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red-tintedglasses · 1 year

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Flirting During Life-Saving Surgery 101

(TW for: general TW, masochism (implied), flirty murder, surgery)

Chapter 7/?

A large, clean-cut house is their destination. Jimmy leans his head against the headrest with a sigh. Usually, he would rather die than see Madeline, but this time, it's a life-or-death where the death isn't particularly glamorous or eye-catching. And who would want to die like that? He opens the car door and gets out and lurches towards the hard pavement. He stretches out his arms to balance himself, and he starts swaying, vomit rising in his mouth.

"Je$u$ chr*st..." Gregg slams the car door on his way out and leans Jimmy on his shoulder. "How the fuck did you even survive this long!?"

“I was doing just fine! I don't need your help!" Jimmy uses Gregg as his human crutch as they hobble to the front door.

Jimmy raps on the metal, missing a few times. Then again, fist hitting nothing but air. And now Gregg pounds his fist on the door. It swings open and a small, 15 year old opens the door. She has her black hair up in a pony tail with two strands left in the front, like shes always prepared to be looking down at a mess of human gore. Madeline looks down at Jimmy’s leg and she moves aside to let them enter. “When did that happen?” she asks. Jimmy hums. “Maybe an hour ago?”

Madelime rolls her eyes and she leads them inside, to the tiled kitchen. "Please sit down on the dining chairs. I'll bring my medical kit shortly." She leabes the kitchen and disappears around the corner.

Gregg guides Jimmy to the chair and sits him down which Jimmy does with a loud, relieved sigh. Gregg leans on the counter as they wait.

Bzzt.

Gregg ignores the phone's vibrating.

Bzzt.

Gregg moves off the counter, the vibration reverbing throughout the room.

Bzzt.

Jimmy doesn't seem to notice his phone buzzing with message after message.

"Jimmy," Gregg spits out through gritted teeth. "Your phone has been vibrating non-stop. Fix it before I fucking crush it."

“I didn’t notice, being shot in the leg is kind of more important don’t you think?” Jimmy sighs. He takes his phone out to find new messages from a contact freshly saved as Cyrus (tall killer ♡).

>Did you die?

>I mean you wont respond if you are dead >But i wouldnt know if you were dead or just not a texter! @_@

>are you still bleeding?

>if you still are at this point thats actually kinda embarrasing >:/

>ok your iced coffee thing from that cafe is okay

> …

>no its bad im sorry >~<

>that was mean i apologize :(

>ok im definitely rambling

>ugghhhhh sorry

>ARE you dead tho

>if you arent then text me

>or not if you dont want to

>if you are dead then like

>uhhhhhhhh

>fuck i dont know

>Ouija me ig

Jimmy blinks in surprise at the long, rambly string of texts.

<bury me with my garfield collection

>oh nooooooo!!!!!!

>cant believe you diiiiied!!!!

>...:?

>collection of what tho

>like books or toys

>what about your worms?

>WAIT WAIT sorry uh

>are you still dying and being shot at

<nah i shot the cop, he was like right next to us and killed him and shit

<hes so dead and not alive

Jimmy doesn’t bother telling them how badly he had fumbled the bag, or in this case, gun.

>what thats it?

>well thats no fun >:/

>expected more from Star Glasses Jimmy >wait wait omg!

>so theres this girl right and she got

>well lets just say she got punished >;)

(Somewhere in the distance, Cyrus cringes at the winky face they sent)

>and now shes all broken and shaking and had a panic attack

>all because of havng a bit of fun with her! >:/

>sorry rambling again

>most people dont find the human psyche as interesting as i do

<mc fucking excuse me?

<tell me more about this girl

<is she alright?

<and dont worry about rambling, im a fucking hot mess also.

>no she is not! :D

>and dont worry abt her being okay, she can do her job just fine!

>ooo you want to heat my silly rants about the mind and atuff?

>yay! >w<

Jimmy smiles at the emoticon.

>okay, so

One long rant about hypervigilance and heart rates later, Jimmy understands nothing.

>and next time you see a cop, we can meet up and put that pig through some hellish torture!! >:) I have many ideas for convienent torture methods as well!

>Much more fun than a plain old panic attack like that girl decided to do, hehehe

>that is, if you dont get shot again •-•

<well hey give me the benefit of the doubt, i was bleeding out and the car was moving.

<damn, you really fucked up that girl didn’t you?

>i did fuck her up! It was really fun too!

>I got punched by her though :(

>but it was worth it!

>:?....

>i hope your text was meant to sound proud of me!

>if not then your not as fun as i thought youd be~ >:3

>and here i was, offering to show you Cyrus's Convienient Torture Hacks for Instant Euphoria!

<darling

<have you seen my murders, id say im the opposite of fun ;)

>no, i havent seen your murders :(...

>but judging by your tone i can safely say >that i'd love to watch you go to flesh-ripping town on some victims

>we have very similar definitions of fun, >Darling ;)

>Look up ‘the artist chicago' if you like blood baths~

>bluh

>why bother with googling? Theyll just be censored, at best just blurred

>the public are a bunch of pussies! Like its just a bit of guts and blood! Ò_Ó

>and cmon, i could just whip up my own blood bath!

>bet i could do better than you >:)

Gregg is reading over Jimmy's shoulder. He rolls his eyes with an infuriated sigh.

<gregg stop reading over my shoulder, i can see you dumbass

<mr. Can’t Even Get the Cops off His Ass

<anyway, CYRUS you could never beat my murders darling

>id love to see you tryyy~

>who is gregg :?

>anyway

>call me darling again and maybe I'll try harder,

>Sweetheart! hehehe…

Gregg groans out, "Oh my fucking god, Jimmy. What did I just tell you about oversharing?" He means it rhetorically only because he knows Jimmy forgot already.

“Why do you care so much, anyway? You're no fun…” Jimmy pouts.

<gregg is just the guy who like saved my ass

<but hes so boring and hes yelling at me

He sees the last text Cyrus sent

<call me sweetheart and i’ll rip out your eye balls and feed it to your neighbors dog

>0_0

Jimmy corrects himself

<darling ;)

>0o0

>well what would you prefer?

>Sweetie?

>Sunshine?

>^^you called me that at one point i think

>perhaps even Darling!

>Kitten?

Jimmy holds down a giggle.

>But i am intrigued in seeing you again, even if you will rip out my eyeballs right after

>sweetheart

>sweetie

>sunshine

>want me to go on?

Madeline comes back with a red duffel bag. She kneels in front of Jimmy and begins cleaning the wound.

<if you call me kitten, i will torture you in ways you could never even think of, honey ;)

<i am also 'intrigued' to see you again, maybe when my leg isnt bleeding out?

<you never know, you might even find my address and just show up

<i do that alot! The shock value is unmatched

>why not make it a fun game of leaving behind breadcrumbs and leaving me to pick them up and investigate them, huh?

>drag me around on a chain of red tape until i finally win?

>lets see if you can make good on your winky-faced threats, kitten

(In their apartment, Cyrus is currently burying their face into a pillow and grinning like an idio).

<i hope you dont use your eyeballs much, love ;)

<but im more into real bloodbaths and not boring old investigations

<if it makes you happy, i can add a couple of extra special hearts in my crime scenes for you~

>youll dedicate some of your bloodbaths to me? :0

>thats not as scary as your trying to make it sound :)

>i do take it back though! Youre very fun. As a killer.

>and im fun! As a torturer!

>we should show each other the ropes sometimes

>and i mean that genuinely, kitten~ ;)

>^^see that? Triple threat. Tilde, winky face, and calling you kitten

>try and beat that >:)!

>(i am being genuine tho)

Madeline starts removing the bullet with a pair of tweezers, her hand as steady as a senior surgeons. Jimmy winces in pain.

<im better at delivering my threats than giving them, darling, no matter now many winky faces i have

<and who said it was supposed to be scary? <i think theres a better use to your body when its dead

<your intestines could be some pretty nice party streamers, my ray of sunshine ;)

>anything for you sweetheart!

(Cyrus whimpers, flustered and pleasantly shocked by Jimmy's 'threats').

>bet i could show you how great it feels to feel somebody writhe and scream and cry as you inflict agonizing pain upon them!

>you can show me a thing or two as well, kitten

>if you do then you can do whatever you please with my intestines.

>just make sure im alive and aware for it :)

>Wouldn't mind my organs being taken if it was you~ ;)

Gregg sighs. "Oh my god, stop fucking flirting. Even Madeline can tell you want this guy in your pants, and she's dealing with the sinkhole in your leg!"

Jimmy’s face goes through the five stages of grief. “Gregg, please don't bring me into this,” Madeline says, not looking up from her work. “Oh, come on!" He huffs. "We'ree not /flirting/, that's how I /always/ talk!” He beams at Gregg innocently.

"Either way, /they're/ flirting with /you/. A lot. They literally want you to take their guts out. And /watch/ you do it." Gregg sighs and looks away from Jimmy's phone. "Can't fucking deal with this anymore..." he grumbles. However he clearly decides to continue dealing with it, because he doesn't move from his optimal phone-seeking position.

“I can't blame them! Did you see my gut dress? I'm practically an expert in that by now!” Jimmy laughs.

"God, no. I dont want to see whatever paraphilia this is in action while you two flirt like there's no tomorrow."

Cyrus continues texting.

>i am being serious about the delights of torture! >w<

>invite me the next time you get that itch in your brain for a good bloody hunt. >:)

Jimmy grins and Gregg groans again.

>i think i can make the euphoria last longer, kitten, in ways you cant imagine

>just like your fun little plans for me~

“But /Gregg/," he moves his head to wink at Gregg. "there /could/ be no tomorrow!” Madeline places the still dripping bullet onto a towel, which she wraps up and puts into a paper bag. She takes a needle and threads to sew up the wound with. “Jimmy, they are really flirting with you,” She comments before she starts.

"Yeah, exactly!" Gregg huffa. "And /she/ can't even see the fucking screen! And I /would/ say you're flirting back, too, if you werent such a hot mess of flambuoyancy! I cant even tell when you mean the things you say!"

“I am /not/ a hot mess of flambuoyancy!” He turns off his phone. Madeline cuts the final thread and admires her finished handiwork. She remains silent and watches the argument play out.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Just dont fucking meet up with that guy, okay? For all we know, they're going to plunge a knife 8 inches deep into you!"

Jimmy goes silent and swings his legs on the chair. “So… bad news. Its a little late for that!”

Gregg slams his palm against the back of the chair. Then he paces in a tight circle, once. Then he yells loudly into the ceiling.

"C'mon Gregg, I already /told/ you how I met them!'

"Well, fuck me! You wanna be cremated or buried, Jimmy?"

“Why are you so worried!” Jimmy yells back

"Because even if it hasn't been hammered into /your/ thick skull, I know that /outsiders/ can't be trusted! Especially when they want you to vivisect them!" That last bit isn't actual proof, it just irks him.

“I'm sure they weren’t serious about it!” He’s pretty sure they are serious about it.

"God, you're a fucking idiot." He pinches his forehead like he's having a migraine. He can feel one coming on already. "How much longer 'til he's done, Madeline?"

“Oh, I've been done for a while now,” she says from across the room making tea. She had gotten bored of the arguing. "Tea, Gregg?" Gregg looks down where he last saw her. Then up at where she is now. "Oh. Uh. Sure. Jimmy?"

Jimmy giggles knowingly. “I'm good, but thanks, Madeline!"

Gregg makes his way over to Madeline. "I'll take some." She gets out two tea cups and pours in the deep brown liquid. “Do you want sugar or cream?”

"None. I take it straight." No he does not. Gregg is a coffee person and has never tried tea. •But how different can it be?• He grasps the cup like it's a mug. "Look, Jimmy," he takes a sip and turns to Jimmy. "Just stop flirting with them. Or at least don't let them entertain the notion that you'll go on some passionate killing spree for them."

“But I would go on a mass killing spree for them?” Jimmy looks confused. "I already promised!"

Madeline grabs her cup of tea and pretty much fades into the background.

"Yeah, sure, okay! But don't!" Gregg takes another sip and grimaces from the taste. "See this look on my fucking face?" He points a finger at myself. That's because this whole thing with this Cyrus character reeks of backstabbing!"

“But why not? Murder sprees are fun!” He says offended “And you should meet Cyrus! They are a perfectly fine person!”

"Uh-huh, yeah" he slowly puts down the teacup and tries to lick the taste off from inside his mouth. "Go and murder, whatever. Just not for /them/. And I don't want that fucker's grubby paws in my life the same way they've got you sending winky faces and pet names and flirty threats every other text."

"Gregg." Madelike pipes up.

“/What/, Madeline?" He snaps, frustrated.

"How does your tea taste?"

"Uh.." Gregg looks down at his tea. "Like shit." He grabs the counter, suddenly unbalanced.

"Please be more specific."

"It stings and has an aftertaste."

Madeline sighs. "Thank you. The solution is meant to be tasteless." She takes out a small cup of lightly-greened fluid. “Please drink this.”

"Uhh..." he squint and reaches for it. He misses the first time, and at the second try he grabs hold. He ingests the antidote. "What... was that?" He asks.

“A poison I'm working on. It still needs some work."

Now recovering, Gregg glares at Madeline. "You poisoned this and didn't tell me?"

“Yes, my apologies.” She has always spoken like she was before her time. “Don’t worry, it wouldn't have killed you, especially if you were my victim and you tasted it and understood your drink had been tampered with.” Gregg sighs and rolls his eyes. "Dammit, Madeline, you could have just asked!" He looks back at Jimmy. "Did you know she was going to do that?"

“She does that sometimes~" Jimmy smiles and shrugs.

"You should've poisoned Jimmy instead. It would knock some sense into him." Gregg huffs and goes back to leaning on Jimmy's chair. "And him being passed out on the floor would save us the misery of hearing some more shit flirting."

“If he asked for tea, it would have been him," Madeline says in an attempt to be comforting.

Gregg scoffs. "If we get him sober, maybe the collective hangover can kill him." He looks at Madeline. "Do you have coffee? Without poison." “I don’t think I've ever seen Jimmy sober. It /could/ kill him.” She prepares a cup of coffee and waits beside the coffee maker.

"That guy you were talking to would probably be digging medical instruments into you if they wanted." He says to Jimmy, continuing their argument. "Considering how excited they got over some traumatized girl."

“Well everyone has their quirks! And it was interesting! Even if I didn't really understand it…” He mumbles in Cyrus's defense.

"I think wanting to have their organs used as party streamers and traumatizing a little girl with practically /no/ violence goes well beyond a quirk! And- god, why do i bother?" He asks Madeline, "Can we leave now, or are there /more/ poisons you want to try on me?" He drawls sarcastically.

“You can leave," she gives Gregg a disposable cup of black coffee. She leads them to the front door.

"Call me if you start coughing up blood," she deadpans her joke. "Or if Jimmy sobers up.'

“Thanks Madeline.” Jimmys says while Gregg rolls his eyes.

They walk to the car as Madeline retreats back into the house.

"I'll drop you off. I can go home, /finally/. Unless you want to do something /else/ stupid and get shot again? Cyrus was right about that, at least."

“Me being shot was not a part of the plan! And stop bringing Cyrus up. They're nice and you're just being paranoid.”

"Yeah, yeah. I drive, you give directions. And tell that prick on your phone to tear out their /own/ intestines! And die! In the middle of bumfuck nowhere!" He opens the driver's side and gets in.

“Why do you hate them so much? Jimmy continues the moment he gets in the car. “Are you jealous?” He giggles.

"I am old enough to be your father. The only thing I could be jealous of is a corpse so I wouldn't have to listen to you and Cyrus fawn over each other." Gregg starts the car. "The fact that youre all-too trusting of them gives me a horrible feeling that you'll fuck the Crows over."

“Gregg, why would I do that? The crows where the only people who treated me normal! They saved my fucking life!” Jimmy exclaims, now serious.

"I'm not saying you'll do it intentionally! Just for the love of God, keep your damn wits around you! You've never interacted with outsiders unless you were about to kill, so just try to /not/ share club secrets with strangers!" Gregg starts driving, heading towards town.

“Yeah, whatever.” Jimmy ignores him and stares out the window.

"Jimmy."

"Hmph."

"Don't do that. What are you, fucking nine years old?"

"I'm not talking to you."

"You can't be mad at me! I'm looking out for the Crows! And so should /you/, by not revealing our entire foundation a guy you picked off the streets!"

Jimmy rolls his eyes. "I won't, Gregg, geez!"

"You /just/ were! What if they're reporting yoi to the cops because you confessed to beimg The Artist, huh? And they track down your messages to your precise location? What, then?"

"That won't happen!" Jimmy sighs, a dreamy smile plasteres on his face. "Cyrus is a very nice person. They sais I'm 'intriguing'!"

"God, fucking-" Gregg scoffs. "Fine."

Jimmy swerves around to face him, hands clasped over his mouth and stars in his eyes. "Really?"

"...Yes?"

"Thanks, darling! Now I can do whatecer I want without any conseauemces."

"Uh-huh, sure."

"Did Madeline poisom your coffee or something?"

"No," Gregg smiles, "it just tastes like shit. Besides, you'll never change your mind."

