PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 5, 2013 17:45:27 GMT -8
I love your comic Pluto, Brian is forever adorbs. And now, goofy Brugo one-shot ahoy! Featuring a certain mug as seen on tumblr. (Ngl I kind of want one of those mugs now. They seem pretty awesome. Drinking your coffee without getting third degree burns? Awesome! And you cool it by swirling it like brandy to make you seem extra sophisticated.) Anyway, onto the fic, which I have aptly named "Brugo." {BRUGO} “Hi there sir, finding everything okay?” Brian jumped at the clerk’s voice, spinning around as if perusing the luggage aisle of the local mega-mart was akin to being caught shoplifting. “Oh, hi. Yeah.” He must not have been very convincing because she looked at the shelves and then back at him. “Planning a trip?” “No. Just looking for a gift for someone. I’m good.” “Okay, holler if you need anything.” She began to walk away, straightening the aisle as she went. Brian went back to debating his options. Luggage? He already has luggage. Travel clock? He’s got a watch. Neck pillow? He never sleeps sitting up anyway. Toiletry kit? Ugh, god, that’s the cheapest cologne on the planet, I wouldn’t give my worst enemy that.“Actually I could use some advice,” he finally conceded to the clerk, who turned back around. “Sure, what’d you need?” “My husband travels for work sometimes. He’s already got all this stuff. Do you have anything new and…I don’t know, interesting? Is there anything interesting in the world of commuting?” She chuckled, but didn’t seem cowed by his quest. “I’ve got just the thing. We got these new thermoses in–” “He’s already got a travel thermos.” “Not one like this I bet.” She picked one up off the shelf and held it out. “It has a temperature chamber so that even if you take a sip right after pouring the coffee in, it won’t scald your mouth.” “Really?” Brian had been the victim of a few hot-coffee incidents himself and looked the brightly-colored mug over more closely. “There’s also a locking mechanism to prevent spills, and a normal spout option once it cools down. It comes in different colors if he has a favorite–” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “No, look, we have the full line of colors,” she said, looking a little confused. Brian was busy gaping at the mug’s packaging. “ Brugo? This thing is called a Brugo?” “Yes, that’s right. It’s been getting great reviews all over the internet.” He looked at it, back at her, and back at the mug again. The whole reason he was out looking for a gift was so he’d have something to apologize with when he got home. When Hugo had announced he had yet another business meeting that would keep him overnight, Brian had, he would admit now, been a bit of a brat about it. Lately the trips had been more often than usual, and he’d just been disappointed that he’d gotten a few days off his own job, only to find he’d be spending them alone. He’d dealt with his disappointment in a less than constructive way, however, and the discussion had ended with them both leaving the room a little more aggressively than necessary. It had been a stupid fight, but that was precisely why he wanted to bring home something to show he hadn't been serious, and he really did support his partner in his job. Well, I doubt you’ll find anything more appropriate.“I’ll take it.” - - - When he walked in the door, Hugo was sitting on the couch watching TV. He glanced over the back of the cushions, then looked back at the screen. Brian kicked his shoes off, walked over and sat down next to him. For a few minutes he watched the program, waiting for a commercial before saying, “Still mad at me?” “Not mad,” Hugo said. “Just frustrated and tired. I’m sorry I snapped.” “No, it’s okay. I snapped first. Here.” He dropped the bag in his lap. “What’s this?” “I got it for you. For your trip, to say sorry, you know. I was just disappointed, that’s all, but I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you.” A little smile played around the corners of Hugo’s lips. “Really, Brian?” “What?” He turned the thermos around. “You got me a mug with a portmanteau of our names on it? You’re such a romantic sometimes, I swear.” “Wha…no, that’s the brand name!” Brian protested, his cheeks flaring with heat. Hugo, grinning now, leaned over and kissed the top of his head before getting up to carry the thermos to the kitchen. “You goof. You never do anything halfway. I love it, thank you.” “It’s not– you’re welcome, but– it really is the brand name, I swear it’s just the brand name!” - - - Notes: Brian is a romantic, but he’s not that much of one, darn it! (Trufax: Hugo totally knows it’s the brand name, he’s just playing with Brian because gosh it’s cute when he blushes, with those freckles and everything. u///u) I blame Anya for this. >3 Her idea was for Brian to fanboy over the mug, but the plotbunny wanted to make him be all "wut" instead. It's not everyday you find something with a portmanteau of you and your husbands name on it. xD
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Post by Talys Alankil on Oct 6, 2013 10:55:16 GMT -8
Oh my god you actually wrote this ^-^ So cute! Also yay for a potential Edenverse comic! I like that
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 8, 2013 16:17:54 GMT -8
On the topic of Edenverse, I come bearing a new chapter! I finally kicked my writer's block enough to get a draft of chapter eight and part of nine finished today, which means I feel comfortable posting seven without fearing that it will take a nosedive into a hiatus afterward. xD; What do you mean "You already took a two month hiatus shut up Puzzle."Revenant of the Serpent: Chapter Seven {Chapter 07} Tess found them sitting there when she walked in some time later. Brian, unsure of how she felt about civilians in her infirmary, started to concoct an argument, but she just waved him down and said, “Did you at least get him to eat anything?” “Um…no.” “I wasn’t hungry,” Hugo mumbled. “That’s not a good enough excuse. I’ll take it from here, you go take care of yourself,” she said. Hugo nodded, clearing his throat as he let go and stood up. Brian scrambled up after him. He saw Hugo’s gaze dart to the bed for a moment, then away. “I uh, do need the latrine. Brian, do you think the meeting’s still going on?” “Probably.” “Okay, give me a second, then we can head over.” “Eat first, meeting second,” Tess fired after him as he walked to the door. Brian started to slink after him, when she pulled back the blankets on the bed and sent a wave of stale, sick air at him. He wrinkled his nose. “How do you even stand that?” he couldn’t help asking. “I’m a shifter,” she said, checking Rachael Smith’s bandages, “and you get used to it.” “Wouldn’t being a shifter make it worse? Better nose and all that?” “Not so. As a wolf, the things humans find disgusting, we find educating. I had always had a strong stomach for foul scents, but after my shifting awoke it was improved upon. It has its downsides, of course. I don’t much like the smell of smoke, which makes nighttime social gatherings difficult.” Brian shook his head, unable to imagine disliking smoke and yet tolerating pus. “Well, if it’s useful.” He turned to leave again, then looked back. “Is she going to be okay? I asked Hugo, but…is he right? Is there a chance?” Tess met his eyes. “The medicine Hugo brought could make a huge difference.” “Could? And if it doesn’t?” “If she gets worse we’d be approaching the point where amputation may be discussed.” Brian didn’t bother to ask the success odds there. He just nodded. This time, it was Tess who stopped him before he got to the door. “Speaking of scents, may I ask about your new magic?” “Huh?” “The shifters were discussing it this morning. The ones in wolf form who met you at your arrival could smell it in you, predominately on your arm.” She pointed to the burn, which was now a fresh scar. “They said you didn’t have it last time.” That gave him a chill. He already knew he had vampiric magic, but had at least assumed it was undetectable. The thought that the shifters might be able to sense it hadn’t crossed his mind. He had only been there a day; he wasn’t ready to be an outcast again. “I…I’m not sure I’m ready to get into the details yet.” “No trouble, I was merely curious. You may want to come up with a stock answer if others ask, however.” With that, she went back to studying a thermometer. “Can regular people sense it?” “I doubt it.” She looked amused. “I didn’t mean to say you smell. We’re just more sensitive than other people.” Something new occurred to him. “What about vampires? Could they smell it?” “Possibly. They tend to have heightened senses.” Is that why those two let me go? Because they sensed magic? He tried to remember which side of his neck they’d gone for. Had it been the side with his knife scar? He’d been too panicked at the time to remember. “You should go, Hugo will be waiting.” “Right. I’m going.” He folded his arms, one hand brushing over the unnaturally-made scar. “You…you and the shifters won’t tell anyone, will you?” “I can’t speak for everyone, but I won’t if that’s what you ask. Is it supposed to be a secret?” “Um, kind of. I didn’t really plan on making it known. It’s kind of a big deal when people aren’t human, back home.” The words came out before he remembered that San Francisco was no longer home. “Why would you not be human?” He threw his arms up. “I’ve got smelly magic inside of me!” That time, Tess smiled. “So do shifters,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean we aren’t human.” - - - As he emerged from the building, Brian saw Hugo returning. Before he could say anything, Hugo was talking over him: “Okay, let’s get to this meeting before they give up on us.” “Food first,” Brian corrected as he fell into step beside him. “I’m not hungry–” “Hugo, you’ve barely eaten anything since yesterday morning. If it was me you’d be shoving food in my face right now.” Hugo’s tone sharpened. “Well, it’s not you, it’s me, and I’m not hungry.” “Okay, fine.” He waited a few minutes before trying again. “You haven’t slept either. Do you at least want to rest first?” “No, I don’t.” He started to walk faster. Brian reached out and grabbed his wrist, bringing them both to a halt on the trail. “Hugo, stop it. Look at me.” It took some time before Hugo’s eyes flicked up to meet his. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” When Brian raised his brows at him, Hugo said, “Okay…I know I wasn’t doing so well before, but I’m better now. I’m dealing with it.” “You don’t just ‘deal with’ things like this in a day.” “Can we just please go to the meeting before they give up?” “It isn’t like this is the only chance. We can just tell Fernando to have everyone get together tomorrow to plan. He’d understand.” “I want to have it today,” Hugo said, every word clipped. “Okay, we’ll go today, but at least come get something to eat first,” Brian coaxed. “I’m hungry too. We can go for a walk–” “Will you not harp on this? I don’t want food. We don’t need a walk. I just want to go to the meeting right now. That’s what I want.” Brian rolled his shoulders, taking a deep breath. He let him go. “Fine. I get that. Can I at least ask why it can’t wait?” “I have to tell them to call the coup off.” Brian gaped at him. “ What?” “I want it called off. It's not worth it anymore.” His voice rose over Brian’s noises of protest. “We can live out here with the shifters, right? You can still fight vampires, and I can work with Tess–” “You want to quit? Are you even listening to yourself?” “Or we could go investigate those missing people some more. Can’t we do that? It’s better this way–” “It’s not better this way!” Brian could barely believe what he was hearing. “What about our plans? What about the people who came all the way here with us because of this? What about Louisa? She’s waiting for us.” “And if she keeps waiting, she’ll stay alive,” Hugo snapped, tone shifting at the first sign of argument. “If we go in, what happens then?” “Hugo…” His mind was spinning. “Where is this coming from?” “I had time to think about it. Rebellion hasn’t done anything except get people killed. We go in there, Holden will just take hostages again. You know he will. More blood on our hands, more people dying because I couldn’t stay in line.” Had time to think about it.So all that time, sitting there together, Hugo had been deciding this while Brian had assumed he was using the time to piece himself together. He had seen Hugo shatter before, but he’d also seen his defense mechanisms of logic and order react to catch him. He was the one who always held onto hope, always had one more idea, one more theory, one more reason to believe. In the silence he thought Hugo was doing as he always did, taking comfort in plans, organizing the chaos until he turned it into pieces small enough to understand and overcome. It was strength Brian knew he would never have, and admired. And had taken for granted that nothing could break. “That isn’t true,” he said, meeting the fury in his friend’s eyes, wondering who that anger was really directed at. “This time it will make people free.” “Free to do what, get murdered and cut up and God knows what else?” “We’re going to take out the people doing that. That’s what we’re here to stop.” “And what if we don’t?” Hugo demanded. “What then? We’ll have just made everything worse. Holden will kill everyone, either out of revenge if not in the fight. Louisa, her family, our friends–” “Are not much better off than slaves right now,” Brian argued. “At least they’re alive.” “You think that’s good enough? Alive? That’s the best people can get?” Against his will, he was starting to get defensive. Hugo was sounding like that boy again who he’d first met behind the wall so long ago. Ready to cover his eyes and go along with lies if it meant safety. Hugo flung his arm out, back in the direction they’d come from. “I think ‘alive’ is doing pretty damn good by comparison.” That tone didn’t belong in that voice. Those words didn’t belong. None of it belonged. “I know you’re upset,” Brian said, “but you can’t just tell us all to quit after we came all this way.” “I’m the leader, and I’m telling Fernando we’re calling it off.” Hugo whipped around and started to storm away. Brian ran after him, grabbing his arm again, tapping into vampiric strength to pull him to a stop. Logic and order might not be his weapons, but Brian wasn’t a stranger to battling demons. That much he could do. “Hugo, if this is about being afraid of what you’ll do–” “It’s not about who I’ll shoot, it’s about who Holden will! He went after Tom and Ali even after getting rid of Mom. He won’t stop.” “So we have to stop him.” Hugo began to tremble. “That is not your risk to take.” “I’m co-leader. I get a say.” “It isn’t your right,” Hugo bit out. “These are my neighbors we’re talking about. They didn’t ask to be casualties. That’s what they’ll end up as. Holden won't care, but I do.” Brian held him tighter, refusing to let him pull away. “There’s also people there waiting for us, you can’t just quit on them–” “Easy for you to say. You don’t even know any of them. Forks isn’t your home.” The words stung with cold, and even though Brian knew it was nothing but mindless lashing out, it still caused a hiccup in his resolve. Forks would never replace camp one. He knew that. But he'd been thinking of it as a place where he might have a life again, where he wouldn't be a fugitive or alone. Maybe it wasn't home, maybe it never would be, but that didn't mean he wanted to see it burn. He accepted that a battle meant risking losses, but it didn't make him cold just because he didn't know the losses personally...did it? It took a few heartbeats before he could find his voice. “That isn’t fair.” Hugo’s expression suddenly crumpled, and Brian was taken back to that night in their room after the swimming lesson, when Hugo had struck out with harsh words at another truth he hadn’t wanted to face. This time, Brian didn’t leave and he didn’t let go. He rooted his feet to the ground and watched the same pain battle it out on Hugo’s face. His body, tense a second ago, went slack. “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” “No it isn’t.