#daedalus was kind of a piece of work huh

[golyadkin]

Sons Of The Labyrinth or The Things Our Fathers Do To Us

#tentatively unprivating to post this...might have to private again if the bots attack #death // #icarus #minotaur #daedalus #comics #greek mythology #pulled out my old classic greek myths book to go over the mythology for this and man... #daedalus was kind of a piece of work huh #art tag

[youtriggeredmytrapcard]

Ristretto [Drabble]

2:04 a.m., KaibaCorp Headquarters, CEO’s office.

There was always so much to do.

It was shaping up to be his second all-nighter in a row, actually. It was no small feat, preparing for the Battle City tournament-- the logistics of having to rent out an entire city was a red-taped nightmare all by itself. Which... he knew going in, that it would be. It was kind-of an insane thing to do, but Kaiba was kind-of an insane guy. (Or so many of his shareholders would claim.) The 'locator cards' concept was coming to fruition as well, though it was tricky to work out how each locator card would work with every other locator card to display the full map. And not make it so one person could have six of the same piece.

On top of that, were the final schematics for his new Duel Disk system, the other major thing that made this entire tournament tick. That was his true baby-- he'd agonized over every little detail of its build. The first Duel Disk, the one he'd invented in order to defeat Pegasus, was brilliant. However, it was imperfect. Having to reel the device back in and throw it back out every single turn to get the holograms to appear was clunky, to put it politely. He'd cut himself some slack just this once, considering that he created them completely on his own, in a house on a cliffside, while struggling to process some... stuff. But that was behind him, and he had a new outlook: To never settle for mediocrity, for a single second. This new Duel Disk would prove it. It would be perfect. Absolutely perfect. It had to be.

A couple of all-nighters and skipped meals? Psh. Well worth it.

Kaiba leaned back in his office chair, picking up the paper coffee cup from his desk. It had gone cold hours ago, but there was still some left in it. He'd brew a new pot in the break room soon (as he'd told himself for the past hour) just as soon as he finished this one last thing. The final blueprints for the Duel Disks. There had been prototype after prototype, test after test, this was the final design. Once he signed off on it, mass production would commence. So, this was important. He had to look at every detail, and make sure there were no errors.

"Do you think you should change the name?"

Huh? Kaiba looked up from his computer monitor, brows raised. Someone was standing there, by the door. A young man, about Kaiba's age, black hair. White-and-orange striped shirt, green apron. Hey, wait...

"Weren't you my barista, this morning?" His memory was sharp, he remembered things like that. What was his name? Kaiba didn't see a name tag.

"Kaito," The man introduced anyway, walking over to the side of the room, not getting much closer to the desk. "Is that the same cup from then? You should really throw that out."

Kaiba looked down at the cup. It wasn't the same coffee, he'd refilled it with the pot from the break room. ... That's not much better, is it? He almost tossed the cup into the trash can beside his desk then and there, but ultimately set it back down on his desk. "You shouldn't tell me what to do. How did you even get in here?"

"Security let me in," Kaito shrugged. “Said I wanted to see the new Duel Disk’s Solid Vision-Phaser Drive Launcher and they just assumed I worked here.”

Kaiba blinked, looking back to his monitor. He had that same part of the Disk on his screen right now. His hand was hovering over the button that called for security, but stilled. “The SVPDL-V3? It works like a charm, with the auto-guidance systems in place.”

“I bet, I wondered how you were going to condense all of that hologram tech into such a small space. The holo-chips in those things are just incredible-- they’re SV-1808s, right?”

“You know your stuff,” Kaiba observed.

“I do,” Kaito smirked. 

“Did you come here looking for a new job?”

"Do you think you should change the name?"

His brows furrowed, ultimately looking back to his computer monitor and starting to type some notes, continuing the conversation without eye-contact. "Change what name?"

"The Duel Disk. It's not much of a disk anymore, is it?"

His hands stilled for a second. "... No. But the center part still references the original design."

"But it doesn't spin. And it's got that sharp bit attached to it. It's not disk-like at all, more like an axe. Duel Axe."

"No."

"Duel Blade?"

"I'm not naming my technology after a weapon," he huffed. "Duel Disk has alliteration on its side. It's catchy. It's the kind of name that will catch on."

"Even if it's not accurate?" Kaito was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Especially. Sometimes abstract names are the most successful. Lexus. Pepsi."

"Those are brands, not products. What about Diskalibur?”

“That still has disk in its name, wasn’t that your whole issue?”

Kaito rubbed his chin. “Ah, you’re right. Duelkalibur! Duel Dagger? No, that’s still a weapon... Duel Daedalus?”

"Why are you so hung up on this?" Kaiba snapped. "You’re wasting my time. I don’t have any reason to doubt the name. No matter how different the second generation is from the first, I was always going to keep it."

"Because it's catchy, and you have good brand sense?"

"I have the best brand sense."

"You want it to become popular."

"Of course."

“Why?”

“Stupid question.”

"Because the first one failed?"

Kaiba finally looked up. "What?"

"It failed. You wouldn't be redesigning it, if it didn't fail."

"It didn't, and that’s not true either, successful products always--”

"It failed to beat Pegasus. Failed to beat Yugi, really."

That got Kaiba to stand from his chair. The button for security was immediately pressed. It didn't make a sound up here, but the guards just got an alert. "How do you know that?"

"I knew someone who was there."

"Nonsense. And the Duel Disk has nothing to do with all that."

Kaito shrugged. "Why keep the name if it doesn’t? It makes sense. You want to replace the memory of that machine with a new one, right? A better one that everyone will love."

His palms slammed against the desk, glaring. Kaito didn’t react, just watched him. "It didn't fail," he repeated, breathy. Like a warning.

Kaito tilted his head. "Then what did?"

"Sir!" The night-shift of his security team burst into the room, a small group of men in dark uniforms and nightsticks. Their eyes were locked on Kaiba at his desk, looking ready for action. "Is everything okay?"

It felt like a joke of a question. Blue eyes, wide yet still looking exhausted, were staring off to the side. He’s gone. A blink was all it took-- all it took, to realize. A blink, and real people bursting in, as if to remind his brain how real people looked, how they behaved.

