| Welcome, Guest |
You have to register before you can post on our site.
|
| Forum Statistics |
» Members: 192
» Latest member: St103966
» Forum threads: 14,194
» Forum posts: 223,523
Full Statistics
|
| Online Users |
There are currently 762 online users.
» 1 Member(s) | 758 Guest(s)
Applebot, Bing, Google, Labster
|
| Latest Threads |
Politics of the Moon King...
Forum: My Apartment Manager is not an Isekai Character
Last Post: Labster
1 hour ago
» Replies: 24
» Views: 11,717
|
All The Tropes Wiki Proje...
Forum: General Chatter
Last Post: Bob Schroeck
9 hours ago
» Replies: 99
» Views: 4,422
|
2016-10-22: Fuku'ing With...
Forum: Stories
Last Post: Bob Schroeck
9 hours ago
» Replies: 1
» Views: 886
|
Fic Update Thread 63: Th...
Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
Last Post: Shepherd
10 hours ago
» Replies: 128
» Views: 8,101
|
Completed Fanfiction Reco...
Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
Last Post: Bob Schroeck
Yesterday, 05:13 PM
» Replies: 261
» Views: 232,381
|
Stupid dialog, free to a ...
Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
Last Post: classicdrogn
Yesterday, 04:58 PM
» Replies: 224
» Views: 113,076
|
Image dump thread XXXII
Forum: General Chatter
Last Post: Norgarth
Yesterday, 04:16 PM
» Replies: 64
» Views: 3,987
|
Political Images thread t...
Forum: Politics and Other Fun
Last Post: Norgarth
08-10-2026, 06:46 PM
» Replies: 228
» Views: 32,358
|
The Dead Dove Locker -- "...
Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
Last Post: Mamorien
08-09-2026, 08:28 PM
» Replies: 165
» Views: 35,459
|
The Imperial Presidency, ...
Forum: Politics and Other Fun
Last Post: robkelk
08-09-2026, 04:05 PM
» Replies: 244
» Views: 42,958
|
|
|
| [RFC][SI][Multi-Xover]Being You is Suffering |
|
Posted by: Black Aeronaut - 02-02-2014, 04:42 PM - Forum: Hangar 13
- Replies (302)
|
 |
So, here it is.
The idea started out as a solo-run version of the Brother's Grimm Collaborative Project my brothers and I were working on, because given our schedules and our being on different parts of the country it become difficult to collaborate.
And this snowballed pretty quickly.
Quick-and-dirty: this is an SI, slightly ahead from current events and supposing a terrible tragedy in the family. RL me is highly susceptible to depression, so what better way to make his entire life go BSOD prior to somebody saving the files and booting them up in another machine?
So, there I was,
driving down Interstate Ten, bound for one of the most miserable
places on Earth – Seattle.
Now, don't get me
wrong. Seattle actually has some pretty awesome sights, like the
Space Needle, the ferries of the Puget Sound, the Fremont Troll, the
Pike Place Market, and a more than a few metric tons of art. It had
a lot of the industries going on over there that were right up my
alley. But it rained there. Frequently. Not a lot of actual rainfall, mind you - less than many East Coast cities actually. But the frequency and duration of the rainfalls... Let me put it this way, Seattle usually only see about fifty-eight sunny days out of the year. The rest are covered by an iron curtain of overcast skies.
Seattle was known
as the Emerald City because the green color was from all the moss
that grew there. It was also known to be the leading major
metropolitan area in suicides year after year without fail. I knew
for sure that I was gonna be on anti-depressants within a year.
The thought itself
was so depressing that it made me drowsy, causing me to doze at the
wheel. Not even the Uber Monster energy brew that I finished off not
even ten minutes ago seemed to be helping. I was considering
stopping at the next rest stop when I dozed again, imagining pulling
onto the off-ramp and letting myself blissfully zone out to the tune
of my faithful little truck's engine purr softly while blowing warm
air over my cold–
The sudden jarring
of my truck jolted me right out of my doze as adrenaline began
flooding my system, augmenting the energy supplement I had earlier.
I reacted instinctively – foot off the gas, clutch in, pump the
brakes, keep the wheel under firm control and try to get the truck
back on the shoulder!
Where's the road!?
TREES! AVOID AVOID AVOID! HOUSE! STOOOOP!
My truck was
heavily laden with the back end filled all the way to the top of the
camper shell, and a four-by-eight foot trailer loaded to it's full
capacity as well. But my truck, a well used and well cared for 1998
Mazda B2500 which I had lovingly named 'Scrappy', had front wheel
anti-lock brakes and the rear axle had enough weight on it to really
dig in.
I was shocked when
all I did was just bump against the house with a dull thud.
For a moment, all I
did was sit there and have a moment of BSOD. My limbs shaking I
applied the emergency break, almost forgot to put Scrappy into
neutral before letting off the clutch, and shut the engine off.
Leaving the headlights on, I opened the door and clamored out of
Scrappy. The first thing I checked was how badly damaged the house
was. I wasn't worried about my vehicle because I was driving a truck
– albeit a small one, but still a truck.
Looking around the
front end I saw that I had done nothing more than scuff the paint.
Probably about ten bucks to get the right color of paint and touch it
up. The most troublesome part would be the color matching.
