#kari says too many holes

[karimac]

After seeing the new Deadpool & Wolverine trailer...

Yes, my OC is going to be busy once Deadpool and Wolverine hits. Until then, a bit of a tale that may or may not work into what is to come!

No explicit warnings on this one except for language. I still say 18+ because this is Wolverine and Deadpool and it could lead into who knows what down the road.

Word count: Approx. 1,500

"Kari, what the hell is that?" Dev asked as she looked up overhead at the glowing portal that hovered about one thousand feet above the entrance to your bakery, Cutie Pie Tutti. "Is Wong taking a weird way back to the Sanctum? Or is this some a-hole trying to invade New York again?"

"That would be a hard no on Wong," you replied as you felt a flood of emotions and pain hit you as you watched two men plummet from the opening in the sky above. "And this next part isn't going to be pretty. For them or for me."

((Why the fuck am I doing this? Kari, if you're here, I can't stop)) a voice said in your mind as the feelings started to get stronger and much more melancholy. His voice was washed in whiskey and regret, and you saw your face bathed in fire in flashbacks, so you knew this would not be good.

You unfurled your raven-like wings and started to make a beeline for the portal before the two souls that leaped out of it hit the ground or, worse yet, some bystander down below. "Merlin, I guess you were right, but maybe for the wrong reasons," you sighed as you moved faster to get to that damned portal. An idiot must have cast it, and these two likely had no idea if they were jumping into a pool party or a war zone. "Hey! You two need an assist? Don't struggle, and I'll guide you to the ground," you shouted as you mentally reached out to see if they were actually in trouble or just trying a new tactic to invade this dimension. Just because one of them knew you doesn't mean they were on the side of the angels.

A bit of judiciously applied TK helped bring the two men to the ground without incident. A few people gave you funny looks until a kid started yelling about The Avengers, and everyone just sort of dispersed after that.

Sometimes what you called "muscle memory" kicked in as the life of one of your shards came crashing into yours. More than one of your parts had called James Howlett your husband, lover or friend. You weren't sure which this one was just yet. But here he was. Wolverine. And...Deadpool? You knew him, too, in another world where he was the begrudgingly-named bestie of Nathan Summers. This was going to be an experience like no other. How many times had you actually thought that recently? Too many to count.

"Let's fucking...hot smoking chimichangas! No fucking way!" the guy in the red and black uniform said as his companion just stopped and stared. Yes, this loon was indeed Wade Wilson. "I know that isn't the usual redhead you have wet dreams about, Peanut. She is decidedly down one husband in a blue body condom with a visor glued to his head."

"Shut up, Wade," the yellow and blue clad warrior mumbled as he stepped forward. "She told me every world had a Kari in it. Damned near close anyway. You heard me? The buzz kicked in. Feels...good."

"That I did," you said under your breath as you quickly scanned both men to see if they needed healing beyond their own unique abilities. "Even if the echo is through time and space, if you were a part of my life anywhere, then I can hear you. You're going to need about a million beers and barrels of whiskey before it will make any sense."

"Red, I don't give a shit," Logan said as he walked over, keeping his gaze on you the whole time. "And you saw...the end? Her end. I mean."

"You and I can talk about that over a bottle of whiskey when you are good and ready. And if you never are? We still have the whiskey."

"And this is where she says she has a boyfriend," Deadpool said as he seemed to be talking to someone neither you nor Logan could see.

"Me and Red...had an understanding. Friends. We were both too hung up to get past that. Most of the time it was OK, but at the end..."

"It wasn't. I get it, James," you whispered as you put your hand on Wolverine's shoulder. "Now, I need to get you off the streets before some bureaucratic knucklehead rolls up and tries to figure out what's going on for themselves. Always a bad idea. When did you guys last eat? We can go to my place. And before you get all weird, Wade, I own a bakery-cafe. It's what keeps me sane. Sometimes. If I'm lucky."

"Hey, who's Tinkerbell?" Logan asked as Dev came roaring down the street on a motorcycle she had borrowed from one of your employees.

"Cute, but introductions later. Press was covering the portal pop up," Dev said as she flashed her phone to show NY1's anchors delivering the play-by-play of the portal rescue. "I called Wong. And Bruce. And Sam. I am not telling Bucky one of your other significant others popped in to say hello."

"Bucky? The Wisconsin Mascot Fuck'em Bucky? Big. Burly. Furry head. Wears a red shirt," Wade chirped as Dev shot him a look. "Well, it begs asking, Gabrielle. Bucky. Of course it’s a guy named Bucky. Bet it really does rhyme with Fu...”

"Do you want to end up in a floating prison in the middle of the Atlantic? No? Good," you grumbled as Dev shook her head and groaned under her breath. "And I know, Dev. Everybody needs to know, but not like this..."

You gave a half smile to Logan as you blinked for a moment. It felt nice to share a psionic rapport again with someone. You would not go digging in his mind, and you put barriers around most of what you needed to keep private before you got them to the ground. You opened a green portal to your bakery-cafe, but it led to the apartment upstairs. "Here, you two make yourselves at home...shit."

"I never got to tell you Bruce and Sam were visiting Wong at the Sanctum," Dev said as an orange portal closed on the other side of the room. "Oops."

"Oops my fine Irish arse, Devnet!" you growled as you now had to explain who these two spandex-clad gentlemen were and why they were here. "No, this is not happening today. Period."

"A little late for that," Bruce said as he looked at the two men standing just behind you.

"Wait, I know you. Wolverine," Sam said as he extended his hand. "I met you before. In that mystical bar Kari's brother had pop up near Grand Central."

"Not me, bub. Must have been my clone," Logan said as he gave you a look of utter bewilderment. "Any beer here, Red?"

"Second shelf of the fridge, all Irish labels, but please avoid that large purple bottle. That's a gift for someone," you said as you motioned for everyone to take a seat. "Wong, that portal. It was different. Inter-dimensional. And one question, Logan, did you come looking for me?"

"We were escaping a hellscape with a loony bald telepath in a trenchcoat. Logan's visions of you were not part of it until we almost went splat on landing. Howdy doo, Wade Wilson, the famous..."

"In his own mind," Logan grunted.

"The famous Deadpool! And you three are? I know Gabrielle over there. Where the hell is Xena anyway?"

"Sam Wilson, Captain America," you said as you pointed to your friends. "Wong, Sorceror Supreme, and Dr. Bruce Banner..."

"I get big and green. They call me The Hulk," Bruce said as Devnet sat down near him. "Good to see you again, Dev."

"We need to go to another fun restaurant soon, Bruce. I may need a good stiff drink after this mess. Devnet Casey. Not Gabrielle. Not Tinkerbell."

"So, you know Kari? Like know know Kari? The other one was married to her in another dimension," Sam asked as you looked at Logan and shook your head.

"Guys, can we let these fellas get a rest? Please? I promise we will get this all sorted out...when I'm ready to explain everything. I mean everything. I'll make sure they don't break the timeline or end up in The Raft."

"And what about Bucky? How do you plan to explain this to him?" Sam asked as you grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. OK, it was more like the wail of a banshee, but it was still technically a scream. Even Deadpool jumped as some of the photos on the wall fell. "OK," Sam added, "forget I asked."

"No, just make sure you are free this weekend, barring any world- ending events," you replied as you waved your hand and the photos moved back to their spots on the wall. "Friday to Sunday you will all be my guests in Ireland. Heaven help me, I'm bringing the lot of you home."

Tags: @historygeekfics, @chickensarentcheap, @arrthurpendragon, @darsynia (if anyone wants to be removed, just let me know)

[inkedwolf-archive]

More Character Art

@theruneslayer Challenged me to draw Mac’s ear because he wanted to know what manner of piercings she had. Couldn’t just do the ear, so this is the result.

[yhwhrulz]

Worthy Brief - August 1, 2022

The gates of Hades shall not prevail!

Matthew 16:17-19 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Caesarea Phillipi, where Yeshua (Jesus) revealed himself as Messiah to His disciples, was home to the Temple of Pan, a place so demonic that many of the rituals performed there are too horrible to mention in a daily devotion.

The city sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, which was known as the ‘Rock of the Gods’, referring to the many shrines built against it. At the foot of Mount Hermon sat the temple of Pan, the ruins of which can still be seen there. In the rear of the temple was a cave with a deep pool (which also remains there) from which spring water flowed. Ancient Pagans believed that the water symbolized the abyss, and that the cave was a door to the underworld. The cave at the rear of the temple was considered the ‘Gate of Hades’ because it was believed that Baal would enter and leave the underworld through it. God only knows what kind of spiritual activity passed through this realm of darkness.

It was here, in the most demonic place in Israel, that Yeshua chose to reveal, through Peter's spirit inspired proclamation, that He was Messiah, the Son of God. And it was in this place of repugnant darkness and spiritual degeneracy that the Lord announced His intention to build His "Church" (or "congregation"). And it was in this " Hell hole" that He gave us the assurance, "The Gates of Hell will NOT prevail against it."

We are planted where evil dwells, to proclaim and represent the Lord of Light. And we seem to be witnessing an advance of evil in this world that is unprecedented, and is becoming a "flood" reminiscent of the "Days of Noah". How precious and vital are the Lord's words, "The Gates of Hell will NOT prevail…" Believing those words, we will stand, every day, and we will overcome the power of Satan, by faith, especially as we continue to pray as He taught us, "Deliver us from evil." Not in our own strength or power – but in the power of God given to all His children through His Son!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Knoxville, Tennessee

Be sure to listen to Baht Rivka's version of Kari Jobe's song "The Blessing" in Hebrew and English. https://youtu.be/y016QvNVgeQ

We are planning our Fall Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.

Editor's Note: Download the Worthy Ministries App for your phone! Download from Apple App Store (for Iphones) | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/worthy-news/id1618795144 or download our Android version. | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.worthynews.app162730

[musette22]

please dont start villainaizing kari. she actually gets Bucky whatever stucky shippers like it or not (and I'm saying this as one who ships them too and whom follow majority stucky shippers in my accounts)

I'm just now realizing that maybe I sounded rude about my kari ask, i dont know but to be honest minnie. she gets Bucky. she does. compared to malcolm spellman? yes, she's a great one. of all the bad takes malcolm has said people chose the words of a woman to criticize, that's why I feel in some type of way towards stucky shippers right now... especially when they really haven't kept up with everything around tfatws. she's great... (2/2)

It’s okay, love, no offense taken! But please understand that me criticizing this take/this part of the show is not me villainizing Kari. It’s saying I don’t agree with her on this, and I think what she said was harmful. If one of my friends or other loved ones in real life said something I really didn’t agree with and that I thought was harmful, I would also say that. Doesn’t mean I think they’re a bad person or that I’m going to judge or condemn everything they do for the rest of their lives. 

But yeah, if I see someone saying something that I personally believe is this wrong, then I feel compelled to express that opinion. Based on what I’ve seen and read and heard about the way they handled Bucky’s trauma on the show, I don’t agree with Kari’s take on Bucky. I won’t say she doesn’t “get him” because since Bucky is a fictional character, and one that moreover is a conglomeration of many different sources and writers and media, it’s almost impossible to say which interpretation is the “right” one. But I can say that I don’t agree with how the show dealt with Bucky’s trauma, and that they’re doing something with his character that I really do not like.

Kari didn’t create the character of Bucky, or write the storyline where he was kidnapped and mutilated and tortured: she was hired years later to direct a new story about a character that was created by a bunch of other people. She has her own take on the character, but she is not the ultimate authority on him. No one is, really (not even Sebastian, although he too has always demonstrated what I believe to be a very clear understanding of Bucky’s trauma and the fact that while he felt responsible, in reality, he wasn’t).

As for your comment about people choosing the words of a woman to criticize: I have to say I’ve also seen plenty of criticism directed at Spellman, such as yesterday when he said that an interviewer was “presumptuous” for inquiring about the logic behind what was essentially a plot hole. The fact that I’m only now speaking up, is because this is the first take I’ve seen that says something I categorically disagree with. I have to be true to myself and my beliefs and morals first and foremost, and on top of that, I have very strong feelings about this character, you know? The fact that you think she’s great (which she probably is overall!) does not have to mean you can’t ever disagree with something she does or says <3 Sometimes great people say dumb things, and if those things are actively harmful to some people (in this case survivors of abuse and sufferers of trauma), I think we should address that, don’t you? 

[13dead-ends]

Chapter Five Bandaids

Chapter Five of Blood Bound

Henry Cavill x Named OC

Summary: When a night out ends with a few scrapes, Henry takes care of Nina.

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: drinking, crowded club, scrapes, blood, pushing, grabbing violently?, (please tell me if I missed something)

A/N: This came from wanting Henry to spoil me and pick out clothes for me. That’s the dream. As always thank you to @hellcaster901 if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have finished this!

Enjoy! :)

“Nina are you busy?” Henry asked. My phone was on speaker on the counter while I was jamming a knife into a pumpkin.

“Uh,” I grunted as I pushed the blade the rest of the way through. “I’m carving a pumpkin, actually. But what’s up?”

“Seriously? September’s not even over yet.”

“This is the first of many.” I loved Halloween. I couldn’t wait to decorate so I wanted to carve a jack o lantern.

“Many?” Henry chuckled.

“I’m just excited.” I carved a hole in the top, pulling the piece out by the stem. “But what did you need?”

“I was wondering if you were busy tonight?” I chewed on my lip. I was really about to throw my evening plans out the window for this man.

“Uh, yeah actually.” I looked for my pen to trace my face onto the pumpkin. “I’m going out with Abbey.” When I told her I liked going out to clubs she immediately planned a night to go.

“Aw, okay.” I pressed my lips together. “I was gonna see if you wanted to come over for a little while.” I sighed. Damn it. Of course the one night I’m actually busy he invites me to his house. I hadn’t been there yet, but he had come here quite a lot.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is there another time I could?” His schedule was erratic at best. On days when I expect to see him I don’t and days I expect not to see him, he shows up out of nowhere. It seemed like the littlest thing effected filming. He sighed.

“Maybe tomorrow night? If I’m not too tired. I was thinking of showing you some video games.” I had told him I liked one video game and he had insisted on showing me some of his own.

“Okay! Just let me know.” I gave up on the pen and picked up my phone. “I’m letting you know now that I won’t be any good.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” I laughed. “Where are you going tonight?”

“I have no idea. Abbey’s picking me up and I’m letting her pick the places.” I leaned on my elbows.

“Well, be safe, okay?” My heart skipped a beat.

“I will.”

“Call me if you need a ride?” I couldn’t help but smile.

“I don’t know if you’re ready for drunk Nina yet, but I’ll keep that in mind.” He chuckled.

“That’s a sight I’d like to see.” I laughed. “I’ll leave you to your pumpkin, have fun tonight.”

“Thanks Henry. I will.” I hung up and went back to carving. I just went with a classic face with pointy teeth and triangle eyes. I set it in my windowsill and smiled. I decided to get ready after that and soon enough I was fixing my hair in the mirror, abbey on the phone with me.

“Okay, I’m here!”

“Great! I’ll just come outside now.” I ran out, the crisp air hitting me as I made it outside. It was really feeling like fall now and next week it would be October. I loved it so much. I got in Abbeys Uber with her and grinned.

“Are you excited?” She grabbed my arm as the driver pulled away from my building.

“Yes! I haven’t been out since I was in LA.” She clapped.

“Yay! You’ll have to bring to the clubs you like in LA.” I nodded.

“You’ll have to meet my friend, Irene.” We spoke the whole way to the first bar. It was a cute pub, cozy and warm.

“Now, I just love this place for its food and it’s a good place to meet up before you really get wasted.” I laughed. “And you better be getting wasted with me. We’ll walk around this area for the most part, and just Uber home.” I thought of calling Henry, but it made my heart beat faster.

“Alright, wasted it is.” She linked our arms and took us to the bar. She ordered me a fruity drink and a shot. We did the shot together and I winced at the hard taste.

“Yes, I love a girl who can take a shot.” Abbey giggled. “James is gonna meet up with us here. Let’s find a table.” We moved through the pub until finding a table for us, with enough room for James.

“I heard Henry didn’t take any new donors.” Abbey wiggled her eyebrows

“Did you?” I couldn’t help the grin spreading on my face.

“Yeah, I was at the lab yesterday and over heard Lila say Henry didn’t take her.” She smiled. “She’s pissed, but will just have to get over it.”

“Didn’t Kari day something about losing two donors because of her though?” Abbey sighed.

“Yeah, but I think you’ll be fine. She barely knows either of you. Is she gonna stalk you or something?” I laughed.

“Fuck, she hated me the second she saw me with Henry. She doesn’t need much to set her off.” I took a big drink. “I hope she doesn’t stalk me.” Abbey rolled her eyes.

“Look if she tries anything let the office know. They’re itching for another reason to fire her.” I huffed.

“Maybe they should just fire her now.” Abbey nodded.

“They should what?” James suddenly sat next to me.

“Get rid of Lila.” James rolled his eyes.

“Yes please.” We chatted for a bit, and I got a nice buzz. Soon Abbey wanted to show me another bar and they dragged me down the street. By the third bar, I was really drunk. I stumbled as James pulled me off the dance floor.

“Where’s Abbey?” I yelled over the music as we reached the bar.

“She’s over here somewhere.” James and I searched the bar a found her at the end. She was already ordering drinks.

“What do you guys want?”

“Water.” I couldn’t drink anymore or I’d be sick. She nodded and we got our drinks.

“So I’m thinking we stay here until they close? And then go home.” James nodded smiling. I smiled too, but my feet hurt and I was too drunk already.

“Guys, I’m gonna go to bathroom okay?” I tried walking properly to the bathroom but the room was spinning a little. I made it into a stall okay and just leaned on the wall, it was too hard to stand on my own right now. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a text from Henry. My drunk brain couldn’t process the words so my fingers hit the call button before I could tell them not too.

“Nina?”

“Henry, hi.” He actually picked up. I grinned into the speaker.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“I’m at some bar, with Abbey.” I accidentally let out a hiccup, and Henry laughed.

“How’s that?”

“Fun, really fun.” I sighed.

“But?”

“I’m tired and she wants to stay out.” I sounded whiny, and I would probably cringe at that later.

“Are you saying you need a ride?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Where am I going?” I heard shuffling on his end.

“Yay,” I mumbled. “I can’t remember the name of the bar but I’ll send you my location.” I stood up straight and lost my balance, hitting my head on the stall. “Ow.” I rubbed my head.

“What was that? Are you okay?”

“I just lost my balance. Let me go find Abbey and tell them you’re coming.”

“Nina, how drunk are you?” I giggled.

“I’m fine. I’m switching to water now. I’ll send my location. Call me when you’re here!”

“Nina, wait-“ I hung up and went out of this bathroom. I sent my location to Henry. Abbey and James weren’t at the bar anymore so I stood on my tip toes to look for them on the dance floor. It was definitely too crowded to see them so I filtered through the people, trying not to stumble as people pushed me around. I suddenly felt a grip on my wrist. I turned around, hoping it was Abbey, but was meet with a guy I didn’t know. I flinched back and tried pulling my arm away.

“Hey do you wanna dance?” He grinned at me, but I had no desire to dance with him.

“No, thanks.” I yelled back and tried walking away but he kept his hand on my arm.

“Oh come on, it’s just dancing.”

“I said no.” He pulled me to him and it was taller than me by a lot and bigger too. “Let me go,” I tried prying his hand off with my other one.

“Don’t be like –“ I was yanked away by hands on my shoulders. I gasped and turned around, his hands no longer on me. Abbey and James looked at me with the same scrunched brow.

“Are you okay?” Abbey looked at my arms. “He was grabbing you and I didn’t think you knew him.” I shook my head.

“I’m fine and no I didn’t know him.” I looked over my shoulder and he was gone. I sighed. “Thank you guys.”

“You’re welcome, Nina.” James rubbed my shoulder.

“Hey, I called someone,” I told them. “ I’m getting a ride home.”

“You don’t wanna stay?”

“My feet are killing me and I can’t drink anymore.” Plus that guy put me off the whole crowded club anyway.

“Okay,” Abbey brought me into a hug. “Thanks for coming. Text me when you get home.”

“Thank you for showing me around. I’ll text you. You both text me okay?” They both nodded and I pushed through the rest of the crowd to the door.

Henry hadn’t gotten there yet when I stepped outside. It was cool and the street lamps casted a warm glow on the street. I leaned on the wall and waited for him. It wasn’t long before I heard the door open again, the music getting louder and going quiet again as it shut. I looked up and saw that stupid guy from inside. I rolled my eyes, but my heart beat got faster. I reached for my phone to call Henry.

“Hey, you’re the girl from inside.” He stopped right in front of me.

“Yeah,” I swallowed.

“Why didn’t you want to dance?” He raised his eyebrow.

“I was leaving, obviously.” I gestured to the sidewalk.

“It was just one dance.” He stepped closer.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of girls in there who wants to dance with you.” I mumbled.

“But I wanted to dance with you.” He came closer.

“Well, my rides almost here, sorry.” I started to walk off, before he got closer, but he caught my wrist. “Just leave me alone.”

“Stop being a bitch.” He pulled me back, but his hand slipped and I lost my balance completely, falling on my hands and knees, my phone flying out of my hand so I could catch myself. My already fuzzy brain was spinning and so was the concrete beneath me. I barely noticed the car pulling up to the curb beside us. A car door slammed and I dropped my elbows, the spinning was too much.

“You better be gone by the time I help her.” I heard quick footsteps going in the opposite way. “Nina? Are you okay?” It was Henry, thank god.

“I’m dizzy.” I mumbled into my arms.

“Come on, love.” He hooked his arm through mine and lifted me to my feet, grabbing my phone at as he did. “Are you alright?” He turned my chin to look at my face.

“I think so,” I suddenly felt the palms of my hands sting, my knees feeling similar. “My hands,” I lifted them up and saw blood and gravel in them. They were scraped up from the sidewalk.

“What happened? Do I need to find that guy?” I shook my head.

“He tried grabbing me but his hand slipped and I fell.” Henry lead me to the car door, and my knees hurt worse as I walked.

“Why was he putting his hands on you?” He opened the door for me and helped me inside.

“He wanted to dance, but I said no.” I sighed leaning my head back on the seat. Henry even buckled my seat belt before shutting my door. He got in and took no time to get the car on the road.

“Fucking prick.” I nodded. “I’ll just take you to mine. I can clean you up there.” His hands gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles and his jaw clenched and unclenched.

“Thanks for coming to get me.” I leaned my head on the window.

“Of course, Nina.” He sighed. “I don’t like you stumbling around like that alone.”

“I was literally about to call you.” My palms were face up on my thighs, the gravel feeling like little pin pricks. “I just needed to get out of the club for fresh air.” Henry’s grip loosened and his shoulders relaxed.

“It’s okay, I just got worried.” My stomach erupted into butterflies, well more like bats. I smiled. “Did you have fun though?”

“Yes, it was so fun.”

“Are you tired?”

“Yeah, there was a lot of dancing.” He chuckled.

“I’m glad you had fun at least.” My eyes shut for just a second and then I opened them to find I was in Henry’s arms being carried to his house.

“Hey, there she is.” Henry smiled down at me and my heart skipped. I took a breath and patted his shoulder.

“Put me down,” I mumbled, I was too drunk to handle that right now. He set my feet down, but kept his hand on my waist. I leaned on him as he unlocked his door.

“You’ll get to sleep soon okay? I just wanna get bandages on you.” I just nodded and he opened the door. Waiting for us in the doorway was Kal. I smiled.

“Kal! Hi cutie pie.” I couldn’t pet him with my hands so I settled for a kiss on the head. He looked up at me with bright eyes. Henry laughed and patted his head.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Henry lead me to the bathroom, there was only a small kitchen light on so I couldn’t see a lot of the house. The one time I’m at his place and it’s dark.

“I gotta text Abbey and James.” I remembered as we got to the bathroom. He turned the light on and sat me on the toilet.

“Here’s your phone,” He handed me my now cracked phone. “I’m going get the first aid kit and some clothes.” I nodded and sent the Im home text to my friends, I slowly tapped the screen with one finger so I wouldnt have to flex my hand as much. The cuts weren’t very bad, they just hurt. Henry came back, setting a pair of his shorts and a t-shirt on the counter. I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I hope you don’t mind my clothes.” I shook my head. “Get changed, I’ll be back in a minute.” He shut the door and I slowly changed. My knees felt tender as I stepped into the shorts that were too big for me. I pulled the draw string tight and tied it. Then pulled the shirt over my head.

“Can I come in?” I pushed my arms through the sleeves.

“Yeah,” I pulled my hair out of the collar as Henry stepped in. He paused for a second, then set the kit on the counter.

