#sc: grimm

[midnightsun-if]

Random question author!

Out of all the Male ROs and characters you’ve revealed so far

Which of those can you imagine having a beard?

Hmmm….

Out of the ROs? Any of the Male ROs could technically grow them, but actually keeping them? I could see Koda, Quinn, and Reginald doing so.

Just out of the characters in general? Grimm has recently shaved his beard, but he typically has a short one. Uncle Dimitri also has a beard. I could also see Theon, Calix, Christian, and Sasha growing one out.

[etruatcaelum]

Summer cleared her throat. “I said not every grimm in the world answers to her. She… um.” Not for the first time, she found herself wishing that Salem were here to shoulder some of the explaining. A deep breath.

Probably best to just put it all out there upfront, because she knew that even if Salem could force grimm not to hunt, she wouldn’t unless she knew they could live.

“What she can do if people are willing to give it a shot is teach people how to deal with grimm better which should cut down on a lot of the, um, violence because grimm aren’t actually evil, or monsters, they just need aura sort of like how people need food, and—yeah. Um, Salem’s not going to even try to ask hers to starve but she’ll definitely be willing to help, you know, negotiate with the hordes and stuff. It’s really just a matter of feeding them is all.”

Henrietta, to her surprise, made a little aha! noise and, when Summer looked at her askance, said, “Explains some things.”

“Does… it?”

“Feeding them how, exactly?” Oscar said warily.

“If you push your aura out at them they kind of soak it up like sponges,” Summer said. “Or there’s ways to saturate, like, saltwater and things, with aura.”

Qrow resisted the urge to point out that piranhas didn't actually eat people alive, usually. With Henrietta, it's usually a moot point, and irrelevant to whatever the actual inane point she's trying to make is.

He wasn't sure about having her here, at first, but she's been good for Oscar. He's been more... himself, lately. Which is sort of counterproductive to what is going to happen but... Qrow can't call it a bad thing.

"...what do we want?" Ruby asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Not to fight for our lives?" Qrow suggested dryly. "She controls grimm, that's a thing she can do." He could think of a few other things he wanted, but they should start easy.

Ruby bit her lip. "Mom said she doesn't control all grimm."

Right. Of course she didn't. He looked back at Summer, ignoring the churning in his gut and the way his heart clenched in his chest. "She controls enough of them to make things easier on the rest of the world if she wants, right?"

[dreamer213]

Broken Machines: Warring Light

Chapter 1: Hello Again Old Friend

Of all the ways Penny had expected to spend her night, working overtime killing hoards of grimm that just didn’t seem to end was not one of them! It’s just wave after wave of them storming the breach! Even with the area cleared of civilians, huntsmen on the ground and Penny taking out as many as she can as fast as she can there just always seems to be more on the horizon.

Penny: They just keep coming! I don’t understand! The weather isn’t prime for this type of movement, and the public’s emotional state isn’t sufficiently negative enough to draw a few packs much less a huge stampede! So what’s drawing them here?!

She ponders, as she decapitates another set of beowolves. After much effort, Penny lands on a nearby rooftop when the last of the pack is eradicated. There’s more coming but they’re still a good distance away so she takes the moment to catch her breath. Scanning her systems Penny was still good on power and her aura was holding strong.

Penny: No damage thus far but I’ve been fighting for a while now. I’ll need to replenish my charge as soon as I get home or I’ll be running on my reserve tomorrow.

She looks out to the horizon, her advanced sight catching a smaller pack of grimm still heading toward the city from the mountains.

Penny: But at this rate, I might not get home until midnight.

She whines internally, weariness from the non-stop grimm slaying getting to her. And as if to add to her growing fatigue Penny feels a distinct emptiness in the pit of her stomach.

Penny: Right, I skipped lunch today.

She sighs, running her gloved hand over her abdomen.

Penny: I should call Dad, let him know I’ll be late, and to leave my dinner in the fridge.

She muses while taking out her scroll. Immediately Penny’s met with a wall of notifications on her home screen. From newest at the top and oldest at the bottom, it seems almost everyone in her contacts had called, messaged, or left a voicemail during the stampede. Starting from the bottom up there was a confirmation text and well wishes from Whitley, him reminding her to be safe out in the fray and not push herself too hard. Then there was an outraged voicemail from Ciel who was absolutely fuming after discovering the mecha she helped assemble and only just finished recently had been sc in a day. Above that were a series of missed calls, voicemails, and texts from Team FNKI, each member having tried to get through to her at some point in the night.

Neon: [Yo, Pen-Pop! You got to get down here! There’s like a gazillion grimm heading towards town right now!]

Flynt: [Ey yo, Penny! Things are getting pretty loud in Mantle, we got grimm coming in hot and fast. Could really use an assist.]

Ivori: [Hey Penny, It’s Ivori. Did you get the alert about the grimm situation? If you did, please get down here fast. The numbers aren’t looking too good and we could really use some help.]

Kobalt: [Dude! Get down here now! Shit is getting real! There are grimm coming in from the ice like crazy! We need backup!]

The texts from the music-loving team were all different flavors of urgent in tone but that quickly fizzled out after a certain time, most likely when Penny arrived on the scene. At the very top, there’s a notification of a missed call and a voicemail from her dad. With a little time left to spare Penny plays it on speaker mood.

Pietro: Hey Sweetpea! Daddy’s going out to help some people at the clinic. I might be back late so order yourself something to eat for dinner, love you!

His cheerful but soft voice states from the device’s speaker as the message plays. With a faint sigh, Penny locks the screen and pockets her scroll again. She knew what clinic he was talking about, it was a volunteer-run ward for people who could not afford repairs on their prosthetics or had outdated models that needed special care. Pietro had been at the front lines of cybernetics and knew all the tricks of the most common replacements by heart. He’d train the younger volunteers or if the tech was too delicate and niche, would come in himself to make repairs. His continued help was one of the many reasons he was so beloved in his community and why he would never leave the city despite his success as an inventor.

Penny: So we’re both on call tonight.

She thinks fondly, proud that her ever-caring father was just as tenacious when it came to helping people as she was. It was similarities like this that proved their relation despite the lack of blood between them.

Penny: Maybe I should go pick him up? We could go out for dinner on the way home.

She mused, getting up and stretching out as the next wave of grimm began to close in on the wall’s breach.

Break time was over, it’s back to work alongside the other huntsmen for her.

Penny dives back into the fray with a clear head and newfound zeal. The sooner this was over the sooner she could go have dinner with her dad.

Said lovable robotics genius was currently busy repairing an old client's eyes for what felt like the millionth time. After many decades Pietro was the only one who could readily restore the old huntress’s sight for various reasons. The most obvious being that as a spunky fearless spitfire, Maria had managed to mess up her eyes so many times that most of the other doctors blacklisted her for not treating their time with respect and her medical equipment like a toy. She would return to Mantle so often back in the day that most in the field knew her by first name. Or rather they recognize the tired sign of “Hello Maria,” from their receptionist every time she comes in. Pietro was literally the only person who still put up with her and that was out of kindness and a sense of duty. So when a call came in and he could hear her howling in the background Pietro came right over to handle it.

Dawning his thick brown work gloves, Pietro gets to work escorting Maria to an exam table and starts on the repairs. Doesn’t take more than a quick glance at the components for him to figure out the issue. The most obvious being normal wear and tear for this model of prosthetic eyes, older sets like hers were far past warranty and licensed to face issues more often than newer ones. But upon further inspection, there were clearly other issues causing errors in her vision.

Ones that only justify every other doctor’s reluctance to deal with her.

Pietro: You been roughhousing again, haven’t ya?

He asks matter-of-factly, looking over the inner workings of her eyes he could tell they’ve sustained damage that couldn’t be done by accident. Rather they had to be caused by direct actions that put the user in some kind of danger. This time it seems to be electrical damage from an overcharge, but not from a simple accident like misconnecting cables on a car battery. No this was more like taking a small bolt of lightning to the face and the eyes absorbing all of the energy. Something he didn’t put past her.

