#you and then dump your body somewhere. im well aware of that. but they *also* want to entirely entrap us and our identities and keep us | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thiswasinevitableid · 3 years

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7. Leshen Indruck your choice of rating!

Here you go! I went with SFW

It’s old wisdom that humans fear that which they do not understand.

Indrid really hoped he would never learn the truth of that wisdom the hard way, but here he is. One misplaced attempt at aiding someone using his foresight and he’s been caught, blindfolded, and dumped in the middle of the vast Monongahela Forest.

He just wanted to help.

His foresight renders him less fearful than he’d otherwise be; he’ll be able to see threats coming and locate the resources he needs. If he takes his time, he might be able to use his visions to locate the nearest (friendly) village. And, like anyone who grew up near the woods, he knows how to hunt, fish, and forage. For someone who’s been left to die, he’s rather confident.

Still, it sting a little.

After a few moments of rightfully-earned self-pity, he buttons up his coat and starts the slow, halting journey towards safety.

Two days later, he’s pushing his way through branches and miserably pointing out to himself again and again that a town where everyone grew up with basic forest survival skills would exile one of their own somewhere that required high-level survival skills.

The topography and scenery is so disorienting that he may have better luck if he covered his eyes, spun around ten times, and chose his path from there. It’s a dense landscape of deep greens and browns with splashes of bright color that he’d no doubt enjoy were he not constantly snagging on branches or catching his toes on roots.

Worse, he’s had no luck catching food, and cannot for the life of him locate water. The fact it rained last night is the only reason he’s not dangerously dehydrated.

A sharp, high chirp draws his eye to the foot of a tree. Flapping sparsely feathered wings, a baby bird hops through the mud, her nest visible but unreachable. A meager meal, but a meal nonetheless.

Indrid scoops her into his palms, clambers into the lowest crook of the tree, and sets her back among her siblings.

His stomach chastises him the rest of the day, though the rest of his body rejoices when he finds a hollow in the base of a tree large enough for him to shelter within. From within the trunk, he spies vine sprawling across the ground, berries glinting in the light rain. Deep purple, meaning they’re Brambleberries.

The handful he shoves into his mouth brings tears to his eyes, even though they’re not the ripest. How else do you explain the bitterness chasing the sweetness down his throat.

Wait. Brambleberries don’t go purple until mid-summer. This is early spring. Which means those were-

“Chokeberries.” He curses himself, darting outside the tree once more, finger down his throat until his meal comes back up. Maybe he was fast enough.

His throat tightens in a prelude to closing. Sinking to his knees, gasping for air, he swears the ground vibrates with heavy steps. His eyes flutter close as he falls forward. As darkness slips over his eyes, he thinks it’s taking him a long time to hit the ground.

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Bitter metal on his tongue.

“Nnnnf” Eyes still shut, he pushes at whatever is holding the spoon and it’s vile contents in his mouth.

“None of that. You’re gonna need two more doses of this before that Chokeberry is outta your system, and they were hard enough to get into you when you were passed out. Swallow.”

He swallows.

A large hand pats his head, “There we go. I know, shit’s gross, but if you were fool enough to eat those berries, might stun some sense into you.”

Indrid sits up, rubbing his eyes, “I was delirious with hunger, forgive me for not remembering the exact seasons of fruits. Did you heal me only to insult me or-” his visions flicker back full force, revealing his host before he opens his eyes. He scrambles back, but instead of a wall or an edge he just finds a vast expanse of bed.

Watching him with an amused set to his lips is a man three heads taller and much bulkier than Indrid, dark hair streaked with grey-green moss, eyes the dark green of pine needles, and nails like treebark. He crosses arms tattooed with green, gold, and bronze swirls, waiting for Indrid to collect himself.

“A Leshen.”

“Yep.”

“Are...are you going to eat me?”

“What? No, I’m not gonna fuckin eat you. I don’t know which of my kind chowed down on humans but if I ever find out I’m gonna give ‘im a piece of my mind. Ain’t great to have people thinkin I’m a man-eater when the worst I done is throw a tree at someone.”

“That is still very alarming.”

The Leshen shrugs “I’m a forest guardian; I’m gonna guard.”

Indrid studies him, wary, drawing the covers up his chest without noticing.

“Look” the Leshen sighs, “I ain’t tryin to scare you. Hell, made myself the smallest I can so I could be all comfortin. Noticed you in the woods earlier today and kept an eye on you, since humans-”

“Don’t often come here, yes, I am aware. I was extremely, forcibly exiled into your part of the woods.”

Green eyes blink, “Huh. Well, point is it didn’t seem right to leave you there to die, so I brought you here. Chokeberry is real easy to undo, assumin you got the right herbs.”

“Thank you.” He doesn’t know what else to say. His foresight tells him the Leshens promise of no harm is true, but there are so many timelines for what he could say and how his host could respond that he freezes.

“You’re welcome. You got a name?”

“Indrid.”

“You oughta rest up more, Indrid. I’ll be back with the next dose in a bit.” His host steps out to the hall.

“Wait, do I, ah, get to know your name?”

“Duck.”

He snickers, replies to the raised eyebrow with, “Apologies, I expected something tree-related.”

Duck smiles, “It’s a nickname.”

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“What’s your plan?” Duck asks from across the breakfast table. The morning found Indrid well enough to walk and to eat without feeling ill, so he’s been perching awkwardly on a chair that’s too big for him as the Leshen makes plates of toast and eggs that don't come from any bird Indrid is familiar with.

“I, ah, I don’t really have one other than ‘avoid going home’.”

“You were just gonna wander around until you found a village? I hate to tell you this, but there ain’t one for at least fifty miles, and I’m guessin that’s the one you came from. They must’ve used and enter to navigate here, because this part of the woods is hostile to travel by design.”

“Yours?” Indrid sips his tea, face to hide his distaste for its bitterness.

“Yep.” Duck slides a jar over to him, it’s copper lid revealing sugar cubes within, “Don’t much feel like runnin into humans every damn day, and it means that even as y’all sprawl out more and more, there are parts of this wood that stay wild.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but it does little to improve my situation. Unless…” he bites his lip.

“Unless?”

“Unless I could stay here. I’m not bad company, and I have some skills which could-”

“No” Duck shakes his head, “savin you is one thing, takin you on as a roommate is all whole other kettle of fish.”

“Ah. Right. Of course.” He sips his tea, reflection crestfallen. Maybe he’ll just finish this and then go back to sleep.

Duck sighs, expression one of someone who already regrets the offer he’s about to make, “You can stay here for a month. After that, I’ll get you as close to a safe village as I can, and you’re on your own. Deal?”

Indrid grins, appetite returning in full, “Deal.”

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Duck has a good guess as to what’s making all the scratching and clanging in his kitchen, but it’s still a surprise to see Indrid moving from counters to chairs doubling as stools to tend a pot that he can barely peer into.

The human’s gotten nimble over the last week and a half, thanks to his routine attempts to help Duck around the house. Everything is scaled to Duck’s smallest possible form, but that still leaves Indrid at a disadvantage.

