Apparently the noxtide gene brings the belly accent color onto the head of mirrors. So on colors that have a very contrasting belly accent color, combined with a matchy underbelly, they look like just their head is a different color!

I've wanted to make my own subspecies for a while now but haven't had an idea until now. Perhaps there is a phenomenon amongst some mirrors living in Nature territory, but caused by what? My only idea so far is parasitic BEETLE on HEAD. But lmk if you have a cool idea also!!!

Separate Tides Thoughts

HAPPY SEASON 2 PREMIERE DAY!!

This is literally just a bunch of very stream of consciousness writing, from pretty much every time i had a thought about something while rewatching the episode so it may be messy/all over the place

my immediate concern about these videos luz is sending that aren’t going through, is what if the emperor does manage to even briefly open a portal?? would all of her messages suddenly go through only to not be able to contact again?? and maybe that’s why it kinda looks like a detective/conspiracy board behind camila in the trailer because she has plenty of information from luz herself that she now needs to piece together. 

completely unimportant detail but i figured lilith’s gem was like eda’s, in how eda’s gem seems to be a part of her, but we can see in luz’s video that it seems to be attached to lilith’s old dress so just what the fuck is up with eda having a gem in her body 

also the fact that they decided to be bounty hunters was odd to me, but it’s clear they really need the money. it was also clear later on that not only did eda not want luz to go after the selkidomus to keep her safe, but also because it was an innocent creature. part of me can’t help but wonder if internally a part of eda didn’t want to go after bigger bounties because having once been the biggest bounty herself, she knows that if the emperor wants them that badly then they may actually not be bad at all

i hate that last season everyone was cheering for eda to be freed, but now without magic they’re very willing to take advantage of her and talk about her. it’s mean and i expected public gossip to happen more for lilith for being a traitor, but then again people may not know about her magic yet so maybe they do still fear her a bit. all of this kinda tells me though that people bought belos’ crap about eda being stripped of her magic because she’s a wild witch, so they’re all judging her again

i love how bitter lilith is about the golden guard. also teen? kinda curious if any of our teens would’ve known him when very young or if he was raised specifically for this role

i like the detail on belos’ statue where there’s a crack over his eye around the same spot luz broke his mask

love how much eda cares for luz and puts her needs first and buying her the only foods she can digest and likes. such a mom. it’s also very clear that she’s struggling and doesn’t want luz to worry about it at all. also side note, love that lilith was asking about apple blood, pls let these sisters get drunk together.

it does not surprise me that eda likes to bring up the curse pretty casually as a retort back at lilith. it seems very in her nature to use it like that, but i can’t help but wonder if she’s avoiding actually addressing it. and if she keeps joking, will that affect lilith into like, idk a breakdown that forces the two of them to talk about it. 

LULU?? BESTIE?? thanks hooty i hate it

Luz you’re doing amazing sweetie, show them you’re no sea squirt. 

okay so now we can clearly see lilith’s magic is on it’s last legs. almost got herself fucking killed by some fire bees. that being said i’m very concerned about her whole “who am i without magic? without a coven?” i think she kinda misses the structure, and is still used to only knowing what to do simply because she had a leader to follow. 

“I AM A WITCH, UNHINGED” i think she’ll be adapting to the chaotic nature of the owl house crew in no time though if she keeps acting like this

“some kind of weird bird worm” i mean she’s not wrong....

“you have no idea what im going through” dramatic emo ass bitch

it does not surprise me that after pardoning eda, the coven would jump at the first opportunity to arrest her again. pretty sure she’ll be a wanted criminal again in no time.

golden guard very much concerns me. villains that go from really fun to intimidating or threatening as fast he seems to do here are ones i worry about. it kinda feels like he enjoys scaring people?? idk im not sure how to describe it. anyways threatening to hold them over the boiling seas where even the steam will give them third degrees feels really fucking cruel but maybe im empathizing here because at the time of writing this im still suffering from second degree burns i got three weeks ago so third degree sounds horrifying rn

love how excited lilith is seeing hooty at work when she’s not the one getting beaten up. 

I’m glad luz and eda are talking about luz’s guilt and that eda knows what she’s been carrying around now. i didn’t want to see luz carry around all that guilt for so long she’s too good for that AND its misplaced guilt. 

i do love though how at the beginning of the episodes we see the lengths eda will go to by prioritizing food for luz first and doing everything she can to keep the girl safe, and then we come back full circle to seeing the lengths luz is willing to go to for eda as well 

“my life is pretty great because i’m friends with luz the human” brb im CRYING.

Luz is SO clever. This girl is so smart and creative and her solution for helping the selkidomus is just wonderful. And also look at that fake selkidomus she made!! That is amazing!!

pls the raspberry Luz gave the golden guard was adorable

i LOVE the parallel between eda doing her first light glyphs and when luz did her first ones. i’m also glad eda didn’t struggle with the glyph like i’ve seen some people worry could have happened

just occurred to me that eda mentioned the gris will sell at the night market. its probably nothing but does make me concerned about them becoming night market vendors instead.

HOOTCIFER? thanks lilith i hate it. also combine it with lulu and you get lucifer. 

it’s hard to hear but as we go further into the scrying potion and see the emperor, and the very end of the “what are we eating” conversation that’s fading out from the owl house we hear lilith say “i’m fine with whatever, things are starting to feel right again” and idk if she means since she left the coven or for the first time since she was a kid but either way im so glad to hear it

also my brother pointed out belos is probably saying “knock knock human” because he knows he’s being spied on by the owl house with the potion and i hate that because if the emperor takes any action because of it, it’ll probably be another lilith fucked up moment because she didn’t think it through.

also, one other thing i couldn’t help but do in this episode was notice some parallels between luz and lilith! they’re both going out of their way to try and do something for eda, and are both insistent that they have to do this alone. but also lilith’s line about “you have no idea what im going through” really did make me think perhaps underneath everything she has a dramatic personality, and luz does too at times for fun and wouldn’t it be cute if they got along over something like that.

also this episode? great for pictures of lilith with messy hair, of her screaming, or general annoyance, so, enjoy:

pls i love this face and the noise she makes at this moment as well as her little ear twitch ^

this is my favorite messy hair screenshot  simply because it looks SO fluffy here and i want that for her ^

this particular screenshot ain’t about lilith, it’s about the face eda is making here and how cute it is!! ^

BLUE EYES : WIP : Chapter 8 : Hosted Tales

Return to @wind-the-mama-cat​

Return to Master Story Index

Return to Hosted Tales

BLUE EYES : Chapter VIII

Healing and Learning  

Written by @wind-the-mama-cat​

​ Art  by @wind-the-mama-cat​    

(New to BLUE EYES? Read from the beginning)

Winter and I sat in my bed.

