#the way i’ve played w the security guards daughter

[swagbitch666]

my relationship w the employees at the megasaver by my house is everything

[chillyminmin]

han jisung – don’t forget

» han jisung x reader

» words: 4.6k

» You had a little project, but things got messy. Jisung wasn’t who he seemed, but things went a little better than he first planned.

Hot coffee, loud street, busy passersby, your typical morning.

You sighed as you set your coffee down, watching the street behind your sunglasses, hoping that the boy you were assigned to was someone decent for once. The boys assigned under your care were either too weak, too arrogant, too scared, or too laid back.

If Father gives me another boy who came from an orphaned family, I’m giving him back, you thought. Those never make the cut.

You were the daughter of a man of many influences, legally and illegally. He owned many buildings in Seoul, as well as various properties in the different areas of South Korea. He also dealt with gun dealerships, smuggling and drugs; your father was a businessman and the boss of a very powerful mafia group. You were going to inherit his position in two years, but you’ve been doing jobs like this since you turned fifteen. You were turning nineteen in two weeks, so you’ve been on this job for almost four years.

Finally, a black Hyundai Santa Fe SUV pulled up by the coffee shop, and two men wearing suits got off. In the middle was another guy, you guessed he wasn’t that far off from your age, and from how he was dressed, you guessed your wishes were answered. The SUV drove off and the three men approached your table. The two in suits told the guy to sit with you while they sat at the table close to yours, not ordering anything.

As he sat down, you noticed that he was playing with the hem of his shirt then he seemed to pull his bomber jacket closer to him. He’s nervous, you thought. At least he has manners.

“Want anything?” You asked casually. “Coffee, frappe, tea?”

“N-no.” He stammered and he seemed to curse at himself before clearing his throat. “That’s okay. Thank you.”

You smiled a bit before nodding. “Let’s get straight to the point then. What did my Father tell you?”

“Mr. L/N said that I was supposed to be your little… project?” He answered.

This amused you, he seemed confused as to why he’d be called a ‘project’.

“Did he say anything else?” You pressed.

“Yes. He said that what I learn from you and how I deal with you and everyone else will determine whether I make the cut or not.”

You nodded again and took a sip of your coffee, which was now almost finished.

“Where are my manners,” you shook your head, “I’m sure you know my name.” He nodded. “What’s yours?”

His eyes widened before he abruptly stood up, alerting the two guards. “I’m sorry, I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Jisung, Han Jisung.” He bowed and the two guards settled.

You suppressed a laugh. It was obvious he had heard about you, your behavior, your attitude. It was radiating off him as it did when they all first meet you: fear.

“Jisung.” You repeated. “Please, sit down.” He did so. “Now, do you know what it means to make the cut or not?”

Jisung shook his head. “I wasn’t allowed to ask your Father questions.”

Of course, no one is.

“Well, Jisung.” You raised your sunglasses and rest them on the top of your head. He seemed stunned to see your eyes. “It basically means; at the end of the two weeks you spend with me, whatever you learn will either help you live or kill you.”

Two days in, you had learned that Jisung may be older than you, but he was still a child.

He had broken five glasses, tripped himself over the stairs thrice, was chased around by your dog, locked himself out in the balcony, and he had no expertise on anything whatsoever.

He was fumbling with his thumbs as you stared at him. You were at your apartment, where all the accidents had happened, in the living room, the both of you sitting down on chairs. Your dog, a Border Collie, laid down by your feet, his eyes trained on Jisung.

“Jisung,” you deadpanned, “are you telling me that you don’t know how to do anything? Anything at all?” He nodded. “How could you not know how to do anything, yet capture the attention of my Father? Every guy he’s sent to me was able to do something. One could hack, another had contacts for drugs, another was an expert in gun dealership- the list goes on, but I’m sure you understand what I’m saying. Or do I have to explain that for you as well?”

Jisung kept his head down, but he shook it, saying no, he understood completely what you were trying to say.

“I’m sorry, Miss y/n.”

“Sorry isn’t going to save your life. I’m telling you. I’ve been there.”

You thought back to the time where your mom had threatened to take you away from your Father, and he didn’t like it. She threatened to turn him in, to expose the family’s dirty business, even if it meant bringing me and her down with him. She’d do anything to remove me from my Father’s influence. When she realized her mistake, she was framed by a former colleague, begging my Father for help, apologizing for what she had said and done. My Father ignored her, and when she tried to run, she was shot down by the police.

That night, my Father told me, “That’s the price for turning your back on your family. Remember that.”

“I can learn.” For the first time today, Jisung looked at you. “I’m a fast learner. I may not be an expert on things, but I learn quickly.”

“Two weeks, Jisung. Weeks. What could you possibly learn in two weeks?”

“What position is open? Who do you need me to be?”

You tilted your head in amusement. This was new. “Who do I need you to be? What do you mean by that?”

“I- I know that there are times where you need to corner someone. But I overheard that whoever you had he was compromised. You’re trying to get him back, but you’re not sure if you can.” Your eyes narrowed. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I didn’t!”

“Well, that’s one thing you’re good at,” you grumbled. “You can eavesdrop quite well.”

“I can take his place. Try to, anyway.” You raised your eyebrows and laughed a bit. Jisung looked at you anxiously, like he’d pulled a trap. “Miss y/n?”

“Do you even know what his job was? Do you know how he cornered people?” He shook his head. “Jisung. You have the age for the job, but I’m not sure if you have the guts. If Father’s target has a daughter, that’s how he corners them.” He still seemed confused.

“What do you mean…?”

“Jisung, if you take on that job, you’d have to learn how to fuck someone and not fall in love.”

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

You and Jisung were at the mall, a week into his training. Not only did he have to ‘learn how to fuck someone and not fall in love’, but he also had to learn his way with guns and knives. He had to learn how to be a little sneaky, fuckboy assassin.

You were shopping for his suits and clothes you wanted, some accessories too.

“Miss-“ Jisung caught himself, “y/n. Why do we need this much? Aren’t the suits enough?”

“The suits are for when you meet Father. Casual clothing for pretty much everything else that’s not so formal.” You answered, still looking at the watches.

You shook your head and spun to tell Jisung that you’d now go to Pandora, but you stopped yourself as you noticed that he was looking at a watch. You followed your gaze and saw what he was looking at.

It was a gold watch, the inside was black with three smaller clocks, one on each side and the third at the bottom. You hummed to yourself before looking at Jisung again then pretending like you didn’t notice.

“Follow me, let’s go.”

When you finished shopping, you went to the parking lot and placed everything in the trunk, making sure not to crumple anything, both your bags and his. Every time Jisung was about to go in your car, you noticed that he treated it as the most vulnerable thing you owned. Maybe it wasn’t the most vulnerable thing you owned, but it was your most cherished.

It was a black Maserati Quattroporte GTS. Your Father gave it to you for your eighteenth birthday, and he rarely gave anyone gifts, business partners and family members alike. He gave you this specifically because he was sure that he wasn’t the only one with the mindset of using daughters to get to his target clients or enemies. The car was beautiful, sleek and fast. It could go on 530 horsepower and 310 kilometers per hour. You loved it.

As you were pulling out of the parking lot, you noticed Jisung was nervous. Now you knew he was nervous whenever you were the one driving, but he seemed more nervous.

“Jisung, what is it?” He shook his head vigorously. “Jisung.”

“I might be paranoid or- I don’t know, I might be wrong, Miss.” He said quickly, not looking at me, but focusing on the side mirror.

“What, Jisung? Just tell me.”

“They’re after me.” He said, looking at me. I briefly glanced at him and saw that his eyes were full of fear. “They’ve found me.”

“Who’s found you?”

“The Nakamuras. They’ve finally pinpointed me.”

“Naka-“ you pulled over to the side and parked your car, signaling the hazard lights. “Jisung, the Nakamuras?”

You looked at him and he looked at you with fear. “I’m sorry. I tried my best to avoid them, I tried to lead them away, but they—”

“Lead them away? Away from what?” You noticed that a white car had parked behind your car, its hazard lights blinking as well.

“Not what, Miss. Away from you.” He looked down. “They want you.”

“Jisung.” You were becoming angry, your voice was trembling as it rose. “Did you betray us before we’ve even decided if you made the cut or not?”

He didn’t answer.

“Jisung!”

“I’m sorry!” He looked at you again, and suddenly he seemed different. His eyes were darker, his jawline seemed sharper, he wasn’t fumbling with his hands, and his posture was straighter. Like someone had injected him with confidence. “I’ll explain later, but if you want to save yourself, drive.”

You shook your head. “You asshole.” But you drove and called security, telling them you were heading to your apartment. That’s when you noticed that the white car was following you. You told security to hurry up or else they wouldn’t see the light of day.

“Jisung, what the fuck were you- who are you?”

“I was surprised you didn’t realize immediately.” He answered with a chuckle. “Han Jisung, y/n. How could you have been so blind?”

“Han.” You muttered it to yourself like a chant. It sounded familiar, but you weren’t sure.

“Both you and your Father must have forgotten. But then again, it was easy to kill my parents, wasn’t it? Not even knowing they had a son. Your Father probably thought I was a different Han, not the child of the ones he killed to be where he stands now.”

Suddenly, you remembered. “You. It was you.”

You remembered being with your Father that night, three nights before he finally claimed what he called his rightful place. You were having dinner with the Hans, and you couldn’t be left behind because at that time, your mom was still alive, and your Father knew she’d do anything to get you. It was a good dinner, but when it came down to talking about handing positions, it got heated.

Mr. Han didn’t want to give over his position as the CEO, saying that your Father was corrupted and that it wouldn’t do good to anybody. Mr. Han threatened your family, saying that he knew about our ‘side business’ and that soon, the most wanted mafia boss would be caught by the police. If there was anything that threw your Father off, it was threatening the business. Not his family, his business.

Your Father didn’t hesitate to stand, draw his gun, and pull his trigger twice. The nozzle had a muffler on it, so no one outside the house would’ve heard the gunshots, but you covered your ears and dropped down to the floor. Even at that age, the age of ten, you knew where that dinner was going, how that conversation was going to end.

Before you left, your Father to told you to look at the scene so that you knew what to do if anyone ever turned their backs on you, and if anyone ever threatened the business. You stood there, numb and confused, was killing the answer to everything? You probably wouldn’t have moved if it wasn’t for a boy’s voice.

“Mom! Dad!” A figure brushed against you and went straight to the two dead bodies by the dinner table. He shook them hopelessly, crying and screaming their names.

He looked at you. “You did this? You killed my parents?” You were dazed, even as he approached you, you didn’t move back. “How could you? There’s no way you could be older than nine!” He gripped your shoulders. “Who did this? Tell me!”

You shook your head.

“Tell me!” He demanded. You refused. He pushed you away. “Don’t forget this day. Don’t think I don’t know who you are. I know my parents were going to have dinner with Mr. L/N tonight, that’s why they didn’t want me at home.” He glared at you. “I’ll get back at you one day, y/n. Don’t forget.”

“What are you waiting for?” You slurred. “Why don’t you just kill me now?”

“y/n.”

“No, Jisung. Tell me,” you laughed, “why won’t you get back at me already?”

“You’re not in the right mind, y/n. You’re drunk and high.”

“Your point?” You looked at him and squinted, trying to focus on him, but you decided not to anymore and laughed before averting your gaze to another joint.

As you reached for it, Jisung took it away from you. You pouted as you looked at him taking a hit.

“That’s mine.”

“y/n-“

“Stop taking what’s mine!”

He sighed as he put the joint aside and knelt in front of you. For a moment, you realized how handsome he really was. You remembered how he smiled, how he laughed a bit, how he helped you in your apartment, how nervous he seemed around guns and knives, but he had one on him now, he always had one, it was a rule.

Your eyes widened. He has a knife. You tried to scramble away from him but he held your waist.

“N-no, let me go!” You squirmed. “You have a knife, let me go!”

“y/n,” he said sadly, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Why not, huh? My Father killed your parents! Why not kill me for revenge? Why not just sell me out to the Nakamuras? Why tell me? Why save me? Why, why, why?” You were screaming at his face now, frightened but angry, disappointed but not surprised.

You knew it wasn’t going to take long until one of your dad’s enemies used your little ‘project’ thing as a way to slip a spy in. Everyone who applied to you knew how your business worked, inside and out, that’s why if they didn’t make the cut, they died.

“Because your Father killed them, not you.” Jisung replied calmly. “It took me some time to accept that. I knew the fastest way to take revenge on him was to kill his only child, that’s why I feigned stupidity. To get closer to you. But as I got to know you, I realized, you had nothing to do with their deaths.” Jisung’s eyes were tearing up. “You were just there when he killed them, he made you stay there. He made you look at their deaths.” He started crying.

You lowered your hands, his hands still on your waist. “Jisung…”

“I wanted to kill you, I did. But I can’t bring myself to.” He sniffled and rested his head on your legs, you could feel his tears wetting your thighs. “You have no fault. And I can see this isn’t the life you want.”

You stiffened. Maybe it was because his warm breath was hitting your skin and you were drunk and high, or maybe because he was right: this isn’t the life you wanted.

You used your hands to lift up his head and wiped his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Jisung. I know how it feels like to lose one parent, I can’t imagine how it feels like to lose both in one night.”

He smiled sadly and held one of your hands.

“You know, you’re not as bad as they say. You have a heart.” He said softly and you felt yourself tearing up. “They don’t see you like I do, why is that?”

“Maybe because,” you hesitated. Were you really ready to admit these to both yourself and him? Were you ready to admit how something about him made you feel close to him, how you felt safe to seem somehow vulnerable to him?

“y/n, tell me.” He said softly as he wiped your cheek. You didn’t even notice that you had started crying.

“Maybe because I let you in my heart without even knowing it.” You admitted. “You saw me smile, you made me laugh, I wanted you to be close to me wherever I was. I never took anyone else shopping with me, you know.” He chuckled. “There’s something about you, Jisung. Something I’m afraid of, and it’s not the knife.”

“Don’t be,” he said as he moved his face closer to you, “let me in, y/n. Don’t be afraid of me, don’t be afraid of my heart.”

“Jisung…”

“I won’t turn you over to the Nakamutas. I won’t kill you. I’ll come up with a way to get revenge on your Father, that is if you don’t rat out on me and get me killed.”

You laughed softly. You knew you couldn’t turn him in. Without knowing, you had fallen in love with him.

“I won’t.” You promised. “I won’t turn you in.”

“So, you’ll let me in?”

“I’ll let you in.” You said softly and that was all he needed to hear before kissing you.

The two weeks were over, you and Jisung may have fucked every now and then, and you kept your promise as he kept his. The revenge he decided to take was taking the risk of falling in love with you and seeing if he made the cut. If he did, then he’ll work his way up from there.

You knew his plan. He knew you were inheriting your Father’s place, both as Boss and CEO, in two years. But that was something you’d worry about some other time, now it was time to see Jisung’s abilities. And your Father couldn’t have been crueler.

He made Jisung’s deliberation day your birthday.

And if there’s another thing you knew about your Father, he never missed a thing that was happening.

You were seated at the far end of the table with all the other important people of the mafia. Your dad was in the center and at each side, there was the head of Security, Kim, then there was the head of weapon dealerships, Khon, followed by the head of drug dealings, Im, and lastly, the head of smuggling, Lee.

At first, the deliberation was going smoothly, and it seemed as if Jisung was safe. His performance in the past week was incredible. He was an expert in shooting, he could throw knives from a couple of feet away and hit the target right in the chest, he knew how to smuggle items from Father’s corporation to another, and he knew who to target to deal drugs.

But your Father had to pull one last question.

“Jisung,” he started, “it has also come to my attention that aside from all the training you receive and lessons my daughter has given you, it seems that you’ve given her your heart as well.”

Your eyes widened, but you tried to stay calm. There was one rule between you and your clients: no strings attached.

“Is this true?”

“No, sir.” Jisung answered, not missing a single beat. He looked at you. “I don’t love your daughter. I only used her body.”

“And why is that?”

“She was vulnerable, sir. Let her guard down.” He was stabbing you in the heart. “She means nothing to me.”

Your Father stood up and went towards you. You didn’t look at him, you were too busy trying to read what Jisung was trying to do, see if he meant anything he said, you hoped he didn’t.

“Then, you won’t mind if I do this.”

Before you knew it, your Father, your own Father, had a gun pointed at your head.

“F-Father!” You spun your head and met his gaze. No fear, no warmth, no regret- your Father didn’t seem human at all. “What are you-“

“What did I say about vulnerability? It gets you killed.” He cocked the gun and looked behind you, at Jisung. “You haven’t said anything. This is your final test. Do you mind if I killed my own daughter?”

Your heart broke as Jisung answered, “No, sir.”

“Then you have failed.” Your Father aimed at Jisung, and without thinking, you reached for your knife and stabbed your Father in the chest. His eyes widened. “y/n-“

“It was something I should’ve done long ago, Father. You killed mom, you killed his parents, you kill anyone and everyone. You care for no one.”

“I care about you!”

“You only care for me because I’m your only child. If I had a brother, you would’ve had him inherit this company and this group. Do you not know what people say behind your backs? How they plan to kill you? The very men you made as your heads-“

“Miss y/n!”

“Sir, she’s lying!”

“I’m only doing them a favor.” You finished. “I’m doing myself a favor.”

You were at the ground now, your Father slowly dying. “I can still pull the trigger.” He threatened.

“Jisung’s smarter than to stay where he was.”

That night, your Father’s death was mourned by the country, as if a King had died. You rolled your eyes as you shut the television off.

“They don’t even know him. If they did, they would’ve celebrated his death, not mourned it.”

Jisung sat beside you and hugged you. “You say that, but I know it hurts.”

It was true. “Stop reading me.”

Jisung chuckled and pulled away to kiss your forehead. “You were brave. I didn’t think the meeting was going to go that way.”

“Neither did I.”

“But you’re okay now. Tomorrow, you’ll face the press claiming your spot as CEO.” You nodded. “But tonight, you’re mine.”

Jisung kissed you and you let out a surprised sound before kissing him back. You both smiled in the kiss before it got heated. His hand went from your cheek to the back of your neck, deepening the kiss. You parted your lips and he slipped his tongue in. You straddled him and wrapped your hands around his neck, pulling him closer. His other hand went under your shirt and drew small circles at your waist as his lips went down to your neck.

You sighed softly as he nipped and licked your neck, sure to leave marks. He then slowly took you off his lap as he made his way down, taking your shirt off in the process. He kissed your chest as he worked on your bra buckle and took them off. He licked your nipples and you tugged at his hair as he laid you down on the bed and made his way down to your stomach, peppering it with soft kisses.

He made it to your shorts, and he took them off before going back to your lips and kissing you harder, deeper, more passionate than he ever did. One hand supported him as he hovered over you, while the other made its way down to your panties. He stroked your clit from the outside, making you wet little by little. You squirmed under his touch and he chuckled, going back to your neck and focusing on the areas he hadn’t marked yet.

“Jisung,” you breathed out.

He hummed against your skin as he made his way down once more, this time reaching your panties. He slid them off and kissed your thighs.

“You’re wet, baby.” He said proudly. “Who made you wet?”

“You did, Ji, you did.”

He licked your clit and you gasped at the sudden sensation. He then started to eat you out, hands holding onto your thighs. He moaned and pulled away briefly to say, “You taste good, baby. So good.” He then continued to eat you out. You moaned and gripped the sheets as his tongue darted in and out of you at a pace you didn’t think was possible. Just when you thought you were going to cum, he pulled away and you whined.

Jisung chuckled. “I want you to cum from my cock, baby, not my tongue.” He took his clothes off and you watched him the whole time, your heart hammering against your chest.

Sure, you two have fucked, but this time, it felt different.

“I love you.” You blurted out. Jisung stared at you and you blushed. “F-forget I said that-“

“I love you, too.” Jisung cut you off as he went back down and kissed your forehead. “I love you.”

He looked into your eyes for permission, and you nodded. Not long after, he entered you and groaned as you moaned.

“How are you still so tight? I fuck you every day.”

“Maybe- ah- maybe you just get bigger every time you fuck me.”

That seemed to turn him on. “Fuck, y/n.”

He started slowly, looking at you as you squirmed and moaned under him. He loved it, he loved the way you looked. He loved how he was the only boy who could see you like this. How he was the only one who could make you moan and scream his name.

“Faster, Ji. I want more.” You breathed out.

“Okay, baby.” He followed, quickening his thrusts, hitting the spot every time. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

You couldn’t make words out as his cock filled you up, going in and out of you at a fast pace. You moaned as he made it even faster, praising you and telling you how good you were, how good you felt. He was as close as he could possibly be, skin on skin, your moans filling up the room, heat rising.

The heat at the bottom of your stomach pooled up and you scratched Jisung’s back, sure to leave marks on him the way your neck had marks from his kisses.

“Jisung, I-I’m close.” You managed to breathe out between moans.

“Me too, baby.” He pulled away from your body as to not hurt you as he went as fast he could, chasing both yours and his climax.

His groans grew louder as your moans did. He moaned your name as he came, his cock twitching inside you as you came as well, almost screaming his name.

You were both a panting mess as he pulled out and laid down beside you. After some time, he peppered your face with soft kisses, and you giggled a bit. He smiled and brushed his thumb against your cheek.

“I love you,” he said, “don’t forget.”

---

chan woojin minho changbin hyunjin felix seungmin

[96harmony96]

Chapter one.

“We should head to a bar and celebrate.”

I wasn’t surprised by my roommate’s emphatic pronouncement. Cary Taylor found excuses to celebrate, no matter how small and inconsequential. I’d always considered it part of his charm. “I’m sure drinking the night before starting a new job is a bad idea.”

“Come on, camila.” Cary sat on our new living room floor amid a half-dozen moving boxes and flashed his winning smile. We’d been unpacking for days, yet he still looked amazing. Leanly built, dark-haired, and green-eyed, Cary was a man who rarely looked anything less than absolutely gorgeous on any day of his life. I might have resented that if he hadn’t been the dearest person on earth to me.

“I’m not talking about a bender,” he insisted. “Just a glass of wine or two. We can hit a happy hour and be in by eight.”

“I don’t know if I’ll make it back in time.” I gestured at my yoga pants and fitted workout tank. “After I time the walk to work, I’m going to hit the gym.”

“Walk fast, work out faster.” Cary’s perfectly executed arched brow made me laugh. I fully expected his million-dollar face to appear on billboards and fashion magazines all over the world one day. No matter his expression, he was a knockout.

“How about tomorrow after work?” I offered as a substitute. “If I make it through the day, that’ll be worth celebrating.”

“Deal. I’m breaking in the new kitchen for dinner.”

“Uh…” Cooking was one of Cary’s joys, but it wasn’t one of his talents. “Great.”

Blowing a wayward strand of hair off his face, he grinned at me. “We’ve got a kitchen most restaurants would kill for. There’s no way to screw up a meal in there.”

Dubious, I headed out with a wave, choosing to avoid a conversation about cooking. Taking the elevator down to the first floor, I smiled at the doorman when he let me out to the street with a flourish.

The moment I stepped outside, the smells and sounds of Manhattan embraced me and invited me to explore. I was not merely across the country from my former home in San Diego, but seemingly worlds away. Two major metropolises—one endlessly temperate and sensually lazy, the other teeming with life and frenetic energy. In my dreams, I’d imagining living in a walkup in Brooklyn, but being a dutiful daughter, I found myself on the Upper West Side instead. If not for Cary living with me, I would’ve been miserably lonely in the sprawling apartment that cost more per month than most people made in a year.

The doorman tipped his hat to me. “Good evening, Miss Cabello. Will you need a cab this evening?”

“No thanks, Paul.” I rocked onto the rounded heels of my fitness shoes. “I’ll be walking.”

He smiled. “It’s cooled down from this afternoon. Should be nice.”

“I’ve been told I should enjoy the June weather before it gets wicked hot.”

“Very good advice, Miss Cabello.”

Stepping out from under the modern glass entrance overhang that somehow meshed with the age of the building and its neighbors, I enjoyed the relative quiet of my tree-lined street before I reached the bustle and flow of traffic on Broadway. One day soon, I hoped to blend right in, but for now I still felt like a fraudulent New Yorker. I had the address and the job, but I was still wary of the subway and had trouble hailing cabs. I tried not to walk around wide-eyed and distracted, but it was hard. There was just so much to see and experience.

The sensory input was astonishing—the smell of vehicle exhaust mixed with food from vendor carts, the shouts of hawkers blended with music from street entertainers, the awe-inspiring range of

faces and styles and accents, the gorgeous architectural wonders…And the cars. Jesus Christ. The frenetic flow of tightly packed cars was unlike anything I’d ever seen anywhere.

There was always an ambulance, patrol car, or fire engine trying to part the flood of yellow taxis with the electronic wail of ear-splitting sirens. I was in awe of the lumbering garbage trucks that navigated tiny one-way streets and the package delivery drivers who braved the bumper-to-bumper traffic while facing rigid deadlines.

Real New Yorkers cruised right through it all, their love for the city as comfortable and familiar as a favorite pair of shoes. They didn’t view the steam billowing from potholes and vents in the sidewalks with romantic delight and they didn’t blink an eye when the ground vibrated beneath their feet as the subway roared by below, while I grinned like an idiot and flexed my toes. New York was a brand new love affair for me. I was starry-eyed and it showed.

So I had to really work at playing it cool as I made my way over to the building where I would be working. As far as my job went, at least, I’d gotten my way. I wanted to make a living based on my own merits and that meant an entry-level position. Starting the next morning, I would be the assistant to Mark Garrity at Waters Field & Leaman, one of the preeminent advertising agencies in the US. My stepfather, mega-financier Richard Stanton, had been annoyed when I took the job, pointing out that if I’d been less prideful I could’ve worked for a friend of his instead and reaped the benefits of that connection.

“You’re as stubborn as your father,” he’d said. “It’ll take him forever to pay off your student loans on a cop’s salary.”

That had been a major fight, with my dad unwilling to back down. “Hell if another man’s gonna pay for my daughter’s education,” Alejandro Cabello had said when Stanton made the offer. I respected that. I suspected Stanton did, too, although he would never admit it. I understood both men’s sides, because I’d fought to pay off the loans myself…and lost. It was a point of pride for my father.

My mother had refused to marry him, but he’d never wavered from his determination to be my dad in every way possible.

Knowing it was pointless to get riled up over old frustrations, I focused on getting to work as quickly as possible. I’d deliberately chosen to clock the short trip during a busy time on a Monday, so I was pleased when I reached the Crossfire Building, which housed Waters Field & Leaman, in less than thirty minutes.

I tipped my head back and followed the line of the building all the way up to the slender ribbon of sky. The Crossfire was seriously impressive, a sleek spire of gleaming sapphire that pierced the clouds. I knew from my previous interviews that the interior on the other side of the ornate copper-framed revolving doors was just as awe-inspiring, with golden-veined marble floors and walls, and brushed aluminum security desk and turnstiles.

I pulled my new ID card out of the inner pocket of my pants and held it up for the two guards in black business suits at the desk. They stopped me anyway, no doubt because I was majorly underdressed, but then they cleared me through. After I completed an elevator ride up to the twentieth floor, I’d have a general time frame for the whole route from door to door. Score.

I was walking toward the bank of elevators when a svelte, beautifully groomed brunette caught her purse on a turnstile and upended it, spilling a deluge of change. Coins rained onto the marble and rolled merrily away, and I watched people dodge the chaos and keep going as if they didn’t see it. I winced in sympathy and crouched to help the woman collect her money, as did one of the guards.

“Thank you,” she said, shooting me a quick harried smile.

I smiled back. “No problem. I’ve been there.”

I’d just squatted to reach a nickel lying near the entrance when I ran into a pair of luxurious black oxfords draped in tailored black slacks. I waited for a beat for the person to move out of my way and when they didn’t, I arched my neck back to allow my line of sight to rise. The custom three-piece suit hit more than a few of my hot buttons, but it was the tall, powerfully lean body inside it that made it sensational. Still, as hot as all that magnificent maleness was, it wasn’t until I reached the person's face that I went down for the count.

Wow. Just…wow. She sank into an elegant crouch directly in front of me. Hit with all that exquisite femininity at eye-level, I could only stare. Stunned.

Then something shifted in the air between us.

As she stared back, she altered…as if a shield slid away from her eyes, revealing a scorching force of will that sucked the air from my lungs. The intense magnetism she exuded grew in strength, becoming a near tangible impression of vibrant and unrelenting power.

Reacting purely on instinct, I shifted backward. And sprawled flat on my ass.

My elbows throbbed from the violent contact with the marble floor, but I scarcely registered the pain. I was too preoccupied with staring, riveted by the woman in front of me. Inky black hair shoulder length framed a breathtaking face. Her bone structure would make a sculptor weep with joy, while a firmly etched mouth, a blade of a nose, and intensely Emerald green eyes made her savagely gorgeous. Those eyes narrowed slightly, her features otherwise schooled into impassivity.

Her dress shirt and suit were both black, but her tie perfectly matched those brilliant irises. Her eyes were shrewd and assessing, and they bored into me. My heartbeat quickened; my lips parted to accommodate faster breaths. she smelled sinfully good. Not cologne. Body wash, maybe. Or shampoo. Whatever it was, it was mouthwatering, as was she.

she held out a hand to me, exposing onyx cufflinks and a very expensive-looking watch.

With a shaky inhalation, I placed my hand in hers. My pulse leaped when her grip tightened. Her touch was electric, sending a shock up my arm that raised the hairs on my nape. she didn’t move for a moment, a frown line marrying the space between arrogantly slashed brows.

“Are you all right?”

Her voice was cultured and smooth, with a rasp that made my stomach flutter. It brought sex to mind. Extraordinary sex. I thought for a moment that she might be able to make me orgasm just by talking long enough.

My lips were dry, so I licked them before answering. “I’m fine.”

she stood with economical grace, pulling me up with her. We maintained eye contact because I was unable to look away. she was younger than I’d assumed at first. Younger than thirty would be my guess, but her eyes were much worldlier. Hard and sharply intelligent.