He’d be more inclined to help him if it wasn’t so obvious that his help is a ploy to convince Duck to let him stay. Look, he feels bad for the guy, but humans don’t have a great track record with his kind and he generally likes his peace and quiet out in the woods. He also notices that, left to his own devices, Indrid is messy. The area around the couch he uses as a bed is strewn drawings and unfolded clothes that Duck conjured up. Which means this is about Ducks favor, not a commitment to household cleanliness.

That’s not to say having Indrid around has been unpleasant; the human is good company but also understands Ducks' need for space. He’s odd, and even though the foresight was the given reason, Duck suspects his fellow villagers would have found reason to exile him regardless. Indrid even said that living with Duck was the happiest he’d felt in some time. That wasn’t a ploy; Indrid is prone to saying unnerving statements without registering them. Thorns pricked Duck’s heart when he heard it and, that night, when Indrid fell asleep on the bed during their conversation about deer, he didn’t move him. Just brushed the white hair from his eyes and laid down a respectful distance away.

“Oh! We’re in the timeline when you’re early.” Indrid waves distractedly as he wrestles open a jar, “I checked on you during the day through my visions and it looked as though you got drenched, so I thought something warm was in order.”

He’s smiling, and Duck’s gaze lingers long enough to see there’s no trickery in it. Yeah, being a forest spirit means storms are refreshing more than freezing, but the one today was so relentless he felt like it was eroding him away.

“Thanks, Indrid. I’ll join you in a sec.”

The next morning, before he leaves he forms some nearby stumps into a proper step-stool, and transmogrifies the minerals of the earth into a solid set of human sized pots and pans.

-------------------------------------------

“I know you’re there, Duck. I may not have eyes in the trees, but I do have visions that tell me when someone is dithering about coming to speak with me.” Indrid smiles, checking the fishing pole he’s dug into the shore. He feels rather than hears Duck approach; in spite of his size, the Leshen moves through the woods more softly than a butterfly.

“Guess those visions do make you harder to spy on than the average human.”

“A not at all creepy statement.” Indrid teases, then tips over when Duck playfully shoves him.

“Shit, sorry.”

“It’s alright” he brushes off his arm, “the sand is nice and warm.” He picks up his sketchbook (stray pieces of paper sewn together) and pens (Duck turned flowers, fruit, leaves, and wood into them until Indrid had every color) and continues drawing. Half the reason he likes fishing is that he can draw futures (and for his own pleasure) while he does it. The other half is that he doesn’t want Duck to view him as a parasite in his home. Yes, for the first week, he did everything he could to demonstrate that he would make an excellent addition to the house made of twisting trunks and mossy floors.

Now, though, he just wants to enjoy his time with Duck, even if that means not tidying constantly or cooking every meal. He hopes Duck enjoys it too, regardless of whether he lets Indrid stay. The Leshen is lonely, even if it only comes through on those days when his voice is like the wind through a weather-beaten log. Indrid wishes he knew how to assuage it, but a month is not long enough to learn such things.

He’s slept in Duck’s bed these last three nights. It’s not purposeful, Duck is just so interesting to talk with and Indrid will lose sight of the time, will slump sideways and mumble that he ought to turn in, and then wake up in the early hours atop his host. It didn’t occur to him until this morning that Duck does that to keep Indrid from being uncomfortably squashed by his larger bedmate. And that Duck chooses to do that rather than carry Indrid to his own bed.

“Hey, uh, ‘Drid?” Duck’s voice brings him back to the riverside, “would you, uh, wanna come with me on my rounds sometimes? Might be some nice things to draw, and that foresight of yours could be real helpful with some of the stuff I need to keep an eye on.”

His host looks nervous until Indrid nods, “I would be honored.”

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Never has the folding of clothes made him so miserable. Yet still he tucks the garments into the large-but-manageable rucksack Duck gave him, placing his sketchpad safely between the layers of fabric.

“Weather oughta be good tomorrow.” His visions show Duck behind him, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s going to miss that voice, the way leaves rustle underneath the drawl.

“That’s good.” He pulls the ties on his rucksack, sets at the end of the couch but doesn’t turn around.

“I’d, uh, say you’re welcome to visit but, uh, well, you know how fuckin hard this place is to find.”

“Mmmm.” Indrid wants him to go, wants him to be brusque or happy, not awkwardly fond in a way that gives false hope of shared affection.

“‘Drid there’s, there’s somethin I wanna, that is I’m thinkin...aw, fuck it.”

Indrid yelps as arms nearly as big around as he is scoop him up. Duck’s lifted him to examine flowers or see over trees, but the hugging is new.

“Duck?” Carefully, he drapes his arms over his shoulders.

“Don’t go.”

“I don’t want to.” Duck always smells faintly of pine needles and green wood, and Indrid buries his face in his neck, inhaling in hopes of remembering it forever.

“Then stay. I changed my mind, ‘Drid, life is so much better with you around.”

“Okay” Indrid can’t get his voice above a whisper; this wasn’t in the timelines, which means Duck changed his mind at the literal last moment.

“Really? You wanna stay?” Duck shifts him back, Indrid functionally sitting on his forearm with his legs half wrapped around his chest.

The seer summons his courage, finds it lacking, and so closes his eyes before going in for a kiss. His lips find Duck’s cheek until a firm hand cups the back of his head, guiding their mouths together. At this size, their mouths are compatible even as Indrid remains pleasantly dwarfed. Duck breaks the kiss first but Indrid, hell-bent on making up for lost time, continues kissing his face until they’re both laughing.

Duck kisses his forehead, “I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

#indruck #indrid cold/duck newton #monster march #reader requests #leshen

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unproduciblesmackdown · 5 years

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it’s 7am and for no especial reason im gonna throw out “bat boy” numbers that really go off which is, really all of them, but still, might as well share my wisdom

a) COMFORT AND JOY: obviously!!!!! THE song. it is seriously like, wow. the drama. and its Such a jam. what haven’t i already said to endorse it? cuz i’ll say some more.

b) SHOW YOU A THING OR TWO: automatically gets second spot b/c its second most likely to be in my head. it’s all “i’ll show you a thing or two, second verse with these-two-notes [two-notes]” and i do a little dance for those two-notes. and the lyrics “you’ll soon complete it—but, wait! ((??)) don’t eat it ((oh))” will loop thru my brain like fifteen times. lot of Musical Style variation in this whole show and this ones got like, a highstepping chorus line theme & thats a delight. and lots of incredible lyrics too, like this song’s “but now say howdy to a summa cum laude.” oh wait and i suppose its self explanatory but meredith The Mom and shelley The Daughter are teaching edgar The Bat Boy like, all of general knowledge in a matter of weeks / maybe several months. dr parker The Husband / Vet is tangentially helpful but not really because he sucks. meredith’s patience is v nice. you really have to root for them, except dr parker, because he sucks.

C) CHILDREN, CHILDREN: any ranking order beyond this is basically just me throwing darts w my eyes closed but this is a good third cuz its again that musical variety......this ones like, this 90s-ish movie credits remix echoey chimy synthy thing going on?? but its really a jam too. when the company joins in with the “oooo~shalala” i go BERSERK.....and there’s this suddenly punk rockish break in the middle of it. pretty great. what’s going on is that, as edgar and shelley are fleeing from Society into nature / the woods to reinvent their notions of humanity, the god of that sort of stuff Pan has shown up with an eden-esque panoply of animals to sing this song to set the mood. obviously.