De Writer and Myst, sat on wooden chairs on either side of the bed. De Writer was one the left, and Myst was on the right.

It was several days later.

Several days of healing, resting, eating, and light conversation.

When Winter and I brought up the conversation of how or why or who exactly De Writer and Myst were, De Writer imply smiled.

“You need to heal and recover. We shall have that conversation soon.”

So, I waited. I healed (thanks to Winter application of the ointment and bandaging).

On the seventh day, De Writer and Myst entered my room with a tray of tea.

“So, now that we are all rested, I believe it is time that we have a conversation about many questions-”

“-and answers-” Myst added nonchalantly, as she sipped her tea.

“-yes, and answers,” De Writer repeated. “First,” He held up a finger as Winter was about to say something “Let me tell you ladies of my story.”

“My name is De Writer. As you can tell, I am not of this village. 20 years ago, I came across the remains of this village after seeing, what I could describe as a large flash of blue light.”

He stroked his beard in thought “See, I was a travelling scholar from the neighboring kingdom of Abeir-Toril. I was interested in the newly developing mage-tech technology.”

He shook his head. “It was supposed to be a means of making life a little better. I never thought it would be used as a weapon.”

He fell silent.

Myst placed her mug down “I was 15. I remember that day well. For several weeks, the Empress sent several convoys. They pleaded, negotiated, plied our… village elder with gold and jewels… they wanted the Secret of Damascus, and our Mages.” Her lips quirked in a small smile, which quickly vanished.

“On that fateful day, Commander Blackberry brought one final chest…” She continued, barely above a whisper,  “One final gift from the Empress, she said, one that would change our minds, she claimed.”

Winter and I remained silent.

“We were impressed, of course. A large, brilliant, glowing crystal? Whom would not be impressed?” Her eyes were focused on a far off point. “The Imperials… they left.”

Her eyes looked at me. “I remember you, Blue Eyes and Winter. You two were friends. A child of the mage clan and a child of the warrior clan.” She chanced a another small smile. “I was one of a secret clan, the Shadow clan.”

She sighed. “It happened in a flash. Literally. An arrow hit the crystal. All organic… material just disappeared instantly.” She shook her head. “I used my shadow skill to get away. I grabbed both of you, and did my best to get us away… from the epicenter.”

A tear played at her eye. “I… was young. I was not as skilled as I am now. I lost my grip on you, Blue Eyes. You fell and hit you head. Winter…” Her eyes moved to Winter’s eyes. “The same with you, fair Winter.”

She shook her head. “I tried to get back to you both, but I was injured.” She used her right hand to touch her left shoulder. “By back was badly burnt… from the aftershock of the blast…”

De Writer picked up from where she left off. “I found her shortly after. Much like you, Blue Eyes, I found her, and nursed her back to health.”

“I came back to the village ten years ago.” Winter said suddenly. “I found the treasures that I gifted to Blue Eyes. This house… you… I didn’t see them at all.”

De Writer nodded. “I saw you. A young girl looking for answers.” He shook his head. “I dared not approach you. You were being watched by an Imperial spy. If I exposed myself, the spell revealing my home, this house, would be broken.”

“A spell?” I finally spoke up. “You’re a mage?”

“I’m not.” De Writer answered. “A better description for the magic that hides this house, is, well, a Secret. No one can find this house unless I tell them where to find it. The Empress and her troops could walk all over the village and never find it.”

“If you’re not a mage-” Winter began to say, but De Writer winked.

“Spells can be cast by non-mages if they are written on magically imbued scrolls.” He explained. “I so happened to have one.”

I thought for a second. “The Empress wiped out an entire village, and none of the other kingdoms asked why?”

“She lied about it. Covered it up.” Myst answered. “She blamed it on the mages.”

Winter was in tears. “Were… there no other survivors?”

I placed an arm around her shoulders in comfort. I was crying as well.

Myst shook her head in response. “Sadly not. De Writer, father, searched for days. Weeks, even.”

I looked at De Writer. “What of me? Surely you must of heard of stories of my skill.”

“I did.” De Writer said with a proud smile. “and like Winter, Myst and I kept an eye on you.”

“You did?” I asked.

“Yes.” De Writer smiled. “You are very skilled, Blue Eyes. Honorable, as well. You have done well in defending you village.”

“What of the Imperials hiring me?” I asked. “Were you not worried of me walking into a trap?”

“I knew the Empress would not hurt you.” De Writer answered. “Also, it was the only way for you and Winter to meet again.”

“You knew of my plan to escape?” Winter asked.

“Of course.” Myst said. “The Empress had an idea as well. She kept an eye on you, Winter. You were cautious… the Empress was just a little bit more so.”

“The why did she hire me?” I asked, shaking my head. “certainly…”

“You had amnesia.” De Writer answered “She knew you and Winter would meet. She had no idea that you and Winter would conspire against her. I believe she was hoping that you could be bought. Maybe, exposing and dealing with Winter yourself.”

“She watched me, but had no idea that I was a mage?” Winter asked.

“Oh!” I exclaimed “The scrying spell!”

“Only works within the palace.” De Writer said soothingly. “How she managed to cast it? Well… it must have been a scroll.”

“Her motives are very confusing…” I shook my head. “Why did she send Blackberry to kill me?”

“Cutting her losses, I suppose.” Myst said. “You were I happened to show up when you both made your… well, escape, I guess.”

“You were there?” Winter asked in surprise.

“Then the arrow in my back?” I asked “Myst-”

“I am the reason the arrow hit your back and not your head.” Myst said coolly. “I shot the sniper, and spoiled his aim.”

“The other soldiers had mage-tech arrows.” Winter said. “Why didn’t the sniper?”

“Those arrows were for show.” Myst smirked. “Simple intimidation.”

I fell silent for a second, then spoke up “So, what now?”

Hm?” De Writer asked. “Whatever do you mean?”

“The Empress must pay for what she has done. I swore revenge.” I answered with gritted teeth. “I will kill her.”

“She has an army.” Myst stated. “You are but one.”

“Two.” Winter corrected her.

