#prev & prev x2

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

ailette's preoccupation with feeding tesilid food is really cute and funny and wholesome, especially given how tesilid doesn't really seem to place as much importance on food even if he does appreciate it.

neither ailette nor the narrative ever acknowledges this, but i think it probably has its roots in her first life. when she grew up always hungry and never really had consistent and reliable access to food that was either delicious or nutritious. i think it just becomes really important to her that someone who means the world to her always gets to eat well. even if she lives well now in this life, her traumas from her past life maybe still subconsciously impacts how she navigates life.

[flanbolt]

This is so scary

[leedragonwolf1273]

8+8 = 16, so 8+7 = 16-1 = 15, 20+40 = 60, 60+15 = 75

[chisungie]

.

[abbeyofcyn]

Phantom Pain 3

PREV

Masterpost

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CW blood

Transcript

P1

[Mumbling]

[Shuffle noises]

[Peeks]

Where?

P2

This...doesn't seem right

[Hissing]

THEY'RE HERE

[Clicking noises]

Who?

[More clicking and hissing noises]

This is-

P3

THIS IS NOT HOW IT HAPPENED

[Hissing]

Donnie?

P4

Right, right. I need some more titanium and figure out how to make it more skin like, maybe rubber? It needs heating too and I need to lengthen-

Donnie?

-the shoulder part. Oh and ask Mikey to- Huh?

[Screaming]

P5

[Clicking noises]

[Background screaming]

It's me! x2

Your brother!

[Louder clicking noises]

NARDO!

P6

What?

[rabbitindisguise]

love and concur with the whole tag essay but I legit laughed out loud at this bit

ty for articulating perfectly the sentiment I feel about a lot of my childhood faves

Shout out to all those people obsessed with wings who read the entire Maximum Ride series because they convinced themselves the next book would be better but it just kept getting worse until you got to the end of the series and realized you would never recover the hours you lost forcing your way through it.

[fallstaticexit]

Prev / Next / Beginning / Pillowfort

Transcript under the cut

Geoffrey: So, our anniversary is coming up. I was thinking maybe we could plan a getaway. Somewhere really nice. What do you think? Nancy?

[Nancy snores lightly]

Nancy Narrates: [It was all starting to wear on me-]

Geoffrey: [softly] Goodnight Nance. I love you.

Nancy: [murmurs] m ‘love you...Vanessa.

Nancy Narrates: [Having to balance the many sides of me]

Nancy Narrates: [There was the Nancy that was a Theta]

Nancy Narrates: [The Nancy that was free]

Nancy Narrates: [The Nancy that was an honest, loving girlfriend]

Geoffrey: Date night tonight?

Nancy: I- have a thing with the Thetas. Maybe another night?

Geoffrey: You know, I’m happy you’re putting yourself out there. I’m proud of you.

Extra Loud Stereo Plays: Do Me! - Bell Biv Devoe

Take a good look at me Tell me do you like what you see

Do you think you can Do you think you can do me

Kiss me pretty baby And touch me all over

Girl what makes you think you can do me Do you think you can do me girl?

Do me baby (x2)

-

Geoffrey: Hey, you ever wondered what happened to Vanessa?

Bob: Vanessa? Vanessa Villareal?

Geoffrey: Yeah. When we came back from break, she just- vanished.

Bob: Yeah, that was crazy, huh? I talked to Cassie about it once. She said it reminded her of that whole Angela thing that happened junior year.

Geoffrey: What Angela thing?

Bob: You don’t know about the Angela thing!?

Geoffrey: [chuckles] No one told me about it! It was like a urban legend.

Bob: Vanessa and her mean girl squad ganged up on her and started bullying her because they thought she was a lesbian or something.

Geoffrey: No way. Was she?

Bob: I dunno. I mean, she was always hanging on to Vanessa. I guess that’s where the rumors started. Anyway, Cassie thinks maybe people were starting to talk about her and Nancy. They were close too.

Geoffrey: What? Why didn’t you guys tell me?

Bob: Dude, it’s just gossip. We can’t know for sure that’s what happened. Vanessa was always getting sent to the office, she probably got expelled.

Geoffrey: Yeah...

Bob: Are you ok, man?

Geoffrey: I think maybe that’s why Nancy’s been so down all this time. I think she misses Vanessa.

Bob: Probably, friendships between women are really intense.

-

Darling: [groans] I can’t believe I have class in 5 hours. I’m screwed.

Nancy: [laughs] Who told us to throw a rager on a Thursday?

Darling: Hey, we’re still in better shape than those two over there.

Nancy: The Thetas? More like tea parties.

Darling: [laughs] Hell nah.

Nancy: Should we check if they have a pulse?

Darling: [chuckles] Man, they can’t handle their liquor for shit.

Nancy: Did you meet them through the club?

Darling: Morgan chased me down to do a tarot reading one day.

Nancy: Ah. She got you too, did she?

Darling: I kinda like that stuff, you know, like zodiac signs and all that. Tells you alot about a person. Speaking of, what’s your sign?

Nancy: I have no idea. Maybe I’m a Pisces?

Darling: When’s your birthday?

Nancy: January 17th.

Darling: Huh, no shit? You’re a Capricorn. I’m a Virgo.

Nancy: What does that mean?

Darling: For one, means we’re compatible.

Nancy: Oh? How can you tell?

Darling: We’re both earth signs, means we grounded. We want the real thing.

Nancy: I don’t know what I want.

Darling: I think you do though. I think you don’t want to say it.

Nancy: What don’t I want to say?

Darling: You tell me.

Nancy: Well. I guess... I guess I have alot of questions.

Darling: Like what? Keep it real, it’s just me.

Nancy: Well.. How do you know that you’re- you know.

Darling: What, into girls? I’ve always known.

Nancy: But how do you know for sure?

Darling: I was probably born this way. I never looked at guys the way I look at women. I love everything about them. I love the way they smell, the way they feel. I’m probably crazy about them. It’s wired in my brain.

Nancy: Have you ever kissed a girl?

Darling: [chuckles]

Nancy: Don’t laugh...

Darling: You’re right, you’re right, my bad. Yeah, Nancy. I’ve done alot more than kissing though.

Nancy: Oh. You mean...like sex?

Darling: Yeah. Like sex.

Darling: Oh. I guess that means you’re done asking questions.

Nancy: ....What is it like?

Darling: Kissing?

Nancy: I know about kissing. I mean [clears throat] the sex. With a girl. What does it feel like?

Darling: You really wanna know?

Nancy: Well. I asked, didn’t I?

Darling: Alright. Give me your hand.

Darling: You wanna know?

Nancy: [swallows] Mhm..

[catscraftsandcommentary]

So I'm trying to teach myself crochet from a book, and I'm like...you have SIX main stitches, not including "do I skip a stitch when I connect to the prev row? Do I put 2 stitches into the same stitch of the prev row?" (AKA "how to decrease or increase your stitches.")

Knitting has TWO. (3 if you include cast ons, which you ONLY use at the beginning.) And they're precise opposites (mirror images) of each other.

(Knitting increases are "make 2 stitches in prev row's stitch," [knit-front-back], "insert needle into yarn between stitches" [make 1], or "wrap yarn between stitches" [yarn over], and decreases are "insert needle into TWO stitches." So I guess those can count too.)

Knitting:

Knit (hold yarn behind, insert needle bottom-to-top, bring yarn to front between needles, pull through loop)

Purl (hold yarn in front, insert needle top-to-bottom, bring yarn to back between needles, pull through loop)

Crocheting:

Chain: wrap yarn, pull through 1 loop

Slip: pick up stitch, wrap yarn, pull through 2 loops

Single: pick up stitch, wrap yarn, pull through 1 loop, (wrap yarn, pull through 2 loops) x1

Half Double: wrap yarn, pick up stitch, pull through 1 loop, wrap yarn, pull through *3* loops

Double: wrap yarn, pick up stitch, (wrap yarn, pull through 2 loops) x2

Triple/Treble: wrap yarn 2 times, pick up stitch, (wrap yarn, pull through 2 loops) x3

Chain stitch - like a yarn over for knitting - doesn't connect to the previous row and therefore makes a little hole. Very useful for lacy designs! Slip, single, half double, double, and triple make progressively taller stitches.

I mean, I guess crochet's stitches are chain vs single, and then variations (expansions) of single, the way that knitting is knit vs purl, and then variations of those.

But still. Grumble grumble grumble, why is it so hard, mutter mutter mutter.

And, like literally ALL OF LIFE, the farther you dig into a subject, the more tiny subsidivisions and specializations people have made. Surface-level is easy. Expert level is CRAZY.

[cutieclangen]

Moon 15 Part 3: The Rogue Fight

I worked super hard on this!! I am really proud of how this page turned out :3 I had a lot of fun with expressions!

Featuring some cameo characters! From left to right: Ginger - @rosehearts-forest Olivebloom - @juniperstar Birdseye - @pine-clan Twiggoose - @dizzified x2 Hollowpelt - @h4rv3s7-m0on Aspenfur - @leohnoz x2

Honorable mentions:

Sanddapple, Primrosetuft, and Snailspots had a nice talk while eating.

Haybrook was caught enjoying a moonlit stroll with Primrosetuft.

Swirlkit is happy to run into Saprip today.

Saprip surprises Swirlkit with something nice.

