#dusty is “i'm 14 and this is deep”
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Guys, there is a severe lack of Sodascent content on this site and it irks me greatly. These are super self-indulgent lol.
Meet Dusty and Lucile Hansen-Euler. Lucy is a molotov cocktail and Dusty is a sand candle (like that one product that was shoved in my face for two weeks straight on Insta) They are 10 and 15 respectively, and they are a girl and demiboy.
Lucy is an excitable tomboy with a ton of explosive energy and a proactive mindset. She's always in everyone's business (if they let her) and is constantly egging on dangerous stuff. Half of the time she is the one doing said dangerous stunts. Her self-preservation is pretty low, but once she begins forming alcohol in her body instead of juice, she becomes more cautious. She still has a very unhealthy and worrying interest in fire.
Dusty, on the other hand, is a grumpy dude who's full of cringy preteen angst and a rebellious mindset. He's the guy to post stuff like "It's not a phase, Mom" and "The shadows are the only things that truly understand me" and other edgy quotes like that. He's also that kid that hates that his parents love him cuz he's a "how can I relate to these edgy characters when my family is so nice????" person. Also, his wick is burnt since I think that all candles have the ability to light up when feeling strong emotions (for him, usually anger).
Bryce is doing his darndest to be present in his kids' lives (parent issues) but tends to over-worry about them and comes off as strict as a result. Amelia is more laid back and calm of the two and is more inclined to trust her kids' decisions (good childhood), but she is the scarier of the two when she's mad.
(The dust bag above is my brother's character)^^
Take a wiiiiiiiild guess who's kids are the first two 💀
They'll get their own post eventually, I just have to finish their refs.
The ref sheet w/out shading and the sketch are below:
Have a good day bros 👍
#sodascenters where ya at??????#sodascent is so based why is there nothing for it it makes me so sad#and yes i like sodapack and scentpack and i see them as poly but i prefer these two in an monogamous setting#anyway FANKIDSSSS I LOVE MAKING FANKIDSSSS#object fusion generator time >:)#dusty is “i'm 14 and this is deep”#lucy is a pyromaniac#yes the two other kids are aircorn children but they got a ton more going on so they get their own post#dusty hansen-euler#lucy hansen-euler#sodascent#fanchildren#fankids#fankid#fanchild#sand candle#molotove cocktail#bryce hansen#amelia euler#hfjone#hfj one#hfjone amelia#hfjone bryce#hfjone scenty#hfjone soda bottle#hfjone sodascent#aircorn#osc#object show community#osc shipping
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Darkest of Nights pt 14
A/N: Just the start of a little bit of Chloe backstory for @lilhan Honestly I couldn't do any of this without the constant support and encouragement from my besties. i love you awesome nerds. @chloes-yellow-cup @kimmania
Aubrey
It had been hours since they had last changed carriages and a whole day since they dropped the bloodless corpse into a dusty ravine far from the road. Aubrey had healed some, enough to be able to move, if somewhat stiffly, but not enough to entirely repair the damage to her head and face.
Beca had found them a shop that had seemed more like a grand carnival with many lights and strange clown characters dressed most outrageously. Aubrey had stayed hidden in their coach watching with interest while Chloe had gone to gather supplies and another ride.
"Are there many of these markets?"
"Walmart? Yeah. They're kinda everywhere."
She was silent a moment, watching a man place a silvered odd shaped helmet on his head. He patted himself down before applying deep red lipstick in a smear across his lips and black under each eye.
"Do they all have performers?"
Beca looked out the window of Suburban they had switched to and chuckled. She shook her head, unsurprised at the unusual man.
"He isn't a performer, he's just a regular midnight Walmart shopper. There is a whole community dedicated to the weirdos that come here."
"Humans are…weirdos."
Beca's soft laugh at the use of the unfamiliar word pulled her attention from the streams of people wandering from their coaches to the marketplace and back. Aubrey settled back down, both confused and astounded by the world humans had made for themselves.
It was a quiet companionable moment before Beca sat up quickly and turned her head to peek out of the front window. Aubrey focused on the slow roll of carriages as they parted to reveal Chloe bathed in a halo of light striding toward them, her rolling gait drawing their eyes to her hips. Beca swallowed audibly and sat back with her legs extended along the bench seat.
"She's really…ya know?"
Aubrey's lips twitched in a small smile amused that Beca had sensed Chloe even before she had. It was clear the bond between them was solidifying with each passing moment. It was beautiful to behold but heartbreaking at the same time. She knew tasting Beca's blood would be the catalyst but the bond was not blood magic alone. They cared for each other. More than Beca would perhaps admit.
"Yes. Yes she is. You should have seen her at the Minotaur Maze. She was breathtaking."
Beca turned and looked at her, her eyes dark with curiosity. The unasked questions hung between them until Chloe tapped lightly one the window. Beca rolled it down and eyed the bags hanging from the smiling vampire’s hands.
"Are those Mike and Ikes?"
"I saw you eyeballing them at the last gas station."
Beca took the bags from Chloe through the lowered window and tore through them to find the treats she craved. Aubrey smiled at the innocent joy in the necromancer's face as she popped a small colored candy in her mouth.
"Bro. I could almost kiss you right now."
Chloe raised a brow and leaned into the window with a predatory smile. Beca's eyes widened and she leaned back.
"I SAID ALMOST!"
Chloe's laugh was light and carried on the air. Aubrey closed her eyes to savor the sound of their banter and the soft reassuring beat of Beca’s heart. A woman could find herself content for all her days with those sounds surrounding her.
"Hey, how did you pay for all this?"
Aubrey opened her eyes in time to catch Chloe's smile turn from sly to brightly amused.
"Visa!"
"You have a credit card?? Won't that leave like a paper trail or something?"
"I didn't say it was mine, Beca."
There was silence then Beca's aggrieved sigh.
"Damnit, I'm actually kind of impressed."
Chloe preened at the look Beca gave her then turned her attention to Aubrey. The intensity in her blue eyes softened and she reached into the window to caress the unburnt side of her face.
"Are you sure you don’t want me to find you someone to eat? You need to heal my love."
Aubrey leaned into the gentle touch, her eyes closing at the soothing cool of Chloe’s palm. She wanted to feed and badly. It gnawed at her insides, and raced like fire through her veins. It would be unbearable if not for Beca keeping her distracted. It allowed her to remember her vow never to take an innocent life simply because she could. No matter the consequence of not feeding.
"I'm alright…for now. Is it time to change coaches?"
Chloe nodded once and looked around. They were too exposed, and there were too many prying eyes and Aubrey didn't want to be seen in her current state. Though she supposed she would become another of the weirdos.
"You two stay at the car but be ready to go when I come up the row. I'll go find us a new ride."
They slid from the back of the carriage and Beca handed her a short hooded cloak. Aubrey held it up to her chest and looked with uncertainty at Beca. The other woman set the bags down and gently took the cloak from her hands.
"Here, let me help."
"This cloak is very short."
"It's called a hoodie. Full length cloaks went out of fashion when we canceled J.K. Fuckface."
Aubrey didn't understand any of those words. Someone rolled by with a loud cart and she flinched away into what shadow she could. Beca carefully lifted the hood for her and winked reassuringly.
"Thank you Beca Mitchell."
"Anytime. And hey look, a zipper. Get a load of that action, huh?"
She looked down at the silvered tab and smiled. The vampire tugged it up and down a few times, enjoying the satisfying sound it made.
She was starving and in pain but somehow the simple magic of a zipper made it slightly more bearable. Perhaps too, the soft way Beca kept glancing at her. It made her feel…everything. All at once.
"Can I ask you something?" At Aubrey’s short nod Beca cleared her throat. "You guys love each other, right? Like. Be together literally forever love."
Aubrey held Beca’s gaze as she considered how to answer. She hadn’t known how deeply she still loved Chloe until recently. And in truth she didn't feel as though she was deserving enough to even admit to her feelings let alone expect that Chloe would feel the same. Certainly not now. Not with her bond to Beca blossoming.
"Is there a question in that statement, Necromancer?"
The other woman looked distinctly uncomfortable for a moment. Aubrey guessed she was trying to figure out what she really wanted to ask.
"How come you married someone else…"
Oh. Aubrey dipped her head and leaned back against the steel carriage. Why had she done that? Yes. She had loved Harun from the moment her eyes set upon him but before him there had always been Chloe. Aubrey was slow to answer, slow to dredge up the lifetimes of memories.
"Things were different when we were young. Chloe’s family line is considered diluat. Her mother had been born human, you see. It broke her father's pure blood line and forever marked her place in society."
Beca went wide eyed, her mouth dropping open then closing with a click.
"That's a lot to unpack. So she's part human?"
"Yes and no. She was born a vampire as I was. As all pure blood vampires are. But her mother was human and already with child when Einar The Lonely came upon her one night. I was told she was a slave brought from another land to serve and pleasure the invading human warriors. By the time Einar crossed paths with the caravan she had massacred her captors."
"Hell yeah. So…he turned her?"
"No. He tried to eat her." Beca's face was awash with horror. Aubrey chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. "She bit his throat out."
"Gross."
"Hm. Perhaps. But he fell in love with her fierce spirit and raised her child as his own. And she grew to love him too. He chose her over his status and that meant much in those days."
"So is that why you didn't pick her?"
Beca's voice was heavy with disappointment and a little hostility. She could read it all in the other woman's disdainful shake of her head and tiny snort of incredulity. Aubrey bit back a snarl as the question and Beca’s assumption that she had chosen politics over Chloe pricked at a long sore spot. One she hadn’t realized held resentment still.
"I cared little about status or bloodlines. I would have…"
A vehicle flashed its lights and rolled to a slow stop in the aisle behind them. Chloe waved to them urgently from behind the wheel. There was no time to finish the thought and she had no desire to speak on it further.
Aubrey tugged Beca's arm before the smaller could dismiss her. The necromancer turned to her with blame naked in her eyes.
"What I would or would not have done then is irrelevant. It was never my choice to make Beca Mitchell. It was Chloe’s and she chose the Bloodguard."
She brushed past the other woman and climbed into the back of their new ride. The interior was fairly open and smelled of gasoline and something earthier and smokey. Short, thick curtains ringed the cabin ensuring their privacy. It was clean and there was enough room for her to stretch out fairly comfortably. It would do.
"Jesus it smells like a dispensary in here."
Chloe laughed and jerked a chin at the spot Aubrey had just settled onto.
"Yeah. There has to be at least a kilo stashed somewhere back there."
"So not only did you buy me candy but you rolled up in a sweet ass bus filled with secret weed?? I think I might love you a little, Red."
"I can live with that."
Beca looked guiltily over her shoulder at Aubrey but the vampire eased further into her hood and closed her eyes. Hunger that had previously only been a hollow feeling in the back of her thoughts raced forward plaguing her with its unbearable presence.
There was sadly a savage joy at its return. If she had her hunger to focus on she could not sit and replay the look of accusation in Beca's eyes. And although she hadn’t been the first one to walk away, she felt the weight of guilt on her. Aubrey sighed softly and rolled to her side, arms propped under her head and let the rocking roll of the carriage soothe her into an uneasy sleep.
#pitch perfect#pitch perfect au#aubrey posen#beca mitchell#chloe beale#vampires#necromancer#maus writes
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🕷️Hopper🕷️
(Before you read: some chapters in the future may be 18+. This fic is about my spidersonas alternate version Mer G Osborn, a web Slinger alternate I made up called Pat B O'Hara and their son, another spidersona of mine called Noah O'hara. You may read things that are atypical of the time period this fic is set in, due to E-2033489-B developing slightly faster historically, than E-2033489. I'm also still a little bit rusty when it comes to writing since I've only recently started back up again, so please don't be too hard on me. This fics not serious and is mostly for fun. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading:) )
Wilson Fisk
Chapter one
- the Deadlands, 14/5/1860-
The sound of crunching sand filled mer's ears as the night air around her buzzed with cicadas singing in an eerie tune, indicating she'd laid there staring at the sky for far too long.
A booming voice with what she'd assumed was a new York accent, called out from just behind where she was laying, in the same direction she'd heard the crunching sand, not moments before.
"What's a lady like you doing laying in the middle of the desert at midnight?"
The man loomed over her now, his cartoonishly large frame blocking the moonlight so it silhouetted his face from sight, the shadows of the night concealing his face.
"Oh, just stargazing I guess?"
She answered, tone cautious as she moved to get up, lifting her heavy skirts slightly so she could maneuver without falling flat on her face, back into the sand.
The mysterious man chortled heartily at the idea of this random woman dressed so fancy just to go stargazing in the middle of the Deadlands at such a time.
"You guess, huh? Haha, that's so silly, how do you not know for sure what you're doing out here?"
Mer dusted off her dress and shook her head, unable to help herself from laughing as well, mostly out of the awkwardness that came from talking to such an intimidating stranger at night.
"Ah, well, I guess it does sound a little bit silly though I must admit, I'm not just out here to stargaze."
He bent down slightly so they could finally see eye to eye, his wrinkled face becoming far more apparent as the clouds moved away from the moon,
"That much I can tell, kid. You look like you've been out here a while, what with your fancy skirts all dusty and your hair all messy and covered in sand. What're you running from?"
The man's intuitive observations from just her disheveled appearance surprised mer, goggle eyed as the moonlight revealed parts of his menacing smile and shadowed his deep eyesockets in a way that made him actually look eyeless.
"...Yeah... I'm running."
"From what?"
He pushed, trying to almost egg her on to reveal what she was dancing around.
Mer felt the surmounting pressure to tell him, to spill it all and just trust him, even though everything was telling her not to,
"A society that doesn't want me or need me."
"And you think laying out here in the middle of the Deadlands' is going to fix it?"
Laughing again, this time at her, he squatted down in the sand by mer's feet and picked up a rock, fiddling with it in his hands. She didn't like the mocking tone in his laugh and felt the need to prove herself in some way,
"Laugh all you want, it's so empty out here that no one would be able to police me for being who I am or haul slurs at me for being related to a villain!... It's freeing to be this far away from 'polite society'."
Her words made him stop and actually listen, seeing a little bit of himself in her, at least in the way people didn't like him. He wanted to ask which villain she was related to but stopped himself when he saw her Pained expression, not wanting to upset her further.
"Heh, yeah, that I understand kid. I'm out here for similar reasons. Society don't want me either. They see that I'm a big boy who bends the rules and they don't like that so much. I scare em' and for good reason."
