 doses? I doubt it. Does it mean they’re just making shit tons of it? I don’t know how any of this works.

Where is Felix living now, by the way?

Is this realistic for a glass eye?

I would’ve liked to have seen

What happened to Enger, and Art seeing it happen. More than that, though...

I think this ep could have been a solid two hours if they’d committed to it. The extra hour could include

Sarah, Helena, Art, and the twins getting out of Dyad, accounting for the dead bodies scattered around in there, and wrapping up what’s left of Neolution 

Delphine’s return from “France” and finally starting a real relationship with Cosima. I want to see them getting ice cream together.

Also Delphine taking rocks away from the babies

Helena moving into the garage

What’s the plan for Charlotte?

How Felix and Colin became a couple

and still leave us wanting more. Plus, that Delphine / Sarah scene could have found a better spot.

[formerlyrunephoenix6769]

Winter Solstice: Part 8

Yet another installment in the ongoing Winter Schnee sage. I shall be tagging it under formerlyrunphoenix6769 rwby fanfiction to make it easy to find. 

Please feel free to like, share and comment. I would really appreciate your feed back. 

                                  A Rogue Comes to Visit.

A heavy blanket of mist had rolled down the mountain enveloping the vast Schnee estate, draping everything it touched in a thick layer of moisture. No sunlight twinkled off droplets, both absorbed by the dull grey that stretched as far as the eye could see. It had been weeks since the night of her Father’s bombshell and he had remained true to his word cancelling all of her up and coming engagements.

Nestled in a deep window seat above the only working radiator in the room that gurgled and knocked, Winter stared out of the window into the foggy gloom, choosing to ignore the book in her lap and the droning of the tutor as he paced back and forth his scholarly robes flapping behind him. In the middle of the room at a small desk, Weiss listened intently absorbing his every word, her pen flying across the paper in loops and swirls as she eagerly committed every nugget of information to the page.   Outside, the trees naked of plumage reached up their blacked limbs, twisted and gnarled, like hands reaching for the heavens grasping at the last vestiges of life. One large tree seemed to ripple, as black feathers ruffled and a thousand beady eyes watched and waited.

A dark grey and black uniform passed in front of the window obscuring Winter’s view as they strolled back and forth along the promenade that ran around the mansion. She watched as one proceeded to wiggle his fingers in the granite fountain at the entrance to the path that would lead to the now half empty stable yard, his shouts causing the flock of birds to alight from their roost screeching and cawing at his rude intrusion.

No subtlety had been given in the sudden rise in security at the Schnee homestead. A private security firm rather than the usual personnel from the SDC, these men and women looked battle hardened with a steely glint in their eyes and wore their weapons openly as they proceeded on their rounds.  

The strain of providing for the extra personnel had done nothing to improve Klein’s mood either, his grumpy persona coming more to the fore as he grumbled about the private contractors and their lack of regard for the household staff as they questioned and inspected everything going in and coming out of the stately home.

Winter could only wonder at the exact nature of it as she had witnessed the stony faced sentinels skulking about the hallways of the entrances to the East Wing where their mother had been cloistered since the revelation. Even Jacques departure with Whitley, who he had taken to keeping close by his side, did nothing to rouse the Schnee matriarch from her solitude.

“Miss Schnee!” the tutor barked, cutting into her moment of reflection. “At what temperature does dust go from a solid to a liquid?”

Winter returned his question with a blank stare.

Weiss sat on the edge of her seat, her hand waving in the air, her little chest puffed out to the point Winter was fully convinced she might take flight if not for the desk grounding her.  Ignoring her sister, the tutor continued,

“I would think that as the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, you would want to know this?”

Winter replied with a haughty tone,

 “And I would think that as an esteemed tutor you would know that it is a trick question!”

Weiss lowered her hand and watched her older sibling wide eyed. The tutor turned on his heel giving Winter his full attention as a wicked smirk twitched at the corner of his lips,

“If you know so much, would you care to elaborate? I am sure your sister would love to hear what wisdom you have gleaned from your years of education.”