“Sit,” I sat back down and he wet a cloth with warm water. He kneeled in front of me and took my hand gently. He wiped away the blood and gravel from my hand. It stung, but after it was cleaned it looked a lot better than before. “Did you text your friends?”

“Yeah,” he moved to my other hand.

“Good.” I sucked in a breath as he hit a deeper scrape, making it begin to bleed again.

“Does it bother you?” I whispered. He looked up at me.

“No,” he looked back down at my hand. “Your vampire movies have a lot of inaccuracies.”

“I bet vampires made a lot of people embarrassed when they came out.” He chuckled.

“It’s always tempting, of course, but once you get the hang of it you have control. You don’t go crazy when you see a cheeseburger, do you?” He smoothed a square bandage over my entire palm. “Plus by the way your blood smells, if I drank now I’d be as drunk as you.” I busted out laughing.

“Seriously?” He moved onto my knees.

“Well, I think I can hold my liquor better than you, but I do get effected by the alcohol in your system.” I kept giggling.

“That’s crazy, but makes sense.” He cleaned my knees up and put bandages on them. “Thank you.” I smiled at him.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled back. “I’m just pleased with the fact that I know you’re a giggle drunk now.” I covered my mouth to hide more giggles and my face warmed up. “Come on, you need to go to bed.” He grabbed my hand, but not holding it too tightly. He lead me to his bedroom instead of the living room. Kal sat on the corner of the bed.

“Oh I don’t have to sleep in here. The couch –“

“No, I’m not tired. You get the bed.” He pushed me forward. I took a deep breath. I was already in his clothes, now he wants me to sleep in his bed.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, go to bed. I’ll be out here if you need anything.” He rubbed my back. “Goodnight, Nina.”

“Goodnight Henry.” He shut the door as he left and I got into the gray sheets. He had a huge comforter as well. I pulled everything up to my chin and my eyes stayed open. Everything smelled like him and it was overwhelming. An image of Henry climbing into bed with me flooded my brain. I shut my eyes, all the possibilities… I shook my head. God don’t be creepy, you’re in his house. But if he just came into cuddle, that would be nice.

Unfortunately drunk Nina’s fantasy didn’t come true. I woke up to the moon shining on my pillow and the space next to me empty. I let out a big sigh, feeling an ache in my head settle in. My hands and knees had a dull throb as well. I rolled onto my side and jumped back when I saw Kal wagging his tail next to me. He licked my face and I scratched his ears. “Hi buddy.” I saw my phone on the bedside table and checked it. I had only been asleep for a few hours. I looked back at Kal and he looked at me with bright eyes. He walked out eventually and I rolled back onto my back. I felt goosebumps raise on my skin as I realized how cold it felt in here. I pulled the blankets up, but didn’t feel any warmer. I huffed and sat up. I heard sounds of fighting and swords coming from the open door. I wrapped the blanket around me and got up, following the sounds. Henry was playing a video game in the living room. It looked like some sort of fantasy game. I sat down next to him and he looked over at me.

“Can’t sleep?” I shook my head.

“I don’t know why I can’t. Especially since I think I’m still a little buzzed.” He paused his game, chuckling.

“How are your scrapes?” I pulled one hand out of my blanket and looked at it.

“Good I think. Still hurts a little.” He took my hand in his and looked over his handiwork. He brushed his fingers over the bandage and then just barely over my bare fingers. His skin tickled mine. “Thanks for patching me up.” I met his eyes, hoping he knew how much I meant it.

“Of course.” He smiled, tucking my hand back in my blanket and pulling it tighter around me.

“What are you playing?” He told me the premise of the game and what he was trying to do, then started playing again. I was interested in the game, but I just liked watching Henry play it.

I don’t remember falling asleep, but I woke up still on the couch, this time my cheek was smashed against Henry. I lifted my head up, eyes wide. We were both stretched out, but I was on top of him, his arms looped over my back; the blanket over both of us now. He was breathing deeply, eyes shut. He was asleep. I had my head on his chest and one hand too. My other hand was hanging off the couch completely. I couldn’t help but relax. He was very comfy. I shut my eyes, enjoying the cuddle. Then I heard Henry take a big breath. His arms tightened around me for a second, then he moved one to his hair. I looked up at him.

“Nina, you’re awake.” Seeing his eyes so close made me panic and I pushed myself up off him.

“Yeah, uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that.” He cleared his throat, helping me get our legs apart.

“It’s - it’s fine.” He chuckled nervously. I sighed when I was sitting up right. Sun light peaked through the window in front of us. “Good morning.” I held my warm cheeks.

“Good morning, Henry.” I rubbed my eyes. There was a headache creeping up on me now that I wasn’t sleeping with Henry.

“How are you feeling?” He looked over my face.

“Like I’m about to get a headache.” I muttered.

“I guess the buzz is gone, then?” I nodded. “How about I make some breakfast?”

“Yes please.” I grinned up at him as he stood.

“Alright, I’ll be in the kitchen.” I leaned on my elbows, rubbing my face. He was killing me, I swear. I got up and went to the bedroom to find my phone. I went back out to the kitchen to see Henry heating up a pan. I saw a kettle on his stove as well.

“Where’s your tea?” I asked. He turned and pointed to a cabinet.

“Mugs are in the one next to it.” He added. I pulled out two and put bags in. “Did you sleep okay?” I filled the kettle and set it on the stove. I turned it on and sat on the counter next to it, swinging my legs.

“Yeah, I think so.” He looked over at me, smirk on his face. “You might wanna work on your pecks though, they’re feeling a little soft.” He scoffed, pausing his hands.

“Hush, at least I wasn’t snoring all night.” My jaw dropped.

“I wasn’t, was I?” He nodded laughing at me. I smacked his shoulder.

“It’s fine, a lot of people snore.” He continued cooking putting some sausage on the pan, it sizzling instantly.

“No filming today?” I stared at my left knee, a bruise already forming at the edges of the bandage.

“Nope, I get a real weekend for once.” I smiled.

“Good, I’m glad you do.” I hopped down as the kettle started to steam, the whistle hurting my head. “Damn,” I mumbled, pulling it off the stove. I poured our tea and we added in our milk and sugar together, our elbows brushing. I sat down at the table and watched Henry cook. We talked a little bit but it was a quiet morning. I was too tired to do much else.

“Do you have any plans today?” Henry asked me as he set a full plate of food in front of me.

“Not really. I was pretty much planning on being hungover so I didn’t make any plans.”

“Do you want to come run some errands with me?” I smiled at him.

“Sure, I probably need to go home to get clothes, though.” I was still in his t-shirt. The collar was lopsided so my collar bone was showing, his shorts had been falling down all morning.

“That’s fine. We’ll stop on the way.” We finished eating and I sadly changed back into my clothes from last night. He drove us to my place, and I had to quickly get ready. I got dressed in my room while Henry waited outside. I looked in the mirror and my hair was a mess and I did look a little hungover. I huffed, I looked like this all morning? I adjusted the flannel I put on and threw my hair up. I went to my bathroom and washed my face quickly and that helped a little.

“You ready, dear?” My knees wobbled at the nickname. I leaned on the counter.

“Almost.” I checked my face one more time in the mirror and walked out. Henry stood in my living room looking at my pumpkin still in the windowsill.

“I like it.” He tapped the pumpkin.

“Thanks!” I grinned. “Shall we?” He nodded and we walked back out to his car. “Where are we going?”

“I just need to get a few things at some shops.” I nodded. Maybe I could look for a few things, I hadn’t been shopping in a while. I wasn’t paying attention to where we were going, Henry’s hand had made its way in my knee during the ride and I didn’t want to miss a second of that. As we stopped I looked out the window. It was large street, shops and stores up and down it. He turned the engine off and we got out. I stepped onto the side walk next to him.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we began walking.

“I need some new shoes, and I ordered some parts for my PC.” He explained where some of the stores were. “But I figured you’d want to do some shopping as well.”

“Sure!” I let him lead me down the sidewalk, our arm brushing every now and then.

It wasn’t long before I slowed in front of a shop, seeing a cute pair of boots in the window. “Go on inside, I need in thing in the shop over. I’ll meet you in there.” He nudged me to the door and walked off. I shrugged and went in, a bell jingling overhead. I wanted to find the shoes, but got distracted by some sweaters and then jeans. Let’s just say it took me longer to get to the shoes than normal. When Henry came back I was slipping a pair in my size on. He had a small bag from wherever he went.

“I like those.” He smiled at me. I stood from the bench, the boots had a bit of height and I didn’t have to tilt my head back as far to look at Henry as I stood in front of him.

“Me too.” I rocked in them and then took a few steps along the shelf. I saw myself in a mirror and they looked good. “I’m gonna get them.” I grinned. I sat back down and slipped them off.

“I’ll get them.” Henry placed them back in the box for me. I put my shoes back on.

“Oh you don’t have to.”

“I said I wanted to buy you things.” He looked at me as he shut the box.

“But you paid me, so technically I’m buying them with your money.” It was sweet, but I always felt weird about taking other peoples money. He shook his head.

“You did sign a contract.” His eyebrow raised and he took the box to the registers. “Was there anything else you wanted?” I shook my head and followed him. He paid, the mention of the contract made me feel less weird, but it still was. He really wanted me to shop around, though. He took me inside a clothes shop and I ended up getting a fitting room try things on. I picked a few things out and tried them on inside the stall.

I wore a pair of jeans and a cute sweater, just a little too big. I wanted a different size in the jeans though, I opened the door and peaked out to see if I could ask that employee to grab me another pair, but instead I saw a few tops and a dress hanging on the hook by my door. I furrowed my brow, I didn’t put those there. The dress was cute though. I turned it around to see more of it. The girl in the uniform came around and I called her over.

“Did you put these here?” I asked, forgetting about the jeans.

“No, your friend did.” I looked over her shoulder to see Henry leaning against the wall outside the fitting rooms, back to me.

“Oh thank you.” She took some things I didn’t want for me and I replaced them with what Henry choose. Somehow the dress fit perfectly. It hung off my hips at just the right angle and showed off just enough cleavage. I blushed at myself in the mirror. He picked this for me. I grinned. I slowly stepped out and cleared my throat. He turned around and smiled. Eyes dragging up my body.

“I knew you’d look good in that.” He smirked. “Do you like it?”

“I do.” I turned around once. “Nice choice.” I winked at him and stepped back inside. I tried a few more things on, showing him everything after the dress. He got me the dress, and pretty much anything I showed interest in. I couldn’t handle much more than that but we looked around a bit more, he got his things. Then he took me back home. Giving me a kiss on the cheek before he left.

—————

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[alovevigilante]

George Carlin: Trix, are for kids.

Kari: Well, Mikey likes it.

George: That’s life. My point exactly.

Kari: What is this in reference to exactly?

George: Cereal.

Kari: why are we discussing cereal? I was politely drinking my coffee, and keeping to myself...

George: you forget, you think ass thoughts, so I’m here, to interrupt your negative flow.

Kari: what was I thinking about?

George: ass.

Kari: I was?! I didn’t even realize I was entertaining that.

George: Kari, you’ve been entertaining ass all this time and you don’t even know it...

Kari: I do? Is it amused?

George: very.

Kari: well then, I guess that’s good?

George: are you happy right now?

Kari: not particularly.

George: then it’s not good.

Kari: right. So, you’re saying that you interrupted my flow, with cereal. Why?

George: couple of reasons: 1. It’s breakfast time, and I’m hungry.

Kari: I’m not.

George: yeah, i noticed.

Kari: ok, well, what’s the second reason?

George: you don’t even realize it, do you?

Kari: probably not. What is it?

George: you are now, alone, and talking to yourself. And I’m not ok with it.

Kari: why not?

George: cause you have a friend waiting to invest in you, and you’re ignoring him.

Kari: I am?!

George: yes.

Kari: ok, who is it?

George: your son. He wants you to talk to him about silly shit. And you are sitting here, wallowing in your old energy of career woes.

Kari: I was?! I’m talking to him!

George: yes, but not fully. So, go give your full attention to him! Watch his Cookie Monster make shit in his food truck even though he’s a monster, and he lives on a street with weird animals that talk, and people who don’t think that’s at all unusual.

Kari: I’ve always wanted to live there too..

George: I know. You’re weird too.

Kari: yeah. So I’ve been told and thought of that way...

George: besides, you’re entirely too filthy to live there because of your ass talk.

Kari: maybe I could live with Oscar... He’s pretty filthy too.

George: no, he already lives with Chong. Besides, Frank oz has banned you from there for life because of your nut bag naughty talk.

Kari: oh... ok. Well, dreams are not all they’re cracked up to be sometimes anyway, I guess.

George: your dreams aren’t you. You create them. Do you think you’d really be happy living on Sesame Street?

Kari: no, I’m pretty ok not doing that.

George: right. So, be cool where you are, and then once that happens, you can move on up to the east side. But before you do that, you have to be cool, with you.

Kari: oh shit. I’m never going to be the Jeffersons, ok?! I’m going to be working on this forever.... I feel like I’ll never get there.

George: well, you won’t if you sit on the internet writing about how you won’t, and avoiding engaging in your present moment which is where you are physically right now in your three dimensional reality.

Karl: good point.

George: it’s why I’m here.

Kari: ok, well, bye for now, I guess.

George; I’m coming with you. There’s nothing going on on here without you. I’m done with the sifting through sexy illustrations to entertain the few who dig them.

Belushi, John: I’m not!

George: yes, we are.

Kari: ok, well, let’s go.

John: noooooooooooooooooo....

George: yes.

Kari: I’m tired.

George: Leave us here then.

John Belushi: yes!!!

Kari: ok, cool. See ya whenever.

Richard Pryor: (to George) listen, she is my pal, ok? I’m not cool with her leaving us here to be ourselves on the internet. I’m not ok with that. Ok?! So no. And I’m mad. And I’m sad. And I’m not going to take it anymore. And I’m going to hold my breath and turn pink and beige and purple and cry and scream and joke and get my dick caught in my fly, and pee on my radio I walk around with, and discuss taboo subjects that most women wouldn’t go near with a ten foot dick asshole combo pole, cause she and I are cool, ok? So leave it be, George!

George: ok, Richie.That’s the reason why she’s upset. This energy she’s writing, is us man, ok? It’s not her. That’s the reason why she’s yelling every five minutes about famous people that she has a slight, marginal interest in.

Kari: that’s actually not true.

George: then why are you yelling?

Kari: ok, well, a few reasons. 1. I’m Italian, so it goes without stereotypical saying, 2. I’m mad, because you guys won’t shut it, and mainly 3. Because these are the NUT BAG MOTHBALLS that made me want to go into the entertainment field to begin with.

George: why does that make you mad and yell?

Kari: because I need a job, and I’m now the laughing stock of Hollywood because of my ass writing! And now, I feel the need to go back to school, to make myself into something I’m not, to get paid in a job that I’m not qualified for, ok?! No. It’s not ok. I’m not ok with it!!! I’m pissed that I decided to chase a dream that didn’t pan out, and didn’t fulfill me, because I found out too late, that I didn’t invest fully, in believing in myself. I listened to what everyone else thought about me, and I swallowed it. I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere, because I felt like I wasn’t accepted or liked. And that completely fucked me up. I’m still like that. And instead of caring about myself, and supporting myself internally, I changed my career, and spent our nest egg on being a designer for an exhibit that I couldn’t pull off for various reasons with help from my husband and a handful of others, trying to prove myself to people and the world at large that I was worth investing in, and that they themselves, were also worth investing in. I just have nothing to go back to... Sigh... It’s a longer story than war or peace...

Belushi, John: or this story you’re telling now...

Kari: Belushi, I’m not in the mood. I will string you up by your grubby lil toes and wave your ass all around Chicagoland because I don’t leave my city often, and display you in the next thanksgiving day parade here, on state street, next to the second bozo which isn’t too shabby but he’s no bob bell which he literally isn’t, and svengoolie, who should be in the parade, but isn’t! Ok?! So start with me again, poop bucket! I’m not in the mood to scoop your shit today, ok?! Yeahhh! And now on top of all that, I have to tend to you cause you’re a pain in my ass, I have to go back to school which I don’t have the dough or energy to do, I’m going to be over 50 before I can have enough credits and credentials so I can prove to society that I’m qualified to be a professional something or other, and I’ll be in the hole another hundred grand at least, and no, autocorrect, I’m not bitter, I’m sad, and lost, and aggravated, and done with all of this.

Belushi, John: pft... women...

Kari: I’ll give you women, ok? You take away the w in women and that’s what you’re gonna get from me in about 5 milliseconds ok? The Omen! Ok?! And not just because I have my lady time, ok?!!? Just start running now.. run for the Hollywood hills...

Belushi John: ha! The jokes on her, she’ll never go there...

Kari: I will go just to pin you up by your asscheeks, and go to verbally pummel the douche that made the “Jeff” meme go viral. But, my neighbor’s name is also Jeff. Do check out HIS good shit, cause he’s an amazing guitarist... just sayin... so shut your pie ass flap mouth butt jerk fach John Belushi head!

Belushi, John: No! Now wait a minute! Wait just a cotton pickin John candy corn minute...

John candy; No.

George: see Richie?! That’s why we can’t do this anymore... This shit is out of control.

Richard: ok, Kari, I get all of this, ok? I really do. Listen, we all got a good thing going here, ok? You’re like a man that looks like a woman, and you’re fun, and we can say our shit, and talk about the shit, and be the best of us without getting bashed by the critics, and no one gives a shit, ok?

Kari: But they do give a shit!!!

Richard: but do you?

Kari: I guess I do....

George: yeah, that’s what we’ve been working on thinking ourselves out of. Where have you been, Richie?!

Rick James: cocaine is a hell of a drug...

Richard: So let’s stay here and be cool, Kari, ok?! You’re as honest as fuck, ok? And that’s really honest. And we can work it out together, ok? And you won’t talk shit about bill Murray anymore cause Harold Ramis decided that he’s no fun anymore anyway.

Harold ramis: it’s true. Bill Murray is no fun anymore anyway.

(George turns back to Kari.)

George: Kari?

Kari: right. Scene.

George: no! Kari. You! Just fucking finally be ok, with you! You are also, this, in a way. And you know it. You’ve just never been brave enough to trust it, or let anyone see it! So bring it back around.

Kari: how the hell can I do that?! This shit went all over creation, ok?! I don’t know how to bring it back! We went from negative subconscious thoughts to not spending time with my son who’s taking to me about Cookie Monster and Swedish pancakes or something cause I’m half listening and not present writing you goofballs, to living with Oscar and Chong in oscars garbage can on Sesame Street, and then Richard wants to stay and yell about his sore dick without people being pissed about it, and Belushi, John wants to weed though dirty pics for the rest of my life....

John: I do, I really do...

Jackie mason: and Richard screams like a kid, that’s turns all shades of colors cause he’s pitching a fit, and she is a visibly labeled a white woman even though she doesn’t define or identify herself like that, but people don’t know where she’s coming from, so they potentially think she’s a racist and a lunatic cause they’ve never met her before, and she’s talking more shit than Steve Martin did as Navin r. Johnson in the jerk, and everyone accepted that shit, and she’s also talking like dead and live celebrities! They don’t know her from shit, or shineola, and yet they avoid her like she is shit, because of all of this! And Harold ramis called bill Murray a sad sack of potatoes the other day, and her only 2 points of reference to zets him are ghostbusters and meatballs! And she’s sick of it! Ok?! I’m done too! We all are! How many times can she talk about meatballs the movie in her life?! There’s a limit! And if there isn’t, there should be! And I’m even done with the meatballs, ok?! And that’s saying something! It is!!!! Cause I’m not Italian, but I normally love meatballs! And people are like, “why the hell is she talking about that movie meatballs? It’s 700 years old!” And moreover, most people are like, “what the hell is she talking about cause I’ve never even heard of the movie meatballs ever!!!” Ok?! So no! No to all of this!!!! And you don’t need an optigrab to see THAT! (Put the emphasis on the single syllable, THAT! Please read this stage direction out loud. Didn’t? Go back to the beginning of this scene, and do it all over again. Thank you- the management... read this part too... out loud. Yes.) oy. She’s a real nus pilke!

Kari: How the hell do I put a button on this nut ball scene?!

George: Kari, it’s breakfast time. Ok? So go eat.

Kari: righto.

Arthur Spooner: you owe the king of queens 7 zillion dollars and ten cents for the use of the word, “righto” as residual payment for quotes.

Kari: put it on my tab.

Steve Martin: ahhhhh yessss... your TAB.... (Steve paces around in silence for effect) You, mrs. Smartyshortlessbutyouareshortsoyes, owe me, the very abundant Steve Marin, THI-RTY big ones.... yes!!!! Thirty whole CENTS, for the shineola and optigrab reference, NOT to mention but I will because I always do, the use of the word tab, because I, Steve Martin alone, featured it in the jerk the movie, back in 1979, which I can’t remember, because I’ve been too obsessed with blue grasses for the last umpteen years! So yes, mrs. Keillornopantscausetheygowayupyournetherlandsnevertoreturnagain, I’m mad at you, a woman I don’t know about and have never met and don’t want to cause I’m a very busy and important star, yessss, and I hate you, even though all the aforementioned shit, and shineola, which I can say without crediting or paying myself, or I can’t, check said THAT! Not to mention that now I am a big time master class leader teacher, which puts me next in line to be the Pope of comedy not funny, erase it, no, and you are a grammatical mess, with your run on sentences and lack of proper punctuation...

John Cleese and Eric idly watching in agreement: quite.

John Cleese: I also teach a masters class in comedy.

Steve Martin: .... Which means yes to me, and yes to John Cleese, but no, to you, Kari keillor, for your ass talk. And if Carl Reiner was here, he’d say the same thing, only with a wink, and a gotcha!!!! Mr. serious Steve Martin, which I am, cause I forgot who was talking, so stick THAT in your pipe, and smoke it, lady!!!!

Joe Tex: 🥸🎶 He GOTCHA! 🎶

Kari: oh duck....

George: go now, before it gets worse.

Kari: ok, fine! I’ll put a button on this shit myself!!!! Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes are grrrrrrreat!

Tony the Tiger: you owe Kellogg’s 10 cents bitch...

John: man, that tiger is an assss!

George: listen Kari, feeling grrrrreat is a bit too lofty of an energy from where your at right now in this scene to be able to maintain it. Try for a bran cereal. That’s the next best energy for your mood, and it’ll help you to eliminate this shit.

Kari: ok. Plop, plop, fizz fizz oh what a relief it is...

George: close enough.

Scene.

P.S. I do love ALL my ladies of comedy. Yes, all... including the men.

This monologue/scene, is written by me, and for no one but me. I’m pretty sure it will now ensure my demise in the entertainment industry, and most likely go down, as the worst piece of shit, ever written. I will now go, and search the want ads, and forget all about this.... hopefully.

Appendices: I found 2 potential job leads. Fingers crossed 🤞....

[the-digimon-tamer]

Chapter 42 - Unexpected is out now on FanFiction.Net and ArchiveOfOurOwn! Check them out with the links or find it after the break!

Title: The Tamer v2.0 - In HIs Name

Fandom: Digimon

Rating: T

Synopsis: In the next adventure of the Digimon Tamer, the lives of Juri, Rika, and Henry change forever when digimon begin crossing over into the human world. But it’s all just a story, right? Just a book series by an author no one has seen in a long time. Why are they here and can they save their world before something worse follows the digimon?

“How’s our progress coming on the Juggernaut, team?” Yamaki asked, looking up from the machine parts he was helping to put back into place. 

Zhenyu poked his head up from what he was doing and shouted, “Are you seriously asking that question? We’ve barely started and there’s a lot of work to do before we can even think to test if it’s working! This isn’t going to be done quickly.”

“Well, make it happen. Those things want in here and it’ll be a slaughter if that weapons not ready before they do,” Yamaki barked back at the scientist.

As he said that, there was another loud bang outside that shook the building, rattling loose items off desks and onto the floor. One unfortunate engineer had his tool box fall of the table he’d left it and fall on his helmet.

“How long do you think those blast doors will hold?” Dolphin asked nervously. Shibumi answered with his usual informative and completely uninspiring tone, “It doesn’t matter. Right now, every second counts so let’s focus on our task and leave the fighting to our friends outside.”

“Your friends. We have no idea who those things are!” Curly pointed out.

“Those things are our partners! And right now, they’re putting their lives on the line to buy us time! And it’s not just them, our kids are out there,” Izumi’s wife scolded from across the room.

“Not my kid,” Mister Matsuda grunted angrily.

“Let it go. Anger will do us no good right now,” Guardromon mumbled.

“FUCK YOU!” Mister Matsuda made a point of growling while showing the digimon his middle finger.

“Don’t shout at him! He’s just trying to help!” Kazu yelled back.

