thegeneralrpofhell

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Her prediction being correct did little to sooth her raging mind. Lucy hardly went out on vacations, meaning her expectations were high and Aditi would need to work to meet them. Not that it would be difficult. Her one vacation was likely loud and exciting with all of her classmates on board. This could be quieter and less manic, she would enjoy that, right? A break from all the peril and outrageous adventures. Surely, that’s what they both needed. The opposite never even crossed her mind. “That’s unfortunate, but.. I’m glad I could be here to help you enjoy more of you life nowadays. You deserve it, Lucy.”

Aditi rested her hand atop Lucy’s during their drive to the docks, carrying on with simple stories and conversation until they arrived. Happily, she hopped out of the taxi and retrieved the luggage. “Do you mind handling these? They’re essential.” She smiled, handing over the cruise tickets to her partner before grabbing the baggage. “... Would you mind showing me the ropes? You are the experienced one here after all. I’m afraid I’ve never been on an enjoyable boat ride before. How does this work, exactly?” She tilted her head curiously as they approached the entrance to the ship.

———

“Hm? Nope! We are not related as far as I’m aware. He knows nothing of my culture, and what I have taught him, he neglects to remember anyways-“ Putri commented with a pout and shake of her head, watching with glee as Pete left the other two kids in the dust. Her pride only beamed brighter than before. “A reason? Well, he earned my respect. Never demanded it. I challenged him to a show of skill, and he outdid me in the speed department, which is commendable given my talent! Is that not what relationships are built off of? Respect?” She asked curiously.

Iyabo snickered as Angela and Tony tried to keep up with Pete, reaching down and picking up Gasper to keep him from running after them as well. She turned her attention to the others, walking over casually. “Oi, wot’s up, brat? Ya too Drake. Ya look well.” She greeted, at ease around the pair for now. The little skunk on her shoulder stomped his paw, waving at Putri and Drake for some attention.

———

“I think it’s so I can see your reaction on the day of, but- that’s totally useless for us, unless you start crying and I can hear it, heh-!” Fay huffed a laugh. “Our wedding, our rules! Oooh, who do you think will catch it? I want them all to get married too! Who’s next on the chopping block?” She joked with a smile, but was genuinely curious. Out of all the couples, she didn’t expect to be the first to be engaged. Maybe another wedding was around the corner?

At the nudge and mention of his mom, Fay’s eyes brightened up. He could read her mind. “... May would like to be there too, I bet. She always said I’d marry an Aries, y’know? She knew more than me, probably still does.” She looked up to the ceiling longingly, but clumsily reached out and grabbed his hand in hers. “Do you think they’re friends? Your mom and May? I think they’d get along great!”

———

Iyabo found it hard to form an actual response to that comment, quite literally feeding into his remark by getting more flustered than before. A whiny noise escaped her, face flushing and pushing her bangs in her face to hide as best she could. She didn’t have much to hide from him any longer, but genuine comments always got under her skin and set it on fire. “... Y-Yea, later.” She agreed in a quiet voice, putting off his idea until a little later.

Once they arrived, she was quick to walk along with Eagle, checking out all the festivities. Of course, food was the first option. Iyabo wasn’t quite as hungry, settling for something sweet to munch on instead of a meal. She grabbed a Taiyaki, and broke a piece off to bite into, humming to herself. She broke another piece off of the tail end, poking Eagle’s shoulder and offering to feed it to him. “‘Ere ta tide over yer sweet tooth til tanight, yea?”

[thegeneralrpofhell]

“The uh-...last time?” She hummed, leaning back in the comfortable seats as she mused to herself. She wasn’t a big fan of travels, she always got travel sick or lightheaded, so she listens to music to distract herself. But talking to Aditi should work to.

“...Uh...I think the c-cruise Yuri i-i-invited me t-to. That was t-the only v-vacation. I n-never went on o-one as a kid bec-c-cause I was too s-sick andmy t-treati-treatment t-took all my parents m-money.” She didn’t like thinking about her childhood, it was a giant blur of throwing up, threatments, doctors and loneliness. She couldn’t even remember a lot of it. Maybe that was for the better.

“B-But I’m sure this o-one will be g-g-great! I-I’m just a b-bit...nervous.”

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

“I mean, it’s pretty impressive. I’m still not sure if dis scallywag can pull through though.” Drake remained cautiously optimistic, grabbing Putri by the hand and walking alongside her, observing Pete’s walking speed as he surpassed both of them.

“Why’re ye so focused on ‘im anyway? He ain’t yer family or anything, right? Yer just his coach?” Drake never was super close to anyone that wasn’t Eagle or his deceased family, so he had trouble wrapping his head around Putri growing so attached in a short notice.

“So, slick, we gonna meet up with Pete and Putri again?” Tony questioned, throwing the inedible rest of the lollipop in the bin. No matter what Iyabo does, she cannot convince Tony to stop slicking his hair like a greaser, or reduce his sugar intake.

Angela kicked a pepple on the ground, eyeing the nearby playground with a small twitch of her mouth. “I hope we do! Ole Petey’s a knucklehead, but he’s real fun to play with.” They liked getting on the net swing and having Pete push them before he would jump in themselves, real fun.

Tony bent down to pet Gasper, exhaling. It was a bit boring. When he looked back up, they saw Pete running towards them at his impressive speed, almost running them down before he could break, instead falling to the ground. Tony grinned: “Oi, there ya are Wheelie! C’mon, let’s get to the playground! Race ya!”

