#tarissa

T: Tear by BTS

A: Another World by NCT 127

R: Rubberband by iKON

I: I Am Me by Got7

S: Snapping by Chungha

S: Spotlight by Monsta X

A: Awaken by Stray Kids

Tarissa!!! It’s been 15 years (more like a few days but I’m dramatic)~~ my fault, but missed you!

NCT I answered but ayee iKON! The ults! Thank you for asking 🙏🏼

My first bias: not under the forceful influence of my cousin? Bobby

Your current bias and why: you know this all depends on when you’re asking but since this ain’t my ikon blog (no mutuals here right?!) Donghyuk (don’t tell my fellow Jinhwan stans) - DK is so charming and nice and his smile is so cute and he’s so hard working and the list is infinite

Fav song: Everything (so much meaning in the song ㅠㅠ)

Fav MV: Beautiful... lol! But official mv would be Apology

OTP: 97’ Jundongsss

Member with the best smile: BOBBY

Fav choreography: Goodbye road

Fav era: rubber band!!!

Do you own merch? Too much? 1 ver of all the albums (minus Japanese albums and new kids begin... sad about that) slogans(I ordered but haven’t recieved them yet) and I just recently (finally) got the konbat ver. 2! Oh I also own an acrylic standee and uhhh posters

Have you seen them live: no :((( I hope!

Favorite voice: Junhoe, without hesitation!!!

David Reed was, all things considered, rather okay at the moment.  The office was quiet, just the way he liked it.  The only ambient noise was the perpetual hum of the fluorescent lights and the distant rumble of the air conditioner, keeping the SPIRE stacks at a comfortable 74 degrees Fahrenheit despite the outside chill.  He was, as far as he knew, the only person here, and that was pretty nice.  This wasn’t unusual, as it was pretty late on a Thursday.

It happened every time.

Tarissa would take the same route home from work, every night.  She would turn down the same streets on her bike, and she would drive down the road, virtually alone on this stretch of highway.  Every night, the fifth light after the old farmhouse would wink out, just as she got close to it.

Every night, when it turned off, there was a brief second as the unflash of darkness formed in the space where the light had been.  It was a dark flash, the darkest she’d ever seen anything, a black that stood out from the rest of the night like a hole in the sky.

She always felt cold as she drove through the space, a brief chill that penetrated even during winter through her normal layers.  A cool breeze was welcome on the hot summer nights, but this was a sickly cold, one that seemed to sap her strength rather than refresh her.

A strange noise bubbled up, one that seemed sound from inside of her rather than around her.  It was low, and quiet, but she always heard it, and it always reminded her of looking down into a deep, bottomless ocean, watching as the light would just peter out.

Then, she was through the space, and all was well again.

572...573...574.

Tarissa slipped the tome onto the shelf, shoving a few other books aside to make room for it.  A Biologikal Studae On The Therianthrope, by one Charlotte N. Q. M. s. Celler, Esq.  Originally published back in the 17th century, it was considered the authority on werewolves and other shifters until it came to light that virtually everything in it was completely made up.

Except, Tari mused, for the parts on the fur quality, which are surprisingly accurate.

The bell at the desk dinged.  She considered just letting Reed take it, but she knew that Reed wouldn't take it, because Reed never took any of them.  At the start, when his limp had been much worse, her doing all of the grunt work made sense.  She could get anywhere in the room with no trouble, given her climbing skills.  Translating those skills to book filing was pretty easy.  And fun!

Well, fun for her.  Reed didn’t tend to think so.

Their first month or two was not super smooth.  Both of them were new to the position, and as Tarissa had learned, they were rather different people.  Where Tarissa would hop from shelf to shelf, singing Let It Go loudly (but expertly, she might add), Reed would stay in his office and occasionally grumble (equally loudly, which was an impressive feat). Now, they had worked out a sort of rapport.

Stepping into the shadows, Tarissa moved to within sight of the front desk.  There was a woman standing there.  Detective, likely, by her outfit.  Short-cut black hair, high cheekbones, piercing gray-green eyes.  Tarissa didn’t know her name.  Yet.

Feet securely gripping to the shelf above the desk, Tarissa dropped down and held fast, getting at eye level with Detective Tilde, as a quick glance to her badge revealed.  Tilde jumped and stepped back, hand instinctively reaching for her sidearm before she settled down at Tari’s wide smile.

“Greetings and welcome to the archive section!  My name is Tarissa, and I am the primary research and filing assistant here.  How may I assist you today?”  She always enjoyed greeting people in this pose.

“I...uh...” Detective Tilde seemed a bit flabbergasted, but she composed herself quickly, a quirky smile gracing her lips.  “You’re interesting.  I’m here to some old records on a case, am I in the right place?”

“You are!  I do not have the authority to search and recover files from cases, solved or otherwise, but I can pass the information on to my supervisor, who does.  Do you have the case number and your employee number?”

