#seraphim asl

[officialmiintee]

one piece / a what could have been scenario that has been rotting in my brain for a while! Creative notes under!

[hopeworth]

but consider the comedy potential of luffy recruiting seraphim!ace into his crew and being smug at ace (alive or dead) that he finally got his brother to join his crew

[moxie-girl]

seraphim ASL designs (for this fic :3)

[transparent+individual designs under the cut]

[yoru]

i know i’m delusional when i’m hoping that someone got some of ace’s blood off of the marineford battlefield to make a seraphim version of him

[best-non-english-word-torunament]

Round one: NOT-YET, signed vs многоꙮчитїй, mnogoočitii

(poll at the end)

NOT-YET, signed (ASL, American Sign Language)

Translation: NOT-YET

ASL is used in the US and Canada except for Quebec. In total there are 990 000 users, of which 408 000 live in the US. It is part of a language family with sign languages derived from LSF, French sign language. This is the largest sign language family as France was the first country to gather all deaf children and teach them the same sign language. Many countries, including the US, recruited sign teachers for their own deaf schools from France, which means they have a common origin and form a language family. Because they evolve as languages tend to do and are influenced by local village sign languages (a group of deaf people in a community create their own sign language, common where deafness is inherited in one or a few families) or home signs (incomplete signs for a bare minimum of communication that isn’t considered a language, common where a deaf child is surrounded by only hearing people), they diverge and become separate languages. In turn, ASL has become the basis of many sign languages in the Caribbean and Africa, often due to missionaries. Some of them are still called ASL and some are named after the country.

Motivation: Similar to the sign for "late", NOT-YET incorporates tongue placement into the sign which is very fun imo! NOT-YET is often needed for imperfective sentences in ASL and thus serves a very important role linguistically.

многоꙮчитїй, mnogoočitii (Old Church Slavonic)

IPA not found

Translation: many-eyed

Old Church Slavonic is an extinct language that belonged to the Slavic branch of Indo-European languages. It’s closest related to today’s Macedonian and Bulgarian, but was standardised based on the dialect of Slavs living near 9th century Thessaloniki in today’s Greece by missionaries, who translated Christian literature so they could convert people easier. Old Church Slavonic was then used as the liturgical language of various Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches. A later version of the language called Church Slavonic is still in use in churches today.

Motivation: This particular instance of the word appears once in a manuscript from around 1429. It is the book of psalms, and the word is used in the phrase "серафими многоꙮчитїй," to mean "many-eyed seraphim," as in an angel. the "ꙮ", or multiocular o, is one of my favorite Unicode symbols and also symbols in general. In the next version of Unicode it's going to be updated, because it doesn't even have enough eyes as the original manuscript gave it! Looking past the ꙮ fixation, though, I'm a fan of angels and angelic imagery, as well as eye imagery. A single word for "many-eyed" is really cool to me, since I don't recall there being one in English. It's a useful phrase for more than just angels, like spiders, molluscs...

[fwob]

CAN I PLEASEE PLZ PLS GET UR FIC RECS DUDE (can i also rec one; poly philtatos (the most loved by far)

anything for you anon <3 sorry for taking . checks watch . two days .

under the cut cuz i have . A Few

PROJECT: ICARUS - aka the fic thats been absolutely rotting my brain for the past week . luffy dies at marineford except actually just kidding hes still alive but hes a marine pacifista / seraphim / human weapon now . oops ! please read it its so good the first 2 chapters are fucking BRUTAL

put your faith in what you most believe in - luffy gets sick . sabo's understandably worried . this ones a top contender for my fav op fic . i think abt this one CONSTANTLY

literally every taizi fic . yes all of them . i have read every single op fic theyve published . they're all bangers . no exceptions . but i will specifically recommend the previous fic , as well as this one , this one , this one , this one , and this one

wish by spirit and if by yes - sabo visits the whitebeards on revolutionary business . also a top contender for my fav op fic . i REALLY love this one the dynamic is SO good

i know you by the state of your hands - time travel shenanigans

breathe - luffy has a nightmare and an ensuing panic attack and law calms him down . they chat . VERY good i really like this one . the sequel is also good its linked on the fic

asl in red - this whole series is insane . it starts as like "shanks adopts ASL !!!" and then it just goes completely off the rails . like god whats going on . its great tho

ache in the rain (and remember the wounds) - luffy sees ghosts !

