JewelSerket

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

5 AM: Wake up and– Check my notifications?

Eli groaned and pushed himself out of bed. Moving his arms burned. Moving in general burned. He wished he could go right back to sleep. Instead, he looked at his phone. He had not considered turning off his alarm last night, something he was quickly regretting. Eli picked up his phone and checked his messages. A small smile crossed his face.

’1 sounds good to me! Funny. I got into a work accident too. I wouldn’t be able to run or climb or anything either, haha! See u then.’

Eli pressed the send button, then dragged himself out of bed. Normally, he would be prepping for his workout. Instead, he took a long, careful shower, hating that he had to avoid getting the wound wet. His medical skills meant he knew how to skillfully replace his bandages, which helped him feel a little more normal.

Then Eli was in his closet. There was not much inside but workout clothes, sweatshirts, and the like. Big, comfy clothes that were loose and did not touch his skin much. He fished out a nice dress shirt and shorts, regretting that they were wrinkled. Eli tossed them on and stared at himself in the mirror. The brown pants made his ass look great, which was nice, but the tight, blue shirt emphasized the underlying bandages. There was one other issue with the outfit. He’s going to know you’re not a real man. He’s going to know you’re not good enough.

Elijah scrapped the outfit. Clearly, the bandages were too clear. Besides! He did not want to dress to fancy. What if this was not a romantic thing?? Sorrel would think he was a weirdo. Instead, he grabbed the nicest, cleanest grey sweatshirt he had and tossed on some jeans that were a bit too large. He considered packing… would that be disingenuous? Probably. He felt weird. Self conscious. Eventually, he decided against it.

Eli grabbed his gym bag, tossed his laptop into it, as well as the yarn and tools needed for his knitting project. Then he headed out for a leisurely walk to the park. The doctor said to be easy on his body! What is a few miles walk if it is slow and leisurely? He was fine and NOT a workaholic, thank you very much. Off he went to the park, arriving… only a few hours early.

𖤐 Hell's Renegades 𖤐

The Doctor acknowledged Harper’s entrance with a wave. She had fallen quiet for the most part. It was easier to let the Hounds fill the silence for her. It also meant less attention was drawn to Dr. Gate, which she much preferred. Especially with the state she was in, poorly groomed and all.

Roy’s mention of disappearance did little more than spark the Doctor’s interest. He had been gone for a while, which left Dr. Gate curious of his whereabouts. Now was, of course, not the time to ask such questions. Information like that was valuable and Dr. Gate doubted Roy would share it here and now. The Doctor’s gaze shot to Harper, the person who might more likely know about Roy’s actions. That would be a question for later.

Sabriel’s words were an icepick to the skull. Dr. Gate froze, though her gaze darted to the white haired man. She knew that bastard was calling her out specifically. Her hand shifted over her mouth as she pulled away from the couch. Dr. Gate leaned against the wall. It took a lot of energy to keep herself focused on Roy. To not seem anxious or even phased by the comments. To not show the growing queasiness that pooled in her stomach and threatened to spill over. Why did they keep bringing it up!? They didn’t have to! It was over. She should have run while she had the chance and left these ass holes behind.

But she didn’t.

Dr. Gate didn’t run. What a stupid decision to make. She broke eye contact with Roy when he mentioned her new restrictions. Realistically, Dr. Gate should have been in a much worse situation. If it were not for Dr. Cahyo’s assistance, she probably would be. Without realizing, she had begun to pick at the arms of her coat. It was a good thing she had a coat. It covered the scabs that she so desperately wanted to pick at and hid them from prying eyes.

It was not her fault that the DNCC had, predictably, wanted to pretend such destruction had not happened. After what she had done, it would be disastrous for anyone to find out the consequences of her actions. That did not change the fresh wave of guilt and queasiness that hit her when Casey spoke. Ne of all people was the person she wanted the least mad at her. Look at how that had gone.

The Doctor was grateful when Sabriel changed the subject back to the meeting at hand. Civilian clothing. Civilian items. That had Dr. Gate listening. It was not much, but those were something she could make actual use out of. More resources for her inventions. Hopefully, she could even get something she could write in without fear of stalking. Ever since she had found out about the journals, she had kept writing… though it was almost entirely more poetry. Dr. Gate had considered planting a dummy text for Dr. Cahyo to present, something that would throw people off the trail of Traveler language. She had not made herself do it, though. That would require confronting the journal problem head on.

Getting paid was even more promising. That suggested being able to buy things, which would expand her horizons further. She may be able to make more than just scrap objects. Sabriel’s question made the Doctor roll her eyes. Of course they were not getting paid. Prison, without even considering their special circumstances, was already a thinly veiled excuse for slavery. Hell, in some dimensions, it was not even veiled. Dr. Gate looked to Pine. A smirk crossed her face. It was, admittedly, fun to spur the drama. “It will probably be some special little store where we can buy moon pies and candy with the two quarters they give us per villain captured. Gods forbid we want something that might make us semi-comfortable.”

