#i would rather kms than go in tomorrow

[alexsyndrome]

yesterday beat the shit out of me and drained all my energy. i've been sleeping all day and still can't wait for bed time <3

[californiaquail]

everyone please pray that my shrink has some kind of magical solution for me to be able to have a job like a normal person because being this exhausted every work day is fucking unsustainable

[girlrry]

wanna call into work tomorrow sooooo bad 🤣

[totallynotcoffeeturtle]

Palm Kisses and Plum Wine

Genshin masterlist

Tags: tooth-rotting fluff, confessions, affectionate drunk heizou Summary: What is one to do when there is a drunk detective in your lap at midnight?

This is bad. Very very very bad. Not because you committed some unspeakable atrocities for the best detective in all of Inazuma to be climbing into your house through the open window, but because said detective, namely Heizou, is your boyfriend and is extremely, horrendously drunk. 

Your pretty man, your favorite human being on this whole godforsaken continent is already adept at making your heart race like no tomorrow. And him now with no inhibitions? A menace to society, especially your poor overworked heart. You quietly stare up at Heizou’s slim figure straddling your lap, your hands clasped in his while he mutters whatever loving, sugar-filled sentences that appear in his mind. You cannot help but wonder inwardly how you even got into this situation.

To understand your current situation fully, you must turn back time to less than an hour ago. 

You were going to get a cup of water and something else to entertain yourself with for the night when you heard a rustle from the kitchen. You froze up. Usually, just Heizou’s reputation and the sheer frequency of him coming over is enough to chase anyone with evil intentions away. You gripped tightly onto the bottle of milk nearby and prepared yourself for a bitter struggle… Only to see the ‘criminal’ was Heizou, utterly drunk and could not find his keys for whatever reason (They were in his other pocket, courtesy of his brilliantly intoxicated brain). So of course the idea his brilliant mind cooked up was to climb through your window!

At the sight of you, still very distressed due to his decision, Heizou immediately jumps over. His body slams against you and the detective pushes you down along with the momentum, putting you into a rather suggestive position. It would be a heart pounding scene if your poor lower back did not have to take both his weight and gravity. Before you can question him, the strong scent of plum wine fills your senses with the sheer proximity between your faces. On his thin lips is a soft, oh-so-smitten smile that serves to make his eyes shine even bright under the moonlight and the dim lantern you just lit up.

He pulls you up by pulling on your wrists, making you lean on him, and proceeds to cup his own face with your palms. Heizou smiles even brighter at the coolness against his flushed cheeks. “Did… did you drink?,” you ask, just to confirm your already very sure assumption. In response, the burgundy haired man nuzzles his cheeks against your hold while slowly blinking his beautiful eyes. You sigh as you attempt to calm your heart from its 100 km per hour pace. He pauses for a moment and relief washes over you. Maybe you can finally get him to bed and no longer have to deal with this awkward situation?

“Love? Let’s get you tucked in?,” you suggest. A part of you wishes to continue to stay in this position, but for the sake of both your heart and your spine, you ask him the question. Heizou stares into your eyes, his gaze hazy yet clear at the same time. His hold on your hand refuses to budge. Moments pass as he seems to fall into contemplation. You wonder if you should try and escape while he is distracted but his grip would not budge at all. 

Slowly, his face turns between your palms, his cool lips making contact with the thenar sends a shiver up your spine. Heizou’s gorgeous eyes curve into little crescents at the warmth practically glowing from your pretty face, much like a smug cat getting away with messing up your house. But he doesn’t stop there, no no, he wants you to lose all of your composure for him. The detective’s whispers seem to echo in the quiet of the night, “I love you…” and he repeats his confession continuously, only ceasing for the brief moments he kisses your palm with reverence in his eyes. His peach blossom eyes reflect your flustered expression like a spring lake, no longer attempting to hold back his affection, every single thought he had been holding onto spills out in tides. Heizou kisses your palms slowly, each time lingering like he just wants the moment to be frozen forever. Between kisses, he makes sure to confess until you are completely sure of the feelings he holds until you are drowned in a sea of his adoration for you.

Heizou only stops when he falls asleep in the middle of kissing your left hand while still mumbling about how perfect you are in his eyes and how he would ‘arrest all the criminals in the world to keep you safe and sound’. In the end, you decide to drag him to your bedroom and let him cuddle you until the morning.

(Extra: Heizou screams like a maiden at the sight of you sleeping beside him when he woke up. He is genuinely worried that he might have hurt you in some way the night before and promises to take responsibility. So you tell him to explain to your neighbors as to why he sneaked in last night. Through the one that every single existence can see easily. At midnight.)

A/N: ngl this is the longest drabble i've posted yet lul and also my first ever heizou drabble so 🎉🎉🎉 i swear i will make a proper taglist soon pls and happi pride month! Signora x reader drabble soon bc i need her hands on my neck asap!!!

[vi4hs]

i have to go to this party tomorrow

and there will be people i don’t know but — even worse — there will be people i used to go to school with (like elementary)

and i really would rather kms than go but i promised my friend

yay

[chappellrroan]

bestie wants to go for movie tomorrow how do I tell her i would rather kms than ask dad for permission (i actually told her that)

[confusedhazel]

i would actually rather kms than go to school tomorrow

[honeyhpd]

Vent post

If anyone has supportive words or advice I need it. 

I need to just type out things and vent. To give some background, my brother who has been physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive my entire life and a close friend of almost 10 years slept together on new years. This friend brought a date, kissed my sister, and fucked my brother in the same night. My brother domestically assaulted his fiancée, came to our house after then came downstairs in my apartment and slept with my friend. Later she told me that my brother assaulted her. I am a believer of victims, and honestly I don’t doubt the truth of that statement still but she only went this route when she realized her actions had affected our friendship and didn’t want repercussions for her actions. Surprise surprise, she immediately started dating my brother who she still insists is her rapist. They’ve been together since the new year 2024.

Since this incident I haven’t contacted her, but she is constantly at my house as my brother moved back in our house since he can’t stay with his ex fiancée that he assaulted a there was an open court case.

My family other than my sister is insisting that his fiancée deserved what happened to her, and that it was completely natural for him to seek comfort after such a harrowing experience.

Every single turn I take is another person telling me I need to get over it.

“Don’t you know she could be your sister in law one day?”

“Haven’t you ever messed up? Why can’t you give them some grace?”

“They’re really sorry and I can tell you’re sad about it, so why don’t you listen to them so we can all be happy?”

“People change. Can’t you see how much he’s changed?”

“You need to just let it go. The anger you have is just hurting everyone and most of all it’s hurting you.”

I just can’t do it. I can’t just let her in my house and pretend. I will go insane. I would rather swallow broken glass. I would really rather die. I told my mom as much, that if I don’t do what I need to stay sane I’m going to kms. But she still had my grandpa come to town and have a whole talk with me, in which he told me he doesn’t know any details of the situation nor does he want to, but he KNOWS from his experience of reconnecting with his father before he passed that this anger is hurting me only, and no one else. But in the same conversation he told me how much I’m hurting everyone else and how I’m affecting my mom’s health and need to be more considerate.

I already feel guilty, and I’ll tell you a secret now: my older brother could die tomorrow and I think I would be relieved. Everyone keeps telling me I’ll regret being angry with him because you don’t know how long you have together, and all I want is our time together to be over. He’s been this person my whole fucking life and I won’t fall for the lie he could change again. So my grandpas guilt trip about his father dying didn’t do shit, it riled me up and honestly gave me more anger that he could pass judgement on me like that but ‘didn’t want to know the specifics’ so he could still love my brother the same.

My mom is working herself into a grave, with or without me. My dad is enabling her as she enables her kids. These cycles won’t stop unless someone does something, and for me that will be disconnecting.

[fated2loveu]

Be Nosy

1: The last person you kissed screams they love you, you say…

I…. You love me?

I love you.

2: Did you get to sleep in today?

