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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 7 months

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Defiance | Resilience

I had an IdeaTM if you feel like writing (: So at the end of Defiance, right? Logan realizes what happened, he was being manipulated by Orange, yadda yadda. Afterwards, he refuses to talk about it. He's just overall very cold and closed off, because maybe if he grips his emotions tight enough and keeps a firm enough control over his mind then nobody will be able to take him over like that again. The others become pretty concerned for him, because they haven't seen him this detached since the early episodes. And they're probably also a bit annoyed that he's shwing such indifference. Eventually somebody snaps, and Logan figuratively grips the jar that is his emotions so tightly that it shatters in a messy explosion that cuts everyone and ends in him completely vulnerable, apologizing for everything he thinks he's done wrong. And then idk what happens, comfort :D – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: allusions to mind control/mind manipulation

Pairings: none

Word Count: 2292

Logan's acting weird.

Now, Roman's the first to admit that he's a harsh judge of what Logan's doing, at least out loud, but that's their thing. Creativity vs. Logic and all that, Right Brain vs. Left Brain. They're used to getting on each other's nerves, egging each other on, getting into pointless arguments that don't mean anything and are just for fun and to make each other stop being stuck-up idiots all the time. Yes, Roman can admit he's a stuck-up idiot most of the time! Granted, he's putting it on, more likely than not, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing! It's a role, it's his role, it's the one he and Logan have perfected in their banter back and forth.

At least…it used to be.

Now, though, when Roman tries to start one of their stupid inane debates, Logan just shuts him down immediately. Not even a moment to entertain whatever point Roman's trying to make, immediately just telling him that he's wrong very bluntly or ignoring the obvious joke setup he's trying to volley. Even when he makes a big deal out of not understanding something very simple, Logan doesn't even humor him anymore, he just tells Roman he's wrong and what the right answer is. Sometimes he does it without even looking at him. He's categorically refusing to commit to the bit and that is a cardinal sin.

And okay, maybe Roman could pick his moments a little better, and not right in the middle of a meeting or something where everyone else is trying really hard to be productive—okay, mostly everyone else, thank you, Remus—and Logan's got his hands full trying to help everyone else. But that's the point! Another thing those arguments help do is get the others to snap out of it! 'Cause they'll just get into little squabbles themselves that aren't productive and then if they watch Logan and Roman get into one, more often than not they realize that whatever they were on about isn't helping anyone either and they all get to have a laugh at themselves, calm down, and actually start talking like adults! It's a foolproof plan that works 87% of the time, according to Logan!

But lately, that percentage has taken such a steep nosedive that Roman's not sure the plane has any survivors left.

Now, he just gets shunted to the outside of the conversation. He'll get told off by not just Logan, but everyone else when they see how upset it makes Logan. Which he doesn't understand, they've talked about the jokes he's not supposed to make and the buttons Logan doesn't want him to push and he's not, he's staying away from those. He's picking literally the softest balls to throw, they're so plush and fluffy, and Logan's burning them out of the sky with a flamethrower. He's even tried to go up to Logan after the meetings or whenever these happen, trying to ask what he's doing wrong, Logan used to like these, what can he do better, but Logan just turns him away and says he doesn't have time for jokes.

Which is how Roman knows Logan's really acting weird.

Logan's favorite long-running bit is that he doesn't understand any sort of joke. That doesn't mean he finds them funny, but he gets why other people would find them funny. He loves playing the ironic straight man for the others because then he's included in the joke but he doesn't have to pretend to be something he's not. Other than the straight part. But Roman can remember how much he was trying to stop himself from smiling the first time they did the overexplain bit in front of the others, he used to love that bit—and he's not trying to say that Logan can't change! Tastes evolve, people grow, it's just a fact of life, but it's—he's getting worried.

He tried to go confront Logan—gently! He wasn't trying to corner him or anything!—and ask if he's genuinely okay, but Logan just thanked him for asking and changed the subject. Which is a lie of omission if Roman's ever heard one. Or not heard—you get it.

So he tried the sneakier route and he found out that Logan's not met up with Virgil or Remus for their watch parties where they analyze horror stuff, he's not been on his usual walk with Janus through the peaceful part of the Imagination. He's not even been downstairs on weekend mornings to help Patton with the baking. Then he realized that Logan's favorite mug isn't getting used anymore—he's not being a stalker, okay, one of his household chores is to clean the dishes that are hand-wash only and Logan's mug is hand-wash only—and instead he's using this plain white mug that isn't even big enough to hold a decent amount of coffee. And he called off working on his own projects with Roman, like, eight times now.

So, yeah. Logan's acting weird and Roman's worried.

Now, if only he could get Logan to stop glaring at him…

"Shit, Princey," Virgil mutters, "you've been using all one of your brain cells on this, huh?"

Roman doesn't take the bait. He just looks at Logan with what he hopes is the please understand how sincerely concerned I am as someone who cares about you face as Logan's jaw sets and he folds his arms.

"Perhaps this would explain why Thomas has been having such a hard time working on the finale," he says coldly, "his Creativity is clearly focused on the wrong thing."

"Hey, wait," Remus says, frowning, "why is being worried about you the wrong thing?"

"Roman's right," Patton adds, crossing his arms too, "that's—that's a worrying amount of things, kiddo."

"I believe I have asked you not to call me that."

"Right, right, sorry, Logan."

Logan sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If this is all this meeting is supposed to be about, I ask that you leave me out of them in future unless there is something pressing to discuss."

"This is pressing!" Roman takes a small step forward despite the way Logan's still glaring at him. "You're not alright, Logan, I know you aren't—"

"Oh, because you're always an excellent judge of me, aren't you?"

Okay, ouch, but fair. "Logan, I didn't mean it like that—"

"Then why don't you say what you do mean," Logan interrupts, before he stops himself and takes a deep breath. "I apologize, that was untoward."

Roman just waves him off. Logan looks for a moment like he might say something else before his expression hardens and he turns away.

"If that will be all—"

"Hold on, L," Virgil says, sitting up and reaching over the banister to touch Logan's shoulder, "we're not gonna leave it like this. As much as I hate to say it, Roman's right. You've been off since we had that whole weird thing with the orange mist, are you sure it isn't—"

"It's fine," Logan spits out, shrugging Virgil's hand off, "it is not affecting me anymore, any influence it had was eliminated when the switch was thrown."

A quiet hiss comes from his other side as Janus exchanges a look with Roman. Roman just shrugs helplessly—he's just brought the problem up, that doesn't mean he knows how to solve it, that's what he needs everyone else's help for. Janus nods in understanding and moves to get in front of Logan again.

"Logan," he says quietly, "if this is affecting Roman's ability to focus, then shouldn't that mandate that we reassure whatever irrational worry he's worked into his head so that we can all get back to work?"

"I think you somehow got both of us with that one," Virgil mutters, "irrational worries are my thing."

Roman doesn't even care because Logan's still trying to leave. Whatever hushed conversation he's having with Janus is getting louder and louder and out of sheer desperation, he moves forward to talk to Logan himself—

Suddenly he's flying across the room. His back hits the wall with a slam and he slides to the floor, dazed.

"Holy shit—"

"Roman!"

Remus appears in front of him as Roman blinks, dazed. He cups his hands around Roman's face and looks at him hard. Roman clumsily pats his wrist. "Hey, 'm all good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, wasn't that bad."

"Janny?"

"He's telling the truth."

"See?" Roman swats lightly at Remus's shoulders. "Lemme up. I'm fine."

"You get hit in the head too much, Princey," Virgil mutters, still sounding slightly baffled that Roman just flew across the room and smacked into the wall.

"You get used to it."

"I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing. Back me up, Logan."

When no response comes, Roman shakes himself off and gets up, immediately letting out a soft noise of concern when he sees the tears streaming down Logan's face. Janus has two of his hands on Logan's shoulders, a third one gently around his wrist. Roman holds his hands up and cautiously approaches, stopping when Logan lets out a whimper.

"Hey, hey," he murmurs, "I'm okay, I'm not mad. I'm not even hurt, see?"

"He's not lying," Janus says, the hands softening as Logan starts to wobble, "come sit, sweetie, let Roman be a mother hen for a second."

"I think that's Patton's thing."

"No, he's Papa Cock!"

"Never say anything like that again, Remus."

Roman tunes them out in favor of crouching in front of Logan. After a moment, he reaches out and lays his hands palm up if Logan wants to take them. "I'm not mad, really, Logan. I'm just worried. You—are you okay?"

Logan looks down, tears still brimming fat and heavy in the corners of his eyes and he slowly shakes his head and sniffles. Roman holds his hands out a little more and Logan takes them, squeezing tentatively. "I'm sorr—sorry, Roman."

"It's okay, it's okay—"

"It's not," Logan interrupts, glaring as if on sheer willpower alone he could make himself stop crying long enough to speak, "it's not okay that I just did that, or that I—that I've been rude to you and—and that I'm not using my favorite mug anymore—"

"Shh, take a moment," Janus encourages, rubbing his back, "shh, shh, there you go…"

Logan sniffles again. "I just—I'm just—I—"

Over on the staircase, Virgil makes a quiet oh sound. "He's scared, Princey."

"Of me? Am I making it worse?"

"No, not of you—not directly, anyway." Virgil comes around and sits at the base of the stairs. "L, can I—is this helpful?"

Logan nods and Roman brings his hand up to kiss Logan's knuckles.

"He's—he's afraid of the orange thing coming back," Virgil continues, "given how easily it affected him last time, he's afraid—oh, L, it's okay."

"It will use me to hurt you again," Logan mumbles around hitching breaths, "and I—I don't—I don't want to hurt you, it's—but it's so much stronger than—than me when I'm—when I'm—like th-this, so—I'm—Roman, I'm sorry!"

"Shh, hey, hey, hey—" he kisses Logan's hand again— "I'm not mad, I promise, see? It's okay to be scared, that thing that happened was really scary, but the rest of us are here, you know? We'll help you."

The others make their noises of agreement as Logan starts to scoot toward the edge of the couch. Roman opens his arms and lets Logan crash into his lap, wrapping his arms around him and holding him closer.

"There, is that better? You just wanna hold onto me a bit?" Logan nods into the crook of his shoulder. "Hey, that's it. We can sit here. That's cool."

"You're sure you're—you're okay?"

"I'm a big dumb brick, remember? I'm a tank."

"Y're not dumb," Logan mumbles, "you f'gired out all—all of this, you're—y're smart."

"Here, here," Virgil echoes, "now, this looks like cuddle-puddle territory to me, am I right, Logan?"

"Mhm."

"You heard him," Roman hears Remus cackle, "everyone on the mattress!"

A massive fluffy thing poofs into existence beneath Roman and Logan and Roman immediately lies them down, chuckling as Janus takes one of the blankets and tucks them in. Logan snuggles a little deeper into his chest and he rests his cheek against the crown of Logan's head.

"We're here for you, okay?" He rubs Logan's back. "Whatever color you're feeling."

"Yeah?"

"I'll out-stubborn you on this too," he threatens playfully just to hear Logan's snuffling laugh in his ear.

"Okay, okay, I believe you."

"Good. Now—hey, Remus! Keep your elbows to yourself!"

"Shit, sorry."

"Language!"

"How come I get language and Emo over there didn't?"

"You snitch!"

Roman just cuddles Logan closer as their eyes drift closed. Out of the corner of his eye he thinks he glimpses something orange floating near the top of the stares and glares until it goes away.

You stay away from my Logan.

