#i wanna see more of him in that uniform so badly!!!! even in the official brahman picture he was like hidden on the steps

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Thinking once again about the tragedy of this being the only time we got to see Draken in the brahman uniform

We all know he served in it so why didn't Wakui give us more??????

[amethiosspouse]

it's time for mari's random infodump:

i was originally going to make this a very long post about my yumes but anai's character as a whole is too confusing and honestly, not even game theory could dissect the amount of lore anai has:

scrapped ideas and an ungodly amount of anai lore from multiple different franchises:

-anai was actually supposed to be shipped with malleus (because i liked him at the time) but due to the age gap, i scrapped it (i didnt like how mal was 600+ and anai was 17) -they were then shipped w riddle for quite some time and i even ended up making ship art of them. -anai was based of the white rabbit but i didnt wanna whitewash (is that the right term) them so i just made them random ass rabbit -their overblot form was a whole withered bonnie mech suit mixed w some BATIM-style aesthetic -anai's dorm uniform was based of this:

now, moving on to enstars anai :>

-from memory, anai was originally shipped with kohaku and they were the producer for crazy:b -i sort of followed some kind of rich prince x pheasant sort of trope for their ship -anai's family wasn't as rich as kohaku's family and (from memory) his family prevented him from hanging out with anai. -i forgot most of the story but all i remember is trying to make some kind of ai cover for anai and kohaku to sing Just Be Friends (it never worked) and that at some point, Tsukasa was actually gonna be anai's love interest

FUCK IT, GENSHIN ANAI LORE:

-genshin anai was made all the way back in 2021 during my horrendous xiao era. -they were the pyro yaksha basically and from memory, they were rebirthed? idk -WAIT, I REMEMBER -ok so bear with me here, anai was basically this young girl from natlan who died in the archon war while trying to see their father again (who was in liyue). from memory, zhongli used ANAI'S DEAD BODY to try and sort of bring back to life the dead pyro yaksha but failed to do so because of 1. the body's horrendous state and 2. the power was too much for the body to handle. -they were obviously shipped with xiao -BUT THIS WAS SCRAPPED AND LATER REUSED (we'll get to that) -i remember anai got shipped with albedo as well as kaeya but i eventually settled for scara. -now back to the dead body part -this version of anai's story is much more messier -anai was a descendant of murata - the pyro archon. it was never specified if they were a direct descendant or just had some muratan?? blood in them. -anyways they were basically this very famous dancer who was prett well known (who was a half human half hybrid rabbit faunus or smth) and their name wasnt anai, it was clover. -basically clovers sister was jealous of their success and they killed clover. -murata literally did the same thing that zhongli did to anai in their earlier stories but she tried to bring back the dead pyro archon -it somehow worked -i honestly dont know how anai met scaramouche but basically they met him when he was still known as kabukimono/kunikuzushi (keep in mind, all of this was written before 3.1) -i basically ripped off dirty little traitor for some reason 💀 -after scara ran away w the gnosis and whatnot anai lore kinda just became messier from there -after the events of 3.1 i redid the whole ending for anai -THEY WERE SHIIPED WITH CYNO CUZ SCARA PUSHED THEM OFF HIS TRANSFORMERS ROBOT OR SOMETHING -no more genshin anai lore because its hurting my head just trying to remember how badly i fucked up their lore -LIKE THEIR LORE IS SO BAD NOT EVEN MATPAT COULD SOLVE THIS GAME THEORY

im literally getting so tired of explaining every single little tiny detail of what happened to anai in every single canon universe i threw them in so lemme spare you some details and whatnot

obey me anai: asmo's boyfriend (im not even joking thats all i remember of obey me anai)

prsk anai: they werent an official niigo member but they did help out w lyrics (cuz mafuyu was their sister omg wow !!), shipped with toya

milgram anai: they were basically hanging out w the wrong group of people due to how naive they were when they were younger, anai was 'forced' to blow up a city mall as a dare but they backed down last minute (their friends ended up detonating the bomb and at good portion of the mall was blown up and quite a number of people died, they were framed for that incident and was sent to the milgram prison, they were shipped w fuuta and from memory they were related to es

hypmic anai: spoiled daddy's girl. basically all them stereotypical mean girls who'd be like "my daddy can sue you" and whatnot. they had a good amount of backstory but theres no way im typing that all out. they were shipped with doppo

IVE HAD ENOUGH OF TALKING ABOUT ANAI AND IM SORRY FOR WASTING YOUR TIME, GOODBYE

[nanamikentoslutt]

Hey I really like your writing so far! I saw you were open to asks and I was wondering if you could write one about Jean for me 🥺 Id love one where we lose our virginity together if that’s okay for you! I know he is a secret sweetheart with a horse cock!

OMG! Thank you so much, this is my first ever ask!! I hope you like it :) also I agree there is no doubt Jean has a horsecock 🥵

Word count is 2.9k sorry I got carried away lol

THIS IS 18+

Warnings; Oral, vaginal sex, fluff, smut

Jean x Fem!reader

“Shh, we have to be quiet, y/n.”

Jean giggles, pulling you into the sleeping quarters, vacant from the rest of the scouts being occupied either on duty or in the mess hall. He grabs you inside and pulls you close to him, eagerly kissing your lit up face which had turned red from all the laughing you two had been doing on your way there. He cupped your face in both hands, moving your lips together through a smile he slowly started to pace backwards further into the room, you eagerly followed, your bodies both moving in perfect unison with one another as you were excited to finally have your alone time with Jean.

You had been dating for a few months now and only became official within the last week or so, your fellow comrades teasing you both for not recognising everyone knew you were made for each other even before you guys did. You and Jean took it slow the first few weeks, getting to know each other but soon enough your primal instincts kicked in and whenever you got a moment alone you’d be all over each other. Jean found himself sneaking you into empty equipment rooms just to hungrily devour you, running his hands up your body with no sense of true direction, just desperate to feel your body on his. You also felt the same sense of urgency to feel Jean’s touch, his tall, broad frame wrapping himself around you as you would desperately rub between his thigh, working yourself up as your clumsy and greedy kisses turned your heated equipment room meetings into olympic style make-out sessions. You were both so desperate for each other and the pace at which you kept it was not only because of that, but mainly because you two never had time for this sort of stuff. With training and expeditions, as well as living and sleeping in a room with 20 other people, you never had the time, or more importantly you never had the privacy. Jean had no issue kissing or cuddling you in front of the other scouts, occasionally slipping his hand under the covers to rub your clothed cunt, watching you try and keep composed while mid conversation with Sasha. Jean loved to tease you like that. Seeing your innocent face start to grow hot with excitement and a hint of embarrassment. Jean would rub just deep enough that you started to get wet beneath your clothes but not fast enough so you’d actually cum in front of your friends, he knew not to take it that far, however many times he’d thought about that exact scenario when alone, rubbing his cock in a toilet stall somewhere.

Through your cautious acts and sneaky behaviour, you and Jean had done almost everything together you possibly could, except the big one. You’d never taken it far enough to actually fuck. That was something you both knew you wanted done right. Being a virgin you personally never felt too much sentiment towards “virginity” however after meeting Jean and falling in love with that big idiot you knew that even if it was something you’d feel indifferent about, you wanted it to be special, because it was with him. And Jean felt the same, he would act cocky in front of everyone when showing you off but deep down he was in love with you and being a virgin himself he held sex as something sacred. Jean liked to joke with Connie about how long he could go and how all the girls from his village called him “horse” for a reason. Connie would usually be skeptical about Jean’s big talk but after he landed you he considered he might not be a liar after all. You were good and kind to all the scouts and that's what everyone loved about you, but Jean was first hooked by the way you looked, he couldn’t deny confessing this to you once you’d been together for a while. He’d admit it was the way your hair flew past your neck when you used the ODM gear, embarrassingly crashing a few times from getting lost in a trance. Jean was fawning over you from the moment you two met, he’d stay awake at night going over each and every one of the small conversations you’d had that day, deciphering whether or not he’d come off too bold or too rash. Wanting to impress you but not wanting to scare you away. 

Whatever it was that drew you to him was now the reason you two were pouncing on each other in the sleeping quarters. Your body follows Jeans as he slightly hunched over to accommodate your height and softly hold your face in his. The feeling of excitement exuding your body as your now wet lips crashed into each other, your heads occasionally moving from left to right to switch up the position of the kiss. Placing both hands on his chest you lightly push back to look up at him,

“I heard Captain Levi is holding a meeting in the mess hall…”

You say, a grin on your face that Jean is now trying to read, unsure of what you’re getting at. His half lidded eyes look down to your face, his lips slightly plump from where you’d both been so aggressive.

“Yeah, I don’t wanna go to that,” Jean pulls you back into him and starts moving his lips down your neck, his hands wrapped around your waist. You roll your eyes to yourself at your completely clueless boyfriend.

“Jean, I said the Captain is holding a meeting, meaning…”

The penny finally drops, Jean takes his wet mouth off your neck to look at you, his eyes widening.

“Meaning we have about thirty-five extra minutes?”

He smiles down at you, looking at his devious girlfriend with pure lust and motivation. Thinking about how you’d taken the time out to plan this particular meeting with Jean made his cock start to twitch, knowing how badly you wanted him only made him want you more, which was truly saying something.

“Yes, thirty-five or so minutes… Do you think that’s enough time for us to…”

Your voice trails off as Jean continues sucking on your neck, leaving little marks that make you whimper into him. His hefty palms running up and down the curves of your body. He caresses your ass in both hands and gives them a slight squeeze, keeping them there he leaves a trail of kisses from your neck moving down your chest, then navel and now on his knees looking up at you he worships your cunt over your uniform. Giving little pecks around your hips, lovingly rubbing his hands behind the back of your thighs.

“Come on baby, let’s take these off shall we?”

Getting flustered under Jean’s touch, you nod and let out a “mhmm” gesturing for him to remove the bottom half of your uniform.

He does so carefully, putting one hand out towards yours to help you step out of your trousers, moving the discarded piece of clothing to the side with your foot. Inspecting the wet patch that had now formed in your underwear, Jean grazed his lips over the fabric, causing you to whimper out his name. Not being able to wait any longer he used two fingers from either hand to pull the hem of your underwear all the way down, you cock your leg and allow him to place them to the side. Your now glistening pussy in eye view for Jean he soaks your body in. Putting both hands on either side of your thighs and grabbing the fat gingerly, eyes wide on your beautiful folds.

“Fuck…” He breathes over you, breath fanning your cunt. “Look at my pretty girl getting so wet for me.”

You bite your lower lip at the sensation of Jean calling you a pretty girl, always making you blush no matter how many times he’d tell you. You run your hands through his hair as he starts to slip his wet tongue between your slick, moving up and down in a slow motion a few times before coming to find your sensitive spot. Your grip on his hair starts to tighten as he circles your clit, compelling you to give out a low groan. Jean loved every inch of you but could spend hours just lapping up your cum his mouth, worshipping your delicate little cunt. Seeing how aroused just his tongue could make you made him pull his hand down his trousers to give some relief to his aching cock,grabbing the tip and slowly jerking himself underneath his clothes while the other hands keeps you in place for his now sped up tongue on your swollen bud. 

Your moans help direct him into your core as he quickens the pace on his soaked muscle. Knowing exactly what you want and what you sound like when you’re close, Jean can feel you’re almost there. Your hands desperately grabbing and pulling at his hair while his head bobs up and down on your cunt, he takes his hand away from his cock to slip two of his digits inside your wanting hole. 

“Fuck, Jean…” 

You let out, being unable to keep your balance on the ground but his heavy capable hand keeping you in place. He curls his fingers to hit you in just the right spot, your body hunching over slightly you can feel the warm knot inside you begin to expel, out of nowhere your orgasm comes and a warm sensation runs to your head as Jean continues to finger fuck you with his mouth over your clit. He recognises the familiar reaction of your walls clenching in on him and moves his tongue down to lap up your juices.

“Fuck baby, did that feel good?”

Your cheeks now flustered and your neck damp from the sweat you’d worked up, you breathlessly nod, “Mmm, it felt so good, so good..”

Jean stands up, licking your cum from his fingers and using his thumb to wipe the corner of his mouth. He holds your trembling body in his, moving his hands down below your ass he hoists you up onto him and carries you over to the bed. Gently resting you on your back he comes up to the side of you and gives you a deep kiss. Slowly unbuttoning your shirt as he rests his head lazily on his hand, looking down at you he purrs “We don’t usually have this much time…” His fingers now on the final button, opening your shirt and revealing your bra, he unclasps the front and you adjust to help him take it off, now completely naked. 

His gentle fingers run up and down your torso as he looms over you, causing goosebumps along his trail.

“Baby…” Jean whispers in your ear. “Do you want to?”

Without having to say, you already knew what he meant. You thought about it for a brief moment, thinking about how you’d never get another chance like this for a while and how even though this wasn’t the picture perfect place for losing your virginity, you hadn’t bought into those kinds of fantasies anyway. You knew what you wanted, it was what you’d wanted for weeks, you wanted Jean to be the first to fuck you.

“I’m ready, if you are?”

You ask, propping yourself up on your elbows to give yourself a better view of Jean’s face.

“Oh, I’ve been ready baby.”

Jean teases, grabbing onto your side to pull you in closer to him. You roll your eyes at him and laugh at his usual overconfident remark. Smiling into a kiss he pulls his shirt off and while still connected to your lips he moves his body off the bed to hastily remove his pants, not wanting to let go of your face on his he clumsily stumbled whilst getting the last leg of his trousers off his ankle.

Grabbing your hips and pulling you to the edge of the bed he glances down at your perfect body, getting lost in the thought of how someone like him could ever end up with someone like you and how lucky he was. His thoughts were soon clouded by the image of your sloppy cunt, your soft, sweet face below him, ready for him to take you. 

Jean was taking in the sight of you beneath him, his thick, long member hard and leaking precum over the tip was almost painful. He lowered himself down onto your body and your legs naturally fell over his shoulders. Grabbing the tip of his cock you looked down and for the first time, you got nervous. You’d seen Jean’s cock before and knew exactly how big it was, but now you were nervous about it fitting inside you, you didn’t want to put him off by telling him just how scared you were so you flung your arms around him and landed your soft lips on his. Jean was rubbing the tip up and down your cunt, the sensation of your slick arousal was driving him insane, he wanted nothing more than to pin your legs back and have at you, but he was tensing hard enough to stop himself.

“You’re so wet for me baby, let’s just take it slow.”

You nod and slide your hands to cup his face. His tip finding its way to your entrance he slowly pushes himself inside and lets out a deep moan, clenching his eyes together.

Your walls instinctively tense up and you’re quick to grab Jean’s shoulders and use them for support. The stretching of your little cunt was getting slightly painful as your eyes started to water. From what feels like forever, his cock is still sliding inside, not even halfway yet, how fucking long was he?

“Fuck, Jean… fuck… just fuck me.”

You cry out as a desperate plea to get Jean to speed up. 

Opening his eyes he looks down to see your tensed face, he listens to your orders and picks up the speed. Jean felt bad for feeling so good, your tight pussy clamping down on his cock. His thrusts keeping an even pace, he comes down to suck and lick the groove of your neck, your voice cracks as you try and let out a “Yes, fuck, yes, yes…”

Seeing your face now turn from whimpering to bliss he smiles at his perfect little baby and straightens his back to put your legs on his chest. 

Thrusting in and out of your pussy, your cum coats jean’s thick and heavy cock, your moans sounding like sweet music to his ears. Holding your legs he passionately kisses the side of your calf. He pulls his hand down to your chin and holds it in place,

“Hey, look at me. I want you to look at me.”

Your head is foggy and vision slightly blurred but the sound of Jean’s loving voice brings you back to reality, you open your eyes and look directly at him, nothing but the sound of his skin on yours.

“Y/n, I love you.”

Your hand coming up to his on your chin, your eyes widen. You’d never heard him say that before and you just realised you’d never said it either. Which was crazy because without hesitation you knew how you felt when Jean said that,

“I love you too, Jean.”

Jean’s face softened, he looked down at you and smothered your face and neck with kisses that made your eyes roll to the back of your head. The sensation of Jean’s throbbing cock entering and exiting you as well as the attention he was now giving your upper half was driving you insane. The warm feeling returned to your stomach and a new sensation was flooding your insides, you felt like you were going to cum but you were sure you were going to piss yourself.

“Fuck, Jean, I think I’m gonna cum.”

Seeing how crazy his cock was driving you took him over the edge, seeing you all fucked out and in bliss over the fullness of him was just enough to bring him to climax.

“That’s it, fucking cum with me baby, cum on my cock.”

Getting faster you wrap your legs around his torso and let out a loud moan, your eyes wide and back arching you feel your wet cunt thump all over his cock, and just like that Jean wraps his arms around you and groans in your ear, breathy and low, his cock twitches inside of you. His cum empties in your tight hole as he catches his breath around you.

Now limp but still inside you, Jean places a small and delicate kiss on your forehead. Seeing your completely fucked out face he pulls you up and moves around the bed so your head is rested on his chest. 

You both breathe in the air around you and take in what had just happened. Jean pulls your chin up with his thumb so you’re looking up at him,

“I do love you y/n, you know?”

Your tired eyes beam up at him and your mouth grows into a smile.

“I love you too, Jean.”

You still had a few minutes left before you had to put your clothes back on and get back out to your friends. So with the little time you had you remained in each other’s arms, just happy to be close.

[philicheesecake]

Refugees pt 1 (vore fic)

Note: this takes place with my two newest OCs, Zi and Baka. I might write more about them as their story comes to me. I haven’t given them an exact size yet, but for now I’m saying Baka is 7-9 ft tall while Zi is 4 ft tall.

Warnings: Soft attempted fatal vore, minor burns and injuries, but safe in the end. A lot of cursing and general stinky behavior from Baka

—————

It had been nearly a week hiding underground. The sewer systems were growing claustrophobic and the darkness only grew as the two travelers tried to conserve the energy of their flashlight. Food supplies had run out two days ago, and both of them were growing restless.

Prince Baka as usual seemed to not take the situation seriously. How could he? He was a sheltered spoiled brat who knew nothing of how the real world worked. Zi was only doing their best to try to keep him out of trouble.

But now starving, with no clean water supply, and lost within the winding dark tunnels, anything seemed preferable to dying in here.

Zi stepped ahead through the tunnels, ears twitching as  they listened out ahead for any sign of danger before motioning behind them to follow. There was a pause, but now steps forward. Only an exhausted groan. Then a splash.

Zi blinked in confusion, turning to see the prince trying to get up, having to crouch badly within the tunnels even as he got to his feet, due to his towering size. With the dimming flashlight shining towards his face, his weathered features could be seen. A crocodilian-esque being with three webbed crests spanning from his head to the tip of his tail. His green eyes were dry and exhausted.

"Mmmstarvin'. Fuckin starvin' down here," the prince bellowed weakly. "Can't go on like this..."

Zi sighed, stepping patiently over to the prince and mutely held out their hand to try to stabilize him to encourage him forward. The prince leaned his weight on Zi, before toppling over, splashing into the smelly sewage on top of the smaller creature. Zi coughed, wiping the contaminated water off of their face and grunted as they tried to crawl out from under the prince, trying again to help him to his feet. The prince grumbled, resisting the assistance, seeming set on dying here and now, in the midst of his toddler-like dramatic tantrum.

"Mmmwwwanna die then," Baka whined.

Zi grunted silently under their breath, managing to crawl out from beneath the prince and tugged on the side of his arm to help him to his feet. The prince grumbled dramatically once again, not wanting to move. "Lemme stay here. Don't wanna move... leave me to die..."

His stomach growled pleadingly, echoing through the dark tunnels. Zi sighed, letting the prince's arm splash to the ground like a ragdoll. They picked up the flashlight again and stood before the prince, thinking quietly for a moment before speaking. "Wait here,"

With a small bow of their head, they left through the tunnels, leaving Baka lying baffled in the puddles. Baka had told Zi to leave, but he hadn't really expected them to. Zi had sworn to serve him until they were freed. Did they just see the prince's death as their chance of freedom?

"You can't fffuckin tell mmme what to do!" The prince babbled. His voice only echoed uselessly through the sewers. He let out a whale-worthy moan and slumped back down in the puddles. He smelled awful. He hated the smell. He hated Zi. He hated his family. He hated the world. He hated everything. With this litany of hatred coursing through his mind, he slowly succumbed to sleep, believing this to be death at last.

A gentle hand shaking his shoulder was what brought him back to his senses, and the returning light of Zi's flashlight. Baka grumbled tiredly, closing his eyes again, not wanting to be brought back into this hell. He was perfectly content lying in this puddle and hating everything, and sleeping. He didn't have to exist in this disgusting sewer if his mind was somewhere else.

It seemed Zi had other plans, however. The smaller reptilian's soft voice insistent through the silent dripping ambience of the sewers. "There is a path leading to a river. We can get fresh water and fish there,"

The prince seemed reluctant at first, but anywhere but here was ideal. He was starving, and fish sounded better than nothing. He hoped it wasn't raw, though. He groaned as he lifted his head, reaching for Zi for assistance to get to his feet. Zi complied as well as they could, though they were just as equally deprived of strength, they just tried not to show it as much.

They led the prince to a low opening where the sewer runoff poured into a polluted river. It wasn't the sight that Baka had wished for, but anywhere was better than those sewers. He was never going in there again. Zi made sure the coast was clear before hopping softly into the river and nodded for the prince to follow. Baka collapsed into the running water, rolling a bit beneath the surface before resurfacing, refreshed to have his scales rid of the sewage slush and at least feeling a little cleaner. It seemed Zi had already done so before leading Baka there, visibly appearing cleaner in the better light. Although it was night out in the fresh air, the light from the stars and moons was almost overwhelming to get used to after being stuffed in the pitch darkness of the sewers for so long.

Zi frowned, looking into the river hopefully, though even in the darkness, they knew the prince was right. "We can at least collect some water here. But we can't stay out here for long."

"You fuckin cheated me," the prince growled. "You kept my fuckin hopes up this whole fuckin time. 'Just last one more day sir,' 'now isn't the time for cannibalism. I am here to serve you'  'tomorrow we'll have better luck' 'tomorrow we'll have better luck' and again and again and again and AGAIN. I'm fuckin SICK of this disaster," he managed to get to his feet, swaying slightly. "So you have to serve me one last fuckin time here. Help me out,"

Zi's brow furrowed slightly, showing the slightest trace of concern before stepping closer to take to the prince's side, seeming to assume that Baka needed some help standing. Baka's behavior altered, however, gripping Zi a little too tight for support, instead, bringing them closer and his mouth yawned wide above them, suddenly clamping his jaws over their shoulders. Zi was shocked, sucking in a surprised breath. The prince had mentioned eating Zi before while they were in the tunnels, but they hadn't considered that he would really do it. In panic, they struggled against the prince's grip, but he simply ignored it. The prince's mouth watered heavily, drenching Zi's upper half with sticky drool and drew them in deeper, beginning to swallow. The throat opened up before them and the slight jerking of the jaws forced Zi in deeper despite their protests. The tight throat dragged them downwards more quickly with each swallow and the shove of Baka's hands.

He didn't have long to enjoy this feast, however, when a beam of light shown down from the slope near the river and a team of uniformed armed men were all directed at him, quickly making their approach to surround him. The prince tried to sit up, wincing as the weight in his stomach sloshed and resettled from the action. "Can you just leave me for five fuckin minutes?" Baka grunted. The soldiers surrounded him and patted him down to search for any weapons, finding none, before binding his hands behind his back and led him up to their transport.

Sitting alone in the back of the high-security transport vehicle, he could feel Zi's struggles begin to weaken. They were just as weak as him, and he doubted they would last long. They seldom spoke normally, though he could hear their normally level voice sound out more fearful, albeit muffled, pleading for reason. The prince didn't bother listening, pressing a hand to his middle to coax them into digesting already.

"You're wasting your breath in there. You dragged me through fuckin hell, and now ya get your fuckin share of it," Baka grunted under his breath.

Zi went silent, hugging themselves in the hot, slimy darkness. Their struggles stopped, but their breathing was still fairly normal, a little panicked. They were probably trying to preserve energy.

"My service meant nothing?" They spoke quietly.

"Your service meant food that I should've given into a week ago," Baka grumbled. "And now we got captured anyways, so dragging me through those sewers was fuckin useless."

Zi went dead still, probably from disbelief, or despair, though it was hard telling their reaction without a visual. Not that Baka cared anyways. They should be dead soon.

The car came to a halt and the back doors opened from the truck. Armed guards led prince Baka through a sheriff's office, leading him to one of the back cells. They had been remote enough to be far from the capitol, so the police had to wait for the officials to show up before transporting him back to the new enemies' capitol.

For now, Baka slumped within the holding cell, lying back on the hard bed. "I don't wanna die... they're going to kill me," Baka spoke to himself, though his occupant heard. Ironic that he was complaining about dying while he was currently killing his most loyal and perhaps only ally.

"If you let me out, I can help... we can escape again," Zi offered hopefully, trying to keep emotion out of their voice. It was really beginning to sting in there, and the acid levels were steadily rising. The clenching walls persisted to grind the caustic fluids into Zi's exposed skin, and it was growing increasingly painful and unnerving.

"Mmmh, I don't wanna," Baka responded.

"Neither of us want to die, Baka. If we fail, we both die. If we succeed, we both live. If you kill me now, it would be inevitable for both of us,"

Baka groaned. He didn't respond for a moment, rubbing his gut almost mournfully. The acids were getting worse from this action, their level rising to fill half the chamber. Zi withheld a worried whimper in their throat, trying to keep their chin above the acids. The walls suddenly clenched tighter around the smaller reptile, painfully this time, nearly crushing their ribs, before the motion forced Zi back up the throat, carrying them upward with difficulty. The little breath they had collected was squeezed out of their lungs and they choked on the slime around them, nearly suffocating before their release.

A gagging sound and a glimmer of hopeful light beyond the jaws greeted them before they were coughed up onto the floor in a puddle of slime and acids. Zi gasped for air, shuddering violently and coughed up the slime that had caught in their throat. They dragged themselves across the floor to prop themselves against the wall of the cell, looking over at the prince with unveiled residual fear in their eyes.

Baka was on the floor lying on his stomach with drool dripping from his jaws, looking further nauseous and miserable. He let out a long drawn-out dramatic groan.

Zi hastily tried to wipe some of the slime off of their face, glancing down with a disgusted shudder to notice the nasty burns that marred their scales. They couldn't focus on that traumatic experience though, shakily getting to their feet. They stumbled over to the barred entrance of the holding cell, examining the lock and took out a lock pick, beginning to get to work.

A small click sounded once they succeeded, and they looked over at the prince, trying to help him to his feet. His hands were still bound behind his back, and Zi was almost too afraid to release him. Just as they helped Baka to his feet, alarms suddenly blared. They winced, ears flattening back and they looked towards the doorway fearfully.

"...fuck," Baka growled.

"We have to go," Zi went out the opening of cell, looking carefully down the hallway. Oddly, the guards were nowhere to be seen, and action was heard further within. Their brow furrowed in confusion, and they stepped silently into the main area of the police station, Baka dragging himself behind them with no regards for stealth, and seeming further interested in making as much of a dramatic scene as possible along the way.

The door opposing them suddenly swung open and several assorted armed men entered, not wearing the police uniforms, and appeared like standard civilians. Their eyes lit up in relief and one rushed forward to greet the freed prisoners with a bow. "Prince Baka, please come with us. We're here to help, and we're loyal to your line to the end,"

[vizhi0nw]

Ghost

Pairing: Kenny Ackerman/OC

Warnings: Violence, Language. This chapter in particular contains extremely graphic content - rape, as well as disturbing gore. There is consensual smut, as well. 

Words:  5.5k

Summary: Kenny Ackerman had never met someone with a reputation just as bad as his own.

AO3

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

Part 2 of 4

Citadel

Eight months passed before another stranger burst through the door to Leyla’s shop.

The bottle of booze she’d shared with Kenny still sat, half empty, on the shelf. She hadn’t touched it once - it remained stationary, a reminder of her meeting with Kenny that she still, eight months later, couldn’t get out of her head. 

She couldn’t get him - that cocky smile emphasized by pearly white teeth, the smell of tobacco and sweat and blood, out of her head. Part of her had hoped he’d return, maybe offer to purchase something from the shop even though it wasn’t a shop anymore, it was just Leyla’s getaway. 

When the strangers entered, Leyla looked up, eyebrows raised, as she expected to see him - but instead she saw an unfamiliar face. Two unfamiliar faces, rough looking men with somber demeanors. They weren’t MP’s - they would have worn their uniforms, all poised and professional. No, MP’s weren’t this quiet.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” Leyla finished wiping down the countertop, tossing the rag aside and bracing both arms on the slick-clean surface. “This isn’t a shop. I know it says it on the sign but...we’ve been closed for a while.”

The two men looked at each other, exchanging glances. Leyla pushed herself up, fingers creeping beneath the countertop where she’d tucked a gun away, right between two bottles of liquor. Her hand closed over the handle right as the two men moved. 

Two bottles crashed to the floor as Leyla yanked her hand back, raising the gun and firing off a shot that caught the first man in the stomach. The impact of the buckshot knocked him back, and before Leyla could fire again, his companion had vaulted over the countertop. Ensuring that she had a firm grip on the weapon, she braced herself as she was slammed, hard, against the liquor shelf. More bottles toppled from their resting place, crashing against the floor. Wet, sticky wine cascaded down Leyla’s face, obscuring her vision, but her fingers managed to grasp the neck of a bottle. 

She screamed and smashed the half-empty bottle of booze that she and Kenny had shared together against the side of her attackers face. He groaned and covered his eyes, face marred from glass - Leyla fired off another shot from her gun at random and felt something splatter against her skin. 

Blood, not wine. 

Furiously wiping her eyes, Leyla blinked. There was a body slumped in front of her. Her other assailant was approaching, knife in hand, seemingly oblivious to the hole Leyla had blasted through his gut. She barely had time to brace herself before she was caught and flung across the countertop, tumbling and landing on the other side, hard. She heard something crack, but wasn’t sure what it was - a wrist, perhaps? 

Leyla’s gun was gone, missing. She lay, disoriented, on the ground. 

“Stupid bitch,” the man spat, palm clutching his stomach to prevent his guts from leaking out all over Leyla’s nice, clean floor. He snarled and kicked her in the abdomen with a steel-toed boot. Leyla grunted, teeth clenching together. “Gonna...fucking kill you. Gotta kill you.” 

“Like hell you are.”

Precision. 

With what little strength she had, Leyla launched herself forward and caught him by the legs. He fell, arms flailing. Leyla immediately went for the wound, gushing blood - she slammed her fist over and over into the bloody pit until her hands were stained crimson. Then, she reached down and twisted. His guttural screams filled the shop, until they didn’t. 

By the time she was done, he was dead, or very nearly dead. His fingers were twitching, eyes open but glossy. 

“Fuck,” Leyla grasped the lapels of his coat. “Who the fuck are you?”

She received only a groan. She reared back and slapped him, hard, and she seemed to refocus.

“Answer me! You’re about to die anyway - tell me so I can fucking kill whoever sent you on this mission!” 

“L-Lord Byren. He s-sent us.”

“Who the fuck is that?”

No response. There was no more life in his eyes. 

Leyla released him and let his head fall unceremoniously against the wooden tiles.

The shop was silent, save for the drip, drip, drip of spilt wine and liquor. It was all over Leyla’s face, shirt, and arms. The red liquid mingled with the blood and she couldn’t tell which was which or how much of each there really was. It made her nauseous. 

She slipped off the corpse, finally realizing just how badly she hurt. Her ribs ached, throbbed, and she assumed they were broken. She had a split lip and she could feel a bruise coming in on her cheek. Her left wrist was most definitely sprained. 

Still, she lived. 

                                                ______________

Kenny’s usual nightly walks through the alleyways of Mitras were normally the only time he truly had to be alone. 

It reminded him of his “wild days,” as he’d fondly referred to it, sneaking around and slitting throats by order of the King. Now, he was the leader of his own squad, and while he relished in the fact that he got to leap into action-head on and wield guns instead of knives, part of him missed it. The solitude. The mystery. The patience it took to stalk his prey and move in for the kill. Each time he walked along the riverside, he was reminded of the many times he’d frequented the water to toss corpses. He’d lost count of how many MP’s he’d stripped and dumped. It had to be in the dozens - hundreds, maybe? That’s what the legends were saying.

Kenny never listened to the legends. He, for some wild reason, found strangers recounts of his “wild days” to be boring. It was much better to do, not hear. 

The cigarette between his lips was starting to taste bitter. He discarded it, grinding it beneath his foot. When he looked up, he caught a flash of grey before he felt a surprisingly firm hand lay flat against his chest and back him against the alley wall. 

His knife was in his hand before the figure could even speak. 

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

Kenny paused. He was close, oh so close, to spilling the girls guts across the ground. He recognized her voice immediately, pausing only when she lifted her head to look him in the eye. 

A bruise marred the deep brown skin of her cheek. Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she hadn’t been getting enough sleep. Her full lips were stretched into a line, nose crinkled as she glared daggers at Kenny. 

“I need your help,” her voice was strained. “Kenny.”

He raised his eyebrows. She eased off him, stepping back a few feet. She wore an oversized jacket, hood flipped up over her head. She looked just as grimy and suspicious as Kenny did, and he almost laughed at the comedy of it all. 

