#a lot of the criticism would die down if you all found him more attractive or around certain beauty standards | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eponymous-rose · 3 years

Text

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E131 (March 30, 2021)

Tonight’s guests are Liam O’Brien and Sam Riegel!

Brian points out that a lot of Caleb’s greatest fears have come to pass. Liam: “It’s funny, because he’d kind of believed for a while that those things weren’t going to happen. After a while, he got complacent.” He notes that it was extra wild because everything with Trent popped up again in the midst of that complacency. And how did it feel to be defiant toward Trent? “I think Trent successfully made Caleb question if Caleb really was in control“ at the dinner party. “I feel like anything that I do is part of his plans for me, or is that just gaslighting? I’m legitimately scared of that dude.” Sam: “Of Matt?” Liam: “Sure.” He highlights the disconnect between knowing that the M9 is mechanically powerful and could possibly defeat Trent in a dice-and-stats battle, versus fearing him in a story sense and being convinced he can do almost anything.

Sam, on Luc’s death: “That was brutal, man. Matt Mercer is a-- he hates children! Clearly. He actively sought to kill a child in the campaign in as brutal a way as possible. He hates children and wants them dead. Canon. No, but to RP, that was horrible.” He highlights that so much of Veth’s arc has been about trying to get back to her family. “We had to choose something and we thought we were making the right choice. It was all Veth’s fault, and it was pretty rotten. My heart was beating pretty fast, and I certainly didn’t want to have my son die live on the stream. I don’t know what Veth would have done. That’s the end, that’s over. It’s almost worse than when your own character would die. This is something that would also kill Veth.” After the episode was over: “just shaken. I also didn’t know what to do next! That felt like a turning-point moment for my character, weirdly so close to what we assume to be the end arc of this campaign. I texted Matt later that night and was like, that’s it, Veth’s out, I’m tapping out.”

There’s an interlude in which Sam discovers a new dream to record an episode of this show from his Peloton. Dani informs him that she will not be inviting him back.

On Astrid, Liam: “I literally don’t know what she’s doing. I know that she’s dangerous, she always was ambitious, and there’s not been a moment where Caleb let his guard down with her. He’s not trying to reestablish what they had. He cares for the both of them, for Astrid and Eodwulf. He thinks about it a lot, still. He can’t tell how much she buys into everything that she experienced and is now living as a full-grown adult. He suspects that she’s bought in and is not going to change things, because she believes in the system, as much as he’d like to peel her away. He does believe that they want what’s best for the Empire, and stopping whatever wants to come vomiting out of a hole in the frozen north is good for everyone. And they’re powerful. They’re not trustworthy, obviously. But there’s enough at stake to make it worth it. He could imagine a situation where they fight each other to the death.” He was convinced Astrid was going to stop them when they left the tower and was really shocked when she held back. Sam: “Not me! I’ve trusted Astrid since day one. She’s the greatest! I sent a letter to her, she’s very nice, I think you guys would be a nice couple. I believe every word she says.”

On having to decide on Veth deciding to go off and save the world after Luc’s death. “Like I said, I was ready to be done. And then I decided somewhere in there that that’s not very D&D. So I thought I’d leave it up to somebody else, so I asked Caduceus to decide for me, essentially. She knows she’s putting her other family in danger if she doesn’t go. It’s an impossible choice, you know?” Liam: “I love watching you grapple with it, because you’re a lovely father and love your kids.”

On the Sanatorium, Sam: “That was brutal, man. Matt lulls you into a sense of complacency. We’d forgotten that Caleb was a stone-cold killer! It had been a while since he went on a murder spree. Still got it!” Liam: “I never meant for this character to be perfect sunshine.” Brian: “You don’t say.” Liam: “He’s very not-perfect, and I think in his brain, he was going in with the impression that they needed to get in and get out as soon as possible. The place is crawling with people with magic ability, and I didn’t have faith that we wouldn’t be sussed out or something wasn’t going to blow an illusion.” Everything was about getting out of there as fast as possible.

Did the conversation with Yeza help with Veth’s decision? “First of all, every conversation with Yeza is a beautiful one. Every time she talks to Yeza, it makes her feel good. In some ways, she’s gotten to the point now where she knows Yeza’s going to be supportive, she knows he’s going to allow her to do what she wants, but maybe that’s too much. Maybe she needs to not listen to him, basically, and be like, no, you need to be selfish now, dude, you need to say ‘come home, I’m sick of you leaving’. At a certain point, being supportive can turn into being enabling.”

Cosplay of the Week: Jester in the snow! (liljerbear47, photography by kairiceleste on Instagram)

On Trent’s motivations for chasing Caleb: “I really don’t know. The simplest explanation is to just hammer down the nail that’s sticking up. It has crossed his mind that all high-level wizards are in danger of their own ambition and egos, so it’s occurred to him that Trent might have the same kind of ideas that Halas had in the past, and maybe Caleb was always meant to be another body to jump into. Maybe in some sick, disgusting, twisted way, he wants him to be his successor. I am thinking of the next campaign, without getting too deep in, trying to do something that is much more ride-along. Caleb is very, very specific, and I thought long and hard about all the different pieces on the chessboard for him. For campaign three, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”

Dani: “Do I need to be keeping lore on your fucking ads?”

On the cursed dagger: “It was a tricky one, because in campaign one, one of the characters was under the influence of a cursed weapon, but it interacted with him and he knew what it was and what it did. And it affected his gameplay as a character. For me, Veth didn’t know what it was, ever. I as a player knew what it was doing, but Veth didn’t know at all. So it was kind of like my dirty, dark secret for many months. I knew this thing was coming perilously close to killing me, but my character didn’t know enough to bring it up to her friends. Nobody ever asked! So I was like, well, I guess this thing’s just going to kill me one day, and it’s kind of going to be a surprise.” Liam: “Sam, you love danger and self-destruction so much, you might as well be Mollymauk.”

On the fight in Yasha’s sequence, Sam: “You gotta put a character in your storm giant creature. It was so fun! It was so great of Matt to involve us in this encounter. It would’ve been fun just to watch, because Matt would have made it amazing and Ashley was sweating bullets, which is always fun to watch.” Sam notes he felt guilty, but Liam was going for the kill. Liam: “Matt’s gotta be careful about giving me that kind of story beat. I do not fucking care, I just fucking flip, I’m like, well, I’m going to destroy you, and I have no qualms about it. It’s too much fun!”

The Beau/Yasha tower date was in part inspired by not being able to give gifts as easily this last year. “This thing that we do together is a gift, but I love finding these moments, like the book for Jester and the tower for Yasha and for Beau. I really just wanted to give both of them a little magic for a night. I wanted them to leave this-- we’re trying to be as entertaining as possible, but shit is having an effect on all of us too, and I wanted them to have an escape, a great place to escape to.”

Fan Art of the Week: an amazing group shot, plus Marion, Yeza, and Luc! (vocaz on Twitter)

On choosing Essek over Trent, Liam: “It would have been so interesting and awful and great! Essek and Astrid and Eodwulf are everything that Bren used to be attracted to that are terrible for him. Essek, hopefully he can with time find a way out of the hole that he dug himself into, but it was only two months ago where he was found out and his ambitions came crashing down around him. Long-term, I have high hopes for him, but I think it’s going to be hard.” In contrast, Astrid and Eodwulf are still “deep in the shit. It would have been really hard to navigate, but fun to play at the table. We made the right choice with what we went with. Essek’s just getting started, and Caleb doesn’t trust him entirely, because he was burned so hard not too long ago. He’s still more trustworthy than the other three. So it’s the better choice. While Caleb has all these ties on the other side, they’re really fucking dangerous. So if you have to choose, you choose Essek. But fuck that die.” Sam: “Veth, much like Sam Riegel, makes instant decisions about whether to trust someone or not and sticks to it forever. Astrid, 100% trust. Eodwulf, 100% distrust. Essek, completely distrust. I still don’t think he’s a good guy. Ikithon? Trust. 100%. Because you know where he’s coming forward, you know what he wants. I still want him dead, but I trust him.”

On Veth’s post-adventuring plans: “Veth is probably still too in it right now to think about what comes next. I, Sam Riegel, have a good idea of what I want Veth to do post-campaign.” Brian: “Maybe you shouldn’t tell us. Save it for the show!” Sam: “All she knows is she can’t do this anymore. It’s very unhealthy to be battle-wounded every other day. It’s fun for a while, but college has to end at some point, and she’s gotta go home.”

On Frumpkin changing appearance and returning to the Feywild: “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but the way it feels now for Caleb is that he feels too enmeshed in everything that has happened, and too much good has happened, and too much needs to happened, that that really narcissistic, selfish goal has the risk of harming everything else, which is more important. And that’s how he looks at it now. So he’s gearing towards letting everything from the beginning of the campaign, and where he started, go, and trying to figure out what use he’s going to be now and what he’s going to do if they’re not all dead. If Matt throws that shit down, I don’t know what I will do, I think about it a lot. But turning Frumpkin white and saying you’re free either way is him preparing to let go of everything he’s been holding on to for a really long time. He’s addicted to that idea that he can fix himself, and we’ll see if that hard choice gets presented, what he might do. But where he stands now, he doesn’t think that’s going to be reality, and he sees a way that he can be of use that he never really anticipated before, so he’s slowly shifting gears towards living with the pain he was trying to remove.”

On the last request scene and confidence heading into Aeor, Sam: “I feel like that’s a good request. I think all of us realized that if we die, that probably bodes badly for the world. I feel like all of us are at a point now as characters and as friends, that the first order of business would be to take care of everybody else’s shit, although we probably have different ideas of how to do that.” Liam: “I want the Empire to be healed, Caleb has all these memories of his parents and what they wanted for the world, and he wants that too. It’s clearly not in place now, the system needs to be broken and replaced. That could be a part of Caleb’s sunset. I don’t want Caleb to die, so maybe he can work on that after. As everything starts to shake out and we start heading towards our destiny, Caleb’s just free-floating. He’s not even going after the same thing he started for. So he’s looking at Veth’s family, and Luc specifically, and seeing that’s me, that’s a little boy in the Empire.”

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

551 notes · View notes

robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Text

Curse-breaker (Chapter 4/4)

- ao3 -

“You know him, right?” Jiang Cheng asked Lan Xichen. He was trying not to appear as nervous as he felt in asking, but he was pretty sure he was failing. “Nie-gongzi?”

Lan Xichen smiled. “I do. And thank you for calling him that, he prefers it.”

There were those that had started calling him Curse-breaker, as if it were a proper title; Jiang Cheng had heard it said a few times, and while he didn’t personally disagree with the moniker, which seemed appropriate, he also knew better than to just drop it into a conversation.

Luckily. He was trying to make a good impression here.

“What’s he like?” Jiang Cheng blurted out, then immediately wanted to kick himself. “I mean – it’s just – I didn’t see him much when he visited the Lotus Pier –”

He was making it worse.

It was only that he’d never quite met anyone with so much presence as Nie Mingjue: taller even than Jiang Cheng’s father, with that strange eye that seemed to see everything and anything. His features were generally set in a neutral expression that made him seem almost unworldly, like some god untouched by human concerns, but which sometimes softened a little when he approved of something – or someone.

Jiang Cheng could feel his cheeks going red, and tried to suppress it.

“Mingjue-xiong liked you,” Lan Xichen said, and Jiang Cheng lost the battle at once, his whole face heating up until it felt unbearably hot. This was worse than the time that Nie Mingjue had come to the Lotus Pier and told his parents to value Jiang Cheng more or else, and then his father had come in with a smirk and a snarl and somehow made them do it. “He said so.”

“He did?”

“Oh, yes. He said you were talented and faithful, with a good heart, and that we’d see great things from you.”

Jiang Cheng was going to die.

“That’s nice,” he said, with an effort. “I thought very highly of him, too. He’s…great.”

Wow. ‘Great’. Was that really the best he could do?

Lan Xichen studied him for a moment, then nodded. “He really is,” he said, and sighed. “I had the same reaction, you know. He’s…a lot.”

Jiang Cheng felt seen. “I know,” he said effusively. “He’s just – you know?”

“I do,” Lan Xichen said. “Just –”

He waved his hand in the air. Not even making some sort of gesture, just a meaningless sort of wave, but for some reason Jiang Cheng understood him completely.

There really just weren’t words sometimes, when you wanted to describe things or people that inspired feelings that went beyond the merely describable. Nie Mingjue was one of those – Jiang Cheng had known that Lan Xichen would understand, and sure enough, he did.

And to think that Wei Wuxian liked Lan Wangji better!

Really, his shixiong might be more talented than Jiang Cheng in many ways, ways that were often a matter of jealousy, but Jiang Cheng clearly had better taste.

“Oh, there you are,” a voice said, and Jiang Cheng tensed and turned to look – but it was only Wen Qing, so that was fine. “Lan-gongzi, Jiang-gongzi, I was sent to spend some time with you.”

She probably meant that she was sent away so that the adults would have time to talk about issues they thought were too sensitive to involve the younger generation, or else they just wanted to start drinking earlier in the afternoon than usual and didn’t want her judging them from a medical standpoint. Either might be true – Wen Qing was widely acclaimed as one of the most talented in their generation, as terrifying with her needles as other people might be with their sword, from more or less the first moment she’d finally been allowed to join the rest of them on equal grounds.

They greeted her, trying to stand up to be polite, but she waved them down irritably and took a seat instead. “What are you two talking about?”

“Nie Mingjue,” Lan Xichen said, and Jiang Cheng nodded. “We were just commenting on his many admirable qualities.”

Jiang Cheng nodded a second time, even more emphatically.

Wen Qing looked at them both with that critical eye of hers for a long moment.

Then she sighed in a huff. “He’s really all that and more, isn’t he?” she said.

“He is,” Lan Xichen said.

“He’s just –” Jiang Cheng tried the same gesture as Lan Xichen earlier, and was gratified when Wen Qing started nodding herself in total agreement. “Right?”

“Right.”

Nie Mingjue was aware that many people liked to stare at them, but they had assumed it was because of how unusual they were – even putting aside the eye, which was their most obviously not-normal feature, their behavior was not always in line with regular people’s. They didn’t show their emotions on their face as easily, being more naturally inclined towards sternness, and their manner was both sharp and incisive, straightforward and blunt; they had missed critical years of social development while lost in what amounted to seclusion, too busy solidifying their sense of self, consolidating their we into an I.

(They were still trying to figure out gender, a process complicated by the fact that it hadn’t made much sense to either of them to begin with. They were starting to suspect it would be better to just give up on it entirely.)

It turned out, according to Nie Huaisang, that that was not why all those people were staring.

“When you say they like me…”

“Sexually or romantically attracted, usually both,” Nie Huaisang said. “You have a lot of would-be suitors. Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, Wen Qing, Wen Ning, Jiang Yanli –”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to use their names directly like that,” Nie Mingjue said, though they weren’t sure about that. They’d forgotten more etiquette than they’d ever learned. “Also, isn’t Jiang Yanli getting married to Jin Zixuan?”

“He’s another of your admirers. As is Meng Yao…no, sorry, Jin Ziyao. You know he secretly thinks that you killed Jin Guangshan for him, right?”

They’d killed Jin Guangshan because he was rotten through and through, and he didn’t even have a qi deviation or a tormenting heart demon to blame for it. He just thought of people as things, even the ones he supposedly liked, and acted accordingly…they hadn’t really thought through the consequences of killing him when they’d done it, having long ago forgotten the concept of political considerations, but it was really amazing what could be covered up or excused if multiple sect leaders put their minds to it while the rest just breathed a sigh of relief that Jin Guangshan was gone.

“That seems like too many people,” they said. “They can’t all be my…admirers.”

“You think that’s it? I haven’t even gotten to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian – both at once, if that’s your preferred flavor – and even that feral child Jin Ziyao found in Kuizhou…you know just the other week, he loudly declared that you were better than sweets and the entire room sighed all at once in agreement?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not. There are even rumors that say that Sect Leader Wen might be interested…”

They shrugged.

Nie Huaisang squinted at them. “Da-ge. Did you know about that one?”

“Sect Leader Wen is not subtle,” they said dryly. “But if it makes you feel better, his interest is purely a matter of cultivation, and also our father has already hit him for even making the suggestion.”

Nie Huaisang didn’t look impressed. “Are you sure it’s purely a matter of cultivation? Would you be able to tell if it wasn’t?”

Nie Mingjue considered how little they’d recognized any of the other people who were purportedly interested in them. “No,” they admitted.

“Hmm. What about Teacher Lan?”

“What about Teacher Lan?” they asked, suspicious.

“Nothing, nothing. Just something I read somewhere…”

Probably one of those spring books that he was always sneaking around, they concluded.

“Though…you have been going out of your way to meet up with Teacher Lan more often recently…”

“He’s helping me figure out some of the bureaucratic intricacies of changing succession,” they said. “He’s had the most experience, having to do it twice – once to get his brother out of the line of succession, and another to get him back in. He’s a good teacher.”

He was, too. For all of Nie Huaisang’s tall tales about Lan Qiren’s strictness and overly-rigid insistence on orthodoxy, the man himself had a very calming presence, still and tranquil. It made them think of a musical instrument and, using the Nie cultivation method as a base, start to think strange thoughts…

Though not the sorts of thoughts Nie Huaisang had in mind.

“I mean, I guess. Even I learned eventually, and – wait. Why do you need to know about how to change succession? You’re already the heir.”

“That’s the problem,” Nie Mingjue said. “I need to figure out how to abdicate my position in your favor.”

Nie Huaisang gaped at him.

“No, I’m not joking,” they said, because they knew their little brother. “I’m not suited for politics. I don’t think I ever was, and after everything that happened, I’m even less suited.”

They really weren’t. Too blunt, too sharp, too concerned with justice, too inhuman – they were good at fighting, in the sense that they knew how to be a saber as well as a human and could wield sharpness in the same way, a slash from their fingers being enough to cleave a man in half, but that wasn’t what being a sect leader was about.

No, Nie Huaisang would be much better at it.

“Da-ge, you can’t do this to me!” Nie Huaisang wailed. “Do you know how much work it’d be? Anyway, you can’t – our father’s already promised all of Qinghe Nie to your future spouse! So there!”

“Then I just won’t ever get married.”

“What?!” Nie Huaisang waved his hands wildly. “You can’t do that! You – you – do you know how many hearts you’d be breaking?!”

“So you’ve informed me,” Nie Mingjue said dryly. “It’s all right, Huaisang. I rather like the life Teacher Lan has made for himself, traveling all around and coming back every few seasons to teach something. I want to fight evil, and there’s a lot more evil out there than there is in here.”

Or, at minimum, there was more evil of the sort they were allowed to just stab. That was apparently frowned upon, in politics – there was a reason they said they weren’t suited for it.

“You’re not suited for fighting evil with a blade,” they added while Nie Huaisang was still spluttering. “But you can do wonders with people, if you’re given enough time to plan it. Being sect leader will put you in the position that will let you fight evil best, in your own way.”

“Not everything is about fighting evil, da-ge!”

“Isn’t it?”

Nie Huaisang didn’t seem to have a good answer to that.

After a while, he finally said, “…you really think I’d be good at it?”

Nie Mingjue pulled their younger brother in for a hug.

“You’ll be magnificent,” they promised.

They liked travel, just as they’d suspected they would.

People always recognized them – the eye was very distinctive, and they were also very tall – and immediately rushed over to share all their problems. They were very happy to help. Some of them they could fix personally, generally the ones that were stabbable, while they had a wide enough set of acquaintances to deal with many of the others: those who needed healing to go to the Lan sect or Wen sect, depending on whether problem was mental or physical; those that needed advancement to the Jin sect or Jiang sect; mysteries to be solved to the newly established Wei sect over in Yiling; and anyone with anything more abstruse than that over to Nie Huaisang personally to sort of.

Their little brother liked a good puzzle.

As for Nie Mingjue’s part, they liked fighting evil, and they liked helping people, too, if they could manage it, so it all worked out quite well. The road could be a little lonely at times, all alone with no one around, but it wasn’t really that bad. They were welcome at just about every cultivation sect and most of the other places they’d passed by, so it wasn’t like they were lacking for company if they wanted it.

It was only sometimes that they wished that there was someone else who might want to share this type of life with them.

It was a difficult life, always roving and never satisfied, intent on fighting evil for an eternity and prizing the doing of it over normal things, everyday things; they knew that they couldn’t ask someone else to take on a mission so absurd as stamping out all evil in the world, and so they didn’t. Who would be so foolish as that? Not everyone could leave behind all their responsibilities and ties to the world the way they did, passing instead through their beloved one’s lives by chance like a leaf tossed in the wind – nor should they, if those ties gave them joy.

Take their current mission, for example. One of Nie Mingjue’s earlier trips had taken them from Yiling to the Baixue Temple, with the highly unorthodox Wei sect’s equally unorthodox head disciple, Xue Yang, tagging along with them so that they could – in Wei Wuxian’s words – beat some sense into his head, and it had been on that trip that they had met Song Lan, who was thoroughly charmed by the idea of a sect established on principles of brotherhood rather than blood.

He'd also been rather charmed, they thought, by Xue Yang himself, and the interest had been mutual.

(They were getting better at recognizing that sort of thing.)

So Song Lan had gone off with them, with Nie Mingjue dropping both him and Xue Yang back in Yiling, and when he’d gone back again another time they had seemed very happy. But Song Lan had been thinking about his master and martial brothers back at home, and he’d asked if Nie Mingjue would be willing to carry along some letters that he didn’t dare trust to the post.

Nie Mingjue, suspecting a request regarding marriage was involved, had readily agreed. Sure enough, once they’d dropped it off, the entire Baixue Temple had all but exploded in excitement – they’d barely managed to make it out of there in time to avoid being dragged into all the fuss.

And now they were wandering around nearby, shaking their head in amusement at all the noise they’d left behind, looking for something more interesting to do. Some evil to fight, or something like that.

They found both.

“Well, that was exhilarating,” they commended to the cultivator in white that had worked together with them to defeat a rather astounding number of evil creatures in an effort to save some rogue cultivators who’d gotten in over their heads. Nie Mingjue’s reputation was already ridiculous, and was only going to get worse, they knew, but really this was a lot even for them. They wouldn’t have been able to manage it without help.

“It was,” the cultivator said, and smiled at them. “My name is Xiao Xingchen, disciple of Baoshan Sanren. Who are you?”

“Nie Mingjue,” they said. They thought they’d heard of Baoshan Sanren before, but they weren’t entirely sure – they had a tendency to forget things that weren’t that important to them. They thought it might be something to do with Wei Wuxian’s mother –something to do with the immortal mountain, and a doom that fell on those who descended from it…?

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did those rogue cultivators call you Curse-breaker?” Xiao Xingchen asked.

They thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.

Xiao Xingchen laughed.

It was a warm sound.

“Where are you going?” Nie Mingjue asked. “I can escort you, if you like.”

“Don’t you have things of your own to be doing?”

“Not really,” Nie Mingjue said. “I want to eradicate all evil in this world, a task that’ll take me a lifetime – and evil can be found anywhere. Why not with you?”

Xiao Xingchen ducked his head. “I don’t have a destination either,” he admitted. “I came down from the mountain because I wanted to help save all the people in the world.”

Nie Mingjue blinked. That was nearly as stupidly idealistic a goal as theirs.

“Well, then,” they said, and smiled. “In that case, why don’t we go together?”

It would be nice to have company, unrestrained by any obligations tied to the mortal world, and in return they could show Xiao Xingchen everything there was to see – introduce him to all the people, eat all the food, fight all the battles. And if in the end it turned out that that doom people talked about in regards to the mountain really was a thing…

Well, they’d see about that.

After all, Nie Mingjue had a bit of experience with curses like that.

#mdzs #nie mingjue #jiang cheng #lan xichen #wen qing #xiao xingchen #my fic #my fics #cursebreaker #hey remember when I asked for help in deciding the ship

124 notes · View notes

iambilliejeanok · 3 years

Note

Omg can I plz plz plzzzz get a Dom!Kisame x Sub!Fem!reader? Where the reader and Kisame are constantly bickering back and forth and don’t like each other but one day an argument they have leads into some rough sex? I hope this makes sense. I really enjoy your writing by the way!!

I like this one. I like it alot. 😏thank you anon💜

Warnings: 18+. Unedited. NSFW. Language, slight overstimulation and violence.

“Not today Kisame! I’ve had enough stinky!”, you yelled, irritated beyond belief at the mere sight of the shark boy, let alone the mean words coming out of his fowl mouth. You huffed, crossing your arms and cocking your hip in a way that Kisame admired. He didn’t like that he thought you were very attractive and sought to squash any and every thought he had about you by being mean. “Get yourself together y/n”, he spoke in a very demeaning way, despite the fact that he was clearly aggravating you with his patronizing taunts. “I thought you could handle a little criticism. You’re weak and you ought to train a little more to at least compensate for your failures y/n”. That was it. He reached the boiling point. Why would he say that considering the fact that you were alone, on a mission to capture the four tails. Unlike like you, everyone else had a partner to help them succeed. The four tails was strong, forcing you to back out of the fight before you’d needlessly hurt yourself. Your taijutsu was neat, but you lacked the physical strength to inflict any serious harm, your strength being the ability to absorb chakra and return it to the user in five fold. Also that you were abnormally intelligent, making you a crucial member of the akatsuki as you played a role in managing the group, sometimes helping pick out the right teams for the right tasks. And your main focus was to collect information about the jinchuriki to share with Pein, who would use that information to select an actual team to hunt down the host. Kisame was happy you failed. There was just something about seeing you so miserable that he couldn’t help but take pleasure in. “Are you gonna let him talk to you like that y/n?”, Hidan deviously questioned, successfully riling you up. You literally pounced on him, not caring that you were in the midst of all the other members, taking him down by complete surprise. You both fell to the ground with a loud thud, Kisame completely taking the hit as you landed on top of him. He was rather stunned that you were able to easily take him down. “Yes y/n, get him!” Hidan cheered, enjoying the view of your ass as you hovered above your new opponent, earning himself a glare from Kakuzu. You certainly weren’t tiny. You were packing in all the right places, standing at 5’8, your curvy body showing in all its glory because your clothes burnt off in certain areas after escaping the four tails brutal lava release, making you look all the more fucking sexy to the swordsman, as well as every other member in the room. But even then, he was way too big and bulky for you to manage bringing him down to the ground in a spilt second all by yourself. You brought your fist up, ready to wipe away that smug look on his face with a nice and hard blow, infuriated at how he calmly waited for you to hit. Your fist connected with his cheek, Kisame quickly flipping you over so he was now on top of you, blood dripping out his nose and falling on your cheek as he easily pinned your wrists on either side of your head, his solid, muscly frame dominantly hovering above you. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”, he growled, angered by how you took him down in front of everyone, but also more than happy to fight you, to see what you’re really capable of. You brought your knee up between his legs, a loud grunt leaving his mouth as you landed a hard blow on his crotch. You used the opportunity to head butt him hard before flipping him over so you were right back on top of him. He was obviously holding back, but today you were in the mood to really fight. “Enough!”. You both snapped your heads in the direction of the familiar voice. Pein looked down at both of you, his purple eyes piercing your own, his expression stoic as always. You quickly got off of Kisame, dusting yourself off as you walked off to your room. He really underestimated you, but next time Pein wasn’t around, you would certainly give him a big taste of the strength he didn’t know you had.

