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fearsmagazine · 11 months

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HERE, BETWEEN, AND BEYOND: An Evening of Haunting One Acts - Review

DATES: October 21st & 23rd, 2023 COMPANY: A Rising Sun Productions THEATER: Kraine Theater 85 E Fourth St, New York, NY 10003 ACTORS: Luvia Almanza, Jennifer Atkinson, Rick Benson, Ben Dworken, Miriam Eusebio, Luis Feliciano, Ally Harwell, Kristen Hoffman, Michael Pichardo, Josephine Pizzino, Nicholas Schommer, Mary Sheridan, Orlando F. Rodriguez, and Matt Tiemstra. CREW: Costume coordination by Zahra Jangbar; Props coordination by Liane Diep; Production Stage Management by Rebecca Kane; and Assistant Stage Manager Justin Hsu. Website: www.risingsunnyc.com

SYNOPSIS: The evening’s emcee is Mickey, short for an Aztec god of the underworld, who pieces together the evening’s tales, through a series of monologues by Orlando F. Rodriguez and directed by Maggie Connick, that search for the meaning of life and what lies between here and the beyond. An exploration of how we honor the dead in this compilation of haunting one-acts, ranging in tone and place, each one act explores a different way we interact with death, the beyond, and what’s in between

Now You See It, Now You Don't by Holly Hepp Galvan and directed by Elliot Colby - Beware the wandering magician that makes things disappear. You might be next.

Decorum by Judd Lear Silverman and directed by Jonatha Long Frye - A spoiled, world-weary Lord of the Manor returns from his vacation to Egypt with a new lover, who happens to be a mummy. Chaos and jealousy ensue in this tale of love beyond time.

Blithe Seance by Eugene Grygo and directed by Rachael Langton - Theo is moving to New York to join the dot com revolution. But first he must face his past with the help of an eccentric medium in a tale of love and forgiveness.

The Questioning by Michael Hagins & directed by Anel Carmona - When gunshots ring out at a protest on the Brooklyn College campus, police think an anti-BLM janitor may have been responsible. But there may be another avenging--more supernatural--force at work.

Memento Mori by Donna Latham & directed by Kati Frazier - While privately grieving the loss of her lover, Lucretia tries to bring dignity and honor to an unknown corpse left at her doorstep through the art of post-mortem photography. But can the dead offer solace to the living?

From Press Notes

REVIEW: HERE, BETWEEN, AND BEYOND is a variety of five tales dealing with death and curated by an Aztec god of the underworld and her minions, who assist in the prop transitions for each tale. Staged in the Kraine Theater, a small black box off-off Broadway theater in the East Village, I had not attended a performance there since before the pandemic and they’ve done an excellent job with some renovations and upgrades, but still has that community theater charm.

The narrator/Mickey segments provide comic relief and a brief introduction to each piece. There are a few political zingers, but most of the writing is brief and limited. The tales are set in a variety of periods. Some are more serious than others, and only Michael Hagins’ “The Questioning” lacks any lighter moments given the subject matter. Given my familiarity with the genre, I would not say these tales were cliched, but they held no surprises for me. I felt that the writers did not have a lot of experience working in the genre and that they were trying to adapt the stories they wanted to tell to it. I found Donna Latham’s “Memento Mori,” a simple ghost story, the most interesting. There are some nice props to accent the performances, but the use of projections telegraphed the story’s reveal for me. The dialogue felt a bit rough and while not terrible, it could have benefited from a bit more time being workshopped and tweaked.

Given the independence of the production the performances were good. The actors were not miked and some were better at projecting than others. It is a small stage so there is not a lot of space for the performances to cover. Actress Luvia Almanza as Mickey has a broad role of engaging the audience to deliver public service announcements and guide them through the production. She has fun with it and feels more like a Disney tour guide than an ancient Aztec god with issues. Overall, there is a lot of sitting, some pieces more than others, such as “Blithe Seance” by Eugene Grygo that mostly takes place around a table. There are only a couple of performers who take on more than one role and I think it might have been a more energetic production if there were more multiple roles.

The props and costumes nicely accentuated the pieces. The lighting was fine and there were some effective sound and musical cues. There is an air unit in the theater. I can understand the need to run it during the performance but it was a tad loud and created this annoying white noise.

During the early 80’s I had a group of friends who were aspiring actors and were frequently involved with off-off broadway productions. So I have a soft spot for independent theater. HERE, BETWEEN, AND BEYOND is a vanilla, non offensive Halloween treat that’s a fun way to get your seasonal scare on. A hard working ensemble cast is the perfect reason to get off the couch and out of your dwelling to join a live audience and experience some theater. Heck, they have a bar in the theater so you could have a cold one to enhance your viewing experience.

HERE, BETWEEN, AND BEYOND is part of the FRIGID NY Days of the Dead Festival. Performances run Saturday, October 21 at 7pm and Monday, October 23 at 9:30pm at The Kraine Theater at 85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003. Tickets are $25 for in person and $20 for streaming, and can be purchased at this LINK.

Review By: Joseph B Mauceri

#theater #play #review #Kraine Theater #A Rising Sun Productions #frigid nyc #here between and beyond #days of the dead theater festival #Holly Hepp Galvan #Judd Lear Silverman #Eugene Grygo #Michael Hagins #Donna Latham #horror #comedy #supernatural #joseph mauceri #joseph b mauceri

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truly-morgan · 4 years

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Day 2 - Pills

Oups nearly forgot to post on here too. But here it is.

#my art #traditional art #goretober 2020 #goretober #art challenge #original character #theos mortem #pills

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jhoudiey · 4 years

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It’s been a hot minute since I’ve added anything to Loru, but I’ve FINALLY finished her birthday fic! Yay! My bird girl is 18 now! The only warning for this I guess is Implied Violence, 2900 words. Borrowed Theo and Kore from @girl-in-the-tower and Scarlet from @rikanoctrix since I want to try and add more OCs into Yoru canon going forward.

__________

“Neee Fugu-chan” Floyd grumbled, having kicked his way unceremoniously into Yoru’s room

“Floyd it’s too early for you to be this loud, what do you want?” She mumbled, not bothering to pull herself up from her mattress where she way laying face down

“I wanted to be the first person to wish you a h----aaappy birthday” he said, stifling a yawn

“You’re too late for the birthday thing, sounds like you came for a nap”

“That too” he said casually, throwing his uniform jacket toward her desk chair. It missed and landed in a pile on the floor. He jumped over Yoru and bounced slightly when he hit the mattress. She shoved one of her pillows at him, opening her eyes the tiniest amount.

“Its only 9 though, who already said happy birthday?” he whined, clutching the pillow to his chest to look at her. She blinked slowly at him before responding.

“Ortho at exactly midnight, Idia at like 6 this morning when we realized the time, and my dad when I got home. If you wanna nap do it quietly, I just got to bed” she turned away from him and buried her head in her pillow again.

“Have any big birthday plans?” he asked, looking over the edge of his pillow. She rolled back to glare at him

“Dinner later with my dad and some staff. That’s it. No you can’t come. It’s not a party. Good night” she said bluntly, shoving her face back into her pillow.

“Night Fugu-chan!” Floyd murmured, curling up on the other side of the bed.

It was already dark when she woke up, she could smell dinner being cooked from downstairs and hoped that Crowley had at least asked some of the cafeteria ghosts to cook instead of trying to cook it himself. He’d tried to bake her birthday cake 2 years ago and almost set the house on fire, he hadn’t attempted cooking since. Yoru showered, threw some clothes on and made her way downstairs to the dining room.

“SURPRISE!” She was almost blown backwards by the noise and took a step back. The room was full of staff and the few friends she’d managed to collect while haunting the grounds of NRC. Floyd grinned at her from behind Jade and Azul, Ortho was floating near the front of the table with a huge smile on his face with Idias tablet floating nearby, and the staff were all gathered around the room wherever they’d fit. She’d never had a birthday where so many people came for dinner, and was taken a aback

“Neeee Fugu-Chan!” Floyd called “You said I wasn’t invited but I bet you never knew there was going to be a party for you!” He smirked at her, Jade chuckling softly beside him.

“Uhhhh...what...is going on?” she asked, looking around the room at everyone, still shocked to see so many people. Crowley swooped down on her from across the room, draping his arm across her shoulders.

“Oh my sweet daughter, I thought for your 18th birthday we should have a spectacular party for you with all of your friends and family!” he gestured around the room with his other arm. “Everyone is here to celebrate with you, so make sure to not run away!” He steered her deeper into the room, sitting her down at the head of the table laden with food. She awkwardly glanced around the room, was she supposed to say anything? Were there customs for this sort of thing? She sat in silence, fidgeting a little in her chair, hoping that someone else would say something to break the tension that had settled over the room.

“Yoru-san! What sort of gifts did you ask for!?” Ortho chirped enthusiastically, flying a little off his seat. For Idias birthday the three of them had hidden away and played a few board games, what she wouldn’t give to be repeating that experience right now.

“Ummm… nothing. I usually just get whatever I need throughout the year myself… I don’t really know what I would ask for”... She trailed off looking around the room once more, were they going to expect her to open presents? Was there even presents to open? Generally the teachers gave her new notebooks or reference books, but they’d always just leave them for her on the table without ever having wrapped them. Yoru wasn’t sure what else to say, and was worried she’d be further interrogated about gifts; she started filling her plate, hoping that the food would at least act as a buffer for the pressure that was slowly spreading through the room. As she was piling her plate to tottering she noticed an unfamiliar face in the corner near professor Yule, she paused and stared at the girl wondering if they’d met before and she’d just forgotten. The girl smiled shyly at her and waved, Yoru was certain they’d never actually met before, there weren't any other girls at NRC, and there wasn’t any reason for a random girl from the village to be here…

“Yoru, this is my daughter Kore” Theo said to her with a slight nod “She’s come to stay at NRC with me, though she’ll be living in Ramshackle dorm with Yuu for the time being. I’m sure you’ll get along” He smiled at her, knowing that it was unlikely. Yoru was, afterall, prickly and not very open to new friends and Kore herself could be difficult. Yoru grimaced and gave the girl a quick nod before turning back to the table, hoping that there weren’t any more surprises planned for the evening. Theo let out a sigh of relief “honestly I thought that was going to go way worse” he chuckled a little looking at Kore. She had her face set and was looking towards Yoru’s back, fists tightened into balls, daring Yoru to say something about her lack of magic.

The night carried on, conversation flowing more easily once everyone started eating. Azul was trying to worm the recipes out of Crowley so he could co-opt them for the lounge, while Crowley was giving every excuse he could to not have to admit that it was the ghosts that had cooked and not him. As dinner wound down, Yoru started getting anxious again as she wasn’t certain what was supposed to come next. Why did Crowley think it was a good idea to have her entertain a room full of people? Luckily everyone was entertaining themselves for the most part, so she’d been able to have a muttered conversation with Idias tablet, making escape plans for as soon as she was able to sneak away.

“Yoru-san! Me and Ni-san made you this, he said that it would help you out a lot!” Ortho cheered suddenly from the table. “N-Not so loud, Ortho” The tablet groaned “Sorry Ni-san! Look Yoru! It’s a tablet like the one Ni-san has! He set it to easy mode cause he knows you suck!” Ortho beamed at her “Wow Idia, real nice.” She said sarcastically “You know what I meant! You suck with computers! I made this one idiot proof, just for you hehehehe, there’s no way you can mess this one up!” Ortho thrust the tablet at her, where it floated near her head “Oh this is weird” she said, looking sideways at it as it beeped quietly at her, even if it was set to be user friendly, she knew she’d have to get Idias help setting it up later.

“Yoru! My girl! You’re 18 now! Congratulations!” Vargas boasted, throwing an arm around her shoulder. She suspected him and Theo may have had a few too many drinks, he was being more affectionate than normal, and Theo was actually smiling. She didn’t blame him, having to deal with Crowley out of a professional setting could be draining. “You can’t turn 18 without a proper gift though! I brought you something!” He beamed at her, pulling the largest container of protein powder she’d ever seen from out behind his back. She couldn’t help but laugh a little, of course he would think protein powder was a good gift- not that he was wrong. Protein powder would be really useful for her to get back into shape, she’d ended up losing a lot of weight over the winter and needed to gain it back... It had been a while since the two of them had done any training, she made a mental note to ask him to get back to sparring once her wings had fully grown back in and her mobility was back to 100%.

