#with cole in second and echo in dead last

[razzle-zazzle]

actually, what has Cole's group been doing around ninjago? are they just checking up on areas like the dark island or also drifting around to wherever to see the sights.

Drifting, mostly.

It starts with Cole setting out to try and... he's not sure, really, just that he wanted some time away from the monastery. He runs into Pythor, who's tired of the whole villain thing but doesn't want to admit it, and they end up traveling together because, well, why not? Pythor's bored and Cole doesn't trust him (doesn't trust anyone), so they end up following the same path.

Morro shows up later. He's spent some time trying to acclimate to the modern world and being alive again, but when he and Cole cross paths he decides he also needs to stick around, because he's still not happy about being thrown into the Rift of Return without being asked if that was what he even WANTED, COLE! So now he's gotta come along and bug Cole as much as possible.

Echo, of course, comes along after they find him in the lighthouse, because what else is he going to do? Continue rotting away alone but for Tai-D? No way! He's got a whole world that Julien described that he wants to see! At this point, Cole's already started to come out of his "nobody likes me and I need to be ALONE" arc, and Echo's really just the final nail in the coffin for that. Not to mention, Echo's enthusiasm for the world and desire to protect those who cannot protect themselves is really kind of infectious.

Still, the group's not really all that close, right? They're just traveling together for convenience, surely. When Pythor suggests trying to see if Cole's status as an Elemental Master and Hero of Ninjago could get them some vacation time in the luxury of Shintaro, he's only looking to get himself that vacation time, of course. Why would anyone suggest otherwise? Him, Pythor, caring? Impossible! He ate the other Anacondrai, he opposed the ninja again and again! He couldn't possibly be thinking about how not immensely, sickeningly goody-two shoes Cole's been, or how about how Morro and Echo still have so much of life to experience. Not at all!

And if Morro's sticking around and teaching Echo how to fight, well, it's just because he has a soft spot for second bests! He's only sticking around Cole because Echo is, and because he still has that unfinished business with the Earth Master, and not at all because it's better than being alone. Not at all!

Echo's just happy to be here. He has no idea of the trials he is soon to face in Shintaro.

[only-lonely-stars]

The Gift of New Life

Oneshot – (FFN) (AO3)

Summary:

Zane had sacrificed himself to save all of Ninjago from the Overlord. Pixal didn't go to his funeral. Instead, she went to the factory floor. Zane, of course, didn't stay dead, but how he lived afterwards is yet a mystery... Here is one possible story of his rebirth. aka, "How Zane Defied Death (the first time)"

Anyone who said "time flies" was wrong; Pixal had never felt time move so slowly. It had only been one week since the end of the Overlord's second attempt to conquer Ninjago, but the world had changed immeasurably, and no less with the loss of Zane. As she thought about it, Pixal's half of a heart hurt. The very one who had given her his heart was gone– cast into oblivion– dead and buried. Even the memorial service was too painful for her. Instead, she stayed in Borg Tower and watched as the Ninja said their last words to their beloved steel friend.

"You are Zane, a droid like me. What does Zane stand for?"

"I stand for peace, freedom, and courage." How long it had been since Pixal heard those first words. They almost felt like she was hearing them again.

"Your hardware is outdated, and your processor is slow and incompatible." Pixal once didn't know how beautiful Zane's differences were; once, she mindlessly followed her code, not her heart.

"Why are you so different?" If only she could hear that voice speak to her again. She turned from the window with an unnecessary sigh (no droid could need air) and looked toward Borg's computer. There, on the screen, was a camera feed from the day she met Zane. Hadn't it been blank just minutes before?

"We're all different, but I don't feel so different around you." Pixal gasped and ran to the computer.

"I wasn't recalling that voice! Zane, is that you?" Was he here, with her, somehow? She had always known him to perform small miracles.

"You are vital to me." There it was, the voice speaking again.

"You are vital to me," she replied, quiet. "Are you… here?"

"I shall see you again," the videos replied, before switching to a view of the nindroid assembly line. Pixal nodded before running to the elevator and slamming the call button. As she descended within it, she hardly dared to breathe. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she bolted out onto the conveyor belt, watching as the robotic machines turned their eerily human heads toward her. She held her breath, waiting for a signal.

"Are we compatible now?"

-----

Clank, clank, clank– the sound of a hammer rang throughout the factory. Three weeks had passed in a flash, so unlike before, but this time the distorted passage of time was a good thing. Pixal had been working non-stop trying to rebuild Zane's body, while he worked from inside the digital systems of Borg Industries to reconstitute his mind. A few small memories were lost, like Cole's favorite type of cake, but he was alive and intact, so it was good enough. Pixal had run a diagnostic on him at the beginning of the process, and she shuddered at the cold feeling that sprung up along her spine at the thought of Zane's untimely end. How awful that had been…

"Have you finished it, Pixal?" Zane's voice echoed from speakers, with a camera trained on her to act as his eyes.

"Oh, yes! It's all in place. I just need to finish the chestplate."

"Wonderful." Zane smiled, and despite him being the Ninja of Ice, it was like sunshine on a spring day (in Pixal's unbiased, logical opinion). She gave the hammer one final strike before putting it aside.

After fastening the plate to his new titanium body, Pixal turned to the computer, where a digital avatar of Zane waited. "Are you ready, Zane? You can commence the upload at any time."

"Yes, let's begin. Thank you, Pixal." Zane's avatar fizzled out immediately after.

A robotic voice echoed loudly in Pixal's ears. WARNING. Certain files are incompatible with newer BorgTech™ systems and may not properly align. Commence upload anyway? Pixal shook her head and pressed a button.

"Upload will commence in 3… 2… 1… Do not disconnect the power source."

-----

Aquamarine eyes flickered to life as a viewscreen displayed diagnostics. A titanium body sat up, creaking from its newness. A hand stretched out. "Pixal…?"

"Zane. Welcome back." Pixal took his hand and pulled him to his feet. "I have missed you."

"I have… missed you too, but I cannot remember why… Was I gone?" Zane blinked owlishly at her.

"Do you not remember it, Zane? You sacrificed yourself in order to freeze the Overlord." Pixal took Zane's other hand. "You saved everyone, including me."

Zane shook his head. "I feel out of sorts. It must have been the upload. I do not think this disorientation will last very long."

"I am inclined to agree with you. We should go meet with the Ninja and tell them the good news– they have not yet been informed of our project, in case something went wrong." While she did not say it, Pixal's fears were palpable; if they had failed, how would she have told them their brother was gone a second time?

Zane nodded. "Let us be glad it succeeded." He took Pixal's hand, and a pleasant staticky feeling ran up Pixal's arm. She smiled, but Zane's returning grin was short-lived. "I cannot remember some things, Pixal. Some of my memory files are missing or corrupted. I am concerned that perhaps the upload was not as successful as we thought it was."

Pixal's eyes widened. "You have more missing memories? What is the magnitude of their severity?"

"I do not think they are severe at the moment, but they may worsen. I am afraid only time will tell if they are resolved. We should meet my brothers and tell them; perhaps Jay or Nya can help." Zane sighed– to Pixal's ears, it seemed oddly mechanical.

"Very well, then. Shall we go?" Pixal held her hand out to Zane, who took it with a smile.

"We shall." Moments later, his vision turned black, consciousness lost.

-----

Zane blinked rapidly, his new eyes flickering slightly as he came to full consciousness. He looked around frantically, spotting Pixal shut down in a corner. "Pixal!"

"Hey, tin can, you're awake! Welcome to my humble abode," an unfamiliar voice called.

As Zane looked around, he saw no identifying markings of any kind; only the walls of a warehouse. He tried to stand, only to find that his hands were tied to a post, making that impossible without help. "Who are you?" He struggled against his bindings.

"That's not gonna work, buddy. You're well and truly stuck there." The stranger approached, remaining half-clad in shadow. Only half his face was visible, the other half obscured by a bandanna and an eyepatch with a telescoping lens. A wide-brimmed hat cast long shadows on his face, belying creases on his face. "Besides, we wouldn't want you getting hurt. You're worth an awful lot of money."

"You kidnapped us? Do you not know who we are?" Zane protested.

"Of course I do! That's the point. Too bad you're easier to transport in hibernate mode; you're such a bundle of joy to talk to." The man stepped closer. "I suppose it doesn't matter anyway; I can just switch you off."

"Don't do it!" Zane shouted, trying to lean away. "What have you done to Pixal?"

"Nothing that can't be undone," the man said with a chuckle. "Same with you." With those final words, he reached out; Zane shut his eyes tightly, and then he felt no more.

-----

Pixal blinked several times and sat up, raising her head to look around her. In front of her stood Zane, looking frightened for his life. "Zane? What happened?" She shook her head. "It seems I have been hard reset. Do you know who did this?"

"It was a stranger, Pixal. I do not know his name. He did the same to me." Zane kneeled before her, a hand resting on her cheek. "He has taken us hostage. My global positioning system says we are currently off the eastern coast of the mainland, on an unmarked island."

Pixal nodded and looked around. "Where are we? Some sort of holding cell?"

"We are in the back of a truck, I believe. It has not moved for some time." Zane glanced at the door. "I cannot access my elemental powers at all, and I am unarmed; with my neural drive's current state, I am also unable to open the door. We are trapped." He looked back to Pixal, a deep frown upon his artificial features. "I am terribly sorry you were dragged into this."

"Do not apologize, Zane. It was unavoidable, and I would have it no other way. I am glad I am with you." Pixal smiled sadly, taking Zane's hand in her own. "After all, we are compatible."

Zane smiled. "Yes, we are." As if to punctuate his statement, a loud thump occurred against the wall of the truck. "It seems we are not alone."

A voice rang out, muffled by the truck walls. "Gah, stupid cultists! Can't even carry crates right! This deal had better be worth it."

Pixal locked eyes with Zane. "How is your neural drive? I hesitate to believe we will be alone for long."

Zane shook his head. "It is in a bad state. I seem to have even more corrupted files. It will take a long time to dredge the backups from my hard drive."

Pixal frowned. "It will have to do for now."

The voice outside the truck shouted again. "Hey, watch it! That's valuable cargo, straight from Stiix!" It paused, then took a different tone. "Ah, Chen. There you are."

A whiny voice shouted in return. "There you are, Ronin! Do you have the robot?"

"Yes, I have the nindroid," the first– likely Ronin– responded.

"Let me see him!" the whiny voice, which must belong to Chen, shouted. "I need to know you kept your deal!"

"Hey, hold it," Ronin responded. "Give me the money first."

"Yes, yes," Chen replied, his tone off-handed. "Clouse, give him the money. I want to see the prize!"

"I brought Borg's droid too. The nindroid's smitten with her. You never know how helpful it is to have a bargaining chip."

"Yes, you're right! Clouse, add an extra three hundred for her. It's a pleasure doing business with you, Ronin."

"Yeah. A pleasure." The voices fell silent, and Pixal nodded at Zane.

"Here's our chance," Pixal whispered.

Zane nodded and stood, helping her stand up too. "We won't get a second. Ready?"

"Ready." The two of them stood apart, ready to fight. A minute later, the door creaked open, and Pixal launched herself at the men opening the door. After landing a kick, a man with a sort of telescoping eyepatch grabbed her foot and threw her onto her back.

"You're a feisty one, huh sweetheart? Careful, don't hurt yourself," the man snarked.

Pixal sat herself up abruptly and pushed herself back. After managing to stand, she glanced at Zane, only to find him frozen. "Zane…?"

Zane shook his head rapidly, looking confused. "What is going on? Did I miss something?"

Pixal's eyes widened. "Oh, no. Your neural drive!"

The man in the hat laughed harshly and turned to a man next to him with facial hair and a large purple boa. "Well isn't that handy. Look, Chen. He can't even fight you off! I'd say that's a deal for you."

Chen laughed. "Yes, yes, you're right! Clouse, get our men to take them to their cells!" Another man, this one with a greasy mustache and slicked hair, nodded and gestured to several tattooed men wearing skulls, who entered the truck. Pixal edged away from them with Zane, but they hit a wall and the men grabbed them by the arms.

"Zane!" Pixal called frantically, struggling unsuccessfully to free herself. "You must fight back!"

Zane shook his head and pulled his arms free, only to have another man pin them. "My d-defensive programs are not respon-ponding! I-I-I-I am unable to fight th-th-them!" His voice glitched painfully, displeasure evident on his face. The men wrenched his arms behind him and began marching him out of the truck. "Pixal!"

Pixal stared in horror as her own captors marched her in the same direction. As Zane glitched erratically, she tried to defend herself, but she could only watch as they were brought to two identical cell doors. Zane was thrown in the right, and she in the left.

Zane shouted as he was thrown against a wall and shackled. His captors immediately slammed and locked the door, as Pixal was locked in her own. "I am unharmed. Are you?"

Pixal ran to the window connecting their cells and shook her head. "I am as safe as I can be. You are shackled, Zane!"

"Yes," he replied with displeasure. "I will be able to cut them, I believe, but not any time soon. The saw in my arm will suffice."

Pixal nodded. "Very well." As soon as she said that, the door to her cell slammed open, revealing more of the tattooed men. She gasped and backed up to the wall, frantically searching for an opening for escape, yet finding none. "Do not touch me!"

The mustached man approached from the back of the group and grinned. "I find it difficult to see the power behind your words, robot."

"I said, don't touch me," Pixal exclaimed. "I am a droid, and I can defend myself!"

"Well, that poses a problem," the man simpered. "But that can be remedied." He gestured to her. "You know what to do." With that, the men advanced.

"Stop!" Pixal held out her arms in protest, only for the men to encircle her and remove her arms at the shoulder sockets. Red warnings flashed across her visual interface.

"Pixal!" Zane exclaimed, pulling uselessly against his chains. "What are they doing to you?"

"T-they are disconnecting my body!" Pixal replied. "They have taken my arms- You can't take that ou-" Her voice cut off abruptly.

"PIXAL!" Zane cried, but there was no response other than simpering laughter.

"My mistake. I seem to have removed her neural drive. Such a pity for that beautiful body to be useless." The mustached man came to the window. "Let this be a lesson, nindroid. Fighting back will only result in pain."

Zane shook his head. "You can't do this."

"You misunderstand, nindroid. I can, and I will." With that, the man stepped away.

Zane shook his head, his eyes falling to the floor as he uselessly tried to sob. His digital breath hitched, and he almost laughed; they had forgotten to add tear ducts to his new body. A fresh wave of emotion washed over him, pushing against his skull, and warnings flared across his vision. Warning: intense emotional experience will increase file corruption. Calm down. Zane laughed emptily and continued to silently sob, the warnings multiplying. It didn't matter that his files were slowly corrupting and disappearing; Pixal was gone, and nobody even knew he was alive again. There would be no rescue for him. He hung his head as his eyes closed, the warnings dyeing his vision red. Let him forget; it would hurt less.

[hunting-songs]

Senritsu looked at Kurapika for a second blinking blankly and utterly confused.

"...what you do with your body is wholly your decision.", Senritsu said very gently and the teamug in her hand felt suddenly uncomfortable hot like a boiling piece of cole burning her hand so she put it on the nightstand.

"But...Kurapika, don't make that decision just because of me, please. I do not want to be the reason for you doing that, i-" want you to grow old and be happy and have the family you said you wanted. I want you to be happy. I want you to be happy. I want you to have the children you want- without me, properly. I- properly? The word was as suddenly there as a slap to the face. For a moment the young woman just sat there at the edge of the bed blinking like an owl with big and round eyes. Than she shoved the- word! just one word!Just that one word! - thought strictly away, putting it far behind what was more important in this moment: His worry, him feeling save,him feeling comfortable sharing his thoughts. "Condom it is than."Senritsu realized that she did not enjoyed that thought and shaked her head quietly laughing and just a little scolding over her own immature reaction. Carefully the woman pulled her short,crooked legs on the bed and leaned to the side, resting her cheek on the others bare shoulder that felt cool far away from the bedwarmth their bodies had left under the bedsheets.

"-I had thought about asking for a pill prescription from a doctor" , her free hand rested on Kurapikas stomach, tapping a quiet calm melody against his skin soft like a lullaby to ease the heavieness his thoughtfulness had left in his body like an echo: "but the last time I was at a doctors-office was before-" bones breaking, her skin ripped apart, her muscles rushed and ripped and grafted into a new form, her teeth shattered like glass and put back together differently cutting into her jaws like glasssplinters. Senritsu turned her head and pressed a small careful kiss against Kurapikas shoulder, seeking his warmth, seeking he comforting feeling of his closeness: "- the sonata. And I do not want a doctor to check my health. Or my vitals. I do not want to risk anyone to discover that my organs or bones are not in the Form they should be and becoming too curious about it." There also was something else she did not wanted to be checked on and the thought alone made a worried line appear between her hairless eyebrows deep like a scar: She did not wanted to know how her inside looked. She did not wanted to know what the Sonata had done to her body and how well it still worked. She did not wanted to know if she carried a ticking clock that was her body wasting away moment by moment. Right now she could talk,she could walk, she could listen to music and play her flute and laugh and joke around and run and breath and sleep. Senritsu did not wanted to know more about what the curse had done to her when shattering it like a wineglass under a much too high tune,than what she knew now: " Also that prescription would be something I pick up monthly so-" who knows where I would be in a month? Still here with you? Dead? Working for another mafiafamily at the other side of the world? Senritsu chuckled quietly, but it sounded as melodic as it sounded tiered: "-that does not fit in my worklife."

Afterwards the fresh, cool scent of mint hung in the small room thick like a veil when Senritsu sat back on the edge of the bed with the teacup hot between her hands. The woman rose the mug, than let it sink again,blinking like an owl with big round eyes. She put the teacup aside on the nightstand and gently brushed her small hand through the others hair before her fingertips softly, so softly, so very softly, caressed his cheek:" Mhmm...considering your heartmelody,maybe we should discuss other ways of protection. I don´t enjoy hearing you so concerned, Kurapika. I will look into it." the young womans smile turned ruefully: "What else are you thinking about so con serietà, mhmmmm?"

Sexual Sunday

In the aftermath, Kurapika had remained in bed, thoughtful. The sheet only covered him up to his hips and he simply lay on his side, staring at no fixed point and instead he thought and thought. It was not necessary to turn to see her to know what she was doing: the clink of the dishes, the kettle with its hot water, the smell that had filled the room. Kurapika was worried, and yet, even after understanding the damage she was doing to herself, they had not changed their ways.

Partly he blamed himself, he was responsible for that and yet, they continued doing it without protection, which triggered her to continue intoxicating herself. How much more damage was she going to do to her body? His gaze became sad, worry had invaded him and it was only when she touched his hair that he moved his eyes -whose were still shining in a lovely scarlet- to look at her, with a small, sideways sad smile. And he was still thinking.

Shifting himself just a little on the bed, a hand rested on her thigh, gently caressing it with his thumb. “Thank you for the consideration, Senritsu” There was a pause, as he considered the options. “Now that’s done, drink it” he mentioned, although he was against her continuing to poison herself in this way. Too bad, he should have thought of it before.

“I’ve already evaluated the options and the safest, easiest and least invasive thing for your body is for me to start using a condom” There was a second pause, he knew well that it was a difficult decision to make, in 95% of cases it was irreversible, so deciding it led to closing a door forever. But if it came to that, how much was a ‘forever’ for him? “I’m considering the possibility of having a vasectomy”

[ninjaronpa]

Trial continued...

Darreth: Call it weird, but I’m getting a hunch that Echo died first.

Pixal: What makes you say that?

Darreth: the Motor oil streak, see how it’s dried and not smudged at all?

Lloyd: you’re right!

Darreth: And, Echo was missing since this morning. We would have seen him, and it’s highly unlikely that someone could kill Echo during Chen’s murder investigation, so Echo had to have been killed sometime last night.

