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oh-boy-me · 4 years

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Demon Outfits Discussed

The wait is over :) thank you for your patience and all the lovely comments on the casual discussion!!

I feel like it got longer this time, so I hope it’s all an enjoyable read! Also, I apologize for the ugly pictures--it was the easiest and fastest way to both have all the design in one image and also prevent it from stretching so far.

Like last time, please don’t take this too seriously; we love these boys and Justin doesn’t know them but has no grudges against them. We’re just harping on their fashion sense. Absolutely no hate is intended towards the boys or the design team!

Participants in the discussion were

Jo ( @jodaneko ), our art major with storyboarding/character design experience, who finds they have more in common with Satan each passing day.

Justin ( @justinlester0629 ), our fashion expert, who dressed up and filled a wine glass with water for the occasion.

Noodle (Me), our untrained eye who owns the Barbie as the Island Princess video game on three different platforms. It’s not even that good.

Featuring emergency guest star Megan ( @maggo77 ), my sister who is physically near me as we look at the backs of their designs for the first time.

Edit: Distracted by the pretty jacket, we made a mistake when putting in Levi’s silhouette rating. It’s the worst. 2/10, not 6.

Lucifer:

“Boy looks like he’s about to swing open the doors of an expensive mansion during a debutante party and give some SCATHING NEWS.” —Justin

“Short shoulder cape and a long split butt cape lol” —Jo

Jo has realized that based on both outfits, Lucifer doesn’t want people looking at his butt. Possible reasons are: he doesn’t have one, or Diavolo someone was getting distracted.

His shoes match his outfit. After last time that’s all I care about.

A triple popped color, and how many layers is the middle one? Is that a book? Dude has like 27 collars.

The forehead diamond is very important and it’s great that there are diamond buttons to match it. But uh. How about those red diamonds on his sleeves. They. They sure are there. (I actually like the red accents and that they match his gloves; I just can’t take the diamonds seriously.)

Lucifer 🤝 Some Horses Diamond on the Forehead

The peacock motif is HERE and we’re all living for it. HOWEVER, the feathers on the cape and coattails should have matched, OR there should have been more lime green because there’s so little of that color.

The pants have a pleat in the front, which Justin says means he responsibly irons his clothes, and Jo says only heightens the fact that under the capes this is a marching uniform.

Can he fly? Jo says these are baby wings that can’t support his weight, and his cape has a hole for the top pair but blocks the bottom pair? Can’t believe Lucifer handicapped himself for the sake of fashion.

The red makes it regal and the wide flowy design makes it imposing. Good job, Lucifer! I might actually be intimidated if I saw you.

Definitely the classiest outfit. You can tell they put care into it.

Mammon:

“BITCH MY BODY CANNOT TAKE THIS KIND OF SEXY, I THINK I AM OVERHEATING! NO MORE FURTHER COMMENTS, YOUR HONOR. HAUTE AND HOT.” —Justin

The whole thing does amazing with only three colors. We’ve noticed the trend of black and white + one color, but I mean hey. It’s working so far.

Damn those pants sit low. No wonder literally all of you wear belts.

The leather jacket? The studs and harness? Bless. Justin calls it “the perfect blend of stylish and ‘I’ll see you tonight *wink*’”.

Kind of don’t like how the belts connect to the pants, though. It looks better in the back.

“He found a really cool jacket, but it didn’t pair with anything so he just didn’t wear anything.” —Jo

Honestly though? We’ve all made fun of Mammon for having big hoe energy in his outfits, but like, he knew he had wings and planned his outfit to accommodate for that. He’s the only one who didn’t cut holes in his outfit. Maybe Mammon was the smallest hoe after all.

Also if there’s a motif it repeats elsewhere, like the studs and diamonds on his jacket and pants. Did he and Lucifer have a “tastefully putting diamonds on my outfit” battle? Because Mammon definitely won.

One of the charms broke off the belt loop and he never bothered to replace it, and honestly thank god there isn’t two of those anymore.

Torn between wishing the boots were tighter to match the rest of the outfit and saying “yoooo they’re open in the back!!!”

Ok so so far we’ve said generally only good things, but there is one major issue with the design: Its gravity. Everything points down, his tattoos, the diamonds, even his wings. The center of gravity in the image is his shoes. Bitch loved his shoes so much he made his whole outfit point to them.

Either way this was universally considered the best and I mourn Justin who doesn’t know how far Mammon’s standards are gonna fall from here.

Leviathan:

Diagonal zipper

“Levi what the fuck.” —Megan

He looks like an e-boy.

Honestly it looks like he borrowed something from Justin’s wardrobe for Pride but he didn’t know how to put it on.

APPARENTLY the biggest hoe. Abs that he shouldn’t have coming through a mesh t-shirt. I thought Mammon’s pants were low, but Levi’s whole-ass ass is out. Ok Levi, I see you.

The shirt pattern is good but he probably leaves it partially unzipped because it’d look really dumb fully closed.

Justin loves the funky pants pattern and Jo likes the pants but not with the outfit. It’s because the devs were too coward to give him a thick tail base so his pants had to fill that role by sharing the pattern.

The shoes are good, and not just because they incited Justin’s deep-set hatred for Christian Louboutin and his uncomfortable red-bottom shoes.

Justin is offended that he’s hiding his suspenders; either show them completely or not at all, no in between. Jo’s not fully convinced it isn’t just one suspender. What are his suspenders doing? What are they attached to? Are they holding anything up? Apparently not.

Jo pointed out that if you squint the belt on his waist looks like fangs and the orange dots on his sleeves looks like eyes so it’s like theres a snake head on his outfit. Cute!

The gloves are throwing us off though. Why is Levi of all other brothers need gloves? I bet he has sweaty hands.

Ok really, does his sweater unzip all the way into two pieces? Or does it hang by that tiny thread underneath the tail hole? There’s even a button, just in case.

Can’t believe this antler-sporting, suspender-wasting nerd went diagonal zipper on us because we beat him at a trivia game. Should have just zipped his hood.

Satan:

HONEY.

“I hate everything about this.” —Megan

First of all, he’s straight up wearing Lucifer’s casual shirt. Does it only button down the back? Can he take it off?

Then he spilled bleach on his pants. Like I get what they were going for but with the white on black that is literally just bleach stains.

Incredibly differing opinions on the belt. He got it in the cowboy department. Justin adores it. Jo despises it.

And are those… athletic slip ons?

And now the elephant in the room. The ribcage made of ribbons. The ribboncage. The idea is great! I love that they gave him a skeletal theme without throwing him into a Hot Topic.

But if you take the ribboncage and feather boa off he’s literally just wearing a dress shirt and some nice jeans. And that’s the problem with Satan’s demon form. Not that it looks goofy. It’s that they took risks but then hid all the risks behind business casual.

Also Megan said that the back of the ribbons look like a rock climbing harness. Someone (probably Justin) said the front reminds them of the underbelly of a green cockroach. Ew.

The feather boa would look better if it was over something you wouldn’t literally wear at the office. (And also didn’t look so much like worm on a string.)

“He is going to Dragcon 2020 and is definitely going to take a picture and ask to lip sync, but accidentally start beef with Acid Betty.” —Justin

On a good note, loving how the tail fades to highly radioactive green. Feels dangerous. Megan pointed out that it’s a pretty wimpy tail, though. Jo enjoys the self-conscious posture it expresses.