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “If it means it’s you in there again, it’s okay.” Everything else cracked, revealing the fear in his eyes. With a long shuddery breath, the words rushed out: “I don’t know what to do. This is my fault. I can’t fix it, so can’t I at least keep it from getting worse?” “If you’re talking about Holden being pissed off about our escape, then it’s just as much my fault,” Brian started, before Hugo cut him off. “No. You just wanted to go back home. I’m the one who told Holden about you. I’m the one who challenged him. I’m the one who rebelled and got away with it. I’m the reason everyone got upset and started questioning him. Mom and Ali and Tom and everyone else are my fault.” The worst part was, Brian couldn’t disagree with him. “You won’t fix it by giving up,” was all he could say. “Then how will I?” His lower lip trembled, despite how hard he was clenching his jaw. “Mom should have been the safest person in Forks, and look at her. All she did was turn away from him. All Louisa’s sister did was give her a place to sleep. What do you think Holden and his people will do to anyone they find actually plotting against them? How can I go in there and say that more rebellion will make things better? How can I actually believe myself when I say it?” He stared at Brian as if he was hiding the answer, but all he could say was, “I don’t know.” Tears welled up in Hugo’s eyes, blurring the fear. Brian threw his arms around him before he could run, or fall, or do whatever he might have done. He held onto him until his legs shook, then sank to the ground and held him there. This time, instead of silence, he spoke. He repeated every stupid, hopeful thing he could think of, even the ones he didn’t believe, never letting him reply. Talking until his voice grew raspy and his throat hurt, until Hugo stopped shivering, stopped trying to argue, stopped fighting entirely and sank into exhausted sleep. - - - He was on the verge of dozing off too when he heard he and Hugo’s names bellowed through the trees. Brian cursed silently. He’d been more than willing to take some mosquito bites and remain there into the night if it meant Hugo getting a healthy amount of rest. “We’re here, we’re fine!” he called, as loudly as he dared, only be answered by more shouts and the sound of feet. Two wolves came thundering down the path, Yeni close behind, and two others behind her. “I said we’re fi–” “What happened?” Fernando demanded, catching up. “Is Hugo okay?” In his arms, Hugo muttered and stirred. “He’s fine, other than the fact that you guys just woke him up,” Brian replied, trying and failing to not sound annoyed. The wolves sniffed them both once, exchanged glances, and trotted back into the trees. It was too bad, Brian wouldn’t have minded their company. Instead he was faced with Fernando, Yeni, and a third man carrying a gun. “What are you doing out here?” “Hugo was freaked out about his mom. He needed some time.” “You could have at least let us know you were okay,” Yeni said. “People worried about you.” “Sorry. I just didn’t want to wake him up, he needed sleep.” And I couldn’t let him go to you saying he wanted to quit.Yeni turned to Fernando. “I’ll go tell everyone they’re okay.” “Okay, we’ll be along.” Brian noted that the man with the gun didn’t leave with her. Hugo groaned louder, not making any effort to get up. “What’s wrong, got a crick in your neck?” Brian asked, pulling him upright. That was when he noticed Hugo’s eyes were still closed. “Hugo?” “What’s going on?” Fernando stepped closer. “What’s wrong with him?” “I don’t– Hugo! Wake up!” He shook him hard, but it didn’t seem to help. Hugo just gave a low whimper as his hands twitched. From the corner of his eye, Brian saw the armed man shift his gun to an offensive stance. Not this again!“It’s just a nightmare, he had one like it a week ago. Hugo! Come on, wake up!” “A nightmare?” Fernando said, crouching at Hugo’s side. “He’d wake up by now.” Brian growled through his teeth as he tried lightly slapping Hugo’s shoulder. “I’m telling you, it’s just– ow!” One of Hugo’s hands flung up and hit his arm in a semblance of struggle. Fernando jumped to his feet, skidding on gravel, not taking his eyes off his friend. “Okay, I don’t know what the fuck you call nightmares, but this isn’t normal. I’m getting Tess.” “No! You don’t have to get anyone. He’s fine, he’s just–” “Just having some kind of fit!” “No, it’s a nightmare,” Brian snapped, eyes darting nervously back to the gunman, who had been watching them all silently. The man jolted half a step back when their gazes met and his fingers tightened on the weapon. Andrea did that too.Beside him, Hugo made a low, choked sound. Then, with a gasp, his eyes flew open. His panicked gaze darted from Brian to someplace behind him, scanning the trees. “He’s awake,” Brian shouted after Fernando. He immediately turned back to them. “Hugo? You okay man?” “Yeah.” Hugo shakily propped himself up on one arm. “Bad dream.” Brian resisted saying ‘ I told you.’ “That was more than a bad dream,” Fernando insisted. “No, it was. I had another one on the trip here, ask the others.” Hugo had been looking around the whole time, and his eyes widened at the sight of the gunman. He turned back to Brian, who sort of patted his arm in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “Are you sure?” Fernando said. “Yeah. Yeah, nothing to worry about.” He smiled weakly. “No surprise really…it’s been a bad day.” “It has,” Fernando agreed after a moment, his voice losing its edge. He held out his hand to pull Hugo to his feet. “How are you doing?” Brian held his breath. Don’t say it, don’t say it.“Okay. Starving though.” “You still haven’t eaten? Come on, I’ll set you up with a feast.” Hugo didn’t move. “Actually, I’m going to walk back with Brian, okay? We’ll meet you there.” “You sure?” Brian didn’t like his tone, or the fact that the other man hadn’t lowered his gun. “I’m sure. I just need to talk to him for a moment.” “All right.” Fernando stepped back. “Don’t take too long, food goes fast with shifters hanging around.” “I’ll remember that.” Hugo kept his smile affixed until they rounded the first corner. As it melted away, so the rest of his strength seemed to as well. Brian hurried forward, afraid he might collapse. Hugo rocked on his feet, but managed to keep them. “I’m fine, it’s fine,” he said, steadying himself. “That nightmare didn’t seem fine.” He grimaced. “No, that sucked,” he agreed, “but it’s just a nightmare. Nothing new.” “I don’t like how you get stuck in them,” Brian said. “It freaks everyone out. Fernando wanted to get Tess.” “Sorry for scaring you.” He rubbed his eyes as he spoke. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s not even a shock anymore. I’ve been having them ever since we got back from camp three, and after today…is it still today?” He looked up at the twilight-dulled sky. “Yeah, it’s evening. I decided to let you sleep.” “Were you asleep too? Did I wake you up?” His worry over something so superficial was comfortingly familiar. If Hugo could fret about his sleep, maybe the world was finally going back to normal. “Nah. I had just dozed off when Fernando and everyone came looking.” “How are you doing?” “Not bad.” He really wasn’t. Despite missing meals and fractured sleep, he didn’t feel shaky or weak. “Vampire stamina, you know.” He assumed a cheesy pose, hoping to coax Hugo into a smile. It worked, a little. “It’s you I’m worried about.” The smile flickered out again. “I was out of line earlier. I could say I was scared, or angry. I was both, but that’s no excuse.” Hugo held his hands out, his eyebrows knitting together. “I’m sorry.” “It’s all right. Like you said, it was a bad day.” He braced himself. “What about what you said about wanting to quit? Are you saying sorry for that, too?” Hugo nodded. “I don’t know what got into my head. I knew you were right, and Louisa is waiting, and people are counting on us. This just isn’t what I thought we’d come back to. I thought everything would be like it was when we left. That we'd go in, surprise Holden and take him out before he expected anything. You warned us, months ago, when you said upsetting Holden’s power would lead to killing, but I didn’t think…” He hung his head, and Brian grimaced; he’d forgotten about saying that. “Quitting seemed like the only way I could avoid turning it into an all-out slaughter. I know it’s not, I knew it wasn’t, but at the time–” “At a bad time, on a bad day, it made sense,” Brian said. “Yeah,” he agreed, eyes downcast. Brian took one of his hands. “Come on, you have to eat something, and get some more rest.” After a moment, Hugo squeezed his hand and summoned up another shaky smile. “You sound like me.” “Yeah, well, you’re the one who gives good advice, not me. Figured borrowing a line or two would be better than whatever I’d come up with my own.” That actually earned a chuckle, making Brian feel like he’d done at least one thing right that day. - - - After they returned to the camp, he initially resolved to keep a close eye on Hugo for signs of any more sudden changes of heart, but it wasn’t long before the fatigue of the day began to settle in, and a headache followed. When he spotted Jou and Andrea sitting down beside Hugo and talking quietly with him, Brian decided it was okay to escape to the tents the reservation had provided them. It was healthy, he told himself, for Hugo to discuss things with someone besides him. And maybe it was a little of a relief, too. For someone else to help bear the burdens for a few minutes. Guilt twinged in his chest as he flopped down to his sleeping bag. He shouldn’t want other people to step into the support role. It should be an honor to have Hugo’s trust and to help carry the pain, but the honor didn’t make it easy. He just needed a moment to breathe. More guilt latched on. He needed a moment to breathe? How could he whine about pressure now when Hugo was under twice as much? Brian could rationalize that he understood everything happening, understood it vividly. People had died because of his choices before. He’d lost his parents. He’d made choices that satisfied his fear without thinking about what they’d mean later. Sure, he’d been there. But through the lens of memories. No memory could compete with the white-hot pain of things happening right that second. Hell, he hadn’t even been conscious when his mother died. Hadn’t even known she was gone until days later. At least Hugo has the chance to say good-bye.It was an awful thought, one he barely had time to think before guilt butted back in and reclaimed its ground. She had to be okay, he decided. Hugo’s mother had to recover. Because if she didn’t, Brian knew he’d be useless as support. It wouldn’t be fair for Hugo to both lose his mom and be stuck with someone whose own history was to go off and hurt people when upset, a tactic that only worked because the self-loathing it brought dulled the grief a little. Hugo deserved more than that. He was clinging to that pitiful reason for optimism when the tent flap was pushed back, sending a plume of cold air into it. Hugo followed, mumbling an apology as Brian dove under the blanket. He didn’t say anything else as he fumbled around, limited by his normal eyesight in the dark, but Brian could sense the words unsaid blocking the space between them, including words of his own. Four times he took a breath, preparing to speak, intending to show the silence that it wasn’t going to get between him and his boyfriend. On the fifth try he finally succeeded. “You okay?” “Yeah.” Hugo’s voice sounded raspy and exhausted. Brian put his arms around him, pulling him against his body, a reversal of usual roles. “Hang in there,” he said into Hugo’s hair. “I will.” Then, several minutes later: “What if…when we go in, what if things go bad? Really bad?” Brian gulped and tightened his hold. He didn’t reply, but after a minute Hugo said, as if in response: “You’re cold.” He drew in a jagged breath. “You were cold earlier, too.” He’d tried so hard to hide his fear and be optimistic for him, but there was no way to talk his way around thoughts that Hugo could feel. He started to pull away, when Hugo took his hands. “Don’t.” So he didn’t. - - - Notes: Moar feelings! I’m sorry if you thought this was going to be an action story. It’s actually nothing but conversations about feelings for the rest of the series. Part Four’s title will be EVERYONE HAS FEELINGS. I meant to say spoiler alert before I said that, sorry. I’ve honestly been putting off posting this chapter because I’m afraid of people calling Hugo OOC. xD; Like…there’s a reason for his reactions here, but it’s not a good time for info-dumping so it’s like WHOA SUDDENLY FEELINGS? This is the problem with chapter-by-chapter posting vs. a whole story in one go, I guess. And now I’m talking about my feelings. TOO MANY FEELINGS, GOOD NIGHT.
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PiedPiperPluto
Member
do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior daenerys targaryen
Posts: 393
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Post by PiedPiperPluto on Oct 8, 2013 20:04:31 GMT -8
New Edenverse? (hhhh hugo honey :c also i mmmmight have a theory about what's going on with the nightmarey stuff and the sudden emotions? but it's past midnight and i'm not quite coherent enough to put it into words yet) i have a WIP that is kinda relevant to this chapter??? CRAZY TIMING {drawing sad brians everywhere forever} also, since it's halloween month october, i've sort of been tossing around the idea of a Lovecraft-based AU where Joan's part of a cult centered around a cosmic horror of some sort? doodles for this might show up at some point.
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 9, 2013 5:55:33 GMT -8
Oh gosh /)uwu(\ And I very much like your appropriately-timed sad Brian! <3
Haha, you and Talys both have theories...they're probably right, because I'm kind of shit at foreshadowing. ^^; But on the bright side, the plot returns soon, and it brings Julia with it.
HALLOWEEN MONTH AW YISS. I also love cult!Joan. BRING IT ON.
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Post by Talys Alankil on Oct 18, 2013 14:16:22 GMT -8
So um hello? I completely forgot about updating Broodingverse. Even though I have 3 chapters left to post. Oops. {Brooding Brothers — Chapter 4} Chapter 4 — Black Rose, Green Sun
Alex carried the girl to an empty bathroom, where he laid her down. He had been walking aimlessly after his — predictably useless — visit to the nurse, when he caught a glimpse of her silver eyes, before she took a major magical beat down.
A vulnerable vampire was a blessing to Alex. She was an empath, so she wouldn't drink his blood, but he could still make her drink the potion directly; it wouldn't be difficult in her current, weakened state. The potion itself was linked to Alex's DNA, and although it wouldn't take effect as quickly this way, it was good enough. Alex had not even found Sulpicia yet, he had time to tame these vampires.
The girl regained consciousness, and Alex sensed her confusion. Good. The potion is taking effect already. "Who are you? What happened?" she asked, on the defensive.
"When you feed on people's anger, make sure none of them will make you suffer once angry," Alex said instead of replying. "There was a witch among them. Took care of her, though." They would never be able to get help in time for that wound, Alex was sure of it. "I'm Alex."
"Amelia," the girl said, circumspect. "How do you know what I am?"
"Really? Come on, the eyes are kind of a giveaway." If she was that slow, she might not be very useful. Oh well, at least she'd be an extra pair of arms, Alex guessed. "How did you end up here?"
"Mystic Falls? Oh, it's one of those places. Everyone wants to go there, promise of endless power and miraculous wonders. My coven was taken over by my dad's new mate, and I couldn't cope, so I gave in to the fairy tale."
"Fairy tale?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes. He hadn't heard anything about this place. "How about you tell me more about it?"
Tim managed to lose the mysterious boy, even though he carried an unconscious girl. To his discharge, he didn't exactly expect to see the other climbing to the top of a building, even one that was only one story tall, run across the roof the other side, drop down, and disappear, before Tim had time to run around it.
Still, it was very frustrating. He didn't even doubt they were still somewhere on the campus, but he could look all day and never find them.
Jenny caught up with him, and he explained to her what had happened. Her reaction was a lot nicer than his own.
"Don't worry, we'll catch him some other time. I doubt helping this vampire was his reason for joining this school."
"She was a vampire?"
"Yeah, that's what Elena told me. She's a friend of the witch who got hurt. I healed her, by the way. She's fine."
