#anyway i wish i could draw more weird little men and weird little robots instead of the easily platable fun outfits and very humanoid

[swampdrive]

Specific gripe but hwrow capitalism really crushes art

[paladinspride]

The picture will make sense once you read the story. Ha. Anything romantic I would have drawn would have spoiled it. Ha. 

Keith’s Proposal

Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender

Pairing: Klance

Rating: T (Some innuendo, I mention that they made love but nothing smutty)

Word Count: 2775

It felt like a story book morning. Keith laid quietly watching dust flicker in the sun beams that peeked through the divide of the curtains and listened to the birds singing, a dog bark in the distance and the light morning traffic zoom by.

He yawned a wide yawn and stretched out like a cat but careful not to disturb the sleeping figure beside him.

He looked at the time.

6:50am.

The alarm was set for 7am. He turned it off. It was Friday and he had the day off and Lance didn’t have class until 10. He decided he’d let his partner sleep a little while longer and wake him up more gently in a few minutes than by the blaring tone of the alarm.  

Keith rolled onto his side so he could gaze upon Lance’s sleeping face. It had been 3 years since they returned to Earth and he still couldn’t believe he shared a bed with this man.

Lance’s eye mask had shifted so it was only covering one eye, his retainer caused him to hold his mouth at a weird angle and the clay mask he put on the evening before was cracked and crumbly.

Faint music could be heard from Lance’s cast off headphones. Keith reached over him to turn it off and set the headphones on the night side table.

As Keith nestled back down on his side of the bed, Lance awakened. He pulled off the eye mask, placed his retainer in its dish and turned towards Keith and smiled.

Keith smiled softly back. His eyes filled with affection.

“Good morning, mi amor. What are you thinking about all ready this morning?” Lance asked.

Keith smirked, “That you look absolutely ridiculous in the mornings but I want to wake up next to you for the rest of my life anyways.”

“Ahh, geeze, Keith. Are you proposing to me?” Lance grinned his best cocky grin.  

“Wha, waa, no, I was just…”

“Just kidding, Keith, chill your boots. It’s been a long time since I caused panic to flash before your eyes like that,” Lance laughed.

“Argh,” Keith grumbled and turned away from him.

“Aww, babe. Don’t be mad. You know I like to get a rise out of you,” Lance said suggestively as he grazed his hand over Keith’s thigh. Keith brushed it away.

“Fine,” Lance flopped over on to his back.

Keith flipped around and laid his head on Lance’s chest as a silent peace offering.

Lance buried his hand in Keith’s hair and kissed the top of his head.

“You’re gonna get clay in my hair.”

“You’re gonna wash it.”

“I wasn’t planning to today.”

“What do you mean, you weren’t planning to today? You should wash your hair every day.”

“No, you shouldn’t. I read articles. You wouldn’t need fancy shampoos, if you just let your natural oils accumulate.”

“Gross, Keith,” Lance curled his nose, “I am not discussing shampoo practices with an all in one hair and body wash barbarian.”

Keith laughed despite himself.  

“We argue like an old married couple,” Lance decided to poke the bear, one more time. He felt Keith’s breathe hitch.

“You know, I always thought I’d be married someday to some hot goddess with a whole bunch of kids and a place near the beach-“

“But instead you got me and an army base apartment in the middle of the desert?” Keith interrupted in a tone that suggested he wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not.

“Yeah, I got you, and I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Not even for all the beaches in Cuba,” Lance rolled out of bed and leaned over Keith. He tucked Keith’s hair behind his ear and kissed him softly on the forehead. “Come on, let’s get up. You can take me out to breakfast before class. Next week, I start practicum and you won’t be able to for a while.”

 Keith was silent on their walk to a tiny diner which was located not far from their apartment and on the way to the Garrison where Lance was in Instructor Training.

Keith watched as Lance petted every dog, smiled at every couple and greeted every child on the route. He wished he had half of Lance’s charisma.

When they arrived at the diner, Lance held the door for an elderly couple and then ushered Keith inside. They shuffled into a booth near the window and the waitress took their order. Two breakfast platters. Extra bacon. The usual.

Keith watched Lance’s fingers as he added sugar and cream to his coffee. Keith sipped on his black and half listened as Lance prattled on about his course load and the teaching position he was offered at the Garrison in the fall.

Two men, Keith guessed were in their late forties, and two little girls, who looked to be about 8 and 5 years of age, took the bench across from them. Keith over-heard the men making dinner plans and discussing babysitters, which caused him to notice the men had matching rings. He caught himself staring at their hands.

The eldest girl noticed.

“You draw?” she asked tilting a cup of crayons towards him like she was offering him a smoke.

“Ya,” Keith replied.

“He does! You should see him draw cats. He can draw a mean cat,” Lance smiled.

To Keith’s surprise, the little girls climbed into the booth with them and handed him the cup of crayons. Keith looked at the cup like he was stunned.

“Draw the girls some cats, Dumbass,” Lance teased affectionately.

Keith took a blue and red crayon out of the cup and drew two cats on his white paper placemat.

��Those are cute cats. Why are they red and blue?” The eldest asked.

“Those were the colours of our Lions.” Lance commented, “Have you heard of Voltron?”

The little girls nodded.

“Keith and I were paladins,” Lance whispered.

“Really!” They exclaimed, “Can you draw Voltron?”

“I could try,” Keith replied and did the best he could to draw the giant alien robot with the blunt black crayon he retrieved from the plastic cup.

“You’re pretty,” the littlest girl commented as he drew.

“Thanks?”

“He is pretty, isn’t he?” Lance agreed. “I have to get going to class. You two make sure he finishes his breakfast,” Lance directed. Lance kissed the top of Keith’s head and left him in the booth with half eaten eggs and the two little girls. He gave the two dads a quick nod as he made his way to the door.

“Do you love him?” The eldest girl asked as she watched Keith watch Lance leave the diner.

“Sadie!” One of the dad’s scolded who was watching the scene carefully from their booth.

“Ya,” Keith responded matter of factly and went back to his doodle of Voltron.

“Do you think you’ll marry him?” Sadie continued to pry.

“Sadie! I’m sorry. Invading the personal space and privacy of strangers seems to be her thing,” the other dad tried to wave her back their booth.

“It’s all right,” Keith assured and returned to his drawing. “You think I should ask him to marry me?”

“Ya,” the girl replied in the same tone Keith gave his ‘ya’.

“Then ya, I think I might.”

Keith signed his crayon Voltron and handed it to Sadie.

