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brandywine-tomatoes · 3 years

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Omega's Sixteenth

99 FOLLOWER SPECIAL!!

Masterlist

Characters: The Bad Batch + Omega, Rex, Hera

Prompt/Inspo: #2 from my list: Cross teaches an older Omega how to use a rifle.

TW: blaster shots (to the armour, everyone's fine), it's just a lot of banter and family shenanigans

Word count: 1857

QUICK NOTE: just a bunch of fluff. This'll be a two or three part deal, so Cross actually teaching Omega how to use his rifle will come.

NO BETA, WE DIE LIKE CLONES

“Hunter, where we going?” Omega shouted ahead of the running group. Her hands were tightly gripped around the gold energy bow with a purple bolt already in place.

“Keep going!” He yelled, farther back down the hallway with the rest of the Batch.

Omega didn’t think her sixtieth birthday would be spent raiding an Imperial base for information, but there she was, dodging blaster bolts from circular corridors and laying down cover fire for the Batch who were looking for a way out as they ran aimlessly around the sky compound.

The skull embroidered bandana around her forehead kept her brown hair from her face as the customized armour weighed her down. She backed against a wall, peering down a corridor and quickly sprung back from the sizzling bolts whisking by.

Omega jumped from her spot and rolled away from the laying shots, pulling back the bowstring rapidly to take down the KX-series security droid. She was still on her knees with her bow outstretched as her team rounded the corner.

She stood, rolling her shoulders and pointing to the window at the other end. “We could jump.”

“And get squished like pancakes?” Wrecker sounded uneasy through his helmet. “No thanks, I’ll take the stairs.”

“We have KXs inbound,” Crosshair interrupted.

Omega walked to Cross’s position, the sniper offering his fire puncher for her to see. The scope looked through the walls and picked up the movement of what looked like a whole platoon of droids. “Shit.”

“Language!” Hunter raised his voice.

“No, I agree. We’re in deep shit.” Cross took back his rifle.

“Omega’s right, the window is our only option if we value our lives,” Tech looked back at the group from the circuit breaker he was fiddling with on the wall.

A duo of security droids came around the corner, blasting away. The Batch dove for cover around both corners, Crosshair, Hunter, and Tech across from Omega and Wrecker.

Omega and Hunter counted down to sync their defence and Omega’s bow was shot into another corridor as soon as she tried to let lose an energy bolt. She jumped back in shock and shook out her hands.

“You okay, kid?” Wrecker shouted over the blaster fire.

“I’m fine, but I don’t have a weapon!”

“Catch,” Crosshair sounded from the commlink wedged in her armour.

Crosshair threw a spare blaster across the hall with expert precision, Omega catching it with one hand and flying out into the fire of the droids. After a couple missed shots, she sent them both to the ground in a sparking heap.

Hunter ran from his spot against the wall and checked Omega over.

“Did they hit you? Are you injured?” He asked frantically.

“What is it with you guys? I’m fine, only a shot in the armour,” she shrugged Hunter’s hands off her shoulders. A fleeting look of hurt passed over his face before relief.

“We don’t have time, they’re rounding the corner,” Crosshair’s voice flooded through the comms.

“You could do what you did on Skako,” Echo looked down the corridor to find Cross firing an offence.

“Not enough time.”

Omega started down the hall towards the window, picking up speed. “The window it is!”

“Omega wait! We have to wait for the ship!” Echo shouted.

“We’re going to be blasted to hell if we wait! Tell them to hurry up!”

She heard Echo’s frantic chatter on the comms and the group’s heavy footfalls bouncing off the round steel walls as they followed her lead.

As the security droids rounded the corner, Omega was pushed through the tinted glass by a bolt to the back, tumbling through the air before landing face-first on the wing of the Havoc Marauder. She flipped herself onto her back and groaned, watching the blaster fire shoot out the window before, one by one, the batch landed on the wing. Their pilots kept the ship steady and flew off in a hurry once everyone had a hold.

If Omega wasn’t shot twice in the armour, she would’ve laughed blissfully as they flew through the fluffy orange clouds, holding out her arms as the moisture-created little droplets running off the armour plates and slicking back her hair. Instead, she laid there on the wing, holding on for dear life and hoping the moisture wouldn’t loosen her grip.

“You okay?” Hunter yelled over the rushing wind to Omega.

“Stop it!” She growled back.

Echo put a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Kids are like this when they’re older, it’ll pass. Don’t get hung up on it.”

Hunter only nodded, putting on his stoic face and looked ahead into the clouds.

Once they were far enough away from the Imperial compound, the Havoc touched down on a hill in the middle of a rolling prairie. Blue skies with fluffy clouds surrounded them and the plain landscape.

The Bad Batch slid off the wing, Omega refusing Hunter’s help, and waited for their pilots to extend the steps.

