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autistichalsin · 2 months

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Some of my favorite, understated moments with heartbreaking implications for Halsin

1. Halsin threatening to turn into a mouse in the epilogue if the player brags about his achievements- he's so shy and humble that just being acknowledged for LITERALLY BUILDING A COMMUNE HIMSELF makes him want to hide. A mouse is a very symbolic choice here: not only easy to hide, but also easily overlooked and forgotten. The idea of his accomplishments being acknowledged is so terrifying for him that he wants to turn into an animal no one will notice, instead of his usual strong, large, noticeable bear.

2. "Sometimes, I think people look at me and imagine my feelings can't be hurt." This isn't the kind of thing that happens after one or two people act like jerks. This is years and years of cruel treatment, of his emotions being demeaned and mocked because of his size. Of people judging him before even meeting him- and forming an entirely wrong view of him. Halsin is a bighearted, tender, sentimental man, yet because he's big... Well, big people don't have feelings, surely. /s

3. "You and I may struggle to go unnoticed in such environs, Karlach[...] Folk of our stature can be a lure for drunkards seeking a brawl, I have found," combined with, "There is a particular discomfort to besting one you know to be weaker than yourself - even when needs must," from a different scene. People have sought him out and fought him because of his size (which had to have been terrifying, especially the first time), and he feels guilty when he takes out someone he knows is weaker, even if they STARTED it. How many times has the poor guy been traveling and then had to defend himself against someone 1/2 his size, making HIM look like the asshole to onlookers, and reinforcing that whole "people think I can't be hurt" thing?

4. "It was always destined to be so, if we prevailed. But the foreknowledge makes it no less bittersweet..." (About the players' paths diverging post brain battle), combined with "I see... After all my years of living, I know all too well that nothing lasts forever. Yet a parting can sting, nonetheless," if the player breaks up with him in the ending. This poor guy was having the time of his life adventuring with the group (and possibly falling in love there) yet never believed it would truly last (because of his abandonment issues). And then to have it confirmed.... he must have felt so awful in that moment, even if he was being dignified about it.

5. "You came for me... thank you. I feared Orin's accursed smile would be the very last sight I beheld," when Halsin is freed from Orin, combined with, "Orin's blades. I hoped my friends would save me..." If he is killed by Orin instead and Speak With the Dead is used on his corpse. The tone of his voice in the first line, especially added to that bit in the second... he never thought the player was coming to save him. He HOPED they would. Not "believed". Hoped. He thought he was going to die there- just like how he was in the Underdark for THREE YEARS and no one came to save him. And if it's confirmed... Yeah. That. (Sidenote: if you ask his corpse if he has any regrets, he says not telling Thaniel and Oliver goodbye, and not getting to see their land flourish. :( My heart. :( )

6. "I... have not had true confidantes for some time. The Shadow Curse robbed me of almost all my peers, and replaced them with the weight of responsibility. Perhaps that caused me to gild undeserving memories of my youth." Halsin was so miserable and stressed being Archdruid that he romanticized his past as a sex slave, viewing it as a safer, even happier alternative. There were actually times when Halsin thought he might rather be a sex slave than continue to be Archdruid. In a sense, for the 100 years the Shadow Curse was around, Halsin was just as much a prisoner as Thaniel was in the Shadowfell, but Halsin's prison had invisible bars. The Shadow Curse took away his entire support system, and being Archdruid forced him to be the strong one, always, never allowed to be weak or scared, forced him to take control of situations when he hated it, forced him to spend his time sorting out people instead of being in nature. And he was MISERABLE. For 100 years.

7. "You understand me almost perfectly. Only my late mother may have bested you." (Said if you get one question wrong at the love dryad test). He misses his mama. :( Especially when you consider that if you steal Balthazar's "Mother Dearest" and taunt him about it, Halsin disapproves (and is the only one to do so), while returning her gets you approval (which only Halsin approves of). And then the line when you look into a mirror while controlling him, "more like my father, with each passing day..." He really misses them. :(

8. "I am loathe to see anyone behind bars. It reminds me of my time as a guest of the goblins." He is, secretly, still quite traumatized from his time in the goblin pens, but he brushes it off. Just like every OTHER time he is hurt.

9. "I am aware [of having a habit of getting captured]. Perhaps I put too much faith in my skills of negotiation, or want to see good where there is none. It would be easy to resort to nature's fury whenever something stood in my way, yet I cannot help but feel I would be sullying the Oak Father's gifts. Naive perhaps... but I still draw breath." Halsin is aware he gets hurt often because of his desire to see good in people until he has no other choice, but refuses to give up anyway (which is backed up by that letter Gut had on her where she reveals Halsin TRIED to help the goblins, saying he could cure them of their tadpoles, only to be thrown in the cage, with Gut threatening to have his stomach cut open and maggots placed inside it.) Further, even though he is an Archdruid, and one of the most devoted, and explicitly has Silvanus's favor (Halsin says that gaining his favor was the only way he was able to open the portal to the Shadowfell), he still constantly worries about using Silvanus's powers, to the point of wondering if an actual threat to his safety actually merits using his powers. Which... combined with some other stuff, reads like one hell of a problem with self-worth.

10. "At least you were not present. Grim as [the ruined battlefield] is now, it was worse on the day of the battle. A vivid wound upon my memory[...] I was lucky - I lived, when so many did not. It would take me a day and a night to recite the names of all the friends I lost" combined with, "I was [present when the Shadow Curse was unleashed]. Part of my spirit was shorn away from me here, and never left," and, if Last Light falls, "All gone... devoured by the shadows. Oak Father preserve us, it's just like a hundred years ago[...] We are [still standing]. Yet there is a burden to being the survivor... the witness to others' tragedies. It only grows heavier with time." He has so much PTSD and survivor guilt from the Shadow Curse. :( No wonder it's all he can think about- to the point that some of the other companions even get annoyed at him for his obsession.

11. "I never quite realised how burdened I was, until I met you. The threat of the shadow curse, the politics of the grove... I was forgetting who I was, but you lifted the fog. Thank you." Not only does this tie in with the above, with his PTSD from the curse and his utter misery at being Archdruid, but this HEAVILY implies Halsin had depression. Like... that "fog" line hits HARD if you have or have had depression, because that's exactly what it feels like. And the "forgetting who I was" bit too. Not just losing his sense of self to the depression, but to the neverending responsibilities of being Archdruid. I keep repeating myself, but damn, this guy has really and truly spent an entire century being absolutely MISERABLE. :(

12. "Forgive me. I... lost the run of myself. Sometimes, if blood runs hot enough, it's difficult to tame the beast." With that little disgusted groan/sigh, the fury and disgust at himself visible on his face, and the way he rushes to get out the rest of it- he thinks he fucked up so badly that you're about to leave him, maybe forever. And then if you reject him after this? "Ah... I see. Well, of course. Back to camp then." He has the most heartbroken look on his face here, and the way he says "of course" like he just... knew this was coming the instant he accidentally wildshaped. He felt that the first time he let ANY of his imperfections show, the player would leave him. :(

13. "Death is nature's final slumber - it awaits us all. Do not punish yourself over those lost, or give in to despair - not while there are still folk in need of your help." (Said to a Dark Urge if they tell him they're not much of a hero and most people needing them end up dead) Not only is Halsin speaking from experience here, but it's very clear he is STILL doing exactly what he tells Durge not to do, to himself- punishing himself over those who were lost, struggling with devastating survivor guilt.