That’s basically the only good thing we have to say, though.

I just????

Merry Christmas.

Asmodeus:

The kanji on the picture is just saying that the coattail is the same on both sides.

Ok now with that out of the way, HONEY.

I’m sure he says that to others but I hope he says it to himself too when he looks in the mirror.

Starting with the good. The wings? Adorable. The heart-shaped hole to accommodate them? Adorable. One of the only good adjustments.

And I love that the tips of his horns look venomous, like a scorpion tail!

We love a good floral design and a good twin tailcoat.

But once again, the shirt just has too much going on. The flowers. The buttons. The brick-pattern stitching. The brooch. The long collar. The fact that if he closed the last button it’d end in a diamond covering his crotch. Sometimes less is more, Asmo.

That scorpion brooch is the best thing to ever grace my computer screen and it shouldn’t have to share the spotlight with the rest of his shirt. It should have wrapped around his arm and been paired with some more jewelry. Then he could have ditched those giant cuffs.

The bleeding heart tattoos are a really good idea! But they should have been angled better and not like someone else put them on at the roller rink. And maybe they shouldn’t have been outlined in pink. Those aren’t tattoos, those are gaping holes in his arm. Is he ok.

I’ve been avoiding the pants, but. The pants.

“Oh dear god. Oh no that’s… I thought you were a designer…” —Jo

One side is buckled the ENTIRE way down, and then the other side is COMPLETELY plain. It’s too extreme on both ends. It should have been only half a leg of buckles. Not whatever this is. I still don’t think he can bend that leg.

The shoes are ok but they COULD have been a stiletto so.

Jo is DONE with these demons’ inability to wear socks.

We expected better from you, Asmo. I hope you have to fasten all those buckles every morning as retribution.

Beelzebub:

He said “how many belts can I wear on one outfit.”

Justin said it’s like Barry B. Benson and Post Malone had a beautiful baby boy, and Obey Me! is cancelled for creating a sequence of events that could lead to me hearing that with my own two ears.

The jacket? Stunning. “It’s steampunk mixed with Jack Sparrow, mixed with Billie Joe Armstrong,” says Justin. It’s got puffy sleeves! And there’s objectively too much going on with the jacket, but since it’s a leather jacket I can forgive it. Justin and Jo can’t.

I’m not sure why they keep giving him weird jacket collars but I prefer belt number 9 to fur.

“Why is it bucked in the back? Couldn’t it have just been a jacket?” —Megan

Good that the black tank isn’t only black, but he has so little color on his outfit that it would have been nice for it and the matching pattern on his boots to have been a color besides gray.

I don’t mind the belts down the leg because they’re not too in your face. Jo wants the white belt to be thinner. Justin wants him to just pick one and go with it.

Poor Beel, he can’t do his lil thigh pat pose without his right hand being assaulted by studs and that bear trap-shaped buckle.

Justin feels like the cowboy boots are too wide up top and it’s probably because they’re FAKE cowboy boots. I don’t know why he didn’t just get cowboy boots instead of putting fake coverings over his dress shoes.

Can’t fault the twin belt, though. And the wing hole isn’t terrible.

Idk I guess. They knew what they wanted to do at least.

That seems to be the pattern with Beel: they know what they want to do, but something weird happens in the middle of it.

Belphegor:

“I don’t know which Teletubby let their son go through the it’s just a phase mom phase, but they should be ashamed.” —Justin

A toddler who just learned how to cut holes in paper got a hold of his hoodie.

Is it a hoodie? A jacket? A poncho? The cow print actually isn’t terrible. At least it had the decency to be unique in its spotting. And the actual presence of blue is very appreciated.

On the topic of colors, Jo is calling the devs out on their apparent fear of color. “Put the pink elsewhere, cowards,” they say.

We actually don’t hate the horseshoe, and using it for the belt buckles is actually really clever. Even if 75% of them are doing literally nothing. Feel like he didn’t need that many. Could do without the bottom one, maybe even bottom two.

There’s a teeeeny tiny cowbell on the back? Megan apparently finds that VERY important. Why do they go to such great lengths to remind us that Belphie’s a cow? Beel doesn’t rub his hands together 24/7. Mammon doesn’t even get bird wings.

Just like Satan spilled bleach, Belphie has tar pants.

It’s nice to see a change in pant style, but. Am I biased because I hate harem pants? Maybe. Are these harem pants too short on him? Yes. Maybe they were supposed to be parachute capris? But it just looks he outgrew them too fast and Lucifer won’t buy him new pants yet. At least they look comfy.

If he puts his keys in those pockets will his pants fall down? Probably. That’s a problem considering his are the only pants that look like they could hold any keys.

The shoes are fine. I can enjoy a high topped sneaker. …Is that a security tag? Did he steal his shoes. Belphie stole his shoes.

On the tiny tail hole, I appreciate that Belphie went for modesty. But I hope it’s impossible to wear these outfits outside of demon form because I don’t want him walking around with a tiny hole right above his ass.

Honestly he doesn’t even look like a demon? He just looks like… a cow.

There’s one more aspect of their demon forms that I didn’t feel comfortable forcing into a smaller space than it deserved: Silhouettes. Jo puts a lot of weight on silhouettes and their role in character design. Is it dynamic? Is it recognizable? Jo ranked them as such:

1. Lucifer: 9/10. Care and effort were put into this design and it shows. 2. Mammon: 7/10. Points deducted for most of it being form fitting but otherwise still manages to get a passing grade. 3 (tied). Beelzebub: 5/10. His wings have actual mass but his horns being mostly hidden by his head reduce his score. 3 (tied). Belphegor: 5/10. Evens out since his clothes aren’t as form fitting as the others but they also kind of turn him into a blob. 5. Asmodeus: 4/10, and only because he’s got multiple wings and that his tailcoat breaks up the bottom half. 6. Satan: 3/10, for the fact HIS BOA carries most of the work in altering his silhouette. 7. Leviathan: 2/10. The tail and horns prevent this from being a total flop.

Our (surprisingly unanimous!) ranking of their outfits (not counting Megan her opinions deviated) were:

Mammon

Lucifer

Leviathan

Belphegor

Beelzebub

Asmodeus

Satan

In conclusion, any M-rated fic that doesn’t have it take demon Satan 20 minutes to take off his shirt is too unrealistic.

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dailybeastarsthings · 3 years

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Chapter 6 - A Wind Of Change

The Grim Reaper and a distressed mistress were running quickly through the dark forest. As they were moving, branches and leaves kept brushing them wildly as if they were trying to hold them captive until the chasers would eventually reach and capture them both.

‘Why are they chasing me, Grim Reaper?’ the mistress asked.

‘Because you were supposed to have died three days ago” the Reaper said without even looking back.

Suddenly, the Reaper flung his sword and cut one of their chasers in half. The poor soulless demon let out a lifeless sigh before its death.

‘Water, Wind, Fire… The forces of nature all want you dead.’

‘Then… These entities are a part of them?’

‘Yes… This is a fight against fate.’

Our heroes were cornered. As the demons were closing in, the Reaper hid the mistress behind his cape to protect her. He took out his sword and looked their enemies in the eye.

