Fabricant451

Academy of Heroic and Villainous Children

Well this appeals to me

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

If any of ya'll picked Blue Lions you can't sit with us.

Final Fantasy XIV RP

All these Squishies need a tank to hide behind. Don't worry there's enough muscle for everyone to hide behind

Erstwhile School ~ Fantasy Board School RP

Could be neato

Final Fantasy XIV RP

<Snipped quote by Fabricant451>

As long as its glamorous, ye

@Hero

All femroes are mega glamorous by default it's law

Final Fantasy XIV RP

Can I be a femroe

I wanna be a femroe

Days I Recall Being Wonderful (Slice of Life)

When Mason Coburn had his first day on the job, the Sheriff imparted some words of wisdom for the young deputy. A sheriff’s work is rarely done. Now at the time Mason found those words somewhat inspiring but now, a couple years on and generally being the face of law enforcement where it counts, a better term for those ‘wise words’ would be idealistic. Insipid if he was feeling particularly nasty. Sure, the Sheriff might well still believe it but experience proved otherwise; most days a sheriff’s work was sitting around with a busted A/C unit and a fan blowing in your face until a call came in over something petty and minor often involving petty minors. Hardly the exciting life the movies and television made it out to be, but then that was probably why the movies all took place in big urban cities where the sight of a horse or a cow was exotic and strange. A sheriff’s work might rarely be done, but one sheriff, deputy or otherwise, finished his work by seven most nights.

Of course he knew the job wasn’t quite as glamorous as outside media made it seem, but even still he expected his life would be a bit more like COPS and not like...Waiting to Exhale. On a good day he might answer a noise complaint or some tourist unaware of Texas gun laws as it related to concealed and open carry - those were always fun particularly when he was called a redneck hick for reciting law. On a bad day the highlight was being able to watch Jeopardy in the office and knowing two questions correctly.

Today, though, today was a day Mason knew would be unlike any other; he just wasn’t sure if it was in a good way or bad. There was a sort of pall hanging over the town and had been since the news first broke. It hit some harder than others but everyone who lived in Gatling was affected in some way even if they only knew Roxanne in passing. Small town life does that to a person. Mason remembered when he got the call, the concerned voice, the clear sound of someone who had been trying to hold back a dam of tears, and he remembered seeing the body and the deluge of questions from concerned citizens that followed. He wasn’t a coroner. Hell he wasn’t even technically a detective, he had no comment to make but that didn’t stop people from asking if he was going to get to the bottom of it.

Sure, he told them, right between Jeopardy and Wheel. They didn’t find it nearly as funny as he had.

By the time Friday rolled around the only thing Mason had to offer was condolences. Somehow he doubted that would be good enough but his jurisdiction didn’t often extend to sudden, unexpected deaths. It was a conscious decision on his part to not attend the wake; he was undecided on the funeral. It wasn’t as if he truly knew the dearly departed; sure he went to school with her but he could count the number of conversations they had on one hand and still have enough to slap somebody. So attending the wake would have been a polite gesture, sure, but he couldn’t help but think there would be a small handful of people still asking him what happened and that was something he could do without. Officers of the law don’t really have all the answers and if they do they don’t like to share them unless cameras are present.

Regardless that was why today, of all days, where the streets were as morbid as his former obesity, Mason Coburn was alone in the Gatling Sheriff’s Office, feet propped up, and watching Jeopardy while a rickety box fan blew a mild breeze. “Who is Bill Hickock.” Mason was on a roll today. The first category was about historical sheriffs which made up for the fact that the other categories were well out of his wheelhouse. “Y’hear that, Chuck? Got four of ‘em. Swear I must be a damn genius.” Mason looked over his shoulder towards the empty desk and office where the Gatling Sheriff would’ve been seated had he not been like so many other residents and taken a personal day. Mason offered to ‘hold down the fort’ with the belief that if crime was ever gonna take a day off, it’d be today of all days.

Outside he could hear the rain picking up again and scoffed. Typical. Whole damn town gets to be sad so of course the clouds do too. WIth any luck it’d clear up before kickoff but even so that wouldn’t stop people. Mason couldn’t rightly blame them, people needed a bit of distraction on a day like today and hell itself couldn’t stop the folk of Gatling from getting their football fix. Mason might join them, or he might head home, microwave some popcorn and watch The Waterboy for the hundredth time. It was a good night either way. Quiet, boring, just like most days. He’d pay his respects at the funeral, today he just wanted things to feel...boringly normal.

