#ottodeo

[ WILLOW ] sender embraces receiver in a moment of extreme distress.

The pair had been travelling for some time now, their pairing originally made for practicality rather than friendly travels. If he was to help her find her father, to find her way back to her origins; then it would be easier to take him along. She couldn't risk any information being intercepted by anyone else. Thankfully, the detective seemed more than happy to give his company, regardless of how far it may take him across the Commonwealth.

She wasn't the talkative type, though luckily the synth did more than enough talking for both of them; managing to squeeze out more than a few one word responses from her. In time, she had even begun to open up to him. She shared her beliefs with him, how though humanity had doomed itself, it was up to the few that wished to fight for it to speak louder than those that would doom it. Everyone had had to adapt to the Commonwealth's harsh conditions, human, ghoul and synth alike. She cared little for how one looked on the outside. It was their actions that showed their true reflection.

She fought for what she believed in and was surprised to find that Nick was willing to fight for it also. More than once he had provided cover for her, letting bullets fly with her makeshift daggers and bombs. With every clue found, he was there to help her decipher it. Until, finally, arrows pointed not to the institute; but herself. A brief mention of memories within the institute, before her father had fled with them. Memories of the day her father had disappeared, all of them vital clues but fuzzy to recall. Then, came a recommendation:

The Memory Den

---

"So... We'll be watching my memories?" The mechanic asked Dr Amari, looking more than a little uncomfortable "Both of us?".

"Well, unless you'd rather do it yourself," Dr Amari shrugged, not unused to the want for privacy in shared memory experiences "But having Mr Valentine's perspective on them might help decipher them more clearly".

"Right..." The woman gulped slightly, she knew the Dr was right but still found herself dreading the experience "Um... How do you choose the memory, if I might ask".

"We'll go from what memory is freshest, and we guide it from there" Dr Amari answered "If we come across a memory you'd rather not see, we should be able to bypass it fairly quickly".

The woman relaxed somewhat, nodding before looking over to Nick. She looked positively ill, holding the expression of someone about to step towards certain death. But still, she held firm, stepping into the memory pod and watching as the glass cover slipped over her. Past the screen, she could see Nick settling into the one opposite her. She gulped again, letting her eyes close briefly before Dr Amari began the procedure. One that she seemed confident would be simple.

If only.

The first memory to appear, was that of her father, the day he had disappeared. He was a frail looking man, but one that carried a wide smile. He wore a trench coat, one that looked very similar to the one that Kasumi wore. It had been a simple day, Kasumi approaching the front of the workshop and dealing with customers while her father worked in the back. She glanced at her reflection, she appeared much younger than she was now, at least a decade or so. She reached and fixed a loose strand of hair as she walked to the back of the workshop for something a customer wanted. The sound of yelling beckoned her, her father crying out for her to run. She burst through the door just in time to see a bright light that blinded her, fading to an empty room with naught a soul inside. All that remained was her father's coat.

"Hmm..." Dr Amari hummed "There isn't much here to help, perhaps we can find an earlier one".

Memories began to cycle, flashes of the Commonwealth and a young woman suffering in constant pain, though the source of that pain could not be seen. Dr Amari went back further, flashes of white halls and syringes appeared, the memories causing the woman to wince. People in the background spoke in circles, the flood of memories causing the woman some overwhelm. There were mentions of technology and transport... or was it teleport? She could feel her head beginning to pound. And then;

"Hmm," Dr Amari paused "What's this?".

It was Kasumi, though she was far younger than she was now, holding the hand of a younger girl. The little girl's smile was bright as she spoke. She called her 'big sister'. The memory had caused the mechanic to freeze, a familiar creaking of metal echoing in her ears.

"No..." The woman whispered inside the pod, feeling bile rise in her throat as she couldn't tear her eyes away "Not this one, not this one!".

"Miss Toshiko?" Dr Amari's voice was faint "You need to calm down, I can try to find another memory but you have to stay calm for me to-"

"I don't care," The woman yelled, watching the memory beginning to slowly unfold, the creaking of metal becoming louder "Shut it off, let me out!". Panic was rising in her, her voice wavering as the usually composed woman began to beg. "Don't make me watch this, please," She pleaded "Please, I can't do this again!".

"Okay, okay!" Dr Amari stepped away swiftly "I'm going to try and pull you out but please be patient!".

"Hurry!" The woman shrieked before that all too familiar screeching sound of metal began to play "No!".

Dr Amari had been too late.