I felt drawn to her, as if a rope bound my waist and she was slowly, inexorably pulling it.

Blinking out of my semi-daze, I released her. she wasn’t just beautiful; she was…enthralling. she was the kind of woman that made a person want to rip her shirt open and watch the buttons scatter along with her inhibitions. I looked at her in her civilized, urbane, outrageously expensive suit and thought of raw, primal, sheet-clawing fucking.

she bent down and retrieved the ID card I hadn’t realized I’d dropped, freeing me from that provocative gaze. My brain stuttered back into gear.

I was irritated with myself for feeling so awkward while she was so completely self-possessed. And why? Because I was dazzled, damn it.

she glanced up at me and the pose—she's nearly kneeling before me—skewed my equilibrium again. she held my gaze as she rose. “Are you sure you’re alright? You should sit down for a minute.”

My face heated. How lovely to appear awkward and clumsy in front of the most self-assured and graceful woman I’d ever met. “I just lost my balance. I’m okay.”

Looking away, I caught sight of the woman who’d dumped the contents of her purse. She thanked the guard who’d helped her; then turned to approach me, apologizing profusely. I faced her and held out the handful of coins I’d collected, but her gaze snagged on the god in the suit and she promptly forgot me altogether. After a beat, I just reached over and dumped the change into the woman’s bag. Then I risked a glance at the woman again, finding her watching me even as the brunette gushed thank-yous. To her. Not to me, of course, the one who’d actually helped.

I talked over her. “May I have my badge, please?”

she offered it back to me. Although I made an effort to retrieve it without touching her, her fingers brushed mine, sending that charge of awareness into me all over again.

“Thank you,” I muttered before skirting her and pushing out to the street through the revolving door. I paused on the sidewalk, gulping in a breath of New York air redolent with a million different things, some good and some toxic.

There was a sleek black Bentley SUV in front of the building and I saw my reflection in the spotless limo tinted windows. I was flushed and my brown eyes were overly bright. I’d seen that look on my face before—in the bathroom mirror just before I went to bed with a man. It was my I’m-ready-to-fuck look and it had absolutely no business being on my face now.

Christ. Get a grip.

Five minutes with Miss. Dark and Dangerous, and I was filled with an edgy, restless energy. I could still feel the pull of her, the inexplicable urge to go back inside where she was. I could make the argument that I hadn’t finished what I’d come to the Crossfire to do, but I knew I’d kick myself for it later. How many times was I going to make an ass of myself in one day?

“Enough,” I scolded myself under my breath. “Moving on.”

Horns blared as one cab darted in front of another with only inches to spare and then slammed on the brakes as daring pedestrians stepped into the intersection seconds before the light changed. Shouting ensued, a barrage of expletives and hand gestures that didn’t carry real anger behind them. In seconds all the parties would forget the exchange, which was just one beat in the natural tempo of the city.

As I melded into the flow of foot traffic and set off toward the gym, a smile teased my mouth. Ah, New York, I thought, feeling settled again. You rock.

I’d planned on warming up on a treadmill, then capping off the hour with a few of the machines, but when I saw that a beginners’ kickboxing class was about to start, I followed the mass of waiting students into that instead. By the time it was over, I felt more like myself. My muscles quivered with the perfect amount of fatigue and I knew I’d sleep hard when I crashed later.

“You did really well.”

I wiped the sweat off my face with a towel and looked at the young man who spoke to me. Lanky and sleekly muscular, he had keen brown eyes and flawless café au lait skin. His lashes were enviably thick and long, while his head was shaved bald.

“Thank you.” My mouth twisted ruefully. “Pretty obvious it was my first time, huh?”

He grinned and held out his hand. “Parker Smith.”

“Camila Cabello.”

“You have a natural grace, camila. With a little training you could be a literal knockout. In a city like New York, knowing self-defense is imperative.” He gestured over to a corkboard hung on the wall. It was covered in thumbtacked business cards and fliers. Tearing off a flag from the bottom of a fluorescent sheet of paper, he held it out to me. “Ever heard of Krav Maga?”

“In a Jennifer Lopez movie.”

“I teach it, and I’d love to teach you. That’s my website and the number to the studio.”

I admired his approach. It was direct, like his gaze, and his smile was genuine. I’d wondered if he was angling toward a pickup, but he was cool enough about it that I couldn’t be sure.

Parker crossed his arms, which showed off cut biceps. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and long shorts. His Converse sneakers looked comfortably beat up and tribal tattoos peeked up from his collar. “My website has the hours. You should come by and watch, see if it’s for you.”

“I’ll definitely think about it.”

“Do that.” He extended his hand again, and his grip was solid and confident. “I hope to see you.”

The apartment smelled fabulous when I got back home and Adele was crooning soulfully through the surround sound speakers about chasing pavements. I looked across the open floor plan into the kitchen and saw Cary swaying to the music while stirring something on the range. There was an open bottle of wine on the counter and two goblets, one of which was half-filled with red wine.

“Hey,” I called out as I got closer. “Whatcha cooking? And do I have time for a shower first?”

He poured wine into the other goblet and slid it across the breakfast bar to me, his movements practiced and elegant. No one would know from looking at him that he’d spent his childhood bouncing between his drug-addicted mother and foster homes, followed by adolescence in juvenile detention facilities and state-run rehabs. “Pasta with meat sauce. And hold the shower, dinner’s ready. Have fun?”

“Once I got to the gym, yeah.” I pulled out one of the teakwood barstools and sat. I told him about the kickboxing class and Parker Smith. “Wanna go with me?”

“Krav Maga?” Cary shook his head. “That’s hardcore. I’d get all bruised up and that would cost me jobs. But I’ll go with you to check it out, just in case this guy’s a wack.”

I watched him dump the pasta into a waiting colander. “A wack, huh?”

My dad had taught me to read guys pretty well, which was how I’d known the god in the suit was trouble. Regular people offered token smiles when they helped someone, just to make a momentary connection that smoothed the way.

Then again, I hadn’t smiled at him either.

“Baby girl,” Cary said, pulling bowls out of the cupboard, “you’re a sexy, stunning woman. I question any man who doesn’t have the balls to ask you outright for a date.”

I wrinkled my nose at him.

He set a bowl in front of me. It contained tiny tubes of salad noodles covered in a skimpy tomato sauce with lumps of ground beef and peas. “You’ve got something on your mind. What is it?”

Hmm…I caught the handle of the spoon sticking out of the bowl and decided not to comment on the food. “I think I ran into the hottest person on the planet today. Maybe the hottest woman in the history of the world.”

“Oh? I thought that was me. Do tell me more.” Cary stayed on the other side of the counter, preferring to stand and eat.

I watched him take a couple bites of his own concoction before I felt brave enough to try it myself. “Not much to tell, really. I ended up sprawled on my ass in the lobby of the Crossfire and she gave me a hand up.”

“Tall or short? Blond or dark? Built or lean? Eye color?”

I washed down my second bite with some wine. “Tall. Dark. Lean and built. green eyes. Filthy rich, judging by her clothes and accessories. And she was insanely sexy. You know how it is—some hot people don’t make your hormones go crazy, while some unattractive people have massive sex appeal. This woman had it all.”

My belly fluttered as it had when Dark and Dangerous touched me. In my mind, I remembered her breathtaking face with crystal clarity. It should be illegal for a woman to be that mind-blowing. I was still recovering from the frying of my brain cells.

Cary set his elbow on the counter and leaned in, his long bangs covering one vibrant green eye. “So what happened after she helped you up?”

I shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“I left.”

“What? You didn’t flirt with her?”

I took another bite. Really, the meal wasn’t bad. Or else I was just starving. “she wasn’t the kind of girl you flirt with, Cary.”

“There is no such thing as a girl you can’t flirt with. Even the happily married ones enjoy a little harmless flirtation now and then.”

“There was nothing harmless about this girl,” I said dryly.

“Ah, one of those.” Cary nodded sagely. “Bad boys and girls can be fun, if you don’t get too close.”

Of course he would know; men and women of all ages fell at his feet. Still, he somehow managed to pick the wrong partner every time. He’d dated stalkers, and cheaters, and lovers who threatened to kill themselves over him, and lovers with significant others they didn’t tell him about…Name it, he’d been through it.

“I can’t see this woman ever being fun,” I said. “she was way too intense. Still, I bet she'd be awesome in the sack with all that intensity.”

“Now you’re talking. Forget the real person. Just use ther face in your fantasies and make them perfect there.”

Preferring to get the girl out of my head altogether, I changed the subject. “You have any go-sees tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Cary launched into the details of his schedule, mentioning a jeans advertisement, self-tanner, underwear, and cologne.

I shoved everything else out of my mind and focused on him and his growing success. The demand for Cary Taylor was increasing by the day, and he was building a reputation with photographers and accounts for being both professional and prompt. I was thrilled for him and so proud. He’d come a long way and been through so much.

It wasn’t until after dinner that I noticed the two large gift boxes propped against the side of the sectional sofa.

“What are those?”

“Those,” Cary said, joining me in the living room, “are the ultimate.”

I knew immediately they were from Stanton and my mom. Money was something my mother needed to be happy and I was glad Stanton, husband #3, was not only able to fill that need for her but all her many others as well. I often wished that could be the end of it, but my mom had a difficult time accepting that I didn’t view money the same way she did. “What now?”

He threw his arm around my shoulders, easy enough for him to do because he was taller by five inches. “Don’t be ungrateful. He loves your mom. He loves spoiling your mom, and your mom loves spoiling you. As much as you don’t like it, he doesn’t do it for you. He does it for her.”

Sighing, I conceded his point. “What are they?”

“Glam threads for the advocacy center’s fundraiser dinner on Saturday. A bombshell dress for you and a Brioni tux for me, because buying gifts for me is what he does for you. You’re more tolerant if you have me around to listen to you bitch.”

“Damn straight. Thank God he knows that.”

“Of course he knows. Stanton wouldn’t be a bazillionaire if he didn’t know everything.” Cary caught my hand and tugged me over. “Come on. Take a look.”

I pushed through the revolving door of the Crossfire into the lobby ten minutes before nine the next morning. Wanting to make the best impression on my first day, I’d gone with a simple sheath dress paired with black pumps that I slid on in replacement of my walking shoes on the elevator ride up. My brown hair was twisted up in an artful chignon that resembled a figure eight, courtesy of Cary. I was hair-inept, but he could create styles that were glamorous masterpieces. I wore the small pearl studs my dad had given me as a graduation gift and the Rolex from Stanton and my mother.

I had begun to think I’d put too much care into my appearance, but as I stepped into the lobby I remembered being sprawled across the floor in my workout clothes and I was grateful I didn’t look anything like that graceless girl. The two security guards didn’t seem to put two and two together when I flashed them my ID card on the way to the turnstiles.

Twenty floors later, I was exiting into the vestibule of Waters Field & Leaman. Before me was a wall of bulletproof glass that framed the double-door entrance to the reception area. The receptionist at the crescent-shaped desk saw the badge I held up to the glass. She hit the button that unlocked the doors as I put my ID away.

“Hi, Megumi,” I greeted her when I stepped inside, admiring her cranberry-colored blouse. She was mixed race, a little bit Asian for sure, and very pretty. Her hair was dark and thick, and cut into a sleek bob that was shorter in the back and razor sharp in the front. Her sloe eyes were brown and warm, and her lips were full and naturally pink.

“camila, hi. Mark’s not in yet, but you know where you’re going, right?”

“Absolutely.” With a wave, I took the hallway to the left of the reception desk all the way to the end, where I made another left turn and ended up in a formerly open space now partitioned into cubicles. One was mine and I went straight to it.

I dropped my purse and the bag holding my walking flats into the bottom drawer of my utilitarian metal desk; then booted up my computer. I’d brought a couple of things to personalize my space and I pulled them out. One was a framed collage of three photos—me and Cary on Coronado beach, my mom and Stanton on his yacht in the French Riviera, and my dad on duty in his City of Oceanside, California, police cruiser. The other item was a colorful arrangement of glass flowers that Cary had given me just that morning as a “first day” gift. I tucked it beside the small grouping of photos, and sat back to take in the effect.

“Good morning, Camila.”

I pushed to my feet to face my boss. “Good morning, Mr. Garrity.”

“Call me Mark, please. Come on over to my office.”

I followed him across the strip of hallway, once again thinking that my new boss was very easy to look at with his gleaming dark skin, trim goatee, and laughing brown eyes. Mark had a square jaw and a charmingly crooked smile. He was trim and fit, and he carried himself with a confident poise that inspired trust and respect.

He gestured at one of the two seats in front of his glass and chrome desk, and waited until I sat to settle into his Aeron chair. Against the backdrop of sky and skyscrapers, Mark looked accomplished and powerful. He was, in fact, just a junior account manager and his office was a closet compared to the ones occupied by the directors and executives, but no one could fault the view.

He leaned back and smiled. “Did you get settled into your new apartment?”

I was surprised he remembered, but I appreciated it, too. I’d met him during my second interview and liked him right away.

“For the most part,” I answered. “Still a few stray boxes here and there.”

“You moved from San Diego, right? Nice city, but very different from New York. Do you miss the palm trees?”

“I miss the dry air. The humidity here is taking some getting used to.”

“Wait ’til summer hits.” He smiled. “So…it’s your first day and you’re my first assistant, so we’ll have to figure this out as we go. I’m not used to delegating, but I’m sure I’ll pick it up quick.”

I was instantly at ease. “I’m eager to be delegated to.”

“Having you around is a big step up for me, Camila. I’d like you to be happy working here. Do you drink coffee?”

“Coffee is one of my major food groups.”

“Ah, an assistant after my own heart.” His smile widened. “I’m not going to ask you to fetch coffee for me, but I wouldn’t mind if you helped me figure out how to use the new one-cup coffee brewers they just put in the break rooms.”

I grinned. “No problem.”

“How sad is it that I don’t have anything else for you?” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Why don’t I show you the accounts I’m working on and we’ll go from there?”

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Mark touched bases with two clients and had a long meeting with the creative team working on concept ideas for a trade school. It was a fascinating process seeing firsthand how the various departments picked up the baton from each other to carry a campaign from proposition to fruition. I might’ve stayed late just to get a better feel of the layout of the offices, but my phone rang at ten minutes to five.

“Mark Garrity’s office. Camila Cabello speaking.”

“Get your ass home so we can go out for the drink you rain-checked on yesterday.”

Cary’s mock sternness made me smile. “All right, all right. I’m coming.”

Shutting down my computer, I cleared out. When I reached the bank of elevators, I pulled out my cell to text a quick “on my way” note to Cary. A ding alerted me to which car was stopping on my floor and I moved over to stand in front of it, briefly returning my attention to hitting the send button. When the doors opened, I took a step forward. I glanced up to watch where I was going and green eyes met mine. My breath caught.

The sex god was the lone occupant.

[nadiineross]

chlodine band au

abandoned concept 

Already, Nadine feels as if she has retired. Though she has always enjoyed routine, this is something else entirely—monotony.

Every morning she wakes up at the exact same time, drinks the same coffee, rides the same bus to work. Lunch breaks, she takes alone. The street on which she works is designed to appeal to as many people as possible, so everything is generic as it is flashy. When she had first gotten here, she had devised a list of restaurants within a five minute walk which she would try, and she still uses it as a rotation. On Mondays she eats at the American-style diner, Tuesdays are for Indian food, Wednesdays, Mexican, and so on and so forth.

Work is uninspiring and unfulfilling. Head of security in the city’s biggest music hall. The paperwork is dull and the patrols even more so. The only time she feels remotely close to who she was before Shoreline collapsed is when she’s working out at the gym. Even then, it is a poor substitute.

Routine. Simple, straightforward.

Eventually, she might let go of her resentment and learn to be grateful for the fifteen years she had with Shoreline. Now, however, she can’t help but still be bitter, even two years after it had slipped from her fingers. Her father’s doing; he had grown weak and sentimental, and dissolved the company before she could even think to step in for him. He had gone as far as to forbid her from that career and she was nothing if not dutiful as a soldier and as a daughter, even if it angered her to be so.

She hasn’t spoken to him since. She had moved away so she wouldn’t be tempted to continue their never-ending argument, and found her mind-numbing, soul-sucking job working as a cockblock to crowds of groupies when the next big thing deigned to tour in her coastal city.

She had become robotic. She felt as if she were wasting her life away, doing nothing. Though she was not retired according to the official definition of the word, she had been retired from her career as a soldier and, as someone who had cobbled their entire identity around being one, it was as good as true. Retired at 36.

These are the thoughts that plague her every waking moment. It’s not like the job requires of her more than 4 braincells. She has never been good with idle time.

On top of all that, there is a big concert tonight and will be followed by one more the following night. This, she has been dreading in the months that preceded it. The band is native to the city and, no matter what Nadine thinks of them, they are successful enough for the city to treat them as if they were its crown jewels. They aren’t even a real band—there are only two of them. How they coerced anyone to like them with a name like “Drake’s Fortune,” she will never know.

Still, she doesn’t work at The Rolling Stones, isn’t paid to opine, so she keeps it all to herself and does her job: a circuit of the building, double and triple-checking the locks on all the doors, and checking in on all the guards on duty tonight via radio.

As head of security, she doesn’t have a concrete post for the night. It’s more of a rotation, ensuring the gears are in place and well-oiled, at that. Generally, with big concerts like this, she tries to linger near the backstage to stop any zealous fans her subordinates can’t handle on their own. It hasn’t been that bad tonight and even she will admit the music isn’t terrible. But, of course, the band members themselves sound smarmy and obnoxious. From the hall, she hears the lead, Nathan, try to woo the crowd with his boyish charm and she scoffs at it. Sam the drummer and backup singer tags along and she fears she might roll her eyes so hard they become permanently affixed to the back of her head.

Probably, she has just lost her tolerance for people who are unnecessarily loud about how happy they are with their careers. The irony doesn’t escape her, doing what she does. Every other week, a new band or singer parades through town to laugh and scream and flaunt themselves on a stage in fromt of thousands. And she had been tasked with making sure they make it to the next city intact enough to do it all over again.

She misses the rest of the show, called to the entrance, and she is thankful to leave behind the sounds of the brothers Drake. After that, she has to go help out at the backdoor which takes almost an hour to handle. The thick of the crowd has mostly dissipated by the time the clock hits 12:30am and none of the band members had appeared—thank god for that.

It is another hour before she’s finally finished with all her responsibilities. She immediately takes off her uniform top and ties it around her waist, sweat-stained as it is. She has a second tank top and a spare shirt in her office to change into.

It’s on the way back there that she notices she’s lost the only personal affect she takes to work: a bracelet her mother had gifted her at the airport before she’d left for this city. Immediately, she feels a headache coming on.

If her mother found out, she’d be delivered from an early retirement to an early grave.

Bordering on nauseous, she rushes to retrace her steps: backstage, entrance, backdoor. As she’d expected, she comes up empty. Really, what are the odds?

Sighing, she turns back to the backdoor and begins to unlock it. It’s then when it swings open from the inside; Nadine has to jerk back to avoid getting slammed in the face. A woman comes stumbling out, cursing as she misses the step down into the back alley. She’s in a red shirt, tight and cut just above her bellybutton, and a pair of what looks to Nadine like fashionable, upscale cargo pants. In her hand, she holds a phone which she had obviously been watching instead of her step.

Nadine scowls. “Hey, watch it.”

The woman spins around, a look of surprise flashing across her face. “Sorry.” Then, she squints at Nadine, under the neon lights, and her look of remorse fades into curiosity, and mischief, and an infuriating arrogance. “Hey there.”

Nadine only glares and makes for the door. The woman raises an eyebrow and steps in her way.

“I’m not sure you’re allowed back there, love,” the woman drawls, leaning too close into Nadine’s personal space. Ordinarily, Nadine would’ve put this woman in her place instantly, but the confidence and her apparent access to the backdoor leads her to believe she might be with the Drakes in some capacity. She isn’t interested in losing her job over this. “But I’ll be happy to show you to where you are very much welcome.”

Oh, she thinks Nadine is a groupie. She closes her eyes and tries not to fly off the handle. “Christ, I don’t know who you are but I work here and I’m not in the mood for this.”

To her credit, the woman takes it in stride. She sticks her hand out. “Chloe Frazer, touring member. I play bass.”

Nadine stares at her hand. Stares at the wrist attached to her hand. Stares at the bracelet looped around the wrist.

Slowly, Chloe’s smile fades and she drops her hand. “Look, are you lost?”

“Am I— I’m the head of fucking security,” Nadine barks out, near trembling with rage. “And you’re wearing my fucking bracelet, and you’re in my fucking way, and you’re wearing my fucking bracelet!”

Chloe steps back at the sheer outrage in Nadine’s voice.

“Well?!” Nadine thunders.

Sheepishly, Chloe takes the bracelet off and holds it out to Nadine— she snatches it back and tightens it hard enough to maybe cut off circulation.

Chloe clears her throat. “Hey, uh, I found it. I was going to bring it to lost and found.”

Nadine scowls. “Funny, I’ve worked here for ages and I’ve never heard of the back alley lost and found. Must’ve slipped my notice.”

“Actually, the thing is, I was going to make a call first—”

“Save it.”

And Nadine wrenches the door open and slams it shut behind her, and storms her way through the building with a glower so biting she thinks she spots Nathan Drake ducking behind a crate to get out of her way. As it should be.

note: so basically im incapable of giving either of them occupations that arent treasure hunting so it wouldve turned out chloes an eccentric well off treasure hunter who also plays bass sometimes for her friends cos she’s a hot girl and nadine, unhappy w her career, is offered a job by chloe (see: tll) but this is only after nadine n chloe hv been dating for a while:) i dont like this enough to continue it but here ya go

[lovemychoices]

RoD- Playing with Fire. CH2 (1/2)

Book: Ride or Die

Pairing: Colt x MC

Once upon a time, an angel fell for a devil and they called it true love. -J.P.D

Kaela Matsuo didn’t think she would fall in love with someone during her senior year of highschool it was the last thing on her mind but then she met Colt while hanging out with Logan and everything changed. After taking down Jason and saying their heartbreaking goodbyes will Kaela and Colt ever find a way back to each other again? And if they do are they ready to face new obstacles together?

Disclaimer : Characters except my OCs belong to Pixelberry, I am just borrowing them.

I’m not a professional writer, just someone with a creative outlet finding a way to express herself. (And trying to improve as I go.) Also sorry for the grammatical errors in advance, I like only double check my work once.

Word count : 2123

Chapter Summary: A heart breaking phone call and a broken Kaela.

A/N : Ha! Finally posted the second chapter of this series. Sorry I’m really bad at updating been busy with life and work stuff, what was thinking doing more than 1 series 🤷🏻‍♀️. This chapter will consist of 2 parts.

Big shoutout to @thecordoniandiaries and @client-327 for listening to my ramblings and throwing ideas around.

Rating : This is a PG-18 series, there will be Violence, NSFW and other PG-18 stuff. If you read this you acknowledge you are above 18 years old.

Warning/ Triggers : A lot Angst, mentions of character death. I’m sorry this chapter might only contain 2% fluff or no fluff at all. If you think you can’t handle this cup of Tea you may skip this chapter. You have been warned!

Tagged list : @thecordoniandiaries @leelee10898 @annekebbphotography @desiree-0816 @emceesynonymroll @jessiembruno @jlpplays1

Rod tag list : @liamzigmichael4ever @client-327 @brightpinkpeppercorn @lovehugsandcandy @lilyofchoices @justdani14 @zaffrenotes @queenkaneko

Song Inspiration: Chord Overstreet - Hold On

Loving and fighting

Accusing, uniting

I can't imagine a world with you gone

The joy and the chaos, the demons we're made of

I'd be so lost if you left me alone

Ximena’s words hit Kaela like a knife to the heart, her breath catches her throat trying to process everything, her body trembled unable to form the next words. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. “Tell me this isn’t true X, tell me this is just one of Colt’s stupid plans or something.” She stammers. “How do you even know it’s him it could be someone else?!”

“Because. Because we were working together on a job when it happened. Something went wrong the cops got wind of our operation and they ended up chasing him, the roads were slippery from the rain and he. He just lost control. I overheard from the police scanner that he was found dead on the spot. Kaela I really am so so sorry, I know how much Colt meant to you, how much you both meant to each other.” She informs Kaela regretfully.

“W— Where is he?” Kaela asks her breath shaky but Ximena hesitates from answering. “Ximena where is Colt? Where did they take the body? Please answer me!” She pleads desperately. Ximena could feel that Kaela was hurt and being in denial, not wanting to face the reality of losing Colt. She treads carefully before she finally speaks. “Kaela, it’s not a good idea. The accident it messed Colt up badly, he wouldn’t want that image of him to be the last thing you remember.”

“I don’t care Ximena!” She belted. “I want to see it with my own eyes. I have to please, please, please.” Her voice cracks, her eyes start welling with tears. “Please I need to see him.”

Ximena hesitates again but finally gives in, she gives Kaela the address. Kaela quickly grabs her purse and keys from the counter but before she hangs up there was something else Ximena had to tell her. “Kaela before you go you should know, your dad. He is the one who is handling the case.” Kaela pauses at the threshold of the door when Ximena mentions her dad, they haven’t been close ever since the whole MPC argument. Sure they talked every once in a while to catch up on each others lives but things were never the same as they were before.

She closes her eyes then lets out a calm sigh. “Thank you Ximena, I know you’re risking a lot just by calling me right now.” “Take care Kaela.” Ximena advises her then hangs up. Kaela shoves her phone into her handbag slamming the door behind her quickly races to find Colt.

****

Kaela drove as fast as she could, hitting the gas pedal speeding across the highway. Swiftly maneuvering through the city and over taking every car that was in her way, she could feel the rush of adrenaline in her blood. “I promise I’ll find away for us to be together again.” The memory of Colt’s words the last time they saw each other came crashing back, tears began welling up in her eyes once more and she quickly wiped them away. She needed to see if it was really. Please don’t let it be him. She quickly put her car in park upon arriving at the coroner's office. Getting out and slammed the car door behind her, not caring that she was double parked.

“Excuse me miss you can’t be here at this hour.” The security at the front desk exclaimed as she barges into the building. Kaela ignores the security guard, quickly pacing past him looking at the signs above for the morgue. She turns the corner and she sees him, her dad standing outside the door that leads to the morgue. “Dad!” She called running towards him. Mr. Matsuo turns his eyes widen, hands in his pocket. “Kaela? W— What are you doing here?” He stutters. “You shouldn’t be here Kaela.”

“I need to see him.I need to know if it’s really him” She tries to head for the door leading to the morgue but he stops her blocking her path giving her a regretful look. “Dad what are you doing to get out of my way.”

“Kaela please don't do this, don’t make yourself hurt anymore than you already have.” He pleads but Kaela doesn’t listen trying to force her way in. He finally shows her a clear evidence bag to get her attention. “Kaela these are some of the things we found on him or at least what we managed to salvage.” She swallows a lump in her throat when she sees what was in it, among the things was a familiar Jade Kitsune.

****

Flashback here..

It was the night of senior prom, the first time Colt and Kaela confessed their love for each other, it was also the first time they slept together. The first time she gave herself to someone. Kaela nestled herself under his arms, her head resting on his bare chest feeling a sense of total bliss. How could anyone with the tendency to bring danger wherever he goes make her feel so safe at the same time. “What’s on your mind sweetheart?” Colt calmly asked while he traced soothing lines on her arm.

“Just thinking about how much I wished we could stay like this forever. No schemes, no bad guys to take down. Just us.. like this in this moment.” She murmured.

“Believe me I’ve been thinking the same thing.” He replied then heaves a sigh. “But we’re going to have to go back to reality soon.”

Kaela turned stretching her hand toward the side table grabbing her small clutch, she opened it and took out a small jade pendant then handed it to Colt. “Is this a Kitsune?” Colt asked cocking an eyebrow as he rubbed his fingers on the Jade pendant. “Mhmm..” She hummed nestling herself back into his arms. He turned the Kitsune behind and noticed some Japanese symbol engraved to it.

ケイラ

“What does this mean?” He questioned. Kaela rolled onto her stomach, propping her head on her hands and smiled when she saw the engraving on the Jade pendant. “It’s supposed to be a translation of my name when written in Kanji. When I was a child, my cousin was babysitting me and decided it was a good idea to let a six year old watch a horror movie. I was traumatized for weeks after that, I couldn’t sleep without the lights on. Then one day my mom gave me this, she told me that Jade crystals are used in asian cultures to ward off evil and that Kitsune’s are known to bring wisdom, long life and luck.”

“They are also known to be tricksters.” He added with a devilish grin. “You’re not the only one with some Japanese blood running through their veins, remember?”

“Maybe that’s why I’m attracted to you.” She winked. “Really? I thought it was because of how cute I was.” He chuckled and she swats him playfully, her expression quickly changes into something sincere. “I want you to have it Colt. It kept me safe all these years, it would make me feel better knowing you have it with you.”

“Kaela I can’t take this from you. You said so yourself your mom gave it to you. I know that this must mean a lot.” He replied.

“It does, but you mean a lot more to me so I want you to have it. Just promise me you’ll keep it with you wherever you go.” She grinned.

Colt doesn’t answer at first instead he pulled her into a deep kiss, when they parted he tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “I promise you, I’ll keep this close to me until my very last breath.”

***

Present day..

Kaela’s shoulders drop when she sees the Jade Kitsune she gave Colt the night of her senior prom. She felt her body tremble and drops on to her knees, pressing her hands on her head and cries. “No, no, no.This can’t be. This can’t. I can't. I can't. I... I can't. I can't. No. It hurts. It hurts. Just make it stop! Please make it stop! It hurts!”

Mr.Matsuo saw how much the news affected her. His heart feels like it’s breaking into a million pieces watching his daughter like this but what’s done can’t be undone. He kneels down and gives her a tight hug rubbing soothing circles trying to comfort her. “It’s okay Kaela. It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

But how could she be? Every inch of her body was hurting when the realization that she would never see him, talk to him or touch him ever again hit her. That last piece of hope that she was clinging on to that piece that kept her going it was gone. Kaela couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe, She felt like she was suffocating. “I can’t. I can’t breathe. I can’t. Please make it stop. Dad just make it stop! Make it stop!”