Prev | Next

Start from the beginning

Moon 12 Allegiances

[elsa-fogen]

sadness just being 2p alastor 😭😭😭😭

Prev post

You mean that weird blue version? Naaahh, this thing annoys me for some reason

I imagine Alastor's sadness more... Ehhh more angry lol

(All of them actually and anger is x2 angry lol)

And all of them have Alastor's powers HAVSJABSSJBS yeah his head would be a mess if he couldn't control them

[sentientcave]

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Read on AO3

Chapter 3- Busted

<Prev Chapter - Next Chapter>

Contains: OC x Gaz, Lorelai "Rory" "Scout" Blackmoore-Price, Age gap romance (Scout is roughly 25), Annoying old men, Schemes and Plots, Mentions of John Price's many divorces, Poor decisions, alcohol mention, embarrassing conversations with a parent, Brandon (Derogative), Inadvisable Flirting x2 electric boogaloo, Gaz does not know what he wants and he makes it everyone elses problem

~6.4k - 18+ Only - MDNI

“Mornin’, Scout. Goin’ for a run?”

Rory screwed the top onto her water bottle and turned slowly, frowning at Gaz. He was, for some unfathomable reason, dressed for a run himself, and grinning a little too widely. “Uh. Yeah.”

“I’ll join you.” Not even an ask, just an statement. “See if you can keep up with me.”

Rory really didn’t like the purr of suggestion in his voice. That spelled trouble. “Listen, you—”

“Good morning,” John said, clapping Gaz on the shoulder as he came into the kitchen. He gave Scout a half hug and kissed the top of her head.

“When did you get in?” Rory asked. “I didn’t hear the door.”

“Late. Things didn’t work out with Carrie, so I went back to base to do some paperwork and debrief Soap and the kids when they got in.” He shrugged. “Go have your run, if you’re feelin’ nosy I’ll tell you over breakfast when you get back.”

“Alright. I’m probably not going to feel nosy, but I look forward to you telling me anyway. Be back in an hour or so.” Rory pushed past Gaz and headed for the door. He followed close on her heels, like he was worried that she’d take off without him if he didn’t. Which was fair, because she would have skipped her warm-ups and taken off if it meant shaking him loose.

She shot him a glare from between her legs when she dipped down to touch her toes. He was very openly ogling her, hands on his hips.

“Do you mind?” she asked.

He grinned, entirely “No. I don’t mind at all.”

“What’s your problem?” she asked. “You’re all over the place.” She didn’t wait for a response before she bounded away, light on her feet.

Gaz leapt into action, quickly catching up, setting a pace that looked infuriatingly easy beside her. She resisted the urge to run full out so early, before her muscles were fully warmed up, but it was so tempting when Gaz opened his mouth again. “Look, there’s obviously something here. Neither of us wants there to be, but I think it’s pretty hard to deny at this point.”

“There isn’t. Could you try not to imprint on the only woman in your immediate vicinity? You’re embarrassing yourself.”

He laughed, shaking his head, but he dropped it, blessedly, until she stopped for a water break at her usual halfway point. He motioned for her to toss him the water bottle.

“Why didn’t you bring your own?”

“Aw, come on Scout, didn’t we learn our lesson about sharing last night?”

“Apparently not! I think the lesson was that we shouldn’t or Ghost will point a gun at your head. I don’t want your old man germs anyway.”

“I’m not afraid of Ghost.”

“Then you fell out of one too many helicopters,” she snapped, but she handed over the water bottle anyway. It was too early to get into an argument.

“There’s a good girl,” he said.

“Garrick, I’m going to kill you if you keep that up.”

“You could try. You gonna come out with us tonight? Soap’s back with the rest of the kids, and we always go out for drinks. You’d get on with ‘em.”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“With Soap and Ghost there to keep an eye on us? I think you’ll be just fine.”

“I’ll think about it. Might see what Bill’s up to. I’d rather hang out with her, if I’m being honest.”

He handed back the water, shrugging. “It’s no big deal if you don’t want to. Just thought I should offer.”

“I’ll think about it. Now come on. I need a coffee before I can deal with any more nonsense from you.” She tucked the water back into her sling bag and hit the road again, looking very forward to getting into the shower and getting a moment alone. He was going to be a pain in the arse if he kept this up.

John was, as always, drinking his coffee and smoking a cigar when they returned. Scout hit the ground to do her usual stretches, and Gaz headed straight in for a shower.

“You two gettin’ on alright?” John asked. “You look a bit sour.”

“He’s just—” Scout thought about what she could say that wouldn’t get either her or Gaz in trouble. “He’s just an interruption to my routine. I’ll adjust.”

“Got a routine, do you?” John asked. “Not just layin’ about?”

Rory rolled her eyes. “Dad. You know I’m not. I’m a Blackmoore-Price, we don’t know how to do nothing. I literally just published a new book yesterday. Do not ask to read it.”

“That’s five now, and you still won’t let me read them?” John asked. “Has Sadie read them?”

She grimaced. If he knew that her mum hadn’t just read them, but read first drafts and advised her, he’d start getting a lot more insistent. “No,” she lied. “Mum’s too busy to read my silly little stories.” Another lie. Sadie always made time for her.

John made an unconvinced noise. “Scout, I just want to support you. You should let me.”

“It’s just embarrassing. I’ll think about it, okay? You can read my next one. Even the rough draft if you want, it’s kind of a spy thriller, you might like it. I was going to try publishing it under my own name and everything.” Rory grinned. “And mom hasn’t read that one at all.”

John hummed, blue eyes sharp. “I thought you said she hadn’t read any of them.”

Busted. “Yeah, alright, she has.”

“I thought as much. If you don’t let me read the rest I’m going to get nosy, and you won’t like that.” He pointed his cigar at her, the threat meant lightly, but serious enough that Scout knew he meant business. He was already a nosy old man and thought that was normal, if he was going to get what he considered nosy then Scout would have zero privacy. Not ideal for a grown woman living with a parent.

“Fuck. Fine. I’ll drop them on your desk. Do not speak to me about them. I don’t think I can handle the embarrassment. I’ve a delicate constitution.”

“No you don’t. Thank you, pumpkin.”

Rory rolled her eyes and pushed herself back up onto her feet. “If I die from humiliation it’ll be all your fault.”

He hummed, shaking his head with amusement. “Go get changed, I’m making pancakes.”

Rory bounced up the stairs, reaching the top just as Gaz exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips. He was unfairly fit, lean and muscled like a classical statue carved by a very loving hand. The few scars that marred his skin only made him look better, adding a dangerous edge to an almost too perfect body. She dragged her eyes off the bead of water that slid down his chest before it reached far enough to get her in real trouble.

“Put some fucking clothes on!” she hissed.

“I’m about to. You worried you like what you see?”

“I’m worried that you’re a whore, Garrick! Get out of my sight!” Rory whirled around and firmly shut herself in her own room, grimacing. Maybe she should move back to London. At least there she wouldn’t have to worry about this.

She’d have to worry about other things, of course, like the press and the events and the lack of freedom. Out here, even with an overbearing father and his stupid protective friends, she could do a lot more without anyone bothering her about it.

She had a quick shower once she heard Gaz head downstairs, and got fully dressed before she left the bathroom. She wasn’t even going to risk a repeat of last night. Gaz was never going to catch her half-dressed ever again, that was for sure.

“Alright, what happened with Carrie?” Rory asked, throwing herself into one of the island chairs, leaving two seats between her and Gaz, just in case. “You’d been trying to get her to go out for ages.”

John wrinkled his nose. “Turned out she was usin’ me to make her ex jealous. Found out as much when he stormed into her flat when we were havin’ a drink. Didn’t need to be asked to go more’n once.”

“What a bitch,” Rory said, turning a small narrow-eyed glance at Gaz so he knew that her next words were meant for him too. “That’s just childish.”

“Well. It is what it is. How’s your mother doing, Scout?”

“Dad. You can’t keep throwing yourself at mom every time it doesn’t work out with someone else.”

“I suppose she hasn’t changed her mind anyway. Sadie’s even more stubborn than I am.” John handed Scout a mug of coffee and a plate of blueberry pancakes. “Just miss her. She never played games like this.”

“Thanks dad. And honestly, you need to meet someone nice, someone that doesn’t know you as Captain or Major Price, that you can just be, you know, yourself with. Maybe someone without any ex husbands. You have more than enough marital baggage for two people.”

John laughed. “You know anyone?”

“No! I am absolutely not going through that again. My friends are off limits.”

Gaz snickered. “You dated one of her friends?”

“She was older!” John said defensively. “She was a TA for one of Scout’s classes, and they lived together for a bit so we met— That’s besides the point. I’m not the one who’s love life we should be talkin’ about.” He looked at Gaz. “You got a game plan for Billie yet?”

“Not yet. Gonna give her some space, let her realize she misses me. Maybe I’ll bump into her at the grocery store or coffee shop, if I’m lucky.” Gaz dug into his own pancakes and chewed thoughtfully. “But I’m not going out of my way. Might try going on a few dates myself, honestly. Maybe Bill was right. We had a good run. Maybe we should call it.”

“You’re just gonna let her go without a fight?” John asked, sitting down with his own stack of pancakes. “That’s not like you.”

“No offense sir, but I don’t want to be sittin’ where you are down a few years down the line, still chasin’ an ex-wife who doesn’t love me. Maybe I should start lookin’ for someone new.”