‘Stay behind me. Killing you… is my job. Until then, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you.’

And with that the Reaper lunged out to fight!

‘Okay, that’s it for Scene 15. We will now take a break’ said Sanu, the president of the Drama Club, shattering the tension into a million pieces. Sanu was a third-year Pelican student in Cherryton Academy. He was elected to be president just as he became a second-year but has known many of the members from way before. He used to be a background actor in many plays but never appeared again after becoming president. He always made sure to let the creativity and emotions flow freely in the club while maintaining its integrity and improving the relationships of the members.

‘What? Why, Sanu?’ Louis asked with audible dismay in his tone. ‘We’ve never taken a break in a rehearsal before.’

‘Oh… Well, it’s just going to be 30…’ he swallowed his words after seeing Louis’ expression ‘I… I mean 15 minutes.’

Sanu walked up on stage to Louis. He leaned close to him and started whispering.

‘You know, Louis, we’ve known each other for a long time now. I can tell that your movements are... how should I put this… a bit stale. Are you feeling well?’

‘Quit whispering Sanu. I’m perfectly fine.’ Louis replied. He then turned to the other members present on stage. ‘This performance is the most important part of the New Student Welcome Event. We need to show all of the new students the importance of the Drama Club, so we have no time to worry about our physical condition’ he said while he wiped the sweat off his forehead and neck with his towel.

Louis hanged his towel on his antler then bent over a bit, to rest a little. He turned his head towards the other students on the stage and glared at them with flaming irritation in his eyes.

‘Next time attack me like you mean it. I’m a deer as Adler, and you’re all carnivores, attacking Adler with the intent to kill. That’s what we are going to portray when we get on stage, so we need to be as fierce as we possibly can.’

Taking advantage of the break, Louis walked backstage to relax his foot a little. It was still sore and while the medications were certainly helping, the fact that he didn’t put on his bandages in order to avoid any awkward questions definitely didn’t help. He was in a lot of pain. He could feel his ankle pulsating, radiating the pain from the injury to nearby areas as well. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t.

‘Sanu is right… My movements are not perfect this time. I can’t put too much weight on my leg if I want to avoid any further problems. However, a perfect performance is expected from me, so I’ll give them just that. Even if it means that I’ll hurt my leg even more!’ he thought.

He suddenly heard Sanu’s voice.

‘All right everyone, break is over, we’re beginning from Scene 16!’

And with that, Louis put on his act of being completely fine and went back on stage to play his other part, Adler, the Grim Reaper.

***

Meanwhile, the stage crew was busy making the finishing touches on the costumes backstage.

‘What? A break from rehearsal? We’ve never had a break before!’ Dom said with surprise in his voice.

Dom was a third-year peafowl student. He was the leader of the Drama Club’s stage crew. Although he was a long-time member, he never had any ambitions on becoming an actor nor the president of the club. He was always perfectly fine with sewing costumes. He had great talent at it. His costumes always turned out to be vibrant and lively – and yet, comfortable. He had aspirations on becoming a fashion designer in the future.

‘Well yeah, but I haven’t heard all the details. Kibi hurried me because the boxes we were carrying were really heavy’ Legoshi said.

‘Yeah, but Louis is always excited when the performance is coming close. I can’t even imagine how frustrated he must have been’ Kibi, an ant eater member said.

As the conversation was going on, Kai’s face – who was directed to be part of the stage crew instead of the acting crew – became more and more red by the second. Deep down he was still sure that he should’ve been approved as Tem’s replacement as he knew the script by heart and had way more practice in acting than Zoe.

‘Damn it!’ he yelled ‘I was supposed to be rehearsing with all of them, not sewing in this dark place!’

‘Oh, Kai, I think you have a good sense of design. I’m happy that you’re part of the stage crew’ Dom said with a soft smile on his face.

‘Oh… Really? Do you mean it?’ Kai asked excited.

‘Of course!’

In the meantime, Legoshi was digging for some extra yarn in a box next to him, when he suddenly found a white and gold vest, which was part of Tem’s costume.

‘This is Tem’s costume’ he said. The others looked at him in surprise. ‘What should I do with it?’ he continued.

‘Well…’ Fudge, the red panda began ‘We can’t just keep it here forever, you know.’

‘Look, Legoshi, Tem is dead so it’d be creepy if we still kept it around!’ Kai yelled at him in frustration. Legoshi’s ears drooped.

‘Tem was killed and devoured by one of the carnivore students in this school’ Legoshi thought. ‘That is the biggest taboo an animal can commit in this world. That’s why none of the others want to dwell on that incident. There’s a bottomless pit of darkness lurking in this world. Now I understand the meaning of what Louis said. The meaning of why he is acting so fiercely as Adler. He must be the one, who is confronting the reality of that incident the most. He has the ambition to be the next Beastar, so he needs to take center stage in the world of carnivores and herbivores. I can’t even imagine the pressure he must…’ his thought was interrupted.

‘Legoshi! Legoshi!’ Dom yelled at him. ‘Were you listening?’

‘Oh! Umm… Yeah!’

‘You were spacing out again, weren’t you?’

‘Maybe…’ Legoshi said, while looking to the side. His ears drooped a little, too.

‘All right, well, we were talking about bringing flowers from the Gardening Club. I want to use roses as the motif for the final act and decorate the assembly hall and entrance, too. Look.’

Dom held up a drawing of what he imagined. It was beautiful. Large bouquets of red and white roses – ones with only a singular color, others mixed together to symbolize the two sides of the play, good and evil. It looked wonderful and grand – and Legoshi believed that it would’ve smelled amazing, too!

‘There should be plenty of roses in the Gardening Club, and I want you to help’ Dom said.

‘You mean… with decorating?’ Legoshi asked.

‘That and with getting the roses from the Club.’

‘Are you sure that I should go? I mean, this whole incident and all… I don’t want to scare anyone…’

‘I think you should’ Kibi said. ‘You’re a second-year high school student, so you ought to improve your social skills.’

‘Well, okay then. But you’ll have to come with me, too.’

The Gardening Club was a long walk from the Drama Club, since it was on the rooftop of a building at the other end of the school. While Legoshi had no problem walking such distances at high speeds, Kibi had to jog alongside him, if he wanted to keep up with him. By the time they were climbing the steps to the rooftop, Kibi was already exhausted.

‘Was it absolutely necessary for me to come with you?’ Kibi asked almost breathless.

‘Sorry, but I think the members would be scared to see a lone wolf asking for flowers’ Legoshi said.

There were only a few steps until the end. When they got to the top, they were greeted by a large green iron door. It had rust around the frame and near the doorknob. The building definitely had to face water damage a good few times.

‘I never knew there was a garden on the rooftop’ Legoshi said, while reading the sign on the door, which said ‘Gardening Club’.

‘It’s probably not well-known among carnivores. It’s a pretty plain club anyway. They rarely appear publically. They only sell flowers at events and festivals.’

As Legoshi was reaching for the doorknob, he became aware of a very familiar smell. But how did he know it? Why did he notice it? It suddenly sparked the memory in his mind. The smell belonged to the student he almost devoured just yesterday!

‘I have to get out of here, quick!’ he thought.

‘Wait, that smell is…’ Legoshi said but he was interrupted by Kibi.

