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lycanlovingvampyre · 1 year

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MAG 126 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: putting up a new fence.

How this statement giver tosses around name after name and I don't know who they are?? Who is Rosa, who is George? Who is Desmond? (Apparently someone with some defects most likely to their face?) This is so small town behavior, talking about people without explanation because they think “oh, everybody knows blabla”.

"I know, it was an amateur class, and he was under no obligation to do exactly the work as instructed, but Ray was very clear with the rest of us that we were doing things in a specific order for a reason, and it was just a bit frustrating to see him nodding along to that awful man flagrantly disregarding what we were meant to be doing." If art school has taught me one thing, it's that teachers will praise works which will make you only scratch your head in confusion XD I like the concept, that the Spiral is affiliated with art. In the end anyone can interpret it differently and that's why these discrepancies in perception happen. Also, I think a lot of artistic people have been a bit of outcasts for our "weirdness". Me and my friends certainly all are.

"At least, not until I went to my salsa class the following Thursday, and instead found myself walking into a room set up for sculpture. I was obviously taken aback at what had to be a really significant scheduling issue, but having a quick check of the timetable of classes, it looked very much like sculpting had always been on a Thursday" Oh yeah, this. This is the worst... I hate this...

"He said the key was that faces were twisted. All faces were twisted on the inside, and all you had to do was reach into the deepest part of yourself and put that twisted on the outside of the clay, and as soon as you can scream you’ll have your own face staring back at you." Yep, sounds about right. I went through five years of teachers giving instructions not unlike these. Not all of them were like this of course, there was a pattern to which field of art was more down-to-earth and which felt like nonsense and bullshitting around. Funnily enough, the workshops of these art classes were set structurally exactly like this in my school. Down-to-earth classes in the basement and ground floor and then it got weirder the higher up you moved.

"he said, glancing over nervously to Gabriel, who gave him… big thumbs up. Like it was all some joke they were playing. It didn’t feel like a joke, let me tell you." This statement is so uncomfortable...

"Finally the lines seemed to resolve into a clear shape: A door. 'Perfect!' Gabriel told me. 'It looks just like him!'I asked him if it was supposed to be a face and he told me yes. It was a good friend of his. I asked him who and he said they didn’t have a name. I told him everyone has a name, and he said his friend wasn’t like us, that having a name would only confuse them." The Distortion...

Aside from the horrible gaslighting this episode is an excellent example for cosmic horror. All the impossibilities of things happening, rooms being not the same, shapes shifting, people not being people anymore.

"I could feel his spiraling fingerprints start to turn. Round and around." Reminds me of Annihilation. They were snaking there.

JON: "A Great Twisting, that Gertrude stopped at the cost of a single life. (hm) I thought moving away from my humanity would have made that seem more acceptable. That sort of sacrifice… But it just makes me sad." Queue another discussion on Jon and Gertrude’s relationship to “humanity”. (Also, did he already hunt down a live statement here and is sort of talking about this as well?)

JON: "I remembered Gertrude’s notebook. We found it alongside the plastic explosives, but it rather got lost amongst the business of… (sigh) saving the world at the cost of two lives. It – it’s borderline incomprehensible. Not because of any code, or cipher; there’s every chance I could read those. Just simply because most of it is numbers or fragments of sentences that would no doubt mean something to her, but, well, not to me. I’ve been staring at it for hours, in the hopes something from it would just – come to me. And it worked well enough to point me towards this statement, which is… useful background, and perhaps gives some insight into how Gertrude formulated her counter-rituals, but – not much more." Oh yeah, so the notebook does come up again! (I couldn't remember back in MAG 113.)

JON: "I’ve been trying to check on Melanie’s condition. She refuses to see me – understandably, I,I suppose, and Basira has been looking after her. (sigh) It hurts, of course. But… (sigh) I really hope getting that bullet out of her helps. At least stops it from getting any worse. I can’t have been too late again." T_T Okay, so as a HSP this is just torture. First we get this asshole character which I hated and I couldn't even get into the podcast because of it. Then sweetheart Martin hits and Jon shows more and more that he has a bigger range of feelings than just stone-cold skepticism. Especially when the realisation of Not!Sasha catches up to him. Then we get this character, who we slowly learned to like, get tossed around like a ball in a middle school gym class, we get to see him open up to others, we see that he is liked and loved by others and then THIS for an ENTIRE SEASON! (It’s not like it’s sooo much better in S5...) And even though nobody except for Melanie blames Jon for Tim and Daisy's death, he blames himself and we get to feel that because we mostly see his perspective of course. Jon thought his childhood bully dying is his fault, Sasha dying is his fault. Tim blames him for getting stuck in the Archives and other events (I got eaten by worms because of you - MAG 65), Melanie also started to blame him in S3 (Because it is your fault that I'm here. Fix it or get out of my way - MAG 102). His thinking pattern is centered around guilt.

JON: "I suppose I should be worried, but I have so much to keep watch over." I think this is exactly what makes TMA so good. There's too much to keep watch over, so it manages to surprise you. I've seen stories of a lesser scale fail to surprise because it was easy to keep track of all the elements.

JON: "She didn’t go to Sannikov Land in the end. I don’t know, however, whether that was because she decided not to… or because shortly after this statement was given, they found the body of one Mary Randall in her basement, and she has spent the last nine years in Eastwood Park prison, where she remains to this day." Oh fuck, I missed these research bits that made the statement even worse.

It took me incredibly long to get that Martin is talking to the tape recorders like a pet xD (Also... Web!Martin?)

MARTIN: "It’s because he’s back, isn’t it. He’s back, so now you’re going to be – around, again. Listening in. (amused *hm*) You missed him, didn’t you? (same little laugh) Yeah. Yeah, me too." ༼☯﹏☯༽

PETER: "You talked to him?" MARTIN: "I – I tried not to; I-I-I didn’t mean to –" PETER: (I’m not mad I’m just disappointed) "You talked to him. And that’s understandable, Martin, of course it is; please don’t think I’m upset; it’s just – not ideal." Martin arguing that their meeting was an accident actually sounds kinda fearful. For a short moment this paints a very horrific dynamic between these two, until is shifts into this best buddy-manipulation.

MARTIN: (indignant) "A-a simple ‘hello’ isn’t going to make any difference to –" PETER: "We’ve been over this." God, he wants to...

MARTIN: ""But if I could just explain –" PETER: "And how do you think Jon’s going to react to that explanation, hm? You think he’ll accept it calmly? Come through with a well-considered, rational response?" MARTIN: "That’s not fair." PETER: "Or would he assume he knows better than you and do something rash?" Actually, that's kind of what Jon ends up doing though? Accepting it and trusting Martin, that he know's what he's doing. But Jon is also impulsive and it's easier to talk Martin into this not provoking impulsive, possibly self-destructive behavior, so Martin let's go of his connection to Jon.

PETER: "Martin. This isn’t how any of us wanted it to go. But here we are, and if we don’t pull this off, it’s over for everyone. Jon included." Oh yes, building suspense!

PETER: "Because behind all his bluster, Elias is just like all the rest. He’s so preoccupied playing the game, he doesn’t pay attention to the big picture. He managed to convince himself that he could get his ritual off first, which would have made all of this a bit – moot, but that’s not really an option anymore." Again, I totally didn't have Elias still planing his ritual in the picture when I was listening the first time.

PETER: "I’m just saying that we’d all be better off if your Archivist actually knew how to archive." MARTIN: (enough) "Peter." Lol, it needed to be said?

MARTIN: "When all this is over, I’m telling him everything, with or without your permission." PETER: "Martin, when it’s over, you won’t want to." Yes, more build-up! (Also, Martin nooooooo!!!)

[MARTIN LETS OUT A CONTEMPLATIVE NOISE.] PETER: "But he will be safe. They all will." And more about Martin's motivation. I didn't listen to any of the trailer the first round because I was listening on YT, so this was vital information for me.

PETER: "Never had much of a gift for administration myself – too many variables. Now, this box on the left, that’s the library stuff, yes?" MARTIN: "Wh– n,no! That’s the – Those are the dates! I – (clicking) Look, are you sure you don’t want me to teach you; i-it’s a very simple program –" PETER: "No, no. Can’t stand computers. Besides, that’s why I have an assistant, isn’t it?" Ok boomer xD

@a-mag-a-day

#a-mag-a-day #mag 126 #tma #tma spoilers

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anonymousewrites · 2 years

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A Study of the Heart and Brain (Book 1) Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Thieving Smugglers

“The world’s run on codes and ciphers,” rambled Sherlock as they walked towards the National Gallery. “From the million-pound security system at the bank to the PIN machine John had a row with, cryptography inhabits our every waking moment.”

“Yes, okay, but—” began John.

“But it’s all computer generated—electronic codes, electronic ciphering methods. This is different. It’s an ancient device. Modern code-breaking methods won’t unravel it,” continued Sherlock.

“Where are we headed?” asked John.

“He needs to ask some advice,” said (Y/N).

“What?” John was shocked that Sherlock would admit he needed help.

“You heard them perfectly, I’m not saying it again,” said Sherlock.

“You need advice?” repeated John.

“On, painting, yes. I need to talk to an expert,” said Sherlock. He led them around the back of the Gallery to a small alley where Raz was spraying paint into a stencil on the metal door.

“Part of a new exhibition,” said Raz as he glanced at them.

“Interesting,” said Sherlock, completely disinterested.

“I call it ‘Urban Bloodlust Frenzy,’ ” said Raz.

“A commentary on modern civilization, Raz?” said (Y/N) wryly.

“You get it!” said Raz cheerfully. “Now, I’ve got two minutes before a Community Support Officer comes around that corner…Can we do this while I’m working?”

Sherlock nodded and pulled out his phone to show Raz a photo of the cipher. “Know the author?”

Raz took a quick glance. “Recognize the paint. It’s the Michigan; hardcore propellant. I’d say zinc,” he said.

“What about the symbols? Any clue?” asked (Y/N).

He shrugged. “Not even sure it’s a proper language.”

“Two men have been murdered, Raz. Deciphering this is the key to finding out who killed them,” said Sherlock.

“What, and this is all you’ve got to go on?” asked Raz. “It’s hardly much now, is it?”

“Can you ask around?” questioned (Y/N).

“For my favorite kid? Sure,” said Raz.

“Oi!” cried the community support officer. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh! Gotta go!” Raz took off running.

“Uh, oh!” (Y/N) grabbed Sherlock’s hand and ran off; John sighed and followed after them before he too was caught.

(Y/N) tossed a book down and sighed. Sherlock shut his with a frustrated huff. “This symbol, I still can’t place it!” he muttered. “John, I need you to go to the police station and ask about the journalist. (Y/N), come with me.”

“Oh, really?” sighed John.

“His personal effects will have been impounded. Get ahold of his diary, or something that will tell us his movements,” said Sherlock.

“Planner is more likely,” added (Y/N) helpfully.

“We’ll get Van Coon’s schedule from his PA. Then, we’ll retrace his steps and see where the two men coincide,” said Sherlock.

John got up from his armchair. “Alright. But only so that I can do something other than watch you and (Y/N) flip through books of ciphers.”

“Excellent!” Sherlock rubbed his hands together. “We’ll find another lead.”

“Maybe there’ll be a clue to the cipher where they both went,” said (Y/N).

“Precisely!” said Sherlock.

“Flew back from Dalian Friday,” said Amanda, Van Coon’s PA. Van Coon had been out of the country lately (which explained the suitcase being searched. (Y/N) was considering a smuggling ring due to that. They also thought Amanda had a nice jade pin, probably from Van Coon. Same for the hand cream near her. Office affair? Possible. Also possible: just one-sided). “Looks like he had back-to-back meetings with the sales teams.”

“Can you print me a copy?” asked Sherlock.

“Sure,” said Amanda cheerfully.

“What about the day he was killed?” asked (Y/N), taking the lollipop out of their mouth to speak clearly. “Where was he then?”

Amanda frowned apologetically. “Sorry, bit of a gap.” She brightened. “But I have all his receipts!” She grabbed them and spread them out on the counter in front of her.

“What kind of boss was he, Amanda? Appreciative?” asked Sherlock.

“Um, no. That’s not a word I’d use. The only thing Eddie appreciated had a big price tag,” said Amanda.

Eddie. Familiar name. Definitely something more than just banker and PA here.

“Like that hand cream,” observed Sherlock. “He bought that for you, didn’t he?” Amanda nervously fiddled with her hairpin at Sherlock’s correct observation.