Honestly, Pietro was so used to Maria’s antics that it didn’t even occur to him to be mad at her for her reckless behavior. Or rather Pietro had seen this so many times that he was numb to it, if not downright desensitized. At some point, probably not long after Penny was born, a part of his brain just decided Maria’s foolishness was not worth the stress aches and stopped reacting. Years added to his life really.

Maria: What do you think?! Can’t an old huntress do her job without being preached at?!

She huffs, flailing her little arms and legs around which Pietro has to dodge. Pulling himself and his tools back until she settles down again then getting back to work. With nothing but empty air between them the old pals begin chatting.

Pietro: I’m not preaching at you and you’ve been retired for damn near twelve years now.

Maria: Ha! The reaper doesn’t know the meaning of retirement, she’s as permanent as death itself!

Pietro: Well, she better learn before the real reaper comes and takes her ass sooner rather than later.

He retorts, earning an annoyed huff from the aging ex-huntress.

Maria: You’re no fun.

Pietro: Youhave enough for the both of us and then some.

He jokes, this time earning a more annoyed grumble as Maria’s already minimal patience starts to run out.

Maria: Just fix me up already! I got places to be and those youngsters aren’t gonna sit around here waiting on me all night!

Pietro: Fine, fine, just need to make a few more tweaks here and replace this and that.

He chimes, diligently removing and replacing components then connecting them to the sensory system. It’s a task done with patient consideration and a delicate touch, an hour or two at most but without a master’s touch, one mistake could mean a full replacement.

Occasionally he glances up at the company she brought in with her. They had followed close behind Maria, never veering too far or out of sight while leaving him plenty of room to work. Which was fine, this wasn’t a particularly difficult procedure for him and didn’t require a completely sterile room.

Still, Pietro can tell something’s off.

They’re huntsmen, at least most of them, anyone could tell from a mile away just by how they carried themselves not to mention being armed to the teeth. Aside from the slightly grayed young gentleman they were all young, probably newly licensed or still in the academy. They had that air of immaturity, like little kids who know they did something wrong but don’t want to get caught. Which wasn’t odd for kids, especially in such a dangerous profession where even a small mistake could be fatal. No shame in being shaken after a hard day of monster killing.

What was odd is that Pietro didn’t recognize a single one of them, except the blonde girl.

Specifically her right arm.

It was the first thing he’d worked on aside from saving Penny from her comatose state after the fall of Beacon. It was a distraction, something that kept his mind busy so the worry of losing his daughter wouldn’t overtake him. He’d been given a profile to work with but his mind was so frazzled Pietro hadn’t paid much attention to any personal details.

Still, he knew that arm.

But what was she doing here? Her prosthetic was shipped off to Vale a while before the borders were closed.

So how and why was she here?

James would have told him if a huntsman patient was coming into the city. With how tight security was at the moment a custom prosthetic was an easy identifier and with what was coming they needed all the trustworthy manpower they could get. And they needed every soldier able-bodied, armed, and alert in case the worst happened sooner rather than later. So as one of the most adept with the technology, Pietro was the default head of the cybernetics section of the military’s medical department.

And yet he hadn’t heard a peep.

Apprehensive now, Pietro keeps working but makes sure his scroll is within reach. He wasn’t a fighter but had plenty on speed dial in case things got hairy. For now, he just treats his patient and keeps an SOS on standby just in case.

Back at the breach, the stampede is finally thinning out. The huge packs of grimm had been reduced to a few strays. For now, the hard part was over and things were calming back down.

Penny’s still hovering over the area, surveying from above while those down below catch their breath. It was far past dinner time, people were tired and hungry, and even the assisting drones, and auto turrets were running low on ammo after the nonstop firing at targets. Teams were packing up, either waiting for transport or figuring out where they were going to catch a late meal or alternative lodging for the evening. So weary from battle that the trek back home or to the academy dorms seemed like far too high a hurdle to leap over, especially on an empty stomach.

And when the last of the wave reaches the breach it’s Team FNKI that steps up to wrap up the conflict quickly, taking down the smaller pack with ease. When the bodies dissipate into nothing but ash on the ground everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

Kobalt: AND THAT’S QUITTING TIME!!!

The rowdy bluenette shouts, pumping an ash-coated fist in the air in triumph, elated at the defeat of the beasts and the end of his workday! His teammates seem to share his enthusiasm as they sheath their weapons and turn to leave for the night.

But the moment their backs are turned something rushes past.

Two beowulves, smaller than the average ones seen in packs scamper onto the streets and dash down the road faster than any of their kind had before. Everyone is stunned by the sudden appearance of the small grimm and their speed. Penny is the first to recover and quickly sets her sights on the fleeing pair.

Penny: I’ll catch the strays! Hold a line around the breach, they might not have been alone!

She commands before flying off after the fleeing grimm.

This is bad! Grimm rarely made it this far passed the wall! Penny made sure of that as best she could but there was no way she could have foreseen this! And they’re exhibiting very bizarre hunting behavior, racing past buildings and the few civilians on the street, charging forward without even a glance at anything around them. This was not normal, grimm always attacked the first emotional being in their range, yet these two ignored everything in their path. Like hunting dogs who’ve caught the scent of prey except they were avoiding anything that could be considered prey.

It made no sense and was the antithesis to everything Penny knew about grim nature. A dangerous unknown that could be disastrous but with them too close to populated areas to cut down safely Penny could only give chase until she found an opening.

Penny: Where are they going?

She questions, keeping her eyes trained on the beasts while keeping in firing range. The moment she gets the opportunity, Penny’s going to strike fast and land her hits. She can’t afford to miss her shot with all the abnormalities in behavior she’s seen today. She needed to stop this now before the night got any worse. In her haste, she doesn't hear her scroll go off with another notification.

“Stolen Aircraft Located! Special Officers In Route To Apprehend Highjacking Suspects.”

At the clinic, Pietro finally finishes up Maria’s repairs. Shining a penlight in her eyes from left to right, watching as the optics follow the glow and the shutter lids adjust to better focus on the light.

Pietro: Tracking seems good, good reaction time, lids are back in sync.

He turns off the light, pockets it and moves back to give Maria some room.

Pietro: Looks like everything’s back in order. We’re done here.

Maria: About time!

Maria shouts, sitting upright and throwing her cape back over her shoulders before hopping off of the medical bed. Landing on her feet she snatches her cane from its place leaning next to the bed and straightens herself up, ready to go after a long operation.

Pietro: Keep ‘em clean and stop manhandling ‘em them and you should be good for a year.

He advises, half joking and half serious. Just the normal advice a doctor gives his patient even if he knows she won’t listen.

Maria: Yeah, yeah, keep your suggestions to yourself, Dr. Killjoy. I got stuff to do and you’ve held me up long enough!

She declares before strolling off to the party of young huntsmen waiting for her. As the group gets ready to leave Pietro sneakily takes a few photos of them, trying his best to get clear shots of their faces without being noticed. He’s about to text the General but a sound shakes his focus away from his scroll and to the streets outside.

Pietro knew that sound.

He knows it should not be this far into the city.

And he could tell that the thumping of big ashen paws against pavement was only getting closer by the second.

The huntsmen hear it too and dash out of the clinic Maria trailing behind as fast she can while Pietro moves to the windows. It’s just as he feared, turning the corner at the edge of the street were two beowulf grimm heading toward the clinic!

The huntsmen unsheathe their weapons and ready themselves for a confrontation but before the grimm can even reach them the beasts are obliterated by two quick neon-green energy blasts!

Recognizing her signature heavy attack Pietro immediately looks to the sky and sees Penny with her swords drawn, the light from her eyes, brooch, and boots making her shine against the black of the night sky.