Pixal: Nice work, Detective.

Garmadon: Speaking of that oil streak, I think it's safe to say it started in the dining hall.

Skylor: And what makes you say that?

Garmadon: We found Echo in a pool of motor oil, and the streak led straight to Echo’s body, it's safe to say that Echo’s room was the end of the path. There’s no evidence of the streak beginning anywhere else, so it's safe to say that’s where Echo was killed, and his dead body was simply dragged to his room.

Lloyd: That makes sense, but I get the feeling that there’s something wrong in that statement. Was Echo really killed in the dining hall?

*Monokuma file*

Lloyd: Hang on, I don’t think Echo was killed in the dining hall

Wu: Hmmm, I think I see what you’re getting at, Lloyd.

Kai: Well, I don’t. Mind explaining it for us?

Lloyd: Echo being killed in the dining hall conflicts with the Monokuma file

Cole: How so?

Lloyd: According to the monokuma file, Echo’s cause of death was being dismantled…

*Counter*

Garmadon: Hang on a second! How does that disprove that Echo was killed in the dining hall?

Echo could’ve been dismantled in the dining hall, and then dragged to his room!

Wu: That’s not possible

Garmadon: And why is that?

Wu: there was no pool of oil in the dining hall, and even if Echo was dismantled in the dining hall, there would be multiple oil streaks and footprints from the culprit

Kai: That makes sense!

Zane: But if Echo wasn’t attacked in the dining room, where did the oil streak come from?

Cole: I think Echo was attacked in the dining hall.

Scott: But Lloyd just said he wasn’t attacked in the dining hall.

Lloyd: I said he wasn’t Killed in the dining hall. But he was attacked. The oil streak proves this.

Kai: So what happened?

Lloyd: I think it’s safe to say that Echo was Deactivated in the dining hall.

Scott: Deactivated?

Skylor: Yeah, Echo has a deactivation button. All the killer would have to do would be to press it, and it would be lights out for Echo.

Cole: But why attack him then? If the killer just had to press a button, why did they attack Echo?

Lloyd: Based on the time and location, I think it's safe to say that Echo was still up and about. Maybe Echo was even Patrolling. With that in mind, I think it’s safe to say that it would be hard to sneak up on Echo and press the button, So the killer had to incapacitate him somehow.

Pixal: *Dent in Echo’s head* Like with a blow to the head.

Lloyd: Exactly.

Zane: Echo’s a bit of an older model, so a blow to the head would cause a temporary short circuit, which would stun him for a bit, which would give the killer the perfect opportunity to press the button.

Scott: and with Echo deactivated, they dragged him to his room to finish the job.

Darreth: Great! We’ve solved the mystery!

Skylor: no we haven’t, we still don’t know who did it or how they dismantled Echo.

Darreth: Oh.

Lloyd: Well actually, we could probably answer one of those questions right now.

*Rusty toolbox*

Lloyd: We found this in Echo’s room. 

Cole: Hey it’s the Missing toolbox from the workshop!

Lloyd: Exactly. The killer used all the tools in this toolbox…

Scott: Not all of them.

Lloyd: Oh right. *Missing wrench* There's a wrench missing.

Lloyd: Wait a minute.

Lloyd: Scott, you didn’t investigate Echo’s room with us. How’d you know about the missing Wrench?

*Everyone stopped and stared at Scott.*

Scott: Lloyd, this is crazy. You really think it was me? It couldn’t have been.

Argument arrangement start.

Me, Killing Echo? that’s absurd!

Listen to yourself Lloyd, you sound crazy!

There’s no way I could have done it.

*Missing wrench*

Advance

That doesn’t explain Chen’s murder!

Don’t we have to solve both mysteries?

Is there even any proof that one person committed both murders?!

*Dent in head*

Advance

That’s just coincidence.

Just because they have matching dents, doesn’t mean I killed Chen!

How would I even be able to kill him anyway?

Container for Wu’s tea

BREAK

Scott: what? That’s-

Lloyd: I’m gonna go through everything one more time, So correct me if I get anything Wrong.

[awkwardpaulie]

Besties (Brahms Heelshire x Reader)

You had no clue how you ended up in this crazy situation. Your friend, and distant cousin, Greta had passed a job opportunity over to you.

Her abusive ex-boyfriend ignored the restraining order, skipped parole check ins, and now broke into the manor you've occupied the last couple of weeks.

Of course, the asshole barged into the house and intended to stay the night. Greta only showed up a couple hours later because her sister informed her of Cole's plan.

Yet, here both adults stood, in the parlor room with Brahms the Doll held tightly in your arms. Greta held your shoulders as both of you kept your distance from the crazed man.

"You bitches thought this was funny?" Cole growled as he dropped his bloodied bag filled with dead and dismembered rats. "You're fucking art project didn't work."

Above Cole's chosen sleeping spot was 'Get out' written along the windows with rat blood. You knew Brahms had done that. He also knocked through the house and moved things, so Cole and Greta would leave faster. He tried to help, like you asked earlier that night. All it did was make things worse.

"I'm fucking tired of the bullshit in this house," Cole yelled as he followed both of you around the room.

"It was Brahms," your voice shook with fear, "I'm sorry. He won't do that again. Please, calm down--NO"

"COLE STOP" Greta yelled.

Cole lunged toward both of you. He shoved Greta into a wall, almost knocked her out, before he grabbed Brahms the Doll from your arms.

"Please, please, please, don't hurt him," you begged, "I'll make him apologize. Please hand him over."

It happened so fast yet as the moment came everything went slow.

Cole casually swung Brahms around by the legs before he swung Brahms porcelain head onto the pool table. The pieces flew everywhere as porcelain dust floated around. One of his eyes rolled toward you.

Cole dropped the doll's body as you fell to your knees, frozen in shock, as your hand covered your mouth.

Then the walls shook as loud bangs echoed harshly every couple or seconds. The violent anger of Brahms was now known to the guests and you only hoped they would leave.

Then, it went silent.

Greta tried to coax you away from the shattered doll, but you didn't want to move.

Meanwhile, Cole was distracted by the full length mirror along the wall.

"We have to go," Greta whispered harshly to you, "Come on--"

"There's something in the--" Cole began to say until the mirror shattered and a force pushed him hard enough that he flew backwards.

The noise made you flinch as your mind began to focus on the situation again. You slowly rose to your feet as both you and Greta stared into the gigantic hole hidden behind the mirror.

Brahms childish voice called your name out from the darkness. The relief with you was replaced by shock as a large, unchildlike, hand reached from the abyss. Slowly, limbs came out in a spider-like crawl as a tall, lanky yet muscled, masked man stood before you, Greta, and Cole.

His attention was on you, protected by Greta, before Cole groaned. He swiftly ran through the room and pinned Cole to the floor. Greta pulled you away, toward the door, but you resisted.

The masked man overpowered Cole as they fought. You only watched as the man grabbed a large piece of the Brahms Doll and plunged the sharp end into Cole's neck.

Greta cried out Cole's name as his blood leaked along the floor and he eventually took his final breath. Greta began to sob as the masked man raised to his feet and turned to both of you.

He was quick. As you and Greta turned to run, he had lunged toward you. Greta had barely taken a couple of steps when he had his arms wrapped around you, one around your shoulders and collar bone while the other was around the hip. He pulled you away from Greta's grasp.

Immediately, Greta picked up the nearest object, a pool cue, and readied herself for a fight. You held your hand up toward her as the man kept you in his arms.

He was strong, quick, and physically larger than both of you. He killed Cole in seconds, yet only held you close. You had to follow your intuition.

"Greta, wait!" You shouted. You turned your attention to the man as his mask lured next to your head, "... Brahms, is that you?"

"Yes," he replied with the childish voice you've heard at least once a day.

You slowly raised your free hand to his head and softly petted him. He leaned into your hand with his eyes closed.

"Thank you, Brahms. You did good," you said softly. He buried his face into your hair as he briefly tightened his hold.

Greta called out your name as she stared at the scene with fear and confusion.

"Are you going to leave me?" Brahms asked, his voice still soft and childlike.

"Never," you replied immediately, "we're Besties, remember?"

There was no hesitation nor second guessing about your decision. You felt a strong desire to remain here with the man in the mask.

"Greta, you should go," you announced, "take Cole's car and leave. If anyone asks about Cole tell them he never arrived. We had dinner, talked about home and the job here in the study room, and went to bed."

The amount of True Crime consumed by you had aided your situation. Honestly, you were proud of yourself.

"I can't leave you here," Greta replied, "He killed Cole."

"Cole deserved it," you rebuttal, eerily calm, "after everything he's done to you... Allow yourself this freedom, Greta. He won't come back... you can go home."

At the mention of home, Greta lowered the pool cue.

"I promise I'll be fine. I'll keep in touch, call you everyday if you want." You replied, "It's best if you leave now."

"Where do I go? It's the middle of the night," Greta replied.

"I'll call Malcolm, the grocery man. Tell him Brahms doesn't like visitors and have you stay at his place but..." you placed a hand over Brahms hand, "as far as he knows, Brahms is a dead. I'm pretty sure he thinks Brahms is a ghost."

Greta placed the pool cue on the table as he eyed the corpse and broken doll.

"You promise to call every day?" Greta replied eventually. You nodded.

"Every morning after breakfast," you replied.

Greta nodded.

"Good," Greta said, a quick smile flashed before she turned away, "and thanks... I'm sorry you had to go through this."

"Hey," you said softly, "I would do this all over again if it meant your safe... Now get going."

Greta waved awkwardly before she ran upstairs to grab her bags. Your attention turned to Brahms, who still held you tightly.

"Brahms," you said. He slowly and cautious released you, clearly unsure if all that was a lie.

You turned to face him to finally assess the masked man.

He was quite handsome, despite his face being hidden.

He was in trousers, a white undershirt, suspenders, and faded green cardigan. His hair was a dark curly mess.

All he needed was a good cleaning and nap.

"You're really going to stay?" Brahms asked, his voice still child-like. You nodded.

"I promised your parents that I'll take good care of you," you assured him, "and Besties stick together no matter what."

"Besties," Brahms replied, voice child-like again.

"That includes destroying evidence, Brahms," you said and casually pointed to the corpse.

"Okay," he sounded disappointed, but perked up as you held up your hand.

"High five, Best Buddy," you said. He slowly gave a high five, "we just defeated a villain."

[vaqro]

Meta + becoming Overwatch's leader

META PROMPTS & QUESTIONS / always accepting .

In the western monomyth of a hero’s journey, there are three important steps for the establishment of the protagonist as the savior of their / the call to adventure - - -

Its refusal, and, finally, the belly of the whale. The first two explain themselves quite obviously: the call to adventure takes the unknown individual from the normal, daily, and inconsequential life; therefore, the hero cannot exist in a vacuum. The story cannot take its course without the hero. except the hero will not promptly accept the change of course in their common world. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, or a sense of inadequacy, among others. The hero needs a reason that surpasses the individual and disregards his selfish desires. This is where we find the belly of the whale: the abandonment of the self, the acceptance of their role in the story as something bigger than they could ever conceive.

it’s not about you, it's about them.

In the context of Cassidy’s own journey, those three initial aspects are quite clear, among others, and could be further dismembered [adapting Vogler’s (2007) writing on the monomyth aspects] into five categories. As it is, the steps are:

THE STATUS QUO: There is Cole Cassidy, deluded by the events of 5–6 years prior, filled with guilt, working as a bounty hunter and mercenary. In his off hours, he writes a weekly column under the guise of Joel Morricone and tries to find Ana Amari’s assumed killer, The Widowmaker. He has not been in contact with his old people; his loved ones are either scattered or dead. In many ways, he is a ghost himself — he is a ghost of himself. an outlaw, a bandit for hire, a man with no name.

MEETING WITH THE MENTOR: This takes an interesting form. While on his own self-appointed mission to retrieve and reactivate Echo, he receives a letter from Ana Amari, whom he judged dead. She is asking him to visit her in Cairo. He is also attacked by Reaper, and he discovers that Gabriel Reyes is also alive — and working actively for Talon. These two encounters are important because the mentor figure provides the hero the tools, knowledge and reassurance needed for their quest. Beyond that, however, by meeting his two mentors in different ethos, the hero is faced with a bifurcation of his road: apotheosis versus damnation. It is crucial to remember that Cassidy feels both victim and executioner in the ways Overwatch fell — the way Gabriel fell, most of all. 

THE (RE)CALL TO ADVENTURE: Faced with Winston’s recall of Overwatch, the path taken by many of his peers was to accept it in some way or form—but not Cole. He refuses the idea of returning, conforming to the idea that things are not going to be what they once were, and, beyond that, maybe the time for overwatch is long past. He is doing everything he can, whenever he can, to ensure that justice prevails when it cannot, but reinstating overwatch appears to be a sure way to fall back into old habits. However, THIS REFUSAL OF THE CALL is interspersed with his wish to return Echo to the world and allow Mina Liao’s last wish to come into fruition; it is safe to say, then, that his reluctance to join the new team is less about Overwatch falling into old traps and more to do with his own guilt about the way things ended. Cole Cassidy thinks himself cursed and not worth a second chance.

and finally, as explained before: THE BELLY OF THE WHALE. Cole steps in and accepts Ana’s idea to recruit new members for the team. This decision happens specifically after once more encountering his soul sister, Fareeha Amari. This is where he realizes he cannot let her continue on her path alone, and the needs of the team speak above his own. He could take his things and return to his life as it was before, but he cannot abandon the story now. In a way, his meeting with Reaper helps cement this too. A necessity to repair the hurts left by the old days, so things for the new era can go right.

Now, the abandonment of the self is nothing new for someone like the cowboy. I have made explicit this fact here a few times now. Cole sheds identities and grows them less like simple aliases, but really akin to extension of his core, but they don’t represent him wholly individually — as an individual. So, in theory, taking on a new role at the stage of this adventure should be easy, correct?

Except that it is not. Because this new role is taken not for the sake of survival, or the necessity that a job may delegate. The new self, The Leader, needs to be a selfless decision. Story progresses and we see him inevitably accept his place as the head of these new recruits, and their acceptance of him as their leader. Which is not unexpected, given all the people Cole is sent to recruit have a military background to some capacity. FAREEHA, BAPTISTE, ZARYA, HANA. they recognize in him an older figure, someone with experience that will not lead them astray.

It is a huge responsibility. Not his first time as a leader, though. Cole has led the Deadlock Rebels alongside Ashe for two years — he founded the gang with her, Julian and Frankie after all. What frightens him is not the fact he has people under his care and guidance. It is that he could fail them. Like he failed his own team, failed Gabriel, failed Ashe, failed Mina. 

The Hero now finds himself IN THE ROAD OF TRIALS and it is entirely up to him which road to take, and how to face the trials he will find on the way.

[mitzle]

what about realization for the bingo?

Sure thing! Also sorry this is so late I was too busy procrastinating revision for end of year exams :)

Spoilers for s15!

Kai didn’t cry when Nya left, because he knew she was coming back. That’s just what happened. Zane came back after the Overlord, Cole after Yang and the Fall - who’s to say it won’t happen again? Any second now his sister would return, back in her normal form, and things would go back to normal.

It had been a few days now, but that didn’t trouble him. She was probably just taking her sweet time.

And no, Kai didn’t cry at the funeral, because what was there to cry for? Nya wasn’t dead - she just...

Hadn't returned yet.

But she would. She would. She would.

So he poured his water hurriedly into the vase, and waited impatiently for the waste of his time to be over. When the last tears had finally been dropped, he strolled back down to his room, past the pictures tied together with memories, by the hallways that still echoed with laughter, through the doorway that love had spread through and-

Stopped.

The bowl fell to the floor, shattering like a heart into a million little pieces of what would never be there again, because he had been so stupid to let it slip away, because he had been so dumb.

He had done this.

He was the reason she was gone.

Oh god.

Oh FSM.

What had he done?!

And suddenly he was cradling himself on the floor, rocking back and fourth, howling for the sister that would never see his side again - and there were flames, monsters of flames, licking his skin, burning down the memories that they had created so long ago. It crept closer, painfully closer, but the pain was good, the pain was what he deserved. He had let her go, so now the fire would take him, and maybe, just maybe, she would come back. Just maybe.

And the flames grew ever closer, hungry, ravenous for the salty tears of their creator. The towered above him now, because they had gained control, and they were free to burn. The room was engulfed in the fire only a broken heart could create, and it wasn't stopping anytime soon.

And all the while, Kai sat rocking there, back and forth, sitting in his remorse, and broken dreams.

Because he had realised.

He had realised.

And sometimes, realisation hurts more then the wounds left behind.

[sketch--booked]

It's 6am, I just woke up from another dream--

--about Echo returning.

And it's another island adventure dream but FAR MORE OOOHHH OKAY THAN OWWIE OH NO. It had the same energy as Nya trying to figure out who Samurai X was. And Echo was not a villain this time.

Actually the dream had the S14 guy as the villain, the one with the mask, spoilers.

It started with a fight between masked man, who's name I neglect to remember, and the ninja. They barely even get a chance to fight him before someone in a hodded cape swoops in and kicks him clean off his thone/podeum. They guy lands poorly and his leg gets messed up but continues fighting while the ninja just s t a r e at them.

The ninja only make a real reaction when they see the mystery man use the element of wind, and they're all utterly bewildered.

The mystery man can't hold them all off and is knocked far into the forest, presumably dead considering how far he went, and the rest of the ninja are separated into groups (Kai and Cole, Nya and Zane, Jay and Lloyd with Wu and Misako).

It followed Kai and Cole mostly, just discussing the possibility of two elemental masters of wind (they recalled Krux and Acronix) and that this guy could be dangerous. While they're talking, they bump into the motionless body of that cloaked person and Kai literally nearly pukes. Cole manages to get close to the guy and with prompting from Kai, pulls back the hood to see, not a man, but a nindroid! And a nindroid that looked eerily like Zane.

.

That's when it cut to Lloyd and Jay, they're talking with Wu and Misako about the mystery man, and this is where Wu info dumps that, after an elemental master passes without any heirs, the elements will take an unknown amount of time to present itself in a new host. It depends on that persons destiny and whether or not they're fit to use it and yada yada.

Lloyd understands that this would mean morro would no longer be the elemental master of wind, since after the DotD, he legit died and is gone for good. Which resulted in the element passing on. Wu comments that this is the fastest he'd seen an element passing on and presenting itself, and says that whoever this person is, must have been picked for a very good reason.

Jay then starts making a ridiculous list of people that he thinks could be the new master of wind, despite Wu telling him the probability of Jay knowing this master, is near impossible (Jay gets a kick outta this r e a l soon).

.

Then we hop back to Cole and Kai, who are freaking out over the rusty version of their friend who somehow has elemental powers too??

Kai says they should leave him here, saying it could be an evil nindroid, since they were also based off of Zane's prints. Cole argues and says they should take him back for questioning, and that Cole would be very happy to carry him.

While they're arguing, the fake Zane starts to wake up, and in a comedic way, screams at Cole and Kai, who in turn also start screaming. The mystery nindroid awkwardly chuckles and remarks that this was not particularly how he wanted to introduce himself, but anything works...

Kai and Cole begin questioning him and he answers their questions, starting with his name, telling them his name was Zane, but upon seeing their reactions, he says they can call him Echo.

Echo tells them they need to get into shelter, since at night, the island becomes unbearable and deadly. Kai and Cole reluctantly follow, continuing to ask questions while the three of them walk away, Echo limping from his earlier fight.

.

"Why are you on a random island?" Kai asked

"My raft washed up in a lightning storm." Echo replied.

"So did Julien build you too?" Cole continued.

"Yes, I would reluctantly say he is, in essence, my Father"

"Reluctantly?"

Echo did not answer.

Cole broke the silence "Where did you come from?"

