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illuminatedquill · 3 months

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Story Summary: A quiet mission for the Spectres retrieving medicinal supplies on behalf of the Rebellion leaves Sabine and Ezra without much to do. While perusing through the Holo-Net to pass the time, Sabine receives a message from Shana Tavorri - a Fulcrum agent and Ezra's former childhood best friend - with an unexpected attachment: a questionnaire usually reserved for couples. Sabine is, predictably, annoyed by the agent's antics but Ezra becomes intrigued and convinces his best friend to participate in the questionnaire. What starts off as an innocent distraction turns into a deeper introspection on the nature of their relationship . . . and what awaits both of them in the years to come.

"Anything ping your scanners yet?" came the voice of Kanan over the comms. Sabine reached a hand out, pressing the button to reply on the Ghost's main control dashboard. She was sitting in the main pilot's seat, a rare event, necessitated by the delicate nature of their current mission. Beside her in the co-pilot's chair was Ezra, legs propped up on the console, arms crossed in a relaxed position. He glanced over at her and shook his head.

"Nothing yet, Kanan," she replied. "How are things on your end?"

"Same as it's been for the past thirty minutes," said Kanan. "Hera's trying some new search patterns. The containers containing the supplies should be around here somewhere."

"You want us to join you?" asked Ezra. "An extra pair of eyes couldn't hurt."

"No. Asteroid field is too dense for the Ghost. Hera and I are doing just fine out here in the Phantom II. You guys keep watch out there and alert us if you see anything suspicious."

Sabine sighed. More waiting, she thought. I hate that.

She caught her friend's eye and saw her own thoughts mirrored in his expression. But Ezra just answered with a simple, "Copy that. We'll be on standby."

"Thanks. Oh, and Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"Hera says to take your boots off her dashboard."

Sabine grinned. In a flash, Ezra dropped his feet to the ground, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"How did she - can they see us?" Ezra muttered. He stared out the main canopy, but only saw the same sight they'd been staring out for a while now: a floating field of asteroids and space dust. If the Phantom II was skulking out there close by, then they were hidden well.

"Hera's always had a sixth sense regarding the Ghost, goober," Sabine reminded him. "You should know that by now."

Ezra rubbed the back of his neck, wincing. "Right, right."

The latest mission for the Ghost crew was a relatively simple one: retrieval of medicinal supplies lost in an asteroid belt. Word had reached Rebel intelligence that a convoy of smugglers had ditched their cargo while on the run from an Imperial patrol in this area of space. They had been tasked from Rebel Command to find the missing supplies and bring them back to Atollon Base.

The asteroid field was dense, requiring quick maneuvering and a deft hand at piloting. The Ghost was too big, hence why Kanan and Hera had opted to use the Phantom II to locate the supplies. Sabine and Ezra were entrusted with command of the Ghost, hovering outside the asteroid field as back-up.

Chuckling, Sabine reached down into the knapsack by her chair and took out a data-pad. Connecting to the Holo-Net, she started to scroll through the news page trying to glean information from the thousands of articles regarding the Empire's current movements . . .

Her data-pad chirped. A notification popped on-screen: she had been sent a message. Tapping the pop-up, she frowned at the messenger ID, feeling a slight twist in her stomach at the name.

Shana Tavorri. A Fulcrum agent, and former childhood best friend to Ezra. Their last meeting had left Sabine with mixed feelings, unsure whether to call the young woman a friend . . . or a rival.

With a heady sense of dread, Sabine opened the message.

Have you told him yet? If not, maybe this will help get you started.

That was the whole message. But there was an attachment . . .

Sabine opened it. Immediately, a female voice blared out from the data-pad's speakers.

"Hello, young lovers! It is I, your esteemed love specialist, Dr. Eros. Are you feeling like the spark has died in your relationship lately? Then worry no more! I've concocted a series of questions - "

Sabine threw the data-pad onto the ground. The voice squawked and died out.

Ezra jerked in his seat at the commotion. "What the kriff was that about?" he asked, eyes wide with concern.

Sabine rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She could imagine Shana's face, giggling at her discomfort.

Beside her, Ezra gingerly picked up the data-pad and scrolled through the message's contents. He looked back up at Sabine, a bemused smile on his face. "Interesting reading material," he said, a casual slant to his tone.

"Don't start," Sabine warned him. "Your friend Shana has an odd sense of humor."

"She does," he admitted. "What is she talking about, by the way? Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Her heart flew into overdrive. She snatched the data-pad from his hands. "Nothing. Don't worry about it," she snapped.

Ezra's hands flew up in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay. I won't ask, if it's something secret between you two."

An awkward silence descended between them both. Sabine grimaced, feeling a slight sense of shame at her actions. Things between her and Ezra remained . . . uneasy since his incident with the Sith Holocron. They had agreed to start patching things up since then, but it was not easy navigating through the complicated feelings that had sprouted up.

Not looking at him, Sabine spoke up to break the tension. "Sorry."

Ezra shrugged. "No harm done. You want to try it?"

"Try . . . what? The message from Shana?"

"Yeah," said Ezra. "Looks like she sent a questionnaire of some sort. Could be interesting. And we have nothing better to do in the meantime."

Now she turned to look at him, feeling incredulous. "Ezra, you know it's a questionnaire made for couples, right?"

"Right."

"We're not a couple," she pointed out.

"Also correct," he replied. "But what does it matter? We're bored, and I miss talking to you."

Ah. I'm not the only one who has been struggling lately, she realized.

Ezra looked at her, his bright blue eyes so earnest and sincere . . . Sabine couldn't resist. Despite her misgivings, she felt a smile forming.

"Alright," she relented, handing over the data-pad. "Let's give it a whirl."

Ezra beamed at her, clapping his hands in excitement. He downloaded Shana's message attachment into the Ghost's main console and, once it finished, the ghostly blue holo-image of a female Twi'lek, adorned in a professional doctor's outfit, appeared from the holo-projector.

"Greetings, young lovers," said the holographic Twi'lek in a syrupy sweet tone. "I am, as you know, Dr. Eros, love doctor extraordinaire. I've written many acclaimed books on the subject of relationships and am now here to juice up your ailing love life with a series of specially honed questions to probe the depths of your feelings towards each other!"

Sabine gagged. Ezra snorted at her reaction.

"If you're both ready, let us begin the questions!"

Ezra glanced at her, a lop-sided grin on his face. Pressing a button to pause the holo-recording, he asked, "Still want to continue?"

"Can I get a bucket to puke into?"

He laughed and resumed play with a quick button press on the console.

Question 1: What do you think I'm hiding?

Sabine leaned back in her seat, thinking. The holo-recording froze, putting itself on an automatic pause for the participants to answer each other. Ezra gazed at her and asked, "Guess I should go first?"

She gestured at him to do so. "Go ahead, goober."

He squinted at her hard. Sabine felt beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead. Ezra was already perceptive before his Jedi training took effect, sometimes annoyingly so, but as his abilities increased in the Force, he had gained an uncanny ability to guess what others were thinking or feeling. Kanan had the same ability, despite his recent blindness.

"Any day now," Sabine said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Her best friend crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "Honestly, my thoughts on this question haven't changed since we first met."

"Oh? How so?"

"I think you hide your feelings, Sabine. Despite your rebellious, devil-may-care exterior, I know you care deeply about people. It's a part of you I admire immensely, and I wish you were more open about it."

Sabine was quiet, absorbing all this. "I - look, most of us in this fight care about people," she replied, feeling a blush heat up her cheeks from Ezra's compliment. "I don't think I'm unique."

"You're unique to me," Ezra countered. "After all you've been through, I wouldn't lay blame if you turned away from it all and just focused on surviving for yourself. Instead, you continue to care. That is remarkable, in a galaxy that can be cold and uncaring at times."

"I did do that though," Sabine pointed out. "With Ketsu, after I ran away from the Imperial Academy."

"For a short time," Ezra replied. "And then you chose a better path. And, later on, you helped Ketsu to choose better, too. Even after what she did to you."

Sabine looked away, scratching at her cheek in a sheepish manner. "Yeah, well, when you put it that way . . . I guess it sounds pretty good."

"It is good, Sabine," insisted Ezra. "I just want you to show everyone else what I see all the time."

She could not meet his intense stare and settled for just looking down at her lap. "Yeah, okay. I should open up some more. I got it," she said quietly.

"Okay, well." Ezra's tone suddenly turned awkward, as if he realized that he had perhaps been too intense with his positivity. "I guess, uh - I guess it's your turn. What do you think I'm hiding?"

She thought about it some more and then came up with her answer.

"Guilt," she said.

Her best friend didn't say anything. She chanced a peek at his face and saw only an inquisitive look. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Sabine blew out an anxious breath. "Well, first of all: guilt that you've been hiding for a while that you actually don't like the haircut that I gave you."

Ezra's jaw dropped open. She arched an eyebrow at him. "What? You didn't think I would notice?"

In a reflexive motion, Ezra reached out to brush his hand across his scalp, the hair still brutally short after Sabine's handiwork. "Look," he admitted, "it's not that I don't appreciate it, but I distinctly remember telling you to make it shorter. Not short."

She crossed her arms. "There's a difference?"

"Yes, there's a difference," he stressed. "I didn't want a buzz-cut!"

Sabine shrugged. "Then you should have said so, goober."

"Also, it's hasn't been growing back like it should," he said. "Did you do something else while you were busy shaving away at my scalp?"

She rolled her eyes. "I should have gone for the eyebrows also while I was at it. Then you would have something legitimate to complain about."

Ezra's cheeks heated up, his mouth opening to make some sort of scathing retort - and then he closed it shut. Taking a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes at her. "You're messing with me."

Sabine stuck her tongue out at him. "Too easy."

"You're not going to take this seriously?" he demanded. "I gave you a serious answer."

"So did I," she retorted. "I was just getting started. Let me finish."

"Okay, well go ahead!"

"You're still feeling guilty over what happened with Ahsoka! And with your family, and with Kanan's injury, and getting reckless causing everyone around you to worry, and with every other bad thing that has happened to the people you care about!"

That shut him up. "I don't - we talked about this," he said, confused.

"So? Nothing was fixed, Ezra. We talked about it once. Doesn't make everything right."

Sabine leaned forward. "I can still see the guilt eating away at you. You've got to stop."

Her best friend's face smoothed into an expressionless mask. "And how I am supposed to feel about any of that?" he asked quietly. "Because it doesn't make sense to not feel somewhat responsible. I was there. I could have done something. And what I did afterwards made the situation worse than it already was!"

"Yeah, you did do something. And it pushed you to a scary place, mentally and emotionally."

"I know it was wrong! You've made that point already. I almost lost myself in the ordeal - and, even worse, I damaged our friendship. How much worse do you want me to feel about it, Sabine?"

She shook her head. "That's the point, goober. I don't want you to feel bad about it - any of it. You need to let it all go. I understand, really, I do, why you are so guilt-ridden. But you can't help everyone, Ezra. You can't save everyone, even as a Jedi Knight. Trying to do so, as you found out, will tear you apart. So, stop feeling guilty and move on."

That caught him off-guard. "I - what? You want me to move on?"

"Yes," Sabine said patiently. "Forgive yourself. You made a mistake. You learned from it. At least, I hope you did. Everyone else has already forgiven you and moved on."

He gazed at her. "Even you?"

She matched his stare. "Yes."

"Why? I think I hurt you the most."

Sabine considered her answer carefully. They were veering awfully close to emotional territory that she was not ready to tread . . . yet.

Thanks for the message, Shana, she thought sourly. Fun, fun, fun.

In the end, all she said was: "That's not one of the questions on the list, I believe. Which means I don't have to answer."

Ezra's stare became baffled. "You're kidding."

In response, Sabine reached out to the console and pressed play. "Next question."

Question 2: What do you think is my favorite part of my body?

The recording paused once more.

"I'll go first," Sabine announced, ignoring the exasperated look on Ezra's face. "I think the part of your body you favor most is your mouth, actually."

Mine too, came a heated thought, unbidden. She immediately shoved it back towards the dark corner of her mind that it came from.

Ezra's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Really? And what makes you say that?"

Her answer seemed to ease him out of his earlier mood, and she let loose a tiny sigh of relief. "Other than the fact that you're a natural born yapper? You love talking to people, Ezra."

He snorted. "Gee, thanks. You give the best compliments."

"You're welcome," she responded sweetly. "Also, you're a Jedi. You guys love to solve things diplomatically, I've heard."

"A Jedi only raises their weapon in defense," Ezra replied, the often-quoted mantra repeated to him via Kanan countless times. "Yes. Violence is a last resort, and the worst possible outcome to any Jedi."

"Yeah, but more than that . . ." Sabine scrunched up her face, trying to finish her statement. "More than that, you just know how to talk to people, at their level. You make everyone you meet feel welcome and seen and understood. That's a rare talent."

Ezra shrugged. "It's a Jedi thing, I imagine."

Sabine shook her head. "No," she corrected. "It's an Ezra Bridger thing."

He smiled at her. "I liked that compliment better than your earlier one."

"Just stating a fact, goober. Anyone with working ears and eyes knows that to be true about you."

Ezra nodded. "My turn now, I think."

"Sure. Go ahead and tell me."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Your hands, obviously. Not a hard guess that they're your favorite part about yourself."

Sabine beamed at him. "Not bad."

"Like I said, it was an obvious guess. You do everything with them. But I think your mind is the actual answer."

Sabine's smile grew wider. "I'm impressed."

He gave her a mock bow. "I aim to please."

His face turned serious. "You're fiercely intelligent, Sabine. One of the cleverest people I've ever met. Not just in technological aptitude, but in how you handle situations. 'The skill of a person's hands does not matter, if the mind controlling them is inept.'"

Sabine kept her face impassive, but felt her insides turn to quivering jelly at his professed admiration of her abilities. Why the kriff are you so good at making me feel this way, Ezra Bridger?

She coughed loudly to hide the crimson flush spreading across her cheeks. "Let's, uh, get to the next question, shall we?"

"Sure," Ezra replied, grinning.

Question 3: What is something you would never give up?

"My armor," Sabine said instantly. "No doubt about it."

Ezra nodded in agreement. "If we're talking about material objects, I guess my collection of helmets would be my choice."

She blinked at him in surprise. "The ones I painted for you?"

"Yeah."

Sabine pointed at his lightsaber, hanging off his belt from its clip. "What about your lightsaber? I hear Kanan preach all the time about it being - "

Ezra smirked and said in an impersonation of Kanan's voice, "The weapon of a Jedi is their life, Ezra. You must not lose it, ever."

"Well. Yeah. Isn't it important?"

"It is," Ezra confessed. "But I can always build another one. As a reminder, this is my second lightsaber."

"Okay, so what makes the helmet collection more important than a Jedi's weapon?" Sabine asked, curious.

Ezra sat back; eyes lost in thought. Sabine waited for him to give his answer.

"I started it when I was young, and by myself," he said quietly. "After my parents . . . well, you know."

She nodded, not saying anything. Ezra's parents had died not too long ago, after an escape attempt from an Imperial prison had led to the successful release of all the prisoners held there - except for themselves. They had been listening to Ezra's broadcast across the galaxy, urging for those oppressed under Imperial rule to fight back.

Ezra's words had been the last thing they heard before their death. Sabine couldn't imagine what her best friend had felt upon discovering this.

"It was a way of distracting myself; keeping my mind from dwelling on the situation I was in. The loneliness I felt was sort of kept at bay whenever I scored another helmet. Every time I scored another one, it felt like I was hurting the Empire, silly as it sounds. It wasn't a fun hobby, but it kept me going. It wasn't much, but it was all I had."

His gaze fell to hers, his blue eyes focusing on her brown ones. "And then I met everyone here. You guys added to the collection. Zeb, Kanan, Hera - and then you. You made them special. You made them my own, with your wonderful painting. Turned the helmets from symbols of tyranny into works of art. Something I could be proud of owning - and, maybe, someday leaving behind."

Sabine's gaze turned watery. She swiped a hand across her face, clearing it of the tears falling down her cheeks.

"You had to make it personal," she muttered. "I feel like my answer sucks in comparison."

Ezra laughed. "Your armor is an heirloom, Sabine. It's very important to you. And this isn't a contest, you know."

"Yeah, but my armor is mine. I don't share it with anyone else. What you just said about your helmet collection . . . it wasn't about you, Ezra. It was about everyone that added to it, made it grow, made it unique."

He cocked his head at her. "Your armor is the same way, isn't it? Forged by the history of your clan, and all those who came before you?"

"Forged through bloodshed and war," she responded bitterly. "That's not a history to be proud of. Your helmet collection is a work of love. It's not the same."

Ezra was silent for a few moments. Then, he said sincerely, "I love the designs you put on your armor, Sabine. They're beautiful."

She crossed her arms, feeling that irritating sense of vulnerability whenever they talked like this. "I did it an attempt to make it something more than what it originally represented."

"You put a lot of effort into them, I know. I've seen you work late at night, maintaining the colors."

"What's your point, Ezra? What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying it's a labor of love. Just like my collection is. You don't color inside the lines. You don't want to be the same as your ancestors from the past, I get it. That armor doesn't have to define you, Sabine. You spend so much time fretting over making it something more, but I don't think you realize that it's not the armor that matters most."

Sabine stared at him. "Then what does?" she whispered.

He leaned forward. "The person wearing the armor."

Ezra poked her lightly in the chest. "You, Sabine Wren, are what matters most. The armor may be your past, but it does not decide your future. You do."

Her vision started to get blurry again. Sabine swiveled the pilot's chair away for a moment, wiping furiously at her eyes.

"Let's move on to the next question," Ezra suggested gently.

Question 4: What do you miss most about us?

They looked at each other for a long, tense moment.

"It was simpler, somehow, when we first started as friends," Ezra pointed out. "I guess that's what I miss the most. The ease of knowing where we stood with each other, and . . . just being able to talk about anything."

Sabine reached out and grabbed his hand. "We'll get back there, goober. I promise."

He nodded, his eyes misting over with tears. Inwardly, Sabine felt a tiny sense of satisfaction. Good, she thought. Someone else's turn to cry today.

"I really messed things up, Sabine. I know you just told me not to feel guilty about it, but I can't shake this feeling like we can't fix this," he said miserably.

"We can absolutely fix this," replied Sabine. "Look - you can feel bad about it for five minutes, okay? Five minutes, and then you move on with your day."

He let out a shaky laugh. "It's that easy, huh?"

She smiled at him, squeezing his hand affectionately. "Easier with a friend."

Question 5: What is your favorite food?

"Thank the Force," Ezra said, relieved. "An easy one."

"Spice-infused noodles in meat broth," Sabine answered instantly, on his behalf. "Paired with a fizzy lime-twist drink. For dessert, slices of ripe meiloorun and hot chocolate."

"Wow." Ezra applauded her, grinning as he did. "Outstanding. You are well-schooled in the topic of Ezra Bridger."

Sabine blushed. "I just pay attention, that's all."

She pointed at him. "And now it's your turn, I believe. Go on - what's my favorite food, Ezra?"

"Uh," he said. "Meat?"

Sabine narrowed her eyes at him. "Meat? That's all?"

Looking lost, he added pitifully, "Cooked meat?"

She punched him in the arm. "Ezra! Are you serious?"

"You eat by yourself all the time in your room! I don't have x-ray vision, you know!"

Sabine threw up her hands in annoyance. "Whatever. Next question!"

Question 6: Who wears the pants in your relationship?

Sabine stared at Ezra, who was sweating slightly.

"Go on, goober," she challenged. "Who do you think it is?"

Rubbing at his arm and wincing, Ezra replied quietly, "You."

She leaned forward and patted his cheek affectionately.

"That's right," she said cheerfully.

Ezra gave her a shaky smile in return. She leaned over and pressed the button for the recording to resume playing.

Question 7: If we never meet again, what would you want to take away from us meeting?

Sabine frowned. "Next question," she said.

Ezra looked taken aback. "You don't want to answer this one?"

"No," she said firmly. "It's a stupid question."

Ezra let out a deep sigh. "And why is that, Sabine?"

She folded her arms and glared at him. "Because you're not going anywhere. The question is presumptive."

"Nothing is certain," Ezra pointed out. "We're at war. None of us can guarantee the future."

"It won't come to that," Sabine insisted. "I'm guaranteeing that, on my honor."

"Sabine . . ."

She slammed a fist on the console. "No, Ezra! No compromises with the Empire, or the Rebellion. If either of them comes asking for you, they're going to get my blaster as a response."

He looked at her with a small, sad smile. "Can I give you my answer?"

"No."

Ezra snorted. "Too bad. I'm going to give it anyway."

As he leaned forward, Sabine fought the urge to look away. She forced herself to meet his bright blue eyes.

"If - if, mind you - should the event come to pass where we part ways, I want you take away from our friendship that . . . well, it means the galaxy to me. The Force works in mysterious ways, but I'm fortunate that it led me to meet everyone on the Ghost. Especially you. Our friendship is one of the best gifts I could ever hope to receive in this life. And I wouldn't exchange it for anything."

Sabine's face twisted in grief. "Then why won't you fight for your life? Why are you so accepting of an end that is yet to come?"

"I'm not. Of course, I'm going to fight with every last breath in my body: for you, for Kanan, for Hera, for Zeb, for Chopper - for everybody!" Ezra's blazed with passion; with surety of himself and what he stood for. "The Empire will never rob me of that need to fight back for what I care about."

"It doesn't scare you?" she asked. "The idea of dying?"

"It does scare me, Sabine. It's not that I'm bigger than the fear, but that I don't want it to consume me. I have to choose hope - that one day, we'll see the end of this war and live to brighter days. And if that doesn't happen . . . I have to hope that the place I make my final stand in, I can make a difference. No matter how small it may be."

Sabine's arms crossed over her stomach; it felt like she was trying to keep everything important inside her from spilling out. "You're never small to me, Ezra Bridger," she said firmly.