luffy's law - i dont know whats really going on in this fic but i fuck with it . will be incorporating multiple things from this fic into any modern au i make in the future

whatever you can still betray - ace has GOT to be a marine spy because nothing he says makes any fucking sense . i really love this one its so fun

finally i get to choose what's wrong (and what is right) - listen . 90% of the time i am FIRMLY against genderbending one character and nobody else . but like . im a fan of this one . also makino has a gun

si c'est un âme - your soulmate's first words to you are written on your body . luffy has 9 phrases on his back . i AM in fact a platonic soulmate enjoyer

blood song - post thriller bark zolu ...... ough

on brotherhood - ageswap , luffy is the older brother

code of misconduct - there's a set of written rules on the thousand sunny . VERY silly fic . very fun

hey, let's get lost (along the way) - luffy , ace , nami , and vivi get lost in alabasta . shenanigans ensue

i can't be selfless - garp invites aokiji to dawn island to help convince luffy to be a marine

god's emperor - shanks meets a young god . this was before 1044 actually like damn girl ur ON that shit

how it should have healed - the aftermath of some of luffy's various injuries

seven deadly sins - trafalgar law's new apartment is haunted by exactly seven (7) ghosts

chasing the remnants - sabo accompanies dragon to loguetown

little monsters - usopp and sanji get captured by marines

of dawn and dreams - i could not tell you what this series is about but its mostly shanks and buggy . its good tho

don't bury me with gold - WORLD NOBLE SABO ....... oughhh this one is so good . i think abt it a lot

sun over the horizon - luffy gives his crew some much-needed affection after a battle

take a step in mine - on their way out of marineford , luffy collapses a little bit earlier . it changes some things

spin a yarn - time travel shenanigans . this whole series makes me completely and utterly insane . read it now

over the course of a day - worlds worst roadtrip

greatest gift of all - luffy is 10 years younger than his brothers

two and a half pirates - luffy is 16 years younger than his brothers

unsinkable - the ocean is luffy's mother . ive seen like 3 different fics with this concept but this one is my favourite

three years, give or take - time travel shenanigans , except it's ace this time

hide the knives - after ace joins the whitebeards , shanks drops by for a party

beginning the next dream - time travel shenanigans . there's a reason it's the most kudosed op fic

make a choice (turncoat hero) - garp accidentally becomes a pirate . whoops !

boy with a scar - luffy vanishes after sabo dies and shows up 4 years later with a slave brand . what kind of man would i be if i didnt include boy with a scar . i love this one a lot

in which higuma doesn't get drunk, even though he really, really wants to - time travel shenanigans

sunflowers - genderfluid luffy ....... god i love transgenderism

pain scale - luffy gets injured and nobody realizes for a while , himself included

sibling sympathies - ace and nami have a chat in alabasta

small changes - id summarize this one but tbh i dont super remember what happens in this one i just remember rlly liking it . its a cora lives au i know that . read it anyways

too bright to see - lusan ..............

i'll keep the king (i'll keep him safe) - EXCEPTIONALLY good luffy whump . very good

of scissors and combs - luffy gets a haircut

and heres four gear fifth fics that i like. id summarize them all but i dont really want to so like . just trust me on this one . read em

also thanks for the rec !! ive been meaning to read that one for weeks thanks for giving me an excuse to finally do it . here's the link for anyone who hasn't read it which you should because it's VERY good

[pluviacuratio-a]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE.