“Trying to help? Kazu, Takato was your friend! If anyone else in this room is going to get how we feel, it should be you!” Mrs. Matsuda added.

This was getting out of hand and the last thing the team needed was needless bickeringYamaki put two fingers in his mouth and whistled as loud as he could to get their attention, “FOCUS! EVERY SECOND ARGUING IS A SECOND WASTED. AND WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY SECONDS WE HAVE! SO LET’S USE THEM WISELY AND GET BACK TO WORK!”

With that everyone either quietly went back to what they were doing or went off in a corner to stay out of the way. Now it was back to what he was doing - helping repair some of the mechanical parts that were broken. He just hoped the blast shields help up long enough. Every moment that passed, another dent appeared in the metal and the building would shake. He just hoped everything worked.

…

Imperialdramon soared through the air of the Digital World, with Davis and Ken atop his back. They pointed their digivice at every digimon they passed and shouted the same message over and over, “Stay alive. We have a plan.”

The mere sight of them seemed to rally the digimon, mega level fighters who went from faltering on the retreat to pushing forward on the attack. And as they soared through the Digital World, trying to scan as many of the digimon as they could, they eventually caught the attention of a familiar sight - Azulongmon, the sovereign who’d helped them fight off BlackWarGreymon so long ago. The dragon soared alongside them asking, “Digidestined. It’s so good to see you after so long.”

“We wish we could say the same,” Ken answered quietly.

“Yeah, but no worries! Kari’s brother has a plan!” Davis added excitedly. 

“Who?” Azulongmon asked.

Ken sighed, “The Digimon Tamer. I should point out right now that it’s a horrible plan and I’m not entirely sure it’ll work.”

Azulongmon blinked at him, “And what is his plan? We’re hitting this thing with everything we have and nothing is working!”

“Sorry, we don’t have the time to tell you,” Ken answered, pointing his digivice at another digimon digimon they flew past to scan it. Then he pointed it at Azulongmon. The sovereign writhed a bit when the light hit him and his many eyes blinked in a daze, “What was that for? Were you just trying to blind me?”

“It’s part of Tamer’s plan,” Davis explained apologetically, “Sorry we can’t tell you more! Just try to stay alive a little longer! Hold on!”

“I…okay. Hurry, digidestined. We’ll fight for as long as we can,” Azulongmon answered, turning away from them to rejoin the fight. As he soared through the sky, pillars of light and blasts of lightning shot from his body and struck the red ocean beneath them. His attacks appeared to hurt the creature more than any of the attacks that had been thrown at it so far. But like all the other attacks, it wasn’t long before any damage was undone. The most powerful digimon either of these men knew could barely hurt this thing. They needed to get back to their work - continuing to scan as many digimon as they could.

…

Rika had to admit it was a different feeling to be fighting along side her parents’ partners. She swiped various cards through her digivice, trying to give Taomon the upgrades she would need to keep her on even footing. But without the power to be a mega like Rosemon or HerculesKabuterimon, she was just barely hanging on. 

“Digimodify! Speed Boost Activate!”

“Talisman of Light!”

“Thorn Whip!”

“Arctic Blizzard!”

The three attacks scattered the bird creatures, reducing their number for a moment until more appeared to reinforce their numbers. It really was like fighting an unending tide. Still, they were the only things keeping her parents safe inside. And she wasn’t going to surrender, no matter how many of them came. She and Taomon would fight back with everything they had.

“LOOK OUT!”

She turned around to see Hououmon and MetalGarurumon soar past over her head, his engines going at the full speed as Cyberdramon ripped off more of those bird creatures from him.

“Metal Wolf Claw!”

“Starlight Explosion!”

Both fired a barrage of missiles and fireballs from their bodies at the birds, punching another hole in the swarm that was quickly filled by more reinforcements. The creatures were wholeheartedly determined to over run this building at any cost it seemed. Thankfully, Hououmon and MetalGarurumon were still able to hold their own. But then another question came to mind? Where were her mom’s fashion designer friend and her husband? Sora and Matt, if she remembered correctly. They were supposed to be with their partners.

A screech overhead caught her attention as the large golden bird Hououmon landed atop the building. The two Ishidas climbed off the giant digimon, before it took off again to fight the oncoming horde of birds, joining Rosemon, Taomon, and HerculesKabuterimon in the desperate defense. Sora rjoined her first and asked, “What the hell is going on? They were going all over the city before and now they’re converging here on the Metropolitan Tower!”

“One of them overheard me telling my parents the plan and now they’re all coming here to stop it,” Rika admitted quietly. Matt raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Huh, never figured Izzy’s kid would be the one to screw things up for us. I always figured it’d be someone else…like that dopey looking kid with the hat.”

“Are you putting me on Kazu’s level?” Rika asked with a hand on her hips.

In return, he just raised an eyebrow at her, “Do you think I’m intimidated by a twelve year old girl?”

“Focus!” Sora said, taking a moment to survey the situation, “Matt, can you talk to your friends in the GSDF and get them here?”

“They’d probably shoot at me first if they saw me ride in on MetalGarurumon,” he countered quietly with crossed arms.

Sora groaned, “Then we’ll just have to keep holding them back as long as we can!”

The large golden bird screeched and went to rejoin the fight. Rika couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of so many megas at once, especially knowing they were the megas of the digidestined. The heroes from the books, tv show, and card game she’d been attracted to. If the world weren’t at stake, she would call this a dream come true, “How long have you guys all had Mega level digimon? I don’t remember the show or the books ending with all you guys getting Mega level digimon. It was just...Matt, Tai, Davis, and Ken, right?”

“You should know by now that my brother omitted lots of stuff from those books and didn’t tell the whole story. At least, not the way it happened,” Yamato stated matter of factly, “Speaking of...where the hell are they? I don’t see Takeru or MagnaAngemon anywhere!”

“Don’t forget that Ryo and Cyberdramon were with them. Same with the doctor and Gomamon! Or Kari, Gatomon, Henry, and Rapidmon. Where the hell are they?” Rika added. 

“Maybe they’re still trying to get to the others,” Sora said, scanning the city for some sign of them.  Her husband groaned, “Or worse.”

“You really are a ball of sunshine, y’know that?” Rika stated, turning to his wife, “What exactly did you see in him?”

“He acts tough but he’s a softie when he thinks no one is looking,” she answered teasingly. Rika felt herself gag and something try to crawl its way out of her stomach, “Gross.”

BOOM!

They turned their attention back towards the city to see large swathes of the bird creatures being destroyed with beams of blue light. They all turned to look but it was impossible to tell what it was from this far away. What they were certain of was that all the bird creatures were being blown apart as quickly as they could amass. And there was something in the middle of that flock - a lone figure that was blasting the birds away. 

“Who is that?” Rika asked. 

“I can’t tell. They’re too far away,” Sora said, squinting her eyes as close as she could, “Hououmon!”

“Little busy at the moment,” the bird roared over the battle going on all around her. She and MetalGarurumon soared overhead, trying their best to hold the oncoming swarm back as quickly as they could. 

“I’ll go,” Taomon announced, drawing another talisman and throwing it full force at her enemies, “It’s not like I’m able to do much good here anyway. I’ll scout ahead and hurry back if things look bad.”

“Be careful, Taomon,” Rika called out to her partner. The fox priest gave her a wave and hurried off towards whatever was now drawing the bird creatures’ attention away from them.

...

Hida slid the doors of his dojo open slightly to see more of those bird things waiting around outside. He took care to slide the door back shut so that it wouldn’t be too loud - annoyed with how things had played out. He’d meant to go out and meet up with the others at the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. Then these things showed up and people were scared. He couldn’t just ignore people in need and his sense of moral obligation kicked in. Instead of hurrying, he got as many people as he could to safety in his dojo. 

Things were quiet now, save for the sound of fighting outside. But this wasn’t the only problem before him. How was he supposed to protect them? Yes, he was a martial arts expert with knowledge of kendo, tai chi, aikido, karate, and tae kwon do. But that wasn’t going to do him any good against whatever those monsters were outside. They didn’t look like any digimon he had seen before and they certainly weren’t acting like any digimon that had accidentally gotten lost in another world. Those digimon tended to act out violently from confusion or alarm. But these creatures seemed content to just sit back and watch the world in complete and utter silence. They were observing…learning…gathering information…possible strategizing.

That made it all the more important for him to get to the others at Hypnos. But how could he get there when there were lives at stake right in front of him? But there was no way to do this on his own. He would need help! But how was he supposed to signal for help with alerting those things to all the people hiding inside?

“RAPID FIRE!”

A blaze of gunfire caught the attention of all the bird creatures and drew them away from the front of the dojo. He slid the door open just a crack  but couldn’t quite see what was going. All he could make out was that the creatures were gone now. Maybe this was their chance. He slid the door open just a little further and one of the people hiding with him gasped, “What are you doing? They’re going to find us!”

“They’ve all left. This could be our only chance to run,” he explained. He scanned the outside more carefully to be sure they were gone until he noticed something moving in the bushes. A boy rushed out and bolted for the dojo door.

Henry, his Tai Chi student. And with him was…

“Armadillomon,” he forced the door open and stepped out. Was it possible? Was this real? He hoped so. He didn’t care how. He’d thought about this moment so many times that he wasn’t sure he could handle if it wasn’t. He waved to get their attention and gestured to them to come his way, “Over here! Quick!”

“Sensei!” Henry said, running over. Armadillomon followed after him, turning his head in surprise, “Who’s that, Henry? I thought we were going to Cody!”

“Armadillomon! It’s me,” he said to his partner, the armadillomon stopping to look at him with a furrowed brow and a firm frown, “Pretty sure my pardner ain’t got a mustache.”

The insult cut deep and Hida had to muse at that. It was true, he didn’t have a mustache the last time he’d seen his partner. It was also ironic, that a small piece of facial hair was enough to throw off the digimon, “You’ve never been the serious type, Armadillomon.”

“That really is your partner, Armadillomon,” Henry insisted to the yellow digimon who turned his head in disbelief. Armadillomon circled him, sniffing at his feet and occasionally stopping to get a good look at him. As he did, Henry went on, “Sensei, I don’t have a lot of time. There’s no way Rapidmon can keep them all away forever. We need to get out of here.”

“I can’t go. There are people hiding in my dojo and I’m not going to leave them,” Hida explained to them. 

Armadillomon’s frown turned and he finally looked up, “Now that sounds like the partner I remember! Good to see ya, Cody.”

“It’s good to see you too, Armadillomon,” Hida kneeled down to take his partner’s raised hand. It was good to see him again, even if it was in these circumstances. They would have to catch up some other time. Now, they had to think of a way to hold this portion of the city and protect it from those birds. Armadillomon added, “Well if you’re not going, I’m not going either.”

“Sensei, are you sure?” Henry said, “We have a plan and we could use your help.”

“The people here could use my help,” he countered matter of factly. Armadillomon cheered, “Hard headed about always wanting to help people. You’re definitely my Cody.”

He wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not but he went on, “We can help by protecting the people in this area. Besides, every one of those things that comes here is one that’s not attacking you there.”

“That is the plan, actually,” Henry said with a raised eyebrow, “Distract these things until every one else is ready with their part of the plan. Which we don’t know how long that could be so really it’s just sitting tight...wait, are you volunteering these people for danger!?”

“What?” Hida blinked, surprised at his student’s accusation. 

Henry waved it off and shook his head apologetically, “Sorry, sorry. I think Terriermon has been rubbing off on me. Still, it’s funny that we’re on the same page.”

“Just do what comes natural and things work out, right?” he mused, realizing that the plan was a little too reminiscent of all the other plans - just sit tight and hang on. Henry shook his head, “Yeah, something like that. I need to get back to the others.”

“Okay, be safe,” he said. Henry nodded, waving before running off to rejoin his partner. Hida sighed, looking back at his dojo. It was a relief to know the others had a plan, even if he wasn’t entirely aware of it. That was one problem dealt with. Now there was another problem: how to convince the people in his dojo that Armadillomon wasn’t a danger to them and their safety?

…

Cyberdramon soared over the city, passing teams of soldiers firing at the bird creatures and crowds of people fleeing in a panic. It took everything in him to ignore his desire to fight the the creatures and instead focus on protecting Ryo and looking for the little white Calumon. He was the key to this whole operation after all. If they didn’t find him, it was all going down hill from here. It was just a question of where the little digimon was.

And Ryo was frustrated with having to look for such a small critter in all this mess. After all, the little guy was probably scared out of his mind with all the chaos going on out there and it wasn’t like finding him on a normal day when people weren’t shooting at them was easy. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack where the hay would hit you. It wasn’t easy. And it would help, it really would, if all those soldiers would stop trying to shoot at him. 

But what were they supposed to think? All they could see was a kid being carried off with a monster. It was hard to interpret that anyway that didn’t include the thought of that kid in danger.

“Ryo! Ryo! Are you there?” Tamer’s voice echoed from his digivice. Ryo looked at his digivice in surprise, examining it in his hands at the feature he didn’t know it had, “It’s a radio now?” 

“What do you mean now? It’s always been a radio,” Tamer responded with the sardonic wit that Ryo was used to hearing him use. It was weird - the current Tamer was usually apologetic and polite. This was like talking to the Tamer when he first met him - sarcastic, a little abrasive but helpful overall. Still, Ryo wasn’t in the mood for a conversation, “What do you want, Tamer? Shouldn’t you be in the Digital World helping out the others?”

“Never mind them. We have a serious problem over here! Here are the coordinates! Hurry! Ruki’s in trouble!” he said urgently. Ruki? She hated that name. The only reason he would use it would be to aggravate her. Or him. And it was working if that was his intention. He checked his digivice for the coordinates and tapped Cyberdramon on the head, “Come on, Cyberdramon. We need to go to-”

“-find Tamer, yeah. What’s up with him anyway? What’s he doing here?”

“I have no idea, but I’m going to deck him in a minute if I he doesn’t have a good explanation for any of this,” Ryo grunted, gesturing to the direction to his partner, “The signal leads that way to…that roof.”

He could see a short figure on a rooftop not too far away, wearing what looked like a white hooded robe and waving at them with one arm reaching so high that he had to stand on his tippy-toes. Tamer. Cyberdramon set down beside him and Ryo leapt off his partner, “Tamer, what’s so important? And where are the others? Ken and Davis? I thought you were with them in the Digital World?”

“Eh, more important stuff to deal with. You guys should’ve really gone mega by now,” Tamer remarked in his usual manner of pacing as he talked, “Bio-merging or whatever it’s called.”

“Bio-merging? You’re talking about the thing when Rika fused with Renamon or when Henry fused with his partner, right? What’s that got to do with anything? Weren’t we sticking to the plan?” Ryo raised an eyebrow, minding his distance from Tamer as he began circling with a familiar flair that fit his last face more than his present one. 

Tamer threw it off, “Ah, they’ll be fine. I figured out your problems! You guys aren’t in a Digital Field!”

“Digital…what?” Ryo groaned exasperated burying his face in his hands, “Look, why did you call me here? What’s going on with Rika? You said she was in danger!”

Tamer paused, looking back at him with that aggravating smile of his, “Oh, everyone’s in danger! Every world everywhere’s in danger somewhere. It’s just a question of figuring out who you’re gonna save and who’s gonna win! This battle is playing out across infinite realities with infinite possible outcomes! Speaking of which!”

He raised up his digivice and a flash of light seemed to tear open a floating window in front of them, through which they could see what looked like their city. Except this version of the city was over run by the D-Reaper and the screams of the dying could be heard echoing from in the distance. And for the briefest of moments, he saw Rika. Rika running for her life from the remaining D-Reaper creatures. And as quickly as she ran past the window, the D-reaper bird things were upon her - ripping her apart as their mechanical voice droned, “Scanning!”

“No!” she screamed. 

“Acquiring Information!”

“Get off me!” She cried out just as blood splashed past the screen. 

“RIKA!” he cried out - half panic and half anger as he watched her body be spread apart across different sections of the roof. Tamer pressed another button on his digivice and the window to the other world vanished, “Relax, lover boy! That’s another reality. Not this one. Your girlfriend’s alive and well! I think. Maybe?” 

“TAMER!” Ryo was on the boy, grabbing him by his stupid white robe and pulling him so close that their noses were practically touching, “THAT WAS STILL RIKA!”

“Well there’s no point crying about it,” Tamer swatted his hands away, “That Ruki’s dead. Your Ruki…our Ruki?”

Something about that phrasing made Ryo particularly angry, but he was snapped from his anger when he heard Cyberdramon start growling angrily. He needed to maintain control, otherwise Cyberdramon would lash out and get loose upon the city. And he wasn’t sure which would be worse: the D-Reaper or a rampaging Cyberdramon. Tamer shook his head, “The Ruki in this world is still alive and well. She’s out…there…somewhere.”

BOOM!

Ryo turned his head to see a beam of light shooting at the heart of the swarm of bird creatures. Something or someone was actually managing to pushing these things back. Tamer flicked a finger across the back of his head and added, “Don’t worry, Ruki’s not over there. Not yet anyway.”

What was he pulling? And why was he saying it that way? She hated that name! Was he trying to piss her off when she wasn’t even here? Or was he trying to piss him off to get a rise out of him? If that was the plan, it was working all too well. His fists tightened and he demanded, “Tamer! Why did you call us here? And what the hell is wrong with you!? I thought you said you were trying to be different! What the hell was different about that?”

Tamer’s smile widened in a way that made him sick, “Quit interrupting and I’ll tell you. Now, the reason your bio merging isn’t working is because you’re not in the Digital World anymore. Different rules apply! But we can fix that! We just need to expand the Digital Field! Good news: it’ll get you guys to mega. Bad news: I’m going to fry any computer you get too close to so I’d suggest staying away from the Hypnos Building!”

He raised up his digivice like he was about to use it to do something, only to then snap his fingers and bathe the world around them in yet another display of light. Once it passed, Tamer’s wicked smile remained, “There we go! Now you should be all good to save Ruki!”

Ryo had enough and decked Tamer as hard as he could across the face. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on but he was sure of one thing right now. Tamer was acting like an ass - so either this wasn’t Tamer or Tamer was back to his old ways. Either way, he wanted to punch the guy in the face. Tamer fell flat on his face and massaged his cheek, “Ow! What the hell Joe?”

“Who the hell is Joe? My name is Ryo!” he snapped. Tamer raised an eyebrow, his look unimpressed by Ryo’s punch as he pushed himself upwards, “Oopsie. Looks like I slipped. Charade is up I suppose.”

Ryo was so past being in the mood for one of Tamer’s games, and raised his fist to strike him again. However, Tamer caught his fist mid punch and stood himself back up, “Everyone only gets one, Joe.”

“Ryo!” he repeated.

“I don’t care,” Tamer shook his head, scratching at his chin with his fingers so deep that it looked like he was beginning to peel the skin off. It was actually disgusting to watch, his nails going deeper and deeper into his skin as he peeled more of his face off. The sound it made when it did was sickening and Ryo took a step back in disgust. And Tamer looked up and the face he saw was…not what he expected.

He expected some bloody skull to be staring back. To be fair, it would probably be the least insane thing he’d seen Tamer do. But instead, what he saw was a completely different face staring back. Ryo was perplexed, “What? You change your face again? Tell me that’s not how you do it.”

“Oh wow, you really are slow,” he responded, dropping the face he’d just peeled off and going over to flick him across the nose, “What does that idiot see in you lesser life forms? He goes through all that trouble to save you and all you do is be stupid. It’s like you’re all screaming ‘Kill me! Kill me!’. Bringing water to a person who insists on dying of thirst is less trouble than this. What’s the point? I’ll never understand what he’s thinking.”

Ryo was now at least beginning to follow this a little better, “Okay, I think I get it. You’re not Tamer. But then who are you and why are you wearing Guardian robes?”

“Guardian robes? Is that what he’s calling it now? Digital Agents! Agents! Not Ancient! Not Precursor! Not Fore-bearer! Not Guardian! Agent!” the not-Tamer stated angrily, waving his hands in the air as he spoke. Somehow, this kid was more annoying than Tamer had ever been. And Ryo was ready to deck him again if it weren’t for the fact he still had his fist in his hand. He pulled his fist out of his grip and stated, “That doesn’t really answer my question.”

The boy finally seemed to notice he was present and his tone shifted to boredom, “Hm? Oh, right. You’re still here. Hello! Name’s The Trickster. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m an Agent like Tamer. Only I’m not really invested in maintaining any kind of order. I’m just in this for the laughs and the giggles. And if I can screw with people’s lives while I’m at it then all the better!” 

“You’re...like Tamer,” Ryo repeated stupidly. 

“Look! It’s learned to mimic language!” Trickster mocked him, snapping his fingers in his face to get his attention. Ryo swatted his hand away and got his own hand slapped back in response, “Now pay attention because I’m not repeating! You can biomerge now! Congratulations! Go tell your friends Ruki and not-Ruki so you can all have a nice big party! Bad news! You can’t go near computers without breaking them so try to avoid the hypnosis people! Or hypnotize or whatever pretentious name they’re using. Other bad news! You need a strong emotional response to get the blood flowing in that regard so let’s get the blood flowing and trigger some emotions!”

He took a step back and reached into his robes to produce a little scared Calumon pleading and begging to be let go, “What’s happening? Where am I!? WHAT IS THIS PLACE!? HELP ME!”

Ryo tried to jump at him to get the little digimon but The Trickster side stepped him and stood along the edge of the rooftop, “Oh dear. Looks like this thing is very important to you.”

“Give him back!” Ryo snapped, making the Trickster cackle. 

The Trickster waved a finger at him like he were a misbehaving child and remarked, “It’s just a shame what I’m about to do next.”

“Help! Please let me go! I’m sorry for whatever I did! Please just let me go!” Calumon pleaded at the top of his voice. Now it was Cyberdramon’s turn to lunge forward, but Ryo threw his arm out, “Cyberdramon! Don’t! He’s going to hurt Calumon!”

...

“Juri, cease your traumatic state and continue to identify objects!” the mechanical voice droned on. It was her own voice again, used by this thing to control her. Manipulate her. Force her to do what it wanted, “Identify!”

All she could think about…all she could focus on was Beelzemon killing Leomon. How it had been Tamerkato who enticed him to do it. How all this was probably her own fault for being a horrible partner. She could feel this thing trying to block these thoughts out with more images of things it was finding…but every image, every thought kept coming back to one thing: Beelzemon.

Car. 

Beelzemon. 

Soldier. 

Beelzemon! 

Gun. 

BEELZEMON! 

Roof. 

BeElZeMoN! 

Calumon. 

Calumon? The sight of him calmed her for a moment - what was he doing? No, who was holding him? They were supposed to save Calumon. That was why they went to the Digital World. But who had him and why was he dangling Calumon over a roof? He needed to be saved! He needed to be protected! He was the Catalyst, the source of strength that gave digimon the power to digivolve. If anything happened to him, it was game over for everyone else. She had to save him. To protect him!

“Subject identified as Calumon. Digital Lifeform acknowledged. Power source. Acquiring target!”

“Wait...what? Uh oh,” was all Juri could manage to say as she realized she might have just set this thing after Calumon.

...

“Hurt the Catalyst? Well now I know you’re not paying attention,” the Trickster remarked, feigning being insulted while he still had that stupid evil smile on his face, “This thing is the source of digivolution! Why would I hurt it? That’d be stupid. Y’think I’d just sully the memory of the Agents like that? No, don’t be stupid! I’m not going to hurt him!”

“Then what are you doing?” Ryo demanded angrily, Cyberdramon roaring with his growing anger. The Trickster laughed, “Oh me? I’m doing this!”

He tossed Calumon into the air and the digimon promptly fell to the ground. From several stories up. He may not be trying to hurt him but he wasn’t above throwing the digimon to his death apparently. 

“NO!” Ryo cried out, leaping over the edge of the roof and reaching his hand out to the falling digimon. Then he heard his partner calling out from behind him, “RYO!”

He looked back up and could see Cyberdramon coming after him. It was a surprise to him. In all the time he’d been partnered with the digimon - it was strange to see him coming to his rescue. Normally, he had to restrain his partner from mauling someone or something. Not that it was unwelcome. It was just not what he was used to. Still, he had to save Calumon and he reached his arm out to the digimon, “Almost!”

Cyberdramon grabbed his arm, “Ryo! What are you doing!?”

“We need to save Calumon!” Ryo shouted.

“HE CAN FLY!” Cyberdramon countered. As soon as he said that, he saw the little digimon’s eyes widen in surprise and his ears expand out like wings - slowing his descent so that he glided slowly downward. Ryo’s mouth fell open, “You could do that the entire time!?”