He’d tried to kill her eight months ago. Yet here she was, asking him for help. 

“You know, I never caught your name before.”

“Leyla.”

“Leyla,” he tested the name on his lips. It was a pretty name for a pretty girl, he concluded. “What exactly do you need me for, Leyla?”

“I need information.”

“Information on what?”

Leyla glanced around. It was the dead of night, and Mitras seemed even deader. There were no MP’s slinking around at this time, nor were there any civilians out. This was Kenny’s hour, and nobody else’s.

Except for now.

“Two men attacked me yesterday. I managed to kill one and interrogate the other before he succumbed to his own wounds,” Leyla gestured to her bruised face with one jabbing finger. “Before he died...he said that a man named Lord Byren sent them. Does that name sound familiar to you?” 

Lord Byren. 

Kenny winced. He almost considered lying - he knew Lord Byren, of course. Or, he knew of him. The tales were far from delightful. The idea that he was going to potentially get involved with Leyla’s drama with Byren made him hesitate even telling her the information in the first place. 

Part of him, however, couldn’t lie. The stories about Byren painted him as relentless. He’d send more men and Leyla would die. 

Kenny coughed. He needed another smoke. 

“I know of him. Evil bastard, he is. He ain’t someone you wanna mess with.”

“I never stole from his estate-”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kenny hummed, lighting another cigarette and letting it hang from his mouth. “I told you last time, the people up here talk about you. The phantom. He probably sent those men because he assumed you’d come for his shit next.”

“I don’t know how he found me.”

“I sure as fuck didn’t tell him. Byren isn’t someone who’s company I frequent,” Kenny waved a hand. “You’re shit out of luck. That’s all I can tell you.”

Leyla reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She let out a deep sigh, eyes closing for a minute, before they opened, shining with renewed determination. 

“I need you to take me to him.” 

“Oh, for fucks sake, Leyla-”

“I have a plan and I need you for it. Please. You’re my way in,” Leyla gulped. “I need to get these people off my back before I can keep doing what I’m doing-”

“Have you considered that what you’re doing is stupid?” Kenny snapped. He tilted his head back and blew a long stream of smoke into the night sky. “I know you care about those people in the Underground, but take it from an old timer - they ain’t worth it.”

“Maybe to you.”

“You really wanna get yourself killed for those people?”

“Why the fuck not?” 

Kenny stubbed his cigarette a little too hard against the alley wall, ashes and embers falling to the floor. She was a stubborn brat. A stubborn brat who needed to wake up and realize that she was going down a path that would eventually get her killed. 

It had taken Kuchel’s death for him to finally, officially, shed the mantle of Kenny the Ripper and let his notoriety fade away. He knew that Leyla didn’t have the same luxury of family. 

“You’d toss it all away. Your life,” Kenny murmured. “For a bunch of bottom-feeders. Fucking pathetic.”

“I want this asshole off my back and I want you to help. You can either pussy out now or I’ll do it myself-”

“You ain’t doing it yourself. I’ll help you,” Kenny pushed himself off the alley wall, glancing down at Leyla. “On the condition that, once you’re in, I be nowhere near the scene when all hell breaks loose.”

“Deal.”

                                                    ____________

Kenny was staring. 

Leyla had caught him, multiple times. He’d tear his eyes away and pretend to be fiddling with his anti-personnel gear, his guns and his hooks. Then, his eyes would wander. His gaze would float across the expanse of her thigh, up past the corset squeezing her waist, to the mounts of her breast, the curve of her neck. He’d lick his lips, and when Leyla would gesture, he’d sharply turn his head and pretend not to be looking.

Rinse, and then repeat. 

Leyla hadn’t donned her work uniform in several years. She’d only worked at the brothel after her grandfather had died - he would have been ashamed to see her dressed like a harlot and taking cock for cash. She’d needed the money and had been desperate. She’d been lucky to have avoided the more...primal clientele, and when she’d left, she’d managed to save up a decent amount of cash to get by. It was then that she’d realized her true purpose. 

She’d kept the outfit for sentimental reasons, having never thought that she’d be putting it on again. She was painting her face, now making sure her cheeks were flushed pink and her lips were a deep ruby red. She’d styled the coils atop her head into a neat bun, with Kenny having observed, mildly fascinated, for part of the time. 

“Women and their hair,” he’d snorted and gone back to cleaning his gun. 

“Men and their guns. Always so volatile.” 

Kenny had ducked his head to hide his smile, then. 

Now, they were ready, with Leyla having donned an overcoat to hide her outfit, while Kenny’s own coat was hiding the armory of anti-personnel gear he’d strapped to his body. Then, they linked arms and began walking towards Byren’s palace, with Kenny taking the lead. 

The sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon, and Mitras was winding down for the night. It was the first time Leyla had ever dared reveal her face to the above-ground public, though she knew she wouldn’t be recognized by any of the civilians, or even the MP’s. 

She truly was a phantom. 

“Keep your mouth shut and let me talk,” Kenny pinched her arm as they approached the Byren estate. It was a mansion, similar to that of other nobility, right near the east side, near the wall. The house was a beautiful, architectural wonder with an impressive courtyard and columns made of bright, white stone. The gates were tall and made of iron. 

There were guards - two of them. When they saw who was approaching, they stepped forward. 

“Kenny.”

Kenny tipped his hat. He slipped his arm from around Leyla’s and gripped her shoulder, hard. “I have a gift for Vibro. I heard he’s collecting whores.”

Leyla bit her lower lip. This part had been Kenny’s idea - he’d revealed to her that Byren had a particular taste for women who couldn’t fight back, something that disgusted Leyla to her very core. 

“He is,” the guard said. He approached Leyla rather languidly, reaching out to unceremoniously grip her chin with one gloved hand. Resisting the screaming urge to bite his fingers, she allowed him to tilt her face upward, a thumb tapping her lips and indicating for her to open her mouth. “She has all her teeth. Good.”

“I thought he’d want them toothless. Less bitin’.”

“Will do.”

The guard shrugged. “He likes to take risks. She’s good - we’ll take her in.”

Kenny’s smile was wide and almost grotesque. “Tell him this is a ‘thank you’ for getting me out of a tight spot with the MP’s. I owe him.”

Kenny spun on his heels and walked away, not even bothering to shoot Leyla a final look. She could only watch him go for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest before the guard began dragging her past the gates and towards the house. 

The courtyard and the columns were becoming less and less beautiful by the second. The architecture seemed demonic instead of angelic. She felt as if she were being dragged into hell. 

                                                    _____________

Lord Vibro Byren was a disgusting creature. Middle aged, relatively solidly built. He had these blue eyes that seemed to swim with smug malice, and the shock of red hair atop his head was thin, but no less vibrant. He was the opposite of Kenny - dignified, polished, but Leyla knew it was all fake. It was all a ruse. There was a monster lurking beneath his nobility. 

Unlike Kenny, he tried to hide it. Perhaps it was because he had an image to keep up. 

The mansion's great room was open, with shockingly high ceilings and hanging chandeliers. The floorboards were a polished, deep brown wood and the walls were plastered with family portraits and painted landscapes. Leyla had been discarded before Byren, who was seated on a large, velvety couch. There was a woman splayed across his lap and a book in his hand, though he’d snapped it shut the minute Leyla had been tossed like a ragdoll into the room. 

Now, he was staring, eyes narrowed to slits.

“She’s a gift, from Kenny,” the guard said. “This is his ‘thank you’ for what you did last month.”

Byren hummed. The woman laying across him lifted her head from his chest and looked at Leyla’s with big, glassy doe eyes. She seemed under the influence of some sort of narcotic - opium, most likely - though Leyla saw no pipe. She moved at Byren’s command, scrambling off towards the kitchen when he lightly tapped her on the shoulder. 

Leyla could see a few other girls seated in the corner, huddled around. They were all dressed like her. Something about them seemed familiar, but Leyla didn’t have time to analyze their faces before Byren’s harsh voice snapped her back into reality. 

“Leave.”

The guard nodded and disappeared through the double doors from which he’d come. Leyla was alone with the beast, sitting before him on her hands and knees.

He sat up fully, adjusting his crinkled dress shirt. 

“Name?” 

“Rose.” 

“Hm,” Byren looked her up and down, his eyes, of course, lingering on her breasts. “You look decently fed. A bit too thin for my taste but...a whore is a whore. I’ll make use for you.”

“T-thank you.” 

“Kenny brought you, huh?”

Leyla’s face felt hot. In a soft voice, she said, “yes.”

“Did he fuck you before he brought you here?” 

Leyla shook her head. Byren seemed pleased, rubbing his hands together. He stood up, suddenly, and headed towards the kitchen. When he returned, he held a bottle of wine in his tight grip. Very slowly, be beckoned for Leyla to come closer. She obeyed, shuffling forward until she was standing in front of his seated form, the toe of her foot end-to-end with his own. 

He brought the uncorked bottle of wine to his lips, taking a massive swig. Then, he offered the bottle to Leyla.

“Drink.”

“I...I’m not-”

“Drink.”

It wasn’t anything other than a direct order. Leyla’s snatched the bottle from his hand and down a massive gulp, gritting her teeth at the bitter taste. He took the bottle back and let it sit on the table by the arm of the couch. Leyla still stood, awkwardly fiddling with the hem of her skirt before she was yanked into Byron’s lap. 

Big hands fondled her cheek. His lips were rough against Leyla’s own, and she had to kiss him back - she hated it. She hated how, for good measure, she shoved her tongue into his mouth and scraped her fingers across his scalp. 

He needed to believe her. He needed to believe her for just a few more minutes. 

There was a knife strapped to her upper thigh, and he had yet to find it. 

Leyla placed suckling kisses against his lower lip, tugging at the skin with her teeth. His hands were planted firmly on her waist, keeping her in his lap. Leyla’s own hands were free, one creeping very slowly beneath his dress shirt to palm the firm muscles of his chest, the other slipping beneath her skirt to grab the -

He seized her wrist, suddenly. 

No.

When Leyla ripped her lips from his own, he was smiling. 

“I knew a Rose, back in the day. She looked surprisingly like you.”

Leyla was discarded from Byren’s lap and onto the floor. His cheeks were flushed red, the buttons of his dress shirt popped open to reveal a heaving, tan chest. Those sick blue eyes were wide, and as Leyla scrambled to unsheath the knife from her hip, she heard the click of a gun. 

It was the doe-eyed woman. She held the weapon steady, though Leyla could see the faintest tremble in her hand. 

“She had a knack for poking her nose where she shouldn’t,” Byren began buttoning his shirt. “As did her husband. They were smart as a whip, both of them.”

Leyla sat back on her haunches and watched as Byren stood, sauntering back into the kitchen and returning with a gun of his own. This one was older, with a wooden handle carved with what appeared to be the estate’s official insignia. He held it up, angling it so Leyla could get a full view of the weapon. “I shot them with this gun, right here in this very room.”

Leyla’s throat went dry. Her tongue felt huge in her mouth, and she could only glare at Byren as he continued to talk as casually as if he were addressing the weather. There was a ringing in her ear and Byren’s next words sounded muffled, as if she were hearing him through a tunnel. 

“The woman choked on her own blood while her husband tried to save her. I shot him in the head. It was far quicker than what he deserved. I killed them both because they didn’t like what I was doing here. They didn’t like how I ran my estate and how I spent my own money. A shame, really. I considered them friends. They had a child, too. Cute little thing. Her name was Leyla, if I recall. I never forget a face, even if that face is all grown up.”

“You killed my parents.”

Byren tilted his chin upwards. He extended an empty hand and barked, “Marissa!”

The trio of girls huddled in the corner of the room all perked up. One of them - a plump girl with round cheeks and bright, blonde hair, walked over on shaky legs. All color was rapidly disappearing from her face as she came to stand beside Byren, shoulders bunched up, head ducked. 

“They didn’t like what I did to my toys.”

Leyla gasped as Byren cracked Marissa in the back of the head with the butt of his gun. The girl collapsed, letting out a keening wail. The double doors to the great room burst open, and half a dozen guards rushed in, guns drawn. 

Despair settled over Leyla like a raincloud. Byren was very slowly kneeling, having pulled his belt free from its loops. Marissa was lying on her back, trembling, as Byren very slowly peeled her skirt away from her legs. His fisted his cock and began to stroke, while the barrel of his gun prodded at the exposed lips of her cunt. 

“They didn’t like what I did,” Byren seemed to be speaking to himself, now, furiously getting himself off, eyes glued to Marissa. “They didn’t...they didn’t think it was right.”

He slipped the barrel of his gun past her hole. Marissa gave a wail. Leyla’s nails were scraping against the floorboard, and she was going to move - she had to move, gun be damned. She could move fast enough only if she -

BOOM.

Blood splattered against Leyla’s cheek and she screamed.

She heard one of the guards stumble away and vomit. 

Leyla turned her head away before she could fully take in the gore. She heard Byren grunt as his orgasm ripped through his body, and Leyla could only imagine him painting Marissa’s corpse with evidence of his release. 

She was dry heaving, the panic truly setting in. She heard Byron zip up his pants, the floorboard creaking as he stood. When Leyla finally dared to look up at him, she saw that his once pristine, white shirt was doused in crimson, and his hand, along with his gun, was drenched. 

“I’m going to keep you,” Byren said wearily. “I couldn’t keep your mother. But I can keep you-”

“Like hell you are!” 

Byren’s hand, the hand that was clutching his gun, practically exploded in a mist of flesh and fingers. More loud pops rang out, and several of the guards dropped dead. Leyla caught a glimpse of a figure zooming above the rafters of the high ceiling and out of sight. 

Leyla ran, fully expecting to feel a bullet pierce through her back. The guards were busy with Kenny, firing up at the ceiling, only to drop like insects when Kenny returned the favor. 

She didn’t. When she looked back, the woman, the doe-eyed woman, was still standing still, gun trained on the spot where Leyla had been lying moments ago. Byren was curled up on the floor, clutching his ruined hand. 

Leyla only had a moment to enjoy the fresh air of the outdoors before she was swept up by Kenny. She screamed and wrapped her arms around his neck, hearing him chuckle as he latched his hook onto a nearby building and soared over the gates of the Byren estate. Leyla kept her head buried into his shoulder, eyes squeezed shut as the wind tickled her bloodstained cheeks, tearing away her tears before they could fall.  

Any other time, she mused, she might have enjoyed flying. 

                                                  _____________

“You’re shaking, kid,” Kenny said softly. His own bottle of beer was half empty. Leyla hadn’t even touched hers. 

The amount of rules Kenny had broken for this girl was astronomical. Internally, he was screaming at himself, cursing, for even getting involved to begin with. He’d intended to walk away when he’d dropped her off at the Byren estate. Walk away, maybe creep in for just a moment to see how it was going, and then leave and, hopefully, never speak to the girl again. He hadn’t wished ill will on her - he would have been quite content, had she been able to kill Byren like she’d planned. But he hadn’t wanted to reveal himself like that, though he was unsure as to whether or not Byren, or the guards, had even seen him or really heard him to begin with. 

Still, it had been stupid. He’d come back, and for what? Some girl? Some girl he’d been tasked to kill a year ago? Now, she was here, sitting at his kitchen table, wearing one of his shirts and a pair of pants that, back in the day, had belonged to Levi. 

“He killed my parents,” Leyla said, her words barely audible. “I met him. I...I knew him. It was him. It was fucking him-”

“You still don’t know why he sent those men after you?” 

Leyla shook her head. “I don’t know why. He’s sick, Kenny. He’s sick in the head.”

Her fingers were shaking so hard that her nails were clicking against the table. Kenny reached out and placed his hand over her own, stopping them. They sat like that for a moment, until eventually, Leyla seemed to come back into herself. She reached out and finally down some of her beer. 

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Fuck, Leyla-”

“I won’t be able to do my job properly until he’s dead,” Leyla replied. “He knows who I am, now. He knows that I’m alive. He’ll keep sending people after me.”

“Not unless you leave. Get the hell outta’ the Underground. Go to Trost, or hell Shiganshina,” Kenny urged. He knew it was useless. She was a stubborn bitch. “This ain’t worth it, I swear.”

“I don’t fucking know anything else, Kenny!” Leyla erupted, her voice rising to a shrill cry. “I sneak and steal. Sometimes, I kill people. That’s all I fucking know how to do!”

“You can learn.” 

“I can learn when he’s dead.”

“This ain’t even about those people anymore. It’s about your parents. You’re on a goddamn revenge trip.”

Leyla’s slap stung. Kenny was anticipating it, but he’d forgotten that the girl could put some power behind her hits. When he turned back to look at her, there were tears in her eyes and her hands were trembling yet again. 

“Shut the fuck up.”

“See, that’s when I know you’re stuck. Ain’t nothing better you have to say,” Kenny ran a hand down his face. “Start livin’ in the real world, kid. There’s only one way this shit ends, and it’s with you six feet under.”

“I’m killing him. You can’t convince me otherwise. I’ll do it alone, too. You don’t have to get involved.”

��Good, cus’ I ain’t,” Kenny chuckled. “This one is on you.”

“That’s fine,” Leyla levelled a steely eyed gaze at Kenny, sinking back into her chair. She crossed her arms and stared at her bottle of alcohol. Letting out a tch noise, she pushed it across the table. “Finish this for me.”

“Can’t. I’m done for the night,” Kenny’s eyes flickered to the window. It was dark out. “You headin’ back home?”

Leyla followed his gaze to the night sky. She seemed to ponder over something for a moment, tongue flicking out to wet her lips. After a while, she made a low humming noise and said, “I feel like...I feel like I should do something thank you. I want to do something to thank you.” 

“You can thank me by not going on a suicide mission,” Leyla shot him a sharp look, and Kenny raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Fine, fine. I’ll drop the damn topic.”

“I saw you staring at me, when I was getting ready.” 

“I didn’t know you used to be a whore.”

“Only for a little bit, after my grandfather died.”

“The profession doesn’t suit you,” Kenny mused. Part of him wished he’d been more direct with his staring. Leyla was attractive. She was half his age, probably, but she still filled out a corset rather well, and her tits were nice. “You don’t take too kindly to men telling you what to do, it seems.”

“Who says they were the ones telling me what to do?” 

“When I fuck a whore, I like her to be responsive. When I tell her to cum, she cums. When I tell her to suck me off, she sucks me off,” Kenny sneered. “I like being in charge.” 

“So do I.”

“Then thank me this way,” Kenny murmured. “Let me take the lead.”

The noise Leyla made was intoxicating. Kenny’s dick twitched in his pants as Leyla languidly tiptoed over to him, her soft palm cradling his face. Then, she casually slipped her shirt over her head. Next, her pants, and then, her undergarments. She stood naked as the day she was born before him, shameless. 

She jerked her head towards Kenny’s dingy little bedroom, and he’d never stood so fast in his life. All thought flew from his mind and the only thing he could focus on was Leyla’s cute, round ass, her perky tits, the smooth plane of her stomach and the sparse, dark curls between her thighs. 

 When her lips met his, he was in heaven. Or something close to it. 

“Kenny,” his name rolled off her lips like sweet, sweet honey. His clothes were everywhere, on the floor, across his headboard - he didn’t care. He was tossing everything off as quickly as he could, craving raw, skin-on-skin contact with the woman currently lying beneath him. How long had it been since he’d taken someone? Years, possibly. Most definitely since before Uri’s death. 

“Fuckin’ hell,” Kenny pressed his forehead against Leyla’s shoulder. She’d taken his long cock in her small, yet rough hands and was stroking fervently. He turned his head and caught her in a quick kiss. “Gonna make me bust - let me in.”

Leyla kissed him again, chuckling against his mouth. He’d prepared her well with a few pumps of his finger into her tight cunt, and now, she was ready for him - all tight and wet and hot, just like he’d remembered. No, better than he’d remembered. Leyla wasn’t like the others he’d had before. She was different. 

He couldn’t put a finger on why, she just...was. Perhaps it was the familiarity. 

“So good. So fucking good,” Kenny gasped. He curled over her, pounding her into the mattress, one hand reaching up to grab the headboard. Her legs curled around his hips and her mouth was open, her moans punctuating the wet smack of skin against skin. There was fire twisting within Kenny’s gut, a raging inferno that made him feel as if it could burn an entire forest, an entire town, to the ground. It was all rage, all pent up energy - he needed it out. He needed it inside of her, nowhere else. 

“K-Kenny,” Leyla gave a strangled gasp, reaching up to drag her nails down his back as she came up. Kenny yanked himself out and painted her thighs with his release, reaching down to squeeze the last few drops against her skin, for good measure. He collapsed by her side, and Leyla leaned over to press a kiss against his shoulder. 

“Just stay the night,” he breathed. “I’m not going to be able to walk you home after that shit.” 

“Didn’t know you’d offered.”

“I’m a...goddamn gentleman. And an old man, at that,” Kenny’s eyes fluttered shut, and he heard Leyla chuckle. “Don’t start takin’ advantage of my generosity, though.”

“I won’t,” Leyla’s lips found his forehead. “I...thank you. For everything you did today.” 

Kenny was already asleep. He dreamed of Kuchel, that night, like he always did. Her corpse, cold and hollow, lying in the bed. He dreamed of Uri as well, though he hadn’t gotten to witness his friends death, and he was glad for it. The dreams never got any more pleasant, any happier. Shorter, maybe, but never better. 

He wondered what Leyla dreamed about. He would have asked her the next morning, but when he awoke, she was gone. 

[razorblade180]

Sunshower 9

Dusk time, the time every resident has been waiting for has returned once again. Decorations start to light up like yesterday and one by one people started to roam the streets yet again; including Neptune. He leaned against a small metal railing that went down to the beach via several steps. His pants were replaced with red shorts and a black, half buttoned up shirt. Perfect casual attire for having fun on the beach. It also was the only place his goggles didn’t stick out.

Even though the festivities had just begun, Neptune had already been patiently waiting for Ilia. Sun had informed them of conversation that took place by the lake and eagerly waiting to hear her interpretation of it. He’d had practiced pretending to be ignorant about it for an hour. Secretly being the friend they both turn towards for this predicament was rather challenging, yet flattering. Not to mention he was kinda living for this type teen drama. It was sure more investing than dealing with grimm.

Neptune:Hmmm, where the hell is she? I hope she didn’t change her mind.

“Freeze Human! You’re under arrest!!!” A voice cried out behind Neptune that made him jump instantly and turn around with his hands up.

Neptune:Officer I swear it was Su- Judy?

Judy:Hahaha! Man I got you good!

The fox officer laughed hysterically while holding their scroll sideways like a gun. Neptune would’ve been furious if he wasn’t busy looking at Judy’s outfit. The uniform from earlier was replaced with some blue daisy dukes that showed off her legs and a red crop top that proved that Judy definitely was the type who took police academy seriously. It was a good thing Judy had warned him earlier about using compliments like foxy because he definitely would’ve said it here.

Neptune:Woah.......

Judy:I could say the same thing. I guess earlier I saw you in standard clothes and not party attire. Not to shabby.

Neptune:Th...thanks. You look....wow.

Judy:Hmmm first woah, now wow. Here I thought you had flirting down packed.

Neptune:I’m...sorry?

Judy:Don’t be. Bumbling is was more adorable. *winks*

Neptune:*red* S..so, you’re definitely not dressed for work hehe. I guess you’re off the clock?

Judy:Yep! But technically an officer never really is. If something pops off and I’m around then you bet your ass I got to do something about it. With parties like these even the best of people can do something crazy with enough liquor in their liver.

Neptune:Hehe, ain’t that the truth?

Judy:Hmm, aren’t you too young to drink?

Neptune:.......

Neptune:Am I about to get a ticket?

Judy:Pfft, that’s not worth the ink; and you won’t just here me say that. When Menagerie parties like this then it’s pretty common for the young adults to end up drinking as well. If we tried to enforce a law like the drinking limit during these then we’d run out of trees to make paper in a day. So we let it slide. It’s a double edged sword though. Anybody who gets arrested for something better not hope they’re illegally intoxicated. We’ll add that to the charge.

Neptune:So I’m guessing you’re what, 21?

Judy:Actually I just turned 22. I don’t drink though. Not really my style.

Neptune:I don’t know many people like you. A badass older woman fox cop. That’s a mouthful.

Judy:.......

Neptune:What?

Judy:*hands on hips smirking* Give it a second.

Neptune:......!!! Shit! I’m sorry! Badass older...person. Was that rude? I didn’t mean to-

Judy:*grabs his shoulder* Neptune, was it?

Neptune:Y..yes.

Judy:I’m just messing with ya. Lighten up; just wondering if you’d catch on.

Neptune:I sort of put two and two together with a bit of Ilia’s help. Sorry, I have a couple of gay friends but non-binary is a new one. I’ll try not to slip up too much.

Judy:*grinning* I appreciate the thought. I’m not sensitive about that sort of thing though. Cops need thick skin and I’ve lived this life long enough to be comfortable with how I’m addressed. Feminine pronouns are no skin off my back. Brownie points though if you do get the hang of it though. It would definitely make you more....appealing.

That last word was said strangely to him. Either he was reading the room wrong or there was a definite vibe sh-they were trying to give him. The boy was definitely out of his league with this one. Judy watched his face get a little redder as he was finally let go of.

Neptune:Good to know.

Judy:That’s enough about. Wanna tell me why you’re standing here all alone? I saw your friend up at the Belladonna estate just a bit ago. Waiting on a date?

Neptune:No, but I wouldn’t mind one honestly.

Judy:*raises eyebrow* How bold.

Neptune:That’s not what I- I mean if you wanna. Wait, I’m doing something important! I’m waiting for Ilia; I’m supposed to meet her here.

Judy:She was looking pretty rough earlier. I didn’t think she’d party two days in a row.

Neptune:She sort of got persuaded. I’m wondering what’s keeping her?

Judy:Why wonder when you can ask? You have her number right? Face time her.

Neptune:Why not just call?

Judy:Trust me, she doesn’t answer regular calls nearly as often. She’s probably just laying around.

xxxx

“I’m going to be the number one hero!”

“Fuck yeah you are!” Ilia shouted at her tv proudly as she put a spoon full of cereal in her mouth. “I wish someone could give me a super power.”

Bzzz!!! Bzzz!!! Incoming call

She looked down at her scroll to see the little goggle icon she gave Neptune shaking side to side Ilia wasn’t stupid. She knew what time it was; she also knew that she still wasn’t feeling in a party mood. ‘Maybe if I ignore it, he won’t call it again? Then again, it’s face time. Why not just call? .....screw it.’ Ilia answers it.

Ilia:H-

Neptune:Where are you!? Party time officially began at least half an hour ago!

Ilia:Uuhhhhh, fashionably late?

Neptune:Is that why you have dried up milk in the corners of your mouth?

Ilia:.....*wipes mouth* Yes? Hehehe.

Neptune:Are you even dressed?

Ilia:...Does a sports bra and basketball shorts count?

Neptune:You wear a bra in the comfort and privacy of your own house?

Ilia:Yeah?

Neptune:Hmmm, you would.

Ilia:W..what does that me-

Neptune:Never mind that! Ilia, put on something party casual and hurry up. Don’t think I won’t drag you out of your house.

Ilia:You don’t know where I live Neptune.

Judy:*offscreen* I do!

Ilia:Judy!? Are you with my parole officer!!? Am I on speaker phone!?

Neptune:...That sounds pretty bad out loud but yes. Say hi Judy. *hands her scroll*

Judy:Hey Spots. You look comfy.

Ilia:I was. Now I’m suspicious.

Judy:Relax, I bumped into your friend and simply asked what he was doing. Apparently he’s waiting for you, so get off your butt and put on your dancing shoes!

Ilia:Shouldn’t my parole officer encourage me to stay in one place?

Judy:All I have to do is recommend you make good choices, which is something I never had to do with you personally because news flash, you’re a good citizen; reformed anyways.

Ilia:Woah, almost a complete compliment.

Judy:You know I find you endearing. Now are you real going to bum out on your couch watching anime.

Ilia:How did you know it was-

Judy:Or are you going to enjoy the night with your friend who keeps jumping every time he hears a wave crash on the shore?

Neptune:Hey!

Ilia:Sigh........uuuugggggghhhhh

Judy:FYI, if I see you out and about tonight then you don’t have to wake up early and report to me tomorrow. You can sleep in.

Ilia:.......

Ilia:Give me fifteen minutes.

Judy:I’ll give you twenty five. I can smell you from here. *hangs up*

Ilia:I don’t-oooohhhh Judy you.....why can’t I have a normal parole officer!?

xxxx

Judy:She’s on her way.

Neptune:You’re good.

Judy:Nah, Ilia is just a big softie. Even if she won’t admit it. I do hope she cuts back on the drinking.

Neptune:Pfft, after yesterday she already said she’s not drinking a single drop of alcohol.

Judy:Whay happened yesterday?

Neptune:(Crap....) Oh you know..... too drunk to actually enjoy herself. I mean you saw her when I had to basically carry her.

Judy:Hmm, you’re definitely holding out on me. I can hear it your voice.

Neptune:What are you a detective? Wait, are you? *eyes widen*

Judy:No, you’re just really bad under pressure. That’s enough of you talking about what you do with females at parties. We have time to kill. *grabs his hand*

Neptune:*red* Where are we going?

Judy:Standing in one spot is boring! We’re going on a little walk on beach. Maybe get our feet a little wet?

Neptune:That’s...you see....bodies of w..water and I don’t exactly go together!

Judy:Yeah right. Your name is Neptune and I can see the goggles on your head.

Neptune:(I’ve made a terrible choice in fashion. Sun, I don’t know how but you owe me for this one.)

xxxx

Yang:Oh, you’re back....

Sun:Yeah, I have a room here....

The two of them stood in the doorway of Blake’s house. Not many people have come to enjoy the festivities inside yet but those who did were treated to uneasy tension the two radiated. Neither of them had changed. In situations like these, you come prepared for the worst.

Yang:I don’t want to argue with you.

Sun:Me either.

Yang:So why does it feel like we’re one bad move away screaming our heads off.

Sun:Because you’re obviously defensive over this. As for me, I’m.....sad.

Yang:*frown* You’re not sad Sun. I know what sad is. What you are is hurt. Badly. Not that I blame you.

Sun:But you still insist on rubbing it in my face knowing how I feel? I thought you were better than that.

Yang:That’s not what- listen, I get it. I started ya off on bad terms and might’ve...deserved some choice words. My bad. Can we at least try to look past that?

Sun:*folds arms*....For Blake.

Yang:For Blake.

Kali:*walks up* Well that was a sorry excuse for an apology. Shouldn’t huntsman be somewhat good with deterring hostile situations. Both of you are scaring guest. Now I may not know the complete ins and outs of your problems but I know Blake cherishes you both; I cherish you both. Ghira might not show it but Sun, he is fond of you.

Something about hearing that made him smile a little. It would’ve been nice for Ghira to say it himself but still, it was nice.

Kali:If one of you is upset then Blake is upset. If both of you are upset with each other then you better believe that Blake will be concerned and I’ll be mad at both of you. So please, actually try and forgive one another; faking it won’t solve the problem. You’ll only end up more hurt.

Yang and Sun:.......Yes ma’am.

Kali:Sun?

Sun:Yes?

Kali:I hope you know that you don’t have to force yourself to okay so soon? As much as I would be thrilled if you were, we all know that’s not how these things work. Take your time. After all, this isn’t some physical injury you got. You’re heart broken.

He was. Sun didn’t really want to give it that label. Him and Blake definitely shared a lot of deep moments together since they met but they weren’t exactly plentiful. Yet somehow Blake....really captivated him. She was special to him. That feeling itself hasn’t changed. there was now simply miserable end layer that followed it; like bitter sweet chocolate. Coming here in the first place was struggle on its own. His chest felt heavy and face slightly warm. It felt wrong to not be completely happy for Blake. It felt selfish....

Yang:You know, Blake is still getting ready. Kali and I can tell her you stopped by to let her know you just weren’t feeling well? If that’s what you wanna do that is.

Sun:..Yeah. That might be for the best right now. *rubs head* Tell her I’m sorry too.

Yang watched him turn around and begin walking down the stairs. Guilt didn’t stop with him. Even she had to admit this isn’t what she wanted. Seeing Sun low spirited was unnatural. Things couldn’t end like that; not completely poor. “Sun!” She called out to him without thinking and ran to him. Sun turned just in time to receive an unexpected hug from the blonde bruiser. It took a moment before he returned it in kind.

Sun:.....

Kali:*smiling*

Yang:Please feel better. I mean that. You’re just not you without a smile. I’m...I’m sorry I took that from you. I didn’t mean to.

Sun:Something was going to be collateral. No way around that. Thanks though; I needed a hug.

Sun spent no time putting distance between himself and that house. The sunset had was finally fading int night and with it brought more active people out and about. Many heading to where he just left, but some preferred to make the streets their dance floor. He wasn’t quite in a mood for it however. Instead he sat alone on a bench near the beach entrance and closed his eyes.

‘I wonder where the other are? They should be around here somewhere. Heh, Ilia is totally gonna be pissed that I didn’t follow through. Well, not exactly. At least Yang and I seem a bit more friendly. Still, so much for a part do over’

“Someone looks pretty gloomy for them to claim that making friends is their so called secret semblance.” The sarcastic tone was all he needed to hear in order to know Ilia was right in front of him.

