#yolmt

[browniefox]

You Only Die Multiple Times- The Sound of Silence

Crossover of @trulymightypotato‘s Royal Expectations and @royalflushstories Against All Odds

Some powers weren’t bestowed upon people with the modern(ish) age in mind.

This world was so much more... dense.

Even the big towns, the cities, from back ‘Home’, didn’t measure up. Back there, it was interesting, almost fun even for Cry to reach other his sense and almost hear the crackling, the whispering of other’s brains working. But here? 

Here, there was no escape from it.

The city didn’t whisper, didn’t chatter. No, the city Roared. It screamed and shouted, begging for attention. During the day when everybody was awake, the lighting that created human minds was active, too many people walking around, too close, too many people high-strung and stressed and overworked.

And in the night, the noise dimmed a bit, but speakeasy’s opened, the lights and radios in people’s houses turned on and the electricity that had at least been captured in the power lines was now surging through every house.

Felix, with his sound abilities, could not turn off the noise of electricity. Oh, the man had tried multiple times, endless times, but it always ended with sound waves pulled as taunt as possible as Cry slowly drowning in electricity.

But Cry had never allowed himself to be beat down before. He wasn’t about to allow his own abilities to drive him insane. 

And so, standing at what may as well have been the top of this small part of the world, the night city lights spread out before him, Cry reached down inside of himself, to the part that, with every thought of the people below, for every volt that ran through the city, rang like a tuning fork.

He grabbed it, and with Felix’s magic thrumming within him comfortingly, he grabbed it and willing the vibrations to mute.

[trulymightypotato]

A YOLMT What-If

Sometimes @browniefox makes me want to write stuff inspired by her stuff. So that’s what this is. Set with the most recent YOLMT.

Felix didn’t like being away from Cry. At least, Realms Felix didn’t like it. Being away from Cry meant he didn’t have anyone to protect him if something went wrong. Sure, Cry had magic, but that didn’t stop him from being dumb.

Boston Felix tried to ignore Realms Felix, instead standing on the balcony--push and pull informing him Cry was on the roof behind him somewhere--and looking out at the nighttime city sprawled before him.

It was beautiful. HEre, he could feel removed from the crimes and bloodwashed streets. He wasn’t particularly safer, of course. It was still Boston. But it helped.

It helped him hide from the glimpses he took out his office window, seeing the top of a fortress wall and a bustling medieval city over that instead of Boston. It helped him hide from the uncomfortable sensations of clothing Boston Felix considered perfectly tailored but Realms Felix said were too constricting, too much like... something. Too much like whatever had Felix waking in the middle of the night, screaming until his throat was raw but never making a sound, clawing at his chest in a desperate scrabble to hold the thing that was never there.

Too much like what had led him to now.

Felix took a deep breath, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair before setting it on the balcony railing. He was Boston Felix. This was Boston. Whatever had happened in that nightmare, in that memory, that was just a dream. Right?

He other hand rested on his chest, where the thing was supposed to be, but wasn’t. No gold ever glinted at him when he changed clothes, or bathed, or slept. Nothing was ever permanently cool to the touch, like it felt it should be, soothing him and forever reminding him of the weight of his duty.

The world blurred for a second, the balcony turning to a thick stone wall, designed for defenses, and the city going completely dark, as if not a wisp of electricity powered a thing--perhaps there was a lantern here or there, and a few street lamps powered by candles, but that was all.

Felix reached desperately for the push and the pull, trying to find Cry in the fortress behind him-

Felix shook his head sharply, shaking the image from his mind. No, no, no. This was Boston, not the Realms. There was no magic here.

Push and pull, though--Cry--seemed to be... expanding? Like a balloon being filled with water, trying to control it.

And then the balloon broke.

Lights snapped off in the city, plunging it into darkness. The faint light in his office behind him shattered.