No

Yes~

3: You never know what you got until you lose it?

That tracks.

Is there an actual question here?

4: Do you have siblings?

Yes Daichi

Yes Kiyo and Nobu.

5: How many kids do you want?

I have all the children I could love. I don’t think I’ll have more unless the gods allow.

None yet!

6: Who was the last person you held hands with?

Myu

Emi

7: Did you stand on your tippy-toes for your last kiss?

Haha no

Nope

8: Do you think if you died, the last person you kissed would care?

It’s seems to be the only thing they care about…

Most definitely

9: Last person to talk on the phone?

Um…. Me?

Again I don’t think this is a question….

10: Did anyone watch you the last time you kissed someone?

No

I’d hope not

11: When’s your birthday?

September 29th

October 3rd

12: Remember the first time you kissed the last person you kissed?

I do, like it was yesterday

Intoxicating

13: What kind of phone do you have?

iPhone

iPhone!

14: Are you wearing jeans, shorts, sweatpants, or pajama pants?

Sweats

None?

15: Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago?

Most definitely

I don’t thinks so but I don’t feel I’ve changed all too much.

16: What were you doing at 4 am?

Sleeping

Um….working out~

17: Would you rather write a paper or give a speech?

Paper

Speech

18: Are you lying to yourself about something?

Everyday

No

19: Last night you felt…?

Alone

Invigorated

20: What’s something you cannot wait for?

Peace

Babies!

21: Ever told your parents you were going somewhere but when somewhere different?

No, never.

I didn’t know my parents but you need to learn how to ask actual questions….

22: How many hours of sleep did you get last night?

8?

4…. I was a little restless

23: Are you a morning or night person?

Morning

Morning definitely

24: What did you get your last bruise from?

Walking into the table

……lips…..

25: Do you reply to all of your texts?

Yes

Not always

26: Your phone is ringing. It’s the person you fell hardest for. What do you do?

Answer it

Answer

27: Did your last kiss take place in/on a bed?

No

Yes~

28: Anyone you would like to get things straight with?

Yes……. Greatly

Nope I’m good

29: How many months until your birthday?

8

9

30: Favorite thing to eat with peanut butter?

Banana

Hmm~

31: Did you like this past summer?

It was nice

Sure

32: What were you doing before you got on the computer?

Gardening

Painting

33: Your ex is sitting next to you, with their new partner. What do you do?

Nothing

Uh, be happy for them

34: What is the last thing you said out loud?

I love you guys

I love you

35: Your mood summed into one work?

Grilled Cheese

Work? You mean word…. Good my mood is good

36: Are you doing anything else besides taking this survey?

Nope

Just getting annoyed at your terrible “questions”

37: What are your initials?

KM

DM

38: Are you a happy person?

Not always

Yes!

39: Do you still talk to the person you liked 4 months ago?

Yes

Yes

40: Where do you want to live when your older?

By the sea

In the mountains

41: Have you had your birthday this year?

No

Bro find more questions you’ve asked about my birthday 3 times….. but no

42: What did you do yesterday?

Garden

Spoiled a girl

43: What will you be doing tomorrow?

Gardening

Not sure yet

44: How late did you stay up last night?

10?

2

45: Is there anyone you would do anything for?

My children and their father

My family

46: Is it hard to make you laugh?

Sometimes

No

47: Do you believe ex’s can be just friends?

Yes

Why couldn’t they?

48: Do you think any of your exes will eventually want to be with you again?

Rationally no…. But I could see it…

Well I don’t have an ex and I don’t plan to

49: How many people have you had feelings for in the year of 2012?

There may have been someone but I don’t remember

The fuck? That was over a decade ago. None

50: Do you wish your ex was dead?

No

Don’t have an ex

51: Have you ever dyed your hair?

Yes blonde

Oh yeah many colors~

52: Would ever take back someone that cheated?

Yes. After we’ve talked of course but not blindly.

I agree with Kiyo

53: Was New Year’s Even enjoyable?

It was good.

I don’t know, was it even?

54: Bet you’re missing someone right now?

Of course, always

Hmm no not really

55: How would your parents react if you got a tattoo?

They’re dead

No clue

56: Sleep on your back or stomach?

Both

Stomach mostly

57: If you could move away, no questions asked, where would it be ?

Tropical island

Somewhere in the mountains

58: What would you change about your life right now?

My love life…

Nothing

59: Has anything upset you in the past week?

Of course it has

Nope

60: Are you on the phone?

No

Yes~

61: Today, would you rather go forward a week or back?

Back

Back

62: Would you take $40,000 or a brand new car?

40,000

The cash

63: Have you ever talked to someone when they were high?

Yes

Not that I recall

64: Ever cried while you were on the phone with someone?

Yes

No

65: Have you ever copied someone elses homework?

No

Oh yeah

66: Are you the type of person who liks to be out or at home?

Home

Out on the town!

67: Do you automatically check your phone when you wake up?

N-….. yes

No

68: Have you ever stayed up all night on the phone?

No

Yes

69: Could you use some sleep right now?

Yes

Yes

70: Are you going to have a baby by the time you’re 18?

I’m 40 and I have 5 kids already

I’m 30

71: Does it bother you when someone hides things from you?

Yes but I can understand why they would

Depends on their reasoning

72: What’s your favorite color?

Maroon

Purple

73: Have you ever slept in the same room with someone you liked?

Uh…. Yes

The fu k kind of questions is that? Of course!

74: Have you ever been looking for something and it was already in your hand?

No

Yes

75: Do you get annoyed easily?

No

Oh yeah

76: If someone liked you, would you want them to tell you?

Yes

Sure if they like

77: Do you have a person of the opposite sex that you can tell everything to?

No

Yes

78: Does anyone call you babe?

Not anymore

Yes

79: How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?

None

One

80: What do you prefer, relationship or one night stand?

Currently nothing

Relationship

81: What color hoodie did you wear last?

Navy

Black

82: Is there someone who meant alot to you at one point, and isn’t around anymore?

Yes, but they are around

Nope I have my lover~

@kittencrewtkc

[loiswolf]

Day 20 June 16 Toad River - Fort Nelson 62kms + 130kms driven

Yes, my little wander around the camping ground paid off last night.

First I met Dwain and Marty ( Martha) who were heading south. They figured they could shuffle a few things around, including folding kayaks ( a new one for me) to fit Shirley and I in. Yay! It was going to be 190kms with a lot of climbing because the roadhouse halfway was not offering accommodation anymore.

Toad River was very beautiful this morning and it was really a shame to leave.

However, I was ready at 8am and after preparing the van for travel, trying Shirley in a couple of different places, we were all ready to leave. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed journeying with and talking to my fellow travellers.

A stop was necessary at the Tetsa River Lodge ( the one that no longer has accommodation )as they reputedly had the best cinnamon buns on the Alaskan Highway.

Yep, they were pretty good! I ate about half of mine and put the rest away for later. Dwain and Marty shared theirs.

I probably should have cycled from there but I was enjoying the company and admiring the fantastic views from the comfort of the back seat. It was also really fun driving up those big hills rather than pushing up them on a loaded bike.

I started making comments about getting out and Dwain pulled in the next place with room to stop. We probably went about 20kms further than I intended but meh! Who cares?

Finally back on Shirley I started pedalling at 11am. All the big hills had been covered so it was a really easy ride. Some light rain made the road just a little bit slippery so I could skate along quickly.

I did see another black bear but it was down the gully in the shadows so there was no point taking a photo. That’s 7 bears so far. Marty told me she had seen one just before driving past me yesterday so I guess there are a lot more out there than I’ve noticed.

The road became flatter and flatter and after a while I was looking for somewhere to stop and finish off that cinnamon bun. There was absolutely nowhere. The best I could do at 48kms was this

And of course I was invaded by mosquitoes while I sat there.