"So they know about vampires here?"
"Not everyone, I don't think so, but those do. As for the boy, Alex, he's joined school today. As I said, I doubt saving this girl was his sole purpose." She paused, thoughtful. "What do we know of him already? He's ballsy enough to attack someone he apparently knows to be a witch. I can't see another reason why he would strike Bonnie specifically otherwise. He carries a blade with him, hidden somewhere. He has some sort of protection against my own spells—"
"Wait, you mean, like me?" Tim asked.
Jenny, however, shook her head. "No. If I cast an… unfriendly spell at you, it will just sort of vanish when it touches you. Him, I couldn't even touch at all, something was blocking me."
"How is that possible then?"
"I'm not sure. What else? He can climb up a building in record time while carrying someone — that's gotta count for something. Did you see his eyes?"
"No. But he wasn't running as fast as vampires can. I don't see what stopped him. And why use a blade?"
Jenny nodded. "Good point. Not a vampire, then." She sighed. "Then what is he?"
"Maybe Brian would have an idea?" Tim suggested.
Jenny nodded once more. "You're right. I think this is enough for today."
Is it, though? We're no closer to finding Sulpicia, Tim thought.
Jenny and Tim went back to the pension, and found Brian, Lynne and Cassie studying a map of the town with Mrs Flowers. She was pointing them each location of mystical importance — and there were a lot of those. The one she thought was the most relevant was a crypt, in the woods that nearly surrounded Mystic Falls; it was now the location of a castle, in use by some eccentric family who wasn't very well-known in town.
Jenny took Brian apart to another room of the pension — an office with a small bookshelf, where Hugo was studying the manuscripts of Iphigenia some more — and she and Tim explained the events of the morning to him.
Brian frowned at her explanation. "That… I'll admit that doesn't sound like anything I've heard of."
"I think what's most important," Hugo intervened, "is that it doesn't sound like anything familiar at all."
Jenny, Brian and Tim both turned to start at him. "What do you mean?" Jenny asked.
"Let's face it, a lot of the creatures that Brian has told me about have at least some connection to folklore or myths. Vampires and werewolves are the most obvious. Half-vampires? They also exist in lore, although they're nowhere near as frequent. And with Iphigenia and what you told me about the major factions of the world, we have to add at least two pantheons of pagan gods." He glanced at Brian, smiling. "Of course, you have years of experience. Ever met something that didn't have at least some lore about it?"
"Yeah, but that lore isn't always accurate," Tim pointed out.
"No, but Hugo's right," Brian said. "I don't think we'd know of every myth in existence, of course, but this is too… different."
"So, what, it's not a supernatural creature?" Jenny asked.
"That's insane," Tim said. "You should have seen him climb that building."
"You should see some of the agents I know climb buildings," Brian retorted. Then, thoughtful, he added, "I'm sure you'd recognize some of their techniques, actually."
"What, you think he was a Unit agent?" Tim asked, incredulous.
Brian shook his head. "I don't think I've ever heard of a device protecting someone from magic being developed by the Unit. But there is the Organization." Tim had only heard of the Organization once before, but he remained quiet, preferring to ask questions later than distract them from their speculation.
"Aren't they more of the rich, powerful type?" Hugo asked. "They didn't sound to me like the type to do parkour."
"The actual members, yes. But they must have some field agents too, with the best training and access to all of their equipment."
"All right. Let's assume he works for the Organization," Jenny said. "What is he doing here?"
"We can't be the only ones who located Sulpicia," Hugo said.
Brian nodded. "Yeah. But I'd hoped we would have more time until someone showed up. We still don't know where Sulpicia is."
"Neither does he," Tim said. "At least I doubt it. That vampire had arrived in town just today, she's probably not going to help him. And if he has found Sulpicia, why bother with this one?"
"You may be right," Brian replied. "But we can't just assume that. We'll need you to keep an eye on this Alex."
"And on Bonnie," Jenny added. "Sulpicia will want to find new pet witches. If Bonnie isn't her future victim, she might at least know of other witches in the area that Sulpicia would have captured or befriended."
"Sounds like a plan," Brian said, grinning. "Do you think you'll need more help? We can find a way to get at least Mark and Jacob with you. And I can still pass as a teenager if I have to."
Tim found the idea of Brian, a man well in his thirties, pretending to be a high schooler, more disturbing than anything, even though he was convinced Brian could pull it off. Being part empath, Brian aged slower than regular people did, and still had a youthful face.
However, a glance between Jenny and Tim was enough to decide otherwise. "We'll take Mark and Jacob," Tim said, "but I think that'll be enough. We shouldn't narrow our options to just the high school yet."
Alex spent the rest of his day with Amelia, and eventually, Derek joined them. His presence was kind of a hinder, as they couldn't talk freely in his presence, but Alex liked him enough to accept that. It was the first true friend Alex made — if they could even be called that. That was one of the downsides of living in a recluse community who had to form a brotherhood; no one had ever liked Alex for who he really was.
When he left, he had secured his control over Amelia's mind — nowhere near as strong as the one he had over Damon, but enough to ensure her loyalty. She already had a place to stay, thankfully; Alex would not have liked having to let her in his house as well. Even under partial mind control, he would rather keep vampires away.
That resolve, however, faded pretty fast when he found Damon waiting for him in the school's parking lot, all in dark leather and sunglasses. He might be an elite Assassin, but he could not — as much as he sometimes wanted to — repress the part of him that was a teenage boy.
"Hello there, Alex," Damon said, charming as ever. "I figured you'd appreciate a ride back home."
Alex should probably say no. That would only attract attention to him, and make Damon think he could take the initiative and— "I would." Damn hormones. He wasn't even sure how much he controlled Damon at the moment.
Damon kissed him before he could enter the car, shattering his focus even more, and leaving him without even a semblance of conscious thought for the whole ride. It took him a moment to realize the car had stopped in front of his house.
"Th— thanks, Damon," he stuttered, blinking. "I'll just— go now."
Damon caught up with him easily as he reached the front door, and didn't even need to make an argument to have Alex let him come in — another kiss was all it took.
"Come on," the vampire said, "let's inaugurate that bedroom."
Alex gulped, nervous. Another downside with living in a recluse community was that this was not something he was experienced in. At all. He confessed it to Damon. "I've never— I mean, before—"
Damon, however, just shrugged, and smiled ferociously. "Perfect," he said, as he lifted Alex from the ground. "Shall we change that, then?"
"Okay" was all Alex could say, breathless.
Tim spent most of his afternoon in the pension's backyard, practicing his movements with his new weapon of choice, a halberd. After he'd found out about his affinity to ancient weapons, it had become increasingly easier to pick up one and instantly know how to use it. He wondered if that talent was unique to him, or if other witches' sons had similar abilities.
When he came back to the room he shared with Mark, he was surprised to find the boy was already there. He and Jacob had gone to MFHS to get signed up as well, but Tim had not expected them back. Or maybe he hadn't noticed the passage of time.
"Didn't expect you there already," he said. He collapsed on the bed, exhausted by the couple hours of training.
Mark rolled closer to him. "Jenny helped us… get on the principal's good side. It made the process a whole lot easier." Tim inched back a little — he was still sweaty from the exertion, and close contact was not really desirable at this moment. Mark chuckled, and added, "So we're going to attend the same school now."
"Looks like it." High school drama was the last thing on Tim's mind, however.
"Will I be allowed to kiss my boyfriend in public, or do I have to expect a colder treatment now that we're in a… not exactly tolerant state?"
Tim stared at him. "Are you kidding? As if I'd care what people think."
Mark grinned. "I guess you would be able to kick anyone's ass. Although I need to remind you that we're supposed to be discreet."
"It's all going to be fine," Tim said. "Just ignore anyone that comes our way. We're not going to stay here long."
"Is that how you made it through in Forks?" Mark asked, serious all of a sudden.
"No, most people there were pretty tolerant. The only one who could really have tried to bully me was Joan, but I had already come out for a while when she came back and started attending Forks High, so no one even really talked about it anymore. And she was too obsessed with Edward Cullen to remember I even existed. What about you? How was it, in Chicago?"
"Uneventful, mostly. By which I mean I never really came out to anyone but my cousin, and never had a boyfriend."
Tim raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile forming on his lips. "So that makes me your first, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Mark said, grinning once more. "I'm dating a more experienced boy. And I do not regret that decision."
They rolled around on the bed, laughing and kissing.
A/N: So um stuff happens and… yeah it's been so long since I wrote this, I can't really write a decent author's note. I can't help but write cute moments between Tim and Mark, okay.
This chapter also starts my deviation with the original story of TAD. Because there's only so much I can make sense of, apparently. So yeah Amelia is a vampire and her stepmother is now head of a coven of vampires. And it only strays further from here. I also have a clearer idea of where I'm going now, although I really need to finish the outline because I hate writing without an outline and I've caught up with my current one. *sigh* This is turning into a stream of thought thing so I'll end here. Next time I'll post something, it should be the next Virtually no Danger arc, and that way I'll have two Broodingverse chapters to get us through November and NaNoWriMo, hopefully.
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 18, 2013 17:40:38 GMT -8
WOOOOO /o/
I am not complaining about Tim/Mark fluff oh no not at all. <3 You go fictional son, get that cutie.
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PiedPiperPluto
Member
do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior daenerys targaryen
Posts: 393
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Post by PiedPiperPluto on Oct 19, 2013 20:32:19 GMT -8
So guess who has two thumbs and finally followed through on that threat/promise to dress Tim up as Madoka? ME! {Miracles and magic do exist!!!}
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Tigeranne
Member
I believe![Mo0:0]
Posts: 787
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Post by Tigeranne on Oct 20, 2013 6:37:15 GMT -8
Thank goodness you didn't include the scene where Alex loses his virginity!
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 20, 2013 7:20:06 GMT -8
PLUTO YOU ARE THE ACTUAL BEST
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Post by Anya the Purple on Oct 20, 2013 16:18:20 GMT -8
oh my god I MISSED ALL THE THINGS HOW DID I MISS ALL THE THINGS
PUZZLE YOU ARE THE MOST PERFECT I S2G
AAAH I NEED TO GET CAUGHT UP ON ALL THE BROODINGVERSE AND EDENVERSE STUFF I'VE HAD IT ALL SITTING IN MY DEVIANTART MESSAGES FOR MONTHS NOW
IGNORE ME I'M JUST GOING TO BE OVER HERE SCREAMING LIKE A CRAZY WOMAN BECAUSE COLLEGE APPS AND LIFE AND BRUGO AND AAAAAAAAAAAH /DIES
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 20, 2013 17:57:06 GMT -8
It's okay, college apps and life are important, Brugo will wait for you!! <3
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PiedPiperPluto
Member
do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior daenerys targaryen
Posts: 393
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Post by PiedPiperPluto on Oct 21, 2013 19:40:42 GMT -8
oh my god I MISSED ALL THE THINGS HOW DID I MISS ALL THE THINGS PUZZLE YOU ARE THE MOST PERFECT I S2G AAAH I NEED TO GET CAUGHT UP ON ALL THE BROODINGVERSE AND EDENVERSE STUFF I'VE HAD IT ALL SITTING IN MY DEVIANTART MESSAGES FOR MONTHS NOW IGNORE ME I'M JUST GOING TO BE OVER HERE SCREAMING LIKE A CRAZY WOMAN BECAUSE COLLEGE APPS AND LIFE AND BRUGO AND AAAAAAAAAAAH /DIES
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Post by Talys Alankil on Oct 22, 2013 5:01:21 GMT -8
^Do you just use that comforting Brian at every occasion now? Not that I mind ^_^
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PiedPiperPluto
Member
do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior daenerys targaryen
Posts: 393
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Post by PiedPiperPluto on Oct 22, 2013 15:58:13 GMT -8
I wanted to put him on the thread at some point, so I took the opportunity when I saw it! Clearly, someone needs to mass-produce tiny inspiring Brians.
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Post by Traitor on Oct 23, 2013 1:33:41 GMT -8
Oh, now I want to write a story involving a horde of tiny, adorable Brian-clones...
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Graceful Lament
Member
Come the war, come the averice. Come the war, come hell.
Posts: 395
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Post by Graceful Lament on Oct 25, 2013 12:32:23 GMT -8
I see your comforting!Brian, and raise you a drunk!sacrilegious!Brian.
Brian: I swear to drunk I am not God enough for this.
And now, for a chapter of "Too Bad You're Beautiful."
Spoiler Spoiler Too Bad You're Beautiful Chapter One Chapter the First: Kicking and Screaming
You are wise; you will fear me.
The Connecticut River flowed swiftly, silently beside the deserted esplanade. Maples crowded the shore across from the promenade, almost completely bereft of foliage. Underneath the brown, dying grass, formerly a rich emerald green, was shrouded in a thick quilt of ruby, copper, and topaz. A few leaves clung stubbornly to the willowy branches like crystals on a chandelier.
The sun beamed in a robin's egg sky dotted with a few wispy cirrus clouds. The brightness of the day belied the chill in the air, the sun seeming to give off no more heat than a child's nightlight.
A small flock of Canadian geese flew overhead, late for their annual migration. Their forms were black against the brilliant blue of the sky, and their cacophonous calls split the air. No other life seemed to stir.
On the esplanade, a young woman stood, clad in a short and impossibly frilly grey and black dress. A black lamppost stood by her, protected on both sides by a low fence made of white pillars. The girl faced straight ahead, seemingly a part of yet apart from the scenery.
Chaos Control , for this was indeed the maiden's nom de Guerre, narrowed her Aegean-blue eyes and gripped her aruval, or ancient Indian bill-hook, Agrata. A stiff, brisk autumn breeze ruffled the thick, shimmering curtain of teal hair that flowed like a cape behind her. She brushed an errant lock away from her broad alabaster forehead with a black-and-grey lace glove. How it had fallen from her headband, she had no idea.
In front of the girl floated a beast made mostly of glowing cerulean eyes. Below this monstrosity stood a slim, smirking blonde in a flimsy, short white one-shouldered dress. A tan leather quiver was strapped to her back, and she held a wooden bow in her hands that seemed almost as insubstantial as her frock. . Chaos Control pointed Agrata at the beast and turned to one of her companions, a willowy young sylph with long, mauve hair and matching eyes. “Chaos Wave, you take out any tentacles that come towards us with Mahari. Chaos Blast, you nail the thing with Oorjita.”
Chaos Blast, a blue-haired lass in a short, frilly, black-and-grey dress, frowned, worry lines forming on her lovely brow. “But what will you do?” Chaos Control beamed. “What I always do.”