Hera exited the ship first, shouting that she was going to kill Omega for her ridiculous plan and started chasing the brunette. Omega took off in a sprint, yelling that it wasn’t her fault while laughing her head off. The Batch started taking bets on whether Omega would outrun Hera or not and cheered the kids on.

Rex watched the madness ensue, leaning against the door frame with a smile. A fleeting and pained memory of Anakin and Ahsoka at the start of her padawan days passed through and his smile dropped, his light mood dampened. He couldn’t let go of family so easily, but it only made it more painful to go on each day without them.

“We should probably get out of here, Sargent. Imps will be crawling all over the planet,” Rex retreated inside to the co-pilot's seat.

“Alright, pack it in guys! Onto the ship!” Echo shouted to the girls far off in the distance.

Omega sprinted up the steps, gasping for air while Hera held a smile on her face, her breathing barely obstructed. She saw the confusion and the team’s heads turning from the ship to her.

“I was track star at my school, 100 meters in 5 seconds,” she said proudly and climbed into the ship.

“Who knew?” Hunter remarked.

“You would if you paid attention to your kids,” Crosshair smirked and boarded the ship with the rest following.

“I do pay attention! You got something you want to say, Cross?”

“Of course not, Sarg.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Sargent Hunter,” the rebel cell leader’s recorded message projected on the dash. “You will be fairly compensated and given your next mission in two weeks. Enjoy this time off, there won’t be much more.”

Tech shut down her hologram and looked to Hunter in the seat behind Rex. The rest of the crew waited for their leader’s next order. They hadn’t had two weeks off... ever. The most clones got was a weekend, Omega was constantly working with Nala and then going on missions, and Hera had been training as a pilot or busy with school and family. Even their droids were never shut down for more than a day.

Wrecker scratched the back of his neck. “What are we doing, Sarg?”

Silence.

“Hunter?” Omega piped up from the shared seat with Hera.

“I’m thinking,” he waved them off.

Crosshair scoffed playfully and went further back into the ship. “That’s a first.”

“It’s already pretty tight in here,” he started. “I say we touch down on a planet, enjoy the peace for once.”

Hunter saw Hera visibly deflate and Omega put an arm around her shoulder.

“You can fly the ship, Hera, but only with one of the adults around,” Hunter added in defeat. She bounced in her seat and started talking with Omega excitedly, pressing a button on the armrest and spinning the seat around back to the stars.

“Where are you thinking?” Rex asked, silently praying for no god damn desert planets.

“I don’t know. Tech, any ideas?”

Tech pulled up his trusty datapad and started furiously tapping at the screen.

Crosshair had returned from the poor excuse of a kitchen with two soda cans and strolled smugly through the aisle to Hera and Omega. He sat on the floor, his back resting against the console, and gave the soda over to the kids. They jumped excitedly, not knowing there was any more of the fizzy drinks left, and swiped them from his hands. They filled him in quietly on what they were conversing about as Crosshair gave the rest of the crew a shit-eating smirk.

“I didn’t know we had any soda left,” Wrecker whispered to Hunter across from him.

“We don't.”

“This is why he’s the favourite, isn’t it?” Rex leaned to the side towards the two.

“He did this all the time on Kamino when we were cadets. It got the others off our backs.”

“I just hid in the ceiling panels,” Rex snickered.

“You weren’t always ‘mister beloved of the GAR’?” Echo shoved the captain's shoulder from his place against the wall.

“Hell no. Pretty sure Cody was part of the ‘fuck Rex squad’ at some point.”

“I think we all have seasonal membership cards.”

“Hey!”

“So there’s Mantessa,” Tech interrupted with the list of planets. “A thick jungle planet with a fiercely predatorial native species called the panthacs. They kill quite efficiently in their home environments; I’d quite literally commit murder to get documentation of their-”

“Tech, we have kids on board,” Hunter stopped him. “Maybe something more... vacation-y?”

Tech glared at him. “Vacation-y isn’t even a word-”

“Tech.”

“Fine fine,” he dismissed the idea, a little saddened that Hunter shot it down so eagerly.

“Mimban is largely unexplored and has a very turbulent atmosphere as well as energy storms in the stratosphere. It would be quite the learning experience for Hera to-”

“We aren’t looking for learning experiences, we’re looking for a break,” Echo said.

“You all have ridiculous standards,” he mumbled, scrolling to the bottom of his list. “Numidian Prime. The syndicates have been known to use it from time to time, but with the Empire extending it’s rein, it shouldn’t house too much trouble for us. There’s a very interesting bird species-”

“Tech.”

“I swear it’s habitable and without predatory species that would rip us to shreds,” he dismissed Hunter’s insistence. He tossed the datapad carefully on top of his satchel in the corner. “I think I heard a friend having a camp there, a Calrissian. He’ll let us stay.”

“How do you know?” Rex asked.

“He’s never there.”

Hunter clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention. “It looks like we’re vacationing on Numidian Prime.”