Only 12 kms to go and I felt I would be too early for my Warmshowers stay so I cycled through town to the Tim Hortons on the others side. I stayed for a while eating a late lunch and using their wifi.

Eventually I cycled back through town to buy a few things at the supermarket before peddling out to where I am staying.

I am with Mo and Pat ( Margaret and Patrick) and their adorable little girl Winter.

The next accomodation is 388kms away at Fort St John. Obviously I can’t ride that so I lined up a lift tomorrow with another couple I met at Toad River yesterday. I was planning to take the bus but it doesn’t run until Monday. Now I don’t have to wait so I’ll probably spend two nights in Fort St John.

It’s been pretty tough getting through these mountains with accommodation so hard to find, I’m going to have a rest there. Things should get easier from here.

Let’s hope so!

[avvocarlo]

my work is giving me the absolute shits at the moment. I genuinely want to be able to work, except the problem is they're doing it in the most irritating way possible. I've been saying No near on 95 % of the time because it'll be one or more of the following: asking at 9 pm tonight if I can be somewhere tomorrow for 8 am - 3 pm, only a day or so notice, a few hours prior to the shift - this is including sleepovers - somewhere I haven't been to before on that very day, asking me to do back to back shifts while I was already on shift or soon after finishing, offering only a few days in advance to do a 24 hour shift at a place that's over 50 km away. also keep in mind that this is unpredictable work, I genuinely could get a knife in the neck one day for all I know

like no I'm not going to accept these anymore. I was going completely mental for all those months I had long weeks that were at times an upward of 60-70 hours, sleeping in a house that wasn't my own, doing stressful work in a multitude of locations, frequent texts and calls from multiple people (org rostering, coordinators, supervisors, agency staff) every single day demanding that we remove, add, or alter shifts by location, hours etc. that then culminated into some insanely stressful shifts that were utterly cooked by a horrific level of mismanagement. to mention these events in detail would be a whole post by itself I'm sure.

not too long ago they caught on to me that I was essentially burnt out, I told them the last minute shift offers were significantly bothering myself and my partner, they seemingly listened. I'm not sure if my regular coordinator is gone, but that had soon been disregarded. they probably believe I'm difficult or possibly lazy, but their logistical and organisational skills are so mind blowingly incompetent that it will inevitably beget this kind of outcome. what do you expect to happen?

I'm agency at the moment, and we're in the process of moving me somewhere else organisation-wise that will provide consistency, except idk man... I'm feeling incredibly jaded by the whole situation, there was a period I wanted to leave my agency and transition over to the organisation I'm still at, the organisation then seemed to take it upon themselves to use this as a way of pushing my boundaries. increased calls, ridiculous expectations, etc etc.

some people might argue that's to test my worth! that I needed to stick it out! why? what to blindly follow the promise of dangling keys above me like some kind of chump? come on man, there's no way I'm going to fall for that, nor am I going to be some performing bitchboy who puts up with that type of behaviour. I've been called a great worker by my agency/organisation, except it's increasingly difficult to even tell how genuine they are. it does seem like a lot of smoke and mirrors, truly. if I'm so great then why did you treat me that way? I'm better than that, I suppose if I wasn't an asset in their mind they wouldn't be fighting to keep me within the agency + organisation. which again, I don't overly trust. they seem to believe I can't catch on to how facetious many aspects of this industry are. Self Care, Therapeutic Responses, oh did you do this? Ahhh always follow the planner! Be the Gestapo for the love of god, except don't. you know what I mean?

anyway, feeling pretty frustrated about this situation. having time away (as you can all tell by the increased posting over the last month) certainly helped me realise what was important and how I truly felt, unfortunately that only helps me by personal perspective rather than an actual subsequent change with financial compensation, job security, or career pathways... hopefully things will be on the up soon? a sense of structure is extremely important to me

[allisonfcs]

ughhh the clip we had today!! 😞 look i LOVE the angst and it’s probably not over, so much angst is yet to come and god knows im a wh*re for angst skskskjsk anyway, it needs to stop for now, i feel like its just going nowhere, Kieu My keeps ignoring and ghosting Fatou while Fatou wants answers or some closure, even if it means having her heart broken. i think she’d rather hear KM say "i don’t want anything to do with you" than being ignored. but if Kieu My don’t respond to Fatou’s text, i feel like it’s gonna be too repetitive so i really think she will answer this time. after the concerned and worried look she gave Fatou when the girls were called to go see the headmaster, it’s going somewhere i hope. i really hope she’s gonna answer Fatou today but i don’t know if we’re getting another clip. also, the way Fatou is more invested in KM than school right now is not good. she could be expelled and she just don’t care. she’s already on thin ice with that blue letter and failing her classes so... it’s not good.

now if they meet and talk, i think its gonna start off with Kieu My brushing off the kiss and just asking about why Fatou and the girls were called at school. and it’s gonna be awkward but i think Fatou will bring up the kiss and asks some questions because our girl is confused as fuck. now either Kieu My will break her heart by pulling up the drunk card or some bullshit she made up OR we’ll get an honest conversation where they finally admit some things but i highly doubt that, i don’t know why. now lets hope that if they meet, it won’t be friday or saturday whwjsjs i can’t wait any longer druck.

now if Kieu My doesn’t answer Fatou, first of all, KM sweetie its on sight and i won’t be able to defend you djdjsj. no but if she doesn’t answer, i think Fatou will come up to KM and her friends and just ask Kieu My about what is going on and why she’s been ignoring her. after that, either they’re gonna go talk somewhere private OR a fight will begin, because of Kieu My trying to keep her persona in front of her friends. i really want Fatou to snap at some point because the way Kieu My treats her is not it. i know KM might have some problems at home and i get it, she might be scared and i get it, but still, you don’t do that to someone. i really want to see Fatou standing up for herself, and i’m actually excited about that. seeing her snap and getting angry. we’ve never seen that. she’s always so calm even when people do some fucked up shit. OR i just hope Fatou just ignores Kieu My from now on, because after 5 hours, she still didn’t respond. or maybe KM will just take Fatou apart from the Cashqueens tomorrow and talk to her.

what i would like to see is Fatou officially give up on Kieu My. like really tired of her bullshit. and maybe she’s gonna get close to someone else, maybe Yara 👀 (in a platonic way) because well, new year’s eve was something y’know and pointing out the fact that she’s single...yeah idk. (also i hope they don’t use Yara so she could just make KM jealous cuz she deserves more but maybe she will be helping Fatou and Kieu My or something) i hope we’ll get to see Kieu My jealous. and i hope we’ll get to see Kieu My chasing Fatou, and asking for another chance. that’s the angst i want.

+ bonus 👀

ps: sorry its kind of a messy ramble.

[ecofinisher]

¡Vamos a España! - Chap 12

Chapter 12

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442912/chapters/73869018

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13819897/12/Vamos-a-Espa%C3%B1a

https://www.wattpad.com/1039154439-%C2%A1vamos-a-espa%C3%B1a-chapter-12

Alfida, Orm, and Gerda had arrived at the troll kingdom and on the outside of the corridor, they were waiting for their call to enter into the hall, where the thrones were located.

„Freya was okay with you going here you say?“ The raven-haired girl asked making Gerda nod.

„I just don‘t receive a payment for that day,“ Responded the blonde. „So far it‘s no issue. I‘ve been always present at the work, so if I miss a day or two, it‘s not bad,“

„Have you guys got at your kingdom actually got a daily sickness allowance?“ Orm questioned. „Queen Maribel suggested last year this idea and it got into effect this year,“

„No never heard of it,“ Gerda responded, then the door into the hall got opened back by a servant troll, which looked at the two human girls along with the troll Orm, then the servant looked at his sheet to check the list again.

„You‘re Gerda, Alfida and Orm?“ Questioned the troll earning a nod from the trio.

„You seriously don‘t remember Gerda, the one who took down the Fire-Demon last time?“ Questioned Orm surprised watching the servant shrug his shoulders.