Rising to his petty challenge and bid to humiliate her, Winter returned the parry,

“Certainly- ” Leaving the cosy nest of the windowsill, Winter began to casually stroll about the room, “- Not all types of dust ‘boils’ or ‘melts’ at the same point. Dust, as is it collectively known, is actually a number of different types of minerals often found in individual clusters akin to its surroundings. - ”  She trailed her fingers long the spines of the books on the nearby shelf “- Therefore, its stands to reason that dust with gravity defying properties, one of the rarest types might I add, will not react in the same way that dust with freezing properties shall. The SDC has refineries across the globe, each equipped with the capability to refine each dust type as its properties dictate.”  She teased a book with the emblem of the family sigil embossed in its leather binding from its snug “- Furthermore, the SDC did not become the biggest dust extraction and refining company through sheer monopolisation but rather due to the Schnee name coming to mean excellence and the finest quality of products due to the purity of the dust crystals we provide. Monopolisation of the industry happened after the fact.  Absorbtion of our lesser competitors and implementing the Schnee Dust Company’s refining process thereby improving the quality of dust available on Renmant as a whole was merely good business practices.”

Bowing the board pointer in his hands, the tutor huffed. His features became pinched. As he opened his mouth to speak the large grandfather clock began to chime. Snapping the book closed, Winter returned it to its place before turning on her heel and leaving the room without another word.

Ignoring the security guards, Winter began to make her way down the corridor that would lead back into the main house, stewing over her predicament. Where as once over her afternoons had been filled with Violet, training, or taking to the saddle now she was expected in the parlour practising the accursed cello, the same piece of music over and over until she could play it by ear. It was a strict instruction laid down by her Father, who expected her to play the piece for him without sheet music when he returned.

How could she take up her mother’s plea to leave as soon as the opportunity arose if there was nothing she could do in the way of skills that could provide for her?

If it wasn’t for her brother being with him, she would wish the airship would explode with her father in it.  At least that way all their problems would be solved.

Behind her she could hear the soles of Weiss’ shoes slapping off the polished floor as she ran to catch up.  From in her skinny arms books threatened to spill and the spindly child tried to hug them to her chest.

“Winter.” came the whine, “Please, some help.”

Rolling her eyes, Winter plucked a few before they could cascade onto the floor. Casting a critical eye over the titles,

“What do you even need these for? Most of them are outdated.” She selected one. “Look at this one… Faunus Anatomy…” She flicked it open to a random page and began to read aloud, as Weiss scurried along side her,  “- The Faunus are incapable of learning. Due to their physiology,….. Blah blah…. the ridges in their cranium suggest a smaller brain, much akin to an animal.” Winter trailed off before snapping it closed, “- Yeah, Weiss, I’m pretty certain this is just racist propaganda.”

With a sniff, Weiss tried to take a superior tone,

“Dr Gnarls Tarquin was a great Scientist who helped discover the evolution of Grimm!”

“He was also a crack pot who died due to inhaling dust and was married to his cousin! Nearly all of his other theories have been disproved.”

Weiss’ brow furrowed at her sister’s counter argument. Hugging her remaining books tight, she tried to match Winter’s gait.

“We don’t have many books on the faunus.”

“And why are you trying to learn about the Faunus?”

“I want to know why they are different.”

“They’re not… Well, not really.”

“Why do they hate humans then? Why do they want to kill us?”

“They don’t!”

“They killed Uncle Russell and his family!”

Winter sighed,

“That was a handful of very bad people who were trying to make a statement. I don’t think that all the Faunus are like the White Fang.”

After her Father’s outburst at the dinner table, Winter couldn’t even be sure if the White Fang were responsible anymore, instead she lay a gentle hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Come on, lets go see Klein and get some lunch.” Casting a sly glance behind her, she spotted the security tailing them at a distance, “- I know a short cut.”