14. "The grove has cut itself off from the world, to jealously guard its own little pocket of nature. No one shall ever enter or leave again. And I have been evicted from the very place I was charged to safeguard. A telling summary of my time as Archdruid, perhaps..." If the Grove is sealed and you ask him about it later, this is what he says. Interesting that he views being evicted from the place he was in charge of protecting to be a "telling summary." He was forced to take the leadership role there, and yet it was clear he wasn't wanted or respected by a great number of the Druids (exempting Nettie, Rath, and Apikusis). He got a truly thankless job that took damn near EVERYTHING from him emotionally/mentally, causing him to develop depression and causing him to backslide in his previous healing from his trauma from his time as a sex slave, he still gave EVERYTHING to the Grove, and in return...... almost none of his Druids appreciated or even liked him. (I could seriously write at least five metas about how obviously miserable Halsin was at the Grove, despite caring for it deeply).

15. "You could have done anything, gone with anyone... yet you chose me." Said at the epilogue to a solo romanced player who went to the commune with him. There's so many layers of heartbreak here. He is still surprised, six months later, that the player chose him. He even thinks the player will regret it, and will decide they want an adventurer's life after all after seeing everyone else. He doesn't think he is good enough- doesn't think he deserves the player, and yet at the same time he loves them so much that he is heartbroken over the possibility they might agree with him. He thinks that given a chance, there is little chance they would actually choose him again. (He is put at ease quickly when the player promises they picked him for a reason, but even the explanation he gives for why he was so worrie is heartbreaking- that he's so used to a tumultuous life that he thinks something must go wrong. He has been so traumatized so many times over the years that he just has almost no ability to think that true happiness is possible [or deserved] for him.) Something about that is just heartbreaking, even though his ending is one of the happiest of any of the companions.

Someone give this sweet bear man a hug, please :(

#halsin #halsin silverbough #bg3 #baldur's gate 3

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pythoria · 8 months

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something about bg3 i find fascinating is just How Many characters are good and compelling. Usually with most media, be it games or tv shows or movies you have one or 2 characters you get attached to, but with baldur's gate i love almost every single character in their own way.

Astarion is instantly charming and witty, he's the sassy vampire who most people find themselves drawn to, but he's not the only compelling character by far. Gale takes some time to grow on you, but after you actually see how his story unfolds and maybe even romance him, you start understanding that he's just as hurt and sad as any of the other characters, groomed from a young age and misunderstood because of it. Astarion sees himself as just a body to be used, but Gale also thinks he's worthless deep down, especially after losing the bulk of his magic. He's passively suicidal and thinks his abuser is worth sacrificing everything for, and needs the whole camp to yell at him for being stupid to realise he might deserve to live and even, get this, find happiness.

Shadowheart's story and ending isn't talked about a lot, but it is HEARTBREAKING, and both endings for her are the only ones that actually brought tears to my eyes. In a similar way to other characters, her bad ending gives away a lot about her character, almost more than her good ending, and without spoiling it, i'll just say: it's impossible to make her character evil. she will always be governed by a sense of good and justice, and the only thing that goes wrong for her is being misguided and unable to turn back. Whatever she does, she does it because she thinks it's good and just.

I can't go in depth about every character, although they are all incredible, but honourable mentions for me are literally all the villains. Gortash is instantly compelling, and how could he not be with a voice actor like That. Him and Orin are also incredibly visually interesting, as well as their personalities being so magnetic. Ketheric is deeply tragic in his own way, act 2 is practically dedicated to his shattered family and it's so fascinating to see the shards of a broken man scattered across a broken, cursed land.

Raphael has the best theme song by far, he's overflowing with charisma, he speaks in riddles and verse, he's the perfect devil. He draws you in, you almost start to like him, and then you arrive at the House of Hope and the illusion both shatters and builds even further, because his lair is by far the best map in the entire game. You find out he only ever wants to sleep with himself, but that he's terrible in bed according to his succubus. You see people's lost souls pop in and out of existence, and you can only watch them beg for reprieve, but cannot interact. You see debtors crawling around rabidly on all fours, or worshipping his toilet, or sitting in front of his budoir, endlessly bound to watch him and his succubus through the peep hole but never allowed to join. And then there's the final fight, with its incredible song that everyone should experience for the first time in game.

So many compelling characters and i could write an essay about each one. i've barely scratched the surface, and i haven't even mentioned all the origin characters. it's just insane to me how detailed every story is, how they all have their own individual arcs and motivations and they're all fully fleshed out, and feel so god damn REAL. Yeah, bg3 should get GOTY, but honestly that's not even enough. The voice actors need oscars, the composer needs a grammy, and so on and so forth. what a game.

#pythoria.txt #bg3 #astarion #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 gale #bg3 spoilers

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micropoe10 · 9 months

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I found something & my ♥ is BROKEN

It's early...or late...I'm not sure, time is blending together and my head is filled with only Astarion ♥ In my late night BG3 adventures I got to a part of the story where I have to find Orin, now I admit I dont know where I'm actually suppose to be going for this quest. But my travels lead me back to the graveyard. The ONLY ONE in the city of Baldur's Gate (that we can see and access).

Now if you romanced Astarion like me (cause why wouldn't you lol). Then you either chose to ascend him (like me) or not. Or you save scummed at ALL the right points (also me) so you can see multiple dialogues for BOTH ending types. If you chose to not ascend him than you got a sweet wholesome (and yet heartbreaking scene) in the graveyard.

You know the one, where he tells you he loves you and wants you and then you makeout on his grave..yea that one. Well going back tonight to the graveyard I noticed something. Or lack of something...Astarion's Grave...I FOUND HIM or where he should be.

That's right after looking back through recordings of my own play through and other's on YT, TikTok...etc... his grave isn't there. I looked frame by frame. Everything else is correct, the crypts, the shape of the tombstones and their placements, its even the same tree. Trust me there is more exact details, but that's not the only thing I discovered....oh no...

See Astarion, now look at the head stones immediately next to him!

Yea, those ones....right there

Those two headstones are the ONLY two headstones in the entire graveyard that you can't click on (interact with) to reveal names (as read off by the narrator). And if you have investigated like I have Astarion's grave should be right around where my TAV is standing in this photo just back a few steps (I'm quite literally standing on his grave).