Pietro: That’s my baby!

He thought proudly, his moment of anxiety passing swiftly as Penny glided down to the ground.

Once she lands, Penny scouts the area to assess why exactly the grimm charged past everything to go in this specific direction. Looking around she notices some huntsmen standing in front of the clinic.

Penny: Maybe they saw-

Her thoughts stop immediately and Penny lets a loud gasp when her eyes focus in on their faces. The second she can perceive what she’s seeing Penny forces in one specific face and recognizes her immediately.

Around her natural height, dressed heavily in red and black with black-to-crimson red gradient hair, pale skin, and silver eyes! There was only one person in the world she knew who looked like that! And seeing her made Penny’s heart jump with excitement and joy! A bright smile illuminating her face as her eyes light up with glee!

She doesn’t even think twice, Penny reels back on her heels-

Penny: Sal-

-puts power to her feet, setting her boots jets to go off the second her feet are off the ground-

Penny:-u-

-then lunges forward with her arms wide open aiming right at her target!

Penny:-tations!

In a flash, Penny tackle hugs Ruby like she’s never hugged her before! Stopping just shy of knocking her off her feet, she pulls her in a tight embrace!

It’s been so long! Penny couldn’t believe she was actually here! Her best friend was really here! In her city! There was so much to catch up on! So much she needed to say and so much she wanted to know! After all this time Penny felt like she was her old self again, the rush of nostalgia bringing her back to simpler times.

She pulls back, wanting to get a good look at her best friend’s face again, and begin their joyous reunion!

But when she meets her gaze, Penny doesn’t see the same bright-eyed enthusiasm she knows Ruby for. Instead, she sees confusion, disbelief, and even apathy. Ruby’s gaze was so….cold. There was no sudden rush of realization or joy, just an almost bored confusion. That look sends a stabbing pain through Penny’s chest, and the smile on her face threatens to drop from the sting. But she persists, pushing the feeling down and carrying on.

This was a happy moment, right? Her best friend was here and they could finally catch up and hang out like she always wanted! No need to overthink her expressions like this! It’d be a waste to ruin the moment over something so small.

Penny: I’m so happy to see you! I’ve missed you so much!

She exclaims, pulling back to take one more look at her dear friend before letting go. She steps back a bit to put some space between them. Looking at all of them again, Penny recognizes all but two of them though she makes an educated guess that the short elderly woman with the prosthetic eyes was the reason they were in the area.

Penny: She must be the patient Dad needed to see.

She thought, glancing around at the group of mostly familiar faces. There were the remaining members of Team JNPR, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren alongside an unfamiliar young boy who hardly looked like a hunter but had an odd atmosphere about him. She doesn’t look their way for long, the sight of them brings up too many unpleasant memories she didn’t have time to reflect on right now. Instead, she focuses her attention to Ruby’s team. The black cat faunus Blake Belladonna, Ruby’s older sister Yang Xiao Long, and lastly Weiss Schnee-

Penny: Oh right. She’s here too.

Penny feels an odd sense of tension in her chest as she registers Weiss’s presence. She didn’t really mind the girl before and had few interactions with her. But that was before she knew about the Schnee family’s circumstances, about Jacques’s cruelty and how her departure had amplified the already high-stress situation. Looking at her only reminds Penny of how despite Weiss’s ambition to be a huntress, someone who protected the weak from monsters, she had left her own younger brother at the mercy of one seemingly without a care.

She doesn’t want to think ill of her but she also can’t help the tinge of disgust that burns through her at the sight of the white-haired girl. It takes quite a bit of effort on Penny’s part not to outright glare at her.

Ruby: ….Uh, Penny?

Ruby’s voice snaps Penny’s focus back onto her, the confusion in her tone turning the building vitriol into concern.

Penny: Yes?

She says sweetly, eyes still alight with joy but calmer than before.

Ruby: Is it…..is it really….

Bewildered and dazed Ruby looks into Penny’s eyes as if searching for…..something. Proof that this was really happening and not some illusion of her confused mind. Seeing the doubt in her gaze Penny reaches back out and cups Ruby’s cheek with her hand. The feel of the leather and the heat of her palm through the gap in her gloves against Ruby’s skin seems to ground her. The confirmation from the silver-eyed girl’s senses is undeniable proof of Penny’s presence.

Penny: Yes, it’s me. I may look different but it’s still me. Not a copy, or fake, I’m the same girl you met in Vale.

She chimes sweetly, her tone so much more mature than Ruby remembered but so genuine is hard not to believe her. Still, her mind just can’t comprehend it.

Ruby: But how? There’s no way anyone could have survived that.

Penny: No human would have but as you know, I’m not a normal girl.

She remarks, calling back to a conversation they had so long ago. This flares a spark of recognition in Ruby but still, shades of doubt remain.

Ruby: But how are you-This is-you’re still-How are you even in one piece?

She asks, realization finally getting through but also giving way to panicked curiosity. Penny had a feeling this would happen, with how Ciel went straight into denial after seeing her again it was only logical that Ruby would react the same if not worse. But Penny was better prepared this time, she stays calm and tries to explain her recovery.

Penny: Well that’s all thanks to-

Pietro: That would be my doing!

Pietro interrupts, having sauntered outside while no one was looking. Penny lights back up with excitement again, this was perfect timing!

Penny: Dad!

She dashes over to his side, bending down to give him a quick hug before standing at his side.

Ruby: Dad?

Ruby asks quizzically, utterly perplexed at how an android could have a father. And she’s not alone in this, the rest of her companions also seem surprised at this sudden development. Noting the confusion on their faces, the father-daughter duo decide it’s time to make a formal introduction.

Penny: Oh right! You’ve never met! Everyone, this is my dad, Atlas’s leading robotics engineer and head of humanoid prosthetics, Dr. Pietro Polendina!

She announces proudly while gesturing to her dad.

Pietro: Thank ya, Sweetpea.

He acknowledges, matching Penny’s cheerful energy.

Pietro: It’s nice to meet you all, always happy to meet my sweet baby’s friends.

He chimes. The group still seems very confused and unsettled by the miraculous recovery of what they believed to be a deceased friend. Thus Ruby persists and continues her questioning.

Ruby: Uh, nice to me you Mr..or eh..Dr. Polendina. I’m Ruby and I, uh….Sorry but how did you manage to bring Penny back after she was.…you know?

Pietro: Well young lady the short answer to that is…she wasn’t.

Ruby:….What?!

Ruby’s jaw drops, surprise and bewilderment spreading through the party of huntsmen as Pietro continues.

Pietro: Her body may have suffered a lot of damage but her brain and soul chamber were still intact. Even with much of her frame in pieces, her mind and soul were still connected. She couldn’t move or wake up but Penny was still very…very much alive.

He states, voice turning somber the more he explains. Penny grips his shoulder softly, she knew he hated talking about this but would do so to spare her from reliving those nightmarish moments herself. It was the least he could do to protect his daughter after failing to do so when she needed him the most, or so he told himself.

Ruby:…No way.

Ruby looks down, horror creeping into her confused gaze as the implications of what Pietro just said set in. Seeing her further deflating mood Penny tries to turn the situation around by changing the subject.

Penny: I understand that this is a lot to process. It’s late, and I don’t know about you but I have had a very tiring evening and would like to get some rest. Dad and I haven’t had dinner yet so how about we all go have a nice meal to—

The sound of car tires striking to a halt cuts her off as Ruby and her friends are bathed in the blinding beams of headlights, a large military vehicle parked at the end of the street blocking it completely. The group throws their arms up to cover their faces, Maria skittering away back to the sidewalk as her newly repaired eyes twitch from the sudden overstimulation. As they try to shield themselves from the light, a figure exits the vehicle.

???: Got eyes on the suspects, get ready to engage.