The next morning you felt somewhat better, dragging yourself out of bed to start your day with the rest of the miserable human beings in the hideout. You finished up your breakfast, washing only your dishes, drying them and packing them away, growling at anyone who dared to near you with their dirty dishes. You would die before you washed somebody else’s dishes in this hideout. No one was worthy. Except maybe Itachi. You dried your hands off, walking back to your room to meditate, shower and change before you’d go out and train a little. Not because Kisame said so, you reminded yourself, now debating whether or not you should train, so Kisame wouldn’t think you were training because of his rude remark last night. You walked with your eyes glued to the floor, not watching where you were going as you sped walked the rest of the way in deep thought. You bumped into something hard, the impact throwing you off balance, causing you to stumble backwards and land hard on your bottom. “Ow!” , you whined, looking up to see Kisame. He didn’t have his cloak on, just a skin tight black turtle neck shirt with a pair of black pants. Barefoot. The shirt he wore hugged his muscular chest in such a sinful way. His beefy arms flexing as he gazed at you. This might of been the first time you’d seen him without a cloak. He wasn’t just a big shark. He was a tall, muscular, sexy shark. He reached down to grab your arm, pulling you up a little too fast, causing you to stumble once again, but this time, he held you until you were able to stand on your own. You were pretty much gawking at this point, gulping away your arousal as you immediately looked at the ground, embarrassed that he caught you. “Watch where you’re going little girl”, he said, ignoring how cute you looked still dressed in your pijamas. The pink, spaghetti strap shirt hugging your ample bosom, your nipples confidently introducing themselves through the thin cotton material. The shirt ended just beneath your natural waist, revealing your pierced belly button and a whole lot of smooth skin before your navy blue with white polka dots pants took over, a drawstring keeping them around your hips as they draped all the way down to your ankles, folded twice so you wouldn’t step on them. You both stood in the middle of the long passage, awkward silence surrounding the two of you as you shyly checked each other out. “If you were watching where you were going you wouldn’t of let me walk right into you”, you started, trying to distract yourself from the 6’4 hunk of sexiness standing in front of you. Quickly overcoming your shame you looked up at him, clearing your throat as his eyes were glued to your chest for a good few seconds before he lift them up to look at your face. Unlike you he wasn’t embarrassed at all, his eyes continuing their journey down your body as he nonchalantly replied, “Yeah whatever little girl, I don’t have time for this today”. Your eye twitched. “I’m not a little girl”, you spoke, trying to stay as nonchalant as he was. “Is that so?”, he challenged. “Yes. I’m much more than you could ever handle Kisame. But anyways, I’m not going to to stand here and argue with an angry fish, so bye”, you retorted, starting to walk past him and to your room. His large hand found your neck, causing you to stumble as he dragged you back in front of him, pushing you against the wall all in one swift movement. You gasped out as your back hit the wall, knocking a little air out of your restricted windpipe. Kisame eyes met yours, his teeth showing in his devious smile. He didn’t know whether to laugh at your confidence or respond to your smart remarks. Whatever it was he was feeling made his dick twitch. If only you weren’t so damn cute gasping for air in his hold he would’ve ignored you and continued on about his day. But today he reached his limit. He was going to teach you a very good lesson.

He leaned forward to whisper in your ear, “Much more than I could ever handle?”, he questioned. “Are you sure about that little girl?”. At that he let go of you, watching you greedily suck in air before easily picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder. You blushed at how strong he was. “I’m guessing you don’t know how to be gentle”, you remarked, only further triggering his irritation. “For once you’re actually right about me. I do not know how to be gentle and I hope you learn from this”, he responded. You could hear the seriousness in his tone, hoping he meant to do what you thought he was going to do and not actually kill you this morning. Uncertainty travelled through your veins, making you nervous as you tightened your grip on his shirt, trying to keep your balance. His arm sat between your thighs, the grip on your upper thigh just below your ass the only support you had on his shoulder. You were genuinely concerned. Trying to think of a plan to escape or fight back if you needed to. He entered a room, shutting the door behind him. A few steps later he threw you onto his unmade bed. You could smell his musky scent all around you, spiking up your arousal as you sat up on your elbows, looking around you before concluding you were in fact, in his room. You looked up at him, gulping away your nerves as he lifted his shirt over his head. Holy fuck. At this point his sexiness would surely kill you before he got the chance to. You could only watch him in silence, as he crawled onto the bed, slowly making his way to you, like an animal sneaking up on it’s prey, forcing you to lie on your back. He spread your legs open to settle between them. You felt so little beneath him, actually nervous about what was currently taking place. Kisame stopped just above you, sensing your nerves building up. “Where did the cocky girl run off to?”, he chuckled. You felt rather embarrassed that he was right, all your confidence left your body when he threw you onto his bed, suggesting that he was going to fuck you. As aware as you were you couldn’t find any words to retort. A smile appearing on his face, showing his sharp white teeth as he waited for a reaction. “Did you forget how to talk?”, he asked, before planting a small kiss on your soft lips. He pulled away, looking at your face before coming back down to plant another kiss in the crook of your neck. You lifted your chin up to give him more access. His hand rubbed your thigh, slowly coming up to your hips, then your waist, your abdomen and finally your breasts, not ceasing the kisses that slowly turned into sucks and bites, his sharp teeth piercing your skin, making you moan out before his tongue lapped at the blood, soothing the pain he caused you. His big hand squeezed your boob, causing him to groan at the feel of the soft mound. His fingers pinched your nipple hard enough that you squealed. “Answer me y/n”, his tone serious as he continued his attack on your neck. You complied, “Yes I can talk, I’m just a little surprised”. You figured you should be honest about how you felt right now. He ceased his marking, coming up to look at your face. “I hate to admit it but I find myself very attracted to you, annoying as you are. Right now though, I want nothing more than to fuck you, hard and fast”, he confessed, emphasizing his last words with a buck of his hips, grinding into you, smiling at the way you bit your lip, trying to stifle a moan. “I’m sure I can handle you just right”, he continued, deciding to slowly roll his hips into yours, roughly dry humping you. “I’m just not sure if you could keep up”. At that you snapped your eyes open, a small moan escaping your lips as his erection rubbed your lady parts just the right way. “I can keep up Kisame. You’re not all that”, you quickly retorted. Kisame chuckled, watching you slightly squirm beneath him, enjoying the way he rubbed against you.

His lips smashed into yours in a bruising kiss, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth, making you squeal in delight. His hands immediately worked on undressing you, quickly pulling your shirt over your head and dragging your pants off along with your underwear. In less than a minute you were bare beneath him, your legs spread out as he pressed kisses onto your inner thighs, slowly nearing your wet and aching heat. You brought a finger to your mouth, bracing yourself for what was to come. Kisame looked up at you, waiting for a thumbs up. You looked back into his eyes, whining as you bucked your hips up. Without further ado he drove right in, greedily lapping up your juices, spreading your lips apart before sucking on your throbbing nub, forcing you into a fit of long, breathy moans. You buried your hand into his hair, the other tugging on one of your nipples as you neared an intense orgasm. His large hands kept your thighs spread apart for him, purple nails digging into them as he ferociously ate you out. His mouth found your clit once again, sucking hard on it, the pleasure almost painful as you screamed out in ecstasy. You legs shook in his hold, juices spilling everywhere as he kept at it, making sure you let it all out before he pulled away from you. He got off of the bed, watching you squirm around in pleasure as he pulled his pants off, his boxers following, revealing his thick, long, glorious member. He crawled right back on the bed, flipping you over so you were on your tummy. “I’m sure you feel just as good as you taste sweet girl”, he teased, watching your fat ass jiggle as he slapped it, hard enough to pull out rough moans from you. He snaked his arm under your chest, wrapping his hand around your neck, your breasts snuggling his forearm. “Kisame!”, you moaned out, desperate to feel him inside of you. “What is it?”, he asked, biting his lip as he rubbed his dick along your slick folds, lubricating it and stimulating you at the same time. “Oooh please!”, you moaned, pushing your ass back against him. “You’re going to be begging me to stop soon little girl. Be patient”, he reprimanded, focusing on lubricating his dick in your juices, making you whine out in sweet frustration. Your legs were tucked underneath his own, your thighs pressed together, waiting for him to fuck you.

After what felt like forever he finally pushed the tip into you, slowly stretching you out. He watched you barely manage to take him, squirming beneath him as he sunk into your tight cunt. He couldn’t hold back a moan of his own, sinking his sharp teeth into the back of your neck as he pushed himself all the way into you, your tight pussy snugly swallowing him in. “Kisame! Fuck!”, you moaned out in pain and pleasure as he lapped up the blood dripping from your new wound. He didn’t give you anytime to adjust to the overwhelming stretch. “Mmm fuck! Here we go baby”. He immediately set to a fast and hard pace, his strong hips pushing you up the bed with every thrust, his hand on your neck keeping you in place as he pounded you into the sheets. You couldn’t speak, struggling to catch your breath as your screams took over. His dick was so big, hitting a spot inside of you that made you wonder if he was actually trying to kill you with pleasure. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, drool falling down your chin as he roughly fucked you. Your whole body was now violently convulsing beneath him and you hadn’t even reached your climax yet. Heavy pants fell from Kisame’s mouth as he brutally fucked you, enjoying the way your tight pussy threatened to milk him dry. “You feel way too fucking good baby. Come now”, he spoke through gritted teeth, the demand in your ear sending you over the edge as you came hard. All you could do was scream as the pleasure brutally consumed you, leaving you a complete mess as your grip on the sheets failed to anchor you through this one. Your walls clenched hard around him and he couldn’t hold back, grunting your name out in your ear as he came after you. It took everything in him to not bite you again as his orgasm ripped right through him. Sparing your skin from any more nasty marks.

His weight on top of you crushed you but also anchored you as you both rode your orgasms out. He calming himself before did, pulling you into him as he rolled onto his back. “That was quite intense. Are you okay?”, he asked, holding you tight against him as he kissed your face. His hands ran along your back, to help sooth you down, your whimpers muffled into his chest as you gradually caught your breath. “Y/n, are you okay? Answer me”, he asked again, slightly worried that he might of been a little too rough. He was sure it wasn’t your first time, considering how well you took him when he sunk into you. Maybe he was way too rough. He panicked, slightly tugging your head back to see your face. “Y/n. Answer me”. “K-Kisame. I’m f-fine”, you tiredly whimpered, snuggling into him to find sleep. He finally breathed out, kissing your forehead in relief. So this was all it took to get you to behave? He was hoping you’d be open to doing this again sometime soon, letting sleep take over as he relaxed onto the bed, feeling very satisfied with how things turned out.

#kisame #kisame x reader #kisame smut #kisame x y/n #kisame hoshigaki #nsft post

295 notes · View notes

justnerdthings · 3 years

Text

New Beginnings Ch.2

Female Reader x Liu Kang/Kung Lao (Not sure which yet)

Note: Chapter 2. Friend said last one was good. So have another. >w<

Raiden had introduced himself properly and explained Mortal Kombat to you. You were at a complete loss. You hadn’t believed any of it at first, but Raiden had made it clear that this was not a dream or trick. The man shot lightning out of his hand! You were convinced. This was real. It had to be. You weren’t creative enough to dream this up. He was a god.

You were still in shock as Liu led you through the hallways again, this time avoiding any views of the outside. You were lost in your own mind until he stopped at a door. Again, a very simple door.

“This is your room,” He told you, eyes searching you again as he opened the door and gestured for you to take a look.

The room was small and very modest. A simple bed was pushed against a wall. A small wooden table and chair was pushed against the other side. Another doorway led to a small bathroom that, thankfully, had a modern-enough sink and toilet. It would do for one night at least.

“Will you stay and fight Shang Tsung?” Liu asked gently, feeling you out. Raiden had admitted that you didn’t need to help them. Raiden would not force you. But Raiden did say it was your duty. The dragon mark on your left shoulder blade was proof.

Funny. People always did say your birthmark looked like a dragon.

But would you stay? You weren’t sure. This was so much to take in. Why you? You had no experience fighting. You once punched a bully in grade school, but that was it!

You sighed and combed your fingers through your hair. “I don’t know,” You answered. Obviously it wasn’t the answer Liu had hoped for. “I just… This is crazy.”

He nodded. “I understand,” He said, sincerity in his voice. “It’s your decision.”

You turned and looked at him standing in the doorway. “You do understand, don’t you?”

He lifted a brow curiously. “Yes. I felt similar when I was told of Mortal Kombat as well.”

“When was that?”

He thought for a moment. “A little over ten years now.”

“Ten years? You’ve been training here for ten years?”

“Here? Yes. But I grew up in a shaolin monastery. I’ve been training most of my life.”

So he was a monk. Now his behavior made sense. “Did you get taken here out of the blue too?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I defeated a child trafficker and gained his mark. I unlocked my arcana soon after. Lord Raiden found me then. I’ve been here ever since.”

“You never left? At all? Not even to visit family?”

“Oh, yes. I am free to come and go as I please. I often leave to run errands for Lord Raiden.”

“Errands?”

“Yes.”

“Like eggs and milk errands?”

He laughed and shook his head. “To find people and information mostly.”

“Oh.” You weren’t sure what to say to that.

“Does this help you decide if you will stay?”

“I think I just need some time to digest this,” You admitted.

He nodded again. “Speaking of digesting,” He spoke, “Would you like some dinner?”

Oh, god, yes, you thought. You still had no idea when the last time you ate was. A day? Two? Raiden said you were passed out for quite some time. “Yes.” You nodded. “Please.”

Liu smiled again. You liked his smile. It was genuine. Kind. Sincere. He stepped back out of the doorway, allowing you to step out of the room.

You were led into a large room filled with fur rugs and handmade cushions. A low table was placed in the center and another man was already seated and eating. He looked up as Liu led you over.

“Brother, this is Y/N,” Liu introduced you. “She has the mark,” Liu told him as he sat across from him at the table.

“Hello.” You hesitated. This guy had a different energy about him. Or maybe it was just your anxiety. He, you, and Liu were all about the same age. And he, like Liu, was attractive. He probably had a nice ass too.

You weren’t sure if you imagined it or not, but Raiden’s laugh echoed in your mind. Averting your eyes, you lowered yourself next to Liu.

“You don’t look like a fighter,” the man said with a mouth full. His eyes were looking you up and down critically.

“Don’t be rude,” Liu chided as he watched.

The man glanced to Liu as he swallowed his food, then looked back to you. “My name is Kung Lao,” He introduced. “Descendant of the Great Kung Lao.” He was proud of himself.

“Oh…” Was he a prince or something?

“You have no idea who that is, do you?” Kung Lao accused, pointing his chopsticks at you.

A small shrug tugged up your shoulders as you shook your head slowly.

Lao grinned and shook his own head as he looked to Liu. He stopped once he noticed his brother’s disapproval. “So what do you do, Y/N?” he asked as he looked back to you. The way he said your name didn’t bring you much comfort in his presence.

As you stared at him, trying to think of how to answer him, he’d bitten into an egg roll while keeping eye contact with you. “Um… Not really anything, I guess,” you said, nerves starting to get the best of you. This guy was more intimidating than Raiden was.

“Nothing?” Lao asked. “You must do something. You’re breathing right now. That’s something.”

“Lao…” Liu warned and passed you a bowl of rice.

You took the bowl with a small, awkward smile to Liu and began to make your plate. Maybe if you just didn’t look at Kung Lao, you wouldn’t feel so judged. “Well, I’ve been a nurse for the past seven years… But it’s hardly anything to talk about. I just work at a small office. Nothing ever really happens there.”

“That’s an honorable career,” Liu said as he began to eat.

“If nothing happens there, why do you stay? Seems boring,” Lao commented.

“I kinda like boring,” You admitted. “I uh… I used to have real bad anxiety as a kid. Boring is comfortable. Routine.”

“Anxiety?” Lao asked.

“Yeah. It uh… It got so bad that eventually I was scared to leave the house.”

“That’s awful,” Liu said with a frown.

You nodded. It was always hard to talk about your anxiety. But Liu seemed mindful enough to not tease you or make you feel like an idiot. “Eventually I couldn’t take it anymore and went to see a doctor. They put me on medication for it. I was a new person after I got used to the meds. Felt like I could breathe again.”

“What made you so anxious that you would be afraid of leaving your house?” Lao asked, harsher in his words. What did you have to worry about compared to him.

“I don’t really know,” you admitted. “I was always teased as a kid. I was the weird kid. Didn’t have a lot of friends.”

“Childhood trauma?” Liu asked.

“Maybe?” You shrugged, not sure. You never really tried to get to the bottom of it.

“Is that where your fear of heights comes from?” Liu asked.

That one you did know. You gave a small laugh as you straightened up a bit. “No. That was me falling out of a tree as a kid.”

“Did you hurt yourself?” Liu asked.

You shook your head. “No. Just some scrapes and bumps. It just kinda stuck with me after that though. Never climbed another tree.”

“Well, at least you weren’t harmed,” Liu said as he ate.

“If you didn’t get hurt, then why were you so scared to climb another tree?” Lao asked.

“I don’t know. Guess it’s one of those weird things that happens when you’re a kid,” You told him.

“You have bigger things to worry about now, than falling from trees,” Lao pressed.

You stared at your plate of food. Lao was right. Scared of climbing trees sure did sound stupid now that you knew about Mortal Kombat. Weird, the idea of Mortal Kombat didn’t freak you out as much as climbing a tree. “Anxiety doesn’t ever really make sense,” You told Lao. “I used to be perfectly fine one minute, then crying and convinced I was about to die the next.”

“Were you being attacked?” Lao asked.

“Not by a person,” You answered.

“Animal?” Liu chimed in, curious.

You shook your head. “Anxiety.”

Lao just stared at you. It didn’t make any sense to him.

Liu was more curious than confused. “So your own mind was attacking you,” he concluded after a moment of thought.

You nodded. “Yeah.” You moved some food around your plate idly. “I know. It makes me sound crazy. But it hasn’t happened in years.”

“Because of the medicine the doctor gave you,” Liu concluded again.

“Right,” you answered.

“So, let me get this straight,” Lao began. “A nervous wreck of a person, who is scared of climbing trees, and has no formal training to fight, has the dragon mark?”

“Yeah, I’m kinda lost on that too,” you admitted.

Lao looked to Liu in disbelief. “Is Lord Raiden out of his mind?”

“I’m sure he knows something we don’t,” Lui told him.

“Mortal Kombat is only a few years away. She won’t be ready!” Lao exclaimed in annoyance.

“We’ll just have to do our best,” Liu answered and lifted some rice to his mouth.

“She’ll have to train every hour, every day, to be even remotely decent,” Lao said.

“Lord Raiden knows what’s best,” Liu said.

“Lord Raiden’s out of his damn mind!” Lao shouted.

You’d gotten used to people talking about you as if you weren’t there when you were a kid. But it hadn’t happened much since then. You set your chopsticks down. “Look, I don’t know if I ever could be ready for Mortal Kombat. I don’t know if I’ll even try. But do you really think it’s a good idea to talk that way about guy who literally shoots lightning out of his hands? And another thing, I am not a nervous wreck of a person!” You looked right at Kung Lao, clearly unamused.

Lao just looked at you, at a loss for words, for what seemed like forever. It was really only a few seconds before he looked to Liu and grinned.

Liu was already grinning, looking at his food.

With a huff, you pushed away from the table. “Sorry, Liu. I think I lost my appetite,” you said, annoyed… Doubting yourself… Still hungry, but you’d had enough of Lao.

Liu looked over with concern as you stood. He set his bowl down and stood with you. He was going to try and convince you to stay, but decided against it. “Would you like me to walk you back to your room?” He asked kindly.

You’d get lost if you didn’t have help. You nodded and turned for the door.

Lao was still grinning as he continued his meal.

Liu quickly joined you in the hallway. “Y/N,” He spoke carefully. “I apologize for Lao’s behavior. He’s not usually like that.”

You sucked in a stiff breath. You shook your head. “No. It’s okay. He’s right. I have no business being here.”

“Don’t let him scare you away. Lord Raiden believes you’re worthy. That’s enough for me. Lao will come around,” Liu said as he began to lead you down the hall.

Maybe. Maybe Raiden did know something you didn’t yet. “The monk I met when I woke up… Feng, I think. He said something about my arcana saving me.”

Liu looked at you, then nodded. “I heard about that. I don’t know the details though…”

“I don’t even remember doing anything,” You said.

After leaving you at your room, Liu returned to Lao. He sat back at the table. Looking to a still grinning Lao. He returned it.

“She has a fire in her,” Lao said.

“She does.” Liu agreed.

“I heard she passed your test,” Lao inquired.

Liu, glancing to him, sipped from his tea, then nodded. “Five times.”

Lao was surprised to hear that. He figured you’d only make it once if at all.

“It took some coaching the first couple times, but by the fourth one she was doing it on her own,” Liu explained.

“Impressive. If her anxiety is as bad as she said, she manages it well,” Lao said.

Liu nodded again. “How much of it was the medicine, I wonder.”

Lao had almost forgot. “Ah. That may be an issue.”

“Withdrawal from it may prove difficult.”

“Meditation training is first on your list,” Lao suspected. He knew how Liu thought.

Liu nodded. “How about yours. Did she pass your test?”

“I would have liked to see more, but it's a start,” Lao answered with a nod.

“You may get your wish if you keep up that act of yours,” Liu said.

“Oh, I intend to.” Lao smirked.

"Don't scare her away," Liu warned.

"She'll stay," Lao said with his mouth full. "She faced her fear five times. She's determined. And a nurse?" He nodded as he took another bite. "She commits herself to helping."

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 2021 #liu kang #kung lao #raiden #reader insert #fanfic #fic #reader x character #ludi lin #max huang #tadanobu asano #new beginnings

88 notes · View notes

razorblade180 · 3 years

Text

Interdimensional Moms pt4

Part 3 here! <-

The tales had be interesting. The tales had even been emotionally gripping, yet all of them so far didn’t seem to register at the moment as Ruby’s teammates looked at her with the same excitement she used to give her own mother during story time. Ruby couldn’t help but give a little smile.

Ruby:I take it you’re ready for my turn? You do know it’s not exactly a sunshine and rainbows story, right?

Weiss:We figured as much, but....

Yang:You’re so different! From the moment you showed up I could just feel it in my gut. You have this...presence about you. Not to mention intsene confidence.

Blake:Yang is right. You said you beat your Salem when your seventeen. That’s...scary if I’m being honest. Such a drastic departure from any of our worlds.

Ruby:*red* Hehehe ummm I guess I’m just awesome? Really I don’t think it’s the most outstanding feat. At least by my worlds standards I suppose. I mean sure, I’m consider cream of the crop there too but there’s talented people and challenges all over that would put me through my paces still. I’m just...me.

Weiss:Sigh...honestly, I suppose that means our own skills must pale in comparison to our counterparts.

Ruby:Mmmm I wouldn’t say that for sure. My Yang would kill me if she heard this but there’s something about the one right here that has spark I dig.

Yang:Really?

Ruby:Uh huh. Can’t put my finger on it but I think you take her if you want it bad enough. As for Weiss....couldn’t tell ya. Haha, I know better than anybody to not underestimate the power of mother, and you pumped twins out.

Weiss:Not sure if those are pity points or real ones but thanks either way.

Blake:You don’t even have to tell me I’d lose. Just gave an entire story about me an my condition.

Ruby:Don’t feel too bad about it. I can’t imagine much reason for you two to fight for any reason. You’re both too reasonable to not reason with yourself.

Blake:Aw I’m touched.

Yang and Weiss:We aren’t....

Ruby:Hahaha I’m just saying! So, I guess I take things from the top like you all? From what I learned from all of you our Beacon experiences really are more or less the same, not counting certain interactions between a bookworm faunus and an adorkable blonde knight. Enrolled early, blew up the entrance, Weiss was rude, Yang ditched me, all the same beats.

Yang:There’s no super badass change like you beating Cinder the night of dance and making our entire lives easier?

Ruby:Ha! I wish I was that legit. No, I was very much the young girl tripping in heels that night. Vytal festival came around and was attacked, then Beacon fell. Pyrrha was lost and so was Penny. Difference being that was my last time seeing her, unlike Weiss’s story apparently.

Weiss:Yeah that...that’s a little bit of shock to be frank. Sorry.

Ruby:No worries. Not like you did anything and it was decades ago for me now. After that day is when I started to get a bit more serious I think. I had always taken being a huntress seriously and never slacked of in trying to live my dream. However, my perspective may have honed in on just how do or die life his when you’re the one choosing to walk into unknown danger. Team RNJR’s first and only mission, save the world!

Yang:Sub mission: Flirt with Jaune Arc.

Ruby:*blushing* We do not choose who we fall in love with it. But yes, that may have been a personal pseudo mission for me. He’s my first friend at Beacon for crying out loud and I you know.....thought he was cute then too.

WBY:Yeah that checks out.

Ruby:What does that mean!?

Weiss:Ruby, even my Ruby admits to finding Jaune attractive and having a crush on him back in the day.

Blake:Same.

Yang:I already went into enough detail on how my little sister feels about Jaune. Your just the reality where you pounced on the opportunity and never let go. Struck when the iron was hot and none of us were around; sly fox.

Ruby:Gee you make it sound underhanded. It isn’t like I intended to actively pursue him. Everyone was really sad and stressed traveling to Anima. There was a tension in the air. One that really strained us. I did my best to keep focus, but a leader is only as put together as team. Ren and Nora confided one another as usual and I tried being there for Jaune because seeing him emotionally shut down was rough; so I did my best to be there for him. Then...he ended up being there for me and I was the one who needed comfort. All the airing out and late nights just...led to....*red*

Blake: “Breaking the tension?”

Ruby:I guess that’s one way of putting it. We were lonely. I hid my feelings best I could under the veil of comfort in the moment. Not that needed to. He made it pretty clear that he wanted me in the same way I wanted him. I just the two of us were too scared to ask for promises we weren’t sure we could keep so we loved in the moments we could, so to speak.

Weiss:If it wasn’t under dire situations, all that sounds oddly romantic.

Ruby:Right!? Looking back at it makes the entire thing seem romantic but I definitely wouldn’t wish a similar experience on anybody! I guess it’s what I wished for when I fantasized huntress life huh? Things obviously got better along the way. Our relationship got a bit more serious right before we got to Haven. Then Tyrian and other crazy stuff happened that threw all of us into panic mode again before slowly getting better again by a lot.

Yang:We showed up?

Ruby:Bingo! You and Weiss, met Oscar, and then eventually Blake came back. Things were on the up and up.

Weiss:Uh, Haven attack?

Ruby:We lived, up and up. Yeah you got stabbed but you know...that’s not new I’m sure.

Weiss:Yeah I have the scar and I’m still little pissed.

Ruby:Valid. Anyways, so my Atlas experience was different as hell. There was no formation of Remnants armies like Weiss spoke of or even between two kingdoms like Blake. Yang, what happened yours again exactly?

Yang:Nonsense. Cinder showed up with lackeies but not Salem’s lackies. Those people showed up separately, then Adam came back from wherever the hell he- a lot! A lot of people showed up for different reasons but also the same reason and to be frank, we all almost got shot by the military for being in bases that quote unquote, “didn’t exist.”

