#also here's finally a peek of how vale looked that night

[pralinesims]

Half a year later, but while going through my external drive I found some outtakes of my Jazz Club edit 🎷

[bliightflowers]

You have been invited to the Blood Gala! (Muse outfit boards and references)

There is also a slightly long drabble beneath the cut that takes a peek into the 3 guests' thoughts and feelings before the Gala officially started! But if you're just here for the outfits, no problem <3

First: Rosemary

Second: Vigo

Third: Benedict

Muse References

Drabbles below the cut! <3

Rose

As Rosemary sat in her camp, dabbing on makeup she'd be gifted from other Survivors, using a cracked compact mirror (likely a gift from Yun-Jin), she was reminiscing over the memory of the poor excuse her high school had once called a Homecoming. Nowhere to sit, no snacks or drinks to be seen, only deafening and horrible music that simply made her want to run rather than dance, and a crowd with people who gave her the impression of wriggling fish in a net rather than dancing guests. She wasn't about to subject herself to that pool of rude and cruel peers who were seeing how far they could push their grinding until a supervisor put an end to it. Rose left early, preferring to go home, order a pizza, and snuggle up in bed to watch a horror movie. No one had bothered asking her to prom Junior or Senior year, and she had little interest in asking anyone back, sure of rejection or mockery. Or both.

This dance, however, would be different. She smiled at herself, with light pink lips and gold powder dusting her eyes. The sparkling eye-shadow had dusted down her face, leaving glitter along her skin, making her freckles twinkle like stars.

Yes, this time, it would be different. Even though some she'd be dancing with were madmen, murderers and maniacs, she'd also be dancing with people who truly cared if she even showed up.

The smile stayed as she stood. A month long celebration. She'd been told it was September that it started.

September was here. It was the 1st.

She sighed, smile finally falling, and stared into the mirror.

" 12 days left, Rose. "

She wondered if they still celebrated birthdays here. If they still mattered.

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

Vigo & Benedict

In the very heart of the Realm of the Entity, where Vigo's laboratory stood, two Voidwalkers stared out of the window, at the forest beyond them, Vigo at the sill, and Benedict standing 3 feet behind him. The ground around the laboratory had become corrupted and infected with the evil and opposition against the Entity itself that flowed through Vigo's veins. This was his. And the rest would be too, eventually. But October was coming, once again.

That's what this attendance was. A job recruiting. He was in need of new assistants and pupils, eager to escape this purgatory, to help him with the newest harvest of putrid flowers that would grow, once more. And he didn't very much like asking old workers to come back. Most of them usually figured out his end goals by the time Samhain came and went. When November 1st rolled in, the assistants would always wake, back at their camps, no more waking in the night at the laboratory, no longer sure of the way to go to find Vigo once more.

And he could tell, this year, the amount of petals and resources would be endless. He would need many more hands to assist him. It was time to plant them in the infected ground, and see if they would grow year round.

He pushed his hair back, letting out a sigh of stress. As he ran his clawed fingers through it, gold streaks appeared, shimmering in the unnatural light of his portion of the Realm. If they did, if the flowers stayed, the outcome would be more than he could have ever imagined. Years more worth of work, ahead of schedule. If he had an endless supply--

" Lord Vigo. "

The inventor's eyebrow quirked. How annoying. Vigo turned to face the corpse-like journalist with a smile.

" Baker. Don't you look simply repulsive. "

Benedict smiles, forever completely oblivious that the remarks weren't sarcastic and that Vigo was not giving him praise.

" Thank you for the compliment my lord, " he drones. "But shouldn't we get going? "

The inventor nods. " Yes, I'm aware we should. Don't tell me you're actually excited to go? " Vigo squints. " You've never been to a dance in your life, have you? "

The journalist's obedient demeanor dissolved for just a moment, as if he wanted to swear at Vigo for getting personal. But when he realized the third eye was on him, slit-pupil thin and angry, it returned quickly, and his face resolved to a more neutral state. " ... No. When your family has ties to the Black Vale, it's hard to have much of a social life before you escaped them. " The remark is slightly sarcastic, but not enough to upset Vigo. He was satisfied enough with the response.

" My, you poor poor thing. Well, don't let anyone there hear that. They'd tear you apart. And I'm not risking my neck to save you. "

" I understand. " Benedict frowns. " Are we going now? "

" Yes. "

The two left from the ruined building, but could not be seen traveling out of the Infected Heart. Only fog that twisted into hands and a face. Only shadows that ran without an owner.

And the two whispered to each other.

" Benedict? "

" Yes, Lord? "

" Tell me about the survivor girl who adores flowers. "

" Claudette? "

" No. Not that one.

The witch. "

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness 177: Let Me Have This Moment

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Weiss and I were waiting at the airfield. I glanced around way over Weiss’s head. Travelers were coming and going. Embarking and disembarking on ships of all sorts of sizes. Massive cruisers and the lingering Atlas Battleships swept up and down onto the airstrips. Smaller private liners landed and took off like little gnats compared to the larger ships. 

“So…” Weiss began. She was searching for her words carefully. “So I was thinking.”

“Okay? This doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s nothing bad. Don’t be a coward. Well, it’s not necessarily bad.”

“Shoot.”

“I think we should stop trying. It’s been a month and nothing has come of it. And if I’m getting married within the next nine months I don’t want to get married pregnant. We can start trying on our honeymoon again. Does that sound alright?”

“That’s really your decision.”

“You have a say too.”

“Do I though?” I asked. “Could I really demand that you keep trying when you just said you don’t want to? Could I actually? Think about it. It’s your body. What you say goes.”

“Is that really fair?”

“Pretty fair. You’re the one who would have to carry the thing.”

“Baby,” she corrected. “We call those ‘things’ babies.”

“Yeah that. One of those,” I agreed. “An infant. You’d be the one dealing with hormones and weight changes and body changes and pushing it out and feeding it and mood swings. What am I gonna do? Ejaculate and evacuate? There’s nothing I could do to help.”

“You’ll be there suffering along with Ruby and I. There will be two pregnant women for you to attend to at once. You will suffer, don’t worry.”

“Yay?” I wondered. 

“So, I think we should stop trying until we have the wedding. What’s our budget look like for that?”

“Under two million?”

“You have no idea how much weddings cost, do you?”

“Under two million.”

She whacked me in the chest with the back of her hand and smirked up at me. 

“Well, yes. But with just our small group of family and friends it can’t be more than two hundred thousand. And that’s fairly extravagant for twenty or thirty people. And it’ll probably be fewer than twenty people.”

“Okay? I don’t have a very good picture of money. All my life I’ve just sort of earned it way too easily. Like way too easily. Other people struggle but I make the stuff hand over fist.”

“Plus you robbed a mob boss.”

“I did do that.”

“That’s dirty money.”

“What money isn’t dirty money? It’s all filthy. Money is kinda gross when you think about what it really is.”

“I suppose that’s true to a certain extent…”

An Atlas airship swung down into the bay in the mountain. It was a decent sized passenger liner. 

“Is that Ruby’s flight?” I asked Weiss.

“I think so…”

“Do we just wait?” 

“Well you made the sign.”

I shuffled the ‘Ruby Rose’ sign in my hands. I did make the sign. I did. Weiss and I were both in our hunter clothes which for Weiss was that white dress with a blue sash and tassels. She had her blade by her side and the little box containing Ruby’s engagement necklace in it in the palm of one hand. She opened the box and peeked inside. Then she carefully manipulated the locket so its face was just so within the box and closed it again. Then she carefully held it in one hand so the face would still be forward when we presented it to Ruby. She exhaled hard.

“Relax,” I told her helpfully. 

“Thanks for the tip,” she sassed. 

“You’re the one who’s so sure she’ll say ‘yes.’”

“I mean… probably. Right? Why wouldn’t she say ‘yes?’” 

“Don’t trip. This was your idea. Don’t start flaking on me now.”

“You’re right, of course you’re right.”

We spotted Ruby making her way off the airship with her bags and weapon on her back. She was beautiful with wolfish bangs and hair that was red just at the tips. She wore a tight corset that led down to a skirt and tight leggings but the leggings stopped above the knee and skirt only went down to about mid thigh so there was this space of white flesh shown off that was dimpled by the leggings. Her developed chest was pushed up and out by the corset and I think Weiss and I both sighed when we saw her but it could have just been me or it could have just been her. Somebody sighed was the point. At least one of us did. 

It was apparent when Ruby saw us. She jumped excitedly and paced over to us at a rush. As she got closer I was able to make out her eyes. 

Man, if Ruby thought she could just look up at me with those eyes and get whatever she wanted, then she was totally correct.

“You guys!” She ran up and threw her arms around Weiss jostling the box Weiss was holding. Weiss hugged her back and I lowered down the sign I was hefting and grinned as I watched the two of them embrace. Ruby drew back and pressed her lips against Weiss’s and I saw Weiss melt into the kiss with a smile.

“Sweetheart,” I greeted with a grin. 

She drew back and turned to me. I dropped the sign and swung her up into my arms. She wrapped her hands over my shoulders as I easily held her aloft in one arm. Then she grinned and kissed my cheek. She chased that kiss with another one on my lips. My free hand came up to her cheek and cupped it gently while I kissed her back. Then I lowered her and set her to her feet on the ground. 

“You guys! I missed you both so much. And Jaune it’s been a long time. Too long. Way too long. Never do that again!”

“Fair enough. Yeah. Fair cop.”

“Ruby…” Weiss muttered and she glanced at me. I just nodded a little with a small smile. 

Weiss and I got down on our knees. 

“You guys!” 

Weiss opened the box. 

“Ruby Rose, won’t you marry us?” Weiss asked.

“Of course I will! Finally!”

I laughed. Weiss took the necklace out of the box and stepped behind Ruby to put it around her neck.

“How are we doing this?” Ruby asked.

“No idea,” I said.

“He does too.” Weiss waved exasperatedly. “We’re going to pair off for the engagement presents and we’re going to modify one another’s weapons slightly.”

Ruby jumped a little in place.

“It’s so exciting. We need to plan the wedding and we need to invite my family. And Blake and Penny and Oscar and who else do we know?”

“I was going to invite the butler who raised me to walk me down the aisle.”

“I have no one to invite,” I declared. “Well, no one who would be appropriate to invite. Just a crowd of enemies, really. That would be interesting,” I admitted. 

“Ooh this is so exciting. I’m going to be married. Mrs. Arc. Me. And you? Weiss?”

“Me too,” Weiss smiled. “I’ll take his name as well. I’m probably ending my family name but that may be for the best.”

“And kids. How many am I allowed to have? Jaune? Weiss?”

“How about we start with one and see where that takes us…” I trailed. “If - you know, nothing horrific happens, then I don’t know. Less than five. Don’t destroy me, Rubes.”

“Nothing bad will happen. You’ll see, Jaune. Oh my gosh there’s so much to plan. Have we set a date yet? Weiss and I need dresses. And we have to get a cake organized. And what kind of cake do you two want? And instead of little figurines can we have miniature versions of our weapons on top? And where do you want it to be? Where are we going for our honeymoon? What’s our budget look like? Where are we staying? Can we buy a house? Where are we going to raise our babies? Anywhere in the whole world. Where would you two pick? Oh, I suppose we want Jaune to keep his job. So somewhere here or near Vale? Like Patch? Oh we could buy a nice big house out in Patch. Big enough for all the babies and us three. And Jaune can fly. He can really commute without a problem. And it’s such a safe job. The safest he could have gotten. I mean… the sort of missions he could be being sent on by any of the councils or militaries could just be the most dangerous. They only pass you up to harder missions the better you are. It’s such a good job. It pays well enough and he can really stay close to home and not have to travel much. What do you guys think?”

“I agree completely. He should keep his job right here.”

I glanced at Weiss. They both turned to look up at me at the same time. I sighed.

“I have to kill my dad. And I have to butcher my mom. I can’t stay teaching forever and make my family someone else’s problem.”

“Why not?” Ruby asked. “Why can’t we have our lives?”

“Weiss, come on, can you really sit back and do nothing while your family makes a mess out of things?”

“I’m not going to do nothing. But dealing with my family and dealing with yours are two seperate things. Yours is a whole mess of trouble that is never really going to get solved.”

I sighed. I looked down at them. Ruby was looking up at me with those big fucking eyes. Weiss folded her arms and raised an elegant white brow on her scar side. 

I turned away.

“I can’t do nothing. It’s my responsibility. Can you really ask me to not do anything and let more and more people die? It’s a fucking meat grinder out there. My Mother isn’t going to stop. How many other hunters should I let get blended up? I can put a stop to it. I can end this whole cycle of suffering. It’s on me. It falls on me. Ruby… would you really love me if I put it aside for someone else to deal with? If I condemned other people to face her. If I made someone else take my place. Really?” I side eyed her. “Could you really sleep soundly beside me each night knowing what I let other people face in my stead?”

When one of us looked away it wasn’t me. 

“...no…it’s what makes you a hero,” she muttered and she eyeballed Weiss. Weiss let her arms droop and sighed despairingly. “But we can have both. We can beat Salem. But we can also live our lives. I really believe that we can. I do expect you to face your mother. But not today, this week, this month, or even this year.”

“My father has to be stopped. That’s next on my agenda.”

“Marrying us should be next on your agenda,” Weiss cut in.

“I thought that was first?” I asked. “You have my accounts. You have my schedule. Just ask me. I’m yours. For this year I belong to you. But I also belong to the world. It falls on me to slice up my Mother and put an end to this train of human suffering. And humanity will grow and blossom without her withering influence. Maybe the sort of world peace the gods expect from us will happen one day and Oscar will be able to unite the world. But it comes down on me. I’m the one with the power to face my Mother and I’m growing weaker now. I was getting stronger but recently I’ve been faltering more and more. The more time I waste the more other people get hurt and my chances of success fall too. If I’m not at my best she will destroy me. Like a bug on a windshield. She won’t even need to use my sisters against me but she can. My best chance to take her down is right now.” I pointed at the ground to emphasize my point. 

“But I’m asking you to wait. We’re asking you to wait,” Ruby informed me. “Wait. It’ll be okay. Live with us.”

I breathed deeply. I… I couldn’t say ‘no’ to her. Not really. Never could. Maybe that was a weakness of mine. If I could look at her and tell her ‘no’ and start flying in my Mother’s direction I could end this today. I could still feel her out there on the edge of my thoughts. She hung like a piano over my head ready to crash down on me.  

“Fine. Yes. Sure,” I bit out. “But one day you’ll have to let me go to her…”

“We will,” Weiss whispered. “We’ll let you go.”

“We’ll release you. We will.”

“I’ll die,” I warned. “She’ll kill me,” I said without emotion. 

They said nothing. They looked between each other but I marched forward. 

“I might get her but she will get me. And if she doesn’t, then my sisters will. You have to let me go anyway. You have to let me go knowing that.”

“Jaune…” Weiss trailed. “You don’t know that.”

“Yeah. I do. And you do too,” I said. 

Weiss frowned but didn’t have a ready retort. 

“All the more reason to spend some time with us,” Ruby pressed. “Don’t you think? Just a little more time together…”

“It will never be enough, though. You have to see that. You’re always going to want more. You’re going to want even more time. No matter how much I give you it will never be enough and you’ll never be satisfied.”

“Let us have this at least,” Weiss demanded. “Don’t start leaving us now. We only just got all together. There’s no need for this. We don’t want you to go now. We want you to be with us now. All of you. Your mind and your body and your soul. Don’t start straying from us the moment we’re finally one again. Let us have this moment. Ruby just said yes to us. What more do you want? Why do you have to undermine it? Just be with us.”

“Let me have this moment,” Ruby pleaded. “This moment with you and Weiss when we’re all engaged. Let me have the moment where I see your face as I walk down the aisle. Let me have the moment where we hold our babies in our arms. I’ll let you go. I will.”

“You know that I will too…” Weiss murmured. “I can’t hold you back from your destiny. And I believe you have the power to stop Salem. I won’t stay your hand. But you have to be with us the rest of the time. You can’t be pulled apart by your worries. You need to really be with us. Not partially but all the way.”

“I can’t do that either. She lingers like a curse on me. I’ll always have to look over my shoulder… but I can give you the rest,” I promised. “And if nothing horrible happens I’ll give you as many kids as you want. Well, not as many. But quite a few. No more than I have fingers for.”

“You always have to tag with that, don’t you?” Weiss leveraged. “Something ‘horrible.’ They’re our babies. Let’s be optimistic.”

“We still don’t know if I’m not using an empty revolver.”

“Please. Little Jaune is a rifle,” Ruby cut me off. “Call a spade a spade, at least.”

“Um. Anyways,” I shrugged that ego boost off as well as I was able. And I was pretty good at it. Not gonna lie. “We tried for a month straight and nothing happened. And I’m probably the issue. Not you, Weiss. You’re young and healthy.”

“And you’re not?” Weiss continued. 

“You know I’m not. I’m old for my age.”

“Five or four,” Weiss informed me. 

“Yeah. Five,” I agreed. It really was so young. So many people got so many years. Even in our hellish world. They got to grow up. They got to live. They got to grow old. They got to die. 

I was cutting to the chase. I didn’t get to grow up. I got grown. And if I wasn’t careful I wouldn’t get to do much living as I aged rapidly. I would definitely die. All people did. All people should. Everyone got that privilege. Except for my Mother. She always had to be the exception to the rule. My Mother… my fucking Mother.

The eternal bitch. 

I sighed heavily. 

“I’m only five. I should be worried about kindergarten. And the cutest girls in class. And trying to make my parents proud. Not… not having kids, or wives, or saving the world from that alien. I’m matricidal and patricidal. And I’ll be sororicidal too. I don’t want to kill my sisters but I will. So it counts.”

“You always stack the deck against yourself,” Weiss dismissed. “You always have. You can’t see the good parts of who you are and what you do. It’s not like you asked for your family to be evil. And you take it on yourself to solve it. That’s what a hero would do.”

“You can’t see that you’re a hero. You’re blind to yourself,” Ruby pointed. “We’re going to work on that.”

“We have time, Jaune. You’ll see. You’ll have all the time you need to become a good father and a good husband before you save the world and come back to us. And you’ll see that having kids is easier than you think.”

“I… I doubt it. I bet having kids and doing a good job is hard as fuck.”

“I told you to work on your language. Start with that. We probably have just been getting unlucky but we’ll get it right. If we need to, we’ll get tested. There’s always medical programs to assist with pregnancies if we really need them. You worry far more than is healthy. I do too, I can admit that. But we have Ruby now. All together we really can figure this out. There’s nothing we can’t do. I know you don’t always feel that way. So we’ll just have to show you. We’ll show you what you’re really capable of.”

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-WG

[cecilspeaks]

156 - The Trouble with Time

‘tis better to have loved and lost Than to be slowly eaten whilst still alive. There are, on the whole, Many things worse than having loved and lost. Welcome to Night Vale.

Well, listeners, we have all been grappling with the same problem. Time has become normal in Night Vale, or as normal as time ever is. Time is pretty weird everywhere. As a result of this shift in our experience of time, none of us are remaining the same age for centuries anymore. We are aging one year per year, one month per month, one second per precious second. Every moment that passes our skin is less supple. Our mind is less pliant. Our joints ache just a little more.

The entire town is in an uproar, as we are all coming to terms with the idea of getting older. Gym memberships have soared. Everyone is talking at the same time and they’re all recommending green juice diets to each other. The City Council has tried to make ageing illegal, but it turns out this would be unconstitutional as the Supreme Court decided that slow deterioration of the mind and body is an American right.

I myself am not immune to these worries. When I think about what my life would be like after Carlos or, what his life would be like after me… These are the kinds of fears that can’t be shaken off by the light of day. That linger, even after all the shadows of evening have faded. Is love a gift in a finite world? I’d like to think so, but oh, my stomach is in knots. I’m sure your sis too.

And now a word from our sponsors. Afraid of ageing? Terrified of the tides of time? Spooked by the sequential nature of existence? Stop looking at the calendar and moaning. Sure, it may be cathartic to start every morning by picking up your alarm clock and shouting: “You are a murderer! Your numbers are murder weapons! I am the murder victim!” But it’s not helping you out. Instead, try lotion. Just lotion those limbs. Lotion that face. Got any other parts? Lotion them too. Rubbing lotion on yourself won’t stop time. It won’t end the inevitability of death. But when you die, you will be silky smooth, and folks will whispers: “Why, it doesn’t look like they’ve aged a single day.” Buy lotion now and we will send you a box of other things that will not stop you from dying, but will make you feel a little better on your way out the door. Such as fish oil pills, a pair of running shoes, and books with titles like “Get Happy Now, or Else”. Lotion – you can’t stop ageing, so settle on mitigating the surface appearance of ageing. And this has been ma word from our sponsors.

In a new press release, Night Vale resident Leah Shapiro announces the Mariam McDonald memoriam fund. This fund, in honor of the recently deceased Mariam, will be used to finally fulfil Mariam’s lifelong dream, a dream she did not live long enough to see come to fruition: the removal of all sand from the Sand Wastes.  Mariam hated the sand, thought it looked frightfully untidy, and that it made a bad first impression for folks just coming to town. She could often be seen when she was alive out with her broom, dutifully sweeping the dunes into her dustpan, and depositing the result into a black trashbag. Obviously, this was slow going, but Leah has vowed to continue Mariam’s quest. “It’s a stupid wish, a real dumb one,” said Leah. “I hate it! I hate it so much, but I don’t know, it’s what Mariam wanted. And so I feel obligated for some reason to keep after it. God, this sucks!” Leah concluded. According to the press release, the Mariam McDonald Memorial Fund currently contains 3 dollars, and is not taking donations. Well, isn’t that the feelgood story of the year? Good luck, Leah. I do hope you get rid of all that sand. Mariam was right, sand is very untidy.

And now for the Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner. So today, we will be discussing how to tell whether something is a person. Here are simple tests that can be done at home with whatever you find in your parents’ cabinets when they don’t know you’re looking. Does it grow? It’s a person. Does it bend? It’s a person. Is it square or similar to a square? That’s a person. Nodes or nodules? Person. A frank and enticing laugh? Person. Can it hold liquid? Person. Is it a dog? Yup, that’s a person too. That ooze at the back of your closet? Not a person. We don’t know what hat is, best not to touch it, best not to think on it. Perhaps it is the thinking that gives it its power. This has been the Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner.

In response to the current “time is normal” crisis, many companies are moving in to offer services to alleviate ageing. Arby’s is suggesting that a regular diet of roast beef has been shown to extend life expectancy by up to 20 years. When they were asked who showed that and how they did so, Arby’s kind of mumbled and sad that they would have those sources for us soon, but in the meantime, come on down and buy yourself a meal. 

A number of new gyms have opened up in town, promising advanced workouts that will keep the body and mind tiptop. There is an LA Fitness, also a 26 Hour Fitness, which promises workouts at any time day or night, plus two bonus hours every day that are only experienced by members. And local legend Louie Blasko has started what he calls a Crossfit gym, but it appears to be just the burned out remains of his old music store, untouched since the night of the fire. “Oh yeah,” Louie said. “You can really get a good workout in here, believe me.” His eyes flicked back and forth nervously.

A different angle is being taken by newcomer to town, Casper Rhodes. Casper says that he has conquered the ultimate obstacle: death itself. He does this by freezing the brain upon death until it can be resuscitated by advanced technologies of the future. “Cryogenics means never having to say ‘I’m dead’,” Casper declared, whirling around the red cape he wears and wiggling his eyebrows. “Oh yes, this is a completely real technology. Once you die, we simply and safely remove your bran and freeze it in here.” He indicated the disused grain silo on the edge of town. “That thing is full of brains,” he said. “And each of those brains will be reanimated to a bright and beautiful future hundreds of years from now, and you can too, for a mere 10,000 dollars. Payable upfront, no refunds offered.”

