#the road trip

[daydream-cement]

The Road Trip Ch. 1

Larissa Weems, Captain Phasma, Miranda Hilmarson, and Brienne of Tarth are all stuck in a car together, headed towards a vacation none of them are prepared for.

this fic has been such a joy to write with my @bri-sonat !!! this was such a labor of love and i loved writing every bit of it :)

“So, you want to take a right up here and get on to the highway,” Brienne looked up from the map in her lap, pointing towards the turn coming up. She was sitting in the passenger seat beside Phasma, who was driving the car.

At Brienne’s direction, Phasma snapped her head toward the knight, giving her the usual glare, signaling that she was very much aware of where to go. “Yes, thank you, Brienne.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and with a sigh, the captain flicked on the car turn signal before steering the car down the ramp leading to the freeway. “Can you two shut up back there!?” Larissa and Miranda had taken their places in the backseat. The headmistress sitting behind Phasma, and the constable sitting behind Brienne. The shapeshifter had made a comment on how the chromed captain should’ve slowed down even more when turning, and Miranda had simply opened a bag of crisps.

“Sorry, Phasma…” Miranda would gladly admit that she found the captain a little intimidating if it meant she would keep her life. “I’ll open the snacks more silently next time.” She glanced at Larissa who was leaning slightly forward, only enough for her voice to reach Phasma’s ear, silently begging the headmistress to keep her mouth shut.

Phasma had warned them all in advance that in her car, her rules were final, and her rules were: ‘keep your mouth shut, or I will shut it for you.’ It was a simple one, the problem was, Larissa had no interest in simple things, not allowing herself to get bossed around considering she usually did the bossing.

“I’m just saying, you could’ve taken that turn a little bit more gracefully. It almost made Miranda spill her drink on me,” Larissa stated matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes at Phasma’s stubbornness. She thought she was offering ‘constructive suggestions’ on the captain’s driving, and that it would be appreciated. It was not.

“I’ll kill you a little bit more gracefully…” Phasma muttered under her breath, instantly questioning why she had agreed to go on this God-forsaken road trip knowing that if the entire ride was going to be anything like the first ten minutes had been, she would surely lose her sanity. She was starting to envy Lucifer’s choice, to not respond at all. She too wished she wasn’t in this car.

“What was that?” The shapeshifter hadn’t quite heard exactly what the captain had said, but she could draw her own conclusions about what it could’ve been if she based it on the very little she knew about the chromed trooper.

“I said, I’ll kill you a little bit more gracefully if you don’t sit your ass back, stop breathing into my ear, and shut your mouth.” Even if Phasma’s voice was at a normal volume, the threat, and anger in it did not go unnoticed, and Larissa decided that it was best to obey her for now if she wanted to get to her destination in one piece.

The silence in the car was deafening after Larissa had leaned back into her seat, Brienne sneaking occasional glances at Phasma, and Miranda had started munching on her snacks. Every once in a while offering the shapeshifter some by silently holding it out for the headmistress to take, which she did.

The sounds of classical music filled the car which helped in lulling Miranda to sleep who was now napping against the window, her head on a pillow that she brought from home. Larissa had opted to take her phone out, answered some emails, and was now playing Candy Crush on it, trying to pass the time, mindlessly snacking on the crisps the woman next to her had given her before falling asleep.

Brienne had her eyes fixed on the map in her lap, reading over the bookings again and again, ensuring that everything was as it should be. Sitting next to Phasma who relished in the silence, staring dead ahead at the winding road as she drove them closer to their destination, was proving to be an interesting experience.

The knight would not say that she was intimidated by Phasma, but there was definitely professional regard that played a part, wanting to respect the trooper's wishes for tranquility.

“Hey, Phasma?” The knight in the passenger seat spoke up, silent to avoid waking Miranda and to evade enraging the captain by making too much noise. She had contemplated saying anything for the past half hour but landed in having to swallow the fear of angering the scary woman next to her.

“Brienne.” Remaining focused on the road, Phasma’s mouth formed into a frown, a tiny bit annoyed at the disruption of her peace but grateful for her hushed voice. “Is something the matter?”

“Not really. I just wanted to bring it to the captain’s attention that once constable Hilmarson wakes up she will be... energetic, to say the least.” Brienne had been terrified of bringing this to Phasma’s attention, knowing it would not be liked by the driver. “I’d say we have another ten minutes of silence.”

Phasma grunted, “Thank you for the information, Lord Brienne.” To say that the chromed trooper would cherish the next ten minutes was an understatement. She already rued the seconds leading up to Miranda’s eventual rousing.

“You’re welcome,” Brienne went back to her activity of reading over the documents in her lap, every now and then looking out the window, observing the passing landscape.

As if she had an internal alarm clock, Miranda awoke ten minutes later on the dot with new-found energy, causing Larissa to put her phone away, realizing she had spent almost two hours playing that silly game. It did prove to be a successful way to pass the time, even if it felt like no time at all had passed.

“What did I miss?” Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Miranda took in the very quiet space, glancing to the rearview mirror where she met Phasma’s eyes that bore into hers, causing the constable to look away faster than she had intended.

“Not much,” Larissa mumbled next to her, answering her query. 

“Not much? Wha- Does this mean you’ve been sitting in silence this entire time?” Miranda couldn’t believe her ears, this was not how a road trip was supposed to be. There was supposed to be loud music, sing-alongs, and games. Apparently, there had been none of that during her slumber and she found that offensive.

“Yes. It is how our driver wishes for it to be.” Larissa had given up on defying Phasma long ago, succumbing to the captain’s will for serenity. The headmistress turned her head to look out the window as the comforting sounds of piano filled the car space once again.

Miranda frowned, almost pouting, at how boring her fellow travelers were being. This was not how she expected the trip to be even if she knew of Phasma’s rules beforehand, but she had hoped that the captain would be adaptable and abandon her regulations once she realized how fun they could have. This was too boring for her.

The constable started looking about the car, peeking over the passenger seat to see what Brienne was doing but grew bored of that the second she saw the large map. She switched her eyes to Phasma who did not rip her eyes away from the road for even a second, other than to stare at Miranda through the mirror after she had woken up.

Phasma was an interesting person to study but she was not stimulating enough to keep Miranda entertained so she moved her gaze again, landing on the headmistress’ turned head. She was staring intently at Larissa’s hair, hoping that the shapeshifter would notice her trying to get her attention.

Larissa could feel Miranda’s eyes on her as the shapeshifter stared out the window. The constable would want to have more interaction than the knight, captain, and principal were currently offering her. Finally, Miranda’s voice rang out once more, “Larissa, we should play a game.” 

“A game?” Larissa shifts back to stare at Miranda plainly; it had been years since she partook in a travel game. 

“Yeah! Have you played the alphabet game? Or twenty questions? Or maybe, maybe we could play eye spy?” Miranda’s excitement was contagious, causing Larissa to smirk. The constable’s demeanor reminded Larissa of her more energetic students, endearing Miranda to the shapeshifter. 

“Pick a game and I’ll try my best to learn.”

“Oh, let’s do the alphabet game! Brienne will be good at this! I can tell.” Miranda was talking a mile a minute, explaining all of the rules to her fellow passengers, “All you have to do is one of us will pick a category and then we go around in a circle, stating something that starts with the letter we are given. Like if the category is food, Larissa might say apple for the letter A and then Phas would say banana for B, and then Bri would say cake for C!” 

“Don’t drag me into this.” Brienne’s voice sounded from the front, her ears spiked after hearing her name, clearly uninterested in whatever the two women in the backseat were planning on doing to pass the time. She was content reading the map and had no need for games to keep her mind stimulated, finding occupation in the small things being something she had mastered over the years.

“Oh, please Brienne! It’s no fun with just two people!” Miranda begged, her hand coming up over the back of the seat to squeeze the knight's shoulder. 

Brienne sighed, rolling her head back and staring up at the car ceiling. “Fine. But if we miss our exit, that is on you.” The knight returned her head to its previous position, looking over at Phasma. She could practically see the frustration grow within her and decided to save the chromed trooper from this ‘irrelevant and childish game.’ “However, we should probably leave the captain here out of it, I have a feeling that she would not find it as enjoyable as you, Constable.”

“Okay, fine, but Phas if you wanna join in at any point, you just jump right in.” Miranda took charge of the game, knowing if she left it up to the other women, they might not end up playing the game. “I’ll make it easy on us and pick a category. We are gonna do ‘things you can find outside’ and Bri, you are gonna start okay?”

“Can’t you find anything outside?” Larissa asked, her brow furrowing.

“I was about to ask the same question.” Brienne followed Larissa’s statement, glancing at the map every now and then to make sure they did not miss their exit knowing Phasma would not be happy if they did.

“Nature-y things! You know what I’m talking about. Don’t play devil’s advocate. Luci doesn’t need your help.” Miranda gave Larissa a playful shove and then laughed at her own joke.

Phasma’s hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. “Just get on with the game already! Enough with the dilly-dallying, it’s annoying.” Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she found the three’s game slightly intriguing, she had never heard of anything like it before. She wouldn’t want to partake, of course, but there was that naturistic curiosity that she couldn’t shake, even if she tried.

“Bri!! Go!! Something nature-y that starts with A!” Miranda wasn’t interested in pissing off Phasma more than she already had, so she was more than happy to do what she was told. 

The suddenness of the beginning of the game caused Brienne’s mind to freeze for a second, scrambling to find an answer, “Uh, oh, umm, shit. I guess, apple?” She was unsure of her answer, but it was found in nature, after all.

“Good one! Bear!” Miranda partially shouted, regretting her decision when she watched Phasma tighten her grip on the steering wheel even more.

“Catkin.” Larissa had prepared ahead of time, already thinking about the letter she would get four turns from now. Miranda shot the shapeshifter a strange look, questioning the validity of her answer, “It’s found on a tree...”

“Oh, it’s me again. Deer? Yeah. Deer.” Brienne was growing more confident in her answers, getting the hand of the new game she had been introduced to minutes ago. She was used to being put on the spot as a knight, but this was entirely different. Her brain was working overtime trying to come up with responses fast enough.

“Elephant!”

“Frog.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna do ‘G’, Phasma?” Miranda knew what the response would probably be, but she felt guilty for not trying to include her.

“Yes. I am sure,” Phasma responded through gritted teeth, Miranda’s game already transitioning from intriguing to exasperating. 

“Okay, then... Brienne, it's your turn.” Miranda rolled her eyes, frustrated that the chrome-clad captain wouldn’t participate in her game. 

“Grass.” Brienne smiled to herself, proud that this answer came to her much quicker than the others. Could’ve had something to do with the vast amount of greenery running along the asphalted road, there wasn’t much else to look at.

“Hill!” Miranda was on the edge of her seat, ready with her response when Brienne finished speaking. 

“Isopod.” Larissa wore a smug smirk with her answer, believing it showed off her diverse knowledge of many topics. In most situations, she stood out in a crowd due to her height, but this group simply made her blend in, so her intelligence was the only thing she could rely on to stand out.

“Jagu- Oh! Phasma, our exit is coming up.” Brienne interrupted herself when she noticed that the ramp to get off the freeway was closer than she thought. She had gotten so invested in the game that she completely forgot to check the map, thankfully there were signs along the road that reminded her. “Sorry, Hilmarson, Weems. We’re going to have to put a lid on the game for now.”