With a huge and
explosive sigh, I then went on to inspect my vehicle, then the
trailer, and finally their respective loads. Scrappy's rear axle,
being equipped with only drum brakes, didn't have ABS like the front
axle did, and so the rear wheels locked when I fire-walled the brake
pedal and had carved furrows into the soft earth of the driveway.
Which was probably my saving grace. So long as you're keeping it in
a straight line, the quickest way to stop in soft earth was to just
floor it.
But how had I wound
up on this driveway? Interstates, even in Texas, did not usually
have residential drives right off the highway itself – that's what
the frontage roads are for. Did I somehow take a highway to heaven
and wound up here?
There was also
something off about this place. I couldn't place my finger on it,
but it sure as hell didn't feel like west Texas. Or even New Mexico.
“Oi! Nan-des'ka?”
I just about jumped
out of my skin. I never heard anyone approaching and the odd pitch
of the voice threw me as well. I snapped around and was confronted
with a child-like figure with a massive, barely organized mess of
pink hair. She was wearing the sort of tired look that only people
woken in the middle of the night by strange travelers would wear.
“Whoah! Jeeeeze,
you startled me there,” I said. I hate being keyed up on
adrenaline like this. I kinda like being on the jittery side, but
not this much. “Ah, sorry about this mess,” I continued lamely.
“Heeeehhhhh?”
said the girl as she leaned in to inspect me more carefully.
That sound,
combined with the odd pitch in her voice raised a flag in my head.
It was a sound I had grown familiar with, and even loved triggering
in the people of Japan.
“Anatawa Nihon o
shitte imas'ka? ” she said, which cinched it for me.
“Ah... Iie,” I
replied. “Choto-choto Nihongo. Very few words.”
“So you are an
American then,” she said in surprisingly clear English that smacked
of something either Brooklyn or Jersey – I could never tell the
difference with those accents. This was getting very weird so my
next question was very much to the point.
“Uhm, pardon my
ignorance, but could you tell me where I'm at, little miss?”
“Sure. You're in
Japan. And if I'm guessing right you were someplace else before
hand.”
“Texas,” I
confirmed. Was this some sort of crazy put-on?
The girl nodded her
head with a smug, satisfied smile. “Well, why don't we see if we
can get you sorted out?”
“Uhm, mind if I
use the toilet first?” I asked. If I really was in Japan, then
this would tell me for sure.
“Sure sure,”
she said breezily. “Go around the side, through the sliding door,
up the stairs and it's the door at the very end of the hall. Can't
miss it. Just don't go stomping around and waking anyone up.”
“Thanks,” I
said as I pocketed my keys and anything else that might jangle. As I
made my way inside the house and up the stairs I couldn't help but
notice that this place seemed insanely familiar to me, but I just
couldn't quite place it.
Just as I reached
the top of the stairs I heard a sound like static and a woman walked
through the wall to my side, just inches from me. I yelped in
surprise, startling her into yelping and punching me in the face.
Stars flashed in my eyes and the next thing I knew I was weightless
and looking up at the timbered ceiling.
I had just enough
time to think to myself, Oh fuck, this is gonna be bad.
My neck hit first,
and a horrible, wrenching pop sounded throughout my head.
Then I felt nothing
more. Just a terrifying numbness that overcame me. I couldn't move.
I was still breathing... but it was so faint.
Oh god... my neck
was broken! Can't move, can't speak, breathing is starting to slow
down... I was going to die in a few minutes and there wasn't anything
I could do!
Feet came pounding
my way – the girl from before.
“Hey! Are you
alright!?” she cried out. “Say something, will you?”
I could only give
her a helpless look.
“Oh hell no!”
she breathed and proceeded into outright crisis mode. “RYOKO!”
she cried out. The woman that startled me before appeared overhead.
Apparently she knew that if whatever happened had this girl that
upset then she should be concerned. In fact, she had an expression
of 'Oh crap, I fucked up this time, didn't I?' on her face.
She made some terse
instructions in Japanese that I had no way of catching with my
limited vocabulary as she opened... some kind of... hole in the air?
And began to rummage through the unseen contents. With a short bark
of success, she removed some unremarkable oblong device that fit
neatly in the palm of her small hand.
“Boy I am so glad
I never throw anything like this out. Hang on, mister, we'll get you
through this.” She then looked to the woman she called Ryoko and
nodded. The woman then gestured and I was somehow levitated up off
the stairs. Before I could really start to wonder how the hell that
was happening, the smaller girl pushed my shirt up and planted the
device at the very bottom of my solar plexus. Suddenly my breathing
picked up.
Right away I knew
that the device was somehow stimulating my diaphragm muscle to keep
working even though it was no longer receiving commands from my
brain. Who the hell are these people?
And now, more were
showing up. A girl with cerulian blue hair and crimson irises.
Another with impossibly long vividly violet hair and equally violet
eyes. A cat... rabbit... thing... A dusky-skinned, blue-eyed blonde
with hair cascading in tight ringlets, and a boy with short-cropped
black hair and brown eyes.
A sudden surge of
questions, imprecations, and explanations, all in Japanese, suddenly
ensued. The messy-maned pink-haired girl had to verbally beat back
the violet-haired one, and seemed to imperiously command the young
man to usher everyone back to their rooms. Reluctantly, they all
left except the tall woman with cyan-hair and amber eyes who
sucker-punched me earlier.