“Hi Ilia.” No effort was put into making that sound cheery. “Sun, please tell me I didn’t get dressed for nothing?” His eyebrows scrunched at her words in confusion before actually deciding to take a look at the her. Ilia wore a simple white tank top and jean shorts that looked ripped by her own doing. They were faded and stopped halfway down her thighs. The most surprising part about the outfit, other than it being like colors, was her shoes. Sun didn’t expect Ilia to own a pair of high top sneakers. They were so blue with yellow stitching.

Sun:Where are the others?

Ilia:Don’t know; I just got here.

Sun:What? Shouldn’t you have been here like an hour ago?

Ilia:*red* I-I almost bailed. I’m sorry...

Sun:Don’t be. I kinda wished you did. It would make me feel a lot better about not holding up my end of the bargain.

Ilia:Someone looks like they have a story to tell. Or a reason to scream?

Sun:Try both.

Ilia:I just might. After you tell me about it first. Scoot over.

xxxx

Ilia:....

Sun:Well? No comments?

Ilia:Oh I have comments. They’re just mostly I told you so. Seriously, I’m the one who suggested getting space away from this situation in the first place!

Sun:I’m pretty sure you did not phrase it as kind. “Screw Blake Belladonna mentality” was what you said.

Ilia:Same difference. You got the message.

Sun:Yeah. Sorry, you were right. If you wanna go home then I won’t stop you. I’m not in much of a party mood anyways.

Ilia:.....

Ilia:Too bad

Sun:What?

Ilia:I said too bad. I’m already dressed and out here. You’re stuck with me. We decided on three hours right? Plenty of time to turn this night around.

Sun:But-

Ilia:Too bad....*grins* Listen, would you really rather sit here alone and bummed out. At least around me you’ll look cheery by comparison.

Sun:That’s pretty when you think about Ilia.

Ilia:Trust me, I know. So let’s at least try to fix that!

Her words and attitude were picking up steam so to speak. Only a little awhile ago did Sun hear the girl want to do nothing but lay around but now she was at least trying to give him positive vibes to feed off on. He hasn’t seen this much enthusiasm since their race. “You’re a real haggler aren’t ya?”

“You’re one to talk, banana breath.” She folded her arms and smirked with pride. The petty insult managed to put more of a smile on his face. “Look at that, you’re looking better already.” He playfully rolled his eyes; she might’ve been right though. He’d let her have this little victory if it meant her spirits was lifted too. A smile on her face was beginning to be a rare thing.

The two kept trying to read each other’s facial expression in an attempt to get some sort of edge over the other to tease them about. That all stopped however when the same thought came to both of them. ‘How long have I been staring?’ Unknowingly this had been going on for a couple minutes. Not only that, they hadn’t realized how physically close they had gotten in the process. Someway, somehow, Ilia had inched closer to him until there was almost no space between them except for hands that were finger nails apart. Sun was no better. He was so focused on reading her that he actually had leaned in a bit. Their faces only a few inches away. Ilia’s skin flashed pink briefly before her immediate jolt backwards away from him. Sun wondered if she had noticed? He wouldn’t bring it up if she didn’t. Even he could tell his face was probably a bit flushed from the unexpected breach of personal space.

Sun:S..Sorry about-

Ilia:No, it’s fine. My bad. We’re cool......

Sun:Cool. Cool...*rubs head* so uhh, let’s find Neptune I guess?

Ilia:Sounds like a plan!

They hop up from the bench and begin looking too see if they could spot him. “Judy was with him whe he called me. I’m sure they’re on the beach.”

“Let’s go then.” His mind instinctively went to grab her hand. He had caught what he was about to do but before he could backpedal, Ilia’s hand met his halfway and grabbed it. Her own subconscious action startled her. She had seen his hand swing back to her and simply...reached for it. Ilia looked at their hands then at Sun who was more than a little embarrassed by the incident.

Sun:I-

Ilia:Yeah, this crowd is getting pretty big. Wouldn’t want to get split and then have to find each other too.

She couldn’t tell if she was giving him an out, being logical, or rationalizing what happened to herself; and she wasn’t about to linger on it. Now was the time for fun. Anything else can be dealt with another day. Ilia took the lead and lead him to the beach.

Part8

[heartofsnark]

Black Market Wonderland (Chapter Nine): We’re Covered In Lies and That’s Okay

Notes: I’ve given up on maintaining proper consistent schedules for my fics, but I want to attempt to update at least once every other month for each of my series that are going on rn. I always wanna say thanks for some of the replies/comments on my last chapter that were really supportive and awesome about my disaster of a situation with grad school. I struggle to like respond and be a functional human being, but i read everything and love you all.I will be trying to like alternate posting chapters to each series, monthly. So like, April is Tsun, May will be Dahlia, but uhhhhhhhh every time i try to be consistent, it blows up in my face so that's cool. 

Word Count: 7,152

Warnings: This one is pretty tame, cursing, some pettiness. I introduce a new OC cause i can’t fucking contain myself. 

Missed the last chapter? Link Here!

“Hmmm, I don’t know…” 

“Please,” Anais shakes her clenched fists in a begging motion, “please, please, please!”

The day has passed by easily enough, no snags or major confrontations from the idiots in the penthouse. A nice relaxed day of normal work with Anais clinging to her side, as they teach each other languages. It won’t be long before Tsuneko has to return her to her parent’s room for the evening, they’re walking that direction on the VIP floor.  All it took was mentioning maybe giving the young girl a present for her to start begging excitedly. Of course, Tsuneko already has the small pompompurin coin purse in her pocket, something she won in a crane game, but doesn’t need. 

“Hm, let’s see, maybe we can make it a reward. Do you remember how to sign, ‘hello, my name is Anais’?” 

“Yeah, see,” Anais replies with a big grin and signs the greeting, perfectly. 

“Here, you’ve more than earned it,” Tsuneko tells her, before handing over the little plush coin purse. Her blue eyes sparkle the second she sees it and she hugs it to her cheek. 

“I love it!” 

One of Anais’s hands wraps around Tsuneko’s, the other clutches around her gift, as they walk towards the room. The young girl is practically skipping as they near their destination. 

“Tsuneko,” a familiar masculine voice calls out, Mr. Bucci. 

“Hello, Mr. Bucci,” Tsuneko greets him, Anais hides behind her leg, shy around the strange older man, “Anais, this is Mr. Bucci, he’s a friend of my boss from Italy, why don’t you say hello?” 

“Ciao,” Anais murmurs, still a little awkward, but Mr. Bucci gives her a kind smile. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, say, Tsuneko. I’m sorry to be a bother, but would you mind showing me around the hotel? I’d get lost in a paper bag I’m afraid.” 

“Ah, I’m showing Anais back to her parent’s room at the moment, but if you could wait for just a moment, I can be with you shortly?” Tsuneko offers, even if the room isn’t far away, she wouldn’t feel comfortable just abandoning Anais on the VIP floor alone. 

“I don’t mind at all, go ahead.” 

Tsuneko excuses herself and Anais, leading the girl down the hall down to her parent’s room. She has a quick chat with Esme, about when the family is visiting Puroland, as well as the fact that Tsuneko may have days in the coming week where Ichinomiya will ask her to work outside of the hotel. It’s officially the second week of the bet and she’s expecting him to make a full force effort before the end of it, since he doesn’t seem keen on just giving up. She says her goodbyes to the family for the night and returns to Mr. Bucci in the hallway. 

“Sorry for the wait, sir,” Tsuneko apologizes as they start to walk towards the elevator. 

“It’s no problem at all,” he pauses for a moment, “I’m starting to understand more and more why Eisuke seems so enamored with you. Sweet, cute girl, great cook and good with children.” 

“Mr. Bucci,” her stomach churns at the thought of Ichinomiya’s saccharine fake smile, “you’re far too kind, I’m sure Mr. Ichinomiya isn’t quite as fond of me as you think.” 

“Nonsense, I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“Uh,” she stutters as they reach the elevator, wanting to escape this conversation, “so, do you think you know exactly what you’re looking to do? I’m sure you’re well acquainted with the casino, but there are also museums, theaters, pools, plenty of restaurants with food from all over. There’s actually an Italian restaurant, people say the food is really authentic, but I wouldn’t really know, personally.” 

“Actually,” he cuts off her rambling, “I was hoping we could have a chat over dinner. I’m sure Eisuke won’t mind.” 

She’s sure he wouldn’t, so long as Tsuneko doesn’t out his bullshit. Her regular rooms are all cleaned for the day, the only thing left on the schedule is cleaning the penthouse. So, it’s not impacting anyone else in the hotel and she tells Ichinomiya she was buttering up Mr. Bucci, he won’t particularly care. 

“Yeah, that should be fine.” 

It’s an awkward elevator ride to the floor with the restaurants, Tsuneko’s arms are folded behind her back to feign some sort of confidence, despite how badly she wants to run. She can’t say for certain what Mr. Bucci wants with her, perhaps just mining her for information about Ichinomiya, but why would he need her for that. There’s a devilish part of her brain that reminds her this would be a chance to out him, to tell Mr. Bucci all about the little game Ichinomiya is playing. 

But she can’t bring herself to do something like that. Ichinomiya is an asshole and all-around garbage excuse for a human being, but his success affects more than just him. If the success of the Tres Spades continues to grow and get more money, the employees continue to prosper and make more money. The Tres Spades isn’t some shitty corporation that pays them minimum wage and no benefits. Tsuneko’s situation is an extreme case, she knows that, despite his piss poor personality, Ichinomiya and the Tres Spades take care of their employees. 

Not to mention, another hotel, means more job opportunities for people who may need them. People who were like her when she applied, desperate and needing a source of income, could have an opportunity to do more than survive. 

Plus, if the hotel expands across the globe, it can help employees in other ways. She thinks of Chisato and Itsuki, the two are basically engaged, but can’t movee beyond that point if they want to because gay marriage isn’t legal in Japan. Chisato has been with the hotel for years and can’t just move to elsewhere without having a job at least as good lined up. If there were more locations, in places where it’s legal, she could have both. So, if the Tres Spades expands…

As much as she hates to sound like a capitalist, helping Ichinomiya really does have ripple effects that help more people. She has to find a balance of not fucking herself over, but not hurting anyone else in the grand scheme of things.  

Tsuneko would message Ichinomiya, to at least let him know why she’ll be late cleaning the penthouse and so he doesn’t suspect she’s going out of her way to ruin things. But the only way she has of contacting him is the pager which is on a speaker and she’s not giving that man her phone number. 

They arrive at the Italian restaurant the Tres Spades has and Tsuneko immediately feels out of place. It’s mostly guests here for a nice dinner, dressed to the nines, while she’s in her maid uniform. The mixture of cleaner products and sweat is still heavy on her skin. 

They’re shown to a table and Tsuneko is trying not to anxiously bounce or move around in her seat. Mr. Bucci orders wine and she gets water, he seems to be beating around the bush, dragging her discomfort out.  Tsuneko forgets what she ordered a moment after she orders it. Mr. Bucci is the dictionary definition of calm, as he takes a sip of his wine, Tsuneko is sick of this. 

“What did you want to talk to me about?” 

He puts his glass down on the table and gives a small chuckle. Mr. Bucci has never struck her a mean or cruel man, but he’s a mob boss. There are so many dangerous places this conversation could go. 

“Cutting right to the chase, are you?” 

“My heart can’t handle doing anything else.” 

“There’s no need to look so scared, relax, eat.” 

She pops an appetizer into her mouth but can’t quite appreciate the taste through her nerves. The attempt seems to appease him to some degree, as he clears his throat to speak again. 

“Carolina has become rather infatuated with Eisuke, despite him having feelings for you.” 

“I don’t think he-”

“Please, humor me,” he puts his hand up to make her shush, “I know Carolina has been taking things out on you, which isn’t right, but she’s always felt her emotions very intensely. If your and Eisuke’s relationship were to go further, it would crush her, and she’d only get nastier with you.”

Is this entire dinner about warning her away from Ichinomiya for Carolina’s sake? Because that’s not an issue. Tsuneko wouldn’t waste her time fighting over a man she liked, let alone one she’s actively trying to avoid.  

“I know it’s asking a lot, but it would be nice if you and Carolina could become friends.” 

“Huh?” 

“I was hoping from the way he acted last time they met, perhaps he had feelings for her as well, but it can’t be helped. If Carolina could see you as more of a friend, less of a rival, I think it would be good for both of you.” 

“Uh,” that’s not what she expected, “if this is all about getting me to make nice with your daughter, I’m not sure there’s much I can do. I’m not exactly the one making it, uh, contentious. And even if I did, I’m not sure if it would make her feel any better about Mr. Ichinomiya.” 

“I know my Carolina can be difficult, but I do think it would help for her to have a friend here.”

“I’m not confident that I’m the best choice for that.” 

“It would mean a lot to me if you tried, maybe a girl’s day for the two of you could be arranged?” 

Tsuneko chews her lip and pokes at her meal, unsure of what to say or do. Her leg bounces beneath the table. Mr. Bucci strikes her as sincere, he genuinely wants the best for his daughter. And Tsuneko can see his point, Carolina doesn't strike her as the type who probably has a lot of female friends. The kind of mentality where Women are competition and men are some sort of prize. Which is exhausting. Both for those around her and surely for her as well.

"If you can get her to agree, I'll be more than happy to spend a day with her."

"Wonderful. I'll let you know when a date is arranged." Mr. Bucci smiles at her and Tsuneko prays Carolina refuses. The meal concludes with Tsuneko trying to hurriedly eat her entree, as to not waste the previously untouched food, and Mr. Bucci insisting on paying. 

Her mind wanders as she makes her way to the penthouse, she thinks of what he said, about believing Ichinomiya might have had feelings for Carolina. Everything he does, especially for business, is intentional. Even the smallest gesture calculated. He doesn’t give soft smiles or too long touches by accident. 

And while Carolina might be the type to misinterpret signals, her father doesn’t seem as apt to do so. Which, makes her wonder, did he lead Carolina on for the deal? Not that she thinks much of him to begin with, but that’s another layer of gross. 

She arrives at the penthouse, seeing a mish mash of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Baba and Kisaki are the only two of the auction managers there, but there’s four women gathered around them. Three she doesn’t know and one, she’s sadly familiar with, the girl who insulted her weight at the event Ichinomiya dragged her to. The women are undoubtedly beautiful, dressed in short seductive dresses. They’re guests, or at least she has to assume so, which sadly means Tsuneko needs to be well behaved. It’s one thing to mouth off to the assholes who bought her, but actual guests of the hotel she has to behave around. 

“Hey, princess,” Baba greets her, a woman with long red hair on his left and another with raven black hair on his right. The girl from the event is next to the red head, while another blonde is practically sitting in Kisaki’s lap. 

The three unfamiliar women give Tsuneko a quick once over but seem to ultimately decide they don’t care about her presence. While the one she’s met before, maintains a sharp cruel gaze. Unlike the other three, she doesn’t even seem to be fawning over the men, almost bored with this. 

“I’m here to clean,” Tsuneko announces with a customer service smile, “would anyone like anything to eat or drink before I start?”  

Kisaki and Baba shoots her confused looks, no doubt taken aback by her kind attitude. However, she can’t risk being inappropriate around actual guests. 

“Make yourself useful and get us some wine,” the familiar woman pipes in, showing off her empty glass like Tsuneko is too stupid to understand otherwise. 

“Of course.” 

She gathers the empty glasses and makes her way to the penthouse kitchen area.  There’s a bottle of fancy red wine on the counter, from whenever they first served it, so she tops off each glass and brings it out to them. 

“So, you let maids up here?” The redhead asks, twirling a crimson lock around her finger. 

“Koro’s special,” Kisaki taunts, despite his sugary sweet smile, and she bites her tongue, only sending him a quick pointed glare. 

“I’m the penthouse maid, Tomori Tsuneko.” 

“I think the dog name suits you more,” the event girl tells her, her eyes sharp. She’s a pretty girl, a shaggy pale blonde bob hair and burnished orange eyes. 

“You’re so mean, Kaede,” the blonde on the arm of Kisaki’s chair gushes out, like it’s cute. 

“If that’s all, I’ll begin cleaning now.” She at least has a name to attach to the mean girl, though she’s not sure how much that will actually help her. 

Tsuneko busies herself with cleaning the lounge, letting the residents become background noise. She manages to catch that Baba is reading the girl’s fortunes with cards. All of them but Kaede, oohing and aweing over it. 

“Hey, pretty lady, come over here,” Baba calls over suddenly as Tsuneko is dusting, every fiber of her being wants to tell him to shush and let her clean. But there are guests, actual guests here. 

“Is there something you need, sir?” She says instead, hoping the sir will somehow get her point across. Yet, Baba is smiling like a damn idiot. 

“Do you wanna have your fortune read?” 

There’s an annoyed twitch behind her eye, she is working. She can see Kisaki gremlin smirking out of her peripheral vision. They’re trying to push her buttons. 

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m working, sir.” 

“Oh, there’s no need to be shy, you know you can always call me Micchy!~” 

He winks at her, three girls giggle, but Kaede still shows no signs of being entertained. Instead, her nose wrinkles. A clatter of glass as she smacks her finger into the stem of her wine glass, knocking it from the table. 

“Ah!” Tsuneko flusters and rushes, she catches the glass before it shatters, but red wine drenches the front of her uniform. It soaks and chills through the fabric, making it stick to her. 

“Couldn’t let you slack off for too long,” Kaede tells her, voice hushed and a mean little smirk pulling at her lips. 

The door to the penthouse opens within the next moment, Ichinomiya and Oh entering the lounge. Like moths to a flame, suddenly the four women all flock over to them, abandoning Baba and Kisaki. 

“Eisuke, it’s great to see you again!~” Kaede gushes and he narrows his eyes. 

“We were waiting for you to get here!”

“I didn’t think we’d actually get a chance to meet the king!” 

“You’re even more attractive in person, oh my god!”  

“Are you okay?” Baba asks her, suddenly close and in her personal space. 

“Yeah, better on me than on the linoleum,” she awkwardly tugs at the wet chest of her uniform, cold drops of wine rolling down her cleavage, that Baba’s eyes seem to follow, “nothing got on your cards?” 

“Of all the things for you to be worried about,” Baba looks her in the eyes again and sighs, like he’s dealing with a child. 

“I mean, I could also worry about how you two just got ditched for Ichinomiya,” she teases, voice low, as Baba carefully takes the glass from her hand. He’s being, nice. 

“We’re used to it by now, some girls will do anything to get close to boss.” 

“What’s going on here?” Ichinomiya questions, glaring at the women for a moment, before his eyes land on Tsuneko and her wine-soaked uniform. 

“We just thought, it’d be okay for us to come up here and spend some time with you,” Kaede tells him, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. 

“I take it, we know who’s to blame for letting you up here,” Oh glares at Baba who just grins. 

“What’s wrong for having some beautiful women here?” 

“Women who find it necessary to throw wine at my staff.” Ichinomiya narrows his eyes at Kaede, he doesn’t even have to wonder who’s to blame. 

“Accidents happen,” Kaede waves it off, “she’ll be fine, why don’t we have a drink, just the two of us?” 

“Get out.” 

“Huh, don’t be ridiculous-”

“I don’t have time for this, get out, now.” 

Slowly and with their heads hanging down, the women leave the penthouse, like they’ve been scolded. Which, she supposes isn’t that far from the truth. 

“Ugh, I can still smell their perfume,” He’s not wrong, the smell of expensive perfume still hangs in the air. 

“Are you sure you should talk to guests like that?” 

“They’re not staying here.” 

“What?” 

“Those women just hang around in the casino, like flies,” Oh explains. 

“God damn it, I was polite for nothing!” 

“It was so funny watching you try to behave yourself.” Kisaki snickers. 

“Oh shut up, now, if you’ll excuse me,” she says and starts to head to the door, wine making her thighs stick together awkwardly. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ichinomiya stops her. 

“I’m gonna go change then come back to clean, the wine didn’t get on anything else, so don’t worry.”

“You’re going to let guests see you like that?” He narrows his eyes at her, and she looks down at the mess on her uniform, not that she needs to, she can feel it sticking to her. 

“Well, it’s not going anywhere on its own.” She flails her arms out, glaring at him, what the hell does he expect?

“I’ll see if Kenzaki can bring you up a change of uniform.” 

“Come on, you can get cleaned up in my bathroom and we’ll get your uniform taken care of,” Baba says, placing a hand on the small of her back as he leads her towards his suite, even though she knows where it is, his hand is welcomed warmth against the chill of the spilled wine.

She steps into his bathroom, familiar with the elaborate set up. The sun is just starting to set, shining orange golden light in through the giant window. 

“There’s bathrobes for you to change into or you can borrow some clothes from me if you’d like.” He winks, because of course he does. 

“I’ll take the bathrobe.” 

He gives a melodramatic pout and she pushes him from the bathroom. The door shut behind him, she takes off her shoes and starts to unbutton her uniform. Her eyes dart between the tub and the shower, immaculate. The idea of relaxing back in a hot soapy bath looking at the sunset out the window, sounds so nice. However, reality is a cruel mistress, and she doesn’t have the luxury of taking her time and relaxing. She’s technically on the clock and she’s better off just taking a shorter shower. 

There’s a bit of relief from the sticky wine, tacky on her skin, when she lets her uniform drop to the floor and peels off her stockings. The worst of the mess is off her, but it’s well soaked through the layers to her skin. She can even feel the residue on her nipples where it’s dripped down and soaked through her bra.  Her underwear joins the pile of clothes and she starts up the shower, steam filling the room. 

She leaves a towel over the stall door and steps under the hot water. There’s an array of the hotel provided items with soft clean neutral scents, but she notices a few of Baba’s products as well. They’re all rose and jasmine scented, floral almost romantic scents. Not that different from her own shampoo, but just slightly stronger. Of course, he drinks rose tea and uses rose soap, like the cheesy schmuck he is. Those thoughts don’t stop her from using it. Tsuneko’s muscles relax as she washes the grime from her skin and hair, not just the wine but the sweat of the day so far.  

The door creaks as she’s massaging soap into her breasts, she jolts, a slick mess of suds and water in the shower stall makes her feet slip. She just manages to burrow her fingers into the towel before she yelps out, her ass hitting the floor. Pain shoots up her tailbone. The door swings open further. 

“Tsuneko!” Baba’s voice jumps an octave as he rushes into the room, whirling around to see her. She scrambles to place the towel, so it covers her chest and groin, though she feels like he probably already got an eyeful in the amount of time it takes her. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” 

“Are you okay, I heard you yell?” 

“Yeah, because you opened the fucking door!” 

“Uh, oh,” realization seems to dawn on him, and he covers his eyes before turning his back to her, “I was going to get your clothes, so we can send them to be cleaned.”  

“You couldn’t have waited?!” 

“The quicker they’re washed the better, you don’t want the stains to set.” 

“Just go!” 

Baba flusters about for a moment before grabbing her pile of wine-soaked clothes and leaving the bathroom. She heaves out a deep sigh, once she hears the door shut behind him. Tsuneko gets back up on her feet, the towel is completely soaked now, so she tosses it aside. Fearful of another interruption, she finishes up as quickly as possible. 

She shuts the shower off and does a quick dry off.  They’re probably still sticky, but she goes to grab her underwear, to find they’re not there.  Great, so not only has Baba seen her naked, but he knows what kind of underwear she wears. And, she’ll be wearing a bathrobe with nothing underneath,  around them all. Lovely. 

The bathrobe is clearly meant for an adult man and she doesn’t see any in smaller sizes. It’s soft fluffy white material, she pulls it on, she feels and looks a bit like a marshmallow, but that’s not a complaint. Plus, the excess fabric should make it easier to stay covered. It sags a little low on her shoulders, the sleeves hang over her hands, and the bottom drags across the floor as she leaves the bathroom. 

Baba is just outside the bathroom door and she can’t help the pout that pulls at her face, asshole. He’s smirking in response and her fist is connecting with his side in the next moment. He barely flinches at the strike and she can feel the muscle beneath his shirt. 

“Pull that kind of shit again and I’ll castrate you.” 

“I only had the best of intentions, scouts honor.” He gives a cheesy little smile and scout salute, that she isn’t buying for a second. 

“Hmmph.” 

She lets out a huffy noise as she fixes her still damp bangs and moves towards her stuff that’s on the side table. Baba must have taken them from her pockets when he got her clothes. There are wine stains on some of her sticky note pads and a bit on her phone case, the phone itself doesn’t feel soaked, however. It’s already been scratched all up, she’s not sure how much more it can handle. 

“This is the first time I’ve seen you with your hair down, somehow you just manage to get prettier and prettier.” 

She rolls her eyes at his compliment, despite the heat in her cheeks. It’s sweet and she’s sure he’s right, the only one who’s seen her with her hair down fully was Kisaki when he was fixing it for the event. She twirls a still damp lock of her around her finger. 

“You never lay off with the cheesy shit, do you?” 

“I’m just an honest man.” 

“You walked in on me showering and stole my underwear!” 

“I was honestly trying to help.” 

A heavy sigh escapes her as she puts her phone in the robe pocket and heads to the lounge, hopefully Kenzaki has brought a change of uniform for her. Baba follows after her, Kishi is on one of the couches smoking a cigarette. He managed to miss the chaos, lucky him. 

“What the hell?”

“Don’t ask.” She waves him off, dismissing him and his smoke cloud as she takes a seat. Tsuneko is careful to fold her legs in the chair so she stays cocooned and covered in the robe. 

“One of Boss’s fangirls got a little testy.” 

“There are no spare uniforms in your size, so you’ll have to wait until laundry services washes yours,” Ichinomiya explains to her. 

“So, what I’m hearing is I’m getting overtime pay?” 

Ichinomiya sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, but he doesn’t argue with her. At the very least a bit of extra money in her bank account, but now she’s stuck spending time with them. Last time she was actually sat down with them was when Ichinomiya gave her the confidentiality agreement, before she proposed the bet. She can remember just how tense and rigid she was, now she’s curled up in a robe. 

She fiddles with the edge of the robes sleeve, suddenly aware of the strangely vulnerable position she’s put herself in with them. Hair damp from the shower and still down, not a smudge of makeup, in nothing but an oversized robe. Something about it all seems cozy, comfortable. She curls her knees in a bit closer at the thought, as if providing a bit more protection. 

“Since you’ve got time you want to get your fortune read, now?” Baba offers, smiling. 

“Aren’t you a little old to believe in that kind of shit?” 

“You wound me and so soon after our special moment together in the shower.” 

“Don’t say shit like that!” She reaches out and smacks him with the long sleeves of the robe, it hits his face and he just keeps grinning. 

“Don’t tell me you’re into old men, now, Koro.” 

“He walked in while I was showering!” 

“You really have the worst luck, don’t ya?” 

“You’re telling me. Speaking of shitty luck and women who hate me, Mr. Bucci wants me to spend time with Carolina.” 

“Does he now?” 

“And you actually agreed to that?” 

“What was I supposed to do?” She shoots Oh an incredulous look. 

“I’m not sure that’s the smartest idea, princess.” 

“Mr. Bucci is gonna talk to her about it, best case scenario she refuses and worst case scenario I have to suffer through a day of her snide little insults.” 

“Did you forget they’re mafia members?” 

“And Carolina is jealous of you.” 

“So,” she shrugs at Oh and Baba’s implications, “she’s not gonna do anything crazy.” 

“You can’t let your guard down around people like that.” 

“What’s that suppose to mean, slacker?” 

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

Kishi and Oh are glaring daggers at each other, Oh’s hand starts heading towards where she’s sure his gun is. She tries not to snicker and starts scrolling through her phone again. Ichinomiya clears his throat, stopping the short-lived altercation. 

“Make sure you take your pager.” 

“Why, so you can badger me when you want coffee?” 

“Just do what I say.” 

“Just do what I say,” she mocks him, not bothering to look up from her Instagram feed. Chisato posted a cute selfie, that she gets a glimpse of before her phone is pulled from her hand, “hey!” 

Kisaki has a hold of her phone, he’s perched himself on the arm of the chair she’s sitting in, his smarmy gremlin grin on his face. She doesn’t need him going through her phone, she’s already had one of them see her practically naked today. 

“What are you look- hey,” she grabs her phone and yanks it from his hand, before pushing him off the chair arm. He gives a little yell, before his ass hits the floor. 

“Don’t touch my phone.” 

He shoots her a disgusted look from the floor and she hears the other men snickering. 

“You’re so aggressive,” he says, glaring at her. 

“Do you have something on there you don’t want people to see?” Baba asks, smirking. 

“What is or isn’t on my phone is none of your concern.” 

“You’re not helping yourself.” Ichinomiya isn’t looking up at them, but he’s smirking just the same. 

“You’re not wrong.” She sighs, hiding her phone away back in her pocket. 

There’s a knock, before Kenzaki steps into the lounge, carrying a laundry bag. 

“Tomori’s clothes have been washed.” 

She’s already out of her chair and making a beeline for Kenzaki, plucking the laundry bag from his hand and muttering a thanks before heading towards Baba’s bathroom. Tsuneko double, triple, checks that the door is locked before she starts to change back into her uniform. There is absolutely no signs of the wine on her uniform, the laundry services at the hotel are beyond amazing. Once she’s changed and tucked everything back into her uniform pockets, she’s able to get back to work. Cleaning the lounge and suites doesn’t take her much time at all

Tsuneko returns to her dorm later than average, going through her nighttime routine of caring for Kiyo and preparing for that stupid auction. The only thing unique to the whole process at this point is crossing off days until the end of the bet. It’s the final marker of the whole routine now, the last thing she does before she closes her eyes. 

The next day at work isn’t quite as entertaining, Anais is enjoying Puroland with her family. Meaning, Tsuneko is left to her own usual routine. The first part of her shift passes by calmly and she gets to go enjoy lunch on time. Sakiko is eating a later lunch, Chisato and Itsuki got their lunch breaks to match up and are having a more romantic venture. So, Tsuneko decides to go out grab a quick bite during her break. Chisato already warned her that the gossip about Tsuneko working in the penthouse is only getting worse, so she’d rather have some distance between herself and her coworkers for a moment. 

After filling her stomach with hamburger steak and catching up on Monster Lovers during her solo lunch, she’s headed back to the hotel. There’s a soft breeze blowing through as she reaches the backlot, just as a group of unfamiliar men venture through the back door. What are they doing? It’s always something at this fucking hotel. 

“Excuse me, sirs!” She yells out as she starts sprinting after them, whatever reason they’re here, she plans on finding out. They don’t stop or respond out of earshot as she starts into the hotel. A glimpse of their back as they venture down the stairs, down to the basement level, she yells again. No response as they continue towards the sub-basement level, Wonderland. 

“Hey!” Her voice jumps up another three octaves as she rushes down the final set of stairs. There are even more unfamiliar men there, a line forming out of Wonderland door. Men shoot her confused looks. It’s all random men of all ages and appearances, though, most don’t seem too pleasant. 

She stomps and pushes her way through, all of the men shooting her dirty looks as she elbows her way through the crowd. Finally, she manages to make it into Wonderland. The Hatter is at the table across from one of the men, who have flooded the room.  He has a notebook open before him and is scribbling notes, like he’s interviewing them. 

“What are your hobbies?”

“Horse races, dog races, poker, pachinko.” Some man tells the Hatter in a gruff voice. 

“Oh, so you’re a gambling man then. How much would you say you usually bet at once?”

“Everything I have at the moment.”

“You like high stakes bets then!”

“I borrow money from friends sometimes, tell ‘em I’ll pay them back with interest.”

“Have you paid any of these friends back?”

“Not yet.” 

“Alright then. Next, please,” he calls another strange man forward to take the other’s place, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Hey.”  

“I have several questions I’d like to ask you; do you live nearby?” 

“About thirty minutes by train, I guess.” 

“Yes, that’s a very fine distance; what are your hobbies?” 

“Afternoon naps.’

“Pffff,” she scoffs, making both the man and the Hatter looks up at her. 

“Alice! Where have you been?” The Hatter shoots her a bright smile, while the man is glaring. He barely looks old enough to drink, so if he’s trying to look scary, it’s not going to work for him. 

“I just got back from my lunch break, what is all of this?” She gestures to the crowd of men. 

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Not in the slightest.” 

“I’m having auditions for the new March Hare and Dormouse.” 

He’s not seriously letting strangers back in here, so soon after being robbed. 

“And where exactly did you find these men?” 

“I put an advertisement up on the website craigslist.” 

“What?” Her eyes grow wide, that’s so dangerous, people have been killed from doing stupid shit like this. 

“The online world is dull compared to Wonderland, but it’s very convenient.” 

“No way, nope,” she shakes her head emphatically, “you’re not doing this.” 

She pulls a chair from the table and climbs to stand on it, drawing attention to herself as well as seeing over the crowd of strangers. 

 “Alice, what are you doing?” 

“Hey,” she calls out, “I’m sorry, but you all need to go! The position is closed, there is no job, sorry for the trouble, you gotta get out of here!” 

“Alice!” The Hatter’s yell cuts through the disappointed grumbles of the men, she’s never seen him so angry, “please, do not act selfishly like that!” 

“Selfishly!?” 

“They all came out to be interviewed and you’re being rude!” 

“I’ll show you rude, everybody get the fuck out!” She stomps her foot down on the chair for emphasis. 

The Hatter is glaring at her as the men slowly make their way out of Wonderland. She needs to call Kenzaki and let him know, in case any of them get wise ideas about venturing through the hotel and causing trouble. Tsuneko hops down from the chair as the last man meanders out, grumbling under his breath about how good the pay was and she shuts the door behind him. 

