#my mom said something about how my professors know that I'm capable of more than I showed in the past year

[adhd-mode-activate]

I'm gonna cry, honestly

in my senior year of college, my grades really slipped, to the point that when grades for my last semester came out, it was clear that with what I had I couldn't graduate. I honestly would've been more surprised if I had been able to graduate

my parents and I talked. a lot. my mom was disappointed, but we talked and we're doing better now. my dad was frustrated, but he also looked at me and told me to read the date on his diploma. and then asked how he could be mad when I did exactly the same thing he did

the assumption was that I would have to take at least one more class in my field of study, which is Biblical Studies, so the options for where I can get a relevant class are...limited

but my dad said to wait. just wait. be patient until I got an email from the registrar saying what I needed.

I got that email today, from the dean of my school. he told me I needed one more credit hour in my department to graduate. and then he said that since I'd done my internship for zero credit hours, if I did the paper evaluating my internship he could bump it up to one credit hour with no extra charge

I think I cried for an hour. I actually get to graduate. I get to spend my money and time saving up for a home and a newer car and buying food for my darling cat.

It's weird, thinking how much that hit me. Freshman me would've been shocked and somewhat horrified that I was so relieved just to graduate. But it feels like the days I wake up and realize that it's not so bad to be alive

I get to graduate

[wh6res]

taeil — part of the my bloody valentine collection.

prompt. soulmates are connected by a red string.

synopsis. taeil thinks the whole system is bullshit. he needs to take matters into his own hands.

warnings. tread cautiously. swearing, mentions of death, blood, mentions of kidnapping, violence, turning a 'lil dubcon near the end, severe stockholm syndrome, manipulation 

disclaimer. a friendly reminder that i do not, under any circumstance, condone or support any acts like this. this is not love and this is not how a normal relationship should be like. the things i write are all fiction and should be treated as such and if you don’t like it, please do not read it and waste your time hating on it. the 9 members of nct 127 do not act like this in real life and shouldn’t act like this in real life. 

thank you to. sexeh sam @yukwonghei, cutie charlie @dundun-baby, and baby rina @greenish-taro for beta-reading!

since he was a kid, he’s fantasized about meeting his soulmate. creating scenario after scenario of how he’d meet ‘the one’ as he had cheesily addressed and had absolutely freaked when he finally saw the red string tied around his right wrist on his 20th birthday—courtesy of the soulmate rules of the universe, where one will finally be able to see the string tied around their body once they’ve come of age. 

for years before he met that other soul who’s destined to be with him, taeil would stare at the red thread lying across the floor, disappearing under the gap of his door and out to the world unknown. he’d be so distracted, so aloof and in his own world as he anticipates the long-awaited day until his professor calls him out—“moon! do yourself a favor and stop daydreaming!”

until his friends snap him out of it—“thinking of them again? really?”

until his parents shake him out of his thoughts—“don’t worry, i bet they’ll love you!”

sometimes he just loved staring at the string, it was something so measly as a bunch of threads intricately woven together yet it held such a symbol in today’s world. call him lovesick or stupid but was it really wrong to feel excited? taeil’s even betting the person on the other side of this string is just as excited as he was, if not more. 

in the man’s eyes, the strings are a symbol of something more than love—it symbolized the person the universe has created especially for him and no one else. 

taeil can’t even imagine a world without these strings. how difficult it would be, to love and invest in someone who will only end up breaking your heart? no, the strings also meant reassurance. 

assurance that he won’t get hurt. 

an assurance of faithfulness. 

he had only been a wide-eyed fresh grad looking for some place to intern when it happened. like a scene right out of a cheesy romance movie—he felt the persistent tugs of the string before finally meeting his soulmate. well, using the word meet to describe the whole ordeal is a huge stretch because it was more of a holy shit, is that my soulmate? rather than a hi, i'm your soulmate, taeil!

he merely saw the back of her poised figure but taeil’s heart felt like it wanted to explode, his emotions a mess and feeling everything to the extremes. nervous. scared. anxiety. happiness. excitement—it was all coming at him like bullets. 

as taeil stared at her back, walking away, johnny kept shoving him forward, encouraging him to finally approach the person he’s been waiting for ever since that soulmate string appeared around his pinky. 

but he couldn’t—not because he was so anxious he’d accidentally vomit the 4-cheese whopper he had for lunch but due to the line of people trailing behind his soulmate like a bunch of baby ducks to their mom. the thought of coming up to his soulmate and introducing himself in front of all those people?

romantic, maybe, but taeil doesn’t have the stomach to do that. 

he remembers how much johnny had wolf whistled, unbelieving of the fact his friend managed to snag the possible heir to the company they’re attending an interview in as his soulmate. 

“lucky little asshole,” johnny muttered. 

taeil had been experiencing the post-effects of seeing his soulmate that he just weakly punched johnny’s arm for the heck of it. he probably didn’t even hear the name his younger friend had called him. taeil’s mind is clouding over, no thoughts in his head but the white polo shirt she wore, sleeves neatly rolled up, and the black pencil skirt hugging her legs and making her ass look so plump. 

focus. he needs to focus on the interview right now or else he won’t even have the chance to work here and officially meet her. everything the interviewer asked passed through his head like paper planes in a classroom, shamelessly asking the woman sitting before him to repeat the question, too busy reveling about how their soulmate story would be the cliché office-love. not that taeil minds, he’d love going to work together—

two weeks later, johnny receives an email of acceptance. taeil doesn’t.

the man nearly threw his laptop away out of sheer disbelief and anger. okay, sure, maybe he could’ve done better in the interview but he graduated with latin honors in college! and from a prestigious college at that. he shouldn’t even be applying as a mere intern with the skill set he had yet he went with it because he’d always dreamed of working there. 

and now knowing his soulmate is possibly someone who holds a high position in the company? everything just kept getting better and better for moon taeil. 

except for that fucking email—pft, or lack thereof. how can they not accept him when he’s more capable than johnny, anyway? for fuck’s sake! taeil doesn’t even ask that guy for rent and he’s so thick-skinned that he stayed up to this day and freeloaded off taeil’s food and shelter. 

the absolute unfairness of the situation makes taeil’s blood reach a fever point. he’s completely lossed it, leading him to spit “get the fuck out!” to the other male occupant in the apartment with eyes glaring and lips pulled into a nasty sneer. 

johnny’s never seen taeil this upset before and decided that he’d be better off abiding by the older man’s wishes instead of contradicting it. 

no. no. no. this can’t be happening. if taeil doesn’t work there, with her, all his sweet fantasies won’t come true and god forbid she ends up falling for another person in the company. 

anyone would be naturally drawn to taeil’s soulmate. in his eyes, she’s a goddess in the flesh. taeil doesn’t even need to see her face, from the few seconds he saw a glimpse of her, her presence and allure in itself is already eye-catching. the way her low ponytail swished from side to side as she walked, her back straight and head held high. 

taeil needs to see her again. maybe if she finds out he’s her soulmate she’ll put a good word in and he’ll get hired. 

yeah. yeah, that’s a good plan. 