D) WHATCHA WANNA DO: speaking of punk rockish...this is that? it’s a bit head-tiltingly jarring as its just this number in which one of the local teens who found edgar in the cave shows up to the parkers’ house where he’s currently caged and reacts to him in a Thematic Microcosm of what will be others’ reactions, aka to reflect a like, lack of inhibition re sex and mostly violence back at his feral nature and perceived inhumanity. one of the stranger numbers in a weird musical, but still a jam, see: punk rockish

E) A JOYFUL NOISE (REPRISE): end the musical here and everythings fine! just a real short one but a lot of fun because of what i just said. edgar goes to the local revival to beg the townspeople’s and preacher’s acceptance, and they give it to him. yet more musical style variety and a shoutout to this exchange

F) THREE BEDROOM HOUSE: send the musical in a different direction in the middle of this and everything could still be fine. this is a fun boppish number kinda reflecting elements of “show you a thing or two” musically, which i suppose is since its again mostly about meredith having decided that they can make this mess of a situation work. that mess being that, edgar Was accepted by the town but actually her husband killed a local teen and then showed up and blamed it on edgar & implied the mysterious plague upon their cows was edgar’s fault too and edgar’s run off into the woods. then this one is followed by children, children. i could go in order but its chaos rules only!!! the amount of fun energy in this song is frankly great and its like hell yeah meredith!!!!! hell yeah hock this stupid ring!!! kill your husband!! or whatever. js

G) CHRISTIAN CHARITY: god this one is fun idk......also self explanatory imo. local teens have found a cave cryptid, now the sheriff has him, he’s dragged him into the house where the local vet lives and is just p much casually dumping said cryptid on them, which is funny. there’s Musical Themes here repeated w some of the townspeople’s numbers & set up for comfort and joy....what really gets me is the sheriff’s part that starts abt a minute into the number where it’s like, this really neat almost-lilting musical phrase in the key of i don’t know, but its cool. i like it

H) INSIDE YOUR HEART: man, this one’s got this like, p simple musical Theme in there that’s just like, that’s all you need really. sort of like, the classic ballad duet type of song now. but also sort of cutting its own drama, b/c the musicals like, tragicomic and all. like edgar has this whole swelling “oh god this curséd existence you have to leave me” declaration and then immediately you get shelley’s matter of fact “...no.” even tho its a bit Meta Humorous like that, frankly its still a pretty great straightforward and sweet number which im sure a lot of musicàl love songs Wish they could be, which is just made more Smh by the fact that a) it’s about shelley trying to convince edgar its okay to drink her blood and b) because right after it ends meredith shows up to belatedly inform them that they’re half siblings. shits a wild ride.

I) A HOME FOR YOU: careening back to the beginning....this one is also less like, oh shit im gonna dance along, more of a subdued and quiet number, but its a nice solo of meredith’s and p sweet but not in a way like Inside Your Heart where its gonna get immediately wrecked. instead its one of the more grounded songs where she’s just telling the feral bat teen now in her house that maybe he can like, belong somewhere. it also has the Additional Depth not yet revealed in the plot that meredith is aware that edgar is her own child whom she had previously presumed dead. and this song is also Significant in that it’s Reprised when edgar realizes he might actually be fully human (he’s not) and is eager to go to the town’s upcoming revival and win their acceptance; and its Musical Theme is briefly reprised in “apology to a cow” when edgar is at the total opposite end of things, having been turned on by the town thx to the betrayal of his evil stepdad, and then having his and shelley’s attempt to forsake the need for social acceptance in the first place Also Wrecked by their mom telling them she’s their mom, so then he’s just mad at everything and murders a cow b/c he feels the only thing left is to embrace their idea of him as a killer monster, and he Reprises the a home for you theme as he swears to kill both meredith and dr parker, which he doesn’t, although they do Die around him. whoops. wanna @ will roland and be like “hey can you sing this one single line from Apology For A Cow?? cuz its rly cool and honestly a lot of these songs make me sure that wroland’s version of this material what with his voice and acting and how dramatically that production seemed to treat the outlandishness in general all means i’d fucking go ballistic and i wanna hear ‘this face will be the last thing that you ever see’ cuz that key change and that like, rise and fall at the end,,,,OOF,,,”

J) I IMAGINE YOU’RE UPSET: just round it off by slapping this climactic song right down. it’s a lot. dramatic again but also kinda fun...ish......i mean its the “everythings gone to shit and lets bring everyone together for peak disaster” so how much fun can be had? yet the quick exchange of “i smell [...] her sweat” “oh my god” whole town: “JESUS!!” and the sheriff singing “im sorry your life’s a sham” like hfvlmao thanks dude. but there’s all the clashes of characters’ built-up emotions and edgar is over here covered in blood and demanding to be killed while the town is like YEAH but all meredith’s lines are especially bittersweet and honestly like its a weird absurd story obviously and we’re all here to be ourselves and have fun but the story does make me bummed cuz of thinking about it all as “okay, yeah, but if you treat it earnestly,,,,Sad” like man you hearken back to three bedroom house and how meredith is determined to see it all be okay and really like just wants to live with her kids somewhere safe and NOT with her crap husband who’s been ruining everything the whole time for once. and then she’s here caught between the final confrontation of the Dramatic Foils that are edgar and dr parker and in general everything is a bit too late. ugh. lot of Dramatic Exchanges here and musical theme reprises!! that’s the good shit. and then the song ends on dr parker’s sort of ominous yet resigned-ish “are you hungry edgar” (shoutout to comfort and joy!!) after which he cuts his own throat, and, just like in comfort and joy, (and sort of like just prior to comfort and joy, when edgar reflexively defended meredith from dr parkers Violent Behavior) when he presents edgar w the fresh blood edgar automatically Attacks, wherein dr parker takes the chance to stab him, and inadvertently stabs meredith when she tries to shield edgar, and they all three die w edgar bleeding-outly refuting his humanity to shelley, and then there’s the final number where everyone’s like wow that was some shit. but ACTUALLY there is also this one specific detail i’d be desperate to see from the nyu steinhardt version, which is that after they all die and there’s that Breathless Moment, the Man From The Institute who the sheriff had called earlier to deal with edgar Rushes In and sort of beholds the whole town gathered staring at these three bodies and maybe a cow’s head off to the side, and one of the townspeople just goes “...you’re late.” and i am so certain that this line is HghhfGH-wheeze-laugh worthy; but the performance i saw they did NOT do the timing right!!! they said it like right off whereas what you need to do is hold the pause at least three full seconds!! and then go: You’re Late. i’m adamant about this. so much of Landing The Delivery is timing!! anyways. god. press f. anyways. it’s now 9 am. thanks and good morning. basically saying that the whole soundtrack is basically pretty great and really will roland has doomed me to actually be invested in this weird story, b/c its the ol magical realism comedic-framed wild obviously-that-would-never-happen plot, but, still, you’ve got this teen trying his best and it COULD all be fine actually but it all goes to shit b/c nobody killed dr parker in time really. well i’d just like to conclude by saying it’s raining and that’s great b/c i love when it’s raining

#long post ///#but a great and essential post //:/#february 2011 nyu steinhardt players club bat boy production starring will roland #like i WISH bc i wish we had that productions versions of all these songs!!! and the whole thing rly!!!! help me william spinnato!!!!