He paused to stand again, stepping a little closer to her so she could see his face fully in the darkness and tossing the rock to the side of him,
"Say, I know we're strangers and all but how would you feel about hopping on a boat with me in a few days and coming back to America with me? You could work for my business, earn yourself a pretty sum of money and never see this place again."
Mer shook her head, stepping back from him to give some distance between them again, hoping he wouldn't be too offended by her nervousness at his sudden offer,
"As tempting as that sounds, I'm not so sure about that one, big guy. I mean, I don't even know your name or what your so called 'business' even is... and I feel like I'd be treated just as badly over there as I am here."
He extended his freakishly large hand to her, his attempt at being friendly, but it still unnerved her.
"Name's Wilson Fisk. I used to be a boxer back in New York but now I mostly work as a bounty hunter in the south. I Came here on holiday and to help out training some of the barons rookies."
Reluctantly, she took his hand and shook it, noticing how gentle he actually was when he gripped her hand back,
"My name's Mer Osborn... or Megan. I prefer the pet name 'Mer' though."
Wilson looked back at her in disbelief for a second, realising that she was the woman he'd read about from the paper,
"Wait a sec, you're an Osborn?! As in you're the woman that went missing from the osborn family last night?."
"Hah, yup. Norman Osborns grand daughter. Crazy isn't it?. They don't care until you're gone."
She pulled her hand away from his, feeling a little more comfortable now that they'd introduced themselves. Wilson just continued to ask questions now, wanting to know everything he could about Mer.
"So....you're Harry's kid then? And you ran out here just to get away from your family?"
He mentally noted how much she actually looked like Harry, now that he could see her face better, watching her go to sit down on a nearby boulder and folding her arms around her knees.
"Yeah. You know them?"
He snorted, sitting down beside her with a thud as his heavy body hit the sand.
"You kiddin'? Your family's company is one of my biggest business partners here in the Deadlands. If it wasn't for your dad, I wouldn't have all those fancy serums that help my men stay as strong as they are."
Wilson watched as Mer's eyes trailed inquisitively over his shoulders and the pure bulk in his upper body, she was definitely wondering if he'd used those serums himself but neglected to actually say anything, instead choosing to gawk at him in a way that made him feel like a freak.
Clearing his throat got her to stop but she was still thinking about it as she started to fix her dark messy hair out of nerves again.
"Uh, I'm not used to seeing someone... like....you. I apologise if my staring offended you. I'm glad my father's strength serums help your workers."
His lips curled into a small but friendly smile - as friendly as he could look at least - and nudged her with his elbow lightly,
"Eh, no worries. I'm used to it by now. My job offer still stands though. We could use a new bounty hunter in our group."
Mer side eyed him, unsure of what to make of it.
"What do you need me for? I'm a bloody scientist, not a bounty hunter. Might not be cut out for it."
"You'd be surprised. Brainy Ladies are particularly good at lowering the guards of men. I'm sure you'd make an excellent addition to our organisation once you've been trained properly. Meet me here tomorrow if you consider it, okay?"
There was a long pause as he allowed her to process what he'd said, getting up out of the sand and preparing to head back out to town. Mer stayed quiet, adjusting the brooch on the collar of her coat, as it had become crooked as they'd chatted. By the time she looked back up, Wilson had already left, leaving her alone again, with nothing but the stars and sand.
#the life of mer taylor#mer osborn#noah o'hara#spidersona#spidersonas#spiderman oc#spider man fanfiction
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Tivaevae | Chapter Seven: Stitch In The Ditch
Still struggling to emotionally recover from Master Obi-Wan's deception, Ahsoka discovers in the aftermath that twelve-year-old Boba Fett has been locked up among adults in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. After convincing Chancellor Palpatine to grant him a pardon, she manages to secure his release on the condition that she serve as his legal guardian. Now, with the help of Master Plo and the Wolfpack, she vows to help him track down what family he has left.
| AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Kanan Jarrus, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CC-1119 | Appo, Dexter Jettster, FLO | WA-7 (Star Wars), Shaak Ti, ARC Commander Blitz (Star Wars), CT-6922 | Dogma, Original Clone Trooper Character(s) (Star Wars), CC-3636 | Wolffe, Clone Trooper Sinker (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Comet (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, CT-5597 | Jesse, CT-4860 | Boost, Aurra Sing, Tobias Beckett, Null-11 | Ordo Skirata, Kal Skirata, Original Mandalorian Characters (Star Wars), Original Droid Characters (Star Wars), Original Jedi Character(s) (Star Wars)
Total Word Count: 123,000
Chapter Word Count: 11,878
Chapter Summary: Ahsoka, Boba, and the Wolfpack explore the catacombs of Geonosis in search of Jango's armor.
Not long after the Republic had re-secured Geonosis, a permanent outpost had been established on the surface to hopefully keep it in Republic hands. Ahsoka had no idea what had happened to the native Geonosian population since they seemed to have mostly disappeared, with only a few sightings floating through intel every now and again. The general consensus was that whoever was left had fled into their endless catacombs, leaving the surface occupied by clone troopers who constantly surveilled the dustball for Seppie activity.
Their landing site at the base was not far from the arena where Jango Fett had lost his life and was still under heavy construction. It housed the ARF troopers that made up Sandsnake Squadron, a division of the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps. There were six of the Sandsnakes wearing armor painted a dusty-red camo pattern waiting to greet them on the landing pad. The one wearing deep violet kama and a stripe of the same color up his arm stepped forward as Ahsoka's group departed The Babasta. He had painted fangs on the side plating of his helmet.
"Atten-tion!" bellowed the commander, his lilac aura flush with silver authority-respect. All six clones saluted them.
"Koh-to-yah, Commander Pelter," Plo greeted him and returned his salute. "At ease. It is good to finally meet you."
"Thank you, Sir," Pelter said warmly, relaxing. His men behind him did the same. "Follow me, if you would."
"But of course."
As they walked, Ahsoka fished two sets of nose plugs out of her belt pocket and handed one to Boba. The micromesh allowed her to still mostly keep her sense of smell, but if she had to choose a planet to never to smell again Geonosis would be it. It was dusty, musty, and had an uncurrent of sulfur and rotting meat. It was truly just a gross planet, one that she had no fondness for after being both shot down and buried alive on. "Put these on."
"I'm not wearing that shit," Boba said flatly, staring at the nose plugs.
"Yes you are," Ahsoka said primly, inserting her own set. "Unless you want brain worms."
"Unless I want what?" Boba stared at her, his aura gone lime with disbelief-suspicion.
"Brain worms. Mind-controlling brain worms." Ahsoka gave him a narrow grin. "Welcome to Geonosis."
Boba's eyes darted in between her and the nose plugs in his hand, then he hastily shoved them in. "Not my first time on fucking Geonosis," he mumbled bitterly.
Ahsoka winced at her gaffe. "I know." She patted him on the back sympathetically. "Hopefully it'll be the last for both of us."
They followed Commander Pelter into the sprawling, half-finished base and down a labyrinth of halls with exposed wiring and metal beams until they reached the commhub. A holotable topped with a slowly-rotating, glowing map of tunnels was waiting. "We've had our scouts down in the tunnels with drone mappers since we heard you were on your way, Sir," Pelter began. "We've cleared all chambers down to sector nine, as you can see here–" he pointed to a small offshoot at the base of the hive-shaped rock formation, " –and we've mapped out a grid of an additional nineteen sectors with ground-penetrating radar, though we can't speak to what's in them. The rock interferes with most of our equipment. It's almost impossible to get an accurate read without actually going down there."
"Excellent work, Commander." Plo turned to Ahsoka. "Where do you propose we begin our search, Padawan?"
Ahsoka examined the map, specifically a small, unexplored section in the southeast sector directly below level nine. It was wide open and led to a labyrinth of tunnels, but every time she looked away she found her gaze pulled back to it. She made her decision. "We'll start here," she said, pointing to sector nine. "It's been cleared, so it should be safe enough for now."
"And then?" Plo tilted his head.
"Then, Master, we should meditate. If you act as a focus for our session then I can cast out my aura much further than on my own. Hopefully I'll be able to sense if the armor is nearby and we'll at least have a general idea of where to look."
"I have no objections," Plo replied. "Commander Wolffe, do you have any suggestions?"
"We should bring Arseven. He can keep us on track with the map." Wolffe patted the astromech on the head. "Just don't get left behind, ul'ika."
Arseven honked in nervous agreement.
"Then go ahead and finish any preparations you need to for our task," Plo said. "And Commander Pelter, if you can spare a LAAT/i, we are more than capable of flying ourselves down. There is no need to distract you from your duties."
Pelter nodded. "We'll get one staged for you, Sir. I'll load it with a comm booster. These rocks… they really block everything."
Ahsoka remembered that unfortunate fact all too well. "Here, Boba, put this on." She snapped her cuirass over his chest before he could protest.
"Uh, 'kay." Boba craned his head around to look at his back. "This isn't bad. Where'd you learn how to work plastoid, Tano?"
"I didn't, Rex made it for me," she replied.
Boba smirked and his aura went brassy gold humor-exasperation.
"What?" Ahsoka asked, frowning.
"Nothing." Boba snickered, then mumbled something that sounded like oblivioussayswhat.
"Wh–" She narrowed her eyes and smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
"Boost, I assume you are handling munitions as per usual?" Plo asked him.
"Yes, Sir," Boost replied.
"Excellent. Do not forget a blaster for Boba upon your return from the armory."
The Wolfpack, Ahsoka, and Boba all stared at Plo, their auras gone bright white with surprise. Ahsoka mentally tucked away the argument she'd been practicing in her head for the better part of an hour that advocated for arming Boba and bounced on her heels, trying not to smirk.
"Sir, are you sure?" Wolffe asked quietly, glancing at Boba.
"I see no reason not to. These tunnels could prove dangerous, and Boba is a skilled shot."
"We don't know what's down there, Sir," Wolffe continued, tearing his eyes from Boba. "Shouldn't he stay at the base?"
"I don't think so, no."
Plo smiled warmly at the boy and Ahsoka's heart did a happy somersault. Boba's aura was a pale, sunshine yellow with surprise-gratitude-flattery.
"If you say so, Sir," Wolffe mumbled, turning away with beige unease-anxiety clouding his aura.
"Klef, make sure they all get a liquid nitrogen canister," Pelter ordered one of the Sandsnakes, then turned to Ahsoka and tapped on a small spray can mounted on his wrist. "Just in case you run into any of those little slimeballs," he said.
"Good thinking," Ahsoka agreed, shuddering inwardly. The thought of those worms anywhere near her brain ever again just… ew. At least she knew better than to murder a clone for falling victim to it, unlike Barriss.
Barris was such a hypocrite. All she ever did anymore – well, at least before Umbara, Ahsoka hadn't spoken to the bitch since their fight – was whine about the abhorrent violence of the war, but when her life was on the line she didn't even hesitate. Poor Trap didn't deserve to die because she was a stupid, reactionary cu–
"Ahsoka," Plo said, interrupting her racing thoughts. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka said, smiling wanly. "Just… unpleasant memories of this place."
"Hey, it'll be fine," Boba reassured her. "I'll watch your back. Just don't wander off."
Ahsoka saw the way Plo's aura went gold with humor and she patted Boba on the back, stifling her own grin.
Ahsoka kept a hand on Boba's shoulder so he didn't get tossed off the side of the LAAT/i as Comet set it down. His aura was practically vibrating with pale gold excitement-anxiety and he hadn't taken his hand off of his borrowed deece since he'd strapped it on.
"Come, come." Plo hopped off of the side of the gunship and ignited his lightsaber. The chamber was fairly bright, as the chamber was open to the bright orange sky, but the corners were dark. He stood over a wide hole in the southwestern section, roughly three meters wide and pitch-black. "Sector eight can be reached through this tunnel," he informed them. "I shall go first to ensure that the chamber has not been retaken by any Geonosians, then we can continue on to sector nine."
"Sir, let me," Wolffe immediately offered, but Plo held up a serene hand.
"I insist," he said mildly, then before Wolffe could protest any further, he jumped into the hole and disappeared.
"I hate it when he does that," Wolffe growled.
Arseven beeped to concur.
"He do that often?" Mangle asked, peering down the hole with his lights on.
"He always goes first," Boost grumbled. "He likes to worry us. I think he thinks it's funny."
"It is funny," Ahsoka smirked. "He's a Jedi Master, but you'd all tuck him into a box with packing peanuts and a fragile sticker on it if you could."
Wolffe had his bucket on, but she could tell he was glaring at her by how chartreuse his aura was. "Rex might think the suicidal tendencies of the Jedi are cute but we don't, Ahs'ika."
"We're not suicidal!" Ahsoka laughed. "We're just confident in our abilities. It's a shame that the 104th doesn't have the same faith in Master Plo as the 501st has in Master Skywalker and I."
"Oi!" Comet protested, lime with offense. "Nobody said that!"
Sinker snickered. "Very funny, Commander. What you don't realize is that poor Rex has just given up on trying to rein you two in. You and Skywalker give him a heart attack every day."
"Clear!" Plo's booming voice echoed up from the tunnel.
"I'm sending Boba down first!" Ahsoka called down. "Catch him!"
"Catch?" Boba asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Ahsoka said maybe a little too gleefully before lifting him with the Force over the tunnel. "Ready?"
"Um–" Boba said frantically.
"Down you go!"
His yelping echoed all the way down until it terminated with a shriek. It reminded her of when she and Anakin had thrown Rex off of that wall and she couldn't help but smile wickedly.
"Did you die?" she called down.
"Can you fucking warn me next time?" Boba squawked.
"I did! Coming down!" She jumped down the tunnel and slid down the smooth stone walls for a good ten seconds, then landed in a crouch at the base of a massive chamber. Green xenon lights had been affixed to the stone walls and there were stalagmites – or were they stalactites? She could never remember the difference – jutting from both the roof and floor. She gave the seething red Boba, who was still being held by a golden Master Plo, a fond pat on the head.
"See!" she said brightly. "Nothing to worry about."
"If you ever do that again, I'll shoot you in the kneecap," Boba snapped as Plo put him down.
"Yeah, yeah," Ahsoka smirked at him.
The Wolfpack slid down one at a time after her, followed by a screeching Arseven who was firing his jets wildly.