Felix was moving before he realized it, darting to the edge of the balcony, and reaching out and somehow knowing where to grab--and had he been a second slower, he wouldn’t be precariously gripping Cry’s forearm.

“Cry?” He asked, trying to adjust his grip. “Cry, wake up.”

How he knew Cry was unconscious, he didn’t know. He just did. And Cry didn’t wake up when Felix spoke, though some part of him had been hoping.

Felix slowly managed to haul Cry onto the balcony--Realms Felix could distinctly remember being able to carry Cry, and doing so several times in the past--and laid him out the best he could.

Felix crouched next to Cry, gently placing fingers on Cry’s chest and listening. Yes, yes, he could hear Cry’s heartbeat. Even pushing though, even using magic, it was faint.

Whatever Cry had done, he’d nearly killed himself doing it.

Felix frowned, then turned his attention to Cry’s face. He was wearing his mask, as he’d taken to doing even in private more and more often after he’d admitted remembering burning, but it meant Felix couldn’t see any head injuries. So he gingerly pulled it off and blinked. For a second in the moonlight, he could have sworn he’d seen the extensive scars Realms Cry had across his face and disappearing under his clothes. But as soon as he blinked, it was gone.

There was no blood, though, so Felix sat back on his heels and stared helplessly. He should be able to do something more, he knew he’d done more in the past, but he didn’t know what it was.

He did it anyway, trusting that Realms Felix would know what to do.

“Ken,” he whispered softly, hoping the bear of a man would somehow hear it, “Ken I need your help. Something’s wrong with Cry. I’m in my office.”

That done, Felix turned his attention back to Cry. He couldn’t lift him, at least Boston Felix couldn’t and this was Boston, so he couldn’t, so he couldn’t get him inside.

Felix was still pondering the other thing to be done when Ken’s car pulled into the driveway nearly an hour later, then Ken himself stumbled into the office, looking tired but wide-eyed and like he’d heard a ghost, and saw Felix and Cry on the balcony. Instantly, he gasped and darted over.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Felix frowned at Cry’s still form, keeping a hand on Cry’s chest. It seemed right, somehow, and let him feel Cry’s shallow breathing anyway. “I think... I think he tried to do magic he wasn’t ready for.”

Ken let out a long breath. “Okay. Move. Let’s take him to his room. Is he hurt?”

“No. He would have been if I hadn’t caught him, but he’s not hurt.”

Felix followed only a few feet behind as Ken carried Cry’s limp form down the halls to his room. Ken didn’t bother moving Cry’s sheets aside, simply placing Cry on top of all the covers. And then, despite Felix’s protests that this was caused by magic somehow, insisted on giving Cry a lookover to make sure it wasn’t some kind of illness or heart attack or something.

“I... don’t know what to tell you,” Ken said, finally sitting back in a chair on the other side of Cry’s bed. “You’re right. As far as I can figure, he’s just so exhausted he can barely keep his heart beating. Nothing should have caused that so suddenly.”

“It’s the magic thing, I think,” Felix said from his chair on the other side of Cry’s bed. “I...” He frowned. “I feel like he’s done this before.” He tilted his head, sliding a bit closer to Cry. “I... I think I helped fix it last time he did.”

“Felix,” Ken warned, “don’t do anything stupid.”

Felix reached over and took Cry’s hand, a chill running through him at how it was almost cool to the touch, and closed his eyes. And then, somehow, he pushed strength, energy, life, into Cry.

He wasn’t sure how long it was before someone forced him to let go of Cry’s hand--it certainly felt like forever--and he blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling like he’d spent several days on his feet with no breaks.

“Ken, why’d you-” Felix looked at Ken, then frowned. “Ken?”

Ken looked over, confusion clear on his face. “I... don’t know? I just... you’ve done this before, and you’d reached the limit of what you could do without seriously hurting yourself, and I needed to interfere?” He blinked, looking at his hands, fingers drifting to where a ring would have sat on a finger. “Is this what’s been happening to you two?”

“Maybe.”