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yeolnope · 7 years

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corrupt pt. 1 - dirtycop!jaebum

moodboard by me

wordcount: 2,700

Finding out your brother was a dirty cop was hard enough, but trying to deny his even dirtier partners effect on you was even harder.

warnings: illegal activities, swearing

The rain was relentless. You shivered violently, wrapping your arms around yourself in a feeble attempt to conserve the heat rapidly exiting your body as the downpour soaked through all the layers of your clothing.

The rain streamed down your face and blurred your vision, making your perspective of the world something similar to a Monet painting. You knew the shivering wasn’t due to the cold, fear had numbed you to the presently unforgiving outside elements, you knew you were quaking in terror.

You stood in a deadly triangle, Jaebum pointing the sleek silver of his handgun towards your prone forehead, Yugeom having the cruel mouth of his own gun directed at Jaebum’s heart.

‘Y/N, I hope you realize how silly of an idea it was for you to follow us here, hmm?’, Jaebum’s stern voice was clear over the roar of the rain.

You nodded, your tears dancing with the rain, running down your cheeks, not being able to look anywhere but on the trigger, which he rested his prone pointer finger on. This was surreal, just a day ago you were struck with the thought that your brother’s recent distant behavior may have been due to him becoming depressed, not a fucking dirty cop with an even dirtier partner.

You saw the slightest quiver out of the corner of your eyes; Yugeom was struggling to point the gun towards his partner. When he first started he would go on and on about how much he admired his elder, how cool Jaebum was, how much he’d be able to learn about being a detective from Jaebum. You hadn’t seen that vibrant glint in your baby brother's eyes for a long, long time, the last time he seemed so passionate from something was when he became a police officer, but that was years ago, your brother had changed.

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Earlier today you decided you wanted to talk to him, but you were aware he worked long hours, what harm could be done if you dropped by the police station and had a quick word to check in and see if he was fine?

The lights of a vibrant city were just beginning to blink on sporadically as you approached the station. Coincidentally, as you rounded the street corner and stepped on the first of four steps up to the glass sliding door with an emblem on the middle, Yugeom was walking out of those same doors.

You smiled at him brightly and nodded to the man directly behind him, his partner in fighting crime, Jaebum. Yugeom’s eyebrows rose, nearly lost in the hair that fell across his forehead stylishly.

‘Y/N, why are you here’ he said nervously as Jaebum stepped around him and continued on down the road, you thought he almost expected your younger brother to follow him. You were just as shocked at the neither warm nor particularly icy reception he gave you, as shocked as he was to see you.

‘I just came to check if you were alright’, Jaebum was quickly disappearing down the street, Yugeom turning his head every few seconds, obviously agitated his partner was traveling further away from him.

He didn’t want to speak to you, the thought made your head drop down, your chin hitting your sternum. ‘But if you need to leave, we can talk later’ you quickly continued on, trying to sound as upbeat as possible at Yugeoms lack of enthusiasm.

He gave you a sad smile, ‘I’ll call you tomorrow at around lunch time and we can chat then, but now I gotta go, duty calls!’ he said, not even finishing that sentence before he was running off.

You wanted to follow him, wanted to know what was so important his rude ass of a partner couldn’t even stop and wait for your brother to finish talking to you. What was so important your brother couldn’t even give you a hug or a proper hello. So, besides your gut telling you, perhaps you shouldn’t follow the two police officers, you followed the two police officers.

They must have walked through the city for miles because you found yourself ducking behind cargo containers at the shipyard. They stopped at a black one, you crouched, using your arms to brace yourself against a red one two rows behind them. Yugeom produced a key and unlocked the contained, swinging both of the doors open. Jaebum stepped inside, coming out moments later with two large long briefcases in tow, the length of them maybe spanning half of the length of his leg.

They shut and locked the door, walking further down to the waterfront where there was a clearing of just bare concrete that spanned a few meters before a short drop to the ocean. That’s when the first drops of rain began to fall; the drops made trails down your face and ran their chilly fingers down your back. Yet, you were intrigued now, so you pushed on, following them until you stopped at the closest container to the clearing. You made sure you crouched in a shadow, giving them still the slimmest chance to see you, but allowing you relative safety to snoop.

Another man stood there with Jaebum and Yugeom, indicating toward the older police officers hands. He nodded and opened the large briefcase to show an array of guns, each different sized arranged neatly in different compartments but all deadly, you gasped in shock. As you were watching the trade happening, money being put in JB’s hand whilst he handed over the case a pair of strong arms circled your chest and pulled you off the floor so your legs dangled inches from the surface. Fight or flight kicked in as you screamed and struggled everything is brought into laser focus in front of your eyes as you thrashed your head around. The flecks of rust on the container you were hiding behind, the sunspots on your attackers' arms and the fact you may die. The mysterious man barked something in Chinese and he surged forward into the open. In front of your shocked brother and his bemused partner, who muttered something in Chinese to the man he was trading with. He pulled out a gun and nodded at my captor, who unceremoniously dumped me on the ground and escaped with the guns.

Jaebums gun was directed at me. I blanched as I stood up slowly, his guns position on my forehead moving with me, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I heard movement to my right and saw out of the corner of my eye that Yugeom had also drawn his gun and it had its gaze on Jaebum.

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‘She’ll keep her mouth shut’ he pleaded, you could imagine the look on his face right now. His eyes slightly squinted, head coming forward whilst his shoulders tilted up a bit, you remember when you had just learned to drive, this was the look you always got from him when he wanted you to taxi him somewhere.

‘How do you know that?’ he snapped back at the younger man, thrusting his gun out to clarify his murderous intentions, his eyes filling with an inhuman rage. You didn’t know Jaebum very well but you had previously thought he was okay. He attended a few family dinners at the beginning of him and Yugeoms partnership when Yugeom had first become a detective. You had even been to a few staff parties where you two had shared some witty banter. This was a side of Jaebum you never knew existed.

'She's my goddamn sister JB! I assure you’ His voice went a few octaves lower and his eyes grew darker, ‘I will step out of line if you even touch a hair on her head' he laughed humorlessly, ‘We’re cops as well, it's not like the higher-ups will believe her over us, think rationally’ he used his other hand to point to his temple, ‘she's my closest family’

In response, a sick smile found it's way onto JB’s annoyingly handsome face, ‘I know exactly what we can do to ensure she won't tell anyone’ he said, shifting his weight from one leg to another, lowering his gun for half a second. This was my chance, you thought to yourself; you would run to a nearby container and hide behind it as you called the police.

That thought was forced out of your head as he raised his gun again and strolled towards you, putting his other hand casually in his trouser pocket. He circled you, much like a predator circling his prey and ended up directly behind you, so close you could feel his nose skim the corner of your ear as he took a breath in.