Hera, Omega, and Rex went to work on plotting their course and getting them to lightspeed while the Batch strapped in for the ride.

“After you,” Rex gestured to the console.

“Why thank you, Captain,” Hera smiled and pulled the hyperspace levers back. The ship stopped for a second and shot forward into the stars, a tunnel of churning light making way for the Havoc.

Omega sighed blissfully, sitting back against the seat. “This never gets old.”

I haven't posted any fics in 11 days, I really just needed to get something out for y'all.

ALSO

I reached 99 followers yesterday!! Well, it's 101 now, but thank you all for giving me a chance at sharing my love for Star Wars. It's you that makes this possible! I know I have a lot of improving to do when it comes to writing, but I'm so incredibly happy that you're giving me a chance and following along on my journey!!

Part 2 will be up soon (I hope), stick around for that! I post basically every day and I'm constantly online!

More fics of mine!

A War Without a Winning Side (Ahsoka, Rex, Maul series)

One of the Bad Ones (female!oc and Crosshair [platonic])

Only the Beginning (Cap. Howzer Part 1 (part 2 linked))

Hope was a Dangerous Game (male!oc and Crosshair [romantic])

Lightsaber Trials (fluff)

And here's my masterlist for more!

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floweryfandomnerd · 7 years

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Invisible Wings - 5

Near where I live there's a wide river with an old stone bridge rising high over it. Running my hands along its sides results in moss and dirt covering my hands. At the top of the arch, above the keystone, I stop to stare down at the thrashing waters. They're a murky green colour with a swirling current that quickly moves bobbing driftwood down it. Fish, minnows I believe, swim just beneath its surface, heads occasionally breaking through before they duck underneath again. I climb atop the side of the shallow walls, holding tightly with both hands as I sit on it. I've often wondered what it would be like to sit in a little boat and float down it; where the current would take me if I let it. What kind of power is the water? Kicking my legs in the air, I imagine myself simply letting go and falling - then I push it away; that's not how I wanted to disappear. If I were to disappear it would be on the wings of a dove, I could fly far away from here to anywhere I wanted. Letting go would make my disappearance a matter of moments; my freedom, if I ever gain it, would be born of wings not water.

Pulling myself away from that whirlpool of thought, I climb back down onto the bridge. Feet once again steady, I resume my wandering. At the other side some ways down the road is the outdoor market, it stays open no matter the weather but today at least the shopkeepers won't be so grumpy. They enjoy the soft sunshine as much as I do - sun-showers are my favourite though; I love the rainbows that form overhead when rays of light shine through little raindrops.

I love the market's pretty little stalls too, even if some only sell strange second-hand items that they claim are antique - although normally they're not exactly in mint condition. Where they get said "antiques" is somewhat of a mystery to me. It's bustling there today, full of background noise and half-familiar faces doing their shopping. The first stall I pass sells flowers, I never buy any - I don't even have a vase to put them in - but I can never seem to help myself from stopping to stare at them.

The florist who sells them is an adept hand at arranging pretty bouquets. The old man must have been making them for a very long time. I wonder if he ever makes them based on the meanings of the flowers or whether he just makes them to look wonderful. I wouldn't know, I don't know their meaning myself. I tug my bag back up onto my shoulder, smiling up at him as I leave. He smiles back at me.

Among the hubbub of the market I'm a little lost, unsure of what I came for now that I'm here. There's a list in my pocket, groceries written on scrumpled up paper. I do my best to smooth out all the crinkles, the inky pen I wrote it in is smudged but still legible:

Five apples,

Five oranges,

Five bananas,

An ounce of grapes,

An ounce of strawberries,

Ten carrots,

Onions,

Three peppers.

It's a longer list than that but that's as far as I skim at first, it takes me a moment to find where I should buy them from. When I locate it, one of my classmates is at the register, a customer passes a bunch of coins into his hand, he counts it carefully then places it in the machine. They also give him a flower, a red orchid bought from the other stall. He beams up at the customer as they walk away with their brown paper bag of fruit and veg. I'd forgotten that his dad ran the grocery stall. When they're gone, he stares at the flower - puzzled until I distract him.

Waving at him, I walk up to him, "Hi Michael."

"Hey Kallima, what do you need?" His curly brown hair hides his eyes as he smiles, I half want to push it out of his face but he beats me to it.

I quietly hand him the list, he reads it and starts grabbing what's stated, shoving it carefully into a paper bag for me. When he's done he gives me back the list so that I can continue with my shopping after I pay. I carefully fit them into my shoulder bag.

"Thanks. See you then," I'm about to go buy sugar and flour, along with anything else still on the list when I hear him.

"Wait!"

I stop in my tracks, twisting around to look at him. He looks ready to say something before glancing away from me for a second. Whatever it is, he doesn't say it.

After a pause he finally makes up his mind, "Did we have homework for chemistry?"