"Thanks," he said, his eyes melancholy. "But I'm just one spark, among so many lights. The fight needs to go on without me. And I'll be counting on you to do that."

One spark, among so many. His words echoed inside her, ripping open a hollow space that ached with the pang of future loss. Her loss.

Of him.

Ezra thought that if his spark went out, others would fill it. That the combined light of the Rebellion would illuminate the space he had been in.

Sabine did not accept that, she realized. She would always be aware of the void he once occupied. It would loom large and terrifying, like a black hole. It would gobble up everything around it, warping time and space - crying out endlessly to be filled.

Something shifted in her thoughts and a realization struck her sharply.

I'm in love with you.

Hiding it would be difficult, she knew. Sabine decided to take her own advice - she would allow herself to acknowledge her feelings, to feel them fully, for at least five minutes every day.

Then she would gently bury them until the next day. And so on. Go back to maintaining the friendship she held so dear between them both.

The complicated feelings that had tangled in her mind for a long time finally resolved themselves into a crystal-clear picture. But it was not a cathartic release; it was not a joyous revelation.

Sabine Wren was not a gracious loser. And if the galaxy was her competition for Ezra Bridger, then so be it.

The comms crackled to life from the Ghost's main console. "Look alive, you two," said Kanan's voice. Ezra and Sabine jerked slightly in their seats, suddenly remembering their surroundings. "We've located the medicinal supplies and will be bringing them out shortly."

Ezra's arm snaked out to press the button for a reply. "Copy that, Kanan. We'll be ready."

Sabine shut down the holo-recording and began maneuvering the Ghost into position for the incoming cargo.

From beside her, Ezra asked quietly, "I don't suppose I'll be hearing your answer any time soon?"

She paused, taking the time to consider a reply.

Finally, she shook her head. "I'll give you my answer someday, Ezra."

He gazed at her softly for a moment, then said, "Okay. I trust that you'll do the right thing, Sabine."

She smiled at him in a reassuring way. But, deep down inside, her answer burned in the furnace that stood in place of her heart.

If the galaxy tries to take you from me, Ezra, then the galaxy will lose.

#sabezra #sabine wren #ezra bridger #star wars rebels #star wars #sabezra fanfiction

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dreamwritersworld · 2 years

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Ghost of you. (Sully family x reader)

Just a reminder you should read this series from the beginning to understand it! I have my master list pinned! Start from “the chore” and work your way down 😊

The pink is Tuk and the purple is Y/n. This song reminds me of a conversation between the two sisters. If it’s half-half that means they are both saying it!

This is a story about a girl named Y/n, and it starts with the small stories of her and her sun….

“I Didn’t tell you I was scared”

*Flashback*

There was one night where Tuk actually got to witness Y/n cry, she always hid it. The little girl decided to just ask her quiet older sister what was going on.

“I heard you cry last night. Do you dream about…Rey’akana? I know that sometimes you dream of leaving home or that you would do anything to return into his arms…you know when you miss Rey’akana.”

Y/n just looked away from Tuk trying to hold all emotions in, so she wouldn’t break. Tuk noticed how she would work on something all the time when she was upset…like how Y/n was now getting up to pick up the fishes they had caught by the river.

Last night Y/n was cleaning up their home while jake yelled at her again for not doing as much work...maybe that’s it?

“…i know that you don’t really get along with dad as much…so our family is little just you and me! I know that Rey’akana isn’t here but if you want we can visit him together and you can show me some memories..? soaia means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. But…if you want to leave to be happier, you can. Remember what you said? Memories exist outside of time and have no beginning or end. As long as you live I’ll be with you forever. So I’ll always remember you.”

Y/n turned to Tuk…how could Tuk not notice how utterly exhausted and defeated Y/n was sometimes? But unfortunately for Tuk she’d never notice all those times and when she did it was very rare, Y/n just sent a smile Tuk’s way..

“I’m fine sunshine! cmon let’s get back to training you hide and run, and if I catch you…tickle monster is coming back!”

Tuk was now giggling into Y/n’s arms being tickled.

“Ok!! Go!”

Tuk ran like there was no tomorrow, always living in the moment.

It was a memory like that where Tuk selfishly regrets telling Y/n that it was ok to leave…would Y/n get upset if she knew that now Tuk disliked the fact that she left for her happiness..? Oh Tuk couldn’t even bare the thought of Y/n being upset at her, for Tuk Y/n was very patient and didn’t like to raise her voice…so when she was…she made sure to make herself clear.

*Flashback*

As if Y/n didn’t already have a rough day, her father had just yelled at her for being unaware of where her siblings and her younger sister Tuk were. It had only been a week since her father hit her with glass…so if Tuk wasn’t safe or close by..? He probably wouldn’t hesitate to take her away.

Tuk had ran off with her siblings and gotten into trouble, going against the given boundaries and when Y/n saw them, saw her with them…she caught Tuk by her arm. To Y/n it meant everything that she was out wandering around in the most dangerous parts of the forest so when she caught a distracted Tuk not aware of any of her surroundings…didn’t go well.

“Where is our siblings? Why are you out all alone?”

Tuk resisted against Y/n’s grip and tried to pull her towards her siblings who she now realized are very far from her and she was indeed alone in the woods.

“Tuk! Do you not understand? Do you want to be taken away?…Answer me!”

“No!”

“No what? ‘No’ you don’t understand? ”

Six year old Tuk had finally gave up on it and settled on throwing a tantrum, she dropped to the floor resting her head in her arms while muttering how she just wanted to go with the older kids.

“….ugh! You’re being such a pain right now.”

Tuk got up quickly before saying

“So why don’t you sell me and trade me in for some ikran instead?!”

“At least a ikran would behave better than you right now!”

“Go ahead! Then you’ll be happy because it’ll be smarter than me too!”

“Cmon Tuk stop, just come home with me now.”

“I’m already going home!”

They both knew she wasn’t but for Tuk’s sake Y/n kept quiet while they both walked home alone and Tuk walked fast just so she couldn’t be next to Y/n.

When eclipse was starting Y/n decided on approaching Tuk before tuk would go to bed.

“hey, I made you a flower crown. I thought you’d like..in case you wanted to wear it for a special occasion.”

Tuk looks down at the old toy Y/n gave her..thinking about how frustrated Y/n sounded when she told Tuk how easily she’d be taken if their father had seen them.

“…we’re a broken family. Aren’t we?”

“No!”

Y/n kneeled down quickly to get a better look at Tuk and she was very unsure if she should lie or be honest..

“…maybe…a little..maybe a lot. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“I like you better not upset at dad as much.”

Y/n looked down realizing she let her father get to her.

“…yeah?”

“Yes. And you like me better as a sister than an ikran right..?”

Tuk held her toy tighter as tears fell and Y/n went to grab Tuk to hold her close, holding her like a baby.

“Oh sunshine, yes. Yes I do….I’ll tell you what. If you promise not to go that far out into the dangerous areas, I promise not to yell at you..except on special occasions.”

“Making more flower crowns would be good..”

Y/n giggled at the child negotiating

“Yeah, would that be good?”

The tickling came to a stop when Tuk got up to run at the hidden camera Y/n got Tuk from the lab to take photos as memories with.

“Oh! My camera! We should take my picture!”

They snapped a photo capturing their moment before it was gone..

“You make the best of a bad deal. I just pretend it isn’t real. I’ll paint the kitchen neon. I’ll brighten up the sky. I know I’ll never get it, there’s not a day that I won’t try.”

All Y/n did was want Tuk safe. How could she be safe if she left? Tuk didn’t even know if she was alive.

Y/n fought a lot for Tuk, and she wanted so badly to call out for her…all she could hope was that Tuk would heal from her wounds just like Y/n.

As stated before in the beginning of the two sisters journey…it wasn’t the first time Y/n just wanted to pack up and leave. It made Y/n very sad saying goodbye that night.

*flashback*

Tuk and Y/n were sitting on the hammock before Y/n went off to do ‘another late work’.

“Tuk, sunshine…We have to talk..”

“Don’t worry. You’re doing good and someday you won’t have to do the extra work anymore!..I know it.”

Y/n sighs at her sisters positivity, feeling her heart drown at the thought of leaving her.

“Come here.”

Tuk crawls toward Y/n and sits in her arms. Y/n began singing a sweet melody Norm let her hear from the sky people’s device…it was a goodbye song by the sky people…Tuk didn’t realized that until now.

“aloha oe…aloha oe…(farewell to thee/love to thee) E ke onaona noho i ka lipo (thou charming one who dwellst among the bow’rs)…one found embrace, A ho'i a'e au (before i now depart)…until we meet again…”

Y/n stroked Tuk’s hair and matched both of their hands before giving her sister a big hug and good night kiss.

Only thing was Y/n didn’t have the strength to leave…at least not that night.

“…and i say to you. Ooh Soon you’ll get better. Ooh soon you’ll get better. Ooh soon you’ll get better. Cause you have to.”

*flashback*

The next day Jake decided to take Tuk to go around the village…but Tuk was so deep in her own world observing things, talking about how she found some of her observations on flowers or fellow passing Navi’s interesting, that she got yelled at by her father for talking too much, having too much energy.

Y/n was sitting in the middle of the home repairing one of Tuk’s loincloths since it had a small hole because she had cut into it when she was climbing a tree quickly, training with Y/n. Y/n began crying at the thought of her actually leaving Tuk, she was crying because she couldn’t just go.

When Tuk entered the home Y/n quickly cleaned her tears to comfort her visibly upset sister.

“Tuk! I thought you were with father.”

It was only a silent response from Tuk raising more concern in Y/n.

“…sunshine, whats wrong?”

“Dad yelled at me…it’s good he doesn’t really know us. He doesn’t want to spend quality time with us anyway. We don’t need him.”

Y/n could see it though, Tuk yearned for her parents love. They could only be capable of taking care of Tuk for a couple of hours before their patience ran out, at least fathers did. However Tuk had something Y/n didn’t, her siblings, and her mother had more patience and love for Tuk. That was something Y/n could admit, even if it hurt.

“Oh sunshine…sometimes you try your hardest, but things..don’t work out the way you want them too. Sometimes things have to change and maybe sometimes they’re for the better, even if I’m n-��

The moment was interrupted with their mother walking in asking for Tuk to come with her so they can do chore’s. Truth was Neytiri was silently jealous that her daughter was able to have the heart and loyalty of her youngest.

Y/n watched Tuk walk away knowing she’d come back in just an hour..

“…even if I’m not there.”

They both knew Y/n prepared Tuk for the day she wasn’t there but…this was different, Y/n left. Tuk didn’t even know if she was alive. She remembers that night and it plays in her head like a continuous nightmare.

*flashback*

“No sister. you will take me. your all I need right now. It’s always been us please. I won’t do anything without you.”

Tears fell from Y/n eyes while she looked at her sunshine…both of them were so scared.

“I can’t. You’ll understand soon. I won’t risk you being hurt on this trip, I won’t be selfish with you Tuk..not now. We can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here. Oel ngati kameie, Sunshine. I’m so sorry. I wish you the best..I’m so sorry.”

There it was Y/n and Tuk’s hearts were both torn that night…it stung so bad. The sisters who were tethered together were now separated. Y/n just wanted to keep her safe even if she left the one person she considered home. While Tuk fell to tears…at least Y/n would be happy…without her?

And i hate to make this all about me but who am I supposed to talk to?

What am I supposed to do? If there is no you...

This won't go back tomorrow if it ever was...it's been years of hoping and I keep saying it because I have to...ooh soon you'll get better...

…ooh soon you'll get better...

…cause you have to."

These memories were held close to Tuk and Y/n of course but…they became faded because the two sisters were no longer in each others presence. Both of them remember everything piece by piece…and after Y/n left, Tuk grew upset…

!💜💖!

Just wanted to say…there are so many more parts to this and did not have time to finish this series or my other one so the parts may take long. 😔 but I’m tryna perfect it because I literally love these two sisters! There is inspiration from lilo and stitch. 💓 I hope you like the song! It potrays how Y/n tried her best for Tuk, how Tuk tries to understand why she left. The “soon you’ll get better cause you have to” that’s because Y/n doesn’t want Tuk sad or upset, she wants her to get better. While Tuk wants Y/n to get better to come back for her and to be happier than she was in the forest. I wanted more emotional frustrated Y/n to show how she just a kid raising her sister, like when she went back and forth with Tuk on the ikran, it was childish yes…but she was just a kid. Just wanted to say this again, so sorry it’s taking long to put out my stories, I’ve been extremely busy with school. 😔🙏

Tag list: @noodlesfics @eywas-heir @itshype @zatarias-pandora @yeosxxx @arminsgfloll @abbersreads @tsireyak @neteyamforlife @aimsro @elegantkidfansoul @goodiesinthecloset21 @nikotokitaswife @bucky1235 @detectivesparrow @kikosaurscave @octavias-next-meat-bite @midnightliacr @waitingforanotherpart @marybrown23 @ssc7514 @destinylb @simp-erformarvelwomen @eirianna @ambria @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @lv9su @luciddasher @dakotali @manohari @httpjiikook @snowywhiterose @tainted-artist4161 @fanboyluvr @bat1212 @deleted-1-800

#Spotify #angst #jake sully x reader #neteyam x reader #loak x reader #neteyam sully #neytiri sully #sully family x reader #avatar loak #avatar the way of water #sully family x daughter reader

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jamiedc-they-them · 1 year

Text

BEING JOEL’S SURVIVING CHILD AND AN OLDLER SIBLING TO ELLIE PART 1:

CW: Normal Last of Us Swearing/Violence; mention of suicidal thoughts

Sarah and you were best friends. Being twins did that to you.

You were in sync with each other, and you would team up to freak your dad out all the time.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have a twin, dad!” You would say to him when he asked you to stop.

Whatever you wrote, she always hyped it up. She was proud of her twin.

You both stayed up to celebrate your dads birthday.

You both got the money for the watch.

When the apocalypse starts, Sarah goes in front. She’s the fighter, you’re not.

“Dad?” You ask you father when you leave to the car.

“We’ll be ok, baby. I promise.”

You see, but Sarah isn’t so lucky.

There’s a shift in you after that. You fall into a pit.

You’re a fighter, a brutal one.

Your dad and you almost lose yourselves.

Tommy’s heart breaks as he sees how far you’ve gone because of the pain.

He leaves for the firefly’s but offers for you to go with him.

There’s a spark of your humanity when he asks, but you decline. He leaves things off better with you then Joel.

This humanity sometimes appears in the small stories you write.

Joel doesn’t like taking you on jobs, but your size is an advantage.

Tess cares for you like one of her own. Constantly calls you “what we’re fighting for and still keeping ourselves around for.”

It doesn’t make you feel as special as she intends, but it’s a nice gesture if nothing else.

She too tries to encourage your writing. She tries to find material for you. Sometimes Joel does too.

On one run, you meet a girl. A spirited girl named Ellie.

You don’t exactly get along like a house on fire, but you also aren’t cold to her either.

She’s someone you’re taking as cargo, sure. But she’s human.

“He always like this?” She asks you, referencing your dad.

“Most of the time, yeah.” You answer.

“Great.”

You get used to it,” you assure.

Her face doesn’t hold a smile, but she’s grateful internally for your assurance, and just for making conversation with her.

When you get to your hideout, your dad sleeps. Leaving you and Ellie awake.

“So, what is there to do?”

“I normally sit here, watching people.”

“...Can I join?”

“Sure,” you move to make space for her. She notes how you have a little pad and pencil, along with how you curl into yourself; you seem more natural, more relaxed.

“So, now what?”

“Now, I normally just watch people as they go. Sometimes write some ideas in here,” at ‘here’ you gesture to your notepad.

“About them?” she points outside.

You start to shake your head, then pause and look up, “sometimes. Most of the time, just ideas for stories. Sometimes I try and give them backstories.”

“Have you ever read Savage Starlight?”

“When I was younger, sure. Used to write my own little fics about them.”

She chuckles, though in interest, “that’s pretty cool.”

There’s a ghost of a smile on your face, “didn’t think so at the time. But, yeah, they were. One time, Sarah and I made up our own characters,” you don’t even clock the name drop of your dead sister, too clouded with the happiness of the memory, “just, acted out scenes for hours.”

“Sounds like fun,” her voice softens; she knows about Sarah, but she doesn’t say that. She’s lost people too after all.

“Yeah,” you say, “yeah, it was.”

She smiles a bit. She hasn’t had a friend in a longtime. Not since Riley. Though, the feelings for her ran in a different way. She doesn’t want to have you in the way she had a crush on her best friend. She just wants a friend.

You see her infection, and become guarded. But you see the conviction on her face when she says to you about being immune.

Hope is something you rarely let yourself feel, but you did in this moment. Maybe all the pain would be worth something if you could do this. Redemption could be yours.

Joel notices a push and pull with you. You’ll find yourself talking to Ellie, bonding with her, only to then pull away or stop yourself. You’re protective of her too, putting yourself in front of her when in danger. Though, she saves you too, killing zombies that have grabbed you or warning you about on coming ones.

For the first time in a while, Joel sees you smile when she brushes off Joel’s advice and crosses over the beam.

Then…then Tess dies. Both can tell it hurts you. It’s why Joel bans it from conversation.

“I’m sorry,” Ellie says to you, then goes by Joel’s rule.

When walking to Bill’s, she walks near you. She doesn’t say anything, but she hopes her presence can mean something.

Part of it does make her feel a bit safer, and makes the loss of Riley more easy; someone is nearby to just silently say “I’m here”

You give her a small smile in one moment of silence. She returns it, but she sees you’re thankful, not fully being alone with it all.

She just nods, she’s glad it’s helping and that you’re here too silently doing the same thing for her.

When she plays with the fireflies, there’s a smile on your face at her innocence in that moment. Even you have to admit, there’s a beauty to them and this world, despite everything.

Joel’s smile softens a bit when he looks at you. He knows Ellie is filling that void that losing Sarah left for you as well. He can see, with the way you then clear your throat and turn around, that it’s scaring you as much as it is him.

You both made a silent vow to never discuss it, but now that wound is being ripped open, the more you let Ellie in.

Joel knows Bill better than you, but you still warn Ellie about how the man can be.

When Ellie tells you both about the game, you don’t correct her on the (admittedly) small moments of incorrect information. She looks at you with glee, then asking you about it. About the other characters. And you’re honest with what you can remember. Twenty years of survival made you forget a lot of your old life.

You both work together, and it’s the first time the three of you have some (albeit slightly chaotic giving everything going on in the situation) level of synchronization. Ellie throwing you both ammo (she never actually pestered you for a gun, which you’re thankful for), Joel covering you; you giving Ellie a boost up, covering her as best you could, her giving you both warnings. It works.

You chuckle at her comments to Bill. You can see your father finds humour in them too, even if he won’t let himself show it.

When it comes to the bloater, Joel makes sure you get up there as well. Just in case.

With Frank, you find the note and give it to your dad.

“Jesus. Alright, thanks, kid.”

You leave it to him to decide what to do with it.

Despite her assurance that she knows how to pop a clutch, she does ask you in a whisper which one that is. You point if out for her.

“Actually. Y/N, why don’t you get in the car with Ellie? You drive.”

“Oh, c’mon?! Seriously?!” Ellie protests, despite trusting you and all. She thought it would be cool.

“How about you cover us from in there?” You say, bringing out your pistol and handing it to her.

“Y/N, no. That - that ain’t exactly what I had in mind for —“ your dad begins to protest himself. Damn it, he’s gone back in time with how you used to be with Sarah. Rebellious.

“Oh, fuck yes!” Ellie says as she takes the pistol, “I fucking love this plan! Get in, partner!” You do so, and pop the clutch, though almost stall the fucking thing.

“It’s been a while,” you use as an excuse.

“Weren’t you like my age when the world went to shit?”

“…Fair point.”

“I did let them drive once after a run,” Joel says as himself and Bill get ready to push the car.

“Joel…Not. The. Fucking. Time.” He says.

Ellie is a decent shot to be fair. So that’s something, at least.

Still, you make it through the town, and say goodbye to your ‘uncle’ Bill. He just tells you to fuck off when he hears that. You flip him off, not seeing Ellie also join you in that.

You’re her friend, she’s gonna back you up however she can. That, and despite him getting you a car, guy was somewhat of a dick to her, so.

She shows you the magazine, you just laugh. Even harder when she reveals she was just fucking with Joel with her questions.

She moves up to the front after seeing you fall asleep. Joel even pulls over so they both can get you laying down.

“They’re a deep sleeper,” Ellie comments.

“Yeah. Yeah, they ain’t been able to for a long time.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good that they still can though, right?” She asks.

“It is,” it’s the softest Ellie’s heard him speak since she’s met you both. And you look the softest you have yet. Guard completely let down.

Before getting back in the car, she makes sure to put your pistol back in your backpack.

They’re quiet with the music as they drive. It lulls Ellie off to sleep.

When the ambush happens, you wake up at the last minute, meaning it’s a blur to you. It almost gets you killed. After Joel saves Ellie, he sees you almost knocked out. That same fatherly rage overtakes him, and he is brutal with his kill. Ellie, meanwhile, helps move you to some cover, giving you some alcohol and cloth to clean the wounds later. She doesn’t ask if you’re ok, knowing that your now bloodied face is enough of an answer.

As Joel looks for supplies, she helps you with your face.

“You ever have things like this happen when you were younger?” She asks, trying to distract you from the sting you feel.

“To be honest, not really. Sarah and I would sometimes take a fall, that was the extent of our injuries most of the time. Though once or twice we’d get in a fight at school.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Some arsehole or something. We’d hear it, the other wouldn’t, then we’d just see red.”

“Must’ve been nice, having someone watch your back like that.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

“Well,” she says, pouring a bit more alcohol onto the cloth before dabbing it on your cut on your face, “for as long as we’re on this road trip together, I’ve got your back.”

“You have so far,” you say, and she smiles, “and I’ve got yours too. You’re a good kid. I, uh, I hope you can save the world with this immune thing.”