Suspicious journalists asked if they could take a peek in the grain silo and see if it was actually full of brains. But Mr. Rhodes blocked the door with his body. “Uh oh uh,” he said. “Opening the door would mess up the, uh, freezing process. Uh, wouldn’t want that to happen. You just have to trust us.” Hmmmmm.

And now traffic. It’s looking pretty clear on the roads right now. There isn’t a single car to be seen. The parking lots are barren, the highways are mere doodles of the gods without the roaring machines that give them purpose. Where did every car disappear to? We wonder this as we walk to work. Walk to school. Learning the limits and the capacity of our own legs, magnificent machines attached to our own bodies that we had long ago discounted, but now can only propel ourselves by the length of them. And then again and again, one after another. The hours pass and we gradually pass through them, and where are the cars? Did they ever exist? The factories where cars once were built are now full of robots with no purpose, arms ending in specialized tools and drills, all designed to construct a thing that no longer is there to be constructed. And so they bob and weave for nothing. In this way, perhaps, it could be said that they are dancing. To take purpose from a movement is to suggest the possibility of art within it, that perhaps the movement could have meaning merely for itself, but I ask again: where are the cars? Where did they go? Every other form of transportation still exists. Planes still claw their way into the stratosphere, while boats wobble on churning seas. Motorcycles even, given the compete freedom of the highway, tearing into the turns and straightaways at dangerous speeds, but no cars. Was it something we did? Is this our fault? At least there’s no traffic, I guess, and we’re all getting a little more time outdoors which is nice and, oh – Nevermind. The cars are back, all of them. Aaaall at once, driverless and speeding. Well, it’s nice to have them back. This has been traffic.

And now for corrections. In a previous editorial aired on this station, a reporter indicated his belief that peanut butter is a type of rock. That reporter sincerely believed, based on a half remembered lesson from elementary school that he now realizes might have actually been a cartoon he watched, that peanut butter along with sedimentary, metamorphic, and ignius was in fact one of the main types of rock. This reported harbored no ill intent when he lectured for what may or may not have been two hours about his belief that peanut butter was a type of rock. This well meaning reporter may have ignored several calls from his scientist husband, who was trying to get through to correct this completely understandable mistake. But the reporter was on such a roll that he didn’t even notice the calls coming in. Which could happen to anyone. The reporter may have even printed up posters for local schools showing the types of rock, with peanut butter prominently included. If that is the case, these schools should feel free to return the erroneous posters, or keep them, if they feel it might be in some way educational. In any case, the reporter in question regrets the error and now amidst that maybe, peanut butter isn’t a type of rock. Maybe that’s true. Decide for yourself. This has been corrections.

Casper Rhodes and his Quality Cryogenics Corporation continue to advertise their dubious service all over town. He has bought a billboard next to the Waterfront Recreation Area declaring: “A new life awaits you in the future”, with a picture of a disembodied brain that is somehow both smiling an giving a thumbs up, despite its lack of hands and mouth. The Quality Cryogenics Corporation strung a banner along the top of the disused grain silo on the edge of town saying the name of the company. Except the word “quality” has been misspelled, as has “corporation”. Listeners, I am not one to editorialize, not after the recent peanut butter debacle we’ve heard so much about. But it does not seem to me that this Mr. Rhodes is on the up and up. Nothing about this strikes me as a scientific operation, and trust me, I know from scientific operations. Despite these warning signs, a few people have in fact taken them up on their offer, including weekday shift managers at the Ralphs, Charlie Bear, whose lifetime ambition of becoming a ghost has recently curdled into a frantic fear of death. “I thought we had eternity. Now every minute spent is a minute lost,” Charlie said to me when I asked him if they had any more cilantro. So that was a bummer on my afternoon. I must warn everyone not to buy into this Casper charlatan’s lies. Cryogenically freezing brains is not going to save you. In fact, it is time for me to bust this scam wide open. I will sneak into the disused grain silo, and I will tel you what is inside. Then all of us will know the truth.

As I head over there, Let’s all head over To the weather.

[“Revolution Lover” by Left At London http://leftatlondon.com]

OK, listeners I’m.. hold on. This portable recording rig is just a little heavy. Whoo! I have got to get back to my weight training. I was deadlifting as much as 15 pounds, and now look at me.

OK, I am looking up at the towering disused grain silo on the edge of town. The silo that one Casper Rhodes would claim contains cryogenically frozen brains, destined to be reawakened in the future. Well, I’m sure Mr. Rhodes, but allow me to just check in on it myself. The door to the silo is locked with a padlock and heavy chain. Fortunately, I don’t go anywhere without my Special Reporter’s welding torch. It comes in handy more than you’d think. [welding noises] And off it goes. Another win for the first amendment. Listeners, I am opening the heavy metal doors [creaking], and inside it is dark even in this late afternoon sun. I am stepping in. [voice echoing] My eyes are adjusting and oh my god! Listeners, oh my god! The tanks are full, frozen intact human brains, attached to various support equipment, it is all completely clean and seemingly running well, this – this isn’t a scam! The great Casper Rhodes is telling the truth! Death is now voluntary, aging is meaningless! We will all see the future! We will ALL see the future!

Listeners, I must go, I must talk to my husband. We could be together forever, don’t you see? A new world awaits us in the future! I must talk to Carlos, I must! [equipment drops]

Today’s proverb: On one hand, you have skin. On the other hand, you don’t- oh man, what happened to that hand?!!

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET ‘19 EPISODE 23 VS FRUITS BASKET ‘01 EPISODE 19

Ok! We’re finally here! We’re at the beginning of the storm! I’m so nervous... I didn’t know how to do these comparisons especially the storyline in the 2001 version not syncing up completely with the 2019 version. But I’m just gonna try and puzzle piece my way through it, ‘kay? :)

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

Also, just some notes that I wanna state about the 2001 version so I don’t keep repeating myself for the next 2-3 weeks:

- I love love love the opening. It breaks my heart and heals it every time I hear it and the images of the characters by doorways/windows/alleyways looking outward and always to the side of the frame is a great artistic choice and metaphor. Also, the lyrics are just simply... everything. ‘Let’s stay together always...’

- Some of the colour choices in clothing (or even the hair) that the characters have are... interesting. I definitely find myself appreciating the newer version as you can tell they put more thought into it, even if I do think the power ranger assigned colours are kinda silly. But really? Kyo wearing pastels?! No way. ...But I kinda love it anyway. Outfit Appreciation: 2.5 stars.

- I adore the music box sounding background music. It really adds a lot of whimsy to the show and kinda reminds me that Fruits Basket in a lot of its elements takes inspiration from fairy tales. 

- The English dub voices obviously sound different and in comparison to the 2019 version, you can really tell how much they’ve all matured as VAs. ESPECIALLY Laura Bailey and Jerry Jewell.

- I also adore how ridiculous and mostly comedic the 2001 version is. Which makes the later turn in the anime so much more heartbreaking and tough to watch as it comes as such a shock compared to the tone of the rest of the anime. Unbalanced? Maybe so. But on a shallow kind of level without thinking too hard, I can enjoy it.

- I love 2001!Shigure. Again, it’s a shallow choice and I don’t deny he’s a lot more interesting and fleshed out in the manga/2019!anime. I just like 20-something year old, new-father-to-two-teens-but-he’s-not-like-a-FATHER-he’s-a-’cool-older-brother’ who likes to laze around the house in his kimono and ISN’T MENTALLY TRAUMATISING THEM. Well, without meaning to anyway... AND LOOK HOW CUTE HE IS.

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

Right! Let’s get into it! 

This is me knowing the future trauma I’m going to have to go through with this anime.

But in all seriousness, the 2019 version really captured Tohru’s depression a lot better. Especially with the later scene where she breaks down in front of Kyo in the bedroom. A+ crying from Laura Bailey, I really felt it this time. As I said, the 2001 version seemed like it didn’t wanna deep dive too much so I’m glad we get a deeper in look to the complexities of Tohru this time.

It might be a translation ‘nothing’, but I find it interesting that Kyo felt like he jinxed her. Especially linked with his comments to Kagura later about how he feels ‘no one should want to hang around him’. I mean we’ll get into the reasoning for this most likely in the next two episodes but you can probably guess why... Poor kitty.

(Also side note: Do you think that’s why - out of everyone that has been bullied in this anime - Kyo seemed the least affected by school bullies? Is it cos of his experience within the Sohma family and his curse, that he almost expects that everyone he meets would treat him like that? It’s interesting because Hana had the same thought process towards her own bullying but she never fought back... But Kyo did. I might just conclude this thought as it just being in his nature to fight back, but we’ll see...)

Also, 2001 giving us Kyo freaking out in cat form about Tohru’s fever was pretty funny. Man, they really did do an overkill with the transformations back then...

2001 really was not good at showing the gradual progress of Kyo controlling his anger around Tohru as much as the 2019 version. Yes, in the 2019 ep, Kyo was still annoyed that Tohru wouldn’t just relax and concentrate on getting better but my God, Kyo is sooooo shout-y and yell-y in this version! And I don’t wike it lol.

However I shouldn’t shit on the moment too much. I do think 2001 wanted to show us that Kyo saw how receptive Tohru was to Shigure being calmer and nicer and it kind of influenced him to take more of a gentle approach to Tohru later. Kyo being influenced by Shigure is... questionable... but whatever, it’s got good intentions! (I still like the 2019 version better)

Momiji with the oversized work outfit! He’s so adorable I could cry.

- I’m kinda bummed that the 2019 version didn’t include the ‘Kyo stealing leeks from Yuki’s garden’ moment. It’s a hilarious moment (especially with Yuki’s reaction) and it is just PEAK ‘it’s not stealing if you’re taking it from family’ energy that I adoreeee and stand by lol

Really, 2001!Kyo... are you five years old?

‘ 🎵And at most... I’m sleeping all these demons away...’

‘ 🎵But your ghost... the ghost of you it keeps me awake’

Kyo seeing ghosts of Tohru is both unintentionally funny and dramatic in both versions to me, I’m sorry. I’m really just a child.

Where do I start? Kyo being ever so dramatic with the goggles and the face mask... Shigure with the all-knowing troll look. 2001 really gave us some gems and I think we all tend to forget that.

Plus...

I. LOVE. THIS. BROTHER. DYNAMIC. (I know it isn’t accurate don’t ruin the fanfic going on in my head)

- Tohru being depressed that she wasted Yuki’s time and didn’t fulfill her mother’s wishes makes me wish she was more so just concerned about herself and how she’s gonna pass for herself? But it is very much in her character to do so, so I guess I’ll let it slide. And I guess Kyo said what I said in well... his own unique way of giving advice.

- But when it came to the actual soup porridge scene, I lean more towards the 2019 version. There’s so much said in Kyo’s body language and Tohru’s own inner thoughts. She’s really falling in love with him and she doesn’t even know it!!! 

THAT PEEK FROM HIS ELBOW?! COME ON!!! STOP IT. MY HEART. these dumb fuckin kids...

I loveee the 2019 porridge moment so much more, but this moment right here just ELEVATED the whole moment. It says so muchhhh without saying much at alllll and ohhhh this poor boyyyy...!!!!! It really took a fluffy moment and just stabbed me in the heart and I guess I respect you for that? Thanks...?

I’m so glad the 2019 version is feeding us in stupid made up songs. *chef’s kiss* haha

- I’m really glad that Kisa calls Hatori ‘uncle’ in 2019 and not ‘grandpa’ like she did in 2001. Cos as someone in their mid-twenties that shit was straight up offensive lol

The Momiji and Kyo moments are always so heartwarming in this version. My faves. <3

- Also I dunno why but I really liked Hatori, The Doctor Who Smokes in the 2001 anime. It didn’t make sense but quite honestly if anyone in this anime chose to smoke to let off some steam, it should be him. (Not an advocate for smoking)

---- Right! No more 2001 comparisons cos the episode that is equivalent to this part of the episode is also riddled spoilers for the next 2019 episode so... just normal review from here. ---

Why is it that Yuki’s insults against Kyo always hurt so much more?! They are both terrible to each other but for some reason, I always feel it more when Yuki verbally backhands Kyo. Maybe it’s the way Eric Vale practically venomously spits out these words or maybe it’s cos Yuki kinda has more privilege than Kyo so it feels like he’s kicking a literal homeless cat.

- Also, my poor boy! Definitely felt myself sympathising a lot more this time around to how weak he was feeling.

Lol I felt that exasperated breath. At least this time, Kyo doesn’t call Tohru’s umbrella ‘a sissy girly pink umbrella’. A minor improvement? (So, I might of watched a bit of the 2001 version of episode 24...)

...Need I say anything? <3

- HEADLINE: Shigure ships Yuki/Tohru and Kyo/Kagura? What is he up to...

- Kyo shouting at Kagura in the middle of the supermarket was a shitty move but Kagura mooshing his head in response was great... what a terrible but very entertaining couple lol

- Kagura’s ‘If I told you, you’d cry...’ is giving me all the heart pain. How many times can I say that I’m not ready...

I’ve seen people in the tag compare this moment to his porridge moment with Tohru and while I agree, it does seem like Kyo just naturally wanted to help Tohru compared to Kyo feeling obligated to hold hands with Kagura. But errrrm.... I just think Kyo is a good kid haha. And while I do think he CLEARLY holds Tohru in a very treasured and locked away place in his heart, he just doesn’t like it when girls cry around him and will do anything to stop it. I also think he does care about Kagura, and that he’s more so annoyed that Kagura doesn’t seem to get that he won’t love her in the way she loves him (and well... her being a tsundere lol). But I could be wrong! I’m a walking manga amnesiac as always...

*HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING*

Talk about FINALLY. They really named the episode that and made us wait until the LAST SECOND OF THE EPISODE TO GIVE US THE WORDS: ‘You look well...’

What a tease.

And we’re not even gonna get into the preview for the next episode and how three words made me tear up minutes before I had to go to a party on Friday night.

Wow. This might be the longest review so far. I don’t doubt that next week’s will be longer lol. The reason why I wanted to do the 2001 comparisons will probably make more sense next week and I will also say my thoughts on the 2001 version of the events with the umbrella and Kagura and Kyo’s date next week before I go into the review.

Jeez, this took two hours to write. WHY DO I DO THIS?!

[razieltwelve]

Club (Final Rose AU Snippet)

This is set in the Tifa/Lightning/Fang/Summer AU. In it, Ruby is Lightning and Summer’s kid, and she and Averia are half sisters.

X     X     X

“I don’t know…” Ruby lowered her voice. “Aren’t we a little too young to go to a nightclub?”

“Well, yeah,” Yang said. “But it’s the holidays. Live a little.” She threw one arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “Besides, Ruby, we’re your teammates. We’ll take care of you. Nothing is going to happen to our team leader.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “It had better not. Otherwise, Ruby’s sister is going to kill us all.”

Yang chuckled. “Relax. I’m about ninety percent sure that Averia is joking when she threatens to murder us.”

“You do realise that leaves a ten percent chance that she’s serious. I really don’t like those odds.” Weiss pursed her lips. “Still… it is the holidays, and I’m told that Vale’s nightclub scene is quite… impressive.”

“We can make it a training exercise,” Blake drawled. “After all, we will need fake identification and disguises.” The Faunus’s lips twitched. “Think of it as an infiltration mission, Ruby.”

“An infiltration mission?” Ruby nodded slowly. “I guess…”

X     X     X

Watching Yang and Blake sway together to the rhythm of the music, Ruby was convinced that Vale’s nightlife was truly the greatest thing ever. That belief was only reinforced when Weiss dragged her onto the dance floor. Ruby was more than a little self conscious, but it was hard not to stare at Weiss. The other girl was a natural dancer, confident and poised, assured of her own skill. Even with her disguise hiding her distinctive features, Weiss drew no small amount of attention. Ruby huffed and moved closer. Setting aside the fact that she’d been ogling her teammates, she did not like other people doing the same.

Alas, things were about to take a dramatic and unfortunate turn.

“Come here,” Yang said as Blake moved over to Weiss. “When was the last time we danced, Ruby?”

Ruby gulped. Dust, Yang looked good, and the thin sheen of sweat that covered her skin only added to her appeal. Unable to formulate a coherent response, Ruby allowed Yang to pull her over.

“Heh.” Yang smirked. “You’re cute when you’re nervous, but you need to relax. Just follow the music -”

BOOM.

Pandemonium erupted as the wall of the night club exploded. People scattered as a handful of masked figures staggered to their feet amidst the rubble. They were holding weapons, and their Auras were large enough to mark them as threats.

“On the ground!” someone screamed. “Drop your weapons and surrender! Now!”

“What the hell?” Yang moved in front of Ruby. “What’s going on?”

“Get over here!” Weiss hissed, waving them toward the bar where she and Blake had sought shelter. The thick, heavy wood should be able to stand up to most weapons and even a few grenades. “Come on!”

Ruby and Yang leapt over the bar and then peeked over it.

“Screw you!” one of the men screamed back. “Atlas dog!” There was a thunderous roar as he raised his weapon, a large machine gun, and opened fire. “Die!”

To Ruby’s disbelief, a glyph appeared in mid-air, warding off the attack before a handful more appeared around the masked men. A split-second later, a graceful form blurred between the men, striking with expert speed and precision. Two of them went flying, but the other four managed to hold their ground. Another glyph appeared, and there was a brief flash of light before the creators of the glyph became visible.

It was a woman… one who looked an awful lot like Weiss.

“Winter?” Weiss murmured. The others looked at her, and she continued. “She’s my older sister. She’s a specialist for Atlas, but what is she doing here?”

“Surrender,” Winter said. “We have this place surrounded. I’ve already knocked two of you unconscious, and you four won’t last much longer. Make this easy on yourself.”

“Easy?” One of the men growled. “I’ll show you easy!”

There was a low, ominous rumble, and the ground began to shake.

“Is that an earth-manipulation Semblance?” Ruby asked. “Come on. We have to help.”

“Wait!” Weiss put one hand on her arm. “If this is official Atlas business, we need to be careful. My sister can handle this and -”

Lava burst out of the ground.

“Okay.” Weiss gaped. “Maybe we should help. I mean… I know my sister is very capable, but there is now lava coming out of the ground.”

“That was a mistake.” Ruby tensed. She knew that voice. A spike of crystal lanced through the masked man’s shoulder. The attack disrupted his concentration, and the lava stopped. More spikes struck the other men, pinning them in place without hitting anything vital. Averia stalked into the nightclub, several more of Saviour’s crystals floating around her. She glanced at Winter. “I thought you said you had this under control.”

“I did,” Winter countered.

“They blew apart the wall of a nightclub, and there is lava over there. I’m not sure that qualifies as under control.” Ruby agreed, but she kept quiet as Weiss fumed. “Still, it’s over now.” Averia’s gaze drifted over the nightclub, and Ruby’s face paled. Averia had Saviour on. Saviour would definitely know they were there. Averia would know she’d snuck into a night club. They needed to leave. They needed to leave right now -

“Ruby, stand up.” Averia turned toward the bar. “That goes for the rest of your team too.”

They exchanged frantic looks. Should they pretend they weren’t there? It might work and -

“I am going to give you five seconds before I start firing crystals at you. Rest assured, Saviour has perfect aim. You are going to be in a lot of pain, but it’s not going to be anything fatal or permanent. Stand up.”

They stood up.

Averia’s eyes narrowed. “Your disguises aren’t half bad.” She glanced at Winter as the other woman finished ordering some of her subordinates to take the men into custody. “But you really should have borrowed some of Diana’s tech.”

“Uh…” Ruby winced. “Please don’t tell our moms.”

Averia’s lips curled. “We’ll see.” She pointed at Weiss. “You might want to speak to your sister, Winter.”

“Yes.” Winter scowled. “I think I will.”

X     X     X

“On the upside,” Yang said. “At least we’re not dead.”

“Yet,” Ruby muttered glumly. “Once my moms find out, I’ll be grounded forever.”

“Do you think Averia is going to tell them?” Blake asked.

“I don’t know, but I just realised that my Tifa Mom has a stake in that nightclub. Once she hears about what happened, she’s going to review the footage, and then she’ll know I snuck in, and then I’m doomed.”

“What about Weiss?” Blake asked. “She still looks a little shell-shocked.”

The fourth member of their team hadn’t said a word after the grilling she’d gotten from her older sister.

“Like I said,” Yang repeated. “At least we’re not dead.” Her scroll began to ring. “Oh crap…” she murmured. “That’s my mom. How does she already know?”

The air beside them split as a portal appeared.

“We should run,” Yang said, leaping to her feet. “Like right now - erk!”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Raven drawled. “So… you four snuck into a nightclub, huh? Tell me everything.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

Poor Ruby. She just can’t catch a break. On the upside, it could have been worse. It could have been Lightning helping Winter. Then they’d definitely be dead.

You can find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, and Amazon. You can also find my thoughts on writing, education, and other subjects at my blog.

[bunchamunchafaunus]

- [ Video Log; 1: First Week ] -

Static quickly clears to reveal a young man seated at the edge of a bed. His grey hair a mess, multi-colored irises staring at the camera, tired bags under his eyes. Shirtless with a green tornado tattoo surrounding one of a yellow lightning bolt down the center of his chest. The slightest peek of a tattoo of a red flame on his right arm over the elbow, a blue waterfall on his left in the same location. He’s silent for a time, looking down to the floor below as he simply breathes.

Clearing his throat he finally lifts his head to look forward and takes a deep breath.

“Roy Gaia, age twenty-one. Today is my sixth day on the NeverCondor since we left Vale, it is currently ten forty-nine at night, and I am currently in my designated room for my time as part of this crew. Not a whole lot in here, not yet anyway. Everyone says that they started to fill in their rooms with ‘personality’  the more stuff they did while part of the group. Some have pretty interesting things in their rooms, I’m not gonna lie.

One of the crew, this shy young man, seems to be in his late teens, has a couple plants in his room in these really nice pots. Some bushes for berries, a bed of roses, even a Bonsai Tree. Don’t know how he keeps it alive with how sensitive I’ve heard those things are, but he says it’s been with him as long as he’s been part of the crew. Really peaceful in there, smells wonderful. Though there was an odd pile of blankets and pillows at the foot of their bed and even underneath, I’m not entirely sure what that’s all about but it’s all just... there... S-Sorry, kinda went on a tangent, I-uh... I’m not feeling the greatest right now...”

He shakes a little as his arms raise to cross in front of his chest and grab onto the opposite side’s shoulder. During his pause also taking a breath before trying to swallow down a lump he felt form in his throat.

“Used a little too much of my Dust today, and we’re running a little low on available reserves. So we’re currently on a course to restock and maybe get a little bit extra so that they can feed me a little better, keep me going.

The cooks of the crew found it a little odd that I needed to consume Dust with my meals, but I don’t blame them at all honestly. Still though, they agreed and said they could do it, just they’d be serving me my meals a minute or two later than everyone else. They need to separate my meals and prepare them with the extra ‘ingredients’ so they don’t accidentally feed dust to anyone else. Safety first and all. It’s understandable and reasonable. The further into my stay with the crew the more efficient they’re going to get with the whole process, the faster I’ll be getting my meals then, just some things people need to get used to.

Anyway, I’ve got a soup on the way with a little bit of Dust in it that will get me through the night and into tomorrow. I intend to do these once a week, so I would’ve gotten to this tomorrow I guess. Just I felt like I should do this recording now when it was fresh in my mind and I was waiting for something, then I could send it out later tomorrow... Peri, Rhine, Love you both.” Roy gives a weak smile for a few seconds before leaning forward with a hand reaching out and finger extending to tap. The video ends.

[catboythanatos]

alright, the only thing i could think of when i read this was: valentine's day. but i honestly have NO idea what the hell valentines day even is in night vale, so it took me quite a while to actually come up with a fic idea from that. eventually i thought of this, and i later realized that it doesnt fit with the real timeline of the show (for some reason i thought that "valentine" came after "one year later" and that carlos and cecil were together at this time, but that is not the case) cause we know that carlos listens to cecils show so he probably would have learned what valentine's day was from that before they ever got together so this situation, canonically, was avoided. but just for a moment let's humour me and imagine what would have happened if it wasnt...