“please get out of my office or i’ll call security.”

or not.

“no, wait. but i just said i’m your soulmate!” to further prove his point, he even raises up his pinky and sure enough the other end of the string is tied around hers. the incessant pull is there and if not for her sharp cold eyes anchoring him to the ground, taeil would’ve long been soaring high in cloud nine. 

“and i said i don’t care,” she snaps just as her fingers sneakily pressed a button in her phone. “i have a fiancé. the whole soulmate bullshit doesn’t apply to rich people. so for the fucking last time, get out of my office.”

“but—”

the double doors of the vice president’s office bounces off the walls when two burly guards barge in. dressed in a white long sleeves and those heavy tinted shades of glasses that taeil hates. the two men waste no time in hooking their arms underneath the smaller, frail man as he thrashes against their arms. 

“how can you not care about your soulmate?!” taeil can feel the beginning licks of the flames eating up his whole world as everything comes crashing down before his very eyes. “i’ve been—i’ve been waiting my whole life for you and this is how you treat me?!” 

he doesn’t know what hurts more, the scratch in his throat as he screamed with all his might or the stoic look written on her face as the guards haul him away. 

when johnny heard the news he’d never felt so sorry for his friend. rumors that initially circulated only between the executive board members had spread and trickled down to the common folk on the lower levels. johnny making it a mission to find out, had extracted himself from his usual cheery and extroverted self to blend in with the background. taeil has yet to talk to him after he got kicked out, so asking his friend—or ex-friend?—about what happened is out of the question. 

but like any other breed of rumor, the tale of their vice president’s soulmate barging in her office is ever changing through each mouth that tells the story. johnny doesn't know what to believe in. he’s been trying to put off a meeting with the older man ever since he started crashing in taeyong’s apartment instead. not that taeil himself even tried reaching out to johnny, anyway. 

so why should he, when he doesn’t even know what he did wrong?

but there’s a nagging voice at the back of johnny’s head. his conscience isn’t too loud but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s there and it doesn’t need excessive volumes to be heard. all it takes is a second of distraction from the paperwork he does, attention straying from the task at hand, and his body will automatically be wracked with guilt. 

knowing how much taeil had waited for his soulmate to come to his life, knowing how taeil can readily give everything up for his soulmate without even meeting them yet… and now knowing taeil just got the worst ever rejection in his entire life?

johnny can’t possibly imagine the pain he’s going through. is he really going to choose now out of all times to be petty because taeil kicked him out when he didn’t even bother asking johnny for anything in return during his stay in the apartment?

so when taeil finally contacted him, the sketchyness of what he had asked for flew right over johnny’s head. rational thoughts flying out the window because taeil needs him, he should his friend after everything taeil did for him—

“hey, uhm… i need insider’s information, can you do that for me?”

you shook your head at the long story johnny told you. tuffs of your hair have escaped the intricate pigtails taeil has put your hair up in earlier before he left for work. he’s always hated having your hair messy, but at the moment you couldn’t find yourself to care. 

“i wouldn’t put it past taeil’s original soulmate…” you think aloud, mouth speaking before you can stop yourself as you stare disdainfully at the dulled string wrapped around your pinky—it lost its divine red glow after your captor had cut it off on the same day he whisked you away.

ironic, how easy it was to destroy something so important.

you backtracked, realizing the gravity of what you said before looking up at your captor’s friend. johnny doesn’t look all too impressed and he sighs at the pleading look in your eyes. please, don’t tell him.

“i guess you’re somewhat right…” he gives in, coursing his fingers through his hair. “taeil had been… very passionate on finding his soulmate. but i mean, come on, why’d you even marry someone who isn’t your soulmate? i don’t blame taeil for doing what he did to them.”

johnny ignores the way your breath hitches and your body halts all movement. “what—what did he do?”

“paid them a ‘lil visit after gathering enough resources from someone on the inside,” his face stoic, voice monotone. johnny doesn’t like talking about this one. “he studied their schedules, where they live, where they work, how they get to work, what time they sleep, what time they wake. then just one day…” 

he drags a finger across his neck.

“oh.” 

pathetically, it was all you can say. why did you even bother to ask, anyway? if taeil had been willing to exert force just to keep you in line, then he has the stomach for whatever gruesome deaths he subjected his soulmate and her fiancé to.

you nibble on your lip as you stare at the knot of thread lying on the floor. you don’t see the need to wear the collar wrapped around your neck when that knot is good enough a reminder that you’re now bound to taeil. that he’s fucked around with your destiny and decided he’ll have you out of all people. 

its hard to believe taeil once almost worshipped the soulmate bonds, not when all he’s ever done is look at it like it's the bane of his existence and calling it a curse to humanity.

“do you know that you’re—”

“that i’m the 5th? yeah, i know. i saw all the knots on his string.” you defeatedly say, a vivid image of the knots spaced across his string like tophies. “taeil doesn’t like me staring at them, though.”

and you yourself didn’t like staring at them. you never thought something so small and insignificant can mean something so sinister. the knots on his string acting like a body counter. will he get sick of you one day and you’ll just be another knot on his string?

“you’re nothing like his soulmate—i’m not insulting you or anything, i’m just saying the truth. the past girls all had at least something in common with her but you… nothing. not even your hair shines like hers, and that’s even after taeil has taken good care of you.”

this doesn’t soothe you in any sense and before you can open your mouth to retort, the familiar beeping of the code getting punched into the keypad cuts you off. 

taeil stood in the entrance as he shrugged off his coat, his polo crinkled at some areas and pieces of his hair had escaped that slicked back hairstyle. 