Tony and Angela ran at not at all impressive speeds to the playground. Pete glanced over to Iyabo, smiling at her and greeting her: “Uhh...Good morning, Coach!” It was afternoon, but it was the thought that counted. He sprinted after his friends and overtook them in no time, their complains could be heard very loudly.

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

“I never really saw the point in not seeing the bride before the wedding. I dont even know if I can wait that long-” He chuckled. “I don’t know, I want to spend the entire day, before and after the wedding with you. But we can do this thing with the boquet, it sounds like fun.”

He was still unsure about his family. He was certain ithey would make it worse and yet he is sad thinking about them not coming. He should probably just leave the past behind.... unless...

“I’m going to make one more invitation for mum, send it to Nadia so she can put it on her grave. Then we should be done with all the invitations. Do you have anyone else that is unable to come you want to send an invitation?” He nudged her gently, already writing Maisie down on the list. It was just the right thing to invite them, even if they couldn’t come. ------------------------

“I like it when yer flustered. Yer cute that way.” Eagle chuckle, turning on the enginge again w hen he saw the cars move in front of him, commenting: “We should wait till we were at the festival, no point in ya being breathless and covered in hickies fore we even make it to the grub.”

He laughed at the thought, the dress didn’t offer a lot of opportunities to hide any marks, so it would be for the better if he was a bit more careful.

It took another hour, but they finally made it to the festival. It was another bitch to find a parking space, but the scent of food was already wafting towards them. Eagle hooked his elbow with hers and they started walking.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi awaited Lucy patiently, trying to keep her urge to go inside and assist her at bay. She knew better than to let her feel completely babied 24/7. Though Lucy had her struggles, she’d rather fall and get back up than have Aditi hover over her like a newborn. She was a grown woman, and she respected her immensely. Once she returned, Aditi eyed the small dog plush bomb in her jacket, snickering. “A fine choice.” She complimented, opening the door to the taxi and allowing Lucy in first, following in right after.

A thought struck her as they settled into the ride. Lucy was very well off. When was the last time she had a proper vacation? Was it years? When she was young? The thought made her sympathetic, but also eager to make this trip memorable. “Likewise. You will be much better travel partner than anyone else, I’m certain. When was your last vacation, if I may ask?”

———

“Haha! See!” Putri proudly puffed up her chest, which could only be compared to a kitten trying to seem bigger and threatening. When Pete was complimented, she herself felt complimented, though she had no right to be. The child didn’t have much of an ego, but hers was big enough for the two of them surely. “He is incredibly fast, and soon he will be even faster with training. How could he not be great with both of us helping him?” She boasted, reaching out and taking Drake’s free hand to hold and swing aimlessly.

In the distance, Iyabo was letting Gasper prance around Angela and Tony, pawing at their feet curiously. She never brought the little skunk to their practices out of fear he would be overwhelmed by all the loud children, but now was the perfect time for him to meet her favorites. She noticed them approaching from afar and waved, calling out. “Over ‘ere!”

———

Fay hummed in thought at his question, realizing quickly that she hardly knew anything about weddings herself. “.. Well, it’s been a while since I’ve... uh seen a wedding.” She gestured to her foggy eyes. “I know that usually, I’ll find a dress and hide it from you til the wedding day... you and me pick special people for our best man and maid of honor... oh-! I need a bundle of flowers to throw at everyone, and whoever catches will get married next!” She exclaimed in excitement, laughing off her enthusiasm, before reaching out and touching his hand. “... And, most importantly, we need be happy. And if we can’t do that with them around... good riddance.” She claimed, as confidently as possible. To help assure his doubts.

———

Iyabo snickered at his destain of her music choice but it was cut off by her squeaking lightly. She didn’t expect to be bitten so suddenly, but it didn’t stop her from kissing back. But, that’s what she gets for underestimating his need to tease her constantly. When he pulled back, she tried to laugh off her embarrassment quickly commenting. “That’d be te lip gloss, genius. Keep it up te way yer goin’ an’ I won’t have any left on ‘fore we get home.” She snorted. “If yer so eager to sink yer fangs inta somethin’, ‘m not goin’ anywhere.”

She reached up on her shoulder, aiming to pet Gasper but forgot he wasn’t there, laughing at her own clumsiness. “Better make it fast though, traffic won’t last ferever, y’know?”

[thegeneralrpofhell]

“I-I c-can imagine...I w-wouldn’t wanna e-eat the d-d-despair of some f-f-for-forcef-fully e-edgy teen...” She chuckled at the thought. Emotions probably needed to be as genuine as actual food or it would just taste bad. Sometimes Lucy forgot that Aditi can’t eat normal things and felt bad for eating a snack.

“I’ll be right back, I’ll g-get a sma-mall one..J-just in c-case...” It took a bit for her to make it up the stairs and into her room again, taking her coat out and looking at the different bombs in there. She needed something small that wouldn’t grab anyones attention, also not big enough for, when it explodes, it wouldn’t cause too many waves. She eventually decided on one that looked a bit like a stuffed dog , stuffed it in her jacket and made her way back down, almost falling the last 6 steps.

“A-a-alright, we c-can go...” She smiled. “I-I’m loo-looking forward to i-it. I h-haven’t been on a v-ac-v-vacation in a long time!”

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

“Uhhhhh....” Pete tried to remember the time for Putri, scratching his head in thought, remembering really wasn’t his strong suit. “Uhhh....t-twelve? 12 seconds?” Pete more asked than declared, he wasn’t sure if that was his best time. For an 8 year old it was a speed to behold of.