You could hear the smile in his voice as he breathed in your ear, ‘just as long as you remain silent…anything you say can and will be used against you’ there was a pause and you took in a breath in response to what he said next, ‘along with perhaps a whip, or some hog ties, so I advise keeping that pretty mouth shut, understood?’, he trailed his hand along your jawline for effect and a different chill ran down your spine. Letting out a shaky breath, you replied with a clipped, ‘yes, understood’.

He finally moved away to Yugeom and stood beside him, crossing his strong-looking arms across his chest, ‘It looks like we have a new helper Yugie’. Your brother rolled his eyes and scoffed, ‘You don’t honestly think I would agree to drag my sister into this, do you, Jae?’. The older man raised a single eyebrow, ‘Unless you want her pretty little head to remain on her body, yes. Let's go’.

A sick look overtook both you and your brothers’ faces and you both quickly scuttled after him, putty in his hands. You refused to look at your brother, you hadn’t had time to reflect on your brother's hand in this, this…you didn’t even know what to call it, this corruption? Yet, you thought he was better than that.

‘Im sorry’ a sullen voice suddenly said beside you as you passed massive container after massive container. ‘Sorry doesn’t unbreak the law’ you spat out under your breath, being careful the man leading you two away from the scene of the crime didn’t hear you berate your brother.

Yugeom grabbed your arm, effectively stopping you, ‘you shouldn’t have…’ you immediately yanked your arm out of his grasp and continued on walking, not willing to get into Jaebum’s bad any more than you already were by not following his orders to follow him. ‘I shouldn’t have what?’ and laughed ironically and swiped the soaking hair that was flopping into your face. ‘I shouldn’t have been concerned about the little brother I adored not contacting me recently?’ you hair was falling into your face again you smoothed it violently against the top of your scalp with a frustrated huff.

You walked closer to Yugeom, who looked remorseful, thank god he had remorse and wasn’t like his partner. ‘You are the one who is in the wrong here, Yugeom’ you said with as much venom you could muster with a whisper, ‘Apologies for giving a shit, I am so sorry brother’. As you spat the last word you stormed ahead of him to where Jaebum was waiting at his car, leaning on it casually. He pulled out a cigarette and lit the tip, the stick begins to glow a steady orange when he took his first deep drag, sliding the lighter back into his black jeans’ front pocket.

The front lights of a silver Mercedes sedan behind Jaebum’s Lexus flashed for a second indicating it as being unlocked, you knew Yugie could never afford this with what he was supposed to be earning. Something else also didn’t ring right, ‘You guy’s walked here, right?’, Yugeom drifted past you to his car, ‘they didn’t only pay us in money’ he said offhandedly as he rounded the shiny new car and opened the passenger door. Despite the deep, sinking, dirty feeling you had. You went to follow your brother but Jaebum made a disapproving noise, which caused you to stop and peer at him. You let out a silent ‘huff’, you were eager to get out of the rain.

A sick smile found it's way onto Jaebum’s annoyingly handsome face as he threw his finished cigarette, opening his passenger door with a flourish, you're hopping in with me dear, you need to convince me you won’t be telling anyone about tonight’s happening’s’. You looked over at Yugeom but he was already in his car and you couldn’t see through the tinted windows. Completely defeated you knew you had to get into the man’s car.

Slowly but steadily, you made your way to Jaebums car, brushing past him and getting a good whiff of his intoxicating, woody, scent. When you were safely seated in the new smelling car, he slammed the door behind you, making you jump. Half a second later he was in the driver’s seat, starting the cars’ engine and pulling away.

When you were on the freeway, speeding towards god-knows-where, you felt a warm hand on the middle of your thigh. Your head shot to Jaebum, seeing he was smiling to himself, eyes on the road. ‘You’re really gonna need to show me how sorry you are and how much you want to make it up to me’. He said, turning his head to leer at you, whilst his hand traveled up your thigh, getting dangerously close to a very private area.

Why did you want him to move those few inches further?

THANK YOU FOR READING XXXXX

137 notes · View notes

gulescamisade · 7 years

Text

Alaska: Day 7

DAVE: -this guy is no longer dying. is he dizzy? yes. is he shivering? yes. that's good. do his fingers and toes look relatively normal now? yes. suffering maybe, but not dying. hell no. NOT TODAY.-

[[ That's the spirit! ]]

[[The blizzard still raged overhead. This is sure a hell of a storm. ]]

REDGLARE: -she has been SLOWLY circumventing the radius of the cave, looking for exits. Wherever and whatever they may be...-

DAVE: -watching redglare as she goes around. ENTERTAINMENT-

MITUNA: -He's been alternating, maintaining the "ceiling" and dumping the snow elsewhere. As of now, he rests.-

LATULA: -RUBBING HIS HEAD-

[[ With thorough searching, time, and scruitiny, Redglare may be able to hear a hollow sound over the snowstorm overhead. It sounds akin to wind being pulled through a tunnel. ]]

[[ A wind tunnel, so to speak. ]]

REDGLARE: -She's been dragging a little rock along, scraping the floor so she'll have a line back. She attempts to put her arm through the windy wind tunnel. JUST SORTA FEEL AROUND OUT THERE-

KARKAT: =watches this and stays huddled with Dave.=

DAVE: what is she doing

[[ It's not so much a tunnel yet as it's a hole the size of a dime. By placing her hand up to it, Redglare can feel a coolness against her hand. ]]

REDGLARE: -hm. Some more testing. She takes the sharp rock and begins to attempt to dig around the hole, trying to feel if the surrounding area is soft enough to make it a little bigger.-

DAVE: i hope thats a sharpies pick of a rock

ARANEA: -watches redglare also. by this point she's huddling with daelos again.-

DAVE: if were gonna be diggin our way to minnesota

REDGLARE: -she can't really hear them but she's vaguely aware of the fact that she's being watched. Not that it matters too much to her.-

[[ Success! It breaks away bit by glorious bit until the soil falls away, falling down from the larger rocks littering the base to the floor. Come to think of it, this area actually appears to look like it had been a cave-in at one point. The hole has now grown big enough for Redglare to stick her head through. ]]

KARKAT: =That seems. Like a bad idea. Sticking heads in random holes=

DAVE: thats gotta be a glory hole for a giant dick

KARKAT: Stop talking about dicks, Dave.

ARANEA: 😒

REDGLARE: -2 bad she doesn't really have any source of light... sticking her head through is something she WON'T Do. instead she's gonna stick her arm through and feel around a little.-

DAVE: -DONT DO THAT HAVE YOU SEEN AMERICAN HORROR STORY ASYLUM WHERE ADAM LEVINE STICKS HIS HAND SOMEWHERE AND IT GETS EATEN-

[[ CHOMP! Nah, jk. ]]

KARKAT: =Wow. SPOILERS=

[[ It's chilly where Redglare's arm has decided to be. But the other side is hollow. Any amount of flapping around will only pass through empty air. ]]

REDGLARE: -She's trying to find the floor, if any exists. Does this simply open to some kind of chasm?-

DAVE: -IT HAPPENS IN THE FIRST EPISODE HE DIES RIGHT AWAY-

KARKAT: =Maybe he's still on season 1 or something!=

[[ With effort, her fingers brush something on the other side. It feels like gravel and loose soil, much like what has fallen to the ground on her side. The ground feels like it might be gently sloping downward. ]]

REDGLARE: -She pulls her arm out. It's dusty and covered in dirt and her fingers are a little achy, but she raises her arm and gestures towards the group.-

KARKAT: What is it? I'm hoping you're about to say "a hot spring".