“Why did you interfere?” The Hatter is glaring with a heavy, childish pout. 

“Because that was beyond stupid, that’s why!” 

“I must find a new March Hare and Dormouse! You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?”

“That’s not the point, I don’t give a shit about the hare and mouse!” 

“Did you forget how lovely our parties were?” His face falls from anger to sorrow, unable to quite meet her eyes. 

“Did you forget that you were robbed like, two days ago?!” 

“Of course not!” 

“And what, you thought you should just have more strangers here?” 

He bites his lip and doesn’t meet her eyes, brow furrowing. 

“Do you have any idea how reckless that was? Any of those men could have robbed you or worse! Did you even think about that? Huh, what if I came down here and found you fucking dead, ‘cause you let anyone with a pulse and internet just waltz on in.” 

“I-”

“And what about everyone else here? What if one of them decided to go do something to a guest or one of the workers? For fucks sakes, even if those men weren’t bad, what if they found out about the auctions? What do you think Ichinomiya and them would do to keep them quiet?!” 

“I-”

“You could have gotten yourself and someone else killed, you can’t do this shit!”

His butt hits the ground with a thump, he’s plopped on the ground and pulled his knees to his chest, hiding his pouting face there. Watching an actual seven-year-old child felt less like babysitting. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, getting her phone from her pocket then punching in Kenzaki’s number. 

“Hey, yeah, it’s Tomori. We’ve had an issue in the tearoom with security, everyone is safe, and nothing is taken. But I think it might be good to keep an eye out for any strange characters.”  

Kenzaki assures her it’s taken care of and she hangs up, looking over to see the Hatter still hasn’t budged from his new spot on the floor. She sighs, she knows he wants his dream Wonderland tea party, but he can’t sacrifice his own or someone else’s safety for that. Tsuneko chews her lip, the March Hare and Dormouse didn’t do much, other than arrange furniture. She can do that; god knows the pair of them weren’t conversationalists. 

Most of her plushies are licensed characters as are most of the ones in her crane games, so they probably won’t work for him. She does a few searches for dormouse and hare plushies, it takes her a few moments to find ones cute enough to add to her cart. Tsuneko sits on the floor next to the Hatter who’s still pouting. 

“I just wanted to have our tea parties again,” he mumbles against his knees. 

“I know, sweetie, but hey, how about these?” She nudges her phone against his knee, getting his attention. He finally looks up, eyes soft with unshed tears and biting at his lip before looking at the phone. 

“Oh…” 

“Would that work, having stuffed animals instead?” 

“Would you be happy with that?” 

“Well, yeah. I mean let’s be honest, the March Hare and Dormouse weren’t exactly shining conversationalists. All I care about is that you’re safe.” 

“That’s good then,” he says with a soft smile. 

“Okay, I’ll order them and the tea party will be complete before you know it.” She pats her hand on his back, hoping the gesture can convey even just a bit of comfort. He seems to relax under her touch. 

The door rattles open and all that comfort is useless as Ichinomiya steps into the room, no doubt Kenzaki informed him of the situation. The Hatter visibly curls into himself as the CEO’s harsh gaze lands on him. 

“What happened?” He doesn’t ask for, so much as demand an answer. 

“I-” The Hatter stumbles over his words and stalls, that shy soft-spoken boy shining through the façade. She squeezes his shoulder tight. 

“There was a little issue, he let in a few strangers…but they’re gone now.’

“You let strangers in, again?” 

“Um…”

“I already ripped him a new one. You know why it was wrong, right Mads?”

He nods his head, hat nearly falling over from the force of it. 

“And you’re not gonna do it again, right?” 

Another nod. 

“See, it’s fixed, I just wanted to make sure Kenzaki knew what happened, just in case.”

“I can’t have just anyone coming down here.” 

“He knows, he knows.” 

“He can talk for himself.” 

“Not with you scaring him, he can’t.” 

“Is this going to happen again?”

“No, I won’t do it again…” The Hatter mumbles out a response. 

“I’m holding you to that.” There’s a subtle threatening edge to his words, like a father threatening to ground his son. 

“He knows, go, go,” she tries to shoo him off like a fly, earning a glare, “I’ll make you coffee when I clean the penthouse later.”

“Obviously.” He sneers and gives another stern look towards the Hatter before finally taking his leave. 

She spends a few more minutes with the Hatter, ensuring he’s feeling better before she goes back to work. Her shift passes by with her on edge, looking out for any of the men from the Hatter’s auditions. None of them seem to have spread out to the hotel or taken up causing trouble, so she’s able to finish up work with little trouble. Other than a moment of annoyance when she makes Ichinomiya his precious coffee. 

“You guys wanna get drinks?” Chisato asks as they’re leaving the locker room. 

“You sure that’s a great idea with little miss pervert here?” Sakiko points a thumb in Tsuneko’s direction, a hint of pink in her cheeks. 

“I’m not up for it anyway, so don’t worry.” She playfully shoves her as they leave out the back entrance. With the stress of the Hatter’s little auditions, this is the kind of night meant for cozy pajamas and ferret cuddles. 

Chisato and Sakiko wave a bye to Tsuneko as they venture off towards the bar, her towards the dorms. Her steps halt, who’s outside the dorms? It’s a younger man, mess of auburn hair and green gold eyes, leaning against the building. A moment passes by before she realizes where she’s seen him before, he was one of the men interviewing with the Hatter. What on earth is he still doing here?

“Hey!” She yells out as she marches over towards the guy. 

“You really do yell a lot, don’t you?” He comments, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“What are you still doing here? I told you to go home.” 

“And why would I do that?” 

“’Cause there’s literally no reason for you to be here.” 

“What’s the deal with the dude in the basement?” He asks suddenly and it’s like ice water’s been dumped on her. Of course, there had to be one person who stuck it out to ask questions. 

“That’s none of your business.”

“Alice, was it?” 

“Tsuneko, now go home.”

“I’m Hachirou, look, if I can’t make a buck off of this, I at least wanna know what the hell is going on,” he pleads as she’s opening the door to the complex. 

“Go home and stop answering craigslist ads, it’s dangerous.” 

With that she disappears into the complex, heading to her own dorm. Once there, she peeks out the window, watching as Hachirou finally takes his leave. She clutches her good luck charm and hopes that will be the end of it, for his sake more than her own. 

[pollylynn]

All in the Family—Chalk Talk, Chapter 2: A Two-Shot Caskett Future Fic

Title: All in the Family—Chalk Talk, Chapter 2 WC: 1700

A/N: Can’t sleep. Sad about John Prine. And so an aimless ending.

He has been banished—absolutely banished—from the big bedroom and the surrounding areas. In fact, he is not even allowed on the second floor.  The Mad One insists on Mama, no substitutes, no intruders, if anything resembling normal bed time rituals are to be observed. And he’s fine with that. 

He’s mostly fine with that, except Alexis isn’t going to make it tonight, and she probably will only be able stay the afternoon tomorrow. Even his mother has, of course, gotten held up in the city, so the Official Summer in the Hamptons Kickoff Weekend is slow to get started. 

He’s mostly just feeling sorry for himself for the look of it, though. He’s pleasantly tired with sun and fruity rum drinks—with having a four year old—and he’s glad of the quiet time. And, of course, he loves how entirely Madeleine worships Kate. He revels in every mannerism she picks up from her mother, and he thinks a thousand times a day how lucky he got this time around. 

The only thing—the only thing—he would change about raising Alexis would be to spare her the pain of Meredith’s vagaries. And here, now, feeling sorry for himself just for the look of it, he thinks for the thousand-and-first time today how lucky he got this time.  

It carries him to the French doors standing half open. He looks up at a sky that’s darkening fast. There looks to be a good summer storm rolling in over the water. He can hear Madeleine’s shrieks—happy shrieks, he’s pretty sure—echoing around the master bath, overhead, and Kate’s response to his Do you need an exit? text was a video close-up of the two of them in close-up reminding him NO BOYS ALLOWED. 

It’s been a good day—a lovely day lolling on the giant, sun-baked chalkboard, then slipping into the cool water, only to hoist themselves back up a while later to press their shivering skin into the pleasant warmth of that black, black expanse. 

And they have high hopes for some sleep tonight. Madeleine has to have run the equivalent of a marathon around the edge of the pool to demonstrate her cannon ball, her jackknife, her recently-invented Pony Dog, which mostly involves a kind of gallop, then a spin, then the biggest splash possible. She has done her level best to talk herself out entirely with  mile-a-minute stories, each one illustrated, about her friends at school, most of whom seem to be named Mabel, except for the occasional Braden, Jaden, Caiden, or some other random consonant stapled to a long A sound and a final N. 

She has his gift for character and shameless embellishment, but it’s interesting—it’s interesting—the way she’s into people lately. Heliotrope and Jacquard haven’t gone anywhere—they’re often minor players in her tales from the schoolyard—but they’re definitely more on the back burner than they were even a month ago. 

She’s curious about real people, from her teachers to their neighbors to her friend’s families. She’s nosy and insightful and loves knowing things no one else knows. He hopes she’s destined to be either a writer or a cop, because otherwise she might grow up to be a super villain. 

The first flash of lighting comes as he stands there thinking it would actually be pretty cool to have a super villain in the family. The swipe of its blue-white tongue over the world stirs him. He waits for the thunder and tries to recall if there’s anything out by the pool or on any of the porches that absolutely needs battening down. He’s just stepping through the doors to check when another light—another two lights—sweep across the the glass of  the doors. 

There’s whispering behind him, stage and otherwise. There are giggles and a general air of furtiveness infiltrates the room. He pivots toward the interior of the study and catches them—two very stealthy figures in trench coats. Madeleine apparently has a tiny, devastatingly cute little belted trench coat, and the hem of her Princess Leia nightie is peeking out beneath. To complete the look, they’re each carrying a flashlight. 

“What’s all this then?” he says gruffly, dropping into character with an alacrity that would do his mother proud. “Bedtime violations? I thought we had . . . an understanding.” “It’s a mission,” Madeleine says sternly. “Me and Mama are on it.” 

“A mission,” he nods gravely. “And here I thought this was nothing more than a very tired little girl up past her bed time.” 

“Special circumstances,” Kate’s whisper is conspiratorial. It’s for Madeleine’s benefit, but the look she gives him over the girl’s head suggests there’s something afoot. “The storm—“ 

“Thunderstorm,” Madeleine interjects. 

“Right, baby.” Kate gets a heavy look from her daughter, who is not a baby. He gets a look in turn when he can’t quite stifle a laugh. “We’re going to say goodnight to our friends so they’re not scared about the the thunderstorm.” 

“Our chalk friends,” he says, thinking he begins to see the trouble. It’s one thing for the Mad One herself to happily slop pails of pool water on to one chalk scenario and begin anew; it’s quite another for any of the Mabels, any of the long A, final N crowd to disappear in the rain. “Yes.That’s a good plan,” he finishes, hoping Kate actually has a plan. 

She has a plan, of course, because he’s struck it lucky. He’s allowed to join the mission—after he finds a coat to put on, of course. It’s an old, army green rain poncho he finds in a closet he can’t actually remember ever opening before. Madeleine is disdainful until he produces a heavy Maglite she badly wants to carry. She’s on the verge of another nervous breakdown, but Kate pulls the situation out of the fire. 

“He’s our minion, Mad One.” She drops to one knee and pulls Madeleine into a side bar. “That means he has to carry all our stuff.” 

“Mission minion,” she crows, delighted by the internal alliteration. 

The two of them creep through the doors first. Madeleine tiptoes with about as much stealth as Inspector Clouseau. Kate follows her lead, biting down hard on her lip to keep from laughing. He brings up the rear, lighting a wide arc at their bare feet. 

They flatten their backs to the high wooden gate, then dart from column to column. Madeleine keeps an exaggerated lookout for sneak thieves and curious bunnies and a host of other old friends and foes of Heliotrope and Jacquard. Kate takes her hand as they reach the edge of the chalkboard paint. 

“Are we ready to say goodnight?” she asks gamely, though they hardly need the flashlights to see the girl’s lip quivering and the tears shimmering in her eyes. 

“I don’t want my friends to go,” Madeleine wails. She presses her face into the silvery grey skirts of Kate’s trench coats. “I don’t want my story to go.” 

He steps tentatively into the fray, poncho flapping noisily as the wind gets serious about kicking up. He weighs his options and sets the Maglite on its heavy end, pointing up at the three of them. 

“Hey.” He reaches gently for her shoulder, persisting when she clings tighter to her mother. “Can I tell you a story about stories?” 

“NO!” The word rings out. Mere fabric is no match for the Mad One’s lung capacity. 

“Okay, then. I’ll tell Mama a story about stories.” 

Kate gives him a wry look that conveys a wealth of feelings about this prospect. But lightning jolts the sky, and this is where they are. Kate gives him a Go on shrug, so he does. 

“Mama, do you know how when we go to work—” 

“Daddy doesn’t go to work,” Madeleine can’t resist the tearful interjection. “Daddy stays in jammy pants.” 

Kate’s shoulders shake with laughter. He sticks out his tongue at her and begins again. 

“Mama, you know how when I sometimes go to your work—”

“Not in jammy pants,” she interjects.

“Not in jammy pants, because Mama is a mean Captain,” he adds, even though it’s guaranteed to set Madeleine off again. It does. She howls that Mama is not mean. Her chest heaves, and he relents. “Not because Mama is mean. Because Mama’s work has uniforms. And we tell stories on a big board just like this one.” 

“We do,” Kate picks up the thread. She gives him a look that’s a little sad, because the Board is an infrequent indulgence for both of them these days. “We write and we write and we have pictures.” 

“What kinda pictures?” She tugs at Kate’s coat. “Mama, what kinda?” 

“Oh . . . people and places and . . . pretty jewelry sometimes,” she improvises, looking a little desperate. He sympathizes. All he can think of is bloody implements and scar-faced criminals at the moment.

“But when Mama solves the case—and Mama always solves it—” he reaches down and retrieves the Maglite, “Whoosh!” He sweeps the beam across the black surface, lighting up the purples and pinks and vivid greens for just an instant. Lighting up the curly hair and the triangle dresses, and the lopsided globe on the six-legged desk. “Whoosh! We say goodbye so we can start a new story.” 

“I wanna new story,” she says uncertainly. “For tomorrow. New story.” 

“That’s what we’ll do then.” Kate reaches a hand down to stroke the tear-stained cheek. “Tomorrow—all day—we’ll do all new stories.” 

“But we have to say goodnight to this one.” He steps closer to the two of them. “We can get your pail and Whoosh! Or the thunderstorm can go Whoosh!” He slides an arm around Kate’s waist and makes Madeleine wriggle by tickling under her chin. “Which one, Mad One?” 

She thinks about it long enough that the rain starts to fall in big fat drops. Kate leans against him, her fingers clutching his where they rest on her hip. 

“Flashlight Whoosh!” Madeleine says at last, as she tilts the beam of her own flashlight crazily across her canvas. “Flashlight and thunderstorm. Whoosh!” 

A/N: Aimless. 

[ephrampettaline]

...chatzy log with @aedanthewitch, @alessafalling, @collettemackenzie, @ianncardero, @ephrampettaline, @mayaparker, and @thisbrutalbelle

Adirondack chairs are the worst. Drinks are gotten by hook or by crook. The dance floor gets broken in. What’s the gossip? An impromptu fairground ride.

Iann should have been exhausted after going through that ordeal of the rifts, swallowing him up, terrorizing him and then spitting him back out. But he was oddly energized. Well, maybe not so odd for Iann; the man was an extrovert, and when he heard that there was some happening going on in Town Square, he curiously headed over to check it out. People were indeed gathered under a charmed invisible 'tent' to keep out the rain, playing guitar, hanging around in adirondack chairs and drinking beers, tailgating. It was almost normal. Which Iann supposed was what people were trying to rebuild now that the rifts were all gone.

Aedan tried to enjoy himself with a beer and a smile. After the madness and horror with Ruby, he wanted a long drink and to ignore the craziness. He was tempted to play the guitar with the rest of them but with his broken fingers, he didn’t think that would be very smart.

Culloden followed Iann into the tent, a big grin on her face. She was ready to party all night and enjoy herself after the horrible nightmare of the pocket world. This time she was wearing shoes, too!

It technically would be a good opportunity to set up a little promotional thing for Stonefruit, but the truth was Iann was too tired to do it himself, and he didn't want to ask anything impromptu from his similarly exhausted staff. Better for them to just try and get back into normal routine. He looked around, spotted Aedan in the distance, and also realized that Collette was tagging along behind him. "See anything you like, Cullie?"

Culloden ‘Hm? I think I fancy a drink and a dance. You wanna dance with me?’ She wrapped her arm around him with a beaming smile. ‘Let your moustache down.’

Iann put his arm around her shoulders. "Drink and a dance sounds great." Someone had thought to make a makeshift alcohol 'exchange' and Iann exchanged some money for what seemed to be magical hard cider. Good enough, he thought, opening one up for Collette. He bought three, handing one over to Aedan as they got closer. "Hey Aedan. I should shorten that. Heydan."

Culloden took her drink with a big smile and a thanks, taking a huge swig as Iann talked to his friend.

Aedan. huffed a laugh and took the offered one. ‘Heydan? Soon you’ll be calling me Danny Boy.’ He gave Iann a thankful nod and sipped the cider. ‘How’re you doing?’

"Pshaw, I'll leave Danny Boy to the unoriginal people. I'm just being efficient," Iann scoffed, clinking his bottle with Collette's first, then Aedans before he took a swig. It was crisp and tasted like apples and pears. "Better, now that it's all over. Me and Cullie here had quite the doozy, huh." Iann looked at Aedan. "Weren't you out of town? Hopefully missed all the shenanigans around here?"

Aedan. ‘Agh, not quite. Came home just in time to be dragged through to a weird nightmare realm with Rubes. Kraken and all.’

Bella wandered over to the rest of the people she recognised, taking a seat in one of the aforementioned chairs, she crossed her legs and sat right at the front of it, she couldn't sit at the back of it, her legs far too short. "Anything other than beer to drink?"

Ephram had opted to wear a knitted sweater and jeans to check out Town Square, rather than his uniform; he was already half in vacation-mind, after Freddie's announcement that they were headed out of town for the weekend, and it was very welcome following an inordinate number of pocket-world dives in his more official capacity as Sheriff. He, unlike Bellamy, had no problem with the adirondack chair, long legs eating up the space as he flopped down. "They had some sorter cider with basil in it, here, try one," he yawned, handing her a bottle and waving his own around at the others. "Hey there, Wee Deer, Essie, Collette, Carde--ah who cares."

Aedan raised his cider bottle with his non-broken hand to everyone who sat themselves down. 'Hey, Ephram.'

Bella took it but didn't imagine she'd like it, Cider and Beer tended to be far to bitter for her, the finishing taste was strong for humans so was tenfold for her. She took a tiny sip, the first taste pleasant, but as she expected what followed was not and shook her head as she handed it off back to him. "Nope," she wiped her mouth.

Ephram collected the cider back and set it down next to him, saying, "They had a sparkling rose version you might like! But I reckon if you asked, somebody could knock you up a martini or somethang. Hey, Aedan -- you know how to mix a drink, right? Or can you do that trick where you pull a bottle outta your own liquor cabinet remotely?" He caught sight of Aedan's bandaged hand, though, and gestured at it with his cider. "Got smashed up in a weirdsmobile world, buddy?"  Ephram pronouced the wine literally as 'rose' without the accent on the e.

Essie was finally off the clock. Wandering up to the group she perches gently on the arm of a chair beside Bellas elbow. Smiling gently and taking a drink of her soda.

Aedan 'The only drinks I can throw is a wee rusty nail. And I'm not tossing any today.' He raised his hand in indication and huffed a laugh, shrugging. 'Mhm, ship bulkhead. Was lucky I have magic or I'd have lost it.'

Ephram clucked at Aedan's explanation. "Me or Essie here might be able to fix it some, iffen you want." He maybe shouldn't have offered Essie's fairy dust without her say-so, but unfortunately Ephram tended to volunteer his people's assistance without thinking about it first.

Iann had gotten distracted by his phone, and when he returned he saw that the group had grown. He nodded a chin at Ephram, winked at Bellamy; but his eyes rested on Essie Caird for a quiet, heavy moment, before Iann looked over at Collette. "C'mon, you owe me a dance," he said, finishing his cider first and recycling the bottle before he held his hand out to the nymph.

Aedan made a small, noncommittal noise and shrugged. 'Nah, don't worry about it. It'll heal well enough. But thanks, though. I just prefer to do it naturally.'

Bella "Rose sounds delicious, can you do that Ess?" she asked, knowing Ephram had a fairly high chance of being able to but curious if Essie could. "Ooooh, or Sangria, fruits are fairie stuff, right?"

Collette. grinned when Iann appeared and took his hand as aid to pull her out of the deep chair. 'Come on, Happy Feet.' She handed Ephram the rest of her drink.

Ephram hummed in cheerful acceptance when Collette gave him her drink, never unhappy to be stocked with more cider.

Essie opens her mouth to speak up about her healing but is happy enough as the man she didn't know withdrew. Probably for the best. Catching Ianns eye she closes her eyes and looks away from him as he pulls Collette away. "I can find you some sangria if you want Bella." she hums with a small laugh.

Bella felt badly as she realised what Ephram had actually meant, leaning forward in her chair. "I'm not going to make you walk off, Ess, I'd only make Ephram," she giggled before standing from the chair. "I'll find something, bring you back some."

Essie almost topples off the chair as it tips sideways when Bella stands up suddenly. Standing up herself she links her arm with Bella "We can go find something more fruity together?" she offers to cover the almost disaster.

Iann The music was some impromptu folksy stuff - in that someone had a harmonica, another had a tambourine, and someone even had a hurdy gurdy, all earnestly playing with the guitar and what seemed to be a jazz flute. They were oddly up-beat and perky, and Iann got to the dance floor, hopping up and down on alternating feet like he was warming up to run a marathon. All that he needed at this point to complete the look of 'cis dude dance moves' was pointing his fingers in varying directions. "Okay I'll be honest, I just know fancy-dances, or rave dancing. You show me how you'd dance to this music, and I'll copy you."

Ephram crossed his legs, alternating among all his different drinks. "Bring me one of whatever you're gettin'!" he called to Bella and Essie, before reidrecting his attention to Aedan. "You was on a boat, you said? That must of been shitty. Bad enough trippin' into these whackadoo worlds on land much less on water."

'If I show you how to dance, we'll both be arrested for assault!' Collette's eyes creased in the corners as she grinned, watching Iann's dad-dancing. 'C'mere and take my hands.' And as the music amped up, she started to guide Iann into a two-person cèilidh dance.

Bella kept her arm closely linked with Essie's as they walked. "Okaaaaaaaaaaay," she drew out in response to Ephram as she looked around for a group of older women. They'd have Sangria or Rose or maybe some daiquiris. "How's your dust doing?"

Aedan 'I landed in a horror movie. Me and Rubes were on a wee boat diving. We thought we upset some war grave with ghosts or some shite. Instead, we get thwopped by this horror-warped kraken and forced onto a wee ship. Not a wee ship. It was a bloody massive ship, actually.'

Essie shrugs a little "It's back to normal. It's like...I ran out of the infection or something. I've been trying to do an awful lot better. Harder to actually do than say to yourself, you know the deal." she hums. "You been okay, now that these blight pockets are gone?"

Ephram shuddered. "I ain't never been on a big ship and I don't intend to," he announced, as if anybody actually cared to try and make him. "There's somethang bout the idea of them huge-ass ships out on endless deep water far as the eye can see that -- ugh. Ain't real comforting to a boy from the mountains."

Iann linked his hands with Collette, watching her feet with an intent curiousity. "Oh this isn't too bad. It's like square dancing," he grinned, swinging away from her, then trotting forward again and turning her. He didn't really stick to anything too traditional (not knowing what was considered 'proper) but just improvised a romp to the beat of the tambourine. "We'll get arrested for this? Was it illegal in the 1600s or something?"

Collette. burst into laughter as Iann swung her about. 'I meant... proper dancing! We'd kick people.' She swung back and came back in with the music. Others who seemed to know the dance started to mimic them. 'I'm from the 1700s, mister.'

Aedan moved his head from side to side and polished off his drink. 'It was god awful. And I'll tell you now, I'm never, ever going to do anything with an automatic door. Ever again.' He set his bottle down and glanced over at the dancing. 'So, what did you deal with in your nightmare world?'

Bella merely shrugged, she had rather liked them, she got to be tough, protect people, her abilities actually useful rather than their usual hinderance. To say she was a little disappointed when she had seen this event declaring them done would only look poorly though so she focused on the fact she could drink. "Perfect!" she insisted instead, pointing to a group of middle aged women with an abundance of sangria. "Hello ladies, mind if I buy some of your Sangria off you?" she asked pleasantly.

"Oh my bad. I always mix it up - 17th century, 1700s..." Iann said with a cheery shrug. "This is proper dancing!! I don't know what you're talking about, this is great. Look, we're starting a trend," Iann said, stomping a little harder. But when someone moved to switch partners and swing Collette, Iann dragged the nymph closer. "No way, pal - if I lose her I might not get her back," Iann said to the guy (who didn't mind, he just found another pair to trade with). But Iann was still reeling after his and Collette's experience on that haunted old ship in that other freak-ass world.

Ephram chortled, finishing Collette's drink. "Pal, you're talkin' to the town Sheriff -- I got a grand total of thirty-eight rando realities to choose from." He patted his knee with the bottom of the bottle, elaborating, "Maybe you felt it too, how the rifts opening pinged your magic? Anyhow I spent my time followin' them pings and jumpin' into the rifts on purpose. So it was ... a lot." He selected a new bottle, lifting it in Aedan's direction. "Hence the drinkin'. I'm well due for some R&R." Ephram socked down half of the drink, then followed Aedan's glance. "Feel like takin' a two-step? I don't mind if you don't."

Essie smiles politely at the women they approached, recognising one from the station a few times during all this mess. Essie digs in her pocket and produces some cash. "As much as you can spare please." she adds to Bellas proposal.

Collette. turned pink when Iann rebuffed another dancer, her smile only brightening. 'Now look who's being protective!' It reminded her of herself after Rockaway. They still needed to talk about the boat, but for tonight it was a mindless party.

Bella the women already quite intoxicated pat the girls on the shoulder and hand them one of the filled pitchers and some plastic cups. "We're all safe now, girls, best celebrate," one reasoned as Bella thanked them and headed off back in the direction of the group. "I'm glad it faded away and you're doing better."

"Psh, as if I need to protect you. I'm just being greedy," Iann grinned, because greed seemed to suit him better, in his opinion.

Aedan 'Pinged our magic?' he shook his head and rubbed his still sore ribs. 'Then again, I think it was all so crazy I wouldn't have noticed it even if I did feel it.' He glanced at the bottle Ephram started to drink and raised his brows. If anyone deserved it, it was the town sheriff. 'Sure. But try not to elbow me in the belly.' He gave Ephram a cheeky grin and pulled himself out of his chair.

Collette. 'You're the least greedy person I know, Iann. And I've known a lot of people.' She gave him a playful prod as they got close with the dance. 'It's okay to be greedy sometimes, though.'

Essie dropped Bellas arm to walk back with the cups in hand, letting Bella have both hands to carry the pitcher back. Recognising the dance as the 'gay gordons' she makes a noise of interest, it wasn't a well executed version but she supposed a lot of them didn't know the dance themselves and were just copying. "I am too, I'm working on getting back to normal normal, still a bit messy up in my head and all." she shrugs before asking "Wanna dance?"

Ephram scoffed as he lumbered to his feet, finishing his drink and gathering all his bottles to arrange carefully on the arms of his chair as some sort of marker that it was occupied. "In the face, maybe," he said, grandly sweeping Aedan in the crook of one elbow onto the dance floor. "In the throat, most likely. But never in the belly, Wee Deer." He grinned, swaying a little to the music to get a feel for it. "I'm /way/ too tall for that."

Aedan huffed a laugh as Ephram herded him out onto the dance floor. 'True. I doubt you could elbow anyone in the belly unless you were both lying down.' He followed the music, glancing over at the folk dancing Iann and his nymph had started.

Bella shook her head, she had a drink now and was under the impression most people would still be seated, when they weren't she just shrugged. "Go join everyone, I'll be the old maid drinking and waiting for everyone to get back." With that Bella sat the sangria down where they had once all been sitting and held out her hand for the cups.

Ephram nodded at Iann and Collette. "You know that one? I don't rightly, but I can git by with some clogging if that's what you're hankerin' for." Whistling lightly along with the music, Ephram started a lanky, hop-stomping sort of jig, tucking his thumbs into his belt-loops and looking for all the world as if he'd just come down off the mountain the day before.

"You're just heavily biased!" Iann retorted, laughing because he knew Collette meant it, and in the sweetest possible way. "But that's okay, I'll take it for now - but don't push me. Or I might just have to be terrible just for the sake of argument."

 'God, I don't think I've danced like that since I was a wee lad at the harvest festival.' Aedan raised his brows as Ephram did the oddest dance he'd ever seen. 'But it's worth a wee go, if you're up for it, Billy the Kid.'

Essie "If you're sure." she says leaving the cups with Bella to go and weed out a partner to dance with, teach the proper steps before being spun onto the next man to show him the correct steps, it felt wrong to let them butcher it after all.

Collette. 'Pssht, I don't think you could be horrible. To me, at least. My little moustachioed angel.' She gave him a playful cheek pat before swinging Iann about the dance floor in some next level folk dancing action.

Iann couldn't keep up with any footwork that was too complicated, plus he didn't really care anyway since this was all about fun, not a lesson. He resorted to his hopping and swinging Collette around, letting her do the light-stepping around him. He was happy to show Culloden off anyway, have her twirling and swishing around being pretty. He noticed Essie sternly giving a young fellow instructions on how to move to the dance and he grinned. "Your fellow Scotswoman's having a time of it," Iann pointed out to Collette. "You met Essie Caird, right?"

Collette. loved Iann's dancing, accurate or not to the actual dance. Seeing him have a good time made it all the better. She never realised that he was showing her off, though. If she had, she'd have started copying his dancing. 'That's the risk of showing Americans a traditional Scottish dance! The Scots will be upset when they get it wrong. It's our job to show them better.' She gave him a playful wink. 'But I watched Shinty with her at the highland festival a few months ago.'

Ephram snorted, holding out his hands for Aedan to take as he turned them in a circle before letting go again. "Hey, now -- this sorter thing is directly descended from my Highland and Ulster ancestors, mixed in with Cherokee and African-American. A more homegrown dance you never did see and don't you forget it, bucko." He laughed and prodded Aedan in the collarbone with one finger, saying, "You learned folk dancin' as a boy? That's where I learned this, was from family who did it proper."

Aedan made a noise of surprise when Ephram spun them about and couldn't stop smiling when they stopped. 'I learned my folk dancing from crazy druids and Irishmen.' Aedan huffed a laugh, amusement in his eyes. 'Even did the real stuff in the middle of Stonehenge. And not just anyone is allowed between the stones.' He rubbed his collarbone.

Ephram made a hoity-toity impressed noise, repeating, "Not just anyone! Only mad Druids and Irishmen." He snickered at Aedan's rubbing the spot where he'd been poked, saying, "Come onnnnn, Wee Deer, don't be dramatic, I hardly even jabbed you that hard. Iffen this music gits any faster, I'll be swingin' you round enough to git you whirly in the head and /then/ you'll see!"

Aedan 'You'll find I'm quite the drama queen.' He poked his tongue out. 'But seriously, just make sure you swing me properly. Or you'll be sweeping up this drama queen's pieces.'

"Well now -- if that don't sound like a challenge then fuck me." Ephram lifted his chin, motioning to the musicians; when he caught their eye, he twirled his fingers up quickly, motioning for them to hasten the tempo. Taking Aedan's hands firmly, he fixed the other witch with a challenging grin. "Keep up now, boyo. Lemme show you how we do up where /I'm/ from." He was wearing his steel-toed workboots, but Ephram's pace quickened with the more driving drumbeat, his heavy heels striking with loud knocks against the ground as he turned Aedan about -- mindful of that bandaged hand, of course.

Aedan felt a little like his feet weren't even meeting the floor with every step. His heart started to match the tempo and he laughed hard enough that his ribs started aching again. 'Holy shite.'

"Oh right, I think I remember..." Iann vaguely recalled being disappointed that these Games hadn't been magical or supernatural. What was the point? Feats of strength or physical ability in Soapberry were much different from outside, considering the super-abilities of werewolves and vampires. Fairies flying, witches with magic...it still didn't make sense to Iann to just have plain human games, but whatever. Sometimes it was like supernaturals wanted to pretend to be humans, while scoffing at humans at the same time. In a spontaneous attempt to break the ice between him and Essie, Iann called out to her. "Hey Caird, leave buddy alone, come join us. You can Collette can show us Americans how it's done," he teased Collette.

Collette. 's smile faltered a little when she found Iann inviting someone else to their little dance. She didn't want to be a teacher. She was enjoying hogging Iann for herself for the moment. But she said nothing, stopping her dance. 'I'll go get a drink.'

Ephram eased up a little, grinning widely as he turned Aedan free again and toned his own stepping down to a more keeping-the-beat pace. "Cain't say I din't warn you, Wee Deer," he drawled. "But at least for this you git to keep your clothes on. Since I'm assuming all the Druid-dancin' was skyclad."