I shake my head, "No," then turn back to shopping. I'd rather be home before the threatening grey clouds looming overhead become a steady downpour. It doesn't take particularly long for me to finish gathering what's on my list. Almost done, all I have left is my winter tradition of buying a handmade hat. Charlotte's grandmother makes them; her grandmother is a lovely old woman - she used to babysit me when I was particularly small. That was how I became friends with Charlotte, really.

She's working there today, boredom sitting quietly on her face. There's a million places she'd rather be, I'm sure. Instead of being there she's just daydreaming about them, letting her silky auburn hair blow into her eyes. Charlotte doesn't even notice me browsing the hats. I rifle through the piles, slightly unsatisfied. They're nice hats but so far none of them are that special one I find every year.

Re-folding the pile I messed up, I move onto the next one. A few hats down sits a light purple hat with a little white bird skillfully embroidered on the brim. It stands out to me so much that I choose it without a second glance at the rest. Charlotte jumps when I stand in front of her, dangling the hat in her face.

"Hey! You scared me!" She reaches over the counter to jab my sides, I dodge away but she still manages to poke her finger into my ribs. I squirm uncomfortably and she laughs. She knows poking makes my body do something weird - it's exactly why she does it.

I bat her fingers away, giggling as I do, "Stop that!"

She keeps trying though. I do my best to put on a stern face, "Come on Charl, that tickles!"

Sighing, she slides back over and stands behind the register again, nodding at the hat, "That's the one you're choosing?" She eyes it for a moment, thinking pout on her face. "It's pretty. The colours are very you - purple with white embroidery."

"It almost feels like Grandma had me in mind when she made this one..."

Charlotte chuckles, whipping the hat out of my hand and placing it on my head, "I wouldn't put it past Grandma. Hey! Have you seen the new jewellery stand?"

"I can't see anything, you pulled the hat over my eyes," I readjust it on my head and follow the direction she points in. I'm slightly surprised that I didn't notice it earlier, but it's not exactly flashy. Can't exactly blame me for being unobservant...

"Think you could check it out for me? I'm on shift all day and I want to know if they have any good or really unique pieces," she asks with her sweet as syrup voice. She always uses it whenever she wants anything, I really have to stop falling for it.

I groan in response; I'd rather go home than spend anymore time out here in the cold. Even with my coat the biting wind is starting to feel chilly.

"You won't have to pay for the hat if you do."

And just like that, my mind is changed, "Deal. Now let's shake hands to show no going back on your word. This hat is free."

Charlotte laughs, firmly taking my hand in hers and wiggling it up and down. It's only to show how ridiculous I'm being but hey, I'm not the one paying for an expensive handmade hat. Jokingly saluting, I head off towards the new stand.

"Bye then!" she shouts behind me.

Inside a glass viewing case there are lots of necklaces, rings, bracelets, tiaras and anklets - any accessory I could name and they'd have it, looking at the display I'm fairly certain of it. Some are silver and some are gold. They sparkle prettily, the dimming light reflecting off of coloured jewels. Not every design is as simple as that, a few twist intricately around the stones encased in them. I wonder whether they're real or fake...

As if reading my mind, the stall owner's attention snaps to me, "They're real if you're wondering, real diamonds, and real gold. Handmade too."

I glance up at them, their piercing green eyes are just slightly unsettling. Somehow they almost look familiar. She seems candid enough, enough that I believe her anyway. Her pieces of jewellery are easily some of the highest quality I've seen. Then again, it's not like I'm a jewellery connoisseur. I can't help staring at them though, they're completely captivating... They're captivating but not unique and they're way out of Charlotte's price range anyhow.

Still, I can't quite tear my eyes away. I don't even realise that my face is practically touching the glass until my breath mists it over and I have to wipe away the fog. A single wooden ring, carved wood twining around a small emerald, is what truly catches my eye. A hand reaches inside the display case, taking out the exact ring I was staring at. I can't afford it, even so, a pang of disappointment runs through me at the thought of someone else having that ring.

Deciding it's about time I started on my way home, I stand up and pull my face away. I'm a few steps away, making a face and gestures at Charlotte to signal how expensive everything is, when I realise there'd been no one but me around.

"Don't you want it?" She holds the ring between two fingers.

"Yes, but I doubt I could afford it..." Without even knowing I'd moved, I'm back at the stall.

She reaches over and pulls my hand toward her, "That's alright, you can take it," she drops the ring into my palm and closes my fingers around it.

Stunned, I'm about to protest until I feel a drop of rain hit my head. I dart straight back to Charlotte, taking shelter under the waterproof fabric roof. "So, how long until you finish? This coat has no hood and I know you aren't gonna lend me your umbrella so I'll just wait and run to your place under it with you."

She glances at her watch, "I'm here another hour even though there's no one around. And Kallima, you're wearing a hat, you don't need a hood or an umbrella..."