Drake whistled: “Damn, ye’ll be faster than a shark when he smells blood.” Drake grinned, definitely impressed.  “I see wot ya mean. A bit o’ training and ‘e could become a champion!”

Pete looked more excited to go to the beach than the prospect of becoming a champion, going through his pockets to find a lollipop for Tony but ending up empty handed.

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

“.......” Yuri didn’t respond, still struggling to delete their names. It felt like he would completely give up on them...but on the other hand, why would they give them the satisfaction of being invited, wouldn’t it show they were still dependant on them?

He scratched his head, sighing deeply. He really didn’t know what the right decision was, objectively speaking they needed to be invited, because they are family, but subjectively speaking...they aren’t good people anymore, after everything they have done.... It was a hard decision, but he eventually deleted the names, with a heavy heart weighing him down.

He put his head on his hand. “You can have Aditi walk you down the aisle, do I really need someone? Am I not on the altar first? How do weddings even work-”

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

Eagle smirked down at Iyabo, taking a quick look at the traffic to make sure it wouldn’t suddenly get better, commenting: “Dat’s a terrible song.” before diving down to give her a kiss, biting her bottom lip gently before sitting upright again, licking over his lips:

“Did ya eat sweets fore we get to the festival?” He then commented with a smirk. He was a little hungry, he had been looking forward to the festival food and now he had to wait longer. Though making out wasn’t too awful.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi huffed a laugh along side her. “I’m inclined to agree. Cheaply prepared food never ends up well. Be is real or despair. Someone forcing their emotions tastes awful, believe it or not.” She informed, trying to find a way to relate to something as simple as eating shitty food. When Lucy mentioned her explosives, Aditi hummed. Her appendages already subtly loaded their luggage into the taxi. Thank god the driver was too busy playing on his phone to notice her literally spider legs. He likely wouldn’t even notice a bomb either. Lucy did enjoy being helpful too. There’s no shame in being overly prepared...

“... You always did feel safer while armed, yes? I agree. Bringing along one would be wise of us.” She smiles, taking care to lean closer and talk a little quieter. “I trust you to handle this one.” She nods towards the doorway, ready to patiently allow Lucy to grab her best explosives for the trip.

———

Putri hummed in agreement, satisfies that Drake was willing to give Pete a chance, despite his shortcomings. She did the same not to long ago and was impressed, she had no doubts he would follow a similar path. The dancer at the utmost faith in this tiny ditzy boy. “Aha.. her father figure convinced her to try out as a couch! She simply enjoys their company enough to continue!” She smiled at Pete encouragingly, motioning for him to follow. “We shall take him to the park! I asked Iyabo to bring her children there as well to practice, and then you shall see just how impressive he truly is. Tell me, Pete! What was your fastest time on the track run again?” She asked him expectingly, ready to boast on his behalf once again.

———

“.... Yeah, I think you’re right.” Fay agreed solemnly, reaching down to pet Mortie for comfort. The Samoyed eagerly licked her hand in response to the affection. “I know your dad doesn’t like me, for his own.. strange reasons, and he... would only put a damper on things too.” She laughed dryly at the reminder. Kasimir never even gave her the time of day simply due to her lack of sight, and that left her beyond dejected in the past. Fay had moved forward despite it, but the reminder of that massive blow to her confidence still stung. But, what helped was Yuri not standing for it any longer. He wouldn’t let her be looked down on for such a small reason, and that filled her with the most bittersweet happiness.

Her smile came back slowly. “Hey, don’t worry too much. This is our day, and it isn’t theirs to ruin anymore. Plus, Audi would be honored to walk us down the aisle.” She teased lightly, but genuine in her comment.

———

“Mm, we’ll see ‘bout that once ya put yer money where yer mouth is, feathers.” Iyabo challenged back playfully, eager to prove herself but more so to just have fun with this festival again. It felt like far too long since they’ve had a good amount of time together. Which makes her cherish these moments more so than ever. One day he’ll be around more often, once he’s done climbing through the ranks. She was busy keeping her trainees from being eaten alive most days anyways.

Once the car came to a halt, and she felt the wind in her fingers cease, she huffed impatiently as well. Seeing as the cars were at a crawling pace, she took it upon herself to use this time to her advantage. “Guess we better entertain ourselves then, ‘fore ya try ta make this thing air born.” Iyabo shuffled over to sit right next to him, messing with the radio to turn up some trashy rock music and nudge his shoulder. She was hoping he’d get the hint, and wouldn’t need to pull him down by the collar to get a kiss.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

“N-Not really. Y-Your aest-aest-t-...looks can’t be trumped.” She failed at saying 5the word she meant, but she was sure that Aditi knew what she was talking about. She attempted to play with her hair, only to realize that it was in a bun, laughing nervously. “N-No...never actua-...ally. I was on a p-plane once th-th-though....the food was b-bad-”

She attempted to take her luggage back, then sighed in defeat. She didn’t like feeling like she doesn’t do anything. She wanted to help. But she didn’t say anything, instead following Aditi along: “D-did you get a b-boat? Sh-should I take a b-bomb with us for e-em-emer-mer.....emer-...gencies?”

She leaned against Aditi. She never really was on a vacation just with Aditi, so it was terrifying yet exciting. It would be great for their relationship, she was sure. If she wouldn’t completely blow it that is. ----------------------

Drake raised an eyebrow at Putri’s enthusiasm, glancing down to Pete again, who stared vacantly at nothing in particular. “Can ‘e even steer with that big head of his?” Drake laughed, clearly not serious.