"There is a lighthouse, in the-"

"-middle of the ocean between ninjago and the dark islands. You were there?" Kai interrupts.

"You know of the lighthouse? You were there?" Echo wondered "How come you did not know of my presence?"

"Your father never said anything, neither did Zane." Cole answered his question, giving the earth ninja even more of his own.

"Oh, no. My brother would not know of me, I was built in the lighthouse, not--wherever he was built" Echo confirmed "How did you get past the leviathan?"

"Zane swam to the chains and broke them with those star thingys" kai shivered, recalling those star shaped demons--

"Oh, you mean the Starteeth!" Echo begins laughing lightly "You know, one time, a bunch of them washed up and ate through the window in the basement. The basement was flodded and made me all rusty. I couldn't move for a week!" He walked slightly ahead while laughing hard.

He suddenly stopped laughing and looked serious "Looking back on it now, it was probably not funny."

Kai and Cole shared a look before Cole jumped up, realising something, and whispered close to Kai.

"Hold on a second, we completely forgot about his powers!"

"Oohhh, you're right! Hold on, I'll ask 'em."

Cole was going to pull him back to explain how shouldn't just--ask--but Kai had already begun running to catch up.

"So how did you end up an elemental master?"

"An ele-mento-who-what?" Echo fumbled his words.

"An elemental master? Y'know, with the crazy wind powers."

Cole was ready to punch Kai out, the man couldn't be subtle to save his life, which it just might right now.

"Oh! Honestly, Red, I have no idea." Echo had called Kai, Red, as the other two masters had not given their names. "I just remember the lighthouse getting nearly blown into the sea after weeks of strong winds. I had not realised the strong winds were the cause of my emotions. It was--new and scary. Gizmo was there to help me."

"The little cleaning robot? You brought that little guy with you too?" Cole caught up with Kai and the second wind master.

"Of course, he is my only friend! I would not abandon him the way I was. That is too cruel of a punishment for any being, organic or metallic." Echo yelled, a breeze shook the trees. Cole stayed quiet, but silently apologised to the nindroid.

Their questions were ended as they came across a half-cave-half-hut-like shelter. Where the settled and only prayed for their respective brothers.

.

There was a lot more small talk in the dream but I cut it down to the funnier and more important parts.

The next bits of the dream is fuzzy, but I know it revolves around the ninja reuniting and accepting the mystery person into their group while they defeat the evil and escape the island.

Kai and Cole agree to Echo's pleas to not tell Zane for the time being, as he doesn't want Zane to see his brother for the first time looking like--how he looks.

Each of them get some interactions with Echo, with his identity hidden, remaining mute as to not throw them off with his voice. He even has an interaction with Zane where Zane politely asks Echo not to keep staring at him, as he's been doing that since they came together. Zane pegs his curiosity to "he's never seen a nindroid before" and Echo confirms that for him. (unknowing the truuuuth aaaaa)

I'll write Jay's interaction with Echo another time maybe, and how he figures it out, since hoooo boy it hurt. Echo didn't remember Skybound so Jay's just mentally torturing himself for the rest of the journey.

The ninja that find out its Echo is Nya, Jay, Cole and Kai.

.

I'm gonna jump to the end, because my dream also jumped to the end? Rip. But the end what what gave me the Nya and new Samurai X vibes, but less fighting and more chill chat.

.

.

He was on a real boat. Not a makeshift raft constructed out of his father's old bed, table, chairs and shelves, not pushed forward by his newly explained "elemental powers". A real boat, one that would take him away from tiny islands that kept him prisoner, away from the existential dread of loneliness. He'd be free. Free from fearing his last day would be solitary and sad. In one day alone, he'd made a literal boat load of friends. They wouldn't abandon him, not as his father once did.

He was happy, he felt really, truly happy. But he didn't smile. Yes he had friends, but what he wanted more than anything else, was his brother. He was right here on the boat, but Echo's own worries about how his brother would perceive him, how his brother would react to seeing him in such a state (Upon first meeting too! Talk about first impressions), persuaded him to otherwise say nothing.

Deep down, Echo knew he had nothing to fear, he'd heard stories from his father, before he'd locked him away, about Zane and about what it was like--just the two of them. Happy. And from what Echo had seen, Zane was more that strong. Not just physically, nindroid and all, but mentally and emotionally. Echo only wished he had that confidence, the ability to say nothing but be so loud at the same time.

It would make talking to him a lot easier, if he had to say so himself.

Echo, however, had his thoughts interrupted by the sound of footsteps he hadn't even registered, and a soft, yet firm, hand on his shoulder. He tensed just slightly, preparing himself to pull his hood down further.

"It's nice, is it not?" That voice, it was Echo's voice. No, Echo had his voice. His brother was standing right next to him. So close and yet so far, just one swipe of his hood would bring them together, finally. But he resigned himself to simply nod in response. He hadn't come this far to give up now.

A comfortable silence covered the two like a thin layer of snow, fitting considering who was standing next to him. It would almost make him laugh.

"You fought well, out there," Zane started, Echo had thought he was done and nodded again, a small smile forming on his face. Zane may not have known who he was complimenting, but Echo took every moment of it with pride. But then his world span at Zane's continuation.

"For a nindroid."

Zane looked down with a small smirk. Like he'd told the best joke in history. Echo tightened his grip on the wooden railing of the bounty, crushing the paint under his permanently short nails. Zane must've noticed, but didn't say anything. Either in respect for his privacy or because he wanted to hear the confession himself.

In Echo's mind, he was obviously panicking. He didn't want his brother, someone who he'd heard stories from his father, the bot he was built off of, his singular role-model, to find out who he was, like this?

Despite the fear in his ticking heart, he did something probably really stupid and something that would likely result in his downfall. He thanked him.

"Thank you... How- how did you know?" Though, he lowered the pitch oh his voice. It would not be difficult for Zane, or anyone really, to rase the pitch and find out who he was, it still calmed him down just a bit.

"A nindroid knows a nindroid. A brother knows a brother."

Oh I'm f*ucked...

There was only panic, in his systems. The ticking of his clockwork had never sounded louder in his ears. It'd drowned out the sounds of water, the automatic breathing he for some reason had, the cracking of wood underneath his palms was the only sign that ticking was not the lone sound in the world.

He fell out of his anxious trance when the hand left his shoulder and those footsteps came back. No. They were moving away. Echo looked back, moving his fingers to clutch his hood tight against the unintentional winds that now followed him and his emotions. He could see Zane walking towards the steps of the bounty, but halted at the top of them, his hand instead lazily laying on the banister.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them-" He called, just loud enough for Echo to hear over the breeze.

-about what? That he knows who I am? That he'd practically lied to them? That he knew everything all along, because of course he knew, this was Zane, how could he not know, he-

"-Cryptor."

Echo ceased all thoughts from his head. Cryptor? What was that? Was that some kind of fruit? Or a vegetable?

Echo turned his body in the direction of his brother to ask him or at least say goodbye, but he was gone. He'd walked off and down the stairs. Leaving behind not so much as a sheet of frost.

The clockwork child stayed standing there, pure surprise, fear, relief, confusion--actually a lof of emotions he didn't know how to process--flooding his brain. If it weren't for the distant voice of Nya yelling about the sudden gusts of wind changing their direction, he would likely not have moved from that position until they landed.

Cryptor. He thought, it must be a nickname. There was no way he couldn't have figured out Echo was his sibling. He'd said, "a brother knows a brother", they didn't have any other siblings. Right? No. It was just them, just the two of them. The only two nindroids in Ninjago.

His father had said so himself. Although, his father had also buried him under scrap metal and kept him hidden from his family.

Anything could be truth now.

Although Zane had left, and there was no one to hear him, he still felt it necessary to acknowledge what happened. Quietly and sadly, he spoke with a smile.

"Good guess, brother."

.

.

.

.

SO Uhh I'm gonna assume this was because i watched DotD last night,,, and so both Cryptor, and Morro were on my brain hense wind and Cryptor calling Zane "brother", but I always have Echo on the brain man,,, so uhh. Echo for the new master of wind? Anyone? I think it's cute,,,

I probably missed something, other than writing Jay and Echo's interaction, Jay was so sad throughout the rest of the dream, man. And Echo didn't even know why, it was heartbreaking---but it was also a dream and like all my dreams, they never get made into real things.

But I did like the Zane and Echo bit at the end though. There was a second ending, but it relied on the reveal of echo to the audience at the e n d of the dream. Zane still says Cryptor and Echo turns with the camera getting close to him. And as he turns his head to the camera, you see its Echo and then he says "good guess, brother" BUT NGL I THINK IT HURS MORE WHEN WE KNOW FROM THE BEGINNING SOOO.

My dreams are whack dudes,,,

Also this took nearly 3 hours to write its actually 8:50 now Soooo ilya

[lstories]

Timor and Cole

No Fear story (part 2)(soft, safe, vore, fearplay)

Timor's POV:

The boy struggled in Timor's mouth, their legs were hanging out while the they were pushing on the back of Timors throat. He could hear the boy mumbling something but it didn't matter, Timor needed to finish his meal. The boy tried to push back harder on Timors throat and their legs were trying to flail. Timor swallowed once, letting the boy catch themself on his teeth. The boy struggled, half way in Timors throat and still trying to pull themself out. Timor opened his mouth a bit and swallowed again. The boy slid down Timor's throat, struggling all they way. It started to pain Timor. "He moves to much" the anger and hunger of Timor thought while trying to eat a human alive. Timor swallowed again and again, trying to dislodge to boy. Timor stood on his back legs while looking up, stretching out his whole neck. Gravity started to do its work and the boy finally slid into Timor's storage stomach. A wave of peace washed over Timor, his hunger satiated and his anger settled, Timor let out a deep sigh of relief. A noticable bulge was visible... and stirring.

Timor had to admit it "that felt amazing" he quietly said while beginning to sit. He started to remember what had happened, the boy running and shivering and his anger overwhelming him. As Timor stopped to think he had realized that he had eaten an entire human and it was in pain. Guilt washed over Timor, "oh... what do I do what do I do? I can't let him out yet, but he's still in pain. He'd just run off to tell the nearest other human what had happened. But I can't just leave him like that for the night." Timor quietly rambled under his breath, subconsciously rubbing the new bulge in his stomach. But before he could come to a conclusion, his gut burst in pain.

The boy was flailing in Timor's stomach, punching and thrashing. "Gah, Stop that I'm trying to help" Timor said, trying not to press to hard on the boy. They stretched, almost standing sideways in Timors stomach "If you don't stop I'm, uuh. I won't let you out till morning". Timor thought that it had worked for a second, just before the boy threw another punch. "You weren't going to let me out anyway, you just want me to stop" they said. Timor could hear tears in the boys voice. The boy kept punching the walls of Timors stomach over and over. "Your going to be ok, I just need you to stop" Timor said trying to calm down the boy. They stopped their thrashing and stirred in Timor's stomach. Timor began to feel the boy moving, and like a bullet they kicked the side of Timor's stomach. Timor was about to start yelling at the boy but stopped. Timor could hear whimpering and not long after, full crying.

"Are you ok in there" Timor asked still concerned for the boy. "I... I d-don't want to die" the boy said crying. Timor's stomach pains started to die down as the boy stoped moving so violently. Finaly Timor could start to concentrate on the spell. "Hey, it's ok, your not going to die. What's your name." Timor said sitting back up. "C-Cole. My name is Cole." the boy said trying not to cry to much. "Ok Cole, all the pain will go away soon" Timor tried to say in a reassuring voice while getting ready to start the spell. Cole started to cry even louder but Timor needed to concentrate. He began to chant in an old daconic tongue and drew a rune in the mud. Eventually Timor stoped and raised his hands to his stomach, it was odd for him as he always picked up the human to heal it. Timor's stomach started to growl and the bruised parts started to heal and the boy slowly began to stop crying.

Cole's POV:

Cole couldn't say calm any longer. This had the be the worst day of his life and it might be his last. Cole's mind raced as he tried to think of a way out, but it didn't seem like there was one. His head and shoulders were already down the throat of the dragon and he was trying to pull himself out. Once Cole thought he had a grip he slipped a little further down each time. He was covered in warm dragon saliva and for some reason, it almost felt peaceful. Cole was unexpectedly shoved down further into the dragons throat, the walls pulsing and tightening around him, trying to pull him deeper into the dragon. He could barely catch himself on the dragons teeth. He couldn't keep his grip or his position as he kept falling deeper down. Once more the dragon swallowed, and with that he couldn't hold on any longer. He slid down, the dragons tongue helping him along. Coles whole body was in the dragons throat. He tried to back up but he couldn't get a grip on anything. He kept struggling backwards but the dragon kept swallowing, trying to push him down. The squishy ground started to shift as Cole started to slip forward and try as he might he fell into the opening of the dragon's stomach. Cole's head slipped threw the small opening and soon followed his shoulders. Cole turned onto his back, his legs followed threw the hole as he couldn't hold them strait any longer. Cole's whole body had slipped threw the small opening, the monstrous gut happily accepting the new food and filling out to fit him.

Cole couldn't believe it, he was stuck inside a dragon. He was stunned with fear, he couldn't move a mussel and sadness started to overwhelm him. A small pressure appeared pushing in on Cole in the dark stomach. It felt nice, like a weighted blanket on him. Tears started to well in Coles eyes as he started to drift off to sleep and the dragons heartbeat was relaxing, but Cole wasn't going out without a fight. He flailed in the dragons stomach, trying just to make this the worst meal of the dragons life. He punched at his left and right just trying to cause pain. "Gah, Stop that I'm trying to help" the dragon said, his voice echoed in his stomach. The pressure was harder, keeping him in place, all cole could do was try to stand up. He positioned his arms and legs so he could stretch to his full length but his legs gave way immediately. Cole had forgotten about the beating at the pool and as he remembered the pain of being dragged and being hit by the rocks came back to him. He collapsed, sitting back down in the small puddle of juices. "If you don't stop I'm, uuh. I won't let you out till morning" the dragon said sounding younger than when any other time he talked. Cole's legs were hurting and he almost believed the dragon, wanting to live another day. Almost.

Cole threw another punch wanting to cause more pain. "You weren't going to let me out anyway, you just want me to stop" Cole yelled back trying not to cry while saying it. He punched again and again, his fists sinking into the squishy walls. "Your going to be ok, I just need you to stop" the dragon said. Cole wasn't going to fall for it. He curled into a ball and kicked the dragons stomach as hard as he could. His legs felt like they shattered and he couldn't hold it any longer, he started to cry harder than he ever had before. He held himself in a ball, trying to comfort his legs. "Are you ok in there" the dragon asked. Cole couldn't help but wonder why the dragon was worried for him. "I... I d-don't want to die" Cole said trying not to cry while he said it. "Hey, it's ok, your not going to die. What's your name." It... wanted to know his name? "C-Cole. My name is Cole" he responded. Why was the dragon doing this, the mixed messages and all the pain he wondered. "Ok Cole, all the pain will go away soon" the dragon said. Cole couldn't hold any tears in any longer, he knew his legs were deffenetly broken and movement was torture. The dragon started to chant something in a language Cole never heard before. A green and gold light started to seep threw the cracks between the ridges of flesh. The inside of the dragons stomach became brighter to Cole, the pink walls surounding him started moving and growled as the new liquid seemed to infect the ones he was sitting in. The gold and green was beautiful to the eyes, it gleamed like it had glitter. It felt nice on his skin, almost fluffy. It started to seep from the top and fell directly into a cut on his hand. The skin started to move as it slowly graphted itself together. It slowly driped all over him, covering him head to toe healing every bruse and cut. He couldn't feel any pain, his entire body healed. It felt amazing.

Timor and Cole's POV:

"Are you ok in there Cole" Timor asked with guilt in his voice. "Ya. It feels like a hot tub in here and everything feeles so much better." Cole said, all the tears gone from his eyes. Cole felt so much better and the liquids were all the way up to his neck. If the dragon wanted him dead he wouldn't heal him and Cole started to trust him a little more. "Hey, whats your name" Cole asked. Timor was considered with what Cole asked of him. He never needed to tell his name to anyone before. He only ever talked to his family before and any humans he encountered were either to far away to talk too or they were asleep. "My name is Timor, human" he said trying to sound regal. "I've been thinking of how you talk. You talk like your part of a kingdom and like your trying to impress someone, you auctly just sound a little older than me." Cole said trying to get into Timors head no longer thinking about being in his stomach. "How dare you human, I... You... ugh, fine I wanted to talk to you but I didn't want you to judge me" Timor said starting to walk back to the pool. "You talking like that had me slightly judging you. But you wanted to talk to me so you tried scaring me and then ate me?" Cole said, still trying to comprehend that dragons are real. "Well it wasn't my first plan, I wanted a meal but since you never felt any fear, you BECAME the meal." Timor said, guilt in his voice. "Wait you wanted a meal but since I didn't feel fear I was eaten. I don't get it." Cole said still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "Im the dragon of fear. I have to eat fear or else. When you didn't feel any fear my hunger took over and ate you. Emotional dragons take on whatever emotion is strongest so I just knew you wouldn't give me what I wanted and then you were in my stomach." Timor said, while slowly exiting the forest, making sure no people were coming. The golden green liquid was slowly going down around Cole as the light seemed to fade.

Timor poured a small amount of chips onto his tongue along with a few chocolate bars gulping them down into his first stomach. "Are you hungry" Timor asked pulling a hand full of snacks out from behind the bar. "Ya, a bit." Cole said as just a bit of light is left in Timors second stomach. Timor ate a few of the full chip bags and sent them to his second stomach. As they reached Cole he asked "I heard you swallow 2 times. What was the first one for." Confused on why nothing came the first time. "I sent food to my first stomach to digest it. Your in my storage stomach were I keep food a long time if I need to. I've never had anything alive in either of my stomachs." Timor said. "Where is your home, I should take you back there." Timor said, his thought being on dropping the food off at his home and taking Cole back to theirs. "I live on the other side of the forest from the pool, its were I was originally trying to walk to" Cole said a little upset. "How are you still awake anyway. Everyone I heal falls asleep soon after." Timor said confused why Cole was different. "I don't know, I wanted to sleep but I guess I kept dipping in and out of the golden healing stuff and it kept waking me up" Cole said while trying to open a wet chip bag, laying down in Timor's stomach.

"What did you mean when you said you said you had to 'eat fear or else' and what about being the dragon of fear" Cole said confused as to what that ment. "I have to eat fear or else I won't be able to control my powers. When I go to long without eating, monsters and structures could be made out of nothing and I wouldn't be able to control them. Me and my family are the dragons of emotions. Our minions and monsters keep the world's emotions in check and we take some of that back to feed." Timor said, he final got back to his home but something was off. A thin figure ran off into the distance out of the corner of Timor's eye. "So you need to scare someone soon or we could be in an actual horror movie... I know a way for both of us to get what we want." Cole said, a little excitement in his voice. "How so?" Timor said still looking for the shadowy figure in the forest. "Just get to the northern part of the forest." Cole said starting to laugh in excitement. "Ok?" Timor said heading towards the northern part of the forest.

As Timor came to a stop he noticed the roads were cleared out and he couldn't hear anything besides a couple of bikes. "We stoped. Do you see them, their on bikes." Cole said, an audible smile on his face. "The three from the pool, their over there" Timor said quietly to not draw their attention. "Ya, now let me out" Cole said. The walls seemed to crush Cole, pulling and pushing him from all sides and soon he was shoved back up and into the light. Timor felt as Cole was pushed up thru his throat and out his mouth trying to keep Cole off his teeth. Cole fell onto the ground covered in dragon salvia, the ground cold and hard and the wind blowing around him cooling him down more. He stood up shoving off as much saliva and stomach fluids as he could. Timor knew Cole was cold and started to blow gently on Cole with a fire in the back of his throat. All the liquids were blown off him and the air was heated around him. "So... what now?" Timor asked confused as to what the boy was thinking. Cole looked back up at Timor, stunned in awe as how big the dragon was. His mind race as he panicked and wanted to run away but slingshoted back to what he was planning to do to Butch Brock and Brutes "Right. So, here's the plan"

[sumoattack-gooddog]

DBH Hankcon fic - Human!Au where Connor was the other car

Chapter 30 - The Rose

“I think you were,” he dropped his gaze, subjugating himself. A lie. “…Right.”