“Okay, now that
the riff-raff are dealt with, that muscle stimulator should keep you
alive for the moment,” said the girl. “Let's get you into my
lab.”
LAB!?!?
Within minutes, the
tiny woman that could only be Washu Hakubi had me on a medical table,
my neck set, and my spinal cord and vertebra swiftly being mended by
the medical nanomachines she had injected me with.
The were no jokes,
no slapstick, no pratfalls, not even any whimsical retorts. Washu
remained professional, alert, and competent throughout the entire
process, and Ryoko simply stood by watching for any sign that she
needed any help.
“I apologize for
my daughter's sudden reaction,” Washu said as she sat back to
relax, wiping what little sweat had accumulated on her brow. “You
should be able to talk now. Give it a shot.”
Tentatively a
muttered a few vowel sounds. Wonder of all wonders, I could talk
again.
“It's okay,” I
croaked. “She saw a strange person in her home in the middle of
the night. What scared me was that she came through the wall. By
the way... is your name Washu-chan?”
“It is,” said
Washu slowly. “Who are you?”
If I could have
shaken my head, I would have. “Nobody,” I said. “Just someone
who's lost in more ways than one.”
“Hey, you got a
name, don't you?” grumped Ryoko. I heard something go thunk in the
background which caused Ryoko to growl indignantly.
I sighed. “She's
got a point. I'm just feeling sorry for myself. We'll get into it
later, but for now, my name is Garrick Grimm.” I froze in
surprise. Where the hell had that come from? “Uh, no, that's not
right. I must have hit my head harder than I though. Really, my
name is Garri-” I froze as the unwanted monicker tried to come out
of my mouth once more.
“Is something
wrong?” asked Washu as she leaned over me with a concerned
expression.
“That's... that's
not my name,” I said in horror. Really, I decided I was going to
try and force it out – strange compulsion be damned, I liked my
name! But the more I tried to think of it, the more it eluded me.
It was like as though my old name had been completely blanked out
from my memory and replaced with something else.
“My name... it's
gone.”
Washu and Ryoko
exchanged horrified looks. They had heard of all kinds of terrible
things being done to a person, but transporting them across
continents and then altering their minds to fit some twisted
scheme... it was the absolute worst sort of crime.
I suddenly felt
Washu's hand lay gently on my head. “Don't worry,” she said
gently. “Garrick Grimm is a good name. Garrick means He That
Rules With A Spear, and Grimm is an ancient surname that means The
Fierce One. Whoever gave that name to you was not thinking lightly
of you.”
“I don't feel
very fierce now,” I muttered. “Just hurt... and so far from
home.”
“Where is your
home anyhow?”
“I was in the
middle of moving when I arrived here, so it doesn't matter really...
but in spirit, my home has always been the City of San Antonio in
Texas.”
Washu nodded.
“Home of the Alamo and one of the most famous Pyrrhic victories of
earth's Modern Age.”
“Pyrrhic
victory?” asked Ryoko.
“A hollow
victory,” I replied. “Named for a general who led a siege
against another city-state. He successfully sacked the city, but his
entire army had been reduced to but a handful of men. In the case of
the Battle of the Alamo, General Santa Anna led about 2,000 men
against the 200 in the fortified mission. After six days, the Alamo
did eventually fall, and all but two of the defenders were tortured
and slain – those two were sent to warn the rest of the Texian Army
that Santa Anna was coming and would not take any prisoners.
However, the battle was a hardship for his army. It was reduced in
effectiveness, and the message brought by the messengers to the
capitol, located in what is now called the City of Houston,
galvanized the entire population. The messengers also warned
everyone they came across, causing everyone to flee to the capitol.
The end result was a massive surge of volunteers for the Texian Army,
and Santa Anna was completely defeated.”
Ryoko made an
appreciative whistle at that. “Sounds like you guys don't put up
with much.”
I smiled. “We've
had a long-standing slogan in my home – 'Don't mess with Texas.'”
Ryoko cackled and Washu shook her head, but she was smiling
regardless.
“Okay you two,”
said Washu. “I can see now that the healing process is going well,
so we're going to put you in a bed and sedate you so you don't move
while you heal – the new tissues being constructed are very
delicate at this stage.”
“Alright then,”
I sighed. “But can someone turn off the headlights in my truck
before they drain the battery? I'd hate to have to ask for a
jumpstart... Oh, and get my cat. He's probably pretty shaken up by
now.”
“A cat?” asked
Washu. “Is he...”
“He's a big,
sweet natured guy... but he's something of a bully with other cats.
If you leave him in the room with me with a litter box, water and
food he'll be okay. He'll just curl up on top of me and go to sleep.
He doesn't even knead his claws on me.”
“That's...
impressive.”
“Not really. He
found out the hard way that I don't like feeling claws in my skin.”
I smiled. “He knows that if he wants my attention he can meow or
even put his paws to my legs... without the claws. I reinforced that
behavior with positive attention.”
Washu chuckled.
“Okay then. So, headlights and cat. Anything else?”
“Nah, not unless
you guys need my truck moved right away.”
“It'll keep.”
