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tiredfox64 · 2 days

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Okay, imagine that Johnny arrives at the Wu Shi Academy and meets reader, but they treat him in a very cold way and whenever he tries to talk to them, they avoid him. But it turns out that the reader is actually a big fan of Johnny (to the point they have a pet with his name 😭) and is very, very, very shy.

Hope my request isn't so silly 🙏

A Silly Little Crush

Prior notes: If this was considered silly I would be considered crazy. They would have put me in the loony bin a long time ago.

Pairing: Johnny Cage (MK1) x Gn reader

Warnings ‼️: I like the birds

Johnny has made many enemies just by being famous. They’re just jealous of his fame, skills, and looks. And also because he could be an occasional dick but that’s irrelevant.

What he doesn’t understand is how he gained your ire without you saying a word to him. Ever since he came to the Wu Shi academy you have been acting colder than a glacier. He’s tried talking to you on multiple occasions but you wouldn’t say a peep. You would turn away from him with your arms crossed and your eyes closed like you were trying to block him out.

You were someone who helped out the monks. Brought food, helped cook, attended to the gardens, keep the place in tip-top shape. You were very welcoming to the champions, except to Johnny. The first time you saw him you froze up, blinking slowly like a frog. Before he could even place his hand out to shake your hand you walked away from him. It confused everyone. Your demeanor switched so quickly. Maybe you just had a moment. A hormonal shift or mood swing. It happens to the best of us. He’ll catch you on another day.

Day after day came yet you avoided him like the plague. There was always a distance between you two. Any time he would make an effort to talk to you, you would give him a side eye and not say a word. He could make a joke and you wouldn’t laugh. He would criticize someone’s fighting style and you wouldn’t agree. The only other reaction he could get out of you was when you tried to prevent a smile. You would chew the inside of your cheek to prevent any and all reactions. If it got too much for you then you would walk away.

Forget trying to make you interested in his conversations. He would intentionally talk loudly to get your attention if you were nearby. No matter what, you kept doing your task without a break in your stride. You kept sweeping the leaves off the path or hanging up the towels they use after training to dry. It got so annoying that Kenshi had to yell at Johnny to tone down his volume already.

“Why won’t they pay attention to me? What did I do?” Johnny complained.

“Can you really not accept that some people don’t like you? Leave them be already. You’re probably giving them more reasons to hate you.” Kenshi was so over it.

Johnny sighed in defeat. He had to face the music. He’s never gonna get your attention or even admiration. He never had a chance. Maybe he is just a dick.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

The end of the day was the best time for you. Your work was done and you get to relax. But you also get the chance to let yourself be you. You quickly open your bedroom door, slip in, and lock the door.

“Woo, I’m back, Johnny.” You said in a cheerful tone.

Your severe macaw, whom you so lovingly named Johnny Cage, came flying at you before landing on your hand. You booped his beak as your strolled over to your bed.

“I got so many pictures of Johnny today. Let me show you.”

You open up your camera to show dozens upon dozens of photos you took of Johnny when he wasn’t looking. Some when he was training, some when he was eating, and some when he had his back turned towards you. In those instances, you would take a selfie with him in the background. You were always worried he would turn around while you were positioning yourself into the frame but you were lucky every time. He never caught on, and he hopefully never will.

If he found out you might actually die.

You’re happy to have him at a distance and be sneaky with your secret love for Johnny. You will appreciate every poster that he signed that your friends gifted you. You’re fine with watching his movies on your own. You’ll love him at a distance. It’s all you can do considering you’re worried about actually interacting with him.

You wish you could though. It’s hard for you. The reason you froze up the first time was because you were in such shock. You never imagined you would meet your favorite actor ever. But there he was standing in front of you. Not just that but he would be in close proximity for months! Freaking months! You walked away so you could tell all your friends what just happened, saying it in a whispering scream.

Every time Johnny came up to talk to you, you practically wanted to jump into his arms and shout how he was your favorite. Yell and shout about how he was an amazing actor and that every one of his movies is your favorite. But that’s not who you are. Speaking up is hard for you and even making an attempt to talk to Johnny felt like pulling a trigger. You wanted to laugh at his jokes but you were scared about embarrassing yourself. You don’t even have a weird laugh.

That’s enough beating yourself up for the night. You need your rest. You put your macaw on his perch and got yourself ready for bed. You laid in bed with your phone in your hand, scrolling through your album of Johnny photos. You start to succumb to your exhaustion and pass out soon after.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

Hm, Johnny hasn’t seen you yet today. Usually you were up and helping to make breakfast for everyone. You were nowhere in sight. Strange.

What’s even stranger is when he was served his breakfast, his oatmeal didn’t have the usual smiley face made from fresh cut fruit. That threw everyone off.

“Woah, who did you piss off? Looks like someone didn’t feel like making you happy this morning.” Kung Lao pointed out.

This was unusual. First, you’re not around, now he doesn’t even get a pleasant breakfast. This just sucks. Johnny started to hear some of the monks talk about not seeing you this morning either. They found it strange since you are always up and running.

Johnny needed to get to the bottom of this. He played a detective on TV he can play a detective in real life. After breakfast he started looking around for your room. He asked some of the other monks where your bedroom was and they pointed him in the right direction. When he got to your room he began knocking, quietly at first before getting louder. The noise ended up spooking your macaw who started squawking like crazy. He woke you up with his loud bird mouth. You groaned as you sat up and looked down at your phone. By the gods, it was ten in the morning! You overslept! Now who will put a smiley face on Johnny’s breakfast?!

The door creaked open when Johnny began to open it. He had no clue what was up but when he looked inside he was shocked. Posters of his movies on your walls, autographs that were on your tableside, and magazines with him on the cover that were scattered all over the floor. This was…unexpected. Your macaw went flying towards Johnny, perching himself on his shoulder. This surprised Johnny but what was even more surprising was when your macaw placed his beak against Johnny’s forehead and made a kissing sound. You don’t know how he learned to do that. Maybe he learned to do that from watching you kissing your photos of Johnny. Oh what a mystery.

You were frozen in place once again. You didn’t know how to explain yourself. I don’t think anyone would know what to do. The only explanation that was reasonable was that…omg you do like him. You’ve liked him the whole time.

Johnny’s face went from a confused and surprised expression to one of pure joy. He was ecstatic to see all the merch you have of his. You even had posters of his box office failures! He’s not proud of them but to see you had them up showed how huge of a fan you are.

“You sly dog. You’ve liked me the whole time! You really made me think you hated me.” He felt so silly thinking anyone could hate him. You clearly don’t.

At that moment a message popped up on your phone, showing a picture of Johnny as your background. You both looked down and when you looked back up at him he had this mischievous smirk on his face. A phone hides many secrets. He wants to explore more of those secrets.

“Oh, what do we have in there? I bet you have some pictures of me.” He teased.

Yeah there were some…dozens of pictures in your phone that he does NOT need to know about. You snatched your phone away before he could get his hands on it. So that’s how you want to play, huh? Johnny doesn’t mind getting the answers the hard way. He crept towards you which made you leap out of bed. The chase was on. He started bolting for you, laughing at this amazing discovery he had made. You were running past all the monks and the other champions with Johnny hot on your trail. It was chaos at the academy with you and Johnny playing a game of cat and mouse and your macaw squawking like crazy from the madness. One of the monks yelled something in annoyance.

“Please silence Johnny already. We have discussed his squawking problem.”

“And you named your bird after me?! This is so awesome!”

Johnny seems pretty pumped about this new discovery. The remaining months he has to stay at the academy are gonna be a blast. It will be a blast for you but will also be an embarrassing torment.

After notes: I'm sorry if this isn't correct. I feel like I made this too obsessive or stalkerish. I did find the idea cute though. For some reason Johnny reminds me of Squakabilly from Pokémon (the green one to be more specific) so that's why I made the pet a macaw. I should lie down now. Adiós!

#mortal kombat #mk1 #mortal kombat 1 #mortal kombat1 #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x you #mk x reader #mk x you #mk fanfic #johnny cage x reader #johnny cage x you #johnny cage #johnny cage mk1 #johnny cage mortal kombat #mortal kombat johnny cage #mk1 johnny cage

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thetygre · 2 days

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Working on a theory about the origins of the Chaos Gods specifically in Warhammer 40k.

Slaanesh was born from the old aeldari empire; that’s a given. So you can think of Slaanesh as being uniquely aeldari, even if Slaanesh is everyone’s problem now.

Now old, old lore states that the other three Chaos Gods are born from humanity, but this has widely been disregarded and abandoned because it’s clearly a cop-out. The only specific piece of data from this bit of lore is that Nurgle was born from humans during the Black Plague.

I’m actually not 100% opposed to this. I like the idea that Nurgle is uniquely related to humans the same way Slaanesh is related to eldar. Humans, being a naturally short lived race, would produce a Chaos God of death and decay reflecting their existential fears about entropy and the nature of time.

This establishes a pattern in 40k; every species with a major warp signature produces a Chaos God, who will carry on inherent traits of their creator species long after that species has been driven to extinction. Ergo, Tzeentch and Khorne were produced by two other, far more ancient alien cultures.

The only hints we can get about these extinct species come from their Chaos Gods’ Greater Daemons. As the Chaos Gods have no real physical form, their Greater Daemons are the most direct manifestations of their power we can experience, and therefore the only way to see any of their creator species traits. In the same way we can extrapolate an eldar from a Keeper of Secrets and a human from a Great Unclean One, we should be able to extrapolate… something from a Changer of Ways and a Bloodthirster.

This actually leads me to the tzaangor.

(These things. The bird people the Thousand Sons use when they don’t feel like getting their Rubric Marines dirty.)

The tzaangor’s presence in 40k is a leftover; they’re here because they’re in Warhammer Fantasy, and we need to flesh out Tzeentch’s armies, so in they go. Their explanation makes sense in Fantasy - they’re just another type of beastman. But beastmen aren’t really a thing in 40k, or at least they haven’t been for a few editions.

So that gets me thinking about the tzaangor, their similarities to Changers of Ways, and Tzeentch. I don’t think tzaangor in 40k are just some random mutants; I think they’re primitive leftovers of whatever species made Tzeentch. The similarities between the tzaangor and Changer of Ways are too obvious. (Like yes, duh; the tzaangor are derived from the Changers, but bear with me here.)

My theory is that whatever this species was, they were pioneers of the Warp itself. They harnessed it in a way not even the Old Ones had during the War in Heaven. They may even have been the creators of Warp travel, or something like it. They achieved a transcendental, almost godlike amount of power from harnessing the energy of the empyrean.

And then you know how the story goes; more power than mortal beings are meant to know blah blah blah, absolute knowledge is absolute power and absolute power corrupts absolutely yadda yadda yadda, and then the next thing you know Tzeentch has been born. And Tzeentch keeps the leftovers of his creator race around for one of a hundred different reasons; anything can be justified with Tzeentch by it being part of one of his master plans or split personalities.

What’s left now of the tzaangor are Chaos-ridden mutants hustled around by the new power in the universe; humans. They’re still surprisingly intelligent, but comparatively primitive next to their species in its prime. I like to imagine that since the species was so psychically gifted, Tzeentch’s birth wiped their intellects in an instant, like Slaanesh and the Fall of the Eldar. Just a lethal psychic shockwave that decimated billions, Watchmen squid style. It’s taken millennia for the tzaangor to redevelop their current level of intellect, and they live in fear with the constant knowledge that Tzeentch can take it away again at any time.