“That takes great courage to admit. What caused this revelation?”

He fluttered the coin across his fingers. This time not a compulsion. Another lie. A trick. A way to warp his perceived poise – or deceptive lack there of.

By the way she eyed the movement, the attempt was successful. She scribbled out a comment in her notebook.

“The nightmares have been more intense. I find myself fixating on the accident–”

“Like you used to?”

He had for a long time replayed it in his mind. A scratch on a disk stuck looping the same few seconds. The moment he woke to flashing lights. A thunderous ache in the back of his neck and a brutal, distant cry. He’d never forget it, the hurt of that carnal howl – he wondered if Hank remembered making such a sound as he hauled Cole from the wreckage.

He had tried to move, to reorient himself. His hands had been so unsteady, and when he spared his attention from the spider webbing fracture across his windshield, he found them coated in so much hot slick –

“Connor?”

“Yes. Uh, yes. Like before.” He blinked back the memory. This was a lie, he reminded himself. He didn’t need to make it a reality. He’d spent so much time working to forget – well not forget, per se, but allowing the memories to rest some place other than at the forefront of his mind– trying to remember the benefits that this case was bringing him – and Hank. He didn’t need to make this fabrication fact. He’d spent long enough in that endless pit of pain. “We hit a dead end, so we’ve… Given up.”

Amanda raised a brow. “Really? Last we spoke things seemed to be going so well, it’s a shame to hear otherwise.”

Clearly, Connor didn’t say, straightening his tie – this time a compulsion, a lingering dread that perhaps somehow she knew. Saw right through him. “We thought we’d found the necessary evidence, but it turned out to be unhelpful.” He swallowed, looking back to meet her eyes with a sad conviction. A pang through his chest at even the idea as he said, “Lieutenant Anderson and I have also decided to terminate our relationship. We realized that perhaps the things bringing us together were not as beneficial as we’d previously believed.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, pen to the page again.

I’m sure you’re devastated. Connor hummed, burying the words that itched at his throat. “Thank you.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot, conjuring the words he loathed most. “I apologize for doubting your judgement. As you said last week, it’s easy to take such advice as an attack on the ego… I didn’t realize how much I was doing that.”

“Well, Connor, I am quite proud of this development. I’m glad to hear you–”

Brrrrrring!

Amanda frowned, tossing a glance to the door to her small private office, tucked into a corner of the room. “Are you managing to find your–”

Brrrrrring!

“…Self.” She muttered.

“Do you need to answer that?” Connor asked with a tip of his head, eyes innocent in their inquiry.

“No, no. I’m sure I can get to that later,” She waved it off as the final call of the phone rang out. “Where were we?”

“You were expressing your contentment with my development,” Connor supplied.

“Ah, yes. I am quite thrilled–”

Brrrrrring!

Amanda’s eye twitched.

Brrrrrring!

Connor patiently allowed it to ring out, watching the tension settle in the older woman’s brow. As the sound finally ceased, he fought a smile. “I appreciate your acknowledgment. It was a difficult decision to make, but I am glad I made it.”

“As am I,” she nodded, although the annoyance was an echo in her tone. She tightly clutched her supplies, pale splotches surfacing across her knuckles. “Are you and the lieutenant still working together?”

“We aren’t. No.”

“That’s likely for the bes–”

Brrrrrring!

She stood with such haste the chair cried out in protest, her grasp becoming impossibly tighter around her pen and notebook. “I apologize, Connor. This must be urgent.”

“Of course,” he waved off the situation.

“I appreciate your understanding,” she said, placing down her notebook atop her seat. “I will be back as swiftly as I can.” With purposeful strides, she reached her small office, throwing open the door in her hurry. She shut it with just as much urgency as she picked up the phone. Only the beginning of, “This is Doctor Amanda Stern speaking,” making its way to Connor.

The detective tossed a glance to the door, waiting only a moment to ensure she wouldn’t come rushing back out, before rising to his feet. With silent diligence, he crossed to her chair, phone in hand, fluttering through the notes of their meetings. He didn’t waste time in reading, no, only pausing to snap a few crisp photos and continuing on. He only dared to go to as far as the meeting in which he mentioned his partnership with Hank before returning to his chair, pocketing his phone as he resumed his usual recline – which is to say, hardly a recline at all.

The click of the door drew his eyes, a moth to a flame.

Amanda clutched the device to her chest as she approached. “Your supervisor has an urgent matter he needs to discuss with you.”

“Oh!” Connor accepted the phone. “May I step into your office? I don’t know how sensitive this information will be.”

Amanda gestured to the door with a nod, “Of course.”

“Hello,” Connor greeted, closing the door behind himself.

“Hey, Con.”

He smiled, “Hello.”

“Do you think you can be overheard?” Hank asked, voice crackly over the line.

“No, I couldn’t hear her when she answered you.” Connor explained, taking a seat at the chair tucked into the desk. “That being said, I don’t want to give her a reason to try to.”

“Of course. Well, how about you just give me some nice little yes and no answers. Sound good?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“You take photos of the notebook?”

“Yes.”

“Is her computer unlocked?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Hank breathed. “I asked her to check something for me. I hoped I could distract her enough that she wouldn’t remember to lock it when she went to get you.”

“Seems you did,” Connor replied, opening up the garbage bin. The search history. The browsers.

“Do you think she believed you earlier?”

“Hard to say. I think so, though, yes.” Connor took his phone from his pocket, capturing images of anything that might be useful.

“See anything incriminating?”

“No,” he sighed, tapping through the documents deleted. Old schedules, to do lists, actual documentation for her work. Nothing of value.

“Check her email.”

“On it.” He opened the page, skimming through the starred emails and content.

“Anything?”

“Not yet– Wait.” Connor pulled open the archived emails. “Wait.” He photographed a page, another, another, another. “Shit,” he breathed. “I’m sending it to you now.”

“Holy fuck, Con. This is…” Hank’s voice trailed off, eyes on the very thing Connor, too, was reading.

Four emails back and forth between Perkins and Amanda, starting with her. An email addressed with deceptive kindness inviting him to a session after she caught wind of his accident. Her assertive insistence that he really should meet with her, she’d even do it free of charge – phone number attached, her work line, he recognized.

A follow up email from him, a week later, asking for routing information for banking. Discussions of a sum. A different phone number.

“I should… I should go,” Connor choked out. “I don’t want to–”

“Right,” Hank said. “Con, be careful. If they’ve been in contact for years then we don’t know how, uh, how entangled they are.”

“Right.”

“I’ll call Jeffery as soon as we’re off the phone.”

“Good. Good.” Connor said, closing the pages he’d snooped through. “We’ll talk later.”

“Bye, Con. Text me as soon as you’re out of there.”

“Will do,” he promised. “Bye.” He placed the phone back into its charger, smoothing his blazer as his eyes found his fingers – a tremor he couldn’t deny. He allowed himself only a moment to breathe before revealing himself. Hands behind his back, hidden for their betrayal of emotion.

Amanda sat, as she often did, in her little white leather chair, legs crossed. Dark heels catching the light. Her eyes skimmed the notes she’d jotted down in her leather bound notebook. Seemingly unaware and unfazed.

How easy would it be to approach her? To grasp her by the shoulders and force her to stare into his eyes with such an intensity she’d be forced to know. To speak in chillingly level tones as he explained how well he saw her for what she was: a beautifully deceptive bitch. A rose adorned with thorns falling into his hand only to make him bleed.

He was very well acquainted with such moments, the blood disturbed him only in passing – like a spider on the wall – it was the aftermath that scarred. The thorns that need to be plucked from the skin, cutting deeper in their removal. Why, yes, that was the situation here, hm? She adorned him with praise, advice, comfort all within a glass box dangling over the precipice of an unsteady table. Now? He’d tipped.

Sprawled out among broken glass that dug into his skin. That robbed him of breath and blood – even more than he’d already spilled.

Did she even know? When her eyes flickered up to Connor, when he offered her a chaste apology and returned to his chair. Did she know? Did she see the scars that prickled across his flesh? Did she see the grit of his teeth, the tension that still manifested despite the numbness of the muscles in his face?

“I hope everything is alright.”

“It is...” so far from alright. I promise you’ll see that soon.

[defenderrosetyler]

A Prince and His Swan Prologue

Words: 1.5k

Warnings: Minor Mention of injury and death

Off we go! Thanks again to @flamencodiva​ for being Beta and @beskaradberoya​ for her dividers!!

Sam Winchester and Odette Y/L/N had been friends since they were children. Odette was the only daughter of a widowed king, and Sam was the youngest of King John and Queen Mary of the neighboring kingdom across the oceans. King John and Odette’s father had constant talks of joining their kingdoms during their children’s infancy. It was decided that every summer, Dean, Sam, and Odette would spend the summers together in the hope that Odette would fall in love with one of his sons. 

Each summer passed with its own challenges. Odette was polite with the palace staff, while Dean and Sam caused havoc around the palace. John sighed one afternoon as he and the other adults sat around the table playing cards. “Well, at least the children seem to be getting along.”

“Don’t worry, John, this arrangement will click with one of them, I promise.” “It’s a perfect match” Odette’s Father smiled over at the other monarchs,

“Sam, she’s making me play dress up,” Dean groans as Sam shakes his head. “At least she’s not beating you at cards. This is the fifth hand she’s beaten me at.” Odette giggled as she lay out her winning hand. 

The summers passed, and before long, all three children were grown. Dean had already had his 18th birthday celebration, and now it was Sam’s turn. 

“Father, please, put me down! This is just another ball that I’d rather not be a part of!” Odette argued as she watched all the eligible women and princesses in the kingdom approached the steps of Winchester Castle.

“Odette, my darling child, this match between you and Sam is perfect. You two got along so well all these past summers. Surely you must care for him.” Odette’s father says gently. The father and daughter had a close relationship ever since Odette’s mother had passed at the time of her birth. Sure Odette had her tutors growing up, but she and her father were incredibly close. The elder monarch pulled out a black velvet box and revealed a gold chain, and at the end of the beautiful chain, hung the image of a swan carved into the gold locket. 

“Papa, it’s beautiful…” Odette gasped as her father reached around to clasp the golden chain around her neck. The gold accessory shimmered in the light of the hallway, but the symbol of a swan reminded her of her mother as it was her favorite animal.

Down the hall, Sam sighed as he straightened his dress clothes. Clearly, this was a ball set to become an engagement party as his mother had insisted on him wearing the nicest outfit he had. Dean, who was adamant of making sure his little brother wasn’t late, walked over to help him. “Seems like mom invited half the kingdom and all the most abundant amount of single princesses in this kingdom and the next one over,” Dean says chuckling, This made Sam roll his eyes at the elder sibling. 

“Maybe I don’t want to settle down yet, Dean. There’s so much of the enchanted forest I haven’t gotten to explore yet. I’ve wanted to visit Snow and Charming, but I haven’t had the time since Mom is so insistent that I get married. She didn’t force you to get married,” he added as an afterthought. Dean scoffed and shook his head. This was true, he wasn’t being forced into a marriage, and he’d thought he would be, given the fact he was the oldest of the Winchester princes. 

“You’ll have time for that and so much more, Sam, I promise. Have I ever steered you wrong before?”

Sam let out a sigh, Dean was right there. In being the eldest, he always gave the best advice. Sam gave his brother a friendly smile and nodded. Dean pulled Sam in for a hug and patted him on the back. “Come on, there’s a ball, with food, drink, and women” Dean smirked, saying each word slowly and his grin grew with each word before he was out the door. 

Meanwhile, Queen Regina Mills was working on a curse of her own across the enchanted forest, but she was also in contact with the witch that presided over the Winchester Kingdom. Rowena Macleod. Before Sam and Dean were born, Rowena had a decent relationship with King John and Queen Mary, but she was banished immediately when the boys were about a year old when she was discovered working with dark magic. Rowena and Regina had been friends when they were younger. 

Rowena snuck inside the palace walls, her dark emerald cloak kept her hidden in the shadows, smirking as she spotted the royal family as well as Princess Odette. Rowena had spies hidden within the palace who would provide her with intel regarding the goings-on at the palace. t wasn’t that hard to figure out the fact that Prince Samuel had a soft spot for Princess Odette Y/L/N. 

The growing crowd made it easier to allow Rowena to lurk throughout the party with ease, the entire ballroom filled with gasps and murmurs as Odette made her way into the room. Rowena cleared her throat as she tried to gather Sam’s attention, bowing into a low curtsy, she smiled and stood looking at him, rumor around the palace is that you and Princess Odette are to be engaged, what with you being childhood friends and all,” 

Sam nodded hearing Rowena, but he wasn’t truly listening to her. Catching Y/C/H out of the corner of his eye, the prince turned to see her come down the stairs and just looked in awe. How did the annoying child he and Dean had grown up with become someone so beautiful…Sam moved to push past Rowena, moving to stand in front of Odette, smiling as they were standing in the middle of the room, giving her a low bow. In-kind, Odette curtsy’s back. 

Without a second thought, Sam was inching towards her and his hand rested on the back of her neck before pressing his lips to hers gently, which to the parents of the pair, made them elated, a loud cry filled the room from King John. 

“Arrange the marriage between Prince Samuel and Princess Odette.”

As the words echoed in her ear, Odette pulled back and looked in shock. “What? I-I don’t understand…” 

Sam pulled Odette over to a corner so they were alone somewhat. “I don’t understand what the problem is.” “Why do you want to marry me? Because we’re told do, or are you willing to marry me of your own choice.” “Well, you are really beautiful…” Sam says trailing a bit. “What else?” 

This made Sam blink a bit. After a moment of hesitation, Odette scoffed and gently pushed past him to leave. “Papa, I’d like to go home.”

Rowena stepped out into the crowd and her red hair was vibrant against the castle light. Her voice was low and she was laughing while the words left her mouth. Eyes gazed upon Odette and her elder father.

 “adhair, uisge, teine, talamh gabh an nighean seo agus thoir dhomh mo mhallachd. Air an latha eala air an oidhche na bana-phrionnsa, cha bhi i gu bràth leis an fheadhainn air a bheil gaol aice, gus an tèid fìor ghaol aideachadh aideachadh le fuil.”  

Which translated to; ‘air, water, fire, earth take this girl and give her my curse. By  day a swan  by night a princess, never shall she be with the ones she loves, until true loves confession be spoken with blood.’

Odette’s father moved to pull his daughter behind him after the curse was spoken. John was shouting for his guard to seize Rowena and make sure she was exiled like she should have been. The entire ballroom left the palace in a rush, Odette and her father being pushed along in the crowd. Climbing into their carriage, they rushed towards their kingdom and, hopefully, safety.

The following morning, Sam and Dean were in the library, trying to remember the words to Rowena’s spell the evening before. Rowena being the cunning witch she was, was able to escape and cause an ambush on Odette and her father’s carriage, taking Odette with her where Sam would not be able to find her, leaving the golden necklace in the road. “Sam, you, for the record, are an idiot,” Dean says to his younger brother, who simply glared at him. “‘ Is beauty all that matters,” he says trying to mimic Odette’s tone and rolled his eyes, “and you simply respond with, “What else is there?!’”

“Thank you, Dean, for reminding me for the second time this morning and last night,” Sam snapped, looking up as the head of the guard burst through the library wounded just as Sam was on the page where the spell would be translated. “Hey, Hey, you're alright? What happened?”

“Princess Odette’s carriage was attacked on the road, her father is dead…”

“What?!” Dean gasped. In the guard's hand was Odette’s necklace. Both brothers looked up as a storm was seeming to come in out of nowhere. “What the hell is that?” Sam says. “A wall of purple smoke?”

“That would be Queen Regina’s doing,” Rowena smirked as she stood in the library. See you boys soon, though, you probably won’t remember me anyway.” She chuckled as the smoke enveloped the palace.

Tags:

 @simsadventures @mummybear @impala-dreamer @holylulusworld @snffbeebee @saxxxology @akshi8278 @deansmyapplepie   @luci-in-trenchcoats @samskia-writes @winchester-fantasies @talesmaniac89 @stusbunker @idreamofplaid @cherrypiebbyblog @cleighwrites @jxackles @flamencodiva @wonder-cole @msmarvelouswinchester @downanddirtydean @janicho88 @lacednleathered

[peak-dumbass]

Ninjago Father Rank List cuz Happy Father’s Day :>

Btw I’m doing this in alphabetical order: Chen, Cliff Gordon, Cole, Cyrus Borg, Dr. Julien, Ed, Emperor of Ninjago, Garmadon PreS2, PostS2, and PostS8, Lou, Nelson’s Dad, Ray, Skales, and Wu

1)The Cs: Chen, Cyrus Borg, Cole, and Cliff Gordon

Chen: 4/10, he’s great as a character but not so much as a father, he used Skylor as a weapon and once she was no use to him he just left her on an island without a second thought, we at least know he didn’t starve or abuse her cuz she seems to be in good health when we see her and owns a popular brand of restaurant plus he doesn’t seem like the person to do that either so he gets a few points for that

Cyrus Borg: 9/10, he’s a great father from what I remember/have seen, he lets his daughter Pixal do what she wants cuz he knows that she’s capable of defending herself and treats her as a daughter instead of just an assistant or as a thing that doesn’t have emotions, my only real nit pick here is that he doesn’t create her a new body after S4, if he knew she was alive I think he would want to make her a new body, and when we see him in S5 he doesn’t seem to be affected by the lost of his child, this would only make sense of the ninja told him that she’s in Zane’s head but then why didn’t he create her a new body? Other then that little nit pick though he’s a great father and I love his character :>

Cole: 10/10, he’s Dad Cole, what do you expect? Seriously though Cole seems like he would be a great father from what we see in S8 and S9, like the scene where Lloyd tosses Baby Wu to the ninja on the Bounty in S8 and Cole just instinctively f—king jumps off the Bounty to save Wu, he didn’t know that Jay was going to catch him so he basically was gonna sacrifice his life to make sure Baby Wu was safe, same thing with the Bounty falling from the sky into the jungle in the same season, he just ran over to Baby Wu and held him to make sure he was safe while the ship was falling from the sky, I love him :D!