“Hey, darling," Jimmy giggles, "at least it wasn't poison again!” He checks his phone for messages, eager at the new string of texts from Cyrus.

>honestly i wouldnt mind popping up at your place unannounced ^w^

>would be fun to see that confident grin wiped off your face :)

>but a fun mystery game where i find you while you give me clues?

>or getting to surprise you?

>choices, choices! :/

Jimmy grins and texts back.

<why can’t we we do both?

<ill leave little clues at the crime scenes for you to find me ;)

>we shouldnt do both

Jimmy's smile falls.

>Id like to see again as soon as possible

>so why not just drop the theatrics, kitten?

<this ‘kitten’ stuff is adding up how many of your bones im going to break, hun. ;)

>i better rack up my numbers then, kitten!

>suffering violence under your hand would be a privledge~

>how many points do i get for other nicknames? :0

>and you better live up to your own praise about your delightful crimes! I'll be on the lookout for any of your tricky lil clues~

>maybe i should do something to YOU every time you call me one of your sweet little pet names. Suggestions? ;)

Jimmy rolls his eyes and smiles at the text message.

<i promise. I live up to my self-praise.

<I hope you will get creative with your ‘punishments’ for me ♡

Gregg rolls his eyes and clenches his jaw to avoid saying something snarky.

(Cyrus is almost sickeningly giddy and squeaks in delight at Jimmys response).

>I'll plan something special for you.

>and dont worry, i'll save my most lavish punishments just for you, kitten

>'Sweetie pie' is strike one, i'll be keeping count

<dont disappoint me darlin~

<♡

><3

Jimmy puts his phone away, but his thoughts still leech scarlet blush.

Gregg holds back venomous bile because he can't go back on what he just said. "Directions," he strains through grit teeth. “Oh," Jimmy's voice is distant, "I can find my way home, if you can just drop me off here,” he points at a random street corner, not even looking where it is and most certainly not close to his apartment.

"Jimmy, you just got shot, I'm not making you walk!" Gregg sighs, long and dramatic. "And I'm not going to drag you back to Madeline's if you collapse or something!"

“I'm fine! And besides how do /you/k now i dont live by here?”

"Directions. To your house. I dont care if its just a block away from here. I'll drive you up your front porch if I have to."

“Why do you care so much?” He goes to open the car door to hop out.

"Because I don't get points if a Crow dies on my watch."

"Wow," Jimmy rolls his eyes. "So noble."

"You're not walking with an injured leg."

Jimmy opens the door. “It's not /that/ bad, Gregg!” He sighs “I don’t understand why you care so much!”

"Because-!" He stops himself. Feelings were never his forte. •And I'd probably fuck up that conversation• "Holy shit, fine! If you're going to be such a pussy about it, you can limo home!"

Jimmy gets out of the car and shuts the door. He quickly disappears from sight, down the block and into an alleyway. A thick trail of glitter follows, fallen from some part of Jimmy's flashy getup. Gregg's eyes follow him until he disappears, then he starts the car and drives off. •Fucking idiot. God, I hope he doesn't get killed. He'd deserve it with all that recklessness. But, fuck, he better get home safe.• The city flashes by, bright neons and dark shadows. Gregg only seems to see the dark, obstructing his vision and bathing the car in pitch black. •Besides. I don't get points for a Crow death.•

The night air and the sudden calm beings out the intoxication that seems ro oermanently reside in Jimmy. The wall's texture screeches if he touches it, the night sky presses lile a blanket. But he recognizes the sky. And thw walls. He stops when he reaches telhe ens of the alleyway, where it opena up to a freeway in a plain. In the mid-distance, a flash of pink indicates where his dropped worm-on-a-string had been all this time. Like a perfect loop, he's back at the scene of the chase. And the cops are none the wiser. Through nighttime delirium, intoxication, and pain, he grins. He's won the battle. And he hopes he doesn't survive the war. •It wouldn't be as dramatic.•

#Red tinted glasses #Writeblr #Gore #Murder #Violence #Surgery #Masochism #mod robbie #Chapters

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shovel-shuffle · 3 years

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anyway heres some iris doodles

#do i maintag this........ yes. yes i do. suffer #hermitcraft #grian #ethoslab #tangotek #also the room from chapter uhhhhhhhh. what was it #chapter 4. the room from chapter 4. and then the built in mc version of that is my header but a different shot of it #anyway im in a state of *has brainrot for my own au* so c4 of dreamland might happen today. who knows not me #iris au #ren does art

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makeste · 3 years

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BnHA Chapter 290: It’s Touya Time

Previously on BnHA: Iida and Hadou showed up like a couple of Pennsylvanias and Georgias to bail Shouto out at the last minute. Ochako and Toga had an exceptionally strange fight which consisted of Toga being all “guess what Ochako, I used your quirk to murder someone, how do you feel about that”, and Ochako being all “I do not like that”, to which Toga was all “:(”. There was some doll-stealing and some bookcase-yeeting, and then Toga left in tears because Ochako was all adamant that murder has consequences. Anyway so I have absolutely no idea what Toga is thinking now, but I guess we’ll have some time to stew on it, because we ended the chapter by cutting back to the Iida+Hadou+Shouto VS Afomura battle, which was interrupted by Gigantomachia and the LoV showing up like a bunch of Floridas to ruin everyone’s nice day.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi hands the mic over to Dabi and is all “take it away, kid.” Over in Room 315 of Musutafu General, Rei is all “may I please watch some TV” and the hospital staff is all “sure”, and so she tunes in just in time to catch Todoroki Touya’s Peabody Award-winning documentary “Number One Hero, Number One Fraud: The Todoroki Enji Story”, which is being broadcast nationwide courtesy of Skeptic and his magic laptop. Meanwhile in Jakku, Dabi is all “I’M TOUYA, BITCHES”, and Shouto and Enji are all, “(゜◇゜ )”, and Dabi is all, “anyway so just to sum it all up, because of how much of a jerk Endeavor was, I am now Evil.” Everyone continues to be all “(ﾟoﾟ)” except for Dabi, who is all “└(˘▾˘┌ )≡ ( ┐˘▾˘)┘≡┗( ˘▾˘)┛≡┏( ˘▾˘)┓≡┗( ˘▾˘)┛” for pretty much the rest of the chapter. Idk. Just let the man have his fun, guys. He’s waited a long time for this.

y’all I have a confession to make. I am technically not spoiled for this chapter thanks to my robustly paranoid system of spoiler-tag-filtering, which is extensive enough that it pretty much will catch whenever someone so much as breathes something even remotely new-chapter-related. that being said, I like to think that I am capable of making basic logical inferences! and so the fact that for the past 36 hours, my dashboard has pretty much nonstop consisted almost entirely of this...

...has led me to conclude that MAYBE, POSSIBLY, PROBABLY, BUT ALSO DEFINITELY, a certain someone is finally going to reveal his ~secret identity~ woop woop. lmao

anyway so everyone, please remember to act surprised though, as we would not want Dabi’s feelings to be hurt at all. he has been planning this moment for the last decade or so and I wouldn’t want him to feel like all of that effort was for naught. so just play along, okay. OH MY, IF IT ISN’T THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS’ MYSTERIOUS DABI. WHATEVER COULD HIS ARRIVAL POSSIBLY BE HERALDING, I JUST DON’T KNOW

“Dabi’s Dance” lmao. I’m sticking with Touya Time myself. ngl I had this recap title planned out for at least the past year or so. just waiting for that day to finally come

anyway so some people in some building somewhere are all “TURN OFF THE TV IN ROOM 315” and idk. I’m guessing the LoV is hacking the airwaves to livestream the reveal, as predicted

-- oh shit. UHHHHHHHH

did she always have this TV or did she get it just recently?? jfc of all the times for the hospital staff to finally loosen up

um... so that’s... (・＿・；)

well but I mean, she was gonna find out one way or the other at some point though. like you can’t really just keep her locked up and isolated from all news of the outside world forever and ever and ever. granted, this isn’t exactly the ideal way for her to learn this particular bit of information, but it’s not really ideal for anybody else either! EXCEPT DABI, THAT IS. have yourself a day you funky little terrorist

oh shit what is this?? it’s not live???

over in Jakku, a red-faced, sputtering Dabi makes a frantic grab for Skeptic’s laptop. “WAIT, NO, JESUS, NOT THAT TAPE!”

lol. but seriously Dabi are you even wearing a shirt. like I’m not one to slutshame anyone bro, but it’s just, exactly what type of mood were you looking to set here??

anyway so we really are cutting back to Jakku now, and Gigantomachia is all, “MASTERS”! which, I wonder if he really did use the plural? that’s right Machia, both of them in one place now! that sure is convenient for you huh

lol what is this with all this AFO monologuing. you’re really gonna make me read through this when I’m sitting here all sleep-deprived from election week. JUST GET TO THE TOUYAS. WE WERE PROMISED TOUYAS!!

sigh

“tee hee it’s fucking hilarious how goddamn powerful I am now lol”

alas, in spite of myself I do have two serious takeaways from this. one is that AFO is still controlling most of Tomura’s body behind the scenes, which both does and doesn’t bode well for Tomura (like, at least he’s not dying, but the long-term implications of this for his free will and such certainly are not Good). and two is that this confirms that Ujiko did give Tomura at least one powerful mutant quirk, which explains why he was still so deadly and indestructible even when Aizawa was using Erasure on him (since Erasure doesn’t work on mutant quirks, just emitter and transformation ones)

MEANWHILE ON TODAY’S EPISODE OF “TODOROKI SHOUTO’S TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD LIFE”

I like how he doesn’t actually say that he can’t take on Gigantomachia. just that he can’t take on him and Afomura at the same time. that’s confidence, baby. that right there is why you always draft Todoroki Shouto in the first round for your fantasy team

HADOU!!!!

OOOH, TOMURA’S ALL “MAN, THIS GIRL’S WAVE POWERS AND THIS KID’S ICE POWERS ARE A SUPER-STRONG COMBO DAGNABBIT.” YESSS I LIKE THAT, TELL ME MORE ABOUT HOW COOL AND POWERFUL THEY ARE

HOT DAMN LOOK AT THAT

um but not to take away from this exceptionally cool moment or anything, but why is Endeavor dying and shouting “RUN” down there in the corner um

excuse me. not to take away from How Bad This All Is, but!!

just a little, smol, IidaBaku for everyone. Iida, who apparently doesn’t know a damn thing about first aid and is all, “hmm that’s a pretty bad-looking puncture wound he has in his left shoulder there, I think I’ll just let his arm dangle freely like that and I won’t bother taking off his heavy gauntlets either. I mean. he’ll be fine, probably.” smh. at least Shouto probably cauterized the wounds

EXCUSE ME WHAT

TIME FOR MORE OF THAT GOOD OLD FASHIONED SHOUNEN RIDICULOUSNESS I GUESS LMAO. KACCHAN YOU HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR TORSO. THERE IS A HOLE IN YOUR TORSO, AND YOU LOST LIKE FOUR GALLONS OF BLOOD, BUT SURE. “PUT ME DOWN” HE SAYS. FIRST OF ALL, PUTTING ASIDE THE FACT THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BE CONSCIOUS, THE FUCK ARE YOU EVEN GOING TO DO, LIE DOWN AT THEM?? LISTEN, YOU SWEET IDIOT. TAKE HEED, BELOVED DUMBASS!!

ah well. I guess he gets to watch the Touya Show now too then lol

LMAOOOO now Machia’s lifting Tomura carefully in his palm like a broken action figure and Spinner is all “THE FUCK, YOU LOOK LIKE DEATH WARMED OVER”

“oh hey there Spinner. well let’s see, I woke up from my three-month coma and destroyed a city, had my body incinerated, and am currently being possessed by a diabolically evil potato. but please, tell me more about everything you've been through”

AW YISS AND THE FOCUS NOW SHIFTS TO THE TODOROKIS. EVERYTHING IS PROCEEDING EXACTLY AS WE HAVE FORESEEN

Endeavor my dude. it’s as if you want to die here. also holy shit, that bit about his lungs definitely does not bode well for him either

MOTHERFUCKER

GO AHEAD AND SIGN YOUR OWN DEATH CERTIFICATE, WHY DON’T YOU!! FLAGS UPON FLAGS. JESUS CHRIST

meanwhile Dabi’s just waving at ‘em

lmaoooo please oh please Caleb please keep this ‘EYYYYYYY’, it’s fucking perfect kdlshk;hg

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(ETA: so as you will see very shortly, I completely missed this detail in my first read-through because I was so anxious to get to the reveal page, but THIS MOTHERFUCKER LITERALLY DOUSED HIMSELF WITH INSTANT HAIR DYE REMOVER THAT HE’S JUST BEEN CARRYING AROUND IN A LITTLE HIP POUCH APPRENTLY SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. MOTHERFUCKER. I HAVE NO WORDS.)

IS THIS THE TIME. IS THIS THE MOMENT?! HERE IT COMES SLKFHS BRACE YERSELVES LADS

EYYYYYYYYYYYY

OKAY EVERYONE JUST LIKE WE PRACTICED!! SURPRISED FACES ON THREE! ONE... TWO... (•̪ o •̪) !! okay how was that

LMAO ENDEAVOR

at least Shouto looks properly stunned. Enji just looks like endeavor.exe just straight up stopped working

meanwhile Deku’s out here trying to do the math on this latest surprise family reveal! first Tomura is related to Nana, and now this. what’s next. who are you related to, Spinner. he rips off his boots to reveal engine legs and declares himself Iida’s long-lost uncle

oh shit Touya

it’s as if a million fanworks suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly jossed. who knew that all this time he was secretly sporting a crop top scar

also, THIRTY?! holy shit son you been busy

la la la two-page spread of Touya casually driving the dagger into Endeavor’s hero career and rocking the foundations of hero society as we know it la la la

la la la!!!

OH IS THAT THE END OF THE STORY THEN

almost got confused for a sec. there’s two monologues happening at once here. Endeavor doesn’t even know that his dirty laundry is being aired out nation-wide as we speak ffffff

btw while I appreciate the close-ups of Enji and Shouto here for sure, ngl I would also really love to see everyone else’s reactions right now. SHOW ME BAKUGOU AND THE LOV YOU COWARDS

is his hair actually turning white all of a sudden?? your hair dye just reacts on command??

(ETA: in all seriousness though, the hell kind of hair dye was he using? all he has to do is pour a bottle of that stuff and not even lather it in and it’s just gone just like that?? what the fuck would have have done if it ever rained lmao.

and this motherfucker just goes and leaves the dye remover in afterwards, too. I have never dyed my hair in my life and even I can tell you that’s probably not a good idea, Dabi.)

is this it. is this the legendary Dabi Dance in action. lmfao

oh hey what the fuck

so you figured you’d just murder your innocent younger brother to get revenge on dad, huh. well that’s nice

is that really all there is to the origin story though?? feels like we’re still missing a huge chunk of it. what was it that finally sent him over the edge? or was the trauma of being created as Endeavor’s perfect little hero tool and then being subsequently rejected by him enough on its own? because I’m still kind of confused on the part where he goes from “abused and discarded by his father” to “killed thirty people and was plotting the murder of his own brother” to tell you the truth

(ETA: lmao the initial fandom reaction to this did not disappoint. listen guys. people can be traumatized and shaped by awful circumstances that are completely out of their control, and grow up to be people they wouldn’t have grown up to be if things had been better, and all of that absolutely sucks, but. it doesn’t mean they get a get-out-of-jail-free card for all of their future actions, either! the tragedy of this situation is that terrible things happened to Touya, and he then went on to do terrible things himself. the tragedy of it is that this is exactly how the cycle of abuse keeps repeating itself on and on and on. maybe one of the people Dabi killed had a child who will now grow up traumatized themselves, and potentially go on to pay it forward themselves when they grow up. the tragedy is that the eye-for-an-eye justice that Touya is seeking out won’t actually make anything better in the end. the tragedy is that we understand why Touya is so angry, but that anger has basically warped him into the gleefully sadistic dancing figure we see in this chapter who has stopped caring about anyone else’s pain or suffering and just wants his own revenge.

anyway. basically what I’m trying to say is that it’s possible for the concepts of “Todoroki Touya was an innocent child and a victim of abuse” and “Dabi is a grown-ass motherfucking adult who killed thirty people and PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT” to coexist lol. like, y’all wanted your moral grey, well HERE YOU GO lmao, eat up.)

lol but LOOK AT THAT BOY DANCE HIS LITTLE HEART OUT though

Todoroki Touya confirmed not a fan of the Endeavor redemption arc huh. well we all saw this coming lols

anyways here’s a sexy Touya for y’all

you really are the most theatrical bitch I s2g lmao

also for real though, what is happening with his hair? anime team in shambles here. they’re probably just gonna double down and keep it red. too bad though cuz this is a surprisingly good look on him

SO MANY CLOSE-UPS OF THE TODOROKI FACES

friendly reminder that Dabi without a doubt REHEARSED this speech like a thousand fucking times. LET US FALL TOGETHER!! COME DANCE WITH YOUR SON IN HELL. apparently if you fake your own death in middle school you will never mentally age past that point and will remain a permanent chuuni

OH LMAO THAT’S THE END

we really just gonna end on “DANCE WITH YOUR SON IN HELL”, huh. very well then. you know what song to play, Horikoshi. one, two... YOU ARE MY DAD. YOU’RE MY DAD!! BOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE

#bnha 290 #dabi #todoroki touya #todoroki enji #todoroki shouto #todoroki rei #bakugou katsuki #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha

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transsexualhamlet · 3 years

Text

sherlock holmes reactions part six (aka me losing my mind over the final problem)

Hi, I am once again reminding you all that I've formed a parasocial relationship with the crackhead detective 👍 This made me overly emotional for the fact that he didnt even die

But like

hhhmmmmmmmm those were certainly an interesting 14 pages

Yeah, I already made a post about how the final problem relates to yuumori's final problem and how incredibly sexy it is but yes now I'd just like to relay to you how absolutely heart brocken i am over this lol I will eventually get to reading the post hiatus stories i just. I haven't emotionally recovered from this yet

Yelling below the cut somehow this reaction feels longer than the story itself. but it's about half cracking jokes and half sobbing so be prepared

I mean, starting off strong with "well yknow since i got married my and sherlock's Very Intimate Relations had to be modified and all but we hadnt seen each other in a while so it was kind of jarring to see him crawling in my second story bedroom window clutching Wounds and closing the shutters absolutely fucking wasted losing his mind over some dude named moriarty"

We've been over this but. Oh my god why are they gay

I just like????? Imagine how fucking bizzare that would be to just see your old homie crawl into your window bleeding on your floor and asking to exit the other way in case he's followed like "hey bro can we Talk i hope you're not busy" WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO, SAY HE IS? Imagine watson just like "no dude I'm fucking busy go get killed"

But legitimately. That's certainly something. And like, I see a lot of books starting like this lmao but. Holmes's stuff usually starts off kind of easily with watson going "yeah so lately ive been Experiencing Sherlock Holmes" and spend 20 minutes on exposition with them having a Conversation but no. mans just fucking escaped a hitman and went directly to his boyfriend's house having apparently Never Before In His Goddamn Life mentioned his actual nemesis to this guy. How the FUCK has watson never heard of him before.

