#yes it might be a bit boring to just stand there under the sun but the benefits- 💯

[darabeatha]

It sounds so silly but taking a lil bit of sun, even just a lil, really does boost ur serotonin

[envy-of-the-apple]

In your recent fic, the sun eats the moon, what made Gojo have such an obsession after mc gave him her spare chocolate milk. Like that's what's been driving me crazy, one chocolate milk was all it took for him to ruin her life, like it intrigues me so much, I wander if we'll ever get his pov

It didn't really start there. It was more like a spark of interest, but Satoru has always been the one to just go for the things he wants. He's assertive like that.

In the fic, it does take a couple of weeks for his obsession with Ms.Moon to fully bolster. He starts hanging out with you more, and his attraction to you starts with how different you are compared to his usual crowd. You're meeker, a people pleaser, but you aren't tripping over your feet trying to cater to him. You're just genuinely nice, and he hasn't really seen that in someone before. He likes the sincerity. It might be a cliche, but if it works it works, right?

I'd argue that if you had just said yes in the beginning, things probably would have ended great. Gojo probably would have dated you for a bit, got bored, and then dumped you. Not the most romantic, but definitely a lot more ideal.

But then you rejected him. Him, of all people. Something hinted throughout SEM is that Gojo isn't used to people saying no. His constant comparisons to the sun are proof enough for that. But you say no to him. He can't wrap his head around it, how someone as insignificant as you could reject him.

That's where his obsession starts. Really, it wouldn't have mattered how nicely you let him down. How many excuses you'd give him. No means no and he can't stand not having something he wants. Despite technically being an adult, he's still a kid. Stomping his feet when he cant have a new shiny toy.

It's still not love, not yet. I don't think he ever stops seeing you as something he owns, but after a while he does start to think how nice thing's would be if you two stayed together for a little while longer. Despite how rude you were in the beginning, you're nice now, so he can forgive you. Maybe someday, you'll make an honest man out of him.

When he confesses his love for you in that locker room, it's real. To him, at least. By then, you would have spent a few months under his arm. He's not as mean now, and you have carved a place for yourself in his heart. Even then, he wouldn't really care if you like him back. His narcissism is enough for both of you.

tldr: Gojo is a Sagittarius

[miyuhpapayuh]

He got game 4

Adina: The Cougar Next Door

Summertime rolled around, and Odell's mother encouraged him to take up a little summer job, so he could have some money in his pocket to do as he wished.

He wasn't allergic to hard work, so he welcomed the idea. At first he wasn't sure what he'd want to do to make money, but when he saw his next door neighbor, Adina, a 32-year-old divorcee, tending to the hanging garden that occupied her front porch, he knew just what to do.

One warm, yet breezy Thursday afternoon he caught her outside and voiced his proposition of taking care of her yard work. She happily accepted, offering more than fair compensation.

The first week went by uneventfully, as he planned on how he'd put the moves on his vixen of a neighbor. On a couple of occasions, he caught her second-too-long stares as he pushed and pulled the lawn mower across the grass.

Bingo.

With her paid vacation underway, she didn't have much else that needed her attention. She didn't have children, just her Egyptian Mau, Perla, a sassy kitten that seemingly preferred to be by herself.

On a particularly boring early afternoon, she found herself sitting on her porch swing in a cream colored sundress that bared an expansive amount of thigh, fanning herself with a vintage paper fan as she watched Odell manicure her front lawn. She sat with a bit more interest when he decided to ditch his beater and hang it over his shoulders.

She knew she shouldn't be having the thoughts that ran through her head about this boy. He was over a decade her junior, for God's sake! But God knows the way those beads of sweat dripped down his sculpted torso made her drip below the belt. Her conscience was telling her to get away and take a quick ride with the windows down. Anything to clear her mind, but the little succubus on her shoulder urged her to take him for a test drive.

Weighing each decision carefully, her dark side won out. She was determined to find out if he could make her kitten purr.

Pouring some ice-cold strawberry lemonade into a glass, she made her way over to Odell, tapping him to get his attention as he had earbuds in.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Honey, you make me sound like a grandma," she joked, "Adina's fine. Here," she handed him the refreshing drink, "I know it's hot as hell out here."

She had to fan herself when he flashed that brilliant white smile her way. "Appreciate it, Adina."

"You look like you could use a break. Out here with this sun beating on you. Come sit down and get some of this air conditioner."

Come inside and get this throat is what he heard. It's what she might as well have said.

"I'd like that." She led him inside and he thanked his lucky stars his mother was working until the late evening today.

He might be here a while.

He sighed in pure relief when the cold central air made contact with his blazing hot skin.

"I see you inhaled that lemonade, sugar. Want another glass?"

"Actually, I'd rather drink you."

"Hm. And here I thought I'd have to play the coy game." Shamelessly, she let her dress fall from her body. A scrap of black lace you could barely classify as underwear was the only thing adorning her now. She hooked her finger in the front of his basketball shorts.

"Follow me."

She led him to her spa-like bathroom that had a shower big enough to fit at least five people. After fiddling with a couple knobs, water rained down from the ceiling. Pleased with the temperature, she rid herself of her panties. Bending at the waist, she peeled them down her legs giving him the perfect view of her glistening cove. She flung the piece of cloth at him, and he caught it, sticking them in the pocket of his shorts.

She entered the shower, standing directly under the water. He watched mesmerized as the steaming water cascaded down her figure.

"Care to join me? Or would you rather stand there drooling on yourself?" she chuckled. He was out of his remaining clothes and in the shower in record time.

Taking her mango-scented body wash, she squeezed some into her palm, working it into a rich lather. Starting at his neck, she worked her hands down his body, washing him down.

Slipping down to her knees to wash lower, and she's face to face with the prettiest dick she's ever seen. Long, girthy, with a thick vein going up the underside.

Perfect.

She gripped it, running the flat of her tongue along that vein. Placing a sloppy kiss to the tip, she winked before swallowing him whole. She used one of her free hands to rub her clit and the other to massage his balls.

He exhaled roughly through his nose, gripping her thick, wet hair in his fingers. She relaxed her throat allowing him to fuck her face however he liked.

She slid two of her fingers into herself, moaning around him.

"Fuck," he bit out as the vibrations from her mouth covered him.

He pulled out of her mouth before he could bust in it, and placed her on the bench in the recess of the shower wall, kneeling between her legs. He draped them over his shoulders, and went to work, licking a stripe up her slit much like she did earlier making her hiss.

He was intrigued by the tiny gold bar that went through her hood. He investigated it with his tongue. He must have tripped something because his mouth started to vibrate, eliciting a gasp from her.

'So she's that kinda freak,' he thought. He licked circles around her clit while the vibing piercing did its thing. He could just barely make out her sweet little moans as his head was basically sandwiched between her thighs.

Her head was thrown back in pleasure, moaning loudly into the damp air. A hand was threaded through his curls, while the other tweaked her nipple.

"Fuck, I'm about to cum!" she ended on a shriek. He groaned against her already overstimulated clit, setting her off. She made a mess of her juices all over his face.

Getting eye-level with her, he pressed their lips together making her taste herself. She tasted even better on his tongue.

Exiting the shower, he forewent drying off, and bent her over the counter. He sent a heavy smack to her ass, surprised when she asked for another, harder this time. Quick to oblige, he made sure to leave a nice, bright red mark this time. One of the sexiest sounds left her mouth in appreciation making his dick stiffer than he thought possible.

Moving behind her, he tapped his head against her a few times before sliding in, filling her to the hilt causing them both curse at the contact. He spread her open to making sure he got as deep as possible with each stroke. She had to brace herself against the mirror for fear of hitting it headfirst with how powerful his thrusts were.

"You're so--," he hits her spot so good she almost loses her balance, "fuck baby, you're so fucking deep!"

She brings one of her arms back to press against his abs to relieve the building pressure.

He caught her arm, holding it behind her back. Gripping her neck, he pulled her back placing his mouth against her ear.

"You gon take all this fucking dick. Got it?" It was like he was stealing the breath from her body with how deep he was.

“Got it?!"

He tightened his grip on her, moving painstakingly slow, pulling out so far she thought he'd pull out, just to slam back into her wetness full force driving her insane.

"Yes! Yes imma take all of it!" Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her jaw hanging slack as he brought her closer and closer to spilling all over him.

"Good girl."

He knew she was close, and he wasn't far behind.

"You ‘bout to make me cum all up in this good shit, baby. You want that?" he licked up the side of her face.

"Mmm, yeah give me all that nut, big boy."

"Take that shit, then." She began throwing it back on him recklessly, meeting him thrust for thrust, obscene, wet sounds filling the bathroom.

Together, they came loudly & noisily, with her wetting up his dick and thighs. She pulsated around him, milking every drop she could. He collapsed on top of her, their sweaty bodies sticking together as they tried to regain control of their breathing. She reached back, rubbing soothing circles against the back of his neck with her fingertips.

"I'm gonna have to raise your pay," she joked tiredly.

Lmao this one was wild. Enjoy!

@thegifstories @blackerthings @ghostfacekill-monger @honestpreference @blowmymbackout @headcannonxgalore @harmshake @henneseyhoe @blackpinup22 @twistedcharismaaa @abeautifulmindexposed @starcrossedxwriter @megamindsecretlair @soufcakmistress

[leewritestoomuch]

or hot spring sex with hyoga...

Hot Springs with Hyoga

NSFW Warning

Kinda soft! Hyoga bc I can. I hc he’d be mfing WHIPPED if he was with somebody, but he’d never show it (on purpose, it slips)

Hours of walking might be light work for a man like Hyoga, but it wasn’t such a breeze to you. Your feet ache from the hard ground. Your sandals, from lack of good material, have rubbed up against your skin to the point of bloody blisters. Your back hurts from carrying a bag full of things Senku wanted you to transport back to the village.

After almost a full day of nonstop walking across the island, you and Hyoga stumble upon a hot spring. He doesn’t look the least bit interested, continuing on at the same pace, but you come to a screeching halt. Your hands on your knees, panting for breath from the humid air and hot sun of Japan.

“Hyoga, can we stop for a moment?” You heave out before looking up at him.

He hums, looking back at you. Not being straight up ignored was enough proof he was considering it.

“We have plenty of time? We’re running ahead of schedule.” You give him a look, hoping that’ll help push your usually cold boyfriend towards getting in a hot spring with you, or at least letting you get in.

“I’m aware of that.” He says simply, turning towards you. You go to say another word, but he’s already pulling off his cloak. You nod, and turn away from him to take your clothes off too before slipping in the hot spring. Hyoga isn’t the type of guy to be bothered with separating the hot spring for respect of either of your privacy.

You, on the other hand, are starting to think the hot water isn’t the only reason you’re feeling hot.

“Ahh, my muscles and joints already feel soooo much better.” You sigh, closing your eyes. “I don’t know why Senku had only the two of us go…”

“We’re capable.” Hyoga hums. You nod quickly, humming back.

“Yes, you more than I.”

“You know the way better.” He smiles and your heart stops for a second. The smile doesn’t look snarky or mocking this time. It doesn’t matter if he’s smiled like that to you before, it never stops shocking you to your core. You two don’t get much alone time, and even then he’s rarely affectionate. He’d never smile like that to or in front of anyone else, so this is a rare sight.

“I suppose I do know it quite well.” You finally speak up, pulling your knees up to your chest, smiling.

“Don’t get sappy.” He scowls a bit, causing you to laugh a bit louder than you mean to. He grumbles at that. “We should get going.” He stands to leave, and you react quickly by grabbing his wrist.

“We have plenty of time… Hyo.” The sight of his sculpted body seems to put an influence on your tone of voice, putting an emphasis on an implication you never meant to be there. Yet, you realize now, maybe you are a bit frustrated from the lack of intimacy you two have had in a while.

“Oh?” He smirks, hand moving under your chin, and flicking it up with his thumb so you’ll look up at his face, not wherever else you were looking. “And what are you suggesting we use this time for?”

“It’s been a while…” You say softly, gulping because you know he’s got you right where he wants you.

“Yes… and you have such a pretty mouth.” His eyes open a bit wider now, looking down at you. You can finally see his pupils as they bore down into your face. His thumb swipes over your lips as he steps closer, and you know what he wants to do with your “pretty mouth.”

“I can think of a way you can use it that isn’t running it.” He pushes his thumb between your lips, brushing it over the tip of your tongue. You can taste him on your tongue now. He retracts his thumb just as quickly as he inserted it, replacing it with the tip of his cock. His hands find your hair, tugging it back while his thumb coaxes your mouth open for him.

He looks down at you, wordlessly telling you to take it from here. You gulp before taking him into your mouth slowly, hands wrapping around the base. Your tongue flicks over the tip and head before you begin to bob your head.

He’s dead silent, staring down at you. It almost feels like you have no effect on him, not until he’s about to cum. His eyes widen a bit, and the way he looks at you almost softens. Suddenly, your cold boyfriend looks like a lovesick puppy. He’d never admit it, but he’s so lovesick over you. Everything about him seems more gentle when he’s about to cum.

And after, for a moment, he looks at you with a soft expression as he catches his breath. He won’t say it out loud, but his eyes told you he loves you.

[clever-fox-studios]

Chapter 7

The breadth of knowledge that Sun found himself lacking was far more vast and profound than he ever imagined. In merely a shake of the day–-or roughly 100 minutes to anyone not on Adir Standard Time–-he’d been introduced to no less than twenty different variations of wild grass, four edible roots, and six ‘trust me, don’t touch it’ varieties of leaf and flower that he’d never heard of, let alone seen before. Jenn was more than willing to explain each of them with enough prodding, he found, though he felt just a bit guilty about regularly pinging Moon with a distance reading to enable his brother’s paranoid snooping. Despite this, he found himself to be enjoying the outing.

It was fun !

Just as well, it was a chance to try and understand the odd human just a bit more without Moon breathing down his neck with words of caution. I love you dearly, my brother, but there are days, he thought to himself with a touch of shame for being harsh, even if it was just to himself. Though I’m not helping I suppose…

Sun sighed.

“You alright?” Jenn lifted her head from the shrub she was picking through, wiping her brow with the back of the glove on her organic arm.

He hadn’t realized he’d made a sound. “Oh! Yes!” Quickly, he picked his way over the tangle of roots and dirt, amused at how it felt like steps to a bizarre dance at times with how he had to maneuver to avoid stepping on something unsavory.

“Not bored?”

“Never!” Crouching, gangly legs splayed to avoid hitting anything, he peered at the mass of puffy leaves she tended to while doing a binocular comparison–-one eye was focused on the shape and color of the vegetation, the other analyzing his store of information for direct comparison until it found a match. Often this was a feature used for color-correcting or aligning cut patterns of paper and fabric but it worked fantastically for identifying plants and berries–-delightful! This one didn’t have a match yet; he smiled. “What’s this one?”

Carefully, Jenn pulled a tangle of leaves from the bush, the ‘branch’ unfurling into a long vine-like wisp heavy with fat, round leaves that had a grayish tint on them. She coiled the base of the vine around her mechanical fingers and ran it through her hand, the bulbs popping free without a hint of resistance to fall into the basket beneath her. The air smelled of clean linen and spring water suddenly. “Soap leaves,” she answered once the harvest was stashed, a woven mat placed over the top of them within the basket to keep them separate from other collectibles. “They’re super convenient and grow just about everywhere; when they're ready to use, they get that silvery color on their skin. You can peel them, juice ‘em, crush them in your hand–-they lather up with water and make you smell super clean. Great natural deodorant.”

“Deodorant?”

She had a wry grin on her ace. “You might not sweat or smell but we humans tend to have funny odors after a long day of work.”

“Oh? I’ve never noticed.” Most of high society did their best to be presentable at all times, though he vaguely wondered if too much perfume counted as body odor. Nevermind the fact he could simply disengage one of his senses whenever it became overwhelming.

“Lucky.” Standing up, Jenn gathered the materials she’d removed from the basket and gently placed them back inside: woven mats that acted as separators, a small kit of pruning tools, a smaller pack of ointment and bandages, plus a handful of other random things had been stored inside the large carrying basket until needed. Whenever Jenn wanted to harvest something, she set the basket down, pulled the tools out, took a bit of what she needed, then put the tools back, always careful to not throw or drop anything. Sometimes, Sun thought, he would hear her humming but never loud enough for him to point it out.

Rising gracefully, Sun placed his hands under the basket as she lifted it up, reflexively trying to assist though she didn’t need it. After four attempts where he couldn’t stop himself, she’d given up trying to correct him and simply allowed it, the basket creaking under its growing weight as she used her head and neck to support it through the underbrush. It seemed dangerous to do too often, but the gold robot wasn’t nearly brave enough to tell her that for fear of running out her patience with him. How she hadn’t yet was a gift he wasn’t intending to look in the mouth. “So, um…” Jenn turned her head slightly to indicate she heard him, her step never breaking as they rounded a stand of trees. “All of this… foraging? Do you do this every day?”

She rose up a few inches while stepping onto a particularly large root, then dropped back down; Sun was able to stride over it fairly easily with his long legs, clearing it like a balance beam. “Well, sort of. Harvesting every day is bad for the plants, but I don’t clear them off when I need them cuz that’s wasteful. I just keep track of what I need and know where to find it and collect only that much. This area is consistently temperate so the plants stay in bloom year-round as long as the aurora cooperates.”

“That must be extremely convenient!”