So I've been thinking and (as heartbreaking as it is) the only reason those two particular tombstones can't be interacted with is...that they're Astarion's parents. Buried together next to their boy ♥♥♥

Please Larian give my boy back his headstone!♥♥

#astarion #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 astarion #bg3 #bg3 oc #larian studios #larian pls #astarion romance

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fallenbenevolence · 6 months

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Blank Durge, no identifying features at all, Ascended Astarion. Durgestarion thing that I wrote while extremely high.

The Emperor is dead. your dagger is still in his side. You feel no mercy for the traitorous squid.

Betrayal. You aren’t unfamiliar with it, but you have no choice.

You signed those away with the death of your “Sister”, ever changing flesh ripping and tearing, rending under the Slayer’s claws. Your future with Astarion. If you refuse the opportunity in front of you, Your Father would be…displeased. You would join the ranks of your fallen brethren, your fate worse, for you had held victory in your grasp, literally. You would be flayed, ripped apart and restored, only for it to continue anew. You would suffer so much pain that Loviatar would have no choice but to see.

Your destiny. On a silver platter. Gift wrapped by Orin.

“What the Hells are you doing?” Astarion’s recently acquired haughty tone, dropped in favor of fear and uncertainty. Betrayal.

“Don’t worry. You’re still part of this.” The Chosen’s voice, cold, distant.

You had only ever wanted to make Your Father proud. This was the way.

Your gaze catches Astarion’s, his ruby eyes full of heartbreak, before it fades away, locked behind the sheer, Absolute, force taking over his mind.

Astarion had bribed everyone into leaving them the room for a few hours, and paid the tavern staff downstairs to ignore anything they heard upstairs, again.

“On your knees.” You dropped to the floor and looked up at him. He was radiant in the pale moonlight filtering through the window, contaminating the soft glow of the candles.

You accepted his gift of immortality and this is the last night of your mortal life.

Your Father had let you accept, after all, an immortal Chosen? How could he pass that up? It’s not like he can’t correct you, should you need it. Nor, Vampire Ascendant or not, is Astarion a threat, should you claim your freedom from spawn hood as your Father intends.

“Oh, please. Make it hurt.”

He had, so deliciously, taking you to new heights. To a place where your thoughts quieted and the Urge quelled. Peace in your shattered mind at last. Had you done this sooner…you may have turned your back on Bhaal.

Your Father is in the back of your mind, you can feel his pride. Pride in his favorite spawn. Everything you can ever remember wanting.

You look out across the fleet, not taking in the chaos around you. Astarion stands by your side, eyes blank, a permanent sly smirk frozen on his face. You have yet to touch him, it would be all too easy to sup from him, to gain your freedom from his thrall. But it is you who holds the stronger leash. Your grasp on his tadpole loosens for a moment,and you feel him. You feel the heartbreak and betrayal, the love and the hurt. You hear him for a moment before you slam the connection closed.

‘On your knees.’

You have made a grave mistake. You pace in front of your throne, ignoring Astarion. Looking at him causes your tadpoles to wriggle uncomfortably, but you have no desire to send him away.

This started by you stabbing the lying traitorous mind flayer. Balduran, indeed.

No. This happened when you killed Orin. When you sold yourself wholly to Bhaal. When your duty seemed so far away.

Or was it when you ate that glowing tadpole?

When you pruned the hand from that strange arm sticking out of a rock?

No. This happened when you fell in love.

You have done the one thing Astarion can never forgive you for. You have taken his freedom. You look at him, frozen in blank perfection.

You will never remember who you used to be. You will never remember Bhaal’s Child. You have thrown away your future as Astarion’s Consort. There is no way to fix this where you will survive. Bhaal will kill you. And possibly Astarion. But you can’t keep him like this. You pull the Netherstones together, activating the crown.

You see Astarion’s eyes clear as the brain dies. He still looks betrayed, but his expression quickly turns to panic as the brain begins to fall. The Netherstones fall from your grasp and fly off in different directions when the brain releases one last wave of energy. He reaches for you as you begin to slide away from him across the fleshy surface. The two of you land in the sea, pulled apart by the waves and debris of the fallen netherbrain. You feel Bhaal’s presence, his grasp on you, being undead as you are, his usual methods are now ineffective. You open your mouth in a distorted scream as you are ripped apart, your skin splits and ruptures, you are plunged through impossible cold and scorching heat, you are turned inside out and your eyeballs explode. You are unmade. You are deposited on the beach, whole and healed, with the memory of the torment you just endured etched into your bones.

“There you are, Darling!”

You hear his voice, and for a brief moment, you see him, before your world is consumed in agony and torment as Bhaal begins anew, your punishment on display for Astarion’s eyes.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #Astarion #Durge #durgestarion

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therenlover · 3 years

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Songs From Musicals Y/N Would Sing To The Evans

If fanfictions were musicals, these are the songs I could see the reader insert singing to each of the Evans. I understand that this is cringy but cringe culture is dead, pls just let me enjoy my stupid little daydreams lol.

Warnings: Mild Language, Brief Mentions of Death (specifically su*cide and murder), Mentions of Cancer, Unhealthy Relationship Dynamics

The songs are linked at their titles!

Tate Langdon

I Dreamed A Dance from Next To Normal

Yes, I am aware that I am taking this song way out of context

No, I do not care. I’m looking at this from simply a lyrical point of view

It has all the sad ghost mommy issues vibes

Like, pre-teen me during my Aaron Tveit phase would have 100% associated this song with Tate

I’m sort of half and half on if Tate would actively try to get someone to die to be with him, which is why There’s A World isn’t included, but I can see someone head over heels in love with him considering death as an option to stay with him forever

This song just gives me the self indulgent fanfic vibes

“I'll wake alone tomorrow / The dream of our dance is through / But now until forever love / I’ll live to dance with you / I’ll dream my love / I’ll live my love / And I’ll die to dance with…”

Kit Walker

I Don’t Need A Roof from Big Fish

Kit Walker is too good for this world, just like Edward Bloom

The thought of him being traumatized and having nightmares after his time at Briarcliff? Heartbreaking. But him coming home after his cancer diagnosis? That hits even harder

That’s when I imagine this song would come into play

Sitting and watching him sleep while crying and singing this song

Because you can’t let him see that you’re terrified of losing him but you can’t pretend you’re not

Kit is one of the only Evan characters I can see having a healthy enough relationship for this song, and that hurts

“All I need is you and you forever / All I feel is true and absolute / I don’t need a legal deed to help me play my part / I don’t need a roof to hold my heart,”

Kyle Spencer

One Boy from Bye, Bye Birdie

A classic song for a classic boy

Pre-Death Kyle gives me very much high school sweetheart vibes

Like this is the golden retriever boy who would’ve given his girlfriend the pin off his letterman jacket

The song also kind of gives me foreshadowing feelings when it says “one boy to be with forever and ever,”

Like, you loved Kyle. You made him a promise to be there forever

But will you be able to keep that promise after his Frankenstein-style resurrection? Is he really still the same person, or has he changed enough that he isn’t the same Kyle he was before?