"You know you make a very good point. Enjoy the rest of your shift then!" I sprint home as quickly as my slow legs will take me. I don't particularly want wet groceries.

Somehow they're dry when I dump them on the table and begin organising. It's a shame the cupboards are such a mess, it means I have to organise them too. I have no idea what my Dad does but he always seems to leave everything in disarray. I find myself stacking tons of peas and beans for the good part of an hour before I'm all done.

Satisfied, I shove my hands in my pockets, scrutinising everything one last time. One of my hands brushes the ring, I'd almost forgotten about it. I turn it over and over in my hand. Up close, I can see even better how well carved it is. It looks like the roots of a tree twining over a mossy green rock. I slip it on my ring finger and go to check my planner. If I do all my homework on a Saturday night it leaves Sunday free.

There's not much written down, much to my joy. There is, however, chemistry homework...

#invisible wings #original fiction #my writing #flings this into the abyss and hides

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everettv · 7 years

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Chapter 1

As promised, here is the first chapter of the world traveller Antonio story for Anon. I’m sorry if it kind of sucks, I did a lot of research but I’ve only been to Glacier one time and I don’t climb mountains tbh.

No one knows what it’s like. Not that other people haven’t done what he’s doing right now, but he’s come to the conclusion that it feels different to everyone. Some describe it as exhilarating, other’s describe it as euphoria, but for him, it was absolutely freeing.

Antonio takes another deep breath of the freezing air, not reacting when it stings his throat and lungs. He looks down over the gorgeous landscape around him, pulling his hand out of his gloves to take pictures. He’d just summited a mountain in Glacier National Park, and it was thrilling. He did much of the climb without gear, just because he knew he could, and plans on doing the same on the way down.

This is his second to last stop in America before he heads back to France, where he lives with two of his friends. Being a journalist for a pretty famous magazine gives Antonio not only the reason to travel, but the money to do so, and it thrills him. He loves to climb mountains, and occasionally even will lead expeditions and back country hikes for the right price. He always gets a frustrated customer when they find out the amount of paperwork and money involved, but it settles if they really want to go.

Antonio puts away his phone then pulls out his camera, bringing it to his face and taking a few more pictures. He turns, taking pictures of all the surrounding scenery before packing his camera away again. One last glance at the view before he leaves, watching his step on the way back down. He pulls out his ice axe, just in case he slips and needs to self arrest. He winces when his ankle twists out from beneath him, and he has to slam the pick into the ground.

Antonio is relieved when he doesn’t go anymore, scooting back into the snow. Antonio rolls his pant leg up and collects a snowpack to press on it for a few moments. He lays back and looks at the sky, adrenaline coursing through his veins just as potent as the icy wind starting to kick up. He slowly stands up again and continues to hike and climb until his stomach commands a lunch.

He has never felt happier than he does on the mountains. Antonio checks his watches and finds that it’s getting pretty late, but he can make it down to his second campsite before stopping and finishing the descent the next day. He takes a deep breath before getting on his feet again and heading down. It’s dark by the time he makes the camp and sets up his tent. He can hear voices approaching his tent, so he crawls back out to see who is coming, taking a long drink of his water. His supplies are running a bit low, he knows he has to buy more, so he knows he has to get more.

The people finally break the clearing. A kid probably in his teens and two young adults walk in, looking decidedly exhausted. Antonio laughs at the small group, walking towards them. “D’ya need help setting up camp?” He asks, ready to help out. He’s very tired, but he doesn’t want these people to try to sleep under the stars and gets hurt by the wildlife or freeze. They look kinda shocked to see someone else but nod their acceptance. Antonio smiles brightly and helps them set up their tent and then their camp stove, which they don’t seem to know how to use, so Antonio shows them.

“Is this your first time doing something like this? You must be careful, there’s a lot of ice and rock climbing ahead if you’re trying to summit. I… I don’t recommend this being your first climb.” He tells them, trying to subtly make sure they have the equipment that they need. The youngest looks at his companions then back at Antonio before shrugging.

“It’s not our first time, but usually our grandfather is with us. You see… he passed away and he said he wanted his ashes spread over all the summits he ever climbed, and he put them in order. This is the first stop. We… We haven’t been in a while. We all stopped to help with nonno’s wine vineyard, but he got really sick and passed recently, so we left the company with the workers to summit everything he did.” Feliciano explains. Antonio nods a bit, grabbing his notebook and camera.

“This is… I dunno how to word it in English…” Antonio mumbles. “I find what you are doing very admirable. Would you mind very much if I were to come with you on these climbs? I’m sure I have not yet done a lot of the summits and I love to climb. I’m a journalist, and I think this story is just… Ah… Perfect.” He had been to Yosemite before, he does not mind cancelling those plans to follow these people. Feliciano pauses and glances at his brothers before looking at Antonio again. He nods slowly.