Now as for Khorne! …I got nothing. I think, by his nature as the god of bloodshed and murder, Khorne completely wiped out his progenitor species. He did not quit halfway through like the other Chaos Gods. The only thing I can assume about them is that, as Khorne is the oldest Chaos God, they were ancient. Maybe even older than the Old Ones and Necrons. If the War in Heaven wasn’t enough to create Khorne, then I’d like to know what was. Like, this was the Cain species; the first species to really get into warfare and unrestrained violence. They might not even have known the Warp existed until Khorne came screaming out of it. And that species is remembered now as the ground floor of the Skull Throne.

Anyway, that’s that screed scooped out of my brain.

#warhammer 40k #warhammer 40000 #chaos #chaos daemons #chaos space marines #chaos gods #tzeentch #khorne #slaanesh #nurgle #long post

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5-and-a-half-acres · 3 days

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I love your blog! I've been following you for years now, and I want you to know I look forward to each of your posts. They mark the change of seasons for me as much as the birds and bugs and plants outside my own window.

I have one question. Is it tough maintaining the property? Landscaping, maintenence, etc?

I am happy to hear that, thanks so much!

Only the front acre is a proper garden and I like a more natural look so weeds don't stand out too much. I enjoy being outside and doing stuff in the garden so it really doesn't feel like work.

The rest is mostly ponds/creek and trees I have planted over the past 30 years- all sorts of unusual ones. In the beginning it was a lot of work keeping the blackberries and grass down until the trees grew big enough to shade them out. I feel so lucky to have witnessed a field turn into a forest over that time span.

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amymaleneart · 21 hours

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Got an inspiration hit for @missterious-figure Wine and Feathers AU.

So here's the next part what I'm going to call,

"The Mail Service Trilogy."

Enjoy!

Another package has arrived and waiting for you at your desk. This time, it is for Moon. He doesn’t often order things for himself besides the usual basics of skincare and feather-care maintenance. What does surprise you is that this box came from a high-end confectionery store.

You know as their handler that hapries, or birds in general, cannot eat processed sugar. It’s technically not toxic to them, but consuming sugar still isn’t good for them since it’s not naturally found in nature. The only “sweets” they are allowed to have are the ones found in fruit. Granted, harpies can have a little but the casino has to order the sugary treats and syrups from a manufacturer that specialize in exotic pets. Otherwise they couldn’t enjoy their virgin cocktails while entertaining the guests.

(You found yourself cringe at the thought of any of the harpies labeled as “pets”.)

So it is definitely a surprise for you to find that Moon was able to order some from an unapproved establishment. How did he pull this off? You might as well find out so he doesn’t do this again. You bring the package with you so you can have evidence that he did, in fact, made this order since the invoice has his name as the buyer. For being a peacock, he does like to weasel out of situations that he causes.

You went out into the big aviary straight to the tree that Moon likes to perch in when he is in between shows.

“Moon! Where are you?” You continue to look up into the tree, expecting to at least see his long tail feathers with the blue and yellow eyes sticking out of the branches like a silvery waterfall, cascading down the brilliant greenery.

“Moon?”

This is starting to make you nervous because when he doesn’t come when he’s called, he’s usually going to…

You are suddenly picked up from behind with an indignity “yelp!” on your part, and whisk away into the trees like an eagle that caught himself a tasty fish. And you’re the fish.

Once settled, you found yourself being snuggle tightly against the white and blue torso of the mischievous harpy, while sitting comfortably on his incredibly yet strong lap.

“R-really M-moon? How m-many times have I t-told you n-not to do that,” you say as you tried and failed to keep the fluster out of your voice. You hear his devilish cackle at your expense as his response, snuggling his head into the nook of your neck. “But you sound so beautiful when you scream. I just have to hear it again.”

You can feel your whole body heats up to a point that you bet if this was a cartoon, you would turn into a thermometer as you go completely red. You start to quiver, causing you to shake with the package still somehow in your hand, causing a simple rattling noise. Moon finally takes notice and creates a happy trill at seeing the package.

“Wonderful. I was starting to think this will never show up.” Being completely stunned from his affection, Moon easily takes the box from your hands and opens it to reveal his order.

He pulls out an elegant f/c box of chocolates, tied in a satin blue ribbon with a familiar silver peacock feather pattern sewn into the fabric, letting the original packaging fall from the tree. He slowly unties the ribbon in a delicate manner, just to retie it to your neck in a cute little bow like a show puppy. Moon takes a moment to admire his work with his brilliant rose red eyes, as he stares ever so lovingly into your cherry red face.

After he gets his fill, he removes the lid of a box to expose the most delicious assortment of sweets you have ever seen.

It is when he grabs one between his gloved fingers that you finally snap out of it to shout, “Moon wait! You cannot eat tha–” Your urgent words get muffled as he slips one of the expensive confectionaries into your open mouth.

“Hush, little starlight. It’s not for me.” he says with his rumbling baritone voice.

Your eyes open wide as the sweet explodes with flavor as it melts in your mouth. Then you realize that is one of your favorite flavors!

You swallow down the tasty treat in order to ask, “How did you–” another one gets placed into your mouth.

Moon chuckles as he says, “I’ll tell you, but only if you let me feed you each and every treat that’s in. this. box.”

Part One: Done in an ask - Part Two: Here - Part Three: Coming Soon

#wine and feathers au #winged dca #harpy au #harpy dca #dca fandom #winged au #sun and moon fnaf #harpy moon #missterious figure

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ironunderstands · 1 day

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How do you feel about the Penacony final boss?

I love it both gameplay and story wise.

I’m gonna yap about the gameplay because I actually adore HSR’s combat system so yeah. Personally, I think the weakness break = gained shield mechanic is great, as you are a) forced to use Harmony MC who is an amazing breaker and also buffs characters who like breaking which causes b) you bring characters who also like breaking things, which is a really good way to Segway into the new break effect meta we will be seeing, and allows players to get a feel for it before Boothill and Firefly really release.

Also like, the music, the design, the Bible references, Robin? Robin. Witness the will of the weak? Chucking the fucking astral express at Sunday? How Sunday literally and metaphorically attacks us with music? The boss switching faces to look more like Ena’s puppet form at the end? I love it.

Story wise, it’s an amazing way to end Penacony. Harmony vs the Order, Robin vs Sunday, Everyone vs the Family. The shot where Robin catches Sunday is like engraved into my brain. The fact that he’s the bird who can’t fly and she’s the own who can, so he plummets and she flies to save him. How only when we defeat Sunday, can he be truly free.

“People dream because one day they will wake up “ UGHHHH RAAAAAAAAAA. I can’t express why this line is just so fucking good, but I will try. In your dreams, you experience a warped version of reality. Perhaps it’s what you want to see, perhaps it’s what you don’t want to see, perhaps it’s something else entirely. In this, dreams mirror life. They prepare us to live, they give us experiences we might never have in reality, they show us possibilities we may or may not encounter. However, dreams are fleeting and you will eventually wake up. That’s why people want to dream, because they want to experience reality, every part of it, the good and the bad, even the unimaginable, just without the consequences.

So when you inevitably wake up, and the dreams are no more, the only thing that remains are the memories of those dreams. Those dear memories, which you learn from again and again and again. So you dream, again, and again, and again, because only in reality can you appreciate and learn from the dream, and only in the dream can you truly understand reality. I can’t really phrase why I adore this line, so hopefully you can at least get an idea from this.

I honestly struggle to explain why I love 2.2 (and Penacony as a whole) in general, if I were to try, I’d probably say I just really love power of friendship plots. Call it corny or stupid, you are wrong! Incorrect! People coming together to support one another and achieve a common goal is the best thing ever! I adore how so many different factions with their own goals and philosophies and motives and methods from across the universe of hsr come together to fight for their freedom. To work well, in Harmony. To prove that no matter who or what you are, your life does not and should not be defined by Order.

So yeah, it’s great, hopefully I can phrase why it’s great in the future but for now I hope this satisfies

#Penacony #honkai star rail #hsr #the indomitable human spirit #we all cheered #sunday hsr #AAAAAAAA #i love plots about dreams I love plots about dreams #I’ll figure out how to be intelligent about it one day #ask me anything

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jackdaniel69nice · 3 days

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Another tokoyami bird traits post because I’m crazy

Birds have very little sense of smell so he’s got a very weak olfactory system.

Birds can’t taste capsaicin so they can’t taste spiciness. Tokoyami’s food is a bit bland to some because he never really adds any to it. On the other hand he’s one of the only people that can handle bakugo’s curry. I’m going to go out on a limb and say dark shadow can’t taste spice either.

Tokoyami has shown minor territorial traits when it comes to letting people in his room. This can be explained with him being shy but I’m going to take it a step further. I think his room is like a safe space for him and he is very paranoid about people stealing things. He HATES when things get moved around and panics if he loses something so he gets very aggressive if someone tries to touch his stuff. He also has problems with being vulnerable and having people see his things because it lets them know his interests and he hates that. Do not sit on his bed without permission. He also has food anxiety so do not touch his food in the fridge or you will die. Dark shadow is even worse about this but they keep all their stuff under the bed so as long as you stay out of there you’ll be fine.

To add onto this tokoyami also has nesting tendencies. Unfortunately Tokoyami’s mother discouraged this behavior and tried to keep him from doing it. When he was little he would make his nests under the bed because it was well protected and dark. Eventually he outgrew the bed space and moved it to the back of his closet. He still has anxiety about someone finding one of his nests so it’s very small (literally only one blanket) and he keeps his closet door locked. Dark shadow still has their nest under the bed. Tokoyami only allows himself to be in his nest if he’s having a breakdown and needs comfort. It’s sad that he denies himself basic needs because of how he was raised.

Alright this one’s a little crazy but I think it would be cool if he had two stomachs. The first stomach is pretty normal, maybe it has a gizzard component so he can digest bones. But the other one is a crop so he can carry extra food to digest later, this would make sense because of his fast metabolism and he wouldn’t need to stop to eat so much. This entire thing was inspired by joke in the light novels where they said tokoyami has a “second stomach” for anything apple related XD

Do not get me started on dark shadows digestive system I have no idea how that works. They drank in the light novels that’s all I know. I guess the stuff just disappears, unless they don’t want it too.

Tokoyami’s beak perpetually grows so he has to file it down, I’ve heard you can use certain bones to do that so that’s kinda badass B)

I’ve seen a lot of debate about whether or not tokoyami has feathers or hair and my pick is both. His feathers don’t have a hollow shaft like hawk’s does and continually grows out of his head like hair. They still have the general shape of a feather though and need to be taken care of in a similar manner. The shaft is stronger than normal hair so it sticks up when it’s shorter but it’s still flexible and won’t break. Dark shadow is responsible for all preening fumikage would be useless without them. New feather growth is still covered in a sheathing that needs to be removed. Since it grows continuously it needs to be cut and shaped, dark shadow does this with their beak. During training all kinds of dirt blood and sweat will get in his feathers so he uses a special shampoo hawks recommend to him (hawks is unfortunately on the front of the bright red bottle).

This last part is a bit sad and has some trigger warnings I guess (tw self harm, hair pulling, eating disorders). Birds don’t do well with stress and tokoyami has some bad habits because of that. He will pull his feathers and bite his nails down to the bed until they bleed. He also has trouble eating and simply won’t do it when he’s too stressed. If he did eat and has a panic attack it might come back up. He was very underweight growing up from constant stress and was malnourished because of it. He has been a lot better about these things since coming to UA and even tries to follow a strict eating schedule but he still has bad days where he may skip several meals a day. You can almost always convince him to eat an apple or white rice tho (safe foods my beloved~). He wears special nail polish to keep him from biting his nails. If all else fails dark shadow doesn’t particularly like when he hurts himself and usually tries to intervene (sometimes their state of mind is in even worse shape though).