“I forgot!” Calumon said innocently enough, his screams of terror turning to embarrassment as they reached the street below safely. For a moment, they stopped to catch their breath until one of the bird things appeared from nowhere and grabbed Calumon - flying away towards the D-Reaper. The little digimon started screaming again, this time for real as he tried to break free of the bird thing’s hold on him. Cybderamon immediately gave chase, spreading his wings so that he could fly as fast as his body could carry him after the bird.

For his part Ryo, tried reaching for his deck to start buffing his partner but the speed they were going made the cards scatter from his hands. He tried to grab them but they were gone with the wind now - he’d just lost their one advantage. He looked ahead again after the bird thing holding Calumon. His partner was on his own now and he was just dead weight. Sure he could use the digivice, but what good was that when he wasn’t a strong fighter? And these things - the birds were beginning to swarm around them to stop the pursuit. They couldn’t afford to be stopped now though - not when Calumon was right there. They had to save the little digimon! They had to!

“GRAGH!”

The bird things were slamming themselves into Cyberdramon now to slow down his pursuit. And Cyberdramon was doing everything he could to protect his partner. Ryo hated that. He didn’t like being useless. More than that, he never thought he’d see the day where he gave a crap about his partner’s well being. He wished he could help. He just…

“Cyberdramon! Biomerge to!”

Ryo felt a strange sensation bathe him in warmth and a soft glow of light over take his vision. Then he felt a strange compulsion to cry out, “JUSTIMON!”

Without really knowing why, he also felt a strong desire to punch and beat as many of these bird things out of his way as possible - hitting as many of them back as he could, “BACK OFF! OUT OF MY WAY! CALUMON!”

“HELP ME!” the little digimon cried out at the top of his lungs. He had to try harder to get as many of these things out of his way as possible to save Calumon! He was so close. He could almost reach the digimon when a blast of light cut off his path to the bird thing holding Calumon.

“OUTTA MY WAY! THIS CITY IS MY TURF!”

He looked off to the side to see Beelzemon making his way through the streets with his shotgun in one hand and was looked like a cannon in the other. He pointed it upwards and fired a beam of light straight at more of the birds, “BEAT IT YOU RATS WITH WINGS!”

What was he doing here? You got me. Whose voice was that? It’s mine! Ryo had never been more confused in his life, unsure why there was a voice echoing in his head that wasn’t his own. You think about that girl with the pineapple hair a lot. Just confess already! You know she probably likes you too. 

“Cyberdramon?” he asked no one in particular only to hear the voice confirm it. Unfortunately, Beelzemon heard him too and was looking up at him, “What are you supposed to be? Another one of those things? Well I got something just for you!”

“Wait! Don’t shoot! It’s me!” he called out to Beelzemon. Beelzemon paused, then pulled the trigger anyway. The beam of light that shout out of the cannon flew straight at him, missing him by a narrow inch. Ryo looked over his shoulder to see a bunch of the bird creatures scattering behind him. How had he missed that?

No time to focus on that. He descended to join Beelzemon, “Thanks for not shooting at me.”

“Don’t celebrate yet,” the digimon raised the cannon so that he found himself looking down the barrel at it, “Who are you and why shouldn’t I just pull the trigger?”

Great plan you had there Ryo, now we’re in serious trouble. Ryo threw up his hands and tried to explain, “It’s me...Ryo.”

“Who?”

“We...fought in the Digital World? My partner is...was...Cyberdramon!” he explained. Beelzemon turned his head, “You’re going to have to run all of that by me because I have no idea what you’re talking about. And keep it quick. These things are gathering around.”

Ryo gulped, realizing time was off the essence with these things gathering around quickly. And then he remembered that Calumon was in danger. But there was no rescuing him now that they were cut off from him.

[droory]

For the bad things happen bingo, how about a wound that would not heal with Matthew and Isaac? That father-son angst is something I live for-

for the @badthingshappenbingo! Send me a request with a GS character or characters or a ship or whatever! Maybe leave poor Isaac alone for now

What had started out as a simple quest for a feather to repair Ivan’s Soarwing after Tyrell’s little accident had snowballed into a world saving adventure. Not that Matthew regretted it of course, had they not been on the quest who was to say what would have happened had the Tuaparang had been allowed to operate freely and take advantage of Apollo Sanctum for themselves.

It had been dangerous and terrifying many times, particularly during the Grave Eclipse, but Matthew was glad he had been on his quest at the time. They’d helped so many and met lifelong friends and frankly, he figured, his father Isaac would approve and be proud of what they had done.

Tyrell, Karis, and himself chatted happily as they made their way back up the Goma Plateau to where Garet and Isaac were staying, eager to tell the two famous Adepts about their adventure.

That all came to a halt though as they reached the top of the plateau and were greeted by a colossal Psynergy Vortex hovering over Mt. Aleph.

The trio rushed to the cabin where Isaac and Garet should have been, aghast as they found a hole blown through the side of it. Bodies of Tuaparang soldiers were scattered around, broken furniture, armour, and blood decorating the cabin now.

“Dad!”

Both Tyrell and Matthew rushed to their respective fathers who were collapsed amidst the bodies, Garet slumped against a wall and Isaac face down on the floor.

Matthew was quick to roll his father over, relieved to see him still breathing, before realizing the blood soaking his jacket wasn’t just from the Tuaparang he had felled before he collapsed. He acted fast to quickly grab his knife and cut Isaac’s jacket away to get a look at the wound he had suffered.

His jaw clenched as he looked at the deep slash across Isaac’s chest, blood almost pouring out of the wound, before he pressed his hand over it and tried to work any form of healing Psynergy into his father’s body.

Try as he might though, Matthew was unable to summon even a sliver of Psynergy. Any attempts he made were already absorbed by the Psynergy Vortex in the distance, it was so far away and yet the drain it had on him was much more than noticeable.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit, Karis!” Matthew called out as he pressed his bundled up his jacket and pressed it against his father’s wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

Karis was already at his side, having done what she could to help Garet who was now stable and muttering somewhat, and rummaging through her bag. She quickly produced some herbs and potions which they made quick work of crushing down into a paste to hopefully heal the damage.

Matthew lifted his jacket away and the blood poured free again, making the act of applying the medicinal salve more than a messy job as they tried to wipe blood away while smearing foul smelling paste onto Isaac.

“Matthew it’s not… nothing’s… we need to try and get him away from here. Maybe then we could use Psynergy and-“

Karis was cut off by a hand reaching up and grabbing Matthew’s, “No…”

Both of the younger Adepts turned to look down at Isaac, his eyes foggy and unfocused as he tried to find them.

“It’s already too late…”

Matthew wanted to protest, trying desperately to work another Cure of any form into his father, only to feel it be sucked away from him.

“The wound is too deep… I’ve lost too much blood…”

Matthew tried again, willing his body to produce anywhere near enough to just get his dad stable enough to evacuate somewhere.

“Matthew… It’s okay…”

No it wasn’t okay. He could save him. He just needed to-

Isaac’s hand gripped Matthew’s arm tighter, “Take care of your mother, son.”

Matthew couldn’t stop the tears from falling down onto his dad’s body.

“Find your uncle. Find Felix…”

With what was clearly a great amount of effort Isaac lifted his other arm to run his hand through Matthew’s hair.

“I’m so proud of you son.”

Matthew held his dad’s arm as it lost strength and began to fall back to the floor. He held it tight to him, blood from Isaac’s hand smearing across his face.

“Dad…”

But Isaac was gone, a small smile left on his bloodied features.

Karis brought her hand across Isaac’s eyes to close them as Matthew stared down, still trying to work a Cure into his dad.

But Isaac was gone.

[mysticdragon3md3]

So I finally watched Promare.   TL;DR review: I smiled so much my face hurt. ^_^

SPOILERS SPOILERS  SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

I was a little worried about watching this movie subtitled in the theaters, because my eyes don't read subtitling as fast as they used to.  But thankfully, I was able to keep up.  And I'm really glad I did watch it in Japanese, because I was able to hear Galo use the kabuki cadence!  ^U^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Along with his mie poses, it was just like the aragoto genre!  LOL  *U*  I love it!!!  Really added to his other references to Japanese culture.  From his favorite weapon, to those traditional firefighters he kept lecturing about, to even his taiko drummed theme music!  It was very cohesive.  ^__^

I watched Professor Thorig's review before watching Promare, and though I stayed away from the spoiler section, it did tinge my perspective a bit.  They mentioned some things that I started to look out for.  

I think Trigger just wanted an excuse to experiment with CGI.  LOL  ^o^ There was SO MUCH COMPUTER ANIMATION IN THIS MOVIE.  O___o  I seriously didn't expect it.  Usually anime series/movies isolate computer animation to certain sections where they really needed its help.  But Promare was like Trigger wanted to use the whole movie to experiment, play, and get experience with computer animation, in any little way that they could practice.  I had heard that squares and triangles were used to symbolize different factions in the story.  But I feel like Trigger just picked those shapes because they are the easiest, most basic building blocks for computer animation. I mean, as a studio more well known for their frequent, fluid, and lovingly-indulgent hand-drawn animation, it's kind of weird how much computer assistance this movie had...Unless playing and experimenting with computer animation was the point of this movie.  If this is one of their initial big steps into really using computer animation, it would also make sense to start with the basic shapes (triangles, square) and then just build the art style of the entire movie around that.  So that rather than being a limitation in their current CGI capabilities that they were restricted to working with, it seemed more like an intentional cohesive style.  Anyway, I thought it looked awesome.  ^u^!  All of it.  *U*  I've always loved and preferred stylized art styles.

I only caught 2 Trigger/Gainax references.  Obviously the big drill for a multi-pilot mecha, was like Gurren Lagann.  But also, after Kray Foresight excused his destruction of buildings by saying everyone in the ark was already in underground shelters, I was so sure, one of the protagonists would accuse him of lying again.  But no one did.  In fact, no one said anything.  There was no response to that line, to give it any kind of real relevance to that scene or contextualize its purpose of being said in this movie.  Then I realized it was an Evangelion reference.  ^o^ LOL

Like many other people, I saw "The Marvel Symphonic Universe" video essay by Every Frame a Painting, and can't stop thinking about it whenever I watch a new movie.  But anime and videogame soundtracks seem to generally be less effected by the homogenization or invisibility of music scoring in contemporary Hollywood.  I haven't stopped listening to Persona 5's soundtrack for the past 2+ years.  And I am just amazed by the music of Promare.  Even just Lio's theme has so many layers and things going on in it.  *o*  Promare has so much distinct music, that's meant to be noticed, sticks in your head after the movie, resonates with climactic scenes, and I'm re-listening to it right now. ^_~  Trigger knows how to make music to get you pumped.  ^-^  

Also very surprised to see Production I.G. in the credits.  *o*  I mean, I know Trigger and Production I.G. worked together before, but I didn't know they were working on Promare together.  O.o

One thing that bothered me was how Lio kept saying the Mad Burnish pride themselves on not killing anyone, but then at the end, he's setting fire to the whole city?  And I really expected the story to back-up what Lio said by revealing that the pharmaceutical building they attacked at the beginning, was actually up to shady stuff.  But they never got around to that.  So then 30 years of "terrorizing"/"attacking without killing", and no one innocent was killed while setting _entire_ buildings on fire?????  Meh, whatever. This movie wanted you to be assured of Lio's goodness, but at the same time, a Trigger anime has got to have giant city-wide destructive battle scenes. ^^;  This movie was too much fun to drag logic into it.  

I find that a lot of Trigger properties have this moment where logic just isn't happening, but ya don't care.  LOL  Usually, I say that anime emphasizes conveying emotional experiences, so when it works on an emotional level, logic is negligible.  And even when Hollywood movies do that, we can forgive plot holes.  But wow, Trigger really takes advantage of that!  LOL  But hey, they've built up the cache!  All their characters are always so immediately endearing and cool, that you'd forgive them for anything and go along with whatever ride they take you on.  Sometimes things happen, it's not explained why (sometimes only after the fact), and you just have to go along with it.  Why are they punching the planet?  Meh, it looks cool.  Why are they fighting inside the ark?  Why does it look like a sunlit skyscraper city inside?  Why is the volcano's magma acting sentient to help Lio?  When was a Burnish able to give another human their fire?  How was Lio’s arms able to regenerate after they were turned to ash, after he made ash sound so final before, even enough to overcome Burnish fire’s regenerative powers?  Why is this able to do this?  So we can get to the next plot point. Or in the case of Deus Ex Machina: Because it looks cool.  ^o^  Sometimes the lack of explanations make the stakes vague at some points, but I'm sure that's just because I'm stupid.  I feel like everything is assumed to be explained by emotion and "fighting spirit", and thankfully, those are my jam, so I'm fine with it.  ^o^  

And I feel like some of the names referenced Greek mythology, but I couldn't remember enough to know why.  Like Aina's sister Heris, was pronounced like Eris...who I think was a moon goddess of the moon's phases?  ...Oh wait.  “Eris was the ancient Greek goddess and personification of strife. She...was the force of suffering for mankind, and she delighted in the pain of humans.” (https://www.reference.com/art-literature/were-powers-greek-goddess-eris-8d18b7664ac3d43b)  Well, I’m glad Heris didn’t “delight” in the Burnish’s suffering, even though she had to put them through a lot of that strife.  Then there were terms for the ark/spaceship or something. I can't remember, but it sounded like terms I had heard in Greek mythology or something.  Even the name of the city “Promepolis” sounded very ancient Greek.  And the final mecha at the end too, “Deux Ex Machina”...  But then there were lots of Roman mythology references too.  Like Vulcan.  And Ignis’s name was Latin.  Possibly along with the other Burning Rescue members.  o.o?  

Also surprised to find so many now "old school" A-list dub actors cast in this movie.  Johnny Yong Bosch was Lio Fotia?!?  O.o  I gotta hear that now.  Crispin Freeman as Kray Foresight.  I wonder how much he contrasted Kray's mostly quiet tone vs when he went crazy near the end?  And it was so cool to hear Kari Wahlgren also in this movie, after she dubbed Haruko from FLCL.  And always good to hear Michael Sinterniklaas, Matthew Mercer, and Yuri Lowenthal.  ^-^  I gotta start paying attention to all the new dub actors' names from nowadays too.  ^^;  

JUST A WARNING THAT THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IS PROBABLY CONTROVERSIAL.  DON'T @ ME.  I WON'T RESPOND.

One of the biggest things that Thorgi commented about Promare, was the "currently relevant real world reference" that the metaphor of this movie's story was. Thorgi was very vague about that in the non-spoiler section, so I tried to figure out what he could have meant, while I was watching Promare.  At first, I thought it was just about racism and prejudice.  But at the point where the pizza maker was getting arrested, he wasn't even a terrorist, and his skin was brown...and the Freeze Force was coming in like over-militarized police, AFTER the leader of the "terrorists" was arrested and everything should have supposedly been peaceful now...and Aina started disputing Vulcan's arrests by pointing out that such arrests were only according to special anti-terrorist laws and shouldn't be lawful during peacetime, especially vs a non-terrorist, but Vulcan was over-extending the special circumstances of the anti-terrorism laws anyway, even vs non-terrorists, just so he could arrest people for just existing...And then I realized that the Freeze Force was characterized by ICE bullets and ICE weapons, and these ICE officers were running in to arrest people who were just peacefully living their lives, and treat them like terrorists...  It became painfully clear that this movie may have been talking about a lot of the problems going on in America right now.  (I say "may have been", because I realize how arrogant it is to assume everything is about you/your culture.  So I could also be wrong.  Then again, Thorgi even noted that the pizza scene looked just like New York City's Times Square.  And they were eating _pizza_!  Isn't that one of the things that NY prides itself to be known for?)  And I'm glad!  It pisses me off when people blindly brag about how "perfect" America is, by *assuming* everywhere else sucks (when they haven't even looked at other cultures), and get angry if anything about it is criticized.  Not only is not criticizing systems the complete opposite of what all my schooling in American history/culture advocated about American rebellious spirit, but that's how you get a society that builds up festering problems.  And if there are too many blindly nationalistic people in America, then I'll gladly welcome other cultures/artists to criticize what we're letting happen over here.  Then again, Promare could all be just a very generalized metaphor about discrimination anywhere.  After watching the movie, I watched Thorgi’s spoiler section and he mentioned that the movie released on “Bi Visibility Day” and implied Galo might be bisexual/homosexual after the CPR scene was framed kind of romantically and really held on it.  Frankly, that CPR scene between Galo and Lio was very different from the previous similar scene when Lio tried/failed to revive a Burnish girl who turned to ash anyway.  Compared to that scene, the Galo/Lio CPR was more like a kiss.  So maybe Trigger was very intentionally trying to allude to LGBTQIA+ minorities also being discriminated against, with their movie’s metaphor?  I would very much like Galo as bisexual representation to be confirmed canon.  ^-^  

[karimac]

...in the details, Part 12

A/N: Warning for this series: 18+ audience (minors DNI), some cinematic level violence, some fluff and angst. Doubt that smut will be involved, but it may be implied. I’ll make sure that is noted clearly if it pops up.

All relationships, at this point in the story, are platonic, but there is romance in the cards for Kari and Bucky.

Please do not repost or translate my work. Likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

Taglist is open! Please send an ask, and I will gladly add you to the list. If I have added you and you do not wish to be on the list, please let me know, and I’ll take you off the list.

Word count: 3.5k, give or take a word. Not beta read. All mistakes are my own.

Masterlist

Weeks had seemingly passed since the “Save Kari from herself” club was formed, but in reality it was only a few days. Despite the truncated length of the encounter, Devnet Casey was regretting getting involved at all with the Avengers and their hangers-on at this point.

Dev liked them all well enough. Darcy Lewis was gas, or funny beyond words as the non-Irish might say, and Wong was as wise as Kari had made him out to be. And Bruce Banner? He was all sorts of trouble Dev likely should have avoided like the plague, but she had a weak spot for science types.

She just didn’t like spilling the tea about one of her oldest friends to some new crop of “friends in training” yet again. How many times had it been now? After nearly 1,500 years? Who would want to keep track!

“I’m mental. That has to be it, Ty,” Dev said as she sat in her leather chair and patted the head of her Irish wolfhound Tyrone, his salt and pepper fur soft to her touch. “I’ve lost the plot, and here I am, about to make this all a million times worse.”

As Dev looked up at her clock, she shook her head and realized she’d need to leave soon. She’d asked Bruce to meet her at a small restaurant in Galway to sit and chat. He was going to be in town for yet another scientific conference. Biomedical and Clinical Engineering Association of Ireland if she remembered correctly. She did not want him coming out to her home just yet. A bit of distance never hurt as far as the immortal was concerned.

“I wish I could take you, but I will bring you a treat bag, Ty,” she said as she leaned over and hugged her furry companion before grabbing her keys and heading out the door. Kari might have used a portal to get there, but Dev needed to drive to center herself a bit.

For some crazy reason, Dev had suggested the Ard Bia at Nimmo’s. It was on the Spanish Parade Long Walk, and it tended to be a place for the more loved-up of the local crowd, but the seafood was to die for, and she did not want to be in some dark hole of a place for this talk. Light to clear the omissions and misgivings away and to help the new crowd understand what was ahead.

Heaven help them all.

If this lot were truly Kari’s friends, they could withstand the tumult.

“Of course he had to beat me here,” Dev said under her breath as she parked her car and walked past a few tourists who were dotting the street. “I see you found the place well enough,” Dev said as she waved to Bruce as she got to the entrance. “I do not have the lead foot Kari does, and I was not keen on using her other favorite mode of transportation. It can spook the tourists a bit too much.”

“Ah, yeah, Sam hates her driving, and I get why the other isn’t a great choice,” Bruce chuckled as he held the door open for Dev to go inside. “And your directions were perfect. I enjoyed the walk from the hotel.”

“Reservation for two. Casey,” Dev said to the hostess, and soon she and Bruce were seated at a table inside. “I know it’s a tad cozy. The design concept is more or less eclectic farmhouse, but the food is fantastic.”

“If you can’t trust a local…” Bruce said as he looked at the menu. “Wow. Beetroot gnocchi. You don’t see that often.”

“Alright, I figured it might be good for the local businesses to have more visitors trying out the fancier spots in town. You could tell your test tube society friends about this place,” Dev giggled as Bruce gave her a bewildered look. “They can’t eat protein bars and energy drinks all day.”

“That was Tony,” Bruce replied as he set down his menu for a minute. “Wait. You told Pepper you knew Howard.”

“In the Biblical sense, ah, yes,” Dev said as she looked Bruce straight in the eye. “But we ended it long before he met Maria, and I made myself very invisible after that. She did not need an old, I mean really old, girlfriend hovering around.”

“Not judging,” Bruce said as he held up his hands in a slight protest. “I just wanted to make sure I had the details straight. Dillisk mash?”

“What? Oh, the menu,” Dev asked as Bruce pointed to a particular item. “Mashed potatoes with greens, in this case a reddish seaweed.”

“Oh, Kari makes that colcannon thing. Like that. I get it.”

“Kari does a lot of things. That’s why I invited you to have dinner. I know you and Darcy and Wong have been pouring over my books. You probably need to have some things decoded by now. Right? Her very large family tree. All the battles she fought. Some odd historical point, maybe?”

“Only one thing actually,” Bruce said as he took a look at the drink menu. “Why are you so nervous about talking about all this? That Cailleach thing scared you, but that wasn’t the only thing that made you antsy.”

“Would you want to spill all of your friend’s secrets to people you didn’t know very well? Secrets you’ve held since the 500s in some cases? The fact she killed herself with a huge sword but was resurrected because of some jiggery pokery deal her Mhamó made with a goddess? Sorry. Her grandmother. The story of how a wizard—who was played by Colin Morgan or Sam Neill in one drama or another—used a blade to cut her body and soul into tiny shards and send them out into the ether, and how she is connected to nearly ever damned part of what Wong calls the multiverse? Maybe you want to hear the tale of how she was found, babbling like a lunatic in Irish, by a now famous British spy and tossed into the story of the Star Spangled Man and his poor friend who became the assassin for the ages? Where do you want me to start, Bruce? Because no matter where I start, this will all end in heartache and tragedy. It always does. And don’t get me started on why she has no kids. That one I can’t…I just…it hurts too much…”

“Slow down,” Bruce said as he gestured with his hands again, the immortal across from him levitating slightly in her chair. “And please sit down. This was never going to get settled in a day or even a hundred days. I think we all know that.”

“Sorry. I just don’t want to see anyone hurt. Not Kari. Not Barnes. Not any of us,” Dev added as she looked at her own drinks menu and waved over the server. “Chardonnay, please. And a Barry’s tea pot for two. Two glasses of sparkling water as well. I think you are not a drinker, right?”

“I’ll try the Silk Tree and Poacher’s Tonic. It seems to be a really nice non-alcoholic G&T,” Bruce said as he shook his head at Dev. “Good memory.”

“I try,” she said as she flexed her fingers a bit. “Kari’s afraid something will happen with Barnes. They…they have had a lot of run-ins over the years. That mess in Poland. A couple of bad dances in Russia. A train tunnel in the middle of Hungary. There are times I’m sure the Goddess blocks from her memory. He damned near killed her a few times, and either she is not bringing them up, or she doesn’t remember. I don’t want to think of them, you know, and him doing something that makes her snap. Or vice versa.”

Bruce by now was playing with his silverware as the server came over to take their orders of the chef’s favorite fishes with lots of local side dishes. Dev was not sure what Bruce would make of the samphire with his order. It was a local succulent that was used in a mixture with asparagus. She’d just have to wait and see.

“Look, I do not want to know about their private moments…” Bruce said as Dev turned bright red. “Oh. Sorry. What did you mean, then?”

“OK, if I reach for something near your arm, no issues. If he does and it reminds her of when he choked her, well, that is another story. And he choked her when he tossed her out the window in Katowice. Loki told me that story one night over Asgardian ale and some dreadful Viking dish I do not want to describe right now. Loki, well, he...it wasn’t that he loved Kari like that. That’s not my understanding anyway. They were friends on some weird level no one else could fathom. But they never…you know…”

“That is one picture I do not need to dwell on,” Bruce replied as his appetizer of aubergine fritters was brought over. “I know she felt horrible when he died. She always says she let him down because no one believed that he was brainwashed by Thanos.”

“I would not have either,” Dev noted as she took her tiny seafood fork and went to work on her Killary mussels. “But back to Herself. I think she is afraid that any problems she has with Barnes will send her down the road to ruin. To become The Destroyer. To become Cailleach.”

“Wait. That’s not another person?”

“As far as we can tell, no. Kari has two living sisters-in-law. Enya Sun and Minerva O’Malley Harkness. We call her Mina. They are part of the we in all this. And we have never once feared this Cailleach nonsense. Not until now anyway. Wong made her antsy about things. And the fact she did that stupid spell didn’t help. And that succubus in New Jersey fighting The Scarlet Witch. Add to that the fact Kari’s self-esteem sometimes is just shit. Thank her mother and grandmother fighting over her for that. Losing her siblings in the ways she did, especially her twin Branan. I’m afraid, Bruce. And I can’t just blurt it all out yet. Your friends will think I’m a basket case. I’m really not.”