“you’re home early…”

your blood runs cold when he doesn’t even offer you a glance, skipping you out and immediately addressing johnny. “i thought i told you to go home already after delivering the food.”

you admire the way johnny’s eyes roll. must be nice not to be so fucking terrified of the man. “yeah, but your current sweetheart here was lonely and practically begged me to stay.”

the sting of betrayal never grows familiar. 

“i never said anything—”

“you did, have you forgotten already?” you hate the show of lust clouding in johnny’s eyes as he stares you down. this can’t be happening right now. “have you forgotten how you even came unto me? whined like a bitch about how taeil doesn’t even fuck you hard enough and you had to fake orgasms all the time?”

“that’s not true!” your frustration manifests as tears. they sting your eyes as you look at taeil. “i never said anything—”

but you pale when you realize they’re not even listening to you, the two guys fist bumping in the foyer and exchanging a few words like “thanks for telling me,” and “no problem, bro,” were heard before taeil is heatedly storming up to you. 

you feel numb as you look over taeil’s shoulder at the little smirk johnny shoots at you. have fun, he mouths mockingly and then he’s out the door, extracting himself from the mess he created. 

when taeil wordlessly drags you across the hallway, you thought he’ll make a right turn and into the bedroom but imagine your surprise when he pulls you instead towards the bathroom. he wastes no time throwing you against the cold hard tiles as he tells you only one thing. 

“strip.”

“taeil…”

“you don’t want to be replaced.” it doesn’t take a genius to know taeil had hit the nail on the head. all your movements come to a halt, looking up at him with an unreadable look in your face. “that’s your fear, isn’t it? that if you die, if i kill you, i can just look for another girl and you’d be forgotten at the snap of a finger. i’m right, aren’t i?”

you gulp, his words stinging even if he didn’t mean for it to sting. or maybe he did. taeil takes a step closer to you, studying your appearance as he brings a hand up to caress your tear-stained face. 

spots in your clothes are wet due to the splashes of water on the tiles, and the clips in your hair that once looked neat and perfect are now hanging in disarray, falling off in some places. 

“i’m sorry,” you sob. “i’m sorry, john—johnny’s lying. you—you have to—to believe me. please don’t replace me… i’ll be good, i promise…”

truly, there’s no better motivator than fear. and there’s no better way to mess with someone’s head than using their weakness against them. 

“you say you’ll be good but i tell you to strip and you couldn’t even do that?” 

taeil could never imagine replacing you. he finds it stupid, whatever that brought in this fear of yours, but it doesn’t mean he won’t be extracting every little bit he can get out of this.

he can only stare in awe when you start wiggling your way out of your pretty pink clothes, eyes drinking every bit of your skin slowly being exposed to him as he reaches behind you to open the running water, slowly filling the bathtub.

“get in,” he instructs and you waste no time. 

as he sheds his own clothes, he can practically feel the want radiating off you. he knew johnny’s lying, but he humored his friend still. there’s no way you can fake the noises you always make. plus, taeil has seen one too many times the cum dribbling out of your cunt after he’s fucked you into oblivion. he scoffs. harder? then he’ll be breaking you in half already. 

taeil swats your hand away as it reaches for his cock and he hopes you don’t notice it twitching before you when you let out a cute whine. 

“you want it?”

you nod urgently, salavitating at the thought. taeil was more of a giver to his partners, it’s rare for him to take his pleasure first but you’re far from complaining. 

“oh, i don’t know…” he pouts, fisting himself in front of you before giving it a few testing pumps. he swallows the hiss threatening to spill from his lips, chuckling instead at the intense look in your eyes as it follows his hand movements. 

you were by far the most compliant girl he’s ever had, someone who’d rather stay than escape. his methods of forcing someone into submission worked extremely well with you. so really, how can he let go of his glorified little pet?

“you’re not lying to me, aren’t you? i got hurt, you know, with what johnny said… i guess i was doing something wrong.”

“no!” your reply is immediate. “no, that’s not true—”

hands wrap around your throat like a vice. “how about you prove it to me, love? tell me everything i want to hear.”

now, this is easy. you’ve practically memorized everything you need to tell him to boost his ego. it doesn’t even take much of an effort. 

“i love your cock so much that my body hurts. it hits all the right places inside of me and i will never even dream of wanting another man because they won’t be able to fuck me like you do.”

you feel giddy when he smiles that satisfied smile, your toes curling in anticipation as he leans in to give his obedient darling a kiss—

until he shoves your face down the water. 

it doesn’t take much effort to wrestle your limbs down and insert himself into you, groaning at the feeling of your lush and moist walls sucking him in. you’re always so damn wet when he fucks you, oh how much he loves it. loves how tighter your cunt wraps around him as you squirm and fight him to get to the surface of the half-filled tub.

it was only after a few deep thrusts did he relent and pull you up, the few hair clips in your hair floating in the water around as you gasp greedy amounts of air. one look at taeil’s face pulled in ecstasy is enough for you to know it was well worth it.

maybe being rejected by his soulmate was a blessing in disguise. maybe the disobedience of every girl he took before you had been deliberately well-planned. or else he’d never would’ve met you. 

taeil was right. all the soulmate and soulmark shit is utterly useless and stupid. because you are by no means his soulmate, but fuck he’ll never let you go.

not when your destiny is to lay there underneath him, taking whatever it is that he gave you like a good little whore. 

[neurodihuegent]

[Weird Sisters AU] "in tenebris magicae: a story's beginning"

Words: 2,495

Chapters: 1/17

Characters: Lena Sabrewing, Webby Vanderquack, May Duck, June Duck, Violet Sabrewing, Black Heron

Summary: Following the tragic loss of her mother, Lena finds herself returning to the Magical Realm to piece together the truth behind the fall of her mother. However, the deeper Lena digs, the worse things become.

(Text Under 'Read More').

Do it for her.

Because she certainly didn't want to do it for herself: If it were up to her, she wouldn't even be here. But the stakes were high, and her next move relied on her being here.

If anything sucked the most, it was that she didn't have her own room anymore: Her roommate, a human named Violet Sabrewing, had woken her up at 5 A.M with the blaring sound of her alarm.

"I like to start early when I study throughout the day," she said.

Lena had managed to get some sleep after being rudely awakened, but not much: It was 7 A.M., and now she had to be awake.

Dragging her legs out of the bed, Lena sat up and stared out of the window for a good five seconds: Everything about this place felt like Earth, but it also didn't. The Sun still rised and shined the way it did on Earth. It was a bit comforting to Lena.

