#gonna have to remember what the hell i typed into the code now dammit

[goldieclaws]

Wailing crying etc. bc I wrote out some code for my sprites so that they were positioned properly/in a nice way in my Spooktober jam submission and I forgot to transfer it over to my other devices ARGHH

[brideofedoras]

Soulbound

Disclaimer: the usual

Word count: 3100+

Rating: 18+

Warnings: maybe some terrible flirting, hints of anxiety and asthma

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

John walked into Maldonado’s office and shut the door.  “We’ve got more information on that synthetic,” he grabbed a chair and dropped into it.  “You’re not gonna like this.”

Sandra turned to give him her full attention, brow furrowing over her brown eyes.  “Why’s that?”

“Dorian was able to download the memory from that thing.  Someone was surveilling…”  He looked over his shoulder before leaning closer and dropping his voice.  “Someone had Emily under surveillance.  Had us all under surveillance.  At crime scenes.  At McQuade’s.  At dinner.  At the damned hospital.”  His jaw tightened.  “They hacked the security system at the hospital, footage of me, of Emily visiting me.”

Sandra’s eyes widened.  “Do you think it’s tied to inSyndicate?”

“That damn thing was planted at a crime scene,” he shrugged.  “But why Emily?  Why her?  She’s not a cop, she’s never been involved in any investigation for inSyndicate, she wasn’t even working for Rudy before the ambush!”

“She’s your soulmate,” Sandra reminded him.  “Whether you believe it or not, Emily is.”  

“You, Dorian and Rudy are the only ones who know that, aside from Emily and myself,” John sighed heavily.  

“You’ve accepted that Emily is your soulmate?”

John met her warm gaze.  “I know her voice, her touch, her perfume.  Her handwriting matches my words.  I’ve remembered bits and pieces of her conversations, but I don’t remember her saying my words.  Until I do…  It won’t be real.”  He ran his hands through his hair.  “Still doesn’t answer why inSyndicate had Emily under surveillance!”

Sandra tilted her head, brows furrowed as she tried to meet John’s averted frown.  “Anna.”

“Anna?  How the hell would she know about Emily?”  John’s expression darkened.  “I found out my first day back on the job, after I reactivated Dorian!”

“Your soulmark,” Maldonado sat back, folding her arms over her chest.  “Your words.  Anna could’ve easily deduced exactly who Emily was.”

“Did you know?”  John braced his forearms on his knees as he slumped forward, giving his friend a hard glare.  

She nodded.  

“How long have you known?”

“Long enough,” Sandra admitted.  “Does Emily know about the surveillance?”  She redirected the conversation back to the disturbing discovery and away from John’s probing questions.

“Just what she saw before Dorian stopped the playback,” he reached up to rub at his temples.  “She told us she felt like she’d been watched for a while, back when I was in the coma.”

“She told me about it when she first suspected she was being watched,” the captain straightened in her chair.  “She told me not to pull an officer from the streets to follow her, she would check in via text at certain times and came up with a code word to use if something happened.”

His head snapped up.  “She ever have to use it?”

“No,” she shook her head.  

“With inSyndicate still out there, with Anna still out there, I want Emily protected,” John told her.  

“She won’t go for that,” Sandra warned.  “She won’t admit it but I know she fears it will trigger her anxiety and her asthma.  I’ll talk to her--”

“She’ll be here sometime this afternoon with a list for me, and to sit down with you, me and Dorian to review that damned android’s video footage.”

“Good.”

“And she’s supposed to call me before she leaves the lab,” John pushed to his feet.  “Were you able to get me what I needed?”

Sandra scooted her chair back and reached under her desk.  “I don’t know where his notebook is, John.  When I cleaned out his desk and locker and separated personal stuff from city property, I might’ve dropped the notebook in the box to take to Emily,” she set a box on the desk.  “I’ll ask her when she gets here.” 

John stood up and grabbed the box.  “We have any other big cases right now?”

She shook her head.  “Nothing major, no.  I’ll get everyone on board and let them know you’re lead detective.”

“Thank you, Sandra,” he nodded before ducking out of the office.

His phone started ringing as he crossed the bullpen to his desk.  Shifting the box to his left arm he fished the phone out.  “Kennex.”

“Detective, it’s Emily Williams.”

John fumbled the box when he heard the tremble in her voice.  “Emily, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.”

“You don’t sound okay,” he eased the box onto his desk and headed for an empty interrogation room so he could hear her better.  

“I’m fine, I had an asthma attack after you left,” she admitted after a bit.  “It was mild, but Rudy is beside himself.  I just need a drink and…”

“And what?”  He prompted when she fell silent.

“Nothing,” she sighed.  “I managed to finish the list.  I have the stores listed by district to make it easier.”

“Thank you,” he turned to face the bullpen.  “You’re still headed this way, right?”

“Yeah, I’m…  I’ll head that way in a few minutes.”

“Be careful.  When you get here, just head to Sandra’s office.  Dorian and I will meet you there.”

“Sounds good, Detective,” she agreed.

“John.  You can call me John.”

“All right… John.  See you in a bit.”

She clicked off before he could respond.

Something tickled at the edge of his memory.  He squeezed his eyes shut as he concentrated, not wanting to lose it.

“My lunch break is almost over,” her voice filled with regret.  “But I’ll be back after work.”  

He felt his blanket lift and resettle before her slender hands smoothed the wrinkles out.  His heart skipped a beat when she rested her hand over his chest.  I look forward to every visit, Emily, he longed to tell her, breathing in her warm scent as she leaned over him.

“I’ll see you later, John,” she whispered before her lips pressed to his cheek.  

Be safe out there, Sweetheart.  Come back to me.  His heart ached when Emily pulled away.  

His legs buckled.  John braced his hand on the table to steady himself as the intensity of the emotions, affection, worry, love, assaulted him.

Love stronger than what he had ever felt for Anna.

Blindly he reached for the nearest chair and pulled it out, falling heavily onto it.  He braced his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands.  He let out a ragged sigh.  Dammit.  Why the hell can’t I remember her?

He jumped when someone tapped on the door.  He looked up sharply with a glare firmly in place before seeing Dorian. 

He joined his partner.  “Emily’s on her way,” he kept his voice low.  “She’s got the list for us.”

“Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” he barely nodded.  “I just…  I had another memory pop free, of Emily visiting me.”

Dorian shifted to give John his full attention.  “Did you remember her first…” he trailed off when Kennex shook his head.

“No,” he exhaled heavily.  “Just a memory of her saying good-bye when her lunch break was ending and promising to come back after work.”

Dorian folded his arms across his chest.  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, John.  What are you not telling me?”

His jaw tightened as he shook his head again.  

“John, does it have anything to do with her being followed?”

“No.  Nothing like that.  I… Jesus, D, I don’t even understand it,” he started to walk toward the bullpen.  “Once I’ve figured it out, I’ll let you know.”

 Emily slung her messenger bag over her neck and shoulder and locked her car.  She drew in a deep breath and flinched when she wheezed.  No, she shut her eyes and dropped her head back.  Slow, easy breath in and out.  No reason to be anxious.  You’re just handing off information they need, and watching video surveillance with Sandy.  

She took another slow, easy breath, and another until the wheeze was barely a rattle.  She patted her pockets just to reassure herself where the inhaler was, fished her identification out of her pocket and headed into the building.

The bullpen was teeming with activity when she stepped off the elevator.  She circled the perimeter, heading toward Sandy’s office like John had told her.  

Sandra met her at the door with a warm hug.  “Hey, Kiddo,” she squeezed her.  

Emily melted into her godmother’s embrace.  “How bad is it?  The surveillance?”

Maldonado pulled back.  “I haven’t seen it yet.”

“But you know something,” the younger woman’s eyes narrowed.  “Sandy, you only hug me that tight when you’re worried.”

Sandra chuckled.  “You know me too well, Emmie,” she pulled back and gestured for Emily to follow.  “We’ll discuss that with Kennex and Dorian when they get back.  We’ll be meeting in the conference room, less claustrophobic.”

Emily kept pace with Sandra’s determined stride.  “They leave?”

“Coffee run,” the captain nodded before opening a door.  Once inside the room she turned her full attention on Emily.  “How are you holding up with this?”

The tech shrugged as she pulled her messenger bag’s strap over her head.  “I’m scared,” she admitted, setting her bag down..  “I thought when the feeling of being followed stopped, that it was over, that it was nothing serious.  But now…  I’m honestly terrified to see what all Dorian saw in that footage.”  She looked up at Sandra once more.  “Whatever he saw…  I know it’s bad, Sandy.  If Detective Kennex wants me to learn how to handle a gun it’s gotta be.  I wound up having an asthma attack after they left the lab.”

“John has a very good reason for wanting to teach you how to handle a gun, Emmie,” Sandra reached up to cup Emily’s jaw.  “I know you don’t want to, but you need to.”

She nodded.  “I know.  And I will.”  She managed a smile.  “I looked up a few different types of handguns, but I don’t know what would be best for me.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Sandra brushed her thumb over Emily’s cheekbone before dropping her hands and stepping back.  “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again, Emmie.”  

“I don’t want you pulling anyone from their job to shadow me,” Emily frowned at her.  “I’ll get a gun, I’ll learn how to handle it, I’ll check in frequently, but I don’t want anyone taken away from keeping the city safe just to make sure I’m safe.”  She turned back to the table and her bag.  “If I feel like I’m being watched, I will let you and Rudy know.”

“Okay,” Sandra agreed.  “I want you to be safe, Em, but I won’t push.”

“Thank you,” Emily pulled her notebook from her bag.  

Sandra’s eyes dropped to the spiral notebook.  “Emily…  The box I brought you of your dad’s personal belongings… was there a notebook in it?” “There were three,” she nodded.  “I put them in the footlocker in my bedroom.”

“Did you by chance look through them?”  Sandra’s brow furrowed.  

“No,” Emily shook her head.  “I…  Are they related to this case?”

“I hope they are, they weren’t with the evidence.  John asked for everything we had on Sam’s last case, including the notebook.”

“I can get it after we review the footage and go over my notes, I can bring it back here, or we can meet up somewhere…”

“That’s something you need to discuss with John,” Sandra trailed off when the door opened behind them.

“Discuss what with me?”

Emily looked over her shoulder, her breath hitching at the intensity of the look John was giving her.  “Um… the… uh…  Daddy’s notebooks,” she wheezed out.  “I have several at… at my apartment.”

“I’ll follow you home to get them,” he nodded, joining them at the table with a box and a drink carrier.  He looked at the three cups he held before handing one to Sandra.  “Dorian’s on a call with Rudy regarding the android and the surveillance, he’ll be up in a bit, I hope.”  He handed another cup to Emily.

“I don’t drink coffee,” she offered him a shy smile.  

“It’s not coffee,” he smiled back.  “I hope hot chocolate is all right.”

Her smile widened as she reached for the cup.  “I’ve been craving hot chocolate all afternoon,” she admitted.  

John dropped into the chair to her right.  “I hope I got it right.  The barista gave me a weird look when I ordered it.”

Emily blushed when she realized John was watching her.  “Kinda hard to mess up hot chocolate,” she pointed out.

“Actually, when someone likes it a specific way and the person ordering it has a spotty memory, it is,” he grimaced.  “I remembered your dad fixing hot chocolate a few times on stakeouts.  He always fixed it a certain way, said it was how you liked it.  Double the chocolate, double the foamy milk, double the whipped topping, and white chocolate shavings?”

“It was our special hot chocolate for when I was having a rough day,” she whispered.  “Sometimes Mom would make brownies if it was really bad.”

“Will cupcakes work?”  John pointed to the box on the table.  “They were setting out vanilla cupcakes when I got there.  I’m a donut guy myself but I’ve--”

“Sorry that took so long,” Dorian walked in.  “Rudy is on his way up from the forensics lab, he wants to see the footage as well.”  His head tilted at the glare Kennex aimed at him.  “I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No, your timing is perfect,” Sandra said at the same time John growled out a barely heard “yes”.

Emily looked over at John, her eyebrows inching up when she realized he glaring at his partner.  “Detective?”

“John, please,” the glare melted away as Kennex returned his attention to her.  “You, uh, brought your notebook,” he tipped his head toward the table.  

“Yes,” she grabbed it and handed it over.  When John’s callused fingertips brushed hers she barely suppressed a shiver.  “I still wish I’d had the time to type it all up and get it on celos for the investigation,” she gave him an apologetic smile.

“This is perfect, Emily,” he smiled back before dropping his eyes to the notebook.  He flipped it open and started thumbing through.  “This is… very detailed,” he cleared his throat as his face darkened.  

“Very impressive sketches, Emily.”  When had Dorian moved to look over John’s shoulder?  “You have an eye for detail,” he reached out to trace a fingertip over one sketch in particular.

John snapped the notebook shut and thrust it at his partner.  “Don’t do that, D,” he growled.  

“Do what?  Emily’s sketches is incredible, the bulging veins really stand out, and the labia--”

“Yeah, Dorian, they do,” John cut him off with a frustrated groan, scrubbing a hand over his face.  “Where the hell is Rudy?”

“I’m right here,” Lom walked into the room.  “What’d I miss?”

“Have you seen Emily’s sketches?”  Dorian started to open the notebook.

Emily snatched it from his hands, her face flushed.  “Later, Dorian, let’s… worry about this later, please?”  She sank down further in her chair, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.  I knew sketching those toys was a bad idea!

John reached over and took the notebook from her.  “We’ll get these copied and distributed, with no further commentary on the sketches,” he shot another glare at Dorian.  “We ready to see that footage?”

Emily looked up to see the much softer look he was directing at her.  No.  “Let’s get it over with,” she forced a smile.  

“If it’s too much, tell me and I will stop projecting the surveillance,” Dorian walked around the table to sit opposite her and John.  

Sandra dimmed the lights in the room and activated the privacy to frost the windows.  As she took a seat at the end of the table, she nodded to Dorian.  

 “From what I could gather, the surveillance started long before the ambush,” Dorian told them.  “Everyone in this room was under surveillance, at crime scenes, at the bank, at school, out shopping, on a date, or out to dinner or at the bar to celebrate,” his brilliant blue eyes landed on Emily.  “Are you ready for me to start projecting the footage, Emily?”

“Yes,” she nodded.  

Her breath caught in her throat when the first video projected was of her father at a crime scene, pointing something out to John and Marty Pelham, his notebook in hand.  “Dorian,” she leaned forward.  “Can you pause and enhance on the notebook?”  She squinted.  “Those notebooks in the box you gave me, Sandy, they were pink,” she looked over at Maldonado.  

“I’ve gone through the itemized evidence logs for all of Sam’s other cases, none of them had pink notebooks,” Sandra nodded.  “John, do you remember what color notebook he used for his last case?”

“Pink,” he snorted.  “I gave him hell for using pink notebooks, and he said it was all the store had at the time Emily was buying some,” he shot her an amused grin.  “Marty and I thoroughly enjoyed teasing him about it.”

“He told me,” she settled back in her chair.  “He lied to you about the reason he had pink notebooks.  Pink was the only color available that he hadn’t used yet, and neon colors were making a comeback.”  She drew in a deep, slightly rattly breath, before nodding to Dorian to continue the playback.  “He swore he’d never ask me to buy notebooks for him again.”

The more she watched, the harder it was for her.  Seeing her dad again, even on old surveillance footage, left an aching hole in her heart.  

“Stop the playback,” John’s voice startled her.  “Emily, do you need to take a break from this?”  He swiveled his chair to face her.

She nodded.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “I thought I could handle it, but…  I can’t.  Seeing the last time Daddy and I went to Mom’s grave for her birthday, or the last time he treated me to ice cream at the park…”  She reached up to wipe away a tear that slipped down her cheek.  “This isn’t about his last case, is it?  Whoever was behind this was following all of us.”  She noticed the look John and Sandra shared.  “What, do you know something?”

“No,” John’s eyes narrowed slightly at Sandra, as if he was silently warning her before turning to her.  

“Right, like the two of you didn’t have some kind of silent conversation just now,” Emily pushed to her feet.  “Your misguided idea of trying to protect me needs a lot of work, Detective.  If you’ll excuse me, I need some fresh air.”

[hysterialevi]

Legend pt. 3

Author’s note: Sorry these chapters haven’t been that frequent. Lately I’ve been running a bit low on motivation and I didn’t want to rush anything out, so that’s why these parts have been taking centuries to release lol. But I’m excited to get back to work, and I hope you all enjoy this fic. Thanks for being so patient and sticking with me through all these stories. Love you guys :)

From Bruce’s POV

THAT NIGHT

Rushing through Gotham’s streets in the Batmobile, John sat beside me and happily spoke to himself as we carried on with our nightly patrol, keeping an eye out for any criminals that could’ve been running amok. 