#bnha #boku no hero academia #tokoyami fumikage #dark shadow #mha #my hero academia #bnha headcanons

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kymerawrites · 1 day

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Sir Simon Riley EP 4

I got carried away, enjoy 8K words ;)

Summary: the whole team goes out to a club but it seems the night takes a twist that makes shym and ghost end up together

TW WARNING: mention of drugs and alcohol

A day has passed, and today we will be interrogating the shadows to uncover their true intentions. We have at least eight of them in custody, so it shouldn't be too difficult to extract some answers. As I walked through the barracks, I spotted one of my teammates whom I hadn't spoken to in a long time. "Roach, good morning! How is everything going?" I called out, feeling a mix of anticipation and relief at the sight of a familiar face with all this drama going on

Roach looked up as I approached, a warm smile spreading across his face at the sight of me. "Ah, good morning!" he greeted me cheerfully. "Everything's going well, can't complain. How about you?"

"I'm still reeling from the injuries I got at the club the other night, but today we have to start interrogating the shadows, using force if necessary." I glanced ahead and saw Soap, Ghost, and four other teammates deep in conversation, their expressions tense and focused.

Roach nodded as he listened to my words, his expression growing serious. "I understand." he said. "I'm glad you're doing okay, but we have to make sure these shadows know they messed with the wrong people." His gaze followed mine to Soap and the other teammates, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Looks like we're gonna have some fun today." he said with a chuckle.

I looked at him in surprise. "How so?" I asked, my voice filled with curiosity.

Roach chuckled a bit and gestured toward the group of team members with his chin. "Well, there's Soap, and you know how much he enjoys a good interrogation." he began, his expression mischievous. "And there's Ghost, who can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be. And then there's the rest of us." He grinned. "Between the six of us, I'd say we'll have those shadows singing like a bird in no time."

I smiled and rolled my eyes playfully. "I already know, Captain Price is going to love this—if he ever comes out of his office for once." My tone was light-hearted, but a hint of frustration lingered beneath the surface.

Roach chuckled along with me, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Captain Price's been working himself too hard," he agreed. "Maybe a good old interrogation session will be just the thing to get him out of that office of his." He winked at me, a devious glimmer in his eyes. "Who knows? Maybe he'll even join in on the fun."

I looked at roach intently and as he looked back we knew exactly what stunt we would pull, I put on a mask I had and a baclava, also my gear. Roach did the same and now we could do our plan. We ran towards captain price's office and opened the door with much force

"hands up captain!" We screamed. You saw the split second of fear in his eyes when he started laughing "you had me there roach and shym." I laughed

"All funny and games, But sir your coming with us." I nodded at roach to give the sign to do our act and lifted him and his chair up

we walked towards the others and saw a faces of surprise and laughter

"Roach! You really are a jester aren't ya!" He laughed we put down the chair and I begun talking "you have been forced to start interrogating with us captain price. I do not take no as an answer!"

Captain Price shook his head, his eyes still shining with laughter. "You two are incorrigible, aren't you?"

he said, a wry smile on his lips. "But I have to admit, that was a clever stunt. You've got me fair and square."

He looked at the team around us, who were all watching with wide grins on their faces. "All right then, if you want me to join in on the interrogating, I suppose I can't say no. Let's see what these shadows have to say."

I shifted my eyes towards his "don't they know who knocked them out? We are already at war with them. They know who we are" I tilted me head to the side questioning why I had to keep my mask on that was only used for my shenanigans.

Ghost's expression remained stoic as he replied, his eyes never leaving my face. "They may know who we are, but we still have a few tricks up our sleeves. We don't want to reveal our full hand just yet." He gestured towards the team around us, who were all still waiting for instructions. "Now come on, let's get this show on the road. The shadows should be waiting for us in the interrogation room by now."

I nodded, still feeling a little uneasy about Ghost's insistence on keeping our masks on, but I trusted his judgment. We all headed towards the interrogation room where the shadows were being held. As we entered the room, I could feel the tension in the air, the shadows looking at us with a mix of defiance and fear.

Ghost spoke up, his voice low and dangerous. "All right, let's get started. Which one first?"

Captain Price gestured to the first shadow, who was being held tightly by Ghost and Soap. "How about we start with this one?"

The first shadow glared at us, defiance flickering in his eyes. "You'll never get anything out of me." he snarls, his voice cold and defiant. Ghost stepped forward, his mask hiding any emotion he might have. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said quietly. "We have ways of making you talk." He gestured to Soap, who immediately grabbed the shadow's arms and held them in an uncomfortable position. The shadow winced in pain but remained stubbornly silent.

I was scanning the room when I found the person I was dancing on the other night. I grabbed a knife out of my pocket and walked behind him towards his neck, right in the spot where his gun was "you might be a good dancer with the ladies but I don't think you haven't seen anything like this yet right?"

The shadow stiffened as I held the knife against his neck, his eyes widening as he realized I recognized him. "Wait, wait!" he cried out, panic clear in his voice. "I'll tell you what you want to know, just don't hurt me!"

Ghost stepped forward, his mask concealing any emotion that might be on his face. "Then start talking. We want to know everything about your organization and your plans."

"If we think you are lying your fellow teammates will feel pain inflicted on them, so I suggest you speak up" I kept my knife right on his neck putting more pressure than before I already saw a little blood dripping from him

The shadow's eyes widened as he felt the knife dig deeper into his skin, a small trickle of blood flowing down his neck. "Okay, okay!" he exclaimed, his voice shaking with fear. "I'll tell you everything I know about our organization! We work for a man called "The Director", he's the one who gives us our orders and pays us for our services."

"This is bullshit" I sighed

" then why don't we even know a single ounce about this group. It should have been on our radar a long time ago!"

I walked to the next guy to him and put my knife behind his ear putting pressure just to scare him

The shadow's eyes darted around nervously, sweat beading on his forehead as he saw the determination in our eyes. "All right, all right!" he said, his voice a higher pitch than before. "I'll tell you everything. The Collective is like a secret society. They operate outside of any government or law enforcement, and they have their fingers in many pies. They're involved in everything from drug trafficking to human smuggling to illegal weapons sales."

"So the artifact was all a lie huh?" I chuckled and looked and price and ghost

"I don't know who made you believe in circus magic but that thing was fake as fuck." I rolled my eyes and continued

Price and Ghost looked at me for a moment, their expressions inscrutable beneath their masks. "We knew the artifact was just a cover-up," Price said quietly. "But now we know who's behind it." He turned his gaze back to the shadow. "Now, tell us who the Director really works for. Who's giving the orders?"

The shadow hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for a way out. "I don't know," he said finally, his voice strained.

"I've never met the Director's superiors before, I swear! They only communicate through heavily encrypted channels, and their identities are always kept secret."

Ghost and Price exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable. "Do you have any idea where to find the Director," Ghost asked, his voice cold and toneless.

The shadow shook his head rapidly. "No, no, I don't know where the Director is," he said quickly. "He's always on the move, never stays in one place for too long."

Soap stepped forward, his expression hardening. "You better start cooperating, mate," he growled. "Or things are going to start getting painful very quickly."

I laughed "my biggest question is how he hired a bunch of rookies to fight against us, it was evident when we took down half of your team the other day."

The shadow's eyes darkened with anger at my words. "Don't underestimate us," he snarled. "We may not have the same training or experience as you do, but we are still a formidable force to be reckoned with."

Ghost stepped forward, his mask hiding any emotions he might have been feeling. "You may have thought you were ready, but you were still no match for us. Now start talking before something bad happens to you and your teammates."

"Let me make it simple for you lieutenant." I got to another male who had a deep scar on his eye I put my knife on the other eye and made a cut he agonized in pain.

Price, Ghost, and Roach all tensed up at my actions. Ghost stepped forward, his voice firm but calm. "That's enough, Shym. We don't want to stoop to their level."

But I was focused on the shadow, not caring about the blood running down his face. I grabbed his hair and pulled his head up, my eyes locked on his. "Now start talking, or the next cut won't just be a scar."

The shadow looked at me, fear and defiance battling in his eyes. "Okay, okay," he said finally, his voice a pained whisper. "I'll tell you everything I know."

He took a deep breath and began speaking, telling us about the Director's plans and the organization's structure. As he spoke, the rest of the team listened in silence, absorbing every piece of information.

Once the shadow had finished speaking, Ghost turned to me, his expression hidden behind his mask. "Good job, Shym."

The shadow looked at me, fear and defiance battling in his eyes. "Okay, okay," he said finally, his voice a pained whisper. "I'll tell you everything I know."

Once the shadow had finished speaking, Ghost turned to me, his expression hidden behind his mask. "Good job, Shym."

His words were simple, but they sent a shiver down my spine. I felt something spark inside me at his praise, something I couldn't quite place. I nodded curtly, trying not to show how his praise affected me.

Roach smirked at me, a small spark in his eye as he noticed my reaction. He knew exactly what I was feeling and found it entertaining

The briefing continued, we all gathered around a table discussing the information we had gathered. Roach remained close to me, his playful smirk never leaving his face.

He couldn't resist a teasing remark. "You seem a little flustered, Shym," he murmured with a wink.

"You forgot when you felt so flustered when ghost broke down the door of the toilet when u where dismembering ur bowels because of the spicy food you ate huh" I smirked and tried my best not to laugh (a ghost task scene which was too funny)

Roach winced at my jab, his cheeks flushing a faint pink. "Oh, har har har," he muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You don't have to remind me of that every chance you get."

Price chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Oh, come on, Roach. You know we love to give you a hard time about that."

Roach rolled his eyes, a sheepish smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But sometimes I really wish I could go back in time and avoid eating that cursed Seychellian food"

Price slapped Roach on the back, a big grin on his face. "Well, mate, it gave us a good laugh at your expense, so I'd say it was worth it."

The rest of the team laughed, the atmosphere lightening for a moment as we all enjoyed Roach's faux pas. Roach just shook his head, a good-natured chuckle escaping his lips. "I suppose it's all part of the team bonding experience, right?"

"The smell that hit my nose that night wasn't that team bonding nor pleasant" I said

Roach grimaced, a mix of embarrassment and amusement on his face. "Yeah, that was a rough night for all of us," he admitted. "Especially me."

Ghost, who had been mainly silent up until now, finally spoke up, his voice a dry monotone. "I'm still not sure I've fully regained my sense of smell since that night."

I chuckled "well Riley maybe you shouldn't have broke that door, aren't you a curious man huh"

Ghost stiffened slightly at my comment, his expression hidden beneath the mask. "I was responding to a potential security threat," he replied coolly. "I didn't know Roach had a case of food poisoning at the time.", his expression as unreadable as ever behind his mask.

Roach, on the other hand, snorted a laugh. "You know, I still remember the look on Soap's face when he heard the crash."

Soap's expression darkened, a grimace on his face. "Don't remind me," he muttered. "I've had nightmares about that smell ever since."

Roach looked at me with mock horror on his face. "Oh, please, not you too. Can't I just forget that ever happened?"

Soap grinned back at him, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, no chance, mate. That memory is now etched in our minds forever."

Roach rolled his eyes, a defeated smile on his face. "You all are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Price chuckled, slapping Roach on the back once again. "Not a chance, mate. It's just too good a story to forget."

Roach shook his head, a resigned grin on his face. "Well, I suppose I should at least be thankful you all find it so amusing."

I laughed, feeling a sense of camaraderie with the team. "Don't worry Roach. You may smell bad in there but outside on the field you're my favorite buddy."

"Anyways guys what shall we do tonight?" I looked around the room to find someone who would give some suggestions but it seems like everyone wasn't coming up with an idea.

I smiled mischievously "we can go back to club soleil tonight? You guys need to get some chicks you all look so distressed.." I looked sympathetic at everyone

"Price shouldn't you be married with this age? You aren't getting younger!"

Price chuckled at my remark, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'm not getting any younger, but sometimes life keeps you on your toes."

Roach smirked, a sly grin on his face. "Yeah, well, maybe we can find Price a cougar to keep him company tonight. Someone who can keep up with his energy."