„I apologize for my low knowledge. I assume the other Gerda had a last name,“

„Well I do,“ Gerda responded earning a nod from Alfida.

„What are last names?“ Orm asked following Gerda and Alfida into the hall.

„Well, a lot of families share a second name, which somehow tells other people, that you‘re a family. As my mom and dad got married my mom adopted my dad‘s last name, so people know they‘re family in a way,“

„Family names don‘t exist around us pirates. We just have first names or codenames and that‘s enough,“ Alfida added earning a nod from the troll, then the trio approached the king and queen, which sat on their throne looking together at one roll, then Gerda faked a cough to call the troll‘s attention.

„Hey,“ Gerda greeted making the two smile.

„Gerda, great to see you again!“ King Arrog announced getting up from his throne to give the girl his hand, instead of the girl taking it to shake, she embraced the tall troll surprising him, then he placed his arms around the girl.

„It‘s been so long. I‘m glad nothing bad happened to you after we failed to bring the rest of the magicians out of the mirrorlands,“ Commented Gerda. „You gotta tell us how you defeated the king with these powers you‘ve obtained,“ „Well, it turned out, that I turned into a powerful magician just as the Snow Queen once did. I‘m more able to fly, protect and serve people in need, which basically is what my heart always did before I knew about us being related with magicians,“ Gerda explained. „But I didn‘t come here for this. I came to aid Orm, cause somehow…….he was taking care of the triplets and on the day my boyfriend was boarding a zeppelin they managed to get in there unnoticed and left along with him leaving Orm and us worried unknowing what happened to them,“ Gerda explained shrieking Queen Maribel and shocking the king.

„Orm, how could you let that happen?!“ King Arrog asked sternly the thin troll, which felt a little intimidated by the troll from royalty.

„Yes I admit it, I should have listened to Gerda or Alfida. If I had kept my eye on them instead of believing the three would get into the ship of Alfida without an issue,“ Orm commented feeling bad about his deed.

„Do you at least have any idea, where this zeppelin went?“ Arrog asked while massaging his eyelids with his fingers.

„That‘s the only good thing about it for now. It went to Spain, where Rollan just went. They must have followed him as he had food with him,“ Gerda explained.

„Rollan….I‘ve heard this name once before, is it per coincidence the guy I‘m thinking about?“

„Yes, the one who almost destroyed your kingdom, but he assured everyone that he‘ has no memory of what he has done during that entire time,“ Gerda responded watching Arrog slap his forehead with his head.

„Oh lord,“

„I know you don‘t trust him as much as you do me or Orm, but I promise you, he‘s going to keep them well until the day we get them back home,“

„Alright,“ Arrog sighed. „Where exactly in Spain do they're on dwell?,“

„I know it‘s a place on the coast, it starts with an A…...Alcante? No, that‘s not right……,“ Gerda pondered, then her friend Alfida tried to remember the current cities she could call, which her mother had robbed in the past, and nudged the blonde on the shoulder.

„What about Alicante?“ Questioned Alfida. „That‘s on the coast“

„Yes that‘s the place,“ Gerda commented, then the king walked to a bookshelf that contained various books and took one out with the maps of the world and opened it to take a look at it, then Gerda got around the book along with Alfida, Orm and Queen Maribel.

„Here is it located,“ Alfida pointed out. „Around 700km away from France,“

„And we‘re how much? 10‘000 km?“ Questioned Gerda making Alfida shake her head.

„No, no, no, but at least 4000 or 5000, if we‘re counting from here,“ Alfida corrected earning a nod from Gerda, then noticed Orm raise his brows in curiosity.

„What is a boot doing here on the map?“ Questioned Orm making Gerda chuckle.

„That‘s Italy,“ Alfida pointed out.

„Looks…….strange,“ Orm commented.

„This makes me think on that comment Rollan made once about the Scandinavian peninsula, which nobody understood,“ Alfida pointed out chuckling making Gerda shrug her shoulders.

„Yet I still haven‘t understood it,“ Gerda pointed out, then got poked on the shoulder.

„Ask him and he‘ll answer it to you,“ The pirate girl commented with a wink, making Gerda shrug her shoulders estranged about that comment of her friend.

„Are you still planning into going to get my sons back?“ Asked the queen looking at the humans.

„We‘re going to get them back, Maribel. I promise,“ Gerda said grabbing the troll‘s hand to give her insurance.

„Thank you, Gerda,“

„Don‘t worry your majesty, tomorrow after we stop back at our home I and Orm will prepare the ship and head toward Spain,“ Mentioned the raven-haired girl, then Gerda lifted her head to glance at Alfida.

„Then wake me up, I‘m going with you,“ Gerda warned making Alfida wide her eyes.

„You don‘t have to come along. I and Orm can handle it on our own,“ Warned the pirate-descendant girl.

„I know you do, but it‘s always better to have more persons come along. If more of us come along we can find the triplets quicker,“ Gerda mentioned making Alfida cross her arms with a smirk.

„Let me guess…..is that an excuse to be able to see Rollan?“ Alfida asked making Gerda shake her head.

„It also counts a little, but mainly I‘d be a great help with my capacity of flying,“ Gerda announced stretching her arms and legs aside to transform into the dragon-themed superheroine, which made the royals drop their mouth.

„So this is what she meant with flying,“ King Arrog pointed out making Gerda smile and spread her wings wide to show them pridefully.

„Alright, alright. You‘re coming with us. After all, out of us all, they‘re most likely to listen to you, rather than me or Orm, eventually,“ Commented Alfida earning a nod from Orm

„They do listen to me, but sometimes…...they rather mind their own business,“ Commented the young troll making the humans laugh.

In the afternoon the guard academy attendants stood at the large parkour watching six students pass through it under the crowd‘s observation.

„As you can see some of the obstacles seem harder to come through than you think, when you don‘t think with your head,“ The teacher explained pointing at a climbing frame with three men crossing it under the right place while Rollan‘s friend Pastor and another man crossed the frame by walking stepping over each horizontal bar from the framework. „The goal of the parkour is for you to learn how to overcome those obstacles the fastest way possible. Sure out there it seems easier, but you don‘t know how smart the person is you‘re pursuing. He could have a terrible aim, but a great endurance and cunning reaction. Or worse, he‘s skilled in using it and made his way through the obstacles giving you a hard time in keeping up with. So far you‘re all far away to get started with this. As I mentioned yesterday, I will only let 6 to 8 of you run into this course, after a minute I‘ll let the next six follow afterward, and so on. The last 27 I order you to meet up with Juan and José, Group Delta, get in position,“ Ordered the teacher and Rollan moved forward along with three men, three teenagers, and the young woman Marina file up along the start line on the ground, which was made with a rope.

„I‘m surprised to be with you in the group. What do you think about this course? Manageable?“ Marina questioned looking at the old cartwheels spread in front of them a couple of meters away from them.

„Sure. I‘ve seen worse obstacles,“ Rollan responded watching the fastest member of the first group jump over the small hole filled with water to grab the rope, that hung above it on a tree, then he landed on the other side of the water hole and made his way towards a climbing wall. „I don‘t think others will have a problem,“ Rollan pointed out, then the third man ran into the moat and jumped to grab the rope and missed it, but landed at the edge of the water afterward the fourth man came along to use the rope and pushed the man away from the water and swung back and forth, then landed beside the man, which smiled at the other student‘s help.

„Maybe the small labyrinth will be a little tough,“ Marina commented earning a nod from Rollan.

„Yeah. Lieutenant Roberto said yesterday, that they would switch the walls of the labyrinth daily to give us a different route, remember?“ Rollan asked earning a nod from the girl.

„Yes he did,“ Marina commented, then looked around the group and noticed the teens around her age one brunette boy and a raven-haired boy waiting for the start, then the raven-haired boy looked at the girl and chuckle.

„Aren‘t you in the wrong address?“ Questioned the boy making the girl shake her head.