“Then why did you decide to tell me?” Bruce asked as he dipped his fritters in the miso aioli that they were served with. “Why not Wong? Since he is the Sorcerer Supreme, wouldn’t it make more sense?”

“You can thank Howard for this chat,” Dev said as she put down her fork and picked up her Chardonnay. “I know a lot of people thought he was crazy and reckless, but he always listened. You always listen, too. So here I am, spilling my guts about one of my best friends because I can’t carry this by myself anymore. Enya will get snarky, and Mina, well, she’s a vampire, so not too many people invite her into any of their homes for very obvious reasons. So by default it’s always been me doing the heavy lifting on this stuff. I love them all, but I can’t fix this. I can’t undo Kari’s stupid spell. I can’t rewind time so she never met that succubus. And I can’t have a million people asking me a million questions at once. So for tonight, well, I’ll answer yours, Bruce. Maybe we can get a better footing to figure out what to do next? Or at least maybe I can give you a reason to trust that I’m not barmy or a bitch.”

By now the wait staff started bringing over the main dishes, and Bruce seemed pleased with the black sole he had ordered. “Thank you,” Dev said as her plate of pan roasted cod was set in front of her. “Bruce, I hope you like it. And don’t worry. I never say no to dessert.”

“How did you end up meeting Kari anyway?” Bruce asked as he looked at the servers clearing a nearby table. “Back in Camelot, right?”

“That is a very long story. The short take is this. I was sent to Avalon to study with a group of bards. Kari’s grandmother sent her there hoping she’d marry Arthur. Frankly, Kari scared the man. She did not scare Enya’s brother Galen. We just moved in the same circles in court, and being the Irish girls, well, we sort of stuck together. Then Galen was killed in battle, and things went boots up pretty damned fast. I’m sure you read that part in one of my books.”

“Then enter Merlin and his spell, and all hell broke loose?” Bruce asked as he tried the samphire and asparagus that came with his black sole. He stopped to look at it for a moment before taking a good sized bite. “This is pretty good. But what happened in Camelot sounds like a nightmare.”

“It got to be one once we realized Kari was still connected to all those parts floating in space. She felt them, and then she started seeing what they were doing while she slept. Most of the time it’s nothing, but sometimes it’s really bad. Those parts of her all have their own lives. Some of those shards have husbands and children. And that’s what hurts so damned much. Kari has always wanted children, and she technically does have them because of all those parts of her that have kids, but it isn’t the same. It’s enough to make your head explode at times. That’s why I stayed in Galway teaching. It keeps me sane. That and my dog Tyrone.”

“I can only imagine,” Bruce said as he sipped his virgin G&T. “Do you think she’s told Bucky about any of this?”

“I’d say that’s a hard no. But he’s not stupid. He reads. A lot from what she’s told me. He’s likely to start looking up stuff. Especially if that nut Helmut Zemo is involved. He gets under people’s skin pretty easily, and I know Kari got upset when he started talking to Bucky during that Flag Smasher business. We tapped into our mental link to her briefly when they were in Madripoor. I don’t think she told any of them. To be brutally honest, she’d have left Zemo to die in Siberia if Black Panther had let her. As she’d say, that was not her call. When it comes to Barnes, Kari never thinks straight. My opinion, and I’ll die on that hill.”

“Pretty forceful words, Dev,” Bruce noted as he finished his rosti, a Swiss-style potato pancake and set down his fork. “Why does that scare you so much? From what Sam has said, Bucky doesn’t seem to think all that straight where Kari is concerned. They dance around each other a lot.”

“And that can’t be good,” Dev said as she looked over the dessert menu that one of the server’s had left on their table. “They just, they…oh shite.”

Dev turned slightly in her chair and then started to hunch down like a scared school girl. “Not now. Not here,” she mumbled as Bruce looked over at another table and saw a couple sit down. The only thing that seemed slightly unusual was the fact the man, tall and muscular and seemingly in his 30s, sported a very healthy head of pure white long hair.

“You know them?” Bruce asked as Dev squeezed her eyes shut and seemed to be praying or casting a spell.

“Dev? Devnet!” the slender woman with dark brown hair and stunning green eyes shouted as she got up and hurried over. “Is this your new gentleman friend? How delicious!”

“Aerfen, no,” Dev said as she rolled her eyes. “Dr. Bruce Banner, may I introduce Aerfen and Ardan Dalcais. Kari’s twin cousins. I never thought I’d see them here tonight. I swear. They usually stay in Dublin where they live.”

“Oh, what has cousin done now? Or should I saw who has she done now?” Aerfen giggled as Ardan walked over. “So, Dr. Banner? Ah yes. Devnet has always enjoyed having her…”

“Don’t you dare!” Dev snapped. “I don’t accuse you of seducing every person you see, Aerfen.”

“Moi? I am not accusing you of anything. Just a bit of camaraderie and you go girl spirit! I wish I were in your shoes,” Aerfen said as she batted her eyes at Bruce.

“Pay no attention to my sister,” Ardan said as he stood and looked at the Avenger. “Devnet, if you need us, we’ll be over here. Not bothering anyone,” he said as he guided his sister back to their table.

“It could have been worse, I suppose,” Dev said as the twins walked away. “It could have been Conri and Saorla O’Cathain. Kari’s cousins on her father’s side. Aerfen and Ardan are on her mother’s side. They mean well, but…no. Back to the topic at hand. Barnes and Kari. Dancing.”

Bruce looked a bit confused after the cousins went back to their table. “Kari never mentioned…”

“Any of her family? I’m not shocked. When her siblings died, she shut down. She never gives straight dates on when they passed. She never talks about surviving family. She rarely tells anyone about me, Enya or Mina. I think she’s afraid we’ll all be in line for some sort of trouble. Those stupid accords. People coming after her. As I said, it can make your head explode. Now, how about dessert?”

Dev finally looked at the menu and decided on the strawberry parfait, and Bruce opted for the chocolate and hazelnut cake.

“She’s staring again, isn’t she?” Dev whispered as she leaned closer to Bruce. “And I just gave her more ammunition. I am an eejit. Don’t worry. I am not…I have read your story…Natasha…and I am so sorry about your loss…I just need a friend.”

Bruce was processing everything Dev was saying when several of the patrons got to their feet and looked out the window onto the street in front of the restaurant. There were purple lights dancing in the air, and suddenly they vanished. Dev looked at Aerfen, but the woman simply shrugged and went back to drinking her own glass of wine. “And just like that, another evening in tatters. Níl ann ach figiúirí. Sorry. It just figures,” Dev said as she looked at her dessert and finally remembered her promise to Tyrone. “Waiter, could I please get a Morgan’s ribeye to take home? Thank you.”

“Midnight noshing later?” Bruce asked as Dev laughed. “No, I promised Tyrone a treat bag. Maybe I should call Wong? That seemed a bit too supernatural for my liking, and if the Trouble Twins did not cause it, and I know I didn’t do it, then who did? I know you don’t know, and you have that talk tomorrow. I’ll find out on my own for now, but I’ll keep you posted.”

When the bill came over, Dev slapped Bruce’s hand after he started to put down a credit card. “I asked you here. My treat,” she said before she turned to hand the server her card. The purple lights came flashing back, and this time the patrons started to shout as something appeared in the lights. “Bruce, maybe you want to get out of here before…too late.”

Ardan was running out of the restaurant, sword in hand, scaring whatever people were still outside as he tried to see what was coming through the lights. “Oh joy! He thinks he’s the Witcher or something,” Dev grumbled as she got up and ran outside just to watch the lights fade again. “Well, did you see anything?”

Ardan walked over to his fellow immortal and Banner and shook his head. “The Rift might be pushing the boundaries again. I’m not sure. Where is Herself?”

“Herself, if she finds out about any of this, will kill me,” Dev replied as she looked to see Aerfen had followed behind Bruce. “And now I think I have to tell you two as well. Bruce, I can take it from here. I’ll ring you tomorrow after your talk. Night.”

“Night,” Bruce said as he walked back to his accommodations. The Eyre Square Hotel was not that far off, and Dev was glad for that in case she needed his help later.

“Now, Trouble Twins,” she started to say as Aerfen poked her in the side with her elbow. “Ow. What?”

“You like him. I can tell,” Aerfen said as Dev groaned in reply. “Fine, but you are no fun! What is wrong with Kari this time?”

“Remember back when Merlin was stupid? Kari upped that with a dodgy spell, and I have a funny feeling those purple lights mean we are all in the shite because of it.”

Dev turned back to make sure Bruce was actually on his way back down the Spanish Parade Long Walk. “May this be nothing I can’t handle on my own,” she said quietly as Ardan gave her a funny look. “Trust me. The Avengers are not ready for The Rift or any of the nonsense your family brings with it at times. You are all like family to me, but gods, they can’t deal with the lot of us on a good day.”

Tag list: @arrthurpendragon, @historygeekfics, @starryeyes2000, @chickensarentcheap

[kylorenpunk]

Payback is a bitch. Do them all.

“itAy thanks for curing my evening boredom

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?

     I think it was my friend Elli during a service project or my friend when we went to the movies (we occasionally pretend we’re a couple when we go to the movies lmao) 

2. Are you outgoing or shy?

    Shy. It was super hard to make friends during grade school. But if you put me with the right people I can be outgoing. 3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?

     My friend group tomorrow. I think we’re playing smash again? 4. Are you easy to get along with?

     I think so? I have no idea tbh. I know I was a bitch when I was younger though. Hopefully I don’t put off those vibes now 5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?

     The only time we interacted I was drunk so no lol. 6. What kind of people are you attracted to?

     Tattooed, nerdy vibes, can make me laugh, nice eyes, idk I just like guys ok7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

     HA. Nope. 8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?

     Romantically? or friendship? Also bold of you to assume whoever does these are straight. To answer, my friends who are all homies. 9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

     Depends on the subject. I am always down to make sex jokes but don’t fucking tell me the shit you did with your SO the other night.10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

      I’m always down for deep convos tbh so I do this frequently. I think the last full length deep convo I had was with Jessica though? 11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?

      “LMAO” to Joey bc I rick rolled his ass. Bitch apparently I’m always texting you?   12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?

       According to spotify it’s: Alexander HamiltonGoodbye Yellow Brick Road (Sara Bareilles’ cover) When I Was Your Man (Aaron Tveit’s cover) The Greatest Show The number one song is one I don’t listen to any more so I’ll replace that with the song I’m listening to “How Far I’ll Go” 

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?

      God yes. That’s the BEST feeling. 14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?

      Not really miracles. But I do believe in luck in a sense 15. What good thing happened this summer?

      My birthday. Going to Chicago. 16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

      Sure I’ll kiss my mirror again. Sorry y’all I don’t kiss and tell.17. Do you think there is life on other planets?

      Absolutely.18. Do you still talk to your first crush?

      I have had so many I don’t remember my first crush. And I know for a fact I didn’t start talking to crushes till the middle of high school19. Do you like bubble baths?

      No I hate baths. I think it’s gross. 20. Do you like your neighbors?

      I like their dogs. Especially the beautiful pit I get to dog sit 21. What are you bad habits?

      I get very nervous very easily. I’m unsure of myself. I’m also messy.22. Where would you like to travel?

      New York and Europe 23. Do you have trust issues?

      Who doesn’t? 24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

      When I go to sleep.25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?

      My stomach. 26. What do you do when you wake up?

      Check my phone. It’s really bad. 27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?

      Neither. I like my skin color even though I’m pale as fuck. 28. Who are you most comfortable around?

      I’ll have to say my friends Yara and Josephine. Love all my other friends and no offense to y’all I’m just really self conscious 29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?

      LMAO one basically did the other day. At least he regrets how he treated me. That’s some tea. 30. Do you ever want to get married?

      Hell yeah. Am I currently ready for it? Hell naw. 31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail?

     She’s too long. I really want to cut her but that costs money. 32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?

      Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway. Or Vanessa Hudgens33. Spell your name with your chin.

      done. That was strange? 34. Do you play sports? What sports?

      I did soccer for one season when I was 6. I spent most of the time playing with my hair. That was the end of my athletic career. 35. Would you rather live without TV or music?

      TV bc we have netflix and hulu 36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?

      Tons of times. It’s my brand. 37. What do you say during awkward silences?

      I’ve been doing shitty mouth pops recently. I also start rambling about my day.38. Describe your dream girl/guy?

      Someone that puts up with my bullshit 39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?

      TJ Maxx. Ulta. Target. I don’t shop often. 40. What do you want to do after high school?

      I’m outta that shit hole. Have been for 5 yrs. 41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

      Of course. 42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?

      I’m listening fully and don’t really have anything to contribute yet. 43. Do you smile at strangers?

      Working at a hotel has forced me to. I hate it. 44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

      SPACE MOTHERFUCKERS - the ocean freaks me out45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

      Needing to pee, hunger or work 46. What are you paranoid about?

      EVERYTHING. Mainly the future tho 47. Have you ever been high?

      Nah. Not opposed to it though. 48. Have you ever been drunk?

      Yep. I get really touchy. It’s weird. 49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?

      Stalk people’s social medias? 50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?

      Grey 51. Ever wished you were someone else?

      I wish I was Vanessa Hudgens. 52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?

      I won’t write it here 53. Favourite makeup brand?

      NYX. Cheap and good. 54. Favourite store?

      Target 55. Favourite blog?

      My own. 56. Favourite colour?

      Pink or Green. Depends on the day.57. Favourite food? 

      Anything with pasta or rice 58. Last thing you ate?

      pasta 59. First thing you ate this morning?

      beef jerkey. I have weird cravings60. Ever won a competition? For what?

      For being the world’s most emotional bitch 61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?

      Hell no. Stay in school kids. 62. Been arrested? For what?

      Nope.63. Ever been in love? 

      Yep. Still don’t kiss and tell. 64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?

      I know I just said I don’t kiss and tell but this isn’t talking about the person. Wet. Gross. Sloppy as fuck. They were shit at kissing. 65. Are you hungry right now?

      Nah. 66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?

      I have one tumblr friend. He’s a pal. 67. Facebook or Twitter?

      Twitter68. Twitter or Tumblr?

      Twitter. I’ll make one for this blog soon. 69. Are you watching tv right now?

      No I’m listening to Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson. 70. Names of your bestfriends? 

      Kim, Michelle, Jessica71. Craving something? What?

      Nothing. 72. What colour are your towels?

      Pink and green72. How many pillows do you sleep with?

      It used to be two until I got a new giant pillow this week. 73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?

      I have them. I don’t sleep with them. 74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?

      Four. I just counted. 75. Favourite animal?

      Meerkats 76. What colour is your underwear?

      Pink. 77. Chocolate or Vanilla?

      Vanilla 78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

      Strawberry79. What colour shirt are you wearing?

      Grey and pink 80. What colour pants?

      Dark grey and green - I’m in house clothes I don’t match 81. Favourite tv show?

      Jane the Virgin 82. Favourite movie?

      Hairspray 83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?

      Mean Girls. The second one was trash 84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?

      Mean Girls85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?

      SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE 86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?

      Bruce87. First person you talked to today?

      Joey?88. Last person you talked to today?

      Joey. What the hell. 89. Name a person you hate?

      Hm they don’t need their name here90. Name a person you love?

      My brother91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?

      Someone from work 92. In a fight with someone?

      Nah I don’t deal with that bs 93. How many sweatpants do you have?

      None. I do leggings tho ( I think I have 7 or 8)94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?

      2 hoodies 95. Last movie you watched?

      The Green Book96. Favourite actress?

      Anne Hathaway? 97. Favourite actor?

      Mark Hamill 98. Do you tan a lot?

      I burn a lot. I’m pale99. Have any pets?

       No 100. How are you feeling?

        Alright. Kinda pumped bc my fav cover of Come Together came on (from the Justice League movie)101. Do you type fast?

        Yes but this is still taking me a while to get through 102. Do you regret anything from your past?

        Hell yeah. No tea is being spilled tho103. Can you spell well?

        If I have a pen and paper I’m decent. 104. Do you miss anyone from your past?

        I miss some ppl yeah. Adulting sucks bc you can’t see everyone all the time105. Ever been to a bonfire party?

        Lol that was the only rebellious thing I would do in high school 106. Ever broken someone’s heart?

        Not that I know of? 107. Have you ever been on a horse?

        Yes I love horseback riding 108. What should you be doing?

        Studying for the GRE109. Is something irritating you right now?

        Boring drama stuff. I won’t go into details. I’ll get over it. 110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?

        Everyone has. 111. Do you have trust issues?

        Sis you already asked this. Yes. 112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?

        My mom? I was crying bc I could fit into old shirts 113. What was your childhood nickname?

        Family calls me Kari. Friends call me Rina114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?

        Yep. Last month. 115. Do you play the Wii?

        We play Netflix on the wii116. Are you listening to music right now?

        “I am Woman” by Jordan Sparks 117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?

        Only from a can. I hate soup. 118. Do you like Chinese food?

        Fuck me up with crab rangoons 119. Favourite book?

        Eragon120. Are you afraid of the dark?

        I don’t like not being able to see. So sure. 121. Are you mean?

        I’m a dick to those I care about. Sorry. 122. Is cheating ever okay?

        Absolutely not. Dump their ass. 123. Can you keep white shoes clean?

        Nope. 124. Do you believe in love at first sight?

        I believe in infatuation at first sight125. Do you believe in true love?

         Not sure 126. Are you currently bored?

        I was till I started this 127. What makes you happy?

        anime, superheros, nerdy shit, music and makeup 128. Would you change your name?

        No. I used to want to as a child. 129. What your zodiac sign?

        Cancer. 130. Do you like subway?

        No. It’s gross. 131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?

        Politely decline132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?

        Already answered. 133. Favourite lyrics right now?

        “Yoko Ono, she got that Yoko OnoYou know that shit that made John Lennon go soloKnow that shit gotta be lethalIf that pussy broke up The Beatles” - Jay Z

Murder by Justin Timberlake (Featuring Jay Z)134. Can you count to one million?

        I could. I don’t want to though.135. Dumbest lie you ever told?

        Not sure. 136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?

        Closed. 137. How tall are you?

        Five foot. Three inches. 138. Curly or Straight hair?

        My hair is wavy. I like both.139. Brunette or Blonde?

        I’m a brunette140. Summer or Winter?

        summer141. Night or Day?

        day 142. Favourite month?

        october143. Are you a vegetarian?

        nope but i’ve considered. 144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

        dark chocolate. I’m old. 145. Tea or Coffee?

        tea - coffee gives me the shits 146. Was today a good day?

        It was decent. 147. Mars or Snickers?

        Mars148. What’s your favourite quote?

        “It’s not who we are underneath, it’s what we do that defines us.” - Batman Begins 149. Do you believe in ghosts?

        Yes and No150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? (via catscuddlingandyou)

         GRE prep book “Directions:” It said more but my fingers hurt from typing all day. 

[squirrel-moose-winchester]

Teenage Christmas Wish

Title: Teenage Christmas Wish

Pairing: Teen!Sam x Teen!Reader

Word Count: 1971

Warning: Nothing but PURE FLUFF! Ugh, why do I do this to myself?

A/N: This is my submission to Kari (@thing-you-do-with-that-thing) and Ida’s (@like-a-bag-of-potatoes) 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. Prompt: December 20th – Wishing Upon a Star

12 Day of Christmas Masterlist

Disclaimer: The gif below does not belong to me.

You were having the worst day, possibly, ever. It was the last period of the day and there was still a whole 30 minutes left until it was winter vacation! This penitentiary called High School could suck it. The girls were mean, the guys were dead beats, and everyone who wasn’t, didn’t even know you existed, save for your handful of friends.

Taking your eyes off of your doodle-covered notebook, you saw Sam Winchester staring at you. He sent a reassuring smile, which you returned. Thank goodness for Sam. He was your best friend, even if he was a little secretive about his family and that you’d only met him in the beginning of the school year, however you knew enough to know that he was a genuine nice guy.

When the bell finally rang, you quickly shoved everything in your backpack, Sam already standing by your desk waiting. Slipping your arms through through the straps, you stood up from your desk ready to leave.

“All set?” Sam asked, checking around the area to see if you miss anything.

“Yup! Thank God we can take a break from this hell hole,” you complained.

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” he laughed.

“Yeah, to you. You’re actually smart!” You retorted, Sam cackling at your statement. He actually liked learning and going to school. Compared to the secret life his family had, this was what he wanted most – to be normal.

You smiled as the both of you headed out of the classroom and towards your car. You had made plans with Sam and all your other friends to hang out after school at Harvey’s Diner. It was smack in the middle of town and about equal distance from everyone’s house. Although no one knew where Sam lived, he assured everyone that he didn’t live far either.

Sam snatched your car keys from your hand, like always, and got into the front seat. You rolled your eyes humorously at him before slipping into the passenger side. This was a normal thing. He’d always drive when you two went to hangout after school, which happened to be almost everyday.

After getting a bite to eat, everyone parted ways. Heading over to the car, out of the blue, Sam had given an invitation to go to his place. To say you were shocked was an understatement. The question caught you completely off guard. You never thought you’d see the day where you’d get to see where Sam lived so of course you said yes. Only a crazy person would turn down a once in a life time opportunity, but then again, you could be crazy for wanting to.

Zooming down the roads, you observed every turn, houses passed, stoplights, and anything that could be used as a landmark to remember your way to Sam’s place. The drive was definitely further than expected. He was practically driving into the middle of no where, however you’ve drove down this road before. Your dad used to always sent you around the area to pick up spare parts for what ever automobile he was working on, but since he passed, there was no reason to come around this area anymore.

“Do you know Bobby Singer, by any chance?” Sam asked out of the blue.

“Mr. Singer? Yeah, I used to pick up car parts from him for my dad,” you admitted.

“Really? That’s who I’m staying with while I’m at school.”

“No kidding. He doesn’t seem like the most hospitable guy,” you stated. “And not to offend you or anything, everyone thinks he’s the town drunk, ever since his wife passed…” you trailed off. “But he seem’s like a pretty nice guy, I guess. Never talked to me, just pointed to the parts I need and went back into his house.”

Sam chuckled. “Sounds about right. He’s a little rough around the edges but is a really nice guy. He used to watch me and my brother as a kid when our father was out on business. There are just things that other’s don’t understand, so they make things up. Yeah, when Bobby get’s drunk, he get’s a little hard to deal with, but he’s a good guy. Never once hurt anyone unless they deserved it. My brother watched him beat up this guy for shoving Dean to the ground. It was awesome.” A smiled made its way to you face as Sam talked about Bobby. He really admired him, that was easy to tell. “He was more of a father to me and Dean than our own father.”

“That makes me feel a lot better. I’m glad I didn’t listen to all that negativity everyone has been spewing.”

“Me too. You’re pretty awesome, you know that?” Sam took his eyes off the road for a second to give you a small smile. Gosh, he was attractive.

“I know,” you joked, punching him in his arm.

That was the most Sam had ever mentioned about his family, other than that it’s just him and his brother, his dad travels a lot, and his mom died when he was still an infant. Also, there were a few stories here and there about his childhood with his older brother Dean, but he’d never mentioned growing up in Bobby’s care.

Sam pulled up into the ‘junk yard’ of Bobby Singer, parking in front of the house. “Looks like Bobby’s not home,” he revealed.

“So it’ll just be us?” Your nerves began to surface.

“Is that not okay? If you’re uncomfortable, we can go somewhere else,” he offered.

“N-no. It’s fine,” you smiled with certainty, the butterflies coming alive in your stomach.

“Are you sure?” He asked, but you only nodded with a wide grin. “If you want to go home, just let me know. Anyways, let’s get inside, it’s starting to snow.” Just as he finished his sentence, a snowflake landed on your nose, sending a chill through your body.

Entering the house you noticed that it was surprisingly neat. There were a lot of books and papers lying around, but you bother with them. Nosey wasn’t a characteristic you wanted to associate with yourself.

“So this is home, huh? It’s a little far way from the diner don’t you think?” Your tone accusing him of lying. “Do you walk all the way home? I could have dropped you off, it’s not a problem,” you rambled while looking around.

“Bobby usually picks me up,” he mentioned. Not knowing that he stopped, you ran right into him, stumbling back a bit. “Whoa, you okay? You need to stop doing that,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, thanks. And it doesn’t happen all the time,” you grumbled in denial, knowing it was true. You ran into people all the time.

After having a great time together, watching TV and just talking about random things, the sky had gotten dark quickly. The large pizza he ordered a while ago was long gone. Now you were both lounging on the couch watching a random movie that was on TV. Sam peered out the window and noticed that the snow had stopped.