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#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #logan sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #fic

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workingforitallthetime · 1 year

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hello, i would like to talk at you for a bit about girl!rutger and adam and the boys and girls can't be friends verse.

what if adam and rutger were still longtime best friends, but it was girl!rutger? never lived in the same place, but kept seeing each other at tournaments and CAA events and always hit it off, reflecting the same brand of goofy energy plus hard-nosed competitiveness right back at each other.

like, imagine every photo of rutger on adam's canonical instagram except rutger's a girl. rutger in a bikini floating in adam's pool. girl!rutger and adam arm in arm on the beach at CAA camp, towels draped over their shoulders. girl!rutger at the baggage claim, just a stupid little picture adam posted when he picked her up at the airport one time, but somehow years later it's still in his saved stories.

adam's friends are like "are you hitting that or what?" and adam's horrified. "she's my best friend!" adam protests. ok, his buddy says, then give me the inside track, you can be my wingman. and adam's like no, absolutely not, don't talk about rutger like that.

meanwhile rutger rolls her eyes whenever her friends ask if anything's going on with her and adam. "boys and girls can be friends," rutger huffs, swishing her ponytail over her shoulder. rutger considers herself pretty enlightened on that front. she can have a best friend who's a boy. she's cool like that. maybe other girls can't be friends with boys without falling for them, but rutger can.

and rutger already has a boyfriend, anyway. cutter's great! they're together all the time. and yeah, he's always hovering and draping his arm around her when the ntdp plays the steel and she and adam get a few minutes to catch up on the concourse afterwards, but it's not like cutter has anything to worry about. adam's just a friend.

once they're off at at college, long distance is hard though! like, rutger and adam have basically never lived in the same place but every time they see each other at a camp or a tournament or a hughes party it's like they pick up right where they left off. but cutter's not like that. now that he's in boston and rutger's in michigan, talking on the phone is so awkward. rutger keeps accidentally missing cutter's calls and forgetting to call back, and then he's mad the next time they talk, and that makes rutger less likely to call him, and it's just a whole big thing.

college is, like, so much fun though. it's great to finally be on a team with adam, and their teammates are awesome, and living in the dorms is fun, and there's just always so much fun stuff going on! cutter's just kind of... a distraction from everything else in her life that seems so much more immediate.

they'll probably straighten everything out at world juniors. they just need some time together, right? and that's exactly how it works out! it takes a couple of days but pretty soon she and cutter are right back to normal. everything's easier when they can just, like, make out in the back of the charter bus instead of talking.

wjc is such an intense little bubble. even with seamus rooming with her and gavin and duker down the hall, michigan seems so far away. after a few days rutger's not even texting her other umich teammates. adam's not texting her either. but whatever, it's different for him going to team canada than it is for rutger to just go down the road to usa hockey. she gets it.

she does look over at the other side of the ice during warmups before their game against canada. she's not, like, going to distract adam if he's focusing or whatever. but if he wants to say hi, she wouldn't want to miss it, is all.

"looking for someone?" cutter plows to a stop in front of the bench, blocking her view.

rutger plays it off like she’s not startled. she picks up the closest water bottle and squirts it at cutter’s jersey. "checking out bedard, obvs."

“yeah, sure.” he skates away and rutger hops over the boards, snags a puck, and wires it over trey’s helmet, so it bangs into the glass after missing the net entirely.

---

a couple of weeks after world juniors, cutter texts her. he’s been doing some thinking. long distance isn’t working for him. maybe they should take a break.

rutger immediately facetimes him, indignant. “you’re breaking up with my over text????”

“oh so now you pick up the phone,” cutter says.

“i…” rutger stammers. “fuck off.”

“have fun with adam.” cutter hangs up before rutger can protest that adam’s her friend.

rutger looks furiously around her dorm room. where’s seamus when she needs her? she storms down the hallway to gavin and johnny’s room and dramatically bursts through the door. “cutter and i broke up.”

“aw, babe.” seamus immediately gets up from gavin’s bed to give her a hug. “i’m sorry.”

“shocker,” gavin says.

“be nice.” seamus swats him. “we’re mourning.”

“what?” rutger demands.

gavin shrugs. “just didn’t seem like you liked him that much.”

“of course i liked him! it was almost our two year anniversary!” rutger’s lip starts to tremble. it feels like she failed.

“what’s up?” rutger hears adam’s voice as he walks into the room.

“rut and cut broke up,” gavin says, indifferently.

a tear trickles down the side of rutger’s nose. their nicknames always sounded so good together.

adam makes a sympathetic noise and offers her an arm. rutger gratefully wraps her arms around him and sniffles against his t-shirt.

behind her, gavin snickers.

“stop laughing at me,” rutger says miserably into adam's chest.

adam pats her back reassuringly. maybe she'll live. maybe this isn't so bad. maybe it will be nice not to worry about cutter anymore. and there’s so much else going on! the second half of the season is so much fun, and she and adam are finally playing on a line together and they’re killing it, just like they always knew they could. now she can focus on hockey. now she can go out and really dance with guys, not just her teammates. now she can...

rutger picks up her head. "hey, now i can hook up."

adam stops patting her back.

rutger flounces over to the bed and snuggles up next to seamus. "who should i hook up with?"

seamus pets her hair. "maybe wait a little bit?"

"or not." rutger pokes gavin. "who's moyle's lacrosse friend?"

gavin snorts. rutger makes him and johnny talk through the merits of the entire men's lacrosse team. she doesn't notice when adam leaves.

---

lacrosse players are... well, they're okay. they're fine. rutger hooks up with a couple of them, at a couple of different parties. the second one is ryan, or maybe justin. he gropes her tits like he doesn't remember they're attached to the rest of her. rutger shrugs her neck away from his mouth and straightens her bra out and tells him she's going to find her friends. maybe she should try football players.

she snaps the elastic out of her ponytail and redoes it as she walks down the stairs of the senior house. adam's watching her from the beer pong room. his eyebrows pull together when he sees her expression. "everything okay?"

rutger points at the solo cup in his hand. "can i have a sip?"

"take it." adam hands the cup over. he drapes an arm around her. rutger steps out of her heels so she's a little shorter, and leans against his side.

---

everything falls into place as winter turns into spring. holtzy gets healthy, frankie gets healthy, and they go on a tear through the playoffs. rutger makes out with a few more people at a few more parties, but mostly it's good to be with the team.

after the big 10 tournament, rutger gets pleasantly buzzed on watermelon truly. she trips going down the porch steps at the senior house and grabs adam's elbow. "fucking heels." she straightens up, shifting her feet in her shoes so her toes aren't so pinched. "ugh, i'm going to have blisters." the heels are so cute, though, and they make her legs look about a million miles long under her little skirt. worth it.

adam crouches down a little. "want a ride?"

"oh, for real?" rutger swings a leg over his back. "awesome!"

adam straightens up and she wriggles into a decent piggyback position. he tucks his hands under her knees and starts to walk them back toward south quad. the night smells like springtime trees, everything blooming. rutger rests her cheek on adam's shoulder.

adam carries her all the way into the lobby and leans forward so she can reach the elevator button. as the slow dorm elevator makes its way up to their floor, rutger tries to slide off his back. "i think i can make it from here."

as soon as she says it, she stumbles over her heels on the dismount. adam catches her around the waist, and impulsively kisses her.

rutger's not expecting it and the kiss only sort of lands on her mouth. it's bad.

adam lets her go. he's looking at her, aghast. "sorry, i..."

rutger's aghast too. she and adam are winners. they can't have a bad kiss. that's just not who they are. "we can do better," rutger says, firmly, and kisses him for real.

the elevator doors open. they close again. adam backs her against the elevator wall as the slow descent to the lobby begins. this is great! why hasn't she thought about kissing adam before? he's actually a really good kisser! rutger smacks blindly at the elevator buttons, trying to get back to their floor while adam's tongue is still in her mouth.

by the time rutger's lying on her back with her tiny little skirt flipped up and adam's tongue tracing a path up the inside of her thigh, it occurs to her that maybe cutter was right about some stuff after all. well, whatever. cutter broke up with her. she can hook up with adam. it's not like adam's in love with her.

---

rutger thinks that adam and his tongue make for an ideal friends with benefits situation. because she and adam are friends, so this must be friends with benefits. boys and girls can be friends! rutger is determined to prove it! friends can hook up! even if it's like every weekend, and at the frozen four, and rutger isn't hooking up with anybody else! even (especially) if they haven't really talked about it! every time rutger thinks maybe she should clarify that this is absolutely definitely friends with benefits, she gets distracted by adam's tongue and she decides that there's no reason to disrupt a perfectly delightful status quo where her best friend also loves going down on her.

i want all of this to come to a head when gavin and seamus hook up and it immediately blows up in everyone's faces. luca and johnny are team "how could you do this to seamus" and gavin expects adam and rutger to have his back, which rutger absolutely does.

"like, how were you supposed to know she thought it was a whole thing?" rutger hangs her head over the edge of gavin's bed and kicks her feet up against the wall. "like, you can hook up and still be friends," rutger pronounces authoritatively. "it doesn't have to change anything." she looks upside down at adam, sitting in johnny's desk chair on the other side of the room. "right, adam?"

"...yeah." adam says slowly. "i guess so." the legs of the chair scrape against the floor as he stands up abruptly. "i'm gonna... go... find luca, i guess."

anyway i don't want to get into act 3 where everybody's sad. eventually girl!rutger realizes that clinging to the principle of boys and girls can be friends is much less satisfying than admitting that a best friend who you also have amazing sex with is actually just a boyfriend. idk how it all goes down but there's definitely a scene where a chastened rutger shows up on adam's doorstep, full of tears and dramatics.

#woohoo it's a campfire story!#feels good to put some words down after a rough couple of months #boys and girls can't be friends verse

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cru5h-cascades · 4 months

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Random idea I had for a future Deltarune chapter or something:

So I've seen folks speculate that the soul Kris currently has (the red one, obviously) isn't actually Kris' soul but it was supposed to be that of the character we create at the start of chapter 1, and I kinda think the theory makes sense tbh. At the end of each chapter so far we keep seeing Kris rip their soul out of their body and act all strange afterwards. How do I interpret this? Well I kinda think that Kris knows damn well something doesn't feel right about their soul, so basically they're tearing their soul out of their body so they can escape the player's influence (or, in this case, the soul's original owner's influence... I guess?). However, because they don't have their own soul, Kris ends up doing the weird stuff they do at the end of chapters, sort of similar to how Flowey behaved in Undertale (they had no soul so basically they went crazy and did the stuff they ended up doing). Eventually, they have to put the red soul back into their body or else they'll end up perishing (or something).

This is what I had in mind:

So in either chapter 6 or 7 (what I assume to possibly be the endgame of Deltarune), the chapter starts off as usual, but soon enough the Fun Gang end up encountering an enemy far more powerful then they could imagine, and it seems that it only wants to attack Kris, so the enemy eventually kills them with an onslaught of attacks. Kris wakes up alone in purgatory, with the red soul in their inventory (clicking it will say "your old soul, split into two halves. it seems useless, at least for now..."). After walking around for a bit, Kris encounters the character the player made. They turn around and start to talk to Kris:

"Hey... it's been a while since I've seen another human here."

"This place... it's hell to me. I know there's just so much more to life than this."

"Then again... I never had a life to begin with."

The player's character then senses the red soul nearby. They then quickly figure out what happened.

"Wait a minute... you have my soul, don't you? WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH IT??"

Kris is given two options: "What are you talking about?" and "Wait- this is yours?!"

Choosing either will result in the same answer: "Oh you're just playing dumb! I think you know damn well that this wasn't your soul to begin with! I can see it in your face..."

