#insomnia my one true nemesis

[honeymews]

Want…girlfriend…

[drawbauchery]

The Second Session

fic by cartoons-tothemoon

“So, let’s review, last session, we broke you down to many of your core traits and neuroses.”

“Thanks for reminding me, it’s not like I have the capacity to remember last week.” Skipper muttered.

“Well, now we’re here to build you back up, and work from that onwards.” Hans said. He had his hands folded plainly in his lap, and he’d changed the lighting in the office. Skipper hated it. He hated having to sit across from a smug as shit Hans as he waited calmly and quietly for Skipper to begin talking, with that terrible, blinding light that gave off a strangely clinical feel that makes him more uneasy than anything else. He wonders if Hans would let him sleep for the hour he was meant to spend here. Sure, he’d be paying $35 for a nap, which was crazy in of itself, but he knows from experience that sometimes all you need is a good nap to be a functioning person again.

“I’m not in the position to really diagnose you with anything, and even if I was, I’d still need more time to get to know your mind before I could really prescribe anything for your current conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Plural. Like children trying to sneak into a cineplex in a trench coat, what was once one turned out to be two or more disorders standing on top of one another’s shoulders. Bouts of aggression and insomnia tied to intense paranoia, a complex that comes from being a leader, and a fear of depending on others. Abandonment issues, repression-“

Skipper waved his hands in a forceful sort of wave, “yes, thank you. Just tell me what to do about it already.”

“What?”

“Just fix me already.” Skipper seemed frustrated. “You’re the one who thinks I’m broken in the first place, the only reason I’m here in the first place is to prevent any future surprise tea parties.”

Hans sighed. They were barely even 5 minutes in, and Hans just knew he was going to be spending the rest of the session constructing arguments for statements Skipper constructed in seconds.

“If this was only to prevent any more…surprise visits from moi, then I would’ve been fine with just the first session. And I think you know that.”

He did. He did know that. Hans suggested the idea of a second session, and so did Skipper, in the way that you do when you’re bonding with people you have a rather hostile history with. No commitment was really stated, which left the ball in Skipper’s court, but what was he supposed to do after that thorough deconstruction, let it simmer in his soul for the rest of his known life?

He couldn’t even let it simmer for a whole week at this point, after all, he was already considering asking RICO of all people if he was too arrogant a leader and intentionally pushing people away.

RICO.

It made sense at the time, Kowalski would question where he was learning such jargon and be able to draw conclusions based on his recent absence, and Private would do nothing but validate him. Because he was just that nice, he supposed.

“Second, it’s not about being “broken” or “fixed” or what have you, the fact of the matter is that you have the most high-stress job in your already high-stress career. As much as I enjoyed our battles in the fish markets of Denmark, it’s not like the experience hasn’t done something to me, or you for that matter.”

Hans sighed, he was already just so exhausted by this…session. He’d even revealed that he too shared in mental health struggles if Skipper was willing to pick up the scraps left behind for him. Skipper looked a little surprised, sure, but fell back into an understood complacency sooner than later.

Was this the closest they were ever going to get to a true understanding of the other?

He supposed he’d have to take it.

“And lastly, I can’t tell you how to “fix” yourself. I’m a therapist, not a life coach. I’m not here to give advice, I’m here to examine your trauma, and give you a better perspective on how to move forward. However, I can’t take those steps for you. You kinda have to figure out a lot of those things on your own.”

Skipper looked positively moody about this, but less in a spoiled, petulant five-year-old sort of way, and more…accepting of it. He looked tired, and less because it was barely just a quarter past 1. It was an abstract tiredness, one not born of resting or restlessness, but a thing all its own.

Skipper sighed. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

“This is a timely process for a reason, Skipper. Many people can spend years in therapy trying to handle these exact issues.”

“I didn’t realize this was a life sentence in the making.” Skipper muttered.

God, this was already such a process. Hans could tell that Skipper couldn’t stand the vagueness of this all. He was an action guy, he wanted an easy solution of doing task A to accomplish thing B, and achieve reward C, and go on with his life.

No, not even an easy solution. A clear solution. Skipper was a problem solver. All of this was already so abstract, and he didn’t even know if he was so vehemently against this whole process just because it was him, or just because it was therapy at all. He even had a client who after a bad experience with a therapist in middle school decided to turn her sessions into stand-up, just because she was already so familiar and so bored with the process.

Maybe that’s what he needed to channel. Therapy in of itself was at the best of times uncomfortable and at the worst of times boring. He was already dealing with a high energy, high stress client, who was uncomfortable as all hell with being there. If he put him back into a comfortable situation, he may or may not get something out of him, and if he doesn’t, at the very least make him more comfortable with spending time with him at all, off the clock, at least.

“What do you like to do, Skipper? In your free-time?”

Skipper eyed him suspiciously. “Uh, why?”

“I’m trying something. Trust me here.”

That could’ve been phrased SO much better, from nemesis to nemesis, but Skipper seemed willing in the moment to run with that trust. “I like working on my combat capabilities, driving around, sometimes I watch TV and movies, I help Private bake when he feels like it, I nap, I gamble…”

Skipper seemed to be drawing a blank for whatever reason. Surely, he had things he did in his free time, right? It wasn’t like he was ALWAYS on the clock, he just never really thought of certain periods of time as…free. What even counted as free-time anyhow? Was it just time that wasn’t spent doing other things? Under that definition, no time was free.

“Can I say this to you as both a friend, an enemy, and somebody who’s known you for quite a few years at this point?”

Skipper nodded hesitantly.

“Jesus Christ, you need some hobbies.” Hans stated, matter of factly. “Working on your “combat capabilities,” as you put it, seems to be a literal constant considering your job as…however your job is defined, so it’s less play and more work than anything else. You mentioned helping Private bake “when he feels like it,” and I wouldn’t exactly call napping a hobby, or gambling a healthy one.”

Skipper shrugged. It’s not like “Stomp the Wombat” ever left the confines of the lair, anyhow.

“It just feels like you don’t have a lot of things you do just for yourself, you know? Driving around and watching TV are the only hobbies that feel wholly your own, something you don’t do for work or for others. Keep in mind that you can keep doing these things you enjoy, but perhaps you should find other things for yourself. Like an instrument, or a cooking class.”

“I told the boys that I joined a bowling league just to be here.”

“And did that seem believable enough for you to do to be here?”

His silence told Hans everything, but not the literal everything of Skipper “going to bed” at 8 just to climb through his window at 12:30, shimmy down the fire escape, and walk to Hans’s office.

But he probably could tell anyhow.

Of course, this kind of put a blight on Hans’s plans to make Skipper more comfortable while being here, and as he told him such, Skipper proceeded to lay down on the couch. Hans couldn’t tell the exact reason for the action, but it did seem to be a point of exasperation for him.

“Well, damn, sorry I “foiled your plot” to make myself comfortable in the den of the beast.”

“Skipper, you insult me. You really think I’d decorate my den with wooden sailboats? Absolutely criminal.”

“You seem to forget that.” He muttered. Hans ignored it.

“Although the hobby talk didn’t exactly lead where I thought it could…It did lead me elsewhere.”

“Goddamn it.”

“What skill have you always wanted to learn? What’s something that you’ve wanted to try for just, so long, and never got the chance to?”

Skipper began to pick at his lip. This whole talk already made him nervous, but now what was he supposed to say? That he figured he’d be in the back of a truck with is hand hanging out the taillight since he was 14, for whatever reason, so he didn’t even bother considering his top 3 colleges, let alone any future ambitions?

Still, if he was quiet for too long, either Hans would judge him, or he’d render his lips a bloody mess, and that’d be a whole different thing to deal with.

“…Archery sounds fun.” He said. Hans nodded.

“That’s interesting. It’s closely related to your pre-established interests but it’s closer to a sport now than something to be used in an actual combat situation, which sort of allows it to be separated from your work.”

Skipper nodded as well, allowing Hans to believe that that was his thought process from the start, and more of just curious to see if he could shoot a flame off a candle like Annie Oakley.

“You mentioned you liked baking with Private. Do you like the idea of baking itself, or just doing it with another person?”

“Food is meant to be shared?” Skipper seemed to be asking, but also stated in a very definitive way. “It’s a process. It’d be weird not to help in the process.”

Hans pulled his hand away from Skipper’s mouth, where a few small cuts were beginning to form. “If you’d like to have a session where we did a low-stress activity you wanted to do, and we talked while doing so, I think it’d put you in the best conductive environment possible to actually combat the problems that seem so visible to me. This was a good first development, though. I just don’t know if I can expect on accidental issues to identify and attack every time.”

Hans sighed and got up from his chair to stare out the window. Skipper didn’t know why he did this, outside of being a dramatic bitch, but it got him to look anyhow.

“It’s so incidental, many people struggle with balancing work and life as is, but this could easily be one of the main causes of your paranoia, as well as causing a level of detachment and depersonalization, which relates to how you relate to others.”

And well, damn. What was Skipper supposed to say to that?

“Our time’s almost up.” Hans said, checking his watch. Skipper was coming to realize how strange time in therapy was. It simultaneously felt like hours and seconds passing all at once. Perhaps it was because there were no clocks, like a casino. Or maybe it was because going to therapy at 1 in the morning didn’t exactly give you a sun to follow in terms of time. Hans handed Skipper a weird sort of rack with string on it, along with some tissues.

“It’s a loom. Fidget with something that won’t bleed for the next five minutes, if you would.”

Skipper glared at him for the snide comment, but Skipper didn’t exactly put it back where Hans had stored it originally. Picking at the strings inanely didn’t feel as satisfying as his usual fidgets, but it would work until he lost focus and the skin had time to heal.

“I’m giving you three assignments until our next session.” Skipper would’ve originally rolled his eyes at the idea of homework, but there was something that felt already strange about this session. Last session, he was so thoroughly antagonized and owned in such a way that his entire psychological history had been exposed, but this made last session feel like…a misstep. It was almost like Hans was trying to give the rug back to Skipper after it had already been so unceremoniously swept away from him.

He seemed as unsure about this as he was, he even confided about the state of his own mental health, something he probably wasn’t supposed to do. Which, honestly, made Skipper feel better about the whole thing. He didn’t like being guided, and as much as he detested having to do this whole thing with Hans in particular, the idea of having to figure out a stranger at the same time they were trying to figure out him sounded like a nightmare. More than this already was.

The whole session felt off, sure, but it wasn’t as off as it could’ve been, and he knows it could only be worse.

“I want you to begin researching archery, if you really want to pursue it as a hobby, you should try to learn what you can about it before jumping in and figuring out it isn’t what you thought it was.”

“I want you to pay a compliment to each of your team members in a casual way, this’ll strengthen your bonds with them, in a way that allows you to affirm that you appreciate them, as much as they appreciate you.”

Okay, that sounded like hippie nonsense, but who was he to judge at this point.

“And finally, I want you to pick out a recipe to prepare during our next session.”

“Wait, what?”

“A recipe. Something that’ll take less than an hour. I have a friend who’d give me access to their kitchen in the middle of the night, so we’ll be on neutral ground, and I’m sure it’ll be more believable to your “boys” that if you really are doing something in the middle of the night, that you have physical proof of it. Considering how weirdly secretive you are already, the idea you covered up secret cooking lessons with a bowling league doesn’t sound too far-fetched.” Hans was muttering at this point. All these things answered questions he figured he’d have, but nothing that helped with where he was NOW.

“I know it’s a weird idea, but the clients who have had the chance to do different, vaguely active things during our sessions tend to be more open and honest with me about things that they’re worried about, things that they struggle with, and they can make for more engaging sessions where you actually take in what I’m telling you, and makes it less of a lecture.” Hans sighed. “If you hate it, we never have to try anything like that again, but, I do really want you to give it a try. This is a two-way street, I can only give as much as I myself get. I just got lucky this week.”

Skipper stopped strumming the loom.

“Text me the address.” He said, and Hans would have burst with joy if such a thing was appropriate in present company, until he realized.

“I…don’t have your number?”

“Oh, no, session’s over! Wow, how did the time fly? Guess you’ll just have to figure that out for yourself, what a swell talk we had, doc,” Skipper yelled as he headed out the door.

“Pay at the front desk!” Hans yelled back before relaxing into his chair. Skipper was never going to be an easy client to deal with. Maybe he wouldn’t ALWAYS dance around the issues at hand, but he was never going to REALLY come clean about it. There may be things they never talk about, the same way Hans did.

And that was fine. Maybe it made what little he did learn all the more rewarding. Maybe it made what little he learned all the more meaningless if Skipper ever reached a point of complete and utter honesty with him, a fantasy he knew would never see come to light.

But who was to say, really?

It was all a matter of time.

After all, this was only the second session.

(Ahh! I can’t believe I didn’t post another fic for a whole! Month! I think it’s just because I didn’t really know what to do for the second session, and I think you can kinda tell, considering it’s not like Hans knows what to do either. Do you guys really want a whole fic series about Skipper going to therapy? I have no idea. It’s pretty fun, though. I don’t know how Hans became a therapist, either, but I guess that’s just what the dude does now. By the way, the client who turned her therapy sessions into stand-up comedy? That was just me in high school with my mandated therapist. I once gave a funeral to a squeaky toy I broke in the middle of the session. It was simultaneously so sad and so funny at the exact same time.

This fic will be up on my ao3, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tadstrangerthings, as soon as @drawbauchery posts it!)

[mountainashfae]

which MahoYaku character has the biggest mean bitch energy? I always figured it was a normal otome where every boy is at least somewhat nice, but that Figaro guy you just talked about sounds 110% up my alley.

Okay my dear anon sit down I’m gonna go all out on infodumping for you.

MahoYaku has 21 different characters, a chunk of them are Not Fuckable because they’re babies, but the rest are fair game and I actually love the variance in character personality and writing. There’s about 5 that I would list have “mean bitch energy,” including Figaro, and I’m just gonna turn this into a “Top 5 Bitches of MahoYaku” for you.

5. Figaro

He actually goes on the bottom of the list because in the last 400 years or so (this wizard is an unknown age above 2000 btw) he’s settled down in the South and is trying to become a better person. He is very intent on being seen as a good person, almost to a creepy extent because this image here is him going “ohh, I was such a good person just then” in the main story, but that doesn’t erase his past sins.

He has a Resting Villain Face however, and the only people who are fooled by his goody two-shoes act are Rutile and Mitile. When those two aren’t around, he hardly tries to hide his true nature. I’d classify him as “Bitch Who Is Trying To Redeem Himself But Isn’t Really Good/Sincere About It”.

4. Mithra

The first of the sanbaka, Mithra is a wizard from the North who is known as the most powerful wizard second only to Oz. He does what he wants, takes what he wants, has only cared about one person ever in his 1000 or so years, and will not hesitate to cut a bitch if he sees them as a threat or an annoyance.

He’s this low on the list because he’s very apathetic and generally doesn’t care about 90% of things unless someone comes around and literally beats him into submission. He’s got Magic Insomnia so he’s been going days at a time without sleep and that adds to his bitch factor because This Man Just Wants To Fuck Off And Sleep.

A favorite candidate in the JP fandom to ship with the protag, specifically the male one, thanks to the wonderful canon bit of “he can only sleep if MC is holding his hand”.

3. Bradley

Another wizard from the North (4/5 on the list are), a fan favorite, and the second of the sanbaka is Mr. Bandit Leader With A Gun himself. No legit he has a gun and that’s the only one referenced in the entire game that isn’t a water pistol and it’s hilarious.

He actually falls more in line with the “asshole with a secret heart of gold” trope but the thing is. He’s a Northern wizard. He takes what he wants when he wants it, and is one of few Northern wizards with the capabilities to get a group of wizards together to work together.

He’s a very lovable bitch but also he was arrested by Figaro about 100 years ago and has been serving his sentence under the ancient eyes of Snow and White.

2. Shylock

The one character on this list that didn’t originate from the North, Shylock is a Western wizard and the owner of a popular wizard-only bar. He’s very polite and refined, and he makes it this high on the list for his extreme grudge, passive aggressive methods, and his choice to wield his sexiness like a weapon.

He’s the type that will be a bitch while smiling pleasantly the whole time, and you really have to get on his bad side for him to drop that smile. Make a fuss in his bar and he will close shop and kick you to the curb without a second thought. As a Western wizard, he’s a little lacking in morals (differently than a Northern wizard) and honestly could not give a flying fuck what other people think about him or his methods.

He’s not a bitch he’s the bitch.

1. Owen

When I think of a bitch I think of Owen. He pisses me off in ways that Figaro can’t, but I still love him because his writing is great, his situation is interesting, and he’s just my mortal nemesis but not in a romantic way. The third of the sanbaka.

His favorite pasttime, besides eating sweets, is pissing people off and he’s really good at it. The only reason he wasn’t turned to stone hundreds of years ago is because he’s basically a DnD lich and has his soul stored elsewhere.

He’s got heterochromia because he stole another character’s eye (Cain’s, my boy) and then swapped it with his own. He’s skilled in wriggling his way into other peoples’ hearts and causing them to want to kill themselves, and is objectively the most terrifying character in this entire game because of the joy and the expression he makes when he’s fucking with you.

But yes that’s my list of Bitches in MahoYaku and I love all these idiots (except Figaro).

Honorable Mention is Emiya Shirou Nero.

Used to be Bradley’s right-hand man, is lowkey implied to have been the one to turn him in, moved out to the East to open a restaurant and really is only a bitch when it comes to dealing with Bradley.