@thefollow-spot asked: Night Vale cultural differences, what are some weird Night Vale romance traditions that still freak Carlos out/has Carlos grown accustomed to it by now?

Carlos was a little apprehensive, having learned that some holidays in Night Vale weren't the same as in the rest of the world, but when he saw normal-looking Valentine's Day stuff at the store in early February, he decided to give it a try. He even found a card with an anatomically correct heart on it, much to his scientific delight. On top of the bleeding, realistic image of the heart were the words: Be my Valentine? in an attractive gold lustre.

The cashier grimaced and eyed him up with apparent disgust as she rang him through, but did not comment. Carlos thought she may have just thought that romance was lame, or possibly she was grossed out by depictions of bleeding human organs. He should have known this was not a proper assumption to make in Night Vale.

The look of shock and horror on Cecil's face when his new boyfriend turned up on his doorstep with flowers was not exactly what he was expecting.

The scream, too. There was a scream. A panicked, terrified scream. Cecil’s face then drained of all and any colour, and he put a hand over his mouth to silence himself. In two or three seconds of sheer panic, Cecil breathed heavily into his hand. He clenched a fist at his side. Then he unclenched it. Then, he reached forward and slapped the flowers and the chocolates right out of Carlos’ hands.

Carlos looked down at the expensive chocolates that had spilled out on the sidewalk, deeply troubled and at a total loss for words.

He heard a gasp and he looked back up to see Cecil tearing up his card, the many tiny pieces fluttering down to his feet. The world around him had stopped feeling very real.

“What are you doing?” came Cecil's voice, now very near his face, tone hushed and frantic.

“What am I doing? What are you doing?” Carlos gestured to the upsetting sight below their feet.

“Carlos, you can't--” Cecil cut himself off, grumbling with apparent frustration. He glanced around nervously, before grabbing Carlos quite un-gently by the collar.

“Cecil, wh--”

Cecil pulled him inside and locked the door immediately behind him. “It's not safe out there," he whispered. "I think you should stay here with me.”

Carlos chuckled breathily. “Oh, Cecil.”

But Cecil scowled, looking about ready to slap him as he let go of his shirt. “Not now, Carlos! It is Valentine's Day, this is not the time to be getting romantic!”

Carlos blinked.

“What were you even thinking? Do you know what would happen if I was designated to be someone's Valentine?”

“Someone's… Cecil, you silly thing, you’d only be my Valenti--”

“Carlos!”

“What?”

“You can't say those words! Don't-- don't you care about me? How could you wish me to be…”

“Cecil, I-I have no idea what you're talking about. I just wanted t-to give you--”

“Heart-shaped chocolates? On--” Cecil’s voice dropped to a hushed whisper “--Valentine's Day?”

“Cecil, I don't--”

“Do you have any idea what happens to someone who is designated to be someone else's Valentine?”

“No? I have… absolutely no idea.”

“Do you know?”

“No! I seriously don't know! Are you going to tell me?”

Cecil said nothing. He was pacing back and forth now. He peered through the peephole in the door, a look of crushing fear and panic set on his features.

“I'm sorry...?” Carlos tried.

Cecil turned to face him, sighing. He allowed himself to calm finally. He breathed deeply for a moment, and when he opened his eyes, he was frowning. Carlos was frowning too.

“Where I'm from,” Carlos explained, “Valentine's Day is a day dedicated to love. You go out and buy gifts for the people that you love -- like chocolates, and their favorite flowers… And then you maybe go for a nice dinner or something. I only wanted to do a nice thing and--and take you out on a date. I can only imagine that it is not like that here. Like, at all. I maybe should have looked into it a little bit more before showing up here and freaking you out. I'm sorry.”

Cecil didn't seem to know where to put his hands suddenly as Carlos’ words finally reached him. The colour was returning to his cheeks now, generously donating a little bit of extra red.

“I…I'm sorry for freaking you out, too, I guess,” said Cecil. “I-I had no idea.”

“Being someone's Valentine…”

Cecil winced.

“...isn't a real thing! It's just like, something that people say. I don't really know what the heck it even means. I'm sorry that I… put you through that. I don't know what Night Vale's Valentine's Day is and honestly, after your reaction, I'm not sure that I want to know? I just am going to say that I am so, so sorry. Valentine's Day, to me, is about … appreciating the people you love. I'm sorry if it didn't exactly come across that way.”

“No, Carlos, I… I appreciate that -- I appreciate you -- so much,” Cecil said, taking Carlos's hand. “I didn't know there was such thing as a pleasant, date-night Valentine's Day. Like, that’s crazy! And amazing! That sounds so much nicer than this, what with all of the bodies in the street right now.” Cecil laughed.

“All of the what?”

Cecil put both of his hands in Carlos's, looking him in the eyes. “We can still have a date. Kind of. Maybe not out there.” Cecil peeked outside the door again. “Yeah, let's definitely not go out there.”

Carlos wanted to look, but Cecil stood in front of the door, pushing him away. “Ugh. Don’t. Valentine's Day corpses are a total mood-killer.” He rolled his eyes.

Carlos opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He blinked a few times. “Right…” He peeled Cecil's hand off of his shoulder.

“Now, tell me more about your romantic Valentine's Day, Carlos,” Cecil purred, replacing the hand and guiding Carlos into his house.

Carlos felt himself beginning to sweat. “Are you sure there isn't… something else we should be doing? You mentioned… corpses? People are dying? Shouldn't we… help?”

Cecil shook his head solemnly. “There's nothing we can do. Once a Valentine has been decided… There's nothing anyone can do.”

“Cecil, I seriously don't know what being a Valentine means here but I am very, very concerned.”

Cecil started to rub Carlos’ shoulders. “It'll be okay. We're safe here.”

It was hard for Carlos to tell which one of them he was trying to convince.

Carlos eventually allowed himself to relax into Cecil's touch. This was fucked up, definitely, but for Night Vale, it was pretty much just another Wednesday. He was having trouble deciding which things to be concerned about these days, because if he let himself be concerned about every little concerning thing that happened around here, his mind would explode.

“Okay,” Carlos said, breathing a sigh. Cecil rubbed the tension slowly out of his shoulders, and he started to feel more relaxed. He also started to feel guilty about feeling relaxed while people were supposedly dying outside from some unknown cause.

“Happy Valentine's Day,” Cecil murmured. Carlos could tell the words were foreign and devoid of the same meaning to him.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he murmured back, feeling just as confused.

It was actually a nice moment, until Carlos heard faint screaming come from outside, making his skin crawl. “Are you sure we shouldn't--”

“I'm sure.”

Carlos leaned uneasily into Cecil's chest. He had a feeling it was going to be a long Wednesday.

[texanredrose]

Blood Bond (HfH P1:3)

Ruby sighed, flipping through the pages of the journal, though she couldn’t claim to be absorbing even one word of it. The motel room ceiling fan turned slowly, creaking every now and again, providing the only other noise in the room. Finally, it appeared Weiss had enough.

“I’m going outside,” she said, sitting up and getting off the bed, heading for the door. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“It’s only been two days.” Knowing better than to let the angel wander off on her own, Ruby got up and followed, closing the door as they went out into the parking lot. “Sometimes, it’s like this.”

“Sitting around, waiting?” Weiss threw her arms wide. “What are we even waiting for? We’ve searched every newspaper and there’s no mysterious deaths or sudden changes in behavior or luck, nothing to indicate something supernatural going on at all.”

“Dad sent us here.”

She opened her mouth and then immediately clicked it closed, not wanting to touch the subject of the sisters’ absent father. Yang had already gone through the whole process of chewing the angel out after one thoughtless comment and trying to keep the two from yelling at each other had nearly ran Ruby ragged in the few short days they’d been travelling together. At this point, she’d lost count of who started the little spats between the two, but she ended up being the one putting a stop to them more often than not.

“I was under the impression that we came out here for some sort of message. Not for a job to hopefully show up,” Weiss eventually said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I just hate the waiting.”

“Yang, too.”

“Yes, but she has a car.” With a sigh, Ruby turned to head back into the motel room until something caught her eye, leaning up against a tree at the edge of the parking lot. Brows furrowed, she started towards it, tilting her head. It appeared to be a bow of some sort- the weapon kind, hewn from wood with decorative markings along the curve. “Where are you going?”

“Look at this.” She knelt down, looking around and finding the motel just as empty as when they’d pulled up two days ago. Besides that, the thing looked old, as if it’d been left out in the weather for far too long. Moss had even started growing on part of it, and she brushed it off with ease before picking it up. “This thing must be ancient.”

“I’ve seen those markings before.” The angel’s brows pulled together as she accepted it when Ruby handed it to her. “It’s... been centuries, but I’m quite certain these are from a tribe that used to occupy this area.”

“You mean from before Vale was unified as a kingdom? Really?” She accepted the bow back, examining the string- which remained remarkably intact despite the age, having yellowed long ago. “What’s it doing out here?”

The roar of Yang’s engine as she pulled into the parking lot registered dimly but only truly earned her attention when the squeal of brakes being slammed on made her head snap up, in time to catch her sister practically jumping out of the driver’s seat.

“What are you two doing!” Her hands reached up, burying in blonde locks as a mix of frustration and panic came over her expression.

“We found a bow-”

“Cursed objects one-oh-one, Rubes! If it looks ancient and out of place, it’s probably cursed!” She jabbed a finger at the thing in her hands. “Whatever you do, don’t touch it!”

“I-” She glanced down at the bow. “I knew that. But it’s not cursed! Right, Weiss?”

“Of course it’s not cursed.” The angel set her hands on her hips and scowled. “If there was anything malicious about the thing, I would’ve felt it.”

“Oh, yeah, like you can fly, right?”

“Must you throw that in my face every time? I’m getting stronger!”

“Yang!” Ruby held it up, pointing at it to emphasize her point. “It’s just a bow, probably one of those novelty knock offs from that ‘authentic’ shop up the street and left out in the rain. There’s nothing cursed about it.” She waved it around. “See? Nothing’s happening.”

“Okay, first off, not every curse is instant. Secondly, we’ve got work to do, so stop playing with it anyway!” She jerked a thumb towards Bumblebee. “We might actually have a job.”

“Oh thank the Lord,” Weiss said, heading towards the car immediately. “Another demon?”

“No, probably not.” Yang sighed and drug a hand down her face. “Way more annoying, if the info’s right.”

“More annoying?” Ruby tilted her head while going to join the others, having dropped the bow beneath the tree. “What’s going on?”

“Alright, pop quiz time, for both of you.” They all climbed into the Camero, pulling out of the parking lot. “Local bar got roughed up by a group of leather wearing assholes with attitude problems. None of them are locals and no one knows where they came from. Sound familiar?”

She hummed, mentally pouring over the information she’d studied in the journals while the angel put forth her own guess.

“Sounds like mortals.” She scoffed. “Are we community police now as well?”

Ruby snapped her fingers. “Vampires!”

“Excuse you.”

“Vampires- remember how when we came into town, they mentioned the local cattle auction was canceled?” She turned in her seat to look back at Weiss. “Vampires operate in groups, they’ll usually use cattle to supplement their thirst for blood, especially when they have newly turned vampires in a low population area. It draws less attention. They wear leather to sorta explain away why they smell like cows. Uh, they’re also hyper aggressive, which would explain trashing the bar.”

“Good!” Yang nodded with a smile. “You pass, Sis. That’s what I’m thinkin’. Go ahead and bring up missing persons reports from this area of Vale; sounds like they have to have at least one newbie to account for the cattle kills.”

With a nod, Ruby pulled out her scroll and started doing the requisite research.

“How on Remnant did you father guess that they’d come this way?”

“Probably the auction- large amount of cattle waiting to be shipped off.” The blonde shrugged. “Would definitely be a draw for a batch of vamps looking for easy food.”

“Uh oh.” Silver eyes darted over to her sister, a frown curling her lips.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“I’ve got at least twenty people going missing in a hundred mile radius of this town. Majority are young and fit- and these are only the ones reported. Some are as recent as yesterday; they’re disappearing at almost one a day.”

“That... sounds like an abnormally large number.” Weiss leaned forward from the backseat, peeking over Ruby’s shoulder. “Vampires were nearly wiped out almost two centuries ago by hunters- I remember watching that bloodbath from Heaven. Since then, they’ve only survived by remaining in small numbers, correct?”

“Oh, you’re reading the journals, too? That’s good.” Yang pulled a face, equal parts surprised and impressed. “I mean, yeah, hunters have banded together to hunt vampires at least once every twenty years or so, and the last one hardly turned any up.” She glanced at both of them. “Honestly? If there are twenty new vampires, I’ve never seen or heard of a group that large in almost a hundred years. Dad and I hunted two a few years ago, and they seemed pretty convinced that they were the last of their kind. Kept going on and on about how we were going to make them extinct.”

From the silence that followed, Ruby stopped reading through the various missing persons reports so she could be prepared for the impending argument.

“Alright.” The frustration in the angel’s voice made her take a surreptitious breath. “Humor me. Why are vampires hunted so vigorously by mortals?” Weiss settled back. “Because, frankly, I don’t see much difference between them and any other predator out there, and that’s including mortals.”

Much to her surprise, Yang didn’t immediately shoot back a smartass response, instead humming. “Well, for one thing, they like to snack on humans and Faunus. That wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t insist on draining their food source entirely, so the whole ‘killing people’ thing is a mark against them.” She sighed. “On top of that, they’re immortal, so there’s a direct correlation between how many vampires there are and how much blood they need to survive, and it skews a helluva lot higher for each vampire that’s around.” Then a shrug. “But, really, I think the part that pisses us off most is that they have a complete disdain for what they used to be and usually express that by making mortals’ lives hell even when they aren’t outright killing them. Take for example the bar from last night.” She looked up at the rearview mirror. “So, really, you’re right. They can be just as cruel as people, and people can be crazy as hell to begin with, but vamps don’t learn and they can’t die of stupid near as often as a human or Faunus. Like, uh, take a poacher for example. Yeah, not much difference between them and poachers- could pretty easily not be dicks but choose to be anyway. Problem is, a poacher can get gored by a rhino. Unless you behead a vampire, there’s no stopping them, and most people think you’re supposed to stake the bastards.” 

“And why is that?”

“Oh, I actually have a theory about that!” Ruby turned in her seat, relieved that this time the conversation didn’t immediately devolve into an argument. “I’ve been reading a lot of the vampire lore and public perception of vampires started shifting right around the time the first purge happened. I think that there were enough vampires in higher society positions who managed to hide and used their influence to basically rewrite their own lore, make it easier for them to survive in the coming decades by making the things that could kill them more scarce.” She wiggled the scroll in her hand. “Nowadays, everyone thinks a clove of garlic and a wooden stake is enough to fight a Vampire, and no one thinks ‘behead them’ at all. That’s attributed to zombies.”

“Which, interestingly enough, those are the bastards you have to stake,” Yang said with a chuckle, glancing at the passenger seat. “I’m impressed, Rubes. That theory sounds pretty solid to me.” She paused, seeming to fight with herself for a moment before continuing. “Do we really seem like animals to you angels?”

Crap.

“It’s not an accurate comparison, I’d say,” Weiss replied, her voice a touch pensive. “But I spent so long watching wars and massacres, some of which perpetrated in God’s name. I liked to convince myself it was demons at work but sometimes... not even I could explain the cruelty of mortals.”

“Like I said.” Yang shook her head. “People are crazy.”

Yang pushed through the door of the bar, holding it open long enough for Ruby and Weiss to file in behind her. Immediately, she noticed how every set of eyes in the room snapped to them, tension rising quicker than a river during a flood.

“Sorry,” she said, offering her characteristic smirk. “We’re not the strippers you ordered. Didn’t mean to disappoint.”

“Very funny.” The bartender groused, still far too tense. “What can I get you stranger?”

“Not thirsty, but you might have what I’m looking for anyway.” She pulled out a twenty lien card, sauntering over to the bar and tapping the card against the wood. “Some people just passed through. Rough customers, troublemakers, probably were way too loud- ring any bells?”

He regarded her for a moment, the flash of disgust that washed over his expression far too telling. Then he took the lien from her and nodded. “Yeah. They were here last night.” His lips curled into a sour frown. “Friends of yours?”

“Hardly,” she replied, the jovial lilt of her voice and expression dying instantly. “I own a night club a few towns over. Those bastards trashed my place while I was handling some business elsewhere. Since I’m shut down for repairs, I thought I might... negotiate their payment plan for my reimbursement.”

“Oh yeah? If you can get double for me, I’d appreciate it.” He jerked his head towards the corner of the room, where a few broken tables and chairs were stacked up on a shattered pool table. “They also broke two of my bouncers’ arms when we tried throwing them out. I don’t know who fed those assholes their wheaties but I’d like to give that person a punch in the face.”

“I hear ya.” She shook her head. “Can’t have anything nice nowadays without some jackass coming around to fuck everything up.” Yang scratched at her jaw, glancing behind her and noting that Weiss had disappeared against while Ruby seemed to be only half paying attention, silver eyes discreetly glued off to the side. She didn’t seem tense, though, so that could only be a good sign. “Any idea which way they went?”

“Nah, they didn’t arrive in a car.” The bartender threw his arms out wide. “They just showed up, walked in off the street, and went off into the night once they were done making my life hell.”

Yang’s brows furrowed. While the open field across the street wouldn’t make getting to or from the place difficult, there remained the issue of where the nest had to be for them to not bother with any form of transport. If their net was being cast a hundred miles out, that seemed like much too far for them to have the nest this close.

“How many showed up here? I had, uh, I think it was five-”

“Yeah, five guys and two gals, six of ‘em with bad attitudes.” His brow furrowed, pressing his lips together for a moment. “I’m not sure about the gals- or one of ‘em, anyway. She didn’t look like she wanted anything to do with the others but didn’t have much choice. When you go... collect your dues, try to give her a head start runnin’. I wouldn’t be surprised if those assholes had plucked her off the street; ‘s how Billy got his arm broke, trying to get between ‘em and her.” He reached under the bar and produced a small stack of lien, at least half a grand’s worth. “And she slipped this to Nancy before they left. Not enough, but a sight better than what I coulda had.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. I mean, people make mistakes.” Dissent in the ranks it sounded like; they could probably use that to their advantage. “Oh, uh, one more thing.” She leaned against the bar, cocking her head to the side. “Did they bring in anything with ‘em?”

“Yeah, wine bottles.” He shrugged. “Had to be alcohol; they just got worse the more they drank, the louts.” Putting his hands up, the man shook his head. “Honestly, I only let ‘em bring it in because I thought it would keep ‘em from causing a scene. Hindsight is twenty, twenty, I guess.”

“I hear ya on that.” Another glance behind her confirmed that Weiss had returned which provided enough of a cue. “If I manage to find the bastards, I’ll be sure to... pass along your displeasure with them.”

“Thanks.”

Turning around, Yang lead the way back out of the bar, taking the steps quickly and turning to follow the sidewalk rather than heading straight towards Bumblebee.

“We have a shadow,” Weiss said, more than juiced up enough to essentially be their unseen guardian. “She was watching you particularly closely the entire time.”

“Is she flinching?”

“No.”

“Then probably not a vampire,” Ruby said as they turned the corner, ducking down the narrow alley between the bar and the general store beside it. “But-”

“But, she could be one of the older ones.” Yang frowned, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a silver knife already drenched in dead man’s blood. It wasn’t exactly ‘fresh’ but she figured that would be better rather than worse. “Ruby, keep going around back. Weiss, stay with her, and if you can give me a little cloaking, I’d appreciate it.”

They took the next turn to head behind the bar and she immediately stopped and pressed against the wall. In broad daylight, they had about equal footing, because if their shadow was a vampire, she wouldn’t be at full strength with the sun overhead. All Yang had to do was make sure no one saw them, which Weiss should be able to help with, but that was banking on a little bit much in her opinion. They had converted a whole damn gallon to holy water to ensure the angel had enough juice.

The scuff of boots hurrying toward the corner made her tense and, at the first sight of the person coming around, she sprang into action, grabbing onto a thin wrist and yanking, using her heavier weight to force their shadow against the wall, the knife held against her throat.

“Wait, wait wait wait, please!” Wide amber eyes held far too much fear for any immortal faced with a woman and a knife but Yang didn’t let up, expression pinched into a severe scowl.

“Why are you following us?”

“I’m sorry, please, don’t kill me-”

“Why are you following us?”

“Because I’m looking for them too!” Black feline ears twitched, laying down and to the side, a position that lent credence to the pleading in her voice, and thick raven hair cascaded over her shoulders, covering some of the threadbare parts of a jean jacket that had seen better days. “The group- they kidnapped my friend.”

Yang narrowed her eyes, absently noting that Ruby and Weiss had returned. “Lift your upper lip.”

No startled question followed and that made her suspicions rise because she could see in the Faunus’ eyes that she recognized what Yang was looking for with that request. “Please-”

“Do it.” She tilted the knife a bit closer, quite nearly biting into the Faunus’ neck.

“Okay!” Slowly, she raised a hand. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She reached up, grabbing her upper lip and lifting it, showing off perfectly healthy gums with no holes. “See? Not one o’ ‘em.”

With a nod, Yang pulled back the knife and leaned away, but her forearm firmly against the Faunus’ chest, pinning her in place. The Faunus seemed too genuinely terrified to be a hunter but she seemed to know enough about vampires to understand what she was looking for with that request. Something about the whole situation made her stomach turn. “What’s your name?”

“Blake. Blake Belladonna.”

“Okay, Blake.” She released the pressure entirely and put the knife back inside her jacket. “Go home. Now.”

“I can’t-”

“That really wasn’t a request.”

“Those monsters kidnapped my best friend!” Blake pressed her lips into a thin line, obviously becoming angrier now that she wasn’t scared out of her wits with a knife against her throat. “I’m not just leaving!”

“Monsters?” Ruby chimed in, stepping up and crossing her arms over her chest. “What- what makes you call them that? I mean, they’re awful people, but monsters?”

“‘Awful people’ won’t leave tips and give unsolicited advice that turns out to be wrong.” She lifted an arm, sweeping it wide out to indicate an unspecified direction. “Awful people don’t rip a cow apart with their bare hands and- and-”

“You saw them feed,” Yang said, muttering a curse under her breath and passing a hand over her face. “Shit.”

“Then- then you know.” Blake’s shoulders fell, a bit of fear creeping back into her voice. “You know those monsters are...”

Ruby stepped up, laying a comforting hand on the Faunus’ shoulder. “They’re vampires, Blake.”

“Oh God...” She put a hand to her head, running her fingers through her hair. “Ilia... no...”

Yang felt for her, she did. It had to be awful knowing someone you cared about wasn’t killed but rather turned into an absolute monster. But no amount of sympathy would undo that curse and, now that they had confirmation, they had a lot of work to do to find the nest.

“Look, Blake. I’m sorry about your friend.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But there’s nothing you can do. Just go home.”

“You don’t understand.” Blake shook her head. “I- I don’t have anywhere to go back to; it’s only been Ilia and I since...” She bit her lip and looked away, tears gathering in amber eyes. “I can’t just leave her.”

“There’s nothing more you can do,” Ruby said, looking to her sister for some idea how to comfort the Faunus. 

Honestly, Yang didn’t do this part. Maybe it was her Dad’s policy rubbing off on her but he always warned against getting too much into the personal lives of those affected by the things they hunted. It always proved to be messy and they really couldn’t afford to let pity overcome their senses; the things they hunted were evil, pure and simple. Things didn’t get complicated that way.

Much to her surprise, it was Weiss who stepped forward, though she didn’t initiate contact the way Ruby had. Instead, she spoke softly. “I understand what it’s like, the fear of facing the world alone. But you need to trust us. There’s truly nothing more you can do.”

Amber eyes flitted between the three of them before tears began to fall, head hanging forward as she listlessly nodded. “Okay.”