“I’m just gonna take yer word fer it. I can see you do be gettin’ attached, so sayin’ no ain’t really ‘n option anymore.” He barked a laugh, which seemed to snap Pete out of his daze.

“Uhhh....what are we gonna do now? Are we gonna train?” Pete didn’t even notice the hook Drake had on his left hand when he scratched his head with his, turning to Putri: “Tis yer plan, lass. What do ya wanna do?” He bend down to give her a kiss, then he grinned.

This Pete kid was a little suspicious, but Putri clearly deeply cared about him and not just his speed, so he’d help her. Maybe he’ll grow attached too.

“Aditi never struck me as a sports fan!” Drake commented with a smile.

“Yeah, uh...when we saw her the first time she was real grumpy.” Pete snickered.

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

“Nah, dad wouldn’t come if his life depended on it. He doesn’t really care about me anymore...he just cares about my life and power...” He sighed, slumping in on himself with a depressed noise.

The question was if they should invite their family. He wrote them on the list without even thinking about it, but now he had his doubts.He glanced at the names in the computer, squinting. “I guess....when they wouldn’t come anyway, we don’t need to give them the satisfaction of being invited, right?” Yuri suggested, hands hovering near the keyboard, still unsure of he should delete the names.

“I mean...they make us unhappy, right? Why would we want them at our day then? If they wanted to make amends, they probably would have done it already...”

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

“We’ll see bout dat! I’m a pilot, I got the precision of ‘n actual Eagle! ‘n the metal throwing arm with it!” He grinned again, this time smugly, his eyes not leaving the street though. It was reasonably full and they got stuck in traffic for quite some time, there were a lot of festival goers on the street.

Eagle grumbled to himself, impatience rising. Next time he’d just fly and park his plane wherever, no matter if it was legal or not. He hit the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off for not even a second before he leaned back with a groan. “Dis sucks. I ‘ate traffic, I can see why I became a pilot ‘n not a taxi driver.”

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi stalled at Lucy barreling out in a hurry, giving a small snicker at her enthusiasm. A content smile came to her face when she saw how Lucy had dolled herself up for the occasion. She knew how insecure her girlfriend could be, and doing small things to uplift her was something she enjoyed. Praising her being the favorite. She set her own bag down and walked over to Lucy. The taller girl didn’t give her time to doubt, her hands gently cupping her face and leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “You look better.” She countered quietly, smiling before looking down to their bags. “Have you ever been out at sea before, dear?” She asked curiously, a couple of her appendages shot out on instinct and grabbed the luggage for them both. Seems they were eager to go on this vacation too.

———

Putri clapped her hands together and bounced in delight at their brief interaction. Pete announcing his full name made her squee quietly, but noticeably enough. She was beyond excited and proud of the young one for simply.. existing, in this moment. Needless to say, she was caught off guard by Drake asking if she had the correct kid. “Hm? Oh yes, he is the one! Truly, no other child can compare. You see, my goddess- Aditi-! Aditi, roped me into assisting with her part time job, being a sport’s coach. That is when I met Pete. He outruns all of the competition, I have seen nothing like it before.” She boasted, throwing her short arms in the air for dramatic effect. “We can excel him to greater heights, I know it! Intelligence is.. optimal, but it isn’t always necessary to make a champion!”

———

Though Fay wanted to giggle at the idea of the kids in suits, the topic at hand was far too depressing. The more she thought about it, the more she realized... her friends felt more like family than her actual relatives did anymore. “... I know. It feels like a stupid question to ask almost. Do we wanna invite our family? Yes, of course, we do!” She exclaimed, only to deflate a moment later. “But... that’s not the real question, Yur. The real question is should we invite them.” She toyed with a stray strand of her hair, sighing deeply.

“... I don’t think my dad would even come. My mom would drink herself to death and try to take her dress off-“ She cringed at the mental image, remembering all the family functions and school events her mother ruined because of her rabid alcoholism. She definitely didn’t want her wedding to become apart of those not-so-found memories. “Do you think your dad would even come...?” She asked curiously.

———

Iyabo flushed while laughing, trying not to stare at his sharp teeth. She wouldn’t admit it regularly, but she liked them. She liked most things that had animal-like qualities to them. He fit the bill, from his canines to his given name. “Shit, guess I don’t got a choice dis time ‘round. Te car’s warmer than some alleyway, I ‘pose. Ya won’t beat me in te game department though, I’ll tell ya that. I practiced since last time, an’ ‘m a pro at throwin’ darts now!” She proclaimed, remembering how she accidentally hit the poor man running the dart game in the head last time. It made for a good laugh now at least.

“Hell yea. I like lookin’ nice as much as te next girl, but I ain’t keepin’ dis dress on longer than need be. Only fer te festival.” She confirmed, cringing at the idea of wearing these outfits longer than need be. Even if they did look nice.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Lucy had been taking all morning to get ready. She didn‘t have a lot of clothes because she always hesitated to accept help and shopping with Fay always ended up with her complimenting everything she wore. Sometimes Lucy forgot she couldn’t see and got excited. Doing her makeup also took forever, she smudged her eyeliner so many times that she was just ready to give up. She tried to conceal her bags and use a bit of foundation to make her look less pale, deciding eventually on a comfortable and simple black jacket, black leggins with boots and a light blue and elegant looking blouse. she usually wasn’t one to dress up, but she wanted to look decent for Aditi, just in case she changed her mind about the whole relationship.