“Yeah, they’re right here.” Tilde dug around in her pocket, then pulled out a post it note, upon which a string of letters and numbers was handwritten.  She handed it to Tarissa, who pulled herself up and out of sight.

A minute later, she walked into Reed’s office.  Her boss was typing away at a computer, cross-referencing it with a book from the stacks.  He didn’t look up at she entered.  “What is it this time?”

“Case files request, Mr Reed,” Tarissa said as she slid the paper onto his desk.  He frowned at it, likely displeased that he would have to go and do actual work, but he nodded and tapped a few keys, then pulled a key off of his belt and handed it to her.

“Section H, cabinet 9S.”

“Understood, Mr Reed,” Tari said as she exited, vanishing into the shade right outside the man’s door.

A few moments later, the files were in Tilde’s hands.  Smiling, Tari walked back into Reed’s office.  “How are you today, Mr Reed?”

Reed didn’t answer.  Tari expected this, as he never had, and likely never would.  “Same as always?  That is as surprising as it was yesterday.  Do you have any additional assignments for me before I go to lunch?”

“Nope,” he said, again refusing to meet her gaze as she stood there, hands behind her back, bouncing on the tips of her toes.  Her smile made the room that much brighter.  He probably thought it was disgustingly bright.

“What do you think I should get today, Mr Reed?  Do you have any suggestions on new restaurants that have opened around the office?  I have been looking to expand my palate.”  She continued the conversation, knowing that he would continue to pretend she wasn't in the room.  It was fun that way.

Silence.  He turned the page.

“I believe I will indulge today and pick up a slice of pizza from Dante’s.  Would you like one as well, Mr Reed?  I shall pick one up for you when I do, and you can continue to work.”  Satisfied, she gave a decisive nod.  “In addition, I will be borrowing ISBN 8211-9332-7658 to read over lunch.  I believe you would better know it by the title, Wizards of America. I will return it following my meal.”  She turned on the balls of her feel and exited Reed’s office, heading for the door to the station.

“Sausage and pineapple,” came Reed’s voice from behind her.  “And a coke.  Please.”

The walk back to Crowe’s apartment was a long one from where they were in the quarantine zone.  The sun was nearly down in the sky, and the three were moving fast to try and get home before curfew hit. They’d been nabbed once, and Crowe had no intention or desire to get caught a second time in a single day.

“So who set us up?” Ember finally decided to ask.

“I’ve got three guesses, and all of them are Conner and her Renegades,” Crowe said as he ducked under a collapsed section of roof, holding it open for Tarissa and Ember to follow.

Ember scoffed, shaking her head.  “She still salty about how you beat her to that crossing last month?  Sure as hell ain’t your fault she can’t do her shit properly.”

“Well, when you decide to take the dangerous route right through the military base, getting half of your crew pinched is a lot less easy to excuse,” Crowe reasoned.  “She wanted to get there first.  She knew the risks.”

“And you shot her,” Ember reminded him.

Crowe gave a nod of admission.  “Yeah, I kinda did.”

“You two lead very interesting lives,” Tarissa said as she hopped over a barrier.  “I take it that you are both procurers and distributors of illegal goods?”

“When you phrase it that way, it makes us sound like professionals.” Ember moved up next to Crowe and doing some window shopping as they passed the stores, summer displays set out for a sale that never ended up happening.  Storefront signs had faded a little in the twenty years since the outbreak, sections of the entire mall having collapsed out of neglect and some malicious intent.  Due to their size and layout, malls tended to attract people who didn’t want to be found.  Find way to control those metal shutters and you’ve got an easily defensible home.

Of course, for these same reasons, malls were raided early on in the panic that followed the outbreak.  Every camping store had been stripped of survival gear as people went to live in the wild.  Guns and ammo were taken with abandon, often used on friends or family - and equally often, on their new owners.

For those reasons, Ember and Crowe didn’t bother searching the place thoroughly for any gear or tradeable supplies.  The area was off limits anyway.  “We are professionals,” Crowe protested, keeping his voice down.  “At least, like, eighty percent of the time.”  Glancing up ahead, Crowe noticed them moving into one of the squares that lead off into the mall’s various arms – and smoke rising from a campfire that was escaping out one of the broken windows.  Looking back to Ember and Tarissa, he put a finger to his lips, lowering his stance and pulling the rifle off of his back.

The two nodded in return.  Tarissa’s steps became noiseless as she too dropped lower.  Ember pulled the sidearm from her waistband, producing a small click as she turned off the safety.  Following Crowe’s lead, the three moved into the square.

An elevated square fountain was the centerpiece of the area, coated in moss and mold, but otherwise drained.  The glimmer of coins could be faintly seen in the last dregs of the sunset, and the area smelled of staleness and smoke.  The fire’s crackling was audible even from outside the square, and several stalls sat around the area, their products a testament to their time.  One had rows upon rows of cell phone cases for display, another was showing off makeup, and a third had custom made CAUTION signs.  BEWARE OF ZOMBIES, one said.  The irony was not lost on Ember, who silently giggled as she passed by.

