#my two monitors have slightly different screens and colors so like.. its weird to see my gifs colors change depending on what screen i have

[kth1]

cr. @0613data

[youarejesting]

Daylight

[Full Masterlist]

Beta: @fluffy-fluffu @taegularities @xiaokoo​ (if I forgot someone let me know, some people were in anon) Rating: Teen+ Pairing: Jimin x Reader Genre: Fluff, fantasy, adventure, angst, scifi, Romance, mystery,  Words: 12.6K

Summary: When trying to find a place to sleep the reader finds an elevator that only goes down. When it reaches the bottom, the reader is met with a new world and new civilization. Have you found somewhere you belong or are you in over your head.

You were looking for a place to sleep. The train station had two areas: the new and improved station on the ground level and the old and abandoned level underground. The underground level was blocked off, but you needed somewhere to sleep. No amount of graffiti, rats or even kids with cans of spray paint could stop you. 

You slipped past the fence and headed down the stairs until you reached the old abandoned floor below. You could hear every footstep that echoed. With the limited light from the platform at the top of the stairs you could only make out outlines of pillars and benches. You would turn on a light but that would give your position away. 

While finding the edge of the platform you almost fell onto the tracks. Jumping down, you followed the wall till you reached the little maintenance rooms at the end of the long almost pitch black tunnel. You were hoping you could find one with either a power socket for your phone or a built-in phone to call out. Though who would you call? You were homeless, meaning you had exerted all other options and lost the ‘friends’ you thought you had.

Hand colliding with a doorknob -that would leave a bruise- you stepped inside and waited. Hoping you were alone but not able to guarantee, you had to work up the courage to turn on a light. 

Deciding to flip the light switch, you gave yourself a mental pep talk. After all, if you were to die anyway it wouldn’t matter if you exposed yourself to hidden demons, devils, ghosts, murderers, or crazies.

The place was empty and small. You saw an old-style computer, the type that’s all bulky and awkward in shape. The huge monitor had an ugly keyboard built in and a long wire leading to the mouse. What, was this built in the eighties? You assumed the motherboard was underneath as such.  

Turning on the light, you looked around intrigued - this place was clean, like seriously clean. This platform and train line had all been abandoned, so who was coming here to clean it? Even if it was a maintenance room, it was odd, and everything inside was old which made sense, except the elevator in the corner. 

The elevator gave many red flags: the fact there was only a down function, and the fact it seemed to be clean like the rest of the room somehow made it worse. You walked over and found a clipboard on the desk; eyeing the bin beside the desk, you noticed the empty can of coke. 

Someone signed off on maintenance just yesterday. Again, who was performing maintenance on an abandoned rail line? Especially on the vintage equipment. Turning to face the elevator, the proverbial curious cat inside you clawed at the thought of where the elevator would take you. Could it be another floor, a secret base, some machinery storage or perhaps, you thought morbidly, hell? 

Taking the chance, you pressed the call button for the elevator. The doors slid open, lights flickering on overhead and you heard the bell chime to indicate the elevator had reached. Stepping inside nothing seemed off at first glance. Pressing the down button, you waited as the elevator descended. It all seemed normal.That was until an entire floor length passed. 

You grew worried, you had been descending further than you anticipated.

The elevator continued on its journey downwards while you sat on the floor, now worried about what you would come across in the end. You had noticed the government symbol on the floor of the elevator and that made everything even more suspicious. But a part of you was happy you had somewhere safe -albeit cold- to sleep, even if it was an elevator.

When the elevator finally stopped, you saw twinkling lights in the sky which were lightening to a peachy color. It was like you were outside, but that was impossible. You had gone underground, you know you did, and even if you had somehow gone up, you would be on the city streets outside the train station, not in some beautiful parkland.

You stood there in awe, watching the sunrise, taking a moment to fully appreciate the scenery. Something you didn’t do quite often. You had been locked up in the safe confines of your room for a long time and it took being homeless to really appreciate nature and things it had to offer, like the rising sun. The air was refreshing and the sounds of the animals were mingling with the constant from the river in a calming harmony. 

You heard a sound and whipped around to look for the cause, when you heard a gasp. 

“Are you the Almighty?” 

Your heart hammered in your chest. The only thing you noticed was how sweet the voice was. Why was someone down here? This was getting weird, something was going on and you were scared to find out what it was.

Your eyes darted around trying to find the person down there with you when you finally saw him. In front of you stood the most beautiful person you had ever seen, ethereal and perfect. You knew you were pretty good looking, but your recent lack of home meant you weren’t as clean as you wished to be.

As you examined him further, you noticed little things like how his long brown hair was tied intricately with ribboned fastens, and peaking through the hair were two pointed ears. It was odd but the more you looked at him, the more you realized how inhuman he really looked.

He seemed to be looking at you the same way, studying your shorter stature and lack of pointed ears with a curious look on his face. You had seen elves before, in movies, the Christmas type and the fairytale kind, and you had to admit Legolas had nothing on this man.

His dark eyes sparkled bright like the stars as they examined you, “Hello, do you understand me?” His voice was so eerily soft, it caused you to shrink. He smiled at your reaction before speaking softly, “I won’t hurt you.”

“Where am I?” You asked this time, causing him to look shocked. His smile became wider, showing off his pearly white teeth.

“You do understand me.” He stepped forward, making you cower back at his advances. “What is it like in the heavens? Is this your vessel?” 

He grinned looking around you and at the elevator, smiling and tapping at it, “You must come back to the village and we will hold a celebration.”

He took your arm and led you through the trees. He didn’t seem to be rushed nor did he feel threatening in any wayHe just gently guided you along, asking you questions. He didn’t really give you time to answer before he started talking again. 

“Tell me, are you one of the Almighty? I have never met an Almighty before, we pray to them and they give us gifts from the heavens. I have only met elves and that is it. What is your name?” He turned and just as you were about to answer he continued, “My name is Jimin.”

The whole trip you learned a lot about Jimin, he was excitable, he liked to talk, listen when needed and he also liked dancing and being mischievous. He said the other elves ignored him because he wasn’t noble or rich. He wasn’t as well-bred as the others.

“You are so tiny, Yoongi will be happy, he is the shortest Elf you will ever meet. Well, I assume elves, where you are from, are quite tall.” He laughed.

“Um, I have never met an elf before,” you plucked up the courage to admit and his eyes turned to youIt was apparent that he was shocked. “Sorry.”

“So, Elves don’t exist where you are from?” He asked, watching you nervously shake your head. “That is so strange.”

As you continued walking, the sun rose some more and you began to notice a few more things that shocked you. You had realized the whole place was an artificial world. It seemed to go on for a fairway, you could just see walls of vines and greenery, but there were lights that simulated artificial daylight. 

The roof had screens showing a fake sky - there must have been UV lights as the trees and vegetation seemed to be growing well. Then, of course, there was the elevator shaft you had been in before: the further you walked along the road, the more animals, buildings and people you had seen. 

They turned to you, gawking at your differences and style of dress. To them, you must have appeared like a filthy child dressed in rags. To you, they were a beautiful community draped in the finest of fabrics. They were dressed in a style you could only describe as a mix between a Sari and a greek Toga. Even Jimin who told you he wasn’t noble or rich was dressed better than yourself. It was then that you noticed how big this underground ecosystem really was and on top of that, the people were all beautiful beyond comparison. 

They all looked scared of you, each tripping over themselves to show you around and lavish you in gifts. Jimin had rushed off once a noble woman had spotted you. He left you in her care, deeming himself no longer worthy of your presence. You watched how the elves lived and played with the children.

The tour of the village was long, your legs growing tired, merchants giving you fruits and tea. You were going through the town centre, walking between stalls. People busily rushing past. You caught Jimin’s eye. He seemed to be teaching something to some slightly younger elves, and when one fell, he helped them up and brushed off the dirt from their pants before giving some words of encouragement.

You met many people before you were taken to a small bathhouse to be washed and buffed, your hair was brushed and twisted into a beautiful hairstyle. The fabrics wrapped and draped around you were more expensive than any piece of clothing you had ever owned in your life.

Feeling cleaner than you had in a long time, you were led into one of the elaborate buildings before they sat you down, giving you food and entertaining you. They called for dancers and there he was, stepping out in silks and lace, spinning and leaping, moving as if  he was weightless. Jimin truly was beautiful. 

After his dance, he was ushered away and a woman stepped out, “I am Lady Adora and I am the leader of the village. I have brought to you some of the finest men. Pick any elf you wish, they are noble, each pleasing to the eyes and well educated.”

Was she trying to sell you a man? This seemed to be some weird arranged marriage business. You were led out from behind the dining table and asked to walk down the line, “This one is the eldest, Kim Seokjin - he is handsome and romantic, he has good heritage. Next is Min Yoongi, who is shorter than the average elf, but he is creative and enjoys the simple things.” Just as you thought, this was like the bachelorette and you were supposed to pick someone. Admittedly they were all gorgeous, it was insane. “Jung Hoseok is from a brilliant family of scholars and he has a cheerful disposition; he is friendly and caring.” Lady Adora continued.

“Kim Namjoon is a genius, he has a love for nature and is from a good family. Kim Taehyung is a little odd, but he is refreshingly curious and has equally refreshing features.” Your eye caught sight of the dancers; there he was in his soft silks and laces, peeking from behind a pillar. Behind him, some small elves also seemed to be peeking at you curiously.

He shushed them as you stepped up to the last young man, “This is our youngest, a very talented man, he is from a good family and he strives for perfection.”

“They are all very nice looking,” you said with a smile.

“Would you like to have them all?” The elf leader spoke up in confusion. 

“No, that’s not what I meant,” you backpedaled quickly, “I was just admiring their skills and beauty as you had described them to be, very handsome individuals with good backgrounds.”

You saw the dancer giggle into his bell sleeve and subconsciously smiled back at him. You were led back to the table and sat down, “You can choose any of the eligible young elves within the village, has anyone caught your eye?” Adora asked sitting beside you and handing you a drink. “You have plenty of time to decide. How about some more festivities? Dancers!”

Jimin raced back into the clearing of the dining hall. He knew he wasn’t a noble or anyone particularly worthy of being with an Almighty. The Almighties were the beings they prayed to in order to receive gifts from the heavens. This Almighty was a gift from the heavens for the people and he knew that she had to be treated favorably, so as to please the Almighty.

Jimin had never seen anything like you before, your beauty was subtle, hidden but under the right circumstances you bloomed like a flower. He enjoyed watching your expressions as he danced. It was the reason he chose to dance, to make the Almighty happy with each performance.

“He dances so well,” you smiled; he could hear you and a part of him hoped it was you he was talking about. “The one in the black and red silks with the red lace.”

“That is Jimin, would you like him?” Upon hearing Lady Adora offering him of all people, he stumbled and the music stopped.You rushed out around the table, but he was already scurrying into a bow as if he was begging for his life. Sitting on his feet, hands flat on the floor and his forehead touching the ground. He did this whilst crawling backwards away from you.

“Jimin,” you whispered, lifting his head. It was cheesy how his heart fluttered in his chest when your eyes locked on his. His mouth fell open, he believed he saw you blush, his breath caught in his throat. Did he say your beauty was subtle? He was wrong.

“I am sorry, I will go repent,” he said, bowing low again.

“Please forgive Jimin, he must have been light-headed,” Adora said as if trying to calm you. He never believed in the elf’s stupid idea of love at first sight, but there he was, in love. 

Taking his hands in yours, you lifted him and guided him to the table. He almost choked when you tried to make him sit in your chair. Jimin dug his feet into the ground when you tried to lead him up the steps to your seat. He felt uneasy with the whole room watching him struggle and eventually sat down on the step below you, graciously accepting the food and drinks you offered albeit embarrassed. 

“I am sorry that I didn’t perform well,” Jimin spoke sadly, his ears and cheeks aflame. “I will make sure to be better next time.”

“You are a beautiful and elegant dancer and I enjoyed watching the way you moved to the music.” Your words sounded so warm and the accent was unlike anything he had ever heard. His brain got past your voice and caught up with what you had said and he ducked his head from how red his cheeks had become.

“You are too kind, I-'' He was cut off by Adora asking if you had decided on an elf. You leaned over to Jimin.

“Why am I supposed to choose an elf?” you asked. Jimin took a sharp breath, your hair had brushed his shoulder and he lost himself in your eyes, “What does choosing an elf mean?”

Jimin laughed almost in stitches. You didn’t know why these elves were being presented to you and he decided to explain it all before you had to choose. Because what if you chose randomly and didn’t like the elf? He wanted you to be happy. Even if a small part of him was jealous of the noble elves. You would be stuck with them together for eternity after all.

“Lady Adora, I think it would be best to explain to the Almighty why she is choosing a suitor,” Jimin prompted, lowering his head. She was a caring leader, but he still wanted to show her respect. Everyone in the community knew one another, and Lady Adora had practically raised him. Though elves could live forever, there had been times where elves had lost their lives. 

These times included when the Almighty would be angered and come down from the heavens and take those they wished, laying waste to anyone who got in their way. Jimin was familiar with this notion: his father had been the previous leader of the village - he had tried to stop the Almighty from taking some of the innocent elves. Jimin was  only a baby when he and a few other children were taken. 

Jimin’s parents fought hard, but they were both killed in the process for interfering with the Almighty’s plans. The children were returned, unharmed, but the damage was done. Jimin was orphaned. It was strange. Jimin was so young, so he didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed none of the children taken really remembered what happened either. 

“The Almighty will be blessed with any elf she chooses to spend the rest of her life with,” Adora explained smiling; it was amusing to see the realization on your face. “The elves will now demonstrate their specialty energy.”

They had magic, they were air and water benders or something. These were real Naruto jutsus. You were about to lose your mind. ‘Pick a husband, and guess what their secret powers are.’ That’s what she should have said in the first place. Jimin had almost wet himself, giggling at your expense when he realized you didn’t know what this whole celebration was for. They were celebrating you and apparently your gift was an eternal super hot elf husband.

“Who do you choose?” Adora asked and you froze. This had to be some sort of fever dream. The elevator collapsed on you and you died, the rats underground were probably eating your body as you dreamt this.

“Does everyone have powers?” You asked Jimin and he held out his hand where a glowing orb appeared, “What’s that?”

“I can heal things.” He smiled, healing being something he believed stemmed from his parents deaths. Cultivated with the hopes of never suffering loss again. “Do you want me to explain to Adora that you need more time?”

“We can have the boys answer some questions if you would like?” Adora seemed desperate.

“I think I will need more time to choose properly ” you said, squaring your shoulders definitively and Lady Adora nodded approvingly. 

“Excellent,” she clapped her hands, “you shall all get to know each other before choosing.”

The dinner and celebrations raged on filled with laughter and dancing, when Lady Adora spotted you yawning. You were guided to a room where you retreated for the night in a warm bed. 

You woke in disbelief. You weren’t dead in a collapsed elevator nor were you being feasted on by a group of rats. No, instead you were in the softest bed, feeling like you had just gotten the best sleep of your life. You sat up hearing a knock at the door, quickly straightening up and calling them in. 

A small part of you was scared that they would figure out you weren’t who they thought you were to be and they would kick you out or worse. Your memory was a bit foggy and everything seemed like a dream. It was hard to discern what was real and what might have been your imagination while you slept.

It hit you that this was all real, when they drew you a bath. They filled it with soft petals and took it upon themselves to help you wash once more - it almost seemed like overkill, you were scrubbed and polished just yesterday. Did you really need another thorough clean?

Dressed in the most delicate of dresses intricately tied around your waist and neck, you spun, watching the skirt flutter around you. You were giddy, wanting to sing and dance. It was such a drastic change. The community seemed so welcoming and gentle, they had no negative thoughts or intentions. 

They guided you to the town square which had been decorated in flowers. The boys were walking around with baskets of flowers, some sitting making flower crowns intricately and you skipped after Jimin, who led you to a beautiful meadow by the river. The hem of your dress was bouncing slightly with every step. You crouched beside him, looking at the flower crown he began making. 

“Wow! That’s pretty. Can you make me one?” you grinned; Jimin spluttered and he looked at you in shock. Had you offended him? “I’m sorry.”

“No, you did nothing wrong, it’s just flowers are a big part of courting in elf tradition, if you accept the flower crown, you accept the elf as a prospective partner. Or at least you like them enough to dance with them during the flower festival.”

You hummed in thought and grinned at him, “I like you enough to dance with you, unless you want to give it to someone. Then I won’t bother you”

“No one usually dances with me?” He laughed, more to himself, “Last year I danced with Hana. I think she did it out of pity and she didn’t keep time, so she stepped on my toes.”

“Oh no!” You frowned, “wait, I don’t know the dance?” 

He stopped looking up at you, you were fretting, “please teach me the dance!” You gripped his hands and he nodded, taking your hands. He led you away from the flowers in the small meadow and began explaining the dance and you nodded, paying attention. 

He tried to teach you the dance, giving you directions and laughing when you felt hopeless. He took your hands and guided you through the steps, humming a foreign tune. You were reduced to giggling something about the spins, the hand holding and the steps felt so good; you were so happy and giddy. 

You spun laughing and fell against his chest, he caught you, quickly placing you back to your feet and stepping back. “You are actually a really good dancer.”

“Maybe it’s because you are my teacher?” You smiled.

“If only you would look away from your feet,” he teased and you laughed.

“It's been fun dancing with you, I have never learnt a proper dance before,” you blushed, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Thank you Jimin.”

You kissed his cheek and ran off and spinning quickly to see his bright red cheeks. You joined the festivities, trying the food and even playing some of the games with the ribbons and hoops. 

It was time for the evening dance and the young eligible elves stood with their hands out, flower crowns intricately designed resting atop their palms. Weaved flowers of different sizes and styles in colours of pinks, blues, reds and more, held by confident and bored looking elves. Behind them a nervous Jimin caught your attention.

You watched as he looked down, it was hard to see the crown from so far away but the colour scheme seemed to be yellow, the ribbon to which the flowers were weaved was a shiny gold. Yellow flowers usually represent friendship, like Jimin calling out for someone to just be his friend. 

“Hey, Hana, are you going to take Jimin’s flower crown this time?” One of the young female elves called in a hushed tone across the small group of eligible elvish maidens and yourself of course. 

“No, I did it last time because I felt bad for him” she whined. You felt disgusted that they were avoiding him.

“Whatever, someone has to make the first move,” the girls looked at each other nervously and you gently brushed past them and headed straight out onto the dance floor.

It seemed everyone was waiting for you to choose, stepping up to the first elf. You looked at the pink flowered crown in his hands; it was a little over the top and not your style. You saw his smirk and proceeded to step on, making a few of the other young elves laugh, Seokjin’s pointed ears turning red. 

“Seokjin, I thought you said no one could say no to you or your flower crown” they snickered. You continued. The next crown was almost falling apart and the elf ducked his head, apologising. 

“Hey, a crown doesn’t define you, people have different strengths. You are really smart from what I heard?” You smiled and moved through the lines, being polite and admiring their creatures, praising some and chatting with others. The purple crown was elaborate and beautiful, you smiled praising him. You would have taken it, had it not been for Jimin shuffling in the next row in your peripherals. You looked over and found him fiddling with his crown, pouting.

Thanking Jungkook, you stepped into the next row, not bothering to look at him any more and heading straight to Jimin. He was no longer watching you; he was staring at the floor, his hair covering his eyes. 

“Jimiiiin~” you smiled, spinning happily, “This is really pretty, can I see it?” 

He puffed up from your praise, getting a little bashful and held the crown up for you to see, “Oh this is lovely, Jimin, this is so pretty.”

“Thank you,” He was becoming more and more bashful, wiggling his shoulders cutely, scuffing his shoes on the stone.

“Can I wear it?” You asked, cupping your hands under his and looking up hopeful. You didn’t want to take away his choice on who he could give the crown to, but you also thought of him as your friend you were closer to than the others.

“Are you sure?” He asked and you nodded grinning. 

“Yes, but I don’t know how to wear these.Do you know how to tie them?” He laughed like sweet bells tinkling in the wind and it left you a little dazed and embarrassed, “Don’t laugh at me.”

“No, no, I would never,” he smiled, gently lifting the delicate flower crown onto your head, and taking the two ribbons, he began tying it behind your head. 

He was so close looking into your eyes as he tied it off and arranging the little flowers hanging strategically from the crown. Jimin’s crown was probably the sweetest looking, so delicate and intricate with soft petals or pale yellows and deep golds. 

You smiled and took your spots on the dance floor and the others did the same, the line of female elves and yourself facing the line of male elves and the dance began. Slowly you recited Jimin's teachings. 

Three steps forward, you  offered your right hand and he bowed, accepting the offered hand with both of his. While his right hand held yours, squeezing reassuringly, his left softly glided up your arm as he stepped behind you. 

His left hand slid from your left shoulder, down your back where he clutched your waist, trying not to giggle as he realised you were ticklish.. Your heart was hammering in your chest as you followed the routine, placing your left hand atop his. 

You looked down and he whispered into your ear, “Keep your head up, don’t look down, I will lead you perfectly trust me.” The feeling of his soft breath brushing the shell of your ear made you shiver. 

You felt beautiful and loved all from just one dance, it was like being the main character in a movie getting to dance with a beautiful man. He spun you and you were now facing one another, hand in hand, swaying and spinning.

You were exhausted from the dancing, your throat a little dry. You were met by Seokjin who handed you a drink. “Good evening, my lady, I apologise for not introducing myself sooner, I am Kim Seokjin, from the main house of Kim.” 

“Oh well, thank you for the introduction,” you smiled, taking a sip of the drink and Jimin looked awkward. 

“You have to choose an eligible bachelor and I thought it wouldn’t be fair unless we each got to spend time and get to know each other - so with that in mind I thought I could show you some of the fun games?”

“Uh sure, I guess you are right, it’s only fair I hang out with all of you equally.” He took your hand and looped it around yours, walking you away to the festival activities without giving you a chance to thank Jimin. 

Seokjin was hilarious, he took you to a small stall where there was fish in a tank and if you caught the fish, you got to keep it. You tried your best, but you were too busy laughing at Seokjin to catch anything. He was terrible and it was so comical, watching him fail his expressions over the top. 

You splashed water at him and he looked offended, he splashed back and you ran off before he could catch you. The two of you spoke, getting to know one another. Seokjin was really charming and handsome. He spoke to you about food and jokes and your cheeks ached from smiling, your sides stung from laughter. He stopped in front of a sweet scented stall, “you should try these - they are sugared roses, they are delicious.”

They were indeed delicious and he smiled at you, “it’s happening!” Seokjin took your hand in his bigger warmer one and dragged you along excitedly. 

“What’s happening?” You asked curious as to why he was running and he turned back grinning so childlike and pulled you along. 

“It’s the fireflies, come look!” He pointed at the sky and you saw it begin: the fireflies started to dance beautifully. It was amazing in all different colours and shapes and sizes; they spun together in the air, twisting and turning like a small galaxy. 

You felt someone standing behind you and smiled, Jimin was lost in the sight, “pretty.” 

“They dance to find love, that’s why every year in spring we dance as well,” Jimin said, “you will find love eventually.”

He handed you a small bag with a fish inside. It was white with a tail like a fan, tipped with gold and very pretty. “It’s a thank you for dancing with me.”

“Wait Jimin, I don’t have anywhere to put the fish.”

“Oh” he frowned, “I do, it can stay in my pond at home.”

“Well, then I will have to visit and take care of the fish,” you grinned, bumping your shoulder with his. Jimin was so cute. 

Once you woke and dressed your first destination was Jimin’s house to feed the fish. Jimin lived in a big house by himself and you were confused, “where are your parents and brothers and sisters?”

“They died when I was born.” He let out a soft sigh, the two of you sprinkling the fish food into the big pond out the back. There were about a hundred fish in different shades. He smiled leaning over to sprinkle another pinch of fish food, his hair dangerously close to the water, and you hooked your fingers around the tressels and tucked it behind his ear. 

He paused at the contact, shivering as he grabbed his ear, blushing. He let out a giggle, “Come on, let’s go see your new fish.” He brushed his hands on the lap of his midnight blue robes, standing and offering his hand to you. He pulled you up onto your feet and without letting your hand go he led you through the garden to another tiny pond where there were not as many fish occupying the small pool of water. 

But swimming in the water was the beautiful fantail fish Jimin had gifted you the night before. It was such a beautiful fish with its long tail fluttering in the water as it moved. “You are so pretty,” you grinned, gesturing to the fish food in the tiny heshen bag. “Can I?”

“Of course, she is very pretty. I couldn’t give you anything but the best, you are an Almighty. I put her in the tank with my oldest fish. I raised him since he was a baby, he is very calm.” This fish was also a fantail, but black with silver spots. Jimin held out the bag and you sprinkled the food out and he smiled.

“How old is he?” You smiled, watching the two swim around happily. 

“He turns thirty-five this year,” Jimin smiled, “Fish of this kind will often live till they are forty.”

“Wait, you can’t be over thirty-five, you look like you're twenty,” You scoffed, looking him up and down. He was quick to throw his head back and let out an adorable laugh, falling against you for a moment before picking himself up from your shoulder.

“I like that, Twenty, hahaha!” Wiping his eyes, Jimin ran away giggling, “I am sixty-five!”

“NO WAY!” You gasped chasing after him.

After feeding the fishes that morning with Jimin, you were sitting by the small fountain in the town centre, the people were cleaning up from the flower festival and the dance that night. It was a great night, but it was nice to see how the elves lived day to day. The festivals and celebrations were fun, but draining. Now no one was trying to wait on your hand and foot.

The elvish girls were giggling and quick to approach you, “Good morning, my lady. A few of us are all going to the waterfall, if you want to join in the fun.”

“Oh, that sounds really exciting,” you smiled, placing down the slices of melon Jimin had bought for you before he ran off to teach the young elfs. A disappointment filled you when you remembered you didn’t have a swimsuit. “But I have nothing to wear. What do you wear when you go swimming?” 

They giggled, grabbed you by the hands and pulled you towards the stalls in the market.It was an open lane that branched off from the town square. Stumbling into a marquee full of summer fabrics, they began offering you different options on what you could wear. You found something that resembled a bikini from the surface.

You smiled, showing the elvish ladies your selected swimwear.They went quiet and you wondered what they were thinking. But ultimately, this would be the most comfortable for you, it was what you were used to, so you were going to wear it no matter what.

Taking the fabric and following the group of elves, you trekked through the forest for a short while until you came across a small waterfall. The water was crystal clear and you could see the water running from a few pipes in the wall. There were a few tents where everyone got changed. You were helped by one of the ladies into the swim wear and she tied everything securely. 

Stepping out, the girls chorused ‘ooh’, making you feel a little self conscious - maybe it was weird to show this much skin. But they quickly forgot about what you were wearing and raced into the water. It was refreshing to swim, and you had to admit, your serotonin levels soared when you were splashing and playing with the elves in the water.

Some of the male elves were climbing the waterfall and jumping off squealing excitedly and you followed them. “Hey, you going to jump too?” The young male asked. His hair was braided entirely, so it was out of his face. “Come this way, it is easier to climb.”

He helped you up, guiding you the whole way, taking your hand to pull you onto tall rocks and placing your feet when you were determined to climb the smaller rocks. “You are so tiny, are you sure you can climb this one?”

As if his words had jinxed it, you slipped falling into his arms, your back pressed to his chest, his strong arms wrapping around you. He turned you in his arms and looked at your hands feet and knees for any cuts, he saw the slight graze on your palm and looked guilty.”I’m okay,”

Taking your hand in his he kissed the abrasion and apologized. “I should have been more careful.” He wouldn’t let you climb any of the rocks alone after that. You were thankful when you reached the top.

“Hey Jungkook, what took you so long, you scared?” A deep voice called. When you stepped up onto the flat part of the waterfall, you noticed the elf’s eyes widen as he took your hand helping you across the rocks. “Are you going to jump?” 

The two were giving you tips and tricks on how to jump properly. It was a lot. “I will go first and you can see how it is done,” Jungkook grinned, “Then Taehyung can count you in.”

“Okay.” You nodded, feeling a little sick at the idea of dropping that far into the water. Jungkook jumped, whooping the whole way down and it made you giggle. Now it was your turn.

“I will count you in, okay? And then you jump,” Taehyung said and you stepped up to the edge and shuffled back.

“Wow, that is high!” Your heart was beating in your ears like a drum and you felt like your legs give out.

“Come on, you can do it!” Jungkook shouted from underneath you. It seemed everyone was cheering you on from the bottom and you turned to Taehyung and stumbled over.

“I don’t think I can do it” You said, grabbing his arms, “I’m a big chicken, I will just walk back down and everything will be alright.” 

He rubbed your shoulders reassuringly, looking you in the eyes, “Hey, listen to me, I know it is scary, but it is a lot of fun and safe and you will love it.” You looked at him, he had gotten rather close and his hand snaked around your waist. You couldn’t even bring yourself to think about the jump as you were lost in his expression. 

His grip around your waist tightened and he lifted you up, alarm bells ringing as he ran towards the cliff and you started screaming. The jump was scary, but the fall was amazing, for a second you felt like you were weightless in a void. 

Splash! It was all over in a matter of seconds. When you resurfaced, you smacked Taehyung in the arms, calling him a traitor and then laughing when he tickled your waist. “You are a butt.”

Jungkook and Taehyung were playful and the three of you were searching for shiny rocks in the bottom of the water. They even showed you a cool underwater cave where the three of you sat talking before you swam back out. You grew tired of swimming and went to sit in the shade, hoping you wouldn’t get burnt. Even though there wasn’t a real sun the UV lights still worked the same.

Laying out your towel beside one of the other noblemen that you had previously been introduced to, you sat down and smiled. “Hey, I am Y/n.” You gave him a tired sigh, laying back on the towel, “You aren’t swimming?”

“Nah, it’s too loud,” he laughed, not bothering to look at you. “Heard you jumped off the waterfall.” 

“Oh, yeah,” you blushed, “who told you that?”

“No, I mean I heard you.” He smirked, turning to look at you and you blushed. He was quiet and the two of you soon dressed and bailed as the rambunctious group had gotten too loud for you both. 

“Here, try this.” Yoongi handed you a few berries and smiled when you tasted them, “So, with this choosing thing, what are you thinking?”

“I am not sure,” you sighed begrudgingly, you were supposed to choose and you couldn’t leave them hanging forever. 

“Well, if I can be honest to you lady Almighty,” he said softly, “Man up and choose Jimin, it is obvious how much you are in love with him.” 

You were stunned. He took a berry from your hand and smirked, walking away. “Wait, come back here. What do you mean, I am in love with him?”

“Everyone can see your face light up when you see him and you flirt like all the time.” He shrugged, picking up a small string instrument and sitting on the porch of his home, strumming away.

“I do not flirt like all the time,” you mocked his tone, before trying to defend yourself by further saying, “I don’t even flirt like any of the time, it’s called being friendly.”

“Friends don’t get lost in each other's eyes. I saw you this morning on my walk, you were touching Jimin’s ear and that’s beyond flirting, that’s heavy petting,” he said and you blinked confused.

