#when trevor said something like 'let me try to get through this smoothly' i felt that lol

[monarchisms]

for the red web fans- a six-minute update was uploaded, detailing the future of the podcast in light of rooster teeth shutting down. here's a quick summary of it:

rt is winding down in these next 2 months. red web is under rt, so red web is directly affected by the shutdown

as said by trevor, they're still working on it. they're unsure what will happen, but they're currently looking to see if they can continue the show, either still under the name "red web", or at minimum continuing the show "in some form"

trevor notes that he and the crew believe it was "the honor of a lifetime" to work on red web, and appreciates all the support. he also notes that he's incredibly grateful for the opportunities the show has given everyone that's worked on it. they can't respond to every comment or dm they've gotten, especially in the last few days since the announcement, but they see them nonetheless

the podcast as is will go on through mid- to late april as they consider what comes next for the podcast

all 5 of the book club episodes have already been finished. they will be coming out every friday through the end of march (the 29th). no new episodes after that will be recorded

the crew is still planning a big video finale, "something big and exciting". could serve as the end of a chapter to red web, or as a way to say goodbye. not a lot of details on that, however, because everything isn't set in stone, and trevor doesn't want to promise something that might not exist

he explains that months of content were planned out before the shutdown announcement, so they'll try to at least "cherry-pick some of their favorite topics that they had in the immediate runway" in order to go through some topics that trevor considers "very fun"

trevor also teases that the last episode is "oddly poetic" and encourages people to share their thoughts and theories, as always

trevor then shares everyone's personal instagram handles, just in case they can't access red web's official social media accounts: - jillian: _jillen - christian: xchinyoung - alfredo: alfredoplays - trevor: _trevorc

[i-am-not-a-who-i-am-a-what]

there was a moment from yesterday’s episode that set off so many alarm bells in my head and i haven’t seen anyone talking about it yet so i’m going to get my thoughts out there. i’m putting the majority of this post under a readmore bc it got very long thanks to all the transcript quotes i pulled but i really want to know what everyone else thinks about the Implications™

BASIRA

Okay. So… what do we know about Hill Top Road?

ARCHIVIST

Not much.

BASIRA

Another blind spot?

ARCHIVIST

No, it’s – I could look at it, but it… it was… it was like a… a hole. You know that feeling you get when you look down from a, a great height, like you’re being pulled into the abyss?

BASIRA

Kind of?

ARCHIVIST

[Getting lost in thought] Well it was… was like that. Normally I can see it, see the… webs, and feel the power of The Spider emanating from it, but… as I would look… it’s like my mind…. follows the paths of The Web,

[STATIC RISES]

the strands going down and… out… [Catching self] It’s quite disorientating.

[STATIC FADES]

my first thought after hearing this exchange was “huh, that sounds eerily similar to the description of the table the not-them was trapped in.” here it is from mag 3 - across the street:

I’d become enraptured by the table on which he’d placed my tea. It was an ornate wooden thing, with a snaking pattern of lines weaving their way around towards the centre. The pattern was hypnotic and shifted as I watched it, like an optical illusion. I found my eyes following the lines towards the middle of the table, where there was nothing but a small square hole.

my first instinct was that this was some foreshadowing for jon meeting some kind of horrible fate, because well... remember what happened the last time someone got mesmerized by the table?

SASHA

Oh, hey. I’ve found… I’ve found that table you were talking about. Don’t really see what all the fuss is about. Just a… basic… optical illusion. Nothing special… just… just a… wait…

[Hushed and panicked] Jon! Jon, I think there’s someone here. Hello? I see you. Show yourself!

but then i started thinking more about why the table specifically would be referenced, and i remembered the earliest we see it used as artifact of the web, and where: with raymond fielding in hill top road in mag 59 - recluse:

On Sunday evenings, however, we’d all gather for the evening meal, and before we sat down to eat, he would remove the bright white tablecloth that covered it, and we’d gather around the dark wood. I remember it was carved in all sorts of strange swirling designs and patterns. It felt like if you picked a line, any line, you could follow it through to the center, to some deep truth, if only your eye could keep track of the strands that had caught it.

it was while i was checking the transcripts to find the above quote that i also remembered the hole in center of the table that the web pattern leads towards wasn’t always empty - it used to contain a box, and that box contained an apple.

again from again from mag 59:

The center of the table looked, at first, like it was simply part of the wooden top, but if you looked closely, as I did so often, you could see an outline marking the very middle as a small, square box, carved with patterns just like the ones that laced their way over the rest of the table. I don’t remember how long we sat around the table those evenings, nor do I have any memory of what we might have eaten.

...

I reached over and pulled the wooden square from the center of the table. On its own, it appeared to be a small wooden box, and the lid opened smoothly, as my hands moved in a practiced motion. Inside was an apple, green and fresh and still wet with morning dew.

I knew I was going to eat it. I could feel tears desperately trying to push themselves out of my eyes, but I instead decided not to cry. I placed the box down on the table, reached over, and picked up the apple.

the box from the center of the table makes its first appearance in the very first hill top road statement, mag 8 - burned out, where we learn that apparently the apple was full of spiders. 

considering the web’s predilection for filling it’s victim’s bodies with spiders (carlos vittery, annabell cane, the spider husks trevor encountered, the victim of the chelicerae website, the old woman in annabell’s statement, francis, etc.) i think this goes a ways to explain what happened to raymond’s other victims, and what would have happened to mag 59′s statement giver if he’d bitten into the apple:

They lay still now, wrapped in their sticky cocoons. Their bodies seemed warped and bloated in a way I didn’t recognize. But that’s only because at that point in my life, I had never before seen a spider egg sac.

more importantly though, we also learn that the box was buried under the burnt up tree in hill top road’s garden, the one whose uprooting was implied to be linked to agnes’s death: 

STATEMENT

At that moment I made my decision. It was easy, like destroying this tree was the only thing to do, the only path to follow ... When the tree lay on its side, uprooted and powerless, I gazed into the hole where it had sat and noticed something lying there in the dirt.

Climbing down, I retrieved what turned out to be a small wooden box, about six inches square, with an intricate pattern carved along the outside. Engraved lines covered it, warping and weaving together, making it hard to look away.

...

ARCHIVIST

Except… We cannot prove any connection, but Martin unearthed a report on an Agnes Montague, who was found dead in her Sheffield flat on the evening of November 23rd 2006, the same day Mr. Lensik claims to have uprooted the tree.

and keep in mind that the only reason the statement giver in mag 59 didn’t eat the apple, didn’t succumb to the web... was agnes’s kiss:

As the man in the suit told me to follow him in a clipped BBC accent, Agnes walked over, and gestured for me to lean down and listen to her. I did so, but instead of a conspiratorial whisper, she just gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then ran off down the hall.

...

All at once, my cheek erupted in pain. It was like someone had pressed a hot branding iron into my face, and I could swear that I heard the flesh sizzle as I let out a scream and fell to my knees. I raised my hands to my face and realized in that moment two very important things. The first is that my face seemed to be untouched; I could feel no injury or burn. The second was that raising my hand had been a truly voluntary act. I had willed it myself, and whatever power had been gripping me, tugging me into its web, I was free of it.

at this point you’re probably wondering why i think all this is relevant in terms of what might happen with hill top road, and i have two potential ideas: 

my first idea has to do with the theory that agnes is lingering on as a ghost. this theory isn’t mine, i first encountered it shortly after mag 167 - curiosity aired through this post’s attempt to fix what bits of the timeline were thrown out of wack by the new info. if anyone has any other posts or general thoughts about this theory feel free to share them, i’d love to read them!

this theory is relevant to my speculation that agnes might finally make an appearance because she might have been the ghost seen by one of the statement givers in mag 100 - i guess you had to be there:

MARTIN

Right. Right.

[THROAT CLEARING]

Statement of Lynne Hammond, er, recorded 2nd of May 2017, regarding…

Uh, what, what’s this one about?

LYNNE

I saw a ghost.

MARTIN

O-kay.. Regarding a… a ghost. Statement begins.

who appeared as one of the cultists in mag 190 - scavengers: 

MARTIN

[Puzzled] Celia?

CELIA

Probably. The, um… place I was trapped in, they took my name. I never got it back. But I like Celia, so… yeah! Celia it is.

MARTIN

Uh… H-Hello… Celia.

and was recognized and directly confirmed to be the same person by martin in mag 191 - what we lose:

MARTIN

…

Hey, I meant to ask. Do you recognise that woman, Celia?

ARCHIVIST

Um… no, I, I don’t think so. Why?

MARTIN

I’d swear she gave a statement once.

having her only pop up in mag 190 would have just been a fun easter egg, but having martin directly call out her presence the next episode sounds to me like jonny telling the audience to pay attention, to remember that her statement had to do with the ghost of a young woman on fire who might have been agnes. 

my second idea involves web lighter.

over various statements throughout the previous four seasons we’ve been shown that the web and the desolation have been at war, and hill top road has been their battlefield. the best examples of this come from mag 139 - chosen and mag 149 - infectious doubts respectively. 

on the one hand we have agnes being planted in hill top road by the cult of the lightless flame in an effort to both control her powers and derail the web’s plans, which seems to begin the conflict:

The compromise we came to was Hill Top Road. We knew it was a stronghold of the Web, full of other children Agnes’ age. We would supervise from a distance, but were confident she would be in no danger. The Mother of Puppets has always suffered at our hand; all the manipulation and subtle venom in the world means nothing against a pure and unrestrained force of destruction and ruin.

and on the other we have the web binding gertrude to agnes, thus thwarting the desolation’s ritual, which also involved hill top road:

ARTHUR

Alright. Agnes. How’d you do it? Never did understand it, not really.

GERTRUDE

Ah. That’s a fair enough question. It was the Web. I didn’t know it at the time, of course, and I would call it an accident, but it never is, with them. It’s only after the fact that you can see all the subtle manipulations

... 

So, I began researching what I thought was a counter-ritual of sorts. Like I said, I was young, naive. I somehow found just the right books, made just the right connections, and even got what I thought was a piece of blind good luck when I found a tin box in the ashes of Hill Top Road, containing some perfectly preserved cuttings of her hair.

wouldn’t it seem symbolic, fitting with the dream logic we’ve been working with all season (and that the fears have always tended to work with), if what ended the metaphysical war was an artifact touched by both the web and the desolation? 

say perhaps... a device that creates fire while being marked by a symbol of the spider? one that just so happened to be delivered to the institute at the same time as a certain table?

TIM

Er, what is it?

ARCHIVIST

A lighter. An old Zippo.

TIM

You smoke?

ARCHIVIST

No. And I don’t allow ignition sources in my archive!

TIM

Okay. Is there anything unusual about it?

ARCHIVIST

Not really. Just a sort of spider web design on the front. Doesn’t mean anything to me. You?

TIM

Ah no. No.

ARCHIVIST

Well… show it to the others, see what they think. You said there was something else as well?

TIM

Oh, ah yes, yeah, it was sent straight to the Artefact Storage, a table of some sort. Ah, looks old. Quite pretty, though. Fascinating design on it.

all signs point to the best hope of escaping whatever plans the web has for jon lying with the desolation, or at least with fire, and who should be waiting in hill top road than someone who’s been known to burn statements in the past... and someone who, as of mag 162 - a cozy cabin, was the last person to mention the lighter: 

MARTIN

So, should we destroy it? Before we go?

[THE CABIN CREAKS VERY LOUDLY.]

ARCHIVIST

I honestly don’t know if we can.

[HE SIGHS.]

MARTIN

Mm.

ARCHIVIST

Besides, there’s – far worse out there. Better to try and avoid it, I think.

MARTIN

We’re not even gonna try? Look, we’ve got your lighter; maybe if we just –

i haven’t even begun to touch on the multiple instances of spiral marked individuals interacting with hill top road, or the potential role of the rift leading from the world without the institute to the reality with the institute from mag 114 - cracked foundations, or the foreshadowing we’ve gotten throughout this season that the archive might be destroyed by fire and how it’s looking more and more like that means jon might die, or the significance of the tapes and what power might be behind them...

but it’s nearing five in the morning where i am and i’ve been working on this frankly gargantuan post since about midnight, so i’m going to let more meta-inclined minds take it from here. tell me what you think! where do you agree with me, where do you think i’ve gone astray? hell, tell me if you think i’m just spinning my wheels, this is the first real theory post i’ve ever made so i might be completely off base, at least i tried lol.

tl;dr: 

the call back to the imagery surrounding the web table and its long history with hill top road and the desolation is leading me to believe that whatever plans the web has in hill top road for jon, fire is going to have a significant role in whether or not the web gets what it wants; either agnes herself might finally make an appearance or the web lighter might finally come into play.

[ohokimdumb]

Carlos Oliveira Imagine (Protector) 🛡❤️👑

Request: Can you do a Carlos x reader where the readers ex won’t leave her alone and Carlos has to step in? Btw I love your writing 🥰

A/N: Thank you so much for your kind words ♥

Word Count: 1.3k

Gif by: bioshocky

  Grocery shopping was an activity that soothed you to the core. Typically, people hated pushing through the inconsiderate crowd of aggressive shoppers. Shopping late at night was the best time; at that was what you did. Carlos got off work early so he decided to shop with you. After the horrific Raccoon City accident, you had a few broken ribs so movement wasn’t your friend. He wanted to make life easier for you any way he could; it was the least he could do.

           Carlos parked the car at the front of the grocery store. His consideration toward your injuries warmed your heart. He gave you a gentle smile.

           “I’ll get your door.” Carlos had always been a gentleman; a courteous man who knew how to flirt. He opened the door and helped you out of his jet-black Jeep. Instantly, you noticed all the men and women staring at him. You were invisible to all the people who stared and admired his blessed appearance. It didn’t matter, all Carlos saw was you. His arm casually snaked around your waist as he smoothly indicated you were his, and he was yours.

           Your list was excruciatingly long after not shopping for a little over a week due to your injuries. Carlos had no time to shop since his new position at the city’s police department had kept him busy. There were more people shopping than usual. Since when did people believe 10:00PM was the ideal shopping hour? Carlos grabbed a kart and you set your expensive Gucci purse in the seat section of the shopping-kart. It was a birthday present from Carlos; you had begged him for one for the past year prior to your birthday.

           “What’s first on the list?” Carlos asked as he looked down at you. His eyes squinted as he tried to read your handwriting. You noticed and smiled at his humorous struggle.

           “Admit it, you need glasses.” You called him out and Carlos huffed.

           “No, I don’t! I see perfectly fine.” Carlos argued as he playfully snatched your list from your hands.

           “When it comes to your sight, you act like an old man denying he needs a hearing-aid.” You nudged him with glee and he laughed. You weren’t known for your jokes, but Carlos laughed at them all. You snatched the list back.

           “First on the list is chicken.” You informed Carlos and he nodded.

           “It’s across the store. Do you think you’ll be fine on your own for a minute or two?” Carlos lovingly stroked your back.

           “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to get everything I need from produce.” Carlos nodded and walked through the crowd of people. Eventually, he disappeared out of your sight. As you made your way to produce, you noticed someone familiar. Your eyebrows furrowed together out of curiosity. It felt like you were punched in the gut after your speculation was confirmed, when the man turned in your direction. What were the odds you moved to the same town as your ex-boyfriend; an abusive and narcissistic ex-boyfriend. It felt like you were suffocating, being strangled by his sadistic grasp once more. You quickly walked to the next isle over where the produce was. As you kept your head down you examined the lemons and grapefruit. A sickeningly familiar scent of cologne filled your nostrils, and a terrifying voice echoed in your eardrums

           “Y/n?” Trevor called out your name. You looked to your right and he was next to you; too close for comfort. It felt like your heart was going to burst out of fear. The day you decided to leave Trevor, you didn’t say a word to him. You just…disappeared. He had a smile on his face, but you read him like a book. Behind his imitation of a soft, caring expression was anger; a man who desired revenge. You wanted to scream for Carlos, but you didn’t want to cause a scene. It wasn’t because you were embarrassed to ruin a bystander’s day, but you were scared to. All the trauma he caused flushed back into your body like a hurricane; you couldn’t breathe.

           Two steps backwards and his hand was tightly wrapped around your wrist. You casually tried to pull away, once again trying not to cause a scene.

           “Don’t do this. It’s not worth it.” You tried to reason with Trevor, but a nasty grin formed on his face. He was still his usual, disgusting self. You never understood how people could be so evil and hate the world so much. Why did others wish to cause innocent people pain?

           “Oh, it’s not? You left me. You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you were leaving.” Trevor’s grip overbearingly tightened around your delicate wrist; you could feel the pressure against your bone.

           From behind, you hear a familiar deep voice that brought you relief.