Mostly this song is just cute tho

“One boy, one steady boy / One boy to be with forever and ever / One boy / That’s the way it should be,”

Jimmy Darling

Somewhere That’s Green from Little Shop of Horrors

I have a whole lot of thoughts about this one!!!

Jimmy is attractive, like we can’t deny that, but he’s not really gonna be considered “marriage material” because of his job and his hands

The 50′s are ruthless like that

Imagine, though, realizing that he’s the one you want to spend the rest of your days with despite society’s ideals

Just dreaming of domestic life with Jimmy Darling, that’s the whole post

I know a reader insert would do it to escape the reality of their terrible life because I do it too and I’m a real person

Also, the specific thought of Jimmy doing his very best to be a good dad because of his experiences makes me soft

Also, you can probably think of Dandy as Orin in this scenario, because they’re both terrible assholes

“I’m his December bride / He’s father, he knows best / Our kids watch Howdy Doody / As the sun sets in the west / A picture out of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine,”

James Patrick March

It’s A Dangerous Game and Take Me As I Am from Jekyll and Hyde

Okay, I know this is kind of cheating but this is my post, so lets pretend it’s not

Relationships with JPM are usually portrayed as extremely balanced and loving with both parters holding pretty equal standing or extremely dark and controlling with James holding full control in the relationship.

These songs fall into each dynamic respectively

It’s A Dangerous Game is that filthy, controlling roll-in-the-sheets song you just need sometimes

It’s also delving into the literal danger

Like, Mr. March is the most prolific serial killer ever. He’s a massive sadist. Being near him while also being alive is a massive risk.

But it’s a sexy risk

Take Me As I Am is the complete opposite vibe while still talking about the exact same dude.

It’s still a duet, but this one is even, measured, romantic... and all about accepting a criminally insane fiance for all his peculiarities! Perfect!

This is the song where JPM talks about how much he loves his wife lol

Because he might be a psycho, but he absolutely respects and cherishes his wife

“No one speaks, not one word / All the words are in our eyes / Silence speaks, loud and clear / All the words we want to hear,”

“Give me your hand, give me your heart / Swear to me we’ll never part / You know who I am / This is who I am / Take me as I am,”

Kai Anderson

As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver

I hate Kai Anderson with a burning passion

But this song belongs to anyone who he manipulates into loving and trusting him

It’s just so sad

And it really encapsulates the idea of doing anything for the person you love even if you get less than nothing in return

It’s not healthy in any sense of the word, but it fits

“He doesn’t say the things he should / He acts the way he thinks he should / But all the same, I’ll play this game / His way,”

Peter Maximoff

You’re The One That I Want from Grease

Who could forget the classic scene in Grease when Danny and Sandy dance through that weird fun house? Definitely not me.

This is another holdover from my Aaron Tveit phase because Grease Live was a masterpiece (it was very difficult to not include more songs he performed, because Evan gives me Aaron vibes)

I picked this song less because of the actual content, and more because of the vibe

Like, imagine Peter Maximoff learning all the choreography from the movie in his spare time

And he shows off by whipping out the whole ass dance routine with you during karaoke night at X-Mansion complete with leather pants for the both of you

Peter might even let you borrow his jacket as a prop, who knows

It’s just a fun little ditty and it makes me smile

“You better shape up, cause I need a man / And my heart is set on you / You better shape up, you better understand / To my heart, I must be true,”

BONUS CONTENT: Peter Maximoff would sing you One Knight from Wonderland 100% it is just so him please go listen to it

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does-this-look-inanimate-to-you · 5 years

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The Very Best Ship

As all of us in multiple fandoms know, finding an OTP is a very difficult process. They have to have chemistry, make sense, and they have to be soulmates. It took me a really long time to figure mine out. Which one was it- Pam and Jim from The Office? Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter? Maybe a real-life couple? I struggled like this until October 3rd, 2018.

This was the opening day of my high school’s musical. I had never seen it before- not even the movie. I was required to see it for theatre class, so my mom and I dressed up to see it. I was pretty excited (because the lead told me everyone died in the show and I wanted to see him die). It turned out to be absolutely amazing. The set was flawless, the lighting was astounding, the acting was amazing, and the storyline was both heartbreaking and comedic. This show was, for those of you who know anything about my blog, Little Shop of Horrors. Now, I like a lot about this show, but the thing I loved most was something more than the elements I mentioned: the most perfect ship in the world... Seymour Krelborn and Audrey Fulquard. So enough with this annoyingly long introduction, let’s get on with the topic of this post, shall we?

First, let me introduce the characters. Seymour, shown above, is a sweet young guy who lives in the basement of Mushnik’s florist shop. He’s pretty miserable, since he lives in a poor part of town and his crush has a boyfriend (we’ll address that later). His adoptive Dad, Mr. Mushnik, is emotionally abusive, so that doesn’t help much.

Audrey is a kind young lady who lives across the street from her job at Mushnik’s. She’s also a sad girl, though, for multiple reasons. Not only is she poor, but she’s also dating a physically abusive dentist named Orin. Probably the worst part about this is the fact that he picked her up at a gross night spot where she used to work when business was bad at the shop. She hates her life, but she clings onto hope for a better life.

The first minute or so after the prologue, we don’t see much of the ship, just Audrey coming into the shop with a black eye. When her boss, Mushnik (who I mentioned earlier) asks, she kind of avoids the question. The ship kicks off when Seymour makes his first appearance. He comes into the shop holding a stack of pots, which he almost instantly drops. Mushnik yells at him, but Audrey comes over to him and helps him clean up. Seymour flirts with her very awkwardly, because that’s what he does.

After a slightly depressing number about how life downtown sucks, Seymour reveals his plot device- I mean exotic plant- that he bought from a Chinese man in the “wholesale flower district” for literally $2. He admits that he doesn’t know the species, so he gave it his own name- Audrey II. Audrey is a tiny bit embarrassed, but in a good way. For the rest of the scene, she makes sure to tell people the name of the plant. She’s so proud of it, and it’s quite frankly extremely adorable.

The plant starts to bring in business. Audrey arrives late to listen to Seymour’s first radio interview, and feels awful. This is when we first learn about Douchebag Dentist McGee, and what he does to her. Anyway, a couple of homeless women who seem to love stalking both Seymour and Audrey ask her why she doesn’t get a new guy, to protect her and treat her right- Seymour, for instance. But Audrey doesn’t think she deserves him. However, she has the most beautiful song about her dream of living with him away from their current downtown life.

Meanwhile, the shop gets increasingly busy. Soon, everyone has heard of Seymour Krelborn and his amazing plant. But little do they know, he feeds it off of his blood. That’s what it eats.

After being yelled at by Mushnik for forgetting to send an order to a customer, Seymour talks to Audrey about Mushnik. She tells him he suffers from a low self-image (which is what the homeless ladies told her but whatever) and she suggests he go shopping for new clothes. He doesn’t think he’s a good shopper, and Audrey offers to help. This is pure, beautiful love right here. I don’t care if they’re not together at this point, I just love it.