"So all 13 of you are with me, or not?" I looked at ghost who wasn't so amused with the idea, ofcourse he wasn't, they found me unconscious there 2 days ago. But it shouldn't keep me from having fu, It was an incident nothing more.

Ghost's gaze locked with mine, his expression unreadable behind his mask as he considered my question. For a moment, he didn't respond, and I couldn't tell if he was going to refuse my invitation. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "Fine, I'll go."

Roach grinned at Ghost's response, a sense of excitement building up inside him. "Well, now we're all in. Let's go have some fun, lads."

"Well one small problem..." I sighed and tried to phrase it as well as I could without making the team refuse our night out "who will watch those bastards we have in custody?"

Roach shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh, don't worry, mate. We'll leave that task to Ghost and Soap. They'll keep an eye on them while we're out having fun."

Ghost and Soap nodded in agreement, exchanging a look that spoke volumes. I could tell they were up for the task, ready to keep our prisoners under control while we enjoyed ourselves for the night.

I grinned and sarcastically said "that is great! atleast now I can sneak someone in here for a good time in my bed tonight!" I winked at roach

Roach's eyes widened at my comment, a surprised chuckle escaping his lips. "Oh, you really are mischievous as hell, Shym." He grinned back at me, a playful glint in his eyes. "Just make sure you don't get caught sneaking someone in. I don't think Ghost would approve."

Price stifled a laugh, a wry smile on his face. "Yeah, Ghost isn't one for romance, especially not when we're on a mission. Keep it low-profile, and maybe he won't find out."

Ghost remained silent, his expression unreadable behind his mask as he listened to our banter. But the twitch in his shoulders hinted at a silent chuckle. Even he found our conversation amusing, despite his usually serious demeanor.

"That won't be a problem lads, I have my clubbing identity she's called seraphina and loves to dance."

Soap grinned, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Aye, don't worry, I'll keep the prisoners occupied while you two sneak around. Just don't stay in bed all night, or we'll have to search the whole base for you."

Roach's face flushed slightly at Soap's comment, his cocky smile faltering for a brief moment.

"Alright let's get ready folks we don't have all night." I walked past ghost and went to my room where I would get ready for this evening

Roach followed me, a mischievous grin on his face. "I hope you're not planning anything too crazy tonight, Shym," he teased, "or Ghost might have a few unpleasant words for us tomorrow."

I chuckled, a feeling of excitement building inside me as I thought about the night ahead. "Don't worry, Roach," I reassured him. "I just want to have some fun and forget about all the... unpleasant things we've been through lately. Maybe a pretty lady or two wouldn't hurt either."

Roach nudged me playfully, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Oh, you're looking for a little adventure on the side, huh? Just remember, don't do anything that'll land you in trouble with Ghost. I don't want to deal with his grumpy attitude tomorrow."

I laughed at Roach's warning, a smile on my face. "Don't worry, I'll keep it low-key. I wouldn't want to rile up Ghost any more than I already do."

As we reached my room, I opened the door and stepped inside, Roach following behind me. The room was simple but functional but I tried to make it more to my taste, with a bed, a small desk where I did my makeup, and a closet for our gear and daily clothes. I headed towards the closet and started rummaging through my clothes, trying to find something pretty to wear for our night out.

Roach plopped down on the bed, watching me with a mischievous grin on his face. "You got your eye on someone tonight, Shym?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

I couldn't help but chuckle at Roach's attempt to act casual. "Oh, come on, Roach. You know me better than that," I teased. "I'll just flirt with whoever catches my eye. You know I can't resist a handsome lad."

Roach pretended to swoon with mock-hurt feelings. "Oh, how could you be so treacherous to me, Shym? And here I thought we had something special."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in amusement. "You're such a drama queen, Roach. But don't worry, you're still my favorite buddy on this base."

Roach chuckled, his mock-hurt expression shifting back to a mischievous grin. "I knew you couldn't resist my charms," he taunted, leaning back on the bed as he spoke.

"But remember, there's a lot of competition out there tonight. I have no doubt you'll have a flock of hungry males following you around in no time."

"Right, let's hope for the best." I turned around and threw a towel on his face "I suggest you leave because you cannot see a lady get undressed in her own room."

Roach grabbed the towel off his face, a smirk on his lips. "Oh, come on, Shym. Don't be shy. I've seen a lot of ladies with different bodies, and I'm sure this won't be any different."

I rolled my eyes, secretly amused by his teasing. "Gross.. Yeah, well, keep dreaming, Roach. You'll never be that lucky."

Roach feigned disappointment, a theatric expression of hurt on his face. "Oh, I'm wounded. You won't even let me get a glimpse of you undressed?"

I couldn't help but grin at his over-the-top performance. "That's right. Now, out. I'll see you later at the club."

Roach reluctantly got up from the bed and started heading towards the door. "You're a cruel woman, Shym," he muttered playfully, trying to hide his amusement.

As he reached the door, he turned back one last time and smirked. "Have fun tonight. And don't get into too much trouble... or do, I won't complain."

I screamed at the door "I will see you tonight! I hope ur charms will atleast get u one girl tonight."

Roach chuckled on the other side of the door, his voice slightly muffled. "Oh, you have no idea. I'll have them all swooning before you even walk through the door."

I laughed, shaking my head at Roach's confidence. Knowing him, he probably would have a flock of girls around him within minutes. He had that effect on people.

While I was getting ready soap and ghost had another conversation mostly about the night out, me wanting to take a man home and them needing to watch the shadows.

Soap and Ghost sat in the surveillance room, the dim glow of monitors casting a pale light on their faces. They were keeping a watchful eye on the shadows, making sure they didn't attempt anything foolish.

Soap looked at Ghost, a teasing grin on his face. "So, Ghost, how do you feel about our dear Shym's plans for tonight? Think she'll find a special someone to share her bed with?"

Ghost stared blankly at the camera feed, his eyes fixated on the shadows. "I care little for her personal desires," he responded, his voice monotone.

"Our duty is to watch these shadows and ensure our team's safety. Whatever she does in her personal time is of no concern to me."

Soap raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. "You say that now, mate. But I have a feeling your thoughts will take a different path when you see her flirting with a handsome stranger on the dance floor."

Ghost simply grunted in response, not denying Soap's statement. He knew deep down that he couldn't resist the temptation of observing her interactions with others.

Soap chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Ah, Ghost. Always the stoic one, pretending not to care. But we all know how you really feel. You can't help yourself from wanting her to give you her undivided attention. But maybe, just maybe, tonight she'll find someone who appreciates her company more than you do."

Ghost's jaw tightened slightly, the only outward sign of his irritation at Soap's words.

Soap noticed the subtle tension in Ghost's jaw and decided to change the subject, sensing that the conversation was veering into uncomfortable territory. He shifted his focus back to the surveillance screens, keeping a watchful eye on the shadows while the gears of his mind quietly processed his observations.

"Well, let's hope tonight turns out to be a good night for everyone," he said, breaking the silence. "We could all use a bit of excitement and distraction from the mundane routine. And maybe, just maybe, some of us might find a little happiness in the process."

Ghost remained silent, his mind swirling with conflicting feelings. He knew Soap's words held more truth than he wanted to admit. He couldn't deny the fact that he had developed complicated feelings for Shym. The thought of her getting intimate with someone else sent a surge of jealousy through him.

Soap shifted the conversation to a new subject "well seems we have a long night ahead of us" he chuckled.

"God, why couldn't we just kill them in that club that night, I could go out and now we are sitting here.."

Ghost scoffed in agreement, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "We were ordered to capture them and extract information, not kill them in a crowded club. "

Soap shrugged his shoulders slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. "I understand the orders, Ghost. It's just that sometimes, the straightforward solution seems more appealing than all this waiting and watching. But we have our duty, and we must follow it, no matter the circumstances."

Back in shym's room she was getting ready while blasting Sean Paul from her speaker, tonight was going to be better, with foundation she covered the mark she got from the club 2 nights ago and had another very cute dress in her closet this time it was a satin gold dress which she only wore to special occasions

I stood in front of the mirror, assessing my reflection with a critical eye. The foundation concealed the remnants of my accident, and the shimmering gold dress hugged my curves perfectly. I felt confident and sexy, ready to take on the night.

I added the finishing touches to my makeup, applying a coat of mascara and a touch of rosy blush. As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement course through me. Tonight was going to be different. Tonight, I was going to let loose and have some fun.

With a final glance in the mirror, I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone, scrolling through my music library for the perfect soundtrack for the night. As the opening notes of a playful and seductive track filled the air, I felt the energy within me rising to the surface.

Tonight, I was going to dance, flirt, and forget about the worries and responsibilities that had been weighing me down. I deserved to have a night of carefree fun.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror and smiled, my confidence boosted by the vibrant energy that pulsed through me. Feeling unstoppable and ready to dance the night away, I made my way out of the room, shutting the door behind me with a firm click.

As I sauntered down the dimly lit hallway, my hips swaying to the rhythm of the music in my ears, I felt a sense of liberation. Tonight, I was free to explore the possibilities that the night had in store for me.

The beat of the music grew louder as I entered the common area, my gaze immediately locking onto the faces of Roach, Gaz, and the others. I could feel their eyes on me, taking in the sight of me in my gold dress.

I strutted towards Roach, a teasing smile on my lips. "Well, well, well, what do you think, Roach?" I asked playfully, doing a little twirl to showcase my dress.

Roach's eyes widened, a wolfish grin spreading across his face as he shamelessly checked me out. "You look absolutely stunning, Shym," he complimented, his eyes trailing down my figure with unabashed admiration.

"My face is here roach." I said

Roach's eyes snapped back up to my face, a guilty look on his face. "Right, sorry, love. Can you blame a man for appreciating a beautiful woman?" he replied, his tone dripping with charm.

I rolled my eyes, playfully smacking his arm in mock annoyance. "You're unbelievable, Roach." I couldn't help but smile at his blatant flirting. It was all part of his charm.

And then soap and ghost came from the surveillance room to the common room where they were met with everyone

As Ghost and Soap entered the common room, their eyes widened slightly at the sight of me in my gold dress. I could feel their gazes on me, their silent approval or possible judgment, it was difficult to tell.

I stood tall, my confidence unwavering, and gave them a flirtatious smile. "Well, boys, how do I look?"

I looked glum at the guys "you know it's so sad you need to stay here. I suggest you guys grab some beer to make the night a little more enjoyable! While we're gone.."

Ghost's eyes remained focused and disciplined, disregarding my efforts to lighten the mood. Soap, on the other hand, considered my suggestion for a brief moment before responding with a smirk.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Shym," Soap replied. "But we won't be needing any beer to make the night enjoyable. Our focus is on keeping watch of those shadows."

I nodded, accepting his response. It was no surprise that Ghost didn't offer any reaction to my suggestion. He was all business tonight.

"Alright let's get going everyone!" I screamed trough the common room leaving the room as fast as I could

Everyone followed close behind me, eager to start the night, and Soap chuckled softly, shaking his head at Roach's enthusiasm. However, Ghost remained stoic, his expression unreadable. I could feel his gaze lingering on me, but I tried not to pay attention, keeping my focus on the night ahead.

We arrived at the club, the thumping music and flashing lights welcoming us with a sense of excitement. Roach immediately joined the crowd and began dancing like a maniac, his carefree energy drawing attention. Soap stood nearby, bobbing his head to the music but keeping an eye on our surroundings.

I looked at gaz while John and the rest of the team went their own ways "care to offer me a drink gazzy?"

Gaz chuckled at my question, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Of course, love. Can't let you have a dull night."

With a wink, he leaned in closer and whispered, "You look absolutely stunning, by the way. I don't think there's a man here who hasn't checked you out ."