Shoving her hands in her pockets, the Faunus turned away, heading back towards the parking lot. Yang felt bad for her- really, she did- but Blake would only get herself hurt trying to track down the vampires. It was a wonder she hadn’t been found out already, if she’d been close enough to watch them feed.

“So... this isn’t good, is it?” Ruby sighed, running a hand through her hair. “This does kinda confirm the theory that all the people who’ve been abducted recently are being turned.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Yang watched as the Faunus disappeared past the cars before coming back around the corner; better to talk away from prying eyes before they got to the hard part. “Did you find anything out while we were in there, Weiss?”

“Nothing too useful, unfortunately.” The angel shrugged. “I found a bottle or two, definitely filled with blood and not wine, but given the level of destruction, I doubt anyone will notice before throwing it all out. I didn’t find anything identifiable, though- no helpful map with directions to the nest.”

“Bummer.” Well, they couldn’t have gone too far; given the established timeline, any newly turned vamps wouldn’t be trusted on their own for another month at least, so they likely hadn’t been brought out with the others last night. Small miracle meant they should only be fighting a handful rather than dozens. “Then we start with large abandoned structures in the area and whittle it down from there.” She turned, motioning for them to follow her back to Bumblebee. “I’m willing to bet last night was a celebration. Whatever these bastards are doing, last night was some sort of milestone.”

Before they’d hit the parking lot, Ruby had her scroll flicked open, a sigh escaping her lips. “I think you’re right. No one reported missing last night.”

“Which means either someone’s not filing their paperwork or those bastards from last night are taking a break. Either way, bad news.” They all got into the Camero and she started it up, trying to run through what else they could use to narrow down the criteria. “Try looking for barns or... I dunno... grain silos?”

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but we’re in the breadbasket of Vale; I’m quite certain there’s more of those than people in some areas,” Weiss said, tapping a finger against Ruby’s seat. “Perhaps if I went and checked-”

“How far can you go before you wear yourself out?” She watched in the rearview as the angel looked away, chagrined by the reminder that she didn’t have near the strength she used to, even with a surplus of energy. “Let’s see if we can find a few good places to start and go from there. Okay?”

Throwing the gear into reverse, Yang pulled out of the spot and shifted to drive, brows furrowing as she glanced at the side mirror. There, she could see Blake, watching them leave.

Some people just didn’t know when to quit.

Ruby ran a hand through her hair, putting her scroll down. Hours of searching physical maps and property listings and they had three dozen possible locations while the sun neared the horizon, orange streaking across the sky. Best case scenario, tonight the vampires would rest; worst case, they would unleash almost two dozen brand new vampires, all of which would be hungrier and thirsty than a starving man walking through a desert. 

Absently, she became aware of a presence by her elbow. “Hey, Weiss. Find anything?”

“No,” the angel replied, plopping down in the seat beside her and slumping against the table. Although Yang had made the point earlier, they were forced to do things the old fashioned way to some extent, sending Weiss out to check the locations they’d identified. “But I only got through the first half.”

Sliding over a bottle of holy water Yang had just finished blessing, the young woman ran a hand over her face. “This is hopeless.”

“No, we just need to think. There’s something we’re missing,” her sister said, tossing her own scroll down and standing up, cracking her back. “Let’s take a step back and-” The light thud of wood hitting wood brought her gaze towards the door, brows furrowing as a curse left Yang’s lips. “Fuck, Ruby, why’d you bring this thing inside?”

“I... didn’t?” She looked over at Weiss, who seemed equally perplexed in the brief break she took to stop chugging the holy water, assess the bow, and return to her previous task. “I left it outside.”

“I knew it, it is cursed!” The blonde walked over to where the bow had leaned up against the wall beside the door, bending down to scoop it up. “Damnit, I- wait.” 

Her eyes narrowed, glancing back at Ruby before reaching inside her jacket and drawing her shotgun, leaving the bow alone to put a handle on the doorknob. With a nod, she drew her own pistol, lightly pushing at Weiss’ shoulder to alert her to the potential danger lurking just outside the door.

With all of them ready, Yang quickly threw open the door and shoved the barrel of her shotgun into the face of whoever was unlucky enough to try testing them. For a moment, Ruby worried one of the vampires had braved the pre-dusk hours to come for them, but that concern was swept away as her sister’s shoulders slumped, the weapon falling down to her side as she passed a hand over her face.

“Get inside,” she said, sounding thoroughly annoyed. “Now.”

A moment later, a familiar figure ducked into the motel room, ears drooping slightly.

“Oh... hi, Blake.” Ruby glanced around the room, convinced they probably didn’t look any crazier or more dangerous now than when Yang had a knife pressed against the Faunus’ throat. “Uh... have a seat, I guess.”

“Thanks, Ruby,” she replied, glancing at the shotgun being tucked back into the blonde’s jacket and the table before easing herself down onto the bed.

Almost immediately, Yang frowned. “How do you know her name?”

“By digging deep enough.” The Faunus pulled out her own scroll and waved it. “Searching through almost a hundred aliases took the better part of the day, but every trail leads somewhere.”

Ruby raised a brow, looking over at her sister, who seemed even more annoyed now than before. “Well, I mean, it’s not really hard figuring out my name. I was a registered student at a major university less than a month ago-”

“Yeah, Beacon University, where you were studying Criminal Justice at your sister’s insistence until a spontaneous fire erupted in your apartment and killed your girlfriend,” Blake said, her ears laying back now out of frustration rather than intimidation. “Said sister being Yang Xiao Long, currently wanted in every kingdom on a slew of charges under various pseudonyms. Both of you were born on Patch and your father’s Taiyang Xiao Long, who also has a significant amount of warrants for his arrest- should I keep going?” Amber eyes flashed with a bit of pride and defiance. “I know what I’m doing, okay? If I want to find you, I will, and it seems to me you need my help if you’re going to find the people who took Ilia.”

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.” Weiss turned around, leaning over the back of her chair to look at the Faunus. “You think you can track down these vampires?”

“I can at least try...” Blake tilted her head to the side slightly, eyes narrowing. “Have we met before?”

“You know, I’d almost forgotten about that, Angel,” Yang said, chuckling slightly. “Her name’s Weiss. Go on, say hi to her.”

Confused, the Faunus complied. “Uh, hello, Weiss?”

“Hello, Blake, and Yang, you’re a terrible person.” The angel grumbled, turning back around to grab the bottle of holy water.

“See that’s just so very wrong of you to say. Blake, look at me.” Her sister made a motion towards the scroll in her hand. “You really think you can help us track down these vampires?”

“I’m certain.” She nodded, resolute. “I just need to know what to look for.”

“Well, a paper trail ain’t it-”

“You stopped by a strip club two months ago in West Pines.” The Faunus raised a brow at the light blush now dusting Yang’s cheeks. “I don’t track just paper.”

“Alright, fine, you can help us figure out where the bastards are.” She motioned towards the table. “But, real quick, if you know Ruby and me, who’s that over there?”

“Who’s- oh.” When amber eyes turned towards the table, Blake appeared surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you over there. Have we met before?”

“You’re an ass, Yang.” Weiss grumbled, lowering her head until her forehead lightly thudded against the table. “An absolute. Ass.”

Her sister just laughed, leaving Ruby to roll her eyes and go over to Blake; the sun was almost on the horizon, and their chances of getting the drop on the vampires dwindled.

Before she had a chance to get down to the details, though, her sister sauntered over to the side of the bed and clapped a hand on her shoulder, speaking softly. “By the way, when we’re done with all this, you and I are going to have a serious talk about cursed objects and why you should never touch one.”

She would not be hearing the end of this any time soon.

Weiss watched as the last bit of sunlight faded from the sky, tucking another flask of holy water in her bolero and smoothing out her skirt. Much to their surprise, Blake had come through and identified a ramshackle barn out in the middle of nowhere, about ten miles from the bar and them. A short burst over there had given her enough of an impression to confirm that, yes indeed, the group of vampires they were looking for were holed up within, and that meant they had quite the task ahead of them. The heavy weight of a machete in her left hand confirmed as much.

“So you’re just going to- going to walk in there and start beheading them? Just like that?” Blake sat on the bed, looking between the sisters with clear horror splayed across her expression. “They’re people-”

“They’re vampires, and I get it that you probably buy all that new age crap, but lemme tell ya, they aren’t the sort you’re dying to invite into your bedroom, all sparkles and roses and immortal love.” Yang stopped packing her bag long enough to walk over to the bed, setting a hand on the Faunus’ shoulder. “Look, in all your digging, you probably figured out that what we- well, I, really, do borders on the realm of good, common sense. That’s because what I do is track down all the terrible things you’ve been told all your life aren’t real, and then I kill them, because they are terrible things.”

“Yang’s right.” Ruby swung her own machete a few times, alternating hands- ambidextrous, a useful skill for anyone in such a line of work. “Vampires are compelled by a hunger they can’t control. They will never pass up a meal and, to them, mortals- humans, Faunus- are the tastiest prey out there.”

“You’re wrong-”

“Blake,” she said, sighing heavily. “You have to accept this as fact. Your friend died the moment those monsters laid hands on her. You can’t save her now.” As the words left her mouth, she could see the splash of confusion, and her own vexation prompted her to cut off the argument before it began. “Yes, we’ve met before, you’ve asked me that twenty-six times since you stepped into the room, no, you won’t remember having done so in about five minutes or the next time you look away from me, yes, I’m sure, and no, it’s not going to stop. Please, realize that you’re out of your depth and you just need to trust us.”

“Getting a little pissy, aren’t ya, Angel?” Yang smirked and she quite nearly felt the inclination to snap back with something cutting but opted not to, knowing full well it would just escalate into another argument. She couldn’t be sure why she felt compelled to start arguments with the blonde, why gaining an edge in them made her feel victorious, but she could see the way it wore down Ruby to constantly be breaking them up. She just wished the elder sister could be a little less blind to it. “But she’s right, ya know. We are trying to help you, protect you, but we can’t work miracles. Ilia’s gone.”

“I refuse to believe that,” Blake replied.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that, so, in advance, I’m sorry for this.” With motions almost too quick for the naked eye to catch, Yang reached for her belt and then lashed out, the metallic clink of handcuffs echoing in the room as one half encircled the Faunus’ wrist and the other clanked around the bed’s post. “But we really can’t have you running around playing a bit too literal a version of Devil’s Advocate.”

“The fuck-”

“This really is for the best.” Ruby gathered up the bags, conducting another sweep to ensure they weren’t leaving anything behind. “Room service will be by in the morning, so you won’t be left here too long. And we’ll call to make sure someone checks the room.”

“And, ya know, we’re not completely heartless.” Yang grabbed the remote for the television, clicking it on and surfing through the channels. “We’ll even leave you with some appropriate entertainment.” Landing on one that apparently had the express intention of depicting women in lewd situations, she tossed the remote to the other bed after turning the volume up an indecent degree. “There ya go, lots of nice, yelling ladies. Good luck being heard over that!”

“You can’t be fucking serious.” Feline ears laid back as she pulled against the cuffs, scowling at the sisters. “You’re not just going to leave me here like this!”

“Hey, you’ve got a hand free; spend your time wisely.” Yang grabbed her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder. “Take your mind off your troubles. And, uh, if you’re lucky, you’ll never see us again.” Lilac eyes bounced over to Weiss and she could practically hear the thought process behind her next words, another jibe at the angel’s inability to be perceived for long periods of time. Surprisingly, the words never came as the blonde instead turned towards the door. “C’mon. Let’s go clear the nest.”

Yang and Ruby left the room, closing the door behind them. Weiss could easily pop into the back seat and all she had to concern herself with was the bottle of holy water and the machete. So she waited until the sisters had started towards the car before approaching, laying a hand lightly on the Faunus’ shoulder and doing her best to ignore the sounds coming from the television.

“I understand this is hard for you but we are, genuinely, doing what’s best,” she said, hoping she could impart a little peace before they left to do the deed.

Amber eyes shining with tears looked up at her. “You’re telling me that giving up on my best friend is ‘what’s best’? Who even says that?” Blake’s eyes narrowed in anger. “What kind of angel are you?”

“The kind that has made mistakes before... and vowed not to let it happen again.” Weiss sighed, shaking her head. “If nothing else, take comfort that you saved many other lives today. I’m sure your friend can be proud of that.”

As she stepped away, preparing to join the others in Bumblebee, she heard the Faunus’ mumbled words. “It was supposed to be us against the world. We never thought we’d get in over our heads... why does she have to be the one to pay for that?”

Biting her tongue, the angel left and joined the sisters in the car, glancing back to the motel room one last time.

There existed the downside to being remembered, to having memories of others- the inevitable loss. Death came for all, save angels and demons, and even mortals had the opportunity to haunt, either in a figurative or literal sense. How tragic an existence, she mused, to make friends, to forge connections, only to lose them no matter how hard you fight to preserve them.

“Hey, you okay back there?” Yang glanced at her in the rearview while pulling out of the spot. “Got your head in the game?”

“Of course,” she replied, the irony occurring to her in that moment.

How tragic an existence indeed.

Ruby scrolled along the map she’d saved to her scroll, looking up quickly and back down again. “Pull off here.”

“Good spot?”

“If we don’t want to tip them off.” She nodded towards the bend in the road. “A mile that way is the nest. Any closer, they’ll hear us coming.”

“If they haven’t already,” Weiss said, tsking immediately after. “You’d think you’d pick a less conspicuous vehicle, given your line of work.”

“Look, I don’t get many bright spots on a given day, let me have my dream car,” Yang replied, a bit of a smile on her lips as she pulled onto the shoulder. “C’mon. We’ve still got a way to hoof it and only a sliver of a chance that those vamps haven’t high tailed it to an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

They got out, heading to the trunk to grab the machetes and a crossbow, the bolts already well and truly coated in dead man’s blood. Arguably, one of the least savory things Ruby had done thus far, but an ultimate necessity. Plus a silver knife or two each- they would be fighting their way through a nest, so taking as many weapons as they could feasibly carry wasn’t exactly a bad idea.

But then Weiss’ head snapped up, peering down the road. “Someone’s coming.”

“Someone?” Yang peeked around the open trunk, a frown coming to her lips. “I think you underestimated that one just a tad.”

“How many?” Not waiting for an answer, Ruby inched her way around the other side and grimaced. It looked like the group that visited the bar, minus one of the women, and the whole lot looked in high spirits. Not a good sign.

“We can take ‘em,” her sister said, reaching up to close the trunk and slipping the machete under her jacket. “Let’s see if we can get the drop on ‘em. Don’t let them see your weapon until my signal.”

“Good evening, Ladies.” One of the men, with shaggy grey hair and a cocky smirk, called out to them, spreading his hands wide. “Car trouble?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Yang walked around the driver’s side, motioning towards Bumblebee. “Engine just died out on us. I don’t suppose any of you are mechanics?”

“Oh, we’ve got a lot of nifty skills.” He looked back at his compatriots and chuckled. “Name’s Mercury, by the way. Might as well get the formalities out of the way, right?”

“Well, Mercury, I’m-”

“Yang Xiao Long,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Oh, I know who you are. You look just like your Dad, what with the blonde hair and the cocky smile and the jacket.” Mercury shook his head. “He, uh, did a bang up job destroying the nest of the asshole who turned me. Always meant to thank him for that, because if he hadn’t, well, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?” He took a few steps closer, the other vampires beginning to spread out, making a half circle around him. Cutting off all avenues of escape, or trying to anyway. “I’d still be waiting in the shadows for a cow to drop dead, or picking off some homeless guy once every year as a special meal, but now I’m big time! Got myself a nest of my own. And an army just waiting for my word.”

“An army?” Yang chuckled, scrubbing at her nose for a moment before pulling her machete free, as much of a signal as Ruby needed to slip a bolt into the crossbow and take aim. “And here I was hoping we could be subtle about this.”

“There’s nothing subtle about extinction,” Mercury replied, expression twisting into rage. “And it’s high time we take our rightful place at the top of the food chain. Bon appétit, bitch.”

With that, two of the vampires rushed forward while Ruby pulled the trigger, sending the poisoned bolt sailing through the air until it embedded deep within Mercury’s leg, just above the knee. He immediately dropped down, unable to join his compatriots as they took swings at Yang, who ducked and dodged while swinging her machete, able to slice across arms and chests but not quite hitting the neck. Still, the dead man’s blood coating the cutting edge of her blade did enough to make them stagger back, weakened. Another tried rushing towards Weiss, who effortlessly sidestepped the lunge and managed to land a hit along his backside as he passed. However, when he swung around and threw a punch, she somehow didn’t get out of the way quick enough, staggered slightly by the solid cross that landed on her jaw.

“Oh, of course it doesn’t work on you.” Weiss sounded equal parts annoyed and dryly amused as she regained her footing. “Just my luck.”

“Wait, what?” Ruby shuffled a few steps back while reloading the crossbow, taking careful aim and sending the next bolt flying into the forehead of the vampire closest to her. It still wouldn’t be the same as beheading the bastard but would buy her some much needed time; she didn’t quite have the upper body strength of her sister, so she’d probably need a swing or two to make it all the way through the neck. “You can’t pop in and out around these guys?”

“Apparently not,” the angel replied, being more careful this time and managing to nick the vampire’s throat, enough to make him clutch the wound and back up a few steps.

Yang, meanwhile, had already beheaded one of the vampires trying to bite her, and drove the point of her machete into the second’s throat, all the way through, and used that leverage to knock him off his feet. With a boot on his chest, she puled the blade free of flesh and then sliced, cutting his head off completely. “Well damn, Weiss, maybe you’re losing your mojo and becoming straight up mortal.”

“There are so very many things wrong with that statement.” With another bolt sent flying and embedding in the vampire’s shoulder, Weiss had both the opportunity and the advantage, taking care of him while Ruby turned her attention to the one she’d wounded earlier, two hacks making quick work of him. “There, that’s, what, four down, twenty to go?”

Ruby looked up, expecting some sort of gloating remark from Mercury and surprised when it didn’t come- doubly so when neither he nor the woman were anywhere around.

“Well, shit.” Her sister sighed, wiping off the blood on her jacket sleeve. “Guess he got away.”

“He couldn’t have gotten far.” She looked around, then up the road. “But the nest should be our priority.”

“Right.” Yang nodded. “Come on. We’ll get there quicker on foot.”

“How do you figure that one?” Weiss flicked her own machete, dislodging some but not all of the blood.

“Simple- we can follow the trail.” She motioned towards the blood leading back up the road. “Mercury was on and on about the nest he built; he went straight back there. Vampires are a proud batch of bastards.”

“Then, we’re walking into a trap.”

“Yep.” Yang popped the ‘p’ hard enough to convey just how very unimpressed she was with what lay ahead of them. Ruby loaded up another bolt and checked to be sure the machete still hung from her belt, looking over at her sister. “Ready when you are.”

“Well, at least the amount of surprises should be pretty low.” The angel started down the road. “I’m ready.”

“Good.” She nodded. “Let’s go.”

They stood before the rundown barn, enough lights on inside to prove it wasn’t entirely abandoned. In case someone couldn’t hear the commotion going on inside, anyway. Voices- so many voices- combined in whines and howls and pleas, some of which didn’t even sound human. The symphony of newly turned vampires fighting to acclimate to their new status, sensitive to the lights, driven mad by the sound of hearts beating, an unquenchable thirst just beginning to take root.

Yang shook her head. “This is gonna suck.”

Ruby couldn’t help but snort, trying not to laugh.

Weiss, however, seemed far less amused. “Was that a pun?”

“Oh, don’t act so surprised.” She shrugged. “You gotta have a sense of humor with gigs like this.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Well, they already know we’re coming. I say we walk in the front door and-”

“No!” She winced at how abruptly the objection left her lips but tried playing it off as best she could when her sister and the angel looked at her. “I mean... we don’t have to make it easy for them, right? Why not just go in the back?”

“Assuming there is a back, you mean?” Weiss rolled her eyes, then scanned over the barn. “You honestly think the element of surprise is even possible at this point?”

She shrugged. “It’s worth a shot, right?”

Biting her lip, she hoped beyond hope that it would be enough to win the fight. Thankfully, Yang seemed to see the sense in her plan, nodding.

“Yeah, there’s gotta be somewhere we can sneak in... but first, we’ll need a bit of a distraction.”

Weiss gave her a flat look. “... why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you even have blood?”

“I’d rather not find out, if we’re being perfectly frank!”

“We don’t need a distraction!” Ruby nodded towards the barn. “Mercury’s wounded and he’s pissed, we just killed over half his entourage, and all he’s left with are loud, upset, hungry newborn vampires just dying to bite anything, and that includes him. How about we just play this one by ear a little bit and see if he trips and falls on his own sword?”

“That’s banking on a lot of hope, Rubes.” Her sister raised a brow. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah...” She shrugged. “I got a feeling, is all. We can do this without putting Weiss at risk.”

“I’m already in favor of this plan.”

“She means ‘no more risk than either of us’ because we’re still walking into a nest in the dead of night.” Yang shook her head and sighed. “Alright, Sis, we’ll try it your way. But stay close and watch each other’s backs. Newborn vamps are strong and crazy from overstimulation; they really don’t like loud noises or brightness. You both grabbed flashlights, right?” They both produced theirs, Ruby slinging the crossbow since she wouldn’t have a free hand going forward. “Alright. Let’s sneak around.”

The three began picking their way around back, trying not to disturb the rusted farm equipment abandoned along with the barn.

She just hoped she was right.

Yang pressed up against the wooden wall, taking a firm grip on the rusted handle of a dilapidated back door and easing it open as quietly as possible. The racket within had calmed some and she could hear Mercury shouting at the others- he’d probably used his own blood to placate some of them, nevermind the dead man’s blood poisoning his veins. Well, better luck for them, she thought, if he insisted on doing half the work for them; weakened vamps were a good deal better to deal with than ‘healthy’ ones.

Looking back to Ruby and Weiss, she held up three fingers, hoping they would understand that the element of surprise probably wouldn’t be there’s for long. They’d have to move quick.

On a silent count of three, she pulled the door open and rushed in, machete raised and ready, but dropped down behind a stack of crates almost immediately, followed by the others. From a quick glance, no one had noticed their presence, so best to position themselves as best they could before the real bloodbath began.

“Are you ready? To feast on the live blood of those beneath us? To no longer be relegated to the shadows?” God, this dud was on a power trip and she had to fight not to call out how ridiculous he sounded. She probably should’ve known by how he slicked his hair to the side that he had a flair for the dramatic. “Tonight begins of our war of attrition!”

This dude just loved the sound of his own voice, didn’t he?

Looking to her sides, Yang nodded at Ruby and Weiss as they prepared to pop up and over the crates. With any luck, the newborns were still tied up or otherwise restrained- too dangerous to let them run amok- and they would only have to deal with Mercury and the other full fledged vamp.

“But first, I bring you a gift! Dinner time!”

Before they could make their move, the vampire they’d left unaccounted for reached over the crates and plunged a knife into her shoulder, pulled a curse from her lips as she yelled out. Ruby and Weiss reacted almost immediately, swinging opposite ways so their machetes clanged when they met in the middle and the vampire’s head all but fell into Yang’s lap, drenching her in putrid blood. Thankfully- if an upside could be found- none of it landed on her shoulder, as she instinctively reached up and pulled the knife out, fresh blood beginning to soak through her shirt.

But it didn’t seem like Mercury was too concerned about losing yet another of his ilk, busying himself with something on the other side of the barn.

“Okay, plan B, I’m the distraction,” she said, getting to her feet and dropping the flashlight, her right arm all but useless thanks to the knife wound. At a glance, she could tell this whole fight would be against the clock, iron wrought cages keeping little groups of newly turned vampires separated, maybe three or four a pop, and a lot of people hadn’t been doing their paperwork, since at least six were filled with four or five each. “You two, focus on Mercury. Keep as many in their cages as possible.”

