#glad its my handle everywhere heh | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

razorblade180 · 3 years

Text

Shackles 11: Resolve

[part 10]

“Anymore?” That’s all Ilia could think to say in the windswept desert, surrounded by wounded escapees and the guards she struck down. Ilia looked to her left to see Yang tend to Adam’s wounds as best as possible with the supplies they had. “Should we expect anymore to come out? There’s…less than I expected.”

“Other than Blake and Jacquelyn, I couldn’t say. Right now I’m worried about whether any one of us can make a trip to Vacou in this condition.”

“I handled that already. Right now I’m more concerned about-” a tremor cut her off. The entrance of the mine shaft began crumbling as Blake and Jacquelyn ran out. The maiden raised her foot and stomped the ground again, causing another tremble that closed the entrance with rubble.

Jacquelyn looked at her handy work briefly while she brought her hands together to pray. “It’s not a proper burial, but it’s the best I could offer. Forgive me.” She gave a moment of silence before running off to Adam. Beside him was a girl she didn’t recognize and Yang. “How is he!?”

“Breathing, but that’s about all I can say. I did stop some bleeding. In this situation though…”

“I got it…” Jacquelyn uttered. She sat by his side quietly and took his hand. It was faint but she could feel him gently squeeze back. “Hang on a little longer okay?” Her eyes watered. Unsure of what to do or feel, Jasmine remained speechless.

Yang stood up and gave them space. Truthfully she didn’t think she could watch Jacquelyn cry. Something about it…hit a little close to home. Despite her personal feelings, Yang hoped for the best. Her eyes spotted Blake standing apart from everyone else. Yang approached without hesitation but was shocked whenever she tried reaching out and Blake moved away; not even looking her way.

“Blake? Hey, what’s wrong?” She waited patiently but didn’t get a response. “Blake, you're scaring me a little. What happened?”

“I…I just…” Blake dropped to her knees and covered her mouth. She could that pit in her stomach start churning as she did her best to keep calm. She could still feel it. The pounding in her chest and the adrenaline that made her shake violently. Next thing she knew Yang had was holding her while Blake struggled to breathe.

“Blake!? Blake what’s wrong!? Ilia! Something is wrong!”

“What!?” She came rushing over and saw Blake on the ground, her pupils extremely cat-like. “She’s hyperventilating! Blake you gotta calm down! Look at me. Deep breaths.”

Try as she might, Blake couldn’t. Her senses felt heightened beyond anything she’s ever felt. The cries of friends became muffled and their tearful expressions blurred. Blake once again found herself fading into darkness.

xxxx

Blake couldn’t understand what was happening to her or how long it lasted. As quickly as the darkness came, there was light again. However, it wasn’t sun light; and she wasn’t on the sand. Blake was staring up at the ceiling. A quick head tilt told her all she needed. Blake in a hospital, Menagerie’s hospital. Wait…

Blake sprung up. “How’d I get here!?” She looked at her to see an IV drip connected. She was about to take it out when the door opened. Blake gasped to see her father walk in. He was just as surprised to see her awake.

“Blake!” He ran over and gave her a hug. “Thank goodness you’re okay!”

“Dad? What are you doing here?”

“Me? I should be the one asking you that. At least…that’s what I would say if Sun hadn’t filled in your mother and I when we returned.” Ghira finally stopped hugging but grabbed his daughter’s shoulders. “Blake, how could you not tell us something so important?”

Blake’s eyes softened with guilt. “It’s not as if I didn’t trust you. It was just…a lot to process. I’m still processing. Ugh, my shoulders.”

Ghira let go. “Sorry. I didn’t realize-”

“No, it’s not you. My entire body feels like lead. What happened to me? How am I back here?”

Her father sat by her side and stroked his beard. “Well for starters the doctors say you had a severe panic attack. As for how you’re here, you arrived by airship flown by Ilia; along with several other ships with more of Sun’s friends.

So that was it. Sun or Ilia must’ve told the rest of team SSSN ahead of time to be ready with evacuation. It was pretty ridiculous that asking for their help didn’t even cross her mind.

“You’re not all they brought. There were few others. The ones that didn’t need immediate help or couldn’t manage in Vacou. Unfortunately… some didn’t survive.”

The pit in her stomach came back again. “I see. Guess it would’ve been wishful thinking to assume otherwise.” Blake gripped her knees and shut her eyes. No need to beat around the bush. “Where’s Adam?”

“He’s in intensive care, underwatch.”

“Take me to him.”

“Blake you need to-”

“I’ll search every room, so just tell me.” Blake removed the IV drip and proceeded to leave. Ghira didn’t think twice following behind her. He didn’t even know why she asked for help. Blake was heading in the obvious direction. Where the noise was loudest.

Way down the hall near the back of the hospital had many empty rooms. Menagerie typically never reached close to max capacity, so the fact several rooms had wound in it at all was a shock. The furthest room was surrounded by guards . The only thing in their way being Yang.

One guard in particular, a man with a faded scar on his right eye, confronted the blonde. “For the hundredth time, step aside.”

“You know I would’ve thought the third time I said no would be enough to get the point across. Ninety seven more times feels obsessive.”

“Ma’am if you continue this behavior then-”

Blake called the guard’s “Saber!” They all turned to the approaching leader and former leader. “What’s this about?”

“Blake! You scared me half to death!”

“Madam, your friend refuses to let us in and restrain the terrorist.”

“Restrain? He couldn’t even see last time I saw him. I’m shocked he made it on life support.”

“Be that as it may, he’s far too dangerous to be left unrestrained. Once he no longer needs treatment he will be locked up and tried-”

“He’s not going to jail.” Blake said calmly. No surprise that everyone looked at her like she said something crazy. By all means it was. “The world thinks he’s dead. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Keep it that way? He’s wanted everywhere; terrorized everywhere! We can’t simply keep that under wraps Mrs. Belladonna.”

“Said who?” Blake challenged, standing up straight. “The world already has its story and as far as I’m concerned, it’s pound of flesh as well. That hell we found him in was worse than anything a judge could pass onto him. Besides, people would get unrest learning he’s alive after everything that happened.”

“That doesn’t change anything! His name causes panic and discourse regardless if people think he’s dead. All the lives he’s uprooted, the divide. A beating-”

“Saber.” Blake’s voice cut through the air like her blade, demanding attention. “Do not try to preach to me about the people he’s hurt. I’m well aware.”

“That’s…I didn’t…” Saber bit his tongue. Yang put her hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Take it from me, you’re not going to persuade her.”

Blake walked to the door and faced all the guards. Their mixed emotions plain to see and obvious frustration. “All of you have protected the people and my family more times than I can count. You’re always dependable. I trust you. However, I can’t just ask you to keep this a secret; I’m ordering you to, as High Leader. Wash your hands of it completely.

Saber and others were stunned. “You can’t…Ghira, you’re just going to let her do that!? That’s a blatant abuse of power!”

“Calm down Saber. It’s true that I would never use status like this and I would advise my daughter to tread lightly with that title, but I have no more power than you here. Let’s all just…discuss the details later. For now I don’t see the point in alarming everyone about our…our patient.”

“Your patient, not mine or the guards.” Saber and the guards began to take their leave. “But we will not say a word, per the High Leader’s orders. However, I expect that man to be in one of our cells discreetly. Once he heals of course. Discussing his fate means nothing right now.”

Blake kept any remarks she had about that condition, choosing to bow instead. “I appreciate your cooperation.” She rose, not expecting a reply. “Yang, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I was only around in the first place because I wanted a check up.” Yang rubbed her stomach. “Looks like stubbornness runs in the family. Doctor says the little spitfire is perfectly fine. Embers are burning strong.”

“I’m glad to hear, honestly. Heh…Ember, that’s a good name.”

Yang chuckled. “Meh, too on the nose. But…I’ll give it thought. Sun was here earlier by the way. He took Jacquelyn to your home with Ilia. Those two weren’t exactly happy with the guards. Not to guilt trip you but Sun has been doing a lot without question. Love or not, you owe him.”

“She most certainly does.” Ghira piped up. “Your mother didn’t take the news well.”

Blake winced. Yang patted her back to offer any comfort. She never saw Kali angry before but if she was anything like Blake was on that mineshaft, then Sun was a real trooper. “Listen Blake, try to slow down for a while. For everyone’s sake.”

“I…sigh, yeah.”

“Good. Hate to tell you but I think I’m at the end of my rope. I’m spent.”

Blake frowned. It made sense, but it still hurt to hear. “I take it you’re leaving then? Sorry this trip wasn’t anything it was meant to be.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Yang smiled, pulling Blake into a hug. “I made up with my ex. Be safe, okay?”

“…Sure thing.” Blake’s arms tightened the hug. Funny, was Yang always this warm? Blake couldn’t remember. Maybe it’s just been far too long since they felt comfortable with each other. “Let me know Jaune’s reaction.”

“Oh I’m recording it.” Yang let go and walked away. However, she felt the need to look back at Adam’s door. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think we rescued the person we fought at Argus, but that doesn’t mean I think you’re right. Still, I hope you prove me wrong.” Yang waved goodbye and left. Hope wasn’t something she had for the situation. Nevertheless, if Blake called, Yang would answer. And who knows? Crazier things have happened. It made her wonder…

“Hmmm, I should talk to mom again.”

Blake couldn’t explain why Yang’s words calmed her nerves but it did. She gave her loving father a glance. “I should‘ve told you and mom from the start. I’m sorry.”

“Sigh, I’m not upset. Not anymore; I feared this secret was quietly terrifying you; that him being out there would give you unrest. I never expected you to come to his defense.”

“Do you think I’m being stupid?”

“Sweetheart, of course not. There’s not a day that I have thought that. However, recklessness and naïveté, no one is immune to those.”

“Dad, you’ve taught there’s strength in forgiveness; that it is infinitely harder to believe a person can change after they crossed so many lines. I…I can’t go around preaching that to others around the world if I don’t at least try once, really try. So…” Ghira placed his hand on her. His calm expression and gentle eyes locked with her as he nodded ever so slightly. Blake grabbed his hand and nodded back. “Watch the door.”

“Oh you were never going to stop me from doing that.” He smiled.

Blake let go, finally going inside. The shades were tilted to let in a bit of light; the windows tightly locked. There he was, the center of all of this, laying in a hospital bed. Adam’s face wasn’t swollen anymore. Now it was only covered in red and purple bruises. Monitors beeped steadily and he was hooked up like she was, but with the addition of a nasal cannula. Blake took a seat to unwind.

“I know you’re awake.” She watched Adam’s head turn to her and smirk. The man opened his tired eyes. Right of the back, Blake understood what Yang meant. “Hey…”

“Hey. You look a little rough there Blake.”

“Like you’re in a position to say that?”

“Heh, I always look rough. Now I just feel it too. Gotta admit, I’m shocked I cheated death again. How’s Jackie?”

“Seething or crying most likely, but safe.”

Adam let out a sigh of relief, sinking into his bed. “Good. I thought I heard her earlier but I wasn’t sure.” He noticed how tense Blake looked. Her ears were alert and posture rigid. “I take it you want answers?”

“No shit! What the hell happened? The last time I saw you was when both of you took off in an airship. Had I known you two were planning to hide in Menagerie’s desert…”

“Her idea, not mine. Though I gotta admit that it was pretty solid for the most part. Up until now anyways.”

“That’s what I don’t get. Out the blue, people with an axe to grind come knocking on your door and-”

“They weren’t here for me.” Adam interjected, sitting up slowly. “Blake, Menagerie is ground zero for White Fang. They came looking for anyone they wrote off as a beast who needed correcting. Plans changed though once they found me.”

Blake’s eyes widened. That thought never crossed her mind but it made sense. Plenty of old White Fang members chose to stay here. If they saw Ilia as a beast then of course they would look here. It was only by coincidence that she was in Vacou helping.

“You’d be surprised how many people actually try sneaking onto the island from the desert. Most don’t last while others are more persistent. One day Jackie went off to town and that’s when they showed up. That had to have planned it because the timing was too perfect and the numbers were too heavy for infiltration. The house was surrounded and I was in bed.”

“They caught you off guard, of all people ?”

“Things have been quiet for years. I don’t go into town so yeah, I wasn’t expecting karama to open the door like it opened the place.”

“We were inside the house. There wasn’t a sign of a struggle whatsoever.”

“Because I went quietly.”

“Why!?” Blake stood up forcefully. “It makes no sense! You’d sooner die than let anyone capture you. I don’t care how many years it’s been.”

“…heh, you’re not wrong. Truthfully, I was ready to slaughter as many as possible. But…the house would’ve been obliterated; and Jackie would’ve come back to a literal dead beat. Did she tell you that she’s pregnant?”

“You knew!?” Blake gasped, “She said she didn’t tell you yet.”

“The house is only so big. Jackie is bad at hiding her feelings and items, like a pregnancy test. Even without it, things were obvious. I’m with her constantly.”

Blake took her seat again. Now things were fitting together. “You left to protect her.”

“More or less. I don’t know, that’s giving me too much credit. I did leave for her safety but also to keep myself alive a bit longer. I never doubted that she would look for me. Involving you though… I guess her pregnancy was more of a hurdle than I thought. Jackie never wants help.”

“She was a mess when I found her in my house.”

“Like I said, she doesn’t hide emotions well. So, I doubt I have to tell you anything else. You saw where I ended up. Is Sobek dead?”

Blake clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes. “I can’t say. The mineshaft was sealed but that’s all I know, and we both know that no body doesn’t mean death. ”

“Hehehe.”

“How could you laugh at that!? It’s not funny. I’m so sick and tired of….ugh, I don’t even know what’s pissing me off anymore!” Blake put her head in her hands.”

“…Things would’ve been easier if I died that day, huh?”

“YES! I mean…no, I…what are you doing!? What’s the angle!? Why is everything connected to you just a spit in the face to me!?” Blake got up again, tears running like a river. “All things you’ve done to me, the bonds you tested, I should feel nothing but anger for what you’ve done to me; yet the day I learned you were still alive was a weight off my chest. I wanna tell myself I don’t care but even now I’m happy to see you actually speak to me in earnest. You didn’t believe in my dream, my beliefs, and this entire mess not only proved I’ve actually done nothing so far, but also that I’m clueless to what’s happening in my own home! Despite all that…I ran to you. Adam I killed for you. Sobek was made because of you and yet I felt anger deep inside I never had before. I was borderline feral! Yet here I am, upset at myself because I’m buying into every little prayer that I have about believing you are changing as a person and aren’t playing the two people in this world that actually want you alive!” Her lungs burned immensely.

Adam watched her eyes constrict and her body shook violently, yet just as Blake said, her eyes didn’t hold the rage he once had. They could never hold it. Adam bit down on his lip, straining his body to get out of bed. The stitches on him bled while his legs barely kept him up. Forgiveness was unthinkable to ask for. There wasn’t much he could say that wouldn’t sound wrong or halfhearted. Still, saying nothing now was not an option.

“Blake…” he leaned forward, falling actually; gently onto Blake who caught him. “Thank you for having hope. As for that anger, it’s proof you’re different from me, Jacquelyn, Sobek, and anyone like us. Righteous fury, to truly be angry for someone else’s circumstance, it’s why people follow you; why they will continue to follow you. Why…I’ll follow you.”

Blake hadn’t realized it until now, but she was still trying to keep calm; to let the turmoil inside her subside, but now…she couldn’t. Not after that. Her legs gave, falling to the floor with Adam. The tears she thought were running free rushed out twice as hard as Blake audibly began to cry her heart out, gripping Adam’s clothes.

“Please…I’m begging you…” She sobbed heavily. “Let this be real.”

He finally put his arms around her, unsure of all his actions. “I swear.”

Words weren’t enough, but a foundation needed to start somewhere. Against many opinions, Blake chose to believe in his words. It was far too late to turn back now. The tidal wave of emotions that festered inside had finally run its course. Blake couldn’t say she felt better right now, but she didn’t feel worse. A small victory, but one nonetheless. All the tension Blake had made her fail to notice the rummaging outside the door. Suddenly it swung open, startling Blake to her feet. In just a single blink, a blur of black and white dashed behind Adam. It was the girl that was near him in the desert.

Ghira rushed in. “Sorry! I tried stopping her, but she barreled her way through.” He looked at the hospital gowned girl who growled and quivered behind Adam. “Do you…know this girl?”

“I guess you can say that. She was in the mines too.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that little one. If that’s the case then having you run around might be dangerous if you aren’t healthy.” Ghira took a step and the tiger faunus ducked behind Adam in fear, shaking. He took a couple steps back. “Poor child. I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now. Does she…have a family?”

Adam was about to speak but small hands gripped his shirt. Jasmine made no effort to speak. She simply stood there, her eyes vacant and almost dead. She would’ve been nonexistent if not for the fact they were all looking right at her.

“Can she speak?” Ghira asked.

“She can, or at least could.” Adam reached for her. The child’s eyes softened slightly, her ears falling down when his hand rested on her head. Jasmine’s eyes shut tight and she began whimpering. Tears trickled down dark sunburned cheeks.”

“I can’t imagine what happened in that place, but it appears someone got attached.”

“She snuck past guards to speak to me several times. As well as stopped them all from branding me with another scar. Both her parents and her brother…didn’t make it.”

Blake could only ache for the child. To have lost so much so early on. It was clear to see why Adam would be drawn to her. “What’s her name?”

“It’s-”

“Sienna.” Jasmine said, breaking her silence and shocking everyone. “My name, it’s Sienna.” Her voice was meek and a bit dry. The lie came naturally, almost like instinct. However, it didn’t feel like a lie. Not to her, or to Adam. An unspoken acknowledgment happened when their eyes met, a sad truth and new reality. Back in the mineshaft in that cruel cell, there may have only been one body, but two people died there. A brother and sister that loved each other to the end. The girl he rescued was not the one who got imprisoned; nor would it ever be.

“That’s right.” Adam uttered, lamenting the deaths brought by his own past arrogance. “Her name is Sienna.”

#rwby #rwby shackles #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #adam taurus #ghira belladonna #sienna frost #jacquelyn frost #rwby au

12 notes · View notes

curse-of-the-dark-emerald · 4 years

Text

Curse of the Dark Emerald, Chapter 6.

Sorry for the wait! Like I mentioned I’m doing full time running a YouTube channel where making 3-4 videos a week is very time consuming! But here it is, and enjoy!

...

“Wade, hurry up! We got multiple shots fired here at the diner and citizens are at risk!”

“I hear you, and I'm on my way!”

Wade Whipple drove steady pace in his patrol car to give aid to his friend on his radio, he made a sharp turn on the main road of the town; he was a few blocks away from the restaurant. A few moments later he could see for himself what was happening;

Glass was everywhere on the ground and people close by showed concern and fear; Wade heard the rest of his partners just from behind and left their own vehicles and didn’t hesitate to block any curious crowds getting closer with their arms and body.

“I don’t see the suspects...better hurry.”

Wade grabbed his gun and made sure it was loaded..when a bang on his side window made him jump in fright; a ball of blue fur and a loud moan was followed after;

“Sonic!?”

“Ugh, that hurt more than the first time.”

Sonic winced from being thrown against the patrol car, one eye shut and the other making daggers at the robotic enemy who tossed him out of the building. He slid to the ground and the car door he hit was bent and buckled a little bit.

Wade rolled his window down halfway; “Hey, are you okay-?”

Sonic didn’t hear the police officers' concern and dashed towards the robot, eager to stop and finish him.

I have to get it away from everyone..

“Hey! Fake me, over here!”

Sonic ran to make enough distance but made sure to not go too fast, he looked from behind and sure enough it was doing exactly what he needed. He stood in the middle of a four way lane. Sonic stops and looks around for any more people around and it’s clear. The robot hovered a few feet off the ground, Sonic was confident he was going to finish it off quickly,

Until two more showed up.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Sonic grinded his teeth and gave the new robots a mad look, annoyed.

Tom manages to catch up to his friend on the other side of the block, Wade next to him and three other police officers, guns in hands and aiming at the robots.

“Sonic! Are you alright!?” Tom calls out with one hand on the side of his mouth.

“I’m fine!” Sonic threw a hand at him and kept his eyes on the enemy. “Just stay there and I’ll handle this!”

Tom listened to his order and lowered his weapon slightly, surprised. Not by what Sonic said, but the way he said it; it was like the time back at the house from earlier, agitated. Usually, Sonic was overly confident and played everything off like a little game, but this was different. It didn’t feel right to Tom. But he kept his sights on the flying robots in the air. His partners were doing the same as he was doing.

Sonic cracks his hands and chuckles to himself, “You really think just because there’s more of you panheads, I’m gonna give up..?”

He runs and leaps at the robot in the middle, the same one that began the attack at the diner,

“Take this!”

Feeling all the adrenaline rush to his head, he made impact to its eye-plate, sending it back but for only a second, the robot makes its retaliation and pulls Sonics arm forward and throwing him in the air and punching him back in the face, Sonic falls to the asphalt and didn’t waste time preparing to move again, his leg supporting him up and hands on the ground, he makes a cartwheel back just in time to avoid lasers and new bullets being produced at him. The other two robots were right behind him ready to grab, but Sonic instead with all his strength takes BOTH of them in his hands and slams them in the ground so hard making large cracks; Sonic yells a with a loud grunt, their bodies make whirring and clicking sounds and they twitch, but didn’t get up. Sonic pants heavily for a moment, grinning mischievously at his accomplishment, and puts his attention on the last robot, who only stared back unfazed.

All the citizens and officers watching him cheered and applauded for Sonic, Wade kept his guard up still having his gun aimed at the robot still staring down at Sonic; Tom however was silent and still kept looking at his friend.

“Was he always that strong?”