I whispered back "that's the whole point comrade."

Gaz nodded in agreement, a sly smile on his lips. "Well, mission accomplished. You'll definitely have your pick of partners tonight."

I smirked, feeling the confidence coursing through me. "That's the plan, Gazzy. Let the fun begin."

After 10 minutes gaz had left me to fend for myself as he made his way to the couch where a few of the others where sitting.

I kept myself at the bar for a little while when a guy stood next to me buying a drink he looked at my direction "would you also like a drink?"

I looked up from my phone and smiled at the guy next to me. His confidence and charming demeanor made him seem like a decent choice for a partner for the night.

"Why not? I'd love a drink," I replied, feeling a warm buzz of anticipation. As he ordered two drinks, I took a moment to study his features, finding myself appreciating his appearance.

He slid the drinks over to me and gestured for us to move to a nearby table. I followed his lead and we claimed a cozy spot near the edge of the dance floor. As the pulsating music filled the space around us, he leaned in to speak, his words barely audible over the rhythm.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," he remarked, his eyes trailing over my figure admiringly.

I sipped my drink and told the man "I'm not from here actually I'm on a business trip."

His eyebrows arched in surprise, adding a captivating allure to his gaze. "A business trip, huh? That's quite intriguing," he replied, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "What kind of business has brought you here?"

I responded with a vague answer, keeping my true purpose under wraps. "Oh, just some meetings and negotiations," I said, my tone light. "It can be a bit tedious, but it's important for my work."

He nodded, seemingly satisfied with my explanation, and his eyes roamed over my figure once more, a flicker of admiration evident in his gaze

Sensing his interest, I shifted slightly, making sure to accentuate my curves. I knew the way I moved caught his attention and it was just about time to make my move.

I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a seductive whisper. "So, you like what you see?" I purred, my eyes locked with his.

The man's breath hitched slightly, a flicker of lust passing through his eyes as he composed himself and replied in a low, rough voice, "I wouldn't be a man if I didn't.."

I smiled and looked him in the eye. "Maybe we should grab another drink?"

He grinned, his eyes never leaving mine. "Sounds like a plan. Same as the last one, love?" he asked, already signaling the bartender.

"Ofcourse, that would be fine." I said

Roach stumbled towards me, two giggling girls hanging onto each arm. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his antics, but the girls looked completely mesmerized by his charismatic charm. Roach was having the time of his life, but I doubted he would remember much of it tomorrow.

"Oh roach.. it seems you got urself not 1 but 2 ladies for tonight, I hope you won't bring them home also I think ghost will feel very grumpy tomorrow."

Roach let out a hearty laugh and grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "What can I say? These ladies can't resist my irresistible charm," he said with a wink. "And don't worry about Ghost. He'll just have to deal with it.."

The girls around Roach tittered with laughter, clearly finding his bravado charming and enjoyable.

I stood up "well ladies enjoy ur evening with this pest, I will now go to the dance floor" I waved them goodbye and when I stood somewhere in the middle I started swaying on the music

Roach's laughter followed me as I made my way to the dance floor. As soon as I found a spot, I let myself get lost in the music, moving my hips and arms in sync with the rhythm. The club lights flashed and pulsed, creating a dazzling display of colors that made the dance experience even more exciting.

As I danced, I felt the eyes of the people around me, their gazes drawn to the way my body moved, the way my dress shimmied and spun.

Meanwhile back at the base with ghost and soap when they anticipated going to the club

Ghost and Soap remained vigilant, their attention focused on the surveillance screens in front of them. Ghost's gaze remained steady, never faltering as he monitored the various feeds. However, Soap couldn't help but feel a sense of restlessness, his eyes occasionally wandering to the clock on the wall.

"How much longer?" Soap asked, his voice laced with impatience.

Ghost's gaze didn't waver from the screens as he replied, his voice steady and cool. "We stay until everything is clear, Soap. No need to rush. The club isn't going anywhere. Our priority is here."

Soap sighed, his impatience evident in the way he shifted in his seat. "I know, I know. But it's still just... a bit boring, y'know? Just sitting here, watching for something that might not even happen."

Ghost finally glanced over at Soap, his expression stern. "We're not here to have fun, Soap. We're here to do our job, regardless of how boring it may get."

Soap shifted his attention from the screen towards Ghost. "Och, how everyone's enjoyin' their night, and Shym will surely bring someone home. But I cannae imagine anyone else doin' the same. We all ken Roach might manage it too," he exclaimed with a chuckle.

Ghost's brow furrowed at Soap's comment, a hint of irritation in his eyes. "We're not here to worry about who's bringing who home, Soap," he responded gruffly. "Our focus is on the mission, on gathering intel. Everything else is secondary."

Soap shrugged nonchalantly, a teasing smile on his lips. "Ah, c'mon Ghost. Don't play the grumpy ol' soldier. You should loosen up a bit, maybe even find a pretty lady for yourself."

Soap stood op "c'mon what if we just go for an hour to the club? Nothing bad will happen we tied them down pretty good didn't we?"

Ghost's expression hardened, a mixture of annoyance and frustration in his eyes. "Tied them down good enough?" he echoed. "This isn't some game, Soap. Those shadows are dangerous and cunning. We can't afford any distractions, no matter how small."

Despite Ghost's firm stance, Soap's enthusiasm was undeterred. He slapped Ghost's shoulder playfully. "Aw, Ghost. Lighten up. One hour won't break the rules, and I bet you need a bit of excitement too."

Ghost's eyes narrowed, the last thing he wanted was to be dragged along to a club by Soap, who was clearly in a reckless and carefree mood. He sighed, reluctantly giving in.

"Fine," he huffed, his tone laced with irritation. "We'll go for an hour but not a minute more. Understood?"

Back in the club shym was with the man she was drinking with earlier having a blast on the dance floor where they were dancing she was pretty drunk and couldn't think straight until the weight on her back changed and felt someone or something else dancing with her

The weight on her back caught her off guard, and she suddenly felt disoriented. The music and lights continued to pulsate around her, but her focus was entirely on the unexpected presence.

Before she could fully process what was

happening, a voice, low and dark like a whispered promise, rumbled softly by her ear.

"Leaving yourself vulnerable, love? Not too bright..." His breath was hot against her skin.

Shym's heart raced as she realized who it was. She'd recognize that voice anywhere even in the haze of inebriation. The familiar, rough yet seductive tone of Ghost's voice sent a shiver down her spine.

She mustered up enough composure to muster a witty response. "Oh, Ghost," she replied, her words slurred slightly. "Finally realized I'm the only entertainment you need tonight?"

Despite her attempt at nonchalance, her body reacted involuntarily, leaning back into him as they moved to the rhythm.

Ghost's laughter rumbled through his chest, a low, husky sound that sent tremors through her body.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, firmly holding her in his embrace.

"Quite the opposite, love," he murmured in her ear, his hot breath teasing her skin. "I came to make sure you don're do something that would be... regrettable."

She could sense the tension in his words, a hint of possessiveness that made her heart race even faster.

My words where slurred and I couldn't think straight, the alcohol was really taking a toll on my mind "s-shouldn't... you be..watching uhh, the camera's in our basement? And why.. do I see Soap right there?" My head fell in his chest trying to find support

Ghost chuckled softly at her drunk stumbling, his grip on her firm and unyielding.

"The base is covered," he responded, his voice laced with a mix of amusement and a hint of something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. "And Soap is there to enjoy the night, just like us."

He noticed the way her head lolled against his chest, her body seeking his support. He tightened his arms around her, drawing her even closer.

"You know lieutenant" she looked at his skull mask, it never came off and she didn't question it. "This isn't..like you?" I muttered

Ghost's grip tightened as she mentioned his usual demeanor. "Perhaps not, love," he responded, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy.

"But sometimes even soldiers need to take a break."

His fingers grazed gently over her arms, a tender gesture in the midst of their dancing. He seemed distant yet close, lost in his own thoughts as they swayed to the music's rhythm.

"I need to find the person I was just dancing with... me and roach made a deal to take someone to the base tonight.." I walked towards the bar to find the person I was eyeing but instead took another drink.

Ghost's eyes followed her as she stumbled towards the bar, concern flickering in them. As she reached for another drink, he stepped in, gently taking the glass from her hand. "Perhaps it's time to cut back on the alcohol, love," he suggested, his voice low and tinged with worry.

"Then let me.. find the man I was just with." I looked around the room but i couldn't find him I sighed

"you know I made a pact with roach for the night, which I think the other guys are also following somehow to bring a hottie back to our base, and I will not leave before I got my gift wrapped and ready to unpack at home.."

Ghost's lips curled into a smirk beneath his skull mask, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Ah, the pact," he said, his voice tinged with teasing indulgence. "It seems like a grand mission, indeed. But I assure you, love, you have no need to worry."

As she searched for her previous partner, Ghost discreetly took in the scene around them, his observant gaze sweeping the club.

Meanwhile, a familiar figure emerged from the crowd - Roach, stillaccompanied by two giggling ladies. He spotted Ghost and me together and approached with a mischievous grin. "Well, look who finally came out to play," Roach teased, his voice filled with mischief.

Ghost nodded subtly in acknowledgment, his eyes dancing with a hint of amusement. "Seems like we're all indulging in some entertainment tonight," Ghost replied, gesturing towards the women on Roach's arms.

Roach nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yeah, got myself a couple of lovely ladies too. Can't complain." He turned his focus to me, a devious glint lighting up his gaze. "Ah, there you are, my special lady. Have you found your partner for tonight?"

I looked at the floor I felt like I was spinning "ghost scared him off so now he's the one I'm going for tonight.."

my eyes sparkled and looked at roach "as my last resort.." I grabbed his hand and told him and his girls to help me find someone, ghost as always looked irritated deep down he wanted to make sure he was going to be his last resort

Roach's mischievous grin widened, sensing the underlying tension between me and Ghost. He took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Don't worry love, we'll find you a new handsome man for tonight," he assured, his voice full of determination.

Ghost's eyes darkened, his fists clenching slightly. As Roach and I weaved our way through the crowd, he felt a mixture of frustration and an inexplicable possessiveness stirring within him.

As Roach chatted up potential candidates, I couldn't help but glance back over at Ghost. His eyes remained fixed on me, his jaw clenched just slightly. There was something more behind those eyes, an unmistakable flicker of jealousy that he tried so hard to mask.

And then I realized, deep down I wanted to make him jealous, deep down I felt something and I knew he did too but he could only be nothing more than my upper rank, someone I could only command to. It wasn't professional at all what we where doing

Roach, ever the observant one, noticed the shift in my demeanor as I glanced back at Ghost. He leaned in, a devious smirk on his face, and whispered, "Ah, I see how it is. You're enjoying this little game, aren't you? Trying to get a rise out of our Lieutenant?"

I chuckled, "it's time I will go outside for a smoke, when I come back I want a guy next to me, I am not losing this bet."

Roach nodded, his wicked grin widening. "Consider it done, darling. I'll make sure you have a tall, dark, and handsome specimen waiting for you when you return." As I stepped outside, Roach discreetly approached Ghost, a playful glint in his eyes.

Somehow being apart of the military made me stressed, and my only resort to become more calm was marijuana I don't do it as often as I did back in the days but right now I felt the urge. Somehow I still had one hidden in my bag and lit it up. That was a bad idea, the effects hit me almost instantly making me feel clouded, and not thinking straight anymore. I ran back inside to see roach. Everything felt disorted though, but I made sure no one noticed my shift in emotion.

Roach's eyes widened as I returned, a hazy grin replacing his earlier smirk. "Well well, someone looks like they're feeling a little... relaxed," he commented, his teasing laced with genuine interest.