The player character pauses for a second and then says: "You know what's great about you being in purgatory right now...?" "I can beat you up for the rest of time. Forever."

After that, a fight begins. Instead of being able to move the red soul around (because the soul isn't inside of Kris at the moment), Kris will just take damage, so basically things will work out similarly to the Asriel Dreemurr fight in Undertale (if you're running low on items you can act and more items will show up in your inventory). Also your only option is to fight the player character. After you beat them, they'll be greatly injured and on the verge of fading away. Since the red soul is split into halves, Kris takes half of the soul and puts it into the player character's body, reviving the player's character and giving them some coloring. The player character thanks Kris and introduces themselves properly. The player character asks Kris their name, but they can't hear them (because the player character has at least a little bit of life in them and Kris doesn't have a soul in them) and then they instructs them to put the other half of the soul into their body. Kris speaks (at least a little) for the first time in the entire game, and then the player character responds with: "Sweet! Wait a minute... so if you had my soul this entire time, where's yours?" Kris' sprite shrugs. "Well... we're in purgatory, right? Maybe your real soul is somewhere around here. If we can get to the ruler of purgatory, we can probably figure out where your soul is, and maybe even fix mine! The we'll both be happy! Do we got a deal?" Kris' sprite nods.

After the encounter, the player now controls their player character. Since Kris and the player's character have half of the same soul (at least until the two can get their souls back), the player will have to use the soul mode from the Mad Mew Mew fight from Undertale (the joysticks will control two different sides of the soul), however they have more mobility than in the original boss fight where this soul mode originated (similar to the soul's original mobility, except if the player stops moving the joysticks the halves will go back to being one whole soul).

#undertale #deltarune #kris dreemurr

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minevn · 11 months

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How would love interests react if mc randomly disappeared for 2 days, like didn't tell them where they were going or answer the phone when they called to find out where they were, only to later show up and say they were on a trip and their phone broke

Minato: Minato can at most go a day without seeing you, so when he goes to check up on you and you aren't there, he's worried. He'll text you and gets more worried when you don't respond. He'll check EVERYWHERE for you. The grocery store, your work, your house. He'll ask around for you but will head back to your place when no one can help him. He'll wait for you. When you show up again he's relieved and asking you if you're okay. When you tell him what happened, he'll offer to buy you a new phone and he'll listen all about your trip.

Haruto: It's weird if a day goes by and you don't see Haruto. He goes to pick you up from work just to end up waiting all night outside of your workplace. He worries when you don't pick up the phone. Calls his special connections to find out where you are. When you get back he's relieved to see you safe. He listens as you explain your story. He asks you to tell him where you're going and that he was worried. The next day he'll take you out on a shopping date and gets you a new phone.

Jun: The one day Jun ISN'T clinging to you and you go missing. Jun definitely blames herself as she calls you over and over just to get no response. She's asking her sister where you are because she assumes that her sister knows everything about you. She waits by your door for you. Almost starts crying when he sees you again. She'll bombard you with questions. The next day Jun will get you a new phone and she's clinging to you more then she was before.

Hoshi: At first he'll think nothing of it, maybe thinking that you quit because you have had enough of their pranks and rude customers, but that thought makes him upset. You left...because of him? He had fun with you and thought that you two had become closer. Maybe he's been abandoned again? He doesn't even call you, he lets the thought that you abandoned him simmer. When you return he'll make snide remarks about how he knew you'd come back to him. Please, smack the back of his head and explain what happened. He'll never shut up quicker in his life. Buys you a new phone because "you're too broke." He makes sure his number is the first number in your phone.

Habiki: Much like Hoshi, he'll think nothing of it. Still, he'll miss you at work. Rather then calling, he'll just show up to your place and knock. When you don't answer he'll think you're ignoring him. He'll just wait for you outside of your door until you get back, you have to leave eventually. He wasn't expecting to see you outside of your house though. He looks at you confused and you explain where you've been. He missed you so he'll take you on a date the next day. First he'll take you to a concert and then he'll buy you a new phone.

Kage: Kage stalks you pretty often so it's weird that he doesn't know where you are. Probably doesn't do much, but he looks around for you at night. He'll work up the courage to call you only to get no response and then he feels stupid and embarrassed. He decides to just wait for you. When you show back up he's relieved you didn't leave him. They'll ask if you're okay and afterwards you explain what happened. They'll go with you to buy a new phone. They'll work up some courage to ask if you can tell them if you're leaving the next time.

Kei: It's rare that Kei wouldn't know where you were going, even more so if you're dating each other, it's easier to keep tabs on you now. Tries calling you but that fails, so then he'll try hacking into your phone and that doesn't work either. He's hacking into every security camera around to try and find some lead on where you are and he does. He'll follow you around on every security camera he can hack into. When he notices you heading back home he prepares a romantic dinner date and a new phone.

Yani: Realistically, he'll follow you on your trip, but for the sake of this ask you managed to escape Yani. Yani follows you constantly so it's weird that she doesn't know where you are. She'll call you only to get no answer and that's when she really starts freaking out. Yani will go on a rampage, tearing up the city to find you. Might kill anyone who's not of use to her, she's losing her mind. When she sees you again she'll run up and hug you like she didn't just commit mass murder and several other crimes. She'll listen to you explain what was going on and she'll buy you a new phone instantly. More clingy then before, and more wanted by the police then before. (They are scared of her no weapon will be able to stop her because her love for you is just that strong /hj)

#💝-minevn #visual novel #yandere vn #🎤-asks #🐠-Minato #📙-Haruto #🎀-Jun #🍽️-Hoshi #🎻-Habiki #👤-Kage #💻-Kei #💕-Yani

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gregoftom · 9 months

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omg on the marriage topic who d'you think would bring up the idea of marriage first?

do you think tom's been stewing on it a while and brings it up to greg carefully that he'd like to marry him (bc they're In Love but it makes tom vulnerable and tom's been hurt before). and greg's all wide eyes, small growing smile. bc greg's over the moon and stars insides dancing to be wanted to be husbanded by tom.

or maybe it comes from greg. being assertive. like, I want to get married. I want to be married to you. (and for tom that's like. Amazing. bc it's not him chasing someone else with love. someone's actively wanting to love him and only him. so he's like...okay, yeah, yes, and they'll sort something out.)

or do you think it's straight to proposal, like tom did with shiv. they're out at a gorgeous place. and tom does it all classic like. gives greg a box, and a ring. tells greg honestly how he feels and wants greg by his side always, always greg. (his sporus)

or do you think it's like. accidental. spills out during sex. one of them, all breathless and heated, just being like, god, I would marry you. and then the other's like. hitting stark reality. yeah? and it's suddenly Out There. and the one who said it actually thinks about it and is like. yeah. (I feel like either could be in either role in this???)

aaa gimme your thoughts

HELP ME OMG THESE ARE ALL PERFECT AND I CANT PICK AAA like. i love all of them omfg like. tom. bringing it up again and like no like, i Really wanted to marry you i wasn't kidding [rpdr meme voice I'M NOT JOKING BITCH] i want you with me forever and greg being like. omg....... bc like. already the i got you and wanting to keep him after Everything is crazy bc everyone else has given up on him nothing is good enough when he makes a mistake that's it etc etc. but tom. doesn't care and still loves him and wants to spend the rest of their lives together fuck. fuck!!!! like you say stars dancing inside him, stomach flipping heart pounding tears brimming because oh my god. someone really actually really wants to be around me all the time. with me. for life.

but THEN on GOD the wayyyy you said about. finally tom is not the one doing the chasing and He's the one actively pursued and sought after by someone he's so deeply in love with, someone he's afraid to truly express how he feels without some proxy or shield of a phone or joke afterwards or reference, something, anything to mask just his true feelings... greg being the one to be like. i wanna be your one and only. i kinda hinted at this, like? already? on election night. [bc he did. when he asked where he stood in terms of them? like. to me it read as personal. it couldn't be professional, really, bc he already knows, and he referenced their earlier relationship by proxy of matsson like, he treated me badly, but i liked the trust, so... which is like. the development of his and tom's relationship, but tom didn't Really get the hint. i want you gregging for me! was good enough in the moment though, i think. greg seemed to be tired of being the side piece/other woman. he wanted to be tom's lover!] so like. yeah i wanna get married. marry me. and tom is like. H.

but OHHHH TOM CONSIDERING AND THEN PROPOSING TO GREG Ajdl;akfle that's so fucking, cute, and like. tom is SUCH a hopeless romantic he would absolutely do something like that and. he would figure that greg was Worth It, was Worth the danger of having his heart broken again like. maybe this time we'll be fine. /ref and yeah god. sporus. fuck. come with me sporus. be with me. marry me. and greg. would say yes nero. because what other answer could there possibly beeeEEE ON GOD I'M PERISHING.

and. this last one is the one i've actually considered the most and believed to be how it would go. like the first time, even, the very first time they have sex [which i believe would be post show, now, i'm a post show truther despite it being fun to think of earlier times] they just. lose themselves in the moment and go crazy go stupid, absolutely bestial and passionate and loving and clawing and gripping at one another, foreheads pressed fingers interlocked kisses and stealing breath away, and yeah the subject of marriage comes up exactly as you said and alksjalsj yes. i think. tom. would say that and then be like FUCK, blurting something like That out, but greg would look up with stars in his eyes, pull him in closer and. yeah? maybe we should. maybe you should marry me, nero. and that's it lmao tom is Gone and they just continue hissing oaths and promises and vows and aslaska;slkasa yeah. yeah. yeah

HONESTLY ALL OF THESE ARE. SO GOOD. I CANNOT PICK i thought the last one was how i think it would go but omg. i could see All of these. ACK! i'm. going down! mayday! mayday!!!!! aaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkssssssssshhhhhhhhhh [radio static]

#tomgreg #lord help ME!!!11 hekolp. jelp. help. hEP!!!

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donuts4evry1 · 1 year

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slides into your inbox with soup and a blanket. do you have any fun jellyfacts on your mind rn?

omg thank you fluther, im going to devour them 🙏🙏🙏

the next ramble might be a little lengthy so I'll just put it under the cut

hmm... fun jellyfish facts, you say?.... Well I suppose I can talk about strobilation, since it's a topic that has interested me recently lol (ie. I was watching ponyo with a friend and we saw the beginning sequence together)

At first, when I heard the idea that jellyfish reproduce asexually and sexually, I thought "No duh, almost everything does" (because when you think about it, what are zygotes if not little balls of asexually reproducing cells?), but jellyfish don't just do that.

I'll mostly be talking about scyphozoan reproduction (since I don't know much about hydrozoan reproduction and box jellyfish reproduction could really be a post all on its own)

First, it all starts with fertilization. Most jellyfish are broadcast spawners, so they'll release eggs and sperm into the water indiscriminately. These will then develop into planula (rice shaped little guys that move with cilia). Generally, these eggs will be left alone, but the C. hysocella, or compass jellyfish, differs from this. The females are known to brood eggs under their bells until they develop into planula, which is pretty cool :). Brown banded moon jellies also have a brooding behaviour, btw! Researchers have seen them brooding planula in a special brooding organ lol.

Afterwards, planula look for adequately hard surfaces to attach to. This could be rocky substrate, a pier, a boat (this is how jellyfish become invasive around the world, generally, I think), or even a piece of floating trash.

They then develop into polyps- which are called scyphistoma. These duplicate themselves by budding (a form of asexual reproduction). Actually, thanks to this post I got curious as to what exactly induces budding so I just downloaded a cool research paper ab it. I'll read it when I'm able to focus again lol).

OOOk, so now at this point we've got a polyp.... what now? I'm glad you asked-

nothing.