“It’d be good. I mean, most’ve the kids I knew were never that special in general. I never was in school,” you chuckle a bit - neither were you, “but this might mean something.”

“You want my advice?” She nods, putting the cloth and very little remaining alcohol away in her back pack, and handing you yours from the jeep as you stand up, “you’re already a good person, I’d say that’s special enough for a world like this. Just…try not to lose that, ok?”

The sincerity with your advice makes her nod genuinely, “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will,” you ruffle her hair, “now, c’mon. Think dad might’ve gotten lost during our bonding time.”

She chuckles, but stays a bit behind you before following, she mules on your words. Of saying ‘dad’ and calling it ‘bonding’ time. In FEDRA, they always talked about them all being siblings, but most were just arseholes. But, you’re the first two people who have treated her like a person. Aside from Riley, but she knows how she felt about her isn’t how she feels about either of you - besides, the age difference is just a big no - but she cares about you both. And you’re more open of your care with her. Joel is more through action and small stories.

She follows, after that short moment of contemplation.

With Joel’s vague “I’ve been on both sides” she does lump you in with that as well. Not that she blames you, Joel is the only family you have left. So she gets why you haven’t left his side.

With the whistling, Joel at first thinks you taught it to her, but you say to him that it’s “all her.”

You do smile a bit at it, knowing she now has a trump card against your dad.

You had the puppy dog eyes, Ellie has the whistle.

You swear you hear you dad grumble under his breath about this same idea.

With the hotel, Joel is separated from you both. You just tell her to “stay close” and she does.

She’s panicking, but at least she isn’t alone.

You witness her killing the man who was fighting Joel. You can tell she’s shaken. You try to comfort her, but her anger at Joel makes her ignore it when she snaps at him.

Things are a bit cold for a moment as go through the rest of the hotel. But then he asks her to cover you both.

“How can I do that for both of you?” She asks, a bit worried of letting you guys down.

“We’ll be smart,” Joel assures as you check your ammo, “besides, if anyone’s gonna be caught, it’s gonna be me.”

“Why’s that?” She asks. Joel looks back at you for a moment, and leans closer to Ellie.

“Feeling my age,” he says. She smirks, but doesn’t say anything. She’ll keep that between them.

Joel jumps first, thanking her in his own way for saving him. After she says he’s welcome, she then looks to you, “I meant what I said,” she tells you.

“I know you did. You’ve got this,” you assure, before jumping down yourself.

“I’ve got this,” she says to herself softly, getting in position, “I’ve got this.”

She does. She really does.

You give her a nod when she’s smart with the pistol, pocketing it. You even share some of your ammo with her.

With Henry and Sam, Ellie notices you distancing yourself a little. You are, to be honest, but oddly it’s Henry who catches you out on it.

“Afraid you’ll lose your sister?” He says, as you all wait in his office to go on the night run.

“Guess it’s best to lose her to a friend than the whole permanent thing,” he notices how you: a) don’t correct him; and b) play with your fingers a bit. He nods, seemingly understanding why you’re being a bit distant now.

“I get what you mean,” he decides to say, “I haven’t seen Sam that happy in a while.”

You nod. Then move the conversation on. Which Henry understands.

You find yourself becoming friends with him quite easily. You both bond over your previous lives and the old world.

It seems to maybe be at an end when he ditches Joel, and Ellie joins you both. But he makes a valid point about him wanting his brother safe and how if the tables would be reversed, would it be the same outcome? He came back, after all.

Being split up in the sewers, Ellie is scared truly for the first time, being away from you both at the same time.

She hears gunshots and just hopes it’s both of you. She lets out a massive sigh of relief when she sees that it is, “thank god,” she says.

As you continue your journey, Ellie sees more of this nostalgic side to you; pointing things out for them that they don’t understand, but you, Joel, and Henry, do.

She finds it odd, and feels a bit left out, but there is a life to your eyes as you laugh about whatever the newest nostalgia object or idea was.

“Hey,” she says to you as you both search a house, “we’re ok, right?”

“Yeah,” you say instantly, “course.”

“Ok, good. That’s good.”

“You’re allowed to have friends, Ellie.”

“I know. I know…But, I’m not replacing you or anything —“

“Ellie,” you say, pausing from looking in a cupboard to look to her, “we’re good, I promise.”

“Ok,” she says, “seems you and Henry are tight.”

“Yeah,” you say, “yeah, he’s a good guy. Aside the whole abandoning thing.”

“He was good with me in the sewers,” she says, “he;s a good guy.”

“He is,” you affirm both her and your previous words.

“Do you…like him? I won’t tell anyone.”

“Nah, he’s just a good guy. Besides, was never into any of that myself.”

“Oh. That’s cool.”

“Yep. What about you, you into any of the whole romantic thing?”

Her mouth opens, and the story of her and Riley almost comes out, but she doesn’t say that. Instead, she says, “not with Sam. Or his whole…thing.”

“Gender?” She nods, “Hm. Cool.”

She feels glad she told someone. It’s another one of those bonding moments. There’s more trust now.

Then Henry and Sam die. You’re just frozen. So is she. Joel goes to the youngest, trying to get Ellie out of her state first. It takes a moment, before she is. Then they both look to you. Your hands are shaking, and you’ve curled into a ball at the wall.

“Careful,” Joel says, “Actually, stay here,” she does, but her worried and tear filled eyes stay on you.

She can’t hear what he says to you, but it takes a moment for you to look at him. You then fall into his arms. He holds you as you cry.

You stand up with him, avoiding looking at the bodies of your dead friends as best you can, before you or go over to Ellie.

“Come on,” you say, voice quiet, and wobbly. She takes your hand, and notes how you keep holding it as you leave.

As you near Tommy’s dam, she sees that it’s hurt you. You clean yourself off in a more shallow part of the water. You’re quieter. Not dispondant, but in your own head more. Like with Tess, only this was a death you saw. Joel’s worried too, you haven’t been like this since Sarah. And that quietness lasted for a few years, then turned into anger. He doesn’t want to see you go through that again.

Every so often, when you’re too much in your head or about to miss something like a jump or whatever, she will either call out your name, or put a hand on your arm to bring you back to the present. She hates how you jump at it.

She brings up the toy burial thing with Joel when she knows you won’t hear it. Even though Joel dismisses it, he does give her a ‘thank you’ a bit further ahead.

You both meet Tommy again, and those feelings of being an outsider and abandonment come up again.

She guesses this is how you felt for a moment with Sam and her, though she doesn’t have someone to talk to this time about anything. Maria tries, but it’s not the same.

Joel goes off with Tommy, and you find yourself going to the stables. Maria takes Ellie for some food. You’re all separated.

In the stable, you allow yourself a moment of vulnerability. With one horse, it approaches you and nudges you. You cry, and it comforts you, nuzzling against you. It’s sweet, and you allow yourself to feel the toll of everything. To not hide it anymore.

Maria radios later whoever it is in the stables, asking for you.

Whoever it is, sends a girl, named Dina, to come get you. She’s nice. She reminds you of Ellie a bit. Empathetic.

She tells you where to go. Offers to take you, but you apologise for taking up her time and go find Ellie.

She sees your eyes being red from crying, but doesn’t ask about it. Maria follows that action.

When the attack comes, you’re on instinct mode. And that has protect within there somewhere. You’re brutal. Ellie’s never seen this side full on. It scares her a bit.

“Are you ok?” Joel asks, getting Ellie calm with her rant. She says she is, but then she looks to you in the corner, sat on the table, blood on parts of your face and jacket, and jeans…you’re not caked in it, but there are splatters of blood on pretty much all of you.

“Y/N…they. They protected me.”

Joel hates that this part has come out again, but he finds himself nodding with Ellie, “yeah,” he says, “can you give us a minute?” She nods, moving aside to let him go to you.

“Dad,” you say, instincts on high and your head shoots up to speak to him, “I had to. I had to keep her safe.”

He’s silent for a minute, trying to find the right words. It’s been a while since you’ve had talks like this, time to actually think about his answer, “I know. You did protect her. But, kid, look at you. I don’t want you to lose yourself to that. I don’t want you to…become who I was.”

“Am I a monster?”

“No, no. God no,” he’s quick and sure of that answer, “just…I think this has taken a toll on you more than it has me.”

You smile a small one, he mirrors it, “guess I’m feeling my age too, huh?”

He snorts, “yeah. I don’t think you’re there yet.”

He’s glad he’s done this. And while he knows leaving Ellie will be hard, he knows this is best. You’re both becoming too attached, and he doesn’t want you to go through that pain again.

To make it easier, Joel asks Maria to get you some fresh clothes and have a wash to try make this easier on himself too. She does so, meaning you have no idea Ellie ran away.

Maria’s gentle with you, not out of fear, but because you’re part of her family, and she sees how much this transfer of having Ellie in your life to not is gonna hurt you.

“Thank you,” she says after you’re dressed and leave the room, “for what you did. I’m sorry it came to that.”

“It’s nothing,” you say, waving it off, “thank you for the clothes and the shower. Haven’t had one like those in god knows how long.”

“Don’t know a good thing til it’s gone, huh?” She says.

“Definitely not,” you say, chuckling, before playing with your fingers a bit.

There’s a beat of silence between you both. Not awkward, just a moment of silence.

“You’re welcome to stay, you know,” she says, “you, Joel, and the kid,” she hates lying, but she’d rather spare you that pain, “there’s some empty houses we’ve got.”

You smile, and there’s a sparkle of life to your eyes. There’s hope.

“I’d like that,” you say.

She goes to say something else, when her radio goes off. It’s Tommy, he was wondering if you could come down to the stables, and that Joel and Ellie are wanting to get another horse for you to get where you want to go.

Internally, she’s relieved. Both for her husband not going, but also for that idea of a happy ending being alive still.

She doesn’t think she’s ever seen someone so hopeful for a happy ending. And, knowing about what Joel and you went through, or all least, what Tommy told her about you both, she doesn’t think there’s someone that deserves one more.

Joel and Ellie agree to keep their little fight a secret too, as they too see how happy you are to be together again as a trio.

Ellie rides on Joel’s horse, you ride your own.

You and your dad both try and explain (American) football to Ellie. God help her, she tries to understand it. To be honest, you barely got it yourself.

Still, this is the closest you three have been. And Joel is pretty happy too. You’ve almost reverted back to how you were, but in a more mature way if that makes sense? You’ve got back your hope and openness, just with this more mature mind now using them.

He even opens up about having Sarah and you pretty young. You never asked him about your mother, he was enough as far as you knew. But, he always said your mother loved you, whatever happened to her. So that was enough for you. Not that you and Sarah didn’t theorize.

While waiting for Joel to reappear to open the gate for you both, you mention that Sarah and her would’ve gotten along really well, and she hopes so. She then asks you about being twins, how it's a bit weird. But you explain to her how you and Sarah weren’t always on the same pages. You were different people, just had your own sibling dynamic. Being the same age, and either of you ever sure of who was the oldest by whoever many minutes, just meant you experienced things at the same time.

When Joel mentions the singing, even you beg him, reminding him of when he did for you and Sarah when younger, “You still remember that, kid?”

“Oh boy, do I. You were a real country singer.”

“I was not.”

“Was too.”

“Was not.”

“Was.

“Not.

“Not.”

“Was.”

“Ha! Got you.”

“Damn it,” Ellie chuckles at you both. Selfishly, she hopes you don’t find the firefly’s, and that she can stay with you. She’ll miss you both a ton.

Though, that wish soon turns into reality. And reality is a nightmare.

Joel gets injured. You both get him out, though barely.

Ellie panics, and you revert back to instinct mode. But this time it’s focused.

You find shelter together, and it’s Ellie this time who lets herself be more open, “what do we do?” She asks, voice trembling a bit in both fear and the coldness. It’s winter.

“I don’t know,” you say, voice neutral.

“You don’t know?”

“You want me to say something else?”

“I want for you to have a plan!”

“Well I don’t fucking have one!”

“Then fucking think of one!”

“Like what?!” She shrinks back a small amount, but still holds your gaze, “Hm?! What do you want me to tell you, Ellie? There’s nothing around here! This whole fucking place has been raided! Maybe we’ll get lucky in our next place. A mall, or something. But, right here? Right here, we have nothing!”

You two don’t talk as you move onto a mall.

“Stay here, I’ll go see if there’s anything,” you say to Ellie, getting your pack ready.

“I’ll go,” she says.

“We can’t both go.”

“Then I’ll go.”

“That’s suicide.”

“I can take care of myself, Y/N,” she says, then grabs your hands in hers, “you use your size to your advantage, I can use mine. You’ve taught me a lot. I can do this. Just, trust me, please?”

You don’t like the idea of this. You’re the older one, you’re the one who is meant to do this. But, you also see how Ellie is pleading. You didn’t even think you taught her a lot, but she’s earnest with her words.

You find yourself nodding; and with her assurance that she’ll be “back in a flash,” she’s gone.

She’s not. It’s a bit longer than that. But she stands corrected that she can take care of herself. She even helps you fend off the hunters that had come looking for you.

She’s determined to keep your father alive. You both work on keeping him that way.

You hand her some alcohol before she does the needle work, “to help keep your hands steady.”

She takes it, it doesn’t taste great, but it does the trick.

You find yourself in a town, hiding in the garage part of a house.

You both communicate through things other than words at this point. You both snuggle close to your dad to share body heat. When one goes on a hunt, the other gives a nod of good luck, sometimes a hug.

One time she takes longer than usual, tells you that she met someone else who gave her some medicine. But that they were “fucking creepy.”

Those creeps come by the next day. You’re awake before Ellie this time. Your rushed moment and knocking something over wakes her up, and she’s alert quickly.

“Stay here, I’ll lead them away.”

“That’s stupid!” She tells you, “You’ll die.”

“Only if they catch me. Look,” you say, crouching down and putting your hands on her shoulders, “I’ll be right back, ok?”

“We both will be,” she says, looking to Joel, “you just don’t die, alright? You motherfucker,” she says to him, before getting up.

“You go one way, I’ll go the other?” She nods at the plan, and you both ride out, before splitting up.

You’re both caught, but David tells her you died. When she rips off his finger, she makes sure it hurts to avenge you.

She gets out, and just mutters to herself, “please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead,” as she tries to make her way back to Joel.

She can’t lose anyone else.

She finds a cell, one with a fresh dead member of David’s crew, “that’s what you get, you sick fucks,” she says to herself. Proud. It means you’re alive.

She gets caught again, and finds herself truly terrified for the first time in a while. She knew people could be cruel in this world, but not like this. Not like David.

When she kills David, she lets it all out. All that anger. All that pain.

Joel finds her, and she’s still in fighting instinct, but calms when she sees it’s Joel.

She breaks down in her father’s arms.

She then remembers you, and pulls away, and only croaks out the start of your name before Joel shushes her.

“We’ll find them, baby girl, we’ll find them.”

It doesn’t take long.

They find you wandering out on your own.

Joel calls out your name, and you spin around with a revolver in your hand. You look dazed.

But you blink a few times, and your father and sister don’t disappear.

You barrel into them, and the three of you just hold each other.

Joel kisses you both on the head, before you then do the same to Ellie.

“Oh, Ellie,” you say, crouching down. You put your hands on her face, “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” She feels warm in the hug. Safe. Protected.

This is what family is like, she knows it’s true.

It’s people who put their life on the line for each other. And care about each other deeply.

As a family, you leave that horrible town, and onto your final stretch of your journey.

This time, it’s you who pulls Ellie out of her head. Sometimes you call out her name, sometimes you put a hand on her shoulder. Or sometimes, when trying to have banter with her, you ruffle her hair a bit.

She always gives you a small smile, but it doesn’t fool you.

But you also know if you push it, it may push her overboard.

So you just keep near, making sure she eats, and sleeps well.

Most nights, she goes to sleep with you having a protective arm around her, or running your fingers through her hair to calm her down.

You even try and do her hair at one point, it doesn’t go well, but she does give you a ‘thank you’ for the effort.

“Don’t leave,” she says one night, while falling asleep. Joel is long gone for the night, it’s just you both.

“We won’t.”

“But you will, one day.”

“One day, yeah. But that won’t be for a long, long time,” you assure your little sister.

“How do you know?”

“Because, even when I tried to die, it didn’t work.”

“…What?”

“A bit after Sarah. Dad stopped me. It’s what made the mark on my forehead. I missed.”

“I’m glad you did.”

You smile, “yeah, I’m glad I did too.”

She falls asleep, glad to have met you people. Glad to have found a family.

When she almost drowns, you and Joel are panicking. No one is in control of the sitatuion. Your only thoughts are Ellie and making sure she doesn’t die.

You wake up in the hospital. Marlene visits you, and tells you the story she told Joel. But then, over the radio, you hear about Joel breaking out, and Marlene takes you with her, as “collateral,” she says. She does give you an “I’m sorry, kid” but it doesn’t mean anything.

When Joel gets out the elevator, Marlene has a gun to your head and you on your knees.

“This is your kid, Joel. Ellie won’t feeling anything, I promise.”

Joel pauses, and you see him hesitate for a moment.

A gun goes off twice. One with it being held in the air, the other into Marlene’s stomach.

You keep it pointed at her, put Joel then comes back, and holds out his hand, “go check on Ellie.” He knows what the darkness can do to you.

You nod, going to the car and putting her head on your lap.

She wakes up to you, and you smile down at her.

When Joel tells the lie, she looks at you, searching for any sign of bullshit. She does find some, but doesn’t say anything.

The three of yo arrive at Jackson, more alive than ever.

You give her a boost up to Joel when the log falls, then they both help you up. She jokes at you feeling your age one thirty-something when you put a hand to your back.

She then confides in your both about Riley. And swears you both to tell her that what you said was true.

You both do, and try to help her with her guilt over her friends’ deaths.

She knows your lying, but buries it. She knows she has also lied to you at being able to fully keep her innocence. But, that’s just part of growing up, she supposes.

She has you now. A support system. And she doesn’t like the lie. But you two have to each other and her sometimes on the journey, but your care for each other is real. So, she says the only thing she can think of to keep this bond going.

“Ok.”

#last of us x reader #last of us imagine #Ellie Williams x reader #Ellie Williams imagine #Platonic Imagine #Platonic Reader

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atlastimborn · 10 months

Text

Cain

enemies to lovers

-----------

The wood cracked in the fireplace. The heat of it warmed the cabin. Ava was telling a story that everybody was invested in. Even Cain. His smile and relaxed body made me happy for him. For what reason? I have no idea. Cain is an evil bastard. But seeing him happy warmed a certain part deep in me.

I felt Cain's eyes on me. and I continued to ignore him. I see how he acts in his court; intimidating those around him and inflicting harm on anyone who dared to merely exist in his presence. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction, even if my blood was leaking down my back. Still, I couldn't resist glancing at him. His dark eyes were heavy and suffocating, his expression stern as he lounged in the rocking chair by the fire, legs stretched out in front of him.

I know ghost pipes grew in these parts. They are rare, but I surprisingly found two clusters of them today. The pain I am feeling would be sedated if I got some. I just have to find the energy to go outside to collect some.

The fire continued to crackle and Cains eyes continued to stare.

I finally made up my mind to gather some, partly motivated by Cain's gaze that left me restless for relief. I could feel his eyes on me as I stepped out of the cabin, and into the open air.

The night was setting in; the sun was gone, leaving the air frigid. I staggered out, losing my balance, but catching myself. The back of my shirt felt wet. I refused to even allow Frank to wrap it up but insisted on just letting it run its course. The cold wind brushed against my wet shirt, leaving me shivering in its wake.

The ghost pipes were a short distance away, the pale mushrooms pointed to the sky. I staggered over, grunted as I picked one up, careful not to grab the whole cluster.

“What is that?” a voice asked behind me. I nearly dropped the ghost pipe, spinning around to see Cain’s amused expression as he regarded the plant in my grasp.

"What the hell," I managed to say through clenched teeth.

He raised his eyebrows in annoyance like he couldn't stand to repeat himself. And I bet he never had to. Everybody cowers in fear of him. They watch him constantly like he is the predator and they are the prey. If they took their eyes off of him for one second, he would pounce.

"What is that?" he asked with clipped words.

I met his gaze, smirking as I lifted the plant. "You know if I took too much of this, it would paralyze my lungs, and I would die. I bet you would enjoy that wouldn't you?" I lowered my arm, preparing to break a piece off. Without warning he drew closer. His fingers wrapped around my wrist. Fear coursed through me; maybe revealing that information hadn’t been wise. He would relish using it against me. With a swift motion, he snatched the ghost pipe from my grasp. I stumbled back, narrowly avoiding the precious cluster at my feet.

He stood there with the ghost pipes in hand. His expression remained undisguisable. "What is your problem?" I said.

His face was a mix of confusion and irritation. "And I can trust you with this?"

I staggered away from him, knowing that another cluster was nearby. I could hear his heavy footsteps following me through the dark woods. "You better not throw that away. They are rare" I said. Anger pushed away all other emotions. The most important one: fear.

"Your back looks horrible."

"I bet you would enjoy seeing it" I sneered. He laughed, the deep sound rolled through the empty woods.

"Let me look at it."

"Get away from me"

spotted another cluster ahead, marking its location in my mind. He was too close to seize it easily, so I would have to act fast and take a bite before he could interfere.

"Blood is leaking down your legs."

"Why do you care? Unless it is for your own sick pleasure."

I reached the ghost pipes and quickly bent down to pick one, my vision blurring. One easily uprooted. I heard him make a sound as I took a bite from the root, dirt and all. It crunched in my mouth, a bitter taste made me want to spit it out. I nearly did. But Cain rushing towards me made me swallow the bitter medicine.

"Dammit Bea," he screamed trying to get closer to me. i was too fast this time. "And if I find you paralyzed, and struggling to breath, what am I supposed to do?"

"Besides get turned on?"