Rounding the corner and out of sight of the guards the teenager picked up the pace encouraging her sister to keep up, she guided the young girl down the wide flowing staircase that led down into a wide entrance lobby. Doubling back round under the staircase and beside a suit of highly polished armour, Winter pressed a panel to reveal a small door cleverly hidden within the lattice work.

She gestured for Weiss to follow. The small girl hesitated on the threshold.  

“I don’t know, Winter,”

Weiss bit her bottom lip and scratched the back of her left calf with her right foot, a dead give away she was nervous.

“Make up your mind, you boob, before those goons see us……” Winter beckoned again,  “It’s quite safe .” Winter assured, “I come down here all the time, it leads down to the kitchens.”

Coming to a decision, Weiss ducked her head and stepped into the gloom, Winter followed easing the door back into its snug so as not to make a sound.

Winter held up her finger to her lips, the heavy footsteps of the guards on the staircase dislodging some of the accumulated dust causing it to rain down, peppering their white hair with grey.

Both girls could hear the voices of the guards,

“Where the hell did they go?”

“I fucking hate this job!”

“Would you shut up!”

“I’m a solider not a glorified babysitter. This not what I signed up for!”

“ It’s a cushty gig. Great pay, bed and board and we don’t get shot at. What more do you want.”

“Dont get shot at? I’d much prefer knowing who the enemy is. The eldest one … I’ve seen that look before… You remember that Faunus village we cleared out, the exact same look….  And I wouldnt put it past the lush going off on one either. Mark my words, this house is gonna go to hell in a…”

The two girls let out the breath they had been holding as the guard’s voices faded out as they moved off. Winter took her sister’s hand, placing it on the back of her waistcoat. Making sure that Weiss had a firm grip she began leading her down the narrow winding pathway.

Weiss whispered,

“What is this? Who built it?”

Winter peered into the gloom, carefully feeling her way long the wall,

“Opa?  I don’t know , maybe an ancestor was paranoid that the local peasants would rise up in revolt and slay them in their beds?”

With a small shaky voice, Weiss whined,

“Winter don’t say that. Father says the White Fang might do that any day now.”

A slight breeze caused errant cobwebs to sway, indicating they were going in the right direction as the pathway twisted and turned. They passed a turn off to the right that Winter knew would lead to a heavily barricaded entrance to the garden. She had yet to explore all the passageway’s off shoots. Feeling a slight change in heat, the teenager took the left opening, carefully placing her feet on each stone flag that made up the staircase that spiraled round and down as Weiss held on tight.

“Father is just trying to scare you. He wants us terrified so we wont do anything he disapproves of.” In a bid to alleviate her younger sibling’s fears, she explained, not unkindly, “- Our house is one of the most secure in Remnant. The White Fang wouldn’t make a move towards this house.  We are so far in the tundra, there is no way a mass group of faunus would make it so far into the country without being detected. We would see them coming a mile away. ”

“But Father said..”

Winter pushed open the door that would lead into one of the official servants service corridors that were doted all over the house as she snapped in annoyance,

“Well Father is a liar!”

“I would be careful saying that out loud,  Miss Winter. The walls have ears.”

Both girls let out a shriek and dropped their books at the voice. Bending down to collect the books in a bid to hide her embarrassment at being so jumpy, Winter mumbled,

“Klein, you nearly gave us a heart attack.”

“Sign of a good butler that is, to be unseen and unheard.”

He comically wiggled his bushy eyebrows at the younger sibling. Taking a handkerchief out of his breast pocket he began to fuss over the pair, wiping  and flicking at errant dust and cobwebs on their grey outfits.

“

Cook made some lovely stew.”

The two girls followed him along the servant’s passageway that widened out. Down here was the warmest part of the mansion, housing the laundry and the kitchens. Bustling with activity, uniformed members of staff nodded and bobbed in acknowledgement as they passed by on their errands. A maid stopped to show Klein some stitching on a piece of linen, who wiped out an eye glass to closer inspect it. The butler nodded and praised the young girl for a job well done.  