And how sherlock starts talking about it isn't any less funny he's just like "UHHH SO THERE'S THIS GUY. THIS ABSOLUTE MAN. AND HES REALLY IMPRESSIVE I MEAN HES LIKE SUPER FUCKING SMART AND HES LIKE DOING CRIMES????? SO I LIKE. I NOTICED AS I DO BUT HE NOTICED THAT I NOTICED AND I MIGHT HAVE MADE A LITTLE FUCKY WUCKY DUDE CAN YOU HELP ME LIKE. FLEE THE COUNTRY" and watson's like my dear sherlock What The Fuck

Im also loving how he calls moriarty a "mathematical celebrity" awhi;grih;oaewhhta;ioh;iaewh;ii;oewh;eh;rg mans just. ok lol hes a Math Celebrity that had to quit his math teacher job because EVERYONE JUST KNEW HE WAS A CRIME LORD LIKE THEY TOOK ONE LOOK AT HIM AND WENT MANS DEFINITELY HAS BODIES IN HIS BASEMENT I DONT WANT HIM TEACHING HERE

But yeah, it was interesting to see what the big deal about og moriarty was... especially since the deal simply did not deliver. There was not really a big deal. It's like reading the first chapter of a book and immediately skipping to the climax. Everything is so hyped up and clearly having been building for years and you just get like NO CONTEXT. I swear Moriarty wasn't goddamn mentioned any time before this. He's just suddenly the big guy and watson has just never fucking heard shit about this guy.

What's so funny about this whole situation is that I just. Cannot objectively know anything about Moriarty at all because sherlock just... does not go into what this dude's alleged crimes even were, other than. The fact that he like. Does them. He's just really involved in crimes. How? Why? For how long? In what way? For what purpose? NO FUCKING CLUE HE JUST. HE JUST DOES. And there's nothing to really suggest that Moriarty was honestly a really evil guy. They're all like trust me he was just. he was just really bad but show absolutely No examples of being such. The most evil thing we saw Moriarty do personally was call sherlock stupid for letting him get into the apartment. And even then he immediately followed it up with complimenting him lol

yeah, my impression of Moriarty was like. I expected him to be worse, honestly. I expected him to be like a cartoon villain because he was kind of made out to be one and then he's just honestly a really polite and refined guy?? Mans strolls the fuck into 221B like hi shawty and it is Not like yuumori obviously man's holding a gun but like. What the fuck they are just. They have never met before but They Clearly Have and it's. its so weird

Like honestly I don't dislike og moriarty. He's really what william tried to be (and fucking failed, but beside the point) but like. Dude's so powerful and for what. He just walks into the apartment with No Pretense like why sherlock holmes is that a revolver or are you just happy to see me oh my goodness you are a dolt why would you hold the gun that way. disgusting. disgraceful. dreadful. Oh my god. I love him I'm sorry

abngnahhghifeah;iewh and Why does sherlock describe him like that hes like "MANS A REALLY REFINED LIZARD /pos" HIEHIFEHW:HGIHOEWFEEW FOR WHAT. FOR W H A T

baaaaaaaaghhhhhh but likeeeee they went STRAIGHT to "you know what I'm here for" "you know how I'm going to respond" "well then" "yeah" "mhm" "damn well it really do be like that sometimes" "ur really smart by the way" "im fucking aware let's kill each other as we both Thought in our Minds" "yes lets" AHDHDHDHDFS WTF THIS IS INSANE

But damn uh. mutual destruction my beloved this is very different from sherliam but im not. im not. opposed to it tucks hair behind ear

I just. Holy shit they really went "if you destroy me I will ensure that we both go down hand in unlovable hand" "I wouldn't mind that"

Annnnd I just noticed that the actual lines for this part kind of. that kind of happened in chapter 31 when sherlock was like i would Gladly die to take down the lord of crime and william was like. hahahah yeahNO NO NO NO

BUT SERIOUSLY THO IM LOSING MY MIND OVER HOW SHERLOCK SAYS THIS WHOLE THING TO WATSON AND HES LIKE DAMN SHAWTY HES LIKE THE REASON FOR HALF THE CRIME IN THIS CITY BUT HES SO NICE THO??? LIKE I EXPECTED HIM TO BE TOUGH AND EVERTHING NO HES JUST SOME POLITE PROPER UNDERSTANDABLE MAN WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE VERY DIABOLICAL shawty is having a Crisis

And then watson is like wowww that was cool you wanna spend the night and sherlock is like "UNFORTUNATELY BESTIE I AM BEING FUCKING TRACKED DOWN ID LIKE YOU TO NOT DIE WITH ME"

This bit gave me a Moment Moment because oh my god. Then watson is like "no shut up i'm coming with you i don't care" and i just had to Take A Minute because THEY SWITCHED PLACES AAH SHERLOCK IS TRYING TO KEEP WATSON SAFE NOW AND WATSON IS NOW MORE RECKLESS BC OF HIM AND. AHHHH

Completely random but. How sherlock still refers to 221B as "our rooms" to watson even though watson hasn't lived their in years........ shawty i am emotional.........

SO THEY GODDAMN FLEE THE COUNTRY TOGETHER BC WATSON SAYS THEY HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER AND SHERLOCK HAS A MOMENT WHERE HE'S LIKE YEAH NEVERMIND PLEASE GO HOME WATSON AND WATSON IS JUST LIKE. NO. AND HSERLOCK IS LIKE. DAMN OK I HAVE NEVER HEARD YOU SAY THAT BEFORE

But. Ok as funny as this is. They have this fucking Conversation on the train to switzerland where sherlock is like "I have not lived in vain" and watson is like "YOURE NOT DYING" and hes like "i have not lived in vain. like i said. this will not be a bad way to die" UHHHHHH DAMN SHAWTY

hhhhhh and it just Gets. it. it. it Gets. These fuckers get to switzerland and they stay in a hotel and then leave for reichenbach but watson gets this goddamn letter telling him that hes needed at the hotel to basically save this lady's life. And he doesn't. Like. he doesn't even want to go he's like FUCK IT SHE CAN DIE IM NOT LEAVING YOU but sherlock convinces him to go fULLY KNOWING THE LETTER WAS FUCKING FAKED BY MORIARTY JUST AS A PLOY TO GET HIM ALONE

AND THEN HE JUST. WENT ANYWAY AND WATSON HAD TO WATCH HIM JUST LIKE GODDAMN WALK OFF INTO THE SUNSET LIKE "LITTLE DID I KNOW THIS WOULD BE THE LAST TIME I WOULD SEE HIM BUT IT JUST. IT HAD THAT VIBE YKNOW"

God I just. Wow sherlock really did that huh. He really went and did that. And I went over it in the post about this compared to yuumori but it just RUINED me how watson just. Never saw what happened and there's just so little information about it that all they have is these assumptions and pieces that just suggest that these guys met up, walked up to the goddamn waterfall having a nice civil conversation about how talented and smart they both were at this and how they revealed their methods to each other and complimented them because of course they did

And they just sat up there talking to each other so long and Moriarty legit waited politely or even possibly was the one that suggested he write a letter to watson in which sherlock just went "damn lol moriarty's pretty nice actually anyway uhhhh sorry watson ily ✌" and just like. left it up there in his damn cigarette box

But just like. damn the insinuation that moriarty just sat there and watched while he wrote that entire goddamn letter, sealed it up, and then got up and went alright buddy let's go but it makes no goddamn sense if they wanted to actually kill each other and assure they themselves would survive I could name like 23 different ways they could have managed it so easily and they Didn't. they were really set on mutual destruction huh. There's no way they were even trying to do anything but Die Together at that point and that's Something huh

It absolutely baffles me how they could say that these guys had plummetted like, holding each other tho. Like. ok lol but How Do You Even Know

It was certainly a ride. But the fact that Watson had to actively try to think like Sherlock to figure out what happened in the scene was just. The cherry on top. Especially after they'd consciously started to switch roles in this i just. Damn.

In conclusion uhhhhhhhh gay people real I suppose

#rowan views moriarty #rowan's hyperfixation essays #sherlock holmes #*screams* THIS BOY GOT ME FUCKED UP. FUCKED UP

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damienthepious · 3 years

Text

uhhhhhhhh TUESDAY. i’m gettin’ OLD SCHOOL.

The Rite Of Movement (Chapter 5)

[ch 1] [ch 2] [ch 3] [ch 4] [ao3]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Lord Arum, Sir Damien, Rilla, The Keep, Original Monster Character(s), Sir Marc, Sir Talfryn, Sir Angelo, Quanyii, Sir Caroline, Original Human Character(s)

Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Engagement, Domestic, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Poetry, Presents, (this is the MOST self indulgent tooth rotting fluff I've ever ever EVER done please enjoy), (i love my ridiculous scalie/scaley trio), Monster Customs, Dancing, Second Citadel, Post-Season/Series 02

Fic Summary: Arum has a surprising revelation about his own feelings, and then decides to take matters into his own claws since his humans don’t seem to realize what they are denying themselves.

Chapter Summary: Continuations of two conversations.

Chapter Notes: Don't.... pay attention to how long this fic has been left hanging. Also don't..... hold me to regular updates for this in the future either, lmao i've proven myself unreliable in that context XD i swear i'm doing my best! this one is very freeform tho and sans plot i have trouble kicking things along. ALSO, EDIT, @shorter-than-her-tbr-pile inspired the second half of this chapter pretty directly!!! and i love them dearly with my whole heart!!!! aaaaaaa<3<3<3

“They cannot stay here,” Arum says, managing to both snarl and speak under his breath at the same time. It’s- a little impressive, actually. Rilla watches him pace a tight circle at just enough of a distance from the portal that Puck and Tetch probably can’t make out his words. “They cannot. I do not run some sort of- of halfway home for wayward miscreants, be they human or monster or- or anything else.” He pauses, then scowls darker and gestures with a hand, claws slicing the air. “And yet, they cannot leave because they have seen you and if anyone were to bring our- our- to bring us as we are to the attention of the Senate or the humans, all of our lives would be- and with the wedd-” he cuts off, shooting a suspicious look towards the portal again, where Puck appears to be examining the vines that make up the frame the magic fills.

“I am going to have to kill them,” Arum says flatly, eyes narrowing and hands clenching, and Rilla can’t help it anymore. She bursts out laughing.

“Arum- Arum we’re not going to kill them. What are you even- seriously, pay attention, here. Who would they possibly tell?” She smiles, just a little exasperation creeping into her tone. “Look at them, Arum. Look at them and tell me what these two would gain from talking to the Senate or the Citadel.”

Arum looks at Rilla, instead, for a long moment, his jaw clenched tight, and then he sighs, flicking his eyes to the mismatched pair.

Puck runs their hands along the vines of the portal, their face bright with a delighted sort of curiosity. Tetch is behind them, still out in the swamp. Within reach, tense as if anticipating a blow, anticipating the need to defend, but mostly just- watching. Watching Puck, with her head tilted just slightly to the side, her fuzzy antennae twitching.

He presses his lips together, then looks to Amaryllis again. “What does it matter,” he mutters, his tone a little stilted, “if they happen to- if they are-”

“Like us?” Rilla suggests gently.

“They are not-” Arum snaps his jaw shut again, growling low, because-

“You know that they are,” Rilla says. “I mean, I figured we couldn’t be the only ones, but- if I’m being honest I didn’t really expect that we would ever meet another-” she shakes her head. “Not the point right now. Arum, I’m not saying we should let them move in or something, but- it’s not like the swamp is tiny. If all they’re looking for is a place where they can be safe for a little while… it’s not like that would be a difficult thing to help with, would it?”

“Amaryllis-”

“They can’t tell anyone about us because anyone they would tell would hate the pair of them just the same,” Rilla says. “Honestly-” she pauses. “Honestly, Arum, aren’t you even a little bit curious? Or�� or even a little bit tempted by the opportunity to talk to someone who’s gone through something like what we have?”

“No,” Arum grumbles, looking away, but Rilla steps closer and lifts a hand. He flicks his eyes to the strangers when she cups his cheek, suspicious of the scrutiny, but they don’t seem to be paying attention, so he only rumbles low in his chest and meets her eyes again. “I care about you,” he mutters. “I care about Damien. They have nothing to do with me, or us. The pair of you and my Keep are my only priorities, Amaryllis.”

Her thumb brushes soft over his cheek, and her smile goes a little more gentle. “I know,” she says, “but helping them too doesn’t take away from that. You’re allowed to do unselfish things, you know. No one here is going to make fun of you for being kind. Honestly, if you just pointed them towards a patch of swamp without any traps that they could camp in for a day or two, they’d probably be grateful enough, but- but I really think we could help more than that, don’t you?”

Arum grumbles, still standing stiffly to keep himself from gathering her close as he truly wishes to. He cannot embrace her, not while they might see, because-

The moth (Tetch, his mind supplies unhelpfully) stands close behind the human as they examine the portal, close enough to wrap a gentle wing around their shoulder like a cape, and even at this distance Arum can see the easy way that Puck leans back into that contact, the light smile that curls their lips.

He pulls his eyes away, and realizes that Amaryllis is still looking up at him, is still waiting for him to answer.

“We… could help. Theoretically.”

Rilla’s own lip curls, then, into an indulgent smirk. “Theoretically,” she echoes.

“There are…” he hesitates, eyes flicking around the room and not settling on any one thing in particular. “A number of outposts in the swamp, of course, similar to the one…”

Rilla’s smirk breaks into something softer when he hesitates again. “Like the one you brought me and Damien to, after… after Fort Terminus? Where we went to talk?”

“Y-yes,” he says. “Smaller places. Technically Keep-grown but not within its direct consciousness, without effort at the very least. Most are… hidden. Indistinguishable from the surrounding flora. Places no one would look, even if they somehow managed to penetrate the outer defenses of my swamp unseen in the first place.” He pauses, and Rilla doesn’t interrupt. She can tell he’s not quite finished, and she doesn’t wanna scare him off of this particular thought. “It… it would not be difficult, of course, to- to allow… rather… I suppose, if all they require is… is a place to exist for a short while…"

Arum pauses again, and again Rilla waits, lifting her other hand so she can cup his face. He glances towards the other pair again, and this time one of them is returning his gaze.

Or- he thought, for a moment, that they were. Puck's expression is even, curious, vaguely fond as they look at Amaryllis, something like recognition in their eyes. They do glance towards Arum, then, only the barest sliver of hope shining through them as they lean back into Tetch's wings with a very, very small smile. They drop his eyes, turning to laugh at something Tetch says in their ear, then, and Arum blinks back to himself.

Rilla waits, and Arum is grateful for her patience in a way he is never quite sure how to voice. He is grateful for every ounce of her being, though, and the small part of that gratefulness devoted to her patience is easy to lose among the whole. Arum sighs, resting his face in the safety of her palms, and then he curls his mouth into a wry sort of smile and lifts his own arms. He has wanted to hold her since he saw her in the doorway, despite his concerns.

Let them see.