“Still.” Myst said. “Two against one thousand? Not the best odds.”

I looked at Myst. “You have the same reason to hate her as much as we do. are you content with letting her live?”

Myst said nothing.

De Writer cleared his throat. “How do you plan on killing her? Simply walking into the palace and taking her life?”

“I…” I said, drawing a blank. “I will find a way.”

“So will I.” Winter said. “I can teleport-”

“The palace is protected against such magic.” Myst said. “Believe me, I have done my research.”

“I refuse-” I began to say, but De Writer held up his hand to silence me.

“Calm yourself, Blue Eyes.” He said. “We never said we wouldn’t help you. However, we need to bide our time and plan accordingly. You also need training. So do you, Winter.”

“Huh?” Winter and I asked at the same time.

“I have books for you, Winter, to study.” De Writer said. “Secret books that only mages can read.”

“I have skills and weapons for you, Blue Eyes.” Myst said. “You are skilled. Capable of fighting five opponents at once. I can train you to fight fifty.”

I nodded. “When can we begin?”

“When you are fully healed.” De Writer said.

I scooted from out of the covers, and stood up from the bed. I walked over the the full length mirror, and carefully removed the bandages from my torso.

I stood there, the cut on my torso now a red scar.

I turned around, and faced the others. My jaw was set.

“I’m ready.”

<== Previous   Next ==>(Link not yet active)

Return to @wind-the-mama-cat​

Return to Master Story Index

Return to Hosted Tales

Mind’s Eye (3/n)

(Also on AO3!) 

(Catch up on chapters 1 and 2)

Beau paced out around the edges of the mostly empty warehouse, listening intently for armored footsteps, for muttered spells or explosions. But all was silent through the wooden walls, dark at the cracks she could peek through. She hated feeling this useless.

When she came back to the group, she tapped her staff a few times against the ground. Out of nerves, maybe, or just so nobody (Nott) got twitchy fingers. Caduceus had conjured a little light into his staff’s crystal, making a tiny radius of yellow in the black of the building.

“I have an idea,” Beau said abruptly, standing just inside that radius. “It’s probably not a good idea, but...I figure it’s the only one we’ve got.” She waited a moment for someone to contradict her, to jump in with an actual plan. When no one did, she took a deep breath and went on, “We could make it to the Cobalt Soul. There’s got to be one in the city, and I’m still part of the order. Technically. I’m pretty sure we could ask for sanctuary. The monks are surprisingly sneaky sons of bitches, they’ll be able to stop us being scryed on. I think.”

“You think?” Fjord gritted his teeth. “Shit.”

“I know, I know. But what do you want from me, man? Either they’re going to find us through magic or the old-fashioned way. We’re not exactly stealthy.”

“I think we stealthed pretty good getting here.” Jester sounded a little affronted. “Can’t we just cast disguise on ourselves and hide Caleb in a bag or something?”

“Remember how we put the dodeca in the haversack to keep people from scrying on it?” Nott piped, but when Jester perked up she continued, “We should absolutely not do that with Caleb.” “Why not?” Jester asked, peering into the depths of her violently pink bag.

“For one thing, we put dead things and severed heads and shit in there,” Nott looked in with her, poking dubiously at the contents. “For another, I don’t think he would fit.”

“But we do have that bag of holding.” Jester sat up and made a grabbing motion at Fjord. “He would fit in there.” Fjord took a reluctant half step towards her, saying, “Jester, I don’t think you’re supposed to put living things in there...”

“Lets. Not test it now,” Beau said, though Jester sat back with a disappointed sigh. “What about the Cobalt Soul thing? For, against?”

“Well, we know that they don’t like the wizard-people,” Jester said slowly, looking around at the others.

“I think we can get there,” Yasha said. She was watching Beau the whole time, something uncomfortably like faith in her shadowed eyes.

“You know where it is?” Fjord asked, and Beau made a face.

“I’ve never been to Rexxentrum before. The only one who has is...” she trailed off, and everyone turned to look at Caleb. “But it’ll be in the temple district.” Beau continued, rallying. “I’ll know it when I see it.”

Fjord muttered a few curse words, but didn’t say anything constructive. Jester tapped her feet together nervously, watching him. Nott, still with her crossbow out, bared her teeth and said, “I don’t really care where we go, back to the inn or to the library, but let’s get moving. I don’t like being in one place.”

“Me neither.” Yasha stood and, moving Nott gently aside, hoisted Caleb over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry. She turned to look at Beau again and gestured towards the door. “Lead the way, I guess.”

With that extremely dubious endorsement, Beau slung her staff over her shoulder and crept out into the unfamiliar night. The rest of the Nein followed behind her, except for Nott, who moved to flank around their right.

Mostly the city was quiet, which was both good and bad. It meant the Crownsguard and the Righteous Brand weren’t after them in full force. Good thing. It also meant that the Scourgers–and by extension, the Assembly–were still operating under the assumption that they could kill the Mighty Nein quickly and sweep everything under the rug. Bad thing. Very bad thing.

The closest call they had was when a cloaked figure swooped overhead and hovered above the crossroads for a moment. Beau and the others ducked down into the nearest alley, but if they’d been spotted...

The figure turned a few times in the air, long enough that Fjord started to edge up to offer a distraction. Just as they flitted away. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and they went on.

They were on the streets a lot longer than Beau would have liked, more than an hour. But eventually they coasted up to the side entrance of the large, stocky building with two great banners of the Cobalt Soul at the front. The temple/library/archive/hopeful safehouse was blocky, just a big square of wood and stone amidst the splendor of the other temples. Even at night Bahamut’s sanctuary gave off a mirrored sheen in the light of the fires outside the Allhammer’s. During the day the streets would be thronged with faithful, priests, and Crownsguard. Now everything was eerily empty, and the knock Beau gave the door seemed to echo impossibly loud. For a long moment, no one answered, and then just as she was bracing herself to knock again, the door opened a crack.

A sleepy eye peered out at her, the shaved head of an acolyte maybe ten years younger than she was. “Can. Can I help you?” the girl said, stifling a yawn in the middle.

“Hey, hi,” Beau shifted, working hard not to lean on the door or get uncomfortably close to the door guard. “What’s your name?”

“Cleo.” The little monk wannabe was starting to perk up and look around at the motley crew gathered behind Beau, who smiled tightly.