Chaos Blast nodded. “As you will.”
Liquid slid from the ground like quicksilver, coating the black-and-grey-clad lass and wrapping around her tidy form, engulfing her. She could feel her body melting away and joining the viscous fluid at her feet. Her bones gave way and her flesh slid into the shiny grey water at her feet.
Artemis looked down on the scene sneering. “Well, that's a cute trick, I'll admit. It's no match for turning a girl into a bear and having her torn to bits by a pack of hunting dogs, though.” Her eyes met those of Chaos Chain a young woman with strawberry blonde hair and blazing chrysoprase eyes. She for her part showed no reaction to this taunt, merely maintaining a tighter grip on her weapon.
“Not half as cute as making a temple devoted to your oh-so-precious twin sink into the sea,” Chaos Wave mocked, her eyes glittering with malice
Chaos Blast giggled. “It's funny 'cause it's so true.”
In response, Artemis snarled and fired an arrow at the laughing girl, who flung herself to the ground. The arrow embedded itself in the tarmac just centimetres away from the blue-haired girl's ear. The laughing expression did not leave the girl's visage.
Artemis notched another arrow. “I wouldn't mock me if I were you. I have hundreds of young women devoted to my cause. I say the word, they will jump to do my bidding.”
Chaos Blast shrugged. “Sounds like a personal problem if you ask me.”
Artemis' face darkened. “No-one did, nymph.”
“That's a pity.”
The liquid slid away, revealing another puddle beneath it. It seemed to move of its own volition towards the tentacled monstrosity sitting below Artemis.
The woman scowled. “Oh no you don't!” She shot an arrow into the liquid, only to have it absorb it and fire it back at her. She spun away sharply, her face twisted in fear.
“What the--” She bite off a curse.
If Chaos Control had a face at this point, she would be smirking.
Artemis turned to the multi-appendaged beast. “Don't just stand there! Subdue the Chaos Knights in any way you can!”
“Easier said than done!” Chaos Chain gloated, flinging the bonds that gave her her name at the beast and wrapping them tightly around the wriggling monster. She began pulling the creature towards her, the chains sliding back into the palms of her black-gloved hands. Slowly, the beast began sliding towards the group of magical girls. In vain it reached out a handful of feelers towards the pavement. Its suckers refused to cling to the rough surface of the road for more than a few seconds at a time. The Chaos Knights not named Chaos Control had their weapons ready. Chaos Chain licked her lips in anticipation.
“Don't think you have a chance of winning this, Artemis!”
The goddess crossed her arms in front of her impressive chest. “Oh, really? How adorable.”
“That's what she said.”
Chaos Control, meanwhile, continued to slide ever onwards towards the gaping maw of the beast in front of her.
Artemis snapped her fingers, and a pack of ravenous hounds with a multitude of heads broke through the tarmac beneath her.
The goddess jabbed a finger at the silvery ooze inching its way towards them. “Get it, boys!” The dogs raced towards the greyish liquid, growling and snapping. Seemingly undeterred, the puddle slid forward towards the canines. One whined and stepped back a pace. A slender tendril rose up from the ooze and threaded its way to the dog in question. It wrapped itself around the dog's leg and dragged it over to it.
Whining louder, the hound drew back, its claws scraping uselessly against the rough tarmac. The vines pulled the canine into the silvery liquid, which sucked it in. Its legs thrashed helplessly as the fluid absorbed it. Within seconds, it was completely gone. If this were some sort of cartoon, one might expect to hear a burp at some point. Such a sound was not to be heard, however. Artemis' eyes widened at this, as the remaining pack scrambled to find shelter from this monstrosity, yelping and crying the whole way.
“What?” She shook her head. “No, it can't be.” She yelled to her dogs, ordering them to attack the living sludge that crept ever onward.
The dogs cowered behind her, refusing to budge. Instead, they huddled in a mass behind the angry goddess, their tails tucked betwixt their legs. Her countenance twisted in anger, she turned and kicked the canines out in front of her. The beasts slavered and snapped at her legs, growling low in their throats.
“I am soooo not a dog person,” Chaos Wave remarked, wrinkling her pert little nose at the creatures as she formed a ball of water with her hands that she flung at the whimpering creatures. The creatures scrambled to keep their footholds on the slick tarmac, their nails scratching and leaving furrows in the pavement.
Neither am I, Chaos Control thought, continuing her slide forward. Their fur tended to get stuck in one's craw, and the aftertaste left much to be desired. But hey, food. She could feel every bump and imperfection in the tarmac in this form. If she had a face, it would be frowning. Rough surfaces did not sit well with her. Not that she really had much say in the conditions of her battle locations. Or that she had nothing to do with their eventual condition. Not for nothing were they described as “destructive saviours.”
But hey, what part of “Chaos Knights” did people not get? They weren't exactly called that because it sounded good. Even though it did.
Meanwhile, Chaos Blast flung herself at the seething reddish-black mass above her and plunged her trident into it. She was rewarded with a deafening shriek and a face full of thick, foul-smelling black ichor. She tried her best to fight off the urge to lick the goo away. Her stomach rumbled in spite of her best efforts. Stupid non-human biology.
A golden arrow whizzed by her, just narrowly missing her. She sucked in a breath and shoved her trident in deeper. She tightened her grip on her trident, feeling her hands slip. She forced herself not to look down.
Artemis cackled. “So, looks like you got yourself in a pretty tight spot, eh, Chaos Blast?”
Chaos Blast's eyes narrowed. Still, she had to admit, the goddess was doing better at remembering their names. She couldn't count how many times in their previous battle Artemis had referred to her as Chaos Wave.
Right, because mauve hair looks sooo much like blue, she thought bitterly. Her lips twisted in a scowl at this thought. Either that, or you think so little of us that you can't even be bothered to learn our names. Chaos Control would tell her that it was the latter.
Her laugh stopped mid-cackle when the now-dead beast at the end of a chain handled by one Chaos Chain smashed into her, knocking her off her feet and into the path of one Chaos Control.
She hit the asphalt before she could dodge the creature. She slid on her back a few metres, the tarmac shredding her flimsy white one-shoulder dress and exposing some creamy white skin. She scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off. A few scraps of fabric came away with her fingers, and she impatiently shook them off.
“Really? Is that the best you got?” Her voice shook slightly, belying her stern words.
Chaos Blast stifled a grin from her perch on the creature. If only Artemis knew. Then again....
The quicksilver puddle glided ever so slowly towards the stunned platinum-haired woman, who stepped back towards her pack of snarling dogs. One lunged at her legs, nearly taking a sizeable chunk out of her shapely calves.
She spun around on her heels and stamped her feet, shod in expensive-looking white leather high-heeled sandals. “Now cut that out!”
All too late she noticed the pool moving in her direction and flinging delicate tendrils at her legs, fragile threads that appeared as though they would shatter if looked at too harshly. Artemis knew better, however. Said strings reached out and wrapped themselves around her ankles.
“Oh, no you don't!” The woman swatted them away with her hands, clawing at the unforgiving substance, that merely reformed as she attempted to remove it. Disgusted with her lack of progress, the goddess resorted to stomping in the living liquid.
Bad move. Chaos Control wrapped herself around the woman and slid ever closer to her face. ********************************
Hugo stared down at the faded address clutched in his shaky, sweaty hand for the tenth time in the same minute. Could this really be the place, he wondered. 125 Asylum Avenue, read the bronze plaque next to the door, matching the address scribbled furiously on wrinkled notebook paper that he clutched in his grubby hand like a lifeline He turned his eyes towards the imposing concrete-and-glass tower in front of him. It had to be. It didn't seem right, though. A hip new apartment complex would not be housed in such an unwelcoming building as this. Or perhaps it would be; Hugo was hardly up on what was trendy.
It was a veritable marvel of late eighties modernism, with its light brownish-grey concrete façade, its stacks of windows, and near-octagonal design. It had been sold to a real estate company in 2012, and said company had wasted no time in turning the former insurance building into apartments, whilst its sister building kept its initial purpose.
The brilliant sunlight glinted off the gleaming windows that adorned all 535 feet of the building like rhinestones on a beauty queen's tiara, nearly blinding Hugo. He shielded his dull brown eyes with his hand as he peered up the length of the skyscraper, wishing he had thought to bring his sunglasses with him.
The tallest building in Connecticut, he had read on Wikipedia. He could believe it. Plenty of room for all the hipsters in town, or whatever they were calling themselves these days. Who could say?
So, should I just go in? He reached for the dull grey metal push-bar on the glass door, but stopped just before his long fingers could touch it. It just felt...wrong, as though he was barging into someone's private abode without an invitation. It was silly, he knew, but still.
He laughed at himself. His company, Met Life, would not have sent him here if they thought he would be dissuaded by a simple grandiose skyscraper. No, an uninviting façade would not put off Hugo Smith, he of the Masters' in Sales. Especially since it was just across the carpark from where he now worked.
Still, it felt strange that all he was bringing in with him was a few suitcases full of clothing. City Place Luxury Suites, the advert had said. Fully furnished, it had further assured. It had better be, with the rent they charged for the place. And it had better not be Ikea special, either. He had had enough of that with his last flat-mate, he of the shelves full of DVDs with half-naked anime girls and mecha statues. Thanks, but no thanks.
A cold wind blew at his back, reminding him that it was autumn, his least favourite season, next to winter. Autumn, with the streaks of gold and bronze on the rolling Litchfield Hills where his boss had a second home. How he wished he could live there, with the gentle rolling hills crowned with maples and oaks.
He sighed wistfully. Someday, he would move to Litchfield County and own a nice house there. It was a good place to raise a family, he was certain.
He shivered, though whether this was because of the chilling breeze behind him or something else, he could not tell. He wrapped his arms around himself and took a quick glance at the nearly-empty carpark behind him. A few late-model cars from expensive foreign brands dotted the otherwise-barren landscape.
One of the downsides of autumn in New England, the deep chill, he thought. Still, the scenery could scarcely be beat.
Without stopping to think, he reached for the door and entered the building. A woman with short salt-and pepper hair and tired grey eyes peered at him over a tall counter that looked as though it had seen better days. Hugo felt as though he had been sent to the principal's office, which was strange, since he had never gone there when he went to school.
“May I help you?” The woman's clipped tone suggested that she would rather he turn back around and leave the same way he had come in. Hugo gulped loudly, and winced at the way the sound seemed to echo in the vast space.
“Uh, I'm here about a flat.” Hugo wished the dated teal carpet would just swallow him whole. He hated how weak he sounded.
“Oh, are you?” The woman leaned closer to him, and Hugo stared at the brass nameplate on her desk to avoid meeting her eyes. Sue Caldwell, it read. Funny, she didn't really look like a Sue. Then again, Hugo wasn't all together certain what a Sue would looked like.
He avoided her eyes and glanced around the space. The lobby felt like a relic from the eighties. Dark wood encased the reception desk, the ceiling had those hideous white tiles (not stained, however; he had to admit that) and the walls were cloaked beneath the same dark wood as the desk, making it feel almost claustrophobic. His stomach sank thinking about what the apartments would look like. Still, he could hardly fault the location, and flats were difficult to come by in Hartford.
To his left was what looked like a sitting room as designed by someone's grandmother. Crisp white lace antimacassars covered couches that wouldn't have looked out of place on the set of “The Golden Girls.” A large metal sculpture of a blue heron sat primly in a far corner, and a still life of flowers sat over one of the couches, a white couch dotted with salmon pink cushions and white floral throw pillows. There were also two matching rose wing-back chairs placed across from one another.
Was this an apartment building or a nursing home, Hugo wondered. Still, the location was perfect for commuting. No, really, he could walk to work and never be late. Ever. How could he beat that?
He peered a bit closer into the parlour, feeling a bit voyeuristic as he did so. He could almost swear he saw two girls, around high school age, sitting across one from the other. He couldn't hear anything, but they seemed to be laughing at something. What, Hugo could hardly venture a guess. One had long dark green hair, the other mauve. No, that didn't seem right at all. He turned away, shaking his head.
“Well, wouldn't you just know it, we do have a few flats available, if you fancy a look,” Sue said, causing Hugo to jump. He swore he saw her smirk, then dismissed it as his imagination. Granted, his last room-mate would say he lacked one, but that simply was not true. (Okay, it was, but Hugo would hardly admit that to himself.)
“Uh, sure. That would be great.” Well, he certainly wasn't holding his suitcases as a lark. He followed her behind her desk and into a steel-fronted elevator.
Would he ever get used to riding in elevators, he wondered as his stomach lurched at the sudden jerk indicating its rise. It was sheathed in the same wood panelling as the rest of the building. Hugo could really grow to hate wood.
Hugo's fingers wrapped tightly around the cold steel bar on the side, and he had pressed himself tightly into a corner. He pretended not to notice Sue smirking beside him and kept an eye on the ceiling.
There was no music to soothe Hugo's battered nerves, which disappointed him. The best part of riding in the elevator, really, the only good part, was the music. Still, this was not the sort of thing one shared with one's friends and family.
Finally, he heard the satisfying ding that signalled the end of his journey. He gave a discreet sigh of relief and exited the lift.
It really did look like a hotel, he thought, taking in the long beige walls dotted with shell-shaped sconces and the occasional art print. The floor still had the dull blue-green carpet of the lobby, but he was willing to overlook that. Sue guided him towards a door and led him into a room. It was exactly what he had expected: the same cream walls and turquoise carpeting as the hallway. A painting by a wannabe Thomas Kinkade hung unobtrusively over a built-in fireplace. There was a floral couch, a peach Oriental rug under a glass-top coffee table, and a set of pink wing-back chairs, the same type as the ones in the lobby.
There was a window in the surprisingly spacious living room. Of course there was a window; the building was fully faced with them. It was a large window at that, crowned with a balloon valance straight out of 1996. It was the same tired shade of bluish-green as the ubiquitous plush carpet beneath his feet, but Hugo didn't have it in him to make the obvious joke.
“Well, isn't this lovely?” Sue asked, the tone clearly daring him to say otherwise. Hugo swallowed and nodded, forcing a smile to suddenly rebellious cheeks.
“Yes,” he managed to squeak out. Sue smiled triumphantly at this.
“Right you go. Now, here's the master bedroom. I daresay, it's quite lovely. You'll like Connecticut this time of year, Hugo. It has a nice, crisp bite in the air.”
Which was precisely why he hated it. Nice and crisp were adjectives to describe apples, not temperature. Not that he was overly fond of apples. He forced himself to nod. It would be rude not to. Hugo was anything but rude.