REDGLARE: -Shakes her head. She does a sign for 'wind' and 'down'. Not much ELSE than that, but she can barely see over here.-

DAVE: maybe some clothes

KARKAT: Some place down.... hang on. =Rubs Dave's shoulders and scoots him close to the fire then goes to see what Redglare means and it already feels cooler... but probably because there's no fire on the other end=

KARKAT: Should dig it out you think?

REDGLARE: -NODS-

KARKAT: Alright. =He starts to dig his claws in to try and widen the hole more. Haha good thing it's not all collapsing on them!=

DAVE: careful of the dick

KARKAT: =Sighs.....= Dick just... comforts him. For some reason. =Says to Redglare, or to himself=

REDGLARE: -LISTEN SHE'S JUST SURE THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE. Maybe even... THE OUTSIDE?

KARKAT: =Okay but the outside is.... very not great=

[[ The winds howls above, reminding them of the shitty storm still in progress. ]]

KARKAT: =The outside is very not great=

REDGLARE: -well she's not gonna stop unless someone stops her-

REDGLARE: -that's for certain-

[[ With Karkat's help, much of the gravel and slightly larger stones have been moved aside. All that is left now are the larger rocks. There are some the size of their fists and some the size of bowling balls. Down at the very bottom by their feet, there one particularly large one that may need at 2-3 people to move. ]]

[[ But progress is progress and for now they are MAKING some. ]]

KARKAT: =Maybe he can use this dirt and gravel to bury his matesprit, oh wait he doesn't have her body and trolls don't do that haha. Claws out more gravel and dirt, just keeps working=

REDGLARE: -WORK THROUGH THE PAIN. She's going for the big rock and gestures at Karkat.-

REDGLARE: -C'MON-

DAVE: -going to carefully...push...himself up. oooowwwwwwwwwww. USE. YOUR ARMS. DAVE.-

KARKAT: =YOU LAY BACK DOWN, but he's coming Redglare lets get this BIG ROCK.=

REDGLARE: -She is doing her best to get har arms around it, shoving her body weight and attempting to roll it out of the way a little at a time.-

[[ It doesn't roll so much as slide. There is an extended grinding sound as it's moved about an inch. ]]

DAVE: -OH GOD HIS LEGS ARE NUMB SHIT SHIT SHIT okay they're fine now. he's actually managing to stand and it makes him incredibly dizzy and now his HEAD is screaming with pain. but at least the frostbite's gone. he wants to see what they're doing. give him a second. he's basically a turtle with this back sitch-

KARKAT: =DAVE HE SWEARS TO GOD and also huffs a little trying to drag this rock up and out of the way. The grinding sound is annoying and defeats the purpose of them having to be quiet but it's GOTTA GO=

REDGLARE: -YEAH. they might need stuff on the other side. Like more rocks, or plants. Or mushrooms?-

ARANEA: -dave you fucking fuck. hisses a little at him.- (Don't hurt yourself...)

DAVE: what am i gonna do die in this cave DAVE: no thanks -he's walking pretty funny to try to avoid further injuring himself, and he's still dizzy so it takes intense focus to head in the right direction-

[[ Little by little the rock is moved away, grinding along as it's pushed. The dirt the rock had been holding up near the sides shifted, raining down small particles over the entrance they've created, but their work seems to hold. There doesn't appear to be another cave-in happening today. ]]

REDGLARE: -oh hey it feels like her leg is on fire. and bleeding again. She inhales a sharp breath as it finally, after so much effort, gives way to a reasonably-sized opening.-

[[ Well done everyone!! ]]

[[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4jKa6jaek ]]

KARKAT: =Huzah.=

KARKAT: =Now what the heck is in here?=

REDGLARE: -hm. She takes a rock and then she just. GENTLY ROLLS IT DOWN. see how far it goes and whether it makes a sound...-

[[ It's large enough to crawl through, even for Daelos, but they will have to crawl. The hollow, airy sound Redglare heard before is much louder now. The rock disappears through the hole, rolling for a second or two before seemingly stopping. There is nothing but darkness beyond. You'll need a light source to proceed. ]]

ARANEA: -wobbly follows after dave-

KARKAT: =Someone snap Mituna like a glowstick=

REDGLARE: -DO NOT SNAP MITUNA-

DAVE: -did someone ask for sick fires-

KARKAT: =Sick fires not a sick human.... eyeballs Dave= Sit down...

DAVE: why

KARKAT: Because you look like shit, which coming from me doesn't mean much butif you look at everyone comparatively you look like shit.

REDGLARE: -signs. HAVE LIGHT? It's a long shot.-

DAVE: thats cuz im the only human and not a troll

DAVE: no light

KARKAT: No. I'm sure if we had a seadweller that wasn't a mutant freak then they'd be fucked too. =He looks to the fire=

KARKAT: We can use one of the smaller pieces of wood... not the best idea but it's all we got for now.

ARANEA: -NO LIGHT NO LIGHT IN YOUR BRIGHT BLUE EYES I NEVER KNEW DAYLIGHT COULD BE SO VIOLENT-

DAVE: -too bad my eyes are red-

KARKAT: =He's also thinking about dicks right now so=

REDGLARE: -THIS WOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM IF LIGHT WEREN'T SO FUCKING METAPHORICAL!!! stupid paradox space-

[[ The cave waits... seductive and windy. ]]

KARKAT: =Don't...... and he also goes to get a stick..... a log..... a stog from the fire= Alright. Let's hope nothing in there is hungry.

REDGLARE: -frowns, slightly. It's windy. It may not last... but she's not voicing any of those issues. She just nods.-

DAVE: -steps backward because from what he can feel...that's another one way trip to frostbite land-

REDGLARE: -She's going to go in first, getting low to the ground and gradually shimmying down the slope. Just in case.-

[[ Once on the other side, Redglare finds she is able to stand. What light their stog gives illuminates off of the walls of the cave, showing there is much more to the other side than they thought - it is a series of caverns, leading downwards and deeper with no presumable end in sight, far larger than the pitfall into which they were lowered. ]]

KARKAT: =Good, he nods to Dave= We'll be back. =He follows Redglare trying his best to sheild the fire at least a li-- oh= Fuck.

REDGLARE: -Frowns. But then, that's why she's been marking the floors. Now she's going to start marking the walls, too.-

REDGLARE: (3v3ry tr1p m4k3 4 n3w l1n3. know wh4t to follow b4ck.)

DAVE: you better -without much of anything else to say...he very carefully....tries to sit down...-

KARKAT: =Nods at her instructions=

REDGLARE: -BASIC MAZE RULES-- follow the left wall.-

REDGLARE: -that is to say that's what she's doing there. Slow and a bit overly cautious-- or, at least, masking the pain from walking with caution.-

KARKAT: =Would she prefer he piggyback her?=

KARKAT: =To be fair... her leg is pretty gross bad=

REDGLARE: -...SHE WOULD NOT PREFER THAT OK-

REDGLARE: -She takes a deep breath of the air as they go, glancing back at Karkat with the fire.- (how th3 h3ll d1d th3y f1nd th1s pl4c3?)