“Sadie still loves me. It’d be easier to let her go if she didn’t. It doesn’t all just go away because you sign a few papers.”

“Sometimes people can’t give each other what they need. Love isn’t enough,” Rory said. “It’s just one ingredient. Common goals, clear expectations, communication— These are things that make a relationship last.” She knew that she was talking to some of the thickest men alive, but she still had to try to set them back on course. “You both have to stop thinking about it like that. The ‘she loves me, she loves me not’ shit is for kids on the playground. You’re grown men, and you need to start acting like it.”

John sighed, but Gaz looked down at his breakfast, contemplative. Rory was pretty sure her father was beyond help, but Gaz might not be.

She dropped her books on John’s desk after breakfast, and holed up in her room most of the day, texting her out of town friends about everything that had happened, and checking in to see if Billie was free to hang out that night. She wasn’t, which sucked. Rory wasn’t really keen on the idea of going out with Gaz and his task force, but she liked the idea of staying in the house less.

She was getting restless. Settling into a new place and a new routine had staved off the itch to behave badly for a little while, but she needed to blow off steam or she’d do something really stupid.

It was Brandon that tipped the scales in favour of going out, texting her out of the blue late in the afternoon.

Brandon: Gonna be in London for a week. Would love to see you, Lorelai.

Scout: I don’t live in London.

Brandon: I’d still like to see you. I miss you every day, you know. I get that you’re seeing other people now, but I think we can still work things out.

Seeing other people? Where had he gotten that idea?

Oh, right. Soap and Ghost answering her phone a few weeks ago.

Scout: I’m not. The guys who answered my phone were my dad’s friends.

Brandon: Oh?

Brandon: So you’d be free for dinner next Saturday? I’ll come to you.

Brandon: Hereford, right? If you’re staying with your father.

Rory groaned and tipped herself off her bed. She was definitely going to need a drink now.

Scout: Yeah. Sure. Great.

Brandon: Wonderful (: It’ll be good to see you. And to talk.

Ominous.

She thumped downstairs to make a tea, stopping in the doorway of the kitchen, taking in the view of Gaz shaking his hips to some top one hundred pop song on the radio, chopping up some veg to throw into a bubbling pot that smelled enticingly of curry. He grinned when he noticed her, and reached over to turn down the music. “Hey, Scout. You decide if you’re comin’ out with us tonight?”

She slid past him to grab the kettle and fill it with water. “I think I will. Tea?”

“Please. What changed your mind?”

“My ex is badgering me to go out to dinner with him next week. I’m annoyed by him and I need a drink.”

“What’s his deal, anyway?” Gaz asked. “You were together for a bit.”

“Oh, he’s like, a rich asshole. We met at some fundraiser my mom got invited to, and he was the only person there who was remotely cute, so we hung out all night. And then he wanted to keep hanging out, and then he wanted to date, and I couldn’t really come up with a good reason not to. And then the next thing I knew, we were living together, and his mum started trying to get to know me, and when she started getting all weird, I knew I needed to get out before Brandon proposed. So I moved out over a weekend I knew he wouldn’t be home, and left him a note.” Rory huffed. “Cowardly, I know. But I knew he’d talk me down if I did it face to face.”

Gaz frowned, the few faint lines on his forehead creasing slightly. "That's not what I was expecting."

"I hesitate to ask, but what did you expect?"

"The opposite, I guess. Figured he was some immature college kid who didn't want to commit. Didn't think you would be the one runnin' away."

"With parents like mine?" Rory laughed bitterly, pulling mugs down from the cupboard. "I'm not the rushing in half-cocked type. I'm not going to marry the first guy who makes an offer just 'cause he's there. I don't ever want to go through a divorce, so I'm going to wait until I find someone who gets me. Give myself the best chance I can."

"Admirable. But it doesn't always work out that way. I thought Bill and I got each other."

"That's why I said that common goals and communication are important. You and Billie want different things. You want someone to come home to, and she wants a partner she can grow with. That doesn't work if you're not there."

"How are you such an expert?"

"I listen to what people say to me." The kettle clicked off, and she made tea, letting the radio and the soft domestic sounds of the kitchen fill the space. He was a lot more bearable when he shut his pretty mouth and kept his opinions to himself. She slid one mug to him when she finished, and carried one out to the living room, setting it on the end table next to John. He was reading her book, glasses balanced on the end of his nose.

He murmured his thanks, barely glancing up from the page, and Rory quickly retreated back into the kitchen.

"How d'you know how I take my tea?" Gaz asked.

"It's a splash of milk, its not exactly hard to remember." Rory sipped her tea, wincing when she scalded her tongue. “Do you want me to wash rice for dinner? Since you’ve got everything else covered.”

“You don’t have to.”

“It’s not a lot of effort, Gaz, I think I can handle it.” She didn’t wait for confirmation before she started on the task, gently pushing him out of the way so she could grab the rice cooker out from the island cupboard.

He stayed quiet until she’d finished and pressed the button to start the little machine. “I’m sorry about last night,” he said, and his pretty brown eyes were sincere, voice lacking the usual sardonic edge. “And this morning. Keep actin’ a right tit around you. Gets me right in the ego when you say you’re not interested. And you shouldn’t be— I shouldn’t be. Think I’m just worried that Bill was my only shot, and I’m tryin’ to prove that I still have somethin’ to offer.”

“Refreshingly honest, Garrick,” Rory said. “Keep that up. I’m gonna go shave my legs and figure out what I’m wearing tonight. I’m hoping to get laid. I was texting a guy for a while but he went dead silent on me, so I’m back to square one.”

“I don’t need to know that.”

“What do you care? All I need from you is to keep Captain Clean and Mr. Bones off my back. I already have one over protective dad, really don’t need you lads taking up the task too.” She picked up her tea and headed back upstairs, shaking her head.

She sifted through her closet for the right outfit, laying a few out on the bed while she shaved her legs and ironed the near-permanent ponytail crease out of her hair. It was hard to decide without knowing where they were going, so she asked over dinner, earning a raised eyebrow from John.

“Are the two of you goin’ somewhere?” he asked, the slightest hint of you’d better fuckin’ not be colouring his voice.

Rory pretended not to notice the undercurrent in his voice, even if a flicker of panic skittered across Gaz’s face. “Ghost and Soap invited me to come out and meet the kids. I’m looking forward to meeting Nitro. She sounds fun.” Rory was an expert study in the art of giving her parents just enough information to settle them down. “And I haven’t really been out to see the nightlife in this town yet. I’m pretty sure you can rely on Ghost to keep me out of too much trouble.”

“We’re going to that bar we went to last month,” Gaz said. “But Nitro and Lucky might manage to drag us out to that club they always want to go to. We’ll see.”

“Are you driving?” she asked. “Or are we taking a cab?”

“I’m drivin’,” he confirmed. “If we have to take a cab back or hitch a ride from Ghost, we will.”

“It’s a nice walk too.” Rory hummed, re-evaluating her short-list of outfits. “But that depends on what shoes I’m wearing.”

John nodded, content to leave it at that, just happy that it wasn’t what he had initially jumped to. It was a bit funny that he trusted Gaz so little, although it was hard to say if that was based off of their behaviour, or if he was just remembering some wilder, younger Gaz before Billie. Gaz was a charmer now, but Rory suspected that with looks like his, he could have been a real fuck boy. Probably had been.

With that in mind, she picked a tight black dress that showed off miles of leg, and pulled a pair of black jeans over top. Grown woman or no, she knew her father— There was no way he’d let her out of the house with that much skin showing. She didn’t need to waste energy on a losing battle with John Price before she even made it outside.

She pulled on her shoes while she waited for Gaz, eyeing the book sitting on the coffee table. The bookmark was close to the middle already, but John was keeping his end of the bargain and pointedly not talking about it. He’d been buried in it most of the day, which was terrifying. It was a very weird feeling, sharing her creative work with John. Sadie had always been the parent she opened up to.

Luckily Gaz didn’t take too long to hop down the stairs, wearing a nice button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“Don’t wait up,” she called over her shoulder as she shuffled Gaz out the door, barely giving him time to snatch his car keys off the hook.

“You know I will,” John called back.

“What’s the rush?” Gaz asked. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

“I know! But dad is reading one of my books and I can’t deal. I need a drink to cope.”

Gaz raised his eyebrows, grinning. “That’s your book?”

Rory groaned, throwing herself into the passenger seat. “Please don’t tell me you’ve read it.”

“Alright,” he said peaceably, turning the keys in the ignition. “I won’t.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Ghost really likes ‘em, recommended them a few times. Hadn’t got around to readin’, but I certainly will now. Does he know you wrote them?”

“No! And please do not tell him. Also, don’t read them. This is all plenty weird enough.” Rory shifted in her seat, kicking her shoes off so she could wriggle her jeans down her legs.

“What— What are you doing?” The panic in Gaz’s voice was very funny.

“I only wore these jeans so I could get out the door without a fight. I told you I was trying to get laid tonight.” She shook her head, folding the discarded denim neatly and tossing it into the backseat. It was like he hadn’t even been listening.

“Fuckin’ hell. You’re a menace.”

“That’s what I’m going for, thank you.”

“You don’t need to show that much leg to get attention, you know. You’re plenty hot with your trousers on.”