All at once, the memory continued, the sight of the little girl ripped away from Kasumi's young self all at once. There was the crashing of metal, the spark of electricity and the sight of blood; all that blood. Before the memory pod finally opened, the last sight on the screen was that of the young girl dragging herself along the floor towards a bloodied mass of viscera and hair; the little girl's face barely formed anymore from the violence of the accident. Then, darkness.

The memory pod opened, the mechanic stumbling out and gripping to the nearest wall before spitting up bile. She was pale and clammy, the voices of those with her far away as her ears rang. Her breath came in sharp pants, her body tingling as it screamed at her to run but her feet remained rooted to the spot.

Hearing a muffled voice, she glanced up; wide eyes meeting the yellow glow of Nick's. He was speaking, though she couldn't quite make out what. She turned herself slightly, reaching out to him as he did her before she completely collapsed into his arms, her legs giving out from under her and bringing them both to their knees. Her body began to tremble as she felt the weight of him against her. Slowly, her arms raised to grip at the back of his shoulders, her face buried into his chest, the quiet whir of fans giving her some comfort.

The young mage had been staying with those in Mt Huaguo for some time and in that time it had become a paradise to him as it was to others. While their King would leave for some months at a time only to return with stories and gifts, the mage was content. The monkeys within the mountain had taken to him, accepted him as one of their own and loved him as a family should. However, the mage couldn't describe the joy he felt each time the Great Sage would return to them. Any gift the King gave paled in comparison to simply seeing him. For the mage had bonded to him like he had no other. While others viewed him in reverence with his gifts, the mage viewed him as a friend, a confidant and someone who had imparted to him the greatest gift of all.

A home.

And it was that home he planned to protect.

The mage was stronger than he had been before, his body filled out and his thin frame had been replaced with a slender yet muscular form. He had worked on his magic, learning discipline and control from the older residents of the mountain; and some even from Sun Wukong himself. But, despite his growth in strength and spirit, he was barely a match for the yaoguais that came that day. With rumours that the Great Sage was gone from his mountain, they had came towards it in force that day, ready to risk everything for revenge on the Monkey King.

But not a single one would make it to the monkeys within.

When Wukong finally arrived, Isago was knelt in the centre of carnage. The bodies of lesser yaoguais littered the earth around him and his body was coated in blood; both his own and those of the adversaries he had taken down. The ground had been kicked up, claw marks and broken weapons half-buried within it. The air rang in the mage's ear, his head barely lifting as he heard that familiar whistle of the Sage's cloud. His amber eyes seemed hollow and the mage's body had long since gone numb. It was only once he felt the King's hands upon his face that he could finally focus, noting the expression of his friend and his trembling hands.

"Don't worry," He huffed, suddenly hacking up a small clot of blood as the numbness subsided slightly, causing his lungs to burn "...I didn't let any get through".

Those in the mountain were safe, that is all the mage cared about. And though he was injured, he was alive. He had kept his composure, had not lost control and had kept those inside safe. Looking to his friend then, he smiled softly, proud of his progress but thankful that the King had arrived. Softly, he placed his head against Wukong's shoulder, his head suddenly feeling far too heavy to hold up.

Nick had been everything to her, for the past few months. He had been her protector, her mentor and her friend. Sat for so long in her prison of a room, she had never imagined that anyone would be able to rescue her. All of her mothers illusions would drive a lesser man to madness and her prison warden was set to attack any that might be seen as a threat. But, there was one thing her mother had never considered, nor would have, that her rescuer wasn't technically a man at all. But a machine.

A man made of metal with coolant running through his veins, his mind could see through the illusions with ease and her warden remained sleeping at her door outside, unaware of her imminent rescue.

But what had drawn the synth to rescue her? Well, it was simple. He had heard her crying.

Escaping hadn't been easy, of course, her warden reacting the moment she left her room but the synth's inability to be detected by it had proven useful in taking it down. Though he had been dented, somewhat, he had managed to pull her from that place with ease; bare feet hitting the ground of the Commonwealth with hand in his.

Since then, she had been taken under his wing, learning the ways of a detective while helping Ellie run his agency. Though she had warned of her Mother's wrath, he seemed to care little about it; willing to take risk after risk for her. After a while, she had stopped warning him, even the likes of Ellie reminding her it was useless. Any mention of her mother was now in passing, mentioning what she had never had the chance to experience. Dancing, today, was one such thing she mentioned. Sure, her mother had forced the art of ballet onto her, but to dance with another was something she had never had the chance to do. And though it had been a brief exchange, it seemed the Detective had remembered.