Down here, underneath the icy cold indifference of the family they served, it was warm, light hearted  and inviting. It always put Winter in the frame of mind of a rockery. Lift up one of the frozen beautifully carved statues and underneath you would find it teeming with life.

Through one door Winter spied a group of servants polishing the silverware and candle sticks like a dust assembly line, laughing and joking with each other as they worked.

Pausing by an open door, from which wafted the smells of good cooking, Klein called out,

“Mauve, the lil mistresses are here.”

From depths of the kitchens, they heard a jovial voice boom,

“I’ll be along in a minute, deary,”

Klein ushered them further into the bowels of the house finally coming out into a large cosy looking room with a huge fire crackling in the hearth. There was a long table flanked either side with long benches. The blue slate flagged floor shone from being scrubbed. In the far corner next to the fire, a comfortable looking rocking chair and a small table with a set of knitting needles and yarn. Hanging on the walls photos, some new and shiny, others yellowed with age depicting the staff over the years and their masters. Winter paused by one that depicted a huge crowd of staff dressed in black and white old fashioned uniforms outside the front of the Schnee Estate, their faces looking stern. Winter thought she recognised their grandfather as a little boy in shorts that came just above the knees, his white hair messily standing on end.

Weiss looked around in awe at the tall back piano against the far wall. Placing her books on the table she skipped over, she went to touch the keys only to hesitate and look at the butler for permission.  He gave her a fatherly smile.

“Your mother used to come down here and play that when your grandfather was alive. He liked being down here.”

As the youngster slid onto the piano chair, Klein patted a seat on the bench closest to the fire for Winter.  Weiss began to play a beautiful and haunting melody. Never taking her eyes of her younger sibling’s erect back, Winter quietly asked,

“How is Mama?”

Klein poked the fireplace with the poker,

“Don’t fret your pretty little head. We’re all keeping an eye on her.”

Winter sucked on her bottom lip and gave a little sniff,

“I’m worried about her.” She used her finger nail to pick at a splinter in the well worn wood, “We’ve hardly seen her since….. You know..”

Before the butler could reply, a maid came in with a tray laden with bowls and thick fresh loaves and the cook, Mauve,  hot on her heels. Placing the tray on the table, the young woman nodded her head, before beating a hasty retreat and closing the door behind her.

Mauve was dressed in chef whites. Unlike the rest of the household staff she did not have a single accent of grey in her uniform. She was small in stature and rotund, moving with a swift shuffle that belied her size. White hair poked out from under her hat but it was difficult to gauge her age  due to the smoothness of her skin.  Her cheeks were red from being in the heat of the kitchens and her forearms were thick, no doubt from hauling slabs of meat and huge pans on the cooker. She hefted a  huge pot on to the table, wiping her hands on a towel that hung from her apron. With a smile and twinkle on her bright blue eyes, she cajoled the sisters,

“Now then, look at the pair of you. The two luvs look half frozen to death, Klein.” She began to ladle the hot thick stew into the bowls. She inclined her head with a smile, “Come on, Miss Weiss, sit at the table. That’s a good lass.”

Weiss slid off the piano chair and awkwardly tried to clamber over the bench as elegantly as she could in the constricting skirt. Giving up at any attempt, she sat on down on the lip, swinging her legs round, Winter lay a supportive hand to the small of her back so she wouldnt tip over on to the flagstones. Sat in her seat, she shuffled closer to Winter.

Mauve gave the two girls each a huge bowl of stew and a spoon,

“There, get that into you luvs.”

She began to take a knife to the fresh loaves, carving out thick slabs. One of the service bells began to ring out and the phone in the room began to chime.  Klein got up to answer it as Mauve began to slather the bread in huge swaths of butter. With a pout, Weiss gave her stew an experimental poke,

“What is it?”

“It’s a dish from my home town.” The cook admitted as she continued to make a pile of bread big enough to feed an army. Weiss began to dubiously inspect the depths of her bowl. Mauve ladled out some more for herself and the butler. “Its Pot stew.  Perfect dish on a cold day.”