Cliff Gordon: ?/10, I can’t really judge Cliff cuz we don’t know his reason for him giving Jay up for adoption or if he even knew about Jay or that he was his child in the first place

2) Dr. Julien

8/10, He obviously cares a lot about Zane based on what he does in S2 aka the only season he is in alive, though he does just leave Echo alone in the light house even when Zane says in the same episode he finds Dr. Julien “No body deserves to be in captivity, even monsters” or something similar, I couldn’t find the original quote on Google, but other then that he seems like a really really nice, good guy and good father

3)Ed and Emperor of Ninjago

Ed: 10/10 He’s one of the only parents in this this show that isn’t dead/disappears and he makes up for all the bad/absent parents in this show cuz even though he is adopted Jay’s adopted father he is one of, if not the, best parent in this show cuz he obviously cares so much for Edna and Jay and idk how to explain how much he is just such a great dad character he’s mostly jokes and caring goofy dad but he can be serious when the situation requires it shown in S6, he’s just amazing :3

Emperor of Ninjago: idc/10, I don’t really care about him much tbh, I don’t think he’s a bad character I just never really got attracted or invested in him :/

Garmadon PreS2, PostS2, and PostS8

PreS2 Garmadon: 10/10, Even if he had evil running through his veins he wouldn’t dare hurt his son and threw a Snek for even suggesting the idea

PostS2 Garmadon: 11/10, Same as PreS2 Garmadon but not evil, he’s just amazing in general, I’m sure there are entire posts on why Garmadon is an amazing character and parent so I’ll just move on

PostS8 Garmadon: 0/10, he nearly beat up his kid to death and said “I have no son” before yeeting him through several stone walls, he’s an amazing character but not the best father :’/

4) Lou, Nelson’s Dad, Ray, Skales, and Wu

Lou: 7/10 Lou cares for Cole and when Cole tells him about being a ninja he denies it not cuz he thinks it’s wrong to be a ninja, he does it cuz he doesn’t believe stealing part of his plan in any sense is good, once Cole gets the trophy without stealing it but with dancing Lou fully supports Cole being a ninja and saying he’s proud of him, he didn’t mean to be a strict/detached father to Cole after his mother’s death, it’s just the way he grieved with it, so even if he wasn’t the best father he is nowhere near the worst

Nelson’s Dad: 😈🔪/10, Went to a pizzeria to get some milk, wonder when he’s gonna come back :/

Ray: ?/10, I don’t think I can give my opinion on Ray since he was taken away from his kids when they were very young and we haven’t seen anyway fatherly scenes with him and his kids before they were kidnapped so yeah, there’s that

Skales: 🐍?/10 I love Skales as a character but same thing as Ray here too :’/

Wu: 5/10 Last time Wu tried to be a parent for a child he ended up getting self worth issues, running away, dieing trying to prove himself to be strong, and eventually becoming a evil ghost that proceeded to release the Preeminent which destroyed the city of Stixx, though I’m putting him here cuz it wasn’t intentional, unlike Chen with Skylor, and he clearly regrets what he did and wanted to help Morro recover from what happened, the only reason he didn’t was cuz Morro didn’t think he was worthy of redemption and let go of his hand

The end, have an amazing Father’s Day!!!

[heliads]

The Watching Hawk Chapter 2: Capture

Bucky Barnes is constantly haunted by his past, but the memories of his days as a Winter Soldier will come into a new light in the form of the Watching Hawk, his old HYDRA partner. Will he be able to trust her, and will she be able to move on from his mistakes?

previous / series masterlist / next

Bucky rakes a hand through his already disheveled hair, desperate to uncover some memory about the woman he once worked with. “You’re sure she wasn’t just upset because you helped bring her to HYDRA in the first place?” Steve’s voice sounds out from across the room, and Bucky looks up tiredly. “No, it was something else. This seemed more like something personal, as opposed to me simply following orders.” 

Ever since he last saw Y/N, Bucky’s been hung up on what she last said.  I will never forgive you for what you did. The problem is, he can’t remember what he possibly could have done to cause her such pain. The only details he can remember about his time at HYDRA with Y/N involve the two of them spending time together, both on the battlefield and recovering from what they were forced to do. He knows they were close, but he can’t remember the wedge that drove them apart.

“Regardless, it’ll have to wait for now. Dominic Cole is only a day away from giving his presentation to Congress, and we know HYDRA’s planning another strike on him. This time, we have a different strategy- we have to take out the Hawk.” Bucky can’t help a slightly derisive snort once he hears Steve’s new plan. “And how exactly are you planning on doing that? She’s a world-class soldier, with control over as many HYDRA operatives as she wants. We are a group of four people.” Natasha clucks her tongue as she enters the room. “I love your positivity, Barnes. Despite all that, it’s the only chance we have at dismantling the plot against Cole. Without the ringleader, there’s no operation. Take out the Hawk, Cole is safe.”

Bucky runs a hand over his face tiredly. “What are your plans to house her? We all know that you can’t kill her- that would bring HYDRA down on us in ways you can’t believe. Your only chance is to lock her up in a cell that’s so hidden from view that not even the Director knows where it is” Steve nods thoughtfully. “I think we’ve got something in mind. We don’t need to worry about that, just how we can get to her.”

Sam turns from Steve to Bucky. “Do you remember any weaknesses? Any blind spots or things we should keep in mind?” “No more than any other soldier. It’ll take all of our focus and energy to take her out, so stay sharp.” With that, the meeting is concluded. Time to face the Watching Hawk once more.

Tensions are high when the black vans are seen once again the next day. They are the same ones from before, but there are far more in number. “HYDRA’s expecting an attack. Let’s give them one.” Sam speaks, pressing a button on the back of his suit that makes his wings extend. This time, they won’t be waiting for HYDRA to attack- as long as Bucky and his friends make the first move, they’ll have the best shot at capturing Y/N. He’s not sure how well that’s going to work, but if that’s what it takes to stop this newest plan of HYDRA, that’s what he’ll do.

The Watching Hawk is eventually sighted by Natasha. The Hawk is standing on a bridge, surrounded by dozens of armed soldiers. At a nod from Steve, Bucky and the blond take off quietly in their direction. Natasha and Sam will cause a distraction, and when the guards are busy chasing them, Steve and Bucky can swoop in and get Y/N. 

Unfortunately, things do not go according to plan. Although guards do follow Natasha and Sam away from the Hawk, there are still too many to immediately get Y/N. Steve crouches behind a nearby truck, then whispers urgently in Bucky’s ear. “I’ll get the soldiers. You make your way to her.” They nod decisively, then spring into action.

The second the soldiers see the two friends, they start shooting. Bucky dodges bullets and punches, all the while making his way closer and closer to the Hawk. She sees him soon enough, raising her head to stare at him cooly. Surprisingly, she stalks towards him with the confident attitude of a soldier long trained in battle. 

“You shouldn’t have come back.” She says, devoid of any emotion other than a lingering trace of hate. “We all make our own choices. Maybe you’ll understand mine later.” The Hawk looks up at him, confused. “Cпать.” The command tumbles from some corner of Bucky’s mind, and although he cannot remember where he heard it he is grateful for the effect- Y/N instantly crumples to the ground. 

Bucky quickly sweeps up her unconscious body in his arms, racing away from the fight. Once Steve sees him leave, he follows Bucky out of the range of the HYDRA soldiers. “How’d you manage to knock her out?” Steve asks once they meet up again. Bucky can only shrug his shoulders. “I think it’s an old HYDRA command. I didn’t really remember it until I saw her.” Steve just claps him in the shoulder. “Well, I’m glad you did. Nat and Sam are already heading back to base, we just need to make sure the Hawk doesn’t wake up on transit.”

Luckily, she doesn’t. Bucky finds himself staring at her the whole drive back to the Avengers compound, taking in tiny details of her face and trying to match them to different moments from a time when they were still close. Before he knows it, they’ve arrived, and Y/N’s unconscious form is taken away to her cell. Hours later, though, Bucky is still thinking about her, and he supposes that’s why he finds himself walking to the door of her cell. 

Y/N looks up when the cell door closes behind him. She is handcuffed to a chair, restraints encircling her arms, legs, and wings. “So, he’s come to visit. I didn’t realize you knew HYDRA commands.” Bucky returns her gaze steadily. “Neither did I.” 

The Hawk leans back against her chair, the picture of relaxation. “If you’re here to chat like old friends, you’ve come to the wrong cell. I don’t want to talk to you.” Bucky just shakes his head. “You used to tell me you wanted to escape HYDRA. That if you had the chance to leave, you’d take it. What changed?”

Y/N’s laugh is incredulous, echoing around the empty cell. “What changed? Have you actually forgotten, or are you just brainless without the guide of HYDRA?” Bucky’s fists clench at his sides, and the Hawk laughs. “Oh, I apologize. I wouldn’t want to make you upset.” Bucky shakes his head to rid himself of his anger, then he turns back to the woman in front of him. “We used to be close. You used to trust me. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it didn’t bother you the last time I saw you.”

Bucky watches as Y/N’s face slowly changes from cool to hateful. It’s like seeing water freeze- the ice spreads across her expression, hardening her eyes and freezing her smile into a glare. “Oh, surely you would remember. Surely they’d let you keep that one memory. Well, if you can’t remember, I would love to tell you.” She tilts her head to the side just slightly, and Bucky leans forward to hear everything she has to say.

“It was a few years after I was first inducted into HYDRA. I had just completed a

mission, and they didn’t think I did a satisfactory job. They asked you what I did wrong, and you told them that I was too afraid to hurt my wings. That, by being preoccupied with not damaging them, I was distracted from my true purpose to kill. My wings were still feather and bone, of course. And so, they tied me down and ripped off my wings. Do you know how that felt?” Y/N’s trembling now, her entire body shaking as she remembers the torture of the years gone by. “It felt like having your arms torn off. It felt like I was being cut by knives for hours and days and weeks at a time. Then, they gave me new metal wings. The pain was so unbearable that I kept passing out, but they’d only wake me so I could black out again. In the end, I had monstrous metal wings, and it was all thanks to you.”

Y/N looks over her shoulder at her wings, and Bucky feels taken aback by the disgust and hatred in her eyes. “After my wings were replaced, I wouldn’t look at you or even speak to you unless they forced me too. Eventually, they removed the memory of you telling them to get rid of my wings so we could work together once more. So we could be the perfect partnership. Of course, once you left HYDRA they gave me back the memory so I could know exactly what you did to me. So I could kill you the second I saw you again.”

Bucky doesn’t feel upset or confused anymore, just pity. “You didn’t, though. If you wanted me dead, I would be dead. Even though you tell yourself that you hate me because of your wings, you know it’s not true.” The glare emanating from Y/N could kill, but Bucky can sense that it isn’t quite real. “You don’t know that! This is the truth, and you just can’t accept it because you don’t want to live with the knowledge that this is your fault.” Bucky looks at Y/N once more, staring into her eyes until he’s not sure if the world consists of her or the cell. “We both know that’s not right. You’re not angry at me because of your wings, you’re angry that I left HYDRA and I never looked for you. You’re angry that I never fulfilled my promise to have a life of our own together, and you’re angry at yourself for wanting it.” At Y/N’s piercing, troubled gaze, Bucky turns and leaves the cell. He’s said what he needed to, and he knows that Y/N has done the same.

Natasha, Sam, and Steve are waiting for him in one of the meeting rooms. Surprisingly, they’re still looking at the readouts from the clash with the HYDRA soldiers. Bucky walks up next to them. “I thought we were done with all that. We’ve got Y/N, why are you still looking at the data?” Steve sighs, turning to face his friend. “It isn’t as easy as we thought it would be. It turns out we have a chance at getting into HYDRA. There’s a file in here that mentions a conference soon, with HYDRA leaders out of the country. If we can get into one of their bases, it will be mostly empty and we can not only sabotage them but get some of their files, too. It’s too good an offer to pass up.” Bucky eyes Steve suspiciously. “What’s the catch?” Natasha looks over at Bucky, the firm slant of her mouth telling him that whatever she’s about to say won’t be good news. “We’ll need Y/N to help us get in.”

Immediately, Bucky’s on edge. “What are you talking about? She’d never help us in a million years. There’s no way she would agree, and even if she did, there’s no guarantee that she wouldn’t turn on us the second we were on HYDRA territory. This is a bad idea.” Sam gestures at Bucky in agreement. “See, that’s what I said! HYDRA agents always go back to HYDRA. We can get in without her.” 

Steve shakes his head. “We need Y/N for entry codes and to avert suspicion. There’s no way we can do this without her.” Bucky sighs, propping his head up on his hands. “So, which one of you is going to tell her that she’s going back to home base?” At the silence following his question, Bucky raises his eyebrows. “Surely you’re not saying I should talk to her. Y/N hates me! Every single word she’s said to me is about how I betrayed her and how she never wants to see me again.” Natasha folds her arms across her chest. “She won’t say a word to us. No matter what we try, she keeps her mouth shut. If she’s willing to talk to you, even if it’s about past grievances, it’s the best shot we have at convincing her.” Steve nods in agreement. “Look, we know this won’t be easy, but you’re our best bet.” Bucky grumbles, but he knows what he has to do. “Fine, I’ll do it. Just don’t expect anything to come out of it.”

And he’s right- once Bucky tells Y/N what they’re planning, he’s greeted with incredulous laughter. “Why the hell would I work with you? Do you really trust me that much?” Bucky glares at her. “You think I didn’t ask that already? You know why we want you on this project, and we know this is your only shot at a life without HYDRA. Take it or leave it, but you know what you’re giving up if you decide not to go with us.” The Hawk lets out a derisive snort. “I think you know what my answer is.” Her smirk is enough to make Bucky’s jaw clench, but he just walks out of the cell with as much dignity as he can muster.

A few hours later, Bucky, Natasha, Sam, and Steve are all plotting their entry into the HYDRA base. Even without the help of the Hawk, they’ve still got a fairly good chance of completing the mission. At a loud knock at the door, they all look up, and are especially stunned when they see who’s come to visit. Y/N doesn’t have to say anything, just a smirk. Her arms are bound in front of her, and there is a patrol of armed guards surrounding her. “I’m rethinking my allegiances.” At a stunned look from Bucky, she lets out a low laugh. “Oh, don’t worry, I still don’t trust you. I just want a way out of HYDRA. I refuse to be anyone’s toy soldier.” With that, she turns her attention to the data on the HYDRA base in front of them. All of a sudden, Bucky and his friends have a new ally.

[crystalgirl259]

The Flame and the Dragon Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Letter

Blood smeared the knuckles when they made contact with the thick wood of the thickest tree trunk. The Sorcerer hissed and hollered as he banged his hands furiously against the tree. His entire body shook with rage at the evidence his newest spy brought him. He waited too long. He pulled himself away from the free and covered his face with his hand. Now it was only a matter of time before Kai gave into Cole's seduction. He banged the tree again, then composed himself and pulled the hood of his cloak over his raven hair.

He watched the cut of his hand swell and bubble until perfectly healed skin was revealed.

He waited too long. The second he suspected the teen had Occulti blood he should have acted! His growl morphed into a roar.

"Damn to the depths of my lust and pride!" He bellowed. He had known he had taken a heavy gamble when he decided to change his strategy, but it was too difficult to resist such a tempting specimen, especially since if his seduction proved a success it would devastate the Dragon Lord more than a thousand of the most vicious monsters. Now, his miscalculation had caused him a major setback. It was worse when it became clear exactly who this mysterious specimen was.

It had been easy to ignore the first instance as merely a single occurrence.

It wasn't uncommon for humans to discover untapped abilities in traumatic or near-death situations. Many people held biological connections to magical ancestors. The religions might have changed, but the blood certainly didn't, he himself was proof of that. Still, many lines had become so thinned by mundane human blood any inherited power could only be tapped through stress or shock and usually only once. But the skills used to defeat his monsters and the premonitions were too much to be a coincidence.

That Occulti whore was dead and she continued to be a thorn in his side.

A wicked smile curled across his lips as he approached the road. The raven sat immobile like a statue on his shoulder awaiting instructions. It didn't matter now. She failed then and she will fail now.

"I'm running out of time, and I'll be damned if I let some Occulti whore destroy over one hundred years of patience and hard work!" He thundered and looked to the crow. It shot up and waited for orders. "Watch them, if they do anything together, inform me immediately; I don't have much time to carry out the next stage of my plan." He commanded. The crow bowed its head and flapped away into the night. The Sorcerer's grin widened as he chuckled then burst out laughing when he came to the main road.

He turned around taking one last look at the castle in the distance.

"Enjoy your concubine while it lasts, prince." He smirked recalling the conversations his spies had recorded. Episodes of the life the boy had forsaken to appease the dragon's wishes. Memories of a high-ranking man who fancied him. Of the childhood instances experienced in Ignacia. Of the siblings he had sacrificed himself for, who were no doubt still terrified for their brother's safety. He may have feelings for the dragon, but Kai was like any other human when it came to sacrificing.

As the Sorcerer walked along the forgotten path, he noticed a cold stream still flowing and an evil idea formed in his mind.

He dunked his hands into the freezing liquid and used his magic to create a small ball of water.

"Enough talking, time for some screaming." He cackled as he blew into the bubble turning it into an ice ball. He then shook the ball violently before throwing it into the air. He smirked as it broke apart and a grey, shimmering mist blew through the wind towards the castle. That should buy him some time...

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

Nya hollered and roared in rage as she slamming the door to her house shut. It screamed in protest as it suffered the force of his anger. The only thing the village idiots were good for was gossip and apparently, Morro's dismissal of Kai's fate had spread faster than an infectious plague. So much now even other towns were mocking them. No matter where she went to who she begged to help her, she was simply laughed at. One of them even suggested she join her brothers and started to believe in children's stories.

A frustrated hand ripped at Nya's raven bangs.

The only one who seemed remotely worried was the librarian, Dr. Saunders, but he was just one old man. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't go wandering through the dark forest, let alone take on a dragon-hybrid monster. She stormed into the kitchen, her angry steps echoing loudly in the empty room. Nya growled and started grabbing whatever her furious mind thought she would need and stuffed them into a bag she already had set up on the kitchen table.

If no one will help her, she would find that castle and get him back herself.

She stuffed the bag with food, maps, and anything else. She strapped it tight and threw it over her shoulders, donned her thickest coat to keep out the freezing winter air, her cloak, and her heaviest boots. Once she was secure, she turned to the staircase.

"Lloyd, I spoke with Mrs. Grumbmiller, you're gonna stay with her until I get back, is that alright?" She called loudly. Her words echoed through the house, and she braced herself for her younger brother's protests. Instead, she found only silence and she started to panic. She quickly realizing Lloyd hadn't run downstairs when she came inside. He didn't come crying and begging to know if anyone would help them like he had done every time she came home over the last two months.

When their previous attempts had failed.

After two months of trying, Nya and Lloyd returned home only to discover the town was debating what to do with their house and shop now that they were gone. It was only because of Nya's fury that the town would act so irresponsibly. Nya refused to leave their home unattended. Despite Lloyd's protest, Nya left him behind to protect the shop under Mrs. Grumbmiller's care during the lonely nights. Panic started to rush through Nya's entire being.

She bolted from the stairs, checking each room on the ground floor, painstakingly for her younger brother.

When her search failed she thundered up the old steps. Her eyes scanned every room, meticulously for any sign of the young boy. Nya's eyes widened when she entered her own room. Lloyd had been known to sleep there some nights when his worry became too much. Again she found it all empty, even missing a few things. The realization made her sick as she bolted upstairs, heading straight towards Lloyd's bedroom. She panicked and threw the door open but her heart sank into her stomach.

The room was empty, but dressers were left open, empty of clothes.

Her thick winter cloak was missing from the hanger as well as Lloyd's thickest pair of boots. The only evidence that the boy had been there at all was a note left on the bed. She grabbed it with haste and read it as fast as she could. Her eyes bulged with horror and fear as she read over each word, filled with tears.

Nya,

If you're reading this then I'm already gone. I'm sorry I didn't wait until you came back but no one is going to help us, I know that now. I can't leave our big brother to suffer in that horrible place. He's only there to protect me, so I've decided I'm going to go back to that castle, and no matter what I must do I will free our big brother. No matter what. I've already taken more than enough remedy so I won't choke, so don't worry about me.

Please don't come after me, Nya.

I know you and what you're planning. You'll try and switch places with Kai and I can't let that happen. That dumb duke is right about one thing, you two have sacrificed everything for me, now it's my turn to help you.

I love you, Ny-Ny.

Nya screamed and cursed, crushing the little note in her hand, cursing her baby brother's foolishness. Her hands clenched the window as she looked outside. Though Winter was fading quickly, new frost still encased the ground. Winter was still dangerous and it was the most hazardous time of year for someone with Lloyd's condition. She could also swear that those dark clouds rolling in were the signs of an incoming blizzard. A bad one at that.

Snow was already falling and getting heavier with every passing second.