She tied her hair up into a messy bun so it wouldn’t get in the way during their travel and applied a bit of deodorant, not liking the strong scent of perfume, before looking up. “U-uh. Almost!” She called out nervously, looking at her luggage. She had Clothes, spare clothes, swimming clothes, bathroom stuff, her favourite pillow and she probably forgot something she really couldn’t think of at the moment, stepping out in a hurry and gulping. “H-Hi! You look g-g-great! Where are we g-going? I’m l-looking f-f-forward to it!”

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

Drake raised an eyebrow, looking from Putri to Pete, holding his gaze for a few seconds, then glancing back to Putri, announcing: “Ye do be sure ye got the right kid?”

Drake’s doubts were warranted, Putri spoke very highly of him, but from the looks Pete doesn’t exactly ooze potential, he oozes more the mental image of dropping out of school and now even realizing it.

Still, Drake was willing to give him a chance, clearing his throat to suppress his accent at least a little bit: “What can ye do, son? Pete? Is that short fer summink?”

“Uhh...my name is....Petterson......Atticus.....Ezekiel....Oswald....Wheeler...but everyone calls me Pete.....sometimes kids like to make fun o’ me....when they lose or do bad, they always say ‘U Poppa Wheelie?’ and I don’t get how that is supposed to be makin’ fun of me...” Drake sweatdropped at Pete’s answer, this kid had an even longer name than Putri’s, his parents must be rich psychopath’s or something. He looked back to Putri and noticed her font expression, sighing: “What can ye do, boy?”

“I can run real good.” He smiled when he responded.

Drake turned to Putri: “Are ye sure he be the right kid? Big ‘ead doesn’t mean big brain-”

“You are the same person? I hope I won’t confuse ya later.” Pete commented with a smile.

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

“I don’t think I can force half of them into suits. Even if it would look super cute. I always had a soft spot for little men in little suits.” He chuckled, his amusement growing at the mental image Fay put in his head. Reese would probably be the only one willing to actually wear a suit, but imagining them behaving was already funny enough for him. Tony in a suit would be priceless.

The good mood quickly faded though, argumenting: “Can we really though? They are family. ...they aren’t a good family, but they’re the only blood related relatives we have....even though I doubt dad would even come...” He sighed. He always wondered if Kasimir was actually himself. Ever since he saw the younger version that just vanished one day, he theorized that something happened to him, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“This is embarrassing Fay, us contemplating to invite our only family...Imagine everyone sucking so much.” His shoulders slumped.

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

Eagle smirked, his sharp canines in display as his lip pulled back: “No offense, but the fuckin alley is the most uncomfy place ya could do it. At least contain yerself til we’re at the car. I also wanna win some prizes at the games!”

He was definitely excited. He was always super busy because of his job, but he took three days off to spend more time with Iyabo. He still whispered: “We’re only gonna look like dis fer the festival, right? Cause I ‘ate gettin’ ready.”

He chuckled, driving across the highway to the town the festival was being held at. it wasn’t so far away, thank god.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi nodded at the simple explanation, though she did pout briefly at his laughter. It was advise she had heard before, but had trouble accepting. All proposals were different depending on the target. Fay would love being proposed to under the stars, Iyabo would be most comfortable in nature, Putri on the shore side, it was easy to guess. Lucy preferred the quiet despite her dangerous talent, which Aditi shared the opinion on. Out a sea, there would be nothing but the water and them. She could wake her early, gaze off the peer at the sunrise, and have the perfect setting. She was worrying for nothing, this practically couldn’t be ruined. “I’ll keep it in mind.” She agreed.

She stood and grabbed her luggage and said her goodbyes, taking care to thank Yuri for his reassurance, before heading off to fetch Lucy. She carefully knocked on her doorway, calling out. “Lucy? Are you ready, dear?”

———

Putri nearly got indignant at Pete not understanding a word she said, but she found it hard to do so with his easy smile looking back. He was always so content with his life. Oh, how she longed to be in that state of mind...

Once Drake called from afar she waved back and bounced in place to be seen easier. “Here, here!” She called out excitedly. After he got close enough to hear properly, she shook her head and laughed lightly. “Nope! This is my pupil! I wanted you to meet him properly, since we are one in the same.” This was her strange way of saying they were dating. “Pete, this is Drake, my equal! Drake, this is Pete Wheeler, our prodigy!” She claimed proudly, unconsciously saying “our,” instead of “my.”

———

“I’m sure the boys would honored.” Fay agreed with a giggle. “It’s hard to pass up the chance to see Putri shove Pete into a tux and try to keep him from drooling on it.” Even without her eyes, she could picture the image perfectly in her brain, and it was adorable.

Her expression dropped along with Yuri’s, frowning and knitting her eyebrows together in confusion. They hadn’t mentioned their relatives in a while, for good reason, of course. Yuri only had his abusive father who didn’t even approve of Fay. Fay only had a father she hadn’t seen in years, an embarrassing alcoholic mother, and an aunt who didn’t respect her enough to use her new name. Such a fine group to chose from.

Fay leaned forward, her cheek resting in her palm tiredly. “Right.. forgot about them.. or I- wish I could forget about them. Heh...” She laughed half heartedly.

———

Iyabo was nearly about to make a sly remark, but halted when he took her hand, losing her words and hmphing like a pouty child. This felt so unusual for them. Dressing up, going out to some festival, y’know.. acting like a normal couple. She didn’t want to admit small things like this flustered her, but she was slowly making peace with the fact it would become obvious to anyone with working eyes by the end of the night.