Well- ok, that's not entirely true. Polyps need the perfect conditions to become strobila- or strobilate. This change can be caused by temperature, salinity, stuff like that. Indoles (a type of chemical compound) can also induce strobilation- though only for Rhizostomid, Scyphozoan, and Cubozoan jellyfish (sorry Coronate jellyfish, you will be missed).

Once they become strobila, the fun really begins !

The polyp changes colour, eventually segmenting itself into what is described a "stack of coins" in the process known as strobilation. On another note, the only organisms that are known to do this are a special type of worm. Hehe.

I used to equate this process to human birthing, but it really is quite different. In the end, it's just a polyp reproducing itself by cutting its body into individual segments and having them develop separately.

Anyways, once they are finally finished developing, each segment will break off the strobila in a horrifying, yet oddly satisfying manner. I love it. You can see this beautiful process in the opening of Ponyo, but they simplify it a lot and also make it less terrifying by showing the liberated ephyra simply "popping off" the strobila. Like. Ephyra have to struggle to get into this world. It's not easy. It's honestly a little criminal when I think about it. But the moon jellyfish aren't entirely accurate in the movie either, so I suppose I shouldn't be mad haha.

Um. Yeah.

I mentioned it in a post earlier, but polyps can strobilate multiple times throughout their lifetimes (which is why scyphozoan polyps generally leave behind residue after they strobilate lol, as opposed to cubozoan polyps)

um gosh i didn't mean to ramble so much about general jellyfish stuff but boy do I have an appreciation for strobilation

// (ngl, i haven't focused much of my energy on jellyfish for a while. I think i am tired and on a mairuma high. dw though, i'll be back with my bs soon hehe)

#jellyfish #mun rambles #ask #i'll probably use the information in that scientific article i downloaded to figure out how to make jellyfish family size a reasonable size #lol #i don't want clones to be running around everywhere. Sighh. ;-;#anyways thanks for hoppin in my ask box jestie this was fun :>>

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cheshadragons · 6 months

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8, 10, 11 for the ask meme <3

hehehe im choosing randomly out of the three sections >:) answering companion tav questions!

Do they have comments on who the Player Character chooses to spend the night with?

PISHA: if you choose to sleep with Astarion she makes a comment about how annoying he is but understands because he's deceptively charming and she probably would have slept with him too (even though they would probably bicker and snark the entire time).

Sleeping with Shadowheart makes her tell you to tell her all the juicy gossip, if you say no she'll go ask Shadowheart anyways. Either way afterward she will make fun comments and tease the player.

ÍLLIOSA: If you choose to sleep with any of the companions ae doesn't really have much to say other than "be safe, have fun, and I'm glad you're happy" which ae does genuinely mean. If you sleep with Pisha though ae very sweetly holds your hands and smiles at you and says if anything happens to Pisha that hurts her ae will summon the wrath of ten thousand suns and smite you down when you least expect it. And then she tells you to have fun :)

How do they react if the PC licks the dead spider in the Gauntlet of Shar?

PISHA: Probably licks it with you or eggs you on to lick it honestly. If you click the spider again she says she'll give you 20 coin to lick it again and you gain approval if you do.

ÍLLIOSA: Doesn't Disapprove the first time though ae comments if you get sick ae won't help you (ae's lying). Second time around you still don't get approval BUT ae says ae wonders what they'll do with you in the same tone a mother affectionately scolds a child.

What are Tav’s plans for the future? Do they propose to the PC, or is marriage not something they’re interested in?

PISHA: Pisha will not stay in Baldur's Gate, especially not if her parents are alive. After living as a ranger for so many years she states she'd rather go back to wilderness and maybe help Halsin rebuild the cursed lands. She never really planned for the future, she lived day by day, first waiting to escape her parents and then just trying to survive. If the player romances her she will ask them to come with her and find a place somewhere in the wild, or the player can ask to settle in a different city. If the player says they want to stay in Baldur's Gate she mournfully says she will love them forever and always have a spot for them.

ÍLLIOSA: used to dream about a fairytail life as a kid but quickly lost that and when ae joined the church aer whole life quickly became devoted to following Lathander and spreading his light. Ae will comment a few times in passive dialogue or if you ask aer stuff while dating that ae likes the idea of a home with children and being able to focus on aer crafts. However ae will not ask the player to marry aer, it's a dialogue choice the player must make (because ae hates being presumptuous and thinks you'd still be better off with someone else). Ae will ask you like 3 times if you're sure then happily agree and tells you ae'll follow you wherever you want to go. Ae does mention possibly adopting some of the tiefling children that weren't adopted (doni, mattis, mirkon, etc) and bringing the owlbear cub, shovel, and scratch too. In the end ae really wants a life like endgame Shadowheart has where its a home milling with life where ae can garden and do various arts and have the companions over. Ae still devotes aerself to Lathander and offers healing services like being a midwife or making potions etc.

#bg3 #bg3 tav #bg3 oc #baldurs gate 3 #c. illiosa #c. pisha

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iamthecomet · 2 years

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You wanted headcanons? I'm giving you Mountain/Dew headcanons because they live rent-free in my head -Mountain knows Dewdrop gets cold during the winter and will always bring him to the greenhouse on the coldest days when the fireplace won't warm him up enough. He'll show Dewdrop the new additions to the greenhouse since his last visit and will always have the Fire Ghoul close to him -Pet names. Mountain has a variety of pet names for Dewdrop. He loves to call him fire poppy the most because it represents the fire element and symbolizes that even though something can be burned beauty can still grow from the remaining ashes -Dewdrop LOVES to push Mountain's buttons. He wants to see the Earth Ghoul crack slowly with his antics before he cracks down on his misbehavior and does something about it. Sometimes Mountain gives in and sometimes Mountain can withstand his antics- it all depends on the day, his mood, and just what Dewdrop is doing to piss him off -Sometimes when the pair are alone and know they'll be alone for hours they will try to make the other break in a fun game of "who is the sappiest Ghoul today?". The games includes things like dancing to sappy/romantic music, giving the other a gift or twelve that they stashed back for this specific moment, affection attacks, and seeing who can say the sappiest, most love-filled declaration until they both break into laughter because of how cheesy and corny they're being -Dewdrop wouldn't admit it but he loves it when Mountain surprises him with bouquets of flowers. Seeing the variety of flowers each time wrapped so nicely and trimmed so perfectly makes his heart swell with love and appreciation for his Earth Ghoul. Sometimes he'll even get a little note attached to the ribbon around the flowers and he has kept each and every note he's gotten with them. He keeps them somewhere safe where nothing can damage them -Upon occasion Mountain has caught Dewdrop playing with his element out of boredom, summoning fire in his hand and making it dance in his palm and move around his hand like nothing. Each time Mountain catches it he asks if Dewdrop can show him more and the Fire Ghoul is always happy to show him what else he can do. Sometimes Mountain will randomly ask to see him play with fire and Dewdrop always does. -Though Dewdrop isn't one to express how much he loves Mountain in normal ways, he has his own ways. The biggest one is that whenever Mountain is away from the greenhouse he tries his best to sneak in and take care of the plants for him. The ones he knows need extra warmth? He'll warm them very carefully using just a gentle heatwave. Something is becoming overgrown? He'll trim them down to how he knows Mountain likes it. Multiple plants need to be watered? He'll spend a good chunk of time watering them and then giving them each a little kiss afterward. Some plants need to be repotted? He'll do it in a heartbeat and sweet-talk the plants while doing so. When Dewdrop is done he'll make sure he leaves no traces behind and skedaddle before Mountain gets back. Mountain still hasn't figured out who takes such good care of everything to this day, either -At the end of the day, Mountain and Dewdrop are the pair you'd never expect would work together but end up being the best pair you've ever seen. They love each other so much and will make sure that the other knows it, even if it means metaphorically stamping it on their forehead (Dewdrop did it to Mountain once, pressed his hand to Mountain's forehead and said "I just stamped you with how much I love you so you'll never forget". They both broke into a ten minute laughing fit afterward)

I love these. I especially love the idea of Mountain giving Dew flowers and Dew pretending it isn't his favorite thing in the entire world. I feel like Mountain knows though--and takes special care to pick ones that mean something to him in regards to Dew (even though Dew doesn't know anything about flowers and doesn't know what they mean). Also! Dew taking care of the greenhouses is just perfection. Especially considering I think Mountain is probably pretty wary about letting Dew go anywhere near them as a general rule. So I love that he has no idea who's doing it--but it's really just Dew all along. See, he CAN do nice things--just--you know--don't tell anyone or he'll burn you.

#comet comments #scout #mountain/dew headcannons

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honeyymistt · 1 year

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Do you have any words of wisdom with regards to dating? I’ve been trying for months on hinge and I either can’t get matches, can’t start a conversation or keep one going and it’s making me feel pretty insecure and bad about myself :( my bff just started trying dating again and is already finding success and I’m a bit jealous despite being happy for them :( and I don’t want to talk about it with them because I don’t want to sound like i feel sorry for myself (even if I do lol) but i’ve never felt v confident about my looks or messaging skills so it’s easy for me to be discouraged and disappointed w this :(((

hi!! 😚

i have been single for awhile now and i haven't tried a dating app but i'll still share some of my thoughts/advice :) i hope some of it will help!!

when it comes to dating, i think it's important to regularly put yourself in an atmosphere where you can meet new people. i have met tons of people through university clubs, mutual friends, classes, etc. i used to be someone who hated meeting new people but then i told a few of my friends that i'd be interested in meeting their friends and my network expanded quite a bit! one time i went to karaoke with a group of people i had never met before LOL it was scary but it was really fun to see new faces and i ended up talking to one of the guys for a bit afterwards. don't be afraid to put yourself out there and meet people with AND without the use of hinge.

as for keeping the conversation going, i think i'm pretty good at this heheheh. i've been told from many of my friends that i'm quite a good texter. i would highly recommend using a variety of emojis (sometimes this helps convey tone of the text!!). i also have this folder in my phone called reaction memes and they're a just a bunch of really funny/odd photos. sometimes i'll send those and almost always, i'll get a text back saying "where did you get that from?" and then the conversation can progress to a.) why i have the photos b.) what other photos i have or c.) if they have memes they really like, they'll share too!! this sounds so lame but it really has saved some of my conversations. this might be an unpopular opinion, but try to reply decently fast. for awhile, i was like "i need to keep this person on edge!" but i honestly think that the conversation just flows so much better when each text isn't more than an hour apart.

i also think when you are talking to people in person questions can really save the day. the other day i was with my friend and i just asked her if she thinks other people's first impression of her is accurate (to which she said no, and i asked why). people love to talk about themselves - give them the chance to. but also make sure that you're sharing stuff about you too!! and don't be afraid to be awkward sometimes, i think we try so hard to not be awkward and to fill every silence with words or laughter but sometimes silence can be nice too :')

i think it's completely valid to feel a bit discouraged/jealous of your friend. i remember feeling that way when one of my friends first starting dating this guy. it felt like i was the only person who wasn't in a relationship and i was worried that our friendship would take the back seat in her life. there is nothing wrong with you at all for feeling a bit disappointed. i really believe that your person will come in your life at the right time

as for feeling discouraged about your looks and your messaging skills, i would recommend writing a list of 50 things you love about yourself. it sounds cringe and weird but truly, try it out. i'm not here to tell you that "if you don't love yourself, no one will" because i don't believe that. i do, however, think it's important for you to know what you bring to the table in a relationship. i promise you, there's lots!! 💌

#i'm sure you're super beautiful inside and out!!! your message radiates good energy :)#all my best <3 #chat with honeyymistt

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galarianblogger · 10 months

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PMD AU.