           “What the hell is going on here?” Carlos said in an extremely hostile tone. The expression plastered on his face was even more terrifying. Trevor was too oblivious to see Carlos’ posture as a warning. Trevor let go of your wrist and you stumbled over to Carlos. Tears filled your eyes as you hid behind him. Your body felt weak from the lack of oxygen intake.

           “This is none of your concern.” Trevor took a step closer towards Carlos; the biggest mistake he ever made. Carlos scowled at Trevor’s filthy audacity to put a hand on you. Carlos’ thoughts went wild; violent. He wanted nothing more than to break every bone in his body. Aggression heated his bloodstream as aggressive memories flashed through his mind like a screenplay.

           “It is my concern. You put your hand on my lady.” Carlos growled. You tugged at his shirt in hopes he would walk away, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Carlos stepped forward until his face was directly in front of Trevor’s. Trevor didn’t break his stance until Carlos decided to make a move. It was something you didn’t expect from Carlos; especially in public.

           Carlos threw a quick punch that forced Trevor to the ground. People gasped as they crowded around the three of you. An expression of shock covered your face as you watched Trevor crash to the ground; blood ran down from one of his nostrils. You weren’t sure what caused Carlos to act outrageous. It was awful that Trevor grabbed you in such an aggressive manner, but Carlos could have at least tried to talk some sense into him. Carlos didn’t typically confide in immediate violence; it wasn’t who he was. There had to be a deeper meaning.

           “Get the fuck out of here, or stitches won’t fix what I’ll do to you.” Carlos threatened Trevor, and he sprinted out of the store. Little droplets of blood created a trail as he exited the grocery store. You looked up at Carlos and his anger had quickly faded; his happy, innocent smile returned. Everyone around you two seemed to get over the situation as well.

           “Why did you punch him?” You asked, sounding a bit disappointed in him. Carlos frowned at your disapproval.

           “My dad wasn’t the best to my Ma. He would beat her if she didn’t make dinner by seven o’clock.” Carlos hesitantly shared in a quiet whisper. Your disappointment faded as he shockingly opened up to you. You felt it wasn’t right to ask more questions out in public. It was surprising you hadn’t been kicked off the premises.

           “We should bust a move; we have fifteen more items on your list.” Carlos smiled and tossed the packed chicken in the kart. You laughed and playfully punched his lean arm.

                       He was your protector, your man at arms.

[raleighcarrera]

famous

platinum | raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian)

an au where raleigh is still raleigh but cadence is an actress on a teen tv drama.

~5.4k words | M (18+)

raleigh tag list: @omgjasminesimone, @choicesarehard

cadence rolled her eyes from the makeup chair, prompting the artist that was working on applying her eyeshadow to let out an annoyed sigh. “sorry, katie,” she apologized, before cutting her gaze over to her co-star, sitting in the chair beside her.

“what’s the big deal?” cadence asked, still not seeing what made today so vastly different from any other day on set. “he’s just a guy.”

jaylen looked like she was about to have a stroke. “raleigh carrera is not just a guy. please don’t ever say that again.” 

cadence snuck a glance at katie, but the older woman only smirked silently as she waved a strip of false eyelashes in the air, waiting for the glue to try. “okay,” cadence started slowly, “i just meant -- that he’s probably like any other guest star we’ve had?”

jaylen scoffed. the set hairstylist finally walked up and started pulling the curlers out of her long, brown hair, running her fingers through it to loosen them. “he is so not. seriously, stop acting like you didn’t camp out all night for sunset skatepark tickets at one point in your life like everyone else.”

she definitely had, but -- “that was, like, a million years ago. i was thirteen. besides, he’s totally different now. i’ll be amazed if he even manages to show up on time today.”

cadence was due on set in an hour, which, if katie could get her eyelashes on in one try, was going to give her just enough time to grab something to eat before her first scene. at this point in filming the show, she was hardly nervous about anything, anymore, even having to film with one of the most famous people she’d probably ever meet -- so there wasn’t much she’d need to do to prepare, except maybe pop a mint before their big scene.

from beside her, jaylen was sulking. cadence watched her in the mirror as best as she could with katie curling her eyelashes. “his visit is totally wasted on you,” she whined, “i can’t believe the writers gave you the kiss.”

“it’s not like i asked for it. besides, rosa --” jaylen’s character “-- and trevor just got back together. it wouldn’t have made sense for it to be anyone else.”

she blinked rapidly as katie backed away, testing the weight of the false eyelashes. they were in the middle of filming the third season of the show, and while her eyes had definitely stopped watering, by now, that didn’t mean that it didn’t still feel a little bit weird, to have so much makeup on all the time.

just a few years ago, she was making smoothies for forty hours each week, barely pulling in enough money to afford her rent. now she was part of one of the most popular teen dramas in the world -- and about to get paid to make out with the guy that literally performed with justin timberlake at the super bowl.

so, life was surreal, sometimes. 

once her hair was set in the waves her character always wore, cadence left jaylen pouting in wardrobe and strolled to craft services, making a bee-line for the breakfast table. she was piling mini-muffins into a napkin when she saw him.

his hair was shorter than she’d expected it to be; when she thought of raleigh carrera she pictured the way he looked on the ‘famous’ album cover -- long hair, dark smile, lots of tattoos. the guy sitting in the chair in the corner of the room was undeniably the same person, but he looked...

hungover, that was the word she was looking for.

raleigh had sunglasses on. inside. he was cradling a cup of coffee in his hands.

cadence gathered up the corners of her napkin and made her way over to him. “hey,” she said, her voice perfectly level -- not, as shane always called it, monday-morning-chipper. “i’m cadence, i’ll be your scene partner today.”

raleigh stared at her -- or she assumed that was what he was doing. for all she knew, he was asleep. she arched her eyebrows at him, and a minute later, he tilted his head, letting his sunglasses slip down his nose. 

sheesh. he was hot. the look in his eyes caught her and pinned her in place. 

“cadence dorian, right?” she nodded, trying not to look too surprised. so -- he knew who she was? he didn’t seem like the type of guy that would be familiar with her work -- this teen drama and a number of big-studio romantic comedies. “my agent said we’re filming romance today. lots of kissing.”

cadence felt her lips spread into a grin. “yeah. i hope you brushed your teeth.”

raleigh let out a bark of laughter so loud that a few of the production assistants turned around to look at them. he was smirking when he said, “don’t tell me chadley fortnum’s got bad breath.”

she gaped at him. chadley had played her character’s boyfriend for the last two years, before the writers finally killed him off. he was an awful kisser. “do you seriously expect me to believe that you actually watch wicked midnight?”

now he was smirking in that way she’d expected. he looked a lot more like the guy from the ‘famous’ album cover. “maybe i catch an episode here and there.”

“this is hilarious. do you also watch gossip girl? riverdale? is your favorite movie fifty first dates?”

he reached up and pushed his sunglasses up into his hair. “i prefer how to lose a guy in ten days.” 

of course he was funny. why wouldn’t he be? it wasn’t like he wasn’t already drop-dead gorgeous and effortlessly cool. 

maybe jaylen was right. she’d only known him for three minutes, and already cadence could see he wasn’t just a guy.

“we should get going, or we’re going to be late. i’ll show you where the soundstage is.” 

raleigh nodded at her and they started walking to set together, him with his coffee and her with the four or so muffins in her hands that she was suddenly too shy to eat. “so,” she asked abruptly, for a distraction from thinking about how handsome he was, “why the sudden interest in acting?”

cadence glanced at him and watched him shrug his broad shoulders. “for the positive pr, mostly. i think my team’s just hoping to generate some headlines that aren’t about something i destroyed, for once.”

she laughed. “fair enough. i guess raleigh carrera guest stars in wicked midnight midseason finale is a lot better than raleigh carrera crashes motorcycle into wildlife sanctuary, kills family of endangered pandas.”

“okay, i would never do that,” he argued, “pandas are adorable. there’s nothing cool about anti-conservation.”

“but there is something cool about breaking into and wrecking a cruise ship?” so -- she read her fair share of gossip blogs. sue her.

“totally,” he confirmed. he drew her eye as he tipped his head back to drain what was left in his coffee cup. “would you believe me if i said it was a statement against capitalism?”

“i think i’d be more likely to believe you if you said you were drunk and bored.” they stepped onto set as the last scene was wrapping, and cadence hung back while production transformed the high school set into the one for rosa’s home; jaylen’s character was supposed to be throwing a house party -- that was where cadence and raleigh would meet.

her eyes scanned the room, but jaylen was no where to be found. “huh.” though her scenes weren’t filming until later today, cadence didn’t think she’d want to miss a minute of time with raleigh. 

she’d forgotten he was still standing beside her. “what?”

“i was just wondering where jaylen is,” cadence explained, “my co-star? she was pretty excited to meet you.”

raleigh turned towards her, then, smirking again. “finally. i gotta say, i was pretty disappointed you didn’t seem more star-struck. you know -- when girls treat me normally, it really hurts my feelings.”

she laughed, leaning over to playfully shove her shoulder into his. raleigh made a face at her as though she’d actually hurt him, reaching up to rub at his arm. “hey, easy! save it for the bedroom.” he looked back towards the set. “or... the fake kitchen counter.”

“cadence?” one of the production assistants jogged up to her before she could form a retort. “we’re ready for you.”

she found her mark in the fake kitchen and started making herself a drink. the extras milled around behind her, and as the director called for action, she wondered what the props team had put together to fill the bottles before her with -- on her birthday, they’d given her a full glass of vinegar disguised as water as a prank, and she’d spit it out all over ryan summers in the middle of a take.

raleigh walked into the scene and strolled right up to her. “hey.” he nodded coolly at the red cup in her hands. “what’s your poison?”

cadence surveyed him from behind the plastic rim as she took a sip. thank god it was just water with food dye in it. “i’m not picky when it comes to free alcohol.”

he pulled a red cup from the stack on the kitchen counter and made a drink for himself. “fair enough.” she watched him flick his wrist to swirl the liquid inside the cup around, mixing it together. “what’re we drinking to?”

cadence lifted her drink into the air, smiling sardonically at him. “to my dead boyfriend. his funeral was on tuesday.” she tilted her head back and chugged until the cup was empty, looking challengingly at raleigh once she finished. “cheerful, i know.”

she stared at him as his tongue poked into his cheek. he was a better actor than she’d expected him to be. “i’m sorry for your loss.”

cadence laughed humorlessly. “don’t be.” she sniffed, rubbing her nose with the hand not holding her cup. “any idiot who drives drunk deserves what they get.”

she chewed on her bottom lip, watching the extras leave the kitchen set. when she looked back at him, his gaze was intense -- it felt like he was staring into her soul.

“i’m jason,” he said, holding out his hand. cadence dropped her gaze to it and snorted, rolling her eyes. 

after a beat, she begrudgingly introduced herself. “lexi. you go to brentwood?”

he smirked at her, pushing the hand she refused to take smoothly through his hair. wardrobe had given raleigh a long-sleeved shirt, but she could still see his tattoos peeking out from under the cuffs. “nah, i’m a senior at p.s. 119. i just come to parties like this one to pass out favors to rich kids like you.”

her eyebrows lifted. with intent, she trailed her gaze up and down his body. “what’ve you got?”

raleigh dug in his pockets and pulled out a medicine bottle. he shook a pill into his hand -- the prop department had found something that looked almost fluorescent, under the artificially dim party lighting. “something that’ll help me cheer you up, i think.”

she shrugged, like it was all the same to her. “you can try.”

one of the cameras moved in for a close up. raleigh leaned in. “you’ll have to come and get it,” he said, right before he laid the pill on his own tongue.

cadence laughed, the sound low and throaty. her eyes dropped to his lips, and then she leaned in, pressing their mouths together. 

raleigh gathered her into his arms as the sweet taste of strawberry candy exploded on her tongue. he pushed the candy into her mouth and kissed her hard, his hands moving swiftly to her hips. cadence responded in kind, winding her arms around his neck and slipping her fingers into his hair, holding on tightly.

kissing him was... nothing like kissing chadley. it was nothing like kissing anyone, it was -- something she didn’t think she could have prepared for, even if she’d tried. already, she knew she’d never forget this kiss for as long as she lived. she was going to spend the rest of time comparing everyone she kissed to him, to this, to right now --

raleigh lifted her easily onto the prop kitchen counter, settling his hands on her thighs. cadence shivered as he stepped in close between her spread legs, the hushed noise of the set around them fading away. she wasn’t acting when he pushed his hips forward against hers and she let out a breathless moan of ecstasy, her grip on his hair tightening so she could pull him closer.

“cut! great work, guys. let’s reset and run it again.”

her mouth broke away from his in a daze. cadence dragged the back of her hand across her lips, breathing hard. raleigh barely looked rattled, but she was struggling to get herself together, staring at him with wide eyes.

he smirked at her. “that good, huh?”

cadence blinked. “what -- i --” she reached out and whacked his shoulder. “shut up.”

his thumbs were rubbing little circles on her bare thighs, where the hem of the denim cut-offs she’d been given ended. his laugh was fond and warm -- it didn’t feel like he was laughing at her, exactly. it felt nice, like they were in on the same joke. “it was pretty good for me, too.”

“just pretty good?”

“guys?” the assistant director was looking at them like they were insane, and cadence startled, remembering they’d been instructed to reset. right. now wasn’t the time to be flirting with raleigh carrera, even though he’d just given her an earth-shatteringly good kiss. she was supposed to be working.

she cleared her throat, scrambling to stand again. raleigh waited a beat before moving away, so there were a few heart-stopping seconds where the full length of her body brushed against his. cadence shot him a look from under her false eyelashes as he slinked away.

they ran the scene an agonizing nine more times. by the end of the morning, her lips felt swollen and raw, and her jaw was tingling from the stubble that dotted raleigh’s face. 

and that wasn’t even to mention her nerves, which were alight and on edge after a seemingly endless few hours spent kissing the hottest guy on the face of planet earth. 

raleigh wrapped an arm around her shoulders as production broke down the set around them. “so, can i buy you lunch? i feel like it’s the least i can do.”

“i bet you say that to all the girls,” cadence hummed, leaning against his side. from across the room, she noticed jaylen watching them with narrowed eyes, a frown set on her face. cadence looked away. “did they set you up with a trailer?”

“yeah, but i bet yours is nicer,” he grinned, “since you’re the star, and i’m the guy who brings property damage everywhere he goes.” he had a point. “want to show it to me?”

cadence wondered if he meant the words as the invitation she thought he did. her pulse was racing. still, she nodded. “definitely.”

raleigh wasn’t shy about looking around when she let him inside her trailer. he seemed particularly taken by her large jar of pink starbursts, which he immediately dug his hand into as she dropped down onto the couch. “woah, okay, diva. you make them sort out the other colors?”

“no,” she laughed, “i tweeted once that the pink ones are my favorite, so -- now they just send them to me.”

he grinned obnoxiously at her as he popped one in his mouth. “aren’t the pink ones everyone’s favorite? you’re not so special.”

“god, i hope you don’t talk to every girl you make out with like this,” she laughed, kicking her feet up onto the table in front of the couch. “no wonder everyone thinks you’re such a dick.”

raleigh laid a hand over his heart, looking wounded. “it’s not everyone. just the MARCs.”

“the marks?”

“M-A-R-Cs. mothers against raleigh carrera.” he said the words with a completely straight face. cadence looked at him skeptically.

“no way is that real.”

“wanna bet?” he pulled his phone from his pocket before dropping down onto the couch beside her. the long line of his body took up an inordinate amount of space in her trailer. “see for yourself.”

“huh. they even have a facebook page.” her eyes drifted from the phone screen back to his face, which was suddenly very close. “i guess you are every parent’s worst nightmare.”

raleigh laughed, staring at her for a long moment before moving away, putting some distance between them. “cadence, you flatter me. now -- what do you want for lunch? you need to carb up for this afternoon.”

she rolled over to the end of the couch, grabbing her stack of takeout menus off the side table and presenting them to him with amusement. “we have to film one scene.”

“yeah, but you’ll be in bed with me. that’s -- understandably, of course -- going to be a lot for you.”

cadence leaned over and kicked his ankle. “the show airs in primetime. we’re just going to be waking up together. it’s all in the subtext.”

“hmmm.” his eyes were on the menus, even as he said, “doesn’t mean we can’t bring it into the... foretext.”

she blinked at him. “i don’t think that’s a word.”

raleigh lifted his head. his eyes were serious and intense when they locked on hers, and again cadence found herself helplessly caught in his gaze. “you know what i mean.”

oh, god. was raleigh carrera hitting on her? 