Ruby:Man I wish we traded. That at least sounds crazy enough to be fun. Just a rollercoaster in the dark basically. My experience was probably as hectic, but also way more streamlined. We showed up, and then all hell broke loose. Specially a mass grimm invasion lead by Cinder and her annoying associates. We were there for about three weeks updating General Ironwood and getting our barrings together when it happened. I wanna call it a hit and run tactic but it was clearly planned in advanced. Mechs were hacked again, traitors in the military, grimm lying in wait before hand; it was chaos! All for the relic.

Blake:Who was the maiden?

Ruby:Never met her. By the time we got there, Ironwood was panicking because she had vanished, taken right from under his nose. It was some young girl apparently, really young. The attack on Beacon looked like child’s play to this. Mantle got attacked, grimm were on the chains, they tried dropping Atlas to the ground; all a diversion for a relic. We all should’ve died, and yet, we didn’t. Winter and Weiss weeded out traitors, huntsman and military held the line, Yang bested Hazel with Nora, Qrow and I cut down Tyrian! Ren, Blake and Jaune helped the kingdoms while Ironwood struck down Watts. Nobody was in the mood to die that day. There wasn’t gonna be another Beacon. By all means, we were pissed. Even Raven showed up of all people.

Yang:What!?

Ruby:You can’t attack a kingdom without the world knowing. Especially when traitors leak info. Honestly she came for you though, or she never left to begin with. Couldn’t tell ya. Thanks to Maria I had a bit more handling with my eyes. That helped a lot. Without them and Os-

She stopped herself, choking on the words. The zest and excitement of recalling the heroic feats of her friends dimmed slightly with her smile. Her joyful smile became bittersweet like the memory.

Ruby:Then there was Oscar, the real warrior on that flamed filled night. That battle had to have been three days at least. We were so driven, and so tired. I was tired, but Cinder, Neo, and the others with her at the time weren’t; always showing up at the worst time. I managed to push Cinder back in a fight but grimm and others still swarmed. We were at a point that grimm very well might’ve did us in and the villains didn’t have to push any harder. But Oscar changed that. Hehe, what’s it about country folk that makes people like him and I not hesitate to grit our teeth? That dork looked at me, gave me the biggest smile on the the steps to Atlas, and then he left. His hair went white as he twirled the cane and then he left, forever. Oz came out, and he left nothing to the imagination. “Limited magic” my butt. He obliterated grimm and made a barrier aroma Atlas while everyone else cleared Mantle long enough for the world to send reinforcements. Salem didn’t get the relic, but she got the maiden and thousands of casualties. Oscar being one of them. Also, Whitley....he was in critical condition for a very long time.

Weiss:What do you mean...critical condition?

Ruby:Everything happened so fast Weiss. Panic was high, buildings fell....a piece on him. I wasn’t there but when I eventually found you, you were nearly hysterical and banged up. By some miracle he lived even though we could not reach him and he did not get aid for awhile. We thought him dead. It was only after everything we learned somebody got him. Being rich never paid off more than with medical bills. Thanks to youth and medicine he can still walk, but he can only do so much before being tired. He also left Atlas. The cold hurts.

Weiss:So, I run the company because he can’t?

Ruby:I wouldn’t put it that way, but it was one of dozens of reasons that made that goal stronger for you. Relax though, both of you get plenty of time to be witty siblings like I told you earlier.

Weiss:I know. It’s just, I guess it’s hard imagining Whitley hurt like that. I don’t think I could handle it.

Ruby:You definitely teetered in the moment. Knowing that happened though probably gave you anger and grit to fight the entire battle. You were a beast. Scarier than Winter. Anyways, that hollow victory was a real wake up call for the world. They didn’t know about Salem and we never told society in earnest. Cinder and other conspirators were enough to make Remnant work together to boost defense. Relief went to places that needed it and I, became the face of hope. Haven, Argus, Atlas, even people from Vale got to chattering of a particular group of people who always seemed to answer the call for help. Then the towns in between chattered. Yours truly had been carving a name in the history books and was only gain popularity the moment I stepped into Vacou, alone.

Blake:Alone!?

Weiss:What!?

Yang:Where were we!!!!!?

Ruby looked at surprised faces around the table, smiling tenderly. She looked down her dress and pulled out the cross she wore around her neck. Her thumb traced its edges as her mind began wandering down an old path paved with emotions raw to the core.

Ruby:I’ve always felt different. Not just because of my eyes but that there was just...a certain spark that never stopped going off for as long as I remember. There are plenty of people who can’t bare to watch others suffer, but there are fewer people I believe that truly feel the agony of other people’s pain. Beacon, Haven, Atlas, Argus; there was no place I went that I didn’t see the faces of others lamenting, and I didn’t make me want to grieve. Atlas took so much out of all of you and I just felt so....driven to stop that ache. For everyone’s sake, but mine as well. I wanted the world to finally get to the happy ending. Enough trauma had be sowed for a hundred lifetimes, so I went on ahead of everyone. I never doubted you all would follow but I wanted to get ahead of the curve and take on as much of the suffering I could do others wouldn’t. If the world wouldn’t give me a miracle than I’d be it myself for everyone else.

Yang:That’s suicidal! Salem wanted you specifically!

Ruby:It’s not like I went marching up to her door and said “1v1 bitch, I’m here” no, I just chose to move forward quicker than what we were all doing. Believe me, all of you were upset when you caught up, after I had already saved Vacou. *smiles* I really like that place. I told the people it was the next target and all they did was double down on pushing back. I managed to pin down the Summer maiden before the villains and thanks with the city on alert, there wasn’t a shift in the sand that didn’t go unnoticed. I got the jump on Mercury and Emerald, personally paying them back. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. It didn’t take long before they realized how screwed they were with them being outed like this and Cinder having the nerve to retreat before hand. Both of them threw in the total, outing the plan against Vacou. A wipeout of a win. Not to mention they told me the location Salem’s little hiding hole.

Weiss:We missed all of that?

Ruby:That’s what happens when I leave in the dead of night and running on adrenaline. Like I said before, people were tired. As much as all of you wanted to hoof it, other’s were relying on you. Atlas almost dropped for gods sake. Eventually when you all caught up it was at a good time. Soloing was rewarding but difficult. Fortunately Sun, Neptune, Ilia, and a few other familiar faces were close by if I needed an extra set of hands. My little stunt earned the anger of everyone for awhile.

WBY:Yeah no shit...the leader left.

Ruby:Yang was the most upset, followed by Uncle Qrow, and you Weiss. I was ready for the blowback. Jaune and Nora saw me though and bursted into tears. Hehe, wasn’t ready for that. Felt terrible and cried back. To prevent that stunt again, my Yang convinced Raven to link me. A couple days of apologizing and rest smoothed things over. It also gave time for just a few close friends and colleagues to get together for an assault on Salem’s castle. A few were apprehensive about it at first but at the end of the day I was going. That attitude was infectious apparently. You guys, actually everybody, they started getting this hunger to end it all. Maybe it was the high of victory? Regardless, it sent me racing to the end with those that I loved most.

Yang:You’re a real “my way or the highway” kind of Ruby. I don’t get how that explains what made you so...elite.

Ruby:I’m not sure what to say. A fight needed to to fought so I fought it. A cry for help was heard so I ran to it. A grimm needed slaying so I slayed it. People needed me to win so I didn’t dare think of losing. Dying was never option, even when it stared me right into my eyes. I had things I wanted to do and people I wanted see for years to come. I guess...I am strong because of the fact I want things my way. A moment I’m not giving it 110% is a moment wasted. After all, a huntress is all I ever wanted to be.

A single dream she wanted since birth. The never ending desire to be the hero in stories told to her many nights ago. That’s all it ever was. That’s all it’s ever been. Even in meadow of beautiful red roses, one would be the rose that captured the eyes of many, that bloomed stronger than the rest. As simple as it was, that had to be the answer here. Weiss, Yang, and Blake were in front of that flower. The Ruby Rose that simply bloomed stronger than the rest. The one that clung to her dream as if letting go meant dying itself. The devotion was inspiring, yet also overwhelming. If this was Ruby they had lead them that day in the Emerald Forest, could they have kept up? Could she be the leader they followed? No, they couldn’t have. Something deep down inside them gave them that answer. No matter how she looked and how much she loved, this Ruby Rose was cut from a cloth they simply weren’t off. The same as others, but oh so different.

Weiss:You’re....kinda a monster, you know that right?

Yang:Seriously, I’m so...floored. It’s intimidating.

Blake:Not to mention humbling. I used to think I gave it all I had. Now I’m not so sure.

Ruby:Oh don’t be like that you three! You’re all living proof there was more than way to go about life, this war! Everything you gave was enough because you’re done with it! Nobody failed. Besides, I...am far from ideal. The assault was challenging. Getting around hoards of grimm and making it to Salem was hell made real. Neo tried taking another shot at me but Yang held her off with help. Everyone pushed the obstacles in front of me out of the way as I went to Salem herself. Cinder had been abandoned by her and stripped of a lot of her powers. Angry and desperate, she tried killing me again as a way to prove worth. I beat her. However, I let her walk away.

Yang:What!? Why would-

Ruby:Naive, I was...naive okay? She was all spent and though I hated her, I just couldn’t. Not when I looked into her eyes and saw that same hunger I had to claw and scream at my dream until it was in my hands die inside her. We both knew from this point on there was absolutely nothing she could do where this ends her way. All she worked for turned burned to ash. So I gave her the choice to not burn up with it. Cinder swallow her pride and then fled. A part of me couldn’t help but rationalize killing her didn’t solve or justify any of my beliefs or desires. It would’ve done it because I hated her like she hated me. That was the dumb logic of a seventeen year old who never quite learned to take things slow.

Blake:....I don’t think it’s dumb. Naive for sure, but maybe that’s good? Even my Ruby, she never wanted to act on hate. She didn’t. Salem lives.

Weiss:Mine sent her soul to be at piece instead of passing a cruel judgment.

Yang:As a person who’s seen what you looked like with nothing but vengeance inside, I can say it doesn’t fit you. Before that day you had a warmth inside you to even foes that were somewhat admirable. You chose to leave Cinder’s fate up to those who had that hate and Salem was undone by her own doing at the very end. That’s what really makes you special Ruby. That’s why you’re called an honest soul. Good will is your nature.

Ruby:....Hmm, you sure know how to butter me up. *scratches head* I guess that part of me is uni-I mean multiversal. Strangely, that makes me feel better, to a degree.

Weiss:Do we even have to ask what happened to Salem at this point? I doubt the story ends with you loosing and having to retreat.

Ruby:Who’s to say it doesn’t? I could’ve been beaten to death before the gods themselves descended down to revive me with awesome power.

Yang:....Did you?

Ruby:Wh-No! Haha, I made her an immortal statue.

Blake:I-It was that easy?

Ruby:Well I wouldn’t call rushing into hell’s castle easy, or Salem. I lit her up at least a dozen times. My head pounded from each use, I was tossed around a bunch, magic is annoying, and not to mention running out of ammo. I left nothing to the imagination in that fight. If it were easy then I wouldn’t be rooting my horn and my age doing it. I was so tired I blacked out afterwards. I woke days later with a sore body and the title of “Remnant’s Savior.” Apparently beating Salem had weakened the grimm everywhere and all of you made sure who was to be thanked for it. That’s the tale of how I saved the world with my friends. Love, trust, elbow grease, and a lot of bullets. Before the final battle, Ozpin had struck a deal with everyone involved. In return for saving the world, he’d cut ties with us.

Yang:Seriously? What brought that about!?

Ruby:Good or not, he lied and was a schemer. Sure I was gonna try to save the world regardless of his interference but there wasn’t a person alive that didn’t to finally take a step towards the future after all this. All of us finally had time chase dreams and help the world the way we wanted to before all of this. Blake begin mending hate, Weiss took back her company, if Yang wasn’t with Blake then she was seeking more answers to Raven on wild adventures.

Yang:You mean Raven still left after all that!?

Ruby:In her defense, both of you made everything fucking awkward when she was around. It’s like you both wanted to talk about something but knew any subject was a land mine so you all you ever did was...stare, like weirdos. Glad that’s in the past. She just lives with dad now and you two now to hold a conversation. I dare not ask for more. I’d be a granny by the time I did.

Yang:Sigh...I don’t know what I expected. Shit it the fan several times and children were born before mom and I found solidarity and understanding. What did you do afterwards? Your goal was already met.

Ruby:Like hell it was! I started busting my butt traveling around the world, visiting every place to help in anyways I could. Ren and Nora tagged along for awhile before going off to make an orphanage in Anima near Ren’s old village. That left Jaune and I to do our hero thing.

Yang:As well as other things....

Ruby:Hey, what can I say? We were young and going up in the world. By the time I was nineteen, I was now a married to my partner and best friend.

Weiss:Uhhhh-

Ruby:He’s my partner on RNJR and you’re my BFF, gosh did I really need to explain that hehe?

Weiss:I just had to make sure. Crazier twists could happen.

Blake:Wow you married young. Not that there’s a problem but I’m surprised. Then again you also dated earlier than my Ruby. Hehe, weapons were on her brain for a long time.

Weiss:No kidding. When I learned about you crushing on my brother I was shocked to find out you liked anybody in general. Especially a person who isn’t a weapon nut in the slightest.

Ruby:*shrugs* All you’re telling me is I’m clearly the most impatient or impulsive Ruby you all know. Don’t know how that happened. Maybe I was dropped as a baby or had one too many coffees growing up?

Weiss:I’m willing to bet it’s both.

Ruby:Ruuuuude. So yeah, that’s...the story of how I saved the world and married Jaune. We even built a home just outside Vacou, overlooking the kingdom and neighboring town in the distance where Maria grew up. Yeah, that’s me....more or less. All the triumphant parts anyways. Anything later on is......

.......

Blake:R...Ruby? You okay?

Ruby:Nope, not really. *clenches cross*

Yang:......You know, I never really got religion, especially after learning the truth. It just seemed completely hollow when you learn of the real gods, ya know? However, I changed my tune a bit after being a parent and then some more when uncle Qrow died. It was never really about the truth behind if those other gods were real-

Ruby:It’s the piece of mind in believing in a better place for loved ones and having people watch over you. It’s truly based on blind faith in every sense but that’s okay as long as it gives peace of mind, to stay strong. Yeah....that’s why I wear this.

Yang:If that’s the “why” then I guess the unavoidable question is what happened?

The reaper leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh. Ruby brushed her hair out of her face while her face went pale. Then, Ruby’s eyes, her teammates watched a pair of stunning silver eyes dim, becoming akin to a clouded mirror.

Ruby:Being a huntress was all I wanted. The plan of having a family and settling down never appealed to me much. I feel, I felt like being in the field was where I was meant to be. It’s where I was most myself in a way. So the day I learned that I was pregnant was more than a little upsetting and terrifying, until dad and time itself filled me with the most genuine joy I may have ever experienced. Dustin Arc Rose, my first born son. He opened a door to a world and life I never knew I wanted to be apart of. Then...that door was shut minutes after, when Cinder and Neo stole him right from my arms. I couldn’t do a single thing about it other than blackout. That single act of good will I showed, it did nothing but kill me inside. The same way I did to her.

WB:.....

Yang:Ru-Ruby....your eyes.

Ruby:Hmm? Are they clouded? Funny, I would’ve thought your Ruby would’ve had a similar change. Maybe that’s a world exclusive thing, or a testament to the will you Ruby has to endure. Clouded eyes on a silver eyed warrior means the person has lost the desire or rather the mindset of persevering life. Be it their own life or wanting to end another’s life out of resentment, strife. My entire world fell apart when I woke up and learned nobody was able to retrieve Dustin. I was in pieces, Jaune was broken, nobody was the same. There wasn’t a soul we didn’t know that hadn’t tried to find a lead, but we never did. He was just...gone; and I couldn’t cope at all.

Weiss:I don’t think any mother could. Ruby, I’m so sorry that happened to you.

Ruby:I’m sorry too. I lashed out in anger, and shut people out. My eyes clouded and I dove into my work for a little over a year doing nothing but searching aimlessly as I took and every job back to back. The more time went by meant the more people eventually had to go back to their own, and it drove me up a wall inside. No one could reach me. I didn’t want anybody to. Not even Jaune. I....*teary eyed* I left him alone in house. There was no part of me that could even attempt to understand his pain because I was drowning in mine. I was told he tried his best to catch them at the hospital. I never hated him for not succeeding but I...he... I just, I can’t. I don’t know what I thought. All o knew was I didn’t even want him to touch me. How cruel is that? *hugging herself* I made him drown in despair in the same way I was. I wasn’t home so often that I never realized he eventually left it abandoned to live with dad. Yang and Blake I didn’t even show up to your wedding. Jaune did that much. Hell, Raven attended. Ruby Rose as a person didn’t exist any more. I was only a wandering huntress looking for answers or the challenge that might’ve ended me.

Blake:What changed?

Ruby:Oz, he did what nobody else dared to do. He fought me. I don’t think he thought twice about it. He was prepared to accept all the anger I kept inside until I eventually broke down into tears like I’m trying not to do right now. Thinking about that time is still, extremely difficult. Oz let me lament, encouraging me afterwards to finally except the fact Dustin was gone and that I needed to process it properly. First I went to you Yang, in order to have a my big sis to lean on. Can you guess how that went?

Yang:With me holding you tighter than I ever had before.

Ruby:*smiles gently* I don’t deserve you. You and Blake then came to patch with me where everyone else waited for me and helped me face Jaune. That may have been the hardest thing I’ve done. Grieving or not, the fact that I left him in such a state. I know what that does to people firsthand and yet I left. For the first time in over a year we embraced and finally grieved together. The next two years were spent trying to heal and cope. During my time away the world had fully acknowledged me. I even got a proper nickname, but it all felt hollow. Imagine that, achieving your dream but not caring? If that’s not salt in a wound then I don’t know what is.

Weiss:What’s your title?

Ruby:I am the person people want to see when evil comes to cut their story short. I am a symbol that their tale still has more to tell. Remnant has named me The Storyteller. Curtsey of Maria, who spread the name around. Healing was slow and most nights I felt a pain in my heart, but then everything changed. One moment made me dare to try again to open that shut door in my life. *looks at Yang* I held your son in my arms. Sweet little Kovu.

Blake:*smiles* Kovu? Now I wonder who named him?

Yang:*red* Huh...how about that? Hehehe, wish I could meet him. I know he isn’t technically mine but I can’t help but feel all warm now. Also I can’t believe I named him that!

Weiss:I can. Veronica’s middle name is Nala.

Yang:Okay, maybe not marrying Blake was a win? Clearly I can’t be trusted to not name my children after other cats.

Blake:The wrong kind of cat too. I’m a panther faunus, not a lion. Even if they’re blonde that’s still false advertising of what they are.

Ruby:Well Yang was the one giving birth so you lost a majority of the option to complain.

Blake:That is fair.

Weiss:You gave birth to Vee, so I think that solves who picked her first name.

Ruby rested her head in her propped up hands that rested on the table. She felt exhausted reliving that chapter of her life mentally. Still she managed to smile, then smile bigger. Her eyes unclouded and a warm feeling filling her again. What Ruby said earlier about what made her different may have reign true, but her friends could since that there was now more to it. Ruby had spiraled into an unimaginable tragedy, yet was able to bounce back thanks to loved ones. To smile as she does, it was truly a strong sight to see. Even if she wasn’t fully aware of that.

Ruby:Carmine Arc Rose, my second born and the first child to call me mommy. Followed many years later by itty bitty Garnet. He’s my little man, five years old while is big sis is seventeen now.

Yang:Damn! That’s a gap. Oh, also congratulations. Almost forgot that part. I’m glad you got to be the super awesome mom that-

Ruby:I am easily C-teir.

Yang:Oh come on! What!?

Ruby:Listen, I know I got on you all for calling yourselves bad parents, but I will hear no debate about me understand!? I flop a lot of times.

Weiss:That doesn’t make you a C-teir. That makes you a new mom, silly.

Ruby:*grumbling* I agree to disagree but thank you. It’s just a lot okay. Too much to dive into honestly.

Blake:Summarize. Give us an abbreviated version.

Ruby:Ummm so Carmine is real special kid. The absolute love I have for her is unbreakable but gods damnit if she isn’t the most... “me” I could be! In a way similar yet different from myself, Carmine has always had this sense of urgency in her and a love for the world around her. She recognizes that it’s a fragile piece we have and just how hard I’ve worked with everyone to make it. I could tell that from her when she was five. I’d sound crazy, but the fact she used her eyes at the age proves I’m not.

Yang:She has silver eyes!? Why didn’t you bring that up?

Ruby:I thought that was obvious. All of my kids were born with then. Unlike her baby brother though, Carmine was a weird little kid. She didn’t socialize well. Still doesn’t, she’s kinda comes off rude and cold because of her bluntness. She doesn’t really express all her feelings or understand others fully. One might call her a little cold but the passion she had to protect life itself is a testament to how much she cares. Carmine is also a genius fighter. To put in perspective, people use the same nickname for her that they used for Pyrrha.

WBY:Oh....

Ruby:Yeah! It’s not hyperbolic to say ever since Carmine is far beyond any skill I was at her age since she turned thirteen. You called me a monster earlier but no, I merely gave birth to a beast. I mean she could pass the huntsman exam at fifteen if I didn’t make her wait. I can’t call her arrogant, she talks with confidence because she has that right by all means. Still, besides her face, that’s where the similarities start separating; besides terrible grades in general stuff. We’ve never been in step completely. To put simply in her own words, “What I am is a hero, while she is a huntress.” That good will and mercy I try to give everyone isn’t how she rolls. It drives a real wedge that has resulted in us not going on missions together.

Blake:Is she...killing?

Ruby:She has before, and it had valid reasons entirely, but I also know for a fact she is more than capable of bringing down people without taking that step. Not all cases are that intense thank goodness. Her overall aggressiveness is the root of the problem. You don’t have to put you back into it when handling thugs. They aren’t Hazel.

Yang:Ooo okay, yeah I’m seeing what you mean now. It’s like that one comic you always read!

Ruby:Sigh...yeah she channels a bit of Batman energy and I need her to not do that all the time. I suppose being an honest soul isn’t particularly hereditary. It always feels like we aren’t enjoying each other’s company these days. I can’t blame her though. So....you know how all of you have had one serious problem that has both destabilized yourself as well as the kids and their relationship to you? *clouded eyes*

Weiss:Wait...you loosing a child wasn’t that?

Ruby:Oh it was. It just so happened that it never ended. It grew day by day. Night by night. Jaune and I were cautious with Carmine. Going as far to give her contacts and giving birth to her off the record and not at a hospital. Just in case Cinder came back. Well, Cinder and Neo came back, with my Dustin.

Nobody said anything. What do you even say to that!? All they did was let out a stifled breath and tried to gauge Ruby’s look of guilt.

Ruby:Yet again we had gotten too comfortable. It happened when Carmine was thirteen. I don’t think Garnet was even one yet. That’s when the cruelest realization hit me. My son had been alive and hearing about how his so called mother being a person who saves everyone, yet she never came for him. She had moved on, letting his eyes become clouded with such seething hate for the world she did save; the children she had after. It’s been four years since the day he attacked Carmine and helped grimm try to invade Vacou. To this day it’s been a life of staying on gaurd, searching for them as they popped up countless places to tear Remna- to tear me down and I can’t decide what part hurts the most. The amount of anger that prevents me from killing Cinder in a blink of an eye, or looking at my daughter who has told me herself that she is going to kill her older brother because I’m too weak to do so. That I’m in no way as good as the world believes me to be. *puts hood up* Like I said, C-teir mom, at best.

Blake:That’s- you can’t- there’s no way for you to reach him? Maybe if you-

Ruby:He looks at me the same way Neo and Cinder do, Blake. They raised him to hate me. Besides, he hurt Carmine. She’s just not gonna let that slide and frankly I shouldn’t either. Carmine acts tough and for the most part is, but gets terrified like everyone else. In many ways she’s still just a young girl that I wish had never chosen to become a huntress. If I had it my way she’d just be a normal girl with normal knees; but her mother’s weakness and inexperience wrapped her up in yet another war. It’s ironic. I barely remember mom and yet I ended up putting my family in very similar situation as if she lead instruction. Happy endings, I’m not sure if I get-

Yang:You’re better than mom....

Ruby:......

Yang:Yeah I said. Look I love Summer Rose but at the end of the day she wasn’t around, not that she didn’t want to be, but it’s the truth. Several years of pleasant childhood memories and a lifetime of grief is what she left me, and all you got were tales you should’ve experienced first hand. Ruby you have spent seventeen years loving your daughter unconditionally and being there for her no matter if it’s for better or worse. Yeah you might not being doing it perfectly and I have no idea how to even fathom your predicament, but at least you are there trying. Take it from me, that’s all a daughter ever wants from their mother. It’s also what makes a pretty kick ass dad. *smiles* Chin up, hero. Your story isn’t over yet after all.

Silence filled the air and Ruby’s throat ran dry. Ruby pulled out her scroll to go to her pictures and displayed one of her favorite photos for everyone to see. It was Carmine’s fifteenth birthday. Ruby didn’t lie about the resemblance. the girl had short blonde hair that stopped halfway down her neck in the back and was longer in the front, reaching shoulders. Like her mother, the tips of her hair transitioned to red. The beautiful young woman tried to her hide her smile but her gleeful silver eyes were practically twinkling with joy as Ruby hugged her tightly from behind and a tall, more solid version of Jaune was smushing one of Carmine’s cheeks with an overly dramatic kiss to it. A tiny child no older than three at most was in his big sister’s arms. Garnet had his mother’s hair and eyes but something about the chubby face definitely showed Jaune’s features. The child had red frosting on his face and was reaching eagerly for more cake somewhere out of frame.

Yang noticed the girl took page from her father and wore some regular cargo shorts, but clearly didn’t lack flair by wearing a red crop top that showed off a fresh tattoo of the Arc crest on her toroso. Knowing her sister, that tattoo was most likely practical. The family looked happy, proud; and the mother of it currently sat across the table crying with her head face down in her hands cwhile Weiss and Blake hugged her from each side. Roses may have thorns, anyone who knew roses knew a simple truth. They’re still fragile flowers.

Yang:(Carmine Arc Rose. For you and your mother’s sake, I hope things go well)

xxxx

Though Carmine seemed cold by nature, people were quick learn the opposite. The most recent learner of this was a scared little girl that held on for dear life. It was nighttime, nothing but the sound of pouring rain and the distant glow of red and the warmth of Carmine holding the girl against her body while she sprinted through a mud ridden forest. The little payed no attention to the pain in her side, but the glow of roses, eyes, and flames through her tear filled eyes.

Beowulves chased frantically but then severed immediately by something the girl couldn’t understand, but it looked like the person carrying her. The dead beasts brought no comfort. Not when more followed close behind.

Girl:I-I’m sc...scared!

Carmine:Don’t look at them sweetie, it’ll be fine. Just keep being a brave little girl.

Girl:M...Mommy was back there.

Carmine:.....I know, she’ll be just fine. Your village, there are plenty of people there that will be just fine! Huff..... You got a name?

Mary:Mary.....