“Sherlock, he got a taxi from home that was £18.50 the day he died,” said (Y/N), holding up a receipt.

“That would get him to the office,” said Amanda.

“Not rush hour. Mid-morning. Eighteen would get him as far as…” murmured Sherlock.

“West End,” interjected Amanda. “I remember him saying.”

“Underground ticket from the same day,” said (Y/N), holding it up. “Printed at one in Piccadilly. Taxi into town, tube back…” They paused to think. “Delivering something heavy. He didn’t want to carry it into the tube to his drop-off, but he was free to the take the underground back,” they concluded.

“Stopped before returning.” Sherlock held up a receipt for Piazza Espresso Bar. “He got peckish.” He grinned.

“We’ve got a place,” said (Y/N). “If John shows up, then we’ll have the common link.”

Sure enough, they bumped into John outside the station. “We need to figure out which building they went to,” murmured Sherlock, spinning around as he examined the streets around them.

“Uh, yeah, that one,” said John, motioning to a small shop.

(Y/N) frowned. “How can you tell?”

“Lukis’s diary. He wrote down the address,” said John.

“Oh. Good. Helpful,” said (Y/N). They led the adults into the tourist shop filled with lucky cats and other knickknacks from Chinese culture.

“You want a lucky cat?” asked the shopkeeper, holding up one to Sherlock and John.

“No,” said Sherlock, staring around the store for clues.

“Your child, they will like it!” insisted the shopkeeper.

“No thanks,” said (Y/N) with an awkward smile they hoped was correct to get the woman to leave them alone. They walked over to a display of teacups and stopped as the price tag caught their eye. Next to the price written in pounds was the cipher. “Sherlock, John, the label.”

Sherlock leaned over their shoulder and grinned. “Good job. We found it. It’s an ancient number system.”

“Hangzhou, right?” asked (Y/N).

Sherlock nodded. “Yes. These days only street traders use it. Those were numbers written on the wall of the library and the bank.”

(Y/N) picked up some other products to compare the Arabic number to the Chinese number. “Fifteen and one, that’s what the open ‘eight’ and horizontal line are.”

“What now?” asked John.

“Now, we try to get in their head,” said Sherlock, holding up the espresso bar receipt. “We grab a coffee and some food.” He had been tracking how long it had been since (Y/N) had eaten, and it was high time they had something. He led the group across the street, and they ordered and sat down.

“Two men travel back from China. Both head straight to the Lucky Cat Emporium,” recapped John. “What did they see?”

(Y/N) shrugged as they took a bite of their sandwich. “It’s what they brought back that’s important,” they said after swallowing. “Smuggling something, probably.”

“Think about what Sebastian told us about Van Coon—about how he stayed afloat in the market. Lost five million, made it back in a week,” said Sherlock. “That’s how he made such easy money. (Y/N) is right.” (Y/N) brightened and smiled at the praise as they took another bite. “It would have been perfect. Business making frequent trips to Asia.”

“And Lukis wrote stories about China,” added (Y/N). “They smuggled stuff out and dropped it off at the Lucky Cat.”

“But why did they die?” wondered John. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense. If they both turn up and deliver the goods, why would someone threaten them and kill them after they’d finished the job?”

“What if they didn’t finish the job?” suggested (Y/N).

Sherlock nodded. “One of them stole something.”

“And the killer doesn’t know which of them took it, so he threatens them both. Right,” said John, connecting the dots.

Sherlock gazed out the window at the shop and furrowed his brow. “Remind me, when was the last time that it rained?”

(Y/N) followed his gaze as they finished their sandwich and saw a phonebook in plastic wrap near the steps of a small flat next to the Lucky Cat. “Monday.”

“Someone should’ve picked it up by now…” murmured Sherlock, standing and leaving the restaurant. (Y/N) hopped up and followed him, leaving John to sigh in an exasperated-parent voice and pay before going after them.

“Could’ve gone on holiday,” suggested John

Sherlock and (Y/N) walked around the side of the building and saw an empty window. “Do you leave the windows open in London when you go on holiday?”

Sherlock jumped up and pulled the fire escape down to the ground. (Y/N) climbed up to the first landing, and Sherlock followed. John reached for the ladder, but it swung back up. “Sherlock, (Y/N)!” he called up, but they were already gone. Huffing, he walked back to the front.

(Y/N) dropped through the flat window and caught the flower vase before it hit the ground. However, there was already a puddle beneath the window. Someone else had been in the apartment and made the same mistake. They motioned to it as Sherlock entered, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Sherlock moved in front of (Y/N) so that he knew if someone came at them, he’d hopefully be the one they attacked, not (Y/N).

Sherlock opened the laundry machine to smell how long it had been left there (three days, once again.) (Also, a weird way to figure out how long people had been gone from the flat, but it was necessary, no matter how odd). When he went to open the milk, (Y/N) took it from him. That was a little over-the-top (and it would smell terrible by now). They felt a piece of hanging fabric as they went by and entered the bedroom.

(Y/N) found a picture of a young Chinese girl and boy with fingerprints on it. “Sherlock,” they murmured. “Want to bet this is from our acrobat?”

Sherlock nodded. “The boy is probably him, too. But why didn’t he close the window…”

(Y/N) blinked. “Uh-oh.”

As if in response to their realization, a small man in black dropped down from the ceiling and wrapped a chord around their neck. (Y/N) yelped at the sudden danger. Sherlock flew towards the man, who used the noose around (Y/N)’s neck to throw them into the wall. Their head hit the wall, and they went down to the ground, dizzy. Sherlock fought the man, but the acrobat literally grabbed a nearby apron, ran up the wall, and choked Sherlock himself. Once the detective was on the ground too, the acrobat searched his pockets before standing and fleeing out the window.

Sherlock coughed as he pulled himself up to his knees and regained his breath. He stumbled to (Y/N), who was groaning and rubbing the side of their head. “(Y/N)…(Y/N), are you alright?” His voice was hoarse from the choking but filled with concern.

“I don’t think I have a concussion,” they muttered. “So yeah, I think so.”

Sherlock put his hands on (Y/N)’s face and watched their pupils follow his movements. “Okay, nothing seems wrong. Can you think clearly?”

“Yeah. I just need some headache medicine,” they said.

Sherlock nodded and pulled them to their feet. “Right, we’ll go to the pharmacy.”

(Y/N) rubbed their head. “Let’s not tell John this…I think he’s already shouting at us.”

“Yes, he is,” said Sherlock dryly. “But we got this at least.” He pulled a slip of paper from an inside coat pocket. “Picked up this from her front door. To Soo Lin, from Andy at the National Antiquities Museum.”

(Y/N)’s eyes brightened excitedly. “Another clue. Great.”

#a study of the heart and brain #sherlock holmes x reader #sherlock x teen reader #sherlock x teen!reader #sherlock holmes #sherlock x reader #sherlock #bbc sherlock #x reader #gn reader #x gn reader #x nb reader #nb reader #teen reader #x teen reader #x teen!reader #found family trope #found family

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silvertsundere · 9 months

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Silver Talks AniManga (23/07/23)

a p chill and uneventful week for me overall

however do want to mention, I stumbled across this bingo thing yesterday and was thinking of using it for my series list, instead of what you see under, I decided against it since I can't have the colour coding I've been using, or well, I could have it I'd just have to spend a bit of time editing it on PS instead of just copy pasting like I do now

I know basically no one even looks at these anyway, but if you do, tell me what you'd prefer from the 2 lists under this, the one with the pics/covers or the pure text I've been doing

Anime

Pokemon Horizons Ep14

we finally got our first capture of the anime and sadly it wasn't riko ofc this was to be expected from how the previous ep went but it's still wack next episode we're getting iono tho so that should be fun

Atelier Ryza Ep4

ryza is such a little idiot god I love her, was really channeling the megumin energy this episode too. was also p funny how she got scolded for being too good at alchemy

Zom 100 Ep3

nice episode once again, it was p funny how it started off in a host club and I was like "yooo just like stardust" and then they zoom way out and show the kamurocho sign and I was losing my mind, which I also did later when they showed damn anime ryan gosling lmao. anyway the friend guy is nice, looking forward to their shenanigans together

Manga

Dandadan Ch114

I figured the fight wouldn't end on this chap already but I didn't think this guy would show up to help, tho I also kinda forgot that he was on the way since it was so long ago tehe

Tenmaku Cinema Ch15

it's to be expected from how it's been doing in rankings but looks like tenmaku's gearing up to finish, it's a shame we can't get more of this instead of other stuff but oh well I'll savour it while it lasts

Blue Box Ch110

god their solo dinner was really good as expected, it's really funny to see how much of a tease chinatsu can be. I appreciate miura for taking the time and having plenty of cute scenes of them being lovey dovey together before going back to focus on sports for a while

Cipher Academy Ch33

anonimity-chan showing off was very cool but my favourite part nisio working this in as a code, it might be a week late but it's still v cool

Martial Master Asumi Ch6

nito didn't get clapped as fast as I expected but he for sure is gonna next chap, nice one tho

Undead Unluck Ch168

the tournament arc came and went and next we have.. a high school arc??? honestly never expected chikara to be the next person but eh it seems like it'll be a fun arc from the set up

My Hero Academia Ch395

idk why I didn't expect for this chap to be the aftermath of the fight but that's what it was, doubt toga actually actually died but we'll see not much more left now, next chap should be the start of all might vs AFO and then it's just deku vs shigaraki left

Akane-banashi Ch71

incredibly good chap as it's come to be expected. despite all the stuff in this chap I still don't think akane is gonna win but I really hope I'm wrong

Ayakashi Triangle Ch137

haven't talked about it in a bit but we're deep in a battle arc rn, shouldn't be the end tho, I'm expecting them to have 1v1 fights against the baddies later. but anyway new form for matsuri? very exciting stuff too bad we'll have to wait 2 weeks

#silver talks animanga

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yoinkschief · 2 months

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SPEAKING OF CREEPYPASTAS can you yap about coronation day pls blink blink

Now THAT is a creepypasta I do OUUGHH IT'S SO GOOD

Content warning: this game has a lot of talk about cannibalism and cult behaviors

Usually I'm not super duper into Mario creepypastas just cause I'm not super duper into Mario and because most of them are not much more than "Mario but,,, he's EVIL" and that's kinda upsetting

ESPECIALLY when compared to Coronation Day (also known as 'the) holy fuck

Coronation Day is,, it's like it's own Mario game honestly, and it sucks that it was as short as it was (roughly an hour of playtime to get all the different endings) especially since the creative team had to cut some content due to time constraint

Honestly it's a fantastic game, truly one of the scarier horror games, especially for being a Mario ROM Hack creepypasta

There's a great video by Hey Peter on the entire thing (link), and he goes really into detail about it and it's creation - which by the way, was a THREE PERSON TEAM, you have to understand that they did all their own music, coding, story and visuals !! Which is insane !!! So I totally understand them feeling the need to release the game "before it was fully finished" or before they were able to put everything they wanted into it

Still though, it's so frustrating how vague things can be at times because IT'S SO GOOD, but it's hard to tell who's talking in the snippets that pop up along the playthrough, and it's kind of hard to tell the exact timeline of the story trying to be told, like I wish I knew exactly what happened to Mario after Peach was "coronated", I wish I knew who this fourth person was who is talking about the whole scene from a different perspective from Peach, Mario and the King, I WISH I KNEW WHO THE KING WAS !! That one keeps me up, I REALLY wish I knew who the King was, if it's a Mario character or if it's a completely separate entity - and I want to know more about his cult

The worst thing about this whole scenario is that the people who worked on it keep it so close to their chest, this is an OLDDDD creepypasta, as far as creepypastas go anyway, but even to this day they're all radio silent about what exactly this game is about, if any theories people have made are true or false, ANYTHING

But seriously it's such a good creepypasta, it has the obligatory mention of horrific acts like cannibalism and cult kidnappings, but it doesn't do it in a shock value way, like for the story they're trying to tell it works so well, it's not a "and if you press start start up down down left right a b a b princess peach is HEADLESS RAHHH" like it genuinely has components of an actual storyline and ciphers and puzzles, it's REALLY GOOD, it's everything you'd want from a creepypasta game

I can't say enough good things about Coronation Day honestly, again Hey Peter's video has a much more in depth telling of this games story and playthrough, but oh my God it's so good more people should know about this

#TW // mentions of cannibalism #TW // mentions of cult behaviors and kidnappings #CORONATION DAY IS SO GOOD THO #'the / Coronation Day (Mario ROM Hack Creepypasta)#jay answers #i know i said I'm not sorry into creepypastas but THIS #things like this are the exception

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tokiro07 · 4 months

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Cipher Academy ch.53 thoughts

[Solve. Die. Repeat.]