“It was nice meeting you,” he smiled.

Keith paid for his order and took a long route home. He had some stops to make.

 *

Lance normally got home at 5pm on Fridays so Keith was surprised when he heard the door knob click closer to 4:30pm.

Lance open the door to discover Keith standing on a step ladder, dusting the bookshelf in their living room. He ogled Keith and the way his shirt rode up as when he reached for a moment before looking around the apartment. It was spotless.

“Are you cleaning?” Lance asked incredulously as he dropped his book bag on the entry way table.

“What are you trying to say, Lance? That I don’t clean? I clean!” Keith replied defensively as he stepped off the later.

“You tidy. You don’t clean clean unless you are nervous about something and you need to distract yourself with a task and even then you usually go beat something up at the gym.”

“What? No, I don’t,” Keith denied. “Besides, what would I have to be nervous about? I just, I just, I just thought, you were going to be busy with practicum in the next few weeks and it would nice to come home to a clean house today.”

“Well, it is a nice surprise. And I have to admit, you looked nice up on that ladder,” Lance smirked as he slipped his hand up Keith’s shirt and kissed him along his jaw line.

Keith stepped back so he could talk to him.

“Do you plan on doing anything tonight?” Keith asked.

Lance cocked his eyebrow, “Besides you? Nothing really. Why?”

“I thought maybe we could take the hover craft for a spin and catch a bite to eat at Hunk’s Bistro later, maybe?”

“Sure, sounds like a plan, Stan.”

“Who’s Stan?”

“Really, Keith? No one. It’s a figure of speech. Your plan for the evening sounds like a great idea, but,” Lance took Keith into his arms, “In the meantime, do we have time for my original plan?”

Keith weaved his hands in Lance’s hair, pulled him close and kissed him hard.

 They made love with extra tenderness. Each caress and kiss Keith tried to commit to memory. If things didn’t go as he planned tonight, Keith worried it could be the last time and he wanted to savour it.

They laid together for quite some-time afterwards, basking in the bliss of a late afternoon well spent; Lance sprawled out with Keith laying in his arms.

“Mmmmmm. I don’t know what that was about, but I’ll take it.” Lance reflected.

Keith squeezed into him.

“Is Jupiter in retrograde or something, because I feel like you got your sap on real thick today? Lucky, for me I like sappy Keith.”

Lance twirled Keith’s hair in his fingers.

Keith opened his mouth to deny any sappiness, but realized it was futile. He had no case against himself. He was definitely feeling sappy today.

 Keith was quiet again as they showered and got ready to go out. He put on his best black pants, his favourite t-shirt and dug out his old red crop jacket.

“Can you even still get that on?” Lance asked as he put on a button up shirt and khakis.

Keith’s jacket was tight in the shoulders and snug in the arms but he wasn’t going to admit it. He swung a brown satchel over his shoulder.

Lance watched out of the corner of his eye as Keith fumbled with his keys, knocked the earphones off the night stand and tapped his hand against his bouncing knee while he waited for Lance to finish getting ready.

Lance started to feel concerned when Keith dropped his keys again after locking the door on the way out.

“Are you alright? Should I drive?” Lance asked.

“No. I’m fine. I’m fine. I just dropped my keys. People drop their keys.”

“Okay,” Lance held up his hands, “but do you though?” Lance muttered under his breath.  

 Lance noticed Keith was tense when he wrapped his arms around him after taking a seat on the hover bike.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“You’ll see.”

They rode in silence. Normally, this wouldn’t bother Lance, as he was used to Keith being quiet at times but something seemed off. Lance was just about to pry as to why when Keith made a sharp turn that took them off the road and over the rocky terrain of the Roswell desert.

“What the quiznak, Keith! Where are we going?”

“Shut-up and trust me.” Keith replied.

“Last time we were on this thing and you said that, you drove us off a cliff!”

“We made it, didn’t we?”

 *

Keith landed the bike not far from a familiar rock formation.

“Wait? Are we going to where we found Blue?”

Keith didn’t say anything, just took his hand and led him to the opening of the cave.

Once inside, Lance ran his hand over the familiar cave markings and the cave lit up, just like the first time Lance stroked the cave walls.  

They stood a moment and admired them.

“Remember the first time you lit up the cave markings like that?” Keith asked.

“How could I forget?”

“I was so jealous. I spent months being drawn to this place, pulled by some unknown force and it was you who lit everything up and unlocked the Blue Lion with a simple touch of your hand.”

“I find it hard to believe you were ever jealous of me.”

“In so many ways, I was, and still am.”

Keith stepped towards Lance and touched his forehead on his before laying a soft kiss on his lips.

“So why did you bring me out here?” Lance was starting to feel suspicious, “You aren’t going on that mission Captain Ross asked about, are you? I thought we discussed this and we decided we were going to try to make the best of our time back on Earth, at least for a bit, until Voltron is needed again. Maybe I am being selfish, but I don’t want you going on any interstellar journeys without me,” Lance pouted.

“Lance! I didn’t take the job. I don’t want to go on any interstellar journeys without you either.”

“Good,” Lance said with his arms crossed.

Keith squeezed at his forearms causing Lance to relax and his posture to open.

“Lance, I want you with me on all my journeys for the rest of my life! That is why I brought you out here. This place, this is where I first noticed you were something special. This is where I learned I was being drawn to you long before I knew it was you I was being drawn too. This cave is where my journey with you began and it was wild and terrifying much of the time, but somewhere along the line you became my home. You not only unlocked the blue lion, you unlocked my purpose and gave me a reason to be a better person. It was here that Blue chose you out of all of us potential paladins, because she saw how wonderful you are and I hope you know I do too. I can’t think of anyone in the whole universe I would rather spend my life with, so I thought this would be the perfect place to ask this-”

Keith took Lance’s hand and a deep breath and knelt down.

Lance’s breath hitched as he caught on to what was happening.

“Lance Charlies Aguado McClain, will you marry me and be my partner for the rest of my life?”

Lance dropped down to the ground too, and grabbed Keith by the collar of his jacket and kissed him, “Of course I will.”

Keith took a long rectangular box out of his satchel.

“I didn’t know what dudes proposed to dudes with, but I, I, got you a watch. I got Coran to tinker with it, this afternoon so it keeps both Earth and Altean time.”

Keith handed him the watch upside down. On the back he had engraved, “Make every tick count.”

Lance smiled and put the watch on his wrist and held it clasp up for Keith to fasten. He admired the watch for moment before he spoke.