[[ Meanwhile, in the original skylight cave where everyone else is, howling of a different kind can be heard mixing with the howling of wind from above, along with distant snarls. ]]

DAVE: -furrows his eyebrows and looks at aranea- (what was that)

[[ Redglare and Karkat are quite ambitious for undertaking such a task, but it must be done. It is much quieter in here and their soft voices seem to penetrate the silence. There is nothing but gentle drip dripping sounds from stalactites onto the cave floor. For now. ]]

KARKAT: (Some bullshit asshole luck I'm sure....) =He looks around the place following Redglare and wishing he had some kind of weapon on him at least=

REDGLARE: -well there ARE stalagmites.-

REDGLARE: -she eyes them. fuck u thousands of years of gelogical development they gotta survive-

KARKAT: =True.....=

REDGLARE: -she pauses at all the drip-dripping...-

REDGLARE: (could dr1ng 1t. 1n drops.)

KARKAT: (Could be piss, or bacteria infected.... we don't have anything to boil it in)

REDGLARE: (w3 don't h4v3 4nyth1ng. cl34n w4t3r, 31th3r.) -she continues to walk...-

KARKAT: (True... guess we can't be picky.) =Follows her and keeps the fire sheilded from winds=

[[ There is the occasional flapping of wings and high-pitched chittering that grows louder with their approach. Seems like bats live in here too. ]]

[[ More soft animalistic noises can be heard, little chunks of snow falling from the hole... And then, suddenly, something much larger, flailing in the air before hitting the ground with a crack. ]]

REDGLARE: -She flinches at the sound of the... thing. That crack sounded pretty sickly.-

REDGLARE: -She takes a step towards the noise.-

KARKAT: =Oh.... fucking...... christ. He puts his hand on-- oh=

KARKAT: =Oh fuck. Not that he knows=

KARKAT: =Wait, FUCK BATS.... fuck off bats=

DAVE: -startles and- (FUCK ) -not good for the back. this old man. he tries to move himself backwards as much as he can while he figures out what this thing is-

REDGLARE: -oh ok nevermind that then. She's seen enough about earth bats-- they're not really all that scary, compared to echobeasts. They don't prey on humans.-

MINDFANG: -She had been trying to sleep when whatever the hell it is crashed into the cave floor.-

MINDFANG: (Hhhn-the fuck--??)

[[ Blood pools around it on the ground from what they can see. It's furry. A wolf. ]]

MINDFANG: -What is it DOING down here though.-

MINDFANG: -She squints and slowly, stiffly, makes it onto her feet.-

KARKAT: =.....But they aren't humans. aaaaaaaaaaaaaa not really=

[[ It fell from the hole. Oops?? ]]

REDGLARE: -AAAAAA!!!-

MINDFANG: -Then its a dumb animal.-

MINDFANG: -Shes moving towards the fallen wolf to investigate. It is dead right?-

[[ No need to scream. These bats are harmless and they're more afraid of these large creatures invading their home than you are of them. ]]

DAVE: (what the fuck what the fuck)

KARKAT: =He wants to eat them..... but will leave them alone. For now=

[[ It's not moving currently. Blood continues to spread around it. ]]

[[ If a bat could speak, it would likely say, "You gotta reach us first. Fool." ]]

KARKAT: =That sounds like a challenge you little shit=

REDGLARE: -MAYBE THEY COULD DISCOVER BAT TRAPS. Just like don't starved. And SPEAKING of don't starved, she's going to get a big chunk of Better Rock from one of these stalagmites.-

MINDFANG: -That is not a direct answer.-

MINDFANG: -Shes keeping a small amount of distance then for now. Is there any obvious injury to it besides the whole falling stories thing?-

[[ It's a little too shadowy to tell completely what its injuries are. But before she can get too close, it starts moving again, twitching at first. ]]

MINDFANG: -JUMPS BACK, her metal fist is raised just in case. She can punch really hard with this robot arm, Wolf, just TRY IT.-

KARKAT: =Good, he'll just man the light for now as they continue down this path=

DAVE: (dont move)

[[ It squirms, twitching still, and there's soft cracks and crunches as it limps to its feet, blood still dripping down its fur. ]]

MINDFANG: -Dang, that sounds painful. She grimaces at the noises its body makes.- MINDFANG: (Its alive........ For now.) -Shes not taking her eyes off it.-

DAVE: -he's frozen. being here with a wolf is such a bad idea. no use running cuz that sure as hell isn't going to happen. WATCHES. QUIETLY-

MINDFANG: -Dont worry squishy human, she will protect you.-

DAVE: -thanks...-

[[ It limps closer, dripping. It seems to be approaching toward the direction of the people and the fire. ]]

DAVE: nice dog

DAVE: wolf

DAVE: i have a wife thats kind of a part robot dog

DAVE: maybe you know her i dont know

DAVE: from canine school

REDGLARE: -THE VAGUEST FEELING SOMETHING MAY BE GOING WRONG SOMEWHERE-

MINDFANG: -If it really is getting closer, shes not going to allow it. She picks up the nearest rock and whips it at the over grown puppy.-

REDGLARE: -she sucked the moisture off the stalagmite she broke off. it probably tastes bad...-

KARKAT: =Same...=

KARKAT: =He's jealous and disgusted=

[[ The rock bounces off of it, and it pauses only a moment before it keeps moving. ]]

[[ The bats chittering become louder and their squirming becomes more restless. Suddenly, the bats take off, flying deeper into the cave. ]]

DAVE: (DONT)

REDGLARE: -She flinches.-

REDGLARE: ...

REDGLARE: -Then she starts to back up.-

REDGLARE: (b4ck.)

MINDFANG: -Damn, shes grabbing another rock, this one is much larger.-

MINDFANG: (What is Your suggestion for what we should do then??) -She hisses at him without looking away from the animal.-

DAVE: (wait because its not attacking)

KARKAT: =Oh.... She doesn't need to tell him twice, he just. Puts his hand on her shoulder to guide her as they back track slowly.... nope. NAH=

MINDFANG: (So is your theory to w8 until it does??)

DAVE: (its really hurt tho thats the thing) -carefully extends hand toward wolf-

REDGLARE: -YEAH NAH. if the bats don't wanna deal SHE DOESN'T WANNA DEAL NEITHER-

REDGLARE: -brandishing this big rock-

MINDFANG: -Dave you are going to lose that hand.-

[[ The closer it gets to the firelight, the more they'll seem to see something strange about this wolf. At first it might be interpreted as bone and organs sticking out, but the longer they look, the more it seems to have some sort of... biowiring device on its back. ]]

DAVE: ...

MINDFANG: -That is arguably worse then bones and organs.-

MINDFANG: ..........

[[ With a gurgle, it opens its bloody mouth and snaps for Dave's hand. ]]

MINDFANG: -At the snap she is throwing the second rock, right at its face.-

DAVE: -RETRACTS HAND- (shit)

DAVE: (shit shit shit)

MINDFANG: Move 8ack!