His eyes crinkled with disgust. He shook his head, "You really think that low of me."

Of course, I did. As did everybody else. He proved himself to be nothing but disgusting. Yet when I saw him with others unaware of his true nature, he transformed before my eyes—his anger replaced by laughter and insanity replaced by understanding. The last two days had left me confused; I could not discern who he is anymore. But the remember of who he was, and what he has done filled me with disgust. Anyone capable of the things deserved all the hatred they received.

"You proved yourself to be nothing other than a disgusting person," I hissed. His face fell more.

"Maybe that's all an act to keep those people in place. After all that court is made of disgusting creatures."

"Yes. And those are your people."

He continued to stare at me, and then he looked down at the ground, almost looking defeated. "Your back needs attention."

"Maybe," I mumbled, wanting to retreat to the cabin. Watching him act like a puppy that was kicked messed with my head. It was all becoming too much. I walked past him, and he watched me with downcast eyes.

Surprising me, he lifted his gaze. With eyeybrows raised in a challenege, he said, "it needs it now."

I walked faster. It did not take much for him to catch up to me.

"Right now" he insisted.

I swallowed my fear. Braced my feet, and turned towards him. "All right. Give me back my ghost pipes then." He laughed under his breath.

"Well if you think me of such a horrible person then I don't mind doing this," he whispered. I let the fear course through me. Before I could do anything he was rushing at me. His warm hands grasping my body, and the cold ground connecting. I dropped to the ground like a stone. I might have had a chance to fight him off before this wound, but the bleeding made me weak.

"You really wanted to see it that bad for your own pleasure," I yelled. I tried to get my hands under me but failed.

He laughed at my attempt. His hand laid hot on my stomach. "Bleeding out makes you weak, doesn't it,"

I mumbled profanities. But that only made him smile more. My hands began to tremble.

"Since I am the big bad wolf, I just have to see this wounds.”

He rolled me onto my side. I tried to claw at him, but it was futile. "It needs to be cleaned," he said softly, "and we have to consider whatever you took."

Disbelief washed over me. It was like he had a split personality. "You actually want to clean the wound?"

"Yes." His hand cautiously traced the area around the injury, and I hissed in pain. He quickly withdrew his hand. "And I need to stitch it up before you bleed out." He paused before adding, "As the villain I am, I just need to get my fix. Watching you writhe in pain with each stitch I thread through your skin will certainly be satisfying."

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samobservessonic · 8 months

Text

This issue, Kitching & Elson bring us “Pirates of the Mystic Cave” and- …Amy’s been kidnapped again already? Gosh darnit, that’s not off to a good start for her!

Okay, at least she went out protecting Tails. According to Johnny, who may or may not have had a crush on Amy and wanted to defend her honour. I really don’t know

Also, we get a rare bonding moment between StC Sonic and Tails to enjoy! See? It wasn’t all bad between them. Tails is the only one who got through the door, so Porker and Johnny will be twiddling their thumbs (or hooves, in Porker’s case) until they get back

The two encounter some badniks, which knock them both out. I like the detail of Tails’s tails spiking as he gets gets shocked

Here he is, Captain Plunder! Along with some of his crew, which doesn’t presently include one of its better known members, Simpson the Cat. Regardless, Plunder is here to boost the non-Robotnik villain roster and, also, Amy doesn’t seem remotely worried, so good for her

This is a good issue for the “No, StC Sonic really does care about Tails, he’s just very British about it” argument

What Plunder actually wants is the Chaos Emeralds, which Sonic refuses to give him on the grounds that he doesn’t want Robotnik to have them. I guess that casually confirms that Sonic does have all the emeralds right now, which would make sense, given that the comic is set after Sonic 2 and we’ve seen him go Super Sonic a couple of times. Yes, they didn’t imply his super transformation was because of the Chaos Emeralds during either of those times, but that’s how I’m reasoning it in my mind

Anyway, this is when Plunder confirms that he’s not working for Robotnik, he merely stole the badniks and now they listen to him

I feel like most of you have probably seen “Tails! You can fly you idiot!” before, but now you’ve got the context for it

We also get a proper introduction to one of Plunder’s crew, Filch, who Plunder killed himself. I love how casual Filch is about this. Like, he becomes a ghost and is like “Oh well, I shouldn’t have taken that extra biscuit” and then continues to serve Plunder. You have to admire that

Amy is the one who ends the conflict by using the age old logic of “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. I know some could argue that this is a typical “girl character stops the boys from fighting” angle to throw at her, but I’m just glad to see Amy getting to solve a conflict after being kidnapped for her first two appearances

And it looks like “villains confusing Amy for Sonic's girlfriend” is just the running gag of the time

To no one’s surprise, it seems that Plunder doesn’t intend to make good on his side of the agreement, since he wants the Chaos Emeralds more than anything that raiding Robotnik’s air freighter could get him. I guess part of that plan could be letting the trio go today and maybe we’ll find out next time, since the teaser says the story is called “Slave Ship”. Or maybe it’ll be further down the line? I actually don’t know. Especially since Metal Sonic’s appearance is also on the cards

Like I’ve said before, I like Captain Plunder. There’s no deep reason behind that, I just think pirates characters are fun and I’m glad to see more villains outside of Robotnik. We have had several other villains before now, even some who’ll be recurring, but so far they’ve all worked alongside Robotnik to some degree. Plunder and his crew are the first ones who are doing their own thing and I feel the comic is ready for it by this point

#sam observes sonic #sonic the comic #stc issue 23 #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #miles tails prower #johnny lightfoot #porker lewis #captain plunder #filch

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junestily · 1 year

Text

task force 141 + backrooms au.

In which they fall into the backrooms, knowing they won’t be able to get out. I’ve done only Ghost, Soap, Gaz and Price seeing as im not comfortable with writing others just yet, maybe the others will appear in the future (so sorry) not proofread n quite short actually.

mdni, tw horror, gore implied, mentions of starving+thirst, trapped, swearing, etc..

It all started like any other day, with everyone getting ready, doing their morning routines. The 141 had been assigned with a new mission, a special request for their team to investigate about disappearances in what everyone believes to be-an enemy hideout. Located in one of the empty warehouses on enemy grounds, stood a four story building where reports say multiple members went missing past entering the half exploded place. Driving there was easy, even in enemy grounds they all knew this part rarely had any living person around, they soon hope to know why. The doors of the truck smacked closed, the 141 leaving with their bags on their back and weapons all ready in hands. They approached the building with careful steps, the entryway huge enough as it had been exploded during previous battles. A rock flies inside past the door, the Captain Price kicking it as he steps inside. The gaze of the man scanning the whole area.

“Everyone on their guards, we don’t know whats in here.” He warned, fixing the hat on top of his head correctly.

They all started checking the whole building, everyone coming to the conclusion that it is indeed, empty and without threat. They all join together on the last floor, reuniting in a circle mindless Gaz, the fella walking up to one of the blown windows to stare outside at the distant forest.

“We can’t go back empty, we will stay few days, in hope to catch or at least find out who has been capturing our fellow camarades.” Price was beyond displeased, already going on inside his head about how many days they could stay with what they had packed in their bags. As he brings a hand to massage his temples, a yelp is heard coming from the windows. Everyone quickly looking towards where Gaz was a second ago.

“Sergeant Gaz !” A quite deep voice echoes, Soap marching with heavy steps towards the window, holding on the side of it as he looks outside, checking if he hadn’t fell. As he rises back up correctly and turns to look at his members, Soap goes wide eyed, seemingly getting pulled by his feet down and its now his turn to yelp. Ghost and Price look at each other, cold sweat running down their foreheads while Soap finds himself in another place, butt down on the floor as he tried to regain his senses.

“Soap !” Gaz cried out, quickly kneeling down next to the scot. “Fuck- thought i had lost you all!” He breathed out shakily, placing his hand on the shoulder of Soap and helping him back up. He stood up, trembling and looked around before looking at Gaz.

“What happened? Where are- are you alright?” The man was getting quite overwhelmed, trying to understand the situation only made it worse. Gaz looked around too, trying to find the correct words but.. were there any ? He didn’t have time to get his own answers as a loud thud could be heard, following by a second one.

“Bloody hell-!” Ghost spat, quickly rising to his feet and aiming his gun front, only to be met with his two friends. He quickly lowered his gun and let out a long sigh as Price walked to Gaz and Soap.

“Sergeants, how copy?” Price looked them up and down, checking for injuries before he took a step past them to look at the surroundings.

“The backrooms.” Soap simply stated, quickly coming to this answer after a quick look around. They just got- teleported here and its just, endless yellow walls.

“Say what again, Johnny ?” Ghost inquired, raising an eyebrow under his usual mask. Price kept looking around, his steps thumping on the carpet.

“Backrooms, a place where… you can’t get out..” Soap’s voice came almost as a whisper, he gulped down, eyes now fixated on the floor as his words started sinking in the others head.

“What kind’o bullshit is that ?!” Ghost was pissed, his mind trying to find some logic into this- but there was none. He’d stumbled upon those ‘backrooms’ stuff, thinking about it as nothing more than a simple internet thing. What do you mean he’s locked in here !

“I-I don’t understand…”

Kyle’s voice was shaky, taking a step back he bumped into Soap who took hold of his shoulders.

“Hey mate.. It’s Alright. We’re together huh ? And we’ve got food we- we’re gonna find a way out.”

Soap spoke confidently, although he knew.. he knew there was no way out. Or at least- not yet. That’s what put some hope in him. He placed his bag correctly on his shoulders and started walking forwards, even walking past Price. The other three watched him slowly walking away, but they all soon hurried behind him.

“Okay, okay.” Price sighed, closing his eyes for some seconds before looking ahead again. “This is just.. another mission guys.” They all nodded, marching together in sync now. “We stay together, we do everything together. Copy that ?”

“Yes Captain !” They chanted together, Price hummed. “Check the comms.” He looked at Soap who pressed his device to talk into it. “One, two, I repeat. One, two.” Soap’s voice echoed into the others comms and they nodded. “At least this works..” Price seemed relieved, they started taking more and more turns along the yellow walls. Yellow walls, again.. and again. Soap used this time to explain further about the backrooms to his team, he’d read about it in his spare time and knew at least more than them. This only made them more anxious than they were before. Endless floors, even some creatures ? Oh god.

“Halt.” Price raised his hand, making everyone stop in their tracks. A metallic door stood at the end of the hallway they were in. A lift ? They looked at each other and walked to it, pressing the up button- the only button available. The doors opened with a ding- they soon got to the second floor. It opened on what seemed like endless maintenance hallways, the walls now a dark grey, filled with pipes, it reeked, a very bad smell. They stepped inside, resuming to walking again aimlessly. The smell got worse- and worse.

“I think i’m gonna be sick-“ Gaz sighed, wiping his forehead off the sweat it had. “Reminds me of that body we found three months ago-“ He immediately stopped talking, realizing what was happening. Soap looked at him in a knowing silence.

“Gun steady, we dont know whats been killed, nor by what. On the lookout.” Ghost was as focused as ever, now taking the lead in front of Price as he aimed his gun front. After some minutes of walking, and after the smell got stronger and stronger, they took a turn and here it was. Sitting down against the floor, half rotten-half bones and flesh hanging on the sides. Gaz immediately turned around, trying not to puke at the mix of the smell and the vision itself.

“Looks like we’ve found one of ours..” Price commented, kneeling down to place a hand on the shoulder of the body. “We’ve got you, rest in peace now.” He sighed as he stood back up. “No signs of an injury, must’ve let himself die- or just succumbed of starvation.” He sighed again, it seemed to be his new habit and they started walking again, leaving behind a note on the body in case anyone were to end up here after looking after them. But for now;

They were together, they were trained soldiers, they believed they could survive anything. alas so far, its gonna be endless hours of walking.. floor.. after floor.

#simon ghost riley #kyle gaz garrick #john price #soap mctavish #the backrooms #cod modern warfare #ghost #soap call of duty #idk what tags to use #hi

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dovithedarklord · 11 months

Text

Age of Mosters - Chapter Two

Pairing: OFC x Simon "Ghost" Riley, OFC x König

Tags: Slow Burn, Slow Build, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, POV First Person, Not Beta Read, Medical Inaccuracies, Military Inaccuracies, AFAB OC

Trigger Warning: The story will contain violance, blood and smut in detail. Please, keep that in mind!

⚠️MDNI⚠️

...................................

Author's Note

Finally, the small team enters the picture, and it becomes clear how Leona's failed escape attempt continues.

I apologize for any possible mistakes, but my eyes can't find the typos when I go through the text for the twentieth time... so sorry!

The chapter is still kind of an introduction... but everything will start over time ;)

Leona calls everyone by their last name, so it might be weird for a while if you're used to the characters' callsigns/nicknames. But for now, it didn't seem natural :)

(I proofread myself before posting, so sorry if there are mistakes! I write the story in my language first, and I translate it after. English is not my first language, so help is welcomed! Just be nice, please!)

if you're interested you can find the story on AO3: Chapter Two

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I press my lips into a thin line as I stare at the door in front of me, my legs bouncing nervously under the table where I've been sitting silently for at least an hour now. The sound of the clock ticking on the wall feels almost ear-piercing in the silence of the empty room, and I feel my patience running thin with each click. I would prefer to run amok and smash the fucking uncomfortable chair against the wall, but my hands that are cuffed to the table stop me from doing so thankfully. Of course, I also know that my temper tantrum wouldn't make any difference because I successfully got caught anyway, and breaking and crushing things wouldn't change that. What I would achieve with it at most is that they’d get another dose of that very premium stuff, which got me here in the first place.

I spent at least seven of the last twelve hours completely knocked out, and maybe it was better when the outside world seemed like a distant nightmare. Because when I finally regained consciousness strapped to a white hospital bed, the memories quickly returned to my head and I realized that I was sinking into the shit I caused for myself. Even though I tried - rather stupidly - to escape by stunning the two enforcers, I should have expected that even if they didn't know what I was capable of, they wouldn't send just two people to catch an Extreme. If nothing else, the simple fact that it is extremely rare to find one of my kind justifies their caution. I should have known from the moment I saw the lab results. But panic clouded all my judgment to such an extent that I attacked and fled like a startled wild animal. It was embarrassingly easy for them to hunt me down.

My mind still fills with helpless rage and disappointment as I think back on the chain of events that destroyed my carefully constructed disguise, life, and everything, that I had built for the last twelve years. How could I have been so stupid to not pay attention to the camera on the other side of the street? How could I possibly be such a gigantic idiot that I didn't check how many friends the bastard had before I took him out for a snack? If his little friend hadn't been in a hurry to find him, there wouldn't have been a single problem. But then he came after his bestie, I killed him, and now I'm sitting in a fucking interrogation room, handcuffed to a table. Of course, no one said a word about what was going to happen, they took care of my injuries and transported me here in careful silence, I suspect in order to unsettle me and to make me agree as willingly as possible to whatever stupid offer they have in store for me. And as sickening as it is to admit it, they are not far from succeeding.

It was clear from the first moment after I woke up that they do not intend to throw me in prison or execute me, because then they wouldn’t have wrapped my injuries in gauze with such tenderness, and my pretty little body in a foreign uniform. Of course, I should be happy that my earthly career does not end so abruptly and early, but I know very well that if anyone walks through the door of the room and makes any "offer", I won’t be in any position to refuse. From here, the road only leads to an even deeper sea of shit. And now, for the first time, I regret that my lust for blood won and I hunted someone down because of it. I would have been better off tossing and turning in my bed, on the verge of unconsciousness. Then the ticking of the fucking clock wouldn't drive me crazy.

But before I could drive myself deeper into madness, the white door in front of me opens with a soft creak, and I stop my restless legs and straighten up in my chair with my light eyes on the arriving stranger. A woman in her forties enters the room, her hair resting in a neat bun on the back of her head, her hard gaze directed at me only shaded by her light locks. Her face says nothing as she looks at me while closing the door behind her, but it's very clear from her firm steps that she doesn't see me as a threat. And why would she? I’m like a snake whose venomous teeth have been pulled out.

My tongue unconsciously runs along the sharp curve of my canines, and it still fills me with a sense of loss that I'm not feeling the cheap plastic of artificial teeth. Perhaps the confiscation of the tools that served as my disguise affected me even more sensitively than my capture. By the time I woke up, both my contact lenses and veneers were gone, and I felt naked and defenseless for the first time in years. I’m not ashamed of any of my physical features, even those that are characteristics of my kind, but I hate that this intimate secret of mine has become a public spectacle and information. But after all, that's what happens when one plays with fire. When you burn yourself, your own misery hurts all the more.

Of course, I can't deny that it filled me with morbid joy when the doctors or the enforcers carefully avoided my gaze after they recognized the meaning of my vertical pupils. I prefer to feel like a predator than a prey. Even if here and now the reality couldn’t be further from it.

"Good afternoon, Miss Woods. How was your sleep?" The woman inquires comfortably, her voice surprisingly pleasant and warm, despite the serious expression on her features. A small ironic smile tugs at the corners of my mouth involuntarily, because I find it extremely comical how she starts with the kind of conversation normal between two neighbors when she’s about to interrogate me. I guess this will be the good cop, bad cop lineup. I just have to wait for the bad cop to appear now.

"Great. Thank whoever shot me with the splendid narcotic on my behalf. I haven't rested this well in years. " I comment while I keep a close eye on every little movement the woman makes in the meantime, searching for any sign that could lead to more information.

"Don't worry, you will have the opportunity to do it yourself." She answers, and I don't like the way an inexplicably sweet expression appears on her face, which makes my eyes narrow in suspicion. "My name is Kate Laswell. I'd like to say I'm glad to meet you, but I suspect it wouldn't be mutual." She continues, taking a seat across from me and placing a thick folder on the table. I take a quick glance at it, and just one look at the logo on it is enough for me to know that this lady did not come from the official government agencies. And this fills me with mixed feelings at best, because no privately owned organization that cooperates with enforcers has a good reputation, neither in this colony nor in the other fifty-seven remaining in the world. Because they are the ones who usually go on missions from which people return in several pieces. IF they return.

When she gets no reaction from me to her statement, she just opens the heavy file with a tired sigh to reveal such a quantity of documents that makes me wonder how much information the enforcers have collected about me in such a short time. It's clear that she's familiar with every detail that’s in it, yet she skims through the first couple of pages one last time, only to then lean forward in her chair with her eyes raised to me.

"I don't want to waste time, so I'll get straight to the point." She interlocks her fingers together on the table, giving the impression that what she is about to say is of great importance, which I do not doubt. "You have concealed your status as an Extreme Healer until now, which is not only illegal but also dangerous. Presumably, similarly to the current case, you illegally fed on civilians on several occasions, knowing that you could only officially do so under the supervision of Hunters and with their help. You refused your duty to Colony No. 17 and failed to fulfill your responsibilities as a Healer, thus hindering the work of the official bodies and the Hunters, which protect the colony. On top of all that, you committed murder and violence against official personnel. And there is reason to assume that it was not the first time."

"You summed it up quite nicely." I add appreciatively because I’m completely aware of the meaning behind every single word she uttered. I chose this path consciously and I have not regretted for a minute the freedom I have enjoyed because of it. She doesn't seem amused by the lightheartedness with which I responded to my criminal record, her face furrows in worry as she draws her elegant eyebrows together.

"Miss Wood, I wouldn't take these accusations lightly if I were you." She warns me sternly, with the same tone one would reprimand a messy child. There's an edge to her voice that tells me she's experienced in giving orders and is used to disciplining unruly elements like me.

"I’m not. But I won't argue with the facts." I shrug, leaning back in my chair because at this point I've given up on trying to put on any of my masks. This woman would probably see right through it anyway. Because she's been analyzing me in the same exact way I've been examining her ever since she came here.

Short silence settles in the room as we stare at each other, and I'm waiting for her to finally stop beating around the bush and blurt out the real reason behind her arrival. Reviewing my past actions served no other purpose than to clarify what cards she had to corner me. Under normal circumstances, everyone would be shocked when their lies and misdeeds are exposed and they are openly confronted with the skeletons hiding in their closet. But it doesn't affect me. Every day and minute, I was fully aware of every risk and sin. And they were all surprisingly easy to live with after a while.

"In this situation, unfortunately, you don't have much choice regarding the future." She breaks the silence and continues to keep her eyes on mine, and with this, she silently tells me that I better pay attention to what she’s about to say. I'll give her my full attention in return because ever since my fucking eyes opened in this damned place, I've been waiting for someone to fill me in about what's next. The insecurity burns me now more than any crime I had ever committed, the feeling of uncertainty akin to a rusty knife twisting into my skull, digging deeper and deeper into my brain. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You have two options. Based on the charges listed against you, one of them is execution." She attacks right away, and I feel the air stuck inside of my lungs almost painfully because I know that this would be the easier solution. This would be the logical, orderly, and fast route that I would deserve, and which might seem better than the other option. But I won't choose that. And she knows that exactly.

"And what would be the other option?" I inquire, and I hate how the barely perceptible, ridiculously faint fear moves into my voice, which no one else would be able to pick up, but I know from the expression on the woman's face that I’m not able to fool her.

"You join Liquidation Unit 141 as a member and official Healer to pay for his crimes." She strikes mercilessly and immediately hits the target because I freeze in silence and stare at her, like someone who’s seen a ghost. Of course, it would be foolish to say that I didn't know this was coming, but as her words fully sink in, the whole situation suddenly becomes reality. Even I am surprised by how, despite the gloominess of the situation, I burst out laughing, and I wonder if maybe I still have some of the drugs they used to knock me out in my bloodstream. The development of the events leading up to this moment seems so ironic, that just because I couldn't control my fucking hunger and chose dinner from the wrong menu, now all my efforts have been in vain. Because some stupid bastard was worried about his buddy and because karma put the only camera on the street that takes a sharp picture. Everything I've been trying so desperately to avoid is happening. What fucking luck I have.