Remember the evil shitbag dentist I mentioned? Well, it’s here that he finally appears. His name is Orin Scrivello, and he really likes to hurt people, and that’s why he’s a dentist. He has a whole song about it. Well, he comes to the shop to pick up Audrey. He starts acting threatening toward Seymour, but Audrey doesn’t like that, so she tries to stand up for her “friend.” This pisses Orin off, and he decides Seymour is to blame.

Seymour, meanwhile, is worried about his co-worker. In the show, Mushnik hears Seymour pretending to consider to leave the shop, and he adopts Seymour to prevent this. This doesn’t happen in the movie, though. Anyway, it’s around here that the plot really starts to advance. I won’t talk about this too much, since it doesn’t matter to the topic of this post, but basically the plant can talk and it wants to eat people instead of blood from cuts on a florist’s fingers. It convinces Seymour to kill Orin, to save his beloved Audrey.

Seymour comes into Orin’s office and threatens him with a gun. Orin, who is making himself high on laughing gas (he wants to hurt Seymour extra because he sees him as a threat to his unhealthy relationship), barely seems to care. His mask gets stuck, and he starts to suffocate. In the movie, he says to Seymour, “What did I ever do to you?” and Seymour replies with possibly the best answer ever: “Nothing. It’s what you did to her.” It’s not in the show, and that makes me really sad. Regardless of the adaptation, Orin dies.

Seymour takes Orin to the shop and chops him up. In the movie, Mushnik sees him chopping, but that comes back a little later.

The first act ends there. This is really where the ship comes in. Seymour sees Audrey talking to the police and asks why. She tells him Orin has disappeared. Seymour pretends to be surprised, but his real shock is her reaction. Audrey is crying. She didn’t love him, but she thinks his disappearance was her fault because she had been hoping something would happen.

Seymour is distressed by this, so he starts singing the most beautiful song about how he is there to listen and understand her. The song escalates into a duet, and ends with the ship becoming a reality, sealed with a kiss. Seymour drops her off at her house and goes back home, dumbstruck and heartsick.

His joy doesn’t last, though. Mushnik comes in and accuses him of killing Orin. Keep this in mind- he didn’t. He only watched Orin die and gave his corpse to the plant. But Mushnik is convinced. His demise plays out differently in the movie and in the show, but this isn’t that important. The important thing is that he gets eaten by Audrey II.

(Note: From now on, I’m only going to talk about the movie, because the show ends badly, with both halves of the ship dead.)

Seymour gets a ton of offers from companies, but, again, I’m not going to focus on it because of the ship. After a stressful day of meetings, Seymour comes into the shop to a film crew. Unfortunately, the plant is hungry, so he has to shoo them all away and run into the same alley he and Audrey had their first kiss. Audrey follows him there and does her best to comfort her soulmate boyfriend. She mentions that the television people are coming with money, and something in Seymour’s mind clicks because they can finally escape together. All at once, he asks Audrey to marry him. He doesn’t have a ring , but she says yes anyway. They plan to spend that night in a hotel, the escape Skid Row forever, side by side. It’s the most adorable scene to ever exist, in my not-so-humble opinion. Anyway, they’re both really happy and excited and they go to their respective homes to get ready.

Seymour goes to get the plant one last meal before killing it (HE GIVES IT MEAT THIS TIME, OKAY, NOT BLOOD), but makes the mistake of leaving it alone in the shop while Audrey is getting ready for the wedding, and Audrey II takes advantage of this. It calls Audrey and tells her to come to the shop. She does, and it tricks her into it’s mouth.

Luckily, Seymour finds her just in time, and he saves her. He tells her everything, but she’s not upset. The whole time, Seymour thinks she just liked him for the plant, but this was far, far from the case. Audrey loves Seymour for who he is, not what he found. Seymour is reassured, and they start a reprise of their earlier duet.

Unfortunately, they are interrupted by a man who wants to clone Audrey II. Seymour shoos him away and decides to end the madness once and for all. Audrey wants to help, but he insists that he should finish what he started.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail, but basically Seymour fights Audrey II and ends up killing it after it’s roots make the building collapse. Audrey is terrified for a moment, thinking he died in the collapse, bye he emerges from the rubble and they live happily ever after Somewhere That’s Green.

So, to conclude, my reasons for shipping these two children are:

They both love one another canonically

Each one thinks they don’t deserve the other, and isn’t that just fitting?

Each one would die for the other (they actually do, in the musical)

They loved each other since they first met

They respect each other’s feelings

They make the most beautiful couple in every possible way

Well, I hope you enjoyed my spiel on Audrey and Seymour. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#little shop of horrors #my babies #audrey #seymour #otp

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spyvstailor · 6 years

Text

Chapter 2

Here’s the second chapter of that sci-fi thing for those reading. Should I tag you guys in these? Do you want me to just tag this with something for ease of access? Let me know. I’ll repost in the morning for those who aren’t night owls.

Hey, anyone got any ideas for names for this? It’s literally saved as ‘Sci Fi Thing’...so...

Chapter 2

Waking with a migraine in the middle of the night seemed almost like routine.

He had sat up in bed for long enough that the sky began to turn pink, before slipping out of his bed and making his way into his living room.

There was no point in dressing, he wouldn't be leaving his apartment that day.

With no plans, nowhere he wanted to be, no one he wanted to see, he decided he would just mill around.

Curling up on the ledge of his wide window, he ate the only thing he was able to stomach, a dry mixture of grains and some kiscus bark, it was flavourless and gritty, but his stomach accepted the food. He knew he had finally given up when he was halfway through the bag and realized he was actually eating right from the bag with his hand like an animal.

This was his life now.

Eating grains and bark from a bag, in his pyjama bottoms, sitting on his window ledge with bedhead.

Almost angrily, he reached into the bag and grabbed a large handful, shoving it into his mouth and chewing with it open.

May as well just embrace his new role as an unemployed slob.

His comm buzzed and for a moment he considered just ignoring it, but as he peered over and spied Embry's face, he sighed and got up to press the button.

“You know I shouldn't be encouraging bad behaviour,” Embry began with a smirk.

“Then don't,” he replied.

“With the information you managed to give me I dug up a little bit on that girl. Nothing serious, a few minor air traffic dings, but she is a runaway. Her full name is Thandalea Orin, she's sixteen years old. Jumped ship from a home for neglected children on Waif'iko. She owns nothing but a broken down ship left to her by her parents, it's still registered under her father's name, that's how I know it's not stolen. Want me to send her back to Waif'iko?”

“You'd have to find her first.” Joss replied.

“Already done, tracked her down last night, found her sleeping in her ship, took her into holding to question her about the ownership of the cube. That and the fact her ship is still registered to a dead man.”

Turning on his old friend with a scowl, Joss asked, “you arrested her?”

“No, just wanted to make sure neither one of you did anything stupid before another guard caught wind of the caper. We brought her in for questioning, that's all.”