“I was tucking his hair out of the way so it didn’t get wet, since when has that been heavy petting?” you asked with a laugh, reaching out to Yoongi, “Seriously, I could touch your ears and it would mean nothing.”

“Hey, stop,” he commanded, cheeks bright red. You looked confused and he examined your confused face. “You do understand that an elf’s ears are an erogenous zone, like it is intimate to touch another elf’s ears.”

Heat filled your cheeks. “Oh no, I did that to Jimin, I must have weirded him out. I hope I haven’t touched anyone else’s ears-”

“You would know if you did,” Yoongi said, patting your shoulder, “Look, Jimin likes you too, I think he understands you didn’t mean it like that.”

You wanted nothing more than to apologize to Jimin, but instead, you kept your mouth shut in shame. He let you feed the fish and watched you curiously. “Is something wrong, you seem really quiet today?”

“It’s nothing, I just have just been thinking,” you smiled softly.

“Have I done something wrong?”

“No, if anyone has done something wrong, it is me.” You let everything spill out, “I want to apologize for doing things that might seem really intimate, I didn’t know that's what they meant, I was just trying to be friendly, cause you are my friend.”

“Oh, yeah sure, no I understand, I guess I thought, but nevermind.” He gave you a strange smile, “We are friends, of course. I have to go teach the kids dance this morning, I can see you later though.” 

You nodded, getting up quickly, “Maybe we can have lunch together?”

“Uh, I might be a bit busy,” he said, walking you out the front door and racing off and you just stood there, feeling kind of confused. Was it weird that you had addressed it? You hoped not.

Thinking that maybe you should read up on elf traditions and mannerisms etiquette and more, you headed to the one place that would house all this information.

The Library. 

What a library it was - there were floor to ceiling bookshelves and aisles and the books were all hand written and magnificent. “Good morning, My lady, can i help you find something today?”

“Yes, I want to know more about elves, the traditions, the etiquette, everything?” You hummed, “I mean I just found out yesterday you can’t touch an elf’s ears.” 

The man in front of you blushed and shuffled his feet, when you heard another voice, “Yeah, that’s something you should know.” The figure appeared from behind the bookshelves and smiled. “I mean between his book smarts and my street smarts well, we will have you thinking like an elf in no time.”

The two were indeed smart, Hoseok explained - his father was big on literature, but he often snuck off to Jimin’s dance lessons instead of studying. “The life of a scholar never stops, or whatever my dad says.”

You had finally learnt different holidays and aspects of life as an elf, it was kind of fun and you enjoyed hanging out with the two young elves. They followed you through the town, explaining things and making you laugh. 

“And that is the orphanage.” They gestured to Jimin’s home and you frowned, “It used to be the last leader's home but when they died their son was left orphaned and the house has become known as the orphanage.”

It was like a knife in your chest. You wanted to console Jimin, hold him and tell him he was loved, that his parents would be proud of him. There was nothing left for you on the surface, no one who you cared about or cared about you, but underground you had this connection with everyone you met.

Jimin was definitely avoiding you and you were worried as to why. He left you notes saying the fish had been fed and he was already at dance practice and that he was practicing for the night of the children. Hoseok and Namjoon explained that the night of the children was a feast in honour of when the elvish children that the Almighty had taken were returned safely. It was the anniversary of the reuniting of families. 

Each of the children who had been taken  participated in the celebration and Namjoon was dreading it. You were dressed in a beautiful violet coloured robe and as you walked into the feast just like last time, you were sat at the head of the hall. At a big table, alone. 

The dancers came out, some of the elves looking nervous. Seokjin was sweating, standing oddly with his arms in a twist, but once the music started and they all started dancing their moves telling the story. 

The elves twisted and turned in fabrics of sweet colours, they were swept up by other dances in black and dragged off stage, Jimin among them. When the other elves returned they danced and scattered off the small stage and Jimin walked out, his cream robes slowly falling as he went, revealing a thinner inner robe of black and he danced a solo, expressing his loneliness and sorrow.

You were crying, wiping your eyes with Lady Adora’s silk handkerchief, you watched as all the elves came back onto the stage and bowed. It hurt to see Jimin in pain, it was worse than losing your own family and perhaps Yoongi was right. When you love someone, they become your most important thing and right now, Jimin felt like the only thing you cared about. Without thinking, you spoke up. “I choose Jimin.”

They all seemed shocked, including Jimin who looked like he was about to pass out. You didn’t know whether he was excited or scared. You hoped he wouldn’t hate you for it, you really liked him and it was becoming clear how much he meant to you. 

If he could love you as well, you would be happy. Of course, if he said he didn’t want to be with you or seemed uneasy, then you wouldn’t force him. They all froze and you blushed self consciously, it felt like you had just declared your love for Jimin.

“I mean if you want to, that is?” You flushed, and he bowed looking confused.

“I would be honoured.” His hands were shaking and his face was heating up and you requested that he sit next to you at dinner.

It was odd. Jimin was still distant and you were trying to see him Very early one morning, you got up early and knocked on his door. He answered, seeming tired and he looked at you. “I am here to see my fish.” He nodded, allowing you in and you walked through his house to the backyard where the fish ponds were, watching him race off down the hall. You knelt by the fish pond, feeding them tiny pinches of food. You spoke softly to the fishes, looking for any sort of sign. “Has he said anything to you guys?”

Jimin reemerged dressed and hair brushed, you smiled softly watching him contemplate something internally as he watered the flowers. Tugging lightly on his sleeve and stealing his attention once more. “What is it? You can tell me.”

“I um, wanted to know why you chose me?” He asked softly. You had noticed his habit of running his fingers through his hair a lot, and right now was no exception.

“I chose you because, as I said the other day, you are my friend, Jimin,” you answered honestly and his face fell, “I had taken my time to get to know the other elves, but since I met you we got along and since then have been running into each other often. You are kind and gentle. Out of all of the people in that room, you were the one I considered my dearest friend, and if there was anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with, it would be you.”

“I thought you said that you didn’t mean to be intimate, you were just being friendly.” He seemed a little bitter about those words. You hadn’t realized that’s how he would interpret them that afternoon.

“Wait, you stopped hanging out with me because of that?” Your mouth fell open.

“You were flirting with me, you kissed my cheek and practically declared your interest in me when you chose me at the flower festival dance and you even came to my house to feed the fish and you touched my ear, what was I supposed to think!” He rampaged. “You then, after leading me to believe that you liked me a lot, told me that it was all a mistake and you wanted to just be friends.”

“No, I meant that I didn’t know the actions were seen as intimate and I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so I told you I was being friendly at the time,” you huffed, standing in front of him, looking up at him exasperated, “not that I wasn’t falling in love with you. Cause I was falling in love with you and I got scared that my stupid actions would weird you out and drive you away. But then you disappeared, ignoring me and I realized how much I missed you and wanted to be with you for eternity. I realized that your life means more to me than my own. Because I love you so much, it scares me.”

“You love me?” He paused, eyes wide and you nodded, your throat dry, making it unable to speak. He suddenly came forward, cupped your face and kissed you desperately, like he had been waiting an eternity and you clutched his robes, not wanting him to let you go. He pulled back, pressing his forehead to yours, “I know I am not like the other guys, I have no fortune and I am not noble, but I will do everything to serve you and make you happy.”

“The fact that you care so much for me already means I made a good decision.” You smiled. “As long as you want to marry me as well, there is nothing in this world that can stop us.”

“You are going to have to learn how to dance for our wedding.” He grinned cheekily.

“I made you a bouquet, it is tradition. I hope you like them, they remind me of you,” Jimin began, explaining all the flowers and the reasons behind why he chose them. It was so early in the morning, but he had to give you the flowers before you were all dressed up, so it would be a surprise when you walked down the aisle.

“The little white ones mean innocence and purity.” He smiled pointing them out.

“The baby’s breath,” you nodded, waiting for him to continue, eyes scanning the bouquet for any other flowers you recognized. However, when he failed to continue his explanation, you lifted your gaze, suppressing a giggle. “It’s just what we call it, because it’s small and soft like the breath of a baby.”

“Oh, that does make sense,” he hummed and you pointed at the bright yellow Dahlias that highlighted the bouquet and he blushed. “This one represents a commitment shared forever by two persons, like marriage.”

“I love them Jimin. Thank you.” 

Jimin blushed and scurried off with his ears red. You were feeling giddy with excitement. If someone had told you two months ago, while trying to find a place to live, you would get married to a beautiful young man with a heart of gold - well, you would’ve outright laughed in their face. 

The ladies were practically squealing at the encounter between Jimin and yourself, but quickly sent him away as they had to get you ready. After all that he left with the bouquet, but the ladies said they would retrieve it later, once you were completely ready. You were soaked in a warm bath filled with soft flower petals and they began scrubbing you down completely.

“My lady Almighty, can I ask you a question?” You turned to the woman brushing through your hair, it seemed almost comical how many young elvish maidens were helping you get ready. They were all excited and trying to keep you calm, as today was the big day and she was smiling softly. Dressed in a soft sunset pink and each looking stunning. “Why did you choose Jimin? Is it because he is a good dancer?”

“If it were me I would have chosen Jungkook.” Another woman grinned.

“I think it was because he was nice and gentle. I saw him in the marketplace. He was kind and helped one of the other dancers who had fallen. It was very nice of him.” You smiled softly, “And then, he truly is an amazing dancer and he is really beautiful, he seems to be perfect inside and out.”

“We have never really seen him in this light, we apologize,” the woman said, twisting your hair into a beautiful updo, “I guess we were more focused on status and money.”

They helped you into your shoes and led you to the mirror. You gasped and tried to hold back the tears. You were wearing a beautiful white midriff top that had no sleeves and the fabric in the middle had been twisted to give a sweetheart effect. It was lined with a gold lace trimming and matched with what could be likened to the cutest pair of panties which were also white and gold. Then you were wrapped in the white silk with gold trimmings, twisted and tied in a way you had no idea how to create or get out of it. It made you feel ethereal.

The ladies were talking excitedly about how you looked so beautiful and how they couldn’t wait to see you get married. They were all giving you tips and revealing secrets about what elf men liked and disliked. You appreciated the help, never having the opportunity of dating an elf on the surface.

They were telling you about how an elf’s ears were sensitive and ways to use it to your advantage and you were a blushing mess remembering your encounters  with Jimin and the almost encounter with Yoongi. 

They started talking about the prospect of a child and how many you wanted to have, and when you honestly answered about always wanting a big family, maybe four or five at the minimum, they were shocked. 

“So many!” They squealed. “You are a promiscuous little minx!”

You blushed, giggling with the girls. They told you all about traditions and customs and different aspects of their little world. They were happy about being enclosed underground and part of you could agree, they were safe and protected from the harsh world and all the cruel people who lived in it. 

Like the drunk driver who killed your parents, leaving you orphaned and homeless overnight. Like the people who you thought were your friends, but eventually faded away making excuses to drive you away as it was embarrassing to hang out with someone who was homeless.

No, here everyone was part of a community.They worked together and you never wanted to leave. Not because they treated you so highly. No, it was much simpler than that, because they treated everyone with such kindness.

There was a knock at the door and the ladies all left quickly. You wondered who it was now, heart beating rapidly in your chest at the thought of the ceremony starting soon, taking deep breaths, trying not to think of the people that would watch you walk down the aisle or say your vows. Trying not to think about the possibility of Jimin saying no and you being forced to leave this beautiful paradise.

Shutting out all the thoughts you concentrated on Jimin’s declaration, “He wanted to make you happy.” Someone called your name and turning, you were met by two men, human men dressed in black business suits. “Come with us.” They grabbed you by the upper arms and began escorting you from the room and outside towards the elevator.

You were being forced to leave. Jimin smiled bashfully, you were a vision of beauty and felt his breathing hitch, stolen from him by your very being. “I am sorry, I forgot to give you the flowers…” It was then that he noticed you were being dragged away and he felt his heart break. Had he angered the Almighty, you were being taken from him. No, you couldn’t leave, you were supposed to be here for the rest of your life, happily married, but here you were, being ripped from his life. 

“Wait for me,” you pleaded as the doors to the elevator closed. It was a long journey back to the surface and you tried to keep your cool. Hoping you could return, it wouldn’t do to cry and ruin your makeup, it was your wedding day. Hopefully it could still be your wedding day. Crap. Now you really were crying.

No one seemed to understand that you didn’t want to leave. They were all apologizing that you had to go down there and you were feeling more and more annoyed as time passed by. You shuffled your bare feet, they felt cold against the linoleum flooring. They offered to get you some slippers, but you refused.

“You have to sign the non-disclosure agreement and then you are free to leave, but never speak of it to anyone,” the man said, gesturing to the paper. “Look, we will even give you all the  money you want, buy you a small home and give you anything you wish for. Just sign the paper.”

“I don’t want to leave, let me go back,” you pleaded. The man looked shocked, but that was it. You had thought they would finally let you leave, but it was after another thirty more minutes of questionnaire that they considered allowing you to go back down, and thirty more minutes for them to agree to it being permanently. 

“Alright, you can go back down, but we will revisit this case with the higher ups and they will make the final decision.” They sighed.

You were free to return. 

There was no escort, you headed back down alone. You looked at the mirror, everything was still as it was, not a hair out of place and you were glad the elves preferred soft and subtle makeup. That way, eyeliner and mascara weren’t really included - otherwise your face would have been streaked and stained with dark streaks.  

Once you reached the underground, you rushed out of the elevator; it was raining, a cold artificial rain, you running through the streets, still wearing your white dress as you called his name. Everyone poked their heads out to see what was going on. 

You frantically searched for Jimin, looking for any sign of him. Ripping off your shoes in the process as they had gotten stuck in the mud. Hope was dwindling - where could he be? - as the last resort was the wedding venue, and you ran to the courtyard out the front of the palace. 

There were empty seats with ribbons of white and gold, the aisle was long and you raced down, the petals sticking to the bottom of your bare feet. There he was. Waiting at the altar alone, a bouquet of white and gold, waiting patiently as you had asked of him. 

You ran to him, grabbing him by the collar without a second to hesitate and pulling him into you for a searing kiss. Or two. Or three. Apologising between kisses for having to leave.

“I am here and I love you. Let’s get married.” You grinned as he smiled. Lady Adora ran out into the rain, soon followed by more elves, each getting soaked. The two of you exchanged rings and he took your hand into his, saying his vows and you said yours. Lady Adora announced you married and guided you both out of the rain into the palace where a feast had been prepared. You were bathed and redressed into another outfit as you had been all muddy.

This had given who? time to cook and decorate, and when you stepped out again, Jimin was immediately by your side. He didn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms and led you in a sweet dance. It seemed for his own benefit that he kept you close like he was consoling himself from the idea of losing you.

After a feast and dancing, Jimin took your hand and escorted you from the palace ballroom and to a room. He explained that Lady Adora had prepared it for the two of you to share for as long as you wished. He unlocked the door and pushed it open to reveal a beautiful room, even more glamorous than the one you had previously stayed in. With soft white rugs and romantic flower petals strewn across the floor and fresh fruits and soft looking blankets. It all looked so warm and cozy.

But now you were hit with nerves, growing shy. You looked up at Jimin in all his beauty, “I um, don’t know how to undo this dress, they tied the fabric and I-” Jimin slowly stepped forward, watching your reaction. It was like your heart was going to explode out of your chest with how heavy it was beating. Your breathing was so shallow that when his hand cupped your cheek you felt your head spin. 

“You look so beautiful.” His hand gently took the fabric and undid the ties. You caught the dress right as it was about to fall off and blushed. Your hands were shaking with a mix of anticipation and nerves.

“Are you going to undress as well?” Jimin blushed and started undoing his own attire. He walked you to the bed, all the while you clutched the fabric of your dress. He gently placed his hands on yours and let out a soft chuckle. He undressed you from the fabric and looked at the sweet undergarments you adorned.

Releasing a shaky breath, he smiled up at you. “You are beautiful and I am nervous.”

“I am shaking, I am so scared.” You giggled “I am scared that you will realize that you don’t want me and leave.”

“I could never leave you. I want you. Trust me.” He took your hand, placing it against his bare chest and you could feel his heart beating just as fast as yours. “I love you and this heart is now yours to keep.”

The first kiss was intense, full of passion and fire and you buried your hands in his hair playfully, brushing your thumbs across the tips of his ears.

If you thought taking off the dress was difficult, then putting it on in the morning was an even bigger struggle. You ended up having to ask for Jimin’s help. He blushed at your request, making you laugh. For he was now your husband and you had just woken up after your wedding night. But it was redressing that felt more intimate to you both.

You were embarrassed, the whole community was present in the palace hall for a celebratory breakfast. It seemed Lady Adora was ashamed that the plans for the wedding ceremony had fallen through. They showered you with gifts and the food was beautifully presented. Each family bowed and presented you with their offerings and well wishes. 

You spent most of the morning proceedings, fiddling with the ring on your hand, it was so shiny and delicate. With two entwining silver bands that in the right light reflected a barely there iridescent green the bands were shaped to look like ivy wrapping around a beautiful round yellow tourmaline.

It looked like a beautiful flower atop vines, and you were in love, there hadn’t really been time to admire the ring in the rain, but now you couldn’t stop looking at it, getting lost in the colours. Jimin’s hand gently laid atop yours, bringing you back to the present. It seemed the people were waiting for you. Jimin repeated the question quietly to you under his breath. “They are asking if you would like to stay in the palace or if you would like them to build you a more elaborate home.” Gently pressing his lips to your jawline, you nodded, pretending to be contemplating the question and not daydreaming. 

Jimin let out a bit of a giggle when he heard you hum. “Everything has been wonderful, and I would rather live in the palace amongst everyone, it is a piece of history.”

Lady Adora seemed pleased by this response and announced they would clean and refurbish the best room for you. The day was filled with choosing different fabrics and furniture styles, Jimin liked the more natural and floral themed items, especially the golden dahlias. As the room came together, it became the flower of the palace, the garden beds in the town square all filled with golden dahlias.

Custom clothes had been made for Jimin and yourself, pale gold robes embroidered by the dahlia. You thought the elves would get sick of the novelty, but they loved it as much as you did, the flower held such a wonderful meaning to you. 

The elves spent their days playing music, dancing and making sculptures or other art, they told stories and practiced using their special energies. You enjoyed watching Jimin practice healing, seldom bored as he practiced shirtless. He caught you staring most of the time and puffed out his chest proudly and you thought he’d started to do it purposefully. 

Jimin taught you how to meditate - it felt kind of silly at first but soon you grew to like it, just sitting in the room alone with your thoughts. It gave you time to process all your uncertainties and even encouraged you to talk about them to Jimin. 

You told him how you’d lost your parents, opening up about your life and he smiled, kissing your temple, telling you everything happens for a reason, that you were brought to him for a reason. He told you that he, too, had lost his parents and that fate must have chosen you both considering your past, so you could heal together. It was a lovely sentiment and you started to believe it. There were so many aspects of your situation that were crazy and unbelievable, from an underground city to elves, magic and marriage. If ever there was a time to think about fate it was now.

It had been the best few months of your life and if you could go back and do it all again you wouldn’t change a thing. Jimin woke you with kisses pressed to your shoulder blade, making you giggle. 

“Morning.” He smiled, you turned to him, admiring his beautiful features in the glow of the fake sun.

“What are your plans for today, my love?” You brushed some of the tendrils of hair from his face; he braided his hair for sleeping, but every morning there were always some pieces that fell out.

“Well, I thought we could go for a walk, perhaps have a picnic and if it’s not too late, we can swim at the waterfall,” he grinned before sitting up and wrapping himself in his robes, “If it’s too late, well, then we will have to swim at the waterfall now, won’t we?”

“So either way we are swimming at the waterfall?” you scoffed, standing up and dressing for the day, and he helped you tie the robe as he smiled cheekily.

“No, if it’s too late, we can’t swim at the waterfall. We will have to swim at the waterfall.” He stressed the words differently the second time and you raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he is implying.

“Enlighten me on the difference?” You watched his grin stretch wider, clearly you had played into his hand.

“Well the difference my dear, would be the dress code.” He slinked off elegantly across the room, gathering the hair brush, ready to style his hair for the day. You looked after him, mouth hanging open, about to call him out on his daring nature when the door burst open, revealing Taehyung looking nervous.

“The Almighty, they are here and they are asking for Y/n.” You felt sick. Why were they here and asking for you? Why were they ruining this?

“What do they want?” Jimin urged Taehyung, sounding a little hostile. You took Jimin's arm, gently squeezing his bicep, trying to calm and reassure him.

“Everything is fine, let me talk to them,” you said as you smiled, kissing his cheek and heading out of the palace out of the courtyard. You were escorted out of the town by Taehyung and up the small hill towards the elevator. They were waiting for you, you growing nervous as you turned to Taehyung. “I want to speak with them alone, if something goes wrong I won’t let you get hurt. Tell Jimin, if I don’t return, to go to the waterfall.”

“Y/n?” Taehyung spoke worriedly and you smiled, waving him off. He reluctantly left you to speak with the men in suits.

“Hello Gentleman, what can I do for you?” You smiled.

“We spoke with the higher ups, they don’t want humans down here.” The man said. “I am sorry, I am going to have to take you back up, you can’t stay down here.”

You nodded. “Okay,” you gestured to the elevator and when they turned to it, you ran into the forest, hoping for shelter in the dense trees. However, from the loud gunshots and the stabbing heat in your side, you weren’t quick enough. You tried to keep running, you just had to make it to the waterfall. Jumping off the cliff and landing in the water, you felt the pain radiate through you at the impact, and you took a deep breath and swam under the water into the tunnel to the cave.

Once inside, you dragged your form out of the water and laid on the smooth rock, waiting for help. You grew cold as the night fell and you were losing hope. You held on as long as you could, but eventually, you fell unconscious.

The cold was replaced with warmth, a pleasant heat that took away the pain. You felt it fill you until you felt like you were in a little incubator. You felt tingling sensations in your chest, stomach, head, eyes, ears, everything felt like you were floating.

When you woke, you were still in the cave and Jimin was sitting there, his hands outstretched and glowing over your stomach. His chest was shaking and even though his eyes were closed you saw the tears dripping, and heard his sniffles. You reached out, surprised that you didn’t feel pain, and sitting up, you saw your wound had healed.

“Jimin,” you called, and he blinked, looking at you relieved, lunging for you to give you kisses, his hands buried in your hair. His thumb brushed affectionately by your ear and you pulled back surprised. There was this feeling in your chest and stomach, a fluttering sensation just from him brushing your ear. “What is it?”

“Well, I um, I haven’t ever healed a human before, my power heals injured elves to the optimum elvish form. And well, it healed your body to the ultimate elvish form,” he said slowly and you shivered, the feeling still tingling from touching your ear. “I am sorry.”

“Wait, so I am an elf?” you asked, examining his expression for any form of jest or lie, but there was none; he was serious. You tried to process it further: what did this mean, being an elf? “So I am an elf?”

He nodded, you were so shocked you couldn’t formulate your thoughts and feelings into any further actual questions. “Your body is now elf.”

“So I have pointed ears,” you tried to address the obvious and then you asked the question you were most scared about, “will I age differently?”

“You will live the life span of an elf, so several thousands of years, your body will act like an elf, grow habits like an elf,” he bowed his head lower, “I am so sorry, you are no longer an Almighty.”

“Don’t be sorry, this way we can live out our lives together at the same pace.” You kissed him, rubbing your nose to his affectionately, “I am sure I can learn everything as we go. The most important question is; do you still love me even though I am not special?”

“Not special? You will always be special to me, and honestly your features have been enhanced by the transformation, but not altered. You are still an exotic beauty,” he smiled cheekily. “You could look like a troll and I would still love you.”

“Thank you,” you smiled and the two of you swam from the cave and emerged from the water. It was night time. You took Jimin's hand in yours as you headed for the town. The men were waiting and they raised their guns at you. 

“You cannot stay here, it is time to leave,” the man commanded.

“I can’t leave, I am an elf now,” you raised an eyebrow, “they will notice my differences in aging.”

“We have orders, and if you do not come willingly, we will shoot you.” You didn’t and you froze in pain; amongst the pain, you felt your skin crawl oddly and the muscles contract until you felt something pushing out of your skin. 

It was a painful process, but you were healing yourself and you looked at Jimin who looked worried. 

“I’m not leaving, so you can pack up and get out of here.” You grinned and they nodded, leaving with a warning. 

It was an empty threat as you were never bothered again. With Jimin eternity seemed easy, and you couldn’t wait for the years awaiting you. Falling in love was a fairtrade to never seeing the daylight again.

If you enjoyed this story don’t forget to Like | Reblog so others can enjoy it too.

[friendship-ended-with-pokespe]

Kirby and the Great Adventure of Planet Robobot! Chapter 2

Having learned of the incident, Meta Knight set the course of the Battleship Halberd to Popstar immediately. The control room would usually have Captain Vul and the crew drinking tea at leisure, where it was filled with an unusual tension today.

Grievous news comes in one after another. “My lord, the enemy has mechanized Dream Land! One by one, the meadow, the mountains, and the woods all appear to be converting into steel!!” “The inhabitants’ bodies seem to be mechanizing as well! It looks like they're all under the control of the enemy as minions!” “Castle Dedede has been attacked, where it looks like a section of it collapsed! King Dedede’s whereabouts is unknown!” Captain Vul turned to Meta Knight with a grim look. “Even the king has been bested......what a dreadful enemy, sir. We still haven’t learned of their identity yet......” “......How is Kirby doing?” Said Meta Knight restlessly. “His whereabouts is unknown as well! I believe he has mechanized, sir!” Reported Axe Knight who is serving as the operator. “......No. I don’t believe he would be bested that easily. He must’ve escaped from the enemy’s attack and is looking for an opportunity to hide himself.” Captain Vul shouts. “Sir, we have spotted the enemy!” An enormous silver-colored sphere was displayed on the screen. Several of its thick supports are planted on the ground of Popstar. It also looked as if it was grabbing hold of Popstar with its fiendish fingers. “That sphere is the enemy’s stronghold, eh! One by one, armed soldiers are descending on the ground from there!” “Captain Vul, aim for that sphere. No need to go easy on it. Make the output maximum.” “Aye, aye, sir! Maximum output!” The weapons equipped on Halberd are nothing but high-performance enough to be called the strongest in the universe. Combo Cannon, which boasted of having the highest destructive power even among them began shining in bluish white. If this Combo Cannon were to fire, any enemy whatsoever would be blown to smithereens...... But the enemy’s response was quicker. The enemy’s radar has already detected the approaching Halberd. A maximized beam was fired as if tearing the dark universe to pieces. The beam blew off the Halberd's Combo Cannon with precision. The crewmembers were all slammed against the wall from the impact. Axe Knight desperately clung to the seat and reported. “Lord Meta Knight! The Combo Cannon and the engine seems to have been pulverized! The ship in question has gone out of control!” “What......!” Even Meta Knight was speechless. How could Halberd, which has to be the strongest in the universe, receive this much damage...... What is more, Captain Vul who was checking the ship monitor shouted with his eyes open. “Sir! The enemy soldiers are invading the ship! They’ll be heading to this control room before long......!” Before the captain could finish his words, the door of the control room was destroyed with a loud noise. The first to barge in was an enigmatic woman with pink hair. Dozens Armor Soldiers are following behind her. The pink-haired woman turned to Meta Knight and bowed in an overly polite manner.

“I say! Pleased to meet you, that famed swordsman Meta Knight. My name is Susie, executive assistant of the Haltmann Works Company.” “Haltmann Works Company......” Murmured Meta Knight, where Captain Vul quickly whispered into his ear. “They’re a notorious corporation! They’ve carried out development projects on multiple planets by force......the identity of the enemy were them, I see......!” The woman who introduced herself as Susie put her hands together and said. “We are currently in the midst of launching a new business. If you intend to be a nuisance to us......we won’t tolerate it even if you’re the renowned Lord Meta Knight, yes?” “......” Meta Knight didn’t waste his breath. Seeing him drawing his sword in silence, Susie let out a loud laughter. “Well well, are you planning to put up a resistance? You sure are foolish despite your looks! Are you coming out against us even with how the things are?” The Armor Soldiers who were behind her suddenly split into two groups. What appeared between them were-the crew of the Battleship Halberd. All of them have their hands tied up and are held at gunpoint. Captain Vul groaned. “Hostages......!? Curses......how dirty of you!” The crew twists their tied hands and yells in a tearful voice. “Please forgive us, my lord! We were caught off guard!” “Please don’t worry about us, sir!” “We have braced ourselves. We won’t be a burden to you!” Looking at his captured men’s faces, Meta Knight discarded his sword without hesitation. Susie laughed in satisfaction. “That’s Lord Meta Knight for you! You put your subordinates first!” “......” “Our company regards much highly of your abilities. We would like you to put that strength of yours to use for our company!” “......” “We can’t take no for an answer, of course. Were you to consider your poor men!” The Armor Soldiers step forward and seize both of Meta Knight’s arms. Meta Knight isn’t resisting. “Sir......!” As if they couldn’t stand it any longer, Captain Vul......the Meta Knights......and all of his men shouts. However, Susie laughed out once again as though drowning their voice out. “That’s what I expect from a sensible swordsman! If we could just get our hands on you......” Simultaneously as the Armor Soldiers take him away, Susie throws a bomb at the control room. “Pardon us, but we don’t have any business with any of you remaining! Buh-bye!” A large explosion occurs in the control room. Of course, after Susie led her men and evacuated. “A-hahaha! A fitting end for those who stand against our great company. Sweet dreams, everyone......cheers!”

After Susie and her men escaped, Halberd fell toward Popstar while in flames. Streaking across the sky while emitting strong light like that of a shooting star, it disappeared to a deep uninhabited valley.

Meanwhile, Kirby was: Taking a nap in the shade of a tree. While dreaming of tasty foods as always. “Mmm......cake......parfait......I want some more......” He is grinning in happiness. Kirby at this moment couldn’t wake up even if a lightning was to strike close to his ears. Even the incident that struck Dream Land wasn’t able to wake him up from his sleep. Kirby at last opened his eyes as the nikuman he was about to eat in his dreams was cold.

”Nn......nn? Why’s it cold......I want warm nikuman......” Grumbled Kirby, and rubbed his eyes. When Kirby rose up while yawning, he finally realized the strange phenomenon that was occurring in Dream Land. “Hu......Huh......?” The lush green pasture is changing into a steel surface. The trees were all turning into an objet d'art emitting artificial light that he has never seen before. Even the pleasant shade of tree that he was sleeping in was changing into a cold metal before he knew it. It seems to be because of this that his nikuman was cold in his dream. “W-What!? What happened!?” Kirby’s drowsiness is blown away. Looking around, he noticed that Castle Dedede in the distance looked different than usual. The walls of the castle were destroyed like it was hit by cannonballs. And lastly, a strange object was on the opposite side of Mt. Dedede It is a large sphere so large like it could reach the sky. Several supports like legs are extended and pinned firmly to the ground of Dream Land. Did that sphere change Dream Land into a cold iron and destroy Castle Dedede......? “This is awful! Waddle Dee! King Dedede!” Kirby jumped up and began sprinting towards Castle Dedede in full speed.