“Even after all these years, you still surprise me sometimes, Keith. Would you believe me, if I said I was going to ask you when I graduated? I can’t believe you beat me to this.”

Keith smiled proudly. They took a long route home.

 *

A few Saturday’s after, Keith and Lance happened to be walking by the diner, when they heard the familiar jingle of the diner door charms and a little voice yell, “Keith!”

“Sadie, was it?” Keith asked the girl who stopped in front of them.

“A-huh!” She looked from Keith to Lance and back to Keith with a twinkle in her brown eyes.

“Did you ask him?” she asked.

“I did.”

“Did he say yes?”

“He did.”

“Good,” Sadie grinned a big grin, “I’m helping Nanna make pies, you’ll have to stop in for a slice later and tell me all about it.”

She skipped back inside.

Keith chuckled softly.

Lance’s laugh was boisterous, “Are we going to have to invite that little girl to our wedding?”

“We just might.”

[rpchive]

107th Encounter-- Smoking Barrel

The background noises of the IT travelling come to a stop as it reaches its next destination. Collin looks up from the table in his room where he is currently working on something with his magic. He quickly moves the project into a drawer and turns himself around in his chair to look back for Jay. "Sounds like we've finally landed somewhere. Do you wanna go see what we've got?" Shifting to a seated position on the bed, Jay nods. "Always should." Collin hops up out of his chair and walks over to Jay as he gets up. Taking Jay's hand in his, they make their way down the hall to the console room. Nydins; Demo; and Maya are all patiently waiting around the console. Rio's chair remains empty as she remains with XL and Hod. Collin: Hey guys. Man, I know Rio isn't always in here, but it feels even weirder than usual not to see her... Nydins: I know. Late nights got a lot quieter suddenly...I keep having to visit her in XL's room now. Collin: You know you don't always have to be in here, right? It's fine to leave the console for a while; I think the IT can handle itself somewhat. Nydins: Yeah, but if something weird happens to our coordinates, who's gonna tell everybody? Collin: I guess that's fair. I wish this thing had a PA system or something so it could just say when stuff was getting weird.

look me in the eyes and honestly tell me you want the IT to start talking and I’ll do it

Fawkes enters the room, quickly jumping into the conversation. "I do find it a little odd that a ship as complicated as this one doesn't have any automated alert systems. Verbal ones, at least." Demo: Wow, you're about the last guy I expected to see show up. Is it a special occasion? Fawkes: Not exactly. I finished decommissioning the speedwell weapon I installed a while back, and I figured I've spent enough time working on another personal project for now. I thought now would be as good a time as any to join you for a change. Demo: The more the merrier, I guess. Anyone gonna take a look outside first? Collin: I guess I can do that real qui-

He gets cut off as Daedalus quickly hurries into the console room, Clair closely behind him.

Daedalus: Wait wait wait, hang on a second. I was on my way here when I ran into a tag-along. You guys already got a full group yet? Demo: Well no, but I guess we can make this a field trip if we're gonna bring half the IT. At least we aren't bringing everyone who can fight.

Maya: Eh, I'll hang back unless you need me. Looks like Nydins could use the company anyway. Collin: I think we can manage. We've got a pretty decent group right here. Everyone ready then? alienrabitt: Looks like it. Daedalus: Cool, let's see what we're dealing with then.

Fawkes, Collin, Jay, Demo, Daedalus, and Clair step out of the IT and find themselves standing in an alleyway between two tall brick buildings that have seen happier days. The sound of numerous voices clamor at the end of the alley, and sand swirls around their ankles as the wind sweeps the worn pavement. They head out of the alley and find themselves at the far end of a long stretch of market stalls. Colors, smells, and sounds rush toward them in a wave, trying to convince them to come further.

Clothing lines run across the buildings on either side of the market, various personal belongings hanging from them in the breeze. On the rooftops are numerous personal windmills that seem to provide power to the buildings, and solar panels dot the outer walls to catch the sun as it moves across the sky. The wind that spins the windmills above continues swirling sand through the market occasionally, though the locals seem to pay it no mind. Demo: I feel over-dressed...what kind of place is this? Daedalus: Beats me. The IT doesn't exactly print out a tourist pamphlet whenever we go somewhere.

Fawkes: It feels like Earth, but something also feels... off. I can't quite identify what it is though. Demo: I'm more trying to figure the time period out...

alienrabitt: Won't figure anything out standing around here... Collin: In we go, then. Maybe someone can help us out...?

As the group enters the marketplace and begins looking around, they quickly find themselves pulled along in the current of people. Fawkes occasionally draws an interested or admiring glance, although no one seems to perplexed by his presence. Several members of the group are assailed by a barrage of invitations to come look at stalls or deals as they make their way through, but even those are hard to place in the confusion. alienrabitt: This is way too many people...

Clair: They're not weirded out by you guys? Between your arm and Fawkes, I kinda expected a lot of attention...

Demo: As if this crowd isn't?! A voice suddenly calls out to them through the crowd. "E-Excuse me, Mr. Robot? Can you and your friends come here for a minute?"

Fawkes perks up and spins his head around, finding the source of the voice to be a girl in her late teens at the latest standing in the front of another alleyway, waving to them.

Fawkes: Well I can't say no, can I? She called me "mister". Demo: Anything to get away from all these people...

I never inherited mom’s claustrophobia but since Jay is “me” Demo did, which is surreal

Fawkes ushers the group through the crowd into the alleyway with the girl.

Fawkes: Alright, what is it you need, little miss? Oh, and you can call me Fawkes. "Mr. Robot" is my father.

domo arigato

it’s actually hard for us to sing that song because Miku always falls into the phonetics during that part (domo arigato meestaa robotto)

The girl gives a small bow to them, brushing a stray hair behind her ear as she stands back up. "I'm Senri. I... really appreciate you coming over here. I know it's probably strange getting flagged down like that. You're travelers, right? I doubt there's a family here with a working robot and a hard light prosthesis that I don't know at this point." Demo: How'd you know...? Senri: That you weren't from here? Like I said, I know everyone in town with tech like yours. When you run a newspaper, you need to know your audience, right? Clair: A newspaper? Is that why you flagged us down? Senri: N-No, not quite. I lost track of my younger sibling, and I've looked in all the normal places where he usually plays. No one else has seen him in a while either, and I'm worried he might've gone into the... sketchier part of town. If you could find him, I'll give you anything you want. I've got some money saved up, or maybe I have something at home to trade... alienrabitt: What exactly do you mean by sketchy, anyway? Senri: Well, you probably know this is arguably the biggest trading city in the Burning Blight. Obviously you need places to store those goods. There's an old storage depot at the far end of town, but some of those areas are owned by... seedier individuals. If Raz is over there, I'm afraid someone might decide he'd be a... valuable asset.