His palms felt cold, ice spreading in through veins. Kaiba slowly sat back down in his chair, forcing himself to look at the guards. Forcing himself to take a breath, though he ended up holding it. It wasn't really helping-- they were all surrounding the desk now, probably figuring the CEO had been poisoned, or something. "It's fine," he stated suddenly, speaking too fast, stopping the guards' approach. "Go back to your posts. I must've pressed the button by mistake."

"Ah." Well, the guards weren't going to question that. They bowed. "Sorry, sir."

He waited until they were out of the room and the door was closed, before he let his gaze drop to the desk, his mouth hanging open. The coffee cup was spotted-- and his arm swung out, smacking the horrid thing off his desk as hard as he could. It made a hollow thump against the window behind him, whatever remaining liquid splattering against it and dripping onto the carpet. He didn't care. It wasn’t enough. He stood, and stomped on it, watching it as the paper warped and bent under his shoe, the sounds it made. It wasn’t enough. Nothing would be enough, to prove it was really there.

... His whole form crumpled, crouching down and burying his head in his hands.

He can't afford this.

#\\\ DRABBLE #hallucinations cw #Idk how many of these I'll do but I had enough of an idea for this one that I felt like goin for it #This drabble is called 'how much dialogue can I write before getting bored' #Trick question there is no limit #\\\ I'm so sane it's driving me crazy (Musings) #\\\ Verse: Battle City #\\\ Queue Eyes White Dragon #long post

[rpchive]

Ninety Eighth Encounter-- All Fun, Possible Profit

see, Maya has a fun side...sorta?

Maya is in the console room with Zenith, Nydins, and Rio. Zenith seems a bit sheepish around her still.

Zenith: ...If we're gonna be meeting up again, you'd better not bring any guns this time!

Maya: Oh, there won't be any weapons. Just a table and an empty bottle. Surely you can handle that. Collin pokes his head into the console room. "Uh, did I just hear Maya suggest playing 'spin the bottle'?" Maya: Well, yes and no...look, just meet me in the practice room...with everybody again. I'll explain when we're all together. Collin: Alright, but everyone's going to be a little gunshy after the last time we did this. Quite literally, in my case at least. Maya: Feel free to check me at the door, if that's the case. Hell, I'll play nude if you want.

Rio: P-please don't! Collin: Y-Yeah, we're good there. I'll see you guys in a little bit then. Maya heads for the room along with Nydins and Rio. Gradually everyone is made aware of another meeting and files back in to the training room, although Fawkes seems far more on alert this time around. Maya and the others are there; a large, circular table in the room along with a singular, empty glass bottle just within arms reach.

Maya: So, I don't need to explain Spin the Bottle to anyone, right? But we won't be playing truth or dare, or kissing, or anything like that. Anyone can spin the bottle, but whoever it points to has to say something personal. Something about themself; somethin' they've been thinking...stuff like that. Figured I should lighten up on you guys a little...for now, anyway. Daedalus: What, team building exercises? I hadn't expected something so... juvenile from the person who pulled a gun on us the last time we gathered up. Maya: But you still don't know anything about yourselves, do you? Oh, but you can still lie. It doesn't matter what you say, but everyone has to say something about themself. Collin: I... guess we can manage that. Uh, who's going first? Maya: Whoever wants to. This is all for you guys, after all. Daedalus: Alright, fine, I'll get this thing moving then.

He strides up to the table and casually spins the bottle around. The bottle slowly stops on Demo, who leans back in her chair and sighs. "My birds aren't the only things that can hide what they really look like, even if you manage to see what I look like under this, it won't be totally right. So I don't really have an animal form like Jay does..."

canon explanation for how Demo...probably isn’t actually a seahorse, but she also probably said that a little to uhh...cover up that her True Form is kind of embarrassing, as if being a bunny isn’t

Grabbing the bottle, Demo spins it, and it lands on Jay.

alienrabitt: ...I, uh...I'm sorry about...I mean...

Maya: Pass the bottle. You can try again later...

Jay wordlessly puts the bottle back in the middle of the table. Fawkes steps forward and takes hold of the bottle. His hand twists around at the wrist and spins the bottle like a top. The bottle stops on Maya, who looks surprised for a moment. Leaning forward, she removes the toothpick she's been chewing on. "...Back in Lobotomy; I had a coworker who was with me for 3 months who was about my age. She transferred to a new department, and was dead in 3 days. She was my first employee when I became a manager. I still have nightmares about the corpse."

if Nydins ever grabs her or she winds up having a breakdown or something, this will be Very Relevant

Casually, she spins the bottle, and it lands on Collin. Maya returns the toothpick and leans back into her chair. Collin: ... Jesus, I had to follow that up, huh? Maya: Hey, you can spin again if you're chicken. Collin: It's not that, it's... Nevermind, uh...

He messes with his hair for a few seconds before he continues. "... I try to keep my leg on as often as possible because something about it stops this awful pain I get where my leg used to be." XL: That sounds like more than phantom limbs...is something going on again? Collin: I don't think so? It's not like it's constant, or always painful. Honestly the pain is almost preferable over it itching. Have you tried scratching a foot that you don't have? XL: No, only making expressions without a face. But I'm glad something isn't wrong again...

Demo: Yeah, Jay'd probably lose his other arm or something freaking out. Maya: Back to the bottle, please? Collin: Oh, right, sorry.

He grabs the bottle and spins it again. The bottle stops on Zenith, who glances away for a moment, and stares at the table the entire time they respond. "I, uhh...I don't really remember who I used to be all that much yet, but I still miss our mom a little...wherever she is..."

that’s okay, you’ll get over it :)

Clair gets quiet for a minute.

Zenith spins the bottle, which lands back on Demo.

Demo: Seriously? Fine. I don't have any of the weird allergies Jay had, so I just...intentionally eat stuff I know he can't, because he can't.

alienrabitt: Dude, what the hell?