"Easy, buddy, easy," Ahsoka said soothingly, patting him on the head.
The droid whimpered and tilted forward for more pets.
"Aw, what's wrong, Arseven?" she asked.
"𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚖," Arseven beeped miserably.
"Don't worry, buddy, they're organic worms, that's what your liquid nitrogen is for. You're safe."
"Just keep your ports closed, my little friend." Plo patted him fondly as he passed. "Poor Arseven dislikes enclosed spaces. They make him nervous. He much prefers the open air. I couldn't ask for a better copilot."
Arseven happily bounced on his servos at the compliment.
"Come now," Plo continued. "Sector nine is just ahead."
Ahsoka kept her mouth open as she walked behind Plo and clicked softly in the back of her throat, trying to get a better idea of the dark tunnel they walked through in her head.
"What are you doing?" Boba asked, green with curiosity. His big amber eyes were nearly swallowed up by his pupils in the darkness.
"I hear better with my mouth open," Ahsoka replied.
"What?" Boba looked confused.
Ahsoka pointed to her montrals. "No holes," she smiled. "If I open my mouth I can hear almost twice as well. And if I click I can get a mental picture of what's in front of us."
"Fucking hawkbat," Boba muttered, shaking his head.
"Here we are," Plo announced as the tunnel opened into a new chamber, taller than the first. More xenon lights had been screwed into the rock walls, colored eerie green that bleached the red rock into gray. Plo took a seat in the lotus position on a large, flat rock in the center and gestured for Ahsoka to join him.
Ahsoka sank down opposite to him. "Boba, I'm going to be concentrating for the foreseeable future," she announced. "Watch my back."
Boba gave her a nod. He'd drawn his deece and held it down, but ready. His aura was nervous and dirty beige with anxiety-unease.
"It's going to be okay," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Just don't wander off."
Boba rolled his eyes and moved closer to Wolffe.
"Shall we begin?" Plo rumbled.
"Yes, Master." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me."
"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," Plo joined her. "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me."
Ahsoka continued to whisper the words as she let her consciousness relax and expand. First her orange aura, normally held tight and protected against her body, slowly flowed out like soft fog and blended with Plo's warm copper to make a shining russet. Their breathing synced together and she became more aware and less at the same time, focusing on the minutiae of their environment rather than the macro. Plo held her steady while she spread their aura thin; she heard the tiny beetles scrambling over the walls dislodging dust, flies buzzing around the lights, spiderwebs creaking and clicking as their architects tapped across them to wrap their trapped prey in silk, the soft slap of Wolffe's kama against his plastoid thighplates–
She took a frustrated breath. She needed to go out, but it felt like she couldn't even leave the room.
"Focus, Padawan," Plo murmured. He took her hands and squeezed. "Let go of your frustrations and stop searching. Let the Force guide your path. I will keep you from becoming lost."
She tried again. Their aura stretched further, searching, brushing, touching the walls of the tunnels near her. She took it all in softly, listening and feeling for anything that didn't belong. There was a sudden ripple on the very edge of their aura, a tug like a shy child trying to get an elder's attention by grabbing their sleeve.
It retreated once she noticed it, and she followed it down a dark tunnel in a northern direction. There was a quiet song that she couldn't quite hear emanating from this tunnel, almost like a bell that chimed and pulsed at the same time, as soft and resonant as a memory. She flowed after it over the rocks and dirt like smoke, on and on and on as the song became louder and–
Nothing. Whatever was tugging on their aura was gone like a fish on a broken line and the song quickly died away. Ahsoka huffed, frustrated, and pulled back once more. She opened her eyes and frowned. "I thought I had something, but–"
"I saw." Plo squeezed her hands. "Do you think the armor would call out in such a way?"
"What do you mean, Master?" Ahsoka asked. She gently detangled their auras and leaned back on her elbows.
"We are looking for the armor. It is not looking for us." Plo looked troubled; his aura was turquoise and was as flat and still as a pond. "I do not think that we are alone down here."
Ahsoka's eyes widened and dread clenched in her belly like a fist. "Boba?" she called, looking around.
"Right here." Boba peeked his head out from behind Wolffe. "Me'vaar ti gar?"
"Naas. Just checking in." She turned nervous eyes to Plo. "What do you think, Master?"
Plo thought silently for a moment. "Whatever is down here is not likely to be friendly," he finally said. "We should continue with caution. I do not like the idea of such an unknown entity so close to the ARF base."
"Agreed," she said, and got to her feet. "The question is, do we follow it or not?"
"Right before our connection was broken, I heard a melody," said Plo. "Did you also hear it?"
Ahsoka nodded. "Did you recognize it?" she asked.
"Possibly. I have never heard the song myself, but I have read tales in the Jedi Archives about the resonance of certain materials in the Force, only audible to those who know how to listen. Beskar is said to have an exceptionally clear tone, like a bell."
"You think the armor was singing?" Ahsoka asked a little skeptically.
"There is only one way to find out." Plo gestured to Boba. "Stay close, son. I want all of you to stay vigilant. Ahsoka and I sensed a presence in these tunnels, one that wants us to follow it. We proceed with utmost caution from here on out."
Arseven honked in a way that sounded very much like uh oh.
"Ahsoka, I must ask you something," Plo said softly as they proceeded single-file down the northern tunnel.
"What is it, Master?" she asked.
"Are you doing alright?" Plo asked, his aura a gentle teal with protection-concern-affection.
"Master?"
"Your presence feels heavy in the Force. It has not felt so heavy since…" Plo hesitated, then glanced back at her. "Since Xior-Cal."
Ahsoka didn't answer. She wasn't sure how to. There was no ceremony from her culture to help her move on this time. For a few insane moments she fantasized about knocking one of Obi-Wan's teeth out and feeding it to Hinata.
"I'm okay," she said after she realized she'd been silent for at least ten awkward seconds. "I am. I'm alright."
"When we meditated on the journey here, you had trouble fully surrendering yourself to the Force. More difficulty than I've ever seen you have, even as a child."
"I know," she admitted. "I'm not centered like I should be, Master. I'm working on it."
"Strong emotions cloud our connection to the Force. That is why it is so important to release them, Padawan." Plo's aura went dark and rich with affection-comfort. "Whatever I can do to help you move past this, please tell me. Not just for the sake of our mission, but for your own wellbeing. You are a beacon of light in a galaxy that becomes darker with every moment this war continues. It breaks my heart to see you so dim."
Plo was right, she needed to get it together. She was mentally spinning, having trouble concentrating and unfocused. They didn't have time for her to be so off-balance. Boba didn't have time.
"Arseven, the map, if you would," Plo rumbled.
Arseven beeped pitifully and projected what he had; according to the ground-penetrating radar that the Sandsnakes had used there was another large, open chamber at the end of the tunnel.
"Ahsoka, wait here with the others," Plo instructed. "Wait for my call."
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka replied, and she watched Plo dip around the edge of the tunnel.
"And now we wait," Wolffe grumbled, his aura gone a deep teal with protection-annoyance-affection. He leaned against the side of the tunnel and checked his chrono. "He's got five minutes."
"Before you swoop in and save him?" Ahsoka asked, trying not to laugh.
"Before I send your mouthy shebs in after him," Wolffe grumbled.
Ahdoka leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, smirking. "I bet y–" she began, but stopped once she noticed Boba. He was frowning and playing with the strap on his holster; his aura was green with curiosity but ringed with yellow embarrassment again. "What's the matter?" she asked, concerned.
"Nothing," he mumbled. A ribbon of smokey dishonesty circled around him.
"Boba, what's the matter?" Ahsoka dropped to one knee. "What happened, what did we say?"
Boba glanced up. "I don't want to piss you off," he said, still fidgeting. His eyes flicked over to Wolffe and his aura went darker yellow.
Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder. "You won't, I promise. Now what is it?"
"What was Xior-Cal?" he asked hesitantly. Ahsoka realized he was afraid that she would react the way Wolffe had when he had asked about his scar.
"You don't have to answer that, Commander," Wolffe said immediately, putting a protective hand on her shoulder. "Listen, kid–"
"I'm fine." Ahsoka patted Wolffe's hand and gave him a grateful look. "It's okay, Wolffe."
"You don't need to be thinking about all of that right now," Wolffe growled. His visor turned to Boba and his aura was almost opaque teal with protection-resentment. Not towards Boba, no, towards even the memory of Clan Sylen.
Ahsoka had been horribly injured at the end of her fight with Dol and his family, too injured to stay for the aftermath. Plo had arrived on his Venator a few hours after she'd left. Wolffe had overseen the evacuation of Clan Sylen's slaves, he'd been in Dol's breeding pits. He knew exactly what fate Ahsoka had escaped.
"Then let me tell him so we don't have to linger on the subject," Ahsoka said gently, then turned back to Boba. "A horrible man – an exiled Mandalorian, actually – he kidnapped Jesse and I and took us to a planet he'd taken over called Xior-Cal. He wanted to marry me and then use me to claim the Darksaber for him so he could overthrow Satine Kryze."
"Is that who you were talking about before with Nala Se?" Boba asked. The yellow bled into red anger.
"Yeah." She smiled at him and stood. "There's more to the story, but that's the gist."
"That's why he's so protective of you," Boba said, his aura tinged mint with realization-understanding. "Jesse, I mean."
"One reason, yeah," Ahsoka laughed softly.
"Clear!" Plo declared ahead of them. "Be careful, watch your step when walking. The chamber floor is cracked down the center."
Ahsoka led the squad out, keeping a careful eye on their path. She clicked in the back of her throat as they walked; there were no lights in this chamber and it felt oppressively dark outside of the small circle of light her lightsaber emitted, but she got the impression that the chamber was vaguely egg-shaped without any stalagmites. She was unwillingly reminded of the chamber she and Jesse had hidden in from Dol and his vassals underneath the moonless Xior-Cal's chandanam grove. "Stay close," she ordered Boba, joining Plo on a flat rock in the center. There was a wide hairline crack down the middle of it that they stood on either side of.
"Yeah." Boba swallowed hard and glanced around.
"Hey, kid. C'mere." Boost fished something out of one of his pouches and handed it to Boba. "Snap it on the bottom of the barrel. There's a magnetic lock."
Boba carefully applied whatever it was Boost had handed him and a flashlight flicked on once the magnet had clicked.
"This was the chamber where we lost our lead," Plo said quietly. He took her hands and they sank to their knees together. "We will begin again, but be careful, Padawan."
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka murmured. "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me." She whispered the words in tandem with Plo as she once again melded their auras and reached out in a russet fog. Above them was a quietly tittering nest of bat-like creatures that squeaked and shivered amongst themselves. Ahsoka could feel their apprehension, their anxiety; they wanted them to leave and posed no danger. She continued on and tasted the gritty, musty dirt in her mouth, felt the rough texture of the newly-dug walls, heard a clear, pulsing bell that vibrated her teeth–
"Newly dug," Plo murmured. "This chamber is freshly made."
"Yes," she whispered back. "Do you hear it? The bell."
"I do. It is much louder than before."
"Do you think we're close?" she asked.
"I cannot say for certain."
Ahsoka felt sweat drip down the side of her face. The humidity of the chamber was beginning to rise, oddly, but what was causing it? "Master, do you feel–"
s ʜ ᴏ ᴡ ᴍ ᴇ
A foreign voice hissed the words in her mind at the same time the rocks cracked overhead, scaring the life out of her. It shook the walls and loosened a torrent of pebbles. Something grabbed a hold of her aura; not the shy tug of a curious child like before, but a chitinous hand that closed like a spike trap.
s ʜ ᴏ ᴡ ᴍ ᴇ ᴍ ᴏ ʀ ᴇ
"Master Plo–" she whimpered. Her lekku stung as they began to rapidly swell, reflexively trying to scare away whatever had a hold of her.
"Ahsoka, stay with me!" Plo's voice boomed both out loud and in her mind. "Focus on me, Padawan!"
Ahsoka tried but she felt her aura detangling from his and she couldn't stop it–
The floor gave way without warning and Boba rolled, too shocked to even scream. He landed with a grunt and rolled about ten feet, tangled up in the limbs of his twitching ori'vod and almost crushed by the squealing weight of Arseven.
"Ahsoka!" Plo shouted. "Boba, are you–"
"INCOMING!" Wolffe roared, then all Boba heard was blaster fire, the humming of a lightsaber, and the clicking screams of Geonosian drones. "WE'RE SURROUNDED!"
The chamber above shook. Dust and a shower of rocks fell down where Boba and Ahsoka had landed. "Tano," Boba said quietly, hoping the blaster fire above would be loud enough to cover his voice. If whatever was attacking the Wolfpack realized they were alone they'd be dead in seconds. "Wake up, Tano. Come on." He shook Ahsoka but she was completely out, and if her lekku weren't twitching like snakes Boba would have thought that she was dead. He dragged her around the edge of the rock they'd rolled down and pressed himself against it. He swept dust and pebbles off of her lips before she choked on them.
Arseven began to rapidly meep, panicked at being separated from Plo. "Quiet!" Boba hissed at the flailing astromech. "Get over here!"
Arseven meeped pitifully one more time then fell silent and rolled out of sight of the upper chamber.
"Fall back, fall back!" Wolffe yelled.
"Men, to the tunnel!" Boba heard Plo boom above him. "Boba, ke'haaranovor!"
Boba closed his eyes and tried not to hyperventilate. He hadn't heard the noise of a Geonosian army since… since…
It didn't matter. He had to keep it together.
Blaster fire started to become muffled as the troopers presumably entered the tunnel. Boba held his breath until he couldn't hear clicking anymore. He had thankfully kept a hand on his blaster, and he used the flashlight to examine where the hell they were once he was fairly certain that all of the bugs had been drawn away. It looked like the floor had just opened and they'd fallen into a much older chamber below. It smelled even worse than the first and he saw why immediately; there were dozens of bodies in the room, all wearing white plastoid armor. They'd been there a while, probably since the very first deployment. There was nothing but bones and leathery sinew left of them. Boba nervously adjusted his nose plugs and looked at Arseven. "Show me the map."
Boba examined Arseven's projection; the chamber they were in was thankfully on what the Sandsnakes had found with their ground penetrating radar and they were close to the eastern side of the hive. "That tunnel to our right," he whispered. "It leads right up against the side of the canyon. Think we can cut our way out with the laser sword?"
Arseven quietly honked.