“Hey, want to go outside for a bit, the snow stopped falling. I can lend you one of my sweaters,” he suggested.

“Yeah sure that’d be great! I love going out and looking at the night sky after the snowfall. Hopefully the sky cleared up,” you replied.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” he smiled, “unless you want to come up and see my room?” He asked, his voice a little shy. Your face flushed red against your will, unable to believe what was happening. Not only were you alone in a house with Sam, he was inviting you into his bedroom. You didn’t want to overthink things or overreact, but what possible reasons could you have to NOT check out his room?

“Sure, I’d love to see how Sam Winchester decorates his room,” you giggled, following him up the stairs. Sam smiled, offering his hand, which you took.

“It’s not that great, I barely have anything,” he chuckled.

At the top floor, standing in front of a door, anticipation broiled through your veins. This was it. You were about to be alone with Sam in his room. The butterflies in your stomach were now working over time, riling you up until you felt a little dizzy, but that wasn’t going to stop you. Sam opened the door and he was right. Sam didn’t have much. His room was simple, with a desk filled with books. It suited him.

Sam headed for his closet, pulling out one of his sweaters and handing it to you along with a beanie before pulling another for himself. “There, you think you’ll be warm enough? Need another layer?” He questioned.

“Um, I think I’ll be fine,” you stated as you examined the thickness and fabric of the sweater.

“Here, just in case, throw this on,” he passed one of his flannels. You fought the smile that threatened your lips, biting the inside of your cheeks. The flannel he had lent was your favorite on him.

“Thank you.”

After slipping on the flannel, his sweater, and sliding the beanie atop your head, Sam let out a soft chuckle. You were practically drowning in his clothing.

“It fits like a glove,” you joked.

“Fits you better than me,” he replied teasingly.

You both laughed before making it out to the front yard, your car covered in a thin blanket of snow. Gazing up to the sky, a soft gasp left you. Although you’ve seen this view many times before, it never got old. The sky was too beautiful to ever get sick of it. A little way to the right, you saw a bright star. It was the brightest and the biggest, so you decided to take a chance and make a wish.

Just as you closed your eyes, Sam turned in time to watch. Your head was tilted upwards and Sam followed the direction you were facing noticing the same bright star and figured he’d play along, after all there was no harm in it.

When you opened your eyes, Sam chimed in, “So what did you wish for?”

“Now, if I told you, then it might not come true.”

“Oh, that’s just a myth,” he laughed.

“Oh, yeah, then what did you wish for, smart guy?”

“My wish? You want to know?” He inquired. “Do you really want to know?” He turned his body fully to face you.

“I do,” you stated, turning your body to face his as well.

Sam took a step closer, practically chest to chest. You gulped with nerves, forcing yourself to not look at his tempting lips. “I wished that…” he trailed as he leaned in to whisper in your ear, “you’d let me kiss you,” he confessed.

Heat blasted through your entire being. That was the last thing you ever thought of hearing. Not even in a million years. Maybe only in your dreams but that was it. He was your best friend. It pretty much defied the laws of friendship, because it could make things awkward. It could potentially ruin everything, but it was too late now. Sam had already stepped passed the line just by revealing that he wanted to kiss you.

When he pulled away, his lips stopped merely centimeters away from your own. You smiled at the odds that you, too, had wished for the same thing on the same star. This time a soft giggle fell past your lips.

“What?” Sam asked, his tone now filled with nervousness as he pulled away a tad more.

“Nothing. My wish. I wished that you’d kiss me. It’s also my Christmas wish,” you admitted with new found courage.

Sam grinned. “Then I guess your wish is my command,” he whispered before connecting his lips with yours.

Feedback Is Appreciated!

[kingmaker-thac0hno]

The Kingdom of Thornvale: Stone and Gold

The month of Lamashan, 4711

Near the beginning of Lamashan, the Lords call for the annexation of lands east of Haven, in the foothills of the mountains near the potential quarry site. In addition, they announce the annexation of lands north of Haven, near the gold mine.  With a huzzah, the villagers of Haven cheer as surveyors head out to grid and mark the territories for Thornvale.

Early in Lamashan, Evrin heads off towards Restov carrying a number of personal letters from various Haven villagers for delivery. The brisk autumn weather seems to be setting in a little early this year, but for those that enjoy the changing seasons, the journey is a pleasant one.

Arriving in Restov, Evrin is struck by how distinctly different the city is from his last visit. The normally teeming streets are nearly devoid of men of fighting age, and instead are filled with women, children, or the elderly. Arriving at the Aldori Academy, he spends some time reviewing the progress of the young students there. Several show promise, though none have hit puberty yet. A quick meeting with the headmaster grants Evrin access to the small, dusty library to search for manuscripts on siege warfare. After spending hours pouring over novellas and biographies of daring duelists, endless debates on heavy vs light armor preferences and benefits,  and detailed discussions on the finer points of sword balance and construction, he is able to find something useful. A single, very old, very delicate scroll case contains some antiquated schematics for the construction of some simple weapons: ballistae, battering rams, siege towers, catapults. The headmaster, seeing the find, permits Evrin to 'borrow' the manuscripts for copying, to be returned at some later date. It is obvious that the old swordsman doesn't much care about the topic.

Stopping by a few favored watering holes to pick up copies of the Quill before ending up at the Marching Mustang, the halfling quickly discovers that nearly all fighting age men ( and far too many boys, according to their mothers) have headed north, where conflict between Rostland and the Surtovan forces has been far more fierce than many foreigners would know. Though most commoners seem to swear outright war is happening, the more astute among them point out a distinct lack of any news from the nobles; you know how them nobles love they proclamations! winks one bartender. Nearly all of them complain about shortages of one thing or another, and how all the good stuff they load up on wagons headed north, including the bulk of the fall harvest. Focused on such things close to home, finding widespread news of the other expeditions is turns up very little.

Stopping in at various magic shoppes, Evrin sees that the commoners aren't lying about shortages. Most shelves lie barren, with the normal selection of healing balms, salves, and curatives entirely missing. Even simple items like bandages look small and utterly overpriced, though the more affluent shops still have some inventory in other alchemical items ( acids and the like).  Evrin is able to pick up the scroll case left at one of the shoppes over a year ago, but the wizards' ramblings about the bone of a Naga strike him as confusing and nonsensical.

*** Saryn's presence in Haven continues to enliven and uplift the town. The crowds for his evening performances grow ever larger, and have expanded to include some dancing for those who desire. The elf Lord begins hosting small dinners for various townsfolk, inquiring about their lives and desires. Most of the people tell very similar stories - they want something to call their own: land or a business; they want to be able to raise a family in safety; they want to leave the conflict and strife of their former lives behind. Nearly all of them speak of building their own home, or raising children, and describe a sense of pride and community around what they have helped build here in Haven so far.  

A few stand out as different: Cedrin speaks of fulfilling his duties as aide-de-camp, and helping the lords manage their responsibilities to the kingdom. Herr Brasse seems more obsessed with creating the perfect brew than anything else. Ardberg reveals that he, like Arna, desires to see the lost dwarven clan restored. Lady Garess, while passing through Haven for supplies, admits to a feeling of searching for something she can't quite pinpoint. An occassional commoner here or there speaks of a newfound faith in Erastil.

A private visit from Mikmek ( as official envoy of the Chief Sootscale) reveal that the tribe is still very weak and limited in number. Though Kobolds grow quickly, it will still be some time until they can properly defend themselves; The Chief is concerned about open conflicts that could result in the deaths of more Sootscale Kobolds, and would seek to avoid them if at all possible. Those concerns aside, the tribe has been diligently expanding and reinforcing their home in preparation.

Odis of Blackstag arrives by canoe a few days after being summoned. He appears stressed, discussing the responsibility he feels to care for the families of his fallen brothers-in-arms, as now more than ever they look to him to make decisions. He is concerned that the reduced hunting and trapping will diminish the fur trade with Mivon, or that the distant city may make moves to enforce some long-standing bounties on the villagers. He has concerns about the village being mostly women and it's ability to defend itself should the need arise. He's worried about the lights across the lake on Candlemere Island. When asked about direction, he thinks that anything the Lords can do to help Blackstag feel more connected to the kingdom as a whole would be good. He hopes there is something that can be done to help alleviate the feeling of isolation they have in the absence of their menfolk, and the growing sentiment that Blackstag is unimportant.

Corax bluntly states that his main issue right now is a bottleneck around exporting. Haven has been a good customer, and some trade with Varnhold has borne fruit, but by and large they are small potatoes. He could easily produce more timber, but getting it to major cities is a challenge. A complete route to the major cities would benefit all. He inquires (again) as to the existence of other reports of something wandering the forest. 

Melianse happily meets Saryn on the banks of her pool, she chats for a bit on small talk. She does know Tiressia, saying she can be a force of nature if riled up, and is glad to hear of the slaying of the scythe tree. She is able to travel to Haven, though it has become a little more crowded (with people) than is her preference. When the topic turns to the woman-creature in the old elven tower, Mel shuts down, saying very little and sinking into her pool as if to hide. Mel quickly relates a story of the woman being the Dancing Lady, a once-lovely fey who roamed the lands in the time before the men came. The Lady had ensnared a male with her sensual dances, and somehow this angered a powerful foe who imprisoned her in the tower for eternity as punishment. Sensing she has perhaps said too much, Mel sinks below the surface and disappears, leaving a trail of bubbles in her wake.

Time with the owlbear and the wyvern goes really well, and the creatures are clearly bonded. You're not sure they are old enough to fully internalize the lessons on food choice, but  there are positive signs. The owlbear cub in particular seems to have a growing preference for cooked food. As always, the curiosity of the local populace remains high, leaving many observers for outdoor trainings sessions, but most are too cautious to approach.

*** Arna engages in a long and extended meeting with the People's Council, as Odis makes an impassioned plea for the pier at Blackstag, including some expressions of the preferential treatment of Northern Thornvale and Haveners compared to Southern Thornvale and Blackstag. That night, Arna arranges for a dinner with commoners and announces that Ardbeg has advanced from apprentice to journeyman stonemason after all of their joint efforts on the Armauk memorial. Over ales she also says that she is going to approach the Lords to suggest Ardbeg be made in charge of the eventual quarry site as well.

The next day Arna approaches the Lords with Odis. She recommends Ardbeg for management of the quarry site, and expresses her desire to return with Odis to Blackstag. She feels her skills could be better used in Blackstag and she is also closer to the ruins “Tar Greyforge” she has taken to calling it invoking the dwarven word for ‘stronghold’. Arna plans to return to Haven for council meetings, and emphasizes her desire to explore with the Lords still. She plans to repair the great door at Tar Greyforge and survey and map the area surrounding as well as she intends to winter there. She will also come if summoned by the Lords, and asks permission to inquire of Haveners desiring to join he to Blackstag or even Tar Greyforge.

Heading to Blackstag with Odis, Arna sets about seeking for some potential apprentices and workers. Unfortunately, pickings are slim, with many of the menfolk either too old or too young, and so many of the womenfolk busy with daily activities of hunting, cooking, and fishing. Worse yet, Arna overhears a quiet discussion among some of the hunter-women regarding areas of the Narlmarches to avoid, due to the growing presence of a heavy, acrid fog permeating the wood. ***

Karis spends many mornings working with his wyvern hatchling, developing a growing trust between them. The creature seems to have overcome some of its initial hesitancy from earlier, and now an attachment seems to be deepening with the Eldarin.

Approaching Tesh'lahi and Lady Garess, Karis opens discussions to offer them positions within his operations. Lady Garess politely refuses, though you sense a touch of noble superiority and perhaps a disdain for that line of work in the tone of her voice. She states that she has dedicated herself to traveling the roads of Thornvale, bringing Desna's aid and blessings to those who journey upon it, and wishes not to leave the country. Tesh'lahi, however, appears flattered, then excited at the opportunity, and accepts immediately. Calistria would favor this, don't you think? she asks. 

Travelling to Blackstag, Karis spends time watching and evaluating the villagers there. Most of the women seem very attached to community, and there is a growing effort among them to build back what they have lost with the death of their menfolk. However, one orphan child, a young lad of 8 or so, seems particularly adept at evading detection, sneaking food, dodging chores, and the like. 

Returning to Haven, Karis passes by Candlemere island, perhaps a little closer than usual. Nearing the shore, he once again sees faint lights flickering up near the rise and the tower ruins, and decides perhaps discretion is the better part of valor for now. 

*** Stonewalker spends bits of his time walking about town, offering to lend a hand fixing and repairing broken things. The commoners seems somewhat surprised, but accept the help nonetheless. In addition, the gnome creates numerous fliers advertising his search for apprentices, posting them everywhere about town and asking guards, traders, and innkeepers alike to distribute them. Some folk, particularly the guards, seem annoyed by the order to hand out fliers, but obey the newly appointed Lord nonetheless.  The fliers however, have their intended effect, and the gnome is soon overwhelmed by mothers bringing their children to be chosen as apprentice. A flood of younglings parades through Stonewalkers residence, and it quickly becomes apparent that none of these have any particular aptitude for much in the form of knowledge or wisdom. 

With a slight delay due to the flood of would-be child apprentices, Stonewalker convenes his first meeting of Thefina, Ardbeg, Quill, and Odis. The meeting is a cacophony of ideas and items Haven needs. Ardberg argues strongly for a proper quarry, stone defenses around the town, and the need for horses to transport such large amounts of stone. This leads to a discussion of the town not having a stable, nor a reliable source for trained, domesticated horses. Quill, for his part, is willing to shoe the supposed herd of horses, but comments that he needs to import iron and steel from Restov at the moment - a difficult task as shortages of such materials have recently left him working with scraps. In fact, he would need a proper forge to even begin to do that amount of work - something the town does not yet have. Furthermore, Quill laments the poor quality of the militia's weaponry and armor, and thinks something should be done about that as well, but not after a proper barracks has been established, and maybe even an armory and training grounds. He muses that perhaps the old Stag Lord's fort may be repurposed for this. Thefina points out that Haven has a solid supply of wood from the Corax timber site, but no school for its youth, no library for learning, no facility to craft ships for the lake ( and no skilled people to do it!).  Odis sighs, and falls into a mini-speech that appears to have been repeated many times - how Blackstag both feels disconnected and IS disconnected from the rest of the Kingdom, how it could benefit from the development of piers or docks to take advantage of opportunities on the lake, how he fears for it's defenses, slumping trade. He ends with a sarcastic chuckle - and how could I forget a drunk giant?

Though his conversations with various Havenites throughout the month, Stonewalker documents important locations around the region as told by the people living in town. This, in addition to the extensive work done to survey the region as well as annex portions of it into Thornvale proper, helps establish a comprehensive map of the area, though there is remarkably little interest among the commonfolk in the so-called Cartographic Society.

Near the end of the month, Stonewalker ventures out on a quick tour of the region, he stops by Madame Beldame's hut to drop off some small foodstuffs, joins Saryn for a quick visit to Melianse's grove, and stops over in Tiressia's grove to trade friendly greetings. Then, he heads up to the gold mine to speak with master Malum about his gold mine. The young fellow scowls at the return of the gnome, but is not surprised to hear of the claiming of the surrounding region into Thornvale. Malum states that he will pay his fair share of his taxes in exchange for being left alone to run his business.

The end of the month brings the successful return of the two annexing parties, replete with detailed maps of their respective areas.

Turn 15; Neth, 4711 AR

Petitions:

Arna and Odis petition the Lords to begin the construction of piers in Blackstag. 

Oleg and Grutzner petition the lords to allow Thornvale to once again celebrate the Night of the Seven Veils on the 23rd of Neth. 

A sealed envelope bearing the markings of Lord Megar Varn of Varnhold arrives, seeikng to discuss matters of extreme importance. The Lord Varn requests a meeting of Lords at the border pass as soon as possible, and cautions against the possibility of spies in Haven.

Edicts:

You may issue two (2) edicts for the month of Neth

[another-chorus-girl]

Erik House - Chapter 15

Karimloo knocked softly on the door. But received no response.

"It's me," The Merik said, knocking a little louder. "Hello?"

Trying the knob, Karimloo found it unlocked. He entered and was startled at the site that met his brown eyes. The drapes were shut, but years underground allowed him to see with little ease in the darkness. 

Sheet music crumpled and incomplete was strewed about everywhere, 

Karimloo noted several wine bottles on the desk, all of them empty. His gaze softened seeing the figure laying on the floor.

Panaro's was passed out sitting up, his back propped against the side of the bed. His wig was gone, as was the mask. The few tuffs on his head were more untame and wild than the Broadway Merik's hair normally was. His face was contorted, his head shaking back and forth. Karimloo knew Panaro suffered from night terrors. The West End Merik did as well, but his had subsided much more than Panaro's had.

Kneeling down, he slowly reached over placing his hand on Panaro's shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

While gentle, the contact jolted Panaro awake as the Broadway Merik's eyes darted around before focusing on the masked man.

"K-Kari?" Panaro blinked, crawling away. "I....If you're here I shouldn't be. I'll leave."

"No!" Karimloo yanked him back down as Panaro tried to stagger to his feet. "Don't go..."

Panaro shrunk away, "Please, I don't want you to see me like this. Or at all, considering my behaviour."

Karimloo sat down with him, turning Panaro around to face him. "I was angry with you, part of me is still angry with you." Karimloo shook his head, "But learning from the past has shown me it's not healthy to dwell on mistakes."

Panaro covered his face with the palms of his hands.

"I don't deserve forgiveness. I betrayed you."

Pulling away his hands, Karimloo's replaced them, caressing the sides of his face. Panaro couldn't help but sigh feeling the West End Merik's fingers trace over both the unscathed and deformed halves of his face.

"I don't wish to shun you," Karimloo let a smile creep over his face. "How can I possibly do that to my angel?"

Panaro's swollen lips trembled, "Why? What are you saying?" 

Taking one of Panaro's hands in his, the West End Merik sang.

"Say you'll share with me, one love one lifetime."

"Lead me, save me from my solitude" Panaro joined in, feeling the strong safe grip on his hand. He almost didn't notice the ring Karimloo slipped on his finger with his free hand.

"Say you want me with you here, beside you."

Panaro's eyes widened. The ring was gold plated, similar to the one he wore on his pinky. It had a blend of white diamonds and onyx black gemstones encrusted in the band.

"That was why I went to see Sierra. I needed help settling on the right one." Karimloo answered. "If you'll accept it."

"A promise ring?"

Karimloo shook his head, "I should hope you know this is much more than that."

Propping himself up on one knee from his sitting position, Karimloo's almond brown eyes gazed into Panaro's.

"Anywhere you go, let me go too. Marry me, that's all I ask of you."

Panaro's hands were shaking, his eyes darting between Karimloo's and the engagement ring perfectly snug on his finger.

"Yes!" Panaro answered no louder than a whisper. His mouth agape, feeling absolutely numb as he felt the West End Merik's arms weave around him.

--

Gerik glumly tapped on the organ keys.

"Say, do you think you think you could help me with a project I'm working on?" Cherik asked, watching the white rat crawling up his arm. After several baths the redhead was quite surprised to say the least that her hair wasn't naturally brown. Receiving no answer he continued, "I've designed a little home for Polo, but I'm not so skilled with a scale so minuscule. Could I borrow your hands for this project? Monsieur Y's told me about your models."

"Sure, sounds fine." Gerik sighed.

He was in sulky slump, word on the second floor always travelled fast in the house. News of Karimloo and Panaro's engagement had already gotten out quick throughout the place. While Gerik knew his admiration from afar for Karimloo would never go any further than a one sided crush, it left a hole in his heart seeing the two joint at the hip again ever since they made up.

It was hard to concentrate. Gerik was suppose to meet Erik for another lesson, but the master of the house had to postpone due to an errand of significant importance. Mr. Y had left for a few days to pay visit to Anna and Gustauve. Now he was left alone with his sorrow filled thoughts.

Kerik slammed the book he was reading down on the sofa.

"This is enough! You've been playing the same single key for over twenty minutes!" The novelized man scowled. Pulling Gerik up from his seat by the ends of his suit jacket he dragged the film adapted man with him. "Come with me Gerry."

"I'm not in the mood tonight Kerik," He sighed.

"That's not what I was referring to. Though it could lead into that." Kerik smirked mumbling the last sentence.

"What then?" Gerik asked, still being up to the second floor and down to opposing man's quarters.

"You're going to just sit down and listen." Kerik patted his shoulder, as he cleared his throat. Despite what the others may have thought Kerik wasn't without a concience. He could care less about the Meriks, nothing was ever intimate or personal with the arrangement he made to any willing masked man in his bed. But something made him uneasy seeing Gerik in such a slump. And watching him watching Karimloo stirred a familiar pit of anger in his being.

But no. Kerik couldn't possibly be jealous of that attention. Right?

He was paying little mind to what was happening around him as he sang and hadn't registered the dazed look of awe and wonder in Gerik's blue eyes.

"How do you manage to do that?" He asked mesmerised by the beauty he had just heard. As if his mind were transported to a safer tranquil state of mind. 

Kerik shrugged, "My voice always has a way with people. Do you feel a little better at least?"

"I do...Thanks."

"Still not in the mood tonight?" Kerik asked, a whimsically musical tone to his voice. He felt a smirk pull at his thin lips, as he teasingly pulled at Gerik's dark red cravat.

"I....I guess I could change my mind..." Gerik mumbled feeling a hazy trance overcome him.

"Good, good."

--

"Now now Polo, slow down!" Cherik called, the rat scampered down the hallway. 

It came to an abrupt stop, it's beady eyes glancing up at Cherik as it ran around in circles before clawing at the adjacent wall. The rodent jingled as she scampered due to the tiny bell she wore.

The redhead smiled, "I think that's enough excitement for today my tiny dear."

But as he kneeled down to scoop up the rodent, he heard a soft click.

"Hm?" He hummed, as Polo's tail had snagged on some sort of tiny switch. A door opened where the wall once stood. While it was common knowledge that the house had upon many secret passages, they were all well maintained.

This passage however looked almost abandoned. Like the others it was dark, but even the main passages were albeit dimly lit. Large cobwebs as thick as drapery's were everywhere along the walls, Cherik felt a gusty chill in his bones coming from the passage. 

Placing Polo in his pocket, Cherik cautiously continued down the corridor. It just seemed like an empty corridor, but the redhead could swear he heard voices up ahead.

"I just don't understand it, my name shouldn't be thrown about like that. I'm not some lovesick fool. Nothing was wrong with what I did."

"Well there was the 'you were her father' thing-"

"That is not true!"

"It almost was?"

Cherik blinked, while he didn't necessarily recognise the voice, something felt strangely nostalgic and familiar about them.

Suddenly Cherik froze hearing Polo squirm in his pocket, her collar jingling.

His blue eyes widened looking up to see a lantern light fixed right on him.

"Who are-" The first voice said and paused. His eyes were met with that of an older man, his hair greying. He wore a suit and black cravat. He had on a fedora but unlike the Meriks his was larger, and his mask big and bulky concealed most of his face.

The man opposite him wore a complete mask, save for one eye that was exposed. His hair longer and more wild than the formers, but he too wore a similar black coat and necktie. 

"Wait do we know you?"

~In Susan Kay’s Phantom, Erik’s voice has a very hypnotic effect as seen in the very early chapters following Madeliene and also with Nadir when they hear him sing.

~And enter Erique Claudin (played by Claude Rains in the 1943 film) and Professor Petrie (played by Herbert Lom in the 1962 film)

~In the original cut Claudin was suppose to be Christine’s father, but at the last minute this was changed. 

[alovevigilante]

Me: Ok. I’ve made an executive decision on behalf of all of us...

Me also: are you an executive?

Me: yes.

Me also: at what company?

Me: ours. Yours and mine.

Me 3: and mine too!

Me: yes, at threes company, ok? Will you just listen to me? (The other me’s sit, silent) thank you. Now, we have all come to terms with the fact that we’re 46 and still not sure where the hell we fit in in society, let alone a career to help aid it, right?

Other me’s: yes, Agreed, (hub hub etc...)

Me: ok, good. Well, not good, but yes, we all concur. Now, we, collectively, are a fucking mess, so I propose this: we start from scratch. At zero point, ok? Ok! Great!

Me also: um, question?

Me: yes?

Me also: I don’t mean to be a contrarian or anything, but we’ve been here on earth now for 46 years, and we’ve experienced a butt ton. So, how do you just scrap it all, and have that be something that’s widely accepted by society as a whole?

Me 3: yeah! Cause I saw this one “I love Lucy” where she couldn’t even audition for a tv show without having some experience.

Me: yeah, but we’re completely walking away from the entertainment industry...