****

A few months have passed since she got the heartbreaking news about Colt, they say a broken heart will heal over time but time did nothing for Kaela. Losing Colt hit her hard, she was falling back on all her classes, her grades were slipping, so she decided to take a semester off. She lost a lot of weight because she wasn’t eating well, she wouldn’t leave her apartment unless she had to work or buy some things at the grocery. She isolated herself from the outside world.

“Ah! What the actual fuck?!” Kaela growls as the blinding sunlight pierces through her eyes.

“Get up, we’re going out tonight!” Riya exclaims after opening the curtains, she pulls Kaela’s blanket away from her. Kaela takes a small plush pillow next to her and covers her face from the blinding light, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Go away Riya, I’m not in the mood to go anywhere right now.”

“I'm serious Kaela!” Riya insisted placing both hands on her waist but Kaela pretends not to care. When she sees how stubborn Kaela was being, she drops her shoulders and heaves a sigh. She hated seeing her best friend like this, she takes a sit on the bed next to Kaela. “Listen, I know how much you loved Colt and I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through but it’s been almost 3 months Kaela, even if you’re not over him you can’t just live your life like this forever. When was the last time you went out for fresh air or even had a proper meal?” Riya asked but Kaela still refuses to answer her. “I’m not asking you to move on from Colt if you’re not ready, I just don’t want you to spend the rest of your life miserable and all alone. You haven’t been out in ages, who knows this could be good for you? Meeting new people, opening new doors. Just try Kaela, if not for me then for yourself.” Riya got up from Kaela’s bed and heads for the door she hesitates at the threshold then looks over at Kaela. “There’s a party tonight at Mike's house if you happen to change your mind I’ve sent you the e-vite along with the address. I really hope you’ll come.

Kaela waited until Riya left the apartment before getting out of bed, feeling dizzy as she slowly stood up. She heads to the bathroom dragging her fit. A nice long soak in the tub would be good. She dips her hand into the water to make sure the temperature was right. As soon as the bath was ready, she strips off her clothes and slowly stepped into the bathtub.

She closed her eyes trying to relax, trying to forget until mind slowly drifted and she found herself submerged in the water. But then she hears the voices, a surge of memories come crashing all at once. I love you Kaela.. I promise I’ll find a way for us to be together again.. Kaela I’m sorry… I can't. I can't. No. It hurts. It hurts.. Just make it stop! Please make it stop! It hurts!... I love you, Colt. Hold on to that. Kaela emerges from the water, gasping for air. She could feel her heart pounding as she panted, trying to catch her breath.

Once she managed to compose herself, she gets out of the tub and dries off before wrapping herself in a towel then heads to the sink. Kaela wipes the mist that built up on the mirror, she then leans against the sink staring at her reflection. She doesn’t recognize the person standing in front of her, it looked like an entirely different person, like someone who was broken inside and out. Fuck maybe Riya was right, I need to get out of this apartment a night out should help make me forget.

[cottontail20]

The Family You Choose

Summary: Wanda Maximoff loved her twin brother, But when she was a little girl, she also wished for a little sister. Instead, she got a big sister in Natasha Romanoff. She had almost forgotten her childhood wish for a little one, until, after Wanda gets engaged to Vision, Morgan Stark has a question for her.

One-shot, set after 'Memories'.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20256031

Wanda Maximoff had loved her twelve-minutes older twin brother, Pietro. For a long time, he had been all she had, and for a long time, all she thought she needed.

It wasn't that way anymore, and when Wanda really thought back, it hadn't always been that way, even before. When she was a little girl, Wanda had wanted something a lot of little girls wanted. She had her 'big' brother, and she loved him.. most of the time. But she also wanted a little sister.

So, just before her sixth Birthday, Wanda had decided to ask her parents if she could have one.

"Mama, "Papa, can I have a little sister?"

"W-What?!" Her Father had almost choked on his tea, probably fearing her request would be followed by the dreaded question of where babies come from.

"Not right now, fata dulce" Her Mother had chuckled. "Maybe ask again in a few years, okay?"

"Okay, Mama." --

A little while before her tenth Birthday, Wanda had asked again. By that age, the boy/girl divide had become much more substantial. Pietro screamed 'boy' in every way. He was rough and tumble, thought fart jokes were the height of humour, and had developed an aversion to baths, so sometimes, he smelled. Wanda would have liked a little sister to read to and play dress-up with, who still liked baths and smelling nice.

The answer to Wanda's second request was also a 'no', although this time, her Mother had offered her more explanation as to why. The family could not afford anything a new baby would need, and the apartment they lived in was simply too small. Aside from these points, there was no way to guarantee Wanda a sister. She might end up with a little brother instead.

Wanda loved Pietro, even when he smelled bad. But she did not think she wanted another brother, so she let the matter go. --

Later, after the bomb had destroyed her home and torn her family apart, after she and Pietro eventually made the decision to escape the broken Sokovian Foster care system and flee to the streets, Wanda Maximoff found herself very grateful to have a brother.

Pietro always did his best to make sure Wanda had enough to eat, even if it meant he had to go without. When Wanda's body had begun to develop, he had developed a steely glare to chase away any unwanted male admirers.

As grateful as she was for Pietro and his fiercely protective nature, there were a few things that would have been easier to navigate if she had another girl around to share them with. Like, for example, when the day had come that Wanda decided that she needed a bra, or the first time she had needed things for 'that time of the month'. Pietro had fought the embarrassment of both situations impressively, but..

It still would have been nice to have a sister. --

She had eventually found one, although, Wanda remembered quite painfully now, she had never spoken of the bond aloud.

Wanda never could have imagined that she would one day think of Natasha Romanoff as a sister. After Ultron, as the new Avengers team was forming, they only had the most tenuous of connections. The two women were teammates, sometimes training partners. But their beginnings had been tainted by Wanda's early actions, so their relationship was a professional one, nothing more.

Then the Civil War had happened. Or really, the aftermath of it. Though Natasha had fought on Tony Stark's side, she had eventually risked her own life and freedom to help Cap rescue his team from The Raft.

As they'd all fled in the jet, Natasha's eyes had fallen on Wanda's neck, on the angry welts that the shock collar had caused, and her eyes had clouded over, a quiet fury sparking within. She'd told Clint to take her place as co-pilot, then took Wanda back to where they kept the spare medical supplies.

"Hold your hair away from your neck a bit" Natasha ordered, pouring antiseptic onto a cloth.

"Okay.." Wanda had been in too much pain to argue much. She'd winced as the Black Widow dabbed at her wounds.

"We should have beat up more of those guards.." Nat murmured.

"I'll be fine.."

"I know you will. Still wish I'd beat up more guards.." --

Now on the run, Natasha had helped Wanda dye her hair, and Wanda had helped Nat with hers in return. It was Natasha who let her know that Vision had most likely sent the security codes to get them out of the Raft. Natasha who had set up the meeting when Wanda decided that she needed to see him, and all of the meetings after that.

Natasha had taught Wanda to mask her accent. Taught her what to wear and how to move to avoid being noticed. Eventually, their time together became more than training, and a true bond was formed. Yes, bonds do tend to form when people are stuck together for extended periods of time, but it was more than that. Natasha was not the little sister Wanda had wanted, but she was the big sister that Wanda hadn't realised she needed.

When Wanda had departed for another visit with Vision, this time in Edinburgh, Natasha had hugged her a little tighter than usual.

"Be careful, okay kiddo? Remember to check in."

"Of course. I always do.."

"I know" Nat had frowned. "I just.. have a bad feeling." --

As it turned out, Natasha's bad feeling had been horribly right.

Vision had been killed by Thanos for the Mind Stone, and Wanda, along with many others, had been erased from existence.

Then, what felt like just moments later, but was actually five years, Wanda was alive again. But Vision was still dead, and, as Wanda had noticed sooner than most of the restored, Natasha Romanoff was gone. And Wanda Maximoff, filled to the brim with righteous fury, had confronted Thanos one-on one.

"You took everything from me."

She was not just talking about Vision. --

Vision, miraculously, had come back to her, and he and Wanda had, quite unexpectedly, found a Home in the Lake House belonging to the late Tony Stark, with his wife and his daughter. While having Vision back did not completely dull the pain of Natasha's loss, the need to help him recover from his ordeal distracted Wanda, for a while.

At least until Vision had proposed.. and the person who Wanda would have most wanted to tell wasn't there.

One Sunday morning, Wanda, curled against Vision's chest, sighed as she examined her engagement ring, the red stone glinting softly in the sunlight.

"Are you alright, my love?" Vision asked softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Of course I am" Wanda propped herself up to look at him properly. "I'm engaged to the love of my life."

"So am I" Vision replied with a smile, glancing at her ring. "Are you ready to show that off?"

Every second Sunday the surviving Avengers would gather at the Barton Farm for a 'Family' lunch or dinner, and Today was the first of these gatherings since Vision had proposed. Wanda managed a smile for him. She loved her ring, and would be proud to show it off.

"Yes" she replied with a grin. "I am." --

At the Farm, as soon as she made mention of her ring, Wanda had been descended upon, congratulations flowing in from all directions. At one point, Wanda had lost track of Vision, and later discovered that Clint had pulled him aside to deliver a few warnings. Wanda had kissed the now officially retired Avenger on the cheek and quietly thanked him. --

Later, when they got a chance to escape all their well-wishers, Wanda and Vision found a tree that they could sit under to watch the sunset.

"Wanda!"

"Vision!"

The couple looked up, their quiet interrupted when they saw Morgan Stark and Nathaniel Pietro Barton came racing towards them. Thankfully, they both loved Morgan and Nate, so they didn't mind the interruption.

"Hello" Vision smiled.

"What are you two up two?" Wanda chuckled.

"Lila says that when you marry Vision, you're gonna be Morgan's sister!" Nate bounced excitedly.

"Sister-In-Law" Vision gently corrected them.

"Oh.." Morgan's face fell a little.

"What's wrong?" Wanda frowned.

"Vision's a really fun big brother" said Morgan. "I thought it would be fun to have a big sister too.."

"Well," Wanda smiled softly, "A sister-in-law can be like a real sister.."

"Really?" Morgan's eyes lit up.

"Really. And you know what?"

"What?" asked Morgan.

Wanda beckoned the little girl closer, whispering into her ear.

"I've always wanted a little sister.."

Morgan squealed joyfully, leaping into Wanda's lap.

"Yay! Now I've got a a big brother and a big sister!"

"Do you want a little brother too, Wanda?" Nate asked hopefully. "Lila and Cooper say I'm a real good little brother."

Wanda looked into Nate's sweet face. She had not, technically, ever wanted another brother. But, Nathaniel Pietro was named after both her twin brother and the woman she had considered a sister. That seemed too obvious a sign to ignore.

"Hmm.. Yes, I suppose I could use a little brother too" Wanda smiled.

Nate giggled, pouncing on her. The weight of the extra child caused Wanda to topple backwards, laughing.

Vision watched the three of them fondly for a moment, then laid back in the grass with them, also laughing.

Sometimes, Wanda thought, reaching to hold Vision's hand, the family you chose could be just as special as the one you were born with.

[veryangryhedgehog]

“The Product of Sacrifice,” an Ede Valley story by Hedgehog.

Buttercup lay on the cot in the cell, pretending to sleep. Though her heart had been nervously thumping in her chest for hours, she tried to remain realistic. What were the real odds of escape, that the Doctor had come up with a viable plan to get her out of here? Next to none. The man was intelligent, but emotional. Clearly, Buttercup reminded him of his daughter.

It was depressing how easy people had become to read, like the world around her had morphed into a bad soap opera. Nothing was hidden from her view. Would it be any better outside? That was the one thing Buttercup couldn’t deduce.

The seconds ticked away as she lay there in the dark, wondering when the Doctor would come, if he would come at all. Then, distantly, she heard it: a heartbeat. Fast, panicked, and coming down the hall towards her cage.

She didn’t dare move a muscle. If they sensed and movement from her, any intention of escape, there would be consequences. Even when he opened the door, she stayed perfectly still.

“I’ve disabled the cameras,” he whispered, and only then did she sit up and snap the chains that held her down on the bed, easy as breaking a toothpick. The Doctor gulped at the sight. “But we have to hurry,” he continued, “They won’t be down for long.”

He threw her a bag, filled with clothes. “P-put these on,” he said, turning his back. “They’re my daughter’s. You’ll be a lot less recognizable with real clothes on.”

It was true that the grey prison shift she had worn for god knew how long stood out quite a bit. Without hesitation, she pulled it over her head and began to dress. The underwear was scratchy—it’d been so long since she’d been allowed to wear any—and the shirt was covered in flowers that hurt the eyes.

The Doctor turned back around, and smiled, bemused at the obvious reaction. “She’s refused to wear that shirt,” he admitted. “Says it’s too ‘kiddish’. I try but I don’t really know what nine-year-old girls want to wear.”

He was the one buying clothes for his daughter. That meant she probably didn’t have a mother to do so instead, Buttercup inferred immediately. She wanted to ask about it, but this wasn’t the moment to pry.

“Oh, your hair.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two hair ties. She took them, and tied her hair into two small pigtails.

“So the plan is just to walk out of here?”

He nodded.

“That’s surprisingly clever,” she offered. “Though it still probably won’t work.”

“W-what makes you say that?” he seemed concerned.

“Pessimism mostly.”

It was a lie, but it seemed to make him feel better.

“A-are you ready?” he asked. He clearly wasn’t, but she didn’t mention it. Buttercup simply nodded, and allowed him to open the door.

The Doctor nearly froze up, but when no alarms sounded he seemed to calm, and began to walk forward. Buttercup held his hand and together they walked down the bright, sterile white hallway together.

For a minute, everything went according to plan. They walked achingly slow down the hallway, while Buttercup listened for the hum of the closest elevator. It was close, just at the end of the hall, right around the corner. But at the pace they were going, it would take an eternity to reach it.

They were nearly halfway there when a woman in a lab coat turned the corner ahead of them and headed their way.

“Dr. Hodge,” the woman smiled and waved. “Good evening.:

But Buttercup tensed. She knew that voice. It was the woman that spoke to her over the intercom. But if she knew the woman, that meant that the woman also knew her.

Buttercup buried her face in the Doctor’s side, trying to appear childlike with the added bonus of hiding her face.

“Is this your daughter?” the woman asked, far too close for comfort.

“Uh… yes,” the Doctor stuttered. “Her nanny was sick so I had to take her in with me.”

“That’s a shame,” Buttercup could hear the woman shake her head before leaning over to address her. “Abigail, right?” she asked, but Buttercup dare not respond.

The Doctor’s hand had become sweaty. “She’s a little shy…”

But this woman was pushy. “it’s alright, dear,” she said, grabbing Buttercup’s free arm. “I’m a friend of your dad’s…” then, she pulled. Buttercup was trapped. If she resisted, the woman would know she was far too strong for a child her age, but if she saw her face…

Buttercup let herself be pulled, hoping against hope that somehow the woman wouldn’t recognize her. But of course, the instant she saw her face, the woman straightened in surprise.

“You…” she managed.

“Run!” Buttercup commanded, and she and the Doctor took off towards the elevator.

“Security!” The woman screamed, and Buttercup winced. The Doctor was slowing her down. Without him, she would be at the elevator right now. But she couldn’t leave him behind. He was an accomplice now. If they caught him… Buttercup didn’t want to think about what they would do.

Two security guards had already fallen in behind them as they turned the corner. Ahead, there was one more, but he had been sleeping, for he blinked blearily and looked at the incoming cacophony in confusion.

Buttercup briefly let go of the Doctor’s hand. Using the wall as a spring, she flew through the air and landed a roundhouse kick to the man’s jaw before he even knew what was happening. He fell to the ground, the second after the sickening crack reverberated through Buttercup’s leg. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the Doctor’s hand again and they ran into the elevator.

“What are you doing?” The Doctor asked as Buttercup hit the button for the second top floor.

“They’ll be waiting for us at the top,” she explained. “So we’ll go to the second floor and sneak right past—”

But just then the door opened and the words died in her mouth. Because for the first time since becoming a Paragon, Buttercup had made a mistake, the only one she was capable of: she had underestimated the enemy.

Twenty guards stood directly outside the elevator, pistols pointed directly at them. Buttercup raised her hands in surrender, but her heart dropped as she heard the click of twenty safeties removed. They weren’t going to give them a chance.

“No!” she shouted, trying to throw herself in front of the Doctor. But he small body was never going to be an adequate shield.

Even before she hit the ground, her own torso littered with bullets, she knew that he was dead, the absence of his brainwaves was deafening.

~~ o ~~

“I’d like to go over the events of three nights ago again for the record,” the woman in the lab coat sat across the metal table from Buttercup, who couldn’t help noticing the slight redness around her eyes, from tears or lack of sleep she couldn’t place. Possibly both. Why did I scream, I didn’t think they would kill him, this one was particularly easy to read. “Specifically in regards to the involvement of Dr. Aaron Hodge.”

Buttercup took a deep breath. She knew what she had to say. “I used him,” she stated. “As soon as I caught wind of his sympathies towards me, I immediately began work on strengthening them. I reminded him of his daughter, it was child’s play.”

The woman’s face hardened. Yes, that was good. Hate Buttercup. They already did anyway.

“After that, it was an easy task to swipe the keycard from his pocket and escape my cell. I took the Doctor hostage in order to blend in. Unfortunately, the guards called my bluff and killed him.”

A pause. She didn’t want to say this part.

“He was slowing me down anyway.”

The woman narrowed her eyes, a curious expression there. “That will be all,” she said, and stopped the recorder in between them. Then, not wasting a second, she leaned forward and said. “If that’s true, then why did you try to save him?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You could have avoided getting shot easily, taken out all of those guards, and escaped without so much as anyone else hearing a sound. And yet, you jumped in front of Aaron instead. Why?”

Buttercup watched her carefully. “Is it so hard to believe that I still have a modicum of human decency?”

Though she opened her mouth, the woman quickly closed it again. She nodded, just once, and stood, making to leave.

“Tell them what I told you,” Buttercup looked downwards. “Please.”

The woman paused.

“There’s a little girl out there named Abigail who’s now all alone in the world. It would be much better for her to go through the rest of her life believing her father was a hero.”

………..

“I will.”

[so-writing]

The Purge 1/3 - Bill Skarsgard

The television was set at top volume and the worry was evident on her face.

“Please protect my son,” she took hold of my biceps, her nails digging into my skin, “he is all I have left.”

“Elora,” I gently placed my hands over hers, “I will guard him like he is my life. You know me.”

Her grip relaxed and she fell into me, careful to keep her tears from ruining the expensive fabric her dress was made of.

Elora Skarsgard was the queen of a high fashion clothing dynasty. She and her husband, Van, had started the company several decades ago and they had become a household name through years of hard work.

When Van passed, Elora kept things going and she made sure that she trained her only son to follow in her footsteps. Bill would eventually take over the company.

Bill Skarsgard. He was pushing thirty and he was as bratty as he was when he was in his single digits.

It must have been nice to grow up with a platinum spoon in your mouth.

I had promised Elora years ago that I was on her side. Like my father, I was dedicated to her and her family.

“I will protect Bill, I promise. I’ll protect you too.”

My name is Lindsay, and I’ve been working for the Skarsgard family as long as I can remember. My father is their head of security and he spends most of his time in Sweden, making sure that no one fucks with them.

I have been trained to make sure no one fucks with them when they’re in the states.

The goddamn Skarsgards just happen to be in the states during the purge.

Fuck. Me.

*

“Linds, are you ready to meet with him? Just a heads up, he can be quite a bit of a dick.”

“I know.”

I had, almost, grown up with Bill. We were the same age and though we had grown up in the same home, our lives were very different.

Bill didn’t associate with me. As far as he was concerned, I was the daughter of the help and someone that he could easily ignore.

It had always been that way, but things were different now.

“Lindsay, it’s good to see you.”

Bill stepped into the room. I had to admit that it had been years since I had seen him and he had changed very much since that day.

He towered over me, his at least six foot frame making a mockery of my five foot and five inches.

“Bill, hello.”

I had never noticed how sharp his features were, and how lovely they actually were.

“You’re the one they assigned to protect me? I guess I’m fucked.”

There was no hint of playfulness or sarcasm in his voice.

“Bill, no one here is going to fuck you, trust me. I’m here to make sure you survive the night.”

He moved across the room and sat himself on a plush loveseat. Running a hand through his hair, he sent a wicked smile my way.

“We’ll see. Do you know who is targeting me?”

I did.

“The dumbass look on your face says no. Get your shit together, princess. I actually need you, because I am finished otherwise.”

I let it go and turned away from him without a giving his attitude a second thought.

“Andre, what kind of coverage are we getting? Anything Skars-specific?”

Corny? Yes, but it made the situation a tiny bit lighter.

Bill stifled a laugh and even though I wasn’t facing him, I knew he had followed it with a long swallow of his wine. He tried to play it off like it didn’t matter but I knew he was on edge.

“Nothing really on main television news but there’s some action on Twitter. People are not a fan of him.”

“Him?”

Bill rushed across the room to join our huddle around Andre’s laptop.

“We’re a family. There are two of us. Why are you saying him?!”

The wine was sloshing around his glass as he spoke and the fear was evident on his face.

“Bill, we have your back. We always will. Have a seat, let me grab you a cigar.”

Andre had been Bill’s bodyguard for the majority of his youth and was still his protector and friend to this day. He knew how to calm him down.

This time it didn’t help much.

Bill’s hands trembled as he cut the tip from the cigar and placed it between his lips.

“So w-what are they saying?”

His voice shook and he took a long swig of wine.

“They’re saying you’re…”

Andre trailed off, not wanting to upset Bill.

“Tell me, man. You’re my best friend. Tell me what they’re saying.”

It was the first time I’d seen any kind of emotion from Bill in years.

“Bill, don’t concern yourself with this. Lindsay and I will keep you safe and then we’ll get you home and you don’t have to think of this moment ever again.”

Andre’s voice was soothing and, for a moment, it seemed like Bill was going to let it go.

“Andre, please?”

He turned to me now, his green eyes meeting mine.

“Lindsay, please? I need to know.”

Andre sighed and waved his hand, giving me the go ahead to tell Bill what was going on.

“Bill,” I paused and took in his wide eyes and hard set jaw, “I want to be completely honest with you. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. There is a talk that you’re a direct target of a certain group.”

“Why? What group?”

“According to social media, they call themselves ‘The Fallen’ and you’re their target because, well, you’re you.”

“What does that mean?!”

Leave it to Bill to dramatically roll his eyes and give attitude even though he’s been told he has a target on his head.

“Do not stress this, man. It doesn’t matter.”

Andre tried to soothe him but I wasn’t having it.

“It means that you’re wealthy and lucky and they don’t like that and they don’t like you.”

“Linds, c’mon.”

“Andre, I know you’re trying to protect him but he’s not a kid anymore. He needs to know.”

We both turned to Bill, he was leaning against the wall with an empty wine glass and obvious fear.

The silence between the three of us lasted several minutes before Bill spoke.

“Please get me through this. I probably don’t deserve it, but please, help me.”

I had never felt sorry for Bill before. Despite his shortcomings, all I wanted to do was keep him alive.

“Your mother hired me because I’m one of the best. I won’t let her down and I won’t let you down. Head to the bedroom and get some sleep. You’re going to be fine.”

***

Several hours has passed and everything was quiet. Andre, myself, and a plentiful amount of security staff had been monitoring the cameras placed around the property and patrolling when it was safe.

So far, nothing.

“Lindsay, come over here.”

Andre’s voice pulled me out of almost sleep and I hurried across the safe room to see what he had found.

“You see them?”

“Yes.”

Our view came from a security camera at the base of the three story building we had Bill in. They were quick, but we still spotted them.

A person in a mask with an automatic rifle ran through the view of the camera.

“That was a mistake,” Andre said, “there are probably at least three more of them we can’t see.”

He was right. The purger in question hadn’t meant to appear on security camera but they did and, to our advantage, we knew they were coming.

Bill had a few of his staff with him in the hiding spot. Elora was in a different location for security reasons.

“Ladies and gentleman,” I stepped into the main room and addressed his staff, “there are people here that want to hurt Bill. You need to take cover at this time. If you need anything or have questions, Andre can assist you.”

The double doors from the bedroom slid open and Bill stood between them.

“Are they coming for me?”

I had told him to get some sleep but it was evident he hadn’t slept at all.

“Yes, but you’ve got Andre and you’ve got me. You’ll be fine.”

He rushed forward and took his large hands in my small ones.

“Please fucking make sure I’m ok. I don’t want to die, Lindsay.”

“You won’t. Stay in here and make sure you’re familiar with the placement of the weapons in the room.

“I-Is that necessary? I’ve never shot a gun.”

Bill looked at me with wide, scared eyes and I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He never asked for this.

“It might be necessary, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot to get through Andre, your security and me to get to you.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Yes. I’ll check with you soon, until then, try and get some sleep. It is better that you sleep peacefully through this night.”

“Yeah, I’ll fucking try, Linds,” he gave me a soft, genuine smile and then I decided that maybe he wasn’t so bad.

All I needed to do was keep him alive and see if that was the case.

[cscreativecentre]

Little Terrors

Summary:  Emma and Killian have faced many challenges together, but nothing can prepare them for one of parenthood’s greatest challenges:  leaving the house.  

  Word count: 3,162

  Rating: G

  …Little Terrors: Part 1/1…

“I don’t want to wear shoes!” 4 year old Liam declared with a stomp of his foot, his brown hair flying every which way as he shook his head.

  Emma sighed, as she tried to grab his wiggling feet and force the sneakers on.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “They make my feet hot.”

  “Well, we’re going to Granny’s for your Uncle Neal’s birthday.  No shoes, no shirt, no service.”

  “I’m wearing a shirt,” he said with a pout.

  “Then you’re halfway there,” Emma said, as she finally managed to get his sneakers on.

  Just then, 2 year old Ella came running into the living room, naked from the waist down.  

  “No diaper!” she screamed, her blonde curls waving around her head as she shook it.

  Emma squeezed her eyes closed. “Killian!” she called.

  Her husband appeared a moment later, Ella’s pull-up in his hand.  Emma gestured to their daughter.  

  “Care to explain?”

  He shrugged.  “I tried, love.  She wouldn’t let me put it on.  I can’t say I blame her.  I too prefer to go sans undergarments.”

  “But at least you wear pants to conceal that fact,” she said.  

  Emma took the diaper from him. “I’ll try.  Go get Eva in her bedroom.”

  Killian headed upstairs and found their 6 year old daughter sitting on her bed with a pout on her face.  

  “Come on, love.  It’s time to go.”

  “I’m not going,” she declared glumly.  

  “And why not?”

  “I feel weird today.”

  “You feel ill?”

  “No, I feel weird.”

  “I haven’t a bloody clue what that means.”

  “It means I don’t feel like going to Uncle Neal’s birthday party.”

  Killian sighed heavily, as he sat beside his daughter on the bed.  He brushed her blonde hair behind her ear. “But, love, there will be cake at the festivities.  You adore cake.”

  “What kind of cake?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Carrot cake?” she asked, scrunching up her nose.  “I hate carrot cake.”

  He sighed again. “I don’t know what kind of cake, but Neal loves chocolate, so I’d say there’s a fair chance of it being chocolate.  Chocolate is your favorite.”

  “I don’t like chocolate,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “Since when?” he asked, his eyebrows darting upwards.

  “Since yesterday.”

  “What happened yesterday?”

  “I told you.  I stopped liking chocolate.”

  Killian groaned and ran his hand down his face.  “Bloody hell.”

  He stood up and gestured at her to do the same. “Up.  March yourself downstairs, lass.  You’re going.”

  Eva moaned dramatically and then stood up, stomping out of the room and down the stairs.  Killian arrived back in the living room to find his wife with all three children.  Ella had her pull-up on and was now wearing a skirt.   

  Killian smiled at Emma. “Ah, looks like we’re making progress, love.  Perhaps we’ll be ready to leave by next week.”  

  Emma laughed and then groaned when she looked down at Liam’s feet.

  “What happened to your other shoe, kid?”

  “I lost it,” he said with a shrug.

  “You had it five minutes ago.  It was on your foot.  How did you manage to lose it in five minutes?”

  “I dunno,” he said with a shrug.

  Emma blew out a frustrated breath.  “Go back to your room and put on another pair of sneakers.”

  Liam scampered off, just as Eva dropped to the ground dramatically, her arms and legs spread out on the rug.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Emma asked, turning to her husband.

  Killian shrugged and attempted to make air quotes with his hand and hook.  “In her words, she’s feeling weird today.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “How the devil should I know?  Apparently, it makes it so she doesn’t want to attend the party.”

  “Well, that’s not an option,” Emma said. “Get up, Eva,” she ordered.

  Eva didn’t move a muscle.   Killian bent down to pick up his daughter, but she was dead weight and he couldn’t get her to budge.

  “Bloody hell, it’s as if she weighs more than a barrel of rum,” he said.

  Emma chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a special kind of kid skill right there.”

  Just then, Liam appeared back in the living room.

  “Ready!” he announced.

  Emma looked at his feet.  He was now wearing two different sneakers.

  “Why are you wearing two different shoes?” she asked.

  “I couldn’t find the missing one,” he explained.

  “That’s why I said to put on a different pair of shoes.”

  “I did.”

  “No, you put on two different sneakers.  One is red.  One is blue.”

  He shrugged.  “I like it better this way.”

  Emma rubbed her temple.  “Fine.  Go like that.”

  Killian pinched the bridge of his nose.  “The headache I currently have rivals those I’ve only gotten after consuming several flasks of rum.”

  Emma smiled and patted her husband’s shoulder.  “That’s parenthood for you.  The effects of a hangover without the fun.”

  Killian laughed.  “Aye.”

  They then worked together to lift Eva off the floor.  They thought they were finally ready to leave when they realized Ella was missing.  