Demo: Hey, you can't have it, why shouldn't I? Daedalus: Hey, someone's gotta eat that stuff, right? Demo spins the bottle, which points towards Daedalus. Daedalus: Ah hell, guess it had to happen at some point. Alright, uh... I'm almost done with my first piece of armor. That work? Maya: That...doesn't have much to do with you yourself. Daedalus: Says a lot if you think about it for a second. But fine, how about... I stole a whole bunch of classic rock CDs from the music room because so far it's helped me work the best. Silky: Is it really stealing if anybody can use them? Daedalus: Sheesh, you guys are so pedantic sometimes. Silky: I'm just saying, it's nobody's personal property. Daedalus: Whatever. That's where they are, if you're looking for them. Now then...

He quickly steps up and gives the bottle another spin. The bottle lands on Rio, who jumps slightly in surprise. "U-um, there's not much else to know about me! I don't know anything you guys don't either."

Maya: It's true; she can't say much else. Collin: Really? Not even like a favorite foo- okay well food's a bad example but you know what I mean.

cannocly they can eat

Rio: I, uhh...I like cats? Collin: Works for me.

Fawkes: I'm surprised we don't have any sort of pets on the IT, now that I think about it. alienrabitt: The IT theoretically could make animals, but...I wouldn't suggest it. Stuff made by the green sun...

Demo: Well, it might wind up like me, huh?

alienrabitt: ...Or worse. Daedalus: No alien Frankenstein pets, got it. Nervously, Rio spins the bottle, which lands on Fawkes. Fawkes: Hmm... Despite all of my recent modifications to my systems, I still feel slightly at a loss for a primary directive. Maya: But you're still functioning, huh? Fawkes: Of course. My body hasn't encountered any severe issues and no fatal exceptions have occurred in my systems. I just cannot shake the feeling that I should be doing something... more. Maya: Just don't try to become a god or something; wouldn't wanna break anyone's toy soldiers... Fawkes: Considering I can't even enter certain magical areas, I find that a little out of my reach. Maya: Magic...I hate that stuff. Didn't matter what kind of abnormality I was dealing with; the magic ones were always the worst. Hopefully you guys can change that... Fawkes: Hopefully indeed. At any rate...

He grabs the bottle and gives it another hefty spin. The bottle stops for a moment; anyone paying enough attention can see it stop at Nydins, but as she stammers nervously, failing to come up with anything to say, the bottle moves slightly to point to Azreldeh, who casually points out that the bottle hadn't even landed on Nydins and that she shouldn't worry about it so much.

Nydins: ...O-oh! I guess it didn't, haha! Alright, um, I guess it's on you, huh?

Azreldeh: Hmm...I've never had sex before. Well, not in my own body, anyway.

Firefly: Why the hell would you open with that?!

Azreldeh: Why not? We're all adults, right? Collin: Well yeah, but that's a little much to start out with, don't you think? Azreldeh: Well, if I'm too much for you to handle, maybe you just need a little more experience~.

alienrabitt: N-no way!! Get your own boyfriend!

Azreldeh: Sharing is caring, you know~.

Firefly: I wish you'd share less...!

the hot mess from hell

Collin: Good lord, just spin the bottle please... Rolling her eyes, Azreldeh spins the bottle, which lands on the pantheon. Ezorius: Oh, uh, one moment.

She seems to focus somewhere else for a moment and then comes back a second later. "Alright, since I'm already out here, um... I can play three instruments?" Maya: That's...not really personal... Ezorius fidgets for a second as she glances around at the floor before glancing back up. "I... get really jumpy if someone grabs me unexpectedly. It can scare me really easily, truth be told." Maya: ...Alright, that works. Next. Ezorius steps up and spins the bottle before shuffling back and letting Tellus swap out. The bottle stops on XL, who shrugs. "...When I dropped out of school for the war, Cosmia was the one working with Almiet. After she died, I blamed Almiet for years, but never said anything to her face. She hasn't called me out on it, but I'm pretty sure she knows..."

Rio: B-but you've let go since then, right?

XL: ...I guess. I'm not worried about revenge and avenging anymore...I've got more important things to worry about these days.

Demo: Things, or people?

XL: Bit of both. We all should. Leaning forward, XL spins the bottle, which lands on Clair.

Clair: S-seriously? ...Well, I guess I was gonna have to have a turn eventually. Um...ugh. You want something personal...I...we never went to any sort of public school. Our dad was always important to society for some reason or another, so we never really got to make any friends or anything outside of the Operation...

Rio: But you have us now!

Clair: ...Yeah...

Clair spins the bottle, which lands on Silky.

Silky: ...I don't miss being a celebrity in the slightest. I'm glad nobody recognizes me anymore.

She spins the bottle without waiting for input, and the bottle points back to Maya.

Maya: ...When I made my first suit, I didn't understand the difference between it and my normal clothes. I almost died just a few hours later. Nobody scolded me, nobody told me the difference; they just stopped the bleeding and told me I'd be back on the floor by tomorrow. They didn't give me my old suit back. Collin: Jesus Christ, how much worse could that place get? Maya: ...Well, I think everyone's said a little about themselves at this point. Unless you want to keep going...

Demo: You're avoiding the question.

Maya: And Jay never answered, but we're skirting that too, aren't we? Daedalus: And hey, don't forget Nydins either. So, we doing a lightning round or are we calling it here? Nydins: ...I can't see the future all the time; only when someone's actively doing something. When someone deliberately chooses to do something that would cause someone else to feel grief in any way, I can see the immediate reaction, or the highest point, but not the end result. So I don't tell you guys what I see most of the time; it doesn't always help. Daedalus: .... So your future vision literally only goes ahead by a few seconds? Nydins: N-not really! It's more random than that. It could be a few seconds; it could be hours later; sometimes even longer than that! It's wild, and unpredictable; all I know is what will cause grief, and who will be involved!

Maya: But that's still something to go off of. That helps somebody.

Nydins: ...Some things are unpreventable, though. Fixed points with so much weight that only a god could change them...and none have. Those points I can see at any given moment, but without context, I don't know when they could happen. Fawkes: Even still, we could at least plan around such an event so that we could have a plan of action after the fact, if not maybe even before. Nydins: ...Zenith, do you know where your mother is?

Zenith: My...huh? N-no, she's dead...

Nydins: She's not. I've seen her for weeks now. With you.

Clair: Th-that's impossible! After what she went through--...!!

Maya: And what, exactly, happened to her?

Clair: That's none of your business!!