Finished with the call, Klein squeezed Weiss’s shoulders, putting on one of his many accents,

“It will put hairs on your chest, so it will.”

Weiss let out a gleeful giggle, kicking her legs,

“I don’t want a hairy chest, cause I won’t be able to wear gowns like Mama.”

Selecting some of the bread, Winter began to tear it up, dropping it into her stew. Using the spoon she dunked it before taking a spoonful. Weiss seemed to hold back, watching and waiting for her sister’s reaction.  Biting into her spoonful, Winter’s mouth was awash with flavours, the beef was tender and the potatoes soft, the carrots and onions broke on her tongue. The homemade stock was full of aromas that set the taste buds aflame. Winter hadn't realised how hungry she was as she eagerly attacked her bowl. Not to be out done, Weiss took a spoonful only to hum delightedly at the taste. Klein threw Winter a wink as he tucked a napkin into his collar began to eat his own and Mauve watched like a proud mother hen at her hungry brood.

“Nobody on Remnant can hold a candle to Mauve’s stew.”

Winter couldn’t tell if the ruddiness of the cook’s cheeks was a blush or from the heat of the room.  Mauve swatted at Klein with her towel, who ducked and gave her a toothy grin. She poured out three glasses of  fresh water before taking a seat in the rocking chair by the fire and began to knit. The fire crackled in the hearth as Mauve rocked back and forth, humming a soothing tune. The clinking of cutlery off the porcelain as the food was hungrily devoured joined it’s chorus. Looping another thread over the needle, Mauve asked,

“What was the call?”

“It was the Mistress..”

Winter’s head shot up and Weiss spoon paused half way. Cook continued to make another loop,

“What did she want?”

“She has a guest.”

“She does?”

“I asked Gray to see to it.” He leisurely dunked his bread into the broth, “- When you’ve finished your lunch, she would like to see you, Winter.”

Winter went to stand up, only for Cook to take a mock stern tone, never looking up from her knitting needles,

“Young lady, sit down and finish your lunch. I didn’t slave over a hot stove all day for you to be running off and gallivanting about the place half starved. Not on my watch.”

Winter’s bum collided with the bench at the slight reprimand. Klein pulled a comical face to Weiss causing the young girl to laugh.

Hesitantly, Winter asked,

“Can Weiss come too?”

“Don’t see why not. Mistress didn’t say not to.”

Knitting needles clicked in a steady rhythm making a soothing sound as Winter began to wonder at who the guest could be. Weiss reclaimed one of her books, propping it against her water glass, eyes glued to the words on the page as she continued to haphazardly reach out for the bread plate. Winter moved it closer to the searching hand and stifled a laugh at the youngster dipping her slender finger tips into the butter. Mauve broke the relatively comfortable silence,

“How is your schooling?”

Before Winter could reply, Weiss began to excitedly babble about their lessons. Mauve and Klein listened intently, nodding and awwing at all the appropriate moments. Weiss announced,

“And Winter was cheeky with the tutor.”

“Urrgh , you’re such a tattle tale!” Winter gave her sister a poke in the ribs, “Klein, tell her what happens to tattle tales”

Mauve and Klein replied in unison,

“You slowly become a Grimm.”

Weiss asked, with suspicion,

“What type of Grimm?”

Once again the service bell began to tinkle. Klein cast a glance at the numerous bells set in a row up high, underneath each one a brass plaque with the name of the room written in cursive. Wiping his mouth with his napkin, the butler announced,

“I think your Mother is ready for you. It looks like she is in the conservatory in the East Wing.”

Both girls graciously thanked Mauve for the meal. Weiss hurriedly tried to collect her books only for Klein to assure her not to worry, that they would be in her bedroom later. Winter grabbed a napkin,

“Hold still.”

She dabbed at the younger girl’s mouth making sure that all evidence of lunch had disappeared. It wouldn’t do to turn up to an audience with their mother and her guest looking like a pauper. Weiss crinkled her nose at the onslaught as Winter chided,

“How did you manage to get more of it on your face than in your mouth?”