The thought forces her to pause for a second before she continues. "I just need someone to go look and make sure that he's not over there."

so I remember a trillion years back you said that Daedalus likely had a secondary love interest from Somewhere and part of me was like “is this her” but this is a Teenager and we’re all in our 20s so Probably No

Demo: Say no more; we're on the case. ...Unless it's more info on the case; then probably say what you can. Senri: Well, he's... about this tall, twelve years old. I... shoot, I can't remember what he was wearing today, but he always has his toy laser gun with him. It's white with red markings, the only one like it that I've seen. Does that help?

did you give him the fucking Nuka Blaster

Demo: Well, unless this seedy part of town is the hip hangout for teens and tweens, I think we'll be able to work with that. Senri: It shouldn't be, not for kids his age. I've told him not to go there, but... Please, just help me find him. The depot is down this alleyway and to the right. Just follow the road and eventually it'll be on your left. Demo: Alright then, let's get going! The group leaves through the other side of the alleyway and start following her directions.

Daedalus: Sheesh, finding lost kids? The IT has a weird classification for "emergencies" sometimes, huh? alienrabitt: What's gotten into you, anyway? Helping people find little kids isn't really your thing.

Demo: Well, I helped pull you out of the ground like a potato; might as well try to beat somebody to the punch for once.

alienrabitt: D--don't say that!! Ugh! This is somebody's brother we're talking about!

Demo: And? So were you; but they definitely don't know that now. So let's try not to make the same mistake twice, alright? Save the kids before there's trouble; not when they're gods that wind up falling in love with a god magnet. Collin: It's like a good intention buried under several feet of manure... alienrabitt: A salt brick road to a shit brick house; but at least it's paved with good intentions?

probably the first and only time you won’t make fun of me for saying “shit brick” instead of “brick shit”

Daedalus: Alright alright, as funny as it is roasting Demo like a grumpy marshmallow, I think we're getting close. Geez, this place really has seen better days though...

On the group's left is a line of large storage depots, just as Senri said. The structures are very clearly lacking maintenance and appear to have scorch marks along most of the outer walls on the right side of each building. Some depots even have holes hastily patched with clay or other various materials. A few men seem to be moving items in and out of a few of the storage buildings, although the workers are fairly spaced out between depots. alienrabitt: So, how should we be doing this? Surely we can't just check all of these one by one...

Demo: I think there's juuuust enough sand blowing around for me to be able to sneak some anubis out; but we'd have to wait for them to come back; and we're kind of a big group... Fawkes: ... How stealthy can your anubis be? Demo: As quiet as the wind and as dark as the shadows. Unless someone would just really get upset about seeing more sand somewhere, my anubis will be fine. Fawkes: Sounds perfect. Could you have one look around the far side of that last depot in the row? I think I just saw someone suspicious go around the corner outside, but I wasn't able to zoom in fast enough to get a better look. Gently tilting her head in the direction briefly, Demo watches the smallest cloud of black grains of sand blow off towards where Fawkes mentioned. "It'll lay low from here." After a minute or so, the anubis returns to Demo and reports back to her. Two men were holding a small child up by the arms, and a taller, third man with a mechanical right arm was giving orders to the first two men while twirling a white and red gun in his metallic hand. After a few more moments getting the child under control, they took a side entrance through a hole in the wall on that side. Demo: ...Sounds like we found our guys. At least three of 'em; one's got a prosthetic right arm. They took some side entrance through a hole. Hopefully they aren't expecting company. Fawkes: I would expect more company. That seems like a large building for only three people to use.

Daedalus: It's really weird to hear you get so tactical, you know that?

Fawkes: I was originally designed to be a military turret, you know. Sometimes the files come in handy.

Collin: So we go in through that side entrance; then what?

Fawkes: I'll try and do one final sweep to identify hostiles. We priortize targets, take them out, and save the child. Any thoughts? Demo: Sounds good to me. Worst case we hope Azreldeh's riding around in someone's shadow again; though I guess she wouldn't be able to drag someone with her with the magic she has after what she pulled in Lobotomy... Fawkes: Alright. These are probably simple thugs, so I doubt lethal force will be necessary. Now we just need to wait for a moment...

The group waits as some of the other depot works in the other buildings continue their own work. Once they are suitably busy, the group hurries across the open space between the street and the depot and ducks behind the outer wall. They soon find the side entrance and sneak inside.

The inside of the building is full of tall racks full of various crates and other items, with a larger open space in the center. Everyone hides behind a few boxes on the closest shelf while Fawkes pokes his visor just over a box. He scans side to side for a few minutes, then turns back to the group. Whispering under the cover of the people moving and talking inside, he relays his findings to the others.

Fawkes: Alright, definitely more than three. There are at least fifteen people here, although luckily only two have any sort of firearm, and they're both up on a balcony. I can take one out with several tranquilizer rounds if you can dispatch the other one, Collin.

Collin: Yeah, I can do that, no problem. After that, should we just group up and take out the others?

Fawkes: I think pairs will work best. You and Jay, Daedalus and Clair, and Demo and myself. Any objections? Demo: ...Yeah, I guess that's fine. Do your thing, then. Fawkes: Alright, on three then. One... two... three!

Collin and Fawkes dash out from their hiding space and fire simultaneously up toward a balcony across from them. Two surprised shouts and thuds echo out in response, spurring the rest of the group into action as the people inside start to go on the alert. Sneaking through the shelves, Demo attempts to group up with Fawkes as planned, while Jay heads for Collin. Clair, unsure of what to do in the commotion, sticks close to Daedalus. As the pairs come out of hiding, the gang members inside pick up various pieces of junk or tools as makeshift weapons and start charging in to meet them. The gang is far outmatched by the strength of the IT crew, however, and quickly start falling one by one. Half of the gang is down by the time a voice finally shouts, reverberating off the walls of the depot, "Enough!"