Nydins: It becomes our business when it's going to hurt us; tell us what she is! I know she isn't dead, and I know she wants Zenith; why?!

Clair: How should I know?! We all thought she was dead after our father got desperate and started dragging in those...those things from Kujaar!!

Karumet: HE DID WHAT?!

Clair: M-mother was going to be a Zenith first; but when her body wasn't responding to human souls, Oz decided he needed to put something different in; but he wouldn't get anywhere with animals; and he couldn't get into the city; all he could do was use the things outside!

Karumet: Those things are shalvenn!! They're unstable; they...!! You're father was an idiot! No human could survive that!

Zenith: ...But a human with dozens of kleivenn souls?

Karumet: ...You bastards...you human bastards never learn a damned thing!! Collin: Okay okay, hang on a second. Nydins, does your vision give you any clue about when she shows up?

unsurprisingly, experimenting on shalvenn is...incredibly disrespectful

Nydins: She's not on the IT; I haven't seen anyone else with her besides Zenith. I don't know what happens to either of them... Collin: Damn, that really doesn't give us much huh? Alright, so how do we prepare for a Zenith but with shalvenn instead of humans? Karumet: She would have to have an amalgamated oracle...all the souls would be bound to it regardless, but...with that many kleivenn... Daedalus: Horribly out of control? Unfathomably powerful? Seriously angry at everything in existence? I'm just guessing at traits here, stop me if I'm right. Karumet: She could be capable of anything. We wouldn't be able to predict what she could do...

Maya: But that doesn't really matter so long as we can get close to her. Hell, we might not even need that!

Karumet: What are you suggesting...?

Maya: Speedwell poison. The one thing that can kill all of you regardless.

Rio: W-we can't keep something like that here!

Maya: Why not? I did. Not for long, but your ship still made it. Just make sure whoever has it is someone you trust completely. Daedalus: Well, I'm automatically out of the running. Anyone wanna volunteer for the kleivenn killing dart gun duty or however you guys plan on using that stuff? alienrabitt: ...Give it to Fawkes.

Maya: ...Why him?

alienrabitt: He's the only one who could do it. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, right? Even if she's got kleivenn magic, she can't do anything he won't be able to handle somehow. Anyone else could be taken out or stopped. Fawkes: A grim way of justifying it, but one I can't argue with. Is there a specific way I should use it? Karumet: ...No. So long as it winds up in her body by some means, she'll die. Fawkes: Then in that case, I'll begin developing a system for it as soon as I have it. I must admit, I don't take pride in manufacturing something like this, especially given my background. Given the situation however, it seems I have to play my part. Maya: So you're giving him the capability of killing kleivenn, even though you're allowed into Kujaar? Bold move.

alienrabitt: Don't say that like he'd just open fire on whoever he wanted!

Maya: Maybe not, but kleivenn are born from human wishes, right? So what's saying one couldn't adapt for technology? Fawkes: So you're concerned that a kleivenn might be immune to artificial weapons, or that it might be able to stop me somehow? Maya: I'm saying that the right kleivenn could use you against all of Kujaar. Fawkes: I would sooner self-destruct. Besides, whatever weapon I wind up making will not have an infinite supply. I don't intend to give myself the ability to manufacture speedwell. Maya: Good call. You're the only person here I couldn't get a read on for the life of me, but I think Jay's trust in you is justified. Fawkes: I try my best. He has known me just as long as Collin, essentially. Maya: Right, well then, I think everybody knows what they're doing now. Class dismissed.

Maya analyzes just about everything anyone does on the off chance that it could majorly backfire

------------------ Collin is sitting at a desk in his bedroom, leaning back in the chair. His gaze seems to go through the desk and off into nowhere as he becomes further lost in thought. Coming in from the hallway, Jay glances around the room.

"Zenith's not in here either? Jeez, where'd they go?" Collin snaps out of his thoughts and perks up slightly before turning in Jay's direction. "Huh? Oh, uh, I'm not sure either. Maybe they're in Clair's room?" alienrabitt: What're you doing all by yourself anyway? Staring at the desk won't do much to anything on it; but if you stare long enough, the IT might make it translucent. Collin: Not too much. I just keep thinking about Clair and Zenith's mom. I mean, she's a bunch of shalvenn fused together now, right? And if just one of those was strong enough to make you lose it and throw Demo and I into a desert after just being near it, imagine what fighting multiple would be like... alienrabitt: That...that wasn't me, but also, the fact that the kleivenn was shalvenn wouldn't give it the ability to do what it did, either. It was already capable of doing things to people; becoming shalvenn just made the things it did...worse.

like I’ve said, it wasn’t capable of that because it was a shalvenn, it was capable of what it did because becoming shalvenn altered its abilities. not all shalvenn would mess with somebody like that, most might not even be capable of something similar

not every saa can become a hermes either, but you know that :p

Collin: That was Tori that whole time? They didn't say anything when they called you Jay, so I just sort of figured... Well, anyway, that doesn't really change my point, does it? A bunch of crazy powers made crazier doesn't sound like the best of times. alienrabitt: Maybe not, but we can't really tell what she's capable of from here anyway. Besides, the point of making speedwell is so we won't have to give her the chance to use whatever abilities she has. Collin: Well, I hope it works out that way. I guess I just don't like all the unknowns about this whole thing. I mean, how do you even get your hands on that many shalvenn without anyone noticing? It's not like they're just wandering around everywhere to be yanked off the street. alienrabitt: Kujaar is surrounded by shalvenn left from the war, but that's the only place I could think of. Collin: True, but Nine could detect us from anywhere around there. How do you steal a bunch of those things from right underneath a kleivenn god's nose? alienrabitt: I don't think she would've gone anywhere near that sword. And she left those shalvenn there specifically to keep away nosey humans. Collin: I mean, that makes sense, but would Nine really be okay with someone just loading up shalvenn into a cart and hauling them off to God knows where? alienrabitt: I'm not even sure she knows about this; Karumet probably knows more than I do about them.

Collin: Think we should go bug her about it, then? alienrabitt: If you really wanna know more about Kujaar, she's the only one we could ask. Collin: Worth a shot. Beats staring at the desk thinking about what-ifs, at least. Jay and Collin leave their room and find Karumet and Zenith in Clair's room instead.