Carmine:Oh that’s a beautiful name, Mary. You know I was almost a Mary? Yeah my grandma was a really amazing person and I almost got named something similar to her. Mary is a very strong name!

Mary:You’re a liar! I’m sad, not strong. I want my mommy! Everything his dark and hurts and I want her!

The girl began painfully crying as Carmine followed her trail of roses to avoid getting lost. Things were getting worse. The storm raged and she could feel this girl burning in her arms. Not to mention the unsettling warmth the mixed with the cold rain against her body and dripped to puddles below. Any grimm near by could only be dealt with by many copies of her nearby, but that would only go so far when fear was out full force. Carmine’s boots felt like cement, but she still ran.

Carmine:Mary, you know what do when I miss my mommy? I sing! Yeah, my mom sings the best lullabies that made me feel super strong when I was little! It’s a magic song that makes everyone strong. How about I sing it you and they can sing it your mommy later okay!? But you have to close your eyes to really focus on the words!

Mary:*sniffling* Okay....

Baby deathstalkers swarmed the path made ahead as small Nevermores dove at her. Out of options, Carmine broke from the path, trying to rely on memory to go towards the safe zone while also singing lyrics to her favorite song.

Dream of anything; I'll make it all come true.

Everything you need is all I'll have for you~

Carmine never wavered. No matter how badly her lungs her or nearly slipped, she kept singing all the way to her destination where several other clones were seen racing towards with more civilians to injured or young to go themselves. An orphanage where Nora and Ren stood outside rushing people in while Jaune was keeping the grimm at bay. The sight brought a little ease.

Don't worry, I've got you; nothing will ever harm you.

I'm close by, I'll stay here; through all things, I will be near~

Carmine finally reached Nora and passed off the girl who’s grip weakened overtime. A few lyrics in and Carmine knew she was singing mainly for herself.

Carmine:Get her medical attention! I’m gonna go and find more! There’s still-

Jaune:Wait, it’s too dangerous!

Carmine:I know! That’s why I have to go! That fire is spreading and there’s stragglers pinned down! Dad.....I’m pinned down!

Jaune tensed up and looked at Carmine. No scraps on her and her clothes only soiled by others. It didn’t take long to realize. The man resisted the urge to run out to the ruined town and stood firmly.

Jaune:Carmine...end it. We’ll worry about the consequences later.

Carmine:....Okay.

Across the woods amongst the flames the real Carmine stood bleeding and bruised in front of two Beringel that charged over the vanishing corpses of their fallen with more grimm, her sword stabbed into the ground supporting her weight. Behind all living people that remained finally managed to flee. All except for a woman trapped by house debris. The woman watched this young huntsman stand proudly again. She wasn’t sure what happened next. All she heard was one sentence.

“Close your eyes...” before everything went white. Next thing she knew, Carmine was lifting debris off her as rain and wind washed away any evidence. A relief she didn’t care about in the slightest. She neither had the strength, or the time too. Much like Carmine, who began to pant and teeter. It was clear to the woman that whatever just happened didn’t come without cost as she watched the girl fall to her knees. Though she tried moving, Carmine was spent.

Carmine:Don’t worry...we’re safe....let’s-

Woman:Go...

Carmine:Huh?

Woman:I...my legs. Everything...I can’t move. Just go. I d-don’t think I’d las-

Carmine:Don’t talk like that! The hard parts over! I can-

Woman:Barely walk. *smiles* It’s okay. I don’t blame you. You fought hard.

Carmine:.....I...I’m sorry. *teary eyed*

Woman:Say, I know that face anywhere. Your Lady Rose’s kid. Funny, I thought your eyes were red? My daughter, Mary, she loves your mother. Makes me kinda jealous hehe, but hey I love her too. *crying* Do you know if Mary made it? She was wearing-

Carmine:A black dress, pink ribbons in her hair...

Woman:Yes! Is she safe? I saw you- one of you carry her off.

Carmine:...She’s just fine.

Woman:Good. That’s all....that.....

The woman never finished her sentence. Carmine’s body fell limp on the ground, facing the rain. Even with the cold downpour she could feel the warmth of her own tears, containing her emotions best she could as she looked through her clones eyes to watch Nora take Mary away from the survivors and out of sight to not stir further panic.

Carmine wasn’t sure how long she layed there, but it was long enough for Jaune to find her. The man didn’t say a word. The town was in shambles. Grimm were still fading and his daughter looked tired, but not in serious condition. Unlike the those who didn’t make it. Jaune put Carmine in his arms, carrying her away to safety.

Carmine:......Does mom ever save them all?

Jaune:No, but that never stops her from trying; or mourning.

She clenched her father’s shirt and let herself be fragile, to be a Rose.

Carmine:Next time. Mom and I, we’ll both get it right next time. A happy ending for all!

Jaune:Yeah, I know you will. Together....

#rwby #rwby au #the void #jaune arc #ruby rose #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #carmine arc rose #rwby rosebud #rwby lancaster

104 notes · View notes

poesparakeet-fics · 3 years

Text

In The Mirror Over The Bar

Includes Vox Machina AND Mighty Nein

Rating: Gen

Fandom: Critical Role, Campaigns 1 and 2

Summary: In two bars on two continents, two found families share a mirrored moment. A snippet tickle-fic.

ONE

He was lucky that the tavern was loud. They’d made it into this little town for supplies and a bed, only to find their biggest party of the year in full swing. The bar was full, with farmers swinging their wives around and everyone stamping their feet. Scanlan had joined the band an hour ago, and was now serenading the bar’s comely dwarven owner as she giggled and blushed, having enjoyed quite a bit of her own stock.

Percy was sitting in a booth in the back, trying desperately to stay quiet. The rest of their group was facing away from him, watching Scanlan’s revelry, while the twins sandwiched him from either side. To anyone else, it might look like Vax has his arm slung over his brother-in-law’s shoulders, but if they looked closer they’d see his long fingers hooked under one arm while the other hand climbs Percy’s side from the inside of his coat. Percy’s eyes were already misty, his laughter constant but just quiet enough not to be heard above the din of the party.

And Vex, his beautiful, darling, traitor wife, her face was leaning in close to his where he was inches from collapsing onto the tabletop, a smile that was more a baring of teeth aimed right at him. Her hands were under the table, each grasping a knee and not moving a muscle. Not that his legs weren’t already jelly.

Gods, not the knees was what he wanted to plead to her, but he was well past words.

“Darling, look at me.”

He tried, but Vax’s hand found a spot on his ribcage that made him shriek into his hand and shut his eyes tight, torso arching back against his brother-in-law’s.

Vex moved only her index fingers, each scratching exactly twice in place on the tops of his knees.

“Noohohoo!” He cried.

He lurched forward until he’d nearly passed from Vax’s arms to hers. Thankfully he could still barely hear himself, though if that changed there wasn’t a whole lot he’d be able to do about it.

“Say it and I won’t, darling! This could be so easy. Why are you making it hard on yourself?”

“Please!” Percy wheezed.

“What was that?” Vax mocked from behind him. “That didn’t sound like ‘I will never hide a workshop injury again on pain of tickling.’ Am I wrong?”

“No,” Vex agreed with a sigh, “It doesn’t, I’m afraid.”

That’s when she started to squeeze Percy’s knees, turning him immediately into a thrashing, shrieking mess. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body tried to jackknife on instinct, only to be blocked by a solid wood table and two lithe bodies.

“Please!” He manages to get out, but just barely. “Pleaheeheeheese! I cahahahan’t!”

His laughter was turning silent, he was running out of air for it.

“If I stop, will you promise?”

He can only nod weakly. Both sets of hands still, but don’t move from their position, the threat imminent.

“Say it now,” Vax reminds him, “or we shant have any interest in what you have to say for a long while.”

“I… won’teverhideaninjuryagain… please.”

They both backed off, and he was left to slump with his head down on the smooth wood of their table to catch his breath. Vax planted a cheeky kiss on top of his head before disappearing to the dance floor with Keyleth. Vex, at least, had the good grace to sit with him while he recovered his breath.

He took a few extra seconds there to plot his revenge. Vex he’ll never get, she wasn’t very ticklish and was too capable of wrecking him with a twitch. Plus, nobody else in the group would be willing to help him cross her. Vax, on the other hand…

Well, after the party. He did his best work in the quiet.

TWO

Caleb remembered how they’d gotten to Trostenwald. He remembered how they’d found this rolicking tavern where, true to form, the locals were having a party the bordered on a riot. He was still unsure as to how he’d wound up bundled into a booth between two positively devilish tieflings.

He thought it had started with beer. He’s been showing off a little, an old trick from his school days of drowning a whole pint in one go, delighting Yasha and Beau. Was that when Molly sat down behind him? Either way, when the other women left to dance, Jester had returned from doing the same to sit at his other side.

The story of how he’d got there now clearer in his admittedly drunk brain, he came to the next problem: How to get out of this.

They both scooted closer, nearly squeezing him between them, excited glances and sharp smiles exchanged over his shoulders. He knew what was coming. Teiflings loved to tickle, especially beloved and grumpy wizards. But in public?

“Cay-leb,” Jester sing-songed in his ear.

It sent a shiver ricocheting down his spine. He briefly considered casting Misty Step, but Molly was getting very good at recognizing his somatics and he was pretty sure an escape attempt would burn any mercy they may have for him. He also considered making a run for it, either by jumping over the table or climbing under it. Going over would attract so much attention, though, and if they caught him he didn’t want an audience. Under would be too slow.

“I wouldn’t be ignoring her if I was you.” Molly purred in his other ear.

His hand reached for Caleb’s hip to slide subtly under his coat. The wizard’s body started to collapse to get away from him on that side, but Jester was soon doing the same.

“No,” Caleb yelped, balanced between his tormentors, “I’m not ignoring! What is it, Jester?”

His voice was strangled, his torso quivering under the proximity of their fingers.

“Oh, nothing,” Jester answered, setting her fingers in motion, “I just wanted to know if you’re still ticklish!”

Caleb made a sound like he was dying, thankfully drowned out by the noise of the crowd. His torso started to rock from side to side when Molly clawed at his ribcage, his other hand squeezing Caleb’s upper thigh and making him nearly jump out of his seat. Instead he just bumped into the table and wailed.

“Nein!”

“Oh, you’re not ticklish?” Jester questioned, her lips pouting and her eyes curious, “But why are you laughing, Caleb? It sure seems like you’re still ticklish. Maybe we need to experiment some more, huh?

“Scheisse! Pleaheese not here!”

“Oh hush,” Molly soothed, as if his hands weren’t still taking Caleb apart under the table, “the party’s loud and we’re hidden back here, nothing to be embarrassed by. Besides, it’s a party. Have a laugh!”

With that he bought both hands up to Caleb’s rib cage and set about cracking him open. The move took Caleb down almost immediately, his upper body all but flopping across Molly’s lap as his eyes squeezed shut and his limbs stopped working.

“Oh no, Caleb! If only we could solve this mystery!” Jester teased, he hands moving to pinch his hips where his shirt had ridden up.

“Fine! I am! Bitte!”

“You are whaaaaat?” Jester asked him sweetly, fingers dancing up under his shirt to make him squeal.

“I’m ticklish!”

“Now say ‘I’m the most ticklish and squishy wizard in the world, and I might die--”

“Oh now,” Molly interrupts, “that’s just mean.”

Jester rolled her eyes and stopped tickling. Caleb lay halfway out of his seat, halfway in Molly’s lap, trying to catch his breath. He was going to be FAR more aware of where those tieflings were in the future.

#critickle role #M9 #Critical role #Tickle fic #vox machina #percival fredrickstein von musel de rolo iii #vax'ildan #vex'ahlia #caleb widogast #jester lavorre #mollymauk tealeaf

66 notes · View notes

costellos · 4 years

Text

author’s note: this wasn’t a request, just something super self-indulgent that I wanted to do! ❤⃛(*ૂ❛ัᴗ❛ั*ૂ) also this ended up taking 2.5 hours to write aldkf;j so much for unwinding at the end of the day. overall, I’m super proud of how this came out — please enjoy!

❥ ┋ ❝ bucci gang realizing that they’re in love!

bruno bucciarati.

Bucciarati realizes he’s in love when he sees you defending civilians.

he is a man made of love. for his people, for his community, for his goals — he firmly believes that everyone and everything can be built on yes, but more importantly, taken care of.

he sees you protecting an elderly couple during a stand battle. in a split second do you throw your stand at the couple, taking a hefty amount of damage in their place. you’re bloody and your arm is definitely broken, but you still turn to them. "you need to leave. now,” you say. although your words are harsh and hoarse, your smile reminds them that yes, everything will be fine, I just need you to trust me.

you didn’t have to protect them. any other gangster would have left them to die. they’re old, no one would miss them.

but you did. you put these two strangers, two no ones at the wrong place at the wrong time, before yourself. even if it meant you’d die.

Bucciarati would visit you shortly after the battle. Giorno had already tended to your wounds, evident by your lack of bandages. his hair is normally neatly placed, but it looks like he had been rustling it, with his clips out of place and the braid atop his head uneven. his concern is apparent; he’s wracked his brain waiting for your recovery. you knew that Bucciarati cared about his team, but when did he care this much? ↳ “I admit, your actions were certainly reckless,” he would say to you, taking a seat beside your bed. “you’re lucky that fight didn’t end worse than it did. nonetheless...” his voice is tired yet soft, comforting. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’m... I’m incredibly glad.”

leone abbacchio.

Abbacchio realizes he’s in love when he sees you upholding true justice.

although he would never admit it, he is haunted by his inability to save his partner during his time as an officer. as such, Abbacchio envies those who back justice in spite of the system Italy lives under.

you’re patrolling one of La Passione’s turfs with him when you see it: two officers harassing a young girl. even though Abbacchio tells you not to get involved, you quickly storm over to the scene. their voices are loud and clear, despite them being several meters away. the girl looks scared.

it turns out she had stolen a handful of painkillers from the corner store. the cops noticed her scurrying out as they were buying a pack of smokes. and now, they were threatening to take her into the station. “I need them for my family!” she explains, but the cops don’t buy it. they huff something about her bringing them to school and selling them to her friends.

“here. I’ll pay for her. just leave her alone.” Abbacchio watches as you flash 30 euros to the cops, more than enough to pay for the medicine. playing them at their own game, he sees. thankfully, they relent, pocketing the money and leaving the scene. and after you talk to the girl, explaining that if she needs more help to come find you, you both leave the scene too.

it’s a brief affair. truthfully, he wouldn’t have gotten himself involved. he wishes you hadn’t either. it would’ve been less of a headache, and now that girl is going to pester you again in the future. but he can’t stop replaying the scene in this head. how you willingly stood up for her, reassured her that everything would be okay. how you smiled and looked so content after the fact. ↳ “ I envy you,” he would say as you walked away from the scene. “doing the right thing is...” he pauses. stupid? naive? “...it’s not easy. you didn’t have to do anything but I admire your valor. just don’t be surprised if that girl comes up at your doorstep begging for more money.” nonetheless, he wants to learn more from you. to be good again, he thinks. maybe then he can be someone that he himself is proud of. and maybe, eventually, he’ll make you proud too.

giorno giovanna.

Giorno realizes he’s in love when he sees your ambition.

he prides himself on his resolve. to him, resolve is committing to something regardless of the difficulties that a person faces. seeing you be so goal-oriented would make him believe that he’s found his match.

it doesn’t have to be a huge goal, like dedicating yourself to a field of practice or learning a new language. it can be as simple as trying to keep your houseplants alive. in fact, those little things come off as more charming to him. it shows that you’re passionate about everything you do, no matter what it is.

seeing you continuously try despite numerous failures would make Giorno’s heart pound. you refuse to give up. even with everything against you, you still roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath, and pick yourself up again. he adores this about you.

he realizes it when you’re rambling about your next move in your goals. your face is so excited, your eyes so wide and bright. your mouth is voicing your steps a million words a minute but all he can focus on is how beautiful you look. the smile on his lips is unmistakable. ↳ “tell me more. I want to know everything. tell me about every detail, every step, what you’ll do when you’re finished... all of it.” he won’t say it — after all, he doesn’t want to come off as too desperate — but he wants to be there every step of the way with you. and when you’ve completed your goal, he wants to be the one next to you, the one to say, “I am so, so proud of you.”

guido mista.

Mista realizes he’s in love when you laugh at one of his jokes.

life should be simple. that’s the mantra he lives by. despite being a gangster, he just wants to have a simple life filled with simple pleasures. one of those ways is through telling stories.

it happens when the group is eating dinner at a local restaurant. Mista is telling some long-winded anecdote, something about how he heroically beat up a landlord for harassing his tenants over money. at the end, it turned out to be the set up for a really brief and really stupid punchline.

everyone is looking at him. “ah? ahhhh?” he muses, but no one responds. the silence in the air is unbearable. hm. wow. is it hot in here or what? finally, Narancia breaks the silence, muttering that he doesn’t get it. Fugo tells him that Mista could have made the joke so much shorter. Bucciarti exhales quickly from his nostrils, a half-assed attempt at laughing. Giorno and Abbacchio don’t say anything.

but then you. oh, you. it takes you a moment to get it, but when you do, your giggling disrupts the awkwardness. it sounds like bells, Mista thinks. sweet bells, ringing like how they used to at the church every Sunday morning in his hometown. it makes him feel warm, welcome, and he can’t help but feel his face flush when he hears your laughing.

Mista stays in place afterwards, pushing his white beans to and fro on his plate. he’s not hungry anymore. he keeps looking up at you, and while he had acknowledged you were attractive before, something about you was now beautiful. you were happy here, with your eyes bright and your smile wide. eventually, he would say: ↳ “hey, thanks for covering me back there. those guys never laugh at anything I say.” he rolls his eyes playfully, adding a slight shrug of his shoulders. “lemme make it up to you. what can I do for you?” he’s trying to be smooth, but he’s so giddy at the prospect at spending more time with you!

narancia ghirga.

Narancia realizes he’s in love when you don’t lose your patience with him.

he doesn’t have much of a formal education. hence, critical thinking skills don’t come easy to him. he tries his best, he really does, but it’s difficult when he’s hardly flexed his brain.

he’s writing a song. nothing fancy, but music has always been a part of Narancia’s life that he wants to give it a go himself. maybe one day he’ll be a famous hip hop artist, touring across Europe and maybe even the U.S. one day! the thought makes him excited. but for now, he needs to establish the lyrics.

rap is easier said than done, though. Fugo is teasing him about his inability to write poetry — what makes Narancia think that he could write a whole song? he grits his teeth and turns back to his paper.

that’s when you approach him. you sit down with him, asking him what he would like to write about. “oh, uh... growing up in the streets, I guess,” he mumbles. he’s taken aback by your help. plus, talking about it now makes him embarrassed. but you don’t judge him, no; you sit down with him and try to help him nail down the theme. and once you have that, you assist him in finding snappy lyrics and catchy rhymes.

you don’t criticize him for his ideas. you don’t yell at him for his suggestions. you just listen and add on. the encounter is foreign, to say the least... but not unwelcome. Narancia finds your help incredibly productive (much better than Fugo could ever offer him). and the time goes by so fast! within a few hours, his song is done. yet he’s not happy... no, he starts to feel lonely the moment you stand up, off to assist Bucciarati with whatever he needs. ↳ “wait, hold on, [Name]!” shit. his voice is way too desperate. he softens it as best he can muster: “can... can we write another song sometime? I have a lot more ideas and I can’t do it without you.” fuck. he did it again. but when smile at him and nod, promising that you’ll help him hit the Top 40, Narancia can’t help but smile back.

panacotta fugo.

Fugo realizes that he’s in love when you put him before yourself.

genius. prodigy. failure. Fugo is defined by how others see him. after his parents abandoned him for leaving an abusive establishment, he finds himself lost in the world. who is he? what is he worth?

he’s escorting you to your mission when his car is attacked by a rival gang. the assault is a blur. he can remember the car flipping over, tumbling off the road and into the Mediterranean Sea. it happens so fast. the salty water surrounding you both. the windshield cracking. the airbag goes off, suffocating him. he can’t see. he can’t breathe. and suddenly, it’s dark.

when he wakes up, he realizes that you’re both on the beach. “where are we?” he musters out. it hurts to talk. you hush him to take it easy, that he had most certainly broken a few ribs. and that’s when he sees it: when he looks down, his wounds are tended to. gashes have been tenderly wrapped in gauze and minor cuts treated with balm. a pain relief patch has been placed on his chest, no doubt where the air bag hit him. but when he looks at you, you’re bleeding through your bandages.

that’s right. there was a first aid kit in the car. based on his injuries, you spent the majority of supplies on him, even though you definitely had it just as bad. “why?” is all he can say.

why? you shake your head. “because you’re my friend,” you answer, adjusting the gauze on his wrist. “I’m taking care of you because you’re worth it.”

your words catch him by surprise. he doesn’t believe it, but... your face is honest enough. his thoughts are jumbled, as mixed as the sand and water at the shore just a few meters away. and when your hand touches his wrist... he shakes his own head.

↳ “you should’ve tended to yourself first.” his tongue tastes of nothing but blood and salt and his words show it. a beat, and gentler this time: “I appreciate your thinking of me. thank you.” that’s all he can say, at least for now. it hurts to much to talk, moreover think. so he places his hand over yours as a gesture of thanks. friends, huh? the idea before sounded laughable, but now... there was something warm about it. the answer to his question — who is he? — had come as quickly as the waves beneath him: a friend.

#bucci gang #jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #giorno giovanna #golden wind #bruno bucciarati #leone abbacchio #guido mista #narancia ghirga #pannacotta fugo #headcanons #part 5 #toya whisks u away

629 notes · View notes

anubislover · 3 years

Text

Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya chapter 19: Lying Hearts

“How can anyone stand to live in a city like this?” Nami grumbled as the light glinted off of yet another painfully white building. True, the setting sun had lessened the glare slightly, but after an entire afternoon of it, she was developing quite the headache, even with the sunglasses.

Law shrugged and continued walking at a leisurely pace, still unaffected. “I’m sure if you’re born somewhere like this it’s easier, but people can learn to tolerate almost anything given enough time, I suppose.”

“Do you think you’d be able to learn to tolerate bread?”

“I said almost. I’d sooner die of starvation.”

She shook her head with a chuckle but kept pace, following his lead. Instead of heading straight back to the submarine, Law had insisted on a few detours through Atifakuto—partially in case anyone had grown suspicious and decided to follow them, but also to scope out potential escape routes under the guise of sightseeing. Nami, for her part, had been exceedingly helpful in this, mapping out in her head which stairways lead where and pointing out various places to hide. If Law found her compliance suspicious, he didn’t say anything; it was in their best interest to work together, especially with some potentially valuable goods on the line, so her behavior was easily rationalized.

For her, however, there was more than artifacts or even belli at stake. This heist had to go well. She needed Law to trust her enough to open up about why he was so obsessed with Amber Lead. Perhaps if he could do that, she wouldn’t even have to sneak into his quarters to take a look at the ledgers. She could just ask and he’d let her in like a rational human being.

Of course, in order for either of their plans to succeed they needed to know where the vase was. Luckily, the rest of the Hearts hadn’t been sitting idle on the submarine. They’d been investigating every possible gallery, art collector, museum, and auction house their prize could possibly be at. The second they had a lead, they’d call on the mini Den Den Mushi.

Until then, though, Law and Nami were forced to meander about the city, planning and killing time.

“So, while we wait for some intel, what else are you going to buy me?” she asked as they wandered the fourth level. They’d passed quite a few shops, and while most had stocked dull business suits similar to the last store, Nami felt her bags were tragically light. They were in a beautiful-if-blinding city, and she was walking away with only one outfit? What a travesty.

Snorting dismissively, Law glanced down at her with a clear look of are you kidding me? on his face. “Nothing. I told you I was only getting you one outfit. I’m your captain, not your sugar daddy.”

“You know, for a man who wants this little job to go well, you’re not putting in nearly the effort you should,” she quipped, a sly smile on her lips, eyelashes fluttering prettily. “I’m supposed to look professional and put together if I’m gonna pull off being your lovely assistant. That means I need matching shoes and accessories. Maybe a cute leather purse or briefcase to really sell it.”

“If you want those so badly then buy them yourself. Or,” he smirked, halting his pace to turn around and catch her chin between his fingers, tilting her head up towards him as he stepped in close enough so she could feel his body heat, “you earn them by doing certain favors for daddy.”

Her cheeks only pinkened a little at his innuendos while she stuck out her tongue and shoved him away. Last night’s dream wasn’t quite as close to the forefront of her mind anymore, but that didn’t mean his smirk didn’t do things to her she’d rather ignore. “Pass. You should know by now that it takes more than clothes for me to play nice.”

“Mmm, I do. That’s what makes it so much fun,” he purred, gold eyes glinting in wicked amusement. One gloved hand was shoved into his pocket while his free arm slung itself casually over her shoulder as he continued stalking along the fastidiously clean road. “But since you’re currently insisting on being a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need a man to provide for her, you can instead borrow some shoes from Ikkaku, and she might still have a pair of glasses or something from the time she pretended to be a receptionist at a Naval base.”

Brown eyes widened at his statement. Not because he was suggesting that she borrow clothes or anything, but the bombshell he’d just casually dropped in light of her recent discovery.

“Was this for one of your plans?” she asked, shoulders stiffening.

He shrugged like it was no big deal, though he did give her a curious glance at the way she tensed beneath him. “Yeah. We needed someone on the inside, and they’d put out an advertisement for an attractive female in her early twenties. It’s not like Uni or Penguin could do it.”

“But…holy shit, Law, are you serious?” she hissed, dragging him over to an unoccupied part of the street behind a solitary gated tree so she could scold him in private. There weren’t too many people about, but the last thing they need was to get unwanted attention because they’d caused a scene, even if Law totally deserved to get chewed out at the top of her lungs for being such an asshole. “Ikkaku has Marine brothers who want her dead and you sent her into the lion’s den? What the fuck?!”

Caught off-guard by her anger, Law’s eyebrows shot up briefly before furrowing. “She told you about them?”

Damn. In her shock and anger on her friend’s behalf, she’d forgotten that this was a subject she wasn’t technically supposed to know. But instead of admitting guilt, she doubled down and threw on her best poker face.

“Yeah. She told me,” she lied easily. Too easily. It came as naturally as it had back in the days she’d been working under Arlong, getting close to pirates by lying through her teeth and then robbing them blind. How many crews and captains had she deceived before Luffy? Nami had honestly lost count, but once she’d joined up with the Straw Hats, lying to a supposed ally hadn’t been quite as instinctual.

But this isn’t Luffy, and Law’s keeping way more secrets than I am, she rationalized. It’s just a little white lie anyway. He’d be way more pissed at Shachi and Penguin for telling me. I’m looking after those guys.

Law’s expression hardened, and for a moment she wondered if he’d seen through her bluff. She didn’t think she’d gotten too rusty in the lying department, but Law was smart and distrusting in general, so she couldn’t quite tell. Trepidation hung heavy in the air as she waited for him to speak, mind going a mile a minute coming up with new lies and explanations to appease him. Worse came to worst, she could throw the guys under the bus, even if she didn’t really want to, but they were his best friends, so Law would doubtlessly be more forgiving towards them, right?