The man with the mechanical arm grabs Raz by the back of his shirt and deploys a razor sharp blade from the underside of his prosthetic wrist, then quickly holds it against the boy's throat. "One more move and I slice the kid open like a pig!"

okay so idk if you intended this or not but all I could visualize for this dude was that pirate captain from fucking Treasure Planet

Glaring coldly, Demo backs down first. "Put the kid down...he doesn't have anything to do with this." ?: In the long run, absolutely. Right now though, he makes some great leverage. Now, why don't you all be good little boys and girls and get on your knees right over there? I think we should have a little chat before you give anyone else a fucking concussion. No sudden moves, remember... 

He motions with the knife for a moment and gestures toward a small area fifteen feet or so away from him. Reluctantly, Jay backs down as well; Clair, offering no resistance to begin with, follows suit. Fawkes, Collin, and Daedalus follow suit behind them, although Daedalus can hardly keep himself still.

?: Now, let's start simple, alright? The name's Cidney, and within a few minutes I'll have the power to hold this entire stinking trade center in my palm. Should've figured someone would come looking for this little brat, but I didn't figure they'd send a group so....spirited. Guess I should've tried to snatch the kid faster, but eh, what can you do? Demo: What the hell are you going on about? Cidney: Not surprised you don't know. Most people don't, as it turns out. So, quick storytime for ya, back before the war, one of the old governments decided to try making an orbital laser cannon, but not just any laser, no no. This sucker is solar powered; literally infinite use, at least until the sun burns out in another few billion years or whatever. The problem is that the whole thing was still in the testing phase before shit hit the fan. Fast forward to now, and the whole thing is still useless without its target designator. Do you know how hard it is to find a target system for a weapon that no one knows about? Demo: Clearly somebody had to know if you know. So I'm guessing you found one...or someone that could make one. Cidney: Well, I did have a diagram of it, which helped when trying to look around and ask people what they knew. Rumor after rumor led me aaaall the way to here, and wouldn't you fuckin' know it...

He whistles, and one of the surviving thugs walks over and takes over holding Raz hostage, holding their own knife against his neck. Cidney steps over and grabs Raz's toy gun from a table, twirling it around his finger as he walks in front of the group. "Hiding in plain sight." alienrabitt: You've gotta be kidding me... Cidney: I know, right? The fucking kid could've brought the wrath of the fuckin' sun on this city at any moment in the last couple of months if it weren't for one teeny tiny detail...

He grabs the barrel of the gun, pushes it inward, twists it back and forth in a specific pattern, and releases the barrel. The gun makes an ominous charging up tone, forcing Cidney to hold the gun much more carefully. "The damn safety was on. Lucky him, right?" Demo: What the hell do you think you're gonna get out of this place if you blast it to bits with the sun?! Cidney: The best weapons are the ones you never have to fire, sweetheart. With the threat of annihilating entire buildings with a single shot, they'll have no choice but to turn over control of the city to me. 'Course that's just the start of everything, but I won't bore you with that. Back to you guys, then. I'm feeling pretty generous, so I'll tell you what. I pick one of you to test this bad boy out on, and the rest of you get to live! 'Course, I'm taking all your stuff and selling you to slavers the next town over, but you'll be alive at least, right? Demo: You won't get away with this... Cidney: That's what everyone says. Hmm, now then...

Fawkes: Just pick me.

Collin: Fawkes, no!

Cidney: What, are you kidding me? Who's gonna cry about a melted hunk of slag and circuitry? You're worth way more in parts, frankly.

Cidney makes a dramatic exaggeration of him trying to make a choice, then finally points the gun in Clair's direction. "Alright, you're up, blondie. On your feet." Flinching as she's called upon, Clair shakily stands up. "...F-fine...just leave them alone..." Daedalus stands up right after her. "Absolutely not. I'll go."

Cidney: My my, what unexpected chivalry! You don't look like the type for sacrifice, buddy!

I mean, he looks like his “twin,” and that’s right up Collin’s alley, soooo...yeah he does?

Daedalus: Shove it up your ass, "buddy". Leave her out of this.

Cidney: Hmm... Y'know what, sure! This should be good.. You're free to get back down, sweetheart. Demo practically attempts to launch herself off the floor, but Jay yanks her down, desperately attempting to keep her from getting anyone else hurt as she swears profusely and attempts to shove Jay away from her with an equal sense of desperation and anger. Clair, frozen to the spot with fear and heartbreak, collapses to her knees, tears already beginning to fall as she barely chokes out an objection that she cannot back with any effort, instantly overwhelmed with grief. Cidney points with his gun a fair distance away from everyone else, and Daedalus resolvedly strides over to the spot, turning back to stare him down. Cidney pulls the trigger while pointing directly at Daedalus' feet, then casually blows the barrel off. A loud sizzling noise can be heard from above the roof as it seems to get brighter outside. A few seconds later, a piercing column of sunlight rips through the roof of the building and slams down where Daedalus is standing. Air rushes away from the intense heat source as the ground cracks underneath the beam.

The beam's width begins to shrink at the bottom, gradually tapering into a single point as if it were being pulled inwards. Cidney's look of confidence finally breaks into one of confusion as the beam starts to rise upward off the ground. A towering humanoid figure of golden light appears to be sucking in the sun's laser as it pushes it upwards, while a fully armored Daedalus begins to push himself off the floor. His armor is clearly based on that of a knight's, but significantly streamlined and modernized, with mesh-like accents around the shoulders and stomach. Both the figure and Daedalus stand to their full height, and a moment later the beam is completely consumed, and a blast of blinding light shakes the very ground.

When the light clears, a huge armored figure stands behind Daedalus, banners and tapestries with depictions of a sun emblazoned upon it. Its face is a golden mask with an expression of joy and determination, as though excited to face whatever challenge stands before it. The mesh parts of Daedalus' armor now have a fire raging inside of them like a roaring forge. The figure behind Daedalus raises its arms in the air triumphantly, and a deep voice bellows forth.

?: THE DAWN BREAKS ONCE MORE!

THE SHADOW REMAINS CAST

Demo: Wh-what?! What the hell is...?! The figure bends over so that its "face" is next to Daedalus', then casually glances over at him and speaks in a much softer voice. "I think you know what to do." A harsh grinding noise and a rush of air is Cidney's only warning as Daedlaus suddenly lunges forward, grabbing both him and the thug holding Raz hostage as he blazes through a charge, knocking Raz over but leaving him otherwise unharmed. The thug is then hurled head over heels into one of the shelving units, then crashes to the ground. Cidney however is hurled straight up toward the ceiling. Daedalus kicks off the ground and launches himself clear to the ceiling, conjuring an enormous searing halberd on his way up. He then kicks off the ceiling and drives the weapon straight through Cidney's stomach as they plummet back down to the ground.