[rxbodybuilding]

Pumped Up On The Paleo Diet by Yael Grauer The Paleolithic era is the period in human pre-history between 2.5 million and 20,000 years ago. And if you're a veteran to the diet industry, it might seem that the Paleo diet craze is even older than that. The logic behind the diet is simple. Anthropological evidence suggests that pre-historic man was bigger, stronger, leaner, and a lot less diseased, despite being forced to survive without prescription meds, Obamacare, or high speed internet. So diet-wise, they must have been doing something right. And guess what? The diet just plain works, for a lot of people. But while few can dispute that Paleo eating is a healthy approach, some question whether there is anything inherently special about the diet. Critics say it's just a mercenary way to reduce calories combined with a healthy dose of slick marketing: limit your food options enough and you'll lose weight by sheer virtue that you run out of things to eat, especially convenience foods, the nemesis of any dieter. After all, it's hard to rationalize grabbing a caveman-friendly snack from a drive thru window unless you also believe that The Flintstones was a documentary. There's also the matter of pre and post workout nutrition. Prehistoric man certainly didn't have access to the wonderful goodies we've all come to enjoy bracketing our workouts with. How many lifters would want to swap their Surge or Anaconda for a couple of tubers and half a hyena? It begs the question, is a strictly Paleo diet a good idea at all for athletes, or can it be modified into the 21st century, especially for the physique-focused Testosterone reader? "Paleo Solution" author Robb Wolf seems to think so. — Bryan Krahn Rob Wolf, a former research biochemist specializing in lipid metabolism, has gained a cult following with his nutrition seminars and weekly podcast, The Paleolithic Solution. Wolf follows in the footsteps of Paleolithic Diet founder Professor Loren Cordain and focuses on the practical implementation of Paleo nutritional concepts to support fat loss, build muscle, and improve athletic performance. On the lifting side, Wolf is as physically formidable as the cavemen he talks about. He's an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a USAW Olympic Weightlifting coach, a former amateur kickboxer and a former California State Power Lifting Champion. Wolf has worked as review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism and is also the author of the Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet, due out in bookstores on September 10th. Yael Grauer: Let's start by talking about your background. Before you opened your gym, you were studying biochemistry. What made you decide to move from the lab to the gym? Rob Wolf: Well, I knew I loved nutritional biochemistry after doing lab work for 5 years, but I also really enjoyed coaching. I was not sure which one I liked more, so I started a grad program in nutrition and opened NorCal Strength & Conditioning. Six months later, I loved coaching people so much I couldn't stay out of the gym. But the grad program was, well, not so much fun. CSU Chico's Nutritional Sciences program is 100% USDA Food Pyramid and the coursework made me want to lobotomize myself with a blunt #2 pencil. I felt like the annoying kid at Sunday school who always asked a bunch of humanistic questions that pissed off the clergy. So, I focused on the gym and it's been really successful. We were picked as one of Men's Health's "Top 30 Gyms in America." YG: Impressive. So for those who may not know, what exactly is the Paleo Diet? RW: From a scientific perspective, the Paleo Diet is a reconstruction of what's thought by evolutionary biologists to be our ancestral diet. This diet intends to work with our genetics to help us be fitter, stronger, and healthier. YG: So what do people following the Paleo diet actually eat? RW: The cornerstone of the diet is protein, in the form of meat, seafood, and foul; preferably grass-fed meats and wild seafood. Find something that had a face and a soul, kill it, and bring its essence into your being. Fat sources include a nice mix of mono, saturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Modern sources would be olive oil, coconut oil, and fats that we can derive from nuts and seeds and of course, fish oil. Carb sources include loads of multicolored seasonal fruits and vegetables, and tubers like yams and sweet potatoes after hard training sessions. YG: Why would anybody want to eat like that? RW: Our genome, the genetics that make us who we are, evolved over a two to five million-year period as hunter-gatherers. It's now understood that departures in nutrition and lifestyle away from the hunter-gatherer life increases our likelihood for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurological degeneration, and autoimmune disorders. YG: Who's the Paleo Diet for, exactly? RW: It's for anybody. What I've seen recently is improvement in elite level athletes, whether we're talking tri-athletes, MMA fighters, or NFL football players. The Paleo diet brackets the athletic realm very well. YG: Does it work for the sick and the aged? RW: The Paleo diet has shown remarkable promise for metabolic derangement, neurological degeneration (including Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Alzheimer's diseases) and autoimmune disorders. We have clinical data on the reversal of osteoporosis and the related problem of sarcopenia (muscle wasting). YG: How can the Paleo diet work for so many seemingly unrelated conditions? RW: The bottom line is that the underpinning of all these diseases is inflammation resulting from a diet and lifestyle at odds with our Paleolithic genetics. The Paleolithic approach is like shotgun art: you blast all angles of the inflammation spectrum. From hyperinsulinemia to managing n-6/n-3 fatty acid, to decreasing intestinal permeability due to grains and legumes. This allows the complex cellular signaling pathways related to prostaglandins, cytokines, and leukotrienes (to name a few) to come back into a healthy and optimized state. This is good, whether you're trying to build muscle or avoid cancer. That's the geeky explanation anyway, but at the end of the day it just works. YG: That's impressive. But why should the physique-minded Testosterone reader give a damn? RW: That's a great question. Frequent Testosterone contributor Dan John has written about the need to evaluate information less from a perspective of intellectual "masturbatory delights" and more from a perspective of "How does this benefit me?" In this case, Testosterone readers are usually concerned with being strong, built, and lean. With a Paleo diet, we consume plenty of protein for growth and maintenance, control insulin, balance essential fats, and reduce gut irritation. This improves digestion and absorption and if you want to get big, does it not make sense to actually absorb your nutrients instead of shitting them out? The net effect is improved nutrient partitioning (energy goes to muscle, not fat) leanness, and decreased inflammation. Bigger, stronger, and healthier; what's not to like? YG: How does a Paleolithic dietary approach accomplish these body composition improvements? RW: The Paleo diet is effective because it works with our genetics instead of against them. YG: No offence, but that sounds an awful lot like Paleo ad copy. RW: Well, think about your genetics like this: We are the result of our mom and dad having a drunken tryst. Well, this is true for some of us, but you get my drift. After this amorous rendezvous by our parents, we arrive on the scene about 9 months later. If we sequence that mixed bag of genes that mom and pops gave us we have what is called our genome or genotype. The story does not stop there, however. Even before birth, our genetics begin receiving signals from the environment which influences how the genes express themselves, and this results in what is called our phenotype. A great example of phenotype is a picture of two identical twins that Professor Art De Vany posted several years ago. (See photo at right.) One is a distance runner, the other a sprinter/thrower. Same genes (genotype), remarkably different environmental stimulus (different training and likely different food choices), and consequently a different phenotype. The Paleo diet causes a phenotypic expression of health and wellness. You can do cool shit when you're healthy and vital. YG: And this relates how to the aspiring bodybuilder? RW: If somebody is looking to gain as much muscle and be as lean as they can, we need a high protein intake (at least 1g protein per pound of bodyweight), good insulin management, good n-3/n-6 fats, and a healthy digestion. The Paleo diet takes care of all this in one fell swoop. We keep systemic inflammation low, maintain good insulin sensitivity, and improve digestion so we absorb more of the nutrients we take in (keep it, don't poop it). YG: Bold claims. What's the evidence behind it? RW: There's not a lack of research in the area; it just depends on what topic you're interested in and how much detail you want to get into. I could provide enough research that it would solve any Testosterone reader's insomnia problems as well or better than a ZMA & Z-12 sandwich. You can start by looking at work by Boyd Eaton, Loren Cordain, Staffan Lindberg, Frits Muskiet, and Pedro Bastos. They've produced mountains of peer-reviewed material on the Paleo diet and evolutionary medicine. YG: There are a number of caveman-inspired diets out there. How is Paleo different from the rest? RW: I'd have to see a specific example of what caveman diet you're talking about, but in general they're all fairly similar. They tend to center on a lot of protein from eggs, fish, meat, chicken, and foul. Carbs from fruits, vegetables, roots, and tubers like yams and sweet potatoes. They tend to uniformly limit or exclude the Neolithic foods including grains, legumes, and dairy. Certain people will allow dairy, but it really depends on whom you're talking to and what kinds of comparisons you're trying to make. YG: I've heard you claim that grains are irritating to the gut. Was agriculture just a huge mistake? RW: This may sound counterintuitive for people to consider, but in biology there's different survival and reproductive strategies. Some plants use a fruit, which is what I call "give a little, get a little." A critter eats the fruit and deposits the seed in a fragrant, toasty-warm, nutrient-dense package some distance away from the parent plant. Biological success! In the case of grains, however, the reproductive structure of the grain is the part we normally eat, and it's a very nutrient-dense structure. It's got protein, carbohydrates, and fat in it, and would be quite a prize for most organisms to eat. That being the case, grains have developed chemical defense mechanisms to prevent them from being eaten. These defenses include lectins like gluten in wheat, zein in corn, and avenin in oats that are high in the amino acid proline, and it makes these lectins tough to digest, allowing them to make their way through the digestive process intact. Once in the intestinal lining, they attach to the microvilli of the intestines and trick the body into transporting the lectin into the body. This creates an immune response that damages the intestines and sets the stage for inflammation, impaired digestion, and autoimmunity. YG: We all can think of people who eat grains and seem quite healthy. Do they have this effect on everyone? RW: Different people are susceptible to these lectins to different degrees, but it's easy to track the effects of grain intake through blood work, even if you don't think they're a problem for you. Grains employ several other items in their chemical weapons arsenal including protease inhibitors and anti-nutrients. In total, these defense systems cause damage to the gut lining and bind valuable nutrients like B-vitamins, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. If we look to anthropology we can see a very clear demarcation in our ancestors: our Paleolithic ancestors tended to be as tall or taller than modern western populations. When our Neolithic ancestors shifted the bulk of their diet to "starchy" cereals they lost an average of 6-9" of height, while suffering from bone malformations and related problems. All these problems are a response on the part of the grains to avoid being eaten by other organisms. Okay, I can hear people passing out and aspirating their Metabolic Drive so I'll leave this topic for now. Just keep in mind; grains do not use the "give a little, get a little" survival strategy like fruits. The appropriate term for grain survival strategy would be "bugger off." YG: Is there anything you think people should eat differently than cavemen? RW: Even though we're trying to use this caveman framework to make informed choices, it doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bathwater. We definitely keep an eye on information that's coming out of modern sciences to augment what we're up to. Creatine is a great example: creatine definitely improves performance, although you get a lot of it through red meat consumption, there seems to be performance benefits for people who supplement with creatine. YG: When do you think dairy is indicated? RW: Dairy is great if you place a premium on muscle/weight gain. My go-to approach for a mass gain protocol is simply "Paleo plus dairy." There are all kinds of people recommending the same approach; I think EliteFTS is calling it the Mountain Dog Diet. Former NFL lineman John Welbourn has seen remarkable results with his football program combined with Paleo + Dairy. YG: So for building muscle, no grains, no legumes, just Paleo and milk? RW: Yeah, and here are the reasons: • Lots of protein. You need that stuff to grow. • Good insulin control. Partitioning growth into muscle, not your fanny. • Good n-6/n-3 fats. Reduce inflammation. • Good digestion. Absorb it, don't poop it. • Big calories. You still have to eat big to get big. Let's use John Welbourn as an example, a 300-pound, 8% body fat NFL lineman. He's tinkered with just about every kind of protocol you can think of. He's worked with heavy hitters like Mauro DiPasquale and he feels the Paleo plus dairy approach has worked better than anything he's previously tried. He feels better and finds it very easy to gain muscle mass. YG: So no potatoes? RW: You can do white potatoes, cautiously. There are some gut-irritating constituents in potatoes that can be removed by simply peeling them. White potatoes would be better than most grain sources in my opinion, but from a nutritional density standpoint they just don't have a lot to offer. I would lean more towards yams, sweet potatoes, turnips, and stuff like that. You get much more nutritional bang for your buck with those options than you do from white potatoes. YG: Sprouted grains? RW: Well, it's kind of like sprouting cat turds. You start with something that's not really good food, you process it in a way so that it's a little bit better, but grains, sprouted or otherwise, suck when we compare equal caloric amounts of grains versus fruits and veggies. But if you want to sprout cat turds...er, grains, go for it. If you're living in a third-world country and the best option you have is to eat grains because that's all that's around, then by all means sprout them. But if you're in a situation in which you're trying to optimize performance, health and longevity, then you're an idiot to do this. YG: Ouch, strong words! Back in the day, you were a big proponent of the Zone diet. What made you move from the Zone diet to more of a Paleo approach? RW: I would never characterize myself as a Zone guy. While I was working for Crossfit, I had to tow the party line as Crossfit holds the Zone up as the epitome of sports nutrition. I do like elements of the Zone but it goes down some really wacky rabbit holes. The notion that everyone runs best on 40-30-30 macronutrient ratios or that it's more important to weigh and measure crap foods versus free eating quality chow is just crap. YG: So you think the Paleo diet is more effective than the Zone because of food quality? RW: Look, I've worked with thousands of people, and most do better at higher protein and fat levels than the Zone advocates. And when we consider autoimmunity and the connection food quality has on this disease process, it's not possible to weigh and measure your way out of lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, but we're documenting the reversal of these diseases with a Paleo diet. The interesting thing about this however, is although the Crossfit intelligentsia still push the Zone, the vast majority of the Crossfit community follows a Paleo approach that looks nothing like the Zone! Prof. Loren Cordain's book, The Paleo Diet, was released in 2001 and is still currently in the Top 20-30 in health/diet books, but Enter The Zone is nowhere to be seen. Why? People figure out what works best regardless of what hyperbole is spewed at them. YG: Let's talk about your book. It's coming out in September? RW: You bet. The Paleo Solution is due out on September 10, but people can pre-order it on Amazon. The material is an outgrowth of my work as a biochemist and a coach working with thousands of people. I've worked with just about every conceivable situation, and answered an insane number of questions. The Paleo Solution answers those questions while providing the scientific framework for folks to understand 'why.' YG: What kind of material do you cover? RW: Readers will understand digestion, how protein, carbohydrate and fat influence hormones, and how this plays into fat loss, health or disease. They'll understand the significance of dietary fats whether the concern is performance, health, longevity, or making your fanny look good in a bikini. I also go into how lifestyle factors such as sleep and stress influence the hormone cortisol. I even get into basic blood work and what things people should ask their doctor to include to better assess inflammation and health. The book includes a detailed 30-day meal plan and a beginner exercise program. The exercise program is geared to the beginner or someone who is quite de-conditioned but the nutritional info would be helpful for anyone regardless of background. YG: Sounds exciting! Thanks for doing this today Robb! RW: It was my pleasure.

[bookish-huntress-art]

oh my gosh, I want to hear ALL your NY adventures!:D They sound intense and dramatic ! (also it's true NYC isn't really representative of the US, it's...NYC XD , I PROMISE other Big Cities even art different, but!! I really want to hear your Culture Clash experiences!) I'm glad you've come back in an arting mood and the play was fun!!

Our adventures were intense, but mostly because we’re kinda dumb spaniards. We decided the subtitle of our trip was “Panic and Stress™” because holy macaroni we were confused half of the time. 

Also I want to apologize to every person I talked to while I was there because I Forgot How To Talk every two seconds. Like, I understood everything they told me but my mind was like [……..] when I had to reply.

I’ll leave some stuff that happened in the read more but this post was getting really long, so I might make a part 2 in the future!

Well, first things first: I lost my dignity right at the JFK airport. We had been flying for eight hours straight (I read The Princess Bride, which was very fun!), from 7pm (in spain) to 9pm (in nyc) and… have I told you I’m deathly afraid of heights and the ocean? Well, I was on a window seat while we were flying over the whole freaking ATLANTIC OCEAN and it was nighttime the whole flight so everything was PITCH BLACK except for the plane wing and I WAS SO NERVOUS but my friends were very kind and patient so I didn’t panic a lot. Just a little bit. You know, the normal amount.

And, to avoid getting killed by jet lag, we tried to stay awake the entire flight (I think I was the only one that managed to do it, tho. Just this once: thank you, insomnia!) but when I got to the security thing my tired, tired mind forgot languages existed and I made a fool out of myself. But everything was fine because the man asking me (way too many) questions decided I was a danger but only to myself (or that i was simply Stupid™) and let me go.

Beetlejuice was really really fun! The people working at the theatre were the nicest, the actors/actresses were amazing and I had a great time! (except for the part where I thought I lost my phone and panicked a lot) I loved loved loved every part of it but tHE LIGHTS AND THE STAGE WERE SO WELL DESIGNED LIKE- I can’t even.

We also visited the Museum of Natural History (one of my friends is a big dinosaur/fossil nerd, so she became our makeshift guide) and the Museum of Modern Art (here I was the makeshift guide because after all I’m a Fine Arts graduate and also a huge Art Nerd). I found my nemesis (Picasso) there but also lots of artwork and artists that I had kinda forgotten existed since I finished college.

[Also I rediscovered I have a serious case of Baby Face™, because 90% of the people my two friends and I talked to tought I was Their Child (they’re older than me but not that much) so there’s that too. I’m baby, I guess.]

Some cultural things people warned me about but I really didn’t think they were serious (also don’t take this very seriously I’m a Small Town Girl (living in a lonely wooorld) just pointing random things I noticed):

People driving madly, like they were on a Fast & Furious movie (I was very very scared oh my god)

People not giving a shit about anything (but I’ve seen that in Madrid and London too so I guess it’s a Big City Thing?)

People shouting at the top of their lungs in the middle of the street????

We ate a lot. Like, A LOT.

Also, coffee. It’s kind of a meme where I’m from that people that aren’t from spain/portugal don’t know how to make good coffee (i’ve been to other places in europe and can confirm) but in NYC we truly tasted what it’s known in spain as aguachirri. I was so, so, so watered down. It tasted like dirty water

That, and the fact that we couldn’t find a Bar like the ones we’re used to in Spain (where you can order beer/liquor or a coffee/tea or soft drinks (and also tapas but that’s a thing for another day) at the same time and it isn’t weird). Everything was either a café (Starbucks everywhere) or a pub, with no middle ground.