“That’s fine. I don’t see why not. You have your own equipment, I’m sure, so why not?” Feliciano sighs weakly. He doesn’t look up when Antonio starts to snap pictures of them and their equipment. He always does interviews and pictures with the people he decides to climb with, but this group, he is going to do a full story on them.

“What’s your names and ages?” Antonio waits patiently, knowing full well that they are beyond tired from the climb, almost thinking that they didn’t stop at the first camp. He sighs a bit when he realizes he’s going to have to ascend the summit again, and this quickly, but he doesn’t care that much. It was a lot of free climbing on his part, a lot of his equipment is in his car for Yosemite, but he has his crampons and a little bit of rope, if necessary.

“I’m Lovino. I’m 23. That’s Feliciano. He’s also 23. And that is Sebastian. He’s 16. What is your name, how old are you, and what have you summitted? Oh and what magazine do you work for?” Lovino is mistrusting of Antonio, and he knows the feeling. He has been overly suspicious of a few people who asked for his help, but this time he’s just tagging along. He will do his best not to stress these already grieving people.

“I’m Antonio. I’m 24 and I work for the Voyage des Âges. Voyage of Ages in English.” Antonio smiles at the small group. He takes a few more pictures before storing his camera and leaving his notebook out. Feliciano stares at him with wide, shocked eyes when he hears the name of the magazine.

“I love that magazine! Most of the places I’ve gone, it’s because I read about it in the magazine. Oh my god! I’ve read your articles and done a lot of the hikes you’ve mention, at least in the Alps and such.” Feliciano gives him a strange look. “You want to follow us and our story? I thought you’d be going to Yosemite next, you had an itinerary in the article.”

Antonio laughs softly and gives Feliciano a gentle smile. “I would rather write a wonderful story about a group of admiral brothers fulfilling their grandfather’s last wish than visit Yosemite for the sixth time. It will be there for me when I’m done with writing this.” He says softly. “I’ll be sending in an article about this climb within the next few days, since I actually just came down from there, and I will include my change of plans. Unless, of course, you’re headed to Yosemite. I’ll need a complete list of where you’re headed, so I can notify my boss, but she’s very understanding, and knows that I tend to change my itinerary. As long as I notify her first.” Feliciano nods and hums gently.

“Well then we should get some sleep. If you want to summit tomorrow. If not, I know another place we can camp, I did that on my way up. It’s safer for us to only hit the next camp, not to worry about summiting tomorrow. It’s a hard climb, especially on the ice.” Antonio smiles. “We’ll worry about all the other places when we descend. The descent is usually easier. As long as you don’t overwork yourself. I’ll see you all early in the morning.” Antonio checks his supplies to make sure that he could actually afford to go up the mountain again. He sighs softly, figuring he could do it if he preserves some of it.

His phone alarm wakes him up the next morning, and he is not ready to get up, but he forces himself out of the tent anyway. He smiles slightly when he sees Sebastian wrestling with the camp stove again. Antonio helps him again, then starts up his own. He makes the powdered milk and some oatmeal for breakfast, watching Lovino and Feliciano emerge when they smell the food. It’s simple and small, enough to get them through the morning.

Antonio packs up quickly, ready to go before the brothers have even started packing, taking pictures and asking them questions. He records them on a tape recorder, getting closer when the answers are too quiet. He puts away the tape recorder when they finally head out, knowing there won’t be a whole lot of talking on the trail. It’s hard and uphill. Antonio quickly takes the lead, waiting at the base of the first wall for them, putting his crampons on while he waits.

Lovino, Feliciano, and Sebastian start to gear up for the climb, but Antonio doesn’t wait, just puts on his gloves and starts to climb. The ice is slippery, but he uses his pick and crampons to scale the wall. Antonio pauses, taking a deep breath and just holding himself there. He finishes the climb, hauling himself up over the lip and crawling forward on the ice. He stands up, moving over to a rock. He takes a drink of water and sighs heavily, taking pictures of his companions as they come over the lip.

Lovino’s face is bright red from exertion, this being the first time he’s climbed in quite a while. He glares at Antonio as he pulls Feliciano over the edge then waits for Sebastian and helps him as well. Antonio chuckles softly when Lovino glares at him, continuing to snap pictures of the group, before turning and taking pictures of the sky and the nature again. He will take his favourites and make a huge folder on his website of them, and choose a few for the magazine.

Antonio smiles brightly at them, taking another drink and packing his camera into it’s bag again before starting to walk toward the summit. Feliciano falls in beside Antonio with a grin. “I didn’t know you free climbed. Isn’t that kinda dangerous?” He asks. Antonio laughs softly, a little breathless still. He’s very tired, but it’s a feeling that he was used to.

“Yeah… Yeah it’s a lot of hard work. Sometimes I’m kinda scared, but I make sure not to do it on higher cliffs, I don’t like that much adrenaline. This is just low enough for me to do it without gear. At least in bursts. If it was all one climb then I’d need my gear. It’s all back in the car.” He responds softly. Feliciano nods. And the rest of the climb to the first camp is done in silence, but Antonio takes a lot of pictures of the little group, and helps set up their camp again.