Castle Dedede was more of a ruin than Kirby had thought. The mountain of rubble is blocking the way, making it a pain to move deeper. “Waddle Dee! King Dedede! Answer if you can hear me!” Yelling as he searched about, Kirby at last found Waddle Dee half buried in the rubble and collapsed. “Pull yourself together, Waddle Dee!” Kirby pushed aside the wreckage in haste and got Waddle Dee out. His consciousness was lost, but he opened his eyes slightly when Kirby continued calling out to him. “Ah......K......Kirby......” “What is it!? What happened!?” “You weren’t......attacked......by them......?” “Them?” “The mechanical......that fell from......the sky......” Waddle Dee realized suddenly and stood up. “That’s right, His Majesty! His Highness was beaten! We’ve got to find him quickly!” Kirby and Waddle Dee continued digging the mountain of wreckage while calling out to King Dedede. They couldn’t find the king, however. “Waddle Dee, it’s too tough to clear this whole wreckage just by us. Let’s call somebody for help......” It was when Kirby was in the middle of saying that. A voice was heard behind the pair. “Kir......by......detected......” The two turned around. A large man with a hammer was standing on the debris. “Ah, Bonkers!” Kirby called on the name of the large man and ran up to him. “Hey, we’re looking for King Dedee. Give us a hand......” Kirby pauses and freezes. Bonkers seems odd. His skin has changed to a silver-color and his expression too is hollow. “Exter......minate......Kirby......”

Mumbled Bonkers and swung his hammer. “Wah!?” Kirby was shocked and jumped aside. As a hoodlum, Bonkers would often pick a quarrel with Kirby, but his attack right now was completely different from his usual horseplay. Bonkers should usually be jumping about with so much energy that it feels repulsive. “What is it, Bonkers!? Now isn’t the time to argue!” “Exter......minate......Kirby......!” With a blank look, he continues swinging his hammer, where Waddle Dee then shouts. “Something is strange, Kirby! Bonkers doesn’t seem like himself......!” “I wonder what happened?” “It’s their fault for sure. They did something to him......!” “Them......” Even as they talk, Bonkers is continuing to assault the two. “Let’s run for now, Waddle Dee!” Kirby grabbed Waddle Dee’s hand. “B-But......” “We need to look for a way to return Bonkers back to normal. And not just Bonkers, but everyone else might’ve become all weird. Let’s check to make sure!” “......Yeah!” He was worried about King Dedede, but it is better to do as Kirby says right now. Kirby and Waddle Dee ran as fast away as they could from the castle.

Having ran away from Bonkers, the two plodded around the completely changed Dream Land. “So awful......just about everything’s turned into a lump of cold iron......they did it to the grass, the flowers, and the trees......” Said Waddle Dee in a tearful voice. “Waddle Dee, what do you mean by “them?”” Asked Kirby. “I don’t know well either, but......” Waddle Dee explained about the bunch that attacked Castle Dedede. Kirby glared at the enormous silver sphere that can be seen in the distance. “We don’t know who they are, but we can’t forgive them nonetheless. How could they turn Dream Land like this!” “Uh-huh! We should hurry and think of a way to turn it back to normal......” At that moment, the two noticed a figure walking in the plain of iron. “That’s......Chef Kawasaki!” “As I thought, he seems strange. He wouldn’t have such a cold look......!” The two put themselves on guard. Chef Kawasaki halted and looked at the pair with lifeless eyes. “Kir......by......Wadd......le......Dee......” The dullness of his voice is also like what a machine would emit. “Are you two hungry? How 'bout some tasty dish?” “......Huh?” Kirby stared in confusion and lowered his guard. “He said tasty dish. I knew it, he’s just as always. Thank goodness......Chef Kawasaki was alright!” Kirby jumped up and tried to rush over to Chef Kawasaki. Waddle Dee stopped him in a hurry. “Kirby, wait. You shouldn’t let your guard down!” However, hearing “tasty dish,” Kirby is completely mesmerized. He shook off Waddle Dee and leapt at Chef Kawasaki. “Yippee, Chef Kawasaki! You were all fine! What’re you gonna make me? Ramen? Hamburger? Anything’s fine, my tummy is grumbling!” “Have some tasty, tasty......oil!”

Kawasaki says “Oishii” (おいしい) in Japanese, which sounds similar to “Oil” (オイル)

Clutching the hose extending from the tank on his back, Chef Kawsaki sprayed liquid at Kirby with gusto. Kirby was completely covered by the thick black liquid. He reeks of oil. “Uwahhhhh! What is this!? Yucky!” Kirby shut his eyes and shuddered. “It’s tasty, isn’t it? Have some seconds......” Said Chef Kawasaki, clutching the hose again. “Cut it out, Chef Kawasaki! What happened to you......!” Waddle Dee faced Kirby and said. “You can’t talk to them, Kirby! Chef Kawasaki is under their control! He won’t understand you no matter what you say!” “Uh......Uhhh......” Kirby was baffled and shrank back from him. Then, the new person to show up was- “What's the matter, Kirby......aren’t you......dripping wet there?” It was Burning Leo. Similar to Bonkers and Chef Kawsaki, his body has changed into iron, and is expressionless. Burning Leo opens his mouth wide. “I’ll dry you up!” Burning Leo spouted flames out. “KYAAAAA!” Kirby avoided the flame by a hair’s breadth and tumbled. Chef Kawaski and Burning Leo are slowly approaching Kirby.

“Have at you, Kirby......” “I’m going to......exterminate you......!” Waddle Dee shouts. “Let’s skedaddle, Kirby! It’d be terrible if you get fire in the oil!” “S-Sure!” Even Kirby cannot fight like this. They had no choice but to run away.

The pair continued running and made their way to the beach. The blue ocean is extending before their eyes. Even the enemy’s Mechanizing Occupation Project haven't reach this far yet. Kirby dove into the ocean and washed off the oil. He became squeaky clean and regained his energy. “Phew, thank goodness! No more getting drenched in oil!” As he wiped Kirby, Waddle Dee said with a grave look. “Everyone has been turned into a machine. Not just their body, but even their mind is remodeled. We’ve got to do something!” “Yeah......!” Kirby looked around the coast. The sea is still fine, but many unfamiliar buildings were being built along the coast. What frightening technology......to have built this many buildings in the blink of an eye. Billowing out smoke from a tall chimney is probably some factory. Something resembling a leisure facility over-decorated with glittering neon can be seen as well. What stood out especially above all was a blue building that was built high above the coast. It is the largest and the most imposing in comparison to the surrounding building. “The bad guy must be over there......” Kirby scowled at the building. “Let’s go!” “Uh-huh!” The two began running toward the blue building.

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[whispersafterdusk]

Lost in Time - ch 16

It was hard to take his eyes off the contraption attached to his wrist.

The Hi-Def was a tiny computer that was held to him with a comfortable canvas and leather wristband; the screen was two inches square, sleek and shiny, and edged with a polished steel casing.  The device had two small buttons on one side but, as Eli was demonstrating, the majority of the computer's functions were controlled either by touching the screen, poking at the hard light projection that came from the screen, or using voice commands.  So far the only button function he knew how to set whether the device operated exclusively with screen-touched commands, hard light commands, voice only, or any combination of any of them; that had been the first thing Eli had taught them, even before they'd finished the elevator ride down.

They were now all gathered within the facility, standing together around a computer console on what they considered the "ground" floor (which was the bottom-most floor the main access elevator could reach) and on the monitor was a larger image of the Hi-Def's screen.  Eli was frequently switching between projecting out of her own Hi-Def and using the computer monitor, depending on what she was instructing them to do - it was a lot easier for them to see on the larger monitor than it was in the projection without crowding one another. ((Continued below cut))

"So here," Eli said, gesturing with her free hand at the monitor, "is the communications panel.  You can set up a quick-response voice command to open it without needing to manually navigate here in the same area for all the other voice commands I showed you earlier.   It's fairly self explanatory on this landing page -- you can see the list of Hi-Defs in range here.  I've already programmed in the "names" of your Hi-Defs, using your names, to make it easier."

Asher looked down the list and could see his name along with Eli, Arlo, Sam, Remington, Adam, Mali, and Gale's name was there as well (though Gale wasn't presently in the room with them - his name was outlined in bright red).  There seemed to be loads more empty spaces left but he knew Eli had only made nine of these so far...she must have thought ahead and programmed with the intent of making more in the future.  Neat.

"I've set it so, by default, it'll always broadcast to all Hi-Defs within range.  If or when I ever add more to the network I'll start programming in some set group defaults but for now we don't need that."  Eli turned away from the screen briefly and rapidly navigated to the communication page on her own Hi-Def, then set it to project into the air in front of her.  "If you aren't wanting to talk to everyone all at once you can select a specific person or group from the default list, or create your own personalized groups of people -- and, like everything else, you can set up voice commands to get here quicker.  Anyway..."

He watched as she reached out and "tapped" (it was so weird to be tapping on light that was solid...) Arlo's and Sam's name, which highlighted them in a bright green.

"So I've got my recipients selected," Eli said, smiling a bit as they turned toward Sam and Arlo - her voice was coming out of their Hi-Defs now (it was a weird effect hearing her from multiple places at once).  "All you have to do then is just talk.  It's pretty decent at picking up your voice even if your hand is down at your side as well as filtering out background noise but there's still a chance other things might be heard through it so be mindful of that.   You can adjust your incoming and outgoing volumes here-" she indicated a double pair of up and down arrows, "-and there's an element of proximity when it comes to outgoing broadcasts." She raised her wrist to her mouth then.  "If you need to be very quiet, for example," she went on in a bare whisper, "just get it closer to your face if you can."

Asher couldn't hear the words coming from her lips but could hear her clear as day coming through on Arlo and Sam's Hi-Defs - a whisper that was coming through at a normal volume.

Eli then reached out to tap Arlo's and Sam's names again, returning them to the dull tan color they'd been before she'd selected them, then demonstrated sliding both incoming and outgoing volumes down to zero.  "If a Hi-Def is out of range the name will be in red and if you try to select it it'll give you its best estimate as to how far away you are from being in range.  This will be based on the last time you WERE in range, so it's not going to be completely accurate -- normally these would be tethered to a satellite and could give you measurements down to the inch but we're in short supply of those.  One thing to keep in mind for the future is even if we get all the signal towers up there may still be areas where you're considered out of range because the signal can't reach. Places like being in deep valleys or underground, or if you're somewhere there's a lot of metal or 'things' between you and the towers like trees, dirt, concrete... Again, wouldn't be much of a problem if we had satellite support too but we'll have to make do."

"Can these be accidentally turned on?" Asher asked.  He waggled his wrist slightly.   "I'm not going to start broadcasting my snoring if it turns on while I'm asleep?"

Eli shook her head.  "Accidentally?  No. It can detect heart and respiration rates so if you hit a certain threshold it'll assume you're asleep or unconscious and will disable all outgoing broadcasts and turn on a tracking indicator.  If I NEED to I can turn the outgoing back on from here-" she patted a hand on the computer console "-so we can get audio of your surroundings, assuming you're within range.  Incoming broadcasts won't be muted if you're asleep or unresponsive however."

"Neat. Can we set up alarms on this thing?"

"You mean to wake yourself up, or to alert others?"

"Both?"

Eli pointed to a spot on the projection that had a large exclamation point on it.  "That there will send out a distress signal by default if you double tap on it.  If you press and hold..."  She jabbed it with a finger and held it there; the button flashed from red to yellow, then expanded out into a new menu that was overlaying the communication page.  "It opens up this secondary menu where you can set up custom ones with your own messages and sounds.  If you're looking for an alarm clock that's in the clock and calendar functions."

"Wait, you said there's a tracking indicator?" Arlo interrupted.  "Even if we're asleep?"

She nodded.  "Yes. There's no way for these to tell the difference between sleep and unconsciousness so a tracking indicator will turn on no matter what."

"That's...a bit weird, isn't it?" Sam asked, looking between her Hi-Def and Eli.  

"Is it?" Eli asked.  "I know where you all live so I already know roughly where you sleep."

"...true," Sam replied.  "I guess it's not so weird when you put it that way.  Does it track you any other time?"

"Not automatically, and it's not something that just anyone would've or will have access to," Eli answered.  "I can, from either this computer or my Hi-Def, track any of you at any time.  Normally I'd have no reason to and there were really, really, REALLY strict rules on how and when you could use the tracking function and, if we were back in my time, you could be thrown in prison if you were found to have misused or abused access to it.  It's meant to be a safety feature - if someone goes missing or silent unexpectedly I can look to see where you are and if need be we can head out to do a rescue."

"So not everyone will have access to the tracking thing but will WE have access?" Asher asked, gesturing to everyone standing about.  "It's not much use if you're the only one who can and you're the one who goes missing."

"I'm giving you all permission to do so but only from here," Eli said, patting the top of the computer.  "It's another security thing - if someone takes you out and gets your Hi-Def we wouldn't want them figuring out how to track the rest of us - which is also why I want you all to definitely set up the voice lock command like I showed you.   That'll minimize the risk even further."

"Could Paulina do the tracking if asked?" Sam asked then.

Ha...Paulina.  Pauline's successor, in a way.  Technically Paulina was an altered copy of Pauline that didn't need a name (because it wasn't a living AI) but they'd all agreed to renaming the working console just so they could refer to it and have everyone know exactly what was being discussed. Paulina ran both the computer as well as all of their Hi-Defs - one big copy of Pauline and nine more tiny ones.

"Yes, and no," Eli finally replied.  "I'd have to program her to be able to do that.  As of right now no, that's not something I have her set up to do because of all the variables that would have to go in to it.  She SHOULD, in theory, be able to do it just fine since Pauline tracked people within the facility but there'd be a difference between the check point sensors and signal towers that -- well.  I'm not going to get into the technical aspect.  Let's just leave it at 'yes, possibly' for now."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sam nodding, looking satisfied with that answer; he looked up again as Eli turned back to the computer.

"A couple other things here - this button will mute your outgoing, double tap it to quickly mute both incoming and outgoing, and then double tap it again to unmute them.  This one here opens the menu to set up your own communication groups.  Press, hold, drag and drop, then hit the title bar here and either verbally or manually name it.  When you do that it'll appear here..."

Asher watched as she backed out of the new menu and landed back on the main communication page, then she gestured at a smaller button that had what looked like a capital V on it; when she poked at it another menu opened and it had blank text fields on it that looked identical to the ones on the main page.

"This is where your created groups will be stored - like with individuals you can set up quick or verbal commands to broadcast to a group."  She let them all get a good look at it then closed it, and then quickly flipped all the way back to the main screen of the Hi-Def.  "That's all for now - don't want to overload you all with information.  Feel free to play around with it, there's nothing you can do to these that I can't reverse."

Remington tapped a few fingers against his screen.  "How sturdy are these things?  I'm worried I'll scratch or break it somehow."

Eli chuckled.  "You'll probably break the casing its in before you actually damage the screen.  I don't have access to the alloys the casings were originally made out of so they're not quite as indestructible as they used to be. -- but don't get me wrong, breaking them IS a possibility, just not a very high one.  You don't need to treat them like spun glass but also don't be using them as hammers or whatever - just wear them normally like you would any other article of clothing and you'll be fine." As she spoke she set the computer into a stand-by mode; the screen went black but not the dark black that indicated it was powered off entirely - that had been another concept to get used to...a "black" that still put out light.  

"So...how do we start mapping Portia?" Asher asked after a pause.  "This thing has some sort of scanning function, right?"

She nodded at him.  "It does but we're not going to worry about that right now.  We only have two signal towers up at the moment - the one here attached to the elevator platform that's interfacing with the working sensors in the facility and one that Selene attached to the schoolhouse's roof that currently is too far away to communicate with anything here but will still work if YOU all are within its range.   Until we get the other towers up and figure out how to power them you'll be relying only on your onboard storage and, when it comes to mapping, that's not going to count for much because the data that generates the maps -- ...ok, again, not going to get technical, but suffice it to say that it won't be possible until we get the entire thing up and running."

"Gotcha," he replied.  Honestly he was most looking forward to the mapping part...it'd give him an excuse to pick a direction and start walking during those times he wasn't on guard duty.

Asher had been born in Ethea and raised in Highwind; in a few ways Portia reminded him of Highwind - of home - so he assumed that was probably why he liked it here so much, and why he was itching to go poke around.  All the wide open spaces, the beach access and harbor, the neighboring desert...all of it was something he'd been hoping he'd get a chance to fully explore before he had to go back to the Pigs's headquarters in Lucien.  Now that he was carrying a Hi-Def it seemed like he had a really good reason to stick around even longer - once he'd helped get this spy problem under control he'd then be free to help map out Portia and the surrounding region, and then if these things got expanded across the continent...

Eh, well.  He shouldn't get ahead of himself.  The only reason he even had one was because Eli had the parts to build it; they could cover the continent in the needed signal towers but that wouldn't make more Hi-Defs appear out of thin air.  And if expansion was out of the question then he probably wouldn't get to take his Hi-Def out of Portia -- and even if he wanted to keep it and leave there'd be zero reason to since all the useful stuff he was excited over wouldn't work once out of range of the signal towers.

He tapped his screen to turn it off and looked around; the others were fiddling with their Hi-Defs and Eli was still sitting on a stool next to the main computer console - she didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone or anything in particular at the moment though she had one hand resting idly across her own Hi-Def's screen.

After a few breaths she looked up suddenly and met his eye - must have sensed he was looking at her, or something. "When do you think the rest of the towers will be up?" he asked.

She took a moment to consider, then shrugged.  "Hard telling.  Selene is having to make molds and cast some parts, then we'll have to test strength and durability.  We could technically make do in the short term but we can't guarantee we can dig up the right parts forever.  And I'd rather not have to dismantle a ton of things," she added after a moment, waving a hand around herself to indicate the facility.  "I'd like to...actually utilize this place.  Don't know what for just yet but..." She fell silent then offered up another shrug.  "We were always taught to use whatever we had at hand if things went south...I'm as far south as someone can get but it feels like tearing my own house down.  I want to keep this place standing - find a reason to bring life back to it."

"Maybe as a school?" Remington offered, without looking up from his Hi-Def.

"Nah.  We're moving Stewart to the clinic, remember?"

Now Remington did look up.  "I remembered, yeah, but medical stuff isn't the only thing folks could learn."

Asher looked between the two of them as they spoke and was able to watch the slow progression of Eli's expression from confusion to a guarded curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she went on finally.

"Well..." Remington started, drawing out the word as he closed all the menus he was perusing.  "You're teaching all of us some ranger things, and fitness and strength training.  And you know all about the Old World since you lived in it.  I bet people would flock from all over the continent to meet and learn from you."

Eli's expression went neutral.  "True.  But I'm not exactly a school teacher.  I'm a soldier, and I imagine your church would have more than a few things to say about my teaching anyone on a large scale."

"They don't hold any authority within Portia or the rest of the Free Cities," Arlo said into the brief pause that followed.  "They can hold all the opinions they want but they'd be inviting a lot of trouble if they tried directly interfering in a town's business or with their citizens."

Eli shrugged again.  "Even still, I'd rather not kick the proverbial hornet's nest.  Just because they don't have authority doesn't mean they can't or won't try something, whether that "something" is them riling up the populace against me or directly taking action to remove me from the picture - which is what would have happened in my time, and often did if someone was trying to incite something without regard to the laws."

Asher clenched his jaw at that last part; the Church Enforcers were a...particular lot.  They traveled around and destroyed relics they deemed dangerous (which usually meant ANY relic they could get their hands on) and had been known to get into conflicts with civilians on the regular.  The conflicts were violent at times but not usually fatal on either side; he couldn't think of any accidental deaths that had happened within recent years but could see the potential for them if the Church thought Eli, her knowledge, and anyone she shared that knowledge with was a threat.  If similar had happened even back in Eli's time when, as history detailed, the world had been living in what amounted to a utopia...guess humans really hadn't changed much in three hundred years.

"Yeah, well, we just make sure that doesn't happen," Asher found himself saying, and then immediately stopped as all eyes shifted to him.  He'd...not actually intended to say that out loud since it was only a half-formed thought but too late now.  "Not...not that I'm suggesting we pick a fight with the Church or anything.  Or have a gaggle of body guards following Eli around-"

Eli snorted.  "By the Three I'd hope not."

He grinned at that.  "-BUT, what we CAN do is take some steps to make sure a confrontation doesn't happen, or doesn't have a reason to happen.   That means keeping people away from places they don't belong - which is something we do now anyway - and also not turning a blind eye to churchfolks who like to make up stories about things or people.  I know Arlo's dealt with that here already," he added after a breath, looking to the man.

Arlo in turn nodded and crossed his arms.  "I have.   Thankfully Lee understood early on exactly where Gale and the Civil Corps stood on the topic -- the few things he spread around were squashed quickly and, to my knowledge, he's back to his usual sermons without 'embellishing' them."

Asher looked back to Eli.  "Yeah, that - squash the lies, and just be careful about things - Portia might have opened all her other ruins for exploring but there's a lot of them across the continent that're closed, period, because they're too fragile, dangerous, or too many people rely on whatever's in them to be fairly distributed. It'd be up to Portia to set rules on who gets to come in here and why but if you end up turning this place into something everyone can use then we'd know who's here and for what reason, and anyone without a good reason can be shown the door.  An Enforcer is going to stick out like a sore thumb if they come anywhere near Portia anyway. And the Church HAS come around on stuff like water filtration, powered tools, electric generating gadgets...they're definitely trigger happy on everything they come across but even they can be made to see the benefit to things eventually."

"And besides," Sam picked up, "it's not like the enforcers are assassins or anything.  At most they can arrest people in the regions they have jurisdiction in, and at best they get arrested themselves for causing problems."

Adam grunted. "Threat of jail hasn't stopped 'em from arresting in places they don't have power in.  There's a lot of bullhonk out in the world that you lot don't see in a town like this.  They're not friendly."

"They're NOT murderers though," Asher interrupted, shooting Adam an annoyed look.  "But accidents do happen when they get a bit...overeager in their work and yeah, sometimes they do try to step out of bounds if they feel threatened or justified."

Eli looked between the two Pigs.  "I think we need to have a chat on what these enforcers are, what they do, and what they're SUPPOSED to do.  Are they reigned in by law at all?"

"Of course.  Doesn't mean they stick to it," Adam answered.  "Same as anyone."

Mali shook her head and gestured for Asher and Adam to quiet.  "WE," she said, gesturing to the Pigs, "would be happy to discuss the politics and laws of the wider world.  Whenever you'd like to just let us know."

Eli nodded.  "I appreciate it.  I'll be busy this afternoon so maybe later tonight, or even tomorrow."

Asher could see her glance over to Arlo and give him a barely perceptible nod; guess whatever she was up to this afternoon included him, or the Civil Corps, or both.  After another pause in the conversation Eli stood up and again invited them all to play around with their Hi-Defs, reminded them to set their voice locks, then headed out of the room with Arlo following along a few moments later.

For one brief moment he contemplated following them; everyone else had their attentions back on their Hi-Defs so he doubted they'd even notice if he slipped out.  But, it was pretty clear, when neither Remington or Sam moved to leave, that whatever Eli's plans were for the afternoon they included Arlo and just Arlo...if others were welcome she probably would have said something.   He looked around at everyone again -- whether he followed Eli and Arlo or not he did know he wanted to get back out on the surface and into fresh air; the Research Center, with Stewart's help, had fully repaired the air system down here so he logically knew that fresh air was always circulating but it didn't stop the feelings of mild claustrophobia and stuffiness he got when he was down here for awhile.  He'd give Arlo and Eli time to get back to the surface then would head that way himself and tuck himself into a quiet corner of the tent while he fiddled with the Hi-Def.

Asher flipped through the screens back to communication and sorted Mali and Adam into a separate group he labeled "Flying Pigs," and then slid all three of the Civil Corps members into their own group as well.  Setting up the voice commands were easy ("call Pigs" and "call Civil" respectively, since Eli had suggested "call" as a command word to use) and then he found his fingers hovering over Arlo and Eli's names; after a moment to consider he slid the two of them into another custom group.

Adam and Mali might be his fellow Pigs but he wasn't especially close to either of them - before now he'd not even had a chance to talk to them much since they were always doing their own things; he was closer to Greg than he was to anyone else in the Flying Pigs but only because they'd shared a bunk room at headquarters up until Greg got married and moved in to a house with his wife.  Arlo reminded him of Greg in a lot of ways and, despite having watched him fail the entry exam multiple times, Asher was still convinced that Arlo would make it eventually and was looking forward to being there when he finally did (and hey - he hadn't had a bunk mate since Greg moved out and Arlo would be expected to spend his first two years living at headquarters as a rule).

And, when it came to Eli... Well.

He titled their group "Buds" but held off on setting up a voice command.  For now.

----------------------------------------------------

"Hey you!"

Harrison took a moment to reply (he hated being interrupted mid-sentence when reading) but found himself smiling up at Lily as she leaned over his pile of books.

"Hello there - I didn't hear you come in."

She giggled and patted a hand on top of what was basically a barricade of reading material lined up along the outer edge of the little table he studied at.  "Gee, I wonder why."

He felt his face go a bit red but he laughed quietly all the same and quickly moved a few stacks of books down to the floor near his feet.  "Sorry.  What are you up to today?"

"I came by to ask if you had any letters or anything you'd like me to take back to Lucien."

"Back to Lucien?" he repeated.  A sinking feeling hit him - she was leaving?  

Lily nodded.  "Uh huh.  It's about time to head back home to check in with mom - I try to stay away only a couple months at a time. If I come home at regular intervals then she worries less."  She paused and squinted at him, then waved her hands frantically.  "But I'm coming back!  I'm going to come back!" she added in a rush.  "I just have to let her know I'm ok!"

"Oh," he said, letting out a loud breath.  "Ok.  Yes, that - that sounds like a good thing to do.  Um..."  

He'd had a pad of paper here somewhere...  As he started sorting through the folders and remaining books on his desk Lily stood there and rocked back and forth from heels to toes, like she usually did when standing still (well, not STILL - she seemed incapable of not moving some part of her when standing around idle) and then she bent to yank something out from under a pile on the corner.

"Here you go-" she held out the writing pad to him with a grin.

"Thanks."  He grabbed it and leafed through the pages inside; there was a half-completed letter in here somewhere...ah.  Carefully he pulled the page free and flipped it around to show her.  "I sort of do.  When did you plan on heading home?"

"I'd planned on heading up to Sandrock today and catching the bus north but I can wait until tomorrow."

"I can have this done here in a few minutes if you really want to leave today."

Lily wrinkled her nose and sighed.  "I don't REALLY want to leave but I have to.  BUT, like I said, I'm going to come back.  I even have a job lined up for when I come back, too!"

Harrison blinked at her.  "Oh?"  How long had she planned on leaving without mentioning anything to him...?

"Mmhmm.  That old lady farmer is willing to hire me on as an extra farmhand to help with the spring planting and all the little baby animals that'll be born or hatching here soon.  That'll earn me enough that I wouldn't have to worry for awhile."

"How long will you be gone?" he asked as he fished around for a pencil.

"I'll probably be back within a week."  She hummed to herself for a breath, then spun on a heel to face the door.  "I'll be back in a bit for that, ok?"

"All right."

Harrison watched her skip out of the clinic and huffed out a sigh.  He shouldn't be too surprised or disappointed that she'd be going home but logic and sense rarely went hand in hand with... The "L" word felt a bit too much at this point but he was definitely interested in her, and she in him.  It was highly unfair for him to expect her to stay here, just because he was here, without giving any thought to her own needs or obligations.

Quickly he skimmed over the letter; he'd been halfway through detailing everything he'd done so far in Portia - this wouldn't take long to finish.

Not long after Lily had left the doors opened again; Dr. Xu came in leading someone with a heavy bandage taped to their chin.   Harrison paused in his letter writing and watched as Xu led the man over toward the Uplifter, and lifted the machine's dust cover while directing the man to pull over a stool.

"Would you like a hand, Dr. Xu?"

"That would be welcomed, Harrison, thank you."

He got up and came around to help the patient position the stool in front of the Uplifter.  "Here, just sit here and -- yes, like that, and sit up straight.  Dr. Xu will lower that part there that looks like a plate and adjust it near your face."  

"And this thing'll be able to fix it?" the man asked.  His voice was obviously pained and also slurred, as he didn't seem willing to move his mouth and jaw more than he had to.

"It'll close the wound and there shouldn't be any scar visible, yes," Xu answered.  "Go ahead and take the bandage off while I get the last few steps completed. This will sting briefly as it starts up but will numb soon after-"

Harrison looked from the man to Dr. Xu as Xu cut off mid-sentence; the doctor was patting at the side of the machine and looking confused.  "What's wrong?"

"Hmm.  The manual for it isn't in its usual slot.  Have you seen it?"  Harrison shook his head and Xu hummed to himself.  "Well.  I have the steps memorized but I had wanted you to follow along in the manual as I worked."

"Perhaps it accidentally got mixed in with Phyllis's things when she moved to her new practice?"

"It's possible," Xu replied, nodding to Harrison.  "When we finish here would you mind walking out there to check?"

"I need to finish something quickly before that but otherwise I don't mind at all."

Xu smiled and began to input the commands into the Uplifter's computer panel; Harrison leaned over to help the man on the stool remove the bandage, and then winced when he saw the injury -- it was a deep wound, with jagged edges, and he could see the white of bone beneath it.  Once Xu had all the commands in place he settled the headpiece of the Uplifter over the man's head fully and hit the Start button.

"No talking," Xu said then.  "This will take several minutes."

Harrison could see the man flinch as the machine whirred to life but afterward the man sat calmly, unmoving, as the Uplifter did its work.

Since there would be some time to kill while the machine mended the injury Harrison returned to his table and went back to his letter.  Assuming there weren't any other emergencies or distractions he should have this done well before Lily came back for it.

---------------------------------------------------

"How many keys were on the keyboard I was using?"

"Fifty six.  Fifty seven if the secondary power button counts."

"Good. How many birds over there?"

"Fo- no, five."

"And what are they?"

"Sounds like common house sparrows."

"Right. Cows in the field?"

"Unfair question - McDonald said one was in labor."

"Assume the calf hasn't made an appearance yet."

"Fourteen."

"Horses?"

"Three.  The rest were in the barn still."

As they walked along Eli nodded approvingly at him; these early techniques she was teaching him were hard to describe but when put into practice Arlo found they weren't so impossible as he'd initially thought.

"How far off is the Dee-Dee?"

Arlo paused; he was certain he hadn't seen or heard the Dee-Dee that ran between here and town yet but if Eli was asking, then...

All right, so maybe he shouldn't feel so confident in himself just yet.

----------------------------------------------------

Harrison's letter was safely in her pack; he'd written out his parent's address and on the back of the envelope he'd even given her a crudely drawn map of how to get there from Lucien's town square.  

It was going to be a really simple matter to find his family.

The bus had dropped her off at the stop just outside of Lucien's border; a group had gotten off with her and as they all filed through the little turnstile to get off the platform Lily tried to tamp down her irritation at being jostled by all the careless people around her.