“Vargas, isn’t that a little… hmmmm” Crewel had started, before sighing and shaking his head a little “Nevermind, Yoru, I think this book of antidotes to rare poisons will come in handy” He said, glaring at her. She knew that look too well, there would be hell to pay if she poisoned herself and needed his help recovering again. She’d hoped that maybe her New Years accident wouldn’t have made it to Crewel’s ears, but Crowley was always a loudmouth so she suspected everyone in the room knew that she’d almost died a mere 4 weeks before. “Thanks Crewel” she muttered, rifling through the pages.

“A book of antidotes, Crewel? How disappointing” Theo scoffed, cutting Crewel off before he could respond to Yoru. They’d had a long standing rivalry and no way he’d let Crewel get another word in. “here Yoru, this may be of some help. I found it on one of my expeditions.” He handed her a small compass with the needle spinning wildly “It’ll point you to what you need most at any given time” He smiled at her, chuckling a little at the needle spinning dizzyingly fast. Yoru grinned, Theo always had the neatest stuff, she was glad to be given an artifact of her own, even if this one seemed to be broken. If it wasn’t, it should be pointing towards the Ignihyde dorm, since at that moment she wanted nothing more than to be hiding away in Idias room in silence. She slid the compass in her pocket and glanced to the side toward Kore who was there holding out a cabbage. “I didn’t know what to get you since we’ve never met, but I think everyone has a use for cabbage so here!” she thrust it at yoru who grabbed it with both hands, a grin growing across her face. Cabbage. As a gift. “This is great, I love cabbage” She smiled, thinking it was probably all downhill from here, food was really hard to top as a gift, good job girl she had never met. As she turned to put the cabbage down, Azul cleared his throat gently from the table.

“Ahhh Yoru-san! While we’re on gifts, we’re pleased to say we’ve brought one for you as well!” He smiled at her and Floyd handed her a box. All three of the Octavinelle boys were smiling at her as she opened it, it was quite unnerving to be watched so closely by them. Inside was what she realized was her Mostro Lounge uniform. Azuls smile widened “I’m glad Professor Crewel was able to lend a hand to assist in the tailoring of it, it should fit perfectly for you to start work with us in the Lounge tomorrow”. Yoru rolled her eyes at him. “Oh yay, can’t wait. What if it doesn’t fit?” she asked. Crewel scoffed at her. “I tailored it, of course it will fit, there is no question.” She sighed, knowing he was right. He’d been able to alter her high school uniform for her perfectly before she realized that Walpurga Nacht Academy had a strict “no alterations of any kind” policy.

“Here Yoru-chan! You can use this to take orders in the Lounge!” Scarlet interrupted, beaming at her. She’d been the nurse at NRC longer than Yoru had been alive and was excited to be here celebrating her 18th birthday with everyone. She handed Yoru a shocking pink notebook with cartoon unicorns all over it, complete with a neon-holographic sticker sheet of cute and cuddly creatures. “You can use it to take notes too! I know how much you write down, so I knew a notebook would be handy!” Her smile was shining so brightly Yoru had a hard time looking at her, she felt guilty knowing she’d only ever use this particular notebook if every other object that could be written on disappeared from existence. She took the notebook and placed it on top of the box containing her Mostro Lounge uniform, ready to be carried upstairs back to her bedroom. She felt her chance to escape the party was approaching, the pile of gifts needing to be carted away a blessing in disguise

“Hmmmm my favourite demon-chan has so many gifts!” Sam exclaimed, looking around at all of them, “Perhaps she doesn’t need another...” he teased, smiling widely at her. “Hmmm, but if she didn’t need any other gifts, then what would I do with this vial of Dragon blood?” Yorus eyes widened. She’d asked Sam if he could try and find her some more than six months ago but he’d never gotten back to her. “Sam! You found some! This is amazing!!!” She was ecstatic, holding the vial in her hands, an entire new world of potion making opportunities opening up to her. Crewel and Crowley gave each other a short glance, it wasn’t a good idea for her to have something so dangerous, especially if she was going to continue experimenting on herself. “Hmmm Sam, perhaps that isn’t a good gift for a young woman?” Crowley tried to protest, the glare Yoru shot him quieted him down immediately. “Thank you Sam, this will be really useful”.

“Ahhh Sam, again with the dangerous gifts” Trein sighed handing Yoru a small book bound in a strange leather. “Here Yoru, you had asked me before about Harpies but I wasn’t able to tell you much. I’ve found a history of them, as brief as it is, hopefully this will answer some your questions” He gave her a small smile, she accepted the book with a small nod. She had been beginning to wonder more about her mother and the Strophrades Isle, but there was nothing in the library on the topic, which she had found strange. She’d meant to ask Crowley the best way to get there and information on her mother, but had forgotten . Even if she had, she assumed he’d talk her ear off, having been starved for conversation with his daughter for the last month. She had vowed to never speak with him again after he’d given Azul permission to drug her, and so far had been able to keep the promise to herself.

She placed the book on top of the others and grabbed the pile of gifts to carry up to her room, the cabbage and protein powder balanced precariously on top. “I uhhh.. Don’t know how birthday parties are supposed to end so thanks everyone…” she muttered, walking out of the room to start climbing the stairs to her room. “Just a minute, Nugget!” Crowley called after her “You never got my gift!” he called up the stairs behind her, she ignored him.

“How embarrassing, headmaster, your own Nugget ignoring you” Jade said quietly, staring at Crowleys back. “Jade, if I ever hear you call me Nugget I swear I will rip your tongue out” Yoru yelled down the stairs. “Fufufu, than I shall make sure you never hear me” he grinned. “Neee Fugu-chan! What if I call you Nugget-Chan?” Floyd yelled after her, Azul, Jade, Ortho, and Idias tablet laughing quietly. “The same goes for you Floyd! I will eat your tongue for dinner!” She threatened. Everyone remaining in the room grinned, trying to think of ways to work the word Nugget into their everyday vocabulary.

“Oh!” Crowley cried out suddenly “We forgot the cake!” He rushed into the kitchen, returning moments later with a two-tiered white cake with a large 18 drawn on the top in green icing. “Yoru! Come back and get some cake!” Crowley's face fell when there was no response, he knew she’d likely left out the window already, the promise of cake not enough to bring her back. “Well, it would be a waste to not eat it…” he mused to himself before looking at the room at large “Okay! Who wants cake!” He smiled at everyone raising their hands.

***

“Hey, where’s the cake?” Idia asked when Yoru pushed her way into his room.

“Cake?” She questioned, holding the tablet he’d made for her out to him. “I need help setting this up” He sighed and grabbed the tablet from her hand, easily tapping through the screens to set it up for her.

“You come and ask me for favours and don’t even bring any cake, what kind of friend are you!?” he complained.

“We didn’t even have cake, what are you talking about?” She sat down on his bed, watching him tinkering with the tablet.

“Crowley said there was cake, and you didn’t bring any with you!”

“Oh. I must have left before then. Ortho is still there, get him to bring some back and we can eat it here”

“Oooh! Good idea!” He whispered to Ortho from his tablet, a childish grin creeping across his face at the promise of cake.

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rahleeyah · 3 years

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SVU 2.0 Watchlist

a quick and dirty guide to 2.0 for Olivia stans. I’ve broken it out into categories so y’all can pick and choose. I have given notes about some of the episodes to help you decide if you want to watch or not. Please note: this is my opinion and other people may have different takes.

Olivia/David

13.12: Official Story

13.13: Father’s Shadow (ok David is barely in this one, this goes more into the Olivia is in Danger category, but it’s worth watching)

13.15: Hunting Ground

13.17: Justice Denied

Olivia/Cassidy

13.23: Rhodium Nights

14.1: Lost Reputation

14.17: Undercover Blue

15.3: Internal Affairs

15.14: Comic Perversion

15.19: Downloaded Child (the breakup)

19.14: Chasing Demons

20.16: Facing Demons

Olivia & Simon

13.16: Child’s Welfare

21.6: Murdered at a Bad Address

Lewis

14.24: Her Negotiation

15.1: Surrender Benson/Imprisoned Lives

15.9: Psycho Therapist (brace yourselves it’s a lot)

15.19: Beast’s Obsession

15.20: Post-Mortem Blues

Olivia/Tucker

17.5: Community Policing

17.14: Collateral Damages

17.16: Manhattan Transfer

17.17: Unholiest Alliance

17.22: Heartfelt Passages

18.7: Next Chapter

18.8: Chasing Theo (the breakup)

21.12: The Longest Night of Rain

Olivia is in Danger!!

17.10: Townhouse Incident (I also maintain this is where she hooked up with Tucker)

18.7: Next Chapter

19.23: Remember Me

20.18: Blackout (this is the start of an arc with Liv in trouble)

20.23: Assumptions

20.24: Endgame

Olivia & Noah

15.13: Wednesday’s Child (this is just where Olivia first finds Noah)

15.23: Spring Awakening (Liv gets a baby!!)

16.1: Girls Disappeared

16.19: Granting Immunity (baby Noah gets the measles)

16.23: Surrendering Noah

17.8: Melancholy Pursuit

19.2: Mood (Liv is accused of child abuse, watch 19.1 for context)

19.9: Gone Baby Gone

Miscellaneous

13.1: Scorched Earth

13.2: Personal Fouls (I recommend this one solely bc it’s where we meet Nick, and if you want to see Liv’s initial interactions with her new partner, it’s worth it)

14.9: Dreams Deferred (this is just a really good case/perspective episode)

14.10: Presumed Guilty (it’s Christmas! We get a Christmas episode! Happy feelings!)

14.13: Monster’s Legacy (Liv and Bayard Ellis hold a special place in my heart)

14.18: Legitimate Rape (Liv defends a woman who got pregnant by her rapist)

15.10: Amaro’s One-Eighty

15.11: Jersey Breakdown

15.17: Criminal Stories (yeah ok maybe I think Liv fucked Alex Baldwin too so sue me)

16.15: Undercover Mother (Olivia!! In!! Leather!! Pants!!)

17.13: Nationwide Manhunt (I just like seeing Olivia about to murder that Brownyn bitch with her bare hands)

17.21: Intersecting Lives (you don’t have to watch this one but it gives context for the next one)

17.22: Heartfelt Passages (DODDS)

18.5: Rape Interrupted (Olivia’s very first partner is Anthony Edwards love that for her)

19.7: Something Happened (mostly a bottle episode centered on Liv, Good Shit)

19.13: The Undiscovered Country (Barba leaves)

19.19: Sunk Cost Fallacy (ALEX!!!)

20.3: Zero Tolerance (Liv will fight the whole goddamn government if she has to)

20.14: Part 33 (Another bottle episode, and a personal favorite)

21.5: At Midnight in Manhattan (the squad is overwhelmed with cases, just a really good episode)

21.11: She Paints for Vengeance

21.18: Garland’s Baptism by Fire (Liv gets set up with a Very Tall Man)

22.4: Sightless in a Savage Land (Barba comes back!)