As they were about to leave, Weiss dashed back to grab the book she was reading before following her sister to the door.

“Thankyou.”

“You come down here any time you like luvs.”

 ----xx----

At the entrance to the conservatory, Winter paused to straighten her appearance and make sure her sister’s hair was perfect.

“Don’t tell Mama about the passage,” She smoothed a small wisps of hair behind Weiss ears, “- And don’t tell Mama about the tutor.” Weiss silently nodded. Winter made sure her shirt was tucked in and her black lace bow was straight, “- In fact, don’t say anything about anything, ok?”

Pushing open the glass doors into the conservatory the two girls were hit by a sweltering heat. Here their mother teased plants back to life. No expense had been spared in what Winter could only come to think was essentially a green house. It was the biggest collection of global flora in the country outside the of Atlas Botanical Gardens. Trees from Menagerie carefully cultivated sat along side bright and colourful flowers from the floating islands of Mistral. Leafy plants towered over the pair as they navigated the yellow winding paths. Somewhere the soothing noise of a babbling water feature permeated through the plant life.

Snippets of conversation drifted through the undergrowth guiding the siblings towards their destination.

Rounding past a rather wide and bushy plant from the far reaches of Vacuo that would sting you as soon as you looked at it, Winter and her sister came upon their mother bent over a flower bed, deep in conservation, her partner obscured from view,

“As you can see, the Clananis is rather deadly. It is the only plant known in human existence to feed both off Grimm and fauna. It’s sap is extremely poisonous if ingested. Even a sting from one of its barbs is known to cause adverse reactions in the brain leaving one in a depressive state.”

A heavy accent replied,

“I do believe it hails from Menagerie and is rather rare to come by?”

Willow took a long sip of her drink,

“Only in certain circles. If one is to be believed.” Willow gave a light laugh. “ It flourishes in Anima so I am told.”

Grey stood to attention beside a table laden with drinks. As the two girls approached, he gave a polite cough.

Willow turned at the interruption. Her eyes alighting on her daughters, she broke into a huge smile.

“Ah, my darlings.”  She placed her glass on a nearby table, approaching the two girls with her arms out stretched. Weiss ran forward into her mother’s arms, hugging her round the middle. Winter remained at a distance, watching as her mother sank into a nearby chaise and patted the seat beside her which Weiss eagerly took. She observed as her mother’s every action was ever so slightly delayed. Willow beckoned over Winter and her guest, “- Come sit. Ciddy, darling, These are my daughters. Weiss.” She affectionately stroked her fingers through the little girl’s long ponytail, “And my eldest, Winter. I believe you have already met?”

Winter gasped as the guest came into view. His beard was gone, replaced by a well trimmed pencil moustache and tiny goatee favoured by the upper echelons of the sea faring merchants of Silas and port towns of Vacuo. His hair was neatly drawn back into a short and low stub of a ponytail that rested at the nuque . A golden earring twinkled in his left ear and he was decked in brightly coloured clothing decidedly warmer than when the last time she saw him.

“Mr Cid!”

His face broke into a wolfish grin,

“Hello, pampered little Schnee.”

Her mother broke into loud laughter.

“That is what you used to call me.”

Berdea Cid gave a chuckle as he took the other chair,

“Amongst other things.”

Gesturing to Grey to make another drink, Willow added,

“Oh you cad.. It’s good to see that some people haven’t changed.”

 “But Mama, I don’t understand.” Winter took a cautious step forward, “- What is he doing here?”

Drawing back her long sleeves to reveal her pale arms, Willow graciously accepted her beverage,

“Don’t you remember, darling?” Willow took a sip of her drink, her eyes briefly closing in satisfaction, “ You wanted to learn the Combat Sabre …. This was the man I was speaking of.”

Berdea looked up at Winter, eyes dancing with mirth,

“I am your new swordmaster.”