Even though the clown was technically supposed to be hiding from the Agency right now, that didn’t stop him from wanting to help me with my work as Batman. And considering the situation we were in, I wasn’t in much of a position to turn him down. 

Recently, the crime in Gotham had become relentless, and ironically, Waller’s presence didn’t do us any favors. If anything, the director and her agents just seemed like different types of criminals to me, and it was my job to get them out of the city. Fast.

I just hoped John would actually follow my code. I had no problem putting my trust in him, but he wasn’t exactly a man of restraint, and the last thing I needed was for someone to get killed tonight. Lord new this city had seen enough death.

“So, what’s the status, Bats?” John asked with an energized, toothy grin, breaking the silence. “See any baddies on the loose?”

I squinted slightly at the road ahead, gazing through the beams of my headlights.

“Nothing so far.” I replied. “Things have been pretty quiet tonight.”

“Why the nervous look?” He commented. “Isn’t that what we want? Or are you just getting bored? ‘Cause I certainly am. I wanna punch someone already! Hehe!”

“Well,” I said, hugging a corner, “I was expecting to see at least a robbery by now, but it’s been peaceful. A little too peaceful for my liking. It’s almost as if Gotham’s...waiting for something. Biding its time.”

John shrugged. “Sounding a bit paranoid there, buddy. But, hey. Who knows? Could be because of the Agency. I mean, heck -- if weirdos like me are hiding from them, I imagine common criminals would also want to keep out of their sights, too. Not to mention we are driving around in a giant murder machine. Not exactly subtle.”

“...That’s true, I guess.”

“Relax, Brucie,” he reassured with confidence, patting my shoulder. “I swear, you’re gonna have a full head of grey hair before the sun rises. You have a partner now, remember? This burden is no longer yours alone to bear. I promise, if I see anything out of the ordinary like that shattered window up there, you’ll be the first to know.”

A pang of realization hit me at that statement and I came to a sudden halt, causing John to lurch forward like a slingshot with a yelp.

“What?” I asked, taken by surprise. “Where?”

John regained his composure and peeled himself off the dash, pointing upwards at what appeared to be an apartment building. 

“There...” he said with a slight groan. “I bet someone used it to break in.”

I furrowed my brow at the scene and prepared my gear, slowly exiting the Batmobile.

“...Or out. Come on. Let’s go take a look.”

THE APARTMENT

Grappling up to the broken window with my arm around John, the two of us landed on a simple balcony as we discreetly checked inside, making sure whoever caused this damage wasn’t still around.

“...See anything?” John whispered, peeking over the sill. 

“Looks clear,” I observed. “But the apartment’s a mess. There was definitely some sort of struggle here. Be on your guard.”

Activating my earpiece, I contacted Alfred as John quietly hopped inside ahead of me, navigating his way around the toppled furniture.

“Alfred,” I said lowly, “John and I have come across a peculiar scene in a nearby apartment. It looks like a fight took place here...and a rather violent one at that. I’ll send you the address, but don’t call the GCPD just yet. I want to inspect the area first.”

“Of course, sir. Keep me updated...and please, be careful.”

Returning to the situation at hand, I started examining the wrecked apartment and the clues scattered around me as John conducted his own investigation, both of us trying to formulate a cause for this mess.

Some of the furniture had been broken, numerous dents had been beaten into the walls, and a flickering lamp rested on the floor along with some shards of glass. How did the neighbors not hear any of this? Were they simply gone when it happened? ...Or did someone make sure their lips stayed shut? I had to find out.

“Batman!” John called, beckoning me to the kitchen. He was kneeling down by something, but the counters in front of me blocked my view. I hurried over.

“What is it?” I asked. “Did you find anything?”

Carefully treading through the ruined furniture, I stepped next to my partner and crouched beside him, only to come to an abrupt pause when I noticed there was a man lying against the stove with a gun in his grip.

Both his shirt and hands had been stained with blood -- most-likely his own, considering the wound on his abdomen -- and his face was riddled with severe contusions. Judging by their freshness, this man was attacked today.

“...What do we do?” John questioned. 

I reached for the man’s gun, checking the magazine. None of the ammunition had been depleted.

“He didn’t have a chance to fire,” I concluded. “The attacker must have taken him by surprise. Or at least been quick enough to bring him down before he could defend himself.”

John gazed at the disarray around us. “...Well, he certainly put up a good fight without the gun. Maybe he was trying to get to it?”

I nodded. “Possibly. Hang on a minute. I’m going to see if I can identify who this man is.”

I contacted Alfred again.

“Master Bruce,” he greeted, sounding relieved. “How goes the investigation?”

“There’s a body here,” I reported, “but I don’t recognize their face, and neither does John. I need you to search the database for any possible matches.”

“A body?” He repeated grimly. “Oh, dear. What do they look like?”

I scanned the victim. “Male. Caucasian. 185 centimeters. Short blond hair and a beard. Appears to be around his early thirties. Has a distinct series of tattoos on both arms and on the side of his neck. Scar just above the left brow bone.”

Alfred was quiet for a minute.

“...Find anything?” I checked.

The butler deemed successful.

“Sir, I’ve just looked up the address you sent me and cross-referenced that with any people who fit your description...and there’s only one match. His name was Joseph Hunt.”

I froze in shock, falling silent as I suddenly realized who this man was.

“Joseph Hunt?”

“That name mean something to you, Bruce?”

I examined the man, a series of memories rushing through my head as I observed his somewhat familiar features.

“I went to school with Joseph as a kid,” I concluded. “If I recall correctly, he was always quite the bully. Didn’t exactly have any friends. Clearly, not much has changed.”

“...Indeed,” Alfred confirmed in an uneasy tone, searching for more information about him. “According to the codex, Hunt had quite a troubled life. Despite going to the same school when you were children, it seems that the two of you took very different paths as adults.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Hunt lived a life of crime,” he explained. “It says here that he was involved in multiple robberies, drug deals, burglaries, and even an attempted murder. Of his own father, no less. He also worked with The Pact for a time. It...certainly raises the question of whether Hunt was the...true victim in this scenario.”

I caught on instantly. “You think someone killed him out of revenge?”

“It’s definitely a plausible explanation. You can’t commit that many felonies without making enemies, Bruce. Just look at Thomas. Behavior like that is always certain to be your undoing.”

I glanced at John for a moment who was still busy rummaging through the evidence around us, eagerly waiting for an update from me.

“True, but unfortunately that doesn’t really narrow it down,” I countered. “There were loads people working with The Pact, and who knows who he was mixed up with before then? I only know one of his victims personally, and they’re in prison right now. It had to be someone else.”

Alfred paused. “Wait, you know one of his victims?”

“Yeah,” I responded casually. “Oswald Cobblepot. He’s not a victim of Hunt’s crimes -- as far as I’m aware -- but he was one of the kids Joseph would bully back in school. And I’d always be the one to protect him...” my voice softened at the recollection, and I couldn’t deny that I felt a tad nostalgic thinking about my childhood. 

But I quickly snapped back to reality with a gentle cough, bringing my focus back to the crime scene. “Ahem. Like I said though, he’s in prison. So it couldn’t have been him.”

Alfred was unconvinced. “...The Batcomputer would disagree.”

My mind went into a state of alarm. “What are you talking about?”

“Official records would tell you that Cobblepot is still being held in Blackgate, when in reality, he was released just two days ago at the request of the Agency. For what reason however, I couldn’t tell you. Details are close to nonexistent.”

“Dammit,” I cursed. “Why would the Agency set someone like Oswald free? They know what he’s done -- what the Penguin’s done. Surely, they wouldn’t trust him...but then again, Waller does have a habit of using criminals in place of her own men. I mean, look at Harley and Selina. Hell, she even slapped a collar on Bane. I guess there’s really nothing stopping her from recruiting one extra pair of hands.”

Alfred agreed. “I’m afraid you could be correct, sir. Question is: why now? And why Oswald? Out of all people, what’s convinced Waller that she needs his help? Nothing good, that’s for sure.”

“We’ll figure that out later,” I said. “Right now, I need to deal with Joseph. We can’t just leave him here--”

“--The hell?!” A man’s voice interrupted. “Get away from me...!”

Whipping around at the sudden outburst, I let out a quiet gasp when I saw that -- contrary to what I was expecting -- Joseph was actually still alive, and attempting to swat John away with a very weak, bloodied arm. 

“Geez!” The clown exclaimed. “I was only trying to help!”

Joseph’s head whirled towards me, revealing a pair of fatigued, darkened eyes.

“...Batman?” He breathed out, recognizing my mask instantly. “When’d you get here...? What’s...what’s happening?”

I carefully approached the panicked man.

“It’s all right, Joseph,” I comforted in a low, but gentle tone. “You’re safe now. My partner and I just arrived a few minutes ago.”

That only seemed to confuse him more.

“You know who I am? How do you...ah, what the hell. I don’t even care anymore. What do you want from me? You here to arrest me?”

I knelt down next to him.

“Slow down, Joseph. We’ll get to that, but I need to ask you a few questions. First things first: do you remember what happened? Or when it happened? Do you know who the assailant was?”

Joseph appeared to relax slightly, and his shoulders slouched out of relief, but the rest of his temperament still felt incredibly restless.

“...I-It was...after I got home,” he recalled, his body limp with exhaustion. “Don’t know what the exact time was, but the sun was down already.”

“Where were you before that?” I asked. A faint look of shame spread across his face.

“The Stacked Deck. I go there quite a lot. Guess that’s why it was so easy for the attacker to figure out my schedule.”

I found that a bit strange. “Wait, you think they were studying you?”

Joseph shrugged. “It would make sense. I mean, when I opened the door, he was just...standing there. Right in the middle of my own, goddamn apartment. Like he was expecting me or something.”

“That does seem odd,” I agreed. “Any idea who he was?”

The shame in his expression grew even more prominent at that, and his head lowered out of guilt.

“I was gonna shoot him at first,” Joseph confessed, gesturing to his gun, “but when he told me who he was... When I finally saw his face... I just...couldn’t. A stupid fuckin’ move, I know, but I just didn’t have it in me.”

I urged him to go on. “Who was he? Do you have a name?”

His lifeless stare sharpened with concern, and his jaw tightened out of anxiety.

“...Oswald Cobblepot.”

Shit, I thought to myself. Alfred was right.

But...it still didn’t make any sense. Joseph wasn’t a saint, sure, but he never caused enough trouble for the Agency to notice him. At least, not while I was with them. 

So, why would they let Oswald go after him? What did Waller gain from killing some random criminal? Was Joseph really that much of a hindrance to them? I doubted it. This whole situation was a mystery...and I had the feeling Joseph knew more than he was letting on. But it was time I let the GCPD in. If the Penguin was back on the streets, they needed to be aware.

“I think I’ve heard enough,” I concluded, rising back to my feet. “John, keep an eye on him. I’m going to contact GCPD.”

“Wait!” He insisted. “...Do you really think handing him over to them is a good idea?”

I halted mid-action, my hand paused just beside my earpiece. 

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” John continued. “Waller has her boot on Gordon’s neck right now, and she’s certainly not interested in helping Batman at the moment. If we give Joseph to her, who knows what’ll happen? She could just finish the job behind closed doors, and then we’d never figure out the rest of the puzzle! Besides, this guy was with the Pact! And he clearly has history with that Cobblepot punk, too. He might know some things we don’t. Things that we can keep hidden from Waller...”

I mindlessly began to lower my hand.

“...That’s...actually a good point,” I admitted. “But what would you suggest we do with him instead, then? Like I said before, we can’t just leave him here.”

John scratched the back of his head in thought. “Why not bring him back to the cave?”

I stared at him in bewilderment. “You’d let him inside the heart of our operations?”

“You know me, Batsy,” the clown reminded, placing a palm over his chest. “I have a knack for reading people -- just like I read you back when we first met -- and something tells me we can trust him.”

I crossed my arms. “And if we can’t?”

John scoffed. “Pfft, you’re Batman, for Pete’s sake! What’s one common criminal to deal with if things go awry? We could handle him easily! Unless, of course, you’d rather risk Waller getting her hands on him...”

I sighed in defeat, glancing back at Joseph reluctantly.

“...I’ll consider accepting his help,” I announced, causing John to clap excitedly, “but we’re not taking him to the cave. Not for now. In the meantime, get him to the Batmobile. If we’re going to move him anywhere, we need to patch him up first.”

Pulling Joseph’s arm around his shoulder, John eagerly lugged our new “friend” to safety and gave me an approving thumbs-up, strolling away merrily. Meanwhile, the other man wearily stared at me in wonder -- almost as if he had been expecting a much worse outcome -- and simply allowed my partner to drag him off as he said a quick word.

“...Thank you, Batman.” Joseph croaked, his voice raspy and wounded. “A man like me doesn’t deserve your help, but you gave it anyway. I won’t...I won’t forget this.”

I nodded firmly at him. “You refrained from taking a life tonight, Joseph. I’m sure you’re a better man than you think.”

He brought his eyes to the floor in sorrow, a hint of regret coating his intense gaze.

“Yeah...I used to tell myself the same thing.”

[quill-dagger]

SheepDog Intro

I started the most self-indulgent novel in the universe for NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago, and I revisited it today on a whim. Turns out, the intro to this thing was tons of fun, so I thought I’d post it here, partially as a reminder that as much as I beat myself up about it, writing is fun, dammit. 

        “Hey, do we have any dish detergent left? You know, for the blood.”

        Kendra looked up from the Tiger Beat magazine she’d been flipping through to see if Jen was going to respond, but the other girl was furiously typing on her phone. Her nails were just long enough to slow down her usually rapid-fire thumbs, and it didn’t help that they’d been filed to points, turning them into shiny, dark gray claws. Her rose gold pentagram phone charm swung with every letter she punched in. After a moment or two, she lifted the phone and snapped a picture of herself, smiling and throwing up a peace sign. She went through a couple of filters before selecting the one she wanted and posting the picture online. Kendra waited patiently before the other girl closed her phone and dignified her question with an answer.

           “My mom went to Sam’s last week and got like, three giant things of Dawn. We can just go to her place and take some later.”

           Kendra frowned and looked at the spreading pool on the floor. “How much detergent are we gonna need? Will a couple bottle be enough?”

           Jen reached out with her foot and lightly nudged the source of the blood with her foot. He groaned in response, but this groan was a lot weaker than the last. He’d be done soon, and they could stop all this waiting and finally get the ritual started properly, not to mention finally putting their kitchen back in order. The dining table had to be shoved aside at an awkward angle to make space for the circle in the middle of the floor, since the single bedroom and the living room were both carpeted, and they didn’t want to risk the stains.  Still, waiting for a grown man to bleed out was a little boring. They could have slashed his carotid and made it quick, but the demon they were summoning demanded that things be low and slow, so they’d opened up his wrists. Across the street, of course. Down the road would have been too efficient. Kendra wished she had brought her own phone for the hundredth time that night. She flipped open the magazine again and stared at the face of a non-threatening teen boy with swoopy hair and dreamy eyes. Maybe they wouldn’t have had such a hard time taking this boy down. He looked a lot lighter the dying man on the floor. Kendra vaguely wondered whether he would have bled out faster.

           “We probably have enough. It doesn’t really take that much.” Jen flicked a lock of black hair out of her face and continued fiddling with her phone. “Did you remember to place all the wards?”

           Kendra nodded. The windows and doors of the house had the little cloth covered in bits of protective code tucked away in the corners. She’d spent hours going over all the nooks and crannies, making sure that none of the energy from the ritual would be detected. They didn’t need any interlopers picking up their trace. Magic was a covetous thing, dark magic especially so. She didn’t want to be locked up in a government lab like the Fair girls. The modern justice system wasn’t equipped to keep dark witches locked up, but anything was possible with enough morphine.

           “What did those dudes want this demon for, anyway?” Jen asked. She had put her phone down and was leaning against her headboard, fiddling with one of her rings. “We probably have another couple of minutes before she gets here, so we might as well shoot the shit. The bald one was pretty weird.”

           Kendra turned a page in the magazine and glanced over some celebrity gossip. Some blonde actress got dumped by another swoopy haired boy. Someone’s mom was sick. It might have been cancer, but the sentence-long blurb was frustratingly vague. Sneaker endorsements. On-screen kisses. Two blonde white people in a cream Mercedes, smiling and laughing, wearing watches and jewelry that cost more than Kendra would ever make in a single year.

           “Something about the owners of a rival business or something. Like, another game shop.”

           Jen whistled. “Business rivalry! That’s new. Mostly we get revenge or some romance-gone-wrong shit.”

           Kendra wiped her sweaty palms off on the black comforter. “Didn’t one guy want to just, wipe out the town? I remember him. Some really wound-up kid who wanted to wreck the whole tri-county area.”