Karumet: ...I just don't know how anyone could get a sword like that. I mean, I have theories; but without seeing who it came from originally... Collin: Sorry, are we interrupting something? Zenith: We're just trying to figure out what's going on. Collin: Sounds like we're on the same page, then. So you guys are talking about that weird sword thing that Clair had? Clair: The stagblade, yeah.

Karumet: We still don't know who handed it off to Oz, or what he was looking for...

Clair: Well...I kind of do, but it's been so long... Daedalus' face suddenly pops in from the door way. "Time for a trip down memory lane, huh- Wow that's more people than I thought would be here." Clair: W-well at first it was just three of us...

Zenith: So what do you know about the sword?

Clair: Um, I was with dad when he got it...the woman who handed it to him had an arm like Jay's.

Karumet: ...You mean they were injured?

Clair: No, it was black and blue, just like that...

Zenith: N-no way! That doesn't just happen!

Karumet: You're right; we don't even know what really caused it to look like that... Daedalus: I feel like I'm missing something. What's so weird about having two colors exactly? Karumet: The color of a kleivenn's magic is representative of their self, while the color of their heart represents the wish of the person who commands them. But Jay's arm isn't either of those colors; and black is a color our magic simply can't become...

alienrabitt: But it wasn't always magic; it was...something physical, sort of. Not really rock, but something like it... Collin: Oh, so you're saying it was like when Jay's arm had that weird shell thing over it? Clair: I guess so... Daedalus: Alright, so impossible colors and impossible conditions. Sounds pretty identifiable at least. Is that all you remember about that little rendezvous? Clair: She told him to look for the spies.

Karumet: ...Of course. Both humans and kleivenn were killing off humans and replacing them with soldiers in order to sway things into their favor; but many kleivenn who took those roles became lost in the lie, and forgot who they truly were. Only one thing could reveal them, but whoever this was didn't seem to care for that... Daedalus: And what would the "one thing" be? Karumet: The Starlit Song. We made it as an identifier; any kleivenn in hiding could sing it, and any other kleivenn would know what it was. Unless the humans stole that from us too, we were the only ones who knew about it during the war.

the hardest part about inventing a plot important song is...lyrics

Collin: This is the first I'm hearing of it, at least. But this kleivenn just wanted Oz to hunt down other kleivenn? That seems a little counter-productive, doesn't it? Karumet: No. With Thallion seeking out the kleivenn being created after the war; and Oz weeding out spies; all that would be left to destroy is Kujaar, then themself.

Zenith: Do you think they were one of those spies too? Karumet: Sounds possible. Maybe they realized what was happening after we lost, and decided they needed to finish the job. Maybe they don't realize the war is over. Collin: That seems to be a pretty common thing, doesn't it? I don't get why it's so hard to get everyone to stop fighting. Karumet: These three were on the same side; but why? Even the kleivenn that was with Lana...something isn't right. Something bigger is happening here, and we just aren't seeing it yet. Daedalus: Oh boy, a new faction to have to tangle with, huh? Karumet: I don't even know...until we find the kleivenn that have Oz this sword, we won't know anything. We need to catch them alive...

Clair: We-- we can't just interrogate somebody!!

Karumet: They are killing us by the thousands; I can, and I will. Daedalus: Besides, we're talking about the kleivenn that gave your dad a soul stealing sword. "Good people" don't swing around shit like that, so it's not like we're just yanking some innocent schmuck into the hotseat. Clair: I just...I didn't want it to come to something like this.

Zenith: It's not your fault. You can't stop bad people from doing bad things. All you can do is hope you can stop them from continuing to do those things. Collin: It's all about making things as good as we can, and I think it's safe to say that whoever this kleivenn is does not share that sentiment. Karumet: Still, if the weapon is kleivenn made...I think I might know where it came from, assuming they haven't moved to Kujaar. Collin: Wait, really? Karumet: Yes. Though all kleivenn are capable of summoning weaponry, doing so would give the spies away, so a kleivenn began to make weaponry more similar to what humans make for them. Daedalus: A singular kleivenn made weapons for an entire network of spies? Either you didn't have a lot of spies or that kleivenn worked some serious overtime. Karumet: You underestimate the abilities of maryein kleivenn. Daedalus: ... I'll pretend that means something to me.

He hums in fake understanding and nods sagely. Karumet: ...Kleivenn born from a different sort of wish. Saa are born from the desires of others; maryein are born from talents. Collin: So the kleivenn is like... the essence of weaponsmithing or something? Karumet: Yes, exactly! Maryein exist to do one thing incredibly well for the rest of their life, just like humans! Except they're legitimately /made/ to do these tasks, whereas humans sort of...guess; settle; mess up... Daedalus: Is that a faint whiff of bias I smell, or is that just me? Karumet: Don't be ridiculous; you can't be better than somebody at something they were made to do! Collin: I'm reminded of some old story about a man that hammered in railroad spikes or something like that suddenly...

Daedalus: John Henry. Cloned minds think alike, apparently. Karumet: Oh, I'd love to see you pump out as much magical weaponry as they did. Daedalus: Hey, I'm just sayin', "never say never" and all that jazz. Karumet: Whatever; you're missing the point, you worthless bag of hot water. Daedalus: Hey, I was just making a joke originally, not my fault you got so bent out of shape about it. 'Course, if I could bend metal that easily, maybe I could keep up! Karumet:  ...Look. If we find this kleivenn, we can find who the kleivenn responsible for all this is. That's what matters. Collin: Sounds good to me. They're not dangerous or anything, are they? The forger, I mean. Karumet: Wouldn't know. I wasn't a spy; I never went to meet them. I do, however, know the kleivenn in charge of escorting spies to retrieve their weaponry. Collin: So first them, and then the forger? How hard will it be to find them? Karumet: Not very; we already know them. You remember Iris, don't you? Collin: That's... She worked in the library in Kuujar, right?

Karumet: Well, that's where she works now, yes.

alienrabitt: Th...the librarian's assistant managed a ring of spies?

Karumet: Well yes, somebody had to.

alienrabitt: But her?!

Karumet: What, you act like people don't like to read anymore... Collin: That's... not really the issue.