She probably wouldn’t get a shot at the bastard considering he’d already unlocked one door, throwing it wide open. On the one hand, she was probably lucky- the cage only contained three vampires- but on the other hand, they were coordinated, not howling and chomping at the bit like the others now that fresh blood hung in the air. They were probably a few weeks into their transformation, able to control some instincts but still hyped up on their own life blood and dying for the chance to test their new limits.

“Well... fuck,” she said, tightening the grip on her machete and widening her stance. “I am not a fucking buffet.”

“Oh.” Mercury laughed, shaking his head. “Yes, you are.”

From where she stood, she could see the gleaming fangs lining the mouths of the new vamps, how their eyes focused on her alone and allowed Ruby and Weiss to move around to flank them. Three on one didn’t sound like odds she’d like on a good day, much less with an injured arm, but Yang steeled her nerves and made a ‘come hither’ motion with right.

The first one charged, blinded by his hunger, which made it easy for Weiss to merely catch him around his neck with the machetes, no swinging required. The other two were more cautious first jumping up before advancing, practically running on the tops of the cages to get around Ruby and Weiss.

Well, two on one was better than three, and she wasn’t out of the fight just yet. She jumped back as they landed in front of her- a guy and a gal, the former built like a brick shithouse and the latter more slender, which meant she had little chance of relying on speed or strength to carry her through.

“Come on, now,” she said, trying to buy herself a little time as Ruby and Weiss tried to deal with Mercury. “This really isn’t something to lose your head over, is it?”

Apparently, vampires didn’t possess senses of humor, the one rushing at her while the other hung back and bided her time. Meanwhile, Weiss got thrown back by Mercury, who seemed to be holding his own despite the dead man’s blood, blocking Ruby’s attempted to behead him with a knife of his own. Probably would be a comically mismatched fight if it weren’t for his supernatural strength, but she didn’t have the luxury of worrying after Ruby as the vampires continued coming after her.

The guy tried punching her, tried grabbing her, even tried sweeping her legs from beneath her, and she just barely managed to survive each and every attack, dancing just out of his range. Then, an opportunity opened up, and she swung the machete, cleaving almost all the way through on the first go even with her off hand. The second strike finished the work of the first... but at the price of leaving herself wide open on the left, an opportunity the last of the newborns released didn’t waste in exploiting.

As Yang was taken to the ground, a pained cry leaving her lips, she could hear a similar shout from Ruby and then Weiss, as well as the clang and clatter of another cage door bursting open. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in much of a position to react, too busy throwing her left arm up and across the throat of the vampire now poised over her, gleaming fangs inches from biting into her face. Grey eyes tinted orange as her skin began to turn red, splotches of yellow breaking up the color- once a Faunus of some sort, had to be, not that she was in much of a position to ask or care. Now, the vampire had one intention, and that was turning her into a snack.

She reached blindly with her right hand, trying to grab the handle of her machete, wherever it had dropped, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out where it’d gone and so much as turning her head away seemed to be a mistake in the making, every little shift meaning the difference between life and death. She tried kicking back with her feet, creating some much needed distance, but the vampires followed her, stayed atop, just inches from those fangs finding purchase in her flesh.

“Ilia!” A voice pierced the din, and the vampire immediately snapped her head up to look towards the front of the barn. There stood Blake, with no weapon and no means of defending herself, just calling attention to herself. “Ilia, stop!”

“Oh, look.” Mercury’s voice sounded winded, a cough thoroughly ruining his smugness. “Dessert just showed up.”

And if she hadn’t been front row to the show, she wouldn’t have believed it. The vampire’s entire demeanor shifted, the red and yellow fading as her eyes reverted to grey for a split second before it all came roaring back with a vengeance. She threw herself off Yang, started sprinting away, and the blonde knew she didn’t have much time. Twisting around, she found her machete and leapt to her feet, entirely prepared to throw her only weapon if to just buy Blake a few more seconds to turn and run, but halted short of actually doing it.

Because the newborn vamp wasn’t gunning for the Faunus. No, she was making a beeline for Mercury, plowing into him with all the force of a mac truck given how he ragdolled into the side of the barn.

“Yang!” Ruby called out, kicking a vampire in the face as she scrambled backwards, trying to get back to her feet. Fresh blood ran from her temple, making her a prime target, and Weiss was doing everything in her power to help, becoming more clinical with her strikes. However, they were outnumbered, and she had a choice to make. “Get Mercury!”

Well, that made things easier.

As Weiss helped Ruby to her feet, Yang jumped over a crate and booked it towards the lead vampire, who seemed to have his hands full trying to fend off his own creation. Ilia- had to be her- was matching him step for step, and her uncoordinated movements leveled the field against the dead man’s blood still working through him. 

Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out another bottle of the stuff, popping the top and pouring it over her machete in time to take a swing at his back. The blade bit in deep, from shoulder to hip, and it slowed him down enough that Ilia could wrap him up and take him to the ground while he cried out in agony.

Yang raised the machete up, bringing it down with all the force she could muster just as Ilia darted out of the way. And with that, the machete bit into Mercury’s neck, cleanly severing his head from his shoulders and burying deep into the wooden floorboards.

Across the room, the commotion suddenly halted, the other newborns jarred by the loss of the one who created them. In the lull, Ruby and Weiss managed to knock the three still alive on their asses, machetes raised and ready to whittle that number down a little more.

“Wait!” Yang looked up at the vampire holding her hands out in a placating gesture. “Wait, don’t hurt them- please, they- they’ll stop.”

“No, they won’t,” she said, getting to her feet and yanking her own weapon from its place, preparing to face down the creature once more. “They might be dazed right now but they’ll attack again.”

“No, they won’t. Please.” Her skin and eyes had reverted to what had to be their default coloring. “Look, none of us asked for this. Give them time, they’ll come down-”

“Yeah, and then they’ll get hungry.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re going to hurt anyone!” Blake stepped between them, amber eyes flashing with indignation. “You can’t pass judgment on someone before they’ve even committed a crime.”

“This isn’t about philosophy; this is about facts,” she said, mouth drawing into a tight line. “First smell of fresh blood, first pang of hunger, and it’ll be a bloodbath-”

“You say that standing there, covered in blood, and no one seems to be nibbling on you,” the Faunus replied. “Or them.”

Quickly, she glanced back, confirming that Ruby was still bleeding, though she doubted any of the blood covering Weiss was her own; it looked blackened almost, not bright or even muted red.

“We can’t walk away from a barn full of ticking time bombs.” Yang shook her head. “It’s irresponsible.”

“We don’t have to be that.” Ilia made a gesture towards the corner, where the festering meat of a long dead cow sat alongside full jars of blood. “There are other ways to sustain ourselves. It’s like- like going vegetarian. A strict diet we adhere to, and no one has to suffer. Maybe we can even raise the cows ourselves, send the meat off to some plant and keep the blood for ourselves. We can abide by that.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Yang.” Ruby called out, forcing her to look back, horror overcoming her expression as her little sister very slowly drew her machete over her arm, deliberately deep enough to draw blood. Then she knelt down in front of one of the newborns and held it out, as if daring the creature to take a bite of her. And even though he looked for all the world like he wanted to... the vampire looked back at Ilia, as if seeking permission, which wouldn’t be surprising- with Mercury dead, and the rest of the elder vampires, she probably qualified as the eldest in terms of their hierarchy. Seemed as if that inclination came with the whole blood sucking bit. “Yang, I think she’s telling the truth.”

“Ruby-”

“Put aside your preconceived notions for one moment and look around you,” Weiss said, her own eyes trailing around the barn. “They’ve been kept like animals. I’ve seen this time and again from on high- this is how vampires create more. By force, never by choice.” The angel’s gaze finally fell on Ilia. “If you’re making the choice to do no harm to others, that’s one thing. I’m... grudgingly willing to believe you. But can you guarantee that others feel the same? What happens when they choose differently?”

Her grey eyes dropped down, staring at her shoes for a moment before she looked up, and Yang recognized that look a bit too much for comfort. Grim, unwavering determination. “Then we handle our own. We didn’t choose this but there’s only one way out of it as far as I can tell. So we either play nice... or we don’t play at all. That’s about the long and short of it... isn’t it?”

“So, you’re really expecting me to buy this?” Yang looked around at all of them, a frown tugging at her lips. “That just because a vamp says ‘pretty please’ and promises to stick to the dairy, I should just accept that?”

"Well, Sis, do you have a better way to explain how we’re standing here talking, both of us drenched in blood and literally surrounded by vampires?” Ruby made a redundant motion to the others, how even those still in the cages weren’t tugging at the doors or even near them. In fact, they seemed... afraid. Afraid of the machetes, afraid of the outcome- they were just scared out of their minds.

“Goddamnit.” She scratched at her cheek and winced, reminded of the wound in her shoulder. “Your name’s Ilia, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I got two questions for you.” She rested the blunt side of the machete against her shoulder. “What were you before this happened? Before you got abducted and turned?”

"Are you expecting some philosophical answer or are you filing my tax returns?”

“Just be honest.”

“A dumb kid,” she replied with a mirthless chuckle. “A dumb kid who thought she knew how the world worked.”

“And what are you now?”

For a moment, she looked lost. “A dumb kid who has no idea how the world works... and also wants to drink blood.”

Ruby smiled, flipping the machete around in her hand. “Welp! That’s a good enough answer for me!”

“Oh no.” Weiss put a hand to her temple and sighed. “You’re actually starting to make sense. I’ve been among mortals too long.”

As much as Yang wanted to object... she did have to acknowledge that she’d been given exactly the sort of answer she was seeking. Not only were they promising not to prey on mortals but Ilia had also come up with a convenient solution for the sheer number of them and securing enough food for that many vampires. Now, she didn’t even possess the same disdain for mortals that most vampires did.

“I don’t like this.” She slowly lowered her machete and shook her head. “Not one bit...” Yang offered her hand. “But if you’re willing to make a promise, I’ll hold you to it.”

“I will too-”

“No, Blake,” Ilia said, reaching out to put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, expression pinching in contrition. “I know what you’re thinking and you can’t stay here.”

Surprised, the Faunus rounded on her. “What do you mean- I’m not abandoning you.”

“That’s not what this is.” Waving a hand, she indicated the other vampires. “But there’s no way we can afford to risk having a regular person here with us. And I’m not turning you- trust me, Blake, you don’t want this nightmare.” Ilia returned her attention to Yang and took her hand, shaking it firmly. “We can’t stay here, specifically; this place isn’t going to be able to sustain livestock. But I’ll give you the address as soon as we find a place. You’re free to drop by if you so much as suspect us of going back on our word.”

“We might also drop by every now and then just to say hi.” She glanced over at Ruby, who just smiled wide, spattered with blood and with a fresh bruise just beginning to turn purple swelling underneath her eye. “Be friendly, ya know?”

Yang had to resist rolling her eyes.

This might very well be a huge mistake... but with Mercury out of the way, maybe this lot stood a chance at becoming something akin to a legitimate part of society instead of bloodsucking bottomfeeders lurking in the shadows.

Maybe.

Blake leaned back against the wall of the barn, eyes downcast as the sisters attended to their wounds. Every now and again they’d talk to the wind or say something to a ‘Weiss’ but she hardly cared about their particular brand of crazy- even if a year ago she’d probably consider herself crazy had anyone told her what she’d be living through. Finding out vampires were real was one thing but learning that there were people out there who hunted them down with impunity... well, that’s the sort of thing that puts the word ‘fear’ into a whole new context. The breadth of their arsenal alone hinted that there were even more things that lurked in the dark, more monsters out there that she had always blown off, but they were probably real, real enough to kill her and that... well... it was a lot to take in, to say the least.

“I’m sorry,” Ilia said, coming out of the barn and leaning up beside her, crossing her arms over her chest. “That you can’t stay, I mean, I- I wish you could... but-”

“It’s for the best.” Her frown became worse. “I’ve been hearing that phrase a lot lately.”

“Yeah...” She sighed, eyes and skin turning blue, a clear sign that the decision wasn’t made lightly. That didn’t make it sting any less, though. “You know, when we left Menagerie... we never thought things would end up like this.” A sad smile. “We were ready to take on the world without even knowing what the world would do to us.”

“I’d take it back in a heartbeat.” A shaky breath left her lips as she tried not to cry. “I’d do anything to stop this-”

“You can’t turn back time.” Ilia moved, putting a hand on her shoulder and massaging it gently. “Don’t let that eat you up, Blake; sometimes... that’s just how things go. Bad things happen and you try to pick up the pieces afterwards. We just can’t put things back the way they were and we can’t do it together.” She was pulled into a hug, wrapping her arms around- more like clinging to Ilia as the tears began to fall. “I love you, Blake. You’re... the best friend a gal could ask for and I know you’ve got some great things ahead of you. I’m praying you do.”

That just made her heart clench painfully because she’d known for a while now that her best friend didn’t see her as just a friend anymore. That ‘I love you’ wasn’t just meant in a platonic way, and she’d told herself they’d talk about it once they found somewhere stable, when they weren’t just scraping by and could actually entertain normal things like dates to the movies. But putting it off had also put it out of reach, and that stung something awful.

“Are you sure you won’t turn me?” She sniffled and cleared her throat. “You won’t let me make that choice?”

“No, Blake.” Ilia hugged her tighter. “I can’t let you become this. Right now, I’m fighting the impulse to bite you and I’m scared I can’t keep up the fight much longer.” She pulled back, an absolutely heartbroken expression coming over her face. “I know I said we can control it but it’s not easy, at least not yet. Don’t ask for this nightmare. Go live a better life.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” They’d been inseparable for almost two decades, since they were both in diapers. Grown up together, faced down every challenge together, rebelled together- as long as she was with Ilia, she felt invincible.

“You’ll figure it out. You’re Blake.” She laughed as she pulled back, offering a little shrug as her hair and skin returned to normal. “You’re the one who got us out of jail in east Vacuo, and you figured out how to get free food from the local Burger Shake, and you somehow tracked me down out in the middle of nowhere... it might take some time, but you’ll figure it out.” Shuffling a little bit, she looked away. “And, maybe... I mean, you could always go home. Your folks will take you back.”

“I’m not so sure-”

“I am.” Ilia chuckled. “You’re probably the only person on Remnant that can walk into a barn of half crazed vampires thirsting for blood and somehow argue that they shouldn’t be killed and succeed.” Another shrug. “You had to get it from somewhere. They’ll forgive you, no matter what.”

“Can I come back and visit sometime?” Blake ran a hand through her hair, mindful of her ears. “I just- I don’t want this to be a... final goodbye."

“Give us a few months. I think we’ll all be mostly under control by then. I’ll send the address to your scroll, okay?”

“Okay.” She hugged her best friend one more time before turning towards the car she’d hotwired in the parking lot. For lack of any better game plan, she supposed she’d returning it to the motel and then... pick a direction and start walking. Or... something.

Suddenly, a heavy weight landed across her shoulders, almost enough to make her legs buckle but not with enough force to make it so. “So, Blake, right? Which way you headin’?”

“I’m... not really sure... Yang, wasn’t it?” She glanced up at the blonde as they walked together, noting the younger sister had appeared on her other side. “And Ruby. Please, don’t handcuff me to something again; I think I’ve been through enough today.”

“Oh, I agree, been put through damn near hell, which is why I extend the following offer in all seriousness.” She was brought to a halt rather effortlessly by the woman, a smile curving her lips. “Why don’t you roll with us?”

“Really?” Ruby seemed surprised by the words but didn’t appear to outright object, despite her sister taking it as such.

“Hey, you got to pick up your stray, I’m pickin’ up mine. Plus, she’s really useful.” Yang started ticking off on her fingers. “She got out of the handcuffs, hotwired a car, tracked down a vampire nest, and had both a knife against her throat and a gun pointed at her head, and was still crazy enough to come out here.” She shrugged. “That speaks to a level of dedication that fits in pretty well with this line of work.”

But Blake could read between the lines. “And I’m an insurance policy to make sure Ilia stays in line; you’ve got me, you’ve got her cooperation.”

“See? Crazy and smart.” She laughed. “Just the sort of person who can become a hunter.”

Rolling her eyes, the Faunus glanced at Ruby. “Who else did you manage to rope into this ‘line of work’ as you put it?”

“Oh, right, Blake, meet Weiss.”

She turned her head, expecting to find some manner of animal or a key chain or something that could be easily hidden and would explain why she’d only seen the two sisters since they’d entered the bar earlier that day. Much to her surprise, she found another woman walking beside Ruby, with white hair and clean clothes, not even the slightest trace she’d been anywhere near the barn, considering the sisters had come away bloodied and bruised.

However, even as some part of her mind insisted she’d never seen the woman before... another part seemed to insist she had.

“Uh, sorry, have we met-”

“Twenty fucking seven, Yang!” 

She immediately busted up laughing. “And still as funny as the first time!”

For a moment, it looked like Weiss was about to smack the backside of the blonde’s head, but she managed to duck and dodge away, jogging ahead of them while laughing heartily.

“What just-”

“So, Weiss is an angel, and her perception to mortals is kinda fluid?” Ruby nudged her shoulder in a friendly way, smiling slightly. “You’ve actually met her and had all this explained to you twenty six times already, but every time you turn away, your memory adjusts itself to forget everything about her, specifically.” She shrugged, nothing but a befuddled sort of amusement in her expression. “And, for some reason, Yang finds that hilarious.”

Blake blinked, watching as Weiss finally caught up to Yang and started giving her an earful, which the blonde took with a smile and a roll of her eyes. From the sounds of it, the lecture had been given before and would be given again, and both participants were well aware of that.

... first vampires and now this. Just what had she gotten herself into?

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Wild Accusations-Platonic!Grace Burgess Imagine

Requested: Yes Warnings: sassy reader

 Grace did her best to maintain a calm, powerful exterior as she sat in the sitting room. The room was decorated just as exquisitely as the rest of the large London flat. Fuschia wall paper covered the walls and a tasteful Rembrandt hung on the wall opposite to the vintage couch Grace was sitting on. A dark, glossy wood table was set in the middle of the room on top of immaculate hardwood floors. Perched on the glossy wood table were a couple of Vogue magazines and a few books. The house smelled like expensive perfume, but the light kind and not the gaudy kind that most newly wealthy people used.

   Grace tried not to be impressed with her surroundings, she had to think as negatively about Y/N as possible to get her point across. She never wanted to be the jealous wife but the events of the last couple of months had driven her to this point. Two months ago, she and Tommy had gone to a party in London, where Y/N Y/L/N introduced herself. She was the type of woman who embodied a quiet confidence that most women spent years faking. Her back was erect but relaxed and she spoke in a clear Cockney accent. Unlike most women, Y/N wasn’t stunned by Tommy’s good looks, in fact, she had started up the conversation by complimenting Grace’s broach. When she learned who they were, she smiled kindly.

   “Well, what brings you to London besides the free alcohol?” she’d asked.

   “Business, mostly,” Tommy said. 

   “And you?” Grace had asked.

   “I suppose you could say it’s business----a favor to a woman I don’t particularly like.”

   “Then why would you do her the favor?”    “Because doing this favor will make her more likely to invest in my business.”

   That was the night Grace learned about the Y/L/Ns lucrative horse betting business that involved blackmail, bribery, and a whole lot of money. Apparently, Tommy was familiar with the family since they were his biggest competition. However, they also had racketeering and gambling rings going on in the East End so they weren’t always a big issue. 

  “And what role do you play?” Tommy had asked. 

  “Business relations executive----I keep all the partners happy and look for new business opportunities. Plus, it gets me out of England.”

  “Where have you gone for business?”

  “France, Scotland, America, and Spain, but that was mostly to get more workers.” 

  By the end of that night, Tommy and Y/N had set a meeting to discuss becoming partners. At first, Grace was completely fine with the arrangement. Y/N was kind, personable, and intelligent, an ideal business partner. Plus, she wasn’t one of those women who tried to flirt with Tommy right in front of Grace. It wasn’t until Tommy would start coming home later and later from meetings with Y/N that Grace got perturbed. She was well aware of Tommy’s flings before they were married and thought that they would stop once they got married. However, something inside her snapped the fifth time he came home extremely late after a meeting. Their argument had lasted for hours and he ended up not sleeping in their room. The following day, Y/N called Grace and apologized for keeping Tommy so late.

    “I am so sorry, Grace, truly I am. It’s just settling our business agreement is taking a lot more time than I thought it would and I am quite made about details, I’m surprised I haven’t run him off,” she’d said. 

   “I understand that this is business, but you must realize that Tommy is married and he has a child, he can’t be out with you all hours of the day. I suppose you wouldn’t understand that as a single woman,” Grace had replied in a clipped tone.

   “No, I wouldn’t and I promise, Tom will be at yours by tea, all right?”

   “All right.”

   To Grace’s surprise, Tommy was home by dinner, but he didn’t seem all too thrilled about it. He was quieter than usual, kept his answers short, and only seemed interested in his food and Charlie. Even though they shared the same bed that night, Tommy might as well have been miles away.

   Things stayed that way for the next couple of months, but Tommy would occasionally invite Y/N over for tea in an effort to show Grace she had nothing to worry about. It kind of worked since Y/N broke any tension in the house with funny anecdotes from her travels and playing with Charlie. Charlie laughed a lot when they played peek-a-boo, which surprised both of his parents.

    “I’ve never seen him so happy with a stranger before,” Grace had said.

    “Really? That’s such a shame.” Y/N grinned as she tickled Charlie’s stomach. “But I’ve always been pretty good with little kids.”

    “That explains why you get on with my brothers so well.”

    Tommy smirked and Y/N sent him a playful glance before laughing. The exchange made a knot form in the pit of Grace’s stomach. She didn’t like not being in on the joke. 

    Finally, there was the straw that broke camel’s back, the reason Grace was sitting in Y/N’s penthouse at that very moment. A week ago, Y/N had made the rare trek to the country to do business with Tommy. Grace had decided to take Charlie to visit Ada and Carl in London. While the cousins were playing, Ada and Grace spoke over tea.

   “So, how’ve you been?” Grace asked.

   “Good, work at the library is good and I get to read a lot,” Ada said. “What about you?”

   “Fine, just fine.” Grace glanced down at her cup of tea. “Are you familiar with the Y/L/Ns?”

   Ada shrugged. “Only what I hear from other people. They’re supposed to be the most violent family in the East End, but they’re also real smart, why?”

   Then, Grace explained how Tommy and Y/N became business partners and the more she spoke, the darker Ada’s expression became. 

   “What? Y/N seems nice, decent, and full of class.”

   “She’s still dangerous, but I highly doubt she’d try to pull one on you or Tom. I think she’s the one who oversees the hits in the gang but I don’t really know. All I can tell you is if she’s a Y/L/N, she knows how to use a gun.”

   That didn’t bother Grace too much since she too knew how to use a gun. Plus, Y/N was smart enough not to try to pull anything over on Tommy----it seemed that she really liked him and probably more than she let on. 

   A few hours later, Grace was carrying Charlie back into the large house. When she announced she was home, she got no response. One of the maids took the sleeping Charlie out of her hands and carried him to his room while Grace went to Tommy’s office. She heard voices and knocked on the door before opening it. 

   Y/N and Tommy were both behind Tommy’s desk, except Y/N was leaned over the desk, looking at something, while Tommy remained in his chair. His eyes weren’t on the papers in Y/N’s grasp, but trained on her in an affectionate way. 

   Grace was frozen as Y/N looked up and half-smiled at her.

   “Evening, Grace, how was your day?”

   Grace didn’t really remember what happened next, she just remembered asking Y/N to leave and she did. Then, she and Tommy argued about her butting into his business. They slept in separate rooms again that night, but Grace was determined to stop Tommy’s relationship with Y/N.

   “Miss Y/L/N will see you now,” Eliza, the housekeeper, told Grace.

   “Thank you,” Grace said quietly.

   Eliza led her to Y/N’s office, where she heard Y/N loudly speaking in Spanish. 