Something in Tom’s gut was saying Sonic was acting more unusual than ever before, he could see a grim, and angrier glint in the hedgehogs green orbs.. in all the time Tom met him in the garage that day, was unlike anything he’d known.

“You gonna make me wait till my next birthday? or you going to move?” Sonic makes a new stance and growls a bit at the robot, challenging it.

The said robot took one step forward, a loud clunk from its head echoed, a bullet was shot from one of the officers, the robot gives a menacing stare at the group of men in its response, some of the men glance at the shooter, who proudly announces,

“Ha! Got him! Hey kid, why don’t you let us take it from here?”

Sonic whipped his head at the man, his small fangs bared at all of them and hissed; “I said stay out of this! This guy is mine!”

Everyone froze from Sonic's harsh response and gaped.

“I’m not in the mood to protect all of you and I can’t guarantee that you’ll be safe, so again stay out of my way, or you’re going down with it..!”

“Sonic..”

Tom no longer could hold his gun up and stood baffled, and stunned by how he was acting. What’s up with him? It isn’t like him to get so riled up..

Sonic noticed how harsh he was speaking, he regretted it, but he didn’t have the time to think about it, he shook his head and got ready to attack the robot…

But instead to his shock, the robot went for the group of men. It saw them as a new threat to destroy.

“Oh no!”

Sonic followed after it with no trouble and while trying to reach for one of its legs, the police officers scrambled to get away, the only one who stood in place was the officer who shot first at its head earlier was frozen in fear and fired more shots, narrowly missing Sonic’s own head! Sonic was now on its back and furiously tried to hold it back from getting to the man, and now it was back in the air trying to wriggle him off.

“Sonic!” Tom called out to him, he dared not to interfere like he asked, but even if he tried to shoot the robot, there was no way he could promise not to accidentally shoot Sonic.

Sonic and the robot threw more punches at another in mid-air and tugged at each other’s heads, the robots metal fingers had clawed onto Sonics already scratched up arms and making new fresh cuts, with a new furious roar, Sonic put his hands around its shoulders,

“I’ve.. had..ENOUGH!”

Sonic bared his teeth and fangs at the robot, he and it glaring at each other trying to take another out...but Sonic finally manages to grab its head...and pulling and tearing it off its body. But he didn’t stop there: his fingers protruded through his gloves with longer claws poking out of the tips, and shoved his hand into the robots chest cavity. Growling angrily, he jumps off its frame and lands on his feet, the robot's mangled body falls simultaneously, it’s head rolls to his feet and meets with his red shoes.

Sonic kicks it, making it tumble a few feet away, huffs and takes his moment to catch his breath. He was too riled up to notice the police men and townspeople applauding once more and giving him compliments. As glad he was that it was over…

“Hey, uh..good job.”

Sonic’s cold expression from the battle softens after seeing Tom, along with Wade standing next to him.

“Heh, thanks. Just doing what’s right, really.” Sonic makes an awkward one side grin at the men and rubs his arm.

“Hey Tom, mind maybe filling me in on what’s been up with you two?” Wade hits his friends back as a playful jab.

“Uh..yeah.” Tom wrinkles his nose and looks at Sonic, “Let's head home, there’s still lots of stuff we should talk about and explain.”

“Sure, and even though I hate water, just this once I agree I should take a bath.” Sonic makes his typical chuckle that Tom was more familiar with;

Seeing him now, Tom was glad for the time being he was going back to his usual self, but the images of the fight and different demeanor during it.. still haunted him.

#sonic the hedgehog movie #sonic unleashed #werehog sonic #curse of the dark emerald #sonic the werehog

33 notes · View notes

rwbyremnants · 4 years

Link

WARNINGS: kink club, petplay, exhibitionism, nyotaimori, hot tub, anal fingering, anal plug, safeword use, fantasizing, fingering, female ejaculation.

=Chapter 5

"And that is why there was a Snap in my story of a very flustered me with a cop car in the background."

Ruby had just been telling Winter the tale of the unfortunate interruption in her last venture with Penny on their way to the club, from start to finish. For a few days, Winter had been eager to find out just what it was all about, but Ruby insisted on keeping the story secret until they next met up at The Clamp. With Ruby's agreement, she set up for a session in public on the upper floor, a scene in public viewing. They opted for her comfort zone, petplay, and nothing all too extreme. Either way, it was a good stepping stone to become more confident in sessions, as they both thought.

And a great way to pick up tips by watching others. Looking around on the ground floor while everyone had their drinks, she was somewhat pleased with the atmosphere again. She never got to truly appreciate it last time, once her uncle had ruined the memory.

"Ahhh," Winter chuckled as they strode past the relatively mundane surroundings of the downstairs bar. "That's good to hear, though; given what you've told me about Penny, I'm glad she's pushing outside her comfort zone. Even if she decides at the end of this that she's still asexual."

"Well, even if it’s not gonna be a regular thing, I'm happy. When it happens, she's really good."

As they approached the stairwell toward the back, Ruby was beginning to grow nervous. Yet again, she would be back among all the strange and wonderful scenes happening above; the various kink plays and displays out for public to see. Who knew what she was going to find – and what she would be, for that matter?

Except that Winter did know what she would be. They both did.

"Glad to hear it. Now, just a reminder… once we enter pass through the door at the top of these stairs, only our safe word will stop me from treating you as Lady. Otherwise, you're my bitch and that's that. Anyone else is entitled to treat you however they want, and you have to respond to them; it's my duty as your owner to keep them from going too far. However, if I can't get to you and they make you feel too unsafe, the universal safe word for the club is 'Red Light' - which you will use in emergencies only. Is that clear?"

"Okay… 'Strawberry' to stop Lady, 'Red Light' to stop everything else; got it. So… I just drop the coat and get started?"

Tonight, Ruby had been wearing her attire all along underneath a long, baggy coat. It was at Winter's request before they attended, to make for a quick entrance in their play and for ease when she was to get out. But up until that point, she hadn't revealed it to Winter just yet.

"You do. We have to sign in, of course." She looked toward the woman, clad in both dark skin and dark smile, sitting behind the desk. "Princess and Lady."

"Very good; I thought we might not see the little one again. She seemed pretty unsure of herself the last time she was here." The smile might have been dark, but it wasn't malicious or mocking. "And do you need to use our coat check for that?"

"U-um… I'm in the gear under this. D-do I need to be upstairs first?" Clearly, she was nervous. Even with the woman's nod of reassurance, it took her swallowing and taking a few breaths in before she finally took of the coat.

And revealed the brand new outfit Winter had got for her. Unlike the old one, this suit was made from better quality material, that felt softer and more natural to the touch; comfortable. Its colour matched that of her hair, with the occasional red striping just like her streaks. But there was another feature that no doubt would have a use later: between the legs, hidden within the fur, was a long zipper that went from below Ruby's belly right to the top of her rear the other side.

"Very nice," the bouncer-slash-registrar observed with a nod of approval. "If you were in character already, I'd pet you myself. And I'll take your coats."

"My Lady's a good girl," Winter said softly as they passed the coat over, a gentle smile on her mouth as she began to remove her own. Winter was decked out in harsher Dom gear this time, complete with dulled metal spikes, shining black leather everywhere, buckles and studs and metal loops, and just enough cleavage so that it couldn't be ignored entirely. She was also wearing stiletto-heeled, open-toed boots that stretched all the way up to mid-thigh, and leather gloves that came up to mid-bicep with the index fingers cut out, so that they vaguely matched the boots after a fashion. The glimpses of flesh were milky-white and inviting, even if in small quantities. The look was completed by silver earrings, bracelets, and a ring with a small diamond in it on the exposed right finger.

"So, how does it start this time? Usually you just say 'begin play'." Ruby slid the last detail she had pulled from her pocket around her neck: a black leather collar made to fit her measurements, a silvery tag dangling from it – with the name “Lady” embedded in it with tiny diamonds, sparkling like stardust. Attached to that, a long chain lead with a leather strap on the end of it for Winter to hold.

"Not necessary," Winter said as she took the leash in her grip. "This time, it's walking in the door that begins play. Though I will want you down on all fours before we go through it, to make for a seamless beginning to the scene. Knee pads on? Oh, and… don't forget your shoes."

"Right… 'Shoes'." But these 'shoes' weren't to wear on her feet. Winter had again provided a pair of gloves for the evening. Padded mittens that matched the outfit, with no thumbs or anything to help hold items. Once they were on, she would be completely helpless to do nothing but obey each command. If she needed something pictured up, she would do it with her mouth. Sliding the knee pads on and the gloves later, she assumed the position on all fours, sitting as politely as possible next to Winter as she waited for her commands.

"Silly pup," Winter laughed as she knelt down. "I actually did mean 'shoes'; I was going to put the gloves on for you." With a quick flick, she took off Ruby's simple boat shoes, revealing toe socks that matched the patterns on the gloves.

"Oh… Heh, sorry." Ruby couldn't help but wriggle her toes once they were free; both to enjoy the freedom from the shoes, and for a small show for Winter. On cue, the Dom cleared her throat and stood up to avoid bothering about that subject at present.

"R-right," she sighed, shouldering the small leather backpack that had their additional supplies. "I care about you very much as a person; I want you to remember that before we go up these stairs and I start treating you like a mutt."

"Okay, right… but…" As Winter laid her hand on the door handle, about to open it, Ruby piped up just before she could go out, still sat patiently. "Is it okay if, like, once we have a room to ourselves, if I mess up… you forgive me?"

That caused Winter to turn and kneel down by her side, cupping her face in the hand not holding her leash. "No, I'm afraid not; unless you use the safe word, we won't be ending the scene until we come back down here. I will scold you if ‘Lady’ needs scolding. But keep in mind, if you do start to feel like you can't continue, we can end the scene. I want you to really get the full experience, fully-committed petplay, but not so much that you feel tortured. Let me know you need a break, and we'll either go upstairs to the private rooms, or to the recovery lounge in the basement." Then she kissed her forehead. "And either way, I'm definitely not going to hold a few mistakes against you once play has ended."

Unable to help herself, Ruby leant forward into the kiss, smiling contentedly. That was a relief, that Winter cared enough to let her know how intense the session would be before it went on, and how deep they were diving. It was going to be her first real session.

And the first taste of what it would be like with another Dom. As much as Ruby didn't want to, that was a step she was thinking of taking as of late; moving on to someone else in order to disregard her romantic feelings for Winter. It would be far easier than telling her the truth, especially when there would be so many consequences or ways it would make their arrangement weird. Just because Penny had given her the green light to date two women didn’t mean she was sure it was the best option; she owed it to herself and to Penny to explore all others before making a decision.

"Okay," Winter breathed, straightening again. "Are you ready to go into 'Lady mode'?"

Rather than answer, she returned her paws to the ground, and instead looked up with her tongue out, imitating a pant. "Arf!"

"Good girl," she whispered. Then, without further ado, she pushed the door open.

The scene room was just as varied and enticing as the last time Ruby had been there. So many things to see! Immediately noticeable was a tan-skinned woman with a blonde ponytail laid out on a table in the center of a room with a multitude of types of sushi arranged artfully all over her nude body, lying perfectly still so as not to disturb a single one. Even as they walked in, a man wearing very sparse leather straps was taking a piece, talking briefly to the girl before popping it in his mouth.

Ruby couldn't explore these many sights as herself; she had to do it as Lady, a dog. If she wanted to walk over to the various scenes, she would have to pull in that that direction and wait until Winter headed there first. Sniffing at the air, she played into the roll straight away, crawling forward toward the tanned woman, like a dog begging for food.

"Lady, behave," Winter warned, not yanking the leash but simply holding it fast when Ruby pulled against it. "Do you want to see the sushi woman? Do you, girl?" She was certainly curious of it, and knew too well that dogs went straight for food. Nodding, she yipped yet again. Winter couldn't help but smile. She was doing so well! "Alright, alright, let's go."

Following along, holding the leash just taut enough that Ruby couldn't dash ahead, she approached. "Do you mind if Lady has one?" she asked the woman.

"Not at all! Take one from my shoulders. They're, uh, about to fall off." It seemed this was probably her first session as well, given how nervous she was, even if she looked like a strong woman. She just managed to look down toward Ruby, who was sniffing around that area, and gave another smile. "Cute suit she's wearing!"

"Lady, down!" Winter hissed, tugging the leash. She never pulled too harshly, much less jerked the chain; only gentle corrections. The correction soon brought Ruby back in line. "Thank you. She's so excitable, I haven't brought her here before." Then she selected one of the small bits, a more Western sushi without fish, looked at Ruby with the bit held aloft, and said, "Open?"

Seeing the piece of sushi Winter held, Lady looked up intently and sat up on her knees, bringing her arms up into a begging stance.

"Open!" Winter repeated in a baby-talk voice, twitching the piece back and forth as she would for a real dog, to make sure she held her attention. As asked, she opened her mouth wide, waiting for Winter. Grinning, she popped it in and cooed, "Good girl!" as she scratched the hair behind her ear, trying her best to avoid disturbing the headband with her ears attached. Then to the "plate" next to her, she asked, "Do you have any pets?"

Chuckling as the pet happily chewed her food, she looked back up to Winter. "Just a Macaw. She's a great alarm clock, but gets super defensive over me if I bring anyone back home. Makes finding a boyfriend very difficult when she keeps biting them!"

"Well, someone's obviously taking good care of you, even if it's not a boyfriend," she observed, looking over the array of perfectly-balanced sushi. "The Macaw didn't do all this!"

Still laughing, she just managed to stop herself before the sushi moved too much. "Afraid not by a boy, though! I had some help from one of the girls. She said she had some time to kill while her boyfriend was getting ready so she helped me out. Long black hair, I think she called herself 'Kitten'?"

Winter's lips pursed as she glanced over the selection, walking slowly alongside the table. "Hmm, I think I'm familiar with 'Kitten', yes. Lady might chase her if we run into her tonight, though." Then she selected one of the nigiri bits balanced on the girl's ankle. "May I?"

"Sure! The sooner it's gone, the sooner I can wander around again. There was a stud around here I might chase when this is over. I got a thing for bears, even if most of the ones here wouldn’t have a thing for me."

But as their conversation continued, Ruby was looking toward the other scenes in the room. There was no sign of Torchwick, the Dom whom her uncle warded away when she first attended. That was a relief – even moreso than Qrow himself being absent.

However, there were a couple toward the back that had caught her eye. A woman with long, black hair, a swath of it swooping in front of one of her eyes. She was currently teasing a silver haired gentleman, who was bound to the shackles on the wall. Running her hands down his body, teasing the well toned abs with one hand, and holding a cat-o-ninetails in the other. That was a much more intense session, Ruby wagered.

"…Dom who could do the job for you," Winter was saying to the plate-woman. "I'll… well, I'll give you the information later; I'm dog-sitting at present." When she turned back to Lady, she said, "Isn't that right?" before noticing that she was distracted. "What is it, girl?"

She was still watching the woman with whom she had just established eye contact. The Dom sent a wink in her direction, seeming to revel in the fact that Ruby was blushing so much in response to it. So much that she barely noticed Winter calling her.

Until the lead was tugged lightly, and she looked up toward Winter again, immediately letting out an "Arf!"

"NOT her," Winter said shortly, glaring across the room herself. She seemed to spend a moment trying to decide something, then smiled down at Ruby and said, "Mommy doesn't like that woman. Does Lady want more sushi?"

That was very odd. Ruby understood her dislike for Torchwick, but not for anyone else in the club. Did she dislike this Dom just because of how much more intensive her play was? Or just because she was looking at Ruby? It seemed like a petty reason, if so. But she could ask about that later, when she wasn't Lady. Finally turning to face Winter properly, she nodded, assuming the begging position again.

"Does Lady like fish?" she asked next; this was at least a yes-or-no question, one that she could answer as a dog. Ruby nodded, continuing the begging position for longer and letting her tongue hang from her mouth. Which the tanned girl also understood, and smiled.

"The tuna rolls are on my stomach. Give her an extra one from me!"

"Of course," Winter laughed, already forgetting her recent displeasure about the Dom across the room in favour of fetching a tuna roll for her pup. Again, she held it just inches from Ruby's face and said, "Open!"

And Ruby did obediently, eagerly accepting the morsel when it was placed into her mouth, and then the second piece. It really was a unique treat to have in the middle of a scene. Of course, Ruby knew all too well, the more intense treats could come later.

Deciding a little praise wouldn't be remiss, Winter knelt down, scrubbing at Ruby's hair and neck with all of her fingertips as she gushed, "My Lady's such a good girl! Yes she is, yes she is!"

From the distance, Ruby could just make out the other Dom rolling her eyes before she returned to the man in the shackles. Their dislike for each other was mutual? What exactly happened between the two to provoke that?

Play now, ask later, she reminded herself, looking to Winter's attentions. Now… what does Zwei do when you do this to him? Remembering quite easily, she squinted her eyes to show her enjoyment, and began to thump one of her feet against the floor. She had no tail to wag, so it was as good as she could get.

That brought about a delighted laugh from both Winter and the plate-woman. Leaning down, she kissed Ruby's cheek and whispered, "Good Lady" so softly that it was a more private praise than the louder words from before. And in another attempt to seem more doglike, she smiled back at her, before leaning in toward her cheek. She couldn't return the favour as a kiss, but could do a dog kiss just as easily. And so let her tongue out slightly, licking her cheek.

This prompted an instant giggle, one both mildly surprised and pleased. "That tickles, Lady!" Then she pinched her cheeks between her thumb and fingers, squishing slightly as a real dog owner would do. "Such a pretty puppy!"

All the while, Ruby could just grin back in response. It was reassuring to hear she was doing a good job, even if her cheeks were being pinched rather firmly in her grip. Once she let go she crawled back slightly, gesturing to explore the rest of the club.

"Alright, alright, we're off. It was nice chatting with you, Robyn," she told the sushi-woman, taking one last California Roll off her left breast for herself.

"You, too! See you around!"

That was the last thing she could call out before they walked away toward the back of the room. The main events seemed to be the sushi woman and the shackled people toward the back, but that left the question; what was happening in the hot tub area? Ruby definitely remembered seeing it before, and when she spotted it again she wandered toward it happily, trying not to pull too hard.

"Alright, alright, be patient," her owner chuckled - and after a particularly strong pull against the lead, she commanded, "Stay!" Such a pull prompted a rather quick yelp from her pet, but she did as commanded, waiting on her hands and knees perfectly still. "You have to let Mommy catch up," she scolded very mildly as she walked up beside her. Then they continued to the hot tub together, only to find…

"Ah, Glynda!" Winter called out with a gentle smile. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Sure enough, there she was in the hot tub. Wearing extremely little, and the vague parts she was wearing were leather; she grinned back toward Winter immediately, distracted from the other few ladies in the tub. "Princess! I didn't think you were coming tonight. Rooster not here with you?"

Winter glanced nervously at Ruby, glad to see her "pet" wasn't looking at her at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to have a discussion about Rooster – especially if she had caught on to who that was the last time they met in the club. "Not tonight. I've brought Lady along for an outing; she needs to stretch her legs, play with others a little. Don't you, Lady?"

"Arf Arf!" Ruby said gleefully, sitting herself down for a moment as she looked up toward Glynda. Who looked down at her startled for a moment, with rather wide eyes, and then back up to Winter. It looked as though she was about to comment on just who Ruby was in relation to Rooster, but smiled instead. "I see. Well, is that all you have planned for the evening, or will you be headed upstairs in a while?"

"We might, if she wants to play up there." Then she patted the side of the hot tub, which had quite a bit of purchase to lean upon. "Up, Lady! I want you to meet Glynda!"

Having to blink for a moment while the command registered, Ruby finally hopped up at the tub, trying her best to maintain the dog like posture as she put her 'paws' on the side of it to support her upright position. And as she leant in, Glynda fussed just under her chin, and then behind the ears very carefully.

"She's doing very well! Is this her first session?"

"Her first in public," Winter said, as if Ruby weren't even there. As if she were a dog who could barely understand a few spare English words. "We've practiced off and on at home, but thought it was time for a true session. And what better place than here?"

"Well, there's not exactly anywhere else you can do it in public. Laws and all that." Glynda was mirroring the attitude as she continued to fuss over her, seeming used to this. It was second nature. Giving a little kiss on the top of her head, she added, "Well the outfit is adorable, and so well made!"

"Isn't it? Much better than the last one I bought her." As she might have with a real dog, Winter bent down and eased Ruby up until all four limbs were perched on the side of the hot tub, a hand remaining on her side to help her keep balance. It seemed she was slightly startled by those actions as she frantically looked back to what Winter was doing, managing to just balance on the edge as she looked between her master and Glynda. "Care to inspect further? Pet elsewhere?"

"Well, I am somewhat curious of a few things… she doesn't mind being petted anywhere, does she? Has a safety word and all that?"

Those words were slightly worrying to Ruby. If she had to check that, what was she going to do?

"I'm not Torchwick," she muttered, and she and Glynda shared a bitter laugh. "No, no, she knows she's expected to play with others. Within reason," she warned the other woman very mildly.

"Oh of course! I just want to explore what this suit is like more than anything."

And with that, there were a pair of hands beginning to fuss over Ruby's body. At first, it was just over her back, where she scratched between her shoulder blades and the down her spine, both actions prompting her foot to lightly thump once again. But the fuss didn't stop there.

"It's such good quality fur…" Glynda complimented, fussing underneath, against Ruby's front. In truth, she really was doing as she stated, inspecting and admiring the suits features, but when that involved petting a few areas over her chest to inspect the fit, it certainly had the 'pooch' blushing rather intensely.

And that intensified when she felt a hand dip a little lower. "Oh! The zip goes from front to back. Clever. There's even space for if she wanted a proper plug tail. That's cute."