“Cleo? That’s a nice name. I’m Beau, I work here. Well, not here here, but I’m part of the Cobalt Soul, and–”

“You don’t look like one of the Cobalt Soul,” Cleo said, and Beau paused. Looked down at the loose, comfortable clothes she’d bought in Rosohna.

“Uhh. Right. I’m...listen, kid, I’m an Expositor, I have some really important information about the war. The whole she-bang. So if you could just–” There was a rushing sound from overhead, and Beau broke off to look for wizard assassins. Everyone in the party ducked instinctively, making themselves smaller against the unforgiving wall of the library. When Beau looked back, Cleo was watching them with both eyes narrowed. This one might be too smart for her own good.

“I don’t know if I believe you,” Cleo said, but before Beau could answer she continued, “But I can get someone who’ll know for sure. Stay here.” And she slammed the door shut. Locked it, too.

“Shit.” Beau pulled out her staff and put her back up against the wood, one eye still on the sky. “We don’t exactly have time to wait around,” Fjord started, and then there was another rush of air and they all fell silent. She hadn’t spotted anything about them, but the temples were tall. It was possible the Scourgers had landed elsewhere and were headed here now. Hells, they might be invisible for all she knew.

“Maybe if we just hide inside...” she said, and suddenly Nott was at her elbow, lock picks at the ready. The goblin girl grinned up at her before focusing in on the door itself.

“Got it!” she said after just a second, and the heavy wooden door swung open soundlessly. Inside was a small foyer, empty except for a stool next to the door and a pile of books. There were three hallways that led deeper into the library, but Beau wasn’t anxious to push their welcome more than they already had, and she stayed put. The Nein did take up most of the little room, though, especially after Yasha’d set Caleb out on the ground so she could put both hands on her greatsword.

Not long after they’d closed and locked the door behind them, Beau picked up the pitter patter of anxious feet from the hallway to their left. Cleo emerged with an older monk, a light-skinned human with piercing brown eyes and a few wrinkles around her face, exaggerated by her scowl. “What is this, who are you?” the monk demanded, standing in the archway with one hand on Cleo’s shoulder. “How dare you break into the Reserve!”

“It wasn’t really breaking and entering–” Beau started.

Fjord broke in to add, “I apologize, ma’am, no harm was intended. We are simply facing pursuit of a very disruptive nature, and wished to avoid unnecessary damages.”

“Pursuit?” the matron looked like she was about to have a heart attack. But only if she could kick them out first. “Do you know Dairon?” Beau asked, a little desperately. “Elf lady, bald, about yea tall?”

The monk caught her breath for the first time since she’d appeared–stopped to think. “I know Dairon,” she said at last. “What about her?”

“She sent us. Me. Sort of–it’s a long story. But I’m training under her to be an Expositor, and we really need a place to stay.” Out of the corner of her eye, Beau saw Fjord give her a thumbs up.

“If you are truly what you say, you know that I have ways of verifying your story.”

“I do.”

“And you would submit to such questioning, given where your story stands?”

“I would.”

The monk looked faintly surprised, by Beau’s quick answer, or her agreement, or maybe both. But she took up a fighting stance after a moment, quirked her fingers in a ‘come hither’ gesture.

Beau took a deep breath as she stepped forward, bracing herself against a flinch. This was going to hurt.

The old lady hit her in the throat and the gut, one-two, and Beau felt the wash of unfamiliar qi sink into her body. It stayed heavy in her throat, like a wash of mint and ice. She had to fight for a moment to get her breath back, to work through the freezing sensation in her lungs. Only when she was sure she could talk without her voice cracking did she look back at the monk and nod.

The lady nodded back, slowly. Behind her, Cleo was staring at all of them with wide, fascinated eyes. “What is your name?”

“Beauregard Lionett.” Beau tilted her chin up to say it, a defensive tic she couldn’t quite swallow down here. “Although you might as well leave that last name out of it.”

“What is your purpose here, Beauregard?”

“We’re here seeking shelter, that’s all. From an enemy this group has in common with the Cobalt Soul–the Cerberus Assembly.”

The monk raised one pale eyebrow, like she doubted that last point, but Beau could still feel the freezing taste of truth on her breath. She wasn’t lying, though it was technically possible that the Assembly was more of a Dairon/Expositor problem than a widely known Cobalt Soul one.

“Very well. Are you, Beauregard, a member of the Cobalt Soul?”

“Yes.” This, at least, she could answer with confidence. “Like I told the kid, I’m an...Expositor.” That one took a little effort to get out, her throat trying to close up solid with ice. She hadn’t ever officially ‘graduated’ from being Dairon’s apprentice, but what the hell. If the last few months didn’t qualify her to be a full-blown Expositor, then nothing did.

Again with the doubtful eyebrow raise. The monk went on with her questions as if the title meant nothing to her. “And what is your relationship with Dairon?”

“Uh. Complicated?” That clearly wasn’t going to fly. Beau gritted her teeth and went on, choosing her words very carefully. “I was Dairon’s apprentice in Zadash, briefly. Until she got sent away to Bladegarden. She and I worked...in Xhorhas to gather information about the Krynn.” Beau tried to say that they’d worked together in Xhorhas, but the ice closed up and wouldn’t allow it. She and Dairon hadn’t–quite–been working at cross-purposes in the East, but they sure has hell hadn’t been working together on anything. Not until much later.

“You’ve been to Xhorhas?” Cleo butted in, and Beau grinned at her before the matron could push her back.

“Yeah, to Roshona itself. Pretty cool town, I thought.”

“Enough of this. I want you to swear that you will bring no harm to this library, or it’s keepers. That whatever your mission in Rexxentrum, you will keep the reputation of the Cobalt Soul clean.”

Beau had to glance back at the others before she answered that one. They’d already been hugely compromised by the Scourgers, and obviously everything else had to wait until after Caleb woke up. After that happened, they wouldn’t need to hide here anymore. They’d just have to keep a low profile while they were here. Lower than usual, anyway.

“I swear,” she said, looking back at the monk, who nodded again. A few seconds later the icy feeling faded from Beau’s throat and lungs, and she allowed herself a few gasps of warm air.

“Very well.” The matron was still frowning, but she didn’t seem like she was going to keel over or kick them out any second. “We have a few rooms available–”

“Is there someplace hidden?” Caduceus asked suddenly, from the back. He’d been leaning against the door a little, but at his height he was still easily visible. “Someplace that can’t be looked into from a distance, say?”