“It is.” The trees ended abruptly, breaking onto a stretch of sand and grass along a small lake. Sun stopped, awestruck at the vision of the aurora reflecting in the water, barely realizing Jenn was still walking until she started talking again. “It’s why I stayed here to build my base.”

Blinking hard to snap out of his gawking, Sun trotted up to shrink the distance between them. “You–-you built this place? Alone?”

She shrugged, gazing at the water for a moment in thought. “Salvaged, if you want to get technical. It was gutted and falling apart when I found it but the basic house structure was already there. I patched it up in my spare time, moved in and stayed put.”

“That’s… incredible!”

A humorous laugh escaped her. “I mean, sure? I guess? Dragged thing still leaks like a–-” Jenn paused for just a moment to avoid cursing unnecessarily, aware her tag-along didn't seem to care for it. “Like an old boat when it rains but it’s home.”

Jenn slowed to a stop, gaze on the treeline ahead of them, which allowed Sun to fully catch up without having to hurry, hoping to keep the discussion going. Moon would be pleased with any information he got, surely! “How long have-–”

“Sh.”

Sun froze completely at the chaste sound, feeling a bit of panic well up inside that made his rays retract slightly. Had he upset her? Was she going to chastise him? Or worse-–?

Slowly, Jenn placed the basket down at the foot of a tree and rolled the front of her skirt up, using the back panel as a belt to tie and tuck it out of the way. With eerie silence and a half crouch, she slipped into the underbrush along the tree line, the green and brown colors of her clothes blending her into the leaves and dirt just enough to make her hard to keep track of. The panic Sun felt shifted immediately from worry for upsetting her to raw survival. Something was in the forest with them.

Was he supposed to follow? She hadn’t said-–was it a trap?? Would he be left to fend for himself??

A branch snapped somewhere.

It took everything in his system to withhold the shriek he wanted to let out, hands covering his mouth to block the sound from escaping.

~

Locked.

Moon scowled, sliding his hand up and down the door to look for any secret hinge or panel to press that would open it without the passcode. No such luck. Fingers drumming on the metal door for a moment, he huffed and rose, feeling along the seams of the frame.

Nothing.

A tip-tap got him to turn, only slightly surprised to find Rukbat staring at him curiously, wrong ear flopping at the tip as he titled his copper brown head as if to say ‘what’cha doin’?’ Putting his hand to his hips, Moon considered the fact that he could be getting spied on with the canine present, but couldn’t be mad about it. It was simply doing as it should by guarding its mistress’s secrets from nosey visitors.

“I don’t suppose you can let me in, can you?” he wondered, not expecting an answer. Why was he even talking to this thing?

Rukbat whined.

“Didn’t think so.” Backing up from the door, Moon turned on his heel and began to walk away, listening for footsteps. When none came by the time he got down to the yard, the navy snoop looked up to the part of the patio still visible from where he stood, seeing the canine’s head poking out from between the rails. After a moment, Rukbat slid back and turned, out of sight. Moving to try and see up more, Moon could just barely make out the tops of the doors the Sirius was next to, the ones he’d just come from.

One led to the kitchen, he knew that already after seeing it at breakfast, but the other one beside it was sealed tight with no other doors that he could find. Whatever it guarded was a part of the house he had yet to see, and with her warning about locked doors he had to assume it was a private area. A bedroom, or perhaps a study? Something that may have answers for him.

Rukbat’s nails tapped the patio as it wandered out of sight, then scratched on something. A rush of air–-Moon squinted, seeing the sliver of the locked door vanish for a moment. What?! Hurrying, he stomped up the steps, three at a time, sliding into the rail as he circled back to the set of doors, disbelieving.

They were shut.

With a quick check, he found it the same as a moment ago: no handle, no panel, still in need of a wireless access code. “Draggit-–” he hissed, hitting the rail with his hand. Did… I just get punked by a dog ? Drumming his fingers once more, Moon made an annoyed sound in his throat, both impressed and embarrassed.

He was not telling Sun about that.

Changing objectives to try and salvage his dignity, Moon made his way to the lounge, intending to comb through the papers and notes strewn about. She was so eager for that binder in here, maybe there’s something else? Jenn had gotten short with them after their sit-down in the grass, her eyes darting about as if looking for or avoiding something. In an unexpected burst of speed, she’d gotten ahead of them on the way inside, which prompted Moon to follow quickly to figure out what she was doing. They’d nearly collided as she ducked out of the lounge, a massive, black binder full of laminated paper breaking their contact with a whump .

That thing was dense.

She’d slid off to the side, telling them to relax without another peep on their situation, and escaped before he could stop her, locking herself in the white container–-

Moon stopped shifting through papers–-something about the practical uses of a wood fungus native to the boglands miles from here-–as he pondered over the white block of metal under the patio. The human had already brought equipment out of it once and managed to spend an entire resting time locked inside doing something or other that put her in a good mood. It couldn’t be a storage shed, could it?

Idiot.

Dropping the paper, Moon left quickly, hopping the railings with practiced grace to land as lightly as he could on the lawn. Unsurprisingly, the white block was sealed tight, just like the door, but he had time to burn. Starting at the front, Moon began to systematically search for cracks or wires across the outer wall, maybe an emergency key or passcode hint scribbled somewhere that went unnoticed. Humans often had odd habits like that so he hoped this human was just odd enough to be prone to the same silly idea.

He looked and looked–-right up until the panic set in suddenly, nearly knocking him prone with dizziness. Not his own panic however.

Sun’s.

~

Crack.

Sun took a quick step back, feeling his gears and wires screeching again-– run.

RUN!

Something creaked–-he turned to the motion above his head, hands trembling. Burning.

He could defend himself.

He could–-

In a lithe motion, Jenn swung herself from the creaking branch and landed on the balls of her feet, knees bent to disperse the impact and muffle the sound of her return. Before he could even process what was happening, Sun was silenced by her finger at her mouth, staving off his attempt to ask anything; baffled, he crept over when she waved, keeping low as she led him into the trees.

I’m dead, he frantically chanted, Moon was right, she’s crazy, I’m dead.

Her hand came out and he stilled, watching her movements with every scrap of focus he could muster beyond his confusion and panic. It was remarkable how quiet she could be when climbing, easing herself into the tree overhead, eyes on something beyond the wall of shrubbery that carpeted the forest floor. It got more bizarre when she looked down and pointed to her head, making some sort of gesture it took a moment for him to decipher.

My rays? Hide… hide my rays?

Uncertain, he shut off the process that controlled the haptic array, withdrawing the light spokes into the seam of his head. It was darker than he thought without them. He didn't like it.

Motioning again, Jenn indicated he should move to the space below the branch, just beyond the bushes. Nervously, he did so, sending one last location ping to his brother so he could have hope some part of him would be recovered. Being silent in the overgrowth was quite a task with his long frame, but Sun managed well enough not to get hushed again, crouching between the roots of the gnarled blue-wood tree Jenn was perched in. Maybe if he were quick enough he could jump-–

Finger to her lips once more, Jenn slowly pointed, splayed out on her belly across the arm of the great tree to minimize herself. Staring into her eyes for a moment and seeing no ill intent–-he hoped-–the golden bot turned his head so very carefully, bracing for something awful.

His exhaust cycle paused.

Through the leaves of the canopy, the aurora’s light took on far more colors than it usually had, all flickering as the trees shifted in unseen winds. Greens and blues and oranges taken from leaves and flowers danced through the air on the way to the ground, bugs humming curious tunes to each other that filled the forest with its own unique heartbeat. None of that mattered so much, though, compared to the massive creature standing between the trees; almost as tall at the head as he was when standing, with a furry pelt a shade of blue usually reserved for deep water, the creature grazed idly, unbothered by anything going on around it at that moment. Great, curling antlers of sapphire and diamond dust twisted over its head, catching the light from the falling leaves in such a way, Sun felt he would cry if he could. It turned slightly, chewing-–the dark eyes of the beast found him.

He froze.

The animal-–a great stag of sorts–-grunted, nose flaring. Only then did another head appear behind it, ears pivoting at the sound. Sun counted three of them as he waited to see if they would charge or flee, one without a curling crown of gems and another much smaller one, hiding between their legs. It was with awe and joy that he realized it was a family.

Suddenly, all three lifted their heads, ears rotating to one direction collectively as they stood stock still. The male grunted again, shaking his great neck; light seeped up through the curls and points of its crown, a blinding flash making Sun look away for a moment. When it cleared, the deer had fled, the trees thumping and shaking under their hooves as they disappeared into the depths of the wood. Such an interesting survival tactic!

“SUN!”

Faintly, the familiar voice of his brother caught his ear, somewhere back where he’d just come from. Getting up from his vantage point, the gangly bot moved back through the shrubbery to the lakeside, his radials fluttering to their rightful place–-not two seconds later, Moon’s footfalls thundered to him as he broke cover, bare feet sliding to a stop on the lush grass and sand. “Sun!” he repeated with some relief, his pulse points flashing and fading from his distress. Before his brother could answer, Moon had hold of his shoulders, looking him over. “Are you alright? What happened??”

Sun wobbled as he was turned by Moon’s frantic examination of his person. Catching himself before he could fall, Sun gently clasped the dark robot’s hands between his to try to assure the worrywart he was fine–-but hesitated, grin faltering slightly on his face as the desire to tell Moon what happened caught in his voice box. In a fraction of a second, Sun changed his answer. “I-I’m fine! I…”

A thump in the grass nearby revealed Jenn emerging from the forest, dusting herself off and fixing her skirt to hang like it should, a piece of underbrush being plucked off absently. The pair acknowledged her appearance with a glance, forcing Sun to interject before she said anything.

“There you are!”

Jenn looked up from her dusting, brow creased for a moment, seeing the tight expression on the golden bot and the annoyed one of the blue jerk.

Placing his hand on Moon’s shoulder, Sun went on, “I’m sorry, Moon, I got separated and lost sight of Jenn. I… didn’t mean to worry you.”

OH! Jenn realized with a start, finishing her realignment of her clothes after the tree messed them up to buy time to cover her reaction. “I didn’t think it would be so easy to lose you in the woods, bright eyes. A seven-foot-tall Sunrise with a halo on his head should be pretty easy to keep track of.”

“I’m sorry,” Sun reiterated, folding his hands together apologetically. “I got distracted and then you were gone and this forest is a lot bigger than…” Glancing to the side, Sun saw the wary glint in Moon’s yellow eyes. “Than the yard… um, there’s a… distinct lack of fences out here!” Moon sighed at his prattling.

“There’s a lack of a lot of things out here,” the human agreed, playing off the situation with the plain casualness they’d come to expect from her at this point. She hefted the basket up to its position on her head with a slight grunt.

Unwilling to expend more energy into dissecting the conversation, Moon closed his eyes for a moment and forced himself to let it go. “I think,” he started, half through his teeth, “that’s enough for today, don’t you think?”

“Oh?” Sun chirped, not wanting that to be the case.

“I mean, I’m not done yet but if you want to go back you can.” Walking past them both, Jenn idly pointed through the trees toward the house, heading to a completely different area of the forest without a glance back.

“Wait!” Sun blurted, taking a step after her before Moon grabbed hold of his wrist, forcing him to stop. Silently, the two prodded each other through their Lock, each trying to convince the other to go the way they wanted; Moon’s eyes flicked toward the house, wanting to discuss things privately, but Sun turned his cheek to indicate following Jenn, as he wanted to keep learning and familiarize himself with the land around the house. It was a stalemate between them for some seconds until Jenn coughed to get their attention.

She’d paused at the treeline and waited, as asked, but she seemed put off by their refusal to follow, her gaze dull, mouth turned in a frown. “Well?”

Taking the moment to change his grip on Sun, Moon tugged, bringing his brother back a step. “I think that’s enough excitement for right now,” he claimed firmly. “Let’s go back, Sun.”

“He’s fine,” she quipped dismissively. “It’s not like he got hurt or anything.”

“That’s not the point.” Moon took his own step toward the house, pulling Sun off balance slightly as he did so the golden robot would stumble after him. “It’s been long enough for our first day.”

“Give him some credit.” Jenn turned her body to face them fully, her stance changing subtly as she moved from one foot to the other. Moon felt his inner coils tense in anticipation, something in her movements forcing an alert in the backmost part of his mind, as if preparing for a fight. “He’s picking up on foraging incredibly fast and wants to keep going. Since he’s not hurt and his battery is full, I think he can choose to stay out if he really wants to.”

“And Sun has a bad habit of being an overachiever who doesn’t know when to quit,” Moon pressed, looking at his brother whose gaze dropped to the ground, knowing it was true. “It’s the first day,” he added, a bit gentler as he saw his brother wilt slightly. “There’ll be time to learn more later.”

As much as he wanted to fight, to speak up for himself, the weight of his lie and the worry in Moon’s voice stripped Sun of the energy to do so in moments, leaving only the ability to placate them both with an answer. “You might be right, Moon,” he agreed quietly, stepping closer to his brother of his own volition.

“Alright then.” Shrugging, Jenn turned and disappeared into the trees without further argument, leaving them to find their way to the house alone.

Sun allowed himself to be tugged back to the familiarity of the yard, unable to bring himself to even look at Moon’s back. There was a wrongness in the air between them, a wall that shouldn’t be there-–he’d put it there by lying, he felt. Lying to spare Moon’s feelings-–to stop him from having more reason to unfairly hate the human that was keeping them safe-–or perhaps lying just to make himself feel better. More capable. In fractions of a second, Sun had chosen to lie about his willingness to follow the strange human into the forest because he thought it would cause Moon more stress and provoke a fight.

How tired he was of fighting already.

Moon was already so strung out and he was being foolish, careless with his safety and choices which were making it even harder on them both. With regret, Sun recalled how easily he’d cracked under the pressure just recently and how Moon stopped everything to ensure he was alright. The fatigue that set in had been all-consuming and heavy, dragging him into sleep without even an attempt to fight it. If that had been his feelings, Sun could scarcely imagine what the stress was doing to his beloved brother under the surface, beyond where their Lock could reach. Feelings that made Moon tense and angry and mistrustful, hardly what he knew his brother to be capable of-–or had been at least.

Before, Moon was a calming presence, laid back and hard to bother with most things. Sun recalled how much he appreciated the gentle presence of Moon after an event or an ordeal, always there, never stressing the details if Sun wouldn’t share them. A snappy joke and steady hand at his back could help him relax from anything that happened within the walls of the estate, but somewhere along the way, Sun found changes. Worried looks, concerned squeezes, fewer musings in the halls where ears couldn’t hear them-–at some point, the stress had begun to eat away at Moon long before now. It was just far worse recently. More obvious.

Sun knew it was his fault.

I should be doing better, he told himself as they finally reached the grassy swath of the yard, Moon’s grip on him loosening. I will do better. Before he could slip away too far, Sun quickly stepped forward, grabbing his brother in a tight hug that caught the navy-and-night hued robot off guard. “I’m sorry,” the golden half of the pair croaked, radials fluttering. “I didn’t… mean to worry you.”

After a second, Moon melted, his anger washing away at the worry and regret in his brother’s voice. Gently, he wrapped his arms around the lanky bot and held tight, clearing his mind before he could reply. “I know you didn’t.” Pulling back, Moon held his brother’s shoulders carefully, meeting his teal irises with concern and authority. “This is not a place to play, Sun. I know you’re excited to get out and I appreciate you keeping her occupied so I can look around but you need to remember this isn’t the backyard and not a vacation. We don’t know what’s out there and I don’t want you getting overwhelmed in your excitement when I’m not there to help you.”

The reflex to argue he’d be fine came and went as Sun held it in, only nodding as Moon was right to an extent. There was so much to do and learn and see, and he’d been so understimulated for so long the chance of his system going into a critical shutdown wasn’t impossible. Just another thing Sun hadn’t considered that was worrying his brother needlessly.

Carefully, Moon pulled Sun’s head down, their foreheads touching softly as they both calmed themselves, trying to strengthen their Lock against the wear and tear of their mutual stress. Moon hoped Sun would understand that this situation needed to be taken seriously and handled with care; Sun promised to them both he would be more careful, though more to himself than Moon. If he tried hard enough, he could manage his stress and his behaviors so Moon would have one less thing to worry about. It was the least he could do, Sun felt, having already caused enough problems simply by being himself and having no self control.

“You’re alright?” Moon’s voice was quiet.

“I am,” Sun replied just as quietly. “Did… you find anything?”

Sighing, Moon pulled back and turned, seeming annoyed. “No. The door locks are wireless and I don’t know the code so I couldn’t get in anywhere.”

“Oh…” Sun rubbed his neck. “Well… there’s time, I suppose? Maybe Jenn will… maybe I can ask to go out again tomorrow?”

Moon flopped into the grass, sitting back in a way that faintly reminded Sun of the old, relaxed Moon he remembered. “Think she will?”

“Maybe?” Following suit, Sun folded his legs and dropped lightly, leaning on one arm. “It took a bit but after I asked enough questions, Jenn seemed to open up and was happy to explain. Maybe if I ask for more, she’ll go out to tell me?”

Brow raised, Moon wondered, “She didn’t get annoyed?”

Sun shrugged. “If she did, she kept it to herself. At first I thought I was just bad at asking questions–-”

“Doubtful,” Moon cut in jokingly, earning a faint smile from Sun.

“--but then it felt more like…” His hand waved a bit as he searched for the words to use. “Like she was being short on purpose. I almost gave up on it entirely until she slipped up talking about sweetleaf.”