Every other big city I’ve visited had a… “historic district”, I think it’s called in english???, but NYC had this kind of modern vibe everywhere we went

This is gonna sound very very strange, but the sidewalks were very… errrh… plain, I guess? I’m used to sidewalks having tiles or a pattern (like this or this)

There were screens and ads everywhere ??

People not recycling at least plastics???

But most of all, what really confused me was Taxes and Tips

Taxes as in having to think that something will be more expensive when you go to pay for it

and Tips as in I’m dumb and having to make a percentage of something and then add it to another number shuts my mind off and my head cannot process it like ???

Both of these basically mean: I’m Very Stupid and Math Will Be My Ruin Someday

Aand that’s everything that came to mind now, but as this is getting kinda long I’ll save some anecdotes and more “Me Being A Dumb Foreigner” for part 2 :D

[dropsofletters]

smeared champagne

Title: smeared champagne Pairing: Johnny Seo/Reader Genre: Office!AU Summary: She should be easy to forget, like a champagne stain on his white button up, but Johnny compares her to something stronger. Insomnia, tattoos, red wine, a memory that replays in the back of his mind as he ponders if soul mates really exist. Note: You can read previous parts when clicking on the member’s name, if you want. |regular: yuta|;|irregular: mark|;|regular: taeyong|

People aren’t supposed to be drinking at their workplaces.

People aren’t supposed to do a lot of things, but freedom always seemed so enticing and it called out people’s names most of the time, like a person at the club calling them with a flicker in their eyes and a movement of their fingers. In the office she works at, there are a lot of rules to follow – never deliver a project late because that will immediately get you fired, never date any of your coworkers, never eat at the cubicles, never enter an office without knocking and most importantly, no drinking alcohol at the office. She could have gone anywhere else instead of following Johnny into his office, but she was alone late at night with a project that the boss had asked her to work on after he fired someone that couldn’t complete it and Johnny was also there, supposedly celebrating the fact that he had signed a contract for the company that will make it earn millions, meaning that he will probably get quite bit more of money too.

Johnny’s personality speaks of freedom, of not caring about important things on the weekend and just enjoy life with a flicker inside his eyes that could make anyone believe that he was right. His hands brought the door of his office open, totally different from one of the cubicles that she works at from time to time, and she is half hypnotized by the smell of his cologne. That time around, his black hair was lifted up by a bit of gel to keep it out of his eyes, a little curve created because of his otherwise long bangs. His soft colored eyebrows are shown by that, the expanse of his diamond shaped face welcoming hooded eyes, wide nostrils and puckered up lips that made him seem as if he was always pouting about something. His suit is fitted, even when she would have imagined him to undo his tie once he is over with work but it seemed like she was wrong all along.

His fingers show her a bottle of champagne and it isn’t uncommon for them to have drinks or dinner from time to time. Johnny is one of the few people she likes at that office and she was no stranger to Johnny’s antics, but she had never drunk with him at the office. He is pretty good friends with Taeyong too, so she doesn’t know if any personal argument could lead to Johnny spilling this little encounter to the son of the boss. “Let yourself go for once.” Johnny says after he sees the stare on the woman’s face, scanning his office as she plays with the collar of her turtleneck fitted shirt.

“I’m not worried.” She replies as she licks the inside of her cheek, feeling a bit threatened by the fact that he thinks she can’t break rules. There had been plenty of times when she had done so, just that she couldn’t risk losing her job just because that bottle of champagne in Johnny’s hand looked enticing and Johnny was probably just half as alluring too. “It’s not my first time drinking, either, so I don’t see why I should be worried-”

“Worried is not what I was going for.  Stressed, maybe?” Stressed, that was something that she had been lately. After the entrance of a new employee in the company, a female with a sweeter personality and far less honest words, she was left with the position that she is in right now while the other newer woman got a promotion. Now her nemesis had an assistant called Jungwoo who could have been her assistant if only she hadn’t been ignored completely on getting this new position in her workplace. “Bingo.”

Johnny places the bottle of champagne over his desk and he opens it, hissing when a bit of foam came out. “What makes you think I am stressed?”

“You’ve been snappy; it’s not rocket science.” Johnny tells her and then, he leans forward, pouring the champagne on two glasses that he had brought with himself and she picks up the drink once it’s served for her. The taste is bubbly and sweet as it runs over her tongue and then it reaches her throat, watching Johnny as he sits at the edge of his desk with a smile on his face. “Cheers-”

She clinks her glass with his but she cringes at the sight of it, a short laugh leaving her lips when she realizes that there is a bit of confusion in Johnny’s face as he sips champagne. “I hate the whole ‘cheers’ thing.  It’s awkward.”

Johnny takes another sip of his glass and he was halfway through finishing it, he would probably end up drunk if he continued to drink like that. Not that Johnny seemed lightweight, but she made a mental note of reminding him that he still needed to go to work and she wasn’t going to let him drink a lot. “You hate a lot of things.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“I know, but no one hates me in this office.” Johnny replies and she wishes it was a lie, but it was the absolute truth. Everyone seemed to hate her, that was another thing, her bossy voice and the way she wants to do everything by herself was a constant reminder for her coworkers to know that she doesn’t like team work, she doesn’t enjoy people being around her and handling works that she knows she can do well. Part of her thinks that she has grown used to being like this and that there was no way of changing it, but the lunchtimes being alone and the arguments with other coworkers could get to her someday. Someday, not today, not tomorrow, certainly not a week after that but one day when she was lonely enough to consider listening to other people’s opinions. “Why does everyone hate you, though?”

She chuckles, deciding to drink once again because things were getting fun once again. “Bitchy, trust issues, screams at times when she is stressed and a perfectionist.  I guess no one would really like me.”

“And does that bother you?”

She chuckles, dryly and ironically. “Not really. I take my job seriously…but it seems like that doesn’t even matter anymore because any shithole can get a good position in this company.” Which was half true. There were plenty of good workers but the fact that there was someone out there that had done almost nothing but being nice and she got a better position than her fueled her senses of anger and then, she takes a sip once again.

“Ooh, burn.” Johnny coos and then, he lifts his eyebrows as he pours himself another glass.

“Hey, hey, there…easy.  I don’t want you drunk around the office.” She tells him and Johnny nods his head, completely understanding that if the security guard ever got to see them there, they would most likely be in a lot of trouble. Johnny’s brown eyes send a glare at her before taking a sip of his champagne, tapping his finger against the surface of the glass to ease the silence between them. Suddenly, her voice filled the cold room with an uneasy tone. “And it’s not a burn. I just know that there are some people here that don’t deserve their position.”

“And what can you do about it?”

“Nothing.”

“So why complain?” Johnny asks and she crosses one leg over the other, feeling like even when Johnny’s points of view were completely different from hers, he was the only person who didn’t seem to be intimidated by her and that was oddly refreshing. It felt as if she was a tiger, people expecting her from afar as they saw the rough side of her, but they never dared to acknowledge that it was in her nature to be that way…that something must have gone wrong in her environment and she could only work in self-defense.

“I have to complain,” She tells Johnny with an exasperated sigh following her words. “I have worked my ass off in this company for three and a half years and the only thing I get is Taeyong saying ‘uh…sorry…my dad said you weren’t picked for that position just yet’.  I have all the fucking right to complain!” So maybe she shouldn’t be drinking with Johnny, but who cares?  She wasn’t an important person in that company and it seemed like she would never be.

“I also worked here for plenty of years as an intern before getting my current job.” Johnny explains and then, he leans forward in a way that made his thighs contract against the material of his pants and she licked her lips to distract herself from the sight. “You just have to distract yourself a bit so it doesn’t…well, bother you as much.”

“It will still bother me.” She replies, only to lean forward on her seat. “But go on.  What’s your plan?”

“A date.” The moment Johnny says those words; her face falls at the idea of going out on a date with Johnny. He must like to have casual dates, maybe a movie getaway or some kind of cheap dinner, but there was something inside her brain that told her that if he was talking about himself, she could accept without a problem. It’s Johnny, after all.

“A date…?”

Johnny nods his head and he searches through his phone, showing her a picture of a guy with plush lips, thick eyebrows, rounded cheeks and what seemed to be black luscious hair. He was handsome, a bit stoic faced too, and certainly not Johnny. “This is a guy I know, Do Kyungsoo and he nags a lot, just like you do, so I thought you two could go on a date-”

“You’re drunk.” She adds with a shake of her head before diving in her drink but Johnny hisses.

“No!  I’m serious! You don’t know if this is what you need. Someone to distract you, maybe?” Johnny is trying to get inside her brain and truthfully, she wanted to tell him to get off her back and let her do whatever she pleased, for she certainly didn’t need to date to feel less stressed. “Come on, I already set it up inside my head and everything.”

“Do I have a say on this?” Johnny nods his head and then, she realizes that maybe it is not a bad idea after all. Uneventful? Yes. Bad?  Certainly not. “Okay, I will if you stop drinking right now.”

Johnny puckers up his lips and with a gruff, he closes the bottle of champagne as he hops off the desk and sends her a glare. “I stopped drinking because I wanted to.”

And it sounded like a great idea, like the plenty of good ideas that had spilled from Johnny Seo’s lips…but…no, it was the worst idea he could have ever had.

Serious and insanely gentlemanly should be the type of man she likes, with a deep voice to shatter her earth and a conversation that always goes to something deeper, almost as if she was having a class instead of a normal conversation that led to a date. There was something about Kyungsoo that didn’t pull her in, perhaps because she thought the man was quite too stiff when he was with her, as if he was scared of making any mistake. It was a cute gesture at the start of the date when he couldn’t even eat properly without fidgeting a bit but then, when it came down to the last part of the date and he had gotten to kiss her, she had realized that no matter how good of a kisser he was, how good looking or serious or everything she had ever wanted in a man he could be…he just wasn’t her cup of tea as a possible partner. She liked her men funny and a bit awkward, more often than not teases that had her getting mad in the matter of seconds…but when wasn’t she mad, again?

She was angry that morning as she tried to organize the papers stacked on top of her cubicle with the help of…nobody, because no one would help someone as grumpy as her. The boss had decided to bring her back the project she had delivered with revisions and things she has to change only a day before it was distributed and not only that, but the boss had also made a mess out of the sheets of paper in which her project was and she had forgotten to enumerate them. A raged sigh leaves her lips as she stacks a few papers together and she tries to find the document in her disorganized computer. Weren’t there two teenage kids that came in every night or so to organize the computers so everything was stacked evenly? This Mark guy was certainly not doing his job right because she couldn’t find her document-

She feels a warm hand being placed over her shoulder and she looks up to see a Styrofoam cup being placed over her desk, the large hand and the suit giving away that Johnny was by her side. The man had a huge smile on his face, almost teasing, but then it dropped down when he saw her face. “Didn’t the date help?” He asks and she sighs, rubbing her temple and taking a long swing of the drink to realize that it wasn’t her favorite, but Johnny’s.  Had he given her his cup of coffee?

“Kyungsoo…is not my type and we kissed and all but there wasn’t a spark, but I’m not stressed out about that.” Johnny should have expected it, they were too much of the same and honestly, he was thankful that she hadn’t been snappy or cold at Kyungsoo, but he had also heard from his friend that there wasn’t anything there with her either. “The boss asked me to fix a document but I can’t find it.  I don’t know if that Mark kid deleted it or something, but I can’t seem to-”

“Look for it in the backup.”

“I don’t do backups.”

Johnny hovers over her shoulder and he sees the title of the project in the pages she is holding with her left hand before he typed it in the search bar and he found out that it didn’t have the correct name. “Put a very specific name to your documents, they are easier to find and always have a backup.  You don’t know if this computer dies down on you and you end up fired.”

She groans, scratching her head before turning to her left to look at Johnny’s face, quite too close but still not uncomfortable. “Thank you, oh my God.” Johnny can hear the strain in her voice and he can only hope that she won’t end up crying anytime soon, since it would hurt her pride quite a bit. “And thanks for the coffee.”

“Just relax.” Johnny’s big hands end up over her shoulders and he massages them softly, pulling and pushing the skin there with a gentle mannerism that had her sighing and leaning back on his seat, a chuckle leaving his lips soon after. “I didn’t know you had a thing for massages.”

“You’re just great at them, don’t get excited.” She replies as her fingers start to move over the keyboard to change the things that the boss had talked about earlier in the morning when she had gone to his office and Johnny caresses the back of her neck softly. “Mhm, I need to go back to work.”

“So do I.”

“Then why don’t you go?”

“I’m leaving before you kick me out.” Johnny responds and once he turns to his right, he collides against Dongyoung who gave him a harsh expression that has him chuckling lightly. “Is everyone having a bad day at this office?”

There were people who are meant to be the highlight of your days. The cherry on top of the creamy and sweet cake that added that tiny explosion of flavor, those were the type of people that someone like her needed in her life. An explosion, almost like the way the foam slips from a champagne bottle when it’s popped open and Johnny was made of fireworks inside of his lightweight personality. Exactly what she needed.

There are connections that only go in between two people, though they are only friends and others think that there is more than there really is. Her eyes peak at the shimmering lights of the clock in Johnny’s car and the air around them is lively as they talk to one another, her eyes scan the way he looks outside of the office, no suit on but a fitted sweater and jeans that made him look like a less professional version of the man he really is. She had said that Johnny brings certain type of joy to her life that is much more different from the other feelings that she has felt in her life. Somehow, he is one of the few people that really understands her.

It feels as if every day she has lived them with him, she feels like she has exchanged every secret with Johnny Seo even though she hasn’t and truthfully, she doesn’t know why they are such good friends. It was a matter of something growing out of control and while she knows that Johnny doesn’t see her in any other light, she expected to find a way to get a taste of Johnny, just like how Taeyong did when he hid his little rendezvous with his assistant. Maybe, it is the fact that Johnny told her things were going to be better if she found something that distracted her…but she is deeply immersed in whatever the hell Johnny is making her feel.

His hands are wrapped around the steering wheel as he hums to the electronic tune on the radio, one of the songs that is probably hanging on the top ten of the Billboard chart. Suddenly, she feels the sudden need to talk to him and break the silence. “Where are we going?”

“There’s this restaurant downtown with the best menu in the world.  I want to take you there.” She feels envy of how easy life is to Johnny, and truthfully, she wishes that people would realize just how hard it is for her to feel normal. Her entire personality had revolved around how people had betrayed her and how she had hidden herself in her work simply because she was scared of people being better than her in something, using her for their own success. Johnny was the type of person that had grown through a lot but he was thankful of who he was at the moment and he was willing to enjoy his life to the best of his capabilities. Sometimes she ponders fi she should enjoy a free day if she is not the best at her work, her stress levels rising with every moment of her life. Johnny is talking about the restaurant he wants to go to and she is suddenly cold, leaning back on her seat as she ponders if her trust for Johnny was worth it. Would he leave, too? “…And I tasted one of those chocolate cakes that drip down when you slice them in that restaurant and it was the best shit ever, I totally recommend it-”

“Johnny.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you my friend?” She asks and perhaps, she is confusing liking him with the friendship that they have. The question is childish and she hates the sound of her voice when those words slip from her throat. That’s the type of insecurities a teenager would show, but it would probably make her feel more at ease. Johnny smiles and he looks ahead of the road after stealing a glance at her.

“You’re nice under all that…roughness.” Johnny replies and then, he licks his lips. “Do you need a few examples?  I can go on.”

She chuckles at his words. “Don’t be sarcastic, asshole.”

“I realized that I wanted to be your friend when you helped me and Dongyoung, out of all people who you could have helped…you don’t like doing work for others, but you were one of the few people that I actually could trust with a helping hand.” Johnny replies and then, he reaches for her hand and he tightens his grip on hers, almost reassuringly before she looked up at him. There was a person before Johnny and another one before that, there were hundreds of people who have only liked her because of how helpful she was but Johnny was the only person that felt genuine thankfulness for the things she had done for him. “And you’re funny and really hardworking, also you’re awfully honest and that’s the type of friend I have always wanted.”

“Okay, okay, it’s enough-”Johnny lets go of her hand and she smiles briefly before answering. “Thanks for answering to my call and taking me out.” The sound on the radio changes to a softer song, almost R&B with a mix of pop and she is surprised when Johnny’s face changes into a smirk, one that had her stomach dropping.

“I expect something in return.” Johnny adds and she pretends to try to open the door.

“I wanna leave, then.”

“You won’t leave, I’ll kick you out-”

And Johnny was the one that had invited her to change.

The sound of another one of her objects hitting the surface of the box she was taking home reminded her of why she had decided to drop out of that job. She was tired of being taken for granted and luckily, she was able to talk to the boss and he had accepted to let go of her even when her contract spoke of staying there for a bit more. Her eyes trail around the room as she hears the usual sound of typing and people on the phones answering calls, but she is not surprised when she feels someone standing behind her as he took out one of the objects inside her box and put it up on her desk once again.

“Why are you leaving?” The black haired male asks with a low voice and she turns around to see that Johnny had a serious expression over his face, something that wasn’t usual for him. He smelled like the papaya juice he had in the morning and a bit like waffles, the smell contrary to his usual manly cologne. She uncrossed her arms to put the object back into her box and she replied swiftly.

“I’m not happy with this job.” She answers and Johnny nods his head, helping her put her stuff back into the box before she heard the sound of his voice speaking once again.

“I will miss you.” Missing someone usually felt like you were never going to see them again and truthfully, she wants to see Johnny for more days to come into an endless pair of numbers that will mean that their friendship would last forever, but the words were heavy enough for her to realize that there were also a lot of things that could happen. She could find a job somewhere else, she could end up moving to another place in order to pursue her career and she already had a few job opportunities to follow. Johnny looks up at her and she points at the door of his office.