The monk’s scowl deepened, but she did nod after a moment. “We have a room like that. Follow me. Cleo, get a lantern and some food for our. Guests.” She led them down the central hallway, through a darkened corner and into the main library.

Even without the lights, the space was beautiful. Dark wood shelves stood in ten feet high rows along the floor, and two floors of open balconies above them were also backed with shelves. Smaller study rooms and nooks branched out from both the ground floor and the balconies, and the ceiling was covered in stars. Beau found herself craning her neck, trying to decide if the stars were actually glowing or if they were just that brightly painted. She stopped after she almost ran into one of the bookcases, and followed the monk to a small, inconspicious door under a staircase.

“This is meant to house the more dangerous tomes in our collection,” the old lady said, unlocking the door with a key from her ring. “Until such books make their way into our possession, or we deem it necessary for any of our current charges, it is empty. You’ll be hidden here, both magically and from more mundane searches.”

“Thank you,” Beau said, reaching out to grab the monk’s wrist as she stepped away from the door. “Thank you.”

The monk shook her off, but her frown had mostly gone, and she inclined her head in a very small bow. “It is my duty to help members of our order however I can,” she said, then added, “But if you have brought the Assembly down on us I will throw you to the wolves.”

“Better hope you keep us hidden then,” Beau said, her mouth dry. The lady smiled crookedly and gave the key to her.

“I will send Cleo with meals for you tomorrow as well. Open the door only for her, and you should be fine.”

“Will do.”

Questions 7, 20, and 28 for Charcoal and Cupid (who is so pretty btw oh man). And then I kinda want to ask A-J but that's a lot and you might want to talk about characters other than those two so... Wildcard A-J with wildcard characters...?

Cupid thinks he’s pretty too. He says you have good taste xD

7. What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

Charcoal: Thinking, thinking, thinking. “I miss my old clan.” He started softly. “I’m from the Ashfall Waste, the Emberglow Hearth to be exact. I miss the dry air. The air isn’t dry, or heated, in the Labirynth. But the scouts bring food from there, and when we get to eat it, it tastes like home.”

Cupid: “Honey, my darling dear my little dandelion, I don’t focus on the past. I don’t miss anything! I have me and me alone and my two lovely little fae children and that’s all I need to get by in such a, ugly, clan.” 

20. If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Charcoal: “Uhh.” The difference? “Well one is like me loving Carolina, because she’s from my old clan with me, so I love her like a sister. That’s familial love. Platonic is me loving my friends, like Carolina, because we’re from the same clan. Oh but she’s my sister so I can’t love her twice uh.. I guess... Mayall, is friendly love?” He had his arms cross before holding his chin, or the bottom of his beak (dragon physiology) with a claw. “So I guess romantic love would be who you’d want to make hatchlings with. I don’t have anyone like that.”

Cupid: The dragon watched the other one try to mentally work it out. Oh boy. “Love is a very complicated thing.” He butt in with a smile. “But in the end, all love is the same in the end.” He raised a claw. “Hard to believe, I know, but think about it. You need to love your friends to hang around them, you rarely ever find a mate unless you’re friends with them first, and even with family you hear the phrase ‘they’re like my best friend.’ You need to be friends with those you love, and it needs to be love. Sometimes we confuse love with obligatory feelings, like how you need to love your parents, but that’s not always the case, because if you ask Ranch, Honeydew, or Eggplant, parents can be absolute shit.” He stood straighter, wishing he had a board to help describe all of this. “So it starts at friendship, so to speak, all love in the end is platonic love of some sort, because you want to keep your friends in your life forever. The difference moving on is just trying to box in love. If you love your sibling like a friend, but also love your friend romantically, which love do you choose? It all gets very very complicated. However, I can agree that romantic love is a person you would like to get emotionally and physically closer to, someone who you can see a future with,” he motioned towards Charcoal. “Someone you would like to raise a family with.”

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?

Charcoal: “An unpleasant truth. It’ll hurt or be awful but at least you know. You can move on when you know things.”

Cupid: A laugh left the spiral. “Oh honey, it’s definitely a lie. You can attract more flies with honey and all that. Keep your friends close and enemies closer, and lies are just the way to do that. After all, you think I like you!”

Charcoal: He looked down, unamused. “You don’t like anyone trust me this isn’t subtle.”

With your A-J questions, I’ll use each dragon starting a row!! c: I love Charcoal and Cupid but they’re not as super fleshed out as other dragons.

A) Why are you excited about this character?

As my Clan Leader, Cici has a lot of potential. If you’ve kept up with other asks, you’ve heard that people actually think PomeGrape is the head of the clan because he makes the decisions and orders people around, which then brings the question as to why Cici allows that and allows that belief to live while she’s also Clan Head. I’m not too sure myself why she does it yet, but Pome always does come to her for final decisions, as do other dragons as well. So they know she’s clan head but they just like Pome more. I think she lets him be the figurehead the face of leadership, when she does most of it. We haven’t delved a lot into her backstory yet (especially since she’s my progen) but there’s definitely a lot of potential with her that I can’t wait to unlock!

B) What inspired you to create them?

So Honeydew is actually one of the few dragons to have some decent lore (at least decent in terms of how much there is). His father is the same as Ranch’s, making them half-brothers, and when my friend told me that Felix hatched another nest and asked if I wanted any, I had to look. Her Felix is know for being pretty gaudy, pretty full of himself (a lot like Cupid) so I figured, since him and his wife are both really bright yellows, Honey, who seemed a little less bright, would get thrown out. From there I knew he would be a lot different from his brother, and I really wanted Ranch to get out of his scared depressed state too, so raising someone who was his opposite was the surefire way to do that! I like character growth where I can get it.

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

PomeGrape definitely had some rocky beginnings, he was a gift from a friend and he was supposed to be really cold and really mean and turns out he’s anything but that. So it was harder to develop his personality than it actually was his role. He sort of fell into his role of ‘organizing the life of the clan’ but since he was pretty solitary, I had to find reasons for other dragons to visit him. Turns out he’s a pretty nice dude. He ended up good thanks to his mate. 

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?