  “Where’s Ella?” Emma asked.

  Killian groaned.  “Bloody hell.”

  They heard a giggle coming from upstairs and she appeared at the top of the stairs, completely naked.

  Emma let out an audible groan.  “Seriously?”

  Killian exhaled in defeat and held up his hook and hand.  "That’s it.  I surrender,“ he said.

His wife turned to him wide-eyed.  "What?  I thought you love a challenge.”

“Aye, that I do.  But I am also wise enough to know when to admit defeat.”

“So let me get this straight.  You’ve lived centuries and defeated villains and monsters, broken curses, but our three children manage to take you down?”

He shrugged.  "Defeat can come in the most unexpected of ways and from the most underestimated of foes.“

"Okay, this is ridiculous.  What are we supposed to do?  Never leave the house again?”

“No, we can certainly make another attempt at some point.  But today I believe we must admit the lad and lasses have bested us.”

“So much for never giving up,” she muttered.

“Perhaps if you could use your magic or I could use my sword to defeat them, we would stand a chance.  But, alas, that is not an option.”

Emma groaned and rubbed at her forehead.  "Yeah, this parenthood thing is definitely the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced together.“

“Some days it feels more like a hostage negotiation with a band of drunken pirates than actual parenting,”  Killian said.

"Well, I guess you would know,” she replied with a chuckle.  Emma paused and and shook her head.  "But one thing I know is that we’ve always been stronger together.“

"Aye.”

“The kids outnumber us.  But-…”

He nodded, finishing her thought, “We’ve been outnumbered before and emerged victorious.  You’re right, Swan.  We just have to keep our wits about us, formulate a plan, and work as a team.”

Emma nodded, as she came closer to her husband and snaked her arms around his neck.  "Now there’s the determined pirate I love.  There’s no battle we can’t win if we work together.“

Killian pressed his lips to his wife’s.  Just as they parted, they both felt a tug on their shirts.  They looked down to find Liam staring up at them.

"I lost my shoes,” he said.  

Emma and Killian sighed, as they dropped their foreheads together and squeezed their eyes closed.

…

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Emma said, as she handed Killian a roll of duct tape.

Her husband’s eyes grew wide. “Love, admittedly I’m still learning about parenting in this realm, but I do believe it is frowned upon to restrain them.”

Emma laughed, shook her head, and then handed him a pair of green sneakers. “For Liam’s sneakers.  Put them on and secure them with a bit of duct tape around his foot.  They won’t be going anywhere for awhile.”

“Brilliant.”

Emma pointed to Eva and Liam. “Both of you on the couch,” she ordered.  

They begrudgingly followed their mother’s command.

She addressed Killian.  "Okay, watch them.  Don’t let them out of your sight.“

"As you wish.”

“I’ll take care of Ella,” she said.

Emma headed upstairs.  She found her naked toddler jumping up and down on their bed.  

“Ella, do you want to play a game?”

Ella stopped jumping and nodded enthusiastically.  "Yeah!“

"Okay, how about dress-up?  You love playing dress-up.”

“Can I be a princess?”

“Yup.  But here’s the game part.  I’m going to time you on my phone.  I’m going to give you five minutes and you have to be fully dressed, including pull-up.  And you have to stay dressed for the rest of the day or you lose.  Got it?”

“Got it!” she yelled and gave her mother a thumbs up.

“Ready,” Emma said, as she tapped the time on her phone.  "Get set.  Go!“  

Ella jumped off the bed and raced to her bedroom.  Emma followed and watched as she ran to her toy chest and began to frantically pull out her dress-up costumes.

…

Killian could hear his wife and daughter upstairs as he guarded their other two children.  They squirmed on the couch.

"I’m hungry,” Eva said.

“I’m thirsty,” Liam announced.  

“Well, loves, if we leave this house sometime this century, then you can have your fill of food and beverages at your uncle’s party.”

“But I’m hungry now.”

“I’m thirsty now.”

Killian waved his hook at them and shook his head.  "I know what you’re attempting to do and your efforts will be fruitless.“

Eva tilted her head and smiled at her father, batting her eyelashes.  "You’re the best daddy in the whole wide world,” she said softly.  

Killian blushed and shrugged.  "Thank you, love.“

"In all the realms,” Liam added, spreading his arms out wide.

“And you’re the funnest, too,” Eva said.  "All of my friends are jealous because their dads are boring.“

Liam nodded. "Yeah, mine too.  Our daddy’s a cool pirate.”

Killian puffed his chest out proudly, his face beaming.  "Well, I can’t argue with that. I’d imagine the other fathers would be rather envious of me.  I can’t say I blame them.“

Eva and Liam slowly inched off the couch and came to sit on their father’s lap. They looped their arms around his neck and each placed a kiss on his cheek.

"We love you, Daddy,” they said in unison.

Killian smiled. “I love you, too.”

“Now can we have something to eat?” Eva asked.

“And drink?” Liam said.

Killian nodded, kissing their foreheads. “Of course.  How could I ever deny my beautiful offspring anything?  You’re such a wonderful lad, Liam, and you’re a lovely lass, Eva.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” they said, as they hugged him, and then jumped off his lap and ran into the kitchen.

…

A few minutes later, Emma came down the stairs with Ella, who was now dressed in a glittery purple princess dress and sparkly pink shoes. The look was made complete with a crown atop her head.

Killian smiled. “Well, lass, you look stunning,” he said.

Ella giggled, as Emma’s eyes widened at the empty couch.

“Where are Eva and Liam?”

“Oh, not to worry, love.  They’re just getting something to eat and drink.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “What? Killian, I told you not to let them move.  Every parent knows you never let a child who is dressed to leave the house eat or drink anything or they will surely require a change of clothes.  How did they convince you to let them move off the couch?”

He grinned.  "We have very sweet children, Swan.  They told me how I am the best daddy in all of the realms.“

Emma groaned. "Of course they did.  They stroked your ego.  Smart kids.”

Killian shrugged.  “It was rather brilliant.  Well played.”

Eva and Lia emerged from the kitchen a moment later.  Eva had chocolate pudding all over the front of her dress and Liam had grape juice on his pants.  Emma stared daggers at her husband.

“Apologies, love.”

Just then, Emma’s cell rang.  She looked down and groaned.  "It’s my mother.“

She answered the phone. "Hi, Mom.”

“Emma, where are you?  Neal’s party started an hour ago.”

“Well, we started the process of leaving the house two hours ago.  Let’s just say it isn’t going well.”

Snow chuckled. “Ah, I can imagine it’s difficult with three young children.”  She paused and said, “Put me on speaker.”

Emma pressed speaker.

“Eva, Liam, Ella.  It’s grandma.”

“Hi, Grandma!” they yelled.

“Do you know what’s waiting for you at the party?”

“What?” they asked.  

“A piñata full of candy.  And there’s chocolate cake.  And there’s ice cream.  Plus, a little present for each of you.”

“Yay!”  

“But you must get in the car within the next five minutes or everything will disappear.  Okay?”

“Okay!” they screamed.

Emma watched as Liam and Eva raced upstairs to change.

Emma and Killian shook their heads in amazement.

“Unbelievable,” Emma said.

Snow chuckled. “Emma, never forget a parent’s greatest weapon: bribery.”

“I thought bribery was frowned upon,” Killian said.

“I’m a big believer in whatever works,” Snow said.  "See you soon.  Hopefully.“

Eva and Liam ran down the stairs a moment later, freshly changed.  "Ready!”

Emma and Killian exchanged a relieved smile.  

Emma looked at them.  "Does anyone need to use the bathroom?“

"Nope,” they said.

Killian grinned. “Then let’s go.”

They filed out of the house and piled into the car.  Emma was almost backed out of the driveway when Liam began to squirm in his seat.

“I have to pee,” he said.

Emma and Killian squeezed their eyes shut, as she put the car in park.  She glared at him in the rearview mirror.  

“Seriously, kid?  I just asked if anyone needed to go to the bathroom not three minutes ago.”

“I didn’t have to go then,” he replied with a matter-of-fact shrug.

Emma and Killian exchanged a look and then simply laughed, as Emma dropped her head onto the steering wheel.  

…

From their booth at Granny’s, Emma and Killian watched their three children attempt to hit the piñata.

  Emma smiled, as she leaned forward and linked her fingers with her husband’s.

  “As crazy as they drive us, I have to admit we created three pretty great kids,” she said.

  Killian nodded. “Aye, love, that we did.”

  Emma’s smile faded and her expression grew serious.  “Do you ever regret it?  Do you ever regret trading life as a pirate captain for like in Storybrooke?”

  Killian’s brow furrowed, as he shook his head. “Not for a moment, Swan.  It was the best decision I ever made. You helped me find the good man I still had inside of me and gave me a noble cause.   And that decision gave me you and our children.”

  Emma bobbed her head.  “I know,” she said.  She waved her hand at their children. “But I doubt when you made that decision back then, you could have imagined what your life would be like now.”

  Killian chuckled. “You’re quite right, love.  I traded battles with pirates over treasure for battles with children over shoes and diapers.”  He paused for a long moment. “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a very small part of me that feared that life as a husband and father in Storybrooke could grow dull and tiresome.  But I had nothing to fear because this life we’ve created together is the greatest adventure of my life.”

  Emma smiled as he leaned forward and placed a kiss to her knuckles.  

  “And there’s no one else I’d rather go on this adventure with,” she said.

  “It’s my turn!” Eva suddenly yelled.

  Emma and Killian groaned, as they turned to find Eva and Liam in a tug-of war over the plastic bat being used to hit the piñata.  

  “No, it’s not!  It’s mine!” Liam screamed.

  “Duty calls, Swan,” Killian said, as they both slid out of the booth.

  Killian grabbed Eva and Emma grabbed Liam, pulling them apart until they dropped the bat.  Ella giggled as she picked it up from the ground and began swinging it haphazardly.

  Eva and Liam squirmed in their parents’ arms until they were finally released and set on the ground.  

  Eva pointed at Liam.  “He stole my turn!”

  “She stole my turn!” he yelled.

  Emma and Killian sighed heavily, preparing to launch into their upteenth lecture on sharing.  But just as they opened their mouths, Ella screamed, “My turn!”

  Unfortunately, she was only two and her aim left a lot to be desired.  She swung and missed the piñata entirely.  But what she didn’t miss was her father’s face.  The plastic bat hit Killian square in the nose.

  “Killian!” Emma screamed, as he fell backwards and landed on the ground, his hand going to clutch his nose.

  “Bloody hell,” he muttered, as his nose began to throb.  

  Emma stroked his cheek, as Snow ran off to get ice.  

  Ella walked over to her father and touched his cheek. “Sorry, Daddy,” she whispered in his ear.

  Eva grabbed Killian’s hand, while Liam took hold of his hook.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?” Eva asked.  

  “I’ve been better, love,” he mumbled.  

  Snow arrived with the ice and Emma pressed it to her husband’s swollen nose.  

  “You’ll be fine, Daddy.  You’re a big, strong pirate,” Liam said.  

  Emma smiled at their children, as they attempted to comfort their father.  

  “Thank you, lad.  You’re right.  I’ve endured far worse.  I’ll be just fine,” he said.

  Emma helped him up and then ushered him back to their booth.   She scooted all the way in and then motioned for Killian to placed his head on her lap.  He lay back, settling his head in his wife’s lap as she placed the ice back on his nose.

  “Has the handsome finally been knocked out of me, love?”

  Emma caressed his cheek. “I told you.  No one’s that powerful, not even our kids.”

  Killian laughed and then winced in pain.  

  Emma brushed his hair off his forehead and placed a kiss on it, as she met his eyes.  “So still no regrets?”

  He shook his head.  “Not a one.  I wouldn’t trade our life together for all of the treasure in all of the realms.”

  Emma smiled, as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips.  

  Just then, all three kids appeared at the booth.  They started to climb on top of Killian.  

  “Careful!” Emma said, as Liam kneed him in the crotch, garnering another groan from her husband.

  “We just want to hug him,” Eva explained.

  Emma’s face softened. “Okay, but be gentle.”

  Eva flopped down on top of her father’s chest as Liam took up a spot beside her.  Ella managed to climb on top of her siblings.  

  Killian smiled and tightly wrapped his arms around their little brood.  Emma found his hand and slipped hers in it, as they exchanged a smile that said it all.

  …THE END…

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed it.  I’d love to know what you thought. ~Steph

by @captainswanluver

[gerxrdwxy]

Without You Is How I Disappear - Frerard - Chapter 2

Read it on ao3

By PagebyPaige

Summary: I read an amazing fic that I thought was a mcr reunion fic that ended up being heart-shattering angst. Long story short, I decided I would rewrite the fic myself and end it the way I wished it had ended.

Word Count: 2706 Chapters: 2/? Language: English

•Fandoms: My Chemical Romance •Rating: Teen and Up Audiences •Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply •Categories: M/M •Characters: Frank Iero, Gerard Way, Bandit Way, Ray Toro, Lindsey Way - mention, Mikey Way •Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way, Frerard - relationship •Additional Tags: (Abbreviated version) Angst, Fluff, Angst with Fluff, mcr reunion, Resolved Angst, tagging is hard

Frank wobbled where he stood, his legs shaking and his feet trembling against the side of the bridge. He was so unsteady that he promptly fell backwards, his intent for the bridge struck from his mind when he saw the person he least expected to see walking towards him. He fell through the arms that tried to catch him, promptly on to the pavement. He must’ve spent a lot more time walking than he thought, considering who he saw.

Gerard gingerly lifted the smaller man up by his arms, pulling him into a tight hug. Silently, Gerard walked him back, past his car. Confused, Frank looked up. How he could’ve missed it, he had no idea, but the bridge couldn’t have been more than a couple hundred yards from Gerard’s house.

—

All Gerard saw as they walked back was Frank careening forward, tumbling over the side of the bridge. He couldn’t believe he had let it come to this. What was he even doing, living alone with Bandit in the middle of California? He should’ve been in Jersey, making music with his favorite people in the world. Gerard didn’t find happiness away from the band. He felt just as he did back in 2001, hopeless and alone. He needed his band just as much now as he did then. And he knew Frank did too.

Frank. He needed Frank. He missed the tiny man’s smile, his never-ending energy when they played. He missed sharing a tiny bunk because neither of them could sleep, Mikey grumbling when the vocalist was woken up next to his rhythm guitarist. Gerard missed the crowds, his songs, his friends, and Frank. Gerard missed everything about MCR, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to admit it.

—

They reached Gerard’s house, both men were crying, and Gerard kicking at the ground as they walked. Without even a discussion, Gerard booked tickets for three back to New Jersey. Gerard called his brother, arranging for him, Frank, and Bandit to stay with Mikey for now. Until then, Frank would stay with Gerard and Bandit.

“Why?” Frank broke the heavy silence, his voice cracking under the weight of the word.

“Why what?” Gerard tried his best not to snap back, but his voice was still strung taut.

“Why are you coming?”

“Frank, I hope you realize that I need it just as much as you do. I talked to Mikey about it a while ago, and he’s all for it. Ray will of course be on board, and obviously we need you. Plus, I need to go back to Jersey too.”

Frank was blown completely away by how well Gerard read him. To his surprise, Gerard wrapped an arm securely around his shoulders.

“Frankie,” Frank’s cheeks were tinted rose just from the nickname. “I need you. It’s been six years, and I can’t do this anymore. If you’re up for it, I want to try again.”

“W-with the band, or…” Frank trailed off, too afraid of hoping to utter the remainder of his question.

“Both.” Gerard answered, giving Frank everything he had been needing for six years in one word.

Frank flipped around to where he faced Gerard and locked his arms tightly behind the taller man’s head. Gerard’s slipped easily around Frank’s back, pulling him close. Frank raised himself up on his tiptoes and kissed Gerard, just as easily as it was twelve years earlier. His fingers knotted themselves in Gerard’s hair, and he pulled back to breathe.

“Keep your hair long?”

“Only if you lose the mustache.”

Frank smiled against Gerard’s lips as the two kissed once again.

“So, the new album.” Frank loved the words against his lips. “Is there a theme? A hair color?” Gerard giggled and Frank felt it as his body shook gently.

“I don’t know yet, but at least I’ll be doing it with you.” Frank now had his face buried in Gerard’s chest (because at 5'6" he was the perfect chest-burying height) and Gerard could feel his smile.

At that moment Bandit came running in. The ten-year-old looked so different from when Frank had last seen her at age four.

“Dad?” She cocked her head at Gerard, whose arms were still around Frank.

“Bandit, this is Frank. You remember him, right?” To Frank’s surprise, Bandit’s eyes lit up with recognition.

She turned to point at Frank. “You let me play your guitar!”

“Yeah, I did.”

“But why are you here?” Bandit was of course confused as to why he was in her house, wrapped around her father.

“I-” Frank was at a loss for words. Gerard came to his rescue.

“Bandit, Frank is my best friend and I really missed him so he came back. In fact, we’re going to take a trip with him in just a couple days! Until then, he’s gonna stay with us, okay?” Bandit nodded her understanding and then proceeded to shock everyone in the room with spontaneity present only in the inexplicable mind of a ten-year-old.

“Do you love him?” Both Gerard and Frank’s jaws dropped.

“Do I- do I love him?” Gerard was obviously caught off guard, and the room was dead silent. Then Frank felt Gerard’s grip tighten around him as he said, “Yes, I think I do.”

“Good.” Bandit seemed satisfied with herself and went back to wherever she had come from.

Frank looked up at Gerard.

“Really?” He asked the taller man tentatively.

“Yes. Frank Iero, I love you.” By then, Frank was smiling so much that he could barely respond when Gerard kissed him once again.

—

Frank helped Gerard make dinner, clean up, put Bandit to bed, and even hummed softly in the background as Gerard sang her to sleep. He noticed immediately with a grin what the “lullaby” was. Demolition Lovers. Of course Gerard would sing to his ten-year-old daughter his own song which was by now almost double her age. Wow, Frank thought, that song is 18 years old. Holy shit.

After making sure she was soundly sleeping, Frank and Gerard shuffled slowly together towards Gerard’s bedroom. At the door, Frank started to turn back, to sleep on the couch. Gerard grabbed his shoulder, steering Frank into his bedroom. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Gerard wrapped his arms around Frank’s neck, pulling him close.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, earlier.” Gerard sounds so completely done with himself. He looks at the floor in shame. Frank hooks a finger under his chin and tilts his head back up, even though now he can’t look Gerard in the eye anymore.

“Gerard… I wish I could say it’s okay, but I don’t really know what you were thinking either. To be fair, though, I’m sorry too.”

“No, Frank, I’ve been there. I know how it feels to be that desperate. I never should have let things go this far, I shouldn’t have pushed you away.”

“Why did you then?” Frank’s question was nearly absorbed into the soft material of Gerard’s t-shirt. He thought at first that Gerard didn’t even hear it when from above his head came the almost mumbled reply.

“I couldn’t let myself love you.” Certainly not the response Frank was expecting.

“Why’s that?”

“I convinced myself it was just rebound, after my split with Lindsey.” Gerard sighed, preparing himself for what he would say next. “Truth be told, I couldn’t admit it but Lindsey was rebound for you.” Frank blushed gently against Gerard’s chest. “I didn’t know how to function after we broke up, so I got with a girl. Then, I felt guilty when I married her and all I could think about was how much I wished it was you. I couldn’t look at you anymore without thinking about that, so I split up the band. That just hurt me and you even more, and by then I was an emotional wreck. Lindsey and I weren’t working out, so we ended it. The only good thing about life was Bandit. After all that, it seemed like you wanting to come back into my life was just life playing a cruel joke on me, when I obviously forgot that you never intended to leave it in the first place-” Frank interrupted Gerard’s monologue by crashing their lips together again. When they pulled apart, Frank said his piece.

“Gerard, it’s okay. We’ve both been through some tough shit in the past few years. What I know is that you saved my life today. What I also know is that MCR saved all of our lives, and I think it has the potential to do that again. Lastly, I’ve waited almost ten years to kiss you again, and I’m not letting that go to waste. I never wanted to leave in the first place, and I’m sure as hell not leaving now.” Frank grabs his hand and drags them both to Gerard’s bed. “Gerard, I joined MCR because I loved it and I loved you. Both of those things are still true today, so let’s go back to Jersey and fix what never should’ve been broken in the first place.” Frank finished his speech, looking rather proud of himself. Gerard laughed.

“Okay, well if we’re done giving novel-worthy speeches, I’d like to get back to kissing you.” Frank lay in the bed of his (ex)ex-boyfriend, the two of them curled around each other, the happiest they’d both been in probably six years.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10169528/chapters/22590992

[ashapon]

Never a King

Summary: Part 1. Being cursed for decades means that Prince Reyes is a long way from feeling at home.

Tags: Reaper76, Overwatch AU, Spanish Prince!Gabe, Security guard!Jack

Word Count: 3,966

Notes: This piece was written as a commission for a friend.

The castle was every bit as grand as the books had described and through his first tour, Jack found himself nearly lost admiring the sand-colored bricks and steepled archways. He stopped short of the entrance to the castle’s grand library, peering in at towering shelves stuffed with an array of books.

“Most of it’s history,” one of the site’s tour guides - a young woman by the name of Marina Delgado - supplied. “Otherwise it’s filled with a bunch of classical stuff. Stories the royal fam might enjoy, if they were still around.”

Jack didn’t fault Delgado for her flippancy; he supposed he wouldn’t be pleased if he was instructed to give an after-hours tour of the site to fresh blood.

He stepped into the library for a moment, eyes scanning a ceiling interspersed with skylights, packed bookshelves that centered around a functioning fireplace and what appeared to be a modest-sized portrait of the royal family.

Jack recognized the faces immediately from the texts he’d perused. King Andrés Vinicio and Queen Lucila Irma standing tall and proud behind Gabriel Zacarías and Isabella Leticia, son and daughter, prince and princess. All of them were suited in garb traditional of their time, flowing coats and dresses, crowns and jewels, gold and red and other brilliant shades.

He heard Delgado step in and shift beside him, folding her arms as she looked up at the portrait with him.

“In all their glory,” she hummed. “Word is our fashionable prince hated having his portrait done. Might even cringe if he saw it today.”

Jack laughed, observing the stern set of the prince’s brow, the poorly disguised frown painted on his lips.

“This was before the princess fell ill?”

Delgado nodded.

“You’ve done your research,” she replied, waving him from the library with manicured nails. “Sunset isn’t going to wait for us to finish this up. Don’t want to get lost on your first night, do you?”

“I’ve got a feeling-” Jack said under his breath, tearing his gaze from the dark eyes of the prince. “-it might happen, anyway.”

---

Jack strolled the halls of the castle’s north wing the instant the clock hit eight with nothing but an empty gun holster, a baton, hand-held radio, and a flashlight. He was informed by the large and boisterous head of security that break-ins were fairly common - nothing violent, only theft - so the odds of physical confrontation were minimal.

Most thieves were either captured or spooked without hassle. If that was true, Jack felt a bit guilty about the ease of the work.

From the tour and the map he’d been given days ago to study, he knew that the sections of the castle that he was responsible for consisted of the throne room, a private library, and the largely off-limits royal family members’ bedchambers. The most valuable artifacts within this space were a complete set of four jeweled crowns, the enormous collection of dated texts from the library, and original portraits.

The crowns themselves were encased in glass, an alarm only he and the other guards knew the code to threatening to blare from something as simple as a loose breath.

Jack checked in on those first, the beam of his flashlight catching on solid gold and brilliant rubies while he checked that the alarm was still set. He made his way to the library, where he gave the room a full once-over before his eyes landed on the portrait.

The moonlight cast peculiar shadows on the faces of the royal family and, if he were the skittish type, he might have sworn he saw Prince Reyes’ eyes moving.

He shook his head, radioing to the other guards that his initial check was complete and tucking the hand-held back at his side.

Jack heard a sound behind him then, like someone bumping into a table, harsh whispered tones in a foreign language, something toppling. He spun, clicking his flashlight on and aiming the stream at the doorway.

If he had not been gazing up at the portrait moments ago, he would have needed to double-check, triple-check for certain because the man standing before him, cradling an intricate Spanish florero, looked remarkably like the prince himself.

Jack stood still for a moment, blinking hard, positive he must be hallucinating.

The imposter stared back, wide-eyed, the expression painting him in a completely different light than the stone-cold frown in his portrait.

Except that it couldn’t be his portrait, that would mean Prince Reyes was alive after centuries had passed.

Jack opened his mouth to speak when the imposter shifted, sliding the unbroken vase back onto the table he’d knocked it off of, straightening it.

Jack tried again.

“The castle’s open for tours from 8-9,” he said. “Now it’s off-limits. I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you don’t want to involve the cops.”

The imposter frowned - and there it was, a resemblance so startling that it took Jack’s breath away - and folded his arms.

Jack watched with disbelief as the man rolled his eyes.

“How can one’s home be off-limits,” he huffed, taking a step closer. “I will not be caged in my rooms day after day so that anybody can waltz in and wander through my family’s home.”

Jack saw the irritation as much as he heard it, authentic or else practiced in the furrowed brow and twitch of the man’s lips. He started to reach for his radio and saw the look-alike freeze in place.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing,” Jack began. “But I asked you to leave and now you’re coming with me.”

The imposter appeared affronted, ready to retort before both of them were startled by the high-pitched blare of a security alarm.

Jack cursed.

“The crowns,” he raised his voice. “Look, I need you stay put while I...”

Jack trailed off, suddenly alone. He looked around to find the library empty, the connecting hallways equally as vacant.

With the alarms still sounding down the left hall, Jack took off in the direction of the throne room.

---

“I heard you made a catch on your first night?”

Jack glanced up from swirling the contents of his cup of coffee, sitting up in his seat with a sigh.

The cafe was largely unoccupied so early in the morning and he was exhausted, stopping by immediately after his shift.

“Yeah,” he replied, running a hand through his hair. “Someone tried to nab the royal crowns.”

Ana Amari hummed from the seat across the table, sipping at her tea with an arched eyebrow.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” she started. “But I think that’s impressive. You’re doing excellent work, Jack.”

Jack nodded, absentminded. He was glad that his first night had been productive when it could have been hours of him getting lost in his acclimating to the castle’s layout. On top of that, he only had this job because Ana had put in a good word with the head of security.

After years on the battlefield together, she was still looking out for him.

“I’m glad I could help,” he curled his hands around his drink, relying on the warm contact to ground him as he continued. “I just think I could have done more.”

Ana clicked her tongue.

“What more is there to be done?” Her expression softened. “Jack, what is it?”

In all of the excitement that followed the crown thief’s capture, Jack had lost track of the presumed imposter and forgotten to mention anything to the head of security. The guilt had put him on edge all morning.

“I messed up.” he sighed. “Someone else was in the castle last night, Ana. And they got away because I was distracted.”

Ana furrowed her eyebrows, sitting up. She abandoned her half-empty drink.

She motioned for him to go on.

Jack shook his head.

“He was... odd,” he sat back, arms crossed, dropping his gaze as he thought back on the moment. “There was something about him that seemed unreal? He was trespassing, but he was furious when I pointed it out.”

“Perhaps he was just annoyed he was caught.”

“No, that,” Jack took a deep breath. “That wasn’t the strangest thing. I had the light on him and everything and he...”

Jack leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“He looked exactly like the prince - Gabriel Reyes? I had glanced at the portrait before I spotted him and there was nothing. No difference.”

“Jack,” Ana tilted her head. “About this man...”

“It seems crazy, right?” Jack groaned, reaching for his coffee. “Maybe I’m not ready to jump to something so similar to the battlefield. Christ, and you helped me out with so much.”

“Jack Morrison,” Ana interrupted, her tone patient. “You said this man looked physically similar to the prince?”

“Yeah,” Jack closed his eyes, recalling the shocked expression. “Hair, eyes, clothing almost. Same time period, maybe.”

Ana’s thoughtful frown shifted to something exasperated.

“Hang on,” Jack said. “You’ve met him? Or you know about him? Some famous goddamn imposter that goes waltzing around the grounds?”

“Not quite,” she pulled out her phone, began typing out a message. “What time was this, did you say?”

“Uh,” Jack recalled, squinting. “Around 11, maybe? Why?”

Ana hummed; Jack found his patience thinning in the face of all this ambiguity.

“Reinhardt will want to know,” she replied. “He will not be angry, I assure you.”

Jack knew he was supposed to find that comforting, but instead he felt like there was too much information missing. Half of a whole summary that would explain the previous night. His frustration, he knew, was evident in his tone.

“The security head knows about him, too?” He frowned. “Was no one going to mention anything?”

Ana set her phone down, her expression sympathetic, but otherwise betraying no concern.

“I’ll escort you to your shift tonight,” she offered, sipping at what was left of her tea. “Security Chief Wilhelm and can fill you in, then.”

---

“Sorry,” Jack started. “You want to run that by me again?”

Delgado rolled her eyes, propped against one of the small tables in the castle library.

“I told you,” she informed Ana and Reinhardt, who exchanged a glance. “You can’t just say these kinds of things to anyone. They’ll think you’re loco.”

“It would not be the first time,” Reinhardt declared, oddly chipper. “To lose an employee to mistrust.”

“Did you not see him, Jack?” Ana countered. “Last night, in this very room?”

At the moment, Jack felt a bit betrayed. As though what he’d confided in Ana was now being turned into a joke at his expense.

In spite the likelihood of Ana not taking him seriously when he was sincere being zero.

“Right now,” he started, standing from his seat. “I don’t know what the hell I saw.”

Delgado waved a hand in Jack’s direction as if to make a point.

“There is a reason we are telling you,” Ana continued. “It is likely you will meet him again.”

“Very likely,” Delgado added. “He may be a prince, but he is not so good with rules.”

Jack, exhausted, opened his mouth to end this game, this conversation. If it was a prank, it was elaborate, and that was all he was giving them. If they wanted him to quit for some bizarre reason, he’d rather they tell him face-to-face.

He opened his mouth to express his irritation, but someone else spoke over him.

“If any of you have a problem with how I’m conducting myself, I’d rather you tell me instead of gossiping.”