A masculine voice says, there is a chime of “Yes Sir,” from the vehicle before four more figures emerge from the military trunk. Still unseen in the light one moves forward, Ruby and her friends get into a defensive stance, gripping their weapons, and moving closer together they ready themselves for a confrontation. But they don’t even get the chance to move as the figure barks out an order to them.

???: Stay!

A different male voice demands, it’s much more raspy and loud, the voice seeming to echo through all that fall under the figures line of sight. All at once Ruby and her friends froze in place, unable to move from the position they were standing in.

???: Sit!

The voice commands again, and the group drops their weapons and falls to the ground. They’re bodies going limp as they slowly slump onto the road. Once they’re down the heavy headlights go off and another figure zips forward, another following close behind. In a flash, the group is sat upright and handcuffed then large glowing limbs swipe up their weapons. With the blinding light gone, the figures become visual and Penny recognizes them immediately.

From their customized military uniforms and distinct abilities it was easy to tell who these people were.

These were the Ace Ops, the top huntsmen in the kingdom.

In terms of strength, they were on par with Winter, who worked them semi-regularly. Though they rarely stay in the kingdom nowadays, after the fall of global communication and Vale many places allied with Atlas suffered from huge emotional spikes. With tenses high and communication lost missions that once took only days now take nearly two weeks. They were scheduled to come back a while ago but only just got back to the border less than a few days ago. Penny was too caught up in her own problems to give the news much thought.

Until now.

As the two operatives, Harriet Bree and Vine Zeki, catch the terms for hidden weapons or contraband the other members come forward to assist. The first figure, a male husky faunus Marrow Amin, relaxes from his authoritative stance and slouches, rubbing his shoulder as if he just dropped a huge weight off him. Once his posture shifts the detained teens regain control of their bodies, earning Harriet an elbow to the face from Yang while trying to remove her prosthetic arm.

Harriet: Ah! Damn it Marrow! You said you could hold it!

She shouts, holding her nose with one hand and trying to keep the firefly blonde still with the other.

Marrow: Sorry! It’s hard to hold so this people at once.

He apologizes, tail dropping in dismay at his mistake. He apologizes, tail dropping in dismay at his mistake. Realizing they could move again, the group began to struggle against their restraints. Nora is the first to back to her feet but doesn’t get far as the Ace Ops' own hammer wielder Elm Ederne picks her up by her cuffs.

Ren: Nora!

Ren cries out as Elma pucks the girl off the ground and tosses her over her right shoulder.

Elm: Ah, ah, no running for you you little crook. Don’t want Harry on your tail again.

The massive woman chides, wagging a disapproving finger at the pink-clad redhead before noticing Nora’s partner in crime at her feet. He had managed to get up on his knees and was looking at her fiercely. Sensing his protectiveness over the girl Elm doesn’t even give Ren a chance to fight or talk, scooping him up before he can try to stop her.

Elm: Aw, aren’t you just a cutie!

She coos sweetly before tossing Ren over her other shoulder.

Elm: Look, guys! I got a crime couple over here!

She chimes before setting off back to the truck like an energetic puppy carrying a couple of huge sticks in its jaw.

The sight of her friend and her companions being detained snaps Penny out of her stunned state and she rushes over to intervene. Heading straight for their leader Clover Ebi as he’s about to have Ruby hauled away.

Penny: Excuse me!

She shouts, dashing in between Clover and Ruby. Clover almost flinches at Penny’s sudden appearance, surprised by her speedy movements. But he doesn’t let that phase him and stands on business.

Clover: Please step aside, this is an active arrest, any interference is punishable by law.

He stated frankly, voice even but firm.

Penny: I’m aware of that. May I ask why they are being arrested? And by such high-ranking officers? Surely top huntsmen wouldn’t be sent out for an ordinary infraction.

She asks pointedly, again surprising Clover with her awareness of the group’s rank. He looks her over and can tell she’s no ordinary person. She looks oddly familiar and has this air of strength around her unlike anything he’s ever felt before. But Clover knows better than to show his hand without sneaking a peak at his opponent’s cards, so he carries on with the by-the-books officer act.

Clover: That’s classified military information. Can’t tell you without proper clearance.

He says, less as a point of fact but rather a challenge. To this Penny pulls out her military ID, a one-of-a-kind version created for her as both a high-ranking officer and military asset. She hands it to him and after looking it over Clover finally recognizes her.

Clover: You’re….the super soldier. The artificial human, Penny Polendina, aren’t you?

Penny: Correct.

Clover:…..Wow.

He replies before handing back the ID, slightly awestruck to meet the marvel of technology herself. Though Penny doesn’t share that enthusiasm at the moment, her friends’ tense situation dulling her usually optimistic energy as the conversation proceeds.

Clover: It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard good things.

Penny: I would like to say the same and would if you weren’t arresting my friends.

Clover: Wait, you know these people?

He gestures to the group as they’re being rounded up.

Penny: Several of them I know personally and one is my best friend. Why are you arresting them?

Clover: Well to put it lightly……Illegal entry to the city, aircraft piracy, trespassing on military property, theft of military property, and suspicion of terrorism.

Penny’s jaw drops, mouth agape as Clover reads the list of charges to her.

Penny:……what?

She asks incredulously, absolutely stunned by what she’s just heard. Understanding her surprised reaction, Clover sighs then reaches out a hand and clasps her shoulder as he clarifies the situation her friends have gotten themselves in.

Clover: They stole an airship from a military hanger and flew it here without permission. Ironwood called us in because they’re also suspects in the border mecha incident. We managed to track them down after we found the ship through the security drones, so there’s no doubt.

He pulls out his scroll and shows her the footage from the drone. It’s not the best quality but she could still make out Ruby’s face and her companion's figures, them leaving the airship in a non-designated location in an apparent hurry.

Penny: Oh my goodness.

She mutters, unable to come to grips with what her friends have been accused of.

No not just accused. There was hard evidence that they had hijacked a military airship and broken into the city during a time of great panic!

But why?

What reason could they have had to do this? Sure, it’s not as easy to get into the kingdom as it used to be but committing multiple grade-A felonies should have never been an option!

And it’s not as if it could have been their first or last choice for entry.

Qrow is a high-ranking huntsman from an allied kingdom, he has enough authority to at least request assistance or even make an appointment with Ironwood to be cleared. Yang has a custom Atlas-made prosthetic that was issued recently enough to be in the system, she could have gotten a medical pass if she let them scan the serial number. And Weiss was a registered citizen of the kingdom from its most elite family, she could have easily requested entry to return home or even to her sister’s custody! All they had to do was wait to be vetted under any of those reasons and they’d be able to legally enter the city in a few days at the most!

Penny: How did this happen? Why did this happen?! Why in the world did they do this?!

She questions inwardly, absolutely bewildered at how the evening had turned from her slicing through a stampede of grimm to witnessing her best friend get arrested for crimes that carry up to a ten-year sentence.

Still, she couldn't just leave them like this, not without knowing what was really going on.

Penny: I…..May I come with them? It’s late, they have no council and need someone to plead their case.

She asks, uncertain but unable to leave the situation as it is. Clover cocks his head at the request, but sensing her determination and sympathizing with her circumstances he relents, wanting to see where this absurd situation goes.

Clover: Okay, but you’re riding up front with us.

He orders, gesturing towards the transport truck.

Penny: Thank you so much.

She replies politely before quickly running back to her dad to inform him of her departure.

Penny: I’m going up with them, have dinner without me. I’ll be home later, bye!

She proclaims quickly before turning tail toward the transport trunk. Having no time to reply Pietro just waves to her as she goes.

Good god, how is this the second time this year that he’s had to watch his daughter run off into the night to help someone she cared for? And this time was a whole lot worse than the last, Whitley was just sneaking out like an average teenager but this bunch was getting manhandled by the law for, from what he could catch from a distance, a whole list of charges.