HA YES I WAS HOPING THIS QUESTION WOULD LINE UP WITH ILIANA. Okay so Iliana is actually an original character of mine!! Her original appearance, as a human, which is what she is originally is based off Saoirse Ronan in Hanna. She’s a clone set in an xmen universe and she’s always been somewhat shy, sticking close to one person. To transfer that Iliana to dragon form was hard because she’s such a soft, gentle, very kind girl who was put through very cruel and unusual situations but still came out very nice. I wanted her coloring and her breed to reflect that, but I could never scry anything perfect. I forgot how I ended up finding the nocturne that is now dragon Iliana. I really don’t remember what I was looking for but I saw her and it wasn’t even a second guess I just immediately bought her for all the treasure she was worth. She still looked very soft and very gentle and very princess-like, but I’ve been saving up for a skin from here because dragon Iliana does go through the coliseum a lot with her now-girlfriend Georgiana, and it hasn’t been very kind to her.

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

Frir is an odd dragon. When I first joined FR I really really loved snaps so I was disappointed when I couldn’t make a snap, and he was donated to me. Naturally I loved his appearance half to death because I love brightly colored dragons but I never knew what to do with him, and I still don’t. I just know he’s mute, he follows Mayall around a lot (technically they’re dating) and he likes to go scavenging. I don’t think I’d get along with him, because I love to talk a lot and I love the conversation that happens, but I think Frir could get along with anyone. He’s a very loving dragon who cares about everyone.

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

So, Phosphorescence makes me feel.... I’m not sure. I kinda want to hate him but I don’t? He doesn’t have the same pack-mentality the other mirrors have. If anything he displays none of the mirror traits of bloodthirsty-ness and needing to survive. He does eat a lot but he’s managed it, especially in Viridian Labyrinth where there’s never a lack of food. But I feel bad for him, because he can’t relate to other mirrors, so he’s sort of friendless because that mirror stereotype is applied to him when he doesn’t fit it at all. He ends up working at night, because he glows in the dark so helps lost dragons find their way back, or helps Minnie and Carolina with plants that can only be obtained at night. 

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

So Heng is a recently created dragon (because her and Jian are part of my breeding project for another oc dragon) and I think what bothers me about her the most (aside from my lack of giving her lore) is that she seems really clever very early on. Or really possessive. She works as an acolyte for the demigod Jian, so she spends a lot of her time with him and she swears she loves him, but something about her just rubs me wrong, like, I know she doesn’t have good intentions but I haven’t figured them out yet.

H) What trait do you admire most?

Ugh, Anteros. He’s technically one of Cupid’s adopted kids but like all faes in my clan, he has a really hard time speaking the common tongue that larger dragons share, because faes mainly communicate body language through their head frills. And with a slightly neglectful dad (cupid swears he loves them, but their ideas aren’t always up to cupid standards) he’s sort of been sitting and doing nothing with his sister a lot. I guess I admire the way he cares for his sister and helps her out despite their circumstances. Cupid’s not a bad dad, but he’s not great. Anteros prefers to be alone because of it, but him and his sister will go talk to the other faes to get some socialization and understanding what’s going on. He’s learning to be independent, that’s what I like.

I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?

HA. No. So Calzone is originally a subspecies of dragon called ‘Pizza Dragons.’ Which means, logically, he should be made of pizza. But lord knows I only loved calzone for his genes and not for his ‘canon lore.’ So I threw him out of it and made him the exalter of the clan instead. I loved the genes but not the lore. He’s actually friends with Chikan. 

J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

Ugh, Lamp. So the thing with Lamp is that she’s for sale. I love her, I love her genes, I love the potential she holds, but I cannot for the life of me think of any lore or dress her but god I love her half to death. I haven’t created anything for her. I don’t know how. I love her and want to keep her but I don’t know how or what to create. I have scraps at best and nothing at worst.

Mine, Not Yours

Swooping in to @thinkoutsidethelovesquare‘s third week (polyamory) on the very end of the deadline and without a care in the world ~

I decided to write a Chat Noir/Ladybug/Queen Bee because there are two different love triangles actually involved (tho this fic does reconcile that into a real polyamorous relationship) aka their super selves and also their regular selves SO it’s spicy. Also I envision Chat Noir and Queen Bee as getting along very poorly and that makes for extra spice

(like holy cow this was a cahoot to write tbh)

The full fic is up on ao3, but here’s the first part for a bit of a tasteee

Mine, Not Yours - a LadyNoirBee (?) fic (1264 words, up to the cut)

Warnings: language

The Miraculous Wielders; heroes of Paris, defenders of Justice, guardians of Peace. The masked heroes were looked to with adoration by all. Ladybug, with her determination and the life that bloomed from her; Chat, with his limitless charm and smile that never slipped; and their new teammate, Queen Bee, who was glamorous and cool, but with such compassion beneath. As symbols of the city, they were perfect, represented everything which France held dear. Not only were they Parisian icons, but their endless war against Hawkmoth made them victors, despite it not being quite yet won.

What the people of Paris did not know was that there was a second, secret war going on in their city.

Heart racing, lips panting, Chat Noir leaped from rooftop to rooftop, steadying himself with his staff whenever the walls loomed too close. The pads of his feet burned with the repeated heavy contact of his frenzied footfall, his fingertips raw from dragging himself up onto the eaves of the buildings around him. There was hair in his eyes, and he almost scratched himself with his own claws when pushing the strands away. His whole body felt messy, wrong; stomach groaning, lungs howling, veins screeching. He was hurting himself in his haste. But he had to be fast.

He clambered up onto a spire, eyes narrowing to scry for their target. In an instant his heart plummeted from his chest, and blank despair surged to fill the cavern it left. He was too late.

Queen Bee was there talking to Ladybug.

He had no idea how the striped superhero had found her so fast; as soon as Chat had heard rumours that Ladybug had been sighted around the city, he had been out and transformed in a flash. And yet, somehow, he had been beaten - but, as he reminded himself, only in the battle, not the war.

The truth of it was that Chat Noir and Queen Bee were fighting (some might say squabbling) over the lady in red. This, among other things, had led to his dislike of his new partner. He could not put out of his head that unfavourable first impression; Queen Bee had acted bratty, stand-offish, entitled. She was vain, believed herself better than all except Ladybug. She sniffed, scoffed, and scorned. She loved attention, and she hated Chat.

Maybe that was mutual. Although Queen Bee had certainly mellowed - she embraced crowds with enthusiasm now rather than imperious disdain - Chat could not shake his distaste. He found her rude, and frankly unnecessary; her signature move, Pollination, was no more than a glorified skill buff (Chat, as an avid RPG player, and already plenty powerful, didn't see much point). It was a good thing she was hot, since she didn't have much else going for her in his book.