  “Vale, vale! Llame cuando es termino.” 

  Eliza opened the door just in time for Grace to watch Y/N slam her phone down on the receiver.

   “Estoy trabajando con idiotas!” she hissed.

   “Miss, Mrs. Shelby is here,” Eliza said meekly.

  Y/N breathed and smiled at Grace. “Thank you, Eliza.” 

  Eliza nodded and closed the door behind her when she left.

  Y/N’s office was dark albeit for the window that let in the little sunlight London had to offer. The smooth wood walls were the color of honey and there were paintings of horses hung up on two of them. On Y/N’s desk were organized papers, folders, and pens. The woman behind it wore a white button-down shirt tucked into gray wool pants that were held up by leather suspenders. Her y/e/c eyes were accentuated by her glasses and her wild y/h/c curls were in an updo out of her face.

  “Please, sit,” Y/N said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. 

  Grace slipped off her cashmere coat, revealing a navy chemise Lanvin empire waist dress, and sat down. She made sure to look good for this meeting, because it was probably going to be the last time she ever saw Y/N.

   “Can I get you anything to drink? Tea, coffee, water, whiskey?” 

   “No, I won’t be staying long.” Grace looked at her. “You wear glasses?”

   “Yes, I’m a bit far sighted.” She folded her hands on the table and looked at Grace. “So, why did you want to meet with me today?”

   Grace breathed and folded her hands on top of her lap. “I wanted to meet with you to discuss your relationship with my husband.”

   Y/N arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”

   “Yes. While I do wish things hadn’t come to this point, I believe that if I don’t say anything, things will get worse.”

   Y/N frowned. “Go on.”

   “Stop seeing Tommy. Your meetings with him have gone beyond a business relationship. You have drinks with him and flirt with him and you’ve probably screwed him a dozen times now,” Grace said, her words taking a steely edge. “I never wanted to get to this point because I liked you, Y/N, I really did, but I cannot stand looking at a woman I know my husband’s having an affair with. If you do not cut ties with him now, you will regret it.”

    Y/N slowly took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “All right, would you mind telling me exactly why you think I’m having an affair with Tommy.”

   “You’re together all hours of the day and he’s always smiling when someone brings you up and the way he looks at you, it’s.” Grace hesitated.

   “It’s what? He looks at me the same he would anybody else,” Y/N said.

   Grace shook her head. “No, he looks at you the way he used to look at me. That’s why I think that if you stop seeing him now, we could salvage our relationship. If you don’t, you will learn that Tommy isn’t the only threatening one in our relationship.”

   Y/N looked up at Grace, looked down, grinned, and pulled a glass and a bottle from one of her drawers. She poured the liquid into the glass before neatly tucking the bottle away. Grace couldn’t believe the woman had the nerve to act so nonchalantly about the affair!    “I’ve fought to be with Tommy before and I will do it again,” Grace said.

   Y/N took a long swig of her drink and looked up at Grace. “Are you done?”

   “For now.”

   “Good. Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to convince my father to give me a job in his business? I worked ten times harder to prove that I was better for this position than any of my thick brothers. They’re great for muscle but they’ve never got business relations quite right, unlike me.” Y/N shook her head. “I spent years building up my family’s business relations, carefully choosing just who the right people to get involved with were. If it wasn’t for me, the Y/L/Ns wouldn’t be running East End like they do now. I’m the one that speaks three languages to help expand the business, but that doesn’t really matter because I’m a woman at the end of the day.”

   Y/N drank the rest of the contents of the glass and stared Grace down. This look was different than any other look Y/N had ever given Grace before. This look said that Grace had pushed Y/N’s buttons and the woman was holding herself back.

   “Therefore, doing anything such as using my feminine wiles to further the company or getting involved with a partner, especially a married one, would make me lose the respect of my other partners and my family. So why would I risk that on a single man?” Y/N leaned forward again. “All I have ever wanted with Tommy was a business relationship and pursued nothing more. If I was at fault, I admitted it, but I have done nothing but act appropriately with him. Therefore, if Tommy is as infatuated with me as you claim he is, it isn’t my fault.”

   Grace gritted her teeth. “Are you finished?”

   “Not yet. I am willing to overlook this gross claim of indecency and maintain a civil business relationship with Tommy if you leave my house right now.”

  “Fine.”

   As angry as Grace wanted to be with Y/N, she was right. It wasn’t Y/N’s fault if Tommy had a wandering eye, only his. 

[fanfictionsrookie]

Homo Homini Lupus Est Chapter 1 : Sheltered by cottage, the last remain

A/N: I do not own RWBY.

...

Homo Homini Lupus Est

 Long, long ago in the vast kingdom of Vale. At the edge of the Emerald forest where monsters lurked and bandits lived in the penumbra of the Kingdom's reach. There lied the small village of Patch. Quant, peaceful and seemingly carefree the villagers lived in peace despite their insignificant lives. But fame and fortune didn't matter to these people as their lives were enriched by their passions those around them.

Lumber, Farming and Fishing

In fact Patch didn't seem like a village at all, but rather one big home…a family. Everyone supporting one another during those harsh winter nights and plagues of sickness.

Shelter, medicine, a hearty meal.

They were not bound to their earthly possessions, but found value in memories, bonds and another's laugh. So perhaps it was best that Patch was sheltered from the rest of the word, remaining uncorrupted by greedy merchants and tax collectors. But unbeknownst to them, a dark secret had already started brewing among them. Festering in a small cabin hidden in the woods...

***

It was serene...

Peaceful.

The sun glazed the trees and shrubbery of the Emerald forest a golden yellow, as the rays of light slowly reached up into the sky and filtered through the trees. Branches swayed to the gentle gusts of wind and the small sets of paws scampering across.

Thrush's song called all wildlife to rise for another day. The sparse clouds showing promise of the sun rays to be carried late into the following hours. As it would not dare to obscure the eye of heaven.

And yet the golden light could only peek into the cosy cabin, nestled in between the penumbra of Patch and the Emerald forest. Its doors and windows were closed to the rest of the word. The house itself seemed to be asleep with its lifeblood still snuggling under the covers of their bed.

Two bodies, a tangling of limbs steadily rose and fell with each breath of air they took. Peacefully lost in their subconscious from which birdsong tried to shake them from.

Once again a ringing wheet wheet echoed through the woodlands. Followed by the rattling and creaking of small hands tugging at a wooden frame of a cot.

Wheet wheet!

"Noooo." One of the women groaned in protest and blindly grabbed for another pillow to  hide her head behind, but she could not escape the noise that her sensitive ears were picking up.

Wheetwheetwheetwheetwheeeeeeet

"Make it stoooop."

And when the presence next to her started to stir she shuffled closer. Wrapping her arms around the other's waist to press herself against the soft warmth that was reaching out for her. It engulfed her like a protective blanket and how she wished that she could stay like that.

Wheet wheet

It seemed as if nature itself was jealous and tried its best to tug them out of their soothing stupor, but one woman wasn't having any of that.

"Cinder…Go…throw a rock at the stupid thing or…something." When her disgruntled growl grazed against her partner's ear, Cinder let out a sigh. But the other could hear her ghost of a smile.

"…I hope you are not talking about our daughter, Ruby."

Still her eyes were kept shut, not yet ready to face the break of dawn. As if on cue the rattling of the cot nearby and incoherent babble and giggles rang through the room. A sound that would usually be music to their ears but that morning it served as a reminder of how Cinder and Ruby hardly slept a wink.

"Why can't she just sleeeeep?" Ruby groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. Leaving her wife open to the cool touch of the morning air. Now awake, Cinder cracked open her eyes and like a flame being set alight her gaze came into focus. Shifting from the sunlight filtering through the window to the cot in front of their bed.

A pair of golden eyes mirrored Cinder's, lighting up with excitement when the toddler saw her mother. Swaying on unsteady feet she clapped her hands together, incoherent babble growing a pitch louder as if to call her over. Then losing her footing and landing on the bundle of blankets with wide eyed surprise. Cinder couldn't help but to smile at the sight as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

The wooden floor beneath her feet was cold and the deer skin carpet did little to ward of morning's cool touch. It seemed to drain her even further of sleep.  And when the creaking of floorboards reached the little one's ear, she broke out into squeals of excitement. Successfully scaring off any creature that might be scurrying around the woods nearby.

When the toddler saw her mother, her eyes lit up as she held up her hands and reached out in between gruntled giggles. "Mmma."

It was a word that always brought a smile to Cinder's lips and this time there was no exception.

"Morning my little fang."

Her soft spoken tone was just above a whisper. And instead up picking her up, Cinder watched half amused as her daughter continued to flair her arms. Uttering small whines while trying to get up on her feet again.

"Cinder, don't me mean." Her wife sounded from behind, she now awake as well and sitting propped up on the bed.

"It is the only way she'll learn." The woman defended and held out a hand for the toddler to latch onto. Even if the last she needed was for Saffron to burst out crying first thing that morning, Cinder still wanted her to learn things on her own. Something that came with being raised in the wilderness by a pack.

Then either by some understanding or just wanting to be held, the toddler latched onto her mother's finger. With one hand and the other onto the frame did she manage to pull herself onto her feet.

"Ah." She exclaimed, as if to say 'I did it!' This time with a happy smile, Cinder picked her up. Saffron instantly curled into the warmth of her mother that the toddler seemed to ignite in the woman's chest.

"Look how big you're getting." She praised and her daughter's eyes soon found her own, almost as if she could pick up the cheer in her voice.

"Mma."

Ruby watched the sight with pure joy in her silver eyes. And as her wife came to sit next to her with the little one in her lap, she planted a chaste kiss on the other’s cheek.

"Morning." She murmured and Cinder returned a soft kiss on Ruby's lips, closing her eyes to the familiar scent of roses. "Good morning to you." But was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a tug at her hair.

Cinder said nothing, but Ruby couldn't stop the giggles from escaping her. At the sound, Saffron turned her attention towards her mom, fistfuls of midnight hair in her tiny hands.

"Morning to you too my little one." She laughed and used the soft fabric of her nightgown to wipe the excess drool from her daughter's face. Saffron had finally started teething and the experience proved to be very unpleasant for the whole family. But both parents were silently relieved, for their little fang was just a late bloomer. And although something like that didn't bother Ruby in the slightest, Cinder was worried.

"Did you sleep alright?" Ruby murmured and smilingly tried to keep Saffron from chewing Cinder's hair.

"I've slept better, as I would prefer that you keep to your share of the covers. And if this one could sleep through the night." The woman teased. A touch of amusement to her voice when Saffron took hold of her hand, before starting to chew on her mother's fingers.

"Does it still hurt, little fang?" Cinder could not help but to feel sorry for the little one as she gently started to rub a finger over the swollen gums.

"Do you think they're canines?" Ruby wondered out loud. As it wasn't uncommon for developing children to subconsciously switch halfway through forms.

"It does not seem like it, no." Cinder answered upon closer inspection albeit a bit disappointedly.

So far Saffron has showed no signs of any werewolf traits. Another thing that her parents had mixed feelings about. Yes, she didn't have to be on guard or hiding from Huntsmen. But it would also mean that she wouldn't be able to protect herself from predators such as Grimm, other werewolves or even Faunus.

But it was still early and they wouldn't know for sure whether Saffron was a shifter or not until she turned about thirteen. Of course that was last thing on their minds. All that mattered now was handling their little teething nightmare. And when Cinder felt satisfied that the pain had been soothed, she removed her finger from the toddler's gums.

Saffron let out satisfied gurgle before her attention turned to her mom. "Mam."

"Yes my darling, mum's right here." Ruby cooed and Saffron instantly lit up at her reaction. On unsteady hands and feet she crawled closer, almost over the woman before Cinder intervened.

"Mammmm." At eleven months old Ruby didn't think that her daughter could sound even a little annoyed and yet there she was. Saffron looking at her with question as to why she couldn't move, squirming to escape her mother's gentle hold.

"Cinder." Ruby gave her a knowing look to which the other replied with a sigh as she let go of the toddler.

Ever since Ruby realised that she was pregnant with their second child, Cinder had become especially protective of her. And at times the gestures made Ruby's heart flutter with how sweet she found it. That was when those gestures weren’t  rather  restricting. Like the fact that the she couldn't continue forging weapons, opting to take on a part time job at a small bookshop in Patch instead. But the free time at home did have some perks.  Ruby could experiment with serving new meals for her  family. The meals being cakes, cookies, jams and various other treats.

"Come and say good morning to your little sister." Ruby ushered closer, but instead of turning her attention to her mom’s stomach she crawled towards her smile. Small hands pressing softly against pink dusted cheeks as she grinned.

"Mam."

The child's touch seemed to light Ruby up with a beaming grin that radiated a pure joy a thousand suns could only dream of having.

"That’s right, it's Mommy."

When she gingerly took hold of her daughter's hands to place a kiss against her palms, Saffron let out an excited squeal. It was only then that Cinder realised that she had been staring at the mother - daughter pair this whole time. Not that she could help it. It was moments like these. Moments when Cinder realised what had been missing in her life when she couldn't help but savour every second.

"Look who's that?" Ruby exclaimed as she pointed towards Cinder, who only raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Who's that?" Saffron's gaze swiftly followed her mom's until she stared into a mirror or gold.

The years of hardships and cruel reality of the world that Cinder faced had turned the fire in her eyes into a smouldering coal. A gaze once always guarded, betraying no emotion, until she the spark in Ruby's flint steel eyes set her heart on fire. And gradually over the years, Cinder was able to look at her lover with a warm inferno in her eyes. With Saffron being  the small spark that came from that love.

"Ma."

And without meaning to Cinder's lips twitched into a smile once again.

"Oh you're getting so good that this!" Ruby praised and clapped her hands, Saffron imitating in between excited gurgles. After a bit of grumbling and strain Ruby managed to lift Saffron onto her wobbly legs before, grinning mischievously at her wife.  "Now give Ma a hug."

Almost falling back down, Saffron reached out and took a step toward her mother…and another. Then once she stood in front of her, the toddler half - leaned half fell over into her mother's embrace. Welcoming, loving her unconditionally.

"Ha-gh"

Gingerly Cinder wrapped her arms around the little girl, closing her eyes to the soft smell of milk and warmth that she radiated.

'I love you my darling.'

To Cinder, those words were the purest truth in the world. It was a thought whispered between mother and daughter as she pressed a tender kiss to the toddler's forehead. And when she squealed and gurgled in delight, Cinder knew for certain that she had heard her. That she understood. Saffron could hear the thoughts shared between them, just like her and Ruby.

"Now…where is your sister?"

The moment Cinder saw the glowing pride upon a glance her way, she knew that Ruby heard... felt it too.

"Sa." The girl exclaimed as she stumbled her way back to her mom, snapping both women out of their thoughts. With a small 'oof', Saffron landed on her bottom once again and happily tapped her hand against her mom's stomach.

"Sa sa sa sa sa."

There was no stopping Ruby's laughter and the sun rays itself seemed to shine brighter into the room, as if they were drawn to the pure happiness in the air.

Saffron followed soon after, joyously clapping her hands at the delightful sound. Even if the toddler looked more towards her mother rather than mom. With her gold eyes and amber locks of hair, Saffron would grow up to be much more like Ruby…Cinder was sure of it.

"It seems like someone cannot wait to meet our new addition." Cinder mused and placed her hand over her daughter's on Ruby's stomach. It was slight but the bulge promised a new life in their small family that was surely growing.

To be honest Cinder still couldn't quite wrap her mind around how Ruby managed to convince her for them to have a child…much less a second. There were a lot of risks involved… especially for their kind . Newfound peace wasn't something that the woman wanted to give up. But Cinder would never regret their decision. And as she watched the mother daughter pair half talking - half babbling about the coming baby, she was overcome with joy.

At that moment…it was a feeling that she wanted to cherish.

…

In the Rose household mealtimes always followed with a messy kitchen. But the statement was even more true that morning.  Ruby never thought that her daughter would turn out to be a picky eater. But when she had tried to get Saffron to eat some solids that proved to be the case. It was like the toddler had some kind of grudge against any and every food that turned out to be green. Even when small bits were mixed in with panada, Saffron remained defiant.

Ruby sighed. Frowning down at the small bowl of hardly touched breakfast before turning to Cinder. “I can’t tell whether she doesn’t like the food or if it’s because of the teething.” Who was busy with her own serving of what was left of last night’s rabbit stew.  Looking up from the murky mixture of meat and vegetables with half lidded interest.  “Does it matter?” Her wife returning a look that clearly read ‘What kind of question is that?’

“She needs to eat regardless what the reason for her lack of appetite might be.” She stated as a matter of fact while absentmindedly sifting through her breakfast. Amber gaze shifting towards the toddler who was staring at the bottle of strawberry jelly on the table. Groaning as she futilely tried to reach for it. Having inherited her mom’s appetite no doubt.

Ruby huffed in slight frustration. Hands on her hips as she looked towards the other for advice. “Well I can’t exactly force it down her throat now can I?”

‘That’s debatable.’ The woman growled while taking another bite before she got a dap of panada against the nose. ‘I heard that.’  The look of sudden surprise on her face enough to make Ruby break into a full out grin. Wiping the residue porridge off her face before standing up. Tone teasing as she spoke. “It seems like Saffron inherited her eating habits from her mom.” Shooting her a playful smile that the other returned with a stuck out tongue.

“At least I’m not walking half naked around the house.”  Ruby defended. Mentioning the fact that her partner wasn’t wearing much besides a dressing gown. The cotton fabric doing little to hide the fair skin of slender legs as Cinder sauntered over. Leaning forward until their bodies almost pressed together against the dining table. “Oh but I’m not hearing you complain.”

Ruby giggled softly in return. Fingers playing with the trimmings of her dress as she gazed teasingly into a pair of golden eyes. Hands sliding down her back to rest against the table.  “And if you get Saffron to eat her porridge then I won’t.” Interrupting her wife’s train of thought as she held up the bowl in front of her with an apologetic smile.

“Mind feeding Saffron for me while I get ready?”

Cinder replying with a kiss to the forehead.

“Of course.”

Watching her disappear around the doorway before turning her attention back to the toddler. Who was busy slamming her fists against the table of the high chair, demanding food and attention.  The woman half amused at the sight as she moved over to the counter.  “I will feed you in just a moment little fang.” Taking out a few strings of meat out of the iron pot before starting cutting it into pieces.  Chopping the pieces at a lightning speed until she was certain that one would be able to drink it if they tried.

Turning towards her daughter with a hopefully more desired serving of food. A small smile twitching at her lips when Saffron reached out for it. Whether she was drooling because of her teething or hunger, Cinder didn't know. But once Saffron started eating mouth full after mouth full she assumed it to be the latter. Smiling with content the woman set the empty dish back down on the table.

But whether her serving was finished or not, the toddler still tried to grab hold of the strawberry jam.

“Maaa.” Whining in protest when Cinder picked it up, only to then be put away in a cupboard. “We don’t to repeat last week’s stomach now do we little one?” Proceeding to pick up a pair of torn trousers that was hanging over her loom .

“A dollop of jam never hurt anyone Cinder.” Ruby assured as she entered the kitchen once again but all she got in turn was a raised eyebrow. Saying nothing at first before her attention drifted to Ruby's attire. A frown creased her brow. " I thought we agreed on no hard labour whilst you’re expecting?"

The woman smiled apologetically back at her. "I know but the shipment of books came in early and since Grish is still helping out at the Mulberry's farm, I promised I'd be there."

Cinder tilted her head to the side as she cocked an eyebrow inquiringly at the other. “And when did you hear that bit of information?” Making Ruby smile sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.

“Uhm...two days ago?”

“And you didn’t consider telling your wife beforehand?”

Ruby instantly picked up on that slightly annoyed tone. Only able to hold up her and in front of her in apology as she stepped closer to her wife.

“I know I should have, but with Saffron being so fussy last night and the hardly sleeping these past few days I’ve just completely forgotten.” Sighing in defeat before meeting Cinder’s eyes with silver sincerity. “I’m sorry.” Softening her hard stare as she set the thread and needle in her hands back down. Unimportant for the moment as she crossed hr arms.

"I’m not very fond of the idea of you walking all the way to Patch.”  She was not necessarily angry. But the thought of Ruby being too far away from her, especially around humans, it made all her senses stand on edge.

“It’s only five minutes away. I won’t be gone too long.” Offering her a reassuring smile as she sat down on a chair across her partner. Tone tinged with humour as she spoke. “Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean that I’m suddenly made out of glass." Then took her wife's hands in her own, warm calloused and comforting. "But I appreciate that you're looking out for me." Rising them to her lips and pressing against in a soft kiss. Followed by another on her lips. "I always love it when you get a little possessive."

The woman grinned in return. "Is that so?" Then leaned forward to capture her lips one more time. And again...and again, eliciting faint giggles from her partner.

"Cinder…" Who gently placed her hands against the other's chest before resting their foreheads together. "You are going to make the baby much too excited."

"Is that a bad thing?" She wondered out loud and teased her partner with a kiss on the cheek before sitting back in her chair. Ruby's hand trailed down to her stomach. She wasn't wearing her corset anymore, Cinder noticed.

"I do not think I am ready to have Cinnamon kicking at me already."

Has it really been three months already? She wondered but her attention was swiftly diverted. "Cinnamon?"

Ruby nodded and stood up to let Saffron out the highchair. Setting her down on a sheepskin carpet, among her favourite stuffed animals in their tiny living room. "I think it sounds fitting ,don't you?"

Cinder set her sewing down once again, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. "I would prefer something like... Tarragon or-"

"Cinn." The other quipped and she let out a sigh, right now she wasn't going to get any work done in fixing the Brown children's trousers.

"Preferably not named after me."  Ignoring her wife's pout as she did so and got up to help with the washing of dishes.

"Aah how cooome?" Ruby groaned and lightly leaned her head against the other's shoulder, searching for comfort but all she got in turn was an annoyed huff.

"You know how that cur- conservative fool can be with his idiotic superstitions." She muttered while viciously scrubbing an iron pot, trying and failing to hide her distaste for said person. Ruby stopped for a moment. Turning to point a wooden spoon warningly at the other. "If Saffron starts teaching other kids bad words then I'll be very cross with you. And don't talk about Pastor Noir like that, he means well."

"Well?" Cinder scoffed, her tone more a growl than anything else. "He's bordering on senile." Ruby shoved her lightly in reply. "Don't be mean."

"I'm simply stating the truth." She affirmed and started drying off the plates, stopping when she heard a thought crossing the other's mind. 'Meanie.' Followed by a teasing smile from Ruby.

Cinder cocked an eyebrow at her wife. "Mean am I?" Making the woman giggle as she murmured into her ear, playfully swatting before pulling her in for a chaste kiss. "Very." With both admiration and annoyance gleaming in her eyes Ruby cupped the woman's cheeks. "But I still love you."

"I love you too." Cinder breathed. Then wondered what the other was up to once she noticed her cheeky grin. "Which is why you're letting me name our little cinnamon bun."

The woman shook her head internally, honestly, Ruby could be so incredibly stubborn when she wanted to. "I didn't realise you were so adamant about this." More of an ox than a wolf.

"And I didn't realise you are the one who's pregnant."

Perhaps even a chattering monkey or parrot, Cinder decided, grinning slyly as her hands slid downward.

"But I impregnated you, didn't I?" And chuckled when Ruby let out a small yelp. "Yes, and I still can't decide whether love or hate you for it."

Then as if the little one could understand her, Ruby turned towards Saffron. "Mommy still loves you." Who only stared back blankly, a stuffed vole hanging from her mouth. Then back at Cinder, pointing a finger against her shoulder, silver gaze unwavering as she spoke. "I'm naming Cinder the second, the Alpha Wolf has spoken."

If her words were supposed to intimidate the other, it sure wasn't working. With a sly grin, Cinder wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist. "Oh? Playing that game, are we?" She purred. Moving in for a kiss but the woman put a hand over her mouth. "Not when we have a little one watching." And when she mentioned to the toddler who was now watching intently, Cinder couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed.