Anything Ken might have asked was interrupted when Cry’s breathing hitched. Instantly, Felix looked over, only to see Cry’s eyelids fluttering.

And then his eyes opened.

He instantly winced, and groaned softly, but made no effort to move.

“Cry?” Felix asked softly.

“I-” Cry grimaced. “I did not expect that to happen.”

“You fell off the roof.”

Cry was busy looking at his hand, though, the one Felix had been holding. Then his eyes widened and he looked over at Felix.

“Tell me you didn’t.”

“I had to,” Felix protested. “You almost died, whatever it is you did.”

“Felix-” Cry tried to sit up, but instead crumpled back onto the bed with a groan. “Felix, you have responsibilities.”

“I’m your Protector,” Felix said sternly. “My responsibility is keeping you alive.”

Cry gasped softly, eyes flicking to Felix’s chest, where the thing was supposed to be. “You- Protector.”

Protector.

Felix looked at his arm, where the memory of seven cuts had been stirred to the surface, then back at Cry.

“Protector.” He tried the word, now that he knew what it meant. “Yeah. I’m your Protector.”

[browniefox]

YOLMT - ???

A Pro No Evens of @royalflushstories Against All Odds and @trulymightypotato‘s Royal Expectations

The dragon and the protector.

oOo

Jason breathed in the familiar smell of Freddy’s. 

How strange it was, because The Tiny Box didn’t have this smell. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the people that populated it at this time, but it was always different. And always so welcome.

They’re sit at what had quickly become ‘their table’, and Jason is relieved. He wants to talk, and he knew his wife and Matpat don’t understand. He thinks he’s close to remembering his children’s names too, and he really wants to push himself tonight.

Their eyes finally catch him, lighting up. Dark hair and dark skin an very light brown eyes. Well, Jason thought they may’ve been brown when they first met, but as the days and weeks passed he couldn’t help but to night the lighter and brighter gleam they’d gained until they were undoubtedly golden.

“Good evening, Meln.” Matpat greeted as he sat down at the table.

“A good evening indeed.” Meln flashed a smile. It was nice to see them smile.

When Jason had first met them, he had come to Freddy’s with every intention to get as drunk as possible because it was easier than having his head split down the middle. Being with Matpat made it worse. He’d thrown himself between Matpat and a flung pencil - retribution for coming in a bit late for once - as if it would’ve killed the man. He’d done it without thinking and was gasping on his hands and knees afterwards as he fought off hallucinations of demons.

Meln was there for their first time, drowning their sorrows in a glass as well, looking like Jason felt. On a whim Jason had pulled up the seat next to them, because getting drunk with somebody was always better than doing it alone but he was afraid of worrying anybody he knew. So a stranger it was.

And they’d both, in their drunken states, shared similar experiences of gaining memories that didn’t belong, memories that fit too right.

Jason had never actually met Blackscale before, but there was a first time for everything.

“I’ve brought you a surprise today.” Meln reached into their coat and pulled out a golden disk, a metal chain allowing it to be worn around one’s neck. With trembling hands, Jason took it from the dragon.

It didn’t magically restore some part of himself, the memories of The Realms didn’t just flood in and - for once - find a comfortable place to sit in his head. But it was nice to have the weight back. 

“How have things been?” Meln asked, swirling the amber liquid in their glass. They were perhaps just a bit too young technically to be drinking, but then again it was illegal anyway and nobody was checking too closely, though Jason had seen Tyler shoot Meln a few suspicious looks and got increasingly hesitant to hand them drinks.

“It’s been getting better, but there’s still bad days. At least my job lets me stay close to Matpat. I think about him enough with him right next to me, if we worked apart I can only imagine how bad I’d be performing.”

“I can understand that.” Jason patted Meln’s back as they downed some more alcohol. 

“No luck then?”