“Of course I am,” Rory scoffed. “But I’m not looking for some guy who’s going to appreciate me for my brains and wit, I’m looking for an easy lay in the back of a car from a big stupid military lunkhead who barely respects me.”

“Why?”

“Because if he’s an ass I don’t have to feel bad about using him, and we all get what we want and never speak again.”

“You can do better than that,” Gaz protested.

“Obviously. This isn’t about better, or about long term, or about anything except for sex. Didn’t you have ill-advised hook-ups with girls and boys you didn’t care about when you were my age? I know it was a long time ago, but I’m sure you can think back that far.” Rory shoved her hair over her shoulder and pulled her shoes back on.

“I mean— I guess some. But it’s better when you care about each other.”

“Well, yeah, obviously. But I’m not about to throw myself into another relationship just so I can get some dick. That would be stupid.”

“And fuckin’ some meathead in the back of his car is a real bright idea, yeah?” By the tension in his jaw and the way he gripped the steering wheel, Gaz was really unhappy with her plan for the evening. Was he jealous?

“What’s your problem?”

“Are you so hard up that you’d rather jump on the first cock you see instead of waitin’ for someone that you actually like?”

He was jealous. She really needed to find a way to nip this behaviour in the bud. “It could be ages before I meet someone I actually like. And It’s important to get laid before I see Brandon or he’s gonna work his way under my skirt. He sucks, but not at that.” When he didn’t respond, glaring out the windshield like the road ahead had personally offended him, Rory sighed. “Oh don’t take it personally, Garrick. I’m just looking for easy and uncomplicated. You’re hot, but I think we both know that this” — She gestured to the space between them— “would be extremely complicated. And possibly deadly, in your case.”

He shot her a look that was a little too affronted. “I wasn’t talking about me.”

“Of course not.”

He worked his jaw loose, tapping his thumb against the steering wheel, letting silence fill the space for a long minute. When Rory reached for the radio, he spoke again. “I think you’re right, you know. About needing to think about what I actually want. I was just holding onto the way things were because it was comfortable. I knew what to expect with Bill. And it’s nice to come home to predictable and familiar when you’re dealing with all the shit I do in the field.”

“Well, I’m here if you need to talk through it. Just not tonight, on account of the me getting laid thing.”

He laughed, turning the car into the lot down the street from the pub. The street parking closer looked all full up already. “Right, yeah. Don’t fuck any of my soldiers, by the way. I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Of course,” Rory agreed, hopping out of the car and pulling her dress down a little further. “I think I can handle that, unless they’re really cute.”

They walked the short distance to the pub side by side, and Gaz opened the door for her, following her in. It wasn’t too busy yet, but Ghost and Soap were already there, staking out a space in one of the larger booths, with two women sitting across from them.

The taller one, a short-haired tank of a woman, grinned at them. “Hey Captain! Who’s the smokeshow?” She had a faint Welsh accent, a little bounciness to her words that would be delightful to listen to all night, and a slight gap between her front teeth.

“I’m Rory,” she said, stopping at the top of the table and sticking a hand out. “Some of the old men around here call me Scout.”

“Spencer. Call me Nitro. This is Alex— Shivs.” Shivs was a slender, serious looking young woman, her dark hair pulled back in a braid, revealing the blondish roots around her hairline. “Lucky and Roach should be back in a minute,” Nitro continued. “They just went out for a smoke.”

Soap slid out of his seat next to Ghost and pointed to it. “Scout. Yer sittin’ where we can keep an eye on ye. Yer up tae no good, dressed like tha’. Surprised the old man let yeh out of the house.”

“She was wearing pants when we left,” Gaz said tiredly, dropping into the seat beside Nitro. “Nearly crashed the car when she started takin’ ‘em off.”

“I can see why. Those are some nice legs.” Nitro winked at Rory. “Wouldn’t mind seein’ ‘em—”

“Lieutenant,” Gaz said warningly. “That’s Price’s daughter. Off limits.”

“Scout, sit your arse down,” Soap said, glaring over his shoulder. “Best keep yer eyes tae yerself, lads, or Ah’m gonnae pry ‘em out.”

Rory glanced back at whoever Soap was talking to, frowning at the three men who were very pointedly looking anywhere else now. “Oh come on, Mactavish, let a girl live.”

“Sit,” he repeated firmly. “I’ll get ye a drink. Wouldnae be safe to let you near the bar.”

Rory sat, sighing heavily when Ghost pulled her tight against his side. "We're not 'avin' any funny business from you. If you can't behave I'll drag you back 'ome myself, got it?"

"Oh cut her some slack, Riley," Nitro said. "She's young and hot. Let some meatheads buy her drinks. If I looked like that I'd never pay for alcohol again."

"You look pretty good as is." Rory leaned forward, her eyes making an unsubtle sweep of Nitro's thick arms. "I'd buy you a drink if Mr. Bones wasn't holding me hostage over here."

“Scout.” Gaz pointed at her sternly. “No.”

“They’re so mean,” Rory complained. “Think that just because they’re friends with my dad that they have to act like this.”

“They’re worse than my dad,” Shivs said sympathetically. “And he dangled one of my first boyfriends over a second story balcony.”

“He was nice to me,” Nitro said.

“That’s because he doesn’t know we’ve fucked.” Shivs sent a sly glance down the table at Gaz. “Before she was my Lieutenant, of course. No fraternizing here.”

“Oh relax, Shivs. I’ve fucked three out of five of the people at this table right now.” Nitro pulled Shivs into her lap and slid further down the bench to make room. “But give it time.”

“You— When?” Shivs looked from Ghost to Soap to Gaz, eyes wide, trying to decide which two of the three men seemed the most likely. “The captains?”

Nitro shrugged, grinning. “Maybe.”

“What are we talking about?” A young man that looked a lot like Nitro settled into the seat beside Gaz.

“None of your business, kiddo,” Nitro said, hooking her chin over Shivs’ shoulder. “This is Lucky, by the by,” she added for Rory’s benefit. “And the lanky son of a bitch that looks like he’s seen a ghost is Roach. Lads, this is Rory. If you hit on her Soap will pull out your eyeballs and eat them.”

Rory glanced up at a familiar freckled face and propped her elbows on the table, dropping her chin into her hands. “Oh, hi Gary,” she said. “You never texted me back.”

He gave Gaz a slightly panicked look before returning his attention to Rory. “Um. Yeah. I should’ve. I’m sorry, I just, uh—”

“Ah told him he’d better leave ye be,” Soap said, sliding past Roach and onto the bench, setting a glass in front of Rory and sliding one further down to Ghost. “He’s a good soldier, I cannae ha’e yer da stranglin’ him tae death.”

“I’m sorry,” Roach said, grimacing. “I was going to— I just hadn’t figured out what to say yet.”

“It’s fine, really,” Rory said, peering around Soap’s bulky frame. “I know how these arseholes can be.”

“Jest bought ye a drink and yer callin’ us names.”

“I would gladly buy my own drinks but you’ve banned me from the bar. What is this anyway?”

“Dark an’ stormy. Gingerbeer an’ rum. Ah’ll switch ye if ye’d rather ha’e the scotch, but Ah think ye’ll like it.”

“I love gingerbeer. Good pick, Captain Clean.”

It was easy to fall into the easy camaraderie at the table, even if Gaz or Soap scolded Nitro every time she said something remotely flirty (which only made Nitro do it more).

She needed a plan to get Soap and Ghost off her back, however. They weren’t going to budge if she went at them head on, so she needed to get them to want to get a little distance. Just annoying them wouldn’t be enough, so she would have to go with the nuclear option.

After a couple more drinks, when everyone was relaxed and settled into the conversation, she put her hand on Soap’s thigh. He tensed up, giving her a wild-eyed look, which caught Gaz’s attention. None of the others seemed to notice, although Nitro gave Rory a sly look from across the table. She launched into a story, pulling the eyes at the table towards her, and Rory dug her nails in, not hard enough to do any damage through his jeans, but enough to make Soap inhale sharply, eyebrows snapping together when he looked at her. Scout kept her eyes on Nitro, pretending to be fully engrossed in what Nitro was saying, leaning forward to sip her drink, looking at Soap only when she already had the straw between her lips, eyes wide and innocent.

Soap sent a panicked look over her head, and Ghost shifted his arm down to hold her arm tight to her body so that when he pulled her toward himself her hand was pulled from Soap’s thigh. Ghost leaned in close, his breath stirring her hair when he spoke. “What are you doin’?” he asked, voice so low that even she barely caught it.

Rather than try to break away, she just snuggled in closer. “Nothing.”

Ghost sat up straight in his seat, every muscle locking up tight. “Let’s play a couple rounds of darts,” he suggested. “You’re gettin’ restless.”

Rory tipped her head back against his shoulder to look at him. “Mm, good idea. I do need to stretch my legs.” She stretched her legs out under the table, sliding the toe of her shoe up the inside of Gaz’s calf, putting him on high alert as well. If she played this right, they’d all be watching each other too closely to notice when she made a break for it.

There was another pub a couple blocks over. She could make it there and find a bit of fun before they realized where she’d gone. Or, judging by the look that Lucky was periodically sending her way, she might not have to go that far. She held eye contact for a beat, just long enough to let him know it was intentional, and then followed Soap out of the booth. It was too bad that Gary had turned out to be a dead end, but Lucky was cute too, a bit wilder looking. He had the same grin that Nitro did, one that spelled trouble and a lack of concern for consequence.