To help offset the more intimate petting, Winter's hand went into Ruby's hair, caressing her scalp with gentle fingertips. "I did notice that. Thought it would be a sound investment. Also…" She reached down and wormed a finger under the leg hole just below Ruby's buttcheek and tugged. "The material has some elasticity, which you don't typically see when there's fur involved."

"Firm fit and leaves room for things to get a little rough, exciting… You'll have to give me the maker's number; I've been wanting to get back into petplay for a little while."

Much to Ruby's relief, the hands finally left Ruby's body. Breathing quietly to herself, she looked over to Winter, before innocently pawing at her arm to get her attention.

"Of course, of course." But Winter ignored the pawing, at first. Much like any pet owner would when in conversation with another human. "If you and Lady continue to get along, perhaps I'll take you both for a walk in the future. You and I have been meaning to arrange another session for some time now, haven't we?"

"I do like your sessions, you're a good Dom. And… I hate to admit this, but I also rather enjoy it when Rooster is involved. I have a slight weakness for seeing a Dom get overpowered."

The pawing only continued. Whilst it was a reassuring way of showing Ruby was oblivious to the conversation, it seemed to grow all the more needy.

"Everyone has their kinks," she laughed. "At least, everyone here does." Then she bent slightly to look into Ruby's eyes directly. "What is it, Lady? Do you need to do your business? Need a drink of water?"

"Strawberry."

It was whispered very quietly, as though she was ashamed of herself for needing to say it; but that was their safety word. It seemed the intimate petting from Glynda and overall display to the rest of the club was finally taking its toll on her, making her too nervous to continue.

"What is it?" Winter asked in obvious concern.

"N-no, just… I wanna go upstairs now. Not stop completely. Sorry, I just didn’t… know how to…"

Winter's face had gone white when she first heard the word, but after Ruby followed up, she began to breathe again. "Alright. We can go." Trying to suppress her worry, she smiled at Glynda. "Another time? Enjoy your soak, Snowmane."

"Oh, I'm sure these two will help me enjoy it." She looked back toward the other two women in the tub, both of which held up their thumbs in approval.

Now that it was clear they were going to be heading out of view, Ruby hopped back down again, waiting patiently by her side to begin. Even if she had said the word, she would continue up until they were out of sight.

"Come along, Lady," she said, making a couple of kissy noises as she began to walk toward the stairwell to take her up to the private rooms. Soon enough, they were ascending, and Winter was glancing through the windows to see which ones were free.

"Here we are," she sighed, opening one of the doors. "In you go, girl, come on!"

Right away, Ruby 'ran' inside, sparing a couple of stray yips for effect before she was in the room. Once there, she sat herself on the ground, and waited for Winter to close the door…

Before she let out a long, shaky sigh. Sitting herself in a regular, much more human position, she tried to run her hands over her face; only to find they were still in the large plush gloves. So much for that.

"I'm so sorry," she uttered, continuing to take a few breaths. "It just got to be too much, after a while, I mean. Kinda needed a break."

But what Winter said when she turned around wasn't what Ruby had expected. Rather than scolding her outright, or reassuring her, she asked a simple question, delivered in a flat tone. "Don't you trust me?"

"I… what?" For some reason, that struck more fear into her than any scolding could. If those ears were real, they'd be pinned right back. Had she disappointed Winter? "Y-yes… Of course I do."

"I wouldn't have let anything to happen to you down there. You could have just hopped down and tugged me toward the stairs if… I mean, when you used the safeword, I was really scared that you were hurt, okay? Or that I messed up, or…"

"No no, you were doing great!" she reassured, scooting herself toward where Winter stood instead. She had overcompensated for her slight discomfort by the hot tub, and worried her too much. Why was this whole situation so awkward with the addition of her feelings? She would never feel this bad if it was anyone else she let down! Sighing, she looked to the ground. "I didn't know how to do it in character, not without getting scolded; I just needed to get outta there."

Winter took a breath, running her fingers through her own bangs as she allowed her haunted eyes to close. "You're fine… it's fine. Sorry about that, I just, I thought you were really upset down there or something, and I felt worried all the way back up here."

"And I'm really, really sorry," she stressed, still staring toward the ground. This was getting them nowhere; her own feelings for Winter truly were getting in the way of them having a good session, ruining their chances of doing what she intended when they started this whole thing; preparing her for sessions of play. Maybe it was about time she found another Dom. It would certainly make it all a lot easier.

"I'll leave if you want me to," she whispered, about to try and shuffle the gloves off. "I get if you don't wanna finish this session anymore."

"What? Why on earth would I want that? I was just worried that you…" She fell to her knees, sliding her arms around Ruby's back and bringing her in close. "I was just worried about you. But if you're alright, then that's what matters."

The sudden hug stopped Ruby's actions completely. Instead, she froze up, staying perfectly still in Winter's grip. Oh but how good it felt to be there, in a loving, genuine embrace by her. It was something else entirely… Finally she allowed herself the pleasure of hugging her back, snuggling against her rather closely as she did so, trying to clutch with the paws.

After another minute or so, Winter kissed the side of Ruby's head and whispered, "This was a good first session. But you have to learn to put your full trust in your Dom a little more than that, whether it's me or another Dom. During petplay, what they say goes; you can resist as much as a dog would, of course, but in the end you have to remember they are your master." Another brief kiss. "And if you were worried about Glynda… well, I know you don't know her, but you have to trust that I do. Otherwise, I'd never have let her lay a finger on you."

"Okay… I guess I'm still just a newbie to all this." She managed to giggle nervously, finally looking back up to Winter with a brighter expression again. That's what these types of relationships and sessions were all about in the end. Trust. And that trust was something Ruby needed to work on more.

"The goal," Winter went on, in a more businesslike tone and without any of the raw emotion from before, "is for you really to be able to play with others. Obviously, I would not have let Glynda do anything more than she did today; not on your first day out. But, in the future… it wouldn't be uncommon for several other patrons of the Clamp to want to pet you there, at least through your suit. It's expected and seen as part of the game."

"Well, I mean, I could handle petting fine! Normal petting! But then she was suddenly poking around the zipper and mentioning plugs…" Unfortunately she looked down again, and lightly shuddered at the thought. "The nerves just… kinda ganged up on me, y’know? I didn't think anybody would be going that deep but you."

"I understand. So long as you try to learn what will be expected of you in the scene room. Other Doms would be more cross with you for not performing; I'm not cross at all, but I am worried about how they'll scold you if you don't get more comfortable in this role, that's all." However, she was smirking. "As for me going deep… I can definitely handle that."

There was that smirk again. That mischievous smirk that usually meant something exciting was going to be happening very soon. "Go on?"

Still wearing the same expression, she slowly took off the backpack and lowered it to the ground. "You didn't think we'd come up here to shoot the breeze, did you?"

"Oh boy…" Unable to help herself, she bit her lip and flushed red again. This would be the first time they had a session without a drink beforehand, and their first somewhat in public. That was assuming that Winter had left the viewing window open for people to freely glance if they wished. But she told herself that if she let Penny get her off in the car, then this shouldn’t be much worse. Watching patiently as Winter rummaged through the contents, she asked, "What are we trying this evening, then?"

Rather than answer with words, Winter raised her hand to display something Ruby had seen very early on in their time together: a black anal plug with a fluffy black-and-red tail hanging down from it. Yet again, Ruby's eyes snapped open wide. The matching tail, right there. She had managed to escape it their first time together, but this second session…

"Okay, this is gonna be new-new," Ruby felt the need to say, continuing to blush. "I've never even tried a finger up there before…"

"Well, you're not going to be new-new after today." When Ruby winced again, Winter smiled. "In one way or another. I'm going to try working you up to the plug, but if it doesn't happen, that's okay. Still want to try, though; at least get you used to the idea."

"Okay… okay, this is happening." There were a few deep breaths from Ruby as she composed herself again. This was going to be intense! Multiple people had told her anything in that region would feel very different, and far tighter than what she was used to. "Just, one thing. I know you want me to get used to it as a normal session, but…" Nervously, she looked down again. "F-for this, can I, um, drop the dog act? Cause I'll be very… distracted."

"Yeah, I think that's understandable." Then she asked very mildly, not wanting to sway Ruby in either direction, "Would you like a brief cuddle session first, so you're a little more relaxed, or do you want to get right to it?"

Ruby wanted to say “yes”. In fact, if there was the offer to just cuddle for the rest of the evening with Winter rather than continue, she would feel tempted to repeat that beautiful, intimate session between them both, cuddling in bed, falling asleep in each other's arms…

No no no, what are you thinking about that for? she chided herself internally, having to shake her head. You know that'll make things awkward. Winter doesn't do relationships, get that into your head. And with that, she shook her head, smiling briefly.

"Let’s get right into it."

"Good. Now, then… do you want to keep your paws on? I'd like you to, so we can get straight back to play if you get the tail squared away in there." Even as she asked, her hand was trailing down Ruby's stomach, heading toward the zipper.

For a moment, Ruby looked to the paws again. Sure enough with a small flex, she smiled to herself. "They're too cute to take off."

That prompted a genuine grin from the Dom. "They really are cute, and you're cute wearing them." The sound of the zipper cut her off from saying anymore, and she kept it going all the way underneath and back to the suit’s clip-on tail. "Still doing alright?"

Wriggling to part the material slightly where it was now unzipped, she nodded. There wasn't much else she could do other than settle in a comfortable position against her Dom, trusting in her to handle all the details.

"Okay, hmm… settle on your back. I think that would be easier." Winter began to help her ease backward, one hand between her shoulder blades. Eventually she was resting on the ground while raising both her paws yet again into the begging position. It seemed the easiest while Winter was about to prepare her body.

"What does it feel like?" she couldn't help but ask. "If you've ever tried it, I mean."

"Oh, I have, believe me," she chuckled lightly, edging the material open wide as she settled in to tease her. "It's… I don't know how to describe it. More powerful, more… I don't know. Your mind will try to tell you it's hurting, because it's a feeling it's not used to, but if you really focus you'll realize it's not pain you're feeling. Discomfort at its worst, but more typically pleasure."

"Okay, that sounds strange…" As she felt Winter's fingers beginning to touch her skin, she wriggled back and forth again, before settling with her feet against the ground, spread right apart. "Like, I know that for people with dicks, they have a prostate… I just never got what people like us get out of it."

"You'll see." Then she reached into the bag again. "I'm going to get some gloves; it'll make cleanup easier, since I'm also going to use a little flavoured lube. Your butt is going to smell like cherries – literally."

"Flavoured lube? I thought that was just for dildos and stuff! Why would you…" Seemed her sub was going to learn all sorts of things today. Not just what it would feel like to have fingers poking where the sun don't shine. Keeping her legs apart, she tried to look down between them to watch as Winter slid the gloves on. Once her hands were prepared, Winter pulled out the tiny tube of lubricant and smiled over at her.

"Now, this will be cold, of course, but I can hold it between my legs for a minute for you." Which she did immediately, pressing the bottle in between her thighs. "Might not make much difference, but it's worth a shot, right?"

"You just want to put things between your legs or something." But as soon as that came out, Ruby slapped her paws across her mouth, face flushing red yet again. "I'm sorry! When I’m nervous, I don't exactly think before words come out my mouth!"

The smirk was bemused, at least. "I do, but not at the moment. Right now, I want to focus on what's going between your legs." To drive her point home, she began stroking over Ruby's hindcheeks with one hand.

"Eeee-oh…" Beginning to relax, she couldn't help but shudder lightly when hands went over her skin, gliding softly to stimulate her. Allowing her hands to fall again, she returned them to the same begging position. Seemed that aspect of play was going to remain.

"Good… you like that?" Then she took the tube out from her thighs, feeling it had grown very slightly warmer. "Alright, I think we may be ready."

Displaying some dexterity, she managed to unscrew the cap of the lube with the one hand alone, fingers twisting in order to dislodge it. Slowly nodding in agreement, Ruby smiled rather happily to herself, biting her lip to stop any stray moans or faint calls of joy. She watched as Winter slowly prepared two of her fingers, coating them in the dense fluid. It smelled nice even from this distance, just like Winter said.

"Okay…" Again, the hand returned, but this time only a thumb brushed one cheek, in the general area. "I won't begin until you say 'tickle my ass'. It's a silly phrase, I know - but this way, it's only happening when you tell me to do it."

"'Tickle my ass'… wow, really?" she asked jokingly. But in truth, she was already prepared for such actions. Winter was taking such good care to relax and calm her down, why wouldn't she be? With a small smile, she leant back, and repeated the phrase again. "Tickle my ass."

"Your wish is my pleasure, Lady." And without any further delay, Winter pushed one lube-coated fingertip up against Ruby's tightly-puckered opening.

"Hoo! Ohhh, it’s so weird," she panted, letting out a small series of moans in response to the finger attempting to enter her. It really was tight, even though she felt Winter circling the muscle over and over again to try and loosen it.

"Just relax," her Dom said in a low, calming voice as she continued to tease in a slow, lazy circle. "Mmm, I haven't played with an ass this tight in a long time. But I can open it… just you wait and see."

"Mmmfff! Y-you're pretty confident of that, huh?"

But the efforts were working. Gradually, the muscle of her sub was beginning to twitch against the finger trying to make its way inside it, trying to resist opening itself completely to her, but it was somewhat useless. Each twitch was causing it to become even looser.

"Oh… oh that's so…" Strange. Winter was barely penetrating her, but she could feel the tingles going through her body. The barest hints of both pain and pleasure mixed into one, leaving an equally confusing sensation. But one that was rather enjoyable. Keeping back a moan, she asked, "W-was it like this f-for you?"

"Not like this precisely; my backdoor was given a more… sudden and unexpected lesson." Her smile was lopsided now. "Though I did come to appreciate it once I got over the shock."

"O-oh… Right…" When the finger began to press in harder, Ruby found herself wincing. She was still unsure what to make of the whole ordeal. Did she enjoy it? Or was she just putting up with it for Winter's sake? The possibility was both, that she was enjoying it because it was Winter. Had it been anyone else poking there, she probably wouldn't be as accommodating.

But Winter was determined to make this as pleasurable as she could for her sub. Leaning down, she left a soft kiss on the inner thigh, humming loud enough so it could be heard as she did so. Anything to help her accept the finger more readily.

"Y-yeah… Definitely glad I d-dropped the dog act for this," she mused quietly, continuing to bear the treatment of her rear end as it loosened all the more. Again, she was still confused, still unable to comprehend the feeling.

Until the tip slid in further, and she gasped.

"Ooohhh," Winter cooed, letting the finger come to a halt when she heard the little gasp. "I'm inside your ass, Lady. How is it?"

"I-it's…" Eyes shutting rather firmly, she shuddered at the sensation, feeling her muscles spasm against the finger again. "I-it's… so weird."

"In a good way?" Another long, lingering kiss on her thigh, one in which the lips began to knead upon the flesh gratefully, beyond happy to be doing what she was doing.

"In a… I dunno just yet." Yet again there were a few more twitches of her leg, all while she was trying to understand what she was feeling down below. Even as Winter pushed in that bit further, she was still unsure, still quivering.

Glancing down, Winter let out a soft chuckle. "Your body doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. Maybe it's ahead of your brain."

"M-mayb- aaaah!" Even further inside, she felt the fingers prying, opening her up. Winter certainly was patient, given how long it was taking her to grow accustomed to it. And this was just one finger! How much more intense was this going to get with something larger?

But Winter didn't seem to need to progress to anything larger - not just yet. Once the finger was a little deeper in, she began to wiggle it very slightly, just to see what Ruby's reaction might be.

"Mmmfff! H-hah!" That was even stranger than before! Feeling the tip of Winter's finger press against different sections of her inside was really taking its toll, sending yet more tingles through her skin. How could she bear this as often as she claimed? Did Weiss do this? Did Yang?

"Oh, just you wait until we work up to the plug," Winter teased her very mildly. "But… wow, you look like you're really loving this." When Ruby stared at her with wide eyes, she shrugged. "Not in a way you expected; I can see that, too. But I can usually tell who's going to be a butt-slut and who isn't during their first time playing back there. And you, Lady…" Her finger writhed and pushed deeper. "You're just getting started."

Yet another shaky release of breath. A butt-slut? Her? She could never imagine herself asking Penny for this, or any other Dom in the future; but it seemed almost like a requirement for the club. After all, it was something Glynda commented on straight away without even thinking, and likely something everyone took part in no matter what the gender. But was it really what she wanted and enjoyed?

The breathing was so shaky that Winter paused, finger nearly all the way in, and kissed Ruby's leg again. "Relax. Breathe deeper. Let yourself accept it. I promise you, I've had this done to me more times than I can count, and it's all about not fighting it."

"Okay… O-okay…" But she couldn't stop herself! No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the quivering in her breath, the spasming of her muscle against the finger that was invading. Everything felt so unusual, so tight. Even after five minutes of weathering the treatment, Winter's sub was still unsure if she liked this or not.

"Still so tight," Winter observed, biting her lip as she began to slide the finger in and out a little. Clearly, she was surprised that Ruby hadn't loosened up as much as she had been expecting, but was no less determined to make it happen.

"W-winter…" She couldn't help herself. When the finger began to move back and forth inside her, the moan just slid out. Still confused, still concerned of what was happening to her body. There was just so much for her to handle.

Okay, try not to think about it, she attempted to think to herself, biting her lip. If you're still this worried when it's the plug, THEN use the word. For now, just relax, will you?!

In a sing-song voice, Winter began to coo, "Lady, Lady, my little butt-slut…" Then she giggled as she wriggled the finger. It really wasn't moving all that much when it came down to it, but definitely enough that it could not be ignored.

"Hnnn!" Gritting her teeth, she felt her muscles twitch yet again. It truly was too intense for her to ignore, and the teasing was only making it worse. Toes curling in her socks, she asked, "H-how long… Does this take? U-until you try t-the…"

"I could try it now," she assured her. "You've opened up enough, but I didn't think you were ready yet. You're so nervous!" Another kiss on the thigh, this one longer, very tender. "Don't you want to open up for Princess?"

"I-I…" She was still unsure. Although… trying the plug would certainly prove if she really did like it or not, if she were to take something far bigger. Closing her eyes, she nodded gently. "L-let's try now."

Smiling down at her, she whispered, "Okay. Just remember your safe word." Then she eased back, holding the finger inside of her as she reached back to the bag, nipping out the tail.

"Now, this is going to be very sudden, but I'm going to pull my finger out and replace it with the plug, up to the finger's width. See how it's tapered?" She held it up so Ruby could see how it went from a thinner point to a wider bulge. "I'll stop it there for a minute, and then we'll work it further in, widening your ass as we go."

Cheeks flushing red once again, Ruby looked at the plug in her hand. Compared to a finger, it seemed huge. How on earth was she expected to take all of that and leave it there?! How could anyone, even? But she had to try. Even if she didn't end up liking it, she had to try for her partner. Giving a small nod, she held her legs right back for Winter to work her magic.

Nodding to herself, Winter laid the plug on Ruby's thigh. "Hold this for me a moment."

Then she brought up the tube of lube and drizzled just a tiny bit more onto its surface, some drips landing on her leg instead. Having to try and curl the paw around the tail, she secured it in place as best she could. Though yet again, she shuddered when feeling the liquid hitting her inner thigh. It had gotten slightly colder since it was first pressed there. But still, she did as best she could, holding the tail firm.

"There we are," Winter said, using her free hand to lube up the silicon length once she had put the tube back down. "Want to make sure this has as easy a time as possible." Then she picked it up by the base and brought it right up beside the buried finger. "Alright… three, two… one!"

And within just a few quick seconds, the finger was gone, and the tip was pressing against the already-loosened opening.

"H-haaaah!!!" Once more, Ruby's toes were curling in the paw print socks Winter had got for her. It was so much bigger than her finger already, and it had barely even entered her! And it was only going to get bigger, and delve deeper, widening her poor back door. Biting her lip once more, she tried to hold on while Winter pushed it that bit further, paws curling against the ground in an attempt to hang onto something.

"You're okay," she encouraged very gently, pausing when she saw how starkly Ruby was reacting. "I promise your body can take much bigger than this; it's very elastic back there. Especially at your age."

"I-it's so… S-so…" One of her legs was quivering. While the first finger had been bearable, just, this was so much more intense. But Winter wasn't stopping, and continued to push more of it into her body, widening her all the more. And again her breath was continuing to shake, continuing to get nervous. How did people do this on a regular basis?!

Again, Winter paused in the inward advance to turn it very slightly from side to side instead. "Relax your body completely, Lady. We're more than halfway there, just another inch and it will be in, and able to sit comfortably inside you."

But alas, Ruby couldn't. With those few turns, and a tiny bit more widening, she had enough. "S-strawberry!"

Winter spoke in exactly the same tone, as if she were still encouraging Ruby to take more - but what she said was, "Stop right where we are, or take it all the way out?"

Judging by how shaky her breath still was, and by how she was twitching in both her legs and the tight muscle around the object, the answer would come as no surprise. Still, she had to tell Winter herself, so shook her head lightly. "O-out…"

"Alright, taking it out now." Smoothly but quickly, she slid the object free of Ruby's behind.

Finally, she felt herself gradually begin to close back up again. Taking a deep breath, she took a moment to slow her breathing right down to calm herself. While disappointed she couldn't continue further, she could tell her body wasn't ready for such a feat.

"Sorry," she whispered once catching her breath. "I tried. I really tried…"

"You did wonderfully," Winter told her seriously, removing her gloves and laying them by her bag. "I told you I wanted us to try, and that's what we did. You didn't take it all, but you took most of it; that's really good, you know, and nothing to be ashamed of or to apologise for."