“I forgot my coat the other day at your office. Can you go look for it with me?” She asks and Johnny nods his head. As he is walking beside her, she speaks up. “And don’t say you will miss me; we will see each other whenever you can.”

“I’m a busy man.” As always, Johnny is trying to joke around with her and her hand collides against his shoulder, making him chuckle loudly. His hands glide over his doorknob and then, he twists it to open it as she speaks.

“Busy my ass-”

“Is your ass really busy?”

“Very much so.” She replies to him and then, she picks up the coat that she had left over his desk, placing it over her shoulder before going towards him. Johnny was standing by the doorway and she sighed deeply when he opened his eyes to hug her tightly. Her mind had thoughts of its own and without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his waist and she leant forward to give him her last goodbye to him. Her lips barely graze his at first before she wrapped her lips around his bottom one, touching the tip of her tongue against the surface before he opened his lips slowly to deepen the kiss. Johnny takes her by the waist, engulfing the sound that stays at the back of her throat as she traces soothing circles over his covered waist. Once he pulls away, she whispers against his lips with starry eyes the biggest lie that she had ever told him: “We’ll see each other again, don’t worry.”

And it was never in her plans to tell him that she was going to move to another country soon, but Johnny got to know without the news coming from her mouth. Johnny felt as if someone had ripped his soul apart from his soulmate, though the concept didn’t exist in his mind…but there was some strange connection with that woman that he never had with anyone else. It felt odd, irregular, prohibited, but unforgettable over anything else.

She had always been free and she will always be, like a tiger that will never be tamed.

[hysydney]

Half sick of shadows …

I’ve always wanted to draw an analogy between an episode of MFMM and Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott, the tale of a woman imprisoned in a tower on the Island of Shalott, cursed to remain inside to weave tapestries of the life she cannot be part of, and cannot even look directly upon*. 

(*Yes I know I’ve not only ended a clause but a full sentence with a preposition. This is something up with which you will have to put.)

W M Egley, The Lady of Shalott, (1858), City of Sheffield Galleries

The poem came to mind in finding a thread among the themes and tones of Death by Miss Adventure. This post complements one from a long time ago looking at the colour palette, so for those in need of a cure for insomnia, it’s here. Egley’s famous depiction is also reminiscent of the tones and colours of the episode.

This episode is about Mac.  Her personal and professional worlds collide, as her competence is questioned because of bias and intolerance. It is an episode of secrets hidden away then emerging and confronting. And it’s not only Mac held captive, metaphorically, in towers of dark anguish. 

In the poem, the Lady of Shalott lives in shadowy isolation, the grey of her imprisonment contrasts the implied colour of the world outside:

Four gray walls, and four gray towers Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle imbowers      The Lady of Shalott. 

Mac’s feelings are imprisoned as she calls in her friend to investigate a suspicious death in a factory where Mac provides some legitimate, and some illicit care to the factory owner and workers. 

The opening scene hints at imbalance:

Mr B:  Apologies, Miss, but Doctor MacMillan is here.

Phryne: It's a bit early for a house call.

Mr B: She doesn't seem herself, Miss.

Phryne: Mr Butler! Forget the big breakfast. This calls for a pot of strong coffee, and Mac will need a... stiff drink. 

Go on, take your medicine. Let me be the doctor for a change.

Whilst Phryne takes charge, she is ignorant of the true reason for Mac’s need for a fortifying whiskey.

The Lady of Shalott preserves her safety by staying within the confines of her tower and not participating in society’s activities.  This provides a metaphor for  Victorian concepts of the woman’s role, expected to be the protector of the home, where she embodies the pure, the mysterious, the unthreatening, the proper:

No time hath she to sport and play:  A charmed web she weaves alway. 

Mac doesn’t fit with society’s expectations of a woman’s role, so preserves her safety by imprisoning her feelings, locking them away, even from her closest friend.

Mac: Her name was Daisy Miller. 

Phryne: Did you know this girl?

Mac’s response avoids a direct answer to the identity of ‘this girl’:

Mac: I attended when they rang the emergency bell.

Tennyson’s poem found popularity with morality-obsessed Pre-Raphaelite painters like Waterhouse, Hunt and Rossetti, whose depictions illustrate the tension for women, seen as the saviours of the domestic realm, between their private desires and the reality of their social responsibilities.  The Lady of Shalott abandons her social responsibility in pursuit of love, and perishes for her impropriety. 

Hunt (below) portrays the consequences of turning away from duty and yielding to the temptations of the world rather than being removed from its material realities.

She left the web, she left the loom She made three paces thro' the room She saw the water-flower bloom, She saw the helmet and the plume,         She look'd down to Camelot. 

W H Hunt, The Lady of Shalott, (1842), Manchester Art Gallery

Aunt P voices the views of her class and of society more broadly in terms of tolerance of difference or the lack of it.  Both she and Roger Gaskin, the factory owner and later victim, are members of the board at the hospital where Mac is a physician. Roger Gaskin bought his way into acceptability and this is considered of greater significance than supporting women in need of clinical care and contraceptive guidance.  She has no qualms about threatening Phryne’s continued involvement in the murder case, a warning  which has renewed significance when Gaskin becomes victim number two:

Aunt P: Do you have any notion just how much money Roderick Gaskin has donated to the hospital? 

Phryne: He didn't strike me as a particularly charitable type. 

Aunt P: My dear, when a member of the manufacturing classes attempts to buy respectability, who am I to say him nay? ... You'd best warn the doctor that... that this is not the first time a complaint has been made.

The board has been made aware of the doctor's more... unconventional activities. What she does behind closed doors is a matter entirely between herself and her maker. But Mr Gaskin has heard rumours that she has been giving un-Christian advice to some of the girls at the factory, and he will be reporting this to the board if you continue your absurd crusade. 

Mac provides a medical clinic for the female workers at the factory but also established a relationship with Daisy, the first victim, something she is unable to reveal to Phryne.  Phryne must detect this herself.  Realising her ignorance of her friend’s feelings is as hard for Phryne as it is for Mac to admit.

Phryne: You loved her. And you suffered in silence while I showed you those photographs of the blood on the machine.

Mac: What could I have said? ... I went to Daisy's funeral service. Her mother came and thanked me for being such a good doctor. I was so much more to her than that.

Mac was invisible to Daisy’s family as anything other than her doctor.  The lady of Shalott too is an invisible figure.  Not only is she imprisoned and isolated on an island, separated from Camelot where she is heard but not seen, but she is not described physically, nor even given a name.

Underneath the bearded barley, The reaper, reaping late and early, Hears her ever chanting cheerly, Like an angel, singing clearly,       O'er the stream of Camelot.

Even prior to Phryne’s realisation of Mac’s involvement with Daisy, Phryne has  an altercation with Jack as Mac becomes a suspect in Gaskin’s murder.  She has to defend Mac’s character:

Jack: We know Gaskin threatened to make her life difficult with the hospital board. 

Phryne: That's hardly enough for her to kill him. It's true that Gaskin disapproved of Mac's attitude, but so does half the world, the wrong half, if you ask me. And Mac's used to sailing close to the wind.

And speaking of Jack and Phryne...

Phryne too is hiding demons, imprisoned by the guilt of Janey’s unsolved disappearance.  Murdoch Foyle, Phryne’s nemesis, has contacted her from his prison cell, seeking a bargain, the truth about Janey in exchange for his freedom. 

Despite the personal anguish she feels in receiving Foyle’s letter, she masks her feelings when confronting Jack back at the factory.  

Jack: I see the threat of a trespass charge hasn't discouraged you. 

Phryne: If I were easily discouraged, you would have frightened me off on our first crime scene. 

Jack: OUR first crime scene? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you agreed to leave this one to the police. 

Phryne: You're never wrong, Inspector. Just a little behind the times. Roderick Gaskin won't be pursuing this complaint. 

Jack:  If you're good, I'll keep you informed. 

Phryne: Give my regards to the tea lady. 

She does, however, confide in Mac,  This is a poignant exchange given Mac is not prepared to share her own source of distress. Here Phryne abandons her customary logic for pathos, as Mac, despite her own tragedy, provides unequivocal advice:

Phryne: He wants me to visit him at the jail. 

Mac: Tell me you're not going. 

Phryne: Perhaps he wants to tell the truth about what happened to Janey. 

Mac: Or perhaps he's just toying with you. The man is evil. You've made sure he's locked up. Now just forget he ever existed. Stay away from him, Phryne.

The Lady of Shalott appears to accept her lot, her imprisonment, her need to weave the world she cannot directly see:

She knows not what the curse may be; Therefore she weaveth steadily, Therefore no other care hath she,       The Lady of Shalott....

and further

But in her web she still delights To weave the mirror's magic sights...

Phryne too rarely provides signs of the ever-present wretchedness she endures at the loss of Janey. But there are moments, just like in the poem, when the lady admits her frustration with her circumstances:

'I am half sick of shadows,' said     The Lady of Shalott.

The lines are reminiscent of Phryne’s words to Jack in a later episode, when she asks Jack to Guy and Isabelle’s engagement party, Foyle’s shadow ever-present:

Your invitation. To Guy and Isabella's party. As my partner ... You still have a murder case to solve and what better way to gather information than to mingle with the crowd? Besides, I need you to remind me not to be afraid of shadows. 

Phryne, against Mac’s advice, visits Foyle.  More imprisonment imagery as both seek release.

The nature of the Lady of Shalott’s curse is not explained, but to stop weaving, to look outside, would set the curse in motion. She becomes increasingly aware of the life that flourishes outside, reflected in the mirror:

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, An abbot on an ambling pad, Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, Or long-hair'd page* in crimson clad,       Goes by to tower'd Camelot: 

* !!

Then one day she is struck by the reflected image of the handsome Sir Lancelot riding by en route to Camelot.  

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode; From underneath his helmet flow'd His coal-black curls as on he rode,       As he rode down from Camelot. 

She goes to the window, a glance at Lance, and the curse is fulfilled.   She has moved from slavery and imprisonment to freedom, but the transformation is also her death.

She leaves her tower and floats in a shallow boat to a watery grave, the knight left to muse over the beauty of the unknown creature. 

G E Robertson, The Lady of Shalott, (1864), private collection, Michigan

Now I’m not suggesting any such tragic analogy to this MFMM episode. But Phryne is no longer hiding the reality of her circumstances from Lancelot Jack, and in their fireside heart to heart (as it were), Jack won’t advise, but insists that she has it within her to break Foyle’s curse.

Jack: I hope you're not asking for my help. 

Phryne: But I am. Tell me not to place myself above the law. Not to let a killer loose because I want the truth. Tell me there's a greater good than my own need to know. 

Jack: You never listen to me, anyway. 

Phryne: Humour me. 

Jack: You know what to do.

[odderancyart]

Can we have some Insomnia? Like they are on a blind date set up by someone (either they know them or its a complete stranger) but yet they hit it off.

Now with a continuation

Error lounged at his best friend/nemesis/roommate’s bed. His own wastoo messy to sit on. Ink was grinning at him like crazy, which meant somethingwas up. Probably something bad, because Ink was an asshole. It was just who hewas, nothing to be done about it. Error prepared himself to deny his request assoon as the other shorter opened his mouth.

“I’ve found you a date!” Ink exclaimed excitedly, jumping onto thebed and making it shake. Error froze. That was not what he expected the otherto say. As soon as he had processed, he shook his head violently.

“n0,” he simply said, turning back to his studying. He was notinterested in dating anyone. He was too busy with school. Ink groaned,spreading out over the bed.

“C’mooon, Error,” he moaned, staring at him with puppy dog eyes.Error raised an eyebrow. He was not impressed. “You’ve been so down ever sinceLust broke up with you. It’s painful to look at!”

“No.”

Dream looked up from his computer as one of his roommates/friendscame into the room. He was organising a charity fair on campus, and it wascoming on fast so he was quite busy. He sent Outer a wave before turning backto writing an e-mail to one of the exhibitors. Outer came up to him, leaningover the back of his office chair.

“hey, dream?” he said, grinning at him. Dream turned up his faceagain, and nodded. “i’ve gotcha a date.”

Dream frowned, and studied the other’s face for signs that he wasjoking. Outer was looking dead serious, despite the grin.

“What? Why? I don’t think I have time for a relationship,” he pointedout, and it was true. With his studying for a degree in social work, charitywork, friends, brother and job as a math and philosophy tutor he was reallybusy. All the time. Every day. When was he supposed to have time for a partner?Outer just smiled.

“i’m sure you’ll find time. you’re good at that. pleeeease, try togo on this date? i think you could like him.”

Dream sighed, and nodded. What the heck. He’d always been too busyto date, and he guessed he should try it at least once during uni.

“Alright, but not before the fair, okay?”

Error could not believe he had let Ink talk him into this. He couldnot believe it. Yet here he was, sittingin a restaurant with a romantic candle on the table. Waiting for someone whoprobably wouldn’t even show up. What the fuck was he doing here? He should havebeen watching dumb horror movies with Blue now instead, or doing awkwardpost-relationship friend activities with Lust while his ex tried to avoid mentioninghis new girlfriend so he wouldn’t upset Error.

He checked his wristwatch. It was ten minutes after the set meetingtime. He had been stood up. Surprise, surprise. What a cliché. Error couldn’teven bother to care. He stood up and began gathering his things to leave. Justas he picked up his coat, the doors got thrown open and another skeleton ranin. The skeleton gazed around the room wildly, he looked stressed. Then hisgaze focused on Error. With a look of relief on his face he made his way over,waving.

“Hi!” The skeleton said. He looked familiar, Error was sure he hadseen him before. “I’m so sorry I’mlate. I had to help my brother get one of his ‘minions’ out of jail again, butthat’s no excuse. I’m Dream.” Dream held out a hand in greeting. Oh. Thatexplained why he looked so familiar. Error tentatively shook the hand quicklybefore snatching his hand back.

“YoU*re NiGHtmAre’S br0ther?” he asked, despite already knowing theanswer. “The ONE wiTH thE CharITy stUFf?” Dream smiled tentatively and nodded.

“That’s me,” he confirmed and sat down. There was an awkwardsilence. “And you are?”

“Err0R.”

More silence. A waiter came and took their orders. Error didn’t sayanything, he didn’t have any interest in being here. At all. Dream sighed, andsmiled brightly.

“So, what do you study? I’m in the social work-field.”

“I^m ïN liTERatuRe,” Error replied, preparing himself mentally forthe confusion and possible ridicule. No one guessed he would be interested inliterature. He supposed he could see why, with his torn clothes and all he didn’treally fit in, but it was very annoying.

“Really?” Dream said. He seemed unexpectedly enthusiastic. “Who’syour favourite author? Mine’s Jenny Colgan.”

Error couldn’t help his grin. Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad ideaafter all.

Ink was painting as Error came back to their dorm, and he grinnedwidely and triumphantly when he saw the look on Error’s face.

“I knew it,” he said as he made a sweeping move with his pencil. Errorglared at him, but there was no bite.

“ShUt uP.”

Dream smiled as he opened the door to their apartment. Both Outerand Haven looked up from their books and greeted him.

“sooo…” Haven cooed, making Dream mock-glare at him. “had a goodtime?”

“sure looks so,” Outer added in. They were both grinning widely.Dream shrugged and put down his bag.

“It was nice,” he admitted, and his roommates high fived. Dream rolledhis eyes in fond exasperation.

“You two are ridiculous.”

[folightening]

Destined to...

Final Fantasy XV

Pairing: Cor/Loqi

Rating: T- some language but I don't think it deserves a M rating? 

Summary: Sometimes destiny wasn't what you thought it was.

Soul Mates AU

****

-1-

When Loqi first met his soul mate, they were on the battlefield. The man had been tirelessly fighting for the past hour while Loqi refused to accept what he knew to be the truth.

Marshal Cor Leonis was his soul mate.

It wasn't fair. Loqi knew and didn't care how childish the thought was. Cor the Immortal was his nemesis. They were rivals. Destined to fight and... Loqi was supposed to kill him.

Not for the first time since the beginning of this battle, Loqi growled. His need to be near the older man- twice his age and an enemy, what were the Astrals thinking?- infuriated him. The Astrals could take their sense of humor and shove it up their divine asses.

"Cor the Immortal," Loqi spoke through the speaker. "So the stories are true."

Cor said nothing, regarding him with a bored expression. The battle had barely affected him. A fearsome opponent indeed, but Loqi had been training for this. Defeating the Immortal was something he had dedicated himself to for years.

"You can fight the Troopers, but how will you fare against me?"

Typing in a few commands had his Magitek Armor moving to get this fight started. He had more than enough to take down one man. Even if that one man was regarded as one of Niflheim's biggest threats.

-2-

Loqi decided his defeat was due to the distraction the Astrals had forced on him. Fighting worked better when your opponent wasn't your soul mate. A large part of him had wanted to stop fighting and just enjoy being near Cor.

Especially once he had been forced to fight outside the Magitek Armor. Loqi wasn't good enough with a sword. He knew that. That was why he piloted a Magitek Armor.

So Cor had technically beaten him twice. And when Loqi on the ground, filled with a kind of want and unable to name what it was, Cor had sheathed his sword before turning away.

Loqi had been left there in the ruins of their battle. At least people didn't believe he could actually kill Cor the Immortal; this defeat wouldn't reflect too badly on him or his family.

The other matter, however... Loqi pulled a glove off and uncapped a pen.

This changes nothing.

It was a few moments before Loqi felt the tickle as black lines formed a response, right under where he had written.

I wouldn't expect it to.

Loqi stood and stomped to the sink to wash away the ink. While he was scrubbing it away, there was the familiar feel of a pen against his skin. Wiping off the soap suds so he could see the message, Loqi felt heat rise to his cheeks.

Next time don't let it distract you.

-3-

"Stay right where you are," he commanded over the speakers.

