#and I simply do not believe they're going to kill Christopher

[missmagooglie]

That graveside Buddie conversation is making me insane because they are NOT on the same wavelength. They're trying to be, but Buck is questioning everything about himself and Eddie is going through it but they are still each other's person even when the rough edges don't fit together quite right but there is SO MUCH they aren't ready to talk about.

And then to follow it up with that scene with Christopher? Where Eddie left for just a second to go bring him something from the kitchen for them to share together, only to come back and find him passed out on the couch?

The way Eddie has love, has a family, but he still feels alone because Christopher is growing up and Buck hasn't been the same since the lightning strike and the shape of his family is growing and changing around him but he still feels stuck and I'm -

[katie-the-bug]

The Mark of the Bees

Title largely unrelated to subject matter (The Mark, book eight of the Left Behind series). I just wanted to say "The Mark of the Bees." And now I have. Thank you for your indulgence.

The characters, in case you've forgotten:

The Tribulation Force: Rayford Steele, pilot; Buck Williams, journalist; Chloe Williams, organizer; Kenny Williams, infant; Tsion Ben-Judah, internet evangelist and ex-rabbi; Chaim Rosenzweig, new Israeli convert; Mac McCullum, backup pilot; Abdullah Smith, backup to the backup pilot; Albie, former black-marketer, espionage expert; David Hassid, IT guy on the inside; Annie Christopher, David's girlfriend; Hattie Durham, bitter ex-girlfriend of the Beast.

The Global Community: Nicolae Carpathia, risen lord and deity of the GC, in other words, the Antichrist; Leon Fortunato, Satan's little helper; Viv Ivins, role unclear.

Okay, so Nicolae's just come back from the dead, but, despite extremely limited changes in demeanor, our lead characters know he's possessed by Satan. Alright, what does this mean for Nicolae himself? Is his soul in Hell? Is he trapped in his body? He had a decent relationship with Satan already; maybe they're copiloting? Stay tuned while I figure out which answer is funniest.

Tsion leads Chaim in Bible study, saying that soon he will be "an expert about our own people," meaning the Jewish people. Because, as we all know, Christians know more about Judaism than Jews do.

Many of the group's capers owe their success to Albie's fake identity as a GC officer. Rayford seeks a similar false identity, hoping that David can get him into the system at a higher rank than Albie. Never mind that Albie has proven himself better at this whole "Impersonating the enemy" business - Rayford's the leader, so he should outrank him in disguise too.

Buck gets a new car, which the narration gushes about. I guess I can't begrudge the authors their hobbies.

Rayford and Albie go looking for Hattie, who wound up in GC custody in the last book. On the way, they find Steve Plank, Buck's old boss who vanished from the story a few books ago. He's wounded and deformed, but he converted and opposes the GC from the inside under a false identity. I suppose the only question now is how he'll really die, given that no character with more than a few pages of relevance can leave the story any other way.

It turns out that Annie was killed in the last book, randomly lightning'd to death by Leon, but we only learn about it now. I think it would have been more impactful for David to see her die at the hands of the enemy rather than finding out about it after the fact, but maybe that's just me.

Hattie becomes a Christian, and I can only assume that her days are numbered now that her ongoing struggle has been resolved.

Tsion, via his blog posts internet transmissions, tells people not to take the titular Mark (of the Beast), despite the threat of death for not doing so, because it will irrevocably damn them to Hell, but he also says that True Christians with the seal of God on their foreheads "will not be able to turn [their] back on Christ." It's never explained what this means for people who might take the Mark. Do you lose your salvation if you take it? Does the Mark not affect the saved? Will the Mark simply not apply itself to a sealed believer? I have many questions and the book is very slow to answer them.

Leon discusses the rollout of the Mark, mentioning that people can choose "design and size" as well as its location. A few preset designs have been mentioned, but I wonder - can you design your own? That'd be kinda fun actually - a visual mark everyone gets, but everyone puts their own spin on it. New worldbuilding idea...

"You can just squeegee me off the floor and pour me down the drain." I will give you no context because it's funnier that way.

Nicolae's office is being renovated, and he asks for several full-length mirrors, because "Why deprive myself of the joy others luxuriate in? They get to look at me whenever they want." I aspire to this level of confidence in my body.