Me also: yeah, but what are we going to do? Walk into a different profession, let’s say, being an astrophysicist, and they say, “hey lady, where are your degrees and your on the job training, & oh, I see here on your non resume that you have never even taken a physics class. Were you in a coma for 50 years or something?” And then we’ll look like an asshole.

Me: good point. So, since we can’t start at a zero point, how do we make life ok from where we’re at if we’re feeling lost and confused about what to do next?

Me 3: I dunno.

Me also: well, maybe we can mediate.

Me: eh. You feel like that?

Me 3: not particularly. Me also?

Me also: I was hoping one of you would do it for me...

Me: no.

Me 3: no.

Me also: fine. Any other ideas?

Me: well... how about thinking about shit.

Me also: that’s what got us in this mess to begin with!

George Carlin: hello ladies! May I be of some assistance here?

Me 3: why not? We’re plum out of ideas...

George: ok, well, let’s simplify a bit, Kari, singular, let’s chat.

Kari: hey George.

George: love the pic you choose to rep me.

Kari: yeah. You’re being a lil Italian when you talk with the garlic clove shaped hand you got going there. 🤌 🧄 🇮🇹

George: Yeah. I’m diggin it. But you know, in your mind, I’m one of the reasons you’re here in this ass place.

Kari: you are? how do you figure?

George: people don’t like the fact that you write on behalf of the deceased.

Kari: well, Tim burton did it in beetle juice and a lot of folks love him..

George: ok Kari, can I be Frank... Sinatra-like with you?

Kari: I dunno, can you?

George: yeah. Just pretend I’m sporting a fedora, a cigarette in one hand, and throwing my jacket back over my shoulder with the other looking at you coyly.

Kari: ok... if you want to... but is the cigarette in his pocket? Cause if it’s lit, that shits gonna hurt his Netherlands eventually....

George: (like Sinatra) no. Now listen up, baby, it’s not normal to write on behalf of a dead person that was not a character, and that whom was once alive. People get touchy about it. We have friends still alive that knew us and probably don’t dig it.

Kari: I see.

George: so it seems like we’re at a crossroads here. What do you want to do about it?

Kari: do about what?

George: your writing! It’s freakin everyone out! Kari, look, you know how normal Hollywood is, ok? They are all normal, non creative, in the box gladly thinker kinda people...

Kari: they are?

George: yes!!! Come on, keillor, get with the program! You are too far fetched for these folks! They want normalcy, and sameness, and only all the shit that’s ever been shat!

Kari: George, are we talking about Hollywood California, here? Or Hollywood podunk nah? Because Hollywood California is where all the creatives go to create!

George: right! And guess what, Kari Keillor! You are not welcomed in Hollywood, California! They have a sign up with your picture on it at the airport that says, “beware! No to this woman! Too much with the weirdness! She writes dead people!”

Kari: I write live people too... hey, do I have a cowboy hat and a mustache on for my mugshot on that sign?

George: nice one Cookie Monster! Well, Keillor why not?! You may as well, because this story has as much validity as any other story you make up and make worse in your head cause you’re sensitive about of your writing...

Kari: you’re the one that said all that shit! You planted it in my head!!!

George: so I did, but remember, I’m a facet of you. So, decide. Is there any validity to what I/you said?

Kari: how the hell should I know?! I haven’t been in lax recently...

George: right! So you never know until you try talking to some people.

Kari: I’ll call the airport... Listen, George, I’ll be perfectly Frank Sinatra with you now, ok.?

Don rickles: no mere woman can be like ole blue eyes...

Kari: Shut your misogynistic, ass-kissing pie hole, Pickles.

Pickles rickles: oh fuck... she does it to me every time...

Frank Sinatra:, you tell him, baby!

Kari: I’m 46. (Back to George Carlin) Anyway, look George, I have had a few successful people from my entertainment past either shun or block me for no apparent reason, so I’m pretty sure that I’m not well received again, for whatever reason... probably because I wrote the truth about a second city class I took when I was 16, about the current state of snl which I am completely unfamiliar with because I do not watch it, and the way comedy has changed or not over the last many years. Come to think of it, maybe it was because I love frank oz, and frank was mad cause I wrote that belushi John was teasing him and calling him an asshole, another ironic statement because clearly frank oz, NOT an asshole, was many of the muppets for years, and Frank is one of my idols! (Not a true central religious figure to me, but someone I admire a lot...)

Frank Sinatra: who loves ya, baby??

Kari: (to Frank) kojak. (Back to herself) Or it could be because i called bill murray, the beloved patron saint of comedy, an asshole like me, yes, I said like ME, out of jest and irony, because yes, he cared about the kid in meatballs making friends, ok?! That’s probably it. & yes, i was kinda stoned when I wrote it, and also yes, I still can’t figure out why the movie was ducking named “meatballs”, cause there wasn’t an Italian to be seen in it! Ok?! And come to think of it bill as Peter venkman in ghostbusters 2, written in part, by him I think but let’s just say yes cause it supports my point, called all of New York City and it’s tri state area, all 3 million people, miserable assholes, and they took a head count, & they still (probably mostly) all love him! & that shit was good (I love that movie so much) and it was made in 1989, and that was a long ass time ago, ok? And some of those people, have procreated since then, and again, they all love bill Murray and now those “miserable asshole’s” kids, ALSO love Bill now! Double the miserable assholes! Why?! Because he’s funny, and much like me when I’m being tongue and cheek, he didn’t mean for people to take the shit he says seriously! See for yourself! https://youtu.be/t1gkRAWvxOs (1:15 on)

So yes!!! I just think people are not into that kind of talk from me and me alone, even though it wasn’t coming from a mean or spiteful place. It was coming from a place of love for my craft, and of both frank oz, and bill Murray. The rest, as I say once again... I dunno....

George: Kari, frank just told you he loves you, and you blatantly ignored him...

Kari: no, he asked who loved me. He didn’t say he loved me.

George: Keillor, stop being so mean to the dead crooners, ok?

Kari: pickles isn’t a crooner! He’s a ye olde well paid curmudgeon who made fun of everyone like a jerk fach.

George: um, Kari...

Kari: no, ok? No! The difference between me and pickles, besides everything under the sun other than the fact we’re both human, is the fact that I am pointing out the obvious hypocrisy of the way we are set up as society, and wanting to heal it within myself to make it a more palatable world for me and my family and friends and acquaintances to live in. And pickles thought making fun of people was ok. What royal lineage did pickles come from that he’s able to rip on everyone the way he did? And even if he was of a royal bloodline so fucking what?! And dude got paid to be mean! And normal people made him rich and famous! And how did that become prevalent, let alone celebrated in this world?! Roast em! Yes! Hilarious.

Dean Martin: oh noooo... hey, listen pally...

Kari: dean, don’t get me started, ok? Cause I like you, I really do, but you know how I feel about that shit... Listen, Dean, you left a legacy here that was mostly great, but in my opinion needs a lil tweaking. Instead of “roasts” which people do to this day, and I can’t see how it can make the honoree feel anything other than like major ass, we should have “toasts” (copyright Kari keillor 3/19/21 actually before this date but I never published publicly...)

Pickles rickles: toasts?!? What is THAT supposed to mean?!

Kari: it means, my curious lil ornery pickles, that instead of roasting someone and being a mean rotter egg to them, you can “toast” them. Cheers to you, honoree, we salute you, in a hilarious way, by being honest about you but not vicious, viper like, and cruel. It’s where everyone laughs together cause it’s not a character assassination, instead of ripping on someone. It’s being funny, and yes, in a KIND and uplifting way. Where you actually celebrate the person being honored. Now, will that take a lil more brain power then the go-to usual jerk fach? Yes. But, it’s a challenge I hope everyone will accept for the good of all of us. Cause I guarantee that no one walks out of a roast feeling great. And if they do, cause they thought they killed or whatever, they probably did. And not in a good way. And that, again, is ass. No one wins. It’s a short lived feeling, the feeling of “one upping” a person. It never makes you feel better about you in the long run.

Dean: I see. I think I’ll go work on my volare now...

Kari: see?!? Now THAT I like! It’s not at anyone’s expense!

George: oh shit.... kari.... Why do you give a fuck about all this?

Kari: you know why George? Cause this has become our accepted collective energy! The haves and the have nots! Take away your money and what have you got?! Who are you, without the people who have made you who you are?! People, make other people in the 3D reality we live in. So take away everyone’s cash money, homes, clothes, and all the cars, and all the shit, and what do ya got? A bunch of naked humans starring at our different body bits, ok?! We’re All the f’n same. So think about it. What are we each individually contributing energetically to the whole of us? What message are we sending the next generations In our every day lives? I’ll tell you what message. Whatever we feel about ourselves individually both good and bad. THAT’S what energy we all give, and receive from one another. That’s what we’re teaching the kids. They model themselves after how we feel, and how we choose to think, and how we decide to act toward others. So let’s all collectively recognize that, and how we treat other human beings and wake up first inside ourselves then beyond ourselves so we can all make the whole, better.

I am not an asshole or a human joke or any other kind of joke. I’m not going to cry over the fact that I’m not accepted by people who’s energies don’t match mine. And by the by, no one is a joke, no matter who they are, or what their socioeconomic standing is. So I don’t wear an ascot and a smoking jacket, and a neck full of gold chains and chest hair, holding a whiskey on the rocks with an umbrella in it saying “see that?! be somebody!” ok?! I’m not Steve Martin in the jerk, ok? https://youtu.be/tBfXTyzaUfQ

I’m not even close to Hollywood! I live in the Midwest! I’m Kariwood, ok? And I’m not even kari wood, I’m no woods, ok? cause I’m pretty much never in the woods or the outdoors for that matter, so much so that I just purchased a sweatshirt that says, “indoorsy” on it, ok? True story! So yeah. Cause one time I was in Wisconsin in the woods, and I was thinking, “look at me! I’m in the woods! Weird, no?!” (Cause never in the woods, but I thought, I’ll give it a shot! What’s the worst that can happen?) And guess what? Despite my shower the night before, I felt something on the base of my skull the next morning, and I picked out a really nasty, creepy and scary tick. And it was alive, and disgusting, and wiggly. And I started screaming. And I am still freaked out to this day about it. And that happened at least 17 years ago. And I didn’t like it. So that’s how “non woods-y” I am... I’m not even a fan of woodsy the owl, ok?

So I don’t know how I feel about all that. All this to say that I am definitely not Hollywood, but yes, I am included, as a “somebody”. I may not be an award winning, keillor, but I am still somebody, and I may not be rich and famous, but yes, I am somebody, and I may have been on one trajectory and now I do t know what the heck I am now, ok? It’s true, and yes, I’ve posted this before and I’ll keep posting it until everyone in me gets on board with it, yes! I am still somebody because yes, dear me, we are all this: somebody! : https://youtu.be/tu0lNcrZjG8

George: hard to argue with that.

Kari: eh. You know what I am, George?

George: yes, Kari. I know what you are. But do you?

Kari: well, I feel, like I’m one of those kids on Sesame Street sometimes, looking up at and intently listening to Jesse Jackson, wondering how to get from small to big, and from where I am, to the success that he reps, you know? The importance of being admired by many. Having a big platform to play on. A huge soapbox to stand on, you know?

George: yes. I get it, Kari, I really do. And we’ve all been there. But everyone’s story about themselves, is different. How we all got to where we are, was our own personal trajectory that we designed with our beliefs. And our thoughts. There’s no set pattern or manual to follow. The only energy you must follow, is your passion and your joy, aka the love. That’s it. So, if you want to be, and decide to be, you ARE Hollywood,. Because Hollywood isn’t a specific person or group of people, it’s a place, and an energy. Hollywood is what you make it to be with how you view it. You don’t have to “be” Hollywood to be in Hollywood...

Kari: you said I wasn’t allowed in Hollywood..

George: you may not be. All I’m saying, is that you are whatever you decide you are. The end.

Kari: well, am I or not? Cause I don’t want to go and be turned away. Besides, I love visiting olvera st.

George: Its a fine street, it is. Great margaritas... listen Kari, you cannot achieve anything in this life that you don’t truly believe is in the realm of your possibility. So yes! You can be, and pretty much are are Hollywood keillor, even if it’s in the Midwest in your own home.. You are creative, and love the arts, and are nutsy, and ballsy, and you may hold the title as being the first person to ever separate the two, and bring them back together in a scote sack, ok? So keep writing, and be yourself.

Kari: I dunno. But what I do know is this: I did it again...

George: did what?

Kari: reactivated all the shit memories and feelings from the past that I’ve felt about my career, allowing myself to relive all those fun feels of inadequacy and upset alllll over again.

George: aww, it’s happened to the best of us. Listen Kari, you are, in my humble not so humble opinion, since I’m still you, a loving person. So you reflect that way; with humor, and yes, absurdist, surreal comedy.

Kari: well, I’ll try.

George: You already do. Your credentials are superfluous. Your love and support of you no matter what you do moving forward is what you’ll feel when you choose to, and it’s available anytime you want to feel it. And when you feel that, it really doesn’t matter what you do.

Kari: ok, well, thanks George. It’s nice to know I have you around.

George: Kari, you were once told that you are golden, no?

Kari: well, I was told that I’ll be golden at some point moving forward doing whatever it is I choose to do.

George: right. So, when are you going to decide to experience that?

Kari: hopefully soon.

George: Kari, why do you chop to talk to and write about us “passed over folk”?

Kari: I dunno. I guess it’s cause I love and miss you guys in theory, even though I didn’t know you personally. And I like to re-experience your energy, as I appreciated and admired it. It helps me feel better.

George: you’re now golden.

Scene.

Appendices: if you choose to perform this scene, good luck. I’d like you to do it all in one breath, if you are a more advanced, and professional actor. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💕💕💕💕

[the-digimon-tamer]

Chapter 20 - New Meets Old are out now on FanFiction.Net and ArchiveOfOurOwn! Going to do something a little different and actually post the chapter here too. Find it after the break!

Title: The Tamer v2.0 - In HIs Name

Fandom: Digimon

Rating: T

Synopsis: In the next adventure of the Digimon Tamer, the lives of Juri, Rika, and Henry change forever when digimon begin crossing over into the human world. But it’s all just a story, right? Just a book series by an author no one has seen in a long time. Why are they here and can they save their world before something worse follows the digimon?

Chapter 20: New Meets Old

It was around eight in the morning when, Yamaki walked into Izumi's hospital room. The lead scientist was sitting upright in his bed, chowing down on a tray of hot food: steamed rice with spam, a bowl of miso, some eggs, and a cup of fruit. It looked like he woke up just in time to get an order in the breakfast menu, and he could only imagine how hungry the man must be after being out for so long. The bewildered agent assigned to guard him was on the far end of the room, trying to ignore the munching noises of the ravenous Izumi as shoveled the food into his mouth. In fact, the man hadn't even noticed that he was in the room. For a brief moment, Yamaki wondered if he was even aware that he was missing a leg. He knocked on the door to get the man's attention before closing it.

"Izumi, it's good to see you're awake. We need to talk," Yamaki greeted, taking care not to rush the issue.

"Did you close the gate opened by the Juggernaut?" Izumi asked first. Gate? What gate? He probably meant the juggernaut. At least he wasn't going to dance around the issue. Yamaki ran a hand through his hair, "That's what I'm here to talk about. The Juggernaut program worked only briefly. But now, there are more of these wild ones crossing over into our world. And they're larger and more aggressive than ever. We don't have the means to contain this. At this point, it's the world's worst kept secret. What the hell happened?"

Izumi sighed, putting down his spoon and fork in a disgruntled fashion. He was obviously famished, having gotten by off IVs for the entire time he was unconscious. The scientist then removed his blanket to show the sorry remains of his leg. He appeared smaller without his leg, but seemed so much more dangerous for it. Only Izumi could've pulled off a threatening look from a missing leg.

The surgeons did a good job cleaning up the amputation, but he was obviously agitated about it and didn't hesitate to let Yamaki know, "THIS happened. I haven't seen my wife or daughter since you dragged me into this...program...this government bullshit. Months of my life dedicated to something I wanted no part of, and now my leg is gone! I almost died! You want to know what happened? You tried to control something you couldn't and you dragged me into it!"

Yamaki maintained his composure, waiting for Izumi to finish venting before saying anything. It seemed the computer scientist had a back bone after all. Once he calmed down, Izumi spoke more calmly, "The technology I used to build the juggernaut wasn't from this world. It was from theirs. The Digital World. Technology from their side. But it's written in a language that I barely understand with a level of technology I've only scrapped the surface of. Do you know how much more advanced they are than us? We needed a whole building and the city's power grid to do something they needed a device the size of a pocket watch to accomplish."

Izumi paused and Yamaki waited for him to catch his breath, well aware of Izumi's love of rambling, "The juggernaut...it doesn't just remove digimon from our world. It opens a gate into the Digital World and creates a special kind of electromagnetic field. It was the only way I could guarantee that it would only affect digimon and not humans. Once the digimon get close enough to the gate..."

Izumi paused, "You know what happens. But there's a catch to this method - gates work both ways. And when...whatever digimon came through, it left that gate wide open. So whatever problems you're having are because that gate is wide open and letting any of the big ones through!"

Yamaki had his explanation now. Then Izumi went on, "But the method I used to open that gate was messy. I got the idea from someone else a long time ago. They brute forced open a gate between worlds, too. But that method tore a hole in reality and destabilized the worlds around us. It was only by a miracle that we didn't all die, then and there."

"What are you saying?" Yamaki, alarmed by whatever Izumi was trying to say. Izumi looked up grimly, his voice shaking as he spoke the next line, "I'm saying that we're lucky it's only been digimon coming through and not anything else. I don't know what other worlds it might have blown open a path to, but I can guarantee that it's only a matter of time before something else shows up. And you better pray we can do something about it."

The air felt heavy all of a sudden. Yamaki didn't like the implications of what he'd heard. They were having enough trouble with the wild ones. He frowned and urgently asked, "When can you return to work?"

"When?" Izumi gestured at his leg, "Are you going to get me a wheel chair and a team because I'm not going to be able to walk around any more. And you better believe I'm not coming back just like that, either. I'm pissed."

"I saved your life!" Yamaki reminded him, only to be met with, "You ruined it!"

"The world is in danger," Yamaki pointed out and Izumi spat back, "If it's a world where I can't see my wife and daughter, I don't give a fuck."

It was then that Yamaki knew what he wanted. It was a hard ask but he was walking a very fine line as it was. The minister of defense and the Prime Minister were hounding him for results. Not to mention the fact that there was supposed to be a press conference about all of it later. The cat was practically out of the bag at this point. He had to deliver. With a heavy sigh, he replied, "You can see them as soon as you're cleared to be discharged."

"Fuck that noise," Izumi said, pushing his bedside table aside and adjusting himself in bed to face the exit, "We're going now."

...

Kari set her stuff down on her desk and turned to face the class. It wasn't hard to miss the dazed looks on some of her students: Juri Katou, Hirokazu Shiota, Kenta Kitagawa, and Takato Matsuda. Takato especially. Like they'd been up all night even though they'd spent all weekend camping. But when she thought about the chaos that followed their return, she couldn't help but be anxious. If she'd spent all of the afternoon dealing with rampaging monsters, she'd be burn out too.

That would have to wait until later though. She sighed and picked up her lesson plan to start the day's lesson. She would handle her students after class. But that didn't stop her from fixating on Takato, although she tried her best not to.

The idea that her brother had been just a few feet in front of her after all this time weighed heavy on her. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him. Not the least of which was why he never said anything. Then she remembered how the last time they'd met, he said she wouldn't recognize him. How she shouldn't wait for a brother who isn't coming back to return. But that would have to wait until after she confirmed it.

After what felt like the longest day, she dismissed her class but made a point of announcing, "Except for you Takato. We need to have a talk."

There were a lot of oohs from the rest of the class - kids being kids when someone got into trouble. It didn't help that he remarked, "That's okay! I wanted to talk to you too!"

There might just be trouble in this case. Any time her brother showed up, it was because the world was in danger. And after seeing all these digimon running around on the news, the fact that she hadn't been to the Digital World in years or seen Gatomon in some time. And if he wasn't her brother, then that just meant he was about to announce some crazy plan of his to cause trouble.

She waited by her desk as Takato came up to her, holding his backpack in both hands and looking so dazed that he was probably going to to fall asleep standing up. At least until he was up in front of her. Then he suddenly appeared alert and awake. He appeared to swallow a lump in his throat and asked, "So what's up, Miss Kamiya?"

She wasn't sure what to say now. The possibility remained that he wasn't The Digimon Tamer. How would she phrase it and not sound crazy? No, the whole thing was crazy. She sighed, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

He paused, "Actually yes, there was something I wanted to tell you. I was hoping I wouldn't have to beat around the bush too much but I'm running out of time so I needed to-"

That was enough for her, "Tamer?"

He paused, then the smallest of smiles drew itself on his face, "Oh, good. This saves me a couple of steps. When did you figure this out?"

It really was him. The Digimon Tamer was here. She often wondered what she was going to say to him when they met again. But nothing she could think of felt right. But any emotion would've been robbed by the fact that there were other things they had to worry about. She closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath, "I started to figure it out after that thing with the snake in the subway. You've been gone a long time and there's a lot to talk about."

She paused for a moment before adding, "For starters, why didn't you tell me?"

"I spent the first few months in this body in a daze. I didn't really realize what was going on until I was already here. Besides, would you have believed me?" Takato looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Not to mention my memory's are fuzzy after reformatting. I remember a talking cat, clothes, a stage...and...a nice lady?"

She thought about it and it came back to her. The night of her college graduation, Matt had given her tickets to a return concert his band was doing. After the concert, they ran into a boy in ill fitting clothes who was rambling about nonsense. It was hard to forget, especially since he passed out the moment after Gatomon opened her mouth. The memory brought a smile to her face, reminding her of better times, "I think I remember that. It was after my college graduation. Matt played a song at his concert for me. Afterwards, some kid appeared back stage. He was really loopy and out of it. He passed out after Gatomon talked to him."

"That was you?" he asked before bursting into a laugh, "I see you did alright. Graduated from university, became a teacher like you wanted."

She returned the smile, realizing that they'd run into each other quite a while before now. But this wasn't the time for memories. There were things to do, "The others will want to see you. There are big problems: the digimon-"

He interrupted her, "I know. I'm working on it. Well...we."

"We?" she asked softly, alarmed by his choice of words but recalling that there were others kids involved. Two from this school and another girl she didn't recognize.

He still continued to smile that stupid goofy smile of his. Even after all this time, he still had that smile and the knowing look in his eye. Then she thought about his friends: Juri, Kazu, and Kenta. They all looked exhausted today. Even more interesting, she noticed them standing just outside the classroom through the hallway window. Of course they were there. She looked back at Takato, "Did you drag them into this?

"No," he shook his head calmly, "Well, not intentionally. I didn't pick them and I have no idea where their digivices came from. Whoever is doing this, it wasn't me. For most of them. For the rest of them, it was because I can't keep my mouth shut. Although, in my defense, this new mouth apparently can't keep a secret. Which makes it a miracle I didn't tell you sooner."

She stared at him in disbelief, wondering how much of what he said to believe.

"So what's going on?" she asked, wondering just how much he actually knew. He shrugged, "The same thing that's always happening: reality is compromised, worlds that shouldn't be touching each other are, and I'm stuck trying to fix it all. The big difference is I have an arm tied behind my back m because my head is still kinda fuzzy all the time and my old digivice broke and I can't figure out how to use the new one. It makes things more interesting, though. Check this out!"

He fiddled through his coat pockets and produced the oddest thing. A new digivice. One that made no sense to her - it looked kind of like her modified digivice only more centered. Then he began excitedly explaining, "They're real marvels if I'm being honest. They have a lot of the same features: scan, digivolution, possibly open gates to other worlds - still can't figure out how - OH! And these have card readers in them! And the cards modify digimon! It's really cool. It's kinda...I don't know, not stylish like the old one. You can't beat a classic. I'd modify this one if I could figure how it works but it's like someone made a banana but had only ever heard of a banana. So when they tried to make it yellow with a hard skin, and a flavor not everyone likes - they made a lemon. And that metaphor doesn't really work. Forget the banana and the lemon."

She found herself smiling at everything he said. She wanted to be upset. To be angry. To feel some kind of insult after he'd continued to keep his secrets. Then he put it away, "Never mind me, though. I'm doing fine. Kind of...where are the others? I've been trying to track them all down but this world has made it too...difficult to concentrate."

"We're meeting up later at Mimi's," she explained, "You can come with me."

His face lit up excitedly, "That works out for me just fine because we were going to have a team meeting with her daughter. Real quick ask, if you don't mind: do they go by any weird names right now?"

"Weird names?" she repeated quietly, blinking in confusion. No, that wasn't the important part right now. She shook her head, "Wait, how do you know Mimi's daughter?"