Approaching the corner, Crowe peeked out around the fountain and at the campfire.  Behind him, Ember and Tarissa were stacked up, ready to move if they had to.  The fire’s area was empty, though the fire itself was still going, a trail of smoke and sparks rising up to the ceiling.  A purple two-person tent was set up nearby, with a folding camping chair set out close to the fire.  A pot was sitting on a metal grate, cooking some kind of soup or stew in the fire’s heat as flames licked the bottom.

Waving his hands forward, Crowe stepped out, keeping low and his weapon out and ready.  Save for the crackling of the fire and the bubbling of the pot’s contents, silence ruled as the group scurried around the campsite and past it, aiming for the opposite end of the square.  They’d nearly reached it when they heard a faint twang, and an arrow flew past Crowe’s head, embedding itself and its aluminum shaft in the painted wood of one of the square’s benches.

With a shout, Crowe stumbled back, landing on his rear and nearly crashing right into Ember, who was trying to keep from laughing.  He scurried a few steps on his hands and feet before standing up, following the trajectory of the arrow with his eyes and glaring up at the ceiling.  “You’re an asshole, Fletcher.”

Swinging down from his out-of-sight perch in the rafters, Fletcher grinned, a composite longbow in one hand and another arrow in the other.  “Admit it.  You missed me.”

Grinning just slightly, Crowe nodded.  “I did.  A bit.  Come on down.”

Sliding down one of the support columns, Fletcher was on the ground in seconds, sliding his bow over his shoulder.  Crowe shouldered his weapon, and Ember and Tarissa followed his lead, moving back over to the campfire.  They met by the fire, Crowe and Fletcher embracing briefly before he gave Ember a kiss on the cheek.  “Good to see you alive, birdbrain.  You too, Em.  And who might this be?” he asked as he turned his attention to Tarissa.

“My name is Tarissa, and I have recently met Crowe and Ember,” she explained, extending her hand.  “Your name is Fletcher?  As in, the part of the arrow?”

“I have an actual name, but it’s stupid, so Fletcher will do.”  He grinned, then shook Tarissa’s hand firmly.  “Pleasure to meet you, Tarissa.”  He sat down, then indicated the others should, too.  “You all look tired.  New gear?” he said, nodding to the assault rifles that Ember and Crowe carried.

“Military wasn’t using it anymore,” Crowe said simply.  “Decided to put it in the hands of some more honest citizens.”

“Not sure why they gave it to you, then,” Fletcher said as he stirred the pot.  “You know Conner’s out for your ass?”

Ember nodded.  “Yeah, she tried to pull one on us today.  Or, we think it was her.  Lured us out with the promise of Firefly work.  You know anything about them in this area?”

Fletcher shook his head.  “Sorry, Sparky, can’t tell you that.  What I can tell you is that she went so far as to ask even us to do something to take care of you for a bit.  I was actually on the way to pay you a visit and warn you – she’s been offering good payment for anyone who can dupe you into a dummy job.”

“Well, she succeeded,” he said, voice tinged with annoyance.  “Got me about 8 hours of running around and captured by the military that I really didn’t need in my life.  Did she want to embarrass me that much?”

“Seems strange that she’d want you to be made a sucker,” Ember commented.  “Maybe she’s trying to kill your rep?”

“Could be, but this seems complex for something like that.  I have a feeling the military thing was just a coincidence – the pick up point was on one side of town, the meet up was the other.  Why so far apart from each other?” Crowe mused aloud, trying to piece it all together.

“If I may assist?” Tarissa began.  Crowe indicated her to continue.  “Perhaps her efforts were merely to remove you from somewhere, or make sure you are not a variable in a situation.  If your job was a false one, the location spacing would be best at making sure that you would take as much time as possible.  Perhaps she did not want you to interfere in something.”

“But what?  What else has she been doing, Fletch?” Crowe asked the archer, turning to face him.

“Aside from her usual activities?”  Fletcher shrugged, still stirring.  “Nothing odd.  Heard some rumors that she’d gotten roped in with a hunter or slaver ring, but that was two or three months ago.  She’s also been trying to acquire a lot of demolitions gear and vehicles, along with survival supplies.”

“Slavers?  Would she r-“  Crowe stopped short as a few lines formed, connecting dots.  Glancing over, Ember had the same expression on her face, and they both felt dread wash over them like a bucket of ice water.  “Oh no,” Crowe whispered to himself, eyes wide as his brain was going through the worst possible scenario.

“What?  Did she…oh no,” Fletcher said as he too made the connection.  All three of them got up, and Fletcher began to pack up his tent and gear.  Crowe and Ember were already heading for the way out.  Tarissa also stood up and followed her friends, confused.  “Go on ahead!  I’ll catch up!” Fletcher called as the group ran towards the exit.

“What is it?  What is the reason for our haste?” Tarissa asked as they hustled, the girl keeping pace easily.