"Alright, follow me." Boba holstered his deece. He crouched beside his twitching Togruta guardian and hoisted her tall, skinny body onto his back. "Fat fucking head," he grunted as he struggled to his feet, slipping and sliding on the debris. Her legs were so long that they dragged on the ground. He spared a glance upward at the last echoes of retreating blaster fire then turned and struggled on towards the tunnel.
Arseven beeped at him, hesitating.
"We can't get up there," Boba hissed. "Plo said to hide and we can't just sit out in the open like this, we need to keep her safe until she snaps out of it. Come on, I need your light."
Arseven sadly beeped and illuminated the tunnel ahead.
"Keep an eye on our backs, would you?" Boba whispered as they made their way through the pitch black. He could still hear insectoid clicks and distant blaster fire echoing through the stone. If they were jumped, he'd have to toss Ahsoka off his back and draw as quickly as possible. Hopefully her tails would cushion her big head in the fall.
Fuck, this was stupid. They never should have come here. The only reason they were crawling through a shabla bug nest at all was because he had cried about his dad and Ahsoka didn't know when to stop trying to help. Now she was probably going to die – well, fuck, they were probably both going to die, who was he kidding – and it was all his fault. Typical. He had managed to find the one person in the galaxy who wanted to help him, actually help him without wanting anything in return, and he was the one who was going to get her killed.
Tiarek was going to be furious. About her, at least. Boba still wasn't sure what his brother thought about him; he cared, clearly, but Boba wasn't sure if it was just his sense of honor or if he maybe felt the memories that the kaminii demagolkase had stolen from him, locked deep in his mind.
Arseven honked frantically and spun his spotlight behind them. Boba tossed Ahsoka to the ground and aimed his blaster in the direction of the light.
Something tiny, reptilian, and vaguely rat-shaped scurried across the floor of the tunnel.
Boba lowered his blaster and glared at Arseven. "I meant for Geonosians," he snapped at the astromech.
Arseven cooed apologetically and if Boba didn't know better he would have said that the droid was embarrassed.
"She's probably already got a concussion, you know," Boba grunted at the droid as he hauled Ahsoka onto his back again. "She – ugh – she doesn't need – come on, you leggy bitch – any more head trauma." He finally got her up and turned just in time to see a hissing Geonosian drone at the end of the tunnel raise its spear.
Boba tried to draw but he wasn't fast enough. The spear hit him square in the chestplate and sent him flying backwards. He landed hard on Ahsoka and heard a sick crunching noise.
Arseven screeched and sprayed liquid nitrogen in the drone's face. It reared back, screaming and clawing at its eyes. Boba aimed from the ground and plugged it three times in the face, then it fell dead to the ground with a noise like a tea kettle.
"Fuck," Boba panted, lowering his smoking blaster. "Fucking fuck!" He yanked the spear out of the plastoid and tossed it, trying not to barf. If he hadn't had her cuirass on, they would have both been skewered like a pair of fucking runis. "Thank you, Tiarek," he mumbled, then realized he was still sitting on Tiarek's Jedi.
"Oh shit, let me get off– I'm sorry! Sorry, sorry, shit–" Boba holstered his blaster and then rolled Ahsoka onto her back. Her left arm flopped in a way that made him want to puke. "Did I–" Boba gasped. "It's broken. I broke her fucking arm. Shit, shit, shit!" He stood up and placed frantic hands on his head. "Shit, Ahsoka, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Arseven let out a series of panicked beeps and started to bounce.
"Okay, okay, um–" Boba spun and looked at Arseven. "You gotta carry her. I have to keep my blaster out."
Arseven honked indignantly and waved his spotlight at him. Boba didn't speak binary but the implication was clear.
"I've got a flashlight too, now hold on." Dad had made sure Boba knew the basics of bonesetting, though he'd probably never expected him to use the lesson on a Jedi. He unclipped Ahsoka's leather belt, careful to not bump the buttons on the lightsabers clipped to it, then untied the sash it covered. Something clattered to the ground once he'd freed the cloth from behind her back and bounced a few feet away.
Boba and Arseven leaned in to look. On the tunnel floor was some sort of tooth, wide and flat and off-white; clearly a molar but way too big to be Human. Boba gingerly picked it up and examined it. "The fuck?" he muttered. He tucked it into his pocket for safekeeping and started searching for something to serve as a splint. He decided her gauntlet would have to do, and after he unstrapped it from her wrist he saw that there was a hilt sticking out of the end.
"Woah." Boba unsheathed the big vibroblade that was almost as long as her arm. He glanced down at her. "Didn't know you were allowed to use these," he mumbled to himself. "Good thing, though. Makes this easier." He carefully sliced the sleeve of her robe up to her shoulder and then made a second pass to get at her undertunic, going even slower the second time so as not to nick her.
When he got above her elbow he almost choked. The skin there was mottled black and her whole upper arm was swollen twice the size it should be. "This… this isn't new," he muttered. "What the hell, Tano? This why you've been favoring it?" He kept cutting until her arm was completely exposed and gently probed her bicep with his fingers to see just how bad the break was. "At least it's not through the skin," he mumbled, gently rotating her elbow. It didn't move right. It had broken clean in half.
She gasped in pain but didn't wake up.
"Sorry," Boba said again, then made a face. "And sorry for this." He gingerly strapped the gauntlet over her skinny bicep after maneuvering the bone as best he could back to its original position, praying to whoever was listening that he wasn't ripping up her arteries because he didn't know what the hell what Togs had in there, then tightened it down.
Ahsoka cried out and tears flowed down her cheeks, but she still didn't wake up.
"Sorry," Boba said miserably for what felt like the millionth time. "Okay, we have to move." He used her sash to tie her splinted arm to her chest, then stood and hooked his arms under her armpits and dragged her over to Arseven. "Don't drop her," he ordered the droid as he draped her awkwardly over his dome. Her lekku flopped towards the ground and tickled her nose. He slung her leather belt over his shoulder, nervously adjusting the lightsabers, then motioned at the droid to follow.
Arseven made an affronted honk at the indignity of it all and wheeled after Boba down the tunnel.
Ahsoka came to in a fog. She was in some sort of medbay, though she didn't recognize it, but the smell of antiseptic and old blood was unmistakable. She blinked bleary eyes around the room and tried to sit up.
"Easy, mo nighean," a familiar voice beside her said soothingly.
She turned her head slowly and squinted at him. "Bobi?" she mumbled through numb lips.
"Hello, my dear." Obi-Wan leaned forward and gently dabbed sweat off her face with a damp cloth. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm…" she looked around the room. "Where are we?"
"Back at the base." He leaned back and smiled at her. "When I received word that you had been ambushed, I mustered the 212th and rushed here as quickly as I could."
"How…" She stretched her jaw with a wince. "How many casualties?"
"None." Obi-Wan smiled. "Not a single one, Ahsoka."
"Thank the Force," she sighed, and let her heavy head rest on the pillow again.
"They found Jango's armor. They're going through the files in the war room now." Obi-Wan picked a piece of ice out of a cup and ran it over her lips. "They think that there might be a lead on the Sith Lord in there. It's promising. You may have just ended this war."
"Really?" she breathed, unable to believe it. "That's… that's…"
"And there was all of the information on the Cuy'val Dar that you could have asked for. Boba's going through the list now with Master Plo."
Ahsoka could have cried with joy. "Who would've thought?" she whispered. "It was here the whole time. We could have ended the war before ever leaving Geonosis if we had just looked."
"If only." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I am so, so proud of you, Ahsoka." His bare hand grasped hers. "And I owe you an apology."
Ahsoka suddenly remembered that she was mad at him.
His thumb gently stroked hers. "What I did to you and Anakin was unconscionable. I made a terrible, terrible mistake. I understand why you're so angry, and you have every right to be. I can only hope to earn your forgiveness."
Ahsoka closed her eyes. She must have been given painkillers; they made her connection to the Force foggier than a Trandoshan dawn and she couldn't see even a wisp of his aura. "Thank you for saying that, Master," she said quietly.
"...she snaps out of it. Come on, I need your light."
Ahsoka tilted her head, confused.
"Whoever is out there can wait," Obi-Wan said harshly, glancing at the door before looking at her again with a soft smile. She saw the dimple under his beard deepen. "You can't run away from me, now. I intend to make the most of this time."
Ahsoka fiddled with her IV awkwardly.
"I haven't done a very good job of protecting you, have I?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, taking her hand again.
Ahsoka frowned. "What do you mean?"
Obi-Wan looked at her sadly. "I know what Anakin did to you, Ahsoka."
"You–" her eyes went wide and panic clawed at her throat. "No, I… I don't know what Cody told you, but–"
"You don't have to protect him anymore, dear." Obi-Wan moved to sit on the side of her bed. "He is a grown man and a Knight besides. He is supposed to protect you, not the other way around."
"That's not true," she whispered.
"I assure you, he's quite grown." Obi-Wan's eyes crinkled in a soft smile. "You've been taking care of him for too long, Ahsoka. It's time he grew up and finally faced some consequences for his lack of control."
"Please don't remove me," she begged. "He didn't mean it. It was his mech hand, it got stuck, it… he didn't mean to actually hurt me."
Obi-Wan sighed. "He did. We both know he did. That's what he does. He hurts people and then he convinces them that they were to blame for it, because he is incapable of taking responsibility for his own mistakes."
All at once the air was sucked out of her chest and she arched her back away from the bed. A lightning bolt of white-hot agony shot up her arm and she struggled for the breath to scream.
"Muscle spasms," Obi-Wan said sympathetically. "Your arm was broken again in the battle. Anakin did a terrible job of healing it. I assume his emotions were too heightened to do it properly."
"Shit, Ahsoka, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm so, so sorry," Obi-Wan continued, overlapping the voice she heard outside of the room. "I wish that you felt you could come to me. You did nothing to deserve this."
Ahsoka bit down the desperate urge to defend Anakin. "I know that he struggles with his anger, Master, but he was just so lost," she panted. "It was an accident."
"It's all my fault," he said regretfully. "It was my supposed death that put him in such a state. I thought he could handle it, but evidently not." He looked away. "You were supposed to be my Padawan, remember. I should have fought harder for you. You deserve to have a Master who won't hurt you."
Ahsoka took a shuddering breath. "But–"
"But nothing, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan's eyes were heavy with guilt. "You deserve love. Safety. Someone that will teach you without changing who you are at your core. Not an overgrown child who will break your arm during a temper tantrum."
"He hasn't changed me," she said weakly. "He makes me better. Stronger. He's made sure I could survive anything."
"At what cost?" Obi-Wan kissed her hand. "You are changing, my dear, like it or not. I've known you since you were three years old. I've watched you grow into a strong, wonderful, kind Jedi, but now I fear that his darkness is infecting you." He met her eyes. "You felt it, didn't you? After my funeral, when he hurt you. You broke yourself open gleaning all of that darkness away from him, and after everything you did he repaid you with violence. That's what he always does. He takes, and takes, and takes, until finally there's nothing left to give and then he turns on you and blames you for failing him."
Ahsoka felt her lip quiver.
"Oh, mo nighean, come here." Obi-Wan pulled her up into a hug and wrapped his arms around her just like he had when she was a little girl. She buried her face in his neck with a choked sob. She had missed him so much. She didn't want to be angry at him. She felt it poisoning her memories of them together, turning them bitter and rancid.
"I don't want you to worry about Anakin anymore," he whispered against her montral, softly petting the root of her rear lek. "If you truly feel that you two should not be separated, I will–"
"I do!" Ahsoka said immediately.
Obi-Wan huffed a quiet laugh. "Then I will not separate you. But there will be a change. He will never, ever hurt you again." He pulled back and she saw his eyes had hardened. "He will regret it if he does."
" ...show the first trooper you see, they'll find Pelter and muster out here. I hope. We've got two fucking Jedi trapped down here, after all."
Ahsoka looked at the door, confused. "Boba?" she called.
"He's with Plo, dear, remember?" Obi-Wan stroked her face gently and smiled. "You have nothing to worry about."
"But what was–"
"It's nothing, Ahsoka, nothing." Obi-Wan eased his way into the bed beside her and wrapped her protectively in his arms. "You're safe here with me. Just rest."
She closed her eyes and snuggled closer against him.
"There's my little tick," he chuckled quietly. "Do you remember when I'd call you that as a youngling? You were always clinging to me back then. Qui-Gon thought it was hilarious."
"Yes." She smiled into his robes.
"I remember the first time you came face-to-face with akul lilies," he said softly. "You screamed so loud that I thought you were being murdered. I had to come and save you, and then you wouldn't let me put you down for hours."
They both laughed and Ahsoka felt her stripes go warm.
"I treasure those memories," Obi-Wan admitted. He scratched between her montrals and she began to purr. "I always regretted allowing the Council to convince me that I doted on you too much. I abandoned you back then too, didn't I?"
Ahsoka was shocked to hear him say something she'd only ever thought in her weakest moments. "It's alright," she murmured. "You're here now. That's what matters."
"But still. We lost so much time." The room was warm and so was Obi-Wan. She was getting drowsy. "I always thought of you as the daughter I'd never have. I love you so much, Ahsoka."
"I love you too, Bobi," she murmured, nuzzling into his neck. His beard tickled her forehead.
"You're not my fucking dad! My dad is dead! I watched him fucking die, now go away!"
Ahsoka jerked at the voice. "Was that Boba?" she asked, frowning at the door.
"No, dear, he's with Plo," he reminded her patiently. "Just rest. Stay here with me."
She put her face back in his neck and breathed in the warm, comforting smell of incense and cologne and warm skin. "Can I still see Boba after he picks a new guardian?" she asked quietly.
"Of course, dear. I see no reason not to. You've been a calming influence on him."
She laughed, remembering the way he'd insulted Obi-Wan in the hangar. "I'm sorry he made fun of your–"
The words died before they could leave her lips. His razor rash. He had shaved his head and beard to impersonate Rako Hardeen.
She froze.
"I don't know what the fuck you are, but you're not him!"
Ahsoka looked up at the man with a full head of luxurious auburn hair who held her in his arms.
Obi-Wan blinked rapidly and disappeared, and when the sound of a blaster bolt deflecting off of beskar rang through the room like a bell the room went with him.
Boba touched the stone wall of the tunnel. "Here. It's here, right? Bring up the map again."