“Unfortunately.” They’d been looking for any other dragon. Their eyes did, however, dart over to Ethan as he set down a drink on a table. They had mentioned that Ethan was familiar, but they weren’t sure if it was in the way they were looking for or if Ethan was something else that wasn’t his family. 

“They’ll come for you. I know they will.” Jason comforted.

Which was a lie. 

They were the only two who remembered. 

For a planet that was much smaller than theirs, it felt so big when there were so many strangers. When the ones that mattered could be on the other side of the globe.

[browniefox]

YOLMT - Not Even A Part Of The Series

You Only Live Multiple Times - A Pro No Evens of @royalflushstories Against All Odds and @trulymightypotato‘s Royal Expectations

Bruh. I was just thinkin. and like, if/when i continue yolmt it wouldn’t be able to work like this but

bruh

oOo

When Wiggles enters the room, PJ stops breathing.

It should be because the thought-dead man is standing before him, very much alive.

It should be because he may be challenged for his position of Godfather.

It should be because of the million of things that have happened in the last few days, but it’s not.

Should he kneel? He can’t remember if he did upon meeting up with Him. Pj’s neck is surprisnly light, missing a familiar weight. 

His mind springs back to the speakeasy, to Freddy’s. Phil had been in the crowd there. That had been the last time he’d seen him. Why hadn’t he followed the man home? Why wasn’t he watching him right now?

He speaks without thinking.

“Why aren’t you watching Josh?”

Wiggles freezes. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn’t that. 

“I-”

“Ohmwrecker, that was your name right?” PJ tries to make sense of his sudden muddled thoughts over crowding his head. He needs to get back to Phil. “Wha- I thought you were dead, yes, Josh is dead, isn’t he?”

“Josh,” Wiggles voice sounds desperate as a hand flies to his chest, clutching the fabric where a medallion should always lie. “No, yes, but I’m alive...? Why am I alive?” His knees fall to the ground, quickly followed by PJ as both men grapple with the sudden onslaught of memories.

“PJ, is everything alright?” 

Jordan knocks on the door, undoubtedly with a gun at the ready. 

“Yes.” PJ quickly call. It really isn’t, but Jordan doesn’t need to be in here, to see him like this. He’d freak out at seeing PJ on the floor, instantly demand he go back to bed, but he needs to figure this out. If Wiggles triggered it, he has to keep him nearby.

“PJ,” Wiggles is shaking as he slowly stands back up. His eyes dart around, as if trying to keep track of the odd facts in his head.

“What?” PJ tries to follow suit in standing, but he doesn’t have the energy to do so.

“Why is there only one moon?”

[browniefox]

i’ve done some thinking, and i’ve decided that if i ever really continue yolmt i want to start almost completely over to iron out a few things

[browniefox]

Drew this last night. Pam and Grayscale, but in Royal Flush universe. She's noticed his eyes are getting weird.

[browniefox]

Pro No Evens - YOLMT 7

Pro No Evens - You Only Live Multiple Times 7

Memories can be stressful and hard to deal with, training happens, lost things are found, and someone who was trying to find herself returns.

Against All Odds is created by the lovely folks @royalflushstories and Royal Expectations is made by the stunning @trulymightypotato

Felix couldn’t sleep.

Marzia was curled up against his side, one arm lazy strewn across his chest as her head sat almost between his shoulder and head. He could feel her breath tickling his neck with every inhale and exhale. And he could hear her heart beat.

It took just a small pressing and he could hear it loud and clear, like his head was lying on her. The slow pound, the th-thump of Marzia heart beneath her ribcage was almost enough to lull him to sleep.

Almost.

Things were going well. He had Cry by his side where he could keep the faceless safe, he had Marzia with him and sending quiet, content vibes even now, he even had Ken supporting him and helping to keep the whole ‘practicing magic’ thing unnoticed by the public. He had everything he wanted.

So why couldn’t he sleep.

He cast his powers down to the floor, where Edgar and Maya were lying. They were curled in on themselves, their backs touching. Their heart beats should’ve helped too, they were his dogs, so innocent and free from the hardships of living.