#svu #watchlist #idk what else to tag this #listen y'all asked

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darkshreaders · 2 years

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here is my dnd character mercury the art was done by a friend named arctos on discord she is a auroros(a homebrew race by @dm-clockwork-dragon) rogue she is 4700890 years old (since auroros dont got a age cap) and she is extremely lonely backstory downbelow

Long ago in time immemorial as the big bang emerges from the snores of the cold one it grants the multiverse its life and eventually the old gods that currently live in the now graveyard across the spheres the Agnostos Theos gave life to the spheres of reality one of the first life forms made for a world was the auroros on the inhospitable gas worlds though this seems to be post mortem as the start of the auroros seems to have been a result of those gods remaining bits of power from the endless corpses of the gods and goddesses that were first created long before the current deities of the multiverse arose from the womb of reality eventually those residual energies on those worlds gained sentience and eventually sapience and started their life. Eventually they evolved into a race and learned how to interact with the outside world with their nonexistent vocal cords at least in terms of a normal biology they lack and they learned how different they are to the lifeforms beyond their time such as the hadozee, gith,astral dragons,illithids,astral elves,plasmoids and much much more which caused them to desire to learn what it means to feel the concept of touch which started the first xexels type which were primitive at the time but eventually grew to what it is today think of the original xexels possibly being more steampunk then the more atompunk/retrofuturistic or [insert any other futuristic style here] though you can still see some auroros use the original steampunk xexels and it's usually the “elder” Auroros which are kinda cherished for their grand knowledge and eventually they learned how to travel across the stars groups of auroros sometimes go to a ships known as polaris engines though some ships that are used by auroros that don't want to aimlessly wander space with their xexel helping guide them use a Anemoi class polaris engine which are small ships for them before the modern day also lived Hermes known by auroros as more of a adventuring type which is quite rare in auroros history as they enjoyed traveling across the stars in their ship the psychopomp they desire to travel the great unknown across the corpses of dead gods and into the systems of the multiverse and to the people who knew them outside of the auroros as a space pirate one who kinda brought chaos and death to many ships to get tons of loot and also invade cities in the astral plane to loot and pillage and sometimes recruit strange entities from the multiverse such as a kenku named Huginn who was mostly used for distraction and a small owlin necromancer named Vanth, the minotaur barbarian that can get lost named moloch, aasimar artificer called Daedalus who is just with the crew to help their child and a handful of nameless members each crew member had their own story that could be told though this is not their story.

during their time in the astral plane they reached a place known as the Ophiuchus Quadrant it was at this time Hermes decided their story needs to end so they said farewell to their crew after years with them to embrace something that they knew must be done to keep on living Psionic Fission they got out of their ship and into the openness of the quadrant and commenced the sequence feeling their body being split apart their mind-shattering into 2 different forms though a rogue force came to the splitting Hermes, void matter which is the essence from the cold one itself when this rogue force hit on the 2 space gas it changed them and made mercury though what remained of the other half from the fission is unknown to mercury. almost like a dream as from that bit, they saw it was like a flash not in a literal sense but it went so fast their still being created mind saw it as a dream and once they fully constituted they were alone…

The now made mercury looks around seemingly fascinated by the stars and planets and thus starts their travel across the multiverse but soon, as more and more weeks passed, everything started to look the same. Eventually, they found a way to leave the quadrant and into the many marbles that make up the multiverse and started to encounter lands beyond their wildest dreams such as Planet Fusion, essentially a large slime world that consumes worlds to increase its mass. The world of exandria, Kelpie, a world that is just covered in water, Toril, and much more eventually reach a rather strange sphere. mercury named it the solsphere since its sun felt like it would be named sol and the planet that inhabits life on it appears to be a strange one unlike others of its kind as it's not strange or mostly medieval or any other kind you normally see it's what people above the multiverse would call it an alternate version of the earth like imagine an urban fantasy version of earth akin to bright or something like that. during her travel there she finds a destroyed space station like it looks like it was burnt and ripped to shreds and a lone space suit with a corpse of a person on the suit it says “Kagutsuchi of the Astraeus space station” and a logo for on the ship for the company that made the station in the first place for this person to go to and make sure its habitable and not well a burning pile which that failed tremendously

After that incident, they took the spacesuit to a harengon who they randomly found as they roam endlessly across the stars an artificer they were exiled and cursed by an entity from the feywild that banished them to the astral plane itself and was given jackalope horns because why not (he is an angora rabbit type of harengon) and their name was Inaba and mercury decided to visit the stranger to ask for help with creating a xexel from this space suit they didn't care that they stole it they helped them craft the xexel with the limited knowledge they got about the auroros and mercury gave ideas of how they imagine it to look like and thus mercury’s xexel was created and thus mercury came with their new identity of mercury based on a planet they saw in the solsphere that seem to resonate with them with how…..beautiful it was they called it a “Snowball'' in the sky after that they left the man go. through the suit was given the ability to communicate with them but after some time inaba ignored the calls that mercury tried to do to feel any sort of comfy and thus they were alone again and they continued to travel in one of their travels they found a abandoned palace seemingly runned by dragons connected to gemstones and eventually they collected a guitar from a world they stole from one of the worlds she traveled to and eventually they did gain a female form not because of any gender differences since auroros have no gender but merely because the aesthetic of female humanoids interested them enough to get a female form they tried the guitar that they edited themselves (though shoddily edited but she hasn't found anyone that would actually tell them that it sounds bad or anyone for that matter really) even playing songs that seemingly play randomly through signals that their suit catches though it seems to have not done anything for them to them they feel incomplete like something is missing and the weird Spooky stuff from the radio and their dreams does not help them they believe that they perhaps needed friends someone they could talk to to help them when it feels down but also perhaps to find their sibling who they now call venus despite the fact that their name probably won't be venus once they actually meet if they are even alive at all so they begin their search discovering many other strange places like aloria and even saw a ship with a satellite going across the stars and spheres even encountering [Redacted] during their travels. . one day they got a rogue signal which was mostly static that did scramble their mind a bit by its static and scattered voices but it caught their eye so they decided to follow the location of this signal like a moth to a flame and so they decided to get there by traveling the sea of Phlogiston to this new area seeing the dead ships and the ghosts that remain in this void they eventually reach it a land known as Alfenhein a land that mercury has not seen until now yet it did spark their interest it even had a little light getting closer and closer but it turned out to be a laser from some railgun of sorts which they narrowly avoided but a rogue asteroid hit them which caused them to be careening down to the surface which the crater is notable for the residue of strange energy emitting off of it no one knows if the energy is harmful or harmless but mercury laid in that crater for possibly days though they were seemingly unscathed though once they wake up they kinda have a hard time walking due to the fact they haven't walked in some time since the inaba meeting which took them a tiny bit to learn how to walk since they are on a planet’s surface and they are in a weakened state so they cant get off the planet and they are also aware that if they did try they may be shot down like before so they decided to walk aimlessly. they saw the world seemingly consumed by the neo roman rule from emperor Nero they saw what seems like a world seemingly in the dark about the people that they think is protecting them yet is it truly as some secrets could hide something much darker and mercury had a hit of clarity “these people seem to be scared and unsure of what these places, maybe telling them some secrets of this world could help them” and mercury kinda went on a grand quest of their own to collect some government secrets from the empire and also some big companies like one called “Moneta'' which are known for their virtual reality and are known for a VR device that can allow you to look into your memories. though what they don't tell is that they are known to be kinda addicting as you could kinda get stuck in the virtual reality past and thus kinda be a slave to the device as there is a famous story of an addict of this stuff named Mongo a gang leader who was addicted to the stuff to a point where his addiction led to his death as he abused it to no end. In their quest, they invaded many government buildings and somehow managed to get that information without triggering the security part of it at least not yet and after a couple of weeks of this quest, they managed to compile it all together and released it to the public.

Some of these secrets include Moneta using the addiction of some customers to be testers for their virtual reality technology till those people die and then they just replace them like nothing happened, the existence of the dread lands, and much much more

After that mercury was found and taken into custody and by a chance that will never happen again the guard was intoxicated after last night and took mercury to the necropolis instead of a guillotine or electric chair or something and that's when mercury hangs out with the new people and learn about them including some faces that later on joined the group like Draeger and some resistance members came to pick up mercury after being impressed with the stunt mercury did a few days ago and mercury even suggested of possibly picking up those 2 people she met who she thought of as possible friends and useful for whatever this group has in store the person accepted and took them out of necropolis and got them some supplies and thus the 3 were recruited into the resistance and thus the story has opened its gate for what waits beyond is up to the man behind the curtain and who knows maybe mercury could reunite with their lost sibling who she calls venus

#Dnd #dnd 5e #dnd ocs #dnd art #dnd homebrew #d&d 5e #D&d homebrew #Dnd rogue #rogue #homebrew race #sci-fi #sci-fi dnd #dnd shenanigans #5e homebrew #alien #cute

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shmegmilton · 4 years

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How many lovers did Burr have?

That is unclear, because Burr himself was purposely vague.

In 1804 he wrote out a sort of pseudo-will to be given to Theodosia Jr. & her husband in case that he were to die in his duel with Hamilton. In one of the letters he makes a special note of a specific stack of letters “tied with a red string” which are particularly sentimental to him, as well as some very specific instructions. Quote:

“Having lately written my will, and given my private letters and papers in charge to you, I have no other direction to give you on the subject but to request you to burn all such as, if by accident made public, would injure any person. This is more particularly applicable to the letters of my female corespondents.”

“Burn immediately a small bundle, tied with a red string, which you will find in the little flat writing case--that which we used with the curricle.”

Even though he didn’t die in 1804, this was a wish that Burr continued to hold throughout the rest of his life (which would eventually be honored by Matthew L. Davis after using Burr’s writing material to finish his memoir).

There were a lot of rumors (& weird, post-mortem erotica novels) surrounding Burr that painted him as someone who cleared out whole brothels, “ruined” sex workers wherever he went & would have sex in exchange for votes or political influence.

Burr was a feminist first, & a gentlemen second, and for that reason he placed an incredible amount of value on the privacy of the women he was involved with. This next excerpt comes from “The Life & Times of Aaron Burr” by James Parton, which is a sort of pseudo-biography about his life, as well as some more personal anecdotes from people who knew him personally:

“Burr’s surviving friends, connections, & near acquaintances, however they may differ in minor particulars, all agree in asserting these two things:

First, that Burr never compromised a woman’s name, nor spoke lightly of a woman’s virtue, nor boasted of, nor mentioned any favors he may have received from a woman; secondly, that of all the men they had ever known, [Burr] was the least capable of such un-utterable meanness! No particulars of any affair of gallantry in which he may have been engaged could ever be extracted from him. He never spoke of them.”

Of the surviving letters of Burr’s we do have, he speaks very carefully about them--some names (for example, in his European Journal) are written in code or using only the first letter of their name (ex. M, Ms. A, or simply just madam or mademoiselle). He also periodically mentions the different sex workers that he has been involved with (though, again, never by any actual name.)

The rest of the woman mentioned in his letters are specifically relegated to first names only--of which, we have about a half a-dozen (not counting Theo Sr. or Mary Emmons).

Celeste is the one woman whom he know most about, because Burr almost married her. It’s a story that you can read about [HERE]), but we learn more about her through a series of letters that Burr wrote to Theodosia Jr. Clara (who Burr sometimes coded as “L”) was also a name specifically called out in his aforementioned 1804 will.

I also recently came across a new set of names in the back of Charles Burdett’s book “Margaret Moncrieffe: The First Love of Aaron Burr” (who I presume to be the fake name of an otherwise real person, given that no supplemental information about her exists.) Charles (Burr’s adopted son) included some of Burr’s letters at the back of the book. One addressed to “Kate” (whose name Charles specifically included with air quotes) who he emotionally confided in around the time that Theo Jr. went missing. There is also Eliza (whether it’s Eliza Jumel or a different Eliza is unclear), a woman named Julia, & the a woman named Lenora.

---

The TL;DR of it is, I don’t know! Burr was very careful about safe-guarding these women’s identities, and the majority of his letters were literally destroyed upon his request, so there is no way of ever knowing.

My guess has always ranged from a couple dozen, to a couple hundred, though. I’ve long speculated that Burr had some sort of addiction issue, and sex addiction seemed to be one of them.

#AmRev #Aaron Burr #Anecdotes #Hamilton

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homeformyheart · 4 years

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choices potluck 2020 full menu

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO "CAME TO DINNER” - even if you liked or reblogged content, you all had a place at the table (there were plenty of leftovers!) and thank you so much for helping us end 2020 and kick off the new year with a little bit of love and positivity!