"Isn't this like a requirement though? Like a common thing?" she asked, letting her legs down at last as she looked back toward Winter. "Like, aren't pets supposed to have a tail or something? If I can't even do that, how can I-"

"Shhhh," Winter soothed her, petting the insides of her thighs again and pressing her lips against one of Ruby's fleshy cheeks. "We'll try again; it's over for tonight, but not over forever. But you're right, it's typical for pets to use plugs. However, if you tell your Doms you can't do it, they'll respect that - well, if they're a Dom worth a damn." Then she chanced a small smile. "Do you mind if we talk about it for a minute, though?"

For a moment, Ruby just looked in her direction. Either Winter was one in a million, or Ruby had fiercely misjudged the community she was getting involved in. She was so kind, so caring for her needs, and reassured her every step of the way. It was almost beautiful.

She was beautiful.

No, she wouldn't keep thinking about that. Not this evening. Tonight, her goal was to try and find another Dom after their play to avoid such feelings, so she could avoid hurting Winter and Penny. That didn't mean that they couldn't chat though. Nodding, she shuffled herself over instead, leaning against Winter as she sat with her. Sliding an arm around her shoulders, Winter accepted her head under her own, leaning her ear down against her crown.

"You liked that. I could tell. That's not saying you have to do it just because you liked it, or that you were ready for anything more. You're not on an 'anal schedule', so you can't fall behind, now, can you? I'm just telling you what I observed from your physical reactions."

Shuffling back and forth for a moment, Ruby found herself flexing her hind muscles again on instinct. It was strange to have something absent after the time Winter took to open her up, but still just as much a relief. Leaning back further into her, she let one of her hands drop on top of Winter's.

"I still don't know if I liked it," she confessed, shuffling lightly again. "It was so weird. Kinda uncomfortable, kinda hot? But like, I don't know if I could go any further than this."

"You can, I'm sure of it; it's just not something you're used to liking." Winter sighed. "I know I'm going to sound argumentative, and I'm sorry for that, but… chances are that if I don't say anything, you're going to go home, and you're going to drive yourself crazy worrying about whether you liked it or not, and wind up talking yourself out of trying it again for a long time. That's not what I want for my sub. So I'm hoping…" She took a breath, contemplating her words. "I'm hoping that if I can gently encourage you to think about it positively, that you will at least be open to trying it again soon."

"Maybe…" She bit her lip again nervously, looking off into the corner. "I guess that's me with a lot of my kinks. I'm just too scared of exploring them because they’re weird things to like, even if some are probably things I'll never try, anyway."

"I'll never judge you, or your reactions." She smiled pleasantly. "Remember what happened when you squirted on me? Did anything bad happen, anything at all? No. We're both still fine."

For a moment, Ruby was smiling mischievously. While they were talking, they could at least have some fun. "I'll bet I can surprise you with at least one of my kinks."

"I'll bet you can," Winter answered easily enough, rubbing along her arm consolingly. Then she drew back a few inches. "Wait, was that meant to be some kind of challenge?"

Looking up toward her instead, the mischievous smirk only continued. "It can be, if you want me to try and surprise you?"

"Alright, but…" She glanced back at Ruby's behind, then leaned forward. "Let's make the stakes something non-sexual. If I'm surprised, you win. If I'm not, I win. The winner…" Her lips pulled into a wicked little grin. "The winner gets to buy two ice creams of whatever flavor they want, and the loser HAS to eat theirs. No exceptions."

"Wait, so the loser can’t back out of eating the winner’s choice? So like, if you wanted to buy mint, I have to eat it?" It didn't seem a particularly major bet, but enough to pose some sort of a threat, if it meant eating a disgusting flavour. Nodding, she grinned. "Deal."

"See, you made a fatal mistake; you told me which flavor to make you eat. But to even the odds, I'm not particularly fond of anything with nuts." But she was chuckling, sitting back from Ruby. "Alright, what's this fetish you have?"

For a moment, Ruby paused. Was she really about to do this? This was something that Penny didn't even know, and she was about to tell a Dom that wouldn't be her Dom for too much longer. But what did she have to lose? Besides, Winter had proven time and time again she could be trusted.

"Okay, so it has a story to it," she began, making sure she was facing Winter. "So once in school, I got detention from my art teacher. It was nothing major, I just forgot my homework, and I had to stay behind. No one else was there though, just me. It was winter - um, the season, not the you - so the room was a little chilly, and she lit some candles to try and make the place feel warmer, y'know?"

“What kind of crummy school didn’t have adequate heating?” Winter laughed. But the tale wasn't done yet; Ruby continued.

"This teacher is one I kinda had a crush on anyway. She was stern, but fair, and I really, really liked that. I was somewhat distracted anyways, so when she came over to help me…" She shuffled once again, clearly preparing herself for the last part. "She accidentally knocked one of the candles over, and the wax went all over my hand and arms. I dunno why, like it hurt, but it also felt really really good. But that and the fact she did it, was just… yeah."

Winter blinked a few times. "Oh, hot wax? Wow, I… did not figure you for the pain-kink type. Even if wax isn't very high on the-" Then she slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she had just admitted.

And Ruby simply grinned intensely. "HAH! Knew that'd surprise you!"

"Damn, really put my foot in it this time," Winter grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "Very well, I won't back out of our bet; you win."

But in return, Ruby only giggled. The least she could do now that Winter admitted defeat was lean in, giving a small kiss on her cheek. "Well, I think the teacher thing ties into it, too, just to let you know. Then again, I said from the beginning that was a thing of mine."

"Tell me more about this teacher," Winter said as she began to pet Ruby's belly in small, lazy circles. "There's always a specific 'type'. What did she look like? Tall, short, young, old?"

Oh… that feels nice, Ruby thought to herself when her belly was petted, biting her lip very slightly at the sensation. Maybe they weren't going to finish with the plug like she first assumed, but maybe they could still have some fun.

"Well…" She looked toward Winter, eyes half closing. "She was young-ish… wore square shaped glasses. Thin build…"

"Hair colour? Eyes?" She kissed the tip of Ruby's nose. "You don't have to tell me, I'm just curious. Sounds like she really got you wound up."

Leaning in against the hand rubbing her belly, Ruby smiled. "I never really looked at her eyes, past the glasses… too intense. But she had red hair, back in a bun a lot of the time. Really looked more like a librarian than an art teacher."

Humming, Winter rubbed more vigorously, enjoying their gentler interaction now that Ruby's worry had passed. "I almost want her to step on me myself, so I can imagine how much worse you had it in school." Her voice dipped lower. "Did you ever daydream about her?"

"I might have…" The rubbing was having an effect. Each movement was sending heat to her core again. Winter was going the right way about getting her hot under the collar. Literally.

"What do you imagine? Besides the candles, I mean." Rubbing slower, she kissed the side of Ruby's head as she whispered, "Do you want her to punish you? Or just to take a very firm hand to parts of your body?"

"Hmmm…" Relaxing into the hand again, Ruby found herself trying to push up against it, attempting to push it down lower toward the open zipper. "M-maybe both… punishing me is hot, sometimes… but commanding me… Mmmfff…"

"Just telling you what to do to yourself?" Winter persisted, the hand drifting a little lower. She had no problem doing for Ruby what she desired; she had earned that much for being such a good sub and trying to put up with the newness of a plug. "I can get behind that." After a moment, she decided that since this was no longer truly a "session", she could be a little more open. "I… like that a lot, too. When I'm the sub, that is."

It was a rather pleasant treat for Ruby, to learn of the things Winter liked as a sub rather than just her needs as a Dom. She had known Winter preferred to be submissive, especially to men, but never really knew what she enjoyed most. It seemed now, she was willing to say.

"I-I noticed… Your bed…" She continued to talk while Winter was approaching her sex, curious to see if her partner would continue to talk so easily. "The beams are really strong… and there's rings at the top to secure things there?"

Winter smiled in a pleased manner, petting all the lower. "My Lady is so smart!" But she laughed to make it clear she wasn't reinitiating play. "Yes, I had that custom ordered. It's very… useful. You can make use of the rings yourself, if you'd like; I just hadn't brought them up because we've been busy with other matters."

"I think I prefer… what was it you called it? Shibari." But when she felt Winter's fingers hit home, she sighed in delight. At last, she could finally revel in the wonderful sensations, which she did so by pushing her hips up against them.

"But the idea of you there…" She tried to distract herself, even if it was by imagining something else kinky. "Is that what you like best? To be splayed out?"

"Oh yes," Winter sighed, her own voice finally sounding the tiniest bit discomfited. "It's so satisfying, hanging there and being made a spectacle. A little paddling…" Then she laughed. "I'm rambling; you don't want to hear all this."

"Actually…" As she continued to push herself up against the fingers all the more, she had to somehow suppress a moan. The more she imagined Winter in a submissive state, helpless for whoever wanted her, the wetter she was getting. "Actually I do… g-go on… what makes you the craziest?"

Ruby asking after these details was having a side effect; Winter was also sounding more and more as if she would like to have her own needs met. When she was purely in control of Ruby, she seemed to almost have no sexual appetite whatsoever; merely a detached pleasure at watching the younger woman squirm. This, however…

"Mmhhh," Winter sighed, grinding her fingers against her sub's sex even harder. "Oh, there's so many things! I like having my mouth fucked. Being spitroasted, or double-penetrated… I've had all three filled before, but that's been a while, and it was a little much for me personally. Oh, and I like being stepped on, or spat on. Chained up - as you guessed. And I love outfits, not just as a Dom but as a sub, as well."

"Hmmm!" Biting her lip for a moment to prevent her moans becoming all too loudly, Ruby took a moment to take all those mental images in. Shadow figures of men taking the woman who dominated her quite a few evenings. Not just one at a time, some even together. The idea of her being chained up while one man was at the front of her and another at the back.

She couldn't resist, she had to moan out. That mental image was all too satisfying. Why not add a little more? "O-outfits?"

"Well," Winter sighed as she continued stroking along her soft wetness, "You… have seen a few of them by now. The Hogwarts one, the one I'm wearing now. Others hanging in my secret closet. French maid, nurse, gothic lolita, naughty librarian…" She paused, then added, "Or teacher…"

"Hoooooo…" That was the shakiest breath of the evening. Seemed that was having an effect on Ruby that she didn't intend at all. Not only were the moans slightly increasing in volume, but she was quivering once again. Now she couldn't get that image out of her mind… Winter in those square glasses that she loved on that art teacher. Winter commanding her over a desk, helping her out. Winter The Teacher.

"Mmhhh," she sighed gently, her hips shifting from side to side restlessly as she listened to Ruby moaning, watched her writhe beneath her gentle encouragement. "Ohh, have I told you lately how hot you are?"

Already her poor sub was getting close. Imagining such things really did have a major effect on her. With each delicate rub over her folds, she found herself climbing further and further. It must have been what was left over from dealing with the plug.

"In fact… since you seem to like hearing about what I'm like on the bottom…" Winter leaned in, and with a voice full of need, she asked, "How about when you're finished… I let you put that tail in my ass, instead?"

"HHHAAAAAhhh!!!"

It was unexpected, but suddenly Ruby hit her limit. Quivering against the very fingers sliding up and down her folds, she let the tingles of joy travel through her body. Fast, intense waves of pleasure, brought on from all of the teasing and all the imagining of her Dom. The image of her writhing from the intrusion of the tail in her perfect ass was the last straw.

"Yes!" Winter crowed, stroking harder and harder, wringing every second of pleasure from her sub, drawing out her climax as long as she could. "That's a good Lady! Oh, come for me - I love hearing it! It's so exquisite!"

Those last few movements of fingers were enough to cause a few more twitches of her. Once more, the small amount of fluid freed itself from Ruby's sex, splashing against her mistress’s hand again and again as she pushed her climax as far as she could, torturing her poor sex. But oh how good it felt, how good to finally get that release!

There was a pronounced shudder from Winter, and she licked her lips as she felt the spurting up against her. Perfect; she always hoped for a chance to reassure Ruby in this area. In an even more obscenely sexual voice, she said, "More! I want to feel more of you running down my hand! It's… so beautiful, I'm so blessed! Bathe me, my little Lady!"

There was no more to be had. After a few spurts, Ruby's finish was over. She simply couldn't handle any further movements. But what had been done filled her with joy, left her grinning as she laid back against Winter, staring blankly at the ceiling.

GOD this was too good. How was she ever going to give this up to go Dom-hunting?

#Lady Stardust #white noise #popstarverse #ruby x winter #rwby fanfiction #rwbyremnants #rwby smut #nsfw-Text

8 notes · View notes

sukarabia · 3 years

Text

Ruggie x Sky - How Pretty

Because I’m a sucker for festival dates, after all T_T

Sky let out a dejected sigh as she walked through the festival stalls. Everywhere she looked were couples, friend groups, or families, all having fun: yet here she was, ruminating as she hung her head low. Night Raven College was celebrating one of its anniversaries, and truly, she couldn’t even remember what that celebration was for. But what she knew is that she messed up, big, big time.

“Oi, Sky- you sure about this? That box’s kinda heavy, isn’t it?” Ace looked dubious as he saw Sky pick up a box full of paint tins.

“Ace, what do you take me for? Carrying such a small box will be a piece of cake for me.”

She regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth. What was even in that box? Sky was told it was only 'a few’ paint tins meant to help the art club design posters, but the box was a lot heavier than she had thought. Nevertheless, her pride wouldn’t let her admit that she couldn’t carry it- so off she went, legs wobbling. But seriously- why was that box so big? She couldn’t even see the ground, and-

“Wah- Sky, careful!”

“Huh?”

As soon as she heard Ace’s voice, Sky looked up- only to feel herself lose balance on the slippery ground. Her brain couldn’t process what had happened- but in the span of a few seconds, she landed on the ground, the box’s content shattered on the floor, and saw... someone drenched in paint?

“Sky, you oka-” Ace rushed over before stopping. “Who- WAH? Dorm Leader Riddle???”

“R-Rosehearts-senpai?” Sky’s eyes widened as she heard Ace pronounce his name. But her classmate was right- right in front of her was Riddle, completely drenched in green paint.

“.....”

Riddle stood there for a second, seemingly processing what just happened. Ace and Sky, frozen in fear, waited for him to explode- but to their surprise, Riddle just sighed and wiped some paint off his face. His eyes seemed to say, not surprised.... as he spoke to Sky:

“Sky, I think it’s better if you don’t handle the manual work- as a matter of fact, I think it’s better if you walk around the festival for now.”

Sky felt tears prickle her eyes as she recalled the events. Ah, seriously, how could she embarrass herself that badly? Ace tried to cheer her up, “Do you not realise how lucky you are?? It would have been off with your head for me!!”, but even her friend’s attempts at recomforting her felt futile as she remembered the expression on Riddle’s face.

It’s not like I was expecting anything from you, anyway. It was the exact expression everyone always looked at her with. Especially him. It felt that as time passed, the distance between them was growing further and further- she was trying her best, but no matter what she did, things always ended up going south. Would she always remain the little black duck of the family? Lost in her thoughts, Sky did not notice the silhouette behind her, until she felt a hand on her shoulder-

“Kyaaah!! what-” Sky jumped, startled, until she recognised the owner of the hand. “Ruggie?? You scared me!”

“I could say the same thing, y’know! What’s up with ya? I tried callin’ you, but you just wouldn’t pick up. What are ya doin’ all alone?”

“Ruggie....”

“Huh? Why are you crying? Wait, wait, explain-”

“... So that’s what happened, huh.”

“Ugh... Seriously, so embarrassing... I wanna hide in a hole....” Sky sighed, sitting on a bench, a little further from the festival.

“But aren’t ya happy? That he didn’t get mad, I mean?”

“Of course not!! If he doesn’t get upset, that means he was totally expecting it!!” Sky eyes teared up again. “I tried so hard to build a reputation, but now it feels like everyone knows how useless I am, that they don’t even have expectations for me anymore....”

Ruggie looked at the young girl next to him. Slowly, he reached his hand to pat her head, looking away as she started sobbing. The laughter and lights from the festival in the distance seemed almost cruel as Sky struggled to catch her breath. Why do things never go as planned?

“... Ain’t that better, though?”

“Huh?” Surprised, her tears stopped as she peered over at Ruggie.

“The fact that people know how you truly are, y’know. Doesn’t it feel better, to not have to keep up a front and whatnot?”

“But-”

“No one’s perfect, y’know. Not Jamil, not me- not even Vil-san, or Malleus-san. Everyone goes through hardships ‘n’stuff. Ain’t that normal?” At the mention of Jamil’s name, Sky’s face fell. “We all go through trials, and that’s what life’s all about, doesn’t it? Doesn’t come with a guide book or anythin’.” His eyes met Sky’s. “What just happened, wasn’t that because ya didn’t ask for help? It’s rich comin’ from me, but y’know, asking for help isn’t a bad thing. No one’s gonna judge you for that, m’kay?”

Sky let out a small hum as she diverted her attention back to the stall. The lights seemed even stronger reflected in her teary eyes, and Ruggie was almost enchanted by the sight. Shaking his head, he snapped out of it, and stood up. Startled, Sky looked at him with a surprised expression as Ruggie extended his hand to her.

“Now, what d’ya say about us visiting the festival? Might as well, right? Shishishi ~”

“Waaah, Ruggie, you’re amazing!!!”

Sky marvelled over Ruggie’s goldfish scooping skills, as the young hyena managed to catch another 3 goldfishes at once. The Octavinelle student responsible for the stand seemed to grow more and more uneasy as his goldfish stock began to shrivel. Seriously, how is that guy so good at this...?

“Heh, that’s nothin’ for me, y’know ~” Ruggie’s ears wiggled, obviously delighted by the praise. “In my hometown, we often go fishin’, and stuff.”

“Fishing? But... not for goldfishes, right?” Sky looked caught off-guard. Eating goldfishes...? Seeing her expression, Ruggie could not resist teasing her.

“Shishishi, of course we did. Goldfishes are delicious, y’know? Want me to cook them for you later?”

“H-huh? No!!!! You shouldn’t eat goldfishes!! Look how adorable they are!!!” Instinctively, Sky protectively held her goldfish to her chest. Ruggie couldn’t help but laugh at her innocence.

“Shishishi, you believe me way too easily ~” but Sky’s expression remained full of suspicion. “... Oi, what d’ya take me for... Why would I eat goldfishes, there’s barely any nutrients in them, y’know.”

“.. Pff... Hahaha... Ruggie, you’re seriously so weird.” It was Ruggie’s turn to get caught off-guard. Sky finally looked like she was back to normal, and he couldn’t help but slightly blush at her smiling face.

“.. Ah, that’s right. Wanna go to another stand?” He tried changing the subject, looking away to hide his rosy cheeks.

“Ah- I completely forgot about it!” Sky jerked up, startling Ruggie in the process. “Ignihyde are doing a carabine stand- I heard Mayu sewed cute plushies as prizes, I wanna go!!”

“Aaah ~ that was fun....” Sky sighed as she sat on a bench near to another stall.

“Sure was. Didn’t know those Ignihyde guys designed a whole zombie-style shootin’ game... Kinda felt off with the whole festival theme, but it was fun ~” Ruggie leaned back on the bench, stretching as he drank a can of fresh coke.

“Ah... We walked for so long, I’m super thirsty now...”

“Mh? Wanna drink mine?”

“Huh?” Sky blushed as her eyes widened. “N-No way! That’s basically an indirect kiss!!!”

“An indirect ki-” Ruggie looked caught off guard, before switching to a grin, scooting closer to Sky. “Shishishi, if that’s the first thing ya thought about, must’ve been on yer mind, hasn’t it? ~”

“W-??? No, of course not!!!” Sky got up, as red as a tomato. “I-I’ll go get my own, you stay here!!!”

“Want me to-”

“No!!!! I don’t need you to come!!! You stay here!!!”

The young girl stormed off, ears flaming as Ruggie let out a small laughter. Man, was he glad to finally see her acting like her usual self again. Jamil’s Overblot really affected her, after all: for a few weeks, she barely smiled, sighing and looking dejected whenever she was alone. Ruggie had been seriously worried about her- she really took her vice dorm head’s ob personally, and had avoided all social interactions for a while. But a month after, it finally seemed like she was regaining hope. Aah ~ how troublesome... But I’m glad. He thought, watching over Sky as she pondered over which drink to buy.

“- Hey, isn’t that Gray-senpai lil’ sis?”

“Ah, Sky Cymatilis, right? Yeah, heard about her.”

“She’s kinda cute, isn’t she? Man, they’re really do look alike.”

“Nah, leave it, wouldn’t bother. They’re like night and day.”

Ruggie snapped out of his thoughts as he overheard two RSA students walk past. Were they talking about Sky? Little sister? Sky never really talked about her family, but Ruggie remembered overhearing Sky and Ace complain about older siblings. What that ‘Gray-senpai’ her older brother? And what was that last comment about?

“Alright, I’m back!!!”

“Ah, Sky, welcome back. What did ya get?”

“This cool drink from the Mostro Lounge stall, they had so many flavours!”

“I see, I see ~” Ruggie sipped on his drink absentmindedly, before turning to the girl next to him. “... Hey, Sky. Got any siblings?”

“H-huh? S-siblings?” Sky expression looked like she had just swallowed salt. “A-ah.. Well... I do... K-kinda... An older brother...”

Ruggie hummed a small ah, I see, as he finished his drink. Sky’s reaction told him what he wanted- that it was a sensitive subject all right, so he chose not to pry about it further. She’d tell him about it in due time, probably. On the other hand, Sky seemed preoccupied as she twirled the drink in her hand. Siblings, huh.... After a few minutes of silence, Ruggie plopped a hand on her head.

“Wanna go see fireworks? They should be startin’ soon. I know a perfect spot for that ~”

“Waaah, this place is so nice!”