She screeched as she tied on her boots and hopped down the hall, before finally falling over and stormed out the front door. If Lloyd died, she was going to murder him. As soon as she was ready, Nya bolted down the street and towards the woods for any sign of Lloyd as she vanished into the night. She was in such as rush that she didn't notice or hearing the hammer of footsteps approaching the now-empty home. The snow-covered any evidence of her footprints within seconds, masking her trail in the process.

Seconds after Nya left, Morro and Bansha arrived with Noble's collection wagon.

"Nya! Lloyd! Kai!" Morro hollered as he shoved the door to the dark house open, not even bothering with chivalry as Bansha stepped inside behind him. As soon as they entered, they saw that the house was vacant of light and life. The lamps had burnt out, the doors were locked, and no sound echoed through the rooms.

"Where are they? I thought Nya would be back by now!" The duke screeched like an angry owl.

"They're not here, Morro." She quirked, not wishing to be on the wrong side of the Duke's anger.

"This is ridiculous! How long do they plan on being gone? It's been four months!" He bellowed throughout the house. He hissed in a furious rage when no one answered him.

"Morro, you don't think... maybe..." Bansha trailed off nervously. She nervously rubbed her arms and flinched and looked at the floor when Morro's heated glare turned to her.

"If you are going to say what I think you're going to say, I don't want to hear it! There is no such thing as dragons or castles or any of this nonsense! It was a lie! A trick of their little minds!"

"But Morro, think of it!" She protested. "Kai's been gone for almost four months, and ever since his disappearance Nya has been going around town and asking anyone to help her, and Lloyd's been doing the same thing, swearing on their lives that he's been kidnapped and taken hostage by this dragon; they've even gone so far as to seek help from other towns! Why would they keep this story of a 'dragon' kidnapping Kai going if it wasn't true? What if Kai really was kidnapped?"

Morro glared at the girl and opened his mouth to protest but found he could not.

Instead, he stormed back through the door scowling.

"Alright, say this 'dragon' does exist and their story is true? Why would Kai stay with such a monstrosity?" He chuckled darkly.

"Well as you said, Morro, he would do anything to protect his family correct? Maybe, he was forced?" She suggested.

"Excuse me, duke." A smooth voice interrupted Morro as he was about to scream again. The two of them turned around and saw a tall man dressed in vibrant red and purple colors that made him glow in the darkness of the storm approached them. His hood shadowed his face and eyes and only pale streaks of black hair were visible.

"Forgive my forward intrusion, but I'm afraid I couldn't help but overhearing your plight, the plight of your town, and I think I may know what has befallen this unfortunate family." He said with the best fake saddest look he could muster. The pair exchanged equal bewildered glances until Morro's gaze hardened and he returned his glare to the man.

"And who are you?"

"My name of no importance to one of such caliber as yourself, sir." He bowed respectfully. Morro soaked the flattery up like a sponge, but Bansha shivered, catching the sinister smile crossing the man's face.

"Know only that I wish to aid you, I have traveled much in my lifetime, seeking wisdom and the destruction of injustice; if this creature is who I fear we must act quickly or I fear this boy, your fiancé's fate, may already be sealed."

"What are you talking about? What will happen to my Kai?" Morro demanded.

"My entire life, my lady, has been devoted to the destruction of a terrible beast who is responsible for the downfall of my ancestors." The man began. "A hundred years ago they ruled these lands until they were brutally betrayed by this creature, as punishment he was cursed to become a dragon and since then I have hunted him down in hopes of avenging my family's senseless destruction and it seems I have finally found him." He spoke with the passion of a tragic hero but remained focused on their reactions.

He could see they were both skeptical but there was fear evident in their eyes.

Fear that he knew was the perfect fuel for creating an angry mob or a rebellion or an army to obey one's will if it would promise the return of their safety.

"What does your personal crusade have to do with my fiancé?" Morro demanded again as Bansha's hands found his arm and squeezed it tightly, shivering at the frightening presence the man radiated.

"As I said, sir, the dragon is a monster." He spat. "He seeks an end to his curse, and unfortunately, that freedom includes the seduction of a beautiful and talented mortal, and apparently he's settled for this boy you've fallen for, so just you watch; he will descend his destruction on the entire town if given the chance!" The man spoke, emphasizing the destruction of the town and the word seduction.

"No!" Morro screamed and thrashed in fury and rage. "Kill him! Destroy him! Slice off his head!"

"Calm yourself, my lord." The stranger soothed in a sophisticated voice that commanded obedience. "There is still time to save the boy and his family, but I need your help, yours and this town's if you are willing to help me?" He asked as his eyes were soft and his voice pleading. "My only request is that you let me kill the monster, all I ask is to avenge my family, your land shall be yours once more and whatever riches are in the castle, I'm wealthy enough that I do not need such trivial things, all I seek is to avenge my family."

"Of course," Morro announced, throwing his cloak over his shoulder and howling in his delight. "We must get to the town hall immediately! Bansha, go and gather my council, tell them to rally the people, we have to rescue my fiancé!" He ordered, leaving no room for argument. Bansha shivered and nodded mutely, before rushing down the street desperate to get away from the man.

"By the way, who should I say you are when I explain you to the city?" The duke turned to the man as he hauled after his maid. He was shocked, however, to find the man had vanished into thin air. The only difference to before was the thundering of the incoming snowstorm clouds...

[saventhhaven]

Fateful Encounter

Pairing: Dean Winchester x reader

Tags: dream, wounded!Dean, wounded!reader, trippy

Word Count: 1,487

(Gif not mine)

"Look out!” You threw the blade with impressive aim, and it cartwheeled through the air. When it hit its mark with a sickening thud, the demon crumpled to the ground. The green-eyed man turned around just in time to see her go down, and he fixed you with a grateful look.

"Thanks." You shook your head.

"Don't thank me yet," you warned, your tone grave. "We still have to get out of here alive." He nodded and took your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

The usual soft glow of warm, white lights were replaced with a pulsating red, a warning that your safe space was no longer safe. Your whole world was suddenly drowning in red, and it made the blood spattering the walls and pooling on the floors look ominously black. The tall man at your side took a deep breath, though you could tell he was trying to keep calm for your sake. 

The two of you took a second to gather your bearings, him readjusting the bandana around his neck under his thick beard, and you retrieving your blade from the demon's corpse, one of many littering the extensive hallways. As you flicked droplets of blood from your weapon, you noticed the slight tremble in your hand. You hated that. This was not a time to be scared, but you were. You couldn't help it.

"Hey." You turned at the sound of his voice. "We got this." When all you could offer was a shaky nod, he snaked an arm around your waist, angling your face upwards to press his lips to yours.

Adrenaline mixed with something else coursed through your veins, and your heart thundered in your chest. If this was your last time kissing him, you wanted to make sure it was one neither of you would forget. You caught his lower lip between your teeth and tugged, making him growl low in his throat. His hair was soft against your hand as you wove your fingers through the strands, his beard scratching against your face. When you finally pulled away, his breathing was hard, but then, so was yours. His forehead rested gently against yours, and you could taste the spearmint from his mouth on your lips. With one more chaste kiss, you finally let go, though you had never wanted to do anything less. "If we can just make it through the library, we're home free," he said. "From there, we just get up the stairs and run like hell."

"Right." It was a solid plan. Now you just had to hope that both of you would stay alive to see it through. He rolled up his sleeves a bit before looking at you with the most serious expression you had seen him wear.

"Let's move." Those two words set you into motion, and suddenly, you felt more ready than you had ever been. The two of you moved in perfect synchronization and had the situation not been so dire, you would have been extremely impressed with yourself. You never thought someone would ever match you well enough to think of moments of teamwork such as this like a perfectly fine-tuned machine, but he always did, and he always had.

This was life or death. There was no room for mistakes. This was a deadly game of hide-and-seek, and the loser would pay a price so steep it was unspeakable. It didn't matter. You both knew that once you got to the library, they would be waiting for you. They had caved the garage in, so this was your only escape, and you were going to have to fight tooth and nail to get to it. The second you reached the large archway, what you had already known was confirmed. A dozen demons stood between you and your exit. It was twelve versus two, and the odds were, without a doubt, not in your favor. But then, you had never been one for numbers anyway.

You cast one more fearful look over at him, hoping he would offer more words of reassurance, but it was too late. You had already been spotted. The two of you had barely stepped into the library when the hoard descended on you, immediately surrounding you. Despite the overwhelming fear that you weren't going to make it out alive, you fought with everything you had, the green-eyed man never leaving your side. Time seemed to almost stop, and your heart rate slowed as you forced yourself to focus. Even if this was how you died, it was a hell of a way to go.

Again, all you knew was the color red, and the dark blood that sprayed through the air in fine mists. You couldn't tell whose was whose anymore, and you only hoped you wouldn't turn around when it was all over and seem him on the floor dead behind you. When it was finally over, you were completely out of breath and absolutely soaked in blood.

"Go, go!" The man ushered you to the staircase with a hand on the small of your back. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here before-" A mouthful of blood bubbled over his mouth, and you saw it: the tip of a blade - your blade - piercing through the fabric of his shirt, right through his stomach.

"No!" The demon behind the green-eyed man yanked the weapon free, and you felt sick. You weren't even sure when you had dropped it, or how the demon had gotten hold of it, but-

"Sweetheart, run!" The man choked out as he put pressure on the wound, sinking to his knees. “Run!” Tears blurred your eyes, but you made your way back down the stairs. There was no way in hell you were leaving him behind.

"No," you said firmly, acutely aware of the fact that more demons lingered in the archways of the room, drawn out by the sounds of a fight. You stood in front of him, protectively, holding his hand tightly in yours. "I'm not leaving you here." The demon smirked.

"Then, you die too." You didn't even have enough time to react before the creature thrust the blade into your chest, and pain seared behind your eyelids. "No!” The man's voice echoed in your ears as you finally collapsed to the ground, defeated. "Sweetheart, stay with me!" he ordered. "Stay with me!"

Your eyes flew open, and you bolted upright, gasping for breath in a cold sweat.

"What the hell?" you muttered in the darkness of your bedroom. You had had vivid dreams before, but nothing like that. The pain and emotions you had felt were so real, and you were having a hard time separating them from reality. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what you needed: a drink. You didn't condone alcoholism, and you didn't usually make a habit of going straight to a bar after waking up, but you were willing to make an exception just this once. Thankfully, the nearest bar was five minutes away, and still open, so you were there in record time, greeting the stale scent of alcohol in the air with a grim face. Still unsettled by the very reel feeling of losing everything, you sunk down wordlessly into one of the barstools at the counter.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked when he approached.

"Whiskey," you answered hoarsely. "A double. On the rocks." With a small nod of acknowledgment, he turned away and went to get your drink.

"A woman after my own heart." As soon as you heard the words, you would have sworn that your heart stopped beating. But... that didn't even make sense. It was just a dream. You had never met that man in your life, and he probably wasn't even real, for Christ's sake! You couldn't stop yourself from slowly turning in the barstool to face the man who sat next to.

As soon as you met his eyes, dread consuming your insides, a mixture of confusion and alarm filled his bright green eyes. "No," he breathed. You hadn't once said his name in the dream, and he hadn't said yours - you were positive neither of you had. But still, you somehow knew his name. It popped in your head like an answer you had always known, and you had never been more sure of something in your life.

"...Dean." Dean's hand trembled as he reached out, as if to touch you, but stopped a few inches away from your face.

"Y/N." He said your name with the same amount of confidence that you had, and understanding clicked in your brain. You didn't know how you knew, but you did. The two of you had the same dream. Shaking your head with utter disbelief, you lightly touched your lips where he had kissed you what felt only like moments ago.

"This isn't possible."

Thanks so much for reading!

As always, links to my taglist, masterlist, and inbox (requests are open!) are in my bio! <3

My Everythings:

@cole-winchester​ @alexwinchester23​ @1-am-made-of-stardust​ @thorukindig​ @fiftyshadesoffandom6783​ @hobby27​ @supernaturalenchanted​ @organicpurplepants​ @odysseyofasiren​ @defenderrosetyler​ @crystal-lilac​ @youshrimpdickfucknugget​

Dean Darlings:

@calaofnoldor​ @transparentfestivaltiger

[bluepenguinstories]

Remoras Full Chapter XXXV: Lion-Drawn Chariot

When I woke up in the morning, I wasn’t planning on saving anyone’s lives. Then again, did anyone ever plan those sorta things? Like, “so at noon I plan to go out and save someone’s life.” Nope. That sorta thing just didn’t happen. Maybe it was a Superman thing, I imagine Superman didn’t wake up every morning and go, “I think I’m going to save some lives today.”

But lo and behold, when I woke up, I checked my phone right away (‘cause I’m always on that phone) and noticed a very concerning text.

Now, you may ask yourself, “Cybele, aren’t you exaggerating?” And lemme tell you, hypothetical ‘you’, no. No I was not exaggerating one iota:

Unknown Number: Could you please come get me? No pressure if you’re busy or asleep or anything. Take your time. I’ll probably be dead by the time you get here, anyway.

My eyes widened and I jolted up.

“Who?” Was my first question. Some unknown number just told me they’d be dead, and they listed the address to a hotel. Flags didn’t get much redder than that.

“Okay, think, think: Sunny might have gotten a new number,” I paced about and brainstormed as to who it could have been.

Yeah. That checks out. It’s just like Sunny to go off and get herself hurt. Of course she’d want me to bail her out.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard from Sunny. Probably a good six months. It was only a couple weeks ago that Ray finally gave me a call and explained the situation back at the diner. No wonder they went silent. I always figured Sunny stayed inside the diner with Ray due to the circumstances they faced, but it was true that she had trouble keeping still.

Yes, that’s true, but she’d stay at the diner with Ray if the circumstances are as dire as he said. I don’t doubt for a second that Sunny would help keep things together with Ray.

So if it wasn’t Sunny, then who? Frantic, I looked back at the phone.

What if I overslept and someone seriously was dying and now I’m too late?

Well, I could put that thought to rest: the text was only sent a few minutes ago.

“Still doesn’t give me time to shower...ugh...well, I’ll just slap on some deodorant, spray some rose water, and call it good. Whoever it is should consider themselves lucky that I’m showing up at all.”

No, that wasn’t the right attitude to have. Someone might have been dying for real.

“I’ll definitely save you,” I declared, still not totally convinced it wasn’t a scam.

To be honest, I was somewhat relieved to have an excuse to get back in my plane and fly around. Even if it turned out to have been a waste of time...no, it wouldn’t have been, because I’d be doing something I loved: flying.

Way back when Ray delivered that horrible news, I didn’t know what I’d do or where I’d go, but he had no problem with me taking the plane with me. It may have been the case that he figured if I took it with me, others wouldn’t have a means of getting to the diner, but whatever the reason, I just liked having it around. Things just didn’t feel right without it.

Oh, and it sure was a super fast aircraft, too! I arrived at the hotel parking lot within the hour. Now, as one could imagine, it was hard to find parking, so I had to park way in the back, and I was positive that there would be many a car furious with me for taking up so much space. But screw them, I wouldn’t be around that long, anyway!

When I stepped out of the plane, I looked around to find the parking lot near empty. Just a few cars here and there, kind of scattered like a tic-tac-toe board. Guess there was nothing to worry about (when it came to taking up space)!

“This is the place, right?” I was perplexed when I walked forward. Really, what did I expect to find? I had no idea and from the look of things, there was nothing to expect. It was just some normal looking hotel. OK. Layout: some tall, gold, fancy hotel, an awning, a few marble stairs. Some of the windows on the upper floors looked a bit busted, but aside from that, it had a sheen about it. Like, pristine sheen.

I continued to walk forward, in somewhat of a daze. It was rather early in the morning and I hadn’t had a coffee or anything like that. Closer, my foggy eyes not really clearing up, then my heart thumped on high alert in a single instant: blaring sirens of ambulances filled the air.

I shifted all around and tried to figure out what the commotion was. My head turned in a rapid manner, much more than a simple shake. Then, I spotted the culprit: a small body, collapsed and lying on the ground.

Take your time. I’ll probably be dead by the time you get here, anyway, those words echoed in my mind with an accelerating intensity as I sprinted toward the collapsed figure. Once I caught a better look, I filled with dread.

I recognize this person.

She was sprawled out, on her back, a fresh, dark wound on her right shoulder. Her hair was no longer green, it was blonde, and she wasn’t wearing any glasses, either. What she wore instead was a dark purple hoodie, jeans, and a pair of fingerless gloves. Fabric from her hoodie had been torn on the bottom and a fresh, gaping cut was visible and the blood which ran down from it obscured the skin of her stomach. It didn’t look deep enough to have penetrated any organs, but it was still a concern, nonetheless.

Just witnessing it put me in a sort of shudder, a repulsion which I had to fight back against. Nerves against my eyelids tightened and I felt a strain on my eyes along with a reservoir of tears ready to form from beneath the surface. It was as if a gust of wind had struck them.

I knelt down, my heart still on high alert. The rush of endorphins, not to mention the stress and adrenaline, was all the energy I needed to wake me up for the morning.

Please still be alive. Please.

I placed two fingers up to the nape of her neck, sucked up a small amount of saliva, and drew heavy breaths. Two seconds. I swear, the longest two seconds I ever felt. Rapid fire thoughts pounded against the edges of my skull. It was enough to make me wonder if my head was about to split open, or if my heart would give out, unable to handle the anticipation. My breaths were heavy to the point that I sounded like I was in some sort of frenzied state.

At last, I felt a pulse.

What a relief. What a relief. What a rel –

“Ma’am! Get away from the body!” I heard someone shout behind me.

I turned my head to see an ambulance parked (well, ‘parked’ was a little generous, as it had been swerved to its side and burnt skid marks could be seen just behind the vehicle’s tires) and two paramedics who looked ready to push me aside.

Of course. It just has to come to this.

“I think not,” I defied them, “I’m this young lady’s primary care physician and I’m going to take her to my clinic with me. She’s requested if in an emergency, then I am to come get her directly.”

They both looked at each other, confused.

“Can we see proof?” One of them asked.

I fished out a fake doctor’s license as well as a forged note. Such (illegal) methods weren’t used often, and it was never something I enjoyed doing, but it’s come in handy at times when I’ve had to bail Sunny out. Her idea, of course.

“Oh, well, uh, okay,” their confusion still showed through their voice, but nevertheless, they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

“May I borrow one of your gurneys so I can get her onto my plane?” I asked them.

“Plane?”

I nodded.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

Acting was never one of my strong suits, but it turned out when you had just the right things to appear official, people tended to believe you. Needless to say, I got Demetria onto my plane and got right to work with the gauze.

Man, I’m really not a doctor. If only Cole-Slaw was here. She’d know what to do. Or she’d chew me out for not knowing what to do. Either way, I’m sure she’d be of more help.

In any case, she’d live. That much I knew for sure.

When I got home, I was too on edge to really do anything. I just sat on the couch and waited for her to wake up. Long stretches of time passed, and I would check in on the room I placed her in, with no such luck. It was concerning, to say the least, but I held out hope.

She needs rest. I’ll let her be.

Despite how serious it was, eventually the worry stepped aside and I got out my journal to write a couple of quick poems. Neither of them were all that good, but they didn’t need to be; their main purpose was to get my mind off of things. One of them started out like this:

Slumbers are a fickle thing.

So I go to the cupboard and pull out a box of cookies.

One by one, shoveled into my mouth.

Then I go back to bed, unable to sleep

due to the pain in my stomach.

But it was worth it.

What does it have to do with anything?

What is the meaning of sweetness?

An array of crumbs fall out of my pockets

and I’m visited by the sandman, who tells me

that he’s about to pour more crumbs in.

That bastard always gets the better of me.

Like I said, it left a bit to be desired, but I wasn’t done with it. Maybe in the third stanza, it would start to shine. But before I could get to that, I was interrupted by a rustling in another room, followed by a low groan.