„No. Are you afraid to be outrun by a girl?“ Questioned Marina ironically, making the boy shake his head.

„Keep up your confidence. I don‘t think you‘re going to make it any farther, than this,“ The boy commented making Marina roll her eyes at the boy‘s comment, then Rollan noticed it and stepped aside to speak at the boy.

„Hey don‘t talk to her like that. She has the right to be here as any other of us,“ Rollan mentioned making Marina smile as he came to defend her. „She may look weak, but looks don‘t have to matter,“

„Hey dude, no one was talking to you…..“ The raven-haired boy commented, then widened his eyes as he was looking at Rollan. „Oh, dios mio. Ernesto, look who‘s here!“ The boy shouted getting the attention of the brunette boy behind him, which paid attention and recognized the taller boy in the red shirt.

„Rollan the loser is back!“ Ernesto, the brown-haired boy announced making his colleague laugh, making Marina furrow her eyebrow and Rollan widened his eyes at recognizing the two teens.

„We assumed you left Alicante because you finally noticed your presence around the city was worthless,“ Said the raven-haired boy. „And now you‘re here at the guard school hoping to become a legend like you always did before,“

„I‘m here so I can help my mama pay for her debts. This was the best chance I found and I‘m going to take it. Come on, Enrico, I don‘t know what was or is your problem, but let‘s just forget that and just behave like normal men,“ Rollan commented.

„You guys could really need a chat. Who knows, maybe you three will get along and be able to befriend each other,“ A third teenager added, then Enrico glared at the teenager, that mentioned that.

„I don‘t think this will work between us three,“ Ernesto mentioned earning a nod from Enrico.

„Yeah, he doesn‘t need our friendship. He‘s got his mama and all those heroes in the wallpapers of his bedroom. They‘re a better match for him,“ Enrico said, then the teacher used his shotgun to give out a warning at the groups.

„Andale! This isn‘t a break, this is now the training, andale!“ Shouted the teacher, earning the group��s attention. The ones, which weren‘t involved in the argument departed first and ran over the wheels.

„See you at the finish line, loser,“ Enrico said departing behind his friend Ernesto, then Marina slapped Rollan on his back to order him to start and both ran toward the wheels and jumped with their feet from wheel to wheel. Rollan from the forced start was a little tensed and got distracted with the wheels and pressed on the end of one of the wheels, causing it to move up and get hit by the end of it between his legs.

„Ou!“ Rollan complained stepping back and holding his hands between them, then watched Marina climb over the ramp in front of the wheels and moving left to leave the ramp and head to an obstacle, which was an adjustable stick attached on two metal-made bars. Rollan moved on following the girl above the ramp and reached the upcoming obstacle and jumped over it.

„You‘re supposed to crawl under it. Imagine there was a wall and you only had to go under that,“ Roberto the teacher warned earning a nod from Rollan, then he looked further and shrieked as in front of him stood a large pile of bricks cemented together as a jump element and Rollan jumped on top of it and moved further approaching the wall, which was the end of the first checkpoint, then he moved back and went to the right side and ran in a slalom around staffs, that was dug into the ground. Rollan looked at the water jump in the middle of the course to see Enrico smirk at the older Spaniard, then jumped to grab the rope and Rollan shook his head to try to gain his focus.

„Come on. You can‘t just fail on this,“ Rollan told himself and went on the climbing frame and crossed it quickly, trying to catch up with Marina, which was on the climbing net, which was the next obstacle to Rollan.

As Rollan got onto the next obstacle he encountered Marina standing in front of a bow and Marina run through the bow and fell down on the ground and looked behind at the bow annoyed, which made Rollan curious at the situation.

„What was that?“ Rollan wondered coming to the end of the net and made his way to the bow to see a small rock attached to a rope swinging at the passage Rollan had to pass through. Rollan frowned and ran toward the long arc and jumped through the arc, getting hit on his arm, causing him to spin aside and land on his back.

„Ahahaha. You still want to come along with the others?“ Ernesto asked as he stood on the top of a climbing wall, then as his friend, Enrico reached the top he pointed at Rollan, causing his friend to laugh.

„Face it loser. You‘re never going to make it through this,“ Enrico commented making Rollan angry, then he got up and ran over the piles of stones, which stood there on the ground in various types of sizes, then Rollan got stuck with one of his feet between a large rock and a smaller one, then fell down on the stones making the boys laugh harder.

Marina which had managed to swing over the water jump noticed the boys laughing, then looked around for Rollan to encounter him trying to take his feet out from the stone, and as he managed to get it out his shoe remained back and he sighed making Marina get sad at his misfortune.

„Come on Rollan, just focus,“ Marina whispered, then watched Rollan move on and pass around a pole, which marked the second checkpoint and jumped over the water jump to catch the rope and swing at the end of it and got closer to the girl, which ran now along with him. „You need to ignore the others and focus on what you‘re doing,“ Marina warned watching Rollan jump at the wall to climb it up. „Are you listening to me?“ The brunette girl asked following the raven-haired the wall up.

„I‘m not a loser. I‘m better than what I was before,“ Rollan complained, then he slipped with his feet and landed on his back, making Marina flinch her teeth at his incident. „Maldiciön!“ Hissed Rollan making Marina hold her hand in front of her forehead and jumped down from above the wall and made her way to the labyrinth while looking back at Rollan, which tried to climb the wall again.

[anne-lister-adventures]

Sunday, 17 May 1840

3 40/’’

12 35/’’

Off at 5 10/’’ – Alighted in 5 minutes and walked along the plain – A-[Ann] joined me by and by – Rise gentle began at 6 25/’’ A-[Ann] walked 1 1/2 hour till 7 5/’’ when she got in at the foot of the mountain a German waggon and 4 horses were stopping here to bait and rest a little – And here and now 7 5/’’ begins the steep rise – 

At top at 7 50/’’? in 5 or 6 minutes turn rather right, and descend a little and lose sight of plain of New Shamacha – Green, fertile, patched with good corn, and strewed with lines of black, oblong, ealing topped huts looking like heaps of manure laid up to rot, and in lines of 4 or 5 or 10 or 12 huts – I once counted 30+ huts in one long line – 

Wind to the right all along – Beautiful green, pointed undulating hill mountains – Fine sheep walk – Much cattle and fat tailed sheep, of both more black or dark coloured than any other colour – The plain and hills covered with pheasant’s eye (Paeonia) and wild Chamomile, and Thistles, and Spurges, and Fennel, and much broad leafed Dock and large leafed Pencil-Geranium, and the pretty small leafed small pink flower Geranium so common at home – And the hills where shrubby covered with a bright dark green Myrtle leafed thorny bush (Caper?) and a very small leafed Elm, or is it Hazel? and Ash-Bushes cropped down low – And White Thorn, and Dog Rose, and Bramble and Sloe, and Salley, § and Hornbeam? and Rock Cistus? and a woolly Mountain Ash like leafed shrub, Sumach? occasional peeps at the plain – 

The German waggon and 4 horses had passed me at 8 – Now at 8 1/4 on looking back (had stood writing – Till A-[Ann] and the Kibitka had got within about 150 or 200 yards of me) saw all at a stand – Our oxen lying down, selon leur ordinaire, in a muddy spot where a little spring crosses the road too tempting for them to pass – A-[Ann] came up to me at 8 25/’’ – Delayed 20 minutes – 

At 8 3/4 see village in the other (left) prong of the fork head of our valley and in 2 minutes peep down into valley on the other side our Col – Many ups and downs since first thinking myself at the top – Then turn left round the head of our valley and at 9 5/’’ right over the village seen to the left at 8 3/4, and at the top? gather white aromatic herb Samphorin? that we used to have about Montpellier – 

At 9 1/4 at the top I think – A minute or 2 ago, fine peep of the plain of Novo Shemacha – A road all along our narrow valley on the opposite side to us, beginning at the foot of the valley opposite where the steep ascent began at 7 5/’’ – In the distance I had thought it was the road we had to go – In fact, it would have been to us a nearer tho’ a rather steeper? road – The plain of N.[Novo] S.[Shemacha] seems covered with tanks? 