“What do you think you’re up to?” Ghost asked, eyes narrowed while he watched Soap throw the first few darts.

“Why do you think I’m up to something?” Rory asked.

“You’re actin’ like a little tart,” he said flatly.

Rory tapped the ends of her cluster of darts against his chest, tipping her head to the side and smiling up at him. “Maybe I am a little tart. You gonna do something about it?”

“You don’t want me doin’ somethin’ about it, princess.”

The thrill that his growl sent down her spine was unexpected. In truth, she’d never considered the possibility that Ghost would entertain even the thought, but suddenly she was the one thinking about it. “That’s okay. I’ll ask Gaz to do something about it.”

“No ye willnae,” Soap said, pushing her into place so she could throw. “Yer barkin’ up the wrong trees, Scout. Barkin’ in the wrong forest. Ye dinnae want anythin’ ye’ll find around here.”

“I don’t know about that.” She squared herself up, sending the darts flying in quick succession. “I figure there’s enthusiasm around here in spades, if it comes to it, but I prefer experience.”

“Somethin’ wrong with ye,” Soap grumbled. “D’ye no’ want a nice boy yer own age?”

“Roach is a nice boy my age. You told him to get. Gaz’s cousin was a nice boy my age, and you tossed him into the garden. So who exactly do you think I should be flirting with?” Rory went to fetch the darts, handing half off to Soap. “Who among us is worthy, John?”

Soap sent Ghost a helpless look that said you deal with her. Rory hummed, turning her attention back to Ghost, head tipped to the side expectantly.

“We’re lookin’ out for you.”

“Oh I know. But if you don’t give me enough space to find a dick to ride I’m gonna be looking to you three for a volunteer.”

Soap’s last dart hit the very edge of the board and fell to the floor. He gave Rory and Ghost a wide, blue-eyed stare, the game already half forgotten. “Did ye just say what I think ye did?”

“I don’t know.” Rory switched places with him so she could line up for her turn. “Your hearing isn’t what it used to be. What do you think I said?”

“Ah think yer a wicked wee temptress, is what I think,” he said. “Tryna get us kilt by yer da, you are.”

“Johnny,” Ghost said, grabbing him by a belt-loop and pulling him in close. Johnny’s face flushed red when Ghost’s other hand tipped his chin up, the picture of a man with strained patience scolding his dog for digging around in the flower beds for the third time this week. “Price ain’t gonna ‘ave any reason to kill you, is ‘e?”

“Weel—”

“Johnny.”

“She’s grown, we cannae tell her what tae do,” Soap protested. Funny how quick he was to change his tune when she suggested that she might try to sleep with him. “An’ maybe it’d be better for one of us—”

“Bloody ‘ell, Johnny, use your upstairs ‘ead. You’ve got enough will-power t’say no, don’t you?”

“I dinnae ken if Ah do, Si. Tha’s a lot of leg.”

Rory tossed a look over her shoulder at the table, meeting Lucky’s eyes for a moment. He winked. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she turned back toward the board, throwing another tight cluster of darts close to the bullseye. Soap was having a bad game, his head clearly somewhere else. She went to collect the darts, bending at the waist to pick up the fallen one.

“Steamin’ Jaysus,” Soap groaned, leaning his forehead against Ghost’s shoulder. “Ah’m a dead man.”

“Don’t worry,” Rory said cheerfully. “At least one of you will survive to look after your kids.”

“Don’t be so sure. If I let go of our lad’s leash and let ‘im ‘ump you, I’ll be in ‘ot water too. Just behave yourself.”

“Oh alright. You’re no fun.”

She handily beat Johnny, and purposefully lost to Ghost (although she had to admit that she might not have won against Ghost even if she had been giving it her all) so that Ghost and Johnny were set to play against each other. Once they set up, she slipped off through the back hallway and out into the alley. She was good at melting into the background when she wanted to, it would take a minute for them to realize that she was gone and not at the table with the others either.

They’d be glad for the reprieve. So was she. It was hard work walking the line of keeping Soap just riled up enough that Ghost’s attention was on him instead of her.

She started walking toward the street, buzzing with victory and drinks she hadn’t needed to buy herself, when someone stepped into the mouth of the alley, blocking her path.

“Hey, Scout,” Gaz said, placing a cigarette between his lips, smirking at her as he brought the shivering orange flame from his lighter up. “Are you goin’ somewhere?”

Busted.

Image Credits: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - Banners by @/cafekitsune

[raspberrybluejeans]

my friend @dinkyshrinks has just innovated an incredible new way to say “prev prev” or “prev x2”

edit: apparently he is some manner of thief

[lex1nat0r]

White Elephant: For Answer

AAR #23 & #24

Session reports from my ongoing Lancer game.

Characters (LL 3):

Raiju (They/Them, Hacker 2/Heavy Gunner 1/Nuclear Cavalier 3, Barbarossa 3) - HA Barbarossa “Counterproposal”

Sunshine (They/Them, Grease Monkey 2/Technophile 2/Engineer 1/Gunslinger 1, Pegasus 3) - HORUS Pegasus “Exchange of Affection”

Rook (He/Him, Walking Armory 1/Brutal 3/Leader 2, Balor 3) - HORUS Balor “Your Burden”

Daylight (She/Her, Technophile 2/Engineer 3/Ace 1, Vlad 3) - IPS-N Vlad “Look What You Made Me Do”

Magpie (They/Them, Hacker 3/Technophile 3, Goblin 3) - HORUS Goblin “Destructive Interference” (player not present for session #23)

NHPs:

Molotov - Via Sunshine’s Technophile talent - Projects as a small velociraptor - unshackled

Willow - Via Daylight’s Technophile talent - Projects as 1-2 squid - unshackled

Murgatroid - Via Magpie’s Technophile talent - Projects as a wizard? - shackled

Prometheus Antichiral - fork of a cascaded NHP from the Sanctuary Blue cloning facility - projects as a wizened old man - unshackled

Alex - library administrator, rescued from the RimTech corporate archive - projects as a librarian - shackled, currently in low power mode

Sisyphus - Via Sunshine’s Pegasus 3 - no known projection habits [ha ha ha you can’t see me] - shackled

Osiris - Via Magpie’s Goblin 3 - projects to seemingly puppet around Destructive Interference - shackled

Prev session writeup

With the recovery of the militarized printer cores, things are looking pretty good for Stefan's planned planetwide demonstrations. The Lancers agree to help out on the day of, which means Stefan owes them a favor.

After getting the list of places Stefan thinks are most critical to protests:

Raiju and Sunshine decide to hold the line at the MilAgro Enforcement Armory, to keep an eye on where any organized police or military response is going to come from

Rook oversees the main protest in the plaza in front of MilAgro corporate HQ

Daylight parks her Vlad in the clone housing district since that's the most likely target of reprisals

(Magpie is off-screen doing e-war stuff)

Once the protest kicks off things seem quiet but Rook notices increasing police presence in the plaza, Daylight gets word of mechs approaching the clone district, and when Sunshine and Raiju scan one of the green-striped helicopters traveling to and from the Enforcement Armory, they find that military equipment is being brought in instead of shipped out. Not wanting to get caught flatfooted, Raiju just blows one of the transport helicopters out of the sky.

Things kick off rapidly from there, though the opfor doesn't have the initiative they expected. A hurried broadcast by one Lucien Trulock indicates a faction of the MilArgo board supports the Guardian Fleet, and have thrown in with the Shield Frontier who have supplied equipment and mechs that are now marching out of the Enforcement Armory. Sunshine does their best to combat Shield Frontier propaganda broadcasts while helping Raiju slow their advance. Rook makes a hole in the constricting police cordon around the plaza to evacuate protestors, and Daylight starts conducting hit-and-run attacks on the mechs advancing on the clone housing, eventually bringing down a block of apartments to cover the evacuation of civilians.

In a second broadcast, Trulock triumphantly announces that the Shield Frontier has taken control of MilArgo's experimental land battleship the Argo and it's superheavy ship-class weapon is pointed at the Eye of the Tiger, which is being herded into range by Shield Frontier subline warships. The Lancers advise Captain Borrego to take the Tiger out of range of the Argo's main weapon even though that means it will take some hits from the Shield Frontier wolfpacks. But even with the Tiger safe, there's still the Argo to deal with...

Combat 4.2: Shipwreck

Sitrep: Behemoth Brawl (from Enhanced Combat)

OPFOR:

The Argo (Vehicle Behemoth)

Flight Deck x2 (produce T2 flying Cataphract Grunts)

Gun Emplacement x2

Point Defense

As the Lancers head to the battlezone, the massive enemy warning flashes on their consoles. This isn't the first time they've seen it - the same warning pops up when they get too close to a battleship. But this time, the warning flickers and is replaced with something else:

Shoutout to Magpie's player for taking a screencap of this because I did not

With that message of encouragement from Arjhet and Tehjra, the lancers engage.

Outcome: The Argo destroyed on round 7

(Tokens by Retrograde Minis (on the basic blank hex tokens that come with Lancer so they show up well), map by Interpoint Station’s Lancer sprites, VTT is Roll20)

Analysis:

Every Lancer GM, deep in their heart, wants to run something like a Behemoth one day. Despite that, I knew going into this that I didn't actually like the Behemoth Brawl setup. It's basically a damage check - can the Lancers do x damage in y rounds? I felt - and still feel - that it doesn't provide enough back and forth as regular sitreps. I tried to remedy that by providing two twists.