           Jen poked their victim with her foot again. No groan this time. They were getting closer. “I remember him. That was a no-go. Can’t spend the money if we’re all dead, sweetie. That’s the golden rule.”

           “We don’t have a lot of those,” Kendra muttered into her magazine.

           Jen frowned at her. “A lot of what?”

           Kendra took another glance at the man on the floor. The groans had stopped, and he was lying still, all the blood that had been keeping him alive surrounding him on the floor. His wallet was lying on the nightstand, empty. Jen had been the one to strip the vics of their valuables ever since Kendra had found pictures of a family and gotten cold feet on a job with a big payout.

          “Rules.”

          Jen scoffed and started lighting all the necessary candles around the room. “Don’t sweat it too much. You’re always over-thinking shit. Look, this dude was boring. He lived a boring little life with a boring little office job and worked boring long hours so he could bring money home to his boring little wife. Getting murdered was probably the best thing that was ever gonna happen to him, baby. Live fast, die young. Not young enough in his case, I guess.”

          Kendra took a piece of chalk and completed the last bits of code that made up the summoning circle, careful to check for places where it had been smeared by blood.

          “Promise we won’t end up like that guy,” she said, glancing at the greying temples soaked in red.

          “What, dead?”

          “No, sad and old.”

          Jen laughed as she finished up the candles. “Hell no, babe. It’s the 27 Club or bust. I’m not letting them put me into the ground with fucking crow’s feet. We can start by buying some more coke when this payment lands, got it?”

          Kendra smiled and sealed the circle.

         “Deal. Now let’s get this thing started.”

          Jen pulled out a glittery pink binder and flipped through the pages muttering to herself.

          “Let’s see...Matthias the Warped....The Ballerina, Caroline Matthews, Pazuzu, Hanako….Ah, there she is! Lamia. Okay, let’s meet our little friend.”

           Jen stood on one side of the circle, holding the book and looking very solemn for the first time all night. Certain demons are fans of solemnity, and this one happened to be one of those uptight geezers who demanded candles and chanting instead of orgies and dancing. Not the best ritual for a Saturday night, but Lamia was the best one for the job. Kendra stood on the other side, placing her palms in the air on the edge of the circle, her eyes closed in concentration. After a reverent moment of silence, Jen’s voice broke into a low chant.

           Neither Jen nor Kendra knew what language it was in. They had looked up how to summon Lamia online, but none of their sources ever agreed on whether it was some weird ancient form of Latin or Greek. Either way, it had taken forever to learn the words, and Kendra still wasn’t any good at it, but Jen was nearly a master. The chant rose and fell in the gentle cadence, and Kendra found herself swaying, enraptured by the power of Jen’s voice and the flow of energy steadily rising from the floor. She opened her eyes just a crack and saw that the man’s body was sinking into the floor as if he were drowning in quicksand. Kendra wondered vaguely what even happens to the bodies of their vics after they disappear into the swirling pink void, the color of the universe somewhat anti-climatically named cosmic latte, but the power overtook her mind again, and she shut her eyes to feel it more strongly.

         Jen’s voice wavered, and Kendra peeked at her from across the circle. Her brows were knit a little more tightly than usual, and her gray claws dug into the glittering back of her binder. Something was up. Usually, the two of them was all that was needed to diffuse the power of the ritual, but things seemed to be getting dicey. They’d brought the Lamia into their world with no hiccups before (aside from the occasional attempted murder of someone who was not a target), but now Kendra was beginning to feel the strain. Her breathing became more labored and her hands began to tremble as they threatened to fall to her sides. Something was blocking the Lamia. Something huge. Something even more dangerous.

          Jen looked at Kendra from across the circle, fear in her eyes. Kendra shook her head at her and mouthed, ‘Stop the chant’. Jen’s eyes widened, but Kendra nodded firmly, leaving her no room for argument. It would be better to just get another sacrifice and try the ritual again some other time instead of dredging up whatever horror they were about to encounter. Murder was a bitch, but so was dying, and neither of them were 27 yet, anyway. Jen grimaced and shut her summoning binder, although not without some difficulty. The power dissipated, leaving them standing in the middle of the room with a half-open gate to some distant netherworld in the middle of their kitchen. The body had long been consumed, but all-in-all, it was still quite a mess.

         “What the fuck was that?” Jen snapped, throwing aside her binder and pointing at the remnants of their failed summoning.

          “How the hell should I know? There’s no way Lamia should have been intercepted. I didn’t think there would be enough time.”

          Jen grabbed her candle snuffer and went to work on the candles. “Well, whatever it is, I don’t want to find out. Lamia is our resident badass. If something can take her out, then whatever it is, it can stay on that side of the circle for all I care.” She shivered as the last candle went out.

         “Jesus,” she muttered. “I didn’t sign up for this shit.”

        “Uh, didn’t you though?”

         “Shut the fuck up, Kendra!” Jen yelled across the circle, “I signed up for coke and money, not for this…”

          “Jen,” Kendra interrupted. “I did not say that.”

          Jen paused, mouth open mid-tirade. Where the body of a man used to be, where the warm pink swirl of the portal between worlds pooled beneath their feet, was a face. A brown face with a wicked smile and killer eyebrows. It stared up at them, eyes going back and forth between the two.

          “Down here, girls.”

           Kendra shrieked and tried to scuff the edge of the circle to close the gate, but the chalk refused to come up no matter how hard she tried. Jen grabbed the knife they’d used to take down their vic and waved it threateningly, the dried blood on the edge making for a gruesome display.

          “You stay the fuck down there!” Jen shouted. “We don’t want any trouble from you, okay?”

          The face huffed. “Well, I didn’t want any trouble either, but here we are. Stuck together on a Saturday night. The Coathangers were playing at the Masquerade tonight and you’re making me miss it. I hope you’re happy with yourselves, ladies.”

          Slowly, the face rose out of the darkness, revealing that it was attached to a head with long, white locs. The being continued to rise, revealing a woman in a jean jacket crusted with a million buttons and patches. In one hand, she held a long bowie knife inscribed with line after line of code. In the other hand, she held the disembodied head of the Lamia, all tongues and rage even in death, her neck stump dripping with green iridescent blood. It was also apparent, once she’d fully exited the portal and stood swaying on the kitchen floor, that she was very, very drunk.

         “Oh God,” Kendra groaned. “It’s you.”

         “Hey now,” the interloper drawled. “Is that any way to talk to an officer of the law? I don’t think so.”

         “Why don’t you ever just mind your own fucking business, Sheepdog? We know what happened to the Fair girls. We aren’t about to go down like them.”

          “What happened to them was...yeah, that was pretty shitty,” Sheepdog said. “But then again, they shouldn’t have been cutting people up to summon demons for their freaky underground club thing. I looked around down there, and let me tell you, corn on the cob should not be used that way.”

          Jen lunged at Sheepdog with the knife, but Sheepdog’s knife was faster. Jen’s weapon sailed through the air and landed next to the sink. Jen crumpled to the ground and moaned, cradling her injured hand. Kendra backed away slowly, thinking furiously of anything she could use as a weapon. She grabbed a candle and waved it uselessly in front of her.

          “Stay back. Stay back, do you hear me?”

           Sheepdog walked towards her slowly, swinging the Lamia’s head in time with her steps. She didn’t seem to be in any great hurry.

            “Yeah, I hear ya. I’m just not listening, you know?” She stopped and tossed the Lamia’s head at Kendra, who caught it in her arms with no small amount of disgust. “Look, the boys will be here soon, with magic neutralizers and, if you give them any shit, guns. So have a seat and relax or something. No need to lose your head.”

            Sheepdog snorted and started giggling uncontrollably as Kendra watched her with a mixture of hate and horror. After she collected herself, Sheepdog twirled her knife and walked back to the still-open portal, whistling a little tune as she went.

            “Wait!” Kendra shouted.

            Sheepdog stopped and turned, swaying under the pull of both the portal and her own inebriation. “What?”

            “How did you know we were doing this? How did you know to stop us?”

            Sheepdog stepped into the portal and spoke as she began to sink into the abyss.

           “I have ways, girl. Ways that you would not even be able to begin to imagine. I have whispered to the shadows of dead men in the dark. I had spilled the blood of a suckling calf in the darkness of the new moon. I have wrung bile from goat stomach, traded the minutes and hours of my life with the blind sisters of the end times, and filled my belly with the cold waters of the rivers of deceit. I am connected with all the paths of magic, and all those paths led me to you, on this night, committing evil against man.”

          Kendra trembled, watching Sheepdog slip further and further into the portal disappearing beyond their reach.

         “Also,” she added, just as her mouth was about to slip below the surface. “Your friend there posted some shady shit on Instagram earlier today. That was also a factor.”

          In one more breath, Sheepdog was gone, and all that was left of the night was the ruined head of the Lamia, and the sound of approaching sirens in the distance.

[thewitchandthebeasthimself]

Chapter 17

Despite today already being so eventful, my day was not over yet. I still needed to sacrifice Izaya’s soul to Satan and dance in the underworld with his evil minions into the night. Just kidding, but I did have something on my agenda, that being to put up a barrier around my and Shizuo’s apartments.

I reached my house first, eyeing the package that sat in front of my door and the transparent barrier that I had put in place before leaving. I picked up the package addressed to me from a cosplay website, indicating to me that the cosplay outfit that I ordered had came in earlier than I expected. I smiled as I thought about my first cosplay event that was coming up shortly; anticipating the fact that I finally get to enjoy what I love doing most with a group of friends that I actually feel comfortable with. I then closed my eyes, imagined a releasing feeling, and took a deep breath in. On the exhale and with a swipe of my hand, I released the barrier and unlocked my door.

 I kicked my shoes off at the door and set my groceries and package down on the kitchen table, keeping in mind what I was planning to do tonight and looking forward to the fact that I will no longer have to put a barrier up everytime I leave my apartment.

I decided to set up my space for the spell ahead of time, moving my coffee table into the center of the room and setting all of my materials for the spell on top of it. I picked up my Book of Shadows and flipped it to the bookmarked page where I had wrote down everything I needed for the spell, checking over it twice to make sure I didn't miss anything.

I suddenly felt the tingle of Shizuo's energy coming towards me. It seemed off to me because he usually texts me before he shows up.

What's going on? I thought as I picked up on his energy coming closer. Buzz words popped in my head to associate the feeling to his energy: hurt, damaged.

Fuck, not again, I thought as I scrambled up and darted out the door. I quickly tiptoed down the steps and turned right into the direction I felt his energy coming from. I finally spotted him, panting and limping down the street into the rainy night, covered almost head to toe in sweat and blood. Whatever tried to kill him this time hit him much harder than the last; his energy was still spiked with anger as he came towards me, his energy also giving off that he was badly hurt and barely hanging onto life. I gasped at the horrific sight, covering my hands over my mouth with shock that he was still alive. His energy quickly faded from his body as he fell to the ground, moving in and out of consciousness. I ran up to him to pick him off the ground.

“What the hell happened?!” I shouted. “How did this happen, why didn't you call the hospital?!”

“Stop!” he yelled back, coughing as blood dripped from his mouth. “Please! You were the closest... to me. I need help… right now.”

“Okay, okay, let me get you into my apartment.” I hastily responded, embarrassed that I immediately bombarded him with questions in his condition. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and rested some of his weight onto me as we hiked up the street to my apartment. I ripped his shirt the rest of the way down, almost retching at what I saw. His entire chest was covered in bloody bullet holes.

“Oh my God, Shizuo… you are covered in bullet holes!” I exclaimed.

“I know… I'm pretty damn lucky to have survived that. I saw... Izaya… and chased after him.” he said between pants. “Then those... Blood fuckers showed up and unloaded... their guns into me.”

“I've gotta call Shinra in for help with this,” I said. “Because this may take more help than what I can give. Give me his number so I can call him.”

“My phone… was smashed.” he said.

“Oh, well I'll call Celty,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket with my right hand. I dialed her number, listening to the ring tone. She appeared to pick up on the other end but obviously didn't say anything.

“Celty!” I exclaimed. “We need you and Shirna here ASAP! Shizuo was badly injured by the Blood Diamonds again, and I can only do so much with magic!”

The call suddenly disconnected. I looked down at my phone, instantly receiving a text from Celty saying: [Do whatever you can to keep him alive, I need to pick up Shinra then we'll be over shortly.]

I texted her back: [Will do, thanks again.]

As soon as we reached the stairs, I lost my grip on Shizuo as he fell hard onto the ground, hitting his head on a stair.

“Shit!” I exclaimed as I bent down to try to pick him up.

“It’s okay, I’ll be alright,” he said laboredly. “Just... leave me here.”

“What?” I questioned. “I’m not gonna do that, I’m gonna start a healing spell on you to spare some time before Celty and Shinra get here.” I towered over him as I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath in to prepare for my healing spell. I visualized a life of us together without the constant invasion by Izaya and his goons; a life as stress free as it was before all of this happened.  On the exhale, I rose my hands and pressed my palms into his chest, pouring healing energy into him. He closed his eyes, placing his hand on top of mine.

“I’m...I’m done fighting.” he said slowly.  “I think… at this point it's my time... He's tried so many times… maybe it's time that i finally gave up… i don't want your life to be any harder… than it already is… and... I don't want you to be sad for me….Thank you, (your name),” he said, looking up and smiling at me. “For everything. For coming here and... being with me.”

As I looked up at him as his energy began to fade. My eyes widened as I immediately understood what was happening.

No, it can't be.

“No-- no,” I stammered, struggling to speak as my mouth caught up with my brain. “No, that's not going to happen, I won't let it.”

“It's okay,” he said between uneven breaths.

“NO!” I screamed, switching to my native language out of fear. “No, you're not doing this to me! You can't! I can’t---Please! You can't leave me!” tears ran down my face as i mustered all of my energy into this spell, pouring every inch of my own into him. “I can't do this without you Shizuo, please, stay with me…”

“(Your name),” he sighed, taking a huge breath in, and exhaling, saying “I….” Suddenly, everything went silent, as if the light inside him went out. A wave of darkness came over me as his energy faded from his body. Nothing i could do was working. I stopped my spell, attempting cpr by pumping his heart then checking to hear his breath. I opened his mouth with my own lips to breathe into his mouth, seeing if i could get him to come back. 

 “Oh no, no no no please” I cried out. “Shizuo! Why?! God dammit, why?! I asked you to hang on but you wouldn't! Why would you just give up?! On me?! On everyone that cares about you?! Fuck!” I cried, beating on his chest between every sentence “Why…? Dammit where are they?!” I exclaimed as i remembered that Celty and Shinra were supposed to be here. I dialed Celty’s number and called her.

“(Your name)?” Shirna answered.

“Where are you guys?” i said through tears in Japanese. “I think… i think Shizuo just... I couldn’t do anything.”

“Oh! Oh jeez,” Shirna exclaimed. “Hang on, we're almost there, we’re actually going to need to take him to a hospital.”

“Shinra… Celty… I couldn't do it.” I sobbed. “He… he just GAVE UP before i could do anything. I feel so powerless.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Shirna said frantically. “We're going to take him to Nebula, we should be able to revive him there before it's too late, we’re almost there.”

“Okay,” I said, hanging up the phone. I laid my head on his chest, listening for his heartbeat, until I heard the revving of Celty’s horse and felt Shinra’s energy approaching. I looked up to see them riding quickly down the street until they stopped practically beside us on the sidewalk. After Celty and Shinra jumped off of the bike, Shooter transformed in a shadowy, horse drawn carriage as Celty wrapped her shadows around Shizuo’s body to pick him up. She summoned her phone from her sleeve, typed quickly into it with one hand, then showed it to me:

[Go ahead and get in, I’ll set him down on your lap.] She then erased what she wrote and quickly typed: [I promise, everything is going to be fine, Nebula is a very advanced facility, they’ll be able to revive him.]

“I couldn’t do it…” I said. “And I am destined to be a fucking immortal being with all possible knowledge. So how could they do it?”

“Come on, we’re running out of time,” Shinra said as he gently pushed me forward to get into the carriage. I stepped up into the carriage, raising my hands slightly so that Celty could lay his body in the back with me, his head resting in my lap. I played with his hair and kept a hand on his chest for a heartbeat as we rode quickly to Nebula Corp, the hospital that could supposedly revive the dead.

Upon arriving, we stopped at a gate to a huge facility. The gate opened for us automatically, allowing us inside. Once we made it to the entrance of the area, Celty stepped off of the carriage as she wrapped her shadows around Shizuo to pick him up and bring him inside. Once we all stepped off of the carriage, it transformed back into a bike, giving off a short, other wordly snort as it moved up slightly on its own to park alongside the building.