BRRRRINGGGG

Mason blinked when the ring rang out through the station; it definitely weren’t no Jeopardy sound effect. It rang again and with an unbelieving sigh he snapped his eyes towards the hotline. Why now? Why today? What could be so damn important as to disturb the peace? If this was Old Man Wilcox going on about dog crap on the sidewalk Mason was going to look into how he could legally detain someone for annoying an officer. “Sheriff’s department.” Mason couldn’t hide his annoyance as he answered the call.

“Sorry to bother you, Sheriff.” The voice belonged to Bill Ford down at the gas station near the edge of town. Mason could tell because of the way he pronounced words that start with ‘B’. Bill had had a bit of a stutter in his youth with B and V words to where the only fix was for him to say those words a bit slower than normal. Must;ve been why he liked to go by William or Willie rather than Bill. Though Mason didn’t respond verbally, he let out a sigh when Bill called him ‘Sheriff’. He wasn’t the Sheriff, he was the Deputy Sheriff and he said that every time someone made that mistake. Eventually they’d learn. “I’ve got a robbery to report...if you could...send someone...that’d be...well that’d be swell.”

“I’ll be right there, Bill. Try not to get shot.” Mason hung up the phone and sighed just as Jeopardy came back from commercial ready for Double Jeopardy. Shame he’d have to miss it. Who the hell robbed a gas station? Who the hell robbed a gas station today? Mason was out the door and into his vehicle cursing under his breath while asking himself the very same questions.

How does it feel...to treat me like you do…




“I don’t think you understood me, Roger but it’s probably hard to hear when your head is so far up your own ass, but what I said was: Thirty. Percent. If you’re going to try and fuck me out of this deal, which I have in writing I might add, then you’d best bring me the mother of all steak dinners.” A blue convertible raced down an empty stretch of highway while the heavy synths of New Order served as a backdrop for the driver, a woman whose hair was flowing in the breeze from the open top. A bluetooth device was in her ear as she weaved her way into a lane to overtake a car that promptly honked at her as she sped past. Naturally she extended her middle finger as she sped up even more.

“Yes, you are trying to fuck me, Roger. We had a deal. My client would represent your brand with exclusivity rights I might add and you would give him thirty percent. Now I thought this was a fair arrangement, I saw your numbers last quarter and believe me you need him more than he needs you. How? Fresh from college, third round draft pick, nothing but a bright future ahead of him compared to a company who can barely muster up the costs to sell product in a fucking Foot Locker. Give us thirty percent or prepare your legal team and we’ll take all of it. Have a good weekend, Roger.” Harper hung up the call and tossed the bluetooth from her ear to the passenger seat with a disgusted grunt. What was it about companies and ad execs that made them so unbearable to work with? If there was one thing she had learned since becoming something of a name in the sports agent world it was that she often had to bring out the bitch claws in order to get people to take her seriously. It was a man’s world but she had no problem keeping afloat. Her car and clientele were proof enough of that.

When she first got the message about Roxanne and the subsequent wake and funeral, Harper wasn’t sure she could even make it. Of course she could take a couple of days off and have any emergencies sent her way, but Harper not being able to make it was more code for ‘didn’t really want to show up’. When she put Gatling in her rearview it was supposed to be for the last time; a town like that was murder on the ambitions. She hadn’t even come back for the holidays. It was always a matter of ‘too busy’ or ‘going overseas’ or whatever fancy excuse she could muster, even if all she did on Thanksgiving or Christmas was eat Chinese and watch television. She had left Gatling. She was better than Gatling. The death of Roxanne wouldn’t change the fact.

But then her assistant mentioned how funny it would be to show up in a fancy car smelling of success. How could Harper argue with such logic?

That was precisely why Harper had decided to make the long drive through the desolate waste that was the southwest United States on something akin to a homecoming journey. When she crossed the state line into Texas the first thing that hit her was the smell. She forgot how much Texas just...smelled. It wasn’t enough to get her to put the top up but it did contribute to why she was driving like a bat out of hell along stretches of road. It would all be worth it when she rolled up in her car, sunglasses dipped down to the bridge of her nose, and the looks of jealousy came her way. It would especially be good coming from the unfortunate souls who didn’t make it out. The real losers of the hour. Maybe, she thought, that was why Roxanne died. To finally get the fuck out of Texas.