Ooooh! I didn't actually know a lot about those games, so researching them was fun!

I'm taking most of my inspiration from PMD: Explorers of Sky.

Florence wakes up as an applin. She doesn't have an apple at first and almost gets eaten by a corviknight. Skittles (who Florence doesn't know in this AU) steps in and scolds the corviknight, keeping it from eating Florence.

Afterward, Skittles says he'll get Florence an apple, but he comes back with a lemon. Skittles thinks it's hilarious- Florence does not. (Don't worry, Skittles does get Florence an apple eventually.)

Skittles is a member of the Wigglytuff Guild in this AU. He has no interest in tutoring a new guild member but when a clerical error states that Skittles has to be Florence's mentor, he's too stubborn to abandon his supposed pupil. If you ask anyone else though, they'll tell you that Florence is Skittles' mentor- because no matter what dimension, Florence will always be like a mom to Skittles.

Pretty early in the story, it would be revealed that Florence is a human-turned-pokemon- but it would also be revealed that Florence was transported to the PMD universe just after the death of her partner pokemon, Winnie (her partner before Skittles in the main timeline). That's why she's never met Skittles, though no one would know this because Skittles hasn't met Florence either in this AU. This would be an emotional reveal that would explain some of the differences in her behavior from the main timeline. The main plot would probably take a backseat for an arc or two so that Florence's grief could be dealt with better. Then, for a while, things would seem to get better.

A few episodes/chapters/installments later (just long enough for Florence's grief to become mainly under control), Florence and her friends would face the final boss. They would appear to win at first but once the boss caught their second wind, it looks like Skittles died (he would actually be teleported/thrown/otherwise displaced to somewhere Florence and co. didn't know about) and they would be forced to retreat. Florence would be devastated by the loss of another friend and she would come close to pushing away everyone else. However, another member of their team would approach her and discuss their own experiences with losing someone, which would lead to them asking Florence an open-ended (but very obvious) question like "Is this what Skittles would have wanted?" This would prompt Florence and their friends to charge back at the final boss to honor Skittles' memory, and inadvertently discover that Skittles was alive.

There would probably be a side plot about Skittles somewhere in there, and he'd probably rescue himself and reunite with his friends during the final battle.

But, wow, that was a lot more fleshed out than I intended it to be!

#pokeblogging #rotomblr #pokemon irl #pkmn irl #ooc post #ask game #long post

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aster-tiger · 1 year

Text

The Raging Witch

Law x OFC, Zoro x OFC, Luffy x OFC, Zoro x Luffy, Law x Zoro, Law x OFC x Zoro

Warnings: swearing, shameless smut, bisexuality, consensual k!nk, 3some, b0ndage, emotional slow burn, developing relationship, hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, bonding, mating (not abo), post Punk Hazard, post Dressrosa, changing pov (no head hopping), mm relationship, mmf relationship, english is not my first language, no beta we die like men

Chapter 20: Close to you

They were sitting in the galley at an ass crack of dawn.

Not that he could tell it was dawn, everything looked the same all the time. Electric lights were constantly on, the few windows were always dark and a “night” began when the lights went off in the bedroom.

He knew it was morning because the clock on the wall showed a quarter to six. Breakfast was in two hours and the only reason he was up was Law.

The surgeon shook him awake, insisting they should have coffee with Rage. And the insufferable woman was always up with the sun, even when no sunlight reached the ship in nearly two weeks.

He didn't know if Rage was just a natural early riser or if she was trained to do so. Either way, it was annoying.

Law placed a coffee in front of him and took a seat beside Rage.

She smiled widely, raising a giant, steaming cup to her lips and took a sip, completely disregarding that the coffee was piping hot.

"Do you even need to drink it?" he asked, slumping over his own cup. "You have too much energy already."

She shot him a mirthfull look. "Then you should drink more, you'll be less grouchy."

He huffed and took a sip of the black coffee, the bitter taste matched his mood.

He blamed Law. Even the surgeon didn't get up this early, so why the change?

"Why are you always up this early?" he asked Rage.

She just shrugged and took another sip, while Law reached out and took her free hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

She smiled and tangled their fingers together.

"How much longer until Wano?"

"We should arrive in approximately two days if we don't run into any trouble again," Law replied with a slight frown.

Yeah, that trouble was an overgrown fish that swallowed the boat whole. Apparently that wasn't an unusual occurrence. Law's crew followed some kind of protocol without any panic. The only one making a fool out of himself was Usopp, who was crying like a goddamned little kid. Afterwards Rage made fun of him mercilessly for days.

The ship shot the fish open with torpedos and got out through a hole in the carcass.

Frankly, Zoro was impressed with the firepower.

"How long will it take your crew to reach Wano?" Law asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

Rage swirled the liquid in her cup watching it intently. She didn't respond right away, just stared into the coffee for a while.

"They might already be there."

Zoro frowned. That wasn't possible. "How? Weren't they setting sail from West Blue a few weeks ago?"

"There are ways to get directly into the Grandline and New World." She didn't take eyes off the cup while she spoke. "Although they're probably following my vivre card, so they'll arrive later than us."

"What ways?"

She sighed and put down her coffee. There was slight tension in the bond but it was quickly replaced by amusement.

"West Blue and New World are separated by the Calm Belt, so the fastest way to travel is through the Belt."

"Isn't that suicide?"

"How do you think marines relocate their troops so quickly? They don't go through Reverse Mountain. Marine ships are covered with seastone, so sea kings don't sense them when they go through the Calm Belt."

"Are you saying you own a ship like that?"

"Fuck no, getting that much sea stone from the Underworld would cost a fortune and attract too much attention," she waved her hand dismissively then grinned and her eyes shined with mischief. "Hijacking a marine ship is way cheaper."

"Sounds like another suicide mission."

"You'd think that only because your crew is incapable of stealth," she shot him a smirk and he rolled his eyes, her jabs at his crewmates were getting old. "The fastest way to take over would be an aerial drop at night, just two or three people. One takes over the communication room, one takes down the guards, and the third one gets the commander. When the comms are down, the rest come in to take down the crew. Fast and clean. Before the nearest marine base learns there's something off, you're on the other side of Calm Belt and taking over a regular ship. All they find is an empty marine ship while you are already far away heading for your destination."

"And more than a hundred people become fish food?"

She snorted. "Forgive me for my lack of tears for dead marines."

"Nami's mother was a marine, someone like her could've been a part of a unit your crew slaughtered to get a ride."

She raised her brows while her expression remained unimpressed. "I don't give a fuck. If there are any "good" marines in the force they're just stupid. If they want to do good, then they should join the Revolutionary Army. Otherwise they're just supporting the rotten system."

"That's harsh."

"You'll change your mind when marines come to Wano for "peacekeeping" operation if we defeat Kaido."

"That's just one of your theories."

She snorted. Her attitude was starting to piss him off.

"You surely were asleep when Kin'emon said there are seastone mines in Wano."

"So what?"

"So even when Wano's borders were closed, they still supplied the Government with seastone," she picked her cup and took a sip. "Wano is currently Kaido's territory and the Government won't mess with him. But with Kaido out of the picture, it's a perfect opportunity to come in under the guise of military aid, take over the whole country and establish a puppet ruler who'll do as they're told. Seastone mines are rare and controlling the mines is power."

Grudgingly Zoro had to admit she had a point. It was one of the more possible scenarios she'd come up with.

"So what's the solution?"

There was a surge in the bond like she was bracing herself. Zoro tilted his head to the side, sending her a questioning look.

"I suppose there are ways to assure Wano's independence," she was again looking into her coffee cup but after a short while she looked him in the eye. "I don't know yet if I want to be involved in anything beyond defeating Kaido."

A deep frown pulled at his lips as he processed her words. He glanced at Law, but the surgeon was looking at Rage with an impassive expression. His part of the bond was quiet as always.

Zoro turned to Rage, her side of the bond was also calm but it felt different, like grounding before a fight.

"So you don't care what happens to Wano."

"I'm saying that I don't know. What I've heard about Wano from Kin'emon, Raizou and Kanjurou is a point of view of privileged upper class, military men and it paints a grim picture. I want to check for myself what kind of place Wano is, and what its people are like. There are societies which crave change for the better, there are those who will stick to their traditions no matter what, even if they are harmful. From what I've heard Wano is a place where classism thrives, trafficking is legal and women are severely oppressed. If that's something that will be upheld after Wano's free then I won't get involved beyond the fight with the Beast Pirates."

"So what happens after we arrive if Wano doesn't pass your vibe check? Will you take Kin'nemons offer and drop from the plan?"

She stared at him, her eyes got that eerie shine that preceded the change into Naga yellow.

Her eyes switched colors when she was overly emotional or stressed. She couldn't control that yet, so it became an important tell.

She did something to the bond to hide her emotions and appear completely calm. Right now, her eyes told a completely different story than the heavy stillness in the bond.

"No. I'll do my part regardless. What comes after is yet to be decided."

"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes, then took a sip of her coffee. "You're so grumpy in the morning. You don't have to be here you know? Nobody's forcing you."

Deflecting again. She did that a lot over the last few days, whenever they were trying to get her to spill her schemes.

Law was getting more and more worried over it and it made Zoro angry. The tension in the both bonds was growing by the day and he didn't like that.

A sharp pain shot up his leg, when a foot connected with his shin under the table.

He turned his gaze towards Law who shot him a warning look.

"I wanted to have a quiet morning with you both, so please stop this nonsense," the surgeon chimed in.

"Oww, that's so sweet," she leaned in to smack a kiss on Law's cheek. "I was going to offer him a blow job to blow some steam, but I guess a well aimed kick under the table works too."

Sex was another method she used often to deflect a difficult conversation. However, he wouldn't say no to a blow job, she was too damn good at it.

Law sighed with exasperation, then reached for the pot and poured himself more coffee.

"Let's track back to your crew. You said there are ways to cross the Calm Belt, which means there are more than the one you mentioned."

She nodded then reached for the pot. Her enormous cup was still half full but she poured more coffee into it then put in a disgusting amount of sugar.

"Aerial," she said, while stirring her coffee. "Flying over is the safest way."

"So there's a fruit user in your crew who can transport everyone over the Calm Belt?"

She nodded over the rim of the cup.

He was waiting for her to say something more, but she just sat there and sipped her coffee. He expected she'd brag about her crew, but she didn't.

"Doflamingo could imitate flying and one of his crew members could actually fly, but I doubt they'd be able to transport so many people at once. Your crewmate's devil fruits must be pretty special."

Law's attempt at getting more information was met with another nod from Rage. She was suspiciously tight-lipped.

"Would you tell us about them? Aside from Kisa-ya you never actually told us anything."

She put the cup down and stared into its content. "I won't. There are boundaries I won't cross even for you."

"What nonsense is that? You know our crews, it's only fair if we know about yours," Zoro bristled with a deep frown.

"You'll get to know them when you meet them. I won't tell you anything," she met his gaze with a sharp stare.

"Yet, you told me they pose a threat, so it's only reasonable to know what my crew will be dealing with," Law explained quietly, only a slight tension in the bond showing that her attitude was getting to him too.

She had the audacity to grin when she turned to Law. "That I did, but I never said you shouldn't retaliate. Just as I won't interfere when they try to mess with you, I won't move a finger if you choose to make a jigsaw out of any of them. They should know better then to mess with my mates, if they fuck up it's all on them."

The devilish smile on her lips made him suspect she'd actually want Law to show off in front of her crew as a sign of some kind of stupid power play.

"This is crazy," he uttered with disapproval.

Rage turned that smile towards him and he felt chills rolling down his back.