She hardly noticed the speed, accustomed to it from riding her own motorcycle so often. Eagerly, she rolled the window down to feel the wind between her fingers. She snorted at his remark, smiling to herself at the memory. “Yea, ‘m sure it’ll be just as fun. Maybe this time we can make it back ta te car ‘fore we neck in an’ alleyway. Unless that was yer plan fer te night? I won’t complain.”

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Yuri almost bursted out loud at the question, commenting: “I feel that my situation differs a lot from yours, haha!” He smiled, moving a bit to the side so Aditi could see the decorations better. He still had to call Kegy to commission a cake, but that still had a lot of time. But it was better to get everything done quickly so there wouldn’t be a lot of stress. “I went on a trip with Fay, we watched a movie first, then went for a swim, ate something and then I took her on the field to stargaze together. I asked her under the stars.” He informed her. 

“But the location usually doesn’t matter. The person proposing does. So it should go well for you....unless Lucy get’s seasick.”

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

Pete stared at Putri for a few seconds, a bit of drool coming out of his mouth as he smiled at her. He clearly didn’t understand a lot of the words Putri just shouted to the heavens, tilting his head.

“Uhh...were you talking to me? Cause uh...i didn’t understand ya..” He admitted, jumping into the sand to leave some prints, giggling at the heels of his sneakers in the sand. He got a bit grumpy when he couldn’t leave prints anymore, but he would live.

He tried to whistle for a bit, at which he failed miserably, before spotting yet another boat coming closer. It was a smaller one, definitely not as big as some of the others and a man was steering it, calling out.

“Ahooyyyyy, Putri! What was it ya wanted ta show me?” Drake grinned from the distance, immediately spotting her, then noticing the child that was standing next to her, waiting until he was closer to her.

“I didn‘t know ye ‘ad a brother! Who’s the lil landlubber?”

Pete definitely didn’t understand pirate talk, looking even more confused than before.

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

“True, I really wouldn’t wanna decide, that would just cause a lot of drama and I’m really not in the mood for drama.” Yuri commented, making some more notes, one of them being that they needed to get suits and dresses for not only them, but also the guests. “Maybe I’ll make all the male kids and Colin my grooms and everyone else could suck it, that would be funny.” He chuckled to himself, making a mental note to maybe do this as a joke or something.

“Fondant is actually just solid and coloured sugar, so it is kinda gross, easier to model with though. But I’m sure that Kegy can model with buttercream just fine.”

He humed, tensing up at the question of the invitations, a lump forming in his throat. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at the guest list one more time. At the very bottom, both their blood families were, marked as uninvited.

“....We still need to decide if we invite our family...” Yuri finally admitted, looking back at Fay with a sigh. They had put it off for a long time...it was time they confronted it.

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

Eagle barked out a laugh, eyeing her up and down before commenting: “Ya don’t loo so bad yerself! It highlights ya figure!”

He grinned, taking Iyabo by the hand and leading her to his car. It was a pretty average Ford that only looked a few years old. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Eagle can’t just fly planes.

He opened the door for Iyabo to get in before climbing into the drivery seat, turning on the navigation and leaving the parking space, driving down the road. He drove a bit too fast, but that is due to his impatience. He was used to flying speeds.

“Remember when we went there last time? ‘twas real something. I ‘ope dis year’s just as great!

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi huffed lightly, managing to zip her suitcase closed after a slight struggle. Carefully, she placed the ring atop the luggage and sat on the bed next to Yuri, giving herself a moment of rest. Pacing was helpful but there was no use wearing herself thin. We aren’t even on the ship yet. She scolded herself internally. Their relationship had always been so laidback and nonchalant, taking things to the next level felt so serious and unnatural almost. This wouldn’t scare her off would it? She hoped not, or else this trip might be more awkward than fun. I should wait til the last day, just in case... there won’t be any pressure on her to agree and keep the peace in that situation.

“How did you propose to Fay?” She asked, shamelessly eyeing over his shoulder at the colorful decorations he was looking over. Briefly, she wondered what their wedding would look like. You’re getting ahead of yourself, she hasn’t agreed yet.

———

Putri was happy to see Pete enjoying the ocean view, since she figured this was one of his first times (if not the first time) seeing the sea. It was a magical moment, worth celebrating! Though she would love to take her time to stroll, Pete naturally walked quickly and they were on a schedule. She picked up the pace to keep up with her pupil. “Aha! You are coming to meet my second in command today! My equal! The only one who can match my fire! Today, you will gain another mentor to help advance you in your career and harness your strength!” She proclaimed proudly, leading the small boy over towards the ship docks where various large boats were coming to a halt. The dancer looked left to right, trying to spot the correct ship. He should be here soon...

———

Fay giggled at his confusion, deciding she agreed with the sentiment. “Welll, it’s our wedding, so we can have as my best men and maids of honor as we want, I say!” Mortie wagged her tail and nudged her head against Yuri’s hand, signaling that she also agreed. The most important opinion of all, since Mortie would be holding a little basket of flowers with Gretchen at the wedding to accompany her. “Or, it might be funny to let them all fight to the death over who gets the honor.” She teased, shuffling the stack of invitation cards. Though she couldn’t see them, Fay was certain they were beautiful and loved to feel the fancy design indents on each one of them. “Buttercream sounds sweeter, and easier to get out of our outfits when we throw it at each other!” She stuck her tongue out playfully.

While shuffling the cards, she began to count them carefully. “You don’t think we messed anyone in our invitations, right?” She asked curiously.