I followed Celty and Shinra into the huge building, stepping inside the brightly lit lobby. The lobby of the facility did not look like a normal hospital lobby; all of the right interior was there but there wasn’t a waiting area, and all of the attendants wore lab coats. I followed them down the hallway past a receptionist’s desk, where the the woman sitting at the desk stood up and bowed to him.

“Good evening, Dr. Kishitani,” she greeted Shinra, then looked to Celty, who carried Shizuo’s body on her shoulder with her shadows wrapped around him for support. Shinra said nothing as we hurriedly stepped past her to an elevator. He swiped his badge in the card slot to the right, then typed in a code on the keypad next to it to access the elevator. We followed in with him as the elevator door closed shut behind us and Shinra pressed a button to go to the 3rd floor.

“I've have been working on something that can bring Shizuo back in case something like this happened,” Shinra began. “It's not exactly finished yet, but we've gotta make it work either way.”

Once we reached the 3rd floor, we came to a waiting room with the same layout as the lobby in the entrance on the ground floor.

“Wait here,” Shinra said as he looked at me. “After Celty brings him in I'll send her back out here to sit with you.”

“Okay,” I said, sulking over to a chair in the waiting room as Shinra and Celty carried Shizuo past two double doors on the right of the receptionist’s desk. I slumped back into the chair, leaning back further to put my hands to my eyes as i continued to process everything that just happened.

Shizuo just… I shuddered at the thought. And… and there was nothing that I could do about it… why couldn’t I? I slumped forward, crossing my arms on my legs and put my head down staying in the position that i was in as i spiraled downward into the grief that I felt.

 This is… all my fault. I could have prevented this. I could have saved him, but i didn't…what do i do from here? I can't go back home. How am I going to live without him if whatever Shirna has planned doesn't work? I've never met another man like him. I don't know if I will ever be able to recover from this… Shizuo… I'm sorry...

******************************

 I woke up, realizing that I must have fallen asleep when i felt someone place their a hand on my shoulder. I jumped up to the touch, surprised that I didn’t sense this person’s energy, until I looked over to see Celty had sat next to me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I attempted to let go of the anxiety that came from the touch.

“You scared me,” I said.

She typed into her phone and showed it to me, [Sorry, I have good news for you.]

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Are they really gonna save him?”

She typed into her phone again, then held it up, [They were able to bring him back, he’s breathing but he needs to rest. Shirna is running some more tests on him before leaving him here for the night.]

My eyes widened, shocked that they were actually able to bring him back. “Really?! I… I can’t believe it! That’s...that’s insane. I don’t understand but…” I struggled to find the right words to match my emotions. “I… uh...  when can I see him?”

[I don’t know yet, Shinra will probably tell you when you can.]

[Right now it's probably best to let him recover.]

“How did they bring him back so fast?” I asked as I thought of the question.

She seemed to show a bit of excitement in her body language as she typed, then showed it to me: [This is an advanced facility that does a lot of research on different types of things. Shinra’s department was developing something just for him in the case that he actually did get into some serious trouble.]

“So what is this magical ‘thing’ that outdid my magick?” I asked, crossing my arms.

[He called it “STEP 2”.]

[It’s a type of gas that they can put on him stimulate his senses and bring him back to the other side.]

“Oh… well… that sounds… nice,” I said, hanging my head. “I'm just..glad he's alive.” Of course I was genuinely happy that he was alive, but I still couldn't help but to feel that I was useless in saving him…

Celty tapped my left shoulder to grab my attention, then typed something into her phone and showed it to me: [Hey, try not to be so hard on yourself.] She erased that then typed: [I know how you're feeling right now.] She seemed to rub her neck as if she were looking for the right words to say. She erased what she just wrote, then typed: [Just be prepared for anything and protect Shizuo as much as you can while he is in recovery. Because Izaya could come for him again at anytime. Shinra doesn't think that the STEP 2 gas could work as effectively again.]

I nodded, then said, “Of course, I won't let anything happen to him this time. I will stay by his side until he is recovered.”

Celty responded: [Good. I'm gonna head home and wait for Shinra to come home, what are you gonna do?]

“I don't know, I guess I'll stay here until i can see him.”

Celty responded: [Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow.]

“Okay,” I replied. She nodded to me, then got up and walked over to the elevator to leave the hospital. Preparing for a long night in the waiting room, I crossed my arms, lowered my head and attempted to take a short nap as I waited to hear back from someone.

[glamoursarusrex]

BAT FAM SHORTS: THE FAMILY MEETING

Hey, y’all this is my first public screenplay. I had to fix formatting to fit this platform. So that’s why this is so long. This is heavily inspired by bat family art work I’ve seen. I’ll be posting more under #Bat Fam Shorts. I hope you enjoy!

INT. Batcave Conference area - day

BATMAN (38), wearing his uniform, is at the head of a long table holding a clip board. Seated around the table are his kids in full uniform. Starting with Batman's right is BLACK BAT (13). The rest of the right side are SPOILER (15), RED ROBIN (15), SUPERBOY C.K. (Conner Kent) (15), ORACLE (21), and RED HOOD (18).

On Batman's immediate left is NIGHTWING (22). The rest of the left side are RAVEN (17), SUPERBOY J.K. (Jon Kent) (10), ROBIN (12), an empty chair, and THE SIGNAL (16). ALFRED PENNYWORTH (74) stands behind Batman and to the side. Batman flips a page on his clip board.

BATMAN: Alright, before we start this meeting. I'm gonna take roll call. Nightwing?

Nightwing waves his hand. He has a big smile.

NIGHTWING: Present!

BATMAN: Oracle?

Oracle is ferociously typing away at her laptop. She doesn't look up.

ORACLE: Here.

BATMAN: Dammit, Barbara. No coding at the table.

ORACLE: I'm not coding.

Oracle turns her laptop to show the family.

ORACLE: I found dog memes.

Nightwing, Spoiler, and The Signal coo with delight and cheer. Damian nods and politely claps.

BATMAN: Settle down.

The table is still a flurry with chatter.

BATMAN: I said quiet!

At that, everyone silences.

BATMAN: No technology at the table. And that goes for you too, Red Robin.

Red Robin looks up from his machine he's building.

RED ROBIN: But, Bruce, technology is what I'm here for!

BATMAN: Yes, for patrols, not at the table. No technology or weapons at these meetings.

He glares at Red Hood and Robin who put their swords and guns away. Superboy C.K. leans over to Red Robin.

SUPERBOY C.K.: I guess Batman really does have no chill.

BATMAN: Conner, what the hell are you doing here? You're Superman's kid.

SUPERBOY C.K.: So's Jon.

He points to Superboy J.K.

BATMAN: I promised Lois, I would babysit him while she's at work. Nevertheless, this meeting pertains to my kids, only.

SUPERBOY C.K.: Then, what's Raven doing here?

He points at Raven who is reading a book.

BATMAN: She dresses in dark clothing and is named after a bird. She is practically one of my own.

RAVEN: My mind and soul are constantly at odds with the sinful temptation of my father's tainted siren's call.

BATMAN: Yeah, good for you, dear. Let me see... Black Bat?

Black Bat signs to him.

BATMAN: Louder.

She rolls her eyes and signs with bigger gestures.

BATMAN: Thank you!

He looks to Spoiler.

BATMAN: And you are?

SPOILER: Spoiler.

Batman looks to her confused.

SPOILER: You know? I was originally your Robin...Batgirl.

BATMAN: Oh. What was your name? Sarah?

Spoiler shakes her head.

BATMAN: No? Sally? ... No. Susan!... No. No. It's  Scarlet!

SPOILER: It's actually Steph-

BATMAN: Wait. I got this. It's Samantha.

Spoiler sighs in frustration.

SPOILER: Sure. Whatever.

Batman looks back to his list.

BATMAN: Signal?

THE SIGNAL: Here.

BATMAN: Robin?

ROBIN: Here, Father.

RED HOOD: You're gonna want to keep the meeting short, Bruce. Or it's gonna cut into his nap time.

ROBIN: Did you really need to stoop that low?

RED HOOD: Only to get to your eye level.

Some of the bat kids snicker at this. Robin fumes.

ROBIN: You're the burst appendix of this family, Todd!

Red Hood mockingly pats Robin on the head.

RED HOOD: Aw! Is that your first big word, little guy?

Robin fumes and pulls out his sword. He points it at Red Hood. Superboy J.K. holds him back.

ROBIN: How about I rearrange your organs, imbecile?

RED ROBIN: Guys, maybe now's not the-

RED HOOD and ROBIN: No one asked you, Drake!

Oracle turns her laptop with a youtube video towards the boys.

ORACLE: Why fight, when you can see these two puppies wrestle?

Nightwing excitedly points to Alfred. He jumps up and down in his seat.

NIGHTWING: And Alfred's making us cookies later, right?

ALFRED PENNYWORTH: I'm sorry, Master Dick. But I believe that the behavior of your brothers indicate that the bat kids do not deserve cookies.

Nightwing's lip quivers. Tears roll down his face. He flops his upper body onto the table and cries.

NIGHTWING: No cookies? What is life worth, anymore?

Without looking up from her book, Raven pats Nightwing on the head.

RAVEN: There there. Who's the big bird?

Nightwing sniffles then calms down a little.

NIGHTWING: I'm the big bird.

RAVEN: Yes, you are.

The Signal does a sharp intake.

THE SIGNAL: If you're the big bird, then Sesame Street's really gone downhill.

The other bat kids but Raven and Nightwing laugh at this. Batman bangs his fist on the table.

BATMAN: Can't we have a semblance of order at just one of these meetings?

The FLASH (35) superspeeds into the scene. He looks at Batman paniced.

FLASH: Batman, what's the emergency?

BATMAN: Flash, how good of you to finally show up. You're late for our meeting.

FLASH: What meeting?

NIGHTWING: The meeting with the bat kids.

Flash looks at the group confused.

FLASH: Whoa whoa! Bruce, I'm not one of your kids.

BATMAN: Don't be ridiculous.

FLASH: Dude, we're almost the same age.

Batman glares at Barry.

BATMAN: Bartholomew Henry Allen, do you want to be grounded?

Flash runs and sits in the seat between Robin and Signal.

FLASH: No, sir!

Batman looks wide eyed at his list. He looks around paniced.

BATMAN: We're missing Spoiler! Where is she?

Spoiler face palms and sighs in frustration. Batman hits a button on his utility belt. Red sirens pop out of the ceiling and scions ring.

BATMAN: We're missing a bat kid! Nobody panic.

He pulls out a bat shaped megaphone from behind his cape. He speaks through it.

BATMAN: I repeat, nobody panic! Oracle, track her communicator!

ORACLE: Uh, Batman-

BATMAN: Do you want your bat sibling to die?

Oracle looks to Spoiler confused.

ORACLE: I guess not...

BATMAN: Then, send the goddamn signal!

Signal gets up. Batman motions for him to sit down.

BATMAN: Not you, the other signal.

Oracle types on her laptop. A beeping comes from Spoiler. She pulls out a blinking communicator. Batman leaps onto the table and lifts her up to meet his eye level.

BATMAN: Start talking! Why do you have Spoiler's communicator, Sandra?

Spoiler struggles in his grip.

SPOILER: Because, I'm Spoiler.

BATMAN: No you're not. Stephanie is Spoiler.

SPOILER: My name is Stephanie!

Batman looks at her confused.

BATMAN: You're who?

SPOILER: Stephanie Brown.

Batman scrunches his brow.

SPOILER: I'm Spoiler! Geez, you would think the world's greatest detective would recognize his own children.

BATMAN: Hm.

Batman looks at the rest of the table.

BATMAN: Can anyone confirm?

SPOILER: Oh my God!

Evryone gives physical or verbal affirmations except Robin who gives an evil smile.

ROBIN: I've never seen that woman in my life!

Robin gets hit with a tranq and slumps on the table after after impact. Red Hood quickly puts his Tranquilizer gun and acts like nothing happened.

RED HOOD: Where did that come from? Who knows? Brucey, she's the real deal. Just smell the waffles on her breath.

The other bat kids snicker.

RED HOOD: Or checkout her unwashed and wrinkled cape.

SPOILER: Thank you, Ja-

RED HOOD: She also has her mismatched boots.

Spoiler looks down at her boots.

SPOILER: They're mismatched?

RED HOOD: Red Robin also gave her a hicky on the back of her-

SPOILER: Thank you, Jason! I think he gets it!

Red Robin clears his throat and ferociously tinkers with a computer card. He avoids eye contact. Batman puts Spoiler down.

BATMAN: I guess you are her. But why didn't you say something earlier?

Spoiler fumes. She curls her fist and moves towards Batman. Black Bat grips the back of her neck. Spoiler falls onto her snoring. Black Bat rocks her in her lap.

ALFRED PENNYWORTH: Master, I think it is quite necessary that you move on with the meeting.

THE SIGNAL: Yeah. Why are we here?

Batman hops from the table and looks back on his clipboard. He pauses.

BATMAN: Uh. I don't remember, anymore.

RED ROBIN: What do you mean, "you don't remember"?

BATMAN: I guess, I lost my train of thought. But, I think this gathering had merit. Everyone's here and we only have two unconscious heroes this time. I call it a success. You can return to your duties.

The bat kids groan. The Flash looks around confused.

FLASH: That's it? That's what your meetings are like?

NIGHTWING: Welcome to the Bat Family!

Fade to: Black

[terranatior]

Set during the start of the Zombie Apocalypse AU; Devon has his first run in with the infected a little too close to home.

No one really knew what had caused it. There were rumors. Bits and pieces of information out there about people getting sick and becoming aggressive. No one wanted to use the word zombie but it still got thrown around. The undead. The Walkers. Some people blamed the government..accusing them of creating a virus that had gotten out of hand. Others blamed the polluted environment; that nature was taking it’s place back. Plants could easily be accounted for it. Bugs. Air borne pollen. The fact of the matter was no one really knew. No one would probably ever know what had actually caused the infection. The world would die before it ever got close to an answer.

With his father being a cop, it was no surprise the man came into contact with the disease. Devon just hadn’t thought it’d be so soon.

The third phone call was the final straw; Devon gave a grumble and snatched it up in one hand, making the small journey towards his dad’s room as the shrill ringing died down as a finger played against the volume control. His other hand curled into a fist and the punk knocked a little harder than he should have to rouse his father from sleep.

“Dad! Station keeps calling. Are you gonna get up or should I tell them you want a personal day?” The question was pretty pointless. The man wouldn’t take one. Never had. He was practically married to his job; guess he kind of had to be now. People were depending on the force for answers where no one else would offer them. Most of it was bullshit.

“Dad? For fuck’s sake..I’m coming in!” Painted nails wrapped around the doorknob and Devon pushed open the door, squinting into the darkness of the room.

“Dad?”

Slowly, hand dropped from the doorway and he flicked the light switch, illuminating the room in the warmth of the ceiling’s light, finding a particularly human shaped lump on the bed. Now..it wasn’t like his dad to sleep so deeply. In fact, he was a rather light sleeper. Always catching his son trying to sneak out and go smash something outside in the early hours of the morning. A hesitant step was taken forward and Devon gave the upper section of the body a small shake. “Hey. Fucking wake up Dad c’mon. The station keeps calling.”

“......”

“DAD! Are you fucking deaf? I said. The. Station. Keeps. Calling.” Each word was punctuated by a shake and agitation grew when he got no answer. Nothing. Not even a mumble to give him a second.

“.......” Worry began to worm it’s way into his stomach in exchange for that frustration and fingers curled around the fabric of the bedspread; he tugged it away with the flourish of a magician trying to keep dishes on a table for his magic trick.

“...Dad?”

The man was pale, sheen of sweat staining his brow and fatigue obvious on a pained face. Chest heaved in shallow breathes and Devon dropped the blanket to the floor and immediately moved forward.

“Fuck Dad. What’s wrong? What’s--” As he stared, realization hit him. He looked like the people in the hospitals; the people who news crews barely got glimpses of. Cautioning against contact. Warning what to watch for. The infection was merciless. Those who showed such symptoms were past the point of help.

Panic gripped his chest and Devon shot backwards, hands coming upwards to wring at the back of his neck. His dad couldn’t get sick. Sure the guy could be a prick at times but. He was his dad! He was all Devon had!

“Shit..I. You’re. You’re alright right? I’ll just get you some dayquil and..you’ll be fine.” Legs pivoted and the punk rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Back met the wall opposite his father’s door and he slid down, blue eyes darting around as he tried to figure out what to do. He could..he could call the other cops but then they’d come in and take him away.

No that wouldn’t be good. Up he went, bounding off to the bathroom. Raiding the medicine cabinet, he’d managed to make a cocktail of various cough syrup and grabbed a cold sprite from the fridge, as if that would fix his father. Because the man totally wasn’t becoming a zombie.