The first twist: Lottie Wisely, a reporter from Argus Syndicated Networks (seen above hunkered down on the top-left rocks) was watching the fight. The players decided not to interfere with her drones, which worked out well since they ended up winning the fight.

The second twist: the Shield Frontier is using hardcopy orders and intelligence, scrubbing as much of their footprint as they can from the omninet. The Argo had a signals room where a lot of this was stored. A PC (in this case Magpie) could dismount their mech and board the Argo to try to recover this intel, which they did, along with some MilAgro cultural artifacts that can be used as leverage to help resolve this attempted coup.

Despite all that, the actual fight got very same-y once the PCs destroyed the Argo's hardpoints. Behemoths was reduced to launching missiles at everyone within range 15, which is kind of a boring thing to do multiple times per round. It did destroy Destructive Interference, which isn't really impressive since it's a Goblin, but that did leave Murgatroid and Osiris bickering over whose fault it was.

The Argo's missiles are Knockback 1, which is kind of cheap especially as they can prevent an Apocalypse Rail from charging. There isn't really anything to counter Knockback aside from being flat-out immune to it. So overall I feel like the Behemoth statline needs to be reworked to work for me.

I think next time I run something on the scale of the Argo (and there will be a next time) it's going to be treated more like terrain than a specific thing to shoot at. Turrets popping out of armored blisters, on-board mechs deploying, maybe some fuckery with control points moving around, that kind of thing. I think I've been proven correct in my assumption that basically having one thing to shoot at doesn't work for Lancer.

Next Time: the new MilAgro?

[octever]

Tag game idea!

Reblog with a question for mutuals and your own answer to it, and answer prev's question (and maybe the other rbs above too).

[pretend answer to some upper rb text is here]

[ex, my question:] What 4 music artists would you say are your main four? (top four or just favs)

[my answer to mine:] My fav 4 are: Oneohtrix Point Never, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, & Tally Hall.

tagging moots! @spottedstatic @ryusmadness @never-gonna-danse-again @autisticspirk @fucc-yeah-regretevator @randeeznuts @sukiithedummii @birdmanstein @mr-cleans-last-hair-follicle @identity-crisis-x2 @literally-a-waffle-fry @yum-zlurplie @goofy-gabba @clearance-sale

[aspecbuddie]

Seven (x2) Sentence Sunday

Tagged by @elgascreamslikehell and @exhuastedpigeon, thank you 💚

This is from the 'third wheeling fic' (prev snippet) which, after a conversation with @lover-of-mine has become a jolink confession inspired kinda s7 spec fic oops 😅😅

“I should go,” he says, but before he can start turning around, Eddie’s arm shoots out and his hand grabs Buck’s shoulder, in a weird reflection of Marisol’s hand on Eddie’s shoulder, and an echo of tsunami aftermaths and there’s no one in the world I trust with my son more than you. “Just, wait. Come inside, for a minute, will you?” Buck’s eyes slide over to Marisol, who smiles a little too wide to be completely genuine. “Yeah, come in. You’re always welcome here.” Something ugly starts to roar in Buck’s chest. He has nothing against Marisol, really. She seems nice, and Eddie seems happy. But telling Buck he’s always welcome in Eddie’s house, as though she lives here too? Maybe it’s just the cherry on top of all the emotions already coursing through him, but he has to bite back the urge to point out that he has a key already, has had one for years. That he’s spent more nights here than she has. That he’s lived here for brief periods, looking after Eddie’s son, doing Eddie’s laundry, and cooking and doing groceries and fixing the holes in bedroom walls. Maybe Eddie will take Buck’s key back one day soon and give it to Marisol instead.

no pressure tagging: @aroeddiediaz, @steadfastsaturnsrings, @pirrusstuff, @butraura, @lover-of-mine, @rainbow-nerdss, @your-catfish-friend, @eowon, @theotherbuckley, @disasterbuckdiaz and anyone else who wants to do it :)

[feel free to let me know if you want me to start/stop tagging you in things 💚]

[pocket-lad]

CH 16- I Love You Too x2

Prev ● Masterpost ● Last

Ollie didn’t know how to respond. Go with the Bean? Yeah, right. And even if, by some crazy circumstance, she agreed, her dad would never be convinced. Not in a million years. That would mean uprooting her family, her whole life.

Instead of responding to that direct line of thought, Ollie ignored the Bean’s proposal completely. “We can get it out.”

“Pardon?”

Ollie steeled herself and looked the Bean in the eye. “The chip-thing. My dad can get it out.”

Adelaide’s eyes widened with excitement and a dash of hope. She wouldn’t have to let a giant near her neck again. She wouldn’t have to let a giant cut her open.

She looked to Ian for his thoughts. He hardly wanted to hand her off to Sarah, so she doubted he would be willing to let her traverse through the walls, especially in her broken state.

“Yeah…yeah, okay,” Ian said. It came as a shock that he didn’t argue, but Adelaide knew that he was holding back his argument for her sake. She’d take advantage of it this time.

Ollie was already at the edge of the table, lodging her hook into it. Adelaide followed, going through the familiar motions of pulling her hook out of her bag. Except, her hook wasn’t there, and neither was her bag. They were back with InGen. Which also meant her knife was gone.

The sudden realization that she was defenseless stopped Adelaide dead in her tracks. All because of some greedy Beans who took without thought. It didn’t matter that that was the single most important thing Adelaide owned, for reasons no Bean would ever understand. They took it because they were fascinated by it. They took it because they could.  It was as if her mom and dad were ripped away all over again, and with them, her heart. Right now was perhaps the worst moment for this realization to hit. Adelaide simply didn’t have the strength to deal with it, and she’d already embarrassed herself enough.

“Hm, I don’t think you’ll be climbing,” Ian said from above, dragging Adelaide away from her thoughts. Good. An argument was a good distraction.

“I’ll use Ollie’s hook,” she said.

“You know - you know that’s not what I mean.”

They didn’t let her climb for days unless it was for some kind of test. Adelaide couldn’t reach the top of the high, slick walls of her enclosure, and she had nothing to fashion a rope out of. They carried her from place to place like some kind of pet, scared she might get away or die trying if they let her do it herself. It was just another way for them to assert their dominance, to show that they were the higher beings.

Adelaide never thought she’d miss climbing, but she really did, and she wasn’t going to let Ian stop her. Her sore, bruised arms and legs might, though.

She looked between Ollie and Ian, letting out a long, deep sigh. The decision she came to was an aggravating one. She marched over to Ian’s waiting palm.

“Listen, I know you want to impress your girlfr-”

Adelaide’s cheeks flushed and she immediately interrupted him. “Absolutely not.”

Ian smirked, happy to see Adelaide returning to normal. She was talking to him and she wasn’t afraid to cut him off and she was going to let him carry her, albeit reluctantly.

Adelaide was pissed at Ian for saying that literally right in front of Ollie, but at least it distracted her from the thought that she was getting on his hand. It was easier this time, and she guessed it would get easier with each subsequent time, but there was still a brief hesitation and the occasional flinch from the occasional twitch.

Ollie looked behind her to see Adelaide climb onto Ian’s hand. She shivered, remembering how she was inside that hand moments ago. The man just grabbed her. Just because he wanted to. But then she saw how tense Adelaide was. She saw how she eyed each of the fingers like they would attack her, and so, Ollie made a dumb decision she wouldn’t normally make in a million years.  She hauled herself back onto the table and coiled up her hook, calling out to them. “Hey, wait up.”

Ian and Adelaide were both clearly stunned, but whatever they thought, they didn’t say anything.

Ollie kept her eyes trained straight ahead as she marched the distance to the center of the table, refusing to look up at either Bean and keeping her focus solely on Adelaide. Her feet ground to a halt when she got to the edge of his hand.

“You don’t have to do this,” Adelaide said. She didn’t mean it. She wanted Ollie by her side throughout this so, so bad, but she wasn’t going to force her into it.

“Nah, I’m just…saving time,” Ollie laughed shakily, repeating what Ian said a minute ago.

Adelaide wordlessly held out her hand. Ollie took it. Adelaide pulled her up. Ollie stumbled. They were both on the hand. Then they were in the air. Then they were on the counter. And nothing bad happened.

Still, Ollie rushed off the hand as fast as possible, then guiltily backtracked to help Adelaide off. 

Adelaide turned to Ian as they went into the walls. “I’ll be back soon.”

Ian nodded, fidgeting restlessly as he watched them go.

The walls were dark and freezing, but it felt so unbelievably nice after the past few days. The tight space was anything but restrictive, giving Adelaide a particular sense of ease she hadn’t felt in awhile. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, unable to bring herself to care about the cold.

Dane and Oliver were inside when Ollie pushed open the door.

“Oh my god, Adelaide! Are you alright?” Dane said.

“Dad, she was kidnapped by Beans.”

His face dropped. “Not by…” He pointed out, indicating Ian and Sarah.

“No, no, not them. It’s a company, it’s…It’s too complicated to explain. But they put something in her neck and we need to get it out.” She avoided saying that it was a tracker. That would just worry him more, and though she trusted her dad to do the right thing, she couldn’t risk the off chance that he turned her away. 