At 9 20/’’ at the spot where the 2 roads along the valley meet, and fine peep at the plain – At 9 50/’’ at the top – No! Wind right, and at 10 on Col looking down on to the plain (hazy now over it) – ([written on] Saturday 23 May) And to the left up a dell and 2 ranges, one above the other of hill, and large village of Sâcles, as before, on the ridge of the lower range – Still another hill-side to skirt along ascending – Cool air here – Even a wind from my right (the South?) – 

At 10 20/’’ apparently at the summit and about to begin the descent – Look into a bit of the valley I have left behind (I always turning right) and look down into valley thus sweeping before and behind me (1/4 mile before the carriage) and smaller valleys above and branching into it –

Fine green valley view, but not a tree to be seen – Good soil even at the very top of the Col – The hills rich pasture, and patched with dark green corn – 

At 10 20/’’ at top and 2 or 3 minutes farther little stone bridge over mountain misseau that crosses the road and just above a stone well or fountain supplied by a small spring and A-[Ann] came up on one of the Cossacks horses the man himself walking by and leading the animal, and our own Cossack Sous Officier following on horseback – A-[Ann] tired of the oxen, and had taken my hint, and mounted one of the horses – Picturesque village of Sâcles on hill just above (right) and gardens and vines at 10 35/’’ – We all went on together till 11 7/’’ another such fountain in a hollow and sheep and people and dogs and the German waggon and 4 were stopping to bait and steepish ascent again – And here A-[Ann] left me she riding up hill faster than I now felt inclined to walk – 

I was heated and began to feel that I should not be sorry to reach Old Shemacha – It occurred to me to mount the other horse – Then I thought I would walk it out from one Shemacha to the other – Toiled up the hill vainly hoping to see the Town from the top – But no! There was a large village of Sâcles on the hill of the opposite side the valley but S-[Semacha] was still out of sight – At the top of this hill at 11 35/’’ – Sheep and felt huts and shepherds and dogs – Wrote my notes leaning on a large sandstone with Persian inscription and did a little job and killed flea in my drawers A-[Ann] and the 2 Cossacks far on before – 

Fine cool air – Breeze – Thirsty for the last 20 minutes – Walked on a little farther and then sat down for 5 minutes on the green bank (right) at the side of the road – Then walked forwards again to the top of another hill and here at 12 I found A-‘s[Ann’s] Cossack waiting for me – He had left her at the Station and come to shew me the way – 

From here the descent began – The Town not seen for some minutes – In the hollow below – Left it to the left, and made straight along the rich flowery pastures for the Station House 1/2 mile or more from the Town – Nice walk – Gathered flowers – Abundance of a beautiful jonquil-like dark blue flower and of pretty single tulips – Pheasant’s eye – Pretty little red poppies as everywhere, and wild chamomile, and pretty vetches and forget-me-nots &c. &c. – 

Nice enough Station House – Fountain of excellent water close by – Found A-Ann loitering about – Heated – Lay down for a few minutes – Tea – A-[Ann] heated up our boiled rice – Not inclined to eat – But drank much Tea and ate some raisins – and did out of doors a large solid job – ([written on] Thursday 28 May )Tea over now at 2 50/’’ – Don’t feel much tired now after quenching my thirst with 1/2 dozen cups of warm Tea and a glass of cold water and frequent rinsings of the mouth with cold water – Sent General Kotzebue’s letter and our cards to the Commandant Colonel Ascheberg – 

Very hot – Not a dry thread on me on returning – Washed face and hands at the fountain of 1830 – Sandstone – 4 wells, and a beautiful inch-bore-pipe stream of soft clear water perpetually running – What a blessing to the Post Station-House, and Cossacks, and travellers and all the neighbourhood people! – 

The Town of Shemacha on the opposite hill side, a verst from our Station House – Must see the Town as we return – Our podorojna must be signed by the Commandant qui dormait – At 4 ordered the horses to be harnessed – Tiresome waiting – We have been out a little till now 4 35/’’   Off at 5 1/4 without podorojna – Had sent after – It in vain – On dormait toujours – Determined to wait at the door or in the Town till somebody was awake enough to get it signed – 

Alighted for a few minutes and walked up the hill to the mausolea – 4 – Went into each – Domed – Pretty little buildings – 3 tombs each within handsome carved and coloured with Persian inscriptions – In the last mausoleum the 3 tombs + the little tomb of an infant and in this last mausoleum measured the door (with A-‘s[Ann’s] 2 ft.feet rule) of beech wood? 3 ft.[feet] 5 1/2 in.[inches] within the styles – Styles 2 1/2 in.[inches] – 

The Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum about 1.5 km from Shamakhi. Of the 4 mausolea Anne saw, only 3 survive. The roof of the fourth has apparently collapsed. (Image Source)

The tombs inside one of these small buildings. Note the colorful inscriptions. (Image source)

‘Tis now 5 25/’’ – Soon down the hill (the carriage had gone forward) at the good bridge over the broadish bedded shallow river where the carriage waited for us – Waited in the Town sauntering under the arcades among the shops while our Cossack got the podorojna – The shops well stocked with the commodities fruits &c. common hereabouts – 

At the little river just out of the Town at 6 10/’’ – Over in 5 minutes – 2 little streams and afterwards a mere wide small-bouldery dry bed – At 6 1/2 short barley in car – They say, says George, this stage is 40 v.[versts] instead of 25, and the 33 v.[versts] tomorrow = 50 – Did not arrive at our Station tonight till 8 55/’’ – 

Very fine day and evening – Don’t feel much tired now, nor have I felt much tired – The great thirst allayed, I was quite right again – Tea at 10 and 1 thing or other till 11 1/2 – Undressing (to put on clean linen tomorrow) and catching fleas &c. till 12 1/2 Reaumur 14 1/3º at 11 1/2 p.m.

§ yellow Jasmin – a plant something like a wild parsley – Blue Symphitum (asperinum?) butter cups – Rose trees –

                                                                                  versts

a.m. 5 10/’’ to 1 New to Old Shemacha                    24 5/7            

p.m. 5 1/4 to 8 55/’’ Old S-[Shemacha] to Maraza   25                    

                                                                                  49 5/7            

[symbols in the margin of the page:]         L✓

[in the margin of the page:]            manure-like huts

[in the margin of the page:]             shrubs and flowers

[in the margin of the page:]             1st fountain

[in the margin of the page:]             2nd fountain

Page References: SH:7/ML/E/24/0106 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0107

[komahinasecretexchange]

Title: Maybe Tomorrow

Author: @midnight-run-amok

For: @kumipen

Rating/Warnings: T

Prompt: Post Dr3 island Kamukoma (though I did include a bit of the prompts kamukoma drv3 & kamukoma post Dr3 casefic in there as well)

Author’s Notes: This ended up being so much more challenging than I thought it would be, but it was a lot of fun to do. I hope you like it. <3

“Hey, are you dead?”

Kamukura Izuru opened his eyes to find Komaeda Nagito leaning over him, his gaze feverishly bright even in the dimly lit cabin.

This was not an extraordinary occurrence.

Komaeda was a constant visitor to his cabin. Not a welcome presence exactly, but a familiar one as his luck made slipping past his locks a simple matter of faulty hinges or weak welds. He often returned to his cabin in the evenings to find the door leaning off-kilter in its frame and Komaeda inside rifling through his things or cleaning his shower or sitting carefully at the edge of his bed waiting for him as if he were afraid he’d muss the blankets if he were to sit on it properly while he waited for him to return.

He sat up from his bed, unsurprised to find Komaeda was standing just far enough out of the way to avoid collision. Nor that he was somehow still standing just close enough that Komaeda’s hair brushed against his cheek as he swept past him.