To all the creators, thank you so so much for supporting this event and making it a success! @lorirwritesfanfic; @poisonrys; @kelseaaa; @gamechoices-player; @mazeeque; @withbeautyandrage; @hashiedraws; @choicesfanaf; @drethanramslay; @dcbbw; @misswillowedschoices; @anotherbeingsworld; @boneandfur; @theo-oface; @freckles-spangledvampire; @missameliep; @raleigh-edward; @agentnolastname; @monsoonblooms12; @nyastarlight; @kat-tia801; @ezekielbhandarivalleros; @lovealexhunt; @stardustmountain; @robintora

full menu (masterlist) under the cut!

annabelle parsons x mc by @drethanramslay for @lorirwritesfanfic

ethan ramsey edits by @ezekielbhandarivalleros for @monsoonblooms12

gaius augustine (all of them) by @misswillowedschoices for @theo-oface

golden (open heart LIs) by @robintora

icons by @gamechoices-player for @mazeeque

moodboards by @withbeautyandrage for @agentnolastname

part 1: day family christmas (mother of the year)

part 2: keepsakes (platinum)

part 3: happy holidays (open heart)

part 4: forehead kisses (platinum)

moodboards by @monsoonblooms12 for @choicesfanaf

part 1: ikigai

part 2: ethan & arundhati

logan x mc by @boneandfur for @anotherbeingsworld

trr moodboards by @choicesfanaf for @dcbbw

aerin valleros by @raleigh-edward for @robintora

bryce & casey by @poisonrys for @drethanramslay

edward mortemer by @theo-oface for @raleigh-edward

mal volari by @hashiedraws for @stardustmountain

raleigh carrera by @mazeeque for @homeformyheart

veronica x mc by @stardustmountain for @poisonrys

beacon in the night (ethan ramsey x f!mc) by @kat-tia801 for @withbeautyandrage

ghosts of christmas past (liam rys x mc) by @dcbbw for @kat-tia801

holiday bryce by @homeformyheart for @kelseaaa

it’s tradition (tyril starfury x f!elf mc) by @kelseaaa for @missameliep

making christmas cookies (liam x mc) by @nyastarlight for @ezekielbhandarivalleros

once upon a miracle (bryce lahela x f!mc) by @anotherbeingsworld for @lovealexhunt

the most wonderful time of the year (damien nazario x mc) by @missameliep for @freckles-spangledvampire

three days of christmas (ethan ramsey x mc; rafael x bryce) by @agentnolastname for @gamechoices-player

to be fine (logan x mc) by @lorirwritesfanfic for @nyastarlight

captain edward mortemer by @homeformyheart for @hashiedraws

holiday adrian raines by @lovealexhunt for @misswillowedschoices

holiday bryce by @homeformyheart for @kelseaaa

part 1: holiday sweater bryce

part 2: bryce in a santa hat

#choices family potluck #choices potluck 2020 #choices potluck masterlist #my post #choices fanart #choices fanfics #choices edits #choices moodboards #choices commissioned art

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theprincesslibrary · 3 years

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#4: Baleful - Close your eyes

Warning: violence, past trauma, mention of abuse, mention of rape, domestic abuse, blood, torture

He’s waking up.

He doesn’t remember much. He was coming home after a night out, drunk and alone, the girls weren’t receptive to his charms. And then nothing. Just darkness and a violent pain at the back of his skull. He’s fully awake now, though his reality looks like a nightmare. His reflection is staring at him from the ceiling, eyes wide from fear. He is strapped to an operating table, naked, unable to move. He doesn't understand why he's here.

I’d feel bad for him if I didn’t know any better. But I do.

I know what he did to his wife, to his previous girlfriends. I know what type of monster he is. But I’m worse. The saw in my hand is itching to cut, but I can’t start yet. Everything must be done to perfection. So I step out of the shadows and move closer, tape his eyelids open, so he can't close his eyes. Putting that mirror on the ceiling was a real pain in the ass, it’d be a shame if all that work went to waste. I wouldn’t want him to miss the show.

*****

When Thancred reaches the scene everything looks like it did for the previous murders: they still don't have the crime scene, just the dumping area. A godforsaken place where nobody cares what you do or say: welcome to Ul'dah's low town, where the jewel city doesn't shine so brightly. Here only the rule of the three wise monkeys applies: see nothing, hear nothing, and above all shut the fuck up. The perfect place to get rid of a body.

These corpses are not your typical murder victim though: no crime of passion, no hit-and-run. Everything is clean. It’s the third case of the type to end up on his desk, and it's a fucking nightmare. Let’s be clear, the modus operandi is dirty as fuck: shallow cuts all over the body, severed limbs, head cut off… all of that ante mortem, a fucking slaughter. But the scene is fucking spotless, perfectly ordered like a freaking Mog Station warehouse. They don't really have a corpse, more of a human puzzle: the organs and the head sit in separate jars, the limbs are all wrapped up mummy style, personal belongings in a cardboard box... And the cherry on top: not a single witness.

That’s when Thacred's expertise comes to play. See, a regular cop would harass the lab, call them every 5 minutes, pressure them day and night… be a pain in the as. But not detective Thancred Waters. Nah. He has his way of doing things. He lets the lab rats alone, especially with a scene like that which is as much of a nightmare for them as it is for him. If puzzle number 3 is like its friends, CSI can’t do much for him right now, they need to unpack all that shit, literally. So he leaves them the fuck alone, they’re happy, and when they have something conclusive they call their favorite detective: how far one can go by not being an asshole is astonishing.

Instead, Thancred likes to interrogate people. Relatives, of course, that’s police work 101, but he pays extra attention to the little monkeys on the streets: the guy no one notices sitting in the corner, the drug dealer in his vintage car, the homeless lady who sleeps here at night. He just knows how to make them talk. It must be his lucky day because he saw his favorite monkey when he arrived at the scene. It would be rude not to check on his old friend, although “friend” might be a bit of a stretch. He met Theodric in Limsa Lominsa, back when he was still a street urchin, stealing purses from unsuspecting passersby. They were in the same band of petty thieves, followed the same path, except one day Thancred targeted Louisoix Leveilleur. Instead of turning him in, the man saw his potential, and took him under his wing. His life changed that day. Theodric wasn’t so lucky. He got involved with the wrong crowd, took the wrong drug, and ended up here, in one of Ul’dah’s worst neighborhoods where not even the refugees dare to come.

Yeah, not really friends, and considering what he's about to do to him, it's better that way.

*****

Thancred’s fists hurt from punching Theodric’s ugly face, he needs a break from all that “friendly catching up”. He reaches for a cig and lights it up. Gods, how he loves the taste of tar… finally some stale air to help him breathe. He spares a look to the little monkey slouched against the tainted wall of a shabby restaurant. His face is covered in blood, but he’s not talking. He hates when they stay quiet, he’ll just have to be more explicit.

“You know Theo, I can call you Theo, right? You know… it’s the weekend for me too. As you can imagine that I have other things to do besides fucking up your hideous face. I'm not asking you to share every tiny detail of your sad existence, I’m not your therapist. I’m not even asking for the name of your dealer. Just tell me who the fuck threw away the mummy. That would make me incredibly happy, I’d be able to go home, have a nice bath, you know, normal people shit.”

Thancred takes another puff from his cigarette and looks down at the man who was once his partner in crime. It’s almost like staring at a twisted version of himself, at the man he would have become without Louisoix. Six months ago, he might have gone easy on Theodric, might have tried to help him out. Six months ago, he would have been the man Louisoix wanted him to be, but that guy died in Lahabrea’s basement. All those months of sequestration and torture did a number on him, fucked him up so bad, his soul died back there. Now he's just this empty shell, pretending to be alive out of spite. Just to say “look at me now, I’m still there”. But he's not, not really.

He draws the last puff from his cigarette and crouches next to Theodric, his face on the same level as the junkie's. The little monkey has one open eye, just one, the other is too fucked up. There’s fear in that one eye, but he’s still not talking. Thancred gets his cig close to Theodric’s good eye, so he can understand what’s going to happen next. He likes to let people understand the rest on their own, it stimulates communication.

“You might think I hate you Theo, but I don’t. I don’t give two flying fucks about you. But you see, my shrink told me I had to externalize my rage. When you don't talk to me, it pisses me off, so I have to externalize. On your face. You’re not a bad guy, a little drug here, a little dealing there, it’s not that bad. I’m a whiskey guy myself so really who am I to judge? Just tell me who threw this corpse, so I can calm the fuck down. I don’t need to externalize as much and we both go on our merry ways.”

Thancred punctuates his question by crushing his cigarette's butt on Theo’s arm. His screams echo in the empty street so loudly dogs start to howl, not that anyone cares. Noone would come to his aid, not in this part of town, not when a cop is the one making him scream like a pig. The wise monkey rule reigns supreme. But now he’s in enough pain for Thancred to believe whatever he’s gonna say next.

“Fuck Waters, I swear I don't know anything. You know me, I'm not that brave, if I knew anything I’d be singing like a fucking canary right now. Please let me go, I promise if I hear something I'll tell you. I swear Waters.”

*****

Theodric looks sincere.

It pisses him off, cause now he’s gonna have to resort to a more classic approach and act like a regular cop: talk to the wife and relatives. He hates to act like a regular cop, hates to talk to the wives. He doesn’t know how to deal with crying people. He used to be good at people skills, he’s not anymore.

He needs a drink.

He ends up at the Quicksand like always. It’s a second house for all sorts of human trash: bikers, dealers, pimps, him...

Thancred likes the atmosphere, and the barmaid, Lya. Lya is good. It sounds dumb, but she is. She smiles all the time and listens to everyone’s bullshit without judging. She’s pretty too, beautiful even. When she smiles it's a bit like a breeze blowing over a field of poppy, it shakes him to the core. It shakes up any guy. They all want to throw themselves in her arms and let her lull them to sleep as a mother would. She could turn the most vicious wolf into an obedient little lamb with just one smile. All the guys here come for her: the alcohol tastes like piss, the food is barely decent when it’s not expired, and the walls grow mold. But she's here. They all want her, but no one touches her. She’s broken, they all know that. They might be a bunch of heartless assholes, but they have principles. And Lya is off-limits. Her last boyfriend used to beat her up to a pulp, she still has a scar running down the side of her face. It doesn't take away from her beauty, but it drives him mad with rage.

One night he was taking a piss behind the bar – mind you the alley’s hygiene is better than the loo inside – he saw the guy slap her, and felt the irrepressible urge to externalize his rage on the asshole’s face, so he did. Repeatedly, until he was the one lying on the ground, pissing himself. They’ve been friends ever since. She listens to his stupid jokes, gives him the best food, stops pouring drinks when she thinks he’s too drunk and smiles at him. She smiles so brightly he feels like a little boy in a candy store, hopeful and fearless.

She looks out of place in this dirty joint full of heartless assholes, like a porcelain doll forgotten in a construction site, but she’s one of them: damaged. They don’t want to break her, they can all see the cracks in her porcelain skin, so no one touches her. They just pretend, pretend they have a chance, pretend they’re good enough for her. They even play this game where the last guy standing can ask her out. They drink until they either pass out or leave, and only one guy is left. The winner never asks her out, but still, they come every night to drink and dream.

*****

I always start with small incisions, quick and superficial. It stings just a little, but not too much. The most important thing is not the pain or the screaming, it’s the fear, the anticipation. It’s a wholesome experience: he gets to feel, see, and smell all of it. People often forget to mention the smell, iron and urea, blood and piss. The mix elicits a primal reaction: run, it says, run. But he can’t.

*****

It’s Monday and Thancred has an appointment with the third victim’s wife. She looks vaguely familiar, must be from the file or the guy’s belongings. The murderer never bothered to hide his victim's identity. Hell, they even leave a special box for passports and other personal stuff. So yeah, she looks familiar, but he’s been in Ul’dah for a while, so it’s not a surprise. What he can’t stand is the way she's fidgeting on her chair.

Thancred doesn’t like when the witness fidgets because a regular cop would think ‘hum, that’s suspicious'. Thancred tried being a regular cop once, wasn’t for him, so he stopped, started being an asshole instead with some instinct sprinkled on top, it was a wholesale price. Still, the fidgeting is annoying. And she still looks familiar, more than she should from just a file picture. Thancred can’t put his finger on it. Maybe he fucked her once. He was kind of a womanizer before his life went to shit, before Lahabrea. It doesn’t explain why she’s so nervous, or why she keeps nervously rubbing her arms. Nor does it explain the five layers of clothes. It’s at least 35° out, and she’s out in the sun with a freaking turtleneck. The outrageous makeup has to be the icing on the cake.

And that’s when it hits him. He knows her, but not from the file, or a one-night stand. She’s from Lya’s support group for battered women. That’s why she’s nervous. Not because he’s her former lover, not even because he’s a cop, but because he’s a man. That’s why number 3’s dead: he was trash like the rest.

"Excuse me for a few minutes."

Thancred gets up and exits the room, leaving the widow alone. He spots Minfilia across the room and strides towards her.

"Hey Min, I'm gonna need you to take this one."

"Why?", she teases, "finally found a widow impervious to your charms?"

"Pretty sure our so-called victim wasn't the loving husband he owed to be."

Understanding flashes on her face, she drops the file she was reading on her desk and follows him to the interrogation room. Relief washes over the widow’s face when she sees Minfilia.

“This is my colleague, Detective Warde. She’s going to take it from here.”