And then finally she was out into the night, and free.  No one in the near vicinity, and no one paying any attention to her when she passed.

There was a run down shed on the northern side of Lucien that held old, rusted gardening equipment.  The padlock looked equally as rusted but she knew that was just for looks; her key turned soundlessly in it and, after making sure no one was around, she slipped inside and picked her way among the clutter until she came to an empty workbench with a heavy burlap rug pinned underneath the bench's front two legs.  She flipped the rug aside to reveal a trap door and used a second key to open it before sliding down the ladder and into a cramped, barely lit tunnel that led to a considerably more comfortable room with padded chairs, a few bunk beds, and a tiny kitchenette.

Normally there would be three or four people here, waiting; tonight there was only one - a dark haired man, short and squat, with a ruddy complexion and face dotted with pimples and acne scars.  He was listening to a small radio and when Lily stepped into the room he spun around with one hand going for a gun holstered at his side.  When he finally registered who she was he visibly calmed, then an instant later growled at her angrily.

"What are YOU doing here?  Captain Xan didn't-"

"Shut up," Lily snapped.  She stomped in and yanked Harrison's letter out of her pack before letting the bag drop to the floor.  "Through sheer dumb luck I stumbled on something that we can't pass up.  Call him down here."

Grunting and puffing the fat man got up out of his chair and shoved passed her to go back up the tunnel she'd just come from.   Lily yanked the envelope open, took the letter out and flattened it across a table, then carefully opened the envelope's seams so it too could lay flat.

She waited longer than she wanted to but soon the scarred man came back, huffing and puffing and with his face even redder with exertion; behind him trailed a rail-thin man with a shaved head, seven piercings in his left ear, and what could be mistaken for smile lines at the corners of his mouth and eyes.  He was dressed in old, stained clothing, and had a heavy apron tossed over one arm -- it would seem Xan was still working his cover job as a butcher over on the southern side of Lucien's market district.

"What brings you back early, Lily?" Xan asked.  His tone was smooth and calm but Lily could tell by the way his jaw bulged a bit that he was gritting his teeth -- she didn't know what he'd been told by the fat messenger but it was clear he was mad at her.

"An opportunity fell into my lap," she answered.  With a light touch she turned the letter and envelope with its map around to face him, then pushed it across the table toward him. "There's a doctor in Portia, with a student who sounds just like him. And that machine we've heard of exists and does exactly as rumored - I have the manual to prove it.  Doctor and student are roughly the same size and height as well."

Xan's face broke into a cold smile as he gingerly picked up the envelope and studied the map; that was one thing Lily liked about Xan -- he understood her ideas and plans without her having to painstakingly spell it out for him.  "Have you acted on it?"

"Not yet.  I think it best if we have some bargaining chips first.  I've charmed the student so it won't be odd for me to be seen in and around the clinic -- and besides, the lock on their doors as well as on the doctor's desk are ridiculously easy to pick.  We can take out the doctor and force the student to replace him once we have the appropriate motivation in place for the student."

Xan nodded slowly, tapping the edge of the envelope against his lower lip as he thought; it was several minutes before the man spoke again.  "We'll prepare a place to hold everyone -- we will, after all, need ready access to the doctor so we can feed information to the student, so that the illusion holds.   When will the All Source be moved into the clinic?"

"That I'm not sure.  I found all the information about their plans to expand the clinic but construction hasn't started yet, nor was there any hint as to when it would."

"Wait until construction is under way, then you may act," Xan ordered.  "I'll send Marcus and Evangeline to back you up directly, and will have others standing by to get the All Source secured and away when the time comes. Leave the hostages to us."

"What do you want me to do in the meantime?  They know someone has been keeping an eye on the facility."

"Do whatever you have to to keep your current cover intact," Xan replied.  "Is the suit secured?"

Lily jerked her head toward the pack on the floor.  "I need a few replacement wires - one of the Flying Pig bitches shot me in the arm."

Xan turned around toward the ruddy-faced man.  "Tell Steven we need the filament wires, immediately."  When the man nodded Xan turned back to her.  "You've done exceptionally well -- I'll make sure you get a bonus.  Take some time, rest - actually visit your mother if you so choose.   Leave the suit here for Steven though."

Lily nodded.  "Understood.  Is anyone staying here tonight?"

"Just Howie," Xan said, gesturing toward the fat man.  "-who SHOULD have already left to fetch Steven, yet here we are."

At that Howie about fell over himself to scramble from the room again; Xan let out a short chuckle that trailed into a sigh.  

Lily wrinkled her nose and picked up the letter, offering it to Xan who took it and carefully folded it with the envelope.  "I will go home then.   I'm in no mood to share a space with an ugly idiot."

"Fair enough.  Tell your mother I said, thank you for the chamomile.  It made a very pleasant tea."

"I will. You know where to find me."

Wordlessly Xan nodded and turned to leave; Lily gave him plenty of time to have disappeared into the night before she too left the underground hidey hole and headed out into the evening air.  Steven had repaired the suit before so she wasn't concerned about leaving it behind.

She took her time walking home and stopped at the front gate to take a steadying breath and get her mind back into "happy go lucky airhead Lily" mode.   It was so exhausting to keep up that facade but knew if she didn't play the right part then her mother would ask questions she'd rather not answer.

With an inner grimace but an outward smile Lily pushed the gate open; the front windows were open to let in the night breeze and the lights were still on.  "Moooooom," she called out as she walked up the path toward the front porch.  "I'm hooooooome!"

[themangoyogurt]

Between 29th and Astoria: The Appetizer

Chapter 5

It was always the same story after a night of hard drinking - waking up with regret, plotting your own death, and revisiting misdemeanors committed under the influence of alcohol. To make matters worse, you had fallen asleep on the commute resulting in missing your stop. By the time you went above ground, back down on the other side, and hopped on the right train - you were hopelessly late.

Not only that, but you had been drunk enough to make stupid life decisions such as feel up your freaking boss, but not blitzed enough to have forgotten what had happened. You stepped off the executive elevator and onto the forty-fifth floor completely ready to die of embarrassment.

Only, you didn’t.

Ren’s door was closed, but you heard gentle murmuring behind the glass. His morning conference call must have begun earlier than scheduled. At least that took care of any awkward A.M. confrontations. If you had any doubts that your job was on the line though, they were immediately cleared as you stepped up to your little glass fortress.

Sitting neatly in the center right between your monitor and keyboard was a cup of coffee. A sticky note was stuck to the sleeve with two sentences scrawled in surprisingly beautiful penmanship.

“May I suggest a different addictive substance? Perhaps one that won’t kill you?”

The smell of hazelnut and spice wafted up from the lid, enveloping the area with a warm scent. The caramel liquid inside was still hot, and burned deliciously as it was consumed. Seeing that he bought you coffee, perhaps Kylo’s hypocrisy regarding smoking could be ignored. For now at least. You reclined into the leather seat underneath and began your typical morning rituals.

The computer fired on with a half-hearted beep. Next, physical memos were sorted as the screen slowly loaded. Some papers were shuffled into the trash. Others were filed away for later use, and a select few were organized into a folder to hand off to Mr. Ren. As soon as the monitor pinged to life, e-mails were next on the list. Similar to the memos, you organized and sorted the digital mail. Once in a while, you’d be interrupted by a phone call.

Most of the time it was a frantic Mitaka in search of one thing or another for Hux. The poor man was clearly stretched far too thin, and you always spent the latter half of your conversations giving the assistant a pep talk. By the time everything was catalogued and dealt with, it was usually lunch. That was almost always taken alone at your desk. First Order certainly didn’t encourage friendships, that much was for sure. If you were lucky and Mr. Ren had an outside appointment during the hour, you were able to eat elsewhere. Even then it wasn’t very exciting. You’d usually just grab a sorry excuse for a salad from Hale & Hearty, and eat it in the break room.

Today was different though. Twelve o’ clock struck, and Mr. Ren emerged from his office. Dark hair coiffed backwards, he slowly ambled towards your desk. Your name slid from his lips like oil and you looked up in surprise.

“Mr. Ren! I thought you had a lunch appointment today.”

He tapped his fingers along the smooth surface of your desk and nodded. Reaching over, he plucked your purse hanging from the back of the chair. Smiling, the man responded, “Yes, I do. You’re my appointment.”

You mouth slackened in surprise, and Kylo smirked at your reaction, filing away the image along with others he had collected over time. Twirling the leather strap of your bag in one hand, he turned on his heel and marched over to the elevator. You immediately jumped up from your chair and hurried a step behind the man.

He brought you to a swanky restaurant somewhere uptown. Just like at the club last night, you felt incredibly out of place. It was the type of establishment you’d only read about in magazines alongside the words “so-and-so celebrity spotted at”. It certainly wasn’t the kind of venue a failed photographer turned personal assistant ate at. And it definitely wasn’t the kind of place a boss should be taking his assistant just for kicks.

Regardless, Kylo still placed a warm palm on your lower back and ushered you through the large doors and into a marble waiting area. The hostess immediately recognized the raven-haired CEO and lead the way to a private dining area secluded in the back.

The lithe blonde’s eyes darted between the two of you and then to Kylo’s hands before asking, “Mr. Ren, would you like me to check your - uh - friend’s bag?”

Oh my God. Kylo Ren was still holding your purse.

Your face colored in embarrassment as you thought about how this woman probably checked Birkins worth six figures. Your little flea market find of cracked leather definitely had no business being checked anywhere. Panicking, you snatched the purse away from your boss and awkwardly tittered that you’d be fine holding onto the handbag.

Did the woman just give you a look of sympathy?

If she kept up that attitude, you’d give her something to be sympathetic about. Your eyes squinted ever so slightly, and Ren let out a snort. He waved the hostess away and pulled out your chair before settling in across the table.

“If you’re ashamed of your purse, you could always buy a new one.”

“Excuse me?! Just because I don’t enjoy being judged, doesn’t mean I’m ashamed of my purse! And what do you expect me to do? Go out and buy a Chanel with the zero dollars in my savings account?”

Kylo’s head tilted backwards as he chuckled, “You looked ready to choke the hostess with your mind.”

“My purse has character. Something she wouldn’t understand,” you pouted.

“Yes. I’m just finding out about how much character you possess.”

Heat spread across your cheeks and your face bloomed pink at your boss’s teasing. Fiddling with the hem of the tablecloth you whispered, “I’m so sorry about last night, Mr. Ren.” He dismissed your apology with a wave of his hand and chortled, “I’ve seen Phasma do worse on a better night. Don’t worry about it.” He slowly drank in the sight of your flushed skin and the way your lashes shyly fluttered at his words. Yes, he could definitely get used to this.

Thankfully the waiter arrived, and provided some relief as he went over the tasting menu. Who on earth ate five courses at twelve thirty in the afternoon?

Apparently, Kylo Ren did. The man didn’t even flinch as the waiter rattled off various dishes and accompaniments. You blushed again as Mr. Ren ordered a whiskey neat for himself and a gin and tonic for yourself. He ignored your protests that it was too early to drink, and opted to lean back and watch your fruitless objections with mirth.

“Are you done?”

Your ears turned red, and Kylo grinned with his full set of teeth. He was beginning to discover a new hobby - making his assistant blush. Once again, the waiter came to the rescue as he set down a white oval porcelain dish with two oysters perched atop a hill of ice with caviar scattered about. Ren expertly fed himself the appetizer and watched you struggle in amusement. Compared to Ren’s effortless elegance, you looked like a pelican choking down sardines.

He quietly placed a palm on the table and asked, “So, tell me about yourself. What do you do after work?”

An eyebrow raised on its own as you studied Mr. Ren with some suspicion. Just a few days ago, this man was one missed memo away from flipping over your desk and booting you out the door. Now he wanted to know what you did for fun? As if sensing your apprehension, Kylo teased, “Isn’t this what friends do? Get to know each other?”

The memory of Kylo’s massive hands gripping your slight wrists was enough to make you gag on your drink. Were gin and tonics always this difficult to stomach?

Clearing your throat and wiping the edges of your lips, you replied, “Well. Honestly, I go to work so early and stay so late...there isn’t really much time for me to do anything. My friends are pretty understanding though, so we spend most of our time at my apartment or theirs. We - uh - you know, talk. Sometimes we play board games or just watch Netflix. We do other things together, too.”

Kylo arched a brow and joked, “You do ‘other things’ with your friends? How conveniently vague.”

Coughing again, you sputtered, “No! No. I mean, we’re all single, but we don’t - you know - do weird things. Uhm, Rose is a mechanic and she works on these crazy fancy private planes that come in and out of the city. Sometimes her clients invite her to cool things, and I’ll get to tag along. Poe has a really sweet job, and he’ll hook us up with tickets to events, too. And, uhm, Finn also works at Poe’s company, but only part time. But he’s trying really hard to be an actor and he just wrapped up a really great show. We’ll go see him in different performances, and it’s really fun!”

Kylo ran his bottom lip along the edge of his glass as he took in your response. The name “Poe” sounded oddly familiar to him. It was a rather archaic sounding name that not many in your age group had. He’d have to look into that later, rather preferring to settle on one key fact he was surprisingly happy to learn - you were single.

“What about you, Mr. Ren? Do you have any hobbies? Or - uhm - date?”

You were going to be the death of him. If he could die via cuteness, he would choose you every time. He watched your throat bob as you swallowed, almost as if you wished you could push the words back down. He thought for a moment: no, what he did with the fairer sex certainly wouldn’t be considered dating. As for hobbies?

“Sure. I enjoy calligraphy. It’s a nice marriage of art and the written form. I also like taking my cars out to the speedway from time-to-time. As for dating? No. I wouldn’t say I have the time to date...per se.”

You nodded along, thinking the entire time that Mr. Ren sounded lightyears above you. Of course someone like him wouldn’t play fucking Cranium in his free time. You continued to eat and chat until the meal wrapped up. Kylo was even suave enough to take care of the check while he got up to use the restroom, saving you the embarrassment of having to act like you could even afford to split the $700 bill.

Walking out the door, you stopped to turn to the man. Rocking a bit on your heels, you meekly murmured, “Thank you, Mr. Ren...”

“What was that, little mouse? I didn’t quite catch that.” A quirk of his lip indicated that he was teasing you again.

Clearing your throat, you spoke up, “Thank you, Mr. Ren. For the meal. And the conversation. I - uh - quite enjoyed spending time with you.”

He gave you a warm smile. The most genuine one you have yet to witness. He carefully patted your back - high enough to be professional, but low enough to leave you confused.

Looking up into the sky, he replied, “I’m glad. Perhaps we could making spending time together a habit.”

[purplesurveys]

924

Do you have a taste in your mouth right now? What of? Just the faint taste of coffee since I have a cup at the moment but haven’t drunk from it in the last few minutes. Which is your least favourite day of the week? I’ve lost the concept of the days of the week for a few months now, man. Back when we used to do things, though, I hated Sundays as I felt loneliest on that day. It was always an automatic thing too so I had little control over it. If told to clean the house, would you be more inclined to clean one room really well or clean all of the rooms with hardly any effort? Clean all rooms with maximum effort. I’d be really bugged if I didn’t strive to be perfect with the whole place lol. Do you put glue on the object you're sticking down or on the paper? Object, so that the amount of glue I’m putting would be accurate. What was your last dream about? I don’t remember the details anymore but at the very least, I know it was very vivid since I remembered it throughout the morning. I’ve been having very detailed dreams lately – it’s the depression for sure. 

What is your favourite part of the last movie you watched? Haven’t seen a movie in a while but the last thing I watched in full was The Crown; Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret really shone through in the last episode I saw. Have you stuck any stickers to the computer you're using? I put all my stickers onto my laptop case but not the laptop itself. I haven’t had the case on for a while now though, since I’m always just at home now. Do you ever write or talk to yourself in your head when you're bored? Yes or when I’m feeling upset, as long as I’m alone. I’ve found that talking to myself is a healthy way to address and deal with my emotions. What interests you the most about other people? What I find interesting always varies. I have friends who I find interesting for their music tastes; some others for their knowledge of random trivia; some for their jobs, etc. It’s always different. Do you ever take random pictures out of boredom? What of? Not really. If I take photos it’s because I want to remember a moment or because I find something cute or funny. Basically anything that elicits a strong emotion out of me, I’m bound to take a picture of. Do you prefer listening to things through headphones or speakers? Headphones. How many siblings do you have? Do you get on with them? I have two siblings. I only get along with my sister; I have not talked to my brother since last year and have no desire to again. Would you rather live in a log cabin or a brick house? Mmm I’d take the brick house. Log cabin would be nice for a quick getaway, but I wouldn’t want it to be my permanent home. There’s a psychological factor in there and I just think that staying in a log cabin would make me feel suffocated eventually, haha. Do you have a calendar up for this year? I have a ‘Job Applications’ calendar that I’m currently monitoring, and it tracks the applications I’ve sent out to different companies and how long I’ve been waiting for a response from each of them. Really needing some positive vibes and energy since I actually just got my first rejection notice today. Other than that this year has been pretty fucking boring and there’s been little need to keep an active calendar. What was the very first CD you bought? The first CD I remember asking my parents to buy for me was like the High School Musical official soundtrack. I was big on Disney as a kid and wasn’t a big fan of any solo acts or bands up until I was around 10. Do you keep things like old train tickets, etc? Yessssssss. Do you like your smile? Why (not)? I like it; I find my smile friendly and warm. I just hate smiling with my teeth at the present since one of my front teeth protrudes. Can’t wait to get braces again. Would you rather be able to sing or dance? Why? Dance. Dancers are super hot, lmao. What was your favourite colour when you were a kid? Do you still like it? It was purple/violet and it was mostly influenced by my great-grandma who lovedddd the color and had it everywhere in her home. When she passed away, my love for the color slowly faded away and I don’t think too much of it now. Have you ever said 'lol' in real life? Haha yeah sometimes. I pronounce it as ‘lohl’ and never ‘el oh el’ though. Do you like your friend's parents? I like most of their parents, though I’m aware that some have abusive tendencies. Most of the parents are super nice, though. JM’s mom cooked a big lunch for us once and his dad buys like four party-sized boxes of pizza every time we come over, Angela’s parents treat me like their own kid, Gab’s mom constantly tells me she loves me...it’s in the little things. How many times have you moved? I can remember just the two times, but I know that we moved several times more when I was an infant. Have you ever refused to try a certain food? Which? Most stuff with fruits, hah. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, like when a sushi roll has mango or if I’m having banoffee pie, but I almost always refuse a meal with some kind of fruit in it. What's your favourite type of soup? Not really big on soup. I just like miso. Very occasionally I’ll have mushroom soup too. What is your favourite candle scent? I don’t buy candles nor do I know people who regularly get them, so I’m not very familiar with the different scents. Does the sight of blood make you feel ill? In real life, it would. I always have to look away whenever Gabie gets a nosebleed ha. But I have no problem watching bloody wrestling matches and I actually enjoy the bloodier ones. Super weird quirk of mine. What do you call it when you're sick anyways? (Sick, ill, not well, etc) If I’m referring to a fever I call it sick/ill/not feeling well. If I feel like throwing up I say I’m getting dizzy/need to vomit. I’ve never referred to puking as ‘getting sick,’ and it took me a very long time to realize that it was a common American saying, haha. Did you ever really believe in the tooth fairy? I did, and I felt super betrayed when I put my tooth under my pillow only to see it again the next morning. If you had to appear in a movie, which genre would you choose? Coming of age. What do you do with unwanted gifts? I keep them, since I still appreciate the effort of the gift-giver. Are there any clothes you haven't worn in ages, that you've suddenly started wearing again? HAHA yes. There will be rare instances where I get to go out and I always take the time to look stylish as all fuck, even though I’m only running an errand and wearing flashier pieces would be so unnecessary. I just miss dressing up and looking cute, man. Do any keys on your keyboard stick? Like, if they’re sticky? No. Would you rather own a laptop or a computer? Laptop. Love it when things are portable. Do you think you'll look at old photos of yourself and be embarrassed? My teenage years are definitely bad especially with regard to my fashion choices lol, but so are everyone else’s so I’m not super embarrassed. I cringe at the photos but I wouldn’t mind if my friends poked fun at them because chances are I’d join in too. What was the worst hairstyle you ever had? I always hated it whenever my mom took me to the salon to have my hair rebonded. That kind of look has never worked with my face shape and so I usually did everything for my hair to start curling up quicker and go back to its original form. Do you like t-shirts with sayings on them? Why (not)? Not really. It’s just not a personal preference. I like plain or slightly printed pieces. Do you click on the adverts at the side of the screen? No. Have you ever coughed and sneezed at the same time? I’m sure it’s happened before. Are you embarrassed to show people your ID photo? Nah. Whatever dude. Have / would you ever become a cheerleader? I haven’t, but I would have loved to. We don’t have a cheerleading club or varsity in my old school though so I was never able to hone my skills, if ever. What's the longest you've gone without eating? Maybe a little more than 24 hours. What is one of your biggest irrational fears? Commercials airing at night. I find jingles and graphic effects unsettling by a certain hour lol. What comes up when you press Ctrl + V? “I reeeeally miss seeing you and your purple things and seeing you give glares to people who deserve it. what a lodi <333” omg aw. It’s Jane’s birthday today and I copied that bit of my greeting to move it to another paragraph so that my message would flow better. Out of the bands you listen to, were most of them around before or after you were born? After. When did you last jump out of fright? I don’t remember. Are you currently waiting on something? What? For a company to take me in. Does time pass slowly or quickly when you're on the internet? Usually it’s quickly, but now that I feel more and more useless around the house, time’s been more slow and for the first time the distractions of the internet haven’t been working. What about when you're at school / work? Depended on the amount of stuff I had to do and whether I’m enthusiastic about them or not. Does the thought of being pregnant gross you out? The thought of giving birth does, but not pregnancy. What was the last thing you made with your hands? I mean I made myself a cup of coffee tonight, but the coffee mix itself was already pre-packaged. I just mixed it with hot water. Are you good at making shadow puppets? I’d say no. Are you more hungry or thirsty right now? Neither. I’ve been so anxious and depressed these days I’m actually skipping every single meal except dinner, and even then I eat very little. I don’t even do it on purpose; my anxiety has simply stopped me from feeling hungry. No idea what the weighing scale’s gonna tell me the next time I check, sigh. Someone hire me plz. God it really sucks being a fresh grad in this current state of the world. Are you prone to headaches? No. They only come out during hectic schedules and stressful weeks. Do you forget things easily? The little and everyday things, like forgetting my school ID at home or where I placed my keys. But I don’t forget things that are more bigger-picture, like birthdays or faces or memories. Do you enjoy going out to dinner? I enjoy it and I terribly miss being able to do it. Would you ever go on a cruise ship holiday? I would and I have. Lots of fun. Would do again and again. What's your favourite sea animal? Dolphins and whales. Do you get coughs or colds more? Coughs.

[alixxxxcat21]

Ⱥէ Ͳհҽ Ɛղժ φąɾէ 2

          I woke up, not in a room I recognized. I didn’t know what time it was. There was something off about my body. I couldn’t move. I then lifted my head and realized my body was in a hospital gown, not only that but I was strapped to the hospital bed.

           I hear the beeping of the monitor that was next to me. There was a bag of liquid hanging and administering a drip through a tube that no doubt led to my arm. Considering that this all generally freaked me out and my heart rate jumped.

           I heard the hiss of an automatic door. Not something I would have thought I would be hearing considering the state of the world.

           “You’re awake,” said a familiar male voice.

           “And strapped to a bed. Any ideas as to why?” I asked.

           He was silent and his normal perfect jaw was clenched, and a vein was popping in his neck. That didn’t fill me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. However, the silence meant something happened. Something he didn’t want to tell me.

           I heard the door open again and man in a lab coat walked in. 

           “Our sleeping beauty is awake,” he said.

           Wesker turned slightly. I followed his head to see the clear double-sided window. I almost died when I saw what it was, he didn’t want to tell me. 

           For one, my once dark brown eyes were blue, and cat-like. I couldn’t tell why I was strapped to the bed, but I noticed when I tried to shift, something on my lower back made itself known. It felt like there was a tube or something attached at the base of my spine. 

           “Can someone PLEASE tell me what the bloody hell is going on?” I snapped.

           The monitor went a little haywire and the lab coat backed up a little.

           Wesker, his usually silent self, walked to the bed and started unbuckling the straps. Both myself and the lab coat looked at him questioningly but for different reasons. When the straps were off the immediate need to use my legs was overwhelming. When I sat up the tube or whatever it was came free. Only it wasn’t tube. It was a tail and not a normal one. It matched my chocolate skin. It also was about two to three inches thick with a very sharp stinger-looking end.

           I jumped up almost pulling the IV out of my arm. Wesker’s hand stopped me and removed the IV gently. He threw the IV line back on the bed. He stood off to the side. I took in the full view of the image of me in a hospital gown, with the tail that was about six to eight feet long. 

           I twirled around like an idiot trying to figure out how the hell it even got there. The lab coat coughed to get my attention. Wesker put his hand up towards him, in a way to tell him to wait. 

           I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know how the new appendage got there. The eyes were one thing. I turned back to the window and really looked at the shape and color. That’s when it hit me, like a ton of bricks.

           “This! You did this!” I snapped whipping around.

           The new tail had a mind of it own and it whipped out and almost stabbed Wesker in the chest. However, he was just as quick and caught it inches from his chest. Smiling slightly, he turned to the lab coat and nodded his head. I hadn’t a clue what that meant but the lab coat left the room. 

           Turning back to me, “This was not intentional.”

           “What in the fuck else would it be?” I growled out.

           I was trying, without success, to pull my tail out of his hand. He tightened his grip and yanked really hard. Pulling me into him. He let go my tail and wrapped his arms around me. Lowering one hand down to the base of my spine to grab the base of my tail slightly bending it inward. The pain that caused halted any further assaults on his person.

           “You have to let me explain. Causing me pain doesn’t help, just puts you in more danger,” he whispered in my ear as he used his other hand to cradle my head into his shoulder. 

           I didn’t know what to do. I was at a crossroads between nuzzling against him and ripping him a new one. The weird part was I knew affection was not part of his skill set. That much I had been able to figure out.

           A part of him called to something within me. I wasn’t sure what it was.

           “What happened to me?” I asked softly.

           His hand on my tail loosened and pulled me away from him slightly. His sunglasses hid his eyes. However, something told me I wasn’t about to get good news.

           “Well, you remember our little one-night stand.” He started. “Well it seems that I wasn’t nearly as good at pulling out as I thought.”

           I looked at him at as if he had lost his mind. I wasn’t entirely sure I understood what he was trying to tell me. The significance of what he said was lost on me, not because I didn’t understand. No, because I wasn’t sure how that tied into me growing a tail.

           “Explain, please. There has to be more to this. I know I can get pregnant from that but that doesn’t explain the tail,” I said.

           He let go of me and walked towards the counter. I didn’t follow. He picked up a tablet. I wanted to know but I hadn’t expected to see video proof of it.

           “The following morning you didn’t wake up. You were sweating and breathing like your throat had closed up.” He handed me the tablet. “I quickly checked your body for signs of mutation. However, the mutation was going on inside.”

           “You were hot to the touch and I had to dress you before I could bring you here. I had them sedate you. The tail started to snap and break the bones of your spine. Merging them together so your body was able to support the new weight. I knew the pain was something you wouldn’t be able to handle awake.”

           “They strapped you to the bed more so to keep your tail from hurting you or anyone working on you. They took samples and ran tests. All confirming what I had already knew was happening. You’ve been infected. And it was my fault. I didn’t think seminal fluid would do this much damage.”

           I hit the play icon of the tablet. The video started with me being brought in. Wesker was carrying me. He called for someone to get me a bed. Then when I was placed in the bed, I saw my body quake violently. I almost dropped the tablet. 

           It looked like something was ripping through every part of me. I saw my veins turn black under my skin and my skin was darkening. I could tell whatever was happening was more upsetting to Wesker at the time of the video. I actually heard his voice turn to a growl as he barked orders to save me. He seemed to almost lose control as they moved as quickly as they could to get IV line in and set things up to keep me alive. 

           Then I saw my body go still. I could see I was still breathing and had a heartbeat. However, my skin had started to returned to normal color. I could tell they hadn’t even put anything in my system yet. My veins returned to normal. I wasn’t sure what to make of this part of the video. Everyone stopped. Wesker whipped around to yell at them, but someone put their hand up to stop him.

           They motioned to him to look at me. He edged close enough to see that I wasn’t dying. Then my body shifted. I lifted like a worm from the bed for a second. My heart rate went up again. There was a monitor I couldn’t see that someone was pointing to. Someone ordered me to be flipped onto my side. That’s when I saw what Wesker had mentioned earlier.

           My spine was bending and breaking audibly. It made me wince watching my body act on its own. I watched as something was crawling through my skin into my spine. Like it was feeding something. My body was shaking again. Then the panic in the room went up when I flat lined, but I could see I was definitely still breathing. 

           Then everything went a little crazy. They all started doing things. They put my back on my back. They started the IV’s and the oxygen mask. One of them stated they couldn’t get my pulse. I knew that should mean I was dead. However, my heart jump started itself as they were about to use the defibrillator.

           At this point I was more miffed than they were as to how any of this was possible. I should have turned into something by now. Yet, I was still human-looking. I was breathing. I was sweating. Wesker was off screen at this point in the video. I heard him yell for a full diagnostic on me. 

           Something else became apparent when I heard him say that. He had no clue what just happened it concerned him. I couldn’t tell if he could feel fear, but from the response of the lab coats in the room I could tell that something was very usual about what just occurred. They seemed to have never seen anything like this before. Not that that filled me with the warm and fuzzies about the whole situation. 

           The rest of the video was just them strapping me to the bed and occasional lab coats coming in to check on my condition. I wasn’t about to watch all of that. So, I pressed the screen and saw the time length at the bottom. I dragged it until I saw something poking out from the cloth that was covering me. The tail had taken almost 4 hours to break and reconstruct my spine to accommodate the new appendage. 

           That was when they also had come to check my vitals again. This time they opened my eyes and the person almost jumped out of his skin. He said for someone to call Wesker. It would seem that in the same time the tail was growing my eyes had shifted to the bright blue and my pupils changed shape. Wesker joined them as they walked back in. He raised an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes. He seemed calm. I couldn’t see if that was because I wasn’t dead or because now, he knew he hadn’t killed me with sex.

           The video ended a few seconds later. I looked up at him and handed him the tablet back. 

           “It seems your DNA did something to the virus that wasn’t something we had encountered before,” he said taking the tablet and putting it back on the counter.

           “Meaning what, exactly?” I asked.

           “Meaning, that you’re very unique. We don’t know what exactly you are to honest. The tail was never something we have ever seen happen,” he said.

           “You keep saying ‘we’. Who the bloody hell is ‘we’?” I asked.

           “He would be talking about the Umbrella Corporation,” said a female voice.

           I snapped around and saw a hologram of a little girl.

           “Meet the Red Queen,” said Wesker, not the least bit surprised.

