#yes Daisy can and will defend herself he just has that instinct

[zootopiathingz]

Mario and Daisy have such strong sibling energy. They can roast each other and purposefully make each other mad all they want, but the second someone else even looks at one of them funny the other goes apeshit and won’t hesitate to beat the living crap out of them

[ma-gic-gay]

Death had always been a finite concept. For both of them, presumably, but especially for Carly. Death was something she had to deal with far too regularly for her tastes (comes with the territory when you have a habit of marrying mobsters), despite her hatred of it.

Shootings, she could handle. And did, shockingly well. Despite the fact she couldn't handle being in a stable situation for more than a day, she was great in a crisis.

Of course, the fact she had Jason there was helpful. She felt unsafe, she called him and it was like she had her own personal body guard. It was, in a very strange way, nice to know he wouldn't hesitate to kill for her and has done it repeatedly in the past.

The deaths of the people who tried to kill her (or him, especially him- she prayed those bastards got the worst treatment they could) were the only ones she could handle.

It's a bit ironic she got killed from a shooting, three hours and twenty three minutes after Jason died, in a weird way. She always said she'd kill for him (realistically she knew he'd lose his shit if she ever did that because he's overprotective and hasn't taught her how to use a gun), and that's exactly what she did. He got shot right in front of her, she grabbed his gun while he was yelling at her not to and shot the person.

Slight problem though, she too got shot. Whoopsie daisies.

Getting shot fucking hurt. She was in and out of consciousness when she was at the hospital and no one would tell her about Jason's condition. They were married, for fuck's sakes, why the fuck wasn't anyone telling her how her husband was doing?!

Eventually, someone (probably Monica, she can't remember) told her he was dead. They got to him too late, they said, he'd been doa and their best efforts hadn't revived him.

After hearing that, she couldn't live with herself. He got shot because Vince was trying to shoot her and off he went to be her hero and make everything okay and he got killed. One phone call and he was at the Metro Court, hanging out with her and keeping watch when he noticed Vince in the parking lot and went out there to confront him. Vince pointed a gun at Carly and, of course, since Jason's a self sacrificing person, he died.

Which meant she was directly responsible for his death and that rocked her to her very core. She'd failed him. After twenty five years, she failed him. Even he'd have to admit this one. There was no spin on this (and she'd heard some strange ones over the years) for how she'd be able to live with herself after she failed him. It wasn't like she'd done something stupid, no, she got him killed. Carly knew he'd do something, especially since Vince was a dick, and she told him. Did he deserve to know? Yes. But only after she'd reassured his overprotective streak she'd be fine and he didn't have to kill anyone else for her.

According to something she'd heard from the doctors, in whatever fucking limbo this was, Carly had died of a heart attack. Likely brought on by stress. Bullets were fine but hearing of Jason's death killed her.

Yup, makes sense. Well, she'll be able to apologize for all of eternity once she gets to wherever she's going. Even after he forgives her (which, she's being honest, will happen as soon as they see each other), she's going to apologize and apologize.

Ooh, she gets to see Sonny and Morgan too! Her son and husband and best friend for all of eternity. What could be better?

There's something that vaguely looks like an angel and she notices it drags her up. Huh, guess she's going to heaven. Makes sense, Carly's a fairly good person. She's not a terrible one.

Except when she gets there she only finds Morgan and Courtney (Courtney, oh how she missed her), no Jason anywhere. Where the hell was he? Avoiding a party, probably. She has got to get him to go out more, especially now that nothing can probably happen. What are the rules of death?

"Where's Jason?" Carly asks after greeting the pair. They stare blankly until she asks again, "Where is he? He's here, right? I was told he's dead!"

Courtney's the first one to be stunned out of her shock. "Carly, he, um, didn't make the cut."

"For what? Give me that list, I'm adding his name at the very top. Where the fuck is he?" She exclaims. He's here, he's got to be here.

"You're aware of his job, right?" Is she aware of his job, of course she is!

"Yes, Courtney, it's why we got married. Where the hell is he? Or Sonny, or Mike!"

"Mike's taking a nap and Sonny's not dead." What?! "Or, if he is, he didn't make the cut either." Didn't make the cut for what? Carly will scheme, steal, seduce, lie and cheat go get those two up here with her, where the fuck are they?

"Because of Jason's job and the amount of people he killed, he didn't make the cut to heaven. He's in hell." Is it possible to die twice? She might just do that. He's in hell, which is a place for bad people! Her hero is in hell.

She's gonna kill someone. "I'm not perfect! None of us are perfect, I killed someone! Why the hell aren't we down there? He died defending me!"

"Shocking," Morgan says dryly. "Jason killed people for a living. He was a mobster."

"And I'm an accessory to all of that! I lead the mob for a week or two!" Carly exclaims. "He's a good person, we know that."

"We're not in charge of the decisions, Carly," Courtney attempts to comfort her best friend. It's a nice attempt. "That's for people with a lot more clout than us. If it was up to either of us, I promise he'd be here but you'll never see him again."

Never see him again? Oh hell no. "Is there any way to get sent down to hell with him?" This is impulsive and reckless and Jason wouldn't encourage it but she's got less care. She needs to see her best friend again, goddammit."Some paperwork I can file, some people's husband's I can seduce?"

"Someone can submit you for reevaluation."

"Great! Is Emily here?" Emily hates her, she'll surely want to help!

"Somewhere, yeah. Why?"

"Emily hates me. Can't blame her. Anyways, look, I want to help her write my reevaluation. I've ruined a lot of lives."

"Which Jason has always helped you feel better about."

"That's because he's my best friend, Morgan."

The next few weeks are spent making sure every single one of her transgressions is on the list and resubmitting her,,, whatever the hell it's called, Emily never gave details.

So it's really not a surprise when she's dragged down to hell by some gross creature, waving goodbye to her son and Courtney and sister in law (that's a weird thing to think about).

And when she gets there, it's just like a darker version of heaven. It's the same fucking place (away from the fire), just more her color palette. Weird.

"Excuse me, where's Jason Morgan?" She asks the creature who dragged her down here. "I was informed he'd be down here."

A shrug is all she gets in response. Well then, she's able to roll with the punches and searches up and down for him, eventually finding him in a room without decorations or anything but basic necessities.

She's got some decorating on her hands.

Carly walks right through the half opened door (he really didn't lock it? Weirdo) and gets the response of, "Get out."

"Don't expect me to start knocking just because we're dead," she quips, a smile on her face. Knocking is overrated. He looks normal and as he registers what's going on, he gets all squinty.

Once he actually realizes it's her, she's already half attacked him in a hug that he reciprocates. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Little bit of bargaining, Emily's assistance and voila! You'd be amazed at how many bad things I've done. Everyone sends their love, of course. Are there any stores down here? This room is so boring," she changes the subject.

"No, I mean why are you dead? You're supposed to be alive."

"I died three hours and twenty three minutes after you. Heart attack. Monica told me about you dying. No one else would." That was a very bad time when he was dead and she wasn't.

"Does this mean-"

"No, you are not responsible for my death. If anything, I'm responsible for yours. I'm sorry, more than you'll ever know," Carly tells him, eyes welling up with tears.

"You're not responsible. I got shot. It happens." Way too nonchalant for death.

"Because you were defending me, like always. Seriously, take a nice vacation off of that and start using your survival instincts. I don't have Emily to help me this time if I need to transfer afterlives."

"I was defending the business."

"Bullshit. I told you Vince threatened me and you already planned to kill him. You saw your opportunity and instead of shooting him, you got shot and died. This is my fault, 100%, and I will not let you make me feel better about this. You could've patched things up with Britt, hung out with a bunch of people but no, you had to die protecting me. Take a week off of being my hero, please."

"I'm not going to do that. The last time I thought about it, you took over the business."

"Well I can't just ask you to forgive me, so take a day off."

"You'll get kidnapped. And I don't hold you responsible because it was my choice to defend you and my choice to want to kill Vince."

"You're overprotective and it's nice but not when it kills you."

"You spent twenty five years running off every woman in my life because you were convinced they'd hurt me, you hated a ton of people because they did something to me and you almost committed several felonies. And I'm overprotective," he rolls his eyes.

"Not the point, first off and second, you've killed and kidnapped for me. In a very fucked up way, it's sweet. And you totally ran off the men in my life!"

"How did I do that?"

"By being the only person I can depend on. I don't know, look, they've all- except for Sonny, most of the time- hated you because you intimidated them. So you did the same thing, just not on purpose."

"Then it's not the same thing."

"How did we get so off topic? I'm sorry for being the reason you're dead. Do you forgive me?" Strange sentences.

"You're not why I'm dead, I made that choice-"

"You chose to die?"

"I meant the choice to jump in front of you."

"Which was instinctual, you've always protected me."

"Might have to do that even more down here. There's some real creeps."

"I really don't think they'll care that much. But okay."

"Vince is here."

"No revenge."

"He killed you and I'm just supposed to sit here and ignore that he did that?!"

"Maybe we can talk this all out."

"Carly, what part of this aren't you understanding? He killed you. I hurt him, that's how this works, so he knows better than to mess with you."

"Or we could go shop for decor. I'll pick out nice stuff, come on let's go!"

"I'm not going shopping. I'm planning revenge."

"It'll be safer if you're there with me."

"I hate it when you're right."

"Love you too."

"Love you."

The end fuckers :)

oh it's beautiful. thank you for this

[remys-lucky-franc]

Tick, Tick, Tick...  A Queen of Thieves Fic - Jett x MC (Daisy)

This fic is to fulfil a request sent to my friend by @simpsonjenna1 - the request was for a route that @wrath-gutierrez hadn't read, so I've picked it up instead :)  

The last chapter of Jett's route left off when he and MC were interrupted during an intimate moment by a bunch of masked intruders.  Jett, was unable to stop them kidnapping his girl as he was cuffed to the bed.  Oh and also, there's a bomb ticking somewhere in the penthouse!!  Eek!!

The request was:  CAN YOU WRITE A FIC OF WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WHEN JETT AND THE POPPY TRY TO RESCUE MC?  AND SHE ENDS UP IN A COMA AFTER BEING TORTURED BY THE KIDNAPPERS?

I've changed one part of your request a little and I really hope that's ok, but this plot lent itself to it...  Also, it's slightly canon-divergent, as I have the rest of the Poppy still in Hong Kong, rather than having headed onto Barcelona already.  I hope you (and anyone else reading!) enjoy this!  I've never actually written for Jett before, so fingers crossed I've did him justice!  I've used my MC's name when I wrote it, but let me know if you'd like to read it with a different name and I'll edit it in for you :)

Rating: probably mature due to bad language and mild sex references - nothing very explicit.  There's obviously an element of fear and terror you'd expect when someone's been kidnapped, so please keep that in mind if you think it would adversely affect you.  It got a bit long AF at ~6000 words - oops!

Jett roars after the shadowy figures that bodily lift her up and carry her like a ragdoll out of his bedroom,

"NOOOOOO!!!   YOU BASTARDS!!!  DAISY!!!  DAISY!!!"  