Then he’s out again, leaving the two women alone. He goes to his desk while Min does her thing, and looks for the victim’s name in the database. He doesn’t need to watch Min do her work, he trusts her to get the answers they need. The petite blonde has great people skills, and she’s one of the good ones. She's so good, it's hard not to hate her. He doesn't though, never did, never will.

She’s one of the few friends he has left, one of the few people to put up with his bullshit after Lahabrea's "incident". He loves her like the little sister he never had, and more than anything he respects her. She's a good friend and a good cop, something this city sorely lacks. Rhabdan runs a tight ship as chief of police, but there's always a few bad apples in the bunch, not Min though. She's one of the good ones, not some disillusioned asshole like him. It's hard to be hopeful in a city like Ul'dah where being rich means one can escape any form of responsibility. Like number 3 here. His wife's medical record is a testament to his behavior: bruised face, broken ribs, even lacerations. It's a miracle the woman is still alive. But her in-laws are rich, and influential: Lolorito's people. That's why Thancred is not so sure he wants to catch the killer, not when they're doing what he's not free to do himself.

When Minfilia is done with the interrogation, she motions for him to join her in the break room. She confirms what Thancred already knows: the guy was an asshole.

He needs a fucking drink.

*****

First I remove his dick, not like he’s gonna need it anymore. I do this slowly, very slowly. I want him to suffer. This is also what the mirror on the ceiling is for, and the tape on the eyelids, no escape. He must see everything and especially hear everything, the slightest tear of his flesh, the sound of his blood dripping on the sanitized tiles, the scalpel cutting his flesh, my slow breathing. The shock of emasculation makes him pass out. It’s okay, we have all the time. I cauterize his wound, I don't want him to bleed out and die. Not yet.

*****

Another corpse: emasculated, dismembered, and wrapped up like his buddies.

Thancred lights another cigarette and crouches down in front of the jar containing the head. He knows this face, he broke that nose: Lya's ex. Suddenly the crime scene doesn't seem ugly anymore, it shines with glitter and shit. It makes him happy to see that stupid face in a jar, means he won't be a problem for Lya anymore. He's also the second "victim" who likes to take out his anger on women, there has to be something there. Thancred needs to take another look at the first three victims, they can't be all that clean.

He ponders whether he should tell Lya about this. Would that make her happy? It might make her feel better, safer. "By the way, the asshole who used to beat you up is dead, a serial killer took care of it."

Yeah. Maybe he needed to work on his speech.

It’s just him and the old Bernie now, playing that secret game of theirs. The old man sends him a dirty look before finally getting up. Thancred wins tonight, and he plans on taking her out for real, not just in his head. It's a lucky day after all, maybe she'll say yes.

The bar is empty that time around. ‘Good’ he thinks, 'Her smiles will all be mine.'

She’s smiling more than usual, she looks happy even, so he decides not to say anything. She smiles, but she’s seldom happy, no point in ruining the mood. The asshole will be just as dead tomorrow. So he sits at the bar to be closer to her, and drinks while he tells her stupid nonsense. One drink, then a second, and finally a whole bottle.

*****

He waking up again, and we’re back in business. Killing a man isn’t easy work, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. My mom used to tell me: “When things get hard, just put them in different boxes and deal with them one at a time.” So I do just that: I cut him into small pieces, wrap them up, put them in nice little jars.

First his right arm, the one he used to slap his women. I cut just below the elbow, he screams like a piglet being bled out. Then his left arm, all the way up to the shoulder, his legs, and finally his head.

*****

He wakes up to an empty room. Of course, she’s not here, why would she? She’s in his fantasy, not in his reality. It was such a vivid dream, it left him hard and wanting. He buries his face in the sheets, and he can almost smell her. As if dreams could leave a scent behind. Fucking morning wood. He needs release and a shower, but first, he wants a smoke.

He dreams of Lya that night.

She's riding him like a fierce amazon, her breasts moving to the rhythm of their bodies. Everything about her is erotic, her hungry gaze, her mischievous smile. That smile excites him as much as it soothes him. Fuck, he doesn't want to get out of this dream, but his alarm rings, and the dream is gone.

He walks to the kitchen naked, he lives alone and doesn’t give a fuck about flashing his neighbors. She’s standing in his kitchen, a coffee mug in hand. She’s wearing one of his shirts; it’s a bit too big for her, but too short to be decent. She’s so fucking beautiful wearing his clothes, if he wasn’t hard before, he certainly is now. And then he remembers everything.

She kissed him outside the restaurant, he wouldn’t have dared, but she kissed him. They ended up at his place. They made love on his couch, in the shower, in his bed. He didn’t fuck her, no, he worshiped her: kissed every inch of her skin, licked every freckle. He prayed to her body like a mad man, as much as he could, as much as she let him.

She said yes.

All the alcohol made his brain soft and mushy, but he remembers now. He helped her close the bar, and they went to that new place near his precinct. The one that stays open until 3 am. They talked, he told her he was a cop, she said she knew. It was written in the way he moved, in the way others moved around him. They talked all night long, and she smiled. Gods, that freaking smile got him good. They talked so much, they got kicked out.

He must look like a fucking idiot now, with that surprised look on his face and his hard cock because she bursts out laughing. A laugh that explodes like fireworks and ricochets against the walls of his apartment, leaving notes of bright colors everywhere. It's crazy how beautiful she is when she laughs. He wants her, needs her.

He strides towards her, lifts her off the floor, and drops her off her gently on the kitchen table. He doesn’t want to break her, doesn’t want to worsen the cracks in her porcelain skin. Then he makes love to her, in the middle of his kitchen, with the blinds open for the world to see. Because he can, because she wants him as much as he wants her.

*****

His instinct about the victims being trash was right.

After some heavy digging in the first two victims’ past, he finds what he needs. Victim number one’s a serial rapist: used to slip roofies in women’s drink, raped them, and filmed the whole thing, threatening to release the tapes if they tried to report him. Not that they would, the guy was filthy rich, another one of Ul’dah’s “cream of the crop”, these women knew they didn’t have a chance to see justice. If it wasn’t for his “barely legal” deep dive in the guy’s personal belongings - he might have stolen his computer after breaking into his parents’ house - Thancred wouldn’t even know about it.

Victim number 2 was no better, he had a long history of domestic violence and child abuse, but no open case, not even a complaint. Now adding number 3 and Lya’s ex to the list… these guys all deserved to die like pigs. He should say it, should even think like that, but he does. He doesn’t even want to catch the culprit, for all he cares they should be free to rid the city of these predators. Should even get paid for doing public service.

Looking at the so-called victim’s file drives him mad with rage. He wants to drink, but more than anything he needs to see Lya; He can even pretend to do police work while he’s at it. She knows at least one of the women, she’s a victim herself, maybe she knows more.

The Quicksand is packed. He has to share her smile and his time, it annoys him, but it's okay. Tonight she will be his, and his alone. He sits at the bar, she smiles at him, and he’s not mad anymore. He orders whiskey, then another, and another. After the third glass, the rush finally dies down, and they can talk. He tells her about his investigation, and tells her about her ex. She's a little shaken up, but it's okay, she is strong.

He shows her pictures of the victims, not the one from the autopsy, he’s not that stupid, pretty pictures with happy smiles and perfect lives. Moments of happiness he knows to be fake. He asks her if she knows the victims or their wives, through her support group, or by word of mouth. She nods. She knows the wives of 2 and 3, she talks to them often. She recognizes the last victim, of course, he was her monster.

Thancred’s curious to know what she thinks about all this, that’s the cop in him, but he’s also worried about how it’ll affect her.

“I don't know… well I do. I know I shouldn't be happy, but I am,” she admits. “I'm a little less afraid.”

He hates that she feels guilty.

“I’m glad he’s dead,” he states, hoping she’ll feel relieved that those words are coming from him. “Now, I know he won’t prowl you around anymore.”

She smiles softly, and he has the urge to make love to her on the bar, in front of everyone. But he won’t, Lya is a goddess, not a girl who gets fucked in a bar. He’s going to buy her flowers, and maybe a nice bottle of wine. He might even light some candles to set the mood, then he’s gonna make love to her, again and again until they both pass out in blissful exhaustion.

*****

I dispose of his body in one of the city’s garbage dumps. It’s the perfect place to get rid of a body. And this open sky trash dump is perfect for me: exactly what this trash deserves. The people who live here all look dead, the only thing that sets them apart from my guy is the steady movement of their hearts. That, and the fact that they’re all in one piece, for the most part.

*****

Reports come back on Lya’s ex.

Toxicology’s clean, no head trauma either, he wasn’t drugged or incapacitated like the others. He might have known his assailant. The rest of the report looks similar at first glance, cuts all over the body, severed limbs, emasculation, beheading. It’s the same MO but somehow it feels messier: the body shows hesitation marks, the cuts are deeper, meant to hurt... it feels more personal, like an act of revenge.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

*****

He opens up his flat’s door and practically runs towards the kitchen. He needs a drink before seeing Lya. It can’t be her, when she smiles the ground shakes, she turns wolves into lambs. She’s so small, with soft porcelain skin, tiny hands… It can’t be her, yet his guts tell him otherwise.

He’s halfway in the kitchen when he spots her. She’s waiting for him, his backup gun in those tiny hands of hers. When he dreamt of coming home to her that’s not what he had in mind.

She’s smiling at him, a sad little smile because she doesn’t want to kill him, not really. He might be an asshole but he doesn’t hurt women. Maybe she likes him too. She’s crying now, tears rolling down her beautiful face. It’s stupid but he still wants to throw himself in her arms. It’s stupid because she’s going to kill him.

She’s gonna try anyway.

*****

Gunshots echo in the room, followed by the loud thud of a lifeless body hitting the ground.

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #ffxiv fanfiction #FFxiv #my writing #Thancred Waters #wolcred #wolnpc

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truly-morgan · 4 years

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thieveryHere a section of my characters no one care about ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wanna do anyway

from left to right (name next to characters)

Micha 3552 yo | He/They | Fallen Angel | Queer

Cyrus 4684 yo | He | Angel | Ace

Kadir 3267 yo | He | Demon | Demi Pan

Tamir 4361 yo | He | Demon | Pan

Keir 3240 yo | He/They/She | Demon | Queer Aro

Theòs/Theá [redacted] | He/She | Death God | Aro Ace

Vìgi 2686 yo | Fluid | Demon | Queer

Kuro [N/A] | He | Demon | Queer

Caius 6341 yo | He | Demon | Gay poly

Ari 6420 yo | He/They | Ace Bi poly

Nerva 6367 yo | He | Demon | Pan poly

Relation and Connection

Ari, Nerva and Caius are in a polycule. No one around them could really tell what kind of relationship they have, whether it’s romantic or platonic. They have been all together for a long time, live through many thing together, yet they couldn’t really tell you either, although it is clear they could die for each others.

The three of them took in Kadir when he was really young. At first the plan was just to keep him up until he was old enough to take care of himself, but they ended up getting attached to the younger demon (Ari first). Now the trhee elder are likes fathers to Kadir, and even if the younger bounty hunter lives on his own, they often sees each others.

Kadir and Tamir have a frenemy kind of relationship. Everything started as Kadir going after him for the bounty, but out of being unable to catch him he started chasing more. Tamir never had bad feeling for Kadir, finding it rather funny to annoy the other demon. As the time passed, Kadir started to appreciate him, although no one would catch him say such a thing aloud.

Tamir and Keir knows each other from often crossing each other path in the human realm. They ended up hanging out with each other, having some interest in common and also finding human funny and interesting. They will often helping in each other business, Tamir help the succubus to find interesting partner and Keir in the thievery the other does.

Kadir and Keir have some connection from both knowing and being close to Tamir. Sometime Kadir will ask help from Keir when looking for people, knowing he can find information quite easily.

Micha and Tamir met on one of the pickpocket travel to Europe, visiting Germany. He found the fallen angel’s bar by pure hazard, both feeling quite easily what the other was. Yet Micha did nothing, not caring much about it as long as he wasn’t causing problem in his bar. They wouldn’t go to say they are friends, but they still like having a chat with each others.

Micha and Cyrus have a unsure kind of relationship, the lines blurred. Micha found Cyrus when he was thrown from the angel realm with his wings missing. He took him in and kept him with him because of Cyrus amnesia, worried something bad might happen if he let him roam alone. They ended up growing close to one another, Cyrus really attached to Micha. Even with such a good relationship, Micha tries not to get too attached (too late for that) just in case Cyrus gets his memories back and doesn’t want to associate with a fallen.