‘Probably the flowers. Pretty amazing isn’t it! Well… let me just go ahead and open the door.’

As the door opened, a beautiful view of a thousand colorful flowers of all shapes, kinds and sizes greeted them. Under an arch near the entrance, a small white rabbit was holding a hose, watering the plants around the area. Legoshi recognized her at an instant. It was the rabbit girl he attacked. It was Haru. When she heard the steps, she closed the water and looked at her visitors.

‘Hello. Do you need something?’ Haru asked, smiling softly.

Legoshi was still in shock. His heart was beating fast and he began to sweat. He couldn’t believe that their paths crossed once again. But one thing was sure: he entered a place, which he should have never gone to. It was heaven… in hell…

#beastars #beastars fanfiction

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my-words-are-light · 5 years

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Starflower

Dear friends of mine and followers that know me very well despite the fact I put out barely any content at all will probably be aware of my eternal and undying love for @damedaffodil, a webcomic by @sakura-rose12 that I simply can’t get enough of. I grew up with Sailor Moon so it sits right with me intrinsically but it’s also intelligently written while still being lighthearted and charming.

I’ve thought from time to time about Charo Flores, a shining beacon of optimism and heroism and joy, hanging out with Destiny Pride, a grumpy and snarky bystander who wants nothing to do with anything. So I wrote this crossover to satisfy me. So, without further adieu, I introduce you all to my crossover between the Ngawooin Project and Dame Daffodil!

---

She was not comfortable in a busy city. Going from what was a sleepy town (‘was’, anyway) to here in Birmingham, she was ill prepared for the utter hive of people she was to dwell amongst. She couldn't even go down an alleyway without seeing someone she’d never seen before. Walking through the main roads was like a kaleidoscope of faces she never saw twice.

It felt very weird, and a smidge unnerving; so many people walked to and fro at the shoulder, even in groups, but no one knew or acknowledged each other, or even made a stoic nod of greeting. Maybe the English were reclusive sorts by nature. But she was used to knowing everyone back home, even if only their names. Here, the patterns in the seas of people kept changing and she knew she’d never see one person again.

She decided she should relax more in the apartment before going on a walk. She only just got here today; familiarising herself with the city could wait. Fresh air could only do so much for a high school girl travelling overseas for the first time. So she was on her way back to the apartment, navigating the sea of Englishmen and women as she went.

She found herself fortunate to find a space at a corner where she could sort of isolate herself and get her bearings. As she relaxed, she saw a poster. Big and sturdy, the sort that made you think a hotshot from Hollywood was in town. Must’ve been professionally made.

The poster depicted a girl with flaring orange hair decorated with a striking yellow flower accessory that held a high ponytail in place. The yellow dress followed the flower motif with a petal skirt with orange ruffles underneath and a green bow on the back that looked like a pair of leaves. The flower girl was shooting a beam of light from her hands at some black furry animal, tearing it up like a high pressure hose. Printed at the bottom of the poster with very bold text was THANK YOU, DAME DAFFODIL!

Alright, so... What was Dame Daffodil? It sounded familiar but nothing was coming to her. Was it a play? Some movie? Maybe some local model or something? The poster didn’t have any release dates or studios or... well, anything on it anywhere. Was it...

Okay, bored now. She turned away from the poster but found a girl looking at her. This new girl was a bit shorter, had dark skin, and her short brown hair was tied at the back with a high ponytail held in with a yellow flower hairpin. Quite a contrast from her, with her short blonde hair that fell down around her head and really pale skin. Then there were the stranger’s clothes, a navy blue jumper and sky blue shirt. She’d seen a few other kids her age wearing them; probably the uniform of some high school around here. It’s a shame the clothes were unkempt and messy. Much like the hair, actually. And her eyes were unfocused and red at the edges with bags underneath them.

“Hey,” the schoolgirl greeted. Her voice was like that of a receptionist who started her job bright and eager to help everyone have a pleasant day but wore down with the passage of time, yet still determined to bring joy. “Like the poster?”

She glanced at the poster once more. “It’s a’ight.”

“I think it’s amazing.” The schoolgirl walked up to the poster and looked at it with her heavy eyes. Her smile was weak and tired but it wasn’t forced. Must’ve been a fan, if the hairpin was of any indication. “What do you think of Dame Daffodil?”

“I don’t really know who she is.”

The schoolgirl’s eyes rose as she looked at her. “Really? She’s a superhero around here. She fights monsters and helps...” A yawn interrupted her, “... people.”

“Wait, what?” The tourist blinked a few times, which would’ve helped get the sand out of her eyes if she was dreaming. “A superhero? Like, a bona fide, fair dinkum superhero? Powers and all?”

“I dunno what fair dinkum means but, no joke, she’s the real deal. She basically protects the city.”

Wait a minute, she had heard about Dame Daffodil once before...

“Hey, did you hear about in England?” Penny asked her, spinning her art stylus idly.

“Mm.” She herself was content to rest on her arms crossed on the table.

“There’s a superhero now. Some girl called Dame Daffodil.”

“Mm.”

“Fires laser beams. Also really upbeat. She’s like a TV show presenter for kids except she’s cooler than that.”

“Mm.”

“Long night?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, I’ll leave ya.”

Probably should’ve paid more attention. “Huh. Well, I just got here. I don’t know much.”

“Oh. I was wondering if I ever saw you before. Are you a tourist?”

“Nah, on holidays with the family.”

“Well I hope you have fun here.” The schoolgirl showed her teeth as she donned a smile. Kind of forced but she was definitely trying to be nice. “I’m Charo. You?”

Oh struth, the most dreaded part of meeting new people: introductions and sharing names. “Uh...” Ugh, she hated this part. “... Destiny.”

“Huh?”

“My name,” such as it was, “is Destiny.”

Destiny could see a gear stop in Charo’s head. Well, one more than those that had already stopped. Maybe Charo could stand to get a few winks too.

“Destiny?” Charo said, either as a question to Destiny, herself, or perhaps a cruel God.

“Yeah. Destiny.” Her shoulders slumped. “Parents, huh?”

The footsteps around them were so much clearer and distinct with the new quiet.

Remarkably, though, Charo didn’t blink. She beamed. “That is so cool...!”

Okay, that was new for Destiny. The top two usual reactions for her were pity and incredulity. Sparkly-eyed excitement was a completely new experience for her. It was kind of nice but it was more kind of weird.

“Oh, sorry.” Charo proceeded to stop being awe-struck. “I gotta go. Just remembered I’m visiting a friend... See you later.” With a parting wave, Charo turned and walked away.

“Bye,” muttered Destiny as she half-heartedly waved back. “Don’t trip on the way.”

That wasn’t the worst first encounter she could’ve had in this new country. She was kind of weird but kind all the same. Too bad they ended on Charo knowing her name but at least she thought it was cool. She couldn’t imagine anyone else being like that.

Wait, where was she going again? Oh yeah, home. Anyway, it was either—

BOOM!

Destiny whipped around as an explosion burst from a ways behind her. She couldn’t feel any aftershocks but it was definitely loud. What was that? A meteor? A bomb? Those never happened back in her hometown; the only big problems were...

Wait...

Oh no. This was bad. Someone was in danger.