He thrashes against the cuffs, arching his back, kicking wildly as his swinging bed rocks back and forth uncontrollably.  He's in a cold sweat, a panic has risen in his chest from the realisation that there is literally nothing that he can do to stop what's happening...  

Tick, tick, tick...

He looks around, frantic:  the key is somewhere on the floor, somewhere he can't reach because of these bloody cuffs...  Is there anything he could use to pick the lock on them?  Anything on the bed, anything that he could reach with his feet even...??  Desperation sets in as he realises one of the men is standing in the doorway holding a mobile phone...  

Jett eyes widen like saucers as he screams until his throat hurts as the man dramatically directs his finger towards a button on the phone.  Jett feels like his heart is stopping as the martyr makes contact with the button: he braces himself for the explosion that'll end it all, one person on his mind.  

'What will happen to Daisy...?  Will the Poppy ever find her?'  

But nothing comes. There's no searing heat, no blinding light, no ear-splitting shatter of glass and tearing of plaster or brick...  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Except a callous snort as the masked man standing there watching Jett's confusion unfurl across his face as he realises the ticking noise has stopped...  

"You son of a bitch!!  Sound effects?!"

The man in black turns on his heel and walks out of the room, leaving a naked Jett bucking and straining against the cuffs, despite knowing his best attempts are futile.  As he and Daisy had stumbled to his room in a tangle of limbs, their jackets and phones had been discarded in the common room...  There's no way of alerting the gang...  There's no other option than to lie here waiting for them to return...      

---

Daisy feels her stomach lurch and her head throbs as the room spins, struggling to open her blurry eyes, suddenly she jolts upright, her last memories flooding back to her.  The bomb...  And Jett's horrified face, arms pinned tightly above his head, crying out her name as she struggled to get free of her captors before they forced that handkerchief over her nose.  She looks down at her tightly-bound hands:  her usually pretty polished nails are chipped and broken from trying to wrench it away before that sweet, cloying smell filled her nostrils and everything faded to black, her arms becoming to heavy to keep resisting...  Sucking in a deep, shaky breath she scans her surroundings, trying to clear her head:  

'I need to get the fuck out of here, and fast!'  

It's a non-descript room, rectangular:  maybe  15 feet long by 10 feet wide?  She's sitting on a single mattress.  There are vertical blinds on a small window - closed of course.  There's nothing else distinct about the room: ceiling tiles, a dark tattered-looking carpet, plain walls. Nothing to give her a clue as to her whereabouts...  She can't get to the window to see if she can pinpoint any sights because her ankles are also bound.  

Shifting back against the wall, Daisy drops her head onto her knees.  Tears prick at the corners of her eyes, overwhelmed by the thoughts racing through her mind,

'Where am I?'   'Why did they bring me here?' 'Where is Jett???' 'Did they bring him here too, or did they leave him?' 'If they left him, did he get away before the bomb...?'

She feels herself get lightheaded as she begins to hyperventilate, anxiety crashing over her like a wave, sucking her downwards, suffocating her...

'What if he's dead???' 'Fuckkkkk what do they want??' 'What are they planning on to do to me??'

Daisy struggles against the ropes binding her wrists rigidly.  Her skin burns below the fibres as she desperately tries to shift them, to no avail.

'Surely they brought us both?  He must be worth more to them than I am?'

She shouts,

"Jett!!  Jett??  Can you hear me??  Jett!!"

No response comes and Daisy sighs, sounding defeated.  She huddles herself together for comfort realising she's all alone, until she hears it.  The sound of footsteps outside of the room, slow and measured, like a jailer walking through the hallway beyond her cell...  Suddenly Daisy seriously begins to regret her decision to yell for Jett...

---

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, an exhausted Jett hears the key turn in the front door of the penthouse, the jovial sound of Remy's laughter peals through the corridor.  Jett starts to shout,

"REMY!!  REMY!!  HELP!!  IN HERE!!"  

Within moments, the door bursts open and Remy lays eyes on a Jett, bound to the bed, naked save for a tangled sheet he's managed to strategically kick over his waist.  He's closely followed by Leon whose eyes almost pop out of his head at the site of his friend's predicament.  Remy races towards Jett,

"Mon ami!  What has happened?!  Are you ok??"

Jett sounds delirious as he shouts,

"I'm fine - never bloody mind me!!  They've taken her!  They broke in, they took her!  They tricked me into believing there was a bomb, and they've kidnapped Daisy!  The key, Remy!!  The key is on the floor, get me out of these fucking cuffs!  We need to find her!!"  

Remy scrambles around on the floor searching for the key, kicked under the bed as Daisy resisted her captors, while  Leon is already on the phone to Nikolai, alerting the rest of the group,

"Yes Nikolai, she's gone...  They've taken Daisy.  Jett's fine, just shaken up:  they stripped him and cuffed him to the bed..."  

Remy stops his search, looking up at Leon from the floor, a smirk spreading across his face,  

"Leon...  Mon couer, please, never change..."  

Leon stops in his tracks, silent, eyes flitting between Remy and Jett, his cheeks colouring vividly as he suddenly realises that it would indeed have been quite strange and unorthodox for the intruders to leave the Poppy's resident explosives expert in such a compromising position...  

Jett clears his throat, muttering,

"Jesus, Remy, hurry up will you?"  

Remy locates the key and releases Jett, who quickly springs to his feet, pulling on a pair of pants.  Remy pats Leon's shoulder twice, nodding to the phone,

"May I?"  

Leon bobs his head as though to say, 'All yours!'.  Remy takes the handset and quickly fills Nikolai in on what he and Leon came home to find, and what Jett's told them.

Jett's pacing like a big cat stalking it's prey while Leon looks around the room, recapping every detail he can remember as they search for any clues as to who could possibly have taken Daisy.  

---

A feeling of intense dread bubbles in the pit of Daisy's stomach as a key turns over in the lock.  She's shaking as a masked man appears in the doorframe, learning against the wood, head tipped to the side, watching her silently, curious.  She curses at him, trying to look brave and ballsy, but as he starts to approach she wants to disappear, she can feel herself shrinking into the wall despite herself, despite her best efforts.  She's vulnerable and she's helpless...  She can't defend herself no matter what he wants to do to her...  Her pulse thunders inside her ears as a myriad of possibilities whizz through her head - is he going to beat her, or assault her?  She feels sick at the thought...  Will he kills her?  What if this is it?  What if this is how she dies?  Scared and alone in some grubby room?  What if no one ever finds her...  He's closing in on her, he's right at the edge of the bed and there's nothing she can do...  Abruptly Daisy makes a noise like a strangled animal before spitting directly into his eye!  On instinct, the act jolts him as he makes a disgusted noise and mutters,

"Jesus Christ!!"  

As he wipes the saliva away with his sleeved forearm Daisy's jaw drops.  

'That voice.  I know that voice...  I.  KNOW.  THAT. VOICE.'

Daisy feels like her heart may leap free from her chest as she chokes on the whisper,

"Geoff?'  

Her masked captor starts away from her. Knowing that she's onto something she shouts louder,

"Geoff?!  You bastard?!  That is you, isn't it?!"

Another masked man, slightly shorter, of a more muscular build appears in the room, muttering,

"Jesus Geoff! I thought the whole point of the masks was so that she didn't work out who we were??"  

Geoff snaps at the mystery man,

"Great work!!  You've just confirmed to her that it actually is me!!"  

He pulls the mask off his face and tosses it onto the bed beside Daisy and gives her a slightly bashful lopsided smile,

"Hey."

Daisy's dark eyebrows knit together as she glares at him,

"Hey??  HEY??  What did you do Geoff?!  Where is Jett??  The bomb?!  You retired?!  You were going to Majorca with your dream man?!"

Geoff reaches out to touch her arm gently but she thrashes away from him,

"Don't you dare touch me!!"

Geoff sighs, as though today has been a massive chore and he's regretting not just taking his retirement...  

"I'm not going to hurt you, Daisy.  Not if you promise to be a good girl.  I'll even untie you.  I'll explain everything, but any shit, any shit AT ALL, and the restraints go back on, ok?  I mean it,  so don't try anything clever."

Daisy reluctantly agrees, and as Geoff releases her ankles she scowls at him in disgust.  She's deep inside her own head,

'Who knew Geoff had this in him?  He's so handsome, so fun, so friendly?!'

She turns to stare Geoff down, her big dark eyes burning into him,

"Where's Jamie then?  I'm guessing he's in on this too?"

Geoff shakes his head slowly,

"No, actually.  I was planning to cut him in on the idea, but the soft git only went and fell in love with you...  There's no way he'd ever have agreed to this ...  This heist is all mine."  

Daisy shakes her head, visibly shocked,

"But...  I-I thought we were friends, Geoff?  How could you do this to me?  To Jett?"

Shrugging as he speaks, Geoff offers,

"It's nothing personal, darling.  This is just business..."

Daisy chokes out a harsh-sounding, hollow laugh, as she scowls at him,

"Yeah, nothing personal, Geoff.  Where is Jett?  Did you bring him here too??  Please, please, Geoff, I need to know you didn't leave him in the penthouse with that time-bomb??"

Geoff chuckles heartily, like The J-Team are trading anecdotes over a drink,

"Oh, please!  Girl, I don't fuck with explosives..."

Whipping his phone from his pocket, Geoff presses a button and the 'TICK, TICK, TICK' sound echoes around the bare room.  

Daisy balls her fists wishing she could lash out and wipe that smile off Geoff's stupid face!!!

"YOU TOTAL BASTARD!!"  

Geoff rolls his eyes theatrically,

"Oh come one.  It was a good distraction, love.  You have to give me that...?"

Daisy's voice starts to crack with relief that Jett hasn't been blown to kingdom come,

"So you just, left him there?"

Geoff smirks ,

"Yeah...  I'd hired a couple of reinforcements, because I was under the impression that we'd need to overpower you both...  Little did I that you'd have did half of the work for me already by the time we arrived, you naughty girl..."

Geoff winks at Daisy and she feels a blush flood her neck and cheeks as she thinks about the intimate position that she and Jett were so rudely interrupted in...  Geoff wiggles his eyebrows at her,

"You never know what goes on behind closed doors, huh Daisy?  Anyway, your man is fine.  He's exactly where you left him."  

Daisy shakes her head angrily,

"Not cool Geoff.  Really, seriously uncool."

Daisy can't decide if she's more relived about Jett being ok, or more pissed off about the situation in general, and Geoff continues as though she never spoke,  

"Anyway.  You just need to stay here with us for a few days until your beloved Gilded Poppy agree to our demands, Then we'll get you home and you can pick back up where you left off with lover-boy...  K?"

Daisy's spitting feathers,

"What demands are you making exactly??  How long have you been planning this you asshole??"

Geoff pouts,

"Only their art collection.  I've been high-key pissed at your boyfriend and his cronies ever since he ditched The J-Team and they double-crossed us...  I just never saw an opportunity to do anything about it, until now..."