"Late start?" Lena took this as some kind of a joke, but considering what had happened merely two hours prior, she didn't find it any funny. She flashed a glare at Violet before trudging out of the room into the bathroom in the hallway.

Five months ago, Lena felt like she had everything, that the life she had on Earth made her not even want to come here and find out about her roots. Now, she had virtually nothing, and that predicament forced her to be here.

Lena's eyes became fixated on her feet as she neared the bathroom day, replaying the past five months of her life over and over again in her head. The day it happened, the feelings of panic and hopelessness that swallowed her body, how lifeless she looked. It was hard to forget, it was an image that would be burned into her brain for the rest of her life.

Caught up in her mind, Lena didn't notice that there was someone leaving the bathroom as she was walking to enter it. Her body collided with another girl's, sending them both to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're-" The girl cut herself off once she got a better view of Lena on the ground, "Wait, you're one of the new girls right? Don't tell me you're that human."

Word seemed to spread fast around here.

"You're thinking of Violet," Lena half-smiled, extending a helping hand to the girl once she pulled herself off of the ground, "I'm Lena. Nice to-"

The girl swatted Lena's hand away, glaring at her as she found her composure and stood up on her own. "Either way, watch it." Before Lena could respond to that remark, May stormed off.

Rolling her eyes, Lena pushed the bathroom door open and began her morning routine for the day. Great, Lena thought to herself, I've been here for less than 5 minutes and I already have a target on my head.

--

Lena could feel the eyes burning the back of her head as she took her seat for her first class. From the looks of it, Violet didn't seem to mind to curious and judgmental stares, but Lena hated it. Part of Lena wanted to tell them to find something else to stare at, but another part of Lena just wanted to sit in silence to not make her already rough start, any rougher.

The teacher hadn't entered the class yet, but Lena was sure that they'd ask her and Violet to stand up and introduce themselves, so Lena spent the down time she had now mentally preparing for it. Lena wasn't really a nervous person, but these stares she was getting from classmates whose names she didn't know yet, were enough to melt her into a puddle of timdity.

"Hi, I'm Webby!" Lena hadn't even noticed that this girl had walked up to her, but the piercing shriek she let out was enough to make Lena jumped out of her skin. "Lena." Lena responded sheepishly, looking over Webby's shoulder to notice the girl from the bathroom was shooting daggers at either her, Webby, or the both of them.

They looked exactly alike, so Lena assumed they were sisters.

"You're from the Earth, right? Oh, I have so many questions! What is it like on Earth? What are the animals like? Ooh, what is the foo-"

"Webby, enough," The girl from the bathroom cut her off, and Lena was somewhat grateful for it even though she knew a condescending comment would be following this, "I doubt it's anything interesting compared to what we have here. You don't need to drown her with your questions."

"May, you're no fun." Webby pouted, crossing her arms. She turned back to Lena, saying "It was nice meeting you though!", before she scurried back to her seat next to May and... another girl that looked exactly like them. Triplets?

Her attention on them being triplets was shortened when she went back to thinking about how off putting this May girl had been acting towards her. It soured her mood a bit, thinking about how this girl, for whatever reason, had to make it known that she thought she was better than Lena.

"So you're the human." May seemed to turn her attention to Violet, who just silently nodded in response. Lena felt no connection to this Violet girl, not enough to just mindlessly defend her anyways, but she wasn't opposed to kicking May off of her high horse in defense of her.

"What brings you here?" The other sister, whose name Lena had yet to catch, asked seemingly with innocent intent, "Do you have any powers?"

"Um....no... at least not yet," Violet murmured, fiddling with her hair, "I was actually recruited through the school." Webby and this other sister gave Violet looks of approval, but Lena couldn't help but notice the scowl on May's face.

"Not yet? What do you mean not yet? Either you're born with it, or you're not." May snickered, gaining questioning looks from both of her sisters, not that she seemed to particularly care. Violet bowed her head in embarassment, and that's when Lena decided that she had finally had enough of this May girl's attitude.

"What's your issue? This pretentious little mean girl role you're trying to live up to right now, really isn't a good look, you know." Judging from May's reaction, Lena could tell that this girl never had anyone stand up to her before, and that was just pathetic.

"Well thank god I'm not trying to look good for the likes of you." May hissed, and before Lena could get another jab in, the entire classroom was silenced by the arrival of the teacher.

"Welcome to the first day of the new semester." The professor looked like a character straight out of the kinds of old movies Lena's mom used to watch, her hair having flipped ends, and her red dress resembling the style of a Go-Go dress. The professor's prothestic arm, which seemed to be made completely from metal, caught Lena's eye, but it wasn't something she paid too much attention to. Her eyes drifted over to the sister, the one that wasn't May and Webby, and noticed how her entire demeanor changed once this professor entered the room.

"It seems like we have two new students here, Violet Sabrewing, and Lena Duckwell. Nice to meet you two, I am Professor Heron." Lena could've sworn she saw a smirk when the professor had read her name, but she was too busy feeling shocked that she didn't make them stand up and introduce themselves.

Lena's mother always told her that if she were to come back here, if she were to start a new life here, she'd have to conceal her identity. "Duckwell" wasn't the most creative fake last name, but something told her she couldn't exactly waltz in here with the last name "DeSpell". She never knew why she needed to keep her identity a secret, but she wasn't exactly trying to figure out, either.

"Students, you know that I am expecting nothing but the best work from you this semester, especially knowing what's ahead. Now, open your books to page 14..."

--

Lena went to school on Earth, so she knew how dreadful and boring the school days could be, but this first day really drained her of any energy she had left. She had almost ran out of the classroom as soon as Professor Heron dismissed them, and she waited for nobody.

"Hey!" Lena felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around to reveal none other than the other sister whose name she hadn't caught yet.

"Hey."

"My name is June, nice to meet you!" She extended her hand for a handshake, and Lena took it. This June girl seemed much nicer compared to May.

"Nice to meet you," Now that she was here, maybe Lena could get some clarity of the things from class she was still confused about.

"What did the Professor mean when she said something important was ahead? Is it a test?"

"I guess you could say that," June explained, "But really, it's the total eclipse. You know what that is right?" Lena shot her a look that said 'I'm not dumb.' Was it that obvious that she hadn't been touching up on her magic?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just didn't know if it's ritual on Earth like it is here!"

"So what do you do for it?"