She wouldn’t say that aloud, of course.

When Harper crossed into Gatling lines, the weather had been shifting dramatically thus facilitating the need to put the top back up. It was raining. And more than that, she needed gas. That final stretch of highway was murder; that she was going about an average of ninety probably didn’t help matters. Harper pulled into the first gas station she came across; the place was damn near empty and from what she could see of the town in the distance so too was it. Did a virus get loose and kill everyone? Couldn’t have happened to a nicer town.

Alas her theory was squashed when she entered the gas station proper and saw a portly old gentleman behind the counter. How depressing; if she was working at a gas station at that age she would’ve offed herself in the bathroom. Still, she did her civic duty and gave the clerk a wave and the fakest of smiles. “Pump four.” She called to him before heading down the various aisles. She needed to stretch her legs and more than that she needed something to eat, not a meal, just something to tide her over like cracker sandwiches or whatever else counted as a delicacy in this part of the world. Her selection stared at her like pillars to heaven: Slim Jims. The spiced meat stick that was a favorite of inmates and sycophants. Harper grabbed three of them and stuck two in her pockets on the sly.

“I don’t suppose you sell lobster here?” Harper joked as she came up to the counter, placing one Slim Jim on the counter.

“I don’t suppose you’ll be paying for the things in your pocket?” The clerk asked in kind, eliciting a bit of a chuckle from Harper.

“The only thing in my pocket is straw wrappers, what’s the going price on those? Hundred bucks?” The first rule of any small theft or really any crime at all was to deny. Harper was good at denying, more than that she was exceptional at passing the blame; unfortunately there was no one else in the store to shift the blame onto so she had little option but to fly by the seat of her pants.

“Miss, I saw you put those beef sticks in your pocket, now are you gonna pay for them or do I have to call the authorities?”

“Isn’t it a bit dramatic to get the ‘authorities’ involved over nothing?” Had Harper not put the mocking inflection on ‘authorities’ she might have gotten away with it. As it stood, she just had to raise an eyebrow when the clerk picked up a phone and dialed a number. He didn’t make the mistake of turning his back to Harper which she honestly had to commend him for, but she did raise her eye at the whole thing. It was a bit dramatic to say the least. “Well, in a few minutes one of us is going to look like a complete ass.”

It only took five before the sounds of a car pulling up, a door shutting, and the little ‘ding dong’ of the door opening to overtake the muzak in the speakers. Harper got a good glance at the man in uniform and wondered to herself when the law got an upgrade; in her youth the cops had been balding and chunky and this guy was neither of those things. Maybe she would let him frisk her.

And then he just had to go and open his stupid mouth.

“Harper? Harper Ownbey?”

Mason couldn’t believe his eyes. There was no mistaking that the woman who was the ‘robber’ was Harper Ownbey, a notorious sort from his school days. Sure she had gotten older but as someone whose greatest exchange with girls in those days happened from afar, he could tell it was her right away. She still had that same...confidence to her eyes, like a sexual smoulder that made you think larceny was cool. Of everyone he thought Harper would be the one he’d never see in Gatling again and yet, here she was. Funny how tragedy had a way of fucking with the world.

“What’s going on, Bill? I thought this was a robbery, like with guns and stuff. What, did she take from the leave a penny jar?” On the way over, Mason was psyching himself up for some cool armed robbery thing, he’d get to be the hero and talk a thief down before slapping the cuffs on him. But of course that wasn’t the case. Why would it be. This was the town where excitement took a permanent holiday.

“‘Fraid not, Sheriff. She’s got two Slim Jims in her pocket and she’s gotta pay for them.”

Mason could not hide his disbelief. All this...for a buck ninety nine? “Has she left the store?” Mason received his answer in the form of a head shake no. “Then she ain’t stolen nothin’ yet. God dammit, Bill, it’s just a stick of meat. You call me out here for that?”

“Am I still getting my gas or…”

Mason tossed two dollars on the counter and promptly left the store in a bit of a huff, running his hand through his hair as he stood under the store awning, listening to the rain drop. When a stick of meat entered his periphery he turned to see Harper offering him one with a devilish grin about her. “Technically it’s yours anyway, you paid for it.”

“Yeah, which means you owe me two bucks. I’ll take it cash or check.”