“Heh, of course ~ Savanclaw’s the best place for firework viewin’.”

“Seems like a lot ofstudents thought the same, huh. It’s fuller than I expected.” Sky leaned back on the rock Ruggie chose, considerably higher than the rest. “But it’s a lot comfier than I thought, and we’re going to get such a great view of the fireworks!!”

“Shishishi ~ Got that right.” Ruggie smiled, turning his head as soon as he heard a loud BANG! “Oh, they’re startin’.”

The two young students remained in silence for a while, in awe of the fireworks. Crowley made sure that NRC’s festival would be more impressive than RSA’s, all the way down to the colours of the fireworks- the green and blue-ish colours filled the night sky, reminiscent of auroras.

“Wow.... The colours are amazing... It really feels like I’m in another country right now....”

“Yeah, they really went all-out with that one, huh.”

The show went on for a few minutes, occasionally accompanied by a bunch of “Ooh”s and “Aah”s as the fireworks depicted the face of the great seven, as well as Crowley’s own mask- which brought a few laughter from the crowd. As a rain of spark came on during the finale, everyone cheered, raising their hands to the sky, entranced by the sight.

“Wow, that is so pretty...” Sky marvelled.

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” But Ruggie hadn’t been watching the fireworks. How could he? All his attention was devoted to watching Sky’s dewy eyes, illuminated by the large-flowered fireworks.

“.... How pretty.”

#sky x ruggie #twst yume

1 note · View note

bookwormworld · 4 years

Photo

New Family

"Muzan, my sweet sweet boy" his mother said as she kissed his hand and rubbed it. "You know, when we had you, your father and I, we were terrified. We'd never seen anything like you. We thought we'd been cursed--some rumors started about my cavorting with a devil, can you believe it? That almost got Elyas into some fights--definitely where you get that bit of fire in you, heh. But they--we--couldn't have been more wrong. You were the sweetest boy in the whole village with the biggest heart. I know you found your way outside and on the sea, but just--promise me you won't forget that? You're so, so kind Muzan. And understanding. No one would ever think twice about you in that village after they got to know you. Your big heart gets you friends on your travels too, it would seem."

She then went back to the beginning of what she was saying. About her experiences raising him, the unexpected difficulties in being pregnant with what she now knows is called a 'tiefling,' how Elyas had to be especially understanding in that time of difficulty. Muzan thought that she seemed to be reminiscing but with odd emphasis. Muzan gave her a big long tight hug, "Thanks to you and papa..." She returned it and kissed Muzan's cheek, "We tried our best, but you always had something special in you, Muzan." "I'll take your word for it, haha. I've seen a few tieflings myself in my travels." "Just know that--it can be difficult. To deal with these things in life. I'm sorry we were not clear with you from the beginning." He gave her a confused look, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was off. "Clear about what?" Muzan heard a few stops as Emeline drew close to him. Markedly, he did not hear her walk down the stairs. "Muzan--I don't want you to feel the need to do anything, we are both fine. I was frantic when you called me--a desperate place. He's the reason." As he turned to receive Emeline he saw that she was wearing more comfortable clothes. The same jacket, but she was without her armor and wearing a light colored chemise. Swaddled in her arms with a green blanket was a small humanoid creature. While at first appearing to have the pinkish-white hue of typical white human skin, he looked more closely and see it was a solid color of pink throughout. Upon its head was a small tuft of hair that matched the color of its skin if not a shade darker. A few inches above its eyebrows were small, barely visible nubby protrusions just under the skin. The child yawned revealing a mostly gummy mouth with two small, white protrusions of canines just starting to develop. As it opens its eyes, they were a solid, emerald green. "Muzan, this is Xabier. I didn't want to unduly burden you with this--but if you are to leave us for a while, I...I'm sorry. Would you wish to hold him?" Immediately in Muzan's hand there was a slight pain. But it ached. He could almost hear a sorrowful sigh coming from everywhere and nowhere, Locke's voice. Then silence. Emeline was looking up at Muzan with trepidation. Muzan was frozen, staring at the child. He couldn't think, only getting out the words, "I--you---what..." Shocked, he numbly held his arms out. Still struggling to process what was in front of him. Emeline "Zan, just breathe, stay in the chair, ok? I know this is a lot, believe me I wasn't expecting it--or to be this far along. But it's fine, ok? I'm safe, we're safe--he can have a life here. I just wanted to be sure that...that you knew." she waited to hand Xabier over once Muzan looked like he wouldn't fall over. It took several moments, and he still looked shocked, but the feeling that he could topple over at any moment eventually passed. If he hadn't already been sitting he knew that his legs would have given out. She handed the child to him and he looked down at him in disbelief. In his arms the child cooed and yawned again, beginning to look off absently, then curiously meeting his eyes for a moment. They shimmered like his did. Sarra was crying a little but keeping it quiet as she rubbed his shoulders. Emeline sat down to his left and just watched for a few moments. A few different emotions swept through Muzan after the initial shock. I have---a son? He felt a moment of disbelief, a brief moment of terror, but it was then replaced by overwhelming joy and wonder. His vision blurred as he looked at Xabier, crying as he cradled him, gently feeling the little nubs and the soft hair. "So small...." he finally said, unable to say anything else. Sarra chuckled, wiping one of her own tears away, "They tend to be that way, dear." "The eyes, they're like--yours.....when--when did you find out?" he asked Emeline, unable to take his eyes away from Xabier. "I didn't know what to do. I found out not too awfully long after you left. I was farther along and didn't show all that much--something your ma said was her experience I guess. It's why we just ran--it's why--I don't know what really happened to most everyone. I just...it was something I never felt before. I had to protect him. I HAD to." And I left her alone... The guilt washed over him. He looked at Emeline, with an anguished expression, "I...I should have known this was bound to happen--I--we" He couldn't speak for a moment, "I'm so sorry" he choked out. He looked down at the child, "Xabier......is a good name." Emeline smiled, "I'm glad you like it. It took me some time...but that's what I settled on. You have nothing to apologize for. I knew what I signed up for." She gave him a wink, "I was too far along to safely--well, do anything else about it. I just. I'm not sure. Even with you gone it felt right somehow, even against my better judgment. That and Elyas and Sarra were just elated. But now--well, who could have expected any of this?" Muzan laughed a little but it came out more like a sob as he was still crying, and he hugged Xabier close for a long time. Overjoyed at this new life in his arms, but there was a crushing sadness underneath it all, as he knew he had to leave them in order to protect them. My son....I won't let anything happen to you. Eventually he asked her, "How old is he?" "He's almost 4 months. Thankfully your mother is here for some strategies about handling--well, those" she gestured to the fangs that were just starting to peak through. Muzan chuckled, "They can be quite sharp." He unwrapped the swaddle a bit to peek at the feet, and saw tiny humanoid toes and a tail that resembled his. He played with the tiny feet, "I'm going to miss so much..." I already have missed so much. "You don't know that." and "You don't have to." was said by Emeline and Sarra, respectively. They kind of stared at each other awkwardly until Sarra went off to the kitchen to get the tea. "Zan, I know you are...bound, by this she elf woman somehow. But...if for some reason you find that you've absolved yourself or feel safe somehow...I wouldn't be opposed to you seeing him." Emeline told him once his mother had left them. He smiled a little, "I'd like that." Then he gave her a sly look, "You asked me but, have you met anyone?" She grinned, "No. I mean. Maybe. I don't know. It's stupid." He raised eyebrows, watching as Xabier grabbed one of his fingers, "Maaybe? How could it be stupid?" Muzan nudged her with his shoulder a bit. "Well, it's just the obvious fairy tale. The nobility helps some sort of tramp or street urchin and they end up running away together and falling in love. It's more of a crush I'd say really. The count has taken a liking to me and my abilities. He dotes on me more than he should it feels--at least sometimes." She trailed a finger through her hair nervously, "It's dumb. Besides, I think he has a partner in his court already." He grinned, "He gave you a house Em. A big one. I've walked around this district a little, this is a really nice place. Besides...you are hard to resist." He looked away from Xabier and at Emeline with some concern, "Hmmm. I just....I wish for you to be happy. Please be careful here. Nobility can be very...cunning. But I know you can be as well." "I will. It's the only reason I'm still alive--but necessity is an awfully good teacher. And, well..." she looked down at Xabier, "I'd butcher the whole world for him, Muzan. Cunning isn't the half of it--I won't let anything happen to me. For him." He smiled, "Heh, look out world. At least now I know where to send letters...and maybe some things I pick up in my travels." Then he pulled out the jade rabbit figurine they had found in the Hierophant's lair, "Like this one," and he handed it to Emeline. "You've been carrying this for me? It's really pretty, Muzan." He looked at her fondly, "I have, I thought you might like it. We may have gone our separate ways but...there will always be a place in my heart for you." He looked down at Xabier and gave him a kiss on the forehead, "And now him." I won't let that elf woman anywhere near you Xabier. It was a bittersweet feeling knowing he could not stay, but still his heart was full of love for this new child. The ache in his hand had not gone away.

#oc #pucksketch #muzan umber #emeline colina #xabier #tiefling #tiefling baby #momzan is a dadzan #holy shit #working on this definitely made me cry a bit

1 note · View note

khaosgaming22 · 5 years

Text

Backstory Part 1- Recording

Alright i think im ready, Chase start recording, copy and paste when finished onto memory unit 14. Heh 14... oh right im live! Hi! So if you’re seeing this, im dead, in the ground, ripped apart, fed to a Hive god. Ugh I don’t want to go out like that! Anyway, before I start rambling, because I tend to do that, trust me that’s going to happen throughout this, im gone...or ive stepped to far into the shadow of quote unquote “the darkness” whatever that is.

In other words im a Dredgen, now if there are any greenhorns out there who don’t know what that is...ask Ikora. Im not a teacher, and... oh stop- okay fine. Since my ghost is looking at me like that ill explain. Ties into my story anyway...

*Ahem*, a Dredgen is basically a guardian who has turned to the darkness and is an enemy of the Vanguard...and i guess Shin Malphur.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can move on to my story and the reason ive become Dredgen if i have...

I think it begins with a name, Aleina. Love of my life before i started glowing and shooting high powered weapons everywhere. We were in the owl sector of the city and she wanted to show me something, she dragged me into a ship and flew to an area of earth i don’t even know where. But we got there and it was the most beautiful thing id ever seen. To be fair id spent most of my life in the city and its not that pretty but I digress... She told me Malcom had showed her this place when they were on a joyride, she called it Sacramento. Still not sure what it means but whenever i think of her it goes through my mind. Also the reason I remember this was because of what happened next...

We were sitting on the beach and watching the sun go down, waves dying down slowly and coming to a rest at our feet. She was leaning on me and about to fall asleep when I said “Im glad that Im not a guardian, even if i was immortal, if you weren’t...I would have to live without you forever...”

This is the part where karma bit me in the a**. Just as I said this she took her head off me and said, “Ken, You’re...glowing???” From that point on, my life was forever changed. I was the one thing I never wanted to be, a Guardian, immortal servant of the light.

We went home to the tower after and told Malco- Oh right! Ha Ha! Im an idiot! Who’s Malcom? That’s probably what you’re wondering. Let me back up a sec, Malcom Rayez was Aleina’s adopted father. He was also the person id soon look up to when I became a Guardian, but before that happened I hated the light. I hated being immortal, I hated being a guardian and having a destiny that was already predetermined...that didn’t include Aleina...

Now that I was a guardian I figured I had to make the best of it, I learned about the 3 types of Guardians from books and Malcom, and decided to follow in his footsteps and be a hunter. I went on a few small missions with him at first, nothing big like a vanguard strike, more close to patrols. Gathering info or holding a line, that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I went with him for a long while, back and forth from the tower to the city and back to space trying as hard as I could to still be with Aleina when I could. But no matter how many patrols and enemies of the light I took out, I still hated being a guardian, I referred to myself as a slave to the light once, Malcom didn’t like that.

Even worse, the further I went with the thought of hating the light and being stripped of my life with Aleina, the more I pushed her away...

Years went by and eventually she became sick, this was around the time I started to do more interesting missions with Malcom, I wanted to be there for her but I couldn’t. Again the light had pushed me even further away from her, I couldn’t take it anymore. That’s when it got bad...

I mentioned earlier how if you were seeing this there was two reasons; 1 I’d suffered my final death, or 2 I’d become a Dredgen. This next part will finally explain all that. Back to what i was saying, I had reached the end of my rope, my leash to the light, I needed to find a way out.

Malcom was, at the time researching Luna, he had told me of a place on the moon he had seen, a massive Hive fortress. He said he could sense the darkness seeping out of the cracks, turning his warm light cold as ice. Told me how a fireteam of six guardians went to quell the source of this evil and died for good.

I figured, no one really knew what the darkness was, we just knew it was the opposite of the light. Something about doing this rubbed Chase the wrong way and I told him to leave me alone, so he did. Then I did the most dangerous, stupid, craziest thing I have ever done...

I jumped into the damn H-E-double hockey-sticks mouth. Without my ghost.

I visited the city hospital one more time before I left, she was knocked out cold, I kissed her one last time, pulled my cloak over my head and walked out. I asked Amanda for a favor, told her if anyone asked where I went tell them I went to Venus. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but I knew Malcom would come after me if he knew where I was.

I arrived on Luna pretty quickly and landed my ship a little further from the landing zone just in case. I had read about another guardian, a titan? Maybe he was a hunter? Not important, a guardian who went to Luna and came back a changed man, a worse one at that. I think his name was Rezyl...

I transmatted my sparrow and jumped on, seeing a few Fallen Dregs but nothing I couldn’t handle, just lackeys. Soon I came to a pit, almost crashed my sparrow but braked in time, lucky. I looked into the pit, had to be at least a mile deep, no way down. No stairs, no transmat pad, no cliffs and smooth all around. Like it wasnt a formation, but made.

Fortunately for guardians we can survive long drops, but even this would take some inginuety. I grabbed my knife, turned around so my back was facing the pit, my front the Earth on the horizon, and jumped into the chasm.

I flip myself around, plunge my knife into the rocky side of the pit and start sliding down. I get about halfway down until I realize the pits bottom was solid shut. I quickly jump off the side of the wall, holster my blade and take the rocket launcher off my back. I aim the missle at the bottom and pull the trigger, the projectile races down to the bottom and blasts a hole in the hard stone. I put my launcher back and ready my hand cannon.

I make it through the hole in the bottom and its pitch black, I send some solar light to my knife and use it to see. I hear them before I see them, Thrall, tons of them, they’re drawn to my light and the chittering is getting louder. I load my hand cannon and charge toward them. The bullets that exit the chamber echo in the cavern until they find their mark.

Eventually the wave of Thrall are strewn across the cave floor and im walking over the dead hive trying not to trip over them. I keep treking through the cave and eventually get to a large room with some light. I see three Wizards trying to summon something, I decide I don’t want to know what it is and take out my sniper. I land shots on the first and second but it didn’t seem to do much and the third is summoning Acolytes to chase after me. I switch back to my hand cannon and start firing. I jump up on a ledge and take out the first Wizard as it lets out a screech that makes me pull my cloak up over my head. When the screeching ends I focus on the Wizard sending Acolytes trying to shoot at me and screwing up my aim. I load my last rocket into my launcher and aim for the head scoring a direct hit.

I move down from my ledge and throw a grenade at the group of enemies eliminating two of three problems. Then I move onto the last Wizard trying to take out my sniper but he throws a cloud of poisonous gas and I have to stop to dodge it. Then I summon my Golden Gun, I put 3 rounds into his head and he goes down. Im about to move on until I hear a rumble. I turn around to see the biggest Hive Knight i had ever seen in books or on missions, standing in the middle of the summoning circle and it looked...dark....

...You still here?

#destiny #destiny oc #destiny hunter #this is a long one #so is part 2

6 notes · View notes

blaperile · 5 years

Text

Homestuck Epilogues - Meat - Page 7

#Homestuck #The Homestuck Epilogues #Meat #reaction #Dirk #Rose #Seer #Hero of Heart #Seer of Heart

1 note · View note

birb-and-bairn · 6 years

Text

Redd pt 23

Wind whipped at the Conductor's battered body as he climbed to the top of the train. His left arm throbbed with waves of pain and stinging hotness. Adrenaline and anger had fueled those punches and now he was paying the price. At least the pain in his arm distracted him from everywhere else that hurt.

With a final painful pull, he collapsed on the roof of the train. Taking a few minutes to catch his breath, the Conductor rested his head on the metal roof.

“Hang in there Lass, Ah’m coming,” he muttered to the warm metal.

How just like a movie that it would come to this. A dramatic showdown on top of a speeding train. Heh, the whole situation would make a decent script once he reworked it a bit.

“This movie better have a happy ending,” he growled. “Ah’m nae rewriting it.”

Pulling himself up, the Conductor steadied himself against one of the decorative metal feathers. From here, he could see the large hole in the ceiling caused from the blast. There was movement from behind some of the ripped metal.

Shorthair was struggling to climb over a twisted beam while holding onto a struggling Leia.

“SHORTHAIR!” He screamed into the wind as he took a running leap over various bits of debris and holes in the train.

Shorthair’s head snapped towards him. In one swift movement, he tossed Leia up in the air and bit into the back of her neck. Turning back to the beam, he scampered up and over it, dragging the whimpering Leia along with him.

The Conductor rolled as he hit the roof in front of the beam. Not waiting a second, he jumped at a different part of the beam, using it as a platform to angle his next jump to launch himself higher. On his way up, he grabbed a loose piece of metal shrapnel. It cut slightly into his hand but it was better than not having a weapon.

Once over the pile of wreckage, the Conductor rolled out of the way of several large pieces of broken train. He then ducked as Shorthair threw several pieces of sharp metal several inches into the wood where the Conductor’s head would have been.

“Tch, ah well. That wouldn’t have been fun anyway, Conductor,” Shorthair’s smarmy voice called out.

The Conductor rose to his feet, scrap metal at the ready.

Shorthair was standing next to several pieces of metal scrap stuck into the train’s roof like arrows into sand. On the roof next to him, crouched down on her knees, with hands covering her head, was Leia. Shorthair had one foot on the middle of her back and a long piece of scrap metal rested pointedly against the back of her neck.

“Take one step further, my dear Conductor, and we’ll both see how far your little darling’s head rolls,” Shorthair said, grinning. “Now drop the weapon.”

“D-ddaa- daaa-” Leia sobbed quietly.

The Conductor, glaring at Shorthair, dropped the scrap metal.

“Verrrrry good,” Shorthair purred.

“Look Shorthair, let’s have a chat,” the Conductor said with forced calmness. “Ye have my Lass and Ah have something ye want. Let’s trade.”

“Really? What could you possibly have-”

The Conductor pulled the velvet box out of his pocket. Shorthair’s pupils grew wide.

“So, ye want tae trade?”

“You stole it! But how do I know the shard is still in there? You’ve been with Redd. He could have taken it and left you with the box. Open it!” Shorthair’s words came out in rapid succession ending with the screaming command.

“Wha- Redd hasn’t touched this box, ye have me word on that!”

“Pfa! Your word is nothing. Open the damn box!” Shorthair put a little pressure on the metal resting on Leia’s neck.

Leia let out a yelp of pain.

“ALRight! Alright, just, give me a second,” the Conductor shouted.

Gripping the top of the box, the Conductor tried to force open the locked box. It didn’t budge. Frowning, he tried twisting it. Stars of pain flashed across his vision as red hot pain ran up and down his left arm. Still, the box remained closed.

“I’m waiting, Conductor. And my arm is getting tired, who knows how much longer I’ll be able to hold this metal up.”

Desperately, the Conductor tried hitting the box against some of the scrap metal. Surprisingly, the box damaged the metal and remained unharmed.

“You have fifteen seconds, fourteen, thirteen…”

NO NO NO NONONONONO. The Conductor tried biting it open. Still not a dent.

“Ten, nine, eight….”

Can Ah bull rush him? No. He’s too far away, he’d kill Leia before Ah’d even touch him. Leia, Ah, Ah’m so sorry...

“Six, five, four…”

Something glinted in the air above the Conductor. A small, silver key hit the ground in front of him. The design looked like the one on the velvet box. The Conductor jumped at it and rammed it into the lock and turned it.

Click

Nestled within some white satin was a small piece of glass, no longer than a toothpick and no wider than a penny. It was slightly curved and when the light hit it, there was a odd blue sheen to it.

The Conductor gaped at it. This was it?! THIS was what this whole thing was about?!! This piece of TRASH?!

“Two, one..”

“HERE! SEE! YER PIECE OF TRASH IS HERE!” The Conductor shouted, showing the open box to Shorthair. “Now put that metal down!”

Shorthair grinned.

“Too bad. You were too late.”

Shorthair lifted the piece of metal just high enough to gain a little extra force before bringing the metal down hard.

The Conductor shut his eyes. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bare to see Leia die.

There was a sickening thud and a yowl of pain. The sound of metal hitting the roof let out a deafening clang.

“You can open your eyes, you old softie,” Redd’s tired but playfully mocking voice cut through the darkness.

The Conductor opened his eyes. Shorthair was rolling on the roof with a metal bar sticking through his shoulder. The deadly scrap metal had fallen behind Leia, who was frozen with fear in the same spot she had been in. Redd was standing on the pile of wreckage behind him.

Jumping down, Redd walked over to the Conductor.

“You alright?” He asked, concerned.

“Aye, Ah will be, once Ah get Leia away from that beast,” the Conductor managed. He’d see that scene in his nightmares forever, he just knew it. And it would always happen in slow motion.

“Right.”