           I wasn’t sure whether or not to slap him or freak out. The Red Queen then disappeared and reappeared next to Wesker. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to explore anything that involved a Corporation that seemed to responsible for the apocalypse. There had been rumors and now I knew that they were exactly what people had been too dumb to figure out. 

           I knew I needed to figure out what was going on. There was no way we were still in Washington anymore. Plus, there was a significant absence of the people I had seen before. 

           “What happened to the White House?” I asked.

           There was a deliberate attempt to pretend he didn’t hear me. He turned towards the hologram girl and nodded. He picked up of the tablet. He started heading for the door.

           “What happened in Washington?!” I snapped, my tail acting on my heightening aggression.

           It whipped out and stabbed the floor a step from where Wesker would have been about to step. He stopped and turned back slightly, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. 

           “I am getting the hang of this,” I said more surprised that I aimed correctly.

           I could tell he was debating whether or not to fight with me. A part of him called for it happen. I don’t know how I knew this, but I knew. 

           “What. Happened. In. Washington?” I asked again, pointedly.

           He sighed and turned around to face me.

           “The White House no longer exists,” he said.

           I wasn’t sure what the hell that actually meant. 

           “What?” I asked.

           He seemed really hesitant to answer the question fully. 

           “It was disposed of,” he said.

           “You mean you blew it up?” I asked rather taken aback.

           His silence only made me feel worse about what I had just asked. This wasn’t something I wanted to think about. The implication that he had killed everyone that I had just met. I would have yelled but I didn’t know what to say. 

           “Why didn’t you just leave me,” I asked, pulling my tail out of the floor.

           He seemed rather surprised by the question and just stared at me for a moment. 

           “I wish I had an answer for that,” he said. “I don’t know. Maybe I felt more responsible for you than I did the others. Their fate was already decided but you hadn’t been there for that.”

           I felt sick to my stomach. I was spared only because I was ‘fresh meat’ essentially. That because I had slept with him, I was, in his mind, a little more important than the other people at that current moment.

           I realized I had jumped from one life and death situation to a completely new one. Only now I didn’t have a choice in the matter of my own body. I wasn’t human anymore. I didn’t want to be a monster. However, I had no idea what the hell to do about it now. 

           I shifted back to the bed and curled in on myself. I just started crying. I felt utterly defeated and alone. Again. I couldn’t save anyone, and they had been taken from me before I could even get to know them. I heard him walk towards me. My tail whipped out protectively or out of anger and slashed him on the cheek. He stopped. I think even he knew that I wasn’t in any mood to be consoled by him, of all people, monsters, whatever.

           His footsteps went to the door and exited. Once alone an overwhelming agony consumed me. It wasn’t exactly physical, but more emotional. I was sad, angry, and generally unstable. I don’t know when I stopped crying or when I got off the bed. However, when I finally stopped seeing red, I was in the middle of a very destroyed room. The double-sided window was the only thing untouched. 

           The bed, monitors, everything was completely destroyed. I was breathing like I’d run 5 triathlons. I dropped to the floor, very exhausted. Also, very hungry. Another thought that now mad itself known: I had no idea what this new body’s diet would consist of. Eating anything that wasn’t normal made my stomach lurch and my head spin. At this point I hear the door open.

           I was more surprised that I left that intact during my rampage. The lab coat seemed terrified to be in there at all at that moment.

           “I won’t hurt you,” I said, holding up my hands as a peaceful gesture.

           He seemed more terrified by that. I look at my hands and realized I had grown talons. Very sharp, dangerous looking talons. I put them behind my back and found the strength to create a safe amount of distance from him while they unknowingly receded to my normal nails.

           The feeling of being feared was not something I had ever experienced before. I didn’t like it and didn’t plan on getting used to it. Wesker was going to pay for this. I just had to figure out how. 

           Then the hologram girl showed up again, “Project Raven, we have new room set up for you. Please follow me.”

           ‘Project’, I thought, sighing.

           I closed my eyes in frustration as I went the long way around the room to the door. I followed the Red Queen through maze of hallways to a simple furnished flat. There was a bed and other necessary items. Also, I saw a neatly folded pile of clothing. 

           “This will be your new home while you’re here. Feel free to make any request for room modifications you need,” said Red Queen before abruptly disappearing.

           I went for the clothing first. I picked them up and headed to the shower unit that was along the adjacent wall to the bed. It was separated by a wall from the rest of the room. I assume they wanted me to get the illusion of privacy out of my head. I started the shower and set the clothes off to the side on the small side table. I tore off the hospital gown. The hot spray almost instantly made me feel better. My new muscles were sore and tired. The hot water was exactly what I needed. I quickly dried off and examined my new clothing.

           They had chosen a deep blue long sleeve almost spandex-like crop top. The top accentuated the DD’s that I was graced with. I rolled my eyes. The entire middle section where my cleavage would be normally be covered was missing. The pants were even less appealing. They were similar in material, but black and had a small ‘v’ in the rear to accommodate my new appendage. They were like leggings. I sighed. I wasn’t about to complain about this. I was now their “property”. 

           I started to put the clothing on and heard the door open. I could sense exactly who it was. Wesker walked into the center of the room and stopped. Pretending to wait for me to finish dressing.

           “I see you had some design input on my outfit,” I said walking back to the bed.

           I seemed to missing shoes. I checked under the bed to find wedge-heel ankle boots. The heel was at least five to six inches. I put on the soft black socks that were inside them and slipped them on. Keeping my back turned to him on purpose. I could tell he was looking at my ass, but I made it look as if that was unintentional.

           “I think I have some explaining to do,” he said as I stood.

           “Loads,” I said, plopping on the bed and laying back.

           I had a feeling he would try a seduction tactic. It could smell a scent, a hormonal one, coming off him. My tail flicked out and stopped inches from his face. I wasn’t not in the mood for that shit right now.

           “Are you denying that you enjoyed it as much as I did? Or keeping me from trying it again?” he remarked.

           “Both,” I said.

           I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of reminding me of my first taste of extreme pleasure. Not after what he had known was going to happen to everyone else. 

           There was a table in the center of the room, and he sat down in one of the chairs. I sat up and decided to test my own mental and sexual patience. I walked over to the table and sat down across from him.

           “The plan was my effort to kill Alice for the last time,” he said.

           “Do I want to know why?” I asked.

           “Probably not,” he answered.

           “Alice doesn’t seem all that important. Plus, you had a whole organization working for you,” I said. “I don’t see why you still didn’t just leave me.”

           He was silent for a moment before readjusting himself to lean forward with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

           “Alice, like you, bonded with the virus. She gained regenerative abilities, strength, and agility. She went against the corporation and was trying to expose us. However, by the time that was figured out things had gotten out of hand.” he said. 

           “Virus?” I asked.

           “I should have backed up a bit. The Umbrella Corporation was experimenting with a virus that had bioweapon capability. Alice and another agent were in charge of security at the facility at Raccoon City. However, it was found that she was leaking information about the deadliness of the virus.”

           “A team was sent to secure the facility, however none of them made it out. Alice and one other person, who had been a partner to the mole that Alice was in contact with, made it out. So, they infected her and the other person with virus after the first outbreak at the facility went into lockdown and she was caught as they were leaving the house above the facility. They had successfully kept the virus from reaching the public. However, a curious researcher made the mistake of reopening the facility and releasing the creatures that the virus had infected and lab experiments from the facility into the populace.”        

           “So, someone was dumb enough to open the the place back up,” I said.

           I remember being in college years ago when this all just started. It was a conspiracy theorist dream when they saw the videos. It took a short amount of time to spread across the world. They were the cause of this apocalypse. Now I was a fortunate accident. Another person to poke at with the deadly virus coursing through them that was not technically dead. I was a living anomaly. 

           “That released the virus into the public space. It being adaptive. It spread very quickly,” he said.

           “Fast forward to now. Alice probably didn’t appreciate the original idiots.  Plus, her inside knowledge made her smart enough to be one of the few who could use the abilities they gave her to fight back,” I said. “And now they want her dead.”

           He nodded. I sat back in my chair, then standing up and walking to the counter not far from the table. The fact that Alice was dead along with tons of others bothered me. I couldn’t wrap my head around the simple fact that I was spared because he wanted to keep me close to him. That actually reminded me of the small but large detail I forgot to mention about our little lovemaking session.

           “Did you know about me when you kissed me that night?” I asked.

           I knew he didn’t, but I didn’t want to admit it until I was forced to. 

           “Know what about you? What do you mean?” he asked generally confused. 

           “Interesting,” I said.

           I heard him stand and come to a stop about three feet behind me. 

           “Is there something I needed to know about that night that you failed to mention?” he asked.

           “Well, I figured guys had more of a radar for that stuff,” I said stupidly.

           This was more embarrassing now that I wasn’t human and because he wasn’t a premium choice of male as far as mural compasses was concerned. He was silent for second. I could almost feel him thinking. He chuckled lightly. And reached for a strand of my black hair, twirling it around his finger.

           “No wonder you exceptionally tight,” he remarked.

           I knew he was smiling. I was not about to turn around and face him. I knew my poker face wasn’t that strong. I just stood there waiting to what his next move would. Why would my only lapse in judgement put me in the middle of this...shit storm? 

           I was now the property of a murderous company who plays with deadly viruses. A current strain of the virus that was now firmly attached to my genetic code. I felt Wesker close the gap between us. My tail moved instinctually into his view. I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue this ‘relationship’. I had known him for less than a day and then slept with him. 

           Now, however many days later, lots of people were dead by his hand and he wanted me. Why? It was a question that rang through my head like a huge cathedral bell. Why was I his vice? 

           “This isn’t what I want, Wesker,” I finally said after a few long moments of silence.

           “And what exactly do you want?” he asked, still playing with my hair. 

           He found any excuse, one being my hair, to gently touch my exposed skin.

           I turned around, moving my tail out of view. 

           “I want you to be honest with me,” I said. “And I am not going to be a plaything. Period.”

           I wasn’t entirely sure what face I was wearing but he seemed to understand what I was referring to.

           “You’re going to make me work for it, aren’t you?” he asked with a heavy sigh.

           I could only nod before I used my tail to push him out of the way gently. The stinger on the end of it looked like it could do a lot of damage if I wasn’t extremely careful. I walked away from him to the bed. I don’t know why but I felt extremely tired again. I plopped down on it.

           “If your trying to turn me into a good man, I’m not sure I can be that. However, stranger things have happened. So, I’ll adhere to your request, where I can,” he said as he exited my room.

           I took off my shoes. I had intended to explore but sleep was winning the current battle for dominance in my body. I bundled myself under the blanket and went to sleep. My dreams weren’t calm. I dreamed about losing control of whatever was now a part of me. I saw the level of destruction that it caused and that made the madness within me spiral out of control.

To be continued...

Part 3

[vanilluhbeaux]

Not Another Au!

vanilluhbeaux (distinque)

Chapter 4 : i was soon to change my mind, however

The sun beat down on the car, warming the already steaming insides to an almost unbearable degree. If the couple inside weren't sweating from the—activities—occurring inside—which they were, Katsuki Bakugou didn't half-ass anything, especially anything that involved Ochako Uraraka's whole ass—they were sweating from the heat the sun created inside the car. "Mmm," Ochako moaned in-between kisses, "today was definitely the day for the water park." She felt Bakugou's lips move from her own and onto her neck, kissing the bright red bruises already formed there from an earlier session at his house—but that was neither here nor there. "It's really hot," she added, knowing that he was otherwise too busy to hear her—much less respond to her.

"Duh," he said, against her skin, "it's the hottest month of the year." Of course he'd be listening—he was always listening. It surprised her sometimes—how closely he paid attention to what was going on. She should've expected it by now, ever since she's known him, he's been weirdly perceptive of anything and everything happening around them. Sometimes—Most of the time, he pretended that he didn't notice, but that didn't mean that he didn't catch everything going on. A hard bite on her ear sent her back to reality, and she found herself barely dressed in the backseat of his car, her boyfriend sweating on top of her. "You're thinking too loud," he said, rolling his eyes.

"You can hear what I'm thinkin' about?" she asked, a laugh on her lips.

"Damn near," he confirmed, "you always think loud as fuck when something weird happens."

"When was the last time something weird happened?"

"When Mineta went to Mount Lady's house."

"He didn't just go over there," Ochako said, shooting up and moving from underneath Bakugou, a puzzled look on her face.

"Went over, broke in, same difference. He was inside her house and it was really fucking weird," he defended, shooting her the same puzzled look. She furrowed her eyebrows, pushing them together with an intense frown on her face. "And you were thinking really loudly about him the entire afternoon, especially when he showed up on the news."

"Because he's a creep!" she said, "Like I swear he should be arrested or something. Either he's gonna end up hurting someone—"

"Or someone's gonna hurt him."

"How do you know that?" Ochako asked, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes lightly.

"I know everything, angel face," he scoffed, "I'm a fucking genius."

"Oh really?"

He opened his mouth to say something else, but a very clean, silver car pulled into the parking space next to them—far too close to his liking. Releasing a hot breath, Bakugou said in a gravely whisper, "Fucking hell!" In an instant, he moved to the other side of the car, trying to peer into the car that pulled into the spot next to them, only deterred by the tint on the windows. "I bet it's fucking Deku in that car," he said, looking at Ochako with irritated eyes.

"You can't even see in it," she reasoned, peering into the car herself.

"But do you smell that, babe?" he said, taking a long whiff of the air around.

"It smells like sex in here."

"We smell like sex," he corrected, "but they—" he pointed at the car next to them, "smell like bitch. And the only one who smells like bitch is Deku, and that's because he is a bitch." He sniffed the air once more and then nodded his head, confirming his own suspicion. Ochako rolled her eyes and began redressing herself, seeing that they were not going to finish what (s)he? started—not yet, anyway.

Fixing her swim suit, she pulled her sunglasses down and stepped out of the car, staring at her boyfriend through the open door. "Mina and everyone are probably waitin' on us, anyway." She extended her hand and pulled him out of the car, forcing the door closed behind him.

"Holy fuck, you're strong."

"I was a heroine in a shonen series in another life," she said, off-handedly, laughing slightly.

"That's hot."

When she looked back to smile at her boyfriend, Ochako let out an unintended groan. Bakugou turned him head to see what she was groaning out, and moaned loudly too, saying, "I thought it was one bitch in the car, but it turns out there were two." Their eyes settled on Izuku and Shouto, leaving the out of the car, both shirtless and starting to sweat in their swim trunks.

"Why did she moan?" Shouto asked, following not too far behind them. "She didn't seem like a bitch when we met earlier."

"I hate it when he's right," she said.

"I'm always right." he interjected.

"Right about what?" Izuku said, his voice bright and happy.

"Don't trip," Bakugou said, a light smirk on his face, "Just know I'm alright right—and I can smell bitch a mile away."

x

Mina, Shouto soon discovered, was all curly, pink hair and bright smiles—and apparently so was her cousin, Mei. They both sat at a table inside the park, along with Momo, Denki, Mineta, and another classmate—this one with bright red hair styled in spikes. His first thought was to ask if he was black as well—race seemed to be the topic of discussion during class—but then he thought it was better to keep his thoughts to himself. Besides, he reasoned, he'd see if he was black after getting his hair wet anyway. His classmates, and the extra, were chattering among themselves, and he swore he saw a ghost of a smile when Momo—which was strange considering he thought she was gay, but whatever—turned her head to him.

"Check out what my cousin made for us in the lab!" Mina called, holding a black case in her hands. Ochako squinted and then dashed over, pulling Bakugou with her with what seemed to be enough force to rip his arm off—though it stayed in its' socket. What a shame, Shouto thought, rolling his eyes. He kept his leisurely pace until he noticed Izuku kept up with Ochako—then he hurried along too.

"The lab?" he asked, popping down at the table.

"It's where I make my babies," the extra girl—Mei—piped, sunglasses barely hiding her bright golden eyes.

"We make ours in the back of Katsuki's car," Ochako said in a low voice, snickering.

"Well, me and Jirou can afford an actual bed," Momo said, looking down at Ochako with a disapproving glare.

"I don't think you two can be making any babies, sis," Kirishima added, shrugging his shoulders, "You two don't have all the right parts for that."

"Can I watch?" Mineta said, moving in closer to Momo, his eyes not directly looking at her red bikini but definitely not looking at her face, "As a science project?"

"That's fucking weird. You're fucking weird," Izuku said.

"Well then can I watch as porn?"

"That doesn't make it any less weird," Momo said, rolling her eyes.

"That isn't a no."

"If anyone says anything else about sex, I'm going home," Mei said, straightening herself up and crossing her eyes.

"Bitch bye," Mina said, waving her off, "You're such a fucking prude." With that, Mei walked off—not that anybody cared. Truthfully, nobody intended for her to come anyway, she just happened to show up with Mina at the last minute and had been quiet enough not to bother anyone. When she started speaking, Shouto knew that she wasn't going to last long enough to be a main character—but he hoped she wasn't going to be regulated to a one-and-done cameo appearance and never heard of again.

Anyway.

"Mei made these," Mina said, opening up the black case and revealing a set of eight watches—each pair a different color. "She whipped them up after hearing that Deku—"

"My name is Izuku," he inturrupted, an attitude heavy on his lips

"—Your name is whatever the fuck I say it is, Deku," Bakugou finished, staring down the green-haired boy with narrow eyes.

"—Activated the curse," Mina finished, narrowing her bright yellow eyes at them.

"I didn't even do anything!" Izuku said.

"You're the main character right?" Shouto said, his voice mocking, "Everything that happens from here on out is your fault."

"Y'all gone stop interrupting me," Mina said, looking dead at Shouto and Izuku. She held up her own wrist and pointed at the black band around it, and the face of the watch displayed wavelengths in a smooth, even pink. "The watches monitor your partner's heart rate, so you can keep track of who's alive. I'm partnered with Mei, so her heart rate is displayed on my screen. I can switch back and forth to tell time, but I have a phone so that's really not important. When the waves stop, it means your partner doesn't have a heartbeat anymore—and she programmed it to leave some sort of alert to let you know to get help."

Ochako peered into the box and pulled out the black band with a smooth, yellow line displayed on the face. As she wrapped it around her wrist, it started reflecting a calm wave, that picked up speed the more she looked at it. She reached her fingers out to touch the black and yellow screen, admiring its glossiness. "It's so pretty," she said, in almost a whisper, "I think I want this one."

"Dibs on the other blonde one!" Denki called, prompting MIneta to look at him and raise a brow. The taller teenager looked over and grabbed the other yellow watch saying, "It's blonde like my hair."

"That's not how you use that word, Denki," Mina said, rolling her eyes. "But you're an actual idiot, so I can't expect you to do everything right."

"I've been getting that a lot, lately," Denki mused.

The rest of the group peered into the box and pulled out a watch and strapped it onto them, not particularly caring who got which color or what partner they managed to get—until Mineta pulled the last watch, a bright orange one. "Ew!" Momo screamed, looking at her own orange watch, "I don't want to be responsible for Mineta!"

"Shouldn't have gotten that watch then, stupid ass," Bakugou said, rolling his eyes. He looked at his own watch, finding the wavelength to be white and very steady and shrugged his shoulders. Quickly, he looked around the group and seen that Shouto had his matching watch and he groaned loudly, rolling his eyes. "Who has Kirishima?"

"I do," Izuku said, a smile forming at the ends of his lips.

"Who's Kirishima?" Shouto interjected, looking around with his eyebrows furrowed. He hadn't met everyone in the class, but he was sure that he was catching on pretty quickly; Mina was the girl with pink hair, Denki was the idiot, Momo was the class representative, Jirou was her girlfriend, Bakugou was the guy with the stick up his ass and Ochako was his girlfriend—though he didn't understand why—Izuku was the only one in the classroom with common sense out of everyone in the entire bunch, and Mineta was gross. Kirishima, however? He's never heard of him.

"I'm Kirishima," the redhead piped up from his place at the back of group. Upon seeing his bright red hair, Shouto remembered who he was and almost felt bad for forgetting—almost. If he wanted to be remembered, he would've had to stand out and if he couldn't do that then it was nothing Shouto could do about that. Still, Shouto graced him with a small look, stopping once his eyes spotted a small scar right above the redhead's brown eyes.

"You have a scar," Shouto pointed out.

"Hm?" Kirishima said, tilting his head to the side for a moment. After a moment, he said, "Oh!" and pointed to the smll scar on his face. "You mean this? Above my eye?"

"I have one too," Shouto said, pointing to his own scar on his blue eye, which everyone noticed before and chose to ignore. "Did your dad hit you too?" he asked, prompting Izuku to elbow him in his side.

"You're oversharing again," he whispered, though his seemed to go into one ear and out through the other.

"Uh, no?" Kirishima said, throwing an awkward laugh in. "Denki and I were in a car accident when we were little," he finished, throwing a look over at Denki, who narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Denki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know you remember when we were coming home from school when we were eight and it was raining really hard—"

"—And your mom was mad because we got into another fight—"

"—Which you totally lost—"

"—Suck my dick, I kicked your ass!"

"You're the one who ended up with a bloody nose, but go off."

"And my mom picked me up that day!"

"Bro, I swear you were with me when the car toppled over," he said, before clenching his teeth and holding his head. "Every time I think back on it I swear you're in the car with me." He sucked in a hard breath before shaking his head, sighing deeply. "Whenever I think about it too hard," he started, "my head starts throbbing."

"That went all the way left," Bakugou said, rolling his eyes and looking at Izuku with an emotion other than contempt, "Switch with me, nerd."

"Why?" Izuku asked, his voice light and teasing, much to Bakugou's disdain.

"Because I want Kirishima, duh."

"But why him?"

"Because he's my best friend," Bakugou said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Putting a hand to his head, Izuku smiled a very warm smile before taking his watch off and switching with Bakugou, who grabbed the watch without touching Izuku's tan skin.

"Bro," Kirishima said, wrapping an arm around Bakugou, "I'm your best friend?"

"Yeah, dumbass," Bakugou responded, tightening the watch on his wrist. "Don't let it go to your head," he warned, "I'd sell you to Satan for one corn chip. It just so happens I'd sell everyone else for a lot less than that."

"How much would you sell Ochako for?" Mina asked, giving them a strange look.

"Ochako? I wouldn't sell her to Satan," he said, wrapping an arm around her, "Unless he offered me like, a giant bag of skittles. Then you'd have to go."

"I'm worth a big bag of skittles to you?" she asked, her voice thoughtful as she leaned against him, her head fitting into his shoulder.

"A giant bag. Nothing less, babe."

"As...charming as this," Momo interrupted, rolling her eyes, "if Bakugou gets to switch, then I want to switch, too."

"I'll take Mineta," Denki offered, taking off his watch and giving and giving it to Momo. Ochako, on the other hand, looked as if she had different plans.

"I don't wanna be responsible for her," she said. "Someone switch."

"I'll take Momo," Izuku said, taking his watch off, "You'll have Shouto, but that shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"I'll take him," she said, smiling up at him as she loosened her watch, "he seems like he's alright—a little weird but that's typical." Shouto didn't miss the way her amber eyes winked at him, teasingly and he faintly smiled back at her and scratched the back of his head, a small laugh bubbling on his lips.

"Since everyone's got a partner," Mineta said, stretching his arms out, "I'm gonna go run to the bathroom before we get started."

"The boy's bathroom?" Mina said, narrowing her yellow eyes at him, "It'd suck if we got kicked out because you were peeping."

"Of course the boy's bathroom. I might be a pervert, but women deserve a right to use the bathroom in private," he said, placing a hand above him heart and walking off.

"You believe him?"

"Not in the slightest.

x

In a sense, they were wrong to doubt Mineta. He was plenty of things: a liar, a pervert, a cheater—if he ever got the chance to be one—and a peeping tom, but he was also a man of his word. Truthfully, he was going to the bathroom—the boy's bathroom since Mina wanted to get specific, but he never said that he would stay there. And that is how he found himself crawling through the vents of the bathroom, desperately trying to find the girl's side.

Once he saw the lights underneath the grates and the stench in the air softened to a less gross, but still not pleasant smell, he knew he was home free.

x

"Mineta's such a fucking creep!" Momo said, sitting down and placing a hand underneath her cheek. "He literally left us to spy on some girls using the bathroom."

"You don't know if he's actually doing that," Denki defended from his spot next to her. "He could've went to the locker room to peep."

"It doesn't matter—" Momo began, but then her watch started to vibrate quickly against her skin. She spared a quick glance at everyone, and seen that their watches were vibrating too—fast and loudly. It almost burned her skin, the way the watches moved and ground against the soft flesh hidden there. "What the fuck is happening, Ashido?" she cried, before the vibration suddenly stopped, leaving her wrist red and sore. Before she could say anything else, Denki's watch lit up in bright, bold colors.

"Congratulations!" it cried out, in a voice much like Mei's, "You survived!"

"What the hell does that mean?" Denki said, peering at the watch with furrowed brows.

"It means that you're alive," Ochako said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Maybe Mineta finally died," Bakugou joked, crossing his arms across his chest. "Little creep can't say he didn't have it coming."

"If he's dead, he can't say much of anything," Kirishima pointed out, laughing slightly.

"Maybe we should go check on him?" Izuku asked, looking around at everyone. "He could actually be super dead right now. Denki, what's your watch say?"

"Doesn't say anything," Denki said showing it to Izuku. "When your watches started vibrating, mine went off."

"Shit!" Kirishima said under his breath, jumping up from the table, with the others lagging behind him.

"Does this mean we don't get to enjoy the water?" Mina called, pouting as she followed along with the rest of the group.

x

They said it wasn't supposed to happen—the vents just weren't strong enough to support a whole, human body. It was a freak accident, a force of nature that could have been prevented had he not crawled into the vents—but that was not the point. The point was that it was not supposed to happen, but it did anyway. And really, Mineta was too smart to even try it. He knew better than to crawl in a tiny duct in order to see a breast. When everyone sat down and talked about it, none of it made sense. Nobody could attach a reason as to why Mineta would do something so stupid—except for the most obvious reason.

The curse had started, and it took Mineta first.

The paramedics said that he broke his neck when he fell, even if was only from ten feet above the ground. They weren't allowed to look, but judging from the reactions from the girls leaving the bathroom, it wasn't a pretty sight. "I guess we're not going to be able to spend one of the last hot day doing something fun," Mina said, pouting.

"I mean, Mineta dying isn't not fun," Denki said, playing with his watch, "The little shit shouldn't have been crawling through the vents. Death to the bitch."

"Does this mean we're not gonna fight?" Shouto asked, turning around to Bakugou. who laughed slightly.

"Not today," he confirmed, a light smile on his face. "Mineta gave his life for yours. I'm still gonna rock Deku's shit though. Just becase you're safe, Scarface, doesn't mean that Deku is."

"Run up get done up, Kacchan," Izuku said merrily, resting his head on Shouto's shoulders. "I'm with whatever. I want all the smoke. Whenever."

"Keep this same energy, fuckface."

[rainbowtransform]

The Means to An End

First Part here, or read it on AO3

It’s years down the line before Shuri finally cracks the code in Tony’s game. She’d locked away the phone and didn’t even glance at it until her children pulled it out of its hiding spot and show it to her.

“We can’t crack it,” they told her, staring. Her fingers shake, and she opens the familiar game. The Black Panther comes on screen and it meows like a kitten. Shuri’s eyes fill with tears and she sinks down, cradling the game.

Her children go to find their father.

KuKhanya, May, and Ubomi come running in with Peter. He stares at her, glances at the game and tells their children to go to their rooms. “Umama is just thinking  of someone we used to know. Go.”

“Listen to your father,” Shuri chokes out, and they turn, fleeing. Peter sits next to her, doesn’t glance over, and says, quietly “I still miss him.”

“I know.”

“It feels like he’s still here.”

“Yeah.”

“Did he make that?”

“I got it when I was sixteen. He’d given it to me. Told T’Challa that I would crack it when I’m older. When he died, I…” She swallowed.

“You stowed it away.”

“Yeah.”

“You know Karen?”

“The first suit Tony’d given you?”

“Yeah. You know why I asked you to make me a completely new one and not upgrade my old one?”

“Because you’re a boy.”

“Excuse you,” he shot back in a snooty white voice. “I’m a man.”

Shuri giggles.

“No. It’s because the suit’s the first thing Tony gave me. It… reminds me of him.”

The game feels cold under Shuri’s hands. “I’m suppose to crack it,” she whispers. Peter nods, and offers his own hand. “If you’re going to try, I’m not going to stop you,” he tells her. “But I’m not going to let it mess up your sleep schedule.”

Shuri’s lips curl into a smile. “You sound like my brother,” she says.

“Considering we haven’t heard from him in a few weeks, that’s an improvement.”

“He’s taken a vacation.”

“Yeah, from everything.”

“He deserves it.”

“Always.”

Shuri shrieks, throwing the game away from her. “This is impossible!” She screams. The children are in school, and Peter sighs. “NADĚJE, monitor Shuri’s blood pressure.”

“Monitoring Creator’s states.”

“Ha, ha,” Shuri scowls. “NADĚJE, cancel order.”

“Order canceled.”

“Still haven’t figured out how to get them human-like?”

“Nope.”

“You’ll figure it out.”

“Do you know?” Shuri asked, jabbing a finger at him from behind, eyes locked on the code streaming steadily from the computer screen.

“It’s Tony’s secret.”

“He took it to the grave,” Shuri smiles grimly. “I would have loved to know it.”

“NADĚJE, could you order some pizza?”

“From where, Creator’s Second?”

“I don’t know, surprise me?”

“I am not programmed for that.”

Peter sighs. Shuri bangs her fist against the computer’s desk. “Hey,” Peter says grabbing it gently. “We’re not hurting the computer; it hasn’t done anything.”

“This is one of the reasons I hate Tony. But the code is beautiful and complex, and it seems just like… something I’ve seen before.”

“Why don’t we try it, together?” Peter suggests.

“I’m smarter than you, Peter.”

“I know, Shuri. But maybe you need a fresh set of eyes. You’ve been working on this as a sixteen-year-old, and,” he checks his watch. “Now it’s been six days, four hours, thirteen minutes, twenty-six seconds. Twenty-seven seconds. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty. Thirty-o”

“I get it!” She says yanking her hands back.

“You’re also running on six hours of sleep, spread across those six days. An hour a day, Shuri. An hour.”

“It isn’t my fault,” she mumbles. “My mind runs through eighty-thousand scenarios per minute.”

“Yes, which is why I want to help.” Peter leans over, pressing his lips gently on Shuri’s. “Let me help you?”

She pushes him away. “Fine, you puppy-dog boy.”

It takes them three months to finally crack the code, and they both are wide-eyed, slack-jawed as they stare at the hologram.

“Hey, Shuri,” Tony Stark says. He’s in his lab, eyes bright and he smiles. “This is going to be pretty weird, huh? But, listen, do you have Peter there? You do remember Peter right?”

The two adults grip each other’s arms. “Ah, you guys are basically inseparable. I’m even sure that you guys are going to get married, too. Maybe have a couple kids. Four, I’d guess. This is for everyone I’d left behind, basically. I’m not going to lie to you guys. I don’t expect to win this fight. I’ve… got something Thanos really wants. Something he’s been craving. But he’ll have to kill me before I reveal anything to him.”