Thankfully, it seemed his anger came from a completely different place, as he snarled quietly through clenched teeth, “Nami-ya, I am, as you have pointed out rather frequently in the past, a control freak. Do you really think I would devise a plan that required sending my top mechanic into a Marine base if there was even a chance she could be recognized? Especially by her utter shit of a brother?”

She flinched at the vitriol in his voice. It seemed she’d touched a nerve, and unless she wanted to lose all the progress she’d worked for, she knew it was best to back down. “Sorry. You’re right.”

“I’ll accept your apology if you tell me what prompted her to tell you,” he stated, crossing his arms. “It’s not information she makes widely known, even to those who are permanent members of my crew.”

Well. At least this was easy enough to justify, and she’d be doing both Law and Ikkaku a favor, right? Sure, the guys would obviously tell him later, but being the first to warn him might earn her a few more crumbs of trust. “There was an article in the paper about Marine reinforcements coming to the Grand Line. Ushi was interviewed. He seemed pretty intent on taking down the Heart Pirates.”

Law froze, his frown deepening into a dark sneer. The tic in his jaw and the way his fists clenched reminded her of his reaction to Ikkaku having been attacked on Grimm. “That fucker will stay away from Ikkaku if he’s got any brains in him.”

“You’re pretty protective of her,” she said. Sure, he’d perhaps phrased his defense in a way that implied his priority was the plan, it was clear from the hiss in his voice that Ikkaku’s safety had been genuinely considered.

The brim of his hat hid his eyes as he stated, “I’m protective of all my crew. She’s just…it’s hard to find submarine engineers, let alone ones as skilled as her. Ikkaku’s hard to replace.”

Well that stinks to high heaven of bullshit, she thought. Sure, the Surgeon of Death had a rightly-earned cruel reputation, but he’d shown time and again his crew meant a lot to him. Stepping in close, she used her finger to lift his hat enough to see his expression unobstructed. “Is that why you let her sass you? Because if she walked you’d be dead in the water?”

The gold orbs glared down at her, though the held no heat. “Everyone on the crew is a vital component. Like gears in a well-oiled machine. You’ve gotta take care of them to make sure they don’t break.”

When Nami merely raised a disbelieving eyebrow, he sighed, body deflating slightly. “Look, Nami-ya, everyone on my crew, we’ve all got shit in our pasts. Some have overcome it. Some still carry the scars. Ikkaku…hers is one of the few that’s actively still trying to get her. So yeah, maybe I’m a bit more protective, but it’s for a damn good reason.”

Ok, now that was a fair point. “I’m surprised you haven’t just killed him.”

“Oh, I want to,” he snarled. “No brother should try to hurt their siblings. They’re supposed to look after them. The only reason Ushi-ya still draws breath is because Ikkaku begged me to spare his pathetic life.”

It suddenly dawned on Nami that, despite his criticizing Luffy for not being more bloodthirsty, Law was…surprisingly merciful in his own ways, too. He didn’t murder Ikkaku’s brother, despite having clear reason to, just because she asked. He rescued Jean Bart from a life of slavery despite not knowing him. And while she didn’t fully understand the Ope Ope no Mi’s powers, she wondered if his cuts didn’t draw blood because he didn’t want them to?

She wasn’t sure if he had a complexity addiction or if he genuinely wanted to minimize bloodshed, but once again another side of the incredibly fascinating man had been revealed.

Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, he gave Nami a sadistic smile. “Doesn’t mean I let him off the hook with a sternly-worded warning, though. Wanna know what I did to him the last time we met?”

Nami turned a bit green as she remembered Jinzo’s still-beating heart in his hands. Complex and caring towards his crew or not, he was still a twisted bastard. “Fuck no!”

Briefly he pouted at not getting to regale her with the gory details before shrugging. “Pity. It was quite the eventful evening. In fact, it was also the night of mine and Drake-ya’s first kiss.”

“How the hell are those two things connected?!”

“Well, I had to distract him somehow. He was guarding my poor mechanic like a dragon would a virtuous princess.”

Before she could demand more details, or even snort at the idea of Ikkaku being virtuous, the sound of the mini Den Den Mushi reached their ears, interrupting the conversation.

Looking around to make sure there weren’t any eavesdroppers, Law pulled out the little snail phone and clicked down on the top. “Guessing you’ve got something for me?”

“I do,” the snail answered, and Nami recognized the faint accent that indicated they were speaking to Cousteau. “Only one place that specializes in North Blue history. Jubilee & Atlas Antiques. It’s an auction house and gallery on the fifth level, a block away from the Elevate Deliverer Restoration Church.”

“Well that’s a needlessly long name,” he quipped, rolling his eyes. Mentally, Nami had to agree, though it also sounded vaguely familiar. “At least that makes it easier to find. Anything else I should know? Other landmarks, nearby guard stations, that sort of thing?”

There was a moment of hesitation before Cousteau replied, “No station, though there would probably be at least a few guards wandering around at night. It’s, uh, right by a fountain. Blessings from the White City.”

Nami’s eyes widened a little. Oh. Now she remembered. That had been the church with the huge stained-glass windows. The one in her book, by the tribute to Flevance.

“…I see.”

The little snail chewed its lip, clearly concerned. “Captain, if you want, I can do all the surveillance—”

“It’s fine,” he cut in, tone sharp before smoothing out, “I saw it earlier. In fact, I’m glad it’s so close. Nami-ya and I will check out the gallery. We’re nearby and I’d rather see it with my own eyes to get the lay of the land. Unless anyone else has a better lead, you and the others can head back to the ship.”

“Understood, sir. Anything else you need?” he asked, sounding relieved.

“Just tell Clione I might have a job for him later on, so don’t make any evening plans.”

“Aye-aye, Captain.”

The call ended, and Nami peered up at Law, expecting signs of the same darkness that had crossed his face when they’d visited the fountain earlier. Instead, his face was totally blank, staring down at the tiny snail, expressionless.

Somehow, that was far, far more unnerving.

“Law?” she asked, touching his arm hesitantly.

As if awoken from a trance he shook his head before smirking down at her. “Well, hope you don’t mind one last detour before heading back to the ship? I know it’s more stairs but look on the bright side; at this rate, the definition of your calf muscles will be a thing of beauty.”

He didn’t wait for her to respond, turning on his heels and heading towards the direction of the stairs to the next level. Frowning, she began to doubt whether or not this was all a good idea. She didn’t know exactly what his deal was, but she really felt like he was too close to this. But she had the feeling trying to talk him out of it would be an exercise in futility, and would set her back far more than any lie she might spin.

Oh well, she sighed internally, jogging to catch up, so long as he doesn’t do anything stupid. He’s sensible enough to keep a cool head, no matter what his problem is. It’ll be fine.

While it wasn’t far, it took longer than either of them would have expected to actually find Jubilee & Atlas Antiques. Mainly because it was a surprisingly nondescript building compared to the opulent churches and museums nearby. Honestly, based on the exterior, one could easily have passed it by. Like everything else the building was pristinely white, the windows boasting small arches over them and flower boxes containing white impatiens. Really, the most impressive thing about it was the marble plaque out front boasting the company’s name in gold leaf.

But the two pirates didn’t really care about the appearance; it was what was inside that counted. That, and the information board out front, which stated in bold, black letters that there would be a showing and auction of North Blue artworks at 8pm that evening.

“Why don’t you just Scan the place, grab the vase, and walk away? Seems like that would be easy compared to putting on this charade?” Nami asked, eyeing the building. It was hardly Harpin’s mansion; it would take almost no effort for Law to use his powers to steal every item of value inside it, replacing artifacts, paintings, and money with pebbles and potted plants with a mere flick of his fingers, then teleporting them away to safety.

Really, if he weren’t such an ass, Trafalgar Law would be a thief’s dream partner.

Of course, he was an ass, so he gave her a look that implied he considered her question to be phenomenally stupid. “Because there’s no guarantee that the vase is even in there—for all I know it’s being kept in a secondary location until the actual event for security or health reasons. It is a relic from a city that suffered a notorious death toll both before and after the World Government had quarantined it,” he explained lowly. “On top of that, my Room would draw too much attention, so if it’s not in there, we’ll have blown our whole cover and probably the operation.”

Though disappointed that they couldn’t just whisk it away with his powers, she conceded that he had a point. Versatile and useful as they were, the Ope Ope no Mi’s abilities did have their drawbacks. Actually infiltrating the auction house was a safer move.

Yet for a moment, she saw Law glare at the building, as if he were equally frustrated that they couldn’t just grab their prize and go. Perhaps even a great mastermind like him sometimes wished to take the direct path. “At least we can be sure it’ll be presented at this auction,” he reassured, almost as much to himself as her as his hand rested on Nami’s lower back while he escorted her away. “Makes it easier to come up with a plan and contingencies when I actually know the target. My crew did good.”

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger in thought. She supposed he was right, and the pride in his voice when he mentioned the Hearts’ contribution…well, she knew better than to argue with that. Seemed the lesson he learned on the last island was sticking. “Still too bad we don’t have blueprints like Harpin’s house, though.”

“It can’t be helped. That was a job I’d been planning for months. This is more…spontaneous. Why? Scared and looking to back out?” he asked, glancing down at her with a challenging grin.

Nami scoffed. She was a thief that specialized in robbing pirates. Sure, she was a scaredy-cat, but when treasure of some kind was at stake, there were few risks she wouldn’t take. “Not a chance. Just pointing out that we’re going in more blind than last time.”

“Maybe, but at least our prize will be out in the open and not in the home of a former Marine with tentacles. Hell, we might even get it legally.”

“Law,” she started, brow furrowing. She wasn’t scared, but she did have a reasonable concern, especially with how intent he seemed on this one item. “What are we going to do if we don’t win the vase?”

The pair stopped by the Flevance fountain, Law taking a long moment to stare solemnly at the beautiful white angels. Without a word he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small coin, pressing it to his lips before flipping it into the water.

When he turned back to her, his gold eyes were as hard as the statues’ and twice as cold.

“Simple; we take it from whoever did.”

XXX

Hidden in a small cove on an unpopulated section of Atifakuto’s coast, the sight of the Polar Tang’s sunny yellow hull was a welcome relief after a whole day of the city’s stark white walls. Law seemed to agree as his tense posture relaxed into a comfortable slouch, even giving a few of the guys a small grin when they called out to them. To Nami, of course, the submarine was still far from the Sunny and thus would never be home, but she couldn’t help but smile at Law’s reaction. The Dark Doctor really did have some softness deep down.

Of course, that didn’t last long, as the moment they were within the safety of the cargo bay he was once more all business. “Dinner is in an hour. Rest up, brush up on your notes, do whatever you need to prepare for the auction tonight; I’ve got a few more dominoes to put in place,” Law stated. He’d been silent for most of the walk back, though Nami attributed that to him mentally filing through all the information they now had and formulating his plan. Much as she missed and loved Luffy, having a captain who didn’t just go rushing in like an idiot was a nice change of pace.

That didn’t mean she appreciated his tone, though. “Say please,” she quipped, hip jutting out. She might have decided to be more compliant for the sake of gaining his trust, but that didn’t mean she was going to let him boss her around.

Besides, if she were too accommodating, he’d probably grow suspicious and then she’d be right back at square one.

He scowled but apparently decided it would be a waste of time to argue. They were on a tight schedule, after all, so her attitude would have to be tolerated. For now. “Please,” he grumbled before marching off, beckoning Clione to follow him. The biologist glanced between the two, bewildered, but smartly said nothing before chasing after his captain.

Flashing a self-satisfied grin at Law’s retreating back, Nami practically skipped to her quarters. Even though they weren’t as prepared as she’d like, so far, things were going well. Perhaps they couldn’t just use Law’s powers to swipe the vase, but by obtaining it through legal means, they wouldn’t have the authorities after them, which would be nice. Besides, it wasn’t her money that would be spent at the auction.

Her research of the North Blue had taught her a few things, including just how valuable things from Flevance were. After all, things made from the white ore had been in high-demand during the city’s heyday; now that it was in ruins, any remaining artifacts would surely triple in price. And, admittedly, if that fountain had been anything to go by, the vase could very well be extremely beautiful. Something any art collector or historian might want for themselves.

Once more, she wondered why the hell Law wanted it. He collected coins, not art, so she doubted it would be something he wanted just for the heck of it. What was his obsession with Flevance—

That train of thought was derailed when Nami walked into her room. She blinked then rubbed her eyes, certain her vision was still messed up from the sun, because Ikkaku was still sitting at her desk, working on some little device, practically in the same position as that morning. Really, the only difference was the lack of towel around her head, though her curly hair was a tangled bird’s nest.

“Have you even moved today?” Nami exclaimed loudly, flabbergasted.

The mechanic jumped a few inches out of her chair, a pen cartwheeling through the air before falling back onto the surface of the desk with a clatter. Apparently since she’d had the room to herself, she hadn’t felt the need to put the earplugs back in, leaving her vulnerable to Nami’s loud voice. “Damn, girl, you scared me,” Ikkaku said with a breathy laugh. She glanced around, noticing the time on the clock and the fact that her hair had dried completely. “Guess I was in the zone.”

“You haven’t been working all day, have you?” Nami asked, plopping her shopping bag on her bed. “At least tell me you had lunch.”

“Sounding an awful lot like Law there,” she teased, pushing away from her desk to stretch. There was an audible pop from her back, and her dark eyes closed in relief. “Like me, too. The boys and I are always bugging a certain workaholic captain to eat something and not subsist solely on coffee and aspirin. But to answer your question, yes, I did have lunch.” She pointed at an empty plate that had been shoved into the far corner of the desk, a few grains of rice stuck to the surface. “Bepo brought me some onigiri.”

“Good. If you didn’t, I’d be dragging you into the galley and force-feeding you a sandwich, then charging you a cooking and inconvenience fee.”

Snorting, Ikkaku cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders, further releasing the tension sitting hunched over in one spot for hours had built up. “Dinner’s soon enough; even if I hadn’t eaten, I could have waited. And good luck making a sandwich with no bread on board.” Despite her dismissal tone, though, she gave a wry grin. “But thanks for caring, I guess, even if it does come with a price tag.”

“What are friends for?” Nami shrugged with a smile that was a little forced. It was such an alien feeling, this sudden awkwardness. Since first arriving on the Tang, she and Ikkaku had gotten on like a house on fire. It was almost inevitable, being the two women on the ship surrounded by men dealing with that insanity together. Hell, even if that hadn’t been the case, Ikkaku had practically sacrificed herself for her back at the club on Grimm. A companion like that was more than she’d even dared to dream of before she’d met Luffy.

Was it really right for Nami to act like she didn’t know about her brother? Should she just tell her that the guys told her about Ushi? Really, what was the point of keeping it a secret? It wasn’t that Nami thought she’d slip up and spill the beans—lying was her specialty, after all—but Ikkaku wasn’t some mark or stranger. She was her friend.

Hell, even if they were on opposite crews, she’d even dare to call her nakama.

The issue resolved itself, however, when the other woman’s expression turned a little melancholy. Ikkaku sighed as she rested her cheek on her fist, her other hand idly playing with the pen. “Heh. Funny, I used to ask myself that question a lot when I was younger. I didn’t really have friends back on my home island. I lived with my Gramps in a lighthouse, so besides the occasional trip to town, it was a pretty isolated life.”

“What about your brothers?” Nami asked, masking her interest by taking her purchases out of the bag so they wouldn’t wrinkle before the auction. A swell of relief surged through her. If Ikkaku talked about Ushi herself, the whole charade of pretending not to know about him wouldn’t even be necessary! She just had to carefully press for the right crumbs of information, maybe even offer up a couple tidbits about her own life in exchange. No big deal. Tit for tat, right? “Nojiko was my best friend growing up. Hell, probably my only friend until Luffy came along.”

A dark look crossed Ikkaku’s face. “Yeah, well, Nojiko on her worst day was probably a way better sibling than all of them combined.”

“I don’t think you’ve talked about them much. I basically just know that they exist and said you wouldn’t really make it as an engineer because you’re a girl.”

A long sigh escaped her lips. “That’s…the nice version. Didn’t want to unload my shitty childhood on you, especially since yours sounded worse. I mean, my island was never taken over by pirates, and I didn’t work for the guy who murdered my mom.”

Well, that was certainly true, but then again, people with healthy, normal childhoods seldom became pirates. Or at least, those that did rarely lasted long on such cutthroat seas. Nami should have realized there was more to the mechanic’s past than some run-of-the-mill misogyny. “Maybe, but I don’t mind. We’ve all gone through some rough shit, right? We wouldn’t be in this line of work otherwise.”

“True. I just…I guess I just like to pretend he doesn’t exist most of the time.”

“He?” she asked as if she didn’t already know.

Ikkaku’s calloused hand dropped the pen to instead clench into a tight fist, and there was a haunted look in her dark eyes as she stared off into space. “Ushi. He’s the oldest. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t afraid of him. Spent our childhood making our other brothers use me as a punching bag. When he wasn’t doing that, he gave me almost hourly reminders that I was a burden on the family, that no one really loved me, that I’d never amount to anything.” There was a hitch in her breath and a pause, and Nami noticed her close her eyes tightly for a moment. As if she were fighting back tears. It was a look she’d never expected to see on the tough, vibrant woman’s face. “Then, when I was seven, he tried to kill me.”

“What?!” Nami exclaimed, dropping her blazer to the floor in shock.

“Yeah. Joras had a huge fucking forest, and he led me into it to look for mushrooms or some shit. Can’t remember. Next thing I know, he’s shoved me into a pit, and by the time I’d climbed out, he was long gone and it was night. I think…I think it was supposed to be my grave, ‘cause it was really fucking deep. Or at least it seemed that way. Maybe I’m misremembering.”

Somehow, Nami doubted that. Sure, memories could get warped with age and fear, but some details remained solid for the rest of a person’s life. “But, you got out, right? And I’m sure your parents must have been worried sick!” She could almost picture it. A young Ikkaku, sticks and leaves caught in her messy curls, knees and elbows scraped, face covered in dirt and tears, frightened but once more able to smile when she was finally found, her mother and father scooping her into their arms, scolding her for worrying them but just so relieved she was safe…

At least, that’s what Bellemere or Mister Genzo would have done if Nami had gone missing.

From the bitter laugh that escaped her throat, Ikkaku hadn’t been so fortunate. “I spent three days wandering around those fucking woods, scared and cold and wondering if I was gonna die out there. My parents didn’t even notice I was gone.” After a long moment of silence, her fist unclenched and some of the tension eased out of her shoulders. “Gramps found me, though. When I didn’t come home after two days and a storm rolled in, my brothers Nausagi and Fukuro ran two miles to the lighthouse to tell him what Ushi had done. Maybe they realized he’d gone too far. Or they were scared I’d come back as a vengeful zombie. Either way, Gramps rescued me and demanded custody. Mama and Pops were glad to hand me over. One less mouth to feed, and I wouldn’t be causing their Future Marine Hero any more trouble.”

“That’s…that’s horrible.” And yet Nami could tell she was getting the abridged version of the story. “Tell me your grandfather was a better guardian.”

Despite the childhood trauma she’d just confessed to, Ikkaku merely shrugged, a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips. “Yeah. He was. Gramps was crazy, but he loved me and taught me how to fight. Told me to never lose my smile, ‘cause that’s my best protection against a world that’ll try to break me.”

“Bellemere said something similar to me and Nojiko. ‘Whatever happens, never lose your ability to laugh. If you can survive, happy times, lots of ‘em, will come your way’.”

“Smart lady.” She tried to casually run her fingers through her hair, only to find them caught in the tangled knots. She let out a light chuckle at her predicament and added, “I think she and Gramps would have gotten along pretty well. Well, assuming she liked salty former smugglers who had the gumption to threaten Law with a shot gun. Not that he didn’t deserve it a little.”

Nami had to smile at that, and she could only imagine what he’d said that had nearly gotten him shot. It was definitely something snarky, a shit-eating grin on his face while he provoked a protective grandfather just because he could.

Noticing Ikkaku’s hair situation, she abandoned her suit to instead pick up a wide-toothed comb. “Well, I’m not sure about Bellmere, but I’d certainly love to meet him.”

“Of course you would.” Leaning back in the chair, she allowed Nami to carefully put her thick curls to rights. “How was shopping? Boss show you the blinding sights of the city?”

“It was…enlightening,” she said cautiously. There was still so much to sort out, and every time she thought she had an answer to one of her questions, four more popped up in its place.

Grabbing the pen she’d been playing with earlier, Ikkaku handed it to her over her shoulder. “Here; I made you something, since I doubt you’ll be able to bring your Clima-Tact with you. Kinda why I was so focused—I wanted it to be ready by tonight.”

Curious, Nami inspected the item. It was a plain black ballpoint pen maybe a bit longer than her hand. There was an almost unnoticeable jolly roger engraved into the middle, and she ran her thumb over it idly. “You spent the whole afternoon making me a pen? I could have just as easily brought my stylus.”

“Oh, but a stylus is only good for writing. This is so much more useful. ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’, right? Click the top.”

She did so, and instead of an ink-filled nub, a small syringe, similar to an epi-pen, popped out. Her eyes widened in realization as Ikkaku explained, “Inside’s a powerful tranquilizer. Should knock any fool out in minutes if injected into the bloodstream. Takes longer if it’s ingested. It’s non-lethal to humans, so it should be safe to use on anyone you’re looking to knock out. Assuming they aren’t really Fishmen in disguise.”

“Why? Does it react differently for them?”

She grimaced. “Yeah. Severe allergic reaction. Anaphylactic shock typically. So, unless you want that on your conscience, humans only.”

Tucking the pen away for later, Nami nodded in understanding and went back to combing her hair. “Gotcha. Doubt it’ll be a problem, though. Jean Bart said this place is pretty humans-only.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s impossible for someone to have that kind of bloodline. If it’s diluted through a few generations, a lot of the time you can hide it and pass for human.”

“Hmmm, hadn’t thought of that.”

There was a moment where Nami could tell she was mulling something over. Even faced away from her, Ikkaku wasn’t hard to read, and it was only a matter of time before she voiced whatever question was on her mind.

While she waited, the ginger took the time to appreciate the texture of Ikkaku’s hair, combing out each curl individually so it wouldn’t frizz. The thick, black locks were coarser than her own, yet surprisingly soft despite her hard life at sea. Hair maintenance was extremely difficult living on the ocean, the salt and fluctuating weather of the Grand Line wreaking havoc on Nami’s much finer strands. And while Ikkaku was far more feminine than one would expect upon first meeting her, in the time they’d roomed together, she didn’t seem to put much more extensive care into her shiny locks than some leave-in conditioner.

Guess she’s just got some good genetics, Nami thought appreciatively. Either that or she’s hiding some amazing shampoo formula, and damn if she is I’ll never forgive her!

When Ikkaku at last broke her silence, the hesitation in her voice was palpable. “Hey, it was a Fishman who held you prisoner all those years, right? You ever…blame all Fishmen for what he did?”

It was an unexpected question, but a fair one, Nami supposed. Arlong had committed a crime so heinous she knew she’d never forgive him, and she knew there were plenty of people, especially ones who spent years abused by such a monster, who would project that hatred onto an entire race. But why even ask?

“I…not really. I mean, I can’t say I never lumped them all together in my head, since Arlong and his crew were my only baseline for Fishmen for a long time.” She bit her lip, thinking. “But that was when I was a kid. My view of things was a lot more black-and-white, mostly because I was bitter at my situation. As I got older, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was stupid to think all Fishmen were like him. He was the one who hurt me, so he’s the only one who should get my hate.”

“So, you don’t hate them all?”

She shook her head. “Nah. Hell, I was even able to forgive a member of his crew. I’m sure you heard about how Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon?”

Ikkaku craned her neck up to look at her, dark eyes widening in shocked understanding. “Yeah? You saying the Fishman he defended—”

“One of Arlong’s crew. Hatchi. Like all of them, he hurt me too, but it was on his captain’s orders, and he clearly regretted it.” Well, it had been a bit more complex than that. Hell, when they’d first encountered him again, she’d nearly gone back on her promise to Camie to rescue him. Even if he hadn’t abused her like the others, he’d still been complacent in it. Still destroyed villagers homes, held her hostage, attacked the Navy ships that tried to come to the rescue. He hadn’t been blameless in the least. She would have had every right to demand that he be left to be killed or enslaved. That it was karma come to bite him in the ass.

Yet what had swayed her, apart from Camie’s determination to save him, was her own friends’ reactions to seeing him again. Those who knew her past had immediately been ready to turn the ship around and leave Hatchi to his fate. Of course she’d expected Sanji to be her knight in shining armor and want nothing to do with someone who had abused a lady, even by proxy. Zoro and Usopp had been a bit more surprising, though perhaps it shouldn’t have been. They knew what she’d been put through. Had fought and bled for her. Despite their sometimes heated disagreements, Nami knew she could count on them to always have her back.

The one who shocked her the most was Luffy. He might have flip-flopped between reason and his stomach, but the fact was, her loving, forgiving captain had actually held a grudge on her behalf. Hatchi and Arlong hadn’t done anything to him personally, but his nakama had suffered, and that wasn’t something he’d easily set aside. That genuine show of solidarity and loyalty to her had melted what ice had still been around her heart, which allowed her to truly forgive the octopus Fishman.

Yes, Hatchi had hurt her, but her hatred was solely reserved for Arlong, not his underlings who genuinely felt remorse.

“I’m not a saint or anything but hating Hatchi…it seemed pointless. He wasn’t the one who killed my mother. And blaming all Fishmen for the actions of one seemed pretty shitty. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t kill Arlong if I had the chance, though.”

Nami could practically feel the tension drain from Ikkaku’s shoulders, and she couldn’t hide her smile before she looked away. “That’s good to know. That asshole deserves it, from what you’ve told me. He and my brother should meet, then get sacrificed to some kind of horrible sea monster. Plenty of hungry Sea Kings out there to feed.”

“Couldn’t happen to a nicer pair of guys,” Nami giggled as she ran the comb through the last strand of hair. “Though, that might be cruel to the Sea King. Poor thing deserves a better meal than shit like them.”

“True. We’ll just have to think of something else then. We can ask Law; he’s always got great suggestions.”

A shudder ran down her spine, though she had to admit, it wasn’t as horrified as she’d like. She justified it with the fact that Arlong was scum who deserved whatever painful death the likes of Law might propose. So did Ushi, from the sounds of things. Though, Law had said Ikkaku had begged him not to kill her brother. Why? Did she still care about Ushi due to their familial ties? Or was there something else?

Maybe she just doesn’t want her brother’s death on her conscience, Nami thought, putting the comb away and proceeding to raid the closet for shoes. I just hope that doesn’t come back to bite her someday.

XXX

Dinner on the Tang was certainly livelier and noisier than breakfast. Mainly because the crew didn’t have to walk on eggshells while waiting for Law to get his caffeine hit. Most of the time about a dozen different conversations could be heard, utensils clattered against plates, insults were tossed about, and laughter filled the air. But at the moment, the whole galley was silent save for Nami, who was telling the Heart Pirates—save for a few who’d been sent out on last-minute errands—all about her crew’s wild adventure on Skypiea.

“…so, after Luffy beat the crap out of him, Enel flew off to the moon in his gold airship, and we escaped the island with the help of an octopus balloon, our ship loaded with treasure!”