(Contents: reminiscing, character analysis - Omomuro and Iroha, thematic analysis - victory, speculation)

Oh man, this might just be my favorite chapter so far, and none of my best girls were even really in it! We love a good bookend in this house

I'm actually pretty miffed that Nisio included a Kogoe Lesson to explain the parallel to the Q5, it doesn't leave me with a lot to talk about. Maybe that's supposed to be insight into Kogoe's character, but it kind of feels like Nisio wasn't confident that people would remember a chapter from literally a year ago

But I do remember that chapter and I remember it very fondly. Q5 was the first puzzle I actually tried to solve in this story, and I got really into it! I got a pencil and paper, I did research, I tackled it from every angle I could trying to understand it. Sure, I ended up being wildly off base for the actual method of solving it, but for a moment, I was just like Iroha. I was just as invested and had just as much fun trying to crack the code by myself, of my own power. If I hadn't gotten hung up on one little inconsistency in my own logic, I might have actually been able to figure it out too! I still wouldn't have been able to figure out what the answer meant since I wouldn't be able to translate it, but it ended up not mattering anyway, the act of solving it was what mattered in this instance

This chapter is my favorite because it's a beautiful little benchmark for how far we've come. Iroha isn't the one struggling to solve the question, he's the one posing it and was able to think of it practically on the fly rather than taking several hours to do so. Maybe only a couple months have passed in story, but Iroha has grown so much in the last year without ever losing what made him who he is: he's confident and clever now in a way he never really was back then, but he's still just as kind and honest

Like Iroha says, it was because of Q5 that he was able to make it this far. With the exception of Q3 (which Iroha didn't solve at all), the first four code were all solved using the Glasses Weapon, which makes sense on the basis that Iroha was only just starting out. Q5, easily the hardest code he'd faced yet, was the first one he had to solve completely on his own, and it showed him both that he was capable of solving codes and that he enjoyed doing so, a crucial part of his success going forward. There were very few codes that he ever used Glasses Weapons to solve after that, the only ones I can immediately recall being the dancer and the maze to decide the brackets for the CLP tournament. Other than that, he's made every effort to solve codes honestly, which allowed him to grow in a way that using a cheat system never would have

It also makes sense that Iroha looks up to Omomuro so much specifically, even ignoring how she inspired him with Q5. They're pretty great foils for each other: Iroha is a feminine man with the drive to be a leader but still often has to rely on his followers, Omomuro is a masculine woman (a lot like Amvicious) who only sees herself as a follower but often insists on acting alone. Even now, Iroha is fighting to make sure everyone makes it out in one piece, while Omomuro is letting herself fall to pieces so that one person, Toshusai, can succeed. Iroha wants no sacrifices if he can help it, but just like Omomuro, he's the type who will throw himself into the line of fire if it means giving someone else the chance to survive. The key difference, though, is that Iroha isn't throwing himself away when he does that, he's just putting himself on the line with the hope and confidence that he can make it to the other side unscathed, while Omomuro isn't concerned with her own wellbeing at all

Finally, the result of this code battle is the diametric opposite of the previous as well: Iroha went over the time limit, but still solved the code, technically making it a draw, while this time, Omomuro solved the code flawlessly but admitted defeat, technically meaning that both sides won. A stalemate on a technicality and a victory through mutual benefit; we may still be in the Friendship arc, but Nisio won't shy away from discussing the theme of Victory

Since this isn't the first time that Iroha has won through the opponent solving his code (ch.13, Iroha tricks Nohime into apologizing to Toshusai), I'm getting the feeling that the Victory arc of this story is going to pull similar tricks along the way. No-win scenarios for Iroha or others, Pyrrhic victories, hidden safety nets; the possibilities are endless, and Nisio is rarely, if ever, going to be straightforward with it, but as he's been saying the entire series, it's only a victory if everyone makes it home alive

I hope everyone loved this chapter as much as I did, and I hope to be able to touch base like this with our cast next year

Until next time

#cipher academy #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews

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dolorum-magne · 1 year

Note

*slides into DM's*

So I see you reblog a lot of Marble Hornet stuff

What's it about?

👀

OH BOY IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED! :D

Marble hornets is a found footage horror arg and widely regarded the original slenderverse series (if you don’t know what that is either I’ll explain it later on in the post) And part of what brought slenderman into the public eye. If I remember correctly the first video in the series was released just a few weeks after the original photoshop contest the slenderman was created for, predates slender:the eight pages and is what started some things that it will stereotypically do, such as cameras going to static when looking at it.

It started on YouTube (and like most args was cross platform, I believe it part of it was also on Twitter) back on June 20th of 2009 and the original series spanned a full 5 years, ending on it’s anniversary in 2014.

I’ll avoid spoilers but I’ll give a summary of the the beginning of the series and some plot below

the series mainly follows the main protagonist Jay Merrick. In the introduction it’s explained that back in college his friend Alex had started a student film called “Marble hornets” but after a while of filming he started acting strange and eventually ended the project before completion. Jay had talked to Alex about the project and he gave Jay the tapes on the condition that this was the last time he mentions it, and when asked what he should do with the tapes, Alex told him to “burn them.”

The tapes remained in the back of Jays closet for a couple years and he ended up loosing contact with Alex during this time. He started the channel to try and compile the footage they had of the film to share what his friend had made on YouTube but shortly after he started he realised not all the tapes were of the film. At some point Alex had started filming himself and had become increasingly paranoid of something following him. A tall humanoid monster with no face that is later named “The Operator”.

He starts to worry about what happened to his old friend and wants to help, and thus begins his investigation. Jay starts becoming paranoid and begins recording himself in much the same way we see Alex do on the tapes as the same thing that had been following Alex around begins to follow him as well. throughout the series he finds more tapes, records footage of his own, which he combs through and posts as entries, and a few other characters (Namely Tim Wright the secondary protagonist, and Jessica Locke) are dragged into it along the way as the story progresses and things get continuously worse-from a strange sickness that seems to come from the monster tormenting them that makes them cough up blood, missing chunks of time, people going missing, ending up on the run from the thing in the woods as well as an old friend trying to kill them, and the appearance of some strange masked stalkers that in ways help the protagonists, and occasionally reach out with cryptic codes and ciphers in videos from another channel called ToTheArk.- and get more and more complicated.

I would explain more about the plot but I’m trying hard to avoid spoiling too much!

(the ToTheArk videos and marble hornets entries and responses to them were originally linked via YouTube’s old reply feature but obviously as that doesn’t exist anymore that’s no longer the case)

it’s honestly probably my most favourite thing of all time if you couldn’t tell

The series is technically still going, as there’s an ongoing sequel comic to the original series, set a few years after the events that happened in the main series and following one of the characters from it, Jessica! (If you’ve seen some of the stuff I’ve posted and reblogged, Skully also comes from the comic though he does appear once in the series in a ToTheArk video! During the series the concept they planned for them was scrapped so we only saw them once in the series, but it’s still cool)

Incase you need an explanation for what a slenderverse series is, it’s a genre of horror arg, mainly on YouTube, most being inspired by marble hornets and as the name suggests, follows characters who get involved with a slenderman type monster. Like marble hornets, they’re often called by different names (I don’t actually know of one that actually calls it slenderman but there might be, idk) but are essentially the same or very similar entities. Some even have crossovers with eachother as well! Some of the more popular ones (though never getting has popular as the original) are EverymanHYBRID, TribeTwelve(I don’t recommend tribetwelve. The story was good but the creator is an awful human being), DarkHarvest00, MlAndersen0 and WhisperedFaith.

If you have any other questions (or if anyone else sees this and I’ve gotten something wrong) please let me know and I’ll try to answer them as best I can!

thank you so much for asking, had a lot of fun with that info dump :)

#Watch it watch it watch it-#marble hornets #Thanks for the ask!#I really hope I didn’t get anything wrong but it has been a while since I’ve watched it #Mh

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sloshed-cinema · 2 years

Text

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The saving grace of National Treasure is one phrase: “We have to steal the Declaration of Independence.” In uttering that, Nic Cage assures the audience that this will be a preposterous, fun ride and that nothing should be taken too seriously. The Da Vinci Code doesn’t quite get that memo. It’s just so damn self-serious, trying to reclaim the ancient history conspiracy scavenger hunt for bona fide adults. The movie opens with a bloody murder and a nude monk flagellating himself and speaking in Latin. Surely not something that you’d take the kiddies to on a Sunday morning. Yet it’s all in service of ridiculously simplistic puzzles and ciphers. Opening the puzzle box, the group are stymied. How to get to the next clue? Oh, wait. The phrase ‘sub rosa’ indicates secrecy, but also literally means ‘under the rose’, and what does the box have? A ROSE! What’s under it? Does it hide things?? Let’s find out! Every step along the circuitous path is just so laughable in its simplicity, and yet both source novel and this adaptation insist that this is seriously clever shit that somehow has never been solved for centuries and centuries of intense searching and thought.

As far as ostentatious concepts go, there are few more bold than the energy of “oh, this lady is the literal descendant of Jesus Christ.” Honestly, how do you top that in a sequel? Talk about writing yourself into a corner. Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks are eminently watchable here, and Ian McKellen delivers a performance which chews the scenery in the mildest, most teatime way possible. And yet they almost succeed in spite of the movie itself. It can’t manage to divorce itself from the pulp of its source, or elevate the material. Just how withholding it is, even after the point of relevance, is mind-numbingly frustrating. The movie keeps dangling a carrot even after the holder has been more than revealed, even if just by process of elimination. If you’re not a smart movie, that’s fine! But don’t pretend that you are and hope to get away with it.

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says ‘symbol’.

Langdon solves a puzzle.

The Priory is mentioned.

Desaturated flashback footage begins.

BIG DRINK

Silas kills someone.

Elevator phobia.

Opus Dei gets name-dropped.

#drinking games #the da vinci code #ron howard #tom hanks #audrey tautou #drama #adventure #action & adventure #dan brown #robert langdon

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mysteriouseggsbenedict · 2 years

Note

Oh aaaahm um um writing prompt for Instinct??

Julian has Lizzie’s house bugged for safety reasons so, upon finding out accidentally, Lizzie and Dylan decide to mess with him

I meant for this to be short and it's not short. Enjoy my first instinct crack fic!!!!

also if you catch the reference to another show in here I will love you forever

Lizzie was not a clumsy woman. She only dropped her phone down the crack between her bedside table and the wall because Jasmine had fed her too many glasses of wine again. And it was only when she was fishing for it, half her body leaning off the bed and an arm stuck rather painfully behind the furniture, that she felt something decidedly not her cellphone.

Something that, upon being retrieved with a tug and a few curse words, revealed itself to be a tiny microphone. Julian.

It hadn’t been disconnected. Lizzie didn’t know if Julian could tell its position had been compromised. Its tiny power light was still on, so unless he had a GPS tracker, he was likely none the wiser. Lizzie placed it back where it had been with a wicked grin. She hadn’t told Julian about her past as a prankster, had she?

—

“He bugged your house?” said Dylan, the next morning.

“Uh-huh…”

“Lizzie, you sound tired. Any chance you’d benefit from a photo of a dead body? A rather gruesome one just came in.”

“Shut up. My stomach hurts.”

“Okay, miss grump. Just teasing. Why are you choosing to tell me this? Are you concerned? I could talk to him, if you’d like—”

“You will do no such thing. Or you will be conducting your own murder investigation from the spiritual realm.”

Dylan laughed.

“No, no. I’m sure he did it for safety or something,” Lizzie continued. “He’s a man. He’s gotta protect me. But I was thinking…you and I could have some fun?”

“Fun, you say?”

“Yes, Dylan. Fun.”

—

Dylan sat with Lizzie in the kitchen. They’d discovered more mics, and decided it would seem more authentic for Dylan to visit the kitchen than the bedroom. Lizzie served them both muffins as an alibi.

“Here’s the code I was able to retrieve. No known cipher. It appears extremely complex. See, it’s got this strange pattern,” Lizzie said. She read out the numbers and letters of their invented code sequence. Dylan made some thoughtful “hmmm” and “ahhh” noises when she finished the recitation.