Arseven projected his map of the tunnels and Boba nodded, identifying their ninety-degree bend. "Yeah. This is it. Alright, let's just hope that the wall isn't thicker than what her lightsaber can cut." Boba carefully detached the bigger one from its clip on Ahsoka's belt, triple-checked it was facing the right way, then thumbed the button. The vivid green beam shot out and he nearly dropped it out of nerves.
At least it wasn't purple.
Boba swallowed hard and carefully started cutting into the wall. There was resistance like he was trying to push something hollow underwater, but otherwise it sank right to the hilt. He stopped a few times when the rock got too hot for his fingers, but after a minute he had carved a careful square into the wall.
He turned off the blade and shoved the piece of rock forward as hard as he could. The bright orange light of the canyon poured into the pitch black and nearly blinded him.
"Boba!"
Boba dropped the saber and spun with his blaster drawn, shaking and spotty-eyed from his small glimpse of the sun. "Wolffe?" he forced out. There was no answer. "Did you hear that?" he whispered to Arseven.
The astromech beeped and shook its spotlight back and forth in a clear no.
Boba swallowed hard and picked the saber back up. Maybe they were looking for them in another tunnel and couldn't hear him respond. He didn't dare yell any louder than he had so he continued to cut carefully into the wall, kicking the chunks out into the canyon. He finally carved a rough rectangle big enough for Arseven to fit through.
He sprayed the rock floor with his liquid nitrogen canister so he didn't burn his hands and then peered over the edge. His heart sank. There was no way he was making it down a thousand-foot drop to the bottom of the canyon without a jetpack, and Arseven's boosters weren't strong enough to support the weight of the three of them combined. If they tried to go one at a time, the unconscious Ahsoka would almost definitely fall off of the droid's dome. He turned and motioned at Arseven. "C'mere, turn your holocam on."
Arseven beeped curiously but obeyed.
"This is Boba Fett. I'm with the Jedi Ahsoka Tano. She's been injured really badly and we've been separated from Plo Koon and the Wolfpack. We need reinforcements right away. There's a whole fucking army down here of Geonosians. Follow the coordinates on Plo's Arseven unit. Dad told me that the Geonosians who live underground are scared of sunlight so we should be okay for a little while, but I don't know if that will hold them back for long."
"Where are you, son?"
Boba spun and aimed down the dark tunnel. He didn't see anything, but he had definitely heard something. It had to be Wolffe looking for him. "You have to hurry," he forced himself to continue, turning back to the holocam. "Bring everyone. I mean fucking everyone, I'm serious about the army. And call for reinforcements on your way." He glanced down the tunnel again. "Boba out."
Boba clicked off Arseven's holocam and motioned his head at the canyon. "Go on and fly to the base as fast as you can. You show the first trooper you see, they'll find Pelter and muster out here." Boba grimaced. "I hope. We've got two fucking Jedi trapped down here, after all."
Arseven honked reluctantly. He stopped at the edge of the opening, flashed his light at Boba twice, then jetted off.
Boba sank down on his haunches and buried his face in his hands. He suddenly felt very, very alone. He'd protect Ahsoka as long as he could, but… but…
"Fuck," he choked out, trying not to cry. He didn't want to have to protect her. He didn't even know if he wanted to find Dad's armor anymore because he'd probably still be in it and that would be the new last touch of his father. Not the brief kov'nyn he'd given Boba right before he had put on his helmet and started fighting, but the touch of dead leather and rotten bones.
He wondered if they had gotten the helmet. He'd dropped it running to escape the arena, would the bugs have known to keep it together? Was it even still together? What if they'd melted it down and sold it to pay for battledroids?
He didn't know. He was afraid to know. The clicking in the walls was getting louder and he really didn't want to fucking be here anymore.
He sat with his back to the daylit canyon and pulled Ahsoka's head into his lap, trying to keep both of them in the light. He pulled her belt off of his shoulder and hooked the lightsaber back on it. "I'm sorry, ori'vod," he whispered. His vision went blurry with tears. She twitched like a dreaming massiff in his lap. "We never should've come here. I'm sorry."
"Bo'ika, can you hear me?"
Boba froze. The voice came from the end of the pitch black tunnel where the sunlight didn't reach. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
"Come to me, Boba. It's alright now. Daddy's here."
"Dad?" Boba whispered, trembling. It wasn't possible. He'd... he'd seen Windu…
"Leave the jetii and come to me, son." There was a glint of silver just beyond where the sunlight stopped. "You don't need that thing. Let's get out of here together."
"You're dead," Boba whimpered. He scooted back and carefully lowered Ahsoka's head to the ground. "I saw you die. You're…"
"You'd choose the jetii over your own father?" the voice hissed.
"N-no, I…"
"Boba, come here now!" the voice bellowed. It sounded just like him but it couldn't be him, it couldn't.
"Fuck off!" Boba shouted, drawing his deece. He kept it aimed at the shine as he struggled to his feet. "You're not my fucking dad! My dad is dead! I watched him fucking die, now go away!"
"Am I not enough for you?" the voice snapped venomously. "You left me to die, and now you're helping the jetiise!"
"No," Boba sobbed. His hands shook with fear and adrenaline. "No, I didn't… I never would have…"
"Then why won't you come to me now?" Dad whispered, suddenly gentle again. "K'olar, Bo'ika. Come to me. We can be together again."
"No," Boba forced through his tears. "No, you're not him. You're not."
"What are you afraid of, Boba?" He saw the outline of the kar'ta beskar on his father's cuirass. "I would never hurt you, son. I love you."
Boba shook his head. "No. No, you're not real."
"Don't you want to be with me? Mama is here too. So is Cassus."
Boba almost collapsed. "They're dead!" he sobbed. "They're dead too, because, because you…"
"You never saw their bodies," the voice said silkily. "I had to tell you they were dead, Bo'ika, so they could be safe. I would never hurt them."
Boba's sweaty hands shook so badly that he could barely keep a grip on the deece. "But you did," he whispered. "You killed them, and you tried to kill Tiarek."
"But not you. Never you, Boba." A beskar greave crossed the threshold of sunlight. "Let's go home, son." Hissing and clicking echoed in the tunnel behind him.
Boba screwed his eyes shut. "We don't have a home anymore," he whispered. "You're not my dad. I don't know what the fuck you are, but you're not him!"
"Boba, come to me!" the thing that wasn't his father screamed at him.
Boba pulled the trigger and heard the bolt deflect off of the beskar like a bell. His eyes shot open as a primal growl erupted behind him that made every hair on his body stand up, and the dark tunnel flooded with emerald green light. A Geonosian wearing his father's beskar'gam and a headpiece made of Human finger bones and insect wings recoiled with a scream, immediately echoed by the dozens of drones holding spears behind it.
Ahsoka darted forward and closed the distance between them before Boba could even blink. She took the leader's head off its shoulders with one powerful swing and then sliced her way through the swarm of screeching, clicking bugs it had stood at the head of.
Boba tried to still his shaking hands and started firing at the packed swarm. He managed to pick off six before Ahsoka cut her way to the back and disappeared around a bend. His eyes darted between her shadow and the… the thing that had stolen his father's armor. It had tied feathers to the jetpack thrusters and his customized WESTAR-34 hung around its neck like a trophy.
He wanted to step forward and rip it off but his feet felt like they'd been cemented to the tunnel floor. How had it known? About Mama and Cassus, how had it known?
He heard a final, distant hiss like steam escaping a pot and then Ahsoka reappeared around the bend, sweating and breathing hard from exertion. She put her saber back on her belt, stepped over the thing's corpse, and pushed his blaster down before pulling him into a one-armed hug that squeezed the breath from his lungs.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a cracking voice.
Boba closed his eyes and burrowed into her sweaty neck, trying not to cry. " 'Lek. Ahsoka, a'ni buir, ni buir ru'jorhaa'i, n-n-nayc, kih'bas ru'johaa'i ti ner jorad be'buir–"
"Shh, I'm here," Ahsoka murmured. Her chest rumbled weakly. "It's alright, Boba, I'm here. Just breathe."
"How did it know?" he whimpered. "How did it know those things a-about my dad?"
"I don't know what it was, but it was Force sensitive. It trapped me in a vision when I was searching for the armor's aura." She glanced behind them. "Looks like the search is over."
"Yeah," Boba whispered.
"Okay, we–" Ahsoka winced and stepped back. Her eyes went round as they focused on the hole in his borrowed cuirass. "Cac, Boba, what happened?"
"A drone threw a spear at me," Boba said with a sniffle.
Her jaw dropped to her chest. "A spear?" she squawked. "Okay, start from the beginning."
Boba wiped his nose. "Um, the floor just… it just opened up. Then we – me, you, and Arseven – fell down into the chamber below, but Plo and Wolffe and all the rest were still up above."
Ahsoka looked at her arm and bit her lip. "Yeah, that would have done it," she sighed.
"Yeah," Boba squeaked, choosing not to confess that he'd broken it by falling on her. "But you were totally out of it. They got attacked up above and Plo yelled at us to hide, but then we got jumped in the tunnel – that's when I got speared – but I took it down. I got us here and cut the wall so Arseven could go get reinforcements."
"That was good thinking," Ahsoka said, then narrowed her eyes. "Wait, why didn't you go with him?"
"You'd prefer it if I left you to be bug food?" Boba snapped defensively. "Ungrateful, much?"
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "I would prefer that you were safe at the base, but you're right. I definitely would have been bug food." She smiled, and even though she was clearly in a lot of pain, it was genuine. She touched foreheads with him. "Vor entye, vod'ika."
Boba felt his cheeks go pink. "Yeah, well, Tiarek would have killed me if I had left you," he mumbled.
It may have just been the way her lekku had swelled up, but it looked like her stripes got darker. Her head tilted and she let her jaw fall open, clicking softly in the back of her throat for a few seconds before drawing her lightsaber and spinning with it ignited. "Stay behind me," she said quietly.
Boba aimed over her left shoulder. "What is it?"
"Footsteps," she mumbled. "Coming around the bend. In three, two, one–"
Boba pulled the trigger right before Ahsoka gasped for him to hold his fire, but Plo easily deflected the bolt with his blue lightsaber. "Sorry!" he squeaked.
"Master," Ahsoka sighed in visible relief, deactivating her blade.
"Little 'Soka." Plo swept her up in a careful hug, mindful of her splinted arm. He reached around her and yanked Boba into his other arm. "Mii-in khu-khud. I'm so thankful to have found you both safe."
"Ahs'ika!" Wolffe jogged down the tunnel and put a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, where the hell have you two been? We've been up and down these tunnels–"
"Mangle, your skills are required," Plo interrupted. "Sit, Padawan. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"My back is killing me," she admitted, sinking down with his help. "I think I hurt it in the fall."
Boba bit his tongue.
"We are safe for now, I believe. We ran into a swarm not far from here. Some were already injured."
"Yeah, that was probably the swarm running from us," Ahsoka laughed humorlessly.
Mangle took a knee beside her and examined her swelling arm. "I'll give you something for the pain, Commander, but I'd rather not do any more damage to it by trying to rewrap it here. It's already secure, I'll just do more damage."
Ahsoka didn't look happy about it. "Alright," she said, wincing at the touch of his hands. "Sh– Fr– Heck, that really stings."
"Just say fuck," Boba sighed, fighting not to smile at her primness.
Ahsoka shook her head and pointedly looked away from Plo.
"Want me to say it for you?" he asked sympathetically.
"Boba, no," she choked, caught between laughter and tears. "But, uh, the adrenaline is wearing off and this is really starting to hurt."
"Not for long," Mangle said with a snicker, then jammed a hypospray into her left shoulder.
"Where is Arseven?" Plo asked, his brows furrowed. "Did he not fall with you?"
"I sent him back to the base for backup," Boba said.
"We'll need more troopers than what is at the base to safely clear out this hive," Plo said grimly.
"The hell is this thing?" Comet asked, kicking the Geonosian.
The Kel Dor's eyes found the beskar'gam. "A shaman, I believe. I felt its attempt to prey upon our minds, but because it had chosen Ahsoka to focus on I was able to shield us from its intrusion." He turned to Boba. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.
Boba nodded. He'd been trying not to look at it, but now he couldn't seem to look away. The Geonosian shaman had cut his dad's undersuit away and had reattached it to what he really, really fucking hoped wasn't Human leather. The crown had fallen off of its head and lay in pieces, the Human finger bones that made up the bulk of it had scattered everywhere. It had his dad's helmet clipped to its belt and had filled it with little green eggs.
Sinker sprayed the inside of the helmet with his entire can of liquid nitrogen before kicking it over and smashing the individual eggs under his boot. Boost knelt down and picked it up, then looked over at Boba. "This belongs to you, kid," he said quietly, holding out the helmet.
Boba stepped forward and took it with trembling hands. He turned it and stared down at the visor, just like he had that day.
He was glad in a way that his father's body was gone, even though it meant he'd never get a proper burial. He wouldn't have cared about that anyway. This was what was important. This is what held his soul, not his body, and Boba could go on remembering the last touch of his dad being with living flesh and not rot.
"You good, ad'ika?" Wolffe asked him quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Boba nodded, though it felt like a lie.
"Go sit with Ahsoka. We'll strip it." Wolffe gently steered him back towards his ori'vod and gave him a pat on the back.
Boba took the steps forward without really feeling them and sank down beside Ahsoka and Plo in the light. The elder Jedi put a clawed hand on his shoulder.
"Armor or no, your father will always be with you," Plo said gently. "He has joined the Force, and the Force flows through all living things."
"He's not a living thing," Boba said, staring down at the helmet. He traced the dent.
"But you are." Plo rubbed his arm soothingly. "Every cell in your body is alive with him. He cannot leave you, Boba. That is the nature of the Force."
Ahsoka's jaw dropped open and she tilted her head. "I hear…" she mumbled, nodding a bit from the painkiller. "I hear wings."
"Wolffe?" Plo asked immediately, turning to the trooper.
"We got it all, General." Wolffe finished loading the last piece of beskar into Mangle's ruck.
Plo quickly got to his feet and ignited his lightsaber. He cut a hole triple the size of the one Boba had sweated over in less than a second then shoved out the rock with his powers. The tunnel flooded with sunlight. "Let us waste no more time in this wretched dark," he said. "Boba, I thank you for protecting Ahsoka in her hour of need. I would ask that you continue to do so for a little while longer."
Boba put his helmet on and accepted the WESTAR from Wolffe with a grim nod.