Iris does seem pretty harmless, huh?

alienrabitt: Are you sure she can help us?

Karumet: Oh yes, she's got a fantastic memory; why do you think she works in a library? Daedalus suddenly gets a look of realization on his face, which quickly swaps out for an unbearably cheeky grin. "Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover after all, huh?" Karumet groans and rolls her eyes. "If you don't have anything to contribute, please leave; this is kind of important." Daedalus: I have plenty of things to contribute. Besides, someone has to keep you squares from getting too serious all the time. Karumet: Fine, then what do you have to say about all this? Daedalus: I already said my piece about the current topic. What, you want a stand-up session too? Karumet: Gods, no; please just...don't.

alienrabitt: So uhh...I guess we should go to Kujaar?

Karumet: Let's not put the cart before the horse yet; we can't just run off and investigate this without stopping that mess of shalvenn...

alienrabitt: Yeah, but we can't exactly fight her yet either. Might as well talk to Iris, right? Collin: Yeah, I still hear Fawkes working inside his room when I pass by, so there's probably still some time to go on that. Plus, maybe we can find something out that'll help us deal with it? Karumet: Alright, then you'd better tell Nydins where to go. Collin: Alright, I can do that.

He steps out of the room and heads off for the console room. Karumet and Jay follow, leaving Clair, Zenith, and Daedalus alone.

Zenith: ...So we're going to kill our mom too, huh...

Clair: What other choice do we have? If we don't, who knows what she'll do...?

Zenith: I know, but...you're gonna be all alone...

Clair: Well, at least I still have you, right?

Zenith: Y-yeah...uh, I guess I'll go with them and see what happens. Someone's gotta tell you anyway...

Zenith leaves without waiting for an answer. Daedalus: ... Well that was, uh... a little weird. Clair: S-sorry! You keep getting caught seeing these conversations. At least you can leave this time? Daedalus: True, but I did actually have a reason for coming here aside from giving the fish girl a hard time. Clair: Huh? What did you need? Daedalus: I was actually gonna ask about the whole... "mom" thing. I mean, it hasn't been that long since I uh... well, you know. And now we're on our way to... well, you know. Clair: ...She...she was fine when we were younger. I was probably 8 years old when she wound up at the Operation. Zenith probably didn't know her much... Daedalus: Lucky for them, huh? Guess this whole mess must be a little harder to swallow for you though. Clair: I just don't know how to feel yet...this is the first time I'll have seen her since she disappeared. Daedalus: Not to be harsh or anything, but who knows if it'll even be "her" when we find her? Are you sure you want to see something like that? Clair: ...I have to know what happened. If I can't make things right, the least I can do is...let her go. Daedalus: I can respect that. I'll be honest, it's hard for me to really understand this kind of thing, but it's easy to see it's not much fun. Clair: ...I just hope she doesn't hurt anyone. And I hope that whatever we're trying actually stops her... Daedalus: I think we're gonna have to wait and see on that one. I mean, all we really know is that she's with Zenith at some point according to Nydins' weird future vision thing. We don't really know anything she's done or /will/ do. Clair: But Nydins can only see things that cause grief, right? I guess she just knew we would have to kill her... Daedalus: ... Fair point. Just be careful if you really plan on going with us when we finally deal with her. You're not as sturdy as the giant bucket with a light-up face. Clair: Why would you go? She's gonna be dangerous... Daedalus: Weeell, I'm not totally decided on whether I'll join the party or not. Depends on how much backup the usual gang thinks they're gonna need, I guess. But hey, gotta give my stuff a test run at some point, so we'll see when the time comes. Clair: Just...be careful. I don't want more people getting hurt in this. Daedalus: I'll try my best. I doubt I'll get a third try if I wind up biting it again. Clair: I...don't really want to think about anybody dying to my mom like this... Daedalus: Er, sorry. Well, look, if there's anything else on your mind, I'm still here. If not, my door's always- well actually I keep it closed but I'll usually answer if you knock. Clair: ...Thanks... Daedalus: ... Is there anything else on your mind? You're gonna have to be patient with me, this whole "nice" thing is still a new concept. Clair: It's just weird. We never had any friends until we came here, after all. Daedalus: That makes three of- actually they might not consider me a friend still, which is... fair, honestly. But yeah, I sorta get what you mean. Nice change of pace, at least? Clair: Yeah. I hated that place. Being here is a little weird too, though. I think when thia is over, me and Zenith are gonna start going everywhere with you guys. I really want to see what's out there with them. It's what we deserve. Daedalus: Hey, you won't see me trying to stop you. Clair: ...Um, I guess that's all. Hopefully Iris or whoever can help us out. Daedalus: Fingers crossed. Anyway, like I said, let me know if you need anything.

He raises his hand in a small goodbye wave and ducks back out of the door.

aww, look at you making friends!

next time we meet the smith, and some stuff happens!

#[S4]

[trickstarbrave]

wedding day

hey-- im back!! sorry i missed so many days so far. life just started getting in the way. however im back and i might try to still catch up on a few days since i have ideas for them still. 

for now though its july 28th: family day! this is a companion piece to my previous fanart because i really wants to do this day but i had a hard time thinking of something good to write

its also on ao3 if thats easier to read!

   Crow already couldn’t believe the day had rolled around already. It seemed so distant, even just yesterday. It did make sense, given a lot would be happened today but…

   It wasn’t like Crow didn’t want to go through with it. Nothing like that-- he wanted to get married. It just didn’t seem… Real was all.

   He washed his face in the sink, drying it off on a hand towel, and then got started brushing his teeth. The markers on his face were a daily reminder of all that he had done. They couldn’t ever really be removed, unlike normal tattoos, but that was the plan with security. He heard they were researching a way to remove them but that would be just as painful as getting them on, if not more so.

   Crow sighed. With a face like his, he didn’t think he’d really make it far outside of Satellite. Becoming a security officer? Becoming a pro duelist? Getting married? None of that was a life he could have predicted after he got the first marker on his forehead at the age of 14.