"On Earth, the Total Eclipse only happens every 100 years, but here, it actually happens every 10 years. During the Total Eclipse, all magical forms at their highest level of power. So, the ritual is kind of made to celebrate that, but also to show off that power. But it's not any time soon, actually it's exactly three months away."

Three months? There was no way Lena could master the power that she did, in three months. She didn't even know what she was fully capable of, because on Earth, both her and her mom stressed her living a normal "human" life, and not using any magic. And the rare times that she did use magic, ended up in haywire. Surely, three months was not enough time for Lena to perfect her craft.

"Hmm, sounds like fun...."

"I wouldn't know, this is the first time I've actually been old enough to attend and participate in one!" June flashed a bright, friendly smile, and in a way, it sort of put Lena at ease. After all, she was the first person here that Lena was able to maintain a normal conversation with.

"Oh, and sorry about my sister earlier, she can be a bit.... overbearing," June said, her cheery tone of voice shifting into a more serious one, "But if it makes you feel any better, I'd take it as a compliment. It means she sees you as a threat." Lena sent her a halfhearted smile in response.

"Oh, thank you. That's... great." The last thing Lena wanted, was some onesided rivalry with a girl she barely knew and barely cared to compete with, especially given said person had the advantage.

Lena and June had reached the end of the corridor, preparing to part ways with each other.

"Well, it was nice talking to you! I'll try to... talk my sister down from whatever pedal stool she's on right now, but I can't guarantee it'll work!"

"As long as you try."

Lena did like this June girl: She seemed to be the middle man of her sisters, the overly hyper Webby and the overly confident May, and Lena thought it was nice. She was definitely the kind of person Lena would be friends with back home, if Lena allowed herself to have friends back home.

But based on the 15 second interaction she had with Webby, she didn't have any negative feelings towards her either: She just had a lot of energy that Lena hadn't dealt with before, and Lena wasn't all to sure she was willing to deal with that energy level now.

Lena had finally made it to the door of her and Violet's dorm room, unlocking the door. Violet was nowhere in near sight, probably utilizing the last couple of hours the library was still open for.

"Well, at least I have some alone time, for now." Lena sighed, flopping onto her bed.

She allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts, reflecting both on the events of today and what happened five months ago. Maybe this total eclipse was exactly what would give her the answers she needed. But for five months, she began seeking answers, trying to piece together what happened and who could've possibly done it. It was caused by Magic, and to her recollection, besides a family residing in Finland, her and her mother were the only magical beings on Earth. But nothing was adding up, and it was starting to look like she would have to figure everything out with the help of someone else.

Lena remembered staying temporarily with the family in Finland after everything had happened: They were familiar with her mother, but knew next to nothing about her. But they offered her shelter, food, and some support whenever Lena wasn't pushing them away, and that felt good enough until it started to feel like time was closing in on her. Until what happened to her mom, would happen to her. So she, with the help of the family, devised a plan to return to the Magical realm during the beginning of the new school year, to get more practice with her magic, and to find the culprit. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she felt a weight of disappointment that she had been here for all of three days, and not even the slightest new discovery appeared.

Suddenly, she heard the door unlock, and knew that Violet was back from her study trip.

"Back so soon?"

"No, I'm actually going back. I just forgot a book."

Lena hummed in response, turning her attention to her phone. There wasn't anything eventful going on social media wise, but it was better than the awkward and forced conversations she and Violet had so far.

"Also... Thank you. For sticking up for me today."

"Don't mention it." Lena sent a grin in Violet's direction, waving goodbye as she left the room again to return to her studies. Maybe Violet was the kind of person she needed on this case: She had no magical powers, at least to both of their knowledge, but she did seem to know an awful lot about the magical realm, especially compared to Lena herself.

It had only been 3 days since she was here, but she was already feeling the weight of the stakes: Lena had to do to whatever it took to avenge her late mother, even if it meant facing the culprit head on.

[brokemultidotexe]

Carry You Home Pt.1 | JJK [M]

↬ Pairing: Jungkook x OC [Dami]

↬ Summary: When Jungkook took a job in Syria to be a diplomat’s detail, he didn't expect to be assigned to her daughter, and he didn't expect to get along with her daughter so well. During an outing, Dami is taken and Jungkook doesn't know why or by who. Jungkook knows time is of the essence so he enlists the help of some friends with the right type of skills and does anything and everything he can to bring her home because it's no longer about his job...it's personal.

↬ Word Count: 3k

↬ Warning/Rating: None/M

↬ Genre: Action/Angst

↬ Part: 1 | 2

Jungkook flashed his badge to the guards at the gate while sitting in the black SUV he had been assigned while working at the Korean embassy. He didn't get it because it stuck out like a sore thumb and was too flashy to blend in, plus being in a place with mountains of sand made it impossible to keep clean. Not that it mattered, it wasn't his vehicle.

"You're clear." the guard in military fatigues handed him back his badge and waved him through the gate. The nice regal looking house stood before him as he pulled the car up to the front so the passenger side faced the door.

Jungkook stepped out slipping his shades on. He had truly come to hate sand. It got everywhere and when it would get windy or when sandstorms would hit, it was impossible to get clean. Being military detail for the Korean ambassador in Syria hadn't been his first choice, but with his mom, in need of money for her treatments there wasn't much option. Syria offered the most money for the least amount of time. No one stayed long and the risk factor was pretty high with things only getting worse as time went on. But he needed the money and luckily the family he was assigned to wasn't awful.

He walked inside the house and took his sunglasses off and slid them on the neck of his shirt. He nodded at the security detail that was on their way back outside, completely drenched in sweat. He definitely didn't envy them. He walked towards his first stop, which happened to be something he always looked forward to. He knocked on the door frame and peered in.

"Jungkook! I didn't know you were working today." he waved him inside with a warm smile.

Jungkook felt himself smile back, "Morning Mr. Yeo, I was requested by your wife. Apparently, Dami wants to go into town today and she asked if I would take her instead of the detail on duty."

He nodded, "Yes, Yeo-ah has been more worried lately. Of course, she can't tell us why, but she has tried limiting the time we're away from the house. Which of course Dami is giving her hell about."

"I would expect nothing less," Jungkook smirked.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't." He laughed.

"I'm going to head upstairs and save your wife the torment. When I get back, I'd like to talk to you about the book you lent me." Jungkook stated and Mr. Yeo beamed.