Dane blinked, taking in all of the information. Adelaide looked very banged up, leaning on his daughter for support. A scratch puffed up on her neck, covered by thick, clumsy stitches that could have only been done by giants. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what this girl went through. He didn’t want to.

“Come here,” he said, and Adelaide awkwardly shuffled forward. He placed one hand on her shoulder and one on her head to get a good look. Ever so gently, he ran his fingers over her neck and, sure enough, there was a light bump. He didn’t bother to ask how or why. What Beans did was a mystery. All he knew was that they didn’t care how much destruction they caused, and borrowers would be the ones to pay the price.

“I can get it out, but it’s going to hurt.”

Adelaide nodded.

Time went by way too fast, and soon Adelaide found herself in a chair gripping Ollie’s hand like her life depended on it, with Dane sitting next to her. He had alcohol in one thimble and water in another, and he held what looked to be a razor from a pencil sharpener. He handed her some leather that came from who-knew-what Bean belonging. “Bite down on this.”

Adelaide did as instructed.  Once she did, Dane wasted no time going to work. He sliced open the stitches, then approached the wound itself.

Adelaide grunted in pain and squeezed Ollie’s hand so hard that Ollie thought her bones would break. But she let it happen, because whatever she felt in her hand had to be no comparison to whatever Adelaide felt in her neck.

They all knew Adelaide was suppressing a scream. No matter how much pain a borrower felt, nothing could override instinct, especially in the walls. A scream might mean a Bean would hear you, and if a Bean heard you, you didn’t have long for this world. In theory.

“You’re doing great,” Ollie whispered, stroking Adelaide’s hand with her thumb, helpless to do anything more. Adelaide was coated in sweat and tears were forced out of her clamped eyes.

And then Dane reached his fingers inside the wound, and instinct was overridden. Adelaide screamed in pain.

***

Ian’s head perked up when he heard the scream. His leg stopped bouncing and his fingers stopped drumming. Sarah grimaced.

“It’s going to get infected,” Ian muttered. There was no way these people had anything remotely sanitary in their possession. Not in the walls .

“Yeah, probably,” Sarah said.

Ian glanced at her, offended by her undisturbed attitude. “And that’s okay?”

“It’s not, but there’s nothing we can do. Would you like to be the one to take a scalpel to her neck? Her neck that’s skinnier than a pencil?”

“Yeah, actually, I would.”

Sarah huffed. She knew he liked to do things himself. He had a confidence about him that was hard to shake, and he frequently believed he was the best man for the job in every circumstance.  It was fun to prove him wrong sometimes, but not here. This whole situation lacked any sense of control.

Sarah pulled him close. “I know it’s scary-”

“I’m not scared.”

“-but we have to take things as they come. She’s in good hands.”

They sat in silence. Ian resumed fidgeting.

A nearly inaudible click against the counter resembling tiny footsteps caught their attention. Adelaide, looking worse than before, hobbled out toward them, putting most of her weight on Ollie. She wore a pair of Ollie’s clothes. Dane trailed behind them but stopped in the doorway. This was already too close.

“Well?” Ian said.

Adelaide held her hand above her head and shook it. The chip bounced around inside, still functional but certainly not in her neck. Ian held his hand out and she tossed it on there. It looked so small, barely even a speck against his large fingers. While it wasn’t necessarily large to her - it sat nicely in her palm - it easily fit in the wrinkles of his skin. And it was just in her neck.

Ian studied it, turning it over in his fingers, then turned his attention to Dane. The shorter man stiffened in place.

“Thank you,” Ian said.

Dane nodded.

But of course, Ian had more to say. “I just - I just want to make sure. Your tools, your, um…it’s all relatively…sterile, yes?”

Dane stiffened under the scrutiny. It wasn’t a matter of whether the Bean’s implication offended him - it did - but rather a matter of whether he was brave enough to tell him so. He watched as the man fidgeted with the device, easily maneuvering it between each of his massive fingers.

“As sterile as it can be, yes,” Dane forced a pained smile.

Ian sat up straighter. “What does that mean, as sterile as-”

“Ian, it’s fine. I’m fine. And incredibly grateful that Dane was gracious enough to lend his supplies and time to help me. To help us,” Adelaide said.

“I…Yes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Dane said, surprised he made it through the conversation unscathed.

But Ian still wasn’t done. “Well, I’m glad you’re all here because uh, I think you all need to come with me. Now. Well, more like yesterday.”

“But we got it out,” Ollie said.

“Yes, but they know that we - that we live here. That’s how they found Adelaide in the first place.”

Dane faltered. “Olivia, they know about us?”

“Yes…well, no. Not us, but Adelaide, unless…”

“Ian, I don’t see any reason why they would be looking for anyone else,” Sarah chimed in. “It’s Adelaide they’re after. And maybe you.”

“Yeah, and the first place they’ll be checking is, um, here.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Dane interrupted.

“Uh, not if you want to guarantee your family’s safety.”

“Ian!” Adelaide said. He was too busy being a smartass to comprehend how that came off as condescending and intimidating. As a threat, even. She turned to Dane. “I know he’s a lot…I would never ask any borrower to put their life in a Bean’s hands if it wasn’t serious. These people…They knew exactly where to find me, and how to trap me, and how to break me. I can’t let that happen to any of you. Again, Ian’s…a lot, but he’s less scary than anything you would face at their hands.”

“You know that’s hard to believe, coming from you.”

It hurt, but Adelaide accepted it. That was fair.

“Dad, maybe we should-”

“No. I will not uproot my family at the first sign of danger. We’ve lived through worse before. We’ll do it again.”

“A stupid decision, if you ask me,” Ian mumbled.

“Excuse me?” Dane said.

Sarah cut in before it could get worse. “Ian. You two go. Take as much time as you need, find a way to stay in touch, but we’re wasting time. I’ll take the chip somewhere else and destroy it and then I’ll stay here to…” There wasn’t a way to finish the sentence honestly without offending the smaller folk. To watch over them.

Dane picked up on her meaning anyway. “We do not need protection, Bean.” But the longer he stood there, the harder reality set in. Beans were after them. Not just hanging around, living their Bean lives in the general vicinity of them, but actively after them. There would be nothing they could do to stop them, and it might be nice to have a non-evil Bean on their side. He would, under no circumstance, go with this Ian guy, but he wouldn’t mind if Sarah hung around. As long as she stayed out of the way. “But, thank you,” he finished.

“Alright, Della, come on.” Ian rested his hand nearby.

It was all Ollie could do not to pull away and drag Adelaide with her, almost definitely knocking them both down in the process. Adelaide was handling it all like a champ, but she was warm and red and pale and weak.  She didn’t want to let her go just yet.

“Come with me,” Adelaide said.

Ollie wished she didn’t ask that. She couldn’t say no to Adelaide, and yet she had to. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I can’t leave my family-”

“But...No, never mind, it’s okay. I understand. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Ollie nodded, and she was suddenly aware of the hot tears on her face. She pulled Adelaide into a deep, warm kiss, and then a tight hug.  Neither could pull away. There was a finality to the embrace, no matter how much each of them believed this wouldn’t be goodbye. This couldn’t be goodbye.

“I love you,” Adelaide whispered.

“I love you, too.”

“Della…”

Adelaide slowly disengaged at the sound of Ian’s voice. She had to leave because every second she stood there increased the threat to her friends exponentially. So why couldn’t she leave?

Impatiently and accompanied with a deep sigh, Ian moved his hand closer to the two. Adelaide jumped.

She couldn’t help it. She grabbed Ollie and pulled her close one last time. Faster, harder, desperate. And then she let go and climbed onto Ian’s hand. She turned to say goodbye, but Ian already had her in the air.

Something came out of Sarah’s mouth that sounded vaguely like, “Be safe,” or “I love you,” or maybe both, but Adelaide didn’t acknowledge it. A shadow overcame her as Ian and Sarah said their own goodbyes, shared their own hug.

Adelaide supposed she should be scared right now. It would just be her and Ian against the whole world, with the world at a major advantage. Scientists straight out of borrower nightmares were after her, and she’d have to rely on one giant to keep her safe.

But in all honesty, Adelaide just felt sad. She said goodbye to Ollie, but the way she was abruptly ripped away left her with an empty spot in her heart. Or maybe the spot was overstuffed, ready to burst, and Ian kept her from letting it out. It didn’t matter. Now she’d never know.

“Pocket okay?” The booming voice enveloped her as they climbed into the car.

“Huh?...Oh, um, no.”

Ian made a motion to dump her in the pocket but stopped when her words actually made it to his head. “No…no?”

“No.”

They were in the car. They were on the run. Adelaide should really get in the pocket. But she simply didn’t want to.

“I can’t, um, catch you if-”

“I won’t fall.”

“Here,” Ian said as he leaned over and buckled the passenger seatbelt. He set Adelaide on the leather seat. She stumbled over the grooves but kept a hand clamped on the seatbelt. “Hang onto that, okay?”

“Okay.”

From that moment on, Adelaide decided not to look at Ian. She didn’t like how small she felt down on the seat. The bottom half of Ian’s body stretched into a dark oblivion blocked by the center console, while the top half reached high into the sky. Arms as thick as redwoods propped against the steering wheel way over Adelaide’s head, and there was no way she’d be able to see his face. At best, the underside of his chin. And so, she kept her eyes trained…literally anywhere else.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t see their surroundings from her vantage point, with the doors blocking most of the landscape. Adelaide guessed the clouds would be the most interesting thing she could watch for the duration of the trip.