"What’s your answer?" Comes the question from the woman, but I know that it doesn't matter what I say. Because we both know I'm not crazy and brave enough to choose death. I am selfish, and I would rather cling to life, no matter how sinister and unfavorable the future may seem. Because as long as I live, I have a chance to escape. Until I don't die, I have the possibility to be free again.

"I hope you won't regret this deal, Laswell." I speak up finally, and I don't need to explain any further for her to know what decision I have reached. "Because I've been on my best behavior until now. I'm not sure I'll continue to feel the urge to be a good girl." I lean forward, pulling my lips into a dark little grin, because the pride in me won't let me appear crushed and desperate as I go down and get defeated. And since she seems like a decent woman, I'll be fair. Better to warn her that it won't be an easy ride if it's up to me.

But when a knowing smile curls onto her lips, and for a minute I regret that I tried to provoke her. Because a chill runs down my spine from the unrecognizable sparkle that appears in her blue eyes.

"Don’t worry. I expected this and you will be in very good hands."

⃰*

If I had first doubted whether Laswell's threat was empty, I was now sure that she had no intention of leaving up to chance how well I would behave. With a frustrated sigh, I try to wrestle myself into a slightly more comfortable position in the back seat of the jeep, but it’s rather difficult because with my hands cuffed behind my back, no situation seems less uncomfortable than the previous one.

I might consider it a little excessive that she incapacitated me to such a degree, but I have to admit that I gave her a reason to be uncertain about my intention to cooperate. Of course, despite this, the mask that tightly covers my mouth, which ensured my silence from the start, still seems a little ridiculous. What did she believe? That I going to throw myself at her and rip her throat out? She should know that my kind doesn't bite just on a whim, because it is such an intimate and dangerous moment that I have rarely been willing to do in my life so far. It leaves an easily recognizable mark, but it isn't my first choice because of its other unpleasant side effects either. And now I can't let my guard down because of said side effects. It's not worth it all.

The whole journey passes quietly, which gives me enough time to reflect on the recent events. After our small talk, Laswell got into the car without wasting another word, stating that the sooner I got to my new home, the better for everyone. I managed to find out that the base where her unit was supposed to be stationed was located outside the colony, which immediately made me wonder how much better it would be for me to find myself outside the walls of the well-protected and secured city. But luckily, the woman was kind enough to reassure me that there was nothing to worry about, the base is in the yellow zone, so even though we have to venture outside the colony, the chance of mutants appearing is very small. And anyway. Her people have everything under control, there is not the slightest reason for concern.

It is really not that easy to explain this to someone who was already born in the green zone that provides security and has never left it. After all, you can hear nothing else from the radio, other than cautious warnings telling the residents not to leave the walls protecting the city, because only certain death awaits there. Of course, realistically, I know that the yellow zone is still close enough that there is little risk of attacks, but it is also close enough to the orange and red zones that the possibility of danger is not zero. And if the chance is not zero, it is not certain.

The car comes to a slow halt and that disturbs me from my musings, and as I look out the windshield window and see the long line of walls bordered by barbed wire, the nervousness caused by the hopeless situation that I thought had left my body awakens in me. But it seems that there are still enough surprises for me to get excited about. Hooray!

We arrive at the facility's only entrance, and after a brief greeting and presentation of Laswell's identification card to the guards, she drives on, and an almost irritatingly bubbly and busy-looking base opens up in front of me, and I wonder how many people do they want to entrust to my care. But after the first glance, I can tell that a significant portion of the soldiers are not Hunters, because they look too human and weak for that, and they lack the dangerous aura that can only be a characteristic of a Hunter. It's not like I've met that many Hunters in my life, but everyone knows exactly by what physical characteristics can you spot the heroic vanquishers of mutant monsters right away. And after the first Hunters "awakened" fifty years ago, such an amount of data has been collected that a picture of them immediately pops into one’s head after they hear the name.

"We've arrived." Laswell suddenly steps on the brakes, and I straighten up in my seat to prepare for what will follow. I ran a few possible scenarios through my head, evaluating just how difficult this job would be considering that the only other alternative left was death. And I came to the conclusion that the only options left are those with which karma will kick me where it hurts the most. If I'm fortunate, all I have to do is tend to the Hunters' injuries and regenerate them from time to time when they get close to insanity. If I'm out of luck, they can throw anything at me from annoying to deadly. So I'm pretty sure I can't expect anything good, but maybe I can be a little grateful that I'm alive. I'm sure I'll find something sickeningly beautiful even in this miserable shit. After all, hope and the motivation to survive are the last to die.

Laswell jumps out of the car, picks up her small bag resting on the passenger seat, and steps back, and as she opens the door for me, I am almost touched by how gently she grabs my arm and tries to make it easier for me to get out of the vehicle without my hands. She's certainly not only doing it because she still harbors that small irrational fear that my stunt with the enforcers will happen again, and I skip off. Certainly not.

"My team is waiting for you inside. I thought it would be a good idea for you to meet everyone you'll be working closely with at the same time." She explains as she guides me towards the entrance of the huge building located in the middle of the base, and I decide that I will not give up my pride despite the tight spot I got myself in. I will not give anyone the pleasure of playing the role of a terrified little mouse just because I got caught in a shamefully simple manner. Therefore, I straighten my back and follow the woman with the posture of a confident bad bitch, raising my head high, throwing my brown locks back as if I had arrived at one of the red carpet events seen in the archives. After all, the soldiers loitering around stare at me as if a real star had set foot in their humble abode. And it might as well be the truth because I'm sure that even if the authorities stopped information from spreading about my fun little activities in the colony, news about me have already reached their ears. And if every wretched fool eyeballs me with such interest, I will give them the attitude that comes with this privileged position. Silly behavior, but at least guaranteed fun. And I'm afraid I'll have to entertain myself with these little pleasures for a long time.

It definitely should bother me how easily my stubbornness overcomes the fear in the pit of my stomach, but I think at this point it would be better if I let these unnecessary worries go. Because now I can't do anything else but let myself drift with the events. And there is nothing more comforting than delusional confidence. However, as soon as I get my hands on the right information, my brain can go into planning mode again, and I can start working on my escape.

The inside of the building looks like a complete maze, a long corridor after another endless one, rows of doors everywhere, and I try to look for easily identifiable reference points with furtive glances, although I assume that I will never be left unattended in the building if I just look at what precautions I have been treated with until now. It's not like I'll be able to just walk out the main entrance later, because a back exit, a hidden little window would be more suitable for my sweet escape. But unfortunately, I still have to wait for these delicacies. First, I put their suspicions to rest about the fact that these stray, sweet things even arise in my head.

Laswell suddenly stops in front of a door, and I know that now comes the main event, which makes the uncomfortable grip that is still settling in my stomach come to life again. Fixing my gaze on the back of my guide's head, I stop behind her as well, and for one last time, I repeat the mantra that has been circulating in my brain since I regained consciousness. I'll fix everything because I always have. There's no problem I can't overcome. And as the woman opens the door in front of me with a swift movement, and stands aside with a nod to indicate that I should get in, I obey and walk past her with light steps after I gain back my delusional determination from my small pep talk to myself.

I quickly scan the room, the huge screen on the wall, the large windows through which the afternoon sunlight shines warmly, and finally the huge table, at the end of which I find the people for whom I was probably brought here instead of the slaughterhouse. The door closes with a low creak after Laswell steps inside behind me, and with her hand, she gently nudges toward a chair at the other end of the table, and I lazily flop down in the crossfire of four pairs of eyes.

"You're late, Kate." Says the man sitting at the middle of the other end of the table, and as he raises his cigar to his mouth to take a puff in the most assertive way I've ever seen someone do it, the confident carelessness of a true Hunter radiates from him. But it doesn't escape my attention that the look of both interest and caution crosses his face framed by a thick beard as he studies me.

"Identification took a long time at the wall. It was not easy to bring our guest over." The woman nods her head towards me, and I only reward her explanation with a cursory glance, because she is indeed right. Everything was probably taken care of by the time we reached the gate leading out of the city, yet the soldiers standing guard there studied our documents with such fervor as if the woman wanted to smuggle something sketchy and of dubious origin. I felt sorry for her for a minute when she started a long argument with one of the guards, but this rare spark in my soul was fleeting, after all, I was much more occupied with my own misery. "Now I'm going to take off the mask and ask you not to do anything rash." Laswell turns to me, and I raise one of my eyebrows skeptically in response to her unreasonably cautious warning. Do I look like an absolute idiot to her?

As the woman reaches behind my head and begins to work on removing the mask that has been covering half my face, I take a closer look at the men sprawled at the table. Just as I could clearly tell in the courtyard that there was not a single Hunter among them, I can now state with the exact same certainty that all those present here are. At first glance, they are not just any Hunters, but all of them are at least S-class, it is enough to just observe their behavior. But as my eyes fall on one of the guys wearing a mask exuding a rather menacing and grim aura, who looks almost unbelievably huge, I realize that he must be an SSS-class big boy. In most cases, it is not possible to tell where a Hunter is between class F and A based on physical characteristics alone because over the years and with the development of their skills and their merits, they can rise between the levels. But only those who are born for it will rise to the S-class, especially to the SSS-class. There is no clear explanation as to what causes this anomaly, but the trigger of the appearance of the first infected mammalian lifeforms, or I.M.L.s, caused a stronger mutation in their case. Which made them more powerful, faster, and deadlier than their fellow Hunters. And from this sudden realization, for a moment, the wild joy I felt earlier wavers. As an Extreme I can kill with my ability, but the chances of me even laying a finger on any of them without their approval to use my little tricks is almost ridiculously low. No problem. I am here to be their Healer. And for that, they will have to let my sly little hands get close to them.

"Don't you think that you went a little bit overboard? What did you think I was going to do? That I'm going to bite someone?" I ask, squeezing every drop of irony into my voice, as the damned mask finally comes off me, and with my comment, I only get a reprimanding look from the woman.

"You’re here ’cause you’ve already done it, aren’t ya?" Comes the teasing question from one of the Hunters, and as I look toward him, somewhat of an eerie feeling starts to dawn in the hidden corners of my memories, as I run my eyes along his features. I would certainly remember it if I ever had the bad luck to meet a Hunter with a mohawk. Or any S-class Hunter for that matter.

"There's some truth to it. But I don't bite, I cut." I note cheekily, twisting my lips into a sarcastic little smile that has been waiting to appear ever since I set foot on the base. Of course, I know that I shouldn't provoke men who not only look dangerous, but undoubtedly are, but what are they going to do to me? In order for them to be able to use me, they need me mostly unharmed. Laswell, who may be in some leadership role, however strict she may appear, will not let them harm the new acquisition if she has gone through all the trouble to get it.

"You’ve already met Hunter MacTavish." Laswell motions her head towards the guy who is verbally trying me, and suddenly I get the feeling, like when the last missing piece of a puzzle falls into place and the picture gets complete. I immediately realize why his heavily accented voice sounds familiar, and as the recognition dawns on me, my face involuntarily breaks into a wide grin.

"You're the bastard who shot me!" The remark breaks out of me, and I can't understand why this causes me such joy. The fact that I'm in the same room as the person who's probably been tailing me since the very first moment after my slip-up just confirms the fact that Laswell tried to get a hold of me the minute the DNA test results were fresh and crisp. What could be the special extra problem with this team that makes them need a Healer so urgently? One, moreover, whom they are willing to save for themselves despite her status as a proven criminal. Interesting.

"I'm glad to meet you awake." The Hunter named MacTavish nods his head at me, with a grin on his face that makes me rightly assume that I'm not the only one who finds the situation morbidly intriguing.

"It reassures me that I didn't stand a chance. At least I don't have to lament on what would have happened if I managed to run off." I shrug as I lean back in my chair as far as my still shackled hands will allow. I'm serious about my little remark because it's now clear that I had no chance of escaping from the beginning. It's not like I had any brilliant ideas in case I managed to succeed, but would've found some clever solution.

"Don't even think about that now." Suggests Laswell, and for a moment she looks really worn out as she leans on the table with one palm and turns to my small audience. "We should rather spend our energy on getting to know each other. It's better to get over it as soon as possible. From left to right, Simon “Ghost” Riley." Begins Laswell, and then points to the man sitting on the far left of the table with her hand, who looks at me with his dark eyes so penetratingly that it gives me a visceral and instinctive feeling that something sinister is lurking behind his skull mask."John "Soap" MacTavish." For a change, the woman introduces my captor again, and the man continues to grin at me in an annoyingly good mood. "Our unit's captain, John Price." Laswell points to the guy with the cigar, who continues to puff, studying me, as if this situation were an everyday affair around here. "Kyle “Gaz” Garrick." Said person just greets me with a curt nod and looks at my modest person with cautious curiosity.

After lining up her small team, Laswell finally takes a seat at the table, with her job momentarily done, and from the bag she was carrying, she takes out the file again with which she had already delighted me earlier. However, instead of going through it probably for the thousandth time, she delivers it to the Hunters who are patiently waiting across the table with a firm push.

"Although I have already informed the team in broad terms about your situation, for the sake of completeness, I would like them to familiarize themselves with your material in detail. After all, you will be working with them from now on." The woman reminds me, and I pull the corner of my mouth with complete indifference as if this wasn't something that would determine the further development of my life. However, no matter how relaxed I may seem when each man takes out a page from my file and studies it with ever-deepening gloom, the restlessness in me stirs up again, which pushes my heart rate to unpleasant heights. If it didn't bother me before, how Laswell delved into the many misdeeds I'd committed, now it bothers me just as much as these dangerous strangers review the report that surely goes into every essential detail of my life. And maybe that's because while I was sure that I could take care of the woman at any time if the need arose, revealing my secrets would only put me at a disadvantage with those whose craft is killing. Up until now, I wanted to believe that they would still have blind spots regarding me because obviously, not a soul knows about the level to which I have developed my ability, but it is enough to focus on the furrowed brows of their captain, and it becomes painfully obvious that this futile hope of mine is about to come crashing down. Because this guy seems experienced enough to know when to dig deeper for answers.

A short but no less suffocating silence settles in the room, and to my surprise, Laswell seems much more worried than I am, although I'm sure that of the two of us, I have more reason to be on pins and needles. This again makes me wonder about what kind of unit it can be, where such detailed information is needed about a simple Healer, who in theory won't be responsible for anything other than nicely replenishing and pampering the Hunters when they drift to the brink of unquenchable aggression and bloodlust due to the exhaustion of their strength. You'd think it's a position that would require some reasonable attention, but not nearly as much as these five men are giving me right now.

"How did you manage to kill the victim found in the alley?" The captain asks, and I’ve almost waited in anticipation for him to start the interview. And after mentioning the incident, I'm overwhelmed with annoyance yet again. Of course, his interest is justified, because Healers cannot kill people, and according to general belief, neither can Extremes. But despite the fact that he asked this question out of curiosity for my nice little attraction, it still reminds me of the mistake that can only be attributed to my own feeble stupidity.

"I'm sure the autopsy provides enough information." I nudge my head at the stack of papers in front of him with a telling smile, and the man's eyes just narrow with beginning irritation at my answer. I don't really want to give out the rather sensitive data with which I still have a chance to surprise them, but I'm not so stupid to not know that the relatively friendly atmosphere can quickly take a strange turn if I don't start talking. I have no illusions that they can get what they want to know out of me if they want to. "I increased the pressure in his brain and caused him to have a seizure combined with a stroke, in which he died." I summarize briefly and to the point, and as they suddenly look at each other with a mixture of incomprehension and surprise, my twisted little soul fills with pride. Of course, I've never had the chance to brag to anyone about how I managed to perfect my skills through hard work and experimentation over the years, but deep inside, a pleasant warmth moves in my chest to see their jaws drop. Even though they will most certainly not let me near their body without increased supervision now.

"I thought Extremes were just Healers on steroids and were only capable of healing wounds and recharge Hunters." Garrick frowns in bewilderment, and his comment reflects the thoughts of his companions as well. It seems that even the well-informed Laswell is surprised by this newly discovered bit of information because her eyes meet with the captain's for a fleeting glance, and to me, this is just enough evidence that my dangerousness may not have been properly assessed by them. Of course, they could have thought that I couldn't be completely harmless based on the way I left the poor bastards behind the club.

"It's true for an average Healer." I lean forward with a mysterious smile because I would be in denial if I claimed that I don't gain any satisfaction from being able to momentarily shake such highly esteemed men out of their composure. I could be called an evil little pervert or a sneaky little bitch, but such small moments in life should be appreciated. "But in the case of people like me, the advantages also increase along with the disadvantages concerning nutrition." I sit back, as carelessly as if I wasn't still the biggest loser in the whole story. However, the fact that I managed to provide them with something unexpected does not mean anything. Because I just gave them one more reason, in addition to the countless other ones so far, to keep me on a short leash. I'm pretty sure I won't even be able to breathe innocently enough for them from now on. But if my freedom is already lost, let me at least have my petty joy.

"Would you elaborate?" Says Laswell, and I wasn't wrong in that she can hand out orders like a pro because the words uttered as a request sound more like an instruction. And before I speak, I contemplate how much detail I should go into. But considering that they already know how cleverly I can eliminate someone, there's not much point in hiding the details, because they'll figure out on their own that I can probably attempt more cunning magic tricks than this. And maybe it's better not to leave it up to chance because I have the sneaking suspicion that the more I leave everything to their imagination, the less time I will have to spend unsupervised from now on. And I don't like to give up my me-time.

"In an ideal case, even an average Healer is able to heal only by localizing injuries instead of full regeneration or regulating the energy they use to treat Hunters. Of course, they don't really like to teach this, because then, God forbid, they wouldn't be able to change the Healers every month, because they would be able to do their job more efficiently." I begin my little lesson, and I see how just by stating a simple fact I am straying into very dangerous territory, because the atmosphere of the room cools down in a minute, despite the heat of the incoming sun rays. It immediately becomes obvious that similar problems arise here as well. And suddenly I understand why they needed an Extreme with much higher endurance if the Healers are probably changed here as frequently as dirty underwear.

The generally negligent treatment of Healers and their lack of proper training is a sensitive topic for everyone involved, which both the Hunters and the government have tended to sweep under the rug ever since the entire system was set in place. And even though there are very few Hunters and half as many Healers, somehow no one is bothered by the fact that this is not a very successful story. That's why I've tried to remain invisible until now and to hide in the utmost secrecy because I knew that as soon as I immersed myself in this vaguely bubbling mess, I'd immediately be dragged up to my neck in it. Because it doesn't matter that I will last a somewhat longer, I doubt that they will appreciate me more.

"In the case of Extremes, I can only speak for myself. If I use my energy, I can accurately feel every organ, every muscle, bone, and every tiny vein, and control the flow, pressure, and density of the blood. Not only in Hunters." I continue my presentation, and the people present in the room show increasing degrees of surprise. "Of course, I can also use my energy to a greater extent than average Healers, for general and more complicated healing and regeneration. But perhaps everyone already knew this about my kind." I continue my explanation further, at the end of which I came close to the effect I hoped to achieve. Because I can see that I shut the words into them, if only for a minute, and this leaves me enough time to further study their reaction and wonder what they will do with the revealed information. And I don't have to be disappointed, because Price quickly adjusts his features and returns to the position that suggests that whatever happens, the control remains in his hands. How sad that my joy is always so short-lived.

"This is good news. We’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time." The captain folds his hands in front of his chest after briefly processing what he heard, and now it's my turn to carefully narrow my eyes. It's hard for me to imagine a reason that would make them believe that it's good news that they have to put their hands near a person who just turned out to be able to kill them in that exact way. "Based on experience so far, the unit's work has proven to be too dangerous for other Healers. I was afraid that we might have to deal with the same problem, but now we know, there is no need to fret. This makes field work child's play." He outlines the situation, and there is nothing sweet or charming in the smile he pulls on his lips. My fists clench nervously behind my back because I don't like it one bit that the confidence I want to feel the most radiates back from the man. Nevertheless, I hold his gaze, my mouth in a mocking smirk as I cock my head to the side because, even though they are slowly cornering me, I am not willing to back down with my tail between my legs. It's a bit like a dick-measuring contest because even though I don't have the necessary equipment, Price still wants to make it clear to me that no matter how sneaky I think I am, he’s the one calling the shots here. And that makes hot rage bubbling up inside me because I suspect that his promise is not an unfounded and empty threat and he really has such excitement in store for me. Healers aren't usually sent out into the field because it's more important for them to remain in one piece at least as long as their duties are fulfilled, but these people aren't scared that I’m made out of glass. Flattering.

"I look forward to receiving the honor." I reply, and I try to force all the calmness and false kindness into my voice. And the captain seems quite amused by this, and for some reason, I'm not thrilled that he doesn't take me seriously enough. Which of course is completely understandable, because we all know that as soon as I try something funny, they could kill me immediately. And the fact that this is so obvious to everyone only makes me even more furious.

"Of course, this will not happen just yet. The boys will give you training beforehand to help you get prepared for fieldwork. Since the unit does not only deal with the protection of the colony but also carries out special liquidation and crime prevention activities in several areas, you will need special training. For your safety, of course." Laswell interrupts our little banter, and my eyebrows rise to my hairline at this statement. I'm not crazy about the idea of being dragged on monster-infested trips by these so-called human tanks, but this idea and explanation might be even less to my liking. At least a thousand different situations appear in my mind about what funny and extremely deadly excitement Laswell's little team gets involved in, which does not bode well for me, to put it mildly. Until now, I knew that private units and squads were always involved in something nebulous and questionable if not outright deadly deals, but the fact that I just had to end up with one that, according to them, specializes in getting their hands dirty, squeezing my stomach like a lemon.

As the dream of my Healer position, which is relatively tolerable and definitely conducive to escape, begins to disintegrate before my eyes, I start to get more and more nervous. Of course, I should be happy that perhaps during the training I might acquire skills that will increase the probability of me being able to disappear at the first opportunity, like the father who went down to get milk. But I know very well that this will be more of a survival test and a cabaret than sincere help. I understand why it's good to be close at hand when shit hits the fan, but what the hell are these weapon-laden, super-fast, super-strong, super-whatever professional killing machines doing if I'm forced to huddle next to them like a squire? Why don't they just bring themselves back in one piece while I comfortably wait for them here?