Why should he be concerned? He is her betrothed now, after all, and that certainty pools warm at his center as he gathers her in his arms and tugs her against his chest. She breathes a light laugh against him, surprise and delight, one of his favorite noises in the whole of the Universe.

"… until the patch on her wing sets properly," Arum says, very quietly. "I- we will provide a place for them until then. It was my trap that damaged her- her own fault, of course, for- for trespassing, but- nonetheless, my handiwork. It seems … appropriate, to provide some… to provide some small degree of shelter. Until then."

Rilla leans back enough to look up at him, her eyes dark and warm and fond, and then she leans up to kiss him, just gently on the cheek.

"Okay," she says simply, still smiling, and then she reaches and takes two of his hands in her own, slipping her fingers between his, gently playing his digits between her own. "That sounds reasonable. C'mon, let's go let them know, yeah?"

“Angelo-”

“Almost there, Sir Damien! Patience for a few moments more, and all shall be revealed."

"I trust you with my life, Sir Angelo, but-" Damien ducks his head, weaving slightly to avoid thunking his head off of a stalactite. Ahead of him, Angelo moves with a deftness of foot that really should not surprise Sir Damien at this point. Sir Angelo the Strong was once simply Angelo of Quarry, after all, and he knows rocks and caverns as Sir Damien knows syllables and rhyme. "But- but we are rather deep, I think, and-"

"Oh, hardly! Why, Sir Damien, I've been in caverns a full three times deeper than this little hole, darker and with far more interesting formations of rock! We are not here for my interest today, though, my friend." Angelo grins wide over his shoulder, the light from the torch in his hand dancing orange and gold over the both of them.

"And… why are we here, exactly?" Damien tries, not for the first time, and an expression of near-comical mischief slides across Angelo's face.

"Soon!" he says by way of an answer, and then he presses his free hand over his wide grin, muffling a laugh. "Very soon, Sir Damien. Just a little further!"

"But you said that same thing," Damien pants, "ten minutes ago, I'm certain it must have been, and I would like to return to my-" he lowers his voice, despite the impossibility of being overheard in this moment, "my fiances before it is too terribly late in the evening, certainly you must understand-"

The narrow cave opens out, revealing a yawning space, an enormous wide bowl of a cavern with a cool, utterly still pool of water submerging the floor of the far half, the ceiling completely covered in wavering forms of stalactites stretching down from every corner. In the low light of the torch the water looks like glass, and the cones on the ceiling gleam with subtle moisture, and the noise of their footsteps resounds softly through the space.

"Angelo," Damien murmurs, "this place is… where are we?"

"I used to come here often when I was young," Sir Angelo says, fond and wistful, placing a hand on the uneven stone of the wall as he carefully arranges the torch to stand on its own in a crack between a pair of rocks. "I am rather boisterous even by my own family's standards, and this was one of very few places I could come where I would not prompt any number of complaints about my- well, my volume."

"Oh," Damien says gently. "Oh, Sir Angelo-"

Angelo turns, grinning wide and delighted, and he grips Damien's shoulders. "Which is why I knew it would be perfect for you, Sir Damien!"

"Er- come again?"

"You must speak your heart, Sir Damien," Angelo says, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world, and Damien-

Damien could laugh. He's said those words often enough, he supposes. It is the most obvious thing in the world.

"You are not meant to hide your love in whispers, Sir Damien. You are not meant to keep yourself so quiet, and I thought- I thought, perhaps, that you could use this place as I once did. You may speak as loudly as you wish, here, and you need not fear being overheard by anyone at all. If no one ever heard me, they will certainly not be able to hear you, Damien. Not even if you shout."

Damien blinks up at him, feeling his heart rise in his throat, and Angelo only grins a little wider, squeezing his shoulders.

"I thought, perhaps, that you might wish to shout, to make up for all those whispers."

"Angelo," Damien says, his voice wavering as he lifts his hands to grip Angelo's wrists.

Angelo's eyes sparkle with delight, and he squeezes Damien's shoulders once more before he releases them, stepping aside and patting him on the back instead.

"Now, Sir Damien," he says, his voice conspicuous and loud and his expression exaggeratedly sly, "I believe that you had news to share with me, did you not?"

"I-" Damien inhales, breathes a watery laugh, looks around at this wide, empty, private place that his best rival chose to share with him. "I- Sir Angelo, I already-"

"Come now, Damien, don't be shy! What did you wish to tell me?"

Damien presses a hand over his mouth against his own smile, pressing back against the laughter that he is certain will dissolve into tears. Angelo continues to grin, and he waves his hands in the air, encouraging and nearly giddy, stoking Damien's smile even wider.

Damien inhales, then exhales to try to soothe his overwhelmed, thrumming heart.

"I… I am going to be married," he says, and the cavern bounces his voice back to him in a subtle, soft wave. "Arum- Arum asked us to marry him. He- he wants to," Damien says, the surprise of it still coloring his tone, his voice beginning to raise as the enthusiasm wakes, shivering off his fear. "He wants us, he does, he wants us as much as we want him- he wants us to be married, Angelo, he's going to-"

Damien laughs, wild, reckless.

"I love them so, so much, Angelo, I love them with all of my heart, and they- I want to marry them, I want to be with them for the rest of my life, and they want it just the same! They want to marry me! Me, Angelo, oh Saints above, I-"

He pauses, pressing his hand over his heart, and Angelo waits, patient, his hand pressing as a gentle anchor on Damien's shoulderblade.

"I so rarely feel that I know what I am doing, Angelo. I am- so frightened. I am always so frightened, of dangers real and imagined, of failure, but- but with them I feel safe. Always. Even when they bicker, even when Rilla is exhausted and short-tempered, even when Arum and I cannot see eye-to-eye on a matter, even when I fall into the mire of my own mind, I still and forever feel safe with them, and I know- I know, beneath the terrified churning of my mind, I know in my heart that I am loved. I know that I am held beloved by them, and now I know- I know they wish to stand with me in marriage, they wish for us to pledge ourselves to our union. I am- I am held beloved by the most incredible woman I have ever met, and a regal, stubborn, glorious monster. A monster."

"A monster," Angelo echoes, steady and soft.

"I am…" Damien exhales slowly, then lifts his chin, and his next words are not a shout, but they are firm and confident and so, so proud. "I love a monster. I am loved by one in turn. My beloved flower Rilla loves and is loved by a monster just the same. I love Amaryllis, and I love Lord Arum, and I intend to love them both forever. For as long as they want me. I love them, and they love me, they do, and I- I am going to be their husband."

Angelo's eyes go bright, and his grin approaches the quality of a bonfire, and he throws his arms around Sir Damien's shoulders in a crushing hug.

"Congratulations, my friend!" he booms, his voice loud enough to rattle the space, sending droplets down from the stalactites to ripple the surface of the water. "Congratulations! I am so, so happy for you, Sir Damien. I will be so proud to witness so joyous an event!"

Damien-

His tears are as joyful as the congratulations, and Damien cannot help them in the least. He returns the fierce hug, sniffling against Angelo's shoulder as his eyes well.

"What- what did I ever do, Sir Angelo," he keens, his voice wavering hard, his throat aching, "to deserve this? To deserve to be the husband to such beautiful, radiant, loving, clever beings? What did I do? How could I ever be worthy of-"

Angelo tightens the hug, holding his best friend, best rival steady in his arms. "You loved them, Sir Damien," he says, "as much as they loved you. You loved each other, and you chose each other as your family. That is what you did."

Damien sniffles hard, burying his face in Angelo's shoulder and smiling through his tears. "And you as well," he manages, and Angelo makes a questioning noise. "You are my family too, Sir Angelo. Thank you. For this. For- for standing beside me in every dire conflict, for always encouraging me to grow, to strive, for-"

Angelo lifts, and as Angelo hugs him tight, Damien kicks his feet in the air with a squeaking startled laugh.

#elle's fanfic #the penumbra podcast #second citadel #rad bouquet #lizard kissin' tuesday #lord arum #amaryllis of exile #sir damien #sir angelo #the rite of movement

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heartofsnark · 4 years

Text

Black Market Wonderland (Chapter Nine): We’re Covered In Lies and That’s Okay

Notes: I’ve given up on maintaining proper consistent schedules for my fics, but I want to attempt to update at least once every other month for each of my series that are going on rn. I always wanna say thanks for some of the replies/comments on my last chapter that were really supportive and awesome about my disaster of a situation with grad school. I struggle to like respond and be a functional human being, but i read everything and love you all.I will be trying to like alternate posting chapters to each series, monthly. So like, April is Tsun, May will be Dahlia, but uhhhhhhhh every time i try to be consistent, it blows up in my face so that's cool.

Word Count: 7,152

Warnings: This one is pretty tame, cursing, some pettiness. I introduce a new OC cause i can’t fucking contain myself.

Missed the last chapter? Link Here!

“Hmmm, I don’t know…”

“Please,” Anais shakes her clenched fists in a begging motion, “please, please, please!”

The day has passed by easily enough, no snags or major confrontations from the idiots in the penthouse. A nice relaxed day of normal work with Anais clinging to her side, as they teach each other languages. It won’t be long before Tsuneko has to return her to her parent’s room for the evening, they’re walking that direction on the VIP floor. All it took was mentioning maybe giving the young girl a present for her to start begging excitedly. Of course, Tsuneko already has the small pompompurin coin purse in her pocket, something she won in a crane game, but doesn’t need.

“Hm, let’s see, maybe we can make it a reward. Do you remember how to sign, ‘hello, my name is Anais’?”

“Yeah, see,” Anais replies with a big grin and signs the greeting, perfectly.

“Here, you’ve more than earned it,” Tsuneko tells her, before handing over the little plush coin purse. Her blue eyes sparkle the second she sees it and she hugs it to her cheek.

“I love it!”

One of Anais’s hands wraps around Tsuneko’s, the other clutches around her gift, as they walk towards the room. The young girl is practically skipping as they near their destination.

“Tsuneko,” a familiar masculine voice calls out, Mr. Bucci.

“Hello, Mr. Bucci,” Tsuneko greets him, Anais hides behind her leg, shy around the strange older man, “Anais, this is Mr. Bucci, he’s a friend of my boss from Italy, why don’t you say hello?”

“Ciao,” Anais murmurs, still a little awkward, but Mr. Bucci gives her a kind smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, say, Tsuneko. I’m sorry to be a bother, but would you mind showing me around the hotel? I’d get lost in a paper bag I’m afraid.”

“Ah, I’m showing Anais back to her parent’s room at the moment, but if you could wait for just a moment, I can be with you shortly?” Tsuneko offers, even if the room isn’t far away, she wouldn’t feel comfortable just abandoning Anais on the VIP floor alone.

“I don’t mind at all, go ahead.”

Tsuneko excuses herself and Anais, leading the girl down the hall down to her parent’s room. She has a quick chat with Esme, about when the family is visiting Puroland, as well as the fact that Tsuneko may have days in the coming week where Ichinomiya will ask her to work outside of the hotel. It’s officially the second week of the bet and she’s expecting him to make a full force effort before the end of it, since he doesn’t seem keen on just giving up. She says her goodbyes to the family for the night and returns to Mr. Bucci in the hallway.

“Sorry for the wait, sir,” Tsuneko apologizes as they start to walk towards the elevator.

“It’s no problem at all,” he pauses for a moment, “I’m starting to understand more and more why Eisuke seems so enamored with you. Sweet, cute girl, great cook and good with children.”

“Mr. Bucci,” her stomach churns at the thought of Ichinomiya’s saccharine fake smile, “you’re far too kind, I’m sure Mr. Ichinomiya isn’t quite as fond of me as you think.”

“Nonsense, I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“Uh,” she stutters as they reach the elevator, wanting to escape this conversation, “so, do you think you know exactly what you’re looking to do? I’m sure you’re well acquainted with the casino, but there are also museums, theaters, pools, plenty of restaurants with food from all over. There’s actually an Italian restaurant, people say the food is really authentic, but I wouldn’t really know, personally.”

“Actually,” he cuts off her rambling, “I was hoping we could have a chat over dinner. I’m sure Eisuke won’t mind.”

She’s sure he wouldn’t, so long as Tsuneko doesn’t out his bullshit. Her regular rooms are all cleaned for the day, the only thing left on the schedule is cleaning the penthouse. So, it’s not impacting anyone else in the hotel and she tells Ichinomiya she was buttering up Mr. Bucci, he won’t particularly care.

“Yeah, that should be fine.”

It’s an awkward elevator ride to the floor with the restaurants, Tsuneko’s arms are folded behind her back to feign some sort of confidence, despite how badly she wants to run. She can’t say for certain what Mr. Bucci wants with her, perhaps just mining her for information about Ichinomiya, but why would he need her for that. There’s a devilish part of her brain that reminds her this would be a chance to out him, to tell Mr. Bucci all about the little game Ichinomiya is playing.

But she can’t bring herself to do something like that. Ichinomiya is an asshole and all-around garbage excuse for a human being, but his success affects more than just him. If the success of the Tres Spades continues to grow and get more money, the employees continue to prosper and make more money. The Tres Spades isn’t some shitty corporation that pays them minimum wage and no benefits. Tsuneko’s situation is an extreme case, she knows that, despite his piss poor personality, Ichinomiya and the Tres Spades take care of their employees.

Not to mention, another hotel, means more job opportunities for people who may need them. People who were like her when she applied, desperate and needing a source of income, could have an opportunity to do more than survive.

Plus, if the hotel expands across the globe, it can help employees in other ways. She thinks of Chisato and Itsuki, the two are basically engaged, but can’t movee beyond that point if they want to because gay marriage isn’t legal in Japan. Chisato has been with the hotel for years and can’t just move to elsewhere without having a job at least as good lined up. If there were more locations, in places where it’s legal, she could have both. So, if the Tres Spades expands…

As much as she hates to sound like a capitalist, helping Ichinomiya really does have ripple effects that help more people. She has to find a balance of not fucking herself over, but not hurting anyone else in the grand scheme of things.

Tsuneko would message Ichinomiya, to at least let him know why she’ll be late cleaning the penthouse and so he doesn’t suspect she’s going out of her way to ruin things. But the only way she has of contacting him is the pager which is on a speaker and she’s not giving that man her phone number.

They arrive at the Italian restaurant the Tres Spades has and Tsuneko immediately feels out of place. It’s mostly guests here for a nice dinner, dressed to the nines, while she’s in her maid uniform. The mixture of cleaner products and sweat is still heavy on her skin.

They’re shown to a table and Tsuneko is trying not to anxiously bounce or move around in her seat. Mr. Bucci orders wine and she gets water, he seems to be beating around the bush, dragging her discomfort out. Tsuneko forgets what she ordered a moment after she orders it. Mr. Bucci is the dictionary definition of calm, as he takes a sip of his wine, Tsuneko is sick of this.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

He puts his glass down on the table and gives a small chuckle. Mr. Bucci has never struck her a mean or cruel man, but he’s a mob boss. There are so many dangerous places this conversation could go.

“Cutting right to the chase, are you?”

“My heart can’t handle doing anything else.”

“There’s no need to look so scared, relax, eat.”

She pops an appetizer into her mouth but can’t quite appreciate the taste through her nerves. The attempt seems to appease him to some degree, as he clears his throat to speak again.

“Carolina has become rather infatuated with Eisuke, despite him having feelings for you.”

“I don’t think he-”

“Please, humor me,” he puts his hand up to make her shush, “I know Carolina has been taking things out on you, which isn’t right, but she’s always felt her emotions very intensely. If your and Eisuke’s relationship were to go further, it would crush her, and she’d only get nastier with you.”

Is this entire dinner about warning her away from Ichinomiya for Carolina’s sake? Because that’s not an issue. Tsuneko wouldn’t waste her time fighting over a man she liked, let alone one she’s actively trying to avoid.

“I know it’s asking a lot, but it would be nice if you and Carolina could become friends.”

“Huh?”

“I was hoping from the way he acted last time they met, perhaps he had feelings for her as well, but it can’t be helped. If Carolina could see you as more of a friend, less of a rival, I think it would be good for both of you.”

“Uh,” that’s not what she expected, “if this is all about getting me to make nice with your daughter, I’m not sure there��s much I can do. I’m not exactly the one making it, uh, contentious. And even if I did, I’m not sure if it would make her feel any better about Mr. Ichinomiya.”

“I know my Carolina can be difficult, but I do think it would help for her to have a friend here.”

“I’m not confident that I’m the best choice for that.”

“It would mean a lot to me if you tried, maybe a girl’s day for the two of you could be arranged?”

Tsuneko chews her lip and pokes at her meal, unsure of what to say or do. Her leg bounces beneath the table. Mr. Bucci strikes her as sincere, he genuinely wants the best for his daughter. And Tsuneko can see his point, Carolina doesn't strike her as the type who probably has a lot of female friends. The kind of mentality where Women are competition and men are some sort of prize. Which is exhausting. Both for those around her and surely for her as well.

"If you can get her to agree, I'll be more than happy to spend a day with her."