“um.” her eyes dropped to his lips, which quirked up at the corners as soon as he noticed. yeah. he was definitely hitting on her. raleigh carrera. hitting on her. she wondered what jared from ninth grade, who’d told her she was too ugly to go to homecoming with, would say if he was here. 

presumably tired of waiting for her to try to make sentences, raleigh leaned in and kissed her. not because they were rolling, or because he thought they should run lines for later -- but because he wanted to. 

cadence gasped, leaning back against the arm of the couch. raleigh shifted to lean over her, the takeout menus that’d been in his lap falling to the floor as he moved on top of her and pressed in close. 

since they’d filmed wicked midnight’s pilot, there had been a lot of famous people who visited the set. but she’d never done this before with anyone, and she felt more than a little out of her depth as raleigh’s knees pushed her thighs open so he could grind down against her. 

she felt like she was floating. he was a truly exceptional kisser, and the way he looked at her made her feel more than a little dangerous. if she was being honest, cadence wasn’t entirely sure what he thought he saw when he stared at her like he kept doing, but she was hardly in a position to question it when he tore his mouth away from hers, breathing hard, and started kissing down her neck instead.

her head tilted to the opposite side encouragingly, and her fingers found his hair again. “i thought you had a girlfriend,” she panted, the detail stuck in her mind, for some reason. she’d definitely read about it. she had a ridiculous name. peach? pear? plum? 

“who, apricott?” that was it. “god, no. that’s just for press. and i can’t stand her.”

she did seem pretty terrible. “so why do you --”

raleigh lifted his head. cadence had trouble focusing on the expression on his face when one of his large hands was spanning what felt like the entirety of her side under her costume shirt, his thumb mindlessly stroking the skin beneath the waistband of her denim shorts. “look, i like you. so if you want to do this -- i’ll tell my publicist it’s over.” 

what the fuck was happening? “if i want to... do what?”

he shrugged. he had all the confidence of someone who was never turned down. “hang out. see where this goes.”

well, she wasn’t that stupid. “i -- yeah, of course i do. like -- you mean... date, right?”

for a half-second, it looked like he was going to argue with her use of the word ‘date,’ but then that unreadable look was back on his face. raleigh nodded decisively. “yeah. date.” 

“okay, i think you’re asking me out.” her voice was playful again and her racing heartbeat was starting to calm, her thoughts finally getting back on track. she could fake the same level of confidence he had, right? “in which case -- i totally accept, but... you’ll need to pull out all the stops.”

raleigh smirked at her, his grip on her side tightening before his hand relaxed. “oh, yeah? you want a limo full of pink starbursts? dinner on top of the empire state building? a helicopter ride to a walk on the beach? i’ve heard it all before.”

cadence laughed, running her fingers through his hair. the warm smile raleigh gave her made her heartbeat skip. “oh my god, are those your moves? yes, definitely. i want the full raleigh carrera experience.”

his eyebrows bounced up and down, and he wiggled his hips pointedly against hers. “you sure? it could be a long night.”

the laugh she gave him was breathless. cadence felt unbelievably giddy as she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and watched raleigh’s eyes narrow in on it. “i’m kinda counting on that.”

they made out until their call time, rolling around on her couch like teenagers. cadence couldn’t remember another time she’d kissed anyone for literal hours before. the way raleigh looked at her, disheveled and wanting and flushed, when the pa finally knocked on her trailer door to call for them, made her want to play hooky and blow off returning to set -- just so they could keep doing this. 

her indecision must’ve shown on her face. raleigh pressed his thumb against her bottom lip and sighed heavily. “you are so, so, so beautiful. i can’t wait to introduce you to second base.”

she laughed. “i have been there before, you know.”

raleigh’s hands slid slowly down her body, full of intent. “not with me.”

the poor pa knocked on her door again. “um, ms. dorian? you’re really needed on set, now.”

cadence lifted her hand to push at his shoulder. “get up, you’re going to get me in trouble.”

his fingers trailed ever-so-lightly over her bare thigh. “what’s life without a little trouble? besides, they literally can’t start without us. they can wait a few minutes.”

her hands moved to his messy hair, trying her best to smooth it back down. “they’re going to have to. we’re going to need another round of hair and makeup. and zadie’s going to kill me when she finds that thread you ripped.”

raleigh shrugged unrepentantly. “it was loose.” the unimpressed look she leveled him with made him sigh again. “fine, goody-two-shoes. we’ll go to set. but you’re in for it, later.”

anticipation sang through her, quick and thrilling. “oh, yeah?”

he groaned and rolled to stand. “don’t start, or i’ll never let you go. come on.”

every eye in the studio followed them when they stepped into the bedroom scene. they separated to get changed, and cadence blushed all over when she traded her nondescript top and shorts for just a bra and panties, prompting zadie to hone her gaze in on the fresh hickey starting to bloom across her collarbone. “i love the commitment. very method.”

cadence stalked off back towards the bed; raleigh was already shirtless and under the sheets, scrolling through his phone. for a moment, she pretended like they were at home in her apartment, and let herself really look at him. he looked good -- great. incredible.

he whistled at her when he saw her. that didn’t help her blush. a few members of the lighting crew laughed, double checking the scene when she slipped into the bed beside him.

katie from makeup came over with powder. she didn’t say anything about cadence’s hickey, even when raleigh very obviously leaned in, pressed his thumb against it and laughed, “oh, shit. sorry about that.”

it would have been a perfect time for the ground to open up and swallow her whole, but they started rolling, instead.

cadence had her back to raleigh, his arm slung low across her waist. lexi was supposed to wake up first, so she did, holding up a hand against the artificial bright light of the fake sun-filled window in her face. she groaned, pressing against her forehead, and then noticed the arm around her and slowly turned towards raleigh. 

her eyes went wide. “jason?”

she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stifle the smile that threatened as raleigh woke up so adorably. he made a soft, sleepy sound of confusion from beside her, cracking one eye open. “lexi. i thought i dreamt that.”

her expression was gentle for a split second before it hardened. she shook her head. “it was just a one-time thing,” she insisted brusquely, pulling away. “i was drunk.”

“you weren’t that drunk.” 

cadence was pointedly not looking at him. “we were high.”

raleigh laughed. “that, i’ll give you.” as she moved to get up out of the bed, his arm swung out and grabbed her, holding her still. “hey.”

she looked back at him expectantly. raleigh was great at acting nervous, swallowing hard while his eyes darted around the room. “can i see you again?”

cadence shook her head. “i don’t think so.”

“why not?”

“because... i’m a mess, jason. look at me. i deserve to be alone.”

“lexi...”

she shook her head, pulling out of his hold. raleigh let her go, and she started moving around the set by the bed, picking up the pieces of her outfit. “forget it.”

he slid to the edge of the bed, sitting on the mattress in just his briefs. both she and her character were trying not to stare. “you know, for what it’s worth... i don’t think you’re a mess. i think you’re pretty cool. and you’re -- you’re going to be okay, lexi.”

her lips pursed. her voice wavered when she said, “you don’t even know me.”

raleigh stood, crowding into her space. “actually, i think i know you better than you think. so that’s why... i’m okay with saying goodbye.” his eyes searched her face. “can i kiss you one last time?”

cadence drew in a shallow breath and nodded. raleigh cupped her face in his hands, holding her jaw steady, and kissed her hard. she had to actively fight the urge to pull him closer, knowing that lexi was still resistant to letting him get close -- but it was hard, when raleigh was such an expert kisser, the movement of his mouth against hers making her weak in the knees.

she was almost relieved when the director called, “cut! that was great, guys. we definitely got it. raleigh -- thanks for coming out, man. awesome stuff today. hopefully we can have you back soon.”

he reached out and ruffled her hair, grinning brightly. “only if you keep sticking me with this one.” cadence elbowed him in the side. “seriously, thanks for having me. this was really cool.”

zadie was holding out a robe for her. cadence reluctantly stepped out from raleigh’s body heat and put it on, smiling softly at the way he pouted when she tied it closed. 

he stepped up close and lowered his voice so none of the many, many people moving around them could hear. “so, are you done for the day? can i buy you a drink?”

“ooooh, are we going out for drinks?” somehow, jaylen stepped up between them, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “hi, i don’t think we got a chance to meet, yet. jaylen riaz -- i play rosa martinez.”

“...right. good to meet you. i’m raleigh.”

jaylen laughed as though he’d just made a funny joke. “of course i know who you are, silly. do you think i live under a rock?”

raleigh’s eyes were begging for help. cadence leaned in between them. “you should totally meet us when you’re wrapped for the day. i’ll text you where we wind up, but -- first we need to grab some food.”

“right.” raleigh’s lips twitched. “we skipped lunch.”

the memory of what they’d been doing instead threatened to make her blush, but cadence fought it off, wary of the way jaylen was looking back and forth between the two of them. “okay,” she said finally, her voice slow and thoughtful, “sounds fun.”

fortunately, they made it back to her trailer before she lost it, dissolving into giggles. cadence leaned her back against the closed door as her shoulders shook with laughter. “god,” she grinned, “you are such a dick.”

“me?” raleigh demanded, “what about you? you should totally meet us.” 

“okay, i do not sound like that.” cadence dropped her robe and started getting dressed in the clothes she’d wore to set that morning, what felt like a hundred years ago. “and i was just being nice. she totally likes you, she’s going to be so pissed at me when she finds out this is, like, a thing.”

“i guess i am irresistible,” he sighed, expertly ducking the t-shirt she threw at him. “i can’t fault her for her good taste.”

“it’s amazing your ego even fits in here.” she reached for her purse, pulling out her phone. she’d hardly looked at it all day, and it was alive with activity -- her manager had texted her about... forty-five times. cadence scrolled down to the bottom and saw the message that started it all: what’s this i hear about you getting cozy on set with raleigh carrera? sure you want to go down that road?

she grimaced. “let me guess,” raleigh said, cutting through her thoughts, “someone doesn’t want you getting messed up with me.”

cadence hesitated, her non-answer an answer on its own. he dragged his tongue across his teeth. “it’s really up to you, though, isn’t it?”

it was. “yeah,” she nodded, “and i don’t care about any of that, anyway. are you sure i’m not causing trouble for you? what about your fake girlfriend?”

he rolled his eyes. “she’ll get over it. as long as you’re okay, i’m okay.”

she smiled. “i’m okay,” cadence confirmed, “whatever happens -- i can handle it.” the look he was giving her was difficult to decipher, but she thought he might be pleased. she hesitated. “you’re... sure you want to do this, though? it’s okay if you just got caught up in the story.” 

“uh, hello? i already slept with lexi d’agosto, remember?” the obnoxious grin he was wearing softened at the sight of the expression on her face. “cadence, i’m sure. i like you. i want to hang out more -- see where this goes. you’re the one i should be double-checking.” 

“no way.” she gestured for him to follow her out of her trailer, into the film lot. “you’re not going to get out of giving me the full raleigh carrera experience. i don’t care what it costs you to buy out the empire state building.”

he laughed, his hand finding hers to link their fingers together. “i think you’ll change your tune after the blogs get wind of this, but -- fair enough.”

eventually, they reached the security gate. she’d have to walk them out into the street to find the car that was waiting for her, and if her manager had already heard the rumors sparking from their day on set, that meant that it was likely a few photographers had, too. once they left the film lot, there was no going back.

raleigh squeezed her hand. “ready for your life to get messier?”

things had been awfully predictable, lately. “definitely. ready for yours to get more awesome?”

“oh, absolutely.” together, they started off down the street. camera flashes exploded behind her eyelids, but she kept her head down, fighting a smile all the way to the car.

at least whatever happened next was bound to be interesting.

[elizaviento]

Assimilation (part 16/23)

NSFW -- 1850 words

(FYI: Additional chapters of Assimilation can be found in the Rick Fic Masterpost link in my blog description.  Or, you can click the #assimilation tag in this post, within my blog, to access all additional chapters.)

*****

The two scotch on the rocks that I’d tossed down my throat, along with the previous cocktails I had enjoyed with Trevor, seemed to hit me all at once, making me pleasantly buzzed – and bold.  Though Rick still appeared to be sulking in embarrassment, I was now ready for him to get over it and focus on me.  The not-so-subtle move I’d made to press my tits to his arm when retrieving my card from the edge of the table wasn’t lost on him, but perhaps he needed just a bit more encouragement.

Scooting closer to him in the booth, I casually draped one thigh over his and grasped one of his hands from the table, planting it on my knee in a recreation of our secret grope session in the back of Beth’s car.  He didn’t look at me but quirked one side of his unibrow while trailing his hand further up my thigh at an agonizingly slow pace.  I hitched a breath when he finally reached the hem of my lace panties where he hooked a slender finger under the elastic and playfully snapped.  Flirtatiously laughing in response, I rested my head on his shoulder, but he still refused to look at me – only slowly trailed his finger around the elastic on my thigh until he reached the apex of my legs where he stopped. Then, finally, he made eye contact as he nudged the thin fabric to the side and smoothly slid his middle and ring finger inside me.  I was soaking wet.  I hadn’t even realized until he penetrated me.  He, apparently, hadn’t expected it either considering his reaction.

“Oh fuuuck,” he whispered, closing his eyes.  When he dragged his fingers out and slowly pushed them back in, I had to bite my bottom lip and dig my nails into the meaty flesh of his forearm to stifle a moan.  I was still looking up into his face when he opened his eyes and pressed his lips to my forehead, repeating the motion once more.  “That feel good — y-you like that, beautiful?”

“Rick,” I breathed, as he slipped his fingers from my wet pussy to gently rub my clit.  My legs began to tremble so I circled the calf of the leg draped over his around his calf and hooked my foot behind it, opening myself up wider.  He pushed his fingers inside again.

It occurred to me that I should be absolutely furious with him.  That little stunt he pulled could have very well fucked this contract up for me, if Trevor were just some random client.  I’d have punched anyone else square in the face and left, including Chris.  But, with Rick?  I spread my legs and encouraged him finger me in public.  Ha.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Rick kissed my forehead again and then tilted his head to scan the room.  The restaurant had a dark ambience by design to make each booth feel intimate.  We were seated in a booth that was situated in the corner, set further apart from the remainder of the dining area.  I specifically chose this spot due to its privacy so that Trevor and I could discuss the architectural plans without too much disruption.  The side of the booth that Rick and I occupied was facing the wall so we could not be seen head on.

In the few seconds it took Rick to perform a visual assessment, his hand had grown still between my legs which simply would not do.  So, I released my vice grip from his forearm to his upper thigh, gliding upward until I fully cupped his hard on through his slacks.  He jerked slightly at the contact and returned his gaze to my face.

“I – I gotta taste you,” he said, pitching his voice low so only I could hear.  At his statement, I expected him to pull his fingers from my cunt and pop them in his mouth in a lewd display that would make me want to die and cum simultaneously.  So, I was disappointed and confused when he completely extracted himself from me and exited the booth.  Assuming that he intended to leave, I started to scoot out but he stopped me.

“Stay,” he instructed, before sitting on the opposite end of the booth, facing me.  He propped his elbows on the table and did another visual scan of the room.  Curious as to what he could be searching for, I took a look around, as well.  Nothing seemed amiss but when I turned back, he was no longer in the seat. What the fuck?

When I felt a hand close around my right ankle under the table, I squealed and jerked upward, attempting to yank my foot away in the process.  

“Calm the fuck down!” Rick hissed from under the table.  Then, his hand was gliding up my calf, his lips and tongue following close behind.

Holy fucking shit.  

I slyly lifted the edge of the table cloth and tilted my head to try to get a look at him, but all I could see was the tips of his blue-grey hair.  So, I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as his hands and mouth and tongue made their upward decent.  When he reached my knee, I felt a hand hook beneath it and lift, draping my leg over his shoulder. Unable to properly see a thing, I dropped the edge of the table cloth, realizing how suspicious I would appear to anyone who might look sidelong at our booth from the bar.  

I folded my arms and placed them on top of the table, pulling a glass of water in front of me to casually sip while focusing on the sensation of Rick’s coarse hair tickling my thigh as he pushed the leg not draped over his shoulder outward to make room.  I felt his hot breath puffing against my clothed pussy as he situated himself and I began to literally throb with desire.  The reality of what Rick was about to do fully hit home the moment I felt his fingers grip the fabric of my lace panties and yank them to the side, exposing my wet slit.  My heart rate skyrocketed drastically; the anticipation making me tremble and pant.  And, when his tongue finally made contact, I had to lay my head into my folded arms on the table to muffle my gasps and moans.

He didn’t waste time with teasing.  He lapped at my pussy, from top to bottom – truly tasting me – dragging the flat of his tongue up and down over and over.  He probed my hole, pushing his tongue inside, fucking me with it until my legs instinctively tried to clamp around his head.  He simply pushed the leg not over his shoulder outward and continued, darting his tongue upward toward my clit where he circled and flicked the engorged bundle of nerves, making my body tremble and jerk in response.

Not having a clear visual, I had no idea what his next move would be.  I couldn’t even tell him how fucking amazing this was and how the waitress was looking over at me from the bar — no doubt wondering why I was still here when I’d already paid the check — and how just that thought alone would help push me over the edge if he would just suck.  