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

If nothing else, the DNCC was good for one particular thing: Insurance. With all his sort of medical experience, Elijah was able to plug his shoulder wounds. It wasn’t easy and it had burned like hell, but it worked to get Elijah to the hospital. Once there, flashing his DNCC insurance card meant he got extra privacy and all of his expenses paid. It did mean some time painfully transforming in and out of his King Stag form so they could help with the carapace damage. Not to mention the looks the doctors gave him when he confessed that he had failed in his capture.

By the time Elijah managed to drag himself home, the doctors had patched him up and told him to be gentle on his body, or it wouldn’t heal. Ha. Gentle on his body. That was a joke. Sleep had not come easily. He spent his night squirming in pain and the thoughts of the battle that day. It was going to be awkward to explain this tomorrow…

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

Elijah knew that scream would be stuck in his head for a long time. He told himself it was fine. It was worth it. That this was for the sake of self defense. To his credit, it was. It was his job to capture this bastard. Elijah turned to face Gamma Burn and…

“Shit!” He yelped, then dashed after Gamma Burn.

Elijah tried his damnedest to follow Gamma Burn but running shifted his damaged Carapace around and he was already slower. He pressed a hand to his chest. He absolutely did not want to get seen like this. Once Elijah lost sight of Gamma Burn, he spent some time looking around for Lilian, or his corpse if necessary. Luckily… or maybe unluckily? Elijah found neither. He slipped out of food forest and transformed back when he was certain nobody saw him.

Blood rapidly stained Elijah’s shirt. He rushed home to go bandage himself up. Tomorrow’s date was going to be so fucking awkward when it was going to be difficult holding a fork in either of his hands.

Invaders Grimm: Taking Urth (Invader Zim spin-off)

Yessiree bob. Sign me up.

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

King Stag stormed towards Gamma Burn. Unfortunately, the villain had landed somewhat gracefully from that last blow. Broiling pain made King Stag’s vision blur. His flesh was scorched and his carapace was rendered useless as those brutal claws dug into the skin underneath. Stubbornness did not allow King Stag to falter. Not yet, at least. He grabbed the wrist of his attacker. The heat alone made his hand burn. That did not stop the little arthropods from scrambling down his fingers for a feast of Gamma flesh.

With his enemy unable to escape, King Stag swung his horn and drove it into Gamma Burn’s shoulder. The blood that slicked his makeshift weapon burned just as hot as Gamma Burn’s claws. King Stag wrenched his horn upwards, sending the villain flying away from him.

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

This will be the last time we talk. I am but a ghost of my former self. A fragment left in the sands of time. Once this is over, I will pour my spirit and energy into that of my child. It will give her the strength to hatch. So please, ask your questions. I will answer for what I can remember. Though, my memory now fails me in many ways.

The dragon stretched itself out. Its body was impossibly long, as if it stretched into the distant horizon. When the sun hit the blurry scales just right, it created a rainbow effect in the water. It seemed content to just rest and listen.

---

Mother Dula narrowed her eyes when Trevor spoke his name. Perhaps she expected him to continue with some title or family name. Perhaps she was unsatisfied that he would present himself with such little care for authority. She chose not to speak on whatever negative thought danced through her head at that moment. He was ultimately more tolerable than the brat she had just dealt with. Though, he seemed just as hot headed.

The monks looked to Mother Dula for approval when Trevor made his request. She paid little attention to them, more focused on watching Trevor test the weapon. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the gall of this man to question her authority. Not to mention the bravery, or perhaps stupidity, he showed to offer to fight one of his peers. Those that had been called to the island were the best of the best in their fields. A fight among their peers was surely going to be a struggle. That said, with any luck, he would lose. It would be one less brat she may have to deal with.

”Very well. It will save us all some time. Number Nine, please step forward. Present yourself.”

The elf who stepped forward was shocked when she knew who to call for. She was a tall woman, even among the elves. Muscles rippled as she moved. A trained warrior if ever there was one. Her hair was black and tied out of her face. She wore chain armor on her limbs and a well crafted metal chestplate. Her eyes were a cutting silver. She stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Mother Dula. ”High Priestess Dula, I am Cova Reinard of the Queens Guard.

Mother Dula nodded and Cova stepped forward to the table. The monks dispersed at her approach. Without hesitation, she snatched up a long sword. Cova tested its weight and scanned its edge. Then she turned to face Trevor. Her face twisted into a smirk. ”A pity I will have to fight human scum.”

”At the sound of the drum, you will begin.” Mother Dula’s voice filled the room. She lifted her hand. A moment of tension… then:

Clong!!!

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

Elijah turned just in time to see Gamma Burn smash into a nearby tree. Then he watched the poor man crumple to the ground and cough. It was… difficult to watch. Elijah knew he should have moved immediately to try to capture Gamma Burn but he was just sitting there, wracked with coughs. It did not feel right to descend on someone like that. This was… what, the third time in the past week someone’s bumped into him and fell? That sounded right. He was honestly starting to feel a little guilty about it.

”Hey…” Was all Elijah could manage to say.