No he wasn’t.

No.

He pushed open the door once more, supplies gathered up in his arms only to be promptly dropped by the sight that greeted him. In the short time he’d been gone, hell had broken loose within the bedroom.

The place was a wreck; dark blood staining the white of sheets and bedside table turned over, the lamp that had been atop shattered. A deep guttural groan came from the other side of the bed and Devon, wide eyed and careless, stepped over the growing puddle of cough syrup to make his way over.

“D-Dad? You. You sound like shit.” It was an attempt at humor, a desperate one, the younger hoping his dad would laugh and tell him off for his language. Instead he received a snarl before the man was hacking something up. Whatever it was was wet, the unfamiliar splosh of liquid hitting wooden floor coming from the short distance. Devon stood at the corner of the bed, peeking down at his father’s hunched figure and he watched, in growing horror, as the man raised his head, black bile dripping from lips.

His eyes looked wrong. Infected. Blues mutated into blended hues of greens and reds. Like a twisted art piece.

Dumbass must have been in contact with someone on the job. Bitten. Wouldn’t have told anyone..that was the type of man he was. Wouldn’t wanna be a bother.

“................”

A hand reached for him and Devon jolted back, realizing standing there meditating over the situation was going to get him into trouble. Zombies. The infection. Whatever it was. His dad wouldn’t want to be alive for that. Maybe he’d gotten himself bitten on purpose. So he could escape what was bound to come after.

Knew that going home was his last night. Maybe that’s why he’d cooked dinner for once.

God dammit.

“You’re going to make me do this you prick? Gonna make your own son put a bullet between your eyes?”

A growl answered him and Devon barked out a dry laugh, stepping back once more, retreating to the door and slamming it shut. His father kept many weapons around the house; and Devon had some experience behind a gun. Old man used to take him down to the range and let him shoot the targets. Coached him on proper handling and grip.

He hoped he remembered enough now.

The code for the gun safe was his birthday. Month. Day. Year. He punched each number in with shaking fingers, trying not to focus on the fact that he was getting a weapon to murder his father. To murder the man who had raised him; who had tucked him into bed and assured him through nightmares as a child before his mother had left them both.

Ammo was grabbed and he loaded the gun just as he’d been taught, clicking the clip into place and cocking the handgun backwards. Safety on. Safety...on.

The door in the hall received a loud bang and he nearly dropped the gun, arms coming to his chest as he held it tight. Fuck. FUCK!

Part of him wondered if he could just leave; just leave the house and let his undead old man have free reign to the place. But who knew what could happen then. What if someone else came to raid the place and got killed? What if his dad got out and murdered someone? That was the last thing the other would want.  

No. Devon had to be a man.

He had to..to do this.

The door didn’t last very long against the unbridled strength of the undead and Devon raised the gun as the figure lurched forward, out of the hall and into the living room. A slight tremor shook his hold and he swore under his breath at it. No. He can’t miss. He’s not sure he’ll have another shot at this. Devon sucked in a deep breathe and forced his stance to tighten up. Forced himself to click the safety off and let his finger hover over the trigger. Another snarl sounded as his father rushed forward and Devon squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled back on the trigger.

The gunshot was LOUD in the house; it left his ears ringing a moment, deafening the sound of the brains splattering across everything. Blue eyes opened to the gore that greeted him. His father’s expression was twisted in an ugly snarl and arms reached out for him. Then his body fell, hard, against the wooden floor and Devon watched as a puddle of blood formed from the gunshot wound.

It took a few minutes for the reality of the situation to fall on him. When it did, he dropped the gun and shaking hands came upwards to tug desperately at his dyed hair. The body on the floor is his father. That’s his fucking dad. His dad. Never mind the fact that he tried to attack him. That he’d have killed him. Thick tears start to fall and Devon looks up at the ceiling, knees buckling beneath him. He lays there a long time. The day shifts into the night in the background before he’s even gotten the strength to push himself back up. There’s a smell in the house. Decay. Death. He knows it vaguely, having smelled it once or twice on his dad’s clothes when the man came home late at night.  

No one had come over at the sound of the weapon being fired. No sirens had sounded and perhaps, that was a sign that the times were already changing. Months later, the neighborhood would ring out with them.

Hands came upwards to wipe pointlessly at his face and Devon finally climbed to his feet. Some morbid curiosity beckoned him over to the body and he stared blankly down at the scene. His father’s corpse seemed out of place; of course it did. People didn’t just have dead people laying across their living rooms.

The blood stains had already started to warp the wood beneath them and Devon wiped at his face once more, a slow head shake leaving him. He couldn’t stay here; staring at his dead dad. No. The movies always urged survivors to leave. To seek out company and stick together.

He could try.

He’d never been much of a people person.

The next day Devon had his plan in mind. Showered and packed, he’d filled a military backpack up with supplies. Some food. Water. Change of clothes and basic toiletries. A handgun and ammo alongside a GPS. Who even fucking knew if it would still work; if anyone was still maintaining the satellites but..he had hope.

Barely.

But it was there.

He’d dragged his father back into his room, trying to make it seem like he was simply sleeping once more, comforter thrown over a still body when Devon had hoisted it back up onto the bed.

With one final glance towards his father, the male shook his head and closed the door gently.

“Later Dad. Sleep tight.” 

[captain-zajjy]

Solstice, Chapter 10 - A Final Fantasy XV Story

Pairing: Ignis x Female Original Character

AO3 | Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A/N: Nurse Gladio and Nosy Prompto to the rescue! Sort of. Also, I haven't forgotten about Val's ordeal in Chapter 8 - you'll find out what's been happening with her in the upcoming chapter. For now, she's keeping it from Ignis since he's already got enough to worry about.

Ignis was drowning. Cold, salty water filled his nose and mouth, burned his eyes. He choked and gagged as his lungs seared, begging for air. It was dark - impossibly black, even for deep water. It was like the Hydraean had swallowed him whole.

Please, he thought. Please don’t take me. Not yet. Ignis had always thought that when his time came, he’d go quietly. Dignified. But if he’d had the breath to do so, he would have been screaming. I don’t want to die. Noctis still needed him. The others still needed him. And Valeria...he’d promised her that he’d come back, that he’d save her from the Empire. I can’t die. Not here. Not yet.

Ignis.

A familiar voice he couldn’t place, calling from far away.

Oh, please. Ignis tried to swim toward the voice, but his arms and legs were pinned, held in place by some force unseen in the darkness.

Ignis, calm down.

I’m dying, you fool! This time, when Ignis opened his mouth, no water rushed in. Air. Sweet, delicious air. He sucked it down in big gulps, chest heaving.

“Ignis! Ignis, can you hear me?”

“G-Gladio?” Ignis’s throat felt raw, his voice cracked and broken. He still couldn’t move, couldn’t see, but he could breathe.

“Yeah, it’s me. Calm down. You’re safe, Iggy.”

“I...what...” Ignis swallowed. His head was spinning and throbbing, a hundred times worse than any migraine. And that was nothing compared to his eyes, which felt as if someone had shoved shards of glass and gasoline beneath his eyelids, then lit a match.

“I’m gonna let you go now,” Gladiolus said. “But you gotta lie still.”

The force pinning Ignis down vanished, and he realized he was lying flat on his back on something soft. A bed? Though his limbs still felt sore and heavy, he tried to sit up, Gladio’s hands immediately on his shoulders.

“Dammit, Iggy. What’d I just say?” Gladiolus growled. “You gotta-”

The sudden wave of nausea must have shown on Ignis’s face, because there was immediately some sort of receptacle below his chin. He lurched forward and retched up bile and sea water.

“C’mon Iggy.” Gladiolus took the bin away and wiped his mouth. “You gotta rest.”

“W-water,” Ignis rasped. Gladiolus helped him drink, then Ignis settled back down on the pillow. “I...I can’t see.”

“You got a bunch of bandages on your face,” Gladiolus replied. “Let me get the doc.”

“Wait. Noctis...where’s Noctis?”

“Asleep.” Gladiolus made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. “Well...unconscious. Docs say he’s fine physically, that it’s ‘magical’ - like it’s got something to do with the power of the Hydraean.”

“I should-”

“No.” Gladiolus was on him before Ignis could attempt to sit up once more. “You should rest. Prompto’s sittin’ with Noct now.”

“You two are...?”

“We’re fine, Iggy. You just about scared the shit outta me, though.”

“Oh, I...I’m sorry.”

“No, Iggy. I’m sorry.” Ignis’s mind was working sluggishly at best, but Gladio’s voice suddenly seemed to grow thick, almost angry, and he couldn’t fathom why.

“W-what?”

“By the time I found you, you were already hurt. Hangin’ on to some piece of debris to keep your head above water. If I’d gotten there sooner...”

The last thing Ignis could remember was an explosion. “There was...there was a child?”

“Dunno, Iggy. You were the only person I saw. Lemme go get the doc, okay?”

A door shut somewhere off to Ignis’s right. A part of him knew that the doctor Gladiolus had gone to fetch wasn’t going to bring good news, but he was in too much immediate discomfort to care. Instead he focused on the Prince - it had always been easier for him to worry about Noctis than himself. Hold on, Noct, he thought. I’ll be back by your side soon.

Ignis spent most of the day sleeping; the medicine the doctors gave him for the pain made him drowsy, plunging his mind into a fog - a welcome relief from fretting about the Prince and his own condition.

Which was precisely what he was doing when there was a knock at the door to his room.

“Come in,” Ignis called. He eased himself up into a seated position, biting back nausea and the throbbing pain in his head. The bed seemed to lurch and spin underneath him, like he was intoxicated - one of many reasons he’d only been truly drunk just the once.

“I’m back.” Ignis tried to concentrate on Prompto’s voice, to center himself on the sound.

“How’s Noctis?” he asked.

“Still out,” Prompto replied. There was the sound of a something sliding across the floor. A chair? “But his fever’s come down.”

Ignis sighed, tentatively fingering the bandages over his eyes. At least the Prince’s condition was giving him time to recover. The medics said the coverings could come off in a few days, but it would take weeks for the wounds to his face to completely heal. And even then, his eyes... Ignis pushed that thought away. One thing at a time.

“Sorry it took so long,” Prompto went on. “It’s a mess out there. But the Regalia’s still in one piece!”

Ignis had sent Prompto to, first of all, find their car, and secondly to retrieve everyone’s things, since it was clear that between himself and Noctis, they were going to be in Altissia for a while.

He didn’t bother asking Gladiolus to do anything - although barely injured during the Empire’s attack, the man seemed worse off than Ignis in some ways, operating under the ridiculous notion that he could have and should have saved everyone - Ignis, Noctis, even Lady Lunafreya; every conversation they’d had since Ignis woke ended with an argument, so Ignis decided it best to leave him to his mood.

There was the sound of a zipper being undone and then Prompto announced, “One can of Ebony, coming up. Want it hot?”

“No. It’s just fine as is.” Ignis felt a cool can of the blessed brew pressed into his hand, and he immediately popped the tab and took a sip. Splendid. After choking down nothing but water and bitter medicine for the past twenty-four hours, it tasted somehow even better than usual.

“And here’s your phone charger. Want me to plug it in?” Prompto asked.

“Please.” Ignis wasn’t sure if his phone had been damaged in the attack - it had been in his pocket, after all, when he’d taken that Imperial mortar to the face - or if the battery had simply died. There was only one way to find out. “Will it turn on?”

“Let’s see...hey, it works!” Along with the Ebony and news of the Regalia, it was another small victory in a sea of stunning defeats.

“Whoa, you’ve got a ton of messages...uh, not trying to be nosy or anything, they just popped up when I turned it on.”

Ignis didn’t particularly want to give Prompto his password, but he could hardly work the touchscreen without sight. And, injured or not, it was still Ignis’s job to stay informed. So, he had Prompto punch in the code and read through his notifications, making a mental note to change it as soon as he was able.

“A lot of stuff from someone named Valeria So-leal.”

“Soleil,” Ignis corrected. Val. Of course, Noctis’s bout with Leviathan - and the Empire’s corresponding attack - would have been all over the news by now. And of course Valeria would have known Ignis wouldn’t have been far from the Prince’s side.

“It says: ‘Iggy, are you alright? Text me when you can.’” The messages increased in alarm from there. “Wow, Ignis. Wait...do you have a girlfriend ?” There was awe in Prompto’s voice. “And you didn’t tell me all about her?"

“Prompto,” Ignis hissed.

“Noct and I have this theory that you don’t actually ever sleep, so-”

“Prompto.” Ignis began to shake his head but was stopped by a lancing pain behind his left eye. “Now is really not the time.”

“I know, I know,” Prompto said. “Sorry. You wanna call her back?”

Ignis wasn’t ready to talk to Valeria. She would want to know what had happened, what had happened to him, and saying it aloud meant he had to face it.

“Send her a message. Say, ‘We’re safe. Still in Altissia. I’ll call you later.’”

“Okay, and...sent!” The phone almost immediately buzzed in response. “That was fast! It says, uh, ‘Who is this?'"

Ignis sighed. “You didn’t use any punctuation, did you?” He probably didn’t spell Altissia correctly, either.

“No. Why would I?” The utterly earnest way Prompto responded made Ignis sigh again. Bloody hell, he thought. So much for putting Val’s mind at ease. And buying him a few more hours for a miraculous recovery.

“Well,” Ignis said. “Best to tell her the truth.”

“‘It’s Prompto.’” Prompto narrated aloud as he typed. “‘Iggy’s here too.’”

Ignis nodded for him to send it, internally cringing at the thought of how Prompto was butchering the written word.

He settled back on the pillows stacked against the headboard, sipping his Ebony, his hand drifting to the skull charm nestled between his collar bones. At least that was still there, attached to the chain around his neck. He never would have forgiven himself if he’d lost it; it was only a thing, a small piece of jewelry - but also a part of her that he’d carried with him on this long, hard road. He couldn’t bear to lose that, not now.

“Um...” Whatever it was that Prompto sat on squeaked and creaked, undoubtedly due to his constant fidgeting. “You feeling any better?”

“From the hour when we last spoke?” Ignis asked, trying not to frown since it caused him so much pain.

“Well, it was more like three hours ago, but, yeah. Dumb question. Sorry.”

Ignis sighed. “No, I...you needn’t apologize. I appreciate the concern for my well-being. And this.” He tipped the can of coffee in Prompto’s direction.

“Well, duh.” Prompto sounded...embarrassed? Uncomfortable? Ignis was quickly realizing just how difficult it was to judge someone’s mood based solely on the sound of their voice.

“So, uh... Are you sure you don’t want to tell me about your girlfriend?”

“Pesky little bugger, aren’t you?” Ignis grumbled.

“Oh, my bad.” Prompto snickered. “I mean ‘girl-space-friend.’”

“I’m honestly shocked you were aware such a phenomenon existed,” Ignis said.

“Hey! Iris is totally a ‘girl-space-friend.’” Prompto then added, under his breath, “She is pretty cute though...”

Ignis almost felt the ghost of a smile grace his lips. “I would strongly caution you not to say that in front of Gladio.”

“Dude, I know,” Prompto replied. “But like, your ‘friend’...”

My duty comes first, Ignis almost caught himself saying. But Prompto wasn’t questioning his priorities. “What about her?”

“I dunno,” Prompto said, most likely shrugging. “...Is she hot?”

“Prompto.” This time Ignis did frown, in spite of way it caused the wounds on his forehead and cheek to scream.

Prompto’s sheepish laugh was interrupted by the ringing of Ignis’s phone. “Hey, speak of the devil,” he said. “It’s her.”

“Blast it,” Ignis muttered.

“You don’t want to answer?”

“Seems I have little choice.” Ignis held out his hand. “Some privacy, if you please.”

“Right, right.” Prompto handed the phone over and shuffled out the door.

“Hello? Is this Prompto?” Valeria sounded panicked. “I want to talk to Ignis. Right now.”

“Val.”

He heard her let out a long sigh of relief. “Iggy! Thank the Six. Are you alright? Why did that kid have your phone? I thought you might be in a coma or something.”

“I’m very much awake, I assure you.” Beyond that, he wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to worry her, but he couldn’t lie to her either.

“I heard half of Altissia was underwater. Both the Hydraean and the Empire attacked. I don’t...it’s like the world’s gone mad, Iggy.”

“Well, they attacked one another. Which went about as well as you can imagine in a crowded city.”

“Is everyone okay?”

“Gladio and Prompto are fine. Noctis remains unconscious with fever, but the medics assure us he’ll pull through. Lady Lunafreya...” Ignis sighed. He was dreading giving Noctis the news. “Lady Lunafreya is gone.”