“Isn’t that what sugar is made of?”

Nodding, Sun skimmed the file he’d made on the plant quickly. “Apparently it grows all over the place if the orbura tree is around.”

“The what?”

Reaching up, Sun began to gesture, excitement growing. “Those big blueish trees with the leaves that have fuzzy, gray undersides?” Moon nodded, knowing the ones Sun meant. They were common decorations around E’rta, visible on most corners from the windows of the estate. “So apparently that gray fuzz forms from extra sugars in the tree being stored for later use, but when the leaves fall the sugar doesn’t go anywhere. Sweetleaf grows where the sugary leaves collect to recycle the excess so it doesn’t go to waste; when they die, the tree reabsorbs the sugar from the soil and starts it over, like a recycling system.”

Moon stared, baffled. “You learned that while looking for food?”

Nodding more enthusiastically, Sun’s smile broke through genuinely. “I didn’t even know sweetleaf made sugar sweetener–-well, I did but not how or that it’s not even the thing making the sweet part itself! Jenn was collecting some and I asked what it was, and at first it was a short answer like before but after I asked how to turn it into sweetener–-oh! That container!” Pointing to the house, Moon jumped a bit as Sun grew more excited. “That’s all made by Jenn!”

“Huh,” Moon mused, resting his elbows on his knees while waiting for Sun to continue, glad the abrasive mood seemed to be passing.

“She told me how to process it in a double boiler and how it grows under the trees–-but then she kind of stopped.”

“Stopped?”

Now concerned as he recalled his day more clearly, Sun mumbled a bit. “It was like she realized she was talking too much and just... Quit. I feel like maybe she’s used to not sharing things with others.”

No surprise there. A tad bitterly, Moon huffed, rolling his eyes. Sun was still going on about something but he couldn’t help his thoughts straying to his own day and how comparatively lacking it was in results. Nevermind the fact he was still outwitted by a Sirius of all things. Pathetic, he told himself, barely noticing his brother mention something or other about the forest and the colors of the light through the trees. If he wanted to soothe his bruised ego, he’d need another chance to learn something worth sharing. For that, he’d need another chance to explore. Catching a lull in the conversation, Moon decided to interject, “If you’ve gotten this much out of just one day, then I’d say it’s worth trying again tomorrow. Or later, even.”

Sun paused, feeling a bit happy that Moon thought his info dump was worthwhile. “You think so?”

“We’ll need as much as we can get if we’re going to be on our own eventually.”

On our own.

The words were heavy and incomprehensibly sticky, attaching to everything Sun had shared thus far and managing to drag them out of the levity and excitement of learning something new down to the echoing, muted cavern of worry he’d been desperate to stay out of the entire time. There, it stayed, thick and cold. Despite knowing it somewhere deep inside, Sun couldn’t help the gear-wrenching anxiety the idea of being alone gave him, even if it was alone with Moon, which was simply normal and expected. However, no matter how used to being with Moon he was, Sun was also used to rarely being isolated indefinitely from outside contact. Hired hands were around every corner, gatherings were frequent enough to be part of the weekly schedule, visitors were few but frequent in between-–brief periods of them being alone were rare. Now, being expected to have it as the default brought dread into his system.

Likely to do with his programming which was made specifically to be around and entertain guests, encouraging him to seek human interaction as a priority, Sun pushed back on it, unwilling to sabotage himself or his brother with confusing feelings of duty and purpose that he wasn’t completely sure were his own. Fighting one’s own ingrained sense of self was horrid, itchy and wrong, full of dust almost that clouded one’s train of thought into senseless background screeching.

It didn’t matter what he thought he wanted. What they needed was to fix the mistake he made by being a coward and get as far away from that woman as possible. Maybe one day the wrongness would go away, or fade into little more than a mild grievance in the deepest corner of his mind.

Maybe one day he would know if it was his own desire to be in human company that begged him to stay in this odd house in the jungle, or if it was simply the result of programming forced onto him from before he ever came online the first time.

~

A lot of life was dark. Or it felt that way so far to the pair who stood patiently in the atrium, only their eyes alight in the dimness. ‘Keep your radials down’ the Sunrise had been told, as they would draw too much attention otherwise and ruin the surprise. The inner flurry of codes and systems inside him buzzed excitedly to finally be allowed to fulfill his purpose after the long journey from the facility; he so wanted to reach out through the dark and take hold of the other unit standing nearby, to remind himself he wasn’t alone in this chamber, but he couldn’t.

Wait, they were told.

The yellow glint in the dark was enough for now, he told himself. The other unit–-Moondrop, his Tidally Locked partner-–was there with him, just as quiet and, if his inner hum meant anything, just as eager. They were never far from each other, not in the short time they’d been active, so there was no reason to believe now was any different. It was even dark, like the first time they became aware of each other...

***

Coming online for the first time was a slow process; awareness of one’s limbs always came before any sense of space or outside assessment. File after file opened and ran in quick succession, demanding fingers and toes be moved, passive processes being read for anomalies, systems cycled through checkmark after checkmark to ensure they cooperated properly. Somewhere between this initial calibration and wanting to open his eyes, something else rippled through like an echo.

Sunrise.

That was him! A sunrise. A star.

Happiness flashed in his system at knowing himself. A tickle followed his elation, some quiet repetition of his joy that felt just a bit different. Feeling that extra nudge of emotion took his attention from his waking process for just a moment, drawing him deeper into himself. What was it? He wanted to know! Mustering the sensation as best he could, Sunrise urged his emotional code to run again; the echo answered faintly, bringing another wave of happiness that it mirrored. Each pass made Sunrise want to skip and laugh! To stay in this place with the little echo of his own happiness forever!

“Hello?”

Startled by the feeling of his own voice, Sunrise waited for the echo to respond. For a long moment, there was nothing. Fretting he’d scared it off, the robot tried to summon his joy again, to share it into the void and see if that brought an answer–-but he couldn’t. Afraid that his echo had vanished had left him empty, too much to be able to express that fleeting feeling of light and positivity.

Then it answered.

“It’s alright.”

The echo sounded nothing like him, to his surprise. While his own voice was high and light, with clear notes that felt like they could reach deep into the darkness and find the edges easily, this one was lower, soft but creaky as if someone had just woken up.

“I’m here.”

Sunrise peered around, unsure where ‘here’ was. “Where?”

“Next to you.”

There was no one, though. Pulling himself from the deep depths of himself, Sunrise reeled as his systems continued their processes around him–-breathing, cycling, flexing–-but he found what he felt he needed by clinging to his dexterity processes. Just enough to move his fingers. Turn his hand.

A cool sensation flickered through his system check, his hand coming into contact with something outside of himself that was not part of the flurry of self-diagnostics he was dealing with. The feeling grew as the thing also moved, his fingers being laced into something firm and, inexplicably, familiar.

“Is that you?” Sunrise wondered, not fully expecting an answer.

One still came though, more of an impression than true words. “Yes.”

Joy washed through him again. He wanted these checks to finish so he could wake up! “I’m Sunrise!” he cheered, squeezing the cool thing between his fingers.

The pressure matched his as his hand was squeezed back. While the feelings weren’t as intensely directed as his, Sunrise still knew this echo was as pleased as he felt. “I’m Moondrop,” they replied. “I’m your brother.”

**

Since then, they hadn’t been apart, even when the lights went off and they were told to conduct a sleep cycle. Moondrop was there, only an arm’s length away.

But this time, they’d been told not to cling to each other, to stand presentably and behave.

Sunrise trusted in the familiar, yellow eyes of his brother that he was there, within reach in the dark, and he would still be there when the light returned and they finally got to meet their mistress. Finally, they could dance. Bring her joy. Sate this nagging urge to be with a human, at their side to make their life more colorful!

He was so excited he could hardly contain himself!

~

The tension had mostly gone during their chat and Sun wasn’t going to risk it coming back due to his own misplaced feelings, so he kept it to himself, shoving it as far back as he could into his mind. The outside air was pleasant at least, a balmy temperature without a lot of humidity to seep into the joints and make them squeak. Quietly, the pair of robots sat and tried to enjoy this feeling of wavering peace they were afforded amidst the tension that stalked their every movement like a scavenger waiting for one to fall so they could be consumed. Because of this quiet, they could hear the bugs and grass hum on the wind, the birds tweet and whistle in the trees–-

“Do you hear that?” Moon asked suddenly, glancing around slowly.

“The voice? Yeah, I do,” Sun replied, equally confused.

Just above the wind, they both swore there was a trill of music. Wordless, keening and distant, but there nonetheless, slowly getting clearer as it went. Getting… closer?

Moon was up in a blink, hands balled into fists as he strained to hear which direction it was coming from-–to no avail, the forest managing to mangle the source of the sound between the trees so it was impossible to know for sure where it was coming from. Hunched against the grass, Sun struggled to make out any words within the reverberation, leaving him unsure if it was an aria or a language he couldn’t decipher clearly. Whatever it was, it was beautiful but chilling to not know who or what was making it.

Though there was one possibility.

Suddenly, the sound stopped, leaving them more baffled than when it had started. A minute passed before the bushes rustled, Jenn and her basket coming into view from the far end of the yard. Moon was on her before she’d even gotten to the stairs, eyes flashing. “Did you hear that just now?”

“Hear what?” she replied to him, a bit perturbed by his question. Her basket was distended with weight now, creaking as she put it down with a grunt; at her waist, her skirt was tied up oddly, stretched from whatever she had wrapped up in the hem. Sun found that quite clever of her, using her skirt like an extra hand to carry something; perhaps that was why she called them gathering clothes?

“You can’t tell me you didn’t hear a voice singing in the woods just now.”

Jenn’s eyes widened with concern for a moment before returning to normal. “No, I didn't, and neither did you.”

Moon glared. “Are you saying that because it was you?”

She stared back, just as hard. “I’m saying that because out in the wilds, if you think you hear something singing or talking out in the woods and you can’t immediately see who or what it is, then no you didn’t.”

“Excuse me?”

“Believe me when I say you don’t want to know.”

Well, that’s terrifying, Sun said to himself, coming up to them both before Moon could press the matter. “Do you need help?”

Gathering her laden skirt front in her arms, Jenn nodded at him, seeming to relax. “If you’re careful, you can bring the basket to the kitchen.”

“Sure!” Without hesitation, Sun stooped, grabbing the bottom and hefting–he grunted, surprised at the registered weight. Carrying this on her head can’t be good for her back! Taking a step, Sun followed politely behind Jenn, walking slowly so he wouldn’t drop or jostle the woven burden in his arms. Behind him, Moon took to the steps, keeping back so they wouldn’t collide by accident.

Thankfully he was there. Sun slightly misstepped at the edge of the next stair, his heel buckling as his balance shifted wrongly. Quickly, Moon held up his hands and pushed on Sun’s back to keep him from taking a tumble.

“Thank you!” Sun squeaked, his system surging with panic from the near fall.

“Of course,” Moon replied back distractedly. Something was off. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re never this clumsy.”

“I just missed the stair,” Sun assured, though he also wondered briefly if there wasn’t some issue he hadn’t noticed in his balancing system. Perhaps there really was a good reason for Jenn to keep them there for a few days after all.

“Yeah, and you don’t do that.” Keeping his wits sharp, Moon watched his brother finish the climb without further incident, prepared for another catch should it be needed. “We’re not made to trip and fall.”

“I know, it’s… probably because I’m not used to the stairs here.”

“Mm-hm.” Unwilling to risk it, Moon took a deep breath and swallowed his pride, finding Jenn already in her kitchen putting away round roots from the folds of her skirt front. She turned her head to them and indicated the table for the basket, about to relay instructions for what to do with the contents when Moon cut her off, voice firmer than intended for asking a question. “Is it possible that storm could mess up a balancing system?”

“Huh?” The human stared for a moment, processing his question. Annoyed at having to repeat himself, she ended up answering before he could. “Oh, yeah, absolutely. Why?”

Moon glanced at Sun who looked at the floor.

Making a throaty sound of thought, Jenn put the last starchy tuber away, wiped her hands on her skirt and put them on her hips. “Let me guess.”

Sun groaned. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Moon!”

To his surprise, both Jenn and Moon managed to simultaneously bark, “Doubt it,” at him in the same tone before glaring at each other confusedly. Had it been anything else, Sun would find it funny, but instead it only took away his ability to get someone on his side as they seemed to agree just long enough to double down on there being a problem.

“Geo-magnetic anomalies can cause all kinds of things to happen in computer systems,” Jenn went on once she broke eye contact with Moon. “It’s why Task Managers–-you guys-–are made with magnetically inert metal parts where possible. The ones that can’t be though, usually up here-–” She pointed to her head. “--are still completely at the mercy of the aurora. Why do you think anomaly bunkers are a thing? Bots and modified humans that are sensitive to the activity need them so their systems don’t get fried.” Sun flinched a bit. “Honestly, if you didn’t have something wrong with you after your little trip through the atmosphere I’d be more surprised.”

She wouldn’t be, knowing full well if they didn’t suffer side effects beyond physical damage it was because they weren’t built like normal robots, likely reinforced against the effects of the magnetic anomaly. But there was no way she’d admit that freely right now.

“Can it be fixed?” Moon asked, trying to hide his worry after the last issue hit a dead end due to technical limitations.

“Oh, absolutely.”

The confidence of her voice caught Moon off guard, the tension leaving him faster than anticipated.

“Thankfully, I already know it’s not a hardware issue since-–” She gestured up and down at them. “Ya know. Been there, fixed that. If I had to guess, he’s just not calibrated properly anymore.”

Sun squeaked confusedly, head tilting. “Eh?”

“Being whipped around at mach-stupid with no sense of up or down tends to mess up anyone’s sense of direction. It’s likely self-corrected by now to a functional degree after walking around, but given you both have advanced gyros made for fancy dancy stuff–-” Moon scowled, “--it’s likely just out of tune. Best way to fix it is to just practice.”

“Oh!” That was a relief, Sun’s shoulders heaving with a sigh. “Not a problem then!”

Thinking for a moment, Moon inquired, “So why am I fine?”

Jenn shrugged after thinking. “Lucky I guess?”

“I’m never lucky.”

“Well, out here maybe you are. Now scoot.” Shooing at them, Jenn started to unpack her basket, sorting its contents from the top carefully to have reason to ignore further questions.

Ever the helpful one, Sun leaned over. “Can… we help?”

Pointing to the door, Jenn replied plainly, “Appreciated but maybe go work on that gyro thing if you want something to do.”

“Ah.” Perturbed by her change in mood, Sun stepped back, Moon at his side as they exited.

Under his breath, Moon hissed, “Rude,” but got shushed as they returned to the yard.

Side-eyeing them carefully, Jenn stopped her sorting once they were out of sight, just barely visible through the window as they descended the steps to the outside. That was awfully obedient of them, she pondered, rubbing her chin in thought. It might be nothing but if they’re only half awake then that’s a problem on its own. Leaning on the table, her eyes danced around the kitchen in time to her strings of thought.

Jenn knew full well why the anomaly didn’t mess with the Moondrop’s balancing system, but what got her more curious was the consistency with which he seemed to play dumb about it. It was reaching ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’ territory that these two runaways absolutely did not know what they were, and that was deeply concerning. I tell myself not to mess around with this stuff anymore and yet there’s always something, isn’t there? she told herself bitterly. I need to get them as far away from their target area as possible before something happens. If they went rogue before their goal was achieved then there’s probably someone out there looking for them right now to finish it. If they don’t know their mission and ran off for their own reasons, as aware AI tends to do, then they also don’t know the conditions needed to fulfill their task. That’s bad. Very, very bad.

Hand over her mouth, Jenn reviewed her mental notes thoroughly, making a list of facts for herself.

One: They were not normal Task Managers. Not according to the component catalog she kept in the giant black binder in her lab.

Two: They did not know they were not normal. That for all intents and purposes, they should not exist as they do.

Three: She was not their objective. It simply didn’t make sense if she was.

And four: She couldn’t not help them. That wasn’t who she was.

If everything went well, there was a chance she could remove the problematic factors altogether and they would never know. A normal life was what they wanted, and she could give it to them. It was the right thing to do.

But they needed to trust her first.

[imagine-knb]

Getting snowed in -> with the Rakuzan team! (idc if separately or together)How they would act and what’s the first thing they do (call someone, make it comfortable, panic,….)

Glancing up at the window that was on the far end of the gymnasium, Mayuzumi furrowed his brows in annoyance when he noticed that the sky outside looked absolutely pitch black. His eyes slid over to the clock that was on the same wall, noting that practice had technically ended hours ago. Coach Shirogane had left when the sun was still up and the air hadn't felt so frigid, leaving the first string team to lock up themselves.

"Why are we still here?" he grumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

But his teammates had heard him anyway. Nebuya threw one of his large arms over Mayuzumi's shoulder, giving him a grin as he shook his teammate from side to side with his rhythm. "Because we're a team, Mayuzumi. We arrive together, we practice together, and we leave together," the larger man laughed. Far too cheerful at this late of an hour for Mayuzumi's taste.

"We would've left a little sooner if someone didn't take such long showers," Mayuzumi continued to mumble under his breath. Bored eyes slid over to the locker room doors as they opened, watching as the rest of the team slowly made their way out. "You guys ready now? Can we leave?"

"Yes, of course Chihiro," Akashi responded, voice as even and smooth as ever. Like nothing ever bothered him. "Let's all get home for some rest."