Miranda huffed in response, slouching back in her seat, her only source of entertainment gone for now. 

“This exit right here?” Phasma was satisfied with their incessant game finally ending, even more so that their destination was close. She would finally get out of this car. She lifted one hand of the steering wheel, pointing towards the ramp that was getting closer and closer.

“Aye.” Brienne nodded, looking up at what Phasma was pointing at, and then down at her map again, checking so it matched, checking so they didn’t take the wrong turn. The captain placed her hand on the steering wheel once again, using her other to switch on the turn signal, preparing to change lanes.

The shift of the car caused the pouting constable to dramatically slide over, her head landing on Larissa’s shoulder as she stared out the front windshield. The shapeshifter wanted to comment on the roughness of the steer, but refrained from it, not wanting to anger Phasma even more. She instead brought a hand to the back of Miranda’s head, running her fingers through her short hair and shaking her own head gently at the silliness of the Aussie woman.

“Are we there yet?” Miranda called out, keeping herself comfortably attached to Larissa’s side.

Phasma’s only response was to glare at Miranda through the rearview mirror, conveying her words very clearly through her piercing gaze: ‘ask again, and I will kick you out of this car.’

Brienne was much kinder than Phasma and decided to answer Miranda’s query, “No. I would say that we have another forty minutes in this car before we arrive.” After she had finished speaking, a calm filled the car and it remained for the duration of the drive.

Lucifer was waiting patiently at the destination when they arrived. Their expression contained a nearly undetectable smile as they were mildly surprised all of the women arrived in one piece. With Phasma in the car, they had expected at least an appendage to be missing. Lucifer’s voice twinged with the mischievous knowledge that they had been the sole cause of this silly little trip, “How was your journey?”

Phasma slammed the door shut, looking over at Lucifer with a scowl as she grumbled under her breath about how frustrating they all were. How rude they were for ignoring her very clear rules. Brienne emerged from the passenger side, closing it before answering the lightbringer’s inquiry, “For me? Fine. For the captain? Best not to ask.”

“I slept during most of it, but it was okay. A little boring for my taste, personally.” Miranda shrugged before stretching, trying to get rid of the rigidness and stiffness currently hounding her limbs.

“We are lucky someone isn’t dead,” Larissa huffed, gripping her purse to her as she took her place at the lightbringer’s side, not particularly interested in helping with the bags while Phasma was near the trunk. After their little spat at the beginning of the trip, Larissa was avoiding her at all costs.

Lucifer was amused with Phasma’s and Larissa’s answers. This was going to be very entertaining to the Lightbringer.

Brienne rounded the car, stopping in front of the trunk and opening it. She and Phasma, the strongest ones in the group, had been chosen to carry the heavier pieces of luggage that had been brought on the trip. This was quite obvious, and the two women had no issues with accepting the job, but they started to question just how much of this was needed for a week’s vacation.

As Phasma lugged the baggage toward the shared house they had rented, she realized she would have to sit through all those hours once again when it would be time to return home. It made her groan, knowing that she had barely stayed sane on the ride here. She did not know how she would survive. Less keep this week accident free. Her trigger finger was already twitching, and she just had to be grateful that they had separate rooms.

The trip back was going to suck, that she was sure of. 

#gwendoline christie #larissa weems #wednesday netflix #gwen christie #brienne of tarth #game of thrones #got #captain phasma #star wars tfa #star wars #star wars the last jedi #star wars the force awakens #lucifer morningstar #lucifer morningstar (sandman) #the sandman #fanfic #fanfiction #crack fic #the road trip

[phantomwritr]

The Road Trip (1/?)

Based on: “I would like to see Lewis on a road trip with Max” ~ George Russell, Singapore 2023

Setting: Post-Spa Francorchamps 2023.

—

“No, absolutely not.”

-“But it would be good for the socials. The fans will love it.”

“Still. I refuse.”

-“Help me out here,” the PR strategist said as he looked to his left.

“Max, you have to admit, it would help your image. The fans like him, so show the world you can get along…”

“Oh, so you’re saying there’s a problem with my image.”

-“Well,” the PR strategist said, bracing himself for Max’ fury as he continued, “to many Formula One fans, you might appear…a bit… cold?”

“And going on this road trip with Lewis fucking Hamilton would fix that?”

-“Yes, the fans…they overwhelmingly see him as the most approachable and kind driver on the grid. You do this, and they’ll appreciate you. It’s good promo.”

Max rubbed his temples and sighed.

“Fine. I’ll go. When do we leave?”

The PR strategist smiled and turned to his left, where Christian grimaced. “Right after you convince him to go with you.”

Max’ face turned beet red as he cast a scathing look across the table, before storming out of the room, heading straight for the Mercedes motorhome.

To be continued…

#4433 #formula one #max verstappen #lewis hamilton #f1 fanfic #christian horner #f1 rpf #mawis #phantom’s rambles #the road trip #to be continued? #the road trip au

[rfswitchart]

"I have no mouth and I must scream."

#the owl house #toh hunter #hunter noceda #willow toh #willow park #huntlow #the road trip #the owl house fanfiction #You have no idea #I am a monster

[silence-book-and-tea]

“Nunca he dejado de quererte y no creo que nunca deje de hacerlo, la verdad, porque lo he intentado todo para olvidarte y no lo he conseguido.”

Rumbo a ti - Beth O'Leary

#books #libros #quotes #frases #literary quotes #frases literarias #literature #literatura #romance #rumbo a ti #the road trip #beth o'leary #love #amor #addie x dylan

[childlikegoblinqueen]

The TOH fandom agreeing Hunter would vandalize the Wittebane statue. The Philip half.

Someone needs to animate that.

#toh fanfic #hunter noceda #noceda family vandalism kit #toh hunter #sweet child o mine #the road trip #Lollytea #threegoblinart

[winterpinetrees]

A car chase? In my sci-fi fantasy story??? (The Gap Years part 11)

June 19th 2019

Vya, NV

There’s a fight scene here. It doesn’t get graphic but there’s a fight.

…………

They’re so dead and it’s all his fault. Brian remembers one of the first times he tried to surf on the real ocean. He’d gone out with his brothers and was finally starting to get it when the board flew out from under him and caught Brian under the wave. He’d tumbled around, blinded by salt and sandy water, until the current finally slammed him back onto the beach. Brian spent the next ten minutes coughing up seawater until Nathan called him a baby and dragged him back out. That’s about the same feeling as pulling himself out of the strange elf’s spell. He’s disoriented and cold and feels like he can’t breathe, but Brian doesn’t have time to catch his breath now. It’s finally time for fight or flight, and he begins to run.

He’s taller and faster than Sierra, so he has time to turn around and look over his shoulder at Marin. The prince has shifted back to his normal emerald green magic and has tackled the other woman to the ground. He puts one glowing hand on her forehead and stabs her chest with the dagger he holds in the other. Oh yeah. Weaponry. Marin left his bigger-on-the-inside bag with Clay (it wasn’t the sort of thing a commoner would have) so the three have two daggers and a pistol between them. The injured elf dissapears from Marin’s grasp. Brian has learned since their first fight that she’s retreated to the elven world. No need to die in combat if you have already been defeated. By complicated rules of elven combat, she can’t return without forfeiting that right to escape.

Marin’s hands hit the ground with a puff of dust. He picks himself up, and Brian can see other elven soldiers turning towards them. Each one has glowing eyes and a faint outline of magic around them. They wear the same sci-fi armor as the elves from San Francisco, but none are wearing the featureless helmets. They need to run. The prince sprints- that’s really not a good enough word for it, he’s moving at least twenty miles per hour- back to him and Sierra. They turn down a side street, running as fast as possible.

For the first time in ten days, Brian’s vision flashes with magical color. An exact copy of himself appears and turns away from the group. Two more copies peel off on the opposite side, with matching Sierras and Marins as well. The illusions are insane. Brian sees himself in photos constantly. He’s the suntanned, blue-eyed, son of the govenor, champion wrestler and verified surfer boy. He has that hot scar on his jaw from an accident too mundane for the magazines to mention, and he’s eighteen, finally old enough that the media outlets have gotten a lot more honest. Brian sees himself in photos a lot, but they can’t capture him as well as Marin has. It’s unsettling to see himself the way someone else might, a six foot three athlete tearing across the steppe.

For a few seconds, each figure has a halo of green, but then that fades and they become perfect mirror images. Watching the copies makes it all too clear that Sierra can’t keep up with the two of them in a dead sprint. She’s going to be setting their top speed.

Marin staggers for a moment, and he rethinks that idea.

“I should have taken her gun,” he gasps. More soldiers are running after them now, and a few leap across the rooftops a story above them. Most carry guns, but a few have what look like energy weapons. He can see their faces this time. The elves represent every race that Brian can recognize, with a rainbow of different colored eyes and armor. A good number of the soldiers are running away too, presumably after the duplicates. Not all of them though.

Brian pulls out the pistol and considers the dial on the side. Sierra pulls her headphones over her ears. The gun isn’t loud, but it’s her preference. Brian turns it all the way to kill, then hesitates and moves it back. He can see their faces this time. Brian knows firsthand how hard it is to aim while running, but tries anyway. The new gun has much less recoil than the rifle and seems to draw power from a green battery above the trigger. He misses.

He moves, his targets move, his vision keeps flashing with lights. Brian has no clue what they actually look like right now with all of the illusions that Marin is casting, but they must be good because he hasn’t been shot yet. But Marin clearly can’t keep this up. His eyes are glowing even more brightly now, and he can hardly look at the elf without squinting. More soldiers converge on the group. They shoot from the rooftops and Brian shoots back. Brian hears himself starting to laugh.

“Quiet,” Marin snaps. “I’m worse with sound than with light”.

Okay then. Let a man die dramatically, alright?

And he’ll be doing that soon. A shot finally makes it through whatever spells Marin cast and strikes Brian square in the shoulder. It feels like a fastball, but he’s heard that a bullet feels like a punch too. The impact jerks him backwards and he feels his left arm go numb. The stun setting? Brian had assumed that they wouldn’t bother to take him alive. An elf above them yells something in a language that he can’t understand. Soldiers have climbed down the sides of the buildings in front of them and blocked their exit. They’re trapped.

“They’re telling us to surrender. Drop the gun.” Marin whispers, “I’m sorry”.

Brian lets it fall, but Sierra whispers back, “Hide my hands”.

What possible plan could she have to fix this? Marin does anyway. She pulls something from the pocket of her sweatshirt. It’s the gadget she’s been working on for the past few days. It looks a bit like a speaker? There’s exposed wires and stuff too though. She slides it over her phone. Sierra gives Brian a pointed look and adjusts her headphones.

“Freshman year English. Island of Sirens”.

Brian doesn’t need any more context to understand her message (but he’s distantly surprised that Sierra remembers any of the classics). Odysseus has his crew stuff their ears with wax to sail past the island of the sirens without wanting to throw themselves into the sea. Elves have big ears, so they must have good hearing. Marin said that he was worse at controlling sound too! Maybe that’s a universal thing? None of the soldiers are wearing helmets either.