Jack turned to the library entrance, where everyone had already directed their gaze, to see the very same man from the night before.

Seeing the man alone, under the glow of the flashlight was one thing, but surrounded by others, in a well-lit room, brought a whole new level of authenticity to his existence.

Jack hadn’t been imagining things; his resemblance to the prince was unmistakable. Short, wavy hair, dark eyes, strong jaw, thin scars across his cheek. His stance reflective of his higher class, but more military than Jack was expecting. Clothing in rich colors that conveyed regality, but not overwhelming opulence.

His clothes differed from the outfit in the portrait. Practical, but still polished. A buttoned military coat, pressed trousers, dark boots. A prince, a soldier, a leader.

But, Jack recalled, never a king.

“Speak of the devil,” Delgado said, far too loudly to be under her breath. “Gabe, come in. We’ve got someone for you to meet.”

Prince Reyes’ shoulders tensed, though he took a step forward and eyed Jack.

“We’ve already met,” he stated, crossing his arms. “And I don’t need you to invite me into my own library.”

“Gabriel,” Reinhardt shouted joyously. “It is good to see you. But we must speak to the incident last night.”

Prince Reyes shrugged out of the large hand on his shoulder, scowling.

“I will not,” he hissed. “Be caged in my room like a damn animal. This is my home.”

Reinhardt, sympathetic man that Ana painted him to be, softened his tone.

“We do not wish to take that from you,” he said. “But I thought we had reached an agreement.”

“Untrue,” Reyes retorted. “You had reached an agreement. I had no say.”

“The option that Reinhardt gave you is perfectly reasonable,” Ana interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the bristled prince. “While Reinhardt in on-duty, you can go about as you please. It is impossible to have him in every wing of the castle, every night.”

“This castle,” Reyes repeated. “Belongs to my family, belongs to me.”

“Actually, right now,” Delgado said, looking down at her nails. “It belongs to the city, principe. It’s a tourist attraction.”

Prince Reyes opened his mouth, affronted, but no words must have come to him. He folded his arms with a huff, remained silent.

Jack guessed now wasn’t the best time for him to speak, but he had plenty of questions he thought he rightfully deserved answers to.

“Hate to interrupt,” he started. “But I still don’t know what the hell’s going on.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to him.

Ana was the one to speak.

“It might be best for Gabriel to speak to this situation himself.”

Jack guessed that the prince opening up to him was unlikely at the moment. Prince Reyes, arms folded and lips curved to a frown, cooperating and sharing every last detail with a complete stranger seemed as far-fetched as this whole situation.

“Gabe, come on,” Delgado rolled her eyes. “If one more person knows, the world won’t crumble. Besides, if this guy knows, that means you can wander the halls of this place being all mopey more often.”

Shockingly, Delgado’s words did not comfort Prince Reyes.

Jack watched the man tear out of the room with a huff.

Delgado shrugged.

“Story time’s on me today,” she smiled, hopping up to sit on the library table. “Listen in, fresh meat. You’ll never here another tale like this again.”

---

That night, it was impossible for Jack not to be distracted by thought. He would have continued insisting that everyone stop with this long-winded joke of theirs, but they managed to coax Prince Reyes back for a few minutes to provide proof.

Apparently, the man couldn’t leave the castle grounds. Jack watched the prince completely disappear when he stepped past this ‘border’ further down the path of the entrance.

Somehow he made it through his entire shift without any trouble, in spite of his mind being in a entirely different place. He didn’t see Prince Reyes for the rest of the evening.

Sleeping was as difficult as it had always been, but he managed a few hours back at his apartment before he delved in on the research. Ana had informed him that Prince Reyes refused to talk about how this whole thing happened to him, or what it could have been.

Was the man dead? Was he still alive? Was it a curse?

At this point, Jack believed it could be anything.

Historical texts and articles revealed basic information about the royal family; the king, queen, their son, their daughter. Prince Reyes’ sister was a few years his elder and the one who took to the throne after the prince’s death.

Presumed death.

She ruled with pride, was just and fair, lived a long life before she passed and the throne then went to her son.

Another article talked about a time before Princess Isabella Reyes became queen, a time where a majority of the royal family never set foot out of the castle except on strict business. Most of their meetings would take place within the castle grounds.

Those few months were so noted, so unusual because the family adored spending time in town, attending local festivities, participating in the bustling markets. Isabella’s husband, in fact, was an entrepreneur of local trade; she had visited him often at the markets before they were married.

Not long after Los Meses Tristes, as the locals referred to it, it was announced that Prince Reyes had passed due to an unknown illness. The kingdom went into mourning. Isabella was married six months later at a quaint ceremony and she became queen.

Nothing about what really happened to Prince Reyes, because it was clear he wasn’t dead over a century later, and Jack didn’t know where to begin his speculations.

Inevitably, he packing his work things early, donned his uniform, and made his way to the Castillo.

---

The castle archives were vast and thorough; piled side-by-side on the libraries shelves was every book imaginable that spoke to this particular historical site and the people who had once lived here. Up until the last fifty years, when no heirs had been present and any distant relations had agreed to sell the site to the city for a hefty sum.

Minutes after the castle had closed to the public, and hours before he was on duty, Jack buried himself in the tomes, skimming redundant facts for any sign of obscurity. Anything that would result in, say, immortality.

Maybe he was pursuing the wrong angle, maybe Prince Reyes was dead and he was tied to the castle somehow. He wasn’t able to move on until he accomplished... something.

Jack sighed, rubbing at his temple as perused the royal family tree for what felt like the dozenth time. There was too much of the same information, too many theories swimming around in his mind.

The worst of it all was that he knew if someone asked why he was so stuck on this, he wouldn’t have an answer. History had always been interesting to him, but that could only push him so far.

There was something about the prince. If he’d been alive all of this time, he’d witnessed the passing of so many loved ones, and the castle had been vacant of family for the past fifty years...

Wouldn’t he want to know more about what happened and why? Wouldn’t he want to fix it?

Wouldn’t he be lonely?

“What are you doing?”

Jack sat up in his seat, his back and neck protesting the sudden shift. He twisted to spot the prince in the library’s entryway.

Words didn’t come to Jack immediately as he looked the man over.

Gabriel Reyes was dressed differently than he’d been on the night they first met, or the evening they’d been formally introduced. If on the last few nights, the prince had looked every bit the soldier, tonight he was a nobleman.

The dark long sleeves of his tunic were dotted with an intricate gold pattern, the same gold and similar designs weaved a thick line up the front opening of his top and wound around its high collar. Stones like pearls glinted, paired with shapes like faded gold mandalas and stretch almost like a necklace over and behind both of the prince’s shoulders.

“Johnathan Morrison, wasn’t it?”

Jack cringed a little and saw Gabriel furrow his brow - confused or apologetic, maybe both.

“I, uh,” Jack stood, offering his hand. “I go by Jack.”

“Oh,” Gabriel took his hand and nodded. “Jack Morrison. You already know my name.”

Jack was silent, taken aback by the warm weight of the prince’s hand in his. It was gone as quick as it had come.

“I was just reading up on the place,” Jack offered, gesturing to the half a dozen books sprawled across the table. “Figured it’d be useful to know some things.”

Gabriel frowned at him, squinting down at the texts.

“Why would you need to do so much research?” He asked. “You’re a security guard.”

Jack laughed a little, walking over to the table and closing one of the books he’d opened.

“I guess that makes sense,” he replied. “But I like this kind of stuff. I’ve always enjoyed history.”

That wasn’t a lie, though he never considered making a career out of it. He’d gone straight into the armed forces out of high school and had been there up until a few months ago.

Now he was here, working nights at a castle whose prince was standing before him, nearly two centuries later.

“As prince,” Gabriel interrupted his thoughts. “My parents had me tutored privately. Besides what you might expect, I learned a lot about our kingdom’s history. It was...”

He trailed off, choosing his words carefully before he spoke again.

“It was not always my favorite,” he offered. “But always important.”

Recalling what the other had said about Prince Reyes, Jack was pleased to be getting this long of a conversation out of him. He thought, equally as cautious, about how to proceed.

“What was your favorite? To learn about?”

Gabriel, who’d straightened from where he’d been leaning against a table, seemed shocked by the questions.

Jack assumed many of the questions he did receive were more related to his own state of being and how that came about. Personal, but not thoughtful inquiries.

“I did like reading,” the prince answered, arms folded as his gaze wandered the shelves upon shelves of books. “Literature, mostly poetry. I had a friend from Paris who sent me books that became popular over there at the time.”

Jack smiled while Prince Reyes continued his story, while he stood and sifted through books to locate the collection that he was particularly fond of.

Gabriel smiled, turning the small text over in his hands before offering it to Jack.

“The cover has changed,” he mused. “I originally read the poems in French because I didn’t know much English at the time. Maybe you don’t know the works, I am not sure how popular he is now.”

“Edgar Allan Poe,” Jack said, running his fingers across the back cover of the book. “I’ve read some; in America, he is considered a classic. Very dark, though.”

Prince Reyes laughed and that, coupled with a smile that shinned like the sun, seemed to make the room much brighter.

“You’re not the only one to think that,” he replied. “When Amélie first sent it to me, she wrote ‘Terrifiant et sombre. Vous l’aimerez’.”

When the prince didn’t translate right away, Jack mentioned that his French was a little rusty.

“’Horrifying and dark,’” Gabriel added, apologetic. “’You will like it’. And she wasn’t wrong.”

Jack watched for a moment, the soft smile that pulled at the prince’s lips, the fond warmth in his dark eyes.

“If you’re willing to part with it for a night or two,” Jack gestured to Poe’s collection. “I’d love to read it.”

“Of course,” Prince Reyes smiled. “Tell me what you think.”

Jack gripped the book a little tighter than strictly necessary.

“Sure.”

Once he was through with his shift for the evening, Jack declined coffee with Ana, disregarded his body’s need for rest, and ultimately ended up passing out just as he’d finished Poe’s assorted poetry collection.

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 116

 Joker: "Good morning!" *grabs a thermos of coffee* "Well, I'm heading out~"

nana: whatever.

sasori: *yaaawn*

scarlet: how was the first night for you?

sasori: i slept well, all things considered...

Joker: *looks outside* "..." *taps a security device on the door before climbing up an indoor stairway*

sasori: so, what am i supposed to be doing?

scarlet: for starters, getting a decent meal.

Joker: *calls back* "And keep an eye on Nana--she bites!"

nana: SCREW YOU!

sasori: .___.;

Joker: "..." *shuts the door, looks up the stairs...then flashes away*

-elsewhere-

Inka: *walking through streets with a hoodie on* "...You didn't need to follow me for this."

ritsu: *in gothic lolita attire with a parasol* but it's important to keep you safe, besides, i enjoy a little people watching~

Inka: "...Uh huuuuuuh..." *looking around* "The fire trail is faint...but I think I see where a fight will happen soon enough..."

-elsewhere-

Tsukiyo: *shivers* "Ugh, they said a giant laser hit the Moon. Is Haijima working on blowing it up now or something?"

Konro: *looking at his medicine* "Gee, what if the medicine comes from aliens?"

Tsukiyo: "WHAT?!"

Konro: ^^; "I'm just making a little joke..."

fang-hua: ^^; still, pretty scary stuff.....

Tsukiyo: -3- "Anything that hurts the Moon is an offense to me."

Benimaru: "Look who's got a high opinion of herself."

Tsukiyo: >3<

-elsewhere-

eibon: nngh.... *opening his eyes*

Blair: "Hello, sir...Feeling better?"

eibon: i suppose so...*looking around*

Blair: "We had you moved to Gallows Manor. But your children told us what you may like us to bring over."

eibon: ah, i see. are they around?

Blair: *nods* "They were making some soup for you..."

eibon: ah. *tries to get up*

Blair: "Wow--rest up! You need to recuperate..."

eibon: yes, right....

Blair: "I'll call your kids in~" ^w^

-elsewhere-

Lucy: "Feeling better this morning?"

atsushi: yeah, i guess so...

Lucy: "...But...?"

atsushi: but what?

Lucy: >3< "But you just said 'guess so,' so there must be something else still bothering you!"

atsushi: well, i guess im still kind of tired. ^^;

Lucy: "..." *sets down some tea* "Did you sleep at all?"

atsushi: i dont remember falling asleep.

Lucy: "?! Then no wonder you're tired. So, you didn't sleep at all, or you fell asleep but didn't feel like you slept?"

Atsushi: yeah pretty much.

Lucy: "That's no good. We're asking Kunikida to give you today off."

-elsewhere-

Vulcan: "Nice wheels, Hibana..."'

Hibana: "Only the best. Also, why are you here?"

Vulcan: "I want to have a word with Haijima, too! After the shit they did with my family's work!"

Viktor: *rubbing his hands*

shinra: *fiddling with his tie*

Akitaru: "Feel alright? Too tight?"

shinra: i dunno, im not used to formal wear.

Akitaru: "You've had to wear your formal uniform before. Just think of this as workplace training."

shinra: yep, my palms are sweating already.

Viktor: "Yeah, facing your eminent demise does that." Q_Q

-elsewhere-

Saria: "I spy with my little eye...something that starts with 'S'!"

genny: *sigh* is it sand?

Saria: "Correct!"

lei-lei: *balancing a pencil on her nose*

Asher: =_= *squinting eyes*

Monica: *has stolen a soda from the cooler*

stephanie: oooh are those piercings real?

Kau'i: "Yes, they are real. Like 'em?"

stephanie: super shiny!

Kau'i: "Um, thanks? What, never seen piercings?"

stephanie: of course i have! i've had piercings since i was a baby!

Kau'i: "Huh--your parents were the type to pierce your ears as a baby?"

stephanie: my mommy's a beauty queen in california, and she has lots of friends!

Kau'i: "Like beauty pageants and stuff?"

stephanie: yep! but most of her friends are guys. she invites them over a lot. ^^

bully 2:.....bruh...

Monica: *waves* "Just drop it."

stephanie: ok!

Kau'i: -_-; "Odd group..."

Derek: "Maybe don't talk so friendly to the lower grades."

-elsewhere-

Haijima Secretary: "Right this way."

shinra: *sweating*

Secretary: *opens the doors to a corporate office...that has shelves of video game systems along the wall*

shinra: ??

*The President is seated at a desk, playing a Game Boy*

shinra: *takes a seat, smiling nervously*

Viktor: *sweating, as he takes his seat*

Hibana: *sits, crosses her arms*

Akitaru: "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us..."

kahono: *enters with some coffee and a slice of toast*

President: *staring at the Game Boy*

Viktor: Q_Q

Hibana: -_-;

shinra: *AHEM*

President: "Shhhhh. I'm fighting Tatanga."

Akitaru: "Um...Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice?"

Hibana: *facepalm*

kahono: sir, please focus.

President: "Hmm? Oh, it's you. Well, it's good you're here--if you want to continue to function as Fire Force Companies, you can't afford to make enemies with Haijima Heavy Industries."

Hibana: -___-; "I'm already on the Board of Directors, so I'm fine. But these fools are screwed."

shinra: *GULP*

Akitaru: "...Is that a threat?"

President: *sets down the Game Boy, stares at them* "I won't waste your time today, so let's get to the point: I want to form an alliance against the Preacher."

shinra: so you arent working with them then?

President: "Why would Haijima work with someone trying to destroy the world? There's no profit in that--trust me, we've looked into it: you can't make money if the world comes to an end. Did you know that? I didn't."

shinra: .....

President: "We extend this offer not lightly: we want something in exchange from you, Shinra Kusakabe."

shinra: and what is that?

President: "The Adora Burst--we want to see how it works."

shinra: for the record, i dont know how all it works 100% either.

President: "Which is why you will be residing here."

shinra: ??!!

kahono: sir-

President: "If Kusakabe agrees, I will suspend all testing on the children."

shinra: !!!!!

Hibana: "..."

President: "Not a bad deal, right?"

kahono: sir, if i may interject, i feel mr kusakabe has a right to live a normal life. he seems content with being in the 8th. i feel it wouldnt be fair to him to take that away from him...

President: "I am thinking about the good of this company and our shared desires to stop the Preacher: letting him have a 'normal' life compromises how quickly we can solve this problem, which costs us time and money."

shinra: hey, im not an object, you know.

President: "So you decline this deal?"

shinra: i....i need time to think about it.

President: "Ah, I get it--you're driving a hard bargain. Very well--if you join, I will cancel the assassination order I put out on Viktor Licht."

Viktor: "WHAT?!!"

shinra: .....

Akitaru: "This is insane--you are admitting that you were trying to murder one of my men? That does not convince me you are not in league with the Preacher. My investigations already point the finger at your organization having some relationship to the Preacher and the secret of Amaterasu."

kahono: commander oubi-

Akitaru: "Viktor, tell them."

Viktor: "We know there is something--someone--inside Amaterasu. We discovered that some inhuman is the real founder of the Holy Sol Temple. And it's not unreasonable you have some connection to the Preacher after your work with Giovanni and..." *glances at Hibana*

Hibana: *frowns*

kahono: .....

President: "So, because the Holy Sol Temple is founded by some inhuman, and because Haijima worked with the Temple to make Amaterasu, you suspect us?"

Viktor: "It's a reasonable assumption..."

President: "I will not ignore that Haijima breaks multiple laws to further our research. As you said, it is public knowledge we condoned--hell, we _approved_, Hibana's research with the Witch Shaula. Did you know that?"

shinra: !!!

Hibana: "..." *nods*

Viktor: "...Then the human inside Amaterasu--"

President: "Yes. We put a human inside Amaterasu to power it."

shinra:....*shakes and covers his mouth*

Akitaru: *puts a hand on his shoulder*

shinra:....i dont feel well.....

President: "It is thanks to her sacrifice that Death City enjoys an independent power source regardless of the multiple disasters that are visited upon this city--"

Akitaru: "You...monsters..."

President: "..." *goes back to his Game Boy* "Tell me, Commander. If you could've substituted yourself for your wife and daughter, would you?"

Akitaru: "..." *tosses the chair back, reaching across the desk--*

kahono: commander oubi-

Akitaru: *grabs the President by the tie--*

Secretary: *pulls out a gun, aims it at Akitaru's head* "Let go."

shinra: !!!!!!!!

kahono: !!!!!

Hibana: *has a fan to the Secretary's neck* "You first, bitch."

Viktor: *hiding under his chair*

kahono: ok everyone, take a deep breath and think happy thoughts.

President: "..." *nods to the Secretary*

Secretary: "..." *lowers the gun*

Hibana: "I'm not putting the fan down, so keep talking, _sir_."

Akitaru: *glaring at the President*

President: "As I was saying, we want to keep Amaterasu running. That is why we need someone else with the Adora Burst..."

shinra: ........

President: "Mr. Kusakabe...With your Burst, we could save the lives of millions depending on energy..."

secretary: why him and not the kurai girl. doesnt she also possess the burst?

shinra: !!!!!

President: "Good question--too many lawyers, too much money."

shinra:......

President: "But you don't have that problem, Mr. Kusakabe. And we know you have a hero complex--a desire to save others. I would think you would be willing to give up your own life as a firefighter to save someone else, yes?"

shinra: ....if it came down to it, yeah....

Akitaru: "No."

shinra: commander?

Akitaru: "You undervalue your own life to think you have to throw it away...when you know your survival means you can save more lives."

kahono: he's right. you have so much potential, it'd be a waste to throw it all away.

Akitaru: *pats Shinra's shoulder* "So let's do more than just sacrifice ourselves...Let's save lives."

???: sir, you arent allowed in there!

*the door is knocked down--along with a security guard*

kahono: oh goodness.

Vulcan: "I HEARD EVERYTHING--AND I CAN BUILD A NEW AMATERASU THAT WON'T NEED ANY HUMAN SACRIFICES!"

kahono: how ambitious, that's a joseph for you.

President: "??? Joseph? Oh, let him speak."

Vulcan: "I DON'T NEED YOUR PERMISSION TO SPEAK! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU, ANYWAY?!"

shinra: there's a name tag right there.

-the name plate on the desk reads 'Gureo Haijima'-

Vulcan: "...Wait, this guy's the president?" *looks around* "...The hell is with all the video game systems?"

Gureo: "You say you can build Amaterasu without sacrificing one person?"

Vulcan: "Huh? Oh, yeah--I can do that! I've seen enough creatures die off for 'progress,' and I won't let you bastards kill more people!"

Akitaru: "I think you should pursue this plan, _sir_. It'd be less illegal and not get Shinra killed."

Gureo: "...Would it cost much?"

Vulcan: "I just need the equipment and parts!"

Gureo: "No pay?"

Vulcan: "I don't need your blood money!"

Gureo: "Okay, it's a deal. We won't sacrifice Kusakabe to Amaterasu."

shinra: and the kids and viktor?

Gureo: "Like I said, we'll cancel the assassination order on Licht."

Viktor: *passes out* XwX

shinra: just like that?

Gureo: "Just like that..." *sets down the Game Boy, showing a microphone on it*

shinra:....what's the catch?

Gureo: "The catch is we will not suspend child testing."

kahono: rest assured, the kids are being taken well care of. i've made sure of that, sir.

Akitaru: "..."

Gureo: "It would be a waste not to learn as much as we can about their abilities."

shinra:....as long as you arent hurting anyone, im alright with this.

kahono: shall i show them out, sir?

Gureo: *nods* "Yes, please. I have other meetings to attend to..." *pulls out a 3DS* "...Oh, darn--I missed my house visit with Hambo..."

-as they walk outside, shinra spots tatsu, who waves to him-

shinra: *waves back*

Kurono: *watching* "..."

kahono: that reminds me, i wanted to give you something, shinra. *hands him a paper* i photocopied this drawing that tatsu did last night.

-the drawing is of him, shinra, kahono, kurono, puppet girl, and the other kids-

shinra:.....*smiles*

Akitaru: "Shinra? Hibana is going to drive us to the hospital..."

shinra: !! r-right...

kahono: let's all meet up for coffee sometime. ^^

Hibana: "Hmm."

-elsewhere-

lisa: *looking around*

Arthur: "Always be on the look-out for interlopers..."

maki: how're you holding up?

lisa: the coat's a bit heavier than i was expecting.

Arthur: "It is modified for different people depending on ability. For example, I need to be able to swing my arms, so the fabric there is lighter."

lisa: ah. so i guess im just using a standard issue coat right now?

maki: pretty much. but we can always have something custom made for you.

Arthur: *nods* "Sister Iris modifies some of the coats, so you can ask her later."

lisa: i see.

maki: i helped shinra with his pants....that sounds weird saying it out loud.

lisa: ^^; come to think of it, you and iris helped vul with tamaki's new uniform, right?

maki: yep!

Arthur: "..." *looks down*

lisa:...hey, you alright arthur?

Arthur: "...I should have considered more what she was feeling."

lisa: ??

Arthur: "...Since leaving the First, she has never completely gotten over what happened..."

lisa:.....

maki:.....

Arthur: "Perhaps we should have asked her to sit out that mission..."

lisa:...maybe i could talk to her? i dont know what all happened, but maybe i could help?

Arthur: "...Right, I forgot--you too have experiences with betraying someone's trust--you're perfect for this task!"

lisa: *GLARES* you get a 2 minute head start.

Arthur: "??? Then what happens?"

maki: *GASP* look! the new wan-wan-nyan mascot keychains are out!

lisa: !! *looks*

maki: *kicks arthur aside* so cuuuute! they're in little summer outfits!

lisa: hnng! i need to get one of each!

Arthur: "?!" *falls on his face--then keeps rolling down the road like a ball*

-elsewhere-

izumi: *looking out the window*

*the desert stretches out...there's a dune up ahead...*

Sid: *pulls the bus over*

preston: have we arrived already?

Sid: "Exit the bus and stand by the road--we'll be walking to the campsite."

genny: we're gonna die.

Derek: "You're not going to die--we got cloaks for everyone who didn't bring one, so put them on to shield against the sun."

lei-lei: woohoo! this is gonna be so fun!

Asher + Monica: "No, it won't."

Asher: "..."

Monica: "..."

Kau'i: *passing out cloaks...* *looks at Lukas* "Here's your cloak."

lukas: thank you.

Saria: "I'm glad you brought the sunglasses."

lukas: best to be cautious.

Saria: *smiles*

Sid: "Hurry up--we want to get to the campsite before the sun gets any higher."

-elsewhere-

Relan: ^^; "I'm fine, really...You can let go now."

shinra: im just....happy you're alive...

Relan: "Y-Yeah?"

shinra: *holding relan's good hand* if you need anything at all, let us know, ok?

Relan: *nods* "I will. I just wish I was back in the field...Not that I am as much use as Lieutenant Hinawa..."

shinra: ...

iris: ....well, nozomi did bring over some audio books for you.

Relan: "Oh, great! Please tell her thanks..."

-elsewhere-

Inka: *sniffs* "..." *points down a road in the slums*

ritsu: *follows*

Inka: "...You may want to step back. Given what I'm sensing, we'll have an explosive fight happening..." *she follows a line towards a building*

sasori: *in a hoodie, walking along*

Inka: *follows the line...smiles* "Bingo."

sasori: *looks at a list*

Inka: *following 10 steps behind...the line is circling around Sasori...Inka's finger twitches, but she's not lifting her hand* "..."

ritsu: ??

Inka: "C-Could you not look at this? It's making me nervous..." *the line has circled around*

ritsu: *looking away*

Inka: *traces her finger towards Sasori...then the line continues until it reaches Ritsu's head, where Inka zaps her brain*

ritsu: *collapses*

Inka: *catches her* "..." ("The hell with these lines wanting me to knock Ritsu out but not Sasori?!") *looks where Sasori was heading*

-she's gone-

Inka: "Shit!"

-elsewhere-

Crona: *unconscious*

mami: ........

Ragnarok: *growling, shaking*

mami:....*trying not to cry* please....stop....

Ragnarok: *twisting under constraints, melting and solidifying as he screams* "LET ME OUT! I CAN'T TAKE THIS!"

*knock knock*

Spirit: *peeks in*

mami:.......

Spirit: "Hey..."

mami:...*nods*

Spirit: "How's Crona?"

mami:...*bites her lip*

Spirit: "..." *pats her shoulder*

mami: im scared....

Spirit: "I know. Lord Death is doing everything he can..."

mami: i-if something happens to them i-....i dont know what i'll do....

Spirit: "Hey, don't think like that. Crona is going to be fine."

mami:......

Spirit: "What they need right now is for you to be strong--so when they wake up..."

mami:...r-right....

Spirit: "Have you gotten any sleep?"

-elsewhere-

Harris: "Hello, Nataku. Ready to begin?"

tatsu: *steady breaths* ok. im ready.

Kurono: *walks into the room*

-elsewhere-

Axel: =n= "It's too hot...Why couldn't we have done this by the beach?"

Yafeu: "I'VE ALREADY RE-APPLIED SUNSCREEN TWICE SINCE WE GOT OUT HERE! STUPID SMALL NUMBER OF SPF!"

genny: *being carried by lei-lei*

Sid: "Imagine the challenges for someone like me. I once had to dig through the desert here looking for something a witch buried..."

Kanin: *looking out at the distance* "???" *squints his eyes* "Um, Miss Naigus? What's that on the horizon?"

amelia:....!!!

*it's a sandstorm!*

nygus: everyone, take cover!

Asher: "Shit..." *grabs Izumi, pulling her to the ground*

Axel: *grabs onto Zeke*

hibiki: *hiding behind a rock*

Kau'i: "Shit...Dagon, transform!"

*the storm...seems to be just circling around them?*

izumi: ??? (the heck?)

fuyuka: EEP!

lukas: !! saria!

Saria: "On it!" *transforms into her whip form*

-GRAB-

lukas: *yanks back*

fuyuka: *lands*

Sid: "Hang on just a little longer, everyone!"

Duncan: "This is crazy!"

Kazue: "..." *looks up* "?!"

*a giant shadow is forming over the group*

hibiki: !!! zeke, axel! transform!

zeke: right!

Axel: "On it!" *does so*

Yafeu: "WHAT IS THAT?!"

*in the shadow...eyes open*

hibiki: *throwing zeke at it's eye*

zeke: HYAAH!

*a giant hand forms, grabbing Zeke*

Axel: "?!!! BRO!"

Yafeu: "CRUDE! FIRE AT THAT THING!"

preston: *takes aim and shoots*

???: "..." *bricks form around the exterior of the giant--and start falling onto the students*

Kazue: "?!!!" *flash steps, grabbing NOTers to get them out of the way*

lumina: *shooting with a revolver arm*

*then out of the giant appears...a statue of two people kissing?*

genny: W-WHAT THE HECK!???! O//////o

*a giant laser beam is charging up from the giant*

izumi: !!!!

Sid: *calls into a walkie talkie* "Okay, you two--that's enough."

*the sandstorm fades, while the giant is revealed as a genie-esque creature*

zeke: *changes back and falls onto the ground* ow!

Sid: "That concludes your first test. Say hello to your guest lecturers..."

*The genie shrinks down*

Jinn: "..."

zubaidah: i see some of you need work on your reflexes

genny: 7////7;;;

Jinn: "And tossing a projectile weapon at an enemy before ascertaining its powers put your weapon at risk." *offers a hand to Zeke*

zeke: ehehe. ^^;;

Sid: "Good work, Lukas, Saria."

lukas: thank you, sir!

Saria: "Fuyuka, you okay?"

fuyuka: Q_Q im sorry i got swept up...

Sid: "That is why we had this crash course--so that you all take more seriously the dangers you will face as meisters and weapons."

hibiki:....

Axel: TnT

Duncan: "...I knew this was a test all along."

amelia: you arent fooling anyone.

Duncan: >3<

Jinn: "Ha. Now, hurry up--you still got some distance to go."

-elsewhere-

Vulcan: *setting out blueprints*

Viktor: *unpacking*

nozomi: oh, you're back!

karin: how did it go?

Viktor: "I'm not dead!"

Vulcan: "I'm building a new Amaterasu."

karin: wow! that's amazing, vulcan!