NAME. Arabella Noemi Cesario-Furuya

NICKNAME(S).  Bella, Bells

ALIAS(ES).   Lilith (Villain verse only), Seraphim (Hero verse only)

AGE. 27

SPECIES. Human

PRONOUNS. She/her

ORIENTATION. Bisexual

ZODIAC. Aries

MORAL ALIGNMENT. Chaotic good

ABILITIES / POWERS. Minor healing, small shields

INTERESTS. Music, cooking, books

FEARS. Big dogs, thunderstorms, drowning, open bodies of water, being abandoned, being a failure

GUILTY PLEASURES. Sweets.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES.  Italian, Japanese, English, ASL and JSL

PROFESSION. Verse dependent

BODY TYPE. Chubby, stronger than she looks

COLORS. Purple, blue, pink

DRINKS.  Jasmine tea, fruity teas

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES? Death in the Afternoon

SMOKES? No

EVER BEEN ARRESTED? No

[rockint765]

TAGGED BY: @maxiwaxipad

Nicknames: Tay

Zodiac: Taurus

Height: 5′4″ ish

Hogwarts House: IDK tbh!!

Last Thing I Googled: “seraphim”

Fave Musicians: I rlly like Alec Benjamin, Hayley Kiyoko, and Ben Platt!!

Song Stuck in My Brain: “Other Friends” from the SU movie

Following: 3,549

Followers: 1,113 babey!!!

Do you ever get asks?: VERY occasionally

What are you wearing?: Red t-shirt w a rabbit dressed as Hamlet + black pants

Dream Job: Starring in musicals on Broadway!

Dream Trip: I wanna go to Japan! I’d like to specifically visit the Kawaii Monster Cafe, and Aqua Park Shinagawa!

Instruments: I can sorta play the piano?? + I sing

Languages: I speak English (+ can finger-spell in ASL) n I’m decent at Spanish

Random Fact: I have an extra bone! 

Aesthetic: I rlly like pastels paired w whites and blacks!

TAGGING: @askxsisterxlocation & anyone who wants to!

[agents-of-virtue]

Relationships

So I’ve had some free time between school and work and I’ve been thinking about the relationships between Annabelle and the other agents. I think I got everybody, but please tell me if I forgot anyone.

Lilith :  Lilith is not the kind of person who dotes on and coddles people. That is quite possibly the only thing about her that Annabelle doesn’t like. Other than that, Lilith is very patient and calm while helping her learn the ins and outs of society. She’s also the only person that has heard Annabelle’s voice. Annabelle feels safe around Lilith and has no problem talking to her. That might have to do with Lilith being the first person she actually met in Roanoke. She may have accidentally called her mom once, too. Since she doesn’t really remember her childhood, Lilith is the closest thing to a mother she’s ever had.

Seraphim :  Seraphim is nice, she really is. It’s just... She’s a witch. Annabelle has a dark, bad history with witches and just doesn’t like being around them for too long. She tries to see past the fact that she’s a witch, honestly. It’s just really hard for her to ignore that fact when it’s kind of why she’s a part of Roanoke. The only time when Annabelle was fine around Seraphim was when Seraphim had hand churned ice cream for a society party later that day. It was a family recipe. That lead to Annabelle being a bit more comfortable around her.

Succubus :  She’s very intrigued by Succubus. All the tattoos, how freely she expresses herself, it’s stuff she’s not used to. The people she was used to... Well, you stayed quiet unless you wanted something to happen to you. There is a part of her that wants to stay away from Succubus, but another that wants to stay and learn from her. Succubus is one of the best fighters that Roanoke has and Annabelle, well... She isn’t. There’s so much that Succubus could teach her about so many things, but Annabelle thinks that’s not going to happen any time soon.

Houdini :  Annabelle and Houdini have a very... Strained professional relationship. There was a slight incident on a mission that Annabelle went on with another Roanoke member and a few members from Statesmen, one being Agent Whiskey, and a few things... Happened. Needless to say, Houdini always keeps a close eye on Annabelle. They are both always throwing looks at the other and Houdini has sworn up and down that she’s heard her muttering about her ever so softly. Something about how she doesn’t change who she is when dealing with problems and not pretending to be somebody’s dead wife? Lilith is really the only one who does anything about it. But, if the moment ever arose, Annabelle would not hesitate to help Houdini.