———

Iyabo jittered in place at his response, suddenly feeling more self conscious than she ever had before. She hadn’t ever really dressed up to go out with him, not formally like this. With Michi, she needed to do it all the time. In fact, her ex would purposely set dress codes just to discourage Iyabo from showing up and gate-crashing her parties. That didn’t stop her, but it was annoying to get dolled up. She paced around anxiously, being sure to pet Gasper before leaving him in his cage to get some extra sleep.

“Don’t worry, Iyabo! I think you look great!” Fay reassured her, patting her shoulder.

“Really-?” Iyabo began, only to pause half way through when she noticed the astrologist’s shit-eating grin. “Ugh! I hate it when ya do that-!” She complained, shoving her way to the front door. “‘M waitin’ outside, don’t any ‘a ya wait up fer me tanight!” She called back, opening the door and luckily walking right out as Eagle arrived. “Ah-!” She startled, noticeably twiddling her thumbs and eyeing him over. “Uh, Oi, nice- uhh! Ya look nice, that’s wot I meant, yea.” She corrected herself nervously, tugging at the bottom of her dress. Smooth. Real fuckin’ smooth.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Yuri was in the middle of swiping on his tablet to pick out the best decorations for the soon to be announced wedding. It never hurt to start planning. He thought a black, blue and green peacock-theme would fit them greatly, even if it would clash with his hair a lot. He glanced up to raise an eyebrow at the pacing bride-to-be, unconvinced by her theory: “I highly doubt it. If she wasn’t interested, don’t you think she would have broken up sooner? The only way I could imagine her saying no is because she doesn’t feel ready and is scared.” He was a bit sceptical about the ring. It was a very nice ring with a blue jewel and rainbow moonstones around it, but he knew Lucy didn’t like the blood money Aditi was making, especially when she spent it on her. Hopefully that would cause no conflict. --------------------------------

Pete dug his sneakers into the sand with a small squeaking noise when Putri ordered him to cease, the sand bundling up around him as he quickly came to a halt from his great tempo, glancing to Putri in confusion. “Uhh...oh, yeah...” He then remembered. He never actually was on the beach before. He never really was on any trips to begin with.

This also meant that he couldn’t swim, as it was never necessary to learn. But Pete didn’t know that, unaware of how powerful the ocean can be, holding his hands into the cold water, shivering lightly. “Uhhh...where are we going again?”

Pete, forgetful as he was, jumped next to Putri to walk in an even pace with her. It was a bit too slow for his liking, but what was he gonna do? He admired all the blue he was surrounded by, smiling. He started walking faster again without even realizing it.

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

Yuri looked up from the different cake ideas they shared, eyebrows furrowing. “Can’t you- uh- pick more than one? In those movies and stuff there are sometimes more. They are all insufferable, so I don’t want to decide. Maybe I’ll ask Colin if it can only be one...”

He was understandably nervous, but also excited. It was a lot of work, but the kids and their friends had been a great help. They already decided on flowers and most of the decoration, but they still needed outfits, final touches, a cake, the right venue. So much to do.

“Putri might challenge the groom to a duel if you picked her.” He chuckled, shifting through the cakes again: “Do you prefer buttercream or fondant? For me it’s buttercream personally.”

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

Eagle knew that festivals were a serious thing, Drake reminded him of that more than enough, so he actually put a lot of effort into his looks, forcing his stubborn hair into a short braid and wearing a light suit, nothing too extravagant, just a vest, a jacket and a collared shirt.

He put some cologne on before checking his phone. He knew they needed to look presentable, but he didn’t even know if he had to wear japanese wear or a suit. Iyabo wasn’t exactly very detailed with her plans.

“Do I look good?” He asked Drake, who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up, laughing. “Go get ‘er, tiger!”

Eagle rolled his eyes, leaving the house and answering her message: “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi paced back and forth, her hair whipping around with the breeze. Nervously, she tossed the small black ring-box in her hands gently, careful not to drop the precious object. It had taken months of plotting and planning, but she had finally picked out the exact ring for Lucy. She consulted Yuri, who offered to pay for the damn thing, but she refused, only accepting his fashion sense in the matter. She had plenty of money nowadays with her assassination job, the ring hardly made a dent in her savings. Even with all of these perfectly calculated plans, she felt anxious, pacing back and forth with her dear colorful friend near by. She was packing for the boat trip with Lucy. The one special trip, where she would pop the question. Would someone like her want to spend her life with Aditi?

“... What if she says no?” Aditi asked aloud to Yuri, who sat by on her bed and watched her feverishly pack every item imaginable for the short trip.

———

Putri carefully walked down the sandy beach, holding her kimono up as to not trip over it as she walked. This spring was noticeably hotter than the last, which wasn’t much of a bother to the dancer. She was accustomed to the heat after living on tropical land for so many years. The ocean side was a familiar sight to her blood red eyes, a comfortable one. One she was eager to share with her student who gracelessly ran ahead of her, in a clear hurry. “Ah-! Pete! Cease! You don’t know you way to docks, child!” She scolded, nearly fumbling at being surpassed so quickly by her star pupil. “You could be swept away to sea if you’re not careful!”

———

Fay hummed in her comfortable seat in the living room. She felt around the coffee table, feeling each piece of paper carefully and recognizing the folds she made on each corner to help her keep track of all important files. Mortie was a great help too, fetching the more sturdy binders, but sadly ruining thin papers with her drool. Who new wedding planning was so much work?? So many things to decide on, themes to pick out, lists to create, it never ended! Though, thankfully, the couple had found ways to help not make these processes so stressful and more enjoyable. And why shouldn’t they? This is a happy time in their lives!