   As he started getting dressed in a t-shirt and jeans (he planned to change at Martha’s house) he set off. It felt nice to be in Neo Domino again-- even if he was a pro duelist now, he would always miss home. A lot had changed since the bridge was built, a lot of older buildings torn down because they were unsafe to live in, a lot of filling in huge gaps of the island, not to mention reworking security on the old momentum plant. Kids apparently kept trying to jump the fence and sneak in and the thought of a reckless kid getting hurt in there nearly made Crow’s heart stop.

   Martha opened the door for him, and all the kids rushed out. They decided to spend the nights with her leading up to the wedding, as she had a lot more room. Besides, they always missed Martha, and Crow wasn’t about to keep them from her.

   “Right on time Mr. Groom!” Martha teased, while the kids jumped around Crow.

   “You’re really still gonna marry Brave?” Ginga asked, tugging on his shirt.

“Why are you wearing a t-shirt!” Hikari laughed. “Do you really plan to get married in that while we have to be dressed up?” She teased.

“Calm down!” Crow laughed heartily. He was glad the kids were taking this well. “I’m going to get changed obviously! I’m just going to get ready here before we head to the bridge!”

“Can we climb up on the bridge?” Daichi asked, and Crow tugged on his cheek.

“Absolutely not! You know it’s dangerous up there and I’ve never let you play on it.” Daichi still grinned wide. Honestly, the older they got the more of a handful they were. But Crow wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Come on now kids, don’t get your clothes all dirty! And hurry up and start getting ready Crow!” Martha called from the doorway. The kids all ran inside.

   “Are you sure you don’t need help with things Martha?” Crow asked as he also walked in. The kitchen smelled like home cooked food and Crow’s stomach growled a bit. As much as he enjoyed Brave’s cooking, there was a special place in his heart for his foster mother’s meals.

“Help? Crow it’s your wedding!” Martha laughed happily. “I can expect the first son of mine to actually get married to help me cook for his own wedding!”

“Come on, I’d feel awful--”

   “Nonsense, now go get changed! Jack and Yusei can help when they come.

Crow did head upstairs and in the bathroom was his suit, hanging up behind the door. He ran his fingers down the fabric gently. It wasn’t an expensive suit by any means, he didn’t want anything too special. But now that he thought about it, it was going to be special, wasn’t it?

He put it on carefully, making sure nothing was wrong with it. If a button was missing he’d rather realize it now and have time to fix it rather than realize it in pictures days after the wedding. He also looked at his ring finger. His wedding ring would be on there soon wouldn’t it? He heard Brave and the kids picked out the wedding bands and left it as a ‘surprise’, but he had faith they would pick something decent. At least, the kids would.

After that, he worked on his hair. Martha told him to put it back, either tie it or wear it down. However, after working his messy hair down he didn’t feel quite like himself. He groaned looking in the mirror, brushing a few stray hairs out of his face. He would ask for Martha’s help, but she was still busy cooking.

“How are you holding up in there?” Yusei asked after a quick knock. “Not getting cold feet are you?” He teased affectionately. Crow sighed again and opened the door.

“No that’s not it, I just--” He pointed at his hair. “I don’t know what to do about this.”

“Wear it how you usually do. Why should you have to change it?”

“Martha said it’s best to have it down since it’s a formal event--”

“Yeah, and it's your wedding.” Yusei interrupted. Crow had to admit Yusei had a point. “Besides--” Yusei held up a headband in his hand. “I brought you a new one to wear for the wedding. This one should match your suit a lot better.”

“Wow, you sure thought ahead didn’t you.”

“I figured you would just try and walk out there in your usual one, so I wanted to make sure you matched at least.” Crow rolled his eyes.

“Do you seriously think I would go out there in a teal headband and a black suit?” Crow questioned, as he got to work brushing his hair back up. As it dried a bit, it started to fluff up on it’s own. Crow then slipped the headband on, and he already felt more like himself.

“Knowing your fiance’s taste in fashion?” Crow snorted at his comment. Honestly with how mismatched Brave’s outfits were… He might like that. Already Crow was dreading what kind of outfit Brave would show up to the ceremony in. He loved the guy, but he was worried about just how bad it could get. Oh well, it was his wedding too right? If Brave wanted to look like a hot mess in front of their family, he had every right to.

… ‘Their’ family huh? That had a nice ring to it.

“All better huh?”

“Yup. Glad you showed up or I’m not entirely sure what I would have done with it.”

“The best man has to keep everything in order, doesn’t he?” Crow smiled as they bounded down the stairs.

“Yeah, knew I could count on you Yusei.”

“Hmph. You’re finally done.” Jack was down at the bottom of the stairs. Apparently, he wanted to wear a white suit to the wedding, as he usually did. However, Martha scolded him over it and made him buy something else. ‘Only the bride can wear white’ she explained, but Jack rolled his eyes. Instead, he settled on a grey suit with violet and silver accents. It looked nice enough, if not extremely tacky. Brave was gonna love it.

“Yeah yeah, sorry I have to actually look nice for my own wedding.” he bumped into Jack playfully, and Jack shoved him lightly back.

“Don’t try too hard and get your hopes up, after all, you’ll never be more handsome than me.”

“Oh shut it Jack.” Yusei laughed, pulling the two away from their mock fight.

“Don’t ruin your suits before the wedding guys.” Jack huffed and walked away to check on Martha, but the two knew it was just an act. Jack was the one who teared up on the phone when Crow told him he was actually getting married, even if he’d never admit it.

“Alright boys, food’s done so let’s go see how the decorations are coming.” Martha finished fixing her hair in the mirror before heading out the door. The bus took them and all the kids across satellite to the Daedalus Bridge.

Crow was surprised they were actually able to get in. After the whole Bifrost thing and the Arc Cradle, security put fencing around the whole thing. The bridge was dangerous, kids could climb up there and fall off if people weren’t careful, and the waves weren’t very forgiving… But since Crow helped save the city and knew several people in security, he got permission to get married there.

It was weird to see how much the area changed. It was cleared out for the most part. Not many people lived in the B.A.D area to begin with, but with construction and traffic, they were all gone. All that was left were some new smaller shops and storage buildings. His old house the kids used to stay in was long gone, now torn down and covered over with a layer of concrete.