Once back on the ground, Daedalus removes the weapon and allows it to dissipate. He calmly turns his back to Cidney and takes three confident steps toward the others before promptly collapsing to the ground, the flames in his armor fading away. Stunned by the display, Jay is easily pushed off of Demo, who quickly gets off the floor and rushes over to Daedalus. Forcing her legs to function, Clair shakily stands once more, stumbling initially as she hurries over but drops to his side just as quickly.

Demo: What was all that?!

Clair: A-are you okay?! Daedalus: I... think we... figured out... the fire thing.

The armored figure strides over to where the laser target sits on the ground and picks it up in one hand. He glances at the few remaining thugs in the room and then emphasizes one single command by crushing the weapon in his grip. "BEGONE!"

beGONE, THUG

The thugs, to their credit, quickly accept the man's request and scramble out of the depot, running for their lives. "There, that settles that business." alienrabitt: Who...who are you? ?: Hmm? Oh, of course, we haven't properly met the rest of you yet, have we? I am-

The sound of a crowd of people shouting and approaching the building suddenly drifts through the open doors of the building. "- going to have to answer that question in a bit! I'll see you on the IT!"

With no further explanation, he bursts into a shower of sparks, letting the remains of the gun drop to the ground. Demo: ...Come on, help me get him off the floor; we need to get that kid back to his sister and get the hell out of here, we've got a corpse to answer for now... Fawkes approaches the trio and lifts Daedalus off the ground. "I'll handle him. This armor makes him much heavier than normal."

Collin quickly gets up and hurries over to Raz. "C'mon bud, we need to get you back home. You're safe now, don't worry."

Still stunned from the events of the day, Raz quietly nods and glances sadly at the remains of his gun as the group makes a hasty escape out of the depot. As they exit the side of the building, they run into Senri, who seems just as surprised to find them there.

Senri: Oh, it's you! Wait, please tell me you found- Raz!

Raz doesn't even try to let go of Collin's hand as he sprints forward into Senri's arms, yanking him forward slightly. The pair embrace tightly as Senri spins him around a couple of times. She brushes the back of his head as she speaks again. "Oh thank you, thank you... I'm so glad you're okay..."

She looks back up at the others, tears running down her face. "Thank you so much for finding him. I didn't realize it was going to be that much trouble or I would've warned you!" Demo: Sweetheart, I don't think anybody could've warned us for all that. If he brings home something like that again, maybe check for batteries or something next time first. Senri: Wait, what are you... are you saying that was because of...? Demo: Yes. Senri: ... Oh.

She seems almost too stunned to properly change her facial expression for a second.

Collin: Wait, how did you know we would be coming out here this way anyway?

Senri: Huh? Oh, well that's easy, at least. I know most of this city like the back of my hand, and a good reporter never uses the front door.

Fawkes: ... Well, you can't argue with that logic. Demo: Right, a reporter. ...Look, this story's a little big for your breeches; I don't think you're ready for this yet. Senri: Hey, don't underestimate me just because I'm small! But... this time, I have more important things to deal with right now. Is there anything I can do to repay you all? Demo: Yeah, just keep your brother-- oof!

Demo's cut off as Jay elbows her in the ribs.

alienrabitt: I think we're good for now! We'll...let you know sometime, though. Senri: Alright, my newstand is in the marketplace when you need to find me! I think everyone's inside the depot now, so you should be good to go if you hurry. See you later!

The pair hurry off ahead of the others, quickly making their way back home.

Collin: All in favor of following their example?

Daedalus: ... Aye... Demo: Do you even have to ask? Let's get the hell out of here.

me, visibly attempting to reel in the BPD salt, knowing full well there’s no reason to be angry:

The group quickly makes their way back through the streets and the marketplace to the IT. The crowd is now so abuzz with the news from the depot that no one even really pays any mind to them as they pass back through, and eventually they wind up back in the console room, safe and sound. The instant the door closes behind them, a glowing ball of light appears in the console room with them and then bursts back into the masked figure from earlier. "Ah, home sweet home." Nydins: What the hell is that?! ?: Oh, my apologies! I didn't see you there! Forgive my rudeness for earlier and now. As I was saying earlier, I am Voltarus, embodiment of the Radiant aspect of the stars, twin god of the art of Astral Sorcery, and companion to your friend Daedalus, at your service.

He prostrates himself in a deep bow, then rises back up to his full height. "It is good to finally meet all of you in person." alienrabitt: Twin? So there's a second one somewhere? Voltarus: Of course!

The mask where his head should be suddenly flips like a coin, revealing a silver side with a much more calm and blissful smile, its eyes closed peacefully. Voltarus' body suddenly changes color and shape, swapping heavy armor for graceful robes of deep blue and black, studded with diamonds. A short bob of "hair" circles around its head, although an aurora would be a more apt description of its appearance. The new figure folds its hands in front of itself and gives a small curtsy.

?: Ah, my turn already? Well, I am Vintillo, embodiment of the Serene aspect of the stars, twin god of the art of Astral Sorcery, and companion to your friend Daedalus. It is truly a pleasure.

vinti skinny mocha chai god

Demo: A-are you a golem or something?! Vintillo giggles, a surprisingly sweet and bubbly sound. "Of course not! We are not such a mundane being. We are merely two sides of the body that is the heavens and the stars. In the same way a flame can both burn and illuminate, so too do the stars burn and combust with unparalleled ferocity, and yet guide us through the world and inspire awe and wonder... Do I make sense? It's been a while since I've given this speech, hmm hmm! Demo: S-so you're...stars? Vintillo: Mm, yes and no? It's a little more complex than that, but... alienrabitt: I think she's just trying to figure out if you just twisted a physical neck around like an owl or something... Vintillo: Oh! No, we don't have a neck!

Collin: You say that a little too casually... Daedalus: So.... hang on... Is this some bullshit... like what Collin had until recently?

Vintillo: Ah, good question! Our connection is similar but notably different. As you can see, we can project ourselves into the material world already. In addition, our connection is a contract rather than a bond. At the time of your resurrection into this world, we were given the opportunity to enter the physical realm once more, although we had to lend you our strength in order to do so. If you decide that you would rather not have our strength, or if we deem you unfit to wield it, the contract can be broken at any time.

Daedalus: I don't remember.... anything like that happening.