Actually looking at who was attempting to pass through the Norduscaen Blockade nearly caused him to growl. Of course he was there... That was why the pull was so strong now...

"Well well. If it isn't Cor the Immortal," Loqi made sure to spit out his soul mate's name like a curse. "So you survived the Citadel. But you won't survive what I have in store for you."

Loqi got in the MA-X Cuirass and started inputting commands the moment he was seated.

"It's time your legend came to an end."

Cor Leonis was his nemesis. Defeating him was Loqi's purpose. They had a destiny of battle and defeat, and no ridiculous soul connection was going to change that.

-4-

Rumors said Gralea was full of daemons. The Emperor had supposedly died. No one had heard from High Commander Fleuret, though Loqi was sure his execution order was to thank for that. Even Chancellor Izunia hadn't been heard from for a while now. That man loved his own voice as much as the world loved the Oracle.

Whatever had happened, he'd gotten no new orders in a while and Niflheim had likely fallen. Loqi didn't care to go back to find out. Night lasted longer and longer every day. Soon enough the sun wouldn't rise at all. Just perfect.

Loqi yanked his glove off and uncapped the pen he kept on his person. As much as he hated it, as ridiculous as it was... He needed to talk to him. Ulldor had died of the injuries he sustained during that battle in Formouth Garrison while Loqi miraculously survived. He couldn't talk to a dead man, and the MTs never had been wonderful company.

As much as he hated Cor, talking to him was infinitely better than what Loqi had been doing.

Still living?

Unfortunately.

Loqi snorted a laugh at that. So the Immortal was tired of living. He'd have to ask him about that later.

Meet me in Lestallum.

Glaring at the message on his hand wasn't going to do any good but he did it anyway. Soul mate or not, Cor couldn't tell him what to do. Rivalries didn't work that way.

Fuck you

-5-

A few days later Loqi was walking into Lestallum. Cursing the heat as he did every time he needed to go to the city. Lestallum had quickly become one of Loqi's least favorite places, and the time away didn't change that.

He didn't have to look long to find Cor. The Immortal walked over to him, as relaxed as the Crownsguard probably ever was. Cor was speaking before Loqi could even begin the greeting he'd planned.

"We could use your help."

"We?"

"The hunters."

Loqi scowled and crossed his arms.

"I lose everything, and the only thing you can think about is getting me to join your hunters?"

First he didn't take their rivalry seriously. Then he just ignored their connection. Not that it bothered Loqi any. He was happy to ignore that particular part of their relationship as well. Now, they finally get to see each other again and all he cares about is asking him to join the hunters.

Loqi could feel himself getting angry again.

"You were a Brigadier General of Niflheim."

Normally, Loqi would be happy that his rival was acknowledging his skill. But in these circumstances? After everything that had happened? He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"That'll make them want my assistance so much more," he drawled sarcastically. "I only assisted in the search for both Prince Noctis and the late Oracle Lady Lunafreya. Took control of their lands, threatened their people, and helped destroy Insomnia. All in the name of Niflheim."

Loqi shook his head.

"My rank as Brigadier General would give them cause to kill me."

"They won't kill you."

If Loqi wasn't mistaken, there was something possessive in Cor's tone. Loqi made sure to squash the pride he felt before it could amount to anything.

"I will not join with people likely to hate me. The Lucians won't accept help from a Niff."

The statement wasn't just an assumption. After his second defeat at the hands of Prince Noctis' group, Loqi had not returned to Niflheim. His injuries had been tended to in Lucis as his orders kept him there, rather than having him move to help in Altissia. That disaster was the turning point, as well as what drove Loqi to finally leave his falling empire. Any help he had tried to offer Lucians had been turned down as soon as they realized who he was.

"You just have to prove yourself to them."

Cor stepped closer, close enough to touch Loqi if he felt the need.

"I can help you Loqi."

For a moment, Loqi wanted to believe him. The pull toward the man, the want for kindness, the need to be together with his soul mate, was overwhelming. Loqi looked up into Cor's blue eyes and met his gaze. Loqi couldn't help but notice how they almost looked gray.

"I don't need any help from you. You're my nemesis. I'm supposed to kill you."

Cor just kept the same tired, sad look as when he had first walked over. The expression caused the most ridiculous need to hug the older man rise up.

"If the scientists are right, everyone is going to need to work together soon enough."

Cor's fingers brushed over the burns on the left side of Loqi's face. It wasn't unpleasant, but Loqi still moved away. He hated the tingling the touches sent through him. It was almost like electricity. Pleasant electricity, and entirely unwelcome when it came from Cor.

"If the sun ceases to rise, then I will come find you." Loqi paused, looked Cor over, then smiled. "Unless you would prefer I end your life before then. You look so miserably tired of living."

-6-

"We do make a good team."

Cor hadn't spoken to him since they got back and that was the first thing he said? Loqi frowned and refused to look in Cor's direction. They weren't supposed to make a good team and he... didn't appreciate the compliment.

"We happen to know how the other fights. Nothing more."

He could feel Cor's eyes on him. Probably with that judging stare he gave Loqi every time the younger did something stupid.

"I think it's time we talk about what we are to each other."

"You are my nemesis."

This time Loqi did look at him. It amazed him how Cor couldn't figure that out. He never had taken their rivalry seriously.

"We're soul mates."

"I hardly need reminded of that fact."

It was half the reason he had gone to Cor when this started. That annoying pull told him to go out and find his soul mate. That and the scribbles he kept getting across his palm.

Cor had wanted him around more than the Immortal admitted.

The two of them lived together now. Reluctant allies against the daemons, working together with the hunters to keep what remained of the human population safe. Despite himself, Loqi had been enjoying the last few months with Cor. His drive to defeat Cor was still there. It just wasn't as strong as it used to be. Protecting the remaining civilians would be more important until true peace came to Eos.

The hand on his shoulder pulled Loqi back out of his thoughts and he looked up at Cor.

"Have you ever considered that the reason you felt so drawn to-"

"Don't finish that sentence."

Of course Loqi had considered it. He had considered a lot of things he hadn't before in these last few months. That didn't mean he appreciated the reasoning for his long-time motivation being called into question.

"Loqi."

"Yes, I have considered the idea. Defeating you was my primary motivation for years. I'm sure you can understand why I don't appreciate it being questioned."

"If you still feel that way, then let's do it."

"You want to fight now?"

"It'll keep our skills from deteriorating."

Loqi laughed and went to get his sword.

-7-

In bed with Cor was Loqi's favorite place to sleep. When he could close his eyes and let his head rest against Cor's skin, listening to his breathing and, when he could, his heartbeat. Wrapping his arm around Cor's torso and pressing close made him feel whole. Not that he'd ever admit that aloud.

Loqi pressed a light kiss to Cor's cheek before getting settled on top of him. He rested his cheek against Cor's heartbeat with a hum of contentment and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before Cor's hand pressed against the small of his back, like it usually did when they slept like this.

So maybe he wasn't destined to kill Cor. Maybe the Astrals did know what they were doing when they decided Loqi's soul mate would be a Lucian official.

That helped shape him into the man he was today, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

[scaplivingtogether]

Seven Crimes and Punishments- Living Together: The Oujia Demon

Chapter 13

The Ouija Demon

The house they're residing in had been restored to it's natural glory as promised by Held, but the sinners are now precautions about the basement since the "Black Widow Incident" and had decided to leave it alone...however the only sinner brave enough to go down there was Kayo Sudou of Envy, who suggested in turning it into her personal tailor shop, the sinners agreed, now the basement belongs to her. The sinners had returned to their box after being discharged from the Hospital, their wounds have been fully healed thus allowing them to remove their bandages, they've spent the whole afternoon and evening just relaxing and not getting on each others throats like they normally do, well the only ruckus that most of them made are about Margarita's new engagement to Jun. Margarita was sitting at the dining room table with Banica and Kayo, talking about it.

"Ooooh I'm so nervous! I'm getting remarried and here I am getting chills." Margarita said, she can fell her pigtails moving with excitement, but then she started to feel sad. "But what if it doesn't go well like with...you know."

"Come now, Jun seems like a nice young boy." Kayo said. "Even better than that worthless playboy of a noble, forget about Kasper." She smiled.

"Yeah, plus his food is wonderful." Banica said, liking her lips.

"True but that's not a good reason to marry someone."

"Oh well, speaking of food, I'm hungry."

"Where was I? Oh yes, Maybe I can tailor you a wedding dress, Margarita, I got the best material for it."

"You're too kind Kayo, but you don't need to put yourself through all that work." Margarita responded.

"Think of it as a kind gesture." Just then, she saw Allen coming in the dinning room with a large pumpkin in his arms "Oh Allen, do you need help with it?"

"Ugh, no thanks." Allen said while showing signs of struggle. "I'm almost at the kitchen anyways. " Allen walks to the kitchen, he tries his best to not drop the pumpkin on the ground.

"Are we having a giant pumpkin pie?" Banica asked with an excited look on his face. "Maybe even pumpkin soup?"

"Riliane is cooking dinner, she can't make those two things in one night." Margarita said.

"Can't I dream?"

"You can but still." Kayo replied.

"Oooh you're no fun, Sudou."

"DINNEEEEEEEEEER!" Riliane called from the Kitchen, a triangle can be heard to, Sateriasis, Gallerian, and Nemesis soon walked into the dinning room once they heard her.

"Finally, I was starving." Banica said.

"And you'll soon be hungry in an hour." Sateriasis joked.

"Oh hush." She sees Allen coming into the dining room. "So what are we having tonight Allen?"

"I don't know, I was too busy bringing the pumpkin inside."

"I doubt Riliane can make dinner very well." Sateriasis smirked.

"She made pancakes on the first day." Gallerian said.

"Yes, but that's breakfast, this is dinner and it's more complex, I bet she comes out with disastrous results.

"I wouldn't be too sure, Sateriasis." Allen said smiling. "Look."

"Here it is guys." Riliane came in with a platter of food. "I made Grilled chicken breasts, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans with sliced carrots, and last but not least: buttermilk biscuits with a side of trauben jam." Sateriasis can mentally feel multiple wash pans landing on his head after seeing how well Riliane did in preparing supper.

"Told you."

"You brat, how did you do all this?!" Sateriasis asked with an angry tone in his voice.

"I learned it from Clarith while residing in the Held Monastery, age 15, brioche, and was a natural on the first try." Riliane said with pride in her voice, causing the Duke to feel even more wash pans falling on his his head mentally.

"Settle down you two, this ain't a popularity contest." Kayo said, Riliane then took her seat at the table.

"Now everyone hold hands, because we're gonna say grace." Allen said as the sinners did what he tells them, he began his grace: "Dearest Levia, we give our thanks and ask for your blessings for the meal we're about to partake in, Amen."

"Amen." They proclaimed and began digging into their meals.

"So Allen, what's with the giant pumpkin?" Banica asked while stuffing her face.

"Please don't talk with your mouth full." Allen said in disgust. "Also I'm planning on having it carved into a jack-o-lantern, tomorrow is "Hallows' Evening" after all."

"That time of the year already?" Nemesis asked, visibly excited. "Awesome!"

"I beg your pardon but what is Hallows' Evening?" Sateriasis asked.

"It's a holiday first constructed by the natives of Lioness and Marlon during the late-Magic Kingdom era." Gallerian explained. "It was celebrated on the 31st of October, a time of year that was often associated with human death. The Followers of the Levin faith believed that on the night before November 1st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred. On the night of the 31st they celebrated Hallows' Evening, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In these days however before Margarita was born, many Levin followers began to detest the holiday as a ritual associated with demon worship currency of the Behemo Sect due to having a undead theme."

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn." Riliane said sarcastically.

"So it's like a Behemo sect ritual?" Sateriasis asked.

"Sort of but no, fortunately there's still some followers and people outside of Levin Faith who celebrate it up till this very day." Gallerian continued. "How can you not know that?"

"I've been indoors most of my life."

"Figures, *cough* pervert *cough*!"

"Anywaaaaaaaays, what are the customs?"

"Back then: it would be just bonfires and offering sacrifices to their gods." Banica said. "Though in recent years they removed the sacrificing and included trick-or-treating, costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror films instead."

Nemesis started making scary faces at the Duke. "Y'know anything scary related and filled with pure terror?" Sateriasis started shivering from looking at her, but then stopped when something hit him.

"Oh right, I saw some dwellers of hell viewing it, I thought it was just demon worship or a masquerade party."

"Nope, it's the very same holiday. Though trick-or-treating was a thing to satiate the ghouls or ghost's hunger, it now became more of a child thing." Nemesis drank some water.

"What do you mean?"

"It involves children dressing up and going door to door getting candy or fruit by saying "trick-or-treat"." Margarita said. "I heard It also became more mandatory in Gallerian's time because of the Witch Trials."

"That's correct." Gallerian said. "The fools believed that the witches would eat the children if they don't dress up as monsters."

"Pfft, please not at the table." Kayo said, holding her neck to prevent vomiting.

"Sorry."

"Ok, I see your point, If that were the case: what I should dress up as?" Sateriasis was brushing his chin with his forefinger.

"Now we're talking!" Riliane said patting his back vigorously. "I think we may have something in the attic...do we?"

"Yes, I checked." Allen said.

"Wait wait wait wait!" Kayo called out. "Aren't we just gonna stay in the box though? We can't leave the box and no one but Behemo and the Demons come here." The sinners sighed in a bummed out way, drooping their heads down.

"Not to worry, I have made a deal with Sickle for tomorrow night."

"What?"

"I asked Sickle to allow the children residing in the Heavenly Yard to visit the box to trick-or-treat tomorrow and extend us their good wishes." The sinners became relieved when Allen proclaimed it. "All I need now is help getting these bags into the living room for tomorrow night." He pointed at the bags by the door, they're five in total and are just around the same size as Allen and Riliane.

"What's in them?" Gallerian asked.

"Lollipops, each child participating gets one, no more, no less." The sinners were surprised by what Allen told them, who knows how many lollipops are in those bags, or better yet: how many children are coming?

After dinner

The sinners were browsing through the attic to see what they can find for tomorrow night, so far they found white bed sheets, black and orange fabrics, old masks, old clothes, and a stuffed black cat. While searching for more things to do for Hallows' Evening, Nemesis heard a thud from behind her, she saw a game board covered in dust, she picked it up and blew the dust off, the title of the box reads "Ouija".

"Oh! an Ouija board!" Nemesis said with a smile. "Mom and I used to talk to spirits with it when Friday the 13th is around."

"How you do it?" Kayo asked from behind her.

"You'll know while the others aren't around."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want my father getting involved and screwing everything up!"

"Don't be so negative."

"Oi! What are you two doing?" Riliane said, Nemesis hid the box behind her back. "This ain't a vacation now helps us out!" The two nodded, Nemesis hid the box under the shelf.

"We'll use it while the others are asleep." Nemesis whispered.

"Ok." Kayo agreed.

Later that night

The sinners eventually gotten ready for bed. Showers, teeth, pajamas, and all, after which they went to sleep...except for Margarita who sadly cannot sleep and can only lay down in the living room so she won't disturb her roommates with her chronic insomnia, and is unaware of the events that are about to occur tonight. At 11:30 at night, Nemesis woke up, she made sure that the people around her are asleep, she got out of bed and proceeds to wake Kayo up.

"Hey." Nemesis whispered as she shakes Kayo, Kayo slowly wakes up and sees Nemesis standing over her. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Kayo yawns and gets out of bed, the Sudous proceed to head into the attic, trying their best not to catch Margarita's attention. Once there, Nemesis got the board ready and lit the candles around her. Kayo has gotten slightly anxious from the site of the fire.

"What's wrong?" Nemesis asked.

"It's the fire...are they...?"

"No they won't catch anything on fire, I moved the furniture and put stands under them so they won't fall over. Now turn off the lights." Nemesis said, Kayo did and sat on the floor across from where Nemesis is sitting.

"So you and your mother can talk to spirits with this thing?"

"Yes, so far me and mother were able to contact a mischievous ghost from the spirit world, always telling us jokes and riddles, even the ones I'm not supposed to read."

"Read?"

"Yes, this planchette here with the open glass tells us what the spirit is saying by pointing at the letters and numbers, that's how they communicate."

"I see, I would like to know about my family with it."

"You sure?" Nemesis was concerned about what Kayo was seeking.

"Yes."

"Oh right, put your hand on the planchette." They both put their hands on it, they both clear their minds and took deep breaths. "Spirits living between heaven or hell, come forth and speak." Nemesis said, they waited for a response for at least a minute or two until..."Ah!" Nemesis gasped.

"What?" Kayo asked, she felt something moving under her fingers, her heart began pounding when she saw the planchette moving. "I-it works."

"Don't be afraid or shocked, demons from Ouija boards are attracted to fear." Nemesis instructed her, Kayo took deep breaths as the planchette moves, all the while the fire from the candles turn into an eerie red-violet, which could only mean one thing: "...It's here."

"WHAT GOES ON MORTAL?" Was the board's response, supposedly by a ghost.

"I'm Nemesis Sudou, this is my friend Kayo Sudou...no relations."

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU'RE THE SINNER OF WRATH."

"So you know of my sins?" Nemesis asked, she was quite calm about this.

"WE BEINGS OF THE SPIRIT WORLD SEE MANY THINGS."

"C-can I ask?" Kayo asked Nemesis.

"Sure, remember don't stress yourself and don't show fear."

"Ok...Do you know me or my family?" Kayo asked, she tried her best not to show fear.

"WE KNOW NOT OF YOUR FAMILY." The being replied, "BUT WE KNOW OF THE SINS YOU'VE BESTOWED UPON ENBIZAKA."

"Ah!" Kayo gasped in surprise.

"Stay calm." Nemesis snapped.

"Sorry."

"ARE YOU TWO RELATED?" The ghost asked.

"No, I mention that already." Nemesis said.