“Luckily for you, this is a code with which I am familiar. I ran into it in the CIA. It is quite rare, and as you say, quite complex.”

Lizzie had to applaud his acting skills. There was no hint of a smile in his voice, although the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his amusement.

“It is?” Lizzie continued.

“Yes, it is. The derf code. I actually, ahem— I actually pride myself in my ability to break it. When Julian and I were CIA buddies, I beat him to it every time.”

“Well, great news, Mr. Know-It-All. Why don’t you get to it and stop talking. My head’s about to split open.”

Dylan laughed. “I’ll be off then. No, I can’t do it here. Need my study. Wonderful muffins, though.”

“I’ll be nice and walk you out. I need to take Gary outside anyway,” Lizzie said.

The two exited the house and walked a few yards down the sidewalk. Then, they doubled over laughing, Lizzie leaning against Dylan’s side as she convulsed with giggles.

“That was extremely convincing,” Dylan complimented.

“Mmm, wasn’t lying about my head,” she complained. She continued leaning against Dylan.

“If I know Julian, he’s frantically hacking into every database known to man to get that cipher as we speak. Let the joy of pranking cure your hangover,” said Dylan. Lizzie sighed.

“It will, as long as you uphold your end of the deal.”

—

Julian was indeed hacking into every database known to man as they spoke. Which was why he sighed as he saw his phone light up with Dylan’s name. He hoped whatever this was could wait.

“Hello, Julian,” came Dylan’s voice. Julian hadn’t ceased his hacking efforts; he’d only turned the phone onto speaker as he did so.

“Yes, Dylan?” he said. He burned to know whether Dylan had already cracked the code. It was a…sore spot of his. Dylan really had beaten him every time. He couldn’t reveal that he knew about it, though, although he did wonder who in New York City was using derf code.

“What brings you need of my assistance today?” Julian asked, still typing away.

“Oh, nothing, actually. I just made a breakthrough with a case. Quite exciting. But no, nothing case related today. I just thought we should catch up. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Damn it. He had already solved it. That fast? Julian quelled the wave of jealousy that he felt rising inside of him.

“Oh, well…”

Just a few more firewalls. Come on. Come on.

“I don’t have much time at the moment, because—”

“Because why?”

Numbers blinked on the screen. The code rearranged itself. Julian stared in confusion.

“JULIAN IS STINKY”

He read the sentence out loud, more out of disbelief than anything else. He heard Lizzie cackling hysterically through the phone. He put two and two together.

“Elizabeth Needham!” he protested, spinning around in his chair, although no one could see him. “What on earth?”

Lizzie was laughing too hard to speak clearly.

“You should have known it was a matter of time until your detective girlfriend found the microphones you hid in her house,” Dylan explained. Julian heard Lizzie taking deep breaths.

“Why did you—” Julian spluttered. “Of all the things. Julian is stinky?!?! Lizzie, are you twelve?”

“Mentally, yes,” came the reply.

“I’ll have you know I took a shower this morning,” Julian said, way too seriously for the circumstances. Lizzie laughed again.

“Oh, Dylan, before you hang up. That was wonderful. But Julian, you’re coming over tonight? I need that chicken you make. I’ve been craving it for days.”

Julian sighed.

“Yes, love. And I’ll bring flowers, too, why don’t I?”

#ahhh silly fun times #ask answered #thank you for the entertainment #instinct #instinct 2018 #augswriting

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viennen · 7 months

Text

Catching Up

This was initially written on Discord with @tiredassmage, whom the lovable idiot Leo belongs to. This is the final edited version. Happy Reading!

Liv and Leo haven't seen each other since before Leo got sent to Bergeren as a punishment by Vorza for embarrassing him on an earlier mission. This was about 5-6 years ago, shortly before Liv entered the Imperial Academy. They also haven't talked to each other in that long, save for the occasional letter, while Leo was on Begeren.

Now, she is working for Intelligence and has just received her own ship. She decides to take a risk and contacts her brother via Holo.

*******************

Olivia Ashold, newly designated Cipher Nine, made her way to the Holo terminal on the bridge of her new X-70B Phantom. She quickly made sure that any recording devices active on the ship, if there were any, were momentarily deactivated, and would not trace or record her next holo call. She then entered the encryption code before entering the designation of the ship she wanted to contact. She was alone on the bridge, hoping that her new 'friend' Kaliyo and her new protocol droid didn't come snooping too much at the moment. The last thing she needed right now was for either of them to know she was contacting a Republic ship. She waits patiently for the call to go through.

Meanwhile, on The Daredevil, Leo and Risha were on the bridge, and Risha saw that there was a holo call coming through.

“My, my, seems I've made a popular friend in you, Captain,” Risha stated. Leo frowned and raised a brow at Risha as she eyed the holo. “You've got a call coming in. Seems it's... encrypted. Can't say I recognize the pattern, either.” she stated.

“Encrypted?” Leo's frown set a bit further as he hauled himself out of his seat. “Let me take a look.” Getting hailed wasn't what drew his attention so much as the encryption. Very few people generally bothered with such security measures, at least with him, so that narrowed down the potential suspects rather dramatically. Leo typed some buttons on the console to bring up the encryption, and almost immediately realized why Risha didn’t recognize it. She wouldn’t, or rather, couldn’t, be able to break it, at least not without some serious help. He had created it with someone from his past, specially designed to be unbreakable, as much as one could be, at least. It was one of the only things he had ever been grateful about his family’s wealth for: giving them enough free time to work on the encryption code.

“I'll handle this one,” he says, hoping she doesn’t try to decrypt it.

“Oh?” Risha asks, raising an inquiring brow at him. He gruffly waved a hand at her.

“It's just an old business partner, don't get your pants twisted,” he muttered, not wanting anyone to know about this just yet. They may be his crew, but he didn’t trust them enough yet. Risha rolled her eyes.

“You're the one barking about trust, Captain,” she stated, referencing their earlier conversations.

“Some of us prefer to keep our client's wishes,” Leo counters with a slight bow. “So, please? If you don’t mind? I’d like some privacy for this one.” he asked.

“I’m not babysitting,” she said with a dismissive shrug of one shoulder as she turned to clear from the bridge.

“Captain?” He heard Corso inquire from the hall.

“Busy, kid!” Leo called back. “Go uh…” He shook his head. What would keep the kid busy long enough? “Recheck the cargo for me, would you? I need a while for a call,” he asked, unsure what else might occupy the kid long enough for the call.

“Thought you already did?” Corso called back, unsure why Leo was asking him to check it again.

“Corso,” Leo groaned and levelled a pointed stare at him. “Please? Pick something and entertain yourself, alright? I’ll come find you when I’m done and make sure you’re all acquainted, yea?” he asked, hoping Corso would take the hint.

“Alright,” Corso said, holding up placating hands. “Whatever, just holler if you need me,” he said, then started walking away.

“Mmmhmm,” Leo hummed. He waited until Corso was down the hall before he finally turned back to answer the call. There was only one person this encryption could be coming from.

And for everything that had just gone sideways on Ord Mantell, it put a lopsided smile on his face. “Long time, no holo, stranger,” he teased as his sister appeared. “I’d almost thought you’d forgotten about me.”

“It’s good to see you too, Leo,” Liv stated. “I see you’ve dropped your accent,” she commented. “Or at least changed it.” It was a piece of advice she had given him when they were first talking about and planning his eventual defection. If anyone else was listening, hers was obvious. She was happy to see he had followed at least some of her advice. “And how could I possibly forget about you? I’m the only one in the family you still talk to.” Liv playfully asked her brother.

“Hey, I don't ignore all advice by default,” Leo fired back about the accent as he leaned back in his seat. He flashed an amused smile. “There are benefits to being half a galaxy away,” he said. “Though I'm sure Father could still raise his voice enough to be heard,” he huffed. But that wasn't of interest. The rest of the lot could stuff their annoyance.

“Well, it's not like it's easy to make an encrypted holo call during Intelligence training. Everything you do is watched. Granted, doing that is part of training, but I'm not gonna risk calling you for that. I don't need to get you arrested again.” Liv stated, referencing some of the trouble the two of them had gotten into when they were teens.

“Oi,” Leo mocked offence, laying a hand over his chest. “I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!” he protested. They. . . didn't need to go over that 'taking care of himself' had involved... going into debt with the Black Sun and getting roped into their smuggling operations. And 'I'm perfectly capable of getting myself arrested' had flown way better in his head. Even if it was true.

“Well, then, since you're callin' me, I take it everything worked out,” he said instead. He was glad she'd found something, at least, even if it was Intelligence and... the ever-present risk he'd never hear from her again. “Guess all that sneakin' out when we were kids paid off for something, huh?” he teased, recalling some of their adventures.

“It would seem so,” Liv replied. “And you're definitely right about Father,” Liv replied. Their father, Vorza Ashold, could make himself heard whenever and wherever he wanted to be. The only time he didn't try it was when someone with a higher rank or status than him was present. “And I know you can take care of yourself, Leo, but I'd rather not accidentally give the Imperial Death Squads your location, regardless of how good you are,” she explained. “I need someone to complain to about Father.” she said amusingly. Leo's expression softened briefly as Liv explained. She... gave him too much credit. Even now.

“Technically, you're already complaining to a dead man,” he said. Dash's story had held up with the Republic brass, and his SIS contacts had come through, in addition to Liv's vigilance... if the lack of Imperial Death Squads were anything to go by. “Still, I appreciate the thought.”

“You're welcome,” Liv said. “And anyway,” she began, “complaining about Father wasn't the only reason I called,” she stated, changing the subject. Leo smiled lightly when she opted to change the subject. A change of subject away from family matters was always a good move in his books.

“I'd sure hope not. What if I'd been having a perfectly good day?” he teased. Their father had always been particularly talented at ruining those. Generally, with his mere presence in a room. He couldn't quite say he remembered the last time he remembered that bastard genuinely smiling at any of them. Or maybe he was just bitter. Leo paused for a moment to think about it.

Their Father was definitely bitter. But it probably wasn't just that. Asshole.

“I've got my own ship now,” Liv said, pulling Leo out of his trance about why he hated their Father, and pressed some keys, so the holo changed from her, to showing Leo the Phantom.

“Well, look at that neat little thing.” He eyed the overview of the Phantom on her holo. “Slick ride. Guess you Intel types get all the fancy toys, don’t ya?” The beast looked more like it’d be at home among some noble elite than in a firefight, but appearances were deceptive - particularly with spies. Fitting, he supposed. “Unless you’re plannin’ on starting your own ‘shipping’ business. Didn’t happen to call me fishin’ for tips, did you?” he teased.

“Unfortunately not.” Liv teased back. She changed the holo back to her from the Phantom. “And, thank you,” she said a moment later about his comment on her ship. “It kind of reminds me of the shuttles we used to take between Ziost and Dromund Kaas,” she commented, remembering the times they would travel for some family function with their aunts, uncles, and cousins, or some corporate thing that their parents had to go to, and for whatever reason had decided to bring the kids. “Just with better firepower,” she stated.

“Well, you know who to call if you ever change your mind about the biz’,” Leo jested with a playful smirk and a light toss of his head. He puffed out a breath briefly as his bangs fell across his eyes. If he’d pull it back better, it probably wouldn’t nearly be as much of a pain, but nah. He shoved the errant lock back behind his ear.

Liv smiled in reply to his comment, then paused a moment, deciding how to answer his other remark. “I’m well aware that technically, you’re dead, Leo,” she began, “It’s the first thing Father says if and when anyone asks about you,” she explained. As far as Liv knew, she was the only family member who knew that Leo was still alive. “But if you’re caught in Imperial Space, I’m fairly certain they’ll shoot you on sight as soon as anyone recognizes you,” she stated. “Or arrest you, then shoot you.” she added, “Then I’ll have no one to talk to,” Liv said, a hint of sadness in her tone, but it quickly faded. “Well, I guess I could talk to Kaliyo,” she stated, more to herself than Leo, “But she doesn’t know about you or Father, so that would be an interesting conversation to start with.” she finished. “Not sure what she’d think of it, though.” she added. She was quiet for a few moments as she thought about how that conversation might go. She paused over how to continue the covnersation.

“Intelligence has been . . . interesting, to say the least,” she stated. There was a few moments of silence, as neither of them said anything. Leo’s features twisted briefly in mild annoyance again. Of course, Father would've been all too pleased he was dead. He'd told Dash not to worry about that part. He'd already been a nuisance in the old bastard's backside for some twenty-odd years. It was easier for him to be dead than to have to deal with the disappointment of a son who was insubordinate to him and his military superiors.