“Sorry, I only have plastic on me. Tell you what, I’ll pay you back by giving you my hotel number.” There was absolutely no shame in Harper’s voice. If she was going to be stuck here for a day or two then she should at least find some way to enjoy herself rather than be upset over someone being deceased.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?” Mason would’ve given anything to have Harper proposition him like that back when they were in school, back when Harper and Roxanne and all the others were in that out of reach area, but times had changed and Harper...hadn’t, really.

“Someone who saved me two dollars.”

“Mason Coburn. Deputy Mason Coburn.” When he practiced saying that in front of a mirror he always pictured it being like a James Bond scenario. Yet another in a long line of disappointments.

“Wait...Mason Coburn? Megaton Mason? Well, fuck me, you did alright for yourself.” Harper couldn’t believe it. In her mind Mason was still the kid that she once said ‘waddled to class’ just out of earshot. Whatever he did it obviously worked for him, but somehow she figured her offer of a casual fling with a man in uniform would be put on the rocks. It was for the best, it might have been a bit too weird otherwise with the image of him in school still fresh in her mind.

“I take it you’re here for Roxanne, too?” If he could control the conversation he wouldn’t have to field questions about his transformation. “Once you’re all gassed up I’ll take you to the wake. I’m sure some people there are dying to catch up with you.”

“Well, Roxanne is for sure.” Mason didn’t laugh. He didn’t so much as flinch. “Yeesh, you would’ve laughed at that in school. I think I liked you better when you were fat.”

“...So did I.”

True to his word, Mason drove ahead of Harper, pulling to a stop in front of the Border Tavern. He wasn’t going to go inside. A room full of people who would treat him the same as Harper just had? He didn’t need that. What he needed was not to be called for bunk calls but this was the job as a small town law enforcement.

Harper, meanwhile, pulled into a parking spot and promptly dabbed some eye drops into her eyes. If she looked like she was actually upset and had a cry that would reflect well on her, at least until she got ready to gloat to everyone. It was all about appearances.

As Mason sat in his squad car, he gave a single nod to Haper who threw open the doors and entered the tavern to her surely adoring friends in this, the most trying of times.

CANCELLED.

@Hey Im Jordan

---

Hailey was fuming. If there had been a fire in her before the dinner, then her sister and her parents had poured gasoline all over it. Especially her sister… where did Cyndi get off?! Did she think she was cute acting like that? Hailey would have to deal with her later, but for now she was getting some alone time with Hana, the light of her life. Hopefully, it would have a positive effect on her, as it normally did, but… Hailey was pretty furious.

So mad in fact, she wasn’t even watching anime. She was just pacing in her bedroom, with Hana sitting on the bed. Hailey was having trouble finding words, but she was certainly doing her best. “That ungrateful, weasely little brat! Who does she think she is? I want to do a nice thing and introduce our parents all three of their children’s love ones at the same time, and she ruins it with her pissy attitude. Fucking child, she has no idea what she’s in for.”

Yes, Hailey was angry.

In hindsight Hana felt like she could’ve said more at dinner. Her grand contribution after assuring Hailey that everything would be fine was blatantly calling Henry an idiot, in so many terms, in front of his parents and girlfriend. Would Hana apologize? Likely not; now that Hana was out of the drug dealing game her relationship with Henry was the fact that she was dating his sister and it was doubtful he would pay her for that like he did the copius amounts of coke and pills he had paid for in the past.

Her responsibility now was talking Hailey down from the present fury which was far easier said than done. She couldn’t just strip down and take Hailey’s mind off it in that way but neither could she say the wrong thing for fear of reprisal. It was a difficult, delicate livewire she had to balance atop; no one had said this would be part of dating Hailey Green..or any relationship for that matter. The movies and shows tended to not focus on this aspect. “It was totally unfair of her to call you a bitch. It’s not her fault that she had to find some poor sap to go to dinner with. Why was she even here, wasn’t she doing the exchange thing? That’s going to cause problems for your brother...like she cares.” Hana figured the best course of action was to add to the embers that were flaring up and try to lighten Hailey’s mood from anger to more...calming rage. “She’s been living in Korea, she has no idea what you’ve had to deal with. No one does, that’s why everyone just likes to talk because they don’t know what it’s like to be you. No one else could do it, as they’ll soon discover.”