This series has exactly one running joke, and it's at the expense of Abdullah's limited English - he used the word "pout" as an adjective rather than a verb once, and now people ask him if he "is pout." It's funny only by comparison to the rest of the book, but I'll take what I can get.

Apparently "amateur craftsmen in their backyards" are making guillotines for the GC. All I can think of is reddit posts in the woodworking subreddit featuring pictures of cute, intricately decorated guillotines with a blurb about the wood and techniques used and how it'll be donated to the GC.

Buck and Albie, disguised, watch a group of Greek Christians get martyred for not taking the Mark. Too often this series tells without showing, but here we get the experience of watching your comrades die lovingly described to us. More of this please.

The narration refers to people who've taken the Mark as having "ignorantly sealed their fate." This is something I don't understand about whatever brand of Christianity the authors are pushing. In Catholicism, for example, if you commit a mortal sin without knowing it's wrong, your culpability in the eyes of God is reduced and you wouldn't automatically go to Hell if you died right then. But in LaHaye and Jenkins' world, you can do something without knowing it's wrong and God will reject you forever. Catholicism has its issues - why do you think I'm an atheist? - but at the very least its God is understanding of circumstances. The God of Left Behind wants to see people suffer.

Tsion finally reveals why saved Christians can't take the Mark to decieve their enemies and further their cause - God "miraculously overcomes" your self-preservation instincts and provides the "grace and courage" to go to your death. In other words, you can't take the Mark because God will mind-control you to refuse. That's not the answer I was expecting, but okay.

Our new friend Chang, a teenage believer who's about to be employed by the GC, is drugged and given the Mark despite his protests. He is still saved, because he never agreed to take the Mark. You'd think the same logic would apply to people being threatened with death if they don't take the mark, because consent under duress is not consent, but God wants to see people die for him, so Chang gets a special exception.

It's said that "no one would fake the mark of the beast," and it's mentioned that the penalty for doing so is death, but why wouldn't you at least try if the penalty for being caught without a Mark is death anyway? With the GC terrifically understaffed and security at an all-time low, it could buy a disguised believer some time, even if they didn't have the microchip that all marks contain. And there's nothing in the Scriptures that says a fake Mark will damn you.

Well, that was certainly a book. I can only assume the next one will be more frustrating.

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

i just have zero faith in this show now eddie is ready to date when kristen has done her hardest to separate buck and eddie when they're not at work. it's sickening and i hope she realizes audiences will not accept a love interest for eddie, just another forced bullshit hetero crap when the real thing is staring you right in the damn face.

Hey, Anon! Sorry, I started this response to your ask but then ended up putting out a general post instead. So I apologize if I sound like a broken record here at any point in time.

I had no idea that the show had mentioned that Eddie was going to be dating in 6B when I watched the episode last night but it doesn't change my mind on where they're going with Buddie. As a matter of fact, I'm more encouraged than ever that we're still on the path to the endgame of them coming together.

To me, Eddie dating again is no big deal and here's why. It's my humble opinion that in setting up a romantic relationship in a story (one that is healthy and wholesome and has the earmarks of being an epic love that is also a slow burn) there has to be transition periods in between serious relationships. Just like IRL. And with the emotional journey they took Eddie on last season, and now Buck this season, it all makes sense. Eddie "dipping his toe into the dating pool" is simply just that. It actually, for me, sounds reminiscent of Buck doing the same thing two seasons ago and we all saw how that went. (Veronica fiasco, anyone?)

I honestly believe we'll see Eddie giving the dating thing a go and it's not going to work out in the end. Sure, he might date some ladies he has chemistry with but I don't see a wife coming out of this. They have had 3 seasons already to have a love interest for Eddie and we saw them burn through two. He still loved Shannon but they ended up killing her off. But they made sure to have Shannon telling Eddie that it was a no go beforehand. Now if Shannon was meant to be Eddie's one true love, why have the divorce convo before her death? Wouldn't it make it more tragic then? Then we have Ana, which was "jinxed" from the get go. Ana was perfect for Christopher (in Eddie's mind) but in the end, he couldn't do it. Because that didn't align with his heart.