But he remained awake.

He was being haunted again.

It had become so much smoother after getting the other three involved. Thoughts had stuck with him instead of flying off into the wind. He was seeing things clearly again, less of double-image overlap. He had almost forgotten what being lost in that tornado of Realms, the Loop consuming him.

It wasn’t quite the Loop, wasn’t the double-image problems. But it was Realms pressing down on him, smothering Felix the Alcohol Manufacturer, the owner of Pewd’s Booze, and shoving Felix the Protector into his place. Everytime he blinked, the darkness that greeted him was the inside of a building where statues of people he knew stared at him. He stared at himself, his own stone face, and reached to touch the cold replica of himself. His hand stopped right before it touched for fear of slipping right through and being faced with his own end.

He looked at the golden disc.

It was like an actual hole in him. Physically there now.

He opened his eyes back up and was greeted by his ceiling.

Felix sighed.

And blinked again.

Ethan desperately drew in air.

He was going to be so sore in the morning.

“Ethan you need to be a bit quicker with your scales.”

Virid offered Ethan a hand up and the younger took it. Claws gently tapped against Ethan’s wrist before they faded back into fingernails. Ethan’s had already disappeared long ago when he lost focus and ended up on the ground, arms raised to block any blows that Virid might deliver while he was down. Of course, Virid had never hurt Ethan after he had obviously lost the match. At least, so far they hadn’t. Who was to say for when they got farther in the training.

“I know.”

Ethan sighed, rubbing at the bruises on his arms. As he did he coaxed the scales to appear. They were a nice blue color, and every time he saw them they reminded him of something. Of the freedom of being in the sky and others with scales and wings and sharp teeth. Of being pulled close and hugged and loved. They weren’t his parents, and yet… they were. In a strange way.

He got  the same warm feeling being around Virid.

“So, again?” Ethan rolled his shoulders, putting his fists back up and covering them with scales. He’d always been rather agile, but man was Virid fast.

But they didn’t get into a fighting position. Instead, Virid walked over to a patch of grass and sat down. They patted the ground next to them and Ethan, after a moment's hesitation, sat down next to them.

“I’ve missed this.”

Their training ground was a spot in the woods, the best area where no one would question what they were doing and they weren’t encroaching in mob territory. Ethan had had to ask the day off of work (though he would probably end up going to Freddy’s tonight) and of course Mark had been all too happy to give it to him. It had taken a while to get out here, and now the sun was on its way down.

“Missed what?”

Ethan ran his fingers through the untrimmed blades of grass. He knew why, sitting here, but he wanted to hear somebody else say. Know that somebody else thought it.

“The trees, the nature, the small little life everywhere.” An ant ran across Virid’s hand, inspecting it for food. “You lose some of that in the city. Maybe that’s why Hibiscus left. She was looking for home, and home was never in cramped places with so many people. Home was a small place in the middle of the woods helping raise children into warriors.”

“Wherever Mark is, I feel home.” Ethan leaned into Virid, almost subconsciously. Their hand came up and ran through his hair.

“You’re doing well, by the way.” Virid hummed. “I’m proud of you. This thing going on, it isn’t easy, it drove Hibiscus away and made me fear for my own sanity. Every moment I spend with you, Ethan, I feel a bit better, a bit more like I’m myself. I’m who I’m supposed to be.”

They sat together like that for far more than a moment.

“Hey Gar.”

Gar almost leapt to his feet, almost reached for a weapon he didn’t have, and a cold breeze suddenly swept through the area around him.

Wade just stood there.

Gar relaxed minutely. He looked away.

Ever since his last break down, he’d been avoiding, well, everything.

He hadn’t gone to another meeting for the Realms.

He’d called in sick to the police office.

He’d even avoided the faceless. His dad was probably worried, but what was Gar going to tell him? That he thinks he may be a demon from another life?