I got up from the couch and followed the sound into the other room. Demetria stood hunched over in front of the bed I had laid her in. She propped herself up by holding onto the front-facing corner of the bedpost, but it was clear by the way she wobbled and her poor balance that she would fall back down onto the bed.

“Ow...ow...ooh,” she hissed and groaned, alternating between the two.

So she fell back down. Onto the bed.

“Owww...god damn it…” she moaned, adding, “I can hardly move. Ugh...I can’t believe I’m not dead.”

I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips.

“I swear, you’re just as bad as Sunny,” I scolded.

“Right, ‘cause if I’m going to have a role model, it may as well be Sunny,” she replied, deadpan in her delivery. She then turned her head and looked my way.

“So...you got my message?” She asked, her voice low and hoarse.

“Yeah. Mind telling me what happened?” I tapped my foot.

She looked away from me.

“I’d...rather not.”

That wasn’t what I expected to hear, nor really what I wanted to hear, but I respected her decision.

With her good arm (the one that wasn’t all covered up in layers of gauze), she covered her eyes.

“Can I...can I stay here a while?” She wheezed, then coughed.

“Judging from your injuries, I’m going to say you don’t have a choice. Now try not to move around so much, and please, get some rest.”

What she said next kept me from leaving the room.

“You shouldn’t have picked me up. I didn’t want to be saved,” I heard her say through her low mutter.

“I don’t believe that,” emotions welled up in me. Yes, she was in a great deal of pain, but there were quite a few mixed feelings I had. Feelings I should have held back or saved for later, when she was recovered, but I couldn’t help myself. “If that was the case, you wouldn’t have sent that text.”

“I’m not worth it,” she replied, though it didn’t feel like a reply at all. It felt like she ignored everything I said, and was just continuing off of the last thing she said.

Don’t say that, I thought. I almost growled it out, but I stopped myself.

“Get some rest. Please,” I told her instead, my voice not low, but instead weepy.

She gave a short nod and I noticed tears run down her cheeks. My head hung low and I had to force myself to turn away and step out of the room. Her clear pain and anguish had me at a chokehold and I felt a tinge of regret leaving her alone like that. But if she was going to rest, she would need her space, so I pulled up the curtain and ducked my head, then left the room.

This house I bought was rather large, much more space than I needed. But I was rich and since I could afford to, I wanted to get something nice. Not to mention the fact that I was so used to living in a large airport, even though I didn’t own the airport, it was still a home to me, and I just didn’t feel at home without the wide, empty spaces.

So I lived in a tall house, all to myself. Most of my stuff was relegated to one bedroom (of which there were a few rooms; they all sat empty, save for the one Demetria was now in). If I wasn’t there, I slept on the couch. My kitchen, though wide enough to have its own “island” (I never quite understood why they called that thing in the middle of kitchens in big houses an island), but that too sat mostly empty. There were a few things in the fridge, but that was about it. I didn’t cook. I could have, but I was rich, and I wasn’t used to cooking, so I always just ordered takeout.

The room Demetria was in was kind of a little architectural experiment, as it was originally a walk-in closet tied to a separate (empty) room, but I took down the closet doors and replaced it with a butterfly pattern tapestry that hung from the wall instead. No, I never planned such a thing, but I had a bed in that little room. It wasn’t an especially large bed, as it could only fit a twin-sized mattress, but it was the perfect fit for Demetria.

As I said, I never planned for her to stay here, but I always thought it would be nice to have guests over. I mean, I had a couple friends here and there, and they lived thousands of miles away, but that was nothing for me since I had my own plane. That said, no one ever expressed wanting to stay over, all telling me the same thing, that they “didn’t want to impose” (really, guys? It wouldn’t be an imposition if I was the one offering).

One questionable decision I made was removing the ceiling light and putting a lava lamp in the room instead. Yeah, it looked cool, but the way it lit up the room and reflected off of the curtain gave the room a distinct red tint. Like the room was on fire. Considering how bloodied up Demetria was, it seemed rather inappropriate now. Hindsight, am I right?

So I sat on the couch once again and flipped on the TV. Usually it just sat there and gathered dust, something which it was rather good at, but I decided to turn it on just to have some background noise. Channel after channel I skipped through until I stopped at a local channel and noticed it was a recording of an opera titled Atys.

No, I had no idea what it was about. It was an opera, did anybody ever know what was going on? Yeah, didn’t think so. But it was nice to see all the pretty outfits, and it sure sounded pretty, too. So it was settled, I’d watch a bit of that. Then, I too began to doze off.

My rest didn’t last long.

Shrill screams forced me awake and in a panic, I rushed to the room.

I found her, sat up against the edge of the bed, a look of shock, anger, terror, or a mix of all three filled her face as well as beads of either sweat, tears, or both. Her breaths were loud and heavy and she shook in place, as if paralyzed in fear. I looked to where Demetria stared ahead, but saw nothing, only the shadow of the lava lamp which sat on a table next to the bottom end of the bed.

“Is everything all right?!” I shouted, unable to hold back the concern in my voice. I rushed over and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Demetria...Demetria…” I tried to get her attention but my soft voice betrayed me. In a conscious manner, I sharpened my voice and shouted:

“Demetria!”

She blinked and then her eyes darted around and although she still heaved, her breath began to slow down and her eyes relaxed.

“Sorry. I had a nightmare,” she stated, as if it wasn’t such a big deal.

Not knowing what else to do, I leaned in and pulled her into my chest and held her tight.

“Ow, ow. My shoulder,” she complained and I let her go just as fast as I held her.

She sat there and rubbed her left eye, then her forehead.

“It just happens sometimes. Those same images haunt me,” she continued. I didn’t know what she could have meant, but that initial bout of screaming was enough of a concern as it was.

“Was it about something that happened to you?”

She gave a short nod, then buried her head in her hands. I heard no sniffles or weeps, but the silence itself was enough of a worry.

“Do you want me to give you some space?” I offered a rather foolish gesture, but the best I could offer without knowing what else I could do at the moment. As she gave no response, I waited a few seconds, then got up, figuring the answer was “yes”.

As soon as I started to get up, though, she tugged at my arm.

“Can you stay here? I’m afraid to go back to sleep,” she begged. For added measure, she lifted her head up and gave me puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah,” I gave in. As much as I hated to admit, those puppy dog eyes were adorable. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be in the morning. Making sure you’re well is my main priority right now.”

She let go of my arm, reeled it back to her side. Again, there was a lull, a standstill. Neither of us must have known what to do or say next. At least that was the case for me.

“You’re probably wondering how I got like this, huh?” She spoke up at last. Her face was still obscured, her voice muffled, but it was a voice nonetheless.

“Yes. I would like to know, but I’m not going to force it out of you.”

She lifted her head up and leaned it against the wall.

“To be honest, I’d like to know, too,” she replied with a dry, hollow reply. Even though she forced a slight smile, it was clear from her tone that she was anything but pleased.

“You don’t know how you got your injuries?” I was perplexed.

“I killed someone,” she answered. “Correction: I killed quite a few people, but the one who gave me my injuries was just one man.”

“My God…” the words escaped me. It wasn’t that I was all that shocked; Ray definitely gave off “former yakuza turned househusband” vibes and Sunny was a chaotic bundle of joy who I’ve had to pull out of messy situations several times. It might have just been that Demetria didn’t strike me as the violent type, but then again, my frame of reference was rather narrow, so it wasn’t like I had a complete impression of her. Maybe that would all change once I spent more time around her.

“I know, right? Not very heroic of me. For the record, I never considered myself a hero, but at the same time, I never thought I would be capable of doing such things. Let alone willing. But here I am, I went from someone who wanted to prevent the deaths of others to causing them. So much for protecting people.”

“I’m sure you had a good reason, though,” I argued. After all, rude as she may be, I refused to believe she was a bad person. She turned to me, her lips folded into a frown.

“Do you think that makes a difference?” Her eyelids were half-shut and she looked ready to nod off. “In my mind, I did it to protect others. But there could have been a better way to go about it. Maybe I just wanted to satisfy a bloodlust. I don’t know.”

“I don’t know, either,” I echoed her sentiment.

“Even now, I see the horror in their eyes. How they were torn to shreds.”

“Are you talking about the people you killed?”

She shook her head.

“No.”

I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, then. There was still so much she wouldn’t tell me, and maybe I didn’t want to hear the details, but I still wanted to help in any way I could.

“Have you ever seen someone being eaten alive?” She asked. It struck me as odd, just as random, if not more than her previous statement.

“No, I can’t say I have…”

“It’s not a pretty sight. That shit sticks with you.”

Just what kind of things have you experienced? I was a little baffled, to say the least. Just the idea made me shudder. She rolled her eyes, then turned her head away.

“I wanted to be badass so I could impress someone I had a crush on. Then...I was exposed to things I never should have witnessed. So my motivation changed. I wanted to be stronger so I could protect others. But I admit, I still wanted to impress her, too. I’ll think about back then and think of how if I were stronger, they would have survived. Or if it was someone else who went there, someone better. Someone who wasn’t me.”

“We all have things we regret,” I tried to tell her, which wasn’t really all that helpful, I know.

“You don’t understand,” she sharpened her voice. It wasn’t quite a shout, but it still had a bite behind it. “The reality is that if I hadn’t gone there, they would have met the same end. It’s easy to play the ‘what-if’ game, but there’s no way to know if there was anything that could have been done, and somehow that’s even worse.”

She paused again, closed her eyes. Part of me hoped that she hadn’t gone to sleep just because I didn’t want her to wake up screaming again.

“I’m stronger now. I’m badass. I got what I wanted, but at this point, I’d rather go back to being how I was before: meek, timid, someone who minded her own business. Hell, I tried to go back to being her, but I can’t. She’s gone now. Every attempt to return to my old self just felt like fighting back against a current.”

“I may not know what it’s like to go through all the things you have, but I do believe that even if you can’t return to how you were before, you can still be who you want to be. Even if that person is different from how you envisioned yourself to be. Hell, I know it’s hard. I know, but you can still find comfort in who you are right now.”

It seemed like the most poignant thing I’ve said all day, and yet everything I said in that statement was something that I continued to struggle with, myself.

Rather than reply, she drew a heavy breath. Her head slumped over to her side, and I realized that she had gone back to sleep.

I felt a faint spell overtake me as well and there must have been a couple of microscopic versions of me who struggled to hold my eyelids open, but to no avail. Soon, I faded away, into the sea of unconsciousness.

When I awoke, it must have been early in the morning as a bright light shone through the room. I struggled up and found myself in much of a haze. Then, a pounding came. Well, there wasn’t one. At first I thought there was, but it turned out to be more of a notion in my head or my heart telling me that someone was at my front door. There was no basis for such a feeling, but I was compelled to follow it, nonetheless.

Through the sluggish movements, I reached for the handle on the door, then pulled it open. Upon doing so, a blinding flash of light burst into the house and I couldn’t see anything in front of me. No front yard, no dirt, no grass, no neighborhood. Nothing but the flash of light.

Soon, that dissipated, and the shapes of the environment right outside my house took hold. It was a slow process, though, and it seemed to be sapped away, or drawn in to a particular spot in the middle of my peripheral vision. Right in front of me, a little below me, until I saw who, or what was at my door: a little girl with ashen hair, soot and dust. Her large, beady eyes, like what a stuffed animal would have. Corduroy, was what she reminded me of. That little bear from a picture book way back when I was about her age. She wore a thick cloak, hood off. Actually, it might have been a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. It was hard to tell which, as if whatever it truly was, my mind couldn’t decide what to see.

“May I help you?” I asked her.

She stared ahead rather than look up at me. Like there was something she was focused on, maybe something that she wished to steal from my home.

Oh, relax. She’s probably just a girl scout and trying to sell me cookies, I scolded myself. It was all I could do to feel at ease. Not that I felt dread around her, or that she held any malicious intent, but I still felt a little uneasy.

“Can I come in?” She looked up and asked at last, her voice soft and ethereal. She also didn’t look up at all. I didn’t see her head move, but I could tell I was the one being addressed.

Careful, Cybele. She might be a vampire. You know how those little girls who ask to come in are. First you say yes, next thing you know you’re strung up on the ceiling and a flattened husk of who you were, with a pile of your blood dripping down and staining your carpet.

...I really needed to get more sleep.

“Uh...Sure?” It must have been the tiredness in me, but if I was going to get eaten up by a vampire, it may as well have been early in the morning.

“Thank you,” she chirped, or blew forth the words, like a Magpie or a wind chime. But it was also gentle, and breathy as well. Neither a whisper nor a shout. Closer to the former than latter, but not really reaching the quietness of the former, either.

Another oddity was that after that, she didn’t move. I invited her in, but she didn’t walk in. I figured that was that when I closed the door and just chalked it up to a weird occurrence.

“Interesting home you have,” that same soothing and unnerving voice returned, and I turned to see her walking through my living room. Well, I could have said that, but she didn’t wander. She was close to the door. Right behind me, in fact. Despite her not having walked in, not even floated in (like a ghost would have at least been courteous to do), she was there.

For whatever reason, I walked over near where the room was where Demetria slept, but stayed outside the door frame and remained in the living room. Whatever that child wanted, she was already in my house now and probably wouldn’t leave until I figured what it was that she was here for. More than that, I needed to know who or what she was, if she was anything at all.

“So, what should I call you?” I blurted out the question. She didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

“I wonder…” She looked around as she replied, “what do you think you should call me?”

“Anything?” I blinked.

“You would call me ‘Anything’?” She asked, as if entertaining the idea.

“Well, I mean, if I can call you anything I want to call you...what’s to stop me from calling you ‘Lampshade’?”

“What’s to stop you indeed.”

That still didn’t seem right. Everything reminded me of ‘be not afraid’, that kind of angel vibe.

“Are you an angel?” I wasn’t satisfied with calling her a lampshade. It was just the first thing I could think of that was next to me (there was a lamp next to the television set).

“Is that how you wish to see me?”

Another odd question. It seemed neither meant to mock, be an admittance, nor denial. Just a genuine sense of wonder.

“I…I don’t know,” I was at a loss. “At least tell me your name.”

“My name?”

“You know, like my name is Cybele.”

She smiled, even if it didn’t look like her lips made any such creases.

“Ah, Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess. If that be your name, you may be most wonderful, indeed.” “Gee, I don’t know about that. I certainly don’t want to be anyone’s mom. No offense, but I’m not interested in raising any kids.”

“Why would that bring me offense?”

“I don’t...uh, anyway. What brings you here?” I felt like I was getting nowhere, and worst of all, I didn’t even know what she wanted.

She walked forward in a way that felt more like a glide. Despite it being one foot over the other, it was fast, but also light, and didn’t look the least bit like a run. As she approached me, for whatever reason, I fell back to the floor, and she passed right by me, into the room where Demetria resided.

I got up and followed her in. There was no reason to suspect as such, but I still didn’t want any harm to come to Demetria. Especially when she still had her injuries.

But when I saw the mysterious little girl, all she did was stare at the bed where Demetria lay.

“She’s seeing disturbing visions right now,” the girl stated. Lampshade or whatever else there was to call her.

“How do you know that?” I asked. It was probably true, though, that she was having bad dreams, but I still wanted to know the basis of how she knew. Hell, how she knew Demetria at all.

“We met once before, under less comforting circumstances,” the girl replied.

“She told me she’s been having nightmares.”

“Nightmares...little imps who ride on horses?”

“No, like, bad dreams. Like, we humans get tired, and when we get tired enough, our body starts to shut down and we let our consciousness fade for a little while. We call it sleeping, and when we sleep, we often have dreams. They can be weird and unusual, sometimes mundane, though. Sometimes pleasant and sometimes terrifying. It depends less on the content of the dream, but more on the vibes the dream gives off.”

That was weird, too. I didn’t know why I felt the need to explain what sleep was. Not to mention, it wasn’t just people who slept, most animals did.

I saw a smile curve up from the side of her face.

“Thank you. I’ve been wondering what sleep was for a while.”

“What? You don’t know what sleep is?”

She turned her head from side to side.

“I’ve yet to experience it, but now that I understand the general concept, I am interested in finding out what it’s like for myself.”

“That’s odd. By the way, it’s not just humans that sleep. It’s most animals. Err...living creatures.”

She gave a single nod.

“I have met other organisms. Salamanders are one of my favorite, but I am partial to humans. They’re who I wish to study the most.”

“Are you...not human?” It seemed so obvious, but I had to ask anyway.

“I could be.”

I suppose simple questions warranted simple answers. Not that it answered anything, at least not in my mind.

“Tell me, Cybele, do you believe in reincarnation?” She asked at last and I jumped from where I stood, startled to be addressed by name.

So you know of such concepts like reincarnation, but not sleep?

“I’m not sure. I suppose it’s possible. Haven’t given it much thought.”

“What about resurrection?”

“Even less sure about that one. I’ve heard about people coming back from near-death experiences, but that’s it.”

“Recreation? Reconstruction?”

“Well, there’s facial reconstruction surgery. Why do you ask? Do you think it’s possible?”

She let out a soft laugh, like a giggle. It really took me aback that she was capable of such things.

“I don’t know, either, Cybele. I was just interested in what you believed in.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I guess I’m not all that interesting.”

“Quite the opposite; your perspective interests me as much as any human’s does.”

That sounded like a compliment. It might not have been, but I couldn’t help but blush and smile.

“So what do you want with her? Are you here just to watch?”

That time, as if I asked the magic question, caused her to give a definitive answer.

“I’m going to transfer some memories into her. They’ll be in an unused space in her mind, so she may not even notice.”

“Will it hurt?”

“It won’t hurt. She may have dreams pertaining to those memories, but it shouldn’t affect her personality. Not any more than her personality’s already been affected by her experiences.”

“Will it help with her nightmares?”

“Mm...it might. It might also give her new nightmares. I can’t say, as this is the first time I’ve done this.”

“Still...to think you’re capable of such a thing. Are you all-powerful?���

“I could be. However, there are things I’m much more interested in than that.”

She didn’t do anything with her hands, no magical beams of light shot out. There was nothing to indicate that she did anything to ‘transfer memories’, but after a few seconds of silence, she spoke up.

“It is done,” she stated.

“What was the purpose behind that?” I was a little awestruck at what little awe I had to be struck by.

“I’m just interested in seeing what might happen,” she stated, somehow both a definitive and non-definitive answer.

She shuffled out of the room, still the same gliding motion. Once again, I followed her. She hadn’t quite gotten out the door yet, so I decided I had more I wanted to ask her.

“Wait,” I tried to stop her before she could leave. “Before you go, I just want to know: am I dreaming right now?”

“Mm...You’re not sleeping, so by the definition you gave me, I don’t believe so. Unless it’s possible to dream without sleeping.”

“I don’t know...if it’s possible,” I yawned. That wave of tiredness I felt after Demetria fell asleep was starting to hit me again. I dropped down to the floor in response to my body’s demands. It wasn’t a pained collapse, I fell on my own volition.

“I’m starting to get sleepy,” I declared. Once again a yawn escaped me.

“How interesting. Would you like to sleep?”

I nodded my head. Now I felt like the kid in the situation.

“Can you sing me a lullaby?” I requested.

“Lullaby? What’s that?”

“You know, like a simple little song to get me to sleep.”

She lowered her head, as if deep in thought.

“Ah. I know one. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are…”

With that, I drifted back off into sleep and the mysterious girl departed.

True morning was something far different.

For starters, the room was still dark. Well, I noticed light from outside the room. Of course, being that the ‘room’ Demetria and I were in was once just a big closet with no windows...yeah, it would make sense that it was still dark, even in daylight.

Oh yeah, that was the other thing: I woke up in the same place I fell asleep at in the first place, which was on the floor next to the bed Demetria slept in.