“Reminiscing?” Yusei questioned, seeing where Crow was looking. Crow nodded. “It’s hard to believe so many years ago you lived here, huh?” Yusei didn’t know the place as well as Crow, but it was still somewhere he stayed during the signer war. It was messy and crudely build together, as most places in Satellite were, but it was certainly a home. Probably the kids’ first home they ever knew.

“Yeah… It looks completely different now.” It was better though, safer. Before he was anxious to leave the kids alone, despite having to provide for them. Now there wasn’t violent crime running rampant and his kids were far away from that kind of danger.

“Crow!!” The kids called, and Crow turned to look at them. The kids were around the big container of flowers Aki had brought. Crow rushed over to look all the flowers over along with the kids.

“Woah-!!” When Aki said she would bring flowers, he didn’t think she meant this many.

“What are you so surprised about?” Aki crossed her arms, smiling. “It takes a lot of flowers for a wedding to look nice.” The flowers were in an array of warm colors, mostly red and orange, but there were some yellow, white, pink, and black flowers too.

“Where exactly are you going to put all these?” Crow dared to ask.

“Well, on the fencing, the wedding arch, the chairs, and the rest will be at Martha’s house for the reception.” Crow’s eyes widened.

“What about Brave’s bouquet?” Kokoro asked. Was Brave going to have a bouquet?

“I already made that. He has it right now in some water.” Aki reassured her, before unpacking the flower girl basket. “And here are your flowers.” Kokoro looked overjoyed. He underestimated how much she was looking forward to being the flower girl. “Please help us out with putting up the decorations first though, okay?” Kokoro nodded and put her basket on a table, before helping Aki with flowers and wire. It honestly would have been less of a hassle and a neater job if they hired someone to put the flowers up for them, but where was the personal touch in that? They could just hire someone to clean it up instead.

“So…” Crow started, while also helping Aki and the kids decorate. “...How did Brave’s outfit look?”

“I’m not telling~” Aki laughed, and Crow sighed.

“Can you just tell me if he looked presentable or not?”

“He looks fine Crow! Have a little more faith in him.” Crow was a bit relieved at that. “I know he’s a fashion train wreck most of the time but he knows how to pull things together when they count.”

“Yeah but it’s also his wedding too.” Crow tied an orange and red daisy to a large bow, before adding it to the fence. “If he wanted to wear a tie dye sundress he could.” Aki and the kids seemed to find that thought funny.

“I don’t think he would though.” Aki smiled gently now. “He seems pretty excited for the wedding actually.”

“I’m certainly excited since all of you are keeping so many secrets from me about it.” They all laughed again, and Crow noticed Brave’s kids coming in with Dragan to help set things up. The older kids helped set up chairs and the wedding arc with Dragan, Jack, and Yusei. The younger ones came running over to help tie up flowers and chat with his kids. He was glad they all seemed to get along for the most part.

“Well, we have to keep secrets. That way the day will be very special.” Crow rolled his eyes but smiled regardless. “Besides, it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.”

“Oh, ‘bride’ now huh?” Hikari elbowed him in the stomach for his comment.

“He can be a bride if he wants!” She seemed pretty annoyed with his behavior.

“Easy now, I’m just joking! You know I don’t care so long as I’m marrying him.” Her cheeks puffed out and she fixed her ponytail before going back to decorating. Crow gave her a pat on the head and she didn’t seem to mind anymore.

Decorating ended up taking more time than he thought. Even with all the hands they had working, it took a while. Martha and Jack also took trips back at the house to put the delivered wedding cake in the freezer. Several people also dropped off gifts there to be unwrapped once the ceremony was over. Carly came as well with her camera in tow. He would make sure to pay her for the photos she took, even if she said she’d do it for free.

Finally, afternoon rolled around, and a car rolled up. Harald went to go pick Brave up in a car, as to not ruin his wedding outfit. However, they were just about to start the ceremony so he couldn’t leave the car yet. Kokoro and Ginga ran back to the car though to greet Brave, as well as get the rings for the ceremony from him.

Crow tapped his foot. He was ready to see Brave. While he did enjoy talking with everyone, catching up with Aki, and having some fun with his kids, he wanted to also start enjoying the day with Brave there too.

Finally, it was time for the ceremony to start. Kuzuyama had even made it in time, Zora and her son Leo followed behind, and an old coworker with a license was going to marry them. Crow stood under the arc and bit his lip a bit. Music started up and he heard the car door open and shut. He wasn’t really able to keep staring straight ahead the whole time, and he turned around to get a good look at his ‘bride’ to be.

Brave looked fine. More than fine actually--he looked great. He was in a white suit, tailored nicely with a black vest under it and an orange tie to compliment Crow’s red one. His now long hair was falling over his shoulders and back, and he was wearing one of his gaudy tiara’s complete with a veil.

His smile was gentle and happy the whole while and throughout the whole ceremony. Crow himself had a giant grin the whole ceremony himself, unable to pull his eyes off Brave. Honestly, the reveal was worth it, Brave looked stunning. He looked gorgeous but most importantly was able to do so while looking like himself. Crow was glad he decided to wear the headband, so he could do the same.

When the rings were brought up, Crow marveled at them a bit. They were gold in the shape of feathers, with various set stones. They matched fairly well and weren’t too big that they would get in the way of everyday life. Brave’s seem to be set with orange and red stones, while Crow’s only had one small black stone. It was still perfect, just what he would have wanted.

During the vows, Brave was tearing up a bit and laughing in joy. It almost moved Crow to tears himself but for the sake of the ceremony he held back. How was he going to say ‘I do’ fast enough if they had to take a break for both of them crying? In the seats, he already heard several people crying.

As it finally came time for the kiss, Crow couldn’t help but be a little be over the top. Besides, Brave kept a lot of surprises for him, why can’t he surprise Brave? He stepped forward, bracing his leg before he swiftly dipped Brave down. Brave gasped a bit in surprise and made sure the tiara wasn’t falling off, before throwing his arm over Crow’s shoulders and smiling fondly up at him. Crow’s characteristic grin was so wide it felt like his face might break. Finally, with an equally swift kiss, he sealed their vows.

As everyone cheered in joy, Crow was just happy Brave was officially a part of the family.

#ygo5dsmonth2017 #crow hogan #brave (5ds) #team ragnarok #aki izayoi #trickstarshipping