Suddenly, he stopped and I felt him move back slightly.  I propped an elbow on the table and rested my chin on my fist, attempting to appear casual.  Then, my phone vibrated, startling me.  Figuring this would be the perfect front to those who may or may not be wondering why I was panting and sweating like I had just run a marathon, I plucked my phone from my purse to read the message.  While I did, Rick resumed his exploration.

Rick:  Your pussy is so delicious, baby.

I barked out a strangled laugh.  A couple of people glanced over at me from the bar.

Rick was sexting me while eating my pussy under the table at a restaurant.  The only way this could be more depraved is if we were at the dinner table at home.

Me:  Suck on my clit.

When I pressed send on the reply, I felt my entire neck and face flush.  This was insane.  I heard his phone vibrate under the table.  Then, I felt him pause to read before moving back in to wrap his lips around my clit.  I choked out a squeak and turned my head toward the wall.

Me:  I’m so close, Rick.  Fuck me with your fingers, please!

Vibrate.  Pause.  And, then his fingers were pushing inside, curling and dragging and pressing.  His mouth resumed sucking my clit, adding the sweeping motion of his tongue for good measure.  I was full on shaking now, unable to disguise it as my cunt clenched around his fingers.

Pause.  Vibrate.  I picked up my phone to read.  He continued.

Rick:  Cum on my face, my beautiful girl.

The white lightening bolt of pleasure shot through my clit and dispersed through my entire body with a violent force.  One of my hands involuntarily slammed on the top of the table and the knee resting over Rick’s shoulder jerked upward and slammed the bottom simultaneously.  More people looked over from the bar, including the bartender.  I felt wetness gush from cunt and, no doubt, coat Rick’s face — just as he requested.

A moment later, Rick pull back and gently lifted my leg from his shoulder.  I felt completely boneless and nearly slid down the booth to the floor but Rick caught my calves and shoved me upward.  I heard him chuckle right before my phone vibrated again.

Rick:  Let me know when the coast is clear.

It took a few minutes before I could confidently stick my hand under the table to wave him out.  While he waited, he continued to sext me.

Rick:  I’m not finished with you yet.  I’m gonna fuck you stupid, sweetheart.

Rick:  It smells like your pussy under here.

Me:  Bet me I won’t be banned from this restaurant for the rest of my life.

Rick:  Fuck that.  Bet me this table won’t be reserved for months by every horny pervert within a 20 mile radius.

Rick:  We’ve done this dump a favor.

When he finally reemerged on the other side of the booth, the shit eating grin plastering his face was predictable but nonetheless annoying.  Still, I couldn’t help but blush as a new wave of arousal washed over me.  He was sexy as hell and what he’d done to me under that table was something I’d only ever fantasized about.  If I wasn’t careful, I’d lose myself in him.  If I wasn’t careful, I’d truly and completely fall for him.

 To be continued…

P.S.  Rick D-74 loves to eat pussy.  It’s just fact. 

[painfullythickimagines]

Blind Side - Chapter 9

Intro | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

Surrounded by piles of bridal photos and magazines, you sat at the dining room table, completely overwhelmed. You’d been looking at gowns of all styles, shapes, and colors for hours - mermaid and A-line, ivory and blush; there were simply too many options. This was usually when Thomas would swoop in, remarking how much he liked one of the options, and the decision was made. But you wanted the dress to be a surprise.

“Because this is the last wedding gown I’m ever going to wear, Mr. Hiddleston,” you said to the empty room. Suddenly remembering you had a lunch date with your fiancé, you looked down at your diamond encrusted watch to see that you were late. “Oh, shit.”

You dumped a few magazines into your oversized bag, slipping into a pair of matching Louboutin pumps. Heading out the door, you sent a text to Thomas as the elevator carried you downstairs.

{On my way!! Distracted by a pile of gowns.}

{I’m sure whatever you choose will look lovely on the floor of our honeymoon suite.}

You arrived at Thomas’s office, strutting through the door. As soon as you realized the reception area was completely empty, an idea occurred to you. You unbuttoned your silk top, baring your black lace bra. With your hand on the doorknob, you took a deep breath in as you pushed the door wide open, striking a pose in the door frame.

“Hello, lover.”

It was only then that you noticed Thomas’s assistant sitting across the desk from him, getting redder by the second. You rushed to close your top as Thomas tried to hide his laughter.

“Are you speaking to me or Miss Trevor?” he spoke between giggles.

“Thomas, really!” you said as his assistant tried to squeeze past you in the doorway, desperate to leave the room. “Please don’t go. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, really! We were finished,” she said, closing the door in a hurry.

You turn to Thomas, whose head was still in his hands, trying to hide his laughter. “It’s not funny!”

“On the contrary, my love. You always make an impression,” he said, finally composing himself enough to stand and pull out a chair for you. “Actually, it was probably good that this happened.”

You couldn’t possibly fathom how anything even remotely positive could come from your own embarrassment. “Care to explain?”

“Well, Clara has always been a bit frightened of you.” A puzzled look fell over your face. “My assistant...” Thomas added. “You’ve been here how many times and you don’t even know her name?”

“Well! She’s so quiet. She practically runs away every time I’m here,” you said, motioning to what just happened in the doorway.

“Maybe she didn’t like your bra,” Thomas teased. “You know, she could probably help us out with some wedding planning. She’s truly remarkable when it comes to research. I could tell her what we’re looking for in a venue, and she could find it within the hour.”

“Really?” Your interest was piqued. Everything had been going to smoothly until you and Thomas started looking for a venue. It didn’t help that you weren’t exactly sure what you even wanted. “Do you think she would?”

“I don’t see why not. You don’t want to hire a wedding planner, so maybe this could be a solution. Just a little help when necessary.”

“I told you, Thomas, I’m not handing our day over to anyone. It’s what I’ve always done in the past, but I want to be more involved this time.” You weren’t a superstitious woman, but if three weddings coordinated by event planners had ended in divorce, you were willing to do the work yourself if it meant you and Thomas could live happily ever after. “I have to admit, I could use the help, though.”

“Why don’t you go to lunch together? I have some briefings to catch up on before my appointments this afternoon anyway. Get to know each other, talk about the wedding, see how it goes,” he said, reaching into his wallet.

“But I was looking forward to lunch with you,” you said, taking the credit card from Thomas’s grasp as you sat down on his lap. You took his curls between your fingers, expressing your displeasure with a firm tug.

“You better go before I have you right here on my desk,” said Thomas.

“Yes, sir,” you whispered into his ear before setting off for the door. Looking back, you saw Thomas licking his lips, watching your every move. You strolled to the door, swaying your hips along the way. With a wink and a kiss, you were gone.

You sat on your balcony, sipping a glass of merlot as you waited for Thomas to come home. You knew when you left that you’d be in for an interesting night - you had seen that look in his eyes only once before. It had been the start of your longest, most passionate sex to date. Just thinking about it got your heart racing.

{There in 5. Wait for me in the bedroom.}

You tipped your wine glass back as you walked into the apartment. You left the empty glass on the dining room table and undressed, leaving a trail of clothes all the way to the bed. You sat stark naked on the bed as you heard Thomas’s keys in the door. After what felt like an eternity, Thomas sauntered into the bedroom, a glass of ice water in his hand. He placed it on the nightstand before he finally spoke.

“Would you like to try something new tonight?” he asked.

“Of course,” you replied. In the time you’ve been together, Thomas has introduced you to a great number of things you’d never tried before. Indian food. Ice skating. Vibrating panties. The look in his eyes told you this was not the night to be timid.

Never breaking eye contact, Thomas slowly undid his tie. The room was silent save for the faint sound of fabric sliding against itself. Finally, he yanked the tie from around his collar, sending a whipping sound through the air, giving you goosebumps.

“Cover your eyes,” Thomas said, tossing the tie onto your lap. You pick it up, turning over in your hands as you contemplated complying. You could say no. Toss it onto the floor and let him spank you a few times for refusing. You always enjoyed that. What would happen if you put on the blindfold, you didn’t know - but you wanted to.

Carefully, you tie the fabric around your head, knotting it tightly in the back. You listened closely for any clues as to what would come next.

“Lie on your back,” he instructed. You leaned back on your elbows, scooting yourself to the center of the bed. You lay on your back, perfectly still, unsure of what to expect next. Just then, you felt Thomas brush his hand against your thigh. He gently massaged every muscle in each of your legs, the stress of the day slowly melting away. Finally, to your relief, his fingers slipped between your thighs.

“Spread your legs,” said Thomas in a low growl. You did as you were told, sliding your heels across the satin sheets. “Bend your knees. I want to see all of you.”

Your damp skin was cold as your lips spread apart. There was no hiding your desire any longer. Unable to see anything but darkness, your other senses were hyper-aware. The cold air breezing across your center, the subtle scent of Thomas’s cologne, the soft padding of his footsteps to the nightstand to take a drink. Your breath clutched in your chest as you heard him climb onto the bed. You felt the weight of his body pressing into the mattress, yet not so much as a single breath on your skin.

His arms wrap around your thighs as he settles in on his elbows. It took you a moment to comprehend what happened next - a freezing cold surface passed over your labia, sending ice through your veins. Thomas let the cube slide from between his lips onto the top of your mound. You try to wiggle it away, but Thomas was holding you perfectly still. Droplets melted from your warmth, sliding into the folds of your center. That’s when he started to blow - as if the ice-cold water wasn’t chilling enough on its own. Your pearl tingled; your legs quivered.

“Thomas...” you gasped.

His long tongue flickered over your center before replying. “Yes?”

“I’m going to get you back for this,” you said.

“I’m counting on it.” Your words were like fuel on his fire. His appetite was ravenous; he lapped up your desire, savoring the sweet juices. He squeezed tight on your curves every time you let out a moan, leaving marks wherever he touched. He wanted you to wake up tomorrow knowing exactly who you belonged to.

“Thomas, please...” you begged for your release. Every time he felt you approaching climax, he stopped. The past hour was absolute torture - and you were loving every minute of it.

“Not now, darling,” he said, pulling the tie from your face. “I'm not done with you yet.”

Thomas got to his knees, unbuttoning his shirt before tossing it to the floor. You watch as he undoes his belt, then the button on his pants. He finally reaches the zipper, his solid erection eager to escape. He tried wriggling out of his trousers, but his anticipation got the better of him.

“Oh, fuck it,” he said as he leaned over your body, pressing himself into you. You gasped for air as if you’d been held underwater, finally free. He filled you, consumed you, made you feel whole. You closed your eyes, letting the pleasure spread through your body - but Thomas took your chin in his hand, directing you to face him straight on.

“Open your eyes,” he commanded. “I want you to look at me while I’m fucking you.”

You did as you were told, not daring to break eye contact for even a moment. He wrapped his arms around your knees, holding you tight as he thrusted hard and slow. You moaned every time he slammed into you, crying out for more as he took his time sliding back out. Then, with a quick jerk of his hips, he’d slam right back in.

Your body writhed with agony. Your hands were everywhere - through your hair, cupping your breasts, tugging on the sheets. Thomas himself was just out of reach, slick with sweat, his curls clinging to his forehead. He looked around, finding the tie he had tossed to the side. He took your wrists into his hands, pinning them above your head as he tied them tightly to the headboard.

“If you want to cum, you’re going to have to earn it.” He kissed your forehead as his pace evened out; he moved to your lips, demanding deep, slow kisses as he swirled his hips into yours. You knew exactly what he wanted; you opened your mouth to him, taking in his warm, slick tongue. You were tempted to bite it, but that was no way to earn your finish.

He kissed longer and deeper as he felt your walls tightening around him. You moaned beneath the pressure of his lips, longing to break free. Finally, your pleasure peaked, your legs shaking against Thomas’s bare, slick torso. He finally pulled away from the kiss, wanting to watch as you come undone - as you screamed his name. You twist and tremble beneath him, warm satisfaction spreading from your curled toes to your limp wrists.

“You’re a very good girl,” Thomas said as he kissed your forehead, still inside you. He released you from the headboard, and not a moment too soon.

“You’re a very bad boy,” you said. You pushed him onto his back, ready to take back your power. Thomas watched as you got to your knees between his legs; you looked directly into his eyes as you took him into your mouth, and this time it was he who didn’t dare look away.

You cover every inch of him, engulfing his length in the warmth of your mouth. A deep, growling moan escaped his throat as he quickly reached the point of no return. His fists closed around the loose sheets, and while you briefly consider denying him his finish, you know he earned it. He always did.

You didn’t leave a trace of his essence behind. You kiss a sweet, slow trail up Thomas’s body, finding your place by his side. You lie next to each other, staring up at the ceiling as your bodies come down from their highs. You looked over at Thomas, watching his chest rise and fall. You glanced further up to see his deep blue eyes staring back at you.

“You’re going to be an incredible wife.”

💖

Tags: @devilsendslove, @allmyblackbeaches, @sprinkletastic, @ihavepsychicpowers, @justplainjane88, @l-to-the-dizzle​, @bookworm-addict,  @dragoness-has-taken-flight, @lokisredledger​, @misshollander1​, @winterysoldiery​, @scarlettsage77​, @wolfsmom1, @t-w-hiddlestoner​, @prxttybirdz​, @cutiedaij​, @keldachick​, @feedourthoughts​, @skellingtonbatz​, @patheimathosblog​, @youareadistraction​, @frenchfrostpudding​, @thehotforhiddles​, @magellan-88, @gimmebuckysloveorelse​, @rdjshookerheels​, @arwenaminmaeleth, @call-her-little-bird, @hela-odinsdottir​, @whateverlexiesays, @midzilla9957​, @dr-fangirl-extraordinaire, @ophcelia, @caramell0w, @mrctic, @pansy-parknson, @blueangel1780, @themeanestlittlewitch @bunnyrabbitct, @dukdukguse, @coyote-butterfly, @elizabeth-von-winken-universe, @supernaturally-avengers, @a-court-of-stydia, @rebbie444, @hi-my-name-is-riley, @kudosia, @annoyingkittyfestival, @say-my-name-assbut, @dani-si, @kinda-messy-kinda-lost, @mang0fruitblast, @partypoison00, @diamonddonna82, @does-it-matter129

[jeanmoreaux]

I feel the same way about enjoying the show more towards the end of season 7 bc of closure with Mickey and I think Trevor was mostly good for Ian. I also liked Lip a lot more through season 8 and how Debbie is progressing with her life. there’s something I would consider big that happens in season 9, idk if you know and I’m not entirely sure if you would like it or not bc of one of your reactions but I thought it was nice.

((i feel the exact same about debbie and trevor tbh))

uhhhm okay i just watched 9x06, which is apparently cameron monaghan’s last episode (but not really since he’s going to be a regular in season 10 again), and if you’re hinting at the episode’s ending in your ask then OMG IDK IF I LIKE IT OR NOT EITHER LMAO!!!

((SPOILERS FOR SHAMELESS SEASON 9 AHEAD, so just skip everything from here on if you haven’t watched episode 6 yet))

THEY BROUGHT MICKEY BACK FOR LIKE 50 SECONDS AND MADE HIM IAN’S CELLMATE!!???!!??!? ASJKDJKHAKSHKASLKA I LITERALLY THREW MY LAPTOP A FEW FEET AT THAT!

i have so many conflicting feeling right now it’s confusing! i feel surprised, happy, and oddly disappointed at the same time. it’s weird how emotional i got. The scene brought me endless joy and great despair at the same time. i just really miss mickey; he will forever be my favorite! and i am still a big supporter of gallavich being endgame ((when reading the following rant, please, bear in mind that my fangirl heart was really pleased with the final gallavich scene, even though this contradictory burst of opinion might suggest otherwise.))

I mean let’s be honest, an ending to ian’s story without mickey just would have felt wrong. he’s been such an important part of ian’s life and the only significant partner he’s had, so bringing him back for ian’s goodbye felt only natural. they have been (and probably still are) profoundly in love. you can see that in every single one of their interactions through the seasons. and it was a sweet ending to the story, yeah, but it’s not the satisfying ending (or reunion) i hoped for! there is absolutely no resolution to their relationship and all the shit they have been through. that was my main issue with the episodes in season 7 too, they never talked their shit out. they’re back together and everything is fine, when, clearly, they still have a lot of issues to resolve because things didn’t always go smoothly with these two.

In season 1&2&beginning of 3, ian seemed to be the one more invested; but since at least the start of season 4 mickey is the one putting more effort into the relationship. obviously, ian is preoccupied with coming to terms with his mental illness, so clearly he has to take care of himself before taking care of his relationship. but i mean season 5 is mickey supporting and loving ian unconditionally, taking care of him when the gallaghers won’t. and what does mickey get in return? a cruel breakup, ian’s sudden nonchalance, and absolutely no closure. (the writers definitely could have handled this differently. the end to mickey’s character in season 5 and the start of season 6 was just one massive shit-show). the season 7 reunion was a mess too, ian&mickey both deserved a better ending to their epic love story than what they got during these two episodes. again, there was no real closure either, but it’s half-decent. and now in season 9, the writers just throw them in a cell, together, and then they are like “yeah look at this endgame that we totally planned for in advance! we love our amazing endgame! actually, we love it so much that we didn’t even give it more than 50 seconds of screen time to give them some kind of satisfying closure! this was totally not rushed and unprepared because we are excellent writers! yeah, #gallavich #endgame, am i right?” so yeah, as much as i love that ian and mickey are reunited, i am disappointed with how their (apparent) ending was handled.