The two brothers advanced on the thrashing Shorthair. Redd had a second metal rod and rested it on his shoulder like a baseball bat. The Conductor walked with the box in hand, the satin cloth in the other. The wind, knowing its visual role in these sorts of matters, made sure their tattered clothing where caught in the air just right so it was dramatic and visually pleasing.

Shorthair managed to pull the metal bar out of his shoulder just as the two brothers stepped between him and the trembling form of Leia.

“Do you think you’ve won, you disgusting feathered pests?!” He spat. “The boss will find out and you will be marked!”

“Ehh, I’ve been marked by that bloated pheasant for years. Big whoop. Nothing either of us can't handle,” Redd retorted, brushing off the threat quickly.

“Ehehehehehe, coming from you Redd, that's-” The metal rod hit Shorthair hard in the side, sending him flying back towards the pile of wreckage.

“Hmm? Sorry, I can't hear you now that you're waaaaaay over there.”

“Nice hit. Glad yer on my side now. Just don’t go getting all possessed on me again,” the Conductor half joked.

“Eeeh, give me a few minutes. I donno how long I’ve got till they come back,” Redd said through a forced grin.

“Ah was joking.”

“I'm not,” Redd said dead serious, his eyes never leaving Shorthair, who was listening intently to their conversation. “Grab Leia, give me the shard, and get outta here. That's all they want anyway.”

“Aaha aha ah! What LIES are you spouting this time Redd?!” Screamed Shorthair. “You’ve killed for those things, just as I have! You aren’t collecting them for some master like a dog, you want the power! Same as the Boss!”

Shorthair turned to the Conductor.

“If you had any sense, my dear Conductor,” Shorthair breathed heavily, blood dripping through his mad grin, “you’d kill the both of us and keep the time shard for yourself.”

Redd’s grip tightened on the metal rod. He was terrified to look at the Conductor. For years now, he’d been keeping his criminal activity as far away from his family ears as possible. To have Shorthair blurt that out now, when he needed his brother to trust him… He risked looking over.

The Conductor was kneeling down by Leia’s trembling form, one hand on her head, gently stroking it. He could hear him whispering comforting words to the terrified owlet.

Leia raised her head, tears in her eyes. There he was! Just like she knew he’d be. She tried to open her mouth to say something but all that came out was one long sob.

The Conductor gently whipped away some of the grime and blood from her face as the river of tears poured down her face.

“It’s alright Lass, Ah’m here, Ah’ve got ye,” he cooed as he wrapped her up in a deep hug, ignoring the pain in his arm.

“CONDUCTOR! DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME!” Shorthair bellowed.

The Conductor stood up, Leia cradled in his left arm, bawling into the nook of his neck.

“Aye, Ah heard ye.”

“WELL?!”

“Oh Ah was wait fer ye tae tell me somethin Ah didnae ken,” he replied calmly. “And if the two of ye really want this piece of trash so much, Ah’d much rather ye both kill each other somewhere else!”

With that, he hurled the box as hard as he could off the side of the train.

“NO!” Three voices screamed at once.*

Shorthair took a bounding leap off the train after the box in desperation, Redd almost followed but was tackled to the ground by the Conductor carrying Leia.

In midair, Shorthair caught the box and grinned madly. Scratching at the lid as he fell, he managed to open it just as he hit the ground.

It was empty.

His smile froze.

Shorthair’s body hit the ground with immense force and rolled into the deep ravine that ran throughout the Deadbird desert.

The train moved on.

*One of the voices made up of thousands of small buzzing ones.

#Redd Chapter #the conductor #Leia #Redd #Mr. Shorthair

7 notes · View notes

thecorpulentbeagle · 6 years

Text

P5 Shipping Round Robin: Day 22

Now we have my favorite character with my sister’s favorite character.

Here is the fanfiction.net link.

Please enjoy this next part of the P5 Shipping Round Robin Challenge!

P5 Shipping Round Robin Challenge:

An Amusing Date:

Makoto x Futaba

-Futaba-

A day at the amusement park. It was something that she could handle. Probably.

“Futaba. How are you feeling?”

The aforementioned girl looked to her right and up slightly. She could see her teammate and (technically) senpai, Makoto Niijima, watching her with slight concern. It was flattering, to be sure, but Futaba was a little bit (okay, so a lot bit) nervous at what this afternoon would bring.

Forcing a tight smile, Futaba answered the older girl. “I’m great! Okay, maybe more good. Or really just okay? I, uh, ha ha, you know I’m… conscious.” She inwardly cursed at herself. This was no good. How could she possibly survive an entire afternoon at the amusement park if she was already a mess at the ticket counter?

Makoto looked at her with a doubtful expression. “I’m not sure if that tone bodes well for the rest of today.” It always surprised Futaba how often the two of them would be on the same page. Though in this situation, it didn’t take a lot of intuition or deduction to figure out how the younger girl was feeling.

“Perhaps we should try something else today and return here another day?”

Futaba shook her head sharply at her companion’s suggestion. They had to do this, or else she would relapse into her asocial tendencies. Okay, so maybe that was slightly dramatic, but regardless, Futaba wanted to do this. Plus, the thought of spending an entire afternoon at an amusement park with Makoto… made her heart beat just a little bit faster, but in a good way.

In a very good way.

At the rejection of her offer, Makoto blinked once, and then smiled gently. “I figured that would be your answer. Futaba, you really are getting much better about speaking your mind and taking chances. I could honestly learn from you, myself.”

Futaba blushed at the compliment. “Heh. Th-thanks, Makoto.”

“Of course. Now then, let me purchase our tickets.” The older girl reached into her purse and took out the required amount for two tickets, handing it to the man at the counter. Futaba had initially voiced her disdain at the fact that the other girl would be paying for her ticket as well, but Makoto had insisted, saying how it had been her idea in the first place to come here. After a brief back-and-forth, Futaba had ultimately relented.

Once the transaction was complete, the two girls walked through the entrance and into the park. There was a fair amount of chatter and smells, and it slightly overwhelmed the hacker.

“S-so! What do ya wanna do first, Makoto?” Futaba exclaimed, trying to at least act confident.

It seemed that her companion did not totally buy it, but to Futaba’s immense relief, she didn’t push the matter. “I figured we could start small. Maybe go on some of the slower rides or play some games, and then work our way up to the roller coasters.”

Futaba nodded. “Sounds logical.”

Makoto chuckled. “I’m glad. Now then.” The older girl held out her arm, offering it to Futaba.

Futaba blushed at the action. Sure, it was probably just a friendly gesture from the other girl – something like a senpai helping her kouhai. But to Futaba… it was more than that.

Futaba had come to terms with her crush some time ago. She had always been close to the other girl – Makoto had been one of the first ones in the Phantom Thieves to offer help, to rescue her from her tomb. And the older girl had a tendency to be touchy-feely with her.

When Futaba had had to face her inner shadow, it had been Makoto who had supported her with a gentle hand on her back, comforting her with her reassuring presence. At the time, Futaba hadn’t thought anything of it. But now that she was seeing more of the world and experiencing relationships with other people, she realized that the warm, bubbly feeling that she experienced whenever she was around the older girl was that of attraction.

Initially, Futaba had denied her newfound feelings, thinking that things could only end badly for her. Makoto was her senior by about two years, and she most definitely thought of her as a younger sister. She had admitted this to Futaba herself in one of the quiet moments that they had shared together.

But still, Futaba couldn’t just bury her feelings. And she had tried. Ultimately, this caused more pain and confusion than just admitting to herself that she had fallen head-over-heels for the strategic planner of the Phantom Thieves. So for now, she would accept that, and hope that eventually her feelings would fade, or that Makoto would start to date someone else and therefore make it impossible for anything to happen between them.

Snapping back to reality, Futaba smiled at the older girl and murmured her thanks, slowly wrapping both of her arms around the other girl’s. With a squeeze (which caused Futaba to stumble a little bit towards her), the older girl began to walk forward.

“I was thinking that we could go on the monorail first. It’s pretty tame, and that way we can get an overview of the park and figure out where to go next. How does that sound?” Makoto didn’t look at Futaba as she strode forward, most likely making sure that they didn’t bump into anyone.

Calming slightly at the cool air of confidence the older girl was giving off, Futaba gave a genuine smile. “Sounds good to me!”

“Excellent.”

The two girls walked over to the monorail, which, not surprisingly, did not have a line. It was a holiday after all, and most kids their age were spending all the time that they could on the craziest roller coasters.

Entering inside the vehicle, the two sat across from each other, close to the window so that they had a view of the park.

“This is just like looking out from Necronomicon!” Futaba pressed her hands and face up against the window, looking out at the admittedly spectacular view.

She heard Makoto chuckle. “No doubt. You should be able to navigate the park pretty quickly after scanning it on this ride.”

The girl turned back to look at the other girl. “You bet! Oracle is on the case!” She flashed a peace sign and a wide grin. Makoto shook her head and said nothing, a small smile appearing on her face.

The ride started after their exchange, and the two girls looked out, watching as the people and rides slowly drifted by their vision.

Futaba was looking at the assortment of rides when she felt a warmth surrounding her hand.

Breaking her gaze from outside, Futaba looked down at her hand and saw that Makoto had firmly grasped it, rubbing her thumb across her knuckles slightly. Futaba immediately blushed and looked at the other girl’s face to see if she could figure out what she was thinking.

Makoto was looking out the window, with the same small smile on her face. If she was thinking about her actions, she was disguising it well.

Futaba decided not to say anything. She figured it was just an unconscious action of protection and comfort on the older girl’s part.

She turned back to face the window, and looked out at the incredible view. Occasionally, she would comment about something and Makoto would offer her opinion. The two lapsed into a comfortable give-and-take.

And all the while, Makoto never let go of Futaba’s hand.

Eventually, the ride circled back around to its starting point, and the two girls rose together to exit.

“So, which view was most memorable for you, Futaba?” Makoto asked softly. The hacker realized that the two were moving, and the student council president still had not let go of her hand. Futaba considered casually pulling away, since she was feeling incredibly self-conscious. But she didn’t want to insult the other girl. Besides, she probably didn’t even realize what she was doing.

She was definitely over-thinking it. Instead, Futaba decided to answer her friend’s question. “Probably when we saw that guy barf everywhere! He was so close to making it to the trash can too!” She laughed.

Makoto shook her head. “I see. I was thinking something more picturesque, but if you enjoy that view, then that works too.”

Now Futaba was getting more into the groove of being at an amusement park. Plus, having her crush gently squeezing her hand gave her a rush of adrenaline. “Hey, Makoto!”

The older girl raised her eyebrows, surprised at Futaba’s apparent shift in confidence. “Yes?”

Futaba winked. “I think I want to jump ahead to the end of our list!” She tugged excitedly on her friend’s hand, and for the first time that day, she ended up leading the way.

“Whoa! What do you mean, Futaba? Where are we going?” Makoto looked taken aback, but she allowed herself to be dragged to their destination.

“To the scariest, most intense roller coaster in the park, of course! The one that made that dude sick!”

Futaba turned her head to see what the older girl thought of this idea. She noticed with confusion that Makoto’s face had paled, and her previous calm demeanor had now vanished. “R-really? I’m surprised that you’re ready for that.”

The hacker laughed again. “Well, that guy was probably a wimp. We’re not gonna be intimidated by a silly roller coaster, right, Makoto?” When Makoto didn’t respond, Futaba stopped. Squeezing the other girl’s hand she repeated in a subdued tone, “Right, Makoto?”

The student council president was looking at Futaba with apprehension, and (Futaba noticed with a start) her hand was shaking. Was the cool and confident Makoto Niijima afraid of roller coasters?

“Makoto,” she murmured. “Don’t tell me that you’re scared of roller coasters?”

She shook her head. “N-not all of them. Just the more intense ones. I have no problems with spinning or speed or going upside-down.” She gulped. “It’s… the drop that gets to me the most.”

“Hm.” Futaba hummed. She was confused. Why would Makoto offer to go to an amusement park if she were scared of one of the main attractions? She voiced these thoughts to the girl.

Makoto squeezed her hand. “Well, I am fine with most of the roller coasters here. Plus, I figured we would work our way up to the more intense ones, if we ever got to them at all.” She chuckled. “I suppose this is a bit of a surprise for you. Seeing me all worked up over something as silly as this.” She turned away.

Now Futaba was really confused. Was Makoto… actually embarrassed? “Makoto? Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having a phobia! Heck, I’ve got a ton of ‘em.” She tugged on the girl’s hand, which caused her to look back at her. “You are human, ya know! Honestly… it makes me feel a little bit better.”

The older girl looked genuinely perplexed. “How so?”

“Well… it makes me feel better about myself. I have a lot of anxieties, and you always seem so cool and above it all. It made me feel… like a little kid sometimes. But now it makes me feel good to know that even people like you can lose their cool every once and a while!”

“People like me?” Makoto put a hand to her chin. “Do I seem like someone who is unapproachable to you?” Futaba sensed a bit of sadness in her tone.

“N-no! Not like… in a bad way or anything. Just that everything seems sorta effortless for you. And I have to try really hard to do a lot of different things!” Futaba realized she drifting into an unusually deep topic of conversation for a casual day out with a friend. “B-but ya know, it’s not a big deal! Let’s go do something else –” She turned in a random direction, but was stopped by a tug on her hand.

“Hold on, Futaba.” Makoto’s voice was stern, but not in a cruel way. “I want you to know that… I try really hard as well. It took me years to develop this particular persona.” Both girls chuckled at that. “It’s only now that I’ve met all of you that I’m able to return to the type of person that I used to be. I’d like to be more caring… more openly affectionate, if you will. It’s just… it is something that I struggle to do after all of this time.” She took the hand that had been on her chin to place it on top of Futaba’s hand that she had already been holding. Makoto’s warmth surrounded her hand, and Futaba felt some of that heat rise up to her face. “But please. If I ever seem too distant, let me know. The last thing I want is for us to grow apart.”

Futaba nodded. Wow. She’d had no idea how… insecure Makoto really was. It also made Futaba really pleased that the older girl trusted her enough to share these thoughts with her, as it seemed that Makoto had privately struggled with them for a while.

Ecstatic that she was finally the one to be able to offer comfort, Futaba didn’t hesitate. “I will, Makoto.” She squeezed her hand, grinning when she felt a strong response. It seemed that the older girl was no longer as scared or as nervous as she had been before.

Makoto returned her smile. “Excellent. Then let us go to the roller coaster that will make us sick!”

Futaba laughed. “You seem very enthusiastic about that.”

Makoto turned in the direction of the ride and began to walk, with Futaba trotting along next to her, their hands still connected. “Not particularly, but I would like to emulate you, Futaba. And if you’re able to go outside your comfort zone with an amusement park, then I will as well by riding this roller coaster!”

“Yeah! First one to get sick is the loser!” Futaba laughed maniacally as Makoto shook her head.

Eventually, the two girls arrived at the roller coaster. There was a long line, so the two waited patiently.

Futaba could see that the older girl’s nerves were catching back up with her, so the hacker spent the majority of the time that they were in line telling corny jokes and the like to distract her. It seemed to work, and by the time the two stepped onto the ride, Makoto seemed more apprehensive than outright terrified.

The two were strapped in with both seatbelts and bars that went over their shoulders, and Futaba looked over at Makoto to see her anxiously grabbing the bars, her knuckles white.

“Makoto!”

The girl in question looked over at Futaba, who was flashing the peace sign at her. “You’ve got this!”

Makoto smiled nervously, giving Futaba a shaky thumbs-up.

The ride lurched to a start, and Makoto gave a slight squeak of terror. Futaba couldn’t move much because of the restraints, but she did her best to give her a pat on the arm.

Then, the worst part of the ride (according to Makoto) arrived. The roller coasted stopped at the crest of the hill, and then it quickly descended.

Futaba lifted her arms up and gave a loud “whoop” of excitement. She was surprised to hear… nothing from her side. Once they had gotten to the bottom and were speeding along, Futaba turned her head to see that Makoto’s was lolling to the side. Had she actually…?

“Makoto!?” Futaba raised her hand to shake her arm. She received no response from the older girl.

The hacker was torn between genuine concern and mirth. She couldn’t believe it! Makoto had actually passed out! She knew that some people were prone to that, but she had never actually seen it in real life herself. She’d watched videos online and thought that it was ridiculous, but it apparently did happen.

Eventually, the ride came to an end, and Makoto had thankfully regained consciousness. Futaba didn’t want her to go through the embarrassment of others seeing that she had passed out.

“F-Futaba…? Wha…?” Makoto slurred, her eyes blinking rapidly.

Futaba smiled. “I’ll tell you in a minute. Right now, let’s get off the ride.”

The older girl nodded and stood, swaying slightly. She was forced to lean on the shorter girl for support, who felt a thrill a pride run through her at the thought of being able to help the student council president.

The two walked away and found an empty bench to sit on. Pulling Makoto down onto it, Futaba encouraged the girl to lean her head on her shoulder, which she did.

“Now then. What exactly happened on the ride? I can’t… seem to remember much of anything after the initial climb.”

Futaba giggled. “Oh. You totally passed out.”

Makoto’s head shot up, but a groan shortly followed, and she laid her head gently back onto Futaba’s shoulder. “You must be joking.”

Futaba nuzzled her head with hers. “Nope! But hey, at least you didn’t throw up!”

Makoto hummed. “I… suppose that’s true. Hm…” Futaba felt the older girl’s head grow heavier, and she realized that she must be falling asleep for real now.

“Hey. We’ve gotta go do the rest of the park! We can nap later.” Futaba bonked the girl’s head with her own, which caused Makoto to twitch in surprise.

“Oh! You’re right, Futaba. There’s plenty more for us to do.”

The rest of the day was spent in a much calmer fashion now that the two of them had conquered their fears and had voiced their thoughts to each other. Futaba was reassured by Makoto’s presence, and she was excited to know that Makoto felt similarly.

Eventually, the sky grew dark, and the two realized that their day had come to an end. Futaba noticed that Makoto looked reluctant to leave.

This was it. The whole day had done nothing but bring the two of them closer together. The hand-holding, the confiding, the snuggles. It seemed like things might be mutual. So, Futaba decided that the time had finally come. She’d conquered one fear today – she could conquer another.

“So, Makoto?” Futaba stopped their momentum, tugging on the other girl’s hand to hold her back.

“Yes, Futaba?” Makoto looked at her with questioning expression.

“W-was this um… a date?” Futaba had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from screaming. She had finally done it! Well, she hadn’t confessed confessed, but she had brought up the possibility. Now all she could do was wait for her companion’s response.

Makoto’s eyes seemed to brighten, and she pulled Futaba’s hand up so that it was held at chest level. After a minute of silence, Makoto murmured, “Did you want it to be one?”

Futaba gulped. Seemed like she had to confess after all. Ever so slowly, she nodded and whispered, “Yeah.”

Makoto smiled. “So did I.” With that, the older girl tilted her head forward and ever so gently brushed her lips across Futaba’s knuckles, squeezing her hand as she did so.

There we go! Hopefully you enjoyed it. I know that both Makoto and Futaba are extremely popular in the fandom, but their fans are apparently mortal enemies (which is weird, considering I’m a Makoto fan and my sister is a Futaba fan, and we get along just fine).

This story has a unique story itself behind it. I had originally gotten up to the monorail portion (with the last couple lines written), and then I stopped writing it to work on other stories that had a more pressing deadline. Then, the anime had the episode where they all go to an amusement park, and Makoto practically passes out on the roller coaster they ride.

Originally, I was going to keep Makoto calm and confident the whole time, with the subtle flirtations with Futaba thrown in at different parts. But then, I knew I couldn’t keep her composed when it came to riding a roller coaster, because she apparently hates them! The anime ruined my vision!

Kidding aside, I wrote the second half of the story with that thought in mind, which is what the final product became. So, this story really could’ve gone in the “cool older girl casually admits her feelings at the end of the story” route or the “cool girl has a bit of a freak out to seem more relatable” route. If the anime episode hadn’t happened, it would have been the former – but since it did happen, it morphed into the second one. Take what you will from that! Also, I am terrified of roller coasters for the reasons that Makoto explains, so that part was very easy to write realistically!

Anyway, see you tomorrow!

#p5 #persona 5 #p5roundrobin #makoto niijima #futaba sakura #makoto x futaba #futaba x makoto

5 notes · View notes

cottoncandyreaper · 3 years

Text

((Underswap story anyone??))

I'm seventeen living on the surface now for eleven years, found and currently dating the human girl of my dreams, on the track and free-style dance teams at school with an amazing Dad and magnificent Uncle along with so many friends and people I've considered family all my life. I'm happy and feeling pretty great about it all but recently I've felt this confused sensation about something; it's been nagging away at my soul for some months now even. Hannah, my beautiful and graciously kind girlfriend noticed it almost immediately asking about it now and then but how could I give her a answer if I wasn't even sure what the thing was that needed asked about. I was wanting answers just as much as she did that was for sure. And for once it felt like something I couldn't or more like wouldn't talk to anyone about which was defiantly out if character for me. I considered myself an open book about anything always leaning heavily on my Dad when something stressful came onto me. So I was kinda confused on why this was so different feeling.

I didn't want to push it onto anyone; not family or friends and that really sucked feeling like a cracked bottle just draining little by little each day so after months like this...I felt almost empty. And lost huddled in a corner in my mind with my own annoying emotions. Is this what the early stages of depression felt like? Dad was open about his own depression...was it really okay to bring mine up to him?

Groaning outwardly leaning against the sink at my Aunt Muffet's bar staring at the dishes as my mind raced I had the sudden urge to go to bed soon when I got home.

"Whats wrong Deary?"

Aunt Muffy as I liked to call her walked into the kitchen from the side door seeing me right as I leaned over which was heavily frowned upon by her. She was big on posture.