Bella picked up the Sangria and began to pour everyone plastic cups for when they were done, watching the lot of them moving about quite freely. It was a sight to watch, especially those who were not very good.

Aedan 'Who says I don't like baring all for nature?' He beamed at Ephram and caught his breath as they finally danced in time. 'But usually it's in robes.' There was a hint of sadness in his voice, as if he lamented the idea of wearing clothes. 'But as sheriff, you'd probably arrest me for going naked in the middle of the dance floor.'

Essie looks over alarmed at the summons by Iann. Looking back to the man she was coaching she bites her lip and lets him go. making her way over to Iann just as Colette takes her leave for drinks. Watching the woman go with a blinks and an awkward look at the man. "My bad? Didn't mean to chase away your partner."

Ephram raised his eyebrows, gesturing around. "You know what town you live in, right? With wolves and merms constantly goin' in and out of bein' nekkid when they change? If I tried to arrest everbody who was starkers at some point I'd never sleep."

Aedan 'Hm, well, that's something to consider next time my Nudie Rudie addiction overcomes me.'

Iann watched Collette go, then looked down at Essie. "Didn't think she'd be chased, I thought she liked Scottish...everything. You fight with her as well?" Iann asked, referring to the argument he'd witnessed between Essie and Avi, in the prison-world. He gave a shrug though. "She's a nymph, what can you do," he said, as if Collette's species explained her behavior.

Ephram sporfled at Aedan's term for running naked, reaching over to gently shove the heel of his hand against the other man's forehead. "Nudie Rudie, good Gawd. Sounds like a lipstick name. HEY BELLAMY!" Ephram suddenly hollered in her direction, "don't you got a lip stain called Nudie Rudie? I could swear you do!"

Collette. went to the bar and ordered herself a drink, saying 'surprise me'.

Aedan 'You yell nudie rudie when you run through student digs naked! It stops your housemates coming out mid-flash.' Aedan gave a dramatic noise as Ephram pushed his head back. 'It's a good phrase.'

Essie makes a face at Iann. "No. I didn't." she says haltingly pursing her lips after and shaking her head.

Bella looked more directly when she heard her name, already observing Collette walking off in the opposite direction to where she had drinks ready for everyone to get more cider or beer. Ephram seemed pretty drunk, perhaps just n the mood. "I don't know at all, I have too many, probably, though what a weak name," she shook her head gently at him.

Iann It was the most Iann wanted to refer to Essie about what had happened in prison-world; really, the casually tossed question was sort of a tester, to gauge Essie's willingness to elaborate - but the curt reply and pursed lips was more than enough to Iann to indicate they should move on. The spontaneous band seemed to be taking a break anyway - good timing, and so Iann motioned for Essie to head over to where Bellamy was waiting with drinks. He didn't really want to get inebriated, maybe just a little buzzed. "Hey Belle. Look at all these choices. Which one do you prefer?"

Essie is glad Iann doesn't try to get more information from here, she had been speaking about it enough to her familiar, and to her sister back home. Trying to process through everything was a slow process, but she wanted to focus on the good right now. Lifting a plastic cup of sangria Essie smiles at Bella. "What we talking about?"

Collette. sat herself down and watched the dancers and the groups of people talking as she sipped her drink.

Bella "Choices?" she asked with confused and large eyes.

Ephram hrrm'ed, faintly disappointed that he hadn't correctly identified an existing lip colour. But he was easily distracted back to what Aedan was saying, laughing, "That explains it, then -- I ain't a college boy, never had the need to know the code for streaking or the socks on the doorknobs or nothin'. Say, Aedan--" he casually spun Aedan around a couple of times, hanging on to his good hand and letting the other one alone, "I been reconsidering it, just now while we was dancin', and maybe I /would/ go on one'a them big ships for like, a cruise, maybe. You ever been on a cruise?"

Iann pointed between the cider and the beer. "Cider, or beer?"

Essie looked at Iann "Those are empties, we only have sangria?"

 "I just brought Sangria over for everyone, I assumed those were for her," Bella shrugged of whatever Collette had gone to the bar to grab.

Ephram hollered over at Iann. "STAY AWAY FROM MY CIDER, CARDERO!"

Aedan couldn't help but laugh as Ephram spun him about. 'A cruise? Once or twice. You've gotta find the right boat for you. Nothing with a shuffleboard court. Why? Are you inviting me to plan your holiday to old-man land?'

Iann bares his teeth, sucking in a breath before he asks hopefully, "Is it white sangria, or red?" Something familiar about 'cider' and 'Pettaline' pinged in Iann's mind; but by now details of the Forty Isles were fading, and so he just waved a hand of acknowledgement towards Pettaline.

Collette. sipped her unidentified drink and listened in as they argued over their own.

"I didn't realise it could be anything other than red?" Bellamy noted, picking up the large jug the woman had given her and giving it a sniff. "Pretty sure it's red, cheap red but red."

Ephram chuckled. "Not on your life -- my husband plans all our trips out of Soapberry, I wouldn't dream of depriving him of the pleasure. But is that what they're about, shuffleboard and old folks? I'll be honest, I was scarred by watchin' The Poseidon Adventure as a tadpole. And then watchin' every single documentary about the Titanic that's ever been put to film."

'Thank God. You'd both end up cliff jumping and cave diving.' Aedan laughed and shook his head. 'So, that's your fault, then. But I spent most of my teenage-hood travelling so I have to like water a little.'

"Hmmmmmmmmm okay lemme have a try," Iann decided as if he was trying to buy a car or a fancy piece of jewelry, not just a have a cup of alcoholic beverage. Collette was listening, and Iann asked, "What'd you get? And who the hell set up a bar already? This town...."

Collette. 'I think it's called the Naked Nymph?'

Essie tapped her plastic cup into Bellas in a mock toast taking a sip

Bella handed Iann one of the prepoured cups of Sangria. "Nice of the ladies to give us some cups too, wouldn't have taken some if I'd known the town was doing some kind of actual bar," she said but shrugged, too late now, clicking her plastic cup with Essie's. "How was your dancing? Did you show them what's what?"

Ephram looked exaggeratedly offended. "Excuse you, it ain't no fault nothin'! I call it bein' /prepared/ for the very high possibility that I could be on a big cruiser ship what turns upside-down or hits an iceberg. I think it's real responsible of me thankyew very much." He snagged a couple of fingers into the folds of Aedan's shirt and towed him closer to one of the makeshift booze tables, collecting two bottles of some sort of raspberry radler and handing one to Aedan, continuing to dance at a much more lazy pace. "Is it a because Ireland's an island thing? Youn's git used to bein' surrounded by water real early on, same way I all but grew up runnin' wild in the woods?"

Aedan followed Ephram to pilfer the drinks and took his. He took a sip and his expression flickered between confusion and enjoyment as they danced. He didn't know if he liked the drink yet. 'Mhm, if you're not careful in Ireland, you can just fall right into the sea! If you can't swim, you're done for.' He gave Ephram a cheeky grin.

Iann chuckled. "Looks like the bartender was trying to give you a hint, Cullie," Iann said with a wink. He eyed the sangria and then took a drink. It was delicious, as he expected - but that was exactly why he was so wary of it. It was delicious, easy to drink down. One did not nurse a sangria. "I need food," he proclaimed, figuring if he was going to drink, he might as well do himself a favour and eat as well.

Collette. rolled her eyes and continued to sip her drink. 'You're always saying that.'

Essie "They needed a lot of coaching, they didn't get lessons every Christmas time in school so it makes sense none of them had it anywhere near good enough." she jokes with a small shrug.

Ephram wasn't quite sure, cheeky grin or not, if Aedan was actually joking. "Okay now, you cain't tease me that way," he objected, elbowing the other witch a little. "I'm serious! How long a drive is it to the water if you're say smack-dab in the middle of Ireland? I had to learn to swim a lot better once I moved out here and had to contend with the gawd damn ocean."

‘Oh God, Ephram! I’m not a geography man. Four hours maybe? Six?’ Aedan still couldn’t stop himself laughing.

"Some of us did, some of us were just bad," Bellamy insisted. She had gone to church, they taught dancing there. Perhaps Ephram had learnt to but he was with Aedan and she couldn't ask, besides he was...very exciteable at this point. "I learnt to dance but I stepped on toes and couldn't keep a beat. Bit better now, not nearly good enough to show anyone up. I'd just sway awkwardly like Lana Del Rey does."

Ephram considered this and nodded, content. "What's the water like there though?" he persisted. "I saw this movie and these kids was takin' a fuckin' speedboat from Ireland to England and it looked goddamn choppy as /shit/ when they was out on the water, like, folks don't do that on the regular, do they? Are there nice beaches? Calm ones?"

Bella "As for food, if they have bar then there might be food trucks? Though I'd loved to have known so I too could have done something," she sighed a little disappointed.

Aedan 'Shite. Some of that strait is so dangerous it's not legal to cross in winter. We're an island on the edge of an ocean. There are nice, chilly beaches. Sometimes a heatwave makes it nice.'

For some reason this answer that confirmed the perils of crossing in a speedboat made Ephram more placid about the whole affair, and he relaxed into a more loose bobbling sort of standing-in-place dance, shoulders and hips swaying. "I tried doin' that thing where you lie down on the beach and somebody covers you with sand so's only your head sticks out," he remarked conversationally. "These two selkie kids volunteered but then they got tired and said I was too tall and it took too long. Abandoned me to the elements."

Aedan 'Did you... did you drown? Or did you want someone to try it again? Properly next time?'

"Next time, Belle," Iann said, knowing Erzebet's food truck would likely be popular, considering how good their food was. But he was pleased at the idea of heading over to the food trucks to grab some chow. "Who wants what?" Iann canvassed the women, in case they wanted munchies as well.

Collette. 'Can you get me something sticky? Like wings or ribs? Pleasseee, Iann.'

Ephram gave a gusty, mournful sigh, now that Aedan had offered sympathy and opened the door for him to play up to it. "Almost," he said direly. "I fell asleep -- like you do when somebody's pilin' you up with warm sand -- and next thing I knew I had cold-ass water creepin' up my shorts." He shook his head. "And yeah, I /do/ want it done properly! I need to have the experience. You good at makin' human sandcastles, Wee Deer?"

Iann "Heck yes," Iann nodded at Collette, sure he could smell bbq by now. It was making his mouth water.

Aedan 'Of course I can. We should do it! We have to do it.'

Collette. cheered with joy when Iann agreed.

Bella would love a gothic vampire style food truck to drive around town, next time for sure... "I would like chips and gravy, please," she requested with a big grin. "Oh and a burger, and like whatever cake they have."

Ephram threw back the rest of his radler, appropriating Aedan's from him and finishing that one as well. "Whoo!" he cheered at the plan for a proper sand christening. "Let's git more drinks."

Aedan. was going to protest when Ephram pilfered the last of his drink. ‘God above. Yes please.’ He burst into laughter and led the way to get more drinks.

Essie wasn't hungry so she had just been quietly working through the sangria while everyone chatted.

"Chips and gravy, got it," Iann said, then nodded as Bellamy added to her request. "Okay burger. And cake...hold on I'm writing this down. Someone better come with me to help carry all this."

Culloden ‘I’ll help.’ Collette hurries over to him with her drink left on her seat. ‘C’mon.’

Ephram shouldered his way over to an enterprising naga who had an array of her homebrewed beverages out for sale or trade, picking up bottles and mason jars and drinking pouches in quick succession to squint at the labels. "Nothin' with blood in it, right?" he confirmed with Aedan, fingering a pouch of Touch o' Plasma Brandy.

Bella snorted, unable to help herself. "Whelp, it's you and me until they get back, which means we can shit talk them," Bellamy said, loudly proclaiming. "Iann is so ooooold!" so he could hear as he left.

Iann made a face at Bellamy as he and Collette trotted off together towards the parking lot, where the food trucks showed up. Some of them were still setting up, so they got in line for one of them. "You okay? You don't like Essie, or something?" he asked, as they waited.

Essie had been drinking steadily while she had nothing to add to the conversation. She lets her lips pull carelessly into a smile for Bella shrugging. "Shit talk away." she snorts

Aedan. ‘I have nothing against blood I just don’t... think it’d be a good tasting drink?’

Culloden ‘I like Essie, but we were dancing. You don’t invite others into a dance if you’re going to reject the group dance.’

"Rules," Iann scoffed, missing the point entirely as he waved a hand at the idea of whatever dance-etiquette he believed Collette was describing. "Too formal."

Essie had clearly been drinking and Bella was up for gossip, even if it wasn't actually shit talking. "So Miles left town," Bella noted, a heavy inhale. "Didn't really say much but his ex moved further away and so did his daughters. He followed them, obviously. Less of a big deal with everything ended, but I don't know, sucks to think he's not around." Bella hadn't wanted to not have him in her life completely, and sure, they could text, but she loved him, still did. "

Culloden bristled as Iann brushed off something she cared about. It wasn’t about etiquette. ‘Yeah, whatever right? Rules pfft.’ She pretended to shrug off whatever Iann believed was the reason.

Essie makes a noise of surprise and lets her knees connect with the ground gently in front of the seat Bella was sitting in. "Oh my god really? When did that happen? I'm so sorry Bella damn."

Ephram leaned back slightly as the naga bent over her table to stare at Aedan. "It says TOUCH o'plasma," she pointed out loudly, and Ephram set the pouch down, holding up his hands. "Awright, awright," he said placatingly, and pulled a selection of two bottles and two mason jars forward. "He was only answerin' my question, ain't no need to git rattled." The naga eased off, but she did lift her tail and rattle it with a short laugh.

Bella "During the rifts, probably hard to get out," she half laughed, it wasn't really funny. "It's not like I imagined we'd get back together, but Miles accepted a lot about me, I really hoped I'd still be able to lean on him." Without really intending for it her eyes started to get wet, the vampire blinking a few times so that they would go away. She didn't want to get sad in front of people, Essie was one thing but if anyone returned she intended to change the topic and keep the upbeat mood. "I can text him, I'll be fine. Besides, I have people," she assured Essie. It wasn't quite the same but it did help.

Maya had dressed in a simple tank top and jeans combo. It was a beautiful day outside and she might as well enjoy it. After all the Washington Coast winter would start any day now and bring with it nine months of drizzle. At the edge of the Town Square to see who and what was about. She gave an acknowledging smile to her friends before heading off to find something to drink. She could go for something fried too, but might hold off on that.

"You're the one who's abiding by them!" Iann pointed out, his nature leading him to debate, even casually. "What, you wanted to go dance with that guy, you should've just told me. I was just teasing."

Essie takes one of Bellas hands. Bellamy had been there for her when she'd been having issues, and she hadn't even realized the vampire was going through something as well. "I'm so sorry. Let me be one of the people! Anything you need, anytime."

Bella chuckled, Essie's declaration lightening her mood and she patted the hand that had taken her own with the one that was free. "I know, you are, don't need to worry," she giggled. "Definitely not anything, but friend things, I promise."

Essie let her cheeks heat up as she realizes she might have read 'I have people' wrong. "Definitely friend things Bella yeah." she laughs to cover her mistake.

Bella "I have other people for /those/ things," she chuckled. Unsure if Essie thought she meant blood or sex or what, either Bella did not expect from the fae. Though blood would have been nice. "Come on, give me some gossip you know, about someone else."

‘Right, we’ll just stick with the vanilla stuff.’ Aedan chuckled and bumped Ephram.

Culloden ‘No, I wanted to dance with you.’

"You were dancing with me!" Iann said, confused and laughing. "We were dancing, we weren't going to stop dancing together. Well - until the music stopped anyway." They were next in line though, and fortunately this truck seemed to have everything they wanted, except the cake, but that was the bakery truck next to it. So Iann got the fries and gravy, the hamburger, ribs and wings, and some onion rings for himself. "And a milkshake, chocolate malt. You want a milkshake too, Cullie?"

Culloden: Iann didn’t get it. He rarely got it. But she smiled through his confusion. ‘Nah, I’m planning on drinking all night and dairy is the worst thing to mix with it.’

Ephram picked up the two jars to put them in Aedan's hands, saying, "We got us some plum wine here, that sounds nice, and we'll take these two redcurrant stouts. Sound good?" He paid with money, having not yet figured out what he owned that would be useful to carry around for barter, and the naga sent them off with two little packets of cheese crackers as well. "Let's sit down," Ephram suggested, gesturing at his chair and then frowning. "Gawddammit! There's somebody's backpack in my chair!"

Essie "I'm glad." she huffs awkwardly with a shy smile at Bella. "lord knows I'm not in a position to do anything." she adds as an afterthought, her tongue loose with sangria. "Oh gossip huh? Well I'm pretty sure there's a janitor stealing half the sheriffs lunches. Not enough for him to notice, I doubt his husband makes a full inventory of those bags but I've seen this one woman -" she cut off as Ephram came back.

"Someone needs to teach you the positions then," Bella winked. "Half is a lot, guess Freddie replaces most when he brings him lunch," she reasoned, assuming Freddie stopped by enough. "That's one of our bags, weirdo, we were saving spots."

"See, and I heard that if you have a yogurt before drinking, it'll keep you from getting sick. Not that - not that you'd get sick on regular human alcohol anyway. And I have no idea how nymph-booze works," Iann said, paying for the food and then heading to the bakery truck to pick up the cake in the meantime. He finished the sangria for now anyway, recycling the cup so he could keep his hands free for the upcoming food. He ordered the cake - some sort of vanilla cinnamon, he hoped Bellamy wouldn't hate it - and handed it to Collette to hold. Somehow he believed that the delicate dessert would be handed better by her than by him. Instead he shoved his hands in his pockets and waited, side-eying Collette. "God, this sort of awkwardness sucks."

Aedan thanked him and carried his jar as they went. 'Let's.' He stopped at the chairs and laughed at Ephram's possessive reaction.

Ephram was mollified by Bella's explanation, setting his drinks down. "Okay, good, thanks sweetpea," he said, dropping a little kiss to Bellamy's head. He dragged up another chair for Aedan, grinning, "--unless you wanna perch on the arm of mine?"

Maya ended up in line at one of the food trucks near a bakery truck where Iann and Collette were waiting. She gave them a wave and would've said hello, but it seemed like they were in the middle of some kind of awkward conversation.

Collette. 'Let's say, the milky cocktail I had once has put me off of mixing alcohol and dairy.' She took all of the handed over food. 'What awkwardness? I'm not being awkward.'

Essie crossed her arms and rested them on Bellas knees, head coming down to rest on top of them as well. "Maybe I'm waiting to learn the positions." she shoots back forgetting her company for a moment before turning her head into her arms with a blush. "Nevermind."

Aedan 'You want me to sit on the arm of your chair?' He looked at the wide arms and the drink that was resting on the seat Ephram had dragged over. 'Leave that one. I can sit on the arm. The deepness of the seat is hell on my ribs.'

"You're being awkward," Iann stated grouchily, then nodded his chin in hello towards Maya Parker when she waved. "Can we invite Maya Parker to talk with us or are you gonna run away again?"

'Jesus Christ, Iann.' Collette rolled her eyes. 'And here I was enjoying this evening.'

Bella looked at Aedan, thinking of his friend Jack's implication of Aedan and giggling to herself. "Don't tell your boss you're waiting to learn the positions, Ephram might pass that along. He's clearly in a gossiping mood himself. Tell us whose the worst at their job, Sheriff? It's Essie, yeah?" she joked.

Maya tilted her head at Collette's response, "So is that a no or...?"

"Yeah so was I," Iann said with a frown. "Don't put this on me." In a fit of rebellion, he brazenly addressed Maya. "Yo man, was that warning you got a doozy, huh? At least it was for me. The worlds I went to....hooboy. But we're all still standing in the end, hey?"

Essie moans unhappily into her arms. "Don't bella please." she whines already regretting speaking up, but the alcohol in her blood had demanded she say whatever came to mind. "I embarrass myself in my own time so well already."

Ephram grunted as he dropped into his seat, knocking out one of his empty bottles with little to no care. "You busted your ribs, too?" he said. "Dang, Aedan. That kraken ship did a number on you." He leaned back with his little collection of drinks arranged on the other arm of his chair not occupied by an Irish witch, and gave Bella and Essie a wide, loopy grin. "Essie," he said with a bit more solemnity, "is without a doubt my most valuable employee and no lie. Although Finn can be distracting when he's dressed up all jaunty. I keep wonderin' if his clothes come in a human 42 long so I can get a version for my own self."

Collette. kept her mouth shut, feeling trapped. 'I'm gonna take these over to Bellamy.' She knew she was running again but she had a real excuse this time. The desserts needed to be given to their owners.

Maya let out a huff of a laugh, "You can say that again. Wasn't particularly helpful either. I mean, /they/ being some super fucked up apocalypse situations? I needed a little more to get that that." She watched as Collette left, feeling a little guilty. She'd meant it as a joke, but it didn't seem to have landed that way. Probably because of whatever was going on between Iann and Collette before, but Maya hardly wanted to make Collette more uncomfortable.

Aedan hummed in agreement as he settled on the arm of the chair, holding his ribs with one hand and the jar with the other. 'It could've ended worse.' He sipped his drink as he listened to Ephram complimenting his coworkers.

"Oooooh, look at that, best employee even if you don't know the positions," Bella nudged her, picking up another cup of Sangria, her lips dyed a beautiful deep pink from her sips. "That's still not gossip though, who has called the department about something ridiculous."

Collette. returned to the group, offering Bellamy her cake. 'I think Iann's still waiting for the food.' She sat in her unoccupied (but somehow moved) seat, taking up her drink.

Bella was actually surprised to see Collette bringing her the food, mostly because Collette seemed to cling to Iann whenever Bella saw the two of them in the same environment and she wondered if Ciara had maybe arrived. "Thanks," she said. "Perhaps you have some gossip?" Bella tried.

Collette. 'Gossip?' She glanced around the group. 'I don't know... gossip.'

"Welll from what you described those cryptids you fell into weren't exactly feeling their best. They tried to do what they could," Iann said. He'd been unable to stop thinking about those cryptids, trapped in a pit, with no other recourse other than their imminent death and an attempt to warn the one person who'd get out of the pit alive. "Poor fuckers." Iann shook his head in some sympathy for their demise. "I looked up the town report, fortunately no one ended up dying. Injured sure..." he patted his own stomach, where he'd been injured in one of the worlds. He watched Collette flee, and for once Iann chose not to run after her. He was waiting for the food, anyway. "What're you gonna get? You can just share with me if you want."

Essie buried her head even further in her arms at Bellas words. "Bella please." she whines, Ephram is her BOSS this is so inappropriate. Her drink addled brain however responding to Ephram "Finn only wears scarves and jumpers, ain't no 42 long in it unless you're going commando." she thinks aloud before making a face at her own words. Good grief she was off again, embarrassing herself always.

"Not omnious at all," Bella said of the way Collette rolled off, taking a heavy sip that she almost spat up when how what Essie said came across very differently to her. Nose sangria over her jeans.

Maya nodded. "True and I'll give them it was absolutely better than nothing." She nodded again when Iann said that no one had died. It took some willpower for her not to touch her ribs as he patted his stomach. They still ached, but far less than they had in the immediate aftermath of the Victorian asylum. "I need a drink," she replied, gesturing towards the truck, "But I will totally steal some of your food."

Ephram gave a happy bark of a laugh, saying, "Lordy loo, we all got nekkidness on the mind today! First Aedan here informin' me bout them college boys screamin' Nudie Rudie afore runnin' down the halls starkers, and now you shootin' down my dreams of me and Finn wearin' matching outfits in public. Sigh, sigh." Ephram shook his head. "I'll have to save them outfits for when I'm at home with the mister." He lobbed his packet of cheese crackers gently into Collette's lap, saying, "You want these, birdie?"

Bella taking a bite of her cake she continued to giggle despite her mess. "Well I have some gossip, Essie and I were married in one of the places," Bellamy announced, also not thinking about phrasing.

Aedan 'You told me nudity was allowed in town? Or are you just tricking me into making a total tit of myself?'

Iann turned, pointing vaguely back to where the others were. "I think there's a makeshift bar there, and Bellamy's doling out sangria. It's delicious. But you have to wait for me to help me carry back all the food first, now that my co-pilot jumped ship." Iann paused. "Wait, that didn't make sense. Catch my drift."

Essie "I take it back?" she tries with a cringe sparing a small glance at the sheriff and then at the man she'd never been introduced to. "Lets pass nudity by /please/" her mind already swirling with 'positions' from earlier. Her innuendo counter going up by the second.

Collette. turned the pack over in her lap and wondered if Iann was bringing her her bbq or if she'd blown it. 'Thanks, Ephram.' She cracked a smile for him and wiggled the pack at him. 'I'll save them for my drunk feast.' She stood and went to get a refill of her glass.

Ephram scrunched his face at Aedan. "Maaaaaaybe. Oh, hey -- Aedan, this is Essie, she's the Civilian Admin down at the station. Essie, this is Aedan, he's very Irish." Ephram toasted them both with his stout and applied himself enthusiastically to drinking it. "Bella! What in the world sorter place was you in that you got hellscape married??"

Aedan waved at Essie and cast her a smile. 'Nice to meet you. I'm a - little - Irish.'

Ephram mumbled into his bottle obstinately, ".../very/ Irish."

Aedan poked his tongue out at Ephram.

"If you just give me a second, I'm just going to grab a beer from this truck. Then I can help you carry," Maya replied. While she enjoyed sangria, she wanted something a little less alcoholic today. She still wasn't sleeping very well and knew that being drunk wouldn't help. Of course, the day was still young after all. Someone in line behind her coughed and she realized it was her turn. "One sec," she said to Iann before ordering. Beer in hand, she returned to him and held out her arms for him to load up. It had been a long time since she'd been a waitress, but she was pretty sure she could still balance on her arms.

Essie lifts a hand in return turning around to rest her back on Bellas knees reaching for another cup of sangria. "You irish or not?" she asks more directly. "No very or little about it." She hums quietly.

"I'm a lil bit Irish," Ephram said, half to himself. "I'm a lil bit Scottish, a lil bit English ... a lil bit country, a lil bit rock 'n roll...."

Aedan 'Belfast. Druid. Catholic school and all. You judge my Irishness.' He gave her a broad grin.

Bella "One where we were being hunted by our in-laws for a ritual sacrifice, obviously," she grinned, sarcasm heavy with her final word. "We were very beautiful in wedding dresses though, everyone should be envious they didn't get to see us walking down the aisle. Essie especially because I wear wedding dresses for fun, for her it was much more unique."

Bella "Speaking of! You two must have learnt to dance in church, right? Ephram, Aedan? Essie said it was just her but I did in Church too, you guys had to also, yeah?"

Aedan 'Dancing was frowned upon in my church. Especially when we were all boys.'

Fortunately Iann's order comes at the same time, so he gathered the items and handed Maya the onion rings, then placed the burger gently on the crook of her arm. "Got it? I can carry the rest," Iann said, strolling them back to the group. He handed the milkshake over to Collette. "Hold that," he requested, before giving Bellamy her fries, and her burger. "There you go, Belle. And the onion rings we're sharing, Parker," he said to Maya. Iann then looked at Collette, lifting the ribs and the wings, one in each hand. "Choose but choose wisely, Cullie. The other one'll be for me."

Collette. obeyed more out of surprise than compliance. 'Wings, please. They have more meat on them.' She reached up to take the wings from him, handing his milkshake over. 'Thanks.'

Essie "hate to agree with the sheriff, but sounds very 'very' to me." She smiles a little taking another gulp of sangria "If I get married, I'm not wearing that big a dress, too hard to hard to run in, had to tear the skirt off. Don't think I could do that on a real wedding." She shakes her head piping in. "No no I said i didn't figure you lot would get the same 'traditional' dancing lessons in school, like every winter all the kids in school had to do scottish dancing."

Ephram shook his head. "Folks in the Fall learn dancin' from since we's knee-high to a mushroom," he said, the words rolling out of his mouth more soft-cornered with his thickening accent. "At plum near every family gatherin' we go to. We dance at church functions, but that ain't where we learn it." He reached over to pluck at Bellamy's wrist. "What sorter teachin' they gave you in church for dancin'? Both of you?" Ephram directed his question at Essie as well, when the fairy answered of her own accord. "Ahhhhh. We got square dancin' in school. But yeah, nothin' in church."

Aedan huffed a laugh behind his drink and rolled his eyes. They won. He was very Irish.

Maya waited a half second before replying. She had to be sure she had it before she answered. Then, with a semi-proud grin, she replied, "I still got it." At everything else she'd been a shit waitress, except this one small part. She then followed Iann to the table. She waited until Iann had removed the burger before even attempting to sit down. Only once it was safe did she take an open chair. "Thanks," she said to Iann before taking one of the onion rings. She listened to conversation, trying to pick up what they were talking about. Dancing, it seemed.

Aedan 'You get thrashed for talking about magic in my school. So no Harry Potter! And no dancing.'

Ephram belatedly worked through Essie's comment. "Hey!" he protested mildly, laughing. "Why /hate/ to agree with me? I'm a man you want to be allied with, Essie, believe you me. How could you disregard the bond of the golf bag so quickly."

Iann traded the basket of wings for his milkshake with Collette. "They're ahhh, sweet whiskey barbecue wings," he said to Collette, then motioned to Maya and said to her, "Hope you like barbecue ribs. You ever try a malted beer float? If that's an IPA then you'd be in for a treat."

Bella "You need to keep a ruler between you and anyone, don't need you dancing close," she teased Aedan before nodding at Ephram and frowning when he teased her, thankfully Iann and Maya had returned with her food and Bella happily took what she had requested. "We learnt dancing for when the church had socials. Besides, I went to private school, dancing was an elective, we didn't have Homecoming and stuff, just Prom, once and I didn't go so," Bellamy shrugged. She went to Proms at the public school but they did not dance formally.

Collette. fell silent again and sat back in her chair with her ribs and took up her 'Nude Nymph' drink.

"I'm never one to turn down good barbaque," Maya replied. She considered his second question and ended up shrugged, "Maybe, but not that I remember, so I guess I know what my next drink is."

Bella looked over at Collette who kept growing quite, "thanks for getting my food, guys." The statement to the three of them. "What about you, Collette, what happened in one of the strange places for you?"

Collette. 'I saw a nightmare version of Iann's ex.'

Essie never went to church, so she wouldn't be able to really comment on dancing lessons within them. Jumping a little when Ephram called her out blinking at him and awkwardly smiling back at him. "Sorry of course, the sacred golf bag."

Bella Of course, Iann. "He's got many, what a hoe," she joked, since Iann was far from it. "Probably all of them there, chasing you down, zombie-fied or something, yeah?" Bella tried to keep it light.

Ephram raised his eyebrows at Collette's comment, and broadly stated instead of engaging with it, "--although I still cain't waltz or nothin'. Most I can manage is a polka. Now why couldn't one'a them weirdscapes been about dancin'? That woulda been a sight to see."

Carefully, Iann traded some of the ribs with some of the onion rings, so that he and Maya and an even amount of both in their little containers. He removed the lid of his milkshake, taking a gulp before hearing Collette's statement and exclaiming, "Pah - ahaha, Tuah! She means Tuah. Only it wasn't...well obviously it was as Cullie said - the nightmare version of him. Real creepy stuff."

Ephram Iann's explanation that it was only Tuah cut through the potential for tension and Ephram relaxed back into his chair, tapping the lip of his bottle against his bottom teeth.

Collette. 'You say that. But it was a Tuah I knew. One who ruined my life for real. So no, not really a nightmare. Just a memory.'

Iann "Right, yeah. Of course. So not really a nightmare version, but more like the real actual version."

Ephram made a pinched expression. Hey there, tension.

Collette. slapped her legs and stood. 'I'm going to... get another drink.'

Maya 's brow furrowed. She only knew one version of Tuah and he wouldn't ruin anyone's life. But she knew that wasn't the only version of him. She didn't ask though. After all there was plenty about those pocket worlds she'd rather not talk about.

Essie busied herself drinking more of her sangria looking anywhere but at Iann and Collette.

"Wow," Bella shook her head, deciding Collette was not worth the effort she was putting in. "Whelp, Iann and I did fight zombies, and I was heroic and brave and he should basically consider me his knight in shimmering diamond encrusted armour, yeah?"

Iann "You literally --" But once again, Collette left. He turned to look at the others, confounded. "Didn't she call him a nightmare version of him? Or was I just imagining things? I was literally quoting her own words. Jeeeesus christ."

Iann nodded though, at Bellamy's boast because it was entirely accurate. "Bellamy kicked evil soldier zombie butt and it was great. She ploughed through them."

Collette. Maybe she was the idiot for going to a big old event when she clearly wasn't over the ship and the memories it had bought back. So she stayed by the makeshift bar so she didn't bum anyone else out.

Essie was dazed and is happy to accept the change of direction. "Bella is my hero."

Aedan sunk back in the arm of the chair, his arse turning numb from the weird shape of the wood.

Ephram leaned forward, seeing an opportunity for him to unload a thwack of unwanted advice open up like magic. "Cardero, man," he said, scrunching one eye shut, "the girl's clearly hung up on you for some godforsaken reason. Hell, she's pitched like eight fits in the last hour alone every time you so much as blink at someone other'n her."