I NEED TO SEE THEM TALK THEIR RELATIONSHIP OUT! i need them to find a balance. i need them to get on the same page and not have mickey give and give while ian only takes and takes. it’s like ian is only with mickey when it’s convenient while mickey will always choose ian first, no matter what. everthing mickey does is for ian. mickey returned and sacrificed his freedom for ian. HE TURNED HIMSELF IN AND RATTED ON HIS CARTEL TO BE IN PRISON WITH IAN BECAUSE HE KNEW IAN WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME DEALING WITH HIS INCARCERATION ON HIS OWN! He cares so much about ian while, apparently, ian can’t seem to give two shits about mickey whenever he’s not around, from what we were shown. ian never went the extra mile for mickey thus far. ((that’s not really on ian, it’s the writer’s fault, but it taints the relationship nonetheless. they finally need to decide if they want gallavich to be endgame or not. they can’t keep their option open forever without ruining the ship.))

i love my boy mickey so much and seeing him hurt and heartbroken time and time again just destroys my soul. (like he repeatedly suffers bc he cares too much and loves too hard, that’s just not fair.) he deserves happiness, and i am not sure if that’s what will happen now that he’s in prison with ian as his cellmate. though i hope he and ian eventually get a proper happy ending, it’s become more and more unlikely, from what i have gathered. with ian’s character being back on season 10, this apparent gallavich endgame isn’t really a save endgame at all!!

cameron returning for season 10 is amazing, but i honestly don’t believe gallavich will survive ian’s return to the show. cameron stated in an interview that he chose to return bc he was intrigued by ian’s storyline for the next season. he also stated, in the same interview, that he would like to see ian bettering himself and growing into a responsible adult who takes care of his siblings, exploring stories beyond the quest of seeking and maintaining romantic relationships – which i think is fantastic, don’t get me wrong! with that being said (and noel fisher probably not returning for season 10), i don’t really see a chance for gallavich surviving past their prison reunion. are they ever going to be endgame? frankly, i am not sure. depending on how well they handle mickey’s departure this time around, there might still be hope. maybe i am too pessimistic, i don’t know? mickey’s character and gallavich have suffered so much due to bad writing, idk how much more both can endure before it’s Too Much. you know what i mean?

i hope i am wrong with my assumptions because i’d love to see ian and mickey’s relationship flourish again. they are one another’s big, true love, and they deserve a well-written happy ending.

my biggest fear atm is that they are simply going to kill off mickey so they don’t have to bother with the fans wanting noel and the gallavich relationship back.

I feel like, at this point, the writers should stop playing with us and either give us the gallavich relationship mickey and ian deserve or kill this ship for good. I think my heart can’t handle seeing mickey being poorly written out of the show in season 10 for a third/fourth time. it’s just… he deserves sm better!

despite my worries i try to remain hopeful, though!

[ellana-ravenwood]

Take care of my Babies or you’ll die - Wonder Woman x Reader

Summary : Diana has a deep distrust of Men’s World’s doctors, and have trouble letting them handle her pregnant girlfriend. 

I lost the original message but this story is for @freethecagedeggs. Also, Imma indulge @loverandomness2 because she’s been asking for this for a long time and I’m finally writing it :-). 

PART 2

You can find my masterlist here : @ella-ravenwood-archives

_________________________________________________

You couldn’t wait for all of this to be over. 

For the baby to finally arrive. 

Not because pregnancy was displeasing, in fact, you were one of those lucky women that had a smooth one. 

You only had a few morning sickness, you weren’t too tired, it didn’t hurt much (yet)...The only thing you had was your weird cravings but, then again, pickles and ice cream was a thing you ate together even before being pregnant. 

Nope. You don’t want all of this to be over because it’s difficult and tiring...But because your damn girlfriend cannot give you or anyone approaching you of a few feet a single break ! 

“(Y/N), don’t do this it could hurt the baby !”, “(Y/N) eat this it’s good for the baby”, “(Y/N), please babe, do this exercice it’s good for our little one”...The worst was how annoying she became whenever you had a doctor appointment. 

Oh. My. God.

************

When you and Diana decided to become parents, you settled for a sperm donor instead of adoption, because it was just easier, it would take less time and trouble...You also decided that you should be the one bearing the child, kind of unsure how things would work with Diana (after all, she had been made out of clay and given life by Zeus...). 

At first, everything went smoothly. 

You were both just too damn excited. And all your friends were extremely supportive. Of course they were. 

Your older brother, Bruce, helped you through so many hard times in your life, he definitely wasn't about to give up on you (no matter what some stuck up rich people thought about him for doing so...damn you guys lived in the XXIst century, what was the problem of a same sex couple adopting ?!), and he would never admit it because he wasn’t the cheesy type of man but...He already loved his future nephew/niece deeply. 

The day he brought you a teddy bear that looked astonishingly like the one you had when you were a kid, that exact teddy bear your dad gave you to “help you through any difficult times” (and it really did...whenever you were sad, for example missing your parents dearly, you’d hug the hell out of that bear and it would make you feel so much better), and when Bruce told you it was difficult to find the same one you had as a kid and it took him a lot of time and effort to do so, but you and your future child were definitely worth it...You teared up. You lied by saying your hormones were messing around with your emotions, and acted like it was not a big deal but...It meant the world that your beloved older brother would go through all that trouble just for a teddy bear for your baby.  

Alfred also made you tear up when he started to cry and oh god, the hug he gave you was the best you ever received...And you could have smothered your nephews to death with the embrace you gave them when they got all excited and cute about having a cousin...

Clark made a joke about how your son/daughter could join his boy, Jon, and your brother’s son, Damian, to form a new trinity and...The look Diana gave them shut them up. 

She had NO INTENTION on letting her baby get in any danger, which meant she’d never train her or him to fight, just to defend herself/himself. This made your eyes roll so hard. If your future child was going to be anything like you or Diana, you just knew she or he couldn’t keep away from fighting for what was right for long. You wouldn’t be surprise to see him/her actually forming a new trinity with your best friends’ children, and becoming a mighty...your girlfriend was having none of it. 

No. Her kid was NOT going to fight. Ever. Nope. Double nope. By Hades she would never allow it. When you told her though, that she sounded exactly like her mother, she stopped talking about it, but you knew she really had her mind settled on the “no fighting for my baby” thing. And deep down, you wished your future child would indeed never have to fight, but you also knew that it was somehow inevitable with parents like hers/his. 

************

The day of your first doctor appointment was an absolute nightmare. You had fought ALL DAY about it with Diana. She wanted you to go to Themyscira with her so that the healers over there could take care of you but no, you were having none of that...What, the only babies they helped gave birth to were made of clay ! Hell they actually never helped anyone to give birth ! Nope, you were going to a “normal” doctor, and that was that. 

Sitting in the car your brother rented for you (with a chauffeur and all), she was pouting next to you, arms crossed, and was looking away from you.

-Diana, how long are you going to act like a damn child ? 

-I’m acting like a child ?! You’re acting like a child (Y/N) ! 

-No, you’re the 3000 years old immature one right now ! 

-Oh don’t “3000 years old” me I have reasons not to trust your doctors !

-They’re not just my doctors, and go ahead then, tell me your reasons !

When you see her face changing from a mild annoyance to pure sadness, you immediately regret asking her...And when she tells you, you feel like a total asshole : 

-It’s...it’s just that...During wars...During the first and second World War, doctors would make decisions that I did not agree with. They would decide to cut someone’s limbs off while it could still be saved, they would decide to stop trying to revive someone while he still had a chance, they would...They would play God, and I do not like that. I know they had tough decisions to make, but they could have...they could have...I don’t know...

Your hand on her thigh startles her, as she got lost (once again) in the dark thoughts of what she witnessed during the two great wars. You know she still suffers from PTSD, though since she got with you it’s better...

-Diana, my love, I don’t...I Can’t...I can’t imagine what you and your friends went through during those wars. I know..I know you lost a lot of people, I know you still miss them, especially Steve but...Things have changed. I’m not going to go see a doctor and they’ll decide to just like, get rid of the baby or something. They’re not in a rush anymore. And they’re mostly good people who do that because it’s their passion to help others...Please, trust me babe. 

Her hand covering yours on her thigh, and squeezing it lightly is the only response she can give you right now. And the love shining in her eyes is enough. Of course she’ll trust you. If you say it’s ok, then so be it...She twists her body in her seat to go and kiss you, and you respond eagerly. 

And in a second, all her worries are gone, even the memories of the man she used to love, Steve Trevor, fade away, as there’s only you that counts now. You, and your future child. And oh how sweet your kiss was...

************

You thought you managed to reassure her. You though she’d be fine. But oh you were wrong. 

The first appointment went well, as the doctor didn’t really had to touch you. He explained how the future 9 months would unfold, and you listened intently. You had to admit that it was kind of funny to see Diana, in your peripheral vision, glare at your gynecologist. You were pretty sure she didn’t listen to a word he had to say, as she was too focus on sending murderous looks his way. 

It confused greatly your nice doctor, and when you both left and Diana whispered (unknowing of you of course) : “If you hurt in any way my wife or my baby, I’ll kill you”, he freaked out a little bit. 

Diana was already quite protective of you usually but oh, oh the fact that you were now bearing her child made everything worst. You were pretty sure that if she could put mattresses on the floor everywhere you went so that you could never hurt yourself, she would do it. 

It was awful. And it got even worst when your brother and nephews joined in. Only Alfred was treating like before. But oh your family ? They were driving you crazy with all their worries and such. 

Whenever someone came in a radius of 1 foot of you, Diana would glare at them and scare them away (you still remember that poor waitress that ran away because Diana send her a murderous gaze while all she wanted was fill your coffee cup)...She was turning into some kind of monster because of all of this. Your sweet, naive and nice girlfriend was in full on “I need to protect my babies” mode. Primal instinct took over her and...god you hated it. 

You always hated the fact that your brother would always somehow protect you, so now that it was your girlfriend, your girlfriend that always knew you could defend yourself so far ? It was tough. 

She never felt the need to protect you. You were, after all, the Batman’s sister, and his equal. She knew you could handle yourself. But now that you were pregnant ? Her eyes were on you each steps you took, just to make sure you’d be safe...And your brother was giving her tips as to how to do it without you noticing much ! AND THE FOOLS THOUGHT YOU WERE ACTUALLY NOT NOTICING THEIR LITTLE GAME !! OH MY GOD IT WAS MADDENING ! 

************

And Diana was still wary of doctors. 

She almost broke the end of the one that was following you when he went to touch your belly that was starting to swell up...

Oh and the freak out she had when you took the first ultra-sound. You explained to her what it was, and yet...Still freaking out. 

-WHAT IS THIS ?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY ?! 

The doctor was so frightened that he didn’t even had the strength to answer (her freak out had been going out for a good twenty minutes already) and so, with a sigh and a look of apology to the man, you said : 

-I told you Diana, it’s ok, it’s nothing. Just an ultra-sound, it...

-An ultra-son ? We’re having a boy ? What does it mean for him to be “ultra” ? And what...

With another roll of your eyes, you cut her off before she looses it and say :

-Ultra-sounD. It’s just to check if the baby is ok. 

-...How ? 

You look at the doctor, who was just looking at you two, completely stunned (on what kind of crazy people did he fell that time ?), and after a few seconds of you and your girlfriend staring at him, he understands that he has to talk...And so he does. He explains exactly what an ultra sound is, and Diana calms down. 

She actually looks genuinely interested. Though whenever the doctor touches you she gives him very dirty looks, when he points out your baby, your little one;..You can visibly see a tear in her eyes.

************

A boy. It’s a boy. 

And so it seems like the Waynes’ will only have boys in the family...You’re totally fine with that. Besides, if you ever decide to have another kid, maybe it’ll be a girl ? 

By now Diana is reassured about the ultra-sounds but...Whenever the doctor do something she deem suspicious, she gets between him and you and, because she’s a damn tall woman and your doctor is ridiculously short, she stares him down and ask a detailed explanation of what he’s about to do before letting him do anything...It’s cute and very annoying at the same time. 

Fortunately, you fell on the only doctor probably that went along and explained each time, very patiently and all, as he understood by now that if she reacted that way it was because she was very worried for you and the baby (though he still didn’t get why she kept referring to him as a “Men’s World’s doctor”...). 

He had to admit though, there were few moments he was genuinely scared for his life, but whenever “Diana” was getting a bit too extreme, too protective, too questioning..You’d set her straight and, with a kiss to her forehead or cheek or even lips, she’d calm down completely and be relaxed for the rest of the appointment. 

It like you were magical, the only one that could soothe her...and that’s exactly what you were. Diana would have never accepted any “Men’s World’s doctors” to take care of the birth of her baby, not after what she saw during the wars, and she “endured” it only for you, because she loved you too damn much and the power you had over her should frighten her but...it just seemed to make her feel happier than ever. 

************

You’re both wrapped around each other, her arms slumped around you shoulders, legs tangled, your face in the crook of her neck and hers buried in your hair when...A weird wet sensation and a brutal shift in your attitude wakes her up. 

-The baby is coming. 

Is the only thing you have to tell her before, without thinking, she takes your suitcase you both prepared for the hospital, and, wrapping you in your robe, flies out of the window and takes you to the nearest hospital. Thanks god there was no witness or camera around...

************

Thankfully, Bruce arrived shortly after (the news quickly spread through Gotham City, that (Y/N) Wayne was in the hospital giving birth to a new member of the famous family), and was there to calm Diana down. 

Him and your nephews had to jump on her to stop her from bursting in the delivery room, and they only succeeded because Bruce told her that it would be dangerous to enter the place without being sterilized before ! 

But your screams (you arrived too late for an epidural anesthesia) were a torture to her, and oh she wanted to run into the room to kick everyone’s ass for not helping you better !! She sat on the floor, wrapping herself in her arms, knees to her chin, trying to ignore your screams of pain, that reminded her way too much of what she heard on the battlefield...

Thankfully, your brother was there, and your nephews too. They gave her their support. They gave their “sister” and aunt all their love, all their attention. Hugging her close to their heart, making sure she’d feel better as you were giving birth to your first child. 

************

-Can we...Can we call him Thomas ? Like my father...

You ask shyly. You two never actually discussed name and you were somewhat afraid that she’d refused but...of course she doesn’t. She understands. She knows how close you were from your dad, how much you miss him even now, years and years after his death...And so, Thomas it is. 

Thomas Steven Prince-Wayne. 

It’s a ridiculously long name. But oh it fits him so well. It’s a royal name, and it’s perfect for him. Him and his tiny hands that already tries to grab everything...

Thomas Steven Prince-Wayne. 

The name makes headline of every newspaper the next day. 

His eyes are already opening, and he reacts each time he ears you or Diana. He visibly moves whenever his mothers’ voice resonate in the room...Each times, it makes him fall asleep peacefully. 

He doesn’t cry, and you’re convinced it’s because of the Teddy Bear Bruce brought...He doesn’t cry, and Diana is sure it’s because he takes after your calm nature. He doesn’t cry and it worries the both of you a bit but...

It’s a perfectly healthy boy. 

Thomas Steven Prince-Wayne. 

When Diana holds him for the first time, when the doctor she distrusted so much finally puts him in her arms...She’s speechless. 

Her son. It’s her son...Her tiny baby...

She already loves him more than anything else in the world (except for you maybe), and when she whispers a low “thank you” to the doctor she despised all those months, he knows why he’s doing this job. 

She tries her best not to cry, but she cannot help it. 

Sitting on the side of your bed, she cries. Cries and cries some more as she holds her tiny son against her heart. 

You wipe her tears with the tip of your fingers, weak, but not weak enough to not care for her, and as she lays her boy back in his crib because he fell asleep as she was whispering words of love to him, she lays down besides you and you two fall asleep in each others’ arms. 

Thomas Steven Prince-Wayne. 

A ridiculously long name. For a boy destined to do ridiculously great things. 

Fin (?).

________________

I’m afraid I got Diana out of character, and I feel like I didn’t make the relationship between Diana and reader sweet or believable enough...And afraid that meh. It’s kind of a mess. Uh. UH. Thanks for reading anyway...Hope you aren’t disappointed. 