So saying that, as a writer, it completely makes sense to me that now that Eddie is ready for the future and is now in alignment with his own heart, that he would start dating. Ana Flores was literally meant to open him back up (with that last name, oh yeah) and her character as a story device did that. Then Eddie had to work on his other relationships (with his dad) and figure out who he is and what he wants in life. We see this journey play out all of season 5 (right after the breakup with Ana, which started him on this journey) and then we see it come completely to fruition in this season's "Cursed" episode. While his relationship with Ana was a jinx, yes, Eddie also no longer feels "cursed" himself. That's why Felisa was so important to that episode when it came to Eddie. So now that he's there (while a certain someone isn't yet), it makes absolute sense for him to take the next step and to figure out what he's looking for romantically in a would-be partner. And the only way he can do that is by getting back out there again. Which, to me, will be very entertaining to watch considering all of the aversion we see Eddie having towards women as of late.

But it doesn't mean that he's going to fall head over heels right away with someone or that he's going to be married by the season finale. It just means that he's putting himself out there again. And please trust me when I say this will only help the Buddie path, not hinder it.

As far as KR goes, yeah, I've read what she's said about how she sees Buddie but I also take comfort in the knowledge of how it all really works behind the scenes. The showrunners do have power, absolutely, but only so much when it comes to the network and/or studios. If the network greenlights Buddie there is nothing KR or any other showrunner can do to prevent it. They can try to pitch something different but ultimately it's up to the people airing the show (and/or owning it). Now saying that, I will say that while we are getting everything with Buddie (they make it more and more obvious each season), it's unfortunately also become a point of profit let's say. It guarantees viewers will tune in each week. That's not saying people don't watch for the other characters and/or relationships and the events/story but Buddie is a big draw as are Oliver and Ryan separately. We know that Tim wasn't in a hurry to define Buddie and he made that clear. So we got the slow burn route. Which is perfect for the network because while this is a show people watch, it keeps bringing in views. I know a lot of people were upset with Cocoa Brown last year I think it was when she did an IG live (and I don't blame them with some of the things she said), but this is what she was talking about when she said she didn't think the network was going to go there, meaning they had two hot guys and were going to milk it for all it was worth. I don't think she was right on the "not going there" part but I do think she was right about the network milking the Buddie draw for as long as they could.

All of that being said about the network and the financials, I look to the story and it tells me one thing: Buddie is a certainty. They're working towards it and they're hitting every checkpoint on the way. Why, you may ask? Simple, because they have had every opportunity since last season (when KR took over from Tim) to separate the stories of these two characters and they haven't taken it. If anything, they've doubled down on it. The emotional separation I think is what's bugging everyone and I get it. We watched a beautiful emotional foundation be built for three seasons and we saw it continue to play out somewhat last season. Now, suddenly, it's gone poof. But has it really?

In last night's episode, we saw Buck call Chim who already had Hen on the line. Then we saw him make sure to call Eddie before revealing his news that he couldn't wait to tell them. If you watch Eddie's reaction (which wbk about Ryan's use of particular microexpressions), it's quite interesting:

"Officially responsible for the creation of new life"

Now we knew that the 118 already knows about the donation but in this moment, I think they're all like "what?" Then we see it start to dawn on all of them. THEN the camera cuts to Buck alone when he says "I'm going to be a father".

And then we see in succession:

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. *Kameron and Connor are having a baby?"

"Congratulations! Oh, wait, do we congratulate you?"

"I don't know. Kind of feels weird to congratulate him."

And then we get Buck's face:

Chim: "It feels weirder not to. Eddie's right. Etiquette rules are kind of hazy."

Buck: "Uh, maybe we should see what Bobby thinks."

Hen tries to call Bobby but he declines the call because we see he's dealing with the sinister rehab and we go into that scene before back to the call. Where Eddie loses his game and then jumps off the call with "I'm going to try to take a nap. Chris is going to be up in an hour." (and we're shown Buck reacting to this first)