So, in short order,
I was placed in a small but comfortable room in Washu's lab, left
with my cat purring deeply at my side, and whacked up on enough
sedatives to knock out a horse. I was, for the moment, content, but
I knew that would not last forever. I was in Tenchi Muyo and here
Murphy ruled with an iron first.
|
|
|
| OK GO - Invincible |
|
Posted by: Shepherd - 02-01-2014, 11:33 PM - Forum: The Game Everyone Loves To Play
- Replies (5)
|
 |
Tried using the forum's Advanced Search function to find a reference to this song, but came up empty:www.youtube.com/watch?v=mItuZ8i4wH8
"Invincible"When they finally come to destroy the earth They'll have to go through you first I bet they won't be expecting that
When they finally come to destroy the earth They'll have to deal with you first and now My money says they won't know about The thousand Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes
Invincible, (Invincible, oh oh oh) you're invincible Invincible, (Invincible, oh oh oh) you're invincible
That crushing, crashing, atom-smashing, white hot thing It's invincible
When they finally come, what'll you do to them?Gonna decimate them like you did to me? Will you leave them stunned and stuttering?
When they finally come, how will you handle them? Will you devastate them deliberately? 'Cause I'm gonna guess they won't be prepared for Thousand Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes
Invincible, (Invincible, oh oh oh) you're invincible Invincible, (Invincible, oh oh oh) you're invincible
That crushing, crashing, atom smashing, white hot thing It's invincible
So, please use your powers for good, please use your powers for good.
Invincible, (Invincible, oh oh oh) you're invincible Invincible, (Invincible, oh oh oh) you're invincible
xxxxxxx
Power: High grade superhuman durability and laser vision with an overconfidence drawback.
----------------------------------------------------
"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV
|
|
|
|
| Deconstructing Veritechs |
|
Posted by: Black Aeronaut - 02-01-2014, 01:10 PM - Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
- Replies (30)
|
|
Okay, a little bit ago I got into it with some guys over on SB's Creative Writing IRC Channel about skills picked up as a veritech pilot in Macros/Robotech.
The thing is that I felt that small squad tactics and asymmetrical warfare would be standard fare for the command-track veritech pilots.
My argument: The UN realized as soon as they began investigating the ship that was eventually dubbed 'Macros' that the original owners were somewhere in the vicinity of 50 feet tall, give or take. Therefore, to combat them, they built veritech fighters specifically for that purpose. This means geeting down into the trenches and duking it out, hand-to-hand if needs be (which we actually do see in post-rain-of-death Macros/Robotech).
Also, there is the fact that Khyron led very effective guerrilla-style raids on RDF interests that could only be fought off with a combination of veritechs (usually in battloid form once they arrived on scene), allied Zentreadi, and a not-small-amount of trickery.
The SpaceBattlers, on the other hand, insist that they are jet fighters, full stop, and the whole transforming robot thing is just there for the cool factor. (Agreed on the cool factor, but irrelevant for deconstruction purposes.) (EDIT: Oh yeah, and they also said that veritechs are not very nimble at all in Battloid. Really?)
Do the SpaceBattlers have the right of this? I could really use the input.
|
|
|
|
| Not entirely sure what to do with this... |
|
Posted by: Black Aeronaut - 02-01-2014, 10:46 AM - Forum: Hangar 13
- Replies (5)
|
|
I've been watching Kill la Kill lately... yeah, I know. It's totally batshit, but in a good way. What do you expect of the people that made Gurren Lagan? ANYHOW...
Finally getting to see that utterly insane and cutesy little psychopath named Nui Harime at work (this chick could give Quatro a run for her money in the psychological torture and manipulation department). I felt inspired to write up a tiny little tidbit... Now, I'm not entirely sure what to do with this, but I am pretty sure that I got myself a gem here. Just wanted to know what you guys think of it.
NOTE: read this with the placid calm of Laurence Fishburn's Morpheus, but with the cold menace of Hugo Weavong's Agent Smith. Quote:"Look at you. So adorable. So cute.
Like a little chihuahua all dolled up, running around and biting
people's ankles. But tell me, have you ever seen what happens when a
chihuahua pisses off a big dog, like an American Bully? The
chihuahua tends to get eaten. Alive sometimes.
"I am not going to hold back. I'm not
going to show mercy. I'm going to destroy you. And it's because you
have made the choice to be unrepentantly evil. I can hardly care
less less about the circumstances that brought you to this point,
because now that's all they are: just circumstances. So go ahead.
Bark all you want. Snarl. Growl. Bare your teeth. By all means,
make as big of a show as you like, because it's going to be your
last."
Thoughts? I'd love to use this somewhere, but a Kill la Kill fic isn't likely to be it.
|
|
|
|
| Ooh, cool! |
|
Posted by: classicdrogn - 02-01-2014, 06:25 AM - Forum: General Chatter
- Replies (3)
|
 |
I only noticed it now, but with the XFCE4 desktop environment, if you sideways-scroll with the pointer over a window's title bar you can adjust the alpha from about 10% (where it looks like a watermark on the desktop background or other open windows) to full opacity. Not quite a boss button and doesn't do anything about word filters if something isn't work safe, but enough to make reading over your shoulder a pain or look at reference material through what you're currently working on.