---

Destiny didn’t stop sprinting until she reached a lamp post on the corner of the road where all the commotion was. Only then did she collapse against and wrap her arms around it, taking deep breath after deep breath to try and ease the burning in her ribs. At least she got much farther than she did in last year’s beep test.

It took a moment but her torso stopped feeling so much like it was burning that it would keep her from moving. She lifted her head to the intersection ahead. Only a bit more to go. She put one foot in front of the other, breathing cyclically as she went to ease the burden on her lungs, until she reached the corner. She peered around it to survey the damage...

There was a black dragon.

No joke, there was a real dragon. In the middle of the street, in a deep crater that splintered into fissures that reached the sidewalks, battered cars, shattered windows, and topped streetlights, was an honest to goodness, to scale, living and breathing dragon.

Sort of. Maybe.

It definitely had the silhouette of a European dragon. Long snout and neck? Check. Four clawed legs? Check. Two massive wings? Checkity. Tail? Checking check. But it was in the details how the dragon was just kind of... wrong. Its body was covered not in scales or a leather hide but some kind of furry black moss. Its wings reminded her of flower petals. The two horns growing out of the back of its head looked like stalks and the fangs and claws resembled thorns. The tip of its tail, weirdest of all, looked like a budding flower.

A closer look would probably clear up a lot of details but Destiny was not one to get herself in harm’s way for curiosity’s sake. The same could not be said for the citizens around her, as it turned out; from the corner behind which she hid, she saw folks out in the open taking pictures of the thing with their phones. All their survival instincts taught them to do was to keep their distance a bit. Given three wishes, Destiny would wish for the bystanders to rack off, decent Internet for home, and a tray of Tim Tams.

Actually, she could just use the first wish to get the dragon to go away.

Speaking of, the big brute had yet to attack anyone. Actually, it had yet to even move from its crater. It stood right in the middle as it surveyed the crowd. She could hear a low growl coming from the thing; it was probably wary of everyone, ready to strike at the first sod that tried any funny business. So was it being defensive or...? What’s going on here?

The crowd itself got caught up in the speculation, murmuring to each other.

“Oh God, I’m actually looking at one...”

“Did it just fall from the sky?”

“My car!”

“If that damn glare would get lost...”

“I’d love one as a pet.”

“Where’s Dame Daffodil?”

That last one was said quite a few times. So Dame Daffodil was really real, as were the monsters on that poster. She should’ve gotten the hint after Penny and that girl she met—Charo, that was her name—told her about the hero but an impartial bystander saying her name gave it that impersonal quality that assured her she wasn’t nuts and talking to imaginary friends. Not that superheroes were hard to digest but you never know.

Damn it, though, she just wished everyone would go away. The dragon was only growling in a warning manner but that could change in an instant. Why was it even here? It wasn’t attacking so what’s the dea—

A warm yellow glow came in through the air and landed in the middle of the street like a heavy flower petal. It was a human—no, a superhuman. The dragon directed its now dangerous snarling at her as she stood up. She was a bit shorter than Destiny. She had a green leafy waist bow. She had a yellow dress. Her hair was messy and orange and long with a ponytail held in by a daffodil accessory. No prizes for guessing who she was.

Dame Daffodil turned around and waved at the bystanders. “Hey...!” she called, not quite putting her all into it because of fatigue but she was putting in as much as she can. “Is everyone okay?”

“DAME DAFFODIL!” cheered what sounded like the entire country condensed to a single street with all the enthusiasm of a bunch of fireworks getting married.

The local superhero wore her biggest possible grin and waved at those gathered. Many of them thrust their phones higher and forward to catch her image.

Destiny, on the other hand, stood frozen at her corner. Of course she recognised Dame Daffodil. The shocking part was how she recognised her more as Charo, who she encountered only minutes ago.

How did she not put two and two together before? She was right next to the poster. One simple comparison of their faces and boom, she could tell Charo was the very superhero she herself admired in a sort of narcissistic way. Yet it never crossed her mind. Why? Well, she supposed Dame Daffodil’s face on the poster was kind of fuzzy and hard to focus on for some reason. In the flesh, Dame Daffodil had something a bit... weird... going on with her face and Destiny recognised her just fine. Was this because of the poster? Maybe cameras only saw the fuzz like a regular would and carried that across...

Oh whatever. She could figure it out later if she was still interested.

“Everyone, please get away from here!” called Dame Daffodil after the spectators had finally settled down. “It’s dangerous! Please get to safety!”

The blaring of sirens followed right after as a couple of police cars arrived, bringing with them four men. “You heard her!” they shouted into megaphones. “Evacuate immediately for your own safety!”

Finally, the civilians left. Or some of them, anyway. Destiny would bet her toy collection that some of them were staying behind after pretending to leave.

She could probably go too, really. She ducked back and turned down an alleyway. Here’s hoping Dame Daffodil could deal with that dragon in her state...

---

The hero looked at the dragon cautiously. She regarded it not as a monster but as a dangerous but ultimately innocent animal, like an angry dog. It was a bit nerve-wracking how the dragon looked so annoyed at her but she kept it together. “Easy, easy...” she said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you...”

But the dragon was not easing up. Its nostrils flared and its brow furrowed as Dame Daffodil spoke. It growled at her and bared its thorny teeth.

“It’s okay...” Dame Daffodil continued, even if she was a bit anxious. She took another step forward...

And the dragon stood on its back legs and roared to the sky with such ferocity that the superhero had to back away while covering her ears.

“Uh oh,” she said.

The dragon threw its head down and blasted a cyclonic stream of what looked like glowing green pollen at her. It was as wide as a single line and faster than a speeding car; a regular human would have to be lucky to dodge it only partly.

Fortunately, Dame Daffodil was no regular human reliant on luck; her baggy eyes portrayed a false weakness as she used her super speed to spring onto a wall and then jump off to leap back over the street, which was now stained down the middle with an acidic green. Even the asphalt was smoking. At least she evaded it in its entirety.

The dragon began to raise its head to her airborne body, the lines of its mouth starting to glow green.

“No...!” Dame Daffodil thrust her palms out together and light coalesced in between them before she fired it as a bright beam.

The attack struck the top of the dragon’s snout with an earth-shaking boom as the pollen breath spewed out, now pointed at the dragon’s feet. Smoke burst from the laser’s impact and obscured the monster and the street from view. Pollen continued to kick up at the ground for a few more seconds, whirling at the base of the smoke.

Dame Daffodil landed on her feet in the middle of the road. She looked at the pollen breath as it continued to spill out even after the dragon was blasted on the face. “It’s tough. I’ll need to hit it more than once.”

With a roar, the dragon beat its wings and dispersed the smoke. Even if it was covered in black moss, it was easy to tell the face was burned rather savagely. Same went for its front feet that endured its breath. Yet, for all the damage, it looked even more ready for a fight. It kept its glare focused on Dame Daffodil as it growled.

Dame Daffodil groaned. “I wish things would be easy for once these days…”

The dragon roared and lunged towards her in a single bound with its front feet raised. Dame Daffodil quickly bounced to the side as the dragon’s claws slammed into the spot where she just was, shattering it like a plate.