"Oh! S-sorry I'm fine just tired is all. I had early track practice today before I came here."

She eyed me suspiciously folding her lower arms as she walked to me and adjusted the tie I wore. Darn this uniform she made me wear.

"Go home sweetie, I can handle things from here."

"What? But its not even my normal time yet. I still have an hour in a half."

"And I said go home, I have plenty of help for the night so listen to your auntie and go rest up."

"But-"

She covered my mouth with one word out smiling that loving smile that has always comforted me.

"Besides deary, Hannah is here to pick you up."

"S-she is!?"

The simple mention of that heavenly name sent my mood through the roof as I dried my hands off quickly to kissing Aunt Muffy's cheek and dashed out into the dining room towards my perfect flower standing by the door. Hannah only managed a few steps before I was on her with arms around her waist picking her up and spinning us around.

"Hey honey! Glad to know you missed me since leaving school just a few hours ago."

She held my cheeks so softly in her warm hands sending tingles straight through me as she kissed my nose.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were picking me up."

"Your Dad asked if I could. Apparently Blue is trying out a new recipe and he's supervising."

"Yeah that sounds about right."

Grabbing my school bag I had hanging behind the front counter after settling her back on her feet I followed right behind her out to her little blue toyota perfectly named berry-boy jumping into my rightful front seat and off to the roads ahead.

"How was work today? You've been doing part time since school started but you haven't told me much about it yet."

With her eyes on the road Hannah's voice chimed throughout the car like a choir as I began loosening my tie and un-did the top few buttons.

"Fine, I've always helped Aunt muffy ever since I was a kid in the Underground so its second nature to me. Apparently she says people like my friendly attitude. Plus I'm allowed to keep the tips I get so thats always a bonus."

"Do you think she would let me work there with you too?"

I didn't mean to chuckle but I did earning a questionable side eye.

"She wouldn't trust us together for five minutes inside her establishment. She has a no couples working together policy."

"Since when!?"

"Since we started dating."

I looked over seeing that cute little pout that broke my walls down when she was trying to get something from me but at least this time it wasn't my personal downfall.

"I kinda agree with her though, what would happen if I saw your cute butt in uniform? I would have to grab your ass all the time and that would loose me tips."

I gave a fake playful whine as the pout turned to a blush.

"Win! Oh my god shut up!"

Laughter bubbled out of an giddy fountain as she reached over to try and swat at me only for me to catch her hand and kiss it. The blush worsened in response.

"Facts are facts tulip I can't change them."

"Get out of my car you terrible flirt!"

She laughed through the statement as she pulled into the driveway throwing the car in park only to throw her signature pout my way.

"You're such a baby."

Leaning over I grabbed the back of her neck making her sqeak from the surprise before stealing her lips happy to make the pout disappear.

"I-I hate when you do that...I love you. I'll text when I'm home."

"Good girl. And I love you too."

She rolled her eyes as I stood from the car watching her go not moving till she was fully out of sight. Signing gently as I brushed my fingers agaisnt my lips smiling now having my mood lightened even more I walked inside shutting the door quietly and tried to escape to my room upstairs; it failed miserably.

"Welcome back Kiddo."

"H-hey Dad. How's dinner going?"

"Better then I thought. He's using a recipe book Asgore leant him so its going well. How was school and work?"

Seeing as hiding away in my room was destroyed I followed Dad into the living room dropping my backpack to the ground before falling into the couch cushions across from him.

"Good, track practice will be picking up alot more soon for the fall meet so I'll have it twice a week starting next week. And I got tipped by the little old couple that come in for coffee every Friday. They weren't even my table."

"Heh, they like you."

"I never knew just how cute little old couples could be."

Dad snickered at my comment folding his legs up tapping his foot agaisnt my leg.

"I saw Hannah dropped you off like I asked of her, nice move by the way on the kiss. Wish I taught ya that instead of the movies. Wins hearts everytime."

"Dad! I do not need that kind of advice from you please and thanks!"

He laughed out as my face no doubt turned shades of purple while grabbing one of the pillows chucking it right at that boney face of his. That shut him up at least but the orange glow I saw in his eye partnered with the smirk I suddenly felt like I was going to have a bad time. The pillow fight was a blur; smacks, hits and laughter echoed off the walls of the living room as we both fought in this squishy war. We had tag teamed using magic to move most of the furniture around so not to destroy anything and get yelled at by Uncle Blue at least before it got real bad.

"Give it up kiddo! You've never won a pillow fight with your old man! I'm the pillow fighting champion in this household!"

"Stop talking and watch your back!"

"Huh?"

He was confused seeing my magic come to life in my eyes only to have the biggest pillow in the living room attack him right in the back of his head and neck throwing him off his game as I came up and hit him again in his side as hard as I could. The moment I saw him off balance enough I pushed him down grabbing his arm and pinned it behind him sitting on his back to add to the winning stance.

"I got dunked on by my own kid...Im so proud."

"Dad you're a dork."

I laughed releasing his arm but stayed on his back feeling pretty happy right where I was.

"I was waaay over due for a victory."

"17 years over due for a victory."

"So you were having pillow fights with me when I was a baby? Rude."

"Absolutely, I just had to tap your head with a pillow and you'd fall over, easy win."

"Wow Dad, didn't know you'd stoop so low."

Climbing off I layed on the floor next to him also on my stomach folding my arms under my chin turning my head to look at him.

"Feeling better?"

"Huh?"

He reached over laying a warm skeletal hand ontop of my head pushing the short red locks back gently.

"You've been down in the dumps for a while kiddo, I'm your dad, you think I wouldn't notice? I gotta make sure my baby-bones stays happy ya'know."

"Oh...I mean, yeah I feel good. Thanks."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I...don't know yet? Is that dumb? I haven't really figured out some stuff."

"Its not dumb hon, when you figure out what's going on you know I'm here."

"Yeah...thanks Dad."

He smiled satisfied with my words and just started to get up when Uncle Blue's voice rain down like thunder.

"WHAT HAPPENED IN HERE!? WHY ARE THE COUCHES MOVED!? AND PILLOWS EVERYWHERE!!??"

I couldn't stop laughing as Dad snickered reaching his hand down to pull me up as we cleaned explaining the 'tornado' that hit out of no where. Uncle Blue wouldn't believe us at all as he finished dinner while supervising the clean up at the same time. We ate at the table with the feeling of calm settling in my mind for once then I was finally given the joy of going to my room to work on homework with headphones in drowning out the real world.

I had showered kinda late, finished homework and just layed in bed texting Hannah. She was trying to trigger my sadness seeing if something said in the past was the whole reason. I just kept replying by sending her emojis with every failed attempt.

'Thanks for trying Tulip but I think Imma go chill with dad and talk with him...I think I can try and explain it now. Maybe'

'You sure?'

'Nope but he's understood my babbling for years'

I didnt wait for her response dropping the phone into the mess of sheets leaving my room traveling down the hall with soft steps to the last room knocking gently like I was scared of the door.

"Dad, you asleep?"

"Not anymore."

I giggled opening the door watching the last bit of him sitting up in bed as the sheets fell to his lap and stretched long arms above his skull.

"Whats up kiddo? You good?"

"Yeah...I just wanted to try and, talk about whats been going on?"

That perked him up instantly as he wiggled over making room for me in the bed patting the mattress as he did. Closing the door before I strolled over falling into the spot as Dad moved the blankets around covering me up and finished with wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Alright I'm all ears Win."

I rolled my eyes at that one for sure but bit my tongue at a comeback as I tried to explain the best I could manage.

"Its...probably weird. I think, I'm not really sure were to start. I don't think I want to be considered just a...girl anymore? I guess the best example would be if like Hannah and I went out on a date...I'd like to be seen as that protective figure, the masculine 'boyfriend' kinda girlfriend. I always feel more comfortable in that kind of situation. I would probably still put on a dress for her if she asked me though and there are times where I feel really pretty and like a actual girl. But I really like wearing the uniform at Aunt Muffy's place because I like that I look handsome and even get told that or that people think I'm a guy all together. I kinda like being seen as a guy...and a girl? Or even as neither. I'm actually happy being considered anything these days. I've started having people ask me my pronouns recently too but I don't know what to tell them so I just tell them my name. Some people at school have tried to explain some things to me but it feels weird to talk to them about it so I just shrug it off; so I've been confused for months now. It's been really tiring and kinda aggravating...I think that's it. Thats, kinda hard to say out loud for some reason."

Dad gave a tiny hum as I finished while I wiggled around to lay my head more on his shoulder as his fingers played in my hair.

"I think I get the main idea you have."

He reached for his phone keeping it out of my view as he typed while speaking.

"Im ninty-nine percent sure its this, one of my coworkers is the same way. I had a small hunch you were like them but I liked that you weren't titled. You were just my normal little Winnie in a relationship with your datemate. Monsters don't have a group like the humans do but they're called the LGBTQ+. I've been learning about them alot but...didn't want to say anything to you about it."

Dad contiuned speaking as he showed me what was pulled up on his phone; a entire website dedicated to the group.

"There are forms for all the branches of the group too."

He navigated through the webpage easily telling me he had been here often before going to a section that had all kinds of flags on it.

"Monsters don't put titles to things like humans but to them you would be considered a lesbian who is also gender fluid. Being a lesbian is the sexual orientation while being gender fluid is the identity you express."

I slowed his movements to read the passages wrote under each flag he showed me. Every word sunk in sending chills through me at finally connecting all the dots for the full picture. I felt every form of relief just flood my system as all my weight settled against Dad.

"Thats...so cool. Thats amazing. So people are like that everywhere, there's something I'm considered besides a monster human combo; I think I really like it."

Dad pushed my bangs to the side placing a skeletal kiss to my forehead.

"Sorry I shielded ya too much kiddo, I wanted ya to keep that mind set that its normal to love regardless of anything different, like your mom did. I made it seven years at least."

I smiled at the mention of being like Mom as I turned to hug him tight letting my head lean on his as the arm from around my shoulders found a spot on my back.

"Its fine Daddy...thanks for understanding the babbling."

"I've mastered that skill years ago kiddo. I'll have to get you too meet my coworker that taught me, they're really nice. They'd love to finally meet you with how much I yap on about my awesome baby-bones."

"Daaad...please don't embarrasse me at work without me there but, that sounds like a good plan to me."