Kuro and [N/A] are in a territory battle. Kuro as always caused problem to the Matsui twins, but he hates the idea of another demon trying to approach them, especially Ethan. The moment he learned about the other demon presence he tries to keep it far away from the twins. The other one hates him for keeping him at bay, trying to be a real nuisance to him.

Theòs and Vìgi first met when the death god needed some artefact giving him some power. He couldn’t find anything and went for demon, although the two race don’t appreciate each other in normal circumstance. Vìgi wasn’t minding it, as long as he was receiving some compensation. They have a semi professional relationship, as thing ended up with them being more friend than anything.

More on my characters

Micha: Legit decided he was tired of the Heaven so he got himself thrown out by sinning just enough to be kick out, but not enough to be executed. After some time of roaming aimlessly on earth he decided to open his own café and bar in a more rural region.

He has a good relationship with the small community he landed himself in, often having tea time with some of the older ladies after church on his day off. He like giving a hand around when he can, enjoying the quiet life he has.

Cyrus: He was an exemplar angel when he was still in heaven, his duty was to make sure everyone was following the rules. He got on the bad side of some angels after putting them in a really bad place and they decided to take revenge on him. They took away his wings before throwing him in the human realm, believing he would die like this.

He had completely lost his memory, finding his name only because of a pendant he has, at least he guesses it must be his name. He’s very attached to Micha and is always happy to help him around the bar. He has totally won over the heart of those nice old lady at church.

He can sometime be a little more naive and innocent despite his look, which lead to people trying to take advantage of this naivety. Thankfully Micha is always here to keep him safe.

Kadir: He was seemingly abandoned when he was young, but he cannot remember anything from his childhood. He’s not too upset about it and is satisfied with the memories he had from his three dads.

He took inspiration of them and decided to be a bounty hunter too. He generally goes after beasts and other demon whom have bounty on their head, but will sometime mess in other realm bounty board when he gets bored of it. He rarely mess up his contract, Tamir being the break in his winning strike. He does his job without caring much about things around him, not getting close to others.

Tamir: He has grown up with low level demon in what could be called a mafia of one of the Hell realm. This is pretty much where he learn all his thievery tricks. He his really thankful for this demon to have taken him in, visiting them from time to time to see how things are doing with them.

He has a strange interest for humans (or really any other being from other realm) and often roam around earth, stealing and reselling what he gets. He has a lot of contact all around the world, sometimes trafficking in more serious business, knowing he can easily get himself out or just vanish for a couple decades or just disguise himself.

Keir: They grew up surrounded by other succubus, so for them anything sexual is just normal behaviours, although they did learn the limits of the humans world. They do enjoy messing around with other demons for goods and favours.

They also like to roam around the human realm, both enjoy the food and the humans. They will often lure in people by saying they can be whatever the person like, as they have some shapeshifting skills they use to switch to what someone may prefer of fantasies about. To they human are really fascinating, as most demon don’t give much interest in what the other is, as long as the pleasure is there.

They often sells themselves for human food, as money isn’t something they need to live and the real meal is they person themselves. They don’t gives much attention to what someone might think of the way they act, it was never anyone else business what they are doing with their body.

Theòs: He was a Death God for a long time, before being ban for not actually doing his job. He wasn’t taking people lives when it was due, but rather cutting it shorter. He has a morbid fascination for suicide and seeing people slowly losing it. For this reason he was banned.

He keep on roaming around other realm, slowly causing people to die earlier than they should by playing with them. He never does the act of killing, but can still be said to have a lot of blood on his hands. He will himself do the act of dying, although he cannot and only find the pain funny.

He work with Vìgi to have artefact that helps him in his play.

Vìgi: They roam around everywhere, causing problem a little everywhere. They will only do something for someone else if they can get something from it, otherwise they won’t do it.

Other demons knows to be careful around them, as they have a little liking to eating their own kind, not exactly hiding it either and anyone crossing them could finish on their plate. (Ain’t gonna lie, I gotta work on Vìgi more)

Kuro: He’s a demon who was stuck inside the Matsui family for a couple centuries, being transferred from a member to the other. He really hates it and does his best to break the person in hope he could take over the body. He nearly succeed three time.

Now he’s always with the twins and strangely developed a liking to one of them, although he still has his objective in mind. He like messing around and sometime even let Evan borrow some of his power when it comes to protecting the cherry twin.

Caius, Ari and Nerva: Ari and Caius where in contact before Nerva entered the scene. Their relationship was a little like the one of Tamir and Kadir, although they ended up working together because they were pretty compatible. They went through hardship together for a long time. When Ari met Nerva, Caius had some difficulty with him, even though they ended up being good friend later before being what they are today.

They will often take bounty each on their side, but won’t be shy to ask for some help when one of the two other can be of us. (they are my newest, so I don’t have much fleshed out for each,)

Feel free to ask more about my characters, I love talking about them and don’t exactly have a place to do so without being annoying.

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agonydearest · 4 years

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Riptide - Edward x Oliver (Distant Shores)

THIS SCENE TAKES PLACE PRIOR TO CHAPTER 12, IN AN AU WHERE OLIVER GOES BACK TO RESCUE EDWARD OUT OF GUILT FOR MC. THE MORE EXPLICIT VERSION CAN BE READ ON MY AO3 in the near future.

AS PROMISED, I’M TAGGING YOU GUYS AND THANKING YOU ALL FOR THE INSPIRATION. @theo-oface @somin-yin AND @cryinginthebackseat

THIS IS MY FIRST FIC SO PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK IF YOU CAN! I OPE YOU ALL ENJOY!

WARNINGS: MEN KISSING AND NEARLY DROWNING, I GUESS? NOTHING TOO EXPLICIT.

Oliver’s throat burned and his body screamed for air as he gasped and sputtered against the sand of whatever island they had managed to get stuck on. He felt waves rushing against him, soaking his hair and causing him to shiver as he regained feeling and movement in his limbs. It was only when he opened his eyes to Edward Mortemer’s face staring down at him with an unreadable expression that Oliver realized what had happened.

He’d nearly drowned.

And was saved by the pirate he had been hunting.

Wonderful.

His thoughts drifted to MC. He’d seen them kiss in the cell aboard the Admiral’s ship, remembered the jealousy that caused him to clench his fists so hard it hurt. He desperately wished it was him at the time, but he was no longer sure who’s lips it was he had been imagining.

He’d never actually seen Edward in person until that night in the brig, and he could see instantly what MC saw in the other man; he was handsome compared to most of the pirates he had hunted over the course of his career, to be sure, with dark hair and sharp eyes that pierced right through whoever’s gaze they fell on. Unfortunately for Oliver, it was him at that moment. “Good thing you’re alive.” he said in a gruff tone that made Oliver’s thoughts snap back to the present quick as a gunshot in the night.

“Why do you care?” asked the blonde.

“I am no monster, whatever you have been led to believe. Besides, my navigator would be cross if I let you die.”

Of course.

He did it for MC.

But he had rescued Edward from his father’s clutches for MC, as well.

The irony was not lost on him, and it seemed, it was not lost on Edward either.

“MC called you Oliver, yes?”

He nodded as he sat up, removing his soaked jacket and tossing it aside. The cool ocean air made him shiver, but he tried not to let it show. “Lieutenant Oliver Cochrane with the Royal Navy.”

The pirate’s eyes flashed with disgust and hatred, but it was gone as quick as it came. It was his surname. Had to be. He knew Edward and his father had history, even if he did not know the details. It did not matter; he trusted Edward a hell of a lot more than the Admiral at that moment.

Never in his wildest dreams did Oliver expect MCs words to be true, but when he saw the Poseidon's Revenge sink into the sea, he knew what he had to do.

And so he freed a pirate from justice.

It had been hours since then and the sun had set pretty quickly after Edward pulled him out of the water and given him what MC had apparently told Edward was called “CPR”. That was how he found himself huddling near a fire for warmth as nightfall approached. The two had reluctantly agreed to search for help in the morning - perhaps there would be a village nearby, or an abandoned boat they could use? At least, that was the hope Oliver decided to hold onto, no matter how slim the odds were. There had to be a better future for him than dying stranded on an island he could not name, cold and hungry and exhausted with -

“You’re shivering.” Damn it all! He was really hoping the pirate wouldn’t notice.

“Don’t pretend you give a damn.” Oliver bit back, even as the other man made his way to the other side of the campfire to sit beside him. Oliver flinched when he felt the first touch. He didn’t expect Edward to pull him close enough to feel the heat of his body, nor how lovely it felt. To his surprise, Oliver found himself clinging to Edward, who in turn wrapped his strong arms around him. They stayed that way for a long while until their gazes met in the orange glow of their only source of light. The next thing Oliver knew, they were kissing, with neither one knowing who moved first.

Oliver thought of MC’s lips, the same lips he so desperately wanted to kiss back in Tiburon, before he saw the look that told him he would never have the chance. When he had revealed who he truly was. When Edward’s mouth met his own, he found he had forgotten his pining infatuation, focusing on the feeling of Edward Fucking Mortemer's mouth on his.

And God was he an amazing kisser! He tasted like the sea and smelled of sweat and spice, hands tangling in the hair tied back at the base of Oliver’s neck to keep him in place as he ravaged the Lieutenant’s eager mouth with his tongue. They carried on for some moments until Edward moved again, lowering Oliver to lay on his back so he could swing his legs to stretch himself out on top of the blonde.

Before he could slot their lips together again, Oliver turned his head and whispered, “You don’t want me.” The sound of his voice was barely visible against the rush of the waves around them, but he knew the other man had heard him, clear as the sky above. Surely Edward only had eyes for MC, didn’t he? However, something in the way he looked at him told Oliver something else.

“What I want is to piss off the Admiral.” he remarked, sliding his hand under the open front of Oliver’s shirt to touch bare skin, “And it looks to me like you are amenable to the idea yourself.”

It had been so long since he had been touched in such a way, and his body was responding to the pirate’s touch in a way that he could not deny. His cheeks flushed at the heated look in Edward’s eyes just before he threw caution to the wind and dove in for another kiss.

Damn the consequences. He would take what he could.

FIND ME ON AO3 TO SEE THE FULL EXPLICIT SCENE TOMORROW!

#oliver x edward #distant shores #oliver x mc #edward mortemer #oliver cochrane #edward x mc #choices

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sysba · 4 years

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Here are all the entries for my challenge. Thank you to anyone who already joined, and if you haven’t but want to participate don’t hesitate to message me! There are still many prompts left. Remember that the official deadline is June 1st but I will still reblog late entries - if you already know you won’t be able to meet the deadline you can let me know.

𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕟 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕥𝕤

kissing in the rain ↣ @domesticatedantelope

morning kiss ↣ @litgpop

wrist kiss ↣ @choicesarehard

mid-battle kiss ↣ @god-save-the-keen // @scalpeljockeybrycelahela // @kingliamrys

underwater kiss ↣ @a-touch-of-choices

kissing in a (flower) field ↣ @brohela

greek mythology AU ↣ @aikonakamura (+1) // @augustinian + @milahtalas

ghost AU ↣ @esmeortegas

flower shop AU ↣ @darley1101 // @luveemie

𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔

Of Stardust and Light by @aallotarenunelma [ Tyril x MC | prompt: “Fire On Fire” by Sam Smith | hurt/comfort, fluff | rated T ]

Boaz & Nia Ellarious ‘Morning Kiss’ by @toyhenoctus

Mr Bellamy & Edward Mortemer ‘Spider-Man Kiss’ by @hashiedraws

Kiss Me by @melodyofgraves [ Imtura x MC | prompt: Spider-Man kiss | fluff | rated G ]

Iraestri & Mal Volari ‘Spider-Man Kiss’ by @baltersome

Tyril Starfury ‘music band AU’ by @iaraiumi

Your Love I’m Lost In by @raleighcarrera [ Rafael x MC | prompt: “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi | angst | rated T ]

The Budkeeper by @theo-oface

In The Morning Light by @brightpinkpeppercorn [ Mal x MC | prompt: morning kiss | fluff | rated T ]

And then... I Met You by @anotherbeingsworld [ Bryce x MC | prompt: “Dancing In The Moonlight” by Toploader | fluff | rated G ]

Ellie & Colt Kaneko ‘greek mythology AU’ by @milahtalas

#ro's choices challenge #misc: fic recs #myposts

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lepus-arcticus · 5 years

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KICKING HORSE B&B JULY 23 - 10:15 AM

Mulder slipped into wakefulness to find Scully’s smooth legs tangled in his, her small body curled into him, her head tucked under his chin. He was momentarily overcome with elated confusion before the night came back to him⁠—the sound of the crow screaming through the wall separating their bedrooms, the sight of Scully under a flurry of black wings, her torn back, her tattoo, the salt of her single tear on his tongue.