He never congratulates Buck, never says a nice word period about the whole situation. Instead in a mocking tone he doubts Chim's congrats. We and Eddie as well as the 118 know how important this was for Buck and why it matters to him so much (hence the Buckley parents showing up in 5B most likely). Which is why we have Hen happy for him even though she's had reservations about it (due to her thinking Buck won't be able to let go easily and his choosing to say "I'm going to be a father" confirms it; he said it to make it easier but we also saw he already bought a onesie from the LAFD [talk about symbolism] and has it on his bedside table; anyone remember Josh's line of "spoiled milk is not poisonous but maybe clean the cups from your bedside table every once in a while"?) and Chim congratulating him before defaulting to his characteristic comedic relief mode. Eddie here is OOC a bit in his relation to Buck (which is the emotional separation KR/the writers keep doing that I mentioned above) but not completely out of character for Eddie himself or his usual teasing of Buck (if that makes sense). He knows how important this is to Buck and while we the audience do as well, we don't know that Eddie knows how important it is to Buck because we haven't been shown it. And I think it's very purposeful and that's because they gave us everything in the scene that we need to see (minus the GA unfortunately which is the mistake that I think KR/the writers are making and/or taking for granted) to show how much this affects Eddie.

We not only have Ryan's microexpressions and the edits chosen by the editors to make it to air, but we also have props being heavily used (like in the ending scene) and the video game is a big one. Each time we've seen a video game scene surface in the show (3x09, 4x03, 5x13), it's something that affects Eddie. We've seen three different video games shown in the show: 2 battle ones and 1 first person shooter one. And the video game Eddie is playing in this episode?

The same one that Buck and Christopher were playing in 4x03 (above) where Buck is playing the CID character against Christopher's Dog. And (6x09 below) here Eddie is playing the CID character losing to the computer's Dog (though Christopher was mentioned earlier).

They literally chose to use the same game (and same exact footage) they created in both episodes. That's telling us all we need to know about the Buckley Diaz family and even more specifically, Buddie. Especially when it's paired with this scene where Buck is "going to be a father".

Eddie is looking for a partner, that's being made abundantly clear in this scene. Had they chosen a different game to show or they had Eddie reading a book or something, then the message would be different. But they made their choice. And in this very important scene (and leading to another important one in the end of the episode) here we have video games that always link back to Eddie and now he's playing alone while Christopher sleeps. We also have Eddie sitting on the floor in front of the couch but ends up falling asleep on the couch itself (6x01 couch scene) and as we know, a couch signifies a partner in this season. This will be one of Eddie's main drives this season, especially since they put that conversation in the season premiere (which usually sets everything up for the season for all aspects of the story in very broad strokes). And even though Buck has this conversation with Eddie, looking for another girlfriend is not one of Buck's main drives this season. Instead, the idea of a family is. So for them to have Eddie and Buck having this conversation, it not only intertwines their stories further in overt and subtle ways, it also means there's another link here besides the obvious parallels between the two. (which is why we get scenes of Eddie and Buck sleeping back to back before moving into the already together couples on the show minus Bathena)

So no, I don't think the show is looking to separate Buddie in the way they think they are. I think the writers (and KR by extension) is having Buck go on his own emotional journey this season which will get him that much closer to what he wants (and doesn't realize he already has; the Maddie/Buck balcony convo about love last season, anyone?), just like they did with Eddie in season 5. And I think the writers absolutely know that the fans won't accept another het love interest for either guy; how could they not after the uproar about Ana and Taylor? But I think they're going to go the route they're planning on which takes Buddie (and the fans) the long scenic route, so when it happens it will be wholesome, healthy, functional, and absolutely right for both characters. And as a writer myself, I can appreciate that. I'd rather have a well written/told love story than just rushing into it. To me, if Buddie were to get together right now, it would feel completely off and not happening organically, like they just gave into the pressure from fans and decided to do fanservice. And I hate that. If it doesn't make sense to the story being told, I don't want it. Hence me being anti the whole Jonerys romantic love "for the ages" from GoT, Bella/Edward from Twilight, Romione from HP, the Dean-and-Cas didn't love each other diatribe, and even the whole Beau/Jenny push from Big Sky (talk about fanservice).

Buddie has the makings of being a truly epically told love story that we are getting to see being built from the ground up. I know Eddie dating in 6B might not be everyone's cup of tea but I really do think it will help to lead us to the Buddie endgame overall.