“Oh, oh! Which one of the girls do you think would be the best maid of honor? I’ve known Iyabo the longest... Audi would be the most formal... Putri might start a fire, heh! What about your best man?” Fay rambled aloud to him, curious on his thought process while they shifted through their planning papers.

———

Iyabo had mentioned going to this lantern festival once. One time. Unluckily for her, Putri happened to be in earshot when she did so. The dancer immediately demanded that she would help Iyabo dress more formally for the occasion, adamantly shoving the zoologist into her room and barely giving her a chance to protest. During the agonizing process, Iyabo did learn that festivals were really formal get together as back in Putri’s country. Not that it excused the torture of having her face painted with makeup and hair pinned up and curled. She even forced her into a dress. A fucking dress. It was a navy blue color to contrast her overwhelming orange glow. She felt beyond embarrassed, even if she couldn’t deny that it made her look... nice.

Grumbling and poking at her stray strand of hair atop her head, she sent Eagle a text. “Sorry, didn’t mean to take ten years getting ready. You good to go?”

[thegeneralrpofhell]

He listened to her, his full attention on her, the office silent for the first time since this therapy started. He tilted his head, allowing her to let all of her emotions out so he could properly explain.

“Aditi...you do not understand.” She shook his head, continuing: “But....that is okay...I do not fully understand it either...And I cannot explain it here, as much as I would like to...” he wanted to tell her, god he wanted, but not in dreams. It never ended well.

“Aditi, therapy is about learning about yourself, maybe finding things out you didn’t know yourself, so we can tackle your trauma. You do not have to be unhappy. I genuinely do want to help you....but I feel like I have tackled this issue wrong from the very beginning...”

He ran a hand through the fluffy side of his hair, sighing. He seemed more emotional than before. “Aditi. Would you feel more comfortable if we met in person? In an environment where you have more familiarity and control. You can even bring someone if you so desire.” He seemed pleased with his idea, deeming it inappropiate to keep the dream therapy up. It wouldn’t have ended well, dream therapy wasn’t meant for returning clients after all.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi gave him a side glance and seemed unimpressed when he began, scowling slightly. She had no way of properly tuning him out, hearing every word he uttered. Despite how genuine it seemed, it took her a long moment of keeping her hardened shell up for it to finally crack. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, arms falling uselessly to her side, hair brushing across her vision. “I don’t even know hardly anything about you...” She mumbled bitterly. “How can you want me to understand you when all you’ve done is pry into my personal life and invoke nothing but awful memories to resurface? How?” She asked with growing anger.

“... I don’t open up to people. Yet I’m being forced to for reasons you won’t explain. How do you expect me to understand you when you give me nothing to work off of!?” She hisses, sounding far more hopeless than anger anymore. This all felt so pointless. What did any of it prove? Was it all a new form of torment to her mind? Would she keep coming back her? Over and over again? Learn nothing, be forcibly mocked or tested like some lab rat again..? Even if it wasn’t needles being poked into her skin, it felt just as wrong. It felt like she had handed him the ammo for a gun, without expecting to be shot. Perhaps she was the fool...?

The thought made her lip curl tighter into a frown, her gaze becoming glossy with tears. This was it. The feeling of vulnerability, and that vulnerability being used against her. It was the one thing that always pushed to tears..

[thegeneralrpofhell]

He held eye contact, expecting her like always, a smiile on his face, but he was lacking a certain energy. She was upset. He knew she was. His face fell, a deep sigh escaping his throat. He glanced up again, pink eyes akin to that of a puppy as he tried to explain himself:

“.....I’m....very sorry about what happened Aditi.” He began. He usually didn’t apologize, so he was reasonably bad at it, but damn if he isn’t going to try, he only has this one chance.

“What happened yesterday was not my intention. Truth be told, our session yesterday revealed a lot....not just about you....but also about me...” He set the notebook he had been scribbling in all the other sessions aside, leaning on the hard wood, shoulders sacking.

“I...hope you can...forgive me. It was not my intention for it to happen yesterday. But due to....some information I have been given, you could say that I....had a lot of feelings, so I wasn’t able to properly control myself. And I am sorry about that.” 

He tapped the wood with his fingers, for the first time it felt like a conversation that humans would have, not some otherworldy creature studying her. He was genuine, even if he had trouble displaying it.

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Aditi didn’t understand. She sat with shifting eyes, looking left to right like a frightened child. It made her feel weak for her emotions to be easily sensed or stated. It felt wrong to hear her dead name be spoken aloud in her ear, so wrong that it caused her to flinch back and fumble. Her eyes narrowed so angrily at the voice, she nearly forgot to take his hand. “... This was a mistake..” Her grip on his hand was uncomfortably tight now, she seemed to seethe with contempt.

This only happened after she put faith in him and given away sensitive information about her past. She thought it was of little consequence, yet here it was... being shoved in her face. Taunting her. This being was taunting her, wasn’t he? Mocking her. Before she could convey her distrust, the dream had faded away like the smoke of fireworks.

Aditi didn’t sleep easy. Her day felt as routine as the others, but her mind was set on drinking herself unconscious tonight. To hopefully ward off the spirit from interacting with her again. After not much pure liquor, she was knocked out and displeased with the sight of being in the same office as before.

“......” Aditi crossed her arms in a guarded fashion, turning her head to the side and away from the piercing pink eyes that looked back at her. She had no intention of opening up to him, not after that. Not after being tormented in such a way, and receiving little to no information about who he even was. It all felt so unjust.