Dame Daffodil rolled as she landed and righted herself with one hand braced against the road (bare skin against asphalt and pavement hurt, by the way, especially when a dragon just puked magic acid pollen on it) while she aimed the other at the dragon. A one-handed laser was less than half as strong as a two-handed one but it was faster to aim and fire.

But not fast enough, sadly. The dragon followed up its attack immediately with a swing of its tail, which she only caught from the corner of her eye, and she hurried to duck and roll under it. She raised her head to get her bearings again but she noticed the dragon’s other immediate follow-up in the form of it opening its glowing mouth.

“Oh come on...!” she grunted, bouncing away right before another stream of pollen could engulf her. Finally, she was out of range of its melee attacks. She quickly turned and fired another one-handed laser, which she knew the dragon was too large and slow to dodge, and scored an impact. Although the blast was smaller, there was enough smoke produced for her to use as a smokescreen while she put more distance between herself and the dragon.

But she didn’t get far before the smoke cleared and she saw, to her dismay, that the dragon blocked the blast with its wing curled around its body.

“What does it take to hurt you?!” Dame Daffodil shouted.

The dragon rotated its head ninety degrees and lunged forward with an open maw. With an upper jaw to the left and a lower jaw to the right, Dame Daffodil’s instincts drove her to backflip into the air.

One vertical rotation later, her eyes were in position to see the dragon’s mouth glow green once more.

It was going to fire.

She was stuck in the air.

She couldn’t dodge.

She desperately pushed her hands together. The light was barely forming in her palms as the stream of pollen rushed her way. It still wasn’t ready to fire as the stream got close enough for her to feel how hot it wa—

Something slammed into her side and caught her and... carried her off? One second, she was about to bathe in dragon not-fire. The next, she was being carried while the stream rushed by above and behind her. What saved her with super speed rivalling her own?

She looked up and her breath caught in her throat. A blue bodysuit, glinting with stars like a brilliant night sky. Long, sparkling silver hair. A transparent blue visor. A pink skirt glimmering like a nebula. And she could never overlook the thin steel gauntlets that held her carefully, as grey as the rest of the hero’s armour that covered her torso and feet.

The new hero smiled at her. “Never thought I’d be saving you, Dame Daffodil.”

Dame Daffodil’s energy had been in tremendous decline that day. It was a miracle she could make herself go out with how much she needed rest she wasn’t getting. And yet, seeing the hero she never thought she’d meet holding her in her arms brought her to life. “YOU’RE SAVERSTAR!” she yelled, beaming.

“Saverstar...?” murmured the voice of a civilian that didn’t have the sense to run away when he was asked.

“Isn’t she from Australia...?” asked another one.

“Four of them now?”

“Here? In England?!”

“Saverstar?!”

As Saverstar lifted her head, she saw the citizens moving out of hiding to get a closer look at the new arrival. Their astonished murmurs died as their breaths were taken away from their eyes confirming the amazing; Saverstar was here in the flesh in England.

The civilians, unsurprisingly, started shouting.

“Saverstar!”

“Oh my God!”

“She’s actually here!”

“WE LOVE YOU, SAVERSTAR!”

First things first, Saverstar placed Dame Daffodil back on the ground. With her arms free, she stood up straight and waved to the forming crowd that hollered and waved back.

“Alright, that’s ENOUGH!” she shouted as she stopped waving, and it was great that the crowd acknowledged her by being quiet. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a DRAGON here! We’ll take care of it! Now, as Dame Daffodil said, BUGGER OFF!”

Everyone in the crowd yelped before turning around and running.

Dame Daffodil chuckled. “I wish they’d listen to me when I said that.”

“I’ll give you tips after this,” said Saverstar as she turned to face the dragon. All things considered, it was rather patient to just sit there while she introduced herself. That said, it was a lot more agitated now than when it was just Dame Daffodil; its eyes quivered and shook as it beheld her. Was it just measuring her as a threat?

Saverstar held her left hand out in front of her. Small glimmers of light sparkled one after the other in the air, getting faster and faster, as they coalesced and came together in her hand. In a flash, the lights became one and formed into a stringless bow that looked like it was made from diamond. The dragon reared back, provoked by the bow’s appearance.

She placed her right fingers on the grip of her bow and pulled back. An arrow of light appeared with the action, shaking with energy just aching to be unleashed on her target.

The dragon’s mouth glowed green before it fired a stream of pollen at the aiming archer and Dame Daffodil. Both magical girls jumped out of the way in opposite directions. Saverstar still had her magic arrow nocked and fired it into the dragon mid-leap.

The arrow of light shot right through the dragon… and it had no effect, aside from a slight shudder. All Saverstar had to show for her efforts was a slightly peeved dragon that took the moment to roar at her.

“Look out!” cried Dame Daffodil as she fired a double-handed laser that landed directly on the side of the dragon’s head. It kicked up plenty of smoke as usual, obscuring the heroes from the dragon’s view as Dame Daffodil raced to Saverstar’s side. “Are you okay? The arrow didn’t do anything!”

A faint green glow shone through the smoke. Saverstar and Dame Daffodil immediately recognised the danger and jumped out of the way as a pollen stream shot out of the smoke. The breath expelling the pollen dispersed the smoke, making the dragon visible.

“I didn’t expect it to do anything,” said Saverstar. She grabbed the end of her bow’s limb with both hands, holding it like a club. “The arrow doesn’t do damage; all it does is exorcise possessed people. If that dragon’s not possessed, the arrow won’t do anything.”

Not that she cared. The enemies of Dame Daffodil weren’t like hers back in Ngawooin; back home, the monsters were possessed townspeople wracked with grief and needed counselling on top of a beatdown. But here? They were just monsters. All she needed to do was crush them.

Dame Daffodil looked at Saverstar with concern. “Then what do you do?”

The dragon pounced towards the two heroes. Both of them stepped back before the dragon landed right where they used to be, breaking the ground with the force. Dame Daffodil’s footing shook but Saverstar still stood.

“I’ve got more than one string to my bow!” shouted Saverstar, bludgeoning the side of the dragon’s head with her weapon, eliciting a pained cry from the creature. The dragon swiped at her with a claw only for Saverstar to evade it by flashing away down the road with her super speed. Dame Daffodil joined her at the same time.

With a bit of distance between them and the dragon, they took a moment to catch their breath.

The dragon regained its bearings as well. It glared at them, snarling, and then it spread its wings wide and roared at them more viciously than ever before.

Dame Daffodil and Saverstar sped towards the dragon head-on. When they got right in front of it, they split off to either side. The two heroes jumped from road to wall, from building to building, and back to the dragon, attacking with laser after club after laser after club, alternating between the two and speeding away.

Try as it might, the dragon couldn’t keep up with them both. It lunged at Saverstar with tooth and claw, only to miss and be distracted from Dame Daffodil’s two-handed lasers taking the moment to strike it. It blocked Dame Daffodil’s lasers with its wings and whipped at her with its tail, only to be completely exposed when Saverstar ran right into it with kicks, punches, or bow clubbings.

Saverstar appeared in front of the dragon, leaping forward and kicking down at the dragon’s snout. She leapt over the dragon’s back… and the dragon promptly clapped the back of its wings against Saverstar. She raised her hands to push against the wings but that only trapped her right behind the dragon, which lifted its tail and whipped her, knocking her down to the road in front of the dragon.