My eyes dilated ever so slightly, my muscles felt a bit looser, and my expression held a hint of giddiness. Roach noticed the change and couldn't resist the urge to egg me on.

I shut him down "quiet, I want to see the random specimen you brought me."

Roach chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Alright, love, your wish is my command." He led me through the throngs of people toward a secluded corner where a tall, dark- man stood in the dark, leaning against the wall.

Roach whispered in my ear, "A beautiful man, isn't he? I promised to deliver, and I never disappoint." His words were tinged with a hint of pride, and he waited for my reaction.

I observed the mysterious man with a clouded, hazy mind. My eyes roamed over his form, taking in his tall stature and dark features. He was undoubtedly attractive, with a rugged edge that intrigued me in my altered state.

The thing I didn't know it was ghost.

Roach stepped back, a satisfied smirk on his lips as he gestured towards the mysterious man waiting in the dark corner. "There you go, love. A tall, dark, and handsome specimen, just as you requested." He watched me closely, curious to see how I would react.

My eyes widened slightly,

and I licked my lips, feeling a heat rise within me as I took in his form. Something about the way he leaned against the wall, his dark features blending into the shadows, called to me, drawing me closer.

Despite my clouded mind, I managed to maintain some semblance of composure, but the alcohol and the drugs I did made me feel bold, almost reckless. Taking a deep breath, I approached him with a slow, seductive stride, my steps almost melodic.

His eyes met mine from under the shadows, and for a split second, a flicker of recognition ignited within them.

#simon ghost x reader #simon riley smut #simon ghost riley #simon riley #cod x reader #ghost cod #cod mw2 #modern warfare #cod modern warfare #ghost

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grigori77 · 2 days

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Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 95

Ia must admit, I am enjoying Marisha taking up the slack from Sam for the plugs. Oh, a perfume ad spood? Coool ... and it's ASHLEY?!!! Sweet. I mean she does have the SEXY VOICE in the bunch, so ... wow ... really going all out there, ain'tcha Ash? XD

Why is Matt turning into the announcer from The Running Man? That's ... something ...

Saucy? Yes indeed ... LOL

Laura: "Speaking of Bells Hells ... we weren't ..." XD

Yeah ... Aeor ... this is gonna be ... INTERESTING ...

I know! Fucking ASTRID!!! Total shocker! And also we got our boy, too ...

Why is Astrid suddenly FRENCH, Matthew?

A FUGITIVE? How so? I thought Essek was doing alright these days ... Occultus Thalamus? Huh?

"Beautiful purple man"? Dorian knows what's up, definitely ...

His "PARTNER"? Oh Essek ... O.O I mean that's ADORABLE ...way to go, Caleb ... :3

Oh, so there was like a proper OFFICIAL Armistice? That's pretty cool ... I mean I'm not THAT good at keeping track, but still ...

Upgrade? Hmmm ... ah, now then, Astrid, careful there ... you don't wanna mess with THIS piece of business right now ...

Group Persuasion check? Interesting ... Taliesin rolls a 2, but Ashton's "tempted to just threaten physically" ... XD

Good point ... what DID happen in Zadash?

Awww ... KITTY!!! :3

A terrible flaming bird? You mean like a phoenix?

The Genesis Ward?

"Farts are funny" ... okay ... Astrid: "I will treasure it always." Yeah ...

Prudence? Awwwwwww ...

The Gale & the Raven is a bit trite? Hmmm ...

Oh here we go ... yeah, Tusk Love, no surprise there ...

Dorian: "Oh, there's a book that's called Just the Tip right here!" XD

A "picture porn"? FEARNE CALLOWAY!!! O.O

An Exandrian Kama Sutra? Fascinating ... yeah, OF COURSE she takes it ... LOL A Nat20? Yeah, no surprise there ...

So ... she thinks they're like ... A POLYCULE? Intriguing ... in a hilariously saucy way ... whoa, HOW MUCH?!!!

Yeah ... I wonder if Essek's having flashbacks right now ...

Yussa? Really?

Supples? Okay ... OH!!! YES!!! Is Pumat still in town? Go there! GO THERE!!!

The Pentamarket! Cool!

Taliesin wants a shopping episode ... and honestly that sounds like fun ... yes ...

Ashton wants a new jacket? Yes. Definitely. Oh, new wardrobe for EVERYBODY? Double yes. Good idea.

Marisha: "What? I WANT THAT!" XD

The Emerald Curtain ... sounds like it could work ...

Ah, the new clothing smell ...

"Musicians"? Really? Oh ... memorialise FCG? Yes ... cloaks? Definitely ... oh, yes, checking through the stock sounds good ... yes, do that.

"Keith"? Hmmm ... oh yes, they are high-maintenance clients indeed ...

Artsy-fartsy? Yeah ... a slender half-giant? WOOD CARVING?!!! Oh wow ... Chetney is DEFINITELY interested ...

Damid? Oh, I like this guy already. "An audience? It's been a bit." XD Yeah, I love this guy.

Just the dye ... yeah, Laudna's very hands-on ...

"HOT BOI" ... Marisha's fan is sending me ... XD

Matching corsets? Go Imodna! :3

Fur-lined leather coveralls for Chetney ... YEAH. Definitely. Oh ... leather BRIEFS?!!! Hmmm ... so he's expecting to full-on HULK IT, apparently ...

235 gold pieces overall ... Laura INSTANTLY reacts, much as expected ... "I'm just Imogen here, I don't know what things cost."

Yeah, they don't HAVE TO roleplay all of it ... LOL

Magic shop? Oh please ... PLEASE ...

FOOD!!! Yes, FOOD!!! God idea ...

Oooh, noodles, yay! Now I'm getting hungry ...

The Invulnerable Vagrant ... OH YEAH ... here we go ...

O.O This is gonna be so much fun ...

PUMAT SOL!!! PUMAT SOL!!! PUMAT SOL!!!

Oh I have missed that voice ... Matt just slips RIGHT BACK INTO IT like he never went away ... Robbie's reaction to gettting to see this first hand is PRICELESS ... I love it ...

Yeah, the clones ... Fearne: "What is happening?" I KNOW!!! XD Ashton: "This is what the inside of my head is like all the time right now."

Oh, so they're EXACTLY like the Ludinus clone they fought before ... crazy ... I love how they're incapable of being sent into an existential crisis regarding their autonomy and originality ... it's kind of cute ...

Ah! Potions! Here we go ... and other goodies! Cool ...

A harp? That sounds very Yasha ... is it a BONE harp?

Robe of the Midnight Rune? Interesting ... oh yes, that is DEFINITELY exactly what Imogen's been looking for. GET THAT!!! Whoa ... 9500 gold pieces? Are you KIDDING ME?!!!

3500 for the armour ... ALSO ridiculously expensive ...

The harp fires arrows. Ye gods ... BOOMY arrows, too ... oh, that is a SWEET item. The arrows do THUNDER DAMAGE!!! That is SO CHOICE. Oh wow ... that whole thing just keeps getting MORE AND MORE impressive ... 8000 gold pieces? Fuck ...

Healing potions, yesh ... and a SPEEDY potion? Wow ... a potion of INVULNERABILITY?!!! Double wow ...

Dorian gives Orym ALL OF HIS MONEY to buy the armour. OH MY GOD!!! That's just adorable ... he might as well just put a ring on it right now! Seriousl O.O

Oh yeah! Sell some of the Ruidian shit! Smart!

They must have souls, surely ... they way they are, they MUST HAVE ...

NO!!! Orym, don't sell you new sword!

How to blow Pumat Sol's mind - tell them you've been to the Moon! XD ... and now Imogen's talking into his head ... oh, appealing to the unity for the greater good? Persuasion check! Oh NICE ROLL, Laura!

The Bank of Chetney ... XD

These ARE very unique down here right now ... roll good for Persuasion, Marisha ... 23? Oh yes ...

Fearne will have 69 gold left ... OF COURSE she will ... XD

Chetney COULD do with a ranged attack, yes. That is the smark move, give HIM the harp ...

So robe to Imogen, the armour to Orym and the harp to Chetney. Plus the potions, that's a SWEET haul ...

Oh yes, that's right ... the moon not being in the sky WOULD have been proof to FCG that the world is ROUND ... awww ...

Holy fuck ... the world really is just GOING TO SHIT right now, clearly ...

Awwww ... seriously, Orym, he only did it because he LOVES YOU. You could totally tap that if you want to. Which we KNOW you do.

Ashton: "Do you know Stairway to the Astral Realm?"

Oh, so that's it for the night? Okay. And time for a break ...

Oh my gods that Beason advert was complete genius ...

The Lodge of the Eclipse. Oh, it's a jazz club? Cool ...

Rooms for the night? Good. Oh, Essek has WAYS, does he? Interesting ... wow, THAT is a very good deal indeed ...

Essek does squats, apparently ... XD

Come on, Esxsek, be FUN for once. Surely it's been a while since you've done this kind of thing ...

A BURLESQUE SHOW?!!! Really? O.O

A sexy buxom half-orc? Nice ... that's definitely my style ...

Laudna, chill! Dear fucking gods ...

Yoink! Ashton grabs some of Fearne's lacy stuff ... and she lets him ... :3

Yeah, Dorian and Chetney are clearly having a blast ...

Madame Feathered-Face? Oooooh ... a sexy dwarven fan-dance? Nice ... a feathery beard? Cool ... oh WOW that is AWESOME, she can FLY with it! O.O

Ashton is showing Essek his head ... oh, this should be interesting. He knows A LOT about this particularly kind of stuff, if I remember ... oh, NOW what the fuck is he doing? Seriously? This feels ... rash ...

Dunamis ... yeah, I thought so ... needless to say he is concerned but also DEEPLY impressed ...

Ashton does the rainbow sparkle thing ... Essek: "Now you're just showing off.

Chetney's heart is lost once again ... XD

Orym is checking out Otohan's sabre ... okay ...

Ah, the Luxon Beacons ... yeah ... oh, so it looks like Ludinus and co have one or more at their disposal, then ... great ...

Ashton: "When you jump out of a window, you try not to blame the quality of the glass ..." Oof ...

Oh wow ... so they could actually use their own dunamancy to MESS THE KEY UP?!!! Yes, that sounds REALLY good ...

Awwwwwwww ... Fearne gets him talking about Caleb ... :3

Awesome ... hover, boy, HOVER ...

Much floaty foolishness ensues ... XD

The story of how Ashton first found Letters ... awwww ... oh, I am NOT alright now ...

Arts and crafts is fun ...

What is Orym going to do with this thing? Oh ... he's TRAINING with it? Whoa ... oh, he's CLAIMING IT? That is ... INTENSE ...

The Wildmother? Oh ... man ...

Marisha: "The night before San Diego ComicCon ..." XD

Matt: "Tim Burton's Island of Misfit Toys ..."

Oh shit ... this is the first time Dorian's seen LIVING Pate ... "Oooooooh ... is it too late to back out of this now?" Yeah ... oh, he is THOROUGHLY disturbed ... I am NOT surpised ... this is a TRULY SURREAL scene ... in a truly CREEPY way ...

Awww .. alone time for Orym and Fearne ... and here's Dorian ... the original trio back together ... :3

Finally Fearne leaves them alone to catch up ... oh my gods ... is THIS what we've been waiting for for so long? O.O

Time for a much-earned rest, yeah ...

Laudna does NOT like Orym with Otohan's blade ... oh fuck ... not NOW ... FUCK OFF, Delilah!

Fuck ... she KNEW Ludinus? Great ...

Seriously Laudna, DO NOT listen to this evil bitch ... oh no ... I mean it, this is SO STUPID ...

Oh shit ... is Otohan's sword SENTIENT? Is this gonna be another Grog situation?

Yeah, Orym's ridiculously aware EVEN WHEN HE'S ASLEEP ...