Trusting that all hell will break loose within a few seconds, he repeats the message to Marin.

Sierra holds her phone above her head. Marin clamps his hands over his ears as her phone amplifies some screeching noise across the desert. It’s bad. It’s an awful noise and far too close to his head. The really bad thing though, is that the noise doesn’t stop. He wasn’t sure how good the noise-canceling was on her headphones, but it must be pretty great because now she’s the one sprinting while they stagger along. Brian picks up his pistol again and charges ahead. His left arm is useless, so instead of covering his ears, he’s going to get as far away from the noise as possible. The elves blocking their path are stunned. Brian shoots each of them until they fall and keeps running. His friends follow behind.

Behind him, some elf recovers enough to shoot him a second time, right in the chest. Everything feels heavy. (It was right over his heart too, come to think of it. Oh god, is he having a heart attack?) They’re getting close to the car though. It’s pigeon gray and horribly anachronistic against the desert. Clay’s actually moved it closer to them, and has their own rifle balanced on the windowsill. He scowls at something behind them and shoots twice. The car is running. He is going to pass out. He is going to die.

The driver’s side is the closest to them and they all fling themselves into the back rather than run around. Clay throws his weight onto the gas and they accelerate as fast as they can. The car is going sixty, eighty, one hundred and twenty miles per hour. If there’s traps on the road, then at least they will die quickly. That’s doubtful though, because they’re being chased. Brian’s pistol slips from his hand and falls to the floor. It takes a titanic effort for Brian to haul himself upright in his seat. (His chest hurts. It’s hard to breathe). Sierra finally turns off her device.

“What is this, podracing?” She jokes. Brian’s ears are ringing and he can barely hear. Their pursuers are more like the hovering things from Return of the Jedi. Speeder bikes? They don’t look like bikes. There’s two of them, and several more far behind them. Brian guesses they’ll be able to shake the far ones with pure speed. Brian wants to help. He wants to do something, anything, but he knows he’s pushed his body too far. Marin looks about the same way, so it falls to Sierra to take Clay’s rifle from the passenger seat and try to aim it out the open sunroof. She has one foot on the thing between the front seats and the other right beside Brian’s leg. If they stop short, she’s definitely dead.

One speeder draws closer than the other. There’s two elves on it, with the same neon detailed armor as the ones they fought back in San Francisco. The rider tried to shoot the car with a gun, maybe the back wheels, but none of the shots hit.

Sierra ducks down. “Marin, tell them in Elvish or whatever that we’re going too fast and that if they shoot the wheels, the car flips and we all die”.

He looks a bit shocked, but obeys. Behind them, the shots stop. Good to know.

The elf driver pushes the machine to go even faster. Sierra risks a shot, and the passenger catches it. Not physically, but they hold up their hands and somehow catch the burst of emerald light before it can hit. The shot flickers to indigo, then rust red, and then fades. The soldier who caught it plants one foot and lifts themself higher.

“Do I duck?” she asks frantically.

“They’re not armed? I don’t know!” Clay replies.

The soldier stands tall and pulls off their helmet. The face underneath it does not help Brian assign a gender to the figure. Brian’s only watched Lord of the Rings once, but he still has a mental image of what an elf should look like. He imagines etherial, feminine, figures with pale, flawless skin, and straight hair that flows down to their waists. He’s seen half a dozen elves up close by now and not a single one matches that description. Still, he hasn’t been able to shake it.

First of all, the soldier is young. They could pass for someone in his grade, with acne scars across their dark skin and the sharp, skinny features of a young adult who hasn’t fully finished growing. Their dark gold hair is shaved on the sides in a style that wouldn’t look out of place in any high school, but there’s something about the intensity of their glowing eyes that makes comparing the elf to a teenager comical. In his exhaustion, Brian is transfixed. Sierra doesn’t move either.

The elf shouts something into the dusty air. It’s no language Brian can understand, but it sounds different than the previous call to surrender. A different language, maybe? He thinks he recognizes Marin’s name at the start of the phrase. He responds in the same language with the same proud tone.

The soldier is silent. They narrow their eyes and shift their shoulders back. Sunlight reflects off of that wrist armor -a vambrace- that Marin says is the symbol of the nobility as they turn to the side and raise their arms. Distantly, Brian thinks that Sierra should duck. Something glows a deep dark red between their hands. Then there is light and movement and Sierra falls with a scream back into the car. She hits her head against the side of the sunroof on the way down, and lies motionless in a crumpled pile across the back seats.

Clay swears. “Sierra!” She doesn't respond.

Brian can’t tell if she’s unconcious because of the magic or the impact, but she’s at least alive. He doesn’t even need to feel for a pulse to check. The blood in the side of her neck is the same dark red as the soldier’s magic, and pulses faintly with her heartbeat. The color creeps outwards like a bruise.

“She’s alive,” Brian replies, because there’s nothing else to say.

“Say something more useful, please.”

Clay should be back here and he should be driving. Clay is the medic. Clay is the sensible one. Clay is a perfect shot with a rifle and better at math and brave enough to oppose his father.

“She’s unconcious, but her pulse seems normal? She’s breathing. There’s this magical bruise thing on her neck.”

“That’s not blood? Thank god.”

“No. It’s red magic.”

“The noble seems to be retreating,” Marin adds. His eyes are hazel again and the elf is struggling to keep them open.

“Marin, you cannot pass out right now. Five more minutes.” Brian also wants to pass out, but he refuses to leave Clay alone with three helpless friends. “Do you know what this is?”

“No. I might later.” He says something in that elven language and then offers something that might be a translation. “Stupid tired”.

A human car appears over the horizon on the other side of the road. Maybe that's why the elves retreated? Everything feels far away. Brian knows this feeling well.

“I got shot twice. Stun setting, probably. If I pass out…will I wake up?” he asks absurdly. What’s he going to do if Marin says no? Not pass out? For all his talk, Brian has never been great at the whole “do not go gentle” thing.

“Don’t you two dare,” Clay says.

He doesn’t have any power here. Marin nods his approval. “You’re all good”

The heaviness in his chest and arm finally drag Brian into unconsciousness. He falls asleep with Sierra’s head on his lap and the morning sun shining into his eyes on the second-longest day of the year.

Clay drives the car the next six hundred miles in silence, until the Las Vegas strip rises ahead of him and the battered party arrives in the city that has more in common with the nuclear bombs detonated outside it than the desert it was built from. They are all awake again by that point. They just don’t feel like talking.

………

The second to last line (about how Las Vegas has more in common with nuclear bombs than the desert) is paraphrased from Jacob Geller’s Art For No One . The line is 4:30 in.

The soldiers were speaking Lazarin, the official language of the Elven world. Amedi and Marin spoke Old Lazarin to each other, which is a bit like comparing Latin to a modern romance language. Old Lazarin is only used by the High Nobility, but it’s well known and can be studied in school.

#by me #the gap years #writing that *is* #the road trip

[bri-sonat]

⚭ The Road Trip ⚭

Written in collaboration with @daydream-cement. The majority is safe for work, but there is some vulgar language, obscenities, and drama/angst in most of the chapters. Those are the only things that would deserve a warning.

⚭ Chapter One: The Road Trip ⚭

⚭ Chapter Two: The Volleyball Game ⚭

⚭ Chapter Three: Mommy Issues ⚭

⚭ Chapter Four: Fun House ⚭

⚭ Chapter Five: Cougars, Bears, and Wolves ⚭

⚭ Chapter Six: A Room Full Of Art ⚭

⚭ Chapter Seven: Dive In ⚭

⚭ Chapter Eight: At Last. ⚭

#masterlist #the road trip

[tomboy014]

TruthShriekers AU, The Road Trip, Part 1

A train, a taxi and a few bus rides later, and Dib is the first one to reach Amity Park.  He had to ask for directions a few times, but eventually, he found his way to one Wes Weston’s house, and Dib is thrilled!  Since his hometown is the next stop, he’s traveling light: enough clothes for the week, his laptop, camera and as much ghost hunting gear as he could cram into the thing.  And the readings he’s already collecting are promising.

But the most exciting thing?  The few times he’s explained to people that he’s here for ghost hunting, no one has called him crazy for believing in ghosts.  Sure, they’ve called him crazy for going after them, and none of them are fans of ghost hunters, but everyone in this town acknowledges the supernatural exists!

Wes is slightly more concerned by the unescorted child who showed up on his doorstep alone.  He’d figured his dad or something would have given him a ride.  Amity Park is close to Dib’s home, but it’s not that close; it’s at least a 3-4 hour drive away and in a different state.  And how is this little guy such a know-it-all?  As soon as he walked through the door, he started explaining ghost hunting to Wes, a lot of it wrong, like he doesn’t live in the most haunted city in America.  The trip hasn’t even started yet, and this brat is insufferable.

Thankfully, the kid couldn’t monologue for long before there’s a knock at the door, and finally, April O’Neil is here!  This is the person he was actually excited to meet.  April has been giving Wes a ton of advice to improve his photography and journalism ever since she went to college, and they’re going to work together this summer to help develop his portfolio by making a bit of a “mockumentary” of their summer trip.

But April is a lot more… apologetic than expected.  She’s already exasperated (and she hasn’t even dealt with Dib yet) while she apologizes because her dum-dum brothers went ahead and invited themselves onto their trip but she promises they’re going to pay their own way and don’t freak out because they look kind of different, but we don’t have time for that right now!  Because there’s no way.  There’s no freaking way!  It’s been modified, but there’s nothing else it could possibly be.

Is that the Jupiter Jim Moon buggy parked in his driveway?!!

And, in fact, it is!

But there’s not much time to be surprised by the Moon Buggy, as 4 guys in full hazmat suits with quick Ghost Buster stickers slapped on pop out, and they’re… green?  It’s hard to tell, but Wes is 90% sure these guys are green behind the tinted face shields.  Which, honestly, not unusual for Amity Park, but they’re not usually alive when they look like that.  But it’s not stopping the one in the purple jumpsuit from gushing over the modifications he’s made to what he’s calling the Turtle Tank.

Dib is slack jawed as 4 green, clearly not human, creatures pop out of the Moon Buggy while April apologizes over and over again for her brothers inviting themselves onto their trip.

“April, are you an alien?”

“What?  No.”

“Were you adopted by aliens?”

“No, they’re not aliens.  None of us are aliens.  My brothers are just a little… different.”

Dib’s not convinced, but at the very least, these guys are a lot friendlier than Zim, and Raph, Donnie, Leo and Mikey are introduced.  The original plan had been to tour FentonWorks on the first day and then explore the town, but…

Everyone suddenly has to clear the street as what looks like an armored RV zooms down the road while a guy in an orange jumpsuit screams out the window and a lady in blue fires lasers at something streaking by overhead.

Leo: And you were worried we’d stand out.

Yeah… the Fenton’s are busy today, so no tour.  The gang will have to start their ghost hunting adventure by hitting the pavement, which is fine with Wes.  He’s excited to show off the shoulder mount camera he got for his 16th birthday, but as usual, if it’s not a Fenton Camera, every picture and recording of a ghost comes out horribly.