Lycan :  Annabelle, for the most part, likes Lycan. She thinks that she makes an excellent art subject and enjoys drawing her. The one thing that throws her off is that around the full moon, she behaves differently and she doesn’t know why, but she doesn’t like being around her during those times. Any other point in time? Annabelle likes her... And her stuff. Lycan just has a lot of cool, shiny things that she’s acquired throughout the years and Annabelle just wants to know what they are. Maybe paint a picture of them. She always give the stuff back. Normally.

Scribe : The Scribe doesn’t really talk much, nor does she like noise down in the archives. Annabelle doesn’t really talk and is known for not making any sound. So the two get along swimmingly. Annabelle likes reading about the history of the society and past missions, trying to see if there has ever been anybody like her in the society before. Scribe may have been taken by a small bout of pity for the girl, not knowing who she is or where she comes from. Whenever she has a few moments of free time, she’ll occasionally look for information on her based on what little information she already knew. Nothing has been found yet.

Sprite :  Annabelle actually doesn’t know Sprite all that well. Since she works mainly in interrogation, there really is no need for her to have weapons. They live on opposite sides of the mansion, they’re never awake at the same time, the only way that they really know that the other exists is that Sprite keeps leaving notes for ice cream flavor orders in the kitchen and they always get filled out.

Seance : The both of them are very quiet individuals, well Seance is at first, and Annabelle doesn’t mind that. It’s not like Annabelle is going to do any talking. The only thing that Annabelle doesn’t like about her is that she just randomly summons ghosts and their rooms are not that far apart from each other. She can feel it when they enter this realm and it puts her on edge for at least an hour (and may be the cause of some of her sleepless nights). Seance also introduced her to some of the manor cats. Annabelle has never really been around cats before so she’s very tentative around them, but Seance loves watching her learn how to interact with the cats. 

Specter :  Specter is by far, in Annabelle’s opinion, the nicest agent. She and Lilith are really the only people she is fully comfortable around. Specter is the one that helps her try to fit in with society when they have to go out on a shopping trip or just to go and have some fun. Annabelle and Specter, to the rest of the society, seem like an odd pair. Specter is very touch centered and Annabelle is not. The first time they all saw Specs touch her, even though she was wearing her standard full coverage outfit, and Annabelle didn’t flinch or lash out and push her away, they were shocked. Annabelle sometimes feels like Specter is truly the only friend that she has in the society.

Ondine : Annabelle and Ondine get along really well. Since Annabelle spends a lot of time around Lilith, she also spends time around Ondine. They both share some similarities with liking sweets and similar music. Annabelle loves learning about mermaids from her and can just listen to her talk about them for hours. Occasionally the two of them can be seen walking around the lakes near the manor with Ondine talking and Annabelle just listening. 

Arizona :  Annabelle loves being off of the ground. Since joining Roanoke, she has quickly made it a habit to take a trip up in the air (by plane or helicopter) at least once a week. She especially loves it when Ari agrees to go either in the early morning or evening, you know, sunrise and sunset. In return, Annabelle always keeps a tub of their favorite ice cream in stock. She also doesn’t mind the little aerial stunts they try to pull off since it lets her get amazing videos on her camera. Arizona is also one of the only agents to have heard Annabelle laugh. It was quiet, but they still heard it.

Raziel :  Annabelle and Raziel work together a lot. Raz tries her best to help Annabelle control her empathic powers, but she can only be in the same room as her for about five minutes before Annabelle’s emotions overwhelm her. Annabelle has gotten better at controlling her emotions because of her, simply because she wants to be able to be around someone like her. Raz swears up and down that she’s heard her speak, but nobody believes her. (Except for Lilith who gives her a knowing wink when Annabelle and Raziel are together.)

Cherub : Annabelle has always seen Cherub around, but doesn’t really interacted with her. The first time she did, it was when she was first brought to Roanoke and taken straight to the infirmary. After that, she hasn’t really seen much of her. There is the odd occasion when she is roaming around at night and she finds her in the kitchen late at night with a tub of ice cream, sometimes crying. She doesn’t stay in the area long, since the emotions will effect her, but she tries her best to give her some positive energy/thoughts and makes a mental note to buy her some more ice cream.