Okay, yeah, so I'm easily amused. I spent 10-15min making MacOSX's windows "dance" when I discovered the shortcut keys to have them clear the desktop, tile, form a non-overlapping grid, and return to user's original positions, too.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
|
|
|
|
| I wonder if I've rescued Nisa-chan yet |
|
Posted by: Rod.H - 01-28-2014, 04:47 PM - Forum: General Chatter
- Replies (4)
|
 |
![[Image: d0036d731183926c0e737447dbfab3f2916f0c5f.jpg]](http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/forums/forumimportfiles/d0036d731183926c0e737447dbfab3f2916f0c5f.jpg)
Yes, that is an Sisters of Battle/Adepta Sororitas army with some unexpected interlopers ;| . And yes, I'm doing them dark green armour with red tabards(sp?), loincloths and tails. Hair, undecided. Weapons, probably broken down to a different colour per squad but, I am known for painting them red - on Ultramarines.
I'm not sure on the point level I've got, I think it's roughly at the 1000 points mark, there's a tournament this weekend I could go to, but it's 1350 points. Which I think dropping in a Firestorm Redoubt would get me closer too and help solve some AA and monstrous creature problems.
As for their Pipe Organ of Doom! It's been sooooo nerfed, I that I've found there's not much point taking any. If I could take a Whirlwind I'd be using it instead of the Exorcist. Or I could've been GM-rolled by being told it only can snap shot - which means only being able to hit anything on a 6.
|
|
|
|
| Disney's Malificent |
|
Posted by: ordnance11 - 01-28-2014, 05:18 AM - Forum: General Chatter
- Replies (3)
|
|
No stage actor is ever great unless he plays King Richard or McBeth. So if an actress plays the Big "E"?
__________________
Into terror!, Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell
|
|
|
|
| Adventures in Babysitting |
|
Posted by: Thesilentjackofalltrade - 01-27-2014, 07:03 AM - Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
- Replies (24)
|
|
Hello, this is Tsjoat's Adventures in babysitting.
Beta & Editor: Blackaeronaut
Please enjoy, this is one of the few fanfics I started that I am taking seriously enough to post.
Summary:
Yuffie changes the course of history by getting on the wrong plane in her
little globe troding adventures, heading to Neibilhim on the day Cloud and Tifa
are stuck on the trail.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Cloud was
clutching her hand so hard that it would have been painful if it weren’t for
the adrenaline rush. She was a little
more concerned about the canyon under her.
She wasn’t
strong enough - even with the adrenaline rush - to lift herself up, but
amazingly Cloud did.
“You
alright?” Cloud asked her, but all she could do was cry into his chest from the
scare that happened.
Cloud
sighed, but Tifa didn’t notice. If she knew that Cloud was thinking then she
probably would have felt hopeless.
‘We’re trapped, and the only thing we can do is wait for help…I don’t
know what to do about this whole thing let alone a girl crying on me! What do I
DO!’
“HEY!
Whatcha’ doing down there?!” A voice asked from above.
“Were
stuck!” Cloud yelled looking up with hope, and then felt his heart sink. Tifa
on the otherhand was annoyed. Why couldn’t an adult find them?
It was a
little girl, no bigger than Tifa herself. What was SHE going to do to get them
out? Other than go get her daddy... Tifa
didn’t want that, but she knew it was going to happen anyway the moment her
friends ran off at the first sign of trouble. To top it all off, they would
likely blame Cloud since they didn’t like him to begin with.
“Here’s a
rope! Can ya climb?!” She yelled, and both Tifa and cloud nodded their heads.
“Alright, I
tied it to this REALLY big rock! Here ya go!” She yelled down to them, throwing
them the rope.
Cloud
grabbed it, and started tying it around Tifa's waist.
“Whaa…what
are you doing?”
“Putting it
around you, so when I get up there I can lift you up.” Cloud answered, and
started to climb, not noticing Tifa’s blush.
“I can
climb it myself!” She yelled at Cloud, but he was already half way up the rope.
She pouted,
but decided not to untie it. Instead, she tugged on it to make sure it was
fastened securely, and began to climb.
She only
managed to get a quarter of the way up before calling for help.
Cloud was
already at the top when he heard her crying out. He looked back and found that Tifa was
struggling futilely.
“Ok, let’s
pull her up!” he told the girl behind him.
The strange girl nodded as and started to pull together.
“Climb
girl, climb!” The girl behind him called out as they pulled.
Tifa
huffed, and tried to climb the rope again.
“Not the
rope! The wall! Grab the wall and start climbing!” the girl hollered. Tifa realized her mistake and began climbing
the wall instead. With Cloud and the
strange girl pulling from above, Tifa found she was going up faster than Cloud
managed on his own.
Once she
got up the wall, Cloud and the girl were already panting from exertion, while
Tifa was just a little sore where the rope was.
“Your not a
feather.” the girl grumped and Cloud laughed.
Tifa
blushed, and retorted, “Well you’re a little small for a seven year old!”
“I'm a five
year old, missy! And if I didn’t come around you would have been stuck down
there forever!”
Cloud
wisely stayed out of it, but was surprised when Tifa just huffed and thanked
her for helping them.
“So, what’s
your name?” Cloud asked.