"it's sickening and i hope she realizes audiences will not accept a love interest for eddie, just another forced bullshit hetero crap when the real thing is staring you right in the damn face." - oh trust me, I know that feeling all too well (see the beginning of my list up above & trust me, I have a LIST). how some writers choose to go in the direction they do still astounds me. for example, in that show Big Sky I mentioned, the character (and the actor) clearly has way more chemistry with Cassie (and the actress) than he does with Jenny and it makes sense for their stories, but because Beau/Jenny is what fans want (and the show's trying to stay on the air), we're getting the big push. I have been so disappointed time and time again (and don't even get me started on the whole Destiel convo) not just as a shipper and fan but also as an audience member and dare I say as a fellow writer. (tbf, I tend to blame all of that on money (the networks) and the GA viewership than I do the writers/showrunners - in laymen's terms, GA always sucks but they've got the numbers unfortunately)

But saying all of that, I really don't think that's what's happening here. I think they've committed to getting both Eddie and Buck to where they're both emotionally ready for it to happen and that's just more of what we're seeing here, no matter what comes of the "dating" in 6B. So keep the faith, Anon. I promise, I think it will be worth it! =)

I hope I was able to answer your ask thoroughly lol. I hope you have a great rest of your day, Anon!!! <3

[etlunainmorte]

✒ P.S. I Love You ✒

***

VII

***

"If there are any spirits here, say HHHOOOEEE!" Nico wailed as she tried once more to communicate with the Lancaster mansion ghost. She was holding up the voice recorder she invented just for V's paranormal mission in great hopes of picking up any sounds from beyond the grave.

"As if they will answer to that!" Griffon, who was perched on top of one of the Grecian statues, mocked. "Are ya even sure that will work?"

"Yes, I' am!" Nico shrieked at the Demonic bird, almost making him fall off the statue in surprise. "Any questions, little chicken?"

"SQUAWK!"

"If you are to do that, then you might as well do it on the second floor." V suggested as he leaned on his cane, observing her actions from a safe distance. "Maybe you'll be able to,... record something."

Just a few moments ago, his familiars showed him a single photograph they found stuck in the stool facing the grand piano. It looked like a stolen photograph of (Y/N) concealing her smile behind her fan as she offered her hand to a dark - haired gentleman whose face V could not see. And when he flipped it,...

"Do you think I should go up there, though?" Nico asked V, rubbing her arms up and down as she suddenly felt goosebumps on her skin. "The ghost might kill me up there!"

"Well, ye wanna hear ghosts on that thing, yeah? Then, go to the source and get yerself killed!" And Griffon was right.

"Say that again and I'LL COOK YOU IN A STEEL POT!"

"SQUAWK!"

V made his way through all the wires cluttered on the floor and handed Nico the photograph the familiars found. Nico stopped plucking Griffon's feathers, let him go, and pushed the rim of her glasses up her nose bridge. She, then, took the photograph and studied it, herself.

"This looked, like, super old." The tattooed woman muttered as she took a good long look at the photograph.

"Turn it." The poet told her. And as she did so, she finally saw the messages written at the back of it.

May 11, 1898

The Angels bow down to your grace and beauty, my Evening Star.

And I will forever be your humble servant.

~ V ~

"V?!" Nico practically shrieked in shock. "Is that - " she flipped the photograph once more and pointed at the man bowing down to the lady. "Is V that man or - ?"

To this question, the poet only gave her the journal. She took this and opened it. "But, there's nothing written in it, is there - ?"

The woman's eyes widened. For she could clearly see, as bright as daylight, the words that just manifested on the first page of the journal as soon as V received the old photograph from Shadow and Griffon.

At first, there was only her name and the date she wrote it. But, now,...

May 1, 1898

I could not believe what father said earlier this day:

He invited Victor Blake to our annual summer gathering! THE VICTOR BLAKE! My favorite writer, and also the best poet who ever existed in this world!

My heart...

I just could not stop the rapid beating of my own heart! I feel so excited! I wanted so much to meet him in person! For I thought for such a long time that I could only see him in my dreams, and hear his voice in my head. Now, I finally have the chance to actually talk to him!

My chest feels so painful right now, but with a happy kind of pain! ( Is there even a kind of happy pain? ) What should I wear for the month - long gathering? Would pastel suit me more, or dark palettes? What would I tell him when I finally get the chance to talk with him? I cannot just stutter in front of him! ( Which I do a lot when I'm nervous. ) What would he tell me? Would he quote some poetry for me?

I'm over thinking, I know! But, I'm just so, so excited! I could not contain it! I wanted to scream my excitement at the top of my lungs!