See? Hana was the remedy. She knew what to say, or at least which buttons to press to fire Hailey up just a little bit more. “I didn’t even think about that, she is going to ruin things for my brother! She doesn’t even know how attached to that little girl my brother is already. She’s going to get Min-seo sent back to Korea, and Henry sent back to keybumps in the bathroom.” Hailey said in a huff, running a hand through her hair as she continued to pace. Hana was helping, but nothing was perfect. She was stroking the ego and doing the right thing, the question really was, would it be enough? “She came back because my mother babies the little brat, and let’s her get away with anything she wants. In this case? She just wanted to ‘come home,’ because she was so ‘homesick. Fucking child.”

“Of course she got ‘home sick’. She’s an American in the Korean education system. She probably fit in as well as Parker at a library.” The clear course of action was to cheer Hailey up by collectively ragging on the others; it might not have been the prettiest method but if Hana was able to show why Hailey was clearly still the top dog then that was the only thing of any real importance. What did Hana care about what was being said about Cyndi or anyone? The only one that mattered to Hana was in this room. Well, this room and back at her sister’s apartment but those were two very different kinds of matter.

“Sooner or later she’ll understand that the real world doesn’t revolve around getting what she wants.”

“You’re not bad at this.” Hailey had to give credit where it was due. Considering their relationship so far hadn’t exactly given Hana the room she needed to… be petty and so… catty, but Hailey definitely liked it. She’d have to find a way to push for it more often — it would be a good substitute to Ophelia and Trixie, since neither of them were going to be burning people with her anymore. Hailey put that information in the back of her head, and huffed, pressing onward. “I doubt that Min-seo would even mind being sent back, though — what does she even get out of dating my brother, anyway? That’s something I’m yet to understand. She seems like all she really cares about is those damn ducks…”

Ducktales!

Mid-way through the DuckTales theme song, Henry burst into his own room, with a smug, cheesily large grin on his lips, and a plate full of tiramisu and a small bowl of gelato. “The hero of our story has arrived, to report that the mission was a complete success. One baby sister, cheered up completely.” He walked to the bed where Min-Seo was sitting, watching her shows. Henry had always thought that having a girl living with him and watching shows in his room would wind up with him watching something like… Sex in the City, but he’d lucked out. His girl living with him just liked to watch cartoons about ducks.

Henry held out the plate of desserts, “I even brought you some sweets. I’m kicking ass today.”

Min-seo had never heard of DuckTales before coming to America and even with a boyfriend she’d still probably say it was the best thing to happen to her since her arrival. In Korea she had to make do with Pororo the Little Penguin but people tended to look at you weirdly if you watched that show over the age of about seven. It had become part of her routine, DuckTales, and in so short a time she had started to sing along to the lyrics...some of them, anyway; the rest she hummed and bobbed her head along to.

Her impromptu karaoke was interrupted by Henry’s arrival; fortunately television could be paused these days and Min was quick to do that. She couldn’t just miss any part of it! “You...make...yourself?” Min gestured to the desserts, flashing an expression of someone who was genuinely impressed.

Damn.

Henry could take the credit for it then and there, and no one be the wiser. But could he do taht? Could he take the credit from the people who actually put in the time and cooked for himself and his family? Could he really do that? A couple of weeks ago? He would have jumped on it in a few seconds, but Min was rubbing off on him — arguably positively. “Oh, no, I think my dad did…” Henry admitted, smiling and shaking his head. He’d walked in with so much bluster, and she’d knocked him back down to size in just a matter of seconds. Being in an actual relationship was something else…

He sat down beside her on the bed, and wrapped one arm around his shoulder, the one holding the plate. With the other, he took the fork and cut a piece off. Henry held it up to her lips and urged her to eat, “it’s really good. I promise. The gelato too, but this especially.”

She wasn’t disappointed that Henry hadn’t made the dessert, she honestly didn’t think he did unless he was hiding some kind of baking ability inbetween spending almost every waking moment outside of school with her. Min hadn’t wanted to rain on his parade though she was aware that he didn’t take offense or issue with the question. With the fork of cake in front of her, Min-seo took a bite that could have come straight from one of those animes Hailey watched. As she chewed and swallowed her eyes went from wide to blinking rapidly as she nodded. “What...this...is? It...is like...coffee? And...choco...late? It is...good.”

“I dunno, it’s some I-talian dessert my moms likes. The black haired one, not the one that talked to you in Korean — which by the way, I didn’t even know she could do! What kind of fucked up shit did she say to you?” Henry hadn’t been aware that his mother could speak Korean, but now he was uncomfortably aware of that fact. What had his mom said? Probably nothing positive about him; that was the way she was after all… He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head impulsively. “Look, I promise whatever she said is probably just half truths.”