“Yuffie
Kagasari! Princess of Wutai!" the girl announced with her chest puffed out
in pride. "And since I saved you’re lives from starving or being eaten by
a grand dragon or frogs or something, you're now my indentured servants!”
Silence.
“What?”
replied Tifa flatly. “Your not a princess! I’m more of a princess then you are!
I’m the Mayor's Daughter!”
Yufi
grinned like a card shark at amateur poker night. “Oh? How big is his region?”
“Two
thousand acres!” Tifa snapped hotly.
“Well, my daddy’s the Emperor of Wutai, and his
region is a whole continent! So HA! I’m a princess!” Yuffie then stuck her
toungue out and blew a raspberry at Tifa.
“Prove it!”
Tifa yelled, her face glowing red in outrage.
“Tada!” She
yelled, whipping out a scroll and unfurling it to reveal her legal birth
certificate.
Cloud
grabbed it and read closely.
“Holy…” he
began incredulously.
“Leviathan?”
Yufi finished for him, grinning mischievously.
“I was
going to say life stream,” he shot back.
“Bleh!”
said Yufi, gagging dramatically as only a princess could. “As my servents you
shall now worship Leviathan.”
“I am NOT
your servent!” Tifa yelled, and Cloud looked at Tifa worriedly.
“Tifa…I
know this might sound a little strange, but she’s the real deal. If we don’t do
this and word gets to her father, he could send people here to blow us up or
something.”
“Please,
like that could ever happen. ShinRa corporation would stop them from even
getting over here.”
“Like they
stopped me?” Yuffie asked, batting her eyes oh-so-innocently. That made Tifa
stop and think for a moment.
“Cloud! We
have to beat her up!” Tifa announced, illiciting a startled squawk from Cloud.
“Just try
it!” Yuffie yelled, pulling out a green orb and a small paper fan with metal
edges. That in and of itself might not
have been as threatening, though, as the electricity that arced around her tiny
body.
There comes
a time where one realizes exactly the nature of the predator that one is
taunting. Tifa got such an epiphany and
darted behind Cloud's back.
Cloud
sighed. “I’m not going to fight her over
this. She would eventually tell her father about us beating her up.” Cloud
returned the Birth Certificate, and Yuffie cheered.
“Oh. Then
how do we stop this?” Tifa asked, not even realizing that what she suggested
earlier could have been taken as saying 'Let's kill Yuffie.' Unbeknownst to the
three, a single Wutai warrior was watching, ready to kill Tifa and Cloud if
they laid a finger on the princess.
On the
other hand, the warrior reflected, letting them beating her up might be a good
idea. She needed a good spanking, as she was behind on her dues with how much
crap she was pulling. However, he was
surprised at the line of thought of the boy. In fact, the boy didn't even
realize how right he was - that is if only Yuffie could ever sit still long
enough to tell her dad where to send a strike team or who the target was. With Yuffie’s ADHD, that just wasn’t going to
happen.
“We
don’t," stated Cloud grudgingly. "Alright Yuffie, what now?”
“I need a
place to crash for the night before we get going, know anywere cool?”
“There is
the ShinRa mansion.” Cloud answered.
“Cloud,
you’re GOING FOR THIS?” Tifa asked annoyed.
“Yeah, it’s
not like Wutai is our enemy or something, and this means that I get to leave
Nibleheim.” The poor boy didn’t realize that the Wutai-ShinRa Border was just a
spark away from catching fire.
“Fine!"
snapped Tifa. "I’ll go too, but I am NOT your servent!”
“Are too!”
Yuffie taunted.
“Are not!”
Tifa shot back angrily.
“are TOO!”
Yuffie yelled.
“ARE NOT!”
Tifa screamed.
“Are
too!" Yuffie finished primly. "That is, until you save my life or ten
years from now. Anyway!”
“Wait, all
I have to do it save your life?” Tifa asked.
“Yeah,”
Yuffie drawled out slowly, wondering what exactly Tifa was getting at.
“Oh, then I
should be free quickly,” Tifa said smugly.
Yuffie
blinked. “Oh?”
“You’re a
ninja princess," explained Tifa as though Yuffie didn't know. "You’re
going to be attacked by rival ninja clans or something sooner or later!”
“Nuuhh-uuhhhh!”
“Yea-huuuhh!”
“Who would
attack a little girl!”
“I would!”
Tifa growled, holding up a fist.
“You don’t
count!”
“Oh?! And
why’s that!”
“You’re a
little girl too!”
“Bigger
then you!”
“Not as
powerful!” Yuffie yelled right back, now crackling with electricity again.
Cloud was
at a loss for words, until a gust of wind reminded him about how cold it was
out here.
“Hey guy’s,
kinda cold here. Can we go home now?” Both Tifa and Yuffie looked at Cloud, and
blinked.
“Alright.”
Tifa said, and Yuffie nodded her head. “Show me this ShinRa Mansion.”
-0-0-0-0-0-
When Cloud,
Tifa, and a very well hidden Yuffie got to the town, they found Tifa’s father
and several men about to go find them.
“TIFA! My
baby, are you alright!” Tifa’s father, the mayor, yelled while running to her.
“I’m fine
daddy, I went exploring and got a little lost when Chad broke the bridge, we
were on the other side. He needs to lose weight! Him and the others went to go
help before I could tell them I found a way back.”