This is the happiest day of my life!

P.S.

I hope Victor Blake turn out to be the same man in my dreams. For if he does, then I could finally die with a large and silly smile on my face

Someone's coming!

"Victor Blake?! So that's the V who wrote on that photograph, I assume?" Nico mused out loud as she closed the journal and gave it back to V.

"Must be."

"Wait, wait, wait a second here!" The woman grabbed fistfuls of her hair as realization came down on her. And some more questions. "Did those words just pop out on that journal like a pimple or somethin'?! Because if it did, that's totally crazy!"

V didn't answer her question. Instead, he related to her every single thing that happened to him on the second floor last night, of the locked rooms on the right, of that ghost bride, of being locked in (Y/N)'s room, and of him actually seeing her in person.

"... and it only led me to believe that this lady," V pointed at the photograph on Nico's hands."... and (Y/N) are the same person. And that she, indeed, was able to meet Victor Blake that 11th of May."

"So, if this is (Y/N), then who is that woman in the portrait that Avery showed us?"

"They're the same person." V admitted with much bitterness in his voice. He just couldn't accept the fact that she changed drastically for an unknown reason.

"Damn!" Nico swore as she collapsed on a chair facing the monitor she set up earlier during the day. "Avery said (Y/N) died in 1899, right?"

"She did. Yes."

"Then," Nico went silent for a while, and when she finally gained the courage to speak out her mind, V could not help but agree to what theory she came up with. "... that tragic thing, whatever version that was, that led to her death happened a year later! The journal and that picture said 1898! And whatever tragic reason that was, it also led to that clear change she went through as a young adult! Either that, or the artist they commissioned just did a really bad painting of her."

"Seems like the former, as much as I want to deny that fact." V replied distastefully.

Nico's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the poet's clear discomfort with the topic. "Hey, ya looked bothered. Wanna spill the beans fer real? Ye looked like ye're hiding somethin' other than (Y/N)'s journal."

V chuckled as he sat on the chair next to her. "There are no beans to spill and no other secret to reveal, I assure you."

"And I assure ya that I can tell ye're lyin'!" Nico answered as she booted up the PC.

"I'm not. Well,..."

"Well?"

"The first time I met her, she looked radiant, and happy. She was clearly in love." V confessed, feeling a strange lump growing in his already dry throat. "And she was,... the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire existence. To see her like that - depressed, and sick,... and hopeless, it just," The poet paused as he let out a deep sigh that seemed to rattle his very core. "... it felt wrong. It felt sad. Whatever happened to her, she doesn't deserve it. That death of hers, I must know about it."

Nico hummed as V finished talking. "The most beautiful girl, eh?"

"Yes."

"Then!" Nico slammed her palms against the table and turned towards V, her face leaning uncomfortably close to his. "The reason you stayed up so late!"

"What?" V simply asked, getting more and more confused with the woman's odd behavior.

Nico smiled mischievously as she pointed a single, perfectly - polished nail at him. "Ya fantasized 'bout her!"

"I,... come again?"

"Admit it! Ya did the thing while thinkin' of her!" Nico teased even more.

"What thing?"

"Oh, come on, man! No need to be shy 'bout bein' horny for a young and beautiful gal! Just admit it!"

"Admit what?"

V truly has no idea what Nico was talking about, so Griffon flew down next to her and joined in the teasing. "My, my, V! Don't tell us ya don't know what jackin' off means!"

"Jacking,... off,..."

"Yeah, ya know!" Griffon teased even further as he cleared his throat. Making his voice sound small and ridiculous, he recited, "Ya look so good, (Y/N)! So beautiful! Hmm, hmm, hmm!"

"Such beautiful face! Such curvaceous body! I want you,... AH,... so much!" Nico joined in as she made lewd sounds and inappropriate gestures with her arms.

"Oh, my beautiful, sexy (Y/N)!" Griffon imitated Nico's moves and started caressing his own feathery body with his wings. "YE'RE M - M - MI - AAAHHH - NNNEEE!"

"AAAHHH! OOOHHH!"

"HHHRRRMMMHHH! OOOHHH, YYYEEESSS!"

All of a sudden, they heard a really huge explosion outside the house, and a few seconds later, Roman came crashing in the house.