Darkness? REALLY?!!! Oh my gods ...

No ... sriously, Laudna, DO NOT Wither the vines ... oh fuck, she's doing it ... Wither & Bloom ... oof ... and she has to be PRECISE doing it ... oh fuck ... O.O

Yeah, of course this wakes him up ... and he's in total darkness while he's QUITE CLEARLY being fucking ATTACKED ... oh yeah, he's IMMEDIATELY ready to fight regardless of the conditions ... NOW what?

A contested Dexterity roll? Oh fuck ...

Dear fucking gods this is going SO BAD SO QUICKLY ... and now everybody else is waking up too ... perfect ...

Mage Hand? Really? Okay ... this is ALL bad decisions at this point ... and now she has the fucking sword ...

Seriously Laudna, I'm saying it AGAIN, DO NOT trust this evil c£$%!

And now they can all see ... great ... oh this looks SO BAD ...

Fuck ... is this REALLY starting to turn into a genuine conscious fight between these two right now? Oh no ... she's going to FLEE?!!! This could get even worse so quickly ...

Well that's it then ... the sword is OUT of her grasp ... now what?

Just STOP!!! Right now, please just STOP before this gets so much worse ...

Both of them are making VERY GOOD POINTS right now and I don't like where either of them are going with this ...

Ashton is doing something SO FUCKING SMART right now and I'm here for it ...

Fearne can Identify the sword? Okay, yeah, totally do that, that's really smart ...

Imogen casts Detect Thoughts on Laudna ... there is a collective intake of breath around the table and I don't blame them ...

Whispers? Oh, here we go ...

Chetney's been asleep this whole time? Wow ...

Be VERY CAREFUL Fearne ... Ishta the Summit Blade ... of NOW we get the little card? Matthew fucking Mercer!

Wake up, Chet! We need you ...

"Geometry and stuff" XD ... I love how rudimentary Fearne's understanding of Chetney's abilities is ...

Grim Psychometry ... here we go ...

Oh this is some TRULY UGLY SHIT ... this blade is HORRIBLE ... oh fuck, Zephrah? No, I don't want this ... don't do this, Matt ... seriously this thing should not be used again ...

Chetney VOMITS. Of course he does ...

Wait ... nobody else knows about his deal with Morri ... did he just OUT his deal with Morri? SERIOUSLY Orym?

Can Dorian finally break this standoff?

Oh for fuck's sake ... now it's Laudna against Imogen ... this won't end well ...

Imogen: "Let it go." Laudna: "Why?" Imogen: "Because I don't think it's YOU that wants this."

She just LEAVES? What?

And now Fearne tries to stop her ... oh boy ... now Imogen's going out after her ...

Oh fuck ... Delilah? Seriously? Tell me she's now being full-on fucking TAKEN OVER right now ... Laudna's ABSORBING the knife ... bloody hell ... this is HORRIFYING ...

Fuck! It IS her! Not good! Not fucking good! A "Delilah CAGE"? Fuck ... great ... now it's BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER ... I hate this ... seriously, did they come up with this in advance? It feels like they did and I HATE IT ...

Holy ... I LOVE you and it made that all go away? CAN their love really be strong enough for this? Suddenly I'm SO WORRIED that it's not going to be enough ...

THAT'S where he ending it? Fuck ... oh this is SO MUCH right now ... that was INTENSE ...

I'm SO SCARED for them right now ...

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herotome · 2 days

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Devlog #141

Hi-ho, Wudge here.

I've gotten ahold of this tool from Feniks that helps you preview and put together sprite expressions, and it's been really nice...! My head hurts a bit rn and it's a bit hard to describe how it works, but I can say with relative certainty that it's already helped to make my life easier. It's rly good for making sure that each set looks cohesive and doesn't have any weird overlappy visual bugs (eg, if an eyebrow's shadow is somehow ON TOP of the eyeball, or if I used the wrong color for a specific upper lip png), and I've been able to start coding in expressions faster than ever before -- though I'll still have to playtest to see how it looks.

The tool has an addon that's really helped me get a bird's eye view of how many assets each character has - aka, what I have left to draw. Looks like I'll want a few for mouth shapes for Warden and Mia, and I have some exporting to do for Griffin. All three of their sprites have come a really long way from the demo release in december though.

Also, you may remember that I was struggling with bedroom eyes last week. I've since looked into it and it seems the problem was actually THE BROWS.

On the left: tired, not rly feelin up to it rn srry guys

On the right: less sleepy, maybe even intrigued

I'm not sure I have it exactly where I want, but it's an improvement. I drew in some new lips as well of course - and a few other parts of his face - I'll try to show off more of that tomorrow.

So yeah, I've pretty much been crawling through expression hell. Not much else to report, so I'll end the devlog here for now.

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

#herotome update #interactive fiction #oelvn #visual novel #otome game #english otome #otome #indie game

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owlwithanapple · 3 days

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Bird & Fox

Chapter 10

Daddy Bruce meet Y/N

Bruce POV

Today I am about return to Gotham City, which I have been missing so much. I have been busy traveling and entertaining business these few days. and slept less than five hours. I need to go back get a good sleep, otherwise not be able to bear the night patrol. It is really busy to supervise Batman and Bruce Wayne both at the same time.

There so many tasks this time, I can't spare so much time to deal with them. I am very glad Dick and Jason share the pressure with me. At first, I was quite worried about Jason's temper. After all, he is not good at saying good things in business. But I heard from Dick that it went quite smoothly and nothing happened. I can rest assured to finish my work in advance and go home early.

The plane landed on the runway at the airport, which means I am closer to home. I got off the plane looked at my watch. It was already 12 noon. I went to the baggage claim to get my luggage and prepared to leave the airport. After I took out my phone to confirm the recovery status, I contacted Alfred to prepare lunch. The long-lost happy time is finally coming.

I received a message from Damian, I clicked it to see.

🐮: Father, can you help me pick up Titus on the way home?

🐮: I took him to physical examination this morning.

🦇: Sure. Same place, right?

🐮: Yes, thank you, father.

🐮: I'll go to class first.

🦇: OK.

Damian is arrogant and conceited, can't let go of his heavy self-esteem, and is determined to surpass everyone, but he is very patient and careful in taking care of animals. Thanks to him, the animals at home grow up healthily. At least I can let him handle these things without worrying about it.

I picked up my luggage, dragged it to the parking lot find my car. I put in the trunk and sat in the driver's seat. I leaned back and squinted for a while. Although I was away on business for a few days, I felt I hadn't seen my car for a long time when I saw it. The car as quiet and clean as usual. When I saw the car, I thought of Jason's car. I don't know how it was handled. I'll ask later.

I took out my phone, looked back at the chat history with Damian, confirmed the location of the pet clinic where I was going to pick up Titus. After the screen in the car was set, I took off my coat and threw it on the back seat, like throwing a heavy burden back. I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt and started turning the steering wheel. I stepped on the accelerator drove the car, leaving the airport parking lot and driving on the wide road.

As I drove along, I remembered Dick and Jason's flight was in the afternoon or evening. If I remembered correctly, Alfred took them to the airport. I would ask them later if they needed me to pick them up. Although I find everything about work annoying and tiring, I am happy to do things related to my family because it is the life I want, and this is also one of the reasons why I went home.

Once, I was young and ignorant, and couldn't protect my parents. They lost their lives in front of me. Since then, I have always regretted why I was so cowardly and incompetent. I transformed into Dark Knight Batman to fight criminals protect this city and the world. I love this city and my family deeply, I don't want them to be stained by any stain.

But becoming Batman is not an easy thing, especially the tragic incident of Joker imprisoning Jason. He suffered unimaginable tortures, a lot of pain and humiliation. I can't bear to imagine how he survived, when I saw him again, he was no longer the sunny, cheerful and naughty boy I knew.

From then, his temper changed drastically, became more irritable, and his nerves became so tense. He never came home again, and fought violence everywhere, living a crazy life. I arrested and tried to keep him several times, but no matter what I did, I couldn't win his heart back. I was heartbroken and hated myself for not avenging him at that time, which made things worse.

Being a good father and a hero is not as simple as imagined. I am also a businessman. I have money but I am not the ideal father that everyone wants. I regret and blame myself for not protecting Jason and everyone, which planted a seed of fear in everyone. I can understand everyone gradually alienated me, but no matter what, I always remember and believe that my children are the best.

But I am really grateful I have Dick. I am not good at expressing my emotions, he always helps me out gives me advice, brings me and Jason together. Recently, I can see Jason coming home from time to time. Although I don’t talk much with him, he and Damian always have conflicts, I am satisfied to see him eating and chatting at the table.

Jason’s recent transformation is obviously influenced by Dick’s personality, it may also be related to his new friends. I have always been curious about which girl can change Jason’s irritable personality into a cautious one. He has not introduced her to everyone yet. I have asked Alfred, even he has never seen her. He is really protecting her carefully.

Dick and I thought about abusing our authority to do some investigation out of curiosity, but thinking about it, curiosity is not a good thing. Jason and I finally entered the stage of reconciliation. If I abuse my authority to investigate his friends, it is equivalent to invading his privacy. If he knows, may not even go home and fall out with family. I don't want to let it go to such a point.

Turning a corner, I arrived at the pet clinic Damian mentioned. I parked the car outside the door and got out of the car. I opened the glass door and stepped in. I walked to the front desk to ask about Titus's situation. Before waiting for the front desk reply to me, I noticed a furry Corgi dog spinning in circles as if it was having fun with itself.

I went to check it out. This breed of dog is rare. The owner seems be very careful. The hair is well groomed. The name tag on its collar is called Kirin. What language is it from? What a strange and unique name. It is so well-behaved playing with itself. I stretched out my hands try to touch it, it fell to the ground with belly facing up without any resistance.

I asked the front desk curiously, "Where is the owner?"

The person at the front desk came up to explain to me, "Its owner is buying dog food nearby and will be back later."

At this time, the veterinarian came out and said, "Hello, Mr. Wayne. Titus still has a final check to do. Please wait a moment.

I nodded, "I understand."

What kind of owner is this? The dog play here so well and not bark loudly, does not affect other people at all. The most important thing is not afraid of strangers and allows me to touch it. While waiting, I sat next to and played with it. Dogs are spiritual animals. They will do something to heal people according to their mood. Should I consider raising a corgi? It looks cute and warm.

After playing for a while, the dog suddenly stood up ran to the glass door, barking and jumping a few times outside. A girl stood outside the glass door with an eco-bag in her hand. The dog was so excited to see her and kept rolling on the ground. The girl standing outside made strange movements to make it happy. Then the girl opened the glass door and walked in. She put down the eco-bag in her hand and pointed at the corgi dog with a gun gesture.

"Kirin! Ochiru!" She gave the command, the corgi fell to the ground. This corgi was so powerful and well-trained, it could respond to a movement or unfamiliar words.

After a while, I heard "Kirin! Okiru!", the corgi stood up again ran to the girl, spinning around her feet.

After that, the corgi came to me and circled around me. Seeing this, the girl smiled walked forward to look at the corgi. She covered her face with her hands and then opened them to make faces. The corgi jumped and looked very happy. I squatted down and held it in my hands. The corgi licked my face to show its friendliness.

"Kirin, atarashī tomodachi?"

(Kirin, your new friend?)

She spoke to the corgi in a fluent foreign language, the corgi responded with a bark. She nodded to show that she understood, then looked at me again. At this time, her expression was a little confused. She blinked several times as if to confirm me again and again. She clenched her fist on her palm and her eyes were wide open.

She pointed at me with a smile on her face. "Are you Bruce Wayne?"

I touched the soft fur of the corgi and nodded. "Yes, it's me. Are you the owner of this little cutie?"

She nodded to me and answered my questions enthusiastically, asked cautiously and worriedly, "Yes, did my little cutie cause you any trouble?"