"Wolffe, remind me of the range of the JT-12 jetpack," Plo said, peering up the canyon wall.
"Just over twenty meters per second of fuel at full blast," he replied, joining the Jedi at the edge.
"And that is for the weight of a single man, correct?"
"Yes, General," Wolffe said grimly. "With the fuel we've got left, I'm not sure we could make it up the whole–"
"Pelter to Wolffe, do you copy?" Wolffe's commlink crackled. "I repeat, Pelter to Wolffe, do you copy?"
"Wolffe, copy, over." the trooper barked immediately.
Boba felt dust from the tunnel ceiling fall onto his helmet. There was a subsonic rumbling getting closer.
"We are en route with fucking everyone, as requested. ETA five minutes, over."
"Copy that. We've got a swarm on the way. We'll hold out as long as possible. Over and out." Wolffe looked at Boba. "Guess Arseven made it back, though I don't think that's the wording he would have used."
Boba shrugged and checked the shots on his WESTAR. It wasn't made for extended firefights like the DC-17 was and only held twenty shots to the Blastech model's fifty, but it could be fired twice as fast with three times the power. Dad had left him eight shots. He switched it to his left hand and drew the deece. He'd use them both until he ran dry.
"Think we can last another five minutes?" Boost asked casually, readying his carbine.
"Let us hope so," Plo replied. "Stay in the light, men."
Wolffe, Sinker, Boost, stood three to a man while Mangle and Comet took a knee directly in front of them, forming a firing line that would decimate anything that crawled from the pitch black tunnel. Boba took a knee beside Comet and in front of Ahsoka and aimed his blasters into the darkness, waiting for insectoid eyeshine. He could feel the hum of Plo's lightsaber in his teeth.
"Five seconds," Ahsoka said wearily, doing her best to stay awake despite the drugs. Boba had just opened his mouth to ask Mangle if he had accidentally given the overgrown tooka a trooper-size dose when a swarm of Geonosians piled around the corner like an avalanche of roaches, shoving and clicking and hissing and coming right for them.
The Wolfpack mowed them down with a firestorm of bolts. Boba gritted his teeth and picked his shots, taking down two with a single bolt before plugging a fat one in the front at the knee. It went down and blocked the tunnel, trapping them and making them easy pickings for the others.
Ahsoka snatched the deece from Comet's thigh holster and popped off three shots at the end of the tunnel illuminated by sunlight. "Movement," she slurred. "They're staying out of the… the light, but they're there."
"Reloading!" Wolffe called, dropping to a knee. Boba killed four more bugs before the WESTAR went empty, then he tucked it into his belt and kept firing with the deece. Plo slid on his knees to the opposite bend of the sunlit tunnel and took on the swarm invading from that side, gracefully spinning like an ice-blue tornado of light.
The noise the Geonosians made as they died was fucking haunting; something between a hissing aklay, scratched porcelain and a teakettle on a rolling boil. "Reloading!" he barked when he had two shots left, then put them into a bug's face and replaced his tibanna canister in under a second. There were so many bodies on their side of the tunnel that he didn't know how the bugs were managing to get over them.
He spotted a line of worms rapidly inching towards them on the ground. He sprayed a wide line of liquid nitrogen and watched as they instantly shriveled up and shattered. He raised his weapon to fire again and had cut down two more drones when he felt the floor begin to rumble.
The LAAT/i descending into the canyon outside brought a gust of wind with it that was strong enough to jiggle Ahsoka's montrals.
"Copaani gaan?" Pelter called at them over the thrusters. Beside him, Arseven squealed happily and bounced back and forth on his servos.
"Move out!" Wolffe bellowed, slowly backing up to the hole while still firing.
Boba killed three more before he holstered his deece, slung Ahsoka's unbroken arm around his neck, then jumped them both over the narrow gap to the LAAT/i.
The troopers followed one by one and then finally Plo, covered head-to-toe in Geonosian hemolymph, made a running leap for the gunship. Once he landed the LAAT/i immediately started its ascent. Boba awkwardly stumbled over to a seat and put Tano in one. He took the one next to her before he fell from the turbulence, then pulled his helmet off.
"You're early," Wolffe said warmly, pulling Pelter into a one-armed hug.
"You have our thanks, Commander," Plo nodded. He accepted a sanicloth from one of the ARFs with a medic's sigil on his shoulder and scrubbed at his gooey face.
"You did amazing," Ahsoka said, smiling loopily at Boba.
Boba looked down at the helmet. The sweat on his scalp was tacky and clammy, even in the hot Geonosian air. "Thanks," he said quietly, more to the helmet than to her.
Arseven wheeled over to him, beeping enthusiastically, then tilted forward for a head pat.
"Good job, buddy," Boba snickered, giving him a good rub.
Arseven cooed happily and bumped his knees.
Ahaoka put an orange hand on the top of his helmet. "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum." she said softly. "Jango Fett."
Kaisa Skirata. Cassus Fett. "Jango Fett," he echoed quietly, then rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
Notes:
MANDO'A TRANSLATIONS
Ul'ika: little donkey (Wolffe likes Plo's robot dog and only Plo's robot dog)
Me'vaar ti gar: what's new with you/what's up?
Naas: nothing
Ke'haaranovor: go hide
Osik: shit
To'bevikse: mando nunchaku (lit 'chain sticks')
'Lek: Yes
a'ni buir, ni buir ru'jorhaa'ir, n-n-nayc, kih'bas ru'johaa'i ti ner jorad be'buir: But my dad, my dad said, no, the bug said with my dad's voice–
Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum: I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal. (Mando remembrance of the dead)
MAOR-GRASTA TRANSLATIONS
Mo nighean: my girl
Cac: shit
KEL DOR TRANSLATIONS
Koh-to-yah: hello/goodbye (Wind guide you)
Mii-in khu-khud: My kids (not blood relation, Kel Dor would just say offspring [it's informal to them], just children in general)
OTHER NOTES
Yes I know Boba boobytrapped the helmet as a bomb for Mace. I also know that he somehow fuckin has it later, complete with the dent. But fr, from a meta standpoint Boba would never turn the only part of his dad that he had left into a bomb. There's no explanation on how he got the helmet back so once again I do what I want
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ahsoka goes ekekekek and that's her "echolocation" ability. because god knows I will spend hours too much time making up logical backflips for George Lucas' unique alien designs why the FUCK does a carnivore have two stomachs George 😃👍
Hard drugs blocking the Force (or at least making a person too fucked up to focus) is a Legends canon thing. Cade Skywalker smokes space crack so the ghost of Luke can't yell at him lol
Taglist: @starwarsficnetwork, @soliloquy-of-nemo
Dividers: @saradika-graphics
#clone wars#fanfiction#commander cody#star wars#star wars fanfic#tivaevae#lamaenthel#ahsoka tano#boba fett#captain rex#plo koon#commander wolffe#arc trooper fives#arc trooper jesse#obi wan kenobi#anakin skywalker#tcw#clone troopers#starwarsficnetwork#star wars tcw#mandalorian#jedi#my writing#dngg
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Helloooooo ^^ For the OC Codex prompts, may I please request:
14. your OC talking about your favorite quest and
3. a report written by your OC’s teacher or mentor for Vergil
And
2. a letter written by your OC’s family member and
16. a conversation between your OC and their best friend for Saskia?
Pick and choose the ones you like best if you want. Have a lovely day ^^
Hello!! I'm answering a month later and with only one ask for Vergil (I promise to do the ones for Saskia as well later) 🍹😘
3. a report written by your OC’s teacher or mentor for Vergil
Answered here 💎💙
14. your OC talking about your favorite quest
After his prolonged stay in Orzammar, Zevran finds being underground highly unpleasant. At first the warmth was a nice change, compared to Ferelden’s weather. He’s used to high temperatures but this dry, scorching heat is too much even for him. Hopefully, soon he won’t have to think about what it does to his skin and the size difference in furniture he’s got to battle every day he’s stayed behind.
Though seeing Sten standing among dwarves is a very amusing sight.
If Zevran had to choose one thing that he likes about Orzammar, beside those fascinating and public lava pits, it’s the baths. Dwarves know how to build their bath houses and Zevran is a fan.
He had a lot of time to make himself familiar with the palace’s floor plan, noble and not-so-noble districts, subtly gathering information and gossip just in case. It was one of many activities to pass the time and keep himself sane when staying within the confines of the rock walls.
Waiting.
Thinking.
In the end he’s glad he stayed where he was, as one particular grim night (day?) hit him so hard, he was sneaking his way through many shadows towards the main entrance.
So close to the open world. To freedom.
He didn’t plan how he’d pass the heavily guarded door but the urge to just go was stronger. Then that little insistent thought about the Warden appeared. About the protection he’s under. About access to supplies. About opportunities being close to the Warden gives him.
It sobered him up and he faltered again.
Next day Morrigan’s knowing gaze and lips twisted in a smirk haunted him. He grinned and tried to provoke her into an argument of wits many times but she deflected every time. Still, that little glint in her eye persisted and he knows she’ll hold that over him, keeping it for herself until Vergil’s back. Or maybe a bit longer, just to see him squirm. No amount of cursing at his sloppiness and restlessness would turn back the time and if he’s in her shoes, he’d keep on the blackmail material too.
But, Vergil’s back from his month-long trip into the Deep Roads and Zevran made sure to be of use as soon as Vergil has a need for him.
Right now he’s busy brushing the wet cloth over the skin of Vergil’s back, helping him relax after weeks in dusty tunnels. He avoids putting too much pressure on the bruises littering his body. The sight makes his brows furrow but it makes him curious as well.
Vergil doesn’t speak much and Zevran tries not to ask as much as well. But he’s nosy, so he talks about unimportant things he saw and heard, gently prodding about Warden’s venture. He saves any sensitive information for later, as Orzammar’s walls have eyes and ears everywhere.
“It’s better that you stayed here.”
Zevran hums, trading the cloth for a small bucket that he tilts over Vergil’s back, pouring the water to rinse the soap suds. They both are sitting on small stools in one of the palace's private baths, cleaning their bodies before they soak in the pool.
And this is where he admits that dwarven baths are a marvel, maybe even better than those in Antiva. After all they’re sitting on a literal lava.
“No need for an assassin in the deep?” He stresses the word and Vergil’s shoulders shake a little, “Shame.”
“Darkspawn, golems, spiders and those damned, creepy tunnels. You really didn't miss much.”
“Well if you put it that way… It’s a regular Tuesday here in Ferelden, no?” Zevran smiles and lightly touches the side of Vergil’s head, signaling he needs him to lean back. He wets his hair when he does so, meticulously going over the long strands. “Nothing new.”
He almost misses the light flinch and for a moment he’s worried it’s him. He stills but Vergil doesn’t move away, so wordlessly he resumes what he’s doing with the hair when Vergil casually pushes back into his hands.
“There was something.” Vergil says quietly. “Something so vile I don’t wish that fate on my worst enemy.”
Zevran waits for him to elaborate, fingers massaging Vergil’s scalp but he doesn't speak about it until much later, when Orzammar is but a memory for Zevran.
[OC Codex Prompts]
#WardenTxt#Zevran#Vergil Surana#Vergil x Zevran#thank you for the ask! and for patience#and well Zevran isn't my OC and it's his pov here most of the drabble#but it just fit#guess what is Vergil talking about#eheheh#we all know deep roads are full of surprises#and vergil hasn't had a chance to go there before
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Find the Word Game!
huge thanks to @kaiusvnoir for tagging me!! my obsession with this game will never end lol i really do love it
My words were: JOLT, BETTER, BURROW, & DEEP
and as always these excerpts are from the owl's wish ^_^ i got a lot of tags for this game though so i might switch it up and do some of these challenges with in the ataraxis of aftermath....
jolt
“Yeah! Sakusa Kiyoomi, the weasel spirit! He should be out there somewhere. You’ll find him,” Atsumu waves his hand dismissively, as if this isn't a crucial part of the plan. “He can’t be far. He’s stuck here with everyone else, yanno.”
Bokuto opens his mouth curiously, but Atsumu jolts upright.
“But ya can’t go lookin’ like that! And in your state? Great Kami, Bokkun, you’re going to drive Omi-kun insane! And as much as I would love’ta get back at that jerk, we need ya on his good side. Or whatever’s left of it. Which is assumin’ he even had one in the first place, of course.” - chapter 16: the fox clearing
better
Inside, resting atop the savory treats, lies a crumpled piece of paper. On one side is a small note in lazy, uneven characters, wishing Bokuto to feel better soon and telling him to stop by before he leaves - promising that if he does he’ll get another packed lunch and some snacks for the journey. The note is signed Osamu, the signature cramped so close to the corner of the page it must have been an afterthought.
On the other side is a message with rushed, blocky characters, exclaiming that Bokuto better take care of himself or else he’ll get kicked in the shin. The name Atsumu is signed at the bottom with flourish (almost bigger than the note itself) along with a nearly indecipherable doodle of what looks like an owl and a fox.
It’s really an awful drawing. The heads are basically ovals and the only way Bokuto can tell the other figure is an owl and not another fox is the strange protrusions erupting from its boxy body that he assumes are wings.
It’s truly horrible. Bokuto loves it. - chapter 14: the cat cavern
burrow
Before them, a boulder rests on the path, heavy and tired. Blurred clusters of moss have burrowed into its ledges and cracks. Around the hulking boulder stands a torii gate, weathered and dusty, older than time. Its wooden frame creaks and strains against the wind. - chapter 10: what lies beneath
deep
Their shadows stretch, deep and endless, into the forest. They seep into any shielded space, pooling behind Bokuto’s hanten and dripping from Kuroo’s hair. Akaashi is drenched in them, his hooded figure sewn together through patches of light and dark. - chapter 5: black cat, by the fire
i'm going to formally tag @bodoramzap , @wihachilles , @worldstogetlostin & @good-and-haunted , as well as keeping it an open tag as always!
Your words are: SUPPLY, NATURAL, FRUIT, & LETTER
and as always i’m adding my own rule that if you can’t find a word in your work then you have to tell me a fun fact about either your WIP, your writing process, or one of your characters ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
have fun, writers!!