Daisy can't stop her jaw dropping at Geoff's confession,

"What?!  I thought it was Jamie who held the grudge??  Why agree to do the Bank Job with us??"

Geoff shrugs, looking somewhat bored,

"The Bank Job was Jamie's gig.  And it got us enough cash to set up in Spain permanently...  But God knows, I've wanted to get back at him for a long time...  And the rest of that bloody Poppy..."

The man still wearing the mask clears his throat, sounding very nervous,

"Uh, Geoff, you're telling her an awful lot..."

Geoff scoffs,

"Steven, babe, it's not like the Gilded Poppy won't work it out...  Anyway, moving on from all this chatter...  Daisy, are you hungry, do you want something to drink?"

Daisy nods hesitantly: her throat feels like sandpaper...  Steven scuttles off to get supplies as Geoff moves closer to smooth a stray lock of hair away from her face, making her flinch.  He sighs,

"Daisy, I have no intentions of hurting you, but you need to play nice, ok?  You're much more valuable to me, alive.  Listen I'm going to untie you, but then I need to go.  Stevie will be back with food and water soon, ok?  I'll come back to check on you later, so just sit pretty for now.  Be good and this will all be over before you know it."

Forcing a tight smile, Daisy inhales deeply as Geoff set her hands free.  Deep red welts stand out on her wrists from where she's struggled against the ropes, her skin angry and bruised...  She grunts a goodbye at Geoff.  He gives her an almost apologetic smile as he exits, locking her in the room behind him.  Geoff's no sooner out of the room than Daisy's on her feet looking for anything to identify where she is and any escape routes she can find.  Quickly establishing she's on the first floor of the building, Daisy groans, noticing the grills on the windows that'll stop her being able to climb to freedom.  She can see the skyscrapers of Hong Kong's skyline in the distance.  It looks like they're in some sort of disused business park on the outskirts of the city; she can see warehousing, empty parking bays, and small office blocks.  The common areas look overgrown and unkempt, and there's not another person in sight as far as the eye can see.  Realising there's no way out of the room, except for through the locked door, Daisy decides that she will need to somehow overpower Steven when he comes back with food, or Geoff when he returns later, then run like her life depends on it.

---

Steven took around an hour to return with a bottle of water and ramen noodle pot, but it felt like much longer than that...  Daisy nods, accepting the bowl.  She's been reading his body language since before he left the room earlier...  And she's sure that he's nervous...  He isn’t a criminal... She doesn't even believe that he's ever committed an offence before, much less kidnapped someone and held them hostage...  Smoothing her rumpled white sundress over her knees sitting on the mattress, she hugs them close to her, her breathing erratic as fat tears roll down her face, ruining her makeup - she's doing everything she can to make herself look small and vulnerable.  It seems like Steven's in over his head here, and if she gets him flustered, he might make mistakes that Geoff wouldn't make...  

Daisy's hunch is correct - she manages to make Steven feel so uncomfortable that he will barely look at her and can't wait to get back out of her 'cell', meaning she manages to pocket the fork he'd given her to eat her noodles with, from right under his nose without him noticing.  Daisy stops sobbing the instant he leaves the room, one eyebrow arching as she smiles to herself,

'Now I have a weapon...  I just need to bide my time...'

---

At Gilded Poppy HQ,  Jett's pacing the floor, cursing and making threats about what he'll do when he finds the kidnappers, while Leon and Vivienne try to talk him down, calm him and turn his ranting into something more constructive.  Remy's out meeting underworld contacts in an attempt to glean any information about the break in  or the possible location of one Poppy member...  Nikolai is in his bedroom, pacing across the room, stopping frequently to scribble notes and add detail to diagrams trying to establish how the intruders got into the Poppy's HQ to begin with, muttering to himself all the while.  Zoe is also holed up in her bedroom, scanning CCTV footage from all of the cameras in the three blocks surrounding the penthouse...  So far, she's managed to pick up the black vehicle and track it to the edge of the city, but then the trail goes cold, probably due to the lack of video surveillance in rural areas...  She's hacked the police database of vehicle registrations, but it's clear they've been smart enough to run on false plates...  Again, a dead end.  As the hours pass, it'll become increasingly difficult to locate Daisy if the kidnappers are still on the move...

Several hours later, there is finally some progress.  

"Nikolai!!  Nikolai!!  They've made contact!!"

Jett is waving his mobile phone frantically as he bursts into the Thief Lord's bedroom.  Nikolai calls for Zoe and they review the text message that has arrived from an unknown number, advising that Daisy will be handed over safe and sound if their demands are met.  Nikolai curses, his piercing blue eyes meeting Jett's,

"They are relieving us of our art collection, in exchange for Daisy."

Jett makes a face as he sucks in a deep breath, when Zoe shakes her head as she hands Jett's phoned back to him,

"They aren't amateurs...  That message came from a burner.  And it's already gone. Off the grid..."

He mutters,

"Damn it.  Nikolai, what are you thinking?  We need to get her back, mate??  Please..."

Nikolai tuts as he shakes his head looking exasperated,

"Daisy is a member of the Gilded Poppy.  OF COURSE we're getting her back.  But there's absolutely no way these degenerates are going to fleece us out of hard-earned and much-deserved art collection..."  

Jett quirks an eyebrow, Nikolai has that confident glint in his eye:  the same one that he has whenever he's masterminded some of their most impossible heists,

"What do you suggest?"

Nikolai moves towards the door,

"Come on, let's all go through this together."

Minutes later, Nikolai sips tea from his ornate glass mug, leaning back in his chair, running his fingers through Elizabeth's dense fur like a Bond Villain as he grins at the rest of the Gilded Poppy,

"We meet their demands and conduct the hand-off on Friday night.  The art in exchange for Daisy."

Remy shifts his feet, glancing at Vivienne who looks a little surprised,

"Nikolai, I didn't expect you just to fulfil their request, darling?"

A wicked smile adorns Nikolai's pale features,

"We will fulfil their request, dearest Vivienne...  But our 'friends' won't be keeping the art collection...  First we rescue Daisy, then we rescue our collection..."  

Remy punches the air, wrapping his free arm around Jett,

"Let's bring our Daisy home, mon ami!"  

---

She's been waiting for what's felt like an eternity, patiently.  She's spent her time, working on controlling her breathing, clearing her mind, steadying her nerves...  Getting up the gall to pull off her own escape.  No Gilded Poppy, no explosives, no master plan, no comms, no getaway car...  Only herself to rely on...  It's a sobering thought, that's for certain.  Daisy's heart leaps into her throat as she hears the lock begin to turn over in the barrel...  She's sitting on the edge of the mattress, fork tucked into her hand, concealed by her forearm...  As Geoff enters the room, Daisy fakes a small smile at him and stands, moving towards him, looking up at him innocently from under dark lashes, she mumbles,

"You know Geoff, I just want this to be over.  I won't give you any trouble."

Geoff looks surprised as he quirks an eyebrow at her,

"That's...  Good.  I'm glad, Daisy.  I like you a lot.  If we can keep this as amicable as possible, I'd be really happy about that."  

Daisy takes another couple of steps closer, doe eyes staring up at him, charming him, disarming him, flattering his ego...

"You know, I've had a lot of time to think about it while I've been sitting here, Geoff.  This is a pretty clever heist.  Ambitious.  The J-Team underestimated you.  You should have been in charge of the planning, your vision could have made them legendary, instead of Jamie...  Only interested in the routine of a bank job, never anything outside the box...  I didn't know you had this side to you..."

Geoff beams at Daisy, a genuine an bright smile lights up his handsome face as he laps up the attention and the compliments, stepping closer as he starts to enthuse about how Jamie and Jock never truly valued his input...  He's caught up in the moment as Daisy shifts position, moving herself from being directly opposite the door, to a ninety degree angle, putting her on level footing to the exit, distance-wise...  And with the element of surprise, she stands a damn good chance...  He's becoming increasing animated as Daisy decides that now is the time to put her plan into motion.  Rapidly she jerks the fork into the air and slams it down with all of her might into Geoff's arm before he has time to realise what she's doing!  He lets out a roar of surprise, but she's already out of the door, running through the dingy, deserted corridors, never stopping to look back!  She can hear Geoff yelling for Steven and she barrels past him as he emerges from a room to her right!  She can see the glass double front doors of the office block, leading outside to a carpark and concrete jungle, they're ajar!  She can't believe her luck!  She psyches herself for the inevitable game of hide and seek she'll have to play with her captors as she reaches the top of the staircase.  Steven's racing behind her and he's making ground...  Her feet are like lightning as she takes the staircase as quickly as she can - freedom is just within her reach!  She's made it!  She's done!  Until on the bottom step, the high heel of her sandal catches on the loose carpet, twisting wildly as she tries to catch her balance, and lands awkwardly, whacking the back of her head hard on the handrail she was grabbing for.

Steven stands at the top of the stairs shell-shocked, releasing a sharp cry of 'Fuckkkkkk!' as he hears the dull thud of Daisy's head against the rail and watches her limp frame collapse onto the floor of the disused reception area, a tangle of limbs and dark curls.  Geoff catches up to him, still clutching at the fork wound, stopping dead in his tracks for a moment, staring at the scene unfolded on the ground level,

"Shit!!!"

He tears down the flight of stairs to the bottom as Steven remains as still as a statue, his hands clutching his temples, hyperventilating as he screams at Geoff,

"Is she dead?!  Oh my God!!!  Is she dead, Geoff?!  What the fuck are we going to do?!  I didn't sign up for this?!  They'll say it was deliberate - they'll say I pushed her!!  I can't go to jail for killing a girl, oh my God!!  What are we going to do?!"

Geoff's on the floor beside Daisy, his fingers probing the side of her neck, cursing under his breath,

"You stupid, stupid girl!  I told you no one was going to hurt you, why did you have to pull a  stunt like this?!"

He lifts his head to yell to Steven,

"She's alive, she has a good pulse!  She's knocked herself out."  

Geoff slides one hand under Daisy's head to try to shift her into a less awkward pose, the colour draining from his face, as he retracts his hand to looks at the warm, wet substance covering it,

"Oh fukkkkkk...  This wasn't supposed to go down like this!! Steven, get the keys!!  Help me get her in the car!!"  

Steven's eyes widen as he looks at Geoff,

"The car??"

Geoff shakes his head, incredulous, "I'm not going to let her die, Steven!!  I'm a bloody thief, not a monster:  I do not want a dead body on my hands!!  We need to get her to a hospital:  keys, masks, now!!

---

"HEY!!  HEY!!!  GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!!!"  

The tall, blonde paramedic screams after the rapidly retreating black saloon car that's just off-loaded a semi-unconscious young woman in a blood-smeared white sundress onto the ground in front of the main hospital doors.  He rushes to crouch by her side, she groaning and trying to curl into a ball as he scoops her into his strong arms, with one final look of disgust in the direction the car went, he speaks softly, heading purposely through the automatic doors.

"You're ok sweetie, I've got you, you're going to be ok."