It might have been bad form - especially given how uniquely self conscious it seemed Henry was being at the fact that two of the women in his life were talking about him in another tongue without the decency to do it behind his back - but Min-seo couldn’t help but giggle at the response, covering her mouth with her fingers as she let the laughter subside. “She...did not...say anything...about...you. She asked...why...I...like...you.” If there was one thing Min wasn’t it was a liar. It wasn’t snitching if she was never told to keep it a secret and honestly? Henry’s mother had to have known this would be one of the first things asked anyway. “She...liked...my...answer. I...think.”

Oh man, that was brutal. She just laughed at him and left him in the dark? Henry groaned and had more than a few things running through his mind. What was Min-seo’s answer? Was it okay to ask? Henry didn’t know one way or the other… He put the plate of dessert in Min’s lap and pulled his phone out. If she didn’t want to help, then someone would. Without looking up from his phone, Henry spoke again. “well, I’m glad she liked you, because I know I like you.” While Henry was speaking, he was downloading DuoLingo. At least that way, he’d have a chance.

“I...l..l..l..ike you...too.” When Henry came back into the room, Min didn’t think she would wind up blushing and feeling like someone had turned the thermostat up. Fortunately, Henry was occupied with his phone and Min was able to look away until the color returned to normal on her face. It could have been embarrassing otherwise, saying a word that started with ‘l’. “I...teach you...some...Korean? Like...you...teach me...English?”

“Yeah, that’d be good! I’d like that a lot.” Henry explained, taking the food away from Min, placing it on the bedside table, before he wrapped his arm around her waist. He moved them back a bit, so their backs were resting against the backboard of the bed. He kissed her cheek, and grabbed the food again. “Why don’t we read for a bit?” He asked, pulling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone out of the bedside table drawer. Without waiting for an answer, Henry turned his body and put a kiss on Min-seo’s lips, soft and supple.

Hard, firm, but tender and soft, the lips of someone who knew what they liked and how to get it, the kiss of someone in full control pressed against the lips of someone who allowed themselves to get swept up in it all. Hana’s arms were pinned down, Hailey’s hands gripping at the Korean’s wrists, and here eyes were closed as Hailey remained on top, kissing Hana with a passion Hana thought reserved strictly for overly romantic films. If she had known being catty would elicit such a response she would’ve taken a lesson in bitch. When Hailey broke the kiss - and it was always Hailey who decided when their lips parted - Hana was, for the briefest of moments, speechless. “Salanghaeyo.” It just slipped out after the kiss and it felt like the right thing to say in that moment, with Hana’s words being...breathlessly delivered.

There was a huff from Hailey, who was staring down at Hana. Hailey let go of one of Hana’s wrists, though she had a feeling that Hana was smart enough to keep her hand right where Hailey had left it. Hailey didn’t understand what Hana was saying, and she didn’t appreciate that. She would have to learn the language if she was going to continue pursuing Hana… it was only fair. “Hana… I didn’t even know you spoke the language…” Hailey slowly took her hand and put it on Hana’s cheek, cupping it lightly before she raised it as if she were going to smack her girlfriend… and then instead just lightly and lovingly patted it. “However… I do not. English, please.”

“I don’t speak it either...just a few...you know...phrases. Mostly from my parents. And sister. Older brother taught me some bad words. I didn’t even understand what Min and your mom said at dinner but I assume they were making fun of Henry. Not like it’s hard, I did it over a movie and…” It was around this time that Hana noticed the look in Hailey’s eye, the look of ‘I’m being patient but quickly losing it’ that was blending with the ever tender and affectionate touch to her cheek. Put together that only meant one thing, which made Hana promptly avert her eyes from Hailey. “I was rambling wasn’t I? Sorry. I can do that when...I’m nervous. What do I have to be nervous about? I mean I’m only dating Hailey Green and kissing her and I just told her that I love her and…” Hana paused, blushed a deep red, and returned her eyes to Hailey. “That’s what I said in Korean.”

“I love you.”

Hailey’s eyes were almost sparkling as Hana clarified. She’d had a feeling — based mostly on the way Hana could barely whisper it, but she wasn’t sure. Hearing Hana utter the phrase gave Hailey goosebumps and the slightly of shivers. Hearing the words proved one thing for sure: Hailey had never wanted to hear anything more in her entire life. The three words were sugary sweet and Hailey nodded after Hana said it. In a strange turn of events, one of the most unlikely things in the world had happened.