He followed the woman into the aforementioned room. It was generic, with a full-sized brass bed covered with a bedspread that had some sort of abstract pattern on it. At least it wasn't pink; that would probably be the second bedroom, the one he'd want to convert into an office.
Another painting hung over the bed, and a white chest-of-drawers sat across the room. A white night-stand rounded out the set. There seemed to be a large closet behind the white sliding doors next to the bed.
Under the bed was the same carpeting as before. He could really grow sick of that colour. He had never noticed it before, but teal was not a very pretty colour. Particularly when paired with peach or magenta.
The wash-room was good-sized, he supposed, peering into the peach bathroom. He noticed with no small dismay that the bathroom in question was wallpapered with some sort of green floral print. The vanity was white and a small stool had been placed in front of it. There was a glass shower in the corner. A sage green towel hung off the door. Matching towels hung on the steel towel rack across from the shower, along with a large fluffy white towel that probably had a special name that Hugo didn't know. The floor was made of white tile, and was covered by a pair of peach floral rugs.
It could be worse, he told himself. It could be pink, or purple. To be fair, that was really the only way it could be worse, but still. Still, it came fully furnished, so he really couldn't complain too much about how it was furnished. He could put up with almost anything for this location. Almost.
The kitchen was next. One could tell a lot from a kitchen. Cheap white cabinets with brushed nickel pulls lined the salmon walls, as he had both feared and expected. White appliances, too, from no brand that he recognised. A microwave hung above the stove, the only appliance Hugo could not see himself using with any regularity. Microwaves were for the weak. (Or when he was at work and needed to heat something up; he could only eat so many sandwiches.)
The counter tops were cheap grey Formica, and pale grey tile made up the backsplash. Still, it was immaculate, as was the rest of the place, so he could scarcely complain.
There was no need to see anything else. The flat was just as hideous as Hugo had anticipated, and yet, he knew that he would sign a lease here. All he really needed was a place to lay his head and drink his Gevalia coffee No other brand would do; his last girlfriend had gotten him hooked on the expensive Swiss brew.
He supposed it really didn't matter too much what his flat looked like; it wasn't as though he had any intention of entertaining any guests there. In fact, the less time spent there, the better.
He soon found himself seated at the dining room table pouring over what seemed to be a standard lease. Sue stood behind him, smiling triumphantly. He refused to meet her eyes.
He scratched out a cheque for the amount requested and placed it in Sue's outstretched hand. He could see the callouses on her palm, and wondered how she had gotten them. It made him feel insecure about his own hands, soft as they were. It was obvious he had not done a hard day 's work in his life.
The way the woman smirked at him made him realise that she was well aware of this, and he could feel heat rising to his cheeks. Still, she had no business judging him for that. All she had the right to do was collect his rent cheques each month and maintain the place. Which, judging from the shape of the place, dated as it was, she did an excellent job of doing. He had to give her that. She had a phenomenal maintenance crew.
“You know, I don't normally rent to men,” Sue told him, her steel-grey eyes boring into his warm brown ones, “but I'll make an exception for you. I think you'll be quite useful to me.”
Hugo had no idea what to say to this, so he thanked her.
She probably just means I could do some small repairs for her around the place, he told himself. Right. That had to be it. Of course. That did nothing for the tightening sensation in his stomach, but that was just because he was hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since he had arrived in Hartford.
Right, and if you tell yourself that often enough, you might believe it. Hugo sighed.
She waggled her fingers at him as she turned to leave. Despite the size of the flat, having her in there with him had made it feel rather cramped. He hadn't realised what a relief it was to have her gone until she left. He closed the door behind Sue as she left the flat, and locked it behind her, glad to have her gone. Turning away, he went to his room and threw his suitcases onto the bed. He would go through them later.
A telephone book was placed thoughtfully on his night-stand He skimmed it, looking for take-away restaurants. Chinese sounded delightful right about now, he decided, the thought of well-prepared sweet-and-sour chicken making his stomach rumble. The idea of cooking right now just make his head hurt. No, he was far too tired and hungry to prepare his own meals to-night.
After placing an order to the first Chinese restaurant he saw (and there were several, Hugo had noticed) he threw himself down on the bed next to his suitcases. Annoyed, he shoved them aside.
He had all but fallen asleep by the time his order arrived. Groggily he made his way to the door, where the delivery person was buzzing angrily.
“I'm coming, I'm coming,” Hugo grumbled, fixing his hair and adjusting his shirt. Who knew take-away would arrive so quickly? Hugo marvelled at this.
It was not his sweet-and-sour chicken. A young woman of about seventeen with long Prussian blue hair and matching eyes (what?) stood before him in a long rose and white dress with long sleeves, a smile playing on unpainted pink lips.
“Greetings!” she said, whilst Hugo stared at her, not knowing what to say. She curtsied. Hugo had no idea people still did that. “I had heard we were to have new neighbour.” She extended a pink-gloved hand. Really, who wore white gloves nowadays? Reluctantly Hugo shook it. “My name is Castalia. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
He repeated the phrase dully back to the girl, who beamed, oblivious to the lifelessness in Hugo's voice.
“Um, not to be rude or anything, but I'm waiting on dinner, so could you please come back at another time?” He glanced around the hall, half-hoping the delivery person would show up at any second, forcing the strangely-attired young woman to leave. How exactly would she know she was getting a new neighbour, anyway? He had just. Moved. In.
She nodded. “Ah, I see. I shall take my leave of you then. I do hope you enjoy your meal.” She turned and sauntered down the hall. Hugo watched her for a few seconds, then mentally scolded himself for his rudeness. To a young woman, at that. Still, he was quite hungry, and she had come at an odd hour for visiting. And how on Earth did she know about him already?
He shook his head, deciding it didn't matter. He just hoped she didn't blare music at all hours of the night, or throw wild parties.
Right, because this is definitely the place to do so. Hugo smirked. They probably had a ten o'clock curfew here, if that late. Which made Hugo wonder what the girl was doing here in the first place. Was it close to her school or something? And if so, where were her parents? Shouldn't they be the ones introducing themselves to him, not their daughter? And what was up with her hair? Was that a thing in Hartford? He doubted that a Yale professor would think highly of a student with that hair colour. There was no way it could be natural. No way.
And yet, her dark blue-green locks glistened with the sheen of health under the fluorescent lights. Dyed hair didn't normally do that. He them reminded himself that dyes of to-day were far less harsh than dyes of yesterday. He had seen the commercials for those kinds of hair products, how shiny the hair always was. She most likely used one of those on her hair. It still didn't explain the choice of colour, but who could understand kids to-day, anyway? He was lucky if he understood people his own age, much less someone close to half of it.
A few minutes after the girl had taken her leave of him, a young man only slightly older than the girl arrived with a white paper bag. The fragrance of MSG and thick, overly-sweet sauce wafted up, and Hugo's mouth watered. He fixed his hair and handed the young man a stack of bills. The young man stared down at them suspiciously and thumbed through them a few times, making Hugo feel rather uncomfortable. He then turned and left without a word.
“Take care,” Hugo offered to the man's retreating back. Not that he really thought the delivery boy had heard or cared. He couldn't blame the guy, he supposed. This wasn't the most glamorous job in the world, it probably didn't pay well, and the man most likely only took it because he had to. Stupid economy, Hugo thought. He doubted he'd be so pleasant under such circumstances.
That's right, Hugo, you just keep telling yourself that. He sighed as he brought his dinner to his table and began to eat. Deep-fried chicken pieces and unnaturally-coloured cherries met his eyes. A smile curled his lips. Ah, yes, life was good. He dug in happily.
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Post by Talys Alankil on Oct 27, 2013 8:22:19 GMT -8
Oh my this is why I should never give myself a deadline I almost forgot about Virtually no Danger. Here's Chapter 4, then. With the other two coming over the next few days. {Virtually no Danger — Chapter 4}Chapter 4 — Login 'Help.' 'Someone help me.' 'Guuys? Anyone?' Erin woke up to a series of text messages on her phone; all from Lana. 'wats up' she sent back. 'Oh, good. One of you is awake. As my previous messages subtly imply, I need help.' 'what why did you suddenly decide to accept your lord and savior' '…You would say that, wouldn't you. No, my soul is perfectly fine. Oh, wait, no it isn't. Who am I kidding. I a' The message ended mid-word, teasing Erin as she waited for the rest to load. 'm trapped in the game, apparently.' 'wait you meen ur to much of a nerd an cant stop?' 'No, that was last night. It appears, however, that I am actually in the game, as my character Lucian.' 'lana dats impossible' 'I said the same to the weird guy who tried to explain it to me. But I haven't woken up yet.' Another message followed soon: 'And since I can apparently text you, and you can answer me, either that's part of my dream too, or it's all very real.' Erin frowned at her phone's screen. 'hold on im login to meet u' she sent, moving to her desk and booting up her computer. 'Yes, please do log into the game that apparently sucks you in. Great plan, Erin.' 'i know right ? ' As her computer was ready, she opened the chat client and started the game at the same time. Strangely enough, Lana was online in both. "Lana, what the hell is this? It's not funny, you know," she said, opening a vocal conversation with her. "Oh, so I guess I can talk to you too! That's neat. And no, indeed, it isn't funny. I am trapped in a video game, it's no laughing matter." "Isn't that exactly what you've been dreaming of, though?" Erin asked, genuinely wondering. "Not when it comes with a side of 'trapped forever'." "How do I even know you're not just pulling my leg?" Lana remained silent for a moment. "Try activating the video chat?" Erin did; the request was immediately accepted, and an image of Lana's room appeared on her screen. It was still dark, but she could see the girl lying in her bed, apparently asleep. "Okay, that's creepy. Did you hack into it or something?" "What do you see?" Erin frowned, but complied. "You, sleeping. As in 'not at your computer talking to me'. Please tell me this is an elaborate prank." As she said that, however, glitches appeared all over the image, which was soon replaced by another: that of a verdant, sunny forest. A tall man in armor was standing at the center of the image. "It's not, I swear," Lana said, and as she did, the man on the image said the same words. "Hold on; it's changed. I— I think I can see you. In the game, I mean." "Really? Try logging in, I'll meet you wherever you are. It seems I can still fast travel." "All right," Erin said, circumspect. She logged in, finding Joan at the eastern gate of the City of Lush Lands. Moments later, Lana's character — Lucian Harving, as he was called — appeared next to Joan; when Erin returned to the video chat, she could see the very same scenery. "Yeah. I see you. "Okay," Lana said. "Great." "How is that great? You're trapped in a game!" "Way ahead of that phase of grief. I'm already into Acceptance and heading straight into the 'fixing shit' phase." Erin frowned. "There is no 'fixing sh— stuff' phase." Lana laughed — it was so strange to hear her laugh, but see such a muscular man do that laugh at the same time! "Anyway. Any information is useful, and I do intend to get out of here. The guy said I would need you guys's help, so can you work on explaining things to the others? I'll try and find more clues as to how I can leave while you're busy." Erin gulped. "No one will believe me." "Convince them. It's important, Erin. Oh, one more thing, I'd like you to do something for me." "What's that?" "Start a blog for me. Post everything you learn about the game. If not to warn others, then at least for ourselves. Any information can be critical." "Are you sure? I'm not really the blogging type." "I know, but you're the only one who will listen to me now. I'll try to convince Dan to do it too when I get him. Hopefully Tim will keep up his wiki, too." Erin heard something coming from Lana's side of the conversation, but strangely, there was nothing on the screen. "I gotta go now. Talk to you later." Lana left, and the conversation was suddenly cut. At the same time, Becca logged in, and Erin opened a conversation with her. Best to start with the person most likely to believe her, she figured.