---

Steven paces back and forth, agitation showing on his face as stares at Geoff,

"What do we do?  What if she doesn't pull through, Geoff?  It's all been for nothing.  Nothing!!  We've lost the art collection...  Your revenge...  Our new life in Majorca..."

Geoff rakes his fingers back through his glossy hair as he watches Steven,

"Unless...  Unless we move up the handover..."

Steven stops dead, bewilderment marring his features,

"What do you mean 'move up the handover'?  We don't have what they want us to handover any more?!"

Geoff stands taller, captivated by his own idea,

"No, no, no...  They want her back, and we'll take them to her, they still get the girl in exchange for the collection.  My revenge is complete, we still get to go off and live our best lives in Majorca, love...  We'll send another message to the Poppy, the handover has to be tonight.  We can't wait ‘til Friday, if she dies, the whole jig is up..."

---

When the message pinged onto Jett's phone from yet another burner phone, the Poppy went into overdrive coordinating their double rescue bid.  They have gone from having two days to arrange their attack, to merely a few hours.  

Jett swallows uneasily as Remy pats his hand, trying to calm his nerves,

"Why are they pulling the exchange in, Remy?  There must be a reason.  I don't like this, mate...  Not one bit."

Remy scoffs, trying to lighten the mood,

"If Daisy's being difficult, they probably just want this to be over.  You know how she gets when she isn't pleased...."

Remy tries to lighten the mood by pulling his best scowl and adopting an American accent, impersonating his dear friend,

"The Gilded Poppy will find you and kick your damn ass, you bastards!!"

Jett lets out a half-laugh, that catches in his throat and turns into a sob.  Remy wraps one arm around his shoulder,

"Mon ami, come!  She will be ok, we will see our Daisy again soon..."

Jett shudders, scrubbing his face with his balled fisted,  amber eyes glistening with unspilled tears,

"She was so scared Remy.  I've never seen her look like that...  And there wasn't a single thing I could do.  They just...  Took her.  What if I never see her again?  I-I love her, and I never told her..."

Remy's face softens as he pulls Jett closer to hug him properly, patting his back soothingly,

"Alors...  You can tell her when she comes home."  

---

As agreed, Steven send a message with the location of the meet, thirty minutes prior to the handover time, detailing the location as the Kwong Wah Hospital carpark.  He and Geoff wait in the vehicle, until they see the headlights on a muscle car flash twice at them.  They get out of the car, and walk towards the Gilded Poppy who have also exited their vehicle.  As the factions approach each other, Jett notices Geoff.  The betrayal hits him like a grenade as a rage erupts inside of him he screeches,

"YOU?!?!  Geoff, how could you do this?!?!"

He lunges towards Geoff, only to be pulled back and held firmly by Leon until his blind fury begins to subside, muttering to himself as much as Leon,

"J-Team Geoff...  I can't believe this bullshit...  He was always my favourite..."  

Geoff winks at Nikolai and extends his hand, which Nikolai ignores, staring him down like shit on his shoe.  Nikolai requests crisply,

"The girl?"

Geoff shrugs his shoulders, mimicking Nikolai's haughty tone,

"The art?"

The pair stand there, their stares burning into each other.  Minutes pass with not another word spoken, until Vivienne steps forward, purring,

"Gentlemen, we're not getting anywhere.  You want the collection?  We want our associate.  How can we...  Expedite this process?"    

Geoff's breaks eye contact with Nikolai to stare at Vivienne's slender arm on Nikolai's shoulder, he clears his throat,

"Daisy is here.  Give me the collection and I'll tell you the exact location."

Jett yells, full of vitriol,

"You let us see her, then you get the collection, you wanker!"

Geoff scoffs,

"No can do, Slater.  Put the collection in the car, then you get your little dominatrix back, ok?"  

Leon grips Jett's biceps again to stop him killing Geoff stone-dead, he mutters,

"Let it go, Jett, he's just trying to get a rise out of you..."

Nikolai sighs, a prickly, irritated sound,

"Fine.  It seems like there isn't much option; we appear to have reached an impasse.  Remy, Zoe, please handover the collection?"

Zoe nods her head solemnly,  lifting a small canvas from the car and moving towards Geoff's vehicle.  She glares at a visibly nervous Steven as she places the artwork inside.  Remy moves behind her, doing the same.  Over and over, until the entire art collection from the Gilded Poppy's Hong Kong penthouse lays across the back seat of a black Mercedes.  

Nikolai's voice peals out, commanding in it's tone,

"You have the art.  Now.  The girl."  

Geoff nods,

"A deal is a deal.  She's inside."

Steven scarpers for the car as Jett breaks free of Leon's grip,

"Inside??  What did you do to her?!"

Geoff back towards the car as Jett's fist makes contact with his cheekbone,

"Arrrghhh!  Get off of me, Slater!!  I never touched her!!  We dropped her off her a couple of hours ago after she slipped and hit her head trying to escape!"

Geoff lets out a groan as Jett lands a solid right hook and a swift jab to follow it up before Leon pulls him back.

Leon cracks his knuckles and stretches out his neck as he approaches, looming head and shoulders above the other men and twice as broad,

"Jett, go and find Daisy, leave this piece of shit to me..."

Geoff's eyes bug out as he assesses Leon's stature and bulk,

"Hey!   Hey!  She's fine!!  There's no need for this!!"  

A small smiles tugs at Leon's lips,

"But that's no way to treat a lady, Geoff...  You don't just leave her at A&E...  You wait with her, maybe get her a magazine, a hot chocolate...  It's only polite.  I think you and I should take a little walk and talk about manners..."

Leon's giant arm dwarves Geoff as he grips him firmly, marching him away from the rest of the Poppy.  

Suddenly the black Mercedes roars to life, tyres squealing on the tarmac as Steven tries his best to make a sharp exit.  

Remy rolls his eyes,

"Merde!  Zoe??"

Zoe taps at a few buttons on her tablet, and seconds later confirms with a sly grin,

"Gates are closing... Right...  About... Now..."

A loud bang and the sound of a car horn echoes across the car park.  The black Mercedes has driven straight into the closing electronic gates and Steven looks shell-shocked as he stares back at the Poppy observing him with distain...

Nikolai dusts a particle of imaginary lint from his shoulder and sniffs,

"Zoe we appear to have wasted your time on that GPS tracking...  Remy, Jett, can you load the collection back in Leon's car?"

Jett protests,

"Not a bloody chance, I'm going in there to find Daisy!!"  

Nikolai closes his eyes, letting his head drop backwards for a moment, looking exasperated, before reasoning with the excitable Englishman,

"No you aren't.  Look at your knuckles. No one is going to give you any information about a girl who was dropped off at hospital with a head injury, if you go in there looking like that... "  

Nikolai gestures towards the front of Jett's checked shirt that's covered in blood spatter from the right hook he landed on Geoff.  Reluctantly Jett concedes and watches anxiously as Nikolai and Vivienne enter the hospital to locate his girl...

---

The art is all back in Leon's vehicle, Remy, Jett, Zoe and Leon sit inside, in agitated silence.  Leon's not saying what exactly he did to Geoff, only that the Poppy have acquired a nice five-bedroom villa in Majorca where they can have a couple of weeks of downtime to recover from this fiasco...  Steven's vanished, but Leon's happy to that he's no real threat anyway...  If he has any sense, he’ll get rid of Geoff and find a better boyfriend...  Remy squeezes a worried Jett's knee in the back seat, a gesture of solidarity and a reassurance that Daisy will be fine...  Zoe interrupts the silence as a call comes through and she puts Vivienne on speaker...  

'We posed as her brother and sister-in-law, eventually a young nurse took pity on us...  Daisy was brought in as a Jane Doe by a paramedic when that 'monster' dumped her outside...  She has a nasty head injury, and they had to operate...

Jett almost levitates as he shouts.

"Operate?  WHAT?!"

Vivienne's smooth voice soothes him,

"Jett, darling, it's ok.  They relieved any pressure off her brain and are very happy with how things went.  But..."

Jett's voice is panicked and high as the others sit in stony silence,

"But what???  Bloody tell me Vivienne???"

Vivienne breathes deeply before answering him,

"They put her in a medically-induced coma to let her recover properly. Jett, I'm so sorry."

Jett's hands are over his eyes, he whispers to himself,

"No. No...  No, no, no, no..."

Remy shifts in his seat, unbuttoning his shirt as Zoe raises an eyebrow at him.  He shimmies until he's naked from the waist up, tossing his clothing at Jett,

"Here.  Keep your hands in the pockets.  Go to Daisy, Jett.  Vivienne, he's coming in, ma cherie..."`

Jett's mouth opens and closes a couple of times before he pulls Remy into a bear-hug then jumps out of the car, wrestles his shirt off and throws Remy's clothes on.  He tosses his blood-stained shirt to Remy, who shrugs, then flexes his biceps,

"Non, it's ok, I think Leon and Zoe are enjoying the view..."

Jett snorts a laugh as he takes off towards the doors of the hospital, greeted by Vivienne as he does.  She exclaims, as she leads him swiftly by the arm towards Daisy's room,

"Darling, what took you so long??  Quickly, this way!"

Vivienne smiles gratefully at the young nurse standing by the desk...  

As they enter the room, the mechanical whirr and ping of machines makes Jett's breath catch.  There she is, his Daisy, connected to a dozen tubes and monitors, her dark hair cascading across the pillow over a white dressing.  Dressed in a hospital gown with dried blood on the side of her neck, she looks frail, and so small.  He barges past Nikolai and falls to his knees by the side of the hospital bed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clutches her hand in his,

"God, Daisy?"

He turns to Vivienne and Nikolai who stand against the wall,

"Can she hear me?"

Vivienne takes Nikolai's arm as she answers him,

"Yes, she might not remember when she's back with us, but they say that she can hear.  Jett, Nik and I are going to give you some privacy.  Call us if you need us, we'll come straight back."

Jett nods at Vivienne, all his words reserved for the sleeping girl before him,

"Daisy, I'm so sorry.  I'm so, so sorry...  I didn't protect you...  I love you and I..."

Vivienne closes the door behind she and Nikolai, biting her lip as she looks up at him.  He places his hand over hers comfortingly as he leads her back to the car.

---

Three days have passed before the doctors are satisfied that Daisy's injury has had a chance to optimise it's healing process during her sedation, Jett's barely moved from her side.  The other have come and gone in shifts to visit their girl and to bring supplies to Jett while he keeps vigil by her side.  After the sedative IV is removed, he sits by her side, stroking her hand, waiting for what seems like another three days before her fingers twitch against his hand.  He lifts her fingers, pressing soft kisses against them as tear threaten to blind him, praying,

'Come on Daisy, come back to me, please...'  

Doctors rush in as the machines connected to Daisy alert them that she's conscious, they want to check and assess her reactions and reflexes.  Jett stands outside as he waits for them to finish, his eyes locked firmly with Daisy's as he smiles through the glass at her, watching her cheeks flush and her eyes as he touches his heart and mouths,

"I love you."

End <3

[tigers-eyes-26]

Are Masks Enough?