“Hello Wade.” Gar fought the urge to run away. He avoided looking Wade in the eye.

“Gar, it’s okay.” Wade sad down next to Gar on the park bench. Gar continued to look at what he had been looking at for a while. Wade followed his gaze to Mark, leaning up against a tree, probably asleep. A bunch of squirrels had surrounded him, making nests of his hairs and curling up in his jacket.

“I wish I never remembered.” Gar said in little more than a mumble. Lucky Mark, so free of this weight that Gar had on him. “Should we ever remember? Should we push this forward, try harder to remember? Maybe we shouldn’t, maybe we should leave this all in the past or different world or whatever. We’re here now, we’re who we are. How does remembering help us in the now, the present?”

“The others were talking about that.” Wade continued to watched the distant Mark. There was a squirrel wrapped around his neck like a scarf, several of them in fact. “After you didn’t show up the second time, they got to thinking why we were doing so much in our power to find out who we once were, whether or not it’s real. For hours we sat in Dan’s apartment, thinking about where to go after the revelation of you and the Demon Prince?”

“What did you decide?” Gar swore he could feel cold hand on his back, rubbing in circles, attempting to comfort him.

“We decided to keep figuring this out. And we want you to keep helping us.”

“Why?” Gar hand clenched into a fist. Cold enveloped it.

“Because of what you’ve done for us Gar.” Wade was looking at Gar now, eyes burning. “Gar, you saved Molly and me from the demon camp. You didn’t kill Molly after being ordered to. You fixed the magic of the Realms. Gar, you’re so much more than the Demon Prince. You’re one of my best friends.”

Gar’s hand clenched tighter. Dammit, he wasn’t breaking down again.

“I… I did that?” All he’d remembered was killing people, causing chaos, burning down towns and enjoying it.

“We’ve made a lot of progress since you’ve been gone.” Wade conceded. “We’re fairly sure that PJ has some kind of magic that helps that out, and whatever Mat has keeps things in an order.”

A squirrel peeked out of the bottom of mark’s pants.

“Gar, do you really not want to know who you are?”

The squirrel retreated back into the Fischbach’s clothes.

“No.”

Another squirrel was pawing at his glasses.

“Let’s go wake Mark up.”

“So, what else have you found out?”

Stephanie took the offered cup of tea and gently blew on it.

She’d been having regular meeting with Madam Foxglove for a while now, though she had started calling her Molly. There was just something nicer about it.

Together, the two of them had been figuring out what their significant other had been figuring out about the weird dreams. Neither Molly nor Stephanie had had much of them, just one here or there, but it would seem Wade and Mat were remembering a lot.

“Nothing too new, but, well, I found this on my way over here.”

Stephanie held out a golden disc.

“I think it’s a medallion.”

She stepped off the train and breathed in a deep breath of the polluted city air.

She missed the west already.

But if Virid had contacted her, it must be important.

Hibiscus tightened her grip on her suitcase and entered the streets of the bustling city.

[browniefox]

YOLMT - Lightning and Thunder

Pro No Evens crossover of @royalflushstories and @trulymightypotato‘s Royal Expectations

A bit short but eh, i wrote it anyway.

Felix and Cry go for a walk.

oOo

When Cry was young, he loved to look out the windows as it stormed.

His mother would often wrap him in a hug, sitting beside him.

“I love to watch the rain too.” She’d tell him, and he loved that. He loved having something in common with her, something to share and enjoy with her. Cry loved it enough that he didn’t break it to her that it wasn’t the rain he was watching.

While his mom watched the peaceful, mesmerizing raindrops, Cry waited patiently for the lightning of the storm.

oOo

Cry and Felix had avoided going out for the most part. It was a bit hard on Felix, namely, who had quite the internal struggle going on as he had confided in Cry. Both Felix of the present and Felix of the realms seeming to be fighting for a place, a right to exist. Things had been getting better, luckily, as both sides seemed to be slowly settling down and just… both existing. Cry had yet to run into the same problem, but then again Felix had remembered much more than he had.