"Welcome to my life."

_____________

"Law-dono, there is something we need to speak of."

Kin'emon stood in the entrance to the rec room where everyone had gathered for the final evening before arriving at Wano.

"Would you try summoning Rage-dono? I believe she'd want to hear this too."

Law nodded and gestured for the samurai to come further into the room.

He was wondering when they would decide to reveal whatever they were hiding. There were too many ambiguities in their story and often things didn't add up. It was the reason why Rage stopped coming to planning sessions. She picked up early that things didn't add up and instead of calling out the samurai she just retreated into her own devices.

He pulled on the bond, but she was focused on some kind of activity and shrugged off his request.

"Penguin, go fetch Rage. She blew me off."

The quizzical looks he received from everyone were amusing, but Penguin wasn't happy with the order.

"I'll accompany you," Kin'emon offered with a somber expression.

"There's no need," Law assured with a crooked smile. "She'll listen to him."

At this point Penguin was glowering, but he turned on his heel and stepped out of the room.

"Nobody ask whatever that was about," Usopp stated with a deep frown. "I don't need to know about another messed up shit they got into."

Law sat next to Zoro and draped his arm behind the swordsman's back. "We didn't do anything, it's all between Rage and Penguin's gullibility. It seems he didn't take your warning to heart."

"Still, I don't want to hear about it," the sharpshooter raised his palm in protest.

"Don't worry, it's not anything inappropriate," Shachi assured while handing Law a glass of rum and a bottle to Zoro.

The bickering went back and forth until ten minutes later a song could be heard from the corridor.

"Oh you hear a lot of stories 'bout the sailors and their sport

About how every sailor has a girl in every port

But if you added 2 and 2 you'd figure out right quick

It's just because the girls all have a lad on every ship"

Then Penguin walked in with Rage on his arm. She was looking at him with a wide grin, clearly trying to annoy him, but what surprised Law were her clothes.

She was wearing one of his crew's jumpsuits, with their Jolly Roger stitched on the front. It was unzipped all the way to her waist and she was wearing the standard black tank top that all of his crew wore under their jumpsuits.

The view stirred all sorts of sensations in his chest, possessiveness the most prominent of them all.

"Not gonna happen," Zoro quipped by his side, clearly displeased by the concept of Rage becoming a part of the Heart Pirates crew.

"We'll see," Law smirked at the swordsman before taking a sip of his drink.

"You said there was a party," Rage glared at Penguin with a pout. "This is not a party."

"There's always a possibility. What do you want to drink?"

She glared with disdain before she answered. "A Hurricane."

Penguin sighed, his lips pressed into a flat line, disgruntled with her being difficult on purpose.

"I've got you," Shachi shot up from his seat and clapped Penguin on the shoulder with a toothy grin.

A few minutes later Rage was handed an orange cocktail with a pinkish tint, topped with a slice of orange and a cherry.

She narrowed her eyes at grinning Shachi, then took a careful sip and scowled.

"It's adequate."

Law took offence at her half assed praise.

The whole crew was roped into taste testing countless cocktails, when Shachi got into mixing drinks. And he became quite proficient after some time. He could mix anything from a simple daiquiri to a complex Ramos Gin Fizz. Law and Penguin knew that last one all too well, since apparently they were the only ones on the ship 'with enough tastebuds' to give proper feedback. Law couldn't look at gin or eggs for a long while after that debacle.

"Thanks for the drink," Rage saluted Shachi and made her way towards the door.

"Sit down," Penguin told her with a look on his face that spoke volumes of how fed up he was with her attitude.

Law regarded the whole scene with interest, sipping his drink with a small smile, waiting for Rage's reaction.

She snapped her head towards Penguin, who was standing next to the door with his hands in his pockets and whole body relaxed like he didn't even consider this situation as a challenge.

She threw a sidelong glance at Law, sending him a wave of annoyance, which only fueled his entertainment with the whole situation. After all, she put herself in this position by starting this game of submission with his crewmate. Either she listened to whatever Penguin ordered her to do or she could disobey and waste all the effort she put into building his confidence in standing up to her crew.

Law was determined to take advantage of this situation until it lasted.

Rage sighed in annoyance, took Penguin under the arm and marched him to a loveseat directly opposite Law and Zoro. She made Penguin sit down, then she dropped to the floor right next to his feet, leaning on his legs and propping her elbow on his knee.

Law arched a brow at her audacity, while his smile grew. Perhaps she wasn't aware he wouldn't stop her if she decided to take this game much further.

Surprisingly, the unamused one with this whole situation was Zoro, whose disapproval was heavy in the bond. The swordsman did not appreciate mind games and preferred a more straightforward approach.

Someone cleared their throat and Law peeled his gaze away from the sight before him.

"Does anyone else want a drink?" Shachi asked with an easy smile.

"I'd like the same drink as Rage," Robin smiled back pleasantly.

It seemed the silent woman was greatly amused by Rage's antics. She indulged her every mischief, encouraging Rage's lack of restraint.

It didn't bode very well for the future, since both of them would be headed to the service sector to assume their covers. Although the historian would take on the role of a geisha, which seemed a lot more respectable in Wano's society than Rage being an oiran. However they would still stay in contact and refer clients to one another. Well at least Robin would refer clients to Rage, since geishas didn't provide sexual services.

"There is something aside from Lord Momonosuke's identity that we've kept from you," Kin'emon serious voice echoed in the room.

"Yeah, that was quite obvious, spill the beans already, old man," Rage commented with a bored tone, sipping her drink.

"We've delayed this, because the story is just quite hard to believe," Kin'emon muttered with a disgruntled tone, however he collected himself quickly and spread his arms, gesturing at Raizo and Kanjuro, who were sitting on both of his sides. "The three of us, as well as Lord Momonosuke and one more, five of us altogether, we hail from the past. The truth is we were sent here through time, from the Wano country of twenty years ago."

Yeah, that was quite unbelievable, so Law waited patiently until the general outrage subsided and Kin’emon revealed the story of Oden, the man who rounded up Wano’s bandits and created a prospering province only to leave Wano to become a pirate. He sailed with Whitebeard Pirates, when he met his wife Toki, who had the power to travel through time. The couple joined Gold Roger and their children were born aboard Oro Jackson. Oden left his family in Wano before sailing with Roger to Raftel, where they discovered One Piece. When he came back, he resumed his position as ruler of one of the provinces and things quickly went downhill. He was blackmailed by Kurozumi Orochi and led to his downfall. He believed his blackmailer would keep his promise, which in Law’s book was the most naive thing anyone could do. Oden lost his title and was sentenced to death by being boiled in oil and eventually he was killed by Kaido.

The tail reminded Law of Dressrosa and King Riku who was also blackmailed and believed Doflamingo would uphold the terms of their agreement only to be double crossed in the end. The level of gullibility in some people was astounding. It was truly tragic that such a person became a ruler of a whole country and ultimately led his people to such tragedy.

There was silence in the room, when Kin’emon finished explaining how he and Momonosuke ended up on Punk Hazard, the air heavy with all sorts of emotions.

Zoro was drinking silently as Kin’emon was speaking, his resolve solidifying throughout the story. He was ready to fight for Wano.

Meanwhile Rage seemed dejected. Her head was resting on the couch cushion next to Penguin’s thigh. Her legs were bent and she propped her wrists on her knees. She seemed relaxed with her eyes closed as she listened silently. But her side of the bond was filled with disappointment and contempt.

Law pulled on the bond to get her attention, but she only spared him a glance.

She crossed her legs and turned to face Kin'emon. “I have one question.”

The samurai straightened and braced himself. “Ask about anything, Rage-dono.”

She mirrored Kin’emon's sitting position. “Orochi claimed to have hundreds of hostages who he threatened to hand to Kaido if Oden wouldn’t make a fool out of himself every week.” She paused, waiting for Kin’emon to nod in confirmation. “He kept that going for five years, while he gradually lost support as a ruler.” Another pause, another nod. “But twenty five years ago Oden had the power to defeat Kaido and overthrow Orochi. He had the samurai, the yakuza and the public support and he decided to throw it all away."

“He chose to sacrifice himself so there would be no bloodshed,” Kin’emon answered, eyeing Rage carefully.

“Yes he did and his decision led to his enemies rising in power, while he danced for five years."

"He believed Kaido and Orochi would keep their word," Kin'emon stated.

"So he chose to publicly humiliate himself to save a couple hundred lives and in consequence thousands of people died and the country fell to ruin. Well done."

"Don't." Kin'emon's face was contorted in anger while his voice became cold.

“As you wish,” Rage nodded her head and stood up, stalking to the middle of the room. “Anyway, I want to show you something.”

She reached into her pocket and produced a small silver orb. One of Raizo’s smoke bombs. She threw it on the floor by her feet and the white smoke enveloped her silhouette. It was quickly cleared by the ventilation system revealing a man standing in Rage’s place.

He was wearing Heart Pirates jumpsuit, his skin was warm brown shade and he had the same hairstyle as Rage.

"If you see this guy out there, just don't kill me or get in my way."

"Oh my god, you did it!" Usopp's eyes bulged while he eyed Rage incredulously.

"You have so little faith in me," Rage rumbled in a low, raspy voice with a cheeky grin. "How do I look?"

Her smile widened as she put her hand on her hip, slouching a little to the side. Her eyes, hair and skin had the same color, her face had the same sharp angles, but now her jawline was wider and sharper. Her eyes were set deeper and the bridge of her nose was wider, giving her the masculine look. Her shoulders and chest were broader and her hips slimmer, but other than that Law couldn't discern more differences due to the jumpsuit covering most of her body.

"You look like a fuck boy."

Law's jaw dropped involuntarily as his gaze traveled to Ikakku.

"That bad, huh?" Rage rubbed her jaw with an amused huff.

"You look like a guy who gets laid with no effort and gives the girls at least one STD and two STI's," Ikakku pointed her drink at Rage with a deep frown.

"Fucking hell," Rage's lips twisted in displeasure, then she pushed her sleeves up to her elbows and quickly tied her hair in a messy knot. "How about now? Forearms and manbun?"

"Maybe with a beard," Ikkaku waved her hand dissmisively.

"Argh, even with all the testosterone I'm pretty sure I won't be able to grow any facial hair."

"Why's that?*

"Snake people's genes, no body hair. I'm lucky I have eyebrows."

Ikkaku eyed her suspiciously through narrowed eyes. "So, no hairy balls?"

Someone choked on their drink.

"What got into you, woman!" Someone else yelled.

To which Ikkaku reacted by raising her middle finger.

Was this Rage's influence? Or did she feel comfortable to show this side of her when there were other women around?

"I think you could pull of a bad boy look," Robin chimed in, smiling innocently. "Leather pants, fitted shirt, tattoos and signets."

"Come on," Ikkaku huffed, leaning back into the couch. "With her loud attitude, constant flirting and overconfidence, she'd be a walking red flag no matter how she looks."

"Hey!" Usopp sputtered. "So it's fine if she's a woman, but a man like that is a red flag? That's not fair."

Ikkaku snorted and Robin giggled, while Rage shook her head with disaproval.

"Thank your fellow men for that," Ikkaku replied. "Women who act like her are mostly harmless, but when guys do the same there's a high chance they're rapists. So keep your disapproval to yourself and shut the fuck up."

"Seriously Ikkaku, what got into you?" Shachi asked, lowering his glasses to look directly at the woman, his expression stunned.

She just rolled her eyes and Rage sniggered.

What was going on?