“The Oracle’s dead?” Valeria’s voice sounded very small on the other end of the line.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Why...Gods. Why are they doing this?”

A dozen political and economic reasons came to mind, but after wading through water stained red with blood, Ignis could only shrug. “I don’t know.”

They sat in silence for several moments until she caught him. “What about you?”

“What?”

“You mentioned all the others. What about you? Are you hurt, Iggy?”

“I...” What could he say? That it wasn’t serious? That it wasn’t permanent? Even in the absolute best case, neither of those things were true. “It’s not life-threatening.” He knew that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her, but part of him needed her to coax it out of him, to ease him into this new reality.

“Ignis.” Valeria’s voice was quiet, concerned. “Tell me what happened. Please.”

Ignis took a long draught of his Ebony, trying to steel his nerves. He wasn’t keen on reliving what had happened down at the pier, but knew the sooner he did, the sooner he could start to move past it. And Noctis was going to need him when he woke up.

“We were evacuating the citizens on the lower levels of the city. The Empire - well, as I said, their attempts to shoot down the Hydraean caused much collateral damage. I remember the flash as the mortar exploded, the Imperial craft in the distance...then everything went dark. When I next awoke, I was here, at the First Secretary’s estate.”

“Oh, Iggy...” He was glad she couldn’t see him like this - weak, blind, bandaged up - but part of him wished she were here, by his side, holding his hand and assuring him it was all going to work out in the end. He had to be a certain way for the others - they needed him to be a step ahead, to be in control, to have a plan. With Valeria, he could just be what he was - terrified and in pain.

“Did you...did you hurt your hands?” she asked. “Is that why Prompto was on your phone?”

“No.” If only he’d had enough time to react, to bring them up to protect his eyes. But both his arms had been full, carrying that injured woman and her son. “It, ah... It went off near my face.”

“Oh my Gods, Ignis...”

Ignis tried to keep his voice level, clinical. “Barely a concussion, which was quite lucky under the circumstances. And I’m told the sight in my right eye should return after the swelling goes down.” That wasn’t entirely accurate; the medics had told him his vision might return in some capacity. But he had to be optimistic until he had a reason to be otherwise.

“And...your left eye?” Valeria asked. Her voice was shaking.

It throbbed in response. “They managed to save it, although it won’t do me much good.” He heard a noise that sounded like a sob on the other end of the line. “Val? Val, please don’t cry. Not for me. I’ll be alright.” His days of throwing knives might be over, but if he got his vision back on his right side, he would be fine. Mostly.

“But it’s not alright. You’re hurt.”

“And it could have been much worse.” He recalled the sensation of drowning with a shudder. If Gladio hadn’t found him when he did, it was likely the Hydraean’s waves would have swept him out to sea for good.

“You don’t have to do this, Iggy,” she said. “You don’t have to be strong for my sake. It’s okay to be sad, or scared, or...whatever it is you’re feeling. You can tell me.”

Ignis took a deep breath to center himself. “Thank you, Val.” He was scared. He was absolutely terrified. “Could you just...just tell me about your day?” Take me somewhere else for a while.

“Of course, Iggy. Of course.”

[xhanac]

Kay so @oswald–copperpot tagged me in this (thank u for tagging me btw) so I’m gonna answer some questions.

The rules are basically that you have to answer these 83 statements and tag 20 ppl but fuck it, I have literally no friends on here so I’m just gonna tag @locoalma10, yay

the last…

1. drink: ehh..water, ikr I’m boring

2. phone call: probably my mom, don’t rlly remember tho :/

3. text message: a friend, sth about her ex

4. song you listened to: Fourth of July by Fall out Boy, for some reason it reminds me of Twist&Shout and I wanna cry ;_;

5. time you cried: like a week ago cus I had a pretty bad fight with my mom…ya

6. dated someone twice: nah

7. kissed someone and regretted it: nah

8. been cheated on: I mean I hope never..

9. lost someone special: idk man

10. been depressed: lel that’s kinda a constant thing..kidding kidding..kinda..idk man

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: a year ago approximately, t’was pretty bad dammit never doing that again

favorite colors…

12. vantablack (I know it’s not an actual color, still putting it down cus it looks like the void and I love it, damn you Anish Kapoor)

13. red

14. rainbow cus I’m gay

in the last year have you…

15. made a new friend: yiss

16. fallen out of love: nah

17. laughed until you cried: yah probably

18. found out someone was talking about you: ya

19. met someone who changed you: ye

20. found out who your friends are: ehh..probably..idk, don’t really get the question :/

21. kissed someone on your facebook list: if that means we’re friends on fb then yeah

general…

22. how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: most of them..like I’ve met most of them but they’re mostly random ppl from my old school and stuff so I don’t really know them

23. do you have any pets: ye, I have a dawg named Shanti and I had a westie called Whisky but he died a couple of years ago :/

24. do you want to change your name: ye

25. what did you do for your last birthday: went out for drinks with a couple of friends and stuff.. also had a bunch of sushi which was nice

26. what time do you wake up: ehh…6.30am when I’ve got school, 4pm now that it’s summertime.. don’t look at me, I’m a terrible person, idc tho, sleep is a blessing 

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: asleep, I was on a trip that completely exhausted me so I went to sleep super early

28. name something you can’t wait for: to enter university so I can stop stressing out about it

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: couple of hours ago

30. what are you listening to right now: myself typing..my laptop ventilator…ehh…a crushing silence that surrounds me, making me aware of the weighing possibility that I might as well be floating in nothingness, on my own cus quite possibly nothing is real, the world as I know it might as well just be a computer simulation, everybody I ever met might be no more but a mere coded image and my own feeling of self might be no more but a code sbdy wrote to make me feel like I’m real, even though nothing really is….idfk man it’s 3am and I’m bored, I’m supposed to wake up early tomorrow to go to work smh, ded

31. have you ever talked to a person named tom: I mean probably

32. something that is getting on your nerves: college applications

33. most visited website: tumblr.com cus I’m gay and have a flare for social justice..kidding..I mean that too I guess but I just like to look/read about mah gay ships and tumblr seems to be the right place for that

34. hair color: brown

35. long or short hair: it was kinda long but I’m probably getting a haircut soon so it’s gonna be short then

36. do you have a crush on someone: ya

37. what do you like about yourself: ehh..idk, I’m fluent in three languages (kay, semi-fluent in the third one, still proud of it tho), also I can draw pretty decently I guess

38. piercings: two on my left ear, I’d really like to get a lip piercing tho

39. blood type: uhh.. idk 

40. nickname: luc, das it

41. relationship status: relationships are confusing don’t talk to me

42. zodiac: capricorn

43. pronouns: she/her I guess

44. favorite tv show: Gotham atm cus nygmobblepot, OITNB, Sherlock, Supernatural, Avatar (both the last airbender and legend of Korra, both are rlly good honestly), Skam, also currently watching Black Mirror (San Junipero tho literally murder me that shit is magnificent)…also, does anime count as tv shows? I’m deciding it does cus I wanna talk about anime. Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, Black Butler, Noragami, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Ao no Exorcist, Soul Eater, Owari no Seraph, Durarara, Hataraku Maou-sama,, Gangsta., No.6…

45. tattoos: don’t have any but they’re dope and I want them

46. right or left handed: left-handed.. but I’ve been kinda trying to write/draw with my right cus I’m bored and I like the word ambidextrous so I’m trying to achieve that

47. surgery: nah

48. sport: I used to play tennis a lot when I was younger but I haven’t done that in years, seems like an entire lifetime ago

49. vacation: I wanna go to Japan

50. pair of trainers: does this mean do I have them? yeah I have a pair of trainers

more general…

51. eating: sushi slays my existence

52. drinking: water, cedevita, idk

53. I’m about to: make myself go to sleep cus I have to wake up early and it’s 3.38am already wtf Imma die tomorrow

54. waiting for: idk man…the feeling of contentment, I dunno

55. want: Donald Trump to bite the dust, equal rights, heteronormativity to perish, queerbaiting to return to the pits of hell it crawled out of….I’d also like to learn how to skateboard cus I’m shit at it but I like it

56. get married: like…in the future..maybe..I dunno man that’s a question for the future and the future ain’t here yet

57. career: dunno, something within the STEM territory, don’t know what, I’m vv confused

58. hugs or kisses: can I just say both? Ya, both are good

59. lips or eyes: goddammit both again

60. shorter or taller: idc

61. older or younger: idc

62. nice arms or nice stomach: what does this question even mean.. I mean nice is a subjective term so idk

63. hook up or relationship: relationship

64. troublemaker or hesitant: I dunno.. neither

65. kissed a stranger: nah but I was randomly kissed by some girl once whom I only spoke to for like 5 minutes prior..it was weird and it annoyed me cus I don’t even know her and she didn’t even ask smh -.-

66. drank hard liquor: ya

67. lost glasses/contact lenses: too many times…too many times 

68. turned someone down: some guys way back in middleschool I guess

69(lol). sex on the first date: nah

70. broken someone’s heart: hope not, don’t think so

71. had your heart broken: nah

72. been arrested: nah

73. cried when someone died: ya

74. fallen for a friend: I dunno man

do you believe in…

75. yourself: lol.

76. miracles: bruh I’m the Gamzee Makara of miraces ..kay kidding I mean idk

77. love at first sight: if it’s at first sight it means y’all don’t even know each other…can’t love sbdy you don’t know that’s weird

78. santa claus: pedophile, what I mean yeah nope

79. kiss on the first date: I mean why not

80. angels: the first person I thought about was Castiel so yeah, hope so

other…

81. current best friend’s name: Ludwig II of Bavaria

82. eye color: brown

83. favorite movie: probably all three of the LOTR movies..

Kay well that was fun, also it’s 5am cus I’m slow af goddammit

@oswald–copperpot thank you again for tagging me, this was dope :)

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #155

“Alexis the Sleeper, Talk of Coronations”

-Before long the castle comes into view. Steve is outside in the garden picking cocoa pods.

[Herabrine] Sneaks up on him and hits him with a little ball of water.

[Steve] YOW! That's cold! Herabrine!

[Herabrine] snickers. -Where's Doc?

[Steve] Creep - Is patting himself off with a wool square- Look up.

-The big yellow dragon is laying like a limp ribbon, draped over the corner of the castle roof with hir tail hanging down.

[Herabrine] Lazy ass.

[Steve] Hey, xe was up all night. They usually are.

[Stevie] Comes from the direction of the carrots carrying a web root- Other Steve! Look what I found!

[Steve] Oh hey, let me see that. This is a really special plant Stevie. It's actually a type of medicine. Don't ever eat these okay?

[Stevie] - Okay!

[Herabrine] I remember those. They do weird shit.

[Steve] Yeah it has some side effects. They still work though.

[Stevie] Sees Alexis- Hi pretty lady!

[Alexis] - Hi Stevie!

[Steve] We've had some fun, he stayed the night and we mined together. Show Alexis what you found Stevie.

[Herabrine] And now you're gardening. Wheee....

[Stevie] Pulls out a bit of gold, lapis, red stone, and a lot of coal and cobble- See!

[Alexis] - Wow, that's a good haul!

[Herabrine] Mimes a yawn

[Steve] He killed a big spider too.

[Alexis] - That's so awesome! Good job!

[Stevie] - It was super big!

[Herabrine] So if I throw something at Doc, what do you think the chances are they'll fall off the roof?

[Steve] Don't do that....

[Alexis] - Well we kinda need them to give me a once over...

[Herabrine] Whatever. I'll just give em a good poke. - Flies up and gives Doc a hard shove on the snout.

[Doc] Meeeeeehhhhh Whaaat? WHOAH! - Xe flops sideways and manages to catch hirself on the random protrusions of cobble on the walls

[Doc] Slides slowly down to the ground ripping down a ton of vines and flopping on the patio - Whhhhhhhyyyyy?

[Herabrine] You're needed.

[Stevie] Giggles-

[Steve] Shakes his head. - Brines.

[Alexis] - Hello Doc

[Doc] Yawns, xe curls around into a snaky knot and changes back into hir human shape before flopping down on the bench under the giant mushroom- Something on your mind Alexis?

[Alexis] - Well I was wondering if you could go over my code. I was with the other Alex's today and it dawned on us that there could be something harmful in my code

[Doc] Is a now a bit more awake - Harmful how?

[Alexis] - Uh, well you see, I was made by the NOTCH that tried to remove CP

[Doc] Shit.... really? Do you think.. you were made as some kind of distraction for Stevie?

[Herabrine] No I think she might be programmed to stab Cp in the back if she tries to ally with him. She seems predisposed to hate brines.

[Alexis] - What Stevie and I were told was that I was to be a companion for him. and it's more like I can't let go of hate if someone done something harmful to me

[Doc] Well there's nothing wrong with having emotions. Lots of people find it hard to forgive.

[Herabrine] That's bullshit, but it explains a lot. Do you actually love him? Or you just think you should?

[Steve] Was listening in- Our Alexsezia came second too, but she was supposed to be a more perfect being then the Steves. She was supposed to be entirely self-sufficent.

[Doc] That would explain why the other Alex's are ace, but you aren't, Alexis.... If find out that you're just programmed to love him, do you want that removed?

[Alexis] - I... I don't know...

[Doc] I can't make that decision for you Alexis. I feel bad sometimes that Deerheart is in that same boat, but I have to believe her love for me is real because she was generated as a response to the love I was already giving to what created her.

[Alexis] - I was told I was a companion, that doesn't mean lover all the time. So maybe my love is real?

[Herabrine] You've been alone for a long time now, are you content at all?

[Steve] I was made to be a companion too Alexis, but my love took time to grow. We didn't even know it was the case until later.

[Alexis] - No, I'm not content, my heart hurts without him...

[Stevie] - You're hurt?

[Steve] Sometimes when people hurt Stevie, it's not visible. They just feel sad and it's uncomfortable.

[Doc] Then I'll just take a look - Xe puts down a command block and moves one of Alexis hands onto the surface to begin scanning her

[Doc there's a sudden widening of hir eyes that only Hera spots and xe quickly copies a file from Alexis's code and deletes the original before anyone else sees.

[Herabrine] Gives Doc a hard stare.

[Doc] Well, there's not much here, I think your problem is mostly emotional. It's hard to forgive and forget. I do know one thing that will make you feel better though. - types- Deerheart can I borrow your Shaymin? I'm outside near BEN's old froom.

[Deer] - I'm on my way

[Deer] Arrives with Shaymin in her arms-

[Doc] Thank you my love. Now this little dude has shown all kinds of talent for reclaimation. Try holding them Alexis, see how you feel.

[Alexis] Gently takes Shaymin- I already feel calmer

[Steve] Hedgehog bush. That little critters so cute.

[Doc] It wouldn't hurt you to visit Sweet Alex and bug her for one of her magick hugs either.

[Alexis] - I wouldn't want to intrude...

[Herabrine] BAH. She loves company.

[Stevie] Is picking some flowers-

[Doc] She's right, Gk never sleeps there, but he's over there constantly, Enderbro too.

[Herabrine] That's cause he prefers sleeping in his dragon form even if he has to do it outside.

[Doc] Well it is comfy.... It's much harder to accidentally get in a pose where you wake up cramped and sore.

[Alexis] Is feeling very calm holding the Pokemon-

[Stevie] Ruins back over with s handful of flowers and holds them out to Alexis- Here you go pretty lady!

[Steve] Kinda looks like he might cry.

[Doc] Stevie... could you come over here? I want to give you a quick once over too. Just put your hand here.

[Alexis] Smiles at Stevie and takes the flowers- Thank you Stevie

[Stevie] Looks at Doc- Okay!- He runs over and puts his hand down

[Doc] Run a quick scan and then does it again before speaking- Okay, your code is clean, and you're healthy as a horse. Thank you Stevie, you can go play some more.

[Stevie] - Yay!- He runs off to play by the pond

[Doc] Casually- Has anyone seen Cp today?

[Herabrine] Yeah, he's banging Lie.

[Doc] well then.

[Alexis] Blushes a little, remembering what they saw-

[Alexis] - Hera had quite the laughing fit over it

[Herabrine] He was naked and angry, it was funny as fuck.

[Doc] Seen that one a few times myself.

[Alexis] - I mean, he's really not that bad to look at...

[Doc] Turns a bit pink - well... he is good in bed. Not nearly as nice as being with someone who actually loves me, but technically proficent.

[Herabrine] What the fuck Doc?!

[Steve] Last to know huh Herabrine?

[Deer] - Lie was there too

-Above them an honesty flitter is sunning itself on the remains of the vines-

[Doc] Yeah, but I didn't do anything with her, she was just.... on me. - Turning red-

[Alexis] - I have thought about trading Stevie with the thought I'd a threesome's with either one of them... Not exactly sure how it would work...