"Wonderful. I'll let you know when a date is arranged." Mr. Bucci smiles at her and Tsuneko prays Carolina refuses. The meal concludes with Tsuneko trying to hurriedly eat her entree, as to not waste the previously untouched food, and Mr. Bucci insisting on paying.

Her mind wanders as she makes her way to the penthouse, she thinks of what he said, about believing Ichinomiya might have had feelings for Carolina. Everything he does, especially for business, is intentional. Even the smallest gesture calculated. He doesn’t give soft smiles or too long touches by accident.

And while Carolina might be the type to misinterpret signals, her father doesn’t seem as apt to do so. Which, makes her wonder, did he lead Carolina on for the deal? Not that she thinks much of him to begin with, but that’s another layer of gross.

She arrives at the penthouse, seeing a mish mash of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Baba and Kisaki are the only two of the auction managers there, but there’s four women gathered around them. Three she doesn’t know and one, she’s sadly familiar with, the girl who insulted her weight at the event Ichinomiya dragged her to. The women are undoubtedly beautiful, dressed in short seductive dresses. They’re guests, or at least she has to assume so, which sadly means Tsuneko needs to be well behaved. It’s one thing to mouth off to the assholes who bought her, but actual guests of the hotel she has to behave around.

“Hey, princess,” Baba greets her, a woman with long red hair on his left and another with raven black hair on his right. The girl from the event is next to the red head, while another blonde is practically sitting in Kisaki’s lap.

The three unfamiliar women give Tsuneko a quick once over but seem to ultimately decide they don’t care about her presence. While the one she’s met before, maintains a sharp cruel gaze. Unlike the other three, she doesn’t even seem to be fawning over the men, almost bored with this.

“I’m here to clean,” Tsuneko announces with a customer service smile, “would anyone like anything to eat or drink before I start?”

Kisaki and Baba shoots her confused looks, no doubt taken aback by her kind attitude. However, she can’t risk being inappropriate around actual guests.

“Make yourself useful and get us some wine,” the familiar woman pipes in, showing off her empty glass like Tsuneko is too stupid to understand otherwise.

“Of course.”

She gathers the empty glasses and makes her way to the penthouse kitchen area. There’s a bottle of fancy red wine on the counter, from whenever they first served it, so she tops off each glass and brings it out to them.

“So, you let maids up here?” The redhead asks, twirling a crimson lock around her finger.

“Koro’s special,” Kisaki taunts, despite his sugary sweet smile, and she bites her tongue, only sending him a quick pointed glare.

“I’m the penthouse maid, Tomori Tsuneko.”

“I think the dog name suits you more,” the event girl tells her, her eyes sharp. She’s a pretty girl, a shaggy pale blonde bob hair and burnished orange eyes.

“You’re so mean, Kaede,” the blonde on the arm of Kisaki’s chair gushes out, like it’s cute.

“If that’s all, I’ll begin cleaning now.” She at least has a name to attach to the mean girl, though she’s not sure how much that will actually help her.

Tsuneko busies herself with cleaning the lounge, letting the residents become background noise. She manages to catch that Baba is reading the girl’s fortunes with cards. All of them but Kaede, oohing and aweing over it.

“Hey, pretty lady, come over here,” Baba calls over suddenly as Tsuneko is dusting, every fiber of her being wants to tell him to shush and let her clean. But there are guests, actual guests here.

“Is there something you need, sir?” She says instead, hoping the sir will somehow get her point across. Yet, Baba is smiling like a damn idiot.

“Do you wanna have your fortune read?”

There’s an annoyed twitch behind her eye, she is working. She can see Kisaki gremlin smirking out of her peripheral vision. They’re trying to push her buttons.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m working, sir.”

“Oh, there’s no need to be shy, you know you can always call me Micchy!~”

He winks at her, three girls giggle, but Kaede still shows no signs of being entertained. Instead, her nose wrinkles. A clatter of glass as she smacks her finger into the stem of her wine glass, knocking it from the table.

“Ah!” Tsuneko flusters and rushes, she catches the glass before it shatters, but red wine drenches the front of her uniform. It soaks and chills through the fabric, making it stick to her.

“Couldn’t let you slack off for too long,” Kaede tells her, voice hushed and a mean little smirk pulling at her lips.

The door to the penthouse opens within the next moment, Ichinomiya and Oh entering the lounge. Like moths to a flame, suddenly the four women all flock over to them, abandoning Baba and Kisaki.

“Eisuke, it’s great to see you again!~” Kaede gushes and he narrows his eyes.

“We were waiting for you to get here!”

“I didn’t think we’d actually get a chance to meet the king!”

“You’re even more attractive in person, oh my god!”

“Are you okay?” Baba asks her, suddenly close and in her personal space.

“Yeah, better on me than on the linoleum,” she awkwardly tugs at the wet chest of her uniform, cold drops of wine rolling down her cleavage, that Baba’s eyes seem to follow, “nothing got on your cards?”

“Of all the things for you to be worried about,” Baba looks her in the eyes again and sighs, like he’s dealing with a child.

“I mean, I could also worry about how you two just got ditched for Ichinomiya,” she teases, voice low, as Baba carefully takes the glass from her hand. He’s being, nice.

“We’re used to it by now, some girls will do anything to get close to boss.”

“What’s going on here?” Ichinomiya questions, glaring at the women for a moment, before his eyes land on Tsuneko and her wine-soaked uniform.

“We just thought, it’d be okay for us to come up here and spend some time with you,” Kaede tells him, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“I take it, we know who’s to blame for letting you up here,” Oh glares at Baba who just grins.

“What’s wrong for having some beautiful women here?”

“Women who find it necessary to throw wine at my staff.” Ichinomiya narrows his eyes at Kaede, he doesn’t even have to wonder who’s to blame.

“Accidents happen,” Kaede waves it off, “she’ll be fine, why don’t we have a drink, just the two of us?”

“Get out.”

“Huh, don’t be ridiculous-”

“I don’t have time for this, get out, now.”

Slowly and with their heads hanging down, the women leave the penthouse, like they’ve been scolded. Which, she supposes isn’t that far from the truth.

“Ugh, I can still smell their perfume,” He’s not wrong, the smell of expensive perfume still hangs in the air.

“Are you sure you should talk to guests like that?”

“They’re not staying here.”

“What?”

“Those women just hang around in the casino, like flies,” Oh explains.

“God damn it, I was polite for nothing!”

“It was so funny watching you try to behave yourself.” Kisaki snickers.

“Oh shut up, now, if you’ll excuse me,” she says and starts to head to the door, wine making her thighs stick together awkwardly.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ichinomiya stops her.

“I’m gonna go change then come back to clean, the wine didn’t get on anything else, so don’t worry.”

“You’re going to let guests see you like that?” He narrows his eyes at her, and she looks down at the mess on her uniform, not that she needs to, she can feel it sticking to her.

“Well, it’s not going anywhere on its own.” She flails her arms out, glaring at him, what the hell does he expect?

“I’ll see if Kenzaki can bring you up a change of uniform.”

“Come on, you can get cleaned up in my bathroom and we’ll get your uniform taken care of,” Baba says, placing a hand on the small of her back as he leads her towards his suite, even though she knows where it is, his hand is welcomed warmth against the chill of the spilled wine.

She steps into his bathroom, familiar with the elaborate set up. The sun is just starting to set, shining orange golden light in through the giant window.

“There’s bathrobes for you to change into or you can borrow some clothes from me if you’d like.” He winks, because of course he does.

“I’ll take the bathrobe.”

He gives a melodramatic pout and she pushes him from the bathroom. The door shut behind him, she takes off her shoes and starts to unbutton her uniform. Her eyes dart between the tub and the shower, immaculate. The idea of relaxing back in a hot soapy bath looking at the sunset out the window, sounds so nice. However, reality is a cruel mistress, and she doesn’t have the luxury of taking her time and relaxing. She’s technically on the clock and she’s better off just taking a shorter shower.

There’s a bit of relief from the sticky wine, tacky on her skin, when she lets her uniform drop to the floor and peels off her stockings. The worst of the mess is off her, but it’s well soaked through the layers to her skin. She can even feel the residue on her nipples where it’s dripped down and soaked through her bra. Her underwear joins the pile of clothes and she starts up the shower, steam filling the room.

She leaves a towel over the stall door and steps under the hot water. There’s an array of the hotel provided items with soft clean neutral scents, but she notices a few of Baba’s products as well. They’re all rose and jasmine scented, floral almost romantic scents. Not that different from her own shampoo, but just slightly stronger. Of course, he drinks rose tea and uses rose soap, like the cheesy schmuck he is. Those thoughts don’t stop her from using it. Tsuneko’s muscles relax as she washes the grime from her skin and hair, not just the wine but the sweat of the day so far.

The door creaks as she’s massaging soap into her breasts, she jolts, a slick mess of suds and water in the shower stall makes her feet slip. She just manages to burrow her fingers into the towel before she yelps out, her ass hitting the floor. Pain shoots up her tailbone. The door swings open further.

“Tsuneko!” Baba’s voice jumps an octave as he rushes into the room, whirling around to see her. She scrambles to place the towel, so it covers her chest and groin, though she feels like he probably already got an eyeful in the amount of time it takes her.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“Are you okay, I heard you yell?”

“Yeah, because you opened the fucking door!”

“Uh, oh,” realization seems to dawn on him, and he covers his eyes before turning his back to her, “I was going to get your clothes, so we can send them to be cleaned.”

“You couldn’t have waited?!”

“The quicker they’re washed the better, you don’t want the stains to set.”

“Just go!”

Baba flusters about for a moment before grabbing her pile of wine-soaked clothes and leaving the bathroom. She heaves out a deep sigh, once she hears the door shut behind him. Tsuneko gets back up on her feet, the towel is completely soaked now, so she tosses it aside. Fearful of another interruption, she finishes up as quickly as possible.

She shuts the shower off and does a quick dry off. They’re probably still sticky, but she goes to grab her underwear, to find they’re not there. Great, so not only has Baba seen her naked, but he knows what kind of underwear she wears. And, she’ll be wearing a bathrobe with nothing underneath, around them all. Lovely.

The bathrobe is clearly meant for an adult man and she doesn’t see any in smaller sizes. It’s soft fluffy white material, she pulls it on, she feels and looks a bit like a marshmallow, but that’s not a complaint. Plus, the excess fabric should make it easier to stay covered. It sags a little low on her shoulders, the sleeves hang over her hands, and the bottom drags across the floor as she leaves the bathroom.

Baba is just outside the bathroom door and she can’t help the pout that pulls at her face, asshole. He’s smirking in response and her fist is connecting with his side in the next moment. He barely flinches at the strike and she can feel the muscle beneath his shirt.

“Pull that kind of shit again and I’ll castrate you.”

“I only had the best of intentions, scouts honor.” He gives a cheesy little smile and scout salute, that she isn’t buying for a second.

“Hmmph.”

She lets out a huffy noise as she fixes her still damp bangs and moves towards her stuff that’s on the side table. Baba must have taken them from her pockets when he got her clothes. There are wine stains on some of her sticky note pads and a bit on her phone case, the phone itself doesn’t feel soaked, however. It’s already been scratched all up, she’s not sure how much more it can handle.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you with your hair down, somehow you just manage to get prettier and prettier.”

She rolls her eyes at his compliment, despite the heat in her cheeks. It’s sweet and she’s sure he’s right, the only one who’s seen her with her hair down fully was Kisaki when he was fixing it for the event. She twirls a still damp lock of her around her finger.

“You never lay off with the cheesy shit, do you?”

“I’m just an honest man.”

“You walked in on me showering and stole my underwear!”

“I was honestly trying to help.”

A heavy sigh escapes her as she puts her phone in the robe pocket and heads to the lounge, hopefully Kenzaki has brought a change of uniform for her. Baba follows after her, Kishi is on one of the couches smoking a cigarette. He managed to miss the chaos, lucky him.

“What the hell?”

“Don’t ask.” She waves him off, dismissing him and his smoke cloud as she takes a seat. Tsuneko is careful to fold her legs in the chair so she stays cocooned and covered in the robe.

“One of Boss’s fangirls got a little testy.”

“There are no spare uniforms in your size, so you’ll have to wait until laundry services washes yours,” Ichinomiya explains to her.

“So, what I’m hearing is I’m getting overtime pay?”

Ichinomiya sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, but he doesn’t argue with her. At the very least a bit of extra money in her bank account, but now she’s stuck spending time with them. Last time she was actually sat down with them was when Ichinomiya gave her the confidentiality agreement, before she proposed the bet. She can remember just how tense and rigid she was, now she’s curled up in a robe.

She fiddles with the edge of the robes sleeve, suddenly aware of the strangely vulnerable position she’s put herself in with them. Hair damp from the shower and still down, not a smudge of makeup, in nothing but an oversized robe. Something about it all seems cozy, comfortable. She curls her knees in a bit closer at the thought, as if providing a bit more protection.

“Since you’ve got time you want to get your fortune read, now?” Baba offers, smiling.

“Aren’t you a little old to believe in that kind of shit?”

“You wound me and so soon after our special moment together in the shower.”

“Don’t say shit like that!” She reaches out and smacks him with the long sleeves of the robe, it hits his face and he just keeps grinning.

“Don’t tell me you’re into old men, now, Koro.”

“He walked in while I was showering!”

“You really have the worst luck, don’t ya?”

“You’re telling me. Speaking of shitty luck and women who hate me, Mr. Bucci wants me to spend time with Carolina.”

“Does he now?”

“And you actually agreed to that?”

“What was I supposed to do?” She shoots Oh an incredulous look.

“I’m not sure that’s the smartest idea, princess.”

“Mr. Bucci is gonna talk to her about it, best case scenario she refuses and worst case scenario I have to suffer through a day of her snide little insults.”

“Did you forget they’re mafia members?”

“And Carolina is jealous of you.”

“So,” she shrugs at Oh and Baba’s implications, “she’s not gonna do anything crazy.”

“You can’t let your guard down around people like that.”

“What’s that suppose to mean, slacker?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

Kishi and Oh are glaring daggers at each other, Oh’s hand starts heading towards where she’s sure his gun is. She tries not to snicker and starts scrolling through her phone again. Ichinomiya clears his throat, stopping the short-lived altercation.

“Make sure you take your pager.”

“Why, so you can badger me when you want coffee?”

“Just do what I say.”

“Just do what I say,” she mocks him, not bothering to look up from her Instagram feed. Chisato posted a cute selfie, that she gets a glimpse of before her phone is pulled from her hand, “hey!”

Kisaki has a hold of her phone, he’s perched himself on the arm of the chair she’s sitting in, his smarmy gremlin grin on his face. She doesn’t need him going through her phone, she’s already had one of them see her practically naked today.

“What are you look- hey,” she grabs her phone and yanks it from his hand, before pushing him off the chair arm. He gives a little yell, before his ass hits the floor.

“Don’t touch my phone.”

He shoots her a disgusted look from the floor and she hears the other men snickering.

“You’re so aggressive,” he says, glaring at her.

“Do you have something on there you don’t want people to see?” Baba asks, smirking.

“What is or isn’t on my phone is none of your concern.”

“You’re not helping yourself.” Ichinomiya isn’t looking up at them, but he’s smirking just the same.

“You’re not wrong.” She sighs, hiding her phone away back in her pocket.

There’s a knock, before Kenzaki steps into the lounge, carrying a laundry bag.

“Tomori’s clothes have been washed.”

She’s already out of her chair and making a beeline for Kenzaki, plucking the laundry bag from his hand and muttering a thanks before heading towards Baba’s bathroom. Tsuneko double, triple, checks that the door is locked before she starts to change back into her uniform. There is absolutely no signs of the wine on her uniform, the laundry services at the hotel are beyond amazing. Once she’s changed and tucked everything back into her uniform pockets, she’s able to get back to work. Cleaning the lounge and suites doesn’t take her much time at all

Tsuneko returns to her dorm later than average, going through her nighttime routine of caring for Kiyo and preparing for that stupid auction. The only thing unique to the whole process at this point is crossing off days until the end of the bet. It’s the final marker of the whole routine now, the last thing she does before she closes her eyes.

The next day at work isn’t quite as entertaining, Anais is enjoying Puroland with her family. Meaning, Tsuneko is left to her own usual routine. The first part of her shift passes by calmly and she gets to go enjoy lunch on time. Sakiko is eating a later lunch, Chisato and Itsuki got their lunch breaks to match up and are having a more romantic venture. So, Tsuneko decides to go out grab a quick bite during her break. Chisato already warned her that the gossip about Tsuneko working in the penthouse is only getting worse, so she’d rather have some distance between herself and her coworkers for a moment.

After filling her stomach with hamburger steak and catching up on Monster Lovers during her solo lunch, she’s headed back to the hotel. There’s a soft breeze blowing through as she reaches the backlot, just as a group of unfamiliar men venture through the back door. What are they doing? It’s always something at this fucking hotel.

“Excuse me, sirs!” She yells out as she starts sprinting after them, whatever reason they’re here, she plans on finding out. They don’t stop or respond out of earshot as she starts into the hotel. A glimpse of their back as they venture down the stairs, down to the basement level, she yells again. No response as they continue towards the sub-basement level, Wonderland.