“I’m going to go with Rhodey, because he’s my best friend. Rhodey’s been with me through thick and thin, wouldn’t take my shit or my money. ‘Charity,’ he’d called it. But… he’d invited me to his room, put up with DUM-E for years. I really hope his kids know what a good father he’s going to be.”

(Rhodey’s been dead for three years.)

“Pepper… she’s the love of my life. She couldn’t take me being a hero, and honestly? I never expected her to. She’s different. Doesn’t take my shit, keeps my mind on track, has 12% of my company,” Tony’s smile is thin. “She’s the best thing anyone could ask for. Happy’s being intertwined with her because he’s the best boxing buddy-slash-driver I could ever ask for. He’s the best person to talk to.”

(Both Pepper and Happy left the country. Last Peter and Shuri heard of them, they remet up and had been tanning by the beach together drinking and swapping stories of other places they’d been since the kids took over the company and they’d left.)

“The Avengers,” here Tony’s face darkens just slightly. “They’re following Roger’s lead. I don’t know what they’re doing now. Hopefully some sense has been knocked into them. Scott’s got a daughter, and Clint’s got a whole fucking family. They’ll grow soon.”

(They’re still together. The only difference is that there’s no one to be their scapegoat anymore. It’s rather sad.)

“The New Avengers are the my pride and joy, honestly. They’re the best team anyone can ask for, and they act like a family. They’re teens, but their better together than apart. I’m proud of them, and I hope they know this.”

(They do, they really do. Shuri swallows, hard, and Peter’s arm tightens.)

“Peter’s my first ‘mission’ so to say. Clint’s not the only one to recruit Avengers. I know Peter, and he’s going to do things with or without someone’s permission. I just hope he knows the sacrifices, and how hard it is. Especially if you’re dating a civilian. Pretty sure Shuri’s okay with that, though,” Tony smiled bitterly. “Just know… I’m always going to be proud of you, kid. Anything you do. Except the things I did, and the things I wouldn’t do.”

“Shuri…” Tony huffed. “You’ve either turned forty-seven, which is when the code gets easier, or you’d finally asked for help.” He raises an eyebrow. “What took you so long? The game’s designed to know if you’re working with someone else, and it’s better to figure out… you know. A place. How’s Vision, by the way? The Bots? FRIDAY?”

(Vision disappeared, years ago. Peter heard a rumor, once, about a man with a stone in his forehead who was helping others. When asked, he’d reply “It’s what my grandfather would want,” and turn away. They haven’t heard from FRIDAY since she’d broken the news that Tony was dead, and the bots are still shut down. They’re clean, spick-span even though they aren’t ‘alive’ anymore.)

“Vision’s gone, if I’m really thinking ahead. He’s… upset, probably. Angry, scared. Hopefully he’s going to a therapist. If FRIDAY’s shut down, you just got to rewire her to accept you as her new boss; she’d understand. The bots are different, and you can’t trick them into coming back online. The only ones who can do that is JARVIS. I didn’t have enough time to implement it. She’s learning, and she’ll continue learning.”

“That’s probably it. Um. Oh! Kit-Cat said you liked this one video of me dancing. Welp, here’s a side-by-side of me as sixteen, twenty-five, thirty, and thirty-five doing it. Oh… tell T’Challa that it didn’t matter he’d kept the Exvengers. It was better that they were in Wakanada rather than them loose on the world.”  Tony sighs. “If I survive this, I’m thinking maybe, maybe, I’ll consider going on that date with you.”

And Shuri understands. After Tony died, T’Challa grew distant for a time before coming back. He didn’t marry, despite the councils’ insistence that he “must have a wife, or husband,” and T’Challa had laughed with Shuri.

“They can’t make me,” he tells her. “I can’t, Shuri. For right now, I can’t.” And his eyes were distant, in a place Shuri couldn’t follow.

“Who broke your heart, brother?” Shuri had asked. “Who held your heart tight in their grip, and hurt it?”

“Someone who is longer with us,” T’Challa told her. (And for all her genius, she didn’t ask for help for Tony’s game, and didn’t figure out it was him that T’Challa gave his heart to.)

Shuri and Peter replay the message twenty times over. So much that KuKhanya had come downstairs, and blinked at the sight of her parents watching a strange man. “I’ve seen him,” she said. “On TV. They said he was smart.”

“Not smarter than me,” Shuri jokes.

KuKhanya shrugs. “I don’t know, Umama, he seems smarter than Father.”

Peter mock-gasped and Shuri burst into a round of giggles.

The next time T’Challa visited, Shuri showed him the video. He swallowed, reached out and brushed through the hologram.

“Why didn’t you tell me, before?”

“He must’ve made some last-minute additions to it before he’d died. See? The code of… dancing is decades old, but the one where he’s talking? That’s the day before he died. See? See the difference in color of the code?”

“Yes.”

There’s silence, and then Shuri asks. “Why didn’t you tell me about you and him?”

T’Challa’s smile is bitter, small, and he replies with: “There was no point, sister. Remembering and loving the dead like family is different from a lovers’ death. It’s more painful.”

“Especially since you’re… the Black Panther?”

“Yes, Shuri. Especially since that.”

When they turn and exit the lab, they go to the children sitting around eating dinner. Peter has a Kiss the Cook, He’s Spider-Man apron on and is serving chicken parasame around the table. “Uncle T’Challa!” They all shriek, and he smiles.

“Eat,” Shuri tells them, giving them the mother-eye. KuKhanya sighs, and Shuri looks at her.

“You are the Heir to Wakanda,” she tells her daughter. “You have to do things you don’t like, KuKhanya.”

KuKhanya pokes at her food. “I don’t want it,” she mumbles. “Not if there’s all these rules and things to go with it. Especially making a heir?” She scowls. “Why can’t Ubomi or May do it?”

“If you don’t marry, that’s okay. But that means making a heir falls onto one of your siblings’ shoulder. They’re still young, aren’t they?”

“May’s three years younger, and Ubomi’s a year younger than May.”

“Don’t talk back to your mother,” Peter says from the kitchen.

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaad,” she whines playfully.

After dinner, T’Challa asks if the children wish to hear a story. They are excited, elated, because ‘Uncle T’Challa’s stories are the best! Better than Dad’s!’

“There was once a boy, young and full of life. But life was cruel to the boy, and gave him a bad father and a neglectful mother. But, mercy was kind, and gave the boy a nice frien-”

“What’s his name?”

“His name?” T’Challa smiles. “It’s Tony.”

No one notices a spark fizzing from the game they’d left on. No one sees something traveling through wires and electrical places. There’s something in the lab, but no one sees it.

DUM-E, U, and ButterFingers come online, slowly, sensing something unfamiliar yet fatherly. FRIDAY overrides NADĚJE and with a whispery, fluttery, little-girl-meeting-her-father, whispers:

“Boss?”

[dipulb3]

The 2021 BMW M4 is always down to clown

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/the-2021-bmw-m4-is-always-down-to-clown/

The 2021 BMW M4 is always down to clown

First impressions matter, so, let’s look at the nose a little later.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yes, the 2021 BMW M4 carries some unique styling notes that generate buzz on both sides of the aisle. But by laser-focusing on something so trivial, you might gloss over an important point: The M4 is really, really, really good. Better than BMW‘s bread-and-butter sports coupe has been in years, in fact, no matter what they call it.

Like

Punchy inline-6 power

Brilliant handling

Excellent manual transmission

Don’t Like

Tire noise

Weird optional bucket seats

Acquired-taste styling

Driving is the point

The 2021 BMW M4 is an absolute hoot to drive, full stop. It’s an aperitif that washes away the mediocre taste left in my mouth by its predecessor, which featured a frustrating ride quality and an engine note that wouldn’t have cleared the first round of American Idol. That’s all been ironed over and replaced with a car that only ever left me wanting to drive it more.

Under the hood, the base M4’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 delivers 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, routed to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. While there’s a little bit of acoustic electro-trickery piped through the speakers, the straight-six sounds great, especially at higher revs. And there’ll be plenty of opportunity to take in that noise, because with peak torque arriving (and staying put) between 2,650 and 6,130 rpm, it’s easy to become addicted to plunging my right foot into the firewall. The M4 just goes and goes and goes, and it’ll keep going well beyond the upper bounds of the speed limit, signs passing by in a blur. Need to stop? Drop $8,150 on BMW’s carbon ceramic brakes and you’ll get predictable, strong stops on the regular.

BMW has one of, if not the best manual transmission on the market inside the M4. This slick six-speed evokes the feelings of the Bimmer manuals of yore, its slightly rubbery movement between well-placed gates feeling not much different than it did way back when in the E46 M3. The clutch has a well-defined pickup point, making footwork a breeze, and its standard rev-matching system generates pitch-perfect downshifts if you’re not the king of heel-toe.

Like other modern BMWs, the 2021 M4 has a litany of vehicle settings that can be adjusted individually or bundled together by way of the two bright red M buttons atop the steering wheel. Hit the Setup button on the center console and the screen fills with customizable options, letting me tailor the throttle, steering, suspension and braking. The standard mode for each is still plenty engaging, but if you’re a sucker for tight throttle or brake response, the options are available. Throwing everything into Sport eliminates whatever smidge of body roll ever existed in the first place, although I’d recommend leaving Sport Plus for the track or only the most perfect pieces of asphalt. Drop $900 on the M Drive Professional upgrade, and you are given multiple traction control modes that can let you get a little drifty before reining things in.

For as sharp as the M4 is when the going gets twisty, it’s impressively compliant in daily use. Southeast Michigan’s roads are… not ideal for sports cars, let’s say, yet the M4 is never shaken out of sorts. Bumps are dispatched with just a bit of jostling to the cabin, and even the harsher divots never result in a suspension thunk. With the M4 in its softest settings, it’s a perfectly adequate vehicle for commuting, errands and all the little daily-life stuff in-between — so long as you don’t mind the noise from its wide Michelin Pilot 4S summer tires.

Is it efficient? Not really. The EPA slaps the 2021 M4 with a rating of 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. In my experience, city mileage is about there, but staying out of the boost and keeping the overall speed appropriate (since there’s only six forward gears) can push the highway economy closer to 25 or 26, if not a smidge above that.

BMW’s interior design language isn’t my favorite at the moment, but everything is sufficiently sensibly laid out, and build quality is top-notch.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Shut up about the sun! Shut up about the sun!

Most conversations about the latest iteration of M4 will always go back to one thing: That cursed nose. Frankly, I don’t mind it all that much. Maybe that has to do with how it looks on my Portimao Blue tester, the dark grille devoid of chrome feeling way less flashy than on other 4 Series variants. Maybe it’s because, once you see the bumper bar crossing the divide, your eyes can visually separate the grilles into upper and lower components. Maybe I just don’t care that much. Is it my preferred design? Goodness, no. But is it some affront before man and God? Hardly.

The rest of the M4, inside and out, looks pretty solid. Its long, low silhouette is basically a miniaturized 8 Series at this point, with most of the aggressive bits reserved for the front and rear bumpers. The tailpipes may look proportional to the rest of the body in pictures, but in real life, I can assure you that they look like cannons hanging out of a galleon.

Yep.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Inside, the general layout is pretty much bone standard 4 Series, with an inoffensive dashboard layout that, in M4 guise, is wrapped in some seriously smooth leather. For $950, you can shellack about half the surfaces with carbon fiber, but I feel like that trend is pretty played out already. What isn’t overdone, though, is the absolutely batshit blue-and-yellow color combination playing out across the seats and door panels. While it wouldn’t be my first choice, I appreciate the ability to rock some expressive colors that aren’t derivatives of the usual blacks, whites and tans.

And then there’s the seats themselves. These $3,800 M carbon bucket seats are immensely supportive, with high bolstering for torsos and thighs. That said, they’ll be a tough sell for folks who aren’t skinny minis, since they are tight. There’s also the manner of the large protrusion toward the front of the seat cushion; I’m sure there’s some reason for that in motorsport, but in daily use, it feels unnatural and largely just annoying.

These optional bucket seats are supportive as heck, but that little bump on the bottom gets weird after a while.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

iDrive still good, maybe not great

BMW’s iDrive hasn’t undergone any major revisions recently, so what’s here in the 2021 M4 is the same ol’ bit of telematics that we Roadshow editors have been using for the last couple years. I wouldn’t take it over Mercedes’ MBUX, but in a vacuum it’s more than sufficient, with plenty of responsiveness and a home screen that does a great job of delivering all the right info with minimal distraction. Don’t want to use the touchscreen? No worries, friend, because there’s a dial on the center console. USB charging comes by way of a USB-A port by the cup holders and a USB-C port under the armrest. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and embedded navigation are all standard. The M4 also has a digital gauge display that is basically the same one you get on nearly every other BMW these days, and it’s fine.

Unlike many other dedicated performance cars, BMW still equips the M4 with plenty of active and passive standard safety features. No matter the spec, your M4 will roll off the factory line with parking sensors, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and automatic high beams. None of the systems are very intrusive, and the settings menu lets me dial them back a little further if needed, so most of the time I can’t even tell they’re there. Best of all, you don’t need to shell out additional simoleons for any of it; it’s all standard from the get-go.

iDrive is fine, so long as you never bother to fiddle with gesture control.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Down to brass tacks

It should come as no surprise that the 2021 BMW M4 is expensive, but man, this expensive? The starting price of $72,795 (including $995 for destination) is innocuous enough, but my tester gloms on the options. The paint is $550, the wild interior is another $2,550, the wheels are $1,300 and the bucket seats ask for another $3,800. The upgraded brakes yeet another $8,150 out of your wallet, and if you’re feeling particularly spendy, you can drop $2,500 on the M Driver’s Package that does nothing but bump the speed limiter and offer a one-day class at a local BMW Performance Center. In case your eyes have glossed over at the sight of all these addons, I’ll do the final math for you: This BMW costs $93,795. Lord have mercy. And this isn’t even the freaking Competition variant! 

Yet, at the same time, the BMW M4 possesses so much character for a performance coupe that it’s hard to even look at anything else. Competitors like the Mercedes-AMG C63 and Audi RS5 are a little long in the tooth and due for replacements, while the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV is only available as a sedan, and it’s a little harsh for daily use. That puts the M4 in quite the sweet spot, offering incredible performance without forgetting that day-to-day life shouldn’t be a punishment. You’ll get used to the front end, I promise.

Climb in the driver’s seat for the latest car news and reviews, delivered to your inbox twice weekly.

[ohfrickfanfic]

Butcher With A Smile

Thank you all so much for you’re patience with this it’s over 6.5k words enjoy! I put a read more break so no one kills me lol

Anon Request: Could you write something where one of the boys is crazy in love with the reader and they like kinda stalk them? And blood play is involved

Pairings: Tyler x Reader

Warnings/Tags:  needles, empath,stalking,visions, soulmates, bloodplay, knifeplay, biting, bodyworship including a super brief scene with feet kisses and toe sucking,

Tyler’s POV:

“Tyler, Tyler Joseph,” I hear my name being called in the waiting room of the blood bank. I have a thing for blood, and since I don’t mind and actually enjoy the sight of it, I try my best to be a good Samaritan and use my weird obsession for good, so I donate fairly regularly. I follow the woman in the lab coat back to the donation area and take a seat in the reclining chair.

“Can you confirm your date of birth please?”

“12/01/88” I answer, looking up at her. Her name tag reads Y/N, and despite her body being covered up by her lab coat and her hair haphazardly pulled back, there’s something quite beautiful about her.

“Do you have an arm you prefer?” she asks as she sets up the blood collection bag on the digital scale.

“My left,” I answer as I roll up my sleeve. She wraps the blood pressure cuff around my arm, inflating it slightly, putting pressure on my veins.

“I need you to make a fist around this hand-gripper,” she explains, handing me the thick rubber tube. I do as I’m told; I know the routine. “I’m just going to look for a good vein now,” she states before palpitating the crease of my arm.

The second her gloved fingers make contact with my skin, strange visions flash through my head. As an Empath, I’m no stranger to odd visions. Usually, I just feel or take on someone’s emotions, but sometimes if the feelings are strong enough, and if I’m in close enough proximity to be touching, I can see them too. Loved ones passing, a baby being born, someone being promoted at work, you name it, I’ve seen it all. It can be very draining, but it can be rewarding too.

But these visions I just had were very different than the ones I’m used to. For one, I’m never in them, but I was clearly a part of these. It was just a split second, but it was like my life was flashing before my eyes. Not like when you have a near-death experience and you get flashes of your past, no, these seemed to be of my future. It was hazy and quick, like fast-forwarding an old VHS. There was a recipe card, a diamond ring and a white veil, and I was pushing two brunette boys on a swing set at the park.

“Mr. Joseph?” I hear her voice ring bringing me back to reality. “Mr. Joseph, are you ok? You looked like you were gonna pass out there for a minute and I haven’t even stuck you yet.”

“Completely fine, sorry, I was just… uhhh… daydreaming.” I try to act as nonchalant as possible as I gaze up to answer her, but suddenly it’s like I’m seeing her for the first time. She looks even more beautiful than she did just moments ago when I first sat in the chair, and I can’t put my finger on why.

“If you’re sure you’re okay, I’m gonna swab the area with some iodine now,” she states, holding the swab with the yellow-brown disinfectant.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I say, shifting in the reclining seat to get more comfortable before she begins. She swabs my arm, staining it a hideous yellow color and lets it dry.

“Just a little pinch,” she says routinely. I watch as the needle punctures my skin and the blood flows into the tubing before settling in the collection bag.

“You’re a brave one,” she teases. “Most people look away when I stick them and they don’t wanna see the blood, but not you,” she says as she switches on the digital scale that rocks the bag of blood, mixing it with the anticoagulant.

“Yeah, I like bl-, I mean, I-I don’t mind blood. It doesn’t bother me.” I quickly cover up what I was about to say, not wanting to come off like some weirdo.

“Same,” she smiles at me warmly.

“R-really!?” I say, letting my twisted mind get the best of me. I try to keep my smile to a minimum and my flushed cheeks at bay.

“Yeah, really.” She lets out a small laugh. “It doesn’t bother me either. That’s kind of important in this line of work.”

“Oh yeah, right. Right, of course,” I say, thinking about how I clearly misread what she was trying to say.

“I’ll be back to check on you in a few okay?” she smirks. “Just sit tight and try to squeeze the gripper every few seconds.

"Okay,” I answer. The second she walks away, I feel the urge to get up and walk after her, but I stay put, rolling my neck, wiggling my legs and free arm, trying to shake the peculiar feeling.

After about ten minutes, the alarm on the digital scale sounds, letting the phlebotomists know a unit of blood has been collected. She returns, getting me cleaned up and bandaged before sending me off to canteen for juice, snacks, and monitoring.

After another fifteen minutes or so I’m given the okay to leave, but I don’t want to. I have to will myself to walk out the out the door. My legs feel heavy like I’m walking against the current in the ocean, trying to make my way back to shore but the undertow keeps pulling me back. At first, I thought it was a side effect from donating, but I’ve never felt this way after donating before, and I was completely fine just moments ago. Suddenly, I involuntarily turn to look at Y/N as I leave, and it hits me.

It’s her.

*****************************************

I can’t get her out of my head. It’s been almost a full week. I can’t concentrate, I’ve hardly gotten any sleep, and when I do she fills my dreams. The pull, the dreams, the visions, what does it all mean? Is she my destiny, my soulmate? Or have I truly lost my fucking mind? All I know is I have to see her again.

I get into my car and head to the hospital. Maybe I can try to donate again? I know they won’t let me; I know the rules: every fifty-six days. But perhaps they don’t know that I know that. It will give me a chance to at least maybe get a glimpse of her again.

*****************************************

I walk into the blood bank and there she is, sitting behind the desk, attaching labels to a new shipment of collection bags. My heart skips a beat, my palms grow sweaty, and the pulling feeling subsides now that she’s less than three feet away from me. I try my best not to stare as I sign in, but fail miserably.

“Hey, weren’t you just in here last week?” she questions, catching my gaze. “You know you can only donate every fifty-six days, right? Your body needs time to replenish its red blood cells.”

“Oh no, sorry I wasn’t aware,” I say, feigning ignorance.

“What’s your name again?” she pauses her labeling duties to ask, placing her fingers on the computer keyboard to her left.

“Tyler Jo-Joseph.” My own name getting caught in my throat.

“Date of birth, Tyler?”

My heart swells when she says my name, and I actually have to catch my breath before answering, “12/01/88.”

“Well Tyler, see here,” she starts, pointing to the computer screen, “this shows you’re not eligible to donate for another forty-nine days, but I’m surprised you didn’t know that already from all the times it has you listed as donating.”

“Oh yeah… I-I must have forgot,” I say embarrassed, twirling my hair nervously and turning to leave.

“I suspect I’ll see you back here in exactly forty-nine days,” she says with a slight smirk.

“I’ll be here,” I answer. “Nice seeing you again.” ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ I think to myself. Why the frick did I just say that?! I might as well have told her that I came here just to see her… that I have some sort of sick obsession or something… that I can’t get her out of my head.

“Nice seeing you again too,” she says with a smile and a wave, taking me by surprise as I use all my strength to propel my body forward out the door.

Another sleepless night.

**************************************

Roughly another two weeks have gone by and I’m getting less and less sleep. Dark circles and bags have formed under my eyes. I’ve decided that I look unwell enough to perhaps convince my doctor that I’m in need of some bloodwork. I’ve done some research and I know the blood bank is closed on Wednesdays, so my hope is that today on a Wednesday they move her up to the main lab. It’s a slim chance, but I have to try.

I book a sick appointment with my doctor that same day, and upon seeing my condition, he agrees some blood work is in order and sends me to the lab.

“Tyler Joseph,” I hear an unfamiliar voice call. I get up, disappointed, and follow the phlebotomist to the drawing area.

I frantically look for her, peering into the other stations, but no luck. As the phlebotomist begins to draw my blood, a calm washes over me, dulling the distinctive pull I’ve been feeling and I know she has to be nearby. Suddenly she walks out from a back room and is about to walk right past me. Desperate to get her attention, I fake a sneeze as I’m being bandaged up.

“Bless you,” she says, turning to face me. “Oh hey, Tyler, right? You’re just desperate to get rid of that blood of yours, aren’t you?” she teases playfully.

“I guess so,” I laugh, as I roll my sleeve back down. “Doctor thinks I could have acute anemia from donating recently; it would explain my fatigue.” I laugh to myself, knowing full well it’s because of lack of sleep.

“Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t let you donate the other day then, huh?” she smiles, grabbing a clipboard. “Well, I gotta get back to work, but it was nice seeing you again. Try to keep some blood in that body of yours,” she jokes, giving me a single pat on the back that bellows my burning desire for her.

As I force my way towards the exit, I take notice of the lab’s hours of operation posted by the door: Monday - Friday 7am -3pm. It’s 1:00pm now. I head to my car.

Only two hours until I see her again.

*************************************

I sit in silence in my car for two whole hours telling myself that I’m being a creep and I need to leave and go home, but I can’t get myself to just turn the key in the ignition. My body won’t cooperate with my brain, and the pull towards her becomes stronger every time I see her.

Every minute that passes past three o'clock feels like it’s slowly killing me. At what point will my body decide that the opportunity has passed and let me go home? For goodness sakes, she could have been parked on the complete opposite side of the building and left already, but here I am, being a creepy stalker still waiting for her.

Exactly twelve minutes past three, the pulling feeling starts to subside and I’m able to get my hand on the ignition. I assume my body gave up, but then she walks right in front of my car and I realize the feeling subsided because she’s close. I pray that she doesn’t see me sitting here still, over two hours later.

I watch as she gets into her car and starts to drive off. I turn the key, starting the car and drive towards the exit of the parking lot, her car directly in front of me. She turns right, and I throw my blinker on to turn left, back towards my house but why, why, why am I turning right? Oh dear God, I’m following her. I follow her all the way to a seemingly closed local butcher shop and watch as she exits her car, unlocks the door to the shop, flips on the lights, and turns over the open sign.

After about another half hour of sitting in my car, trying to let a reasonable amount of time pass before I enter as to not seem like I followed her, I finally head into the shop. I watch her briefly through the glass door, hacking away at a slab of meat with a cleaver. Her white butcher’s coat is stained with blood and she’s wearing a hair net, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The bells on the door jingle as I finally push it open, catching her attention.

“Tyler?” she questions with a smile, laying down the clever and disposing of her gloves and hair net. “I’m starting to think you’re stalking me or something,” she teases as she walks out from behind the counter, towards me.

“No, I-I’m not a creep. I just needed some meat and I heard this was a great place. I had no idea you worked here, too,” I ramble nervously, feeling guilty about my behavior.

"Relax, I was kidding,” she laughs, pushing my shoulder. “Besides, I could get used to seeing more of you,” She purses her lips together after her words, looking down shyly and fidgeting with her hands. “But anyways, what can I get for you? I don’t have much cut up yet, but I’ll cut you whatever you want.”

“Really?” I say, my heart feeling like it’s about to beat out my chest.

“Yeah, really, it’s not a big deal, just tell me what you want, and I’ll cut it up for you right now,” she answers, mistaking my question to be about the meat.

“No, I meant about the seeing more of me part,” I blush.

“Oh, yeah, why not? You’re kinda cute.” Her cheeks blush, matching mine as she heads back behind the counter. “Now meat?” she questions, motioning to the butcher display case for my options and putting on a fresh pair of gloves and hair net.

"This is what I have cut, but like I said, I can cut you whatever you’d like.”

“Ummm, this,” I say, pointing to a hunk of meat I can’t properly identify by name.

“Ooohh chuck roast. Good choice. Whatcha making?” she asks, retrieving a portion from the refrigerated display and wrapping it in butcher paper for me.

“Uhh, I-I’m not sure yet,” I stutter, nervously worried she’ll figure out I’m not really here for meat.

“I could make you a killer pot roast with this; my grandma’s recipe,” she states as she places the wrapped meat on the scale.

“Ok, when?” I blurt out like an idiot.

“Oh, I-I was just speaking hypothetically, but… uh… if-if you’re free tonight I… um… I am too,” she says without making eye contact, but I can see her lips turn up into a smile as she places a label on the paper covering.

“Definitely free,” I murmur, unable to form a complete sentence.

“Ok, well, just let me finish up here real quick and we can go back to my apartment,” she says, carrying my meat to the cash register. “You wanna stick around and keep me company in the meantime, I can stick this back in the fridge until we’re ready to go?”

“I’d love to. Sure, that would be great,” I answer, handing her the money to pay for the meat.

“So, a phlebotomist and a butcher?” I tease suggestively as she gets back to work, causing her to look up at me with a smirk.

“Well, I went to school for phlebotomy, and this is a family business my parents own. I help out on my days off, and prep for the next day when I get out of work. We were closed today because my parents were out of state visiting my sister who just gave birth to twins early this morning. I couldn’t get the time off from the lab on such short notice anyways, so I just told her I would visit this weekend,” she tells me as she packs the fridge display with fresh cuts of meat.

“Oh, wow! Twins? That’s so exciting!” I exclaim, thinking back to my vision of me pushing twin boys on a swing. They must be my future nephews if I’m right in thinking that the visions and pulling sensation are trying to tell me she’s my soulmate.

“Yeah, they run in the family; my dad’s a twin too,” she says excitedly as she finishes up and begins sanitizing her work station. "So why don’t you tell me a little about yourself.”

“Well, I’m a music teacher. Mostly just private lessons for piano and ukulele, but I sub for schools on occasion too. I’m the oldest of four; I have two brothers and a sister.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to play piano. You’ll have to teach me sometime,” she smiles.

“Deal, but first you have to teach me how to cook,” I smile back.

“Well, let’s get going. I’m all finished here,” she says as she removes and disposes of her gloves and hair net, followed by removing her soiled butcher’s coat and proceeding to the sink to wash her hands.

“Ready?” she questions, grabbing the meat and handing it to me as she steps out from behind the counter, making her way to the door.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” I blurt out unintentionally as I take in the sight of her body that’s been hidden behind white coats every time I see her.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she blushes as she locks up, slipping her hand into mine, taking me by surprise. “Come on, let’s go,” she smiles, tugging me out the door. We walk hand in hand to her car, stealing glances and exchanging smiles along the way.

“My house is about ten minutes from here, you can just follow me,” she says when we reach her car. “See you in a few,” she smiles, our hands slipping slowly apart as I turn my body to head to my car, still keeping eye contact.

“Yeah, see ya,” I say softly, not wanting to fully let go, our fingertips grasping onto each other’s until they finally part.

****************************************

When we arrive at her apartment shortly after, my hand is the first to reach out and join ours together as we walk up the driveway. I carry the wrapped chuck roast in my free hand as we ascend the stairs to the second floor, her leading the way.

Once inside she gives me a quick tour and introduces me to her cat, Oreo, then leads me into the kitchen. She sets the oven to 300 and carefully unwraps the meat, thoroughly seasoning it with salt and pepper while explaining the importance of doing so, then places it in a pan which she tells me is called a dutch oven.

“Come here, I’m gonna show you how to cut the vegetables,” she says, taking out two cutting boards and large knife for each of us. I walk closer, standing in front of one of the cutting boards while she retrieves the vegetables. She washes them and then places some carrots on my board.

“Ok, first things first, you need to learn how to hold the knife correctly. Pinch the back of the blade right in front of the handle between your thumb and forefinger, like this,” she demonstrates. “And then wrap your other three fingers around the handle. Yeah, good just like that,” she encourages as I mimic her instructions.

“Ok, now to chop,” she starts, putting her knife down and coming up behind me, placing her hand over mine on the knife, her body pressed against me. “You’re gonna point the tip of the blade to the cutting board and rock back like this,” she finishes, guiding my hand.

“And now with this hand,” she says, trailing her hand down the length of my arm to my hand, making my pulse quicken under her touch. “With this hand, you guide the food into the blade, but keep the tips of your fingers curled back into a claw-like shape to avoid accidentally cutting yourself, okay? Think you can handle that?” I nod in response, too overwhelmed by her touch to talk.

"Ok good, just throw them in the pot with the meat when you’re done, I’m gonna cut the onions and potatoes,” she says.

"God, you look so good with a knife,” she whispers with her mouth so close to my neck I can feel the warmth of her breath before she pulls away and returns to her own cutting board.

I thought I could handle cutting these carrots, but after that, I’m not so sure. My hands are shaky and weak at her words. ‘God, you look so good with a knife,’ plays over and over in my mind as I attempt to cut the carrots. I bite my lip and my eyes slip shut momentarily as I try to will myself not to get hard, and the knife catches the side of my finger.

“Oww, shit!” I exclaim, causing her to whip her head in my direction.

“Oh, you’ve cut yourself. Hold on, I’ll get you a band-aid,” she says as she quickly washes her hands and turns to run to the bathroom medicine cabinet.

She returns quickly, handing me a band-aid and I start to open it, holding my injured finger out of the way, when she stops me.