And Liv didn't need to know how many close calls there'd been on his jobs with the Black Sun. Nor that he'd. . . incidentally pissed off Rogun the Butcher, it seemed. Not yet, anyway. The frown that'd started on his lips because of their father lingered for a moment longer as he considered his sister was a spy now. Call it protective older brother instincts. Or just. . . She didn't need to worry about his problems.

“Kaliyo?” he asked, curiously tilting his head. That’d be easier to talk about than any of his worries, though it did little to soothe the pang of anxiety that twisted through his stomach when she called it interesting. He supposed that was about all it could be called, all. . . secretive and that, but. “Liv,” he said quietly. She didn't need him to protect her. She was probably way better at that herself than he'd be now, anyway. But he was her brother. “Just uh... You're takin' care of yourself, right? It's... a lot. I... wouldn't know, of course, but…” I worry about you. He hoped that much went unsaid.

Liv laughed lightly as Leo’s hair fell across his face, before he fixed it. “Need some styling tips?” she teased, before answering his question. Leo snorted in reply. “Kaliyo’s. . .” she paused for a moment, deciding how to describe her new shipmate, “a friend, that I made, on a mission on Hutta.” She stated. She'd heard what Leo hadn’t actually said, and was grateful for it. He was her big brother, after all; he would always be that, and the only one of her siblings she had ever really gotten along with. “Yes, I’m taking care of myself. As best I can anyway. . .” Liv trailed off momentarily, “And I know you do; I’d be surprised if you didn’t.” she said, answering his unsaid statement. I worry about me too sometimes, she thought to herself, as she thought about what to tell him, and what she could say to him about what had all happened to her in recent weeks. She knew the channel was secure, but others could still be listening.

“Cute,” he said, briefly sticking out his tongue. This was one of the few things that could make his chest ache with a mostly unfamiliar feeling - something like nostalgia. The life he'd made in Republic space wasn't exactly classy, and it was far from easy more often than not, but it was free. Freer than he'd ever been on Ziost or in Imperial uniform, at any rate. It just did little to lessen the blow that he'd left the one person that'd ever bothered to understand him, behind. He tried not to linger too often on if he should've tried harder or done more - snuck her out with him somehow like they had when they were kids, but... Maybe it wasn't his place, anyway. Liv was a big girl now. She made her own life. At least he could be thankful for that much.

Hutta, though? Leo made a noise of distaste.

“There are far better cantinas, I promise.” But of course, a fair drink would be the smallest problem of an agent of the Empire. Or Hutts. At least you could swindle an average Hutt for some credits. Liv stuck her tongue out back at him. It may be childish, but it was fun. And she missed her brother, so she would take whatever she could.

“The last few weeks, have certainly been . . . eventful, just months out of training,” Liv stated. “I’ve somewhat convinced a Hutt to side with the Empire, got praised by a Sith Lord for what happened with that, and had to deal with some terrorists.” she explained, not sure if Leo knew anything about Darth Jadus or not. “It’s certainly better than whatever Father would have had me doing.” she added, not really knowing what he would have her doing as a job, if anything.

This time, Leo couldn’t mask the concerned frown. “Emperor’s tits, Liv…” He could reconsider if the man had those at some other time. Terrorists? He ran a hand along his jaw contemplatively. “I’d heard some chatter about travel restrictions gettin’ tight further in, but hell...” Sith spats were nothing new, sure, but that?

“ ‘Interesting’s’... one helluva word for it,” he said. Perhaps there was one thing him and the old man might've agreed on: Intelligence was dangerous. A bunch of spooks. Probably half of 'em had heard ghost stories in the military about their recruitment, but... it was. Different. To hear it first-hand. He shook his head. “The Empire in business with the Hutt Cartel though... Can't say I'm entirely surprised. Gotta get all those credits from somewhere, I suppose.”

“It's only one Hutt for now, but you're not wrong.” Liv replied, knowing that dealing with Hutts wasn't always the best idea. But she also knew that if they hadn't gotten Nem'ro's help via stealth and espionage, they wouldn't have gotten the Hutts help at all, because she also knew that the Hutts could withstand an Imperial planetary assault for quite some time, if the Empire actually decided to attack them.

Leo hummed in acknowledgement. Even dealing with the Cartel as a whole “officially” was a bit of a dice-throw when it came to honouring agreements. They weren't particularly cohesive at times, either, though their power plays tended to involve less Force Lightning. Generally, at any rate.

“One small step or all that,” he muttered. Besides, if it was resources they were after, he doubted the Empire would want to 'sully their hands' in something as base as a war with the Cartel. He doubted it'd be so ‘civilized’ enough for their tastes.

They both paused for a moment; then Liv smiled at his jest about Hutta’s cantina.

“Perhaps you can take me to some of them in future.” she said, momentarily changing the subject and teasing at his 'better cantinas' comment.

“Perhaps,” he mused elusively with a light smirk. Of course, he would in a heartbeat, given the opportunity. “Maybe something out in the Rim territories…” It was an almost wishful musing that drifted through his eyes for a moment. It'd be nice to see her again - and not just through the holo-processors. It'd... been years, at this point, hadn't it? “So long as ya don't mind some bolt holes in the walls. A good cantina brawl's good for the soul sometimes.” Or at least maybe some free drinks. If you could keep your fingers in the process.

They were both silent for a few moments, before Liv spoke, changing the subject back to what it had been before.

“Well, you can thank the terrorists for the restrictions.” among other things, she thought as she looked over at her navicomputer, with the coordinates set for Korriban, so she could go see Jadus' daughter. She thought about Leo’s comment, calling Intelligence 'interesting.’

“And do you have a better word for it?” she asked, then realized there had been a touch of bite in that comment. “Sorry,” she said quickly, before Leo could reply. “I didn't mean for that to sound so . . cross.” Leo didn't flinch from the sharpness in her response, though his eyes dropped briefly.

“No, I suppose I don't,” he agreed. But he shook his head at her apology. “Don't worry about it. It's nothin'.” Except... his sister fighting terrorists of the Empire was... a lot. He almost didn't want to think about it, and he almost didn't want to know. At least then, he couldn't be too much more of an added risk for her. “C'mon, kid, you know it takes more than a few sharp words to take me on by now, don't ya?” A bit of bluster to try to keep the mood lighter - and keep himself from worrying too much about her, far out of his control and any meaningful ways to support or protect her anymore.

Liv smiled lightly at his jest to lighten the mood. “I’m well aware of what taking you on requires, Leo.” she said playfully, “Or at least I used to.” She said, then paused for a moment, musing over his cantina offer. She really did miss him, and she had lost count of how long it had actually been since she had seen her brother in person. “I don’t mind a bar brawl every now and then; I’m sure Kaliyo would have some fun, too.” she teased at his suggestion. “Have anywhere particular in mind?” she asked, wondering what his answer would be. “Not many places neutral enough that they don’t really care if Republic and Imperial are seen talking to each other,” she added. She thought about his comment for a moment. “You’re right, though; Rim’s probably a better place for us to meet right now. Most of it is Hutt controlled, and as far as I know, most Hutts won’t do anything about being told by either side that there’s a possible traitor on their planet without some sort of incentive.” she stated, trying to make sure that wherever they met wouldn’t get him accidentally recognized and killed on sight.

Leo mulled over the question for a moment, twisting a stray loose lock of hair around his fingers. “Rishi’s a bit out of the way,” he said, “Ain’t nothin’ there but a bunch of pirates and smugglin’ types.” A wry smile briefly drifts across his lips. “I could probably even make some money off the trip.”

Aside from that? He frowned thoughtfully as he leaned back in his seat. He'd consider Nar Shadaa, given its distinct lack of direct alliance with either side, but even he already knew both galactic powers had interests moving around on there. It was a haven for the kind he associated with these days - gunslingers, mercenaries, thieves, gangs, and smugglers, but the lack of official rules aside from no disrupting the Cartel's business was as much a boon as it was a potential loophole for their enemies. “I'd consider Nar Shadaa. I've got a few uh... deliveries I need to make there soon, anyway,” he offered the thought anyway. “Cartel doesn't like fights on its turf, and there's a few boltholes there off the more beaten path.” he stated. Liv mentally debated with herself for a moment about what to say first. She’d answer his question, but she decided she needed to say something else first.

“I . .” she hesitated, “I miss you, Leo,” she said, the sincerity obvious and clear. “But I'm doing what I said I would when you left,” she stated. “Trying to 'break' some things from inside, before I come join you. And Intelligence seemed the best place to do that.” she explained. Her only other options for a job, or life, were joining the military, or going home to their Father and waiting for him to marry her off to some other aristocratic ass. Their elder sister Vivian might be fine with that and adore all the extra status and praise that went with it, but Liv didn't. She hated the idea of someone else almost completely dictating her life. That was part of why she had wanted to go with Leo when they were talking about him leaving the Empire, but they knew how much trouble it would cause if just one of them left; it would have been much worse if they both had.

The smile Leo offered next was tinged with more regret than he'd probably like to admit. “I miss you, too, kid.” They weren't more than a couple of years apart, but... It was hard not to feel responsible for her, given everything they'd gotten into together. He nodded along to what she said - still planning to run off with him one last time. “I'm…” He cleared his throat as his gaze dropped for a moment, unsure how to say... Maybe even if he should. “I'm proud of you, Liv. I... know what it means to you.” And I'm sorry I didn't take you with me. Not that he could've... Not without a helluva lot more planning. Hell, he'd barely intended to leave when he did, or exactly in that way.

Dash had just been... too good an opportunity at the right time. And he barely deserved that, either. “I'd like to think I know a thing or two 'bout disappearing these days... Maybe still not as good as you, though."

Liv smiled lightly when Leo said that he missed her too. She knew it wasn't something that was easy for him to admit. It brightened a little more when he said he was proud of her. “Thanks, Leo,” she stated. “Not sure I'd get that from anyone else,” she added, knowing she was probably right. Leo was the only one of her siblings that she had ever really felt close to. When they were kids, there had been times when he had told her to stay home, even though there wasn't much of an age difference between them. He knew she didn't always listen, but he never complained when she suddenly decided to join him during many of his 'expeditions' that Father still didn't know about. There had even been times when Leo had asked her to tag along.

Her relationships with her other siblings, . . . weren't the best. Vivian was always trying to keep Liv away from Leo and his 'bad influences,' trying to turn her into some form of acceptable 'Lady,' but Liv usually managed to sneak away and get out of her 'etiquette' lessons. Lysander was always asking Leo if he could help him with whatever job their father had given him, and even when Leo didn't want to, their mother was usually able to convince him to do it, because Xander was the baby, and mom gave him everything he wanted. Being the only other girl, Liv had been able to convince her father to let her have a lot of things that she had wanted, at least when she was younger. When it had started to become more obvious that she wanted to do something else, Father had started paying closer attention to her activities, and it became harder for her to sneak away.

If Leo had one regret, it was that he hadn't ever quite been wild enough to deck their father on the jaw. Oh, he'd thought about it plenty - and certainly still did. But for all that talk of family, the man had always been shit about seeing the real one right in front of him. There was... a reason Leo had tuned out most of his droning history lessons - at home and in school. What good was a legacy if you never lived in the moment of it?

“Their loss,” he said mildly. There was a time when he would've given everything to have their father's eye - much as Xander had. But it'd never been good enough, and Leo had grown tired of the charades of being something he wasn't.

She thought about his comment about her being better at knowing how to disappear. She laughed. “Well, maybe I can give you some tips when I see you.” she teased. “So long as you tell me how you've managed to stay out of trouble,” she added. “Even I know smuggling isn't always a one-sided faction," she stated.

“As for which planet . . .” she trailed for a moment, thinking. “I'm good either way,” she stated. “Haven't been to Nar Shadaa in a while, and I've never actually been to Rishi, just heard stories. . .” she explained. “If it's just pirates and smugglers, I'm sure I can find a way to blend in if I need to,” she stated, smiling at the idea of seeing Leo in person.

She paused for a moment, thinking of anything else she needed or wanted to say. "Since it's been so long since I've seen you, is there anyone, or anything else I should know about?" She asked. She hadn't seen him since before he defected, so she knew that she didn't know as much about her brother as she used to.