“And
this…boy?”
“Cloud
helped figure out how to get back, and didn’t leave me all alone like the other
boys.” At this, the mayor stiffened and walked to Cloud.
“Don’t go
near my daughter again.”
“But…”
“No! I told
you to stay away, and that is IT.”
“Why?” Tifa
asked, and the look of anger on her daddy’s face made her take a step back.
“You’re too
young to understand! Go home and get cleaned up for dinner. NOW!” He snapped,
and then just gave Cloud a disgusted look and walked off.
Cloud
looked down. It was always like that with him. But why?
Cloud
walked home, but heard the faint sounds of Yuffie following very discreetly.
When he
came in the door, Cloud announced he was home to his mother, who came out of
the kitchen.
“Oh, there
is my baby boy!” She gushed with a huge smile, then noticed Clouds sour look.
“Oh…what
happened?”
“Mom, why
does the Mayor hate me?”
“Baby, he
doesn’t hate you…he’s just jeleous. Tell me what happened.” And Cloud told her
everything, including what happened with Yuffie, who was uncharacteristically
helpful in revealing herself to Cloud's Mother.
“Oh my…You
do have to go with the princess,” She said, looking at the birth certificate.
“I figured
as much,” groaned Cloud
His mother
then sighed as a thought occured to her.
“The mayor would never let little Tifa go unless I tell him. I suppose I'll need to go and handle this
myself.”
The subject
broached again, Cloud seized on it.
“Mom, why does he hate me?”
“He doesn’t
hate you…”
“He’s
jealous, I know," said Cloud, rolling his eyes. "But why?”
His Mother
sighed, and deliberated with herself for a moment before going on.
“I don’t
expect you to understand just yet," she started, "but the mayor and I
were… together for a short while when we were younger. Then your father came around and swept me off
my feet… he was older, more mature looking, and quite wealthy.”
“He doesn’t
like me because I’m dad’s son?” said Cloud in disgust.
“He doesn’t
like you because I chose the wrong man," his Mother replied bluntly. Cloud felt like he'd been slapped in the
face. His mother went on, "I won’t
lie to you sweetheart, your father abandoned us, even though he could have
easily taken care of us.”
“I’m a
mistake?” Cloud asked, not sure of anything anymore.
“No son. I
had you on purpose to get your father to marry me. He just chose to ignore his
responsibilities.”
“Who is my
father?”
“His name
is Rufus. That’s all I can tell you.” She said, turning away from Cloud.
Cloud just
stood there for a moment.
“Mom, I
have to leave soon with Yuffie. I’m going to find dad one day, and ask him why
he left us.” Clouds mom gave Cloud a look of disappointment.
“Good luck
Son. Write back to me, ok?”
“I got
e-mail," said Yuffie suddenly.
"I can let Cloud send ya messages that way.”
“Thank you
princess of Wutai.” Miss Strife said, giving a light bow.
Yuffie
rolled her eyes, but gave a bow back.
“Alright
Cloud, get your stuff and take me to the mansion!” Cloud and Yuffie went to his
room as Miss Strife smiled.
She might
not marry a rich man, but her son might marry a rich princess one day.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
“Creepy,”
Cloud muttered, which Yuffie did not hear.
“COOL!”
Yuffie yelled, and slipped though the metal bars of the gate. Cloud managed to
squeeze through himself and ran to catch up with Yuffie.
Yufi got to
the doors and opened them before Cloud could.
Of course, Cloud was quick to realize they should have been locked.
“I thought
you said this was abandoned?” Yuffie said, walking though the doors.
The place
was a little messy, but there was absolutely no dust.
“I thought
it was,” Cloud said, the beginings of paranoia building in his gut.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Yuffie and
Cloud went to sleep on a HUGE bed.
Yuffie demanded that he spend the night. Cloud was nervous, this was his
first sleepover, and it was with his boss, not a friend.
They had
some fun with Yuffie telling stories about the Ninja of Wutai, her exploits,
and how she stole her father’s beard and wore it whenever her father wasn’t
looking.
They played
games of riddles, and he was able to beat her by figuring out her riddles, and
giving nothing but easy riddles. He out lasted her, she couldn’t think of one
that stumped him.
She taught
him about Materia and how cool it was. (Her favorite was the Steal Materia for
obvious reasons.)
They had a
pillow fight, and compared scars. (Yuffie won with a scar from tickling a
sleeping Grand Dragon.)
All and
all, as Cloud finally feel asleep, he was glad that his boss was now his
friend.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
When Cloud
woke up, he noticed a pen on his gut and a mirror right in front of him.
He sat up,
and looked at himself in the mirror
“Damn it
Yuffie.” Cloud muttered, and tried to rubout the ink on his face, then get his
hair out of those damn pigtails.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
“Yuffie!”
Cloud yelled, irritated. He had finally gotten rid of the Ink, and he was not
happy with the prank.
“Over here
Cloud, check it out!” Cloud heard from across the walkway.
They were
on the second level, and Cloud sighed and walked over, eventually finding the
annoying girl sliding a... wall... open and closed.
“Cool, huh?
Found it this morning!”
“A secret
door?” said Cloud in astonishment.
“Yeah!