Mayuzumi was glad when Nebuya let go of his shoulder, the larger man moving his way toward the double doors that separated the gymnasium from the outside world. He went to follow, glad that he'd finally be able to get back to his home with a warm bed instead of freezing in the confines of the gymnasium with—

Clunk!

Mayuzumi paused when Nebuya gave a confused look to the door. Nebuya pushed on the handle once more, putting just a bit more force than last time, but when it still refused to open, he turned back to look at his teammates.

"I think we're snowed in, guys."

The moment of silence that followed wasn't long enough for Mayuzumi. All at once, his teammates began to make noise; Nebuya had turned back to the door, trying with all his might to get it open as he grunted and groaned; Hayama had started hollering, alternating with Nebuya in trying to get the door open and cheering on his teammate to dip into more of his strength; Mibuchi had started worrying, phrases about how cold the gymnasium was and how the only warm things they had were the now damp towels back in the locker room.

When Mayuzumi had turned around to seek out their team captain, he found Akashi standing near the bleachers, already on the phone with someone — he assumed the redhead was calling for help. He was disappointed when Akashi eventually turned back toward his teammates with a shake of his head.

"The roads are snowed in. Could be hours before someone can reach us."

With a heavy groan, Mayuzumi walked over to the bleachers and slumped down onto one, thankful that the jacket he'd brought along with him had at least some insulation.

"It's so cold!" Mibuchi complained, brows furrowed with worry.

"Let's go see if we've got extra towels we haven't used," Akashi offered, already leading the way back to the locker rooms with Mibuchi in tow.

As they walked off, Mayuzumi heard Mibuchi mention something about everyone huddling together if the towels couldn't be found. His lips pressed into a thin line — he did not want to be shoulder to shoulder with his teammates for an extended period of time. Gaze going back to Nebuya and Hayama, the line of his lips deepened further into a frown when he noticed they were no further into getting the gymnasium doors open.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled out a book from his backpack. "Time to get comfy, I guess," he muttered to himself, praying that help would come soon.

Find the Holiday Prompt lists here!

[impossibleprincess35]

The Echo and the Stain | ch 13

[excerpt]

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes in annoyance as he swam back over to the water’s edge and climbed up out of the lake, dripping into the earth at his feet. She had yet to look up from where she was lying down, and he was tempted to splash a bit of water in her way just to elicit a reaction from her. Instead, he walked over to her in a huff and came to stand at her feet, creating a shadow over her that instantly caught her attention.

Satine removed the folded shirt from her eyes to look up, expecting a cloud, but instead, gasped and blushed at the sight of a soaking wet Obi-Wan Kenobi standing before her with the most vulgar of soaking wet microgarments, shamelessly clinging to every generous inch of his anatomy. She averted her eyes as she sat up, exclaiming, “Can I help you with something, Padawan Kenobi?!”

Stifling a laugh, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but grin. He’d found another way to make her blush, even if it came at the expense of his modesty and sense of decency.

“I thought you might want to come out and swim with me,” he proposed, stepping back from where she was now sitting up on the blanket, careful not to drip water on her and take her mood from flustered to furious.

As Satine glanced up at him quickly and then looked away to the lake, she shook her head, “No, no thank you. For starters, I haven’t any idea what kind of creatures live in that lake. What if there’s something in there that feeds on human brains?”

Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest, his freckled skin glowing in the sun, and he shrugged, “I asked Maz and she said it was safe for swimming. Besides, I got in and went under the surface without any problem.”

The padawan felt a sudden confidence oozing from her as a smug look spread across the Duchess of Kalevala’s face and she said boldly, “Yes, but if they eat human brains, that explains why you were left unscathed. They could make a meal out of me, and I have important things to use my head for.”

Faking a loud, exaggerated laugh, Obi-Wan stepped forward and bent forward at the waist, dripping water from his shoulders onto her waist for a split second. As she flinched and rolled her eyes at him, he continued to be obnoxiously sarcastic, reaching for his sides as though her teasing had been side-splittingly hilarious.

“Are you done?” Satine asked calmly, unable to hide the way one side of her mouth curled up into a sly grin.

His mood was instantly cheerful now and he playfully hopped in place as he turned to glance back at the lake, practically whining as he said, “Come on, come swim with me. The water’s nice. It’s rather boring taking a swim on your own, you know.”

--

Chapter 13 is up.

[marshmallowgoop]

one last call

Part of the DCMK Fanworks Server April Fools Exchange! For koscheib.

————

It's the first of April when Mary Sera receives a phone call that's every bit an unfunny joke before she even picks up. She lets it ring once, two times, three, the sound a fake, generic replication of the past, reminiscent of spinning fingers through numbers, twirling twisted cords. The bustle of the cafe is almost enough to drown it out—forks hitting porcelain, boring, unobjectionable music played quietly on speakers surrounding white-clothed tables, gasps of chatter from other patrons. It's not like Mary ever keeps the ringer volume loud.

But it feels loud, that afternoon, in the early spring sun, the wind carrying with it the reek of freshly cut grass and fertilizer. It feels like her oldest crying in the night, only days old. Like a gunshot that doesn't belong.

She shouldn't pick up.

It rings a fourth time, and she does.

“What?” she asks. There's a screech of her metal chair against concrete as she leans back. Her hat should shield her from the heat, but it still feels too warm. “You need money? Your husband run out on you? Kid leave home and tell you that they're joining the circus?”

The voice that answers is brimming with a weariness that should make Mary pause.

(She does not.)

“Nee-chan,” it sighs, exhaustion lined with melancholy. “It's nothing like that.”

“Someone's dead, then?”

“No.” Another sigh. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

Mary could laugh. She doesn't. “You didn't want to talk when my second son was born. Or after Tsutomu got so sick that he couldn't stand. But you want to talk now?”

“Yes.”

Mary waits a moment, two, three. But there are no apologies this time, no excuses melting under the weight of too many tears. There's only an ordinary phrase, something said to casual acquaintances when you unexpectedly cross paths at a grocery store. There's only a sharp intake of breath, a pause, a, I hope you've been doing well.

For a moment (two, three), Mary says nothing. She looks to the clock situated by one of the many speakers (still softly blaring the blandest, most unobtrusive music that feels suddenly mocking now in its syrupy inoffensiveness). The structure strikes her as falsely old-fashioned as her ringtone—curled golden numbers and a just-audible click as the seconds tick by. It's six and a half minutes past the time when he was supposed to be here.

She should hang up. Say that she has company now—the kind who doesn't call her once in a blue moon and act as though no time has passed.

There's nothing stopping her. Nothing, except a tired voice that continues, “It's been too long since we last talked.”

It's said like she's on the brink of tears. Like they're children again, attending school in Japan, and classmates had called her scary, monstrous, mocked her golden hair.

But Elena would never admit to it. Not her own pain. Even now, Elena will never admit to it.

Mary despises the memory.

“But something happened today, in Japan,” her sister continues. “I work with such... serious individuals, but today there was a case on the news, and—oh, you might have heard of it all the way over there in England, actually, because he first appeared in France, but today, it was a whole event, a big spectacle right here in Japan. He put out this notice—this thief, I mean, there's this thief in a flashy white costume that they're calling Phantom Thief 1412, or Kaitou Kid—there's an author who coined that name, I think—but anyway, he said he was going to steal this jewel today, and I think maybe my coworkers actually cracked a smile about it.”

“It sounds like you did, too.”

“Maybe,” answers Elena quickly, as though afraid that Mary would hang up. (She should hang up.) “It reminded me of a school play we did. Do you remember? Memoirs of Itaro, the Detective, it was called, I think. It focused on a similar character, the Edo Kid.” Something like laughter rings in Mary's ear. “Kaitou Kid's gimmick is magic, though, not acrobatics. But there's that same charisma, cocky attitude...”

Elena trails off, and for a moment, there's nothing. Only the repetitive music, the ticking of the clock, the heat of the afternoon beating down on Mary's skin.

Classmates used to always find Elena frightening. She spoke so little that people wondered if she even understood Japanese. Mary always found it a ridiculous notion. Once you got Elena talking, she would never stop.

It was just a matter of getting her to start.

Mary shouldn't have picked up.

“The detective's name was in the title of the play,” Elena says now, and there's still that hint of laughter to her tone, the kind that says she's crying-laughing, but the tears aren't ones of mirth. “So you're supposed to think he's the good guy, right? But...”

Elena can't compose herself. She erupts into giggles, guffaws, big, loud howls that drown out her words. There are several moments of wheezing, struggling for air, and Mary removes the phone from her ear, finger hovering over the end call button, only for Elena to regain herself and say, “But when you played the role, you were so scary that everyone was rooting for the thief! No one even felt bad when you made the wrong deduction.”

The laughter dies away, and Elena's voice takes on a note of seriousness as she adds, “Good thing they got me to play the Edo Kid when my class did the play a few years later. Everyone thought the detective was so cool then. Who played the role...? I can't remember anymore, but—“

“I know you didn't call me to talk about a stupid school play from over two decades ago.” Mary crosses her legs, thinks better on it and uncrosses them, leans forward and leans back. No one approaches her table, not even a server pitying the empty seat. The seconds tick on and on.

Elena falters. "N-no," she says. "I guess not, but..."

But what? Mary wants to say. She almost does. It's on the tip of her tongue—impassioned, angry monologues about how Elena has no right to call her now, after everything, but she hesitates, and looks to the white umbrella that may as well be absent for how little shade it casts on her, and Elena takes advantage of the silence, continuing, very quietly, "It just... reminded me of simpler times, you know? That Kaitou Kid. A criminal who doesn't seem dangerous, who steals but gives people smiles, or... I don't know."

There's a rustling from the other side. Mary imagines her sister brushing her hair out of her face, wiping cheeks still stained with wet tears.

"Real life isn't like some primary school play," Mary tells her, commanding, matter-of-fact, like she always is, like she has to be. "I haven't concerned myself with this phantom thief of yours, but a criminal is a criminal, no matter how 'fun' they might seem."

She keeps herself from adding, And that was exactly the purpose of Itaro's story. Loathe as she might be to admit it, she too had never forgotten the tale.

"You're right," says Elena. "You're right. But the way the exact same lines can be read so differently depending on how they're said... how a thief can seem to be a hero..." She trails off again, and Mary imagines her shaking her head as she makes out a familiar figure in the crowd.

"Look," Mary starts to say, eyes fixated on the man coming ever closer, "I have to—“

"I know you're busy," Elena interrupts. "And-and-and I don't want to take any more of your time, but..."

"Then don't," answers Mary.

She hangs up. She stands. She doesn't smile at Tsutomu, and he doesn't smile back.

[spacerangersam]

I've been thinking about patjulian for a while now and I was wondering if I could have some hcs? I don't mind them being for certain aus or just in general at this point I'll take any

you absolutely can, I'm more than happy to talk about them

bi4bi couple, truly

They’re very much ‘I could fix him’ vs’Ii can make him worse’ couple and they’re both right

Pat encourages Julian to be a bit more thoughtful, a bit kinder, while Julian cheers Pat on to be more snarky and stand up for himself more

Though Pat would hate to admit it, he kinds of likes how he’s allowed to be a bit mean, a bit angry, a bit bitter around Julian without having to worry about upsetting anyone

If he says something rude, Julian’s just going to laugh and it’s kind of refreshing, having someone he doesn’t have to be happy around 24/7

Julian likes it too, getting to see a side of him that most others don’t 

They both have similar tastes in music and can enjoy a good jam session to a bit of ABBA. They would also both enjoy Mamma Mia and they would both cry at the end, even if Julian would vehemently deny it 

(in a living au, Pat always has tissues on hand whenever they watch movies just for this, because if there is a sad moment, no matter how short or mishandled, they will both be crying)

I am also of the opinion that they would both really enjoy watching James Bond movies together - it’s got plenty of 

Julian falls first. This is so important to me, I cannot stress enough how important it is to me that, regardless of the au, Julian falls first, and he falls hard

He has a week-long crisis, both sexuality and just a general panic about it being Pat of all people where he just, hides away and panics 

Pat falls slower and later, and when he does eventually have that Oh moment, it still takes like a good month for him to catch on that Julian likes him too. Even then, it’d only be because someone else told him, to his face, yes, he likes you (probably Robin)

He tries to brush it off with excuses at first - oh, I’m probably the only one he thinks would allow this, i’m convenient, etc - and then goes onto assuring himself it’s just a fling, a hasty crush, someone prettier will come along and Julian will move on, and then like a year passes and he tells himself it’s only time before Julian gets bored and cheats and that’s fine, that’s okay, because it won’t be a surprise like with Carol, he knows what kind of person Julian is and there’s a sense of comfort in that

But it never happens

It probably takes like another four months before they’re forced to have a very awkward conversation about it and it finally sinks in that yes, Julian is around for the long haul

Despite what it might seem like, Julian is the more tactile partner, always putting an arm around Pat’s shoulder or a hand on his back, throwing his legs over Pat’s lap etc

Pat uses every pet name under the sun and Julian acts like he finds them all disgustingly soppy, but he doesn’t, he absolutely doesn’t 

Julian only has one, dear, and at the beginning, he would only ever dare use it when they’re completely alone and Pat’s already like, fast asleep

(sometimes, Pat would only pretend to be asleep in hopes Julian might say it)

Pat’s a dog person, Julian’s a cat person, and in a living au they’d definitely end up with both a cat and the dog (ironically though, the cat prefers Pat and the dog, Julian)

Also, Pat would do all the cleaning in the house, Julian all the cooking. Why a rich kid would know how to cook is beyond Pat, but Julian is really good at it so he has no complaints 

All the ghouls are baffled by this relationship and very concerned on Pat’s behalf- except Robin. He’s had to sit through all of Julian’s whining and moping and so knows it’s not just some joke or trick, and is very glad for it to be over

Julian tries to teach Pat how to play chess, but Pat is so bad at it. They settle for playing snakes and ladders, or monopoly 

I don’t think they’d ever get married (two failed marriages between them are enough, thank you very much) but they would exchange rings, a little promise between them without all the flash and drama

I'm going to stop here because if I don't, this could end up being like, 5 pages worth of notes asdfg

[igiveyoumyblood]

‘FIREWORK’MV First Reactions

It’s here, baby! Werewolf comeback!!!! WOOOOOOOOO!

Please let me preface this with the fact that,a lthough I love &TEAM and their concept and watched a bit of the survival show, I don’t know the members yet... expect for K, who other than the concept was the main reason I was interested in this group. I will do my best, but there might just be some ‘ahh yes this guy is doing this, this other guy is doing something else’ in this post. 

My apologies to Lune who know everyone. I would appreciate any tips you can give me. 

As with Bite Me, I was deeply disappointed by the lack of vampire content in this release, but I was happy with the amount of werewolf content.

This music video had a bizarre tone, though - it had the obvious serious and carefree moments of youth and werewolfhood, and that girl was back again - something that I appreciate because she links ENHYPEN and &TEAM. But I could not take the MV seriously when there were all of those shots of her just looking down at them dancing and them seriously dancing while looking up at her. I could not stop cackling - but I’ll point those moments out late, iof they didn’t stand out to you. 

Alright, let’s get into it!

Lyrics

The song is pretty self-explanatory in name. It’s about those moments of youth where you stay out, late at night, together and watch the stars. I don’t really know if those moments exist often in real life, or if they are a figment of fanfiction and coming-of-age movies, but that’s a good chunk of the content of this song. It also has the nice little moments of falling in love that feel like fireworks... literally. 

And there are the mandatory supernatural storyline mentions of magic and stars, and the mandatory werewolf mention of running towards your goal. A suspiscious lack of moon imagery. 

They’re relatively plain and cliche lyrics, but this is when I remind you that, not only are cliches cliche for a reason, but also that werewolves as mystical heroes rather than monsters is a relatively new idea, and is only considered cliche and cringey because it became so popular in the Twilight era. So, let’s just say that the lyrics got the job done quite well, if in a boring way.

The MV

I love the room and the grainy filter they’ve put over the top. I hope this room isn’t supposed to contain 9 werewolf boys because that could create several issues. 

I’m sure there are lots of references to the previous MV and to the webtoon. I ain’t paying for the webtoon (yet), so I don’t know those references other than the girl who shows up later, but I do know that the photos, calendars, and balloons remind me of the MV for ‘Under the Skin’- which had a Y2K theme and which focused on both time passing and a new chapter of life - literally, since K lost his mentor (?) but gained a group of friends. 

And, there is of course the two high schools that the ENHYPEN and &TEAM members go to - I’m unsure how 25 year old K and 21 year old Heeseung (not to mention the other members in their 20s) got into these high schools.`But good on them, I guess.

I also have never really understood the obsession with having idols lying around asleep - the only time it’s made sense is if they’re in some weird dream state - like in TXT or ATEEZ’s storylines. And I’m prettty sure they aren’t in one here. 

Anyway....

I love the unsubtle werewolf representation here. It’s also great because it has the running - which is both a werewolf thing and part of the lyrics. 

However, with the grain, the fog, and the backlight, it really reminds me of Teen Wolf. And I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.

Not sure how or why the girl ended up with a gun but good on her.

However, we then end up with her chasing then on a bike, which definitely gives a sinister tone to the rest of the MV and to the previous shot of them running (which I initially assumed was joyful).

It’s also our first hint of the funky nonlinear aspects of this MV.