#oops some of these were pretty long lmao my bad guys#writer#writers on tumblr#writeblr#writblr#writers#writing#creative writing#my writing#find the word tag#find the word game#helena scribbles#the owl's wish#haikyuu akaashi#haikyuu bokuto#haikyuu kuroo#haikyuu sakusa#haikyuu atsumu#haikyuu!!#haikyuu osamu#haikyuu fic
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Eczema update 03/14
So my allergy patch test showed up as negative. I did not react to any of the patches, at least not strongly. I still have to wait until tomorrow just in case anything may develop, but it seems like this isn't the cause of my eczema. But the test was definitely worth taking.
I got the results for my food sensitivity test back and it was inaccurate. It says I'm sensitive to gluten, egg white, and cow milk. But I do not react or experience inflamed skin when consuming these, and I know gluten, dairy and eggs are common triggers for some people. While I do get inflammation after eating certain foods, like tomatoes, I doubt it is the ultimate root cause because I've eaten these foods in the past with no issues.
I take vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids, which are key anti-inflammatory nutrients that can help with eczema and most people are deficient in, but I'm not seeing a huge change unfortunately. I got the air purifier and its built-in sensor says the air quality in our house is clean. But our house is dusty and finding ways to effectively deep clean it while making it fun and not boring should be necessary. I vacuumed a lot over the weekend, the next step is to clean tables and counters and to clean my car.
My hands are red, inflamed, and dry. They are more red than the rest of my arm and the color shade and texture and dryness is different as well. I have a spot on my neck and by my left collarbone. I have redness around my mouth and cheilitis. Thankfully it is looking slightly better today and is less inflamed. But it still needs some time to heal of course. Perhaps the liver detox supplement is helping? Though it's too early to tell, I need maybe 1-2 months.
This got worse since I got back from Cyprus.
I can narrow this down to 2 things - gut health and detoxing. I vacuumed the house, cleaned the vents, ordered an air purifier, and started taking liver detox supplements. My patch test was negative and my food sensitivity test was inaccurate. Vitamin D, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids did not sufficiently help me, though flaxseed helps to an extent for sure.
I have a phone call with a functional doctor next week and we can go over some solutions and tests related to gut health and detoxing. I've heard of many people who cleared their eczema through detoxing. When I say gut health, I don't really mean probiotics. I mean that the gut, just like the liver, lungs, and kidneys, is a detoxing organ and can accumulate junk and toxins and pathogens from some of the stuff we eat and swallow every day. So a safe yet effective detoxification method can help get rid of these triggers and can clean the gut. Probiotics/adding good bacteria to a compromised gut isn't going to solve it. The solution is to detox the gut. Same thing with the liver, which is why I'm taking milk thistle and dandelion.
I just started Anthony William's book "Cleanse to Heal" where he talks about detoxification that is useful for those with autoimmune conditions, which he states is due to the abundance of pathogens (like viruses and harmful bacteria) and toxins (like heavy metals and pesticides). All of us are exposed to environmental toxins and pathogens on a daily basis, and for some people this can cause irritation and even autoimmunity. I started the book today and I'm already on Chapter 7, and it's almost 600 pages long. I haven't gotten to the cleansing chapter yet, but I'll get there tomorrow as it's 2 chapters ahead from where I currently am. He is a fan of juicing, especially celery juice. I made some on Sunday and hated the taste. But if there is some healthy juice or tea I can prepare that can help with the cleansing process along with the dandelion and milk thistle, then I'll give it a shot. Of course I don't want to overdo it. I am drinking herbal hibiscus tea at work, but I'm drinking it because I like the taste and it helps me relax as I read, not to "cleanse'. I don't know if that's making any difference.
To tame the itching for now, I ordered an anti-inflammatory cream from Amazon that has very good reviews (Eau Thermale Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream). I put some flaxseed oil and steroids on my hands this morning. I put steroids on because I cannot put up with the discomfort and redness anymore. But applying an anti-inflammatory topical can help because I've been using petroleum jelly all this time and it's not necessarily anti-inflammatory.
In the healing journey at the very least I can apply an anti-inflammatory topical, but not a steroid of course. It's the only anti-inflammatory I have that isn't drying and doesn't leave a white cast (like zinc oxide does, even though it's harmless). Topicals would give some immediate relief as I'm healing and recovering slowly internally. And it's fine to use topicals, I just don't believe it is the only solution (again eczema isn't skin deep, it should also be treated internally) and believe it should not be a steroid.
I am mentally all over the place now and am frustrated and annoyed. But like I did last year, I will heal myself again and again. I've never gotten my detoxing and gut health professionally evaluated. So when I do, I feel like it can offer some useful insight. And I'm exposed to stuff all the time, in my car, walking outside, in my house, the foods I eat even if they're healthy, the water I drink, filling gas, etc... I absolutely cannot avoid any of these, but I can find ways to take a break and cleanse effectively.
And I may end up spending a lot of money on this, but it is worth it in the end because I don't believe a single cent I spend on my health and wellbeing is a waste (except for the food sensitivity tests, boo).
I'll do what I can now, clean the house, avoid tomatoes (temporary goal until the inflammation is tamed), take the detox supplement, use my air purifier, use an anti-inflammatory topical (non-steroid), meet with the doctor, maybe drink some juice along with the liver detox supplement, etc... Even though I don't want to overwhelm myself with supplements.
But detoxing can help definitely, though it takes time. And I'll get my gut health evaluated to see if I a absolutely need something like l-glutamine in case there are signs of leaky gut (this can also contribute to eczema because loose gaps in the gut lining can allow pathogens and toxins to enter the bloodstream and create inflammation and autoimmunity). I doubt I have any gut problems though, it anything I barely experience gastrointestinal discomfort. So I'm assuming I just need a detox boost. I'll see what the doctor recommends.
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Meet My OCs: Artie (Part 1 - Background)
WAAAAAAY back in May of 2019, I thought it would be fun to introduce my OCs to the world. I had created the Meet My OCs series with the intent to add to it every (other?) Sunday. I got to July of that year (but 11 posts... yay!) before I fell off the wagon for that project.
Well, this morning, I was suddenly struck with this urge to introduce you to one of my OCs again: Artie.
Poor Artie wasn't included when I first listed off my OCs (neither was Willow's brother Shawn... whoops!). For Artie, it was mainly because I was focused on the OCs I created for either my fantasy world Gyateara, or my X-Men-inspired cyberpunk-lite story Glitches. Artie fits in neither category.
(Along those lines, I have four other D&D characters, and 2 wholly original story OCs that should be added to that already 14-deep list of OCs....)
ANYWHO!
Who's ready to meet Artie?
Birth of Artie: GaiaOnline
Somewhere between 2008 and 2010 (I think), back when I used to frequent GaiaOnline, I was invited to a play-by-post roleplay game using one of GaiaOnline's private forum set-ups.
My husband's (then fiancé) friend had come up with this intriguing sci-fi/steampunk-Western setting. Much like in the anime Trigun/Trigun Stampede, humanity was forced to settle on a hostile planet. The area humanity was forced to colonize was a large dust bowl/desert (I can't remember which), and it was unknown if the whole planet was that way or if humanity was just unfortunate when they crash landed. No explorers in search to find out have returned. Also, for some unknown reason, humans no longer live past 25, and most die before they are even 20. The children all seem healthy, but as soon as someone turns 16 their health starts deteriorating (the adults that had crash-landed all died off quickly via a plague that didn't affect the children). This has caused the colony to become more steampunk in nature since the adults died before passing on knowledge of the technology they brought with them, and the kids are kind of reverse-engineering off of the starship's remains. But even then, they have to quickly pass what knowledge they've discovered down before they too die. Teens, out of necessity, started procreating and raising their own families in an attempt to keep the population from dying off. Children are "wise beyond their years" as they hit "adulthood" more-or-less at the age of 10.
This is the world where Artie was birthed.
Artie's full name is Artemis. They're AFAB. However, Artie picked up pretty quickly on the systemic misogyny still inherent in their society. Wearing masculine/gender-neutral clothes like simple cotton shirts, jeans, and work boots just made life easier to navigate anyway. They then shortened their name from Artemis to Artie, and kept their hair short (which is again convenient anyway when dealing with a sandy/dusty/wind-ravaged land). Some of the kids began confusing Artie for a boy, and Artie noticed that they were respected more, given more opportunities, listened to more, and didn't have their intelligence questioned. Finding life easier if they presented male, they ran with it. It never really mattered to them anyway if people thought they were female or male (think Haruhi from the anime Ouran High School Host Club).
Then Artie realized there were benefits to presenting female as well. Females were allowed to like cute things or cry or feel uncomfortable if presented with something unpleasant. Girls could be "emotional" and want/give hugs. No one made fun of females if they asked for assistance with something or if they got scared or wanted to sleep with a stuffed animal or special blanket. They could be sentimental.
Artie started "switching" between presenting male or female to reap the benefits of both genders. They rarely presented as both genders to the same person though. If you knew them as male, they were always male. If you knew them as female, they were always female around you.
(I'm cisgender... can you tell? I apologize if this is a terrible misrepresentation of being genderqueer. I'm still learning and Artie is still evolving as a character. This is just how they formed in my head way back in the early 00's. If you have any suggestions, I am very much open to them. My Asks are open. Thanks in advance!)
For the Gaia roleplay, Artie was kind of a loner. They made themselves a hammock in the rafters of the large warehouse-sized barn the colony lived within. They created a secret hide-away in the wall by their hammock where they hid their prized possessions (I have no recollection as to what those items were, but they could all fit within a size 15 shoe box). They didn't really have friends within the colony, but they got along with the livestock. They also had a pet alien bug (about the size of a corgi, with a bunch of stubby legs like a caterpillar) that they would bring into the greenhouse every night to help fertilize the fields before releasing them back into the wild during the day.
Artie was an engineering apprentice. Their job was mostly maintenance throughout the colony while slowly learning about the tech the teens were able to sort out/reverse-engineer off of the spaceship.
Sadly, the roleplay didn't last long before it fell through.
Artie's Revival: Dread
Artie then sat dormant until 2016. Another of Hubby's friends introduced us to the horror-survival game Dread. The concept of players pulling Jenga blocks from the tower (instead of the standard dice rolls) to determine the success of the action they took intrigued us. Then, our friend sent us a 40-question questionnaire for our characters. Based on the character class we picked, we were supposed to answer a set-number of questions within the questionnaire.
I was drawn to the character class "waif":
Never innocent yet always without a lick of evidence against you, the life of the ‘meek’ is made easier by your naïve appearance. Something about you makes everyone want to help you. You take what you want, and no one is the wiser. The pockets of some faceless person left you with a strange necklace. Every effort to pawn it has left you with a strange feeling, like it doesn’t want to leave you.
The last town you were in grew wise, however. Jumping into the back of the nearest semi, you fell asleep and waited hours until it creaked to a stop. The welcoming sight of a motel and diner should make you feel better, but the knowing look of a stranger already has you on edge…
Artie shouted in the back of my mind, and I knew this was my chance to revive them!
Picking "waif" as my character class, I was given the following questions from the questionnaire to answer:
1. What mental illness runs in your family?
2. What do you do for a living?
3. Where did you grow up?
7. What is your favorite game?
13. How old were you when you learned you could predict horse races consistently?
19. Why were you named after your cousin instead of your grandparent?
31. What made you think you could get away with it, and how in the world did you?
33. What is the recurring dream and why does it frighten you?
35. What addiction do you hide from your friends?
36. What can you do that most other people you know can’t?
37. When all else is quiet, how do you silence the screaming in your head?
39. Why is next month big for you?
40. What unusual hobby do you have?
For this game, I had aged Artie up to 14, turning 15 within the next month. Artie also still identified as female, but kept the original character build of presenting male to make life easier on herself. People were less inclined to interact with a teen boy living on the streets than they were with a homeless teen girl. Others were more inclined to take a teen boy seriously than a teen girl. People were less likely to try to "white knight" a teen boy than a teen girl. Etc.
I'll admit, I largely based this redesign of Artie off of the character Jack from the movie Pitch Black.
This Artie grew up in Detroit with a drug-addicted mother and alcoholic abusive father. She never knew her paternal grandfather who died from ODing when he was 50. Fearful of having the same addictive personality, she's avoided drugs and alcohol, but has instead become addicted to arson. She's careful to not intentionally harm any living beings, but she gets an itch to start a fire if the opportunities arise, even if the result would be devastating (property wise or legality wise).
For the Dread version of Artie, Artemis was a family name. Her dad's side of the family is at least part Greek, and it's tradition that the first-born girl of each generation is named Artemis. Both Artie's dad and his brother were expecting daughters at roughly the same time (the first females born to the family in three generations). Artie's cousin was born almost a month premature. She was named Artemis, but tragically died before Artie was born. Since that generation's 'Artemis' had passed away anyway, Artie's father had 'Artemis' put on her birth certificate before his brother or sister-in-law could protest.
While Gaia!Artie did connect more with animals than humans, Dread!Artie has an almost supernatural bond with animals. She described herself as "some weirdo Snow White or something." She can just TELL what animals want/need, and they feel comfortable with her. Even wild animals gravitate to her. Deer will get as close as ten feet from her. Crows will bring her shiny things in exchange for food. Squirrels will eat from her hand. Feral cats frequently come to her for food and cuddles/pets. Dogs practically break their leashes to reach her. This is how she was able to accurately predict horse races. Much like Anne-Marie from the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven, Artie could sort out how each horse felt leading into any given race, and predict the winner from that. She was seven when her father stumbled upon this gift, and he forced her to skip so much school (so they could "play the ponies") that she actually flunked out of 2nd grade due to poor attendance.
One night, in a drunken rage, Artie's father killed her mother. In retaliation, Artie struck her father in the head with a hammer, and then burnt their home down to try to bury her past and hide the evidence (not that it mattered, she knew she could claim "self defense"... plus she was nine, so she was pretty positive no one would convict her).
Artie was basically a "rogue" to survive: she'd panhandle, pickpocket, con, and commit breaking-and-entering.
Her favorite activities are card games and pro-level yo-yo tricks (I even had Artie utilize the yo-yo as a weapon back in Aug 2016... only to discover the show Miraculous Ladybug - in which the main character uses a yo-yo as a magical weapon - in July 2017!). Cards and yo-yo are mostly her preferred because 1) they're fun (duh), 2) they are easy to carry around, and 3) they're versatile (many different card games; many different yo-yo tricks to try out; both can be used to entertain/swindle/bludgeon people out of their money).