Leo shrugged a shoulder. “You tell me where.” And he'd make it happen, even if he had to remap hyperlanes to pull it off. Anything for her. “I suppose I... might have better luck offloading the crew on Nar Shadaa,” he mused with a glance over his shoulder. The hall was still blessedly silent. “I... picked up some... kid on Ord Mantell. He seems... alright.” A little too naive for Leo's taste and a little more friendly than Leo was yet willing to be. “And I've got some... business partner that's arranged a few jobs - that's the cargo I'm haulin' for now. She mentioned Nar Shadaa's already on our stops. I won't have to come up with too big a reason to slip off there for a while, I suppose.” Even if he had trusted more easily, he hadn't seen Liv in years, and he wasn't ready to rehash the whole story for people he'd all but just met.

As for how he'd stayed out of trouble? A lot of dumb luck, he reckoned. "C'mon, Liv, you know 'trouble's my middle name," he said instead. "If you can't beat 'em, be faster than 'em." Or... something like that.

His gaze dropped rather than admit it: he was in... a lot of trouble, actually. Nothing... exactly new, but. Rogun was... a bit bigger than his usual 'smart-mouthed the wrong person' deal. And less likely to conveniently forget his dues.

“I am well aware of your relationship with trouble, Leo. There’s at least half a dozen things we did that I'm pretty sure Father still doesn't know about,” she stated knowingly. She paused a moment. “ But I agree with you there,” Liv replied. Like Leo, there used to be times when she got along with her other siblings, but that had changed as she had gotten older. “I still get holo calls from Viv sometimes, almost begging me to leave where I am and come home. That if I did, I'd have a better life. . .” Liv trailed off. “Only Vivian would think that kind of life is better,” she stated. She didn't need to elaborate; she knew Leo would understand what she meant.

Leo snorted, leaning against an elbow as he idly toyed with the fit of his gloves. “Viv's never wanted for a damn thing,” he muttered. Daddy's perfect little princess, that one, and their mother's utter pride and joy. She'd always been 'too good' for him, and she had been one of the many standards against which Leo had been judged for obedience and performance. Viv was polite and knew her place and had listened to their tutors and- He rolled his eyes. “She'd break a precious nail if she ever left that lap of luxury.”

Liv laughed, agreeing with Leo's statements. “I agree with you there. Viv wouldn't last a day out here, not without some sort of help,” she stated. She smiled as she listened to Leo's explanation about his new crew. “Look at you making friends,” Liv stated, almost sounding sarcastic, but, really, she was happy Leo at least had someone to look out for him. “And, I'm good with either one. I'm sure Kaliyo will be able to find something to occupy herself,” she replied. “If you want to do Nar Shadaa, I can meet you there; just give me a location. Rishi, I may need some more instructions, having never been there.” she explained.

She knew Kaliyo would want to come with her, to make sure who she was going to talk to didn't pull anything on her, but she also hadn't told her anything about her family before Intelligence. Until she did or needed to, she wasn't sure how Kaliyo would react to Leo. And if, on the off chance, they did get caught, Leo would be in more trouble than she would. If whoever caught them, didn't know who they were, she could claim undercover. She didn't know what Leo could do to get out, depending on which side caught them.

Leo squinted at Liv with a mild frown at her comment. “Yea, yea, laugh it up,” he muttered with a shake of his head. 'Friends' weren't exactly easy for him to make these days. It'd been a lot simpler sneaking around with the other cadets from Basics, getting into tussles and snowball fights and daring each other to spraypaint the CO's speeder. But they'd been younger and... 'freer' wasn't exactly it, but... They hadn't had to have it all figured out yet. They hadn't been on the front lines.

They hadn't lost anyone yet.

“I'm only teasing,” Liv stated. “Aren't I allowed to tease you about your friends?” She asked, sounding a little sarcastic. She paused a moment. “Honestly, Leo, I'm just glad you've made friends. I wasn't sure if you'd find any, after . . . everything that happened, that last mission, before Bergeren.” She explained, knowing Leo would understand what she meant. She had still been at home when they had gotten the news of Leo's ‘death’ during a prisoner riot on Bergeren. Liv learned later that he wasn’t dead, as he’d found a way to contact her. She’s been able to hide it from the rest of her family. She listened to Leo talk some more about his new crew to get her mind off those memories.

“The kid's... alright, I guess. Name's Corso,” he relented. “I... might have given him a bit of a hard time.” Leo rubbed at the back of his neck. “My associate's got some deal with one of the Hutts, I think. She can finalize that and... let's say the Promenade?” Easy enough to get lost in the crowds there. “Slippery Slopes cantina's a popular little bolthole there.”

“You giving people and friends a hard time is nothing new,” Liv replied. “Just don't be so hard that you drive them away.” She added. She thought about what she remembered about Nar Shadaa. “Think I remember where the place is.” She stated when he mentioned the cantina.

Leo tried to smile, but it ended up more strained than he'd like. He'd always been a shit liar to people he actually cared about, and if Risha could hear about what went down on Ord, it'd be no problem for an Intelligence agent.

Liv looked concerned when she saw his strained smile. “Leo, what is it?” she asked, then listened to what he said.

“Look, Liv, I... don't want you to worry.” Always a great start. “But I'm uh... My last job didn't go so well. I'm workin' on clearin' it, but... it might come up, if we're out. I play out these next deals right though; everything should work out. Just... thought you should know before... in case, y'know…” Right. That was convincing.

“You always did know how to get into the worst situations,” she stated. “But I'm glad you told me beforehand,” she added. “Want me to look anything up?” she offered.

Leo shook his head and puffed out a chuckle. “What else are siblings for?” he jested. To love despite your flaws, even if you still gave them shit about it. That's what Liv had always been good at.

Liv smiled at his comment. “Who else is going to call you out on stupid things? And complain about other family members?” she added.

Leo rolled his eyes. “That's my job, y'know?” To complain. To be a nuisance. To just as likely be the reason the rest of the family was complaining. Perhaps not as much now, if they'd taken the story that he'd probably been killed, but still.

“I know it's your job, Leo.” Liv began, “But who's gonna call you out on that stuff? You gonna do it yourself?” she teased. She knew Leo had always been the troublemaker in the family; gods knew Father scolded him for it enough when they were younger. She knew he still complained about him, or at least when she had last seen him, he had been. She hadn't seen or talked to their father in some time. But that was a matter for another day.

“Nonsense,” Leo muttered, nose screwing up briefly. He narrowly resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her again. They both knew if Leo was better at calling himself out... Well, no. He might be just as prone to trouble. Or maybe he'd avoid some of it. Neither here nor there, though.

“Nonsense, really?” Liv replied, sarcastically, her tone playful. She missed the banter with Leo. Sometimes it was the only fun thing she did when they were both still at home.

But any facade of Leo smiling cracked at Liv's concern. She'd been one of the few who'd ever cared enough to come close to cutting down to his core like that. “Half of this one, at least, wasn't my fault. At least half,” he said half-heartedly. “Some... bastard at pickup double-crossed me.” And stole his ship for a while. But, Details.

Tempting to have her aide, though... Skavak couldn't outrun him and Intelligence forever, right? “The snake's name is Skavak,” he offered. “Mind he doesn't steal whatever ain't bolted down, if you ever run into him.” He shook his head. “I uh... owe a bit of a big timer based on what he stole, so... if I can find him, I can probably work the rest of this out.”

She saw his smile falter and gave a lightly concerned look while she waited for his reply. “Can't say I recognize the name,” she began, when he explained about Skavak. “But I'll let you know if I find anything in the database,” she promised. “And thanks for the warning,” she added.

He grunted. “Lucky you,” he commented. “Hopefully, it'll stay that way. Spare yourself some trouble.” Skavak was just a nuisance; he'd seen plenty of his big-mouthed type even in his relatively short stint as a smuggler so far. It was Rogun he'd be concerned about, but he was... hoping that issue wouldn't be quite as big. Yet. At least. Leo scratched at the back of his neck. “It's... the boss of the job he stole cargo from that I'm... more worried about. Some big-shot 'Rogun the Butcher' or some such.” He shrugged a shoulder, trying to play that off lighter than it... probably was.

“Is he that bad?” Liv asked, at his comment about her being lucky that she didn’t know this person. She listened as he talked about the other name. “I'll see if I can find anything on either one. If I do, I'll let you know.”

“Trust me,” he puffed out a breath, “I've yet to find anyone who was really happy dealin' with the bastard.” Corso didn't really count. In hindsight, the kid had ceded that he wasn't the most trustworthy snake in the grass, and he was... a little naive if Leo was gonna be honest. “'Preciate it, though.”

“Interesting,” she stated about his comment about people working for Skavak. “Not a problem,” she replied.

As for the matter of 'friends'... His teeth sank into the inside of his lip and fought the urge - unsuccessfully - to let his gaze drop again, left hand rubbing up his right arm. “Yeah, uh. . . Begeren . . .That was. . . something.” he sighed. The turnaround between those last two deployments had been tight, and kolto could only do so much to ease the scarring. He'd... tried to settle back in when they'd shipped him out to Begeren, but losing almost an entire unit... That changed you.

Just don't be so hard that you drive them away. Advice he was still having a hard time taking. “Well.” He cleared his throat a bit roughly. "There is this one I just can't seem to get rid of." A smile finally appeared back on his lips. “Dash, uh... took me in, I guess. Been helping me out since the move. He's a soldier, too.” He hesitated to get into too much detail. Dash had made Havoc Squad now, and that'd make him a high target for Imperials. He trusted Liv, but... that wasn't a gamble he was willing to take.

“Maybe I'll have the chance to introduce you two sometime.” Leo stated.

“Dash?” she asked at the name. “Interesting name. How'd you meet?” she asked. “And if he's up for a meet, let me know when and where, I'll see what I can do,” she stated. “I'm just glad someone was able to help you,” she added, lightly smiling. She hesitated a moment before continuing.

Leo stalled over Dash for a moment. His fingers twisted idly into loose strands of hair at the nape of his neck as he weighed... just how much he was willing to give. If anyone put the story together... It could get them all in a lot of trouble. Lying was safer. “He's a... neighbour.” A man that'd saved his life, more like. Funny how they'd nearly died for each other while barely knowing each other's names. And, hey, it wasn't a... complete lie. They lived together, when they were both on Coruscant. That counted, right?

She could tell he had hesitated before he said Dash was his neighbour. Liv guessed there was more she wasn't telling him, which was fine, as long as Leo trusted them, and she didn't hear anything about him getting caught and killed. “Must be a really nice neighbour,” she stated, not sure what else to say about it.

He released a quiet breath he hadn't quite realized he'd held when Liv didn't press further about Dash. “Yea... He's uh... somthin' else.” Way too good for him, for one. Dash had put up with... a lot since picking him up. “I owe him a lot. He's been... real great.”

“At least you have someone to help look out for you.” She stated, after Leo commented more on Dash. “Maybe they can help you stay out of trouble.” Liv teased. She knew anyone who tried to keep Leo out of trouble, usually ended up following him into it for a while.

“Leo, speaking of names, I'm guessing you changed yours, yes? So no one can guess your ties from that, as I'm sure there are at least some Republic officials who know of Father,” she asked. “And I can try and make sure no one connects things if anything with your 'new' identity comes up on this end,” she stated. She knew of a lot of people who would sell information if it could help them in any way, so the less chance there was of Leo's name coming up in any intelligence files, the better. “But only if you want me to.”

Leo sucked in a breath at her next question. “Yea, somehow doubt tryna get through Customs woulda been fun otherwise,” he mused. “Relos.” Something one of Dash's contacts had put down on his forged papers when she'd smuggled him into Coruscant. Something he probably still owed her for, knowing her... Ideally, there'd maybe be a few brushes with Coruscant Security on that record - but nothing major. Nothing proven, anyway.

“That is at least part of the point of a new identity,” she replied, a hint or sarcasm in her voice. “Just don't get into too much trouble.” When they were younger, Leo and Viv had always been the ones to go with Father on some of his business trips. Leo had stopped going when he had gotten scolded for fooling around too much, either in the Spaceport, or while Father was in a meeting. “I'll see what I can do on my end to try to keep it low profile. So long as you don't do anything too major. That, I may not be able to stop.” she said.

“Thanks, kid. I owe you one.” He glanced over his shoulder. One of the crew was... liable to get antsy.

“You're welcome, Leo,” she replied and watched him glance behind him. She did the same, wondering if Kaliyo was still at the other end of the ship, or if she had wandered up and was listening in.

“I'll send you anything I can find on either name, and see if I can lock your file. Then no one should be able to find it without a bit of digging,” she explained. “Provided you don't do anything too drastic,” she added. “I'd hate for you to get killed for real.”