[Doc] You want to fuck Cp? He's awfully territorial. He was more okay with me violating his rump them touching his wife.

[Alexis] - I SAID TEASING! NOT DOING!

[Herabrine] What the hell is wrong with both of you?!

[Steve] Is looking around-

[Alexis] - I don't know... So you said my coding was okay Doc?

[Doc] OH. Yes... you're fine.

[Alexis] - Your sure there's nothing harmful there?

[Doc] Is visibly straining - No, you're fine now!

[Deer] - Are you okay love?

[Alexis] - What do you mean by now?

[Doc] I... I have to go! I'll talk to you later Alexis! - runs inside

[Herabrine] Stomps after hir-

[Alexis] - Weird...

[Stevie] - Look! Flitter!

[Steve] Narrows eyes. - hmmm... Maybe you should go check on your mate Deerheart.

[Deer] - Got it, it was good seeing you Alexis

[Alexis] - Same, take care

[Herabrine] Following Doc - Get back here dammit!

[Deer] Rushes after them-

[Doc] Darts down a ladder and into a lower room full of armor stands. Xe's panting lightly.

[Deer] Catches up to Hera- Hold on Hera, where did xe go?

[Herabrine] Down there! You go first.

[Deer] Pokes her head down- Love? What's wrong?

[Doc] Is leaning on the counter red faced and furious - I'm gonna kill that fucking NOTCH.

[Herabrine] Which one?

[Deer] - What is it love?

[Doc] It was everything in me not to tell her what that... animal did to her....

[Herabrine] Growls- what did you find? I saw that face.

[Doc] Spits the words furiously - it was two exe commands and a set of floating coordinates I recognized. Laid there when she was made. Her own fucking unwillingness to have anything to do with Cp saved her life.

[Deer] - What exactly do you mean love?

[Doc] I MEAN, I mean... geeze.... if she would have made a contract with him, and entered into his space... his agreements have their own codes to change behaviorial parameters... it would have triggered the commands.

[Herabrine] English or binary please!

[Doc] If the contract were done and she was in his inner sanctum it would have fired off the exe commands. One of them would have... deleted her. The other would have spawned a Wither on the same coordinates. Both eliminating her for being a traitor to her NOTCH and causing serious damage to CP and his base.

[Doc] I want to kill him. Just twist him up and wring every drop of code out of his miserable shape.

[Deer] - But doesn't CP control his withers?

[Doc] Not a freshly spawned one, and this was double size with the mob griefing parameters doubled as well.

[Herabrine] Is speechless.

[Deer] -Why... Why is this necessary? What would drive a NOTCH to do this?

[Doc] What would drive him to destroy a happy family?

[Deer] - Should we tell CP?

[Doc] Yes. I'm going to make good on my promise to help him. I think he'll be just as mad as I am

[Deer] - Well, perhaps we should give him a bit more time first...

[Deer] - Oh and love, it probably would have been easier to lie to Alexis if there hadn't been an honesty flitter there

[Doc] You're right as usual and it's dumb to run off half-cocked, but I am quite pissed right now.

[Herabrine] THEN we go kill him

[Deer] - But we don't know where he is

[Doc] We know he frequents Cp's server. Nether we could probably use Cp as bait.

[Deer] - He wont like that...

[Doc] He never likes anything, that's nothing new.

[Herabrine] But this guy nearly destroyed Cp. You're gonna need an army.

[Doc] But Cp already has an army and that didn't help him at all.

[Deer] - But he didn't have more brines

[Herabrine] I wonder if you could frame him for something so Slender would kick his ass for us?

[Doc] That's incredibly devious Hera.

[Deer] - Wouldn't Slender already know?

[Doc] Know about what?

[Deer] - The NOTCH

[Doc] Know what, that he hurt Cp? I have no idea. If he knows it raises the question of why Slender hasn't already killed him in retailiation for hurting CP.

[Deer] - CP could have his reasons

[Doc] To conceal his identity? You mean because he still was unsure about what had happened? Well he knows now that the person who betrayed him wasn't his real father at all, so he certainly has no reason to keep it a secret now. Unless it's just a petty revenge thing where he wants to be the one to make the kill.

[Deer] - We wont get very far speculating when we could just ask him

[Doc] Do you think they're done... having their intimate time yet? He won't tell us squat if he's angry.

[Herabrine] It's been several hours....

[Deer] - Then lets go

[Herabrine] Is already up the ladder.

[Doc] Hugs Deerheart briefly, just because xe's still upset and then follows.

[Deer] - I'll stay here to keep an eye on Stevie

[Doc] Okay, Steve probably needs a break anyway.

[Herabrine] You coming or what?

[Doc] Yeah yeah.

[Doc] Seems to be lagging behind a bit, because xe's still fuming and unsure how to tell Cp.

[Herabrine] Drags hir along faster.

[CP] Is curled around his naked and satisfied wife- Why don't you sleep?

[Lie] - No, I told you, I don't want to sleep after what I've just been through...

[CP] Huffs a little before holding his wife a bit closer- Alright, then we'll just rest like this

[Doc] Gets under the bridge and paces a few small circles thinking what to say.

[Herabrine] Yells- HEY CP!

[CP] Groans and yells back- WHAT!?

[Doc] I need to talk to you. It's important.

[CP] Groans again and slips out of the bed, pulling some pants on.  He steps out onto the bridge and looks over the edge- What is it now?

[Doc] I have to show you this. - Xe holds up a small digital file. - I.... I found it hidden in Alexis's programming.

[CP] Jumps down- In Alexis' files?

[Doc] I gave her a checkup, her first. I didn't tell her I found it. I just made a copy and deleted it from her.

[CP] - Can I see it?  Or will it set something off?

[Doc] No, It was specific to her. It won't work outside her coding.

[Herabrine] Her unwillingness to trust you may have saved both your lives Cp.

[CP] Reaches out and takes the file, he stiffens after reading over it.  A look of panic crosses his face- I need to go...

[Doc] Snags his wrist - Don't! Don't go alone. I promised to help you do this. I'm angry too, but this has been simmering for years. We need a plan.

[CP] - Doc, what about Stevie?

[Doc] I checked him. He's clean. And Endrea can't have anything or it would have fired off already. I think it was specifically designed to punish Stevie if he made up with you. To kill you and take away the help-meet that was made for him.

[CP] Still a bit panicked- Or to push us farther apart...

[Doc] Exactly. It's horrible and it makes me physically ill to think about it.

[Herabrine] Is now obviously puffed up since it was her idea to send Alexis to Doc.

[Lie] Has pulled on CP's shirt and looks over the side of the bridge- Is everything okay down there?

[Doc] No... but it's something that's been wrong for a long time and I'm just now finding out about it.

[Lie] - More Insanity stuff?

[Doc] No. Cp's NOTCH left a nasty surprise inside Alexis and I removed it.

[Herabrine] Flies up to the bridge and whispers some specifics into Lie's ear.

[Lie] - That's horrible!

[Herabrine] Yeah. I agree. I think we should shred him like bad files.

[Lie] - But if CP and his army can't do it, then we'll need help

[Doc] Scuffs a boot in the dirt. - Too bad Slender hates me...

[CP] - He wouldn't be able to help anyways.  I asked him about it when I first joined the pastas.  The amount of energy he would let off would destroy my seed and everything in it.

[Doc] I was going to ask why Slender didn't kill him for you. Could we lure him to an empty one?

[CP] - It takes him awhile to find where we've moved to whenever I've moved seed

[Herabrine] Has a horribly evil look - Does Offenderman like guys? I bet he'd like a playtoy that can't die.

[CP] - No shit he does

[Doc] Turns white as a sheet -

[CP] - You fail to understand that I have seen him fuck furniture before

[Herabrine] Nearly falls off the balcony laughing.

[CP] - But I'd rather he be destroyed

[Doc] Even you're not that mean, huh? I guess that's good to know.

[CP] - Oh no, I'd just rather be sure he'd have no way of coming back

[Herabrine] He can't come back if he's held captive in Offenders fuck-dungeon Cp!

[CP] - I'd still rather not risk it!

[Doc] Have you ever tried to take him out with a computer virus?

[CP] - Yes, didn't work

[Doc] Damn... when your army goes up against him, what do they do? Just attack him physically and directly?

[CP] - Pretty much, but I only send in my strongest and most well trained mobs

[Doc] Excuse me for a moment. - types in the chat- Endrea? Are you anywhere near Lie's house?

[Endrea] - In the library

[Doc] I need to talk to you.

[Endrea] Looks at the baby dragons with her- Umm...

[Doc] And Ashe.

[Endrea] - What do you want with my child?'

[Doc] I have a tactical question and sometimes the best way to solve a difficult problem is to ask a child.

[Endrea] - Just a moment, GK?  Can you babysit?

[GK] Is already playing with Willow and Oak. - Sure!

[Endrea] - Thank you, come on Ashe, Doc wants to see us

[willow and oak] -oak is trying to climb gk and willow is gumming his leg-

[Ashe] - Yes mama- He gets up and follows Endrea back to Lie's place

[Doc] Watches the big dragon land and walks up to her. - Endrea... I found something terrible in Alexis's code that was put there by the same NOTCH that made you. I need you to tell me and Ashe everything you know about him.

[Endrea] - I don't really remember much, he mostly left me to my own devices.  I remember receiving my instructions to destroy CP and that death was a disappointment, but that I'd grow stronger each time.  He didn't really have any contact with after the first time I grew up...

[Doc] I see. Ashe? Remember how I told you you should be a tactician, not a warrior?

[Ashe] - Uh-huh

[Doc] Is scribbling on a sheet of paper with a quill. - These are the parameters of the enemy and what's already been tried. I want you to think about it and come back to me or Cp with whatever ideas come to mind. No suggestion is stupid and even things that seem improbable might only need a little tweaking to become possible. Can you do that for me?

[Ashe] - Yeah!

[Doc] I'm sure you'll make everyone proud. Take your time and really plan it out too. Okay?

[Ashe] - Okay!  But what if Oak and Willow get the papers?

[Doc] They'll eat them. Just keep them in your inventory when you're not reading or writing.

[Ashe] - Understood

[Endrea] Looks at Doc- Your planning on attacking that NOTCH?

[Doc] I've been promising to help Cp destroy him since I found out what he did to Cp and his family. I won't risk the server, but it will happen one way or the other.

[Endrea] - I will sit this one out, I cannot chance leaving my children and having to stay in an egg while they grow

[Doc] I wasn't going to ask. We have plenty of dragons and I'm not sure a full on assault will work anyway. I'm open to ideas, and everytime I talk to Ashe he seems to have gotten smarter. I thought he would be a good person to ask for a fresh perspective on the problem.

[CP] - I feel like I need to check in on my generals...

[Doc] I want to go with you.

[Herabrine] Can I come too?

[CP] - Why not- Makes an opening to his seed and steps through

[Doc] Trots after him-

[Lie] Sighs- Wait for me Hera, I'll come to in case I need to calm him down- Starts to head for the door

[Herabrine] Steps in and stops short, she's wobbling on her feet. - huuurk!

[Doc] Turns to check on her

[Lie] Steps through and notices Hera's condition- Hera?

[CP] Shuts the portal- WINSTON!

[Herabrine] What's wrong with this seed?! - She's turning her hands over and over and her shortness compared to the others is much more apparent.

[Lie] - It's a higher resolution, you're okay, it will take a bit of time to get used to

[Herabrine] I feel nauseated...

[Winston] Rushes in- Master?  What's wrong?

[Herabrine] Drops a block and sits down heavily.

[CP] - I need you to send out a summons to the other generals, they are to gather immediately.  We'll meet in the conference room

[Winston] - Yes sir- Winston quickly turns and rushes out to do as his master commanded

[Doc] Looks around as they wait. The room seems larger from hir human perspective.

[CP] Digs through a few drawers in his desk, gathering some blank papers and quills and ink-

[Lie] - CP, you'll need a shirt

[Doc] I'll fix it.

[Doc] Quickly copies what Lies wearing and hands him the copy

[CP] Pulls it on quickly- Alright, I think that's all I'll need...  The Nether generals should pretty much already be gathered, but the Overworld generals will take a bit more time...

[Doc] Thinks for a moment and then copies hir own pants before offering them to Lie.

[Lie] - Hm?  Oh!  Thanks...

[Lie] - Hera?  You gonna be okay?

[Doc] Best to look decent for Cp's officials.

[Herabrine] I just need to sit for a minute so I don't puke.

[Lie] - Okay, just let me know if you need anything- She pulls the copy of the pants on

[Herabrine] I could probably use a water bucket.

[Lie] Spawns one of hers- Drink it quickly before it heats and evaporates, we are in the Nether

[Herabrine] That wasn't why I wanted it! - She pours it out quickly and then turns away to throw up in it.

[Doc] Well that was considerate at least....

[Winston] Returns- Sir, the summons have all been sent

[Doc] Self-conciously checks hirself over and fluffs up hir hair.

[CP] - Good- He turns towards Doc and Hera and holds out a bundle of code- You'll probably want to at least be able to temporarily understand my generals during this in case you have anything to add

[Doc] Hesitates and then claps an eggshell around it instead of handling it directly.

[CP] - Really Doc?

[Herabrine] I can understand them already.

[CP] - Alright- He dismisses the bit of code

[Winston] Is standing there patiently-

[Doc] Holds it near hir ear - Winston, can you say something to me?

[Winston] - I don't understand why, but alright...

[Doc] That's perfect. Thank you.

[CP] - Winston, how many are already here?

[Herabrine] Has composed herself and hidden the bucket of sick under the nearby desk

[Winston] - The Nether Generals are all here as are Eliza, Samson, and Charles

[CP] - So we're just waiting on Zacharia, Samantha, and Magnolia...

[Winston] - Yes sir

[Lie] - CP, what do you expect to come of this?

[CP] - I don't know yet

[Doc] Takes up an honor guard pose beside Cp.

[CP] - We'll need to inform them of everything that has happened recently, and then start coming up with some tactics

[Doc] Will you tell them about... your father...?

[CP] Stiffens- I...  I don't think it's necessary to let them know right now.  They don't know yet that there were two...  Well, other than Winston that is

[Doc] But the fact that some of the NOTCHs are peaceful might be important. And.... if they actually respect and care about you, it might fire them up to help more agressively. You're asking a lot of them.

[CP] - They hate this false NOTCH just as much as I do, they don't need to be more fired up

[Doc] It's up to you. They're your mobs and I do respect that.

[CP] - They don't need to know yet

[Lie] Comes up and places a hand on CP's arm-

[Herabrine] Forces herself back up again. - No way I'm missing this-

[CP] - We may as well head to the conference room now.  Winston?  Can you bring some more chairs?

[Winston] - I've already done so, you're mates seat is to your right

[CP] - Thanks

[Doc] Is there a place for me?

[Herabrine] Pushes herself off the floor and floats so her head is level with Cp's face. - I don't need a chair.

[Winston] - There is a seat for all of you

[CP] - It's there if you want Hera

[Herabrine] Nods and floats along behind them.

[Doc] Follows Winston - thank you

-They enter the large conference room, Endrea's usual spot has a few chairs placed in it. Most of the other chairs were filled with the generals-

[Doc] Finds a spot to sit and Herabrine joins hir quietly-

[Lie] Takes a seat to CP's right.  Giselle notices and glares at Lie-

[Herabrine] Whispers to Lie - what's her damage?

[Lie] - She has delusions of being CP's mate

[Herabrine] A little too loud- Oh, so she's stupid. Got it.

[Giselle] Her glare now shifts to Hera- And who is this bitch Master?

[CP] - Don't start Giselle

[Herabrine] I'm Herabrine. And if your head isn't as full of gas as most ghasts; you'll take it down a notch.

[Giselle] Huffs- You have no right to talk to me like that little bitch, I'm a general, you look like a squeaker toy

[Herabrine] I'm a brine. You're just another mob flunky to me.

[Giselle] - Ah, but this isn't your seed tinker toy, so behave like the good little slut you are

[Herabrine] Slumps for a second - her astral form rushes forward like a ghost with steam boiling off of it and shoves Giselle with tremendous force into the opposite wall before snapping back.

[Giselle] - You little bitch!- Prepares to launch fire balls

[CP} - ENOUGH!  Giselle you are toeing the line and I am this close to removing you from your station!

[Doc] Is holding the egg to hir ear - I would anyway. She's got some serious attitude issues.

[Giselle] - But Master!

[CP] - No Giselle, this is your last warning

[Doc] He's just not into you Giselle, you need to get over it.

[Giselle] Huffs but does go silent-

-The door creaks open and the last three generals enter and take their seats-

[CP] - Good, all of you are here now

[Eliza] - Master, why have we been summoned?

[Doc] Just turns quietly to Cp. Not wanting to shame him in front of his subordinates.