"Yes, of course!" Jungkook nodded and left the office. There were positives to the Yeo family, one being that Yeo Dongsoo happened to be a university professor of history and ethics. He worked remotely and mostly did online classes so he could be with his wife Minseo. Then there was their daughter Dami. Both of them had a rough start and constantly butted heads but within a few months, they started to consider each other as friends. So, it made working long hours a little more tolerable.

He made his way up the stairs and heard the godawful bubblegum k-pop music Dami listened to. He poked his head in and saw her drawing in the sketch pad he had bought her for her birthday last month. He walked in and turned the stereo off.

"Hey!" he watched her head pop up and minor annoyance graced her features.

"I'm doing you a favor in saving your ears from that god-awful racket." he walked over to her desk and sat down in the chair facing her, "I really need to get you into real music. American classic rock will speak to your soul Dami, I promise you."

"No thanks, I'll stick to my shitty pop music."

"Well in the car, I'm manning the radio. Last time will be the one and only time you touch the stereo in my car ever again."

Her face lit up, "Mom's letting me leave?"

"Looks that way, so get your shit and let's go." She scrambled from the bed and started searching for her shoes, "Where are you wanting to go?"

She smiled at Jungkook, "Jason wanted to meet for lunch in town."

He tried to hide his grimace. Jason was an American politician’s son and Dami and him had met at one of those fancy dinners for diplomacy and all of that. Jungkook couldn't stand Jason, everything about the guy just rubbed him the wrong way. He had tried to talk to Dami about it but it had ended in a fight and since then he kept his mouth shut and just made sure to keep an eye on him. Along with a threat that he would break every bone in Jason's body if he tried to pull anything with Dami. Jason had made the comment that Jungkook was in love with Dami, which was absurd. They were friends and enough of an age gap, that while legal, is only borderline socially acceptable. He also works for her parents and the Korean Government so with that whole list and the fact that they were just friends made his claim baseless. "Ready?" he asked as soon as she had her shoes on.

"Yup!" She smiled and followed him out the door and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. Jungkook pulled out of the gated estate and pulled out onto a paved road and headed into town.

He popped her hand when she tried to reach for the stereo, "Hey I wasn't joking. You lost DJ privileges." She stuck her tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes, "real mature Dami."

It didn't take very long to get into the busy part of town where Dami had chosen to meet up with Jason. Jungkook knew she tried to butter him up by choosing to eat with Jason at his favorite lunch spot. He found a parking space a little further down from the actual restaurant and parked the car. Both of them got out and started the small walk.

"Hey," Dami said softly looking over at him, "I wanted to thank you for taking me. I know Jason isn't your favorite person."

"My opinion doesn't matter. If he makes you happy then I can tolerate him." He gave her a smirk and she rolled her eyes but a smile followed.

Once her eyes fell on Jason, she hurried forward to greet him with a hug. Jason swooped down and gave Dami a passionate kiss before tilting his head back up, "Jungkook." he nodded towards his direction. It put him on high alert because of how territorial Jason was with Dami. He eyed him but nodded back.

"Dami I'm just going to sit over there," He pointed to a few tables down. He would be far enough away to give them privacy but close enough to keep a watchful eye on surroundings. The small restaurant had a patio in the front with tables and umbrellas that gave a brief relief from the beaming sun. He pulled out his phone and decided now would be a good time to write back to some emails from his mother and brother. He never spent too long with his eyes on his screen and always made sure to take a detailed sweep of the surroundings before going back to his phone. It was something had become second nature to him after being in the Special Forces. He made sure he was always aware of his surroundings. Once he was done he slid the phone back into his pocket and watched the two of them.

Jungkook never understood the appeal of Jason. He had to hear about how perfect he was and it irked him because no guy was perfect and they all wanted one thing, no matter what they told you. He had spent enough years in the service to read situations and read people. It was part of his job, a job that he was very good at. He had kept a watchful eye on Jason from the beginning. There was something that never sat right with him. Jason had issues with Jungkook since meeting with him and he never understood why. It had come across as jealousy until recently. He had started to look venomous at Jungkook every time they crossed paths. Jungkook noticed Jason trying to turn conversations to political topics, something he knew Dami detested. It wasn't long before Jungkook also noticed he would talk about Mr. and Mrs. Yeo and attempt to hold conversations that, to Jungkook, seemed like he was trying to fish for any information she was willing to divulge. Which wasn't much.

He was snapped away from his thoughts when he noticed the both of them stand up and Jason throws some money on the table. Jungkook stood up as well and weaved his way through the patio over to them when he noticed they had started to walk away and continued to put more distance between him and the two of them. He tried closing the distance between them but it seemed every person on the sidewalk felt the need to bump into him making getting to her a little harder. Once close enough he put his hand on Dami's shoulder and turning her towards him, "And where do you think you're going?" she knew better than to just take off.

"Jason wanted to show me a hole in the wall shop a few streets over." Dami bit her lip knowing she probably should have told Jason to wait for Jungkook.

"Hey, I've got her. She'll be with me." Jason interrupted grabbing DAMI's hand and pulling her closer to him.

"Not a chance in hell." Jungkook shook his head.

"I'm more than capable of keeping her safe from whatever dangers you Korean’s think is out here." Jason's slightly aggressive tone had Jungkook's training heighten his senses.

"Where she goes, I go," Jungkook said flatly.

"Dude, what is your problem? It's two streets over. She'll be fine." he pushed.

Jungkook felt the anger and annoyance start to bubble up in his chest, "I said no." his voice was low and he made sure to pronounce every single syllable. There was no way in hell Jungkook would let Dami take a walk without him. He knew more about the volatile dangers within their area than Dami did, but he had to keep it that way. He hated keeping information from her, especially when it would stop her from making rash decisions. Secrets were the one thing he hated most about his job.

"Look, you know Jungkook has to come. But he can stay a little further back so we have some privacy. Jason, you knew this was a thing from the beginning." She looked between them.

Jungkook shot her a look. She knew that he wasn't happy with her suggestion but her eyes pleaded with him and he fought within himself. He knew he shouldn't but he also knew she hadn't been out much lately and he didn't want her to feel like she was being smothered. He relented but his senses went on high alert. "I'll be a few paces behind, but that's it." He stared down Jason.