“Hey, uh... I should probably... wrap up. Long flight and all. But... it was good to see you.” he said, not wanting to admit how much he actually missed her.

'Don't get into too much trouble.' Leo rolled his eyes and hummed half-hearted acknowledgement. That was like tellin' a rancor to behave in a pottery shop, and they both knew it. Especially since it seemed Skavak was keen to keep 'friends' of all stripes. Least he could promise he wasn't daft enough to try to rob the Dark Council or somethin' insanely stupid.

Just... a little stupid. Maybe. Depended on the mood. And the pay.

“Of course,” she replied, when he suggested they wrap things up. “It was good to see you, too,” she added. She looked over at the computer, again, the coordinates still set for Korriban. It wasn't that she hadn't dealt with Sith before but, . . . Korriban was something else. “I've got some things to do, but let me know when you want to meet on Nar Shadaa.” she stated.

A smile eased back across his lips as they started to wrap up. “You know I will, kid,” he said fondly. “Take care of yourself, alright? I'll be seein' you again soon enough.”

“I know,” she replied. “I will,” she added. She could take care of herself alright, but she wasn’t sure what else was going to happen with Intelligence. She knew the stories that they had heard when they were younger about people who went into Intelligence. She didn’t want Leo to worry more than she already knew he was. “See you soon, Leo.” Liv said, then ended the call. She re-enabled anything she had disabled, then set the ship to head for Korriban.

Back on Daredevil, Leo sat there for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. It had been good to see Liv again, even if it was only through a holo. It would be better when he could see her in person, risk or not. He got up from his chair, and left the bridge, deciding to check on Corso first; Risha wasn’t as naive as the kid.

#ch: leo ashold #ch: liv ashold #siblings #swtor #swtor oc

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subtletruamadumping · 1 year

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A Pitch Black Room, A Velvet Ribbon, A Secret Box

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This was my first year doing NaNoWriMo. It started as a writing prompt (the title is literally just the prompt) and it's a collection of short stories from many different peoples' perspectives linked by various objects. I won this year but never looked back at it. In fact, I am kind of embarrassed by it but I try to remind myself I was literally a child. Instead of being broken up into chapters, it's broken into characters.

Written in November 2016

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Part 3, Avery

“Are you sure this is even going to work?” Joshua asked.

“Does it really matter?” Avery asked in return.

“Well, I guess not.” He muttered “Just as long as my mom doesn’t see us, I’m fine.”

“She won’t, as long as we make all the arrangements at my house. All you need to do is get me that velvet ribbon and the secret box”

“You mean, the antique chest that my mom forgot we had and the pointless, priceless piece of modern art.” He corrected.

“That’s what I said. I just don’t need to use as many words to get my point across.”

“And what are you going to be doing, huh?”

“I’m going to be writing the clues. Duh.”

“Why don’t I get to write them?”

“We both know I’ll be better at it.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“On whose authority?”

“My own. Now, stop arguing with me or I won’t let you help me with the clues after you get all the stuff.”

“Fine, then,” Joshua scoffed “just make me the pack mule, why don’t you?”

“Alright, I will.”

“You’re not funny.”

“You walked right into that one. You only have yourself to blame. Come on, let’s go in the back.” They quickly changed course as they came upon the little house that Avery’s family lived in. Usually, Avery’s mom and dad were at work when they came in. This was always the safest time. It was also relatively safe when only one of them was home. It was when the two of them were together that there was trouble.

“Who’s working today?” Joshua asked, lowering his voice a little as they got closer to the house.

“Dad.” Avery answered shortly.

“Is that better or worse for me?”

“Better.” Avery’s dad hated Joshua’s dad. He really hated Joshua’s dad. Avery’s mom, on the other hand, just didn’t like strangers in her house very often. Joshua counted as a stranger because her dad refused to allow him to be a friend. The two quietly opened the back door and slipped into the house. Her mom was in the kitchen, cooking dinner, so they could stay in the living room without upsetting her. Siblings ran around the house, playing loudly, laughing and hugging Joshua around the knees. They liked him, but they knew better than to talk to their parents about him. They were very excited and crowded around them as they sat down at the little card table in the room. Avery pulled out some paper and a pencil, then began writing the alphabet vertically down one of the pieces.

“What are you doing?” Joshua asked.

“I’m making a cipher.” She replied “You match each of the letters of the alphabet with something else, like a number, or a symbol, or even another letter. Then, you write what you want to say in the code you just created.”

“Oh, right,” Joshua said “because I’d totally need to know that kind of thing for practical, everyday situations.”

“Came in handy now, didn’t it?” She shot back.

“I like ciphers!” One of the kids called. Avery smiled at her younger sibling and continued on with her work.

“What am I supposed to do?” Joshua asked, obviously getting tired of just sitting there.

“You can start coming up with what you want the clues to say.” Avery dictated “Then, when I have a cipher ready, we can just copy them into the code.”

“What are you guys doing?” Another one of her siblings asked, peeking over the edge of the table.

“We're going to make a treasure hunt.” Avery explained. Her little brother’s eyes widened and he gasped in delight. Several of the other children grew interested, now.

“Are you going to make a treasure map?” One of the kids asked.

“Maybe.” Avery answered.

“Are you going to make it easy or hard?”

“Hard.”

“Why?”

“Because an easy treasure hunt wouldn’t be any fun for anybody. We want people to actually have to think about it and work for it.”

“What if someone finds it on accident?”

“We’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“What are you going to bury?”

“Some priceless art.”

“That’s boring. Why not a million dollars or something good like that?”

“Do you have a million dollars that we can bury?”

“No.”

“Exactly.”

“But, how’d you get the priceless art to bury, then?”

“You ask too many questions.”

“Will you let us find it?”

“No. We want other people to the treasure.”

“Aww.” They all whined. Knowing that the adventure wasn’t for them, the kids dispersed and went back to playing their own seperate games. Avery and Joshua worked on making clues and ciphers, scratching things down on the paper and tossing ideas back and forth. There was much to be thought about. After all, they wanted to make it as difficult as possible so the treasure would take a long time to find. They were only in highschool, so it was hard for them to come up with complicated schemes that weren’t completely ridiculous. They had gotten two clues finished that day, though. Unfortunately, their work had to be paused rather suddenly. Joshua was trying to explain in depth about the use of one of his clues. He was showing her how they could use markings on rocks to lead a treasure hunter to the library, when Avery abruptly held her hand up to quiet him.

“Shh.” She commanded sharply. Joshua, along with all her siblings, immediately fell silent. They waited a few seconds, then heard the tell-tale sound of a car door slamming closed. Avery’s dad was home. The whole house seemed to be froze, except for the mom (who could still be heard clattering dishes around in the kitchen). The siblings quickly and quietly gathered in the living room as they heard the front door open. Avery began cleaning up the table, storing their work in her backpack, and Joshua helped her. She zipped up her backpack as quietly as possible and whispered and order to her oldest little sister. The kids instantly scattered and Avery stood up, shouldering her backpack. Footsteps were heard coming up the hall and she quickly lead Joshua behind a corner, out of sight. It would be incredibly bad if her dad caught a glimpse of him. He turned the corner just as Joshua was hidden.

“Avery.” Her dad said sharply.

“Yes?” She asked quietly, holding her backpack tightly.

“Where are all the kids?” He demanded.

“Doing homework.” She lied.

“And where are you going?”

“The library.”

“What for?”

“Homework.”

“Hmm,” He snorted “fine, but if that Terrell kid is there, you’d better not be talking to him.”

“Mm-hmm.” She hummed.

“Where’s your mom?”

“Making dinner.”

“Is she doing it right this time?” He asked harshly.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, she’d better be.” He huffed, stalking off “I told her just last night that she needed to...” Avery motioned for Joshua to come out of hiding as her dad’s voice faded.

“Let’s get out of here.” She breathed, taking him by the hand and hurrying to the back door. They could already hear an argument starting in the kitchen. Joshua’s presence would make both the parents’ moods even worse. Just as Avery’s hand touched the doorknob leading to their escape, a loud crash could be heard from the kitchen.

“NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!” Avery’s dad roared.

“I WAS TRYING TO MAKE YOU DINNER!” Her mom shouted in response.

“WELL, I DON’T WANT MY DINNER MADE OUT OF SHATTERED GLASS!” Avery threw open the door and shoved Joshua out of the house.

“WELL, MAYBE IF YOU WOULD HELP EVERY NOW AND THEN--”

“I WORK EVERYDAY TO PAY FOR PLATES THAT YOU KEEP BREAKING!”

“I WORK, TOO, YOU KNOW!” Avery let out a long, clear whistle. Light footsteps could instantly be heard coming from the corners of the house. That is, if you weren’t shouting.

“OH, SURE!” Avery’s dad yelled as the first child rushed past Avery and out the door “YOU WORK A PART-TIME JOB WHEN YOU FEEL UP TO IT SO YOU CAN GO OUT AND BUY WHATEVER YOU WANT WITHOUT MY CONSENT!” One, two, three more heads darted past, each one of them gathering around Joshua, who was a safe distance from the house. Where were the last two? She whistled again.

“AVERY, STOP THAT INFERNAL WHISTLING!”

“DON’T YELL AT AVERY!”

“I’LL YELL AT WHOEVER I WANT TO YELL AT!”

“SHE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!” Finally, Avery’s sister came around the corner carrying her baby brother. They hurried out the door, followed last by Avery, who closed the door firmly behind her. The three of the hurried to where the rest of the group had gathered.

“Alright, does everyone have their backpack?” Avery asked when she joined. There was a general “yes”, except for one.

“Forgot.” Said baby Benjamin.

“I tried to grab it,” The sister holding him, Gloria, said “but I couldn’t hold him and both of the backpacks.”

“It’s alright,” Avery assured her “I’ll go back and get it later, but let’s get you guys places for the night, first. Everyone, grab a partner that’s older than you if you’re younger than twelve. Gloria, have you got Ben?”

“Yeah.”

“Josh, can you get Scott?”

“Of course.”

“Hannah and Thomas are together, so that means Rose is with me. Now, we’re going to be crossing some roads, so make sure you hold on to your partner's hand, okay?”

“Okay.” The group chorused.

“Everyone packed clothes this time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Forgot.” Ben said shamefully.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go back for yours. Alright, guys, let’s go.” The group began heading down the street with Avery in the lead and Joshua bringing up the rear. They walked, crossed a few streets, and finally stopped in front of a payphone.

“Okay,” Avery sighed “anybody got any quarters?” There was unzipping of backpacks and digging through pockets as the hunt for the change began. Avery emptied the front pocket of her own backpack and used the quarters to to make the first call. She dropped in the money and dialed, waiting anxiously for the person on the other end to pick up. She had asked a few trustworthy people to pick up even if they didn’t recognize the number. She hoped they’d do it. She saw Joshua passing around quarters to the kids out of the corner of her eye. She had strictly forbidden them from taking any money from him (and, even more, asking him for money), but it looked like they had run out of change to place the calls. Avery herself had used the last of her quarters for this call, so she pretended that she didn’t notice.

“Hello?” A voice said after a few rings.

“Mrs White? This is Avery.”

“Oh, hello, darling. Why aren’t you calling on your house phone?” The tone of her voice showed that she already knew the answer, though.

“Is it alright if Hannah and Rose spend the night tonight?” She asked, completely ignoring the question.

“Is everything alright?”

“They just need a place to stay for tonight. They have clothes and their toothbrushes, so that won’t be any problem.”

“Of course. They’re welcome any time. Autumn will be happy to have them over.”

“Great. They’ll be over in a bit, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine. We’ll set out a few extra plates for dinner.”

“Thanks a lot, Mrs White.”

“Anytime, darling,” Avery hung up the phone.

“Who’s next?” She asked the group behind her. Scott handed her his quarters. She made the next call, making arrangements for him with his best friend's mom. With the next call, Thomas and Ben had a place to crash. Avery carefully instructed Thomas on caring for Ben for the night. When she had finished the call for Gloria, she sighed again.

“Alright, let’s go drop you guys off.” She said, taking Rose’s hand again. “Thomas and Ben are the closest, so let’s start with them. I’ll come pick you guys up in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Oh, Avery, I forgot my homework!” Hannah cried in anguish.

“That’s alright. I’ll bring it for you later tonight. Now, after your buddy gets dropped off, find a new one. I want everyone to have a buddy until the last kid is dropped off, understand?”