“Thanks for your trust,” he mumbled, heading into his bedroom to change. “I'll be right down to sign for her.”

“You want to release her?” Embry's voice asked from the other room.

“You and I both know kids don't runaway from a good thing,” he called back, eyeing his closet with a frown. He didn't own any civilian gear yet. Maybe he should stop and get at least a civvie tunic somewhere.

“I gotta send her back, Jay,” Embry argued. “We can't just let her...”

“Sign her over to me, you can do that if she agrees. I'll see what I can do about sending her back.”

“Jay, listen, you know I hate that they forced you out, but don't start taking up with these street kids, it will only end in heartbreak.”

Pulling on a pair of his uniform pants with the deep pockets at the thighs that he liked, he stepped from the bedroom and approached his comm and pressed the button, ending the call.

It was odd, but he felt awkward returning to the station dressed in a uniform that wasn't his anymore. He would stop for some clothing first, make a better entrance than some old vet clinging to his glory days.

Stopping in the little front hall of his apartment, he opened his wall safe and removed his gun without thinking. It was habit for him when going to work to grab his gun last thing, so he thought nothing of it as he holstered it to his shoulder.

Tandi was in a little holding cell when he stormed in, she looked furious.

“You fucked me, Legs!” She shouted first thing as he entered, flanked by two guardsmen.

“Sit down, I did nothing of the sort.” He replied. “My friend Embry fucked us both,” he pinned Embry with a hard look.

“Hey, I'm just doing my job, Jay, come on.”

Glaring up at him with narrow gold eyes, he could see Tandi was on the verge of tears or throwing punches, either way he went on calmly. “I can sign you out, if you agree to it, since I'm not your legal guardian.”

“Yeah, I agree to it and then I'm going to kick your ass.”

“Well, my suggestion is you wait at least until we're far from the station so they can't rearrest you for assaulting me,” he said wryly.

She wrenched her face up into a sour sneer.

Leaning down, Joss signed for the girl's release, hesitating at the line 'taking full responsibility for the actions and behaviours of the youth/child as long as they are under the jurisdiction of Aevo in the absence of parental guidance or as an authorized parental figure'. Glancing over at the child in her jacket that was three sizes too big, with her unruly burgundy hair and her sneer, he scoffed and signed for her. He was technically allowed to do that for minors, as a retired Sky Guard. A small, strange perk he knew about as many of the street kids had old Sky Guard advocates or mentors who signed for them in lieu of parents.

“Come sign this,” he ordered her.

She offered him a very lewd gesture, but stomped over anyways and stubbornly put her signature on the document.

“I didn't fuck you!” He growled as they entered society again, the girl storming ahead of him. “Will you slow down?”

“Get out of my life, you progo!” She snarled.

“I don't know what that means, but it better not mean what I think it does!” He returned, picking up his pace the best he could to keep up with her. “Listen, I'm not trying to run your life, you seem pretty capable...aside from the attempted B&E last night.”

Tandi glanced over her shoulder at him, less fire and more ice.

“Thandalea,” he tried calmer.

She slowed. “Don't call me that.”

“Where will you go now?” He asked softly.

“What do you care?” She turned around, hard golden eyes narrowed at him. “Nobody cares about me and I like it that way. It was a mistake bringing you along last night. Now you think you have to pretend to care about this big pain in your ass.”

“I never said anything like that,” he replied. “I don't care deeply, but I do worry that you don't know the dangers--”

“Of the galaxy?!” She barked, as though she had heard that before. “I know the dangers just fine.”

“What's on the cube?” He demanded. “What was so important you had to get it back and why was it in Sorrel's possession in the first place?”

Tandi turned and began to march off, Joss closed at her heels.

“Will you just...” he faltered, as his lung seized. It hadn't failed in a month, he had thought his artificial lung had finally been fixed, but under the stress of the moment it was going fast. “Fuck,” he fell to his knees, hand holding his chest, wheezing. He had forgotten to take his meds in the hurry to get to the station and his body was trying to reject the foreign lung by overcompensating and shutting down both lungs, at least that was what his brain was telling his body. It was psychosomatic, they had told him. He felt the foreign elements, could feel how wrong they were, therefore he fought them and in fighting them, his entire chest seized. It wasn't just his artificial lung, it was him.

The girl left him behind for half a block more, before she slowed her steps and turned.

Just breathe, he told himself. Just get something into your lungs, force them to open, it's all in your head.

Tandi dropped to her knees beside him. “What's happening?”

“I'm fine,” he ground out between grit teeth, ashamed she had to see him like this.

Her small hand hovered over his back for a moment, he could feel the warmth but not the touch above the thin material of the civilian tunic, before it settled gently and began to rub.

“Should I...call someone?” She asked.

A small crowd had gathered and Joss felt himself falling, spiralling down towards a deep, deep hole of shame and self hatred. “Get me home,” he wheezed.

She had dumped him unceremoniously in the hall by his door as she fumbled with his doorcode.

Still struggling to even out his breathing, he raised his hand and shakily touched his thumb to the pad, unlocking the door with his personal microchip key.

It clicked open and Tandi stooped to gather him, fighting to get him up.

He helped her by half crawling, half rolling inside, just enough for her to close the door.

“I have...inhaler, there!” He pointed at in the direction of the kitchen where he stashed a spare one. It was enough to numb him for him to relax enough to breathe.

She tore through cupboards, looking for the inhaler, before finding it on top of his cold cabinet.

Tandi dropped to her knees beside him with it, holding it to his mouth.

He grabbed it from her and inhaled deeply, glaring a little at her to cover his embarrassment.

It was a few agonizing minutes of breathlessness, before he began to feel calm come over him, his throat relaxing, his chest loosening.

“Wow,” Tandi said after a long time of him breathing normally. “You're a real mess.”

He side eyed her angrily.

Pushing to her feet, she smiled and headed into the kitchen. “Bet you haven't eaten anything yet. It's almost midday. Got some food? I'm starving.”

Joss could hear the girl scrambling about in his kitchen like a rodent, the sounds of clinks and clanks, the soft thumps of her boots.

She came back after a bit, without her overly large jacket, hair pulled up and off her face and handed him a glass of water.

“Here, drink this,” she suggested.

He took the glass and drank deep as she ducked back into his kitchen.

Finally, he felt himself strong enough to get to his feet, following her into the other room.

“What's so important about that cube?” He asked, resting his hip against the counter beside her, setting the glass down to fold his arms.

“Pornography, loads and loads of it,” she said, before grinning as she continued to thaw the meat from his freezer. “Is this all you have for food? Just some frozen, half mummified meat and sad vegetables?” Glancing over at him, she said, “you have less food than I do and I'm a runaway orphan.”

He didn't say anything, trying to find a way to get her to leave without being rude.

“How bad was it?” She asked. “You have a phony arm, panic attacks, don't eat?”

“It wasn't a panic attack,” he argued, lying. “My body tries to reject my left lung every now and then.”