Her flirting with Ladybug had been the last straw to topple their relationship. Chat and Bee fought together with gritted teeth in the daytime, and fought each other snarling in the night.

He hopped from his perch into the glow of moonlight where the girls stood, "A midnight rendezvous and I wasn't invited? How un-furr."

Queen Bee shrugged and gave him her signature assertive grin, "Well, while the cat's away, the mice can play."

He was supposed to be the one that slipped these sorts of things into his sentences; it was cool when he did it, but Queen Bee just made his cute quirk annoying.

Ladybug groaned, "No, I can't deal with this from both of you."

"Is she bugging you, milady?"

It was Bee that answered the question, "I don't think so. We bugs have a special friendship. I don't think a dirty alleycat like you would understand."

If he had fur, it would be bristling, and his hackles would be raised. Even so, he couldn't help but hiss lowly. Chat had never really thought of himself as a jealous person, but... he was definitely a jealous person. It certainly wasn't helping that Queen Bee had her arm around Ladybug's shoulder, and was staring him down with gloating defiance.

Chat beat down the rising resentment. She was only doing that because she was insecure. Obviously, she knew Ladybug was destined to be his. She was constantly doing things for Ladybug to get on her good side - she bought her flowers (over which the girls enthused together), she lade her with jewellery (over which she boasted her wealth), she released doves from rooftops (over which Chat got more frustrated than he should - his allergies prevented him from making such sweeping statements of affection). He told himself now, as he often did, that she performed these extravagant gestures because her obnoxious personality gave her no chance. She wasn't making any leeway in her pursuit of Ladybug, and Ladybug wasn't currently giggling into her shoulder because she liked her or anything.

Wait. Damn. Giggling? Chat had missed the joke. He'd lost the opportunity to make an even wittier comeback and charm his lady.

He cut in, "Anyway, why are you guys out? I was worried there had been some sort of cat-astrophe."

"Actually, we're on a date."

Ladybug looked flustered, "Well, no, it's not a date, per se, more like a meeting? Bee just told me she had something to say to me. And here I am."

"Oh?" he noticed his hands were balled into fists and forced himself to unfurl them, "That sounds im-purr-tant."

Queen Bee glowered at him, "I swear to god, I lose a little bit more of my sanity every time you open your mouth."

"Oh yeah? I lose a brain cell every second I'm in your company."

"Oh, is that right? Well, I lose a year from my life expectancy whenever you - "

"Stop it you two!" Ladybug yanked Queen Bee back - neither of them had noticed how close their argument had brought them. But all that Chat Noir was able to process was that Ladybug had pulled Bee back instead of him. Why? Was it because she thought of her as the more aggressive party? Was it because she was the one she'd rather touch?

The yellow hero seemed to think the latter, leaning ever so slightly into her teammate to showcase their established proximity. Chat seethed, saw red.

Ladybug snapped him to attention, "Will you two ever grow up? I know you don't get along but this is embarrassing."

Obstinately, they both stayed silent, neither willing to apologise.

She sighed, "Anyway, Bee, you had something to say?"

"What? Oh, right, yeah. Well, I forgot," she grumbled, "It's hard to think with that alley cat breathing down my neck."

"I'm only breathing down your neck because you smell so bad I-"

"Goodnight!"

They whipped around in one motion, looked at Ladybug's retreating figure, "Goodnight...?"

"I'm going to give you some time to simmer down. We can try this again when you figure out that in-fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. The most important thing is to stay united and you're really not doing a very good job of that. So goodnight."

And with that, she was gone, yo-yo-ing across the Parisian skyline.

Chat gave thought to her words. He supposed she was right. Arguing with Queen Bee was such a waste, and it certainly wasn't going to win him any favours with the girl in red. So, with a deep breath, he resigned himself to being cordial. He could do that.

"You only called her to flirt with her, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't have to if you were any good at it."

He wanted to claw her eyes out. Screw cordiality. That could wait.

"You malicious hornet," he hissed.

"Oh, fuck off and scratch your fleas you filthy tom."