"Hey Becca!" Erin said, starting a conversation as soon as Becca was online. "I'm going to tell you something and you're going to listen very carefully, okay?" "Um, okay?" "Lana has just been… sucked into the game." Becca remained silent, waiting for Erin to tell her this was a joke. But she didn't. "Wait, you're serious?" she eventually said. "Yeah. I couldn't believe it either at first, but I've seen her and talked to her. She's still in her room, apparently sleeping, but she was talking to me at the same time." Becca paused, stunned by the news. "Okay… what then?" "She wanted us to keep playing, and find a way to get her out." Becca let out a yelp. "But— what if we're trapped in the game too? I'm not touching that thing any more if that's what happens!" "Really? You would abandon our friend? Your brother's best friend?" Erin asked, enraged. "What could we do?" Becca retorted. "We're barely adults. I don't think I could beat a game that can suck you in!" "Becca, shut up!" Erin screamed. "You're coming with me, and we're doing this! That's what being a good Christian is about!" Disturbed, and scared, by her friend's anger, Becca stopped arguing. She was right: they should help her. But it sounded so dangerous all of a sudden! How could Becca be so excited about this game just a day ago? Becca shook her head, as if she could shake the thoughts off at the same time. "I—" A realization hit her before she could tell Erin she agreed. "I need to tell Dan!" Before Erin could argue, Becca took off her earphones, and rushed out of her room, going up a flight of stairs to Dan's room, located under their house's roof. Dan was still asleep, lying in his boxers on his bed, having pushed his cover off the bed at some point in the night. His laptop was on top of him, lying in an uneasy balance across his stomach and his lap. Becca paused for a split second, torn between finding him adorable and unfairly hot, then moved to grab the laptop and get it to safety as she called out his name in a hushed voice. "Dan?" Her brother didn't budge, even as she repeated his name again, louder; eventually, she had to resort to punching him in the arm to wake him up. Dan was startled awake, and rolled to the other side of the bed in an attempt to protect himself from the assault. "Dan!" Becca repeated. "Wake up! It's important!" Her brother rolled back on his back, glaring at her with sleepy eyes. "Becca? What the hell?" "It's about Lana. Something's happened to her." Dan's expression grew more alert, and he sat up. "What happened?" "I— I think she's been sucked into the game. Into Forks." Dan blinked rapidly, stunned. "What?" "I'm serious. Erin said she saw her, and talked to her. If you don't believe me or her, come online and—" "Are you serious?" Dan asked, cutting her off. He got up from his bed and looked straight into her eyes. "Yes." She was convinced Erin had told the truth, at least. Dan stared at her, silent. "Tell me everything," he finally said, sitting down on his bed and waving her at an ottoman behind her. She sat down, and did just that: she recounted everything Erin had told her. She didn't mention her own hesitation to come to Lana's help; that was between her and Erin now. When she was done, Dan was frozen in a strange, undecipherable expression. "She says Lana's still asleep in her room?" Becca nodded, a bit surprised by the question. "Yeah, why?" "I need to go see her. Talk to her, too." He got up from his bed, and grabbed a few clothes lying around on the ground. Once he was clothed, he took his laptop and his phone, and turned on his wireless headset, placing it in his ear. "If you see Lana online, tell her to contact me. I won't be able to look at my phone while driving." "So— you believe me?" Dan shrugged. "Yeah, I believe you. Isn't that what siblings do? Trust each other?" "I— thanks." "Yeah. See you, sis." "Wait," she interrupted him as he was almost out of the bedroom. "Why the laptop?" "Lana said we should keep playing, right? So I will. At her place, if need be." "Oh. All right." Dan's reaction made Becca feel even more ashamed of her own squeamishness. "Be careful, though. You don't know what could happen to you." "I'll be fine, sis. Don't worry." He rushed downstairs, leaving a stunned Becca behind. Eventually, she walked back down as well, and got back to her computer. "Erin?" she asked as she put her earphones back on. "You still there?" "Becca! You're back!" Erin sounded relieved. "I thought— never mind." "Yeah. I told Dan. He's on his way to Lana's house, and he said he'll keep playing if it can help her." She paused, sighing, then added, "Me too, I guess." "Great— Oh, shoot! I should have told you Lana wanted Dan to start a blog too!" "A blog?" "Yeah. I've made my own already— hold on." She sent Becca a link, to a tumblr account named after Erin's character, Joan St Sanctuary Louisa. "Isn't it cute? I'm still not sure what to say, but I have promised Lana I would. Recount our adventures, and all that. For other people, and for ourselves." "Oh. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Do you think I should do it too?" she asked, worried. Becca didn't feel like she could make a good blogger. Erin paused. "No, I guess it's fine. Dan will probably make one as soon as Lana asks him to, and Tim's doing his own stuff too, apparently. Besides, if we play together, it won't be necessary." Becca sighed in relief. "Great. So— let's get going, then?" Erin giggled. "That's the spirit." A/N : Ah, these characters are way too much fun to write. I don't even know why. Even Erin, I kind of like her. Anyway… Erin's tumblr was supposed to be a real tumblr. In fact, it still exists. But I don't really have the sort of dedication required to update several tumblr. Also, it would only work well if I updated the main story more consistently, I suppose ^^' On the other hand, Tim's wiki is a thing, although even that is far from being as up-to-date as I wish it were. The plot thickens next chapter. Be prepared
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 27, 2013 11:20:27 GMT -8
Tiny inspiring Brians are the best thing! .......Suddenly I know exactly what I'm going to draw in everyone's Christmas cards this year. (Assuming any of you guys want Christmas cards from me. xD)
Erin's not entirely awful in this story. A little intense, sure, but at least she's totally up for saving Lana. xD
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Post by Talys Alankil on Oct 30, 2013 14:47:37 GMT -8
Oops forgot to post the other chapters ^^' Oh well that way you get the end of Arc 2 for Halloween :3 {Virtually no Danger — Chapter 5} Chapter 5 — Combat Tim didn't see the messages he'd gotten from Lana and Erin: his mom had taken him away first thing in the morning, and he'd forgotten his phone at home. Cassie Chey was a journalist and a writer, and her best friend and agent, Gina, loved to meet them in the morning when they had business to discuss. Considering the breakfasts they whipped up together were a thing of legend, Tim had no complaints. However, this one time, he did not want to linger: his friends were probably all waiting for him already. He soon excused himself and walked back home, leaving the two women to discuss business. Their houses were near each other; it would only be a matter of minutes. Or it should have been, until a sound attracted Tim's attention. At first, it reminded Tim of the parasite that old speakers played whenever a cellphone was nearby — a repetitive sound, almost like morse. He stopped his phone from playing music, and removed his headphones, thinking either of them was malfunctioning; but the sound was still there. Looking around, he caught sight of a strange phenomenon in the middle of the road: the air looked… troubled, almost as if interrupted by computer glitches. Tim stared at it, incredulous, until he heard the same sound behind him and a violent force sent him flying across the road. He hit a house and slid down, stunned. As he tried to regain his senses, people started screaming, and he forced himself to open his eyes. The glitches had vanished, leaving behind two monstrous creatures. One was a centaur with a bull's head instead of a man's; the other had the body and head of a shark attached to a scorpion's legs and tail, and was about as tall as the centaur. The latter one, in particular, woke Tim's memories. He had fought it — in Forks, the night before, while he was playing with Dan. The game called it an arachnodon, if he recalled correctly. But… what was one doing in the middle of the street? The people's screams attracted the creatures' attention, and they walked toward the small, terrified group. They were a group of young women; Tim didn't know them, but he felt like he had to help them. Even if he had no idea how he could do that. He was not Hugo: he had no weapon to use, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't be able to take more than one hit from them. His only advantage was that the monsters seemed disoriented, and unwilling to move very fast. Calling the police? Would they believe him? Well, he could try anyway. Tim grabbed his phone and dialed 911. As soon as he heard a voice answering him, he interrupted the man, and yelped, "There's an… aggression, on Hill Street. They're… armed and dangerous. Please help!" The man on the other hand remained calm. "Sir, are you reporting a human aggression? Or is it an attack of strange creatures?" Tim paused. How could he possibly know? "The latter," he ended up saying. The man sighed. "We'll mobilize a few units as soon as possible. Take shelter immediately." The call ended immediately afterwards. So much for psychological support. What did this all mean? Had Tim been pranked by the man? But how could he possibly know what was going on? He could still try to apply the man's advice. He noticed a clothes store slowly opening its metal shutter, not far from the group of women. Tim ran like mad in its direction, praying he wouldn't attract the monsters' attention. When he reached it, he yelled "Over here!" to the group of women's attention, then dropped to his knees. "Please, don't open it further!" he screamed to the opening. "What?" An old woman's voice replied from the other side. Tim rolled under the shutter, got back on his feet, and greeted the storeowner — he knew her from sight, having shopped here a few times in the past — with a sharp nod. The woman eyed him suspiciously, so he gave a hurried explanation. "There are… things… out there. I've called the police, and they're coming, but we need to take shelter for now. Leave the shutter like this, there are some people coming — I think." The woman's disbelieving stare was not very engaging. "You kids and your pranks—" she mumbled, looking under the shutter. As soon as she did, however, she jumped back, panicking. "Come in, quickly!" she called out — to the people outside, Tim supposed. Moments later, the three women made their way under the shutter, followed by a hoofed leg. However, the storeowner set off the motor closing the shutter, forcing the centaur to remove its leg before it was crushed under the metal. "What the hell was that?" one of the young women asked. "Now what?" the storeowner said at the same time, drowning out the other's shrill voice. She looked at Tim — as if he knew what to do! Tim shrugged. "I told you, the police is coming. I hope they can deal with it." Sirens rang in the distance as he said the words. Could it be the police, so fast? Whether it was or not, they weren't fast enough. A gigantic stinger came through the shutter, narrowly missing the storeowner. "Is there another exit?" one of the young women asked. "Yes, but it's into a dead end that only goes back into Hill Street." The stinger came again, twice, tearing a large enough hole through the shutter to let Tim see the angry centaur's face, right behind the arachnodon. "We may not have another choice!" The storeowner nodded and hurried to the back of the store, leading Tim and the women to her storage room. On the other side, a door lead outside, as the old woman had mentioned. She had barely opened it when a crashing noise came from the store itself. "They got in! Hurry!" one of the women said. They rushed outside, almost reaching the street… and ended up trapped between the arachnodon on one side, and the centaur on the other. Only the former had followed them through the store, and the latter had remained in the street. Tim thought they were done for, but the sound of a loud engine came from nearby, and a car crashed at full speed into the centaur. Whoever drove had not tried to slow down; on the contrary, the car carried the centaur away down the street. The little group had no time to contemplate that: the arachnodon behind them forced them into Hill Street. They ran away, followed by the monster, but as they took a turn away form the direction in which the car — and the centaur — had left, the monster jumped ahead, forcing them to turn back. The centaur was knocked out on the ground, and the car had finally stopped. Tim and the others hurried towards it, hoping to maybe get the driver to take them away. When they had almost reached it, however, Tim recognized said driver. "Dan!" he called out, running the rest of the distance as fast as he could. Dan had been knocked out too, and had been half ejected from the car, as the door on his side was torn away. Tim grabbed his friend and pulled him out of the car, just as Dan opened his eyes. "Tim? What're you doing here?" "Not now, we need to—" The car, next to them, roared back to life and drove off. As Tim had been busy taking care of his friends, the storeowner and the three women had taken the car and fled for their own lives, not hesitating a second about leaving Tim and Dan behind. Dan got back on his feet as the arachnodon ran straight toward the two of them, but there was nowhere left to run. However, Dan did not look scared; instead, he raised his arm, almost mechanically. Then, he blinked rapidly, and panic came back to his features. He looked back at Tim and quickly jumped at him, throwing both of them to the ground, and shielding Tim's body with his own. From what, Tim only understood moments later. There was a loud explosion, and a wave of heat washed over Tim's face, even with Dan above him. Things went silent, and Dan got back on his feet, helping Tim up as well. "Dude," Tim said, "did you… did you just blow that thing up?" Dan looked at the burned carcass of the arachnodon. He looked as bewildered as Tim. "I… I think so."
If Charlie had ever hated his parents, it was probably now. René and Isabella Swan had decided their son would not "vilify" himself playing a video game all day long. If they knew just how vilified he was already due to Lana, they would probably be shocked enough to leave him alone for a while, but Charlie did not want to deal with the long-term consequences of that. The problem, in fact, was also Lana. If it weren't for her messages, and the ones he had received from Erin confirming her claims, he would have been fine with being restrained by his parents. But Lana had been trapped into the game, somehow, and Charlie had to find a way around his parents' interdiction. Or at least he thought he did, until René received a phone call, and locked himself in the master bedroom. "I can't believe it," the man said when he came out. "Honey, we need to write a sermon. I just talked to James; he said monsters are showing up all over town. This is our chance! We can finally show the world that we were right, that demons are real, and that people need us to escape them." Monsters? Demons? What was he talking about? Charlie didn't know, but he'd learned to ignore his father's eccentricities over the years. As soon as his parents were out of sight, he rushed to his bedroom, grabbed his laptop, then headed out. His parents barely acknowledged him when he asked to go to Erin's place, lost in their Bible verses and doomsday messages. A/N: So oops I added a Gina/Chey reference. Am I creepy yet? I hope not. Frankly I just needed to find a suitable name ^^' Aside from that… as I mentioned, the plot thickens. It should be somewhat clarified by the next chapter, though. I can't leave you hanging forever. The ladies who steal Dan's car aren't the nicest people ever, but to be honest I kind of understand them? I mean, you wouldn't want to wait for anyone either, in their position. So yeah, not good, but not bad either. At least that's how I see it. And aside from that… Charlie's part is relatively short because I just don't know what to do with him so far. I like his concept, but I really don't know where he's going. He's the only shadowy area in my masterplan. Not that he won't fit in by the end, though. He will. I'm sure of it! Obviously enough, the name of his parents are references to Twilight (Renée and Bella). René is an actual male name in French. Also I associate that particular name to Céline Dion's husband, whom I've always found kind of creepy. So it totally fits this René, too. Actually there's been another character named in a Twilight reference; I'm sad no one noticed it
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PuzzleChick
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Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
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Post by PuzzleChick on Oct 30, 2013 18:36:51 GMT -8
Mwahaha slowly the Gina/Chey ship will take over the world. >D
I wonder, is Charlie the character you were talking about in your tumblr post about there always being the one character you're not sure what to do with in an ensemble cast? xD (Am I now a creep for remembering this random post...)
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Post by Talys Alankil on Oct 31, 2013 11:56:33 GMT -8
^He was, as a matter of fact (and no, you're not a creep <3 ) Also, spooooooky chapter. Okay, not really. But a Halloween treat, then? {Virtually no Danger — Chapter 6} Chapter 6 — Mechanics
"But how?" Tim asked. "How is that possible?"
"I have no idea. I just— did it."
A galloping sound interrupted their interrogations: the centaur had recovered from being run over by Dan's car, it would seem. However, before the beast could run much further, a series of detonations came from another street. Police officers emerged from it and kept shooting at the creature, until it finally stopped in its tracks, dead.
One of them, a short woman with long blonde hair, noticed Tim and Dan and walked towards them. Dan noticed an insignia on her shoulder, marking her as an officer.
"Are you all right?" she asked. Then, peering behind them and noticing the burnt arachnodon, she frowned. "What happened here?"
Dan glanced at Tim, who shrugged back. "We're— not quite sure yet," Dan said. "It… exploded."
The woman frowned. "I see. Can't be much stranger than everything else I've seen today."
"What's going on, officer?" Tim asked. Dan was only partially wondering the same thing. He had noticed that the creature were from Forks, and, if Lana could be sucked in, then there was no reason creatures couldn't get out. Neither of these made any more sense than the other, so if he was willing to accept one, he could accept the other as well.
"These… creatures… have started appearing everywhere since around midnight. We've been able to contain them for now, though. You should stay safe, though."
"We will. We're heading back home right now, actually," Dan said. "It might not be the best of time, but I'd also like to report the theft of my car, though."
"Right!" Tim added. "I know one of them was the owner of the store over there."
The officer made a strange noise, halfway between a chuckle and a sigh. "I wish I could tell you I'll get on that, but we need to be ready in case we get another report. You should head to our office for that. Tell them chief Epieu sent you; that should accelerate the process," she added with a half-smile.
A policeman called out to Epieu, who left immediately, not bothering with formalities.
"Well… at least the police knows what's going on," Tim said.
"I don't think so," Dan replied. "They don't know everything, at least. Come on, we need to move. I don't want to meet another monster." He started walking towards Lana's house. His car would have to wait until later.
"Wait, what do you mean? Where are you going? And… how did you even know to be here?"
"We're going to Lana's. And I didn't know something was going on here — that was pure luck. There are a few things you need to know, though. It's gonna sound strange, but you have to listen."
Jenny had joined Erin and Charlie at the girl's house. Getting caught up on the insane news had been quite difficult. Lana trapped into the game? Charlie's parents discussing monsters in town? It sounded impossible to even process it all.
But Erin had convinced them to play, joining Becca online. Lana was also there, but she had apparently found a way to escape the game's tracking functionality, and she wouldn't answer their messages.