Finally, the nightmare that haunts her is one where she and her parents are being chased by demons, are killed, and revived as demons themselves. (It's more involved than that, but this is already an epic-length post....)
In another tragic twist for poor Artie, the Dread game fell through before it even started. The players all filled out our character questionnaires. Then none of us were available at the same time. Eventually the friend who wanted to run the game moved away.
Artie fell dormant again.
And, with that. I'll end Part 1. This is already stupid long anyway. I'll catch you in Part 2, where I talk about Story-less Artie, and introduce their appearance.
#writing#writing things#writing life#LycoRogue wrtiing#OCs#Meet My OCs#Meet Artie#long post#Gaia Online#Dread (game)#Artie#Artemis#LGBTQIA+#genderqueer#genderqueer character#GNC#GNC character#(Yeah I know I need a lot of help to polish them up)#series post#12 out of ?#LycoRogue original
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Bo Sinclair x reader | Hell or High Water | Pt. 14
WARNINGS: terror
Your mouth fell agape. Enduring life-threatening harm all because this person... liked you? You scoured your brain for anything to say.
"Let me show you something inside," Bo blurted. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed your wrist and dragged you into the main room.
"Look around, Y/N," he said gruffly, motioning toward the humanoid wax figures. "What do you think this all is?"
Your eyes darted from one mannequin to the next, trying to decide exactly what he meant; was there some kind of pattern or puzzle you were supposed to recognize? Either way, you were fed up with the boorish way he was behaving towards you, so you reached up and gave him a firm slap across the face. He let go of your wrist to hold the affected cheek and scowl at you.
"Cut the shit," you hissed. "If you really don't wanna hurt me, then quit doing it."
The sun still barely lit the sky and you could just make out Bo clenching his fists. As you stood in the shadows of the House Of Wax taking deep, calculated breaths, the crunching of footsteps could be heard approaching the museum's front door.
"Oh, fuck me," Bo muttered before shoving you into the dark broom closet to your left.
You heard the lock turn from the outside before you had time to process what had just happened.
"LET. ME. OUT!" you shouted, your palms slapping the inside of the door with every word. You viciously yanked the doorknob for a few hectic seconds before Bo landed his own blow to the door.
"Listen up. You need to shut the fuck up right now, or we're both gonna be in trouble," he warned through the door. His tone left nothing to assume; you took his word and slunk down inbetween mothballed coats and random dusty items. You heard a couple people enter the House followed by some shouting by Bo.
"I thought you guys were out lookin' for 'em!" he yelled.
"I'm real sorry, Bo, but it's too dark to see shit," a familiar voice replied. You racked your brain trying to remember where you'd last heard it.
"Forget it," Bo exasperatedly told them. Their talk grew faint, but you pressed your ear to the door, desperately trying to make out their discussion.
"Last time I saw 'em..." the new voice came before it diminished to a whisper, leaving you at a loss. A few minutes passed before you heard before pushing them out the door and locking it. A key entered the closet knob, revealing you timidly cowering in the dark.
"You okay?" Bo asked, kneeling to meet your eye level.
You unfurled from your cramped position to crawl out from under the coats. "I'm fine," you quickly replied, standing and brushing yourself off. Bo stood and took several steps back from you and removed his hat.
"I'm sorry about earlier," he admitted, his eyes darting back and forth from yours to the floor. He grazed his five o' clock shadow with his knuckles, embarrassment in his expression.
"Explain," you demanded.
"My brothers... they can't know you're here."
"Are they gonna try to fuck me over, too?"
"Yes," he stated. "They just ain't... they don't get it."
Asking constant questions was draining you, and knowing you weren't going to fully process all of this at once left your guard punctured. Bo seemed in a temperate mood and you were reminded again of the ease he demonstrated at your first meeting. Why was he so charming, despite all of this?
"So where am I going to sleep?" you asked.
Bo quickly donned his hat and scanned the room.
"Not in here," you interjected. "Where's the guest room?"
"Ain't no guest room," he said with a sigh. "Can't stay in the living room no more... guess you're bunkin' with me." He tried to veil his devilish grin with his hand with little luck.
"Yeah, we'll fuckin' see," you replied pushing past him towards the door.
"Hey-" he started, catching your shoulder. "You do not wanna go out there by yourself, okay? You stick with me from now on."
Feeling the warmth of his hand on your shoulder, you stopped and closed your eyes. A tiny voice told you to lean into the sensation, but you snapped back to reality.
"You wanna drive or walk?" Bo asked.
"Let's walk."
An awkward silence fell over you as you tiredly walked from the House Of Wax to Bo's house, your arms crossed and Bo's hands in his pockets.
"Are you gonna explain what that was, too?" you eventually asked, keeping your eyes forward.
Bo sighed and walked ahead of you. "Don't start with me, Y/N."
"Just fucking tell me!"
"Fine, goddammit! The town is fucked, the House is fucked! Nobody is fuckin' around besides them god damn wax-people. Sometimes my brothers hardly fuckin' count as people to talk to. I'm sick of it... I'm sick of it all. Is that what you so badly wanted to know?" Bo spoke with harsh inflections and aggravated hand gestures, still with his back to you.
This was the second time Bo had mentioned 'brothers,' as in multiple, as in not only Vincent. A thought pinged your brain and you reached into your pocket to find the piece of paper containing Lester's phone number. You opened the note to severe disappointment:
1-800-EAT-SHIT, its scrawled letters read. The blunt disrespect caused you to stop in your tracks and zero in on the small scrap of paper.
You had been set up from the start.
You swallowed and your vision tunneled as a million questions entered your mind; why me? Why now? What for? The emotional toll became too much and you broke down in uncontrollable sobs. You fell to your knees as you arrived at Bo's front porch to let the tears flow as it was your only immediate solution. He was quite slow to realize your state as he had already unlocked the door and was ushering you inside.
"Come on- oh, hey," he started from inside the door. The concern in his voice caught your attention, but it wasn't enough to halt your crying. He stepped down the stairs and held his hand out to you.
"Come on in," he continued.
You raised your head to look at him. You wanted nothing more than to be told everything was alright by anyone, so you happily took this opportunity. Bo lifted you from your crumpled position to lead you inside and up the stairs into his bedroom. The scene you were met with was basic, with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room and beside tables on either side. A warm lamp was lit in the corner.
"I'll take the floor," he insisted. Choking back your last tears, you sat on the bed and wiped your face. Bo sat next to you and pulled you into his shoulder.
"I know... I know..." he hummed as he stroked your shoulder with his thumb. Your eyes fell heavy and you leaned into his neck, taking in his warm scent. Before long, Bo tucked you into his bed and took his promised spot on the floor to enter a long-needed sleep.
-
Omg thanks for waiting! I went through a weird slump in January... but don't we all?
-
Link to Pt. 13
#bo sinclair x reader#horror#bo sinclair house of wax#bo sinclair fanfic#bo sinclair imagine#bo sinclair#house of wax fanfic#house of wax 2005#house of wax imagine
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3, 12, and 14 for the end of the year asks!
thank youuuuuu!! 💕
12. favorite character to write about this year
Honestly? Wrex.
I have a lot of feelings about his development across the trilogy, and it's been really fun finding ways to splice him and his arc into an actual uncle role in The Normandy Detective Agency. He's basically the only thing keeping me going with the baby Shep fic rn :))))))))
I could go on but wordcount so here's a visual aid:
sorry wrex ily you'll get there in the end
14. a fic you didn’t expect to write
Dress Blues! It was kinktober, I needed to write something stupid and horny - can I make it any more obvious?
I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did AT ALL, and by the time it was finished I couldn't stand the sight of it, but now I've had a few weeks to calm down I'm actually really proud of how it came out lmao
3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year
Published edition! (under the cut)
I am not a planning person. Most of the time it's chaos and a lot of stuff doesn't make the final cut, and when I started writing Flux I didn't know much about what I wanted from it beyond getting SOMETHING about these two fucking war-trauma-riddled detectives out of my brain.
But I remember writing this last section pretty much in one go and thinking ah, so that's what this story is going to be about.
"You didn't try to stop me."
They're at least two songs deep now, maybe three - Shepard isn't really listening. There's a loose thread poking out from the back of Garrus's tie.
"They were your people," she says, "It wasn't my call."
In truth, short of turning herself into a human shield, Shepard doesn't think she could've stopped him if she'd tried.
"When we found Saleon you put a gun in my hand."
"That was a long time ago. And it was different." They were different too. Garrus; fresh out of the LAPD and desperate for purpose. Shepard; judge, jury and executioner. Uncompromising and invulnerable. "Turning Saleon in was too much of a risk. If he'd gotten away without jail time, he would've gone on hurting people."
"Maybe Sidonis would too." Garrus says, though without much real conviction. Shepard says nothing.
Like so many of them, Sidonis became what he was half a world away, in guts and shrapnel, barely old enough to drink when he left home. Shepard understands wanting somebody - anybody - to pay for what they all endured, tooth for tooth, but in the end it's too awful, too unknowable, too god-damned big to figure out where the buck stops. You'll chew yourself up trying.
So Garrus made a strawman out of Sidonis and now they're here, folded into one another, and there's a body face-down in a shipyard warehouse.
"I think he knew it was you, somehow," she says. "I think he knew when I called him. But he came anyway."
She remembers Sidonis's tired, even voice on the telephone. How he'd agreed to a meeting - with a stranger, before dawn, in a deserted part of town - without question.
Long before she met Garrus, Shepard got ahold of the Archangel dossier - or whatever scraps of it her clearance allowed at the time. Archangel's reputation preceded them across Europe until their abrupt disappearance in '44, she'd known that much already. Officially they were an elite sniper unit but some of their confirmed kills - especially the later ones - had not made for pretty reading.
[REDACTED]: Gunshot wounds (all limbs and primary organs). 80% third-degree burns.
[REDACTED]: Chemical overdose, [REDACTED] acid (direct, prolonged contact with eyes).
She trusts Garrus, completely and unflinchingly, but last week - when he handed her a grainy photograph of Sidonis in a Long Beach bar, his face blazing - all she could think of was the dossier. She agreed to help him partly because he asked - because of engagement rings and lemon muffins - and partly because she knows just how much pain he has the capacity to inflict.
She remembers Sidonis and his sunken face in the dusty orange sunrise. He didn't flinch when Garrus yelled his name from the gangway in the rafters; he saw the scope over the railing and he didn't move a hair. There are worse ways to go than a bullet between the eyes.
"Maybe it was a relief for him, in the end."
"I hope not," Garrus says, quietly.
#instagram really came through for me on the wrex sticker. i thought i'd have to just write his name in the middle like some kind of MUG#ask#fic#mass effect fic#tNDA
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< Ruins of Silvermoon, Tuesday April 14, Mid-afternoon >
"Thanks for helping me out, man... I know its not exactly the best idea to bring you here." Hayden kept glancing about as the two Aldavirs walked around to the back of the house.
Duke could only chuckle, "It's alright, I done told ya. I'm a neutral merchant, I've been in Orgrimmar plenty a times with the Fence. I got my papers." The older brother pat Hayden on the shoulder.
They came up to the shed as Hayden pulled open the large doors. A mostly intact but deactivated Lightforged Warframe stood in the back of the clearing. It looked pretty banged up but otherwise still mostly in one piece. Duke gave a low whistle, "... Where in the world did you get one a these, boy." He walked up to the machine, running a thumb over the dusty glass. "How long you had this thing??"
Hayden sighed, resting his hands on his hips as he looked up at it. "Early last year when I was in Nazmir for work. Remember? When I met Roy."
"You met Roy in Nazmir?"
"Dude, I told you this story before. You aint that old."
Duke put his hands up defensively, "Hey now, you gotta cut me some slack. These past two years ain't exactly been the most uneventful so fergive me fer slippin on some details."
Hayden snorted and smirked at him, "... You know what, fine. Fine... Point made."
He reached up and patted the metallic body, "But yeah.. Just north of us the Alliance was attempting an assault to push into Zuldazar from the north. Long story short, Horde forces managed to shoot down this bad boy and they were just gunna haul it off to the city. Melt down the gold.. Use it for something else. So I managed to buy it off them before they could take it with them.
Brought it back here and had plans to spruce it up and tinker with it to get it working but... I got too busy. Eventually I forgot about it."
Duke quietly spoke up, "But now... You got the time to work on it."
Hayden gave a weak smile, looking into the empty cockpit, "Yep.. That's the plan.. Figure it'll give me something to do. Take my mind off things."
Duke was looking at his younger brother now, a soft look of sympathy. His voice was quiet and gentle before speaking up, "You.. heard anythin' 'bout Cowabunga..?"
The paladin had a pained look on his face, quietly closing his eyes as his ears lowered. His shoulders sank with them. "... No. ... I'm stuck on what to do. And every day it eats at me. I don't know if they're alive.. I may have sent them to their certain death. I just keep replaying it in my head if theres anything I could've done different.. Was my decision too hasty? Should I have made a point of contact?? Should I go and find them? What if Nynx's family has me tracked? What if I lead them right to him again??" The hot tears were welling up in his eyes again as the panic started to constrict at his chest.
"Whoa whoa whoa, hey now. Hey now..." Duke approached and settled his hands firmly onto the others shoulders. "Hey now, look at me. Just breathe. Deep breaths... Get a hold of yerself.. It'll be alright. You forget who we're talkin' about. That horse a yers is... somethin' else. Cowabunga is a hell of a horse. Right?"
Hayden sniffled but he slowly nodded.
"Same horse who managed to finagle a carrot out of 7 different people at one family gatherin' and the same horse who kept you alive on the Broken Shore and trampled fel beasts to damn death on Argus. ... Hayden you got a hell of a horse. She's smart. Damn smart. She'll bring herself and yer friend back safely. I know it. I feel it in my jibblies."
Hayden weakly laughed through his tears as his older brother pulled him into a comforting hug. The paladin accepted that embrace and held it for what seemed like eternity. ... Hearing Duke's words.. It made him believe it. Whenever Duke said everything was going to be okay.. Somehow, you always believed it.
The brown haired Quel'dorei reached up and pat his brother on the cheek. "C'mon now. We'll go inside and make lunch first. Then we'll get a portal goin so we can move this thing over ta Suramar fer ya before nightfall. Alright?"
The paladin nodded, "Okay.. Can we make grilled cheese?"
"Sure. And I can make us some ice cream fer dessert."
Hayden grinned, "... Righteous."
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