"¡DIOS MIO!" Roman howled.

"Roman, sweetheart, what is it?! What happened?!" Avery called as she came running immediately from another room.

"THERE'S A HHHUUUGGGEEE ONE - EYED GOLEM IN THE GARDEN!" Roman screamed as he pointed at the said thing outside. "RUN! ESCAPE! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"

"One - eyed,..." Nico muttered.

"... golem?" Griffon stuttered.

And to their complete and utter horror, they realized V's hair has turned white and his left hand was raised up, his fingers in a snapping gesture.

But, the most dangerous of all was the poet's eyes that changed from soft, emerald green to bloody, murderous red. And he was staring emotionlessly down at them,...

"Hehe, s - sorry here, Shakespeare. I mean, M - m - m - master!" Griffon cowardly apologized thirty minutes later when V's rage diminished and when Nightmare finally went back to where he came from.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're not in love with (Y/N)." Nico cautiously said as she opened some programs on her PC.

"I' am not." The poet answered, stressing out each word.

"But, surely ya must be at least smitten by her! I mean, to think of a girl you haven't actually talked to or met like that?" The woman was right. Maybe he was infatuated with her, after all? But, then again, how could he not? How could anyone not? "Lucky for ya, though. Ye won't have to deal with her super creepy husband."

"Husband?" Griffon asked as he landed back at the Grecian statue.

"Yeah. Mr. Christopher Lancaster? Duh."

That Doctor. I almost forgot about him. V thought as he slightly glanced at the hallway where the intimidating Doctor's life - size portrait was located.

"There we go!" Nico happily announced as she finally gained access to the videos of the security cameras she set up on all corners of the entrance hallway. And as V and Griffon came closer to her to have a look, they saw themselves at that exact moment.

"Hey, that's us!" Griffon exclaimed, astounded upon seeing a live feed of himself. "Wait, why are there no sounds?"

"Duh. That's just a security cam. Call it a spy cam, if ya like." Nico answered. "Now, setting the date to yesterday!"

The woman typed some words and numbers on her keyboard, and a few seconds later, they saw V on the monitor as he was about to go up the stairs.

"That was last night." V confirmed as he saw himself call back the frightened Shadow.

"Now, let's see what else happened." Nico spoke as they all watched V ascend to the second floor.

And after staring at the screen for more than fifteen or so minutes, they realized that nothing was, indeed, happening.

"I should be back around ten or a few more minutes." V said, his confusion growing ever so strongly.

"And you came back down in the morning." Nico answered. "Let's set the time to about, hmm, seven - thirty, then." The woman did the same process, and when the video fast - forwarded to the time she set, they saw V finally going back down to the first floor and met with the frizzy - haired Nico. "See? Told ya ye're gone for a long time."

"But, that's impossible!" Griffon yelled, turning back to V. "Didn't ya say ye're only gone for a few minutes?”

"And now you believe me." The poet simply answered.

"Alright! Alright! So, the ghost could not only manipulate things, it could also stop or control time, or something like that." The tattooed woman happily declared. "How very fascinating that is!" And she was, once again, getting more and more excited.

"I need to go back up there." V told her. "But, I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. A few minutes may mean a few hours up there."

"Ye're right. Hmm,..." Nico mused as she tapped on her lips. After a few seconds, she stood up, went over to one of the speakers she set up yesterday, and opened it, letting Mister Sandman on again. "How 'bout this: V, you do yer thing and investigate the second floor, and I'll be pulling an all - nighter for ya down here to monitor yer movements. I'll even make sure ya don't get lost for too long."

"How do we do that?" The poet asked.

"Simple!" Nico answered as she gave V the radio she was holding on to yesterday. She, then, pressed something on the speaker, and when it finally went quiet, she pointed at the radio on his hand. "Can ya turn it on?"

V complied by turning the dial on the radio clockwise, and a few seconds later,...

"...then tell me that my lonesome nights are over! Sandman, I'm so alone. Don't have nobody to call my own - "

"That song runs for two minutes and thirty - six seconds." Nico said as V and Griffon listened to the music on her radio. "I'll sync that song there and play it for ya for every hour ye're up there. Kinda like an alarm clock. Ya can also turn the voice recorder on to record any sound. And lastly, if anything goes wrong, like anything at all, and ya can't call yer familiars," the woman came closer to V and pointed at the red button at the lower right corner of the radio. "... think of nothin' else and press that button. Do ya understand?"