After some trial, some error, and poking at some ecto-samples he probably shouldn’t have, Donnie figures out a filter for the camera (and his goggles), and the ghosts come through crystal clear.  It throws off the color, but Mikey and Wes work on the color and white balance enough to look almost normal, and they save the system setting for whenever the filter is applied.  With Wes armed with his camera, April with a mic, and the boys as the tech crew, it’s time to hit the streets!

It’s not long before they run into their first ghost.  Wes had thought they’d film from a distance, but April and Dib jump right in and start asking questions, and in spite of Wes’s trepidations, it goes surprisingly well.  The ghosts they talk to are known troublemakers, but not only are they not attacking, but they actually seem to be enjoying the attention. 

Over the next few days, April gets a performance from Ember, an interview with Technus, lunch for the whole group from the Lunch Lady (her “uncle?” is a lunch lady, too?), and chased down the Box Ghost. 

Wes thought things would go south with Kitty and Johnny when he started hitting on April, but 4 green brothers willing to throw hands with a ghost is apparently enough to get Johnny to stop and placate Kitty.

And it turns out ghosts are more than willing to talk about their deaths.  In graphic detail.  It’s more than a little disturbing, but no one was expecting Dib to just come out and ask, “How did you die?”  At least none of them ended up dead.

But the neatest thing has been watching the barriers come down between everyone.  All of them had been so convinced they were the only ones who were really dealing with the supernatural.  They had come up with things to shield the others from the true horrors they dealt with every day.  Except as soon as they see their first ghost, they can tell.  They all know.  And it’s kinda freeing.

None of them need to hide anymore.  Wes can freely rant about all the insane ghost stuff that’s happened in his hometown.  The Turtles can reveal themselves; Wes and Dib are currently fascinated by their turtle-ness and the fact that April was basically adopted by cryptids.  Dib still has the least credibility; he’s a 12-year-old claiming to have gone to space multiple times, but they are at least willing to admit he’s probably dealt with some stuff.

This also means Wes is probably going to have to admit that Dib is right at some point, a fact he’s not happy about with their longstanding online feud…

And while Leo is still firmly in denial that ghosts are real (seriously?), meeting real ghosts broke down the biggest barriers, and they’ve relaxed enough to start showing their real personalities to each other.  Wes and Dib end up just as snarky with each other in person as they are online.  Mikey is enjoying getting to play the role of big brother with Dib, who’s just an unhinged little gremlin that really wants to dissect one of the blob ghosts (no one will let him).  Raph’s big brother instincts are in full force as he tries to keep the peace between everyone, but April is firmly in charge, etc.

The week goes on, but there’s one ghost April still hasn’t managed to interview: Danny Phantom.  She’s gotten plenty of opinions on the local hero/menace, but he’s yet to make an appearance.

Danny, for his part, has been keeping his distance and observing, trying to figure out what kind of ghost hunters these guys are.  And so far, he’s been pleasantly surprised.  Most “professional” ghost hunters that come to Amity Park are either woefully incompetent or dangerously aggressive.  Or both. 

But these guys have taken the time to actually study the ghosts.  They take the time to ask questions.  They treat the sentient ghosts like people, and they take pictures and readings from the non-sentient ones.  It’s been kinda cute watching the big guy in red walk around with armloads of blog ghosts.  Danny thought they’d be a lot more trouble with Wes guiding the group, but so far, so good.

But, of course, Danny’s luck has to run out, and as soon as he says that bit out loud, Skulker decides it’s the perfect time for some hunting, and the fight is a rough one.

For April and the Turtles, sounds of explosions are never a good sign, and the whole group rushes to see what’s going on, and find the elusive ghost boy, Danny Phantom, in action.  Most of the civilians have already cleared out, and Donnie and Raph are keeping the rest of the damage to a minimum, so April decides to go full reporter while Wes shoots, and they get their first ghost fight on camera.

It's… intense, but not the worst any of them have seen.  They’ve had to duck out of the way a few times, but they’re getting some good shots, and it seems like Phantom is mostly winning.  Until Skulker slams him into the wall behind them.  Danny, being Danny, forgets to phase, and hits the wall.  Hard.  He slides down, rings flash out from his middle, and where Phantom was, a human boy now sits.

Wes is feeling so vindicated!  He’s been telling everyone Danny is Phantom for years.  He just transformed in front witnesses!  He caught it on tape!  He can finally- hey!?

April and Donnie take the camera from him and delete Phantom’s transformation.  You don’t expose another hero’s secret identity. 

Raph steps between Danny and Skulker.  He’s so excited to meet a real life superhero!  But first things first, “Mad Dogs, time to help out a fellow hero.  LIKE A BOSS!”

Disguises are doffed, and yes, they’ve still been wearing those stupid exterminator outfits the whole trip because, according to Leo, it “fit the vibe,” and the Mad Dogs start fighting, even April.  It goes about as well as it usually does when they fight Ghost Bear until someone finally hits him with a mystic attack (I seriously don’t know why none of them tried it in the show), and it turns out mystic stuff works on ghost stuff. 

Skulker is chased off, and then the GAV screeches to a stop in front of the group.  Disguises are very, very quickly shoved back on (there may be a helmet on backwards) as the Dr.s Fenton jump out looking for Phantom.  But, uh, nothing to see here!  Yep, yep, he, uh, rushed off… that way?  And indeed, when the group look behind them, Danny is nowhere to be seen.  Wes uses his chance to finally, finally get the tour at Fenton Works rescheduled for the next day, and they all turn in to edit what they got and share their findings with Dipper over FaceTime.

Dib and Wes also need to go nuts, because that was so cool!  Watching the Mad Dogs was like watching a real life Lou Jitsu movie!  This is also where they find out Dib has never seen a Lou Jitsu movie in his life, which is just criminal.

The morning of their tour and first interview comes, and everyone is ready to go except HOLD EVERYTHING!  The Turtles aren’t about to let April go interview the Fenton’s in her regular clothes.  That was fine for field reporter April, but she can’t dress like that if she wants to be a top journalist.  Dress for the job you want and all that jazz, and what do you mean you didn’t pack any nice clothes?!  What were you expecting to wear  when we get to Membrane Labs?!  She needs a makeover, stat!

Luckily, they’re able to find a petite yellow suit top and matching pencil skirt at the local thrift store (one of the many, many things Pam tried to get Sam to wear).  Mikey and Leo do her hair and makeup, and now they’re ready for the tour.

As they pull up, the Fenton’s greet them outside.  They’re always so excited to see young people interested in pursuing paranormal research.  The tour starts upstairs in the Ops Center, and other than the emergency ham being expired, everything seems pretty impressive.  The Fenton’s go into detail on all the features of the Ops Center, answer any engineering questions the group have, let Wes record and photograph, etc.

Then they continue their way downstairs to tour the lab.  They see Danny in passing on the second story, and Raph less than subtly waves.  Fortunately for Danny, his parents are pretty oblivious and miss the wave.  Unfortunately, they do spot Danny, and he gets dragged into helping with the tour, and the group follows Jack and Maddie down into the basement lab.

It.  Is.  Horrendous.  It’s one thing to leave parts and pieces out while you’re building something; even Donnie is occasionally guilty of that.  He can also understand the amount of stuff held together by string and duct tape.  He knows how difficult it can be to get parts and pieces, but he his lab pristine!  This is just a mess.  There’s dirty beakers and tools, cross contamination abounds, and the floor is covered in spilled samples and ectoplasm with nary a wet floor sign in sight.  Even Mikey is offended; he keeps a clean kitchen.

And why is there a torture chamber?!!

To make it even worse, down in the lab is where the Fentons start going into their beliefs about ghosts.  They’re evil.  They’re just manifestations of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness.  They aren’t actually capable of rational thought or feelings.  Things that go against everything the group has observed in the last few days.  Even Dib has to disagree with what they’re saying.

Everyone can see that Danny is visibly uncomfortable.  And then it gets worse; they start talking about how they want to catch and dissect the ghost boy.

Yeah… Wes is starting to get that outing Danny to the town and his parents might not be the best idea.

But April is a good reporter, and she wants to be a great reporter.  The best reporter.  Her original question list goes out the window and she starts pushing back against everything the Fentons are saying, but they just brush it off in their usual good natured way.  After all, they’re just kids.  They don’t know any better.

Well, that interview was… disappointing to say the least.  Danny catches them outside and- Is that the Jupiter Jim Moon Buggy?!!  Wait, no, he came out here for a reason!  He wanted to thank them for standing up for him.  Most ghost hunters shoot first and only ask questions on the autopsy table.

April convinces Danny to give her the much desired interview.  No questions he’s not comfortable with, nothing about his identity.  He agrees, and the next day, he meets them with Sam and Tucker in tow as his “bodyguards” for his interview.  It includes a lot of snark from Wes, who is still vindicated! but April gets all her questions answered.

And the interview just sort of turns into a conversation.  Danny and the Mad Dogs had never met other heroes before, and they talk about the troubles that come with it.  The time they were both seen as menaces, and Danny uses the opportunity to set the record straight, even if no one will ever hear it.  He talks about how much he’s had to learn on his own, about the mistakes he’d made, and after a lot of rambling, ends by infodumping about everything space.

Eventually, the road trip comes up in conversation.  It sounds interesting, and more importantly, Sam and Tucker know just how much Danny needs the break.  It’ll be fine.  Ghost attacks have gown down since they were 14; no, the town won’t fall apart without you; yes, they are absolutely insisting he go.  Val can handle things.

There might have also been mention of aliens and a spaceship.

And so, Sam, Tucker and Danny invite themselves onto their trip.  Now, they just have to convince their parents.  It’s not hard to overshadow Sam and Tucker’s parents.  As for his own parents, as soon as they hear “paranormal,” Jack and Maddie are more than thrilled to encourage the kids and start kitting them out with monitoring equipment, ecto weapons, extra camping gear, dried and canned food, and… why not take the GAV?  They’re going on a cross-country road trip, and it doubles as the Fenton Family RV.  It’ll help defend them, and they can take so many readings!

Vlad and other neighbors may or may not have also encouraged them to get the GAV out of town.  Jack is a known menace on the roads in that thing.

They do insist on Jazz accompanying them this time.  It’s her last summer before she leaves for college; it’ll be good for her to spend some time with family.

Jazz, who had just wanted to go to college early and maybe enroll in a lot of summer courses, finds herself dragged into… she’s not exactly sure what, but Danny owes her big time.  (Seriously, what did I just get roped into?)

They pack up themselves and the GAV (runs on ecto-energy, so it also doesn’t need gas) and Sam straps her kayak to the top.  Look, she saw April’s kayak on the turtle tank, and if they’re going kayaking, then she’s bringing hers, too. 

This is also where it’s revealed to the group that Sam is loaded.  And Sam agreeing to help bankroll the trip means that everyone can also expect to eat real food on the trip, not just ramen and peanut butter sandwiches.  The group is a lot more willing to let them crash the trip if it frees up most of their budget for fun things and souvenirs.  Welcome aboard!

And that evening, they leave Amity Park for Dib’s hometown in Ohio.

<<Prev Next>>

#truthshriekers au #invader zim #danny phantom #rottmnt #gravity falls #the road trip #amity park #long post

[quotent-potables]

Sophia Perez: You were just trying to do something nice for a friend and it blew up in your face, rather spectacularly Jake Peralta: Everything I do is spectacular. It's a curse.

— Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 2x09: "The Road Trip"

#quotes #brooklyn 99 #b99 #2x09 #the road trip

[razreads]

That’s the thing about almost: you can be ninety-nine per cent there, you can be an inch away from doing it, but if you stop yourself from stepping over that line, nobody will ever know how close you were.

Beth O’Leary, The Road Trip

#razreads #book quote #beth o'leary #the road trip #almost #nearly #close calls #courage #achievement #queue have a good day now

[daydream-cement]

The Road Trip Ch. 2

The Big 5 become more acquainted with one another and we even have a gay volleyball game :)

this fic has been such a joy to write with my @bri-sonat !!! they write for phasma and brienne and i write for larissa and miranda. it is so fun going back and forth to create these stories

“Luci! Is there a pool? There needs to be some type of entertainment because these ladies don’t know how to have a good time...” Miranda tugged at the immortal’s arm, speaking in a hushed tone for the others not to hear. Lucifer ducked their head down a few inches, listening intently to the constable’s words. Everyone in the group knew Miranda was Lucifer’s favorite.

“Excuse me, it's the space ranger who can’t have a good time. Perceptually sour if you ask me...” Larissa hissed as she clearly had been eavesdropping on Miranda's words. 

Lucifer was incredibly pleased with themselves. They had truly brought together the most stubborn and morally-affixed group of women the immortal had ever seen. The spats would be endless, but once they began to find common ground with one another, the women may appreciate one another more than they first thought.

“I can hear you, you know,” Phasma panned. She was walking a couple of feet ahead of the trio but had heard everything Larissa said about her. The shapeshifter’s opinions about the captain weren’t unknown to her, in fact, that opinion was the most common one, amongst others.

Brienne, who was walking next to Phasma, groaned at how heavy the bags were, “Whose Gods damned bag is this? I feel like I’m carrying cement blocks.” She lifted the bag she was holding in her right hand, hoping someone would recognize it, and that it would be the owner of it.

“Better to overpack than underpack, dear.” Larissa called from behind the strapping knight, enjoying the sound of Brienne’s groans as she carried the shapeshifter’s bags. The headmistress found Ser Brienne to be quite attractive and was interested in flirting relentlessly with the reserved woman over the next week, knowing she could easily make Brienne flustered if she wanted. 

“This is yours? What’s even in here?” Brienne couldn’t begin to fathom how one singular person would need this much stuff for one week. 

“Probably makeup and clothes too nice for a vacation? Am I close?” Miranda leaned around the front of the Lightbringer to tease the shapeshifter by scrunching up her nose as she spoke. Larissa was, by far, the most feminine in the group, but she simply rolled her eyes at the comment, completely unashamed of her aesthetic preferences.

Brienne and Phasma stopped in front of the door, bags still in their hands. “So, who has the key?” The knight looked from Lucifer to Miranda, to Larissa, before landing on Phasma.

“It’s unlocked.” Lucifer flicked a hand and nodded towards the front door. 

Phasma rolled her eyes before pulling on the handle, revealing that it was in fact, unlocked. The captain entered the house first before being followed by Brienne and eventually the rest of the group. They all streamed into the living room, where the knight and the captain were finally able to put the bags down.

Lucifer paused in the living room of the large vacation home, hands clasped in front of themselves, “You can all pick a room. All are available. The week is yours to enjoy. All I ask is that you don’t maim or murder one another.”

Phasma murmured under her breath, “I will try my very best, but these assholes make it hard.” Her words didn’t reach the ones they were directed to, only Lucifer, who shot a glare towards the chromed captain. 

“Now, Brienne and Phasma. Considering you’ve already carried the bags this far I am assuming that you have no issues carrying them the rest of the way to their respective rooms?” Lucifer kept their gaze fixed on Phasma, looking over to Brienne with their usual grace and elegance.

“Yes. Will not be an issue.” The knight slightly bent her knees, picking up the bags once again, and looking over at Phasma who hadn’t said anything, only making the same movement as Brienne.

“Are you- are you not staying?” Larissa questioned, watching the being turn on their heels at the sight of the knight and captain picking up the bags. The shapeshifter’s tone was tinged with annoyance. She couldn’t believe the Lightbringer would bring them all here and leave just like that.

“I have work to do, but I will be back soon enough.”

“These are heavy so can we, you know, get going? I don’t want to have to carry these longer than I already have.” Phasma sighed, she was irked at the prolonged conversation. She just wanted to get these bags unloaded and go lay down in her room, she had had too much human interaction for one day.

“Whose bags do you have, Phas?” Miranda ran up to the captain, looking at the bags in her hand.

“Yours, I think. And mine.” Phasma started walking away, moving to the stairs leading up to the second floor, not even bothering to wait for Miranda who had started trailing behind the captain. “Just tell me whichever room you’d like and I’ll place them there.”

“Yes, Captain.” Miranda ran up to Phasma’s side, telling her that she wanted the room closest to the stairs considering she’s a night snacker. The captain in turn hummed and placed the constable's bags in the room she wanted, before leaving to find one for herself.

Downstairs, Brienne had started following Larissa as she led the knight to the room she wanted. Walking up the stairs, the shapeshifter swayed her hips more than usual, trying to drag the Lord Commander’s eyes to her ass, hoping to seduce her. Said Lord Commander had her gaze fixed on the carpet-clad stairs to remain polite and well-mannered.

Stopping in front of a door, Larissa let Brienne walk in first so she could observe the knight’s strong back, and eventually her ass whenever she would place down the shapeshifter’s luggage.

Larissa watched the handsome knight set her bags on the floor. If Brienne were to have seen the way Larissa observed her, she would have seen the eyes of a hungry animal. Larissa decided to plant the first seed of flirtation, anxious for how Brienne would react, “Thank you for helping with my bags, Ser. It isn’t every day I have the pleasure of having such a strong and attractive knight at my service.” Larissa made sure to remain in the doorway, wanting to force some type of interaction before she allowed Brienne to pass her by.

“That’s a very funny jest. I hoped we could’ve made it through the week without cruel jokes but I suppose that was wishful thinking. I expected more from you, Headmistress.” Brienne rolled her eyes before pushing past Larissa, having no interest in staying in her room and being made a mockery of any longer.

Larissa furrowed her brow in confusion, watching the knight storm away. Perhaps she had used the wrong title when addressing Brienne? 

Speaking over her shoulder as she walked away, Brienne corrected Larissa’s use of the title, “Also, it’s Lord Commander, if you wish to use my title. That, or Lord.” The knight descended the stairs to grab her own bags, and eventually settled in her room of choice.

With her question answered, Larissa was left alone to unpack her bags to contemplate what she could have said to offend the other woman. She found it hard to believe Brienne could have been so upset over a compliment. The shapeshifter pushed the upsetting thoughts to the back of her mind, instead opting to change into her swimsuit to sit by the pool she spotted from her bedroom window. 

-----

“Larissa! Get in the pool with me!” Miranda rested her head in her arms at the edge of the pool, watching the shapeshifter intently. 

Larissa was laid out on a white chaise lounge, large sunglasses covering her eyes. She sat up ever so slightly, eyes now peering over the black rims of her glasses, “Only if you promise that my hair won’t get wet. I’m not looking to have to redo this.” The shapeshifter’s hands gestured to the intricate updo that took her far too long for it to be ruined by a half hour in the pool. 

“No roughhousing! I promise!” 

The shapeshifter was skeptical of the idea of Miranda keeping her promise, but with a deep breath and a shake of her head, Larissa stood from her spot. She removed her swimsuit cover, folded it gently, and placed it on her chair before heading towards the stairs of the pool. The shapeshifter knew she had made the right decision when the cool water hit her skin, immediately relieving her of the sweat that had been building. 

The two women ended up chatting idly in the pool. Miranda lounged in a pool float while Larissa sat on the stairs, a hand outstretched, gripping the float to keep Miranda from floating away. They exchanged work stories, Larissa being particularly enthralled with Miranda exposing her short affair with her boss followed by his eventual termination. With a little bit of begging and pleading, Larissa even showed Miranda her shapeshifting powers, turning herself into a mirror image of Miranda and back again. 

“You seem to be enjoying yourselves.” Lucifer seemingly appeared out of nowhere, standing at the pool's edge with their typical look of serene confidence, “Where are the other two?”

“In their rooms, most likely..” Miranda shrugged, glancing at Larissa who nodded in agreement, and then back at Lucifer who looked displeased with her answer. 

“Oh, that simply won’t do.” Lifting at their robes, Lucifer began their journey up into the house to retrieve Phasma and Brienne from their respective rooms, leaving Miranda and Larissa to exchange a concerned glance. Lucifer decided to start with Brienne, the idea of pulling her from her room seeming much easier than convincing Phasma to socialize with the others. 

With a gentle rapping on the door, Lucifer turned the handle, opening the door wide without receiving any true permission to enter, “Aren’t you going to join the group, Lord Commander?”

Brienne was sitting at the desk in her room, writing in her journal but looked up at the door when she heard Lucifer enter, “No, Sire. I have no interest in swimming, sunbathing, or anything like that so I thought it best to stay inside and document the journey here instead.” She looked back down at her leather book, placing her quill back onto the paper.

“Well when you are quite finished, I’ll expect to see you outside with the others. I’d hate to have to come back up here and retrieve you.” Lucifer nodded and turned on their heels, returning the bedroom door to its closed state upon exiting, not allowing Brienne to protest.

Striding down the hallway, the lightbringer glanced around at the homeowner’s chosen decor, not quite appreciating its aesthetic value. They assumed the captain would’ve chosen a room farthest away from the others, so they continued down the hall, peeking their head in and out of rooms until they came across a closed door. 

When they knocked on Phasma’s door, they awaited a response, knowing an intrusion would lead to a more visceral response than Brienne would have to offer.

“Who is it?” Phasma’s voice sounded from the other side of the closed door, vexed at the sound of a visitor.

“A friend.” 

“I don’t have any friends. Go away.” Phasma was not interested in socializing, hosting any people, or entertaining any kind of conversation.

With a wave of their hand, the lock was undone and Lucifer pushed open the door, remaining on the ‘safe side,’ not crossing the threshold, “Not with that attitude. Now come out of there and socialize with your peers. Miranda was saying something about easily being able to beat you in some athletic competition.”

Phasma was sitting on her bed, now clad in more casual clothes, having shed her chrome armor, “What the hell, man! Did you not hear me? Also, you can’t lure me with lies. Miranda is very aware that she can’t. Now, I won’t ask you again. Go. Away.” She glared at Lucifer that had in some way unlocked her door and invaded her solitude.

“I didn’t think you were scared to lose a simple round of volleyball to an Earthly police officer. Very well. Truly I expected more from you.” Lucifer made no moves to close the door, nor to leave. They stood with their hands meeting in front of themselves, a plain look spread across their face, “I’ll inform Miranda she has won before it even began.”

Phasma scoffed at Lucifer’s pathetic attempt to coax her out to the rest of the group, “If that is what you think, then sure.” The captain rolled her eyes at the fallen angel, “You can tell Miranda that if she wishes to challenge me, she can come here and say it herself. I’d gladly beat her. If it’ll shut you both up.” 