Without much of a thought, he leaned in to just sort of… try to pick him up? There was no reason to attack Gamma Burn when he could just apprehend him like this. It felt wrong, though, for the battle to go this way. Hell, not even really a battle. As Gamma Burn stood and stumbled again, Elijah rushed to catch him before he fell. The poor thing was laughing. He must really be hurt–

Fuck!

Pain blossomed in Elijah’s right shoulder. He could feel hot blood bubble up between the gap in his armor. Panic shot through him. It hurt. It burned. This was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to be impenetrable! His soft insides were being damaged. His whole mind reeled on red alert. If that bastard even so much as twisted the knife wrong, the way it would peel up his carapace could leave a weak spot he was not prepared to cover.

Whatever gentleness there had been behind King Stag’s gaze had disappeared. Elijah had become a cowering figure, hiding behind the silent power of his super-sona. The air was quite suddenly filled with the sickeningly sweet scent of pheromones. That fresh wound poured not only blood but a wave of insects. Beetles washed down the blade and rushed towards Gamma Burn, hungry for meat. King Stag did not pull away from the wound. He had no desire to waste the opportunity of being close to the villain. Instead, he reeled back and threw a punch.

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

By the time Li had a moment to react to Gamma Burn’s mystery appearance and subsequent disappearance, he was at the edge of the food forest, alone. Well… Alone was not the right term. There were plenty of skittering critters and rapidly growing plants to keep him company.

”Put your hands in the air. You’re coming back with us.”

Oh, and, as it turned out, several rapidly approaching police officers. The officers were skirting the edges of the food forest, clearly afraid of the plants. Likely, they feared some sort of radiation effect. The police officer at the front had spoken through a megaphone. His two officer buddies were carrying handcuffs and a gun respectively, though the gun was not aimed at Li.

---

Damn that green haired bastard. Radiation nightmare. Pain in the carapace mother fucker. Gamma Burn made Elijah reconsider taking boxing lessons. Elijah managed to catch himself before he careened out of control. Gamma Burn was frustratingly good at redirecting the massive hero’s momentum. By the time Elijah spun around, there was already a wall of thorns between him and his prey.

”I would not call myself predictable!”

Even if you are.Elijah’s shell opened as he prepared to take flight. It would be awkward and not particularly efficient in the rapidly growing expanse of vegetation, but if Gamma Burn took to the trees, there was little else Elijah could do. It was only at that point that it clicked that Gamma Burn called him dear. He sputtered a little, his pace slowed considerably. It was only slowed more when firefighters were mentioned, which caused a little shot of panic to dance through his veins. It took him so long to process what had just happened that, by the time he flew into the air, Gamma Burn was already gone.

3:28 PM: Panic because that cute boy was taken

”Shit!”

It was not very hero-like for Elijah to swear like that. Not that it mattered. The only people around were darting away from him.

He’s going to kill him and it will be your fault! Elijah dove back down and dashed into the brush in the direction the two had gone. Damn his big ass frame! It was difficult for the massive man to dodge around the plant life. It slowed the already slow fellow down and left a large hole in his wake. Just as he saw a break in the distant trees– Something bounced off his carapace. Something large enough to slow him to a stop.

”Huh?”

𓆣 ☢ Middle Man ☢ 𓆣

Oh, good. It looked like Gamma Burn had some pep in his step today. Elijah was not sure if he would call that a bad or good thing. He leaned towards bad, though. Especially when Gamma Burn started shit-talking him. Elijah scrunched his nose. He would hardly call saving people’s lives a waste of taxpayer dollars! He clenched his fists.

–The rustle of bushes tore Elijah’s attention away from Gamma Burn’s words. His heart stopped when he saw Lilian. Of course that little rat was here! He was everywhere! And now he was almost certainly in danger. Elijah prayed that Gamma Burn had not seen him yet, attempting to cover his looking over with a small cough. His glare cut back over to the villain. He just needed to draw Gamma Burn away from the scene.

It caught Elijah off guard when Gamma Burn approached him. The flighty bastard rarely acted this tough and upfront. Elijah hated to admit the taunting was working. He matched Gamma Burn’s stride forward. The handprint on his back, still not fully healed from when Gamma Burn had scorched it into him, burned. ”There’s no need for murder. Besides, I’m not here to stop you from making a food forest.” That part was pretty cool actually… It reminded him of the man he had been texting recently. Those thoughts would have brought a smile to his face if he were not so worried about Lilian. ”Besides, I like to think that saving people from your reckless actions is more than enough for the taxpayers. The fact that you jump to murder says everything it needs to about you. You’re a monster in sheep’s clothing, Gamma Burn. Don’t pretend like your little schemes aren’t excuses so that you don’t have to feel bad about killing the innocent.”

With that, Elijah dashed forward. He charged the ghastly visage of his arch nemesis. His goal was to push Gamma Burn back. Maybe draw him away from the scene. Really anything to distract Gamma Burn from the one person truly in danger here. He guessed Gamma Burn would leap over his back so, when he attempted to grab the radiated man, he prepared himself for the possibility of that vault.