Vintillo: It was all a bit of a blur for even us, truthfully. The process took its toll on us, which is why we were unable to be present immediately upon arriving. Luckily someone fed us energy directly from a star, which greatly accelerated the process! alienrabitt: So, do the rest of the gods know about you? Collin: I certainly don't, so I have a feeling they might not either....

Vintillo: This is most likely the case. We are... not quite from the same realm as each other. They may praise our influence, but they will not know us. But I'm sure they wouldn't mind a new companion though, right? Hmm hmm!

[muffled da vinci noises]

Daedalus: Listen, I appreciate the honesty, but... this armor is hot as hell and my entire body hurts. Can we hold off on this until tomorrow or something?

Vintillo: Oh, of course. We will leave you with your friends for now. Let us know when you wish to speak again!

Vintillo's body dissolves into a sparkling mist and then vanishes entirely.

Daedalus: Alright, well, I think you can put me down now, Tiny. I'm pretty sure I can hobble to my room at this point.

Fawkes: If you insist.

He moves his arms to let Daedalus down onto the ground. Daedalus stumbles for a second, but finally manages a shaky standing position.

Daedalus: Okay... I think I can do this. Someone mind walking with me just in case? Clair: Um...yeah, of course! The pair make their way down the hallway to Daedalus' room. Stepping inside, Daedalus slowly moves over to his couch and rests his hand on the back of it to steady himself. "Okay, this armor sucks to wear when you're tired. Can you close your eyes for a second?" Covering her eyes with her hands, Clair nods. "Go ahead." A loud clattering sound of metal suddenly dropping onto something further away in the room rings out for a second, followed by the soft thump of something dropping into the couch. "Alright, you're good." Letting her hands fall down to her sides, Clair glances over to the couch. Daedalus is now lying in the closest available seat, already changed into his normal shirt and a pair of shorts. His armor is still wobbling slightly on the rack across the room as it comes to rest. Letting out a long sigh, he leans his head back and speaks a moment later. "You can sit if you want to. I'm... sorry for scaring you back there." Clair: ...Did you know you'd be okay? Daedalus: It was... a weird feeling. It almost felt as if I needed to do it. Maybe that was mister and miss sunshine's way of nudging me along so that they could recharge, or maybe I was just... stubborn or something. The whole thing feels like a haze now. I guess more than anything, I just couldn't bear to let that happen to you. Clair: M-me?! What about me?! I...you can't stand the thought of losing your only friend, but if those two hadn't been there, I would've lost everything! I lost my parents; I lost Zenith; and I couldn't do anything to change that; and then all of a sudden I get wrapped up in another situation where I'm totally helpless, and all you can think about is--!! Do...do you seriously just think so little about yourself that you thought you could just...risk throwing yourself away like that?! I...I just...!! Why does this keep happening?! Why does everybody...?

Crying to the point where she can quite literally no longer stand it, Clair falls to her knees, burying her face in her hands. "...Why does everybody I care about keep trying to leave me like this?!"

quit being dramatic and making everything about you, ffs, this is what I hate about you

Daedalus is quiet for a moment. He pushes himself back up and walks over to the side of the couch, then drops back down to sit on the floor with his back against its side. "I wasn't trying to leave you. For the first time in my life, I think I felt like I could actually protect someone; that I wanted to, even. I know that wasn't fair to you given... literally everything else."

He takes off his sunglasses and sets them on the floor next to him. "I... really am sorry, Clair. This was probably the last thing you needed right now. Is there... Is there any way I can make this right with you?" Clair: Just...just don't do that again...! Everybody keeps leaving me behind; I just...I don't want to keep replacing people...I want to help everybody; but I can't even do anything...I can't fight; I can't protect anyone...what am I supposed to do...? Daedalus: I think it's time we really started trying to figure out what exactly you can do. You're half kleivenn now, that's gotta mean something. Maybe you can't summon spears or shoot missiles or whatever, but there's gotta be something you can do with all that magic. Clair: ...M-maybe, but I don't know what...I thought that if something like this happened, I'd be able to do something in the moment, but I couldn't do anything at all... Daedalus: Maybe you just need a different push or something. First though, can we continue the conversation off the floor? This isn't exactly helping my- agh, fuck!

He moves to pull himself up onto his feet but suddenly winces and drops back down, clutching at the left side of his chest. "Okay, that still hurts..." Clair: ...What's wrong? Daedalus: I uh.... may have cooked myself slightly in all of that back there. Didn't think that was possible but shows what I know. The adrenaline's wearing off so now the pain's starting to kick in. I'll live, just hurts. Guess I had that much coming, though. Clair: Um, well, l-let's get you off the floor first...I guess XL has a way to help... Standing up, Clair offers Daedalus her hand. Daedalus hesitates for a second as an odd look crosses his face momentarily, but then takes her hand. Clair: Wh-what? Is there something wrong...? Daedalus: No, it's... Hang on, let me just sit for a second.

He slides over to the couch and takes back his old seat. "I'm... not really used to touching people yet. I know that sounds stupid but it's true." Clair: Oh! I, uhh...I can stop? Daedalus: No, you're... you're fine. It's just that historically speaking, anyone touching me meant bad news. Sorry, I've gotten us off track again, shit. Listen, I... I promise I won't do anything like what I did back there again. Clair: Believe me, the last thing I'd want to do is hurt you. And...I'm gonna hold you to that; so don't let me down, okay? ...But seriously, how badly are you burned? If it's something small, you could probably avoid XL, but if it's bad, you seriously need help. Daedalus: I'm not well done, don't worry. I try to stay further on the rare side of the cooking spectrum. Clair: Haha; alright. Just make sure you get it checked if it starts bothering you. Daedalus: I'll keep it in mind. So... are we good? You're not angry or anything? Clair: I'm still shaken, but I think I'm calming down. I'll be okay... Daedalus: We can still talk about it if you want. I'm not kicking you out or anything. Taking a seat beside Daedalus on the couch, Clair lets out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad you're still here! Watching you walk over like that felt like someone just straight up pulled the wind out of me..." Daedalus: I guess I underestimated how bad that was gonna be for you guys. It's strange, honestly. Not so long ago everyone was probably glad to be rid of me, and now suddenly it's a big deal when I'm in danger. I guess I'm just not used to people feeling that way about me. Clair: I mean, you still mean something to them too...they might not be close friends or anything, but they do care... Daedalus: Maybe so. I'm just not in the habit of thinking about it. Guess I've got more to work on than I thought.. Clair: Probably doesn't help that you spend a lot of time in here... Daedalus: ... Well, you've got me there too. If this conversation was a game of chess, you'd be kicking my ass right about now. Clair: Haha! I've never actually played chess. Or...most games, I guess. Daedalus: Really? What have you played? Clair: Um, well; I did draw a lot back when I was younger; but I guess that doesn't really count. I used to draw all the interesting things I saw when dad took me to visit other places... Daedalus: Huh, go figure. I'm guessing you don't have any of your drawings now, though...? Clair: I...actually have one sketchbook I managed to sneak around. It was from our trip to some snowy place I haven't seen again; I don't know the name... Daedalus: No kidding? Well, I'm glad you were able to keep something. Would you mind showing me some time? Clair: Of course! I'll have to find it again first, though. I put it in my bookshelf; but I've done a lot of reading since... Daedalus: What, you get to read books all day but I'm the one being a shut-in? I think I smell a double standard somewhere on this couch...