"I thought you said she was different now?" Bellamy asked Iann, since this seemed the same Collette that had existed in that strange arthurian place. "She's obsessed with you, I mean she walked off for Essie?" Bella went to lean back in her seat and quickly realised she couldn't and sat back up. "I am very brave," she agreed of Iann's explaination of her and Essie's note too. "Continued adoration will go over well. Iann did his share, it just wasn't as cool as my share."

Iann blinked at Ephram, clearly offended at the fact that Pettaline was talking to him kindly. "We - okay but we talked about...never mind. Here. Take my food, and take my milkshake - it's good, it's malty." He donated his vittles to Pettaline, took a breath, and headed over to the bar where Collette had hidden herself. "Can I join you?"

Maya 's gaze followed Collette as she left. She thought about following her. But they didn't know each other well. She didn't know if Collette would rather be alone. She turned back to the table and took a sip of her beer. Maybe she would check in after a bit, give Collette some space. Once she returned her attention to the conversation, she took an even bigger gulp of her beer.

Ephram sat back again, pleased to have been gifted with free food for his efforts, and held the container around for if Aedan or Bellamy -- both of them adjacent to him -- wanted any.

Collette. turned to see Iann, her face scrunched up as if there was too much light. Or a bad smell. 'If you like.'

Aedan took a handful without looking, finding sticky ribs instead of something nice and dry. 'Gross.' He pulled a face and tried to eat the rib with one hand, drink between his legs.

"Well...yeah that's why I asked." Iann rubbed his face, leaning against a post as he looked at Collette. "What's going on. I know this isn't about me, so just talk to me instead of leaving me."

"She is obsessed," Bella agreed, taking the food from Ephram. "Whatever. I tried to be nice, now I'm done," which was Bella's usual thinking. She'd still try again, she always did, even with Ruby who trying again had happened like fifty times. "How about you, Sheriff, you practically lived in them, see anyone we'd know?"

Collette. 'There's-' She faltered, a rare thing with her. 'I made friends with the man I swore to kill if I saw him again. You loved him. He's nice now. But William is still un-avenged.'

Essie gets to her feet and dusts her ass off from sitting on the ground and nudges Bella "I'll sit and you can sit on my knee? My ass hurts." she asks knowing chairs were few and far between as the town started filtering into the place.

Ephram dug into the remaining ribs with gusto, propping the malted shake next to him on the seat. "Whuhuh?" he responded dumbly to Bella, before figuring out what she was asking and shaking his head. "Nope, I mostly only saw monsters. Oh! Except for this one world where it was jes like Soapberry, only everbody -- all the versions of you guys --" he gestured around at them with a rib bone, "--all had these weird lil talismans? Tokens? Lil items that was embedded in your foreheads."

"I love a lot of terrible people," Iann said, and leaned in. "Because I can indeed be a terrible person myself, remember?" he smiled softly, reminding her of their teasing conversation while they were dancing. As for the issue of this William, Iann asked. "Okay so...what's the best way you could think of to get your William avenged? Ideally, if you could do something to avenge him with no repercussions."

Maya held her tongue. She didn't know Collette well and she got the impression that no one save for Iann did. It was entirely possible that something else was going on with the nymph. It seemed like the table had already decided what they thought about it and she didn't feel it was her place to say anything. Instead, she picked up another onion ring and listened as Ephram talked about some pocket dimension he'd fallen in to.

Collette. 'I would've killed him the moment I knew. But I like Tuah. He's sweet. Nothing like the violent, cruel creature that sent William to his death.' Her fingers turned white around the glass she clung to. 'But there's nothing I can do. I won't kill Tuah. I like him. And-' She ran a hand through her hair. 'And I wouldn't hurt someone you loved.'

"So the only way to satisfactorily avenge William, is to kill Tuah, huh?" Iann said, tonguing the inside of his cheek as he gave this some thought.

Collette. 'Or I suppose... I could try find his remains. I never got to say goodbye.' Violence was always the first option. It was what she was born for. But if it was to protect Iann's heart, she would consider other options. Even if those couldn't ever work.

This had nothing to do with Iann's heart, honestly. But then Collette had a far more emotionally in-tune view of how these things worked than Iann did, who was trying to sort this out pragmatically. "Yeah, but that's not really avenging. What if you stuck him with your sword?"

Collette. 'If I stuck him with my sword, I would probably have an apoplectic seizure.' She turned quiet, her voice barely escaping her. 'I'm deathly afraid of vampires.' She never told anyone that.

"Oh my god, what was in my forehead?" Bellamy asked as she stood from where she sat, trying to hold all her food as she did and taking a seat on the ground because she would not get uncomfortable down there. "I hope it was pretty but I bet your going to say like a tooth or something creepy as hell."

Iann "Okay, so we'll work you past your fear of vampires first. But I don't understand. You made friends with him and you're also deathly afraid of him? How does that work?"

Ephram was pleased that somebody wanted to know what their talisman was. If there was one thing he'd complain about when it came to Soapberry denizens, it was what he considered to be a bewildering lack of curiosity. "Aaaap!" he beeped, sitting up a little more. "Well, sweetpea, you had this, like, flattened strawberry in your forehead. Only instead of a stem it had blond hair. That was where your hair grew up from, that foreheadberry."

Essie refills Bellas plastic cup with drink, saying a happy thanks before sitting down wiggling in the chair to get comfortable. She opens her mouth and makes a noise of confusion. "Her hair started at her forehead? How far down?" she wonders.

"Ew, it is weird and creepy, in my head it's like a strawberry sticker with gross hair stuck to it," Bella answered, touching her forehead with greasy fingers before bringing it down to her burger again. "What about Ess, what was hers?"

Culloden ‘I didn’t recognise him. After over two hundred years faces don’t stick so well.’

Iann "Ohhh I gotcha. Well, now that you know what he is, I guess you could meet him again. Get used to him first so you're not afraid of the idea of potentially killing him. And then once you believe you could stand to be near him and maybe even kill him, then we can figure out how to make your avenging work, hm?"

Ephram intoned spookily, "The berry thing was embedded right between her eyes, it was ... well, not a /bad/ look exactly, but not no magazine cover neither." He smiled at Bellamy, reaching over to thumb the greasy spot from her skin. "Essie had three tiny lil books all stacked on each other, like, comin' straight out of her head. They was clasped shut. I opened one and it was jes pictures of a monkey wearin' a safari hat, all the way through."

Bella chuckled, unsure what her talisman could mean and doubly unsure of what Essie's could. "Fortunately the only bad guy I saw was Valentin," she mused, giving a shrug. "None of you were baddies. I liked being tough though, so if you had been I would have taken you out." Bella did some fake karate moved as she held some of her burger.

Culloden ‘I really don’t know, Iann. But I’ll try it if I’m guided. I don’t have my sword anymore, though.’

Aedan. listened to Ephram and grimaced.

Maya turned to Aedan, "How was your trip to New York?" She'd heard some from Ruby, but was curious how his trip had been. Plus she had little desire to revel in any of the pocket universes she'd been in.

"Well does it have to be that particular sword, or - we got blacksmiths in town! We could make you a sword." Iann looked cheerful, despite the fact that this was ultimately leading up to some theoretical plan to destroy Tuah Arjuna. "To your exact specifications. Unless it needs to be like a Scottish blacksmith with Scottish steel made only in Scotland, or something."

Essie "What I grasp from that, you think Bella is fruity sweet, and you think my head is full of nothing good." she jokes. "Good to know." she says jutting her bottom lip out at her boss. Alcohol definitely getting to her usual reserved state around the sheriff. "What about your husband, He had to have been there right?"

"Who says monkeys aren't good?" Bella asked, raising a brow. "Freddie probably got something lovely and not at all giving him extra hair."

Aedan. ‘Oh! Yeah it was great. We did all the touristy shite. And stayed at the best hotel ever.’

Maya laughed, "Yeah I got to see some pictures of the hotel. And tell me you did some non-touristy shit too, just for my poor fake Native New Yorker heart."

Culloden ‘This is making me feel weird, Iann. We need to slow down on the ex-stabbing idea for tonight. Just, let me get drunk and we’ll talk about it in the morning.’

Essie "Reminds me of that classic tv thing of a monkey banging cymbals together like I have nothing better going on in my head." she explains with a laugh.

Aedan. ‘Is there anything non-touristy to do there? We did museums, shows and pub crawls.’

"Oh - ah - sure. Drinking," Iann said, unsure what to do or where to go at this point, so he just sort of hovered and looked around.

Culloden ‘You could do shots with me?’

Ephram tapped his chin with the lip of his bottle before realizing it was empty and swapping it for a full one. "Freddie was there, yeah. He had one'a them ... you know in the circus, the spinning plates? Where they got em on sticks? A full set of those except tiny, reachin' up to about a foot over his head and makin' the most God-awful sound." He grimaced at the memory, half-listening to Aedan's account of New York.

Maya almost spat out her drink as she laughed again. "In the entire city of New York? Yeah, there's lots of non-touristy shit to do. This is why I told Ruby she should talk to Carson. Although..." she tilted her head from side to side, "Apparently that was half a shit show so."

Aedan. couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction. ‘I had been working non stop. Touristy stuff was probably all I could think of at the time.’ Who was Carson? He couldn’t remember anyone mentioning someone by that name but he could’ve just forgotten, given his weird memory.

Iann "Ahhhhhhh, sure. I just - lemme just go - can we go get some more food? From the trucks? I should eat a bit more before shots, heh. Not as young as I used to be."

Culloden ‘I’ll buy the shots if you go get the food.’ Now she had her bank card, she had no worries about bumming money from anyone.

Iann "Gotcha. You want anything else to eat?"

Culloden ‘Nope, thank you. I’m good.’

Maya nodded, "Fair enough. And admittedly, we do have the best tourist shit in the world." She didn't explain who Carson was. It wasn't important in her mind, at least not to anyone but her. "But I'm glad you had a good time. It was the first home I remember," she added.

Bella "What did Freddie think of that?"

"Of the plates? Gosh, I dunno. Clean slipped my mind to tell anyone about that crazyplace once I got out. This is the first time I'm even thinkin' on it again, heh." Ephram thwapped Bellamy's arm lightly, turning in his chair a little so his shoulder was set against Aedan's hip and butt comfortably. "So, wedding dresses, huh? Did they meet your exacting fashionable standards?"

Bella "It was alright, not what I would have picked, nightmare would have been if it was like rayon or something," she shuddered. "Ess hated hers though."

Iann headed off to get more food - fortunately this time things were ready, so Iann just got whatever seemed to be easiest to buy and receive, with little preparation. Pre-packed sandwiches, of which Iann got something like a fancy ham and swiss. He returned to Collette's side.

Aedan. ‘Well If you ever want to go there, I can get you a great deal on the hotel I stayed in.’ He glanced down at Ephram and back to Maya. ‘What was it like living there?’

Culloden bought four unidentifiable shots for each of them and smiled when Iann came back. Her good mood seemed to be returning.

"If I ever go back, I'll probably just say with friends. I doubt I could afford that hotel. Thanks though," Maya replied, "I loved it. You know, there was always something going on and I could always find a corner of the city where no one knew who I was."

Iann consumed the sandwich first, then took each of the shots and sniffed at them. "Here, take one of mine. You can hold your liquor better than me."

Culloden ‘I doubt it. This one’s called ‘nymph blaster’.’ She raised one to her lips. ‘Ready?’

Aedan. ‘Fair enough. I’d never have afforded it if I actually had to pay.’ He beamed at her. ‘It sounds great. But I found most cities are like that.’

Iann laughed, pleased that at least the booze catered to all the species. "Ready. All four in a row. Go!" Iann tossed back two of them, and tossed the other two over his shoulder, while Collette finished hers. If she caught him then he'd confess, but he was just being playful anyway.

"Well, you totally have to take advantage of that," Maya agreed, "That's probably true, but I'll always think New York is the best one. Moving there saved my life."

Culloden chugged down each shot until she was swaying a little. They were super strong for nymphs. ‘I win!’

"You win," Iann grinned, leaning against the makeshift counter. "But what's the prize?"

Aedan. ‘Its great to feel like that about a place.’

Culloden ‘What we always do! Winner dares the loser.’ She had a cheeky grin on her face, cheeks red from the alcohol. ‘You’ve got to kiss everyone in that group!’ She pointed to their friends.

Maya meant it literally. Moving to New York had saved her life. She couldn't imagine she would've lasted staying in Salem. She smiled, "Yeah, it was nice." After a sip, she added, "Course I love it here too. It's way different, but I think I needed something different."

Aedan. ‘New York is a phase, Soapberry is a home?’

Iann laughed even louder, and clapped his hands once, then pointed at Collette. "You sneaky little minx! You're on." He offered Collette his arm, and headed back to the group. "I have an announcement, people. I lost a bet and Cullie here has given me a dare - kisses for the lot of you." He held out his hand to Maya for her hand, and says to the young witch. "So before she tries to pull any 11th hour specificity, hand it over, Parker. Pun intended."

Ephram eyed Iann making good on the bet he lost, and moved on to the next drink in his line of them.

Essie waves her hands at them "What kid of bet is that!?"

Maya shook her head. "New York was home. I didn't I'd ever leave," she explained, "I wouldn't have left if not for the asshole who came after me. But I'm not the same person I was in New York..." She was about to say more when Iann interrupted. Laughing, she gave him her hand and added, "Almost like we're back in that fucking medieval fantasy world."

"Ha, something like that," Iann said, delivering a brief peck on Maya's knuckles before he released her hand. He leaned close to Essie - she was so small, all he needed to do was bump his face gently and quickly against her hair, and he made a loud 'MWAH" noise as he did it. Bellamy, he peppered with many kisses on her round little face. Ephram, Iann covered his hand over Pettaline's mouth, and did the same 'MWAH' smacking noise. "Tell Confetti about that one, he's gonna die he missed it," Iann said with a grin. When he got to Aedan, Iann mocked a wistful, needful sigh, then made a silly show of pretending to gobble at Aedan's face, like a vaudeville act of making out without actually touching.

Ephram snorted, pawing at his tickly face after Iann had removed his hand and moved on. "You tell 'im," he said with genial obstinateness. "He'll find it even cuter comin' from you." Ephram rearranged himself, raising one arm to make sure he didn't topple Aedan off the arm of his chair. "You doin' awright there, Wee Deer?" he asked. "Ribs and all feelin' okay?"

Bella pulled back, not wanting to be involved in anything that woman was involved in. "Or you could just rejoin us," she commented, unamused by the antics, of the impression Collette should apologise to every person who had tried to spend time with Iann and if she still wouldn't let him return now then she should be abandoned. Evident from her frown of an expression as she returned to her food.

Aedan. ‘My ribs are okay, but I’m not sure what Iann just did to my face!’ Aedan laughed at his ridiculousness.

Essie covered her drink flushed face when Iann caught her head. What an awkward thing to wish upon an entire group of people, but it wasn't so bad she supposed for the people he knew an awful lot better. She fiddles with Bellamys hair as the vampire is sat in front of her once it's all over.

Culloden watched with amusement, knowing he’d never go full on kisses. That hadn’t been why she asked anyway. But he always managed to make the weirdest dares fun to watch.

Bella chewed happily as Essie played with her hair. "I wish this had rides, can any of you magic us some like teacups or something?" Bella asked the three witches and the fae around her. Aedan was good at building things, so maybe.

Maya watched, amused as Iann took turns kissing, kind of, everyone at the table. She stretched a little, feeling the ache in her own ribs as Ephram asked about Aedan's. Shaking her head at Bella's question, she replied, "Not my area of expertise."

Ephram snorted, leaving his arm slung behind Aedan's hips with his hand dangling off the side of the chair. "Well, iffen you feel like shifting jes let me know. Cain't help you when it comes to coping with Cardero, though -- that there's a town-wide dilemma." He rolled his head to contemplate Bellamy's question, patting Aedan's thigh. "You figure your magic's up to it, Wee Deer? I don't mind lendin' some magic if you wanna make a design."

Bella began to pout as Maya said no before her face perked up tat Ephram and Aedan might be able to. "Yes, yes, yes!" she requested with excitement, gravy on her lips.

Aedan. ‘I can steal someone else’s teacups with my magic. Transport them here. Or make some out of... nature shite.’

Ephram laughed, sitting up and then shoving himself to his feet with a creaky groan. "No, no stealing. Let's go the nature shite route, huh? I'm good with that sorter thing."

Essie felt bad all she could add was "I can only make em look pretty."

Aedan. ‘Help me up, then. I’ll do the... thing.’ He wiggled his good fingers.

"Nature," Bella agreed firmly, quite happy for a flower looking teacup if at all possible. "Go help keep it pretty then!" she rushed Essie on, Maya too if the woman felt that was within her wheel house. It was nice to see them all working together, that was what had helped with the rifts after all.

Ephram stretched out his lower back and winked at Essie. "Makin' em pretty is the most important finishing touch," he said, then hoisted Aedan upright from the chair. "Awright, Irish. Design us a ride for the delectation of our friends."

‘Oh god the pressure is on.’ Aedan was finally up with Ephrams help and he stepped out of the tent into a clearing. Wounded as he was,

Maya finished off the last of her drink. It wasn't that she had no desire to help with creating some sort of ride, she simply had no skills to help. Her magic tended more towards emotional and mental effects. She nodded and agreed, "Making it pretty is the most important part." She stood then and added, "I'll be right back I'm going to investigate those IPA milkshakes Iann mentioned."

Aedan. and given the season, his magic appeared as orange and gold leaves. He used one hand, his injured one holding his ribs as the ground around the clearing shifted and woody plant looking vines started to burst from the wet soil.

Essie pushes herself out of the chair and bites her lip following the man out from under the rain cover the town were converged under. Watching the witch do his thing curiously.

Ephram murmured something unintelligible and stepped up next to Aedan's injured side, using his own body to bolster the other man as if they were horses standing in a field. Once he was sure Aedan was doing okay, he lifted his own hand, fingers curled in, tilting his thumb up and down as tendrils of silvery green shimmered their way into the vines to lend their own energy to the magic work.

Aedan. Their combined spellpower made the spell work faster and more efficiently, the vines curling up into shapes beyond aedan’s own comprehension. And soon enough something that looked like a naturally occuring funfair ride was waiting for them.

Ephram kept his magic funnelling steadily into the ride until Aedan signed off on it, letting his hand drop and surveying their work with satisfaction. "Well now!" he declared. "That looks like a right nice lil ride, for havin' sprung into existence all but five seconds ago. Essie, you wanna tie a bow on it all nice and pretty-like?"

Essie pauses for a moment before walking forward, hand on one of the bowls for sitting in she rubs her hands together and lets her plum coloured dust float into it. It's texture changing to cushy fabric on the inside. Running her hand on the outside it seemed to start to shine dully, like little lights were embedded within the vines.

Maya returned shortly later with an IPA milkshake. She gave the new ride a once over before saying, "Impressive."

Bella stood as everything came together, her finished food abandoned but not her sangria that she grabbed quickly as she moved closer to the display. "Aww, you guys," she gushed, giving each of them a quick squeeze as a thank you for fulfilling her rather ridiculous request. "It looks so amazing!"

Ephram applauded as the whole ride lit up, then stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave an obnoxiously loud whistle of approval. The sound drew attention from many of the other attendees, who started to filter over to exclaim over the ride, some of them already climbing into the bowls.

Ephram looked startled that he'd managed to call people over, squeezing Bellamy back as he watched them surround the ride. "Best hustle on in there afore you have to wait your turn, sweetpea," he said, giving her backside a friendly swat.

Aedan. beamed with pride at the team effort, before he sat himself down in a nearby chair.

Ephram caught sight of Maya with her milkshake and suddenly recalled the one that Iann had given him, loping back to his chair to collect it with a sigh of relief, as if it would have been stolen in his brief absence. "You want some?" he offered Aedan, rejoining the other witch. "Mmmm, malty. D'you have malted milkshakes in Ireland?" Ephram was thunderstruck by the possibility of the answer being no. "D'you have /milkshakes/ in Ireland?"

Essie stands back with a pleased smile as it lit up just how she'd imagined, nothing over the top, just some good old fashioned shine. Maybe she /was/getting better at this glamour thing. She stooped to help a small child into one of the open spaces as people filtered over to get into the new ride.

Maya stepped out of the way to let a few kids run up to the ride. She took a sip of her milkshake, rolling it on her tongue. "This is good, Iann," she said, "Good suggestion."

Bella "None of you are going to join? Really?" she frowned at them before she stepped up onto the ride. She was fine to go on without them but was admittedly disappointed.

Ephram shook his head at Bellamy's question, glancing down at himself. "Naw," he demurred. "Big as I am I'd probly crush the poor lil thing. Take Essie on with you!"

Aedan. ‘We have milkshakes. But I have no idea what a malted milkshake even is.’

Bella rolled her eyes, why even make it if they weren't going to have fun /with/ her? "Fine," she stated simply, holding her hand out in the hopes at least Essie would join.

Essie was smiling at the people piling into the cups of the ride when a hand appeared in front of her and the blinks back to reality. With a smile she takes it "Pick a cup~"

Ephram flushed a little bit at Bellamy's clear annoyance, but it wasn't enough to make him attempt to climb into one of those teacups and have it crumple under the size of him. "Anyhow," he said to the air in general, and then sucked on his milkshake.

Aedan. ‘So, are you going to give me a taste of your magical malt milkshake?’

Ephram startled a little out of his brown mood, giving Aedan a relieved sort of grin and holding out the cup. "Taste it first and if you like it I'll give you the rest," he said, lapsing into older brother/cousin mode.

Essie couldn't ride for very long before she got dizzy, spreading her wings to be lifted out without having to stop the ride, landing and sitting heavily on the grass watching the thing go still.

Aedan. ‘I don’t want all of it,’ he said as he stifled a chuckle. He gave a small slurp and frowned a little. Then tried it again. ‘Mhm, okay. I like it. That’s really nice.’

Maya sat down next to Essie. "Hey," she said, "How've you been?"

Essie smiles at Maya "Bit dizzy right this second but I'm trying my best. You?"

Maya shrugged, "I'm alright. Can't complain too much."

Ephram handed over the milkshake properly and nudged against Aedan's leg as he lowered himself to the grass, letting the back of his head rest against the arm of the chair. "New York's where I asked Freddie to git married," he said after a moment or two, flashing a smile up at Aedan.

Essie laughs a little "I mean I feel at this point we're all allowed a little bit of complaining right? Now it's all done and we gotta deal with it all."

Iann returned from the washrooms (as humans were known to frequent) and whistled at the sight of the pretty ride that seemed to spontaneously appear. "Holy shit," he marveled. Ah, Soapberry. Despite the horrors, it still had its charm, at least to him. He belatedly registered Maya's feedback on the milkshake and he grinned. "Oh really? I know I suggested it but I never actually tried it myself. Can I...uh...?" he motioned to her cup. "I don't got kooties."

Maya overhead Ephram telling Aedan that he'd asked Freddie to marry him in New York. She didn't quite understand why he wouldn't have mentioned that earlier when she had been talking to Aedan about New York. She didn't dwell on it for more than a few seconds though. Instead, she shrugged to Essie, "Probably. But I figure I shouldn't complain to people who all went through the same thing." Especially someone like Essie who'd seen her in that grocery store. Glancing up at Iann, she gave him a smile, "For sure." She held out the milkshake for him to taste.

Aedan 'Thanks.' He sipped his new drink and listened to Ephram. 'That's cute. Shame you didn't marry after I came to town. I could've got you a discount at some nice places.'

Collette. hung about the bar, talking to the bartender and accepting the free drinks.

Ephram snickered. "Ahhhhh it's fine. Freddie's a fairy and he's got fingers in jes about every high-society pie that exists in ... well, everywhere, so far as I can tell." He lifted one knee, folding his hands around his kneecap. "Or at least that's how it seems to me. But I never been nowhere before I moved to Soapberry so it's all new." He hadn't brought it up earlier since he didn't want to interrupt Aedan's and Maya's conversation and Bellamy had been talking to him, was all.

'He does seem the type to know everyone. I don't think he likes me much, though.' Aedan huffed a laugh. 'But you can find contacts everywhere if you look for them hard enough.'

Essie shrugs at Maya. Whatever the other proffered. Some liked to speak about things, and some liked to process alone. She was more on the processing alone side, but she'd lend an ear where she could. Curling her legs to her chest and rests her chin on them just listening.

Iann opened the lid up and sampled it the milkshake. "Wow, this is incredible. Thanks for that," he said handing it back to Maya first, then headed over to Collette. "You say booze and dairy don't mix? I want you to try something with me."

"Of course," Maya replied as she took the milkshake back. Turning back to Essie, she said, "I'm alright though. Really." Of course, she then took a moment to stretch out her back and a flash of ache went across her face.

Collette. 'Hm?' She glanced at Iann and raised her brows at him. 'Fine. But if we are all unwell later, I know who to blame.' She gave him a grin.

Back to the food trucks, where Iann found the one offering the IPA ice cream floats. He got one vanilla and one coffee just for shits and giggles. "Give the vanilla one whipped cream and sprinkles? And the cherry!" Iann requested from the food truck person, who complied, handing it to Collette.

Ephram nodded, a look of pride crossing his face as he thought about his travels with Freddie and how deft his fairy was at navigating a world that Ephram found baffling and overwhelming, for all that he was eager to see it. "Oh, Freddie and I have surprisingly few friends in common," Ephram murmured, figuring there was no point trying to claim that no, honestly, Freddie /did/ like the Irish witch and they just 'needed to hang out more' or any such thing. If the two of them ever came around, then great; if they didn't, then oh well.

'I don't mind. As long as we get to stay friends.' Aedan petted Ephram's hair with his bandaged hand.

Collette. followed Iann out and watched him order her drink. When she took the drink, she looked down at it with wonder. She knew it was going to make her sick later. But god did it look tasty.

Iann took the coffee one, and sampled it. "Oh god really? Brainfreeze already?" he said, because he's gulped down the ice cream a little too fast.

Collette. giggled at the sight of Iann's face twisting with brain freeze. 'Okay. Let me try mimic you.' She took a mouthful of her's and winced. 'Gah.'

Essie bites her lip and points at Mayas face "That's not the face of alright you know that?"

Maya gave a half laugh. "Not my first bruised ribs, I'm fine," she explained. She took another sip of her drink. "Did you want to try this too or nah?" she asked.

Ephram leaned a little bit into Aedan's petting, always pleased when people he was being friendly with returned the physical shows of affection that he himself was prone to displaying. "Irish," he said contemplatively, "d'you think that livin' here, in Soapberry, we git too accustomed to strange shit happenin'? Or is it just that the nature of the shit is particularly strange here, and if we lived in the regular world we'd have the same coping patterns anyhow?"

Essie gave the girl a look. "I can try my hand at healin?" she offers shaking her head at the offer of the milkshake, holding up her never ending refills of sangria, already starting to sway a little even seated from how much she'd been having.

Maya weighed that in her head for a moment. "Not to be a complete asshole, but when you say try your hand, how likely is it to make it worse?"

Aedan 'I've not been here long enough to be changed. I've been meeting ghosts for years and magic would always exist.'

Iann "Show off, you don't get brainfreeze huh," he said, grumbling but with humour. He took another drink, pleased this time. "That's delicious."

Collette. 'I do! Just not as bad as you do, it seems.' She beamed at him as she continued to consume her float.

Iann "C'mon, lets go back and join the others, unless you don't want to, then I guess we can just chill here?"

Collette. 'We can hang out with the others. I don't want you missing out for my sake.'

Essie looked a tiny bit offended. "Worst that can happen is nothing happens." she argues lightly. "Never made anything worse before, never."

Any concern in Maya's expression immediately disappeared. "Oh then totally go for it, I'll try whatever," she added.

Essie shuffles closer, letting her knees move as she reaches out, placing her hands on mayas sides she closes her eyes. "If you can guide my hands to where it hurts most I can try my best to ease it." she suggests 

Ephram gave a quiet humph. "Now that you mention it," he said wryly, "reckon growin' up with a demon as a roommate sorter rules out any notion that I had a normal life before Soapberry anyhow."

 'We were messed up before we came here.' Aedan huffed a laugh and continued to pet Ephram.

Ephram wriggled his shoulder against Aedan's leg to find the most comfortable spot, careful not to jar the other witch's hand. He watched Essie and Maya, saying, "I guess she got her ribs stove in too."

Aedan 'Mmhm, mine was from the boat whipping about in the water.'

"It's really just my ribs," Maya replied. At the very least that was all that Essie could help with. Her difficulty sleeping hadn't even been helped by her own magic. "Just, uh, got for it, I guess," she said, trying not to let her slight discomfort show in her face. Essie wanted to help. And Maya was trying to be better about letting people help her.

Essie found it took a lot more concentration than it usually did but soon enough she felt her hands shifting easing the bruising slowly. Eyes still closed until she felt she had done. Withdrawing her hands she opens her eyes looking at Maya curiously "Did I get it all?" it was always a little harder on other people, as it was hard to tell points of pain when you couldn't feel them yourself.

Maya never really liked the feeling of being magically healed. Her insides always felt like someone was tugging the tender edges together. Or yanking them together at the worst. All things considered though, probably thanks to the healing that had already taken place, this wasn't bad. She let out a breath and stretched again. The pain and ache was gone, save for the last faded echoes. By tomorrow morning, those would likely be gone too. "Yeah, thanks," she said with a smile.

"D'you really not wanna be healed with magic?" Ephram tilted his head a little into Aedan's softly petting hand. "I got whanged up all to shit in them loony rift holes but Freddie healed me up every night. Fairy dust's great that way -- gosh Essie's is a pretty colour, ain't it?"

Aedan 'I'm fine. If it gets too bad, then I'll ask. Deal?'

Ephram settled in place. "Deal."

Essie smiles at Maya, much happier to know she'd done something alright, lifting the final dregs of sangria Essie hums and looks around for another drink. Now particularly wanting to have something strong, something to shoot. "Want some shots of something?" she asks as a whole to the group.

Maya nodded, "Yeah, I'll take a shot."

Ephram perked up, or at least he stopped drowsing for a moment. "Sure do!" he said to Essie. "Whatever you're gettin', I ain't picky, thank you, Essie."

Aedan 'I'll have shots, if you're offering.'

Essie smiles and flutters to her feet. Not trusting her balance all that well to struggle to her feet normally. Off to the bar she passes by Colette and Iann, giving them a beaming smile as she leans over to order shots. Her mood picking up further when the person on the other side of the table starts offering fancy things. she goes a little mad ordering laughing to herself at each choice.

Ephram watched Essie with a faintly amused smile. "Maybe somebody ought to've gone with her."

Maya had to smile too as Essie started gathering fancy shots. She shrugged though, "Eh, she's having fun."

Ephram "She's very talented, isn't she? With her dust and all. I'm glad she came to work at the station -- we need somebody with her sorter gumption and git-go."

Maya nodded, taking a sip of her milkshake. "Yeah, she is," she agreed. She had been a little nervous when she'd realized who Iann was sitting with earlier. But so far no one had asked her about the grocery store incident. It help her relax. She was tempted to say that Ruby had plenty of gumption and get-go too, but decided against it. Even in her own head, it sounded too much like suggesting competition between the two women. She wasn't, of course, but because of Danny she thought better to avoid it altogether. "And I'm sure I'll be thanking her tomorrow when my ribs aren't stiff as shit."

Essie unfolded a napkin at the makeshift bar and sprinkles dome dust on it to make it rigid enough to be a tray of sorts. Collecting her shots she heads back to them unable to stifle her laugh as she settles the red napkin in the middle of them. "So the guy was really damn nice-" she says not realizing at all she'd been being flirted with back there. "-and I have an 'Irish car bomb' because I couldn't resist, a 'honey dew me', a 'Passed out naked on the bathroom floor', and a 'hot damn'." she presents looking back at Iann and Collette wondering belatedly if she'd have picked them something too.

Ephram sat up more, reaching out for the last of Essie's shots. "Well hot damn!" he declared with a grin, and threw the drink back, only to instantly wheeze and start panting, his eyes watering. "hot ... hot fuckin' damn. oh shit."

"I'll take the Naked one," Maya replied. She tipped it back easily. The alcohol burned its way down her throat. "Yep, that's going to be all my drinking for today," she said after a hard blink," Except for finishing this milkshake obviously."

Essie lets her knees hit the grass by the sheriffs side and clap him on the back a few times trying to help him out. "Too much?" she says worriedly looking over at Maya too.

Maya shook her head with an amused smile, "Nah, I'm just pacing myself today."

Ephram continued to wheeze, thankful for the claps on the back and indicating that Essie should continue. He twisted up clumps of grass from the ground and started chewing on the blades like a bothered sheep, swishing the green mush around his mouth for a while before sighing in relief and then leaning heavily into Essie with a laugh. "Lil monkey," he chided her, more chuckling at his own predicament for rushing for that shot than anything. "Ahhh, it's my own dang fault, I shoulda asked you what was in em before grabbin'!"

Essie hums in acknowledgement of Maya taking it slow still thumping her small hand onto Ephrams back. Making a face when he rips up some grass to eat. "Not a fan of hot sauce huh?" huffing a small breath at being called something like a monkey for the second time that day. She reaches for the irish car bomb and downs it as she's leaned into.

Ephram shook his head. "Never did git used to the stuff," he said. "What, don't tell me you's one'a them folks what orders up the ghost pepper death-hot wings at restaurants for fun?" Ephram swallowed the chewed grass and stole back what was left of the milkshake he'd given Aedan, sucking it down till the straw rattled.