"YES BUT THERE'S ANOTHER WAY THAT SHOWS THAT YOU TWO ARE RELATED." The ghost said. "BUT IT'S NOT THE SURNAMES, IT'S SOMETHING ELSE."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..." The two got confused by what the ghost had asked.

"TOO SOON?"

"Wait, aren't we the ones asking questions?" Nemesis asked.

"ASK YOUR QUESTIONS THEN."

"Um, ok...Wow you stumped us." Kayo said.

"IT'S QUITE ALRIGHT, THEN I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU."

"Oh, what is it?"

"I HEARD THAT TOMORROW IS HALLOWS' EVENING...IS IT TRUE?"

"Uhhh yes...why?" Kayo was sounding anxious.

"JUST WONDERING, WE SPIRITS DON'T NORMALLY COUNT THE DAYS OF THE HUMAN WORLD."

"Ok?"

"THE WITCHING HOUR IS ARRIVING, YOU MORTALS MUST GET TO BED SOON."

"Oh, your right." Nemesis said. "It's a pleasure talking to you." She then moved the planchette to the word "goodbye" under the numbers and letters, the planchette stops moving and the candles went back to normal.

"Wow, just...wow." Kayo breathed out finally, her heart was pounding really hard and fast.

"Awesome, huh?" Nemesis asked.

"Well actually to be honest, I thought it wasn't gonna work, but we actually talked to someone from the spirit realm."

"Well it did work, Mother and I are professionals." Nemesis puts the board in the box.

"Have you find it odd that the spirit asked if tomorrow is Hallows' Evening?"

"Well yeah but not to worry, I made sure the board is put back properly, so the spirits won't get out."

"Oh good." Kayo sighed in relief, the two Sudous blew the candles and left the attic...however, the bottom part of the shelf that was holding the box broke, causing the board to fall out, it glowed in an eerie red-violet just like the candles, then a red-violet silhouette came out of it, appearing like a young woman with long draped hair and no clothes on. In the bedroom, Kayo was about to fall asleep in her bed when she heard something, she left her bed to see what's going on. In the hallway, Kayo saw that everything was just the way it was, just as she was about to head back to bed, she heard a slow creaky noise that made the hairs on the back of her head stand on end. She turned around and saw that the attic was slowly opening and a ladder coming out, Kayo walked over to try to close it...but, she then saw a red-violet foot on the step, that surprised Kayo. "Wh-whose there!?"

Kayo breathed out in fear. There was no response from the person in the attic, but instead jumped down to the ground and began staring at Kayo with a sinister grin that signifies dread. The area around her and the strange being in front of Kayo was turning into a deep shade of red. Kayo ran back to her bedroom to warn Nemesis but as she runs, the hallway starts to get longer and narrower until the doors disappear and she was just running in complete nothingness. She turned around to find that the being behind her is gone, she stopped for a moment or two before letting out a sigh in relief, but as she turned around, the strange red-violet being was standing in her way. Making a very frightening demon like face and letting out a scream that is loud as a banshee.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kayo screamed out in horror as she began flaying her arms around, she stopped and found that it's already morning and that she was still in bed, she looked around and saw the girls in the room were laughing and the being in front of her was only Riliane wearing a Red Hannya Mask. "Y-you little brat! How dare you scare me with that thing!?" Kayo berated the Princess as she snatched the Hannya Mask away from her.

"HAPPY HALLOWS' EVENIIIIING!" Riliane proclaimed as she made a v-sign hand gesture.

"I GET YOU FOR THIS!" Kayo was about to chase her before being held down by Banica.

"Geez calm down, Kayo it's only a harmless trick." Banica said as she was eating a black and orange swirl lollipop. "Though to be honest, I kinda expected that type of reaction from Nemesis." She pointed at Nemesis who is face planted on the ground, possibly from Riliane's prank.

"Hm, your right...where did you get the lollipop?"

"Allen lets us have one each." She gave her one.

"Good." Just then, the door opened up, slowly revealing a strange cylinder shaped creature with black holed eyes completely void of any light, this surprised Kayo to which caused her to let out another scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" And grabbed her scissors to attack it, but Banica stopped her.

"Oh, did I really scared you?" The creature said as "she" removed the white sheets from her head. "Good Morning!"

"Phew, it's just Margarita." Kayo calmed down. "Why are you wearing a bed sheet on your head?"

"I'm a ghost!" She said with a smile.

"Ha! I knew it was you the whole time." Nemesis said as she was standing up.

"Could you girls be any louder?" Gallerian asked with a cranky tone in his voice from being woken up by Kayo's screaming. "One of us wants to sleep more." Margarita, not pleased with what he said due to not being able to sleep herself pinched his nose, startling him.

"How do you think I feel, old man?" Margarita said to the Judge with a dark tone in her voice, she pulls on his nose before letting go of him, he covers his nose after that, she then smiles. "Sateriasis is making croissants and omelets for breakfast!"

"I hope he doesn't contaminate it." Riliane said as she and the others left the room. "Who knows what disease he maybe carrying?" After everyone left, Kayo grabbed Nemesis by her arm and pulled her back in the room.

"Hey!" Nemesis called out before being slammed into the wall.

"Have you closed the box properly?" Kayo asked with an angry tone in her voice.

"The Ouija box? Yes I have!"

"Are you sure? Because I had a dream about a demonic being attacking me because the box wasn't closed properly!" Kayo for years possessed an ability that once belonged to her ancestor Lukana Octo, the prophetic dream ability, which allows her to see the past and future via dreams based on a specific color. If colored purple, the future will happen and cannot be changed, No one in the box knows about her ability except for Allen and Nemesis.

"What color was it?" Nemesis asked, sounding scared.

"The dream was red." Kayo replied, which calmed the former dictator down.

"Then there's a chance that it won't happen."

"Yes, but still, we have to make sure." The two Sudous went to the attic to see if the box was properly close, much to their chagrin however, the box was tipped over because of the broken shelf, glowing in an eerie red-violet. "Oh no! Oh no! NO! NO! NO! NOOOO!" Kayo was now in a state of panic. "THE DEMON IS OUT! THE DEMON IS OUT!" She screamed on the top of her lungs before being slapped across the face by Nemesis.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF KAYO!" Nemesis yelled at her. "Ok so a demon is out, but it's not like it has the will to kill anyone here right?" She finished with a smile before she began to frown. "Right?"

"We're dealing with a being who was haunting me in my sleep! Can you send it back to the box?"

"I don't know how."

"But you and your mother used this thing right?"

"Yes but the being we had was well-behaved, it had no malicious intentions on escaping the Ouija board, I never learned how to seal it back as a result."

"OOoooooh this is bad! this is oh so bad!" Kayo was pacing back and forth.

"Heeeeey! Nemesis! Kayo!" Sateriasis called from down stairs "What are you doing up there? Your breakfast is getting cold!" The girls let out a huge sigh.

"Ok, let's just calm down, we'll deal with it soon." They went down from the attic and down the stairs into the kitchen, Sateriasis was by the stove placing an omelette on a plate with a croissant and a couple of strawberries and blue berries on the side. "There you two are, don't you know how long I've been waiting?" He berated the Sudous, but then he smiled.

"Sorry we're late, Kayo accidentally knocked over her tailoring supplies so I was helping her out." Nemesis nervously smiled while receiving a plate from him.

"I thought you broke your toe up there." Gallerian sneered as he ate his breakfast, he received a middle finger from her, Gallerian threaten to bite it off.

"Where's Allen?" Kayo asked, playing with her blueberries.

"He went back to the heavenly yard to make preparations for tonight." Riliane answered, as she talked, Kayo was too distracted to hear her words because behind her was a hallway, but what caught Kayo's attention was the red-violet spirit standing in the halls, the tailor was petrified bu the site of it as it stared right into her soul through her eyes with it's black ones. "Kayo? Hey! What are you looking at?" Kayo snapped back into reality when Riliane said her name.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing." She lied, trying her best to not cause a panic in the box.

"Anyways, should we dress up for tonight?" Margarita asked. "I got my ghost costume ready!"

"We could actually!" Banica said as she licked her plate clean. "It's Hallows' Evening after all." She then took a bite off her plate.

"HEY HEY HEY! DON'T BITE IT!" Riliane exclaimed, she looked at the plate's bite mark. "Hm, actually I'll let this slide, makes a great edition for tonight." She gave the plate to Margarita, as she walked to the counter, she nearly felt limp, almost falling over. "Oh! Are you ok, Margy?"

"Y-Yeah, just almost tripped." She smiled as her arm shook a little.

~After breakfast~

Kayo was digging through Nemesis's box under her bed, she found a dark green book with the title "Bible of Held", indicating that the bible is from the Held sect, and inside is a necklace with a silver cross on it. "I just hope these work." She said.

"What are you doing?" Nemesis asked.

"I'm gonna try to bless the others, hoping that the demon won't posses them."

"Don't bless the sinners, it'll make the demon worse for us."

"What about exorcising?"

"Hmm...We could, actually. But we have no idea where that ghost went!"

"Where what went?" Riliane asked as she entered the bedroom.

"Uuuuuh Makeup! Yeah! Makeup for tonight!" Kayo answered.

"It's right here." Riliane said as she took out the box. "What are you guys gonna dress up as?"

"I'm planning on going as Kaguya-Hime, the protagonist of my country's folklore: "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter"." Kayo said.

"And I'm going as a Shinigami, the Death Gods of Jakokunese mythology." Nemesis said with a devilish smirk on her face.

"But there hasn't been any official depictions on them, other than the fact that they're rumored to be hideous." Riliane said, apparently she's aware of Jakokunese folklore and myths.

"That's why I'm Improvising through literary works." Nemesis pushed a stack of black books under her bed with her foot. "I just need some red contact lens...what about you?"

"I'm thinking of going as the Queen of Hearts."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" They heard a scream coming from the men's bedroom, it sounded like Gallerian.

"Heh heh heh, looks like he's afraid of the queen." Riliane chuckled at Gallerian's scream, just then they heard a thumping noise.

"No, something is wrong." Kayo said with a worried tone in her voice, she walked out to the men's room, only to find only a judge's coat on the floor. "Gallerian's coat."

"Oh great, is dad running around naked again?" Nemesis said.

"He wouldn't leave his coat like this."

"What's going on?" Riliane asked.

"It's nothing, where is he though?" Just then, they heard a loud thumping noise from the floor. On ground floor, the only people there are Margarita who is making candied apples while wearing her ghost costume, and Banica and Sateriasis were in the living room, possibly working on their costumes. They then heard another thumping noise, but under their feet. "The basement." Kayo whispered to herself. They went down the stairs to the basement in order to confirm their speculations of Gallerian being in the basement, once they open the basement door, they heard muffling noises, indicating that Gallerian is down there, they went down the stairs, preparing for the worst to come. Riliane turned on the light to find Gallerian being tied up in a chair with the same red rope used on Sateriasis the other day, gagged with a handkerchief, struggling, and wearing a maid's dress. He gave Nemesis a death glare upon seeing her. While Kayo and Riliane are stunned, Nemesis burst out laughing at her father's situation.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey! hey! Riliane! Take a picture!" Nemesis said as she passed the camera to the Princess, Nemesis smiled for the camera while doing a peace sign in front of her bonded father, Riliane took the picture, Gallerian made a angered muffle from that.

"NEMESIS!" Kayo called out irritably.

"Riiight right." She began to untie Gallerian's gag, he began panting

"WHY THE BLOODY HELL WOULD YOU BOND ME LIKE THIS, YOU SLUT!?" Gallerian cursed her off loudly.

"What?!" Nemesis was baffled by what he told her.

"DON'T BE OBLIVIOUS! YOU CAME IN THE BEDROOM, DRESSED ME UP! TIED ME UP LIKE AN WILD ANIMAL, AND LEFT ME HERE TO ROT!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I WAS WITH THESE TWO THE WHOLE TIME!" Nemesis was so enraged by this wild accusation that she was fixing to clock him in the jaw, Kayo got in between the two conflicting family members.

"Desist you two!" She said. "Nemesis would never use bondage rope on you! Even if she wanted to."

"That bitch obviously wants to try something new to torment me with." Gallerian sneered.

"Don't make me kick you again." Nemesis growled.

"Enough!" Kayo untied the red rope. leaving red marks on his wrists and arms, he stood up saying saying to Nemesis:

"You'll pay for this, bitch." He stormed off from the basement to change, they can hear Sateriasis laughing upstairs. "SHUT UP!"

"What the hell?" Nemesis muttered to herself.

"Ok, what is really going on?" Riliane asked again "I demand an explanation so no more excuses." Met with no other choice, Kayo sighed.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone." Kayo said, she began explaining about the Ouija board to the former princess, from using it to contact spirits to how it was improperly closed. At first she thought that the Tailor was joking, but the more she hears, the more Riliane's smile goes away, now becoming aware of the dreadful curse that's now in the sinner's black box.

"If that's the case, then the one that attacked Gallerian was the ghost." Riliane said, fully aware of the situation.

"Yeah, who knows what it'll do next." Nemesis said as they walked back upstairs. As Kayo and Nemesis talked about the ghost, Riliane walked back into the hallway...that's when she felt a disturbing aura in the area, she looked and saw the same ghost with her very eyes, it caused her to be frozen in place that she can't even scream out. The red-violet being floated all the way to the bathroom upstairsbackwards, Riliane traversed up to the second floor and walked to the bathroom door, she stopped once she heard noises in there.

"Don't be afraid, Riliane." She thought to herself. "You have to be bold like father was." She slowly opened the door to find steam coming from behind the shower curtain, is the ghost taking a shower in there? She grabbed a shower brush and slowly walked to the shower, her heart was beating out of her chest, but was ready to punish the ghost for what's it done. Riliane took hold of the shower curtain with her left hand and thrashed it open to reveal the person inside the shower who unknowingly to her looks suspiciously like her...it was her brother.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Allen let out a scream in horror as Riliane began to whack him silly with a shower brush. "NO STOP! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" But Riliane didn't stop, the ghost haunting the box clouded her judgment and continued to whack the daylights out of her twin brother before she began tiring out. At the same time, Allen, on his last legs desperately grabbed hold of the shower curtain and pulled it down with him to the floor. Riliane panted for a bit before straightening her dress, it was then that her expression turned from exhaustion into horror when she realized what she had done.

"A-A-Allen!?" She stuttered. "I-I-I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you!" Allen began to crawl on her dress with his hands.

"...E-e-every moment I live...is agony." Allen said weakly as he fell on the ground again.

Few Minutes Later

Margarita was putting an Ice pack on Allen's head, Sateriasis was in the background laughing his head off over what Riliane had done to her brother.

"I'm so sorry, Allen." Riliane apologized. "I didn't know it was you! I thought you were a ghost!"

"What Ghost? Is this a joke?" Allen groaned in pain.

"Yeaaaaah." Nemesis lied. "I was pulling a prank on Riliane, making her think there's a ghost here."

"Bu-" Kayo was about to say something, but was silenced by Nemesis. "I see, you should be ashamed of yourself, tricking his sister like that."

"Enough you two." Allen said, holding onto the Ice pack. "I know it's Halloween but like Kayo said, someone could've gotten seriously hurt, I know I had, Ow. So no more pulling dangerous pranks, especially on me!"

"Yes Allen." Nemesis said.

"And Riliane, please knock on the door next time, it's rude to enter without knocking."

"Ok." Riliane said.

"Now if you excuse me I'm gonna take some painkillers, finish taking a shower, and bring the kids over here."

"But it's not even night yet." Gallerian said, now dressed in his usual suit, sans the judge's cloak.

"I mean the ones who don't celebrate Hallows' Evening."

"Oh right, the religious ones." Banica said.

"So please, behave yourselves." Allen heads back into the bathroom. "Owwww, she whacked me hard." He said under his breath.

A half hour later

The sinners are setting up their chairs on the front porch, they're waiting for the children of religion to arrive and give the sinners their blessings in hopes of redemption, Nemesis was pacing around the porch with a nervous look on her face.

"Oh dear, I just hope that ghost doesn't get aggressive." She said to herself, "Considering that blessing us would make the it worst."

"I hope so too." Kayo said to the dictator.

"KIDS HOOOOO!" Banica exclaimed as she pointed at the distance, a bunch of tiny lights began falling from the keyhole shaped sun, coming down on different colors and sizes much to the sinners's amazement. Once they've reached the ground, the lights formed into many, many children, each of different ages, era, and nationality, and every single one wearing red church gowns and holding song books. The last one to appear was Allen Avadonia holding a conductor's baton. "Oh look how adorable they are! I just wanna eat them up!"

"That better be a figure of speech." Sateriasis said as he took his seat, "We cannot afford to be dragged back to hell because of your cannibalism.". After the sinners sat down in their seats, Allen readies his baton to conduct the children in front of him, the children began humming a tune, and soon began singing a lovely hymn.

"O our lord of old"

"From the heavens with this hymn I call to thee"

"To these souls damned by sin and blasphemy"

"Your light shall still be shown"

"To purify their sins"

"and return signs of hope to their heart and souls"

"Please allow these sinners to go hand and hand with thee once again"

The sinners quietly listened to every word coming from the hymn sung by the children of god, meanwhile in the house, the demon that was tormenting the household earlier was sitting by the window listening to the hymn. As Nemesis said earlier: the blessings would cause the demon to get worse...But something else had happened, the demon instead just laid by the windowsill listening to the children, nodding as a shear sign of fatigue before falling asleep there. Kayo looked by the window to see the red-violet being slumbering, much to the tailor's delight, Kayo tapped Nemesis's shoulder and pointed at the sleeping demon, to which confuses Nemesis but at least she can calm down a little.

"Lulila la lulila la la"

"Sinners and Saints, though differ"

"They're both our lord's dear children"

"And so are seven of thee"

Their song ends, the sinners gave a full round of applause to them.