that might just be your fucking burnt flesh

also now that I think about it this game is basically what you did with that gun

His normal teasing demeanor starts to sneak back into his tone as he grins cheekily at her. Clair's face turns a little pinkish red. "W-well, I can't defend myself if anything happens outside, so I just...stay in." Daedalus: Bah, don't be like that. There are plenty of people on here that would be able to keep you safe if something happened. Don't be afraid to live a little, you're safe here. Clair: ...At the least, I'd like to know what I can do before I wind up going out again. I've tried asking Karumet, but she keeps ignoring me for the most part. All she's really said is that, whatever I can do, I can do it because of what I wanted when I tried to get back up; but everything in that moment is so hazy, I wouldn't know where to start... Daedalus: Oh, you meant going outside. I just thought you meant around the IT, sheesh... Well, do you remember anything from when all of that happened? Any detail is a possible clue at this stage. Clair: I just wanted...I wanted Zenith to be okay. I felt like I really messed up by being there...I shouldn't have gone back then either...now it just kind of feels like, if I go anywhere, people will get hurt or worse...and that's about the last thing I want... Daedalus: Hmm...

He starts getting lost in thought as he processes Clair's words, unintentionally staring straight at Clair. Clair: ...Um...are you okay? Daedalus: ... Oh, sorry. It's just that last bit you said got me thinking. If hurting people is the last thing you want, maybe your powers aren't meant to hurt? Clair: ...Maybe not; but if I could defend people, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have gotten shot with the sun... Daedalus: You've got a point there... What about healing? It doesn't get much more opposite from pain than that, right? Clair: I...haven't tried that, actually. But if you don't want to be touched, I'm sure you definitely don't want me trying to touch where you're hurt... Daedalus: I'll survive. It helps that I'm expecting it, for starters. Ever so gingerly, Clair attempts to touch the area where Daedalus was burned; however she makes no effort to remove his shirt. Nothing seems to happen, and Clair pulls her reach away. "...I...don't think that worked." Daedalus: Doesn't feel like it, either. You... don't think it's the shirt, do you? Clair: Maybe? B-but you don't need to take it off or anything; I can just...wait for somebody else to get hurt somehow? Daedalus: I don't think I need to take the whole thing off, you know. Look, if it helps you figure out what you can do... I can deal with it. I sorta owe you after today anyway.

Not waiting for a response, he takes one deep breath and then lifts up his shirt up just above his stomach. A bright red patch of skin stretches along most of the revealed area. A little surprised to see him lift his shirt, Clair turns her head away almost immediately. "Uhhm...! Ah, right; I-I guess it won't work too well if I can't see where I should...haha..."

Nervously, Clair slowly returns her gaze back to Daedalus, but only long enough to see where to place her hands. Closing her eyes, she returns her hands to Daedalus' side. With a small, but not harsh, flash of pink light, the burned area returns to normal, with little more sting to it than an average sunburn. Daedalus: ... Wow, uh... That was fast. Clair: H-huh? ...Oh! Oh, you're better now! I...uhh...y-you can put your shirt back... Daedalus: Right, right.

He lowers his shirt back down and tentatively pats his stomach slightly. "Man, that really did help though. Looks like this place finally has someone that can heal people. Quickly, I mean. Are... you alright?" Clair: Yeah, I'm just a little winded, I think... Daedalus: I guess using magic for the first time is pretty draining... Do you need to lie down or something? I can take you back to your room if you want. Clair: N-no, I'm okay...! Just...probably shouldn't get up too fast. What about you...? Daedalus: I'm... definitely feeling better, honestly. Shame about the skin-to-skin thing though. Here's hoping no one gets their literal butt kicked and needs your help before you find a way to get through clothes.

okay so basically I know why Clair’s powers are “held back” and the only vague comment I’m gonna make to keep it no spoilo is that they’re like that because her magic and stuff draws from an unexpected source

Clair: I...might be able to figure out how to do it without touching people; but I think it'll take practice... Daedalus: Oh I'm sure you can. You're always full of surprises like that. 'Course, not sure how you're gonna practice that, but y'know.... Clair: I'll probably just wait for someone to bang their knee at breakfast or something. Seems easy enough... Daedalus: Guess so. Just don't start punching people or something; that'll just get 'em annoyed with you, trust me. Clair: Haha, I won't! I'm not exactly tough enough for it to hurt, anyway. Daedalus: Maybe we need to start taking you to the gym then. We'll have you benching 250 in no time. Clair: 2:50? Nah, I'd be benched the whole time! Daedalus groans and covers his face. "Please no, not corny jokes. Someone get that laser gun again, I need out of here." Clair: H-hey, it wasn't that bad...! Daedalus flops over on the edge of the couch. "Nope, it's killed me. Farewell, world." Clair: ...Well, I can't heal that. Guess I better go show everyone your sunglasses since it's all we'd have left...maybe we'll make a little memorial thing at the breakfast table with em; people will get all emotional and stuff; it'll be great. Daedalus: Yeah, and then I'll haunt you all from beyond so you have to deal with me forever... Although actually lying here is making me realize how tired I am. I should probably take a power nap or something. Clair: I don't blame you; I'd be pretty tired if I had to go through all that too. Alright, I'll leave you be, then.

Getting up from the couch, Clair heads for the door. Perking his head up, he looks at her as she leaves. "Don't forget to look for that notebook of yours." Clair: I won't! Just don't expect it to look too good; I wasn't even 10 yet. With that, Clair leaves the room. Daedalus puts his head back down and is asleep within a minute.

the next log is gonna be something I find Particularly Interesting and I can’t wait to expand on it