She did not ignore them for long, however. Soon, they were forming a party, all five of them together. "So where were you gone, Lana?" Erin said. She'd complained to Jenny in private about the way Lana had left her to do all the convincing.
"I was looking for someone," Lana answered. "But I didn't find him. I hope he'll find me soon enough, though."
She did not elaborate, and coaxed her friends into playing.
"Dan! You came!" Lana said when she saw his character logging in. Being a video game character, she seemed to be aware of all the user interface — it was disconcerting at first, but she was getting used to it. "What took you so long? Becca and Erin have been here for a while now. Oh, and hi too, Tim."
"We came to your house. Well, I did, and found Tim on the way."
"Wait, are you in my room?" she asked. She didn't want everyone messing around her unconscious body, thank you very much.
"No, we're in Dani's. He said we could use it while he was gone for the day."
"Did you tell him what was going on?"
"He already knew," Tim said in a hurry, as if to apologize. "Well, not about the 'being in a game' part. He thought you were in a coma. Which… I guess you are."
Lana fell silent. She supposed she was in a coma. What would happen to her body? Would it die without her? How did it breathe? So many things to figure out, and it just now occurred to her that he might be on a time limit, too. "So how did you… find… Tim?"
"There's something going on," Dan replied. "I mean, something else. Tim was attacked by an arachnodon. You know, a monster from this game."
"So what?" Erin said, intervening for the first time since the boys had logged in. "Isn't that the point of the game? Getting attacked and killing things?"
"I mean he was attacked in the street. In… for lack of a better word, in real life."
Silence fell on their group. "But—" Erin started. "But that's impossible."
"Is it?" Jenny said. She had joined them moments before Tim and Dan had. "I think I saw one last night, when I went to bed. I thought I had just imagined it, but… maybe not?"
"The first one showed up around midnight, apparently," Tim said, "so it's possible."
"What do we do, then?" Becca said. She didn't sound very worried, but that did not surprise Lana.
"We don't know enough to do anything right now," she said. "We need to gather more information. Learn about this game, if we want to beat it."
Her friends played with her for most of the day, Charlie joining them late in the morning. However, as night came in the real world, they each ended up leaving, one by one. Lana, however, did not need to sleep anymore, apparently. She roamed the Free-falling Forest, all the unanswered questions bubbling in her and making her burn with anger and frustration.
"You've started working together. Good."
Lana turned around and found herself face-to-face with the same boy as the night before — the one who had told her she was trapped into the game.
"You again. Yes, we have. What now?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I did not manage to federate friends as you have. They left me in here, fearing to be trapped with me if they kept playing. But I do know a few things."
"Spill it, then." Lana did not want to end this conversation with more riddles.
"All right. First of all, your classes are based on the deadly sins and heavenly virtues. Every player's class is determined by a combination of one of each, the ones that are strongest in them. I, the Miraculous Mage, possessed Pride and Temperance. I believe you share that virtue with me, but your sin is different, Lively Commander."
"So there are… forty-nine classes then? How could anyone encode all of that in a single game? Just my own class alone is so complex!"
The boy chuckled. "It's not even that simple. I think each player gets their own unique classes, actually. Otherwise the same pattern could end up repeating over the many iterations the game has already known."
"This game cannot be so old. Online gaming hasn't existed for that long."
"Well, you do tabletop roleplaying, don't you?"
Lana frowned. How does he know? "What about it?" she asked instead.
The boy shrugged. "I just mean to say that video games weren't the first medium to allow one to create his own avatar and adventure another world. There have been other such media before. I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point in history, kids ended up here playing pretend. But that is only speculation on my part. What I do know is that the game you call Forks is but the latest iteration of a much older system, which has snatched people across history."
"Okay. How do I get out?"
"Why, the same way the monsters do, of course. Your friends did tell you about them, didn't they?"
Lana paused. "So they are coming from here? And I should… follow them? But then what? Are we letting the world be overrun by monsters?"
"Obviously not. But one thing at a time. You see—"
"Hold on," Lana interrupted him. "If the game is so old, how come we've never had any record of monsters appearing before?"
"Two reasons," the boy said. "The easiest one, of course, is that there is such a record — it's called myth. The second is more complex. Players are the game's tool, its entry point. It gives shape to your avatars, but you need to connect to them to create a connexion between the worlds. When you started playing, it created a small portal, and some monsters went through. But now, the game has used you as bait, and gathered a group of seven heroes who have definitely connected to the game. The portal will soon expand, and while you need to seek a way to enter it to regain your world, you also need to find a way to close it."
"Okay, where is it?"
"This place is on a continent called the Land of Liana. It is split into two; this is the western part. This part is threatened by an evil overlord; look for its lair, and you should find the portal. The only problem is… I don't know where that lair is."
Start with Esmeralda. The words had sounded in Lana's thoughts, but they weren't her thoughts. Intrigued, she looked around.
"What is it?" the boy asked.
"I heard something. It said, 'Start with Esmeralda'."
"Did the voice sound familiar to you?"
Lana paused her frantic search and looked back at the boy. "Yes, actually. It was Lucian's — my character's — voice."
"You can hear him? That's good. It means your avatar is more of an individual than mine was. It means you have more time before being stuck."
"Wait… my avatar is an individual? You mean… what, that Lucian's real and I'm stealing his body?"
"Pretty much. All the avatars the game creates are real. That's why it doesn't let you make more than one. You're connected to them; you can even use their powers."
Lana frowned. Dan had mentioned the way he had made that arachnodon explode. It did sound like something his mage character could do. "How do you know all of this? I thought you were stuck?"
The boy smiled. "There's a lot of knowledge about this world scattered, and I've had a lot of time to seek it all. Also, you're not the first one I've met."
Wasn't she, now? "Did you— ever manage to help anyone get out?"
The boy's grin faded for the first time. "No. Never."
A/N : And here's the end of Arc 2! The next arc should be slightly longer. Also, it won't follow the same formulaic order of the PoVs, although I'll try to have at least one scene from each of the seven PoVs. It's going to focus on a particular aspect of the plot. Also, I probably won't publish it all at once, but hopefully I can have something by Christmas? I can't be sure ^^'
Anyway. Yeah, it may be kind of cheap to give a lot of answers like this, but hey, there's only so much I can do without turning this into an actual novel. Also, Lynne cameo! I don't know, it felt like a good idea ^^
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PuzzleChick
Persistent Member
Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Nov 1, 2013 17:53:12 GMT -8
Yay, Lynne! I was wondering why the police officer was so chill about the whole thing, then we found out it was Lynne and it made sense. xD
Huzzah, plot and info <3 Delicious plot and info.
ETA: Did you mean to have Tim call Dan, "Dani"? Because I'm just saying, using a cute nickname like that, shippers gonna ship. xD
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Tigeranne
Member
I believe![Mo0:0]
Posts: 787
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Post by Tigeranne on Nov 1, 2013 18:56:11 GMT -8
This is gooood! Also, very scary because one little percent of my brain kind of believes that things like this aren't all that impossible. It would explain things like Jack the Ripper and the Beast of Gevaudan.
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PiedPiperPluto
Member
do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior daenerys targaryen
Posts: 393
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Post by PiedPiperPluto on Nov 1, 2013 19:12:50 GMT -8
so i finally drew that messing-with-eldritch-horrors Joan ...the day after Halloween. WOOPS {the night is gonna fall and the vultures will surround you}
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Post by Talys Alankil on Nov 2, 2013 5:09:11 GMT -8
Yay, Lynne! I was wondering why the police officer was so chill about the whole thing, then we found out it was Lynne and it made sense. xD Huzzah, plot and info <3 Delicious plot and info. ETA: Did you mean to have Tim call Dan, "Dani"? Because I'm just saying, using a cute nickname like that, shippers gonna ship. xD I was confused at first, but no, actually xD Lana's brother is called Dani. Which was a terrible idea in hindsight why did I ever do that OTL (but it would have been awfully cute if he had given him a nickname, I agree ) And I've already seen that Joan drawing from the stream but AAAA so perfect and the shadows are so cool =3
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PuzzleChick
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Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,890
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Post by PuzzleChick on Nov 10, 2013 12:25:54 GMT -8
Happy birthday Talys! Have a new chapter of Feelingsverse (now with plot) for your special day. Revenant of the Serpent: Chapter 08 {08} Hugo gingerly extricated himself from the tent not long after dawn, leaving Brian still asleep in the blankets. He made his way to the rations cabin, and then over to the fire pit with two cups of soup that he placed on the grate to warm up. Then he waited, jiggling his legs and shuffling soil around with his feet. By the time the person he was waiting on walked by, he had quite a deep indention formed. “Isaac, hey! Come here a second,” he called, waving him over. Isaac waved back and noticed the second cup. “Did you actually get Brian to wake up while it’s still morning?” “No, actually, that one’s for you,” Hugo admitted. “Why?” “I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “You’re bribing me with food? You’re my leader, you can talk to me anytime you want.” “I just thought it would be nice.” Isaac shrugged and sat down, accepting the cup. “So what’s going on?” “I need some advice. You’re the only one I can think of who will really understand.” “Fire away.” “How are you doing this?” “This…?” Isaac said. Hugo swept his arm around. “Being here. I know you had to push yourself every day of the trip. You were terrified to come with us and terrified to be in battle again, but you never quit, even when we told you to.” Isaac’s expression had gone from friendly to withdrawn and maybe even a little hurt. Hugo lowered his voice. “Yesterday I wanted to quit.” “Wanted to quit the coup?” “I started thinking about what Holden would do to our allies. How many people I would know on his side just because they’re too scared to see another side to choose. I told Brian to avoid killing, but if it comes to shooting you can’t do that. It would be easier to stay here–” He stopped to get a grip on himself. “How do you stop yourself from running?” “I didn’t have any other choice.” “You could have stayed in San Francisco. You could have gone back the first night.” “No, I couldn’t. After camp three, San Francisco might as well have been hell. I couldn’t sleep, I tortured myself with what-ifs every day. I was too scared to patrol and too exhausted to learn a new trade. I was useless. Everybody saw it. Everybody knew.” He fidgeted with the cup of soup, taking a sip. “I told you when I came with you, I had to leave. I couldn’t turn around and go back so everyone could see I’d been beaten again. I needed a way out and you needed back-up. There’s nothing this trip could throw at me that’s worse than going back.” “It just comes down to doing what you have to, huh,” Hugo said glumly. He wanted to think he was the kind of person who could be motivated by duty, but after the day before he didn’t believe it. Duty hadn’t stopped him from panicking or hurting Brian. “Well, that’s kind of where we all are, isn’t it?” Hugo eyed him questioningly, and Isaac set his cup down. “I mean, none of us came here for fun. Sorry to be blunt, but I’m sure all of us would have rather stayed in a home we’re familiar with than do a road trip with a half-breed to save some people we don’t know. We all just did what we had to. I had to stop hiding. Andrea had to keep a promise to Emma. Yeni had to prove she’s not an invalid. Jou had to live up to his family.” “None of you had to do that, though, you just thought–” Hugo started to argue, and Isaac held his arm out to stop him. “No. We did. If any of us were going to live with ourselves, we didn’t have a choice. Now, you don’t have to go through with the coup. No one’s saying do it or die. Except that I think, if you think about it, you’ll find that you do.” Hugo lowered his eyes. Brian had said something similar, about living with yourself. Maybe it wasn’t just him, maybe all the rebels held onto that philosophy. The far-flung tales he’d heard about them growing up made them sound fearless, but he was old enough now to know that they were just as damaged as any other humans. After his time with them he couldn’t honestly say they’d dealt with the war perfectly, but they had never backed down where others had. “How does quitting look to you now?” Isaac said. “Not as easy.” “There you go.” He smiled and picked his cup back up. They both sipped soup in silence for a few minutes. Then: “So all of you had some kind of personal ulterior motive for signing up for the trip?” Hugo said. “I think so, yes.” “Not one of you came just to help me out? You’ve all got demons to fight or promises to keep or self-imposed standards to meet?” “Yes. Sorry. Not that helping you isn’t a solid second reason.” “Don’t be.” Hugo pulled up a smile too. He didn’t feel much like smiling, but he wanted to give one back. “I want to help you guys, too. Quitting looks even shittier when I think about what I’d be ruining for you.” “That’s a leader I want to fight for,” Isaac replied, and held his cup out to clink against Hugo’s. - - - As the sun rose higher, people began making their way to the communal cabin for day two of planning, some of them looking a little disenfranchised after the fizzle that the previous day’s meeting had been. Brian was halfway there when Fernando blocked his path. “Don’t tell me Hugo’s skipped out again,” Brian said. “No, he’s already there.” “Great! So let’s…” he trailed off at the hard look in the man’s eyes. “What’s going on?” “I was going to ask you the same thing. I talked to Justin. What the hell really happened with Hugo yesterday?” “Justin?” Brian repeated. Fernando stepped forward, and Brian automatically moved back. “Don’t play dumb. I knew when you got here that you weren’t human anymore, but since nobody in your group, least of all Hugo, seemed to care I thought it was fine. Then Justin told me what he saw. I want some answers.” Brian’s full height wasn’t even close to being able to meet Fernando’s eyes squarely, but he pulled himself to it anyway, squashing his worry under the extra few inches. “Okay, first of all I don’t know what this guy ‘saw’, since I don’t recall doing anything weird, and second, I don’t know what that has to do with Hugo.” “When I left him, he was steady. Upset, but steady. Next thing I know, you both vanish, and when we find you, he’s having a fit.” “We didn’t vanish,” he said. “I told you, Hugo was upset, so we went for a walk–” “You really shouldn’t try to lie to a shapeshifter.” His voice was calm, but Brian could see the wolf hidden in him behind the words. “Okay,” he said, holding his hands up. “Okay. Hugo wasn’t in a good place. He was scared and panicking, and talking about refusing to participate in the coup.” “He never said that to me.” “I don’t think he came up with the idea until he found out about the other killings.” Some of Fernando’s ire faded as he gaped at Brian instead of glaring. “What? I didn’t mention those to him for a reason! He had enough to deal with, why would you tell him?” “He asked me a direct question, I wasn’t going to lie. He got really upset and started going off about not wanting to make things worse.” He stared down at his feet. “It’s not like this is the first time he’s cared about keeping people alive regardless of the fallout.” “What do you mean?” “Hugo’s done that before. There was a battle, in San Francisco. A vampire lord” – he heard Fernando’s sharp intake of breath – “and its slaves took out an island. They got me, but he kept me alive. Turned me into this. Laws, logic, safety, screwed all that. He decided survival was more important. I wasn’t going to let him come back here and do that again.” Fernando shook his head hard, like maybe he could shake things into making sense. “And what exactly are you?” “I’m a half-breed. You know, when vampires feed on someone, but they don’t change all the way?” “Yes.” “I’m an empath one, but my mind is human. I swear. I don’t know what Justin’s talking about–” “Your eyes.” Fernando’s tone dropped dangerously. “They’re not doing it now, but Justin knows what he saw. We’ve hunted empaths before. We know their traits.” Brian’s thoughts raced back to the day before; he couldn’t remember losing consciousness, the way he had at the docks. Had he slipped into that state and not known it? No, he assured himself. You’d remember it if you had. It was just an effect.