DAVE: -in his attempt to move backward, something...doesn't sound right in his back at all. he just FUCKED SOMETHIN UP REAL GOOD- FUCK

[[ It's hit with a thunk, but the wolf doesn't seem deterred. Much like it isn't noticing much of anything they do. ]]

MINDFANG: -DAVE YOU USELESS HUMAN.-

MINDFANG: -Seeing how the youngest strider seems indisposed, she rushes to get between him and the wolf.-

MINDFANG: -Shes going to punch it right in the doggy snoot.-

DAVE: -he can work with LEG INJURIES AND FOOT INJURIES AND HAND INJURIES but THIS BULLSHIT IS STUPID-

[[ Redglare and Karkat can now hear distinct sounds of struggle and alarm from their "camp" back in the pitfall. ]]

[[ DOOF. It flies and rolls back a few feet over the ground, but it twitches back onto its feet within a few moments. ]]

KARKAT: !! =Okay, he's not going to make her run but he is going to kind of hoist her a little to get some support off her bad leg= (Fuck we have to go back!)

MINDFANG: -!!!??!-

MINDFANG: -Shes staying between it and Dave.-

REDGLARE: -!

REDGLARE: -IS HOIST-

REDGLARE: -she's not arguing but HECK-

DAVE: -got his dukes up just in case-

MINDFANG: Is this normal for earth canines? -Shes pretty sure it shouldnt be.-

DAVE: no

DAVE: no its not

KARKAT: =RUNS BACK... Well. Goes back quickly, here they come bustin in on the scene=

MINDFANG: -Thats just disturbing.-

MINDFANG: -She hisses and advances on the wolf. No sense in giving it a chance to get the first move in on them especially since they have no real weapons.-

MINDFANG: -Here comes her strong fist to its skull again.-

REDGLARE: Wh-

REDGLARE: -what the fuck???-

MINDFANG: -Hey Redglare watch her punch this wolf!-

KARKAT: =WHY, but also kill it=

REDGLARE: -SHE'S NOT YOUR MOM JEEZE-

[[ THUNK. This time it's another sickening crunch, but even bloodied and misshapen, it still tries to struggle up. It appears brain damage does not deter the beast. ]]

MINDFANG: -WITNESS HER.-

MINDFANG: -ALSO GROSS.-

REDGLARE: Wh3r3 d1d th4t com3 from? -She pulls away from Karkat. SHE'S GOT A SHARP ROCK CLUB-

MINDFANG: -Shes not giving up, she will punch it as many times as it takes.-

MINDFANG: -But yeah please get over here quick with that rock club.-

REDGLARE: -She aims it at its back-- pointy end down as hard as she can, to get it between the neck and shoulderblades.-

MINDFANG: -Quickly moves back for Redglare to do her thing.-

[[ Just around the time Redglare aims, something jumps from the wolf and onto Mindfang's metal arm. It's the biowire device, looking like some kind of insectoid creature with dangerous spaghetti wires hanging from it. ]]

[[ The wolf's body collapses in a heap to the stone. ]]

MINDFANG: -UM NO-

DAVE: -oh...my god...-

KARKAT:= WTF=

REDGLARE: -that... wasn't effective in the way it should be. She turns sharply.-

MINDFANG: -The second she sees it she is going into a frenzy to brush it off, get it off, anything.- MINDFANG: Wh8t the SHIT!!

[[ IT GOES FOR A CRAZY BUCKING BRONCO RIDE ON MINDFANG, but it seems like it's trying to crawl onto the rest of her. ]]

REDGLARE: Th3y.

REDGLARE: sh3 w4rn3d m3 to b3 qu13t.

REDGLARE: Som3th1ng would h34r us.

REDGLARE: th1s must b3 1t.

MINDFANG: -She is going to try and grab it with her normal hand and rip it off her. Nope. N O PE.-

DAVE: -IT SUCKS BEING HELPLESS!!!!!!-

DAELOS: - It takes him a while to drag himself to her huffing and puffing, but when he gets to Mindfang he attempts to slap both hands together, intending to squash the creature between them-

[[ It squish crunches grossly, and maybe stabs Daelos' hands a little bit. It twitches for a few moments before going limp. ]]

MINDFANG: -That is disgusting, that was ON her.-

MINDFANG: -She is turning and putting distance between herself and Daelos while she wipes off her metal arm just to get the feeling of it trying to crawl up her away.-

MINDFANG: (What the F8CK!)

KARKAT: What the fuck even happened?

[[ Shenanigans. ]]

DAVE: someones gotta be controlling that right

MINDFANG: -INDEED. Excuse her while she wheezes and tries not to keel over from the ache of her ribs coming back full force now that the rush of danger is gone.-

MINDFANG: (It fell. Through.)

DAVE: (the wolf)

KARKAT: It... God.

REDGLARE: -exhales.-

REDGLARE: ...th3r3's prob4bly mor3.

MINDFANG: Gr8. Splendid.

REDGLARE: d1d 1t hurt you?

KARKAT: So, what? We go fucking spelunking?

MINDFANG: Me? No. It didnt do anything. Asides from try and infect me with its 8ioware parasite.

[[ Past the roar of the storm, they hear the far off howls of the pack, followed by pained yips, then a terrible silence. Eventually, the howls resume, sounding different than before as though a wolf didn't know how to wolf. As though the biotech itself were recreating the sounds. ]]

MINDFANG: ...... -Thats not a comforting sound.-

KARKAT: Alright. Let's go spelunking.

REDGLARE: -She nods.-

DAVE: did you guys find anything like anywhere we could head to get out of this place

REDGLARE: Th3 c4v3s 4r3 3normous.

REDGLARE: But th1s 1s th3 only 3ntr4nc3.

REDGLARE: -she looks up at the hole...-

KARKAT: And there's bats.

MINDFANG: Quite frankly I will t8ke 8ats over more of those Things.

DAVE: are they attack bats DAVE: cuz if theyre attack bats that are trying to kill us then no DAVE: but if theyre normal bats idgaf

KARKAT: Great, let's go. =reaches for dave=

DAVE: about that

DAVE: i fucked up my back trying to get away from that wolf because im apparently useless

MINDFANG: -Good going Strider.-

KARKAT: You're not useless. You got the shit kicked out of you now come here. Let me try to pick you up. ..how bad is it?

DAVE: in medical terms

DAVE: not great

KARKAT: Then we'll. ...fix it down there maybe we'll find some underground grove. =here comes him=

DAVE: yeah and we can like use a stick to fight

KARKAT: Or rocks. =stoops to gently lift=

DAVE: slingshots good idea

KARKAT: =hoists, time to go into the hole=

DAVE: -here we go-

REDGLARE: -SHE'S STILL GOT A ROCK-

REDGLARE: >;I

[[ They can brave the caverns ahead or maybe possibly die in the pitfall behind them. The strange howls are drawing ever nearer. ]]

DAVE: -ANDALE-

REDGLARE: -Her vote is for the caverns, at least. They're bat people now.-

#cranktankerousGeneticist #coltishdaedalian #nemeanCatapult #academicgeniality #trojanabstruse #gladiateCarnifex #technologicgodot #gnarlycradz #abscissionGalliard

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