There was a pregnant pause as the Hearts stared at her in a mix of awe and disbelief. She’d had their undivided attention ever since Law announced that the Straw Hats had found Noland’s lost city of gold, all but demanding she tell the tale and not skimp on the details.

Naturally, those details made the story even more bizarre, practically unbelievable, but she gave them what they asked for, so they couldn’t complain. Even Law’s jaw had dropped once or twice in incredulity. Mostly at the part where Luffy’d been eaten by a giant snake and thus been hidden from Enel’s senses.

Finally, a few of the crew managed to find their voices.

“An orangutan nearly wrecked your ship with singing?” Shachi asked, face utterly baffled.

Penguin grabbed his hat and smacked him over the head with it. “That’s what you’re stuck on? That’s from way back in the beginning of the story!”

The ginger punched him in the shoulder in retaliation, which quickly devolved into a childish slap fight. “Well it’s weird, ok?”

“Weirder than Straw Hat punching Kami or the knock-up stream business or the ship that flew to the moon?”

“Yeah! You ever met an orangutan that could sing?!”

“No, but that’s not the point!”

“You met Monte Blac Cricket?” Ermine interrupted, eyes so wide the whites could be seen even under the rim of their hat, though their mouth quickly split into a smile. “Holy shit, I’d wondered what had happened to him!”

“Wasn’t he your friend or something?” Seiuchi asked through a mouth full of rice.

They shook their head, looking a little wistful, a faint blush rising to their cheeks. “Just a neighbor. The people of Lvneel were dicks to his family and anyone who associated with them didn’t get treated much better. But I always thought there had to be some truth to Noland’s story.”

“Because a city of gold is so fantastical it’s gotta be real?” Nami asked, amused. She’d half-expected everyone to laugh at her like the people on Jaya when she’d asked about Sky Island—she’d even glossed over that part, finding no reason to recap such a blow to her pride. Yet instead, they’d been respectful, even entranced by her tale. It seemed to help that she’d been able to fill in a few blanks with what she remembered from Noland’s ledger, thus adding credibility to the man himself instead of just imagining the lying fool the king’s slander had reduced him to.

Usopp would probably love these guys, she thought fondly. Not that they’d likely believe his fantastical lies, but they’d probably at least let him spin his yarns to his heart’s content.

“Because you don’t tell a king about a city of gold unless you’ve got something to show for it,” Uni interjected wisely, ladling some more curry onto her plate. He paused to smile at her with his eyes, the bottom half of his face still distinctly covered by his bandana despite it being dinnertime. This close, Nami couldn’t help but try to subtly look for signs of scarring, and in fact could spot a line of slightly-paler skin peeking out just over the edge. “That, and history’s rarely all that accurate. Full of lies and twisted to suit a certain narrative.”

“That’s the World Government way. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of it tonight,” Law stated, leaning back in his chair as he munched on some onigiri. The bulge in his cheek might have been comical, but the glint in his eye was humorless. “Can’t wait to hear the dumbass assumptions people make about us Northerners.”

Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the room, though an angry tic formed on Nami’s forehead.

“Are you saying the stuff you had me study is going to be a load of crap?” she demanded, pointing her finger accusingly. Of course she knew history was skewed at best, but she’d spent days cramming! Had weird sexual dreams about him because of it!

Yes she was blaming the book for that and no one could stop her.

He shrugged and took another bite of rice, unbothered by her irritation. “It’s the information you’ll need to be able to regurgitate if anyone asks you about the North.”

“Yeah,” Penguin chimed in, nodding sagely. He and Shachi had finally been pulled apart by Jean Bart and had resumed eating like nothing had happened. “These people aren’t interested in the truth. They just want to feel superior to the ‘uneducated masses’.”

“Buncha pretentious pricks,” Shachi sniggered, balancing a spoon on his upper lip. “Bet they’d have a fucking fit if they found out El Dorodo’s not only real, but in the fucking sky!”

“I mean, can’t say I’d blame them,” Jude grumbled, playing a bit with his food like a grumpy child. “I figured we’d be the ones to find it, but this whole time we’ve been sailing around in a submarine for nothing!”

“You got something to say about my ship?” Ikkaku snapped, glaring at her crewmate. Behind her, Crozier, Cousteau, and Ermine made slashing motions across their throats, silently reminding him that disparaging the Polar Tang in any way in front of its chief engineer was a sure death sentence.

Before he could say anything, Uni thwapped him on the forehead with the spoon, apparently taking just as much offense. “How can you say it’s been for nothing—we’ve found tons of cool shit down here! May not have been El Dorado, but there have been some amazing sunken cities. And fish! We’ve discovered more aquatic animals than any other ocean explorer,” he pointed out excitedly, Cousteau nodding in agreement. “I mean, we’ve seen deep-sea fish not recorded in any book! Extracted hallucinogenic venom from puffer fish! Taken samples of bioluminescent plankton! We’ve seen octopi punch fish!”

“You ever figure out why they do that?” Shachi asked, cocking his head.

“Best I can figure? Spite.”

As weird as this little tangent was, Nami found herself giggling a bit at how excited Uni was. She didn’t know him too well, given how he was one of the quieter, more reserved members of the crew, but it was endearing to see him so animated and giddy as he discussed marine life.

“Plus, it’s cool to study navigational currents and everything, and underwater topography. The maps I can make from that kind of intel are really good,” Bepo added, twiddling his claws a bit beside her.

“Right! And if that’s still not enough to convince you, who needs a city of gold when you can get your hands on more sunken treasure than most pirates see in their lifetimes?” Uni asked, puffing out his chest.

She couldn’t help it—Nami’s eyes lit up with belli signs at the thought of how many sunken ships the submarine probably came across, all that gold theirs for the taking. Most treasure was basically lost once it hit the bottom of the ocean, but the Hearts’ ship and diving equipment turned the ocean floor into their personal piggy bank.

It seemed Jude had the same thought. “You’re right, you’re right,” he conceded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, it’s a great ship, and we’ve definitely found more than a city’s worth of loot—and yes the fish are cool Uni put the spoon away—but it’s still annoying to find out that we’ve been searching the wrong place this whole time.”

“Eh, happens to every pirate crew,” Jean Bart said, sipping his drink. “You find a treasure map only to discover the gold’s already dug up. Same with legends of lost cities. The fact that the Straw Hats actually found El Dorado and came away with a profit just means they’ve got the Devil’s luck on their side.”

“Or the favor of some god. Probably not that Enel guy, though,” Shachi said with a smirk. “And hopefully nothing from Joras, either.”

There was a murmur of agreement among the crew at that, though Ikkaku looked more uncomfortable than amused. Nami wasn’t the only one to catch that, though, as Uni reproachfully smacked the side of his head with the spoon.

“Dude. Don’t joke about the eldritch horror gods, yeah?”

“Sorry,” the ginger said, blushing slightly as he wiped away the curry splattered across his face.

“Eldritch horror gods?” Nami asked, recoiling at the thought. What the fuck?! Joras sounded vaguely familiar and given the context she guessed it had to be someplace in the North Blue, but she sure as hell didn’t recall reading anything about that! Was this something related to Northern culture, or were the guys just fucking with her?

“Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, Nami-ya,” Law stated with a smirk, though she didn’t miss the glare he sent Shachi’s way. “We’ve been sailing under the ocean for over five years and I’ve yet to see a sleeping god who can turn you mad with terror.”

“No, just an underwater ruin or two that talks about him,” Ikkaku muttered, picking at her food.

Underwater ruins with tales of sleeping gods? Sounds like something Robin would be interested in, Nami thought, nervous sweat running down her neck. Not that she’d be able to blame her. Sure, the archeologist was macabre as hell, but Nami could appreciate her thirst for knowledge, creepy or not. Who knew what history and cultures had been lost to the seas? Maybe there were even Poneglyphs down at the bottom of the ocean!

Damn. Robin and Law would probably get along great. She wasn’t sure if she was frightened or comforted by this thought.

Uni seemed to notice her unease and patted her shoulder. “We’ve seen some strange stuff down there, but nothing more dangerous than Sea Kings. Which, I mean, aren’t exactly friendly guppies, but they’ll leave us be. The Tang’s Seastone coating and electrical defenses ensure that.”

Though she still found the whole concept horrifying, she was appreciated how hard Uni was trying to keep the peace and not make things needlessly frightening for her. The whole crew had a morbid sense of humor, but while she’d mostly adapted, she still found this whole conversation creepy. It made her feel a little guilty for wanting to pry into his business. Yeah, it was annoying to know the crew was hiding stuff from her, but Uni deserved a little privacy, right?

“Yeah, and if there were anything more, Uni’s fish buddies would warn us ahead of time!” Malamute added.

“Fish buddies?” Nami asked, eyebrows lifting to her hairline in surprise. So much for respecting his privacy. “Wait, can you talk to fish?”

The man in question stiffened beside her. “I, uh, I can understand fish a little,” he said, looking nervous. His large hands twisted the napkin in his lap, and he refused to look at her. “It’s a Haki thing.”

“Haki can do that?” she asked, surprised.

“Observation Haki can do a lot of things, and Uni’s the best at it on the ship,” Law cut in harshly, glare brokering no argument. “It’s a skill that’s saved our asses plenty of times.”

Nami blanched at his defensive tone. “Hey, I’ll take your word for it, but you don’t have to act like I insulted his mother or something.”

“It’s ok, Law,” Uni said, shrugging a bit, though his face seemed to sink a little further into his bandana. “I know she didn’t mean anything by it. It’s a fair question, and it is a weird talent.”

“It’s not weird. It’s fucking useful as hell and I won’t hear anyone belittling my crew.”

“I’d never belittle him—” Nami snapped, starting to stand up to give Law a piece of her mind before Bepo’s heavy paws fell on her shoulders, gently but firmly keeping her seated.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized softly. “Law doesn’t mean you. It’s just…the last person outside the crew that found out, he was extremely cruel about it. Beat Uni to a pulp and even threatened to sell him as a freak show attraction before Captain found them.”

“Oh my god,” she replied, anger cooling quickly as she covered her mouth in horror, imagining Uni bruised and bloody on the ground at the hands of some bastard. Well, that would sure as hell explain why Law had taken such offense. If such a thing had happened to Chopper because he could speak to animals, she’d likely be just as pissed. From the scowls on the rest of the Hearts’ faces, the whole crew felt similar. Her gaze flicked to the fuming captain. “I’m guessing he ended up on your operating table?”

“I wish,” he growled, gold eyes glinting in fury as he crossed his arms. “Marines showed up before I could cut out his heart. Must have been his lucky day, but luck won’t be enough to save him if I ever run into Hyena-ya again.”

“Hyena?” she asked, the name not ringing any bells.

“Bellamy the Hyena,” Bepo explained, snout wrinkling in distaste. “He’s also from the North.”

Oh. My. God, Nami thought, wondering if the world was really so small. “You said Bellamy, right? Blonde hair? Spring powers? Asshole with a stupid grin?”

Law cocked an eyebrow in mild surprise. “Seems you’ve encountered him before.”

She ground her teeth as she remembered the way he’d mocked Luffy’s dreams in the bar. “Yeah. On Jaya. His crew laughed at me for asking about Sky Island and his first mate tried to buy me. Later he stole Cricket’s gold, so Luffy went after him. I didn’t see the fight but given what an ass that guy was…yeah, Luffy wiped that stupid smile off his face.”

Once more the room fell silent, but quickly broke out into thunderous applause.

“Hah! I would have paid good money to see that!” Ikkaku laughed, spirits lifted.

“If he hurt Cricket, I’m glad he got the beating he deserved,” Ermine said with a grin.

Uni smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling happily. “When you see Straw Hat again, shake his hand for me! That guy’s a dick.”

Even Law was put in a better mood, though there was still a malicious edge to his smirk. “Good on Mugiwara-ya. Still wouldn’t mind doing some permanent damage to the fucker myself, though. Bad enough he insulted my crew, but that bastard should pick his idols more carefully.”

Nami’s brow furrowed at that. His idols? The hell did that mean?

She didn’t have time to vocalizing that question, though. Sweat ran down her neck when said smirk then took a more lecherous edge as he rested his chin on his fist, eyes glinting with mischief. “But Sarquiss-ya tried to buy you? I might have prioritize kicking his ass, then. I’m the only one who gets to be your sugar daddy.”

“Oh shut up! You didn’t even buy me new shoes!”

“You got her a suit but no shoes? For shame, Boss,” Ikkaku giggled, getting up to help Seiuchi and Jude clear the tables. “I thought you were supposed to be a ladies’ man.”

“I’m a cruel bastard who doesn’t do something for nothing. She can borrow yours.”

Sauntering over, she playfully poked him in the forehead. “Says who?”

Law snorted and childishly poked her right back. “Me. Your captain. The guy who pays your salary.”

“You pay me to keep the submarine running and sass you when you’re being an idiot.”

“I don’t pay you for that.”

“Mmmm, you’re right; that’s a service I provide for free.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say those two were siblings,” Nami chuckled under her breath.

“Right? When I was first recruited I was convinced they were secretly related,” Uni agreed.

Bepo gave them both a smile and said quietly, “I think it’s good for them. Especially Law. I think he secretly likes having a little sister again.”

Brown eyes widened at that little tidbit. Law had a sister? What happened to her? Bepo had stated the past tense, so there was either some kind of falling out or…

…oh no, she thought, turning to watch Law continue to bicker good-naturedly with Ikkaku, his expression annoyed but the glimmer in his eyes belying that he was enjoying himself. Another piece of the puzzle that was the Surgeon of Death had fallen into her lap, but it wasn’t a particularly happy one. Sure, people died or were killed all the time, but Nami couldn’t imagine what she’d be like if she’d lost Nojiko. And depending on how young they’d been or how she’d died, that could really fuck with a guy.

“Nami-ya.”

Her attention was yanked from her musing as Law called her name. He was on his feet, plate clean and smirk dangerous as he regarded her. Nami wondered whether this would be the last time she’d see him in a genuinely good mood for the rest of the evening. “It’s seven o’clock. Time to get ready to watch history be defiled by pretentious morons. And for your obnoxious thunder god’s sake, make sure you’re wearing shoes you can actually run in.”

( @ninhaoma-ya, @awesomi, @vannahfanfics)

#Fic: Welcome to the Heart Pirates #lawna #trafalgar law x nami #Trafalgar D. Water Law #lawnami #op fanfiction #op fanfic #heart pirates #heart pirate nami #ikkaku one piece #one piece ikkaku #uni one piece #law x nami #cat burglar nami #one piece nami #nami

42 notes · View notes

trashahime · 3 years

Text

Anon, sorry for taking so long and the length. There was a lot to address and I tend to ramble. Due to the length I am going to divide your ask in chunks and respond to each paragraph individually for clarity's sake.

I'm curious as to why you have addressed this to Sesskagu shippers both here and later. TBH, this alone will make many doubt that you are truly neutral because you seem to have fallen for the common but false claim that the anti sentiment has it's roots in bitterness over a lost ship war.

Those supporting the end are made up of a variety of people who are simply united in their dislike/disappointment. Among them are shippers and non-shippers, antis, neutrals and even some SR fans who are bothered by how their ship is portrayed.

Personally, I don't think it takes any kind of mental gymnastics to have a problem with how Sessrin is depicted in Yashahime. There are some antis who probably do purposely make the worst possible interpretations to fuel their disgust/anger. But most are being completely sincere in their belief that Rin was married and pregnant by the time she was 15. You have probably already seen and dismissed all the anti arguments to support this view so it would be pointless to rehash them. You can believe it's just about disliking Sessrin but there were many antis like myself who were willing to accept the relationship even if we found it distasteful had Sunrise gone about things differently.

Each "hater" has their own reason for continuing to watch the show and I can't speak for them. Or as a "hater" either as I enjoyed the show. But I also think it's a trainwreck with many issues and problematic portrayals.

If people are targeting individuals and maliciously interacting with their posts then that is definitely harassment. However, I suspect you also mean the general posts made by antis criticizing those who watch the show.

The belief that watching/supporting Yashahime equals supporting a p*dophilic portrayal of Sessrin and other unsavory stuff is an opinion I disagree with. But I also disagree that expressing that opinion is harassment.

I get why you find it to be extremely harsh and hurtful but I also think you are taking it very personally when you needn't.

Consider my position. I'm an anti that still enjoys Yashahime. Most of those posts are made by my moots, some of which I have very friendly interactions with. I have even more reason to feel personally attacked by them but I don't. Just because I respect someone's right to an opinion that doesn't mean I am obligated to agree with it and make it apply it to myself. Unless you agree that liking Yashahime means condoning p*dophilia, then I'd advise you to take the view that those posts don't pertain to you at all.

As for petitions, bad reviews, being glad Yashahime is almost over... Well that's some of the least offensive actions an anti can take. Two of the three are against corporations, not fellow fandom members and the other is just a celebration amongst themselves.

They don't affect anyone else unless the petitions and bad reviews are substantial enough to put the shows future in jeopardy. IMO, the correct counter action is good reviews and supportive petitions, not telling antis to stop. They have the right to express their opinions.

I have seen many grooming and csa survivors say they also don't view Sessrin as having those aspects. However, there are many survivors on the anti side that strongly disagree. While I think that the opinions of those who have endured similar circumstances have more weight, it also creates kind of a never ending tug of war situation where neither side can really "win" the argument because they are equally balanced. For every survivor saying it is, there is one saying it's not.

Generally, I choose not to use the words p*dophilia or grooming when describing the Sessrin relationship or say that everyone who likes the pairing is a P&G apologist.

Many antis don't agree on this, but I think it's possible to have headcanons and scenarios that result in a version of Sessrin in which those things are not present. Fanonwise anyway. To me, the canon situation can definitely be interpreted to believe that they are present.

Mostly, I tend not to use the terms because they have specific psychological and legal definitions. That makes it very easy for SR fans to completely dismiss the idea that they could apply to Sessrin because it's not a perfect fit. I think if it turns out to be part of actual canon or if it's just part of one's own headcanon that Sesshomaru was "waiting" for Rin to grow up and courting her with gifts like the kimonos then that means he had a romantic interest in her when she was too young for it to be acceptable.

He might not be a technical p*do in that he is attracted to children, but his thoughts and actions are of one with regards to Rin. I agree with those that say Sesshomaru would never intentionally manipulate or pressure Rin to be with him, thus not "technically" grooming.

However, informing her via courting that he wants to be with her when she is older does put a type of manipulative pressure on her. For years, she will have to live with the knowledge that her literal savior, the most important person to her in the world, someone she loves and doesn't want to disappoint, is waiting for her. It will absolutely influence her life choices and who she becomes.

No need to apologise, I don't mind being vented at and am clearly prone to long-ass messages myself.

I think you do have some valid frustrations but I don't think they all are.

It's often forgotten that antis are major fans too. Many wanted to love Yashahime but in their eyes Yashahime "bashes" the OG and it's characters. It's ruined something they held near and dear. And they are highly upset about it.

Think about it, that's probably why you and others are so angry at the criticism. It's bashing something you all enjoy or maybe even love and it's making you highly upset. You all are more alike then you realize.

You can let it all impact your fandom experience or realise there is very little you can do about it because that criticism, even if you find it unfounded, harsh or extreme has the right to exist provided it doesn't break the rules of the website. You won't be able to block it all away.

it's a tired old cliche but it's true that you can't control what others do, only your own reaction to it. And frankly I think some of your reactions are as extreme as to what you ascribe to antis. I mean, you want them to stop celebrating the end of Yashahime. How does that really personally affect you?

A change in perspective as I described earlier goes a long way in not taking anti criticism personally. It even works when you are being personally attacked. I have seen posts about me specifically saying I am a deluded and deranged individual with real life mental health issues just because I think Kagura is the mom. Those people don't know me and I know the truth about myself. So why let someone's unfounded false world view affect me or my fandom experience?

Anyway, you probably just wanted to rant and weren't expecting or wanting this massive response. I hope you find a way to deal with the negativity because it's not completely avoidable but it will die down eventually.

#ask #anti sessrin #antisessrin

45 notes · View notes

reddus-sideblog · 3 years

Text

Pathfinder Update

WOOPS ALMOST FORGOT TO PUT A BREAK SORRY ABOUT YOUR DASHBOARD

So, the Ninth Life, Captain Lora’a’s ship, makes good heading towards the once Velakan and now Pragian prison isle. On the eve before the ship arrived Tisiphone produced the Twin Orb, and took Valka through to Bostadt, going with him to “watch over him” while he brewed potions of See Invisible (our trust of Ivan was running ever lower). Once TIsiphone was satisfied that Valka was occupied with making the potions she left to go “take care of some things”.

Valka said for her to say “hi” to Vera for her, and Tisiphone pretended, quite poorly, to say that she would if she did in fact happen to go by the Silver Stag. Tisiphone came back to the Ninth Life the next morning, seemingly a lot calmer and with her carefully washed and braided. It was rare to see her hair so carefully maintained, instead of the usual fluffy mess that it is usually seen in. Tisi had forgotten to buy any further supplies, though. Valka did, however, make the See Invisible potions.

Once the Ninth Life came into view of the prison isle the Stormbreaker let up the wind and cast his gaze at the isle. It noted how the island seemed to have an enchantment about it that caused a permanent effect of rainy weather on the isle, and the construct, seemingly for it’s own amusement, decided that the weather’d be changed to a sunny day, overpowering the local enchantment. And so on what was now a nice sunny day, Ivan and his companions, and Kii, Valka, Nik, and Tisi took to the rocky shore of the island in dinghys.

The island was a miserable rock, sticking up out of the ocean to the West of the Southerlands/Velakor, with a trio of towers sticking out of its heights, and its structure burrowing into the rocky form of the island. Each tower was armed with a ballista, and to the rear (or rather opposite side of the island from The Ninth Life) was a nice, if modest, manor.

Once we made it to the shore Ivan went ahead and talked with the warden commander and seemed to have legitimate papers and explained the situation at hand. The commander went about readying the island’s defences and Valka whined loudly, convincing the warden commander to let us relax in his place of residence before the fighting began. On our way there we saw the kitchen of the complex (Valka hopefully asked if they could get some food, but it had already been lunch time a bit ago and they weren’t willing to compromise).

So the group ended up at the commander’s place of residence, and were allowed to stay there for the time being, until all the screaming and shouting and terrible, terrible battle began. In the main room was a queer game board, set up to be used with miniature soldiers on a mock field of battle. Tisiphone and Valka could not figure out how to play that so they used the miniature soldiers to play chess, which didn’t go particularly well as there was no grid and they kept arguing over which pieces were where/how they could move. Eventually Tisi went off to check on Kii, who had flitted off into the warden’s study, and found her looking horrified at a set of papers that referred to the isle’s prisoners as by monikers, namely Tile-Liker (a halfling jailed for sex-crimes), Merchant (an elf arrested for evading Pragian taxation [Tisiphone said to leave them, as she had little love for elves]), and, lastly, The Heir. The Heir was a human, seemingly of noble status, and being subject to some of the most terrible treatment imaginable, he was kept bound around the clock, and fed little more than table scraps left over from the previous night’s prepared food. Alongside this he was quite regularly to be beaten and lashed, otherwise being left shackled beneath the kitchen of the isle, in the very midst of the fortress. Kii was tearing up as she realized that this very well may be her brother, and realized the treatment he must have been suffering since the Pragian takeover, this whole while. Valka sent out his Clockwork Spy “Edward” off to find that prisoner and inspect him, to see if we could determine if he was our man. The clockwork spider scuttled off to go investigate.

Meanwhile Valka was raiding the warden commander’s larder, and came to notice a rack of wine bottles, up on a higher shelf. He beckoned over Nik, bidding him to help reach the out-of-reach alcohol. Tisiphone chided him, pointedly saying to keep it for a “libation or celebration” once this was over with. Nik stowed away the booze, and Valka pouted. Edward appeared once more, delivering an audio recording of this “The Heir” prisoner. Within moments of the recording playing Kii knew that it was in fact her brother Roland de Velakor. She was beyond elated. After a bit we reckoned that it was about the time that Jodd the Butcher would be arriving, by the sounds of the commotion outside. Everyone drank their potions of Resist Energy (Electricity) and See Invisible. After doing so Kii froze. There was someone in the room with us. One of Ivan’s men.

Kii lept past Valka (terrifying the poor boy) and electrocuted the spy with a Shocking Grasp before he could realize what precisely was happening. This done, the group headed out, with Valka and Abe splitting off and entering the kitchen, above Roland’s holding chamber to rescue the heir. Kii looked about the room and down past the grate with Valka for a moment, before heading back to join the group. As she reached the front courtyard/beach a HUGE crack of thunder and a blue blur sped by, and one of the island’s towers erupted in an electrical explosion, throwing masonry into the sea, lighting men ablaze, and quite destroying the tower. Jodd and his dragon flew about, landing near where our boats had been landed. He leapt down from the saddle upon the dragon and landed and began roaring furiously at the assembled guards, about a dozen in total “I am Jodd the Butcher, Dragon Rider, and I have come to take my brother, Roland! If you dare stand before me I will crush you and throw your bodies to the sea!”

Having seen which way the winds were blowing, and realizing their cause was one and the same, Tisiphone, Nik, and Kii opened up on the backline of the guards, Kii herself stabbing and subsequently Force Punching the warden commander off into the sea at such a furious velocity that his body ripped apart with the force of the blow. Given the treatment of Roland, he probably deserved it. Tisiphone gave Jodd a friendly wave after unloading her repeater’s clip into a man. In the kitchen, Valka melted the locks off of the floor hatch separating Roland’s cell from the kitchen, before unspooling some rope, tying it off, and then shimmying down into the cell. He fed Roland a Potion of Critical WOunds which made him quite suddenly more hale and hardy, though it did nothing to replace the lost left arm and right leg (the arm lost at the lower forearm and the leg not too below the knee).

Jodd’s dragon flew to another tower and devoured the men manning the ballista, and Jodd himself charged the guards frontline and pulped a man’s head with his maul. Flushed Jodd tried to say two things at once, instead saying “Fancy meeting you here again!”, and we engaged in what ended up being a rather swift melee against the remaining guards. Beneath, in Roland’s cell, Valka hid, as someone came to the cell door, looked through the vision slot, then closed it and went off. Valka slowly, but surely, undid Roland’s bonds, before picking him up clumsily and preparing to climb up to the upper floor with him. Kii, however, was finished with the combat, and cast a Dimensional Door into the cell and grabbed Roland from Valka, and returned to the shore with him (leaving Valka to haul himself back up to the kitchen).

On the shore, amidst a spread of corpses that was attracting seabirds, beneath a burning tower, a particularly petty sibling spat began, between a powerful spellsword and a mighty dragon rider. Kii and Jodd both claimed that Roland was their brother, and seemed unwilling to settle on letting him be the brother to both of them. Valka and Tisiphone were a bit taken aback, realizing both how terribly their own bickering with their respective siblings must have come across. Eventually, through the intervention of Roland, Tisiphone, and Valka, we came to know that both Kii and Jodd were half-brother to Roland, through their father (the old man got around, seemingly Jodd was born of an adulterous tryst between the king and a Pragian noblewoman, Roland was, of course, the only surviving rightful heir born of royal marriage, and Kii is of course half air spirit).