“Yes.” The trail of children went down the streets and into neighborhoods, slowly dwindling in number. They walked and walked through numerous blocks and streets, visiting the safe haven for each child. Scott was the last one to be dropped off and Avery and Joshua started the way back by themselves. There was silence for a little while between them.

“What about you?” Joshua finally asked.

“I’ll probably go over to Anne’s.” She said with a shrug.

“Don’t you want to call, first?”

“I used the last of my quarters, already.”

“Avery, I can--”

“You are not paying for me, Josh, and that’s final.”

“You know I’m not one of your little siblings, right?”

“Sometimes I forget.”

“Yeah, I can tell.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t act like one.” She laughed, elbowing him.

“So, what are we going to do, now?” He asked.

“Well, we’ve got to back to the house to get Ben’s clothes and Hannah’s homework.” She said “Then, we can go to the library and work on the treasure hunt some more.”

“You still want to?”

“Of course. You worry about me too much, Josh.”

“It’s an occupational hazard of being your friend.”

“Or, maybe, it’s your maternal personality.”

“Possibly.” The two walked on in silence, going much faster down the street without the little ones in tow. Soon, they came upon Avery’s house once again. She caught him by the arm to keep him from going any further.

“You’d better stay out here.” She said “Who knows what my dad will do to you while he’s in this mood.”

“Alright, but if you don’t come out in ten minutes, I’m coming in after you.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Don’t take too long.” She left him on the sidewalk and cautiously walked up to the house. She went in through the back door, again, hoping not to get noticed. The house was filled with an eerie silence. She left the door open as she walked softly further into the house. She went to the boys’ room, first. The backpack Ben had left behind was leaning up against the closet door. She opened it and quickly checked to make sure he had clothes and diapers. Everything was in place and she put her arm through one of the tiny straps. She listened at the door for a minute. She didn’t hear anything, so she carefully exited and made her way to the girls’ room. She had to look through the stack of papers on the bed to find Hannah’s homework. No wonder she had forgotten it. She gently collected the work into a neat stack and tucked it under her arm. Again, she listened at the door. She could hear the T.V. She had to walk past the living room to get to the back door. She had to walk through the living room to get to the front door. She had to walk past a parent no matter which door she chose. She drew a breath and started down the hall.

Lots of practice had made her step light. She hoped whichever parent that was in the living room would be too focused on the T.V. and mulling over their argument to notice her. She practically tiptoed as she got closer to the open doorway. Maybe they wouldn’t look towards the door if she was quiet enough. She stepped into view and held her breath. Nothing happened. She took another step.

“Avery.” Her dad called sharply, making her wince.

“Yes?” She asked, turning to him.

“Where are all the kids?” He asked sternly.

“At friend’s houses for the night.”

“And, why is that?” Avery paused and drew a breath.

“They don’t like it when you two fight.” She finally said.

“Oh, really?” Her dad asid, his voice full of menace “They don’t like it when we fight?”

“Yes.” Avery said bravely.

“And I guess you just think we do it for fun, huh?” He asked icily “We don’t mind it at all. We must fight all the time because we like it.”

“Henry, leave her alone!” Avery’s mom called from across the house.

“I want to know why these kids think they can leave whenever they want without permission and spend the night at their little friends’ houses.” Her dad said angrily, rising from his chair “I go to work to pay for a roof over these ungrateful kids’ heads and their always running off. If I still have to sleep here when I don’t want to, so do they!”

“IF YOU DON’T WANT TO STAY HERE SO BAD, YOU YOURSELF CAN LEAVE!” Avery’s mom shouted across the house.

“I’M STAYING RIGHT WHERE I AM!” He shouted back “I’M THE ONE WHO’S PAYING FOR THIS HOUSE! I’M THE ONE-- HEY, GET BACK HERE!” Avery had taken off down the hall, sprinting towards the door she had left open. She heard his footsteps after her and her mother screaming at him to leave her alone. Avery slammed the door behind her as soon as she ran out of the house and rushed over to Joshua.

“Run! Run!” She panted, grabbing his hand and dragging him along behind her.

“Went well, did it?” He asked cheekily.

“TERRELL!” They heard Avery’s dad roar from the house.

“Great, now he’s seen you.” Avery groaned. The two of them sprinted away from the house for as long as they could. Several blocks away, they finally slowed down, panting heavily.

“Have you got a water bottle on you?” Avery asked, gasping for breath and holding her sides.

“Sure.” He answered, pulling one out of the side pocket on his backpack “You should really join the track team, you know.” She laughed breathlessly and sat down on the curb. They both took a minute to catch their breath.

“They’re getting worse, you know.” Avery finally said, securing the top of the water bottle back on. Joshua sat next to her on the curb.

“They’re starting to really scare the kids.” She continued “They’ve started going at each other every day.”

“It’ll get better.” Joshua said quietly, loosely wrapping his arm around her waist and hugging her from the side.

“Probably not.” She said flatly.

“It has to. It can’t get worse forever.” She sighed, but didn’t say anything. They rested for a little while longer in silence. There really wasn’t very much else they could talk about.

“Okay, time to get back to work.” Avery said, suddenly standing up “Let’s drop the stuff off for the kids, then we’ll head over to the library.”

“Sounds good.” Joshua said, following her as she started down the street.

“I hope I didn’t crumple Hannah’s papers too much with all that running.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. We should stop at a payphone on the way there.”

“You’re not paying for me.”

“What if Anne can’t have you over tonight?”

“That’s never happened before.”

“But what if it does?”

“I’ll be fine, Josh.”

“But what if--”

“I’ll be fire, Josh.”

“Alright, alright. Won’t you at least take a few quarters so you can call me if anything goes wrong?”

“No, Josh.”

“Avery, I just want to help you.”

“I know that, Josh. I’ll be fine, though.”

“If you say so.” He sighed “I just don’t like the idea you being all alone all night, trying to find someone to take you in until morning.”

“You make it sound like I’m a stray cat or something.”

“Will you come knock on my door if you run into any trouble, at least? That doesn’t need any quarters.”

“If it makes you feel better, yes, I’ll come knock on your door if I run into trouble.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

~*~

“The library will be closing, soon” The librarian whispered.

“I’m just waiting for a friend to get back, then we’ll leave.” Avery answered her in a low voice. She and Joshua had made great strides on their clues, even using some books they had found on treasure hunts to help give them ideas. They would probably have finished that night, but Joshua had gotten up to go to the bathroom and hadn’t come back, yet. Avery had already packed up their work, seeing that they had stayed way too late. Now, she was just waiting for him to come back. What on earth was taking him so long? She didn’t want to make the librarian stay longer than her shift was to accommodate them. She had just finished putting back all the books they had gotten out, when she looked back at the table and saw Joshua sitting there.

“Ready to go?” He asked as she walked over.

“I’ve been ready.” She hissed at him as he stood up “I’ve been waiting for you to get back. Where in the world did you do?”

“I went to use the payphone outside.”

“You did what?”

“Shh,” Joshua shushed her “we’re still in a library.” She crossed her arms at him, but waited to say anything until they got out of the building.

“Josh, I told you not to spend any money on me.” She immediately started scolding.

“Now, wait a minute.” He said sternly “I earned that money, first of all. That’s right, I did work for it, it wasn’t given to me. I think I can use it for whatever I want. And I decided to use it on you. Secondly, Anne’s family is out of town this week. What would you have done if you had gone up to that door and no one was home? That’s why I wanted you to call first. You can’t make plans around something you don’t know for sure. Now, I called Victoria’s mom, too, and she said she’d be able to keep you for the night. And don’t even try to stop me from walking you there. I don’t want you wandering around the streets after dark.” Avery was silent for a while, her arms still crossed.

“How’d you earn it?” She finally asked.

“There’s a little old lady who lives down the street from us.” He explained “It’s hard for her to go out and get the mail every morning, so I’ve been doing it for her. I said she didn’t have to pay me, but she insisted. So, I told her a quarter a day would be sufficient.”

“Do your parents know?”

“Of course not. My mom would tell me to charge her a dollar a letter, or something outrageous like that.”

“Well, I’m sorry for scolding you.” She sighed “And thank you for helping me out. I just don’t like it when you spend money on me or the kids.”

“I know,” He replied “but, unfortunately, it’s necessary, at times.”

~*~

“You know, you could help, too.” Joshua panted, looking up at her from the bottom of the hole.

“Hey, I already took my turn.” Avery said with a sly smile.

“Yeah, but that was in the morning when it was cooler.”

“That’s why I called that shift.”

“You’re sneaky.”

“No, I’m smart.”

“Pass me my water bottle, will ya?” She tossed it over the edge of the hole and he caught it. He set down his shovel and sat in the dirt, taking a long swig of water.

“You’re going to get your pants all dirty.” She called down to him.

“I’m fine with that.”

“Your mom won’t be.”

“How deep do you think this needs to be, anyway?”

“Pretty deep. We don’t want someone to stumble upon it and we don’t want the dirt on top to weather away and have it unearth itself.”

“How deep does it need to be for that?”

“Well, coffins are buried six feet down...”

“And?”

“I think we should do eight feet.” Joshua choked on the water he had just tried to gulp down “You okay?”

“Eight feet?”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m the one digging!”

“I’ll take the evening shift.” She said innocently.

“‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ You’re taking your turn in thirty minutes.”

“Alright, alright,” She laughed “but it’s getting deep enough now to where the person up here is going to have to pull buckets of dirt up.”

“Jeez, you are a sneaky one.”

“Come on, I thought you were supposed to be a big, strong boy.” Avery taunted “I should probably do the digging soon, anyway. It’ll be much easier for you to pull me out than the other way around.”

“Agreed.” Joshua replied “You might have to give me a hand as it is.”

“Come on up and we’ll switch places.” She said, reaching down her hand to him. She pulled with all her might, until he lay sprawled on the grass next to the place where they were going to bury the secret box and the velvet ribbon.

“That’s a lot harder than it looks.” He panted.

“It didn’t look that easy.” She commented “You left your water bottle down there.”

“Aww, man.”

“I’ll toss it up to you when I go down.”

“Thanks.”

“Were you able to get them both?”

“Yeah, I hid them in the bushes by the library, for now.”

“Good.”

“What about you?” He asked, sitting up “How are things at home?”

“Same as usual.” She said with a shrug.

“You know, we don’t have a lot of school left.” He said casually, plucking at the grass.

“I guess.” She mumbled cautiously.

“I already sent my college applications out.” He said “Have you?” Avery’s heart sunk. He was leaving. Going off to college. She looked down at the grass.

“No, I haven’t.” She said quietly. He looked at her, brow furrowed. She had talked a lot about going of to college a while ago. In truth, she would love to do it. She just couldn’t.

“Why not?” He asked “You could probably get into whatever college you wanted to.”

“I guess.”

“I mean it, Avery. You’re probably the smartest kid in this whole town.”

“If you say so.”

“And I know you want to go.” He continued “You liked learning too much to stop.”

“I guess.” She said again.

“What’s the problem?” He asked, gently nudging her with his foot “There’s something eating you.”

“It’s just… I can’t leave the kids, Josh.” She finally said.

“Oh,” He said softly. They were both quiet for a bit.

“You could go locally.” He suggested “Near enough to come back when they need help, but still be able to extend your education.”

“I just don’t want to leave them alone.”

“They wouldn’t be alone.” He said reassuringly “You’d still be there for them. And I’d drop in on them to make sure they were okay.”

“Wait a minute, I thought you were going off to school, too.”

“Oh, I thought I’d wait a year or two.” He said lazily “You know, to keep an eye on the treasure and all.”

“Of course.”

“And if you end up going to school, I’d be happy to add them to my list of things to keep an eye on.”

“My dad won’t let you go anywhere near that house.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that.” He said “Do you think, if I sat down with him and had a decent conversation, he’d get over his prejudices?”

“No.”

“Well, it doesn’t hurt hurt to try.”

“It might.”

“Avery, I want you to go to school.” He said “I know you want it, too. And since I also know you won’t let me pay for it, won’t you let me help you in a different way?” She was quiet for a long time, looking towards the horizon.

“Can we talk about this later?” She finally asked with a sigh.

“Sure,” He replied “bring your dad along, too.”

“Do you have a death wish?”

“No, but I’ll do just about anything to help you.”

“Just don’t put yourself through too much trouble.”

“No promises. Now, let’s finish this treasure hunt and so we can focus on the next project: getting you to school.”

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