He craned his neck, careful not to disturb her, fingering open the neck of the shirt he’d given her and checking to see if she’d bled through her bandages. They looked clean, so he assumed the stitches had held. He flicked his eyes up towards the clock, internally groaning at time. He listened for Rhiannon downstairs, but couldn’t hear anything.

He let Scully sleep a short while longer, savouring the autumn sunburst of her head underneath him, the scent of her warm hair, her dried blood. She fit into him perfectly. He watched her breathe, both awestruck and heartsick. As he shifted to unknot himself from her, she moaned in her sleep. The sound squeezed at his throat, but after the intimate events of last night, he knew she’d be more comfortable waking up with her own space.

He let his feet swing over the edge of the bed and onto the chilled hardwood.

She sniffed and gathered the covers to herself, and he looked back at her. Her small, bundled body reminded him of the dead crow. He’d felt the creature’s neck snap under his hands⁠—he was certain it was dead⁠—so where had it gone?

There seemed to be only one answer.

As he opened the door to the hallway, pulling on a fresh t-shirt, he almost tripped over the dog. She was lapping up a drop of stray blood from the floor, and she looked up at him with guilty eyes and she turned tail and trotted downstairs.

Mulder ducked into the bathroom and cleaned it up the best he could, careful not to make too much noise. He scrubbed out the sink, half-heartedly wiped at the floor, and piled the bloody towels in the bathtub.

As he returned to the bedroom, he found Scully stirring awake.

“Morning,” he said quietly, easing down on the bed beside her and placing a hand on the curve of her hip. She mumbled discontentedly. “C’mon, Scully, it’s almost 10:30.”

“Oh my God,” she said, delirious. She shook herself out of the blankets and sat up, then sharply inhaled, clearly forgetting about her injury. “Oh… Jesus,” she growled, palming at the bandages.

She looked up at him, impossibly girlish, impossibly gorgeous. The pillow had marked her cheek with a charming little landscape of wrinkles, and her eyes were swollen with sleep. She averted her gaze, ran her pink tongue between her lips.

“Rhiannon’s home,” he said, trying to save them from a post-mortem. “Go get changed and meet me downstairs. I’m gonna have her look at your stitches and get those antibiotics. And then I think she’s got a few questions she needs to answer.”

The smell of coffee lifted through the air, but he didn’t hear any activity. He moved carefully through the dim hall and down the creaking stairs, making a point to avoid looking at any of the faces staring out from the photographs. “Rhiannon?” he said to the quiet house as he descended, but there was no answer.

He poked his head into the kitchen. The breakfast table was set for three, and the coffee pot was full, but Rhiannon was nowhere to be found, He moved into the dining room, and then through to the living room, and that’s when he spotted her.

She was fast asleep under a patchwork blanket, curled into a tight ball on an armchair with her hair coiled and piled on top of her head. Hypatia had returned to her feet, her muzzle tinted pink with Scully’s blood.

“Rhiannon,” he said, but she didn’t stir. He approached her cautiously and laid a hand on her shoulder.

She was cold.

He recoiled, but just as he was about to call for Scully, movement returned to her, and she opened her eyes. “...Fox?”

Mulder had little time to react before she was up, her icy hands reaching for his face. “Oh my god, what happened to you?!” she gasped.

“We had a little visitor last night. Of the avian variety,” he offered, barely bothering to keep the hostility out of his voice as he pushed her arms away. “Where were you?”

“Fox, let me- let me- let me- look at those,” she stammered. “Oh my god, a crow? Oh my god… where’s Dana? Is she okay?”

“Agent Scully is fine, but I want you to look her over. She required stitches and they may need re-doing. And antibiotics, too, if you have them.” Rhiannon put her hands to her cheeks. Mulder asked again. “Where were you last night?”

“I… It was Salome Stoesz. Premature labour. The baby… the baby didn’t make it. Theo came with me.”

“And if I were to call him right now, would he tell me the same thing?” Mulder asked. Rhiannon paused and looked at him, one eyebrow cautiously lifted.

“Of course he would.” Her face was contorted with panic. She knew something. Mulder was sure of it.

What the hell was in that locked tower?

Scully appeared at the doorway, still in his t-shirt, her hair pulled back from her freshly-washed face, looking so young that Mulder had to steady himself so as not to get sucked into a fresh riptide of protective rage. Rhiannon took one look at her and made a noise of despair. “Dana, oh my god…”

Mulder watched as Scully hung back silently, letting Rhiannon approach her, tilting her head and pulling the collar of his shirt back to give her a better look.

“Come with me,” Rhiannon said, and led Scully to the kitchen, where she peeled off Mulder’s bandages and prodded around, hunching over Scully’s torn shoulder. “You did a fine job with the stitches, Fox…I won’t need to redo them.” Quivering, she sank against the counter, her face in her hands.

“Rhiannon,” Mulder said, warming a little to her in the face of her clear distress. “If you know anything… anything at all, that might shed some light on this… no matter how strange it might sound, you need to tell us. Before something else happens.” Rhiannon just shook her head, speaking through her hands.

“You think I wouldn’t do everything in my power to try to make this right? You think I wouldn’t give anything to have my daughter back?” Scully glanced at Mulder, lips pursed, stern disquiet in her features.

Rhiannon dropped her hands.“I promise you, on Anna, on everything I’ve ever loved... that I can’t help you.”

12:33 PM

She was finally alone.

From the living room window, she watched the agents disappear down the road, tires kicking up mud, uprooting the grass. She’d cleaned up Dana the best she could, helped her wash her hair in the sink, shot both her and Fox up with a dose of antibiotics.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. None of this should have ever happened.

Rhiannon walked through the narrow hallways of her home, trailing her fingers along the walls, tracing shapes between the portraits. She came to the small desk in the foyer where she stored her mail and her mother’s old rotary phone.

She picked up the receiver, and dialed.

“They came for Dana last night,” she said, as calmly as she could. “We have to stop them. I don’t know if we can… but we have to try. If not…”

“Rhi…” Marion said. “I have something to tell you.”

HORIZON POLICE STATION 2:40 PM

Scully sat, straight-backed, behind a hulking, outdated computer, cut off from the world by a pair of oversized headphones. Apparently, she’d never gotten around to transcribing her autopsy notes the night before, and she’d spent the last hour and a half dutifully typing away, avoiding Mulder’s gaze. The quick patter of her fingers on the keyboard and the constipated gurgle of the coffee maker were the only sounds in the station. A corner of her fresh bandaging peeked out from under the collar of her shirt, and she looked pale and drawn, probably gritting her teeth through one of her more and more frequent dizzy spells.

Mulder watched her from his chosen desk, half-hidden behind a stack of yellowed newspapers, chewing on a pencil and leaning back in his chair. His neck itched and burned where the crow shredded his skin. Balancing his glasses on his nose, he scanned the papers lazily for any mention of the Bishops, of Hugh, of Kicking Horse⁠—but he couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t shake the distracting image of Scully bleeding breathlessly against the footboard, or the memory of waking to her warm, tempting scent. He frequently caught himself reading the same sentence for the third or fourth time in a row.

Theo yawned noisily behind him. If his own account was to be trusted, Rhiannon had been telling the truth, and they’d spent a long night together at the colony tending to Salome and restraining a furious, distraught Abel. Salome was currently being ferried by a troupe of her numerous brothers to the nearest hospital in Cut Bank for observation, and Theo was looking into what he could do about Abel’s clear abuse.

Mulder thought Theo had seemed genuinely shaken when they’d arrived, both by the whole Salome situation and by the claw marks that marred both he and Scully’s faces. He hadn’t asked many questions as to the hows or whys of it all, but had taken it seriously, warning them to keep a close eye on one another. But despite his initial concern, Theo edged on the cold side towards Scully, throwing her suspicious, questioning glances as they worked. Mulder couldn’t help but wonder what he’d witnessed at that diner. Couldn’t help but wonder what the hell Scully had been talking about. I don’t want Theo putting ideas into your head...

What was most notable about the scene, Mulder thought to himself, was that Marion was nowhere to be found, and Theo didn’t seem to care, or even to notice.

Mulder shook out the aged newspaper he was holding and then refolded it carelessly, tossing it back into the pile.

“No luck?” Theo said from behind his desk in the corner. Mulder looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement.

“Well, I know a hell of a lot more about annual weather patterns and the fluctuating price of fertilizer than I ever cared to. You don’t have any genealogical records available? No old gossipy biddy who’s appointed herself the town historian?”

“Why? Whadya need to know, kid?”

“Well, I’m curious as to whether Horizon has experienced this kind of phenomena before, even if the only surviving evidence of it is a fish tale or rumour. And, uh, I’m interested in learning a bit more about Kicking Horse. The Bishops, too.”

“The Bishops?” Theo stiffened, furrowing his impressive brow.

“Do they have a longstanding legacy here? In Horizon, I mean.”

“The Bishops have always lived here,” Theo said, dipping his head, clearly trying to figure out what Mulder was getting at. “At least since that house was built. Eighteen-something or other...”

“Do you know where they came from before then?”

Theo heaved himself up from his desk, and walked slowly over to Mulder. He leaned over him, his hands on his hips. “Now, Fox, just what exactly is this?”

Scully looked up at them from her screen, and slid her headphones off of her ears.

“Don’t waste your time nosin’ around an innocent woman,” Theo said, scowling. “Rhiannon’s done nothing but take in two lost and lonely girls that needed a home and somebody to love ‘em.”

“You two seem to be… close,” Mulder continued, testing the boundaries, noting with interest the flush crawling up the bulkier man’s neck. “I’m curious about Rhiannon’s father. Has she ever mentioned him?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“And while we’re at it, where’s Marion today?”

The red reached Theo’s face, and he became visibly flustered. “What⁠— why⁠— It’s none of your damn business,” he said. “She’s takin’ a personal day! And, and, you can’t just waltz in from the city and think you have the right to go digging into everyone’s personal lives⁠—you, you should be lookin’ at Hugh Daly, is what you should be doing, instead of wasting your time on Rhiannon, of all the damn people.”

“Theo, I’m just following a hunch here, there’s no need to get worked up.”

“Mulder… I’m inclined to agree,” Scully said from behind him. “Hugh likely has more information for us than what I was able to find out from our… initial conversations.”

Theo glanced over at her. “Oh, your conversations, huh?” Scully’s chest rose under her blazer, but her face remained carefully, gracefully arranged. “Like that sweet-lookin’ chat you were enjoyin’ at the Half Moon?”

“Hey,” Mulder said, moving to stand, but then Scully stopped him with a pointed glance.

“Listen, Theo,” she said, moving her eyes back to him. “I know emotions are running high right now, but you need to let Agent Mulder and I do our jobs, and that includes letting us follow our instincts. I can assure you that we are only pursuing the avenues that have presented themselves as worthy of our attention. We are not accusing Rhiannon of anything right now. And if we were, we would expect your full cooperation, regardless of your personal relationship with her. Is that clear?”

Mulder found himself grappling with a strange sense of pride. Oh, his Scully. A pro ‘til the end.

“Hey now,” Theo started, raising his voice, but then the station phone rang, interrupting them and dampening the tension in the room. Theo grumbled incoherently before lumbering back to his desk to pick it up. “Horizon Police Department,” he said.

Mulder tried to catch Scully’s eye, tried to telegraph his gratefulness to her, but her focus remained firmly on Theo. In the silence of the station, he could hear a woman’s garbled voice on the other end of the line, but couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Uh huh,” Theo grunted, and then held out the receiver. “Agent Mulder, it’s for you.”

HALF-MOON DINER 4:22 PM

Mulder pushed open the door to the diner and ducked under the bright, unexpected rattle of the bell. The place was nearly empty, other than a couple of denim-clad old timers in trucker hats, nursing their coffees and bickering over the daily crossword. Rich light from outside soaked through the windows, decadent as champagne fizz, gilding the drying mud on the checkerboard tile.