The dragon’s mouth began to glow green.

Dame Daffodil appeared in a flash in front of Saverstar, pushing her palms together and building up energy between them.

The dragon unleashed a stream of pollen at the exact same time Dame Daffodil fired her two-handed laser. The laser split the stream, the pollen rushing harmlessly beyond Dame Daffodil and Saverstar on both sides, and shot right into the dragon’s maw with an explosion.

The smoke cloud was enormous. Dame Daffodil and Saverstar nervously stepped back in defensive stances, wary of a surprise attack.

But the smoke wasn’t dispersed by the dragon’s actions; it dissipated on its own, revealing the dragon slumped on the road, its face viciously burned and damaged and lying in a puddle of its own acidic pollen.

There was no mistaking it. It was down and out.

“WooHOO!” cheered Dame Daffodil, pumping her fist in the air. “We did it! We finally beat…”

Her enthusiasm drained rapidly from fatigue and her legs gave out.

“Oi, careful!” Saverstar caught her as she fell. “Gotta get home before you sleep.”

Dame Daffodil chuckled with what little energy she had. Her baggy eyes looked at Saverstar with appreciation and tired triumph. “Right, right… But I need to take care of the dragon once and for all, first. Just one more attack should do it.”

“Alright, just take it easy.” Saverstar helped her to her feet and walked with her to the lying dragon.

Dame Daffodil broke away from Saverstar and stood in front of their fallen foe. It didn’t twitch in the slightest; it wasn’t getting back up with a surprise attack.

She pressed her hands together to gather energy. She took more time to gather more energy for a laser larger than those before, something that would annihilate the animal.

She fired her final laser. It created a dust cloud big enough to engulf the entire street and both Saverstar and Dame Daffodil. It lingered for a long half minute before it dispersed.

The dragon was completely gone. From the scorched black road where its body once lied, a dark flower with six wrinkled petals and a light centre bloomed. It was hauntingly beautiful but uncomfortable to look at.

“Finally,” grunted Dame Daffodil rubbing the back of her head.

With a shake of her hand, Saverstar vanished her bow in a flash of light.

“YEAH! GO DAME DAFFODIL!” cheered a bystander from the side of the road.

More citizens gathered and cheered with congratulations for Dame Daffodil and quite a few for Saverstar as well. The crowd was electric with enthusiasm, probably due to the new hero on the scene all the way from Australia.

As exhausted as she was, Dame Daffodil smiled and waved at the crowd. “Thanks guys but I really gotta go…”

“Excuse me…! Pardon…!” muttered a man with a microphone as he pushed his way through the crowd, followed by a man carrying a camera. A field news team, no doubt.

Saverstar frowned. Dame Daffodil needed rest more than she needed an interview (and Saverstar just plain wasn’t in the mood). She ran to Dame Daffodil’s side. “Don’t suppose you want to hop it out of here?”

“Don’t you know it…!” Dame Daffodil nodded.

“Alright then.” With a roll of her neck, Saverstar picked up Dame Daffodil like she was a bride. “Buckle up.”

“What—Wait!”

But Saverstar didn’t wait for the surprised Dame Daffodil; in a flash of blue, she took off running across the city, far away from the happy fans and reporters.

---

The two of them stopped in one of the many alleyways of Birmingham. No prying eyes or curious sorts to follow them in here. They’d be safe to take a breather, even if just for a moment.

The exhausted Dame Daffodil slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground. Not the most hygienic place for that but it worked. “Whew… Jeez, I was lucky you came around today. Best luck I’ve had these last two months.”

“Looked like it,” said Saverstar. “You really look out of it.”

Dame Daffodil nodded. “It’s been rough. Monsters have been appearing more often than ever before and I’m having a hard time keeping up.”

“Well it’s good that I’m here then. I’m happy to help.” Saverstar took a moment to think and recollect. “… You’re Charo, right?”

Dame Daffodil froze. She looked at Saverstar with wide, fearful eyes. “Uh, what makes you think—”

Yeah, that was coming on a bit strong. Saverstar took that moment to detransform. Her brilliant and shining form dimmed as her hair went from long and silver to short and blonde. Her visor, bodysuit, armour, skirt, gauntlets, and greaves all vanished, leaving her in just her civilian getup.

She smiled at Dame Daffodil. “My full name’s Destiny Pride. So now we both have a secret to share.”

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khymer-vulture · 7 years

Text

Iiiittt’‘ssss June 10th! You know what that means!

It’s Rachel Gardner’s birthday!

There’s a theme for the 60 minute challenge in the Discord, the theme is Summer. Ray’s birthday is also in the summer, why not both? :D

Set in between Covering Our Tracks and Captivate

Summer, the most sweltering time of the year.

It sucks, not only was it hot, but it seemed almost every place Zack and Ray came across, it was filled with people. From the obnoxious behavior of each individual, it was all mostly tourists, visiting new places for a change of scenery during the season. God, they got on Zack’s nerves. Ray would softly sigh as she placed a hand on top of Zack’s to help him erase the need to use his scythe. Sure, she found them annoying too, but cutting them down indiscriminately would draw too much attention.

Zack was hot and frustrated and needed a damn place to cool his head, he had tried everything to keep himself from overheating without making himself look like a huge target. Taking away his hoodie was out of the question, and he refused to roll up the sleeves, but he was fine with unzipping it. Zack didn’t argue too much about having his pant legs rolled up, Ray eventually came to learn that it was mainly Zack’s upper torso that’s been burned. After all, she had to roll them up for him, because he’d do such a botched-up job at it.

Thankfully, the tourists often booked in mid-to-higher ranked places, so finding a shelter from the heat wasn’t too bad. Some motels wanted to question Ray, but the two would go to the next until one gave her a key as soon as money was flashed. Finally, a place to rest, and take advantage of some A/C.

“Hurry the hell up and turn the damn thing on, I’m cooking in my own damn clothes, here!” Zack shouts.

Impatient as ever, Ray knelt to the indoor A/C unit to adjust the temperature at a more comfortable setting, then set the speed of the fan, and she could hear the device quickly turn on. Then came the sound of Zack flopping onto the bed, exposing his bandaged torso out from his opened hoodie, he must be so relieved to feel the cool air against his body.

“Fuuuck, how the hell to people stand this god damn heat? It sucks!” he complained.

Ray sat herself on the bed next to Zack, “Hmm, all sort of reasons. Kids are out of school. People go on vacations. Others like to go to the beach…”

Zack raised a brow, how she talked made it seem like she was about to say something else.

“…and?”

“O-oh…um…and I guess camping too…no, that probably counts as a vacation,” Ray stumbled on her words, her cheeks were becoming rosy.

“Pretty sure you were gonna say something else,” Zack said as he rolled onto his side.

Ray was tight lipped for a moment, then shook her head, “I-it’s selfish…it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Spill it.”

If Zack wanted answers, he wanted them now, and not a runaround. Ray knew this as she sighed to herself, then shyly looked to the man.

“…My birthday too. It’s tomorrow…” she quietly said.

“That’s what was so hard to say? Jeez…” Zack mumbled as he lightly shoved the girl, “Speak up sometimes…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Zack said, then lightly pat her back, “Um…happy early birthday, I guess? I don’t really have anything to give you, my bad.”