“Well?” “Hugo has a theory that when I’m scared, the empath part…” He shrugged helplessly. “Sort of comes out more.” “You mean you turn into a vampire.” “No.” Fernando stared at him, and he repeated it more vehemently. “ No. I’ve never done that. The reflective thing is just a…a side effect. Ask Hugo.” “I will. So if that was a normal nightmare like you claimed, why were you so scared?” “I lied, okay?” His fists clenched. “I know it’s not normal. I hate that, I hate that I don’t know what they are and that he won’t talk about them, but I’m not here to nag at him, and neither are the rest of you. He’d already had a shitty day, he didn’t need more questions. So yeah. I lied.” He tried to glare Fernando down, but it was a hard contest to win against the dark, steady gaze looking back. After a few minutes, Fernando nodded and broke the stare. “Fair enough. As far as I know every settlement kills potential half-breeds, so if your companions are all okay with you, you must have proven yourself. Or you’re all crazy, but we might need some crazy if this coup is ever going to get off the ground.” Brian expected him to continue, to perhaps offer the deal that everyone else seemed so ready to give and threaten to kill him at the first sign of danger, but the man just turned and said, “We should go. This time it’s Hugo waiting on us.” Brian nodded and followed. He had a feeling that during their stare-down Fernando had seen a lot more of him than he had of the shapeshifter. He wasn’t sure he liked that. - - - Julia led the way to the wall. The reconnaissance mission had to be as simple and silent as possible, so they had determined at the meeting that no more than a group of three should go. Brian and Hugo had to go to meet with Louisa, and there hadn’t even been a vote on the shifter. Julia nominated herself, and nobody had argued. Jou dropped them off near the wall in a truck, and they walked the rest of the way to a place where Hugo knew nobody lived nearby. The walk was largely silent due to their proximity to the wall, but Hugo didn’t mind. He had little interest in talking, preoccupied with his thoughts. Everything that could go wrong warred for mental space with worry for his mother, guilt for how he’d acted, and turning over the stories from survivors of Forks. Before they left he’d pulled Brian aside to apologize again. Brian had brushed it off and seemed far more concerned about making sure Hugo was really okay, but his mind refused to rest, as if it was duty-bound to give him the lecture his boyfriend hadn’t. How could you say those things? How could you suggest abandoning Louisa? How could you want to quit? How could you take it out on Brian?He had visited his mother before and after the meeting, and just before they left. She hadn’t been awake any of the times. Tess had reported she seemed no worse, but to Hugo that just meant no better. He wished they could have talked, even for a few moments. Just so he could say he was sorry, that he’d never thought wanting to talk to the strangers in town would lead to all of this. All of exactly what remained to be seen. From the accounts of Tom and other survivors, Holden had convinced everyone that vampires were to blame for the disappearances, drawing them more firmly into his control. Shortly after their escape Louisa had been forced into marriage, curfew became enforced, and Holden had turned the police force into a personal guard, the head of which was Mitch Lockwood. Clearly his stepfather’s rank hadn’t been as inconvenienced as he’d acted by Hugo’s rebellion. “We’re almost there,” Julia said from up ahead. Behind him, he heard Brian pick up a few paces. There was the gentle clacking of wooden beams as he pulled out a rolled ladder from a backpack and tossed it to her. “Doing okay?” Brian asked, falling into step beside him. Hugo nodded. He couldn’t banish the hurricane of thoughts, but being distracted would endanger Brian and Julia, and he wouldn’t let that happen. “Do you think it’ll take long to find Louisa?” “It shouldn’t. I know where the guy lives. Tom said when the marriage took place the guy’s grandparents gave them their place and moved back in with his parents. They were getting on in years.” He tried not to frown, but tightened his jaw anyway. “It has a yard we can sneak into, and there shouldn’t be anyone else there to run into.” “Who is this guy she married, anyway?” “Anderson Tate.” His scowl deepened. He’d sworn in a way that left even Brian impressed when Tom had told him the name. “His family is close with Holden. His dad was a huge supporter of the wall and his brother went into church service. Anderson was a few years older than us. He was always a jerk, catcalling girls and treating them like meat, then turning into a pious angel the minute an adult was around. Holden probably figures he’ll keep her in line where he can watch for rebellion.” “Ugh.” Brian grimaced. “Think she’s all right? I don’t remember her being all that obedient.” “Louisa’s patient if she sees a payoff for it. It was probably her best chance for survival. I’m sure she’s found a way to make the best use of the situation. I just hate that she even has to put up with him. It isn’t fair.” “Well, we go in, we win this rebellion and then she can kick his ass all she wants,” Brian suggested. Hugo smiled despite himself. “I’m looking forward to that. I just–” Up ahead, Julia eyed the wall and tossed the hooks of the ladder over it. “Just?” Brian said. “Just hope she’s there.” For all the information the survivors had been able to bring them, there remained one mystery none of them had answers to. People were going missing and as far as the shapeshifters could report, they hadn’t come over the wall, dead or alive. One of them was Tom’s friend, whose father was on Holden’s security team, but there had been others, too. Theories ranged from the bodies being disposed of someplace unknown, to them being held captive for interrogation. The latter possibility made Hugo gulp. The survivors reported that in recent weeks Holden had almost certainly become paranoid of organized rebellion, thus the increase in deaths. He doubted Holden’s team was using kindness to get information on suspected rebellions. Nobody since Tom had come over alive, leaving Hugo to imagine any number of nightmarish things that could have happened in the days since. “She’s too smart to get caught,” Brian said. “Especially with Tom and Ali being taken out, she’ll know she has to lay low.” “I know, I–” “Boys, you coming or not?” Julia hissed at them from the top of the wall, looking more feline than lupine from her perch. By the time they got over, there was a dress and panties neatly folded beside a pair of wire cutters and a large gray wolf sitting beside them, tapping a paw against the ground. “All right, all right, we get it,” Brian said, sticking both the ladder, cutters and clothing in his bag and pulling the hood of his jacket over his hair. They had come down onto a street. Trees and old houses cast long shadows in the moonlight, but clouds on the horizon gave hope of some cover soon. “Hugo, do you know where we are? Is it safe?” He nodded. “This neighborhood was mostly wiped out by a vampire attack while the wall was being built. Everyone else moved closer into town. We have to head directly south from here. There are trails along the wall for maintenance. We can follow them down and then come out on…heh.” He chuckled suddenly. “Julia Way.” Julia seemed to puff herself up a bit. “From there it’s just a couple streets to Anderson’s. That’s where we’ll have the most danger of being caught.” Brian checked his pistol, tucking it carefully in its holster at his waist. “Lead the way.” Over the years, maintenance workers had stopped bothering with trying to trim all the trees, simply creating a pathway and letting the rest grow out. It offered shelter and let them move more easily. Julia walked ahead of them. Her superior senses would tell them if anyone was nearby long before they noticed. Hugo fought down a strange sense of homesickness as he recognized landmarks through gaps in branches, and it hit him how alien they had become. Forks had been his home for so many years, yet it felt different now. He had to sneak into it as a fugitive, knowing he was unwanted by people he’d used to know and like. In that sense, it felt even more foreign and lonely than San Francisco had at first. They were almost off the Way when Julia growled. Brian threw himself behind the steps of a nearby building, tugging Hugo with him while Julia darted behind the one across the street. A few minutes later, a man walked down the street. He wouldn’t have been extraordinary if not for the blue strip of cloth around one shoulder and the gun he held, finger poised beside but not on the trigger. He didn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular, though his gaze did swing toward the building that sheltered them. Hugo swallowed. He recognized him; it was Zachary Rife, the father of Tom’s missing friend, Mark. Six months ago, he could have walked up to the man, shaken his hand and chatted about his classes and Mark’s work on the farms without a second thought. Now the blue cloth signified Rife was on his stepfather’s force, and Mark was probably buried in the very ground he’d helped plant. “Shh,” Brian breathed beside him, and Hugo realized he’d been gulping in audible gasps of air. He closed his eyes and prayed the guard would keep walking. Several heart pounding moments later he felt Brian’s muscles tense and looked up. To his horror, Rife had turned around and started back down the street with more purpose, moving in a slow zig-zag. Hugo’s blood chilled as he realized he was checking the backside of the buildings. Their shadowy nook would have protected them from a casual glance, but not that kind of scrutiny. His instincts screamed to run, his logic fought back that to run was to be spotted. Beside him, he felt Brian move, and the tickle of breath on his cheek. “When he checks the next one,” Brian whispered in his ear, so softly that Hugo could barely hear him, “we move. Get behind it. Hide where he already checked.” What about Julia? Hugo swallowed and nodded, hoping she had found a better hiding place. He’d seen how quietly the shifters could move in the forest and had to trust she’d know what to do. Rife left the building in front of them and started across the street. Brian jerked his head and they both rose to the tips of their toes, ready to run, when Hugo’s foot slid on the gravel with a sound that seemed loud as a scream. Rife spun around, lifting his gun. Brian grabbed Hugo’s arm, yanking him back. The man took a cautious step forward, eyes sweeping between the buildings, crossing directly over their hiding place. Hugo’s throat closed up, too afraid to breathe, and he felt Brian, whose hand had already been resting on the grip, draw his pistol. Rife took another step, and suddenly an eerie cacophony of howls erupted in the night, making them all jump, but none so much as Rife, who spun toward the sound in shock. Brian suddenly darted forward, Hugo following as if his feet had grown wings. They raced for the next building, their steps covered by the insane howls, throwing themselves down alongside the wall. The wolves went silent, as instantly as they had begun, the air ringing with the sudden stop. Hugo heard Rife muttering to himself and the crunching of footsteps on the other side of the building, moving slowly around. Brian jerked his head, and together they crawled away from the sound, taking refuge behind the steps of the new building. Not long after, through the slats in the wood Hugo saw Rife peer around the corner. He squinted his eyes to hide the whites of them and tried to make himself small as the man looked around, glanced behind him, and then left. Hugo motioned to the other side of the steps and Brian nodded and followed, putting them into a pocket of shadows similar to their first hiding place, a spot not visible from the road. Hugo pressed himself close to Brian's side, seeking comfort from the anxiety burgeoning in him as he listened to Rife’s footsteps move away, and eventually, finally, fade entirely. Still he didn’t speak, afraid it was a trap, and had to bite his lip to stifle a gasp when a large dark shape slipped around the corner. It was just Julia, ears pricked. “Is he gone?” Brian asked. She nodded, sitting down. “Thank God.” Hugo fell back against the wall, although his relief was short-lived. “I think he suspects someone was here. I’m sure he’s going to tell somebody, even if he can’t prove it.” “So we need to find Louisa before all hell breaks loose.” Brian put his gun back in his holster. Hugo didn’t bother to ask if he’d truly intended to use it. “What was that howling?” Julia pointed her nose at the wall. “Oh,” Hugo said, understanding. “It was the other wolves. They can use telepathy with each other, she must have told them to distract Rife.” “You rule,” Brian told her, before looking at Hugo. “Rife?” “Zachary. Father of Tom’s missing friend. Part of Mitch’s team.” “Shit, so the news is headed right back to the head of it.” “Probably.” Hugo got to his feet grimly. “I didn’t think their night guards would be so systematic about searching. Who knows how many more there are?” “We’ll just have to be more careful.” Brian had that controlled tone in his voice again, the one he’d had during their escape and while searching in Redwood. It was one of the few things that made Hugo have any hope, considering the storm of fears that had just grown several times worse, and that no amount of meditation would calm. He’d used to be so much better at talking himself down from anxiety, but then, he’d never used to worry about attempts on his life, either. “Julia, is it safe?” She waited a moment, then nodded and stood up, leading them out. It was a short distance to Anderson Tate’s house, but it involved a walk down D Street, where they were left completely in the open without hedges to hide behind, and not much more than a block from Holden’s house. The risk of being seen sent them crawling across people’s yards to get off the road, skirting houses to keep themselves behind the guards that Julia alerted them to. Progress was agonizingly slow as they inched their way along. There was more cover in the yards, but also more risk of leaving tracks or being spotted by homeowners. Hugo recognized both of the other two guards; had Holden recruited a man from every family? Was it a bid for loyalty? The real question was why there were so many. Sending every man out nightly was impractical. Unless Rife had already reported back, and these were extras roused to search for anything else suspicious. As they waited behind a shed for the guard to continue his walk down the street, Hugo eyed the house across from them, finally in their sights. It looked dark. Tom hadn’t reported Anderson joining the guard team yet, so he had to assume Louisa’s husband was home, and pulled out the supplies for the next step. They darted across the street in a group, running immediately into a stand of shade trees beside the house. Forks hadn’t been a prosperous town before the war, but the Tate family had a nice little plot of land with a large backyard, though it wasn’t full of flowers like his own family’s. Instead it was mostly cleared, with grass that was going brown in some places. There was also, luckily, no fence to scale or bypass, just a straight shot from the trees to the back door, Brian and Julia flanking Hugo’s sides, ready to back him up. Heart thudding harder than it had all night, Hugo glanced at them both for encouragement, swallowed, and knocked on the door. - - - Notes: Julia only wears cute dresses that are easy to slip out of when it’s werewolf time. uwu I suck at writing suspense forever please forgive me. OTL The fact that the character Mark was BFFs with a person whose name is one letter away from Tim may or may not be a coincidence. ;3
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Post by Talys Alankil on Nov 11, 2013 6:59:15 GMT -8
Eeeeeeee thank you puzzle; best birthday present ever <3
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Tigeranne
Member
I believe![Mo0:0]
Posts: 787
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Post by Tigeranne on Nov 11, 2013 8:16:57 GMT -8
Happy Birthday, Talys!
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Post by Anya the Purple on Nov 11, 2013 20:40:35 GMT -8
/is still not dead
AH IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME
*Throws Brugo and Nico di Angelo plushies at you*
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