Vulcan: "Thanks...This is going to be a challenge..."

shinra: *looking down at his lunch*

Petra: "??? Something wrong with your meal?"

shinra: it's really good....*wipes his eyes*

Petra: "...I haven't seen my cooking bring tears. Did something happen at Haijima, or the hospital?"

shinra: im just...really emotional about everything, i guess.

Petra: "Hmph. 'Emotional,' or responding in an expected way?"

shinra i-i dunno....

Petra: "...I'm sorry what happened to Relan. Is he going to be okay?"

shinra: h-he should be better by november...

Petra: *nods* "That's something at least."

-elsewhere-

Kid: "..."

liz: everything ok?

Kid: "...Something is wrong again."

liz: *listening*

Kid: *rubs his hands* "It's not taking me over. But I can sense madness."

liz: hmmm...

Kid: "It-It's too coincidental with everything going on."

liz: well, patti and i are here for you. ok?

Kid: *nods* "I-I don't feel like I've lost control, not like before...but this is here. And I can't find it."

-elsewhere-

Asher: *panting*

nygus: should we take a break here?

Sid: "It has been an hour--but they do need to push beyond their limits..."

Axel: *holding onto his brother* T~T "I was so worried I was gonna lose you, bro!"

zeke: *pat pat*

amelia: should we be drinking from our canteens?

Sid: "On average, you'll lose 900 ML of sweat every hour--so I suggest you drink that much..."

genny: how do we even estimate that? -~-;;;

Kanin: "That's about 30 oz, so make sure you're drinking about 4 of those water bottles every hour."

genny: .. .///. r-right...

Yafeu: "HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP?"

preston: permission to take off my shirt? ^w^;;;;

stephanie: eeeew he's all sweaty!

Monica: "Gross--can't believe they let someone like that here. He'd probably be the first one caught..."

lukas: do those girls ever shut up? -_-#

Bully 2: "The fuck you say?" *shoves Lukas*

lukas: WOAH! *trips over a rock....and somehow falls out of his pants and shirt* GYA! >///~///<;;;

Saria: >\\\\< "You jerks! What is wrong with you?!" *picks up Lukas's clothes*

Jinn: "..."

Monica: "Ha! Nice ass, bitch!"

hibiki: can you just stop?

Kau'i: "... ... ..."

nygus: alright, settle down everyone.

Monica: "He can't even keep his clothes on--how is this shit-for-brains going to handle a real fight?"

Derek: "Miss Nygus, I think breaking up that group may be best--to keep an eye on them."

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: "Keep security around my residence while we're out."

higuchi: right. i'll be around.

Chuuya: "Thanks...No sign of the Rats?"

higuchi: nothing thus far. we've had a raid on zverkov mining, but nothing...

Chuuya: "...This may sound crazy...but you've heard the stories of Infernals underground?"

higuchi: ....i've heard rumors, but those are j-just ghost stories, right? ^^;

Chuuya: "Best be careful. Hell, at this point, roping in an expert wouldn't be the worst--"

Motojiro: *pops up behind Higuchi*

higuchi: FBSHKUIYVGJSKHVOLSL>KVHLI>L!??!?!?

-KICK TO THE FACE-

Motojiro: "..." *collapses*

Chuuya: "...Well, technically an expert."

higuchi: DAMMIT KAJII YOU CANT JUST SNEAK UP ON PEOPLE LIKE THAT!!

Motojiro: *has a fist imprint in his face* "I just get excited about new discoveries--like making sure your surveillance teams don't get burnt to a crisp by pyrokinetic level 5 horned Infernals with the capacity of incinerating human flesh, bone, and muscle at 1381 degrees Celsius!"

higuchi:............ .______.;;;;;

Chuuya: "Kajii, maybe accompany one of the teams--and bring a fire extinguisher."

-elsewhere-

Joker: *looking around* "..." *walks back down the stairs* "I'm home~"

sasori: hey, i got that thing you asked me to get.

Joker: "Super!" *holds out his hand*

sasori: *hands him the bag*

Joker: *opens the bag--and inhales deeply* "Ah, good stuff..."

sasori: *looks*

Joker: *pulls out some leaves*

sasori: -____- getting that for you was _not_ fun.

Joker: "Oh, for real? Did they overcharge?"

sasori: the smell wasnt too great. and i felt like all eyes were on me on the way home.

Joker: "...Huh. Maybe you're sensitive to this stuff."

sasori: =_=# well for starters i'm 16...

Joker: "Eh, that's not too young--I was a few years older than you...Want a hit?"

sasori: pass.

Joker: " 'Kay. I'm going to nod off for a bit..."

sasori: im just gonna check on nana.

Joker: "Good plan..." *walks to his room*

sasori:.......

-elsewhere-

Sid: "Start by laying down your blanket. We're going to need to weight them down against desert winds."

hibiki: using rocks, right?

Sid: "Right. But check the rocks for crevices--you don't want something full of wildlife. You also can bring weighted items with you to put on the blankets, like Derek did."

stephanie: >~<;;

Monica: *shakes a rock at Stephanie* "Beware--we have scorpions in these rocks."

stephanie: just no tarantulas, they're so creepy!!

???: "You got a problem with spiders, kid?"

stephanie: OwO eh?

Sid: "Oh, look who finally showed up."

???: -~- "It's hot as balls here...and I got lost." *pulls down his hoodie, revealing Giriko*

izumi: oh, arent you that guy from the other day?

Giriko: "??? Oh, you're that girl who--" *remembers knocking out one of the kids* O____O;

{*flashbacks to Giriko talking to Lord Death*}

{Giriko: *curled up against the mirror* "I SAID I WAS SORRY!"}

{lord death: now, you'll be on your best behavior for this trip, wont you?}

{Giriko: "YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES! JUST FUCKING CUT IT OUT ALREADY! THIS IS TORTURE!"}

{Yumi: *holding up My Little Pony fanfiction* "I can read more."}

Giriko: Q___Q "...I think I need sleep. Which one of you brats is going to make my tent?"

Monica: *staring*

Giriko: *turns, spots Monica* "...SHIT! A ZOMBIE!" *falls back*

Sid: -_-####

nygus: rude.

Monica: -\\\-# "Asshole."

Saria: "Zeke, I need another rock here."

zeke: got it. YO! this rock looks like australia!

Kanin: "Oh, hey, it kind of does!"

Duncan: "No, the bottom isn't curved enough..."

zeke: it almost does tho. WHO WANTS THE AUSTRALIA ROCK?

Axel: "Dude, a rock this awesome needs to be held by the person most deserving of it. I suggest Rock Paper Scissors."

zeke: hehe good one.

Saria: "I'm game! We keep going in groups until only 2 are left?"

-elsewhere-

Child: *crying* "My cat is stuck up the tree..."

lisa: alright, we'll get the kitty down. *lifts herself with her tentacles and picks the cat up*

Cat: "Nya?" *sniffs at Lisa*

Child: *sniffle* "Thank you, ma'am!"

lisa: no problem. ^^

Arthur: *looking around* "..." *spots an alley*

maki: ?? you ok arthur?

Arthur: "..."

{Arthur: *tied to a chair* "Let me out..."}

Arthur: "N-Nothing..."

maki:......

Arthur: "...Um, are there any more feeds to do for the serfs, or should we retire?" *avoiding eye contact*

-elsewhere-

Hibana: *changing her bandage*

gabriella: mikami and ryuuko offered to take hanako out today.

Hibana: "..." *nods* *applies the bandage...hand shakes*

gabriella:.....*holds her hand*

Hibana: "..." *squeeze*

gabriella: do you want to talk about it?

Hibana: "...I wanted, so badly, to find out who did that to the sisters...and how it could be replicated..."

gabriella: *listening*

Hibana: "Then I unlocked it, creating pyrokinetics...or whatever they are. I still don't know--the implementation of that witch's magic made these...things that aren't quite like Infernals. And I just got roped up in wanting to learn more and more..."

gabriella:.....

Hibana: "I just told myself, like when we experimented on that serial killer Infernal, 'Maybe they can finally be useful with their lives'... ...The hell is wrong with me."

gabriella: *hugs her* you just wanted answers. we couldnt have known....

Hibana: "I didn't even see them as humans. Just specimens."

gabriella:....*rubs her back*

Hibana: "..." *hug*

-elsewhere-

Mephisto: "This is a surprise to have you visit."

lord death: well, there's a little, erm.....incident, with one of our students. so....do you think we can have a certain little...husk? ^^;;;;;

Mephisto: "...What kind of 'husk' *air quotes* are you looking for? A tall 'husk,' or a husky 'husk'?"

lord death: well. *holds up a sketch* something like this perhaps?

Mephisto: "Oooo~ Excellent sketch! Hmm...I'll have my team find one that matches most of these qualities."

lord death: thank you.

Mephisto: "May I inquire who will occupy this 'husk'?"

-lord death explains-

Mephisto: "Oh my. And what will Crona do? Isn't Ragnarok their blood?"

lord death: we'll likely give them a transfusion, worst case scenario.

Mephisto: "What blood type is Black Blood?"

lord death:......a legit good question.

-elsewhere-

Medusa: *looking through a crystal ball* "Let's map this out..."

*dark splotches appear on a global map...*

Medusa: *taps along some spots* "Hmm...Madness has intensified in those locations...which means some witches around them would notice..."

neian: baba?

Medusa: *nods* "Here. Want to see a new spot?"

neian: *babble*

Medusa: *picks her up* *spins the globe on the crystal ball* "Okay, tap a spot, Neian."

neian: *poke*

*the globe stops on a spot with a bright handprint*

Medusa: "Okay, destination determined."

-elsewhere-

Spirit: *sets out plates* "...Oh, right..." *puts one plate away*

sachiko: empty nest syndrome?

Spirit: ^^; "Guess so...Been a while since having a kid on an overnight trip."

sachiko: yeah, but at least we have the night to ourselves~

Spirit: "Oh, yeah?" *slides a hand along her arm*

sachiko: 7w7~

-elsewhere-

izumi: does anyone else feel embarrassed for some reason?

Asher: "Yeah, Axel is still trying to find a spot to use the toilet."

Axel: *looking behind a boulder* "AM I FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM CAMP YET?"

Sid: "Go further!"

lukas: so what now?

Kau'i: *sneers* "We're having a ghost story contest tonight..."

genny: sounds fun.

Duncan: "What's the prize?"

Kau'i: "We don't tie you out in the desert to get eaten by scorpions."

hibiki: scorpions dont typically eat people. -_-;

Kau'i: "Then vultures--whatever!"

Vulture: *eyeing Duncan* O^O

Duncan: Q_Q;

zubaidah: so who wants to start?

Kanin: "I think Genny may have us beat..."

genny: eh?

Kanin: "I just mean, you write stories, so you probably got a ton of scary tales..." ^^;

genny: .////. i-i guess, b-but i mostly write comedy stories, so-

Jinn: "I like comedy."

Sid: "..." ("Hard to tell with the mask...")

-elsewhere-

eibon: *observing the coffee machine*

Gopher: "..." *looks around Eibon*

eibon: fascinating, simply fascinating....

Gopher: "It's...percolating?"

-elsewhere-

Akitaru: *counting* "40 spears, 12 arm blades..."

rita: *silently counting and taking notes*

Akitaru: "Okay--this'll be a lot. Usually--"

Petra: *signing for Rita*

Akitaru: "--we'd walk these over. But even with Iris having more of you here to help move them, I'm not sure this is a simple walk."

rita: *signing* <understood>

Akitaru: *nods* "And could you take Tamaki with you?"

-elsewhere-

hibiki: so i guess we're going to be reviewed on the test now?

Sid: "You had your fun with ghost stories--"

Duncan: Q_Q *shivering in place*

Sid: "--so now it's time for a discussion about Zubaidah and Jinn's test on you."

Giriko: *sitting away from the fire, back turned to the others* "..." *sips his drink*

Kanin: *glances at Amelia* "..."

amelia: .....

Sid: "Some of you already heard it. For example, Hibiki, tossing Zeke at the opponent put his safety at risk."

hibiki: *wince* yeah....sorry.

zeke: ^^;

Sid: "Your weapons are not what we classify as returnable weapons, like boomerangs. If you're going to use Axel and Zeke effectively, then your weapons need to think up a way to be recoverable."

Axel: "..."

zeke:....

hibiki:....understood, sir.

Sid: *nods* "I've set up some lessons tomorrow with Giriko for you. Let's see..." *reviewing notes* "Izumi and Asher."

izumi: yes sir?

Sid: "The first rule when facing a threat is survival: if you die out there, you're not going to be able to save anyone else. Asher had the right idea to make sure you didn't both go flying up in the storm."

izumi: t-thanks for that, asher.

Asher: "Um...you're welcome...sure."

Sid: "Where I see a flaw is what to do next--because Asher is a close-range weapon, and against Jinn, you'd be dead."

izumi: *gulp* ._.;;;

Sid: "You were acting in your meister-weapon teams, like Lukas and Saria rescuing a classmate..."

lukas: *nod*

Sid: "What you're all lacking now is to stop acting like individuals and instead work as a team..." *looks at Monica, Stephanie...and Kazue, Kanin, Duncan...*

Monica: *grunts*

amelia: understood.

Sid: "That's why we have to expedite your training. Some of you have already had combat experience, like that plant monster attack some time ago. Now we're moving on with chain resonance."

hibiki: that's a resonance between multiple teams, right?

Sid: "Correct. More specifically, the meisters need to get their souls in sync with each other."

lukas: ah...

Sid: "I'll put you into your 3-meister teams tomorrow, and we'll have you working with me, Naigus, Giriko...So you'll need to really focus on teamwork and not just running around willy-nilly."

Kazue: -_-;

amelia: understood.

Jinn: "Zubaidah and I also will be assisting meisters and weapons with improving their resonance."

Derek: *tightening his jaw*

lumina:...

Kau'i: "Tch. How are we supposed to do 'chain resonance' with such weak newbie meisters here?"

izumi:....

Monica: "Could ask you the same--how many years you been here without graduating?"

Kau'i: "?!"

nisha: zzzzz.....

Giriko: "Jeez...Got our work cut out for us with this lot."

Jinn: "Indeed."

-elsewhere-

-in a forest of black thorns....-

-footsteps running-

???: waaAaIit....coOme..BaaacCkk....

Crona: *panting, running* "N-No! Get away!"

chrona?: *chasing after them, bloody wings sprouting out of their back and holding a sword*

Crona: "I'm not you! Stay away from me!" *trips* "AH!" *falls onto the dirt of the forest* *panting, clawing themselves away*

chRona?: wheRe arE You gOing?

Crona: *sobbing* "I don't know! Just anywhere but here!"

KroNa??: but i am you, where do you think your power comes from? without me, without This MadNess, you aRe NOTHING.

Crona: "Shut up..." *sniffling* "I know what I am..." *holding their head in pain*

????:....na....pl...se.......ke up....

Crona: *shaking under sheets, screaming*

mami: *holding their hand*

Crona: *pants...looks at Mami* "..."

mami: chrona! are you alright?

Crona: *whimpering*

mami:...*hugs them*

Crona: *shaking* *shaking their head* "No..."

mami: *rubs their back* im here chrona....im here....*trying not to cry*

Crona: *sobbing, clutching their stomach*

-elsewhere-

stocking: ooh! look at this, kiddo!

Kid: "???" *looks*

-it's a pamphlet for a cooking contest-

Kid: "Ah, that looks fun."

stocking: im thinking about entering.

Kid: *smiles* "I think you should."

stocking: ^^

Kid: "Do they have categories?"

stocking: 'create an imaginative meal with full appetizer, main course, dessert, and beverage to match the given theme'

Kid: "Hmm...I wonder what kind of themes they are imagining."

stocking: perhaps an ocean theme, or maybe a june bridal theme?

Kid: "Both sound delightful. It sounds like you may have a meal or two in mind?"

stocking: i've got some ideas cooking~ hehe~

Kid: "Ha...And for visual design?"

-morning-

Axel: *snoring*

Sid: *heating up food over the fire...it's still dark out*

amelia: *sniff* *opens her eyes* ??

Kanin: *yawns, stretches*

Giriko: *sipping coffee* "Ugh--no one brought milk for this?"

zubaidah: i see we have some early risers.

Sid: "Need to be--before the noon heat wipes us out."

amelia: what are you making?

Sid: "Just some instant hot cereal and pancakes."

amelia: ah.

Monica: *groans...sniffs...finds Stephanie's foot next to her face* "?!" *tugs at her foot*

stephanie: hehehe~

Monica: "Fucking move over!" *shoves her*

stephanie: *rolls onto the dirt* *PATOOIE* *ACHOO* huh? what happened? where's jared?

Monica: "In your dreams!" *kicks her in the butt*

stephanie: where are we? oh shit did i get hella stoned again?

Sid: "Stephanie! Monica! Stop goofing around! We have training in an hour--and you're going to need the energy."

genny: *already up* yeah, jeez.

Asher: *snoring*

Axel: *sniffs* "..." *sleep walks to the pancakes*

Yafeu: *grumbling* "Darn tired of..." *yawns, as he trips over Preston and Lukas* "...OW!"

zeke: spoopy....*snore* scary...skeletons...zzzz.....

preston: zzzzzzz

Saria: *yawns, stretches, smiles* "Good morning, everyone!"

Duncan: =A= "Shut the hell up and go back to sleep..."

lei-lei: *sleep kick*

Duncan: "OW!"

Jinn: "... ... ..." *summons a trumpet--and blows loudly into it*

izumi: ?!?!?!

preston: hnn?

bully 4: OI WHAT THE FUCK?!

Jinn: "Oh, good--you're awake. Get dressed and eat your breakfast, then we will commence your exercises in 50 minutes."

nisha: *sits up, still asleep*

izumi: ogh...what time is it?

Derek: =_= *checks his watch* "...5:04 in the morning..."

izumi: that early?

Giriko: "Hey, you'd rather wait until the desert Sun is out and burns your skin to a fried crisp?"

izumi: .____.

Asher: =~= "This sucks..."

Dagon: "Your pancake, sir."

Kau'i: "Ah, sweet--thanks..." *nom* "?! Where's the freaking pancake syrup?!"

Dagon: "On its way, sir."

amelia: do we have eggs?

Derek: *eyeroll, grabs cereal*

Sid: *shakes a carton labeled 'eggs'*

zeke:....bro.

stephanie: what kind of bird laid that?

Monica: "One whose ovaries died on them."

izumi: ._.

Sid: "It's called packing smart: low-weight, high-protein--"

Yafeu: *tugging on some food* "RUBBERY AS PENCIL ERASERS!"

Kanin: "Beggars can't be choosers..." *examining the packaging* "Is this vegetarian granola?"

Duncan: "...What other kind of granola would there be? Stupid."

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *picks up Miyuri's suitcase* "Hmm...What's in here?"

miyuri: miyuri packed her clothes and swimsuit!

Chuuya: "Feels a little light."

miyuri: is that bad?

Chuuya: "Just wanted to make sure you packed enough--we won't be doing laundry while we're there."

-elsewhere-

iris: *asleep* ...

{-in a dark place, a woman can be heard screaming-}

{???: hurry up and push already!}

{????: AHHH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!!}

{-soon, a baby's cry is heard-}

{????: oh go- oh god! my baby! my baby!}

{???: so you've had a girl...}

{????: please, let me hold her.}

{???:....take it away.}

{????: please! i need to hold her! just let me hold her for a moment!}

{???: you know we cannot allow that. we've prolonged the ritual for long enough, and now that the child is here, we can continue as planned}

{???: no please! let me see my baby! please! NO!!}

iris: *jolts awake* AH!!....*panting, shaking*

*knock knock*

iris: !!!!

Akitaru: *calling from outside* "You okay in there?"

iris: ...y-yeah....im fine....(what...what was that....?)

Akitaru: "Okay. Breakfast is on the table."

iris: ok...thank you...

Akitaru: "..." *walks away*

iris:.....*shaking, pulling the covers around herself*

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *snores*

sonia: papa?

Chuuya: "Nnng!" *wakes up* "H-Huh?"

sonia: arent we gonna head out soon?

Chuuya: *wipes his mouth* "Wh-What time is it?"

sonia: *holds up the alarm clock*

Chuuya: O_o "?!!! Shit! The cab is coming in 10 minutes!"

sonia: !!! let's go!

Chuuya: *grabs his suitcase* "Right! Get the carrier for Mito!" *he's still in his pajamas*

-elsewhere-

Harvar: *grabs a duffle bag* "Ready."

ox: ok.

Thunder: ^o^ "Ready!"

kim: we're here!

Jacqueline: "Hello, everyone." *waves at Fire and Thunder*

fire: hiya!

Harvar: "...Where's the ride?"

-elsewhere-

Asher: *in weapon form* "...I'm not sensing anything."

Kanin: *eyes closed* "Yeah, Mr. Barrett is really hiding himself..."

Duncan: -_-# *in weapon form* "Just dig through the dirt until you find him."

*they are in a wide stretch of desert sand*

izumi: .....

Kau'i: "SCREW THIS!" *stabs the trident into the sand* "GET OUT OF HERE, SID! I KNOW YOU'RE SOMEWHERE IN HERE!" *running back and forth, stabbing into the sand*

izumi: um. a-are you sure you should be doing that?

Kau'i: "THE WORST THAT'LL HAPPEN IS I STAB HIM!"

Dagon: -____- "Sir..."

Duncan: "...He does have a point. Sid is already technically dead."

-elsewhere-

Giriko: *pats a tall golem* "And this big guy here is Gruk."

Gruk: O_______O

Axel: *in weapon form* "Wooooooooo! He is huge!"

Saria: *also in weapon form* Q__Q *she and Lukas are surrounded by a bunch of golem*

lukas: ok, we can handle this. i hope.

nisha: zzzzzz =u=

fuyuka: Q~Q oh jeeeeez...

hibiki: stay close, guys.

zeke: right.

Giriko: *rotates his neck* "Well, we'll see about that. See, this is about some long-range fighting. And poor little ole' me is at a disadvantage..." *transforms, flying into a sky, and landing in Gruk's hands as a chainsaw* "NOW I'M ALL REVVED UP!!!"

hibiki: (ok hibiki, think. how do we handle this?)

nisha: *deflecting some of the smaller golems, still sleeping?*

Axel: "...Hibiki, how fast can you run?"

Gruk: *running up to Hibiki, swinging Giriko*

Giriko: "HA HA HA HA HA!"

hibiki: !!!! *running* you two got a plan?

zeke: yeah; not getting killed!

Axel: "But we're supposed to learn how not to get captured! And we can't sail back into Hibiki's hands--" *spots something* "...I GOT AN IDEA!"

zeke: yeah bro?

Gruk: *swings a fist, just missing Hibiki*

hibiki: SHIT!

Axel: "Aim for the cactus!"

*there is a cactus behind Gruk*

hibiki: what?

Axel: "Trust us!"

hibiki:....alright. *KUNAI TOSS*

*Axel and Zeke fly around Gruk*

Giriko: "BAD MOVE, KIDDO!"

hibiki: !!!

Gruk: *lifts up Giriko--before bringing the chainsaw down onto Hibiki*

hibiki: *flinches*

*PIERCED!*

*a motor freezes*

Giriko: "...Huh?"

*a bunch of cactus needles have stabbed into Giriko's motor*

Axel: *stuck in the wet remains of a demolished cactus* "WOOT!"

hibiki: huh?

*when tossed, Axel and Zeke increased their speed so that, rather than merely getting stuck inside the cactus, the force of impact blew it up*

Axel: "I DIDN'T EVEN THINK THAT WOULD WORK!"

Giriko: "Damn it!" *trying to start up the engine* "Aw, nuts! Golems, handle the other ones while I get this out--" *turns back into a human...then realizes he has needles stuck in his face, arms, and butt* "... ... ..."

hibiki:....ouch.

-elsewhere

coyote: *wandering the desert, sniffing at a black rock?*

Black Rock: "..." *rattles*

coyote: *growls*

???: {Hooooooot...Not cold...What is this...}

coyote: *snarls*

*the rock stops rattling*

coyote: *bats its paw at it*

???: {Tactile stimulus...Processing...Inferior shape...Solution--}

*the rock cracks open--and black tendrils choke the coyote*

coyote: *whines and yelps, trying to get away*

*the blackness forms a mouth, letting out something that sounds like a cross between a whine, a scream--and a giggle, as it crunches its 'teeth' down onto the coyote's snout*

-elsewhere-

Takehisa: "Careful how you set those in there--" *shifts, pointing--then cringes, clutching his bandaged shoulder*

Petra: -_- *ignoring him, as she deposits weapons in the back of the Matchbox*

iris: are you alright, captain?

Takehisa: "I'm fine. Healing my shoulder is taking longer than optimal."

iris: try to get some rest.

Takehisa: "I will. ...You look like you could use more sleep, too."

shinra: want me to go with you gals?

tamaki: why?

shinra: guess im curious how you do this blessing thing? ^^;

Petra: "We can explain it to you later--nuns have actual work to do--"

Takehisa: *grabs Shinra's head from the top with his good arm* "Go with them. Keep an eye on them."

Petra: -_-###

shinra: ok.

Vulcan: "Who's driving?" *holds up the keys*

-elsewhere-

Yotsuba: "Yay! This'll be fun!"

Foein: ^^; "Don't get your hopes up--the church has been kind of deserted..."

ruby: maaan it's been too long since we were here last. i wonder if sister maple's still here or if she's in a brigade now?

Yotsuba: "Yay! This'll be fun!"

Foein: ^^; "Don't get your hopes up--the church has been kind of deserted..."

ruby: maaan it's been too long since we were here last. i wonder if sister maple's still here or if she's in a brigade now?

Yotsuba: OwO; "I'm not quite sure I've met her--but I'm sure she's super-duper lovely~!" ^w^

Foein: "We'll see soon enough. I hope Sister Evergreen is hanging in there--baptizing all these weapons is exhausting."

pearl: *looks around*

*the church...has seen better days...the fountain is not running...*

ruby: jeez, looks like a ghost town!

pearl: ruby!

ruby: just sayin'

Yotsuba: "..." *whispers* "Hello?"

*Echo*: "Helloooooooo?"

Foein: -_-; "I'll...go let Father Cypress know we're here."

-elsewhere-

Jinn: -_-; "The point is to work together--"

Monica: "FUCKING RETARD! AIM FOR THE HEAD!"

Yafeu: "STOP TALKING LIKE THAT, YOU AWFUL, MEAN-SPIRITED PERSON!"

Zarya (Bully 4): *inaudible loud grunt*

Jinn: "... ... ...Meisters, get your weapons under control."

preston: my my, they're spirited, arent they? =u=

Yafeu:"THEY'RE MEAN, CRABBY, AND VERY NOT NICE! I SAY SHOOT THEM!"

Monica: "SHOOT ME?! WITH WHAT?! YOUR TINY POOR EXCUSE FOR A DICK WEAPON?!!"

zubaidah:....*siiiigh*

Zarya: *LOUD GRUNTS, nails off her weapon form poking out*

Jinn: "... ... ...Permission to knock them out?"

zubaidah: *snaps fingers*

Jinn: *out of the lamp comes an aromatic mist...that passes by the weapons*

Yafeu: "AND ANOTHER THING--A MACHETE--REALLY?! THIS AIN'T THE JUNGLE! THIS IS...the... *yawn* desert..."

Monica: "FUCK YOU UP YOUR RECTUM WITH HIS DICK, YOU SANCTIMONIOUS...Who...what is that smell--" *ZZZZ*

Zarya: "..." *LOUD YAWN, before turning back into human--and collapsing onto Stephanie*

stephanie: URK- >3<

Jinn: *sighs* "Meisters...you have your work cut out for you with these 3."

Zarya: *snore*

-elsewhere-

lord death: *knocks on the door*

Crona: *shivers* "E-Enter?"

lord death: *enters the room* hello chrona. how're you holding up?

Crona: ._. "...Well--"

Ragnarok: *locked in a giant glass tube sticking out of Crona's back, shaking with rage*

lord death: would you like some tea?

Crona: "S-Sure?"

lord death: *pours some* it's decaf.

Crona: ^^; "Good...I haven't slept..."

lord death:....i was wanting to make an offer for you to help with your...current situation.

Crona: "Wh-What kind of offer?" *hugging a pillow*

lord death: well, some arrangements have been made, and we were considering giving you a transfusion, and putting ragnarok into a separate body.

Crona: "A new body? ...But if Ragnarok is my blood, what will happen to me?"

lord death: you'll recieve new blood. how it will affect you, im not certain, but hopefully it will be an improvement to you, in a manner of speaking.

Crona: "...What if the body rejects Ragnarok? What will happen to him?"

lord death: it's an uninhabited body, so im sure he'll adapt just fine.

Crona: "..." *shakes* "S-So, it's a surgery?"

lord death: ultimately, it's up to you if you want to do this.

Crona: "...I want to think about this...Can I answer tomorrow?"

lord death: of course. this is a big thing to consider, so take as much time as you need.

Crona: "Th-Thank you..."

lord death: *exits*

Crona: "..." *glances*

Ragnarok: *shaking with rage*

Crona: *hugs the pillow tighter*

-elsewhere-

Black Star: *passed out...in the front yard?*

naho: *poke poke with a stick*

tsubaki: what on earth...?

Black Star: "Nggggh..." *he's still in his boxers and sleep shirt*

Shamrock: "I found him like this upon waking. Also, your window is smashed."

*there's broken glass on the front lawn*

tsubaki: black*star?....*moves him away from the glass, then turns the hose on*

Black Star: *eyes snap open* *high-pitched scream--as he rolls along the grass* "WHAT THE HELL?!"

tsubaki: are you alright? what happened to you?

Black Star: "I-I don't know! Why the hell am I wet on the front lawn?!"

Paperboy: *rides by on a bike--tosses the paper at Black Star's head*

Black Star: "... ... ..."

otogiri: i wasnt aware such deliveries were still available...

Belkia: "This is an old-fashion kind of town..."

Black Star: -_-# "I probably just sleepwalked..."

tsubaki: hmmm....