Maya 's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to read the text. "I gotta go see a man about a horse, but you guys have fun yeah?" she said as she stood, "And Essie shoot me a text about when you're free for wine club."

Aedan remained a little disturbed by the car bomb shot but it was alcohol so dammit. He reached out for the second Irish one and downed it with a hiss.

Aedan made a strained noise and waved goodbye at Maya.

Ephram waved at Maya as she left, patting Aedan's foot at his strangled sound. "Wine club, huh?" he raised impressed eyebrows at Essie. "Sounds awful fancy, Ms. Caird."

Essie "Of course I do. Why would you do it not for fun?" she shoots back, a lot more comfortable than she would be usually if left with her boss and basically a stranger, she blamed the alcohol. She raises a happy hand to Maya as she heads out. "Oh uh...it's not that fancy I swear. And it's also not really a real club either." taking note that perhaps her shot choices had been a little too strong for the others, duly noted.

Ephram chortled. "You're way braver than me. I cain't even hardly eat buffalo wings without a couple gallons of milk on hand." He ran a hand through his hair, rumpling it even though he'd been intending to straighten it. "No way. It ain't possible to have a wine club and not have it be fancy. I mean ... /wine/." Ephram leaned heavily on the word, giving it great import, then added a little tipsily, "...I usually drink mine with the husband in the bathtub, though. So I reckon that don't count as fancy."

Essie "Don't think it's necessarily braver, maybe just uh...more adventurous? I still cry when it gets too hot like everyone else." she admits easily. "But that doesn't mean stop eating." shooting Aedan a small shrug when she caught his eye, maybe he could weight in. At the personal reference Essie bites her lip and speaks slowly. "That's very sweet. It's a lovely thought." this was where Essie usually put her foot in her mouth but she managed to stop the clarifying words leaving her mouth, it'd make things awkward best just try it out as is.

Ephram smiled at the memory, closing his eyes for a moment, and then got up to his feet. "I best git me some food afore I doze off from the liquor," he announced. "Be back in a tick, awright?"

[objectsdeconstructed]

Tales Of War: “104.”

TRIGGER WARNING: Object War Violence, Object Body Horror, Object Death, Regeneration Horror.

Reading of this particular story is optional.

_____________________________________________

104.

Lawrence awoke with a start. He panicked as he felt his own face, body, and limbs, confusion setting in as he realized that they were, in fact, still there. The panic diminished when he finally remembered what exactly had happened to him. He realized that he was getting sick of this.

He was sitting on what seemed to be a slightly modified hospital bed, in a strangely quiet barrack building, wearing a loose undershirt, and a pair of boxers. Confused and agitated voices whispered all around him, from all the other objects in the room. Most of the inhabitants in the room were unconscious, smouldering, while being treated by field nurses and doctors. To his left, a worn-out looking pair of stethoscope was cauterizing a very large wound on an unconscious glass jar’s body - melting the glass and sealing it shut again. Lawrence watched on, slightly repulsed - yet intrigued, by the process. Rubbing his temples as he turned away, he heard a voice.

“Rough go, Larry?”

Lawrence turned his thin, wooden body to stare at the piece of coal to his right. They were part of the same squad, and they’d been through this way too many times to care anymore.

“Yeah, Joe. Just like last time, and the time before that.”

“God, I don’t think I’m ever getting used to this.” Joe chuckled, examining his limbs: Larry could see large patches of what appeared to be some kind of adhesive binding his arms and legs together. A familiar sight nowadays. “I mean, I know the tingling wears off, but still, it feels kinda…”

Joe closed his left hand. Bits of coal falls off his body. Then, eventually his fist, then his arm, then, his entire shoulder.

“Oh, dear.” Lawrence said.

“Numb, I guess.”, Joe finished, rather lamely. “Uh, doc? My left arm’s out again.”

The stethoscope fixing up the glass jar stopped, and turned back, slightly annoyed. “Mr. Coalman, you’ve been advised to not move around so much after the procedure. Respectfully, I cannot attend to you right now.”

“Yeah, thanks, ma'am.” Joe winked at the stethoscope, who simply groaned and went back to her job. “Wouldn’t wanna waste ya’ time.”

Lawrence looked down at his hands, noticing the same adhesive stains on Joe. Being slightly weirded out at the sight: His body looked like a teddy bear, with adhesive stains lining parts of him, newer, more distinct stains, below which older, faded stains could be seen.

He stared mesmerized at his own wooden flesh, and felt himself being lost in the stains, pondering the implications of his actions.

An official looking stopwatch came into the room, and clapped his hands: “Listen up! It’s time you useless God-forsaken shit-stains get to work, again!”

Several objects in the room groaned. Lawrence snapped out of his trance. The room had become a bit livelier now - most of the objects were up already. The glass jar fella next to him was the last to regain consciousness. At once, everyone stood up, walked to the entrance of the barrack, large clotheslines were lined the entrance hall. Lawrence and others put on their heavily stained uniforms, riddled helmets, and loaded up worn out guns. Nothing out of the ordinary for an army barrack.

What WAS exclusive to this particular barrack was the appearance of a group of heavily armed, heavily armored objects, standing lined up beside the entrance door. After Lawrence got dressed, one of these objects slipped a ring on him - a tiny machine that he was supposed to wear at all time on the field.

They had gotten used to the routine. Lawrence, his squad, and everyone else in base save the nurses, doctors, and the stopwatch marched out of the barrack and into the dark.

Lawrence’s base had been located deep inside a cave entrance. By now, he had gotten so used to the dark here that he had no trouble navigating the layout at all, save for a few occasional bumps from his peers. Seeing the lights at the end of the tunnel, he sped up, and charged out of the cave.

The sunlight blinded him momentarily. Joe emerged moments from him, panting heavily, arm fixed with some more of the adhesive. Lawrence’s eyes adjusted, and he launched himself, once again, into war. He had plotted everything out - he had an extremely efficient route to get to.

He and Joe rushed down a path, marked by bullets and spent rounds, gunfire, explosions, and screams all around them. Lawrence was half-way to his usual look-out area when a shot rang out.

Lawrence and Joe looked up to see a terrified young paddle-ball racquet standing above them on a sand dune, aiming right down at them.

“No! NO! HOW!? WHY ARE YOU-”

A shot rang out, Lawrence looked to his right, and saw Joe holding a smoking pistol, frantically reloading it after, it seems, he expended its last bullet. Lawrence looked back up, the paddle-ball racquet wasn’t up on the dune anymore, Lawrence saw his shattered corpse tumbling down the sand dune, landing at their feet. The paddle-ball racquet, now that he had a closer look, looked barely older than his own kid by a year or two.

Joe poked at the paddle-ball racquet’s ruined face, making it cave in even more. The paddle-ball had that fearful expression frozen on it’s face. Joe then raised his foot and stomped the paddle-ball racquet’s face in, crushing his face into smaller shards, his empty eyes gazing back at space from a mess of cracked plastic.

“How’s this, you piece of shit? That’ll teach you not to kill a man tw-”

Lawrence was staring at Joe. Joe must’ve seen Lawrence’s appalled and disgusted face, as he simply looked back down darkly, and whispered, quite redundantly: “Just makin’ sure if he’s dead.”

Lawrence continued on the path, Joe by his side. He was making jokes like nothing had happened. The situation seemed too familiar and Lawrence was zoning out again, and he was distracted.

Joe started calling out from behind him - It seems that Lawrence was walking too fast, and was attracting a bit too much attention from enemy units. But Lawrence wasn’t listening. He was thinking. Reminiscing.

A gust of wind shot past Lawrence, and then did he look back. When he did, he was nearly blinded by the pressure and light from an explosion, occurring exactly where Joe had been just seconds earlier. The pressure knocked Lawrence on his back, and as he got up, he saw bits and pieces of Joe, burning up in the wind. Eyes popped out of his crumbling sockets, arms and legs twitching, still. His mouth was 3 feet away from his torso, frozen in a silent scream.

Lawrence dived behind a nearby rock, and pointed his guns at the air. Sirens blaring in his mind. Shadows crept behind the dunes. Lawrence found a clear shot, and was about to take it, when he went blind in one eye.

He stumbled forward, collapsing, feeling the hole in his face. A round had taken most of the left side. The world begins to fade. The pain hasn’t yet, due to the shock he was experiencing. His other eye registered something moving behind him.

Lawrence wished he was unconscious for what would undoubtedly came next, yet his mind was still miraculously hanging on. Unnaturally, even. For he was not dead. Even though he’d like to be.

Into his view came a paddle-ball racquet, slightly older and bigger than the one that Joe had killed. His eyes never betrayed any emotions. The paddle-ball racquet retrieved a can of something from his back pack, and poured it all over Lawrence.

“Oh, great”, Lawrence thought. “He’s pouring piss on me. For something Joe did.”

But then the paddle-ball racquet retrieved a thin stick, and Lawrence started to panic.

It wasn’t piss at all. As Lawrence registered the smell of the fluid on him, he realized it was something much worse.

Lighter fluid.

Lawrence screamed as the racquet tossed the lit match onto him.

Lawrence screamed as he felt his body erupt into flames and burn.

Lawrence screamed as he felt his remaining eye liquefy into goo.

Lawrence only stopped screaming when his vocal cords were reduced to dust.

But Lawrence didn’t die. He was still holding on. He outlasted the flames.

Lawrence had wished the flames went on a little longer, long enough to burn up something vital.

He lied there: Blind. In pain. Yet he could still hear noises. He tried to crawl to them, but his strength gave out.

He heard the racquet coming near him, before suddenly stopping.

Shouting.

He heard more bullets. He heard something falling on to the sand. A soft thud.

Voices. Some familiar, some not.

He could make out what they were saying.

“I found Lawrence Plankpine. He’s a mess.”

“He dead, or what?”

“No, but he’s nearly there. Looks like he got burned. Should we-”

“-What?”

“Should we kill him, now?”

“Yes.” Lawrence thought. “Please. Do it. It hurts. So badly.”

“No. Keep him alive. It’s easier that way.”

Lawrence screamed out protests in his head.

Lawrence felt himself being lifted up by hard, cold metal hands, and placed on rough, itchy wool stretchers.

He felt himself carried over bumpy hills and sand. He felt the harsh sunlight disappear as his skin felt the familiar coolness of the cave.

He felt himself placed on a medical table.

“My God. Did you kill him yet?”

“No. But, he’s going to-”

“Good. The process is much easier if we kill him right on the operating table. Time messes with this kinda stuff. Too many variables.”

Lawrence felt pins digging into body. It was agonizing.

“Restrain him, we really don’t need to deal with his squirming.”

“He’s in terrible pain. Doctor, I truly recommend anesthetic.”

“No anesthetic. Those don’t grow on trees.”

“Of course. God dammit. Of course there’s no anesthetic. There’s never any anesthetic.” Lawrence thought.

“How about a quicker death?”

“Almost done. Just-”

Lawrence tried to scream as the pins pump him full of viscous, burning fluids.

“-a little longer-”

Lawrence tried to scream as he felt every single cell in his body breaking down.

“-Now.”

An electric jolt shocked through his body, obliterating most of his brain in the process, and Lawrence was no more.

_____________________________________________

105.

Lawrence awoke with a start.

[larkwinters-a]

It was a nightmare that woke him up. 

There was, however, no jerking up, no screaming. He was simply forced awake by the images he had seen, the actions he’d seen himself carry out, and it’d been too much, so much so that he had to force himself back into consciousness too soon. 

It couldn’t have been more than three or four hours since they had settled into the too big bed, the events from that day heavy on their minds, but they had gone about ignoring it for as long as they possibly could. It’d worked, because they had both managed to fall asleep, their room was only illuminated by a sliver of light, from where the heavy curtains weren’t fully closed.

Right now, however, the room was dark. Fear struck his chest in a way Lark didn’t want to think about and one thought rang in his mind; you’re back there. 

And he might have believed it, if it were not for the bed beneath his back and the girl sharing said bed with him.

Ruby was still asleep, would still be asleep four another three hours or so, and was something solid against him. He’d forgotten what it was like to share a bed with someone and it was something he had sorely missed. Their tangled bodies might not have been tangled like they had been before, with them both changed in different ways -- he could see the light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks -- and how only his left arm was tucked around her, holding her close to his chest. She was breathing softly, sleep rendering her features soft and neutral. 

He moved his arm from around her and lifted it to her face. His fingers barely touched her hair as he brushed them through it. His hand came to a rest at her cheek, his thumb stroked along her cheekbone. They were small gestures that would have meant nothing had this just been another day of them waking up in one of their dorm rooms, with them having crashed there because it had been too hard to separate even for a few necessary hours of sleep. 

The kids they had been back then would have had no idea what they would have to go through. The Lark he was then had no idea the pain he would cause her, despite how hard he had tried not to. The Lark he was now understood the pain he had caused her as much as he could and he couldn’t -- wouldn’t think about how she still had chosen him. If he thought about that, he would take himself down on a spiral he wouldn’t be able to get back up from. 

As much as Lark was scared of her seeing the parts of him he was trying so hard to keep hidden, he knew he would never have been able to live without her. Especially now, when he needed her more than he could care to admit. More than he was able to admit. In all of the bad things that had happened over the past year, the things he had forgotten and the things he could remember in vivid detail, there had only been one person he had wanted, one thing he had wanted, and that had been her and her embrace. He wouldn’t have chased that away, no matter how badly he was pushing his feelings down, sealing them into a bottle that was already spilling over. 

He needed her around, he couldn’t live without her.

But right now, he had to. 

He was quiet and careful as he slipped out of the bed. His bare feet padded softly against the marble floor as he crossed the room and pulled open one of the wardrobes that were built into the wall of the room. There was nothing inside and he wasn’t exactly in the mood, or right activity, to put on his sweater again. A plan formed in his mind.

With one last glance in Ruby’s direction, to where she was still sleeping in bed, he slipped out of the room. The door closed with a soft hiss and Lark quietly made his way down the corridor. No lights were on and he could see that each door of the four rooms they had been given were tightly shut. The rest of their group were still sound asleep and he knew it’d stay that way. They had just travelled light years in a day, they had just spent the day collecting their lions and having their time filled with non stop action. It was only natural that they would need plenty of sleep.

Lark should have needed plenty of sleep too but he had been conditioned so thoroughly to run on only three hours of sleep, that getting any more felt like it would have been an act of destruction. Why should he sleep any longer than he needed when his mind could be alert and functioning on only three hours?

The joke here was, that he was never alert or functioning on only three hours of sleep, he was always running on fumes, always mere moments from his engine giving out. It was something that needed hidden, because he had already been stripped back to his shell. He was nothing but a bare structure and mechanics that had been badly duct taped together in a vain attempt to make him resemble a human being. 

Lark wasn’t sure what he was anymore. 

A pilot or a leader or a friend or a boyfriend? None of the titles seemed to fit him correctly anymore, they were masks, strapped onto his face, to hide the cracked and torn apart mess underneath it. If he let one slip, they would see his true self, they would look through his skin like it was transparent. They would see right into his inner organs and they would see bruises and scars and injuries he couldn’t explain without wanting to puke. 

And perhaps, the worst part of this, was that his question was answered when he stumbled upon his destination. 

He moved into the gym. It was a large white room that was a few meters big, large enough to rival the gym at the Garrison. On the far side of the room, there was a observation centre, for people to observe those who trained in here and that made Lark feel sick. He decided not to dwell on it and he crossed the room, dust swirling around his feet as he walked across the mats. They were squishy yet cracked under his weight, they hadn’t been used in years. 

On the same wall that held the window for the observation centre, there was two large double doors. One the side, there was a plaque that was written in an alien language, but Lark guessed it said equipment. The other door in the gym wasn’t nearly big enough. He yanked one door open and walked into a cupboard the size of a room. There was many shelves, a sort of translucent blue in colour, and Lark walked along it until he found the two things he needed. 

The first of which was the work out gear. Official Altean training uniforms that he plucked a t-shirt from. It was supposed to be his typical size but he found out fairly quickly that he has grown in the past year. His muscles were bigger, his scarred chest and stomach were more firm, firmer than he’d ever been. The t-shirt was tight, stretching over his chest and one wrong move would allow anyone who looked at him to see his stomach muscles. His arms were left exposed, the t-shirt was sleeveless. He didn’t have many qualms about that in the moment, no one else was awake. They wouldn’t find him in here and they wouldn’t stare.

The second item he had retrieved was athletic tape. He idly wrapped it around his left hand and wrist as he left the cupboard, making his way back into the gym. The once dark room lit up then, the artificial lights flickering on. The wall across from him remained dark, panels closed over it. Lark squinted and walked over to it. He pressed his newly wrapped hand -- the right one didn’t need it now -- to one of the panels and they shuddered and creaked before opening.

Lark took a few steps back and watched for the few seconds it took for the panels to recede completely. What he was now looking at was a wall made up completely of arched windows. There was a meter or so of brick at the top, meeting where the windows curved. Lark sucked in a sharp breath, it’d been a long time since he’d last seen a view like this. His eyes flitted over the view of the new planet, the green horizon and the trees that lined it. It was beautiful and he was about to tear his gaze away, when he saw it. 

The sun had begun to poke it’s way out, slowly rising up in the sky. It was a sunrise. He hadn’t seen one in a year.

The sky was a spread of colours; a pale yellow where the sun was rising that mingled in with the pinks and oranges that spread through, tinged towards the top with purple were the darkness of night was receding into a pale blue. It looked surreal, it looked just like how he could vaguely remember the ones on earth looking and he felt his heart begin to race. He couldn’t breathe. 

Lark took a step and then another two back. It was overwhelming, it was too much all at once. He had seen the sky, a pale blue outlined by the rocky perches of the Arizona desert, when he had stepped outside of Ruby’s cabin, he had seen the sheet of blue, barely marked with a cloud, and that had been fine; he was used to a monochromatic sky, one colour covering the entire base. But this, this was colourful and vibrant and full of life and it reminded him just how much he had lost and missed in a year. 

His lungs squeezed painfully; tears pooled in the corner of his eyes and then --

“Please select a training method.”

Lark spun, his hands instinctively curling into fists and they were held up, ready to attack. With wide eyes, he searched for the enemy but there was no one in the room with him. It was just himself, with the sunset behind him, casting shades of pink and orange on his pale skin. 

Seconds passed and Lark didn’t budge, he waited for a sign that someone was about to attack, perhaps they were hidden, when the message repeated itself. Robotic and lacking life, Lark realised it was an AI. His hands dropped to his sides and he felt foolish for reacting in such a manner. He shook his head, the momentum brushing his hair from his eyes. 

“Just uh, --” His voice was hoarse, a result of the sleep. “-- I just wanna hit something.”

“Training method 002 selected.” The AI responded.

A moment later, the wall on the far end of the room shifted, a door sliding open and Lark tilted his head to the side. It was too dark to see inside but a moment later a _ appeared. A small huh left him as it shuddered to a stop two feet in front of him. The energy holding it up was a beam of blue light, that looked vaguely familiar but he couldn’t pin point why, and he walked over, pressing his wrapped hand against it. He pushed the it and it shook but the beam didn’t budge. It was some kind of alien technology. 

A small smile twitched at his lips. “Oh, that’s cool.”

“There are different ways in which the Altean training routines can help improve your physique.” The AI said. “May we suggest --”

“I’m good,” he said. “Thanks.”

The AI fell silent and Lark’s fist shot out and hit the bag. It swung back at him and he met it with another hit. And then another, the sounds of skin and metal hitting the vinyl in a rain of pent up emotions. He didn’t break a sweat, it would take more than some physical exertion to make him do that now. It was almost funny to him just how much he had changed, both mentally and physically. Almost. 

He hit it for what seemed like a while, truthfully, he still had no idea how time passed, he had no idea what time it was save for it being early. He didn’t know if this planet had a different way of calculating time. It threw him through a loop or two. Maybe it was a good thing he was back in space, now he wouldn’t have to bother people with his inability to readjust to natural gravity and oxygen and a time scale. He was less of a burden in space.

His first struck the bag again and it rattled in place, swinging wildly and he had to step to the side, to avoid being hit by it. It was back and forth a couple of time and when it began to slow down, he got it with his hand, his black fingers digging into the vinyl in an vain attempt to rip it apart. He was still trying to suppress those urges, he had to keep reminding himself that he wasn’t expected to fight here. At least, not in the way he had previously. 

“You seem like a great fighter,” The distinct accent filled the room. “How long have you been training for?”

Lark slid his gaze over to Hunter. His fingertips dug deeper into the bag. “Garrison. Combat Training. It was mandatory.”

Hunter nodded and a smirk toyed at his lips. “I was a Military Combatant for many years back on Altea. I would have been a great Troop leader, if I hadn’t become King Alfor’s right hand man.”

“You must miss Altea a great deal.” Lark said.

Hunter shrugged. His eyes flicked down, to the scars on Lark’s arm and then back up, like he had remembered it was impolite to stare. “Ten thousand years goes by like that,” he clicked his fingers. “I’m focusing on the present. Do you miss Earth?”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t dwell on the notion that Earth was still there, that he hadn’t been there for a year and when he had been, it’d only caused him to be treated like Patient Zero in an outbreak, it had only been for a few hours. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to see his family. That hurt more than he wanted it to.

“You must have people you miss, though?” Lark asked. “Friends, a family?”

“I found friends and a family with the royals.” Hunter said. “I do remember the day Maia was born, it was such a big celebration. I got far too drunk. There was a lot of brawling. I mostly won.”

Lark raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He didn’t answer, but someone else did.

“As I recall,” Maia’s soft voice said. “You were punched a dozen or, was it, a hundred times that day?”

“It was a celebration.” Hunter scoffed. “I was celebrating!”

“Mhm.” Maia nodded, a sly grin on her face.

Lark looked between them for a moment and felt a burst of concern. “What are you guys doing up so early?”

“It’s only 9am.” Hunter said, incredulously. He didn’t realise how glad Lark was to have the time. “Us Alteans don’t require as much sleep.”

“We went to bed early.” Maia said. “Yesterday was a long day for all of us and I got up early to start scanning for the Red lion. Hunter got up because he’s, well, Hunter.”

Lark nodded, slowly. “You shouldn’t sacrifice your sleep for that. You need to take care of yourself.”

“I can take care of myself.” Maia said. “I’ll be fine. I just want to have all of the lions here, to be able to have Voltron once more.”

Lark licked his lips. He hadn’t given much thought to the lions since he had woken up. He couldn’t, not without fearing the inevitable. The Black lion has been described as everything Lark wanted to be, the things his heart wanted him to be. But he wasn’t those things and he couldn’t pretend that he was. And everyone would find out, they would see when they got their lions and he presented himself to Black. She would reject him. She wouldn’t want a monster piloting her. 

“Voltron back in the playing field?” Hunter asked and then barked a laugh. “The Galra won’t stand a chance.”

“It won’t be that simple.” Maia reminded him. “This isn’t a bar fight during the Juniper berry celebrations.”

“And I did great in those bars fights!” Hunter protested. “You should have seen my mean right hook.”

Maia glanced to Lark. She rolled her eyes and he flashed her a false, small smile before casting his gaze elsewhere. To anyone else it would have been extremely fascinating to hear two aliens talk about their lives, about their culture, but Lark had heard it before, so many times within the past year. And usually, they were arguing about his life. 

“My father wasn’t too happy about you getting into those fights,” Maia told him. “You were a joke.”

She began to leave, making her way out of the room. Hunter turned around to look at her, his hands on his hips.

“I’ll have you know I was a champion bar fighter!” he called after her. “Everyone wanted a piece of me!”

A sharp, involuntary gasp left Lark then. His gaze snapped to Hunter. It was too late to say or do anything, however, because he was scurrying after Maia, no doubt arguing his case. Lark, in the meantime, felt like someone had just punched him in the chest. And he knew exactly what that felt like. He took a step back and the mat squished under his footsteps. 

One simple word shouldn’t have gotten to him like that, he knew it. He felt pathetic, for being so weak that he was taken out like that. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the panic and memories to leave him alone. A voice in his head told him what he needed but instead of listening to it, he balled his hands into fists and then lashed out.

His right fist hung where the bag hand, where it had hovered from it’s previously thought unbreakable hold, and it was gone, swallowed up by the ground -- which, what the fuck? -- and Lark let out another breath. 

A second later, he fled the room. 

He walked quickly back down the route he had come down hours previously, tugging the tape from his hand and he was back at their room quicker than he had left. The door slid open, he walked in, and dumped the tape on the floor. He shook his hand out as he crossed the room, going back to their bed.

Ruby was still there, still asleep and the sight was enough to calm him down. The panic fled from his mind and he slid back into the bed with her. And unlike when he had first woken up, he couldn’t wait for her to do so. He reached out, with his left hand, and gently shook her, stirring her from her sleep. He should have and did feel bad for it. She needed sleep, she was accustom to the short time he was, and it was selfish of him to put his needs before hers. 

“Hey,” he said, when she turned to look at him, brown eyes deep and clouded with sleep. She’d still be groggy. “I missed you.” 

I need you, he didn’t say, I need you to tell me it’s okay.

He slid down onto the bed then, his right arm tucked under his head and his left wrapped around her once more, bringing her to his chest. For a moment, he did nothing. He felt his nerves continue to burn and so, he leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. 

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, softly. “Looks like we’re not on Earth anymore, Roo.”

[osakaso5]

Gaku Yaotome i7 Roman Rabbit Chat Part 2: An Elite Soldier!

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Gaku: Tsumugi, good job. We got the details for that escape game. 

Gaku: Apparently we'll look for "Panda Stones" that are hidden all over the park, and insert those into a shrine at the goalsite so we can get out. 

Tsumugi: Good work, Gaku-san! I've got the details, too. It seems like it'll be a very authentic escape game, I can't wait! 

Gaku: Plus I heard we're doing a collab with that King Pudding (?) character this time. Even though they've got their own mascot, (1) they're really showing off. 

Gaku: Yotsuba liked that thing, didn't he. He'll probably be really excited about this (lol)

Tsumugi: That's right! But I think I'll keep it a secret from him until the day of the game, lol

Tsumugi: Do you have any favorite foods besides soba? 

Gaku: I like strawberries. Tell that kid that if they ever release a strawberry flavored King Pudding, I'll try it out (lol)

Tsumugi: Understood! I'll let Tamaki-san know, lol

Gaku: I hear that childish guy with a sweet tooth's going to play the son of an aristocrat. And wasn't Osaka a houseboy who works for him? 

Tsumugi: Yes! Their roles are a bit unusual this time, so I'm excited to see them. 

Tsumugi: Tsunashi-san took great care of Tamaki-san and Sogo-san during the shuffle units..! 

Gaku: I heard from Ryu that they've even been meeting up in private. He probably can't leave that unstable partnership of theirs alone. Just like with me and Tenn (lol)

Tsumugi: He's really been so good to them... Sogo-san and I were talking about doing something to show Tsunashi-san our gratitude. 

Gaku: What, are you going to meet up with Ryu? Let me know when you do that, too. 

Tsumugi: Of course! Our members were thrilled to hear about your elite soldier roles and Re:vale's playboy roles, so I'm sure they have plenty of things they want to discuss with you directly! 

Gaku: Thanks. I wanted to talk to Nikaido about his confusing "intelligent mystery man" role, too (lol)

Tsumugi: I think the phrase "mystery man" suits Yamato-san,  somehow... 

Choices/outcomes:

1. Were you interested in any other roles?

Gaku: The younger Izumi and Nanase's student roles, maybe. When Nanase wears a uniform, doesn't it make him look even younger than Izumi Junior? (lol)

2. Do you think you'll be able to escape safely?

Gaku: Since we're doing this, we might as well do it perfectly! Besides, nothing’s impossible with all three TRIGGER members together.

3. I look forward to Panda Nameco Village's attractions!

Gaku: You do seem like you'd enjoy stuff like that, Tsumugi (lol) Do you go to places like amusement parks a lot? You wouldn't look too out of place on a merry-go-round.

Gaku: Oh yeah, since IDOLiSH7 has seven members, they'll be divided into smaller groups, right? 

Tsumugi: Yes. I believe they'll be divided into three teams according to their characters. Since all of TRIGGER will be in uniforms, you'll probably look very good..! 

Gaku: Thanks. I also wanted to wear something with a more traditional Japanese feel like Nikaido and Osaka, though. 

Tsumugi: Speaking of a traditional Japanese feel, your shuffle unit song had it! It was released recently, so it comes to mind instantly. 

Gaku: Right. Did you listen to it? 

Tsumugi: Of course I did..! I've heard it countless times already. 

Tsumugi: It seems something called "True Men pretend" has been popular at our dorms lately! 

Gaku: What's that (lol)

Tsumugi: It's a game where you pretend you're one of the four who sang the song, and try to mimick their singing and performance >< lol

Tsumugi: Apparently, Tamaki-san played Yamato-san, Sogo-san played Nagi-san, Iori-san played Mitsuki-san, and Riku-san played you just  the other day! 

Gaku: I really wanna see that. 

Tsumugi: It seems the four of them did the "M-A-T-S-U-R-I, Say! MATSURI!" part! 

Gaku: It was so macho when we did it, but with those guys it would feel more light-hearted and childish (lol)

Tsumugi: I hear Tamaki-san wanted to do the "Everyone~! Gather 'round!" part badly, so he pointed with his index finger, and the others caught  on to that finger, lol

Gaku: That's an original move! 

Tsumugi: I'm afraid he's decided that "Gakkun should've done this too. It's super fun". 

Gaku: Geez, Yotsuba's such a lax guy (lol)

Translator’s notes..? 

1) the mascot mentioned here is pandanameko (a panda with a nameko mushroom on its head), who’s also an official bandai namco mascot irl

[anti-yandere-dev]

hey so i 'redid' the yansim characters but not all of them i wrote 2 much so

[I put the submission under the cut since it was pretty lengthy]

hey whats up guys i had 2 put this in a submission as well as literally typed this in a note bc im on data & i dont wanna use a lot of it

basically my au takes place in a college instead. seems more fitting bc theyre actual adults & just feels Right.

theres more characters than there is in the original but thats mainly because i took the ‘genderbent versions’ & made them useful (i pretty much made them in2 siblings 4 some characters lol) anyways!! lets break down the characters

also lads, lassies, non-gender specific term for those bc i dont know the term, im givin yall a warning 4 self harm, suicide, nsfw implications/rape, possible drug abuse, and the rest of the Basic Criteria

Akihiko (Previously known as Senpai): He’s gay & trans. His name means 'bright prince’ which really has no significance, I just thought it was pretty……………and everyone views him as a prince bc he’s rly nice and kind and forgiving and actually has a personality other than being a cardboard box. Eventually gets into a commited relationship w/ 'Yandere-kun’ who I really need to give a name. Akihiko has a twin brother, I took that idea from the possibility of a younger sister, and admittingly(admittedly???) enough, Koumi’s 'genderbent’ Hanako. I’ll get into detail on his twin later, but they have a pretty good relationship. Akihiko (it was at this point i actually looked up a name 4 him & went back 2 edit stuff bc i h8 senpai lol) is still childhood friends w/ 'Osana’, who I renamed Ami(i4got her last name i had 4 her). However, neither of them have romantic feelings for one another, considering Akihiko is only attracted to males, and Ami is only attracted to females(theyre gay.). Akihiko actually meets Ayano when she is about to commit suicide, when he saves her. Ami is there with him, so they both save her. Aside from slight backstory related stuff, Akihiko is actually rather popular. People like him for an actual personality this time!! He’s very kind and puts others needs before his, which is rather dangerous. Ami has lectured him on this many times. Akihiko’s also known for having really good grades and being very helpful when it comes to tutoring others. He meets Ichirou (yandere-kun i literally just looked up anothr name his name means first son bc hes the first son btw lolol) eventually when Ayano invites him over. (sry this is everywhere btw i should have put this in2 a specific order) ngl i feel like this is enough on akihiko like if u wanna kno more abt him hmu on my main christopherpierre-official

Ami (Previously known as Osana): god shes so fucking gay like as soon as she met ayano she fuckign DIED bc she loves her so much???she thinks ayano is like. the prettiest fuckgin girl ever. holy fuckshit shes GAY AND WILL DEFEND AYANO WOTH HER LIFE!!!! Anyways. Ami comes from a dangerously abusive household, and as a result, took a lot of self defense classes when she ran away at age 13. (what year is tht in japan pls help) She still retains some of her 'tsundere’ personality, but she’s more thoughtful of others feelings. She met Ayano as she was about to throw herself into highly active traffic, but she and Akihiko were able to stop her before she could hurt herself. As soon as Ami and Akihiko were able to calm Ayano down, they called an ambulance/contacted the hospital, considering she had a lot of bruises and cuts. They would later find out Ayano’s father was extremely abusive, and the mother was unable to do anything because she was away on a trip for work. A lot of people know Ami for how assertive she can be, misinterpreting her mostly good intentions as aggressive. Ami is mostly known for her knowledge on medical related things, but she still has a slightly bad reputation because of how rude she comes off as. again thts enougb on ami if u wanna kno more just ask me!!