They were trapped. Trapped in some kind of inky goo ball in the middle of a cell, in some compound, maybe in the middle of nowhere. The two masked heroes had struggled for hours and now were contemplating.  “I should’ve just gotten away.” Huffed P-nika, “I could have gotten help, but now I have to be here with you.”

“Aw come on its not soooo bad being stuck with me.” The Avenger smirked.

“How can you be so cheery right now?” P-nika snapped.

In truth the Avenger was just as frustrated. He hadn’t told anyone where he was going. It was supposed to be a solo mission. He hadn’t been able to hit his distress button before his hands were frozen out of reach.

“Hey!” he defended, “just trying to keep my head on my shoulders.”

She scoffed, “How is it you are always flying off the handle and NOW you’re the calm one?!?!”

The Avenger blushed a little. His protection instincts had kicked in. He realized he was swallowing his fear to keep her calm. Like he would if Huey or Louie where scared or feeling anxious.

“What good will getting frantic do us now?!?!”  He gruffed. “Yes, you should’ve gotten away, but you didn’t. There is nothing we can do about it now.”

P-nika let out a breath. “I know…” The Avenger could feel P-nika slump a little within the ball of goo connecting them. “I’m just so worried about…my friends.”

The Avenger scowled “You mean your boyfriend?” Why did that make him squirm?

She got defensive “So what if I do! Once he figures out I’m missing, he will be worried sick!”

That got him thinking of Daisy. Poor Daisy.

“Well what about you? Aren’t you worried about your loved ones?” she pointedly looked him in the eyes.

“Of course, I am! I always am! That’s all I ever think about!” In fact, seeing P-nika’s eyes up close remined him of Daisy’s clear light blue eyes. He blushed harder and looked away. Mad at himself. What is he doing!?!

There was a lull in the conversation. P-nika seemed to be considering the Avenger’s answer.  

“You said once you had a girl.” She softly broke the silence, “How did you guys meet?”

“…” His brow lifted but no answer came.

“Oh, come on now. You don’t have to tell me her name or any details if you’re so worried about your secret identity.” She grinned knowingly.

He stared past her wistfully “…We have been dating for such a long time…”

P-nika broke the calm. “Don’t tell me you have forgotten the first time you met her!”

He snapped his head to glare at her. “NO!” He couldn’t remember what year it was or where they were, but he did remember. “I remember! She has the most beautiful eyes! As soon as she looked at me, I knew she was the gal for me. She has a cute petite beak. I could watch her smile forever…” He noticed his gaze had started to wander around P-nika’s face as he spoke. They were so alike. He continued getting more and more thoughtful.

P-nika felt herself blush. He was so romantic! She couldn’t remember the last time her boyfriend told her things like this. They had been dating for so long that they had gotten comfortable with each other. Gotten so use to each other. She looked over the Avenger’s face. Studying it. He was quite handsome.

They didn’t know how it happened, but they were leaning their heads closer and closer until…their beaks touched!

NO! They both whipped their heads back. The motion caused the strap that was hidden in the Avenger’s turtleneck to snap. The device that the strap was attached to slid down into his shirt but because of tumult in his head he didn’t notice.

“I I I I am so sorry! I didn’t! I just! I shouldn’t have!” Their frantic apologies rang out simultaneously.

P-nika heard a familiar voice in the echo. “Wait!” the echoes settled into silence. She pointedly eyed the Avenger, “Say something again.”

The Avenger was flustered, “What do you want me to say???” Their eyes budged. The Avenger wished he could raise his hands to his throat. Where had his Modulator gone?! His cover was broken for sure. Everyone knew about Uncle Scrooge, the richest duck in the world!  That meant they knew he had a nephew with a speech impediment.  

“YOU!?” She squawked.

The avenger grimaced, “shhhhhh! There might be mics all over this cell.” He whispered. Who was he kidding?  His family had a hard time understanding him. she, as a stranger, probably has no idea what he is saying.  

“Oh right” she whispered in agreement.

Donald was stunned “Wait you understood me?” he breathed, still conscience of the maybe mics.

She giggled. Donald was still confused. P-nika rolled her eyes. She took advantage of his stupor and gave him a big long kiss.

He didn’t lean away this time. What was she trying to tell him? He focused. It’s like… I know her!

Realization flooded in. He opened his beak to say her name. “uh uh uh.” Daisy gestured with her eyes. the mics.

He nodded. This is why! This is why they couldn’t stop thinking about each other. This is why they frustrated each other! This is why they had a magnet drawing them together even though they resisted it! They both felt silly for not knowing it sooner.

There was a kind of relief in knowing that even though they were trapped whatever happened they would face it together.

[gaze-into-whump]

Fandom: Original Work (Project Oracle: Fantasy AU)

Prompt: Wound that Won’t Heal Red X: Filled. White Circle: Requested

@badthingshappenbingo, requested by @butchzambo

It started a day like any other. Or any other these days. After. After Attakius, after the fey wild, after losing everything Daisy thought made her her. Who was she if she wasn’t an adventurer? Who was she if she couldn’t lift a sword to defend herself, push a boulder up a never-ending hill, dig a hole that she refused to be buried in? She had used every part of herself to keep going, to spite Attakius.

And now she was used up. A shell of the person she used to be. She’d never had to think about what a damsel felt like before, she’d never been one. Now? Well, things had been getting better.

Every step feels like she’s slogging through mud wearing stones on her feet but she’d finally gotten to the point where she could help with the errands. Nothing that required her to carry anything, and nothing she could do on her own, which seemed to defeat the purpose of running an errand, but she won’t complain if it means she gets to feel the wind in her hair. And the market is nice too, even if she needs to sit down while Kyle browses the spices and herbs.

He gets enough to fill just a single bag, something he can carry easily by himself. She’s less annoyed about how little she’s helping on the way back. Sitting down has reminded her how tired she is, and Kyle got into an argument with one of the vendors about a mislabeled plant. Daisy didn’t know there were so many ways to describe leaves.

Kyle finishes the discussion (he was wrong but he still got a few coppers knocked off the price) and collects Daisy. The market isn’t too far from Gregor’s tower, and she has a walking stick now, so Daisy is confident they’ll be able to get back without too much difficulty. And then she can listen to Kyle and Gregor talking about magic, or maybe cooking, while she reads at the table. It’s a nice thought. Even sitting down is a nice thought as they push on through the slightly uneven path.

Kyle starts up a conversation as they walk. His training with Attakius didn’t leave him a lot of room to practice with material components for spells, so he’s learning everything like a beginner. Daisy can actually rival him in knowledge of the subject. She reads so much that her theoretical knowledge is impressive and near encyclopedic, though there’s not a magic bone in her body. She corrects him when he mistakes the uses for ragwort, it’s best for poisoning horses but he mistakenly said it affected centaurs. “You’re thinking of bat’s ear” she says. “But it’s hard to collect because the leaves secret the poisonous oil.” It hurts a little to breathe as she she walks and talks, but she leans more heavily on the walking stick and manages to balance the whole thing out. Twenty minutes, one flight of stairs and then she can rest. She’s dealt with worse.

Kyle’s mouth twists in that way it does when he’s trying to decide if he’s going to ask her if they need to stop or not. They don’t, and they don’t need to slow down. They’re already moving at a crawl and Daisy wants to be home more than she wants to rest her aching legs. She sets the pace. She can see the tiny steps Kyle takes to make sure he doesn’t overtake her. She appreciates the effort. She’s watching his feet, timing each of her steps with his, when his stutter.

Daisy almost stumbles herself, she was so attuned to him, but years of adventuring instincts make her look up. Just in time to jump back as something- someone drops from above her. She drops the walking stick, instinctively reaching for the dagger at her belt.

It feels like swords shoot through her legs as she stumbles back, but she keeps her balance and brandishes the dagger. She snarls, which should have been enough to scare away a common bandit (well, her somewhat imposing traveling companion helps). The someone barely pauses. Heedless of the dagger pointed at their tattooed neck, the would be bandit doesn’t pause. They slam forward so her dagger slams into their shoulder. Daisy keeps her grip and pushes, shoving the blade in as deep as she can manage. Her assailant doesn’t seem to notice. They push past her, forcing her arm to bend or else lose the dagger completely. She holds on until they step behind her. She gasps as she realizes that no, her arm can’t bend that way and doesn’t have enough air to scream as their hand closes around her throat.

They smell sickly sweet and if she couldn’t feel the pinpricks of claws at her neck, daisy might have gagged. Instead, she stands stock still. Another set of claws, no doubt similarly poisoned, press at her stomach. She’s caught. Her legs scream at her to readjust, to sit down, but there’s so much tension in her assailant that she’s afraid the slightest movement with spook them into stabbing her. So she stays still. She’s not sure which is worse, the fire creeping up her legs or the terrified look on Kyle’s face. It’s fine, she’s been in worse situations.

Kyle feels sick. The creature’s nails press divots into Daisy’s throat and he tries to focus on something other than her strained expression. He looks at the creature’s hands, stained black at the fingers, and their bare neck, where runes curl around the throat like a collar. The creature itself looks more or less human, with more tracing the curve of their cheeks to end under their silver eyes, but Kyle isn’t fooled. It’s Blake’s work, and nothing that came out of her dungeon was human anymore.

It smiles and opens its mouth wide, like a snake about to swallow prey. The runes on its skin light up green and Blake’s voice comes out of its gaping mouth.

“Hello dear.”

Daisy flinches, causing a small rivulet of blood to run down her neck.

“Since Attakius rejected my gift, it’s time for you to return to me.”

Kyle’s hands move almost without conscious thought, weaving a spell with the shadows around his feet. A black circle pulses in front of him, but before he can finish the spell, the creature’s hand closes around Daisy’s throat. It lifts her off the ground so her feet kick uselessly as she writhes and struggles to get out of its grip.

“Stop!”

The expression on Blake’s minion’s face doesn’t change, but the voice sounds amused. “Will you return to me?”

Daisy’s still struggling in its grip and Kyle wants to say yes, of course. Please just don’t hurt her. But he can’t force the words out. The thought of going back to that place makes his body seize, at least Attakius had liked him.

He shakes his head, tears falling down his face. I’m sorry Daisy. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.

“Disappointing,” Blakes’ voice tells him. He tenses, ready for the outburst of violence, spectral claws ripping down his back, white hot energy crackling through him, or the worst, Blake’s creature twisting it’s hands just so…

“I’m sorry,” he says. He’s not sure if he’s telling Blake or Daisy. Daisy’s barely struggling now. As he watches, her eyes roll back into her head.

“DAISY!” He screams, running forward, heedless of what Blake’s creature will do to him.

Now it smiles. It releases its hand from Daisy’s throat. As she falls, it shoves its hand into her stomach, spearing her with the claws. Her eyes fly open and her mouth opens in a wordless gasp. The creature pulls its hand away and flicks the blood off its fingers. Daisy falls to the ground.