“Transplant?”

“Cybernetic.”

“Shit,” she frowned at the pot she pulled down from his cupboard. “How much of you is a robot?”

At her funny little eyebrow wiggle, he scoffed, “I don't know...forty percent? Forty-five?”

“Fuck.”

“What's on the cube?” He repeated.

She smiled, filling the pot with water from his tap. “Do you really care? I'll be gone in an hour.”

“Just long enough to eat,” he replied.

Tandi offered him a look that actually shamed him for the accusation. “You're thin as a pole,” she said softly. “Doesn't anyone feed you?”

“I told you, I can't eat.”

“You can,” she argued. “You just think you can't.”

“Food irritates my stomach.”

“Well, let it irritate it, you can't starve, that's just dumb,” she hauled the pot to the stove and set it down. “You know, my parents fled Impix. They have a clan of people there, they're called the Barkeaters. Well, I heard once that they're called that, because about...twenty years ago, they were being starved out by the Harvesters, another clan that they were fighting. So the Barkeaters, they took to sucking, chewing on the kiscus bark and...a lot of them died. Children, the elderly, because they were the weakest already. I guess, they didn't have a choice when they starved.”

“Properly reprimanded,” he murmured. “What's on the cube?”

“I don't trust you yet, Legs,” she replied. “Go sit down, I can make us some food. When you're poor, you learn to make something out of nothing and, Legs, you got nothing.”

“Let me help,” he offered.

“Sit,” she ordered. “Just listen to someone for once? I bet you don't do that often.”

He frowned, but moved over to his small table to sit down, watching her the whole time she threw the food into the pot to cook.

“So,” she began. “Basic plates, basic utensils, no real warmth or character to your place, I take it you don't have someone else living here?”

“Planning on tying me up and robbing me?” He teased.

She laughed a little. “Legs, even hobbled as you are, I don't think I'm much of a match for you. Besides, I'm sure your friend told you about my record. I don't get much more than moving violations.”

“You shouldn't even be flying at your age.”

“Too bad, I am.” She returned, moving towards him with plates and utensils to set the table. Tandi grinned at him smugly. “It just pisses you off that I'm taking care of you, doesn't it?”

“You're not taking care of me,” he argued. “I'm trying to wait for a good time to ask once more about the cube.”

She laughed. “I'll tell you all about it, but you have to answer one question for me and you have to do it honestly.”

He scowled.

“Oh? Suddenly I'm the one prying?” She demanded, stirring the contents of the pot.

“Fine,” he said after a moment of deliberation with himself. “But you have to answer me honestly too.”

“Okay,” she said, moving to sit at the table with him.

They were both quiet and Joss realized after a while that someone needed to start. “What's your question?”

“Why do live like this? You...seem normal enough, you're not hopelessly unattractive, you could have a family and be surrounded by people who love you. So why do you live like this?”

He wasn't expecting that kind of question. Honestly, he thought he lived well.

But glancing around at his sparsely decorated, rather simple and cold apartment, he figured to a girl like her, someone who came from a culture of warmth and large families, his life looked rather sad and empty.

“I suppose, I just...didn't have the time.”

“Garbage. You said you'd be honest!” She warned.

“I am!” He scowled darkly. “I don't know! I...I regret it, sometimes. But, things just never worked out for me with other people.”

Tandi was quiet. “You never fell in love? You don't even have family?”

“My parents died a long time ago, and...well, I'm Aevonian, we're not exactly warm.”

“There's plenty of warm Aevonians,” she argued.

“Well, I'm not one of them.”

“That's sad,” she stated, clicking her back teeth. “You're pathetic.”

It was said half serious, with a stone sombre face, but Joss caught the jest and laughed, startling himself.

Tandi beamed at the reaction.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I am.”

“At least you're honest with yourself,” she went on lightly.

“What about you? What's with the cube?” He asked.

“Well,” she began, slowing down for a moment, before saying, “well, let's just say, it's...no, I'll be honest. When my parents fled Impix, they did it in my ship. It was a piece of junk then, I fixed it up a little since then, but...well, once we cleared the planet's atmosphere, life support began to fail. As it does on old junkers. So my mom, she diverted all life support to the front cabin and they put me there, just a baby in a blanket, sitting on the pilots seat.” She fell quiet, eyes misting up a little. “They died together in one of the cabins at the back. When they found me drifting around in space, I was warm and alive and a little hungry, but...I have nothing left of them but that ship and the cube. See? My dad was going to go back to Impix one day and save friends and family, neighbours, members of the clan. That cube has a list of names of people he wanted to save. I'm going to go back to Impix and save them, for him and mom.”

The Sky Guard in him wanted to warn her how dangerous Impix was, how foolish the mission would be, but the good host in him had him biting that back.

“That's a stupid thing to do,” he finally said with a small grin, returning her early taunt.

She sniffed back any tears that may have been coming and laughed. “Yeah.”

He was too polite to refuse the meal after she cooked it for him, taking his time and eating it slowly as she shovelled bowl after bowl into her mouth.

Sitting at the table, he watched the girl, studied her in between spoonfuls of the stew she had made. Her face was dirty in places, her clothes looked threadbare and ready to just fall off of her form, her cheeks hollow like she hadn't had a solid meal in a while, though her body was naturally curvy.

She didn't talk much as they ate, which he appreciated. There was no sense in unnecessary chatter.

“Where do you sleep at night? Your ship?” He asked as they cleared the table, both of them bursting at the seams with stew. He actually ate more than he expected to eat, having another half a bowl.

She shrugged. “Sure, I mean, where do you think I sleep? An alley somewhere? My ship's always been home, even when the LPP had it put in storage until I came of age, I would sneak into the warehouse that housed it and sleep there whenever I ran away from the home.”

“So how do you afford fuel for it?” He asked.

“Do you mean, do I steal debs for fuel?”

“That's not what I asked,” he argued.

Tandi scrubbed the dishes quietly. “I do odd jobs here and there. Delivering things to other planets, the odd transport gig. Anything that gets me up into the stars.”

“You like space?” He asked, drying the dishes.

“I love it, nobody tells me what to do up there. It's just me and Lovelace.”

“Lovelace? Your ship?”

She laughed. “No, my auto-pilot hologram. I installed him myself, modified one of those old encyclopedia holograms, interfaced it with my ship, so Lovelace can do a lot of things if I ask him. Mostly he flies for me when I sleep or when I'm too lazy to fly. He's good for company on long trips. Though, well...he has a few glitches. I tried to program them out of him, I'm not sure if it's ghosts of his old coding or what, but every now and then he breaks out into song. Mostly old Human songs, some Ralorixian romance songs. And he can't fly under a certain speed, so he's gotten us a few infraction tickets. He's never gotten us into a collision yet though.”

“You sound proud of him,” he replied.

“I am! He was the first thing I added to my ship, I wanted...I dunno, someone else there with me, but I didn't trust anyone. Lovelace was my only friend for a long time.”