“Hey!” Her voice jumps up another three octaves as she rushes down the final set of stairs. There are even more unfamiliar men there, a line forming out of Wonderland door. Men shoot her confused looks. It’s all random men of all ages and appearances, though, most don’t seem too pleasant.

She stomps and pushes her way through, all of the men shooting her dirty looks as she elbows her way through the crowd. Finally, she manages to make it into Wonderland. The Hatter is at the table across from one of the men, who have flooded the room. He has a notebook open before him and is scribbling notes, like he’s interviewing them.

“What are your hobbies?”

“Horse races, dog races, poker, pachinko.” Some man tells the Hatter in a gruff voice.

“Oh, so you’re a gambling man then. How much would you say you usually bet at once?”

“Everything I have at the moment.”

“You like high stakes bets then!”

“I borrow money from friends sometimes, tell ‘em I’ll pay them back with interest.”

“Have you paid any of these friends back?”

“Not yet.”

“Alright then. Next, please,” he calls another strange man forward to take the other’s place, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hey.”

“I have several questions I’d like to ask you; do you live nearby?”

“About thirty minutes by train, I guess.”

“Yes, that’s a very fine distance; what are your hobbies?”

“Afternoon naps.’

“Pffff,” she scoffs, making both the man and the Hatter looks up at her.

“Alice! Where have you been?” The Hatter shoots her a bright smile, while the man is glaring. He barely looks old enough to drink, so if he’s trying to look scary, it’s not going to work for him.

“I just got back from my lunch break, what is all of this?” She gestures to the crowd of men.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“I’m having auditions for the new March Hare and Dormouse.”

He’s not seriously letting strangers back in here, so soon after being robbed.

“And where exactly did you find these men?”

“I put an advertisement up on the website craigslist.”

“What?” Her eyes grow wide, that’s so dangerous, people have been killed from doing stupid shit like this.

“The online world is dull compared to Wonderland, but it’s very convenient.”

“No way, nope,” she shakes her head emphatically, “you’re not doing this.”

She pulls a chair from the table and climbs to stand on it, drawing attention to herself as well as seeing over the crowd of strangers.

“Alice, what are you doing?”

“Hey,” she calls out, “I’m sorry, but you all need to go! The position is closed, there is no job, sorry for the trouble, you gotta get out of here!”

“Alice!” The Hatter’s yell cuts through the disappointed grumbles of the men, she’s never seen him so angry, “please, do not act selfishly like that!”

“Selfishly!?”

“They all came out to be interviewed and you’re being rude!”

“I’ll show you rude, everybody get the fuck out!” She stomps her foot down on the chair for emphasis.

The Hatter is glaring at her as the men slowly make their way out of Wonderland. She needs to call Kenzaki and let him know, in case any of them get wise ideas about venturing through the hotel and causing trouble. Tsuneko hops down from the chair as the last man meanders out, grumbling under his breath about how good the pay was and she shuts the door behind him.

“Why did you interfere?” The Hatter is glaring with a heavy, childish pout.

“Because that was beyond stupid, that’s why!”

“I must find a new March Hare and Dormouse! You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?”

“That’s not the point, I don’t give a shit about the hare and mouse!”

“Did you forget how lovely our parties were?” His face falls from anger to sorrow, unable to quite meet her eyes.

“Did you forget that you were robbed like, two days ago?!”

“Of course not!”

“And what, you thought you should just have more strangers here?”

He bites his lip and doesn’t meet her eyes, brow furrowing.

“Do you have any idea how reckless that was? Any of those men could have robbed you or worse! Did you even think about that? Huh, what if I came down here and found you fucking dead, ‘cause you let anyone with a pulse and internet just waltz on in.”

“I-”

“And what about everyone else here? What if one of them decided to go do something to a guest or one of the workers? For fucks sakes, even if those men weren’t bad, what if they found out about the auctions? What do you think Ichinomiya and them would do to keep them quiet?!”

“I-”

“You could have gotten yourself and someone else killed, you can’t do this shit!”

His butt hits the ground with a thump, he’s plopped on the ground and pulled his knees to his chest, hiding his pouting face there. Watching an actual seven-year-old child felt less like babysitting. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, getting her phone from her pocket then punching in Kenzaki’s number.

“Hey, yeah, it’s Tomori. We’ve had an issue in the tearoom with security, everyone is safe, and nothing is taken. But I think it might be good to keep an eye out for any strange characters.”

Kenzaki assures her it’s taken care of and she hangs up, looking over to see the Hatter still hasn’t budged from his new spot on the floor. She sighs, she knows he wants his dream Wonderland tea party, but he can’t sacrifice his own or someone else’s safety for that. Tsuneko chews her lip, the March Hare and Dormouse didn’t do much, other than arrange furniture. She can do that; god knows the pair of them weren’t conversationalists.

Most of her plushies are licensed characters as are most of the ones in her crane games, so they probably won’t work for him. She does a few searches for dormouse and hare plushies, it takes her a few moments to find ones cute enough to add to her cart. Tsuneko sits on the floor next to the Hatter who’s still pouting.

“I just wanted to have our tea parties again,” he mumbles against his knees.

“I know, sweetie, but hey, how about these?” She nudges her phone against his knee, getting his attention. He finally looks up, eyes soft with unshed tears and biting at his lip before looking at the phone.

“Oh…”

“Would that work, having stuffed animals instead?”

“Would you be happy with that?”

“Well, yeah. I mean let’s be honest, the March Hare and Dormouse weren’t exactly shining conversationalists. All I care about is that you’re safe.”

“That’s good then,” he says with a soft smile.

“Okay, I’ll order them and the tea party will be complete before you know it.” She pats her hand on his back, hoping the gesture can convey even just a bit of comfort. He seems to relax under her touch.

The door rattles open and all that comfort is useless as Ichinomiya steps into the room, no doubt Kenzaki informed him of the situation. The Hatter visibly curls into himself as the CEO’s harsh gaze lands on him.

“What happened?” He doesn’t ask for, so much as demand an answer.

“I-” The Hatter stumbles over his words and stalls, that shy soft-spoken boy shining through the façade. She squeezes his shoulder tight.

“There was a little issue, he let in a few strangers…but they’re gone now.’

“You let strangers in, again?”

“Um…”

“I already ripped him a new one. You know why it was wrong, right Mads?”

He nods his head, hat nearly falling over from the force of it.

“And you’re not gonna do it again, right?”

Another nod.

“See, it’s fixed, I just wanted to make sure Kenzaki knew what happened, just in case.”

“I can’t have just anyone coming down here.”

“He knows, he knows.”

“He can talk for himself.”

“Not with you scaring him, he can’t.”

“Is this going to happen again?”

“No, I won’t do it again…” The Hatter mumbles out a response.

“I’m holding you to that.” There’s a subtle threatening edge to his words, like a father threatening to ground his son.

“He knows, go, go,” she tries to shoo him off like a fly, earning a glare, “I’ll make you coffee when I clean the penthouse later.”

“Obviously.” He sneers and gives another stern look towards the Hatter before finally taking his leave.

She spends a few more minutes with the Hatter, ensuring he’s feeling better before she goes back to work. Her shift passes by with her on edge, looking out for any of the men from the Hatter’s auditions. None of them seem to have spread out to the hotel or taken up causing trouble, so she’s able to finish up work with little trouble. Other than a moment of annoyance when she makes Ichinomiya his precious coffee.

“You guys wanna get drinks?” Chisato asks as they’re leaving the locker room.

“You sure that’s a great idea with little miss pervert here?” Sakiko points a thumb in Tsuneko’s direction, a hint of pink in her cheeks.

“I’m not up for it anyway, so don’t worry.” She playfully shoves her as they leave out the back entrance. With the stress of the Hatter’s little auditions, this is the kind of night meant for cozy pajamas and ferret cuddles.

Chisato and Sakiko wave a bye to Tsuneko as they venture off towards the bar, her towards the dorms. Her steps halt, who’s outside the dorms? It’s a younger man, mess of auburn hair and green gold eyes, leaning against the building. A moment passes by before she realizes where she’s seen him before, he was one of the men interviewing with the Hatter. What on earth is he still doing here?

“Hey!” She yells out as she marches over towards the guy.

“You really do yell a lot, don’t you?” He comments, raising an eyebrow at her.

“What are you still doing here? I told you to go home.”

“And why would I do that?”

“’Cause there’s literally no reason for you to be here.”

“What’s the deal with the dude in the basement?” He asks suddenly and it’s like ice water’s been dumped on her. Of course, there had to be one person who stuck it out to ask questions.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Alice, was it?”

“Tsuneko, now go home.”

“I’m Hachirou, look, if I can’t make a buck off of this, I at least wanna know what the hell is going on,” he pleads as she’s opening the door to the complex.

“Go home and stop answering craigslist ads, it’s dangerous.”

With that she disappears into the complex, heading to her own dorm. Once there, she peeks out the window, watching as Hachirou finally takes his leave. She clutches her good luck charm and hopes that will be the end of it, for his sake more than her own.

#kbtbb kissed by the baddest bidder #kbtbb #eisuke ichinomiya #soryu oh #mamoru kishi #mitsunari baba #ota kisaki #rhion hatter #tsuneko tomori #black market wonderland

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chubbyooo · 5 years

Text

Blurred Lines : Chapter 9 - Memories

Chapter 9 continuing the trek through the jungle (warning high on exposition)

Kyradia and Ashara have made camp for the night in a cave and begin discussing the past

Kyradia sat quietly while Ashara boiled water over the fire. Night had fallen and they had taken refuge in a nearby cave, it’d been pretty quiet since their previous conversation in the forest Kyradia was trying not to overstep and make herself look bad which was proving tricky. It was unclear how long a night cycle was on Yavin IV Kyradia thought it was likely to be irregular due to the fact it’s a moon, point being they could be here for a while.

Ashara picked up the pot carefully and began to pour out two cups of tea, Kyradia had no idea what leaves were being used but hoped it was just normal; there had been too many occasions where Kavaraa had offered tea and given her some weird concoction of flavours. Ashara passed her the cup and sat down opposite, Kyradia took a sip and to her delight it was just regular tea she smiled at Ashara “thanks this is good”

“you’re welcome thought it would help us warm up a bit” always so resourceful Kyradia would’ve just sat close to the fire and end up nearly burning herself. “hey you never finished your story?”

“story?” Kyradia cocked her head confused, story what story? she wasn’t telling a story.

“about how you became friends with Kavaraa, i wanna know what changed” friends seemed like a strong word but clearly there was no getting around telling this story without looking weird. She didn’t really want to think about it right now given everything but it would show she’d changed so why not.

“well i wouldn’t exactly call us friends but sure i’ll explain” Ashara looked pleased with that Kyradia was never sure but she thought Ashara may have looked up to Kavaraa before the eternal empire. Kyradia remembered being incredibly jealous at the time but she had never had time to address it.

“After me and Marr got captured by the eternal empire Kavaraa formed a team with people from alliance formed to fight Revan. They made a plan to break me out and also maybe take the fight to Arcann” Kyradia remembered being told about this many of her old rivals and friends tried to save her it still didn’t feel right, she never understood why they didn’t just go for Arcann what did she offer that was so special?

“oh i wish i’d known about that i would’ve been there in a heartbeat we all would’ve” Ashara was sweet but Kyradia was glad she hadn’t been there in the long run

“it’s ok this is not a success story” Kyradia sighed “apparently they got an excellent republic smuggler to smuggle them onto Zakuul, Kavaraa and the smuggler went to save me while everyone else tried to take the throne”. Kyradia definitely understood she wasn’t the top priority but that being said if she was in charge she would’ve saved herself first and then attacked the eternal throne with everyone together but hey what did she know she’s only the alliance commander.

“let me guess those trying to take the throne got beaten” Ashara was always so smart she probably agreed that the idea was badly executed. Beaten was an understatement but that’s because an idiot range monster and a giant buffoon were leading them.

“yeah Arcann easily beat them all with the help of Vailyn and the knights” Kyradia remembered how strong Vailyn had been honestly there was little chance they could’ve won without knowing how to disable her. “Kavaraa however did pretty good; she had nearly gotten to my cell when Vailyn caught up to them apparently one of the team had talked about the plan” Kyradia was pretty sure she knew who it was and it was really no surprise idiot rage monster “Kavaraa put up a pretty good fight but was eventually beaten like the rest of them”

“they completely lost? how are they still alive” Kyradia always thought that was one of Arcanns key mistakes but at least it showed some level of compassion.

“Arcann didn’t kill them as he thought they’d turn into martyrs for the republic and empire whereas if they just failed then it showed” Kyradia mimed air quotes “the strength of the eternal empire” pompous arse “so he had them imprisoned instead”

“so how does this relate to you and Kavaraa becoming friends” Ashara asked there’s that word again friends nope not friends. She did realise however she had gotten completely distracted from the point of the story

“i’m getting there patience” Kyradia was pretty tired of storytelling for now “i’ll tell you the rest in the morning i’m gonna turn in” She hoped she was telling it right she didn’t remember how Theron explained himself in the moment.

“ok night Kyradia sleep well” yeah not likely Kyradia thought as she turned over sleep was never easy

The next morning Kyradia awoke with a jolt to see Ashara crouching over her looking concerned “ma-master are you alright? yo-you were tossing, turning and talking about something in your sleep” oh phew just the normal sleep stuff Kyradia was worried there for a second

“yeah no i’m ok just a bad dream it’s not that uncommon don’t worry about it” Kyradia knew why she got them she didn’t really want to explain it to Ashara.

“i’m going to worry about it it doesn’t seem healthy” damn Ashara wasn’t going to drop it she could always just be vague

“i know it’s not healthy but i’m dealing with it, i’m sorry but i doubt you can do anything to help... it’s not a physical thing” that hopefully was detail enough

Ashara looked unhappy but content “ok but you tell me if there’s a problem alright”

“sure no problem” Kyradia realised she hadn’t slept in the same “room” as Ashara since she started getting these, well a lot had changed in five years.

A few hours later and they were back in the jungle, they had perched themselves on the top of a ridge and Kyradia was using Macrobinoculars to scout the area. She scanned the dense green forest for a while before spotting the tip on a rather large and over the top temple she recognised, she pointed to it “there we’re not far now”. The mission had been going well so far, she had managed to catch up with Ashara and Ashara was starting to trust her more and more, after the incident this morning Kyradia had been trying to take things a bit slow to not freak her out.

“so what happened with Kavaraa then?” not slow oh god that’s not slow Kyradia was surprised she had completely forgot about the story she was hoping that was enough but to be fair she hadn’t actually touched on them being “friends”.

“oh um well for a few years i believe she stayed in the prison reaching some form of higher force knowledge” Kyradia had no idea what that meant to be honest “or something i dunno meditation related, but during that time Theron was trying to find out where she was”

“who?” Ashara looked puzzled

“oh right Theron is that guy I was always complaining about the fact i had to work with back when we were investigating the Revanites” that should jog her memory

“oh right yes of course” Ashara had a smug look Kyradia definitely took a while to warm up to the idea of working with the republic

“anyway eventually he managed to find where she was and break her out, from there she secretly helped run the alliance through Theron” Kyradia still didn’t like the fact Theron had been lying to her but in hindsight Kyradia was pretty angry at the time so another thing may have put her over the edge, Ashara didn’t have to know that

“so eventually he introduced her to you and you forgave her?” Ashara interrupted was that the way it should’ve gone oh dear if only it had been that simple

“uhhhhhhhh no she introduced herself while i was comatose on the eternal throne fighting the emperor” Kyradia mumbled, the circumstances did not reflect well on her given that the only time she accepted it was when she literally defended Kyradia from death

“oh well that’s still good right she helped you beat the eternal empire and you made up” Ashara interrupted again why was she making this so much worse just let me finish oh god she was gonna look so bad in this story

“welll not exactly what ended up happening was my old rival Zoyin turned up obsessed with pleasing the emperor fought her and stabbed her” Kyradia may be telling this story far more casual than it was at the time, Ashara looked like she was about to speak but Kyradia quickly made sure she could finish before she looked even worse. “I killed the emperor which scarred Zoyin off” serves her right the callous bitch “and then saw the situation and...” Kyradia sighed deeply, Ashara looked troubled clearly this wasn’t reflecting so well on Kyradia, this is why she didn’t want to tell the story. “and after Theron and Lana convinced me we took her to Voss to be healed” Kyradia hung her head “sorry i know i come off like a bitch in that story that i only could bury the hatchet in the most extreme circu-”

Ashara wrapped her arms back around Kyradia and squeezed tight “you did fine i remember what you two had been through that was still very big of you to do and hey given what you’d been through i hardly expected it to be clean cut.” Kyradia was bewildered she was sure this story was going to prove that she was just what she’d been back on Voss but Ashara didn’t care “One way or the other you saved her life and that showed you care, is that the full story?”

Kyradia looked away for a second “mostly yeah, lets get going we have a temple to save” also this hug was making her very uncomfortable...