"It's a long story and I'll explain that part later," he dismissed her, "Does any one else go by weird names?"

She blinked again. It seemed they had a lot more to talk about than she realized.

...

Juri, Kazu, and Kenta waited patiently as Takato finally emerged from the classroom with Miss Asaji just behind. Or Miss Kamiya. It was still a weird thing to think about - that their teacher had a completely different name that they couldn't hear until Takato pointed it out to them. It was just...too much to process. He smiled from ear to ear cheerily, "Thanks for waiting guys."

"Students," Miss Asaji...Miss Kamiya greeted them. They all nodded and Kazu leaned in to ask, "Takato, did you open your mouth again?"

"Well yeah. I need to talk. Sometimes to eat. Occasionally to breathe when I'm out of breath," he replied matter of factly, "I haven't mentioned this yet, but we're going to Rika's place tonight."

"Rika?" Kazu repeated, glancing back at her teacher, "Dude, is it alright to talk about that in front of Miss Asaji?"

It still hadn't clicked for him. Juri frowned, wondering if this is what Takato…Tamer must've felt like for months.

"I already know, Kazu," she explained, alarming Kazu, "DUDE! YOU ARE THE WORST AT KEEPING SECRETS!"

Takato waved it off casually, "Don't worry about it, Kazu. Things are mostly under control. More importantly, how would you like to meet the digidestined?"

Kazu's worried expression changed to delight. He was practically bouncing with excitement, thrilled at the chance to meet his own personal heroes. Kenta was a bit more subdued, but she could tell from the way his face had turned bright red from potential embarrassment that he was excited too. He didn't want to look stupid in front of them. Juri wanted to feel happy for them but couldn't muster the energy to feel excited. Truth be told, she was still anxious about a lot of things. Their teacher's real name, telling their parents the truth, going to the Digital World. A lot of this seemed to be happening really fast.

She snapped out of it when Henry appeared beside her, startling her into jump which he quickly apologized for, "Sorry about that. What did Takato do now?"

"Is he a part of this too?" Miss Kamiya asked, pointing at him wearily. Takato nodded, "Yeah, he is."

"Don't drag me into your mess Takato. Whatever it is you did, I had nothing to do with it," Henry threw up his hands defensively, hesitant of whatever was about to happen until Takato insisted, "It's okay, I told her."

"Oh, never mind. Then yes, I am a part of this," Henry gestured to himself and the rest of the group. Takato nodded, "That's right. Now let's go meet the others!"

"The others?" Henry repeated, slowly following Takato's logic until he finally understood, "You don't mean-"

"Dude, we are going to meet the digidestined!" Kazu punched the air excitedly, until Takato covered his mouth and shushed him, "Not so loud. We don't know who's listening and the last thing I want is for another government agent to show up with his gun!"

"Government agents? Takato, what exactly have you kids gotten yourselves into?" Miss Kamiya asked anxiously. It was hard to miss the disapproving look she got from Miss Asaji, especially when it focused in on her. Juri had to look away to avoid cracking under the gaze. Takato waved it off, "Like I said, I'll tell you guys everything once we're at Rika's."

Kazu groaned, "What? Dude, you said we were going to go meet the digi-"

He paused, realizing how loud he was being and lowered his voice, "I mean, you said we were going to meet the digidestined!"

Takato and Miss Kamiya were both looking at Kazu quizzically now and it was his turn to start feeling the pressure. Miss Kamiya pointed at herself, "Kazu…I'm a digidestined. Miss Kamiya? As in Kari Kamiya? That's been my name all year. Did you not notice or do you just not do your homework? You would've had to have read my name every day for months if you were."

Kazu stared at Miss Kamiya quietly, his face stumped by what he'd heard, "Okay, are one of you pulling my leg? Because I'm getting really sick of all this Nami Asaji crap. It was funny before but now I'm getting mad."

"What did he just call me?" Miss Kamiya asked, looking to the others with an equally confused look. Takato groaned, "It's a long story and I don't want to deal with it right now. So, let's head over to the Rika's already!"

Miss Kamiya adjusted her bag and her took the lead for them, "Just as a warning, you kids better behave yourselves while you're there. Don't treat Mimi's like you treat the school."

"I don't recall you being so behaved when you were their age," Takato commented, only to be met with a snide, "How would you know? You weren't there for most of it. Besides, you have a penchant for getting into trouble mister 'brings-a-bag-of-smoke-bombs-to-school'."

Takato promptly shut up. This wasn't the usual scolding he received from Miss Asaji…Miss Kamiya. Their dynamic became less teacher-student and more like the playful banter between two people who hadn't seen each other for a long time. It was odd how quickly they started acting that way. Still, Juri was just glad he was starting to talk to people more.

...

Impmon landed with thump, observing the humans as they made their out of the school. The half sized squirt wasn't with them. Which was a problem for him if he didn't find Calumon. He got as close as he could without alerting them to his presence and listened carefully.

"So where's Calumon, Henry?" Takato asked, "Still safe with your sister right?"

"They'll be fine," Henry sighed, "Assuming they don't drive my dad crazy first."

"With his sister and his dad, huh?" Impmon repeated to himself quietly. But where the hell was the sister? It had to have been the little girl with them the other day with those crazy digimon. And going by her age, she was at home. Wherever home was. He'd have to keep a closer eye on the blue haired kid until he was on his way home. Then he'd know where the little twerp was.

"And where is that exactly?" the woman with them. She was new, probably another addition to the ever growing number of humans getting themselves involved in something that wasn't their business. Henry gestured off into the distance, "Apartment complex that way."

Maybe he wouldn't have to wait that long. Impmon shook his head, wondering how these humans kept anything secret when they talked so openly like that. Then again, they were just kids. Well, that would be their problem. Not his. His problem was getting Calumon.

...

Rika sat at her desk, finishing up the rest of her homework and cracking a very tired yawn. Because of what happened yesterday, all she could think about was the fact that they were all going to be showing up at her house soon. Those guys with the guns also kept popping into her head but that wasn't as important as far as she was concerned. Once she finished the last problem, she quickly double checked her homework to make sure everything was correct and neatly put back into her bag for school. Then it was off to the races - those idiots would be showing up any moment now and she wanted to be ready for them.

Once she had her deck pouch ready and her digivice, she made her way out to the living room to see her mom had set the dinner table with coffee and home-made snacks. She was tempted to sneak one away and leave but didn't want to get caught by her mom. As much as her mom was consumed with work, she was also a hell of a great cook and knew how to make a lot of really delicious dishes. Just as she was tempted to grab one of the brownies, her mom called out, "Ruki? Is that you? Aw, did you want some of my homemade brownies? Help yourself honey, there's plenty more where that came from."

Rika retracted her hand in protest. She didn't want to take it as an invitation from her mom. She shook her head, "No thanks. What's with all the food anyway?"

Her mom poked her head out of the kitchen, "I have some friends coming over! You might just like to meet some of them."

"No thanks," she turned to head back to her room only to run into her grandmother blocking the hallway back to her room, "Oh no you don't, young lady."

"Grandma?" Rika gasped in surprise as her grandmother spun her around and pushed her back to the dinner table where the snacks were. Her grandmother wagged a finger, "Don't think about sneaking out again tonight, young lady! I know what you did last night! You're staying home today. You can play with your friends later."

"Crap," Rika scowled, trying to get back to her room only to have her grandmother block her at every attempt. Her grandmother added, "Go say hi to your mother's friends. Then you can go back to your room. With me. Because you're not sneaking out again."

Now that she was stuck here, she decided she may as well help herself to some of her mother's brownies. As soon as she heard the first knock on the door, she tried to make her way back to her room only to get blocked by her grandmother again, "No, you don't young lady."

Rika groaned, resigning herself to staying in the dining room. She may not be able to avoid meeting all of her mom's friends but that didn't mean she had to talk to them. And if any of them tried to talk to her, she planned on ignoring them. In a huff, she stuffed her mouth full of the brownies as her mom's first friend came in. Her mom happily offered the man a seat, "I made brownies, cookies, some cake, and anything you can think of! Help yourself! The tea will be ready any minute, Joe!"

"Thanks, Mimi," a dark haired man in glasses smiled, taking a seat in the dining room and helping himself. When he took notice of Rika, he smiled, "Hey there. I'm Joe Kido. You must be Ruki. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She nodded, remembering him from the book and the show. She recalled Joe being something of a worry wort if cautious. He didn't seem either - appearing more relaxed than anything. She stuffed another brownie in her mouth to ignore the man as he spoke, "Your mom speaks very dearly of you. I'm sorry about your dad by the way. I knew them both when we were your age. I gotta admit, it's incredibly out of character for someone like your dad to just disappear on you guys."

She still ignored him, but that didn't stop him from going on, "Not a talker, eh? That's fine. I can do the talking for both of us. That is what I do, after all. You look like you had a rough day - either that or you had a long night and haven't gotten much rest. Y'know, it's not healthy for kids your age to stay up too late. It'll make you short. And I wouldn't eat too many sweets. You'll get a cavity. Or even a root canal."

Annoyed at that remark, she swallowed the mouthful of cookie she had just bitten and asked, "What's your deal?"

He continued to smile at her, "My deal? Well, I'm a doctor and a good friend of your mom. So naturally, I notice things in the world that most others wouldn't when it comes to health. I notice you're kinda tall for your age which is good because that means you have a healthy lifestyle. But if you're not careful, that may not be the case. You don't want to peak as a kid, do you?"

She rolled her eyes, relieved when the door knocked and two more of her mom's friends came in. She recognized them immediately as Sora Ishida, her mom's fashion designer friend, and Matt Ishida, that rockstar/soldier/astronaut husband of hers. The digidestined of love and friendship. One was kind, compassionate and cared deeply for those around her. The other was abrasive and rough around the edges, but she recalled the small rampage he went on when he thought his was brother was hurt in the first book.

Sora hugged Joe, "It's good to see you Joe.'

"Likewise," he hugged her back and nodded at Matt, "How've you been, Matt? Any luck?"

Matt eyed Rika wearily and frowned, "Not in front of her daughter. I don't want to talk about it."

It seemed like he wasn't going to talk to her. That was fine by her. She didn't want to talk to him either, anyway. Joe went on to add, "I saw your new fashion designs the other day. Beautiful work as always, although I think you're getting a little too risqué with some of your men's clothing."

Sora put her hands over Rika's ears and said something she couldn't make out. But she could see Joe's glasses slide down his nose a little while Matt turned his head in shame. Once she removed her hands, Joe adjusted his glasses and snickered, "I hope your fans appreciate what your wife does for you."

"Sometimes I don't," Matt replied. And it didn't take long for the rest of the friends to show up from there - some weird private investigator name Ken Ichijouji and his wife Miyako. But for some reason everyone called her Yolei. Then there was a mustached lawyer named Cody, and some lanky looking cook named Davis who showed up still wearing his apron and cooking bandana. Soon she was surrounded on all sides by a bunch of adults she didn't want to talk who wouldn't stop chatting. She was about to go into the living room when she overheard the one called Davis ask, "So when's Kari getting here?"

"Aren't you married?" Yolei asked. There was a small laugh from the group before Davis reasoned, "Yes I am. And I'm asking because she's the one who wanted us all to meet up."

She moved to the living room and turned on the TV, hoping to drown them out when there was another knock on the door. Davis threw up his hands excitedly, "Finally!"

She heard the door open and a lot greetings happen, followed by a familiar and annoying voice, "No way, we're going to Rika's house?"

It was that stupid guy Kazu. Which meant it was her friends. She got up, relieved to finally have an excuse to not be around her mom's friends when she heard her mom say, "Oh, do you know my daughter?"

Of course Takato had to answer, "We kinda hang out a lot with her."

"Oh, I didn't even know she had friends in her own age group," her mom said excitedly, "Especially not boys. Then again, she always was a tomboy."

Rika groaned, wanting an out of this conversation while she could. She walked out of the living room to meet them, hoping to get them out to her room before things got more out of hand for her. Out in the entry hall were none other than Takato, Henry, Juri, Kazu, Kenta and that weird teacher she remembered from the other day - presumably the Kari Kamiya from the original draft.

"My room's this way," she said to them, gesturing for them to follow.

"Rika, that's no way to talk to your friends!" her mom scolded her only for the goggle head to add, "That's alright. It's weird to us if she's not talking like that. To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't notice yet, Mimi. Rika did, so I figured you would too."

"Notice what? And how do you know my name?" her mom asked perplexedly. Miss Kamiya smiled at her and greeted, "Hi there, Ruki. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Miss Kamiya, but you can call me Kari. I'm a friend of your mom's and their teacher."

"It's Rika," she corrected, keeping her eye on goggle head as he made his way into the kitchen. Then she heard a very loud smack followed by something hitting the floor. She made her way into the dining room to see Takato on the floor massaging his cheek, Matt standing over him with a raised fist. Takato looked up and grimly replied, "I really should've expected that. Hello to you too, M…erm…Marc? No, that's not…Matt! Yes, Matt!"

"What the hell happened?" her mom demanded as everyone else made their way back into the room. Matt pointed at Takato on the floor, "You know he deserved it."

"Oh, is that him?" her mom raised an eyebrow. Before anything else could happen, the cook and the private detective helped him off the ground. With the chef quietly saying, "Sorry about that. He's under a lot of stress. Well, we all are. So…you're-"

"Yup," Takato nodded, straightening himself out, "Sorry, my head's a little fuzzy still so I might get a lot of this wrong. But if I remember correctly…it's…Matt, Skye, David, Yolei, Wotkin…and um…sorry, I can't remember the rest. Head's still a little dizzy."

"I want to say I'm offended but I'm not sure what else I expected," Joe said from the table, taking off his glasses to clean them, "I mean, you're not right, but you did call every one of them by at least one of those names at least once."

"I think I am offended," Davis scratched his head while Matt cracked his knuckles, "I think I'm going to deck him again."

Before anything else could be said, Kazu jumped in the middle of the room and excitedly called out, "No way! It's really you guys! It's gotta be…Sora, Matt, um…Joe…or are you Ken? Wait, you've gotta be Ken, which makes you Joe. Then that means you're Yolei! And you're Davis and Cody and…this is so cool!"

At the mention of their names, each of the adults frowned, and one of them could be heard muttering, "Dammit, Takeru."

Rika frowned. It seemed that the goggle head had told them who they were. Although she was madder at Kazu for his next remark, "Which makes you Mimi! And…wait! Rika! Your mom is Mimi! Your mom is…wow, the apple really fell far from the tree."

She promptly kicked his shin, making him jump in place in agony. Kenta patted the boy's shoulder, "You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?"

Once he stopped massaging his shin, Kazu looked up at the teacher, "Wait…wait…oh you've…I'm an idiot. You're Kari Kamiya! You're-! Guys! Do you know who that is? That's Kari Kamiya!"

"Oh good, he's finally figured it out," Henry laughed.

"It's like I said. Different worlds, sitting on top of each other causes your minds to process it in a way that makes sense," Takato explained matter of factly, "It's not until you notice the inconsistencies on your own, or someone points them out to you, that it starts to unravel. In his case though, his mind must've been subconsciously trying not to notice. How else could a fan of the digimon franchise like you miss what was right in front of them the whole time?"

Rika barely followed any of that, but she was sure he just called him dumb. Then she heard Ken groan, "Because of course Takeru had to publish his books."

"He asked our permission so it's not like we can be mad," Cody said, quickly adding. Then he noted Henry, "Hello there, Henry. Find your answer?"

"Yes, sensei," he answered, "Don't tell me you're a digidestined too."

"Indeed I am," he nodded, looking back to the rest of the group, "Takeru may not have changed our names but he changed our descriptions enough that most people wouldn't identify us. Besides, before any of us gets mad: I'm a public defender so anyone can look me up, Matt's a rockstar, Sora's a top fashion designer with a huge following, Mimi's got her own fanbase with her modeling and acting career. If anything, Davis is the only who had a bright idea by becoming a ramen cart owner in a city full of ramen cart owners."

"Had to follow my dream," he said matter of factly, "But we can all catch up later. We have serious problems."

"Right, the digimon," Henry began. Matt pointed at him and began, "Okay, seriously Kari. Who are the kids and why'd you bring them?"

"Because this," Henry pulled out his digivice and unzipped his bag so that Terriermon could hop out, "Finally! I thought I was going to suffocate in there!"

Rika did the same and produced her own digivice. Takato followed their lead and produced both of his. Her mom gasped, "Ruki! Have you been a-"

She quietly made her way to the garden door and slid it open. Then she called out, "Renamon! It's alright. Come out."

Her partner appeared quickly, arms crossed and staring into the room, "Rika, are you sure about this? You've tried so hard to keep me secret."

"Oh wow," her mom said. Rika waited for her to say something about how she didn't like her partner being so cold looking but instead heard, "She's gorgeous! Just look at this fur! And that look! So cool. Sora, you have to make a dress after her. Or a jacket. Tell me, Renamon! Who does your hair?"

"Don't ruin this for me, mom," Rika snapped quickly, dragging the woman away from examining her partner too closely, "She's not gorgeous, she's cool! And don't you dare make a dress after her!"

Then Rika noticed that aside from her mom, the mood in the room was somber. All the adults looked disappointed or alarmed and Terriermon sheepishly stated, "Don't all get excited at once. Did someone die or something?"

"Not yet," Ken explained, "The last few months have been difficult to put it lightly."

"Don't you mean weeks?" Kenta asked them all, stuttering like he was about to pass out, "I mean…all this started only a couple of weeks ago."

"I already explained this Kenta. Well, maybe it's time I reexplain this whole mess. Guys! The world is screwed, reality is combining worlds that shouldn't be near each other and it's making time become convoluted," Takato pointed at Kenta before going over to a wall and taking a pencil from his bag, "It may have been a few weeks for us since this whole mess started but it's been months for them. Like I said, worlds sitting on top of each other."

Then he started drawing on the wall - curved lines, wavy lines, straight lines and more that just kept intersecting each other while all going in the same direction, "Time for your world, your version of reality is moving like this. But now it has to occupy space with another world - one similar enough to yours that you miss the little stuff, but different enough that they're not compatible. Then you have the Digital World trying to enter the mix and…well, you get the idea."

"Stop drawing on my wall, goggle head," Rika smacked the pencil out of his hand. She was glad to hear her mom add, "You better clean that up."

Takato ignored her and turned to the others, "Right, any questions?"

"Okay, start that whole thing over again but without the parts where I have no idea what you're talking about," Davis asked with a raised hand, examining the wall with all the focus that Kazu must've put into anything.

"Forget that, what have we missed from your guys side? Eh? You all look well! Except for the sour moods, which I guess is bad."

They all gave him skeptical looks, and Sora asked, "You mean you don't know?"

Ken added, "Yeah, you're usually on top of all this stuff. So either you're lying or we're royally f-…I mean in serious trouble."

Rika knew what he was going to say and said it anyway, "So we're fucked?"

"RUKI!" her mom snapped until Takato interrupted, "No, I'm not lying. Hand on my hearts, blaster to my head. I've been a little confused since getting into this face. I remember I'm supposed to find someone to help me sort it out but I can't remember who. And the different worlds with different destinies sitting on top of each other makes it hard to tell what's supposed to happen at any given moment. Think like being in a party where everyone's talking to you at once. But there's only three people so I guess that's not a party. Forget the party!"

A pause followed before Kazu said, "Yeah, we're just as confused as you guys are about anything he's saying."

"I don't get the two worlds thing. There's our world and the Digital World. What else is there?" Davis asked, examining the lines on the wall carefully, "You mean the Dark Ocean?"

Takato looked at them like they'd all just drooled, "Don't tell me you guys haven't noticed either? Come on! After everything that happened? You don't remember?"

"Explain it again. Slowly this time," Joe asked calmly.

Takato sighed, "Okay, this worked for the others so maybe it'll work for you guys. Mimi! How old are you? Don't hit me, just answer the question."

"Twenty-six," she answered. Rika blinked. That wasn't her mom's age and she interrupted, "Mom, you're not twenty-six. What, you had me when you were a high schooler? Then again…"

Her mom gasped and slapped the back of her head, "Don't make me wash your mouth, Ruki. Of course I didn't. Your father and I…were both out of high school when…wait, that can't be right. I'm…twenty-six. But you're…does anyone else have a headache?"

The adults all looked at each other with alarm. This must've been like what they were doing when Takato broke the news to them. Each of them were quietly scratching their head. Davis added, "That's right…the girls had a baby shower but that was…"

Takato sighed, "Come on. Concentrate. Think about it! Let's try this. Kari, how long ago did you graduate from university?"

"Not that long ago," Matt answered, "She graduated, started teaching at your school. I played a song for her at my concert."

"So you finished your military service since then?" Takato asked. Matt nodded, "You're damn right I did! It was the roughest five…wait…no, I didn't…Sora?"

"I'm noticing it too," she nodded, "When did we get married? We were dating then. But it's only been a few months and…I don't remember you proposing or a wedding or…"

The adults were now all dazed and confused. Rika looked over at Kari who was massaging her head. Takato patted her back and explained, "Two worlds with different paths. Two different truths, occupying the same space at the same time. They can't both be true, and yet they are. Reality is compensating by making two different people the same person."

Kari paused before saying "So what you're saying is-"

"-in another time, you were born Nami Asaji to the Asaji family," Takato answered with a frown, then turning to Rika's mom, "You were born Makino Rumiko. So on and so on. Your lives have become intertwined."

"Does anyone else know what he's talking about?" Davis asked, "Because none of that made any sense to me. I know I'm not the smart one, but this is making my head spin."

"All our heads are spinning," Ken added.

"I think it makes perfect sense," Joe said, "It also explains a lot. But maybe we should compare notes to make sure we're all on the same page."

"AWESOME!" Kazu sat down, "So what happened after the last book!? You guys go to the Digital World again!? I bet you've fought a lot of bad guys since then."

"A lot happened. Mei still barely talks to us after what happened with her," Sora explained sheepishly, "But the broad strokes are that our digimon all disappeared one day and we haven't been able to get into the Digital World to look for them! Around the same time, Takeru vanished and we have no idea where to. Not to mention Izzy ran off without a word. We've all been worried."

"I wouldn't worry about dad. He walked out on us and I don't care if we never see him again," Rika spat out angrily. The adults began looking at her and she realized she was being angry again. She took a deep breath and added, "Still, I'm sorry about your digimon. That must suck."

Sora frowned, "It does. We're worried."

Takato patter her shoulder, or tried to with how short he was, "I'm sorry. Couple of questions: Who's Mei? What do you mean your digimon are gone? And who's Takeru?"

A beat followed where Matt cracked his knuckles and the rest of the older digidestined shifted uncomfortably. Then Takato asked, "Wait, was Takeru the one who wore all the hats? Aw, I liked him."

"Oh yeah? And what about us?" Ken folded his arms disapprovingly. Takato quickly added, "No offense to you guys but he was the only one willing to wing it and go with the flow. Y'know, let destiny sort it out."

Matt slammed his fist on the table, "Well that could've been the reason he went missing so you'd better help us find him."

Takato apologized, "Sorry, sorry. I'll add it to the To Do List."

Matt was already off the desk with a raised fist, looking ready to deck Takato when there was another knock at the door. Henry looked towards it, "Are you guys expecting someone else?"

"No, we're all here," Mimi said, "Hide your digimon. I'll go see who it is."

Renamon was already gone while Henry was busy stuffing Terriermon back into the bag. As soon as her mom opened the door, she heard a soft gasp. Rika groaned and went to go check on her. Why was she running at all the loud noises today? When she got there, she saw a man in black suit with sunglasses pushing another man in a wheel chair. She felt her heart stop in shock at the mere sight of him, "Dad?"

"Hey Ruki," he said with the biggest smile.

...

Author's Notes: A surprise reunion! How will Rika react? What will happen when Takato is in the same room as Yamaki? And just what is Impmon up to? Find out all this and more in the next chapter of The Tamer v2.0 - In His Name due out next Friday, July 19th 5 PM CDT! 

Yamaki wanted to feel happy for Izumi, finally seeing his wife and daughter for the first time in a long time. However, there were urgent matters pressing in the back of his mind that he knew took precedent over this. And the sooner they got out of here the better. From the moment his wife hugged him, Izumi never once let go of her. He noticed a girl standing in the entry way too - a girl with red hair tied into a pony tail that resembled a pineapple. Presumably his daughter.

He'd seen her somewhere before - where?

As he tried to recall, he could vaguely hear Izumi's wife asking where he'd been and what happened to him. He couldn't hear whatever answer Izumi gave, but it made his wife walk up to him and slap him across the face. That cold hard smack was something new to Yamaki - he'd never been slapped by anyone's wife before. Her fury was clear on her face too, "How fucking dare you."