For a moment Joss caught a glimmer of pure joy in Tandi's eyes and smiled a little. He had to admit he felt bad for the kid, she had a hard life, but she seemed like she turned out to be an okay sort.

“Do you have any clothes besides those rags?” He asked.

“Hey! These rags are pure grunge!” She argued.

“They looked like they're ready to disintegrate.”

“That's the look,” she objected. “I'm seared.”

He wasn't up on a lot of the new lingo, though he did run into it from time to time whenever he'd drag in a kid for processing, so he managed to reply with, “no, you're scorched and crispy in some places.”

She laughed. “Says the old man in the military pants and shitty top.”

“I'm going for a look,” he argued lightly.

“Oh? Thrift shop embarrassed?” She teased.

He chuckled. “I paid twenty debs for this top.”

“Yeah, it looks like it.”

They laughed together for a moment, before Tandi straightened up, face falling slowly. “I'd better go. You're good on your own, yeah?”

He nodded. “Thank you for the food.”

“Whatever, I conned a free meal off you,” she returned breezily, heading into the front hall.

“Do you need me to walk you back to your ship?” He asked.

“Pfft,” she scoffed. “I'm fine. Get some sleep tonight, okay?”

Hearing the door click behind the young woman, Joss stood for a moment as the silence settled over his apartment, before he sighed.

For a few hours he paced his apartment, back in the work out pants he slept in, the loose academy shirt he wore from his training days, his hands itching to do something, his mind unable to focus on anything but how little he had to do with his time.

He didn't even have a hobby.

As he paced his mind turned to Tandi, to her situation.

Admittedly, he didn't know as much about Impix and its struggle as he should. It was a planet in a star system that neighboured Aevo's, but all he knew beyond the fact that the planet was locked down tight due to outright civil war, was the fact that no one got off planet easily.

Easing down before his CPU, he opened a search for Impix, curious about just what was going on with the planet.

For a few hours more he read about famine, war crimes, refugees being turned back by many settlements, by many governments on many planets. He read about child soldiers and warlords, the very worst stories one could tell about the very worst things one could imagine. Rape and mutilations, horrific executions and clans turning on other clans.

Joss tore through page after page of stories and facts and accounts, but it wasn't until a photo of a small Impixaen girl who had lost half her face in a bombing, who was adopted through years of hard fought court battles by a Baorian couple peered up at him from one of the pages, that he gave pause.

If he didn't know any better, he would have bet the child was Tandi looking back at him, with her large golden eyes and her soft, almost hopeless air.

At his core, in his youth, he had always said that the pride of being a Sky Guard was what drew him down his path, but when he started, when he actually got out among the people in the uniform, he had found meaning in helping the innocent. In seeing the relief in a woman's eyes as they appeared to arrest her attacker, in seeing the absolute trust in a child's eyes when he would scoop them up to take them to safety.

Clicking away from the image idly, he found another article popping up about Impix, one of those related articles.

He was scrolling down the page to find more articles directly related to the war on Impix, when his eyes paused on three words that caught his attention: 'off-planet resistance'.

Joss stopped his scrolling where it was and backed up a little.

With many on the planet itself, helpless or unwilling to assist, Rena found herself going down to the surface one night to sneak a couple of Zane's family members off-planet. This began what would become in Rena's words 'her life's purpose'. With a small crew of, what would be described by some, as maverick outlaws or an off-planet resistance of sorts, she has amassed a sizable crew.

'Resistance isn't the word I'd use, sweet flower. I'd call us volunteers. We reunite families.'

When asked where she keeps her small ship hidden, Rena was only able to say, 'my ship is my daughter, my child. She is always with me.'

Donations can be made to Rena's 'volunteers' by finding her yourself and seeing what the intrigue is all about, as she was not forthcoming with much. She isn't hard to miss, standing at a startling fourteen hands high, Rena Saarl is a bright, beautiful and very colourful Zhaerian.

Try as he did, Joss couldn't stop himself from feeling that thrill he always felt whenever he was about to make an arrest or solve a case, he sat for a moment absolutely vibrating.

Giving in to the urge, he pushed away from his desk and headed into his bedroom, going straight to his closet, where he shoved all his old uniforms aside, digging into the back of his closet for something he had never worn.

His mother was a university professor, but his father was New Order, retired when Joss was born. The New Order became the Sky Guard and the old soldiers and fighters from the Order didn't want to continue holding the rifles.

Pausing as he knelt to dig out the boots and helmet from the bottom of the closet, he peered at himself in the closet mirror.

Gaunt, pale and too thin, with a day's worth of stubble on his jaw, he peered back. He looked like a madman with a lock of his dark hair fallen out of place, hair raked with his fingers and not combed or smoothed down as he usually wore it.

Ignoring himself, he thrust into the closet and pulled out the boots and helmet, tossing them onto his bed with the suit.

Gloves, there were gloves with his father's old uniform.

Diving under his bed, he pulled out a plastic box he kept miscellaneous clothing items in.

The gloves were there, along with the thigh holster of the New Order.

Standing over the bed, with the uniform tossed carelessly on top, he realized that he was really going to do it. He had the ship, he had the training, he had his father's old climate suit uniform.

Stripping down to his underwear, he tugged the suit on. Before pulling some socks and then the boots, strapping the holster on his right thigh.

He hadn't even secured the top part, left it open in his rush to gear up. So he closed it finally, standing in front of the mirror to ensure everything was secure properly.

The boots were a little tight, he could buy a new pair on the move, but the gloves fit nice.

The uniform of the New Order was one of clean lines and no excess.

In the days before Aevo opened itself up, his people were ruled by the Old Order, those who dictated that children who were imperfect were time and money wasted.

His father and many, many more rose up to protest this harsh regime of perfection, no one would dare call it a civil war, no Aevonian would ever admit something like that. But it was. The New Order had gone in and changed the world, before settling down with their families once more, bearing children like Joss who were too tall and would have been 'left behind' for the imperfection.

His father was average height, which was why the suit was a little too snug on him, but that just meant the 'one size fits all' uniform that would have been a little baggy on his father, was form fitting on his son.

He looked like a ghost from a forgotten time, the pallor and death hollows of his cheeks, wasn't helping the look. But as he pulled the helmet on, covering his face, he took on a different form. He was another space traveller. Some old Vek or Nevedak trader in a thrift store suit, coming into port with a load of space junk to sell.

The black glass helmet, once sleek and flawless, was dinged and scuffed here and there, but it was still a clear symbol of the New Order.

Stepping into his bathroom, he grabbed his medications and shoved them into a small bag, along with a few personal things, an old memory stick with photographs of his parents, and his mother's degree.

Moving into the front hall, he retrieved his gun from the wall safe and secured it in the holster, grabbing all the ammo and the passcode for the platform where his retirement ship sat, he left his apartment, locking the door behind him.

#have a free original sci fi on me #i don't know what else to do with this thing #so enjoy a free read on spy

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