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thelastifntdragonrider · 6 years

Text

HI! I’m putting all of the things i’ve been tagged in from the past couple of weeks that i haven’t answered yet bc i’m working hard on an admission portfolio for university and i really want to get into Sheridan, so yep lots of work and lots of art. i am also working on the HTTYD fandom reading (please sign up) and the next chapters of J’Imagine and No Cannon Shall Sink This Ship. Anyways, onto the tagged:

get to know me meme: tagged by @animalsarepeople2 thank youuuu!

nicknames: Kei / Keiko *i explain this in a question down there somewhere

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Libra

MBTI Type: INFJ

Height: 163cm

Time: 17:07 (by the time I finished all of these it’s 18:36)

Birthday: February 25

Favourite Bands: Beatles, Young Rising Sons, Clean Bandits, Lovelyz, Infinite

Favourite Solo Artists: Ailee, Ed Sheeran

Song Stuck in My Head: 1cm by Lovelyz

Last Movie Watched: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp

Last Show Watched: I just binge watched Stranger Things

When I created my blog: July 15, 2013/June 27, 2017

What I post about: httyd, animated movies, animation

Last thing I Googled: information about Sheridan and character rotation

Other blogs I have: my main blog @tokkeiko

Following: 100, though I want to find more good blogs, any recs anyone?

Followers: in total from both blogs, 200 or something

Favourite colour: Green

Average hours of sleep: 8-ish

Lucky number: 7

Instruments: piano, oboe

What I’m wearing: jeans and my current favourite sweater which is grey with gold spots

Number of blankets: I need to remember to find another one bc my room is freezing when I wake up in the morning

Dream Job: story artist at Disney

Dream trip: i just want to get out of my city rn

Favourite food: i’m just hungry rn, give me anything, but favourite food, among others, is salted caramel truffle blizzard from the good old DQ (#lovemydq)

Music ask, tagged by @yv-sketches THANKS!!!!

10 songs that you are listening to right now;

my current favourite playlist is called Shut Up and Dance:

“Elle Me Dit” Mika

“Red Balloon” Charli XCX

“Dancing in the Dark” Rihanna

“Shut Up and Dance” Walk the Moon

“Red and Gold” Young Rising Sons

“Can’t Stop the Feeling” Justin Timberlake

“Better When I’m Dancing” Meghan Trainor

“I Bet My Life” Imagine Dragons

“Into a Fantasy” Alexander Rybak

“Get Back Up Again” Anna Kendrick

Tag Game, taggged by @thepurplewriter333 ty friend-o!

Nicknames: Keiko/Kei/Spirit/Sweet Potato

Gender: Female

Star Sign; Pisces

Height: 163cm

Sexuality: probably straight

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff!!!

Favourite animals: uhhhh... orcas probably

Average hours spent sleeping: 8 i think, i’m not bothering with math rn

Dogs or cats: KITTY, all of my sibilings have a significant other and all of their significant others’ have cats and why can’t I have a s/o with a cat???

number of blankets sleeping: during the winter, aka now already, two

Dream trip: geeeeetttt meeeee ouuuuttt offf thissss citttyyyyy

Dream job: Story artist at Disney

when I made this account: June 27. 2017

why I made this account: bc i wanted a place to reblog all of the httyd stuff without loosing followers on my other blog

# of followers: like 47, I think? I recently got more. follow me i am cool person

92 statements, tagged by @thepurplewriter333 thanks for the double tag!

Last:

Drink: Tim Hortons’ Double Double (got to stay caffeinatedddddddd)

Phone Call: Home to get a ride home

Text message: Friend to go hang out later

Song You Listened To: Shooting Star by Lovelyz

Time You Cried: uhhhhhhhh... oh, like a month ago, it was a bad week and then I watched Home and my emotions were already out of wack so I basically sobbed near the end

Have you:

Dated someone twice: Nope

Kissed someone and regretted it: Nope, i’m boring

Been cheated on: nope

Lost someone special: nope

Been depressed: i feel like it’s hard to be a university student and not get depressed

Gotten drunk and thrown up: i am a boring party person and yeah, no i haven’t

List 3 favourite colours:

Green

Blue

Gold

In the last year have you:

made new friends: Yeahhhh

fallen out of love: nopppeee...?

Laughed until you cried: like every other day

Found someone was talking about you: in a good way; nope. In a bad way: yeah too many times

found out who your friends are: yeahhhhhh

kissed someone on your FB list: okay someday, i’ll have more interesting answers

General:

how many FB friends do you know IRL: 99% of them

Do you have any pets: nope

Do you want to change your name: i recently thought about dropping my middle name, but like it has significance to my parents so probably won’t happen and my middle name doesn’t do anything so idk

what did you do for your last birthday: Keep in mind that I turned 18: my friends and I went to Build-A-Bear and they got me a Build-A-Bear Toothless.

What time do you wake up: my alarms on early days are 7:00, 7:05, 7:15, 7:25, 7:35, 7:45, 8:00. I naturally wake up at 9-ish

What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping :D

Name something you can’t wait for: to (hopefully) get accepted into Sheridan and start a new adventure out there.

When was the last time you saw your mom: she’s in the kitchen with me

what is one thing you wish you could change in your life: i wish that I could’ve figured out what I wanted to do with life so that I could’ve started Sheridan this year

What are you listening to right now: Sheridan portfolio reviews, tips, etc. (Starting to see a pattern here?)

Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: friend’s dad. he’s a cool dad.

Something that is getting on your nerves: when people are packing up their stuff before the professor is finished talking in the last 5 minutes of class. URGH stop moving ppl this stuff is important

Most visited website: FB, YT, tumblr

Mole(s): couple

Mark(s): I have freckles (might be moles) on each cheek under both eyes.

Childhood dream: when you’re a kid, you’re really only exposed to teacher, doctor, police man and whatever your parents are. I think I defaulted to an artist when adults asked.

Hair colour: black, I have silver hairs though, they stick out on the black hair a lot

long or short hair: I always grow my hair out and then cut off 12 inches to donate to cancer wigs

Do you have a crush on someone: not currently, though i had a crush on a guy for like 5 years, so even now, 5 years later, I get happy when I think about him

Piercings: no, i really think a conch piercing would be nice though

Blood type: ... A I think, i’ve never gotten tested, but according to genetics, I should be an A

Nicknames: my full name is Keiko, but everyone called me Kei as a kid, but during high school, I started introducing myself as Keiko, so some people call me Kei, some people call me Keiko, one of them is a nickname, depending on which way you think about it,

Relationship Status: Egg salad.

Zodiac: Pisces

Pronouns: She/her

Favourite TV show: Friends

Right or left handed: Right, but recently I’ve been trying to teach myself to draw with my left hand

Surgery: Wisdom teeth

Hair dyed a different colour: nope, but I think I might try a ombre some day

Sports: ballet since I was 4ish, ballet is a sport, come fight me on it if you dare

Vacation: a lot of camping when I was younger, I’ve been to Japan twice, and then places across Canada

Pair of trainers: are we talking about trainers as in shoes? bc then ankle high all black vans.

More General:

Eating: this is taking so long I stopped and had supper between these sections

Drinking: Double Double (Tim’s coffee, two creams, two sugars), gotta stay AWaaaaaaaaaaKE

I’m about to: draw character designs or go out to coffee shop to study with friends

Want: to get into Sheridan so so so so so badly

Get married: I’m still single, want to put my career first, so yep not for a little while

Career: i’m a cake decorator rn, see my cakes on my insta @tanakeiart

Hugs or Kisses: hUG mE

Lips or eyes: Eyes, (though I am supper bad at making eye contact)

Shorter or taller: would be nice to be slightly taller...

Older or younger: like to date or something? I think high school rule is a good rule, but rn looking at niners mAN they are tiny

Nice arms or stomach: arms to hug meeeeee

Sensitive or loud: i think I would need a loud person to compliment me

Hook up or relationship: relationship bc you have a standing plus one to everything and rn being single I have to text like 5 friends to find someone to go with me to something

Troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant

Have you ever:

kissed a stranger: Nope

Drank hard liquor: I only have like four months until my 19th so like i’ll go drinking then

Lost Glasses/contact lenses: funny story: family and i were in Japan and we were at Kinkaku-ji and then i realize that one of my eyes have gone fuzzy, so thinking that there is something on the lens, i take my glasses off and my lens had fallen out of the frame. my family literally crawled around trying to find my lost lens, we did find it, but we couldn’t find a small screw that would hold the lens in. my dad fixed it with a twist tie.

turned someone down: nobody likes me so nobody has asked me so i have never turned someone down

broken someone’s heart: no

had your heart broken: yeah, by a friend. It is shATTERing

been arrested: not even a parking ticket in my name

cried when someone died: no, i am some kind of emotionless egg

fallen for a friend: my heart easily leaps and often trips falls and gets lost

Do you believe in:

yourself: yes, I believe that I can get in, I believe that I can be what I want to be.

Miracles: I believe in karma more than miracles

Love at first sight: yes, but not in the way that media portrays it

Santa claus: nah

Kiss on the first date: this is weirdly phrased.

other:

current best friend name: becky

Eye colour: brown

Favourite movie: the other day i was procrastinating and made an official list of favourite movies, which still has a lot of ties: 1/2: httyd 1/2, 3/4: moana, big hero 6, 5/6/7: wreck it ralph, tangled, rise of the guardians, 8/9/10: back to the future 1-3

wow that took a lot of time, but thanks for tagging me! I’m tagging @thepurplewriter333 @yv-sketches and @animalsarepeople2 on the ones that you didn’t tag me in! also tagging @katlikespie @crazilexa and @fading-shadows for whichever one/s you want to do!

#long post #but i really didn't want to make four seperate posts #replies #keiko talks to thin air

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charmingstrangeness · 7 years

Note

If you still take questions for the writing ask (sorry I didn't notice it sooner!), then 2, 4, 5, 8, 11, 14! Bonus: 20, where Karamatsu and Katsura have a moment where they connect through pure painfulness and become best friends.

omg i completely forgot i reblogged that lmaoooo thanks for sending some!!!

fic writing questions

2. Favorite piece overall?

it’s a hard tie between oversight and the fisherman and his brothers, i’d say? from stuff i’ve published, at any rate. they were both a lot of fun to plan out and write and they both turned out really well. oversight could be a little better quality-wise but it makes up for that in heart.

4. Which has the most “you” in it, however you’d define that?

this is lowkey a cop-out i know i’m sorry but the answer is 110% an unfinished WIP i’ve been chipping away at for like a year and a half (not 2 get too into spoiler territory here but it’s a character study featuring karamatsu and music so i mean.)

5. What is an image/set of images that you’re particularly proud of?

every instance of painfully tacky fashion choices in any fic i’ve written (looking at you, oversight & distraction) also there’s a moment towards the end of the fisherman and his brothers where karamatsu is waiting for the fish to show up and he nonchalantly watches the wind just rip a tree out of the ground in the distance. that image just makes me laugh every time i think about it i love it so much

8. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment?

djfghlsjdhfg picking favourites uhhHHHHHH h e ck i’ll cheat and do a favourite for each i guess???

plot point - all the notebook shit in WtMC and like basically every scene it appears in i’m still so proud of that entire clusterfuck

chapter - rei’s POV chapter in day in the life. it’s getting close to two years since i wrote that fic and god knows it’s not my best writing but rei’s chapter was so much fun and it’s just sweet and hilarious and maybe in a few more years when my writing has further improved i’ll re-write it as a reigisa oneshot or something just because it honestly deserves to be written well.

moment - this isn’t specific enough for me to have a top fave so i’ll take this time to highlight the part in pacifists are the best mediators where sakamoto hoists takasugi over his shoulder and calls him an angry sack of potatoes; that’s a solidly good moment i’m definitely a big fan of it lmao

11. If I’m showing off just one of your pieces to someone, which one should it be?

the fisherman and his brothers is flat-out the single best thing i’ve ever written in terms of both concept and execution and i accepted a long time ago that nothing will ever top it. it also has a lot of edge on basically everything else i’ve written because it got some top-tier beta reader attention

in close second would be WtMC for basically the same reasons lol

14. Would you want to write canon for any of your fandoms (like be hired by showrunner to do an episode)? Which one?

do i even need to answer this i think everyone here knows the answer is osomatsu-san (although it’d be fun to write canon for gintama too but i think i’d do a better job for oso). my fic ideas list for oso is miles and miles long and almost every single idea on it would make a fantastic episode also lbh the fisherman and his brothers deserves to be animated & made canon i’m just saying

20. write me a little ficlet-whatsit using a character/image/line I shall now specify:

i dont want to skip this but i’m going to just because i’m a bit too writer’s block on, ironically enough, a zura & kara scene in the crossover fic (among a couple other scenes dkfjgkfd i have like every scene of this chapter started but not completed i’m in h e l l )

some food for thought so that i dont totally fail this question - an animated sequence of karamatsu and katsura arriving in the same room and both of their theme songs play simultaneously in a perfect mashup. also to consider: that episode where they all turn into zombies with unibrows (for context it was a tribute episode for kochikame’s 30th anniversary) and zura keeps trying to get everyone to call the zombies “mayuzomu” – in a crossover situation, karamatsu would be the first to use that nickname and katsura would be so smug that someone else was on board with it. however, instead of the nickname eventually catching on through sheer persistence, absolutely no one would use it just out of spite.

#die-einzelgengar #reply #thanks again for sending one ahh!!#i'm sorry i didnt write a thing for number 20 but i did make significant headway on the chapter im working on #specifically because you asked #so thanks for the motivation i guess????#extras #behind the scenes

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transboygenius · 5 years

Text

SE4SON: Chapter 15

With the quartz quest finally completed, Jimmy and Nick decided to relax with their weird yet lovable friends for the rest of the day, after they had their short power nap. It wasn't fully dark outside yet, but that didn't mean they couldn't set a campfire and enjoy a good moose frank roast. Butterscotch was chomping his teeth into an oat cake Nick promised he'd bake. Diana roasted five franks on the same stick, Rodent Girl would roast cheese with her franks, and Benson kept burning his because he isn't sure whether his meat is done or not. While eating, Jimmy and Nick told them about stuff in the twenty first century. Nick usually tells scary stories around campfires, but it wasn't all that dark.

"The future is sooooooo weird yet very astonishing! Work is done more easier and fun is more fun! Tell me more!" Said Rodent Girl. "Okay. There's this little box, well nowadays most of them are pretty much flat and wide, with a window on it. It magically projects moving pictures that tell stories. It's called television. T.V. for short." Said Nick. "Ooooooooooooooh!" Wowed Rodent Girl, Diana, Butterscotch, and Benson. "Unfortunately, rarely anyone watches TV, in our generation, anymore. All the real fun happens on the internet!" "What is the internet?" Asked Benson. "It's a bit complicated to explain, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet. Opportunities are universal on the internet. You can only access it on a computer, with wifi. A computer looks similar to a TV, but has a 'typewriter' attached to it. You can play brightly colored games, do your shopping in peace, share your written diaries anonymously, and much more, and I'm gonna stop there cuz I said I'd keep it short and sweet. And also, some things on the internet are evil, but I won't go into that." "It sounds too good to be true! How do machines such as the internet even work? What, or who, is inside this box, anyway?" Asked Diana.

Jimmy responded with his techno babbling, explaining the full details of an open source system and how it operates. Nick had to cut him off, since his words brought nothing but confusion to his new friends. So like Nick, Jimmy decided to go short and sweet as well.

"*Sigh* Science. It's like magic, but manmade. And it actually works." "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Again, wowed Rodent Girl, Diana, Butterscotch, and Benson. "If you do get home and decide to visit us, could you bring me one of those cardiovasculars?" Asked Diana. "I want a fondue maker! A tub sized one! Make sure it comes with a year supply of swissssssss!" Screamed Rodent Girl. "Please, please! If there's anything I'd want more, get me a dishwasher!" Benson begged. "Houyhnhnm. (I just want a helicopter.)" Whinned Butterscotch. "Those things are very expensive." Said Nick. "Awwwwwwwww." The four of everyone moaned. "I can manufacture those myself!" Said Jimmy. "Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!" "But we shouldn't tamper with the timeline like that. The effect could be adverse." "Awwwwwwwww." "No fondue maker?" Cried Rodent Girl. "But, I can bring back some of my cooking. I'll even write down some recipes." Said Nick. "Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Rodent Girl came up to Nick and then hugged him deeply.

"Thank you, friend! I wish you two didn't have to leave!" Cried Rodent Girl again. "Well, it's only temporary when the next storm comes." Nick replied "I wish it never rained!" "What is going on here?" A familiar voice was heard.

Jimmy and Nick froze. Everyone turned around. Mitzi had returned from work again.

"We were just talking about fondue makers and broken hearts." Rodent Girl responded to Mitzi. "Interesting. Anyhow, I thought this over while at work, and I'd like you to know that I'm here to apologize." "Huh?" Both Jimmy and Nick. "Diana, I'm sorry for my behavior yesterday and for being so selfish. Oona, I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable with those rat puns. I'll try to resist making one ever again."

The two boys glared up at Mitzi, both with the same facial expression, and their arms crossed. After all the trouble and anxiety Mitzi put them through, they might moreover have their apology too. Mitzi glared back at the boys. She can tell they already knew she tried to foil their plan.