Rougarou :  Rougarou has a tendency to go into a very protective mode when around Annabelle, and she isn’t really bothered by it. Annabelle loves her cooking since she normally makes very spicy dishes. She also learned the hard way not to take anything from her room. Let’s just say that taking something from a voodoo practitioner was not the best idea if one likes to sleep soundly. Other than that instance, Annabelle and Rougarou get along fine.

Sentinel :  Sentinel is a very quiet man. Annabelle is a very quiet woman. The two could sit together in silence for hours on end. For Annabelle, he just has a very calming presence. She can’t place her finger on why exactly, but he does. Sentinel is the only agent that can really get her to eat, besides agent Rougarou. There is just something about the way he prepares a brisket that makes her mouth water. He is also the only agent to ever hear her speak at a normally volume and and he’s never told anybody. Not even Lilith.

Zed :  Zed is the only person who Annabelle cannot read. It irritates her, but intrigues her. She used to be very upset about this and would not talk to them. Then one day some of the dogs around the manor would not leave her alone and they managed to help her out. Zed is also doing something that nobody thought of doing. They are teaching Annabelle American Sign Language so that she can communicate without having to write everything down. Statesmen has been working on some tech that allows for ASL to be translated instantly so everybody would be able to understand her. Zed’s also trying to get her to not be terrified of dogs. We’ll see how that goes.

Elfin : Annabelle cannot be around him. He’s just too touchy. He always wants to get really close to her and try and charm her or something and she just doesn’t get it. She hates it when she does have to go out on a reconnaissance mission because she’s normally paired up with him since the two of them together look harmless and can basically get in anywhere. Lilith has told her to try and speak to him, to tell him some basic ground rules, but Annabelle knows that’s never going to happen. And she’ll never admit to this, but if he really wanted to get close to her, all he’d have to do is share his candy. She would have just tried to swipe some from his poorly conceived hiding spot, but people have warned her not to take anything from him. Something about unknown consequences?  

Nova :  Annabelle is fascinated with Nova and her little Martian buddy Sam. She’s already very curious about things on Earth, but things not from Earth? You have all of her attention. She loves making Sam move around the container and really wants to see if he has any thoughts, but every time she tries to open the container, Nova stops her. Annabelle also loves listening to Nova talk about the stars and constellations. She had no idea that there were pictures in the sky and now, when she is up late at night, she can be found out on the roof looking up at the stars.

@the-roanoke-society / @agent-absinthe (feel free to stir up more drama with this, if you can find it)

[sariifindustries]

 REALLY  LONG  CHARACTER  SURVEY.

RULES.  Repost, do not reblog !  Tag 10 !  Good  luck ! Tagged by:   # stolen Tagging:   do it if you want to

BASICS. FULL  NAME :   David Sarif NICKNAME/S :   Dave, though he hates being called that AGE :  57 (HR) 59 (MD) BIRTHDAY :  August 18th, 1970 ETHNIC  GROUP :  Mixed NATIONALITY :   American LANGUAGE/S :   English, Arabic, ASL, some Italian SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :  Sex-neutral asexual ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION :   Panromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS :   Single CLASS :  Upper HOME TOWN / AREA :   Detroit, MI CURRENT  HOME :  Verse dependent, (HR) Apartment in Detroit, (MD) Hotel room in Prague PROFESSION :  (HR) CEO of Sarif Industries, (MD) Retired