Komaeda Nagito’s hair was soft against his cheek, a likely by-product of the same luck that kept his own hair smooth and untangled no matter how little attention he paid it or how long it got, no doubt.

He smelled like coconut, but then everything on the island seemed to reek of coconut so that wasn’t surprising either.

“No,” Izuru answered finally. The answer wad belated and unnecessary, but he’s been trying to make an effort to answer even the most boring questions. “Meditating.”

Not sleeping, never sleeping, his mind was always too restless to ever relax enough for conventional slumber even now. Many things had changed for him since Enoshima had coaxed him from his room beneath Hope’s Peak, but that was not one of them.

“Ah,” Komaeda murmured, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “I wasn’t worried, of course, someone as extraordinary as you wouldn’t die so easily. Though I’m sure if you did the others would have persevered and found hope even in your untimely demise.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied dryly. “Why are you here?”

Komaeda sighed, “Aren’t you supposed to already know?”

They’ve had this conversation before.

“I don’t know everything that’s going to happen,” he sighed, tossing a pillow at Komaeda’s head.

Komaeda was already stepping out of the way before it left his hands… and directly into the path of the second pillow he threw right after it which startled a laugh out of him and apparently caused him to relent as the next words out of his mouth were an explanation of sorts.

“They found a body at the school.”

He frowned, ducking to the side as Komaeda threw the pillow back at him half-heartedly.

The they could only be the Future Foundation.

He glanced down and found Komaeda’s bare feet covered with damp beach sand and sighed, “You realize the whole point of having Souda rig up an excessive number of death traps around the island was to discourage drop ins.”

“I suppose it was lucky I was taking a walk on the beach when they showed up so I could disable them.”

“Yes. Lucky,” Izuru replied dryly. “And what do they want us to do about their body problem?”

“You don’t already know? What’s the point of being overstuffed with artificial talent if you can’t divine something as simple as that?” Komaeda huffed, crossing his arms over his chest his lips knotting in a disappointed frown.

“I’m surprised you could be bothered to pull yourself away from basking in the light of all that legitimate talent long enough to come find me,” he replied flatly, rolling his eyes as he crossed the room to dress for company. “If they’re looking for someone to blame, none of us have left the island in weeks and killing people with my mind is not one of my talents.”

Komaeda huffed a laugh, following him to the closet and leaning against the door as he shed his night clothes and changed into the suit he kept on hand for dealing with the rank and file of the Future Foundation when they came to call.

He’d greeted them in one of the more casual outfits he usually wore once, but while their reaction hadn’t been boring, it would be tiresome to deal with a second time. The novelty of being treated as an ordinary teenager by men he could have killed with his little finger if he’d been so inclined had worn off rather quickly.

“If it were, I imagine there wouldn’t have been much of a Future Foundation to speak of by the time we entered that simulation.”

“That would have been boring,” Izuru replied easily, glancing back over his shoulder as he tugged off his shirt to find Komaeda very deliberately not looking at him as he kicked off his shorts and pulled on a dress shirt.

“It would be understandable, wouldn’t it?” Komaeda murmured, his shoulders right and his voice filled with soft amusement that made his shoulders tighten involuntarily. “For them to blame us? Who would be a better scapegoat than the remnants of her Despair? Think of how much safer the world would feel, how much Hope it would bring if we were no longer in the world.”

“Don’t care,” he replied, shaking his head briefly. It didn’t matter to him what the people of the world felt, he never had. He’d only helped save them last time because these people, his people, had wanted to save them. “They can clean up their own mess.”

“Oh. I suppose it’s just as well then that they just want us to help them investigate then.”

“Us?”

Komaeda’s mouth knit into a thoughtful frown as he finally glanced back at him now that he had pants on and was buttoning his shirt, “Well, you, but I don’t think you should go alone even if I’m not very useful and you’d be better off taking someone else, anyone else really would be more help, I’m sure, but I’d still rather it was me.”

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Fine. I would have asked you anyway, but we’re not going to the school.”

He’d been very clear about boundaries the last time he’d spoken with Naegi when he’d informed him that Souda was putting in a full defensive array around the island and that rebuilding that school was a terrible idea and he had no intention of having any part in it.

“Oh… good. Then I suppose it’s lucky Naegi-san made them bring the evidence with them, photos of the crime scene too.”

Of course he had.

That was to be expected, he supposed.

Izuru glanced back at Komaeda, studying him as he  finished buttoning his shirt. His pale cheeks were flushed and he was deliberately not looking at him again, “What is it?”

Komaeda shook his head and shrugged, stepping past him into the closet and taking a tie from the shelf. He’d finished doing up the buttons on his shirt and popped up the collar at the same moment Komaeda looped the tie around his neck, taking hold of the dark material and tying it with quick, efficient movements.

He stood still, watching Komaeda’s pale brow furrowed in concentration, as he knotted and pulled the tie snug around his throat before straightening his collar.

They lingered there for a long moment, Komaeda’s fingers dropping to rest against his chest bracketing the tie. He knows what he’s going to do a moment before they collide, but it never occurs to him to move aside. Komaeda’s lips are rough and cracked where they brush against his own.

It’s a new.

Different.

Nice in a way few things are.

Whatever moment they’re having, Komaeda ruins it by turning his face away just as suddenly as he’d brought it close and bursting out into laughter. It’s too loud and too high, nervous and jittery, to be true amusement and his hands are shaking where they’ve caught and rumpled his shirt front. He frantically tried to smooth it out, “Sorry, I… I… didn’t mean….”

He reached out and grabbed his wrists before he could skitter away and allow his own insecurities to consume him, “It was fine.”

Which was obviously not the correct thing to say based on the uniquely unimpressed look Komaeda gave him, all the nervousness melting away from him like ice baking in the sun.

This is not one of his talents.

He could make a bed with perfect corners and he could shoot down a goose or a plane from a mile away, he could anticipate and dodge almost anything, but he wasn’t good at this.

At knowing what to say to people.

To Komaeda especially.

“We shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Komaeda commented and this time when he pulled away, he let him go. “I’m sure they have much better things to do than wait on us.”

“Fine,” Izuru sighed, shrugging into his jacket and following Komaeda to the door. “Let’s go find out who their good intentions killed this time.”

The walk to the beach is silent and terse and he’s faintly surprised to find them waiting there alone, clearly having been unnoticed by the others. That was lucky. There was a good chance they might be able to get this business concluded and the Foundation off the island before anyone else’s day had to be interrupted by their presence.

While they don’t seem particularly pleased to be taking Komaeda aboard their ship, they don’t fight him on it anyway. Which was probably the best option available to them as there really was no telling what would happen to their boat if they upset either of them.

“Thank you for agreeing to come with us,” one of the men commented. He was nondescript, unremarkable, and painfully boring.

“We’ll try not to take up too much of your time,” the other commented, equally unremarkable though he was taller and had a talent. He’d introduced himself as the Ultimate Negotiator. He was never completely certain why they bothered to introduce themselves to him in such a way. He wasn’t impressed and he didn’t care. “We just need you to look over these files and we’ll get you right back to the island.”

He glanced back toward the shore to gauge the distance. 1.24 km… he could easily swim that distance if he had to, even while carrying Komaeda.

“You were in the 70th class, weren’t you? I saw your picture on the alumni site. That seems like it would be a really Hope-inspiring talent, negotiation. Of course, we’re happy to look over anything you’d like us to look over though I can’t imagine what you think we can do that the Ultimate Detective can’t. Our talents can’t begin to compare to that, can they?”

He could probably even manage to reach the shore before he felt compelled to attempt to drown Komaeda for being Komaeda.

Probably.

“Kirigiri-san thought an extra set of eyes would be helpful considering,” the man replied evenly, ignoring Komaeda’s flattery.

“Considering?” He inquired softly, as he reached down to take hold of Komaeda’s synthetic hand and pull him gently away from the Negotiator.