“That’s fine, as long as I’m still with you, that’s a perfect gift for me,” Ray replied.

Zack then lightly covered her face with his hand, that comment made him slightly flustered, “Come on, don’t go saying stuff like that, fuck…”

Rachel shook herself free as she playfully flopped Zack’s hood back over his face, that action caught the man off guard for a moment, he never expected her to retaliate at him like that, but Zack couldn’t get mad, it was kind of funny to see someone like her act boldly.

“Oh, look at you being all tough now,” he teased. Then he thought of something relating to the topic, “…I was born in the summer too, probably a little later than you though…I don’t really know the exact day…just a guess…”

Rachel was intrigued and listened to what he had to say, “Is that so? Exact or no, it’s still something…”

She remembered some of Zack’s information was on a sheet when the two were in that tower, but it had been so long, she couldn’t recall if a supposed birth date was on there or not.

“When do you think you were born?”

Zack thought for a moment, “It’s…definitely late July…I can remember that, because the days start to get much hotter…the 24th, I guess?”

“I see, I’ll remember it then…I’ll be sure to get you something,” Ray replied, rather sweetly.

“Better be a new knife or something, you still owe me one…ya know?” Zack murmured, as he lightly scratched the back of his head, “…seriously though…I’m just pulling your damn leg, you don’t have to bother getting me anything.”

She probably would anyway, it was how she is.

Eventually, Zack rolled himself off the bed and onto his feet. He slipped his hoodie off and tossed it to the girl, “Wash that real quick, I’m gonna hop in the shower and head back out…”

“Just this?”

“What, you want me waltzing around with no clothes on?” Zack remarked with a sarcastic grin.

Boy, did Rachel’s face turn a deep shade of red before burying her face in his hoodie, Isaac couldn’t hold back a laugh as he began his walk to the bathroom.

“Ha! I’ve never seen you turn so red, fucking priceless.”

He was messing with her, it wasn’t the first time Zack teased her, but it was the first to make her blush so red.

Ray huffed to herself and got up to do the small favor for him, since it was just one item, it didn’t take too long to wash and dry in the machines. She did feel slightly drained from walking around in the heat, and secretly wished she had the endless stamina like Zack. What could she do? She was still young. Rachel sighed to herself and decided to close her eyes for a bit, a little rest would do some good.

It did take Zack a while to finish with his shower, there was the pain in the ass task of removing his old bandages, actually taking a damn shower, then the task of putting new wrappings back on. When he finally stepped out, he felt the immediate draft of the other room hit him, maybe they set the temperature down a little too much. Nothing his hoodie wouldn’t fix, the man walked up to the machine in the room’s laundry closet and pulled out his slightly warmed jacket.

Zack can see through the window that the sun was in the process of setting, at least he won’t have to suffer in the unbearable heat.

“Alright, I’m heading out…”

No answer.

Isaac raised a brow as he turned his head to Rachel, he quietly walked up to her and lightly poked the girl’s cheek - still warm.

“Huh…knocked out…”

It was going to be a simple errand, though, he never told Ray what it was, that was for the best anyway. Zack grabbed his disguised scythe and headed out the door, he made sure to close it quietly behind himself.

Zack didn’t know why he was doing this, a supposed “errand” was actually him figuring out what the hell to get Ray for tomorrow. He shouldn’t care, but he didn’t know why he was so damn compelled to do it. Maybe it was the possibility of making her smile improve? Yeah, he’ll go with that. Nothing too sappy or anything, that wasn’t Zack’s motif.

If he could piece anything from his less-than-stellar memory, she did like flowers, but it was too damn hot for flowers to last. Animals, was another, but no way in fuck he was going to fetch a live one. A doll of an animal maybe. Didn’t they have cakes involved too? No way he could steal a whole damn cake.

This was too damn confusing.

Whatever he would come across that he can steal, or looks like something Ray might like, then he’ll take it.

He did spot a claw machine of sorts, possibly something to grab the attention of tourists and fleece them of their money. It did have potential items Zack could steal no problem, a simple smashing would do. He scanned his surroundings before he gripped onto the hilt of his scythe and swiftly slammed it against the glass. Zack reached in and grabbed whatever his fingers clasped and made a quick run for it.

One side of himself told Zack what he was doing was stupid yet his more destructive side was having a field day in smashing and stealing things. The side he listened to was quite obvious.

Zack hid himself for a moment, then glanced at his potential loot, it was a small teddy bear. He brushed off any remaining shards of glass off the false fur, then stuffed it into his hoodie. Good enough, he thought to himself, and quietly slunk into the shadows. The man eventually made his back to where him and Ray made their temporary residence. With no hassles at all, he’d call it a good night, a tourist would most likely be blamed for his bit of vandalism. As Zack walked past the vending machines next to the motel, his mind began to tick once more.

Sure, he could smash it open, but why would risk the two having to ditch their brief moment of comfort and sleep in the muggy outdoors? Fuck that. Isaac quietly walked up to one of the machines, pulled a sleeve back, and slid his hand through the retrieval slot. He was glad his arm was slender enough to reach whatever he could pillage, he knocked down a few bags of candy and snacks, then scooped them all up in his arms and into his hoodie.

That should be a decent amount.

Isaac slowly turned the doorknob to their room, and peeked his head inside. Rachel was still sleeping on the bed – perfect.

The man quietly made his way into the room and propped his scythe onto the wall to be used for another day. Getting his loot out of his hoodie without waking Ray was the hard part, every bag wanted to crinkle from each movement Zack made, he wasn’t the delicate type, but he did manage to get them all out and propped onto the nightstand next to Ray’s bed. Zack stared at the small pile of goodies he had gotten specifically for Ray, and for her birthday nonetheless, then pondered why he was so driven to get her such trivial things.

One assurance was for her smile to change, but maybe it was something more than that. Maybe he felt like Ray at least deserved someone who gave a damn about when she was born, and he was absolutely sure Rachel’s own family didn’t care much. Fuck it, she earned it. Zack may have sworn to kill her one day, but at least he wanted her to have some joys in her life – die with no regrets.

Isaac brought a hand up and gently ran his fingers through her hair before he decided to go to bed himself.

The next morning, Rachel was the first to wake up, yet she didn’t feel a familiar warmth beside her like she normally did. The girl looked to see Zack was snoozing in the other bed beside hers, she was confused for a moment, then turned to see something beside her nightstand.

Candy, snacks, and a small teddy bear.

Ray moved herself to sit on the edge of the bed and picked up the small plush animal, then quickly glanced over to the sleeping man. So, that’s what he was doing while he was out? He got her gifts for her birthday, and chose to sleep in the other bed to keep her from waking – almost like a surprise.

She felt herself give a soft smile as she held the bear against her body, for a blunt man like Zack, it was a sweet gesture. Ray stood up and walked over to Zack’s bed, she knelt down slightly as she gave his covered forehead a tender kiss of gratitude.

“Thank you, Zack…” she whispered.

Maybe when Zack’s supposed birthday came around, she’d like to surprise him too. He may act like he’d be opposed to it, but she knew he’d probably he very happy about it just like she is today.

#khymer's fanfics #angels of death #angel of slaughter #aod #satsuriku no tenshi #happy birthday ray! :D

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