We solidified it by texting his coworker staying cuddled together a little longer before I forced my legs to move kissing Dad good night and went back to my own bed feeling lighter then air with all the weight finally off.

~~~

"You already knew!?"

Hannah gave a sweet but sheepish smile as she sat at the kitchen table sipping her smoothie I made her while coming clean of the information she held.

"Im sorry honey I thought you knew too? We never talked about and I didn't mind since you were happy. I've considered myself a lesbian for years I just thought...you did too."

I whined hiding my face in cold hands listening to her explanation and assumption of my level of knowledge.

"Underground kid remember? There's still alot of stuff I don't get about humans like you do...but at least I know now."

"And I can help you learn more about the group too. As long as your Dad is okay with it?"

Dad's boney butt had been sitting on the counter top swinging a leg and sipping at his own smoothie when her question aimed at him redirected his attention to us giving a thumbs up.

"Always good to have a guide to human 101."

"Dad you're such a bone head you know that?"

He chuckled hopping off the counter taking one big step over kissing my forehead.

"Love you kiddo."

"Love ya Dad."

Leaving the kitchen with his smoothie in hand I picked up my chair moving closer to Hannah where I got comfy leaning against my fist listening to her as she went right into teacher mode.

#underswap #papyrus #sans #stretch #blueberry #us!papyrus #us!sans #lgbtq #undertale story

0 notes

pyrewriter · 4 years

Text

The Price (part 2)

"You know it's funny, when I first started being Chat Noir the rooftops were like another world, a world above the normal Parisian life of woven streets and alleys. Now I've been up here so long it's just an 'upstairs' to me". Adrien wasn't in a rush as the evening had only just begun so it would still be a few hours before he had to be at work. He found himself worrying about the Familia, he hadn't seen them since their party and none of them had called or texted since then. Even if they had gotten black out drunk ,which they didn’t, and were still hungover it was still odd that no one tried to reach out to him.

Then a terrifying thought wormed its way to the forefront of his mind. He had just stepped over what was a thin line and admitted to doing so without remorse so what would his Familia think. Adrien wouldn't blame them if they were scared of or thought him a monster for his actions but at the same time he wasn't sure why they would. They've all been through hell and back without ever wavering, Nino and Milo were understanding and Fe' knew him better than any living person. The previous wielders had nothing but concern and compassion for Adrien as they felt partially responsible for him having to take a life.

The thought occupied his mind until he was suddenly standing in front of the tavern, his hand hovering over the handle. "Why am I hesitating?" he thought "I've always taken my social lashing in stride so what makes this so different, why am I shaking?".

"Because your Familia is more than just some group of strangers, they are the ones who have been through everything with you".

"Because you care about what your Familia thinks".

"Because you're afraid of being alone again, you don't want to go back".

Adrien's precursors manifested themselves as they surrounded him placing their hands on his ,their presence, he could almost feel it. Before his mind could wonder again to torture him with possibilities the tavern door swung open and his body was locked in place by a pair of lilac-amethysts from his sister. Before he could react she wrapped herself around him in a vice like embrace, voices coming from inside the tavern tore his attention upward. Nino, Milo, the old woman who ran the shop he bought incense from, and the officers who had taken care of Belial had gathered. Nino and Milo joined in on the hug while the others let out sighs of relief

Belial had wiggled his way free and walked up to the officers whom he had recognized and pretended to have hurt paw, meowing for attention. They picked him up and held him like a baby which Belial absolutely loved every second of. "We were just about to go out and start looking for ya, Chat" one of the officers said. The shop owner met his eyes and nodded while giving a kind and warm smile that was worth a hundred words.

Nino scolded Adrien just a little "You better not go ghosting the whole city again after your little speech, I won't let you" he said.

Milo had a similar sentiment, "You don't have to hide anymore kid, you've got a Familia and a community that will stand by you even if the city is against you".

"Thank you, all of you" Adrien said ignoring the crack in his voice, the sight of them gathered together with their kind words had washed worry from his mind. He smiled beneath his mask but mentally kicked himself for not giving them more credit and thinking that they would abandon him when he knew they weren't that kind of people. Still though "You don't think of me any differently?" he asked tentatively as they released him from the embrace.

Fe' put her head against his "You're never rash without reason, there's a reason, there's always something that's out of your control that forces your hand".

Adrien closed his eyes and let out a deep long winded sigh of relief that ended with a slight chuckle. His chuckle turned to a laugh, "And here I thought I wasn't so easy to read, guess some things never change though" he said. "Well I suppose I owe everyone an explanation huh?" he asked, addressing the room. With his thoughts Adrien silently asked his precursors what he could tell. Both Xylon and Nalma fed him the information he needed in order to not sound like a complete psychopath. One detail however that seemed to pull at the heart strings of Nalma in particular, her tone was sad and cold.

"The power that I was granted and it's will are nigh unrivaled, had I not chosen to not kill Lila an overriding will would have taken control of me. It would have made its presence known and carried out the deed regardless of what I thought or wanted. I decided to do it myself because no matter how you look at it the blood still gets on my hands, might as well take responsibility" Adrien explained. He was reciting what he was told so all this was new to him but managed to hide that fact from the others. Despite Xylon and Nalma's forthcoming attitude though he could tell there was still more they weren't telling him.

Everyone sat quietly and listened to his explanation and seemed to accept it even though they didn't fully understand the details. Then again it was magic they were talking about and to them he was granted power to carry out the will of an omnipotent force beyond his control. Everyone took a minute to process what they had just been told, some things still didn't seem quite right but they assumed that there were details he couldn’t share and accepted his word.

The officers nuzzled Belial goodbye before taking their leave, "We came to make sure you were doing ok but we'll be sure to put something about that in the official report" one said.

When the three of them were gone the old shop owner left when her ride came, before leaving however she had brought the regular bulk order of incense and wax paper. "I know what it's like to be damned if you do, damned if you don't, you are stronger than many" she told him with an understandingly kind smile as she handed him the I.C supplies.

Once everyone was gone and only members of the Familia were left the tavern immediately exploded with more questions. "What really happened?", "Are you sure you're ok?", "How do you know all this?", "Why?". Adrien did his best to answer their questions but he had to be careful but he did tell the grand majority of the truth. He told them of the council, the vote that had been cast, and why he had voted for rather than against. The mention of speaking with precursors brought more questions but he played it off as a one time thing, he didn't want to explain anymore than he had to. Again everyone accepted his answers, though he hated having to lie about so many things there were a lot of things were still hidden from him as well.

"Adrien, for the next month if you don't show up on time I want you to take the day off" Milo said with a stern look on his face but a soft concern in his voice.

"B-but Uncle-" Adrien tried to argue.

Milo cut him off "That's an order from your employer and a favor from your Uncle" he elaborated. "I'm not saying don't show up I'm telling you that you've got vacation days to burn so if you're late it counts as you taking a vacation day this month" Milo said, unwavering.

Letting out a sigh and removing his mask to show his smile Adrien replied with a chuckle, "Understood, Uncle".

"Good! Now get changed, we open in twenty minutes. Nino, that means you too. And Fe', your welcome to help, stay, help or dine". Fe' simply smiled and followed the boys into the back, "Glad to have the help" Milo said flashing a smile of his own.

Unsurprisingly the tavern was packed throughout the night, a few patrons got into drunken heated arguments about wanting to stay a Cheshire. More often than not they bickered over fear of association with one party calling the other a fool or coward for having wavering faith in the community and it’s leaders. Adrien quickly and personally settled the disputes before they turned to altercations and somebody got hurt. "Being a Cheshire is a choice and there is no commitment other than supporting a larger community. If you don't like what we stand for anymore then you can leave your mask at the door on your way out but until then sit down, shut up, and stop causing a scene".

There were more than a few masks sitting next to the door by the end of the night but being a Cheshire was completely voluntary and they had no need for anyone afraid of what society would think. The Cheshire were wide spread across the city, part of almost everything from emergency services, law enforcement, healthcare, and public transport to the local bakery. They were everywhere yet all they did was help their fellow Cheshire and citizens or ,on occasion, assist in dealing with Akuma attacks or act as eyes and ears for Chat Noir. The only real commitment was swearing that so long as you were willing to bare your teeth you would answer the call for help, be it from Chat Noir or an unfortunate soul on the streets.

Since New year enough time had passed that both news coverage and internet chatter of the incident had died down considerably since the initial boom. Ladybug and Chat Noir continued their duties however and continued to patrol Paris as they always had. It was harder for Ladybug though as she was living with Chloe' which made it hard to transform without ditching her. Chat was more than understanding and didn't mind solo patrolling every so often. It gave him time to prod Nalma about how she knew so much. She was reluctant of course but eventually ,during a midnight stroll when Adrien couldn't sleep, the truth came out. Plagg was asleep in his usual shirt pocket and Belial was sleeping soundly with Fe' in her apartment so it was just them.

"Remember when I told you about the day my identity was revealed, how 'true colors were shown'?" Nalma asked with a heavy hearted tone.

Adrien nodded once "I remember".

"Heh well let's just say there wasn't always that short sermon for the council" a smirk managed to cross Nalma's face but disappeared as quickly as it formed. "I was the first Noir whose bell had tolled, I didn't know what it meant ,no Noir did, but a vote was cast and I voted against" she gestured to him "the situation wasn't too dissimilar to yours". Her eyes drifted to him "I was fighting someone I knew that had gotten caught up in some dark incantations and botched it, they had fallen to the corrupting power and it fell to me". Adrien's eyes met hers for a moment before she looked away "The people of the village were close to containing and purging him of the corruption but...my bell tolled. I wasn't the only one to against but majority rules ,I refused of course, so the choice was taken from me".

"Taken from you?" he asked, a mix of fury and cold disillusion in his voice.

Crossing her arms she looked away "Yeah", there was a pregnant pause then ,clearing her throat she continued. "I don't know how exactly but control of my body was taken from me and another Noir took over ,Paksis if I'm not mistaken, all I could do was watch. If they had just waited a few more seconds the purging ritual would have been complete and there would have been no need to take a life. As it stood however the village blamed me for taking the life of the mage's disciple and the lives of those who tried to stop the council. No matter how much I pleaded everyone I had ever known turned their backs on me as if I had never existed, as if all I had protected them from meant nothing. Plagg was the only one who offered any solace despite everything I called him".

"Let me guess, Xylon was the second Noir to have their bell tolled" Adrien said with the same disillusioned tone, Nalma's slow nod confirmed what he had surmised. When he ended the Witch trials and the Church he did so of his own accord but wielded the unrelenting power of the council. He didn't want to bring up such a sensitive topic such as that again but it wasn't hard to gather that the council convened in response to the death of Xylon's ladybug. After a while of letting everything sink in Adrien spoke slowly, gently, "Thank you Nalma, I...know what it's like to be blamed for event's beyond your control".

It seemed like almost no matter what happened to this city it's people just keep living in-spite of everything that's been thrown at them. Resilience was one thing that Adrien had been building since birth but after moving to Paris and becoming Chat Noir it was in his bones now. His old apartment in the US and even the mansion could never be called homes by him or his siblings, Paris as a city was different. Fe', Plagg, Nino, Milo, Belial, they made the city feel like home, a home worth fighting for with all he had.

As the days of continued inaction turned to weeks without so much as even a sighting of an Akuma it was quiet again. "I'm starting to think that Hawkmoth is scared of you Chatton, he's gone quiet again" Ladybug joked.

Chat chuckled, a smirk displaying across his mask as he replied "Yeah well he can join the international 'Is Chat really a hero?' club". He could see Ladybug rub her arm, she looked like she was holding something back. "You want to ask me something, don't you?" he asked, picking up on his partner's body language.

Surprised by the suddenness she waved her arms "N-No no, well...yes" she blurted then sighed "I guess I never change huh?".

"That's not true ,not entirely anyways, you've changed" he assured her.

Ladybug shook her head to refocus "Well that's beside the point" she said "I wanted to ask you about how you're doing, it hasn't been long since the events of New Years. I know you can shrug most things off but whatever happened seems to be sticking with you more than usual, I know you don't trust me with your secrets but I'm here if you need to talk". She did her best to give him a smile and console him with a hand on his shoulder but when he looked at her he made a look of regret and pain then looked away.

Chat put his hands over his eyes trying to block the things he was seeing, they were like hallucinations or were they memories, visions maybe, it didn't matter. Phantoms of other Chats is all they were but when so many flickered and mixed in his vision it hurt his head. As if merely being haunted by the broken knowledge and memories of all the other versions of himself they had to invade his reality as well. After a minute the world around him returned to solidarity, he looked to his partner "Sorry about that I've been having some bad headaches, nothing to worry about" he told her. Opening the phone on his staff he looked at the time "UGH! I need to get going before my uncle tells me to take another sick day for being late".

Ladybug smiled and waved her partner off as he jumped to the roofs and ran into the night, she watched as that toothy smile on his back disappeared. "Tikki, Spots Off" in a flash Marinette and Tikki were alone on the Eiffel tower.

"It's getting harder for him to hide the pain" Tikki said in a somber tone.

"He's not the only one".

Spinning to look at her wielder and friend Tikki was surprised to be met with daggers coming from Marinette's eyes, "I...don't think you're ready" she said looking away as she spoke.

Marinette's expression softened and she sighed "I know" then, bringing her Kwami close in an embrace "I just wish I wasn't in the dark on what happened to Chat" her voice was kind.

Tikki nuzzled her wielder "I would tell you if I had the answers".

"You mean you don't know either?" Marinette was confused and concerned, the Council sounded important and if Tikki wasn't in the know about it something was definitely wrong.

"I don't know the reasoning yet but I was left out of an important decision, we should visit the Guardian tomorrow if we can" Tikki said adding "I need to have a chat with my fellow Kwami".

Marinette nodded before asking "You ready? Chloe' will be getting concerned soon".

"Sugar! Your right and yes I'm ready let's go".

"Did you just swear?" Marinette asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

"Just transform" Tikki deadpanned.

Still smiling Marinette stood "Tikki, Spots On", the streets were almost barren during patrol but on her way back Ladybug saw a number of vehicles all heading in the same direction as she was, each taking a different path. Given more time she probably would have stalked one of them out of curiosity but she was already running late. It didn't take long for Ladybug to reach Le Grand Paris, hoping into one of the darker nearby alleys she de-transformed "Tikki, Spots Off". Wordlessly Tikki flew into Marinette's bag to hide and began snacking on a strawberry macaroon.

Jean was waiting for her at the door, as she approached he opened it, greeting and welcoming Marinette "Welcome back Madame Marinette, I hope the night has treated you well".

Smiling she returned the greeting, "Evening Jean, and thank you for getting the door" they walked to the lift together "Chloe' sent you didn't she?".

When the doors were closed and it was just them Jean relaxed and leaned against the furnished lift wall "Chloe's just a worry wart you know that as well as I, Mari". He chuckled "But ever since the two of you became so close she's been truly happy, she's started turning into her 'best self' ,if you would, you truly are amazing" he told her. The lift dinged as it brought them to the penthouse floor and Jean straightened himself again back to his professional demeanor. The door opened "Your floor, Madame".

"Merci" Marinette said stepping off the lift into the hall, when she opened the door to the penthouse suite something red caught flashed in her peripheral. It was just a passing glimpse but she was certain it was there and if she wasn't mistaken it was accented with white. She shook her head to before her mind started theorizing on what she saw ,assuming it was anything at all, whatever it was could wait. "Chloe', I'm back" she called closing the door behind her.

Chloe's head poked from around the bedroom corner, gasping with joy and relief she rushed over to embrace Marinette. "I was about to go out with Jean to go looking for you, you left your phone here!" she exclaimed pulling back a little.

Marinette chuckled and re-embraced Chloe' "I'm sorry, I ran into some trouble with my bag so had to fix it" she explained, "Now let's get to bed cause I'm tired".

As they walked to the bedroom and changed into their Ladybug and Queen Bee themed pajamas. While changing Chloe' remembered something "Oh by the way Mari, your parent's called while you were out, said your room will be finally rebuilt and you can move back in tomorrow". Marinette thanked her for telling her about her parents calling then apologized for not taking her phone. The pair talked about how the rest of the class had been doing since graduating, everyone had gotten into careers that they enjoyed and or were passionate about. Some were out of the city but everyone stayed in touch as much as their lives allowed and even met up every so often.

Adrien had gone to get his bike and was working in the tavern with the Familia ,business as usual, with Belial getting all the attention he could ask for from the tipsy patrons. With his normal sleeping spot still under reconstruction Milo had been letting his nephew sleep in one of the rooms upstairs if there was room but he usually just went to sleep at his rooftop camp. Adrien hadn't talked to Marinette or Chloe' since he crashed through her wall as Chat Noir. "They were a little shaken up and confused but other than that those two acted more concerned for you" Nino explained, he was the acting informant for Adrien. There wasn't much news aside from the occasional construction updates.

By the end of the night the tavern was empty and the overnight rooms were full ,it was somebody's birthday, so it looked like roof camping for Adrien, he didn't mind though. After changing back into his street clothes he donned his helmet and tucked Belial in his shirt before riding off. Fe' had also offered to let him stay at her place and considering that from what he's heard the reconstruction was practically finished now seemed like a good time to take her up on it. The ride didn't take long but he didn't want to wake Plagg ,who had fallen asleep on the ride, so he took the stairs to get to the front door. Adrien was only able to knock on the door once before if swung open and he was pulled inside and caught in an embrace.

"Miss me, Sis?" he asked with a chuckle, she only tightened her wrap.

"Next time I'm dragging you here, I don't like you sleeping on the roofs so far away" Fe' told him before letting him go.

Walking to the couch and laying down he removed his mask, "Belial and PLagg are asleep, I think I'll join them soon" he said.

Fe' crossed her arms and shook her head but she was smiling "I mean it, I'll hog tie you and drag you behind your bike if I need to" she told him, he only smiled in reply and closed his eyes. Fe' stepped into the kitchen to prepare a platter of a few of Plaggs favorite non-stinky cheeses, she left it on the table for him in the morning. Adrien had forgotten to use an I.C but luckily it didn't seem to matter as the nightmares that plagued him had begun to fade. He wasn't going to stop though, they helped him relax and they were better for him than Ale and alcoholism was not something he was going to gamble with no matter how free he was.

Plagg woke to the smell of cheese earlier than normal in the morning the source of which was quickly and savagely devoured within minutes. Shortly after he heard dozens of police sirens go past the building. Curious and concerned that Hawkmoth might finally be active again after weeks of silence he floated over to Adrien's phone on the table and entered the password. Opening the news app Plagg's eyes widened to the point that if he was in a cartoon they'd have fallen out and rolled away.

"BREAKING NEWS: Terrorists holding Chloe' Bourgeois and other guests of Le Grand Paris hostage, Demands: unknown, Affiliation: unknown, State of hostages: Unknown".

In a flash Plagg flew to Adrien's face and burped, letting the noxious fumes of his cheese breath assault the nostrils of his friend and wielder. Coughing and sputtering Adrien sat up but before he could be annoyed and ask why Plagg had woken him so early the Kwami thrust the phone in his face. All he needed to read was "terrorists" and Adrien was up, out the door, and on his bike leaving Belial with his sister. Without thinking they left the phone on the floor with the news still open. The ruckus and relentlessly meowing got Fe' to stir from her sleep, walking out the bedroom she saw Belial at the door and the phone next to the couch. Grabbing the phone on her way to pick up her furry companion her eyes widening as she read the headline.

At the Le Grand Paris Marinette, Chloe', the staff, and other guests were gathered in the corner of one of the hotel's dining areas with armed guards forming a wall around them. Their captors were still bringing in more unfortunate guests to add to the growing group with much of the staff had been quietly rounded up as they checked in. Luckily Jean had noticed something was wrong and hit the silent alarm before going deep enough into the building to be captured. Cops surrounded the building in minutes to prevent anyone else from showing up for work only to become hostages. Since then the group holding the building have been corralling anyone and everyone in the building.

Most of the guests had no time to react as they were either asleep or unaware of what was happening until it was too late. Several guests had attempted to resist or at least barricade themselves inside their rooms but they were met with overwhelming brutality and were injured but none had been killed. It was clear that whoever was responsible for pulling off a stunt like this they had planned well in advance and were far from unprepared. Marinette feared for the lives of everyone as there had yet to be any demands made, so far they were just gathering everyone together. It wasn't until a service phone rang and one of them ,presumably the leader, answered it.

"To who am I speaking?" he asked, his voice was gruff and clearly was not Eurasian descent.

On the other end of the line was the Paris police chief, "This is the Chief of Police and for your sake you better not have-".

"Relax Chief, get me the Mayor so you can get back to croissants and eclairs, tell him the Self-protected-freedom (SPF) group sent you" the presumed leader hung up before the Chief could respond. He turned to one of the other men, "Gilson, is this everyone?" he asked pointing his firearm at the group causing many to flinch.

"Almost Breno, I believe the others are almost done checking the roof and top floor"

As the two of them finished their conversation a pair of men came in with a bloodied old man wearing a red button up with a white hibiscus print. "Found this geezer hiding in the dumbwaiter, put up more of a fight than you'd expect" one of the men said. Marinette immediately recognized Master Fu, he didn't look good and it was clear that the men who found him didn't take his retaliation kindly. If she could Marinette would have transformed and beaten a fear of Ladybugs into every armed goon in the building but as things stood all she could do was hope.

The service phone rang again and Gilson answered it then ,after confirming who was on the line, handed it to Breno, "To who am I speaking?".

"You better not have hurt my daughter, Scoundrel" it was the Mayor of Paris, for once his tone sounded like he had grown a backbone. At the same time the rumble of a motorcycle engine caught the attention of both the police and a few of the men guarding various floors. Adrien raced through the winding streets and alleys at full throttle to reach the hotel before someone did something stupid.

A few Cheshire officers bared their teeth and approached the new arrival they assumed to be Chat Noir to give him a status update. "Chat, we've got an unknown number of armed persons from 'Self-protected-freedom' holding everyone in the building hostage, the Mayor is on the horn with the leader right now". A radio that had been jacked into the hardline to patch the Mayor through to the group's leader could be heard nearby.

"We already bloodied an old man and some other dumbasses who fought back but don't worry your daughter's pretty little head is safe, her friend too. But we won't hesitate to start taking lives so tell your cops to keep their distance and I better not see any heroes either. Do that then we'll start negotiations".

"Ok, ok just don't harm my little girl. Police Chief, tell your men to stay behind their cars". The order earned a disgusted and bewildered glare from both the Cheshire officers and Adrien. The Chief sighed and ordered every officer to move back and holster their weapons. There was a long silence on the radio as the mayor waited for further instructions but what the terrorists were waiting for was unclear. That was until only a few minutes later when the cameras started arriving en mass.

As more and more news crews arrived to report on the situation the radio came to life as the leader began to deliver a speech. "My name is Breno and I am a member of the Self-protected-freedom group, we have been motoring this city for quite some time now. We have seen what the presence of this 'Chat Noir' and 'Ladybug' have done ,along with all their little friends. They have made you weak, complacent, they've lulled you into a false sense of security and made you think that you are protected. We have come to show you that they are not the idols you believe them to be, we have come to Par-"

Adrien had heard enough to grasp the situation,slamming his fist down on the radio he ripped the wires from their sockets on the back. Inside Breno looked at the phone while the dial tone hummed as if it had just insulted his mother, annoyed he slammed it in place to hang up. Not satisfied with simply slamming the machine he dumped a magazine of his automatic rifle into the phone leaving nothing but a mess of wires and drywall.

Through clenched teeth Adrien told the two officers beside him "They're mine" before walking off. Circling the building he found a way into the building through an emergency exit that normally only opened from the inside. Pulling open his jacket and leaning in he whispered "You mind working you magic?"

"Why don't you just transform?" Plagg asked floating through the door, unlocking and pushing it open with a muffled grunt.

Slipping inside Adrien quietly closed the door behind him, "Because I need your help, Chat Noir only gets one shot but so long as you've got cheese you don't have a limit" he explained. Trying to connect to the previous wielders proved pointless, there was no one, not even Nalma, "Uh-huh" he grunted. "Plagg, sweep through the building and let me know if you feel Tikki or anyone else. I'm going to check the foundations, these guys came prepared for heroes which means they probably have fail-safe".

With a confirming nod Plagg phased through the floor above them to do a quick search of the building. "The Kid's smarter than he looks, I can feel the pull of the council trying to convene" the thought of his wielder preventing himself from becoming a tool brought a smile to his face. Sure enough Plagg felt Tikki's aura but there was another very close ,it was Wayzz, something was horribly wrong if both of them were involved in this. Following their auras led him to a bucket in some closet that they were hiding in.

The two of them also felt his aura, "Plagg, what are doing here, why are you not with your wielder? Without Chat Noir the council can not convene" Wayzz whispered.

"Adrien knows what happens if he transforms" Plagg replied plainly with a shrug.

Tikki leveled him with a look "Does he know about it?".

The shake of Plagg's head left the air in the bucket still, Wayzz broke the silence with a more urgent matter "We can deal with teaching Plagg's wielder-"

"Adrien"

Wayzz rolled his eyes "Teaching Adrien what the council did ,though perhaps it is best he doesn't serve it again so soon, right now Fu's life is in danger if we don't-". Three consecutive booms followed by a rumble interrupted the Kwami's conversation. Outside officers began ushering news crews and onlookers further away from the building. Inside the hostages whimpered and flinched as the building quaked around them. Breno and the others looked at each other with clear confusion on their faces.

One of them pulled out his radio "Flavio!" he barked "What was that, I thought you said you knew how to plant those things, weren't they a last resort?".

"I did, I-I-I don't know what happened I'm going to check it out now" a voice responded.

A few minutes earlier beneath the building in the underbelly with the mechanisms that kept the hotel running and foundations that held it up Adrien had found exactly what he expected. It didn't take a stretch of the imagination to know that these terrorists brought explosives with them to destroy or level a building. These ones in particular were shaped blasting clay wads with old cell phones strapped to them which meant all it would take is a phone call to set them off. If Plagg were there Adrien would have had him use cataclysm and moved on but he wasn't and he didn't want to wait to see if the guys upstairs were feeling patient.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands he tried to gather the charges and displace them to minimize damage if they were triggered. Carefully Adrien moved the first to a corner furthest from any load-bearing walls, the second he buried under sugar and flour bags to contain it. While gingerly scraping the third from the pillar his hand briefly touched an exposed piece of rebar that sparked with static electricity causing the charge to go off in his face. The three were likely linked to go off together as the one buried in sugar and flour detonated, instantly filling the air with particulate. The third followed suit and the finely ground sugar and flower filling the air ignited causing a dust-explosion engulfing the room in flame in the blink of an eye.

Flavio found the door to the foundations open, "Something's wrong" he thought aloud.

The other member of the group that had accompanied him was annoyed "Yeah no shit" he spat "Your charges went off by themselves and they didn't even bring the building down".

Flavio turned "Hey! Even if my charges went off by themselves or weren't enough to bring down the building they would have done more than shake it. Plus I only packed a few pounds ,this is too much destruction for what I brought, someone messed with the charges". What sounded like coughing stopped the two of them dead, bringing their weapons up they cautiously shuffled toward the door. As they grew closer the smoke was so thick it was choking but they pressed on through the thickest part of the plume.

"Mmmuuuhhg Plagg has some major explaining to do".

In the smoke Flavio could see the outline of a figure hunched slightly holding their head, the fact that who or whatever was down there just survived a blast like that made him scared. Shakily he raised his weapon taking aim and flicked the safety off. The click was enough to alert the thing in front him to their presence and before he could pull the trigger it moved and he lost track of it. Sudden commotion from his left made him pivot to face where his companion was just standing but all he saw was smoke, he was shaking now. Tapping on his shoulder triggered his instincts and he turned firing wildly behind him until his weapon clicked ,signalling he was out of ammo, he quickly reloaded. A short whistle ripped Flavio's attention to it but before he fired a flying rifle from the smoke knocking him out.

"You really shouldn't fire so blindly" Adrien shook his head but immediately stopped as the movement made it throb in pain. Grabbing the unconscious bodies of the men he had subdued he used the plastic binding each of them had to hog tie them together. With part of his quarry secured Adrien looked himself over, his clothes were in tatters but physically he was perfectly fine save for the Immense pain that had begun to set in. Struggling to his feet he started to hobble up the steps when Plagg came flying at him through one of the stairwell walls, "You find Tikki?" he asked.

Plagg looked amazed and horrified at the state of his friend but answered his question "Yeah ,Wayzz too, but are you sure you don't-".

"Wayzz is here too" Adrien's expression though pained conveyed the fear he felt over the implications of Wayzz being present let alone him being away from Master Fu.

"The two of them are hiding and even if they're found they can handle themselves ,Adrien, you on the other hand need to rest" Plagg told him adding in a softer tone "-at least for a minute". Adrien managed a glare but Plagg was unmoved but after a moment of staring at each other caved and explained what was happening. He sighed heavily "Ok I'll give you the short version. Serving the council comes at a cost because of the power that is granted and that price is you must suffer through nine lives. You cannot kill yourself nor can you 'waste' these lives and no matter what you can't not feel pain though it can be dulled but if you just sit for a minute it will subside".

Taking a deep inhale Adrien started to lower himself to sit on the stairs bracing himself on the wall in an attempt to not fall. He focused on his breathing, steady, slow, deep, controlled like he was taught and just as Plagg said the pain subsided after only a few minutes. Standing he took a moment to steady himself and make sure he wouldn’t drop, once he was certain he was fine he looked to his floating companion. A wordless nod let him know he had permission to push on.

"Wayzz seemed concerned about Fu, I don't know what happened exactly but I have a bad feeling that he needs help" Plagg explained. Him and Adrien went floor-by-floor disarming and subduing every member of the SPF in their way as they moved toward the main dining area. They were forced to use the stairs thanks to the elevators being disabled but using them would have been suicide even if they were in operation. While the pair was moving up through the floors tension was building in the dining area as over the radio Breno could hear his men being taken out one at a time. Outside officers were on edge as muzzle flashes could be seen in windows and occasional stray shots shattered windows causing glass to rain and panic to spike.

Eventually after an hour of gunfire,muffled shouting, and pregnant pauses both outside and over the hand radios carried by the SPF members there was a knock at the door. Breno's head snapped to the sound then to his men, he gestured for them to aim at the door then for one to open it. The one who was ordered to answer the knock gulped before pushing open the heavy wooden door, pointing his rifle through. Nothing was there, stepping into the hall using his foot to hold the door from closing behind him he looked left then right but still saw nothing. Then he made the mistake of relaxing just long enough for Adrien to rush out from an electrical room and tackle him.

Breno and his remaining men opened up on the doorway unleashing a cacophony of gunfire until their weapons clicked. In the time it took them to run out of ammo Adrien calmly tied up the member he had just tackled and dragged away from the door. When the storm of lead stopped Adrien stepped into the doorway, Plagg floating over his shoulder. A quick whistle and Plagg flew into the room first to the guards then to Breno turning their weapons to rust or piles of melted goo. That was enough to pacify most causing them to put their hands up and surrender out of fear of what would happen if they didn't.

Breno on the other hand only grew enraged, "I don't need a gun to make a statement!" he shouted throwing his half melted rifle to the floor with a splat. "You’re the Black Cat aren't you, the one everyone's scared of? Well I'm not, I've been beaten, tortured and far worse than anything you could ever do to me!". He ripped his shirt open to reveal a grenade and blasting clay taped to his chest, a crazed prideful smile plastered across his face. That crazed pride evaporated as Adrien calmly and confidently walked toward him, "Stay back or I'll pull the pins and you can say goodbye to this life" fear crept in his voice. Breno took a stumbling step back with his legs shaking and before he knew it the two of them were face to face.

With an expressionless face and no warning Adrien pulled the pin then put his hands on Breno’s shoulders and swept the leg pinning him, "Au revoir mother fucker!" *BOOM*. The blast vaporized Breno, leaving nothing but a scorch mark on the floor in his place while the force had flung Adrien a few feet into the air. He landed flat on his back motionless with char covering his body but to everyone's surprise he was still in one piece. With ears ringing from shellshock Marinette and Chloe were the first to stumble over to their rescuer before dropping to their knees. They were hesitant to touch him, their hands were shaking, tears welled up in their eyes at the thought that they were powerless to do anything for him. After a minute or two with the ringing beginning to fade the girls realized they were crying.

Plagg floated over with his arms crossed, casually he floated over his wielder's chest "Come on Kid, don't make this a habit".

"Which part? Making girls cry cause they think I'm dead or blowing up" Adrien managed to ask through hacking and sputtering.

"Both"

Adrien somehow laughed "I make NO promises hehe-ow".

Marinette and Chloe' had a simultaneous reaction of "You stupid Cat" and pounding him on the chest at the revelation their savior wasn’t dead.

"OW! Hey, do you mind not hitting me right now I'm a bit tender in my...everywhere".

Previous Chapter(Part1) Next Chapter (soon) Chapter Guide

#Bare Your Teeth #Chapter 23 #Part 2 #miraculous fanfic #sorry for taking so long #it's a longer than normal chapter

0 notes