“Whose body it is,” the man replied as he stepped into a darkened room beckoning then to follow.

He could feel Komaeda step in closer, a line of unfamiliar warmth against his back, the awkwardness of the cabin forgotten or pushed aside.

It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling, but not unwelcome.

Artificial light flickered to life with a soft hum revealing an open box and an array of pink-splattered photographs spread across the table at the center of the room.

Izuru stared at them for a long moment before stepping further into the room and turning his attention to the contents of the box: a knife tacky with blood, a blood-splattered book, a hair clip, and a baseball.

He didn’t need to open the book.

He knew exactly what this was.

Predictable.

Despair was easy.

Hope was difficult.

Especially in a world that was already remembering all its petty grievances, reigniting old fires the moment there was no longer despair to battle in such a literal form.

The world was boring that way.

They knew that better than most.

And the Future Foundation should have known that better than anyone.

“You’re here to tell us they’re making a movie,” he commented flatly, turning his narrowed gaze on the man smiling pleasantly at him from the other side of the table.

“A trilogy, actually,” he replied, obviously pleased with himself for his presentation. “There were some who weren’t onboard with the idea, but fortunately cooler heads prevailed and overruled those who were perhaps a little too close to the events to understand what could be gained, how the world could benefit hearing the full story.”

How they thought giving the world an abbreviated version of a complicated series of truths would make it a better place was obvious, but that didn’t mean it would be effective.

He could see the consequences stretching out into the future. Movies to tv series to reality tv to a society dependent upon upon that show, their show.

For all their empty promises of a better tomorrow, the Future Foundation had only ever truly excelled at paving the road to despair with their efforts to reach it.

“You’re all very stupid,” he replied finally, earning a huff of breath against the back of his neck that could almost have been a laugh as the Negotiator’s face contorted briefly with rage before settling back into an expression he probably thought masked his irritation.

“You shouldn’t say that, I’m sure their talents would make a film version of events shine brightly and bring hope to many,” Komaeda commented his voice soft and almost reverent. His admiration for them had dimmed a bit in the years since Hope’s Peak and all that happened there, but it would take more than a brainwashed, despair-fueled murder spree to put an end to it altogether.

“And despair to even more. Being talented doesn’t make them smart.”

“I suppose not,” Komaeda admitted finally and he didn’t need to see his face to know the look of disdain there. “Did you think we’d be more supportive about this then they were?”

“No, they didn’t,” Izuru answered before the Negotiator could speak. “But they don’t know what happened here, only what Naegi, Togami, and Kirigiri told them. They came to convince us to give them the recordings.”

“Recordings?”

“Naegi had recordings made of our time in the simulation made in case the Future Foundation needed proof that we had changed.”

“How exactly would recordings of us murdering each other be helpful? Ah, that’s right, it was supposed to be the virtual reality equivalent of a get-along shirt originally, wasn’t it?”

“It was.”

“If you two are quite finished,” the Negotiator snapped, red-faced, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “Since you have it all figured out you could just make this easy and tell us where the recordings are.”

“Destroyed them.”

That much should have been obvious.

“Wh-what?”

Apparently not.

“I destroyed them,” he repeated, more slowly though he doubted saying it again would make him understand it any better. “Make something up.”

“Oh. I… I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell us what happened to you?” The man asked, flustered and grasping at straws. He was smarter than he’d assumed if he were skipping threats and moving straight to just asking politely.

Komaeda laughed, leaning away to cross his arms over his chest, “Don’t you have the Ultimate Novelist working for you? Why not ask her to write something for you? She does still work for you, doesn’t she?”

“We did. She told us to… uh… go… well, that is, she said no,” he finished sheepishly. “So, um… won’t you… please tell us what happened?”

He could sink their boat, kill both of them here and now… but there would be others. Others who would come and disturb their peaceful days again and again. Though in the end they would finally give up and just tell whatever story was most convenient for them, it would be several long months of regular irritation until that time.

They liked to think of themselves as the good guys, after all, and good guys at least tried to tell the truth. Even if they had to badger the details out of a group of traumatized people to do it.

Better to just put a stop to it now.

“The same thing that happened during the first killing game,” Izuru offered finally. “Only with different people and in the end it was all a simulation and the killing game was initiated by a virus. The survivors escaped and everyone woke up, alive and well and free of the brainwashing program that had made them despair in the first place. I’m certain you know the rest.”

“But that’s….”

“All you’re getting. Figure out the rest of the gory details yourself. Don’t come back. We’ll see ourselves back to the island.”

“We will?” Komaeda inquired, but he didn’t protest when he took hold of his hand once more and used it to tow him out of the room past the nondescript man who watched them go in silence.

The swim took longer than he anticipated though he still didn’t attempt to drown Komaeda and they arrived back on the shore in time to collapse against the sand as the boat vanished into the distance.

As they lay there on the sand, catching their breath, he finally asked the one question he didn’t know the answer to.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I wanted to. Did it surprise you?”

“It did.”

“Oh,” Komaeda commented thoughtfully, flopping over onto his back and splaying out like a starfish. “It was awful, wasn’t it?”

“No.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I don’t have enough comparative data to make an accurate assessment.”

“Oh. Well,” Komaeda rolled onto his side and he could feel the weight of his gaze though he didn’t turn to make it. “We could try it again sometime. If you want.”

“Okay,” he replied after a moment, turning his head just enough to see the smile that turned up the corners Komaeda’s lips. “Maybe tomorrow.”

[skiasurveys]

393

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? um,,? I would assume I was a young adult ig?

2.Which is worse, failing or never trying? never trying, b/c you would never  know if you were good or not. 3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?  idk..man because we feel forced by society 4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done ? I hope not. 5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? I wish people would stop flexing. 6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? spending time with my loved ones tbh, and making art. 7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? rn i am in college so 8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? no different. 9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? a little, im trying to fix it. 10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? doing things right..i always think im gonna be a failure. 11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I would let them know that she is my friend and i find it disrespectful of what theyre saying. 12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Honestly, dont worry about what others say. do what you want. 13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? yeah i would.

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? Yeah look at most art lol 15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Im not sure... 16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? because were all just different people? 17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? travel really. I want to see more of the world  and cultures.

18. What’s holding you back? money.

19. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? yeah my fathers death.

20. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? maybe the UK? and Idk its different and i dont wanna live in the us. 21. Do you push the elevator button more than once? not really. 22. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?  joyful 23. Why are you, you?  life experiences.

24. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? I think i have but i do have a lot to work on. 25. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?  losing touch. it sucks when you can feel them slipping away right from your fingers and you cant change it. we live in a world where face time is a  thing so when someone moves it doesnt feel that much different. 26. What are you most grateful for? My mom 27. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? fuck. Never make new ones.  28. Is it possible to know the truth without challenging it first? idk..? 29. What is your greatest fear? Has it ever come true? Drowning. lol

30. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now? it wouldve been either when my friend hurt me or when my dad had died. so yeah. 31. What is your happiest childhood memory?  vaca with dad

32. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? im not sure.. 33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? idk. 34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?  Of course, sometimes the best people are the people you dont have to make up a lot of words. 35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? Cus humans. 36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? yes and no. we all have our set of morals. for sure murder is evil..i would hope everyone would agree. 37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?  yes. even tho i just got it but like i hate working LOL. 38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?  more work i like to do 39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? yes.

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? what

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? i would try to see them all lol

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? Of course LOL 

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? alive is just doing ur boring ass shit every day but living is like actually doing what u love lol 44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? you just know tbh 45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? because we dont wanna look stupid or hurt others. depending on the mistake. 46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? dress better and be more active with my social media career. 47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? right now 48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? i love art, i always have. it just lets me express myself without feeling weird. 49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? i will for sure b/c i just started working at this shit job so ill for sure remember this. i better not be here in 5 years or ill kms. 50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? myself but i always ask ppl for advice to help me. so both?