Pietro: Just what is this world coming to?

He bemoans, shaking his head as he watches them depart for the upper city.

Maria: So, wanna grab something to eat?

She asks nonchalantly. As if the pint-sized former huntress hadn’t just avoided arrest and let her young travel companions get detained while she said nothing. Pietro just hand his head and facepalms, he could feel a migraine coming on.

As the group roll out and make way to Atlas, Penny reaches out to Ironwood to tell him the identity of the so-called “terrorists” he just had arrested. Turning the call on speaker Penny explains the situation from her point of view.

Ironwood: Are you sure it was them?

He asks, a hint of surprise lacing his usually uniform tone.

Penny: Yes. The Ace Ops have footage of them leaving the ship and going through the city on foot. I don’t know why they did this but they did.

She laments. There’s silence on the other end for a moment followed by a deep sigh.

Ironwood:……I see.

He states dryly, another long pause following as all six of the huntsmen listen on. They could practically hear their commander pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Ironwood: Penny, report to my office immediately upon landing.

He orders. Penny nods in agreement.

Penny: Yes sir.

Ironwood: Good. And Clover.

Clover: Yes sir?

Ironwood: Have them examined for injuries and their weapons checked before sending them my way.

He commands. Clover blinks, medical exams weren’t part of the usual procedure but then again wasn’t shaping up to be a normal arrest either. He flicks his clover pin before nodding along.

Clover: We’ll swing by the medical wing as soon as we land.

Ironwood: Oh and tell the dorm head to prepare three rooms, two team rooms, and one private.

Now that makes everyone raise an eyebrow. Suspects, especially ones facing such heavy charges, were held in holding cells not with the populous of the kingdom’s Huntsman Academy!

Curious now, Clover inquires further. Wondering what about this group could have spurned the logical and straightforward General Ironwood away from his usual way of handling things.

Clover: And may I ask why a group of highjackers need military lodging?

He half-jokes, not knowing that the general's reply would beat any punchline he could think of.

Ironwood: Because those “highjackers” are guests of the military who just made the worst entrance possible.

He quips, a small smile rising onto his face as he chuckles softly. Penny, Clover, and the rest of the Ace Ops stare slack-jawed at the scroll in pure disbelief, their journey to the academy taking a hard turn so fast the mood itself had whiplash.

[etruatcaelum]

Henrietta tilts her head, back and forth, lips pursed. Choice, in a manner of speaking. But:

“D’you know,” she says, in a more neutral tone than before, less abrasive, “grimm aren’t near as much of a problem outside the kingdoms? Maybe it’s down to population density. Maybe you city people are just more depressed, I don’t know, but out in the country I’d rank grimm well below bandits, droughts, fires, bad storms, and rats on a list of things to worry about.

“They’re opportunistic scavengers who come sniffing around after raiders lead ’em to settlements, and now and then they’ll try their luck. Long as everyone keeps their heads on it’s more a nuisance than anything. And when everyone in town knows you can kill a grimm with one good hard blow to the center, no one’s much inclined to panic when a couple beowolves turn up.”

She shrugs.

“That’s what I mean. Grimm aren’t special—well, maybe this Salem woman.” Her expression darkens for a moment. “But your average grimm? Pitchfork to the chest is all it takes. Thinkin' it’s a choice of ‘rely on huntsmen’ or ‘fight every day to survive’ as if you can’t know how to kill a grimm and live your life is what teaches folks to panic, you see?”

"No, of course not," Weiss says, rolling her eyes. "But not everyone wants to fight to survive. Some people just want to live their lives without worrying about the grimm."

She can't see it, but then, she's never been one for sticking her head in the sand and pretending everything is alright. Not when she can do something about it.

"No one is saying they have to rely on huntsmen. They can learn to fight for themselves, if they want to. They have a choice."

Granted, a lot of it depends on how you're raised. But then, Weiss had been raised to be the perfect little rich doll, and she's here with everyone else now. Fighting alongside them because she chose to.

Anyone else can choose to do so as well.

[volapuke]

Conlang Year Biweekly Update - II

And actually on schedule this time!

Days 17 and 18 - Solidifying Syllable Structures (alliteration!!!)

For Day 17 I came up with 22 nonce words between 1 and 4 syllables to test syllable structures:

Monosyllabic: a; at; kep; ɓak; tua; kiu; siat; ian; aur; srul; dli; kiat

Disyllabic: sibil; biziaz; ɗalaɗ; guaguak; ɗiikik; nuunua

Trisyllabic: azgiaɗaa; iauaii; ugaadii

Tetrasyllabic: ziiziigurun (the source of the name for the temple complex found in this story)

After I did that, I solidified my syllable structure as the following:

(C)(RV/V/VV)(C) max syllables, which means that a word can start with any consonant, the nucleus can consist of one vowel, a resonant and vowel, or two vowels.

One caveat to this is that an implosive cannot occur in a CRV scenario (or moreso if it does occur it will undergo a sound change to turn it into a non-implosive voiced stop)

And as for stress, it always occurs on the final syllable of a word.

Days 19-25 - Basic Terminology

These seven days were dedicated to forming roots, so I generated roots for many common objects brought to and found on the Atlantean continent.

The five body parts I came up with words for were the hands (miinikui); the feet (aakiin); the eyes (zaaɗuguan); the chest (nuuguu); and the face (piigii). Represented on this lovely diagram i made:

I also came up with terrain words

Mountain - niinaa

Valley - abɗuguam

River - liliti

Lagoon - uulkaiɓu

Ocean - ɓudaantai

Weather words:

Rain - zidtaaba

Thunder - aaguna

Flood - iaɗaazuior

Sun - kiiliuz

Fog - kurkuiz

Flora and fauna words:

Trees (especially the Atlantean Laurel - Laurus Atlantica, which has been selectively bred so the fruit is edible) - iilukan

Wheat - aakiiliir

Figs (also dates) - suutuuɓui

Olives - kiiliiion (yes that's three 'i's in a row)

Lentils - uukion

Dogs - uuzikau

Birds - baardutaɓi

Cats - miiriaau

Cattle - iikuuio

Fish - iiskuunia

And finally some verbs:

to hunt sth. - imikun

to eat sth. - riiktuun

to break sth. - asun

to mold/shape/bend sth. - iaktul

to burn sth. - miispatul

to run - laama

to swim - nuusti

to sail - uɗduun

to stand - aatik

to speak - iusmi

Days 26-28 - Sound Change Exploration

I already have a rudimentary idea of how I want the language to evolve. In terms of Assimilatory SCs, plosives will assimilate in voice and place with other plosives as in iaktul -> iattul, zidtaaba -> zittaaba, and uɗduun -> udduun. There's also a Grimm's law style cascade where implosives become voiced plosives become unvoiced plosives become fricatives, with s and z turning into affricates depending on palatalization. Exact specifics will be worked out later but my general plan is as follows:

As for other sound changes, I have plans to have diphthongs undergo a reanalyzation to liquid and vowel sequences. More will be determined over the next few weeks, and in the meantime, stay tuned!

[drugastraian]

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https://www.dactylion.ro/jocuri-jucarii

[whattolearntoday]

A bit of December 20th history...

1606 - The English colonial expedition to America departs London to found Jamestown, VA

1803 - French flag lowered in New Orleans to mark the formal transfer of the Louisiana Purchase from France to the US for $27 million

1812 - “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” or “Children’s and Household Tales” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is 1st published 

1860 - South Carolina declared an “independent commonwealth” and secedes from the Union - 1st state to do so

1922 - 14 republics form Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (USSR)

1990 - The world’s 1st website and server go live at CERN

2007 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes oldest ever monarch of the UK, surpassing Queen Victoria who lived 81 years

2019 - United States Space Force founded, an armed forces branch dedicated to space warfare (pictured)

[midnightsun-if]

Hello! I would like to request number 13."What makes your OC feel safe and secure?" for mr.Grimm if possible?