PHYSICAL. HAIR :   Black and greying. It’s somewhat coarse, and cut short. EYES :   Black, though appears blue due to augmentation. NOSE :   Slightly crooked from being broken previously. FACE :   Somewhat gaunt, with prominent cheekbones. A square jaw. His neutral face is a bit stern, though he tries to seem open and inviting to conversation. LIPS :   Thin. COMPLEXION :   Olive-skinned. There are some wrinkles around the nasolabial and perioral regions. His face is a bit pock-marked by chicken pox he had as a kid. BLEMISHES :  That above, as well as some scarring from various injuries/surgeries he had after the Incident at Panchea. SCARS :   Just below his right shoulderblade, there is a visible scar where his lung was pierced by falling debris. There is also scarring where his various augmentations have been attached, such as around the base of his arms (at the shoulder) and where his pacemaker was placed. There’s a few other knicks and scrapes, though those are a lot less visible. TATTOOS :   None. HEIGHT :   5′11″ / 180.34cm WEIGHT :  165lbs / 74.8kg BUILD :   (I’m still really happy about this drawing. Somewhat nsfw.) FEATURES :   Crisp suits, ornate augmentations, and a whole lotta gold. ALLERGIES :  None. USUAL  HAIR  STYLE :   Groomed, combed, but otherwise not a hassle. USUAL  FACE  LOOK :  Energetic and welcoming, or tired and contemplating. USUAL  CLOTHING :   Suits and vests, typically with gold and ornate/modern patterns.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR/S :   Death, enclosed spaces, deep water, drowning, suffocation, public ridicule, being forgotten, failure, and being alone. ASPIRATION/S :  To leave a legacy and aid the human race in its next step in evolution. POSITIVE  TRAITS :   determined, generous, philanthropist, innovative, imaginative, optimistic, intelligent, resourceful, charismatic NEGATIVE  TRAITS :   dogmatic, manipulative, vengeful, blindly optimistic, paranoid MBTI :  ENTJ ZODIAC :   Leo TEMPERAMENT :   Melancholic. SOUL  TYPE / S :   Caregiver. ANIMALS :  Swan. VICE  HABIT/S :  Smoking, drinking, lying FAITH :   Agnostic GHOSTS ? :  No AFTERLIFE ? :   Not sure REINCARNATION ? :   No ALIENS ? :   No POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT :   moderate liberal ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE :   free market SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION :   compromise between corporate and common interest EDUCATION  LEVEL :   Masters in Business

FAMILY. FATHER :   Musim Sarif MOTHER :   Adela Sarif SIBLINGS :   Natalie Freeman (sister) EXTENDED  FAMILY :   Nina Freeman (niece). Likely some others overseas, but he has no direct connection to them. NAME  MEANING/S :   David: reminiscent of “David and Goliath”; also “beloved” Sarif: from “seraphim”, angels who covered their eyes with their wings; also “eminent” or “virtuous” (Perhaps also from Zarif: meaning “elegant” and “witty”) HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? :   N/A

FAVOURITES. BOOK :   Anthem by Ayn Rand MOVIE :   Forrest Gump 5  SONGS :   “Big Time” - Peter Gabriel, “Land of Confusion” - Genesis, “Roxanne” - Sting, “Africa” - Toto, “Radio Ga Ga” - Queen DEITY :   N/A MONTH :   July SEASON :   Summer PLACE :   the office WEATHER :   sunny, mid 70s SOUND :   violin SCENT/S :   cinnamon and roses TASTE/S :   anything sweet FEEL/S :   silk ANIMAL/S :   cats NUMBER :   7 COLOUR :   black, gold, white, silver

EXTRA. TALENTS :   baseball, lying, hopping fences BAD  AT :   personal relationships, martial arts TURN  ONS :   young & fit men, protectiveness, sensuality TURN  OFFS :  possessiveness, public displays of affection, dependency  HOBBIES :   watching tv, reading TROPES :   benevolent boss, older than they look, riches to “rags”, icarus, emotions vs. stoicism, accomplice by inaction, dirty business AESTHETIC  TAGS :   X

FC INFO. MAIN  FC/S :   In-Game Icons ALT  FC/S :   Colin Far//rell OLDER  FC/S :   YOUNGER  FC/S :    VOICE  CLAIM/S :   Stephen Shel//lan, Rick Mil//ler

[moxie-girl]

um. asl seraphim au fic, anyone?

Deep in the heart of a forgotten government laboratory, three brothers make a life for themselves in a run-down scrapyard. (Or: No matter what, the bonds of brotherhood can never be broken.)

[agents-of-virtue]

Not Herself

..... So... Dark timeline... Yeah. My contribution to it. Enjoy, I think.

Annabelle was a good person. She was. Something about her has... changed. She’s more hostile, she’s not afraid of things that she used to avoid like the plague. Just a few days ago when Jack and Houdini were in the kitchen together, Annabelle walked in and without a care in the world ‘accidentally tripped’ into Jack’s arms, separating him from Houdini. She didn’t even apologize or shrink away when Houdini glared daggers at her.