"Don't worry, love, we'll be careful not to harm ya!" MacTavish grins widely, showing all his teeth, and I suddenly feel an irresistible desire to try to throw myself at him and strangle him despite my handcuffs. Because now he's clearly having fun at my expense, along with his stupid captain, and I'm cursing myself more and more for even thinking that fate would spare me. Of course, there was no doubt that they would want to use me as intended, but I didn't expect that they would find creative ways to make my life difficult. But, right, those who are stupid should die, those who have hope and may even be presumptuous should accept that others will mop the floors with them. Because I have no doubt that they will.

"Since you will be performing Healer duties to all four of our Hunters, therefore, of course, they all participate in your training. This will at least give you a chance to get used to the team better." Laswell continues her explanation, and as I grasp what this will mean for me, for the first time, my mood becomes genuinely sullen and a sour taste fills my mouth. My mind is slowly starting to process the situation, and now I can see exactly what kind of predicament I'm in. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for a Healer to take care of several Hunters, but since they are not trained for efficient energy management, they quickly reach their tolerance limit. So, in most cases, a Healer can take on a maximum of two Hunters, and they can only manage to do this if they're treated with a very gracious attitude, and if of course none of their little clients are ranked S or higher. And now these people seize the opportunity, and they throw all four tough guys at me, who I will cheerfully accompany to wherever their heroic adventures will take them after they give me lessons on how to take care of myself. I can safely assume that Laswell was on the lookout for years for an Extreme who can handle all of this, who due to their self-healing skill has very little chance of dying when her little boys drag them into a bloodbath. So, all this big fuss happened because her team wasn't able to take care of their toys that well until now. Their Healers at best became useless if not died, either during a mission or due to the high energy demand of healing injuries or regeneration. Of course, it's not surprising, because Healers are not designed for this action-packed lifestyle. "Of course, if a life-threatening injury were to occur in the case of soldiers occupying other positions in the unit, then you must take care of them as well."

I'm not even surprised by this addition, because it almost dwarfs what was outlined for me. I study the Hunters again involuntarily, and I can't shake the thought creeping into my skull on slimy and disgusting legs that this unit specializes in even riskier missions than what Laswell disclosed. Even government-run liquidation units sometimes get involved in crime prevention, but in none of these cases do the Hunters go on missions that are so long-winded or perilous that a Healer needs to be present to immediately patch up the little heroes. That's why I have mixed feelings about the suggestion that I'll get involved in potentially fatal adventures in the future, and this finally puts an honest seriousness on my face. Regardless of what I theorized as a possible outcome when Laswell first appeared in front of me, I think it's time that if the promise of a livable life is gone, I do something to at least make sure my chances of survival don't end up the same. Here, Leona, you ran away from your supposed duties for more than ten years, and now you are being chased into the dick-forest with your mouth open. Make sure you at least enjoy it.

"Marvellous. But I hope everyone is also aware that in order to perform this honorable task well, I will need blood." I warn Laswell, because at this point I feel that subtlety is unnecessary, and at least something beneficial should come out of all of this shitshow for me as well. And before the aforementioned could intervene, I flash my sharp gaze at her. "It's not optional, it's a fairly well-known fact. If I don't get blood, I won't be able to use my ability. And for a party of this caliber, I need more than just a taster. But liters."

"You don't have to worry about that. Now that you're here, you can officially feed under supervision." Laswell reassures me, and for some reason, in addition to the relief, I still have the feeling that this sounds much simpler than what it actually will be.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of ya'! " MacTavish speaks up again joining my encouragement, and it starts to become clear that the guy has a comment about everything, which he likes to let out every chance he gets. But he seems to be the one who gives me the least cause for concern, and who does not seem the one who intends to unnecessarily complicate my existence. How kind of him to reassure me many times that I didn't walk into a den full of wolves. The little liar.

"Great. Now that we've laid out the groundwork, let's talk about the details." Laswell begins with her formal tone again, and I, suppressing a tired sigh, fight my way into a more comfortable position, preparing to take in all further crap that is rolled in my direction. However, my light eyes are inevitably drawn back to the Hunters, who are currently occupying every one of my brain cells capable of thinking. And as my gaze meets that of the masked man, who has been silent since the beginning of the discussion, but no less threatening, the woman's voice fades into a monotonous murmur in my ears. Even though at first glance I thought that all Hunters exuded the same sinister and heavy aura equally, I soon had to realize that there was much more hidden in the dark eyes that shone behind the mask. Just a few seconds of Riley's undivided attention is enough, and I feel the little hairs on my back rise instinctively. Because it becomes quite obvious that he is a true predator and sees me as nothing more than his prey. And if he promises one thing right now, it's that he'll do everything to make sure I don't forget this wandering silent warning.

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juicypassionfruit · 1 year

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Hey everyone 🫣. i quit my job bc it was actually the worst thing i’ve ever experienced ever but last night i felt creative again for the first time in 7 months and I wrote a little something. Criticism is appreciated. I want to transition to more scary short stories? but ill still take requests if anyone wants anything jackass related. Anywho enjoy:

Unknown Party Guest

Since it was so long ago it felt like a dream and I was so sure it was. I was at a relatives house for a family party. I remember the drive was pretty long I slept in the car for most of the trip. We very rarely ever had to drive this far but maybe as a kid it feels longer than it really is. The party was nice for whatever the occasion was. We sat outside at some round tables listening to music and when it got dark these lights turned on. They were all over the backyard lighting it up perfectly. My parents were on the dance floor or the made up one and I sat with my cousin. I was getting tired but I didn't want to miss out on anything. I sat and watched everyone having fun. I glanced over at my cousin who moved his head to the right quietly saying "lets go" or "follow me". Never one to question my slightly older cousin I shrugged and stood up and followed him. He walked over to this girl around our age. I didn't notice her before. So many questions ran through my mind like "Who is this?" and "Where did she come from?" My cousin seemed interested in her. I was more confused. As we walked closer to her I noticed her outfit. It was way too cold to be wearing a dress. She said she was the neighbor and pointed to the huge house next door. It was Victorian style house. She took us on a path down the hill. There weren't any fences and on the other side of the path was a forest. As we walked towards her house she pointed to the window where her room was. The house looked old and run down but it seemed rude to comment on that. I kept turning around to make sure I could still see my family outside. After a while of feeling uncomfortable with this girl I decided to go back. My stomach felt uneasy and I was growing more and more anxious the closer we got to the house. I made a few comments to my cousin and he brushed them off, until finally telling me to just go. I rolled my eyes and turned back around to the party again. When I turned back to tell him to come with me they were gone. And I was alone on this dirt trail and nobody was outside anymore. I ran as fast as I could back and rushed into the house. Everyone looked at me like they just saw a ghost. The silence was broke when my dad finally said something, "We've been looking for you for five years...where were you?"

love you all dearly🫶🏻

#creepy #short story #thisisbasedonadream #jackass #jackass fanfic #viva la bam #bam margera #ryan dunn #johnny knoxville #scary stories

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sleepyblr-heart · 1 year

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while i work on catching you all up on the rest of present's story, i think you eserve some fun facts about her and the world she lives in! Let's start with the world!

the story she's in is collabrative (or, maybe roleplay would fit better, but we've been calling it a collabrative storyline so. pbt.) most of the characters don't belong to me, instead belonging to 2 friends of mine (waves. hi eph and pup)

the world is made of like. 4 (known) dimensions. theres the normal universe, the 4th Wall (an endless white void with a grid pattern on the floor and a forest one of the gods planted), the Inbetween (which sits between the 4th Wall and the normal universe, it's a black void filled with Things), and hell.

there have been like... 8 gods so far. 2 of them got turned into babies. ones a cat. ones an object that got murdered and turned into a ghost. ones a fox that the oldest gods decided to fuck around w/. one of them's present.

the gods have 3 basic forms (or. 2 and a vessel.) Their normal, godly form (typically humanoid but never exactly human, the newer gods stray farther away from human than the older gods). A face form (which while mainly because it's easier to draw also only allows certain, allowed objects to see them in this form), and an Object form or Vessel (typically just a vessel, unless the god was an object at some point, like present!)

there are a few species outside of regular objects (though most will prolly not come up in my summary of present's story). They are: Shapeshifters, Body snatchers, Mimics, Demons, and also like One Entire Vampire.

Certain magics are invisible to the naked eye, while others are visible. However, there are like. 2 objects who can see invisible magic as well as visible magic (along with certain supernatural creatures, specially ghosts.) One of these objects is one of present's girlfriends, Baton.

The world has almost ended like. 5 times. Surprisingly, despite being prophesied to be the one who saves the world, she has had almost no hand in helping with any of these world ending events (mostly because none of the other gods thought to tell her much about the situation)

the gods have divine weapons (though they dont need to really be weapons. one of them has a watering can and one has a dog treat.) Present's is a violin bow (literally) and rapier! dont ask how the string attached back if the rapier is unsheathed i dont know either. magic prolly.

now to present specific fun facts!

She has a fictional condition which, when in a lot of stress (or feeling to high of any emotion, really) her body temp. gets so high she catches on fire

she also has an anxiety disorder. so you know. Wonderful mix!!

she currently works at an ice cream shop run by an employee of Litterally The Worst Company Ever (BBC (Big Boss's Crew)). It's a cover-up to try and find canidates to hire at the actual company.

She has 2 very accidental children, one being a kid named Hattish which baton adopted while present was still on BFP (hattish may have also kidnapped baton but we dont need to worry about that) and Phoney, a cell phone that just. Came alive while Snowglobe, present's other girlfriend, was calling her and baton.

when she has any free time (which is a bit rare atm) she writes music! she hasn't properly published any of it, but im sure she will at some point.

present (like most gods) can create magic arms, however she actually doesn't use them too much if she can help it. she's lived her entire life using her legs or mouth for stuff, it's a bit hard to get used to using new limbs after only a few years!

she doesn't like using most of her magic unless it's needed or someone asks. (mainly because she used to not be allowed, but also she's worried of accidentally hurting someone with it.)

after the first near world ending disaster, she thought she would be returned to her normal object life, and have her magic taken away from her.

she was wrong.

she wishes she was right.

she doesn't like the color purple too much, as it reminds her of fog.

but the color purple also reminds her of one of the gods, which is one of her best friends, so she doesn't hate it!

she started wearing wrapping paper as part of her transition! it's an incredibly personal thing to her, and the only people that have been allowed to help her put on wrapping paper when it gets fucked up (or when she wants to try a new color combo) have been family, her childhood friend Candy heart and her girlfriends.

she has scopophobia, meaning she hates looking and being looked at. the only people she wants to look at her are baton and snowglobe (she doesn't mind other people she's close with looking at her for a bit, but she still freaks out if it's for too long)

that last thing is important, mostly because the only she's worse at than reading other peoples feelings is reading her own. and the fact that she wanted those two gay fucks to look at her was what helped her realize "oh hey. fuck. love is a thing, huh. and im feeling it. goddam"

i think thats enough fun and Facts for now. remember!! go vote for her in the @original-character-championship!!! or dont!!! both outcomes are still very funny to me!!!

#present!#long post #heart beats!#heart art!#i love info dumping about my girl #im glad i joined this contest #even if she gets out first round i get to Be Silly for a week

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secretgamergirl · 2 years

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The Entire Plot of Final Fantasy 14, with all the expansions, and some serious analysis of how good it actually is. (Part 4 - Post-Heavensward)

At this point my schedule for posting these is mainly limited by how rare the windows are where Tumblr will let me hit the “new post” button. Hopefully the congestion clears up soon.

Last time, we got through the end of Heavensward. A story about awful fantasy-catholic blueblooded aristocrats letting their own people starve to death while pursing a genocidal war against some real chill dragons that technically has you helping the terrible people for most of it, but at least you get to kill the pope. Which of course means now Ishgard is going to stop being a horrible place full of terrible bigots, right?

Post-Heavensward

Oh no of course not! The main structural thread of this interim of free patch content is you having to babysit this uneasy peace you mostly established and make sure none of these terrible people mess it up. Or, you know, the big dragon who was the primary aggressor in this thousands-of-years-long war who went ahead and possessed the guy who killed him because for real Estinien what did you think was going to happen when you held both eyes at the same time? Honestly.

There’s a whole bit with someone commissioning a giant version of this mural from Ysayle’s little underground dragon church of the original actual Shiva and Hraesvelgr falling in love to hang outside the gates of the city which I swear is all framed perfectly for all kinds of video edit jokes, possessed Estinein flying in and really starting crap. At one point while having kind of a party someone slips something into the protagonist’s drink before getting a riot started and hey, Warrior of Light, this is the second time that’s happened, maybe lay off wine in the future. Church loyalists don’t like that you killed the pope and exposed their whole everything as a lie, some people still hate dragons, someone tries to assassinate Aymeric, things get pretty damn awful and it largely comes to a head with some jerk flinging a small child off her roof who only survives because one of your chillest of dragon pals just happened to be heading over to maybe have a chat. Ends up being a real good PR moment for team dragon when she catches the kid.

As is usual with this stuff there’s a lot of plot threads running in parallel as we had episodic updates when this first all came out, but this particular topic doesn’t stretch on too much longer, culminating of course with possessed Estinein who has the eyes fused to his armor looking kinda like Nightmare from Soul Calibur and when you fight him he’s flipping between this and a full on dragon form.

Hraesvelgr shows up to help with this mess because seriously, Hraesvelgr is a solid pal. We get some dragon on dragon fighting that doesn’t go super well for the big H, but turns out that’s because his ace in the hole is letting you borrow his eye that was already out and loose and all. So you have your big satisfying one on one (well, 8 on 1, but the plot always pretends those other party members don’t exist) boss fight, then you and Alphinaud tackle him so you can just pry those freaking eyes off his armor and toss them into the massive imposing ravine you’re fighting over. They’re stuck in there pretty good though, and the only way you get them out is with the help of the ghost of Ysayle showing up. Whole band’s back together! Hauchefant’s ghost is here helping too, but I’m sorry, he just did not leave the impression on me the writers figured he would.

Estinein is fine, of course. Again, he’s all tied in with the Dragoon job quests. In fact, when you’re stuck in the boss arena with him in dragon form waiting on party recruitment, you can totally slip out, head to the next town over, advance some Dragoon quest stuff and spar with him a bit before the main event. Stuff like that amuses me. Anyway, this whole confrontation honestly is a very good scene. Someone should really take notes at how much better all this works when you have nice unambiguously good characters not only fighting some evil jerk but actively trying to save people they care about than wannabe Game of Thrones morally grey political stuff and shadowy robed figures with ambiguous goals whispering in people’s ears. And apparently someone is. My understanding is there was a big shift in the writing staff after this expansion and the grimdark folks kinda take a back seat while the woman who wrote the real standouts of the Rogue’s Guild and Dark Knight quest lines got tapped to write the better half of the next expansion and basically everyone for The Good One.

Estinein also finally takes off his busted blood-drenched edgy armor after this, and probably takes like his first bath ever, happy that his militant badass role is no longer needed and he has friends who take care of him. Which is nice but I can’t get over how wrong he looks without the helmet. I know he’s an elf but this semi-femme look is just weird for the guy always pulling the giant eyes out at meetings.

The next major story hook we have going on, which again is pretty intertwined with this one, is that all the less friendly monster folk kinda went and took advantage of your back being turned and started summoning their gods again. Canonically this is like the fourth or fifth time you’ve had to deal with this in some cases, because there is generally some plot justification for having the hard mode versions of those fights crop up (as opposed to the hard mode versions of non-summoned-god boss fights, which are rationalized by there being this bad hanging around who comes up with extra embellished versions of your exploits and then those go into the boss fight a la carte menu).

Hey, didn’t you used to have a whole party of friends whose whole deal was keeping tabs on exactly this sort of thing? Really is high time to get that band together too. Alphinaud has been with you the whole time, getting like half the dialog in the expansion. Y’shtola you dragged out of teleport limbo earlier. Urianger just never left your original base of operations because books are hard to move, you just haven’t checked in (past starting optional boss refight questlines) because who wants to spend time with Urianger? Papalymo and Yda are missing, but we get cutaways now and then showing them hanging out behind enemy lines doing resistance stuff. That still leaves Minfilia and Thancred. Thancred you know made it out because his scuzzy barfly pseudo-spy instincts kicked in and he got out from The Incident early but he’s been way off the grid. To help track him down, you get a little assistance from Matoya eventually, but also from that friend Minfilia’s been trying to invite to join the party since a half-audible phonecall near the climax of the base game, who’s been waylaid since by stuff like the empire full on destroying the island she was living on, Krile. Yes like, from FF5 Krile, has a grandfather named Galuf and everything... and wait where the hell is this line from? This has to be an edit, right?

Aside from being a walking FF5 reference, a big nerd all your nerd friends know from nerd school, and the owner of this custom-made catgirl hoodie, Krile is on that list of Lalafel I can count on one hand who aren’t Just The Worst. Another is Rauban’s adopted son who I think gets introduced around here somewhere. Anyway her and Matoya work out where Thancred’s been hiding. He also headed way up north you just never bumped into him, and he’s had eyes on this odd situation where while in particular the bug hivemind is getting their god up and running again and you show up to do your thing, this other goup of people come out of nowhere and killsteal him.

They introduce themselves as the Warriors of Darkness. Their whole deal is that they WERE the world-saving heroes of an alternate universe, but they claim they saved it a bit too hard, setting off an apocalypse where the whole balance of light and darkness tipped way too hard towards light and now this wave of holy radiance is just gradually glassing their whole world. They came here because one of those Ascian losers taught them the whole die and have your soul head off somewhere else trick, and put it into their heads that they can avert this apocalypse by coming here and scoring enough points for team darkness to screw your world over or kill your plot immunity crystal goddess or some such, but first they need to grind some god refights to power up and presumably recharge their personal metaphysical Zelda crystal chamber progression rooms, like you had to do during Heavensward and maybe spilling into Stormblood? I don’t recall when they all come back online.

The other thing with these guys is you’ve kinda seen them before, sort of, presumably, if you let the whole intro play out in the base game. There’s the whole bit where we see that end of 1.0 apocalyptic scene play out, then these five teleporting into the woods somewhere. The implication was clearly supposed to be that this is a party of 1.0 characters showing up unscathed afterwards but... no we are totally retconning it. This is a group of dimension hoppers party crashing. Actual 1.0 survivors had to start over at level 1 with no gear and nothing to show for it but those 1.0 veteran neck tattoos I’ve seen in the wild all of one time.

This gets real confusing real quick though, because the intro movies for every expansion have a pre-rendered stand-in for your character who looks more or less exactly like the guy in the middle. Also I’m pretty sure what you look like if you just mash through character creation without changing anything from its default postion. Also that central primary actually-took-the-Warrior-job Warrior of Darkness in particular kind of is canonically your sort-of-twin/counterpart from another dimension and I figure the only reason he isn’t actually just straight up given a copy of your character model is he has a ton of voiced lines and they’d sound weird coming from whatever you actually look like. Still super confusing though that when you first see this guy in the intro you incorrectly figure that’s you, and then in all the other intros when you do see you, you might think you’re seeing this guy now that you’ve met him. It’s also weird that they all summon chocobos in hindsight, but whatever we’re retconning an old cutscene now and that oddity only becomes odd in the expansion where we see where these people came from, still several years off.

So, they suck, and go around doing their thing while you’re dealing with other things. Thancred swoops in to help you out when you first meet them, and then later since he’s keeping tabs swoops in when they happen across Allisae when she’s just minding her own business/still waiting for you to find a party for that Bahamut raid already and take her down with a poisoned arrow that almost kills her. Trying to recall if that’s one of the several times when someone mistakes her for Alphinaud or vice versa. There’s definitely one of those the first time she meets Estinein which is pretty great.

There’s also a whole bit where we get cutaways to the Warriors of Darkness having planning sessions with a mysterious shadowy figure that is just so very clearly Urianger. Like that’s a really distinctive beard and also literally not one other person in the entire world talks like that. It doesn’t turn out that Urianger is secretly evil though, just... really curious about their whole backstory and all the interesting cosmology it brings in and stuff. Plus you know, they are trying to save their world from an apocalypse, that’s worth trying to help with, just not with the plan they’re going for. But also like, hey, Urianger, you’re hanging out having chats with an Ascian, that’s never a good plan.

Allisae tags along after getting pretty plainly pulled into this mess, and she’s honestly a pretty cool no nonsense hothead type which balances out all these academic nerds some. She’s around when you meet this tiny little kobold kid freaked out because the local priest is going to sacrifice his parents to summon Titan again, and you show up uh... between the part where he killed this kid’s parents and the summoning bit. The kid’s pretty traumatized by this, and in begging for his parents back, kinda ends up, you know, summoning Titan. Who does not bring his parents back. That is explicitly a thing gods can’t do (at least if you don’t want soulless zombie-like husks of people, they can swing that). But only hackney writing can truly bring back the dead. Interesting side note here, you have to fight Titan again, but it’s not a new fight? It’s just, like, “to proceed with the story please bring up medium difficulty Titan and knock that out real quick.” Weirdest thing. Anyway at the end of this we just have this SUPER traumatized to the point of catatonia kobold kid and Allisae is super invested in his eventual recovery and it’s kind of the defining moment for her character and pays off nicely later.

There’s a lot of lore dumping associated with all this and honestly none of it fits in super well with what’s previously been established about cyclical apocalypses and it all gets retconned pretty hard again the next time it’s relevant and that revison is way better world building than “wow those evil manipulative Ascians sure are trying to make this party of noble* heroes do evil stuff to plunge the whole world into darkness” business.