Shamrock: "I'll call a window repairperson..."

Belkia: *tosses a towel over Black Star's head*

-elsewhere-

Petra: *looking out the Matchbox window*

iris:....

shinra: we there yet?

Vulcan: "Not sure--I haven't driven here before. Usually Sister Iris grabs a muscle-load of weapons and hauls ass over to the church."

Petra: *glare*

Vulcan: "...'Hauls butt'?"

iris: it's not far now.

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *collapses in the airplane seat* -~-

miyuri: *face pressed to the window* woooooow!!

Flight Attendant: *spots the family* "First time on a plane, kiddos?"

sonia: yes ma'am.

miyuri: what's that thing?

Flight Attendant: "???" *looks*

-she's pointing to the engine-

Flight Attendant: "Oh! That's the engine. It's what gives the plane the push up and forward to fly."

miyuri: oooooh! and what's that?

Flight Attendant: *looks*

-she's pointing to the wing this time-

Flight Attendant: ._. "...The wing of the plane? It...lets the plane stay parallel to the Earth and fly over?"

miyuri: wooooow!

-elsewhere-

Damon: *puts a blanket over a napping Soul*

soul: ......

becky: *puts a cool compress on his head*

Damon: "What happened to him?"

becky: i dont know....im gonna call aunt blair.

Damon: "Good idea."

{???: "Well, look at you--all grown up, huh?"}

{soul:...what the hell do _you_ want?}

{*music slightly off-tempo plays on a record...Soul is in a pinstripe suit*}

{Little Demon: *turns in a chair* "I think it was about time to explore our partnership once again." *toothy grin* "Or has playing daddy taken up too much of your busy schedule?"}

{soul: you leave them out of this.}

{Little Demon: *holds up his hands* "I'm not involving them. Just think of this as my come-back, given the new...atmosphere around here."}

{soul:......}

{Little Demon: "Haven't you and your old friends felt it? Or do you not speak to them? I haven't notice much interaction between you and your old teammates. You should check on them, after their last encounters with Madness."}

{soul:........if it gets you to shut your trap, fine.}

{*an old-fashion phone slides on a table to Soul*}

{soul:...i think i'll do it in the real world, thank you very much.}

{Little Demon: "Then wake your ass up and stop being a frail sickly boy."}

soul: *opens his eyes*

becky: morning dad.

soul: hey kiddos....you have breakfast yet?

Damon: "We left out some cereal for you..."

soul: thanks....dad's gonna make a few calls.

-elsewhere-

Sid: "So, how did your training go?" *covered in bandages*

*his students from training earlier are under the tent*

Kau'i: *has a black eye* -_-#

zubaidah: honestly, could have gone better.

Jinn: "They are so difficult--like children."

Giriko: "Ugh, some are smarter than they let on...I'm still pulling needles out of my ass."

Monica: *still asleep*

Yafeu: *LOUD SNORING*

Gruk: *playing with Stephanie*

stephanie: pattycake pattycake~ ^w^

Axel: "So, where you all from?" *looks at Fuyuka*

fuyuka: j-japan...

nisha: im from india.

Axel: "Oh, neat! You been back recently?"

izumi:....

Asher: *passes a drink pouch to her* "Here."

izumi: thanks...

Kanin: ^^; "Quite the work-out, huh? You two held up really well."

Asher: >_>;

amelia: *staring out into the distance*

Kanin: "??? Amelia? You okay?"

amelia: alright....but a bit uneasy...

Kanin: "..." *looks around* "It is pretty hot. Mr. Barett and Nurse Naigus said to stay under the tent until late afternoon..."

amelia: i dont think it's that, exactly......

Kanin: "...But you feel something else?"

amelia: *nods* something beyond the horizon....

Kanin: "???" *looks at the horizon*

-a breeze blows past-

Duncan: *shivers* "Stupid desert wind." *huddles under his cloak*

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: "Now landing can be a bit bumpy..."

sonia: *asleep*

Chuuya: "..." *looks at Miyuri*

miyuri: *she has gotten her nausea bag to pop out* oh! hehe! ^w^

Chuuya: ^^; "Just make sure you'll buckled in...We're descending."

miyuri: ok!

*the wheels fall out on the plane...the wings alter shape...*

miyuri: oh! *presses face to the window* woooow!

*the plane descends--hitting the runway with a jerk and rolling down, decreasing speed*

sonia: hnn...? *yawn*

Chuuya: "We've landed."

-elsewhere-

soul: *holds up his soda* cheers.

Kid: "Cheers!"

Black Star: "Um, yeah..." *sips*

soul: you ok black*star? you're a bit quiet.

Black Star: =_= "I couldn't freaking sleep well..."

soul: ah. trouble sleeping?

Black Star: "I jumped out the window."

soul: ??

Kid: "That's unusual--why would you do that?"

Black Star: "I don't know! I just remember a lot of running, some inky black stuff--then, bam, I wake up wet in my boxers on the front lawn."

Kid: "..."

Black Star: "...Tsubaki turned the hose on me."

soul: wait, what was that part in the middle?

Black Star: "Inky black stuff?"

soul: yeah, that. i had a nightmare about it too....i also met the little demon again...

Kid: "...A little too coincidental...I had felt anxious, not dissimilar to..." *gestures to his chin* "...before."

soul:....do you think it has to do with what happened with the moon?

Kid: *sighs* "That is what we are looking into. The madness you have felt before, Soul, and that I have experienced makes sense. Not sure why Black Star would be affected so strongly."

Black Star: " 'CAUSE I'M SUPER POWERFUL!"

Kid: *forehead flick* "Not very attuned to perception, though."

Black Star: -n-#

soul: hmmm....is eibon still at your house, kid?

Kid: *nods*

soul: maybe he might know something?

Kid: "I could ask...He is still recovering."

-elsewhere-

eibon: what a curious contraption. *flushing the toilet* fascinating...

Gopher: ._. "Sir, please shut the door before...whatever you were just doing."

liz: ugh, you do know what those are used for, right?

eibon: do tell.

liz: *whispers*

eibon:........................................................far more advanced than a chamber pot.

liz: TMI!!

-elsewhere-

Cyprus: *walking through the garden*

evergreen: *watering plants*

Cyprus: "Coming along nicely, Sister?"

evergreen: *nods*

Cyprus: *looks around...aside from some bees on the flowers, it's rather deserted* *sighs*

evergreen: is everything alright?

Cyprus: "Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. I just suppose I'm not used to a freer schedule." ^^;

-elsewhere-

Asher: *napping in the tent*

Saria: "Good work out there--" *hands water bottle* ""Cheers!"

izumi: thanks.

Saria: "What do you think we'll do next? I don't know how to top trying to sense Mr. Barett's soul or fighting Golems..."

izumi: not sure...

Derek: "After the intense workout, it'll be breathing exercises, then a lecture."

lukas: ah.

Dagon: "At this rate, I'll fall asleep...like certain people."

-elsewhere-

Crona: "So that's what he offered..."

mami:....so what are you going to do?

Crona: "I don't know! I can't keep going on like this!" *shaking*

mami: *hugs*

Crona: *holds onto her* *crying*

mami: *trying to hold back tears*

Crona: *hic* "I-I can't take this..."

Ragnarok: *shaking in the container, growling*

mami: if i could take you out of this situation, i would without a second thought.

Crona: "R-Really?"

mami: *nods* even if that meant bearing the burden myself.

Crona: "...Sh-Should I?"

mami:....i hate to say it, but it seems the best option right now...but it's ultimately up to you.

Crona: "..." *nods*

-elsewhere-

Black Star: *walking home--and a baseball rolls by his feet* "???"

child: hey, can ya throw that back?

Black Star: "Sure thing!" *picks it up, tosses it underhanded--and it goes flying up into the sky* ._______.;

child:......

child 2: woah....

Black Star: "...What the flying crap is going on with me?!!"

*something bright shines in the sky...*

child 3: !!!

*the baseball crashes back down--blowing up someone’s car*

*in a cafe, someone inside can be seen looking out--*

Endeavor: "MY CAR! AGAIN?!"

child: bail, BAIL!

Black Star: *running with the kids* "GAAAAAAH, that was so awesome but so not what I was trying to do!!!"

Endeavor: *running outside, trying to contain the fire* "Damn it!"

-elsewhere-

Kid: *checking himself in the mirror*

eibon: feeling alright?

Kid: "!!! Oh-Oh, yes. Sorry. Just...worried about a repeat."

eibon: would you like something to eat to calm your nerves? i have some old recipies from my mother that i've memorized.

Kid: "..." *smiles* "I would like that. Thank you."

-elsewhere-

Vulcan: *opens the back of the Matchbox* "Okay, let's see..." *pulls out a bag of hand grenade* "Sister Iris."

iris: thank you.

Vulcan: "Okay, who wants the giant spears?"

shinra: *looks around* .....(man, this place has seen better days...)

*dust and sand blow along the stone steps*

Petra: *picking up items* "Come now--don't dawdle. Tamaki, the handcuffs."

tamaki: yes ma'am!

*the courtyard looks empty...*

Vulcan: "..." *carrying another box* "Not used to the Church after my family built Amaterasu..."

shinra: *looking around*

*the doors are open...a few nuns can be seen inside, milling about and kneeling in prayer...*

-one sister looks up-

???: oh, you're the 8th, yes?

Petra: "Yes. Hello, Sister. We have items to have baptized."

nun: yes, right this way.

Petra: "We will bring these in. Outsiders will have to stay outside." *looks at Iris* "...Iris? Come along."

iris: oh. yes.

Vulcan: "..." *sits on a bench*

shinra:.....soooo....

Vulcan: "...Yeah..." *brushes dust off the bench*

shinra:....*tapping his foot*

???: *humming* "Oh! Look what the 8th brought in!"

shinra: *looks*

Foien: *waves*

shinra: ah, father Li. how are you?

Foien: *rubbing his artificial arm* "Hanging in there. I haven't seen you lately."

shinra: yeah. are the other members of the 1st around?

Foien: "A few of us, yes...Just not Karim."

-meanwhile-

iris:......(the preacher....they're the ones who created this church.....so...why am i still praying?)

Petra: *in prayer*

iris:......

rita:......(sister iris looks so sad.....) *signing* <are you alright?>

iris: hmm? *signing* oh, yes, im ok.

???: "Oh, so many here!"

iris: *glances*

*A nun looks at them...not smiling* *looks at their number badges*

iris: um, hello.

Nun: "The Eighth really has so many?" *stares at Tamaki's outfit*

tamaki: what?

Nun: "What kind of a nun's habit is that?"

tamaki: it's a combat uniform. =n= it's got shorts.

Nun: "I see...I haven't seen many combat nuns--I'm mostly around here..."

tamaki: you'd be surprised. *does some kung-fu moves....and ends up stumbling into a pew* OW! *BLEEEEEEEP*

iris: !!!! O_____O

Petra: *facepalm*

Nun: D8 "The pew!"

rita: ._.;;

tamaki: ...hehe...IM IN PAIN BUT AT LEAST I WASNT EMBARRASSED!! >8D

iris: *sweatdrop* (_that's_ your concern...?) .....

Nun: "...I think it's best if you step outside."

tamaki:...that's fair. *exits*

-outside-

shinra:.....do you think iris is ok?

Foien: "Is it about those rumors about the Preacher?"

shinra: i dont know, she wasnt really herself this morning, and im worried.

Foien: "That's...been going around. Ever since the conspiracy theory that the Hoods are the real founders of the Holy Sun Temple..."

shinra: ......

Foien: "I am less afraid of such a story, as it doesn't shake my faith...But it does those of others...and there is something worse to think about."

shinra: ??

Foien: "Even though I know this Preacher is a fraud, the followers they have amassed...That's a devotion to what they consider to be a god."

shinra:.....*shakes slightly, but tries to keep cool*

Vulcan: "..."

Foien: "As long as the Preacher hides in the shadows, whether in the Nether or elsewhere, it is obvious they want to destroy this world. And our faith."

shinra:....so what do we do?

Foien: "...Keep up our faith--in God and in each other."

shinra:...

Foien: *smiles* "Well, I better check on the others..."

-elsewhere-

Blair: *floats a doll by Becky*

becky: *observing*

Damon: "That's so cool..."

Blair: ^^ "Just a little trick I learned~"

becky: is learning magic hard?

Blair: "At first it was. I had to work to make sure I could contain it all."

becky: ...

Damon: "And if you couldn't?"

Blair: OwO;;; "...Well...I learned I'm mostly fire-proof."

becky: .____.;;;

Blair: "And that's been useful for me! Like the time the weirdo shoved me into a stove. Or the time I cooked for your father and his meister--and burnt the fish."

becky:............................................................

Damon: "Is that why Dad doesn't like you cooking?!"

Blair: ^^; "How about I just order take-out?"

-elsewhere-

Hajiki: *fist-bumps Takeru's chest*

takeru: ??

Hajiki: "Huh--sturdy! Your balance has gotten better."

takeru: um t-thanks?

hito: you're surprisingly timid, noto.

takeru: WAH! h-hito! you startled me!

Hajiki: -_-; "Need more courage there, Juggernaut."

hito: out of curiosity, why did you join the 2nd?

takeru: well, i was kind of encouraged to do it, to try to be a bit braver, i guess.

Hajiki: "Encouraged? You were recruited?"

takeru: y-yeah.

Hajiki: "I guess the 2nd saw your size and thought 'Scoop him up before someone else gets him!' But coming in from China is a long trip."

takeru: ^^;

hito: and how about you, hajiki?

Hajiki: "Death City seemed like my kind of place--somewhere to show my mettle! Way better than...than...Wait, where did I come from?"

hito: *sweatdrop*

Hajiki: "...Anyway, the Commander recruited me after seeing me in a training exercise. How about you?"

hito: well, my dad was in the 2nd brigade, and i wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Hajiki: "D'aw! I'm sure you can! But we'll need to bulk you up."

hito: -_-;

-elsewhere-

Kanin: *scratching behind his ear...with his back leg* "..."

amelia: kanin?

Kanin: "Y-Yeah?"

amelia: are you alright?

Kanin: "Just the desert sand--itches like the dickens." ^^;

amelia:......

Kanin: *pants slightly* "..." *covers his mouth* "I-I think I better drink something..."

-at camp-

Axel: *slurping out of a juice pack*

hibiki: *listening to music*

Sid: *securing the tents against the wind*

zubaidah: *keeping watch*

Jinn: *showing off different transformations to students*

stephanie: oooh!

Asher: "Huh. Being a Death Scythe lets you take on multiple forms?"

Jinn: *changing forms again* "Or depending on the weapon type--you may have one with multiple properties."

hibiki: yeah, take harudori for instance. she's officially classified as a halberd, but she's a tri-blader.

Saria: "Neat! I'm not sure we have many multi-formers here, though. I can only go into whip form, not, like whip and...something not whip. Um...Nunchucks?"

lukas: sure, let's go with that. ^^

Saria: ^^; *nervous laugh*

Jinn: "The goal, however, is to be powerful even in the simplest form..." *turns back into a lamp, just sits there*

Duncan: "... ... ..."

Asher: "...What exactly can a lamp do--"

*the lamp leaps, just missing Asher's head*

Asher: *hood blown back off their head* .______.

preston: owo;

Yafeu: "AMAZING! CAN YOU DO IMPRESSIONS, TOO--"

Jinn: *reverts to human form, his eye through his clothing glaring at Yafeu*

Yafeu: "...SO, NO?"

-elsewhere-

Vulcan: *examining water fountain* "You know, I could probably soup this thing up. Water seems to be blocked by sediment..."

shinra: hmm....

Evergreen: *studying the two* "I would advise against that." *sees the 8 on Shinra's uniform*

shinra: hello ma'am.

Evergreen: "Hmm. I wasn't expecting firefighters here...This is a holy site."

shinra: well, we're waiting on our friends inside. blessing the items and all that.

Evergreen: "I see...Sorry. It's been some time since we've had visitors blessing items. I haven't seen you around before. I am Sister Evergreen."

shinra: *nods* Shinra Kusakabe, 8th brigade.

Vulcan: "Vulcan Joseph, engineer at the 8th."

Evergreen: "Hello. ...How is your day going?"

iris: *exits*

Petra: *carrying a satchel of daggers*

Vulcan: "Doing alright. Looks like the sisters handled the first blessing of weapons."

*a bee flies by, landing on one of the flowers*

iris: *nods* shinra, could you...follow me for a moment?

shinra: um. sure.

Vulcan: *takes the satchel* "Go ahead--we'll load up." *looks at Tamaki* "...The hell happened to your face?"

Evergreen: "?!"

tamaki: YuY

-at a cemetery...-

iris:.......

Shinra: *holding a broom* *looks over at the sunflowers* "...It's nice of them to plant those."

iris: *nods*....they're planted to guide the lost souls of the sol church to the sun....

Shinra: "I didn't know their significance..." *looks at one tomb*

-revolution, rest in peace, new future-

Shinra: O_O; "Th-That's one super-bright tomb..."

iris: oh dear...

Shinra: "All these flowers and--is that a disco ball?!"

iris: ^^; i get the feeling sister hibana might have been behind this.

-elsewhere-

Hibana: *sleep sneeze* "...Zzzz..."

-back at the cemetery-

Shinra: "Do we leave it up?"

iris: ^^;;; *praying* hello everyone, sorry i havent been here a while. clematis, please dont overeat, sakura, dont oversleep, rose, keep a watchful eye on everyone, ok?

Shinra: "..." *looks at the flowers outside...spots a watering can*

-and so-

iris: thank you, for watering the flowers...

Shinra: "Happy to help! ...Can I ask you something?"

iris: what is it?

Shinra: "You've seemed worried...Is it about the Preacher?"

iris:....i guess im not very good at hiding things, am i?

Shinra: ^^; "I wouldn't expect a nun to lie."

iris: .....

Shinra: "S-Sorry! It was just a little...humor. S-Sorry...I like that about you...You're open and honest."

iris: t-thanks... *wipes her eyes*

Shinra: "Iris...We don't know everything about the Preacher or this story."

iris: i-i know....i just....i had a hard time focusing on the baptism today.......shinra, what do you think of the sol church? be honest, please....

Shinra: "..." *looks down* "What do I think? I--"

???: *SCREAM*

iris: ?!?!?

Evergreen: *clutching her head--as her body explodes in flames*

iris: !!!!!!!!!!!

*the other nuns back up*

Petra: *running back--bumping into Iris* "It happened instantly!"

iris: *shaking*

tamaki: *battle stance*

Vulcan: "Shit!" *looking through the satchel* "I know I left an extinguisher bomb here--where is it?!"

rita: >~<;;;

Juniper: *bumps into Iris* "Why is this happening?! Sister Evergreen was so devout! Why would God do this to her?!"

iris: *speechless*

Evergreen: *roars at Iris, Juniper, and Petra*

shinra: *battle stance* alright, let's finish this, tamaki!

tamaki: right!

Evergreen: GRAUAAAAAA!"

Petra: *holds her hands* "Begin the prayer..."

tamaki: *charges* the flame is the soul's breath...

rita: *silently praying*

Petra: "The black is the soul's release..."

iris: ashes to ashes.....

Evergreen: *collapses to her knees*

shinra: return to the great flame!

tamaki: *dropkick* RATOMU!

Evergreen: *lets out an inhuman cry of pain...before her body collapses into ashes*

Juniper: *staring...falls to her knees in front of the ashes, sobbing*

iris:.....*rubs her back*

tamaki:........

rita: *sniffle*

*footsteps are heard coming*

Cypress: "What's going on?!"

Foien: *spots the remains* "...Oh no. Sister Evergreen..."

nun: i cant! i cant do this anymore!

maple: who's going to take her place?

Cypress: "...We have priorities first. Let's lay our sister to rest."

-elsewhere-

Assault: *bandaged, arm in a sling from having been stepped on by the Giant Infernal* "Giovanni will be displeased you are playing with his experiments."

guruna: >XP who caaaaares~@

Jonah: "Besides, Giovanni is going through...changes."

Inka: "??? Puberty?"

guruna: EEEEEW he's like, way too old for that!~@

Haumea: "Besides, you're thinking of Sho-chan."

arrow: im sure it's antics like this that are partially the reason he's confined himself to his room...

ritsu: perhaps i could....persuade him to come out~?

orochi: please dont.

Inka: "God no."

Jonah: "Even that disturbs me."

Haumea: "...Yeah, let's not."

ritsu: perhaps you're right. poor boy might be traumatized if i showed him what lies underneath, fufu~

Jonah: "...Ha! Because 'Nether'!"

Assault: -__________-

orochi: she means it, once she flashed these two perverts, and they took of running in horror. take my word for it, you _dont_ want to know.

ritsu: OROCHI! that's private info!

Inka: "... ... ..." *slight nosebleed*

Jonah: "I once turned into an Eldritch abomination. I've seen it all. Including Giovanni changing."

arrow:......im surrounded by freaks. -_-;

Haumea: *puts an arm around Arrow* "What was that, fresh meat?"

arrow: not today, please, im exhausted enough as it is.

ritsu: best leave her be for now, wouldnt want to wear her out.

Haumea: -n- *holds a finger to her head* "Need help falling asleep?"

-elsewhere-

Gruk: *motionless*

Sid: *seated with students around the campfire* "We still need to improve the chain resonance for some of you."

izumi: *yaaaaawn*

Sid: "...Perhaps this may be a better conversation in the morning--you'll be up early before the sun rises."

hibiki: what time even is it?

Duncan: *pulls out his calculator watch* "9:14 and 32 seconds."

lei-lei: wow!

genny: so tired.....

Kanin: *looking up at the Moon* "..."

Sid: "Okay, you're dismissed. See you at 5 AM."

amelia:.....

Monica: "Thank God--what a waste of a day..." *rubs her shoulder*

-elsewhere-

Black Star:*sitting up in bed, looking at his hand* "..." *makes a fist--and sees something around it* "?!"

tsubaki: *asleep*

Black Star: *blinks* ("...Must be my imagination. Not like I see souls or anything...") *lies down, still looking up at the ceiling* "..." *tosses*

tsubaki: nnh...black*star?

Black Star: "...Hey. Sorry. Can't sleep."

tsubaki: .....want some tea?

Black Star: *nods*

tsubaki: *gets up* ok.

-elsewhere-

Vulcan: *driving them back* "..."

{Cypress: "...ashes to ashes...Latom."}

{iris:........}

{Cypress: "..." *looks at to the 8th* "I'm sorry...We were lucky that you were here, and we weren't exactly the most welcoming. After so much..."}

{tamaki: it's alright....all in a day's work, right?....s-sorry, that was a bit insensitive, huh?}

{Cypress: "Life does not always go the way we expect. We leave it in God's hands to guide us to what best we can do to make this world better, yes?"}

{tamaki: i guess......}

{Petra: *nods* "Thank you, Father."}

iris:......*leans against shinra's shoulder*.....

Shinra: "..." *puts an arm around her*

iris:...*hugs*

Shinra: *pat pat*

-elsewhere-

Crona: "..."

nurse valentine: just checking in.

Crona: "Hello...I'm not yet asleep. I don't think the medicine is helping."

nurse valentine: hmm.

Crona: "...Nurse? I'm not sure what to do."

nurse valentine: want to talk about it?

Crona: "..." *nods* "I've been like this for so long...I can't imagine being something else now...I don't know if I deserve to."

nurse valentine: ....everyone deserves a shot at a second chance. i found mine....

Crona: "Is-Is that so?"

nurse valentine: *nods, with a small smile*

Crona: "...I think I'll have my decision in the morning, then."

nurse valentine: take as much time as you need.

Crona: *lies back down* "Th-Thank you, Nurse..." *wipes their eyes*

-elsewhere-

Asher: "Zzz..."

amelia: ........

zeke: *snores*

Kanin: *tossing*

izumi: *sleeping*

???: "YIP YIP YIP!"

izumi: hm?? *rubs her eyes*

Kanin: *sleep growl*

*it sounds like something running in the sand outside*

izumi: *looks outside*

*running along the outskirt of the camp is a coyote...it has odd markings along its side*

izumi: *squints*

Coyote: *stops...stares at Izumi...walks forward towards her*

nygus: *looks outside* !!!!! sid, sid wake up, now.

Sid: *gets up* "What is it?"

nygus: look.

Giriko: *snore grunt* "H-Huh?"

Sid: *looks outside* *studies the markings* "..." *holds out his hand* "Nygus, transform."

nygus: *knife form*

izumi: mr barrett?

Sid: *steps outside, holding the knife* "Stay back. Wake up the others..."

izumi: w-what's going on?

Sid: "Just do it!"

zeke: *rubs eyes, looking outside* is it a fire?

Axel: *sleep whine* "Five more minutes..."

izumi: asher, asher get up!

amelia: !!!!!

Monica: =___=# "Shut the...*yawn*...up." *looks--and sees Stephanie's feet again* "GAH!" *shoves*

Asher: "Ugh. I'm up, I'm up. What the hell..."

amelia: everyone, wake up. NOW!

stephanie: zzzzz...

Kanin: *gets up* "Amelia? What's wrong?" *scratches his arm*

Kau'i: =_= *looks outside* "?!!! Shit!" *grabs Dagon's arm*

Derek: *studying what's outside* "..."

Sid: *circling with the coyote*

lumina: *transforms*

Coyote: *its eyes shine a red color under the Moonlight...those fur markings look like tear-drops or...*

zeke: are those......oh....oh shit. bro, BRO GET UP!

hibiki: zeke, what the hell?

zeke: WE GOT A FUCKIN KISHIN EGG OUT HERE!

Axel: "HUH?!" *gets up*

hibiki:?!?!?

Kanin: *staring outside* "..."

genny: *hyperventilating* oh god, oh god i dont wanna die, i dont wanna die....!

Monica: *hears 'Kishin egg'* "..." *shoves Stephanie away, grabs Yolanda's arm*

yolanda: oi what the hell?

Monica: "Get up." *transforms*

yolanda: what the fuck monica? *spots it* oh...oh fuck me running.

Coyote: *growls at Sid*

Monica: "Don't you dare run! Stay there!" *shoves herself into Yolanda's hands*

yolanda: oh HELL NO am i fighting _that_!

amelia: mr barrett, what's the plan?

Monica: *sends a soul shockwave into Yolanda* "This is our chance--don't fuck this up for me!"

Sid: *calls back* "Stay back! Get Zubaidah and Jinn to evacuate you! I'm--"

yolanda: YEOW! fuck! ok! you dont have to be a dick about it, crimeny!

Coyote: *leaps--and bites into Sid's neck*

Sid: *screams*

amelia: !!! kazue!

*Kazue isn't there...*

amelia: !!! *grabs nygus from sid's hand and stabs the coyote*

Coyote: *yips--lets go of Sid...something black is foaming out of its mouth*

Axel: "SHIT! It's got rabies!"

amelia: ....just as i suspected....

zeke: black blood.....

Sid: *holds his neck...nothing leaking out of him, but the black foam is still there* "..." *rubs it off of himself onto the sand*

Coyote: *wide-eyed, looking at all of them...*

*the sand shifts underneath the Coyote...*

nygus: sid, are you alright?

Coyote: "???"

Sid: "I think so. We need to contain the Kishin and the blood--"

???: *underground* "Leave that to me!"

Coyote: "?!"

*BURST*

*the sand explodes up, as Gruk appears, grabbing the coyote in both hands*

amelia: *knocked back*

izumi: mr giriko!

Kanin: "?!" *catches Amelia*

amelia: t-thank you.

Giriko: *behind Izumi* "Right behind you." *gestures with his gloves* "That's it, Gurk! Hold 'em!"

stephanie: hooray! hooray! go for it! go fight win!

Coyote: *wiggling under both hands, shaking like a snake*

Gruk: *struggling to hold on--*

Coyote: *slips out of the grip--and slides down Gruk's "mouth"*

Giriko: "?!!!"

hibiki: that's not good.

stephanie: OwO;;;

Gruk: *moving its arms, trying to punch into its own torso--as it starts to glow black...and ooze comes out of its "eyes" until--*

*BOOM*

stephanie: EEP!!

*Gruk explodes, black blood leaking out of its remains...leaving the Coyote in a new, blacker form, gears from the golem fused into it*

Giriko: "GRUK! You fucking bastard!"

hibiki: got any other ideas?

*something slides up Hibiki's leg...*

hibiki: ??!?!??!?

*it's the black blood*

hibiki: !!!!!! get OFF!

Black Blood: *its 'mouth' opens--*

zeke: NO! *SLICE*

*an arm reaches out of the sand, grabbing Hibiki's leg*

hibiki: eh?

*a soul shock goes through Hibiki's leg--shocking the blood and sending it at Zeke's face*

zeke: GAH- *SPIT* gegh! gross!

*the hand is still on Hibiki's leg*

hibiki: *looks*

Kazue: *popping up out of the sand, holding onto Hibiki's leg* "..."

hibiki: dont just stand there, DO SOMETHING!

Kazue: *nods* *holds out a switchblade, aims at Zeke's cheek--*

Monica: "You cowardly cunt--get the fuck in there and slice that motherfucker!" *dragging her weapon form out into the field*

yolanda: >~<

Sid: "I said retreat! All of you!"

hibiki: we're DWMA students, arent we?

Kazue: *brings the knife to Zeke's face--*

zeke: O_O;; *gulp*

Asher: *slaps Kazue upside the head* "Asshole. You're scaring him. Just zap it off."

zeke: thanks fam.

Kazue: -_-; *uses a soul zap on it--as the black blood releases, crawling into the sand...*

lei-lei: HYAH! *kicking at the blood* genny! are you ok?

Sid: "You may be students--but this is beyond you--"

genny: *in fetal position, trembling*

Coyote: *spots Lei-Lei and Genny* "..." *grins--and leaps at them*

lei-lei: !!!!! *blade arm*

genny: NOO!!!

Coyote: *its mouth opens...into four parts, baring fangs and a slithering tongue--*

amelia: !!!! STOP! *her wavelength seems to be increasing?*

Coyote: *has pounced on Lei-Lei--but has turned back to look at Amelia*

nygus: ?! (her wavelength...it's almost like.....no, she couldnt be, could she?)