Hailey Green-Lock was… speechless.

She bit down on her bottom lip, and nodded again. Letting out the breath that had caught in her throat, she smiled. “I love you too.”

In that moment it was clear to Hana that the events of the dinner might as well have happened a century ago and yet without it she doubted they would have arrived at that point. Sure, they would have gotten there eventually but Hana didn’t want eventualities. Eventualities was why she spent most of her high school life as a slightly ascended wallflower who only got in with people because of what she could provide for them. The mindset of ‘eventually’ hung over her like a miasmatic cloud. ‘Eventually I’ll make friends. Eventually people will talk to me about softball and not their drug orders. Eventually I’ll understand why I get butterflies around girls but not boys.’ Fuck eventually, Hana wanted to live in the now and now, more than ever, she was being true and honest with herself and her feelings.

“Forget dinner. We’re together right here and that’s all we need, right? So...let’s share our love with each other...maybe without clothes?” A side effect of living in ‘eventualities’ was Hana making up for lost time. She was only human and her girlfriend was Hailey freakin’ Green, of course she would try.

At this, Hailey smiled and nodded her agreement. She released Hana’s wrists, and instead placed her hands on the bottom of Hana’s shirt and lifted it up, slowly. Staring into Hana’s eyes, Hailey nodded her agreement. “Okay, vanilla bean. Just this once, I’ll give you what you want…” Hailey’s words were accentuated by a little kiss on her beloved’s neck…

Henry pulled his lips back and looked at Min-seo. The book, of course, had found its way to the floor. Henry wasn’t too sure why they even bothered messing with it anymore. It always seemed to end this way, with Henry kissing up on her instead of reading, and Min-seo responding positively. This time was a bit different though. Not only was he in a good mood already — for his sisters, the dinner hadn’t went very well, but for Henry? It was a completely different story — but… Min-seo made him all… all fuzzy.

He couldn’t explain it, because he’d never been so fuzzy before in his life, but she just did it. There was something about the way she talked to him; sure there was a language barrier, and she was still learning, but it was nice all the way. And the fact that she’d apparently spoken positively of him to his mother? His evil mother, not his nice moms…

It was fuzzy.

Henry kissed Min-seo’s neck again, and this time when he pulled away, he stared at her intently, before he spoke. This time, it was Henry’s turn to speak slowly, and methodically. It was Henry’s turn to stammer every so slightly.

“Min-Seo… I, uhm...I… I… love you.”

When Henry came up with the idea of reading the Harry Potter books to help Min-seo learn English she was thrilled with the idea. She’d never read them even in Korean and Henry seemed to be big on them - Parker more so which was the first time Min-seo had confirmation that Parker even knew how to read - so what better way to go about learning? It had seemed like a good idea at the time and yet now it seemed whenever they tried to read something came over one of them and took precedence. She might never find out what house Harry got put into!

In this case, though, the distraction was uniquely welcome and surprisingly wholesome. If anyone was going to be kissing the neck Min would have assumed it would be her, but she wasn’t complaining as they lay close together, the warmth between them more comfortable than any blanket or bedsheet. The words that Henry said must have been difficult for him with how he was stammering; no doubt he wasn’t used to girls sticking around long enough for him to catch anything other than crabs or chlamydia. In its own way...that was so utterly perfect and further proof of what she had said to his mother. It was a side that only she was seeing and it was the side of Henry she liked best of all.

“I love...you...too…”

With Min-seo, it flowed as naturally as the rain on a beautiful spring morning.

“Oh thank god.” Henry said, as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He had never been more relieved to hear four words in his entire life. “Good. Good.” Henry repeated himself and put the back of his hand on her cheek, letting out a content breath. Geeze, he’d never done anything more stressful in his entire life. “Now where were we?”