“No silly you have to wash it first.” She turns on the water and grabs my hand, placing it under the water’s stream. Adding a bit of soap, she runs her finger over the cut, a bit more blood squeezing out as she does. She inhales deeply, and I turn to look at her, noticing her biting at the corner of her lip. I have to know. I have to ask if she has a thing for blood too. I need to know.

She finishes rinsing the soap from my finger, shuts off the water, and pats my finger dry with a paper towel before applying the band-aid herself.

“Good to go,” she says with a smile. “You gotta be careful, these knives are really sharp.”

We finish cutting all the vegetables and add them to the pan. Next, she opens a can of cream of mushroom soup and dumps it into a bowl.

“Now it’s time for the secret ingredient,” she says, stepping over to the fridge and retrieving a can of Coke.

“Coke? Really?” I question perplexed.

“Yeah, it was my grandma’s recipe. I have it all memorized now, but look,” she starts, reaching up into the cabinet above her, pulling down a small black box. “She left me these when she passed.”

She opens the box, flipping through the numerous cards and pulling out the one labeled ‘Pot Roast’ in perfect penmanship. I recognize the card immediately as the one I saw briefly in my vision the first time she touched me. I smile to myself, knowing it’s the second vision to have manifested itself in some way. If I’m right about the visions being our future, then maybe I’m right about her having a blood kink too.

I have to know.

I watch as she adds the can of coke to the soup mix, whisking it together, and pouring it over the meat and vegetables before finally putting it in the oven.

“You have one too don’t you?” I blurt out as soon as she closes the oven door, not able to hold back my question anymore.

“Have what?” she questions.

“You know, a blood kink?” I ask, swallowing hard, hoping I’m right and she doesn’t think I’m a freak.

“Wait, what do you mean, too?” she emphasizes. “You have one?” she asks excitedly.

“Ummm… yeah,” I admit.

“God, I knew there was a reason I was so attracted to you,” she speaks quickly before grabbing me by my shirt and crashing her lips against mine. “Sorry,” she starts, breaking the kiss, “but do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone…”

“You don’t have to apologize, I know,” I cut her off before she can finish, pulling her back in for another kiss. Our lips part almost simultaneously, our tongues finding their way into the other mouth, dancing wildly with passion.

After what is easily the longest kiss of my life, our mouths eventually part and we step back to catch our breath. A brief, awkward silence fills the kitchen before she breaks it.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Anything you want; anything at all,” I tell her.

“Umm, so… like… have you… um… have you ever tried knifeplay? Like… like with a girl? Like sexually? Or a boy… if you’re into both?” she asks nervously.

"I wish! I’ve always wanted to try it, but as I’m sure you know, that conversation doesn’t usually end well,” I admit, growing hard as I imagine taking part in it with her.

“Oh trust me, I know,” she speaks softly, looking down. Another short-lived moment of silence passes between us before she speaks first again. “Well, it will be about three hours before the pot roast is done cooking… whaddya wanna do?”

I pull her in for another kiss, pressing my body against her, not even trying to hide the fact that I’m hard, my clothed erection brushing just above her pelvis.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” she laughs, breaking the kiss and palming me through my jeans.

“I didn’t say anything,” I smirk, looking down at her hand on me, biting my lip.

“Come on, let’s go,” she teases as she starts to lead the way to the bedroom. “WAIT!” She exclaims quickly, turning back into the kitchen. She opens the silverware drawer and pulls out a moderately sized serrated knife. “Ok, now we’re ready,” she smiles, continuing to lead the way to the bedroom.

Once inside her room she moves immediately to the bed, crawling backwards, scooting her body to the top of the bed and placing the knife to her right.

I immediately crawl over her, straddling her hips. She plays with the hem of my shirt, tugging on it slightly. I take it as an invitation to remove it, grabbing it by the back of the collar and pulling it up my back and over my head, tossing it to my left somewhere in the room.

The action proves to be a catalyst for our nudity as shirts, pants, and undergarments become quickly strewn about between heavy kissing. Both completely bare now, we pause briefly, taking in the sight of each other.

“Tyler, please!” she whines needily, wiggling her hips under me, and raising her hands to clutch on to the detail of her intricate wrought iron headboard, sparking an idea. My eyes dart around the room looking for something to secure her wrist in place, before settling on the belt of her silk robe that’s draped over her computer chair nearby.

With one foot on the floor and my knee still on the other side of her hip, I reach out for it, just barely grasping it with the tips of my fingers, yanking it free from the belt loops. Quickly I weave the silvery-blue fabric through the filigree designs and around her wrists, securing them tightly. She hums and writhes in response, biting her lip.

As much as I’m dying to get inside of her, I just wanna take my time, take her all in, savor her, worship her.

Still kneeling above her body with my hands on her wrists, I kiss the tips of her fingers, slipping one into my mouth. Instantly I’m taken back to my first set of visions again. I see the diamond ring again, but this time my vision is elongated and I can see myself slipping it onto her finger. I smile to myself as the vision fades, kissing her hands, down over her bound wrists and peppering kisses down the expanse of her arm, settling in the crook of her neck. She arches her neck, allowing me better access.

I move my mouth up her neck, heading to her lips, leaving a trail of plum markings in my wake. I connect my lips to hers and immediately I’m thrown back into another vision; the white veil. It’s the extended play version and I’m lifting the veil. I lift it completely up, revealing her face. I cup her cheeks in my hands and kiss her passionately. When I return to reality, I’m cradling her face in the same way. I pause briefly, getting lost in her eyes before kissing back down her neck. I place my hands on her side, about to start moving down her body, forgetting the knife was there and slicing my left palm on it.

“Ah, shit!” I wince in surprise, pulling my hand up.

“Fuck, you okay?” She questions as it begins to bleed.

"Fine,” I answer hastily, clenching my hand into a fist. Without missing a beat, I pick up the knife with my other hand, running the flat side of the cold metal against her collarbone teasingly.

"If it hurts too much or you want me to stop, you let me know and I’ll stop, okay?“ I say giving her a reassuring look. She nods her head yes. I lean in close, grazing the blade lightly along the underside of her jawline, "Use your words,” I whisper.

“Okay, yes, I will. Please, Tyler, just keep going,” she begs, squirming under me, her wrists pulling against the restraints.

I bring the knife back to her collarbone, blade side down this time, and watch as the teeth of the knife carve into her skin as I trace it along one side of the boney structure, blood quickly beading to the surface. She whimpers slightly but nods to continue when I jerk my head up. I repeat my actions on the other side of her collarbone, the blood pooling toward the center of her chest, dripping between the valley of her breasts.

I place the knife back at her side, and with my injured hand, I smear both our blood across her cuts and chest, causing her eyes to roll back and her body to arch off the bed, faint cries of my name falling softly from her lips.

I tongue and tug at each of her nipples with my teeth, then, starting at the bottom of her sternum where some of the blood has collected, I lick up between her breasts, wagging my tongue wildly back and forth in a zig-zag motion across her skin, savoring the metallic taste. I bring my blood-stained lips to hers, slipping my crimson-coated tongue into her mouth. She moans at the taste, licking the excess from her lips after I pull away.

I return my lips to just under her sternum, kissing lower over her stomach, leaving scarlet lip prints along the way. As I approach her navel I’m hit with yet another vision; it’s the twins again, but this time it’s much different. It’s like I’m seeing through her body, into a future pregnancy; Twins in utero, huddled close in the safety of their shared amniotic sack. Now I know my first vision of the twins wasn’t about my future nephews, it was about her babies; our babies.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask, noticing a small single tear streaking down one cheek when I look up at her.

“More than okay, Tyler,” she smiles, turning her head to wipe away the tear with the side of her arm up by her head.

I return the smile, filled with such happiness and love as I continue my descent. I move my mouth to the crease of her thighs, kissing around where I know she wants it most, purposely teasing her.

“Please, I need to feel your mouth,” she pleads, bucking her hips, trying to get me where she wants me.

“You sound so pretty when you beg, but no,” I say sternly, closing her legs and rotating her hips to the side, exposing half of her backside to me. I sink my teeth into the mound of flesh, my crooked bottom teeth leaving imperfect, violet, imprints.

“How’s that for feeling my mouth?” I tease, rotating her hip back against the bed. I return my lips to her thigh, trailing kisses down the length of her leg, bending her leg at the knee when I reach her foot.

Starting at her heel, I kiss along the curve of her arch, all the way to the tips of her toe, slipping her big toe into my mouth briefly. I repeat the actions on her other foot, starting with her toes and moving down to her heel. Once I reach her legs again I begin a trail of kisses back up them towards her core, nipping at her thighs as I get closer. Finally, I press my lips to her clit and extend my tongue down lower, lapping at her slickness.

“Mmmmm, so wet for me,” I tease, lifting my head and lightly gliding my fingers through her slippery folds.

“Tyler, more!” she moans, writhing and pulling against the silky material binding her wrists and I know this is where if her wrists weren’t bound, she’d be shoving my head back down. But I continue teasing her a little longer, placing kisses and mouthing just above her slit before delving my tongue into her entrance. She rocks her hips against my face, fucking herself on my tongue as she moans my name.

“Please, I need to feel you inside me… fuck… I can’t take it anymore,” she begs, sounding so desperate that I give in to her pleas, being painfully hard and desperate myself.

As I line myself up at her entrance and push in, I reach with my free hand to the silk belt that’s keeping her hands in place and untie her, desiring to feel her hands on me. As soon as they’re free she immediately cups my backside, gouging her fingernails into the flesh as she pulls me in deeper.

“Oh fuck, you feel so good,” she whines as I thrust. I slam into her, gripping her hips so tightly I’m sure it will leave marks. She cries out in pleasure, moving her hands up my body and clawing at my back. I can tell by the pleasurable sting she broke skin.

“Mmmm, yeah, I like that,” I grit through my teeth, encouraging her to continue. She ups the ante, grabbing the knife by her side and brings it to her mouth and licking the drying blood from the blade, careful not to cut her tongue.

I nod, giving her the okay, and without hesitation she drags the blade quickly across my tattooed chest. I groan at the euphoric pain. My eyes slip shut and my hips falter momentarily. I open my eyes to a drop of my blood falling to her chest, it lands in a perfect circle on her already blood-stained breasts. I can feel her clenching around my length at the site, and I know she must be close. I regain my rhythm and pick up the pace, fucking her harder and faster.

“Fuck… I’m gonna cum,” she whines, placing her hands on my chest, smearing my blood across it. Her walls contract around me, riding out her orgasm as I continue to thrust, chasing after my own.

A few sloppy thrusts later I feel the familiar build up and I cum hard, filling her up. After a few more slow rolls of my hips, I pull out and collapse on top of her, my head on her chest. I lay there in bliss, listening to her heartbeat and staggered breaths, thinking about how badly I just want to tell her that I love her, tell her about my visions, tell her that we’re meant to be, but surely she’ll think I’m insane.

"You’re not insane,” I hear her voice from just above my head. “I love you, too,” she says, running her tacky, bloodstained fingers through my sweaty hair.

“What?! But… how did you?” I snap my head up to look at her, stumbling over my words in shock.

“I don’t know, it’s like ever since you smeared the blood on my chest, like our blood mixed or something and all of a sudden I could hear your thoughts and see your visions. I saw the babies, Tyler. Our babies. I told you twins run in the family,” she says with a blissful laugh, her eyes sparkling with the happiest of tears.

“I’m so happy I found you. I can’t wait to experience all the visions with you, but first, let’s go get cleaned up.” I return the happy laughter.

“Shower?” she questions.

“Definitely,” I answer her with a quick kiss before getting up.

In the shower we wash the blood, sweat, and other bodily fluids from each other, the water tinted a rust color as it pools at our feet. When we’re finished, she stands behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist, the side of her face pressed against my back, as the warm water hits my chest.

“I never wanna let you go,” she whispers against my skin, squeezing me tighter.

“Then don’t,” I say, placing my hands over hers where they’re clasped on my stomach. We stay like this until the water runs cold.

*************************************

“Come here, I have some witch hazel,” she says after we finally get out of the shower and towel off. “It will clean the cuts, but won’t burn like alcohol,” she states, pouring some on a cotton ball.

She swipes the cotton ball over my chest, gently cleaning the area. Next, she takes my palm and cleans it too. I retrieve a cotton ball from the fancy little holder on the shelf, wet it with some witch hazel, and tend to her cuts as well.

“Thank you,” we say in unison, chuckling afterwards. I press my forehead to hers and give her a quick kiss, but keep my eyes locked to hers.

“You know dinner’s probably almost ready now,” she smiles, breaking my gaze.

Back in her room we locate our strewn about clothes and get dressed for dinner. The pot roast turned out amazing; it’s so tender and flavorful, her grandmother’s secret ingredient adding a perfect subtle sweetness, and the vegetables are cooked to perfection. I can’t wait to eat this for years to come.

After dinner, I help her clean the kitchen and wash the dishes.

“I have to work tomorrow, but you’re still welcome to stay the night,” she smiles, handing me a freshly washed dish.

“I’d like that,” I smile, buffing it dry with a dish towel.

********************************************

Falling asleep in each other’s arms was amazing, but the next morning as we both back out of the driveway and head in opposite directions to work, I grow concerned and my heart sinks not feeling the strong pull as we go our separate ways, but then it hits me. Our souls connected, they’re bound now.

She’s mine.

[nh935]

Creepy America, Episode 10: Monolith

Creepy America

Episode 10

Monolith

Outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

I spent a lot of time looking at empty highways at night. That’s probably not too surprising to you, but in all honesty, you might be shocked to learn just how much time I stared at dark roads. Parked next to them, looking at them from outside the RV, driving over them. Heck, some nights I dreamed about them. There is no asphalt inch in this country I haven’t seen.

And spending so much time around something like that, you start to wonder. About the way the road is paved. About the foundational stuff underneath. I mean, think about: a road is designed to be ignored. It works best when the drivers forget it’s there. But in order to do that, hours upon hours of work is spent testing materials, planning curves, laying foundation, smoothing, paving, painting, tarring, all so that you can spend fifteen minutes on it getting from point A to point B and only worry about the cars around you.

That’s an easy thought to ignore during the day, when the asphalt is packed and traffic refuses to move. But at night, traveling down an eight-lane highway with absolutely no one in sight, you can’t help but marvel at the amount of effort spent into something so invisible.

When it comes to Creepy America, I can’t say I have all the answers. I don’t. But I have some answers. And one of them is the fact that we are not alone. Something built this universe. Or at the very least, maintains it. And much like the roads we drive on, their presence is designed to be invisible. We are supposed to ignore it, and we do, until we stop and think about the architecture left behind.

Things like the monolith, for instance.

***

I was sleeping in the passenger seat when Zoey slammed on the brakes so hard my head smashed into the dashboard.

“Son of a fucking bitch,” I swore. “Dammit. Dammitdammitdammit.”

“Oh shit, Liam!” Zoey whirled to face me from the driver’s seat. “I am so, so sorry.”

“What the hell was that about?!”

“I’m sorry, I just…” She pointed up a small grass hill, fifteen feet away from the side of the road.

There, reaching just above a long row of trees, was a gigantic, perfectly smooth, perfectly black pillar of obsidian.

***

We spent close to fifteen minutes just looking at the thing, leaning against the RV parked on the shoulder of the road and ignoring the blaring horns of pissed off drivers. Zoey had the privilege of watching it with unobstructed eyes. I was forced to continuously shift an ice bag around my face just to see.

Zoey looked at me and grimaced. “I’m really, really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I replied. It wasn’t, but the less I thought about it, the less likely I was to get pissed.

Zoey returned to staring straight ahead, observing the long monolith in the distance. “What do you think it is?”

“Dunno,” I replied. “I’d be tempted to say it’s a cell tower, or the steeple to a church or something, but…”

“It’s too dark,” Zoey finished.

It was. Black is not the color of pure void, and this was pure void. If you’ve ever looked at a turned off monitor screen, then turned it on and looked at the deep gray caused by the monitor projecting black instead of just being black, you might have some idea of what I’m talking about. The structure had no shine. No light spots. No changes in coloration, at all, despite the fact that it was noon and the sun was right above it. It bordered on being a hole instead of an actual object, and despite the fact that I could move left to right and see the shape change slightly, indicating it was an actual three-dimensional mass, the lack of any features whatsoever made it seem like I was looking at a two-dimensional image.

It was beginning to give me a headache.

I rubbed my eyes and blinked for a bit. “Whatever it is, it’s not right. Actually…” I clenched and unclenched my fist, “it’s giving me the exact same vibes I felt looking at that ‘Worlds of Wonder’ painting.”

“Hmm…” Zoey went back to pondering the pillar as a semi blew past us, blaring its air horn the whole time.

“Up yours!” she shouted after it.

I rubbernecked around, watching all the speeding cars. “Do you think we’re the only ones who see it?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, no one else is stopping. Or even slowing down. They’re acting like it’s not even there.”

Zoey shook her head. “More likely they just don’t notice. Everyone here is trying to get home. They couldn’t care less about what’s beyond the trees, and those that do see it probably just write it off as a trick of the light. I almost did too, until I took a better look at it.”

I pressed the ice bag closer to my face. Despite my ever-burning curiosity, I almost wish she had.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

“Hop in,” Zoey commanded. “We’re going to find a place to park this where some idiot doesn’t side-swipe it, and then we’re investigating.”

***

Once we had found a space to pull over, we switched our normal responsibilities: Zoey held the big filming camera and I held the tiny little camcorder. The switch was one half because I couldn’t hold a camera and my ice bag at the same time and one half sympathy. Zoey really did feel bad about smashing my face in, and I had to remind myself of that with every meaty throb of my veins under the swollen area.

It wasn’t a long walk. Fifteen minutes at most. Once we had hiked up the small hill and moved past the trees, the tower was right there, sitting in a clearing like it was just a natural part of the scenery. As we got closer, the headache feeling intensified, as well as a sensation of dread.

We got right up next to it and studied it, Zoey moving around it one way and me the other. By itself, the monolith wasn’t anything too spectacular. It was about ten feet on each side and thirty, maybe forty feet tall. The sides ran straight up until the very top, where they closed together at a point, obelisk style. Not ordinary architecture, especially off the highway in the middle of the woods. Certainly head-scratching. But not necessarily paranormal by itself.

That was, until you examined the material closely.

The pure voidness of it refused to let up. Shining our phone flashlights on it made no difference; the substance just seemed to swallow up the light itself. And no matter how hard either of us squinted or zoomed in with the camera, no detail of any kind presented itself on the surface.

Feeling the structure was… weird. I really don’t know how else to describe it. You could put your hand right up to it and touch it, and it felt cold but not quite cold. Like sticking a gloved hand in ice water. You could feel the chill emanating from the substance but it didn’t really stick to you, the way your hand might stay frigid after grabbing a frozen piece of metal.

It also felt soft. Like clay. And you could squish your hand down and feel the walls give way, just a tiny bit, and feel your hand sink just slightly. But your hand wouldn’t actually move. According to your eyes, at least. And your body can tell when your senses are not communicating the same thing, even if it’s just by a little bit like that. It was incredibly disorienting and made my head hurt even more.

As I scrunched my fingers up and down, hating the way I couldn’t see them wiggle, I heard an abrupt “woAH!” from the other side of monolith.

“Zoey!” I ran around to the other side of the structure.

Zoey wasn’t there.

I panicked for a second until Zoey stuck her head out of the monolith. Like, outside of. The top half of her torso and her head was visible, but it ended in black space, like her body was just cut in half and glued into the side.

“I think I found a way in,” she said, offering her hand to me. I grabbed it and we slowly walked forward, into the darkness inside.

The space entered into appeared to be a narrow hallway. Appeared to be, because I couldn’t see. It was darker than pitch black in there. But my sense of touch still worked; I could feel the walls on either side of me brush against my arms as I moved. It also seemed to slowly slope downwards, continuing straight on for quite some time. We walked for almost a minute straight until Zoey stopped.

“What is it?” I asked.

“We’ve been walking for quite some time,” she replied.

“So?”

“The monolith was only ten feet wide.”

I blinked, the action making no difference in the dark. Zoey was right. We were walking a downgrade, but it was a very slight one. According to the normal laws of space, we should have walked right out of the other side by now, or at least bump up against the opposite wall.

I gripped Zoey’s hand slightly tighter. “Do you want to head back?”

“No,” she almost whispered back. “I think I can see something up ahead.” She continued, with me following behind, until a bright white light appeared in front of us, just as abruptly as the darkness had swallowed us. Squinting, we inched forward until our vision cleared.

We were standing on top of a large outcropping of red rock, several hundred feet off the ground. Below us, hard desert stone stretched out until the horizon, and above us was a twilight sky, dark blue with slight purple clouds.

“Where the hell are we?” Zoey wondered.

I took out my phone and opened Maps. “Arizona, apparently.”

“How?” She backtracked the way we had just came. There, in the ground, was a slight ramp set into the rock, leading downward. She started to walk down it, then stopped and held her hand backwards for me to grasp.

I grabbed on, and we moved forward, back down, into the blind hallway. We walked for almost a minute straight, until the white light once again appeared and we stumbled back out into the forest clearing outside the monolith, bright sun and humid Louisiana air surrounding us.

Zoey looked back at me with pure confusion. “Did you feel like you just walked across the country?”

“No,” I confirmed. “Maybe a quarter mile at most.”

“And we went down both times.”

“Hang on, let’s go back for a second.” I grabbed her hand and took the lead this time, continuing on until white light, then Arizona desert.

“I am so lost,” Zoey said, looking down at the rocky floor miles beneath us.

“Non-euclidean geometry,” I marveled.

“What?”

“Multi-dimensional space. It’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since the Hotel California. Areas of the world separated from us through angles we can’t normally access.”

Zoey whistled and moved her hand above her, a gesture she gave me sometimes for over my head.

“Look, like this.” I took my foot and drew a stick person in the dust on the rock. “If this guy was alive, all he could see would be the area of this flat rock. He’d believe that this flat surface was all there was, when in reality, there’s all this area out here.” I gestured wildly with my hands. “This is extra-dimensional space, and this… whatever it is, uses that space as a shortcut.”

Zoey rubbed her temples. “Hang on, so you’re telling me that there’s this… secret area, that’s all around us, and we just can’t see it?”

“And time, too. We only exist in three dimensions of space and one dimension of time, but physicists think that there’s many more dimensions of each out there that we simply can’t comprehend.”

“Plain English, please,” Zoey groaned.

I sighed. “There are secret pockets of space, and there are secret pockets of time. Things like ‘Worlds of Wonder’ and the hallway inside that monolith, they exist in the secret space pockets. Things like the Hotel California and the Alone place, they exist in secret time pockets. At least, that’s my theory.”

“Cool. I’m going to pretend that I understood any of that.”

“Okay, imagine that…”

WHIIIIIRRR

My new explanation was interrupted by a strange sound, somewhere between the rustle of paper and the hum of an engine. Turning towards the noise, I watched as a small, squat terminal unfolded itself into existence. Literally unfolded itself, like an accordion or an origami piece.

Zoey and I looked at each other, then approached it.

It was the same pure black as the monolith. The surface looked and felt identical, and it still had that strange pliable-but-not aspect to it. But this time, there were glowing green letters set into the bottom of it, into a space that jutted outwards at an angle. The letters themselves were an English alphabet and arranged in the shape of a computer keyboard, but in the order of ‘a, b, c, d…” instead of the regular “qwerty” configuration. Other than that, it seemed every other key was identical in placement, including things like ‘enter,’ ‘space,’ and all the punctuation marks.

As we stared at the letters, the area above it, the ‘screen,’ began to scroll large, green text across it:

>WONDERLAND ACCESS TERMINAL 17-IV

>PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

I reached down and hit the enter key. The text cleared, and new words appeared to replace it.

>WELCOME _LENG_ RESIDENT

>PLEASE INPUT ADMIN PASSWORD, OR PRESS ‘ESC’ TO CONTINUE AS GUEST

I stared at the message for a minute, then hit escape.

>CONTINUING IN GUEST MODE…

The screen then wiped itself back to black, with only a ‘>’ and a blinking underscore on the screen.

I glanced at Zoey. Zoey just shrugged and gestured to the screen, as if to say all yours.

I thought for a moment, then inputted ‘/help’

>ERROR

>COMMAND ‘HELP’ NOT RECOGNIZED

I scratched my head, then typed in ‘/commands’

>COMMANDS:

>SCAN

>EDIT

>FORM

>ACCESS

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” I muttered. I keyed in ‘/scan’ and waited.

>ERROR

>PARAMETER NOT SPECIFIED FOR COMMAND ‘SCAN’

>PLEASE INPUT A PARAMETER:

>KEYSTONE

>SPHERE 1

>SPHERE 2

>SPHERE 3

>SPHERE 4

>LORIAN

>ANOMALOUS II

>ANOMALOUS III

>ANOMALOUS IV *CURRENT TERMINAL LOCATION*

>ANOMALOUS VI

>*NOTICE* ALL REALM SCANS ARE RESTRICTED TO ADMIN ACCESS ONLY

“Huh.” I spent some time hunting for keys, unused to the strange configuration of the letters, until I managed to type ‘/scan anomalous iv.’

>ANOMALOUS IV STATUS

>SLAVED STATUS: Y

>SLAVED TO: S3

>STABILITY: +-21 SC

>HEALTH: GOOD

>AGE: 2000015R KM

>PROJECTED FUTURE PATH: HARVESTING IN T-34289R KM

>ACCESS TUNNELS: GUARDED AND CLOSED

“Do you understand any of this?” Zoey asked me.

“Not a word.” I hunt-and-pecked again to spell out ‘/edit.’

>ERROR

>VARIABLE NOT SPECIFIED FOR COMMAND ‘EDIT’

>PLEASE SPECIFY A VARIABLE:

>SPACE

>TIME

>ELECTROMAGNETISM

>MASS

>FORCES

>*NOTICE* ALL OTHER COSMOLOGICAL CONSTANTS RESTRICTED TO ADMIN ACCESS ONLY

Zoey’s eyes widened. “Now those I do understand. You don’t think…”

I scoffed and said “can’t be,” as I typed in ‘/edit time.’

>WARNING: ALL TIME EDITS INPUTTED INTO GUEST MODE WILL BE LOCALIZED TO USER ONLY.

>TO EDIT UNIVERSAL TIME SCALE, PLEASE INPUT ADMIN PASSWORD NOW

>TO CONTINUE IN GUEST MODE, PRESS ‘ESC’

>*NOTICE* TO ACCESS KM TIME ARCHIVES, PLEASE USE ‘ACCESS’ COMMAND

“C’mon, get to the good stuff already,” I muttered as I hit the escape key.

>INPUT NEW TIME FRAME

>PLEASE USE GREENWICH MILITARY TIME IN FOLLOWING FORMAT:

>DAY:MONTH:YEAR;;TIME:SECOND

>*CURRENT TIME: 31:1:2020;;0600:27*, the last number slowly counting upwards.

I stopped for a second, then pulled out my phone. “Last Tuesday would be the 21st. And… just midnight, I guess?” I carefully inputted in ‘21:1:2016;;000:00’, then hit enter and stepped back.

Both Zoey and I looked to the sky. Nothing changed. There was no sudden movement of sun and stars, and the heavens stayed at a peaceful twilight.

Just to make sure, I checked my phone. It still read ‘8:05 am.’

I sighed. “Well, that was a…”

Zoey gasped, interrupting me. “Liam, your face!”

I stopped and touched my forehead, then pressed down against it. It wasn’t sore anymore. More than that, it didn’t feel bruised or swollen.

I pulled my phone back out and turned on the front camera; sure enough, the damage done by slamming my face into the dashboard was gone.

I was stunned. “No way…”

“Put in two weeks ago, the 8th, at 9 pm!” Zoey demanded.

I looked up some information on Google and did some mental calculations, before typing in ‘9:1:2016;;1700:00, enter’

I stepped away and immediately vomited.

“Holy crap,” Zoey said, watching me retch. “That’s when you had that really bad food poisoning from that gas station burger, remember?”

“I remember now.” I tried to stagger back to the terminal, then bent over and threw up again. “Fuck, Zoey please turn it back.”

“Oh shit!” She ran to the terminal. “What do I put in?”

“29, colon, one, colon, 20… HUGH!, 2016, semicolon… hang on, they’re H-HUGH! Eight hours ahead… sixteen five colon zero zero.”

With painfully slow button presses, she inputted the numbers and hit enter, then turned around to face me. “Better?”

I opened my mouth to say something, then yelled in pain. “OW! Fuckfuckfuck!”

She ran over to me. “Liam!”

“The terminal!” I growled.

“Right!” She moved back to the screen, then typed another string of numbers.

The burning, agonizing pain stopped, replaced by a sensation of dull thudding.

Zoey gave me a sheepish smile. “Put in fifteen instead of sixteen. An hour ago. Which was…”

“...when you slammed my head into the fucking dashboard.” I shoved her aside, somewhat violently, and inputted ‘21:1:2016;;000:00’ once again, then typed ‘/back.’

I took a few seconds to enjoy the feeling of an undamaged, un-puking face, then stared daggers at Zoey. “Let’s not touch it anymore, okay?”

“A-alright.” We stared at the object in silence for a while.

“So that thing works regardless of what’s actually happening, huh?” Zoey finally spoke.

“Seems like.”

“Who do you think built it?”

I pondered the welcoming message for a bit. “Wonderland access terminal,” I muttered under my breath. “Wonderland. Wonderland. Worlds of…”

Something clicked in my head. “Hey Zoey, you don’t think…”

All of sudden, the rock plateau we were standing on began to violently shake back and forth.

“E-earthq-quake?” Zoey stammered.

I stumbled over to the terminal. The screen was flashing on and off, rapidly scrolling a new message:

>WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USER _FADED_ DETECTED

>LOCKING TERMINAL IN 0...

>TERMINAL LOCKED

>SENDING ALL DETECTED USERS TO HOME REALMS:

>LENG

>HELL

>THE FADE

>THE DARK

“Something’s gone wrong with the terminal!” I shouted. The plateau snapped in half between us with a mighty “CRACK!” and began to fall apart. I tried to run forward to the other side and grab Zoey’s outstretched hand, but the sides were already moving apart. My stomach sank as I flew backwards and fell down, down, down, until a soft blue light overtook me.

***

Gradually, I could feel my consciousness return. I struggled, and, after a moment, succeeded in opening my eyes.

I was lying face up in a jungle of some kind. I could see tall blue-green ferns wave over me, and above them, silver and indigo palm trees sway in the wind. I smelled salt water, and felt silky sand underneath me. I took a few moments to lay in the soft ground, watching a large, blue planet slowly move through the night sky.

My eyes shot wide as I realized where I was. “Oh no.”

“I think I heard it over here!” a voice shouted. I scrambled to my feet and turned to face the direction it came from as a thin, gaunt man in a tattered three-piece suit crashed through the brush and came into view.

Greg Thornstein reeled back in surprise, then glared at me. “You…”

“Greg, listen to me. I escaped from ‘Worlds of Wonder.’ I can help…”

“WE HAD TO EAT ANNE BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Greg whipped out a long, sharpened branch at me and jabbed it straight for my face. I lunged back just in time to keep it from impaling me, then turned and ran deeper into the jungle.