…

"Are you going out today?" Ruby asked while  gathering the things needed before going out to town. A few bottles of home cooked marmalade. Perfect for selling at the upcoming First Harvest Festival.

"I was planning on finishing repairing Mrs. Brown's children's trousers." She gave the marred fabric in her hands a sceptical glance. "If they aren't were-kind themselves, then I honestly don't know how they can tear through the fabric that easily."

Ruby chuckled internally as she watched their little one play with two wood animals at her mother's feet. Knowing that Saffron will most likely be ten times worse after her first Change. "I'll make sure to give them a little sniff when I see them."

"Why do you ask, do you need anything?"

"I could use a bit of chamomile, hopefully it will help Saffron sleep through the night, and some elderflower for the coming winter. I have a feeling that it's going to be a cold one." Cinder almost got up before Ruby waved reassuringly. "But it's fine, I can buy some at the market."  But she was back on her feet already. "Absolutely not. With those prices it's practically daylight robbery."

Saffron squealed in unknowing agreement, catching her mom's attention as the woman turned towards the pair. "Are you taking Saffron out then?"

"Shouldn't I?"

Ruby nodded, thinking it a good idea. "It'll be good for her." Then quickly adding. "Just be careful when carrying her." She was beginning to sound just like Cinder.

"Are you initiating that I will drop my own daughter?" The woman dared, catching Ruby's gaze just as she walked past.

"No, but you know how Saffron can be."  Cinder returned a smile.

"Just like her mom."

***

…Two young women, werewolves, demons they were. Leeches, slowly sucking away at the livelihood of the village as they robbed the people of their friends and family. Slowly vanishing into the woodlands, one by one… Then blaming it on wild animals and bandits that might be skulking about. Lying through bloodied fangs, that were hidden from the villagers. They remained ignorant…innocent. But whether they knew it or not, the day would come when Patch would be nothing but a memory. For werewolves brought nothing but destruction and misery. Creations of an evil witch's curse. They were shadows, spilling out of the darkness that was Evil… keeping the flowers of Purity and Life from ever seeing the light…

***

Ruby wondered if enchanting abilities came with being a seamstress. Because after they got Saffron into her 'outdoor' clothes, the toddler wouldn't stop her joyous cries as she wriggled about in her mom's hold.

"Ra. Raaaa." Saffron bellowed, kicking her feet wildly in the air as they stood in the back garden, secluded between the cabin and the forest. Ruby only barely managed to keep a hold on the toddler, grinning with Saffron's contagious excitement. "What's that Saffron?"

"Rah!"

"You wanna see Ma turn into a wolf?" She feigned a surprised gasp, trying not to stare too much once Cinder removed all of her layers. Thank goodness for privacy, she thought.

"Raaah!"

Cinder couldn't stop the light chuckles that escaped her. "This one is a wolf for certain." Mirroring the look in her wife's eye. "Just like her mother."

Then without another word she crouched down and her porcelain form darkened to match the shade of her midnight hair, muscles and bone rippling like a shadow moulded in moving light. Steadily growing, sprouting claws and glinting fangs where teeth and nails used to be, followed by two ears and the 'swish' of a tail. The transformation only stopping when she cast a shadow over the other two, with Ruby now standing at the height of Cinder's crest. The woman... now a wolf 's eyes were set alight like the flames of a fire. Shades of gold glowing with the age-old magic that coursed through her veins.

To even the most seasoned of Huntsmen the sight would make them tremble in fear. A sign of death as they prayed to the gods for mercy. But for the toddler it meant adventure and excitement. And once Cinder lumbered over to the pair, Saffron broke into a fit of giggles and squeals.

"Rahrahrahrah."

And once the werewolf gently held Saffron  by the clothing between her teeth as she swung about, Ruby tied a leather pouch with a few securing straps,  to Cinder's fore chest. Normally used for carrying large amounts of medicinal herbs, spice and kill when out on excursions like this. Although now it also served as a little carrier for Saffron for when neither her mothers had the hands to. Free to observe the strokes of green, blue, yellow and dots of colour on the world's vast canvas before them.

And as Ruby stepped back, Saffron reached out for her. "Mamm. Raah." Making her mother's lips twitch into a longing smile as she took the toddler's small hands in her own. "Sorry my little one, Mommy's not coming along this time. But have fun and keep Ma safe alright?" Pressing a soft kiss against her forehead before facing Cinder, taking hold of her muzzle as she stared into her inferno gaze. "I'll see you just before tea?"

The werewolf nodded slowly as she nudged her affectionately. 'Of course.'  Ruby smiled in return, closing her eyes and inhaling the spicy scent of her lover. Letting it overwhelm her senses for but a moment, the familiarity comforting to her. 'I love you.'

Cinder's eyes gleamed upon the touch of the other's lips against her snout. Returning the gesture as she licked her wife's cheek.

'I love you most.'

…

The few places where chamomile and elderflower did grow in the woodland weren't too far from their cottage. And the location made leisurely strolls the perfect opportunity to take Saffron along, who stared with wide eyed awe she stared at the butterflies fluttering about. Squealing in delight upon hearing bird's call.

Watching her daughter point and light up at every new discovery was like seeing the world for the first time. Through a child's eye everything was pure and wondrous. Countless questions yet to be asked, swirling through the little one's mind as she gazed up at the trees towering above them. Searching for the glimpses of blue sky that filtered through.

Nearing a fallen tree, bridging two ledges, Cinder came to a stop and sniffed it tentatively. The faint trace of sap was still seeping out. As she put one paw down on the trunk her ears twitched to hear even the faintest of cracks. When there was none, she shifted over her full weight, claws leaving a pattern of faint gashes on the bark as she crossed it. With her legs wriggling about, Saffron looked down at the shrinking wildlife from above and let out a pleased gurgle.

Cinder let out an amused snort. 'Not afraid of heights are we?' As she stepped over onto the opposite ledge, the faint 'rush' of a currant tickled at her ears, perking up at the sound as she lifted her head. Nearing the river Cinder managed to find a mouthful of elderflower. Eliciting a splutter of giggles when the little blossoms tickled at Saffron's face as it swayed between the werewolf's jaws. Placing her down on the moist ground, among the picked flora, Cinder bent down to lap at the coursing river. Drowning out the flower's bitter taste that still lingered on her tongue before settling down. With half lidded amusement she watched her daughter claw at the dirt around her. The toddler giggling as its touch slipped between her fingers.

Upon hearing the quack of wild geese flapping overhead, Saffron's head turned up. Following the flying dots of brown, black and grey as they flew. "Da." She uttered, pointing and turning to her mother who followed her gaze in turn. 'Those are birds.' She explained and Saffron visibly perked up at the sound in her mind. For a few moments her eyes wondered about before landing on a trail of moving black specs, pointing once again. 'And those are ants.'  

As Saffron bounced up and down in a sitting position, Cinder wasn't quite sure whether she was excited learning new things or if just liked to hear her voice. Either way she was happy to name out everything that the toddler pointed too. 'A centipede.'  Her childish wonder and thirst for discovery awoke a strange excitement within her that the werewolf couldn't quite place.

Once again looking around, Saffron pointed at the coursing waters behind her mother. "Da. Wush wush." Making her chuckle at the sound of illiterate babbling. 'Yes, that is the river.' Then as another handful of dirt sifted through her fingers, the toddler let out a surprised gasp when a small white stone remained, rising it over her head around a clasped fist. "Hee."

'Did you find something?' Cinder asked, feigning disbelief as Saffron held it out to her mother. 'Bring it to Ma.' She beckoned. 'Bring it to Ma.' Urging her on as the toddler walked towards her. First steps wobbly before gradually growing more sure footed as she reached her mother. Grabbing hold of tufts of fur before nuzzling against her chest, the touch brought Cinder a rush of affection. 'Oh you're such a good girl and look how far you've walked, I'm so proud of you!' She praised, pressing her snout against the toddler's forehead as she burst out laughing, holding out the little stone for her mother to see.

'Oh my, that is pretty. Do you want to show mom when we get back?' She asked, Saffron replying with silent agreement as she put it into the leather pouch. Then turned her attention back to her mother as she pressed her hands against the soft fur of her neck. Clumsily combing through the strands before falling down on her bottom once again. "Maaa." She groaned, almost as if she was blaming her mother for not keeping her from falling over.

Now sitting once more, Saffron stared with amber eyes back at her mother, unblinking, as if she was pondering life's deepest questions. Then pointed towards her. "Ma?" Tone sounding so close to a question that it almost startled the werewolf. Cinder blinked once, corners of her mouth twitching upward in what was supposed to be a grin, only now it bared fangs. 'Ma is a wolf.'

Saffron tilted her head to the side. Mashing sounds together in her mind to form the words that came out in a single bark. "Whaf."

The woman chuckled lightly. 'Wolf.' She repeated, subconsciously trying to form the words with her mouth, pulling it into the strangest of expressions, making the toddler giggle as she tried again. "Woof." The sound igniting a glint of praise in her mother's eye as she pressed her snout against the little one's forehead. 'Smart girl.' Before begrudgingly standing up right. With her jaws she picked up Saffron, then placed the little one back into the pouch along with the elderflower.

Raising her head up into the air Cinder sniffed the surrounding area, almost tasting it at the back of her mind as she mapped out the woodland enclosing them. Waterfall to the east, mountains to the north. A herd of deer down the river, stags. A bear and cubs, two at the most, passed through here,  although long ago as the scent was stale, covered behind the veil of last week's rain. Smoke. The remains of a smouldering fire. Perhaps the work of bandits or a passing traveller, was just up ahead. Not something that she would've liked this close to the river as it would force Cinder to take a longer route to avoid any contact with them.

Oh times have changed, she mused upon turning to walk around that warning scent. As a child she heard stories of when werewolves used to be a feared and powerful race. Their packs strong and thriving. Faunus, vampires, mermaids and other were-kind all found a way to co-exist in the world known as Remnant.

All except one…

A species known as Man wanted to take all the world had to offer. They did not wish to co-exist and so…conflict arose. War. Countless years of bloodshed that drove mankind to the brink of extinction. But all that changed once they discovered the capabilities that one single crystal could offer them. Dust. Fire, ice, gravity, lighting…Nature's wrath wielded in Man's hands.

And as their strength in battle grew, so did their numbers. Aura, the sustenance of their souls evolving as well. Used to unlock and harness the magic given by the gods.

Before long prey turned into predator. Man fought back against the creatures of Remnant and placed themselves at the pinnacle of creation. Forcing others to flee from the so called 'light' that they cast upon the world, forcing them into the shadows of existence.

But Cinder's thoughts quickly snapped back to reality. A flash of reddish brown, swiftly darting past just and she leapt after it. Reacting on instinct. There was an audible squeal after the soft crunch of bones under her forepaws. Brown fur turned crimson as she removed her claws from the creature's neck.

'Foolish little squirrel.' She mused. Picking up her prey with little interest although there was no use in letting food go to waste. Saffron on the other hand was bubbling with excitement as she reached out for the swaying ball of fur. 'Hungry already?'  Her mother teased when the toddler started tugging at the creature. Wanting her to hand it over. "Eee. Eee." Cinder's lips curled into a playful grin. Lifting her head to pull it out of reach each time she almost had it in her grasp, but let go just before the little one got too upset. Pout turning back into a smile as she thrashed the squirrel about. 'Don't you have enough playthings at home?' But the toddler's interest in her new plush toy was short lived once she caught sight of a vole sitting on a nearby log. Whining once it dove for cover a moment thereafter. 'Although I do agree they are much more fun alive.' She chuckled. 'But don't let your mom hear that.'

Her thoughts flashed back to the distant days of her childhood. Nights spent under starlight sky, days basking in the sun, running till heart's content through perpetual plains. Watching from mountaintop as the sun rose from out the protective cover of Mistral's forests. Its reach stretching far beyond the horizon. But those days were long gone. Times have changed. Werewolf packs were growing smaller and scarce as time passed, now they are nomads and loners. Scattered among the continent. Few and far in between. And Cinder quickly realised that werewolves among the common man, didn't have the same…unconventional upbringing as she did. But perhaps that was for the best. In this world for were-kind to survive, they had to become human.

And were Ruby adapted to change, like water flowing through an ever-changing creek, Cinder stubbornly clung to her roots, a boulder chipped away by the rushing currant of time. It was this difference that gave way to their different views of parenting. The cause of most of their recent arguments but also the most compromise, as both parents would sacrifice anything for their little girl.

Once Cinder could feel the rising sun beating down on her back she realised that the morning hours were starting to pass. The werewolf had to be quick if she wanted to be back before Ruby got home. As the last thing she wanted was to make her worry. So without wasting any more time she broke into a light jog before stopping at the foot of a vine covered precipice. Setting Saffron down between the cover of long, lush greenery after deeming the surroundings safe and free from any danger, with the squirrel to keep her entertained.

Scaling a tree, leaning heavily towards the ledge, she wished that she had been born a were-tiger instead. Her legs bunched up under her, shoulders straining before she leapt, barely making the eight metre jump with her hind legs scrambling to find footing. With a great heave and growl Cinder managed to pull the rest of her body onto the slippery overhang.

'If this doesn't knock you out then I'm turning to ale.' She thought sardonically and tore the flowers from the earth's grasp. Finding comfort in the fact that she still at least had some of her physical abilities from her more… carefree days. Not that she was old, far from it, not even in her prime yet. Although Cinder would be lying if she said that her now more domesticated lifestyle didn't make her tamer. The woman hoped that she didn't need to be anything else. Cinder wasn't fond of the idea but if being human brought them safety…then so be it.

Stuffing the chamomile into the pouch until she was sure that the sheer amount would make Saffron go into hibernation if need be, the werewolf turned to jump down again. But something stopped her. A shiver running down her spine, making the hairs on her back stand on end. A sixth sense alerting her of the impending danger that somehow escaped her nose. Standing on her full height, swaying slightly on her hind legs before raining her footing. The werewolf's steely gaze bore through the surrounding shrubbery. Then, her heart stopped. Under the shade of a nearby tree, at the edge of the clearing, almost hidden by the enveloping shadows it stood. Brilliant blue eyes, sun streaked blonde hair, white and gold armour, sword and shield. A knight at first glance. But when he didn’t retreat, Cinder assumed the worst.

He drew his sword. Sight of the blade sending a shiver down her spine as her hackles bristled. And whether the blade was tearing through her flesh or not. She knew better than to snuff out her intuition. It was made out of silver. Specifically crafted to slay creatures of Darkness. Being the only weapon besides magic, that could penetrate a werewolf’s defensive Aura.

Meaning that this man, however young and inexperienced he looked, was a special breed of warrior. Trained to fulfil only one goal. To kill each and every mythical creature on Remnant. That was the duty of a Huntsman. The realization that he wouldn’t let her escape until one of them were dead, brought with it. A sickening dread welling up in her chest.

Slowly.

As not to provoke the man any further, Cinder dropped back down on all fours. Never breaking her gaze from his own as she set one paw in front of the other. Gradually drawing closer to the edge. The Huntsman’s iron grip on his weapon tightened with each step he took forward in turn. And once he was out of the shadow’s cover his cloudy blue gaze broke from molten gold. Searching the clearing from any other beast that could be lurking nearby. And when she noticed the second of wavering attention. Cinder wasted no time in leaping from the crippling height. The ground trembled upon impact and the Huntsman reacted instinctively. Drawing his shield in a flash of gold and white.

Standing his ground even with the beast now looming over him. The werewolf easily standing a metre taller than him despite its hunched posture. Her eyes were two blazing coals against the stark contrast of bristling midnight fur. Narrowed to slits as Cinder watched him intently. Like the prey he was. Observing every move he made. From his hesitant steps, the shield held protectively in front of him to his tentative glances to the side. He was hesitant. Either alone or on guard for any other of her kind. Both options being in the werewolf’s favour. Except one.

Saffron, as if sensing the impending danger, had quieted down. Now circling the Huntsman who was  standing in the middle of the clearing. Cinder inched her way closer to Saffron. Running off with her tail between her legs was not a desired option, but it was the only she could think off to keep the toddler out of harm’s way. But even if she did flee, there was no telling whether she would be able to run him.

A human outrun her?

Cinder scoffed, but kept her guard up.

His armour, shining white, consisted of a breastplate, gauntlets, greaves and bracers under a black tunic. Not the completed armour of a Huntsman. It was clear that he had not planned this encounter. He was caught by surprise just as she was, although that didn’t make Cinder’s current situation any more desirable. Knowing well that if she wanted to kill him, now was the time to do it. She wouldn’t get a second chance to encounter him unprepared.

But when his gaze focused on something behind her, Cinder grew fearful that he had seen Saffron. Luckily that wasn’t the case. The man had only noticed how the werewolf seemed to be inching closer to a gap in the trees surrounding them. Looking for an escape the Huntsman thought. Only he wasn’t going to let it run off.

“You aren’t getting away from me!” Then with a deafening war cry, he lunged at the werewolf. Cinder catching his swing in her grasp. Claws digging into the leather of his bracers before throwing him aside. Tumbling backwards, the Huntsman barely had time to recover before the werewolf was on him once again. Slashing at his throat before he rolled to the side. Ducking under the blow and countering with a swing of his sword. Aimed at Cinder’s shoulder. The blade leaving an angry crimson gash and blood curdling roar in its wake.

Crouching down, the blade singed as it clipped midnight hairs from Cinder's neck. His speed was far greater than what she expected. And she cursed herself for her negligence. But it wasn’t a mistake she’d make again. Evading his attacks but still making sure that he’s keep at it, she patiently waited for the right moment to strike. For him to make a mistake.

Once he did it was with the slight over extension of his swing, exposing the gap between his breastplate and elbow guard. The man couldn't stop the sheer mass of the wolf from knocking him over and keeping him pinned down. Snapping with razor sharp fangs at his neck. Inches away from tearing him to shreds as the Huntsman strained to push the beast off with his shield. The enchanted metal burning away at the werewolf’s skin and claws. The scorching pain only fuelling Cinder’s bloodlust that dripped down in pools of saliva.

Even when the man knew that his raw strength was nothing compared to hers. He still continued to fight through gritted teeth. Ignoring the burning in his neck as he strained to keep the werewolf at bay. He shut his eyes tightly. As if to summon the last of his strength before giving one more push. Then attempting to roll out from under her. But the powerful set of jaws clamping down on his clavicle, kept the Huntsman in place.

His own Aura was not strong enough to project him.  Bones gave way with an audible crunch, blood spluttered from out the wound to the sound of an agonised scream echoing through the forest. The Huntsman desperately thrashed to escape the torture. The pain overwhelming to the point of numbing his right arm while his left reached for the dagger he kept hidden in his boot. Before sheathing it between the werewolf's ribs. Viciously hacking through her skin.

Frantically she grabbed hold of his shoulder, and feeling muscles tear between her teeth as she flung him aside. Aura not doing much to soften the fall that left him gasping for air.

And as she staggered upright once again, Cinder grabbed hold of the burning dagger still lodged in her ribs. Ripping it out of the gushing wound with a guttural howl.

The horrifying sound of her mother's pain tore Saffron from her shocked stupor.

"Ma?"

Cinder's blood ran cold. The Huntsman stiffened and his eyes tore away from the werewolf to find the toddler hidden behind blades of grass. Sitting among what he could only guess to be the monster’s dinner. The moment he lied unmoving on the ground felt like an eternity before managing to find the willpower to stand up once more.  The secured shield splattered with the blood seeping from the wounds of his shoulder. Dangling limply as his side. But despite the agony he was in. His cerulean gaze suddenly hardened with conviction as he pointed his sword threateningly at the wolf. “Leave the kid alone!” The pain leaving cracks in his wavering voice as he drew closer. Cinder ignored his warning. Snarling defiantly as she limped closer to the toddler. Her claws dug into the ground beneath her with each step she took. Ready to sink them into his flesh if he so much as-

'No!'

In a flare of Aura. Flash of white and gold. The Huntsman ran towards Saffron and whatever little restraint she possessed. Diminished as parental instincts kicked in.

But instead of her claws tearing through the armour, the metal burned at her paws, sparks erupting from her touch as the metal sawed off her claws. In a howl of pain Cinder staggered back just as the knight slammed into her with his shield. The contact sending an electric jolt through her wounded shoulder. Turning with the impact, and the hilt in his grasp he was intent on driving the blade through the werewolf’s skull. But the injuries had already taken its toll. Draining his speed and giving Cinder enough time to duck under the blow. Before delivering a blow to the side of his face. Claws leaving five gashes in its wake. Followed by another slash.

Forcing the Huntsman to lunge backward in retreat as she paced back and forth, staying in front of the toddler. Saffron's innocent mind was not yet able to understand what was unravelling before her. All she knew was that her mother was hurt. A thought that made the little one whimper in fear as she crept deeper into the shrubbery. And her daughter's distress sent Cinder's blood boiling with uncontrollable rage when the Huntsman refused to retreat. Chest heaving as he summoned the last of his remaining Aura. Voice trembling with the sword in his grasp. Words striking fear into the werewolf’s heart.

“Caliginis et...peccati...” 

It couldn’t be!

 “...peccati creaturae.”

A spell as old as time. Divine Magic that were used by Huntsmen, mages and priests to ward off monsters of all kind. Cinder recognized that hex instantly. Echoing memories of the past. Of loss and bloodshed in the back of her mind as she raced to reach her daughter before the blinding light could.

“Et hic a te in exsilium!”

Chasing after her in a flash of colourless devastation. Washing out the landscape behind as the light burned away at her Aura upon touch.

Shielding Saffron from harm as she held her close to her chest. Breaking out in tears and cries as her mother half sped half stumbled across the forest floor. And as much as Cinder hated to hear her cry, there was no time to stop. 'I know my darling, I know.' A coward's move to some but she wasn't about to fight a battle where all it took was one mistake that could mean her or Saffron's death. 'It's frightening, but I promise you, Ma will not let him hurt you.'

Protecting her daughter, that was her only priority at the moment. And she grew fearful upon seeing a flash of white light at the edge of her vision. But that fear quickly turned into terrifying determination, adrenaline that drowned out all the pain of her injuries. With a flare of Aura, Cinder continued to speed through the woodlands. Faster and faster. But  speed meant nothing if she couldn't control her own thoughts. At that moment, as hard as it was, the werewolf knew that she couldn't let her emotions take a hold. And while the Huntsman might have the element of surprise, Cinder knew the terrain better. It was something that she could use to gain advantage.

Taking in her surroundings the werewolf managed to form at least a vague idea of where they were. She was nearing the river once again and Cinder picked up her pace, ignoring the pain in her side as she shifted all of her weight to her hind legs. Then with a powerful thrust, she leapt over the coursing river. Looking to throw the Huntsman off their trail as she headed for the mountains. So that if he did catch up to her, it wouldn't be after leading him directly to their house. But Cinder hoped that she could shake him off before it come to that.

And as the werewolf looked to the sky, ahead towards the mountain casting ominous shadows over them, she couldn't help but to pray to whatever gods that might be looking down upon her. Hoping that once…just once…her pray would be answered.

'Please…keep Ruby safe.’

***

…And it was upon one faithful day two Huntsmen, Jaune and Phyrra Arc, stumbled into the Emerald forest. Their map long ago carried away by Summer's wind. Almost as if the gods themselves were ushering them to the quaint little town. Out on an early morning foraging expedition, one Huntress found herself standing upon a rocky hill. Overlooking the forest that surrounded the brown spec that was Patch.

Swiftly she turned back to the small camp they had set up next to a glimmering rivulet. Excited at the possibility of finding a place to stay for the night. Stock up supplies and finding a map before they continued their journey through the kingdom. But instead she found the camp empty as her husband had not yet returned from his hunting expedition.