"I do. Yes. Thank you." V answered as he nodded several times, actually grateful for his decision to let Nico tag along with him.

And when the woman was finally satisfied with his answer, she cracked a toothy smile and suddenly took Griffon off V's shoulders, hugging him and twirling him around like a stuffed animal.

"PUT ME DOWN, WOMAN!"

"Aren't we the best paranormal team around?" Nico happily asked. "Like, Red Grave's Finest Paranormal Team ever?"

"WHATEVER YA SAY! JUST PUT ME DOWN! I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Sorry." Nico apologized as she let the bird go. "So, ready for another night?"

"Ready - " V was about to stand when he collapsed all of a sudden.

"Hey, V! You okay?" Griffon flew down and helped him to his feet by clutching onto his arm with his talons.

"Ya look like ye need some rest. Ya haven't actually slept!" Nico suggested as she came and helped him as well by grabbing his other arm.

V could not agree more. "A nap will do. Thanks."

***

✒ @la-vita and @micaelagua . ✒

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[the-firebird69]

Here's the copper which happens to be Brian Girard and he's in uncle Donald forum and he won't shut his face but that's okay and they're saying this we'd like to beg him but it seems that Trump said a line and it's true Trump is out of line he wants to ran the ships into this planet and we have to be here at the same time it started laughing inside and they said maybe you should order tons of Italian food so they did that I got vino and everything and they're sitting there having this feast and they're going why well you're kind of assholes to us that's it because just simply complete morons and they celebrate it after and they got hooked on it and then as well at least we get to eat something you get rid of a whole bunch of low levels afterwards you can eat stuff.

Here is though up there being a cop and then Mafia town taking bribes doing the job then becomes the boy and the boy go see and sees Tommy and they do the stupefied video where Tommy f is saying you made a stupid why and he gets the answer and it leaves it down like this don't listen to him and we believed him and we've been doing the job and you're not to go near what you're saying and doing is non productive it's causing the realm massive amounts of damage and your areas are almost gone because of you and your mouth I have something says no they're not yes they are he says you guys are taking it over that's not exactly what's happening and I'm sick and tired of this routine that you're doing we know about that we know about you obviously you see it everyday and them so it looks over and says f*** you c*** f*** you loser you're a little b**** aren't you want to lose the rest of your stuff because you're a stupid mouth and he goes well that sort of insane and since that's what's been happening he wouldn't shut up it's just a case of they're so stupid they need to be put down like a rabbid dog and that's what we're finding out

Our son says and he is aghast and amazed what Jason did to Gaga is so rude and what he did to Emily and others like her lots of Max that he can't fathom it you go into a woman's most private area and even went to what the max use to make an armies to make their survival possible and was very personal a friend of theirs comes out because it usually is and you desecrated and your vile disgusting jerks as well and you go back all the time and do other things and it is the most heinous act you can do and you just sit there and harp on it over and over and over and you tell him all sorts of stupid things and we send tons of people after you and rip you apart rip your guys apart in front of you and you won't shut your stupid mouth you like this f****** idiot machine it's ridiculous it comes out of you and I'm not losing jackass I'm winning because of you I myself Christopher akerley and defeating you idiot Max because of You Jason and most of it is you in your big mouth about white gold and other stuff that might be able to detect us you stupid c***

And that was my son Zeus and I can hear dinero getting really upset and Tommy F and Mac and you start saying this you're this piece of s*** it gave up the fuel area and the infiltrated because of You and you're a f****** moron on top of it you piece of s*** you didn't do any protocols he let him in on purpose for the most part you find that you don't you're all dead you can't let them in at all on purpose you idiot control them with the threat on societies what they say gosh we went over that this morning okay. You f****** idiot they listen to everything you idiot you can't write on me if I'm telling them myself you f****** idiot you don't have any details why don't you tell them everything you know about me morons that would just be annoyed to kill you go after your computers cuz your brain doesn't hold much. So going after him now and it's going to start a war that we needed a long time ago but with Trump and Trump's going to have to move these idiots but they're the ones who are orchestrating it and that's a much deeper sin to Satanist but it takes a little time for it to come out right

Thor Freya