Zed, being one of the people she is closest to, decided to see if they could find out what was happening. They knocked on the door to her room and waited for her to open the door. However, they heard an unfamiliar voice call out for them to come in. Confused, they slowly opened the door. Annabelle was there on the bed, just sitting there, reading a book. “Hey Anna, are you alright?”

“Oh I’m fine.” She closed the book and quickly hid it away. “Just doing some research. Did you need something?”

“Yeah... We’ve just been worried lately.” Z knew. The second she spoke to them, they knew. Anna rarely ever talks to them and her freely using her voice like this? Something was wrong. “You don’t spend that much time outside in the gardens with Kieran anymore, Rae said that you haven’t been going to practice, and uh... We haven’t had an ASL lesson in a while...” They rubbed the back of their neck nervously. “Look, if you need to talk about anything, I’m a good listener and I always have time to listen to you.”

She looked down, seemingly in thought. As she looked back up she reached out a hand to Z, with no glove on. They hesitantly took her hand and as she closed around their hand, they wished they hadn’t taken it. “That’s great Z, but I don’t need a pathetic ungifted like you around.” Z’s hand went stiff as she squeezed to make sure they couldn’t move. “I’m only friendly with you because it makes me look nicer if I’m kind to the only person that has no real reason to be here.” As soon as she finished, she let go of their hand and made a shoo-ing motion with her hand.

The words hurt. They cut down right to the very core. It was made worse by the fact that not only did she say those words, Z could feel her intentions behind them. They felt the loathing and disdain that she put behind them and they could physically feel the pain the words brought them. Z didn’t even bother to talk to her again before rushing out of the room, tears starting to blur their vision.

They ran down to the medical department, racing down the halls and dodging other agents and officers. Finally burst through the doors they went straight to Aly. Tears were threatening to spill as they spoke. “Aly, something’s wrong with Anna. She-she’s physically fine b-b-but she’s-” Aly cut Z off, not wanting them to cry in front of the other medbay staff.

“I’ll go and check on her. You stay here and calm down.” She gave them a glass of water and let them go into her office to calm down. Once Aly got to Annabelle’s room, she gently knocked on the door. “Anna, sweetheart, are you alright? Can I come in?’ Anna’s head snapped up from the same book she was reading earlier. Aly got a look at it before she shut it and stashed it away. It looked pretty old... Aly wondered if books that old were allowed out of the archives...

Anna spoke up, breaking her from her thoughts. “I’m fine...” She was silent for a few moments, not looking at Aly. “Actually,” Anna stood up, opening her arms, “could I have a hug?” Her grey eyes were sad and how could Aly say no to them?

“Of course, sweetheart! Come here.” Aly took a few steps towards her, extending her arms. Even though Anna was taller than her by a few inches, she still managed to get her to rest her head in the space between her shoulder and neck. She could feel tears starting to hit her neck and immediately began to start to sooth her. “Aw honey, everything is going to be alright. You’re going to be okay.”

Anna sniffled as she nuzzled her cheek against Aly’s neck. “It's just... It's so sad that-that...” She dryly chuckled in her ear and pulled away to look at her, hands moving down to Aly’s arms. “That you couldn't even save that soldier's life! I mean, it's pathetic. You're supposed to be some great healer and you couldn't even do that.” She squeezed her arms in mock reassurance. “But it's alright, his mother would still resent you whether you saved him or not. You would have messed up and amputated a limb or something anyway.” Anna condescendingly patted her shoulder and grabbed the book off of her bed, quickly leaving the room.

Aly stood there in shock. She now understood what Zed was trying to say before she came here. This was not the Annabelle that she knew. Anna was sweet, kind, she would never hurt anybody. What was wrong with her?

Kieran and Seraphim were out in the greenhouse discussing whether or not to make a new plot for some rare herbs found on a mission they just got back from, when they saw Anna trying to sneak into the garden. She was carrying a book with her that looked like it definitely should not have left the archives. The two of them quietly go out to meet her, she looked frightened. As they approached, the two of them could hear voices. One of them sounded like Anna, but the other didn’t. Well, it did but didn’t. It sounded deeper, smoother, more sure.