“You’ll realize you need me,” Blake’s voice says. The creature is still examining its hand. “And then you’ll come crawling back.” It tilts its head, staring at Kyle until he bares his teeth and snarls, then it leaves as quickly as it came.

He runs to Daisy.

“Daisy?” He kneels by her body and tries to will his hands to stop shaking so he can check if she’s alive.

She gasps and rolls onto her side, coughing violently. Blood drips down her stomach.

He puts his hand on her forehead and her eyes close for a moment before she starts another coughing fit.

“I’ve got you,” he tells her. “I’ll get you help.”

Why the fuck didn’t Attakius teach him healing magic? He knows why, but why didn’t he demand to learn it?

“Kyle,” she says, raw and painful and alive. “Can’t…” her breathe wheezes in and out of her bruised throat. “Can’t move”. Her eyes close again.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll get you home. I’ll get you home and we’ll figure things out.”

He picks her up like he has so many times since she brought him back to the material plane. Blood trickles from her neck and stomach. Luckily, Daisy is light, and a little maneuvering means that Kyle can press a hand to the wound on her stomach while still carrying her. It’s an inelegant and timed solution, but it will have to do. He walks at a brisk pace, secure in the knowledge that Daisy has passed out and can’t feel any of his jostling.

When he reaches Gregor’s tower, he focuses on the shadows that he knows are in the doorway and pushes his magic toward them, enough to form a shade with arms, so it can get Gregor’s attention and make him open the door. Kyle half concentrates on that as he ascends the stairs to Gregor’s tower. The door opens as soon as he steps onto the landing.

“What happened?” Gregor demands, like it’s his fault.

It is. Still, Kyle glares at him. “We were attacked.” Gregor doesn’t need more details than that. “She’s bleeding, and-” Daisy crumpling to the ground plays again in his mind’s eye, “-and was choked.”

Gregor frowns as he examines Daisy’s neck. “With magic?”

Kyle frowns. “Not the choking.”

He looks down to see why Gregor could possibly think that and he almost forgets to breathe. The trickle of blood hasn’t dried yet and more than that, the vein on her neck is turning green. Kyle slowly pulls his hand away from her stomach. The blood hasn’t clotted and all, and there are green lines extending from the wound on her stomach.

“No… No!” He looks at Gregor. “Fix this! There has to be something in your books that will fix this!”

Gregor doesn’t rise to his bait. Doesn’t scream at him or tell him to shut up and or blame him. He just tells Kyle to bring Daisy inside and he clears off one of the tables. Kyle carefully lays Daisy on the table and smooths her hair out of her face. Her skin is cold but she’s still breathing. She’s still breathing, Kyle tells himself.

At least Gregor is hurrying. He runs to a shelf and grabs two crimson potions.

“You have two tasks as I do this,” he says, meeting Kyle’s eyes. “You need to make her drink the health potion and you’ll need to hold her down.”

“What?”

“Would you rather she fall off the table?”

Kyle frowns and after a second gets on the table. He lifts Daisy up so she’s more or less sitting up and reaches for the potion. Pinching her nose makes her open her mouth. He pours the potion into her mouth bit by bit, massaging her throat to help get it down before giving her the next sip. Eventually the whole bottle is down. Kyle frowns at Daisy’s limp body, then wraps one arm around her waist, just over the mess of a stomach wound, and leans forward to hold one of her legs down. He can’t reach the other leg from this position- Gregor will have to risk getting kicked by that one.

“You’re going to be okay,” he tells Daisy. “Gregor’ll fix you.” All that answers him is the quiet rasp of Daisy’s continued breathing. “I’m holding her,” he tells Gregor.

Gregor nods, then begins chanting and moving his hands.

When practicing together, Kyle and Gregor use subsets of elemental magic. The shadow magic that Kyle learned at Attakius’ feet was a subset of elemental magic rather than illusion. That was what allowed him to make it move like a living thing and made his performances so impressive. And Gregor, most comfortable with water, was able to pick it up fairly quickly, albeit with less finesse.

So Kyle knows what elemental magic looks like. It doesn’t pair with chanting, and as far as he was aware, it really didn’t pair with healing. Still, Gregor was the one with the whole library at his disposal, and he was also willing to do this for free, two good reasons for Kyle to sit down and be quiet.

So he holds Daisy and he watches. Gregor’s movements are familiar, even if the language isn’t. He looks like he’s manipulating water, though Kyle couldn’t say why until Daisy starts to shake. Then green liquid starts to rise off her skin. Well, green and red, for each drop of poison Gregor is able to remove, it looks like he’s taking as much blood.

Daisy screams and thrashes and it’s all Kyle can do to hold her still. “Hang on, hang on your going to be okay. It’ll be over soon.” He looks at Gregor. It will be over soon?

Gregor is still chanting, focused on the poison and the blood. The liquid flows from her stomach and neck into and around his hand. Daisy’s struggles get weaker and weaker as the Gregor works.

Soon she’s just shivering.

“Gregor!”

“I’m almost done,” he mutters. Green and red swirl in his hands. He makes a complicated gesture and the stream ends, finally detaching from Daisy’s body. She whimpers as the blood and poison truly leave her.

“Give her the second potion.”

Kyle hurries to do what he says, massaging the potion down her throat. Kyle didn’t know what he was expecting. Her skin to knit back together? Her to open her eyes? None of that happens, but a flush does return to her cheeks.

“The potion fixes the worst damage first,” Gregor explains “so it will start to replace her blood, but it’s not strong enough to bind her wounds. I have to do that by hand.”

Kyle holds her through the process, and when Daisy’s wounds are clean and bandaged, he carries her up to bed. She doesn’t wake for a few days, and it’s a full week before she’s strong enough to leave the bed. Who knows how long it will take before she can make it to the market again.

[him-e]

It’s interesting that many people are willing to read Kylo as manipulative and TLJ as false redemption bait (up to saying Rian’s comments about co-protagonists must’ve been misleading) but don’t read Rey’s motivations past the most obvious things she says. Rey said that she would go to Ben to turn him and win the war, so she must’ve /only/ been acting out of eager heroic naïveté that’s set straight by the end. It definitely has something to do with how we as viewers react to the gender dynamic.

Yes, in part it has to do with gender bias and a rejection of Rey’s romantic agency because it doesn’t follow the wholesome pattern they expected. Some fanboys don’t know what to do with a female hero who pursues goals that aren’t immediately relatable to them. For others it’s about shipping reasons full stop.

Either way, people project a lot on Rey and want her to be this plucky uncomplicated heroine who follows exactly Luke’s journey even though she’s a different character with a different background and different archetypes influencing her hero’s journey and there’s something so… hard to swallow about a heroine revolting against an established old guard male hero to defend the bad guy she’s falling in love with. I get it. A heroine. Having a romantic arc. With a villain. Romantic love as a motivation, ewww, am I right? But of course it’s easier to pretend that Rey’s actions in TLJ were only for the *greater good*—a greater good she didn’t even know existed until like, two weeks ago?—and that she was only interested in Ben as a weapon rather than as the person who (Daisy Ridley’s words) was nurturing her through her insecurities and fears. (easier until the next canon installment comes and smashes your interpretation, obviously, but I wasn’t one of those who were completely blindsided by TLJ, so I can’t relate, lol)

Luke’s motivations to save Vader were personal, not strategical. So are Rey’s—but of course she frames her choice in strategical terms to Luke: he’s already judged her harshly for opening herself to the dark side and to Kylo, so she makes an appeal she thinks he’ll approve of, rather than verbalize feelings she isn’t even fully aware of yet to an old, embittered man who doesn’t seem to be particularly in touch with romantic shenanigans. (also, there’s a part of Rey who isn’t ready to accept that the galaxy’s fate rests on her shoulders. So she first tries to turn Luke, then Ben—the two most powerful male figures she knows bar Snoke—so she doesn’t have to carry this burden alone. But it turns out she has to, for now at least. The last jedi has to be her, Rey from Jakku. And in the end, she embraces it.)

And the redemption bait n’ switch thing was for us, the audience. People were expecting Kylo to either follow a linear redemption path or become a one-dimensional villain that needs to be put down like a rabid dog—TLJ went for neither, pulling the rug from our feet and clearly stating that this is NOT the original trilogy and we need to stop using that frame to anticipate future developments. Kylo is now in a position where his redemption seems more unlikely than ever (because what worked for Vader shockingly didn’t work for him, so what’s left?), but at the same time he’s also grown more sympathetic, more nuanced, and has this genuine connection with the main hero that can’t be written off as manipulation or a red herring, since the feelings between them are very real. The stakes are higher than ever, the conflict is seemingly irreconcilable, and the final act is no longer easily predictable. Mission accomplished.

The bait and switch isn’t for Rey though. If it were, I would have LOTS of problems with this movie. Because the last thing a female character trusting her instincts and acting out her compassion and empathy needs is being punished by the narrative for doing so. And Rey isn’t. None of this is a cautionary tale for her to learn that you shouldn’t sympathize with your conflicted enemy or believe he can be saved. 

The point is that what she saw in Kylo was real, and she was right to open herself to him and hear his point of view—her instincts were right on the money, but the execution needs more work, as Kylo can’t be extricated so easily from his situation, and she can’t be his only motivation. He’s been building up to surpass Vader for years and he clearly still believes this means becoming the leader of a fascist organization and he was given no reason to believe otherwise—moreover there’s no real place for him in the Resistance, and Rey (like Han) never addressed this. In his mind, going back to where Rey wanted to take him isn’t an option, so he’ll shape the universe into something new where he and Rey can be together. Rey, of course, cannot accept this, because she sees the reality of the new order Kylo is helping create, and it’s awful. That’s the tragedy. But with due time, he’ll see it too. I just said in an unrelated meta that there’s no real growth without responsibility and no responsibility without agency and now Kylo has everything he thought he wanted and the freedom to use it as he wants—and soon enough he’ll learn that it’s nothing to him. He needed to reach the top—or depending on how you see it, the bottom—before actually starting to reverse course.

[spared-sans]

Discord rp between Charlie and @teddy-feathers​ muse Orpheus. Im leaving the usernames in and sticking it under a readmore cuz its long ^.^

Lemme smash-04/21/2017

[It was a fairly quiet day at the compound, no need to get information, so charlie was hanging around the main room. People littered about, playing games, drinking, and having conversations. All in all, a very laid back day. Outside it was clear, sunny even. Some children ran around and playing. Charlie left the main large door open on days like these. It always boosted the familys morales. Kept them happy.] 

[She sits up from her chair, heading outside for a walk. Didn't want to waste the day inside doing nothing. She even picks a small daisy to put into one of the childrens hair. Little Timmy. Good kid. Stayed out of trouble. He giggled and ran off to play with the other kids. It was indeed a nice day out.]

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-04/21/2017

Orpheus knew the second the prototype teleporter engaged and he saw the flash of victory break the cold professional facade that this was not "the maiden voyage to timelines unknown" that Alphys had promised him. No this was the first stage in a coup d'état. 