What makes your OC feel safe and secure?

Grimm feels safe and secure in two places. The first being Fire & Brimstone, as he knows, despite Cinder’s prickly exterior and harsh words, that she’d never let anything happen to him, he always likes being near all that warmth and activity — the sound of Cinder’s muttered curses, the clang of metal on metal, and just typical ambient noises — make him feel at ease.

The other is in his house, curled up with his cat, on the sofa, reading a book with a cup of tea beside him. It’s his own area, his own favorite activities, and that makes him settle when he doesn’t feel like interacting with the outside world.

[megaera-of-pigeon]

Chapter 9 of The Grimm Game has been posted!

[rwby-owns-my-life]

A screenshot(?) redraw.

[vylithscat]

their colognes and smells - obey me! hcs

prompt: you’ve spent your time around demons, angels and even a human sorcerer so often that you've begun picking up the smells that signal they're nearby. genre: general, slight fluff, you/your pronouns pairings: bros, dateables (minus luke) & sides word count: 1.5k

Lucifer doesn’t pile on his cologne, he prefers a lighter one with faint traces of citrus and cedarwood. As long as the scent will get you clinging to his side and commenting on it, he’ll try it once. His chest puffs out slightly each time you do, a smile tugging on his lips as he mumbles a thank you. When he isn’t going out, and your face is buried into the crook of his neck as he works, you can pick up traces of the ink he uses and a faint hint of rose and lilac. It’s almost dizzying how well everything gently mixes together, and it helps you drift to sleep in his lap before he carries you to his bed.

_____

Mammon’s cologne is the heaviest of anyone around you. You can tell when he’s approaching, and when he’s found his way next to you. He often prefers smells that are pleasing to you; warm and an after scent of spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. It compliments him well and doesn’t hurt your nostrils. Despite how much he piles on, when it finally begins to dwindle and you stuff your face into his hair, you can smell Grimm. It’s subtle, carefully acknowledging how much of his time is spent around the currency. The metal doesn’t burn, and the paper smell of it is all the more subtle, but you can still smell what he’s around the most, besides you.

_____

Leviathan never really wears cologne. He finds it stupid and a waste of his time, adding some random scent to yourself. If you like it, he won’t care, but he’ll snip a comment about his brother’s cologne from time to time, especially if they pile it on and burn his nose. Since he doesn’t wear any, the only thing you can smell when you’re laying with him is shampoo. A gentle mix of hibiscus and mint greets your nose when you rest your head near the demon, the scent grows a slight bit stronger if you mess with his hair and his chirp of embarrassment sends a smile across your face.

_____

Satan doesn’t care much about cologne and sticks to the same one if he likes its fragrance. The only time he’ll try something new is if you hum over a different bottle’s scent. It’s applied sparingly but you can tell when he’s around. He often prefers earthy, woody scents that carefully compliment each other. When it’s faint and the two of you are together, carefully wrapped up in blankets, you can smell his books and their papers gently wafting off of him. It was like waves, carefully cascading over you and helping you feel at peace as you nuzzled deeper into the blankets, stirring the demon next to you with a soft groan.

_____

Asmodeus prefers perfume over the smell of cologne. The smell is more intense and concentrated, and has more pleasing scents to him. He prefers the floral scents, as they’re more common, but won’t hesitate to try something new or even lend you one if your interest is piqued. When he isn’t wearing anything, which is rather rare, he smells like a freshly run bath, the smell of eucalyptus relaxing your body as if you stepped into a spa. A faint trace of rose petals will often compliment it, the smells mixing together perfectly to help lure you to sleep.

_____

Beelzebub rarely ever puts on cologne. He doesn’t mind it, but it’s not his thing in the slightest, but he doesn’t need it. When you’re walking, you can tell when he's soon to follow. A light trace of meats follows him anywhere. Anything he eats will often be picked up by him, and it will all carefully compliment each other throughout the day until he ends up falling asleep. Even as he sleeps, a new day of foods and sweets follows him, mixing to make the most delicious smelling meal you could think of.

_____

Belphegor doesn’t wear cologne. Doesn’t care for it, never has. However, he doesn’t need to care about adding a scent onto him, as he always smells like fresh linen, a gentle trace of freshly cut grass and morning dew following. The smell is the strongest at his waist and hair, and if you were to bury your face in to pick up more of it, you would hear a soft giggle escape the demon’s lips before he tried to hold onto you. The smell helps you feel at ease and will make you sleepy, even more so if he curls himself around you.

_____

Diavolo wears a lot of cologne, it overpowers those around him but its scent is lovely. It’s the scent of amberwood, carefully brushing against you when he comes up to greet you. When it finally dims, and the scent is faint, you can smell a mix of ink, tea and demonus. On some days, the ink and tea is stronger, and freshly out of a party, all you can smell is demonus. When all together, they come at you in waves, none too strong, but not too subtle. You know he was hard at work when ink hits you first, the scent stronger than anything else.

_____

Barbatos wears colognes that are heavy but refreshing when he passes by. He prefers those that smell like citrus and fruit, his favorite is a careful blend of apple, lemon and plum with a gentle amount of floral following it. When it becomes faint, it compliments the teas he owns that he picks as he goes about his day. The occasional day where he’s in the kitchen, cooking his heart out, his cologne manages to mix together perfectly with his food, especially those of the sweeter kind. When you’re able to huddle close to him, every scent will fill your mind and make you forget what you were doing for a second, until he coaxes you to a seat to serve you, even for a brief moment.

_____

Simeon wears his cologne very sparingly. His preferred type smells the most like sage and rosewood, and it compliments the smell of bread that often follows him. Considering where he lives, it’s not much of a surprise he smells like food. Although bread is the strongest, focusing in and nuzzling your face into his side brings out the sweeter, gentler scents. He may smell like a freshly baked pie or a cupcake depending on the day, but they all manage to mix together into the perfect combination.

_____

Solomon has been through a dozen different colognes throughout his life, and he’s managed to settle on one that’s gentle on those around him. Its strongest scents are cucumber and camelia, carefully mixing together to compliment each other. When it dims and you’re curled up studying with him, he smells like a different mix of woods, almost like you had stepped into a forest. In the morning, if you stayed with him overnight, you can often smell coffee and caramel wafting off him. The woods are still there, making you bury your face into his shoulder to mix everything together into the perfect cabin getaway.

_____

Raphael’s cologne is another of the lighter scents. He doesn’t pile it on, which makes it hard to pick up the amber and citrus from him, but if you’re able to get close enough, it’ll all mix together nicely. Coming by to visit him at night will greet you with a gentle lavender scent, if he’s freshly out of the shower, it’s even stronger. Messing with his hair will have you hum as it rolls off a little stronger than before. He often gently grumbles and glances at you, asking if you’d like to see what he uses. Aside from his hair, it’s subtle on his shoulders and back, making it a little easier to catch the scent.

_____

Thirteen has never worn perfume or cologne, she finds putting it on a little stupid. The only way to convince her is during some big event, and even then, she may not agree. In general, she smells like a field of grass and flowers, almost like she had just walked through one. When you first met her though, she smelled like nothing. A faint trace of iron and sulfur floating around her, but not overpowering any earthy or rock smells from her cave. She’s always a dice roll on what she could smell like, day after day, you’re greeted with something new, but you always smell a subtle amount of grass when near her.

_____

Mephistopheles wears a heavy amount of cologne that it burns ever so slightly. His favorite smells strongly of oakmoss, cedarwood and musk, and it overpowers other smells around you when it’s fresh in the morning. As the day goes on, and his cologne is barely clinging on, when you get closer to him a trace of demonus brushes your nose and sends you looking back at him. He may snap at you when you stare for too long, but the prideful look on his face when you compliment his cologne sends a smile to your lips. The strongest scent of his cologne and the demonus can be found at his jaw and crook of his neck, but good luck getting that close out of nowhere.