And the girl is pictured in warm light - like the sun, and like ENHYPEN. Which makes sense, since she, from my viewing of the MVs and related materials, seems to be affiliated with ENHYPEN, or at least with Sunghoon. 

We get these flashabacks to happy memories of the boys and this girl, which is depressing in the hindsight of what we’ve just seen.

I love this shot. It’s short and snappy but obvious enough to get the point across. He’s against the red - ENHYPEN’s domain which the girl exists in. The gunshot looks like a firework, which was initially the joy of love and the times they spent together, but which now betrays him. 

This kind of cinematography and symbolism is one of the main reasons I follow kpop. 

Because yeah, they’re a jpop group but they’re run by a kpop company in the style of a kpop group.

And we get a nice flashback of what I assume is a party on the beach.

And of course boys being boys at the beach. 

And teenage shennanagins. Is this flower supposed to be a dandelion? in which case - I looked it up, and a dandelion is apparently a symbol of hope and healing. So, since it’s being dropped we can reasonably assume that those things are now gone. 

Here we have the happy fireworks.

And here some not-so-happy fireworks/lights.

Lmao I love how everyone’s just looking cool.

The pyjamas the boys are in also suggest that they are out  of their element and have been suddely disturbed from sleep - you know, by something like someone trying to murder you?

Cute memory with the flowers. And related to the &TEAM theme of collecting and preserving memories.

Dang he’s got a lot of memories. 

And this is where I let everyone know that this is only the first 30 seconds of the MV.

FRECKLES.

Lune who are better than me, who is this member?

Okay these flowers are different from the one that was dropped, but nonetheless bring us into the world of memories. This makes me think that the vampires have powers like teleportation and flight, while the werewolves have powers like telepathy and literally being able to store and protect memories. A very interesting concept, if it’s what HYBE are going for.

Here we have the hands connecting - the opposite of them coming apart earlier, and a reflection of when K met the boys in ‘Under the Skin.’

Nevermind the werewolves can fly too it seems.

Just wolf things.

And notepad - a way to store memories!

Thy literally have every way possible to store memories - cameras, photos, albums, notes, calendars, balloons and mementos. I love it.

This is the scene I can’t take seriously. I love that she is passively observing them, and that they are showing their passion. I also love that the ground has been turned into mud - presumably by the mist and damp, and by them dancing so much. But I can’t take it seriously that they’re all possibly fighting for the love of this girl, and fighting against vampires, and the way they do this is to dance together in a group while giving her a dramatic stare. I literally had to pause the video and take a break to laugh when I first saw this.

Second-hand embarrassment, I guess.

Anyway I’m glad they had fun.

I like that she smiles while dropping the flower - showing that she destroys their hope and love knowingly - but that whoever it was that dropped it out of the members was limp and without hope - she made him drop it.

Also love the creepy subtlety of her plucking a petal.

I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of this scene is, but I love that they’re in their pretigious high school eating their food and there’s just... a wolf. 

Memories!!!!!

And we enter the memories! Which are basically the embodiment of youth.

Epic transition that;

Looks nice

Is more than a little sinister

FIRE

Warm tones aka vampires

Brings us back into the memories

Is done in an easy way to understand despite being so fast

Nice.

I see that your life is a tad tangled, K. That’s unfortunate.

He’s got brithday cake trauma. 

Mandatory wolves having fun scene.

Mandatory sports scene since they play sports. And nice imagery of them fighting for the ball (aka the girl).

Wolves being wolves.

Haha you did this to yourselves, what are you so upset about?

I also  like the contrast of the happier meadow scene and the darker, grittier fight/sports match. And how, while fighting each other, they managed to lose the girl. 

Mandatory &TEAM water scene.

Mandatory being sad and reflecting on the past scene. But why would you bend the memory - you’re supposed to protect it?

Okay first, it’s a beautiful shot.

Second - you know what I said about them preserving memories in many different ways? They literally brought the flowers home!

Okay, that’s creepy. And it’s creepy not only because it defies gravity, but also because, since it defies gravity, it seems like it has been sucked from him - like a piece of his soul. And you know what sucks people’s souls out? Vampires.

I love the transition from the murder fireworks to the happy fireworks.

And now everyone gets to be sad because they were betrayed and are being hunted.

NOOOOO who made freckle boy cry????

And more happy firework foreshadowing... even though the things that it foreshadowed already happened in the MV.

Gosh I love nonlinear narratives.

Honestly still a little bit confused about the sleeping. There are a few possibilities -  that they are kind of dead after the events of the actual MV, and that the sleeping is a representation of that, or that the girl has lulled them into this state of vulnerability, which is why she approaches slowly and with her hands behind her back - a show of dishonesty. 

I see an exposed neck that would be perfect for a vampire to sink their fangs into.

Wonderful shot, very woolfy. I’m just not sure why the music cut out so suddenly when the video did - I’m sure they did it on purpose but it doesn’t communicate much and seems like a mistake.

Anyway.

Conclusions

It seems to me that the &TEAM storyline is kind of like a K angst-fest. 

The MV had a sad lack of vampires, although it did allude to them wonderfully. It did a great job of telling a heart-wrenching nonlinear story, and had lots of great moments. The only thing that I felt was out of place was when they danced while staring at her. Other than that, a top-tier MV with simple but effective storytelling. 

And werewolves whose mission is to store a  preserve memories of all forms is a unique take on the genre which I hope that HYBE will continue to lean into. 

[woodelf68]

Trying to go through and get rid of some old stuff, and I found the letters the school sent my parents saying I had passed the screening done to identify students for the gifted program in 7th grade, which was a class that would take the place of one of my elective choices for the year.

From the first letter: "The course curriculum deals with divergent thinking skills in developing creative problem solving, decision making, analysis, syntheses, and evaluation".

I assume I was just as horrified reading that then as I am now. Just because I liked to read and got good grades in the subjects I was interested in (English, social studies, etc.) did not mean I was academically-minded or wanted to feel more "challenged" in class.

From the second letter, Premise One: (Yes, the points laid out in the letter are labeled "premises", and let me tell you, that kind of stuffy language puts me off immediately.) "Gifted children will be among the leaders and problem-solvers of the future."

Me: AHAHAHAHA (Definitely not me)

"Activities: Future problem solving bowl techniques (Bowl???), Time capsules (not interested, and I think we'd already done one in 6th grade?), a library search of the origins of war (oh boy, just how 12 year old me wanted to spend my time! (not)), group discussions involving values, education, self-concept, death, social security, nature-nurture, vocation (I literally cannot think of anything less interesting), and future shock (I have no idea what this was about, and couldn't care less.)

The next bit's about learning how to research and outline and write a paper, but we did that in regular classes. And then Premise 3: These children are more likely to be vocationally motivated than average students, so the program should assist them in making intelligent occupational choices.

Me: AHAHAHAHA no. Never been vocationally motivated in my life. And I had just gotten out of elementary school, the highlight of my week was probably still watching Saturday morning cartoons, some vague future where I had to get a job was not something I was concerned about. Six years in the future was literally half of my entire life at that point, and felt a very long way away. Asking kids if they have a future dream job is one thing (and suggesting things they could do at their current age to pursue those dreams), but all the tests and stuff they mentioned seem better suited for kids moving into high school.

The only statement the letter made that I agree with is Premise 4: "Gifted children should be given the opportunity to determine the activities they are most interested in." Well, yeah, all children should, but I didn't need to waste one of my elective classes to find out what I liked; I already knew.

Premise 5: "Gifted students have a tendency to become workaholics if they do not learn the importance of a good balance between work and relaxation."

Me: AHAHAHAHA, this is so not me. In fact it sounds to me that this class would have been forcing me to do extra work. 'Relaxing' activities listed are skating (nope, never was able to learn how to skate, I have weak ankles and crap balance), bowling (boring), baseball (boring, too much standing around under a hot sun), and volleyball (only one that I might have found fun, although I sprained my ankle so badly in high school gym class playing volleyball that I started repeatedly spraining it on a regular basis just by like catching a toe on a crack in the sidewalk; even months of physical therapy failed to break up any of the resulting scar tissue or improve my near non-existent range of motion in my ankle. Athletics and me do not get along.).

Premise 6: "The society of the future needs these "movers" and "shakers"...

Me: AHAHAHAHA again, SO not me. I am not a mover and a shaker, I am a sitter and a reader. I think my parents tried to encourage me to take the gifted class, but I am so glad that they didn't force me when I very firmly said no. Idk, maybe there are kids out there who enjoy thinking about death and social security and self-concept, I enjoyed learning practical skills in woodshop and the home ec cooking class that I took that year.

[lamuradex]

Eight Deaths

Part 3 - Prev - All Parts - Next

Third Death - Sleep

The Wizard Artemis had settled down at camp, again toying with the lantern, it’s eerie green glow like a firefly behind the glass. The only sound was the cracking of his campfire, even the wind standing still.

“Well, if it isn’t the wizard,” a smooth voice beckoned. Artemis raised his wand ready.

A figure emerged from the trees. They looked… normal. Tall, thin, but just a man, wearing a trim three piece black suit. His cheeks were hollow and gaunt, there were bags under his eyes, and his hair was rather scruffy, but besides that there was nothing to arouse concerns.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but what was your name again?” the stranger asked.

“Artemis,” Artemis said judgingly. “Sickness asked the very same thing,”

“Well, we don’t exactly talk,” the figure smiled. “I’m sure she was just curious of the same thing as me though. Wondering why Naraja would…” the figure stopped. Their eyes locked onto the lantern, still in Artemis’s hand. “Oh. Now I get it,” they grinned.

Artemis pocketed the lamp, holding his wand firmly. “Cut the talk. Which one are you?”

The stranger ignored him. “No wonder The God of the Dead sent us. You’ve managed to get a soul back from the underworld. You’re not supposed to do that,” he chuckled ominously.

“Who are you?”

The figure locked eyes with him, and a chill ran down Artemis’s spine.

“Haven’t you guessed yet?” they said. “I think you can rule a few out, right? But as you did ask, let’s cut the chatter. I am Sleep,” the figure pronounced darkly.

Artemis’s face fell. “Oh…”

“Yes,” Sleep confirmed his dread. “The one Death that many hope for, but none can plan for. They wish for me when they are old, but some would say I am the cruellest, because no one sees me coming. Death while they dream, never to open your eyes again. Greetings.”

Artemis stared at the being before him. His pulse quickened. It had taken a seat across from him beyond his campfire.

“You’re being awfully casual about this, aren’t you?” he joked. The Death’s smile didn’t break.

“Well, I didn’t think there was a point in chasing you, not like Wrath and Sickness. Besides, I was curious why would Naraja want you dead, but I guess I’ve got that answer now. So, now we wait. You’ll be mine soon enough,” Sleep smiled.

Artemis breathed slowly, his mind whirring.

“So… how do I fight you?” he said eventually, more just thinking out loud. “Wrath is beaten by peace. Sickness is beaten by cures. How do I beat you? Stay awake forever?”

“If you can? It’s a bit of a conundrum, isn’t it?” the Death shrugged.

“Then why play these games?” Artemis thought aloud.

“Why not? Got to spend the time we have somehow, right?”

“But you’re just going to sit and wait for me to die?”

“Sleep or old age, whichever comes first.”

“I am somewhat immortal,” Artemis informed.

Sleep shrugged and sat back to watch.

The pair sat in silence. Sleep watched him. His finger tapped impatiently at the dirt. Finally, after about a minute, he threw his head back and sighed.

“Fine then. Let’s not wait. I’ll give you an opportunity to survive this. It would be boring not to give you a chance, right?” it said distractedly. “That is how you mortals do things? How the God of the Dead might do it too? Gods are playful, and what’s the point of doing this if we don’t play fair?”

“I’d… appreciate it,” Artemis accepted warily.

“Okay then, if we must.” The figure stood. “A game. It has simple rules. To the East of here, about four days walk, is a tower. It has a glass dome atop it which shines in the morning sun. If you can make it there, then you win. And if not… well,” Sleep smiled deviously.

“Four days? I’ve gone more than four days without sleep before,” Artemis considered.

“Exactly. Perhaps I’ve made it too easy. But I’ve set the terms now. Make it inside that tower, that’s all you have to do. But, do remember…” In a blink, Sleep was inches from Artemis’s nose. “You shut your eyes to long, you doze off for a second, you decide to rest that little bit too deeply, and you’re mine.”

The dark figure stood tall again, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good luck!”

And they vanished into thin air… like a dream.

Artemis stood, hurried to pack, and set off east.

For hours, he marched. The sun had long since set, but the air wasn’t cold. He summoned a fireball from his spell book, holding it over his hand for a torch. The flame cast lights over the branches and brush, shifting shadows, vague and unearthly shapes. After a few hours however, he realised he wasn’t being pursued. He was alone. The monotony of his steps began to bother him, so he whistled as he went. The moon was high, so he looked up at the glittering stars. And then he passed the treeline, and exited out into the vast fields of grass that made up the meadows.

With barely a landmark, he walked for hours. Finally, a small boulder became visible, the only thing for miles of rolling green hills. He stopped to sit, letting the flame extinguish and the moon light his way.

He yawned.

Like he’d been stung, he sprang to his feet, slapping his cheeks to wake himself. He pinched his hands, trying to drive away his tiredness. He started moving again.

The next day dawned and it only drew attention to Artemis’s tired eyes. He recoiled at the light, not used to seeing sunrises. The rolling meadows rose and fell, and finally one hill gave way to a large valley, where he could see for many, many miles.

There was no sign of the tower. He sighed and marched on.

The day rolled on without incident. Not a sight or sound to rouse worry. He stopped to eat twice, drank as he walked, and amused himself reciting songs and legends by heart. Then the sun started to set. He looked back the way he had come.

Something stood on the horizon. Against the setting sun. A large shadow.

And then the sun set and Artemis was alone.

He walked through the night. His feet hurt, but he was used to travelling by foot. He’d never owned a horse, not in a thousand years of life. But he was pushing himself. Maybe walking faster than he should. His legs creaked, his eyes were dry, his brain ached. He stopped at a stream to refill his waterskin, splashing his face to wake him up. He looked back.

Something moved in the dark. Something grey, eyes shining against the moonlight. Something slow, but definitely following him.

Artemis moved faster.

The next day dawned and there was no sign of anything behind him. He checked repeatedly throughout the day. His eyes hurt, his mind was sluggish, and by now his every joint was in pain. Twice, he summoned an ice spell just to shock his senses. The third time it barely stirred his eyelids.

That night, as the sun set, he looked back. There it was, the grey… thing. Tall as a man, but lumbering on two of four limbs like a gorilla. Almost spiderlike, but with more of a lolloping gate. He squinted to try and get a better impression through the setting light.

It sprinted at him.

The lolloping turned into a gallop, the thing covering yards by the second. Artemis’s heart pounded. He turned and ran. The thing was catching up, thudding steps thundering up behind. Finally, Artemis span, summoned a fireball, and fired it into the things glinting black eyes.

The flames washed over it like it was nothing, as two grey, pincer like limbs stopped moments from Artemis’s heart. They stopped, frozen. Artemis didn’t dare move.

The thing laughed.

“Like I could kill you like this,” it chuckled, the form reducing and shrinking. Soon enough, the grey form had become something almost human, wearing a black suit. “You know the deal. There’s only one way you die to me.”

“You bastard…” Artemis swore, catching his breath and clutching his chest. His heart was going like a woodpecker.

“Adrenaline is a funny thing, isn’t it?” Sleep said. “It burns through the blood, keeps the body moving, keeps the animal alive. But it has its toll. It all comes due. And when that fuel runs out, then…” They made a popping noise with their mouth. “I’ve heard some humans just… pass out after a good scare. Funny thing that.” They smiled, exposing rose of sharp animal teeth.

Artemis’s teeth were chattering, his heart still pounding. He took a meditative breath, trying to calm down. It did little to help.

“Well, don’t let me keep you. You’re making good time,” Sleep waved a hand, sending Artemis on his way.

Artemis turned and left.

The sun rose again, and a sight lifted Artemis’s heart. Something gleaming on the horizon. A dome atop a tower. He walked double speed, or at least he tried. By midmorning, he was walking half his normal. Muscles burned, his eyes drooped, his feet hurt. He yawned more breaths than he didn’t. He’d already consumed whatever food he had that might wake him up, coffee beans and some sharper berries, but he pushed on.

He reached the tower by mid afternoon, the roof gleaming atop it. With aching everything he stumbled up to the door and grabbed the handle.

It was locked.

With one last groan, and a gathering of whatever energy he had left, he summoned a lightning spell from his book and blew out the lock. With a final gasping breath, he crossed the threshold and entered.

Sleep was there to greet him.

“Congratulations, wizard, you did it. And in spectacular time too. I must say, I’m impressed. And would you look at that, aren’t you in luck? This place used to be a guard tower, so it has beds and everything. A perfect reward for your little trial. So, why don’t you lie down and relax?”

Artemis watched his adversary, trying to keep his eyes open. Sleep just stood there, gesturing to a straw bed. Artemis’s blood ran cold.

“You’re lying, aren’t you?” he guessed.

“Of course I was lying, Artemis. Why would I arbitrarily just let you win?” the Death asked matter-of-factly. “I mean, I was sent here to kill you.”

Artemis collapsed to his knees. His brain felt like it was shutting down. He slapped himself awake, but it hardly mattered.

“Not to say I’m not impressed, but this is where this ends.”

“Then why the games?” Artemis demanded.