 As he phased across the cold chill of nothing into some other reality, he tossed aside the "Interdimensional Travel Device" (D-Hopper for short) and as expected it exploded leaving a small crater where before there had been thick grass. Really he should have expected this... Rage boiled deep at his core but then anger was one of the few feelings he had kept while gaining levels, and he shuffled it down. Looking around he saw a group of people - childern perhaps - nearbye and he put his most friendly expression - a polite smile that had yet to put anyone at ease - on and marched in that direction. His goal was no longer a "fact finding mission" but a target oriented one. 

Orpheus mentally rearranged his goals to reflect his new objectives. Find his brother's counter part or some other teleporter, and return home to stop the Royal Scientist's takeover before it had progressed too far and did irreparable damage to his and the Heir's plans for subversive world domination.

Lemme smash-04/21/2017

[Silence fell hard in the compound at the explosion. The children immediately retreated to where they had been trained to when there were intruders. Everyone else drew guns, knives, swords. Magic users summoned fire and other various attacks. It was odly silent among the mix of humans and monsters other then the shuffle of movement as they surrounded the offending newcomer. There were at least 200 monsters and humans, give or take.] 

Stop right there! [One monster, fairly large, shouts at Orpheus. One might mistake him as the leader.] 

[Charlie watches bemused from the side. This was by far the most interesting entrance she'd seen from a papyrus. She was learning many new things and encountering new people who strayed from the norm. Would this one be like the rest, or would he be new? She strides very casually from her spot into the wide circle, smiling at the large monster.] 

Now now, Max. I know this newcomer gave us all a fright, but this is not how we treat people. Everyone relax, we must treat him like anyone new who comes here. He will be a guest. 

[She doesn't stop smiling as she looks to orpheus, the group lowering their weapons and dispelling their magic with no hesitation. The 3 foot cat monster gives a small bow to him.] Please excuse my familys jumpy nature. We don't get newcomers often. Especially ones who arrive with a bang. I'm Charlie. It's nice to meet you.(edited)April 22, 2017

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-04/22/2017

The childern fled which is just as well really as it told him which direction to look for competent people with whom he actually has a chance of extracting useful information of his whereabouts... Only to face a sizable if heavily mixed group. They out number him and at the loud monster's demand - nervous, jumpy, unclear directions and likely to shoot first and ask questions of his dust - Orpheus pauses, hands open and held slightly away from his sides to indicate that he is unarmed. 

 The subliminal message is no doubt countermanded by his obviously battle tested and polished armor, as well as the comfortable way he holds himself in it. He couldn't take them all on obviously, but he lets his magic build and keeps his tauntness, his physical and mental readiness to move or defend himself behind his polite smile. Another steps forwad, a cat monster but unlike many beast monster's she carries herself with confidence and poise instead of barely repressed instincts. Between her diminutive stature and the striped shirt it was obvious she was a child, but her attitude had her hovering on the edge of her majority. 

 That Charlie seemed to be the assigned spokesperson struck him as an interesting move but looking at the clannish nature of the hodgepodge group, purhaps she was being groomed for a leadership position. 

 "It is quite alright my child, your vigilance in protecting what is yours is an admirable quality to have." He returned the bow with a regal nod of the head. "You may call me Orpheus, and I am most pleased to make your acquaintance Charlie. I apologize for the... Irregularity of my arrival."

Lemme smash-04/22/2017

[Most of the group seemed disinterested in Orpheus now, still watching him, but otherwise relaxed. Charlie took in the others appearance. Head of the guard, if not higher ranked. Formidable by his stance and attitude. Someone who was sure of himself.  But the name he chose took him from the norm and her smile widened. Though the child statement got some scattered chuckles.] 

[With a wave of her hand, the circle dispersed, people going back to their previous activities. A short whistle from max and the children crept from their hiding spot to return playing. Almost as if nothing had happened. Charlie approaches Orpheus, gesturing to the building for him to follow. Her paddle hung loosely but firmly on her back and she shifted it slightly. She did admit to herself that having to look up at people was an annoyance sometimes.] 

No doubt you are in need of something, Orpheus. Perhaps I can help you in the office. No one will harm you here without my approval, so don't worry. You're here for a reason, and I'd like to help.

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Last Monday at 11:13 AM

They relaxed as if the threat was taken well in hand by a competent threat or authority. Between that and the way people dispersed at a wave of her hand it seemed clear he'd miscalculated. Despite being a monster it appeared they did not solely dress their young in stripes as was the custom in his wolrd which may be due to the mixed nature of this group. 

 To admit he was mistaken would be to admit to weakness, to allow the observation to go uncommented might make him seem like less of a threat as his observation skills would be considered less than accurate however, she offered to help without taking any measure of him or his abilities. Perhaps it was simply a carrot she was stringing before him, or maybe they were foolish enough to help anyone who arrived on their doorstep... 

 "And the price for this aid you offer?" Without her approval... If she was not the leader then she held a position close to it.

Lemme smash-Last Monday at 2:33 PM

[The striped shirt was of course to throw people off, and it usually did a fairly good job. No one ever suspects that Charlie is who she is at first. A tactical advantage in most cases. At the question she smiles, walking toward the compound, fully expecting orpheus to follow.] 

Information is all. I like to learn about people, especially ones from different universes. Your chosen name takes you from the norm, and I'd love to learn more about you. We can both gain something from this with a little cooperation, yes? 

[She pauses talking as she steps into the large door, a human approaching her to whisper something into her ear. She sighs softly in disappointment, saying something softly back before the human walks away. There were some unrulies in the compound that needed to be dealt with. She looks back to orpheus.] 

Would you mind a small deviation from what we were going to do? You may observe if you so wish, but I have to attend to a rule breaker. It won't take too long.

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Last Tuesday at 7:07 PM

His chosen name... He'd allowed his brother to come up with the alias as it wasn't his concern and had no idea why Pierian had chosen it. So in this at least he had the upper hand, whatever the name told her about him had nothing to do with Orpheus surely... 

 "I also share this interest, and would be delighted to speak with you at length my dear." 

Maybe this trip won't have been wasted. If she already has done the leg work - and if she has a standard about what is average for his alternates to be like then this could actually be very informative and she might even be able to direct him to a person or method of transportation home in time to deal with Alphys. 

 He was not at all perturbed by the interruption. It would give him a better measure of thr type of person and leader she was, a chance to size her up correctly and not be sidelined by any more misunderstandings. 

"By all means. Duty is paramount after all, and I find myself curious how things are done here."

Lemme smash-Last Tuesday at 10:38 PM

[Listening to him speak made her feel as though he were speaking down at her. It was incredibly amusing. Perhaps he'd realize soon enough. Silence soon fell on the compound, though slower than before as she smiled at orpheus, giving a small nod.] 

Maybe you'll learn not to speak down to me, and use my name, rather than "dear." 

[Her tone never changed or wavered, as well as her smile. Cheery, this one. Once silence did fall completely, a human was lead to a small table at the center of the large room, likely muttering apologies under his breath. He was led by the large monster from before, max. Charlie gave a final glance to Orpheus before walking into what was now basically a large circle.] 

Darren. What happened? You know we have rules for a reason. Stealing from our pantry? I thought you'd learned after the last finger I took. I'm going to have to take more this time, but it'll be your last warning, since you're still new. Next time won't be as nice. 

[The human started shaking his head, getting louder with his apologies and pleas. Charlie held up her finger, and he fell nearly silent as she addressed the group.] 

Let everyone remember, and learn by example. We share, but we do not steal. Please, we can be civil, but only if we work like a family. 

 [Everyone muttered in agreement, Darrens face buried in the arm not held down by max. Eventually this one would learn.]

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Last Tuesday at 11:22 PM

Had he sounded condescending? Maybe that was the issues he was having with Sen. He'd thought the informal and familiar term would be a good way to create a sense of bonding with other's but... Apparently he'd been mistaken. 

Orpheus wasn't quite sure which rankled more - that he had been mistaken, or the way the other had so casual pointed it out as if they were equals... Then again this was her territory, as she made clear her dominion over the pathetic creature before her. His own rule wasn't so absolute or complete and there was a wave of frustration before the calm in him stole it away. Soon he'd earn his position as regent to the Heir when the Dreemers were forced to step down due to lacking the ability to rule. He and Frisk had worked together to great effect in the past, this time would be no different. If he did his duty... 

He blinked and focused on the present. These people did more than tolerate her place above them, they respected her and for that he would allow her to rise into a place of acknowledgement few reached in his mind.

Lemme smash-Last Tuesday at 11:39 PM

[Charlie of course didn't see Orpheus as an equal. Not by a long shot. Here, she was in charge, and no one had a chance of taking that away from her. No one's even tried. She may have been born into this position, but she'd proved it was her place.] 

[She pulled her paddle from her back, twirling it in her hand, looking as though she were considering something. She moved in front of Darren, cupping his cheek to tilt his chin up so she could see his face.] 

I don't think a few fingers will make a difference. Don't look away, I want you to see your lesson as it happens. 

[The poor humans eyes widened and he whimpered, nodding as he looked to his hand. He knew he fucked up big time. Charlie called over her shoulder as she moved to the side of the table.] 

Millie. Be ready to heal him, please. 

[Another monster moved forward to stand by Darrens side with a single nod. The next second a loud scream rings out, from the human, and his hand is lying on the floor. Charlie looked like she had only twitched. A clean cut straight through. Darrens incoherent sobs echoed through the room and Charlie flicked blood off the sharpened end of her paddle. Millie moves to heal and close off the wound and Max makes sure he doesn't collapse.] 

Lets hope this lesson stays with you, Darren. Let's hope it stays with everyone.

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Last Tuesday at 11:59 PM

Orpheus nods to himself. Charlie knows her people, takes personal responsibility for making sure they know thier place, and maximizes efficiency. She also seems quite competent with her chosen weapon. Everything a proper leader should be, and much more ... In touch it seemed with emotions of those around her then he knew how to be. 

 Maybe his estimation of her was growing, or perhaps he was simply acknowledging Charlie as a serious threat to not only him but his timeline. If Alphys had half her ability his position would be in jeopardy from a real challenge and... 

 His thin pleased smile formed. Orpheus was looking foward to their meeting.April 26, 2017

Lemme smash-Last Wednesday at 9:53 PM

[Once the wound was closed up and healed, the human was taken away, and everyone resumed their activities. Charlie turned, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket to clean her paddle as she walked toward Orpheus. She still had him to attend to. Once clean, she slips the paddle onto her back and smiles up at him.] 

I apologize for the delay. Shall we resume where we left off? The office is upstairs. 

[Charlie gestures to a set of stairs. At least he seemed to appreciate what she did here. Either that or tolerated by his expression. She was looking forward to the meeting as well, hoping it would break away from the normal fells she encountered. They were always boring when it was the same thing over and over again.]

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Today at 12:50 PM

Orpheus followed. "You have nothing to apologize for Charlie, that was a most enlightening detour."

Lemme smash-Today at 3:28 PM

[A small smile forms on her lips. Good he was learning. Or just humoring her. Either way, this would go well. Once inside the office, she gestures for Orpheus to sit at the small table at the side of the room, sitting across from where she gestured and setting her paddle at her side.] 