“Please stop this! I’ll do what you want just stop, please.” Her voice was shaking. It was evident that she was terrified.

The two of them heard her voice shift and saw her body follow suit. She stood tall as this other voice spoke. “And you wonder why we used you the most. You always were a coward, always willing to do whatever will save yourself no matter what it would do to others.” Her head twitched. “You should have known that you couldn’t get away. As long as you’re branded with our mark,” she harshly gripped her left arm, just below the inside of the elbow, drawing blood, “we will always find you.”

Kieran decided to call out to her, concerned. “Anna, sweetheart, are you alright?” He saw the blood slowing streaming from her elbow. Seraphim looked over at him. They knew something was wrong.

Anna quickly turned around, the book clutched to her chest, hiding the title from them. “Oh, I’m-I’m fine. I think I just got scratched up when I got too close to the rose bushes.”  Seraphim’s eyes widened. Anna had never talked in front of her before. Kieran looked just as shocked. Annabelle was very selective with who she used her voice with.

“Come here love, let’s take a look at your arm.” Kieran cautiously held out an arm to her, not sure how she would respond. He saw her back up from him and hesitantly took one more step forward. That was his mistake. Anna took off like a bullet shot from a gun, book in hand. “Damn it!” Kieran and Seraphim took off after her. She raced through the gardens, taking sharp turns to try and throw them off of her, but to no avail. Kieran knew every inch of the gardens like the back of his hand. He broke off from Seraphim, snaking around a few corners until he was in front of Annabelle. She careened into him as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold her from running away again. “Anna. Anna, hold still!” As she struggled he could feel a few droplets of her blood land on his skin. He could feel it starting to burn, but he couldn’t let go of her.

Seraphim caught up to them and grabbed onto her arms, trying to gently pull the book out of her hands and put it in her bag. Anna was still struggling as she furrowed her brows and had the book in a steel grip. “Stop touching me, you worthless excuse for a witch! I've seen better work from children messing around in a graveyard!” Seraphim was ignoring her remarks. She kept going on and on about how Seraphim was one of the most pathetic witches she'd ever seen, but none of her words seemed to hit her. Anna shot a hand forward, tightly grabbing Sera’s wrist. “You know, I bet if Merlin actually knew about witchcraft, he would see how pathetic you are. He would see you for the worthless piece of work you truly are.” She can see her words starting to hurt. Anna narrowed her eyes, “Merlin could do so much better than you if he wasn’t so desperate. Jesus loves you, because Merlin doesn’t.”

She finally hit the nerve. Seraphim violently recoiled, ripping off some of Anna’s thin sleeve. Her eyes were drawn to a mark right where her forearm started. Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, she focused on the black markings. “Kieran grab her arm, right there.” He did so and Anna screamed out in pain. “Squeeze harder Kieran!” She saw something in Anna’s eyes when she screamed... A power struggle?

He pressed his hand down harder, feeling her rough skin against his palm. It was hurting him on the inside, hurting Anna like this. He knew that something was wrong, but was this necessary? His pressure lightened up just a bit, and that was another mistake. Anna moved her arm so that his hand wasn’t over the markings and spat out, her words dripping with venom, “Is this what you did to your family? Did you hurt them like this?”

His grip on her tightened back up. “I never hurt them. Now you watch what you say or I’ll-” She cut him off.

“Or you’ll what? Leave me and Aly like you did them? You could do that. Except, our lives wouldn’t change. You left your wife and child, knowing that they would struggle. You wanted them to die so that maybe, just maybe, you could forget that they ever happened. You thought that without you, they would fall apart and crumble, but guess what? They moved on. She remarried.” Anna leaned her head back, attempting to whisper into his ear, “Just like Aly will when you run away again. You’re nothing but a coward, Kieran Bailey.”

A hand of his rose up and quickly came down, stopping mere inches away from her face. How could he even think of hurting her like that? Not wanting to take any more chances around her, Kieran vanished. Seraphim was alone with a girl, who was definitely not Annabelle. What could possibly go wrong?