Also I have another request with the sentence starter “where is our child” with Wonder Woman, and should I use this particular kid, Thomas, or start from scratch ? You choose. Basically, do you want a “part 2″ ?

[thespookyswan]

Us and Them

AO3

Chapter 2

Out of all the terrible situations that Geoff had been in throughout his life, this one could only be labeled as one thing: the most god damn shitty position he was ever put in. Geoff had lived a very, very long life- an immortal being of his age is bound to be thrust into plenty of god awful situations- but this one, right now, was the god damn most shitty. A million and one things had happened to him in all his years on this forsaken planet, and yet, this tiny, tiny situation threatened to be the one to uproot everything he’d worked for.

“Geoff.” Jack spoke, broken the ghostly silence that filled the room.

“Jesus, Geoff, you didn’t have to fucking shoot the kid!” Michael said, taking a step back from the scene before them.

Truth be told, Michael was right. Geoff didn’t have to shoot Aleks. He could have brushed these idiot kids off just like they did with every group that came to them, wanting to join the Fakes, wanting to prove themselves, wanting to get rich and famous like them. These fucking kids though- they were the most annoying, and persistent group that had come after them.

There were three of them there- well, two now- James, Trevor, and a quite dead Aleks. Geoff really wished he didn’t know their stupid fucking names, but they’d been told them several times in the previous month the ‘Fake Chops’ had been following them around like ducklings. The remaining two were staring at the body of their now dead friend, both in total shock.

“I didn’t have to shoot him. And yet I did.” Geoff grumbled in return to them, reloading his gun and then pointing it at James, who took a serious stumble back in shock.

“Whoa man, calm down, we don’t want any trouble!” James said as quickly as he possibly could as Trevor rushed to hide behind him, “You already shot Aleks, you don’t have to fucking shoot us too-“

“I do have to shoot you. Because you saw me shoot Aleks. And that would just open a big fucking can of worms I really don’t have the time to deal with right now.” Geoff sighed, titling his head to the side, and looking James in the eye.

“Geoff. They’re just kids.” Gavin spoke up, grasping at Geoff’s arm to try and convince him not to pull the trigger- but he still did. All the Fake AH flinched as the bullet struck James between the eyes, and he fell back into the wall of the old barn they were currently in.

“Holy fuck. Oh my god, holy fuck.” Trevor stood alone, staring at his dead companions, and breathing fast. He attempted to grab his gun, but before his hand was even on his hip Geoff had fired the third and final bullet into his head.

The same silence that had fallen across the room when Geoff first pulled the trigger returned as the Fakes stared at the three bodies before them. Ryan let out a long sigh, pulling his mask up and off his face.

“That was pretty bad, Geoff.” He said, and the rest of the crew began to nod their heads in agreement.

“Listen, Ryan. They brought us here to this shitty fucking barn, lying about a deal to get to talk to us, and they’re going on about immortality. About our fucking fountain, like they know where it’s at, like they’ve fucking drank from it. I don’t need that shit. So, they’re better off dead.” Geoff replied harshly, sending a glare in Ryan’s direction. Ryan held his hands up in defense, and no one else said another word.

“Burn the barn down. I don’t want any trace of these three. Make sure they’re incinerated.” Geoff turned his back on them, and left the barn. Gavin and Jack followed him after Ryan, Michael, and Jeremy agreed to handle the burning.

“You have to admit, Geoff, that was still pretty harsh.” Gavin said as they got into the car, leaning forward from where he was sat in the back.

“Yes. It was harsh.” Jack scolded, looking at Geoff from the corner of his eyes, “They were annoying, and stupid, sure. They didn’t deserve to die like that though. We have rules, Geoff, rules you put into place for us to follow. You can’t just go breaking them because a bunch of kids come talking about some shit they probably read on a Reddit post about us.”

“Yeah! People say shit about us all the time. Everyone thinks we can’t die. I mean, sure we can’t, but- it’s all just silly speculations to a sane person. And anyway- the fountain is blocked off anyway now. They couldn’t have drunk from it if they tried.” Gavin agreed with Jack, fiddling on his phone and trying to show Geoff some post about them being immortal.

Geoff sat in silence, staring out the window of the passenger side of the car. He could see the barn catching fire behind them as Jack drove them back down the dirt road they’d come up barley a half hour before. Something in those flames felt wrong. Something in those flames felt… familiar.

--

A week had passed since the incident at the barn. Most of them had moved on from it, continuing their plans for the next heist or doing whatever busy work Geoff gave them to keep everything running smoothly. Geoff was the only one who couldn’t shake what had happened that night from his thoughts. It wasn’t like it was weighing on his conscious or any stupid shit like that- it was just that fire. What he saw in the flames. What that could possibly mean for his crew.

Geoff was old. Really fucking old. If he could pinpoint a time when he was born, he’d say sometime around 1580. He was born in France- he would not forget where he was from, even though he lived there for a very short time. He grew up alone in the colonies after both of his parents passed away of some illness he could no longer remember, and pretty much jumped from place to place, town to town trying to find some place to make his own. That’s how he found the fountain.

Tucked away in a cave, on some mountain, on a very snowy night, Geoff had come across a pristine, untouched fountain that came from the ground, with water so clear he could see into his soul when he saw his reflection. He’d taken one sip of the water and knew he was changed- something ran through his blood so cold that he swear he was going to freeze there on the spot. Though he hadn’t known it then, he’d found the fountain of life- a fountain that would curse him and bless him- a fountain that kept death’s hands away from him.

He died the next day. While out searching for something, anything to eat, he’d slipped right down a hill and broke his neck. He woke up by the fountain, naked, new, and alive. There was something about the way he felt when he took his first breath of new life that told him he was meant for this. Something that kept all of his fear tucked away, and made him so damn excited for what was going to come now.

He built his life above that fountain- destroying everything around it to build his home above it, to keep its glorious secret away from the rest of the world. He told himself that if the fountains gift was meant for someone else, they would have already found it- he felt like some sort of god with the power he had now, simply sitting under his feet when he fucked, or made a deal, or just simply made dinner. He had no fear of anything anymore- he could die anywhere and simply wake up in his home.

The fountain was blocked off now. At some point in his journey, after he met most of his companions, he made that choice. Now he simply had bottles of the water, tucked away in a vault in a place only he knew. Each of his crew had a single bottle as well- just in case they ever needed it, for anything. These were people he trusted with his life- bad analogy, but it was still true- so he knew that they would never use the secret for bad.

The remains of the fountain were still under his feet- he never dared to move his home from that spot. His crew would always wake up there, in a place that they knew was home, in a place that they knew was safe. In a place he knew they’d be safe.

“Geoff, you all right?” Jeremy was watching him think- sitting across the room, cleaning his mask, or at least pretending to. Geoff knew he was worried- Jeremy always knew when he was thinking too much for his own good.

“I’m fine, J. Thank you for asking.” Geoff put a big smile on for Jeremy, who couldn’t help but smile right back at him with a slightly relieved chuckle. Geoff felt blessed to have Jeremy- of course, he was blessed to have everyone on his clue. His boys- his boyfriends- they meant everything to him. They’d shattered the solitude he’d been living in, helped him out of the hellish world he’d lived in for such a long time. He would do anything for them. Anything.

He told himself that killing those ‘Fake Chops’ was to protect them. He knew they were just a bunch of stupid, annoying kids that just wanted some validation from people they looked up to. And he killed them.

His phone rang then. Which was odd- at this point in the day, everyone was back at home. He never got calls this late. He still answered, pulling the phone to his face and answering, “Ramsey, go ahead-“

“I just wanted to thank you, Geoff.” A voice he’d never heard before broke through before he could even finish his sentence. Geoff pressed his brows together and tried to connect any sort of dot that could tell him who this was.

“I’m sorry. Thank me for what? Who is this?” He asked, and received a low chuckle from the other end.

“You can call me Brett. I… I’m in charge of the Fake Chops. You did me quite the favor- I was sure I’d have to kill those idiots myself to test it out. But you did it for me.” Brett sounded too cocky for Geoff’s liking, and he almost went to hang up- until he heard something that made his world freeze.

“Brett, just tell him we’re alive. Stupid fucking-“ James spoke, the James that Geoff had left with his brains splattered on the wall. The James he burned. His heart began to slam in his chest and he slammed the phone down then, causing Jeremy to jump where he sat.

“Geoff? Who was that?” Jeremy asked, but Geoff couldn’t reply. His world was spinning, spinning so fast. How could those kids have gotten their hands on any sort of bottle? His were all locked away, and his crew would have never just given it out to them. Not to mention, he’d never seen James, or Aleks, or Trevor appear in his home.

He pounded his fist down hard on his desk, unable to think fast enough. Jeremy jumped yet again, and Jack peaked his head into the office with concern plastered on his face.

“Those fucking kids are alive! They didn’t die! I thought I told you to burn them, Jeremy!” Geoff yelled, standing up then. He was trying to find any reason outside of the fountain. Any. Fucking. Reason. Maybe he just had really bad aim, or those kids had thick skulls. They could have just pretended to be dead until the fire started and-

“We- we did! We stayed until the place was all down, Geoff, I swear!” Jeremy yelped, not used to being yelled at like this. Geoff swept his hands across his desk in one brutal, swift motion, sending things flying. Jack and Jeremy watched, both with shock written all over their faces.

“How the hell could they have gotten their hands on a bottle! There is no way, not one way that they could have!” Geoff crouched down, staring at the mess before him. Jack and Jeremy said nothing, neither of them coming up with an idea either.

Geoff didn’t have to look far before the pieces fit. A purple sticky note sat on top of his now smashed computer, and he started to laugh as he realized just where they could have gotten a bottle.

“Ray.”

[dcreed013]

Chapter 3: The Grimoire

Ellie woke that morning to the sound of a bird calling directly above her. She stared at the ring of early morning sky for awhile, disoriented. Then yesterday’s events began to replay and slowly sank back into her, and her stomach felt heavier as she recalled that she was still a ways from home.

She turned her head and glanced over to her right to spot her new companion, Chevias. He was still asleep, his back to her and his tail lying twisted in the dirt like a huge snake. The tail twitched occasionally and Ellie was once again amazed and slightly alarmed at how bizarrely quite Chevias was. Thanks to her father and older brothers, she had been under the impression that all men’s snoring sounded like wild animal growls or saws going thorough wood. But Chevias’ snore was so quiet and soft that it was almost indistinguishable from the rustling of the leaves in the trees above her. She was half convinced he wasn’t actually sleeping, but his lack of response when she softly called his name proved he was.

Ellie got the distinct feeling that walking over to him and shaking him awake would result in her being smacked across the clearing , so instead she sat up and tossed a rock near him. It clacked loudly on another rock near his head, and the witch bolted upright with a startled and sleepy mumble. He came to his senses with amazing speed, considering Ellie had spent about five minutes groggily staring at the sky, and looked over at her.

“Oh right…morning.”

“Good morning….”

Chevias yawned loudly and started stretching, reminding Ellie of the old cats in Flatrend. Ellie tried to get up and was met with a sharp pain in her back and aches in her legs. Chevias noticed her rubbing at her back, “Stiff back? Sleeping on the ground’ll do that. Try twisting and popping it, like this.” He demonstrated and Ellie copied him, flinching in horror as her back made a series of loud popping sounds. However, it did help the pain, and Ellie was able to stand up and look around.

The fire pit in the middle was now just ashes, the smell of smoke still hanging in the air. She looked down at herself and found that the bright yellow of her dress was getting dull with dirt. ‘Just as well,’ she supposed, ‘it was annoyingly bright anyway.’

Chevias was nice enough to let Ellie have some of the water from his waterskin, though it was made of some hard metal and he called it a canteen. She shared some of her bread and cheese the old woman had given her for breakfast, and the two made their way back to the main road to continue their trip.

This walk was much like the yesterdays, though there was less terrified silence on Ellie’s part. They talked for most of the way, but this time Ellie found that Chevias was less willing to talk about himself, to her annoyance and frustration. Ellie was extremely curious about witches, but whenever Ellie asked him a question about him or witches, he would either flip it around to ask about her or smoothly change the subject.

“So, what’s your family like?”

“Oh, what you’d expect. What about yours?”

The chat had been going on in this fashion for a while and at this point, Ellie was quite annoyed with his suddenly suspicious behavior. She put her hands on her hips and huffed, “Alright, why are you acting strange? You were so chatty yesterday, and now you’re dodging my questions!”

He looked a little caught off guard by Ellie’s directness, “What? I’m not dodging.”

“Yes you are!”

He sighed and paused for a moment, thinking about something, before replying. “Ok, look Ellie. The fact of the matter is, part of my job includes keeping my mouth closed about it. Apparently, the higher ups aren’t comfortable with people knowing a lot about witches, so they tell us that the most important part is to keep quiet and not cause any scenes. An annoyingly big part of our training is keeping up conversations while being what they call ‘diplomatic’.” He put that last word in air quotes.

“What they really mean is that they don’t want non-witches in witch business, so they train us to shut our yaps about it.”

Ellie was incredulous about this, “But what about that big story yesterday?”

“I’m allowed to tell people what I’m doing, not why I’m doing it. Plus, you were jumping at shadows yesterday. Let’s just say there’s a big, long list of subjects that are a no-no, ok?”

“Talking about your family is a no-no?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, but stayed silent.

“Right, no-no. Well then, can you just tell me if you’re not allowed to talk about a subject instead of jumping over it? This is all sounding really suspicious.”  

He sighed again, sounding exasperated, “Yeah, I know it does. I’ve told my boss a big part of why people don’t like witches is how shady we’re told to act. But she just-” he cut himself off.

“…No-no?”

“Yup, yeah, that was a no-no. Say, why don’t you tell me about your family now, before I start running my mouth again?”

So Ellie talked about her family for a long while. She talked about Wormwood farm’s history, about the dragon scale roof, and about town. She found that talking about her life was a far more productive course of conversation than Chevias’. It seemed every time she ventured to ask about his personal life, he had to shut her down for it being against the rules.

Ellie couldn’t fathom why his ‘higher ups’ were against him talking about his parents or school, or even about where he lives on the occasions he’s not traveling. She didn’t know how they would know if he did talk about them, but when she voiced this question, he just shook his head again. It was quite frustrating, so instead of trying to pry information out of him, she buried her curiosity and tried to focus on chatting about the other kids in town and how big a deal the adult made of the school teacher’s alleged affair with the butcher.

“I’m actually not really sure what an ‘affair’ is, but it must be something really terrible for the adults to almost kick them out of town over it. Do know what it is Chevias?”

He had seemed to be amused by the small town gossip, but Ellie was surprised by how loud he laughed at that question. His laugh was sharp and barking, and surprisingly shrill compared to his normal voice. He quickly reigned himself in and chuckled, “That’s something for your parents to tell you, not me. So, did they get kicked out?”  

               As a matter a fact, they hadn’t. Ellie hadn’t been there to hear it, but apparently there had been a big commotion in the square one afternoon while she was helping her brothers fix the henhouse roof. After that incident, the townspeople stopped pestering the teacher as much and instead focused on the teenage son of a merchant who lived in town. She relayed this to Chevias.

               “Why’d they do that?”

               Ellie shrugged, “I kept hearing different stories. Harriet Row told me that he made a mess of the statue in the middle of town, but Eddy Warthren said he’d harassed a lady and had a fight with her husband. Then Sarah Trout said he’d set off some kind of explosion, Trevor Grove said he won a duel to the death in the square, and Patrick Morton said that he’d let a bunch of wild cat’s loose on a fish merchant! By the time I heard about it, there were a thousand different stories!”

               “You couldn’t just ask someone who was there?”

               Ellie threw up her hands, “You think I didn’t try that? Every time I asked someone who supposedly saw it, they’d just brush me off and say ‘never mind all that’!”  

               Ellie was surprised she could talk about her town so much. She had always been under the impression that Flatrend was a boring place where not much of note happened. But every time she thought she’d exhausted a thread of conversation, she remembered another funny or odd thing that happened. She had also been worried that Chevias would quickly get bored of the silly nonsense and stop paying attention to it, but she found that either he was genuinely interested in the goings on of a small town, or he was just an excellent listener. Anyone else she knew would’ve tuned out long ago.  

               As she recounted the tale of when a horde of the town’s troublemaking kids had plucked a bunch her family’s chickens so they could tar and feather the statue in town square, Chevias stopped walking abruptly and interrupted.

               “Hey, we’re almost there.”

               She stopped next to him, “Almost where? I don’t see the town.”

               Indeed, it had been several hours, but they were still far from town. Chevias pointed over to the right side of the road, “This is the turn off for where I’m going. It’s a bit of a detour, but there’s a way to get to Tyman from there to.” He paused a bit, “This way might even be safer than the main road.”

               He started heading for the edge of the forest before looking back at her, “Last chance to change your mind. Are you coming or not?”