"BRAVA LITTLE DARLINGS! BRAVA!" Banica exclaimed in happiness as she clapped vigorously, the children bowed to them.

"Thank you so much everyone!" Margarita said as she threw a bouquet of roses. "You're too kind."

After a few more hymns, the children bowed once again and said: "God bless you, and we wish you the best of luck." The sinners thanked them for their wishes and their performances. After the children left, Kayo, Riliane, and Nemesis returned to the attic to see the ghost, the said being was still asleep by the windowsill much to their confusion.

"I don't get it, mother told me that blessing the household would make the demon worse, but it's asleep instead." Nemesis whispered.

"Maybe there's a reason, either the hymn was a lullaby or it's a child." Riliane whispered back.

"Oh well, at least we won't have to deal with it anymore." Kayo sighed.

"I found my Mom's old journal." She said. "It also has the spell to put the ghost back". Nemesis then opened the Ouija box and began quietly chanting the words from her journal:

"Spirit from the hellish yard, desiring innocents to be maimed, return to the pit from whence you came." And like that, the ghost was sent back into it's box while it was still slumbering, the box closed by it's self, both of the Sudous and Riliane let out a sigh in relief, finally they can be at peace away from the demon within the box. Nemesis put the box under the broken shelf and put a book on top of it to increase the weight and chances of it not escaping, the trio left the attic soon after.

Sundown

Allen, dressed as a purple wizard with a fake beard carried the large jack-o-lantern he carved to the front porch and lit a candle inside of it. Inside the house, Banica was in the kitchen dress as an "attractive" chef with fishnet leggings, a mini skirt, a chef's hat, and high heals, she wants to try some of the cookies Margarita made for the sinners, but Margarita, dressed as a ghost again slaps her hand with her sheet covered hand.

"No! Bad chef!" Margarita said.

"Oh come on!" Banica complained. "I just want some of the treats."

"Why don't you snack on a ice cream pint in the freezer?"

"Oh very well." Banica walked over the freezer and found a few pints in there, Banica picked out a mint flavored one. Banica remove the lid, takes out the spoon, and happily devours it.

"What flavor did you get?"

"Mint chocolate." That answer caused Margarita to freeze in place, she knew full well of who likes that particular flavor.

"MINT CHOCOLATE!?"

"Yes, Mint Chocolate, why?"

"TH-THAT'S GALLERIAN'S FAVORITE FLAVOR! HE'LL KILL YOU FOR IT!"

"Ah bologny."

"Oookay, it's your funeral." Margarita said sheepishly as she left the room, possibly to avoid the judge's wrath. Banica blissfully enjoys the ice cream pint, completely unaware of her surroundings let alone another visitor in the room, she stopped when she felt a cutlass sword near her neck, scared, she slowly looked up and found that it was Gallerian, dressed like a pirate with a dark blue coat, white blouse, black gloves, black boots, brown pants, red sash, and a black hat with golden rims. He also has an enraged look on his face.

"The ice cream, give it back." Galleran said coldly, Banica frightfully complied, giving the pirate back his frozen treat. Gallerian causally bonked the chef on the head with a cutlass sword revealing it to be plastic. Gallerian took a bite out of his ice cream, forming an expression of happiness and pleasure.

"You scared me Judge!" Banica exclaimed irritably, "Who do you think you are?!"

"A pirate who loves his ice cream."

"Geez Dad, you've could've just said "please"." Nemesis came in dress in a biker chick-esque attire with platform boots, ripped thigh high socks, fishnets, one biker glove, a dark grey jacket with holes secured by baby pins, a black tank top with matching skirt, a cross with a choker, red eye contacts, and a black notebook in toll.

"What are you? an urban slut?" Gallerian asked, changing the subject.

"Screw off trash-beard-the-pirate, I'm a Shinigami...my interpretation that is."

"Whatever." He takes another bite of his ice cream.

"Oof!" Banica exclaimed when someone grabbed her from behind, she looked and saw the one responsible was Sateriasis, dressed in a nice black suit, black cape, and a white mask that's covering only the right half of his face. "Sa-Sati! We're related you nimrod!" She exclaimed embarrassingly.

"Sati? Who is Sati?" He teased as he picked up and tilted Banica's body back as is he was gonna tango with her. "I'm the phantom of the opera." He leaned in "Now, sing for me, my Angel of Music." He was then smacked in the back of the head by Nemesis's black notebook, dropping Banica in the process. "OW!"

"Knock it off pervert, we got kids coming over."

DING DONG

"Speak of the devil." She saw Riliane going to the door, dressed in a black and red version of one her dresses and holding a stuffed flamingo, going as the queen of hearts liked she promised. She opens the door to see several kids dressed up for Hallows' Evening, quoting:

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

"Oooh! Great costumes!" Riliane cheered as she gave the children their own lollipops.

"Thank you!" They thank her before being on their way.

"HAPPY HALLOWS' EVENING!" She shuts the door.

"I'll take it from here." Margarita said as she grabbed a bowl, the two sinners see Kayo going down the stairs dressed in a layered kimono called a junihitoe, pink, red, orange, and fuchsia colored layers of them. She was also wearing a black hime cut wig with parted bangs and a golden crown. "Oh my goodness Kayo, you look beautiful!"

"Thank you, I'm Kaguya-Hime." She said with a smile, "It's a little hard walking around in this though." She and Riliane enter the kitchen where the sinners are, she sees Banica messing with the radio.

"What are you doing?" Riliane asked.

"Jun gave me a radio channel before we life the hospital, he said something about "K-Pop"." Banica said as she was turning the nob on the radio, just then music started, it was loud and thumping and was speaking in a language that sounded like Makokunese but different, there were ounces of English in it though.

"What the hell is this racket?" Sateriasis asked, covering his ears. "Can you even make out the lyrics?"

"I'm not familiar with this language, it does have a catchy beat though." Banica was shaking her hips to the beat, but then the noise stopped, finding that Nemesis had pulled the plug.

"That is the most annoying thing ever, next to dad's crying." Nemesis said.

In the attic

The box under the shelf was glowing in an eerie red-violet color and convulsing, indicating that the ghost from earlier is now awakened from it's slumber once again. The box tipped the shelf and book over, allowing it to escape it's box again, it stretched before looking out the window in the attic. Seeing a bunch of children arriving to the box, the ghost smiled creepily.

In the kitchen

Allen had made homemade pizza, made with pepperonis, tomato, and basil, and had sliced them into slender pieces for each sinner, Gallerian was removing tomatoes from his slice with a fork and putting them on Banica's plate. "Giving me more tomatoes?" She asked while eating her slices.

"Well yeah, I don't like them so here."

"Huh, how generous of you, Father." Nemesis said, that comment made Gallerian blush a little.

"Don't get the wrong idea, everyone knows I hate tomatoes but I can't just waste them either." Puffing his cheeks.

"Looks like someone's has a little warm side to them, don't you agree, Riliane?" Sateriasis smiled, Riliane giggled.

"Sh-shut up!" He exclaimed. Just then, the lights went off, startling everyone and scaring the children trick or treating.

"Oh no, did we blow a fuse?" Allen groaned, he went to the cabinet and found a wax candle and lit it, he went out of the room to fix the fuse box.

"I-it's ok children! There's nothing to be afraid of!" Margarita said as she tried calming the children down, while saying that, she felt faint, "There's...nothing...to be..." She fell on her back, startling the children.

"HEY! G-GUYS!" A young boy exclaimed, "YOUR FRIEND FELL OVER!" Overhearing it, Sateriasis and Riliane ran over to Margarita and checked her pulse.

"Her pulse is normal, but what caused her to faint?" Sateriasis asked.

"I don't know, but she never slept either, maybe it's fatigue?" Riliane asked, they heard some of the children screaming outside, causing the kids present to run inside the house. "Wh-what's going!?"

"MONSTERS!" A young girl screamed.

"THEY'RE HEADING THIS WAY!" Another boy yelled, just then Allen came out of the basement.

"The fuse box isn't blown but I don't understand why the power we-...Why are the children here!?"

"Th-they're monsters coming this way!" One of the kids said.

"Monsters?" Allen moved through the sea of children to look out through the window, it was dark with the only exception of the keyhole shaped moon, he looked for a bit until he saw that there's several red-violet balls of light slowly coming towards the Marlon flat, and in those lights are strange looking creatures, each having a dark grey skirt and crown like appearances with red faces and arms, and large glowing yellow eyes. The site of them has made Allen's spine shiver and his hair stiff.

"WHOA!" He exclaimed. "WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS!?"

Banica looked out from the kitchen window. "Cripes, they're Flatwoods Monsters." Banica said in astonishment.

"What?" Sateriasis asked.

"Flatwoods Monsters, very common in Mastia's Alien folklore, they terrorize people until dawn, but how are they here?"

"Red-violet lights?" Kayo whispered to herself, that's when she realized something was wrong. "The ghost!"

"Kayo, now's not the time for ghost pranks!" Allen said, recalling the shower incident from earlier.

"N-no, I'm being serious! The ghost is real!

"What are you saying?"

"It's my fault." Nemesis said. "There was an oujia board in the attic and I brought the ghost who is possibly controlling those things upon ourselves." The sinners were both baffled and confused from what Nemesis said.

"YOU WHAT!?" Allen yelled.

"I'm sorry! I never meant for it to happen, I just wanted to show Kayo how it works! I closed the box properly! Honest!"

"Honest nothing! That thing tied me to a chair!" Gallerian yelled angrily. "I've could've rotted in there because of your friend, you sl-!"

"Hey hey hey! Not in front of the children." Riliane said, cutting him off from swearing.

"I'm so very sorry." Nemesis said with her head down.

"We'll deal with it later but now we have to take care of those monsters here." Allen said irritably as he pointed at the window, "They're getting closer."

"We need guns to shoo them off." Banica said.

"We don't have any, Held confiscated the weaponry."

"I found a BB Gun in the basement." Banica said while holding up a hand held BB Gun with a container.

"How did-".

"I guess the gods forgot about it when they made our house."

"Mine." Gallerian takes it and runs outside.

"Alright, but remember to give it back when your done, It counts as weaponry." Allen said, he then saw Riliane running up into her room, a few seconds later she comes back with a slingshot. "Where did you get that?"

"From my toy chest." Riliane stood next to Gallerian, took out an acorn from a small bag and aimed it at the monster coming towards the front door.

"Just a little closer." Gallerian said quietly, he shot the monster and it disintegrated, Riliane shot the other one coming from the right, Gallerian did the same to the one on the left, and so on. The children cheered for the their aim.

"Excellent! You two!" Kayo said.

"We're not through yet." Banica said, there's three near the kitchen's door, and the ones that were shot will just keep coming back til dawn."

"We'll either need to fight them off, or shut the oujia demon away!" Riliane said as she shot another one heading towards the kitchen door.

"Nemesis, this is a chance to redeem yourself for this mess." Allen said, "You need to properly seal the oujia demon away before we run out of ammo."

"Why don't we just attack them with brooms or rakes?" Sateriasis asked while holding a broom, he was about the exit the flat when Banica pulled him back by the arm.

"NO SATI! It's too dangerous to attack them at close range." Banica said, "There have been people getting pneumonia and swelling throats from making physical contact, you have to shoot those buggers from a distance."

"How? We only have plastic weaponry."

"It will have to do for now." She turned to Nemesis and said: "Seal the demon, Nemesis."

She nodded upon hearing the Epicurean's words and went to the bedroom, there she grabbed her cross and bible. Nemesis then returned to the attic with the things in hand and found the demon, fully awake, and floating. the Ghost turned around and saw Nemesis. The demon smiled wickedly at the former dictator. "I didn't want to do this..." She takes out the cross. "...But you left me with no other choice..."In the name of the great millennium tree, I command thy evil spirit: back to the depths of hell"!" As she was holding up the cross, the demon let out a wicked cackle, the cross didn't work. "Alright then, maybe a passage from the bible will do the trick then." She opens the bible and says:

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person

It passes through waterless places seeking rest

but finds none.

Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'"

Downstairs

meanwhile, the children are hiding in the living room with Kayo treating a comatose Margarita, she was confused to why Margarita fell unconscious when she could never sleep herself.

"Is she going to be ok?" A little boy dressed like a vampire asked.

"I hope so little one." Kayo said, "It's just weird though, what made her faint? Did something happened to her demon?"

"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!" Sateriasis yelled from the front yard. He was throwing rocks at the monsters slowly gliding to them, each sinner present were shooting or throwing their own ammo at them, Riliane with a slingshot and acorns, Banica with a plastic bow with suction cup arrows, and Gallerian with a hand held BB gun. But every time they get hit they revert back to their original spot they first appear in and continue coming for them.

Soon Sateriasis and Banica ran out of their own ammo and ran back inside. "You can't be out of ammo now!" Gallerian yelled as he was shooting at the Flatwoods Monsters, he soon ran out of his round, he tried refiling the gun but accidentally dropped his bag of ammo, forever lost in the vast darkness, even finding them would be futile because they gotten too close. "SHOOT!" He dropped his gun and ran back.

Riliane and Allen were the only ones to stand up to them, Allen soon ran out of rocks.

"Oh no! Riliane we have to get back!"

"No! I can take care of these savages!" Riliane said as she kept on shooting acorns.

In the attic

"...And whenever the unclean spirits saw him

They fell down before him and cried out:

"You are the Son of God."

Nemesis finishes reading a few passages, only to fine that the demon is still there, mocking a yawn and wicking at Nemesis. "HURRY UP NEMESIS! WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF AMMO!" She heard Allen calling from downstairs.

"DAMMIT!" Out of sheer frustration, she kicked a tower of boxes which caused a chain reaction to occur, the boxes landed on the red-violet being, rendering it useless. Seizing the opportunity, Nemesis jumped on the demon and began to bash the ghost's head with the bible and yelled: "THE POWER OF HELD COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF HELD COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF HELD COMPELS YOU!" Over and over.

"O-O-OK! UNCLE! UNCLE! YOU WIN!" The demon said, it sounded feminine yet childish.

"Huh?...That voice...who are you?"

Downstairs

Riliane was out numbered by the Flatwoods Monsters surrounding the house, just then they all disintegrated into nothingness. "I-Is it over?" Riliane asked as the lights came back on and the kids cheered, Margarita began to stir, waking up.

"Oh your awake, Margarita!" Kayo exclaimed, relieved.

"Wha? What happened?" Margarita asked tiredly while rubbing her eyes.

"You've passed out."

"I have? That means Eve must be doing something."

"Eve? As in Eve Moonlit?"

"She's right." Nemesis said suddenly, over her shoulder was the bonded ouija demon that was terrorizing the household. ""She" told me everything." She began walking down the stairs as she continues. "This so called ouija demon had set the whole thing up, the oujia board that I used turned out to be a fake just to lure me and Kayo into a false sense of security thus starting a chain of events, why? Just for her own twisted amusement."

"Oh come on! I was just bored that's all!" The demon said. Nemesis threw her on the couch next to Margarita.

"Allen, remove her wig."

"Wig?" He asked.

"Just remove it." Nemesis said, Allen complied, he stepped forward and removed her wig, long strains of teal green hair fell out, much to their surprise and confusion. "The false Demon of Sloth; Eve Moonlit, I've should've known...how did you get out of the doll?" He asked.

"The Demon of Wrath let me out." Eve answered. "He wanted me to do him a favor, I only agreed because I was bored."

"That would explain why Margarita fainted." Sateriasis said. "By using your powers, Margarita temporarily went out of existence due to just being a persona."

"Now I get it, I fainted because her powers were on overdrive." Margarita said.

"What favor did the Demon of Wrath want with you?" Allen asked.

"I'm not saying, if I did you all be dead by now." Eve answered with a sadistic grin on her face, enjoying the view of the sinner's frightened expression.

"And why was Dad tied up while wearing a maid's dress?" Nemesis asked.

"I thought it be funny, plus I want to see if he looked cute in it, and he is."

"I AM NOT ANYONE'S DRESS UP DOLL!" Gallerian yelled. Just then the doorbell ringed, Gallerian answered the door, it was Behemo, wearing a black gothic dress with skeleton makeup on. "Behemo?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." He joked. "I believe I have misplaced some children in this here residents...there they are." He stepped inside. "Where have you all been? Your parents are worried sick." He then saw Eve. "And what do we have here? An escaped fugitive?" Eve raspberries him.

"Eve was summoning those Flatwoods Monsters at us!" Riliane said.

"Is that right? Well then we'll make sure she doesn't do that again." Behemo then walked over to Eve and threw her over his shoulder much to her disdain, "Come kids! Back to the Heavenly Yard!" Just as the children are leaving, one little girl stayed behind, she smiled and said:

"Thank you for protecting us, Sinners."

"You're very welcome dear." Banica said, smiling. The girl ran back with the others to the Heavenly Yard, they saw as many partials of light flew into the keyhole shaped hole. Just as things are finally calming down, a piece of parchment flew down onto the porch. Kayo picked it up and saw that it was written, it said:

~Dear Sinners,

You've think I'm through with you yet? I think not. In fact: I've enjoyed my time terrorizing you eight with my Flatwoods Monsters that I've decided to make it a new tradition. "Every year on Hallows' Evening night, at 2:30 AM, my Flatwoods Monsters shall attack your home until 5:45 AM, if you can fiend them off till then you win! If not...well you'll just have to find out yourselves." Be sure to stock up on plenty of ammo! Happy Hallows' Evening!

Love, Eve Moonlit! XXX~

This news had gave Allen and the sinners a look of horror, now they're forever cursed with having to deal with Eve's new "Holiday Tradition". "I'm so sorry about this, I never attended it to happen." Nemesis said quietly.

"It's fine, Nemesis, it wasn't really your fault to begin with anyways." Allen said.