Jason's face was filled with anger and annoyance, but he also seemed panicked. Jason tugged on Dami's hand motioning her to continue walking. He pulled out his phone and was typing quickly his mouth in a straight line. He gently pulled on Dami's arm forcing her to walk faster which caused Jungkook to have to walk at a quicker pace. His eyes were sweeping the surroundings because something didn't feel right and he could feel it deep in his bones. He came to a group of men arguing and tried his best to go around them but each time it was as if he was being held up and lengthening the distance between Jungkook and Dami. His eyes scanned and came to a stop on a van. It was nondescript and he had remembered seeing it parked up the street when they had sat down at the restaurant and had kept an eye on it. He remembered seeing the tape that was around one of the side mirrors and the person in the driver seat had sat in the van but never moved or made any indication he was going to. This had put Jungkook on high alert, and he started watching people as discreetly as he could and hoping he could close the gap between him and Dami.

Jungkook reached behind him where his gun had sat all morning. He carefully turned the safety off just in case things went south and he needed to reach for it quickly. He made sure that the shirt that he wore laid back over it so it was hidden from view. He noticed Jason starting to look around and up and down the street. Jungkook heard the van before he saw it and he started rushing to close the distance between them.

“DAMI!” he yelled.

She turned to look at him while the van came into view and screeched to a halt right beside her. Jungkook broke out into a run and was weaving through people. He drew his gun with it pointed to the ground and watched as if it was in slow motion as the door slid open and someone reached out grabbing her. She fought back and went on the defensive just as Jungkook had taught her. She yelled for Jungkook and he pushed himself even harder and broke through the people. He stopped raised his gun and shot the guy's wrist that had a hold on her and felt great pleasure in hearing his howls of pain. His stomach dropped when he saw Jason start to fight her, forcing her into the van. She kicked at him and continued to yell. Jungkook couldn't take another shot without risking hitting her. She kicked out and came in contact with Jason's stomach causing him to bend over. Jungkook took that moment to line up his shot.

Two men rushed him from the alley with knives in hand. By instinct, Jungkook elbowed one in the face disarming him and kicking the knife away and the other came at him forcing Jungkook to pull the trigger as the guy had been ready to throw the knife at him. The man slumped to the ground. His momentum had been slowed and he called out to DAMI. Jason looked back at Jungkook and brought his elbow to her face and her body went limp. She disappeared into the van and Jason followed. Jungkook raised his gun and aimed for the tires as the van drove away but he was never able to get a clear shot.

"Fuck!" He yelled and within seconds he was running back to the SUV that was parked around the corner. He knew he didn't have long before he would lose them. He yelled for people to get out of his way and pushed the ones that didn’t move fast enough out of his way. He rushed to the driver side and climbed into the vehicle and started the engine and throwing it into drive not even bothering to check his mirrors the shift to drive was quick and gravel shot out from under the tires as he shot down the street with his seatbelt swings beside him, completely ignored. He ran a stop sign and turned right cutting off a car and speeding through the makeshift downtown area hoping to close the distance between him and the piece of shit van.

Jungkook pulled out his phone and held down the number three and turned it on speaker and tossing it on the dashboard as he weaved in and out of traffic. Within two rings he heard a voice that made him want to yell in triumph.

"What Jeon? I'm busy trying to get laid." a familiar voice floated through the speakers.

"Yoongi I need you to track a phone for me." He rushed out and laid on the horn when someone got in his way.

"Jungkook I'm kind of in the mid-"

"Yoongi, please! Someone took Dami and I'm so far behind them I'm not sure I'll be able to find them without it." He begged because his job was to protect her and he had failed.

"Alright, hold on." He heard shuffling and a muffled voice, "Okay what's her phone number?"

"96356891224 and I need it now Yoongi."

"I know Jungkook, I'm working on it. The internet isn't exactly top-notch out here."

"Yoongi," he warned. He didn't care if Yoongi was older he didn’t have time to care about coming off as an asshole.

"Okay, it looks like she's about ten kilometers west of you."

"West?" he was confused. He couldn't remember any threats that were west of their area.

"Yeah, it looks like they might not be on a road anymore."

Jungkook cursed, "Is there any way that you could try and keep her on GPS and try to keep me on course to intercept them? I'm sure I could probably ch-"

"The signal dropped."

"What!?"

"I mean it could be a satellite thing, but it's unlikely. My guess is they ditched the sim card." He could hear the sound of Yoongi’s typing.

Jungkook punched the steering wheel and yelled, "Goddammit!" He pulled off the road and punched the wheel over and over.

"I can keep an eye on her number and let you know if it pops back up." He said sympathetically.

"I'm headed your way." He shook out his hand and turned the car around heading towards Yoongi’s house and hoping that he could help and give him something to go on. At this point, he didn't have much information and he didn't want to call the Yeo’s yet without having more information and a plan on how to get her back.

AN: Pulling this from the depths of my writing folder and figured I could go ahead and post for the first chapter since I already have a few written. like, reblog, smile, all that good stuff.

[pyropsychiccollector]

Okay how about Natsu and Ultear mourning that they lost their daughter. (I know I'm evil)

It's one thing to experience loss of a loved one. Though you may wish to spend even just one more day with that person after they've passed, you can still find some way to trudge on, because you know that they wouldn't want you to wallow in the misery of their loss. They would want you to live on as happily as you could.

.... It's another thing entirely to get that 'extra time' with that special person, and then at the end of the day still lose them in the same way you did before. Really, this is even more painful than the initial loss, because if enough time has passed, you've been strong and moved on. To talk to them again, to hold them in your arms after years of feeling hollow in their absence, and then be struck with the unmerciful truth that nothing in the past has changed... The pain is indescribable.

This is how it was for Natsu and Ultear Dragneel. For twenty two years, they lived happily with their eldest child; raised her, taught her many things about the world and about Magic, and loved her with all their hearts. When Claire became ambitious and took up the task of resurrecting and highly revamping the old 'Bureau of Magical Development' so that it actually performed as it should have, her parents supported her wholeheartedly. The times were peaceful, and they had enough connections and resources to give the new Bureau a good headstart in research. And with Claire taking charge of management, there was little to no chance of the Bureau becoming corrupt, like the old one. The future seemed so bright. 

... And then Claire began research into Arc of Time. Though Ultear expressly forbade it, Claire had reasoned she had no intention of using the Spell until she had worked out how to 'perfect' it. Or in other words, be able to time travel without the user dying. Claire wished to look into it for the sake of her mother, who had experienced loss and suffering that was out of her control; and the same could be said of her father.