May the Power Protect You

BLACK RANGER

▼ K A R A / A M A Z O N O F A N G E L G R O V E ▼ 0 9 / 2 2 ▼ F E M A L E ▼ W H O C A R E S ▼

► M O R P H I N T I M E

BLACK
ANKYLOSAURUS
GRAVITY

► S T R E N G T H S

• Certifiable Badass - Though few could claim to know much about Kara given her lack of speaking much about herself, fewer still could deny that she's left something of an impression. As a founding member of a newly minted 'Combat Sports Club' which she formed when she was told she couldn't try out for the wrestling team because she was not a boy, Kara has the physical stature and presence along with the knowledge of how to fight that makes her an intimidating presence just walking down the hallway. While she's never been in an unsanctioned fight, as in she's never abused her power on weaker individuals, it stands to reason that she would likely know how to end it. Either way, for someone that's largely silent, she's got a reputation as someone you do not fuck with.
• Book Smart - While it's not fair to say she's both brawn and brain given that she's not at the top of the class by any measure, Kara is well read and more than that she's well read in two languages. Her problem solving skills are more along the lines of a Sherlockian variety, making deductions and playing hunches. Whether or not they're correct is difficult to say but she fancies herself something of a detective. After all, the world's greatest detective also happens to be incredibly proficient in combat and martial arts so that's something she can aspire towards.
• Familial - Family is a big deal with Kara as family is the only thing in life that shouldn't ever disappoint you. The situation surrounding her own family is strange to say the least which is at least part of why she's said maybe about seventy words in high school so far, but like her favorite movie says: ohana means family. And family means everything.

► W E A K N E S S E S

• Technology - Kara would still be using a VCR if she didn't manage to snag a DVD player for about a buck. Everyone tells her that DVDs are also outdated but she has problems setting the clock on the microwave so what does she care about picture quality. She knows how to send text messages and she knows how to set an alarm and she knows how to play old video games from the 8 and 16 bit eras but other than that it's all Greek to her.
• Unreliability and Distrusting - She has her reasons and where she's concerned they're good reasons, but Kara doesn't trust easily and she has a habit of missing appointments other than club meetings. You can trust Kara to be late if she shows up at all. If she hadn't been caught ditching detention to go to her club she probably would've been late to her own punishment.
• Gluttony - Kara is a bit of a fiend for carbs with an obsession for a particularly unhealthy food. She's been known to eat snack foods during class even after being told not to by teachers; she's at least considerate enough to not crunch loudly.

► F E A R S

There are only two things she truly fears, well three but the third one doesn't count. The only things she fears is being told she's not good enough despite putting in the work and effort and showing the ability; she strives to break down that barrier between the sexes where she can and nothing hits harder than being told it was all for naught. The second thing she fears is the destruction of family. It matters a lot to her.

► W H Y M E

When Alex Brander came to school with his arm in a cast and sling everyone looked towards Kara as the reason why. It made sense, of course. Alex was a member of the combat sports club because he was a fan of mixed martial arts and Kara accepted anyone who was serious about the craft. Alex, however, was unusual for a club member. He was scrawny, bony, couldn't punch his way out of a wet paper bag, but Kara didn't care. He was in so long as he was serious. Alex bulked up a bit, gained some confidence, got a girlfriend, and he wanted to spar with Kara. Kara, naturally, obliged. The way Alex told it, Kara locked in an arm bar and the next thing he knew he was in the back of an ambulance.

But the real story about Alex Brander was that he broke his arm in an exercise accident and Kara was the one who carried him from the gym area where the club was located to the back of the ambulance. It was Kara who sent Alex's girlfriend a text that read 'Kara: Broke my arm' and it was Alex's girlfriend who blamed Kara for the situation. Kara didn't deny the accusation and her lack of doing so made Alex Brander something of a martyr. Kara's club didn't get shut down but some people did resign out of fear that she'd break their bones.

When word of Kara's supposed violent spar reached the staff, by that point the entire student body was aware that 'Takara Hatori broke a kid's arm for fun' and various other false takes on the event, they had little choice but to make an example of her. Detention. Suspension of club activities. Alex tried to smooth things over with Kara but Kara's response was to actually shove Alex into the lockers and stomp off. This, of course, led to people saying Kara was bullying Alex and was going to break his other arm via slamming it into a locker door.

The power of rumors and lies turned Kara from a combat sports enthusiast and badass into a bone breaking bully. And people wonder why she hates technology.

► E X T R A

121212
FC: Hazuki/HZK

Username Context

There's a book and a movie called Cloud Atlas and one of the stories is about a dystopian future where corporations become the ruling authority and people just consume and wind up fucking up the entire planet and there's cheap labor in the form of vat grown clones known as 'fabricants' who exist solely to act as servers and workers for twelve years. Anyway the main character is named Sonmi-451 so my username is named after a corporate drone who becomes a revolutionary.

But sometimes people assume it's from Bradbury so I let them think that anyway.