“I’m sure she will appreciate that.” Lucifer nodded, taking their leave, but leaving the captain’s door wide open as they did so, knowing it would upset her so.

“Hey! Close the fucking door! You opened it, you have to close it. It’s common decency! Oh, you asshole!” Phasma shouted after the fallen angel, a smile on their face as the captain angrily rose from their bed, huffing as she closed the door and locked it, again. Isolating herself, again.

When Lucifer returned outside, Larissa and Miranda were still out by the pool, only now they had changed positions. Larissa was laid out at the pool’s edge, listening to Miranda recount policing stories from her place inside her raft. The two were getting along quite swimmingly. 

Lucifer was nothing, if not a patient being. They planned to sit down in the outdoor lounge area until Brienne and Phasma came out of hiding, lest they wish to suffer the consequences. 

“Miranda, Phasma said she would play volleyball with you, but you have to go ask her.” Lucifer offered up to the constable, the woman’s eyes lighting up in response. Miranda jumped from her innertube, lightly splashing Larissa as she did so, wading her way to the pool’s edge to lift herself up and out. 

Miranda dried herself off in a half-assed manner, now doing her own rounds to ask Phasma AND Brienne to play volleyball with her. There was no way she would leave Brienne out if she was inviting Phas.

She took the same path as Lucifer. Knocking frantically on Brienne’s door first, “Bri! Bri!! Come and hang out with us! We are all gonna play volleyball! I need your athleticism! I know Phasma won’t want me on her team!” 

Brienne stood from her desk, the tiniest bit irritated at the ceaseless knocking and wanting it to stop. She cracked open her door a tiny bit, being met with Miranda’s smiley face. “Constable Hilmarson. Volleyball, you say, what’s that?”

Miranda tilted her head back and forth, debating how she wanted to explain the game to Brienne, “We just hit a ball back and forth over a net! It’s silly fun! You will be good at it! We will play in the pool too! It’s not super serious!” 

“Oh. No. I’m not getting into the pool. You guys have fun, though.” Brienne started to close her door, Miranda’s hand coming out to stop it.

“Please, Bri! We don’t have to play in the pool. There is a spot in the yard. I bet Phas won’t care either way and Larissa won’t get her hair wet anyway. Come on, we will be a great team…”

Brienne cracked the door open to its previous position, her expression softening at seeing the constable’s excitement, “As long as I stay out of the pool, I am all for it. Let me change real quick and I will join you.” 

“Oh, you are the BEST!” Miranda rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment, pulling her towel tighter around her waist; noticing the water pooling at her feet. Brienne only chuckled and closed the door when the constable started walking away, moving to the dresser to get changed.

Miranda was a bundle of nerves as she walked down to Phasma’s room, knowing the captain could easily harm her if she chose. She hesitated momentarily outside the captain’s door, knocking twice and calling out, “Phas! Luci said you might be willing to play volleyball with me!”

There was silence for a few seconds, and Miranda was wondering if Phasma was even in there anymore. She was just about to leave when the captain’s door flew open, startling the towel-clad woman, and causing her to jump a tiny bit. 

Phasma wore a smirk on her face as she took in Miranda’s frightened and wet form in front of her, “Did they now?” The captain looked over the constable’s shoulder, seeing Brienne walk down the stairs in what looked like a tank top and sweatpants, making her raise a brow, “Is the Lord Commander joining you as well? Interesting.”

“Yep! Brienne is gonna play. I don’t think Larissa will, but I can play you and Brienne since I already know how to play. I wouldn’t wanna make it unfair by playing.” 

“Wouldn’t it be unfair for it to be two against one?” Phasma was now leaning cross-armed against the doorframe, a smirk still playing on her lips as she spoke to the constable who was practically bouncing on the spot from her glee.

Miranda felt heat spread across her cheeks as she worried about offending Phasma and incurring her wrath, “Well... I don’t mean to offend, but I’m just assuming I’ll be better than both of you since you haven’t played. Not really an unfair match-up if you consider that.”

“Who says I haven’t played volleyball? We probably have something similar to it, or at least an exercise like it up on the Starkiller.” Phasma was teasing Miranda, she enjoyed watching the constable squirm under her intense gaze.

“A game where you hit a ball back and forth over a net. If it hits the ground on the other team's side, you get a point?” Miranda gave a general summary, sounding unsure of every word as the captain stared at her. The constable’s voice kept getting quieter under the intimidation of Phasma, “You can choose the teams if that means you will play with us...”

Phasma chuckled wryly at how unsure the woman in front of her sounded, knowing that her sheer proximity had caused Miranda’s previous confidence to dawdle, “Awh, what’s the matter? Did you forget the game, or do you always sound this unsure when explaining things?” The captain was loving the effect they had on the constable way too much. She could sense her nervousness, and the first-order captain was surprised at how much power she held over the cop.

“You don’t have to play. I thought I was being nice by asking.” Miranda folded her arms over her chest, not willing to look into Phasma’s eyes. 

“No. I’ll play.” Suddenly, Phasma’s previous persona was gone without a trace, her usual stoic expression on her face. She removed herself from the door frame, standing up straight, “I was just fucking with you. You make it so easy.” The captain said no parting words before closing the door in Miranda’s face, moving to change just as Brienne had done.

Brienne had found a spot in the kitchen where she could look out into the lounge area, sipping a glass of water as she observed Miranda walk over to Larissa, surely to ask the shapeshifter the same question the constable had asked the knight.

“Rissa! Are you gonna play volleyball with us?” Miranda hovered over Larissa, who now lay back in her spot on the lounge chair; one knee bent as her face was turned up towards the sky. 

Larissa raised a hand to her brow, blocking the sun from her eyes as she gazed up at Miranda. Even with the constable’s giddy behavior, Larissa had a wonderfully easy time saying no as Miranda reminded her of many of her students, “No. I’m quite alright watching from over here, but do ask Lucifer if they would like to play.” The shapeshifter was looking to avoid both Phasma and Brienne after the events that occurred earlier in the day. She was really having terrible luck with the others on the trip thus far. 

Miranda made eye contact with Lucifer, who sat contently next to Larissa, shaded under an umbrella. Their serious expression told Miranda everything she needed to know. The blonde tucked the volleyball under her arm and sped away, not willing to dig deeper into Lucifer’s unwillingness to join in on the game. 

“Brienne! Catch!” Miranda gave Brienne a verbal warning before she threw the volleyball toward the knight, hoping to test her reflexes and hand-eye coordination. 

Brienne, still holding a glass in one hand, caught the ball hurling towards her with one, glaring at Miranda once she had, “You should be more careful with that, Hilmarson, I could have dropped my glass.”

Miranda’s eyes widened at the scold from the knight, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Her eyes shot down to the concrete patio, feeling remorseful for her actions, “Sorry, Bri…”

Phasma had emerged from behind Brienne, watching the scene fold out in front of her, “Caught that with one hand. I am very impressed, Lord Brienne. We might just win this yet.” The captain had walked up to the knight’s side, gazing down at the Lord Commander who sat on a barstool.

Brienne lowered the hand that held the ball into her lap, her eyes following it, “Yeah, I have had to catch a lot of things being thrown my way for many years. After a while, it becomes a reflex.”

“Damn. You are boring. Bring back the fun Brienne, I don’t like the mopey one. If we are going to win this, I need you in your best mindset, and this,” Phasma motioned to Brienne with her hand, “ain’t it.”

Brienne rolled her eyes at Phasma’s antics, knowing her words held some truth, “Whatever you say.” Raising her glass to her lips, she finished the rest of her water before putting the empty cup on a nearby table. She looked at the captain, shoving the volleyball onto her chest, “Let’s prove Constable Hilmarson wrong, shall we? I know that you’d like to.” 

Phasma grabbed onto the ball with both hands, taking it from Brienne, “I would very much like to. Let’s kick some ass.”

Lucifer leaned in towards Larissa, speaking quietly so as to not let the others hear their words, “Keep an eye on this bunch... I’m going back to work for a while.” 

Larissa turned to face Lucifer in order to give her verbal confirmation that she would attempt to keep everyone from killing one another, but when she turned to the immortal, Lucifer was already gone. With a sigh, Larissa plucked herself up from the lounge and followed after the group of women so she could watch the women play volleyball in the nearby yard. 

The shapeshifter watched as Brienne and Phasma took their place on the opposite side of the net as Miranda. She was surprised Miranda would agree to compete in any activity against the other two women. Larissa allowed herself to gawk at appreciate the athletic forms of each of the women before her, especially Brienne. 

The way Brienne’s tank top was slightly too tight for her accentuated her shoulder blades and waist. Her shoulders and biceps were on full display for Larissa to take in, and she was thanking every single God that ever existed for the knight’s wardrobe not being updated. 

Brienne’s sweatpants didn’t help in hiding much either. Larissa couldn’t know when the last time the Lord Commander updated her clothing situation was, but when the knight’s black sweatpants clung to her legs and ass like that, the shapeshifter couldn’t even begin to give a single shit. She was staring, and she felt no shame about it whatsoever. She was a woman of culture, she knew she had to appreciate art when she saw it, and that was exactly what she was doing.

Miranda wasn’t about to admit it, but the confidence she had once felt about playing the knight and captain was fading quickly. She positioned herself in the center of the makeshift court, swallowing hard as she waited for Phasma to serve the ball over the net. 

The match started with a harsh serve from Phasma, and Miranda could have sworn that the ball was on fire as it passed by her skull. This one hit would be an indicator of how the rest of the match would go.

In the few moments Larissa wasn’t watching Brienne, who had now procured a shine to her tanned skin because of the sweat, she was watching Miranda work her ass off to keep up with the passes and spikes to her side of the net. Miranda was diving and springing back up immediately, showing off the skills she had built up over years of playing in her sand volleyball league. 

Miranda was breathing heavily, beginning to struggle in keeping up. With an easy fake out from Phasma, Miranda was laid out on the ground, ready to chase down the ball. Phasma tipped the ball over the net gently, causing the ball to land in the grass next to Miranda, another point for the team of two.

The constable rolled over onto her back, taking a breather, regretting so many of her life decisions at this moment. Holding her arms above herself, Miranda made a ‘T-shape’ with her hands, indicating she wanted a timeout. 

“Are you okay, darling?” Larissa called to Miranda, standing up from her chair, only clad in her swimsuit with her hands on her hips. 

Brienne and Phasma turned to look at Larissa who had spoken up, the knight running a hand through her disheveled hair before wiping the sweat off her brow. The captain doing the same movement as her teammate. 

The knight looked at the collapsed constable with empathy, but Phasma’s eyes remained on Larissa, noticing the way the shapeshifter’s eyes quickly glanced at the Lord Commander and back to Miranda. If that glance meant what the captain thought it meant, she now had a very interesting opportunity if she felt like messing with the headmistress. Maybe she would sleep on it, or Brienne.

“All good.” Miranda held up a thumbs up before dropping her hand back down her side. She made no attempt to get up off the ground, instead, she wanted to let her breathing level out first, “Can you bring me water, Rissa? I’m dying...”