“Pardon? I thought it was apparent I was exhausting you.”

“No, not that. You and the other Deaths. You appear one at a time, you each announce yourselves, somewhat anyway, and you attack me alone. Why the games, if you so want me dead?”

Sleep grinned. “I can’t speak for all, but I think they were just curious. I certainly was. Not many earn the ire of Naraja. Fewer still inspire him to send us as assassins. Usually we’re just buzzing away in the background, functions of the world, reapers to the souls who die by our causes. As for why we attack alone… We don’t tend to work together. We don’t get on. Not that it matters.”

“But why would he let you mess around with your prey? You could have killed me when I rested after Wrath attacked me. Why play with me like this!” Artemis growled. Then he paused. “Unless Naraja’s curious too? He wants you to draw this out.”

“Could be,” Sleep half confirmed.

“He wants to know how, or why, or maybe who. He wants to know about this!” Artemis held up the lantern from his pocket.

“Clever, aren’t you?” Sleep mocked.

“Well, he’ll have to come and get those answers himself,” Artemis stuffed the lamp back in his pocket. “I just need to beat you.”

“Good luck. You’ve got minutes.”

Artemis stared into the floor, trying to force his brain to think faster. He considered summoning lightning to shock himself awake, but new he’d barely be able to focus on the spell. He might hurt himself, badly.

An idea formed. A dark glee lit up his face.

“I’ve got you,” he laughed, turning his head to face Sleep.

“Go on then?”

“You’re taking turns. By order of Naraja, you’re taking turns to get answers out of me. I just have to forfeit your turn.”

Sleep raised an eyebrow. “And how are you going to do that?”

“By offering my death to another one of you.”

Both eyebrows went up. Sleep looked perplexed.

“Which one, may I ask?” the fiend wondered. “I don’t think you can inflict Wrath on yourself, and I don’t see you succumbing to a Sickness before you fall asleep. Chance by definition can’t be forced. Most of the others seem impossible because they require another person. There’s only really…” Sleep stopped. His eyes scanned Artemis, to see if he was serious.

“Yep,” Artemis confirmed.

“You… are an insane fool. But good luck to you, if you’re serious. I’d prefer to die in my sleep, honestly,” the Death warned him.

“I can get out of this,” Artemis asserted, summoning a lightning spell to his hand.

“You’d better hope you’re right, because otherwise…” Sleep left the sentence hanging.

Artemis took a moment to brace himself, his tiredness forgotten for a moment. Fear welled up in his chest and drowned it out.

“You realise you’re killing yourself to avoid dying?” Sleep clarified.

“I can do this,” Artemis assured. He aimed the lightning at his chest. With a shaking hand, he put a bolt of lightning through his heart.

His heart stopped.

He felt his body failing. He collapsed sideways, not even feeling the impact with the floor. Sleep loomed over him.

"You'd better be right, because you’re going to meet the very worst of us.”

Everything went black, as the world faded away.

“You’re going to meet Despair.”

Artemis died.

[kyleknight]

Going Through A Phase

Once again inspired by @gingermaple's Red vs Blue/Hermitcraft AU. I simply cannot stop thinking about it. I've got a few more silly little ficlets to post for this, hehehe.

wordcount: 1756 warnings: minor violence, war setting brief summary: Joel and the rest of the Reds are getting really tired of all this Blue nonsense going around. Especially that crazy AI that's been infecting half the canyon and trying to turn everyone evil. ao3 link

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *

Joe Hills is somewhere on this side of the gulch. The Reds have the Warthog parked on a hill that overlooks much of their territory and there hasn’t been a conspicuously blue armored guy running past their line of sight in at least an hour.

Joel assumes it’s been an hour, anyway. The heat from the vehicle’s engine combined with the heat from the unforgiving sun overhead is making him sweat like crazy. He can’t wait for Ren to inevitably get bored with hunting down the stray Blue and decide to return to the base to get back to more important business like doing nothing for the rest of the day. It’s going to be such a relief to get all this heavy armor and gear off. 

At least Ren isn’t making him get out of the Warthog to look. The sergeant is in the other seat, peering through his tactical binoculars and making muffled noises of discontent every so often. A few paces in front of them, Tango is walking around, saying something under his breath.

There’s a stocky little tree a short distance away that looks like it’s wide enough to hide someone, but it’s partway up a hill and Joel really doesn’t want to get out. He thinks Tango might have noticed too, but the pink-armored man hasn’t gone for it yet.

Joel looks in the direction opposite the tree. “Where do you think Hills went?”

“I don’t see him,” Ren grits out, sounding annoyed. 

“Joe!” Jimmy shouts, actually walking back and forth while pointing his gun out. “Get out here! We just want to talk! We’re not going to shoot you this time!”

Joel scoffs. “As if he’s gonna fall for that,” he says. 

All of a sudden, there’s a sound from the radio. Which would be surprising on its own, because Joel didn’t realize the Warthog had a radio. It’s not like there’s any stations to pick up out here in Blood Gulch, the most miserable and forsaken post in the entire universe. They don’t even have the option to leave the canyon to go to a town, because the closest civilization is basically on the other side of the planet. So yeah, the radio noise is unexpected.

Of course, their helmets are all fitted with short-wave radios so they can all talk with each other when out in the field, but they just use those as basic communicators. Why contact a vehicle when you can just contact a person directly? They can even reach the Blues’ frequency if they want to.

“This is Freelancer Impulse broadcasting on an open channel—” “This is Private Bdubs broadcasting on an open—”

Joel punches buttons with his thumb until the sound cuts off. “Why are the Blues on the radio?” he says, looking over at Ren. “And since when did we have a radio?”

“Hm,” Ren says.

“Weird,” Jimmy says. “I’ll contact them. Hey, Blues! Get off our radio, you’re gonna waste the Warthog’s battery! Do it now, or I’ll kill every last one of you. And then everyone else here as well! You’d better watch out!”

What the heck. Joel leans partway out of the Warthog to look at Jimmy, who has stopped with the pacing and is now standing on top of a flat boulder. “That was pretty menacing,” he admits. “But I think that was a bit too much. I don’t think they’re going to take that kind of a threat seriously.”

“Shut up, you fool.”

Joel frowns. That was mean. Has Jimmy been out in the heat too long?

“Is everything alright, Jimmy?” Ren says, jumping out of the warthog and taking a few paces towards Jimmy. “You’re—”

“What? Acting strange?”

“Well… yes,” Ren says. 

“Maybe this is what happens when I get mad and you all just never noticed the real me!” Jimmy says defiantly. “Maybe you’re all idiots who don’t know anything! Maybe you all suck!”

Joel winces and looks at Ren, who hasn’t moved at all.

“Um,” Tango says. “Jimmy… you’re not saying that to Ren, are you?”

“I mean— maybe you suck, sir!” Jimmy says quickly, his tone going frantic for a moment. “And maybe you don’t! But you do! And I’m going to kill all of you!” And he laughs, like an actual cartoon villain.

Joel rolls his eyes. What a dramatic idiot. “Jimmy, if you were getting dehydrated, you could have just said so,” he says. He grabs one of the canteens from the back and hops out of the Warthog. “Here, I’ve—”

There’s the sound of a gunshot. Joel’s hand hurts, suddenly. It takes a moment for him to connect these as related things. Jimmy— Jimmy just shot the canteen out of his hand. It’s lying on the ground now, its contents spilling into the dusty earth.

“Jimmy! You— you just shot Joel!” Tango gasps.

“What was that for?” Joel demands, holding his hand close to his chest.

“Did you just shoot at Joel?” Ren says. “Jimmy, explain yourself! What do you think you’re doing!?”

“Yes, I shot at Joel! Sir! Because he’s the first target in my plan! I’m going to take over Red base! And then the rest of the canyon, and then the rest of the universe! And then you’ll all finally respect me.”

“That’s an ambitious plan,” Tango says, taking a few steps away from where Jimmy is standing and stomping his foot occasionally in emphasis. “Also, uh. You’re aware that Ren is our sergeant, right? You can’t just take over.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Ren says. “If you’ve got ambitions for leadership, you’re going to have to take it up with Command, because Red base already has a commanding officer.”

“Well then I’ll just have to kill you first.”

Wait a second. Something isn’t quite right here. Joel rubs at his hand. He’s not bleeding, but he’s definitely going to have a nasty bruise from this. 

Jimmy wouldn’t act like this. He doesn’t act like this. Even if he was having a bad day, he’d never say anything like this. He and Joel have sat together just about every night since they were first stationed here talking about everything. About nothing at all. About their lives, their hopes, their musings on the meaning of it all, their dreams for what they’d like to do when they’re finally free from this stupid war. About what kinds of food they miss, and how they’ve forgotten what snow feels like on their skin. 

And about their insecurities as well. Joel has told Jimmy how he’s afraid he’s going to be stuck in this war forever and that he’ll never be able to create beautiful things someday. And Jimmy has confessed that he worries that people will never take him seriously. They’ve done what they could to comfort each other, because it’s all too easy to lose yourself to loneliness in a place like this.

Joel has seen Jimmy sad. He’s seen him frustrated and angry with himself. He’s seen him break down and cry.

But he’s never seen Jimmy act mean like this. He’s never made threats like this. 

He’s too kind for that.

“Uh,” Joel says, leaning forwards a bit to catch Tango’s attention as Jimmy and Ren continue to argue. “Don’t you think Jimmy is acting weirdly… aggressive? Just like how Xisuma was acting?”

Tango goes slack and nearly drops his gun. “You don’t mean…”

“That evil AI,” Joel says. “Omega.”

Jimmy breaks into that ridiculous laughter again, and that seems to be what finalizes their conclusion. Joel stares at Jimmy in horror. 

They’re going to have to do something… but what? They still don’t know how to deal with that creepy AI besides beating up its host until it jumps to something or someone else. Impulse seems to be the one who knows the most, but he’s with the Blues, so he’s out of the question right away.

“What are we gonna do?” Tango whispers, echoing Joel’s thoughts..

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Joel says. “It’s… it’s Jimmy. He doesn’t mean any of it.”

But Jimmy is pointing his rifle at them now, and a heavy weight drops in Joel’s stomach. He can’t fight Jimmy, he just can’t. But he doesn’t want Jimmy to hurt them, or for the Omega AI to continue controlling Jimmy’s actions and his words. 

As he sits there, listening to Jimmy threaten them and wondering what they can possibly do about this, he sees two of the Blues running their way. 

Bdubs.

And Impulse. 

Impulse is making incredible speed, and before Joel can think to call out a warning to Jimmy, Impulse lunges and tackles Jimmy to the ground. Jimmy cries out, startled, but Impulse doesn’t hesitate to start punching him repeatedly. 

“Hey!” Joel says, jumping out of the Warthog. “Get off of him!”

“He’s infected with the AI!” Impulse snaps. 

“We know that!” Tango says. “But he’s our friend! You can’t just attack him!”

“Right now, he’s not your friend,” Impulse says, still punching at a shrieking Jimmy. “This is for his own good!”

“Impulse,” Ren says. “Now might not be the best time, what with Omega still loose and all. But I’d like to extend an offer for you to join the Red Army.”

“Now is definitely not the time!” Joel says. He levels his shotgun at the black-armored freelancer. “Impulse, if you don’t get off our friend, we’re going to shoot you!”

Impulse laughs. “Just try it, losers. I could take you all on with one hand tied behind my back.”

“Hey, Impulse, I think Omega is gone!” Tango says. “Jimmy’s voice is back to normal!”

Impulse pauses and slowly moves off the maroon-armored man. Below him, Jimmy is groaning and writhing weakly on the ground. Joel quickly hurries over to help him up. Tango helps, and together, they assist him in getting back over to the Warthog. Crucially, away from Impulse.

“Jimmy, are you alright?” he says.

“Ugh… I don’t think so,” Jimmy says. “Can we… can we get Xisuma over here? I think I might have broken something.”

Joel glares at Impulse, who has backed off a little but still looks threatening. It doesn’t take much to accomplish that— just about everything Impulse does is terrifying. 

“Where’s it gone?” he demands. “Where’s Omega?”

“I don’t care,” Joel retorts. He and Tango have gotten Jimmy back onto the Warthog, and Ren is coming over to get back in the passenger seat. “That’s a Blue problem. You guys deal with it. Just stop dragging us Reds into all your crazy messes!”

[the-world-of-palara]

The Black Rose of Tyr Pt. VII

Aurora did not lie in the fact that she was skilled in dealing with souls, but the process of working with Sarai's soul and blending it into the armor that would become her left arm was time consuming. After hours of weaving the essence of Sarai's soul throughout the black aegisteel armor, passing it through the armor and back into the body of her soul as the armor was set where her arm would be. Sarai felt her soul move in her entire body with everything Aurora did. It felt like her entire being shifted with each movement Aurora made with her soul's essence.

She bore the strange sensations the operation brought her for the entire time it took, and her patience was eventually rewarded. Her body felt sore all over from her soul's energy being manipulated like it had been for so long. Eventually, the procedure was finished and Sarai was free to move her new limb around for a bit. It felt slow and sluggish, but with time she would be able to move it around as fluidly as her real arm. That was the future, but for the moment she was exhausted and sore after the ending procedure and so she retired for the night to the quarters she was given in Khandaral. She did not participate in any celebrations.

Despite her wishes, her body needed much rest after the procedure. She took her time to visit the bathhouse and care for herself more properly than when she was a slave, and she was able to put her hair in its usual braid. She did not know how long it would take to rest, but it did at least give her time to move her new prosthetic arm around and grow accustomed to it. It was simple enough, but felt strange after five years of not having a left arm. A rose-red aura radiated from the openings in the armor's joints, most prevalent through the gaps on the sides of the inner elbow and the palm, and the joints of the fingers. The aura didn't give off a glow, much like her eyes of the same color didn't. She could see currents of her soul's essence weaving with magic throughout the aura under the leather and armor like veins. It was almost mesmerizing to stare at.

It took a full two weeks for her body to rest and her soul's essence to fully settle back into place into her body, and for her prosthetic to attune a bit more to match the size of the opposite arm, and the shoulder it was attached to. During that week, a messenger from Daruma had arrived for her with an item, and that item turned out to be her cloak that was taken from her when she was taken by the drow. It was a kind gesture of the drow to do, to do right by those they had unwillingly wronged. With what Sarai was paid for aiding Khandaral, she was sure to pay the messenger for his time in getting her cloak to her, and gave him extra for a good meal. 

Once she felt she was ready to leave, she packed her things once more, but before she left she wished to do one final thing in Khandaral. She sought out Agmoss and found him standing outside the gates of the dwarven city, basking in the sunlight. She walked up next to him and for several minutes, she joined him in standing in the sun. After five years underground, and seven years for Agmoss, it was welcoming to just feel the warmth of the sun once more.

"It is good to feel this once more." Agmoss spoke after a bit.

"It is."

"Is your prosthetic arm treating you well?"

"So far, yes. I need to train with it and my weapons again as soon as I can to truly tell."

Agmoss gave a thoughtful hum. "Ah, I understand. Where will you go?"

"I plan to travel with the crew of The Blizzard's Howl to Warshire for the time being, train as I have before I came to Khandaral, visit the Temple of Might and Justice. Yourself?"

"I wish to travel back to the Monastery of the Sightless in Mystralia for a time and reconnect with my brothers and sisters. After that, perhaps travel to Aerilon, join Dawnfire , and help prevent things like this from happening to others."

"That sounds like a good thing to do. Good luck, Agmoss. And thank you for helping me stay strong in the last five years. If not for you, I don't want to think on what would have happened to me."

Agmoss laid his hand on her shoulder and patted it. "You are welcome, Sarai. You can stay strong still. Good luck to you as well in the rest of your journey for justice."

Sarai felt herself smile a bit before she left Agmoss and she set out with the departing crew of The Blizzard's Howl . She wouldn't stay long, and didn't grow acquainted with the crew at all except for the captain, a buxom arctic kitsune woman with six large tails by the name of Miyuki and her hellhound first mate named Edward Cinders, a huge half-fire giant, half-fire elementa werewolf man. She would only be with them until she could be dropped off at Warshire.

Where travel by land took just under one month to complete, travel by air was less than two days. A rope ladder had been thrown overboard and Sarai departed The Blizzard's Howl and once again set foot past Warshire's gates. Nothing had changed that she could tell, but that did not mean the shops would not have anything new for sale that could aid her. After putting her father's shortsword in her new bag of holding, she decided to go to the weapon shop to see any available weaponry that could be used. She bought essential weapon care items first such as oil, sharpening stones, and cloth. 

It was there she spotted what would become her ranged weapon, a heavy siege arbalest named Dawn's Lightning with two crossed, stout bows and a thick quadruple Fulgur Chord. She didn't have the hefty one thousand gold for the mighty bolt slinger, but she spent a few weeks returning to what she had done before she left to aid Khandaral, slaying dangerous beasts in the frigid Icewind Pass, hauling their carcasses back to town with the help of someone with a wagon and draft horse to sell to those who can use them. She was able to earn the gold she needed to buy the arbalest from the weapon shop, with enough left over for a few nights stay at the inn.

The arbalest was crafted in service of the Goddess of Sun and Light, and clearly made for a larger person's hands such as an orc or half-giant. The mechanisms on the inside along with the charging handles on either side helped with pulling the four chords back without the need for a mechanical crank making things slow. With her strength and with some effort still, she was able to pull the chord back to the firing position, and with the weapon's Fulgur Chord, fire twenty-inch-long bolts swathed in holy sunlightning at her targets at the cost of the bolts themselves. 