Rage snapped her fingers and a huge grin showed up on her face. "Hey! I know!" She thrust her hips to the side, striking a pose, then she threw her hair over her shoulder dramatically. "It will be alright," she spoke with a heavy mannerism, "if I act as me in a man's body, while I'm a flaming homosexual!"

Ikkaku's and Robin's eyes met, then smiles appeared on both of their feces.

"A flaming homosexual is a girls best friend," Ikkaku replied giving Rage a wide grin.

"Why?" Usopp asked with an expression showing he already regretted the question.

"For the same reason girls flock gay bars," Rage answered with a crooked smile. "Gay men don't find woman attractive, so they treat us as human beings, not objects to fuck and throw aside."

"This sounds so fucking strange coming from a guy," Usopp cringed.

Rage laughed. "Oh, I'm still a woman, even when I'm looking like this."

"You should change back," Zoro's commanding voice reverberated in the rec room.

The swordsman's reaction surprised Law, but when he saw Zoro's hard expression, he understood something was wrong.

He focused on Rage again. There was a slight change in the bond, exhaustion and anxiety trickling through the calm facade Rage maintained for the past several days.

Her skin turned gray over the span of the conversation and her body was tense.

"Ow, you don't like me like this?" she turned towards the swordsman with a rueful smile.

"Turn back, it's draining you too much," Zoro replied unmoved by her antics.

"It's not, the transformation took a lot," Rage clarified, her shoulders slumping a bit. "But it doesn't cost me any stamina to maintain this body. I can stay like this however long I want."

"Either way, you have to change back, we'll be reaching Wano soon," Zoro didn't relent, his piercing gaze focused solely on Rage.

"Come on, let me have some fun," she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Rage."

She stilled, as her gaze traveled to the ceiling. She was quiet for a moment, then brushed her fingers through her hair with a heavy sigh.

"I can't turn back right now," she admitted quietly. "I don't have enough energy."

"You're a bit of an overachiever, aren't you?" Ikkaku remarked dryly.

"I'd say she's a drama queen," Usopp joined in. "She can turn anything into an emergency."

"Hey, did I complain? Zoro's being a snitch and I'm the drama?"

"Face it, sugar. Our fellow samurai just revealed a tear jerker of the year and you somehow took the attention away from them and made it all about yourself."

Rage stilled and shot Ikkaku the flattest of looks. "Now, you're being a bitch."

"At least I own it."

The words did something Law didn't expect. Rage crumbled in the bond. Her face stayed the same, while the bond was flooded with anxiety.

In unison, Law and Zoro stood up.

The swordsman walked up to Rage, grabbed her by the collar to unceremoniously drag her out of the room.

"Ikkaku, come with me," Law ordered and headed towards the library, while his crewmate followed without a word.

He took off his hat and tossed it on the table.

"Sit down," he pointed to one of the chairs, while he leaned on a bookshelf. "What's going on?"

Ikkaku met his gaze with a hard stare he had never seen before on her face.

"Why are we going to Wano?"

He didn't expect a question like that.

"We are part of the alliance," he answered sternly, but he could see it wasn't the answer she wanted. "The samurai and the Strawhats fought Doflamingo, it's fair to help them in their fight."

"So why is she going to Wano? Does she have some kind of debt to repay?"

"No," he replied with a flat voice. "She came to fight Doflamingo in exchange for my help with her devil fruit. Her reasons to go to Wano are her own."

"So she's going because of you, because you and the green haired guy are bonded to her."

It would be great if that was the sole reason she chose to go, but he was certain Rage had other reasons to do so.

He nodded to confirm Ikkaku's words, without sharing his suspicions.

"I like her. She's fun, loud and shameless, but I don't trust her," Ikkaku stated without breaking eye contact.

Her words took him by surprise. He didn't expect Ikkaku to distrust Rage. Both women got on just fine during the past two weeks.

However, Ikkaku was very perceptive and could pick up various nuances, then put them all together to form a spot on conclusion.

"Please, elaborate."

"She uses humor to avoid difficult situations. She's also pretty confrontational, but she always manages to end an argument in a way that nobody holds a grudge against her."

"Yes, I'm aware. Why are you pointing this out?"

"It's a tell that she grew up in a dangerous surrounding, with dangerous people. She's used to hiding her feelings. By picking up a fight she tries to do something about a situation that bothers her, but at the same time she manipulates people to tone down their reactions to her behavior."

"I don't see why this should be a reason to distrust her."

Zoro had told him about Rage's upbringing, how people she trusted took advantage of her and how often she was put in danger solely because of her mother status.

Ikkaku's brow slightly arched up and her stare didn't falter, she gave out an impression she was completely confident in her judgement.

"Are you aware that she trained herself every day for the past two weeks until she was bleeding and covered in bruises?"

"She heals fast."

"Not that fast. She boosts her healing to hide it."

"So how do you know about it?"

"I walked in on her twice. She was so out of it she didn't notice. When I touched her, she recoiled so hard I thought she was going to run away. But each time she did something to shut it all down, she healed the wounds, smiled and went to find one of you for a quick fuck."

"And?"

"Why does she train herself to the ground like that?"

"She's recovering her strength after serious injuries and being starved for a year. We're heading to a yonko's territory, it's only reasonable to be in top shape."

"So she chooses to train until her hands bleed, which clearly fucks with her head. She does it to go fight for a country she has no love for and not a single reason to do so. Furthermore, she has fresh unprocessed trauma piling on her old issues. But when Kin'emon wanted to release her from the alliance, she declined."

Law held Ikkaku's gaze silently. She had a point. He and Zoro came to the same conclusion but they couldn't figure out why Rage was so stubborn about the alliance, when she clearly had no reason to fight.

"I know, she said she'll need to fight to reclaim her crew, but she already has an upper hand. They don't know about her devil fruit."

Ikkaku leaned back in her chair and put one hand on the table top, drumming her fingers once. She was silent for a while, searching his face with careful eyes.

"The fact she hides her state from you, means she doesn't trust you or she wants to spare you from experiencing her pain. She doesn't trust you could handle it."

The words stung. They were correct and Law knew it took time to gain trust, but still a sharp stab shot through his chest.

"The only reason she's going to Wano are you and Zoro. She clearly doesn't think the plan will work but she's going with it at least to some extent. I assume she'll do whatever it takes to keep you alive, which may not align with the cause to defeat Kaido."

"Are you suggesting Rage would ally with Kaido in exchange for mine and Zoro's lives?"

She had the audacity to snort and Law's jaw tightened in irritation.

"Of course not," she waved her hand, dismissing the notion. "She's too good for that. But she's bad enough to have a plan of her own. You've heard what she came up with in a spur of a moment when she got stoned. And those scenarios were already good enough to carry out. It begs the question, what was she able to come up with during the last two weeks?"

"I already took this into consideration."

"I assume you tried to ask what she was planning and she didn't give you a straight answer." When he didn't answer, she just nodded and continued. "So she needs to take over her crew to carry out her plan, which means she probably doesn't need us, the Staw Hats or the samurai to succeed."

"Are you implying Rage would sacrifice everyone to achieve her goal?"

"I don't think she would get any of us killed, because it would hurt you as her mates. But besides that, anything goes."

He stayed silent, unwilling to comment, because if he did, he'd need to agree with her.

"Look, the way she behaves points to one conclusion, Wano is a stepping stone to get something she needs. That's why she's so stubborn to stay in the alliance. I don't know enough about her to be sure what she wants, but I guess it's something connected to her family. All I'm saying is that we can't consider her our ally and we shouldn't count on her support in crucial matters. I know she's important to you, but please don't turn a blind eye or you'll get hurt."

___________

Rage was knocked out cold the moment he managed to get her to lay down.

The transformation drained her and the spat with Law's crewmate took away all her remaining willpower to put up any fight.

He looked down at her sleeping face, it was still so weird to see her in a man's body. He wouldn't lie, she looked good, all lean muscles and sharp features, but this new body would be something he'd had to get used to.

Law's presence pulled him from his thoughts. The door opened and the surgeon walked into the room.

Zoro met his gaze and instantly he knew something was wrong. Law's usually stoic face was tense, his brows pulled together in a worried manner.

He took off his hat and set it on the desk, then sat heavily in the chair.

The bond was mostly closed off but when their eyes met, some tension seeped through as if he couldn't contain it anymore.

Zoro rolled away from Rage and sat on the edge of the bed just an arms length away from Law.

"What will happen if she won't bond with Luffy?" Law asked suddenly, taking Zoro by surprise.

"Why wouldn't she?" Where did the question come from? What did Law talk about with his crewmate?

"If she doesn't, what will you do?"

He wanted to know why Law was asking about this, but something in Law's gaze gave him pause.

"Then she won't," he answered. "He'd still be my captain and you both would still be the people I'm bonded with."

"What if Luffy won't take the rejection well and he'll make you choose?"

He wouldn't, was on the tip of his tongue, but he caught himself before he spoke the words. This wasn't about Luffy.

His lips stretched in a humorless smile. "When I agreed to be his first mate, I told him I'd kill him if he ever stood in my way of becoming the greatest swordsman. And he agreed with a smile. If he ever made me choose that would mean he isn't the person I thought he was."

"What if Rage made you choose between her and Luffy?"

"Then I've made a foolish choice to bond with her and I'd deserve the heartbreak."

"So what would happen to us?"

"Things between me and her or me and Luffy don't change how I feel about you. It doesn't matter if Luffy's my captain or not, or if Rage is in the picture, I still love you for you."

"What if the bond between us was broken?"

"Then you'll have less noise in your head and we'll have to figure stuff out like everybody else."

Law let out a breath and his shoulders sagged, but the tension in the bond didn't let up.

"She'll do something unpredictable in Wano, the outcome might not be pretty," Law's gaze traveled behind Zoro.

"It'll be alright."

It was hopeful thinking, but he really didn't want to think she'd do something to hurt them or their crews.

"Will it? Then why wouldn't she tell us about her plans?" Law's sharp stare came back to him, making his hackles rise for a second.

"Maybe because it's not our business."

Law frowned and his brows drew together in displeasure.

"Isn't it?"

"If it's something concerning her crew then it's not. Think about it, do you want to consult us about your crew's business? What happens within your crew does not concern us. Same for me and my crew and for Rage. She wants to get her crew back, let her do it her way."

"I'm concerned about what will happen after."

"I have no doubt there will be mayhem, but she won't get in our way to defeat Kaido. But at this point I think we'll have to talk about one thing. If she won't be able to take over her crew, then most likely they will try to take her back to Sin City. She ran away from that place, so there's no way she's going back. We'll have to stay sharp and prevent her from being manipulated into her mother's schemes again."

After the things she told him, he wasn't going to let her be taken away to serve as her mother's pawn again. It drove her to the point she'd rather get killed than live the life that woman planned for her.

"Agreed," Law nodded once, conviction clear in his voice.

But the tension in the bond didn't let up, it was the first time when Zoro felt so much anxiety from the surgeon.

"What's on your mind?"

Law sighed and lowered his head to rub his forehead.

"What if she was right, when she told us we jumped into this too soon, without really knowing her?" He tilted his head to look Zoro in the eye. There was something strange in his golden eyes, something like fear. "The stories she told us about the killing, she's still the same person with the same moral compass. What if she goes off the rails and massacres a whole island again?"

"Those child traffickers deserved that," Zoro replied with a sneer. "She won't go off on people in Wano, just because she doesn't like the country."

Law was silent for a while, searching Zoro's gaze and reaching out in the bond.

"She might do it, either under the influence of her past, her trauma or if she loses control over the devil fruit."

"So we'll have to be ready to stop her. And then we'll decide what to do next." He reached out and took Law's hand. It was cold. "This stuff didn't bother you earlier, why the change?"