“Of course. Do you two need anything?” Larissa tilted her head, hands still on her hips as she popped out a knee, waiting for their response. She allowed her eyes to wander all over Phasma and Brienne, not hiding the way her eyes raked up and down their bodies. The shapeshifter found Phasma to be incredibly attractive as well, her aggressive nature was something Larissa could put up with if need be. 

Brienne kept her eyes fixed on Miranda, worried about her current condition, “Water would be fine, thank you.” The knight ducked under the net, rushing to the constable’s side to shield her from the sun until they could get her into the shadow, or inside.

Phasma watched Larissa’s eyes wander over both of their bodies, an intrigued smile on her face, “Same for me.” When the shapeshifter’s eyes remained on the captain’s thighs even after speaking, she realized she needed to snap the headmistress out of whatever fantasy she had found herself in, “My eyes are up here, you know.”

“Mhm...” Larissa hummed, pursing her lips to suppress a smirk. Turning on her heels, Larissa walked away from the volleyball match to retrieve the water. She ended up choosing plastic bottles over glasses so she could carry them all. On her way back outside, Larissa checked her make-up in the hall mirror, swiping beneath her bottom lip to straighten up her lipstick. If she was going to be flirting with anyone, she wanted to look good doing it. 

Once back outside, Larissa was relieved to see Miranda sitting up with the help of Brienne when she walked over. 

“Bri, I’m fine. I swear.” Miranda repeated once again, trying to shake her arm loose from the knight’s grip. More than anything, the constable was trying to retain the small amount of dignity she had left while Phasma was watching. She thought Captain Phasma was incredibly cool and wanted the first-order captain to think the same of her. Miranda felt her loss and Brienne’s care were ruining her image with the captain. 

“See, I would like to believe you, Constable, but I can’t. I still say that you should let me take you up to your bed so you can lie down.” Brienne held firm around Miranda’s shoulders, not letting the constable’s stubbornness win over hers.

“Miranda, just let her help you. Don’t be so ridiculous.” Larissa tapped her foot, holding out a bottle to Miranda who took it happily, ignoring the knight’s help while she drank greedily. The shapeshifter kept Brienne’s water in her grasp and tossed the other towards Phasma who caught it with ease.

“Oh, this is bloody ridiculous. Come on, up you get.” Brienne had grown tired of the constable’s hard-headedness and was now taking things into her own hands, literally. Hooking one arm under Miranda’s knees, she placed the other under her armpit for leverage. Standing up, the knight brought the other woman with her, carrying her in her arms.

“Lord Commander Brienne of Tarth put me down this instant! This instant I say!” Miranda was trying her best to thrash around in the knight’s arms as she carried her away from the court, to have her put her down, but unfortunately for the constable, Brienne’s arms were stronger than her diminished form.

“I’m going back to the pool,” Larissa muttered, loud enough for the others to hear.  Miranda was in good hands with Brienne, so she had no worries for the constable’s safety in the imminent future. The shapeshifted wouldn’t mind if Phasma chose to stay outside with her, but the odds the captain would want to socialize were low, so she was prepared to sit company-less. 

“You do that. I’m going to go take a shower. Later, loser,” Phasma threw up a hand before leaving in the same direction Brienne did. Larissa stood in place, loving watching the captain leave before walking back to the pool.

“I swear… Bri, I’m okay. I’m just tired is all.” Miranda continued her arguing with the knight the entire time she was carried to her bedroom, her tone becoming more resigned over time. Bringing her arms around Brienne’s neck, the constable leaned her head against the knight’s sternum, giving in to being carried, “I can walk. There is no need to pull out the knightly virtues just for me.” The constable had to take a moment to consider how strong she found Brienne to be as the woman didn’t seem to tire of carrying her. 

Brienne maneuvered the corridors of the home, carrying Miranda up the stairs to her room, eyes straight ahead and completely focused on getting the constable into her bed, “You say that, but I am having a hard time believing you. It is better to be on the safe side… I regret to tell you that is just the kind of person I am, I can sadly not put a lid on my ‘knightly virtues.’”

“I did a good job keeping up. You guys were-” Rather than finishing her sentence, Miranda shook her head and let out a breath. The constable expected more of an even match-up due to the other women’s lack of familiarity with the game, only now realizing she was sorely mistaken, “Did you have fun at least? I feel bad for being the reason it had to end.”

The knight stopped in front of the constable’s door, and gave it a light shove, causing it to glide open. Brienne carried Miranda inside and pulled the bed covers down before placing the cop on the exposed undersheet, “You did a wonderful job, Hilmarson. I had a lot of fun, thank you for inviting me.” The Lord Commander let go of the Aussie woman and rose to her full height, “You lay down. I’ll be right back.” After that, she left the room suddenly, her steps sounding as she left for the stairs.

The constable let out a long sigh, relaxing into the bed beneath her. She bit her lip, smiling to herself as she thought of the silliness of it all. Brienne was incredibly kind, but so much of the woman remained hidden to Miranda. Watching the doorway, the constable sighed, finally able to catch her breath after the intensity of the volleyball game. 

When Brienne eventually returned from her obvious trip to the kitchen and bathroom, she had an array of items with her. In one hand, she held two water bottles. In the other, she held a granola bar and an aftersun lotion, the bar balancing on the lotion. She set everything down on Miranda’s nightstand as she spoke, “You need to drink a lot of water before and after resting, you have lost a lot of fluid and you’ve been exposed to the sun, so, water, drink it. The granola bar is for after you wake up, you need to get something in that stomach of yours, to make sure your blood sugar doesn’t drop. And the lotion is to comfort your skin, I’m sure your skin will thank you.”

Miranda couldn’t help but watch the knight with the most bewildered expression, almost dumbfounded from the care she was being shown, “Thank you very much, but... Bri, you really didn’t have to do all of this...” The constable reached out, taking Brienne’s hand for a moment and giving it a squeeze to demonstrate her appreciation. Releasing the knight’s hand, Miranda then reached for water, ready to rehydrate before her nap, “You are wonderful.” 

Clasping her hands behind her back after Miranda released her grip on one of them, Brienne scanned the cop and the things on her bed table, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. “I know I didn’t have to.” The knight didn’t elaborate, she only bowed before moving to the constable’s doorway, “Sleep tight, Hilmarson.” She then left, softly closing the door behind her as she did.

Miranda couldn’t deny that she found the formality of the knight’s behavior to be a little strange, but more than anything she thought it was endearing and humorous. The constable didn’t feel as if she deserved the care which Brienne granted her as it was more fit for a maiden in a fairytale than someone such as herself. She didn’t dwell on this feeling long, opting for sleep instead. 

#gwendoline christie #larissa weems #wednesday netflix #gwen christie #brienne of tarth #game of thrones #got #captain phasma #star wars tfa #star wars #star wars the last jedi #star wars the force awakens #lucifer morningstar #lucifer morningstar (sandman) #the sandman #fanfic #fanfiction #crack fic #the road trip

[phantomwritr]

The Road Trip (4/?)

The second part of their journey to Milan mostly passed in silence. “Look, we’re just going to have to try and get through this together. You asked me along, so the least you can do is pretend you actually want this,” Lewis said, without taking his eyes off the road.

“Not by choice,” Max bit out.

“What do you mean, not by choice?”

“My PR-team pretty much forced me into this. And for some reason I don’t understand, Christian helped them. I didn’t want this, but they said if I didn’t convince you, the nicest and kindest driver on the grid, voted unanimously by fans, to come with me on this stupid road trip, my reputation would be fucked. So yes, I’m taking advantage of your perceived kindness. Please kindly drop me off at the nearest gas station so the whole world will know how much we hate each other.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t hate you. I respect you. And honestly I didn’t expect the great Max Verstappen to care about what people think. You always seem to go through life like you don’t give a care in the world—it’s a luxury I could never afford and I envy you for that, but it only motivates me to fight harder to get back in your rear-view mirrors. Or preferably, to see you in mine. If you want to show the world they’re right about us, then fine, I’ll drop you off at the next petrol station. But isn’t it the great strength of champions not to give up when the going gets tough? Isn’t this where champions persevere through sheer grit and determination? Who knows. Perhaps you’ll be surprised.”

Max stared ahead and blinked. “Is this where your whole Still I Rise-shtick comes from? Do you just give everyone who takes advantage of your kindness a pep talk?”

“It’s part of it, yes. But my motto—not a gimmick— is about much more than that. And no, I don’t give everyone a pep talk, but if you think I’m unfamiliar with people taking advantage of me, you don’t know me very well,” Lewis said, the only sign of any frustration being that he gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.

“Fine, whatever. Let’s just keep this show on the road,” Max acquiesced before going back to staring out the window.

“Glad to see you’ve decided to give it a chance. Want to do another round of those glovebox questions?”

Max shrugged. “Fine, yeah. Uhm, welcome to another round of Glovebox Questions. I guess. Oh, this one’s fun. Can you say three nice things about your travel companion?”

Lewis carefully swerved around someone as he stamped even harder on the gas. “Three?” Max nodded, half turning so he could see the expression on Lewis’ face.

“Well, you’re a great and consistent racer…er…” Lewis tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he racked his brain for something else to say. They nearly swerved onto the lane next to them, but Lewis course-corrected before any harm could befall them or anyone else.

“You’re loyal to your friends and family, which is really admirable…er…one more…” Lewis said as Max arched an eyebrow. “Is it that hard to say something nice about me?”

“It is if you are trying to say something meaningful. I mean, you’re skilled, determined, loyal, good with kids from what I’ve heard. How much more do you want me to stroke your ego?”

Max blanched and Lewis chuckled, his pearl-white teeth shining as he winked at the camera. “That’s…four,” Max said, a nervous chuckle escaping him. “Or six. I forgot to count.”

Silence fell over them like a blanket until Max cleared his throat. “All right, I guess it’s my turn to stroke your ego then.”

“So long as it’s just my ego you’re stroking,” Lewis joked, his lips curling upwards. Max did his best to disguise his chuckle with a cough. “If you want me to be nice to you, you shouldn’t torture me like this.”

“Oh, just shut up and answer the question, Max. Or do you also fail to perform when your engineer tells you a joke?”

Toto wanted to grab Christian by the collar and scream at him as they watched the livestream. Do you see what I mean now?!

#formula one #4433 #max verstappen #lewis hamilton #f1 fanfic #christian horner #toto wolff #f1 rpf #mawis #phantom’s rambles #the road trip #the road trip au #the mawis road trip #hornywolff

[rfswitchart]

On March 23rd, the Road Trip rides on...

#the owl house #the road trip #hexsquad #huntlow #lumity #gustholomule #veesha #toh hunter #willow toh #hunter noceda #willow park #luz noceda #the owl house fanfiction #amity blight #vee noceda #toh vee #toh masha #toh gus #gus porter #toh mattholomule #matt tholomule #here we go again #Youtube

[silence-book-and-tea]

“Enamorarme de ella me absorbió por completo y, por una vez, me encontré realmente a gusto con donde estaba y quien era.”

Rumbo a ti - Beth O'Leary

#books #libros #quotes #frases #literary quotes #frases literarias #literature #literatura #romance #rumbo a ti #the road trip #beth o'leary #addie x dylan #fall in love #enamorarse

[holdmeclosertinytaron]

At 8am this morning I was in Starbucks enjoying my first PSL of the season (it was breathtakingly beautiful) and reading while rain hit the window I was sitting at.