#long post #spamano

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piratethornton · 7 years

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Pirates of the Clawribbean

Chapter 5: Tortiger

Fandom: Zootopia

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Nathan's injured back wasn't the only consequence of the storm; the Black Paw had been blown off course and out of the Bearmuda Triangle. Though somewhat annoyed, Captain Nick Wilde decided to make best out of the situation and bring the ship to Tortiger, a pirate port in the middle of the Clawribbean which was popular with those wanting to sell their wares in exchange for rum, and happened to be close by. The prospect at visiting the famous port cheered up the crew to no end, and they immediately started making plans for when they arrived.

It was the beginning of the second evening after the storm when it came into view. A small island covered with haphazard structures, torches lighting up one by one in response to the creeping darkness. A rocky outcrop next to the island resembled the feline the port was named after, its sunken eyes seemingly following the Black Paw as it crept closer and eventually docked.

It was decided that the crew would take this opportunity to exchange their loot from The Cloverleaf for supplies they would need for their voyage. Chests of silks, spices and rodent-sized clothes were brought up from the cargo hold and carried off ship, Finnick keeping a record of their stock.

Whilst collecting a pile of tiny captain's uniforms (and unable to fight off a twinge of guilt doing so), Judy noticed something on the far side of the hold. From a distance it seemed to be a heap of coloured clothes and pillows, although on closer inspection it looked more like a pile of bodies. Horror gripped Judy for a moment before she realised she couldn't smell anything that would indicate she was currently staring at a stack of corpses. She ventured closer still and saw that they were stuffed dummies of various species, kitted out in pirate outfits.

"Hey, bunny! Exit's this way!"

Judy whipped around to see Bucky waiting impatiently for her. Pushing her recent discovery to the back of her mind for now, she hurried off the ship and handed the clothes to Finnick. After hearing a grunt of acknowledgment from him, she curiously walked a little way towards the pirate village.

Night had fallen, but thanks to the several torches everything was clearly visible. Several mammals were at the port, some also unloading cargo, some making repairs to their ship and others joyfully heading into the village to visit their favourite tavern. The air was full of shouting, singing and crashing, and Judy could swear there was a ferocious sword fight currently in progress just behind the closest building to them.

She jumped when she felt a paw on her shoulder. "Careful," said Honey, gently guiding Judy back towards the rest of the crew. "That's one place you do not want to get lost in."

The cargo was now completely unloaded and the discussion had begun as to who was to stay behind and look after the ship. Finnick was the master at selling high and buying low, so he along with Bobby and Honey would be going to market with their wares. Flash was eager to visit his lady-friend, Yax wanted to check out the newly imported incense and spices, and Nick didn't bother coming up with a reason since he was the captain. That left Bucky and Pronk as the guards, a regular occurrence according to their grumbling. Ben genially offered to take over guarding duties since he had elected to stay behind anyway, but this idea was quickly shot down due to the fact he didn't have the necessary experience to prevent a takeover.

Judy stayed quiet. She didn't believe that she would be allowed to explore, so she started planning how to sneak away without the others noticing. She would have to hide behind one of them, but she also had to wait until Nick left since he would be the one most against the idea. Soon the mammals began to depart one by one either into town or back on to the ship, but to Judy's annoyance the Captain lingered until everyone had left.

They stared at each other for a moment, Nick deep in thought and Judy feeling a little self-conscience. Eventually he closed his eyes and sighed as if he had just resigned himself to something.

"If you promise to stick close to me and not go wandering off..." He looked at her sternly.

Judy's eyes widened with surprise and hope. "You mean...I can go into town?"

"If you promise to not go wandering off," Nick repeated.

"Yes! Yes! I promise!" Judy bounced twice before realising she was acting like a kit. She composed herself and cleared her throat. "Thank you."

Nick raised an eyebrow in amusement. "This way, milady."

Together they walked into the village, the wooden buildings and earthy streets illuminated by the bright orange torches and lanterns. The market place was brimming with activity from mammals of different species buying and selling everything from jewellery, spices and weapons. A little further away were a dozen or so tables, each with a queue of mammals wanting to sign up to join a particular pirate crew. The most popular seemed to be the one represented by a one-eyed rat, who was standing on his table, brandishing his sword and squealing at the top of his voice, listing all the navy ships he had helped sink.

After that they reached the part of town dominated by inns and taverns where the streets were slightly sparser but still just as noisy. As they meandered through the town, Judy noticed that every now and then a mammal would gesture at Nick, whether it be a friendly wave, a curt nod or a hard, cold stare.

"You seem to know a lot of mammals," she commented after a while.

"I know everyone, Fluff," he replied smugly.

"Nick Wilde!"