interview tape 33300

1# - Got another pile for you captain 2# - seriously rookie, I haven’t gotten past halve-way of the last pile yet 1# - you did say you wanted all the mad bomber sightings brought straight to you 2# - that was before I found out just how many of them I’d be receiving 1# - well surely more information on him is good news? 2# - it would be if any of this were useful.  Leave the papers on the desk and listen to some of these, they have to be heard to be believed 1# - I thought you were working? 2# - I need a break, and with this sheer number of reports 5 minutes won’t kill me.  Besides, going over this from the start will help me clear my head 1# - very well.  What did you mean that all this information is useless?  There must be something? 2# - True there are bits and pieces.  Locally, the hysteria hasn’t helped.  Everything from murder, petty theft, vandalism and a few cases of adultery are all suddenly being blamed on the mad bomber.   1# - so do we know anything about him. 2# - Well I’ve been able to get a reasonably accurate timeline so far.  His first sighting was when he was caught red-handed at that alleyway.  Probably would have been the end of it if he hadn’t escaped the holding cell.   1# - I thought there were anti-magic fields in effect over the precinct? 2# - In the cells sure, but only the negating manacles are used everywhere else.  My current theory is the lawyer who visited him must have had something to help negate his cuffs so when he left he was free to make his move.  I would have more, but I haven’t been able to find the lawyer since then.  I checked his credentials and found they were very similar to one’s we seen involved in mob cases, so it’s likely our bomber has links to the mob families, if not directly working for one.  A few guard reports suggest he was around the library when it was robbed, but his confession at the warehouse proves that he was the one behind it. 1# - what happened to him after that? 2# - Best I was able to find was that after the warehouse exploded he must have made his way into town the next morning.  There’s a couple of conflicting reports but one about a farmer who found a group in his barn seems noteworthy.  He claims he drove to town with some in the back, but when he got to a check point half of them had disappeared.  The descriptions he and his wife gave match those of the guards at the warehouse, and those of a group fleeing from that direction that ran into the reinforcements from the capital.   1# - they didn’t stop them? 2# - they had no idea who they were at the time, but their reports helped us with getting the profiles down.  Then there was the bank incident, which proves our bomber must be something else.  The bank’s anti-magic fields are even stronger than ours, so the fact he was so easily able to cause those explosions means he’s either got incredible magic power to overcome it, some magic artefact that can enable him to bypass it or he’s got connections good enough to let him have authorised access in said field.  No matter what way you look at it, he’s trouble.  After that, the trail gets messed up by all these reports 1# - you think he’s giving us false leads, covering his tracks 2# - I would if any of them were half way intelligent.  I’ve seen it before, whenever something big like this happens.  Part of it is hysteria, people making connections that don’t exist or getting jumpy and acting panicked.  I have a report here that the third town over saw a figure with a flame in its hand looking sinisterly over the town late at night, so they gathered a mob to capture him.  Too bad it turns out it was the local crazy cat lady who lived near there.  One of her pets was missing so she’d gone out with a lantern in hand to look for it and ended up getting jumped 1# - well that must have been embarrassing when they realised, right? 2# - When did I ever say they realised?  They tied her to a tree, stoned her then brought the body here, hoping to cash in the reward 1# - SWEET IOMEDAE! 2# - yeah, and that’s a legitimate one.  The second town over had a guy claim his shop was burned down by the mad bomber as part of an insurance scam.  Would have worked if he’d worn any kind of disguise when he’d bought all the alchemist fire the shops had the day before. 1# - so I guess there’s lots of people who claim they saw him for different reasons 2# - yeah, and there’s just as many trying to claim they are him 1# - WHAT, there is no way anyone has pretended to be the mad bomber.  Why would someone pretend to be a known criminal? 2# - Why don’t you ask Jake Filbar.  He’s a fresh out of mage collage graduate who got drunk and started going around trying to pick up women claiming he was the super badass criminal everyone was talking about.  Too bad for him the woman he offered to “set off his biggest explosion in her beef portal” happened to be an off-duty officer. 1# - wait, I heard about that from the others, I thought it was messier than that 2# - it was.  Turns out the barkeeper had a moonflower distribution ring going on.  When Jake started resisting arrest, he threw around a bunch of weak fire spells and managed to set fire to a hidden stash worth around 6000GP.  We had to cordon off a whole section of the city to deal with the simultaneous fires and the mass rioting cause by the hallucinogenic smoke spewing out of the place.  At least we busted a drug ring out of all that though. 1# - ok, so drunken idiots might pretend to be him, but no sober and sane person would 2# - Kasandra Millientop did.  Used it to try and apply for a magical university 1# - could you repeat yourself, I seem to have misheard you, I thought you said someone applied to a university as a known mad criminal. 2# - from what I gathered she was trying to get her foot in the door.  A lot of these schools tend to be extremely presides and hard for the common people to access.  She hoped by using the name it would get her noticed long enough to show she had the power and skill needed to enter 1# - how did it turn out? 2# - well the old dean decided to be cruel and give her a chance to fail in front of everyone.  So, he positioned himself and the grading panel behind an anti-magic field of his own casting and told her to give him his best shot after all, and I quote “the mad bombers skills are well known to all here.  A field like this should be no problem for you who use his name”. 1# - permission to speak freely   2# - permission granted 1# - the man sounds like a complete ass 2# - yes, he was.  There were some complications, turns out she had been trying to boost the effect of her magic to replicate the mad bomber by mixing gunpowder and alchemist fire, and her first attempt nearly killed herself 1# - poor girl, I can’t imagine the dean would have let her in after that 2# - yes, the old dean wouldn’t have.  Fortunately for her she did succeed the challenge of hitting him through the barrier. 1# - Really, I assumed the deans magic would have been far more powerful than anything she could have cast 2# - Indeed, that barrier would have blocked even the greatest of magical feats the world has ever known.  Fortunately, the spell was made solely to block magical power, and so failed to simple logic and force 1# - you mean she? 2# - Beaned him with a rock, yes.  Coroner’s report says he was dead before he hit the floor.  For a mage that girl has one hell of an arm 1# - wait, she killed him!  Shouldn’t she have been arrested for that? 2# - no one pressed charges, and the new dean apparently approved of her ingenuity.  They enrolled her in their alchemist course and she became the most popular girl at the school from what I hear 1# - so the new dean approved his predecessor’s murders ingenuity 2# - while he was prising the official hat of leadership off his predecessors freshy caved in skull, yes 1# - so all this paperwork and there are no leads, just random stories? 2# - it’s not that cut and dry.  I’m sure at least one of these reports is the real one, but I’m going to have to go over the crazy ones just to find it.  There not all this bad, like for example I just finished going through.  A bunch of poachers were brought in by some druids.  Although it doesn’t initially look like much, there descriptions of some of the adventurers that took them down sounds a lot like the mad bombers gang.  What’s more apparently their wizard got in a commotion with the adventurers spellcaster and they started bouncing fireballs off each other 1# - I’m no wizard, but I don’t think counter spelling works like that.  Surely there must be more to it than that 2# - your right.  At one point the wizard starts yelling out about what spells their group are casting, causing everyone to start shooting at him.  That sure sounds like our mad bombers MO, getting a lot of attention pulled straight towards him while the rest get on with other things.  A couple of leads like that one and we might just pin enough down to find him, or at least get a scrying spell on him 3# - Well, I’m glad to hear the investigation is going well 1# - sir, you’re not supposed to… 2# - stand down rookie, its fine.  Might I introduce you to the guild-master of the order of the white lotus, the adventuring guild we called in to help us with the investigation. 3# - you know captain, when you said you had some leads to investigate I wasn’t quite expecting this much 2# - well that’s the city guard for you, we don’t do anything in half measures 3# - you know dear, you really don’t look to well, have you gotten any food or rest recently 2# - I had a donut with my extra strong coffee at 3AM if that counts 3# - Well this won’t do.  Tell you what, how about you let me have a go with those leads, it is my guild who is supposed to be tracking him down after all.  Why don’t you take the rookie to the canteen and finish your stories there? 2# - thank you!  But I couldn’t possibly leave all this to you to finish by yourself, it’s far too…. 3# - you don’t get to my position in life without learning a few tricks to deal with paperwork, no go get some rest and unwind, leave finding this bomber to me 1# - thank you sir, that’s very generous 3# - come on rookie, I’ll tell you the one about the bomber and the teacup …… 3# - yes, you don’t get to this position without learning to deal with paperwork [whoosh] 3# - there, all ‘finished’.  It’s my job to ‘track’ you down, and when I do I’m going to wring your neck for all the trouble you’ve caused me.  And to think I left him to keep a track of the others, what was I thinking