I’ve been reading this book since July and I’m only halfway through. I thought I would love it as I loved The Switch by the same author but it just isn’t giving me the vibes that I wish it was. Hopefully I’ll finish it soon and I can move on to another Taylor Jenkins Reid.

#shut up Lauren #the road trip #psl #beth o'leary

[winterpinetrees]

Council Minutes (The Gap Years part 9)

June 18th 2019

The Elven Capital / Interstate 82

zooming the third person narration out a bit. I have ground to cover and no need for consistency.

……

Though the dual desertion may seem like it would allow for a higher chance of survival, we belive that both monitors were lost to the void soon after they abandoned their posts. 

While the High Council searches for three missing heirs, the rest of the elven world keeps turning. They have ceremonies to attend, disputes to resolve, children to parent, and as the report explains, huge breakdowns of infrastructure to handle. The report is clinical, concise, and catastrophic. Two of the monitors responsible for maintaining the very existence of the Nile Delta Voidport abandoned their posts and pushed off into the void, where, based on previous incidents, they almost certainly ceased to exist within a few hours and cannot be recovered. A Volunteer Watch has been assembled until new monitors can be brought in, but until they are, a centuries old hub of trade and travel is in a very precarious situation. 

Apex Ishtar Mercuralis, the most important woman in the world, puts her head in her large hands. She has a plan. It’s both extremely good and extremely bad. Ishtar knows why monitors have such a high rate of desertion. Ishtar also knows that this is a supply and demand problem, and that her plan to increase supply is, well…

Councillor Gullin Eburos, Plaguekeeper, Lord of Gens Eburos, clenches one hand into a fist. “I still dissent. For thousands of years, the positions of monitor and arbiter have been at least somewhat voluntary. We are making enemies of the same group that even Lazarus dared not anger”.

Ryn shoots him a glare. “Do you have a better plan? We are dragging this planet out of a stagnant period that has lasted since the north star was in Hercules. We need better infrastructure”.

“I cannot condone our soldiers going into settlements that have provided sanctuary since the north star was in Hercules and conscripting children! They’ve already been Betrayed!”

“So kidnapping and coercion are only a problem for you when elves are the victims? Without a stable void, humans outperform us at trade and production. Either we start preparing now, or we’ll end up scrambling once we’ve been unveiled”. 

There are five human seneschals on the edges of the room. In their indigo and gray uniforms, they almost look like part of the room itself. They vary in age from twenty-one to over sixty and have little in common other than their purpose and their intelligence. All five look at Ryn, then at Gullin, and then at each other. They will gossip about this later. 

The Plaguekeeper composes himself. “A spark like you cannot understand that the void, and the Betrayed, are not things to treat lightly”.

Ishtar’s eyes flare indigo. “Enough. We agreed on a plan and we will see it through. Besides, we’re already pissing off every other enclave by conquering the human world. We’re not doing this for popularity. We’re doing it to save the worlds,”

The council falls silent. The Apex has spoken, and this is not a democracy. They will stay the course. 

With too much to do, the council does not break for lunch. Their seneschals bring in food, (and coffee for Ryn, an uncouth commoner habit that Amedi has started to adopt). Discussion continues. 

“Shouldn’t this issue have been resolved by the Harbormasters?”

“Have someone from the undercouncils pay her a visit”.

“That’s a serious violation of section four of the Lazarus Reforms”. 

“I always hated Lachlan, but it is still a bit strange to know that he’s dead”.

“If the situation gets any worse, then our job in the human world will get a lot easier”.

And then the ever present topic of the missing heirs. Councillor Devana Marolak, traitor to her bloodline, representative of the Hunters, somewhat recently divorced (she got to keep the pet hawk) brings them back to it.

“The older Adust heir legitimately does not know where his sister is. That line is skilled in telepathy, but even they have limits”.

Ishtar had ordered that there would be no torturing of their noble prisoners. She seems to have been ignored. “Unfortunate. And we lost your niece's trail somewhere in the Great Plains?” The subtle insult is more effective than telling Devana off directly. 

“...Yes. I typically avoid human turns of phrase, but we’re trying to find a needle in the human world’s largest collection of haystacks”.

Ryn smiles in spite of himself. “Noble culture is built on deception and survival. It shouldn’t be surprising that we can’t catch anyone. They’ve been raised for this”. 

The four nobleborn councilors grumble and shift the arms that bear their vambraces. Ryn’s statement would make more sense if they were chasing nobility-by-merit, but the three lost heirs are all children. Children from the high nobility, yes, but none of them had ever really been tested. That makes it even more insulting how Kova and Marin escaped capture. Marin and his band of humans even killed a nobleman. His name was Kiper Chrysos and he fell to one human boy with a makeshift club and another with a concussion rifle set to kill. It’s not just a death, but a disgrace. 

The nobility are tied together by a great web of violence. They all know that the elven world prospers when the fit survive and the strong conquer. The names of those killed by another are announced with great ceremony, and kills are marked on vambraces as trophies and burdens. All five of the high council have new marks from the coup a few weeks ago. However, the rules are very clear. Names are only declared for the elven dead, and only long-lived elves can suitably carry the weight of killing an equal. Legally speaking, Kiper was killed by no one. He might as well have been mauled by a bear. One of the other soldiers, a young Gens Tiercel elf with an undercut and a very promising future, was also shot. The impact crushed his spine, an injury that would paralyze without magical treatment and will still take him months to recover from. Speed and movement are everything to the Tiercel. The injury is a more devastating blow than the human responsible will ever understand. Marin’s survival is impressive. He’s clearly very fit, and worthy of his noble birth and Lazarus’s bloodline. That doesn’t mean anyone is happy about it. 

“We’ve secured the town of Vya, at least. And our troops are being subtle about it. If Marin comes back, he shouldn’t notice anything is off until it’s too late, '' Councillor Amedi Kebero, only here because every good council needs a scrappy upstart, explains. They all know that Marin was in the suspicious car now. The analysts did some great work and confirmed the car as belonging to one Sierra Bracken, a billionaire’s daughter that matches the description of the girl from the fight. Where would the High Council be without humans to handle the data!

 “Amedi, your time at the Conservatory proves you have a skill for killcraft.” Ishtar adds. The young elf turns to her excitedly (their ears literally perk up). Six small marks on their vambrace catch the light. 

“The nobility won’t admit it, but they're frightened of Marin’s band. We need to prove our own bravery before asking them to risk their lives against the human world. Will you join the strike team?”

“I’d be honored to, Apex”.

“Good. You’ve been overseeing the operation, so you should already know the team. Esther will stay here and keep your affairs in order, but you should be back soon”. The human girl nods. Amedi smiles at her, the sort of smile you give a dog that’s been very good, and Esther smiles back.

“Should I use Mercuralis colors?” they ask. “Marin may recognize me. My signature is…well it’s from a regional, lower genus, and I did win my year”.

“That was quite the way to brag, Amedi,” Devana says.

Ryn is more serious. “Use whatever colors are your strongest. We cannot truly begin until the heirs have been captured”.

“And try your best to bring him in alive. We’ve already killed enough elves,” This is Ishtar’s penance. She is many things, but at least she isn’t killing children. In that small way, she is better than the Sondaicas who killed her parents and her brother and left her with nothing but a legacy and a betrothal.

In her name, if not by her direct actions, tens of thousands of Betrayed will be conscripted and three billion humans will die. But of Sondaica and its allies, only a single elven child has been killed. Marin’s death wouldn’t be a catastrophe. There are other heirs to Gens Sondaica safely imprisoned, and Marin is already old enough to be in those strange gap years between the thresholds of legal adulthood, but Ishtar just doesn’t want to. He seems like a good kid.

Never mind that Ishtar killed her first elf during those same gap years, that Amedi killed three, or that the old Apex murdered her own star-crossed love in a coup when she was about the same age as Marin. Never mind that her brothers never got a chance to grow older than her children are now. Never mind that the nobility prosper when the fit survive and the strong conquer, and that there really isn’t any room for good kids.

What’s the point of taking over the world if you can’t even try? Ishtar is trying. She has a plan that is both extremely good and extremely bad. Things are going to be different this time.

…………

In the human world a few hundred miles away, Sierra receives a call from an unknown number. She ignores it, but then the caller leaves a voicemail, and curiosity gets the best of her. The message is not in any language she can understand. Sierra puts it on speakerphone once they are back in the car.

“Is this your girlfriend!” 

Marin takes the phone from her hands so quickly that she barely even registers the movement. 

“Yes! That’s her!”

Clay leans back over his seat. “Are you sure it’s her and not a trick? What if she was captured? What’s she saying?”

“This is real. I left some codes in my message. Little things only she’d know. If Zerada had been captured she’d have found some way to tell me”.

“Well what’s she saying?”

“When we were kids, we sometimes climbed this really big statue on Mid-Year's Night. It’s of my oldest ancestor, Lazarus Sondaica. He took over the world a long time ago. We’d sit on his shoulders and watch the fireworks”.

Sierra interejects. “So it’s like the Statue of Liberty, but for the opposite of liberty?” 

Marin takes a moment to understand the question. “Yes. Anyway, she says to meet her in Las Vegas on that same night, by a different Lazarus”. 

“When is Mid-Year’s Night? Is that the solstice?” Brian asks.

“Actually yes! Well, the night before. This year that is the night of the 20th, or two days from now.”

Sierra tries to take her phone back. “That’s a huge drive from here. How does she know we’ll be able to make it?” 

“It’ll be rough,” Brian explains. He’s gotten a feel for driving distances. "Fifteen hours, at least."

Marin sighs. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what she means by a different Lazarus”.

“Is there a big statue in Las Vegas?” She has cell service for once, and types that exact question into the search bar. (using a VPN of course. They don’t want to be tracked.)

“Not that I remember. There’s a lot of little ones,” Clay says. 

“Google’s telling me about the Statue of Liberty replica? Does that work?”

Brian pulls the car around and starts driving south, “Emma Lazarus!” 

Marin looks at him. He seems to recognize the name. “Who?”

Brian looks over at Clay and Sierra, who both seem confused. “No one? Emma Lazarus wrote the poem on the Statue of Liberty! ‘Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame /With conquering limbs astride from land to land; /Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand’?”

Marin blinks like he’s been awakened from a dream. He looks down at his feet. “‘A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame /Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name’”

Sierra looks at them, “What the hell guys”. 

Brian and Marin meet each other's eyes. “‘Mother of Exiles’”.

He accelerates the car. That 15-hour time assumed that they sped a bit. “We need to get to the Statue of Liberty replica”.

The elf has one more thing to add. “Vya is about half way. We could stay the night there, if it’s safe”. 

Clay looks skeptical. "If that's half the drive, we'll get there in seven hours. It'll be getting dark by then. Are we sure we should risk a potentially hostile ghost town at night?"

"Then we'll visit first thing tomorrow"

"Fine."

………

The poem in question is "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. I am so close to plot events I’ve been imagining for years! It’s so fun. Unfortunately, I am also doing the writing equivalent of hacking through underbrush to figure out how everything else fits in.

#by me #the gap years #my oc stuff #writing that *is* #the high council #the road trip