"Yeah but now we got an invasion coming after us next year."

"That's true, but we'll be ready when it happens...Come on, let's just enjoy the rest of the evening before it gets any later, we got to get up early tomorrow." They all headed inside.

"Get up early? For what?" Riliane asked.

"We'll be returning to Capriccio Academy tomorrow." The sinners stopped when they heard the name of that place, their first day of course was pretty rocky so it was highly understandable to why they hanged their heads down in utter disappointment.

END CHAPTER

[gummysungshine]

Time Works Wonders [FFXV Cor/Loqi] NSFW

(Request for the anon that asked) Prompt: Loqi meets a ‘de-aged’/young Cor. Pairing: Cor/Loqi Words: 3541 Rating: Gonna go with M to be safe. Warnings: Language, sex, unbeta’d so there might be mistakes. [Please note: I’m using my country’s legal drinking age (18), so there’s no underage drinking mentioned]

Permalink: http://gummysungshine.tumblr.com/post/164654901434/time-works-wonders-ffxv-corloqi-nsfw

This turned out much longer than I intended it to be. Please enjoy this Cor/Loqi smut including some time travelling via Umbra :’)

-----

The sound of voices in the near-distance slowly roused the Niff from his daze. Lifting his head, eyes fluttering open with some degree of difficulty, the surroundings seemed unfamiliar to him. He knew he’d certainly never seen the place before.

“Wha- what's...” Loqi carefully got his feet, glancing around himself, seeing nothing but a grey, stone built alley before him, leading out to what he assumed were streets.

Dragging himself along, he kept close to the wall to prop himself up as he gained his bearings. With his mind clearing of the haze, his assumptions proved true. He indeed found himself looking out onto a semi-busy street; from what he could tell it some sort of marketplace.

“Where am I?” He whispered to himself. “What...what in the name of Shiva’s tits is this place?”

None of it looked familiar, not even in the slightest. The people seemed different, too, unlike those in Gralea, or even in the rural settlements of Niflheim. Nothing was quite right.

‘Did I get drunk? No. I don't remember drinking.’ He thought to himself, recalling his last whereabouts.

The last thing he remembered was patrolling the outerwall of his stationed Imperial base, looking for any sign of the blasted Lucian Prince and his retinue. He wanted to get his hands on Noctis himself, before anyone else, hoping to hand him over to his Emperor and be duly rewarded for his work.

‘There was a dog...’ Loqi summoned the image of a black dog from his memory, seeing it wandering about the area. ‘What happened after that?’

Harbouring a fondness for furry, four-legged friends, he’d stopped to pet the animal. It’d seemed friendly enough, not showing him any outward signs of aggression at the time, but he recalled nothing more after that point. Still not understanding how he found himself in his strange surroundings, Loqi ventured further out into the streets, mingling among the people, trying to get a clearer picture of where he might be.

‘What is this place? Is this Insomnia?’ The place certainly had a Lucian vibe to it, the architecture reminding him of what he’d seen in photos of the city. ‘How did I get here? This makes no sense. I must be dreaming.’

Loqi knew he couldn’t have just walked right into the city, not with him being a Niff and things being the way they were. While Niflheim were set to stage an invasion upon the city in the very near future, he could tell the Empire most certainly hadn’t put that into action yet. Had he been somehow plucked from his position and planted inside the city walls for some sort of secret operation? Anything was a possibility to him at that point.

Reaching into his back pocket, hoping to grab his phone, he found it empty. Panicking, he began to wonder if somehow he’d been robbed. Locating his wallet in his front pocket, he realised that couldn’t have been the case, otherwise he was sure that would’ve been missing as well. Double checking the contents of his wallet, his eyes widened at the sight of foreign money - bills that he’d never used in his life. Loqi had not a clue how they’d gotten there, yet it cemented his assumption about his current location. He was definitely in Insomnia.

Passing through the streets, trying to wrap his head around exactly what was going on, he listened in on various conversations that he could make out, wondering if they could give him some sort of hint about where within Insomnia he was. Not much of what he could hear was useful for the most part; yet he’d overheard a few people mentioning their King, along with some kind of anniversary, their words catching his attention.

“Can’t believe it’s been this long already. Seemed like only yesterday that Regis took the throne.” A middle-aged woman spoke, a younger lady nodding in agreement next to her, the two of them carting around what seemed to be bags of shopping - perhaps a mother and daughter duo, Loqi supposed.

“Hm. Scary to think that two years has passed so quickly. I suppose he’ll be out this evening to celebrate, you know how he likes to visit these parts for a drink or three.” The young woman chuckled, the two of them continuing on there way.

“Two years since...” Loqi murmured under his breath, his gaze catching upon the sight of a newspaper stand, glancing at the front pages as he moved along.

‘April 5th, 731!’ He screamed mentally, reading the date in the top corner. ‘What?! Is this the past?! How can this be the past?’

The date proved the era he was in, there was no doubt about it now that he really paid attention to the small details. But it still didn’t explain how he’d wound up twenty-five years into the past. Loqi wasn’t even sure how he was existing at that point, not being old enough to have been born at that time - a couple of years shy of his birth. He guessed he must have been dreaming. There wasn’t much else to explain it, unless he’d developed some kind of time travelling ability. The former seemed much more realistic, if he had to be honest.

Unable to ponder it for much longer, chatter began to build up around him, groups of people gathering as they moved to the side. Following their lead, he waited among the citizens along the street, wondering what’d gotten everyone’s attention. Tiptoeing to see over the shoulders of taller men and women - cursing himself and his height - Loqi finally saw what was causing all the sudden commotion. It was their Lucian King.

The man was accompanied by four others of varying age. Loqi discerned quickly that one of them must’ve been the King’s shield. The remaining three he didn’t recognise, at least at first. The youngest looking there beared a resemblance to someone the Niff was sure he knew. His face seemed both familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. Following the group out of intrigue, staying hidden behind the thin wall of people lining the street, Loqi did his best attempt at eavesdropping on them, finding it difficult to hear everything over the sound of chatter around him.

“Why so glum, lad? Shouldn’t you be smiling on his occasion?”

“Lighten up, boy.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be drinking? With all respect, I get that it’s the second anniversary of your coronation...”

“Let his Majesty do what he pleases. He could use some time to unwind, under supervision, of course.”

“The earlier we start, the more time we have to enjoy ourselves. Wouldn’t you agree, Cor?”

‘Cor... Is that...is that really Cor?’ Loqi pushed his way through the small crowd to get an even better look.

Armed with that new information, he could totally see the resemblance. It was certainly the man he beared a grudge against, albeit much younger...twenty-five years younger. For reasons unbeknownst to him - or, rather, reasons he didn’t immediately accept - the Niff found his cheeks warming up with just a hint of a blush, biting his bottom lip in thought as he followed the group, his mind falling into an auto-pilot state.

‘Holy Astrals. He’s hot.’ His thoughts reeled off of their own accord. ‘You were a real looker back in the day.’

He’d never actively gazed upon the man in that manner before, his contempt for him cluttering all other thought and reason. Thinking on it, now that his eyes had been opened in a new and enlightening way, Loqi supposed the Marshal was an attractive man, even at the forty-five years of age he knew him as. Continuing to follow the five, he found himself inside a cozy, tucked away bar, one that he probably would have missed unless he was actively looking for it. Trailing behind them and not wanting to look like he was stalking the group, it appeared that the King and his retinue were known regulars among the establishment.

Making his way to the opposite end of the bar, still keeping Cor within sight, Loqi watched the five converse merrily with one another, watching them throw back a round of shots as he ordered his own drink. If he was going to wind up in a bar, he thought it rude to at least not have one drink to pass the time. Now with his attention solely placed on Cor, his earlier worries seemed to float away. No longer did he care how or why he'd managed to end up twenty-five years in the past.

As time passed, Loqi’s undivided attention continued to be set wholly upon the man he called his enemy, his nemesis. Seeing Cor so young, so normal, so carefree, was what kept the Niff from leaving. Not to mention obvious attraction to the man that simmered away inside him. Having zoned out three drinks later, still observing Cor, Loqi followed the man’s movements as he broke away from the group. It wasn’t until he was halfway over that Loqi realised he was heading straight for him.

Trying not to pay too much attention to the way that Cor slid in beside him, he jumped a little in surprise as the man spoke up.

“Not very subtle are you? You that interested in me?”

“Uh... What?” He tried to play dumb, figuring he must’ve noticed him staring. Seeing him up close only served to make the Niff feel things he knew were probably wrong. Although he hated - loathed - the man, he couldn’t shake the attraction.

“You've had your eyes on me since I got here.” Cor explained with an amused lilt to his voice, looking him up and down. “You new? I don't think I've seen you around before.”

At the mercy of the man’s gaze, Loqi played it cool, or at least as ‘cool’ as he possibly could. “I guess you could say that.”

“Since you are,” Cor leaned against the bar, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. “Let me show you around.”

Before he knew it, Loqi was trailing behind Cor, leaving the bar and heading out into the unknown with his enemy. He didn’t know why he even agreed to Cor’s offer. He should’ve been figuring out a way to rectify the situation he found himself in, not wandering the streets of Insomnia with someone he really wanted dead. Loqi had not the faintest clue where the man was taking him, blindly following him without a question; he supposed he should have asked him, but the silence between them was too much for him to break. It wasn’t like he knew what to say to him anyway, opting to just stay quiet and see where things led. His curiousness almost got the best of him, holding himself back from uttering a word when Cor took him up to an apartment block. Thinking he’d likely headed back home for something he’d forgotten, Loqi’s assumptions were swiftly changed as he was invited in.

Pushed up against the nearest wall, thinking he was under attack, what Cor did certainly changed the Niff’s definition of ‘attack’. With lips kissing and nipping along his neck, a firm grip pinning him to the wall by his waist, all Loqi could do was let out a gasp, thoroughly not expecting such behaviour. At no point did he even consider what Cor’s motivations truly were when he’d approached him. In the short time he had to think, Loqi knew he should’ve seen it coming a mile off. There was no way that someone would offer to show a total stranger around a city, not with the kind of smirk that he’d been given. Wanting to slap himself upside his own head for his stupidness, the Niff couldn’t spare a moment for such a thought.

“C-Cor!” He choked, fingers grabbing at the younger man’s back as teeth bit into his skin harshly - much more so than he was expecting.

Pulling away in surprise, looking at the blond with a suddenly serious gaze, a hand slipped to Loqi’s jaw, holding him there with just enough force to threaten him with.

“How do you know my name?” Cor’s grip tightened, ready to strike should things suddenly turn south.

“I-I uh...I...” Loqi knew he’d fucked up royally. He shouldn’t have known Cor’s name at all, for he was supposed to be just a stranger, never having met the man in any way, shape, or form. “I just...I’ve heard about you. Heard stories of your...’supposed immortality’.”

Having seemingly bought his lie, at least for now, Loqi almost breathed a sigh of relief if it wasn’t for Cor’s lips brushing against his. The kiss was fleeting, barely anything at all, yet promised of so much more.

“Fighting isn’t the only thing I’m good at.” Cor’s voice dropped low, sending a chill along Loqi’s spine. “Say my name again.” He commanded, thumb skimming over the blond’s bottom lip. “Sounds so beautiful coming from your mouth.”

“Cor...” Loqi breathed out, obeying immediately, his eyes flitting down the younger’s own lips.

“Good. That’s good.” He smiled at the submissiveness. “Since you already know my name, how about you tell me yours?” Again he leaned in, a hair’s breadth away from kissing the Niff, keeping him wanting and waiting.

“L-Loqi. Loqi.” Answering without hesitation once more, his answer appeared to please him.

“Well, Loqi, since we’re properly acquainted...how about we skip the formalities, hm?”

Loqi was more than okay with that option. Far more so than he really should’ve been. He didn’t wish to think about it. He only wanted to feel - feel what Cor was so explicitly suggesting. Saying no was what he should have said, but Loqi couldn't find it in himself to stop him. And why should he, he thought. It wasn't like Cor even knew who he really was. For all intents and purposes they were just two strangers hooking up for casual sex; it wasn't all that uncommon.

Making it to the bedroom - just bearly - mind swimming with desire, the Niff couldn't wrap his head around the sheer confidence that Cor exuded. The man he knew him as didn't share that same wanton abandon, at least not that he could tell.  Perhaps he grew out of it for one reason or another, Loqi pondered.

“You're not a virgin, are you?”

The sudden question between heated kisses caught Loqi off guard. Pinned down under the younger man, he shook his head, wondering where the question had stemmed from. He most certainly wasn't a virgin, by any stretch of the imagination. He'd dated since he was seventeen, had a number of lovers, including one night stands. Loqi wasn't particularly choosy when it came to wanting a good fuck. If someone caught his eye, he pursued them.

“I didn’t think so.” Cor sat back to pull off his shirt. “I’d be surprised if you were, with a face like that.”

The compliment never had a chance to sink in, with Loqi focusing solely on the physique on show in front of him. Following suit, taking off his own shirt, his own confidence levels began to dwindle. Where Cor was all lean muscle and broad shoulders, the Niff was lithe softness built upon a slighter frame. But it didn't seem to matter to Cor, as he immediately reached out to run his hands up the blond’s stomach to his chest.

“Pretty all over.” He commented, fingers brushing gently over dusky pink nipples.

“Pretty?” Loqi stared. “Not exactly a fitting word for a man.”

“Maybe, maybe not. I'm only speaking what my eyes see.”

Rolling his eyes, the Niff let out a small huff of frustration. “You going to keep sweet talking me, or fuck me?”

“You changed your attitude fast, what happened to that submissiveness?” Cor laughed, a smirk plastering itself on his face.

“I don't like being kept waiting.” Throwing him back a smirk of his own, Loqi tested the waters for a reaction.

“So that's how you want it, huh?” Cor raised an eyebrow. “Fine by me.”

Reaching back down to pull at the blond’s pants, Cor silently signalled he wanted them off. Doing as wanted, Loqi wasted no time in getting himself naked for Cor’s benefit, watching him do the same while he grabbed lube and a condom from the bedside drawer.

“Turn over.” The younger instructed, whistling at the fine sight he was met with. “Fuck. You have a fantastic ass.” He squeezed the pert flesh under his palms.

About to retort with a smug reply, Loqi was silenced as Cor started to push into him without warning. Grabbing at the sheets under him, he rode out the discomfort until Cor was fully settled inside.

“Gods, you're thick.”

“I'm glad you noticed.” Cor breathed against the back of Loqi’s neck, biting at the skin.

Every inch was felt with each roll of his hips, the pace steadily building. Loqi let him know without hesitation when the pleasure outweighed the pain - begging for more. Harder. Faster. He wouldn’t let him have all the fun. They both needed to get something out of it, after all, and Cor didn’t seem like the type of guy to leave things unfinished.

“Yes, yes- don’t- don’t stop. Don’t stop. Please. Cor.”

Cor had no intention of slowing down, not if he could keep Loqi crying out the way he was. There was something so delightful in the way he spoke his name, keening for more with every fervent gasp that tumbled from his lips.

For a man that he supposedly hated, Loqi had to hand it to Cor, receiving one of the best fucks he’d had in a long time. It was clear that he knew what he was doing, his stamina being definitely something that other partners had lacked. Loqi could bearly see any end to his pace. Not that he was complaining, of course. Each well-aimed snap of his hips, each growl that rumbled from Cor’s throat, only provided more means for Loqi to want him to continue. But it couldn’t last forever, no matter how much he wanted it to.

“Keep...going. So close- so close, I can’t, I’m-” A sharp gasp broke off his warning, eyes widening with the force of Cor’s thrusts.

Slowing the speed to just a few amazingly placed thrusts, Cor forced a string of choked moans from the blond, sending him into a frenzied euphoria. He could both feel and see him tense up, trembling, gripping at the sheets so tightly, unable to control the reaction. That was what Cor loved to see. With his side of the job done, he could focus on his own pleasure, driving himself forward a handful of times more until his peak was reached. Grabbing onto Loqi’s hips with a grip strong enough to leave a mark, his own ecstasy had him seeing stars for a brief moment. Falling forward, fatigue now catching up with him fast, Cor rested his head against the blond’s back, the breath of his pants ghosting over warm, clammy skin.

Neither of them said a word - Loqi unable to as his dizzied mind slowly gained its bearings again. Unsure of how long they remained in silence, Cor wondered if Loqi had fallen asleep; he hadn’t moved much, his breaths evening out into a sleep-like state. Moving away from him, he spoke up anyway, regardless of if he could hear him or not.

“I’m gonna go shower.”

“Mmm hm.” Came Loqi’s wordless reply, sighing languidly into the pillow.

He couldn’t have really give two craps about what Cor was doing, if he were honest. All he wanted to do was bask in the light buzz that thrummed throughout his body, not finding the energy to even bother to move. With the sound of running water drifting in from the other room, its monotony lulled him quickly to sleep, the echo of a dog barking in the distance doing nothing to faze him right away.

Awaking some unknown time later, the sound of birds pulled him from his slumber. Recognising his surroundings, seeing that he wasn’t on Cor’s bed any longer, Loqi jumped to his feet, staring around with a look of complete bewilderment on his face. Searching around his immediate vicinity for the black dog that he’d been petting, there was hide nor hair of the animal to be found. Checking his back pocket he found his phone again, exactly where he’d left it. The money he had on him was just as it should be, too. He was sure he was back in the present time, if his location was indeed correct - just outside the base.

“What in the...” Was all he could muster. “Did I...pass out?”

It was too vivid to have been a dream, he insisted to himself. But there wasn’t much other explanation for it. Loqi couldn’t see any way he could’ve feasibly been dropped back into the past, slept with Cor, and wound up back where he last was.

Either way, dream or no dream, Loqi had new things to worry about; namely consisting of how the heck he was going to face Cor again after what’d happened...or hadn’t happened.