[justplainwhump]

Raid

Adrian takes part in a WRU raid.

[pet safety masterpost]

[< prev] [next >]

Content / warning: BBU, frankly discussed noncon (by whumpers), implied forced prostitution, WRU things, reacquisition teams, biting, beating. It starts very fluffy, but most of this is in fact very much not.

Slowly, Adrian and Bea began to develop a routine. Marta helped, from a distance, sharing what she knew from years of safehouse work and adapting it to Adrian's reality.

Physical activities, she had recommended. Touch that is affectionate, yet not physical. Defining and defending boundaries for each of them.

It was a challenging journey for both of them, but Adrian found himself enjoying the ride.

Bea helped with and prepared cooking. She didn't have any words for it, and barely any memory, but there was definitely some physical memory to kitchen assistance - with the slight drawback, that that had been with full vision, as they'd learned the hard way when she'd seriously cut herself while chopping onions, and the ER had sent them off because they wouldn't treat pets.

From then on, there were weekly therapy sessions for Bea, a work therapist (WRU-licence for work with pets) visiting them at home and teaching her how to deal with her vision impairment.

Bea refused to leave the apartment without him, but he taught her how to order groceries via app and she took over that task, too.

And then, there was dancing.

Every day after Adrian came home from work, he'd put on a playlist and they'd dance in the small space of his living room for almost an hour. Bea was a great dancer - of course she was, he thought grimly, nobody came out of WRU's training who didn't have perfectly sensual movements and flexibility. But she also seemed to genuinely enjoy it.

They danced Salsa, New York style, and Bea took to it like a fish to water. When he was at work, she browsed YouTube playlists he'd set up for her to find new combinations or try out stylings and decorations, and after he had been the one to teach her for their first two or three sessions, the roles were quickly reversed and she became the teacher.

"That pet really does wonders on you," his colleague at work said. "Haven't gotten laid enough before, huh?"

"She's fantastic," Adrian would reply then, nonchalantly enough not to provoke any follow up questions, and he'd hate that it was true. He was better.

Happier.

Of course, this didn't last long.

---

Adrian was just filing away the reports on his last uneventful inspection, humming the tune of a Salsa song, when his phone rang.

"Hey, Delgado," Kelly's voice was pressed. "Need you for a raid downtown. Illegal brothel, WRU pets involved. Police have requested a WRU team to deal with them. Dispatching three handlers and you. Departure in five. You'll answer to Grimm."

Grimm. The asshole who'd performed 'quality assurance' on Bea. It was even more sickening to imagine now, than it had been back then.

"Grimm and I aren't exactly-"

She cut him off. "You're both professionals, Adrian. He's the most senior employee on the team. Deal with it." She'd hung up, before he could add anything.

Cussing, Adrian grabbed his protective gear and jogged to the car park.

"PSI Delgado," Grimm greeted him, as he eased himself in the back of the van. "What an unpleasant surprise. I don't exactly need moral guidance to raid a house full of second hand Romantics."

"Seems our bosses think you do." Demonstratively, Adrian reached to his chest and turned on the body cam. "Pet Safety means to keep WRU property safe and well-kept. Would be a shame for the company if that weren't your highest prerogative."

Grimm clicked his tongue. "How's your own little whore anyway, eh? You keeping her safe and well-fucked? Or you defending your moral-superiority-slash-virginity against her?"

Adrian grabbed the handle over the door as the van went into a sharp curve. "What happens in my bedroom is none of your business."

"Ah, I see." He chuckled. "Nothing much, then. She's fun when you get her to scream, you know? Three fingers up the ass should do the job."

Adrian forced himself to remain calm. "What about the mission, Grimm?"

"Illegal brothel, bunch of whores with bar codes on their wrists. Police are coming in for the gangsters running it, need us to secure and seize the pets."

"How many?"

"Half dozen Romantics. Guard Dog or two." Grimm smirked. "My handlers and I will handle the Romantics, so you don't need to burden yourself with that depravity."

"Called the wife already, not to wait up," one of the other handlers chimed in. "Going to be a long night evaluating the products. We'll need to make sure they're still functional."

"While Delgado here can check if the Guard Dogs are still functional," Grimm added cheerfully. "Excellent team work."

"Truly." Adrian grinned at him darkly. "Always a pleasure working with other departments."

In his pocket, a burner phone was holding connection to his sister's, continuously sending his location data in the background.

---

It was worse than he'd expected.

Somehow, it always was.

None of the Romantics were registered to the brothel's owners. Runaways, who had either been collected off the streets by criminals or even taken the job up by themselves, earning money by doing the one thing they thought they were good at.

All of them had one thing in common - they were terrified seeing the dark gray WRU uniforms.

Some of them folded into Respect position even without the command, crying and whimpering.

Some tried to make a run for it.

Like the young man Adrian was pinning to the wall right now, barely twenty, high cheekbones, tousled black hair that fell down his back. His translucent robe hid nothing, not the too thin shape of his body, nor the bruises on his neck and thighs.

"Please," he whimpered. "Please, Sir, no, I can't go back, I'll do anything, please."

Adrian pressed him closer into the wall and leaned in. The boy reacted by curving his body against him, baring his neck, trying to rub his ass at Adrian's crotch.

Adrian squirmed. No. He couldn't do this. "See that window to our right?" he hissed. "There's a roof underneath. You hit me, get out there, down, two left turns, there's a red car. Get there, and you'll be safe."

From the end of the corridor, someone whistled. "Delgado trying to get some after all, huh? Need help?"

Adrian flipped the handler off, while he wrestled the pet's legs apart with his knee in an effort to show her what she expected to see. "Not help, fucking privacy would be nice!"

She chuckled. "Sure thing. We help each other, don't we? Be quick." He heard her press a button on her radio. "First floor clear."

Adrian reached for his own pants, pulled open his belt, while watching her leave.

His lips brushed over the boy's ear. "Got it?"

"Sure." The boy pushed back his ass. "I give you a good time and you look away for a second," he purred.

"No. You don't give me anything," Adrian said sharply. "No time. You hit me, you get to the red car. You ran away once, you do it again. Now."

He loosened his grip, and luckily, the kid had understood.

He spun around and punched him in the stomach, then a knee between the legs.

Adrian's loud whine wasn't entirely fake, as he stumbled back and rolled up on the floor. The kid stared at him for a second, and then darted towards the window Adrian had indicated, long hair flying past him like a flag.

Adrian counted to five, before he hit the button of the radio and yelled "Fuck! One got away!"

He just prayed it was true.

"One whore doesn't matter," Grimm's voice cracked in the radio. "Found the jackpot down here, be useful for once, Delgado. Basement, now."

Adrian pushed himself back to his knees. His cheek throbbed where the kid's punch had landed, not much more, but the kick between the legs had been hard. He groaned, as he started to limp towards the stairs.

The police had mostly retreated, a bunch of well dressed people loaded in the back of police trucks, some other officers carrying out computers from upstairs.

Adrian's colleagues however were in the basement, where a group of four trembling pets was huddled up behind a huge Guard Dogs shielding them against the handlers. He was growling lowly, swinging a long iron bar in one hand.

The handlers kept safe distance at the bottom of the stairs, shock batons and guns ready.

"Why don't you just shoot the dude?", the woman who'd been upstairs with Adrian demanded.

"Big guy is worth a mill," Grimm said lowly. "Top grade. Has titanium enforcements and shit. Reacquisition have been on the lookout for him for months. He'll go to refurb in mint condition, and still be on the larger end of six figures."

"Go. Away," the Guard Dog growled.

"Ressource guarding." Adrian mumbled. "Classic side effect of that sort of conditioning. Question is, does he defend all of them, or just one."