               “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

               Ellie dashed after him and followed him off the road. Unlike the path to the clearing, which had been completely hidden aside from the scratches of Witch-Speak on the trees, this path was marked by nothing more than a thin deer trail. Ellie had a bit of trouble pushing through the thick brush, but Chevias seemed to know the path down to each step to take.

               “So where are we going?”

               “To a small, unnamed lake. It shouldn’t be far. I was told it was about a ten minute walk from the road.”

               “You were told? You mean you’ve never been there before?!”

“No, not to this place specifically. Don’t worry, I know where I’m going. I don’t get lost.”

His confidence made Ellie want to believe him, but she wasn’t entirely certain anyone could keep they’re bearings in the forest like this. If it wasn’t for the barely-there deer trail, she wouldn’t have known if they were going straight or in circles.

After a few minutes of walking deeper into the forest, doubt started to creep up from the recesses of her mind. The darkness of the foliage and the stiff air were causing her mind to swing back to the anxiety that had been waiting to resurface. ‘Idiot,’ a voice told her, ‘you’re an idiot! You should’ve waved goodbye to him back on the road and made your merry way to Tyman. But nooo, you decided to put your faith in a witch! You let one of the most notoriously untrustworthy creatures in all of creation lead you off the road and to Thia knows where!’

‘Chevias has been nothing but nice and helpful,’ Ellie argued with the voice. ‘Yes he’s a little suspicious, but if he’s not allowed to talk about things, then I should respect that. Besides, he didn’t force me to follow him! I had every opportunity to go on without him!’

‘Then why didn’t you?!’

Ellie wrestled with her doubt for a long time, not even noticing that she was making a very troubled face that Chevias could clearly see. He didn’t try to snap her out of it though. If anything, he found the fact that everything she thought showed on her face rather funny.

So he didn’t bother her fight with her inner turmoil until they finally reached the lake. He had to reach out and grab her shoulder to keep her from walking right into it.

“Ah!” The feeling of his hand brought her back to reality quickly.

“Watch out. It’s a steep drop down.”

So it was. Ellie looked around at the strange lake. If you could call it a lake, that is. It was almost perfectly round, and about ten feet in diameter. The water in it was a murky green from algae and lily pads, and the bottom of it was completely obscured so you couldn’t tell how deep it was. It had less of a bank than a steep drop into the dark water. It had no sign of a creek or stream running through it. It looked more like a man-made pond than something you’d find in the middle of a forest. “Chevias, you said we were going to a lake. This doesn’t look like a lake.”

He scratched his head, a little puzzled, “Yeah, it does. Errol told me it was a lake, so I thought it’d be bigger.” He started digging through his bag and mumbled, “Though I suppose it is a lake for someone his size.”

“What?”

“Anyways, this is defiantly it. Look here.” He walked over to and crouched beside a rock that was sitting besides the pond. Ellie joined him to see that the rock had some now familiar looking scratches. Below the scratches and taking up the majority of the rock was peculiar handprint with only four digits; the thumb and three fingers.

“What’s this?”

“The entrance.”

Chevias finally pulled what he’d been looking for out of his bag. It was a slim book with a silvery, metallic-looking cover. Ellie looked at it with wide eyes. “What’s that?”

He smiled, “This is a grimoire. Can’t tell you more than that though. Sorry.”

Ellie pouted as he opened the book to reveal…blank pages. The pages of the book were a little odd, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was about them that was strange. She raised her brow, “It’s blank.”

“Yup.”

Chevias ran his finger down the center of the book and, to Ellie’s shock and amazement, the book lit up with bright green lettering. She gasped as the green light crisscrossed into Witch-Speak across the pages. Then, as she watched, Chevias gave the book a command. He only said one word, and she would bet it was in Witch-Speak because she’d never heard anything like it.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t tell.”

She huffed, “So you can do whatever this is right in front of my face, but you can’t tell me what it is?”

“Yeah, that’s how it works.”

“That’s stupid. These are stupid rules.”

“They are, but I still have to follow them. Now pipe down.”

She didn’t know what it was he told the book to do, but the characters on the book pages flashed and changed, settling into a single line of letters. Chevias tapped those letters with his finger and then the pages once again filled up with Witch-Speak. Chevias gave another command and the letters flashed and changed once more. This time he took the time to read what was on the page instead of poking at it.

“Ok…ok, simple enough. Easy.”

He reached over to the stone and placed his hand over the print, pressing his pinky and ring finger together so they’d fit into the groove made for one. After settling it into the indent, he glanced back over at Ellie, “Stand back, ok?”

She obeyed and hopped away from him as he looked back at the book and read aloud from it. He rattled off a string of Witch-Speak that sent a chill up Ellie’s spine. From the snippets he’d said, she could gather that Witch-Speak was a language mostly comprised of hard constantan sounds and lots of ‘sh’ noises. It wasn’t a pretty sounding language, like Runic or Hedeshoi. It was slithering and clicking, harsh and sharp, like the lettering that matched it.

As the last syllable left Chevias’ tongue, the scratching above the hand print started to glow the same green as the grimoire, and the ground trembled a bit as the sound of rushing water filled Ellie’s ears.  She looked back at the pond to see that the murky water was draining from the pond at a startling rate, disappearing within a few minutes.

Ellie peered into the now empty hole in the ground, astounded, as Chevias stood up. She saw that the muddy water had been concealing the fact that the pond was quite deep; a little deeper than Chevias was tall. “Well, that’ll do. Come on.”

She gaped at him, “Come? Come where?”

Then he hopped down in the hole and landed without slipping on the slimy pond scum and vegetation that had sunk to the bottom. He turned back to her and held out his arms, “Come on down, I’ll catch you.”

The look on her face told him what she thought of that.

“Don’t worry, I won’t drop you. Unless you’d rather try to come down yourself.”

Ellie was always a little frightened by heights, as her father can attest from when he tried to put her on his shoulders. Although the drop wasn’t terribly high, it was still a little under six feet. Ellie was a rather small for her age, and she only came up to about the bottom of Chevias’ ribcage. She looked for another option but found that the walls of the pond were made of a smooth stone; it was defiantly manmade. With no way to climb down, she sighed and steeled herself.

She dropped off the edge and quickly landed in Chevias’ arms, who barely dipped down under her weight. She didn’t know if she should be surprised by how strong his arms felt considering how skinny he was, or not at all considering she watched him drag a bear off the road.

Either way, he set her down on her feet quickly. “Alright, start kinda shifting all the debris around. There should be a hatch door on the floor.”

It wasn’t one minute before Ellie tripped over it. She would’ve landed with her face in the algae if Chevias hadn’t lashed his tail out and caught her by the waist with it. His tail was as thin and flexible as a length of rope and just as solid and steady under her weight as his arms. She was genuinely creeped out by it, only able to remember a picture of a snake squeezing the life out of its prey she’d once seen in a book, but sputtered a thank you as he uncoiled it from her and walked closer to see the door.  

He crouched down and wiped the debris off it, revealing a metal door with no visible handle, knob, or hinges. Instead, there was only another one of those strange handprints on the center of it within a circle of Witch-Speak. Chevias opened like he drained the pond; he put his hand on it and read a line from the grimoire. This time, it wasn’t as responsive. The letters flickered a bit, as though trying to obey him, but having trouble doing so.

               “Come on you piece of….” He muttered and banged on the hatch. The lights blinked on and stayed steady as a soft whirring noise sounded, and the door swung up and opened by itself. It revealed a hole going down with ladder rungs protruding from one side. Ellie peered down and could see that there was a landing not too far down that lead to a narrow corridor that sloped down into darkness.

               “What in Thia’s name IS all this?”

               Chevias was already starting to climb down the ladder rungs, “It’s an old bunker. Two-hundred years or so ago we built hidden bunkers like this to house soldiers for the war. They’re scattered around, but most of them have been forgotten. Records of this one were only recently dug up.”  

               Ellie started down the ladder after him, “I’ve never heard of anything like this!”

               “I’d be surprised if you did. I didn’t think there was any this far west, but I guess they managed to scrap this one together right before the tables turned.”

               “Wait, is it ok for me to be here?” As she asked this, Ellie reached the bottom of the ladder and stepped onto the landing, squinting into the darkness to see what looked like entryways lining the walls of the hallway.

               Chevias nodded, “Yeah, it should be fine. It’s not like it’s a secret that places like this exist. There’s one over in Ovanhagen that’s been converted into a kind of museum.”

               Chevias reached over to the wall beside him and firmly placed his hand on some kind of panel, and then the dark gloom of the bunker was alleviated by a red glow from the rooms lining the halls that spilled through the doorways. The whirring noise sounded again and Ellie looked back up to see that the trapdoor was closing on its own. As it shut, there was a faint but strange sound that a little like wheezing that was followed by the muffled sound of running water. Now that the door was closed, the pond was refilling.

               Chevias started walking down the path and Ellie hesitated a moment before following him. The corridor was just wide enough for two adults to walk abreast, and was oddly sloping downwards, but the rooms were level, as Ellie saw when she passed the nearest one. The rooms were huge and filled with dusty looking beds. The bedding was mostly tattered cloths and what looked like rolled up clothes for pillows. The red light shone from a huge plate in the ceiling, strangely bright and vivid and cast deep shadows across this gloomy, forgotten place.

               Each door had scratching of Witch-Speak above them that also glowed that menacing red. She wasn’t entirely certain, but Ellie could guess that they denoted what kind of room was below them. As they descended, they passed one set of what she assumed were barracks after another, until finally the hall leveled out. Ellie had no idea how deep underground they were, but the mere thought of it was about to give her a bout of claustrophobia.

               To combat the panic that was welling up in her chest, she started talking again. “Chevias, why are the lights red here?” She had expected her voice to echo, but the echo she got was far louder and creepier than what she expected. Her voice reverberated for a full minute before finally dissipating.

               “Red light is easy on the eyes. If someone stumbled in here at night, they wouldn’t be totally blinded by it.”

               “Oh…well, umm…can you tell me what happened here?”

               Chevias glanced at her before quickly looking away, his face hard as the stone around them. “I know rural towns don’t have the best schools, but I know they teach you that much.”

               Ellie gulped and cowered at his sharp tone, falling a few steps behind him, “Sorry.”

               “Ellie, for future reference, NEVER bring that up around a witch. Some are a lot more sensitive about it than others.”

                 “I’m sorry…I really don’t know exactly what happened though. They’ve taught me about the Great War and before, but they always skip what came after. Whenever I ask about it, the adults tell me that it’s something complicated and that they’ll tell me when I’m older.” She wrung her hands nervously, trying to keep her voice from trembling, “…It must have been something really bad though…I can tell.”

               Chevias sighed, “I guess that makes sense. You’re still a kid after all….” He stopped and turned to her suddenly, startling her. “Listen, when they do teach you about it, they’re probably gonna tell you a lot of…” he trailed off, looking for the right wording. “Well…just keep in mind that every story has two sides, ok?”

               Ellie wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but nodded anyway. She guessed it would make sense when she was older. As much as that notion annoyed her, right now she just wanted this uncomfortable conversation to end. Asking about the time after the Great War had clearly been a mistake; the stale air in this bunker was almost suffocating with tension and Ellie was wishing she’d kept her mouth shut.

               Chevias spun around and started down the hall again, “Sorry if I scared you. Come on, we’re almost there.”

               She didn’t bother asking where exactly ‘there’ was, but followed him silently. The idea that maybe she should’ve parted ways with him back on the road flittered through her mind again, and not for the last time.

               It was about another five minutes of awkward and silent walking before they finally reached something other than barracks. The right side of the hallway suddenly gave way to a gigantic room and the left side was adorned with the only actual door they’d seen down here. The door was wooden and had a glass window at the top of it, but it was oddly opaque and dappled looking. Both had more glowing Witch-Speak to their sides, and the giant room was lit by another plate of crimson, this one enormous. It was full of tables and chairs, with what looked like in the gloom long counters towards the back.

               Chevias spoke up, “That must’ve been the cafeteria. And that’s the main office. Come on, we’re going to the-“

               A long, loud grumbling sound interrupted him and Ellie grabbed at her stomach, her face heating up.

               Chevias was clearly trying his best not to laugh in her face, “Pfft…yeah, it is about noon, isn’t it? We can sit down and eat first.”

               He walked over to the table nearest to the entrance and pulled out a chair. He frowned at the tabletop and swept his arm over it, sending a cascade of dust flying to the ground.

               Ellie delicately walked over, looking cautiously around the room. As hungry as she was, the idea of eating in this tomb was intimidating. The idea of the shadows leaping at her didn’t seem so silly here, and she wondered how the soldiers that were once quarted here could stand it. Even so, she forced herself to sit at the still somewhat dusty table across from Chevias and pulled the last of her bread and cheese out of her basket. “The lady only gave me enough for myself, so there’s not much left….”

               “That’s ok. I’ve got…” he rooted around in his bag, “…jerky!” He pulled a small bag filled with sticks of dried meat out. Combining that with the bread and cheese made for a decent meal, and Ellie stuffed down all she could get.

               “Take it easy Ellie. We’ll be in Tyman by tonight and we can get dinner at an inn, ok?”

               She swallowed her last bite of bread, “Speaking of which, what will we do about food for the way to Flatrend?”

               “I’ll spot you a bag in town so you can carry some things-”

               “I-!”

               “Don’t argue. We’ll buy some provisions the morning after we get there. We’ll spend the next night to rest and head out the next morning. If we can get someone to give us a ride, we’ll do that. But we have to be prepared if no one wants to. Then we’ll make our way and I’ll hunt for dinner most nights. Sound like a plan?”

               “It does…I suppose….” Ellie wasn’t too happy about having to spend an extra night in Tyman, but she supposed it was necessary for the long walk ahead of them.

               “…Wait Chevias, you’re going to pay for all this? Do you even have the money?” Ellie recalled his story about being stranded in Weshan because his employers gave him the bare minimum, so how could he have enough to pay for all this?

               At first she expected him to say that he wasn’t allowed to tell her, but he responded with, “You remember that I had a run in with goblins last night? Well,” he pulled a very fat and bloodstained coin purse out of his bag, looking a bit smug. “This should cover it.”

It was the fattest bag of coins she’d ever seen, and she was a bit impressed that a band of goblins managed to get a hold of that much. “Yeah, that should work. But can I ask you something I’ve always wondered? What do goblins need with money anyway? I always hear about how they steal things and raid towns, but I’ve never heard about one actually using the money they steal.”

Chevias shrugged, “I don’t know, I’ve wondered the same thing myself. They’re not smart enough to use it for anything and no one would sell to a goblin even if they tried bartering. Maybe they’re just dumb.”

He laughed and pocketed the purse again, “On the bright side, if I’m ever strapped for cash I can just find some goblins. Even a little group of them is bound to have some money on them, and they’re not hard to find.”

               True enough, but the way she was sure Chevias took the money from them made Ellie pity goblins, even if just a bit. He gave the impression that he didn’t care for goblins enough to give them a chance to run, and she was glad she wasn’t in their position.

               ‘Not that that’s my business. I’ve never actually met any goblins, but I’ve heard they’re nasty creatures. He’s probably doing the kingdom a big favor by getting rid of them.’

               Chevias tucked away the rest of the jerky and stood from his chair, “Alright, let’s get moving. The sooner we’re out of here the better.” Ellie couldn’t have agreed with that statement more and stood up with him. They reentered the hallway and Chevias walked over to the door he had earlier identified as an office. He put his hand on the panel next to the door that was much like the one that turned on the lights.

               The panel flashed red and gave five long, annoying sounding beeps, then did nothing.

               Chevias  growled, “Uggghhh…” Then he grumbled something in Witch-Speak that Ellie was ninety percent certain was a swear.

               “What’s wrong?”

               “It’s only supposed to open for authorized personnel. Stand back, I’m going to bust it open.”

               She jumped a few feet away, “How?”

               He hesitated with his hand on the door, “…Ok, I’m gonna do something, but freak out, ok? It’s totally normal and I’m not going to hurt you.”

               Ellie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She was sure that he was about to open the door the same way he killed the bear, the goblins, and skinned last night’s dinner. Last night she had been scared of him enough to not want to know, but now her curiosity far outweighed that. So she nodded, “Ok, I won’t.”

               “Alright. Just stay back; I don’t want any glass hitting you.”

               Ellie stared at him intently, waiting for him to do something odd. She waited a moment and nothing seemed to happen. He just stood there, his shoulders and tail stiff as he expected  her to start screaming. She flicked her eyes down and up, then down again as she finally saw what had changed.

               What had been Chevias’ oddly pale, but otherwise perfectly normal hands had been replaced. Now they were pitch black, and each finger had been replaced by a long, sharp looking claw. Ellie’s breath hitched and a squeak escaped her throat.

               “It’s ok!” Chevias held up his new hands, “This is just something I can do! Please don’t scream, the echoes in here are bad enough at normal volume!”