A vixen stormed up to them, raised a paw and smacked Nick across the face, before walking briskly past them.

"Hey! What was that for?" he shouted after her. Hearing someone else coming towards him, he faced forward again to see another vixen who didn't bother saying anything as she slapped him too.

When she was also out of sight, he rubbed his painful muzzle. "I might have deserved that one." He looked down at the rabbit by his side who was desperately trying to suppress a giggle. He gave her a pointed look and rolled his eyes. "Come on."

He led her to a very large tavern, the faded green and white sign above the door giving the name 'The Drunken Ivories', and they entered the establishment. Most of the customers were rhinos, hippos and elephants, though there were a handful of smaller mammals, too. There was an extremely drunk porcupine sitting on the edge of an enormous chair, nursing a glass and wearing a dopey grin. Obviously the quality of drink here was worth the inconvenient furnishings.

Nick walked confidently right up to the bar and climbed up one of the stools. Judy clambered up the one next to it, managing to sit down just as Nick addressed the bartender.

"Hefton! Missed me?"

The elephant squinted at Nick for a few seconds before smiling broadly. "Ah, Cap'n Nick! Was your secret mission a success?"

"Haven't finished it yet," replied Nick, chuckling.

Hefton's trunk moved inquisitively towards Judy. "Got yourself a new cabin boy?"

"In a way," Nick said with an amused smile.

"I'm Judy," the rabbit said brightly, offering her paw.

"Cabin girl?" Hefton twisted his trunk in surprise, then reached up to tip his hat only to discover his head was bare. He smiled weakly then coughed. "What'll it be?"

"I'll have the usual," said Nick.

"Of course." Hefton bent down to the bottles under the counter, only to come up again a few seconds later. "Which is...?"

"Rum, big guy," Nick answered patiently. They had obviously had this exchange several times before.

"And for the lady?"

Judy's ears pricked in excitement. "I'll have a rum, too."

Nick looked at her narrowed his eyes. "You ever have alcohol before, Cottontail?"

She sat up straighter and crossed her arms. "My family makes cider, and we have port at Christmas."

Nick wasn't reassured by this, but he relented slightly. "Tiny glass," he said to Hefton.

Judy was silently glad with Nick's strictness. The rum was very powerful and she spluttered a little on her first gulp, so she elected to sipping it whilst ignoring the satisfied smirk of the fox sitting next to her.

"Oh, Nick," said Hefton, suddenly. "Almost forgot. A friend of yours was asking about ya not too long ago."

"Really? Which friend?"

"Err...I can't remember. A - er - something someone. Captain Someone?"

Nick sighed very softly. "Do you remember what kind of mammal they were?"

"A sheep," answered Hefton confidently. Then his brow furrowed. "No, an aardvark. Beaver? He weren't that big."

"That narrows it down. You know what he wanted?"

"Uh...no."

Nick sighed again. "Thanks for letting me know." He finished his drink and got off his stool. "See you 'round."

Judy drained her glass, bid Hefton a thank you and goodbye, and followed Nick out of the bar.

"You have any idea who your friend could be?" she asked when she caught up with him.

"Probably someone I owe money."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Do you owe a lot of mammals money?"

"Let's see..." Nick started counting on his fingers. "Yep."

"I guess you could pay some of it off with the money you made from the Cloverleaf."

Nick let out a bark of laughter. "Sure. Let's go from inn to inn handing out all my money. That'll be a great way to spend the evening, and certainly not a complete waste of time."

Judy frowned and turned away. "You don't want debt creeping up on you. Trust me."

Nick looked down at her, then up again as an ocelot marched towards them.

"Hey, Sandy," he greeted, a nervous twinge in his voice.

For the third time that night, Nick received a slap to the face. After cursing at him in her mother tongue, she walked away, her tail thrashing behind her.

Judy couldn't help but let out a sound of mirth at this, and not even Nick's most serious glare could stifle her. Eventually he sighed in defeat. "I didn't bring you along so you could laugh at me."

"Sorry," said Judy, still giggling.

It was very late before the crew was reunited back on the ship. They were all in high spirits and happily recounted to each other their evening activities. Finnick had a successful visit to the market place, Yax was pleasantly humming and Honey had caught up with a friend of hers, a pig medium called Hen Wen who told her to 'Beware', though of what she didn't specify. Bucky and Pronk left without a word as soon as their guarding duties were no longer required, and Honey tried to start a vote to decide whether or not to set off without them.

Hopes for a late morning start were dashed when the two antelopes returned just as the sun was rising, singing loudly and grossly off-key. Judy clamped her hat tightly over ears when they entered the sleeping quarters and stumbled towards their hammocks. The singing devolved into arguing, but thanks to the copious amount of alcohol their energy finally wore off and they passed out, just after mumbling something about 'Boarbossa rumours'.

#Zootopia #zootropolis #pirates #pirates of the caribbean #pirates au #PotC #fanfic #chapter

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