[Herabrine] sits back and puts her boots on the edge of the table

[CP] Takes a steadying breath- There has been a development regarding NOTCH, he apparently placed some code within Alexis which would have dealt damage to not only me, but this place as well

[Charles] - What sort of damage sir?

[CP] - A wither, not as large as the one I have, but it would have caused a lot of destruction

[Doc] Is wanting badly to say it's been taken care of, but not interrupt either

[CP] Mentally- Go ahead and chime in, I know you want to

[Doc] Stands with a bit of swirl in hir coat. - I've already removed the code. And I have scanned to see if Endrea or Stevie had the same and come up clean. I think it was specifically designed to assassinate Cp if Alexis betrayed her NOTCH and made a treaty with him. It would have also driven a further wedge between Cp and his brother and broken Stevies heart as Alexis would have been deleted in the process of the codes completion.

[Grayson] He is a huge lumbering pigman, standing almost as tall as CP- Why is that a bad thing?  That wimp is useless anyways

[Lie] Actually growls a little-

[Doc] Stevie? No Steve is useless. And if you think they are, you haven't been on the receiving end of a really determined one. My friend Father Steve has and would again walk through fire for his Herobrine.

[Grayson] - They're dumb and stupid!

[CP] - Grayson, not now

[Doc] Then I hope your stubbornness and lack of knowledge doesn't cause your end someday.

[CP] Mentally- Remember, he may not be smart, but his kind judge their leader on sheer strength alone

[Doc] Sends a loud thought - then we'll have him visit us one day. Steve wrestles with TLOT regularly. He'll pick this piggy up and dump him in the bay.

[CP] - He can try

[Doc] Trust me, he can do it.

[CP] - Back to the matter at hand, how strong of forces do we have?- He listens patiently as each general lists off their available forces

[Herabrine] I thought you said a full on attack wouldn't work anyway?

[CP] - It wont, but it will help

[Doc] As much as I'd like to just hunt him down like a dog, we need a better plan.

[CP] - We do know that he shows up here every once in awhile

[Doc] Is there anything of his I could use to make an alarm? Even a scrap of clothing could be enough to write one.

[CP] - No

[Lie] CP's curt response has her a bit concerned

[Herabrine] - slowly- Do you think... maybe he's coming back to look to for Alexis and Stevie?

[CP] - It's possible...

[Lie] - Or maybe the humans...  Before Doc moved us Stevie did mention that he would mention us to NOTCH to see if he could help...

[Doc] Well whenever someone logs on it shows in the chat. If one of them came back here, we could bait him to come out of hiding.

[CP] Is nervous about doing this, thinking of NOTCH finding the young Stevie-

[Doc] It doesn't have to be Stevie.... he created Alexis. She might be the more important one to him.

[CP] - Maybe...

[Blake] - Master, are you seriously suggesting working with them!?

[Doc] Who? Us? He has been for quite some time. We are both brines after all.

[CP] - Circumstances have...  Changed Blake, for the time being there is an uneasy agreement of sorts

[Herabrine] Yeah, one's heartbroken and the others helpless. They don't have much to lose.

[Lie] Puts a hand on CP's leg-

-The Generals murmur and speak to each other as CP gives them a chance to talk with each other about the subjects broached-

[Doc] Do they not know the circumstances of where you went and what's transpired Cp? Beyond that you found a mate?

[CP] - They know a little, but I haven't filled them in completely

[Doc] Why not?

[CP] Shifts uncomfortably-

[Doc] It's not like there's a stronger brine there who would want to take your place.

[CP] - It's more how they view me...

[Doc] Loudly in hir head so he'll answer mentally- And how is that?

[CP] Glances at Doc before responding mentally- Doc, they know me as their ruthless ruler who still protects them...

[Doc] Aren't you?

[CP] - Well yes...  But...

[Doc] Then what's the problem? Just because you're not crazy any more doesn't mean you can't lead. And while you may not be as murdery anymore I don't think you'd hesitate to set anyone on fire who challenged you.

[CP] Shifts again-

[Doc] Is the crown sitting heavy Cp? You know I won't make fun of you. I'm fully aware of how onerous responsibility can be.

[CP] - No, I will not abandon them

[Doc] I wasn't suggesting you would, just that you're not as enthusiastic about this as you once were. Maybe partly because using them as an army still didn't make your problems go away.

[Lie] Leans on CP a bit, feeling his unease-

[Magnolia] Appears to be made of red slime, she commands both Slimes and Magma cubes- Sir, who are these people you have brought with you?

[Doc] Decides to answer for him since he seems uneasy. - We are also Herobrines, but ones with different and lesser powers then he has. - Kicks Hera before she can speak-

[Lie] Takes a steadying breath, knowing many of the generals had never seen her before- And I am also his mate

[Doc] This is Lie. I am called Doc, and this is Herabrine.

[Herabrine] Gives a sarcastic wave

[CP] - They are to be shown respect, especially my mate

[Giselle] - BUT MASTER!  I'M TO BE YOUR MATE! ME!

[Herabrine] Looks a bit surprised but takes her feet down and sits up a bit straighter.

[Doc] Giselle... I was here last time you had a meltdown. I'm telling you. I did surgery on these two to give them a greater soul connection. Cp will never belong to another.

[CP] Sits there stoned face for a moment- Hera, feel free to blast her

[Giselle] Is sitting there supremely angry-

[Herabrine] Too much effort - She makes an idle gesture and a water block is suddenly encasing Giselles head.

[Giselle] Thrashes a little-

[CP] - Careful, I do still need her to lead the ghasts for a little while longer

[Herabrine] Is holding out a fist- Tell me when. I'm not sure how many hearts she has.

[CP] - She's probably already half way

[Herabrine] toys with the block for a moment more, letting it heat up and then finally releasing it before Giselle can fully drown in it. - Anyone else want to start some shit?

-The generals remain silent-

[Lie] Gives Hera a small smile-

[Herabrine] Huge satisfied grin. -

[Doc] As you have a treaty with Cp, we have a treaty with him, mutual defense.

[Eliza] - Sir, since we are discussing matters at hand, how would you like word of your mate spread?

[Giselle] Under her breath- Not at all

[Doc] She's the queen. Nothing simpler.

[Eliza] - Ah yes, but how will we get word of it to the lower mobs quickly and accurately?  We don't want any accidental attacks or misinformation

[Doc] Isn't it a good rule of thumb anyway to not attack anyone with the eye glow?

[CP] - True, but they've also seen her as a human before and had orders to capture and harm if necessary...

[Herabrine] A queen needs a crown then, right?

[Lie] - Hera...  What are you getting at?

[Herabrine] Some big to-do with food and whatnot, parade her around so they all see who not to fuck with. Or just have her summon some offensive flowers and bite the shit out of a few people you don't like in front of the others.

[CP] - Are you seriously suggesting something like a coronation?

[Herabrine] Why the fuck not? You're king here, aren't you?

[Doc] Shrugs-

[CP] - That would take some time to set up, plus I can't think of a space large enough off the top of my head...

[Lie] Shrinks a little in her seat-

[Doc] We can always just invite a few of the trusted one's over...

[CP] - How about no.  Any time any of the mobs have been moved it's been to invade...  I don't think we want that

[Doc] Oh. Yeah, never mind. Surely you can find a suitable bit of mountain to just knock out some bleachers on the side of.

[CP] - Why are we even discussing this?

[Doc] Shrugs again - You were the one that was worried. And everyone is here, right?

[CP] - Well yes, but that's not why they were gathered...

[Doc] How about this, if any of you guys are awful to Lie, I'll punch your head into the next zip code. Is that clear enough?

[Giselle] - And why should we even perceive you as a threat?

[CP] Quietly groans and puts his head in his hands-

[Doc] Cp? May I? It's your seed.

[CP] - Sure, why not

[Doc] Gets up from the table and takes a step back and then another.  Xe drags one iron heel against the floor making an ear-rending shriek of metal and then shifts as xe charges forward. The gigantic yellow dragon flies across the table trailing lightning and sparks and grabs Giselle in hir jaws. Xe flips her up in the air and uses hir tail to bat her like a ball very hard against the far wall with a painful crunch. Xe turns and roars so loud the ceiling shakes and there are small explosions as lightning falls to hit the lava outside. - That’s why!

[Giselle] Grunts as she pushes herself up off the floor- You bastard...

[Doc] Shows hir huge teeth, swishing hir tail back and forth. - Come get some.

[CP] - Giselle, I suggest you rein yourself in and stay silent

[Doc] Steps up next to Cp and sits at attention, trying to look formidable. - Are you sure? I could just make a dragon snack out of her. She seems crunchy.

[CP] - No, she should behave for now

[Giselle] With a huff she stands and storms out of the room-

[Herabrine] Flips her off. - Dumbass.

[CP] - Does anyone else have any issues they wish to voice about my mate?

[Blake] The blaze general obviously wants to say something but smartly keeps his mouth shut-

[Doc] Is suddenly in his face and snorts so his hair goes back briefly.

[Blake] - And what do you want?

[Doc] I know of you, you're also a troublemaker. I've got my eye on you.

[CP] - Rein it in Doc

[Doc] Immediately snaps back to attention and sits artfully with hir head high .

[Magnolia] - Sir, will we be holding a ceremony then for your mate?

[CP] Sighs- Fine, but it will be awhile before it happens...

[Doc] Loud thoughts to Cp. - Maybe I can convince Deerheart to come shifted. Me and her, and Endrea and Gk would make quite the honor guard.

[CP] - why would we need an honor guard?

[Doc] It looks menacing? You could ride standing on my nose, I can walk smoothly if we're not going fast.

[CP] - No

[Doc] Makes a very slightly pouty face. - Here I thought you'd be happy because I'm making myself look like your attack dog.

[CP] Groans-

[Herabrine] Do I have to dress up?

[Samson] The skeleton general leans forwards a small amount- Sir?  Are you alright?

[Doc] geeze.

[CP] - Since it was your idea Hera, yes.  And I will be fine Samson

[Herabrine] Aww dammit.

[CP] - Don't worry, I know someone who can make you something quickly that you'll like

[Doc] Well you didn't have much of a wedding, this could make up for it....

[Herabrine] Is suspicious now-

[CP] - This is going to be a fuck ton of extra paperwork...

[Doc] You have the help you need, all you have to do is offer it to him. I wonder how piggy-butt over there would react if he knew his new coffeemaker and breakroom jukebox was courtesy of a Steve?

[CP] - Wait what?

[Doc] Oh, he approved some small requests on the last batch. He denied their request for a month off and AC for the training rooms though.

[CP] - There's something I need to grab from the training room before we leave...

[Doc] nervously clicks hir claws on the floor - Don't go off on him okay? He didn't get crazy with your budget.

[CP] - No, just going to show him why I generally don't approve those types of requests...

[Doc] Bites hir lip - Cp....

[CP] Looks at his generals- You're dismissed.  I have things to think about...

-The generals respectfully stand and leave-

[Doc] Makes the 'eyes on you' gesture at Blake.

[Blake] Walks out in a bit of a huff-

[Doc] You should really fire both of them....

[CP] - Honestly I'm surprised they haven't died yet.  However, despite their behavior, they are exceptional generals

[Doc] Maybe we could trap them somewhere with one of Lie's offensive plants. Then it would both look like an accident and keep them busy.

[Lie] - I don't know how I feel about that...

[Doc] They're fucking eachother anyway, they just want to include Cp in it.

[Lie] - Still....  But are we seriously doing this coronation thing?

[Doc] I'm just going to pout because Cp doesn't want to have a small phallanx of dragons to lead him out.

[CP] - It seems a bit overkill

[Doc] Juts out hir lower jaw so hir bottom teeth stick out in an obvious pout.

[CP] Stands from his chair- If you're hungry there's food in the kitchen, Doc you should remember the way?

[Doc] Mutters- I can look regal. Oriental dragons were the symbols of kings you know. Okay I don't have the heavenly five claws, but I've got three. That's good enough for low-tier royalty.

[Herabrine] Oh shut up.

[CP] - Endrea will already be there, she is one of my generals after all

[Doc] Huffs. - A pouch full of squeaking babies kinda takes away from the menacing air.

[CP] - Yes, but the other generals do keep their distance from her

[Doc] You're no fun.

[Herabrine] He let you knock Giselle's block off.

[Doc] mmmpph.

[Lie] - CP, who else should we have there?

[Doc] Any of the brines who want to come. I guess we should take some creepypastas too if you're sure they won't diss you in polite company.

[CP] - Yeah lets not

[Doc] Not even Splender? He'd love it.

[Lie] - I'm sure TLOT and Steve would like to be here...

[CP] - Especially not Splender...

[Doc] But.... it's the Nether....

[Lie] - Exactly why I said like to

[Doc] Wilts a bit- I bet Gem and Mix would come.

[Lie] - That's true

[Herabrine] GK will come.

[CP] - You guys keep talking, I'll be right back

[Doc] If I ask around some of the other brines might come too, even though I know they're busy.

[Lie] - Just thinking about all this is making me very nervous

[Herabrine] Why? All you have to do is let them put a hat on you and then wave at everyone.

[Lie] - And talk and not piss everyone off...  Well anyone who isn't already pissed...

[Herabrine] Fuck em. You're not going to be here 24/7 anyway

[Lie] - I also have to wear a fucking dress...

[Doc] I hate wearing dresses.

[Lie] - Yes well it seems like you'll be in your dragon form so you're getting out of that

[Doc] He doesn't want me to be. I offered. I think he just thinks I'll embarrass him....

[Lie] - I wonder who he was referring to when he mentioned someone able to make clothes...  I mean I know hos spider general can...

[Doc] Well...there is Trenderman.... I wonder what kind of disposition he has?

[Lie] - I don't know...

[Herabrine] He can eat my ass. I'm not wearing a dress.

[CP] Returns- So, are we heading back now?

[Doc] Yeah... Gods this has been a frustrating day... actually? Can you let me out of your fortress for a few minutes first?

[CP] - Sure, follow me- He leads them down to the main hall, large columns and towards the main doors which lead to a bridge which crosses what is essentially a lava moat.  Lie recognizes the path that she took to freedom in the past

[Doc] Thank goodness. Give me like five minutes. I assume no one is going to shoot at me?

[CP] - No

[Doc] Good. - Xe scrunches up and takes a long flying leap off the bridge and hits the lava with a tremendous splat.

[Herabrine] Yeah, someone is a little stressed...

[Lie] - CP?  What about Stevie?  Who will watch him during this or will he come with us?

[Doc] Breaches like a whale and sends a couple of blazes flying out of the lava on the resulting wave.

[Herabrine] Well it's not like you can bring Markus...

[CP] - Oh he will definitely be staying on the other server...

[Doc] Flips sideways and hits a wall to make a bunch of soul sand rain down into the lava.

[Lie] - I bet if Markus were to wear a disguise he could come if he wanted

[Doc] Does a bit of paddling on hir back and shakes hirself free of the glowing muck as xe rises up again and scuttles back onto the bridge. - Okay, we can go. I feel a little better now.

[CP] Makes an opening and gestures everyone through-

[Doc] zips through and flops on the grass.

[Herabrine] Well that was harrowing. Your seed is way too high-res Cp.

[CP] - Maybe for you, but not for me

[Doc] It's hard on us that aren't used to it CP. Hera came from an even lower-res seed then this one.

[CP] - Eh, you'll get used to it

[Doc] Rolls around in the grass. - So good to be home- xe starts tapping out a message. - Sorry Deerheart, we had to go to Cp's seed for a bit.

[Deer] - Understandable- Stevie's getting homesick for Lie's place

[Doc] Well bring the little squirt over.

[Deer] - Anyone else you want me to bring as well?  I'm sure there are things you want to discuss with TLOT...

[Doc] I'll talk to him when we both get home afterwards.

[Deer] - Alright, I'm coming over now

[CP] Stretches- I'll give Winston a couple days to get all the paperwork together

[Doc] Wiggles hir paws in the air. - This just feels too good. I used to chuckle at GK for rolling around in the grass, but I get it now.

[Deer] Arrives riding the Mudsdale with Stevie in front of her-

[Stevie] - Brother!

[Herabrine] Kicks Doc - When are you going to fix me you turd?

[Doc] Ow!

[CP] Can't help but smile a little at Stevie as he pulls him off the pokemon- Hey there

[Doc] Makes a happy purr at Cp's facial expression

[CP] Glares at Doc-

[Deer] - How was the trip?

[Doc] Most of Cp's generals are decent, some of them suck, and Herabrine puked.

[Herabrine] Kicks Doc again for good measure-

[Doc] OW DAMMIT.

[Stevie] - Brother, I'm hungry

[CP] - Then let's get you some food- Heads for the house