Jaune Arc was a Huntsman, known by all. Praised by Man and feared by the creatures of Darkness as his skill with a blade rivalled even the most experienced of warriors, but his charm and charisma second to none. The man was truly gifted by the gods. For not only was he a natural born leader but also had a sharp mind, having already set snares the night before. But instead of his kill being bountiful, Jaune Arc shockingly found there to be none. All of the snares had gone off but had caught none…or so it seemed. As he bent down to get a closer look he caught sight of blood staining a loop in the snare.

Someone or something had stolen his kill.

And it was then when a horrific screech rang through the forest. He didn't hesitate. Drawing his sword and shield he ran after the cry of help and then found  himself in the midst of a small clearing. Then right before him…a truly horrifying sight.

A werewolf!

The beast stood at two times his height. It's claws like knives, dug through the flesh of the prey under it. Teeth gnarled and what wasn't drenched in blood, yellow and rotten. Slick saliva drip...dripping down

The Huntsman was appalled to find the prey to be a young woman. Raven hair matted with the  crimson of her blood her body nothing more than a mangled heap of flesh, arms of which only the bone remained, still clinging onto the half eaten remains of her child.

And as it looked towards the Huntsman, baring bloodied fangs, Jaune could see the fire of Hell that burned in its eyes. The sight was enough to make any man tremble in fear. Scar them for life, no matter how hard of heart they were. But Jaune Arc wasn't just any man and within him awoke an inextinguishable rage as he lunged towards the beast. On a warpath to send the monster back into the Hell it crawled out of.

The beast was fast but the Huntsman was faster. Evading the swings of its claws before parrying with a slash to the werewolf's side, the silver of his blade, being the only metal that could slice through a werewolf's defensive Aura. Realising the danger of facing it's opponent the werewolf, slashed at the Huntsman once more before racing off in retreat.

Of course Sir Arc wasn't about to let the monster get away and gave chase, but the beast vanished into the forest without a trace. Surely the work of Dark Magic, the Huntsman thought with a grim look in his eye. Then, sheathing his sword once again, Jaune turn to head towards the village. Intent on telling his wife and fellow Huntress of what he had seen, and to warn the villagers of the grave danger they were in…

[erikabunk]

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending seven days in Austin, Texas. Not only was it great being in Austin, but it was also a pretty popular time to be there. South by Southwest (or SXSW) is the interactive, film, music, and comedy festival that completely takes over the city for almost two full weeks. As part of the completion of my interdisciplinary degree at Columbia College, I was able to attend the festival as part of the AEMMP Digital Distribution & Promotions Practicum course. For my project in class, I was able to incorporate something I was planning on doing down there, anyway. I got to write about all of the bands (good and bad) that I was able to catch, and it was published over on Atwood Magazine. If you’re interested in the music portion of my experience, click on the day-header for those ramblings. This post will serve more in the nitty-gritty of the trip, and what you won’t find on a publication. Thus, “What You Didn’t Read about SXSW Already”

First, I’d like to invite you to put this playlist on while you peruse this blog post, or go about your day. It’s my SXSW music I loved the most:

Anyway —

Day One — Monday, March 13th

Early airport hype

Or, “the day that overtook the mid north/northeastern part of the U.S. by storm… literally.” This was the start of the blizzard that shut down most of the airports in the country, and over 1,600 flights got canceled (or something like that?). My flight was originally due out of MDW at 8:30am, but was canceled the night before. Luckily, I was able to get on a 6am flight and still make it to Austin before the storm hit. But, that meant that I had to get up around 3am. The day after my first 20-miler. In all honesty, it’s a miracle that I made it down there in one piece and as smoothly as I did.

Almost immediately after landing, I got to re-connect with one of my favorite people — one of my fellow Delta Diamonds, Brianne. She hosted me for the first night in Austin, and we (along with her fiancé), ate at iHop, picked up my badge, and went to an outlet mall in Round Rock.

En route to shows through that traffic *hype*

After that, I was able to attend an Act-A-Thon hosted by Bob Garfield and Steven Rosenbaum, which was actually really cool and probably a highlight of the trip I don’t talk enough about. Basically, it was a really sparsely-attended event that had us break into groups of about five or six people, and we picked issues to tackle. After some discussion, my group selected the preschool to prison pipeline, and how we could attempt to solve the issue. Both Rosenbaum and Garfield were impressed with our discussion and attempts of “solving” the issue, and it was really cool to collaborate in a different way than I’m used to with a diverse group of people from around the USA (plus, a member from Canada!).

Then it was finally time to take in music. You can read about the rest of that in the link above.

After the last show, Brianne and Juan picked me back up outside of the capitol. We spent probably about an hour wandering around outside the well-lit capitol building, which apparently is an “Austin tradition” for locals. There was a guy playing with a dog there too, and we were able to play and make small talk with the pet-owner for a bit, too. It was a really calming way to wrap up the first day, and I don’t think I’ve slept as hard as I did that first night on the collapsable futon since then. First day, and I was already exhausted? Oh boy… Day Two — Tuesday, March 14th

A very groggy start, probably because even though I slept really hard, I only grabbed about five or six hours when I really needed about 16. But, I got the article started at Brianne’s, wrapped it up in a Starbucks, and made my way over for a live Podcast taping stage. I caught a few different shows — including an interview with Edward Snowden as part of the Intercepted podcast, I saw part of Wrongful Conviction and caught a sneak peek to Season 2 of Alice Isn’t Dead… and then, the event I was there for, The Dinner Party Download. I actually got to write a little bit about it for Atwood, so be sure to give that link above a read. In addition to the musical performance, the special guests also included Sasheer Zamata (of SNL fame), and Jeffrey Cranor (co-creator of Welcome to Night Vale and one of the people I accidentally shared an elevator with on the ride up). I stayed for a little bit of the Mortified podcast, too — enough to subscribe to the series at least, because I had to dash out to catch some other music.

Again, read above. It was a great day for some music.

In the middle of the music, I got to take a break and reunite with one my favorite people (another Spirit family member), Jack. We went to Gourdoughs (which is another Austin thing) and grabbed a late lunch/early dinner. All I have to say is I had the most amazing chicken sandwich on a DONUT. See photo below.

CHICKEN DONUT SANDWICH

Jack!

More music. Then a trip back out to Round Rock for another Austin specialty, Kerbey Lane Cafe. It was a big family reunion including Brianne/Juan, Jack, and Gabi (plus her friend from Mandarins, which is another drum corps). We had some really great queso (too expensive though??), and talked a lot about band. Kerbey’s is open for 24 hours, so we took full advantage of that and wound up staying past 2am — but it was so wonderful. The exhausted I felt was the kind that leaves you warm and happy inside, the kind that only comes from having good food in good company and filling it all in with conversation that brings back the best memories. Even though I only got about three or four hours of sleep that night, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Family love <(

Day Three — Wednesday, March 15th

Waking up on the University of Texas [Austin] campus was nice, since the festival activities weren’t too far away. I walked about halfway to where I needed to get (walking takes up most of your time at SXSW) before settling into a Starbucks for breakfast/coffee and getting the article written up and sent off. Then it was another 20-25 minute walk to Stubb’s Historic Inn, where I’d spend the rest of the daytime. You can read about it in the link up top, but what isn’t mentioned in the Atwood piece is this was basically the only time I really drank at all during SXSW. It wasn’t enough for me to become completely useless, (i.e., enough to still take notes/photos and nowhere near needing help getting back to the hotel), but it was enough to say that I did drink. Hosted by my one of my favorite breweries, Lagunitas, and Independence Brewing, I took full advantage of the free beers. But I also got to see some really great music, (and had a lot of really awesome conversations with other music-appreciators), so be sure to check that out above.

Happiness @ Scoot’s

Finally, the rest of the Columbia kids coming to SXSW arrived, and we were able to check into our hotels. Lucky for me, my next show was really close to the hotel. So the rest of the night was spent taking in more music. Again, check that out above. To fill in some space, I had one of the most amazing grilled cheese sandwiches from a food truck I’ll ever consume, and I did have a little bit of BBQ at the NPR showcase. Finally, checking more “Austin” things off the list.

Day Four — Thursday, March 16th

Finally, my first run after the 20-miler. I woke up pretty early to get some miles in before the festival-goers overtook the city, and explored a different part of Austin. The trail along the lake was full of dogs and other runners, (who, to my surprise, all had pretty updated shoes on. The Fit Specialist inside me has never been so satisfied). It was also so crazy humid; I’ve never been to Texas at a time where it was so painfully humid, but I’m thankful it’s not usually so stupid humid over the summer. Remind me of that when I’m complaining about the dry Texas heat in July.

This time, I got the article knocked out before heading out for the day, then it was a mad dash to Starbucks (again) to refuel my empty stomach, wake my brain up, and then panel time. We got a sneak peek at some music coming out in 2017, discussed it from a consumer and programmer point of view, and I even ran into some classmates while there. I wound up spending a little bit of time with them, hitting up the AEMMP event at Bat Bar, and finally got to try a donut from Voodoo donuts. The wait was worth it. I mean, look at this thing.

Fruitloop donut??

Another cool thing that happened today that had nothing to do with SXSW was that a project I’ve been working on for Atwood for awhile was kicked off — a new column entitled “Time Machine.” So, if you’re so obliged, check that out here.

Again, more more more music. Read above.

What you won’t read in Atwood that is music-related was that I also doubled up on shows for the first time on day four. After Kate Nash at the Presbyterian church, Communist Daughter and Jeremy Messersmith took the stage (in that order). Of course I stayed for both of those Minnesota bands — and chatted with both after their shows. It was pretty cool to get to thank both of these acts for the work they do, and chat in a haze of “it’s past 2am and I’ve been at shows for the last seven hours straight.”

One of the biggest moments of the trip also happened on this evening. The walk back to our hotel was pretty lengthy, especially coming from one of the more northern-points of the festival. While walking back, it all kind of hit me: I had seen so many bands that I not only had been looking forward to seeing for so long, but that I’ve spent so much time listening to in solitary. I realized how much I had been loving everything happening that week, how much genuine fun I was having — even though I was starting to hit the point of exhaustion where I needed to sleep for a full day; even though I was technically “working” for more hours than I could count; even though I was by myself/not with anyone I knew most of the time… I realized how much I wanted to do stuff like this for real.

Before I left for SXSW, I was offered admission to DePaul’s Journalism graduate program along with a small scholarship right off the bat. I’m pretty sure I’ve said something here before too, but a little over a month ago, I was also offered admission to Loyola’s Digital Communication & Storytelling program. Not only did I have an option between two programs, but I wasn’t even sure if grad school would be the right way for me to go. In the time I was walking back to the hotel that night, I realized that grad school would probably be a great option. It would offer me the opportunity to grow with writing and probably get better a lot faster than I have been lately. Not only did I decide on going to grad school, but I also figured it would be best to attend DePaul… (not having to explain two degrees would be nice, plus, the money offer and slightly more affordable attendance cost put them pretty far ahead). And who says that nothing good happens after 2am?

Day Five — Friday, March 17th

Really not much to report outside of what you’ll find over at Atwood for Friday. It was a crazy day; but I did discover a Thai place (that I ended up eating at again on Saturday) which was really filling and delicious. So much wonderful music. It took awhile to write the articles for the rest of the week, since not only did I feel like I was repeating myself so much how I described the acts, but there was so much to write about. Anyway, read about it up top.

I did run into some old “co-workers” on sixth street, though, which was crazy.

One thing I do want to emphasize is Sara Watkins. That’s all.

Day Six — Saturday, March 18th

Kicked off the day with another run. Not quite as humid, but the mix of probably dehydration/exhaustion made it a tough six-mile push. Again; worth it to see so many dogs and smart runners.

The final day of music also had a simultaneous slow, sleepy start. I didn’t worry about getting the article filed before heading out for the day, took my time at breakfast, and figured out how to spend the last day of taking in as much music as possible. Ultimately, I decided that most of the day would be best-spent trailing New York soul-pop group, Lawrence. After communicating via Twitter, by the second show, I jumped when they called me out during the mic-check at the second show, and received a wave with a thumbs-up before the third show. Afterwards, I met up with two of the band members and they thanked me for coming to all three shows — I asked a couple burning questions (new album/will that new single be out sometime/thank you), then took back off to take in the rest of the last night of the festival.

But seriously, Lawrence put on a great show and I’m not disappointed nor do I regret it at all that I spent the last precious day of music consumption in Austin hanging out with a band I already wrote about. If you get a chance, see their show. Just do it.

Lawrence

Another late night, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I wrapped it all up at Cheer Up Charlie’s with Har Mar Superstar. He put on another absolutely wonderful show which I didn’t take notes for, and belted the words to every song right along with him, dancing/jamming as best I could in the crazy-packed crowd. Totally worth it.

Day Seven — Sunday, March 19th

Unlike most attendees, I wasn’t hung over at all during SXSW (definitely because I only drank once), but Sunday brought a weird type of hung-over that I haven’t experienced in a very long time. Something I like to call “fun-hungover,” or a little post-fest depression. In which, the very fun thing (festival) is now over, and you’re not sure what to do next. I packed everything up at the hotel, checked out, and trekked back up downtown to hole up in a Starbucks for a few hours and get cranking on some articles.

Garden cheeseburger @ Magnolia…read on

Then, Jack got back into town. We had a scare with gas, went to the Tervis store, missed a few exits, and finally decided to eat. The decision after a brief discussion landed on Magnolia cafe, where we both had some really delicious burgers (I inhaled it since I was starving), and then went back to the UT campus. He had a meeting, I got some work done (kind of), and then we grabbed ice cream at Amy’s Ice Cream. Absolutely delicious milkshake which, again, I inhaled out of hunger. We drove around for awhile again, swung by his parents’ house (where I met his mom and dog!), and then spent some time just talking about the magic of drum corps and having a generally deep heart-to-heart conversation; something we really haven’t gotten to do since a late-night bus ride through St. Louis.

Cue up another night of a really short, but hard, sleep.

Basically…

Back home — Monday, March 20th

Caught an early flight back to MDW, slept more on the plane than I did on Jack’s couch, and finished up the last article for Atwood’s SXSW coverage once I got home.

I’m actually writing this on the Sunday after getting back (this week has been crazy between school catch-up and working… even though it’s spring break?), but I think that’s okay. I had so many wonderful moments on the trip to Austin, and I’m so glad I was able to get all of the work in before it that I was. I feel like I accomplished something, I’ve got six tangible portfolio pieces after that week spent getting hardly any sleep and spacing out meals far too much.

But, the real reason I’m writing this post today is because none of this would have been possible without the support and opening-of-doors that happened. First, shouts to the Atwood Admin staff, for letting me write down all of the art I took in and publishing it over on the magazine’s website. It was pretty cool to have a real answer when people asked me countless times what I was doing taking notes at a show. Second, thanks to Justin Sinkovich and AEMPP Records/Columbia College Chicago for organizing this class. I know it’s come a long way in the last few years, and I’m glad I was able to be a part of it in this iteration. Thirdly, but probably most importantly, thanks to my grandparents, Mel & Nancy Kooda. The last time I saw/will ever see my grandma was over this past Christmas, right around the time I was going through a lot fiscally and emotionally. Her Christmas gift and graduation gift to me was this trip. Without her, I would not have been able to put in the necessary work to get the most out or the trip; I might not have even gone on the trip, and I might not have been able to walk with this portion of my degree completed. I am so endlessly thankful for her support that I’ve received all of my life, and it breaks my heart that I won’t be able to share any of this experience with her. But, I’d be lying if I said that a big reason why I worked so hard leading up to the trip (especially after February 8th), why I took in as much as I could and didn’t opt to sleep past 9am like, ever, was because I could feel her presence, and I wanted to make her proud, even though I won’t be able to physically talk to her about the experience anymore. Thank you, grandma, for your endless support even now and for leading me to believe I can do anything. I miss you more than I can even articulate now — maybe I’ll be able to after I take more classes and hopefully obtain this Master’s degree. It’s all been for you: every word.

Thanks for sticking through this week of craziness, faithful followers. It’s impossible to believe that graduation is coming up so quickly, as is my last summer of drum corps. Stay with us, 2017 is going to keep being quite the ride; I’m sure.

Sporting a Dut.co shirt for the last day of SXSW

What You Haven’t Read about SXSW Last week, I had the pleasure of spending seven days in Austin, Texas. Not only was it great being in Austin, but it was also a pretty popular time to be there.

[etraytin]

A Fish Fic for (not) Friday

It wasn’t until I went to write that title that I realized I should’ve saved this fic back till tomorrow, but it’s already posted and I am not a patient woman anyway. Oh well! Here is a short West Wing standalone fic about my favorite mystery: what benign force is in charge of Gail’s fishbowl? Personally I still believe it’s magic, but this is a somewhat more mundane explanation. Hope you enjoy! 

“So what's going on in here?”

Carol jumped at the sudden voice from behind her, water slopping over her fingers as she tightened her grip on the glass bowl. She turned to glare at the interloper, now leaning in the doorway as though he had not a care in the world. “You're not supposed to be back here, Danny,” she accused. “Margaret's going to eat you for breakfast.”

“Hey, ease back there, Galatea,” Danny implored, raising his empty hands. “I've got a note from the boss, I swear. We're meeting for lunch.”

Carol looked at him skeptically. “Galatea?” she repeated. “Like the statue?”

“No, no, no,” he insisted. “Like the sea goddess. You know, with the fish, and the shooting lightning from your eyes at me... never mind. The name of the statue came from the name of the goddess.”

“You are way too educated, Danny,” she told him flatly, turning back to her work. “She's in the sit room, I don't know if she's going to make it back anytime soon. You might be stuck with the Mess today.”

“I can deal,” Danny replied easily. “You're a little outside your stomping grounds as well, aren't you? Last I heard you were pretty much running things in the press office.”

“I'm a woman of many talents.” Carol set a doily down on the polished mahogany desk, then carefully placed the fishbowl down on top of it, right next to the other one.

“You're messing with my fish,” Danny observed. “Or with one of them. Why are there two fish?”

“Because I'm changing out the bowl,” she explained. The bowl on the right contained royal blue gravel, a little plaster menorah, and a goldfish. The bowl on the left contained red and green gravel, a little plaster Christmas tree with plaster presents beneath it, and a goldfish. Carol pulled a folded length of gold ribbon from her pocket and secured it around the rim of the  Christmas bowl, tying a puffy bow.

“I always wondered who changed the decorations,” Danny admitted. “But that doesn't really answer the question at hand. Which one of those is my fish?”

“Neither of them are yours,” Carol replied immediately, volunteering no further information. She was a pro at dealing with troublesome members of the press corps, and Danny Concannon definitely counted after all the trouble he'd caused last time he'd come to town. Nobody got to make CJ that happy, then that sad, then that aggravated, then up and leave again, thereby ushering in the godforsaken Era of Ben without making it onto Carol's semi-permanent shit list. He could stay there as far as she was concerned.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. Which one is CJ's?” He obviously read the answer she was about to give on her face. “...Both of them are CJ's. Right. Which one is the one I gave her? The original?”

Carol bent to look into the bowls with a critical eye. “Neither of them,” she decided after a moment. “This is Gail Two and Gail Five. Gail One's in the tank.”

His eyes widened a little. “Five? Is this some kind of illicit goldfish-smuggling operation? And me without my notebook.”

She gave him a withering look. “You gave CJ a goldfish in a bowl without so much as a piece of gravel in it. You know what the life expectancy for a fish like that is, in an environment like the White House? I've had headaches that lasted longer. But CJ likes her, and she reduces the workplace stress around here. And somebody has to keep the bowl clean and decorated anyway, so we got a system going.”

“Who's we?” Danny asked, looking fascinated almost in spite of himself.

“Me and Henry at first, and some of the interns. Jack actually knew something about fish, so he set up the little aquarium downstairs in the supply closet back of the Press Office.” Carol smiled dryly. “We told him being assistant deputy would require a wide skill set.”

“But why?”  

She shrugged. “Being the fish on CJ's desk is a stressful gig. They each have a week or so at a time, then get four weeks off to recover. Works pretty well, we've only lost one Gail in six and a half years. And the original is still doing fine,” she assured him.

Danny approached the desk, looking slightly awestruck. “A true White House conspiracy right under my nose, and I never suspected a thing,” he mused. “I should just turn in my credentials now.” Carol smirked, but refrained from making any helpful remarks. “Does CJ know?”

“No, and don't tell her, either!” Carol insisted, stepping closer to the desk.“She needs Gail more than ever, so you just leave well enough alone, Danny Concannon. Anything that reduces her stress level is good. And if you're sneaking in here again because you've got some kind of story to drop on her head or there's something you want to get from her-”

“Hey, hey,” he protested, taking a couple quick steps back. “I've got no ulterior motives here! I'm trying to take an attractive and interesting woman who I have strong feelings for out to a nice lunch, and the fact that she happens to be one of the most powerful people in the world is less a perk and more something we have to work around.”

Carol just glared at him, letting her expression say clearly what she thought of his assurances. There'd been a time, years really, when she'd liked Danny very much. He'd started following the campaign right about the time she'd come on staff, and she'd liked his deadpan humor, the words he used to describe their days that made them more vibrant than actually living them, and the way he flustered and exasperated and amused and bewildered CJ. They hadn't had much time for entertainment on the campaign, and it had been a lot more fun for her and Margaret and Donna to gossip about CJ and Danny than about Leo's slowly disintegrating marriage or the never-ending vale of tears that was Josh and Mandy. When they got to the White House, he ingratiated himself with little bribes, enough that Carol found them charming, nothing to make her feel cheap, and she felt fine about it because he wrote stories that were fair and secretly CJ wanted to see him. Even when CJ was punishing him, Carol was usually on his side, just a little bit.

Then there was that horrible night at Rosslyn, when CJ had come back to the White House injured and shaken down to her very bones, and all Danny could talk about was the 25th Amendment. Carol had wanted him to help her take care of CJ, but he'd only made things worse because that was his job. It occurred to her for the first time that maybe his job really was the obstacle CJ and everyone else said it was. He could've moved up, taken a promotion, become an editor, and been much freer to be with CJ, but then he hadn't done that, either. (Carol hadn't known about that for another full year, not till the sad, arid days after Simon Donovan, when she'd finally taken CJ out and gotten her drunk enough to talk about her love life.) The last straw had come when Danny had staged his Christmas comeback, when Carol had bought into the romance and excitement enough to help sneak him into the White House dressed as Santa Claus so he could surprise CJ. Surprise her with a bombshell of a story he was working on, more like, and give her nothing but more headaches and sleepless nights. As far as Carol was concerned, as far as she hoped CJ was concerned, Danny and his lack of ulterior motives could go pound sand.

Danny seemed to grow a bit uncomfortable with the glaring after a moment, though he was professionally immune to people who were annoyed with him. He turned his attention back to the fish. “So, um, what happened to the one Gail that didn't make it?”

“Turkey-related mishap,” Carol replied shortly.

“Ah.” There was another moment of silence. “So, I think I'll just stop by later when CJ's back in her office. Nice to see you, Carol.”

Carol waited till he was almost at the door to the hallway. “Hey, Danny.” He turned back to look at her. “You be good to her, okay? No more games, no more stories.” She cradled the Hanukkah bowl and Gail Two a little closer. “If you hurt her again, nobody's ever going to find your body.”

Danny's eyebrows went up as he studied her. He seemed to understand how much she meant every word of that, to judge by the way he shifted his weight and ran one hand nervously through his hair. “Right, gotcha. And I'm just not gonna ask what kind of fish food you're using down in the press office these days.”

She gave him a thin smile, letting him make his escape into the hallway. Once he was safely gone, Carol lifted Gail Two's bowl to face height, peeking in at its golden occupant. “Men are totally not worth it, Gail,” she announced with great feeling. “If you want somebody to keep you company, you're better off with a fish.” Tucking the bowl back into the crook of her arm, she headed back for the press office, leaving Gail Five swimming lazy circles in her Christmas bowl.

(This fic is also archived at AO3, same author name, under the title “Fish Story.”)