[There was no desk, or any of what you'd expect in an office of someone in charge. It was surprisingly lax. The table that looked more like a booth, with a window to view the outside. There was a couch and a tube tv on the other side. No filing cabinets, no loose papers. It seemed more like a living room than anything.] 

So orpheus. I'm guessing you didn't end up here by choice, judging by the crater left by the device you used to get here.

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Today at 3:51 PM

It was very casual... Not at all what he expected but it set his mind to thinking. Maybe... By disposing with the trappings of authority she made herself more approachable. The small cat woman struck a delicate balance but no one who had witnessed the dislpay downstairs would doubt her authority. 

 He sits, all straight lines and discipline. Not uncomfortably but not relaxing. She was correct but there was no need to let her know that. Knowledge is power. 

"A prototype malfunction." He said dismissively. "I confess to being over egar to begin exploring these 'alternate timelines' that I didn't allow enough of a testing period for the project." 

 That wasn't true, he'd never be so careless, but he had taken Alphys' cooperation into a shift of interest on her part finally and that was a much more dangerous failure to have made let alone to admit to.

Lemme smash-Today at 4:04 PM

[She took in how he held himself. An air of authority. Someone who was, as she's thought before, very sure of himself. Her position, however, was relaxed. She was confident. This would be an interesting conversation.] 

[As he spoke, she could already tell he was lying. Someone who held himself as highly as he did didn't make mistakes. Wouldn't allow it. Her smile picked up more at the corners. Guess it was time to be blunt. Her tone was still as lax as it's always been as she rests her elbows on the table, folding her hands together.] 

How about we cut the shit, yeah? You aren't the kind of guy to let a malfunction happen. So I'm guessing a betrayal. Scientist most likely, as not many in timelines make things like that. Not on good terms with Alphys? 

[She chuckles softly, leaning back on the chair and resting her hands in her lap.] 

I pay attention. I notice things. I've met hundreds of Papyrus and Sans. The only reason you aren't dead is your name. Orpheus. You probably didn't choose it yourself, as most Papyrus' don't. Given by your brother, or someone equally close, but by the "malfunction" on your device, you aren't close with anyone else, so your brother. Why he would choose a musicians name is a mystery that could only be answered by him though.

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Today at 5:04 PM

His polite mask melted away like chalk being washed off a wall in the rain. "I see." 

 This was not then, a conversation or a buisness dealing. Charlie wanted something from him and thought that here in the heart of her power especially that she could affored to be so arrogant. They were alone meaning she had decided she was more than a match for him, simply because she had that unique prespective that he himself had been seeking - having knowledge of all the possibilities made it much easier to read, judge, and most importantly control the outcomes. This wasn't intended to be a clash of wills, instead she was wielding her power like a bludgeon - and he found himself strangely disapointed. 

Orpheus had expected... More really from such an adversary. Wasted potential annoyed him. 

 "By your own words then, I am not interesting in and of myself. My brother might possibly be however, as you've said you're observant and I can here through technological means indicating that for whatever reason I do not have access to my brother. Therefore it seems unlikely you could gain access to him through me and pick his mind as to why he deviates from whatever standard has been set. The remains of the device no doubt, in the right hands could produce the location I arrived from."

His tone is uncaring and factual, face empty not as a way to hide expression but as a reflection of his sudden lack of interest. His suppositions were based on what Charlie had already said but intentionally gave no comformation of her conclusions and fave no further information about his timeline. There was only so much a person could deduce from the obvious, particulars would have to be extracted from him and if that was what she was after then she'd gone about this amateurishly. 

 Whatever else she could possibly want he now had little motive to give her as she'd applied the stick too firmly and had yet offered any carrot. Going home was no temptation if  had to betray his duty to gain it... Purhaps she enjoyed doing things the more difficult way, or maybe she was used to overwhelming others and bullying things out of them easily. Neither tactic could - his determination poisoned soul assured him - would force him into abandoning his duty. 

 Now he relaxed, resting back into his chair, hands lightly folded on the table. Yes he was unimpressed and disapointed but... if he was lucky this would devolve into a fight and he could at least have some sort of fun. 

 "Therefore I seem to be valueless to you." It was plainly stated, and disdained even bothering to imply the underlying question.

Lemme smash-Today at 5:23 PM

[She found his expression amusing. At least he was cutting the crap. Sort of. She wasn't as interested in his brother as he would think. Not as of right now. He wasn't here, so she coldn't care less. Orpheus was. She of course already had people working on what was left of the device. It'd be useful in gaining teleportation and to explore new timelines.] 

[He didn't need to confirm or deny. His silence answered that question. What he assumes is amature, is really carefully thought out. He'd assume, but he was wrong. It's all part of her "character." Seem like an idiot, and people let their guard down. She digs in her pocket, pulling a pack of smokes out and lighting one. She was very much interested. And body language spoke so much.] 

You would be wrong on that front. I like to learn about people. How they work. How they think. You may not have chosen your name, but you've accepted it as your alias. You think me uninteresting now, by how you're sitting now. If you are as high up and calculative as I think you are, you no longer see me as a threat, unworthy of your own interest. 

 [She inhales and blows out smoke before continuing.] 

 You thought highly of me before, yes? Or at least you thought I was worth talking to, or you wouldn't have followed me. I want information, you want to go home. That still remains the same. The real question is, will you still be cooperative, or will this end in one of us dead?

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Today at 7:13 PM

He had relaxed to be ready to fight - to move - only a fool would think Charlie wasn't a threat just because it turned out she was as clumsly as him when it came to extracting information out of people. 

 That she could read him so well was unfortunate. But would only add to her advantage in understanding him, answering questions could potentially be a betrayal - had any of his people been in this situation and breathed a word he would have them executed for treason reguardless if they were faced with a proper intelligence analyst like the one seated across from him or a complete dunce. 

 " Leaving aside the fact that my answers even on the most innocuous topics could, in theory, grant you vital information you would not otherwise have and therefore can be construed as a treasonous action and a dereliction of my duty, you have yet to give me a reason to not keep this encounter cordial or  to aide you in anyway." He looked over his glasses. 

"You assume much - perhaps with good reason, but it is still all in the end conjecture. Your high handedness tells me you do not consider me a threat and you're sure of your superiority, arrogance that can perhaps be forgiven were you yourself not a leader on whom your people depend." His tone goes cold.

"You are dealing in bad faith and that is why I have lost interest in playing the game. You and I both know that while you are the most expeditious method of travel available to me at the moment, you are not the only option I have. As previously discussed any information I can give you is either obtainable through other methods or of personal interest to you and equally non vital. "

He does lean foward now, still relaxed but intense as this was his only real passion he had left. 

"The potential for a battle, for death is acceptable in certain situations such as the one I am in - you however are accpeting an inbalance of risk verses profit for whimsey. Therefore the choice of what happens next is up to you are we dealing with one another in a responsible and amiable fashion? Or are you betraying the confidence placed in you for entertainment's sake?"

Orpheus would not be tricked into risking anything if there was no actual gain for it. Even assuming Charlie kept her word there was no gain in divulging information, even knowing with time she could gain it through other means just as he could find other methods of returning home. She must think him stupid. A fight benefited him more than her as he had nothing to lose except his life and all sorts of things to gain. She on the other hand was risking injury or death when it could be avoided. In his mind that was negligent. 

Even assuming she won the fight if something worse came along she wouldn't be at full strength to deal with it. Over all while he would not mind an alliance or proper dealing with her, she was insulting him, a viable threat, and didn’t deserve her position and unless she could not only deal with him as an equal but offer him something of value it was much more beneficial and it might even be something of a pleasure to attempt to kill her.

Lemme smash-Today at 7:33 PM

[He thinks she's clumsy, but it's all part of her plan. Charlie flicks ash onto the floor. Kept the ants away. So he was true to his cause. Good to know. He was loyal. Whether to all his people, or even just one, out of a sense of duty. How cute. However it was true. She assumed a lot, and 9 times out of 10, she was correct.] 

[At the statement of him not being a threat, she chuckles softly. He was a threat, just not a high one. At least to her. Yeah she was a bit over confident in herself. It usually did the trick. He thought her arrogant. He may be right. It never steered her wrong. She still preferred willing information.] 

[Another drag and another flick of her cigarette. He was very much fascinating, and very much strayed from the norm. Every fell papyrus by now would have attacked her. They always did. He piqued her interest highly. She grins again as he stops speaking. This was fun.]

[Putting the cigarette out on the bottom of her shoe, she flicks it into a trash bin and stands, putting her paddle onto her back once more.] 

Walk with me orpheus. I want to show you something, and tell you a story. Maybe it will help you understand things just a bit better about who I am and why I do what I do. There is benefit for you.

SAYRUSXHAPPINESS 2K17-Today at 7:52 PM

Orpheus did not tense but he was ready her movements were to lazy and casual to be indicative of attack and indeed she merely strapped her weapon and invited him to accompany her. While it could be a trap or an attempt to get him in a place with significant numbers to overwhelm him through force he rather doubted it. Perhaps she was clever or cowardly enough to hedge her bets in such a fashion, but he rather doubted it. Shows of force and dominion were either out of preference or necessity and either option excluded her acquiring assistance. An audience on the other hand... He stood in a quick smooth motion that betrayed his apparent relaxed posture and slipped his back on his parody of courteous charm. After all, there was no harm in being polite until such time he could in good conscious dust her.

 "Well then, Charlie, please do enlighten me."

Lemme smash-Today at 8:20 PM

[She grinned as he stood. Definitely not relaxed. And up goes that facade again. Good. She walks to a door opposite of where they came in from and made her way through it. It would close and lock once orpheus was through.] [On the other side was a set of stairs leading to the back of the compound. It was fairly quiet and devoid of people. The field stretched out and melded into a forested area. That was the direction she was walking.] I was born into my position. My parents head of the family. I got a knack and drive for learning from them. They, however, were a bit more... brutish in their way of gaining information. So I took it upon myself to get a degree in psychology. Better to learn how people tick that way. 

 [She glances to orpheus before continuing.] 

That's all I like to do. I like to learn, as I've stated before. I learn how people work, and I use it to my advantage. The family has grown exponentially since I became head. I may be born into it, but I earned my place. Since we relocated here, we've encountered many dimensional travellers. Most of them being the same. Stereotypical. After the 15th, it got boring. But you. You fascinate me. You stray far from the stereotypical. You have amazing restraint. You seem to ignore every trap I've laid out for you, but I can tell your patience is wearing thin. 

 [She pauses 20 feet from the treeline to face the other. At the base of each tree seemed to be a marker of some sort.] 

Everyone before you has attacked me by now. Everyone before you is now buried here. You say you have other options for leaving. You say youve stopped playing my game and yet... [she grins.] 

You're still playing, whether you realize or not. Everything I've done til now is carefully planned. You've done nearly everything I thought you would. So. How shall we proceed? Because as of now, your only means of leaving is the device my family is working on.