Sid: "Nygus..."

amelia: *glaring at it.* stand. down.

Coyote: "..." *gets off of Lei-Lei, but circles around Amelia, alternating between yips and growls*

amelia: *watching, shaking a bit, but standing her ground*

Monica: "Now's our chance--do it!"

Coyote: *barks at Amelia, moving forward and backward at Amelia*

yolanda: *gulps and starts running for it*

Monica: *grins in her weapon form--*

Sid: "?!!! NO! Don't--"

Coyote: *it's tail unrolls like a gear--as it wraps around Yolanda's leg*

yolanda: !!!!

Coyote: *the tail swings Yolanda away, as she loses her grip on Monica, who lands in the sand*

Monica: "...Da fuck?!"

yolanda: nngh...

Monica: "..."

{Monica: "I want to be like you, big bro!"}

Monica: "..." *reverts to human form, with her machete arm* *stalks up to the Coyote...*

Coyote: *focused on Amelia*

amelia: .........

Coyote: *barks at Amelia, careful how close it marches up to her*

hibiki: what's she doing? she's just standing there...

Coyote: *gets up within leaping-range of Amelia...crouches down, readying itself to pounce at her*

Monica: "Almost there..."

Coyote: *leaps*

amelia: !!!

Monica: *leaps at the Coyote*

*then something big and furry tackles the Coyote*

Monica: "?!" *crashes face-first into the sand*

Kanin: *in werewolf form has tackled the Coyote, using a choke-hold on it*

Coyote: *desperately trying to move, its tongue sliding out like a snake's*

amelia: !!!! kanin!

Giriko: *pushing the kids away* "Move it!"

*a sand tornado forms in front of the kids*

izumi: EEEP!

lukas: *running*

Jinn: *calling from the tornado* "Step in."

stephanie: i forgot one of my slippers!

Zarya: *grunts, and picks Stephanie up*

stephanie: OwO

Zarya: *tosses Stephanie right into the tornado*

stephanie: EEP!

Jinn: *from inside the tornado* "I got you. Toss the rest in."

Asher: *helping Zeke walk to the tornado* *gulp*

zeke: i feel sick, bro.

Axel: "It-It's going to be okay, bro..." Q_Q

hibiki: come on, let's go!

Kanin: *trying to choke the Coyote*

Coyote: *slithering--until it gets out of its grip, stretching its neck until it's sniping at Kanin's face*

amelia: no stop!

Kanin: *barks back at it--before it grabs the Coyote's snout in one hand and its hind legs in the other hand*

Coyote: *wiggling*

Kanin: *barks back at it--before it grabs the Coyote's snout in one hand and its hind legs in the other hand*

Coyote: *wiggling*

Kanin: *growling, as it tugs harder at the Coyote--*

Monica: ("I'm not letting you get all the credit...") *runs at them--and brings her blade down at the Coyote, slicing it in half*

lei-lei: *carrying genny to the tornado*

Kanin: "?!!!" *falls back...on all fours, glaring at Monica, his glance shifting everywhere at Sid, Nygus, and Amelia...*

Derek: *waving Lei-Lei and Genny forward* *looking around* "I've counted everywhere...We're missing one."

amelia: are you alright?

nygus: where's armstrong?

*The coyote's remains lie motionless*

Kanin: *growling...he's staring at Amelia, huffing and puffing...*

*in a tent, someone is shivering in fear*

amelia:....*hugs* it's ok, im fine, really.....

Duncan: *shaking* "N-No...Just stay here. Just stay here..."

Kanin: *growls at Amelia, barking*

*there's black blood on Kanin's face...The Moon is giggling above*

Monica: *gets up, looking at Kanin and Amelia* "...Hmph. Is that all it took to take down a Kishin? That's pretty simple..."

amelia:......*wipes the blood away*

Kanin: *still barking at Amelia, sniping at her*

Monica: "??? The hell is with him?"

amelia:.....you really arent leaving me any choice, are you?.......very well.....*CHOP* bad kanin. bad.

*the coyote's back half is motionless...but no one can see a hind leg kicking slightly...

Kanin: "?!" Q_Q *dog whimper*

Monica: "Ha! That's one way of dealing with a mutt..."

amelia: *glances behind monica* !!!! behind you!

Monica: "?!" *swings her arm blade--*

*It's too late: the Coyote's front half has tackled Monica...as black blood pours out of it*

Monica: "?!!!!"

{Monica: *in her school uniform, prim and proper, looking up at the DWMA stairs* "..." *inhale* "Okay, big bro. Let's do this."}

Monica: *screams--until she's silent, the black blood completely covering and consuming her...*

????: get OFF OF HER!!

Duncan: *still hiding in the tent, shaking*

-WHACK-

Sid: *has knocked the back of BlackBlood!Monica's head with a tombstone, shattering it* "Let go!"

BlackBlood!Monica: "..." *stands up, turns...her face is a coyote-like snout, snake-like eyes, gear-like appendages along the shoulders...it's like a being of just blood...the blood forms two arm blades* "..." *slices Sid*

Sid: "?! ..." *his top half falls off*

nygus: !!!!! shit!

Sid: *has fallen forward, now sliced at the hip*

izumi: mr barrett!!

BlackBlood!Monica: *lets out an inhuman chittering...looks at Kanin and Amelia* "..." *blades out, rushes at them, moving swiftly*

Asher: *still holding up Zeke* "Izumi! Get out of there!"

Kanin: "?!" *pushes Amelia away--and runs at Monica, barking*

izumi: .....*runs in* we cant leave them behind!

Monica: *slices at Kanin, slicing off their arm*

Kanin: *bites into Monica's shoulder, black blood coating his mouth--before he flings Monica into Duncan's tent*

Duncan: "EEEEEEEK!"

izumi: duncan! take my hand!

Duncan: *screaming incoherently--trying to avoid Monica's slices and Kanin's clawing and bites...his arms reach out of the tent*

izumi: *grabs and pulls him out* ok, now go! hurry!

Sid: *standing up on his arm* "...Nygus, could you pick me up. I'm going to need some help with this next part."

nygus: ok

Duncan: *holding onto Izumi's arms, running with her, sobbing*

Kanin: *pins Monica down*

izumi: i guess we're even now, huh?

Monica: *mouth opens, revealing the slithering tongue, striking at Kanin's face*

Duncan: Q_______Q "...Wh-What the hell is that thing?!"

izumi:....monica.....you go ahead. im going to try and save her.

Duncan: "Are you insane?!! Leave her! She's dead now!"

izumi: i can at least try to help her!

Duncan: "..."

{???: "At least try for once in your life, Duncan!"}

Duncan: "..." *lets go* "G-Good luck..." *runs off*

izumi: ok. (what am i doing? am i really crazy?).....*bites her lip* (if i dont help her, then who will? no. i have to do it. maka...she would have done the same....wouldnt she?) *runs in*

Kanin: *trying to pin Monica down--only for her to slip out of his reach--*

Monica: *stabs blades into Kanin's back*

amelia: kazue, transform!

Kanin: *howls in pain, desperately trying to bite at her arms*

Kazue: *does so*

amelia: *runs in*

Monica: *focused on Kanin, stabbing repeatedly into him, exposing his spinal cord*

Kanin: *pants, barking mindlessly, biting into her arm*

amelia: take this! *spinning at monica, slicing at her* ~DEATHMARCH WALTZ!~

*the slice rips black blood off of Monica's face, revealing her eye and mouth*

Monica: *looking terrified* "B-Bro..."

Kanin: *turns around, trying to bite at Monica's neck*

izumi: hey! monica! fight it!

Monica: *turns at Izumi...the blood falls back over her face, as she grows silent again and aims a blade at Izumi*

izumi: *throws a rock at her*

Kanin: *gets up, spinal cord still revealed, watching*

amelia: kanin, stop!

Monica: "?!" *slices the rock in half...runs at Izumi*

Kanin: *growling--and bites at Amelia*

izumi: *running* (come on, think!)

amelia: *jumps back, her dress ripped around the waist......revealing two black stripes*

Monica: "ALBAAAAAARN!" *slithers along the ground, alternating with a four-leg run at her*

Kanin: *chewing through the dress's skirt, eyeing Amelia...spits out the skirt, on all fours, stalking at her*

Kazue: "..."

amelia:.....kanin.....you arent....the only one hiding something.....

Kanin: *growls* *getting into position to pounce again, salivating*

amelia: you probably cant hear what im saying, but please, come back.

izumi: *running, but trips on a rock* AH!

Kanin: *he looks gone...leaps*

Monica: *leaps, blades out, aiming at Izumi's head--*

izumi: *rolls to the side*

amelia:....*takes a breath....and starts singing?*

Monica: *slams the blades to the side of Izumi, then turns her head to stare at Izumi, snakelike eyes narrowing before her mouth opens, the tongue slicing towards Izumi*

Kanin: *pins Amelia down, open his mouth to bite into her neck...then hears the song...*

{Kanin: *humming*}

{amelia: *asleep* nn....papa....}

{Kanin: "..." *tucks her in, continues to sing quietly*}

izumi: come on, snap out of it already!!

Monica: "WEAKLING!" *slice* "NEPOTISM!" *tongue strike* "YOU'RE ONLY HERE BECAUSE OF FAMILY!"

{Monica: *knocked down a flight of stairs* *looks up*}

{Bully: "You're only here because of your brother!"}

{???: what a poser.}

{Monica: *sniffle...then her stare gets colder, as she turns her arm into a machete* " 'Poser'? I'll show you..." *runs up, screaming*}

Monica: *runs at Izumi, swinging her blade*

izumi: *dodging, one of her ponytails getting sliced off*

Monica: *SCREAMS* *lifts up both blades, bringing them down at Izumi*

izumi: !!!! im only here because of family? then what are _you_ here for, huh?!

*the blades come down--just stopping right above Izumi's eyeballs*

izumi: *flinches*

Monica: "... ... ...Bro-Bro..." *the black blood bubbles*

izumi:.....your brother....he's a DWMA student too, right?

Monica: *the black blood melts away just at her eyes* "The best..."

izumi:...i'd call you a hypocrite, but that wont do either of us any good right now.....

Monica: "?!!!" *the blood covers her eyes again, but the mouth opens, revealing a mess of muscles and teeth* "YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?!" *her arms are blades again, but she's stepped back now*

izumi: actually...im a bit envious of you, all things considered. you got to meet your sibling. got to really know them.....i never got a chance to meet maka.

Monica: *slight pant, still stepping back* "Th-Then why do you do this? If you never met a dead person, what do you have to compare yourself to?" *still stepping back, but her blade swings are more erratic, as if not aiming at Izumi*

izumi: ....i guess, i want to feel close to her. maybe i just want my life to have some kind of meaning.....you know spirit's actually my step-dad, right?.....

Monica: "...I don't know shit about you, Albarn. I just know you piss me off..." *the blood has fallen off her face completely but still coats the rest of her*

izumi: .....my birth father is dr rodigy.

Monica: "And I should know who that is?" *more of the black blood pulls away*

izumi: most people would......he was....a really horrible man. i was used as a test subject for his experiments. mom and i came to death city to escape from him. i wanted to get him out of my life, more than anything. i wanted to live a happy life, but if i ignore my past, then i cant improve myself for my future, can i?

Monica: "..." *dissolves the blades* "You don't want to ignore your past, but you change your name? That's kind of a fucked up inconsistency...But I get that. Why take on the name of some abusive shitbag."

izumi: yeah, i guess so. you know, when you arent being mean to me, you're actually kinda cool.

Monica: "?!!! The hell is that coming from?!" >\\\\> "Don't fucking condescend to me, you weak brat..." *the black blood has almost all fallen off of her, along with the gears left from Gruk*

izumi: maybe we can start over and maybe be friends? *extends a hand*

Monica: "... ... ...I'm not going that far." *holds up a bloody fist*

izumi: *fist bump*

Monica: *fist bump*

*TWACK*

Monica: X_X *falls down*

izumi: D8

Asher: *knocked Monica over the head with their weapon arm* "... ... ...Oh. I ruined the moment?"

izumi:..... ^^;; i'll grab her arms, you grab her legs?

Asher: >_>; "When she wakes up, just tell her a bird hit her or something, 'kay?" *picks up the legs* "Ugh--she's all bloody and sweaty."

izumi:......you were jealous, werent you?

Asher: "...I'm not jealous. At all."

izumi: whatever you say, partner.

Asher: =\\\\=; "Shut up."

amelia:.....

Kanin: *panting, still in wolf form, but he's stopped attacking*

Sid: *watching*

amelia:...*petting his head, humming*

Kanin: *dog whimpering...* "Zzz..." *still in wolf form*

nygus: should we report this to lord death? or does he already know about this?

Sid: "I don't think he would know even this..." *looks at the coyote's remains...it's decomposing* "Looks like the blood got away."

nygus:....we should have the area quarantined for now.

Sid: "And the students, unfortunately. We don't know how much blood got on them."

Giriko: *looking at Gruk's remains* "..." *there's still black blood on them*

zubaidah: you can always make another one.

Giriko: "I-I know that! Doesn't change the work I put into this one. Gruk should've been able to handle that thing. Now I need to strengthen his design."

-elsewhere-

sonia: *asleep*

Chuuya: *looking over the schedule* "Hmm...Should be do-able."

mito: *jumps up onto the chair next to his, looking* mrrrp?

*Chuuya has a schedule of beach activities, restaurants to visit, and other day activities*

mito: *relaxes on the chair*

Chuuya: *strokes her back* "Glad the hotel has a pet policy."

-morning-

Axel: *in a bathrobe, shaking* "Ugh--I hate decontamination..." T~T

hibiki: hopefully we arent stuck here for long. i get antsy without my headphones.

preston: *on call* really- no really mama im just fine.

Yafeu: *BANGING ON THE WALLS* "LET US OUT ALREADY! WE DIDN'T TOUCH THE BLACK STUFF!"

Saria: *on a phone* "Dad, please! I'm fine! We'll be out in a few hours...I think?"

yolanda: ugh, last night was such a shit show.

stephanie: totes. only less coke.

yolanda: GOD DAMMIT STEPH!

Monica: *holding ice to her head* -_-# "If you don't shut up, I'm going to shove my boot up your ass." *she's barefoot, also in a bathrobe* "Ugh...How the hell does a bird drop a coconut in the middle of a desert?"

Zarya: "..."

izumi: *offers her a soda*

Monica: "Oh, thanks."

izumi: figured you might want something.

yolanda: the hell? since when are _you_ two buddy-buddy?

Monica: "..." *sips*

genny: *sitting outside the door to the room kanin is in* .....

*growling can be heard inside*

genny:......kanin?

*the growling stops*

genny: are you alright in there?

Kanin: "..." *grunts*

genny:....im glad you're ok.

*sobbing can be heard inside*

genny:......do you....want me to come in?

Kanin: "...It-It's open."

genny:....*gingerly opens the door*

Kanin: *small dog whimper*

genny:....*reaches a hand out*

Kanin: *recoils, shrinking back*

genny:....*sits across from him*....sorry i didnt do much last night......

Kanin: "I-I didn't help..."

genny: you helped fight that monster off. that was pretty brave of you.

Kanin: "...That wasn't me."

genny:.....im not really sure what to say, i know i dont know a lot about you, but i still want to anyway.

Kanin: "Why? I'm just a mindless beast...Are you here just to study me or something?"

genny: you arent mindless, you're smart, caring, friendly...i know, this doesnt mean much coming from a nobody like me, but i still want to know you more..because i.....because i lo-*hic* i lo-*hic* (OH NO! NOW ISNT THE TIME TO BE GETTING HICCUPS!)

Kanin: *grabs her*

genny: !!!

Kanin: *hugs, sobbing*

genny: !!!!!.......*hugs him*

Kanin: *still crying, holding onto her*

-elsewhere-

*DWMA forensics are in hazmat suits, combing the desert...*

*far away, a sliver of black blood tunnels through the sand*

-elsewhere-

ox: rise and shine everyone!

kim: *groans*

Harvar: *still lying down*

Jacqueline: =_= *yawns*

kilik: hnn? *checks his watch*

Thunder: *yawns* *rubs eyes* "What time is it?"

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: ._.; "Miyuri, we should blow up the beach balls and toys at the beach..."

miyuri: ~? Owo

Chuuya: ^^; "We'll do our best to fit them in the back--just don't poke them. Sonia, you got everything?"

sonia: yes papa.

Chuuya: *smiles* "You look lovely. Let's get a photo first."

miyuri: *waves to the camera*

Chuuya: *snaps the pic* "Perfect!" *pets Mito* "Behave yourself while we're out."

mito: mreow

-elsewhere-

Crona: "...I'll do it."

lord death: you're certain?

Crona: "Y-Yes. I'm not sure this is what I want--but I think it's what I have to do."

Ragnarok: *snarling in his container, banging against the glass*

lord death: very well. i'll inform stein right away.

Crona: "Thank you, sir."

-elsewhere-

Duncan: *on the phone* "Yes, I-- ...No, I was-- What I'm trying to say-- ...Yes, sir. Yes. I'm sorry. ...Dad? Happy Father's--"

*the phone has hung up*

Duncan: "..."

lei-lei: welp, im all clear.

Duncan: "...Congrats. Guess I'm next..." *walks by her to the examination room, shoulders slumped*

lei-lei:....

Blair: *in a hazmat suit* "Hello, sweetie~ Let's check your pulse."

Duncan: ._.;

lei-lei:....you think duncan's alright?

Derek: "I don't know him very well. Is he usually so morose?"

lei-lei: usually he's a bit more pompous.

Derek: "I see...They say in battle people show who they really are. And he did hide in the tent."

lei-lei: mm....

*sounds of wheels are heard*

Sid: *his torso on a skateboard* "Derek, gather these students on this list." *holds up a list to him*

Derek: "Yes, sir."

lei-lei *looks*

*the list includes Duncan, Kanin, Amelia, Kazue, Izumi, Asher, and Monica*

lei-lei: ._. oh jeez....

-elsewhere-

Aizawa: -_-# "If the DWMA can't even handle their trip, that has me more concerned about this trip..."

blood king: you're being too paranoid. what's the worst that can happen, gaha!

present mic: HE JINXED IT! CALLING IT NOW!

Midnight: -_-; "You're all such children. We've moved the location 7 times already, and we've kept the travel plans confidential to only three people--" *points at Nezu, Aizawa, and Blood King*

-elsewhere-

*knock on the 8th Cathedral*

lisa: yeah?

Yotsuba: ^w^ "Hello, friend! Is Sister Iris here?"

lisa: .-.; um...yes?

Yotsuba: "Splendid!" *claps her hands together, as an almost flowery aura seems to appear around her* "May we enter~?"

Foien: ^^;

Karim: -_-;

lisa: um...sure...come on in... (what's with this girl?)

Yotsuba: *practically skipping in*

Foien: "Thanks. You're Lisa, right? Vulcan had helped me with this arm..."

lisa: yes, that's right. how's it holding up for you?

Foien: "Pretty well. I am having some problems on the middle finger--!!! N-Not that I'm using it like that or anything!" ^^;;;

Karim: *looks out the window to the courtyard* "..."

lisa: want vul to take a look at it?

Foien: "If it wouldn't be a problem..."

Karim: *exits for the courtyard*

rita: *watering flowers*

Karim: *looks around, waves at Rita*

rita: *she hasnt noticed him yet*

Karim: "..." *walks around in front of her*

rita: *looks up* !!!

Karim: *holds up his hands* "S-Sorry...Um..." *trying to sign* <Where Iris?>

rita: !! *signing* <she's asleep right now. she isnt feeling well.>

Karim: *nods* <I can come back.>

-elsewhere-

Black Star: *doing sit-ups--each time, looking up at Soul* "So--you--saw--what--happened--to--the--NOT--kids?"

soul: yeah i heard...

Black Star: "...I keep feeling off, man. I feel stronger."

soul: hmm...

Black Star: "And I heard there was Black Blood out there from Sid...It was kind of hard to hear him since he's kind of shorter now."

soul: .___.;

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *pulls into the parking lot* "Okay, remember the number we're at."

*across the street is the beach*

miyuri: YAAAAAY! *running*

Chuuya: "!!! Look both ways!" *running after her*

sonia: *stares out at the ocean* wow....

Chuuya: *catches up to Miyuri* *sighs* *looks around at the beach* "Okay, time to find where to set up the blanket..."

-elsewhere-

Crona: *lying down* *gulps*

Stein: *washing his hands*

nurse valentine: we're gonna give you the anesthetic now, is that alright?

Crona: "..." *turns to look out the window of the operating room...*

mami: *watching, trying to keep on a brave face*

Crona: "It-It's alright. I'm ready..." *smiles at Mami*

-elsewhere-

*from a DWMA hallway, loud screaming can be heard coming from a classroom*

Saria: O_O; "Mr. Sid has been yelling for 5 minutes straight at them..."

lukas: do you think they'll be ok?

Saria: *shakes her head* "I don't know...He sounds really upset."

-inside-

Sid: "I TOLD YOU TO EVACUATE! AND YOU SIT IN YOUR TENT--"

Duncan: *looks down*

Sid: "--RUSH INTO A FIGHT YOU COULDN'T HANDLE--"

Monica: *feet on the desk* "Tch."

Sid: "--RUN BACK THINKING YOU CAN RESCUE OTHERS--"

Asher: >_>;

Sid: "--AND COULD'VE GOTTEN YOURSELVES KILLED, BY THAT THING OR EACH OTHER!"

Kanin: *still in a half-ways werewolf form* "..."

Sid: "AND TO TOP IT OFF, THOSE OF YOU WHO COULD'VE BEEN USEFUL THOUGHT, 'Oh, I'll be cool and make a dramatic entrance--'"

Kazue: *holds up a sign* <I do like my dramatic entrances.>

izumi: .w.;;;;

Sid: "I WAS NEVER THE TYPE OF MAN TO LET THIS PASS WITHOUT PUNIS--OW!"

*Sid is lying back-down on the teacher's desk...while his lower body is hanging on the lower part of the desk*

Sid: T~T "Could you please be more careful stitching me back up?"

yolanda: *gulp*

nygus: *hoists his torso up*

Duncan: *covering his mouth* "Oh God--" *grabs a paper bag--and vomits into it*

Kanin: -~-;

yolanda:...i've seen worse.

Asher: *glances at Yolanda* "...The fuck?"

Sid: "Ah...That's better. ...Duncan, you need to get a stomach for this work, or drop out of the Academy. Kanin, you are out of control and will be kept under greater scrutiny. Monica, you are suspended for 2 weeks and will be going through more medical exams to make sure the black blood's effects on you are limited."

Monica: "WHAT THE F--"

Sid: *throws an eraser at her--that slams into her mouth*

Monica: *knocked back* @O@

yolanda: ._.

Sid: "As for the rest of you...I appreciate Izumi's good work rescuing a classmate, but I can't let that stand. Therefore, the rest of you are on restroom clean-up duty for the next 2 weeks."

izumi: yes sir...

amelia:.....

Asher: "Ugh. But they're so gross."

Kazue: <Didn't one of your coworkers used to smash the toilets with a hammer?>

Sid: "Shut up and start cleaning--OW!"

izumi: OxO;;;;

-elsewhere-

Patty: *glancing around the kitchen...slithers up to a bowl of cake batter...reaches for it--*

-CHOP-

Patty: >~< "OW!"

stocking: NO TOUCHIE! *she's super focused*

Patty: "Aw, you're no fun." -n-

Kid: *sighs* *holds up a cookie* "Patty, leave her be." *shakes the cookie*

Patty: OwO "Cookie!" *runs after Kid*

stocking: this recipe needs to be perfect.

Kid: *tosses the cookie down the hall*

Patty: *yips after it*

Kid: *stands in the doorway, watching Stocking* "..."'

stocking: *sigh* man, this is exhausting... TT~TT

Kid: "Maybe 5 minutes for a drink of water?"

stocking: good idea.

-elsewhere-

Crona: *groans*

Stein: "Good afternoon."

Crona: "Wha..." *groggy*

mami: *holding chrona's hand*

Crona: "Mami? ...Where am I?"

mami: you're in the recovery room. *she has bandages on her arm*

Crona: *looks at her arm* "...Oh no..."

mami: it's fine. i wanted to...

Stein: "How do you feel?"

Crona: "...I can't hear Ragnarok...Wh-Where is he?!"

nurse valentine: look to your right.

Crona: *turns*

-in the other bed is a tall, muscular man with black hair-

Crona: "???"

Man: *groans, eyes closed--and throws a pillow at Crona*

Crona: ._.;

mami: D8<

Man: "Shut up, you stupid bastard--I'm exhausted."

Crona: "!!! Ragnarok?!"

nurse valentine: and how are you feeling, chrona?

Crona: "I-I don't know? Tired? Hungry?"

Stein: "Water for now. Stick to the IV pack for now too."

ragnarok: real talk here....how well equipped am i?

mami:.....*summons one of her rifles, and smacks him with it*

ragnarok: YEOW!!

-elsewhere-

Karim: *still sitting in the 8th's courtyard* "..."

Foein: *looking around the workshop*

Yotsuba: "--and then we can braid each other's hair and look at my sticker collection and order pizza and stay up late with a pillow fight--"

tamaki: *dead eyed expression* (why? why is this happening?)

iris: father fulham, rita told me you were out here.

Karim: "Yo. Hey. How you holding up? Doing okay?"

iris: i guess so. you?

Karim: "...Did you know Sister Evergreen very well?"

iris:.....not too well.

Karim: "Hmph. I talked to her every time I stopped by. She wrote a recommendation for me to get into the 1st."

iris: really? i didnt know that.

Karim: "Yeah. I'm not exactly the most talkative person."

iris:....i guess you heard about the group suicide this morning too, huh?

Karim: "..." *nods*

iris: i just....i cant imagine doing something like that....

Karim: "...I could."

iris: ?!

Karim: "If you lost something that was so full of meaning in your life, when everything feels useless and hopeless...I could imagine someone doing that."

iris:.........you arent going to....are you?

Karim: "No. I'm just saying I know where they are coming from. And if I didn't know that, how could I be a good minister to a flock?"

iris: i suppose.....

Karim: "...I wanted to stop by to ask whether she suffered."

iris:.....i dont know.....

Karim: "...I see..." *lowers his head, putting it in his hands*

iris:.....would you like something to eat?

Karim: "...You cook?"

iris: a little bit.

-elsewhere-

*at the front steps of the DWMA*

Spirit: T~T "IZUMI!!!"

izumi: hey da-

Spirit: *tight bear hug*

izumi: >nO t-tight...

Asher: *eyeroll* "That's just embarrassing--"

cassidy: ASHER BLYTHE DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED SICK I WAS ABOUT YOU?!

Asher: O_O; "H-Hey, Cassidy. What's up?" ^^;;;;

Monica: "..."

*someone puts Monica into a headlock*

Monica: "GRK!"

izumi: eh?

*it's a young man holding Monica in a headlock*

Monica: "Knock it off!" *grabs his arm, holding it behind his back*

Man: "A-Ah! Slippery, huh?!" *tickles under her arm*

Monica: >#< "Cut that shit--ha ha--out!" *smashes the palm of her hand up at his chin*

Man: *still fighting Monica* "Hey! I'm Lorenzo!" *grabs Monica's head by the top--and slams it down to the floor* "I'm sorry for my sister's behavior."

Monica: X____X

izumi: wait, you're-

Spirit: "Wow, Lorenzo, that's you?!" *pats the top of his head* "Look how tall you've gotten!"

Lorenzo: ^^; "Mr. Albarn, I've been this tall for 2 years now." *steps down on Monica's head into the sidewalk* "How you been?"

Monica: *muffled scream, as she grabs Lorenzo's ankle, clawing into it*

izumi: ._.;

Spirit: "I didn't know...she, was your sister."

Lorenzo: "??? Oh? I heard she got into trouble, but didn't think it was this bad." *waves at Izumi and Asher* "Hello."

izumi: it's nice to meet you, sir. *bows*

Asher: "...The hell is wrong with you and your freak bully of a sister?"

izumi: asher!

Asher: "EVERYONE IS THINKING IT!"

Lorenzo: "I had thought training Monica on her weapon here would do good for her like it did for me." *taps Spirit's arm* "Like Mr. Albarn and Dr. Stein did for me."

Spirit: .______. "D-Don't mention him..."

Monica: *by this point, she is now gnawing on Lorenzo's leg*

izumi: oh yeah, uncle stein said he was working on something today, right?

Spirit: *nods* "I was going to the hospital to check on Mami and Crona. I think you should, too."

izumi: *nods* yes sir.

Lorenzo: "D'aw, Uncle Stein. That's cute." ^^ *stamps his foot down on Monica's head*

Monica: *stands up--picking up her brother with both hands* "Sounds really corny. What's your friend in for?"

izumi: *sweatdrop*

-elsewhere-

Mephisto: *on the phone* "So the vessel was satisfactory and to your liking, Nurse~?"

nurse valentine: he seems to be adapting quite nicely. we'll need to keep them both here for a few days to check on them, but other than that, she transfusion seems to have been a success.

Mephisto: "Ah, marvelous! I'm glad we could be of assistance. Do let me know if you see any signs of his soul rejecting the body--we had to go through 5 of those just for Amaimon."

Amaimon: *sitting in front of a baby's toy to fit the square peg into the square hole...and shoving it into the circle hole*

nurse valentine: *sweatdrop* i'll keep that in mind....that reminds me. doctor?

Stein: "Hmm?"

nurse valentine: shall i call for lord death to come in and do a soul examination on chrona?

Stein: "Yes, please do so."

-elsewhere-

Kanin: *walking home with Amelia* "..."

amelia:....are you going to be alright?

Kanin: "...Amelia. I don't know."

amelia:....they wont lock you away....will they?

Kanin: *tenses* "...I don't want to talk about this. Let's just go home."

amelia:....ok......can we make a hotpot tonight?

Kanin: "...We don't have the ingredients. We'll stop by the grocery."

-elsewhere-