I shook my head and said, "No, very cute and well-behaved." But I didn't understand why the Corgi kept sniffing me, as if it was very familiar with my smell. I put it on the ground carefully, but it still walked around my feet. Does it like to stick me?

I looked back at her expression showed that she admired me very much. Her feet rubbed on the ground as she had something to say. Her hands were hidden behind her back, I didn't know what she was doing. She took a deep breath faced me. She stretched out her trembling hands to shake hands with me. She was nervous about this kind of thing.

"Umm...Mr Wayne, I'm honored to meet you. Thank you very much for taking care of my little cutie. Can I shake your hand..."

A beautiful young girl took the courage to reach out to me. I thought only ladies would know me, but I didn't expect such a young girl would admire me. She must have seen me on TV a lot, so she recognized me. I shook her hand without hesitation to show my friendliness. "Hello, I should thank you for letting me play with your dog. What's your name?"

"Y/N. The little cutie is Kirin." She simply introduced herself and the dog.

Knowing her name, I smiled and thanked her, but I was curious about what language she just spoke, so I tried to ask, "What language did you speak just now?"

"Just now? Oh! Japanese. I'm Japanese." She told me about herself.

I was surprised. She spoke fluent Japanese and standard English. I could hear every word clearly. The girl who could express the language fluently and colloquially was great to have bilingual skills. It was unexpected to meet her in such an occasion.

"Mr Wayne, Titus has been examined. Here is the report." The veterinarian handed him the report. I took it and looked at Titus. He was avoiding me a little. It was indeed Damian who had been taking care of him. He was more attached to Damian than me, which was right. The current worry was how to get him to the car and go home.

I saw Y/N happily walk forward to greet Titus. They looked into each other's eyes. Then I saw a miracle. Titus circled around her as if he was acting cute to her. Y/N held Kirin and introduced her dog Kirin to Titus in a friendly way. It showed her friendly side. Maybe I could ask her to help take care of Titus.

I pressed her shoulder. She looked back at me. I tried to ask, "Can you do me a favor? Titus doesn't like to stick to me. Can you help me take him to the car?"

Her eyes lit up and nodded enthusiastically, "No problem! Leave it to me!"

She walked towards Titus with great interest and petted him. Titus stuck to her like a spoiled child. This was one of her charms. Maybe I could introduce him to Dick and the others. People of similar age could become good friends. It's not bad to have one more friend to play with.

I walked in front of her and opened the door in a gentlemanly and elegant manner, wanting to leave a good impression on her. She thanked with a smile and bowed in response, then took Titus away. I opened the back seat took the coat away, letting Titus get in the car then closed the door. Y/N stood outside the car holding Kirin waved goodbye to Titus.

When Y/N walked away from the car, Titus suddenly barked at the mirror desperately, as if calling Y/N. I realized something was wrong and turned to the back seat to comfort him, but ignored me completely. I had no choice and get out of the car ask her for help.

"Y/N!"

She turned around, still holding Kirin in her arms. "Mr Wayne! What's wrong?"

I pointed at the car, could see it shaking. "Do me another favor. Titus is restless in the car. Can you come with me? When he behaves himself, I will take you home. I will reward you."

She thought a moment and nodded with my willful request. "No problem."

I opened the passenger door for her and let her get in. It turned out that asking her for help was the right thing to do. She turned to the back chatted with Titus. Titus was completely docile like a child. I was lucky to meet her, otherwise I would not know what time I would have to go home. Before driving, I told Alfred that there would be guests coming to visit, and asked him to prepare lunch for two in advance.

I looked at the sunny energetic scenes in the passenger seat and the back seat, I felt extremely happy. Her cheerful and generous personality must be loved by everyone. She was a bit like Dick, even I was infected. Although there were voices and barking in the car, I didn't mind the noise. I felt this was more like my ideal family life. The family went out play and went back to have a good meal.

After arriving home, I opened the passenger door to let her get out of the car and then opened the door for Titus. I opened the trunk and took the luggage out of the car. I glanced saw Y/N's eyes and mouth opened in surprise when she saw the manor. I was used to it, but it was funny to see this reaction occasionally. I dragged the luggage and held the coat to open the door for her.

"Welcome, please come in." I smiled.

"Thank you, Mr Wayne." She replied politely and stepped into the manor.

"Welcome back, Master Wayne. Welcome, Miss Y/N. I'm Alfred, the housekeeper of this house." Alfred came over with hot tea. Her eyes were still wide open, but she recovered and bowed politely in front of Alfred.

"Alfred, take care of her for me. I'll change my clothes and come back." I dragged my luggage back to the room first. As soon as I stepped into the room, I saw the soft comfortable big bed that I really missed. It was hundreds of times better than the bed in the hotel. I put my luggage away, changed into a set of clean clothes and left the room.

I heard lively laughter. I looked down from upstairs saw Alfred chatting with Y/N. It seemed they got along well. This girl was really lovely. She was always optimistic and positive when facing strangers. Titus and Kirin were playing on the sofa. It felt like there were more members in the family. She noticed me looking and waved enthusiastically. I laughed softly came down to meet them.

From the conversation, I learned she immigrated here alone. As the saying goes, can't judge a person by appearance. Such a young girl has such courage to come to a strange city. I admire her from the bottom of my heart. I found she and Alfred can chat well because she can cook. Alfred is just trying to learn about Japanese cuisine.

I invited her to have lunch with me. She sat obediently on the chair showed her temperament with a dignified and generous image. I said, "Eat it while it's hot." She nodded and start eating. After she put the first bite into her mouth chewed it, she covered her cheek with a happy smile. Alfred's cooking skills really did not disappoint.

"Is it to your liking?" Alfred poured the tea.

"It's delicious! Give me the recipe!" she told Alfred excitedly.

"That's really not possible~" Alfred said with a smile.

"You are so stingy!" She laughed.

After lunch, we went to the living room continue chatting. I just found out she is currently unemployed and looking for a job. I thought about whether to let her come to my company, but I am still not familiar with her way of dealing with things, so I put her on the list for the time being. After all, working in a company will be very stressful. I wonder if she has the ability to withstand pressure to help the company solve problems.

Chatting for a while, it was almost time. Alfred said goodbye to us left temporarily, because school was about to end and he had to pick up Damian, leaving me and Y/N with two dogs. I took a few bags of snacks to the living room, turned on the TV and chatted with her while eating snacks. It was so nice to indulge myself like this after a long time.

About 30 minutes later, I noticed she began yawn and eyes were about to close. Kirin and Titus had fallen asleep. I turned down the TV. I left the sofa went upstairs to tidy up an empty room, took new pillows and put them on the bed, turned on the air conditioner to let the room cool down, thinking of letting her rest in the room for a while before sending her back.

I back downstairs, she had fallen asleep on the sofa. I noticed the scars on her arms and the dark circles under her eyelids. I wondered how many hardships she had gone through. She must have let go of many things to be so optimistic and confident now. I squatted beside the sofa, looking at her sleeping face, which reminded me of Jason.

I laughed out loud and covered my mouth for fear of waking her up. After making sure she was asleep, I picked her up and brought her to the room just now. Her sleeping face in my arms was really nostalgic. In the past, Dick sometimes slept in the study room while doing homework, and occasionally Tim would fall asleep in the Batcave. I always brought them back to the room like this.

I carefully put her on the bed and covered with a blanket. Before I left the room, I looked back at her, if I had a daughter at home, it might be like this. She would be like Jason and Dick. I turned off the lights, closed the door, left the room, let her have a good sleep, and went back to the living room to wait for Damian.

After a while, the door opened and Damian stepped in. He took off his shoes and came to me with his schoolbag on his back. He put the schoolbag on the sofa. I took out Titus's health report and handed it to him. He took it and flipped through it page by page to check Titus' physical condition. At this time, Kirin woke up and barked at Damian twice.

"Father, is it a new dog?" Damian put down the report in his hand, squatted on the ground looked at Kirin. He looked at Kirin in front of him with shining eyes. He couldn't hold back his excitement. He buried his head in Kirin's furry belly.

"There is a guest at home. She raised it." He didn't realize that I was secretly taking pictures of his cute side.

"Guest? Where?" He looked around for someone.

I pointed to the room upstairs. "She is sleeping. I will introduce her to you when she wakes up."

"Understood, I will take a shower first and then come down." Damian took Titus' health report with his schoolbag and left the living room.

Jason POV

I finally had a good night's sleep in my long-missed home. Bruce too busy with work to handle, and he asked Dick to help. Who knew he would even ask me to help with the company's trivial matters? I was exhausted from dealing with those businessmen these days. What bullshit is it to get Bruce invest in the business?

I thought Dickhead was joking with me. He mentioned Bruce couldn't leave for a while, but he needed help urgently for work. I casually replied I was bored, then he took out the plane ticket and luggage forced it on me, telling me get ready and leave.

That guy had been plotting against me from the beginning, asking me to go with him to handle things. Can't underestimate Dickhead. I didn't even have a chance to contact Y/N and suddenly flew abroad to work, but I bought a lot of snacks there. I don't know if she likes it.

Dickhead stood at the gate with his luggage and pulled his tie, "I'm exhausted."

I kicked his ass complained, "I'm more tired than you, okay? The bomber, my car, and Bruce."

Dickhead scratched his head with a satisfied look on his face, "Sorry, I think there are some things you are better at and can help me with, so I asked you for help. I will patrol longer for you these few days cover your shift, and I will take care of your car. Please forgive me, Babybird!" He put his hands together and said sincerely.

I breathed a sigh of relief and loosened my tie, "You said it, I didn't force you, let's just write it off."

I opened the door was about to step into the house. Dickhead jumped up and hugged my neck, "Babybird! I knew you were the best! You are indeed the brother who loves me the most!"

At this time, Bruce stood behind the door, "I can hear your voices from inside."

I raised my hand to greet him, "Hi, Bruce."

Dickhead said enthusiastically, "We're back!"

I dragged my exhausted body into the house, took off the shoes and socks that I was not used to wearing, took off the tight suit jacket and hung it aside, put the souvenirs and luggage in a place to sort them out later, thought about going back to the room to have a good sleep before eating dinner.

"Woof woof woof!"

It should be demon brat's dog barking. I want to tell demon brat to calm his dog down because I am so fucking tired and irritated now. Then I saw demon brat's grimace and the corgi dog in his hand. I was stunned. When did this guy get such a cute dog? It doesn't match his face at all.

The corgi broke free from demon brat's hand ran to my feet. He kept barking and circling around my feet enthusiastically. I petted him and went back to my room to sleep. He suddenly bit my suit pants and barked again.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Maybe he is hostile to annoying people." Demon brat mocked.

"So cute~ I want to touch it~" Dickhead interrupted.

I took a step back and the corgi took a step forward. I did it several times and he followed me. But this corgi looked so familiar. I looked at him for a long time wondered where I had seen him. Demon brat wanted to take him away, he ran behind me to hide, then wagged his cute little tail at me.

"Kirin?" I don't know why I blurted out this name.

"Woof!"

"Kirin?!" I squatted on the ground and looked in surprise.

"Woof woof woof!" He excitedly circled around me, then fell on the ground let me touch his belly.

"It's really you!" I hugged him, and he licked my cheek happily.

"TT, why so close to annoying people?" Demon brat looked disgusted.

"Aren't you with mommy?" I touched his head.

"Do you know him?" Dickhead took a closer look.

I nodded and stroked his fur "My friend's dog. Wait... Why here? Is he lost?"

At this time, Bruce interrupted, "Um.. The corgi owner sleeping upstairs..."

I hugged Kirin and shouted in surprise, "Huh?!"

Chapter 10 End.

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AO3 Bird & Fox by owlwithanapple

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