Now agreed that Roland was brother to both of them, Kii and Jodd were delighted to be in his presence. Kii had made herself known to Roland only as an elusive, young fae thing, existing largely in secret after being delivered unto the kingdom’s door step by her elemental parent. Jodd, meanwhile, seemed to have known about Roland for sometime, but had held his tongue on it for some time. Once he heard of the regicide of the Velakor family, but then heard that Roland may yet still survive, Jodd had taken it upon himself to become someone with the power to do something about it, pouring himself into becoming a dragon rider of Pragia (he was born to Pragian nobility of course) and using that to find and take Roland back, or die trying. Jodd certainly is an impressive physical specimen, but he truly is only 19, and his attitude often shows it. And Kii...she really, really is a little sister (paradoxically she is actually the oldest by age, but we’ve decided to start stating the difference between “age” and “maturity” with fantasy races, as it can all be a bit relative at times). Roland is a 23 year old man, and still young, but his time has certainly aged him a bit prematurely, and left it’s scars on him, physical and mental.

So, the Nik, Tisiphone, and Valka (of course with Tisi and Nik rowing) took the landing boat back to the ship and took the second landing boat with them, as they’d not seen hide nor hair of Ivan and his men aside from the one spy, and were not going to wait for them at all.

Meanwhile, Ivan waited to spring his plot, knowing that the idiots would blunder down to the island’s lower depths to free Roland. The sounds of battle had died down, so soon enough they would be coming down, by whatever pretenses, to free The Heir, and then he would have rid the world of the last remnants of the de Velakor line. Ivan waited to spring his trap patiently, as slowly it began raining. Ivan and his men would be left on that island until the next supply ship would come by, which may take a up to a year, maybe two.

On the deck of the Ninth Life Captain Valka commanded his servant, the Stormbreaker, to get them away from the wretched island, and so they did. The wine stolen from the warden’s manor was spread about, in celebration of reunited siblings (really, seeing the de Velakors together was heartwarming) and while a drunken Valka came to play against a mildly buzzed Roland (who beat the catfolk handily), Kii approached Tisiphone and asked her about the Southerlander’s clockwork arm, and how she’d come to get it. Tisi took a long draught of the wine and let it come into her system before telling Kii the story, after which Kii asked if she could fashion clockwork limbs for her crippled brother, which of course she agreed to (seeing the young man hobble about was a terrible sight).

Nik, meanwhile, feels a fair bit worse (despite making friends with Jodd’s dragon, Bluon [look he named it when he was like, 10, give him a break]), for his own lack of family. He watches the sea pass by a lot on The Ninth Life’s journey towards the Western Kingdoms (our next destination after a pit stop or two), feeling very lonely as a tiefling among the humans and others aboard the ship.

2 notes · View notes

carewyncromwell · 4 years

Text

Ficlet: This’ll Be the Day That I Die [Part 1]

[First] [<<<] [>>>] [Last]

...Okay, this is all @dat-silvers-girl’s fault. XD She wrote some good!Rakepick fic, and...well, I got inspired!

I really don’t see Rakepick as someone who could conceivably be “good” exactly, but I still wouldn’t put it past Jam City to try to turn her into the game’s Snape where she was “really on the side of good all along” (and we ALL know how well the fandom has accepted that rationale for why Snape’s actually a noble hero *snort*). But yeah, so this ficlet will explore a quasi-sympathetic Rakepick -- a gray interpretation that people could find some pity or sympathy for, but not really a hero. This story is set at the end of year 6, around and in the Sunken Vault. Just like that...other Sunken Vault-centric sixth-year AU ficlet I wrote...heh...

A few things to keep in mind about year 6 for my MC Carewyn Cromwell’s story, since I haven’t fully written all this yet --

Post-Redacted, Ben, Merula, and Carewyn have all started their journeys back from their respective extremes and grown from their bad experiences. Ben has realized that he and his friends aren’t invincible and, although he’s still reckless and determined to protect, he feels the need to atone for his past mistakes. Merula, although still stubborn, angry, and vengeful, has realized that she doesn’t want any more of her friends to die, and so has sort of gotten over the whole “I don’t need you” thing. Carewyn has realized that she can’t take the burden of fighting R squarely on her shoulders and that shutting her friends out makes them less safe, as well as started to open up and rely on her friends more. And the three of them, Charlie, and Bill (the other two people who were present in the Portrait Vault) all have a hand in founding the Circle of Khanna, with the other four all rallying around Carewyn as leader. As shown in Carewyn’s previous gameplays, Carewyn and Rakepick also have a running “foil” dynamic in my storyline, with both having a lot in common in how they behave and attract others to them, and you’d best believe that’s going to be touched on here.

I would also like to credit @missnight0wl for developing the concept of both a Fake and Real!Jacob, which I reference briefly in this, even if I sort of took it in a slightly different direction (you can read more about my thoughts on that theory applied to Jacob and Carewyn Cromwell’s storyline here, if you want). You're awesome, hon! <3

Hope you enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been a struggle for Carewyn, Jae, and Tonks to escape R in Knockturn Alley. With help from Jacob, who’d swooped in at the last minute, they’d managed to escape and take the Floo Network back to Hogwarts.

As soon as the two Cromwells, Jae, and Tonks arrived back at school, they rushed out onto the grounds to find the others.

“Carey!”

Bill rushed over, Diego and Chiara at his heels.

The eldest Weasley swooped down on Carewyn (still disguised as Patricia Rakepick) and snatched her up in a relieved hug. Chiara and Diego halted on either side of Bill, both of them hovering around Carewyn too.

“Carewyn, are you hurt?” Chiara asked at once, her gray eyes sweeping over Carewyn and searching for injuries.

“I’m alright,” Carewyn assured her with Rakepick’s voice, squeezing Bill’s back in return. “We’re all alright...”

“Thank goodness!” breathed Diego. His face was unusually pale as he gave Carewyn’s shoulder a light squeeze. “You gave us a scare, sweet General!”

“Your hour was almost up, and you hadn’t gotten back yet,” said Chiara, her voice much quieter than Diego’s, but no less anxious. “We thought you might run out of time...”

As Bill pulled out of the hug at last, he blinked at the sight of his best friend’s red-robed brother, whose blue eyes were narrowed critically on Bill’s face.

“Jacob?” he said in surprise.

“Rakepick ended up crashing the meeting while I was still there,” Carewyn explained. The Polyjuice Potion she’d taken was wearing off, making her slowly shrink as she shed her Rakepick disguise. “R cornered me, but Tonks and Jae came and got me, and we were able to escape. Jacob helped us fend off Rakepick.”

“And that weirdo fake Jacob,” said Tonks with a deep frown. “Who was that guy, Carey?”

“Blaise Cromwell,” Jacob answered for Carewyn, his voice a very cold murmur. “He’s Mum’s younger brother -- prospective heir of the Cromwell clan.”

“Mum’s brother?” said Carewyn, startled. Her voice still sounded like Rakepick’s, but the lines on her face had faded and her bangs were growing back now.

Jacob nodded. “He’s been using Polyjuice Potion for months now, stalking around Hogwarts, pretending to be me. Through Ashe I’d heard something about Pince and Filch having seen me near the library a while back -- I haven’t entered the castle since I was expelled, so I knew something was up. I’d only just figured out what was going on when I found you.”

Carewyn’s eyes widened in realization.

“A while ago, I met someone who looked like you in your old room with Sickleworth, who had a White Quill from R. At the time I’d assumed it was you -- but if that was Mum’s brother...is that why he tried to convince me to join, when R captured me? Because we’re family?”

Jacob nodded again, his blue eyes darkening with a bitter, almost demonic kind of anger. “Old Grandpops Cromwell knew you’d never join R of your own free will -- but they knew you’d do anything to try to help me. Originally they’d thought to blackmail me into their ranks, and then, through me, coax you to join. Once they had both of us trapped, they could also snag Mum. But, well, then I ‘went rogue,’ so they had to get crafty.”

“Then you were with R?” said Jae, raising his eyebrows suspiciously.

Jacob’s eyes fell to the ground in shame. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down in his throat.

“...Yes,” he said at last, his voice barely more than a murmur.

Carewyn had finally finished transforming back into herself. With a flick of her wand, she quickly adjusted the sizing of the Rakepick-inspired ensemble Andre had made for her, and took hold of Jacob’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

“None of that matters now,” she said very firmly, her gaze moving over the others. “I was able to pinch this, while everyone in R still thought I was Rakepick.”

She held up the greenish coral key. Jacob’s eyes widened at the sight of it.

“The key to the Sunken Vault!”

“It looks just like one I took from Sickleworth last year,” Carewyn assented, as she took out the other key from the inside of her robes with the same hand, holding them both up so the others could see. “They’re a matched set. The one I found unlocks the outside door: this one -- ”

“Unlocks the inside door!” finished Jacob, looking excited and relieved beyond belief. “The one to the chamber that contains the final pillar -- Pip, you’re brilliant!”

Everyone turned to look at Jacob, their eyebrows all furrowed with interest.

“You know what the inside of the Vault looks like?” said Tonks.

“Then you’ve been there before,” surmised Chiara softly.

Jacob’s excitement and relief ebbed from his face, making him look much more grim.

“When I was still at school, trying to unlock the secret of the Vaults, and break the curses...my friends and I reached the Sunken Vault pretty early on,” he explained. “We had reason to believe that it was the real one, with the others all being decoys -- so we thought to bypass the fakes and break any and all curses they could inflict by going straight to the real one. But...”

Jacob’s voice quieted noticeably. His head fell, obscuring his eyes in the shadow of his bangs.

“...we miscalculated.”

Carewyn shifted to rest her shoulder against her brother’s. Jacob gave her a soft, grateful smile.

“The leader said,” Carewyn plowed on, “that the final pillar contains the Vaults’ so-called ‘treasure’ -- and that once we get inside, all we have to do is touch the pillar to open it, just like the others.”

“And once we open the pillar, that should break the Statue Curse,” said Bill, “just like with the other Vaults.”

“One could deduce that, yes,” said Jacob dryly, before turning to Carewyn with much more visible concern in his face. “We’ll have to move fast, Pip – once R discovers their key is missing, they’ll no doubt be right behind us, to try to get it back...”

Carewyn nodded solemnly.

“We don’t have any time to lose,” she agreed. She turned to Bill. “Are the others all assembled?”

“We split into teams around the Lake’s perimeter,” said Bill with a nod. “Ben’s with Tulip, Andre, Fred, and George on the left side, closest to the school – Merula’s with Ismelda, Beatrice, Penny, and Cedric at the back, closest to the Willow – and Charlie’s with Barnaby, Liz, Talbott, and Badeea on the right side, by the Forest.”

“Ben and Merula decided that, once you got back, we would gather together, if anyone shoots up gold sparks – return to the school, if they shoot up red – and prepare to enter the Vault, if they shoot up green,” said Diego, as his lips spread into a roguish smile. “We await your orders, General.”

Biting back an amused smile at Diego’s usual “charmer” air, Carewyn turned to Jae and Tonks, who both looked determined, and then to Chiara, who gave her a soft, encouraging smile. Carewyn then gave Jacob and Bill a small smile before she very purposefully took ten paces toward the Lake.

With a deep breath, she raised her laurel wand in a high arc over her head.

“Verdimillious!”

A green flare shot out of Carewyn’s wand before bursting apart into a dozen little green sparkles that rained through the air.

~*~

“Here, Pip – take a sip of this.”

Still struggling to breathe, Carewyn took the potion bottle Jacob offered her and took a quick swig. She gasped for air as her gills sealed up and oxygen once again flooded her lungs.

“Thanks,” she breathed.

Jacob passed the bottle next to Merula, then to Ben, and Charlie. He let Charlie pass it to Bill.

Charlie clutched his throat as he took a large gulp of air.

“Whew – that’s not pleasant. Maybe we should’ve gone with the Bubble Head Charm, like the others...”

“Aw, but that’d be too easy!” said Jacob with a grin. “Besides, gillyweed gives you flippers as well as gills – you saw how much faster we were able to swim, compared to the others...”

“Jacob’s right,” said Bill as he cleared his throat. “I’m glad Penny thought to collect some from Snape’s storeroom, even just for a few of us.”

Carewyn straightened up, holding her wand aloft, as she looked at where they’d arrived.

Through the free-standing set of doors at the center of the underwater stone garden at the bottom of the lake was the Sunken Vault. It was a massive chamber, one larger than any of the others, with a very high ceiling and walls made of sea-green-tinted glass. It was also filled with countless clusters of stone statues – dozens upon dozens of petrified witches and wizards, frozen in time.

Little by little, the rest of the Circle of Khanna entered in clumps behind their ringleaders. Andre and Carewyn exchanged a look as he came up beside her and looked out over the mass of statues.

“There’s got to be over a hundred of them...” the Style Wizard murmured, half awed and half intimidated by the sight.

“I notice they’re all facing the door,” said Talbott grimly. He indicated the statues and then the double doors behind them with a nod of his head.

“And a lot of them look like they’re running, look,” Badeea pointed out softly, “as if they're trying to escape...”

Ben cast his gaze over the green-tinted glass ceiling, his eyes narrowing critically. “That’s got to mean there’s some sort of trap in here – something that could petrify you if you get too close, or make a wrong move – ”

“Guess I should’ve expected fighting a couple dozen grindylows and a giant monster squid would be the easy part,” said Ismelda sardonically.

“His name is Toby, thank you very much,” said Fred airily.

“Tobias Tentacalino the Third,” added George.

“You named the Giant Squid?” Cedric asked, stuck somewhere between gawking and laughing.

“Well, it would've been rude to keep yelling 'Hey, you ugly brute!' at him, wouldn't it?”

Carewyn looked up at Jacob, ready to ask him what he thought should be their next move, but he’d already walked a good five paces in front of them, stopping in front of one of the statues. His wand arm had gone slack at his side as he studied its face.

Carewyn came up beside her brother to look at the statue too.

It was of a very pretty girl who only looked about a year older than Percy, with the largest, most striking eyes Carewyn had ever seen. Her short hair seemed to flap behind her despite being made of stone and she had her mouth open and a hand out in front of her, as if she was yelling at someone to get back. Most notably, this statue -- unlike the others in the room -- wasn’t wearing robes, but slightly outdated bell-bottoms, jellies, and an open vest over a collared shirt with a Hogwarts tie tied loosely around the neck.

This one was newer than the others – and as Carewyn looked over the statue’s anxiously exclaiming face and then her brother’s miserable, shame-filled expression, her eyes widened.

“Olivia Green,” she breathed.

“Who’s Olivia Green?” asked Merula in rather blunt confusion.

Jacob bowed his head, his lips curling up in an odd, haunted smile.

“The most unassuming, yet soothing presence you could find anywhere in the world,” he said softly. “A talented writer – a stellar guitarist...a free spirit with a laugh like a fairy’s and an appetite like a Puffskein’s...who never felt the need to show off her intelligence, even if she’d likely read even more books than me and she was wiser than witches five times her age. Never the most popular girl at school in a social sense – but admired by just about everyone for her sensibility, her patience...her unapologetic individuality...”

His blue eyes grew a little smaller as he brought a hand up to the statue’s extended, warning hand and placed his open palm against hers.

“...She was...one of the only friends I’ve ever had.”

He managed to keep his voice from cracking, but Carewyn could tell it was a struggle. She immediately reached out and wrapped both of her arms around her brother’s wand arm at his side, squeezing it to show support. Jacob glanced at her, his eyes rippling with pain even as he attempted a weak smile.

“When Ashe, Olivia, and I arrived here, back in our fifth year,” he murmured, his eyes once again drifting to Olivia’s anxious stone face, “we tried to open the interior door without the second key -- Alohomora – Bombarda – I even tried Transfiguring it so there’d be a big enough hole that we could walk through. But all our efforts did...was activate the Petrification Curse in full. The door shot spells in all directions. We tried to duck and cover at first – but once one of the spells grazed Olivia’s wand and turned it to stone, we realized it was too dangerous to stay, and we tried to retreat. We almost made it...but just before Olivia could reach the door...one of the spells hit her square in the back.”

Jacob closed his eyes, his eyebrows knitting tightly over them as if he was trying to block out the memory from his mind’s eye.

“I tried to pick her up, to carry her out, but she was turning to stone too fast. Her feet were already locked to the ground. She pushed me off her and told Ashe and me to go...to save ourselves...”

His fist holding his wand clenched at his side, shaking visibly.

Penny came up on Jacob's other side, looking from him to the statue of Olivia with pity in her eyes.

“So you and Duncan kept going after the other Vaults...because you wanted to break the curse on Olivia,” she whispered. “To save your friend.”

Jacob gave a single, ashamed nod.

“It’s my fault Olivia’s parents have lost their daughter all these years. If I hadn’t suggested opening the Vaults out of order – if I hadn’t suggested mucking around with the door...none of it would’ve happened. I couldn’t not try to make it right. But then of course R tangled Ashe and me up in their web trying to get to the Vaults themselves, and...well, you know what happened after that.”

Carewyn nodded sadly. After that, Duncan had died while working on a dangerous potion for R, presumably to deal with the Cursed Vaults...and, of course, Jacob had been expelled, only to then end up trapped in a portrait and being left in the Portrait Vault for seven years by Rakepick.

'After everything Jacob already went through, for Rakepick to use and betray him like that...'

She felt another stab of resentment toward the ex-Professor.

Ben came up on Carewyn's other side, his brown eyes solemn.

“We'd better get moving.”

Carewyn exhaled through her nose, but nodded, releasing Jacob's arm gently.

“Yes,” she agreed, her tone becoming much more authoritative as she turned back to the others. “We don't have much time – R is going to figure out that their key is missing, and when they do, they'll be heading for Hogwarts looking for us. I don't know if they know we have the other key – but I don't want to wait to find out how long it'll take for them to figure out we've come down here. I'll need some volunteers to stay here at the perimeter, so that they can warn us if anyone's coming.”

“Leave that to us, Carewyn Cromwell,” said Tulip, sharing a broad grin with Tonks. “You know we can give any 'unwanted guests' a proper welcome.”

“Maybe I should stand guard too,” said Liz, “just outside the doors. “That way I can keep an eye on the creatures in the Lake – if they're acting strangely, it'll tell us someone's coming.”

Carewyn nodded to Liz. “That's a good idea.”

“I'll help you keep an eye out, Liz,” Barnaby said with a determined smile. “And if anyone does come, I can help hold them off – with my wand and these!”

He punched his palm with a light clap to make his point. Carewyn gave him a large, proud smile.

“You can always send up red sparks, if there's trouble,” said Charlie. “Then we can come help.”

“Might take a bit of time for you to go help them, if there is,” Jacob pointed out grimly. “This chamber's a good hundred feet long...and these statues are spaced so close together, it's not easy to navigate quickly.”

Carewyn's eyes drifted across the field of stone statues and the doors as she considered this.

“Any thoughts, Badeea?” she asked. Badeea was very good at thinking outside the box.

“Hmm...” murmured Badeea, resting a fist over her lips thoughtfully. “It seems what we need...is a way to communicate with each other and assist each other over a long distance. We'd need something that could be both a telephone and Apparition, simultaneously.”

“But we can't Apparate here,” grumbled Merula. “This Vault isn't like the Portrait Vault – it might be under the Lake, but we're still on school grounds.”

“And Muggle items don't work near Hogwarts,” Andre pointed out, “so I don't reckon a – what was it, 'tell-a-phone?' – would work very well down here, either.”

Beatrice's eyes suddenly lit up excitedly.

“Not a real telephone...but maybe a human one! When we were little – ” she indicated Penny and herself, “ – we used to play a game with the Muggle kids in our neighborhood called 'Telephone!' You sit in a circle and whisper a sentence in someone else's ear, then that person whispers it into the next person's ear, and so on, until you're right back where you started.”

Penny suddenly looked excited too. “So we can make a chain! And if someone's in trouble, then there'll be someone else close enough that they can come and help!”

“Brilliant!” said Bill.

He looked at Carewyn and the two exchanged a broad smile.

“Then that's what we'll do,” said Carewyn. “As we walk along, we'll break off one by one. Space yourselves about ten feet apart. If this room's about a hundred feet long, and there's – ” she did a quick head-count, “ – twenty-two of us...and Barnaby and Liz are outside the double doors, with Tulip and Tonks inside...then that will still leave us with a team of eight, once we reach the inside door. Let's go!”

~*~

After a lot of walking, Carewyn finally reached the Vault. With most of her friends having peeled off to create their chain, the only ones still with her were Jacob, who stayed consistently on his sister's left side; Bill, who stayed consistently on her right; Charlie; Ben; Merula; Penny; and Talbott.

The inside double doors of the Portrait Vault were nearly identical to the outside ones, being a mile high and made of aged, but beautifully sculpted white marble with silvery veins – and just under the braided marble knocker on the right door was another intricately carved keyhole.

Carewyn approached the door, her hand brushing away the cobwebs that had crusted over the keyhole.

'Moment of truth...'

She glanced at Jacob. His blue eyes softened noticeably as he gave her an encouraging nod.

Smiling back, Carewyn reached a hand into her “Fakepick” robes and withdrew the second coral key.

As soon as the key had come within a foot of the keyhole, however, it suddenly started to shake violently in Carewyn's hand.

“Huh!?”

“Carewyn!”

Ben immediately dashed over to her side, his shoulders tensed in visible concern. The door started to vibrate too, humming lowly in response to the key's presence. Then, little by little, a little pinprick of light appeared over the left knocker, cutting into the doors as it started etch glowing silvery-white words into the marble.

Lôcian reccendôm:

Cetus mæðelcwide dêaðian sîn fyrdwerod.

Læccan sîn hêahstrengðu, ongifan êower ferhð.

Hearra wan−hafolnes canne simble ðurhwunian sigelêas fore môdlufu:

âbredwian micellic ge sê milde râd sê time.

Ben glanced from Carewyn up at to the door, his eyebrows knitting together tightly over his eyes.

“What is that?”

“It looks like some kind of warning,” said Talbott, his hawk-like eyes narrowing upon the shining words. “A 'Beware, All Ye Who Enter Here' sort of message.”

Carewyn nodded in agreement. She'd thought the same thing.

“What language is that, though?” asked Penny with a frown. “It looks...like Welsh, or something...”

“It's not Welsh,” said Jacob firmly. “It's Old English.”

“Can you read it?” asked Carewyn.

“I can try – but I admit, my Old English isn't half as good as my Latin. Or my Greek, or my Runes...hell, even my French is probably better, and I only...”

Noticing the faintly critical look on his sister's face, he brushed off the end of his sentence quickly.

“...Right, then. Let's see...”

He took a step forward, rolling up the sleeves of his scarlet dress robes. Once he'd angled his hand over the letters to cast a shadow over them, he found it easier to read the first line.

“...Lôcian reccendôm...lôcian means 'to look'...so that'd be something like 'look at this,' or 'read this' – 'take heed'...”

“'Beware, all ye who enter here,'” Talbott recurred dryly, shooting a smirk over at Carewyn, who couldn't completely bite back an amused grin.

Jacob's frown deepened, dipping into the creases of his face. “The next line, I'm not quite sure. 'Dêaðian' means 'to kill' and 'fyrdwerod' can either mean 'host' or 'army'...but this first word, I have no clue. It's not Old English – if anything, I'd say 'Cetus' sounds more like Latin...”

Carewyn stiffened. She barreled over to her brother's side to better read the inscription.

“Cetus,” she breathed. “Like the constellation! Firenze suggested I study it, after I consulted him about Trelawney's supposed 'prophecy.' In Astronomy terms, the constellation lives in an area of the night sky called 'the Sea' – it's named after a sea monster from Greek mythology, which Perseus slew in order to save the princess Andromeda.”

Jacob suddenly looked very excited. “Perseus! The hero who killed the Medusa, yes! He'd taken Medusa's head after slaying her, allowing him to use her magical gaze to turn his enemies to stone!”

“Just like the Statue Curse!” realized Bill, his mouth spreading into a huge grin too.

“But what does it mean?” asked Merula impatiently. “Is there some ancient monster inside that's going to try to kill us?”

“There could be – there was a Hungarian Horntail in the last Vault,” Charlie pointed out.

“Don't remind me,” groaned Bill.

All of a sudden, the group was interrupted by a strange crackling sound behind them. Carewyn turned, and her breath stilled her throat.

Back in the direction of the doors came a burst of red distress sparks. Then another came right after, knocking into the first set and making a slightly larger firework-like explosion.

“Tulip and Tonks must be in trouble!” said Ben, his voice hard with concern. “We have to go and help them – ”

“No,” said Merula sharply, throwing an arm up in front of Ben to try to physically stop him. “Diego and Ismelda are closest – they'll be able to get to them faster than we can!”

“If they sent up more than one flare, it's got to be urgent!” argued Ben, shoving Merula's arm out of his way. “We can't just do nothing!”

“We're not doing nothing!” Merula snapped back. “The whole reason we set up that human chain...thing...is to make it so there's someone close by to help them, while we deal with the Vault!”

“Merula's right,” said Jacob. “The best way to help them, at least right now, would be to break the curse and get the treasure first. If R has caught up already, then we're nearly out of time to stop them.”

“And if R has caught up already, then I don't intend to stand by and not protect my friends!” snarled Ben, using his height to get right up in the shorter Jacob's face, who looked noticeably irritated at the younger Gryffindor lording over him. “I am not going to let anyone else die!”

“Enough,” Bill reproached them both with a tone of great finality. “This is no time for fighting.” He turned to Carewyn and added a bit more lowly, “What do you want to do, Carey?”

Carewyn looked up at Bill. The eldest Weasley glanced from her to up at the red sparks, visibly concerned. She could tell he, at least, felt for Ben's position.

She pursed her lips solemnly, thinking. It took her a moment to figure out how to articulate her thoughts properly.

“...Merula and Jacob are right: the reason we set up the human chain was to give us time. But if R is here, then we should have some of the Circle's leadership there to meet them – to lead the charge against them.”

“Then you should go, Carey,” said Charlie.

Carewyn looked up at Charlie in surprise. Her fellow Fireball looked more serious than she'd ever seen him as he reached out with both hands and took hold of her shoulders, his brown eyes more blazing than dragon fire.

“You, Ben, and Bill go,” he said firmly. “I'll stay here with Merula and Jacob.”

Carewyn felt as though he was saying,“I'll protect your brother, while you protect mine.” Her blue eyes softened visibly even as her face grew more solemn, and she inclined her head in a single nod, took his hand holding her right shoulder, and gave it a squeeze, as if silently returning the promise.

Jacob looked stricken.

“No,” he said sharply, as he rose to his feet. “I'm coming with you, Pip – ”

“You are not,” said Carewyn very softly.

“Pip – !”

“You need to translate that message!” she shot him down coldly. “You're the only one who can. And as you said, if R's here, we need to open that Vault and break the curse properly before it's too late. We can't afford the door going crazy like it did the last time you were here – we have to do everything the right way this time. No short-cuts.”

Jacob looked incredibly tense, almost terrified. It made his face look so much younger than before – the dark, haunted shadows around his eyes all the more opaque and stark.

Compassion flooding her chest, Carewyn reached out to take a hold of her brother's face in both hands, trying to comfort him.