"What?" The woman blinked as he offered a hand to her as the radio played a slow song, one that had been requested by Nick Valentine, himself. When he offered once again, she could feel her cheeks flushing as she reached out to take his hand. She listened to his instructions, placing a hand upon his shoulder while the other remained clasped in his. She moved with him, her movements uncertain but hiding more than a hint of grace behind them. As they danced, her uncertainty melted into a smile, a subtle laugh escaping her as he spun her slowly. Her hand rested at the front of his shoulder as she looked into those yellow eyes with a wide smile.

Eventually, her arms looped around the back of his neck while they slow-danced and the walls of the agency seemed to melt away.

besties!!!

SURPRISE @cascadeian

IS IRINA!

(yes I used the fill tool, no I will not be apologising XD)

@ottodeo​

It was with her heart pounding in her chest and her feet pounding through the busy streets that she ran; head first into where others ran from. The panic and horror had caused people to run in different directions, bumping into her and sending her stumbling if only to catch herself with grazed palms to keep running. With huffing breaths, her eyes glanced up to the sky where -once blue- lay a large green, purple and pulsating tear. It beat with an audible thumping sound, shaking the air and ground around it as it began to grow wider and wider. This was insane! Monsters of this size rarely ever manifested in such crowded places and yet here it was; a single large clawed hand pushed through the tear, following it, a distorted roar echoed and rolled through the air causing panic and terror to increase.

In her run, the young woman reached down to the small satchel upon her belt; opening it and pulling from it a single silver gilded card. Looking to the back, she twirled it in her hand before coming to a halt in front of the tear in the sky. With heavy breathing, she watched as the face of the beast began to appear. Multiple eyes garnished its head, two sets of thick mandables and a leather like armoured exterior. With some fear in her eyes, the young woman let out a soft sigh.

Focus, she told herself, you need to focus.

“Major Arcana,” The young woman raised her hand, the card sitting between her thumb and forefinger; the image upon it depicted a beautiful woman holding apart the jaws of a lion; on her head a crown adorned with roses “Strength!”.

With this command, the card began to glow golden in her palm and with a swift motion she clasped her fingers around it to create a fist. An explosion of light came from her; her figure now completely unseen through it and when it finally died down, the woman that stood in her place seemed to be completely different.

Instead of her usual clothes, she now wore a long white dress, her hair now longer and flowing by her hips with roses twisting through it. Upon her hands, a set of golden vine-like gloves that sharpened into a set of claws at her fingertips. Crouching in preparation, her bare feet slid apart as the creature let out another deafening roar; swiping at her with one of its boulder-like hands. As it slammed towards her, she jumped back, taking the opportunity to leap upon its arm and begin running up to its face. There, she laid several strikes upon its eyes, causing it to stumble back in pain as her golden claws cut through the unprotected skin of its face easily. 

"Blegh..." The young woman muttered, holding her dripping hands out to dry them off as she followed Claire underneath the large bridge of the canal "This is what I get for not bringing a jacket". To be fair, she had left in such a hurry, even scraping her knees climbing out the window of her trailer just to get away from her manager for a few hours. Honestly, she was like a workhorse to them somedays! All she wanted was to be a normal nineteen year old at least some of the time.

Huddling up closer to Claire, she shook her long hair slightly to try and dislodge some of the water that had become trapped. Just how long were they going to have to hide under this bridge? She didn't want to mention it in fear of worrying Claire, but she was starting to get a little cold. The weather had changed so suddenly, the torrential rain had caught her in a simple summer dress. Glancing back to Claire after she noted her silence, she watched as the young woman removed something from her bag and began to draw a large archway upon the wall.

"Claire?" She asked, stepping forward "What're you-?".

She was interrupted by the sudden sight of the archway falling in, revealing a crystal staircase before them. She had known of Claire's afterschool activities for a while now -being attacked by goblins in the middle of the night had certainly helped in that regard- but never had she thought that the other would actively share them with her.

"Is that...?" She mused as she stepped closer, her voice an excited whisper "Is this trollmarket? Am I getting to see trollmarket!?".

"Oh, um..." The young singer looked over to her girfriend with a reddening hue steadily appearing on her face "Okay...". Doing as she was instructed, she found her hands instinctively moving to cover her chest, still covered by only the fabric of her bra, her shirt long since opened and parted. She was shaking, just slightly, though it was unsure whether it was due to nervousness or excitement. Maybe a little bit of both. Light blue eyes stared up at the woman hovering over her now and glancing to the side, she reached up to twist some of her blue-dyed hair in her fingers.

"Um... Is now a bad time to mention that I've never done this before?" She asked. She had hoped beyond all hope that she might keep her visage of confidence up long enough to get through this, but the closer they became to the actual act; the more she found herself shaking.