Unfortunately, Claire broke the promise made to herself. Research without experimentation can only accomplish so much, and Claire had hit a roadblock. She didn't try anything until she was reasonably sure she had made significant changes to the original Spell, but of course the risks were still too high. Evidently, Claire had inherited her mother's intelligence, and her father's brash nature.

In the end, when the time came to run the experiment, it seemed Claire made a miscalculation somewhere. Or perhaps the experiment was doomed from the start. Either way, the eldest child of the Dragneels died in a fiery explosion that took out the main lab of the Bureau. Because Claire worked on this project in secret, no one else perished in the blast. There was one soul that had previously been helping her research the Arc of Time... her younger brother. But she deceived him in regards to when she would be running the experiment, and by the time he'd worked that out, it was already too late. He'd rushed into the lab mere minutes after the explosion went off, only to find his sister's limp body. He wept for nearly an hour after the initial discovery.

Obviously, Natsu and Ultear had been displeased that their children had been researching Arc of Time behind their backs. Dimitri was forbidden from looking any more into it, and for seven years he complied with their wishes. Seven years they came to grips with Claire's death. And then... she reentered their lives, if only for a short period of time. Dimitri had been the first to stumble upon her; he found that her body wasn't stable, and that if nothing was done, she would return to the moment of the blast. But their parents found out, and they forced Dimitri to stop his research... They didn't want to lose him, too. And Claire had come to realize she never should have attempted to tamper with time - she was glad that Dimitri was prevented from making the same mistake she did, even if she was physical proof that Arc of Time could be perfected.

Time wasn't on the Dragneels' side, though. Not even a day after the figurative book on time travel was closed - forever - Claire sensed her time was up. The time had come to say goodbye.

~*~

They'd been out wandering in Magnolia for the better part of the day. It didn't matter where they were, as long as they could spend even just a little more time together. Though, just sitting around and talking didn't seem like a good use of what time Claire had left, and so the four of them did what they could around town, and even visited the outskirts, where they'd lived as a family.

Claire felt her time had come as they were passing an alleyway after night had since fallen, a single dim light only managing to wash over the narrow corridor before it turned off to presumably a dead-end.

"... I guess this is it. Mom... Dad... Dimitri... I have to go back to my own time, back to that day when... when we parted..." The dark-haired young woman's eyes were downcast before she threw her arms around her mother and she sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm sorry I can't stay..."

Ultear held her tight, just as she'd been doing all day. Though she also allowed her daughter to hug Dimitri and Natsu one last time each. Dimitri seemed to take it the hardest, since the only loss he'd ever experienced was that of his sister, but like Ultear he somehow managed to keep to a reserved, respectful silence as Claire turned to walk down the alley.

It was Natsu who couldn't just... let things end like this.

"CLAIRE! Please, don't go!" The Dragon Slayer pleaded desperately, taking a step forward to pursue her. Claire turned back around with a remorseful look in her eyes. It also didn't escape their notice that she was beginning to... glow.

"There was so much that we didn't get to do... So many plans that went unfulfilled... But... I'm glad that we got to spend at least one more day together!" Claire gave the saddest smile as tears streaked down her face. "I'll miss you... and our... lost future."

Natsu clenched his eyes shut tight as he fought back the urge to scream. This was no different than when he lost Igneel; he'd been powerless to save his father, and he was just as powerless to save his daughter... Not to mention Ultear had lost her mother! No, they couldn't just let it end like this!

"I don't want to go on without you...!" Natsu's voice was strained with emotion, and it struck his family to their core. "I won't...!"

Claire stepped forward one more time, and took his hands in hers. Hands that were capable of such destruction, but hands that had also taken such good care of her. After briefly gazing at those hands in both nostalgia and admiration, Claire looked back up into her father's eyes.

"I know you... And I know you'll stay strong. After all... You're the son of Igneel!" Claire had dearly treasured those memories Natsu shared with her of his times with the Fire Dragon King. Most children were told frightful stories about dragons, but not Natsu's kids. Taking a calming breath, Claire released her father's hands. "I must go now, dad... Thank you for everything. Goodbye."

With this sorrowful farewell, Claire turned once more on her heel and walked down the alley until she turned the corner. Ultear had an inkling, but Natsu knew for a fact that Claire was... gone. He couldn't smell or hear her anymore. But Dimitri couldn't remain composed anymore, and he ran after his sister. When he reached the corner, he sagged upon seeing no one there.

"... She's gone." The young man miserably intoned.

Natsu whirled on the wall closest to him and punched it in anguished frustration, leaving spider web cracks even though he didn't put much power behind the punch. Many tears cascaded down his face, and he knew there was nothing that could be done. Claire Dragneel had died seven years ago, trying to perform a Spell that he and Ultear had told her not to attempt. Had he been angry about it? Hell yeah. 

But... Natsu knew Claire had only wanted to help them. Just like how she redeveloped the old Bureau of Magical Development to help families all over Ishgar, she'd only wanted to take away their pain. Yet in doing so, she would have completely rewritten history, would have completely changed how they'd grown up... When you got down to it, was time travel something you truly wanted? Sure, the pain of loss was great, but they'd found ways to move on... Even though it would be nice to avoid such pain, it would irrevocably change the kind of people they were. And Natsu wouldn't have traded his time with Ultear, Claire, and Dimitri fro the world.

"Natsu..."

Natsu craned his head as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and his eyes softened as he made eye contact with Ultear. Fully turning around, he swept her up into a tight, meaningful embrace, which she equally reciprocated. It didn't take Dimitri long to make his way over and join in.

As Natsu held his loved ones tight, he resolved to not take them for granted. He'd loved Claire just as passionately, and he'd still lost her. Kami knew when he'd lose either of his remaining loved ones, or if they'd lose him first... Either way, Natsu still had them, and he wouldn't be letting them go without a fight. He'd be strong for them - for Claire. Old wounds might've been reopened, but they'd get through it... together.

~*~

Post-note: Think you're 'evil', do you...? Well, I got to offload a bunny I had some weeks back, so thanks for that. Yes, this is a crossover between Fairy Tail and Professor Layton: Unwound/Lost Future, and I regret nothing. XD This seemed so much better than killing off a child, or going with the 'usual' mourning. Yeeeah, I could probably expand on this, but I dunno if I will... Hnnn. Too many bunnies. :P