               Ellie let out her breath and forced herself to suck in one after another to prevent a scream, “Ok, I’m alright. W-what exactly is that?”

               He waved his hand and Ellie could swear she heard the faintest sound of splitting air as the knife-like claws swept through the air. “They’re my hands.”

               “I can see that, but happened to them?!”

               “It’s just something I can do. It’s as normal for me as being able to walk is to you.”

               “Can…can all witches do that? I’ve never heard that witches could do that.”

               Chevias sighed and put his hands on his hips, rolling his eyes.

               “You can’t tell me? Fine…just-just open the door already. I want to get out of here.”

               “Alright,” he turned around to face the door, “you know, you took that better than a lot of people have. Once time a grown man ran away from me screaming after I saved his life and a kid your age fainted. You’re pretty level headed for your age.”

               “Thank you...?”

               Chevias reared his clawed hands back, “Shade your eyes, you don’t want any splinters flying in them.” Then he started to hack through the thick wooden door, his claws slicing through it like it was made of butter. Ellie had seen her dad chop fire wood before and not even the sharpest, most well made axe money could buy would cut through solid wood as cleanly and easily as those claws. In fact, chopping and cutting weren’t the right words for it; the claws were gliding right through it, so sharp that the wood wasn’t resisting them at all. Ellie could only stare wide eyed and wonder just what all those blades could cut through.

               Chevias finished cutting a large hole out of the middle of the door, and stepped back to look at it, “Yup, that outta do it.”

               Ellie watched as his hands shifted back to their normal, human shape. They shrunk the slightest bit, as though that form had made them swell up a bit, and the claws receded until they were the normal, blunt and human shape and length. Then the blackness that coated his skin like ink pulled back and disappeared beneath the cuff of his shirt. All this happened in just about two seconds; if Ellie had blinked, she’d have missed it. It was also, like the rest of anything Chevias does, an eerily quiet process. Perhaps you would expect such a drastic change to be accompanied by the sound of clicking or crunching bones, or a sandpapery, slithering noise as the inky blackness crawled onto his skin, but it was completely silent. It was no wonder Ellie hadn’t noticed anything at first.

               Chevias went through the hole into the dark office. Ellie waited until another crimson light flickered on, bathing the room in that eerie glow before following him, being careful not to scratch herself on the wood.

               The office was sparse and messy; it looked like it had been ransacked. The desk had been overturned and flung across the room, the book shelves had been cleared of anything that was once on them, and a tall cabinet with four drawers had been yanked out and emptied. Despite the mess, there wasn’t a single scrap of paper strewn about.

               “There’s nothing here.”

               “They must’ve cleaned it out before leaving. Come on, see if you can find a metal plate. It’ll be long and rectangular, with some Witch-Speak on it.”

               It didn’t take long to find. It had been stuffed behind one of the open drawers of the cabinet, obviously hidden.

               Chevias picked it up, appeared to read the Witch-Speak for a moment, before turning to the back wall of the office. It was unadorned except for a slightly indented portion of the wall. Ellie would’ve missed it entirely, but Chevias seemed to have known it would be there.

               He walked over and placed the panel into the indent. The Witch-Speak flashed, this time the same light green as Chevias’ grimoire. Then the wall behind it opened up and slid to the side.

               It was high up, so Ellie had to stand on her toes to properly see what was inside. She was a little disappointed. The wall had opened up to reveal what looked like a safe. Ellie had been expecting a safe to contain jewels, or valuable information. The contents of this safe were mostly…junk. There were several items in it, most of them made out of what looked like copper, steel, and another bluish metal that Ellie didn’t recognize. They looked like tinker-toys, or pieces of a clock tower…Ellie wasn’t sure how to describe them.

               Chevias ignored the large pieces of metal and pushed them out of the way until he found a box. The box was somewhat small and covered in very dusty velvet. He pulled it out and opened it.

               The box contained a necklace. Now, a necklace was closer to what Ellie imagined belonged in a safe, but this necklace hardly looked valuable enough to stow away. It looked like a piece of junk that was laced onto a string. It was a flat, irregularly shaped piece of metal that was silvery-blue in color (at least Ellie supposed it was, as it was currently bathed in the red light). It had a strange pattern and was otherwise un-noteworthy.

               “You came all the way down here for this? Who would want this?”

               Chevias shrugged, “Who knows, I’m just an errand boy. Come on, let’s go.” He turned around and started heading for the door.

               Ellie glanced back at the still open vault, “Aren’t you going to close it?”

               “No point. Even if someone found this place, those things aren’t valuable anymore.” Naturally he didn’t explain why these items were useless, or what their original use was. He just exited through the hole and didn’t look back. Ellie scrambled after him.

               Instead of heading back the way they came, Chevias lead her further into the bunker, finding that the floor began to slope up again and that the rooms on this side were a bit different from the ones on the other.

               Several appeared to be armories filled with dusty, ancient looking weapons. None of them looked fancy or particularly valuable. Another room was a sprawling one filled with empty shelves. Ellie wasn’t sure if this had been a larder or a library, but she supposed that it didn’t make much sense for an army to carry a library around with them. They passed another particularly large room that looked like an infirmary with beds surrounded by tattered curtains, trays with abandoned medicine, and shelves of old bandages. Even in the crimson light Ellie could see that most of the beds were covered in bloodstains.

               They passed several rooms that were identical to the ones above and several more that Ellie couldn’t fathom the purpose of, like rooms filled with large bird cages and rooms with nothing at all.

               They walked and walked and walked for what seemed to Ellie like an eternity in this dreariness until the hall finally came to an end.

               Instead of a ladder and a trapdoor, like the other end of the bunker, this end was a door. A big, heavy looking metal door. Chevias opened this one just like he did the trapdoor and it swung open at his command. Ellie looked through the door to see that it was surrounded by dead leaves and debris and that there was a steep and narrow set of stairs going up for awhile. At the top of the stairs, the first natural light she’d seen in hours spilled in from a hole just big enough for an adult to squeeze through.

               Chevias climbed the stairs and, with his lithe form, slipped through the hole as easily as a rabbit. He turned around, “Come on, you’re almost there!”

               Ellie clambered up after him and grabbed his hand through the hole. He pulled and picked her right up out of it. Ellie gratefully breathed in the fresh air as Chevias set her down. She was so thrilled to be at ground level again that she barely noticed the way the setting sun stung her eyes.

               Chevias shaded his eyes and looked around, “Alright! Tyman should be about a half hour’s walk from here. We should be able to make it by nightfall.”

               Ellie squinted and looked at her surroundings. The hole that lead to the hidden bunker was nestled between the roots of a large tree, hidden well from all but bunnies and squirrels. The tree wasn’t especially odd looking, except that it was surrounded by the same kind of stone markers that had surrounded the clearing last night. She supposed that anybody who didn’t know what they were would easily overlook these signs, and that one of them must point the way to Tyman.

               “Come on Ellie, we wanna get there before it gets too dark!”

               “Coming!”

               Ellie glanced back at the hole, so dark and innocuous you’d never guess what was down there just by looking, before following Chevias as he stepped over one of the stone markers.

[idreamofasriel-blog]

Metal Slug Past Life Ch 7

Out of a fit of rage, General Morden smashed his glass of Old Parr onto the floor, then another glass, and another. If that wasn't enough he even grabbed Allen O'Neil's glass of beer that he thankfully finished before his enraging boss grabbed it out of his hand and shattered it. Horatio calmly sat at his desk and sipped his wine and pressed the intercom button on his desk and requested his secretary to bring up the janitor and fill in an order for more scotch glasses and a new rug. General Morden's fists were clenched; he's breathing heavily and turned to stare at Horatio, nostril flaring and pupil dilated. Horatio grabbed his wine bottle and glass to keep them out of reach and tucked them inside his desk drawer. “Got it all out of your system, General?” he smoothly asked him. “Out of my system? That's all you have to say when Major Rossi and the PF Squad made a mockery out me again? That hunk of junk you called the perfect weapon was blown to scrap metal and was lucky to even flown back in one place.” He slams his hands on Horatio's desk, disturbing his papers and making pens roll off his desk. He leaned in enough to invade the man's person space. Horatio can smell the scent of Scotch on his breath, “And you're asking me if I got it all out of my system? You should be thankful that I didn't throw you out the window!” He pointed right at it. Horatio got out of his chair and walked around it. He fixed up his tie and took great care to tug on his coat to remove any folds on it and rid of any wrinkles. “My apologies about this Rossi character and his friends making a fool out of you in front of your army and your High Commanding Officers,” he said, “We will make sure that The Dusk Eater will be up and running again to terrorize any bases, villages, and cities as you please.” He gave General Morden an assuring pat on the shoulder, “Now then, it won't hurt to keep being optimistic after all of this, General.” General Morden suddenly went from being infuriating to smiling and being cheerful and this made Allen O'Neil suspicious. His boss was never the kind to go from mad to feeling happy in seconds. Everyone at the base would avoid him like the plague when he's in one of his foul moods. Even if they brought him his favorite drink and food. “You're right, Horatio,” he chuckled and gave Horatio a friendly slap on the shoulder. “I'll give The Dusk Eater a second chance. Now then, I must not waste any time. I got a war to win and Major Rossi to kill once and for all.” He boomed with laughter and headed toward the office door. Allen O'Neil was scratching his head and looked over his shoulder at Horatio, who is smiling and waving them a friendly goodbye. The Second in Command then turned for the door and leaves. Allen O'Neil jr meanwhile was leaning against a desk, trying to flirt with the secretary who's been giving him the cold shoulders and kept working at her computer. He quickly turned his attention to the door and saluted to General Morden who strolled by with a smile on his face and it threw Allen O'Neil jr off. “What's with the General, dad?” he asked his father, “I don't know but we better keep a close eye on him. I got a feeling that Old man did something to him.” Horatio's grin faded away and his serious expression was back again. He looked at his right hand and see the Runkayle symbol faintly glowing on his hand and he lightly closed it. He opened it again to see the symbol faded into nothingness and looked out the window. It has been ages since he used his magic on a human and he only uses it as a last resort option. He stepped out of his office at a fast paced, passed the Janitor and stepped into the elevator with his grandson, Jonas who was coming to see him. “Any reports?” he asked him, tracing his finger under the column of floor buttons to reveal a hidden one and presses it. “The reading for Time and Space spiked again. The data we got off of The Dusk Eater said a man name of Tarma or Tarmicle Roving the Third had interaction with one of The Time Rifts. It threw The Dusk Eater off on the hunt for The Missing Source.” said Jonas. Horatio nodded, “I see. I want to hear your reports now on your mission to Coalwood.” The young man was hesitant and cleared his throat. “We did get The Dusk Eater back in one shape and I went back to their base to find any parts left behind but I encountered their leader, Marchrius Dennis Rossi, who was in a room all by himself with a Time Rift,” Horatio looked at him from the corner of his eyes, wanting his grandson to keep going, he can see the young man is nervous and tried to cover it up. “The other way was blocked off with fallen walls and strung around furniture and I didn't want to get spotted, so I sneaked up behind and shoved him into The Time Rift. But who cares, he's nothing but a worthless human and all of those vermin should have been all wiped out and let us take-” Horatio punched the elevator wall without even turning and left a deep dent into it. He snapped his irritable gaze toward his grandson and took big steps and downcast over Jonas. Jonas was cornered and acted like he was trying to shrink away from his terrorizing glare. “Jonas Koza Kronos!” he huffed, “Mankind is the reason we exist. We are the keeper of Time and Space and we obey the universe's laws, we are The Weavers of man's future to make sure that everything falls into the right place to make a better future, to learn and grow from man's mistake to help the survival of our race and don't forget, when mankind neglect the past, we are to remind them the nasty outcome of the future. You got it, young buck?” Jonas was whimpering out of fright and nodded his head, “I'm sorry, grandfather. I'm so tired of living my life as a human and feeling so out of place in this world.” Horatio sighed and stepped away from him to give him room to get up and stuck his hand out to help his grandson up from the floor. “It's okay, Jonas. I'm tired of living life as a human too but the world has changed and mankind has forgotten that we exist. We have to keep up this illusion.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened up to a long sterile hallway and they stepped out. “Since we're away from the prying eyes of humans for now. We can let go of our human selves till we head back to the main building. After we check up on the repair of The Dusk Eater, I have an important assignment for you.” Jonas smiled at him, “Thank, grandfather.” Horatio punched in the code in door's keypad and the light switched from red to green and opened it. They stepped through and transformed to their true form. After the rainfall, Marco felt better and The Squad called Head Quarters for a lift back and they got a report that their pilot survived The Dusk Eater's wrath but got separated from them. The helicopter came and picked them all up and flew them back to Head Quarters. “I don't know about you three but I'm going to take a nice warm shower after that battle.” said Eri, stretching her arms out as they step out of the helicopter. “Even though I'm not fond of hot baths but having one right now sounds good to me with the cold rain and the fighting we been doing.” said Fio, remembering her hat getting damp from the blowing rain from earlier when she was shutting windows up to help Marco's panic attack. “I'll take one later after I see that young man we brought in and ask him a few questions I got for him.” said Marco, “I'm coming with you. I'm curious to see what he has to say myself.” said Tarma, following the Major behind him. They didn't get far when Trevor Spacey ran up to them urgently and saluting to both Marco and Tarma. “Major Rossi, sir. I'm glad you came back cause we got a problem.” Marco's eyes widen a bit, “A problem? What happened while we were gone, Trevor? Did the Rebel tried to strike HQ while we were gone?” “No, sir. The young man you brought in vanished after he woke up. One of the nurses found his bed empty and called security. Lucky for us, I was there to get a cut treated and I followed him to make sure he wasn't planning to escape from us. We got him locked up and secure.” said Trevor. “That's great, Trevor. We'll go to the cells and talk to him.” Trevor tapped his fingers nervously. “Actually, Captain Roving, he's locked up in Major Rossi's computer lab. He found his way in there for some reason and Alice and Walter are watching him closely.” Marco face palmed but he understood why Trevor did it; to keep him from running away. “Let go to the computer lab, Tarma.” Walter saluted to Marco and Tarma and stepped away for them to enter Marco's Computer lab. Marco entered the code and the door clicked opened. He pushed it opened and Alice appeared before him, “Master, welcome back,” she said in her warm welcoming voice “I heard that the mission went well but are you feeling well enough to be walking about?” She voiced sound concerned for her creator's health. Marco gave her a friendly smile and waved his hand, “Hello, Alice. Don't worry about me. Fio helped me through the panic attack and I'm feeling a lot better. Thank you for being concern for me.” Alice was happy to hear the good news of her master's health and recalled the young man. “Oh, Master. If you are looking for him, he went into your room. He didn't touch any of the computers or your workstations. Not even the Slug Tank thank goodness.” According to Marco, when Alice was born and even up to this day. She's very shy around people, even going as far as hiding behind Marco's back when people come into his lab or just approaching them. Over time, she only grew use to his friends. Marco thanked Alice and signals Tarma and Trevor to follow him. He quietly pushed opened his bedroom door and stepped him. Slowly creeping up toward The Young Man and ushered Tarma in silence to come close and ordered Trevor to block the door. The Young Man was looking over the books that Marco brought back from the ruined building and Tarma smirked. “Too easy. We got him cornered.” he thought to himself and approached the man. Tarma learned the hard way not to get cocky. Next thing Marco and Trevor knew, they witnessed him getting tasered by The Young Man. Tarma feels the powerful jolt coursing through his body and hit the ground smoldering and groaning. The man turned his attention toward Marco, standing his ground, “Get back or you'll be joining him.” he shouted, turning the taser on to show he means it. Marco recognized the taser belonging to Nadia who brought it to him to get it repaired after it stopped working. He wondered how the man got going all new again. “Okay, we're not here to hurt you. We both got some questions to exchange for each other and the possibility to get Tarma check for any degree burns. Tarma is still laying on the ground, groaning. He can see that he wasn't convinced and still stood his ground. Marco made it easy for them, he told the man that he is going to put his weapons down to show that he's not going to hurt him. First, he takes his gun out of its holster and empty out the clips and the one loaded bullet and set it on the table. The Young Man raises a brow and kept his eyes on Marco. Then Marco removed his knife from its sheath and set it on the floor and kicked it away. The Young Man relaxed and straighten himself up. The taser in his hand stopped buzzing and he put it on Marco's desk to show that he too is unarmed, “I'm sorry for tasering your friend. I don't know where I am or why I am here.” he spoke with concern in his voice. “It's all right. Tarma went through worst than a taser to the chest,” said Marco, assuring The Young Man, “Let me introduce myself. I'm Major Marchrius Dennis Rossi. Leader of the PF Squad but everyone calls me Marco for short.” He extended his hand for a friendly handshake that The Young Man accepted. “And you are?” “My name Kartu. Kartu Oguma.”