"Check the files." Grimm gestured at one of the handlers. "Did one of them escape with him?"

"Twink at the left. Not even a Romantic by designation. Domestic. Valet to their owner. Worth... neglectable."

"Huh." Grimm raised his gun and fired.

The gunshot echoed from the walls, deafening by itself, multiplied by the inhuman scream that rose from the Guard Dog's throat when the Domestic went down.

He lunged forward, at the same moment something pushed into Adrian's back.

Adrian only had time to draw his shock baton before the Guard Dog was on him, metal teeth sinking into the armour on his neck, digging through it, tearing skin and flesh. Grimm, he dimly thought. Fucking Grimm had pushed him in the line of attack.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't even raise his arm with the baton, could only scream, as the man on top of him shook his head with Adrian's neck between his teeth.

Punches rained down on the Guard Dog, vibrating in Adrian's body, his bones, his skull, everywhere. He couldn't see straight, everything a foggy blur, the only thing sharp the teeth in his neck.

There were calls around him, screams and footsteps and groans, and then finally, finally a heavy weight sinking down on him, a release of the stinging hold of his neck, and the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.

---

When Adrian came to in the hospital the first time, it was for some minutes to a doctor changing the IV bag.

The second time was at night, when he woke up disoriented, trembling from a nightmare about Eric wearing a translucent robe, kissing his neck, then turning into a zombie biting him. Adrian's trembling fingers found a thick bandage around his neck. He rang the nurse for painkillers.

The third time, late in the morning, it was to Handler Grimm sitting in a chair next to his bed.

He closed his eyes, hoping to sleep again and make him go away.

It didn't work.

"Morning, Delgado," Grimm said cheerfully. "Man, you really went all in for the team there, didn't you?"

"Fuck you," Adrian rasped. "You fucking threw me to him as.... as bait."

"You wore armor," Grimm said with a shrug. "And you messed up right before. Plus, you're a fucking pain in the ass." He clasped Adrian's shoulder, and Adrian gasped in pain as it tore at the fresh wound. "And it worked out. I'll cash in the reacquisition bonus, and both of us will keep silent about the details, eh? I'll get you a share."

"What... about the pets?"

"Got more than half of them. They're on the Drip as we speak. Your cutie is still on the run, but don't worry, they all get picked up sooner or later. Until then, I'll make sure you'll get a little solace."

Adrian groaned, and Grimm just chuckled. "Was good working with you, eh? Cheers, PSI Delgado."

Adrian passed out, came back, and passed out again.

Somewhere in between, in the fleeting moments of consciousness, he felt someone curl up at his side, gentle hands brushing over his skin.

"I'm with you," a soft voice whispered. "I'm with you, Adrian Delgado, and I'm keeping you safe." She hummed against his skin, the cheerful tune of a Salsa song.

This time, when he fell asleep, he smiled.

--

---

tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @gottawhump @flowersarefreetherapy @whumplr-reader @highwaywhump @tauntedoctopuses @pigeonwhumps @whumppsychology @labgrowndemon n @whumpinggrounds @somewhumpyguy @whumpzone @tragedyinblue

[bestworstcase]

thinking abt sc searching for the relic at beacon is also hilarious bc it’s. like

gee.

i wonder if this random little circular ruin in the middle of the grimm infested forest where ozpin sends first year students to choose “relics” that not so secretly determine the composition of their teams might have something to do with where he’s hidden the RELIC of CHOICE

(bonus points if those ruins are ruins of the ozlem kingdom and ozpin buried the crown there for the symbolism of it all.)

[xamassed]

⟬ @fyrewcrks / sc. ⟭

"You here for the answer sheets too?" He had folded himself into a corner, those that were desperate to ace their oncoming exams flocking to him with grimm ready in their hands. "It'll be 1,500g per sheet, ain't negotiatin' the price."

[acircusfullofdemons]

Storybook City sounds so cool!! I know you're focusing on the Wonderland paras right now, but have you thought about the others yet? Is there anything in particular about the world they're living in?? Sorry, if these seem like weird questions, I'm just enthralled right now by the concept!!

YES OH MY GOD!!!!!

This paracosm actually started a WHILE ago, when I re-entered my Jekyll & Hyde phase. So, the only other "section" SC has rn (with semi-fleshed out paras) is called "Victorian Gothic", which has, well, characters from books that fall into the "Victorian Gothic Era". Characters like Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde, Victor Frankenstein, essentially all the Iconic mad scientists are there! (...and those from Dracula....)

The VG Characters, when I first made them, lived in this college dorm/large school? Because, well, most of them are scientists (or, trying to be, anyway).

NOW, however, with the addition of Wonderland, I'm thinking of having a sort of "hub" all the characters can visit, mainly because Wonderland is....another dimension, or something. Idk.

There's also Sleepy Hollow (from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), which is just Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas ngl. They love Ghost Stories. The only one from there thats appeared is Ichabod Crane (who might be a ghost idk yet) & Katrina's descendant, who doesn't have a name atm. But! Ichabod is a salty old man & doesn't like her.

And the most recent location/section is "Ever After", which is where all the Disney Princess live. So, so many kingdoms like WHAT.

This is also lowkey ripping off Ever After High (rip 😔) BUT instead of the descendants having to follow their parents/ancestors paths, they sort of have to....make new fairytales/stories. Like, keeping the cycle going, in a sense?? After they graduate, they have to choose which dimension they wish to live in, be approved, and then HOPEFULLY take part in a new Story. Fun!

OH!!! I'm sorry this is already long BUT! Each dimension/section has a "spokesperson", someone who makes the overall decisions for their dimension. The way its determined is sort of funky, but its usually who's the most "popular"/who gets the most recognition from readers. So, Snow White is Ever Afters spokesperson since she was the first Disney princess to get a movie. Phineas/Mad Hatter is Wonderland's spokesperson & Rosa/Queen of Hearts is SO SALTY about it lmao. The Brothers Grimm (Alder & Beltop) are the....I'm not sure how to say it. They're the spokespeople for SC as a whole? Like. They're the leaders of everyone else, keeping track of which dimensions do what, that sort of thing. Its like if they were the principals & the spokespeople were....assistant principals??

(The Brothers also knew some characters before they became, well, characters. Phineas & Beltop were actually best friends. I think Cinderella & Phineas knew each other before their respective stories, too).

Anyway, I will leave you off with an explanation of how their adventures get turned into Stories. I'll use LIW as an example bc yeah. So. When Alice came back from her first two adventures in both Wonderland & LookingGlassland, she told lots of people (who...didn't believe her, because she was an 8yo Victorian Child who had a very active imagination, probably wrote it off as some vivid dream). But!! One person did believe her, that being Lewis Carroll. Everything she told him, he wrote down into a book, which of course became the one we're all familiar with today. Essentially, A Protagonist must find a Narrator to write down their story for them. Characters have varying opinions on the book events vs irl events (Phineas claims that the tea party scene went on much longer than in the book), but overall they agree that their books/original adaptations are the best adaptations provided.

I hope that satisfies some of your curiosity!! I really didn't know what to write so....I kinda jumped everywhere lmao 😅

[whattolearntoday]

A bit of December 20th history...

1606 - The English colonial expedition to America departs London to found Jamestown, VA

1803 - French flag lowered in New Orleans to mark the formal transfer of the Louisiana Purchase from France to the US for $27 million

1812 - “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” or “Children’s and Household Tales” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is 1st published (pictured)

1860 - South Carolina declared an “independent commonwealth” and secedes from the Union - 1st state to do so

1922 - 14 republics form Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (USSR)

1990 - The world’s 1st website and server go live at CERN

2007 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes oldest ever monarch of the UK, surpassing Queen Victoria who lived 81 years

2019 - United States Space Force founded, an armed forces branch dedicated to space warfare