“Jacob...I know...neither of us is very good at trusting others to help again, just yet...but right now, that's what I need from you – to trust me. ...Please.”

The two Cromwell siblings held eye contact for a long moment, Carewyn's gaze very gentle and Jacob's incredibly turbulent. Then, at long last, Jacob's face spread into a very weak, watery smile and he reached out, grabbing the back of Carewyn's head so he could pull her into a tight, almost suffocating hug.

“You've grown up so much, Carewyn,” he murmured in her ear.

The Slytherin Prefect's face broke into a soft smile as she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him back.

“Well, I was able to catch up to you a bit while you were gone,” she teased as lightly as she could.

Jacob gave a tiny, tear-soaked chuckle. He clutched at the back of his sister's head, trailing a hand through her loose red hair; even though his hand was trembling with emotion, his grip was steady.

“If there's anyone I have absolute faith in,” he said, his voice even softer than before as he shut his eyes and tried to fight back his tears, “it's you.”

Once the two Cromwells had broken apart, Carewyn turned to Merula.

“Take this,” she said, handing Merula the coral key. “Open the Vault once it's safe to do so.”

Merula gave her a dry smirk. “Hn! You might be leader, Cromwell, but you don't have to tell me what to do.”

Her pink eyes then grew a bit more serious.

“Just...don't get yourself killed, all right?” she said a little more lowly.

Carewyn nodded reassuringly. “You too.”

A third and fourth set of red sparks shot up into the air on the other side of the chamber.

“It must be serious, if they're sending up even more sparks,” said Carewyn, her eyes narrowing in concern and urgency. “I'll fly ahead in my Animagus form – ”

“We'll fly ahead,” said Talbott firmly.

Carewyn looked at Talbott, taken aback.

“Seems like there's not much point in keeping secrets when we're in the middle of a life-and-death situation like this,” he said, smiling wryly.

He immediately transformed into an eagle, spreading his wings and doing a quick loop around her head in the air. Carewyn just as quickly transformed into a robin, and the two flew off toward the doors.

Bill glanced at the other members of the Circle of Khanna, dumbstruck.

“...Did any of you know Talbott was an Animagus?”

“Nope,” said Charlie.

Ben and Penny shook their heads.

“I did,” said Merula, smiling a bit guiltily. “But I found out by accident; Cromwell and Winger made me swear not to tell.”

Bill blinked. “...Well, I guess that explains all the bird puns.”

Brushing this revelation off, he charged off back through the field of stone statues toward the front doors, Ben at his heels.

~*~

As she and Talbott flew overhead, Carewyn caught sight of her friends down below passing messages of what was going on back up toward the interior doors. She even caught sight of some of them – Fred, George, and Andre – turning to face Ben and Bill as they ran after her and Talbott, trying to quickly brief them on what was going on without stopping their advance.

Talbott as an eagle, who with his wider wingspan kept overtaking Carewyn, looped back around in his flight pattern so that he was once again next to her. He gave a shrill cry to get her attention – once he'd caught her eye, he indicated something below them with a pointed nod of his head.

When she looked down, Carewyn saw what had delayed the “telephone” call about what was going on in reaching the interior doors before they left – Chiara, who had been positioned between Badeea and Jae near the center of the room, had left her position and was now quickly darting and weaving through the statues back toward the front doors, past the others.

'Someone's hurt,' Carewyn realized immediately. It was the only reason Healing expert Chiara would've abandoned her post – and why she would've looked that scared.

She flapped her wings harder, trying to follow Chiara toward the doors. When she and Talbott arrived, Carewyn felt her breath still in her throat.

Collapsed in front of the double doors were Barnaby, Liz, and Tulip, their motionless bodies splayed limply on the stone floor. Tonks stood in front of the other three, conjuring shields to protect them, as Ismelda and Diego struck out in turns against the red-haired, cloaked woman who had arrived.

It was Patricia Rakepick.

Chiara reached Ismelda and Diego just before Carewyn and Talbott did. After sharing some words with Ismelda, Chiara took a deep breath and then bravely plowed through the fray, trying to reach Tonks. Rakepick, spying Chiara's divided attention, lashed a spell at her, throwing Chiara off of her feet and knocking her backwards to the ground.

'NO!'

Fear pulsed through Carewyn as she and Talbott both dove for the ground. Talbott went straight for Rakepick, swooping down on her with his sharp talons out.

“AUGH!”

Talbott's talons slashed at Rakepick's wand arm, drawing blood. He didn't stay long, though – within seconds, he swooped up, just barely dodging Rakepick's counterattack, as he returned to the air, doubling back to urge on Bill and Ben.

Carewyn transformed back into a human while still mid-air, pointing her wand at the ground.

“Spongify!”

She bounced back down to the ground safely, dashing over to Chiara's side.

“Chiara – are you all right?”

“Carewyn,” breathed Chiara, her face betraying a soft smile at the sight of her for a fleeting moment, before she immediately became more urgent. “I'm fine...but Barnaby isn't – Rakepick shot him with something after he tried to put her in a choke-hold, and he's bleeding badly – ”

“Then we need to get you over to him now,” Carewyn cut her off, her voice hardening in an attempt to hide her anxiety.

Hoisting Chiara back up onto her feet, Carewyn dashed across the floor alongside her. As they ran, Diego and Ismelda lashed out in turns against Rakepick – Rakepick blocked both of their spells with one magical shield before chucking an lightning-like violet spell straight at Ismelda's chest.

“GAH!”

Ismelda crumpled up on the ground, hunching in on herself and clutching at her chest. Diego charged forward, his dark eyes narrowed in righteous fury.

“You vile – !”

The Dueling Champion lobbed several silent hexes at Rakepick, which she blocked one at a time.

“Mastered non-verbal magic, then, Mr. Caplan?” said Rakepick coolly, her lips curled up in a small smirk. “I suppose I should expect nothing less from the 'best duelist at Hogwarts.' I wonder if the same can be said for you, Miss Cromwell?”

Without warning, Rakepick had whirled on Chiara and Carewyn, who had darted behind her, and blasted a black flare at them. Carewyn quickly summoned a silent Shield Charm to block it.

“Chiara, go!” she yelled over her shoulder. “Go help Barnaby! Venio Saggita!”

A hail of red-feathered arrows shot through the air at Rakepick, which the older witch disintegrated with white light from her wand.

“Learned that trick from Jacob, I assume?” said Rakepick.

“Among others,” Carewyn said icily.

“Impressive. Allow me to show you a few of mine – ”

Diego, anticipating Rakepick was going to attack, had wordlessly summoned ropes from his wand, which he sent flying at Rakepick. The ex-professor, however, seemed to have likewise anticipated Diego's move, for she raised her wand, grabbing hold of the ropes in mid-air, and transfigured them into a single, whip-like cord that she then lashed back at Diego. Diego tried to block it, but the magical rope wound around his legs, arms and neck like some inky black snake. It squeezed, making him unable to move – and then within seconds, it flared a horrible, fiery blood-red, and Diego began to scream in agony.

“AUUUUUGGGGGGGHH!”

Carewyn's heart clenched in terror. “Diego!”

“Diego!” cried Tonks and Chiara.

“Venenum Ardere, Miss Cromwell,” said Rakepick, her gaze rather cold upon the writhing Diego. “Otherwise known as the Flaming Venom Curse, or simply the 'Snake's Bite.' An old favorite of Grindelwald's, back in the day, when he wanted to play with his food.”

“You cack-head twat!” swore Tonks furiously. “Petrificus Totalus!”

Rakepick blocked Tonks's attack effortlessly, before raising her wand up to her lips and breathing a stream of blue flame at her. Tonks also tried to block it with a Shield Charm, but the fire wasn't attacking her – instead it latched itself onto the floor, winding around in a tight noose-like shape around Tonks, Chiara, and the wounded Barnaby, Tulip, and Liz.

“Tonks!” screamed Carewyn. “Chiara!”

“Carewyn!” cried Chiara, visibly terrified.

Tonks tried to put the flames out with a stream of water from her wand, but instead of going out, the flames lashed out at them in retaliation.

“Protego Totalum!” cried Chiara.

Golden-white light sprang from the end of her wand and formed a large bubble-like barrier between them and the blueish fire.

“Protego Diabolica,” said Rakepick, her gaze colder than ever upon Tonks. “A Shield that incinerates any enemies of its castor, while leaving their allies unharmed. I'd suggest you stay put, Ms. Tonks.”

“Stupefy!”

Rakepick quickly dived to the right as the red Stunning spell just barely whizzed past her ear.

Bill and Ben had finally arrived, Talbott flying overhead in eagle form. Talbott immediately flew over toward the blue flames – he tried to fly down close enough to reach Tonks, Chiara, Barnaby, Liz, and Tulip, but the flames lunged out at his talons and tail feathers, forcing him to withdraw.

“The only way out of those flames is by going through them, Mr. Winger!” Rakepick called up to the large eagle, almost tauntingly. “Though, as I said – I wouldn't try it unless you knew I didn't consider you an enemy!”

Diego's shoulders shook violently as he struggled against the flaming red bonds in a vain attempt to break them. His struggle only seemed to make the bonds around his limbs and neck tighten and burn hotter – he couldn't hold in the horrible chokes of agony erupting out of his throat.

“I'm impressed you're still standing, Mr. Caplan,” said Rakepick coolly. “But I wouldn't struggle too much. The more you fight, the tighter the bonds get.”

“Help Diego,” Ben told Bill urgently. “I'll handle Rakepick!”

He barreled over to Carewyn's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. Rakepick's eyes flickered at Ben, losing most of their amusement.

“You'll handle me, will you?” she said very lowly. “You mean like you did back in the Forest?”

Ben's brown eyes flared with hatred. “Bombarda!”

Rakepick wordlessly blocked Ben's spell, lashing out her arm at him. Ben and Rakepick once again traded blows, but this time Ben wasn't fighting Rakepick alone. Carewyn attacked Rakepick from the other side, making the ex-professor dodge her spells while simultaneously blocking Ben's.

“You're going to need stronger spells than that, Mr. Copper – Miss Cromwell!” Rakepick called over the blasting and popping of their spells. “I can keep blocking and dodging all day, I'm more than used to it...”

Talbott transformed back into a human in mid-air, leaping down to the ground next to Carewyn too.

“Confringo!”

Rakepick blocked the Ravenclaw's Blasting Curse without looking at him. Her eyes merely flickering over her shoulder in Talbott's direction, she flung out her arm, pointing her wand at one of the rows of stone statues lined up near the door.

“Piertotum Locomotor!”

All of a sudden, a row of six statues lurched to life. One of the tallest, a middle-aged wizard with a short goatee and long flowing robes, seized Talbott around the neck with one hand, hoisting him off the ground as it strangled him. Talbott choked for air, struggling to breathe well enough to cast a counter-spell, but he couldn't take in enough oxygen to properly verbalize any incantation.

“Talbott, hold on!”

Ben dashed forward, raising his wand.

“Red – !”

Before he could finish casting his Reductor Charm, however, Ben's wrist had been seized tightly by the statue of Olivia Green. She twisted it behind his back with an awful snap – Carewyn couldn't hold back a small scream when Ben gasped out in pain.

“BEN!”

“I might think twice before fighting too hard against your new opponents, you two,” said Rakepick, as the remaining statues surrounded Talbott and Ben and grabbed their other limbs to restrain them, “considering they're currently fighting you against their will. I daresay Jacob in particular would be rather unhappy if you damaged Miss Green, Mr. Copper.”

Hatred lashed at Carewyn's insides. “Rakepick, you – !”

Bill abandoned the restrained Diego at last to join Carewyn's side. His handsome, freckled face was contorted with a kind of righteous fury Carewyn had never seen before – like a lion protecting his pride.

“Rakepick!” he snarled. “This ends NOW!”

Standing shoulder to shoulder, Bill and Carewyn attacked with ferocity. Rakepick did have to put in a bit more effort fighting the two of them than she had most of the others. Carewyn had always been a proficient duelist in her own right, and Bill – being the adult member of the Circle of Khanna and having also trained under Rakepick – was a credible threat. Plus, considering how well Bill and Carewyn knew each other's respective dueling styles, they could bounce spells off each other.

“Incendio!”

“Immobulus!”

“DEPULSO!”

Rakepick had been able to block Bill and Carewyn's individual spells, but their combined Banishing Charm was enough to rock her Shield to its core. Carewyn then took advantage of Rakepick's weakened center of balance to point her wand at the ground under her feet.

'Bombarda!' Carewyn thought fiercely.

Rakepick stumbled backward with a cry, landing on the ground – Bill barreled forward.

“STUPEFY!”

Rakepick had to roll out of the way to avoid Bill's spell, but she suddenly found him on top of her. She wouldn't be able to block him with him that close –

“Demitto!” Rakepick bellowed, pointing her wand at Bill's feet.

All of a sudden, Bill felt the ground collapse under him – he was thrown forward, his chest and chin slamming hard into the ground.

“AH!”

Rakepick had conjured a sinkhole in the floor, one that sucked Bill's legs down into the marble like quicksand. Bill quickly tried to raise his wand, but it was no use: the ground had swallowed up his wand arm when it had collided with the stone.

“Hold on!” cried Carewyn, pointing her wand at the floor ensnaring Bill. “Ascendio! Impedimenta! Finite Incanctum!”

But the light of Carewyn's spells was swallowed up by the stone. Bill struggled to yank himself out, but it only served to make the stone pull him down further.

“Sorry, Miss Cromwell, but those spells won't work,” said Rakepick. “No Charm will work.”

Carewyn blocked Rakepick out fiercely. She was lying – just like she always lied –

“Reparifarge! Restituo Maxima!”

Untransfiguration didn't seem to have any effect either. Bill only seemed to sink faster – his chest was now half-submerged in stone.

Her heart slamming against her ribcage, Carewyn desperately ran over to her best friend, seizing his only free arm and pulling with all of her strength.

“Hold on – I'll get you – ”

“Carey, no!” rasped Bill. “Get back – !”

BAM.

Carewyn was slammed into the floor face-first with the force of Rakepick's Blasting Curse.

“Carey!”

“Carewyn!”

“General!”

Carewyn could hear the terrified cries of her friends behind her. She looked up, terror pounding in her chest – Talbott was completely trapped in the hold of the three statues holding him; Ben had been beaten within an inch of his life by the statues trying to restrain him and was now nursing not just a broken arm but several horrible bruises on his face; Diego had finally collapsed to the ground in a heap, his shoulders quaking as he struggled to stay conscious; Ismelda was shuddering uncontrollably in pain on the floor; the noose of blue flames was slowly tightening around the others, making Tonks and Chiara huddle over the injured Barnaby, Liz, and Tulip so they could maintain their own golden-white Shield Charm around them; and Bill was now almost completely submerged, struggling to keep his head above the quicksand-like stone.

“The only way you can save all of them is through stopping me, Miss Cromwell,” Rakepick said, her voice rising. “If you even can.”

Her eyes flashing with rage, Carewyn smacked the air with her wand, hurtling a cutting spell right at Rakepick's face. Just like before, though, Rakepick blocked it. Carewyn silently lashed out again and again – shooting ice and fire and scarlet bursts of light – but nothing she used got through Rakepick's Shield Charm.

“I told you, Miss Cromwell!” cried Rakepick, her voice suddenly much harsher than before. “You'll need a stronger spell to get through my Shields! You know there are a select few spells that a Shield Charm can't block – ”

Carewyn halted in her attacks, her eyes going very wide.

A select few – yes. Carewyn knew what those were – those three Curses, that even a Shield Charm couldn't block...

Her wide blue eyes suddenly grew very dark, flooding with a colder, harsher emotion than she'd ever known before. It felt like poison coursing through her veins.

“NO!”

'Levicorpus! Incendio! AVERTE SACTUM! REDUCTO!'

One by one, her non-verbal spells bounced off Rakepick's Shield Charm. The ex-professor seemed to be getting impatient – her eyes widened with a strange, almost frustrated glint upon Carewyn's face as she raised her own wand.

“Crucio.”

Her Cruciatus Curse hit Carewyn straight on in the chest.

Never before had Carewyn ever experienced such blinding, white-hot pain. It was as though a thousand tiny needles were stabbing her from all directions, into her skin, into her head, into her eyes, into every single nerve in her body. It made her fall back and crumple up in on herself, as if subconsciously trying to shield herself from the pain, but there was no use – no defense –

That scream she heard – it wasn't hers, was it? That terrible, agonizing cry, like that of a dying animal...

Suddenly, all at once, the pain ceased. Carewyn slumped forward, gasping for air. She could feel tears and sweat streaming down her face.

“That is what I will do to every single one of your friends, when they come to aid you, Miss Cromwell!” Rakepick shouted. “I will torture them all, just like I did with Miss Snyde – and then I will kill them, just like I did Miss Khanna!”

The memory of Rowan's empty, lifeless black eyes was a knife in Carewyn's heart: one that almost physically injured her, making her hunch in on herself.

Rakepick stood over Carewyn, her eyes gleaming. But there was no triumph there – it was a fierce emotion, whatever it was, but it didn't seem happy in the slightest.

“If you want you and your friends to live,” she said softly, “you'll have to kill me.”

“No.”

Rakepick was so taken aback by the fierceness of Carewyn's voice that she nearly flinched. “What?”

The Slytherin Prefect was still hunched in on herself with her eyes downcast, and she was careful not to step on her “Fakepick” robes as she precariously stumbled back to her feet. She lifted her head, her blue eyes flaring with pure hatred upon Rakepick's despite the lingering pain trembling through her shoulders, as she raised her wand again.

“I said...” she said very quietly and coldly, “...no.”

Rakepick's expression was oddly stricken for a moment: disbelieving and horrified, and almost...moved. Then her blue eyes narrowed to slits.

“You – !”

As she raised up her wand arm as if to back-hand Carewyn with another curse, however, Rakepick suddenly found her arm engulfed in throbbing black-colored light. Then her arm was twisted painfully behind her, dislocating the limb with a terrible CRACK before it flung her violently to the ground.

Carewyn stared from the badly injured, gasping Rakepick to where the spell had originated.

Jacob Cromwell plowed out of the field of statues. His teeth were bared and lightning-like electric blue sparks crackled dangerously from his raised Aspen wand. His almond-shaped blue eyes were also darker and scarier than Carewyn had ever seen them – they were so devoid of light or humanity, they resembled a demon's.

“Jacob!” gasped Carewyn.

Jacob barreled forward, snatching Rakepick up the ground by her broken wrist and sticking his still crackling wand in her face. Rakepick gave a choked grunt of pain as her gold-tipped wand clattered to the stone floor.

“You want to die so badly, Rakepick?” the elder Cromwell snarled. “For pointing your wand ANYWHERE near Pip, I'll more than oblige that request – ”

“Jacob, NO,” Carewyn cut him off with ferocity.

Jacob looked at his sister, the demonic gleam still clinging to his eyes – but the light flickered back into being upon seeing Carewyn rushing over to Bill. With Rakepick being Disarmed, the cursed rope binding Diego and the circle of blue flames had vanished, the statues holding Talbott and Ben had gone still, and the floor had stopped inhaling Bill and froze back into place – and so Carewyn could now blast apart the stone with relative ease.

“Bombarda! Ascendio!”

She levitated Bill out of the wrecked stone and back down onto the floor. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the eldest Weasley lunged forward and enveloped Carewyn in a big, relieved hug.

“Thank Merlin, Carey!” he breathed, squeezing her for dear life.

“Ismelda!”

“Diego!?”

Merula, Charlie, and Penny led the rest of the Circle of Khanna onto the field, over to their comrades.

“Carey -- Bill, are you okay?” said Charlie, his forehead crinkled with anxiety.

“We’re all right,” Bill reassured him.

Carewyn brought an arm around Charlie’s shoulders and gave him a comforting squeeze. Charlie leaned his head beside hers, smiling in relief.

“Through the ‘tell-a-phone’ we’d made, we heard that Rakepick was the one at the front,” he explained. “Jacob wanted to drop everything immediately, and I reckon Merula did too, but we tried to stay focused on the Vault. Once we got the message that you and Bill were fighting Rakepick alone, though, we decided we had to cut our losses and come help you...”

“I’m glad you did,” said Bill.

Penny rushed over to Ben with a Wiggenweld Potion, while George helped Ben hold his broken arm still so Badeea could properly mend it. Cedric was able to wrap Diego's arm over his shoulders and help him to his feet, but Ismelda seemed unable to stand.

“Ow! No, no – don't help me up, no!” she hissed in pain, still clutching at her chest and fighting back tears of pain as Beatrice tried to support her. “I can't – every time I move, it feels like I'm being stabbed – ”

“The Heart Shard Curse,” said Jacob. His voice had abruptly shifted back to his usual, over-confident, “scholarly” tone. “Makes you feel like there's broken glass in your chest. A Wiggenweld Potion should help with that.”

Penny pulled out another bottle of Wiggenweld Potion from the inside of her robes and coaxed Ismelda into taking a sip.

“I'm fine, Cedric,” Diego grumbled stubbornly, as he tried to support himself on his own. “Chiara – the others, are they – ?”

“We're fine, Diego Caplan.”

Tulip straightened up, holding her forehead as if she'd been clubbed over the back of the head. Liz shook her head lightly too and adjusted her glasses so she could look everyone over.

“Tulip,” breathed Carewyn. “Liz, thank goodness...”

“They were just Stunned,” said Chiara gently. “And Barnaby's doing better already, aren't you, Barnaby?”

“Ow,” mumbled Barnaby, but he gave Carewyn a smile too. “Yeah – I'm all right, Carewyn...you don't need to be afraid anymore. At least – not about me, anyway – this place is still really creepy and all.”

Carewyn's eyes softened slightly. Merula came up beside Carewyn and Bill, her pink eyes boring into Rakepick still in Jacob's grip.

“So it was you,” she sneered. “Not so tough now, are you, Rakepick? Now we can finally make you pay, for what you did to Khanna – to all of us – ”

“I told Jacob no, Merula, and the same goes for you,” said Carewyn very harshly, her eyebrows knitting together impatiently as she shut her eyes. “I don't want Rakepick to die.”

Merula whirled on Carewyn, completely flabbergasted.

“Cromwell, she killed Khanna! She just finished torturing you! She was about ready to kill all of us – she even said she planned on killing all of us! If your brother hadn't shown up – ”

“But he did,” said Carewyn firmly. “And he overpowered her. And now – Incarcerous – ”

She bound Rakepick's limbs very tightly with a set of black ropes from her wand. Rakepick struggled slightly, her face very white as she stared down at her bindings.

“ – when we're finished with the Vaults, we can turn her over to the Aurors, and she can go to Azkaban for the rest of her life.”

“Maybe you're satisfied with that, Cromwell, but I'm not!”

Merula shoved herself right up into Carewyn's personal space, her pink eyes flaring with anger.

“Rakepick betrayed us – all of us, back in the Portrait Vault! She stole seven years of your brother's life – of your life – and she has made everyone at Hogwarts less safe! You aren't the only person with an opinion that matters here! Rakepick deserves to die!”

“She does,” Carewyn said quietly.

“Then why are you protecting her!?”

Carewyn glanced from Merula to down at Rakepick. The ex-professor was still not looking at any of them – her eyes were locked on the floor, while barely seeing it – but her lips were pursed and she'd gone very still. She was listening intently to the conversation.

Carewyn was silent for a long moment, contemplating how best to articulate what she was feeling. Then she took a deep breath.

“...Rakepick...is not someone whose opinion should be listened to...but for everything she's said that wasn't true, she was right about one thing.”

She swallowed.

“...She and I...are very similar.”

Jacob roughly seized Carewyn's shoulder. “Pip, you're nothing like – ”

“Jacob, please,” Carewyn cut him off with a forceful attempt at calm.

Her eyes drifted away, landing absently on the open air over Rakepick's head.

“You said it yourself, Merula – for someone who hated her so much...I did sound a lot like her. I did think a lot like her. At the time I pushed it away, not wanting to think about it – but it's true. We're both people who...gather others around us...who put on this caring mask, and encourage and inspire others...while never truly trusting them with the truth of who we are...or what we think. We both have done anything we had to, in order to get at the Vaults. We both have manipulated the people who relied on us and led them into danger for our own benefit. ...We both...are liars, through and through.”

Her eyes flickered to Bill, who likewise had opened his mouth to argue, but the words stilled in his throat when she shook her head.

“But for all the things we have in common...I have no intention of following her path. I told her once that I didn't need to use the Cruciatus Curse, or any other Unforgivable Curse, in order to save Jacob, and I meant it. I will not let her prove me wrong in that. I will not treat her life as disposable, the way she did Rowan's. And I will not give her the satisfaction of escaping the consequences of her actions – not even by dying.”

Carewyn's eyes flashed with steely determination.

“I want her to live a very long, lonely life – locked up where she can never hurt anyone again, with only her own failure as company. Just as I want Rowan to always be remembered...I want her to be completely forgotten...for no one to speak her name, with hatred or admiration. At least in Azkaban, her life can be a reminder. A reminder...that there is no glory for people like Patricia Rakepick.”

There was an echoing silence. Carewyn was aware of Rakepick breathing rather heavily, but she didn't look at her. Instead she looked at Merula out the side of her eye.

Her old rival's eyes were downcast as she took in what Carewyn had said. After a long moment, she exhaled through her nose quietly.

“...You really think anyone could forget what she did?”

Carewyn's eyes softened. “Maybe not right away. But hopefully someday.”

Merula looked up at Carewyn, her pink eyes boring into her face. “I won't forget. I won't forgive.”

“I understand,” said Carewyn softly. Her eyes drifted down to Merula's right shoulder. “...I just don't want you to throw everything away – all the growth you've gone through, all the potential you have...everything you've become, and the brilliant future you're owed, because of that.”

Although Carewyn wasn't looking her in the face anymore, she could see a shift in Merula's expression out the side of her eye. She felt an arm loop over her shoulders – Carewyn looked up to see Jacob resting his head against hers, his solemn frown buried in her hair as he closed his eyes.

“Pip is right,” Jacob said lowly. “As much as I don't think Rakepick deserves to live...hell, as much as I would still love to rip her limb from limb, slowly and painfully...”

He opened his eyes and looked down at his younger sister with a sad smile.

“...A future...a real future...is something worth sacrificing for.”

Bill nodded, smiling a little more fully. “It's something worth fighting for.”

“Something worth working for,” said Penny earnestly.

“Something worth living for,” said Ben at last. He glanced at Carewyn, offering her a supportive smile.

At long, long last, Merula gave in. She inclined her head in a single, halfhearted nod.

“All right, Cromwell,” she said lowly. “We'll turn her over to the Aurors.”

Her lips spread into a much cockier smile. “Now let's go break that Statue Curse, shall we?”

The other members of the Circle of Khanna shared smiles.

Rakepick, however, reacted in a way no one expected.

“NO!”

In an instant, she'd thrown herself against the black ropes binding her, trying to hurl herself to her feet.

“Carey – !”

“Watch out – ”

Bill, Charlie, Merula, and Ben all moved forward, prepared to restrain her, but Rakepick managed to get right up in Carewyn's face. She was whiter and filled with a kind of visible panic that no one had ever seen on her face before.

“Miss Cromwell, listen to me – you must not break the curse!”

[To be continued...]

54 notes · View notes