After weeks of training once more to get back into the swing of fighting with each of her weapons aided by the work she did for gold, as well as training her accuracy with the arbalest, she was ready to move on and track down the cultists that had destroyed her life. She took a few days rest afterward to spend more time at the temple and pray to her gods on their sacred ground. For ten years, she had never forgotten what the cultists had done to her, and she felt she was ready to face them. With one of their captains dead, she was filled with determination to see justice done. With the wind from the Icewind Pass at her back, she left Warshire and began to walk the long road toward Chillport. However, a strange but welcome twist of fate brought her to the steps of a large vardo wagon adorned with numerous windchimes, with a massive frostbourne shire horse at the front. The wagon seemed to radiate a comfortable warmth around the area. 

But it was clear it was no ordinary traveling home. The door was open and Sarai had looked inside to see an entire storefront, clearly a small pocket dimension. It was there that Sarai met the traveling mystic and merchant known as Miriam Kostana along with her black forest cat companion. After looking around the store, Miriam had off-handedly mentioned that it seemed very cumbersome to carry so many weapons. Sarai admitted that it was true, and Miriam offered her services as an enchanter to alleviate that issue.

And so, Sarai took her up on her offer, and she was able to quickly and easily enchant Dawn's Lightning to have the enchantment of materializing into her grip even after being stored in another location. It was a much welcome enchantment to the already powerful weapon, one that Sarai was more than willing to pay nearly all of her remaining gold for. But she received a sizable discount for helping her with a story she had been writing. Strange, but Sarai would not complain.

Before Sarai left, Miriam had stopped her and offered her services as a mystic as well. In curiosity, Sarai agreed, and Miriam's ring floated off her finger and opened, numerous rings swirling around one another as she used her mystic sight. Sarai waited for several moments while Miriam focused, her eyes turning dark purple and becoming speckled with stars. 

"Your journey is not over. There is a siege taking place at a stronghold in Sevlrass, in the great Sabaal Desert and at a fort nestled in the location named Black Smoke Gorge. Cultists of Skrios control the fort and defend it against forces from the church of Tyriel and the mercenaries of Dawnfire , who have been quite busy recently haven't they?"

"The cultists, who are they?" Sarai asked briskly.

"They are the very same who have turned your life into a living hell. If we hurry, you may be able to catch The Blizzard's Howl before leaving Chillport."

"Are you offering to take me?" Sarai grew skeptical of the mystic, "What would I owe you?"

The mystic only smiled. "Why, the only payment I require is material for my stories of course~"

Sarai sailed across the ocean aboard The Blizzard's Howl . With wind at the ship's back and magic in the spiritweave sails propelling them, the crew and Sarai made very good time on the journey toward Sevlrass. The war galleon crashed through the waves across the edge of the Sea of Storms, straying far enough away that the heavy winds and choppy waters did not impede them in their journey. The warrior had taken the time during the travel to help a bit with what needed to be done around the ship while she was with them, as her passage was free of charge, but was at a catch.

It took ten less days than what a normal ship would to reach Sevlrass. The cry of "Land ho!" from the barrelman in the crow's nest prompted Miyuki to take position at the helm of the galleon, and she began to activate the ship's levitation crystals through the gemstone conduit. The ship vibrated underneath everyone's feet before it began to slowly rise from the surface of the sea, water cascading and shimmering down the walnut ironwood hull. The Blizzard's Howl kept the same speed at fifteen knots as she rose higher and higher into the air at a steady incline, and was soon close to two hundred feet above the surface of the sea.

In the crew quarters, Sarai had sat in silence and anticipation of the coming battle. She took moments to meditate and soon began to pray to Tyriel, holding the flat of her zweihander's blade against her forehead. She prayed for his hand to guide hers in bringing justice for not only herself, but all those who had suffered at the hands of these cultists. She prayed that this would be the day that she would bring justice for her family, her village, and her former guild that had all been mercilessly victimized. She swore to her God that she would drive her blade through the evil heart of the leader of these cultists.

She lost herself in her prayer so much that she did not pay attention to the voyage after the ship began to take flight, and she was roused from her prayers and meditations by the sounds of the heavy cannon fire from the double drakebores lining the starboard side of the ship. She then heard the yells of the ship's crew and the orders from the hellhound first mate being yelled out. Sarai rose to her feet and equipped most of her weapons, and she walked out onto the deck of the ship to survey the battle.

Dark clouds blocked out the sun as war raged on below in front of Black Smoke Fortress. The air was cooled thanks to the cloud cover, but the humidity was still high. Before Sarai arrived with the crew of The Blizzard's Howl , the forces of the Church of Tyriel and Dawnfire were stuck assaulting the main gates, despite their best efforts it seemed. It was a strong fortress with heavy defenses, including the natural mountain formations around the fortress making the front walls only needing to be manned and defended for the most part. The broadside attack from The Blizzard's Howl had struck across the southern side of the mountain and caused a landslide of boulders and smaller rocks to tumble down onto the men and buildings below.

Sarai felt her blood boil as she gripped the rail of the ship, looking down at the fortress. Her lips formed a deeper frown and her eyebrows furrowed. She glared straight toward the keep at the northeastern side of the fortress before her eyes turned downward toward the fighting taking place away from the gate. Over a decade since these cultists destroyed her village, she was above them, ready to bring the fight to them. She would not waver. She would wipe these cultists from the face of this existence and send them to the great Judge of Tyriel.

It was then that she became known as the Black Rose of Tyr.

As she stared down onto the battlefield, she began to go into a trance. She continued to stare at the battle down below as the sailors around her swallowed potions handed out by the alchemists and yet another broadside barrage fired off from the cannons of The Blizzard's Howl and rained down on the front wall of the fort.

Sarai did not see what happened next as her trance turned into a vision. The world around her faded and turned into a room of gilded gold and marble pillars, black marble floors, and white pearl window frames. This was the Sanctum of Judgement, where those slain by the church of Tyriel were sent to face judgement for their lives. If deemed worthy, they would be sent to Suvlenoyus to be reincarnated into their next life. If unworthy and beyond redemption, they would be cast into the Hells, where their souls would have no chance at ever being reincarnated and continuing the work of evil, and they would suffer for their deeds.

And Sarai was standing in the middle of the Judge's Sanctum, sure to be judged for all she had done in her life up until that point. A towering figure stood before her adorned in gold and silver armor, wearing a white hood that shrouded their face in darkness aside from their glowing golden eyes, and on their back were four great wings of white. In their hands pointed downward with the tip resting on the floor between their feet. The contrast between their armor and Sarai's was very stark. Their eyes stared into Sarai's for several long moments before any actions were taken.

The figure raised their blade into the air and pointed it straight at Sarai. Sarai stood her ground, staring into the figure's glowing golden eyes and receiving a stare in return. The standoff lasted for several long moments before the blade glowed silver and soon Sarai was enveloped in a silver light as well. She began to feel power coursing through her body and great black raven wings soon sprouted from her back, four magnificent appendages that sprouted to just over double her height in length overall. Her eyes burned and glowed bright red and the dull red aura of her left arm changed to a blazing white aura, and her mind and body were filled with the knowledge of how to make use of her new wings.

" Bring them to justice, Sarai Rose. "

The Judge's booming voice echoed throughout the chamber and through Sarai's very being. The figure then raised their sword high into the air and stabbed it into the ground, and the realm around Sarai faded into white. Shortly after, Sarai's vision of the material plane returned and she was returned to the sight of the battle down below The Blizzard's Howl . One more broadside barrage rang out from the double barrel cannons against the front wall of the fort, and the men on top of them were once more sent flying back from them, and the walls were barely left standing. Sarai glanced around at the crew of the ship and noticed they were preparing to jump after each fighting member drinking Potions of Impact Survival.

"Pretty wings."

Sarai turned and looked at the purple-featured raccoon ferakin perched on the ship railing next to her who spoke in a feminine, light Edeonian accent. She knew of this to be the ship's second mate, an assassin by the name of Fable whose gender was ambiguous, and their wit was sharp. They grinned at Sarai with a mischievous glint in their eye, looking her up and down as if sizing up her new form bestowed to her by Tyriel's Judge. Unfazed by Fable's stare,  Sarai only just gave a bemused stare back at them.

Fable shook their head and stood up on the rail, letting out a short laugh and a shrug. " Eh bien, vous n'êtes pas drôle, n'est-ce pas ?"

They gave a salute before downing a potion like the others, and they along with the fighting force of the crew leapt from the sides of The Blizzard's Howl towards the earth below. Sarai stepped onto the railing and without a moment of hesitation followed suit, leaping into the air and diving toward the fight. Her four wings spread out fully behind her and as if she had grown up her entire life with them, she began to fly. She didn't waste time with her newly gifted ability of flight. She only used her wings to carry her down to the ground where the battle raged and where the crew of The Blizzard's Howl were landing in the sand, the Potions of Impact Survival allowing them to survive the fall and land safely in practiced, precise poses that let them jump back to their feet and join the fray as quick as possible.

Sarai swooped across the ground and landed, breaking out into a sprint toward the cultists. She drew her zweihander and wielded it in both hands, holding the blade over her shoulder as she charged at them. The warriors of the Church of Tyriel were taken aback by the sight of the warrior quite literally flying ahead of them with Archangel wings sprouting from her back, but they quickly recovered their senses and charged ahead, following her lead. Sarai let her wings dissipate and leave feathers behind her as the white aura dimmed back to red, but the sight of the blazing white aura from her eyes and arm and four raven wings was burned into the minds of the cultists and caused them to hesitate.

That was all it took for the tides to turn in the favor of the Church and Dawnfire in front of the destroyed gate. Following the shock the cultists were left in, the attackers charged through and put them down. With the front gates of the fort destroyed, Sarai rushed past the cultists she faced, cleaving them down with her great zweihander as her allies followed behind her and took out those she didn't hit. She made it through the broken gates and was met with multiple arrows, bolts, and fireballs being sent her direction. Taking one arrow to her armored prosthetic arm, she ducked behind a wall and put her zweihander to the side, and she willed Dawn's Lightning to her hands from its place back on The Blizzard's Howl .

She took hold of the handle and pulled the thick, powerful chord back and nocked one of her large bolts. She then moved from behind the wall and took aim at one of the spellcasters that had fired upon her and she let the bolt fly. Wreathed in sunlight, the bolt streaked through the air toward the sorcerer and in the blink of an eye and a flash of golden lightning, the bolt pierced their chest and sent them tumbling backwards from their perch. Sarai ducked back behind cover and pulled the chord back, nocked another bolt, and re-emerged to fire at another enemy. The bolt of lightning flying through the air from Dawn's Lightning sent the cultist flying backwards and crashing down through a nearby rooftop.

Sarai ducked back behind the wall as the Church and Dawnfire made their way through the gates and began to assault the cultists inside the fort. Sarai threw her arbalest to the side and before it hit the ground, it dematerialized and returned to where it had been before. She then grabbed her zweihander and resumed her charge deeper into the fort, using her strength and the weight of the weapon to her advantage to bowl through her enemies in her search for the leader. She was an unstoppable force, cutting a path of justice through Skrios' followers and soldiering through any hits that managed to connect with her body.

Ignoring the cuts and the pain, she was like a warrior possessed. She almost single-handedly pushed through the forces of the fort as she made her way deeper. She didn't know where the leader was at, but she suspected that he would not stay hidden for long with her continued rampage. Word would surely make its way back to the leader. Behind her followed a few of Tyriel's warriors along with the half-giant warrior and the half-orc and human barbarians of Dawnfire . A wild elf warcry sounded somewhere behind the group, cutting through the sounds of battle before the roars of a tiger, dire panther, and dire wolf followed. 

Sarai willed her wings to existence once more, her arm's aura turning silver, and she flew into the sky to survey the fort. Arrows and bolts whistled past her as she flew across the tops of the buildings, knocking unaware cultists from their perches and down to the grounds below. It didn't take long for Sarai to find the leader of these cultists. The large, muscled, short-haired and scarred orange dragonborn man was making his way from his command post toward the front lines, pushing his way through and trampling over his own men in the process.

One decisive strike.

Sarai recognized the man easily. The same man who led the massacre of her village, and the massacre of her comrades. Her vision burned with tears she long thought were dried. The trauma bubbling back to the surface of her mind threatened to take hold but she was so focused on the man she glared at. She began to streak through the sky towards him like a great arrow, holding her zweihander forward and pointing at him. Visions flashed through her mind of all those this man and his ilk had torn from her life; Her mother and father, all those she knew in Zavat, her brothers and sisters-in-arms in the Shatterblades , Zarrakas, Brock. Memories of her time with them all played in her mind and drove her to fly faster and faster, her great and powerful wings propelling her to extreme speeds, nearly like a meteorite.

The commander turned toward her but was too late to react. Her blade drove straight into his gut and she carried through, the force of her body crashing into his slamming him into the wall nearby. The force of his body and the tip of Sarai's blade slamming into the wall sent deep cracks all throughout the gray stone surface. The man's eyes went wide, threatening to pop from their sockets while blood pooled and leaked from his mouth. He glared into his assailant's face and she glared straight back into his, and even though it had been years, even though he had not been the one close to her that night to try to grab her, and even though she had grown, he knew who she was. The little girl that escaped.

Sarai gave him no chance to try to speak, and she spared no words for him. She pulled her shortsword from its sheath with her left hand and spun it around, and she plunged the blade through his heart, snuffing out the flames of chaos within it, and before he had the chance to use his breath attack on her. Before he finally perished, he let out a dark chuckle and began to laugh in her face, blood pouring from his mouth and down his chin and body. Through tear-filled eyes, Sarai snarled and twisted her blade, and ended the man's life, sending his wretched soul to the Judge.

One decisive strike was all it took to avenge her family, her friends, and her comrades. 

Those cultists who witnessed the killing of their commander were stricken with fear, and were frozen in place. Sarai placed her boot against the wall and pulled her blades free, leaving the corpse to slump to the ground before she turned to the cultists. She gave them no chance to act before she began to put them down. Those who didn't run were dealt with handily, while those who did run only died tired. There was no pleasure in the killing, only grim duty to Tyriel in the name of justice.

After the commander was killed, the morale of the cultists broke, and within the hour they had all been slain. The silence following the battle was deafening, the only sound for a good while being the wind whistling through the streets of the fort. Soon after the dust had settled on the battlefield, Sarai was approached by a man she easily recognized, despite the trimmed beard and long hair he now had.

"It's been some time, Sarai."

"Yes it has. It's… good to see you, Nibaan."

The old scout smiled. "After a while, I never thought we would see each other again."

"I never thought I would come back to Sevlrass."

"I am glad you did. I'm glad we both did. Would you like to find a quiet spot and catch up?"

"I… would like that, yes."

For the better part of the hours that followed the assault on Black Smoke Fortress, Sarai spoke with Nibaan and avoided speaking with the warriors of Tyriel, at least for the time being. It was with no malice that she ignored them. She only wished to speak and spend time with her old comrade for as long as possible. It was a rare, welcome comfort. She found that it was the most she had spoken in a very long time. She listened to him as he told her of his journey to recovery and his struggles with his trauma following the massacre of the Shatterblades , and what led to him joining with Dawnfire on the path towards a new purpose.

Sarai told him of her journey to the Frozen continent of Vunalis, and the harsh, isolated training she put herself through in the Icewind Pass. She told him of the fight for Khandaral that she had aided in, the loss of her arm, and the half decade of slavery she had endured in the corrupted abyssal city of Daruma. She told him of the strong ally she had made in the monk named Agmoss, and the protection they offered other slaves in their time as slaves. She told him of the seraphim woman named Luna who had arrived as a slave five years after Sarai had, and of the uprising they had enacted and the assault on the city that led to the freedom from Barathrum's control of the drow.

"I was there as well. I must have missed you during the chaos and the aftermath." Nibaan explained, looking into the contents of the mug he held.

"I only stayed in Khandaral for as long as it was needed for me to recover with this arm," Sarai replied with the fist of her prosthetic hand clenched tight, "These past ten or so years have been hell, Nibaan… Devoting myself to Tyriel and Valienca, throwing myself into training was all I could do to keep from killing myself. I needed to find those cultists and kill them, or see them killed."

"Training in the Icewind Pass was a death wish in itself."

"So I was told numerous times. It was how I got by. I'm glad you found your own way."

"What will you do now? Dawnfire has a place for you, if you wish to join. It isn't like the Shatterblades . They… We aren't nomadic."

Sarai was silent for several moments. 

"I…"

Silence came once more for a longer period of time, before tears began to well in Sarai's eyes.

"I have lost everything twice, Nibaan. Twice . I can't lose everything again. I can't ." The fear, pain, and sadness in her voice and in her eyes were clear and both of them pained Nibaan.

But more than anything, the tone of her voice scared him.

"Sarai, I don't think you would have to worry about losing everything again," Nibaan began to explain, "This isn't to put down the abilities of the Shatterblades because they were some of the finest warriors I've ever fought with, but Dawnfire , the equipment and abilities they have are vastly different compared to them. We have a great keep of ironstone, a skilled barbarian wielding a celestial artifact, an immensely skilled alchemist, and a Lifebringer as our leader. Sarai, I won't force you to join us, but the offer is always there after all of this is settled."

Another long silence followed.