Let’s go exploring!”
“I don’t
know, the last time I went exploring…” Cloud remembered that nasty fall from
yesterday. They were lucky that Tifa
didn’t die.
“The last
time you went exploring, you met me! So it went GREAT! Now, let’s go!” Yuffie
ran inside, and Cloud had ‘Wait for me.’ On his lips, but decided to not to say
anything and just followed, walking carefully down those steps.
“This is a
bad idea. These steps look like they are rotted, loose, and torn apart…it that
a termite?” Cloud asked, seeing a bug crawl into the railing.
He heard
Yuffie scream a moment later, and ran down the steps, forgetting his earlier
hesitation and fear.
Yuffie was
hanging onto one of those dammed termite eaten rails, that was barely connected
to the steps.
Cloud ran
down the steps to the bottom, and got underneath her.
“Alright!
Let go, I’ll catch you!” Cloud yelled, and Yuffie yelled.
“Yeah
right! You just wanna get out of being my servant!”
“You really
think that?” Cloud asked, dropping his arms, and Yuffie saw the clear look of
sadness on his face.
“I…no.
Look, it’s ok, I got this!” Yuffie said with determination. She started
swinging, and let go of the rail to land on the steps on the level below. Her
foot smashed though a step, but she got up quickly and ran down to cloud.
“See? I got
it!”
“Yuffie?
Are we friends?”
“Of course
silly! That’s why I’m NEVER gonna let you save my life, so I can drag you along
with me! That, and because Yuffie, the amazing ninja extraordinaire, never
needs saving!” Yuffie struck a pose, and Cloud smiled.
“Well? Come
on!” Yuffie said, now marching down the middle of the walk way. Cloud jogged up
next to her, but stopped.
“Yuffie?”
Cloud asked.
“Yeah?” She
asked.
“Door,” he
said, pointing to their left.
“RIGHT!”
She went over, and kicked the door.
Nothing
happened.
“Damn, that
always works in the storys,” she grumbled, then tried to open the door the
traditional way.
By taking
out a set of little slivers of metal.
“What’s
that?” Cloud asked.
“Lock
picks.” She answered like it was totally obvious.
“You’re
going to pick the lock?”
“No, I’m
examining the door’s ear,” she snarked as she rolled her eyes.
Cloud was
miffed, but stayed quiet as the sound of tumblers falling into place was heard,
then Yuffie twisted the lock and laughed.
“Got it!”
And then she took two steps back, and cleared her throat. “Heh heh
heh…HAAAYAAA!” She lept up and spun around, lashing out with her foot, kicking
the doors again, and this time Yuffie was not disappointed when they slammed
open quite dramatically.
“YES! I am
AWESOME!” She cheered.
“Err…Yuffie?”
“Yeah
Cloud?”
“The room
is full of coffins.”
“AWESOME!
Maybe we might find a vampire!”
“What’s a
vampire?” Then a Coffin slammed open, and Yuffie ran behind Cloud.
“That,” she
whimpered, watching as a man in black and red sat upright. He had sharp
features, long black hair, red eyes, and a golden metal gauntlet. He was
wearing black garb, and a red cape.
Cloud was quite sure that this being was not one to be trifled with.
“Kids?
Here? Whatever…it doesn’t matter. Just go home.” The Vampire said, and the
Coffin lid started to fly back.
“Hey! Are
you a vampire?” Cloud asked, feeling tense.
“What’s a
vampire?” the vampire that was apparently NOT a vampire asked.
“He’s not a
vampire?” Yuffie said, getting out from behind Cloud. "Damn."
“Why would
you go looking for a monster?” The Man asked, looking at the two children with
a hint of curiosity.
“It’s on my
bucket list,” Yuffie replied blithely.
“Bucket
list?”
“Yeah, a
list of things to do before you die, ‘Kick the bucket’. That’s why they call it
a Bucket list. The last thing to do before I die is ‘Call for Help.’” Yuffie
joked. Cloud looked mortified, and the man in the coffin just blinked.
“Oh come
on! That was funny!”
No one said
anything, and the coffin lid just closed.
Yuffie
sighed, and left the room along with Cloud.
“Why he
sleeps in a coffin when there’s that awesome bed upstairs I will never know.”
Yuffie grumbled.
“Did you
see the gun he had?” Cloud asked, remembering that tri-barreled gun.
“Wait. He
was armed?” Yuffie then look gleeful.
“Yeah….Yuffie?
What are you doing?”
“Stay here,
I got some shopping to do.” Yuffie was gone into the room, and came back a
moment later toting a tri-barreled pistol with three shiny materia.
“This is
AWESOME.”
She spun
the gun a few times, and put it in her pocket.
“How did
you fit that in there?” Cloud asked, his eye bugging out at the sight.
“I got it
expanded, don’t you know silly? Bags of holding are easy to make!”
“Wha?”
“Don’t
worry, space manipulation magic is…COOL!” Yuffie yelled, as they entered a
laboratory lined with books.
“But if we
can do that, why can’t we get rid of our trash?” Cloud asked to himself as
Yuffie ran ahead to look at large tubes of green liquid.
_____________
Veni, vidi, vici. [I came, I saw, I conquered
Quote from Julius Caesar
|
|
|
|
|