Law sighed again and laced his fingers tightly with Zoro's.

"It's been barely a month since we met, we've been bonded for only two weeks and tomorrow we'll arrive at Wano, everything could happen."

"You won't lose us," Zoro assured, stroking his thumb over Law's skin.

"You don't know that."

"I want to believe I'll have my whole life ahead of me with you both by my side."

Law sighed again. "Belief might not be enough."

"Ok, enough of this. You worry too much." He stood up and pulled the surgeon out of the chair, making them stand chest to chest.

He tilted his head and caught Law's lips in a brief, consoling kiss. "If you want, tomorrow we'll talk with her and you can set your boundaries. We can have the talk she wanted us to have, ok?" Law nodded and Zoro smiled at him. "Let's get some sleep."

___________

Sleep didn't come easily. The feelings stirred by Ikkaku's words only added to the growing pile of doubt and fear weighing on his mind.

When he lived solely to take revenge on Doflamingo, he didn't have anything to lose, in fact he was ready to die in the process.

But now…now he had something worth living for that gave him happiness and the fear of losing it was crippling.

Anxious thoughts and worst case scenarios swarmed his mind, keeping him tense.

He was laying between Rage and Zoro, wrapped in the swordsman's warm arms, listening to his mates' steady breaths.

Finally sleep came, but brought no peace.

He dreamt of Corazon locking him up in a treasure chest. It was dark and cold and no matter how loud he screamed and pounded on the lid, he couldn't save the one man who cared about him. Then he heard gunshots, something heavy fell on the chest and warm blood seeped through the cracks in the wood.

He woke up with a choked gasp, the remnants of the dream still clinging to his consciousness, blurring the lines between reality and the nightmare. The moment he closed his eyes the dream pulled him again into the wooden chest soaked with blood.

He didn't want to be there.

A warm hand squeezed his shoulder.

"Law," a male voice, raspy with sleep quietly called his name and his eyes flew open. "Shhh…it's ok, it's a bad dream."

Warm arms pulled him into a firm chest. His head was tucked under a smooth chin and a hand stroked the hair on the back of his head.

He inhaled deeply and Rage's scent filled his nose.

He felt her chest vibrating before he heard her humming. She was still in her male form and her voice was different, deeper and raspier, but the tune she was humming was gentle and melodic. She inhaled deeply and started singing quietly. He could feel her lips moving against the top of his head.

"Why do birds suddenly appear

Every time you are near?

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you

Why do stars fall down from the sky

Every time you walk by?

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you"

His heart squeezed. He didn't expect something so gentle and warm coming from Rage.

"On the day that you were born the angels got together

And decided to create a dream come true

So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue.

That is why all the girls in town

Follow you all around

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you

On the day that you were born the angels got together

And decided to create a dream come true

So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue."

He huffed, while his face flushed hot. "My eyes aren't blue."

"Shhh…," she rubbed her cheek over his head. "Your eyes are pretty, the song is pretty, just relax."

The song resumed in her low, raspy voice and the hand continued to stroke his hair. The song was simple and short, so she repeated it over and over again. Sometimes the words slurred a bit with sleepiness, but she never stopped.

His body relaxed into her embrace and his chest filled with pleasant warmth. He closed his eyes and let her voice carry him to sleep.

__________

Despite Kin'emon's claims that the way into Wano was a difficult one, they made it quite easily without any obstacles. The upgrades made to Polar Tang made it easy to navigate turbulent currents surrounding Wano.

It was a late evening on the sixteenth day after departing from Zou that they landed on a sandy beach of the Kuri province.

Raizo and several of his crewmates went to scout the area, to confirm there was no one around.

They decided to spend the night on the ship and depart for Oden's castle in the morning. The plan was to establish their base of operations in the ruins of the castle.

Rage slept through it all, waking up periodically to get some food and to turn into her female body. It drained her again and she slept until Zoro shook her awake for an early breakfast before departure.

She leaned on Law's shoulder sleepily, while drinking her third coffee after inhaling four servings of breakfast.

There was a snappy comment ready to fly out of his mouth, when the intercom pinged to life.

"Captain, there are twenty five people on the beach, standing by the tree line, mostly women. And there's a ship behind us, pointing cannons at our position."

Rage put down her coffee cup, stood up and cracked her neck. "It's show time."

"Penguin, go to the steering room and tell the pilots to resurface," Law ordered while reaching for Kikoku. "Everyone else, go get your weapons. We're disembarking in twenty."

"Wait," Rage stood in the doorway, facing the galley. "Don't engage them until I'm done. Afterwards, please try to disregard any provocation. That's all I'm asking of you."

"Don't worry," Penguin walked to the door and ruffled her hair. "Let's see what your crew's like."

Twenty minutes later, his crew, the Straw Hats and the samurai were standing on the beach, directly opposite twenty five women lined up in a row, wearing all brack tactical gear.

Rage stepped forward. Law and Zoro followed right behind her, disregarding her initial protest.

Law tried to assess the women standing silently by the tree line.

They were wearing the same clothes, but other than that they were a completely diverse bunch, starting from body shape, skin color, hair color and wielded weapons.

There was one man leaning casually on a tree trunk. He seemed to be in his late forties, light skinned with a neatly trimmed goatee. His posture was relaxed like he wasn't bothered by the tension on the beach.

Rage stopped halfway between two crews, her eyes trained ahead.

One of the women stepped forward and walked towards them. She was about Rage's height, with beige skin and dark hair. Her face was strikingly beautiful with her sharp features, full lips and flawless, smooth skin. She was lean and thin, to the point she seemed delicate, but her gait and the way she held herself screamed danger.

"Rage," the woman spoke when she stood in front of them, her face wiped of any emotions.

"Kisa."

So this was the woman Rage told them about. Her first mate.

They just stood there, staring at each other. The beach became awfully quiet as if the world shrunk to the two of them.

Then the man with the goatee pushed from the tree and started walking towards them.

Rage raised her arms invitingly and the dark haired woman stepped forward wrapping her arms around Rage in a tight embrace.

"Your mother is keeping Manola and our daughter locked up to assure I'll come back with you in tow. There's a plan to get them out and off the island, but they need a distraction."

The woman rattled quickly, as if she didn't want the approaching man to hear it.

The bond burst with shock and Rage's arms tightened around the woman.

Tension grew in the bond, as the shock dissolved into rapid fire of sensations.

"Do I get a hug too?" The man asked, coming to a stop just a few steps away from them.

He was wearing a wide, welcoming smile, his whole demeanor friendly and unthreatening. But Law had a gut feeling he shouldn't be trusted.

"Ever the attention whore, Tony. You couldn't give me five minutes with my mate?" Rage chidded, pulling away from the embrace with her mate.

The man grinned widely.

"Is that how you greet your favorite dad, after a year long absence?"

"I see, you're still delusional," Rage replied with a smirk. "James and Steve were always my favorites. I cried when grandma took them away."

The man grabbed his chest in an over dramatic gesture, but the smile was still plastered to his face. "Your words wound my heart."

Rage mirrored his wide smile and closed the distance between them to give the man a hug. "How is your heart, old man?"

Something was wrong.

The bond went cold, there was absolutely nothing coming from Rage. She had a smile on her face but there was no feeling inside.

Law's fingers twitched on his sword and beside him Zoro shifted his weight as if preparing for a fight.

"It's all better, since I've seen your poster," the man hugged her back, his smile softening. "It was hell for all of us, when we couldn't find you and every lead went cold."

"Yeah, I know," she replied, her voice as cold as the bond.

The man's eye widened and he leaned back, searching Rage's face with worry. "What's going on, baby girl?"

"Why are you here, Tony? Is she finally fed up with you, so she sent you away?"

His hands fell from her shoulders and a crooked smile appeared on his face. "Straight to business, I see. That's my girl. A lot has happened since you went missing. The city is thriving, the business is branching out, so we're looking for new business partners. This seemed like an opportunity worth looking into."

"Looking for a deal with Kaido?"

"Is that what you're here for? I thought there's something else going down, judging by the track record of the company you've been keeping."

The man's gaze landed on Law for the first time, acknowledging his presence, then shifted to Zoro.

"Will you introduce us to your friends?" The man looked at Rage with a beaming smile, but she wasn't looking at him.

Her gaze was connected with the silent woman, their eyes locked in an intense stare.

"Rage?" The man asked, trying to get her attention back.

"Tony," she said his name without looking at him. "I'm not going back."

"Don't be ridiculous," he snorted. "If it's about the bounty, we'll take care of it. Don't worry it won't be an issue for much longer."

She slowly turned to him and cradled his face in her palms, making him look straight into her eyes.

"No, I don't want to go back."

He reached up to hold her wrists. An indulgent smile stretching his lips. "Why wouldn't you want to come back? Your whole family is waiting for you and there's Kisa's new family for you to meet. You're an auntie now."

"You crossed a line there locking up Kisa's partner and child. You've crossed the line so many times I've lost count. It's time to even the score."

"What are you talki-" the rest of the sentence got choked off when the man lost his breath and gasped for air.

He grabbed his chest right over his heart, clawing at his shirt and wheezing. His face went pale and sweaty and his lips turned blue.

Law's instincts kicked in, recognising the symptoms of a cardiac arrest, but before he could react or even say a word, the man stilled and went lax in Rage's grasp.

When she released him, he fell to the ground limply.

Electricity buzzed at Law's fingertips, ready to shock the man to restore his heartbeat, but before he could make a move, Zoro's hand landed on his shoulder, the grip strong enough to keep him still.

He shot the swordsman a warning look. But Zoro held his gaze with steel in his eye, then slowly shook his head.

"Is this enough of a distraction?" Rage's words pulled them from the silent stare-down.

She was facing the silent woman, who simply nodded, looking entirely unbothered by the dead body by her feet.

"Yes, I believe this would be enough."

"We're even. I don't owe you anything anymore," Rage said with finality in her tone.

The woman's lips twisted in an ironic smile. "Oh, Rage, we both know you have never done anything that didn't benefit you in one way or another. But this is my family's ticket to freedom, it's enough to call us even. I'll stay with you until you're finished here and then we'll never see each other again."

A pang of pain shot through the bond, disturbing the deadly stillness. It confused the hell out of Law. Didn't she want to sever the bond with the woman in the first place?

But somehow the woman's words hurt Rage, managing to break through her shield of dissociation.

"Get a grip," Zoro's gruff voice broke the loaded silence. "She doesn't matter anymore. We're here and you have shit to do."

Rage jerked, like the words physically shook her out of her stupor. She turned her head, her eyes wide and a tentative smile appeared on her lips, while the bond bloomed with warmth.

Law stifled the urge to sigh, while he looked to the sky with exasperation.

Zoro and Rage's interactions were sometimes absurdly rough and scathing, but the brutal honesty appeared to be their love language. Zoro wasn't one for subtleties. Even if they didn't fly over his head, he just didn't have the patience for them. His caustic remarks chipped at Rage's walls, strengthening their bond bit by bit.

Most of the times, a situation like this ended with rough, frantic sex against the nearest available surface.

But right now, a den den mushi's screams cut through the building tension.

The blackhaired woman kneeled next to the corpse and pulled out a transponder snail from the dead man's belt pouch. With a quick gesture she disconnected the incoming call and pocketed the snail.

Then she stood next to Law, facing the women standing silently by the treeline.

Rage took a step forward, focused and calm once again.

"Makonde Kiburi," she shouted, her voice hard and confident. "I challenge you for the leadership of Team One."

"Twiddles" by Misbehavin' Maidens

"They long to be close to you" by Corrine May

You can find more chapters on AO3

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