"Perhaps I can try one day… but I have obligations to honor," Sarai looked to the sky toward The Blizzard's Howl , still stationary above the fortress, "For their services, I offered my own for a period of time for their business where it was needed. Where that takes me, I do not know. There is also the Church of Tyr I will need to speak to soon."

"It seems like you have much more to do."

"It seems so."

"Do your best to keep looking forward, Sarai. Even past the nightmares that come. What we did today… I hope it helps us both."

"I do as well, Nibaan."

And so, Sarai parted ways with Nibaan, and had journeyed out of where they had hidden away in the fortress. It didn't take long for her to be approached by fellow followers of Tyr, who greeted her in surprise from her sudden appearance, wondering where she had been in the past few hours. She explained that she only wished to spend time with her old comrade without stress over what she knew the church would speak with her about due to the development of her new ability of flight.

It was then that she came to be an Archangel of Tyriel. There did not have to be a ceremony to coronate her, as the Judge had already done so in his court. Word would pass to the churches of Tyr all around Palara of Sarai's anointment as an Archangel. As an Archangel, she was expected to hunt down cultists of Skrios and destroy them, bringing justice to anyone that they harm. It was a cause that Sarai knew very personally of course. And while it was expected of her, the choice was ultimately her own to make. It was not justice to force her out of any life she would want to make for herself.

But she was burned from the life she had lived because of the mad goddess. The wounds in her mind and soul may never fully heal, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue journeying through the world after fulfilling her duty with The Blizzard's Howl , settle with Dawnfire and stick to accepting quests with them, join the Church of Tyr fully and hunt down cultists of Skrios across the world, or just… find some place to be and rest. The decision fully lay in her hands. Her mind was altered, and her soul was fractured. She did her best to move forward through the years, and it was not easy, but she would keep trying.

Only time would tell.

But for the time being, the crew of The Blizzard's Howl had finished looting the fortress for valuables and supplies they needed to keep traveling, and it was time for Sarai to set sail with them for the foreseeable future.

[fourphoenixfeathers]

What is Heretic Emmett's deal with Giratina? Is Giratina just like 'hey let me see what you have happening in Unova?' or is it something more sinister?

Oops, my hand slipped---

Sorry for the wait, but i felt compelled to write something in place of a short answer. I hope you like it!

Tw for Giratina being a bit mentally invasive and for discussion of loss of bodily autonomy.

------------

Emmet was definitely dreaming. That was the only explanation for what was going on with his bathroom mirror.

Instead of showing his reflection, like mirrors were supposed to do, there was a vast chasm. It was filled with floating landmasses unbound by gravity, covered in trees growing directionlessly with no sun to orient themselves by. The dark blue sky swirled with bright purple clouds. It hurt Emmet's eyes to look at.

The surreal cherry on top of all this was Giratina, who was staring at him from the other side of the mirror.

"I am Emmet. I would like to wake up now."

Negation. Stationary. Existent. Consciousness.

Emmet clutched his head as thoughts that weren't his own assaulted his mind. They were loud. Wordless but full of meaning. He tried to put words to the formless thoughts, and something clicked.

"I am Emmet. Are you trying to tell me I am awake?"

Affirmation. Stationary. Urgent.

"Fine. I will not leave. Yup! Staying right here."

Gratitude. Relief.

Emmet winced at the growing pressure. "Can you speak any verbal languages? If we continue like this, I will derail shortly."

Giratina tilted his head at Emmet and rumbled pensively. His response was quieter than before.

Attempt. Connection. Learn. Communication.

Emmet had to take a minute to parse that statement. "You want to learn Galarian through me?"

Giratina nodded.

"How?"

The moment he asked the question, Emmet felt an urge to touch the mirror. Emmet slowly brought his hand up to the glass. It felt exactly how a mirror should feel despite the fact that it was currently being used like some cross-dimensional zoom call. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that there was nothing on the other side.

Permission.

"Granted."

Emmet braced himself for the painful pressure that he associated with Giratina's 'voice', but it never came. Instead, he was overcome by an opressive feeling of being watched. Giratinas's eyes seemed to bore into his, and Emmet dropped his head to stare at the sink. It didn’t help. Belatedly, Emmet realized he was still in his pajamas. He traced the cartoon trains on his sleeve with his eyes while he waited for Giratina to finish whatever it was that he was doing.

After what could have been hours or minutes, the feeling of being a bug under a microscope faded away. Emmet's arm fell to his side. He looked up again, but he couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact.

"I am Giratina. I am sorry I caused you discomfort." The voice was deep and rumbling, exactly what you would imagine coming from something so large. There was something familiar about the intonation, though. Perhaps Giratina picked up Emmet’s manner of speech while rooting through his head.

"It is-" Emmet cut himself off before he could dismiss his discomfort. Ingo had always told him to stand up for himself more. "It is not fine. But if this is important, it might be acceptable. What do you want?"

"I need your help. And I believe I can help you in return." Giratina’s body language was unreadable, but Emmet might have heard a hint of remorse in his voice. It was hard to pick up on, but Emmet knew his own way of speaking. At the very least, he wasn't lying, and there was only one thing Emmet needed help with.

"You know where to find my brother?" Emmet could have rivalled Ingo’s inside voice as he leaned forward on the rim of the sink.

"Yes. I met your brother, once. He was in Sinnoh, three centuries ago."

"Giratina. Is my brother dead?" Emmet’s hands shook. He gripped the sink so hard he feared it would crack.

"I do not know. I was… out of commission shortly after I saw him. By the time I woke up, he was gone. But I know who would know. When I met your brother, his body was being inhabited by Arceus."

"What do you mean inhabited? What did Arceus do to him?"

"Arceus and Ingo were both conductors in Ingo’s body. From what I saw, the coupling was accidental. Ingo retained control most of the time, but when I faced Arceus, Ingo was merely a passenger."

Emmet let loose a sigh of relief. What Giratina told him was distressing, but it certainly could have been worse. Even with the issue of time travel, Arceus’ involvement meant there might be a chance to return Ingo to his proper time.

"So we need Arceus to get my brother back," Emmet concluded. "And you will help me. What are you getting out of this?"

"Human legends say that I am locked in the Distortion World as punishment. But that was not always the case. I was created to take care of this plane. But I resented this task." Giratina paused and looked away. Emmet would almost say he looked like he was trying to make himself smaller. "I allied myself with a human in a plot to rebel against Arceus. Ever since then, my domain has become my prison."

"You want me to fight Arceus for you?" Emmet asked. He did not want to fight a god, but if he had to for Ingo, he would.

"No. I want you to help me apologize."

"...Ah." Giratina wanted family counseling. Emmet didn’t know if he should feel underwhelmed or relieved.

"If this task is too much for you. I will be content if you let me experience your world through your eyes. However, if I do not reconcile with Arceus, getting your brother back will become verrry difficult."

Emmet let a hysterical laugh slip from his lips at hearing his own verbal tic coming from a legendary pokemon.

"I am Emmet. I think I need to sit down."

"Take your time. I can wait."

Emmet considered his options. This seemed good. Too good. Help from a legendary was invaluable, especially considering Ingo was displaced through time. On the other hand, Emmet couldn’t believe how easy it sounded.

"You mentioned 'experiencing my world'. What does that mean?"

"In order for us to help each other, we must establish a sort of connection. It is similar to the one Arceus made with your brother. But Theirs was accidental. Ours would be purposeful. If you allow it, I will be able to use your body like my own. We will be co-conductors in your train. In return, you will have my aid and my power."

Emmet was silent for a long time. A direct connection to a legendary? The world had its fair share of megalomaniacs who would jump on such a chance, but Emmet didn’t care for power. He liked his joltiks. He liked his subway. He liked a good, fair fight with passionate trainers. But he loved Ingo more than all of those combined. He could live with taking a backseat for a while if it meant he could see Ingo again. He grit his teeth and met Giratina’s eyes.

"I am Emmet. I will do it."

------------

So to answer your question: not that sinister actually. Giratina wants to fix his family issues and experience the not-distorted world. And unlike a certain someone-

*cough* Arceus *cough*

-he tries his best to make sure Emmet knows what he's getting into. It'll take a bit to get used to taking a backseat in his own head, but at least Emmet gets a new fren and spooky powers out of it. :>

[prettierthanurbf]

So What?

Y/n walked down the halls to find her best friend, getting the overwhelming feeling she’d be stuck walking into class alone, when she finally bumped into someone she knew. “Oh, great.” She mumbled irritably.

He turned around with a grin. “Well, hello, y/n.”

She rolled her eyes at his cocky grin. “Where’s your brother?”

The question just made his grin grow wider, making your patience even thinner. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” He teased.

She let her eyes wander around the halls to avoid eye contact when her eyes landed on him, sighing in relief, she pushed past his brother and hurried off to Tom. “Hey.” She said happily.

He looked up from his book. “Nice of you to wake up early for once.” He teased.

She laughed. “My parents are going to cut me off if I miss school to sleep in.” She explained.

He looked over her head, his eyes stopping on something that made his eyebrows furrow. “Mattheo’s staring at you again.” He whispered.

She quickly spun around to meet Mattheo’s eyes, turning back around so quick she almost fell over.

Tom helped her stand. “You alright?” He asked concerned.

She put a hand to her head. “I swear if he hexed me I’ll burn the little bastard.”

Tom chuckled. “Now I might just help you with that.”

Before y/n could say anything else, the teacher opened the doors for everyone in the class to walk in.

The whole class was a blur, mostly because y/n was asleep through half of it and hurrying to copy off of To ‘a notes during the other half, paying no attention to the teacher whatsoever.

Tom had to talk to one of his teachers before the next class started, which left y/n waiting outside on a bench alone with a book until class started.

Mattheo, who had grown bored of his friend group, walked off to bug y/n, sliding onto the bench and taking the spot a little too close to y/n.

She didn’t glance up from her book or move. “What?” She asked calmly.

He raised a brow. “No snarky comment? Hm.” He hummed. “Are you feeling alright?”

She rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Mattheo?”

“Ah, there’s the tone I was looking for.” He grinned. “What’re you reading?”

She clicked her tongue. “You could check the cover, you know.”

He shrugged. “It would sound so much better coming from your lips than mine.”

She shut her book, her finger holding the page she was on, snapping her head to look at him. “What do you want, Mattheo?” She repeated, this time a little less calm.

He smirked. “Maybe I want to help with your anger issues.”

“Maybe you should work on yours first.” She said back.

He laughed. “We could work on it together.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’d rather burn. Over and over. For eternity.”

He shrugged. “I could make it worth your while.”

She raised a brow. “What’s your angle, Riddle?”

He looked away with a small grin. “There’s no angle. I just think we could help each other out.”

“Have fun finding someone for that because I’m not your girl.” She slipped a small piece of paper into her book before getting up.

“But you could be.” Mattheo mumbled, but y/n had already walked off with all her things.

His shoulders slumped. “Great.”

Tom walked over to him laughing. “Did you seriously think whatever you were planning would work?”

Mattheo scowled at his brother. “It’s not like you’ve tried getting with her. Why is she so difficult.”

“She’s not into like that.” Tom said in a ‘duh’ tone.

Mattheo scoffed. “All the girls are into me like that.”

Tom shook his head and laughed a little more. “Not the one you like like that.”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t like her like that, Tommy.”

“Then stop going after her, because I swear on my life and hers I will make yours a living hell if you break her heart or mess around with her for kicks. Got it?” Tom said sternly.

Mattheo put his hands up, a familiar teasing grin growing on his face. “It’s not that deep, brother.” And with that he walked off, another grinning glance at Tom before going straight ahead to see if he could find y/n.

He didn’t see her until school was over, when the clouds were making weird shapes up and the colors were changing from the sun going down, the black lake always looked prettiest at this time of day, which is why Mattheo chose to walk alongside it, also in hopes he’d find a weird creature in the water and draw it.

He came across y/n when he was walking back to the school, she was laying on her back, her head rested on her book bag, with a different book in her hands than she was reading hours prior. He walked over to her confidently.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

She sighed. “What?”

He sat down beside her. “So this is what you do after school?”

She rolled her eyes. “Quidditch practice was canceled today.”

He nodded. “Totally forgot you were on the team.”

She glanced at him. “Is there any reason you’re here or what?”

He shrugged. “Just wanted to know how you were doing.”

She pulled a piece of paper put of her robe, handing it to Mattheo without looking away from her book. “You read that and tell me how you think I’m feeling.”

His eyes scanned over the paper. “An animagus? Seriously?”

She shrugged. “Now I’ve got to wait for my uncle Newt to come down here and talk to me about everything.”

Mattheo handed the paper back. “So you can’t go home?”

She shook her head. “Apparently my brothers tore up the place pretty bad and they’re trying to get it under control.”

“So why don’t you just stay with me and Tom?”

She snorted. “Because it’s you and Tom. I swear both of you don’t know how to not argue, especially when you’re trying to do something ‘important’.”

Matthe scoffed. “We do not!”

She raised a brow. “So we’re just gonna play that game now?”

He shrugged. “I mean…”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot if you think you don’t argue with your brother a lot.”

“Just stay with us.” It came out more as a plead than a suggestion, which was not Mattheo’s intention at all.

Y/n laughed. “Beg me.” She joked.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha ha, very funny.” He said sarcastically. “Just stay with us.”

She glanced at him from her book. “If I do will you go away?”

“Maybe.” He said.

She shrugged. “Fine. Just let your brother know so it’s not a surprise or anything.”

“Okay.” Mattheo got up. “Did you finish the other book?” He asked, stopping himself from running off to find his brother so he could talk to y/n some more.

She looked up at him. “Yes. I had most of my classes to read through it.”

“How long have you had this one?”

“Since lunch. Why?”

He grinned. “No reason, no reason.”

“Why?” She repeated, this time sternly.

Mattheo looked down at her. “You’ll find out.” He winked at her before running off to find Tom.

When Spring break rolled around, y/n, Tom, and Mattheo went to Tom and Mattheo’s mansion they inherited when their dad mysteriously passed away.

Y/n explored a little since it was a bit of an upgrade from where the Riddle brothers were staying when she last stayed with them.

She stepped into a dark ish bedroom with lots of books. She walked over to the blinds and pushed them open so she could get a better look in the room.

“I usually like the curtains closed.” Mattheo said, scaring the shit out of y/n.

She turned to him with a hand over her heart. “Warn a girl next time, Mattheo!”

He laughed. “Sorry, sorry.”

She continued to look around. “You know, your room is the darkest one in this whole house. And the most gloomy.” Her eyes landed on the bookshelves. “Except for the books. They’re gorgeous.”

He chuckled. “You can go ahead and take some if you want. I’ve read all of them so I don’t really care.”

She raised a brow before laughing. “You’ve read all these? Like actually, actually? You’re not screwing with me?”

He shook his head. “Is that a surprise?”

“Yes! In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you open a book.”

“You don’t spend any time in the library.” He stated. “That’s where I am during my free time.”

“When you’re not walking around the lake.” She said.

He laughed. “You stalking me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mattheo. I’ve seen you walking around like a loner because I spend most of my time by the lake. It’s where some of the hot guys at our school swim so it’s a pretty good view.”

Mattheo clenched his jaw before letting out a forced laugh. “I forgot you like staring at strangers who are half naked.”

She shrugged. “If they’re hot, they’re hot. I gotta stare.”

“You’re not like… staring at them like that, are you?” He laughed. “Cause that would be weird.”

“Oh, like how you look at me?” She said, raising a brow as a grin pulled at her lips.

He chuckled. “Now, darling, I think you’re just seeing things.”

“Oh?” She asked, walking over to him. “So if I were to take my sweater off you’d keep looking at my eyes?”

He laughed awkwardly. “Well, I think a lot of people would look, honestly…”

She raised a brow. “If your brother was changing you’d look at his chest?”

He rolled his eyes. “No. Obviously not.”

She nodded. “But you’d have a problem looking in my eyes instead of at my chest?”

“Well you’re not my sister so I can look.”

“Well now you just sound like a creep.” Y/n teased.

Mattheo scowled. “Well now you’re not being fair.”

“Oh no?” She grinned, unzipping her hoodie and sliding it off her arms. “My eyes are up here, Mattheo.”

“Screw this.” Mattheo mumbled annoyed. He cupped y/n’s face gently before pulling her in and pressing his lips against hers.

She pulled away for air after what felt like a short time period. “You do that to all the girls who try to take their sweater off?” She asked dumbfounded.

He shook his head and laughed, his hands still cupping her face. “You’re so blind sometimes, y/n.”

She raised a brow. “And you’re not?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “No?”

“You sound unsure.” She teased. “But you are.”

He rolled his eyes, pulling his hands away. “You are more than I am.”

“I’ve been in love with you since I met you.” She said quietly. “And you never noticed.”

He grinned. “So the flirting was getting to you?” He teased.

“I’ll cut your throat.” She said quickly.

He chuckled. “I’ll take my chances.” He pulled her in for another kiss, pulling away when he heard footsteps getting closer to his room.

She quickly pulled back and stood by the bookshelf, getting a book off the shelf quickly. “What’s this one about?” She asked calmly.

Matthe cleared his throat. “Uh, uhm… werewolves.” He said after clearing his throat.

Tom knocked on the door frame. “Hey, there’s hot water on the stove right now. I’ve got to stop by the market to get some more stuff for dinner. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

Mattheo grinned at y/n as Tom walked off to get his shoes on and leave for the market.