That was, if she didn’t have to focus on clinging to the seatbelt for dear life. She came to learn very quickly that Ian wasn’t the safest driver out there, and right now was no exception.

“How’s it going down there, Della?”

“Good.”

Ian waited for more. “Just good? You gotta - you gotta give me more than that. You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet since you…got back.”

“Where are we going?”

“Uh, um, away.” It wasn’t exactly what he was expecting, but he’d take it over silence.

“Away as in you won’t tell me or away as in you don’t know?”

“I’m working on it.”

“You don’t know.”

“Any ideas?”

“I have been to exactly…seven places in my life, two of which I hardly remember. And you’re going to tell me that going home is a ridiculous idea, so no, no ideas.”

“Hmm.”

“How long are we going to be gone?”

“I’m not sure.”

Adelaide despised disorder. Their whole reality was a whirlwind of uncertainties, and had been for the past few days. She didn’t like not knowing where they were going or how long they’d be gone. Hell, she was even willing to admit she wanted to stay in California with Sarah and Ollie and her family.

It would never be home, at least physically. But what was the familiarity of the walls compared to the people she loved? Sarah’s apartment had everything and, more importantly, everyone she needed.

They drove mostly in silence for hours. Everytime Ian shifted, Adelaide did too. He turned on the radio occasionally, but would turn it back off when it got on his nerves. At one point, Adelaide halfheartedly hid underneath the seatbelt while Ian got gas, but otherwise, it was uneventful. Ian kept glancing in his rearview mirror, expecting a whole barrage of cars to be on his tail, but none ever appeared.

The sky grew dark and the air grew cold. He didn’t want to pull over. In fact, he wanted to keep driving forever. But Adelaide was shivering and his eyes were heavy. Ian called it when he nearly veered off the road.

Adelaide felt the car roll to a stop but still had no clue as to where they might possibly be. For the first time since they started the trip, she looked up at him.

“Stay here,” Ian said as he climbed out of the car, stretching his long legs after being cramped for so long. He was gone before Adelaide could even think to ask about their whereabouts. She’d just have to trust him.

She distracted herself with the surroundings she could identify. Crickets chirped against a silent backdrop, and Adelaide wondered what they were singing about. Why did crickets make so much noise? They were so small (relatively) but their voices were so loud, afraid of nothing. Night after night they called out with no fear of getting caught by something much larger than them. Predators were definitely out there, but they sang anyway.

Footsteps forced Adelaide to duck under the seat belt. It was a lousy hiding place, offering no protection whatsoever in the event a Bean wanted to take her.

A massive hand crash landed on the leather next to her, palm up. Ian’s hand. 

Adelaide peeked out. “Where are we?”

“Uh, somewhere near south San Francisco...I think.”

“Oh…I don’t know what that means.”

“I figured. Are you done stalling?”

Adelaide shot him a look. “I’m not stalling.” To prove this, she stepped up onto his hand. “But that’s not what I meant. Where are we?”

“A, um, a motel. Not your motel. At least, I doubt it.”

A motel. Not her motel, but a motel. Adelaide hadn’t thought about a motel in a million years. And there were so many other things going on presently that she didn’t have time to analyze how she felt about it. Maybe she didn’t have any feelings about it.

Feelings or not, they entered the room. And it was…familiar.

Ian was right. This wasn’t her motel, or at least not that she could remember, but the layout must’ve been the same. Two beds, a desk, a TV. Dirty, definitely dirty. It looked different from above, though. As always, the bird’s eye view (or human’s eye view) made everything so much less intimidating. Up here, she didn’t have to trudge through the carpet. Up here, she could soar over it all in a matter of seconds.

Ian let her off on a pillow on one of the beds. The squishy surface gave under her feet and her knees buckled, and Adelaide tumbled uncontrollably down the soft slope. She landed on her back with a soft ‘oof’. The plush surface beneath her told her she was still on the bed, so at least she wasn’t dead.

Ian tried his best to stifle a laugh but failed miserably. “Are you…alright?”

Adelaide stared up at him as he hovered over her.

“I honestly didn’t know that would happen.”

“Sure.” Adelaide rolled her eyes and stood up. The bed threatened to send her sprawling again, so she took each step nice and slow. She could feel Ian’s eyes tracking her every movement, waiting for her to inevitably fall again. But instead of feeling threatened, she felt annoyed. That was progress.

“Don’t you have something to do?” Adelaide snapped.

“Not really,” Ian smirked, sitting down on the other bed and continuing to watch.

Adelaide huffed and continued her journey across the treacherous bed. Grabbing fistfulls of fabric, she hauled herself up the pillow again. When she reached the apex, she collapsed, sinking deep into the squishy surface. Yeah, this was good.

“Are you comfortable?” Ian asked, still amused.

“Yup.”

“We’re only going to stay a couple hours, so get some rest.”

“I’m trying.”

“Della…what happened?”

A long silence.

“You said we only have a couple hours, so…”

“I’d personally - I’d  love to know what we’re uh, running from.”

He got her there. Ian was putting his life on the line for her, and Adelaide only treated him with hostility. But the thought of reliving her time back at the lab so soon, of engaging with the memory of him threatening her, was too much. Just like Jurassic Park, she wanted to put that experience in a box and shove it in the far recesses of her mind to forget about for all eternity.

“You’re smart-”

“Mhm.”

“-You can probably figure it out. They tested me. Physically, mentally. If I didn’t behave, they hurt me.”

“How so?”

Adelaide continued to study the ceiling. Talking to the ceiling was easier. “Um, well, they didn’t know how hard to grab me, so…And the guy shocked me. And Wu flicked me against the wall. And they took too much blood and they nearly broke my arm and I nearly drowned and they put a chip in my neck. There’s more if you’d like me to continue.”

“Della…”

“You asked.”

“No, I did, I did…But why?”

Adelaide debated on what parts she wanted to say aloud. She was afraid that, if she acknowledged the given explanation, she would speak it into reality. And she had yet to believe it. Maybe Ian would be able to provide some insight, though.

“They told me…Wu told me…Apparently I belong to InGen,” she exhaled an incredulous laugh.

“And I’m Vanna White.”

Adelaide sat up as best she could. “...What?”

“Never mind.”

She shook her head, deciding not to explore that one any further. “They showed me the files. They…engineered my parents. They were clones or something, I don’t…”

“They were lying.”

“Why would they? They had extensive records, and why would they make something like that up?”

“I don’t know. But I find it quite hard to believe Hammond was interested in cloning - cloning human beings. An out-of-touch billionaire with a complex, uh, expensive pet project, absolutely, but even he must have known better than to mess with, um, human…DNA.”

“Wu called Hammond weak. I don’t know if Hammond had anything to do with it.”

“Huh. Weak,” Ian chuckled.

“What if I am…What if I do belong to InGen?”

“Well, excellent news, Della. You can’t own people.”

“But what if I’m not a person?”

“You certainly look like a person to me. A very small person, of - of course, but I think I’d know.”

Adelaide sat with that. Ian was right, again. She couldn’t believe these dinosaur scientists had her convinced otherwise. She was weak and they got in her head because of that. She was a person. Nobody could own her.

“Hey. We’ll work it out. We’ll-”

“Kill them.”

“Uh, no, no, maybe not, um…We’ll stop them, okay? But I know I certainly can’t do that without getting at least a couple hours of sleep. You uh, you need anything?”

“No.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Ian didn’t bother undressing, knowing the motel sheets were dirtier than anything that was currently on his body, and he needed to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. He rolled over and turned out the light.

“Ian?”

Adelaide’s voice was barely a whisper. Ian wasn’t even sure she spoke. “Mm?”

“Thank you.”

“You said that already.”

“Oh.”

“You’re welcome.”

Silence.

“Ian?”

“Yes?”

“I want to stay in San Diego. With Sarah.”

“Well, alright then.” If Adelaide didn’t know any better, she’d say he sounded pretty pleased.

Silence. Longer this time.

“Ian?”

“Hm, I distinctly recall saying we only - only had a couple hours.”

“I love you.”

“...Ah.”

A longer silence still. Adelaide cringed, immediately filled with regret. What a stupid, cheesy thing to say. I love you ? What was she thinking?

“I uh, I love you...too.”

Adelaide breathed a sigh of relief. She meant it. There was nobody on this planet she was closer with, nobody she trusted more. She laughed with him, cried with him. They made it through two whole incredibly dangerous dinosaur parks together. If that wasn’t love…

As the night dragged on, Adelaide understood that she would not be sleeping. The pillow grew uncomfortable, she was cold without a blanket, and the threat of InGen hung over her head.

She glanced over at Ian, who looked to be fast asleep, not a single crease in his brow. He looked so peaceful, and she couldn’t recall for the life of her why she was so terrified of him. Logically, she knew it wasn’t Ian, but rather the scars of her time at the lab. But he was risking it all to protect her, to keep her safe, and she repaid him by acting nervous every time he so much as breathed wrong. That wasn’t fair. Ian was her best friend. She should act like it.

While she couldn’t exactly see the clock, Adelaide knew it had to be late, or very, very early. The world was silent, past bedtime for even the crickets.

That’s why Adelaide jumped and, once again, tumbled down the pillow when a knock on the door rang throughout the room.

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