Ayano: still keeps the name bc I Like It?? its pretty fuck u. Ayano has none of her yandere personality. She’s fuckign AFRAID of everything bc of her SHIT ASS ABUSIVE DAD!! Her mom’s still kinda yandere tho, but she didnt kidnal the dad or anything. Their marriage is founded off of Pure And Honest Love…….until the mom kills the dad 4 being a homphobic shit bitch lol. Ayano actually has a lot of self harm scars. She barely gets to see her older brother, Ichirou, who is two years older than her, because he’s away or some shit idk he gets abused p badly too tho. Ayano is rly reserved & quiet & im debating on giving her bpd but its Iffy idk. she has ptsd & kinda sorta got raped by some Fucker in middle school (ichirou took care of the fucker (: hes dead.) so she has a lot of trauma going on here!! I kinda sorta projected some emotional trauma of mine onto Ayano;;; Obviously when Ami found out she was fuxking enraged. Ayano can’t afford to move out of her house just yet, and her brother can’t necessarily take her in, nor does he have her contact info. He kinda sorta left thr country for a bit?? Not sure what country I want this to take place in yet. However, Ichirou is fairly powerless against his father as well, so he took a lot of the beatings, (even tho this boy is fucking Strong as Hell like GOD FUCKIN DAMN!!! he can lift his own mom w/o an issue!! but he kinda left like right away as soon as he could & couldnt take ayano i mean she was still in high school & he Obviously has guilt over not taking her w/ him) but not as many as Ayano, seeing as to how she was the fathers least favourite. Her mother never married the father, and she didn’t want the children to inherit his last name either. …..anyways this is enough i thimk

Ichirou (Previously Yandere-kun): Gay. Loves Akihiko. Retains the yandere personality, but it’s not as bad??? He left the [insert surname household here fuck aishi its not even a Real japanese surname] household as soon as possible, and had immediate regrets. Loves his darling little sister with all of his heart, but it’s literally not incestuous. It’s just good sibling love………also he likes 2 embarass ayano a lot lol. As soon as he met Akihiko, who I never mentioned to have pastel pink hair, he fell in love like, right away? Even though I personally don’t believe in love at first sight (that’s a lie I fell in love w/ most of my anime bf’s @ first sight i can shut the Fuck Off) Ichirou was just??immediately enchanted by this beautiful prince…….he’s just that gay. He’s 2 whole singular years older than Ayano. actually not 2 whole years but w/e hes a scorpio tho. Ichirou has definitely been in relationships w/ other men b4 but they didn’t work out too well. Some rando called him 'daddy’ once and wanted to fucking Die he has shit experiences with his dad & hates the daddy kink so much. He also has ptsd. Doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions at all so he just bottles them up and lets them out all at once and it’s a mess. Also has self harm scars, and some scars from his father trying to Literally Kill Him. This boy……strong as fuck. Can lift his own mom. Has held Ami, Ayano, and Akihiko all at once. Somehow. He’s just a really good older brother? But he’s also really sneaky. While he is jealous of the time Ami & Ayano spend with Akihiko (the A squad lol i just realized their names all start w/ the letter a) he does respect that they’re really close friends, and nothing more. He’s also aware of the unsaid feelings between Ayano and Ami (vry perceptive) so he doesn’t care lol. However, he has little to no tolerance of anyone else being around him. He has a slight distaste for Akihiko’s twin, Kazuhiko (the name means harmonious prince i got a Theme goin on here) but he disregards the feelings. wow talk abt an Info Dump okay next 1

Kazuhiko (Previously the 'genderbent’ little sister/brother, made him into Akihiko’s twin brother): He’s actually a yandere too?? But not 4 Akihiko. He’s vry supportive of Akihiko tho. When he & his twin were in middle school, he gave his uniform to his brother bc he still got the sailor uniform, so he took it. There were some troubles but hey I don’t know how this shit is dealt w/ so please. Just accept this brother supporting his gay trans twin……pls….. He enjoys Ayano’s company. She reminds him of his gf/d8m8, the 'genderbent’ version of “”“"senpai”“”“ (theyre cousins but nobody knows yet so thats why) so he introduces them and they hit it off pretty well! Kazuhiko get Jealous™ and nearly exposes his yandere personality but his Lovely Beautiful Nonbinary Girlfriend reassures him tht they only love him. He loves Yuuka (their full name is yuuka minako) so much?? He would kill 4 them. Literally. He almost has. & b4 i accidentally make a cishet character bc i Refuse 2 4 some???odd reason idk, kazuhiko is a Bisexual Demiboy who fell in love w/ a nonbinary who is okay w/ feminine aligned things. Back on track, Kazuhiko is fairly popular w/ a lot of people for many reasons, and oh wow what a Fucking Cliche ppl r strongly sexually attracted to him!!coolio. he looks nothing like koumis fuckass potato lookin little brother btw. But a lot of people hate the fact that he’s in a Very Committed Relationship w/ Yuuka bc shes not that pretty damn!! But she is. She’s so fucking pretty. To him, at least. He basically fucking worships Yuuka. this is A Lot next character lol

Yuuka (Previously 'Senpai-chan’ or w/e lol): Nonbinary who’s fine w/ she/her pronouns, but also uses they/them. Very shy, Ayano & Ichirou’s cousin. Has a younger sister, and two older siblings who are twins. The younger sister is the old concept for the original little sister, and the older siblings are nemesis-chan & 'nemesis-kun’. While Yuuka and their siblings have lived a fairly abusive life, they haven’t sustained as much 'damage’ as Ayano’s family. Yuuka & Ayano are related by their mothers. They are sisters, only a year and an undetermined amount of months apart. This means after Ryoba, Ayano’s mother, or Sakurako, Yuuka’s mother, moved away, they lost contact with one another, never bothering to talk again. Yuuka and Ayano get along exceptionally well, and Hanako (u remember the little sister well her name stays the same bc its meaning is just flower child. also her design changes.) often refers to Ayano as an elder sister. Yuuka’s relationship with her little sister is somewhat strained due to the three year age gap, but they still get along regardless. Their relationship is strained because Yuuka promises to spend more time with their younger sister, but there’s not much time due to an overwhelming amount of schoolwork, as well as their job taking up a lot of time, too. Regardless, Yuuka doesn’t forget to call their darling little sister as often as she can, checking up on her and how well she’s doing in school. next 1!!!! also i4got 2 talk abt their relationship w/ kazuhiko here bc i was rly focused on mentioning family stuff…..oops (also 4got 2 mention mental health stuff??but like. yuuka has adhd, depression, anxiety, u can just ask me if u wanna know more tbh)

Hanako: i kept the name bc it just literally means flower child & honestly shes such a flowery child??anyways. Hanako retains little to none of her annoying rip-off-nico personality. Instead, she has set up a calm, shy exterior as a defense mechanism due to the many years of neglect she received from her father. (me @ myself y r all the dad characters fuxking Dicks in this like??okay damn.) On top of that, growing up, her mother was never around, due to the fact that she was in the hospital to a terminal illness. Instead, she had to rely on Yuuka for attention, since the twins, Tomoko (sister) and Kiyoshi (brother) left before she graduated her first year in middle school. Hanako also has difficulties with her schoolwork because she, much like her sister, has ADHD. Due to this, she struggles to keep up with the class, and has a hard time paying attention to almost anything that doesn’t interest her enough. However, she has many supports, helping her as much as possible in many ways, which does make her feel better about herself. After her mother had made a full recovery and left the hospital in her current year, she has felt much better about herself, and her grades have definitely improved. Although her father did leave her a while back when she found out he was having an affair on her mom, she still managed fairly well on her own. i mean cmon its not like she liked her dad tht much lol he was a Big Fucking Asswipe hanako isnt as fleshed out as i wished her 2 b but shes not That signigicant to the main story??idk. like shes still in highschool & shes only 17 & this takes place in college so??i dunno. i mean if u got suggestions or smth..sure

Tomoko (Previously Nemesis-chan, made her one of the older siblings bc idk y not lol: There’s not much to say about her. She’s 28, which is only 11 years apart from Hanako. She was entirely capable of filling in the missing mother role for her and Yuuka, but she herself didn’t know what to do. On top of that, she was more focused on getting the best grades out of the entire class, and was much better at academics than her brother. Tomoko has a very cold exterior. She is hard to connect with, and pays little to no attention to anyone elses feelings than her own. This mainly stems from the fact that her father, who she doesn’t even consider a blood related relative, was too busy messing around with other women. buddy i dont know what else 2 write 4 tomoko like she just has severe apathy issues & just doesnt know how 2 connect w/ others. next character

Kiyoshi (Previously Koumi’s shit ass 'genderbend’ Nemesis-chan): Unlike Tomoko, he was able to fill in the father-like role for Yuuka and Hanako. Due to having to take on the role of the father, it put a large strain on his academics and work outside of school. He, at one point, almost had to drop out to take care of his younger siblings, but decided against it. He eventually decided to teach Yuuka how to do her own laundry and how to cook when she was only 9. Due to this, Yuuka was able to take care of herself and Hanako while Kiyoshi could work and pay their bills. Kiyoshi was only 23 when he left the household so he could go to college and get a degree, leaving Yuuka at age 15, and Hanako at age 12. he could b more fleshed out but im??i dunno. im Panicking okay do u think i can work on a character tht doesnt rly show up in the story a lot.

anyways im just putting all of These Guys in 1 this 4 now bc this is A Lot as it is. ill do more later also give me criticism on these pls

--

I really like what you’ve done with the characters (especially now that they have personalities and stories behind them, instead of just nothing). Also, the names you gave them were cute.

-Mod Sega

[aliaisreal]

Seventh Kiss: On the lips/The afternoon when the impossible happened.

Created: March 6, 2017

Edited: April 27, 2017

Note: Seventh Part/ Ending. Fun fact: This is probably the longest with 11k characters and 2k words… Shocker, right? After 9k+ words, 53k+ characters, 36 pages on word, I am glad to say that this series will officially end here. Thank you for your patience in reading this (I don’t even know who’s gonna read this so either way, thanks!) Oh and don’t make Elijah read this. He might puke his guts out.

Prompt: Seventh Kiss: On the lips/The afternoon when the impossible happened.

**

‘Where are they?’ Elijah peered over the empty corridor, watching keenly for his friends to show up. He couldn’t have mistaken the corridor his friends always walk on since it is the one that led towards their different dorm, it is their main crossroad.

After a few more gruesome minutes, he finally spotted Aila and Harli animatedly arguing about something. He waited as they neared the closet, grabbing the opportunity by yanking both of them inside.

“What the-?” Harli mumbled as they immediately looked for their captor only to sigh in relief when they saw the culprit. The relief was soon then turned into annoyance when they realized they were stuffed inside of a closet.

“What on earth are you doing, Elijah?” Aila hissed. “If this is some payback from that last time-” Aila stopped when she realized she was being ignored, huffing while she watched him go back to his stealth mode, finding Mon, Roger, and Ria chatting about something.

Quickly, he managed to grab Mon’s wrist and pulled her towards the closet; Roger, being near to Mon, acted impulsively as he seized her wrist, doing nothing of help, while Ria did the same thing, ending up by being dragged inside the closet.

“Sectum-”

“Mon, it’s me!” Elijah quickly said before he got hit by a slicing spell.

Mon’s eyebrows furrowed as she glanced around, only to see Aila huffing in annoyance while Harli was glaring at Elijah.

Roger scratched his head in confusion while Ria raised her eyebrow dangerously.

“Start talking, shorty.” Ria shot up, taking out her wand in the process, threatening Elijah. “Why the random kidnapping or I swear to Morgan that I will literally shred you to pieces.”

“Right,” Mon sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to calm herself. “What she said, Lychee. Start explaining.”

“I need your help,” Elijah vaguely answered to which earned him death glares that had him shrinking on the spot if it weren’t for the fact that they were all squeezed inside the closet.

“That’s not an explanation,” Ria said, violet sparks are emitting out of her wand to which Mon held her hand to prevent the Ravenclaw from producing bloodshed. “If you needed our help so badly, why go the trouble of kidnapping instead of asking us like normal person?”

“Everywhere I go, she’s always there.” Elijah said, ruffling his hair in frustration causing his friends to share a look with each other, Harli being a Legilimens, was the only one who had understood what he is saying. “It’s as if the creeper knows where I am.” He continued, clearing the confusion.

“Hold up,” Aila interrupted suddenly. “You dragged us here because you didn’t want for Cindy to find you?”

“Well, he’s got many reasons to avoid Cindy,” Roger piped up. “I mean, whenever he’s with us, she’s like popping out of nowhere like a mushroom.”

Elijah watched as his friends easily fell into a conversation about him and Cindy, talking as if he wasn’t even present. (Sometimes, he does wonder if pureblooded families do this- gossip about other wizarding families- they doesn’t have a big gap with the muggles if that’s the case.)

“Guys,” he called their attention. “I’m right here, I can hear your conversations thank you very much. Stop believing rumors, Ria, I didn’t have sex with Cindy in some bathroom.”

They all stopped and reverted their attention to him.

“Well?” Harli asked. “Are you gonna tell us why you decided to stuff us in this small closet or do you want me to tell them about your dilemma about Cindy?”

Elijah almost wanted to hit his head on the wall. Why does he keep on forgetting that Harli can read his mind?

“What is it this time?” Aila groaned. “Did he just seriously dragged us here to talk about how he finally have this and I quote, weird feeling he can’t describe? Or is he here to talk about the kisses exchanged between them which will ultimately lead to an emotion opening up ceremony? Because if it does, you should’ve told us. We would have gotten the pillows and built the forts, complete with complimentary drink from Harli’s family vineyard.” Aila said sarcastically complete with a roll of the eyes.

Everyone stared at her, four pairs of eyes had the look of awestruck while the last pair of eyes had the look of inquisition.

“What?”

“How’d you know that?”

“She’s an empath, Elijah.” Mon explained. “The Leighton clan had that notable skill paired with Occlumency. They are a talented pureblooded family that you don’t wanna mess with unless you’re powerful yourself.” She said. “You didn’t know?”

Elijah shook his head. “I thought only Harli’s the talented one.”

Roger feigned hurt as he placed a hand on his chest. “You wound us, Elijah. Mon’s a metamorphmagus, I’m an Occlumens, and well, Harli’s Legilimens.”

Elijah groaned. “How come you guys get the good stuff?”

Ria patted his back sympathetically. “Oh the perks of being a pureblood, eh?”

Elijah turned to her. “So you don’t know what I’m about to tell you?” he asked, hopeful, earning a flick of her finger to his forehead.

“Ow,”

“Are you dumb? You and Cindy shared five kisses already and you had the guts to ask me that I don’t know what you’re up to?”

The Gryffindor crinkled his nose in annoyance as he muttered something under his breath.

“Speak up, shorty. We can’t hear you.”

“I said, it was six okay?”

His friends glanced at each other, sharing the same confusion on their faces.

Six kisses? 

“Oh that can’t be.” Aila spoke up, breaking the silence. “I know that your first kiss was in the library-”

“-your second was in the Great Hall-” Ria added.

“-third is in the kitchens-”

“-fourth- hold on.” Harli stopped himself as he looked at Elijah in disbelief. “Your second kiss was in the infirmary?” he asked for confirmation to which he just groaned at.

“Can you stop reading my mind?”

“Must be true then,” Ria mumbled. “But-” realization dawned on her face. “We were at McGonagall’s office.” She stated to which he nodded at.

Roger held up his hand in confusion. “Okay, so you guys shared six kisses- none of which on the lips, I might add- what do you want us to do? Eliminate her for you since she tainted your innocence?”

Elijah furrowed his eyebrows. “What, no!” he exclaimed which earned looks of suspicion from his comrades.

Aila smiled slyly. “My, my… look at you. Ever since I introduced her to you, you were all like ew-get-away-from-me-creeper and now here you are, given with the opportunity to ditch her for good and your reaction suggests otherwise.”

“That’s it?” Ria asked incredulously. “You could have just dragged Aila into this, she might’ve figured out your problem-”

“-which one?” Roger muttered. “Guy’s have a ton of problems.” He said, earning snickers from the rest of the group.

“Aw come on,”

They all sobered up as Ria placed an arm around his shoulder. “You know, the mere fact that you went all through the trouble of kidnapping all of us just to talk about your dilemma with Cindy is a proof enough.”

“Proof of what?”

The rest of them groaned as Aila proceeded to leave the room, heaving out a heavy sigh.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” The Gryffindor called after her.

“I’m getting claustrophobic. Figure out your own problem!” she called back, her robes swishing as she briskly walk.

He stared at his friends in disbelief as one by one, his friends proceeded on leaving him all on his own, not without a hard pat on his back (Mon and Ria made sure they paid him back for ruining their afternoon.), Harli being last.

“We all have a bet going on and I hate to be disqualified if I were to help you.” He stated, getting ready to run for his life for the information he is giving the troubled boy. “If it really bothers you so much, look for Cindy and tell her what your issue is. Maybe she’ll be able to help you.”

And with that, his so called friend left him alone in a dusty closet.

Elijah scoffed. And you call yourselves my friends?

**

“You seemed to have a lot on your mind,”

Elijah jumped slightly, turning around only to see Cindy grinning at him. When she saw the seriousness on her face, her grin faltered. “Is something bothering you?” she asked. “Oh wait, I know. It’s my presence, isn’t it? Alright, I can take a hint.” She assumed as she acted on leaving but was stopped when he reached to grab her hand.

“Wait,” Elijah mumbled. “I just really need to ask someone a question, and since my friends bailed on me, maybe you can answer it.”

Cindy raised an eyebrow. (Huh, that’s a first,) “Really? You don’t have other friends aside from them?”

He hesitated for a bit. “Well, there some chaps I’m acquainted with but I doubt they’ll be able to answer it so… just indulge me, will ya?”

Cindy studied him for a bit, he’s been acting stranger these past week and she may have blamed it with the exams and the end of the term perhaps but this is way strange even from him.

“Alright, shoot.” she finally answered.

“Why do I feel this way when I’m around you?” he asked, making Cindy’s stomach drop. “Why is it that you’re the only one who makes me wanna pull my hair out, and be confused all at the same time? I mean, my friends do it all the time but they never made my heart racing at the mention of you. They never made me feel this way. I couldn’t explain it and I was hoping-”

His rant was interrupted by Cindy fisting the collar of his uniform, pulling him closer, leaving no place for space in between as she gently placed her lips onto his.

After a few minutes, he decided to throw caution to the wind and kissed her back, deepening it, confirming what she had assumed from his mini rant.

She pulled back, panting for the lack of oxygen. “Wow, I knew you liked me but not to that extent.”

“Oh shut up,” Elijah never felt this peaceful before. Nor did he feel content.

“Have I answered your question?” Cindy sobered up, biting her lip nervously. After all, Elijah is an unpredictable-predictable person.

He looked thoughtful. “Hmm, I suppose yes but could you indulge me with one last?”

Cindy looked at the great clock. She’s supposed to leave that afternoon since the term had just ended.

“Let’s hear it,”

Elijah paused. After another heartbeat, he uttered the question he never would’ve thought asked.

“Will you go out with me?”

**

“You all know what you’re gonna do this summer…” Aila sang gleefully, giving Roger a high five as the five of them reached platform nine and three quarters. 

Elijah had gone ahead the moment he saw his sister, leaving the five of them on their own.

They had a bet going around about where Elijah would confess. After all, they are all smarter and more insightful. They knew better than to bet about whether Elijah will confess or not so they settled on the locations instead.

Mon and Harli had bet on the library, Ria had bet on Great Hall, while Roger and Aila guessed on the Courtyard.

Their usual wager includes five galleons and a sacrifice of summer break, doing whatever the winner wants. And since Roger and Aila won the bet, the three groaned as they imagined doing ridiculous tasks. Oh well. At least Elijah had managed to work out everything in the end then everything else doesn’t matter anymore.

[sambart93]

2017.02.13 D-Stage 20th: 柔道少年・Jyuudou Shounen [Review]

I watched D-Stage 20th: Jyuudou Shounen (Judo Boys) Monday night and it was a LOT of fun with so many things going wrong throughout which added to the hilarity.

Official Website here Official Twitter here Press 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

CAST

Miyazaki Shuuto Miyazaki’s Parents (played by Mitsuya - mother and Ikeoka - father) Mitsuya Mitchell Ryo Ikeoka Ryousuke Arai Atsushi Shison Jun (played by Mitsuya Ryo) Negishi Takuya (played by Arai Atsushi) Nishi Yukito (played by Ikeoka) Voices of Shiramata Atsushi and Maeyama Takahisa Sakurai Minami Kobayashi Masahiro

NON-SPOILER

This was so funny! I didn’t stop laughing! Some parts were obviously planned and were supposed to be funny but quite a few things went wrong when I went and even the actors couldn’t not laugh which added to the hilarity. It’s a simple story and the comedy is definitely the selling point here. Seeing their close interactions is great too!

Rating: 9/10 << might be in the race to be my favourite D-Stage! But I’ll have to rewatch it to decide that finally.

---

First I will talk about the story: 

Basically Miyazaki Shuuto* has always been told to aim for the Olympics but he doesn’t see the point; he’s on a losing streak, he doesn’t want to go to the Olympics, he doesn’t even think he likes it anymore. Then thanks to a trip to Tokyo with his Judo buddies, he has his first love, finds a rival and discovers what he really wanted to do and what Judo means to him.

*They’re using their own names for the characters.

Simple enough story right? Which is great because it left a LOT of room for the BIG theme of the play: the comedy. This was absolutely hilarious! A lot of it was planned comedy but unfortunately the day I went, a LOT of things went wrong or happened without the other actors knowing it was going to happen so not only were the audience laughing hard but also the actors were laughing insanely hard too that they had to stop the play a little so both actor and audience could calm down xD Which means it as a lot of great fun!

To be honest, when I first got my ticket and it was Row Z and the site said row Z is actually row 3 and a bench seat I kind of panicked because I imagined the type of benches we have to sit on in primary school in England and they are not comfortable! SO I was super worried I’d have to put up with one of those types of benches for a 2 hour plus show BUT when I got there they weren’t really benches; just normal chairs without the back and with a cushion! And my bad didn’t hurt at all! I was comfortable the entire time! Also I was super lucky that the person in front and the person next to me didn’t show up SO I was technically on my own and second row! Which made it SUPER easy for the actors to spot us; seriously the first row could TOUCH the stage without even stretching their arm out! And Mitsuya definitely spotted me and I think Ikeoka looked over a few times -- but being me I kept looking away from IkeP if he so much as seemed to see me, cos I’m a shy girl with my bias’ xD

SPOILERS

Anyway! Now to the parts of the play I wanna focus and talk about! First let’s talk about the PLANNED comedy okay?

First Mitsuya pretending to be a returnee from America and speaking half English and half Japanese, at a fast speed, was both hilarious and impressive. For the most part his English was pretty accurate but there was one that cracked me up hard and that was "it’s privacy” (instead of saying “it’s private”) which we understand in English but isn’t right xD

Then next was Mitsuya playing Shuuto’s mother and his ‘chest’ was huge! xD also after she catches her husband look at her sons dirty magazines and pins him against the wall was hilarious.

Shuuto’s a master at showing comedy through his face! When he goes to see the girl he likes’ match every time the shuttlecock (she plays baminton) went to the rival player his face would be like -____- or angry and when it went back to her, he’d be like ^_^ or =D. It occurred about 5 or 6 times and it just got funnier as he continued.

Towards the end when Shuuto realises he does want to do Judo, IkeP and Mitsuya come running in and are like ‘hey you’re next guy is called Kaji Masaki and he’s a big guy so be careful’ which is hilarious that they mentioned Kaji’s name. We cracked out every time they used a D-Boys members’ name as the rival xD there were three times:

First was Shishon Jun played by Mitsuya and Mitsuya was doing the whole pouting his lips and playing with his blonde (wig) hair.

The second one was Nishii Yukito, played by IkeP, and he was like ‘YEAH!’ in a high pitched voice and kept flicking his hair back. But this scene soon changed into an unplanned accident scene when Shuuto did the final topple, IkeP’s wig came off and IkeP was facing the audience straight on and he just looked in shock as he realised the wig had come off and then cracked a smile that he couldn’t contain. He grabbed the wig and cradled it as he walked off xD after IkeP had walked off Shuuto was left on stage by himself and he just goes 'tondemonai koto na/unbelievable stuff is happening today' and then we went back to some planned comedy where he takes his time to re-adjust his uniform and checked the ties were the right and equal length and looks so proud of himself when he’s finished xD

Another funny moment is went Mitsuya and IkeP come on stage as the Kindai Kids (play on Kinki Kids) and do a song together and their outfits are ridiculously flashy and bright, and IkeP trying to sing high notes was funny too.

Some I’m not sure if they were planned or improvised/accident comedic scenes:

When Kobayashi gets angry at Shuuto and grabs him and he pushes Shuuto back but Ikeoka is behind him and Ikeoka is stuck between the wooden pole, Shuuto and then Kobayashi still pushing on Shuuto xD

There’s a part where Ikeoka (as Shuuto’s dad) is trying to talk to his son seriously but looks down and realises his fly is open and proceeds to try and close it for the remainder of the scene (it’s got a few more minutes left) and the audience were laughing too much to pay attention to what he was saying.

And now for the, even the actors couldn’t keep it together and laughed hard scenes:

Towards the beginning of the show, the boys were running around their coach Kobayashi, and without expecting it, he grabbed IkeP and toppled him over, and IkeP got back up and just looked at him in shocked and Mitsuya and Shuuto had sopped what they were doing and just stood there wetting themselves laughing as IkeP also cracked up and joined in, as well as the audience.

Another was a karaoke scene with Shuuto and Minami. Shuuto was trying to sing badly, but it ended in his voice cracking, and he couldn't stop laughing as he continued to sing the rest of the song. 

About halfway through Mitsuya and IkeP suddenly stop the play for a few minutes and get everyone to do Mitsuya’s Exercises! So we all had to stand up and we did an arm stretch, a neck stretch and a hip roll stretch. The Mitsuya was like ‘Mtsuya Solo!’ and danced around the stage widely and IkeP just stood to the side, lent against the wall, just looking at him speechless and in amazement at the silly things he was doing. When Mitsuya finished IkeP couldn’t speak at all xD

Towards the end, to help Shuuto win the girl and tournament, Arai comes to where the tournament in and before he can start a fight, IkeP, Mitsuya and Shuuto knock Araki out, but then Kobayashi comes in but they don't have enough time to 'hide the body' so they cover him up with their bodies, BUT Arai's face went right into Mitsuya's crotch and he’s not allowed to move because he’s supposed to be unconcious, so we slowly see his face going red and his chest laughing, as Mitsuya is facing us with his head in his hands dying of embarrassment and laughing.

One final one was when Shuuto lost his balance at the left side of the stage and IkeP luckily saw it pretty soon and smoothly grabbed his arm and re-balanced him xD

Side note; can we give a special mention to IkeP and Mitsuya’s eye contact! Talk about giving each other the sex eyes all the time! xD 

During the AfterTalk

Naturally it was centered around valentine’s day and when we came in, all our leaflets had a pink heart stickie note on and they explained that it’s our chocolate and as we leave, we can put the hearts in the box of the actor we like. Then suddenly IkeP was like ‘So we’re a host club now? and then it slowly got to them calling the play ‘Boku no Jyuudou chan’ xD

They spoke about the most chocos they got as kids and Arai and Shuuto were adament they weren’t popular but none of them believed Shuuto xD IkeP spoke about getting TomoChoco and was like ‘whao! this is so nostalgic!’ and Mitsuya was like ‘that’s not my generation’ xD and they were like ‘but you’re only 19 right?’ and he’s like ‘yeah I was born in Showa but I’m a Seihei’ and he realised he’d fucked up Heisei and just died and they all got on his case about it, ‘when was Seihei?! Never herd of it! Must be an old, old era’ xD he gave up trying to correct his mistake.

Arai also mentioned how he was the one who wrote the letters/characters on the boards that are in the background.

---

Final note:

This stage was a godsend in terms of reconfirming and reaffirming my love for IkeP. He did amazing in Yuhiden and Litche Hikari Club at the end of 2015 and that’s where I fell for him so I went into 2016 super hopeful for him but he only ended up doing like ONE play and ONE dorama and that was April and September, so I was super worried for his career and worried I wouldn’t be able to see more of him BUT we’re only in February and already he’s got a dorama airing, he’s doing a stage now and he’s definitely got Dansui stage in May! So he’s already doing more this year which makes me a super happy bunny and seeing him (finally!, again!) in this on Monday really helped me remember ‘ah yes I love this idiot’ xD he really is hilarious and cute!!

---

That’s all I got to say really. I am very much looking forward to the DVD! It’s a thoroughly enjoyable play! Seriously, a lot of fun and I didn’t stop laughing for over 2 hours!

[firedragonalchemistofcourage]

For the character thing, and for each category (if applies, you can skip the ones that are difficult/pointless/don't wanna do 'em): Roy Mustang. Bonus points if you do Chiaki Nanami too, since it appears that's one of your fave characters evaar

Oh-ho-ho, two this time! *Ahem*

Roy Mustang:

Why I like him:

Literally the most badass character this side of Gurren Lagann, doesn’t allow just his physical strength or powers to define him and is also a tactical genius, and DAT. LUST. BATTLE. DOH.

Why I don’t like him:

Never got married to Hawkeye.

Favorite Episode:

The one where he burned Lust to death. It was the end of a fantastic little mini-arc that really showed us the truth about Mustang’s character. Before the arc started, he was just the sort of “chief of police” character to Ed and Al. Then, when Hughes died, Mustang seemed like he was dropping off the slippery slope. He was doing more and more seemingly morally reprehensible things, culminating in his apparent killing of Maria Ross. Then, the next episode reveals that he actually faked her death and snuck her out of the country for her own safety, and the pieces start falling into place. Everything he’s done since Hughes’s death was part of a careful plan to discover his killer, and it looks like it’s starting to work! He follows Barry’s body to a secret laboratory, where he discovers a homonculus, and, after an intense scene where he seemingly is killed, manages to figure out a way to survive and turn the tables on Lust, providing us with the first time the bad guys actually lose, in the entire series! Like, there is no way for them to turn Mustang’s killing of Lust to their advantage, it’s the first real setback to the bad guys’ goals!

Favorite Season/Movie:

The whole mini-arc thing I just described above. It’s not a full season, but it’s still a fantastic bit of storytelling that manages to flip on its head everything you think you know about Mustang.

Favorite line:

Just for the sheer badassness: “You told me I couldn’t kill you, but I’d like to try and prove you wrong! So let’s see, how many times is it gonna take?”

Favorite outfit:

I mean, he really only wears one throughout the whole series, so, his military uniform.

OTP:

Checkmates, aka Royai!

BroTP:

Ed and Al, also his men.

Head Canon:

He’s never won a chess match against Hawkeye.

Unpopular opinion:

I don’t actually know how unpopular this one is, but: How the FMAB movie treated him. He’s barely in it, and we never get to see him fight. Like, I’d be fine if he were only in a couple scenes. The film’s not focused on him, it’s fine. But then the film tries to treat him like he’s a main character starting with the beginning of the climax, but then before his big fight scene, it transitions away to show what other characters are doing, then, when it comes back, his opponents are all already dead. Like, what the heck Bones?

A wish:

That we could get official canon material stating he married Hawkeye.

An oh-gosh-please-don’t-ever-happen:

Staying blind forever. I like how it’s hinted at the end that he’s getting his eyesight back, it keeps his story arc from ending on a bleak note.

5 best words to describe him:

Literally the most badass ever.

My nickname for him:

Sparky Sparky Boom Man

Chiaki Nanami:

Why I like her:

There’s a lot of things, but at its most basic, it boils down to trust. No matter what, she’s the one character in all of Danganronpa that actually believes in Hajime no matter what, and it’s refreshing to see someone who’s actually willing to volunteer information and help someone else without asking for anything in return. Even in DR1 with Kyoko, she admits later on that she’s helping you out of a sense of self-preservation more than out of a sense of duty or justice.

Why I don’t like her:

She is literally perfect in every way I don’t dislike her at all.

Favorite scene:

Ain’t gonna answer this one, ‘cuz I know you’re starting the series and this one’s a major spoiler, Ian!

Favorite arc:

I liked her in 2 more than 3. There are arguments that could be made for her having better characterization in 3, but 3 had a lot of pacing and plot problems that 2 didn’t have.

Favorite line:

Also a spoiler! Sorry, Ian, you’ll just have to play through the games yourself to see this one!

Favorite outfit:

Her black kitty hoodie from 2! It’s adorable, especially when she pulls it up over her head.

OTP:

I mean, I only tag it as “Ultimate OTP,” how could you people have possibly guessed it by now? It’s Hinanami, aka Hajime Hinata x Chiaki Nanami.

BroTP:

She’d get along great with Makoto if the two ever met. Also Ibuki, (Side note: I BroTP Ibuki with literally everyone) Asahina, Alter Ego, and Monomi.

Head Canon:

She’s able to go on her trip around the world Hajime promised her. Saying anything more would be a spoiler.

Unpopular opinion:

I really liked her romance with Hajime in DR3. I don’t think it was too badly paced. We’d already seen the kind of conversations they’d have together and how they’d act around each other in 2, all 3 needed to do was provide a believable excuse for them to meet each other, and them sharing the same favorite game is about as perfect an excuse as you can get with the Ultimate Gamer.

A wish:

I just want her to be happy, that’s all I ask...

An oh-gosh-please-don’t-ever-happen:

I honestly can’t think of her going through anything worse than what she’s already gone through in canon.

5 words to best describe her:

Absolutely perfect little cinnamon roll.

My nickname for her:

Ultimate Cinnamon Roll