* I am just never going to be able to let the whole deadly poison in an arrow fired at a random civilian thing go. There’s really no justifying that and it directly conflicts with everything they try to do with these characters later.

Anyway turns out Minfilia’s dead. Kinda. It’s complicated. To work out what’s up with her you have to go bother poor Matoya again and check out the upside down tower in her closet I accidentally mentioned too early. Which arbitrarily ends by the way with a fight against Calcabrina, that really memorable creepy doll fight from FF4. Sadly you can’t skip the big boss by killing all 6 little dolls at once here. So, your personal goddess Hydaelyn has been having connectivity issues for a while (again, this is why you needed an immunization booster in the form of a soul pact with Midgardsomnr, who still pops up to chat here and there and also manifested a cooler mount form for Azys Lla touring). So... when Minfilia was kind of just adrift in the lifestream there with Y’shtola, she kinda went “hey can I like hollow out your body to use as a mouthpiece for talking to the protagonist? It’d really help me out” and not having any sort of actual personality Minfilia agreed. She’s kinda still in there but, yeah. Also like I already assumed, just because this game is so very diligent about hammering home that all religions and gods are inherently false and parasitic, that we’re eventually leading up to a big “and that absolutely includes Hydaelyn” moment, and this here really feels like tipping their hand towards that but... somehow not one single character in the whole game sees this as a red flag or has any problem with it.

Eventually you have your big ol’ showdown with these Warrior of Darkness jerks, and its kind of a neat one showing off a lot of new mechanical concepts that will be commonplace soon, and it’s a big ol’ party vs. party thing where you fight their whole team and the Scions pull their weight for a change helping out. Allisae (who’s never really been formally on the team but is definitely A Party Member from here on out) kinda surprises everyone by announcing she’s sick of being all passive in the background with her little caster book that matches Alphinaud’s and whips out a big ol’ glowing crystal sword she’s gonna try tanking with for a change. After this she decides that’s not really for her and goes for a lighter one once the Red Mage class gets introduced.

So you beat these jerks up and send’em packing back to their home dimension, but you do feel bad for them, so Minfilia/the voice of god goes along with them to see about maybe helping out there. You know, again, we wasted a perfectly good Moonbryda to avoid killing Minfilia off earlier and then we go right and turn around and pull that trigger anyway, basically. And now we’ve just got one and a half major plot developments left and I kinda want to save the one that really sets up the next expansion for last, after I get into the sidequest stuff.

The half though is that somewhere in the middle of all this a real big preposterously tough weirdo samurai washes up by Urianger’s place, having just come over from Doma by just taking a damn rowboat over. Possibly going the long way around the world, too. I just generally enjoy this broad character archetype.

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And yeah it’s weird he’s British in the English dub. It’s weird that everyone’s British. Well everyone but Gaius I guess. When we get to the third expansion people start having accents from other parts of the UK at least for a little variety, but it’s weird. Anyway Gosetsu here is a cool new friend but he’s mostly here to let Yugiri know we’re kinda getting the resistance band going again over in Doma after things were rough enough for a bunch of people to have to immigrate over here and get involved in ninja job quests. Can’t foreshadow things much harder than that.

Time for side stuff though. First off, hey, with all these flying islands we have in this expansion, we really should have some cool friendly air pirates. The sort you’d see in Skies of Arcadia, or various Ghibli films. So we do! They’re fun! And we get involved with them as they’re dealing with this big scary floating doom ship that survived a past apocalypse with some evil guys looking for ancient relics. Typical stuff from those wacky Allag- oh! Hey for like the first and only significant time it’s NOT the Allagan empire! We’re dealing with fallout from one of the OTHER world ending apocalypses and dead civilizations! This isn’t just out of the blue or anything. This stuff does come up a bit in the slew of optional dungeons that opened up after the base game, and in various class/job questlines, particularly like all the spellcaster ones.

Way back when we had three big civilizations of nerds all at once and at war with each other. We’ve got Ampador (white mages), Mhach (black mages), and Nym (scholars). And the big war they had went down in history books as the War of the Magi... because damn if the writers for this game don’t bend over backwards to work in every reference and every maybe-this-is-even-the-same-world-centuries-later deal with every old Final Fantasy game, but especially the SNES ones, and ESPECIALLY FF6. Surviving details are sketchy but basically Nym got taken out with a plague that turned everyone into tonberries, and the other two really went at it until a point where thanks to black mages spamming fire ice and lightning, and white mages spamming wind and earth, the whole world’s elemental alignment got skewed because the only people who ever cast water spells are ninja, and this caused a global flood. Really that’s what this wiki just told me.

The Mhachi got out by building a big flying arc powered by bound demons, including the queen of demons, which is just an absolutely ridiculous and irresponsibly dangerous thing to do and yes I am 100% just setting up a callback joke for when I explain what happens in later expansions. Also the demons are specifically bound in giant coffins, as is the Mhachi style, so... we have this gigantic airship made of coffins looking all Event Horizon and having this general manta rays and mind flayers aesthetic going on. I actually genuinely like that this setting has such a convoluted history with multiple fallen empires just kinda tucked away in the background so we can pull stuff like this out now and then and appreciate the shared themes and aesthetics stuff from various eras has. That’s some solid nerdy world-building I’d like to see more people tackle. I’d also kinda like to see more of it here because for real this is the only time it’s ever not the Allagans.

Helping you deal with all this and giving you ancient history backstory is this weird little familiar that’s survived since Mhachi times whose name is, can you guess the reference we’re dropping? Cait Sith. He looks... odd. Anyway, this is our big alliance raid trilogy for the expansion. Noteworthy cameo bosses include Doomgaze from FF6, who has a bunch of hard to read full party kill attacks and is a lot of fun to learn and then watch other people die to constantly, and Diabolos, who you’re actually fighting for a second time if you did an optional dungeon. Plus a bunch of reasonably original vaguely Gaelic and/or fishy demons.

Anyway speaking of weird little artificially created cute familiars, remember our dumb friend Hildibrand? You pull him out of a snow drift and have some fresh wacky shenanigans with him. This time as you pull him out, you also pull out this adorable as all hell little clockwork Black Mage called Gigi because that’s the sound your little head gears make when your memory isn’t working right, and we didn’t want to just directly go with Vivi. Hildy and his assistant Nashu argue about Gigi’s gender but totally just decide to collectively do the adoptive parents thing. At first they’re living in the gazebo of the noble family you’re still sort of crashing with (and we absolutely get some oldschool RPG nerd gazebo jokes) but eventually they decide if they’re really going to be a proper family they need a gazebo of their own, and settle for a vacant house in Idyllshire, that sort-of-a-town in the ruins of Sharlayan set up by cool goblin pals. Gigi decides their new residence needs a proper family crest too, and creates one.

Gigi is freaking adorable. Oh and Hildy’s dad also shows up during his, at one point using his renowned artisan skills to craft Gigi a new super buff muscle guy body to be a Proper Manderville Man which is pretty great while it lasts. Other little clockwork black mages/vikings/cool little guys with void faces exist incidentally, they’re called mammets and aren’t quite relics of a lost civilization, but were created early enough in the history of the current civilization that people are kinda 50/50 on still having the knowledge to fix them. Gigi is special though having this whole time reversing power that leads to various shenigans and some angsting about not being able to fix everything and a big heroic sacrifice moment leading to a powered down state, after which Gigi goes on your list of little summonable minions along with chicken-Enkidu and a bunch of other random things, to hang out and hopefully remember stuff. Oh and Hildy gets launched like half a world away again because someone points out that if Gigi is his child that makes his incongruously hot and violence-prone mom a grandmother and she cannot deal with that.

Briardien the other inspector from the last batch of Hildy stuff also pops up again, with his own longng line of really just cutscene sidequests and... I’m gonna be real with you. It is some boring Harry-Potter-ask magic school crap and my eyes glazed over as soon as it started and I just kinda blindly mashed through it all to get the little glasses-adjust emote at the end and get those exclamation points off my screen. It’s lame, he’s lame, doing a Harry Potter sort of thing is lame, I don’t care, and I’m glad he never shows up again.

But then we’ve got the "normal” raid set. Seeing chunks of this are literally what got me to take a chance on this game to begin with (well that and it’s totally free up to the end of this post you’re reading), and kept me going through the absolute slog to get to this point. Freaking Alexander as this combination city/god/confusing timefolding thing/set of a dozen or so little mini-dungeons/bossfights with really great music and where you fight a combination of goblin mad scientsts and smaller city-like robots that live inside the big one, some of whom transform.

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It is just a blast playing through this bit. You’ve got all kinds of steampunky little sections where everyone has to split up and dive down big tubes and ride ultraspeedy ultra-thin conveyor belts that careen all through this big city, there’s this wacky mad scientist fight where people have to jump into pools of mystery goo that transforms them into gorillas so they can punch aside big cartoony bombs, the transformer in that bit I just linked where halfway through the fight you have to run over and jump on as it turns into a jet and just nukes the whole arena, then do a timed button press to hop off safely, and of course the specific thing someone showed me that hooked me in is the bit where you fight a set of five robots, then they fight Voltron, with a remix of an earlier track from the area in the style of a 60s tokusatsu theme.

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The plot associated with this is neat too. Alexander is just kinda there, in this big frozen time bubble, barely shifting now and then to get a little bit of itself out and giving you a new entry point. Cid and friends are checking it out, because showing up to check out the cool new techy raid dungeon is their entire deal and a repeated thing. Turns out it just sort of appeared out of nowhere a few years ago, vaporized this one woman’s boyfriend, and vanished, with just a book about it and a cat left behind. One of the local goblins found the book, studied it, decided that Alexander is just the coolest thing, and summoned it the way FF14 people do to be the new utopian home of his people. Cid is horrified by this and says something along the lines of “what kind of a monster takes something as pure and beautiful as a giant robot and goes and makes a god out of it?” So you head through, cool goblin techno getting louder and more distinct as you approach the center, have a big confrontation, time travel mode gets turned on, you all get a good view as you jump back a few years, watch this guy get vaporized, and the head goblin’s cat decide he sucks and hop off with his notebook, realize there’s all sorts of time loop shenanigans as you make friends with his adorable cat.

And of course partway through all this there’s a bit about dead boyfriend gal talking about her people’s creation myths also mentioning what sure seems like Alexander popping up at some point and dumping out her Adam and Eve equivalents, so yeah, that’s where things end up for her and her less-dead-than-suspected boyfriend once all the timeloop business wraps up and you have the proper fight against Alexander, on top of Alexander, with Alexander looming in the background because time and space are all kinda going screwy on you. I swear when people say they like Heavensward what they really mean is they like this Alexander stuff you get access to after it.

Eventually though once you’re done playing with time traveling robots, air pirate demons, building a city for moogles and dragons, helping bugs reject their abusive parents, and leading dance squads for owl people, it is time to get back to that main story progression. Ishgard eventually gets it together enough to come join your alliance, and you’ve finally got the whole continent united to deal with that evil empire. The one that’s been occupying your immediate neighbor for two decades. With all the refugees. Isn’t it, uh, about time you get around to striking back and doing some liberating there? A lot of people sure think it is. This is what Papalymo and Yda have been busy with. That whole coup leading into this expansion was tied into false promises of pushing back there. For some reason though, the collected heads of state aren’t quite willing to push the button there yet though. I guess they want to intercept a fresh attack wave before they counter? That’s the go to plan in strategy games. Maybe deal with the recent summoning wave some?

In any case it really gets under the skin of the local terrorist scene as headed up by Ilberd, that guy who cut Rauban’s arm off, and they decide it’s time to force everyone’s hand by stealing a bunch of military uniforms from everyone else and assaulting the nearest imperial stronghold themselves. I am fully in support of this plan, honestly, people are really dragging their feet too much. Unfortuantely the Empire has, you know, lots of guns and death robots and while they’re too blindsided to get the real heavy ordinance out, Ilberd stole uniforms from EVERYONE, and has this whole Watchmen plan going which involves his own assault squad getting pretty well slaughtered even as you and your actual armies rush in to help, because all of them getting desperate and panicky and him busting out a big ol’ bit of aether storage in the form of one of Nidhogg’s eyes he climbed down to get from the big hole you tossed it down let’s him do a big ol’ large scale summoning. You suck Ilberd. Could have just forced a war all regular.

It seems like the new summon is coming in all extra huge and Bahamut looking, and Papalymo, having recently borrowed what’s left of Louisoix’s staff (oh yeah, there was a whole thing with Ascians wanting that because it has some ancient super good aether channeling rock built in, this came up with the Moonbryda stuff I think), decides to recreate that whole save world from giant god dragon thing from the ol’ intro, despite the fact that he knows it kills the caster, and the fact that like, you’re right there. You kill gods, it’s your whole thing, you could take it. Yda’s pretty upset with this plan because those two are pretty close and goes all “if you’re dying here so am I.” Thancred just goes “no you’re freaking not” and drags her off. Hey, finally everyone’s getting some real characterization here. Anyway Papalymo’s dead. I guess that’s kinda tragic. He’s certainly been around the whole time. If I’m honest he was never really well established though? He’s a healer, he fusses over people like C-3PO. I guess he’s on that short list of Lalafel I don’t hate. But the most interesting thing about him is a bit we only just find out here now that he’s dead.

Yda is also dead. Has been for some time. Apparently since some time in 1.0, even. The original Yda was a monk with serious self-esteem issues with her face and/or a desire to hide her traditional Ala Migan face tattoos, and therefore always wore a mask, so when she died in some big attack, her younger sister Lyse just had to steal her mask and pretend to be her for uh... basically as long as anyone present has known her aside from Papalymo. The big reveal is that like most of the Scions, she has these fancy neck tattoos everyone in 1.0′s Scions equivalent had, but the real Yda died after getting those, and these were an illusion Papalymo was creating. I feel like this would land a lot better if the real Yda died more recently, like, oh, when things went bad in Ul’dah? But even then she hadn’t really been established as much of a character. Just a little bit of a bimbo, kicks people, hangs with the short healer. But it’s pretty significant to her, so she’s ditching the mask, going back to using her real name, and really keen on being basically the main character for the next expansion like Alphinaud was for this one since the whole fallen fortress/giant god summon thing did totally force everyone’s hand.

Oh but first that there god is still there, just kinda temporarily bound, and we don’t have a moon handy to lock it up in. Which of course means it’s time for you to kill it right? Well... normally it would be, but Cid and Nero are kinda “on again” just now and Nero found this cool robot buried underground and mostly worked out the manual and he just really really pretty please wants to see a big cool CGI fest cutscene where a big Godzilla-ish spacey dragon fights a weird vaguely Gamera like robot. This is objectively a horrible idea, for the record. You totally can and do just go punch that dragon to death like every other god, and Nero’s robot kinda goes on to cause a real problem in the next post-expansion, and then again like, time of writing, the Ultimate difficulty fight with it has only been beaten once by people who were exposed as flagrantly cheating. That’s all on you Nero, so I hope you enjoy your pointlessly indulgent cutscene.

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Are you happy now Nero? Are you? You know I STILL haven’t finished FF5 thanks to Omega. Gotta go and add that to this game too huh, well I hope you’re happy. I guess big dragons and robots fighting in cutscenes is a series tradition though, and it’ kind of neat to get a preview of what some bosses’ deals are going to be WELL in advance of when you get to fight them. For now they’re both down for the count, we get a shot of the Domans heading home, the main villain for the next expansion seeing and appreciating that splashy fight because that’s the sort of thing he’s into, and for the 4th time, we have a very long credits roll, marking the end of what you can play without putting up any cash. Which is admittedly a solid chunk of game, only most of which is super boring and tedious!

So yeah, again, I honestly straight up do not like Heavensward. Too much time hanging out with just the absolute worst people, even if you do get to personally kill kind of a lot of them, and none of the dungeons or boss fights are particularly interesting either (Bismark would be if it had teeth). Post-Heavensward though? Pretty solid overall. We really start fleshing out the main cast, and have some really just bonkers side quests with a lot of creative energy and memorable moments. As of here though I would still say no FF14 is a terrible game with a bad plot but has some really neat optional content once you’re an expansion deep. And I would have to stop here since again, this is where the free version ends, and while I got here just around the end of when the free-trial availability’s hammering of the servers forced them to shut down new character registration and I could invite some friends in, they all bounced off before even the first dungeon. People I know who’d been in it a while though went and gifted me the other expansions and several months of time cards though, so next post I’ll be talking about the second expansion. Is that where things finally get good? Eh kinda. They get pretty OK at least. It does weird me out that things get much more enjoyable right at the point you need to put money in though.

Speaking of money I am still like one bad day away from being homeless, and I have a Patreon. You don’t have to give ME money to learn what’s in these next 3 expansions, but I’d sure appreciate it if you did.

Next time, Stormblood... which I swear will be a shorter write-up. But then I always think that.

#final fantasy 14 #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #estinein like immedately grabs those eyes again because he's an idiot by the way

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neoninky · 1 year

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TWST Fanfic "Her Lost Voice" - Bonus One-Shot #1

So here's something different for all my Indigo fans out there~

While this doesn't tie directly into the main story of "Her Lost Voice", it is part of the Sacred Crown canon if you will and is part of a collection of one-shots that you can also find on my AO3 page.

Think of this as an Indigo Cerith vignette about his days at NRC. Enjoy~

Indigo Cerith: NRC Days

“Scarabia…”

The Dark Mirror’s voice rang clear throughout the hall as a few murmurs spread throughout the boys behind him.

“The guy who can barely walk? Really?”

“Scarabia, huh? I thought with his scary face he’d be Savanclaw for sure…he even has some scars.”

“Wait…do you think he came from the sea and that’s why he’s walking funny?”

“A merguy in the desert? He won’t last two minutes!”

Dire Crowley called for the rest of the students to hush so the ceremony could continue before looking to the nervous-looking young man, hesitating in front of the mirror, “Welcome to Night Raven College, Mr. Cerith. Your Dorm Prefect and fellow Scarabia students are over there.”

Sixteen year old Indigo Cerith nervously looked down at his human legs. He had been on land for maybe an hour and who knows how much of that time was spent in that weird coffin he woke up in. While he had gotten the hang of standing up straight, actually walking was…embarrassingly challenging. Not to mention the robe and clothes he woke up in felt so strange. Well, EVERYTHING felt strange, to be honest. The Scarabia Dorm Prefect was kind enough to wave to him so he knew where to go. Indigo took a deep breath and took his first wobbly step and then another.

A few of the other students snickered at the sight but Indigo just ignored them and thought of what Junonia had told him instead.

“It’s going to feel strange at first and you may feel a bit silly but don’t rush it…just take your time, Indigo. Soon enough you’ll be walking just like anyone else. Maybe even running or dancing,” she said with her motherly smile, “Don’t worry about what others may say or think. You’re going to do wonderfully, Indigo. I’m so proud of you, my darling boy.”

Indigo missed her and his sisters already but a pair of awkward legs wasn’t going to stop him from taking full advantage of this rare opportunity. When he finally made it to the others in his dorm, his Prefect gave him a friendly grin.

“Welcome to Scarabia, I’m the Dorm Leader and Third Year, Nasir Ali,” he said softly before extending his hand to the new first year.

Indigo slowly took his Dorm Leader’s hand and shook it, “Indigo Cerith…nice to meet you.”

He took a spot with the others and was quickly greeted by a few other curious but still friendly guys all from different years. As he continued to watch the rest of the ceremony, he noticed he was getting a few strange looks from another dorm standing across from them. The third year standing next to him noticed as well.

“That’s the Octavinelle Dorm. A lot of them are from the Coral Sea as well so they’re probably wondering why you didn’t get sorted into their dorm,” he whispered. When Indigo gave him a surprised look, he chuckled, “Those of us that have been through more than one ceremony can tell when a Coral Sea-er comes onto the surface for the first time. I gotta say though, this is the first time one of you guys ever got sorted into our Dorm. That’s pretty cool.”

Indigo blinked his ice-blue eyes up at his senior feeling a weird tingle of pride. No one had ever said he or anything about him was cool before…

He eventually got the hang of walking but everything about this place nearly knocked him right off his feet at every turn. Magic mirror doors? Ghosts? Flying on brooms?!

Everything…

…was amazing.

Well, maybe not everything.

It was cold and rainy outside the rest of the campus but inside the Scarabia dorm, the sun shone brightly upon the stretch of golden sand. Indigo had gotten used to the Dorm Uniform: the loose-fitting clothes and no sleeves were very comfortable and the hood allowed him to keep the sun from beating down on his head. But the regular school uniform….

Indigo glared at his offending garments as they waited for him inside the wardrobe in the corner. How did land dwellers do this every day?! He muttered to himself as he carefully changed into the much more fitted outfit. Pants up, buttoned and zipped. White shirt on, fully buttoned. Next was the maroon vest…more buttons. By the time he got the jacket on, his necktie clumsily tied and loosely hanging around his neck, he gazed at the most frustrating step….shoes.

Indigo was embarrassed to know that most land dwellers learn how to tie their shoes when they were children. Here he was sixteen years old and still struggling. Most citizens of the Coral Sea, no matter what neighborhood they come from, went to a prep school of sorts specifically to teach them the basics of surface life. Poor Indigo was flying blind and had to learn everything on the fly. Tying his shoes…walking…tying a tie…which utensils were used while eating and how to use them.

Flying a broom was definitely NOT covered at all.

His P.E. classes were absolutely mortifying the first month or so. Vargas groaned in frustration as Indigo clumsily fell off his broom yet again, making the other first years around him crack up laughing. Thankfully he was only a couple of feet off the ground, but even so, Indigo lay in the dirt for a split second feeling like an absolute fool.

That was pretty much the week and a half of Indigo Cerith’s life at Night Raven College: waking up and fumbling his way through his days. One day, Indigo didn’t leave for classes. He felt sick, frustrated, and too upset to try again over and over anymore. His roommates didn’t bother him much but as soon as the prefect heard from the other first years that Indigo didn’t get out of bed, he decided to check in on his junior.