Tonight, Felix had decided that he was not going to stay awake and stare at the ceiling like just about every night before. He may as well go for a walk and get some fresh air. Perhaps that was all he needed, after having been cooped up in his mansion for weeks, practicing magic, only ever leaving really to go to Freddy’s.

It was crisp tonight, a few clouds painted in the night sky, illuminated by the almost-half moon in the sky. Not too many stars could be seen, the city lights blotting most out.

“It’s a bit strange,” Felix commented, the first comment in what must’ve been thirty minutes, “seeing only one moon up there.”

Cry didn’t find it too odd. It was how it’d been for his entire life - except, well the other life he lived. Every so often, his vision did seem to blur, the single moon becoming fuzzy, joined by two others in various stages of their cycle. Sometimes the blurring would come with sounds, even smells of events that he didn’t quite remember.

“... Felix,” Cry drew a deep breath. Perhaps this was as good a time as any to bring up something that had been bothering him.

“Yeah?” Felix’s breath could be seen the cold air, a hazy cloud that disappeared in front of his face.

“You died.”

It wasn’t a question.

Felix’s pace slowed.

“... yeah.” So he did know.

“But you came back.” And he wasn’t talking about here, now, he was still talking about the Realms, about mourning Felix and seeing his gravestone and then years later having the man hovering over his shoulder, protecting his back once more.

Felix did that thing again. That thing where he reached up, to the center of his chest as if to grab something that should be there. They’d talked about that, but neither were entirely sure yet what exactly that was. Apparently Felix believed, or perhaps knew, that it was connected to his revival.

They didn’t get to talk again, as without warning Felix’s arm was grabbed and he was dragged into an alley. Both Felix and Cry had been too focused on the past to remember to be careful of the present, of the mobs and thieves and oh so desperate people that littered Boston.

The man had Felix’s back against him, a knife hovering just barely away from the man’s throat.

“Don’t come any closer!” He threatened, which didn’t work out too well as he was shaking and his voice sounded almost like he’d break down. “I just need this damn egg to cooperate!”

It wouldn’t take much to take care of the man, but something tugged deeply within Cry, a memory spilling forth of bright lights, louds sounds, electricity running through the air. And despite this memory carrying with it the fact that it was usually Felix who looked after Cry, the Cry who was a faceless knew that the roles were currently reversed, Felix didn’t have a weapon on him, Cry had to be the one to make the move.

He moved without thinking, power surging up from his core as he took a step forward. The man opened his mouth, seemed to say something, but there was no sound. The thrum of Felix in his chest and the look on the other’s face was answer enough.

Another step forward, and the power was travelling down his arm as he wound it back. The movement wasn’t strictly necessary, but it did help in an odd way to focus on what one was doing.

The world stayed silent until Cry trust his arm forward again, the magic bursting out into sharp, white, brilliant lightning, electricity causing his hairs to stand on end. The sound waves, taunt and still before, move once again in a powerful boom that seemed to shake the street as the still night gave way.

Yeah.

It was definitely overkill.

The man lay on the ground, looking more than a bit fried and definitely passed out. Luckily still alive. Felix took a step away from the man, a hand on his neck that, when pulled away, revealed the small cut the man had managed to slice before being taken out.

“Cry,” Felix whispered, stepping up beside the faceless, “You just used magic. In public.”

Well, it wasn’t quite public. The only real witness was the man on the ground, and who would believe anything he said. Felix did a have a point though.

“Perhaps it’s time we headed back home.”

oOo

Four men, clustered around a cork board, all straighten up at the boom. There is no rain outside.

Yet there is thunder.

oOo

Three not-quite-humans look to the city as they approach, curious of the unearthly sound with these weather conditions.

oOo

A man in a mask looks to the sky, almost praying that he sees something, perhaps somebody, up there.