"How 'bout it?" Asked Mitzi. "Hmmmm, you did apologize. I think all's left to do is forgive and forget." Replied Diana.

Diana got up from her log and hugged her friend. Mitzi didn't show any sign of being crushed, that's because Diana was just wrapping her arms around her, without using any of her strength. Everyone was touched over this scenery except Jimmy and Nick. Mitzi is still a horrible person in their eyes, no matter how sweet the moment looked. She sabotaged their time machine, and she didn't even apologize to them. The boys are sick of having to content with her bull. Someone oughta do something about it. Nick lowered his head to Jimmy's ear, and whispered.

"I have a plan. I'll wake you up for it."

.............................

[*Early morning*]

The sun was beginning to raise, but everyone was still asleep. Mitzi had just finished a small breakfast, contesting of toast with jam and a black coffee, and packed her lunch ahead of time. She then took her plate and mug to the counter for Benson to wash. When she got there, she found a note laying around.

Mitzi, I want to talk to you about... uhhhhhhhh.... ...a thing. Come into the shed and we can discuss this, thing, in private. Diana. P.S. Why are you so mean to Nick and Jimmy? They're super cool!

Mitzi immediately rushed to the shed after reading the message. However, when she got there, all she found in the shed was emptiness. After that, the door slammed close, leaving the shed in pitch darkness. The darkness was short lived when a lantern lit up the room. Jimmy and Nick were there, guarding the door behind them. Mitzi's heart pounded in her chest.

"I KNEW IT! I knew thou were up to no good! Luckily, I had myself prepared! Now perish!" Screamed Mitzi, then held up a crucifix. "*Yawn* Like that's gonna work. We're not demons, lady." Said Nick. "Lies! Lies you tell! There probably is no future awaiting for your return! You're not like any of us! You dress funny! You talk weird! You're little friend talks even weirder!" "Leave Jimmy out of this! And I'm sorry we don't fit in the middle age description of 'natural fashion!'" "And what do you expect future people to look like? Time advances as it progresses, and humanity starts to improve! Actually, it's also getting worse, too. Demons are myths! Hoax! A construct of religious conviction!" Said Jimmy. "If you were demons, you'd still deny it!"

Nick was at his last straw now. He walked up to Mitzi, grabbed the cross, and threw it aside.

"We just wanna talk." "'Wanna talk,' that's what they all say! And before you know it, you're being taken away from your family and into their rebellion, where they soon strip to reveal their true form, and you realize your feelings have been toyed with this whole time! Then you spend the rest of your youth performing slavery labor under vile conditions that are hazardous to your health, fed only one bowl of gruel a day! A world where friendships were torn apart for survival, and nobody loves you there! I have lost one family, and I'm not gonna let you ruin this one!"

Jimmy and Nick hesitated for a moment. It sounded as though Mitzi explained her whole background story.

"What's with this silence?! Speak now!" Mitzi demanded. "Look; I'm sorry what happened to you, and your family, but you need to stop acting like a bitch." Replied Nick. "'Cuse me, demon?" "Ever since we first arrived, you've shown absolutely nothing but disgust towards us, regardless of how nice we've been! You even began to take your anger out on your current family!" "Hey! I apologized, didn't I? And I don't care if you have halos floating above your heads! I will not be suckered into another demon's false kindness!" "For the last time, we are not demons! We just wanna go home! I wanna take a hot bath! I wanna binge watch on CageFlix while laying in bed! I wanna blow my allowance on convenient store snacks with high calories! I DON'T wanna sacrifice some stranger's life to a cult! I know you've dealt with some horrible people, or whatever they were, in the past. We're not them! We want to see our families as well! Would it kill you to at least learn to know us better, instead of constantly judging us?! You might not make any new friends with this attitude!"

Jimmy was paralyzed by Nick's words. Not because they sounded empowering, but the way he summed up Mitzi, it reminded him of someone: Himself. Jimmy's always making enemies. He's only eleven years old, yet he managed to mold himself the biggest rouge's gallery more than any existing hero ever had. Like Mitzi, he has also been suckered by his own villain's schemes occasionally. This has developed some trust issues with the boy genius. If a villain were to say they wanted to redeem themself, or he met with a person who looked slightly sinister, he feels that someone isn't worth trusting. However, Tee turned out to be redeemed, even though Jimmy protested at first. Maybe he should start acting like a real genius and look into his facts. After all, he learned to trust Nick after he opened up to him.

Mitzi tried to think of a good response to Nick's lecture, but she just couldn't find the right words. She didn't know what to say, yet she won't accept that she's been defeated. Despite how angry her expression looked, she spoke in a calm tone,

"I have to go to work."

Nick turned to Jimmy, thinking he'd know how to reply to that. The boy genius only shrugged. They might as well just let her go. After having approval from Nick, Jimmy stepped out of the way to let her through. After Mitzi reached the door and opened it, she shot Jimmy and Nick one last glare for the day. When she exited the shed, she slammed the door behind her. Jimmy was worried she might try to vandalize their time machine again, but then Nick let him know that he hid it somewhere she can't find it. The two boys took their lantern, and their leave. As they walked back to the barn, Jimmy still thought about what Nick had told Mitzi earlier. The taller boy began to notice his friend's concerned look.

"You alright there, Jim?" "Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm okay. I was still thinking about... ...persuading the king." "Persuading the king?" "Yeah. We talked about it the other night, remember?" "Yes, I remember. I still think we're walking on thin ice here. We're talking man of the hour, the one who owns a whole world surrounded by these four walls." "Psychology, Nick. Psychology." "How do we get to him? Walking into a domain of a powerful authority figure sounds pretty difficult, if you look at it my way." "Sneaking into the king's jewel mine didn't seem like a problem to you." "I know, but we're facing the king up close, and who knows how many guards he owns?" "Will you stop worrying, okay? You have to trust me on this. It takes an IQ of 215 to butter up even the most stubborn-est fascists. Our new friends, minus Mitzi, have done so much for us, I think we oughta pay them back." "Yeah, you have a good point. I'm still a little doubtful, however." "If it makes you feel any safer, we'll take Diana along with us." "Bringing along a 6'3 lady with a well-built body that puts Jet Fusion's biceps to shame sorta makes me feel a little safer. But you know what will make me feel safest?" "Being armed?" "Staying right by your side."

Jimmy grinned at Nick. If this mission will cost them their lives, Nick would rather die next to his best friend than to die alone. It fills the boy genius's heart with warm passion. Wait, why do I even feel this type of passion? ...to a boy? The two headed into their barn. They were still a bit drowsy from waking up so early, around 4:00 am, waiting for Mitzi. They didn't know what time she left for work at. Nick put out the lantern while Jimmy got cozy in his hay bed. Nick did the same after he was done. They soon closed their eyes and drifted off. Their rest was then put to an end by the rooster's cry. Nick got pissed.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, I'm gonna pluck you, bread you, and dip you into piping hot oil!"

...........................

After everyone finished their breakfast, which Nick prepared himself, Jimmy went over the "Persuade King Jason Proposal" with Diana.

"You wanna call a meeting? With King Jason?!" Asked Diana. "Yes, precisely." Replied Jimmy. "Absolutely not! You haven't yet met with this sir! Frankly, I haven't either, but you know what this man can do! No wait... You know what this man can pay his men to do! Any mere peasant who is't dares to file a complaint to the king, shall--" "...be hanged. Yes. We got the message. Like 1,000 times. We know. The dude's got a hanging fetish." Said Nick. "And it's not 'filing a complaint,' it's a work of mindset. Otherwise known as psychology. For example, monkeys are easily influenced by positive reinforcement. These primates are as disobedient as they come, but you can charm them with the giving of a banana. And since human and monkey DNA only differ by two percent, I could definitely pull the same principle on some dumb king." Said Jimmy. "Hmmm. Not bad. Sounds very intriguing! That could work!" "Of course it will! That's science-" "Oooooooohhh, I almost forgot. We have no bananas, and bananas won't be shipped to the village until next Tuesday. I wonder how he feels about pears." "It's not about the bananas. It's about the principle!" "Oh. That. Wellllll, I still protest! Something tells me that getting King Jason to talk seems very testing! The man is a stone cold tyrant!" "Is there any laws against inducing the king?" "No? At least not yet." "Has anybody ever talked to him? Other than his own royal subjects?" "I don't know. Nobody knows what happens behind those closed doors." "Then we might have a shot in this!" "I still object! It's far too dangerous up in that kingdom, and I won't let you! Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever succeeded in overthrowing the king, and is ever heard from again! As your guardian/landlord/best friend, I order you to stay put! You are not going to visit King Jason, and that's final! You hear me? You two are not- Ah, the heck with it already. You boys are just gonna continue being stubborn anyways. Not like I can just talk you out of this." "Sounds to me you need a lesson on psychology." Said Nick.

Diana then went to go fetch Nick his suit of armor, and his fake badge.

"Wait, what about me?" Asked Jimmy? "What about you?" Diana asked back. "Don't I get a disguise, too? Even if it's not a suit of armor, I'll take anything as long as I can blend in with the people. I may get a lot of stares out of this wardrobe." "Let me see what I have."

Diana looked around the hut to find something Jimmy could put on and it fits. If the boy genius walks out into the village wearing his modern civvies, he'll stand out like an alien to them. These are the type of clothes that almost got Jimmy and Nick burned at the stake. Diana eventually returned with a tiny wizard's uniform, in velvet rat, plus a hat.

"This was the only thing I could find in your size, Jimmy. It used to be Rodent Girl's Halloween costume from last year, but then shrank after Benson washed it." "How many of Rodent Girl's costumes do you keep?" Asked Nick.

Instead of complaining, Jimmy just accepted the costume, since it is his only option. Like Nick, he wore it over his clothes. It was very comfy, and it smelled like lavender. Nick envied him. Although the costume may look too small for him, he would like to make a trade.

"That costume also comes with a fake beard, if you like! Let me go grab it-" Said Diana. "Noooo, it's fine! And besides, we really should be leaving right now!" Replied Jimmy. "Ah, yes. Onward to destiny! We have a date with the king! And young man, may I ask you one more question before we head out?" "What is it?" "How do you make your hats fit?"

..............................

So Jimmy and Nick made it to the village, riding on Butterscotch's back. Jimmy sat front, while Nick was behind. Diana led the way. "Why hello, Albert!" Diana greeted a gentleman working behind a poultry stand, who had a wooden prosthetic arm. The man ducked under the counter and placed a "closed" note on top.

So, this was the village, Jimmy thought. The town had a historical aesthetic to it. It felt like walking into a Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece. This was suppose to be a horrible economy run under capitalism, but it gave off a pleasing atmosphere. It was so relaxing without any cars present, or the scent of their engine fumes. The architecture didn't look very ancient at all. Suddenly, a white rabbit, the same one from before, hopped in the way of their trail. The fluffy rodent startled Butterscotch, which caused him to kick his backside up in the air. Jimmy held on tight to the back of the horse's neck, but Nick launched off, and landed in a wheelbarrow of paint.

"My fabulous dazzlingly set of shiny paint! I hope you can pay for this, son!" Said the man, who had been dragging the wheelbarrow.

Nick got silver paint all over his armor, coating him completely. He tried to wipe it off, but it appeared to have dried so quickly. Nick looked up at the angry man. He ran back to Butterscotch, climbing onto his back and making a break for it. Diana just stood there, looking at the angry paint salesman.

"I don't know these children, I swear." Said Diana. "Hey! Hey, you two! Jimmy! Nick! Slow down and wait for me!"

..............................

22 minutes later, they entered the high class part of the village, which means they are getting closer to the kingdom. It was the same as the middle class, but much cleaner. There were so many dukes and duchess around. Everyone was neatly tailored and spotless. They were also all Caucasian and thin. Some men smoked pipes, while some women carried toy dogs. Whenever they'd catch a glance at Diana, Jimmy, and Nick, they would stuck their noses up in the air and then walk away. Suddenly, Nick started to feel superstitious.

"Jimmy, I think someone's following us." Said Nick. "The king's ruling classes?" Asked Jimmy, feeling a little worried. "No, just some little girl."

Jimmy looked back, but found no one there.

"You probably mislooked it as something else. I don't see any little girl." "But... You're probably right. After all, I did say 'I think' someone was following us. Not to sound corny, but it was probably just my imagination. We've been living in this hell hole for over a week, and now I may be loosing my mind." "Sometimes homesickness can have a huge impact on one's mental health. Don't worry, Nick. You'll be fine. Home is much closer than you think."

Little did Nick know, he wasn't seeing things. Someone was following them. But worry not. It isn't a foe.

Later, they finally found the castle. It wasn't easy to miss. Like every fairytale castle, it was surrounded by a moat, and the only way to get through is from the drawbridge, which is the opening to the castle. Nick was fascinated. Jimmy was more "meh." After all the supernatural stuff he's seen, a castle just doesn't bring him excitement. Abruptly, the four jumped behind some bushes as a couple of knights marched in an organized party, towards the castle. The drawbridge then slowly descended for them.

"Well, this is our stop. Diana, if we're not back within an hour, feel free to do.... ...what you do best." Said Jimmy. "Roger! And Godspeed to you boys!" Replied Diana, saluting the two. "Hurry, Nick. We have a bridge to catch!"

Jimmy and Nick sneaked into the party by blending in with the other knights. Jimmy hid underneath Nick's cape. As the bridge opened, everyone marched forward. The boys were able to make it inside without being suspected. None of the knights even questioned Nick's height difference. As the party continued to marched to their assigned duty, or wherever they're off to, Nick stopped in his tracks. Him and Jimmy were now alone in the main hallway.

"Okay Jimmy. We've made it."

The boy genius removed himself from under Nick's cape.

"Wow." Jimmy's voiced echoed throughout the empty room. "Okay, we've seen the king's castle. Let's go back now." Nick replied, who then tried to make an exit. "Nick! We can't! The door's already shut! And haven't you forgotten what we're here for?"

Jimmy offered Nick his hand. The tall boy became hesitant, and was blushing from the inside of his helmet. The boy genius wants to hold hands with him?

"C'mon. We've made it this far."

Nick then accepted the boy genius's offer, and let him take his hand into his. This gesture somewhat lessened Nick's fear. It reminded him how he had promised he'd do anything for Jimmy, no matter what the circumstances. His love for Jimmy helps boost his confidence. It's the same love that helped him pull through that quartz mission. Good thing the helmet came in use, because the boy genius doesn't notice Nick making a goofy, affectionate face behind it.

Hand-in-hand, the boys searched all around the castle together, opening any door that might lead them to the king, while dodging servants and royal guards. The first door they opened brought them to the kitchen, where the new cook was preparing a fowl that looked like it were still alive. The second door they opened was to a music room, although what the orchestra was practicing didn't sound like music to them. The third door was a showcase for art, full of more fantasy paintings and statues Jimmy and Nick wished they could've unseen.

"This place is huge, Nick. The king could be anywhere in this castle." "From what I've learned from all those stupid movies, kings usually sit on their butts all day in those big rooms with the stained glass windows. Do you know where that might be?" "I don't know. I've never been in a castle before. At least, not like this one. *Flashback to eight year-old Jimmy in a bouncy castle*"

Without being aware of their surroundings, they accidentally bumped into King Jason's chancellor, Richard.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing here?!" Asked Richard. "We- We're with the authority of the king!" Nick then pulled out his fake badge as proof. "If you were, I'd already know that by now! And you certainly wouldn't need to present your badge!"

The chancellor then seized the badge from Nick.

"THIS ISN'T EVEN A REAL BADGE!"

Richard took the paper badge and tore it up. Scared, Jimmy and Nick held onto each other in their arms.

"Now confess or see to the king! What are you really here for?!"

Nick responded with,

"We're banana salesmen."

...........................

Richard dragged Jimmy and Nick into the main throne room. They got what they wanted. There was King Jason, in the flesh.

"Sire! I caught these two spies wandering around your domain, posing as your authorities!" Said Richard. "That's not true! We're only here to call an appointment with the king!" Replied Jimmy. "Nobody is allowed to see the king unless on his own term!"

The king was ready to blow his fuse. Not because of the spy matter, but because Richard brought it up in the middle of his reading time. Just then, when King Jason set his eyes on the new troublemakers, he was rather surprised, like he knew them from somewhere. He put on his monocle for a moment to get a better look at the boys. It can't be. I see it, and I don't believe it. Them? A long silence filled the room.

"Sire?" "Richard! Receiveth thy filthy mitts off of the lads!" "Huh?" "Did I stutter? NOW!"

Richard released the two young boys from his grip. He expected King Jason would be angry, but not at him. Now, the king can be very merciless, regardless of what age a person is, but what did he see in these "spies" that brought him into a change of heart? King Jason smiled widely. It was more of a forced smile then a modest one. Jimmy and Nick were left confused. They thought they'd have to suffer the consequences after what they've been caught doing. Instead, the king decided to just let them off the hook easily. But why?

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?"

#Jimmy Neutron #Boy Genius #Nick Dean #Cindy Vortex #Libby Folfax #Sheen Estevez #Carl Wheezer #Season 4 #fanfic #romance #adventure #TVverse #TVEE

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