He eased down onto an empty stool, and the leather creaked unhappily underneath him. The diner was warm, and smelled of overspent deep-fry grease and the bitterness of old coffee. He slipped his suit jacket down his shoulders and folded it carefully on the stool beside him, busying himself with rolling up his sleeves and loosening his tie. He scratched irritably at his cuts.

Hank Williams crooned from the staticky radio, and Mulder found himself vaguely embarrassed of his expensive socks and his smooth palms. He cleared his throat, and surveyed the booths.

His mind played back ridiculous, self-indulgent fantasies of Scully sitting across from Hugh, her tiny stockinged feet slipping from their pumps and inching up the inseam of his Levi’s under the table. Or of Scully curled in Hugh’s lap in the corner booth, her nimble fingers threaded through his black hair, her eyes low and a soft, suggestive smile on her lips. He inhaled and tried to shake the images from his head. She’d never, of course. Never.

But then again, she had. Hadn’t she? Gotten all nice and cozy and boozy and one-night-standy with Edward Peter Jerse, 36, blood type A pos⁠—

“You that guy from the FBI? Mister Miller?” He was rescued from his thoughts by the waitress. She was young, 22 or 23 at the most, and a little too thin for her height. Her hair was the colour of carob, swept off her neck and twisted into a limp nest at the top of her head. She wiped her hands down the front of her outdated, citrusy uniform, and smiled politely.

“Yeah,” Mulder said, fumbling in his discarded jacket for his badge. He flashed it at her, watched her scrutinize it. “Heather?” he asked, answering his own question by looking at her nametag.

“Yeah. That lady didn’t come with you, did she? Your partner, or whatever?”

“No, she’s… it’s just me. Like you asked. And it’s Mulder, not Miller.” After the events of the previous night, he was deeply uncomfortable with the fact that he’d had to leave Scully behind. Especially with her plans for the afternoon unfixed, and her earlier assertion that she’d like to speak more with Daly.

“‘Kay. Mister Mulder. Good. You, uh, you wanna coffee or something? On the house,” Heather said. She was pretty, now that he was really looking at her; charming in an all-American sort of way.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

“Pie?”

He glanced over at the baking display stand next to the register. The plastic dome was sweating, and the blueberries had a gooey, greyish tint to them.

“No thanks. I’m good. ”

Heather scoffed a laugh. “Probably for the best. Rog makes terrible pie,” she said, gesturing to the kitchen with her chin. “Like, I don’t even know how he gets it so bad. It’s kinda hard to mess up pie. Or they wouldn’t have that saying, you know? Easy as pie?” Heather plonked a thick glass mug down in front of him and poured him coffee from a brown-stained glass pot. Steam curled up into the air. “Hey, what happened to your face?” She asked, watching the liquid rise.

“Don’t worry about it,” Mulder said.

She raised an eyebrow at him, returned the pot to its home on a double heater, and set a ceramic plateful of cream pods and sugar packets down in front of him. She leaned over the bar, framing her tanned cleavage with her elbows. Mulder tried not to let his eyes sink downwards.

Heather studied him as he mixed his coffee, blinking coquettishly, waiting for him to ask. She clearly liked being Little Miss Informant ‘97. He could tell she felt special.

“So, Heather, why did you call me down here?” he said, bringing the coffee to his lips. A thin film of grease floated on top of it, but at least it wasn’t soy and honey.

“I think you oughta know about some things. About Anna. She used to work here, you know. We were friends, kind of.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. And you know what, Mister Mulder? I think that husband of hers might have killed her.” She leaned back with a satisfied grin, and crossed her arms.

“And why’s that?”

“Everyone knows about him and Marion. I think he wanted to get rid of Anna so that he could like, publicly be with her.”

“Why not just separate, get a divorce?” He asked.

“I mean, that’s the thing, right? Why not just get a divorce? So I’m thinking that like, maybe divorce wasn’t really an option, you know? Because of the way that Anna was. And even the way that Hugh is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Anna wasn’t really like other people. And Hugh… he’s just kind of one of those guys who gets whatever he wants,” she said, “I mean, even that lady, your partner? That’s why I didn’t want her to come. I can tell that she likes him, that she wouldn't listen to me. They were talking about movies, Mister Mulder. Movies. When all the whole town can talk about is poor Anna.”

A snake twisted and flipped in Mulder’s stomach. He tried to drown it with a long, scalding guzzle of coffee.

“Alright,” he said, “That’s enough talk about my partner. How, exactly, was Anna different than other people?”

Heather tried and failed to hide a self-satisfied smile, and wiped her hands on her apron. She turned and yelled to the kitchen, “Rog, I’m taking my break.”

Rog peeked his wrinkled, bald head out of the back. He closely resembled a tortoise. “Kay sweetheart. Be good,” he said, and sent them off with a wink.

“C’mon, Mister Mulder,” Heather said, swinging a ratty blue knit sweater off of a coat hook just inside the kitchen and wrapping it around herself. “I need a smoke.”

Mulder gathered up his jacket and slung it over his arm, abandoning his coffee to follow her out. Heather walked around the building, swinging her lean hips, leading him to the dumpsters. The prairie stretched out behind her for miles and miles.

She drew a rumpled pack of cigarettes from her sweater pocket, and lipped one out before tilting the open box towards Mulder.

“No thanks,” he said, “I quit in ‘92.” He watched as she struggled with a match and lit her cigarette. In the natural light, she looked softer, younger. “Cancer’s a bitch, Heather.”

“Who are you, my dad?” She said, tired mirth in her feline eyes. “That trip to the corner store sure took a long time. 15 years? 16? Did you forget the milk, have to go back?”

Mulder, resigned, sighed and pressed his lips together. “Yeah, okay. So. Anna.”

Heather sucked in a deep drag, her fingers floating on either side of her cigarette. She looked over to him at a slant, and kicked at the dirt. “Well, she was from that colony, right?”

Mulder nodded.

“So I guess her brother was like, this huge abusive asshole. So she runs away, comes up here to town, and Rhiannon takes her in. And well, you know, Rhiannon’s a little bit… witchy. A lot witchy, actually. Which I dig, don’t get me wrong.” She held up her hands in defense, and a crumble of burning ash fell to her sweater. Mulder reached over and swiped it away, ignoring her small-town succubus smile. “But anyway, it’s kind of like, this open secret about her that everybody knows. She can just do stuff.”

Here it was. “Stuff?”

Heather leaned in, and looked up at him with a playful flutter of her eyelashes. “You wanna hear a story, Mister Mulder?”

“Always.”

“So when my mom was pregnant with Jessie, that’s my little sister, Rhiannon and her mom both came over to like, help with the birth or whatever. God, they looked the exact same, too, like twins. But anyway, Jessie was born, and she wasn’t breathing, no heartbeat, and she was all blue and stuff. I was sort of hiding in the hallway, but Rhiannon’s mom rushed by me, and I saw Jessie’s face. And I swear to God, she was dead. But Rhiannon’s mom took her out into the rain, and put her on the ground all naked and limp, and said some words⁠—and this whole time my mom is like, crying and freaking out, and my dad had already fucked off to go get drunk somewhere. But there’s this crazy lightning crack, and I’m blinded, right? So I couldn’t see anything for a few seconds. And then the thunder was rolling, and by the end of it, I could hear Jessie crying. Rhiannon’s mom comes back into the house, carrying Jessie all bundled up now, and she’s alive. Shrieking like a pterodactyl. She brought her back to life.”

“Wow,” said Mulder, a little enchanted. He could hear Scully’s voice in the back of his head⁠—Cyanosis, Mulder, the baby was never dead. And childhood memories are so rarely reliable, especially with the human tendency to mythologize meaningful experiences. But he remembered Rhiannon’s strange coldness, the quiet, persistent glimmer leading him up to the tower, the wall of faces, all with the same nose. “So have you ever seen Rhiannon do anything… like that… herself?”

“Well, not exactly. But Anna… I mean, she had to learn it from somewhere, didn’t she?”

“Learn what?” C’mon, Heather, he thought, chewing his lip impatiently, get to the good stuff…

“Well, honestly, I don’t know if she was weird before she got to Rhiannon’s, or if she started the weirdness because of Rhiannon. I was older than her, so we didn’t go to school together. But she started working here after she graduated, and lemme tell ya, as soon as she got here, some strange stuff started happening. This guy that used to come in, Gene? Real piece of work. Always grabbing at us and stuff. And a few weeks after Anna started, he just wouldn’t come in anymore. He’d park outside and like, stare, and look confused, but he’d never get out of the car, never come into the diner. And so, like, her brother started showing up too, right? And even though Rog would chase him off at first, after a while, he didn’t need to. The same thing would happen. He’d just sit there, in his car, and then drive away. Oh, and tips like, tripled.”

“Did you ever ask her about this? Did she ever give any indication that she might be responsible?” Mulder said.

Heather took one more drag and then stubbed out her smoke on the side of the building, smudging the brick with char. She tossed the butt into the dumpster behind her. “Not really. But whenever I’d talk to her about it, she’d get this weird smile, like she knew something that I didn’t.”

“So what about Hugh Daly?”

“Right. Okay. So then Hugh moved to town, and started spending a ridiculous amount of time here, and Anna was like, immediately on him. You know, I actually thought he was sweet on me at first, but then… well. I guess he changed his mind. Seems to do that a lot.” She looked at him pointedly. “You need to tell that partner of yours to be careful. He’s hot, yeah, but I really don’t think he’s safe to be around.”

“I’ll be sure to mention it,” Mulder said to his shoes.

“But um. Anyway. Anna had this really moody side to her. She was a sweet chick and all, but you really didn’t wanna get on her bad side, and not only because she could do stuff to you, you know? She would just get all quiet and cry a lot for no reason and wouldn’t let you go near her. I used to have to cover for her for a lot of shifts and stuff. I’m not sure how she kept this job. Anyway, I’m thinking Hugh didn’t like her moods too much, and that’s why he took up with Marion. Couldn’t make Anna happy, no matter what he did. That’s gotta be frustrating, you know? So anyway, that’s why I think he did it. Maybe he just snapped or something, got tired of dealing with her.”

“Her moods were severe enough that they’d drive him to kill her?”

Heather pouted. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds so harsh.”

“Murder is a pretty harsh accusation, Heather. Are you aware of the state that Anna’s body was found in?”

Heather looked uncertain. “Well, maybe not, then. I don’t know. I just know that there was something weird going on with that girl, and that she and Hugh weren’t happy together.”

Something occurred to Mulder, something so obvious he was surprised he didn’t think of it before. “Now, you mentioned that you believe that Anna could make things happen. Do you believe the same thing of Marion?”

Heather shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe. I didn’t hang out with Marion much. Sometimes she’d pick Anna up from work. But like, if Rhiannon was teaching them stuff, I’m sure Marion would know it all too. Whoah, hey, maybe it was Marion! Do you have any leads or anything? Who do you think did it?”

“We’re pursuing a few different avenues of investigation.”

“Well I still think Hugh should be number one on that list. I just get skeeved out by that guy. I just gotta bad feeling,” she said with a resolute tone, looking into the distance. “Anyway, I hafta get back.” She tilted her head towards the door.

“Wait,” he said, “Heather, are you familiar with omens?”

“I mean, kind of. Like big black dogs and stuff, right? Supposed to tell you you’re gonna die?”

Mulder shook his head. “Nevermind.”

“Alright, Mister Mulder. You gonna come in and finish your coffee?”

“Nah, I gotta run. Thanks, though.” His fingers twitched towards his cell phone. He really should touch base with Scully.

Heather reached over and touched his tie with a chipped strawberry fingernail. “How long you gonna be in town?” Mulder reflexively grabbed her wrist and held her still. She met his eyes, and a corner of her mouth curled.

“As long as it takes,” he replied.

“Well, you know,” Heather said softly, “There’s not much to do around here, but if you find yourself needing a little break or something…” She swayed a little, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth with a smile. “You might be able to convince me to show you around.”

“Thanks,” he said again, releasing her. “I’ll be in touch if I need anything.”

“But you don’t have my number!” She protested as he turned towards the parking lot.

He didn’t turn around. “I’ll stop by if I need to.”

#omens #txf fic #the x files #A bit early today cause I'm going ouT!!! and i'm scared of queueueueueing things

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