“IT’S LIAM!” the furious voice of Greg screamed.

Loud, surprised Spanish responded.

“YES, THAT LIAM!”

I kept running, leaping over fallen palms and boulders, until my foot snagged on a log and I fell on my face. Hearing running footsteps behind me, I scrambled under the log and held my breath inside of my burning lungs, not daring to move or make a sound.

Four sets of feet landed in front of my face, then stopped.

“Where is he?” a female voice asked.

“Somewhere,” Greg said.

“Thought he’d escaped this place,” another man said.

“He tricked us,” Greg fumed. “He’s been here this whole time. And he wasn’t skinny.”

He thunked his improvised spear so hard into the ground I almost shouted in surprise, revealing my hiding place. “Find him! Alive! First we make him tell us where he hid his food, then we put him on the bonfire!”

The feet split away into different directions. I stayed under the tree, cowering, until a soft red light slowly covered my vision.

***

The sound of howling wind hit my ears before my sight returned. Once it did, I staggered back.

I was on the edge of a large cliff, close to fifty feet tall. Laid out in front of me was a burning, red landscape, with roaring infernos the size of houses dotting the planes and gigantic, broken siege weaponry scattered about: catapults the size of buildings, battering rams built like buses, and even more strange and brutal pieces with functions I could only guess at. As for how far it continued for, I couldn’t tell. The color of both the sky and the ground were the exact same shade of crimson, making it impossible to determine when one began and another ended.

As I backpedaled, my foot hit something and I fell onto my back, face upturned to the sky. But instead of the deep red I had seen earlier, this section was a beautiful purple and pink sunset, with long, feathery clouds painted along it. I got up and looked around to the scene set upon this elevated space: a large Spanish mission house, with an empty parking lot set in front of it, and a marvelous blue neon sign raised above carefully tended palm trees.

“The Hotel California?” I asked in awe.

Squealing sounded from my left, and I dove behind a nicely trimmed bush nearby, then peered out over it. The huge and wiry figure of the Captain had one of the large, bleeding, and struggling boars slung across his back with ropes, carrying it to a metal-plated tank of a vehicle with wicked spikes of iron and a bladed front end. As he did, Mr. Barrows, the graying black receptionist, was talking to another man I didn’t recognize, a thin person with curly blond hair and blue eyes wearing a black suit with a red tie.

“I apologize about the condition of this one, Mr. Faust,” Barrows almost babbled. “The guests have been rather combative as of late.”

“So these aren’t the result of attempted murder?” the other man asked. “Perhaps a misguided shot at a mercy killing?”

Barrows gulped. “O-of course not. I would never even attempt something l-like that.”

“And I should also ignore the rumors that you’ve been rather lenient with your check-out times?”

“Sir, you… you know me better than that.”

Without warning, the man took his slender cane and knocked out the legs of Barrows, falling him over to the ground face-up. He then pressed the end of the cane right into the small of his neck and gently leaned on it.

“I brought you here to collect, not entertain,” the man said. “Start telling some of these ‘guests,’ as you call them, that they’ve worn out their welcome. Or I’ll take out the deficit on you.”

THUMP. “Liam!”

I turned to my right. Zoey was pressed against a glass window pane, eyes wide with panic.

I ran up to the window. “Zoey! Zoey, are you okay?”

“Liam, we’re in the Hotel California!” she yelled, voice muffled.

“Where else have you been?”

Zoey frowned. “Where else?”

A loud BAM! sounded from behind her. She turned around and gasped, then looked back at me and yelled “come find me inside!” and dashed out of view.

Behind her, the lumbering, greasy form of the Night Man hurried after her.

I tried to follow, but I slipped and fell, my vision going gray.

***

This time, it was the sensation of clammy, cold air that hit my senses first.

I saw a forest. A large, foggy forest. It was so thick that I could only see about fifteen feet in front of me before the trees disappeared. And the trees themselves were strange, less trees and more long black sticks bereft of branches with white lines slashed across the trunks, stretching so high they disappeared and melding into black dirt tangled with long, spindly roots.

I walked forward, trying to find some kind of bearing. Around me, I could hear sounds: chittering, clicking, crying, laughing. Some sounded far off. Others appeared so close to me that I would jump away in terror, scrambling away from the source before I learned what it was. And each time I did, I lost my position in the fog.

Eventually, I found a two-lane, crumbling asphalt road, and on the other side, a large plastic shelter with a bench: a bus station. Large colored rectangles hung from the walls of the structure and as I stepped inside, I realized that they were posters, each advertising a different attraction:

“Come see the Museum of Modern Living, off of exit 178, the world’s largest collection of carefully curated and preserved suicides, exhibited for your viewing pleasure.”

“WANTED: New tenant for A Town Called Hate. Rent 5,000 a month. Attendance with live lynchings, Sunday mass required. No pets.”

“JAKE-JAKE’S CIRCUS OF HORROR, NEXT LEFT. FAN-TABULOUS SHOWS, HAIR-RAISING RIDES, LIVE EXECUTIONS!”

“Fetch Manor, now open to the public. Come for the company, stay to be dinner!”

And one that simply said: “L A UGH. you KNOW you want to.”

I sat on the bench, shivering, whimpering, trying to figure out where the hell I was or what was going on. But no answers came. So instead I just sat there, trying to keep myself warm and letting shock settle in.

A blackness began to overtake my eyes.

“Oh no.” I jumped off the bench. “Oh no no no. You can’t. I can’t go another level deeper.”

I sat there and willed the darkness back. For a second, it worked. The tunneling of my vision stayed at the edges of my eyes. But then it began to inch ahead, slowly closing over the world. I tried and tried, but the dark just kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing and soon, I couldn’t see at all.

***

It was black.

I tried opening my eyes. They were open. I reached out my hands. Nothing. They swished through empty air. My ears rang with empty silence. My skin bristled with an absolute lack of temperature difference.

The only sensation I felt was the solidness of something under my feet, so I clung to that. I stepped on it. I put my weight on one foot, and then the other. I kicked at it with the flat of my heel. There wasn’t much to be gained from it; it felt solid, and that was it. It didn’t even make a sound. But it was the only thing that existed, so I kept on doing it, taking small steps in random directions.

Something red flickered into existence about a hundred feet ahead of me. I shouted with excitement and ran to it, then stopped as the object got close enough for me to see their shape:

The unmistakable outline of two Red Eyes.

I stopped, but they kept getting bigger. It was moving towards me. I backpedaled away, needing to run but afraid to turn around and lose the only reference point I had. It picked up speed, and I screamed.

The thunderous roar of an unseen beast answered back.

My fear overtook me and I shut my eyes tight.

***

I felt a small, warm breeze on my skin, so I cautiously opened my eyes.

Sunshine, green trees, grass, blue sky: I was back on earth. More specifically, I was back to the clearing where the monolith was. I could see it, right in front of me: all thirty feet of that damnable blackness. But I turned away from it to run down the hill, back to the highway and back to our RV lying just past the treeline…

I stopped cold.

The cars were still. Stuck in place and not moving. Nobody was in sight.

I was Alone, and that only meant one thing…

OOOOHHH LIIIIAAAAMMM….

I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. There was a flap of wings beside me, a sigh, and a blow right to my temples, forcing my eyes open and causing me to fall backwards, face up and see the hoodie-cloaked figure of Sam standing over me, tiny white eyes and glowing smile visible behind the dark void of his hood.

THAT’S NOT GONNA WORK, LIAM MY BOY, it spoke in it’s strange, echo-y voice. YOU’VE BEEN BAPTIZED. YOUR IMAGE IS NOW MINE.

“How…”

AM I HERE? ARE YOU BACK? DOES THE WORLD TURN? It’s impossible large grin twisted just a bit wider. MR. WONDERLAND’S ACCESS TUNNELS AREN’T AS GUARDED AS HE THINKS THEY ARE. HE HAS YET TO REALIZE THAT A RAT CAN GO ANYWHERE IT WANTS.

“What’s going on?!” I demanded, feeling my anger rise. “What did you do?!”

It slapped me. I could feel razor-like claws trailing from his fingers slash my check with shallow, stinging cuts.

OH I DO SO LOVE IT WHEN THEY HAVE SOME FIGHT TO THEM! It leaned down next to my face, then stopped and shaked his head, grin fading into a confused expression.

Then it smiled again.

THIS ISN’T ME. BLAME THE WONDER-MAN. HIS MAGIC MACHINE TRIED TO SEND ALL THE LITTLE PIGGIES HOME. BUT MY SLUTTY LITTLE LIAM HAS BEEN KISSED BY TOO MANY SAILORS TO REMEMBER WHERE HOME IS, SO IT SENT YOU A-BACKPEDDLIN’.

It reached down and caressed my hair with its fingers. I tried to squirm away from his touch, but at this point he was on top of me, trapping me on the ground. WHEN I SAW MY POOR, HELPLESS DISCIPLE STUCK SPINNING THROUGH THE REALMS, I CAME TO RESCUE HIM, BECAUSE I PROMISED TO ALWAYS BE THERE FOR HIM. AND I CAN RESCUE HIM TOO, AS LONG AS HE ACCEPTS MY PENTECOST...

“Get away from me, you freak!”

It reeled back, grin transforming into a scowl and eyes down turning into an angry glare. FINE. LET’S SEE IF YOU’RE A LITTLE MORE AGREEABLE ON THE NEXT GO-AROUND. It pushed me, and somehow I dropped backwards, through the dirt ground beneath me, falling endlessly until a blue light fogged over my sight.

***

I landed with a THUD into a pile of ferns, groaning. I struggled to my feet, gripping a silver palm for support, before I took a look at the night sky filled with blue planet and tried to figure out where to go next.

“There you is.” A whoosh sounded next to me and I instinctively ducked under another homemade spear, moving backwards with the movement to face my attacker. It was Tom, the skinny man in camo, holding the sharpened branch at me.

I held out my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Please, just listen to me…”

“We done listen’ to you,” he said, jabbing the stick backwards. “You took our advice, you stocked up on food, you pulled some magician shit, and you been livin’ out here like a king ever since.”

“No Tom, I escaped. I know how to get out, and I can get you out too if you just let me.”

“Then why haven’t you?!” His demeanor intensified and the jabs became more forceful and violent. It was easy to side-step each swipe from the starved and feeble man, and a dim part of my head realized that I was getting better at being attacked.

“Over here!” another voice shouted from deeper in the jungle, and followed by shout in Spanish. Realizing I couldn’t outfight the whole group, no matter how weak they were, I turned and ran, breaking through the treeline and sprinting across the white-sand beach and into the ice-cold water. Once I was hip-deep, I glanced behind my shoulder to see how close behind they were.

They were all standing at the edge of the water, watching me with a mixture of fear and excitement.

Cold, hard teeth clamped around my leg and pulled me under. I forced my eyes to open in the stinging salt water and saw one of the dolphins grabbed onto my ankle. It let go and issued a strange click-tocking sound, then swam forward, mouth-open, lunging for my face.

I grabbed both ends of the creatures’ jaws, forcing them open even as the sharp metal teeth set inside sliced into my hands. It jerked in a strange, non-organic way, and the water around my ears filled with a gggrrrriiiinnnddddggggrrrriiiinnnndddding.

There was a sudden jab at my hip. Through the bubbles caused by our struggle, I saw another dolphin poking me with his nose on my left, and another one swimming towards me on my right. I panicked, until a soft red appeared at the edge of my eyes.

For once, I tried to force it along, letting the color fill my vision and surrendering to the sensation.

***

The red cleared as my head hit a soft surface. I blinked away the pain and sat up.

I was in a hotel room: two beds, a writing desk, a chair, gold and black carpet with white walls and a window revealing a beautiful sunset. I struggled to sit up and as I did, cold salt water ran off of my body and soaked the floor beneath me.

I felt my foot kicked something. Looking down, I saw my camcorder.

“How did you…” I wondered out loud. I opened it up, watching the screen indicate that the device was fine even as water droplets clung to the surface. “Of course. Does Zoey buy anything that isn’t waterproof?”

I heard the door to my room SLAM shut. I whirled to the source and saw Zoey, panting, out of breath, braced up against the room door with her back to it.

“Liam!” She started to move towards me, but a sudden BANGBANGBANG forced her to lean against the door harder.

I got up and moved over to her instead. “Zoey! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, what about you?” She looked me up and down. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Worlds of Wonder. I went back there. And here. And two more places I don’t recognize.”

Her eyes widened. “Same here. I’ve been here and… somewhere, that was really dark.”

“I went there too.”

Something that sounded like the roar of a shotgun blast rang out in the hallway beyond, followed by pained squealing and running footsteps.

“What do we do, Liam?” Zoey asked, the panicked adrenaline in her voice replaced with a hushed fear.

“I… we’ll figure out something, right?” I tried to assure her. “We always do.”

“How? With what?”

I started to say something, then stopped. “I might have a plan...”

“Good!”

“...but I don’t like it.”

Something slammed into the door hard enough to cause it to buckle, and Zoey threw her weight on it again. “I don’t think we’re in the position to choose here.”

I felt my stomach drop a bit. “Are you sure?”

“Whatever it is, do it!” The terror in her eyes was undeniable.

I sighed, closed my eyes, and yelled, “ALRIGHT SAM, I’M READY!”

And immediately, his voice was in my ear: READY FOR A PENTECOST?

I winced and slowly opened my eyes. I was back on Earth, in America, in Louisiana, in the middle of a four lane highway, abandoned cars spread across its length.

“Yeah Sam.” My voice was trembling. “Ready for a Pentecost.”

That sickly green hoodie came into view again and the black empty that was his face came right next to mine, eyes large and bright and grin twisting ever higher. He reached a hand forward…

“STOP!”

He withdrew as if he had been slapped.

“I… I have one condition. You have to bring Zoey here.”

Its smile returned. SO MY DISCIPLE HAS FOUND A PLAYTHING OF HIS OWN. DELICIOUS… Two large, shadowy wings unfolded from behind him and enveloped his body entirely. After a moment, the whole black mass dispersed away, like a cloud of smoke, leaving me alone.

I fumbled out my phone and pulled up Zoey on Messenger, writing out a text:

“When I say run, run for the monolith.”

Then I put it away and prayed to whoever was listening that the assumptions I was making about this place were accurate.

A moment later, the sound of flapping wings sounded from behind me. I turned and saw Zoey, Sam standing behind her. CONDITION MET.

I backed away slowly, eyes locked on Zoey. “Wait, just… just one more…”

NO MORE WAITING. He took one large, menacing step forward. IT IS TIME TO BE FILLED WITH THE UNHOLY SPIRIT LIAM…

Zoey’s eyes flashed downwards to her pocket. She pulled her phone out, stared at it, then looked at me and nodded.

I stopped moving. “Alright Sam, but… can I just say one thing first?”

He stopped and cocked his head sideways.

“RUN!” I bolted backwards, towards the woods and up the hill. I heard Zoey’s footsteps behind me.

And behind that, an inhuman scream of rage.

“What… are we…” Zoey wheezed.

“Inside the monolith,” I said. “Back to the terminal. And we need to slow him down.”

“How?”

I gritted my teeth. “Don’t know. It’s why I hate this plan.”

HOW DARE YOU REJECT YOUR SAVIOR! Sam’s voice shouted from above us. I heard another leathery flap before the wind began to whistle, emulating the sound of a kamikaze bomber.

Zoey grabbed a nearby branch and swung it behind her, at Sam. “Get the hell out of here!”

The branch hit the bulk of his body, bouncing away harmlessly. But he landed on the ground and stood still, putting his arms out in a posture of surrender. BE NICE, HONEY. LISTEN. Once he said that, he crouched and began to beat on his head with the meat of his palms. NO, NOT CONNIE. THE PIPER OF TUCSON WAS PAID. THIS IS ZOEY. LIAM. SHUT UP!

Zoey and I watched him until he disappeared behind the tree line we were running past.

“What the hell was that?” Zoey asked me.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” I grabbed Zoey’s hand and dived into the side of the monolith.

We were plunged back into that dark, narrow hallway. I picked up speed and forced Zoey along with me, tripping once or twice on the downgrade. A few moments later, the sight of a tiny white dot on the horizon suddenly zoomed forward and surrounded us, then disappeared to give way to the Arizona open sky and raised rock platform.

I ran over to the terminal as it WHIIIIRR-unfolded itself into existence again. “Stall him if you can!”

“O-okay.” Zoey planted her feet in front of the slope placed into the rock.

I moved back to the screen and typed in “/edit time.”

>WARNING: ALL TIME EDITS INPUTTED INTO GUEST MODE WILL BE LOCALIZED TO USER ONLY.

>TO EDIT UNIVERSAL TIME SCA…

“I know, I know,” I muttered, hitting ‘esc’ before the message could be fully displayed.

COME BACK HERE. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the white circles of Sam’s eyes peering out from the darkness of the hallway.

“Why are you doing this?!” Zoey yelled at him.

BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE NONONONONONONONO! FOCUS! The large dots grimaced in anger and backed up a tiny bit.

“Questions,” Zoey mumbled. “Alright then.”

I turned back to the terminal:

>INPUT NEW TIME FRAME

>PLEASE USE GREENWICH MILITARY TIME IN FOLLOWING FORMAT:

>DAY:MONTH:YEAR;;TIME:SECOND

>*CURRENT TIME: 31:1:2020;;0601:32*

>NOTICE: TIME SCALE IS CURRENTLY PAUSED. TO UNPAUSE TIME SCALE, USE COMMAND ‘PLAY-(DESIRED TIME FRAME)’

“I knew it!” I hissed. I ran my fingers over the keys, inputting ‘/play-31:1:2020;;0601:32’, then stepping next to Zoey. “Go to the terminal, hit enter.”

She hesitated.

“I’ll be right behind you. Go!”

She ran back and smacked the keyboard. Once she had, her body faded away into the air.

LIAM, I’M VERY CROSS WITH YOU… Sam yelled from the hallway, close enough now to see his snarling teeth in the darkness.

“What’s going to happen now?” I asked him.

WELL YOU SEE, THE TRICK IS TO HAVE THE KE...STOP IT! HERE, NOW, LISTEN TO ME!

I ran back to the terminal, but now the message it displayed sent a chill down my spine.

>WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USER _FADED_ DETECTED

>LOCKING TERMINAL IN 15… 14… 13…

“No, no, no, no!” My hands flew over the keyboard, typing faster than I ever had or probably ever will.

‘/edit time’

>WARNING: ALL T…

‘Esc’

I WILL MAKE YOU BURN FOR THIS!

‘/play-31:1:2020;;0601:32’

An icy hand gripped my shoulder. YOU WILL KNOW REPENTANCE!

‘Enter’

***

And then, everything stopped.

***

Once I had calmed down, I finally looked behind me.

Zoey was there. As was the dusk sky and the rocky platform. The slope set in the rock was still there, and I could still see the terminal in front of me.

But Sam was gone. The screen was no longer flashing. And there was no color at the edge of my vision.

“It’s over,” I sighed with relief. “It’s all finally over.”

“Liam,” Zoey spoke, “your face…”

I put a hand on my forehead. It felt bruised and swollen again.

I glanced back at the terminal, then turned around in disgust. “C’mon, let’s just get back to the RV.”

***

Zoey didn’t talk to me until later that evening. The de-stress time we spent alone after something traumatizing like that was becoming a habit. One I wasn’t happy was happening often enough to become a habit, but a habit all the same.

But around eleven that night, she slid into the passenger seat next to me as I was driving, staring into the night road.

“Liam,” she asked quietly, “what was that about?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I think that the terminal might have thought we were somebody we weren’t because of…”

“Cut the bullshit.”

I faced her. “You want to know about Sam, don’t you?”

Her angry stare answered the question for me.

“Sam came back that night, the night I came back from the Alone place.” I couldn’t meet her eyes, so I just stared into the windshield. “He told me that I hadn’t escaped. Not on my own, anyway. He told me that he had given me a dark baptism, whatever that was, and he had let me go so that he could give me a dark Pentecost later.”

“And what’s the dark Pentecost?”

“I don’t know. But he named other people he had given it to. Gacy. Berkowitz.” I gripped the wheel tighter. “Serial killers.”

“And why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to scare you.”

She groaned. “Fuck Liam. How can you be so smart and so stupid at the same time?”

“I know. I just need to…”

“Stop this ‘I’ shit!” She stood up and slapped the side of my head, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to feel. “This is you and me, together. We made the decision to get stuck in this RV, together, and that means dealing with problems, together! So while I appreciate your dumbass chivalry, stop it.”

Zoey sat back down in the passenger seat. “From now on, no more secrets. We’re a team. And we’ll beat this… dark Pentecost whatever, together.” Her tone softened a bit. “You’re not  going this alone, Liam. I promise I won’t let you.”

“Alright,” I looked back to the dark road in front of me, spirits lightened. “A team.”

Zoey, how I wish you could have kept your promise. I wish it more than anything else.

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The Samsung Galaxy S8: Splendor Comes at a Rate

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The Samsung Galaxy S8: Splendor Comes at a Rate

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is, fingers down, the quickest, the first-class-looking phone you can buy, Android or in any other case. Its design is a meticulous marvel, curved glass and shrinking pinnacle and backside bezels taking into consideration tremendous amounts probably the greatest display space. However, it’s additionally very pricey and is derived with some downsides. Is it for you? Study on.

The display

The S8’s OLED display beats something else in the marketplace. The Pixel XL, which become formerly the excellent-searching telephone around, way to a vibrant OLED display, can’t healthy it in size — the smaller S8 has a bigger display screen than the Pixel XL. It does this by way of shrinking down the bezels on the top and bottom top-of-the-line the phone to next to not anything, even as the use of curved glass to get rid of any bezel at the facet. And Samsung’s OLED screen simply looks better than the Pixel’s display screen as well. Samsung says it’s the primary “Cellular HDR Top rate” telephone to be had. HDR, or excessive dynamic range, is the contemporary buzzword in video presentations, and usually manner that a display is in a position to reveal top-of-the-linef a greater variety of colors and brightness on the same time. In the exercise, this intended that after I played the identical film at the Pixel XL and S8+, facet by way of aspect, the S8+ turned into incredibly better at displaying the most effectivef excessive-evaluation scenes, along with a scene with a brilliant light shining thru a darkish room. Night time scenes had been easier to see, and in widespread, hues simply had more pop. The distinction was even extra stark while gambling a film on an iPhone 7 Plus, which nonetheless among the best old-college Lcd monitors.

One aspect to notice: via default, the S8 screen is surely set to 1080p resolution — you’ll want to jump into the settings to position the phone into its full excessive-decision glory, this means that a moderate overall performance hit at the telephone.

backside line: There isn’t a better smartphone screen to be had — and there may not be a better one till Samsung releases its subsequent Galaxy smartphone. Samsung really seems to have a lock on creating OLED monitors which can be without delay and manifestly among the finest a higher excellent than the oppositions.

The smartphone

The real phone itself feels excellent in hand, but the curved back and front glass additionally made me sense distinctly apprehensive even as using it on the subway or a sidewalk with out a case. In case you use it one-passed, you want to maintain a barely tighter grip on the telephone, although it’s lighter than its competitors. And, at least at the S8+ I examined, that tall screen meant it was a chunk among the best a reach for me to get to the pull-down display on the top top-of-the-line the telephone, where you manage pretty a great deal everything in Android. you could at least relaxation a bit less difficult about drops across the sink and/or bathroom — the cellphone is rated as water- and dirt-resistant, which means it could be dunked in approximately five ft top-of-the-line water for 30 minutes with out harm.

Samsung’s Android skin, TouchWiz, has calmed down extensively from in advance days, whilst it seemed so disturbing to place some daylight between itself and vanilla Android OS that it created a miles worse usual experience than only a clean install probably the greatest Android. Fortunately, those days are over — though, it’s still now not clear if Samsung will keep lagging at the back of in Android updates. The phone ships with Android 7.zero, but the latest version one of the best Android is 7.1.2 — which could probably be a safety difficulty, particularly If you’re downloading apps from anywhere other than Google Play or the Galaxy Apps store.

There’s nevertheless a few overlap among Samsung and Google’s offerings (as an example, Samsung has its very own web browser you may use, rather than Chrome), But for the most part, it’s a totally intuitive cell phone with a few capabilities that Google’s very own Pixel telephones could be smart to steal (the capacity to interchange among battery-saver and high overall performance mode on the fly, for instance). There are nonetheless moments, however, in which the anxiety between Samsung manifestly trying to have its personal OS and wanting to be on Android emerge as clean, consisting of its app search main you to a page that suggests you what different Galaxy customers like — which then takes you to a Google Play page to in reality buy it. It’s Samsung placing itself inside the process without tons benefit, besides to remind you which you’re using a Samsung cellphone.

The heart top-of-the-line the telephone are, the usage of the ultra-modern Snapdragon processor, that means that the phone itself feels snappier than the Pixel whilst opening apps. It also boasts a faster cellular modem than every other cell phone in the marketplace, which supposed — as a minimum on the LTE T-Cellular community I was checking out it on — that I got slightly quicker download and upload speeds than at the equal T-Cell network on my Pixel. (However handiest slightly, and velocity assessments — particularly top-of-the-line cell facts — are notoriously kinda squishy.)

The Camera

Is quite top! In quick checks in opposition to the Pixel and the iPhone 7 Plus, the S8+’s 12-megapixel rear Digicam appeared to take better photos in low mild; in any other case, the distinction in picture first-rate between the three became negligible — the essential variations in cell phone cameras specifically come into play from the software program and processing.

At this point, barring some revolution in how Digicam optics paintings, when you’re paying greater than $seven-hundred for a smartphone, you’re possibly going to get an excellent Camera as a way to take very good pix. nonetheless, to Samsung’s credit score, you may mess around with the settings a chunk greater in its Digicam app, in comparison to the Pixel or iPhone, and its native photo-modifying app is more complete-featured than Google or Apple’s as properly.

The Battery

Firstly, to address the primary question you possibly have approximately the brand new Samsung cell phone: No, it hasn’t stuck hearth. The S8 comes with a 3,000 mAh battery, and the S8+ comes with a 3,500 mAh battery. Each is decent-length batteries, But never astoundingly huge — the S8+’s battery is virtually smaller than remaining yr’s S7 Area three,seven-hundred mAh battery. It seems likely that Samsung becomes extraordinarily careful about battery length this time around, willing to keep a smaller battery in the region in alternate for a phone much less in all likelihood to head increase within the Night.

I found that an S8+ ought to run for twenty-four hours with regular use (i.E., texting, some internet surfing, playing the occasional game or podcast). Streaming a Netflix movie at full brightness with each video choice turned up manner high (you may play with a stunning amount of the finest settings for the Samsung’s display, along with how excessive you need the resolution to head) would drain approximately 15 percentage among the finest the battery per hour, which means an impressive six hours probably the greatest video playtime. In brief, while it’s in all likelihood Samsung ought to have positioned more battery in the phone, what’s in there’ll probably be greater than enough to get you thru the day.

The Sound

Samsung has a few very fancy verbiage claiming that it is able to deliver better sounding audio than other phones. I tried out a few FLACs (essentially, truly audio documents) with a few high-give up headphones at the S8+ versus the Pixel XL, and couldn’t virtually inform tons distinction — But maybe virtually tough-center audiophiles could. (Of direction, simply tough-center audiophiles can convince themselves something sounds higher if it expenses more, so.)

What does sound highly higher are the protected earbuds, a $ninety nine pair probably the greatest AKGs made particularly for the S8. In case you’re simply into headphones, you possibly have a nicer pair — But those have a terrific sound, a material twice so that they don’t tangle as effortlessly, and are a step above something else protected in Top class smartphones. (It also means, as ought to be stated, that the S8 has a three.5-mm audio jack, so that you don’t ought to go wireless If you don’t want to.) The outside speaker is satisfactory — it can get pretty loud — But sounds quite tinny. It’ll do for a speaker smartphone call, But you aren’t gonna use it to play music.

The S8 is the primary phone to use Bluetooth five.zero, which must theoretically be cool some day. There aren’t any patron objects out there presently using this general, which is meant to lessen quite a few the headaches related to Bluetooth pairing and amplify the range, so, for now, it’s truly fine to have. That stated, I did find that the S8 paired effortlessly with the Bluetooth 4.1 and four.2 wi-fi headphones — a lot simpler than my Pixel, even though not as seamlessly as what Apple can gain with its W1 chip found in Beats and AirPods. A nice bonus: the ability to pair two units the most effective wireless headphones to the equal smartphone. So If you’re caught on an extended flight looking a film for your smartphone with someone, or simply need to pay attention to the identical song, you’re set.

Bixby

It, uh, exists? I’ve yet to use a smartphone voice assistant that I really like, except for setting the occasional timer or once in a while responding to a textual content. Bixby, Samsung’s try to create its own Siri or Google Assistant, doesn’t exchange this, and is so far, at nice, a weird icon that pops up. Bixby is supposed to do 4 matters, simplest the most effective which I used to be able to attempt out. It creates a smart feed among the best information and personalised records, together with reminders you can set to be precipitated via time or area. It has something called Bixby Imaginative and prescient, which allows with the intention to use the Camera for visible search. It’ll, in some unspecified time in the future, permit for voice manipulate probably the greatest your phone — However doesn’t presently (Samsung says the feature is coming in spring). And it is also alleged to allow for manipulate top-of-the-line smart-domestic items in your home, However I wasn’t capable of do this out.

The clever feed, Bixby home, is presently a quite unimpressive glomming together the most effective stuff: your upcoming meetings and reminders approximately who you generally call at that point top-of-the-line day, a random GIF from Giphy, trending topics from Facebook, a Flipboard information Feed, and, uh, issues for your cell phone on the market from Samsung. Google and Apple do most among the finest this, However better.

Bixby Imaginative and prescient lets in for visual search, because of this you may both tap inside the Pinterest visual seek to show you things that sorta look like what you’re looking at, or factor it at things with honestly legible textual content — like a wine bottle or an e-book — and get facts on it and approaches you can purchase it. it can additionally scan QR codes, which is a slick, new technology that everyone loves the usage of.

The real bummer approximately the whole lot is, there’s a bodily button to deliver up Bixby — a button that you can’t reprogram, which rests without delay underneath the quantity controls. I might quick fix Bixby to at once open the telephone’s Digicam, But you currently can’t try this. C’est la Samsung.

Who ought to Get It

All top one of the best who’s limping alongside on a Galaxy S5 or S6 should take the plunge. You’re already in the Samsung atmosphere, and the improvements in performance and display size will make themselves straight away recognized. It’s a more difficult name if you have the S7 or S7 Edge — Each is preserving up pleasant, and that I’d advocate staying positioned except you honestly need to have the contemporary and greatest Samsung.

If you’re in the marketplace for a Top rate smartphone, you basically have 4 alternatives proper now: the iPhone 7, the Google Pixel, the LG G6, and the Samsung S8. The iPhone 7 and Pixel are Each due for refreshes later this year, so buying them now while they’re nevertheless at full Rate seems silly.