To my right was the bed. As I forced my way to a shabby half-awake state, I heard a shuffle from the bed and looked up to see Demetria sat up. She let out a low groan, her eyes squinted, then looked down where I was.

“Ugh...I just had the weirdest dream,” she rubbed her eyes with her palm and grumbled.

“Yeah?” I yawned. “What was it?”

“Well, I was in a fight with my cousin’s wife. We were both on a rooftop and she didn’t really seem like she wanted to fight, but I kept egging her on, and, well, she slashed me in the stomach, and I fell back. Last thing I remember was a stick being put in my mouth, then I woke up just now.”

That’s...disturbing?

“Huh. That is weird, indeed,” I commented.

“I know. We may not have gotten along much, but I wouldn’t want to harm my cousin’s wife. But I’m guessing it’s not so much because it was her, and it was more because of the fight I had at the hotel, and the guy who I didn’t want to fight slashed me in the stomach. Plus, my cousin’s wife did yell at me just the other night. But the context was a little different. She was upset, and I couldn’t blame her for that. Those people had no right to show up. I don’t know all the things she had to deal with, but I could only imagine how painful that was for her just to witness. As for rooftops…”

She scoffed, then gave a slight smile.

“Only thing I can recall is when I went to a place called Olympia and hid out on a rooftop to avoid guys shooting at me. Man, that place was a trip. Weird enough to have been a dream, but no, the actual dream I had felt real somehow. Like I lived it. Even if it may have just been a mishmash of various events over the past couple days...no, it didn’t feel like that at all.”

I was at a loss. From all the flakes of information she let slip, I could tell she’s gone through a lot. Much more than I would have expected from her.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I had a weird dream too,” I related.

“Yeah?” She sounded curious. “What was yours?”

I thought it over. I tried to think of what was weird about it. Actually, I tried to think about it at all, but couldn’t.

“Um...sorry. I thought I was gonna have something to tell, but I forgot,” I pouted.

“Eh. It happens.”

“So,” I hopped to my feet, “how about some breakfast in bed?”

“What are you, my housewife?” She groaned.

“No,” I frowned. “But it’ll be harder to recover on an empty stomach, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to get up much at the moment.”

“Are you gonna feed it to me, too?” She really wanted to make things difficult. Here I thought she’d have been more pleasant after a restful sleep.

“I...I haven’t thought that far. But if I have to, I will. Now, I’ve got yogurt and toast. That should be light on the stomach.”

She shrugged, then winced. For a moment, she must have forgotten how much pain her shoulder was in.

“Fine. I guess I can go for yogurt and toast. It’s something.”

It was settled: I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out a cup of Greek yogurt from my near-barren fridge.

“Greek yogurt, because...oh, never mind. Bad joke,” I scolded myself under my breath. Next was the toast. Whole grain, because that seemed like something she’d like.

After the bread popped out of the toaster and I had a spoon for the yogurt, I headed back into the room and handed them to her.

“Thanks,” she told me, then held up one of the slices of toast and bit into it.

“Ah!” I just remembered something very basic. Something which should never have been forgotten. “You’re going to need water. Lots of water. I’m also sure you’ll need to use the bathroom from time to time. Hmm...I don’t have one of those pee bags like doctors and nurses have…”

“Ew. I wouldn’t want to use one of those, anyway,” she spat. Ugh. Add that to the growing list of concerns: crumbs all over the bed.

“OK. Well, if you need help getting up, let me know and I’ll help you. I still don’t think you should walk all that much until you’re more healed, but at the same time you’re going to need to sooner or later.”

She nodded.

“Got it. You don’t have to act like my mom. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

That kinda ticked me off, not gonna lie. Maybe it wasn’t the best time, but I just had to say something.

“I’m aware of that and from the way you say you didn’t want to be saved, you know what? Maybe I really should have left you there,” I hated every word I spewed out and I felt on the verge of tears.

“I’m sor…” She began, but didn’t finish the word.

“No. Even if I’m upset, you still need help. I don’t want to boss you around, I just want to help you. It seems like most of the times we’ve met up, I’ve done things for you and helped you, and in some cases, I just wanted to be nice. But even so, I can’t help but feel like I’ve been used.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.”

Hearing her said that just about broke me. I didn’t want to hear such a thing. Yet she continued:

“You gave me a chance, you offered to be my friend, and I never once considered taking you up on your offer. For my part, I didn’t even want a friend, be it you or anyone else. It’s not that I don’t appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but at the same time, I used you. You were convenient and I took advantage of you.”

I was speechless, unsure whether to be angry or heartbroken. But all in all, what did I expect? We didn’t know each other very well, haven’t interacted much, and yet I chose to help her out time and time again.

“I...I know I shouldn’t when we don’t really know each other very well, but I still care about you,” I brought myself to tell her.

“Why? I don’t understand,” she objected. To that, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Neither do I. I just do.”

She took a couple bites out of her yogurt, then spoke up again.

“You shouldn’t,” she argued again.

“I never said that I should, just that I do,” I countered.

She scoffed, took a few more big bites of the cup of yogurt, then set the empty cup off to the side, on the nightstand.

“I’m such a hypocrite, aren’t I? Here I am, admitting how inconsiderate I’ve been, and yet I’ve been the same way as you.”

“You have?”

“I grew to care about others who never gave a shit about me. Some of them should’ve been expected, though, but I at least thought when I left that I meant something to Sunny and Ray. But no. Instead, he texts me saying he never wants me back and blocks me. Just goes to show how little I was valued. He’d probably still welcome Remora with open arms, but me? Not a chance. It’s like –”

“That’s not true!” I interrupted her. As much as I felt for her, I couldn’t let her keep going on about that. Maybe Ray didn’t want her to know, but I believed that she needed to know. “He probably told you that to keep you safe.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He came clean with me about it recently, and it’s hard to believe, but if it’s bad enough that he wants to keep everyone away, then I have to believe it.”

“Believe what?” She leaned forward.

“He told me about a fog. Apparently people have gone through that fog and gotten all beat up. It’s not a blizzard, either. It’s like the air is still, and the air is warmer near the diner than the rest of the arctic. He said it’s like there’s these invisible enemies that bring harm to others. Many injured people have shown up at the diner and he’s been trying to take care of every single one, but the airport is closed off because he wants to try to keep the damage to a minimum.”

“Why would he tell me that, then?” She grew angrier, and the explanation had the opposite effect of what I was hoping for.

“I don’t know. Maybe he figured if you knew, you’d try to go back.”

“He’s goddamn right, too! What? He thinks he can take all that on his own?”

“I don’t think that’s the case, but even if it was, you aren’t the only one he had stay away. Where do you think we are right now?”

She looked around the room.

“I don’t know. I just woke up here,” she replied. Which, fair point.

“We’re at my house, over in Alaska. I bought it after Ray ordered me to leave. He gave me enough money to pay for a hotel, and I had enough saved up to buy my own home from all the funds he’s given me.”

“Damn, Alaska, huh?”

That’s what you focus on? What about the fact that I’m loaded? I’m totally not strapped for cash at all, it’s awesome!

“He didn’t even want Sunny to come back, but she was stubborn and came back anyway. So while I’m not quite sure who this Remora person is, I doubt he’s making any exceptions.”

She thought over what I told her, then asked:

“How long has it been like that?”

“Not long after I took you back home.”

“So months, huh? Are they still alive?”

I nodded. Thank goodness they were, too.

“Apparently it eases up sometimes, and he’s able to escort some people out, but he still wants to prevent others from entering.”

“Sounds like they’re doing fine on their own, then,” she concluded. I was rather surprised to hear her say that, considering how she said she cared about them and all. But at the same time, I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to try to enter, anyway. At least not while she had injuries of her own that she needed to heal from. She didn’t need any more.

“I wouldn’t go that far. But my point in telling you all that is this: you have more people who care about you than you think. Hell, I’m willing to bet you care about more people than you think, too.”

“Heh,” she managed a smile. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Now, I offered it to you before, and you don’t have to take it, but would you like to be friends?”

She looked down.

“I don’t know...I’m not really someone you’d want to be friends with. In case you forgot, I’ve killed people. I’m not a very good person.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She pursed her lip. It looked like she was ready to pout.

“Yes. I’d really like a friend,” she said at last. Elation welled up in me and I felt like I could hug her, but I resisted, not wanting to exacerbate her pain. Still, I wanted to show her how happy I was to hear that, but it would have to wait as a vibration sounded off in Demetria’s pants pocket.

“Oh, my phone!” She sounded startled. She reached in and pulled it out, then answered.

“Hello?” She answered. “Oh, hey, Ves. Can I set it to speaker? It’s kinda hard to talk right now. Yeah, everything’s fine, it’s just kind of hard to hold my phone right now.”

I gulped. Like, do what you gotta do, but I felt like I’d be eavesdropping. Knowing that, I should’ve left the room. But to be honest, I kinda wanted to hear what was talked about.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for yelling at you the other night,” the woman at the other end’s voice came through. She sounded a little weepy and mournful, but maybe it was just the reception.

“Don’t be. You have every right to react the way that you did. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Still, I don’t think you deserved that, either. Juniper helped me calm down and she suggested that you’re probably going through some difficult things, yourself. I want to be there for you, the way that Juniper was there for me when I dealt with difficult things. I don’t think you need to deal with it alone.”

“Thank you,” croaked Demetria in a near whisper. “Yeah, I was in a bad place. Both physically and mentally,” she looked over at me and smiled. “Now I’m only in a bad place mentally. I’ve got someone with me who’s helping me through some stuff.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at that.

“Are they like Juniper?” Ves asked.

“Sorta. Not really. It’s not romantic or anything. But I’m glad to have her around.”

“I’m glad too.”

“Thanks.”

“I just want you to know that you’re always welcome back here.”

“Thanks, Ves. I just think it’s best if I don’t right now.”

“I understand. Won’t you at least come back to get your stuff? You left it here.”

Demetria jolted upward.

“Oh shit, I did?! I’ll head on out right now!”

“No way you’re going out with those injuries,” I stopped Demetria. She was sat up and blankets pulled out, ready to hop on up out of bed. Once I told her that, she sulked.

“Injuries? Also, who was that?” Ves sounded like a smoothie blend of confusion and worry.

“Hi, I’m Cybele. She got pretty badly hurt, but she’ll survive. I cleaned up her wounds a bit and she’s all bandaged up right now, but I don’t think she’s in any state to be running around.”

“I see. That’s really concerning.”

“Yeah, well, if you want, I can get her stuff for her,” I offered.

“I don’t know...I don’t really like the idea of people I don’t know coming over…”

Fair, I thought. I bet I wouldn’t like that either.

“...But if you’re a friend of Demetria’s, I think I can trust you.”

“Great. I’ll be on my way.”

“Will do. Thank you, Cybele, and thanks for looking after my cousin-in-law.”

Ah, so she’s the one who Demetria had a dream about getting into a fight with. I wonder if I should ask her about that.

But I didn’t. She hung up and I stretched my arms.

“Looks like I’m heading out. Mind texting me the address?” I turned to Demetria and asked.

“Not at all. Thanks for doing this,” she began typing away at her phone.

“No problem. I’m sure at least some of those things are important to you. Now, before I go, feel free to wander around the house, but please try not to push yourself too hard.”

“Got it. See you in a little bit?” She asked.

I nodded, then waved.

“In a little bit.”

I flew out at once and I think the whole trip there took me maybe two hours at most? I wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered. Even if her stuff was way off in Indonesia, I’m sure I would’ve flown out to get it.

As soon as I found a nice empty patch of dirt to land in, I hopped out of the plane and approached their door. They lived in some remote place, far off from any cities or towns. Little bits of grass, some tilled farmland, a greenhouse, a shed, and a little chicken coop. Really, it looked like a nice place to hang. That said, I wasn’t sure if I could live there. As much as I was used to living in remote places, myself, I needed a certain...aesthetic that the country life they seemed to live lacked.

In any case, I walked up to the steps of their house, the wooden stairs creaked, and I knocked on their door. When the door opened, I was stunned at the beauty on display: a tall woman with glasses and near-white hair opened, and she was dressed in some kind of white robe.

“Whoa, you’re hot,” I blurted out. She raised an eyebrow.

“Do you always speak without thinking?” She asked.

“No, I swear I don’t. I’m sorry. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. You’re cute, yourself, with that ponytail and cap of yours. You remind me a bit of Juniper.”

I wasn’t sure who that was, but soon I did, as out stepped another beauty: a woman with blonde pigtails and muscular arms wearing a small tie-dye shirt and skinny jeans.

“And you’re cute,” I remarked.

Juniper, at least I presumed, beamed a bright smile.

“Thanks!”

“Isn’t she?” Ves gestured her arms as if to present her.

“Indeed! Anyway, I think I’m getting sidetracked.”

“Ahem,” Ves coughed into her fist, then changed into a more serious expression. “Yes. I as well. Tell me, is Demetria okay?”

“Well, like I said, she’s badly hurt, but she should recover. Her wounds don’t seem to be infected, and I don’t think she broke any bones. So at least there’s that.”

“Just what did she go through?” Ves mouthed out the words.

“I’m not sure if she wants me telling you, but I’m sure you can ask her.”

“Of course. I don’t want to pry.”

“I’ll go get her stuff!” Juniper declared, then walked off. As she did, I turned to Ves.

“Did you two get into a fight?” I questioned her.

“No,” she lowered her head, and turned to the side. “The other night I yelled at her. I had a mental breakdown. But it was nothing physical.”

“I’m glad to hear that. She just told me about a weird dream she had, so I got worried.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah, she said in the dream you guys fought on a rooftop, and then you slashed her stomach, and she fell.”

Ves took a step back and looked horrified.

“That’s...that’s…” She began, and it looked like I brought something out that she didn’t want to think about. “That’s strange. I don’t know what to make of that,” she said at last.

“Yeah, it was a dream, after all. Sorry, it was probably silly to bring up.”

“It’s all right. I appreciate your concern.”

I took a bow, then when I stood back up, I rubbed the back of my head.

“Oh, you know, it’s nothing special.”

Juniper came back out with a backpack and a couple pairs of shirts.

“Here ya go,” she handed them to me.

“This all?” I was a little surprised to see so little.

“Yeah, I guess she was a light traveler,” she shrugged.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll still appreciate it. Thank you guys,” I waved goodbye to them both, then hurried on my way back home.

Thoughts ran through my head as I approached the house.

Will Demetria still be there? She better, just so she doesn’t get herself hurt further. But at the same time, she does strike me as the type of person to run off.

It was a worry which turned out to be unfounded, as when I entered the house, Demetria was there in plain view: not in the room, but on the couch.

“Hey, I’m home,” I announced.

“How’d it go?” She turned and looked over to me.

“Eh, they seemed like nice people. Not really much happened. I just got your stuff, then left. How about you? How are you doing?”

“It’s been hard to get around. Had to prop myself up against the walls and stuff, but I managed. Found the bathroom and everything.”

“I’m glad to hear. I’m also glad to see you’re still here.”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got a destination in mind for where I want to go next, but I’m going to wait until I’m all healed up.”

“That’s good to hear.”

She seemed to be in brighter spirits than earlier in the morning. I went ahead and plopped down on the couch beside her.

“So, wanna order take-out?” I offered.

“Oh, hell yeah! I’m starving!” She roared.

“What do you like?”

“I’m cool with whatever...but also I’m vegetarian. So there’s that.”

“Fine by me. How about Chinese?”

“Totally! I bet there’s noodles and shit.”

I snorted.

“Yeah, there sure is.”

I went ahead and ordered online, then when I looked up, I gasped upon seeing what Demetria held up.

“By the way, I found this while you were away. Neat stuff,” she had a devilish grin on her face and I wanted to yank my journal away from her.

“Please don’t tell me you read it!”

“A bit. Here and there. Neat stuff. Though I’m sure I could write better.”

“Oh yeah?” I huffed.

“Yeah. Poetry’s easy. Anyone could do it. Here: ‘Roses are red. Violets are blue. Uhh...Fuck. I can’t think of anything else. How are you?’ See? Easy.”

I burst into laughter.

“Well, I had a good laugh, at least.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she dismissed. “I get it. I’m a comedic genius. No need to rub it in.”

The rest of our night went fairly well. We seemed to bond a bit here and there, something I never imagined.

Soon days passed and she walked around more and more as the days went by. On one occasion, I found her with her laptop open and sat up on the bed.

“I’m actually thinking of taking online classes to finish up my Master’s program,” she mentioned.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of a big deal for me. I dropped out for kinda stupid reasons, but truth be told I was losing interest in my studies, anyway. Still, I don’t like to leave things unfinished, so even if I’m no longer interested in marine biology, I’d still like to complete my program so I have something to show for it. For my own sake, anyway.”

“Well, I think it’s a good idea. I support your decision,” I gave a thumbs up. “Still, sounds difficult. I don’t think I could do online classes.”

“Eh. I don’t see myself liking them, either, but I don’t want to show up in person. I feel like I’d be a disgrace to whatever campus I ended up on.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.”

“I know...it’s just regrets and stuff.”

“I know how that can be, too,” I admitted. “Still, if you need any help with tuition, let me know. I’m pretty rich, after all.”

Gee, I really tried to brag about that whenever I could, huh?

“Thanks, but I got my own money,” she pulled out an envelope. “It was a birthday gift from...err...someone. It’s not important who.”

“If you got enough to pay for tuition for your birthday, sounds pretty important to me.”

“Trust me, it’s not. I feel bad even using it, but a gift’s a gift.”

I wasn’t going to press any more about the subject, but I was glad to hear that she was considering doing something meaningful.

All in all, it probably lasted about a month in total before she (at least said that she) was all healed up. I didn’t expect her to leave so soon, and her bag wasn’t packed, but by coincidence, I happened to be the one who sparked her departure.

“I’ve gotta say, this is a pretty cool place you got,” she wandered around the house while I sat at the couch and tried to think of another poem to write up.

“Yeah! I’m loaded! Ray paid me well!” I shouted. All I knew was that she was somewhere upstairs. “I didn’t even check my bank account before or after I bought this house, because I was pretty confident that I could already afford it!”

Yeah, it was shallow, but I had to take pride in something, I suppose.

“Whoa, really?” She called back. “How much you got?”

Out of curiosity, I decided to go on my phone and check. I figured I must’ve had like, a couple million or something? Seemed about right. However, once I checked my bank’s app and saw how much I had, my jaw dropped and I had to hold back a scream.

“No!” I wailed and kicked my legs against the base of my couch. “I’ve got less than a thousand! I’m running low on money!”

Demetria ran down the stairs and slid down the railing. I looked at her and was about ready to break into tears.

“I don’t wanna get a job!” I whined. “People might misgender me, and I might have to deal with customers. It would be horrible!”

“Why would they do that?” She tilted her head. “Oh wait, never mind. People are dumb, especially customers.”

“Argh. I should’ve checked my bank account sooner! This house cost me most of my money! Now I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

“Relax. I’m sure I can get you some money to get by.”

I looked at her, my eyes widened.

“Really? How?”

“Eh. I’m resourceful. You’ve helped me out, and it seems simple enough for me. I just need your help to get around a bit.”

Of course. I mean, I didn’t know how I could trust her, but I just had to. Between taking the word of a violent friend and having to find a job...well, the answer was pretty obvious to me. That, and, I didn’t mind so much helping her out, as long as I didn’t feel like I was just being taken advantage of.

“Great. I’m going to pack up. I was about ready to leave anyway, so this is a perfect opportunity for me.”

“So soon?”

“You know me. Always running around. I’ll try not to get myself killed before you get your money, at least.”

“All right,” I laughed a little. “So where to?”

“Chicago,” she declared.

Really? Chicago? What could’ve been so good about there? Well, if she was so confident she’d find what she needed there, then so be it.