Indigo wasn’t in his bed. He wasn’t in the kitchen, or the lobby…no, Prefect Ali found the first year staring into the fountain outside, hood over his head and no shoes on his feet.

“Indigo! You’re going to be late for class!”

The gruff first year glared at the Prefect, “I’m not…I’m not going. Not today.”

The senior had heard about the boy’s struggles from his classmates and around the dorm whenever Indigo wasn’t around. He seemed pretty distant and quiet. From what the dorm leader saw, the boy was earnest and he tried his best. Just…awkwardly.

“Ok sure. Take the day off and go for a swim. That’ll make you feel better!” Prefect Ali smiled.

Indigo looked at him like he was just messing with him but the senior’s smile didn’t falter whatsoever. Instead, he clapped a firm hand on Indigo’s shoulder, “You’re from the Coral Sea so living in our dorm must be hard for you. It’s a pretty big fountain so by all means, use it whenever you need! …Honestly, if you like, you could transfer into Octavinelle. It’d probably be a lot more comfortable for you-”

“No thanks,” the eel muttered roughly, “I have no interest in being in that dorm…it reminds me of home too much.”

In the short time that Indigo had been in school, he had been approached by some students from Octavinelle either trying to figure out who he really was because he looked “familiar” or just trying to get something out of him. All around, Indigo wasn’t ok with either. At least in Scarabia, no one bothered him or tried to corner him because he was different. Aside from the heat and dryness, life in Scarabia was very peaceful. Everyone left everyone else alone to their own devices because the entire dorm was more focused on their studies and own school-related ambitions…it was exactly what Indigo wanted, actually.

The dorm leader gave him a pleased grin, “Glad to hear it. You may be off to a rough start but I think you belong here. Just take your time and go at your own pace, Indigo! Studies are important, but here we value wisdom and application. If one way isn’t working for you, take a moment, and try again a different way! …oh! I can make a dry land potion for you as well so you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in your true form. I’ll bring you one after my classes are done, ok?”

Indigo watched his Dorm Leader leave with the rest of the students with a stirring in his chest. He knew that good feelings weren’t bad, that most people had them every day, but…that didn’t mean he was prepared for them.

After a day spent swimming in the large fountain, Indigo felt like himself again…and in the following days, he practiced walking. Practiced tying his tie and shoelaces. And he accepted assistance from his dorm mates that noticed his struggle and genuinely wanted to help. He focused on his studies and paid as much attention in class as he could. He even learned how to make his own dry land potions so he could go swimming more often. So when the first midterm exam results were posted…

Indigo stood in the crowd of anxious boys trying to find his name on the long list of top fifty scores. His pale eyes scanned the lower numbers first but he didn’t see his name so he went higher…nope…higher still into the 20s to 30s ranking…no ‘Indigo Cerith’. He started to accept that his name probably wasn’t even on there at all until another first year that recognized him from Homeroom yelled over to him.

“Indigo! Look over here!”

He saw the shorter Diasomnia freshman excitedly waving to him and made his way over to him. The boy pointed to the top of the lists, “Look at you, man! You’re the first freshman in the Top 10! Nice!”

Indigo’s eyes widened as he finally saw his name printed at…number seven. He grinned wryly at the irony but enjoyed the warm glow of pride growing in his chest nonetheless. The feeling didn’t last long as he noticed a few others shooting glares his way. Namely, upperclassmen who had gotten very used to their spots in the upper accolades of the overall test results. To be outranked by a freshman who flopped out of his coffin like a newborn giraffe was humiliating. However, they were also about to find out that Indigo Cerith wasn’t one to let himself get bullied by strangers…

The Savanaclaw Dorm was the first to find this out personally. It started with one accidental elbow shoulder bump in the hallways that turned into a challenge on the school grounds that very quickly turned into the aggressive beastman being sent to the infirmary and Indigo to the Headmaster’s office…

He was thoroughly warned and scolded by a very frustrated Crowley and sent back to his dorm. Indigo expected to be scolded a second time as soon as he returned to Scarabia…turns out the Dorm Prefect put him on kitchen duty after dinner but otherwise thought it was impressive.

“I can’t be too upset about self-defense but don’t start any fights, ok?” he laughed.

…unfortunately for Indigo, word spread fast and he couldn’t finish his first year without a few more cases of 'self-defense’. If nothing else, he helped him exercise and let off some steam. By the time he reached his second year, Indigo Cerith had gained a reputation as the undefeated 'Oasis Snake’ and suddenly he wasn’t being challenged because his opponent had beef with him so much that they just wanted the glory of finally beating him. It was very tiring for both him and the Headmaster. Indigo put his wits that kept him in the upper academic ranks to good use, however, and learned how to defend himself without damaging himself, his opponent, or school property. In that regard, Crowley eventually started turning a blind eye to it. Something about being 'so very generous’…

However, Indigo was met with a whole new challenge during his second year: flirting. Indigo was a very good student and very sharp but nothing could have prepared him for what happened during a Magift game between Night Raven College and their rivals Royal Sword Academy. This was years before NRC would open its gates to Sacred Crown Hall but that didn’t mean that the boys didn’t sometimes encounter the charming girls of SCH at their rival’s games. At this point, Indigo was well versed in the deep-seated rivalry between his school and Royal Sword…and apparently the fact that RSA had connections with the top girls’ school didn’t help either.

Indigo was painfully aware that he didn’t get out much and that underneath his scarred poker face and astute intelligence, he was absolutely clueless on how to talk to…well most people but girls especially. It was the weekend and a few of his dormmates invited him to the game on the RSA campus. Seeing as how their Dorm Leader would be playing in the match, Indigo decided to actually go this time. Like the others from his school, he was in his classroom uniform but wore a sweater cardigan instead of his blazer since it was a bit chilly that day. His focus started on the game itself, but he grew distracted once he noticed more and more of his classmates were talking about the elusive females on the other side of the field. For a moment, Indigo’s eyes flicked over to the same direction.

They were cute across the board, loudly, excitedly cheering for their brother school’s team. Some of them were even beautiful. Indigo forced his eyes back onto the field when he started feeling weird butterflies in his gut. Frankly, the only girls he ever got to be around were his stepmother and his sisters so this was entirely new territory and he had already decided that there was no way any of those girls wouldn’t be terrified of him. He had sharp teeth and scars on his face for crying out loud. Human girls would probably just think the worst of him or run away. Human boys generally ignored him or stayed cleared of him already. Or tried to fight him. It was pretty clear that either way, Indigo couldn’t win.

He got up to go get something to drink as he mentally shoo’d those thoughts away. He made a point to not walk too close to the girls in front of him which proved more difficult than he anticipated because his legs were already pretty long as a freshman. Now that he was a sophomore, he grew about three inches. Indigo also did his best to ignore the eel hormones that had been starting to brew since last semester. He wasn’t sure about humans but as far his own kind went, he was reaching the point of mating season becoming a reality.

Indigo already felt creepy enough, the last thing he wanted was to come on too strongly if or when he did get the attention of someone he wanted to attract. Ideally a female but if he was really honest, as long as they were attractive and meshed well with him then he didn’t really care about their gender. He did get a love note on his own campus where there were no females in sight last Valentine’s Day. Indigo didn’t think anything of it, but according to some of his dormmates it was shocking and something they referred to as 'forbidden love’. Other’s were less surprised and even congratulated him. He just wrote it off as another strange land dweller custom.

Indigo kept his eyes forward at a neutral position, trying not to make eye contact or stare at anyone around him when he suddenly noticed one of the girls’ compact fell out of her bag. When she didn’t realize it, Indigo carefully picked it up and cleared his throat to call out to her, “Uh…h-hey, excuse me. You dropped this.”

The third girl in the trio suddenly stopped and turned around, her strawberry blonde curls swished behind her as her spring green eyes looked up at Indigo. For a split second, Indigo stood holding out the girl’s compact as stiff as a statue, waiting for her to freak out and scream at him or something. The other two girls’ stared up at the taller boy with looks he had grown used to. The girl in question instead just skipped up to him with an embarrassed grin on her face, “Oh my god, thank you! I didn’t even notice it fell out!”

Indigo noticed she had a cute little red diamond on her cheek as she looked him up and down curiously. “You’re a Night Raven boy, huh? Which dorm??” she asked curiously.

The poor eel’s brain went into overdrive. He hadn’t expected to get this far into a verbal conversation and was dreadfully unprepared, “Uh…Sc…Scarabia.”

“Oh really? You look pretty rugged for a Scarabia boy!” she giggled, completely making his brain fog even worse, “Well thanks again…uh…what’s your name?”

“Sev-uh…um…Indigo. Indigo Cerith,” he mentally kicked himself for automatically slipping into his old name.

“Huh…you don’t talk to girls much, do ya? That’s kinda cute. Hey! Are you on Magicam??”

He wasn’t. Until about ten seconds later. The blonde winked at him returned his phone to him after helping him set up his account and adding him to her friends list, “Thanks again, Indigo! See ya later!”

And then the three girls hurried off in a gaggle of hushed giggling.

Indigo wasn’t sure if that was a successful conversation or not. He felt his whole body shut down in confusion as he replayed the whole situation over in his brain. He wouldn’t actually be that active on Magicam that year or ever but he did receive a lot of messages from other girls that were just as confusing as the diamond girl. It wasn’t until the next game between the two rival schools that he gained some traction and get a little bit more experience at this whole flirting business…

…all because of another fight.

This time it was basketball. He wasn’t sure how he even ended up at this game in particular especially when he didn’t even want to be there. Indigo thought Magift was pretty interesting but basketball? Not so much. Still, he had gotten roped into going thanks to the Octavinelle Prefect of all people. He and Indigo were in the same club and apparently, he had started a betting ring behind the faculty’s back and wanted Indigo there just in case things got out of hand. Surely no one would mess with the 'Oasis Snake’ at a school event, right? Also, this was his payback for letting Indigo swim around their dorm whenever the Scarabia fountain felt a bit cramped. Indigo was, again, minding his own business when he spotted two students from his school cornering a smaller student by the end of the bleachers, just out of sight of most of the room. The eel immediately felt his instincts kick in and left the Octavinelle group’s side to see what was really going on. The smaller student was actually a boy from Royal Sword. Most of Indigo’s schoolmates would have just ignored the situation entirely…but Indigo wasn’t a typical NRC student. The game was loud enough that no one noticed two guys getting beat up under the bleachers.

“Are you ok?” Indigo offered a hand to the roughed-up Royal Sword boy. The boy stared up at him as if he were an angel of some sort before slowly taking his hand.

“Y-Yes! Th-Thank you!” He stuttered as he straightened himself out before looking up at his savior with a sparkle in his eyes, “You’re amazing!”

Indigo blinked owlishly down at the boy, “Oh…it was nothing. Just didn’t seem right to leave you like that,” he mumbled.

“What did you say??” the boy said, holding a hand to his mouth trying to be heard over the enthusiastic crowd. Indigo looked over his shoulder to make sure the Octavinelle prefect and his crew weren’t looking for him before awkwardly leaning down to repeat himself more loudly.

“I said it was nothing. Don’t worry about it,” as he was talking Indigo realized that maybe he had leaned in a bit too closely because the boy’s face suddenly started to flush. He started to lean back but the boy grabbed his vest and carefully pulled him back.

“Can I give you my number?” the boy smiled up at the confused eel, “You seem really cool! I’d like to keep in touch with you! M-Maybe we can hang out at the next game?”

What was happening??? Indigo just blinked and thought for a moment…wait, he heard about this before. Humans exchanged contact numbers for multiple reasons but the biggest one was when they were interested in each other platonically. Oooor romantically speaking. The eel took a moment to look at the situation objectively. It was pretty similar to the Magicam situation with the pretty diamond girl which felt nice. Confusing but nice. And now…

The boy shuffled his feet and tucked a stray hair behind his ear as he waited for Indigo’s answer, never taking his rather doe-like eyes off of him. These little intricate movements were weirdly charming and gave the eel a similar butterfly feeling in his gut. He was…very cute. Piecing together all the little movements, the blushing, and the shy smile the boy was giving him…oh yeah this wasn’t a platonic situation. This also felt nice.

“Yeah….s-sure,” Indigo dug in his pocket for his phone. The boy’s smile widened as he rushed to find his own phone. Indigo gave the strange Royal Sword boy his number just before leaning down so he could hear him better over the blaring score horn as he gave his name and digits.

After the game, Indigo returned to his dorm without a word to anyone. It was night time and the cool breeze felt nice after being crammed in the crowded gynasium. Indigo sat his phone on the edge of the fountain as he dipped into the water. He released a relaxed sigh with his head above water as the rest of him changed into his eel form. Moments later, he heard ping from his phone only to be met with messages from Magicam that he had yet to answer from some girls he didn’t really know, a few from the diamond girl, and then in a seperate notification, a text from the doe-eyed Royal Sword boy.

“…..huh.”

The end of his tail started to wag as he checked the messages.

Indigo Cerith never really got used to the idea of someone finding him 'cool’ or even 'alluring’ in any way, but that never stopped him from somehow attracting people that thought those exact things about him. Girls, boys, it didn’t matter, they all came and went over time which didn’t bother Indigo at all. Being seen and given positive attention was wonderful, yes, but what made him the happiest was just being there at school, learning, and growing. He never boasted about his grades or his abilities, it wasn’t really his style, but Indigo always managed to stay within the top ten ranks when it came to exam results. He never excelled at flying on a broom or even Magift which didn’t bother him. Indigo’s strengths lied in subjects such as Alchemy, Potions, and History. Any physical prowess Indigo possessed came from his rough life at home and literally having to fight his sibling off on a daily. He was hungry for as much knowledge he could get into his system because he never knew how much time he had left. When he wasn’t in class, he could often be found in the library, or in the courtyard. Sometimes you could see him swimming by from the Octavinelle lounge. Either way, very few people could hold Indigo Cerith down for personal time. He was always doing something or going somewhere.

The strangest encounter he could recall happened during his third and final year on Night Raven’s campus. It started during the sorting ceremony. Indigo stood next to the Scarabia Dorm Prefect that had taken the place of Nasir Ali, arms crossed, his scarred face mostly hidden underneath the hood. He watched the new year’s batch of first years with mild interest. In the crowd of excitable freshman was one peculiar bean pole of a boy from the Queendom of Roses.

“Jasper Elfern.”

Indigo watched along with the rest of the room as this scrawny, wide-eyed freshman bolted up to the front and snorted as he nearly tripped over his own feet. Granted Indigo had very little room to judge considering how his first day went, but this kid still reminded him of small dog let off its lease. Jasper let out an excited whoop when the mirror sorted him into Heartslabyul. Figures…everyone in that dorm was kinda crazy. He should fit right in.

It was about two weeks into the new semester when Indigo had received another challenge from a gruff Savanaclaw. This time it was a hotblooded freshman that was too stubborn to listen to his seniors that had already tussled with the eel. Indigo just stood in the courtyard, arms crossed, waiting for the angry pup to throw his first punch or spell, if he were feeling ambitious. As usual, a small crowd gathered around the scene for the show. Among them was none other than Jasper Elfern.

“Hey hey, what’s happening now?” the freshman poked his head in between the other students to get a better look. The current Vice Prefect of Heartslabyul smirked as he recognized his enthusiastic junior, “Welcome to the show, Elfern. This has become a source of entertainment on campus. Another challenge for the Oasis Snake.”

Jasper looked Indigo up and down, his eyes growing wide at the older boy’s broad and calm stature, “Why do they call him that??”

“He’s an eel merman from the Coral Sea but when he was freshman, he got sorted into Scarabia. That’s a historical first alone, but he’s incredibly tough and wicked smart. He’s been in the top ten grade ranks since he got here and he’s beat every guy that’s ever tried to fight him. He’s become a legend of sorts,” the Vice Prefect laughed, “Either way, it’s always a nice break from boring classes to watch him school another thick skulled student.”

Jasper was already so entranced that he didn’t even bother asking why no one ever tried to stop the fights which were clearly against the rules….and then he actually saw the fight, if it could even be called that.

The freshman grabbed his magic pen to cast some sort of magical attack but before he could finish, Indigo shouted some encantation. The ground underneath the freshman suddenly turned into a whirlpool of quicksand that sucked in the freshman’s feet making him yelp and flail about. The ground turned solid by the time the boy had sank down to his hips. Indigo shot more magic at the other boy’s pen that flew out of his hand as he panicked. The pen became surrounded by a block of ice.

“Don’t worry, you’ll barely use magic this semester. Have fun waiting for it to thaw out,” he said in a bored tone before walking off to his next class. The freshman yelled out for his seniors to help him as the rest of the onlookers just laughed at his stupidity. The crowd split up but Jasper stared after Indigo’s retreating back with stars in his wine-colored eyes.

“He…is so COOL.”

And that was the beginning of the Oasis Snake’s first official stalker. Jasper didn’t have any ulterior motives or malicious intent. Did that stop him from asking around about him every chance he got or figure out his schedule so he could talk to him face to face? Absolutely not. Jasper was so curious it nearly caught him on fire. What was his home like? What was he really like?? Did he like tarts?! Anything and everything. The fateful day where Jasper Elfern finally caught Indigo at a standstill was just another day spent in the library. The Scarabian eel had camped out in the back corner by the older tomes, intent on doing more research for his club activities when suddenly he was ambushed out of nowhere. “Hi there!” Indigo lowered the book he was reading to see a wide-eyed Jasper smiling up at him from across the table. The junior narrowed his icy eyes as they looked the beanpole freshman up and down. “…can I help you?” he asked dryly. “You’re the Oasis Snake, right?? I’ve heard so much about you since my first day and I saw how you used magic to subdue that freshman from Savanaclaw. It was so COOL! I just had to meet you in person-oh I’m Jasper by the way. Jasper Elfern! First year, Heartslabyul.” Indigo huffed and returned to reading, “I know who you are. You’re that weird little first year that’s been asking around about me. You obviously have eyeballs so you can see that I’m busy right now.” “Oh that’s ok! I can wait!” …and so he did. Jasper just sat and watched Indigo read for a solid five minutes before the awkwardness of the whole affair got under Indigo’s skin. The eel glared at the bright-eyed boy as he slammed the book down. “What do you want, you little creep?” he growled. Jasper was unphased by his senior’s gruff attitude, “I wanna know more about you! You’re really interesting! Like what’s it like being the only aquatic type of person in Scarabia? Where did you learn how to fight? How did you get those scars-” “Mind your own business,” Indigo snarled at the boy to get him to back off to no avail. Jasper just tilted his head to the side, “You don’t have many friends, huh? I mean it does make sense,” Jasper laughed, “You’re super cool and handsome so I bet you’re actually very popular but that scary face probably makes you waaay unapproachable right? No wonder you’re usually alone!” Jasper suddenly stopped laughing as soon as he saw the venomous look on Indigo’s face. The eel looked as if he could turn the boy into ice just by looking at him. “The hell did you just say to me?” Indigo snarled, showing his sharp teeth. …and that is how Jasper Elfern got a black eye and how Indigo Cerith was put on rose painting detention. Indigo grumbled as he changed the color of the white rose in front of him. This had to be…actually he stopped counting a while ago. He could hear some sort of party happening deeper in the garden which guaranteed that he’d be alone until the work was done. Good, he thought, the last thing I want is more annoying brat-

“Hello!” Indigo groaned and put his magic pen back in his pocket. He didn’t even have to turn around. He knew that voice. Sure enough…there was Jasper Elfern just as sunshine-y as ever with one heck of a shiner and a plate with some sort of dessert in his hands. Indigo looked at the plate and then back at the boy with a questioning look. “A peace offering!” Jasper excitedly extended the plate toward the older boy, “It’s a strawberry tart! A Heartslabyul delicacy that tastes better when shared with friends!” …Friends? Really? Well, Indigo did feel bad for decking the kid. Really he should have shown more restraint, especially towards an underclassman. The Scarabia junior muttered a thank you and took the plate. One bite made his eyes go wide. Holy hell, this thing was delicious! Jasper beamed up at him, making Indigo feel a bit awkward. He swallowed both the bite of tart and his pride, “Thank you…and I’m sorry for punching you in the face. That was uncalled for.” “Eh, I deserved it,” Jasper chuckled, “Sorry for being so rude. I just find you so fascinating and I guess my enthusiasm overruled my manners.” “….Why?” Indigo couldn’t see the appeal of himself. At all. He was grumpy, stand-offish, kept to himself unless some idiot was challenging him to something, sure he had good grades but he wasn’t particularly charming or friendly with his peers. And apparently, he had a scary face. Great. So when Jasper just stared up at him like he couldn’t believe what Indigo was saying, it only made him feel even more out of place. “What do you mean why?? You’re great with magic, you’re smart and dedicated! Everyone talks about you like you’re a legend or mythical creature! Plus you’re so tall and muscly! You’re just so cool!” ….Cool? Him? Indigo snorted, “If you say so, kid. I don’t really care about all of that. I’m here to learn magic and so I can make something out of myself. So I can go back home and make life better for my family…that’s all that matters to me. What about you?” Jasper swelled with pride, “I’m going to be the next Heartslabyul Dorm Leader and reach for the very top! And someday, I’m going to return home and make some big changes for my country!” “Ahh. So you do have some ambitions aside from sticking your nose in my business,” Indigo smirked, “Good to know.” “Best of luck to you, Indigo-senpai!” Jasper stuck out a confident hand towards his senior with a bright smile on his face. Indigo took the boy’s hand with a half-grin, “You too, kid.”

Tagging: @nuitthegoddess @honey-milk-depresso @ladyrosemoon @iscarlettappel @foxwitchaine @victoria1676 @evieyouknow @feldya @wysteriadelights @1ndigowitch @aiimee9

#neoninky #twisted wonderland #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #sacred crown chronicles #twst ocs #night raven college #bonus material #indigo cerith #jasper elfern #scarabia #heartslabyul #school days #sacred crown one shot

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